Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero

A Dragon's Limit

"Well… I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Y-Yeah… I guess I did make it seem like it'd be a while longer."

Kiryu smirked at the amusingly awkward moment between him and Naofumi. It had only been a day since his departure, and strangely enough Naofumi had come right back.

"So, did you forget something?"

"No, not really, we're just passing through. I thought I'd stop by and… show you why." Naofumi sighed as he waved for Filo and Raphtalia to come closer.

"Hi, Mister Kiryu!"

Kiryu blinked, eyes darting around when he heard the voice of a young girl. It certainly hadn't been Raphtalia, who's tail swayed behind her as she sported a sheepish expression. "Who was that?" He asked, finding no one else around.

"It was me, Mister Kiryu!" Filo suddenly towered over him, her beaked face smiling ear to ear.

"... Did Filo just talk?"

"Yeah. She did." Naofumi didn't sound very thrilled by this development.

"... Huh." Kiryu stared up at the puffy bird, raising a hand and petting her head. "That's new. Nugget's obviously older than her and he hasn't said a word, even if he clearly has something to say. So I'm guessing there's something special about her?"

"Ah, be careful, Mister Kiryu! She doesn't just talk now, she-"

"Ah, that feels good, Mister Kiryu!" Filo cooed in pleasure. In a sudden puff of smoke though, Kiryu found his hand touching nothing but air as the bird disappeared from sight. "Here, rub my head now!"

Kiryu's gaze trailed to the ground, following the voice to find a little girl in Filo's place. A blonde haired, feather winged and very naked girl staring up at him expectantly. "Uh… huh?"

"Yeah. She can transform into that now." Naofumi dryly chuckled, draping the girl quickly in a blanket. "You can see why we're headed back to the slave trader now, right?"

"Yeah… I can see why now." Kiryu mumbled, unsure how to take all of this.

"Pew?" Kiryu's eyes trailed to the side when he heard Nugget close by, the black filolial tilting his head curiously as he approached.

"Hmph! It's him." Filo's eyes narrowed in annoyance before immediately shifting back into her true form, causing Kiryu to take a step back in surprise. "What do you want, dummy?"

Nugget's head recoiled in surprise before his eyes narrowed in irritation, releasing a low hiss. "Pewa~!"

"Shut up! You're a fatty, fatty!" Filo chirped in irritation, trying to charge at Nugget until Naofumi and Raphtalia got in her way, holding the bird back.

"Filo, stop! We didn't come for you to fight!" Raphtalia huffed as she shoved against the filolial.

"Hey, what did I tell you?! Behave!" Naofumi scolded her.

"He called you fat?" Kiryu looked back at Nugget, his filolial sticking his tongue out at her. "And you can understand him?"

"Pewa!"

"Shut up! I'll eat you!"

"Okay, glad we caught up but I think we need to go…" Naofumi sighed, pushing Filo away. "Sorry, Kiryu. Just thought I'd stop by and tell you what's going on. Might see you on our way back out."

"Alright, you… take care of this…" Kiryu put a hand on Nugget's feathered breast, keeping him back. The filolial let out what Kiryu imagined was a hissing chuckle as he taunted Filo, causing his owner to raise a brow. "Well, now I'm curious as to what you've been saying this whole time."

Nugget answered by blowing a raspberry.

It had been over two weeks since Kiryu last saw Naofumi and Raphtalia. They had come through town only once more, passing through after having Filo's slave crest strengthened to keep her from going wild. Life had returned to what was relatively normal for Kiryu and Lute Village. Despite initial fears that the King or the Princess might try to cause trouble for Kiryu out of spite for previous events, nothing seemed to pop up in the long run. The knights made short rounds to check in on the village in case of problems, and that was thankfully without any stuck up knights that Kiryu had previously encountered.

Still, Kiryu didn't remain idle. He continued to train and raise his level with Nugget. Though they were noticeably having trouble leveling up at one point, their typical monsters becoming too low level and yielding very little experience. It was clear that they would need to take on larger quests to gain suitable amounts of EXP. It was rather tedious work, but Kiryu knew it was necessary.

But on top of that, he had other plans for Lute Village.

"You want to develop a better defense for the village?" The Village Lord raised a brow in minute surprise. He had gathered the Village Lord and some of the owners of the local shops, including Melonie and Julius.

"Yeah. It was clear just after the first wave how underprepared we are for more attacks. While I can protect the village the best I can, I can't be everywhere at once. And if these Waves are going to become stronger, the fatalities will be a lot harder to handle."

