The duo has come back from playing all day with the chil-… important meetings with Teresina and the other priests, of course. Now that we've become the equivalent of a Holy Person for the demon race, people will look at us like we're some sort of role models, and certain rumors that were spread just before the Lordship Ceremony need to be addressed.

They're both a bit tired, so they decide to play some cards in our bedroom to de-stress, making them prime targets for me to cuddle with.

I bury my head in Ciel's chest while whining like a dog, imitating Roxanne's behavior from a while ago. Her sweet, flowery perfume and the faint smell of her sweat are actually pretty comforting, and I feel like a child throwing a tantrum on their mother's bosom.

"There, there," Ciel playfully calms me down as she pats my head with a wry smile gracing her delicious lips.

Her kindness just makes me want to hug her even harder, so I let out a loud whine and tense up all my muscles to stop myself from accidentally crushing her with my arms. Not that I've become particularly strong, I just want to hug her really badly.

"Your turn," Alissa announces, and Ciel stops patting my head so that she can pick up her cards again.

They're playing some sort of rummy game with a small number of cards. The point of the game is to match cards in all sorts of combinations that give different points, but since there aren't that many cards, it's possible to predict the next cards that come up, and it's necessary to memorize the opponent's cards since there are no hidden draws.

I'm keeping them from peeping on each other's thoughts, and it's quite interesting seeing their brains trying to guess their opponent's strategy.

Alissa's thoughts race from side to side as she's full of paranoia and self-doubt, trying her best to predict Ciel's next desired combo. She's greatly overestimating my mommy angel, who's completely chill, not putting much effort into prediction and just focusing on memorization instead. If only she could hear Ciel's thoughts, she'd be so angry with herself for overthinking it.

Neither of them show their emotions, though, which is evidence that they've learned their lesson about dealing with nobility. Being impassive is always the better choice since you're not giving any information to your opponent, and while information isn't power, it does open the path so that one may use their strengths to their fullest.

But, as time passes and the pile of free cards grows smaller, they both start to show increasingly serious expressions, their eyes filled with determination and competitive spirit.

I lift my head from Ciel's chest and grin as I happily remark, "I must say that the serious look both of you have is really beautiful. I just love alluring, stern, focused eyes."

"Shh," Alissa shushes me, a bit annoyed, while Ciel completely ignores my words.

Hngh, yes…! Ignore me harder!

The cards suddenly run out, and they start calculating their points.

"Ten."

"Fifteen."

"Nineteen."

"Twenty."

"Twenty-five."

"Thirty-one."

"Forty," Ciel finishes her count.

"Thirty-nine," Alissa whines through gritted teeth.

"YES!" Ciel happily shouts and hugs me, smothering me in her pillows.

Alissa's head droops, her ears go flat, and her tail flops. She's so disappointed that I feel like giving her a hug, but I'm too comfortable in Ciel's arms to move right now.

"Just the thought is enough, thanks," Alissa mumbles through [Bind].

Alissa flops back on the bed and sighs as she releases all the tension that built up over the course of the game, then she grabs Suzy and hugs her tight.

Ted stares at me with her unblinking, beady eyes, and I swear that she's being more quiet than usual. Perhaps she's thinking about how else she could make herself useful now that her usual spot was stolen by me. I don't think the golems can experience jealousy, but Ted's kind of acting like she can.

"Do you think the golems would be able to play this game?" I question and give the girls a glance.

Ciel turns her head towards Ted, who's floating near us, and she suddenly feels like hugging something a lot softer than prickly old me.

"Just a stray thought," Ciel mumbles with a pout, not wanting to reject my scaly and dangerously sharp embrace.

"How good is their memory?" Alissa asks curiously.

I grin in self-deprecation. "Same as mine, so… not good?"

Alissa grins back, though hers is full of competitive spirit. "Then they can certainly play against me."

She's the second most competitive among us, only pulling ahead of Yunia because my prideful elven queen usually prefers to focus her energy towards more "productive" matters rather than silly rivalries.

The golems will do well with calculating the combos and possibly using chance to measure risk/reward, but I'm not sure that they'll be good at reading Alissa's strategy. The game is simple enough that it's possible for a computer to always win through calculating all possible moves, but the golems aren't computers, they're more like unemotional humanoids.

I get a bit inspired and decide to spend some time reading Arreira's notes on the golems. Right at the beginning of his thick book, which he called a "notepad," there's a note intended specifically for me.

"If you're reading this, Wolf Ryder, I must say that I kind of agree with your reluctance to make more golems, but I still think that you've sorely underused them.

