I dream of flying, flapping my wings freely while gazing at the great blue sky, laughing out loud at the extent of my freedom and power.
I'm the king of the skies, the apex predator of the food chain, and even monsters flee from my might.
But I don't rule by myself.
I land on my nest, then I open my eyes as I wake up.
The first thing I see is a cute and cartoonish starry sky on the ceiling, as if they were stamped on a dark blanket that waves about in a mesmerizing motion. Small Moon and star-shaped slits on the curtains let the morning light in, creating this pretty sight as the breeze plays with the curtains.
Everything is dark, and all the color is gone, leaving the room black and white to make it easier on our eyes. The magical paint reacts to sunlight, so the walls will regain their color after we open the curtains.
I look around me and see my naked women all sleeping soundly, except for the golems, who protect us while we sleep, their gazes endlessly scanning the room.
Gify raises her head and looks at me curiously.
Gih?
"I just feel very energetic, for some reason. I guess this is the first good night's sleep I've had in however the hell long I was stuck in that maze," I respond through [Bind] to avoid waking up the girls.
Gify gets off my chest and nestles into Ciel's breast pillow, then I use [Telekinesis] on the limbs surrounding me to gently lift them up and crawl out of bed.
The moment I stand up, Alissa wakes up with a gasp. Panic sets in within her heart, but I hug her "soul" to calm her down and keep her emotions from bleeding through [Bind].
"Oh…" She whines in disappointment. She wanted to wake me up through my dragonator, but my body had second thoughts.
"I'll give your morning meal soon enough," I assure her, then I walk towards the curtains.
The floor is covered in the usual warm grass carpet, making it feel rather pleasant to step on it fully naked even though my feet are covered in scales and thick, black, leathery skin. I can even let my claws cut the grass because it just repairs itself automatically.
Alissa slips out of bed, using her skills to not make a single noise as she does, then joins me and hugs my arm, so I cover my arm with a transparent and squishy padding to keep her safe and to ensure that I can properly feel the softness of her skin.
We slip through the curtains, then open the enchanted and reinforced glass door, emerging out onto our excessively large balcony.
The fresh air and warm sun of the morning hugs our naked bodies, and we both feel a chill at the same time.
"Can't you change your dragon parts to… not be so draconic temporarily with [Mana Body]?" She worriedly asks, feeling my frustration with this inconvenient body of mine.
"I know it's possible, but I need to learn how to do it first," I respond with an annoyed frown. I don't really have the time to train with it, though. There's so much shit to do that it's not even funny.
We reach the railing and take in the amazing sight. The Eia fog/smoke/whatever is covering the town, but it doesn't get through the high bark walls, making it look like we're surrounded by dikes holding off a gray sea.
Over the outer layer, our ships are floating near the ground, and dozens of people are coming and going from the area around them. The Chimeras will be housed in the mansions for a few days until we can organize a system that allows them to be independent.
The sight of it all wipes away my upset mood, allowing another emotion to replace it.
I hug Alissa's waist and pull her to me, then I hug her from behind. Her fluffy orange tail wags and tickles my belly, then my tail moves on its own and wraps around her waist, keeping her tied to me.
"A new dawn…" I whisper in her ear, full of expectancy.
"Not afraid?" She whispers as she reaches back to caress my hair.
"I am, but I feel like fighting instead of fleeing."
It's odd. I spent probably a whole month stuck inside that maze, which I know was my worst nightmare, my own hell on… Rupegia, but it feels like nothing to me now. It's as if I'm just "over it," but a part of me is telling me that I should still be indignant about what I went through.
I want to rage, but I also don't, so I decide to redirect all that energy somewhere else, but do I even need to say where?
Today is the 4th day of the 7th month.
I'm now "twenty" years old, Roxanne is twenty-two, and Lina is nineteen. I'm a bit miffed that we missed our birthdays while inside the dungeon, but we'll have time to catch up on the festivities one day.
