I Only Summon Villainesses

I blinked several times, unable to believe that I’d summoned a villainess and she was appreciating me.

It felt strange. The back of my skull was warm where her hand held it, and my heart began to thunder, hard enough that I honestly thought I might keel over the next moment.

”Get your hands off him! You vermin!”

Maggie lunged forward to meet her. But by the time she moved, both the lady and I were already standing well away from her. It was as if she’d used Feather Step, except she hadn’t. She’d only walked, and her walk was instantaneous, far faster than Feather Step had ever been.

”Ara? What is the commotion about?”

Maggie stood her ground and jabbed a finger at her, her whole arm shaking with it.

”That woman, you don’t understand, she adulterated Divinity, we were taught about her! The Death Priestess, that murdered over three hundred thousand people!”

The lady tilted her head.

”You were taught about me. Ah... eh? A Saint? You’re a Saint too?”

Her mouth curved into a demented glee that made me want to back away, but my head was still pressed against her breasts, and even when I tried to rise, even a little, the weight of her hand bore down on my head and held me there.

Meanwhile, she just went on talking to Maggie, as though none of this were happening.

”I had no idea the Church continued that blasphemous practice. I thought I did my best to abolish something so despicable.”

She laid her second hand on my head and pressed down.

”But if you’re with my summoner, then you must be hostile to the church. He isn’t the kind of man that will associate himself with such an organization.”

Then she glanced down at me.

”Right, Summoner?”

Before I could get a word out, Kassie’s voice cut across the hall.

”Take your hands off of him, you’re hurting him.”

Celestine closed her eyes with a smile that never reached them.

”What do you mean? He never told you that. He likes it here.”

Kassie opened her hand, and sparks were already crackling to life across her palm.

”I will not repeat myself.”

Celestine’s closed eyes opened to a slit. Her amber eyes glowed dangerously through that narrow window.

Then Kassie’s sword manifested fully, and she moved. Celestine was already away, but this time it was different. In the instant she put space between herself and Kassie, Kassie had already crossed it, faster than Celestine had moved, and swept her sword out along a long diagonal, the blade whistling through the air where Celestine had just stood.

Celestine let go of me and flew back, landing a ways off and staggering a couple of steps, her breast jiggling in front of her. She caught herself and settled into a tight frown.

And finally, I could breathe again. I panted, dragging air in and out in a hurry, my chest aching where it had been crushed flat and my face still tingling from the lack of it.

’God, she was going to suffocate me to death, damnit. I thought I’d finally gotten a breath of fresh air. I thought things were going to be different this time.’

As it turned out, it was the devils I already knew who ended up saving me. They’d tried to kill me plenty of times too, so it didn’t count.

Celestine glared at Kassie.

”I didn’t expect you to be competent.”

”I did not expect you to be dumb.”

Celestine smiled with her eyes again, tilting her head slightly.

”I’m not one to fight with words. I am also not interested in a mishap of any sort. Just give him to me.”

Kassie set her hand on my head and pulled me closer, pressing me against her breast — and let’s not forget she was half naked.

”Come get him.”

The air in the hall went cold, cold enough that I could see my own breath. The two villainesses stood squared off against each other, a hostile air hanging between them.

’Aww, Kassie’s fighting to protect me. This is the best day of my life. I got a new villainess, and Kassie’s openly protecting me from her. How much better can it get, really.’

Then, from outside, we started to hear footsteps, and then crying. The crying was familiar.

”Owww, oowww, stop knocking me! Mama, I did nothing wrong! That man was a pervert!!”

The words echoed in from beyond the temple, and the approaching footsteps made everything pause.

Through the entrance came a tall, white-haired lady in a tattered white dress, dragging a small girl along by the ear. The stink of old blood rolled into the hall ahead of them, iron and rot heavy enough to taste. It was White Feather, and her daughter Wren.

The two of them halted before they reached Celestine.

White Feather looked like she’d walked out of the valleys of the shadow of death, hollow-eyed, a smear of dried blood dark across one cheek. She studied the atmosphere, and her eyes stayed on me for a few moments. Then she walked past Celestine without a glance, dragging her child along by the ear while the girl kept crying.

”Oow, ooowww, oooowwww!”

She stopped before me and pressed the girl down to her knees on the cold temple stone. Then she bowed herself.

”I apologize, Lord Cade. It seems my daughter has irritated you. She can be very irritating. It is why I had her locked away.”

I chuckled and lifted White Feather’s head.

”It’s okay. I’m just glad we’re together again.”

I pulled her into a tight hug. Her smell almost choked me, copper and rot and something worse underneath, but I held my breath and held her tight. She went stiff at first. Then, slowly, I felt her hand settle over my back.

And then she smiled.

”I’m glad to be back, Lord Cade.”

At last I let the cough out and stepped away.

”Oh goodness, you reek! Where did you come from?”

White Feather grinned, her piercing scarlet gaze filled with playful menace.

”I bathed in the blood of vicious beasts that did not want our reunion. I fought through the flood of snakes, and here I am, with you. I’m sorry about my bratty daughter, though. I should have warned you when I had the chance.”

I laughed a little. There was something uncommon about watching White Feather act goofy.

”Regardless of how it all turned out, we’re okay.”

I sighed and raised a hand to pat her hair, then turned my gaze back to Celestine.