“Well that’s a load of shit.” Winter muttered under her breath as we walked towards the Skyquake plane.

We were currently in the hangar atop Redleaf Palace, and everyone in my entire company was present. Soldiers from separate divisions, like the cavalry, infantry, and musketeers reunited, and old friends greeted each other once more.

In contrast to the people celebrating below, the leaders of each faction were meeting aboard the ship itself. I had walked into the command room, where Reya, Lucina, and Akahime were already waiting for me.

The latter smiled and waved at me. It was a greeting which I awkwardly returned. X, have I done anything recently to make her like me more?

“No, but I believe that she craves your approval in order to validate her existence as a ‘good person'.” The A.I. replied, causing me to sigh.

Winter was in a bad mood, and had been since our takeoff at the mansion. On top of Un, who constantly pestered her, she apparently also disapproved of being in the same room as three members of royalty.

Winter quickly took me aside, and grabbed me by my collar, pressing her toned body into mine. She whispered into my ear, “Master, I don’t think this is the correct decision. These women are like rabid dogs, and each one will only be looking to pull you in the direction that benefits them. They’ll eat you alive, and then throw you by the roadside when you’re all used up!”

I smirked at her reaction, and separated myself from her clutches. “Don’t worry, it’s not too bad once you exploit them first. That’s just the kind of relationship we have with each other. Exploit and be exploited. We know how the game works, and we willingly participate.”

Winter sighed but said no more on the subject. I turned back to look at the gathered princesses, and almost flinched at the sight of Lucina’s cold eyes as her vision flicked between Winter and myself.

“So, I see you’ve gotten to be better friends with your dog. How sweet. Unfortunately, even man’s best friend is doomed to lose to a proper human.” Lucina remarked bitterly, causing Winter’s dark skin to flush in embarrassment.

Against my expectations, although it really shouldn’t have been at this point, Un appeared from my shadow and laughed at Winter. Well, he laughed as much as he could given the fact that X revoked his sound functions as a penalty for causing the leader of my honor guard undue stress back at the mansion.

Winter glared at Un, and clenched her fists before saying, “No that’s not it at all! I know my place in this relationship, and I’m not trying to aim higher than my station.” Her words came out confidently, and she glared into Lucina’s eyes with a look of defiance.

The second oldest Metronian princess grinned, with a hint of lust in her smile. “Good. In that case, you’ll make a great pet for our Master then, won’t you?”

Winter averted her gaze, and stepped behind my back, blocking Lucina’s view of her. “I-I should be checking up on the rest of the Strafe family, and making sure that they’re getting properly acclimated to the warship’s functions. Please contact me if you need my services, Master.”

I nodded, and watched her retreating figure vanish into the darkness of the ship’s hull. “Look at that, you scared her off.” Reya sighed, and swung around to a position on my left, grabbing my arm in both of hers.

“Don’t worry, Joshua. I’m much more lenient about personal matters. I won’t judge you based on who you choose to fuck or not.”

I rolled my eyes and peeled her off of me. “Believe it or not, I haven’t had sex with Winter.” Be calm, be rational. It’s like Winter said. We’re using each other for our political gain… but… I’d like to think that my friendship with Lucina is somewhat real.

“Anyway,” I said, as much to put an end to my own ideas as to change the direction of the conversation, “I’m sure we all have things to talk about. Why don’t we start debriefing each other here, and I can call Winter back to share her side of things when you three are done.”

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“Sure.”

“Of course.”

“Yes, sir.”

Reya, Lucina, and Akahime all answered simultaneously while moving to a massive table within the control room. Various AR models floated there, ready to perform a mock battle, or simulate our plans if need be.

We got over there, and I nodded to the pilots picked out by Lucina. They returned my greeting, and then turned back to oversee the migration of all 110 members of the miniature army that we’d accumulated into the ship.

