Author's Note:
Hello my dear readers, I felt like writing a new chapter for this story.
I hope you like it, because I felt good writing it, my chest felt good writing certain segments.
The antibiotic treatment worked, I'm cured and no longer have toothache/stomach/headache.
On a minor note, I had a lucky hand (I often have more than 150 Saint Quartz) at Fate Grand Order, I got: Thomas Edison, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (Caster), Kashin Koji, Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux).
But my luck didn't work out on Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail.
I feel like if I get lucky on one Gacha game, I'll end up having no luck on another Gacha game.
XXX
Story Arc: Monster Girls welcome to the Dragon House!
Episode 1: Senpai, can we keep the Lamia? (III)
Chapter 3: Morning for the Snake Girl
Plot: Miia begins telling Mrs. Smith about her first day at the Dragon House. How she woke up, how her breakfast went, and other things.
XXX
POV Narrator
In the living room of the house of the Last Master of Chaldea and a Demi-Servant girl, something interesting is happening.
The Lamia who has been living in the Dragon House for a little over two weeks is chatting with Mrs. Smith, a rather unfortunate female government agent.
"Mrs. Smith, it all started thirteen days ago," Miia said, beginning to recount her first day at the Dragon House.
XXX
Thirteen days ago.
The red-haired Lamia girl, dressed in a sexy yellow slip, is located in the guest room on the ground floor of the Dragon House, which is across from Mash's room.
Miia's luggage was placed in a corner of the room, only a single suitcase was unpacked.
Bruce wasn't mean to Miia, he simply treated her like he treated all other ordinary, unimportant people, with a cold, stoic attitude, providing the bare minimum of social courtesy.
Miia, being a Lamia who had never had any real interactions with humans before, finding herself in an unfamiliar house, with unfamiliar people, adding the fact that she is aware that many people dislike her species...
The red-haired Lamia, she expects Bruce to find the right excuse to throw her out of the house.
Luckily, Mash is the complete opposite of the Ice Prince, she was more than kind and friendly towards Miia, immediately treating her like a new friend.
Miia probably wouldn't have fallen asleep if Mash hadn't given her a glass of warm milk, wished her a good night, and promised that they would get to know each other better tomorrow.
Simply put, Miia is a little afraid of Bruce and loves Mash.
Miia's long body is curled up in the double bed, covered by heavy blankets.
The red-haired Lamia's mind is playing out a dream straight out of a fairy tale: a Lamia princess is locked in a terrifying castle owned by an androgynous humanoid ice dragon, and a pink-haired female knight with a large shield comes to rescue the princess.
XXX
In the present.
"On your first night in this house, did you dream that Mr. Detective was an evil, ice-breathing dragon and Mash was a female knight who saved you?" asks Mrs. Smith, raising an eyebrow.
In her experience as a woman working closely with Liminal species, she has learned that they can be quite passionate or have vivid imaginations.
But having a dream like that on the first night, Miia must be an incurable romantic.
"Maybe I shouldn't have said that." Miia mutters, looking down, her cheeks as red as her hair.
The red-haired Lamia let herself be carried away in her tale, revealing details that were a little too intimate.
"You know, Snake Girl, I just changed my mind about you," Bruce comments, shifting his attention to Miia, instead of watching Mrs. Smith's every move.
Miia's face stopped being red, instead it turned pale, she clearly misunderstood Bruce's words.
"Darling-boy, don't be angry, I didn't know you then, the next day I realized that on the outside you are cold as ice, and on the inside you are warm as the sun." Miia said, apologizing for how her Darling-boy appeared in her dreams the first time.
The Last Master remains unperturbed by Miia's words, not being offended by anything.
"My words are actually positive, you're not only a cute and friendly Snake Girl who serves to keep Mash company, but you have some pretty good instincts for a Lamia in your position," Bruce said, raising his opinion of the red-haired Lamia by a few points.
Miia, feeling that she has done something that deserves praise from the Ice Prince of the Dragon House, raises her head and puffs out her chest with pride.