I leveled up to 57, and I now have a shit ton of spare skill points that I'm not sure about where to put. I'll just spread them evenly among my physical and magical skills to deal with any potential weaknesses. In case I need to add a language skill, I'll just take it out of [Dodge] since I think it has a bit too many points.
My [Summoning Magic] increased by 4; [Godly Language] and [Conjuring Magic] increased by 3; [Sword Use], [Spear Use], and [Polearm Use] increased by 2; and [Dodge] and [Parry] increased by 1. I learned [Mana Body] and [Dragon Transformation] with 1 point in each and [Equipment System] with 5.
My "Strength," "Endurance," "Speed," Intelligence," "Willpower," "Piety," and "Perception" increased by 1; "Wisdom" and "Sanity" increased by 2; and "Charisma" increased by 3. My MP increased by 90, and my "Magic Power" increased by 45.
Alissa leveled up to 57, too. Her [Bow Use] increased by 7; her [Dodge], [Sense Presence], and [Hide Presence] increased by 4; [Muscle Explosion] and [Enhanced Reflexes] increased by 3; [Quiet Action], [Enhanced Hearing], [Enhanced Stamina], and [Fox Transformation] increased by 2; and [Hawk Eyes], [Quiet Steps], and [Tracking] increased by 1. She learned [Equipment System] with 4 points.
Her MP increased by 60, and her "Magic Power" increased by 30. Her "Strength," "Endurance," "Dexterity," "Intelligence," and "Charisma" increased by 1; "Wisdom," "Piety," and "Perception" increased by 2; and "Sanity" increased by 3.
Roxanne leveled up to 57. Her [Fire Magic] and [Water Magic] increased by 3; [Alchemy] increased by 2; and [Mana Control], [Space Magic], and [Potion Brewing] increased by 1. She learned [Equipment System] with 6 points.
Her MP increased by 190, and her "Magic Power" increased by 120. Her "Strength," "Endurance," "Charisma," "Piety," and "Perception" increased by 1; and "Sanity" increased by 2.
Hana leveled up to 58. Her [Battlefield Perception] increased by 8; [Sword Use] and [Dodge] increased by 7; [Mana Control] increased by 5; [Muscle Explosion], [Block], and [Summon Wings] increased by 4; [Spear Use] and [Parry] increased by 2; and [Bow] and [Tatesomu Style] increased by 1. She learned [Equipment System] with 4 points and [Draconic Body (creator)] with 1 point.
Her MP increased by 40, and her "Magic Power" increased by 25. Her "Endurance," "Charisma," and "Piety" increased by 1; and "Speed," "Wisdom," and "Willpower" increased by 2.
Ciel leveled up to 57. Her [Glaive Use] increased by 5; [Dodge] increased by 3; [Light Magic] and [Wind Magic] increased by 2; and [Redirect Mana] increased by 1. She learned [Equipment System] with 5 points.
Her MP increased by 30, and her "Magic Power" increased by 20. Her "Endurance," "Intelligence," and "Charisma" increased by 1; and "Wisdom," "Willpower," "Piety," and "Sanity" increased by 2.
Lina leveled up to 57. Her [Hammer Use] increased by 7; [Magic Tool Carving] increased by 5; [Axe Use] and [General Enchanting] increased by 4; [Block] increased by 3; [Stonebody] increased by 2; and [Throw] and [Dwarven Pride Style] increased by 1. She learned [Equipment System] with 4 points.
Her MP increased by 20, and her "Magic Power" increased by 10. Her "Willpower," "Charisma," "Piety," and "Sanity" increased by 1; and "Wisdom" increased by 2.
Aoi leveled up to 38. Her MP increased by 120, and her "Magic Power" increased by 40.
