Chapter 180 – Time to Expand
<span style="font-weight:400">After taking in the shocking, quite unexpected sight, I take a look around to note any other changes that might have happened inside my mind during my brief absence. But, everything seems to be more or less as I remember it. The only other difference from the massive, not-so-family-friendly castle is theck of the cosy cottage which served as Ailish’s little home whenever she wanted to take a rest inside me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Maybe it’s the result of your recent advancement?” Elea nces at me with a gentle smirk.
<span style="font-weight:400">I scoff at her, with no ill intent, of course. “Yeah, right. We both know there’s much more to that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“This ce responds to your mind, your imagination, does it not?” She chuckles lightly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“With all due respect, perhaps I’m not exactly the holiest of saints inside my own head, but I’m not at the level where my brain constructs cock-castles as its most default structures.” I roll my eyes. “Come on. Let’s see what this is about before I change my mind.”
<span style="font-weight:400">My lovely Dark Elfpanion slides her arm around mine, linking our elbows, and leads the way to the pink fortress of debauchery. Thankfully, it stands <i><span style="font-weight:400">proud</i><span style="font-weight:400"> atop a pinkish, grassy hill, without any kind of defences like a moat or an additional wall, palisade, or whatever. It’s pretty obvious that no one would expect any kind of trouble here.
<span style="font-weight:400">But, just in case, perhaps I should ask Lumina about this too. I’m getting quite deep into the higher Tiers and the whole divine territory. If Lilith’s soul echo can find a way in, even if only after bonding with me, there’s a chance someone or something might try to do so forcefully. I’m not exactly sure what the consequence of such an event could be. I’d rather not turn stupid overnight without even realising.
<span style="font-weight:400">We roam our gazes over the scenery, taking in the familiar sights. This entire pink world never fails at calming me down. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this is literally my soul, but I appreciate the feeling of being at peace. And while I could literally teleport the two of us to the front gate, or even inside the castle, walking side by side with Elea without the slightest hurry is more than simply enjoyable.
<span style="font-weight:400">As we near the light pink structure, the circr gate of a much deeper shade of rosiness rumbles to life, opening before our eyes. I’m not even surprised that it recedes into the castle’s walls as if revealing its <i><span style="font-weight:400">opening</i><span style="font-weight:400"> to us while split in the middle. I can only shake my head at the unnecessary <i><span style="font-weight:400">symbolism</i><span style="font-weight:400">. Thank the Goddess there’s no <i><span style="font-weight:400">veil</i><span style="font-weight:400"> we have to push through.
<span style="font-weight:400">Another thing we’ve been definitely expecting is the interior design and style. Everything is in various shades of pink, including the structure and the furniture. Round and oval windows decorate the walls interchangeably, with thetter adorned by bright rosy gems atop their arches. I swear the scarce window ledges underneath the circr openings resemble very specific tube-like appendages with thick <i><span style="font-weight:400">tips</i><span style="font-weight:400"> at both ends.
<span style="font-weight:400">I’m already getting dizzy from pure embarrassment.
<span style="font-weight:400">Even though this whole ce is new to me, it’s not exactly unfamiliar. Since it’s inside my Soul Realm, I naturally know it inside out. Therefore, I can easily lead Elea through the lewd corridors with perfect awareness of where we are heading. While moving towards what I imagine is the throne room, we pass by a hallway full of detailed statues and paintings. Obviously, they depict yours truly. And obviously, theyck any clothes.
<span style="font-weight:400">Elea sends me a few amused smiles as I try not to re at every single piece of art, hugging my arm closer. At least, a little bit further in, the choice of decoration stops being so monotonous and the depictions of my beloved wives, mates, and those I care about the most join my own. We pause by a few that show Elea and admire the fine works. Some do ring a bell and we realise that they almost copy Neira’s masterpieces.
<span style="font-weight:400">I don’t know if it was harder walking through a corridor full of my naked figures or one brimming with enthralling nudes of all thedies. Thetter is certainly much harder to just ignore and the model for a portion of them is well aware of that.
<span style="font-weight:400">Soon, we reach an inner gate with the biggest gem atop it and the double wings start receding to the sides. This time, there actually is a thin, pink, see-through curtain partially obstructing the sight of the chamber on the other side. We can still make out its generalyout, including what definitely is a throne on a raised tform, but the details are hidden from us.
<span style="font-weight:400">Elea parts the veil with a delicate smirk and we step into the throne room.