"Instinct?" asks Mrs. Smith, practically a duck swimming in uncharted waters.
The Planeswalker places a hand on his chest, as if to emphasize his presence or importance.
"I've been nicknamed the one-eyed black dragon for several reasons, one of which is pretty obvious," Bruce explains, using his left hand to lift his bangs to show the absence of his left eye.
In its place is a large ruby cut in the shape of an eye.
'That's why he has such long bangs that cover the left side of his face.' Miia thinks, not knowing until now why her Darling-boy hid his left eye like that.
'Mr. Detective is half blind, that explains the one-eyed part, but where did the Black Dragon thing come from? And how come he has a ruby in his empty eye socket?' thinks Mrs. Smith, unable to afford such luxuries for herself.
"Snake Girl, you were right about Mash too, she's a female knight in shining armor, though her armor has more in common with bikini armor," Bruce said, purposely exaggerating his description of Mash's Demi-Servant attire.
The Last Master of Chaldea's words made the knight girl's face turn red with embarrassment.
"Senpai! Don't compare my armor to bikini armor, I admit it's not traditional full armor, but it's not that revealing!" Mash said loudly, getting up from her seat.
"It's still a pretty show-offy armor, even if it suits you." Bruce said, clearly purposely teasing the lilac/pink-haired girl.
Mash picks up one of the messes on the couch and throws it at her Senpai.
"One of my more innocent pastimes is teasing pretty, pure girls." Bruce said, easily catching the pillow thrown by his Kohai.
Mash grabs a second pillow and prepares to throw.
"I'm used to punishments worse than a few pillows in the face," Bruce said, his voice perfectly calm.
The Last Master of Chaldea spent his adolescence taunting Witches who weren't afraid to use magic to create firearms or use crystal balls charged with magical energy to hit him in the chest or head.
Mash lowers the pillow, knowing she can use it to close her Senpai's mouth. And with Miia and Mrs. Smith facing them, she can't use her superhuman strength or the spells she knows.
"Senpai, you're a petty avenger," Mash said, believing that the Last Master of Chaldea was taking advantage of the circumstances to "punish" her for some arguments from the recent past.
"You know, Darling-boy, I'd love to see Mash in that bikini armor you mentioned." Miia said, her tail seductively moving left and right.
Miia certainly has a vivid imagination...
"I don't have bikini armor. The first version of my armor had a low cut that showed my midriff, but that's gone now." Mash explains how things really are.
'I'm definitely missing some key pieces to understand what they're talking about,' thinks Mrs. Smith, feeling as if she were an invisible woman.
"I still want to see Mash in armor. I want to see the differences between my dreams and reality." Miia said, smiling madly with love, while her eyes were focused on Mash, imagining what she would be dressed like...
"You know, maybe you two could start a little club where you can share your dreams. I'm sure you'll have fun, you have similar tastes in dreams." Bruce comments, wanting to play one last prank before going quiet.
"Similar tastes?" Miia asks, tilting her head slightly.
"Mash often dreams of being an adventuring knight, his routine mission is to save the Princess of Chaldea, Bryce, from the dangerous numbers that threaten the kingdom." Bruce narrates it all in a stoic voice, but his good eye seems to sparkle with amusement.
"Princess Bryce?" Miia and Mrs. Smith say at the same time, looking first at Mash, then at the effeminate boy who could pass as a very cute princess if he got the right dress and makeup.
"It's not that I want to have dreams like that, they just happen. I read too many fairy tales as a child and hang out with too many people who are into materials involving swords and magic." said the lilac/pink-haired girl, bringing up facts from her life to explain why she has dreams like that.
'This is the worst lie I've ever seen in my entire career,' Mrs. Smith thinks, not believing a single word of Mash's apology.
"Did a Princess Miia appear in your dreams by any chance?" the red-haired Lamia asks, stretching out her tail so that it touched the chair and Bruce's legs.
"No." Mash snaps back, wanting to protect what remains of her dream dignity.
