After Luna woke up again, it was time to teach her about her class skills and the rules about summons inside the building or in public.
That was the most important part of getting her ready for public interaction in Cainâs mind. He was about to launch into a long explanation when he realized that he could just use [Superior Mental Domination] to directly grant her the knowledge.
Most of the companions disagreed since Cain never really followed rules and using his memories would likely influence Luna in a negative way.
That wasnât the only option though. The Dwarves of Graska have an F-rank skill book for their guards that teaches them the law. Dwarven law is very intricate and detailed, even containing appropriate responses for varying levels of insult, since the dwarves like to fight about pride and honor more than pretty much anything else.
That should give her enough of a frame of reference to interact with others in a way that wonât lead to violence. Well, not much violence.
The dwarves in Graska were happy to put a copy in the Guild Bank along with another skill book they had been making for dwarves heading out into the world [Inter Species Interactions for Adventurers]. Both were little more than a pamphlet as a skill book but would grant an encyclopedia worth of knowledge to the reader.
[Use the law book first, the other one wonât make much sense if she doesnât know the basics.] The Warlock who put the books in the Guild Bank suggested.
Cain transferred him a Gold Coin for his trouble. [Thanks. Hopefully, this will save time since she is already mentally matured so much.]
âAlright, use this one first, then the other. The dark dwarves made these to teach people how to get along.â Cain explained to the eagerly waiting newborn.
Luna used the books and her face lit up with excitement. âI understand now, it is beneath the dignified species to be rude to each other. But what is Whiskey? Does it taste good? Why is it a way to mend relationships after an argument?â
Cain should have known that alcohol would have a heavy presence in a Dwarven etiquette book, but in his excitement to have a proper parenting book he had overlooked a few of the little details.
âIt is a strong liquor that impairs the mind and makes it hard to keep your true thoughts hidden. The dwarves believe that knowing more about people helps build relationships.â Cain explained though he was only vaguely familiar with the intricacies of Dwarven relationships.
âThen we will need a lot. There are many new people to meet.â Luna told him decisively.
âLong Fang Valley has their own tradition for meeting new people, they have a party so you can meet everyone in one day. You are all too small for Whiskey though. What did the book say about it?â Cainâs question made her think for a while before she recalled the relevant information.
âNothing stronger than spiced milk until age twelve, and no whiskey until your coming of age party. What is spiced milk? Is it as good as meat?â
She really would get along well with the dwarves, Cain decided. âI will have the kitchen make you some. Kone really liked it when we were staying with the dwarves.â
The one who brought the milk wasnât one of the Puppets but Dimnys, who had taken the day off work to come to meet the Guildâs newest Princess, as the Companions had been referring to Luna.
âWhy donât we take a seat in the tower? The sun is warm and you can see how the others spend their day just by looking out the window.â The stout Dwarven woman suggested while brushing the last traces of forge soot from her good clothes.
âGood idea. Learning by watching would be easiest.â Cain agreed, following her upstairs.
The sun was shining bright in the sky, a new experience for Luna and an unusual one for Dimnys who rarely ventured outside her forge lately. But they still picked chairs on the top floor of the Manorâs central Pagoda that overlooked the city with a small table between them.
âIt is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Luna. My name is Dimnys, head of the Darklight Host Blacksmiths.â The dwarf greeted, pouring spiced milk into three shot glasses.
They were the smallest glasses any of them had, even a regular baby bottle was large enough for Luna to hide inside. The cup was still twice as wide as the young Lamia Progenitorâs torso, but Dimnys came prepared.
She pulled a small silver pipe from her pocket and placed it in one glass. âIt is customary that the first drink is finished in one long pull. Can you do that? I donât know much about Lamiaâs liquid capacity.â
âThis much should be fine, I think. Cheers and it is a pleasure to meet you.â Luna replied, sliding onto the table and wrapping all four arms around her glass to pick it up before draining it dry.
She sighed in contentment as Cain and Dimnys took their shots and then helped her place the glass back on the table. Lunaâs body was visibly swollen from the amount of liquid she took in, but she was giving the glass a longing look and was very reluctant to let go of it.