<span style="font-weight:400">The first thing we notice is the tall, thick columns, decorated with masterfully-carved veins. I don’t need to look up to know what exactly finishes the shape under the ceiling. The edges of the hall are adorned with oval mosaics of stained ss, bathing the room with a faint, rosy glow. Finally, at the very end of the most important ce in this castle, sits a gleaming throne, with a person resting against the armrest from the side. In full nude, of course.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Took you long enough.” Ailish stretches over the fancy chair, just emphasising her perky curves. “Don’t forget to leave your clothes by the door ande join me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What?” I raise a brow at her. “I’m sorry, did you mean shoes? You can’t be seri—”
<span style="font-weight:400">As I nce at Elea by my side, I find her already mostly disrobed, finishing shimming out of her maid uniform. She bends forward toy the neatly-folded pieces on the floor, shing me the perfect view of her delicious secrets, and straightens up with a smile, disying her equally enticing front. For a moment, my eyes pause at her more-than-generous bust, before rolling with a sigh.
<span style="font-weight:400">Choosing to ignore their antics, I walk towards the naughty Subus, my shoes echoing throughout the chamber as they hit the perfectly-polished floor. As I ascend the few small steps, it bes obvious that the throne itself is familiar too. If I’m not mistaken, it’s been modelled after the one Neira painted in her piece with me and all the Dark Elves.
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning to the violet-skinned seductress still lounging over the armrest, I notice that she isn’t exactly devoid of <i><span style="font-weight:400">any</i><span style="font-weight:400"> apparel. There’s a wide, pink cor around her neck, with a darker, shiny chain hanging down from the sp in the front. Her captivating eyes practically sparkle with mischief as I lean down to grab and examine it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Giving it a firm tug, causing some pleasant rattling, I bring the chained Subus to me. “So, care to exin what this entire thing is about?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Ailish nibbles on her bottom lip while staring up into my eyes. “A king needs his castle, and a god needs his sanctuary. Where else are you going to give audiences to your loyal followers if not in your very own throne room, My Lord?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Did it really have to be so… explicit?” I squint at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">She runs her hands over my things with a wide grin. “Symbolism is very important for faith and beliefs. There should be no doubt about what is the subject of your divine influence. Why give away your precious oracles in a in, uncreative fortress made of boring, grey stone when you can ease the minds of your believers with this beautiful, lovely pce?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I hate to break it to you, but the majority ofmon people find such disys ufortable at the very least, not to mention awkward.” I pull on the chain stronger as her fingers near a quite dangerous region, evoking a whimper from Ailish. “I really hope you don’t expect me to jump into that seat buck naked?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why would you cover your divine figure with something as unessential as unappealing pieces of cloth and material?” Her luscious lips form a sad pout as she yfully fiddles with my belt. “It’s a blessing in itself to be able to gaze upon your godly… <i><span style="font-weight:400">assets</i><span style="font-weight:400">.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Before she manages to unbuckle the strap, I yank the restraints up, bringing the frivolous woman to my eye level. “Yeah? And what is the purpose of this exactly?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her gaze briefly skips to my lips before returning to my eyes. “There’s always a messenger by a god’s side. Shino told me the one in your old world loved to use those pure beings called angels. So, it’s only natural that you should <i><span style="font-weight:400">own</i><span style="font-weight:400"> one too. I mightck an aure, but I do have wings, no? I’ll be your obedient little angel. Just without the <i><span style="font-weight:400">pure</i><span style="font-weight:400"> part.”
<span style="font-weight:400">An angel? More like a demon instead, which she technically is. A demon of lust. But, considering my title of the Demigod of Lust, possibly God of Lust at some point, I guess it isn’t that unexpected for my <i><span style="font-weight:400">messenger</i><span style="font-weight:400"> to be a Subus.
<span style="font-weight:400">Gods, I’m not going tomand legions of them as my representatives after freeing Lilith, am I?
<span style="font-weight:400">Shoving that thought into the far corner of my mind, I refocus on the sciousdy pressing herself into me with more and more movement. Making use of my briefpse of attention, Ailish has already started rubbing her nipples against my suit, clearly breathing a bit heavier than she normally does.