"Actually, in the magical kingdom of Chaldea inside Mash's head, Princess Bryce has welcomed a Dragon Girl, a noblewoman from a foreign land, into her royal court to conduct diplomatic activities," Bruce said, knowing the latest news from that imaginary world.
"We're together in reality and fantasy, this is the best news ever!" Miia exclaims, almost jumping for joy.
"Senpai, why are you purposely embarrassing me?" Mash asks, burying her face in her hands.
"Mash, Miia's going to be living with us for a long time. She'll find out you talk in your sleep and tell stories of your heroic deeds and other crazy stuff. Better she find out sooner rather than later, so we avoid any future misunderstandings," Bruce said, having his reasons that we're not just for her amusement.
"Senpai is creating a cover in case he talks in his sleep about the True Chaldea and our adventures as Master and Servant," Mash thinks, understanding the logic behind the Last Master of Chaldea's actions.
'But did he have to mention Princess Bryce? The fact that Senpai's twin sister and his first lover can manipulate dreams is annoying.' Mash thinks, remembering how Bruce found out what kind of dreams she has; sleep talking has little to do with it.
"If you feel like I've taken things too far with the teasing, I promise I'll soon take you and Snake Girl on a fun ride around town at my expense," Bruce said, deciding to give Mash and her new reptile friend an apology gift.
"Like a date!?" Miia exclaims, as she hugs Mash's arm and her tail ties itself around Bruce's leg.
"More like a group outing with close friends," Mash said, trying to calm Miia down, even though she herself is particularly interested in the idea.
"I'm just taking you guys for a ride. You girls can call it whatever you want." Bruce replies, knowing from his past experiences that girls like Miia will call any experience in a fun place a date.
Mrs. Smith, seeing this scene that seems to have come out of a strange romantic comedy anime, can't help but feel two things:
One, she's genuinely interested to see how this turns out.
Two, she feels sidelined, like she's a background character.
"Can we allow Miia to continue her story?" asks Mrs. Smith, wanting to understand more about the red-haired Lamia's situation.
XXX
Returning to the past.
Miia was sleeping peacefully in her bed, in her dreams a lilac-haired knight woman was carrying her out of the castle.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅ !" A battle cry echoes throughout the Dragon House.
This noise suddenly woke Miia, who fell out of her bed.
Luckily, his long tail acted as a protective cushion for his head.
"What's going on?" Miia asks, alarmed by the battle cry that wakes her.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅ !" The cry was heard once again.
Not knowing what to do, Miia ran out of her room to warn Mash.
XXX
Miia entered Mash's room without knocking or announcing her arrival. So she received a reward for her bad deeds.
In front of the red-haired Lamia is Mash, wearing only a white towel.
At the back of Mash's room there is an open door where there is a lot of steam, clearly Mash has just gotten out of the shower.
Miia momentarily forgets why she is here, her mind bewitched by what her snake eyes see.
'Mash is a beautiful woman.' Miia thinks, unable to look away.
"Morning, Miia." Mash replies, greeting the Lamia girl, having no problem being seen like this by another woman.
Life in Chaldea, then being surrounded for a very long time by Heroic Spirits with extravagant tastes in clothing, the knight girl has developed a rather unique sense of modesty.
"Are you hearing okay? Do you look shaken?" Mash asks, moving closer to the red-haired Lamia to get a better look.
Miraculously, Miia's brain didn't order her to kiss Mash, but it brought back the reason for her arrival in Mash's room.
"Mash, I think someone outside is getting beaten up or something bad is happening," Miia said, starting to replace her excitement with worry and fear.
"I think you had a bad dream, there's no way something like this could happen at the Dragon House." Mash said, knowing the house is surrounded by several top magical wards.
"I didn't dream anything strange," Miia replies, omitting to mention her fairy-tale dream.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅!" The terrifying roar is heard again.
Miia starts to shake, while Mash isn't bothered at all.
"Did you hear it now?" Miia asks, hoping she isn't hearing voices.
A flash of understanding lit up in Mash's head.
"Don't worry, Miia, it's perfectly normal at Dragon House." Mash said, walking over to one of her nightstands next to her bed.