"The fact that all of your memories are stored in the golems is, indeed, very dangerous. Even with the security protocol you've imparted upon them, I was still capable of fooling the golems into giving me control through illusions, and I was almost able to do the same with spirit manipulation alone."

Oh, no. How much did he play with my golems? They aren't actually replaceable, so if he messed them up with the brainwashing, they could've been gone forever…

"The solution to the memory problem is that there's no solution. As you've noticed, I wasn't able to make the Chimeras actually forget specific things without constant monitoring, and even that much was faulty.

"The extent to which I was able to manipulate their minds wasn't very far, and they still recovered most of what I erased after I stopped the manipulation. It just isn't feasible to magically alter memories without an extremely deep and comprehensive understanding of the brain, which is something I believe would only be possible with those 'computers' you love so much, though it'd have to be heavily aided by magic. Memories are so deeply entwined with neurons that you need to alter them directly if you want to manipulate memories, and even the Earthlings didn't know how to do that.

"But not all is lost. The alternative I've identified is to just simply wipe all their memories during [Infuse]. That'll be the same as creating a golem "baby," so have fun fathering an army of golems yourself."

Damn… I always knew this was an option, I just didn't consider it since it'd take literal years until I could "grow" a usable golem. Now, though, I might actually have the time to grow a golem army myself…

Now, I wonder… how good of a mother will my three golems be?

I start playing with [Golemancy]'s [Infuse], following Arreira's notes on identifying the areas where memories are stored. If I can find out how to "wipe" it, then we'll have baby golems.

It's not as simple as just "scrambling" it as if they were simply stored as bits in an HDD. Doing so would likely result in a golem with neurological problems, such as constant seizures and the like.

At least Arreira knew how to "blackout" someone's memories, like when someone drinks too much or hits their head too hard. He simply prevented long-term memories from being "written" by blocking the neurons related to them.

To actually do that through [Infuse]'s "UI" will require a lot of trial and error, so I'll only really be able to start my "baby golem" research sometime after we meet with everyone's parents.

While Alissa wracks her brains trying to read Ted, I notice that Silvano has decided to meet with Lina and Aoi, who are currently building a forge together.

"Your Highnessesses," Silvano softly greets them with his usual grin.

"Is that an actual word?" Lina immediately asks us through [Bind].

"I think so…? I'm not sure if I heard it right," Ciel hesitantly replies, scouring her mind's dictionary for it.

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

"Greetings, Silvano," Aoi returns the cordiality with a toothy grin.

The androgynous elf doesn't exactly know how to react to Aoi, but he does seem slightly amused by her.

"Greetings, Sir Silvano," Lina finally speaks, uncomfortable with having to speak to a stranger.

He elegantly holds a hand over his exposed chest and bows like a butler. "Lord Wolf mentioned that you wanted to learn metallurgy, so I've come to share some of my knowledge," he calmly explains himself, then straightens his posture again.

Why is he so cordial only with them?

I pout, burning with jealousy, and that only makes Aoi's grin get wider.

The two share a look, then Silvano's class begins its first session.

His knowledge of metals is actually quite comprehensive. He knows the subject from a more scientific perspective than that of a smith, so he gives them a good base to start from.

And, of course, with my memories and the golems' being used as personal Wikipedias, we can fill in some of the gaps.

One of the things his knowledge doesn't touch upon too deeply is quenching. I remember that you can make some very strong steel if you quickly cool it, so this might be worthy of being researched by Aoi. I don't know how to forge that kind of steel exactly, though, I just know that it exists.

Silvano casts [Earth Armor], and he becomes like a silver surfer as his body is covered in a malleable, silvery metal. Unlike the average [Earth Armor], which uses thick, heavy rocks as a sort of ablative armor, his spell creates a much, much lighter defense, allowing him to use his insane speed when boosted by [Electric Magic] to its fullest.

"Could [Manipulate Metal] cook you alive from the inside?" Lina questions curiously, closely observing his hand moving with almost as much freedom as if he were wearing only thick leather gloves.

He makes a scale pattern on the metal by carving grooves into it, flaunting his control of the spell even though his [Mana Control] is at such a low level. "It's too close to my skin," he casually replies, then the pattern suddenly disappears, and I have a feeling that he just wasted a ton of mana with that little display. "Not only is it easy for me to interrupt that spell, but my body interferes with it, making it too costly to be an effective counter."

Aoi stares at the metal with a stern look while an idea slowly forms inside her lizard brain. "I want to melt it," she suddenly announces, drawing curious looks from the other two. "I want to melt your armor with my fire breath."

Lina remains completely silent, just focusing on observing his reaction, and the flamboyant elf suddenly finds himself sweating cold, for he might end up sweating hot real soon if he doesn't find a way out of this situation.