Yunia leveled up to 60, and she's the only one among us that's at the proper "Lord-level" range. Her [Two-Handed Sword Use] increased by 5; [Sword Use], [Parry], and [Muscle Explosion] increased by 3; [Silent Shadow Style], [Battlefield Perception], [Sense Presence], [Sense Mana], and [Weaverism] increased by 2; and [Dodge], [Enhanced Reflexes], and [Spirit Magic] increased by 1. She learned [Enhanced Stamina] with 3 points and [Equipment System] with 5 points.
Her MP increased by 40, and her "Magic Power" increased by 20. Her "Strength," "Willpower," "Charisma," "Speed," "Sanity," and "Perception" increased by 1; and "Endurance," "Wisdom," and "Piety" increased by 2.
Our skills are like this:
'Wolf Ryder Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 17+13 Spear Use 12+3 Polearm Use 12+3 Dodge 12+8 Parry 14+6 Block 7+8 Shield Bash 4+1 Battlefield Perception 8+2 Muscle Explosion 4+1 Acrobatics 13+2 Ekrano Style (creator) 3
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 4+6 Mana Control 3+17 Mana Recovery 15+0 Mana Efficiency 8+7 Reduced Mana Cost 8+7 Mana Overuse Resistance 5+4 Blackout Resistance 0+1 Fire Magic 1+4 Earth Magic 2+3 Water Magic 4+1 Wind Magic 1+4 Electric Magic 6+14 Light Magic 2+13 Space Magic 7+23 Summoning Magic 9+31 Blessing Magic 8+22 Nature Magic 2+18 Conjuring Magic 1+4 Spirit Magic 0+3 Illusion Magic 0+2 Golemancy 0+10 Redirect Mana (creator) 6 Sense Soul (creator) 6 Soul Manipulation (creator) 7 Godly Language 30+5 Dragon Transformation (innate) 1 Equipment System 5+5
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Dancing 0+1 Cooking 0+4 Andraste Language 4+6 Dismantling 0+4 Piloting 0+3 Massage 0+1 Oral Technique 0+1 Mana Body (innate) 0+1
'Info'
Name Wolf Ryder Age 20 Race Weredragon HP 100 MP 1825 Magic Power 780 Level 57
'Stats'
Strength 14 Endurance 17 Dexterity 12 Speed 15 Intelligence 22 Wisdom 18 Willpower 19 Charisma 16 Piety 17 Perception 17 Sanity 14+4
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles Nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara, True Noble. .Affiliations Helios (Fellowship), Alissa (Blood Slave, Fiancée), Hanafuria (Blood Slave, Fiancée), Roxanne Succubus (Fiancée), Lina (Slave, Fiancée), Ciel (Fiancée), Yulania (Blood Slave). .Companions Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
'Alissa Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 9 Bow Use 41 Parry 6+4 Dodge 2+8 Sense Presence 12 Hide Presence 2+8 Enhanced Olfact 5 Enhanced Hearing 5 Hawk Eyes 6 Muscle Explosion 5 Quiet Steps 5 Quiet Action 4 Enhanced Stamina 2+3 Enhanced Reflexes 3+7 Tracking 3
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 1+7 Reduced Mana Cost 5+0 Mana Efficiency 7+0 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 5+0 Water Magic 1 Wind Magic 1 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 Illusion Magic 6+9 Fox Transformation (innate) 7 Equipment System 6+4
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 3 Cooking 4 Cleaning 2 Washing 5 Riding 2 Oral Technique 4 Pain Resistance 2 Hand Technique 2
'Info'
Name Alissa Age 20 Race Fox-type Wereanimal HP 100 MP 1120 Magic Power 550 Level 57
'Stats'
Strength 13 Endurance 19 Dexterity 24 Speed 20 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 16 Willpower 17 Charisma 15 Piety 17 Perception 19 Sanity 18
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles Blessed by the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows, True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Master, Fiance), Helios (Fellowship). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
'Roxanne Succubus Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Dagger Use 2
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1+3 Mana Control 9+31 Reduced Mana Cost 26+4 Mana Efficiency 11+9 Mana Overuse Resistance 4+1 Fire Magic 30 Water Magic 7+33 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 2+9 Conjuring Magic 5 Alchemy 3+7 Potion Brewing 12 Poison Brewing 2 Redirect Mana 1 Equipment System 4+6