âYou can keep the straw in your inventory, you will need it often. You can have more milk after you digest this much.â Cain told her while rubbing her back, making her burp.
âAre all those girls fighting in the yard? Why isnât anyone stopping them?â Luna asked, pointing to the spot below them where the Blood Dancers were training.
âThat is combat practice. They are learning new fighting techniques and then later they will go into that large tower over there to put them to use. The tower is a magical item that lets you fight without having to wait for enemies to find you.â Cain explained.
âThere is so much good stuff here. No wonder you donât compete with each other over everything. I think this pace might be perfect.â Luna said, gesturing wildly with her arms to emphasize her point.
âI have to ask, why did you want to take over the world when you first hatched?â Cain asked while Luna lazily flopped down on his palm and loosely wrapped her lower body back around his wrist.
âIsnât that what everyone is supposed to want? Itâs pretty much hardwired into my mind. Eliminate the competition and become the most powerful so others canât eliminate me.â Luna explained, with her eyes already drooping as she fought off her post-meal nap.
âSee thatâs why you need good people to teach you. Being in charge is way too much work. What you need is just enough power to do things you really enjoy without being bothered.â Dimnys offered just before the soft snoring of an exhausted Lamia Progenitor filled the air.
âI think youâre pampering her too much. Sheâs in a food coma. But isnât she getting bigger? Iâm sure she wasnât that large a minute ago.â Dimnys laughed.
She was right, to Cainâs eyes, Luna was growing at a visible pace as her body absorbed nutrients. Her body was becoming less bloated, but she had increased in size by nearly a quarter and was now noticeably thicker than Cainâs index finger.
Cyrene was very small for a Lamia, so Cain wasnât sure how big Luna was eventually going to get. Many species of Progenitors were much larger than their current descendants, but that wasnât always true for obsession Demons, whose focus wasnât on brute physical prowess.
Like the Blood Dancers, agility, mobility, and intelligence were their usual weapons.
This time Luna was only out for fifteen minutes before she was ready to go again, and still as full of questions as if the impromptu nap had never interrupted their conversation in the first place.
âI leveled up while I was sleeping and now the System is asking me strange questions. Do I want to be a Lady or a General? Does one get better armor?â Luna demanded the moment her eyes opened.
âThat is your first Class Option. Do you want stronger summons and a permanent big sister Companion, or do you want more summons and subordinates? Did you decide what sort of things you want to do that arenât taking over the world?â Cain asked her instead of answering directly.
âSo itâs not an armor upgrade? I thought a lot about it before I fell asleep, and I think I want to be one of those people.â Luna pointed out across the valley to where a group of farmers was working in an orchard.
âWhat made you want to be a farmer?â Cain asked, wondering how her little mind worked.
âFirst, they have all the food, and they can trade it for the other good stuff. Second, they all carry weapons, so they must get to fight enemies, which means they are strong. Finally, they get to play with those small fluffy things.â Luna explained proudly, making Dimnys burst into laughter.
âWhatâs so funny? Did I get it wrong?â Luna asked, wondering if she had misunderstood her dream job. They were the ones with the food though, she was certain of it.
âThose small fluffy things are their children. Thatâs a family of werewolves. The little ones love to run around in wolf form. But you are a Puppet master, so you can Summon small fluffy things to play with.â Dimnys explained.
Cainâs summons, who were listening in on his thoughts couldnât resist teasing him over that response.
[It really is true that parents will be cursed to raise a tiny version of themselves isnât it? She isnât even a week old and sheâs already fixated on food and fluffy things. Sheâs even got your class.] Svetlana joked.
[Just wait until she gets her own fluffy Commander. She will never get anything done again. Unlike her dad, she doesnât have a Guild and group to protect.] Maggie agreed.
[Tell her to go General first, she definitely wants more summons.] Vala added.
They might be incorrigible but they werenât wrong. Getting Lieutenants and a Commander of her own would be a great benefit to Luna, and she could work through the other side as she leveled up. A Commander is smart and powerful, so it will do a great job of looking after her and keeping her from harm, even if Cain gets called somewhere that it wouldnât be safe to bring her.
Getting her to let go of him and be left behind might be a greater battle than anything Cain would be called to assist with though.