Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

The afternoon after the night between Raven and Maria, the mansion's deconstruction had already begun under Tan's watchful eyes. But before the walls could be taken down, Erika had to purify the entire place, ensuring the safety of workers from the mummified humanoids.

Taking the workers with her to the basement as it was infested with the worst of the horrors, Erika was busy with Amedith as well as Liliyana, all the while, the rest of the party was hanging out in the mansion's garden. Not merely because it was a nice place to spend a sunny day, but instead because of something peculiar that nobody had expected.

Watching the Asmodia training Maria from under the gazebos, the benches, and even sitting on the grassy ground, everyone curiously stalked the ex-queen's every movement. She was being taught to cast magic–something she had never been good at and was even now continuously failing.

However, the spells and casting weren't the cause of their interest, instead, it was the sudden shift in Maria's actions that had everyone's full interest.

"What changed?" Turning back to the front in her chair, Mel quickly reached Raven for answers. "How did you convince her to stop moping in one night?"

Hearing that question, Raven's eyes darted to Arche for a moment. Mel noticed the shift in his and followed it to the queen, but knowing nothing of the conversation between them, she quickly repeated the same question.

"I found an alternative answer to our problem," his eyes shifting from Arche to Asmodia, Raven explained further. "Even if we didn't find the soul in the demon's den, it would've only worsened the situation for Maria as her hopes would once again have been shattered, but…"

Taking a deep breath as he turned to Mel, Raven placed his hand on top of hers.

"I found another answer, something that wouldn't shatter her even if we don't find her soul down under." Going silent for a bit couldn't find any flaws in Raven's logic, not that she wanted to, but the suffering of Maria being culled entirely wasn't something she was completely happy about.

"Whatever, at least we don't have to snoop around if we don't need to now," Mel responded, getting off of her seat.

Picking up the trays of snacks, cups, and fruity drinks, she decided to take it all back since the maids had been far too busy helping Erika and the others. In the meantime, while she was busy cleaning up, Raven watched the monster girls who were in turn watching Maria struggle with magic.

Although a bit neglected in recent days, having each other as company none of them seemed all that bothered as of yet. But how long will that last, especially with Ophelia and Amelia still fitting in, Raven wasn't exactly sure.

"This quiet is killing me…" Arche yawned at the monotony of daily life at the mansion.

Looming above the other girls with her humanoid region draped in a silk-woven dress that she had made herself, she provided the others with shade as they sat on the grass watching the devil training the ex-queen.

Glancing up at the Arachne, Mino caught a glimpse of her sapphire nipples from under her dress, but quickly glancing past them, she let out a yawn before responding to the queen.

"I miss the chaos we had out in the wilds now, never expected I would while we were there but now…I kinda wanna go back and hunt some monsters," only she and Arche agreed with that sentiment as the rest squinted at that suggestion for none of them had ever been in an actually battle.

"A spirit mage who talks like a barbarian never thought I would see such a thing," Ophelia sighed, not at all looking forward to going back to the chaos of the battlefield. She'd seen guts and blood flying throughout her life, and this vacation from that violence was almost therapeutic.

"I'd rather this than conspiracies and the likes, I'd been through a lifetime's worth of them already…" Amelia added, glad that the mess with the queen was finally over.

With everyone done saying their piece, everyone's eyes turned to Maine who was simply chomping down on a paper-wrapped piece of fried turkey. Ignoring them all, her eyes were more focused than ever as she nommed on it like a hound biting into its meal. However as the force of the gazes lay heavy on her, her eyes lifted from the paper and she glanced around at everyone, wide-eyed with confusion.

"What?" She asked, content with things as they were and not against going back to the chaos either.

"I thought a Lamia–a creature of malice and cannibalism would be more ferocious, but she mostly acts like a kid," said Arche before flicking Maine's head playfully.

"Ow!" Squeaked the lamia before covering the spot that Arche had hit, however, as soon as she realized that her meal was now missing from her hand, she glanced down at it lying on the grass and quickly lunged back for it.

"Pfft~" Amelia let out before quickly covering her mouth to muffle her laughs.

Joining her right after, Ophelia and Mino began to laugh as well, but seeing how everyone was making fun of her, the Lamia glared at them in anger and for a moment the girls felt their bodies, even their hearts freezing up from her sight.

"AGHH!" Clenching a fist over her heart, Ophelia struggled through the pain coursing through her chest.

"THAT HURTS! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Amelia cried, her eyes already teary.

"BITCH! YOU NEARLY STOPPED MY HEART!!!" Overcoming the pain, Mino lifted herself to her feet and rushed to grab Maine by her tail.

"EY! EY! YOU STARTED IT!" Making use of her hereditary talent, Maine grew a pair of wings like the turkey she'd been eating. Flying back from the minotaur girl, she lifted up in the air with a smile, but that didn't last long as Arche easily grabbed her by the wings. "EH? WH-WHAT?!"

Being turned upside down, the Lamia was utterly disorientated and by the time she regained proper vision, she was met with the glaring eyes of the Arachne.

"Try that again and I'll be eating turkeys in my belly…" Even though she never used any talent like Maine, her words froze everyone around her, especially the upside-down and winged Lamia.

"Y-yes!" She replied, nodding frantically up and down.
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However, that didn't stop Maine's punishment as a massive spirit minotaur flicked Maine off Arche's fingers like a fly.

Crashing into a bed of flowers, she didn't incur much injury but from the sight of her circling eyes, it was clear that she'd been punished severely.

"Bitch almost gave us a heart attack over a turkey leg…" Said Mino, her chest puffed out angrily.

Once their conflict was over, however, Raven who'd been watching afar had to order the maids to get Maine some extra turkey that night.