Mash opens a drawer and leans forward slightly to take something inside.
Miia's evil eyes can't help but stare at Mash's ass and how the towel moves...
'Mom, I think I'll fail my mission, I won't be able to bring a man for our tribe.' Miia thinks, placing a hand on her chest.
Mash isn't aware, but her Senpai isn't the only person in Chaldea or the Dragon House with a Harem Aura.
Mash closes the drawer, sits up straight again, and returns to Miia.
"Sorry, Miia, it's my fault, I forgot to give you these last night." Mash said, reaching out and handing over an essential item for living inside the Dragon House.
"Earplugs?" Miia asks, looking at the item she got from Mash.
"The latest generation of noise-cancelling earplugs. A bomb can go off and your sleep won't be disturbed. I'm serious, it's been tested on the military," Mash said, referring to this sleep-saving device.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅!" The beastly noise is heard again.
"What you're hearing is Senpai." Mash explains, as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"Is he okay?" Miia asks, slightly worried about Bruce.
He may not be a friendly person and he is a little scary, but Miia is not a person who wants to hurt anyone.
"Senpai is doing his morning exercises," Mash explains, as she opens her closet.
"Morning exercises?" Miia asks, puzzled by this answer.
"Senpai goes for a run around town around 4 a.m., then comes back here around 5 a.m. and does the rest of his exercises," Mash said, knowing the Last Master of Chaldea's schedule very well.
"Isn't an hour of exercise enough for him?" asks Miia, not believing anyone could do so much exercise so early in the morning.
"Around 6 a.m. he does the last part of his program, including a marathon of battle cries," Mash said, taking his usual everyday clothes out of his closet.
"Three hours of exercise before the sun rises, do you by any chance want to participate in the Olympics?" Miia asks, unable to find any other explanation for such behavior.
"He's been doing this every single day for years. Mrs. Owl, Senpai's mother, told me it all started when he was 14 and lost a street fight," Mash said, leaving out the more paranormal parts.
"If you want to sleep in, you have to wear earplugs or be a heavy sleeper," Mash said.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅!" Another battle cry is heard.
"Very heavy." Mash repeats.
"Got it, Mash." Miia replies, clutching the earplugs in her hands, now aware of their importance.
"Miia, can you do me a favor?" asks Mash, as she closes her closet.
"Anything for you, Mash!" Miia exclaims, unable to hide her budding infatuation.
"Could you come out? I want to get dressed and start my day." Mash said, unable to stay long in just a towel.
"Right away!" Miia replies, her cheeks red, rushing out of Mash's room.
"I'm having a weird feeling of déjà vu. Don't girls interested in Senpai behave similarly?" Mash mutters as she opens her lingerie drawer.
XXX
After a quarter of an hour, Mash and Miia, both dressed, entered the Dragon House kitchen.
The red-haired Lamia approaches the table, noticing two delicious-looking plates and some drinks.
Each main dish is covered with a glass dome lid. Attached to the top is a note with someone's name written on it—in this case, Mash and Miia.
"Mash, you made breakfast for me, you didn't have to." Miia said, lifting the glass lid, letting in the delicious aroma of breakfast.
"Actually, it was Senpai." Mash said, as she sat down at the table.
"I just woke up, the first thing I did was take a hot shower, I wouldn't have had time to make breakfast for the two of us." Mash said, removing the glass lid from her plate.
"Bruce, was he the one who made us breakfast?" Miia asks, believing the Dragon House owner was busy exercising.
"Senpai doesn't move every three hours; he takes several breaks to hydrate or change gear. He uses one of these breaks to make me breakfast," Mash said, picking up his fork and knife.
"That's very kind of you, I didn't expect that from him," Miia said, starting to think she'd gotten the wrong idea.
After all, if a nice girl with Mesh speaks so highly of Bruce, he must be a nice guy after all, right?
"Senpai is half Tsundere." Mash said, before starting to eat breakfast.
Miia also started eating breakfast.
"This is delicious!" Miia exclaims, immediately beginning to devour her plate as if it were the last piece of food in the world.
