Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 4: War – Healing Chapter.

Far beyond the active combat zones, I enjoy a nice, sunny walk alongside most of my family. Gone are the incessant sounds of gunfire, the twisting of metals, and the ashen atmosphere of the battlefield. What's left around me are just the breezy winds, the sing-song sand beneath my feet, and the radiant sun shining down on us in this private retreat in Yggdra's dimension. We have been here a few times throughout the years, but Yggdra has helped keep the experience fresh each time, and the current occasion is no different. Instead of a tropical island, we're smack dab in a desert oasis, one with a crystal clear lake and cool shading provided by a canopy of green. Unfortunately, Bryn and Daria are still stuck with the Overlord instance of me on the Western Front. I will have to make it up with them later when things calm down. The thought of this brings a little smile to my face as I come to see the nearest source of commotion.

Ah, yes, these sisters of mine are at it again. Ningyo and Sirin, leading their entourages of cute girls, are standing right before a quaint little vendor Nicolae set up. Curious as to what the vendor entails, my feet carry me to the clamoring front of the stall.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Sister Nicolae~!" That is my Ningyo speaking while hopping towards the stall, Sirin and the others in tow. "Give us your best shot!"

I can hear Ningyo's demand, so I get curious and peak in between the girls' swimsuit-cladded forms. What I see is enough to cause me to step back in fear.

"Sure~!" Nicolae cheerily replies with a sing-song voice. She is standing behind her purple vendor, wearing fittingly purple traditional clothing from the Ottoman period. There are containers, one of which Nicolae is using a long-handled paddle to stir, and ice cream cones stacked into high towers right next to them.

Oh my Yggdra, the Shoggoth is selling Turkish Dondurma, and I pity my sisters for coming across her. Catching the stray glance that Nicolae gives me, I can see the twinkle of mischievousness dancing in her purple eyes. It's but a moment with that glimpse, but I understand that Nicolae is asking whether she should go easy on the girls or not. I can just imagine the chaos that's about to ensue, especially when some of my sisters can be trigger-happy with their abilities. Still, this is an occasion to go full blast so...

Fuck it, we ball.

I covertly nod at Nicolae, my sisters haven't noticed my presence just yet. Or Sirin did with her grasp over her spatial power but opted to not say anything for whatever reason. Regardless, I cross my arms, leaning against a palm tree. My bikini-covered bust is emphasized by the action and I idly thought that it may be a tad bigger than before. Of course, this is all-natural without any artificial growing using Time Manipulation, I just hit another growth spurt of sorts. I gaze in amusement when Nicolae starts passing out the ice cream cones to the girls using her hands and tentacles.

When the cones are in the hands of the girls, wrapped with paper towels for hygiene, the magic begins. Nicolae scoops up a bit of ice cream using a stick, the mixture clings onto the stick for dear life before being deposited on Sirin's cone... Or not. Before Sirin can even pull back her ice cream cone for a taste, Nicolae yoinks her stick back, and with it, she pulls the rest of Sirin's ice cream cone out of her grasp. Under the stunned gaze of Sirin, Nicolae twirls the ice cream cone around, intentionally banging on a series of windchimes to create a distracting melody, albeit a good one. Using the opportunity created by her action of 'stealing' Sirin's ice cream and the windchimes' tune, Nicolae seizes the rest of the cones before my sisters can wake up and protect theirs. One by one, Nicolae fills out the cones, teasing them many times and causing them no amount of hilarious grief. As the cones get more colorful and more topped up, so does the budding annoyance in my sisters grow bigger.

The tempo of the game changes when Rozaliya and Liliya start using their tails to try and grab the elusive treats in front of them. This, in turn, leads the others to also start pulling on their powers. Bronya, who directly spawns multiple floating mechanical hands, or Sirin who calculates and tries to use her portal and gravitational manipulation. The group of sisters uses everything they have to take back their well-deserved ice cream. They would have managed to do so, normally, using Ningyo's and Mei's calculative prowess or the reflex of Bella and Mash. Nevertheless, they're unlucky to have faced Nicolae the Shoggoth. The Shoggoth just doesn't play at their level. Nicolae's hands and tentacles move just a tad faster than my sisters but slow enough to give them the false sense of hope that they're getting there. However, it's an encounter that starts moving beyond the realm of possibility, with Seele hanging back and cheering them on cutely.

Moving past annoyance, my sisters have since seen Nicolae's action as a challenge to beat. They cooperate, they push they utilize their power microscopically but meaningfully. Believe it or not, my sisters are having fun and are improving their skills at the same time. Neat of Nicolae to kick that ball down the hill. Nevertheless, all the fun must come to an end at one point. After filling the cones to the brim with all the chewy, elastic goodness, Nicolae plays with the food one last time before depositing them in the hands of my sisters. Surprisingly, Seele receives a bigger portion despite her minor participation in the challenge. Standing over here, I can vaguely hear Nicolae saying the extra portion is for Veliona, the second personality to inhabit Seele's body. I chuckle when Seele alternates between her forms of red and blue to taste her Turkish ice cream along with the rest. It appears that, if anything, Nicolae makes the best Dondurma in town. That's good to know.

Now then, it's time for me to give it a go. Let's see if I can beat my sisters and claim an ice cream from the dastardly Shoggoth.