Today is the 17th, Fis, day of Nature. Gify wakes up early to go play with the other nature spirits. I guess the little mischievous plushies have more energy today, and just like children, they can't stop themselves from using it to have fun.

Yunia's pink skin has now become mildly tanned. Lighter than Hana's, but still enough to leave her with bikini marks.

"It'll only last for a day," she preemptively answers my question.

"Then I'd better enjoy your body thoroughly while it lasts," I huskily reply, and the other girls instinctively agree.

Apparently, elven skin is quite sensitive to tanning as she's the only one that got tan marks. Even Roxanne, the one who's unnaturally pale, doesn't have a single hint of a tan, but her demon race actually makes her more resistant to it.

But back to the alluring tanned elven Queen opening for me. We all quickly groom ourselves and re-make her drills, and then we do her together, abusing her so much that it feels like a mild Ravaging for her, but not enough to make her go unconscious.

Bikini marks are really alluring, for some reason. I don't really understand the desire, but then again, I enjoy feet, so desires don't have to make sense. Maybe it's because they emphasize her feminine parts, like a highlighter, but the girls don't find that description alluring, so I drop it.

And then we give her some aftercare once we've had our fill of her, but this time, I make liberal use of my [Massage] on her sensitive ears. Then I detect that Alissa is a bit envious, so I also give her some of my heavenly touch, and the effect is almost instantaneous as Alissa quickly becomes drowsy.

I'm the Kemono Charmer that the prophecy foretold, and so I shall make use of my talents.

Then I turn to the other girls. They may not have such obvious weak spots as Alissa, Yunia, and Roxanne, but they still exist.

"Be quick. We have business this morning," Yunia reminds us, so I stop once they, too, have become drowsy.

For breakfast, our guests are Gify's newest friends: a little flying orca, a chibi octopus, and a duckie.

"Water-themed?" I whisper reflexively.

"Gih," she replies with a nod. The fishies we played with yesterday spread the word that we're cool people, so some nature spirits that live in Central Lake are paying us a visit.

"Nice. Feel free to hang around with us anytime," I smoothly reply.

"Yiieh~…" the orca squeaks matter-of-factly.

*Blosh* the octopus makes a weird, soft, fleshy sound.

"Quack!" the duckie quacks happily.

Alissa, Klein, and the Verners just stare quietly in awe and a little envy. Wereanimals have a lot of respect for nature spirits, but even they rarely interact with the little buggers. Though, I'm only famous among the spirits because I'm "interesting," and sometimes I even feel like I'm just a freak show to them.

"Giih~… hihi…"

Hmph…!

And now, the time has finally come for the soldiers to return to their homes.

All eighty Sworn Hunters gather at the front garden of the embassy. The experienced men and women wear varied but well-made armor and weapons, looking more like a collection of rugged and wealthy adventurers than a standardized army, but they still manage to look professional.

Our knights meet with the Hunters, and everyone says goodbye to their fellow comrades in battle. They only fought together for a short time, but there's nothing like two victorious battles to light a kindred feeling within soldiers.

A number of them come to us to give their respects, and (not an actual) uncle Montague soon approaches. When she sees him, Alissa runs to give the big man a big hug.

And the white mountain has a few words for his (not an actual) niece, "You've grown so much, girl, that now you're the one at the front, charging into battle head-first while we follow."

But Alissa isn't a snob, so she happily replies, "Not by myself. I still need some big and wide backs to cover for me, but I can handle a dozen men with my spells."

"Hmm…?" he hums suggestively with a raised eyebrow.

And she pouts as she playfully hits his thick arm, then proudly states, "Wolfy is worth many dozens of men. That's why he has such a big harem."

I just can't hold back a grin whenever Alissa praises me, and Montague's softens as he glances at both of us. "My, the love you two have makes me envious."

"What? Louise is a very loving woman too," Alissa concernedly replies.

"Hahaha… hah…" he laughs rather awkwardly.

And the fox grins like a fox. "I'll tell her you're making fun of her."

"Please don't…" he mumbles back fearfully.

But Alissa isn't cruel enough to tease him further, so she lets him go, and then he shares a bone-crushing handshake with Palo.

"One day, I'll get stronger than you, and then we'll have a rematch," the golden elven mass of muscles confidently states.

