Ah, yes, the gorgeous and stern gilf with her elegant and stone-faced milf daughter. They're wearing summer versions of the priest robes, with rolled-up sleeves and a shorter skirt, allowing me to salivate over their shapely legs and amazingly well-cared-for feet.

Caterina's calves are thicker than her mother's, though neither's show a hint of their age. Their feet do show some charming wrinkles, though, but their open-toed, vine-like heels adorn them like glorious pedestals for their sublime forms.

"Forgive me, it wasn't my intention to scare the children like that," I smoothly reply and nod respectfully.

The two walk down the steps in perfect sync, their heels clacking loudly against the stone.

"Perhaps, but you surely meant for something grand instead of fearsome, no?" Teresina sternly replies, her strong stare stimulating the sadist in me.

But I keep it in check to avoid ruining her impression of me. "I honestly didn't. You seem to have a bit of an 'inaccurate' idea of my personality," I serenely point out.

She raises a thin eyebrow and hums questioningly. "Hm? Do I, now? What sort of dragon doesn't have a flair for dramatic entrances?"

How unfair, she really has the wrong idea about me.

"I'm both dragon and human, but I keep the dragon chained most of the time," I calmly explain, then they both stop before me, close enough that my nostrils are invaded by the intoxicating elven perfumes they wear.

Teresina then snorts and retorts, "As if humans don't also have a reputation of being braggarts."

I'm just a little bit offended by that, so I narrow my eyes and categorically respond, "Now, now, be fair. I don't really behave that way."

And she immediately snaps back, "Humans have a tendency to perform silly theatrics when trying to impress a prospective partner."

Caterina breaks her emotionless mask and knits her eyebrows as she amusedly remarks to her parent, "I believe that's just how men behave regardless of race, Mother."

I grin as I seize this golden opportunity. "So, you believe that this 'prospective partner' I'm trying to impress is you?" I mockingly ask the proud elf gilf.

And she gives me that haughty but alluring look that only an elf can pull off. The way her dazzling face warps in annoyance is truly worthy of being immortalized in a painting. "That's what you suggested," she states sternly.

But I show the opposite emotion of her as I gently smile. "Come, now, don't play games. That's clearly what you implied."

She snorts and looks away. "I most certainly didn't. You're the one admitting that you consider me a 'prospective conquest.'"

I fake a gasp and clutch my chest as I exclaim, "You wound me! I don't consider women something you can 'conquer.'"

She stares at me and slowly narrows her eyes as she replies, "I'm not inclined to believe you."

A subtle smile graces Caterina's pink lips as she teases, "At least he didn't deny that he considers you a 'prospective partner.'" But Teresina ignores her completely.

I give my sudden new ally a smug glance, then I confidently state, "I've never abandoned a woman after bringing them to my bed."

Teresina stares at me intensely, trying to sniff out a lie, but there's none to be found. The "group fun" during the Lordship Ceremony and the one after doing Roxanne's mother don't count, so the only women I've "abandoned" were the prostitutes… and that deer-like Chimera, Kal, who I had a single date with back in Whakamutu.

She was quite the beauty, that one, and I wonder where she is now. I hope she decided to live and come with us to Escanso.

"'Collect,' then," Teresina begrudgingly corrects herself. "Do you even have a limit on the number of women who can join you?"

As the universe infinitely expands, so does the harem…

Unfortunately, my life isn't a meme, at least not yet, so I have to be realistic. "I don't plan on marrying any more women, though I believe there's still room for a few more concubines, and I'll always be available for casual relationships."

Caterina raises her eyebrows in surprise and slowly turns to her mother, who remains completely impassive.

Seeing that the other is hesitating, the milf decides to give the conversation a push, "Well… that sounds quite considerate. I assume your wives also abide by the same rules?"

I nod. "Yes. As long as their partners are also women."

"Hmm…" She hums thoughtfully and grabs her chin, then she stares at her mother and hums harder. "Hmmmmm…!"

