"Sandoro?" I call his attention.

He looks away from the window and calmly turns to me with a blank expression. "Yes, my Lord?" He softly asks.

"I think I lost you for a moment there."

He looks at his hands and frowns. "I don't understand what you mean."

I chuckle softly. "It's an expression…"

He brightens up and seemingly breaks out of his trance. "Ah, something… imperial?"

I smile wryly and deny, "No… not exactly."

"You're truly mysterious, my Lord," he whispers in wonder.

I don't know how to react to that…

"You were saying that the men are ready for tomorrow?" I change the topic.

He nods diligently. "Yes. As long as you don't request any sort of theatrical performance, they will all fulfill their duties perfectly."

I lean back on my chair and cross my claws. "I'm not trying to turn this into a circus; I only want to put their discipline on display."

He blinks blankly for a few seconds. "'Circus'?"

I tap my claws against each other as I recite, "Theater, coliseum's arena, a stage for clowns. Things like that."

He nods in understanding and casually remarks, "Ah, I see. You also have an odd vocabulary, my Lord."

I chuckle awkwardly and joke, "You should expect the unexpected from me."

"Always," he replies without hesitation, his seriousness almost making me choke on my saliva.

I give him a look and see a hint of playfulness on his hardened face, which makes him seem like an elven Santa for a moment before the warmth is replaced by cold professionalism again.

He readjusts his tight vest and changes the topic, "I also suggest that we have regular meetings with the High Officers so that we may report and share what we're working on."

Oh, no… office meeting flashbacks!

I force a smile and accept his suggestion, "Sure. That's a great idea."

… not.

He nods in satisfaction, but that's not all he has to say. "About the Chimeras and the fleet, we're still in a period of uncertainty, so I suggest that we don't send them on any more expeditions until they've integrated with us."

I nod once in acceptance. "How long would that take?"

"A few day-cycles. The ships are extremely valuable, complex, and currently irreplaceable, so we need to maintain tight protocols to ensure that they're well-preserved," he states matter-of-factly.

"Lina is working with the Chimeras to establish our gem refining and ship-building industries, so we should be able to build new Carriers soon."

"'Industry'?"

Damn… My tongue keeps slipping.

"A production workshop, just faster and better organized," I elaborate.

He frowns gently. "I don't know much about production, but if we're building more ships, then we'll need tight security so that their designs don't get stolen or sold."

I tap my chin with a claw, barely remembering to pad it half a second before I cut myself. "Hm, yes… that's a consideration we have to make. We'll likely be competing with Faium, so we have to expect spies coming from there."

"Indeed."

I switch my tone and become completely stern as I ask, "About another matter, how well are the troops integrating?"

"The non-elves are being re-educated with utmost haste. I'm confident that they'll fit perfectly in our army with time," he reports without hesitation.

"And what about the elves?" I press on.

He opens his eyes wide in surprise. "My Lord? I don't understand."

"How are the elves adapting to the non-elves?"

He goes silent, and though his face is unmoving, I feel that his mind is scrambling for an answer.

"Elven cohesion is our strongest point, so they must adapt to our customs," he suddenly blurts out.

I raise a claw and retort, "'Cohesion' is our strongest point, no need for the 'elven' there since, as far as I know, [Weaverism] isn't an elven racial skill."

"No, it isn't, my Lord…" He bitterly admits.

I give him a stern lecture about my plans so that he'll take it to heart, "The High Forest will become one of the centers of progress in the empire. We'll be integrating Chimeric culture and technology into the current elven culture along with my own, decidedly not, elven knowledge and aspirations. This won't be possible if the elves don't compromise when necessary and give up something in exchange for the betterment of the High Forest."

"Yes, my Lord. For our betterment, for the greater good," he obediently accepts and lowers his head.

"For the greater good," I awkwardly repeat, wary of sounding like a certain group.

He lifts his head and boldly looks me in the eye. "Though I'm not sure what exactly it means to 'give up something.'"

I shrug and relax my demeanor. "Neither do I, but you need to find out what the essence of the 'elven cohesion' is and reproduce it without the need to call it 'elven.' The whole realm deserves to benefit from elven knowledge, just like we'll benefit from having the Chimeras, and keeping it exclusive to the High Forest isn't the way of the Goddess of Knowledge, who I remind you gave me her Blessing."

He hums in understanding and wonders, "Like a scholar searching for the 'truth'?"

I grin and nod in satisfaction. "I believe that's an apt analogy."

He leans back on his chair and frowns subtly. "This isn't an easy task."