"Sure, and I'll be an old man by then," the white foxy mass of muscles confidently replies.

After a short talk, the Sworn Hunters shift into their fox forms and leave the embassy to return to the Misty Low Forest.

Then Yunia decides to have a small intermission before the next set of goodbyes.

She finds Harriet and Stanley, the two former thieves we captured, working as laborers and carrying boxes into the Floater.

"You, thieves, stop where you are," her Lordsguard guide orders them sternly.

The catgirl and the dog boy tense up reflexively and immediately put the boxes down. Then they turn towards the source and freeze in panic as they notice Yunia approaching them.

Are they being abused? We haven't given explicit orders for them to be treated "normally," and our Lordsguard is still mostly fresh, so they could still have an unsavory mindset towards our captives.

I tell Sandoro to look into it for us.

"Y-Your Highness!" Harriet exclaims and kneels, then pulls down Stanley, who's too stunned by Yunia's beauty and his fear of her to move on his own.

"Stand, and be at ease," Yunia immediately replies, but "to relax" in front of her is easier said than done.

They do stand after a moment of building up the courage, but then they become awkward as they don't know what to do or where to look since Yunia always wears very little.

So the elven Queen promptly continues, "I'm here to ask you about how we could get in contact with the Thieves Guild."

Harriet immediately becomes serious as she replies, "The Guild is merely a loose collection of mercenary companies that offer services in thievery. The companies may work together through a council, but take one out, and they'll all disappear."

"I won't start a war. I merely wish to form a connection," Yunia reassuringly replies.

And Harriet relaxes. "Oh, that's… alright. They won't like it that you've taken us instead of sending us to the Enforcers, though."

Yunia snorts snobbishly. "They can suck Wolfy's Sword for all that I care." But they don't seem to understand the idiom at first, so she adds, "Anyone can suck His Highness Wolfy's Sword, as long as you're at least mildly attractive to him."

"Oh… one of those open marriages the nobles like to do," Stanley whispers to Harriet, and the olive-skinned catgirl flushes in embarrassment.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"W-well, they'd never attack a noble, but they'll likely be unfriendly," she hastily continues.

"That is fine," Yunia soberly replies.

She won't meet with them now, so we gather up in the air docks in front of the ramp to the Floater as the Lordsguard and the crew orderly board it. Then we say our farewells to the knights and the High Officers, who are orderly waiting in formation.

"You've all performed excellently for this event," Yunia graciously declares.

"There wasn't any failure on your part. You've all succeeded in your duty," I smoothly follow up.

But Sandoro gives them a slice of the truth, "Yet we could barely help you against Reinhold. Let this be a lesson that to stand beside the Ryders, you must never stop growing."

And Ciel solemnly adds, "The Punishers are still performing a Purge across the Empire, all in our name, but this won't be the end of the heretics."

That's very true. The threats to our family are only increasing, and our men must understand that the duty they've been sworn to is only beginning. I wish we could depart with happier words, but it's a terrible thing to lie to the soldiers you're relying on for protection.

Everyone seems stern and determined, their morale far from being low but also not so high as to make them arrogant. The only exceptions are Silvano and Brett. The former joined specifically because serving us would be "exciting," and the latter joined because he deemed us "honorable," so a development like this falls exactly in the "best-case scenario" for both of them.

Then Almaria gives us a sympathetic smile and gently states, "We'll see you in a few days, Your Highnesses."

Yunia smiles back and nods, then announces, "You're dismissed. Safe travels."

The Officers and knights leave, but before everyone has finished boarding, there's one last surprise, though it isn't really that surprising. Lolo and Nikolas are joining the Lordsguard, and Sandoro has a few words with them before they board.

I approach the big black wolf and skeptically ask, "Lolo was expected, but you?"

He simply shrugs and answers earnestly, "You're the only Lord who you can stab and still live to tell the tale. You don't pass up an opportunity like this."

"You better say it now, for insolent comments like what you plan to say won't be allowed once you've been sworn in," Sandoro begrudgingly states. It amuses me that he's accepted our casual approach to things as long as it isn't related to his job: the Lordsguard and our protection.

Nikolas glances at Sandoro, unsure if he should take the old man's words at face value, but then he just internally says "screw it" and confesses another complaint, "You stole Lolo, so you'd better take care of her."

"That's a given," I calmly reply with a nod.

