Why, oh why, did I agree with this?! Aenwyn asked herself for the hundredth time as she lay in the fabulously warm and spacious hot spring with Layla, exposed to all the world.

Thankfully, Joram had kept his eyes closed the entire time, otherwise she’d have likely died of shame even though she’d assured her best friend that she’d be fine supporting her. That had lasted until they’d taken off their towels.

That even Layla had started to feel embarrassed at her bold play reassured Aenwyn, somewhat. That her best friend hadn’t completely lost herself in pursuit of strengthening her business relationship with Joram really gladdened her heart. Then it nearly stopped a moment after Joram had somehow made two towels from thin air!

“Ohhhhh~~?” Layla teased after they’d covered themselves again, “So, you can still blush. I was starting to think that I’d somehow lost my touch.”

“Well, I’d have to be a eunuch to not react to two such beauties,” Joram said even though his eyes were still closed.

“It must be easier to keep your cool when you’re ‘Kinkade’, eh?” Layla asked, causing him to start slightly, then laughed at his reaction. “Yes, I’ve figured it out. Though, I must say that your reactions in person are much more honest than when you’re visiting as Kinkade,” she said, sounding oddly… happy?

What’s going on there?! Aenwyn thought furiously, not knowing why Layla had deviated from their plan.

“Well, I guess that’ll make things easier, going forward,” he said, rolling his head to the side to finally look at them. “So, how’re we going to proceed from here, Miss Layla?” he asked, sounding a bit… uncertain?

“Well, that all depends on you,” Layla said, smiling at him. “But first, you can drop the honorifics. Just call me Layla,” she said, giving Joram yet another one of her disarming smiles.

Aenwyn was about ready to just abandon her best friend when she saw Joram’s smile. Not because it caused her to fear for her safety or anything. No, because of how it made her heart flutter as she took it in with the rest of his nearly naked form.

Kinkade was… quite the looker, she had to admit. She’d even wondered at one point if she could get to know him a bit better, much to her chagrin. Joram, though, was also quite… attractive. Sure, he didn’t have the same heroic proportions that Kinkade had- or, rather, what the projection of Kinkade had-, but she supposed that was because he was still growing. Though he’d never be quite as broad in the chest and shoulders as “Kinkade”, she was sure that he would cut a striking figure when he finally finished growing.

“OK, Layla,” Joram said, sounding a bit awkward as he left off the honorific he’d used for years now. “Then I’m guessing that you’ve come up with a few more… conclusions?” he said, prompting Layla to share more of her thoughts.

“OK, then,” Layla said, turning slightly so that she could face Joram more directly, so she did the same.

Even with Layla between them, she could see that Joram’s face coloured again slightly at the movement. As his eyes flickered over to her for a brief moment, she saw that his blush deepened slightly, which in turn caused her face to warm in embarrassment.

Not because a man had blushed looking at her. No, she’d long since gotten used to things like that. No, this was caused by a slight flutter in her chest. A flutter that originated from her feeling… vindicated? That she’d finally gotten a reaction from the stoic man that she’d tried to get a reaction from when she’d first met “him” was… oddly satisfying. And, for some reason, nerve-racking.

From every report she’d seen since he’d come to their attention, Joram was almost constantly surrounded by beauties on a level with Layla. So, why had he reacted to them like he had? Was it just a ploy? Surely, a young man surrounded by so many beauties had gone further with at least a few of them. So, why the reaction?

“You’re not from here. You’re an Outworlder,” Layla said, bringing her back to her uncomfortable surroundings again.

“Hmm, that I am,” he said, nodding a bit as he turned slightly, brought up his left hand, and used it to lean his head on as he looked at them.

“Are you also a Reincarnator?” Layla asked, still focussed on Joram.

“Hmm, that I am,” he said, once more nodding slightly. “Though, before you ask, I’m not one of those ancient masters who’ve lived for countless years before reincarnating. I was just in my forties when I was killed by that Old Fart,” he said, sounding more than a little bit salty about it.

Aenwyn could understand that, though. Who wouldn’t be salty about being killed?

“Then, how do you explain your advanced cultivation?” Layla asked, not sounding convinced.

Aenwyn couldn’t blame her, for she was also very doubtful of his claim.

