[@PaulHaynek]
Now that they had decided on returning to the temple, Lunatea readied herself for the journey. She saw them climbing their horses; a typical thing humans did whenever they wanted to travel fast. Some monsters had no need of horses as they could run just as fast, or even faster, than the beast of burden. However, she was no such monster. She could probably keep up with them for a minute or two but her stamina would quickly give and she would fall behind. After all, she was a scholar. She never really exercised her body to possess stamina akin to an oni.

She was about to open her mouth to complain about her lack of means of travel before Takeshi invited her on top of his. This naturally took the monster girl by surprise. Was he serious? He knew his lover was right there. Why would he invite another girl to ride with him? She could easily imagine all the things she could do to tease him.

And then, he gave his reasoning. It was to repay the life debt he had incurred from her saving him.

Silly human.

“Well, if you insist,” she replied. “Hope you don’t regret this later.”

She didn’t need his help on climbing the beast. She simply jumped on top of the horse, her skirt fluttering in the process, flashing all the men that were there. And when she sat down, the dress had ridden up, showing off her black panties and bunny tail shamelessly to anyone who rode behind her.

On the road, the bunny girl listened to the conversation between Takeshi and Kikyo. From it, she learned how the Varjans demanded tithe on behalf of the Order before the invasion.

She scoffed. She always believed the Order to be a misguided organization, or an evil one at their worst. This revelation only added another reason why she thought that way.

Arriving at Terauchi Temple, they were given a hero’s welcome. The refugees all cheered for Takeshi and Kikyo, lighting up their candle of hope that the invaders would soon be driven out of the island.

Not for her though. Nope. She was a monster after all.

Lunatea accepted Takeshi’s help on dismounting their horse (even though she didn’t really need it). Her skirt once again fluttered on her way to the ground, flashing the young man for a microsecond.

“Don’t mention it.” She folded her hands below her chest when she replied to his words. “I am not some gloryhound that seeks praise and affirmation from others. I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Hmm, since you insisted on us resting, I think I might just take a nap somewhere. You can wake me up once it’s time to eat.”

As if to emphasize her declaration, she let out a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand and stretching her arm with the other.

“You should take a rest too, Takeshi. Prepare yourself for what comes next. I’m sure we still have a lot of fights ahead of us.”

With those words, she left the swordsman, making her way into the temple building. Now the big question would be whether she could find a secluded spot she could use for said nap.