"That's true. While it's unlikely for our village to become the central focus of the next Wave, we should still take precautions. Monsters will attack us regardless of how few." Julius agreed, having spoken about it with Kiryu the previous night.

"You're both right, of course. But the problem is that Lute doesn't have the coins to fund a meaningful defense measure." The Village Lord grimaced as he stroked his beard.

"I'm willing to take a cut in my profits to put toward the defensive measures. I'd rather lose some extra coin than lives." Julius offered, Melonie nodding in full support.

"We do hope that our other shop owners are willing to do the same. We have to think about who we can save, don't we?" Melonie looked around at the townsfolk.

"I'm willing to help out. But to be honest, I don't know if I can sacrifice too much of my profits or else I'll have trouble staying open." The inn owner said with a sheepish expression.

"The same for me. While I make a decent profit, I still have to be able to purchase my goods." The tavern owner admitted, earning a few nods of agreement from the other various shop owners.

"It's clear that even if we pooled the money that the shop owners can spare, we likely won't have enough." Lute's lord grumbled, giving Kiryu an apologetic frown.

"I see. I guess it wouldn't be that easy. And even if I were to take more quests with higher pay, they're usually quests that cost a lot of time on top of it." Kiryu put a hand over his mouth, stroking his chin. "We need to find a way to make coin fast…"

"But how can we do that? We're all used to making money at a slow but steady pace." One of the other shop owners pointed out, others nodding in agreement. "Even if we were to pool our funds now, we're still set back by the repairs around town."

"We'll have to go for something extravagant to be sure," Melonie couldn't help but agree, rubbing her arm. Kiryu spared a look around, seeing that there really wasn't any option that they could offer him. With a sigh, he decided to take the lead.

"I'll make us the money. But I will need everyone's help to get started." The townsfolk looked at Kiryu in shock, the town protector's expression firm. "It won't be the cleanest option, but it'll give us the coin we need."

"'Cleanest'"? You're not planning to steal anything, are you?" Julius gaped at him.

"Nothing like that. But the business we can start up still isn't the greatest." Kiryu sighed, looking around at the villagers. "I think that the fastest way for us to make the money would be to start a… new business. A gambling hall, so to speak."

"Gambling hall?" The village lord looked uneasy, but sounded curious. "What exactly is that?"

"It's a place for people to go and waste money at. Somewhere that we can gather people together from out of town and get them to spend tons of cash. It'll be hard, and it might start slow. But from what I understand, there aren't many gambling halls or casinos around in Melromarc. If we do this right, we can make something very profitable."

"I see. I suppose that gambling is a bit of a dirty business. But if it's for the safety of the village, I'm in." Julius and Melonie gave nods of approval. "What do you need the rest of us to do?"

"I've got a bit of money saved up, but I don't have enough to start it up. If you all have money to give, I'm asking that you give it to me as a loan. If I can get us started, I promise that I can make your money back and then some. Everyone will have a piece."

"But… what if it doesn't work?" One of the shop owners asked, unsure. "How will we make our money back?"

"Then I'll just have to find another way to pay everyone back. Go on adventuring full time, find some treasure. I promise that no matter what happens, I will pay everyone back for helping me. I'll just need time to get the business started and running." Kiryu put his hands at his sides, bowing deeply to the other villagers. "Please. I want to protect this village however I can. I won't let you all down."

"Oh, Kiryu… you know we all trust you." Lute's lord brought Kiryu's gaze back up, the other villagers smiling at him. "You've done well to protect our people thus far. We owe you a great deal more than some money on loan. I'm willing to give what I can to help this project out. What about the rest of you?"

"Let's do it!"

"For Lute Village!"

"We'll back you all the way, Kiryu!"

Kiryu smiled at their support, raising from his bow. "Thank you all. I promise that I won't waste the opportunity. I'll make us the money we need."

"So, where do you want to set this gambling hall up?" Lute's lord asked.

"For now, I think we should start small." Kiryu looked at the tavern owner. "Do you think we can start gambling at the tavern? With the money we have, we can expand what room you have if needs be."

"Gambling at the tavern, eh? Not a bad place to start! Leave it to us!" The owner smiled, giving a thumbs up.

"Great. That'll be to make us some money in the short run while we build the real hall." Kiryu stroked his chin, looking around. "I think we should expand into part of the forest. Cut down some of the trees and build a separate area just for the hall."

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea. But why not put it in town?"

