The Mad Harem Proposal and the Doomsday Quake
Am I really crazy? I'd made that bold declaration in front of everyone, but the price was brutal.
"Did you take your meds?"
"Seres, you must be feeling really sick...."
Viol and Arios rushed to my sides right away, grabbing my arms.
"Let go!"
I struggled, but there was no way I could overpower those two. I got dragged away helplessly.
"Ugh...."
Niobe, who would normally help me, just watched. She'd been unhappy with my antics from the start and clearly planned to let it happen.
"Hahaha!"
Red just laughed like it was all a big joke. With no one to help me, I panicked as I was hauled toward the Imperial Palace.
Wait, this isn't right? The original plan was for me to resurrect people in front of everyone, they'd see it and think, He's really a god, and naturally treat me as a being above the law. Once I'm beyond the law, building a harem should be fine, right?
But getting dragged off midway like this meant I couldn't even get started properly. What a mess.
"You're not Valencia? You died a month ago!"
"So I was dead?"
"My god, Lord Seres really resurrected the dead!"
"It's the power of a god itself!"
Even as I was being ignominiously dragged away, I caught sight of people staring at me in awe and wonder. At least I could take some solace in the results I'd achieved so far.
And then,
"Check if this one's lost his mind."
The moment we reached the Imperial Palace, Viol forced me onto a bed and summoned Sibylius for a thorough examination.
"Let's take a look."
Sibylius conjured countless magic circles above my head and scanned my brain meticulously.
"...I'm not sure. This is my first time examining an angel's mind. From what you've described, something's definitely off, but I can't pinpoint the exact cause."
"You're useless where it matters most."
Hames sniped at the troubled Sibylius.
"I'm not crazy!"
I yelled at the women treating me like a total lunatic.
"My mind's fine—perfectly sane! I meant every word!"
"You think you're sane after resurrecting the dead in front of everyone and declaring yourself a divine being?"
Viol gave me a look like Why would you do that? The others wore similar expressions, clearly unable to comprehend my actions. I shouted at them.
"Because that's the only way I can marry all of you!"
I laid my true feelings bare. No point hiding it, and I'd have to say it eventually anyway.
And just as expected, their reactions were priceless. They all stared at me with blank, dumbfounded faces, like they had no idea what I'd just said.
"What did you say?"
"Marry all of us?"
"Are you insane?"
"Hmm, there really is something wrong with your head...."
Arios, Hames, Viol, and Sibylius spoke in turn.
"I wondered why you were acting so weird all of a sudden... Talk about big dreams. Or did you just go into heat or something?"
Red treated me like an idiot.
"Hey, you lot! You think I want this?!"
I yelled, feeling utterly wronged.
"This is all because of you! Be honest—if I picked just one of you, the others wouldn't accept it, right?"
"If you don't pick me, I'll kill the one you choose."
"See?!"
I pointed at Arios as proof—she'd answered immediately about killing her rival.
"The rest of you would do the same! So marrying all of you is the better option!"
"But the law..."
"That's why I declared myself a god! Once everyone knows, I'll be above the law—no rules apply to me!"
I countered Sibylius, who brought up the law, but she just shook her head awkwardly.
"...Even if you're a god, it might work, but it's impossible for you."
"Why?"
"Even if you want to marry all of us, do you think we'd accept it?"
Sibylius gestured at the others, saying none of them would tolerate sharing.
"I'd never accept it. Better to kill them all than let them defile Seres."
"Defile? Who's defiling who? You'd be the ones getting pregnant!"
"Have you truly lost your mind?!"
As I argued with Sibylius, the others jumped in.
"I won't share you with anyone."
"It's an impure idea from the start."
"Why not just head to the red-light district and go pro there?"
Viol, Hames, and Red all voiced their displeasure. They looked furious at the very thought. For once, these women who wanted to kill each other were united on Sibylius's side.
"In noble society, it's common enough to have lovers outside of marriage...."