“Hmmm, that’s much more complicated. That said, I can’t go into it very much, mostly due to needing to keep my family and friends safe,” he said, then waved his free right hand to stop their objections. “If even I know more than a few ways of getting information out of someone, other people and groups certainly know one or two. So, it’s best to keep that information secret, for now,” he finished, giving Aenwyn a bit of hope that he’d eventually open up to them.

“That’s fair,” Layla said, nodding.

“That said, I basically have a knack for Mental Strength. It comes easily to me, hence my advanced cultivation.”

“’Knack’?” Layla asked, prompting Joram to share more.

“Hmm, I’ve got a natural affinity for the Law of Mind, so I guess that helps,” he said, now rubbing his chin with his free hand.

“Oh,” Layla said, sounding as shocked as Aenwyn felt.

Having any natural affinity for a Law was rare. Having an affinity for a Peak Law like that was almost unheard of.

“So, is that your only natural affinity?” Layla suddenly asked, taking both her and Joram off guard with just how personal that was.

“No. But once again, I can’t really talk about that too much,” Joram said, giving Layla a slightly pained smile.

“I understand,” Layla said, nodding. “Then, tell me, what are your plans? Surely you don’t really need to attend the Academy with how accomplished you are already. So, why have you stayed?”

The water still on Joram’s chest and arms suddenly vaporized as his aura briefly spiked as he closed his eyes, scaring both her and Layla enough to edge away from him.

Did Layla just touch a sensitive topic? She silently wondered, hoping that they hadn’t just stepped into a dragon’s lair.

“Sorry,” Joram said a moment later, then took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “You’ve been more than good to me over the years, so I’ll… share.

“Almost two years ago, an extermination squad from Zhizun Zhanshi came and nearly wiped out my clan and home, killing almost everyone that I know,” he said, then paused as both she and Layla gasped, horrified at the news.

“They also… took many of the younger generation, and someone very important to me,” he continued, obviously reigning in his anger. “I’m here, at the Academy, to learn and to grow stronger. Not only that, but I’ve also been working at getting contacts. Contacts to sponsor me so that I can get a passport to go over to Zhizun Zhanshi.

“But for now, I need to get stronger. Because those who took my family are much stronger than I am. I know my limits, and they are currently well below the threshold needed to challenge one of the ancient Sects over there.

“So, I study. I cultivate. I try to distract myself from the fact that I can’t do anything at all to rescue my family from slavery,” he finished, still sounding as though he was suppressing untold wrath.

Layla reached a hand back for Aenwyn to take. She wasn’t sure if it was to comfort her or Layla, but she gladly held on and squeezed back.

Joram seemed to realize that he’d made things beyond awkward and looked a bit ashamed. After a few more moments of silence, Layla spoke up.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said quietly as Aenwyn shifted a bit closer to her best friend so that she could lean against her back to give her more support. “I’ll continue to do what I can for you with Heaven’s Bounty,” she finished, sounding resolved.

“Thank you,” Joram said quietly, not quite looking at them. “But, are you sure? I could have just made all that up,” he said, sneaking a glance at them from the corner of his eye before looking away again.

“I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and knowing when someone is lying to me,” Layla said, sounding confident. “All of my instincts tell me that you’re a good person and telling the truth, however farfetched it sounds.”

Joram turned his head again so that he could look at them. Aenwyn nearly slipped past Layla to hug him when she saw the look of such raw gratitude on Joram’s face. She held back, though. Mostly because of her warring feelings. Partially because they were all still in the bath. Well, mostly because they were all still in the bath.

Layla, however, didn’t seem to have such reservations as she scooted over to Joram, pulled him over, and gave him a great big hug. From where she sat just a couple of feet away, she could see just how shocked Joram was, but she could also see the relief he tried to hide.

After a moment, one of Joram’s arms wrapped around Layla and the other beckoned to her. So, swallowing her many reservations, Aenwyn also scooted forward to join the hug, though she mostly kept Layla between her and Joram.

After another few moments of silent hugging, Joram let them go, a slight blush on his face.

“Sorry, it’s my first time giving a hug in such a situation,” he said, once more not quite looking at them.

“I’m sure that it’s a first for everyone present,” Layla said with a smile. “Honestly, it was more comfortable than I thought it would be,” she said, laughing melodiously as Aenwyn nodded to that.

She certainly hadn’t ever hugged a man in a bath before, and the little bit of skinship had been… exhilarating, in a way.

“Just ask us if you need anything,” Aenwyn impulsively blurted out, then blushed because she’d unconsciously included Layla in her promise.