"If the gambling hall gets big enough, we'll likely have to worry about the customers causing a ruckus and getting too rowdy." Kiryu explained. "It'll be close enough to town that it'll help all of the businesses here, but out of the way enough to not impose on the villagers."

"Ah, that's a good idea. Best not to disturb the peace we've got if we can afford to keep it separated." Julius agreed.

"Alright. We'll go over the surrounding layout and see if we can find a good spot for you." Lute's lord said. "Why don't we all head home for the day and gather what coins we can provide for Kiryu to begin, hm?"

"That sounds good. I'll go over details with Julius and Melonie and we'll work things out from there." Kiryu smiled, bowing again. "Thank you all for the support."

"We'll be counting on you, Kiryu! We know you'll do right by us."

With that, the townsfolk dispersed, Kiryu leaving with Julius and Melonie. "So, what's our plan from here?"

"We're going to come up with the games that the gambling hall will have. I have a bunch in mind that we can use." Kiryu decided before looking at Melonie. "I'll need your help to organize the gambling area at your tavern too. You know the place best, after all."

"Leave it to me! The owner knows how important this is, so they'll definitely work with us!" Melonie pumped a hand at her side.

"Thanks. I'll get what supplies we need for them. We'll speak to the local carpenter about what he can do for expansion. We might have to get an outside company to help out with the big stuff, though."

"How big do you plan to make this gambling hall?" Julius asked.

"It doesn't need to be anything extravagant. We just need it to make enough money to supply for the defenses and make everyone their money back." Kiryu hummed in thought, looking down. "Still, it can't be too small or it won't make enough to profit from."

"It sounds like you've done this quite a bit before. Did you run a gambling hall before?" Melonie's voice conveyed a bit of her awe.

"Not a gambling hall specifically, but the man who raised me like a father did. He showed me a few tricks on how to start it up, too. I have managed a few properties though, so I have good experience running businesses."

"You've certainly lived an interesting life, Kiryu." Julius noted in a conflicted voice.

"Interesting's one word for it." Kiryu chuckled. "But I can at least put it to work here. So let's…" Kiryu came to a stop, his stomach twisting as he looked down the road. Coming up the street was a cart packed with cages, strange mongrel beasts locked within and snarling. It was led by a troupe of guards, with a rider up front.

"Slave traders… typical." Julius grumbled, rubbing his arm awkwardly as he knew Kiryu's feelings on the matter. "Just ignore them, Kiryu. It doesn't look like they have any Demi…" Julius was quieted when they saw the back end of the wagon. Being led forward in chains was a single demi-human child, walking barefoot across the earthen ground.

"Oh, no…" Melonie put her hands over her mouth, horror filling her eyes as she watched the demi-human walk with a minor limp. Their head was lowered and their eyes looked void of hope. Kiryu's chest wrenched. A single, small boy with short silver hair and long dog ears on top of their head. Being treated like an animal.

Kiryu's hand shook at his side, and he felt his legs begin to move. "Wait, Kiryu!" Julius put a hand on his chest, panic in his eyes. "You can't!"

"You're okay with this?" Kiryu accused through gritted teeth.

"Of course not, but you know how much trouble you can get in! You're already in hot water with the King, we don't want to make it worse." Julius reminded Kiryu, though his own expression was struggling to stay straight, his eyes watching the young boy with regret.

It got worse when the boy's legs gave out, falling to the ground in exhaustion. The caravan stopped while one of the guards went to the back and stood over the boy's prone body. "What do you think you're doing?! Get up and walk, dog!"

"I-I can't…" They whimpered out, slowly pushing against the ground to stand. In answer, the guard kicked him in the stomach.

"Who says you have a choice?! Get up!"

"I'm so thirsty…"

"Then take a piss and drink it! I'll make you walk on all fours if I have to!" The guard raised his foot as he prepared to step on the boy's back. But he was soon shoved back, causing him to stumble.

Melonie stood in front of the child, eyes full of hate. "What do you think you're doing?! He's just a kid!" Melonie cried out, sticking her chest out as she stood in front of him.

"Hey! What business is it of yours that we do with our slaves?!" The guard snapped, gripping at a whip at his hip. "That's our property, and we'll do with it as we please!"

"You're real trash, you know that? Treating a child like a thing!" Melonie snarled, huddling down next to the demi-human. "Are you okay?" She asked, reaching her hands out to grab him. The boy seemed to recoil on instinct, causing Melonie to quickly stop. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm-"

"I said get away from our property!" The man raised his whip, ready to lash into Melonie's back. That was until a fireball erupted in his chest. The other guards stiffened, drawing their heads up to see a furious Julius gnashing his teeth.