Teresina rolls her eyes and grumbles, "Spare me from these youthful games, child."

Caterina snorts and smirks. "Spare yourself from your own grumpiness."

The older beauty immediately releases her daughter's arm and turns around. "I believe it's time for me to return to my duties," she dryly affirms and starts walking up the stairs.

"It was a pleasure talking with you, Teresina," I smoothly reply.

She stops and glances back at me. "Likewise."

Caterina simply grins and watches as her mother escapes our playing. Those legs really need a good licking.

After Teresina is gone, the gorgeous mature woman turns to me, and her amused expression slowly returns to being stony and refined, then she starts talking business, "On more serious matters, Lord Ciel has agreed to allow a group of Templars to accompany you on your trip, and I was on my way to also offer myself to join you."

I coo and let my thick tail wag a few times, "Oh? That's interesting. But aren't you a Captain? What about your men?"

"They'll remain here and continue searching for any hints of heretics. I desire to simply convene with my fellows at the capital, but I'll also be able to mobilize spare Templars if we ever need them."

I smile and nod in understanding. "Sounds great to me. We won't say no to more protectors."

She gives me an intense, measuring stare. "You truly don't mind the presence of Punishers?"

"Of course not, unless you start being a goblin to my men."

A smirk slowly breaks her cold expression. "That depends on what you believe 'being a goblin' means."

I narrow my eyes, pout, and grunt, "Hmph."

And her smirk widens. "I'll at least be considerate to my oh so kind host while I'm Gods-know-how-high above the clouds."

"Now that's acceptable. Thank you." And I nod respectfully.

Her gaze becomes warm, and her posture seems to relax a little bit. "I'm also glad that you're so easy to talk to," she huskily replies.

That takes me by surprise, so I reflexively mumble, "Hm?"

"Your first appearance here kind of made you seem like a big lizard with an inflated ego to compensate for a small sword, but I'm glad to be proven wrong."

I chuckle softly and engage with her banter, "About the sword or the ego?"

She snorts and puts her hands on her waist in a sassy way. "Of course you wouldn't miss a chance for that kind of joke."

I shrug exaggeratedly. "You're the one who said it first."

She chuckles softly and crosses her arms. "Yes, I very much enjoy your personality, so I must go, or soon, your 'Charm' will begin to poison my thoughts."

I nod and wave my claws. "Pleasure talking with you."

She nods back and whispers, "Likewise…"

I glance behind me and see that the Companions appear to have enjoyed eavesdropping on our conversation. I like seeing how eager they are to serve and how they always seem to try to get closer to me and my wives. It feels better to be loved than revered or worshiped… or even feared.

We move a bit out of the way and wait until Ciel is done with her singing, then she goes to find Brett and brings him to us.

I give her a loving peck, then I plant my hand on her ass, and she turns to face him.

"Hello, Brett. How are you feeling?" I gently greet.

The funny-looking weredog freezes midway going down on one knee as my casual tone makes him rethink whether this level of formality is necessary, but his adventurer pride takes over, so he quickly straightens up and gives me a stiff nod. "My Lord. I'm… very thankful that you've given me this opportunity," he slowly replies, his sluggish voice and gaze revealing that he's a bit groggy right now.

"Is he on drugs?" I ask Ciel through [Bind].

"A very small dose. It has a calming side effect."

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And I warmly affirm, "Any Lord would gladly take someone like you under their shade. It's we who have to be thankful for being chosen by you."

"Still, you're being very kind to me," he responds with the same tone and slowly nods.

"Hm…" I softly hum, then I stare at him as I feel something slowly come to me.

Pale skin, Asian eyes, puffy blonde hair, round face.

After a brief moment, it finally clicks.

Shiba…! That's it! He reminds me of a Shiba Inu!

I suddenly feel an urge to hug him, making me realize that his "Charisma" might be moderately high. Thankfully, Ciel seems unaffected by him, but she has adopted a "no hugs" rule with men ever since she switched to the "feels like I'm wearing nothing at all" elven dresses, so she wasn't at risk, anyway.