I actually looked over the women for the first time, and took note of what they were wearing. Reya had on a black suit, with a small breastplate that only covered her chest. Golden greaves, gauntlets, and an armored skirt all stood out from her outfit, and a small crown was placed on her blue hair.

She noticed my stare and said, “It is a custom for the crowned prince or princess to wear a crown out in public. Unfortunately, my mother plans to enforce this even during times of war.”

I nodded, and moved my gaze over to Lucina. She was wearing boots that made her appear taller than she already was, which was to say, monstrous. Her long limbs made her look like an elegant yet avant-garde ballerina.

Blackish purple armor covered the entirety of her body, and enhanced the bulk of her frame two-fold. She looked like a knight errant, save for the lack of a horse. She placed a hand on my shoulder when she noticed my stare, and gave me a lecherous smile.

I knew she wanted to get together for a session over the majority of our time off, but actual work dictated that I get all my priorities sorted out beforehand. I needed to arrange meals for the soldiers, book times in the training halls for each division, and organize joint practices between the squadrons on top of navigating my way through the Metron Kingdom’s political quagmire.

She leaned in close, standing an entire head above me, even though we used to be the same height. “Want to explore what’s under this armor after we land? I promise it’ll be worth your while, Paladin Cole.”

I shivered from her sultry voice defiling my ear, and had to keep a straight face, despite my lips yearning to curve into a smile. “Perhaps.” I answered, running my eyes up and down her gallant figure. “But I’ll need you to behave yourself.”

Her smile softened, and she stepped back, allowing me a look at Akahime. She was wearing thin, red armor, reminiscent of an assassin. Her face had on war paint, which was a series of red lines over a white foundation. Red lipstick pulled the whole image together, and it was the first thing my eyes went to when she sent me a smile.

“Hello, Master Cole. It is wonderful to see you again.” She gave me a curt bow, and stood up straight, still cheerful. “If it would please you, I would offer you my services once we reach the Primal Kingdom as well.”

I opened my mouth to decline, but Lucina cut me off. “I’m sure he’d be happy to do so. We’d definitely need to make some purchases once we get there though.” I turned to give her a venomous look, but she had already averted her gaze.

Internally clicking my tongue, I motioned towards Reya to start with her debriefing. Listening to some of the things that she had gone through this past month, I was more than a little surprised at how much effort she had put in, despite being forcibly drafted to the cause.

“I told you that she wanted to be in your good graces again. All you needed to give her was a directive, and she would have clawed and scratched her own heart out to achieve it.” X said, appearing over my shoulders and wrapping me in an incorporeal embrace.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, having learned from past experience that physically reacting to something a Judgment says around others could have disastrous consequences. “Thank you Reya. You went above and beyond what I was expecting.”

Her face slackened, and a genuine smile graced her countenance. “Thank you. If you have any questions about my unit, please ask me any time.” She stepped back, and allowed Akahime to take the reins.

“My lord, allow me to debrief you on the state of the infantrymen you’ll be employing.” Confused by her sudden fealty, I just stared at her and waited for her to continue. My lips curled up when she spoke about her frustrations when going up against my AI in the combat simulation chambers.

I thanked her for her input, and continued dedication to making sure the operation went smoothly. She nodded and stepped back, before being replaced by Lucina. She gave me some time to think before starting, which I gladly took.

Who has access to my combat data, and would wantonly upload it into the system? I asked, X, who laughed in reply.

“That would be Judgment itself, Master. As per a request by an anonymous user, Judgment uploaded the combat potential you showed from your fight with Gazix in the colosseum, and crafted an AI program with it. Of course, this is fully contained within the chambers, and is not available to others via the cloud.”

Meanwhile, Lucina had led me to a trio of seats, and set me down in the middle. She sat to my right, and said, “I’m sure my debriefing can happen while we are relaxing. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

I turned to my right, only to find that Akahime and Reya were arguing over who would get the seat to my left, along with Winter, who had just returned to give her own report.

I sighed as I slumped into the seat. I might have done too good of a job in manipulating them when we first met.