XXX
After half an hour, which consisted of eating breakfast, a chat between the girls on various topics, and washing the dishes.
Mash approaches the kitchen counter, pulling out a large blender.
Then Mash opens the refrigerator, revealing that half of it is quite ordinary, the other half is full of glass containers, where everything is arranged down to the millimeter level.
The knight girl takes out a whole egg convention, a small box with seven sachets, a cylinder with some pills, bananas, chili peppers.
"What are you doing, Mash?" Miia asks, looking curiously at what the purple-haired girl is doing.
"Senpai makes me breakfast every day, and in return I make him a homemade energy drink—a nice gesture for a nice gesture," Mash said, starting to put eight eggs in the blender, keeping the shells intact.
Mash opens the sachets and pours the contents into the blender, along with several pills, then adds some peeled bananas and chili peppers.
Mash starts the blender creating a fluorescent orange mixture.
When he opened the lid of the blender, an eerie-looking colored smoke came out; clearly the sachets and pills did not contain normal vitamins.
"Is it edible?" Miia asks, slightly frightened by the orange drink.
"Not for a normal person, but it works for Senpai, he has a stomach as unique as his personality." Mash said, taking a spoonful of the orange substance, then pouring it on a small plant.
The healthy green plant, after coming into contact with the energy drinks, turned yellow and partially dissolved.
"Perfect, Senpai will be happy to drink this." Mash said, smiling, happy with her achievement.
"Do you want to kill him?" Miia asks, worried that Mash is a possible poisoner or the world's worst cook.
"As if something so harmless could harm Senpai." Mash said, having seen Senpai easily eat chocolate made by Semiramis.
"We have different meanings of the word harmless." Miia said, looking at the plant that died horribly.
"I know what you're thinking, but the plant test is to find out if the drink is made properly." Mash said, confident that her drink couldn't harm her Senpai.
"Come with me, Miia, Senpai should be finished with his exercises." Mash said, preparing a tray with a jug full of the orange substance and a single glass.
The red-haired Lamia has doubts, but decides to indulge Mash.
XXX
At the back of the Dragon House there is a very beautiful terrace, with a pentagon-shaped swimming pool.
Beyond the terrace is a long expanse of green grass, on one side of which are five dog kennels, and on the opposite side a large tree with a crow sitting in one of its branches.
At the far right is a large shed, which appears to contain a lot of things.
'I was a lucky Lamia, I ended up in a big house with a huge backyard, with a wonderful woman like Mash,' Miia thinks, feeling as if she's been kissed by luck.
At the moment, there are several training dummies on the lawn.
Bruce is among the mannequins, doing the last parts of his exercise program.
The effeminate boy with his hair tied in a long ponytail wears a sleeveless blue bodysuit and white boots.
This outfit resembles something Vegeta wears, although much cuter and tighter.
'This Bruce is too pretty to be a man.' Miia thinks, unable to say no to his evil eyes.
"Senpai, I brought you your personalized drink!" Mash exclaims loudly, placing the tray on a small table near the pool.
Bruce emerges from the forest of mannequins revealing that in his hand he holds a medieval weapon as big as himself.
"Is that an axe?" Miia asks quietly, pointing her finger at Bruce and his toy.
"It's a halberd." Mash said, correcting Miia's misidentification.
"What's the difference between an axe and a halberd?" Miia asks, knowing nothing about weapons.
"The halberd and the axe are both cutting weapons, but they differ in their form and function. The halberd is a polearm, consisting of an axe-like blade on one side, a spear-like point on the other, and often a hook or beak on the back, all mounted on a long shaft. The axe, on the other hand, is a simpler weapon, with a single blade mounted perpendicular to a handle, used primarily for cutting and striking," Bruce explains, knowing a great deal about weapons of all kinds.
Before Miia could say anything, Bruce grabs the jug full of the potentially lethal, fluorescent orange substance, then drinks it all in one go.
"You drank it and you're still alive!" Miia said, surprised that Bruce was okay, unlike the poor plant from before.