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 1 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1 Washing 1 Riding 1
'Info'
Name Roxanne Succubus Age 22 Race Succubus-Type Demon Race HP 100 MP 2960 Magic Power 1280 Level 57
'Stats'
Strength 10 Endurance 12 Dexterity 12 Speed 9 Intelligence 18 Wisdom 20 Willpower 17 Charisma 16 Piety 11 Perception 12 Sanity 14
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Fiance), Helios (Fellowship). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Ciel, Lina, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
'Hanafuria Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 31 Spear Use 4+16 Bow Use 10 Two-Handed Sword Use 1+9 Polearm Use 6 Dagger Use 4 Shield Bash 3+7 Block 1+14 Parry 10 Dodge 12 Tatesomu Style 3+7 Muscle Explosion 8 Battlefield Perception 10 Taunt 3 Intimidate 1+2
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 7 Reduced Mana Cost 10+0 Mana Efficiency 1 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 1 Water Magic 1+0 Wind Magic 1+0 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 Illusion Magic 5 Equipment System 6+4
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 2 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1 Washing 1 Riding 3 Massage 1 Pain Conversion 1 Dismantling 4 Oral Technique 1 Fire Breath (innate) 5 Summon Wings (innate) 8 Draconic Body (creator) 1
'Info'
Name Hanafuria Age 24 Race Fire-Type Dragonkin HP 100 MP 940 Magic Power 455 Level 58
'Stats'
Strength 19 Endurance 25 Dexterity 11 Speed 15 Intelligence 12 Wisdom 16 Willpower 21 Charisma 17 Piety 12 Perception 10 Sanity 17
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles One Thousand Strikes, True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Master, Fiance), Helios (Fellowship). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
'Ciel Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Glaive Use 2+28 Sword Use 4+5 Parry 6+9 Dodge 5+10 Block 9+6 Imperial Hasterrum Style 2+3 Muscle Explosion 2 Battlefield Perception 1
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 2 Mana Control 6 Reduced Mana Cost 3+2 Mana Efficiency 3+4 Wind Magic 16+24 Fire Magic 1 Light Magic 11+29 Space Magic 3 Conjuring Magic 1 Diagnosis 7 Redirect Mana 2 Equipment System 5+5
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level First-Aid 3 Housework 3 Cooking 2 Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Riding 1
'Info'
Name Ciel Age 22 Race Human HP 100 MP 1310 Magic Power 800 Level 57
'Stats'
Strength 14 Endurance 15 Dexterity 17 Speed 18 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 22 Willpower 16 Charisma 18 Piety 24 Perception 13 Sanity 21
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Fiance), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Lina, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
'Lina Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Hammer Use 6+24 Axe Use 12+13 Throw 4+6 Parry 1+9 Dodge 4+6 Block 2+13 Muscle Explosion 2 Shield Bash 1+1 Battlefield Perception 2 Dwarven Pride Style 4 Enhanced Speed 4+1
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 7 Mana Efficiency 4+1 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 1+9 Water Magic 1 Wind Magic 1+0 Light Magic 1 Cursing Magic 13+7 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 General Enchanting 7+13 Magic Tool Carving 4+6 Equipment System 6+4
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level General Blacksmithing 4 Sewing 4 Housework 1 Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Math 4 Riding 1 Stonebody (innate) 7
'Info'
Name Lina Age 19 Race Dwarf HP 100 MP 1225 Magic Power 540 Level 57
'Stats'
Strength 8 Endurance 8 Dexterity 13 Speed 12 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 15 Willpower 18 Charisma 12 Piety 13 Perception 14 Sanity 15
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Master, Fiance), Helios (Fellowship). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Yulania. .Crimes NONE.