"Excuse me?" the bunny girl sternly asks as she glares at both of us.

"You're going to be bodyguards, but I won't treat you as disposable. Everyone is precious to me," I explain. But that wasn't the right answer as she seems to become even more annoyed.

"It'll be our job to take care of you, and I've always been pretty independent, so I don't need someone else to take care of me," she angrily retorts.

But I'm feeling cheeky. "Hmm..?" I suggestively hum back.

"He'll 'take care' of you, alright. We all will," Roxanne piles on and smirks suggestively, making Lolo's pale skin flush in a mix of embarrassment, arousal, and annoyance.

Then Sandoro stiffly interjects, a bit uncomfortable with the suggestive conversation, "The Lordsguard's purpose is to protect the Lord with their lives. I understand the sentiment of not treating them as 'disposable,' but in a life or death situation, that is their purpose, to die fighting to save their Lord."

And Ciel gives him a hand by once again solemnly reminding us of our situation, "And we're the kind of Lords that have a heretical conspiracy working against us, which has caused the Punishers to call for an Empire-wide Purge in our name."

Nikolas frowns and looks away, then awkwardly massages his neck as he humbly confesses, "These things are too big for us. All I cared about was that Lolo would have a happy life, but I've realized that my definition of happy is different from hers. So, I started thinking about what I want for myself, and now I believe that I'll live a good life if I follow you, whether I die young or not."

Lolo narrows her eyes at him and also confesses her motives, "But I have a higher 'Intelligence' and 'Wisdom,' so I understand the meaning of being a Lordsguard, and that's what I want!" she exclaims assuredly but immediately becomes embarrassed. "Well… I actually want to be a Companion, so…" and she trails off.

Sandoro doesn't want her to have any doubts, so he impassively explains again, "A Companion's duty is to serve and protect the Lord at all times… Though a good number have taken the 'serve' part a bit further than usual." Then he stares at her, and she now becomes even more flustered, but he presses her for only a moment before continuing, "Anyway, the Companions are chosen for their loyalty rather than skills or levels, but the expectation that they'll sacrifice themselves for their Lord is even higher."

"I'm ready for this," the bunny girl confidently replies, her fist clenched over her heart.

"I'm not…" I blurt out with a frown, surprising myself.

And Sandoro doesn't give me time to think as he soberly addresses me, "You're getting too attached to your soldiers, Your Highness, but as long as you don't interfere in their training or forbid them from performing their duty, then there is no issue."

I know this, but… I'm possessive and protective. I've managed to control these feelings, but I can't make them disappear…

"And that's why I said that you'll take care of her," Nikolas continues, earning himself another glare from Lolo. So he raises his hands defensively and adds, "Look, I had fallen for you, but you're now his woman, so I'm moving on."

"It helps that the Lordsguard get a lot of free 'flower,'" Hana teasingly remarks.

"'Flower' is the best medicine for a broken heart," Ciel adds matter-of-factly, and we give her a surprised look, embarrassing her a bit. "Laying is a big part of love, and once your thirst for affection is quenched, it makes it easier to let the wound in your heart close. A healthy body heals the fastest, after all."

And we, even Lolo, turn our eyes to Nikolas, but the big black wolf doesn't want to confirm or deny it as he honestly answers the bunny girl, "It hurt, yeah, but I'm pious enough to understand that you meeting Lord Wolf might not have been just a coincidence."

Well, now I feel bad again for NTRing him.

Lolo pouts cutely but lets it go, and we pull back on teasing him. One thing we can't make fun of is his piety.

We remain silent for a brief moment as we let it sink in, but then Sandoro adds on again, "It's not my job to question your reasons, so I'm only concerned with your understanding of the duty you're going to swear to perform, and I deem you both ready for the vows."

The dignified old man's approval immediately cheers them up, and they reflexively salute with a nod. And now our Lordsguard becomes even stronger as it gains two experienced adventurers, but first, they have to complete their training, so they'll return to Escanso with everyone else.

"See you soon," I whisper seductively to Lolo, then pull in her face with my claws for a quick kiss.

But she isn't left stunned, already getting used to my draconic virility, and warmly replies, "I'll be waiting, Your Highness. Actually, we will be waiting."

Oh yeah, I have an army of women to plow when I get back, don't I?

