A small colony in the middle of the desert.
Until about twenty years ago, it was nothing special—a run-of-the-mill feline-human settlement. But after a few years, the gender balance shifted drastically, leaving its future in peril.
And now…
“Looking back, things have changed quite a bit, huh?”
From the top of a small rocky hill, I overlook the colony. Several large structures have been added to the little village.
Among the simple adobe houses, these stone buildings stand out—constructions I had the dragons build in short order.
Their purposes vary: community halls, water reservoirs for droughts, even daycare facilities…
…And then there was that one building I initially intended for erotic use.
No, wait—that’s not fair. Don’t jump to conclusions. I have a little sense of responsibility, you know?
Seriously, after so many visits, I realized we couldn’t keep holding “Village-Wide Orgy Day” as a matter of course.
It might be fine at first, but eventually, the kids I’ve fathered will grow up.
Since the whole village is like this anyway, wouldn’t it be better to normalize it from the start? Well, that’s not exactly right. Throwing them into it without any boundaries would be terrible.
Even in the Vapor Palace, we keep the toddlers there for childcare reasons, but once they reach a certain age, we take them out and let them live normal lives. Leaving them to grow up constantly witnessing sex in a naked paradise would lead to serious psychological damage.
So, even in this feline colony, I wanted them to have at least some semblance of a proper life.
If they’re going to live their whole lives within the colony, maybe it’s fine if they’re warped. But dragon transport runs frequently between here and Polka, and we can send them out to become independent in places like the Polka Autonomous Zone, Basson, or Tark. Now, their futures hold great possibilities.
Considering that, I thought it was a good idea to have a facility as a boundary—this building is for erotic activities only. That’s what I thought back then…
…It didn’t work out so well, did it?
“H-how long are you going to wallow in those strange feelings?”
”…Strange? Well, whatever.”
I chuckle wryly and glance at the rock where Grandma Donna always seems to appear out of nowhere.
We slowly descend the mountain.
There’s no grand welcome.
The cats have gotten used to our presence enough that, upon sensing our arrival, they’d rather prepare a proper greeting than just swarm us haphazardly.
Compared to back then, things are really lively now.
“Welcome back, Master."
"Welcome back!!”
In the center of the colony, in front of the oasis, Anis, now a composed beauty, greets us as the representative.
Once, she and her mother, Tanya, would entertain me sexually together. Since then, she’s been pregnant countless times and is now the mother of seven.
Tanya has had four more kids since then too.
And Anis’s daughters? The eldest is almost starting to develop a more feminine figure.
The girls, along with the other little feline girls, are all shouting in unison around us.
The colony children gathered there number nearly three hundred, I’d guess.
Most of them are my kids. There are plenty in Polka too, but here is where my offspring are strongest in sheer numbers.
“Everyone, thank you for the welcome.”
With a face as soft as possible—as much as I can manage—I raise my hands to greet the children, their mothers, and the young feline girls hoping to join their ranks.
…Even so, considering what’s to come, I’m still not sure what kind of face I should make every time.
“Are you staying overnight this time?”
“Ah… well, my schedule’s pretty open right now, so I was thinking I’d take you guys up on your offer for about a month.”
“A whole month… is that really alright?”
“Seren and the others have already agreed. A few of the other female slaves will be joining us in a bit, but we’ll provide the food and caretakers for them…”
Before he could finish, the gathered cats erupted into cheers.
My stay here is a festival for them.
The peaceful, boring life of the colony—and the sexual urges that plague them—are instantly transformed into something exciting by my presence.
For them, it’s purely… that.
“Whoa, hold on, you’re getting undressed way too fast! Way too fast! You guys planning on not wearing clothes for a whole month!? And don’t even think about getting me pregnant! Condoms are useless! No sex with your own father!”
Before I could stop them, both adults and children threw off their clothes and tossed them aside. Worse yet, they started burning the discarded clothes in a bonfire right there and began dancing gleefully.
“Clothes are precious around here…”
I was dumbfounded by the sight of the naked women dancing cheerfully when a half-elf woman nearby gave a troubled smile.
“They don’t really mind not having clothes… though it’s probably bad for the boys.”
With that, she stripped off her own clothes and tossed them into the fire.
“Hey, you’re burning yourself too!”
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do!”
…She was Kasha, a wandering half-elf who had once been taken in by Duke Gardner’s territory and briefly relocated to Granze. Initially, she had been helping the incoming Carwin people settle in, but after bonding with the feline-humanoids at a festival in Polka, she’d fallen in love with their easygoing desert life and moved here permanently some time ago.
Actually, quite a few people have declared they want to relocate to this cat colony like her. Including her, there are about a dozen or so outsiders settled within the colony.
The feline-humanoids visit Polka often for medical treatment, injuries, or even attending Polka Academy, so they’re used to welcoming such newcomers with open arms.
…Men occasionally ask to move in too, but I flat-out refuse them.