'Info'
Name Aoi Age 2 Race Azurite Dragon HP 200 MP 1370 Magic Power 340 Level 38
'Stats'
Strength 18 Endurance 22 Dexterity 7 Speed 14 Intelligence 7 Wisdom 8 Willpower 18 Charisma 12 Piety 5 Perception 11 Sanity 19
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles True Noble. .Affiliations NONE. .Companions NONE. .Crimes NONE.
'Yulania Skill Report'
'Physical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 4+11 Two-Handed Sword Use 5+15 Parry 4+11 Dodge 1+9 Silent Shadow Style 6 Battlefield Perception 7 Enhanced Reflexes 6 Sense Presence 2 Hide Presence 4 Muscle Explosion 5 Quiet Steps 2 Quiet Action 6 Enhanced Stamina 3
'Magical'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 7 Mana Control 1+4 Mana Recovery 1+2 Mana Efficiency 2+8 Reduced Mana Cost 4 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 1 Light Magic 5 Spirit Magic 8+17 Illusion Magic 10 Space Magic 6 Nature Magic 10 Conjuring Magic 1 Weaverism 2+28 Redirect Mana 1+0 Equipment System 5+5
'Miscellaneous'
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Riding 5 Acting 3 Dancing 2
'Info'
Name Yulania Age 20 Race Golden Elf HP 100 MP 1090 Magic Power 540 Level 60
'Stats'
Strength 13 Endurance 16 Dexterity 19 Speed 17 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 18 Willpower 16 Charisma 21 Piety 14 Perception 21 Sanity 17
'Other'
.Status Effects NONE. .Titles True Noble. .Affiliations Wolf Ryder (Master), Helios (Fellowship). .Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina. .Crimes NONE.
I guess my "Sanity" bonus is making things easier to deal with, but I think it's mostly my new dragon half that's pushing me towards getting over things quicker. It wouldn't do to wallow in self-pity when I still have a world to conquer and women to bed.
Alissa's skill with the bow has nearly reached the limits of her "Dexterity" and "Speed." She's still bound by physics, and the only way to get past it is through magic, so she'll likely have to use a spell to improve her performance or develop something that lets her get past her limits like [Stonebody], [Draconic Body], or [Mana Body] would.
Her "Sanity" increase is impressive, but not completely unexpected since one of the reasons we conquered a dungeon was to satisfy the purpose of her servitude as a Blood Slave: to help me achieve something great, which she did, greatly, in fact. Now that we're all True Nobles, there's no need for her or the other girls to be slaves anymore.
I'll have to talk to them about it tonight.
Roxanne's skills will be focused on mana enhancements so that she can cast many more [Explosions] since it's by far our most powerful spell. Getting her points to level 60 for [Blizzard] or [Heat Transfer] is still too heavy of a strain on her soul, so that's out of the question for now.
It's nice that she finally increased her "Sanity," though, since she had the lowest among us. Something about her trial changed her, like something finally "clicked" inside her head, and now she sees things differently.
Hana's points will be assigned to melee skills, but she'll likely suppress all growth of them so that she can level up [Draconic Body] as fast as possible. That skill seems to be using her "Endurance" and "Willpower" to fuel a supreme defense that she can slam into her opponent's face, which means that it'll be her most powerful skill really soon.
Most of Ciel's points are going into Wind and [Light Magic] so that she can instantly cast both the Wind and [Holy Spirit], giving her a lot more versatility and firepower. She's not a straight-up bruiser, but she's an important support for our group and our life-saver in case shit hits the fan.
Lina's melee skills are now comparable to Hana's, though she lacks in stats and experience, making her the weaker combatant in a straight-up fight, but [Cursing Magic] is her trump card. I've given her level 20 in it, which allows her to use the spell [Slow] while leaving her with enough leftover points for her to become a proper enchanter.