“Thanks,” Joram said, giving them a smile that reminded her of Kinkade’s, though much more… dazzling.

“So,” Layla said, still practically touching Joram from where she sat. “Are we firm business partners, friends, or perhaps more?” she asked teasingly, running a finger along Joram’s well-toned arm that brought more than a little bit of colour to his face.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Umm,” he said, looking more than a little bit stunned.

“We’ll go with friends, for now,” Layla once more laughed melodiously as she shifted back slightly.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t accounted for Aenwyn being so close, so she collided with her and caused them to slip slightly on their seat/ledge thingy, which in turn caused them to fall over slightly… and their towels to come undone.

As Joram quickly covered his eyes and they scrambled for their towels, Aenwyn could have sworn that she heard Joram mutter: “Hotsprings 101: towel mishaps.”

* * *

“So, now that we’ve gathered our first strategy meeting,” Emily said, looking around at the other members of the Study Group. “What does everyone think about Layla and Aenwyn being here? What do you think they’re up to?” she asked her friends as they sat in her room.

More than a few uncomfortable looks were shared amongst the group, but finally Kassandra spoke up.

“Ostensibly, they’re here to get to know Joram better and to go over their business dealings,” she said, then shook her head. “But I find it more than coincidental that they’ve gone to take a bath at the same time that Joram has,” she finished, blowing Jae-Eun’s mind in the process.

Well, not just Jae-Eun’s. It was just that Jae-Eun had the most extreme reaction to that news as Jezira nodded at Kassandra’s side.

Surprisingly, Faenwyn was the one who had the next most extreme reaction as her ears nearly flattened on her head as a growl escaped her. Though, Renna’s reaction was almost precious as her face turned red, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened.

For their part, Mo Yu and Bai Lian seemed to be calm on the surface, but Emily saw that they’d become too calm considering Kassandra’s news.

“But knowing Joram, they’d have to literally jump in his lap in the bath to get through his thick skull,” Kassandra finished with a sniff.

Emily could very much empathize with that, having done all she could to get closer to Joram over the past half-year. Well, she also knew that the others had also done so, though to varying degrees.

“So, do you think that they’re trying the honey trap method?” she asked, trying to keep things on track.

“Or it could be a bit of a shock tactic,” Aya suddenly piped in, shocking them all given that she normally didn’t speak up.

“In what way?” Alyraele asked curiously.

“There are various tactics in war, especially when faced with a stronger opponent,” Aya started, looking around the room at the far weaker students. “Sometimes, using what you have can be more effective than relying on a treasure. Namely, your body.

“It isn’t an unknown tactic to distract men in combat by having a ‘wardrobe malfunction’. It could be that they’re planning on something like that while speaking with Joram, either before or after they finish in the baths,” Aya finished, shocking almost everyone present. Kassandra, Jezira, Vylryss, and Nemora, however, took that all in stride.

Succubae, she thought wryly. Nothing like that really shocks them.

“Th-th-then! Is Joram in danger?” Jae-Eun asked, looking incredibly concerned.

“If he reacts anything like how he reacted when I refused… stuff, then he’s in no danger at all,” Sophia said, still looking embarrassed over her misunderstanding from their last field trip.

“True,” Mo Yu said, nodding. “The young master isn’t someone easily tempted by a naked body.”

Bai Lian nodded along, but Emily could see that she was blushing slightly, making her think that something more had happened than they’d shared with everyone else.

“So, are Layla and Aenwyn a danger? Thoughts?” she asked, once more bringing them all back to the purpose of the meeting she’d called once the aforementioned pair had stepped out of the house.

“Ultimately, no,” Alyraele said, seemingly taking the lead for the original Study Group members. “If Joram chooses to… take them into his confidence, then that’s his choice. Ours, though, would be whether or not we accept them should they… join us,” she finished, not quite able to suppress some heat from rising to her cheeks.

“Are they good people, though?” Gabrielle asked, looking a bit concerned.

“They certainly presented well at his birthday party,” Daleira said thoughtfully. “Now that we know that Kinkade and Asura are just projections made by Joram and Avi, and that Joram has been dealing with Heaven’s Bounty Auction House for years now, I’m sure that Joram has a decent grasp of both their personalities, as well as their character.”