I sympathize wholeheartedly, "Yes, but it isn't something to be done hastily, and we'll always be here to help you. We just need everyone to understand that any problems will be addressed with time."

"Yes, that's something we all know."

I nod, and the conversation reaches a lull, so I broach the last topic I have, "But before that, I have an immediate task for you: the fleet must participate in the Ceremony."

Lina and Hana receive Hihiriwa and his officers on the sky dock, at the outset of a bark walkway that leads to the bridge of the Carrier.

"Why doesn't it have a name?" Hana suddenly blurts out as she admires the beauty of our ship.

"But it does?" Lina asks back confusedly.

Hana shakes her head, making her mane-like red hair bounce softly. "No, it's just called the Carrier, like how everyone just says 'empire' without even bothering to capitalize it outside of official documents, but its real name is Avgi Holy Empire."

Lina hums in understanding, then scratches her head in thought. "Oh… true… but I guess we have to ask the Chimeras about it."

Hana nods and smirks. "Yeah, let's. If it doesn't have a name, I want to give it one."

"I'd rather you didn't," Yunia comments through [Bind], but then she stops listening to their conversation before they can respond.

"Pbbbbt," Hana blows her tongue mockingly.

"What would you name it?" Lina asks as she smiles wryly because she has a good idea about what it'd be.

"Okina Neekobo," she answers immediately and grins.

Lina frowns in confusion. "Wait, that's an actual name… or is it?"

"I have no damn idea," Hana states proudly and laughs. "I know it's the name of a brothel, though."

"She doesn't know a single word of the dragonkin language," I expose her.

"Hey! I was born in Sommerland, and we only went to Ryutake once a year," she protests

Her Shad observes the two Lordsguard a few meters behind them sharing a look of worry and whispering something between each other.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I don't give a damn what they think," Hana grumbles before we can even comment about it.

The Carrier finishes landing and subtly wobbles, caused by imperfections on the dock.

A group of court mages appears on the platform below the bridge, and they rush to the holdings to find out what's wrong. The unexpected tilting isn't good for the structural integrity of the Carrier, so they want to fix it as fast as possible.

The Carrier's glass dome bridge opens up, and the officers start pouring out.

Leading the group is Azador. Enomosa is currently indisposed with flight sickness, so he took her place, though he seems to be a bit paler than I remember. Even the blood-red flowers in his pure white beard and hair seem slightly wilted.

The priest coming out right behind him might've just cast [Refresh] on himself because he seems to have a steadier gait than the other Lordsguard emerging from Carrier.

I write a note to Sandoro to include the knights in the flight sickness resistance training. Elves aren't exactly known to be a very flight-friendly race, after all.

He and the other officers stop before the girls and salute them. The elves grab their ears and lower their heads while the rest hold a closed fist over their chest and look past them.

"Knight Azador, here to report," he diligently announces.

"At ease," Lina softly responds, then stares him in the eye. "Report."

"We encountered a few unique flying monsters, which we easily killed and brought back. Some of our experts believe that they can be hunted regularly and then sold to bolster our profits."

"Good," she tersely responds with a stiff tone.

Then he glances up at the Winch, it's hulking frame casting a large shadow over the dock as it descends, its clamps holding a mansion-sized, rough green gem that glows softly.

"We've also accomplished the mission successfully and acquired a low attunement-level gem. Initial reports estimate that it can be used to power a ship the same size as the personal cargo ship of your Lordship."

Lina nods, very pleased, and continues, "Any losses?"

"None."

"Excellent."

"Call for the Chimeric enchanters, then go get some rest," Hana casually orders.

He lowers his head and salutes the elven way again. "Right away, my Lords. Thank you, my Lords."

Azador quickly proceeds past them, then Hihiriwa and his officers come closer. Paraaone walks to the front of their group, and he shares friendly smiles with the girls.

Hihiriwa lowers his head respectfully, and I think it even hurts him a bit to do so. "I've been successful in my mission, my Lords. I've already sent my written report to Lord Wolf's office. The messenger should be there soon."

"Yeah, it's here," I report through [Bind]. There are quite a few pages here, so I'll just skim through it.

Lina gently nods, then turns her gloomy eyes to Paraaone.

"Nothing to report, my Lord," he diligently states without waiting for a question.

Hana grunts in acknowledgment and gives them all their last order of the day, "Hm. Rest until the afternoon, then meet with Commander Sandoro. The fleet shall participate in the Ceremony."

"Yes, my Lord," Hihiriwa obediently responds.

