Preparations
Like a tangle of coiling serpents, we spent the entire day pressed against one another—biting, sucking, stroking, and kneading flesh.
Through it all, we learned every one of each other’s weaknesses, poured out our hidden thoughts, and shared countless stories we never would have uttered in the light of day.
I wished that sticky, heady, euphoric bliss would go on forever, but unfortunately, all things must come to an end.
"Ugh...!"
Forcing my trembling limbs to move, I washed off and collapsed back onto the bed. An unspeakable, heavy languor washed through every fiber of my being.
"...We went at it way harder than I thought."
At my muttered remark, the women broke into a soft chorus of giggles.
"Indeed. I particularly loved how you were like a wild beast at first, Lord Hangil, only to become so tender as time went on."
"The same goes for all of you. At first, you were all panting like helpless slaves to pleasure, but later you took your sweet time, hungrily crawling all over me... Do all Masters possess a surplus of talent in bed, or is it just you lot?"
The beginning had undoubtedly been rough and crude beyond denial, yet strangely enough, the end was gentle and warm.
After venting every drop of lust as if swept away by repeated tempestuous storms, a startlingly deep bond of intimacy had taken root among us.
"Oh, come now, surely not. We just happen to have good stamina, that's all."
"I was... truly happy."
"...It felt incredible, and I'm relieved we're finally together... but I never imagined seven of us would pounce on you only to lose... Just how bottomless is your stamina?"
"It is only natural for the Lord Incarnation. He is an exalted being whom common mortals like us could never hope to rival."
Having drained all my stamina and lust, lethargy had turned every chore in the world into a nuisance, yet chatting with them in low voices gave me a strange sense of fulfillment, drawing our hearts closer with every word. I couldn't bring myself to stop.
They must have felt the same way, for wide, beaming smiles bloomed across their flushed, glowing faces as our conversation flowed.
...Though, with their napes and shoulders plastered in hickeys, and red handprints marking their breasts, waists, and hips through disheveled robes, the view remained outrageously erotic.
"By the way... It feels a little late to ask, but... are you all really okay with this?"
"Hmm~? With what~?"
Still hugging me close, Pashtra rubbed her face against my chest, asking playfully with an adorable whine.
For the record, Muriel and Rebecca were clinging to my arms, Nemeth and Cacciola had claimed my flanks, while Latipi and Wendy lay using the insides of my thighs as pillows.
...The others were fine, but every time Latipi and Wendy shifted their heads, they brushed against my groin, threatening to reignite that dormant heat.
To think I could still get hard after going at it like that... I honestly had no idea what kind of freakish anatomy my body had developed.
"I mean, this is a harem, right? One guy, multiple women... Shouldn't you normally want me all to yourselves?"
"That really is a bit late to bring up."
Muriel, the first to answer, poked my cheek with a gentle smile.
"It is fine. I never thought I could have you exclusively from the start. In fact, this arrangement brings me peace of mind."
"Peace of mind...? That sounds a bit bizarre, doesn't it...?"
"It is not just me; the others feel the same. To varying degrees, of course... but we already discussed it beforehand."
"...Huh? That makes it sound even weirder. All of you feel reassured by a harem? How does that even make sense?"
Unable to grasp it, I asked again, only for the women to look back at me with calm, yet strangely heavy and clingy gazes.
"It's all your fault, Master-ya. By nature, I would never tolerate sharing my man with a harem..."
"Uh...?"
Cacciola pinched my cheek tightly as if I were utterly incorrigible.
"Ahaha... Well, it couldn't be helped. Considering who our partner is, that is."
"Uh... I really don't get it. Rebecca, care to explain?"
"Ah, well... In short, you could call it an 'anchor' of sorts..."
"...An anchor? Like the heavy iron thing used to moor a ship?"
"Yes. Put simply, our role is to weigh you down and cling to you so that you can never drift away, Lord Hangil."
"What on earth are you... Ah."
Realization struck me a beat late, and my mouth snapped shut.
As silence fell from my lips, they quieted down as well, cautiously watching my expression with nervous, uneasy eyes.
"...In other words, you accepted a harem because you thought having more women would keep me from leaving?"
"Yes."
Muriel’s resolute confirmation left me speechless.
"W-Well, uh..."
I sat there in a daze for a while, stammering without knowing how to react.
"Did I really look that unstable?"
"Yes."
"Without a doubt, Master-ya."
"Ahem... It did always feel as though you might vanish into thin air at any moment..."
"Watching you strive toward your goal was admirable, but... we were terrified of what would happen once you actually achieved it..."
Seeing them seize the chance to chime in one by one, I let out a deep sigh.
"...I had no idea you felt that way. When did you even talk about this?"
"Whenever we had a free moment. The women gathered, discussed it, and reached a consensus."
"Good grief..."
I never dreamed they had been having such conversations behind my back.
"Still, that feels a bit unfair. Haven't I been living pretty decently lately?"
"Ha! Are you seriously saying that with a straight face, Master-ya?"
Cacciola clamped onto my nose with genuine feeling, wiggling it back and forth.
"You took a curse in Duchess Pitora's place just yesterday, and you call that living decently? If your luck had been just a little worse, that curse would've killed you on the spot! To our eyes, you looked like a man who has zero attachment to his own life."
"She is entirely correct. Furthermore, you still keep liquor and cigarettes glued to your lips at all hours. People who live proper lives do not do that."
