Her Beasts Volume Four

Dismissed

"I sincerely doubt they will go that far. Wild beastmen mostly attack tribes and cities that are weak enough for them to ensure an easy victory. There is no reason for them to go after either of our cities. They will likely just move on and become someone else's problem."

Ares easily dismissed Iris's concerns, making Iris feel as if she was being ridiculous. Iris said nothing, not wanting to cause any animosity between them. While it did irk her to be dismissed so easily, it wasn't like she had any proof that anything would actually end up happening.

 Beastmen in this world weren't exactly stupid, but they did have a tendency to be straightforward and it was unlikely for them to scheme and come up with elaborate plans. At least, that was what Iris's experience had been, as limited as that was. So, it could very well be that she was making a mountain out of a molehill and that the wild beastmen really would move on.

Of course, that didn't really sit well with Iris either. While she wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea of waging war, even against such a malevolent group, she also wasn't quite comfortable just letting them be. So many of her citizens had been harmed and had barely escaped with their lives as they fled from this group of wild beastmen. If Iris just let them leave the area, it was quite possible that more beastmen would lose their lives and there might not be anyone who could stop them. The only thing was that Iris wasn't confident that her people could stop them either.

Their strength was now much greater than it had ever been. Her citizens were slowly growing stronger and there were even a few among them who were three-star, four-star, and five-star beastmen. The five-star beastmen, of course, were just from the guards Princess Viola had brought along that had ended up staying after finding a mate in their city. There were fifty others who were above level five, but they were not Iris's citizens. They also weren't consistently within the city since they were working on the roads for the trade route.

Outside of this, there was only Iris's mates to depend on. Hazel and Fern were still at low levels, but Caspian, Birk, Basil, and Ember were all above four stars. Still, only Ember could really be considered at an impressive level at six-stars and that might still be too weak since the wild beastmen's levels could have increased since the last cold season. It just wasn't realistic or feasible to wage a war on a group of individuals who were mostly above level four with so few individuals in their city at a similar level.

"Maybe you're right. I just thought that it would be best to keep you all in the loop considering the contract we signed. I would hate to have something happen and to share some fault in it just because we didn't fulfill our share of the treaty."

Ares nodded and his eyes crinkled affectionately as he cooed

"Oh, my flower, you are too sweet. Don't worry, I don't mind making the trip here when I get to bask in your beauty. I'm more than happy to make as many trips as you want to reassure you."

Iris wasn't sure if she should feel endeared by Ares words or annoyed, but she tried to reassure herself that he meant well. It was likely that Iris was being too sensitive and not giving Ares a fair chance, which was really unfair on her part. She should really be more appreciative of him making an effort and trying to be kind to her, even despite her insistence that she wouldn't accept him as a mate anytime soon.

"Thank you. It isn't quite dinner time yet, but, if you would like, I could show you around? We have been hard at work building new roads, city walls, and some new areas for relaxation."

Ares happily replied

"That sounds wonderful, my flower. I'd love to spend the rest of the day enjoying your company. I would hate to take up your male's time, though, surely it would be a problem if they all had to take time away from their work just to follow us around?"

Iris glanced hesitantly towards Caspian and Ember before looking back at Birk. Fern was still within the house and Hazel and Basil were still at work, so there were only three of them here now anyhow. Iris scratched her head as she tried to ponder what the best choice to make was. However, Caspian just sighed as he offered

"Ember and Birk can accompany you. Neither of them really needed to be out and doing anything anyhow and they should both serve as sufficient protection. There aren't any wild beasts or males who would pose a significant enough threat that they couldn't overcome. I will return to work, but we will all be home to join you all for dinner."

Caspian left the threat unsaid, but it was more than obvious that he was also implying that he didn't think Ares would be able to overpower Ember and Birk in order to do anything to Iris. Ares didn't have the darkness element like Ares and was on the same level as Ember. So, technically, Ember should be slightly stronger than Ares just because he was blessed with a fire element. Ares's natural poison, thanks to his beast form, was likely the only thing that could give him and edge, but, even then, Birk was likely to be able to fly off with Iris before it could come to that.

Ares merely smiled as he offered Iris his arm so that she could escort him around. Iris smiled hesitantly, feeling uncomfortable with the strange hostility that Ember and Ares now seemed to be directing at one another. Neither were saying anything or doing anything, but it was still a very palpable level of hostility that even Iris was easily aware of. Still, Iris could only pretend that it wasn't happening as she began to show Ares around.

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