The crowd had given them space for their reunion, but now Urgak stepped forward again. "Lord Satou, perhaps we should move this to the council building? I'm sure you have much to report, and the entire settlement doesn't need to hear the strategic details."

"Good idea," Satou agreed. He turned to address the gathered crowd. "Thank you all for your concern. I'm fine, and I'll give a full report of what happened at the Fallen Spires soon. For now, just know that we've gained a powerful ally, and The Reaper has been... dealt with."

"Did you kill him?" someone shouted.

"No," Satou admitted. "But I wounded him badly enough that he decided we were too interesting to kill. So he left. The Fallen Spires is safe, and we're now allied with Seraphine, the fourth-seat demon lord."

Murmurs of amazement rippled through the crowd. Allying with such a high-ranking demon lord was significant news.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Satou continued, "I need to have a long conversation with Lyra and Jessica about why I'm an idiot who makes them worry. Feel free to carry on with your day."

The crowd laughed and began dispersing, though many cast admiring glances at Satou as they left. He'd gone from being their mysterious leader to someone who'd fought a legend and survived. Their respect for him had somehow managed to increase even further.

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The Council Building

Satou, Lyra, Jessica, Cassius, Urgak, and Grimnir gathered in the main council room. It was a simple space, wooden table, chairs, maps on the walls—but functional.

Once everyone was seated, Lyra immediately got to business. "Alright. Start from the beginning. What happened at the Fallen Spires?"

Satou took a breath and began recounting everything. Seraphine's initial request for help. The Reaper's arrival. The battles where Seraphine's warriors were overwhelmed. The council's decision to fight frontline while keeping Satou as a last resort. Seraphine's desperate battle and near-execution. His own fight with The Reaper that pushed both of them to their limits.

He left out some details—the intimate night with Seraphine could wait for a more private conversation—but gave them the strategic overview.

"Thirteen wounds," Grimnir repeated, his voice awed. "You wounded The Reaper thirteen times with Void Fang. That's... unprecedented."

"And he adapted to all of them eventually," Satou pointed out. "Given enough time, he would have figured out how to counter even reality-cutting attacks. I got lucky that I ran out of mana before he finished adapting."

"That's not luck," Urgak rumbled. "That's you pushing yourself to absolute limits to protect allies. The Reaper recognized a warrior's spirit and chose to spare you. That's earned respect, not luck."

"Maybe," Satou conceded. "Either way, the result is that the Fallen Spires survived, we have a new ally, and The Reaper has moved on. Probably back to sleeping for another few decades."

"And Seraphine?" Lyra asked, her tone carefully neutral. "The demon lord who initially tried to seduce you? How did that situation resolve?"

Satou met her eyes, knowing this was the delicate part. "We... talked. After the battle. She was vulnerable in a way she hasn't been in centuries. And we connected. Genuinely."

"Connected," Lyra repeated. "Define 'connected.'"

"I'm interested in her romantically," Satou said directly. No point dancing around it. "And she's interested in me. Not as part of her collection, not through manipulation or corruption magic. Just... genuine interest. We're exploring the possibility of a relationship."

The room went very quiet.

Jessica spoke first, her voice soft. "You want to add her to our relationship? Make her a third partner?"

"If you both are okay with it," Satou said. "I'm not going to force anything. But yes, I care about her. I want to see where things could go. And she wants to meet both of you, to get your approval, because she understands that you're already part of my life and she needs to fit into that rather than replace it."

Lyra was quiet for a long moment, her analytical mind clearly working through implications. "Three months ago, you were reborn as a goblin. Now you're a hobgoblin, provisional demon lord, allied with multiple territories, and collecting romantic partners like they're Pokemon. Your life moves fast."

"Too fast?" Satou asked nervously.

"Maybe," Lyra admitted. "But that's who you are. You form connections quickly. You care deeply. You can't stand to see people suffer when you have the power to help. And apparently, that extends to romantic connections as well as strategic alliances."

She leaned forward, her golden eyes serious. "But I need to know—is this going to keep happening? Are we going to keep adding partners every time you visit a new territory? Because I need to know what kind of relationship structure we're building here."

"I don't know," Satou said honestly. "I don't plan these things. They just... happen. But I promise you, I'm not collecting partners casually. Seraphine is special. She's been alone , wearing masks, never letting anyone see the real her. And she chose to be vulnerable with me. That means something."

"I believe you," Lyra said. "But I'm still going to need to meet her. Evaluate her intentions. Make sure she's not going to hurt you or manipulate you into something you'll regret."

"That's fair," Satou agreed. "She expects that. Wants that, even. She knows she has three centuries of manipulation patterns to prove she can move past."

Jessica had been quiet during this exchange, and now she spoke up. "I want to meet her too. But... I'm willing to give her a chance. If you care about her, if she makes you happy, then I'll support it. As long as she understands that you already have commitments. That Lyra and I aren't going anywhere."

"She understands," Satou assured her. "She called it joining my ' family' rather than adding me to her collection. She knows the difference, and she's trying to learn how to build genuine connections instead of manipulative ones."

"Then we'll meet her," Lyra decided. "Soon. When things have settled down here and we can make the trip to the Fallen Spires. Or she can visit us here—that might actually be better.

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