"Why do you wish for such a thing, your Highness?" He nervously asks, going for an "understand thy enemy" strategy.

Aoi's eyes gleam with excitement as she explains, "This is a strong, magical metal. If I can make it melt, then I can melt anything…! But maybe not darksteel…" She adds with a grumble as she remembers that there is something that counters dragon fire.

He glances at Lina, his eyes clearly begging for help, but he finds no mercy in the sadistic little girl. He turns back to Aoi and forces a smile. "Well, we can easily supply you with either magical or physical metal, be it mined or conjured. There's no inherent advantage in testing my metal, right?"

But Aoi is relentless. "Yours is special! Look at how easily you can bend it to take the shape of your body." -She taps his metallic arm repeatedly with a claw, making loud clinking sounds- "Does anything besides quicksilver act like this? Even that metal is just a liquid instead of actual, solid armor."

"Hmm… yes, that's true," he hesitantly agrees with a weak voice, a pitch higher than normal.

Then Aoi's excitement dies down, and she taps her chin with a claw. "But I can barely melt iron as it is… maybe we'll leave your metal for later."

"Yes, later…" He mumbles with such a high-pitched voice that it's almost a whine.

Lina lets a happy grin adorn her gloomy face. This amount of teasing is enough to satisfy her.

I tune out their talk and try to continue with reading Arreira's notes on memories, but he starts using technical jargon, so it quickly bores me. It'll take a long time before I can digest it all.

I quickly check on Roxanne and Yunia, but they're just shopping for Lord-worthy social clothes with Jarn following close behind them, so I also don't really feel like watching them, then I look at Alissa and frown, not really into watching her playing anymore.

I'm a bit prejudiced against card games due to how much luck they involve, though D&D is fun, so I might have to actually write a rule book for it.

Ciel's hand slips under my shirt and plays with my rather muscular chest, and I instantly notice the subtle lewdness in her touch. Elves may be quick to recognize lewdness, but I've mastered the art myself!

I turn to her and grin, but she looks away in embarrassment, so I probe her thoughts and discover how much she "enjoyed" me playing the child while burying my head in her chest. She's a pedo, after all.

"No, it was all the touching. That's what aroused me…" She tries to defend herself, but the truth lies somewhere in the middle. "You've conditioned me into getting horny just by massaging my chest," she quietly adds with a pout.

I spin and get on top of her like a predator pouncing on their prey. "Let's not waste arousal, then, shall we?" I ask with a husky tone, but I don't let her answer as I seal her lips with mine and keep her tongue occupied.

She hesitates for a moment, really wanting to retort to me, but she just lets it go and gets more involved in the kiss.

Everyone's really content today, so our emotions infect each other, and the happiness just adds to itself, making it seem like we're all receiving a big, warm mind hug.

Ciel's thirst has been amplified by her happiness, and she loses control of her hands, which start to explore my body on their own.

She reaches over and grabs the base of my tail, giving it a few loving squeezes and sending a chill up my spine. She knows my weak spots, though the weakest one is obviously the tip of my Tool.

I give my attention to Alissa for a brief moment to stop her from touching herself. She'll finish her game and win against Ted if she wants me.

For the rest of the day, my thick angel is my toy. I abuse her body, making it bend in ways which enhance her curviness, taking advantage of how athletic we both are.

Our Love-Making shall be glorious!

Intermission 22 – Emperor Andreas Doxa

I walk up the steps of the enigmatic tower, the relentless corruption of the undead assaulting my skin with every step, but the enchantments on my robe protect my body so well that I only feel a pleasant tickle.

If this weren't such a heretical place, I'd enjoy resting here whenever Mena's [Massage] just isn't able to scratch that itch.

As I pass a window, I hear the pain-filled groan of an evil spirit approaching. I flick my finger, instantly purifying it, then the spirit moans in pleasure as it's forced through the gate to Paradise.

Why do these spirits keep coming here? Is it because of me? Can they actually sense my presence, someway, somehow?

Regrettably, I can't find an answer to these questions since I'm the only one who can survive here for any significant length of time.

I briefly grumble in frustration and release some of my aura, making the stone and metal of the tower grind and creak.

Gods' forsaken heretics…

If I wasn't afraid of potentially creating another Deadlands, I'd erase this grim, dreary tower in a split second!

Every year, I become increasingly convinced that it might actually be the correct course of action since the undead corruption is diminishing so agonizingly slowly for my taste. It doesn't help that the expeditions have had so little success so far that I haven't even been able to create a research base here to study this tower.

I reach its top and look down upon the beautiful city which is slowly decaying from exposure to the elements. The splendor of the white town with its whimsical notes of blues and pinks have all become faded, worn down by the wind and covered by the moss.