<span style="font-weight:400">Noticing me noticing, she smiles impishly. “Well? Aren’t you going to take your throne? Is this the way you should be questioning your lowly servant, right next to your symbol of authority, on very equal ground?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I’m certain she’s going to make it harder than necessary if I don’t y along so I just sigh heavily, loosen my grip on the glimmering chain, and step towards the fancy chair, thanking the universe for at least it not being genitalia-styled. Though, knowing Ailish, I might still be in for a surprise after examining the throne in detail.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, My Lord, didn’t you forget something?” she asks and I nce her way.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ailish roams her eyes over my figure from top to bottom with a raised brow. It’s not rocket science to figure out what she means and I groan inwardly. With a dismissive flick of my wrist, I get rid of my clothes, wanting nothing more than to move things forward. She gives me a happy nod with a beaming smile and I finally drop my butt onto thefy seat.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now, allow me to just make sure you are all ready, My Lord, and we shallmence the audience.” She crawls between my legs on all fours as I frown at her sly expression. “Oh no! This won’t do! We forgot to <i><span style="font-weight:400">polish your sceptre!</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Let me quickly rectify this mistake!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Before I can even speak a word, she’s already swallowed me whole, the entire package disappearing between her pouty lips, including the baggage. I groan again, for a different reason this time, and let go of my usual control. There’s no doubt that she won’t end the <i><span style="font-weight:400">polishing</i><span style="font-weight:400"> until the <i><span style="font-weight:400">sceptre</i><span style="font-weight:400"> stands tall and proud. So, I allow it to rise naturally, choosing not to prolong her little game.
<span style="font-weight:400">Clearly, she’s nned on taking much longer than just one or two dozen seconds, and whines in discontent while looking up at me. I squint at her with a no-nonsense expression and she obediently retreats with onest peck and a longing nce.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Perfect.” She smiles at me charmingly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning around, she rests against my left leg, embracing it lovingly. I try not to pay attention to her fingers tracing my calf and the kisses she ces on my thigh. Moving my gaze forward, I find Elea standing just at the beginning of the raised tform with her hands joined over her delicious belly. She regards me with a warm, devoted expression,pletely ignoring the glistening traces running down her long legs, originating at the obvious ce.
<span style="font-weight:400">I smirk at her and gesture for her toe up. She does so with grace and stops by my right side. A bright sh interrupts our moment of gazing into each other’s eyes and all of us turn our attention to the blinding shape hovering in front of us. After just a few seconds, the intense light recedes and reveals the Goddess herself, wearing her usual, Greek-themed robe.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lumina opens her heavenly, golden eyes and regards us with a gentle nce, a soft smile curling up her celestial lips. Her gaze then jumps to Elea’s exposed chest, Ailish’s proudly disyed privates as she holds her thighs open, my simrly-uncovered waist, and finally up to my face.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. My apologies. I seem to have forgotten the proper etiquette.” The Goddess makes the slightest bow, and her robes disappear, revealing all of her sacred physique.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on…” I rub my temples with a groan. “At least you could have not humoured them…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I might be your senior but that doesn’t mean I should forgo the basic courtesy of following the customs and rules surrounding one’s domain.” She shows the faintest smirk.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Senior?” I ask, trying my best not to drill holes in her… hole with my gaze.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m no longer the sole goddess of this realm, am I? Save for my imprisoned sister, that is.” Lumina traces a finger down her perfect waist and then hip, definitely knowing what kind of effect that has on me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can’t help but feel like this has always been your n.” I snort, dragging my eyes to her gentle face.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What? Making you a demigod?” The Goddess chuckles gently. “You should know me best by now. It’s nothing more than an oversight, a silly mistake. I have a knack for those. It should have been nothing more than a title in your status if we were to go with my initial ns.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, you have identally created a way for me to possibly take over, without even using that secret <i><span style="font-weight:400">weapon</i><span style="font-weight:400"> I haven’t been ready to hear about previously?” I raise a slightly amused brow at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“When you put it like that, then yes, I seem to have.” An equally amused glint twinkles in her golden eyes. “Given enough time, it isn’t impossible for you to dethrone me as the only God of this world. You have received the first set of tools to directly contend with me. Though, I shall warn you, being responsible for an entire realm is not as fun as it might sound to many mortals.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I shake my head with a snicker. “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to <i><span style="font-weight:400">contend</i><span style="font-weight:400"> with you. I was hoping to discuss a way to resolve this situation more <i><span style="font-weight:400">amicably</i><span style="font-weight:400"> between the two of us. As a fledgeling demigod, I have no doubt that you could erase me from existence with a flick of your hand if you ever felt threatened.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That would be counterintuitive, wouldn’t it?” Lumina sighs softly. “I’m not saying that the other Heroes are weak, but you’ve always had the highest chances of saving this world. To get rid of you would most likely be my biggest mistake yet. One that could possibly doom Naharren.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Speaking of which, can I even still <i><span style="font-weight:400">interfere</i><span style="font-weight:400"> the way I’ve been doing so?” I furrow my brows and stroke my chin. “I have all this divinity and stuff now, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, you do. But, there’s nothing to worry about yet. You aren’t an ascended god taking the reins of this realm. Technically speaking, you are an outsider, an entity that has grown powerful by its own means. Mostly.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And what does that mean exactly?” I press on.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It means that you have all the right to interact with the world as anyone else and even challenge me. The samews binding me from interfering directly aren’t binding you yet. If they ever will. I’m the protector of Naharren, you could be an invader if only you wanted, wreaking havoc in my beloved world as you aim for my spot. Contrary to what you think, I won’t be able to just smite you. At least not without heavy repercussions.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Damn. That sounds… not too fair.” I grimace visibly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I took a risk pulling souls from Earth.” She shrugs. “Honestly, if you weren’t such a kind and honest person, I might have sealed my own fate with that stunt. I definitely would have fought back with whatever means I have, but considering your prowess, I doubt that would have been enough.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright, alright. We aren’t ever staging a coup against you so let’s drop this purely hypothetical topic.” I wave my hand at her. “I think we have plenty of other things that are much more important to discuss.”