"I've been drinking drinks like this all my life. I got a taste for it from my mother, though I don't know why so few foreigners appreciate her cooking," Bruce said, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
"If he grew up on poisoned and normal food as a child, he probably became immune as an adult," the red-haired Lamia thought, learning a few things about the Last Master of Chaldea.
The Last Master of Chaldea shifts his gaze to Mash who had carried the tray.
"You know, Mash, instead of playing housewife you could join my training, I prefer you in armor than in an apron." Bruce said, handing the halberd to his Kohai.
The knight girl refuses the halberd, pushing the weapon into Bruce's hands.
"Senpai, I'm on vacation. I want to relax and feel good without touching iron or anything sharp." Mash said, not having the same trouble staying still as her Senpai.
"You enjoy your vacation however you want, and I'll do it my way," Bruce said, resting the halberd against his shoulder.
"Maybe I misunderstood, but are you telling me that Mash also wields medieval weapons?" Miia asks, glancing at the halberd.
"Senpai and I are big fans of medieval fighting fairs," Mash said, listing one of the many answers she'd already prepared to explain to people their quirks.
The red-haired Lamia blinks in surprise at hearing such a response.
"You are certainly one of a kind." Miia said, at a loss for a better word to describe Bruce and Mash.
"If you're interested in weapons, I'm not only a weaponsmith, but also a pretty good craftsman and blacksmith. I made the halberd I use myself," Bruce said, feeling well enough to be sociable with Miia.
"I don't like heavy armor or sharp things, I prefer cute clothes and soft things." Miia said, politely refusing Bruce's proposal.
"New rule." Bruce said, pointing his halberd at the shed.
"That shed is a restricted area. It's my forge/workshop, and I keep an arsenal of sharp weapons there." Bruce said, informing Miia of another restricted area.
XXX
In the present.
"You have a whole shed full of medieval weapons?" asks Mrs. Smith, beginning to change her theory about Bruce.
Instead of a possible foreign agent on vacation, he might just be a sports fanatic and a medieval geek.
"I get bored easily. Blacksmithing is a favorite pastime and one of the most constructive. If you want, I can show you up close a katana so sharp it can cut off ten heads with a single blow." Bruce said, his voice stoic.
"Senpai, wouldn't it be easier to set up a guillotine than to scare people with sharp swords?" Mash said, knowing that her Senpai wants to send Mrs. Smith away.
"Actually, I built a guillotine, the blade is ready for use, but the wooden body to hold the victim in place is disassembled, give me twenty minutes to assemble everything and it will be ready to use." Bruce said, rising from his chair, walking out the house towards the back.
"He's joking, right?" asks Mrs. Smith, slightly frightened.
"Darling-boy showed me the inside of his shed. Among many things that looked like something out of a medieval fantasy or historical film, I saw a large piece of sharp metal." Miia replies, telling what she saw.
"A quarter of Senpai's origins are French, three of his ancestors—Richter Belmont, Annette Belmont, and Maria Renard—participated in the French Revolution and witnessed the beheading of Louis XVI firsthand." Mash said, knowing a great deal about the Belmont Clan.
Much of what Mash knows comes from books, from Bruce's own words, and from tales told by the Heroic Spirits of the Belmont Clan.
"Every day you learn something new," Miia said, genuinely interested in this information.
"When Senpai discovered this information from the diaries in the family archive, his 1/4 French blood made him develop a penchant for beheading. It's annoying at times, but knowing it makes him predictable if you face him in a duel; he loves to end the show with a blow to the throat," said Mash, knowing all too well about Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont.
Mrs. Smith wisely decided to stand up and return to her office.
"It's getting late, I'll hear the rest of Miia's story another time, I have to prepare the papers for Mash to sign so we can take Miia in, I'll see you in the next few days." Mrs. Smith said, before hurriedly walking out of the Dragon House.
"I'm going to convince Senpai he left the guillotine dismantled and inside the shed." Mash said, going out of the house to stop her Senpai from doing anything crazy.
Continues ...