Lina ends their brief meeting, "You're dismissed."

They all walk past them, and once the bridge is clear, Lina releases her breath while Hana pats her head.

"It's tiring having to keep up 'decorum' every time I talk to someone," Lina softly complains.

"Hm… yeah, totally," Hana mumbles as if she even knows what "decorum" is.

The girls go to the Winch's platform and wait there until it finishes docking as the enchanters gather before them, then they enter the ship to inspect the gem.

We don't have the time to train today since everyone is busy with the preparations, and the day passes by in a slog since half of the girls and I aren't that keen on managing people to this degree.

Everything is rushed, but we have a literal army at our disposal that can do our bidding, so today, there are no idle hands.

Almaria finishes making the "portable house." It's about the same size as our bedroom, which has a lot of free space even with all the beds, so it's possible for us to fit everything we want inside it. It's also enchanted with a mild [Warp Space] spell so that the interior is a bit larger than the exterior, but not by much because if it's too strong and the spell fails, then everything inside would go splat.

It's made of bark that can change color like a chameleon and even grow a variety of bushes on the outside, which helps camouflage it. It also has controls to change its shape, allowing us to fit it anywhere we want, even among all the chaotic wood and branches of a wild High Tree.

We wanted something "simple," but Almaria is a bit of a perfectionist, so she didn't allow herself to just hastily make something.

Dokkanche immediately starts working on it, fitting it with dozens of humanizing illusion crystals, which are a bit expensive, though my sense of money is a bit too warped now for me to trust it. However, Mimi says that it's an "acceptable" expense for a Crown Lord, so I decide to trust her.

For lunch, I invite Hukarere and Kaatohe because I'm craving some anthro women.

"Ah, wolf woman," Kaatohe greets snobbishly.

"Cat woman," Hukarere returns the kindness and takes her seat.

The two give a toothy smile to each other, showing their sharp-looking fangs rather threateningly.

Hukarere narrows her eyes as she thinks of something, then smirks evilly. "I heard that your personal Wasp is out of commission again, under maintenance," she casually comments, though her expression has nothing "casual" in it.

"I heard that no amount of men pleases you anymore besides your Lord's, you addict," Kaatohe answers in kind.

The hell?

"Uh, girls…?" I confusedly mumble.

Hukarere's lips are raised a bit higher, and she gives Kaatohe an angry look. "You can't deny that you aren't thinking about him, too. In fact, this very denial is exactly what filled your ears with wax because you couldn't stop yourself from daydreaming about him."

Kaatohe hisses. "Watch your tongue, dog, or I'll do you myself with it," she threatens, though the contents of it sound off to me.

Hukarere snarls. "You harlot, you wouldn't dare."

W-what…?

Somehow, I think that Kaatohe making gay threats is offensive to Hukarere, who's completely straight.

"G-girls!" I exclaim and slam my hand on the table. "If you're not going to show respect to each other, then at least show it to me!"

The two go silent but continue to stare daggers at each other for a moment before lowering their heads and apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Wolfy…" Hukarere whimpers.

"Apologies, Wolf," Kaatohe grumbles through gritted teeth, and the way she speaks my name makes my dragonator twitch. Her tone lacks any of the coldness from when she used to call me "peasant," and it's so warm that I can almost call it "cute."

I remember Hihiriwa's report mentioning something about miscommunication issues, but I didn't read it through thoroughly, so I only have a vague idea about the cause of this altercation.

"Now, both of you, would you mind explaining what this was all about?" Ciel asks very sternly, her angry and motherly tone making the fur on the back of their necks stand up.

The two remain silent for a moment, then they suddenly each point at the other and shout in unison, "She-…!" And stop at the same time.

Ciel gives them a very disappointed look, and both of their ears go flat. "I see that neither of you wants to be the adult here, so you'd better tell me exactly what happened," she impatiently demands.

The truth: the high number of untrained observers caused a disruption in the communications situation on the bridge, almost leading to the loss of a few Wasps as they were briefly cut off from support from the Carrier. The two of them preferred to blame the other instead of the true source. Why? Unknown, but maybe they didn't want to implicitly blame their new Lords since we are the ones who put the observers on the bridge, or something like that.

Ciel grabs both of their hands and forces them to share a handshake.

"This is so foolish," Kaatohe grumbles, and Hukarere begrudgingly agrees.

"Then stop acting like fools," Ciel retorts and gives them one last glare before we start our meal.

Today, we eat a lavish assortment of elven veggies, fruits, and smoked meats, but for me, the dessert is the best part.

I have Kaatohe and Hukarere at the same time.

The two women who hated each other just half an hour ago are now very close to acting like lovers, and I almost order them to do each other as my desires takes hold of me. Making a straight woman turn bi from lust is a fantasy of mine, but I know that fantasies should remain so. That's ignoring the fact that I'm living in some sort of fantasy novel, already…

I sit down and eat my own, actual, dessert of vanilla pudding, and the view gives me a warm feeling inside. For a moment, everything seems to be right in the world.

Two more women satisfied and left in bliss. Two more humanoids who have been enlightened by the Tool. Two more happy souls that will share their positivity with the rest of the world. Though I'm closer to the Goddess of Knowledge, I'm also proudly doing missionary work for the Goddess of Love.

Lunch has refreshed me greatly, giving me new energy to continue my work, which is exactly what I needed because we all immediately return to our respective tasks in overseeing the preparations.

We immerse ourselves in the hurried chaos of the castle, and our minds sync as we work as a single entity, guiding the staff like a light in the dark. If anything, the speed with which we've prepared the Ceremony should serve as a demonstration of our leadership capabilities. There's no doubt or ambiguity among us, so everything falls into place like dominoes.

Roxanne checks with Sainalai, and she finds out that the Conjuring mages know how to conjure a few simple sweets, then they're immediately reassigned to the task of creating a magical dessert for tomorrow.

When bath time comes, I give everyone a round of tentacle love. They need to relax, and there's nothing better for that than overwhelming your senses with pleasure.

The maids watch on in wonder, which isn't surprising since this is the most visibly impressive show I can give.

There's a familiar face among them, but I don't think I've seen her in the castle before. She's very young and cute with high cheekbones, an oval face, thin lips, and fully braided golden hair, making her look quite girlish.

Of all the maids, she's the one who seems a bit thirstier, so I feel like I should proposition her when we meet again. Right now, the wives need attention, so she'll have to be left for a more opportune time.

Alissa drowsily swims up to me and latches onto my arm, then the rest of the girls follow suit, and we make a cuddle puddle in an actual "puddle." Everyone's feeling a bit tense, so they want to cuddle with their favorite toy (me).

Dinner is almost silent since everyone already talked enough during the day, then we retire to our rooms as the long day finally comes to an end, though there's still some training we have to do that really can't wait.

Yunia draws her sword and points it at me, then she sighs and softly asks, "Ready?"

I check my skills one last time, then I nod confidently and order, "Do it."

Today is the 11th, Genn, day of light, and also marks the dawn of a new day-cycle, making it an auspicious day for our Ceremony.

Breakfast is very quiet as we mentally prepare ourselves for the performance we'll have to put on.

Klein and Osaria don't have [Bind], so we can't calm them down with mind-cuddling, and while Osaria seems rather composed, Klein is shivering in anxiety.

I create a tentacle under the table that slithers about like a snake, and I have it sneak up Klein's leg, making her squeak softly in surprise.

"Wolfy~!" She whines embarrassedly.

I simply smile at her while I make it wrap itself around her leg, then up her body, only stopping when it reaches her cheek, which I poke playfully.

"What are y-… ahn~…" She moans again as I vibrate it, focused on her shoulders, the base of her tail, and the soles of her feet. Those places have the greatest effect on stress relief without arousing her. "Not fair…" She complains, though I don't know why since this is only intended to help her.

Osaria clears her throat softly and casually massages her neck, so I smile wryly and give her what she wants.

Klein sighs in satisfaction, so I ease off the massage, then she gives me a worried look. "How… dangerous is that Ceremony, truly?"

Osaria immediately answers in our stead, "There's no risk of death, aside from a truly freak event, though that doesn't mean everything is guaranteed to 'succeed.'"

Yunia nods in agreement and adds, "True. Though our 'trick' will be rather dangerous, you've seen how we've prepared for all possibilities. If anything, this Ceremony is just a preview of how our Lordship will be."

"Okay…" Klein accepts with a meek nod.

Osaria lays a hand on Klein's shoulder and gives an assuring squeeze. "It's fine to worry. They're just abnormally confident no matter what they're doing."

"That, I know," Klein agrees and chuckles softly.

"It's the power of teamwork," I gently state with a grin.

With everything ready, we take a [Gate] to the outside of the town's entrance and wait until the time comes.

Poosh and some of the maids work away on our appearances, applying makeup and making sure that our armor looks perfect while the rest of the Lordsguard assembles behind us. Then, at 10 AM, the gate opens, and the parade begins.