Aoi appears in my "Followers" tab, so I can technically check her "Status," but she doesn't have a skills window, not yet anyway because my [Bind]'s "humanoidization" of her still isn't finished. She also can't open her "Status" on her own yet, but that's normal for humanoid children, so she'll be able to learn how to do that soon enough.
Yunia's growth is less significant than the other girls, but she's already our strongest melee fighter due to [Precognition]. With instant-casting, the only person who can defeat her is me due to [Rush], but she can still learn to counter my style, so my spot at the top isn't solid. Her level ups have solidified her base strength instead of boosting her power in a flashy way, making her an even more reliable fighter.
Klein and Osaria watch us discuss our level ups with interest. As a concubine, Osaria deserves to know enough that she isn't left behind in these conversations. She wants to support us, so it's best that she knows what we're in need of, and right now, it's people that can help us bring order to the chaos that's about to fall upon our heads.
I play with Osaria's body, my shiny draconic hands sinking deeply into her flesh as she sits on my lap. My tail wraps around Klein's, and I feel a gentle connection through it that warms my heart, even though I can't feel her touch very well through my scales.
Roxanne massages the base of my horns, and the stimulation actually makes my boner get harder. The skin in that area is a transition between purely physical flesh and magically-enhanced solid horns, making it more sensitive and delicate than normal skin.
This position makes me want to do Osaria from behind, but I hold myself back from starting another group party since there's something important that we need to discuss.
"How long can you stay?" I gently ask my dark milf.
"Rande wanted to leave in a few days…" She wistfully responds, then turns sideways, and her red eyes look into mine with a hint of pain. She doesn't want to leave, but she can't abandon her son.
I pull out of my "Items" a chest filled with gold and open it up through magic. The mere sight of all this shiny treasure makes Aoi and my draconic half begin to drool, but we both easily contain the desire to cover our skins with coins.
The chest is enchanted with [Warp Space], so even I can't guess how much money it contains with just a look.
"I'd like to become an investor in Este Escort Company," I announce and give my concubine a handsome smirk.
Osaria gasps in surprise then sends me a very serious look as she states, "There's too much money in that, Wolfy."
I nod in agreement and reveal my plan, "Yes, there is, but I want Rande to go to Faium Principality to procure cocoa and supply us with it regularly."
She narrows her eyes in thought as she recollects her memories. "Cocoa? The plant used to make chocolate? The sweet that everyone's talking about in the capital?" She asks in disbelief.
I nod. "The very same."
Osaria's face goes blank as she starts to think of the possibilities. There's a lot of sugar cane in the High Forest, making it an ideal location to start manufacturing chocolate.
She suddenly knits her eyebrows with a frown and asks confusedly, "Do you even know how to make it?"
I nod proudly, then I pull out two bars of chocolate and hand them to Klein and her.
They both inhale the sweet smell of cacao, then immediately take a bite.
"W-wow…" Klein mumbles then starts to cutely nibble on her bar.
"This is amazing…" Osaria whispers, then looks at me with a surprised smile. "This will work," she agrees and giggles.
"But I want you here, with me," I state, then I kiss her cheek.
She stops giggling, and her face goes blank, then she smiles, but we can all see that she's holding back her tears.
"Yes. I'll be here…" She accepts and kisses one of my dark horns, then turns to face forward again and grinds her hips.
Yunia crawls closer and grabs one of Osaria's hands to give it a reassuring squeeze. "So, you're finally coming back," she comments with a sentimental tone and smiles.
Osaria pulls Yunia's hands to her and gives both of them several strong kisses. She shows Yunia her sensual smile as she speaks with a sultry tone, "I was ready to abandon this lifestyle, but Fate brought us together again, and this time, I know that things will be much, much better."
Yunia nods happily, and then swallows heavily as she feels my thoughts about what sort of relationship I want for her and my dark milf.
"I can start negotiating the terms," Lina offers as she raises her little hand.
"We'll be here in case you need us," Ciel assures her. Lina has experts in a variety of topics literally inside her head, she just needs to ask.