"Don't ever touch my wife!" Julius snarled, turning his wand toward the other guards.

"Keep your woman in line! She's handling our property!" The caravan's guards drew their swords, getting ready to surround Julius and Melonie.

"You're not going to touch either of them." Kiryu stepped in front of the Harkens, cracking his knuckles and burning his deathly gaze into the guards. "And if you value your lives, you'll back off."

"H-Hey… isn't that the town's protector we heard about?" One of the guards asked, taking a step back. "The Weaponless Hero…"

"I don't give a shit who you are! That's our property and you're interfering in our business!" The supposed leader said, likely the main trader of the group. "So I'll give you one last warning before I take it out on the slave. After we deal with you!"

"If you think you can… then go ahead…" Kiryu twisted his neck back and forth, letting out loud and satisfying cracks. "Come!"

Slave Traders

The closest guard charged Kiryu. Typical. One of them thought they could end it quickly. That the stories were just that. So Kiryu decided to put the truth of the legend on full display.

He stepped forward, his gauntlets shifting into full size and blue sparks surrounding them. Kiryu smashed his fist through the man's leather breastplate, sending him flying backward and crashing into several others. Of course, they barrelled further back with him, tumbling across the ground like bowling pins. The remaining guards stared in awe, slowly shifting their gaze back to Kiryu.

It was too late for them to back out of this fight now, though. Kiryu was pissed and raring to beat them all down, especially their leader. He was charging full speed at the others, jumping up and letting out a furious roar as he drop-kicked the leader across the chin. Kiryu felt the bones crack under his boots, watching him sail back several feet as he landed on the ground, but quickly rolled back to avoid leaving himself open.

Only two guards remained after the leader, but they were clearly scared shitless by now. Kiryu dashed forward and slammed his fist into the first guard's stomach before grabbing him by the collar and swinging him into the other like a ragdoll. They both hit the ground with a thud, a tangled mess of bodies left by his onslaught.

Kiryu wasn't done though, reaching onto the back cart and grabbing one of the cages half his height. He let the beast inside out, the monster scurrying away to freedom without issue, before hoisting it overhead and walking to the leader.

"W-Wait! Please! We-"

"HNNAAGH!" Kiryu brought the cage down on him with devastating power, the cage giving out over the man's chest. Kiryu dusted off his gauntlets as he turned to the other guards, most still on the ground and barely getting to their feet. But as Kiryu stared them down, they quickly cowered away, picking one another up and running off without another word. The only one remaining was the leader who laid at his feet, mostly unconscious.

"You bastard…" Kiryu looked over his shoulder to see the last remaining guard. He was the one who Julius had blasted with magic. The one who had kicked a child like a small dog. Julius raised his wand to do so again, but Kiryu waved him off. "You're all going to pay for this when the knights hear abou-"

Kiryu snatched his throat faster than he could react, choked breaths sputtering from his mouth. "Before that. You're going to pay the price, first." Kiryu slammed a fist into the guard's gut hard enough to make him buckle over. Kiryu dragged him closer to the cart before throwing his arm over his shoulder. And to the bizarre sight of all watching, Kiryu picked him up in the air and held his legs up high. Right before dropping him back down in a devastating suplex against the edge of a cage. Julius and Melonie winced, as did the rest of the townsfolk watching. The guard's body hung limply over the cage, clearly unconscious from the abuse he suffered.

"Is he… alive?" Julius asked hesitantly.

"He's breathing." Kiryu shrugged, putting a finger over his nose and feeling a small bit of air. "Not that I'd care either way with scum like this."

"Right…" Julius sighed, looking at the mess they had made. "I'm… sorry for not acting sooner. I just don't know what's going to happen now…"

"It's fine. You were trying to think logically. But I can't always do that." Kiryu admitted with a small smirk, looking back at Melonie. She was hugging the young boy close to her chest, the dog eared demi-human looking at Kiryu with wide eyes filled with awe. Kiryu let out a soft chuckle before turning back to the leader. "Well, I have one idea on how to handle this."

"What's that?"

"You'll see." Kiryu strutted over to the leader, soft whines of pain the only indication that he was conscious. "Hey. Wake up." Kiryu slapped his face before grabbing his chest and pulling him up.

"H-Huh? Wha…" He was obviously still quite out of it, but Kiryu had very little sympathy to offer.

