We have no tasks for the knights right now, so we dismiss them and retire to our rooms.
I let myself drop onto the bed, and Hana drops down beside me. Aoi turns into a human and drops on my other side, then we all sigh together.
"What a day…" I mumble, then I turn my head to the side so that I can gaze at Aoi's slender and delicate bare body. Hana is feeling competitive, so she attempts to grab my attention, but so do the rest of my women, forcing me to give each of them my "attention".
After going a round with each of the thirsty women, with Hana requiring intense wrestling so that just one round is enough for her, they release my dragonator and let me go.
I get up from the bed, feeling oddly refreshed after so much action instead of tired, and join Yunia on the balcony.
Once night falls here, the Eia farms start their production of their pills, adding to the natural mist that the Eia plant produces, and the whole town gets covered in mist. This could be considered pollution, so perhaps we should introduce laws to curb it a bit, or maybe make the town's Shell impervious to the mist so that it doesn't seep in through the cracks.
The fact that Escanso produces more Weaverism mages than any other elven town would make that measure a bit hard to actually implement. Everyone living here likes the mist, and there are no obvious health hazards from exposure to it, so eh, whatever.
Yunia smiles faintly, with Gify on her shoulder, and her eyes on the small points of light evenly spaced all around the Shell, where our Lordsguard patrol the dark bark walls to keep us safe.
I probe her heart and feel a fresh breeze come through our connection, as if it had just wafted from a bath and was oozing with revitalizing perfume. She's happy, content, and hopeful. A combination that hadn't bloomed in her heart for quite a while.
I stop beside her, and she wraps an arm around my shoulder, then pulls in my head against the side of her chest while making sure that my horns don't smack her in the face. I lean against her, hug her waist with my tail, cross my arms, and close my eyes.
"We did it," she whispers with a dreamy tone.
"Yes, we did," I answer lazily as her fingers run through my hair, my mind being drawn away by sleepiness even though I'd just felt energetic a moment ago. It seems that my draconic side makes it quite easy for me to swing my mood around.
We sigh softly in sync, then a rush of emotions wells up within me, waking me up from my drowsiness.
I raise my head, then we gaze at each other. Her striking blue eyes look as soft as Ciel's, though the cold mask she so often uses is hidden just under the surface, ever ready to be worn again.
Through her eyes, I see my own, and I do have a sort of "wild" look that's reminiscent of Hana and Aoi, though the cuteness of my young face is still clearly visible, just slightly obscured by my other features.
She lowers her face to mine, and our lips touch, then depart a second later. Just a gentle caress, a light and brief show of love that's full of meaning.
The emotions rush through my head, and I blurt it out, "Yulania, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she breathes without any hesitation.
We stare at each other for a moment as we process what we just said, then our lips touch again, this time with a lot more passion.
I get on my tiptoes-… tipclaws? Tip-padded-claws to make it easier on her back, and she chuckles with my tongue in her mouth, then we end it soon after, but continue hugging.
I should've asked her to marry me a while ago. I was worried that I was pushing her too hard to accept me, but looking back, it feels a bit silly. It's natural in this world for two people who love each other to get married. My Earthling sensibilities got in the way once again.
I sigh and prepare myself again. This wasn't the only thing that we needed to talk about.
I poke the girls to wake them up from their mild, pleasure-induced coma, and before long, everyone joins us on the balcony.
Osaria and Klein have a curious look on their faces, unaware of the feelings being transmitted through [Bind], while the rest of the girls smile expectantly. Even the golems, our ever present guardians, approach to listen.
I send a look to Gify, still on Yunia's shoulder, then she uncurls and stands up on her stubby legs to listen properly.
Alissa has a pretty good idea about what I want to say, so she freezes up as fear takes hold of her heart. While she's unable to stop or interrupt me, I'll take this chance and just do it.
I clear my throat, and start my speech, "We started this quest to conquer a dungeon just to fulfill one of the 'duties' that Alissa accepted when she became a Blood Slave: to help me achieve great deeds. But we eventually realized that becoming a 'True Noble' would only benefit us, so while the purpose changed, the goal stayed the same."
The girls nod in agreement. It's clear that conquering the dungeon, Legado, was the best decision we've made so far.
"Now, we've all acquire that Title, officially becoming nobility, though some of you are still slaves, and that's incompatible with the title of 'True Noble,' it's incompatible with the title of Lords, and it's incompatible with the title of 'my wife.'"