I snap out of my musings and break the silence before it becomes awkward, "I understand your choice to serve us. I was also in a position that made me seek protection through service, so I understand if you have reservations about swearing your life to us."

He shakes his head, then lowers it. "I had a lot of time to think about things when I was a prisoner inside my own mind. I don't think I'll ever regret this decision, but I appreciate your concern."

I hum in understanding. "Only time will tell, but for now, focus on your health. It's possible that we'll need you soon."

He raises his head again and nods. His expression seems stuck in an absentminded smile while his gaze occasionally wanders away from me towards nowhere in particular. "I will. I didn't realize how…" -He looks at his hand and clenches his fist- "out of control my own mind could go. After Lord Hanafuria wounded me, I just suddenly felt like I was back in those tunnels." Then he touches his chest right where it caved in from Hana's strike.

Ciel rests her hand on the base of my tail and slowly caresses it as she kindly explains, "Those memories are too strong, too painful; so, when they're recalled, they overwhelm you. The pills we gave you will calm you down and 'muddy up' your memories, turning them back into clay so that they can be molded into something that brings you less grief."

Brett chuckles amusedly and looks back at the singing crowd. "It's not just 'calming.' I can see the sound…" He coos in wonder.

I narrow my eyes in thought.

Is that LSD…?

Then he waves his hand towards them as he adds, "And I can sense sparks when people touch each other. It's just… beautiful…"

Wait… does he have "Heightened Connection to Life"?

Ciel blinks blankly, then uses [Diagnosis] on him and remarks through [Bind] in surprise, "Actually, yes, he does. I didn't know that the pills we use have Eia in them. I guess my 'Stats' were too low to see this effect before."

"I didn't know that we sell Eia to the empire," Yunia suddenly chimes in.

"What does the Elder Council do with all the Eia we send to them?" I question internally, and Yunia hums in understanding.

"Well, you're making me want to get some of what you're having," I comment with a smirk and glance at Ciel.

Brett turns back to us and smiles excitedly, making him look just like a happy Shiba. "I recommend taking it during a gathering. It was like I could see everyone's fervor as we all prayed. We all, like, glowed. I can't really explain it."

I give Ciel's juicy ass a gentle squeeze. "Get some pills for us, my love. We'll have time to take them on the trip."

She narrows her eyes and gives me an annoyed glance. "They're for therapy, not relaxation," she grumbles.

I glance at Brett. "Well… he looks quite relaxed."

"Oh, I am…" He hums back and chuckles like a stoner.

Ciel sighs and shakes her head as she relents, "I'll see what I can do."

I give her ass a light tap, and we release each other. "Thank you, my love. Now, I think I'll start making my way over to the air docks."

She nods and adds, "I'll meet you there soon, and I'll bring the Templars with me." Then she turns and walks away.

I turn to the cute doggo and give him one last word of encouragement, "Brett, I'm happy to have you with us. Put your faith in the priests because I'm sure they can help you with whatever you need."

He nods repeatedly and agrees wholeheartedly, "If every 'session' is like this, I have nothing to complain about." And he chuckles serenely again.

I give him a small wave. "Until another day."

"Your Highness," he replies and nods respectfully, which is the most he can do because I think he'd just fall face-first on the floor if he tried to bow.

I turn around and see that my bodyguard girls have already opened a way for me.

As I walk past the curious passersby, I give them a small wave, and I can almost see hearts appear over their heads, but there are so many elves that I can't tell whether it's men or women who react the most strongly, though that doesn't really matter. I'm so confident in my ability to charm women that I don't overvalue their attention anymore.

The only women that I need to pay attention to me are my wives.

"Seeing you get your ego stroked also makes me feel good, though," Alissa chimes in through [Bind].

"Among other things…" Roxanne wryly adds.

I notice that a few children have returned to the field to play, and they stare at my glorious features in awe, so I try to look as friendly as possible, but then [Spicy Charm] turns on automatically, and I immediately suppress it because I'd rather not know whether or not it works on little girls.

The bodyguard girls stuff themselves back into the Dragon-Class plane, then I shift into my dragon form as slowly as possible.

This time, the children don't get scared since I don't just appear out of nowhere and land right in front of them. They, instead, come close enough to me that a Companion comes out to yell at them, and once I spread my wings, they learn to keep their distance.

"Are you the Lord?" A brave little boy asks out loud.

"Yes, I am," I calmly reply with my rumbling, draconic dual voice, then I start flapping my wings and cast [Telekinesis] on myself again.

The kids shout in excitement and cover their eyes as I blow air and dust towards them, then I take off and leave the temple behind.

The knights start boarding the Floater while the workers leave after finishing their last inspection. There's still time before everyone is ready to go, so Sandoro, Almaria, and I wait at a vantage point on the docks and observe everyone going about their day.

I stare at the Floater in admiration, but then I feel like something is off.

"It looks different… wait, did you redecorate it?" I question out loud.

"Training for our [Nature Mages]," Almaria calmly replies.

"Good job," I hum.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she coolly replies, and I can hear the smile in her tone.

The Floater is a blimp with a cylindrical metal frame body covered in cloth, a large cabin at its bottom, a glass dome bridge at its forward tip, and a large pair of wings on each side.

The cabin was about twice as long and wide as an average Earth bus, but now, it seems even bigger. Not only that, but every single surface of the entire ship is covered in detailed, wind-like patterns, even the wings, courtesy of Almaria and our court mages.

The main body simply covers the floating tanks inside, and they can even be converted into temporary beds if the ship is landed. Counting Brett, we have twenty-eight knights, and a few of them will remain in Escanso to keep an eye on things, so we have enough spare room for them, the Companions, and even some more guests to all accompany us on this trip.

I spend my time admiring Almaria's work, and a minute later, Osaria appears at the docks with Poosh in tow and flanked by Klein and Anton.

The way my milf's hips sway tells me that she's using her "Charisma" on me, but then I see a man-eating hunger in her red eyes, and the dragon rattles in its cage.

"Are the rooms ready?" I question Almaria.

"Yes, they are, Your Highness."

"Alright."

Without a word, Osaria and Poosh follow me into the Floater.

The whole cabin has been enchanted with [Warp Space] and adapted with sliding, overlapping walls so that they won't suddenly explode if the enchantment fails, increasing the interior space even further.

At the rear of the cabin is the large Captain's Quarters and the even larger Suite beside it, so the three of us enter the Suite and perform the inaugural Ravaging in it.

There's nothing more romantic than doing your lovers until they can't walk as your last goodbye to them before a long trip.

The girls also begin to arrive one by one (including the golems), with Ciel being the last because she was getting us some "goodies."

I stare excitedly at the pills and caress Poosh's head while she milks me. "Noice. We'll use them when we get bored of plowing all day, I guess," I joke and grunt as I unleash.

"So, never?" Hana dryly asks.

I smile cheekily and chuckle, "Heheh. You girls will get your flowers burned if you try to outlast me."

She narrows her yellow eyes at me in challenge. "Only because you replace your sword with a fake one."

"It's still a sword, so…" I shrug.

Someone knocks on our door, and a muffled voice comes through, "The troops are ready, Your Highnesses."

I force myself to release one last time in Poosh's mouth, and she shares her bounty with the almost passed-out Osaria.

"It's time for you two to go."

Poosh nods slowly, looking a bit down, and I suddenly feel like taking her with us, but alas, I really can't. When things are more stable, I'll take all of my women sightseeing; that's a promise I make to myself.

"Tell Iliada that I'll miss her," I whisper to Poosh as I hug her soft body.

"She'll pass out from happiness when she hears it," she amusedly replies.

Then I give Kaatohe a deep kiss and squeeze her tight behind. "I'll miss you a lot, too," I huskily assert.

She stares at me for a brief moment as her breathing becomes heavier, then she assumes her haughty demeanor and replies, "Yes. It'll be quite a shame not to have you here to entertain me."

I let out a growling laugh and rub a vibrating tentacle, making her gasp, then I walk away and feel her angry stare burning into my back.

Then I shamelessly bury my face in Osaria's huge pollows, but she grabs my horns and pulls me up for a kiss. Her tongue repeats what she did to my sword a few minutes ago, giving me an unsheathing again.

But just when things start to get good, she breaks the kiss and flashes a cheeky smile, then her happiness gives way to worry.

"Stay safe," she whispers melancholically.

"You too," I gently reply and give her one last peck on the lips.

The girls also give their goodbyes to the three of them with varying levels of intensity. They've had their parts massaged by Poosh quite a few times already, so the gentle sheep gets the deepest kisses of all.

Then I say my goodbyes to Krysta.

"You sure you don't want me to come?" Krysta asks with a teasing tone and raised eyebrows.

I sure hope she isn't flirting…

Wait, she obviously isn't flirting.

"What do you think I did with all that food I had you cook for me? It's all in my [Item Box]!" I exclaim and give her shoulder a gentle slap.

She remains steady like a rock but freezes in place as her eyes widen in surprise.

"His [Item Box] is huge, literally," Alissa whispers cheekily, and Krysta starts chuckling.

Next is Oritiki.

"I promise that next time, I'll have you right beside me," I proclaim as I shake her hand.

"Don't worry, I know my time will come," she confidently replies and squeezes my claws.

"Heh."

I'll also miss your massive pillows.

Sandoro, Almaria, and Sai will stay. Enomosa will take over the knights and watch over the town since she's the second most senior of them.

"Don't do anything reckless," the Commander sternly requests.

"I'll try," I stiffly reply, failing to smother my smile, and he just softly sighs tiredly.

"Good luck," Almaria gives me her blessing, and I almost pull her into a hug.

"Can't say that enough, good luck," Sai also gives her blessing, and I really have to hold myself back from pulling the cute, little, ginger halfling into a hug.

I don't even say anything to Nono, I just steal her lips and squeeze her ass, and that's enough to make the little slut weak in the legs.

"Klein is mine," I whisper to Hermann with a grin, and we both squeeze each other's hands.

"Screw you, I'll screw you both one day," he grunts back in reply.

I feel the sadist take over. "Maybe I'll let you screw her if you're a good boy."

He raises his eyebrows and smiles smugly. "You want me to suck your sword?"

My grin stiffens. "Screw you."

And his smile widens. "I'd enjoy that."

Fuda gives me a very earnest handshake, his shyness and awkwardness replaced by a bubbly demeanor that I find quite agreeable. His parents are treating me just as they usually would, but perhaps it's because they have no idea how to react to the fact that I "took" his son's first time.

Then I share more casual goodbyes with the rest of the Grosshils (though Petra is visibly stiff), the twins, and the Troupe.

With all the formalities done, I bring Alissa along as I go with Yunia to the bridge because I don't want to lose her Blessing again today.

Nohopu, the squirrel-headed, slightly unhinged Captain, is waiting for us along with Caterina in the glass dome.

When we enter, the crew all stand and salute us, then we take our seats behind the Captain's.

I nod to him, and he orders, "Take off!"

A mild feeling of unease washes over us as the ship silently starts floating up, and the waving people down at the docks slowly become smaller and smaller until we can't see them anymore.

Then we stop ascending, and he gives more orders. "Heading, two-forty degrees. Speed, full. Set!"

The crew repeats his orders in confirmation as they carry them out, and the ship starts to turn.

I stare at Kurii, the pretty, beagle-headed XO, but then the Captain turns back around to face us with a wide grin on his silly face, pulling me out of my 'miring.

"Would you like to do the honors, Your Highness Wolf?" He cheekily asks.

Oh, heck yes. Of course, I do.

I stand up and order, "To Mac Gantus! Engage!"