"Give me ownership of the boy." Kiryu demanded, shaking him lightly. "Did you hear me?"

"Wh-Wha..? Ownership..?" The man seemed to start coming to, eyes bulging out of his head when he realized what he said. "B-But I can't… I was offered a big sum to find a demi-human bra-" Kiryu's seething glare cut him off. "K-Kid! I was offered a lot for that kid! And the guy who wants it is a big deal!"

"Tell him you couldn't find one. He'll have to find his pleasures somewhere else." Kiryu would have liked to beat the man who was trying to buy the kid as he clearly had no good intentions. But right now, his focus was on covering their own asses. "Otherwise you're going to get what he got."

The leader saw his man's still unconscious body limp over a cage, his face paling. "P-Please! No more!"

"Then give me ownership. I'll even give you what I've got on hand in exchange." Kiryu fished into his jacket, holding up a pouch of coins that he had recently got from a quest. "So you either take it and call it square, or I beat you until the trade is free."

"D-Deal! Deal, just please! No more!"

"Good. We'll get it in writing too, so that if the knights come asking, they won't be able to say anything." Kiryu dropped him to the ground, looking over his shoulder. "You can add that other monster I let go to the agreement."

"What other monster?"

"The one that was in the cage I smashed on you."

"O-Oh…"

It had taken some time for the slave trader to get his bearings enough to write out a contract. But after some time and minor healing from Julius (only enough that he could write), the contract was written up and all parties signed on their end. Keel had been restored somewhat with a potion and food, the demi-human curled up in a blanket close by with Melonie sitting close.

"Hey." The slave trader winced at the edge in Kiryu's voice. "Why's the kid labeled as 'the Demi-Human'?"

"B-Because I don't know if it has a name…" The slave trader admitted, lowering his head as Kiryu stooped over him. Kiryu shifted his gaze back, looking at the child.

"Hey, kid."

"Y-Yes?" The boy squeaked out, drawing his gaze away from Melonie.

"What's your name?"

"... K-Keel."

"Keel. Put that name down. You can specify that he's a demi-human, but you'll use his name. Got it?"

"Y-Yes sir!" The slave trader quickly wrote it down. Kiryu was thankful that he had learned enough of the written language to understand a good bit. But thankfully Julius could read it fully for him. "H-Here! All done!"

Julius took the paper, taking a moment to read it all the way through. With a satisfied nod, he gave Kiryu his affirmation. "Looks like we're all set. Keel is now officially ours."

"Alright. You can leave now." Kiryu jerked his thumb toward the door. "Don't come through this town again."

"Y-Yes sir! I won't!" The man scurried away from his chair, almost crawling to make it to the door. He stopped for a moment before looking back. "O-Oh, but-"

"What?" Kiryu met him with a heated glare.

"N-Nothing! I-I just thought I'd point out that that's… a girl…" Kiryu and Julius blinked, both turning around to look at Keel.

"Huh?"

"N-No I'm not! I'm a boy! My papa said so!" Keel complained, tail wagging anxiously behind them.

"... We'll… deal with that later." Kiryu wasn't sure if this was a subject that was totally in his power to discuss, turning back to the man. "Just get lost already."

"Y-Yes sir!" With that, the slave trader took off. With the man gone, Kiryu turned back to Keel, walking over with Julius.

"Well… now that we officially 'own' Keel here, we can get rid of that slave crest." Julius said, raising his wand. "I'm capable of dispelling the crest. Just say when."

"Y-You're setting me free?" Keel asked, looking at them all with wide eyes.

"Of course, Keel. You're free now. And don't worry… Julius and I discussed it, and you'll be staying with us. If you don't mind." Melonie smiled, sitting at eye level with Keel to make them feel comfortable. The demi-human rubbed their arm, looking at the ground shyly.

"W-Well… I don't really trust humans much, but… you did save me…" Keel's eyes looked up from the ground before going to Kiryu. "Will… you be around?"

Kiryu raised a brow, surprised. "Yeah. I live with them, currently. Though I think I'll give up my room and move out so that you can move in."

"D-Don't do that! I want you to stick around, big bro!" Kiryu's head recoiled at Keel's sudden intensity.

"Really? You want me to stay around?"

"Of course! You were so cool! Watching you beat those slavers was so awesome! I never saw anyone get slammed on their back against a cage like that!" Keel's words spilled out like a tidal wave, somewhat embarrassing Kiryu as he recalled how he took down the large number of slavers.