"I was so terrified you'd just blow out like a flickering candle and leave us foreverrr..."
...I really had no defense.
"Haah..."
While I lay stunned by the unexpected revelation, Pashtra pecked tiny kisses along my neck, offering soothing words.
"But besides that reason, there's another great thing about having a harem! I only realized it yesterday, though..."
"...What is it?"
At my question, Pashtra licked her lips with an enticing, sensual expression.
I was mildly surprised—I had no idea Pashtra could make a face that sultry.
"If it had been any one of us alone, we never could have satisfied you, Lord Hangil! We probably would've collapsed or passed out halfway through!"
"That... is certainly true."
"You were potent beyond all imagination..."
"Truly like a beast... Could it be the influence of Beast God Kubel's divinity?"
As they nodded in unison and began gently kneading and caressing my skin, radiating a thick, rose-tinted aura once more, I let out an incredulous chuckle.
"...Then can I add a few more girls? Frankly, seven feels like it's falling a little short..."
"Excuse me?"
"Lord Hangil... that is going a bit too far..."
"Master-ya. Even for you, isn't that statement just shamelessly brazen?"
"Lord Incarnation. While I shall affirm you in all matters, drowning yourself excessively in lust cannot be good for you..."
"Uuuugh... Lord Hangiiil~ Are we really not enough for you...?"
"Pwahaha. Who knows..."
Having people who wanted me this intensely, who worried for me this deeply, filled my chest with an overwhelming warmth. Before I knew it, I pulled them all tightly into my embrace.
And then, unable to contain the swell of emotion, I ended up intertwining our bodies yet again.
Though flustered, not yet fully recovered from the lingering afterglow, they welcomed me eagerly.
...Well, every single one of them ended up passing out in the end, but regardless, their devotion alone was something to be grateful for.
Even if I still hadn't decided for certain whether I would return to reality or not.
By the time I woke from a deep slumber, festival preparations were in full swing.
And not just any festival—a celebration so colossal it set the entire city of Terabaon rumbling with excitement.
"What's with the sudden festival...?"
"It is an absolute necessity, you know! It soothes the restless public sentiment in the Duchy, proves that the Ducal House stands unshakable, and celebrates the historic day the Demon King fell."
"...Hearing you put it like that, it does sound necessary... Still, wouldn't just repairing the damage be overwhelming enough?"
When I tilted my head in doubt, Arpe, sitting across from me, lifted her chin with a proud, confident grin.
"You don't need to worry about that at all! I've already contacted the capital, and the Imperial Family has agreed to cover every single expense! Not just the festival, but the full cost of reconstruction as well!"
"Hoooh...?"
Narrowing my eyes, I locked gazes with her.
"The Imperial Family stepping in, huh... What's the angle?"
"Oh, stop~ What angle could there be! We simply wish to offer our pure congratulations for the unbelievable feat of slaying a Demon King!"
"Do you honestly expect me to buy that lie?"
"......"
"You didn't come barging in here at the crack of dawn just to feed me that line, did you?"
Arpe held her frozen smile in silence for a second before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Haaah... You're always so quick on the uptake. Fine, there is a political motive behind it. The Ducal House defeated a Demon King entirely on its own, after all... You could say the Imperial authority is at risk of being shaken."
"Is it really that serious?"
"It's that serious! Do you have any idea how absurd it is to slay a Demon King?! For hundreds of years! We couldn't even catch a glimpse of one, let alone learn their names, and you killed one! One of the Evil God's mightiest kin from across the Demon Realm!"
"Hmm. So by framing it as Imperial commendation, they want to swoop in and take credit as though it was all part of the throne's grand design? And test the Duke's loyalty while they're at it?"
"Yes... most likely. Ah, but just to be clear, I had nothing to do with this scheme, okay?"
"...Hmph."
Lighting a cigarette, I took a deep drag and sank into thought.
"Imperial intervention... Well, whatever. Doesn't matter to me."
The Imperial court must feel like a fire was lit right under their asses.
The Stanasila Duchy was already a powerhouse territory, and now they had pulled off the astronomical achievement of slaying a Demon King alone... The throne probably worried they might spark a revolution any second.
Not that Urtega gave a damn about treason or rebellion.
He wasn't the type to obsess over accolades or prestige in the first place... and since it was my companions and I who had slain the Demon King in this battle, he'd probably feel embarrassed to take credit for it.
He certainly had enough shrewdness to milk concessions from the Empire in negotiations, but given the Duchy's battered state, that was only natural.
"As long as it doesn't bother me, I don't give a damn what they do..."
"Ah, ah, um, about that, you seeee..."
Watching Arpe squirm and hesitate, an ominous dread crept up my spine.
Though my divinity and authorities had grown incomparably weaker, my instincts and intuition remained as sharp as ever.
So if a bad feeling was prickling at my gut right now, it meant something truly awful was brewing.
"What did you do?"
"...Ahem, well... I reported everything, you see. That Sir Hangil was the greatest contributor to slaying the Demon King..."
"...That much is fine. And? That's not the end of it, is it?"
"Well, it's very likely His Majesty... considers Sir Hangil to be a Hero. Or at the very least, an Avatar of God..."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, Arpe?"
Just what kind of tale did you spin for things to end up like that?
A migraine was already throbbing behind my temples, and my brow furrowed into a deep scowl.