I nod in agreement and add, "I want Rande to work exclusively for us, and take Klein with you, I want her to bring her parents here so that she can start working as our first knight."
Klein suddenly stiffens and squeezes my tail with hers, then she nods emphatically. "Yes, my Lord, I will!" She exclaims.
I smile warmly at her and pinch one of her pointy bits, making her yelp. "In private, don't ever call me 'Lord,'" I warn her, and she nods repeatedly while pouting.
I pull out a stand with a set of Camalo armor, a pretty shortsword, and a [Mana Arrow]-enchanted bow. Klein gawks at the shining armor and gem-encrusted weapons, her mouth moving repeatedly as she makes random noises, too awed to speak properly.
Before she recovers, I start to explain, "This is your equipment. The armor should be about your size, but we can get a mage to resize it if it isn't, and we'll get you a proper bow that fits your style later."
Klein finally starts to make intelligible noises, "This is too-…"
"No taking it back! If you're to be our knight, you'll accept this!" Alissa interrupts and pressures her.
Hana contributes with a bit of [Intimidate], and Klein instinctively salutes. "Y-yes! I'll serve you w-with pride!" She relents, her voice almost breaking up in tears of happiness.
As a knight, it doesn't matter how powerful Klein is, what matters is her loyalty. We can pay for her to become strong, but no amount of money will ever make her give her life for us if the situation calls for it, not that we'd ever sacrifice her. We need her to always be there for us, and the Camalo armor will make sure that she survives her duties.
We work together in giving Yunia her glorious drills, then we leave our room for breakfast, and Mimi and the twins join us. They'd been waiting for us as etiquette requires, but we're only a few minutes late, so it shouldn't have been inconvenient for them.
Our dining room has a whole wall open to the sky, giving us a view that's pretty similar to the balcony of our sleeping room. The floor is covered in the soft elven grass carpet like usual, but this room's carpet can also clean and massage our feet, so there's a custom of removing your shoes at the entrance.
Since Aoi and I don't wear shoes, we don't have anything to take off, which annoys me a bit. I'll get a shoemaker to come here and design shoes for draconic feet. It feels dirty to never wear shoes, and the two new humanoid races deserve the same comfort as the others.
We sit down, and before we can start spewing out all our plans, Yunia reminds us through [Bind] that we can't be assured of the loyalty of the maids here, so we'll have to watch what we say until we've surrounded ourselves with loyal servants. Only a handful of maids know about Aoi's transformation, but we can't go expanding that number on a whim.
I immediately go for the butter, toast, and Ranja juice. Americans got it right that orange juice is perfect for breakfast, but not the part about fried eggs and bacon.
Once the grumbling of our stomachs settles down enough, Yunia starts the conversation.
"Mizushina, we need someone to help us with secretarial work. Can you help us with that?" She requests with a business-like tone.
Hana's beautiful sister matches Yunia's tone and serious demeanor as she accepts, "Yes. I can do it. I had to do a lot of organization for my masters while also handling the accounting."
Yunia subtly smiles. "Excellent. We'll go to the treasury to retrieve our seal, then we can start writing missives."
"W-what should we do?" Antares asks, unsure about his own future.
Yunia answers categorically without hesitation, "You're the last inheritors of the Este family name. You need to grow strong and keep our family name alive even though we aren't a family of Lords anymore."
The twins swallow glumly and nod in understanding.
Before everyone starts going about their day, it's better for them all to have official letters that identify us since not everyone might recognize us on sight as the new Lords. If they still don't, even with a letter, then a swift smiting will make them understand.
With Patrono, I don't even need to swing it to make others bow, the Heavenly Weapon has many other ways of accomplishing that, but we'll keep its existence hidden for a short while.
We call for Salbotica, then we go towards the treasury. It's at the same height as our room, the most well-secured and reinforced area of the castle. Having powerful Lords sleeping nearby also helps to keep it even more secure.