"A-Ah, I see…"

"You shouldn't be surprised. All the kids in town love to mimic you after you saved us from the thieves." Julius laughed.

"True. You're more popular with the kids than you think, Kiryu." Melonie agreed. "Well, we don't have many spare rooms, but maybe we can work something out?"

"Well, I didn't want to impose by sleeping on the couch." Kiryu explained, rubbing the back of his head. "And I'm not sure I want to stay in the barn with Nugget."

"We can share a room, big bro! I'd be happy to!" Keel looked up at Kiryu with stars in their eyes, making the hardened Yakuza veteran take another step back from their intensity.

"Why are you calling me 'big bro'?" It was a familiar phrase for Kiryu, of course. So to be called it again in a completely different setting was somewhat off-putting.

"Because I want to learn how to fight just like you, big bro! That's definitely what being a man is about!" Keel began to shadowbox, mimicking some of Kiryu's actions from before.

"... This always ends up happening…" Kiryu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What do you mean?" Asked Melonie, surprised by his resignation.

"Nothing…" Kiryu looked down at Keel, the demi-human's eyes shining in amazement as they looked up at him. "Look… I'll stick around, but I can't promise I'll teach you anything-"

"Great! I'm so excited to learn from you, big bro!" Kiryu could only smile at their enthusiasm, but soon fixed them with a firm expression.

"Alright. But if I stick around, you have to stand by a few rules."

"O-Okay. What is it, big bro?"

"First off, don't… nevermind, you can call me big bro." Kiryu relented but adjusted. "If you're going to stay in this place, you have to treat your elders with respect. Especially Julius and Melonie. They'll be looking after you more than I will. Got it?"

"Yes, big bro!"

"Good. We'll go over more later. For now, you should head out with Melonie. You were planning to take them clothes shopping, right?"

"Yes. We'll find the right stuff for him… or her?" Melonie pursed her lips.

"I told you, I'm a boy! Once I level up, my banana will grow in and be huge!"

Kiryu and the other adults of the room remained silent, the sound of imaginary glass breaking somewhere in the back.

"... We'll just… let Keel get what clothes they want." Kiryu suggested, unsure what approach to take on the subject.

"Th-That sounds like a good idea." Julius half laughed, scratching his head.

"Alright. Well, come on. We'll find something you like." Melonie rubbed Keel's shoulder, leading them toward the door before leaning back and whispering, "I'll find out which it is when I give Keel a bath!"

"Huh? What was that?" Keel asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing! Let's go!" Melonie urged, keeping her arms wrapped around the demi-human's shoulders. Kiryu and Julius waited for the two to leave before they finally relaxed their shoulders.

"I swear, you seem to attract a lot of strange ones, don't you?" Julius looked at Kiryu with a laugh.

"You're the one who summoned me. If anything, I'd say you're the one bringing odd people around." Kiryu countered, smirking at him. "Thanks again for taking Keel in."

"We were just as responsible for what happened this time. And I still feel guilty for suggesting we don't do something." Julius admitted, massaging his neck. "I… I hope I can make up for that as we watch over them."

"Don't feel too guilty. You both did the right thing in the end." Kiryu tried to reassure him.

Julius gave a small nod and a thin smile. "Yes… I guess you're right. Well, let's just take this one step at a time and make sure Keel's taken care of."

"Right."

With that, the living situation became more complicated at the Harken's house. Kiryu, for the time being, occupied the living room couch. Despite protests from Keel for them to share the room.

To be continued…

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to get a certain bit out to you guys that I had planned. But don't worry, next chapter I think will be a little more bulky, as I have some fan plans ahead in regard to Kiryu's planned gambling hall.

And now we have Keel joining the Harkens as Kiryu's biggest supporter! They were lucky that they came across Keel on their way to a certain lord's house. But now we'll get to see the demi-human run around a bit more freely.

Also, next chapter I'll likely give Keel's exact gender. My story isn't geared for anything like gender politics, so we'll establish her as a girl and leave it at that.

That aside, glad to finally be writing again! I've been having to find my edge for writing slowly, but it's coming back. I just need to get more focused. So much stuff has been coming out and I've been kind of everywhere, trying to do different things. Don't expect the same release schedule, but at least I'm back in action. Hopefully I'll at least be on a shorter span of time when releasing.

Oh, and one final bit of news, this story now has a TV Tropes page! If any of you know how to work on that site, I'd love to see people add their notes to it and some funny tropes!

With that, I hope you all have a good week, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind :)