The first thing Dokkan does is pick up her cane as she blushes in embarrassment, then she continues with her work like nothing happened.

She uses her newfound energy to scurry about, making small alterations to the crystals as she perfects the illusion little by little.

Honestly, I think I'll ask her to enchant our bedroom, the dining room, and maybe even a portable tent with this. It's just too convenient to be able to get my hands back without forcing it with [Mana Body]. I could even go to sleep while holding hands or cuddling with the girls without the fear of waking up in a puddle of their blood.

After a short while, Osaria brings a painter and a sculptor, so our training gets interrupted. They use [Instant Painting] to take multiple "photographs" of us, but they still need the real models to be present for their portraits and busts to be perfect. Emphasis on "bust" since that's an important part that needs to be perfectly recreated so that all observers will drool over their glorious chests.

As the sun begins to set, another day comes to a close, then Dokkanchee and the artists leave the castle.

We enjoy our hidden, cool patio for a while longer, winding down as we enjoy the quiet. While there's seemingly nobody else in sight, giving us some privacy, we know that there are patrols nearby, listening intently for anything suspicious.

Thinking about it makes some of the girls nervous, but they don't complain since it's something that we just need to get used to.

There's a sub-unit of the Lordsguard called the Companions, whose job is to shoulder the more "intimate" duties of the Lordsguard, like protecting our bedrooms or bath locations while we madly make love. Because of their duties, they're trained to be extremely discreet and considerate, so the awkwardness will probably diminish once they're properly established.

Their gender composition usually follows the composition of the harem, so I'll be getting an overwhelmingly female Companions unit without ruining my reputation as a lustful Lord. Though I think it ultimately won't matter since my thirst for the maids will get out eventually, and everyone will know how much of a "horny" dragon I am.

It's almost guaranteed that I'll get a Title thanks to my libido. It was certainly going that way with the Innocent Nymph, and now, there'll be a whole town talking about my sword, if not the entirety of the empire.

Just as we're about to leave for a bath, Sandoro appears with the golem trio following close behind him.

He stares solely into my eyes, trying to respectfully keep his gaze away from Ciel's curvy body, which is almost fully exposed as she naps in an embarrassing position. The other girls aren't that much better, but you can't see their sensitive parts through the thin fabric as easily as you can see Ciel's.

Yunia notices him and immediately frees herself from my sleep-inducing grasp, then re-ties the thin strips of cloth that push her back from "racy" to "appropriately dressed"*.

*Note: only by the elven standard.

I disarm my dragonator and stand up, then I nod at him and greet, "Sir Sandoro. How did the golems do?"

He stops before me and allows himself to look at Yunia, though he still doesn't look to the sides, then he salutes and reports, "Incredibly well. I wouldn't give them leadership positions, but they're perfectly capable of acting as guards or messengers."

"Do you think they require more training to act as part of the Lordsguard?" Yunia asks as she hurriedly adjusts her bouncy drills.

"Only in protocol, but they're learning it fast; their skill at protecting is good enough," he answers tersely.

I grin and nod, very pleased. "Good. We'll make their positions official, then. I trust that everyone's had a good look at them?"

"Yes. Everyone knows who, and what, they are. We even made ID crystals for them to carry, so the Townsguard will also respect their authority."

I motion to the golems and receive them with a hug. Once I get used to my new race and the constant presence of intrusive thoughts, I think I'll have enough room to [Bind] them, but before that, maybe we could start thinking about how to give them plowable bodies.

I'm itching for some clang, so maybe Jarn's will be more robotic. Ted and Suzy need to find their own niche to make themselves unique though, but I'm sure it lies in the "cute" side of the "beauty spectrum."

I release them and Ted goes over to Ciel to help her sleep while Suzy goes to Yunia, and I keep my hand on Jarn's cold, hard, round ass. I quickly realize that she's wearing underwear under her skirt, which is a good idea since her private parts are fully-formed, and I don't want just anybody to have the privilege of seeing it.

"Thank you for your work, Sir Sandoro. It's only because of you that we've been able to focus solely on the Ceremony," Yunia gives him genuine praise and a subtle smile.

"It's my pleasure to serve you, my Lords," he graciously responds and bows, then he excuses himself and leaves the room.

Random thoughts about how to make Jarn into a robot girl start dripping into my mind, but the real problem is something that's never actually talked about in much detail in novels: her insides need to be soft and moist. It just really won't work otherwise, but I have no idea about how to make this kind of synthetic material. To make something biological, you need to have a whole living system just to support it, and I have even less of an idea of how to make something like that.

The only way I know of that might work is by using [Soul Manipulation], but that'd be like fusing a severed member to her crotch, which is… not desirable. I could teach them how to create something similar to my tentacles, but they have a lot of difficulty with manipulating their own souls like I do, which is why Arreira decided on going with the "combat bodies" approach.

Maybe I could research how to solidify mana into magical materials with special properties, but I know practically nothing about that area, so there's a lot of work to be done if I choose that path.

I really only have hard choices to choose from for how to approach this problem.

I sit down on the edge of the bed and make Jarn sit beside me so that I can "inspect" her alluring, but completely hard, metal body.

Yunia suddenly clears her throat loudly and pushes her chest towards me.

I take my attention off bimbo-Yunia and immediately fondle real-Yunia's perfectly balanced chest. It's not too small, and not too big. It's perfectly sized for my (padded) claws to squeeze.

"Did you suddenly get jealous?" Alissa's teasing voice fills the almost silent patio.

"I merely wished to get fondled, that's all," Yunia answers flatly, making an effort to hide her real emotions.

"Slut…" Roxanne reflexively mumbles in her sleep.

Poosh is in the bath again, so I decide to create as many tentacles as I can and let them loose on every single exposed hole I can reach. I want to give the maids a show, something that will scar their minds, but also leave a seed within them. A seed of worship.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

The elven maids excuse themselves to relieve their desire in private while the Chimera attendants and Poosh simply stay, bringing themselves to the apex right before their Lords.

I slice an actual fig with my claws and savor it as I wind down from the Group Fun session. This is a funny-looking fruit, but it fits in well with the rest of the selection of elven produce since they have a taste for oddly-shaped fruits. This one isn't natural, though; it was specifically bred to have this exact shape and taste, for some reason.

With my body still bare and dripping, I look Poosh in the eye and smile gently. Hopefully, she'll ask for a Ravaging soon.

Hana eventually joins us, all sore and tired, but she refuses a [Heal] since she wants to use [Pain Conversion] for as long as possible. It's like the muscle burn after intense exercise, where you're so high on endorphins that it actually feels good, with the pain of having her stretched to the limit being her favorite.

As for the maids, we just ignore them as we relax. Though some of them seem to be very thirsty for me right now, I'll let the desire build up a bit more before I unleash it all upon them. It's never a good idea to rush a fine meal.

For dinner, we eat chicken parmigiana seasoned with some sort of white wine. It's a very nostalgic meal for me because I don't really feel like there's too much of a difference between the Earth and Rupegia versions of it since tomatoes are a thing in both worlds.

Then we quickly retire to our rooms so that we can review our plans in private. Things are progressing smoothly, but the tension is still rising.

Our plan is a bit dangerous, so of course, Alissa is the first to argue against it.

"We'll only know if it's actually possible once we test it," I retort and get up from the bed, then I open up my thin golden vest and expose my chest. "Come on, Yunia. I'll need your help with this."

Ciel sighs tiredly and prepares to cast [Heal]. Her inner doctor is telling her that it's possible, but it's also that same inner voice that's telling her that this plan is stupid.

I mean, it is stupid, but if it works, it works.

Yunia cringes as she draws her sword and thrusts.

Today is the 9th.

My [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 6). Just one more level, and it'll finally be at the appropriate size for the Ceremony.

Alissa's [Illusion Magic] increased by 1 (now 4+11). It seems that her observations of Dokkanchee working helped her a lot.

Hana increased her [Draconic Body] by 1 (now 4). Ironically, her desperate use of it during the Ravaging helped her to gain a point.

Aoi's "Intelligence" and "Wisdom" each increased by 1 (now 8 and 9). It seems that some of the knowledge from the surgery yesterday stuck with her.

Yunia increased her [Two-Handed Sword Use] by 1 (now 4+16). Mere baby steps.

During our morning kisses, Klein seems to be the most distracted, but I think she's just basking in her post-Ravaging bliss, so I leave her be until she needs to head out to the dungeon again.

I pinch her ass, and she squeals, then starts playfully slapping my chest and only stops when Hana gives her a sneaky kiss at the nape of her neck.

"Be safe out there!" I give her my blessing as I run away, darting out of reach of her retaliation.

"I will!" She shouts back and pouts.

Yunia and Ciel meet with the Tribunal and the temple to discuss the housing situation for the Chimeras. Our new spirit-subjects need some concessions since they don't have the necessary wealth to buy houses in Escanso, and we need to discuss how much would be fair for them.

They could go into debt until they've made enough money to repay it, but the concept of mortgage doesn't exist here. In Rupegia, going into significant debt allows the debtor to be made into a slave if they can't repay what they owe in a timely manner, so it really isn't a popular financial choice.

The temple doesn't want the Chimeras to have the constant threat of being made into slaves hovering over their heads, so they're looking to secure a compromise with us since we have the power to help them.

Meanwhile, Dokkan and I continue working on the illusion setup, this time in the main hall of the castle where the most important part of the Ceremony will be held.

Suddenly, an "itching" inside of my head starts to flare up. It's a "desire" to do something, and it's incredibly annoying, making me instantly become grumpy.

It doesn't come from either my human or my dragon side, making everyone very concerned about what's going on with me since it's clearly not something normal.

The "itching" pushes me to shift my points around, so I put ten more into [Summoning Magic], reaching level 50, and revealing a new spell: [Otherworldly Summoning].

What the hell?!

Intermission 18 – Klein

I sit down on a rock and sigh as the soldiers cut up the tentacles of the Maltómago.

The smell of burnt flesh makes me feel a bit sick, but that's nothing when compared to what the Corpse Stealers can do or even what the Maltómago could've unleashed if I hadn't killed it instantly.

The soldiers chatter happily about how they were spared from the Maltómago's foul breath, and I recognize a few words in Ingua of praise, which I assume are for me.

Though everyone is happy and in high spirits, I can't find it within me to smile, so I keep my helmet on at all times. This way, nobody can see me frown.

"What's the matter?" Dad asks as he sits down beside me.

But Dad knows me well enough to recognize when something is bothering me.

I shrug. "I'm just… not very excited right now," I try to keep Dad from suspecting anything, but I fail completely.

He reads me effortlessly, "You aren't just 'not excited,' you're completely disheartened. Did something happen?"

I can't say yes, and I can't say no, so I just keep quiet while I try to think of a way out.

He grunts and pokes me painfully with his thick finger. "Klein, please. Don't be childish, just tell me already."

"I 'fixed' my relationship with Wolfy…" I suddenly blurt out and frown deeply, then I rest my head on my hands. It's all I can do to stop myself from laying down on the floor, curling up into a ball, and going to sleep until I can find where all my courage fled to.

"Wha…" Dad makes a funny noise, and it actually makes me smile.

I suddenly feel a bit angry about it and let it all out, "I'm not Wolfy's 'temporary wife' anymore. I'm just his knight, and a close friend… that occasionally lays with him."

"Isn't that… 'good'?" He asks, very confused.

Now I'm the one who's confused. "Didn't you want me to marry him?"

He scratches his bald head awkwardly and guiltily grins as he explains, "Not really. I wanted him to give something in return for taking your first time, and the 'temporary wife' business gave me some assurance that he wouldn't just throw you away after he'd had enough of you."

I frown angrily and glare at him. "He'd never do that. Hana would stop him if he ever even thought about it," I defend Wolfy.

"Well… she's still a dragonkin…" He shrugs as he cringes.

I punch his ribs, and though I'm sure that he felt nothing because of his armor, it still sends him a message that tells him exactly what I feel.

He frowns deeply, and his tone turns serious, "She did abandon those two boys she used to love. Not her fault, but the lives of Wolf and his harem are just too chaotic. Do you really believe that something like that won't ever happen again? You yourself went from just a 'temporary wife' to a Godsdamned knight of a Crown Lord. What's going to happen next? Where will you end up if you keep getting closer to him?"

I pout at him and grumble, "I don't care about those things. I just want a husband that I can call mine."

He snorts and pokes my shoulder again. "Well, now you can have your pick; even lower nobility would go for you, so why are you so grumpy?"

I look down in shame, and my tail flops down on the floor. "I've been given so much that I don't think that I could repay it all, even if I married him." I look at the underside of my left forearm and stare at the controls for the [Chameleon] enchantment. They're so delicate and complex that I'm a bit afraid to use them and potentially break something. "Do you have any idea how much this armor and bow are worth? I don't, but I know that he could've married any noblewoman he wanted, just by giving them this armor as a gift, yet he gave it to me without asking for anything in return."

"He asked for your loyalty," he retorts softly.

"Wha…?" Now I'm the one who makes the dumb noise.

He chuckles and looks off into the distance as his permanent frown softens. "He might be a terrible choice of a husband for you, but I think he'll make a good Lord, and I know that he's a very good friend. Also, there's Hana. She'll make sure that he treats you right."

My mouth moves wordlessly since I'm too simply baffled to speak until I suddenly blurt out, "Didn't I say exactly that mere moments ago?"

He snorts and shakes his head. "You said that Hana wouldn't let him abandon you after taking your virginity, while I said that he'd be a terrible husband for you, though I know that he'll be a good friend."

I frown and stay quiet as I think.

But am I a good friend to him?

"You're the only person he can trust," Dad adds with a whisper.

I frown in disagreement and glance at him. "He has an entire army of elves who follow him."

"Who follow Lord Yulania, but she's a Blood Slave of the man who helped kill their previous Lord. They may be loyal to her, but how much can he trust them?"

He glances meaningfully at the elven soldiers, who maintain a respectful distance from the rookie, non-elven ones. It's like there's an invisible wall separating the two sides from each other.

But that's not the issue I have with my knighthood. "And we are supposedly more trustworthy?" I ask with a wry smile.

He nods and agrees, completely serious, "Yes, because you love him, and he knows that you're too air-headed to ever betray him. Power can be bought, as your weapon and armor can easily tell you; skills can be learned, which you'll be doing in the Knight's Academy," -he suddenly grabs my shoulder and forces me to face him and look into his beady eyes- "but trust is hard to come by."

He releases me, and I almost flop onto the rock, then I sigh tiredly as the chilling emotions leave my body with each breath. His words have suddenly lit a new fire within me, and it warms up my body, allowing me to move freely again.

"Then I want to become someone worthy of his trust," I whisper earnestly.

He grunts sternly, "We will."