“True,” Renna said, tapping her lips with a finger, seemingly recovered from her shock. “Given how many people that didn’t pass the interview process for joining the Study Group, and who did,” she said, giving Faenwyn, Kassandra, and her a significant look, “I’m certain that he wouldn’t have allowed Layla and Aenwyn come along if he didn’t at least trust them.”

That seemed to put most of them at ease, much to Emily’s surprise and pleasure. They’d all grown much closer after the summer break’s training camp. She was sure that everyone was much more comfortable with the thought of either becoming a wife, or a concubine, of Joram’s now.

Though, given how Jezira had been acting, Emily wondered if she, too, had unconsciously added herself to the pool, as it were. Even Aya had been less… intimidating, when it came to Joram since the training camp. Which, really, was an overall plus in her books, as a Tier 6 wasn’t something that any of them could handle if she got mad.

“So, what, they’d join in on your fun?” Megami asked, breaking everyone out of their thoughts as well as making them realize that at least one person there wasn’t a future wife or concubine.

“Ah…” Emily said, then remembered the most important person when it came to these sorts of things. “We’ll just have to get Avi’s opinion about all this once she’s out of seclusion,” she said, deflecting the question to where it rightfully belonged.

“I still can’t believe that that kid turned out to be such a Casanova,” Megami said, shaking her head. “I mean, yeah, he’s cute and all. But, come on! All of you?” she asked for what seemed like the dozenth time.

With that question, they all fell back into the familiar pattern of assurances, joking, and laughing that that question inevitably brought about. Which, in her opinion, was a good thing as she’d really grown to like the other members of the Study Group.

Now, if she could somehow find a way to limit Joram’s exposure to other women, and thus the likelihood of more women attaching themselves to him, then she’d be quite happy. As it was, she was glad that he was still so… shy, awkward, and reserved, even if it meant that things were going slower than she would have liked.

With that thought in mind, she started directing the conversation towards resolving that issue.

* * *

Joram lay in bed that evening wondering how well this field trip would actually unfold. With how Layla and Aenwyn had waylaid him in the bath, then with how everyone had started acting funny when he returned, he seriously had to wonder what was up.

‘Joram? May we come in?’ Mo Yu asked, causing him to blink and start wondering what was up with them.

Instead of responding through the Network, he used a bit of telekinesis to open the door for her and whoever else was with her.

Mo Yu quickly slipped into the room, followed by Bai Lian who then closed and locked the door behind her, which caused many alarm bells in his head to go off. Especially when he noticed that they were dressed in night attire.

‘What’s up?’ he sent as casually as he could as they approached him.

‘It’s time,’ Bai Lian sent back, determination thick in the sending, and evident in her body language.

Joram blinked again as they arrived at his bed, though they didn’t stop there. They then dropped their nighties to the floor, revealing themselves to him, then climbed into bed with him. Once they’d flanked him, they then began taking off his clothing, turning the abject shock and confusion he’d felt into a roaring blaze of passion.

- - -

The next day passed without issue, though he had more than a little trouble keeping his mind on the missions throughout the day. With Bai Lian and Mo Yu by his side the whole day, it was no wonder that he was having a hard time concentrating.

That evening, after dinner and a soak in the bath, blessedly free from the bountiful beauties, he had once again retired to his room to refill his social batteries when a knock came at his door.

Having a premonition that came as a shiver running down his spine, he got up and silently stepped over to the door. Once there, he took a few slow breaths to help calm himself. He’d been keeping his FoP off, not wanting to accidentally pay attention to the wrong place at the wrong time, so he could only guess at who’d be on the other side of the door.

Firming up, he opened the door and saw Emily as she was starting to turn away, a sad look on her face. But when she noticed the door opening, she seemed to perk up again.

Before he could say anything, she quickly slid into his room, dragging him along for the ride. With a thought, he pushed the door closed with a thread of telekinesis before Emily tugged him into bed.

“It’s been so hard today,” she said as she nuzzled into his chest, breathing deeply.

“Uh… why?” he asked, hoping that his hunch was wrong.

“I could smell it,” she said, her ears going so red that he could see it through her white fur. “I… want that too,” she said, so quietly that he almost missed it.

Not quite knowing what to say to that, Joram wrapped his arms around her narrow frame and lay with her for a time, enjoying the quiet intimacy. But sooner than he expected, Emily began wiggling up his chest, her body doing many interesting things to him, until she was face-to-face with him.