The adventuring trio also comes to give their goodbyes and congratulations, along with more teasing. Then the Floater finally takes off.

The embassy has become a lot quieter now that there aren't large groups of soldiers training every morning. The silence is nice, but the fact that they were our men made it quite calming to hear them.

Our orb-boosted mana circulation training progresses as usual, and I focus on the baby golem army as I train.

I attempt to put "intent" into it when I use [Infuse], but the spell doesn't really support it. Roxanne's [Explosion] has its technical aspect of the steam explosion itself, but a good part of the spell is her own feelings of anger, which power it up.

Perhaps she "de-stresses" when she uses the spell, and that's the reason why she has such a cheerful and carefree personality while her cool side rarely appears.

"Hey, that's a nice theory," the "crazy bitch" in question hums in my mind.

But [Infuse] directly modifies the golem's brain, so it isn't a spell that I can simply add my "intent" to, and *poof*, the brain that I want magically appears.

Or is it…?

"Let the skill guide you," Hana advises me out loud. She's also trying to put some "intent" into [Draconic Body], so I guess she's in a similar situation.

We need to learn the physics of the world before we can cast spells, but we don't calculate the joules of a [Fireball] when we want to cast it, so directly modifying the brain might actually be an excessive amount of effort.

The brain is, after all, a MASSIVE network of very simple things, the neurons. It's a black box full of indecipherable electrical impulses, yet [Bind] allows me to read the girls' thoughts and even control their bodies.

Screw the details. I'll let the [Golemancy] skill guide me.

I cast [Infuse], and it puts me in the "brain molding" immersive interface.

I want… a golem who doesn't have my memories.

But nothing happens, so I wish really hard… and nothing happens. Then I take a different approach and let myself relax… but again, nothing happens, so I start altering things at random while relaxing in the hopes that the skill will guide me subconsciously.

Once my MP starts to get low, I finish the spell and touch the redheaded cloth doll. The girls get so curious that they even stop their training to observe the results, and we crowd behind the reinforced and enchanted safety glass.

"Hello," I greet the little thing.

"Hello," it quietly replies.

"Do you have my memories?" I begin the interrogation.

"Memories…?" it repeats softly, sounding confused.

Oh…?!

"Do you remember what I did yesterday?" I eagerly continue.

"You? No…" -Ohh~!- "But I did it on a boat."

Oh…

"Another failure…" I mumble dispiritedly, and Alissa gives me a comforting hug from behind, so I use my thick tail to pull her closer, then I wrap mine around hers.

"Master, this one is odd. It believes its inherited memories aren't yours," Ted begins.

"And its tone has many subtle changes," Suzy continues.

"Displaying a range of emotions that we don't possess," Jarn finishes.

"Then test it out," I order.

The golems perform a variety of tests, such as body control, magic control, the accuracy and extent of memories it possesses, and emotional and logical intelligence. And the results are…

That this golem is kind of dumb.

And Roxanne breaks into a fit of laughter, "Hahahahah… the newest creation of the peerless 'Golemancer' scholar is… a dumb golem!" Then she folds over laughing.

I don't find it that funny, but I'm happy that she's happy. My pride is just too hard to be pierced by her jabs.

"This golem's existence is pathetic, Master," Ted coldly states.

"May I destroy it?" Jarn promptly offers and creates a ball of fire at the tip of her metallic index finger.

Their behavior strikes us as odd, and even Roxanne's amusement is dampened a bit.

"Apologies, Master. We simply don't believe this golem is worthy of serving you," Suzy politely, but still rather coldly, declares.

I inspect their emotions through [Bind] and notice small differences between them. Ted appears disgusted, Suzy feels indifferent, and Jarn seems determined.

Huh…

"I'm not worthy…?" the dumb golem quietly asks, sounding worried and sad.

"Do it!" I suddenly shout, and the girls watch in horror as the little doll burns to death.

"W-Wolfy! Why?!" Ciel exclaims and looks at me fearfully.

"It had to go before we were too weak to get rid of it…" I grimly reply.

"Research must be unemotional," Ted states.

"Not everyone is ready for it," Suzy adds.

"Leave the unsavory parts to us," Jarn finishes.

Then I shudder.

The golems can also be quite frightening and cold, but it's a necessary behavior. They're my servant race, and they won't be perfected if we let cuteness supersede usefulness.