The room is guarded on the inside and outside by a dozen of Confiel's men, all absolutely ready to kill whoever tries to sneak in.
A handful of heavily armored soldiers flank the corridor and glare at us with the force of a few levels of [Intimidate], mildly annoying me, but forcing Mimi and the twins to stay back if they don't want to piss themselves. This is a security measure because thieves are generally very sensitive to danger, making it easy to spook them with the skill's use, and Lords should all have enough "Willpower" to easily overcome these sorts of attacks.
Salbotica vouches for us, and they let us in after verifying our identities through an Inspection Crystal. We'll have to change our security when more people have access to the treasury because just the Crystal alone is far from enough to verify identities.
We enter a room that's the complete opposite of Arreira's vault. Books, paintings, statues, collars, brooches, hairpins, stunning and rather impractical dresses, gem-encrusted shoes, weapons, armor, a variety of odd magical artifacts from dungeons, and chests filled with coins. Everything is perfectly organized in displays and on shelves with an easily understood classification system, allowing one to find whatever they need with little effort.
My draconic side huffs out smoke in delight at the number of shinies here while my human side feels perfectly satisfied with how orderly this room is. I don't feel like taking out Arreira's treasure here and messing it all up, so I'll keep it with me for a while longer.
Our coins are all ancient, so I trade them for the newer ones from the treasury.
Yunia makes a beeline to a glass display, then opens it and takes out a wax seal stamp with an enchanted gem on top. The flavor of its enchantment makes it unique, protecting against any attempts at forgery, and the seal has the symbol of the Este family: six distinct white flowers on a golden field.
For now, this seal will do, but the Ryder family will need to design and establish its own heraldry at some point.
Salbotica hands me the paperwork. Documents shifting the responsibility for the castle, the town, and the whole territory of the Western High Forest to me, specifically. As much as the girls are Lords too, the tradition is to have it all in the name of a single Lord, presumably the leader of the harem.
Mizushina and Alissa help me read through all of the documents to properly understand their meaning and organize my thoughts. I'm receiving a crash-course in Lordship just so that I can understand the important parts, the smaller details will come with time.
Ciel oversees the Chimeras. The civilians will need housing, work, protection, and most important of all, a Spirit mage to cast a spell to make them solid. [Materialization] only makes them visible, so we'll need specialized mages to allow them to actually live.
She also explains things to the temple. They're small here, but they can always call the Punishers if they don't get placated.
Hana and Yunia start the recruitment of the Lordsguard. The prospective recruits are being organized in front of the entrance to the outer layer, where there's a plaza that's big enough to hold them all, and there's a shit ton of them.
Roxanne organizes our few remaining court mages, then she joins Hana and Yunia in the selection process to fill out their numbers.
Most of the prospective recruits were already part of Mavel's Lordsguard or the Court, but they all need to pass through the selection again.
I give Klein and Osaria their summons back. It helps me keep an eye on them, and Osaria really misses her singing bird.
Klein and Lina go back to Rabanara through the Imperial Gate Network to buyout Rande for us, and we get one of Confiel's men to carry the chest of gold for them.
Now that we're Lords, we can give permission for anyone to cross through the Eternal Gate Network in our name, though we can't emerge inside another Lord's castle without an agreement.
Osaria meets with Escanso's nobles, then the regent mayor, and inspects the Eia farms that belong to us. She's greeting them all in our name to spread the word that the new rulers have arrived.
Aoi doesn't have much to do, so she takes it upon herself to improve her reading skills. She lays down in front of my office's desk and starts reading one of Lina's books. She wants to increase her "Intelligence" because having it lower than 10 irks her quite a lot. She's young, so it's perfectly justified, but it still hurts her pride.
After a few cups of Tonique tea, I decide that it's time for a small break, so I get up to leave the castle and join the selection of the Lordsguard. There's something that I need to make sure that they all understand.