He looked into her amazingly red eyes as she stared right back at him. He noticed just how red her cheeks were, but didn’t say anything as she slowly leaned down and kissed him. He was amazed at just how soft her lips were, making him lose himself for a moment before she leaned back slightly to take several deep breaths, gazing at him all the while.

He didn’t know why, but having Emily stare at him while catching her breath like that nearly sent him over the edge. She leaned down again, once more pressing her lips into his. This time, he decided to use his tongue, surprising her in the process.

But she soon adapted and astonished him with how enthusiastic she was to use her own tongue. Soon, she was pulling off his shirt, and he hers. Then he lost track of things….

- - -

Joram was beginning to suspect that everyone who’d confessed to him over summer break was determined to have a night with him after Kassandra had shown up the next night. Not only that, but she’d also brought along Jezira, nearly causing him to shift away in a panic.

That said, he was now certain that he liked having more than one partner at a time. He wasn’t sure if he should feel as scummy as he did, though, for admitting that to himself. But he did. But he also very much liked it, so there it was.

Well, after that, he was sure to push everyone as hard as he could throughout the day, hoping to exhaust them all before returning to the safe haven a bit later than normal.

Alas, their energy seemed to be inexhaustible, for Faenwyn was the one who showed up the next night, looking fiercely determined. So much so in fact, that he thought that she was there to stab him or something. Well, that thought was then ironically reversed as she later rode him hard.

The next day continued on like the previous, though he worked even harder to exhaust them. When they returned that night, he was sure that he’d succeeded when they all collapsed in the living room, complaining about how it had been too much and that he should be nicer to them all.

Once more alone in his room, he was congratulating himself on a job well-done when another knock came at his door.

Giving up, he just used a bit of telekinesis to open the door, showing Renna on the other side. Without a word, she stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

“How are you even still up?” he asked in wonder.

“I’m also an Alchemist,” she said, producing several bottles of medicinal pills from her storage ring before making them vanish again. “Prepare yourself, Joram,” she said, then slowly stalked forward until she was standing beside the bed, looking down at him.

He didn’t say anything, but instead just stored his clothing away into his storage ring, causing Renna to turn a deep scarlet that went from the top of her forehead all the way down to her chest. He, too, felt incredibly embarrassed, but he managed to keep his blush at bay with a bit of autohypnosis.

Then Renna’s clothing also vanished, revealing surprising curves on such a slender frame. As she crawled into bed with him, he idly noted that all of her hair was the same spun-gold colour. Then she was in his arms, and he didn’t think of much else beyond making sure that she felt good.

The following night it was Daleira who showed up, surprisingly shy considering how much she flirted with him normally. That night he found out just how much nymph blood she truly had flowing through her veins, impressing him with… well, everything.

Then came Gabrielle, even shier than Daleira had been. That night went slower, but still wound up leading to sex as she finally gathered her courage and acted.

The next night was when Alyraele came.

“You’ve been busy,” she joked once inside, blushing slightly, making her golden eyes seem as though they were suns setting into the ocean, especially with her sea-green hair framing her face.

“I guess I’ve been too… reserved for everyone’s liking,” he said with a wry grin. “I certainly didn’t expect all this,” he said, both referring to her visit as well as the visits of everyone else.

“Well, you’re surprisingly dense sometimes,” she said, laughing lightly. “So, are you prepared to have yet another ‘goddess’ fall into your embrace?” she asked as she sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“The question is: are you?” he asked, looking her in the eyes, wondering if this was truly what she wanted.

“I think so, yes,” she said quietly. “We’ve been talking about it for a while now, you know? We all want to be with you, and not just as a Study Group,” she said, then leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

The next day had him wondering if he’d get skewered by Aya if Jae-Eun decided to knock on his door that night. When the knock finally came, he used telekinesis to open the door, the promptly slammed it shut again when he saw Vylryss and Nemora standing outside.

He finally got some rest that night, much to his relief.

The following day was a bit more interesting, though. While he was out with his teammates, as well as Jae-Eun and Aya, they ran into a rare sight, according to Aya, anyways.

‘So, this is a colony of… selkies?’ he asked over the Network, in their own chat group, wondering if it was a translation issue.

‘Indeed,’ Aya replied, nodding. ‘They can be violent or benevolent. It all depends on their prior experience with land-dwellers and, of course, how you approach them.’

Welp, let’s just see how this goes, then, he thought as he started planning out how to approach the elvenoid settlement below.