Because things inevitably end up like this. Even if some burly guy could satisfy a few of them, once this orgiastic festival starts, it’s obvious everyone would be super awkward around each other.
If these cats want to marry outsiders, they can do it outside the colony. Inside, they’re all my wives. Except for the kids.
That’s still my policy.
“Besides, since we’re in the colony, we’re fair game for insemination, right…?”
Kasha, who had tossed even her underwear into the bonfire and bared everything from her nipples to her genitals to the sunlight, asked with a sidelong glance.
…Ugh.
“…Yes.”
“♪”
Even though they don’t wear collars, every woman who’s moved here has agreed to join in the orgiastic festival.
And it’s perfectly fine if they get pregnant. Having children is an unconditionally joyous occasion, and everyone raises them without a care when they’re born.
Apparently, everyone who wants to relocate is drawn to this cat colony’s carefree, pleasure-seeking nature.
…Besides Kasha, other female migrants who’ve chosen this feline colony life include another half-elf who came through the Almeida Hidden Village project, several former maids, and a few ex-prostitutes. There’s also one former Carwin girl and one elf maiden from the Northern Forest.
If they’re getting treated like this, I wouldn’t mind them joining my harem directly… but well, choosing a place to live is important too. Some of them are here just because they hate the cold.
“Even so, I just got here, so the sexy stuff can wait!”
Leaving that to the dancing cats and Kashar, I headed toward the edge of the village with Laila.
Opposite the labyrinth entrance, across from the oasis, stood a lone rock jutting out from the dunes. Atop it, a single staff pierced the sky. Laila splashed the liquor she’d brought all over the rock.
”…Hoh. Drink and savor it. It’s the finest elven forest brew.”
She took another sip, her eyes distant.
…Donna passed away a few years ago.
No one noticed her health declining. Until the day before she died, she was still her usual energetic, sarcastic self… then, come morning, she was cold.
Her body was buried in the sand, as per colony custom—just outside the settlement.
…Desert insects or sandworms would return her to the natural cycle. Burying her inside or near the labyrinth could turn her into carrion—that’s the hardest part for loved ones.
So, in this desert labyrinth colony, burying people in the sand is the most natural way to say goodbye.
”…It’s not the first time I’ve seen a close friend go. But you… you were special.”
Laila said, took another sip, then splashed the rest on the rock. She tossed the ceramic bottle into the dunes.
The usual ritual.
Eventually, Donna’s staff will break, the rock will erode, and no one will remember what it meant.
“If you ask if magic should protect it,” Laila said, “then no, that’s fine.”
Clinging to gravestones or belongings only weakens our memories of them.
The connection with those we can’t see anymore should live in our hearts.
That’s how her era, what she protected, lives on.
”…She was probably pretty happy, seeing the colony thrive like this before she went.”
”…How’d you figure? All I did was screw my way through it.”
“Hoh. Even so, Donna must’ve figured you could handle even the wildest consequences.”
“At this rate, the colony’s thriving on incest, isn’t it?”
“There are mountains of colonies that started like that… Donna said as much herself. Besides, elves know how to deal with close bloodlines. Don’t hesitate—sleep with your daughters and granddaughters as you please!”
“If possible, I’d prefer my kids have a future where they’re happy…”
“Trying that on Ele or Freya won’t work, though. Oh well, cats go wild at the full moon anyway. Nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, but still—”
…Ah.
Seeing me struggle with such a stubborn grief, Laila’s slight shadow vanished. She shrugged off her clothes as she walked, then cheerfully strode toward the dancing cats’ plaza.
“Wait, those are ultra-expensive elven fabrics! Don’t burn them!”
“Hoh. Well, all things break eventually. If you need them, just make new ones then!”
Without waiting for a fire, Laila burned her clothes with her own body heat.
“That’s super annoying for the craftspeople, you know!”
…Even so.
Layla, stripped bare except for the collar, remained as gorgeously alluring as she was when we first met.
As for me, my groin was throbbing with anticipation—Layla’s naked body under the bright sky, and the promise of a full-frontal dance party from those cat girls in the distance.
“Damn it.”
I steeled myself and stripped right there on the spot. Everyone’s already naked anyway, so no need to be embarrassed. No one’s going to laugh.
A hard-on-exposing old man and an absolute beauty, blue sky, and desert.
…Seriously, what am I even doing?
“Hohoho. Shall we get this party started here, then? I am your sex slave, after all—you can use me anytime, anywhere!”
”…W-well, let’s head over there first!”
For a moment, I almost gave in. After all, we’re going to be playing for a month—maybe Layla deserves the first go.
But I came here for the cats. I should scold everyone and step away, then sneak off for a quick one with Layla… no, forget that.
So there I was, walking beside naked Layla, my erection painfully obvious as I hopped along like a crab, when I suddenly noticed the gravestone behind us.
…Donna Auntie probably didn’t die happy watching this scene… though that’s probably being too pessimistic.