Roxanne and Ciel grin, knowing what's about to come.
I grin, brimming with happiness, then puff up my chest full of pride and announce, "Therefore, I release you all from service. You're all Crown Lords of the Western High Forest, and you shall rule beside me as my fiancées until our marriage ceremony makes our union official."
I feel like three ribbons are cut inside me, leaving behind a minor wound in my heart. Our Fate bonds made through slavery are now gone, though our Threads are still completely entwined, just in a different way.
After that small shock, which we quickly recover from, Alissa leaps into my arms, and I hug her tightly to calm her down. Her eyes water, and she whines softly in a mix of fear and happiness.
For most of her life, Alissa considered herself a slave, so now she needs to find a new purpose to live for. She's scared, feeling overwhelmed due to the sudden freedom she now has, but it's not like she was chained to my existence before. We're just madly in love, if perhaps a bit "too madly," and the happiness from now being able to stand beside me instead of behind is making her blood rush to her head.
Lina hugs us a moment later, smothering herself in Alissa's fluffy tail. She's also a bit overwhelmed, but she isn't anywhere near as scared as Alissa is.
Lina stopped feeling like a slave a long time ago. She hasn't even worn her choker with her slave tag since we woke up from the trials because she's been slowly preparing herself for freedom. She wanted to be free again, but it had already reached a point at which, for her, it was just a symbolic gesture, though she wanted this moment to happen nonetheless.
It's not like this was unexpected, though. They always knew this day would come; Alissa just forgot since she had many other, more pressing, concerns to occupy her mind.
Hana doesn't care about whether she's a slave or not. She actually prefers the title of Blood Slave than Crown Lord because she thinks it sounds cooler.
Roxanne is the first of the others to join in the hug, followed by Ciel, then it really turns into a group hug with everyone.
"I love how everyone is so cuddly!" Osaria happily exclaims.
"We've all been corrupted by Wolf's touch. It's as addictive as a drug," Ciel jokes and smiles wryly.
"'Corrupted' is too perverted. This harem has changed us, and for the better," Yunia coolly states.
It'd be nice to be able to breathe, though.
The girls back off a little, and Hana pulls Lina up so that she doesn't pass out, then she sets the little dwarf on her shoulder.
Roxanne claps the tips of her fingers in excitement. "Now you're all my wives!" She exclaims and giggles girlishly.
"You'll always be the slave," Yunia taunts with a perfectly gentle smile, which contrasts against her words.
"You'll always be under Wolf's foot, taking it up the ass," Roxanne shoots back, which makes her feel nostalgic since it seems like it's been a while since they last bantered like this.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Yunia smiles smugly. "That's still above you," she states snobbishly.
Roxanne grins evilly. "Tough talk for someone within flower-fingering distance."
Before Yunia can even process her words, Roxanne's dagger-tail's blade rubs gently against Yunia's womanly lips, which is only protected by a very thin layer of clothing.
Yunia feels a chill run along her spine, now perfectly understanding Roxanne's implication, and nearly resorts to using [Mask] because of the surprise.
She quickly recovers and retorts angrily, "Tough talk from someone who had so much with my fingers!"
Roxanne starts giggling because she knows that she startled Yunia, so she one-sidedly claims victory for herself in this battle of banter.
Alissa chuckles and sniffles then dries the corner of her eyes. "I love you all," she whispers.
"Awn…" Klein whines softly and sniffles too.
Alissa turns around and spills her heart out, "I truly do. Nothing would be the same without all of you in our lives. You all help us so much, even if you weren't there with us all the time," -she sends a glance to Klein and Osaria- "and even if you weren't as human as you wanted to be," -She sends a glance to Ted and Suzy- "you're all an important part of this family."
Klein sniffles again and blurts out, "Thank you for having me, for allowing me to be here, even though I haven't committed myself to the harem."
"You'll always have a place here, regardless of who you choose," I reassure her with a serene tone. I don't need to have every woman in the world all for myself, but I'll treasure those who decide to stay around, regardless.
Klein nods repeatedly and dries her tears.
Roxanne pulls out some alcohol, and we have a quick drink under the moonlight to calm our nerves, then we all drift off to sleep in a pile of limbs.
Today is the 5th.
Alissa, Hana, and Yunia's "Blood Slave" entries in our "Affiliations" are gone, but Lina's will remain there until we submit some paperwork declaring her a free woman. Also, Mimi's entry is in there now, which I hadn't paid attention to yesterday.
The paperwork has been processed, and we've all gained the titles "Lord of Escanso" and "Crown Lord of the Western High Forest." If anyone doubts that we're Lords after this, we'd just need an Inspection Crystal to verify our identities.
I remember that Mavel had the title "Protector of the Last Crown," so we still have to be recognized for that, too. It's kind of convenient that Arreira's crown is in our treasury, though.
My [Mana Body], [Soul Manipulation], and [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 2, 8, and 2).
Alissa increased her [Illusion Magic] by 1 (now 5+10).
Hana increased her [Spear Use] by 1 (now 3+17), and her [Tatesomu Style] by 1 (now 2+8).
Anton and Krysta join us for breakfast, but not Mimi. She sent us a note through a maid telling us that she already ate and that she's in the office, working.
The note also contains a list of names, their occupations, and the very large word "EMBEZZLEMENT."
The knights' houses all have enchantments for instant communication, so we activate them to summon everyone. They won't assemble instantly, though, so at least there's enough time for us to finish our meal.
"Wolf," Anton calls for my attention, his voice sounding completely serious. "I'm still 'young,' and I can fight, so I wish to help my daughter with whatever job you give her."
"That's fine by me. Pass by the armory and get a suit of armor for yourself," I casually reply, then I give him a brief grin and continue eating my toast.
He freezes for a moment, then he shares a look with Klein, who just shrugs, so he snorts once and accepts, "Thank you, Wolf."
A full suit of elven armor is the uniform of the Lordsguard, so we have tons of them to spare.
I'm considering giving him a set of Bastión armor once we start spreading [Equipment System] to the rest of the world. It'll be flashy, and some of the knights might get jealous, but I don't care. I just want him to stay alive as long as possible.
After our meal, Yunia visits Caruso.
The dungeon is a dark, damp, claustrophobic, and uncomfortably cold place. Spending a night down there is nothing for races like dwarves or dragonkin, though the dwarves would complain about dampness, but for elves, it's a horrible experience.
Yunia stops in front of his cell and glares through the bars. The rough, thick blanket stirs, then the old man's face pops out from underneath it.
He looks Yunia in the eye, then recognition dawns on his face.
"Dame Yulania!" He shouts happily, then he jumps out of his bed and falls on his knees before the bars.
He looks up at her full of hope and happiness, but they're all almost immediately replaced with fear when he notices her glare.
She produces an Identification Crystal and activates it, then makes sure that only the pertinent title can be seen on the tablet and hands it to him.
He accepts it with shaky hands, then his face pales, and fear becomes despair. Even his long elven ears go limp from the immense shame he's feeling now.
He starts begging with a croaky voice, "Forgiveness, my Lord, I just-…"
"Just insulted my fiance, who's not only your Lord, but also the one person who can remove you from your position at the whim of a breeze," she interrupts him, not bothering to conceal the anger in her tone.
"Your father-…" He tries again, but Yunia is so sick of his kind.
She scowls, wrinkling her nose in disdain as she lashes out, "My father is dead, and we are the new Lords. I don't want to hear another word from you, just do your job. You're lucky that we can't replace you so easily…"
She takes back the tablet with an instant-cast [Telekinesis], then immediately struts away, her heels clacking loudly against the damp stone floor.
Caruso was a fool, but what we did to him is just a small, calculated step past the limit of what elves would consider "acceptable." It wasn't anything illegal since he was appointed directly by the Lordship, so it's within our rights to imprison him for insubordination, but others will see us as rather "brutal."
It's not like we reveled in punishing him; it's about sending a message. If others try to defy us like he did, they know that we won't hold back. During this chaotic period where our power base is still stabilizing, we can't afford to hold back.
Meanwhile, Osaria, Klein, Anton, and I meet up with the knights in the main hall. We also take our veteran Space mages with us because they have the [Gate] coordinates for where the knights need to go.
They're all either melee warriors or hybrids, with a few archers sprinkled in and the rare unorthodox mage with an odd fighting style. All in all, not that different from imperial knights, except that everyone has [Bow Use] and a bit of [Weaverism] to help coordinate while imperials would have [Riding] and [Ritualism].
First, I approach the oldest of the knights. Yunia describes him as a very even-tempered man with just a dash of sadism mixed in. He seems to enjoy blood-sports a bit too much, but he's reliable, nonetheless. It would be hard for him to grow flowers in his beard if he was too violent.
['Soul Info']
[Name: Azador Curol | Race: Golden Elf]
[Level: 64 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 2,205 | Magic Power: 450]
[Strength: 18 | Endurance: 20]
I wouldn't know which type of elf he is without [Sense Soul]. His head and beard hair is such a pure white that I would bet a noblewoman would pay gold for a wig made from his hair. The flowers in his beard are blood red, making him seem a bit creepy, though.
I use a perfectly collected and stern tone to announce my orders, "Sir Azador. Here's a list of criminals that must be arrested." -I hand him Mimi's note- "We expect them to have all fled already, but we must seize their homes and belongings and then search everything for more evidence.
"Take three other knights with you and a dozen Lordsguard, then spread out and start the seizures."
"Yes, my Lord," he responds with a hoarse voice as he nods, his expression like a mask of steel, then he turns around. His eyes scan over the knights and meet three other older men like him.
They all grin at each other and wordlessly walk away from the group, then they strut out of the castle together.
Next, I go for a mature elven female archer. She has high cheekbones, juicy lips, short silver hair, and gentle but alluring red eyes that make me want to have her step on me.
['Soul Info']
[Name: Enomosa Ludoe | Race: Silver Elf]
[Level: 55 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 1,710 | Magic Power: 805]
[Strength: 17 | Endurance: 16]
Yunia says that she's pretty chaste, though she seems to get more enjoyment from having men and women chase after her rather than actually doing any of them. Yunia doesn't trust anyone else to be able to resist being seduced by Osaria, so she's our best choice to escort the predator.
My milf won't sleep with anyone I haven't slept with first, but it's best to not let the tension get in the way of their duties.
"Dame Enomosa, you'll take Signeur Caruso, who is currently being housed in our dungeon, then escort him and Osaria to his Eia farm. You're to collect their book of finances or steal it if they refuse.
"Take as many Lordsguard with you as needed to ensure your safety; we had a confrontation yesterday and had to kidnap Caruso, so they could still be hostile."
"Understood, my Lord," she replies with a voice that sends tingles through my cock, then she turns to Osaria, "Please come with me, Lady Osaria."
Goddamn elves and their higher than average "Charisma."
Osaria nods happily, and they leave together.
Then I turn to the largest elf that I've ever seen. He's so big and muscular that if it wasn't for his long ears and golden hair, I'd have taken him for a descendant of a wereape or dragonkin.
['Soul Info']
[Name: Palo Orir | Race: Golden Elf]
[Level: 51 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 1,305 | Magic Power: 245]
[Strength: 26 | Endurance: 17]
His "Endurance" leaves much to be desired, though.
He's rather young and dashing, the sort of man that would make an appearance as the "alpha" in ladies' eroticas. I'll never let him escort any of my women, though, because Godsdamnit, his "Charisma" is ridiculous, and he's famous for doing any hole that presents itself to him. Not that he'd be dumb enough to make a move on my women, I just instinctively dislike his smirk.
Yunia says that he's the best "muscle-type" she has ever seen, so we'd better make use of him.
"Sir Palo, take the rest of the knights and divide them into squads, then complement your numbers with a few of the lower-level Lordsguard." -I hand him the list that the Guildmaster of the hunter's guild gave to Osaria- "Your job is to prune the monsters in these dungeons. We need the flow of monster parts to return to the Western High Forest to improve our income, so this is a very important job."
"Yes, my Lord!" He exclaims, brimming with pride.
At least he's the loyal type.
The knights leave the main hall in an orderly fashion, their elven armor padded in all the right spots to reduce the noise of their movements as much as possible, and the Space mages follow them out, all but one.
I look back to Klein and Anton. They won't be going with Palo, at least not this time.
"Klein, Anton. I want you to take a few veteran Lordsguard to complete your squad, then go to the Orreto Pirales dungeon and level up as fast as you can. You need more power to stand as equals among the other knights, and I don't want them to look down on you just because you're close to me."
Klein salutes and nods energetically. "Yes, my Wo-L-W-Lo… my Lord!" She shouts, then blushes in embarrassment.
Anton smiles wryly and gently nods. "I understand, my Lord. We'll honor the trust you've placed in us," he politely responds, his permanent frown softer than usual.
I motion to the last Space mage, and he follows the pair out as they leave the hall.
Things are progressing well, and our situation is quickly stabilizing. It won't be long before we can truly say that we have our territory firmly under our control.
There's no need for anything that may require my presence anymore for today, so I'll stay inside the castle until the Lordship ceremony. I have preparations to make.