This single, shabby, gray tower is a stain in the skyline of Spita Bureya. The constant moaning of an army of roaming evil spirits down in the streets gives it a rather apt name of "City of the Damned," I begrudgingly admit.

After filling myself with nostalgia about the glory days of Aremut, I turn my eyes back to the interior of the tower, if it could even be said to have an "interior." A single metal spiral staircase doesn't count as an interior!

Are heretics even intelligent if they can't make anything that has a smidgen of aesthetic beauty?!

I sigh tiredly and scan the tower again as I've done an uncountable number of times before.

Heretical magic is so elusive that not even the Oracle can detect anything "wrong" with this tower. Maybe it's truly inert, but then, why make it? Why put it in the exact center of the town, making it rise above everything else, and so obviously ruin the skyline of this grand location?

Maybe it's just a caprice from an insane builder, and I've been wasting my time here…

My Emergency Ring suddenly glows with a yellow light, so I instantly [Gate] back to my office.

The beam of light that shines down through the glass ceiling wraps around my entire body, cleansing it of any heretical corruption that might have stuck to my clothes; a cool air comes from the enormous windows open ajar, refreshing me after the hot and humid weather of Aremut; the bright and colorful tiles are a sight for my sore eyes. It's good to be home.

"Your Grand Highness," a strong, feminine voice greets me, and I already start anticipating what we're about to do.

I look down and see Hayakasha waiting for me on one knee, her black hair and scales shining almost like gold, having just been cleaned and waxed, the straps of her thin dress falling off her shoulders, exposing her milky white bosom to me.

She must've been having fun with the others since she seems to be wearing barely anything at all, or something very important has called her attention, and she didn't even have the time to dress herself. I'm betting on the former, it's a lot more likely to be correct.

"My love. Rise. Speak," I command.

And she diligently reports, "Wolf Ryder and his harem have assumed the position of Crown Lords of the Western High Forest. He's reportedly a Gifted person, but we still have little idea regarding what his Gift is, though evidence indicates that it involves [Summoning Magic]."

"Hm…" I hum absentmindedly as I hug her fit body and lick her neck. I sense a faint, thick, sensual perfume, so it must've been Piscila who made her wear this, which I'm thankful for.

Her voice quickly becomes shaky, and her breath hot as not even the dragonkin are immune to my touch. "During the ceremony, he announced that he has been named God-Ruler Arreira's successor, making them royalty."

"Oh? So the old ghost finally passed away…" I quietly mumble.

She hugs me back and has to spend a moment catching her breath before continuing, "Not only that, but he has acquired a new race and become a 'weredragon' while his tamable dragon has 'converted' and reportedly received a system."

I actually stop in surprise. The last time something made me react like this was the fall of Aremut. "What…?" I make a decidedly un-imperial sound.

Haya seems anxious to continue, so I stop and wait for her to finish. "This has all been confirmed by the Gods, who froze time in the town for an unspecified duration in a Divine Intervention."

Words fail me, and I get surprised at myself since I don't remember ever becoming this speechless before in my entire life. Not even during my ascension or when my parents died.

Haya seems almost apologetic at having to give me the news because of how grim it is, but she doesn't apologize for ruining our moment. In fact, she wants to be comforted by my touch.

I sigh tiredly, and we touch our foreheads together.

"We need to make sure that he visits the Oracle to ascertain where his Gift lies," I whisper, all the lust gone from my body and tone.

She doesn't let her horniness get the better of her cunning, immediately following my train of thought, "He has hidden his Gift as much as he could, so he should be wary of any interference, but he has a former priestess by his side, so he might end up visiting her, anyway."

I narrow my eyes and kiss her neck again as I hum in thought, "Hm… I see. Let's wait and see for a little longer."

She doesn't approve, seeming concerned for Ryder. "But his presence here might finally trigger the Purification as they fight over him."

I'm definitely not, though. "I'm not so sure about that," I respond casually and kiss her neck again, and she hugs me tighter. "But we won't interfere with it. The Gods have yet to give us any guidance about him, so let him do as he pleases. The rotting side has already solidified their position, so we might as well let the temple handle the Purification."

"Understood…" She accepts my stance on this matter with an uncharacteristically nervous tone.

And now it's time for me to comfort her. I raise my head and stare her in the eyes as I confidently state, "We'll make it through this, together. We aren't the Champions, so our Fate won't be as turbulent as theirs. Relay this to the rest of the harem so that nobody starts freaking out."

She nods meekly, the dragon who challenged me for marriage nowhere to be found. Even she fears the future, for if the Gods have chosen a Champion, then something terrible is coming.