Arios seemed to be defending me, but her eyes told a different story—no light in them, like she was ready to slaughter the other four right then. Well, I hadn't expected instant agreement anyway. It wasn't a sensible plan.
So I was about to try properly convincing them when—
"Seres has gone mad...."
Ares muttered in a dazed voice.
"My son has gone mad!"
"Mother?"
"This is all your fault, you bitches!!!"
Ares ignored my call and pointed accusingly at the others, yelling that I'd lost my mind.
"You filthy whores!"
"...Are you talking to me?"
Viol looked flustered at being cursed out by her subordinate. Ares had at least been polite before, so this was a shock.
"Why is this my fault?"
"Isn't it? You keep locking him up in the palace, and now look—he's gone weird!!"
"W-well, you're one to talk! You couldn't even handle your nephew properly when he showed up!"
Viol yelled back, but her voice trembled with guilt.
"It's not just the emperor! You, you, you, and you~!"
Ares grilled the remaining four, grinding her teeth.
"Arios, you're the biggest problem. Things started going wrong after you showed up!"
"Pfft! Pot calling the kettle black. Seres lost his memories before I even arrived—because of you."
"And what about when Seres healed your subordinates? That happened because of you, and it forced him to reveal his healing powers in public."
"... "
Arios, who'd been snarking back boldly, shut her mouth.
"And High Priestess Hames, you too! Pretending to care while pushing him too hard."
"...You're right. My actions weren't blameless. I won't deny it."
Hames handled it most maturely.
"Sibylius, what were you thinking? Becoming the Maou just to claim Seres?"
"I'm innocent. In fact, I helped him the most out of all of us."
She had cooperated on healing his body, so yeah, aside from her weird confessions and temptations, she hadn't done much wrong.
"You demon bitch. Acting like an ally now? Die!"
"No thanks?"
Red, probably the guiltiest, was utterly shameless. But Ares's next words shattered everyone's composure.
"How much stress did you put him under to make him say something this insane?!"
She jabbed a finger at me accusingly, and they all fell silent, glancing nervously at me. Could it be these women actually felt guilty, thinking I'd cracked from the pressure?
"...It seems like a temporary episode from stress."
Sibylius said reluctantly, looking at me with pity.
"Then let's leave him to rest for a while. It'll pass if we give him space."
"...Yeah."
"We have been hounding him."
Hames, Arios, and even Viol agreed to leave me alone for the time being.
"Hmph, weakling."
Red's words were harsh, but the mood felt oddly soft.
"By the way, Countess Ares, what about you? You won't stick around, will you? You're part of the stress too."
"...I know that without you saying it."
Ares sighed and called Niobe.
"We'll be apart for a bit, so take care of Seres."
"Understood."
Niobe replied firmly, and thus began my "rest"—which was really just house arrest.
"My lord, you're very ill right now. So rest."
Niobe forcibly kept me pinned to the bed, preventing any escape.
"I'm telling you, I'm perfectly sane!"
"No. From what I see, you've become extremely reckless. This isn't the lord I know. Like the others said, you're unstable from stress."
"I'm not!"
"Of course you are! Even if you wanted to live with all those women, that method was pure madness. And you still can't explain it properly—you just keep denying it!"
Damn it. No reasoning with her. Lying in bed like this meant I couldn't do anything. Maybe play along and wait for an opening?
I stewed over it for days. Then—
"My lord, earthquake!"
Suddenly, the Imperial Palace shook violently. Niobe scooped me up and dashed outside. Staying inside during a collapse would be fatal, even for a Sword Master.
"This is bad!"
"No way...."
Once outside, we both froze in shock. The quake was far bigger than expected. Every building in sight trembled, and some outright crumbled.
"This place seems the safest, ironically."
The palace grounds were in the best shape. Other areas shook so badly people couldn't move, but here it was just a normal tremor. For such a massive earthquake, it felt eerily familiar.
I recalled something from the original novel I'd forgotten amid the chaos.
This can't be...
The earthquake from the final chapter, when Seres dies?!