<span style="font-weight:400">ncing to the side at my very first Apostle, I pause momentarily, my faint smile fading from my lips. Elea’s entire frame is shivering as she stands next to the throne with her wide eyes locked on the Goddess. They seem somewhat ssy too while her lips draw a tense line, trembling lightly.
<span style="font-weight:400">She almost jumps into the air when I gently touch her forearm, snapping her attention to me. Giving her my most reassuring smile, I gesture at Lumina with my head, encouraging my devoted wife to step forward. She smiles back a little awkwardly as I stroke her dark skin and nods back at me.
<span style="font-weight:400">Elea takes a deep breath and descends the steps, arriving right in front of the celestial beauty. She drops to her knees and reaches out to take Lumina’s hand into hers. Lumina jerks back out of habit, clearly hesitant about touching the Dark Elf. But, after a moment of consideration, she relents and allows Elea to take hold of her palm. They both shudder lightly as my dark-skinned wife ces a kiss on the back of the Goddess’ palm and then presses it to her forehead.
<span style="font-weight:400">“My Lady… I’m so, so sorry… Even after all the honour and grace you’ve shown me, I chose to selfishly break my vows and betray—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Shhhh, my child.” Lumina silences Elea mid-sentence, stroking her purplish hair with her free hand. “Rise. You’ve already done your fair share of kneeling and bowing to me during your long life.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Not without reluctance, Elea doesply with her requests and stands up, gazing reverently at the Goddess’ beautiful visage, a hint of guilt in her tearful expression.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s been a pleasure having a devout, loyal follower such as yourself,” Lumina continues, now holding both of Elea’s hands. “I’m proud of your decisions. All of them. I can only apologise for being unable to save you from the pain the others have subjected you to during your service.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No.” Elea shakes her head. “You saved me. You sent me stair. He’s the best thing that happened to me ever, and he’s been brought into this world by no one else but you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m d you think that.” The Goddess smiles at her warmly. “And I’m d he has you by his side now. I don’t think he could have found anyone better for his first Apostle. You are a prime example of the perfect Priestess. So, don’t me yourself anymore. Be proud. For him. And for yourself.”
<span style="font-weight:400">In a sh, they are no longer facing each other and a chocte-skinned bullet speeds my way, giving me just enough time to stand up so that it doesn’t crash into the hard throne. With a meaty <i><span style="font-weight:400">oof</i><span style="font-weight:400">, I catch Elea in my arms and embrace her tightly. But not as tightly as she squeezes me while stuffing her face into the crook of my neck. I can literally hear my ribs crack.
<span style="font-weight:400">I let her express her feelings of relief and love through this powerful hug, listening to her quiet sobs. After a moment, I bring Elea’s face up by her soft cheeks and wipe them off from the still-running tears, smiling kindly. She shudders as I join her lips with mine in a chaste kiss and slowly rxes, calming down by the second. After she more or less recollects herself, I turn us both back to the Goddess.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, this Apostle thing, how does it exactly work?” I ask with one arm around Elea’s waist.
<span style="font-weight:400">“More or less as you’ve guessed during your talk with yourpanions,” Lumina answers. “She’s not exactly your Hero, but something simr. Definitely a representative. She’ll be growing even faster with the help of your divinity. She will also have the highest efficiency of gathering and transferring it to you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Speaking of which, how do we do that? The skills did mention a sacred ritual but I’m unsure what that entails.” I scratch my head.
<span style="font-weight:400">She shes me a tiny smirk. “I’m sure it’s not that hard for you to figure it out.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Fuck yes!” Ailish cheers somewhere behind me, pretty much confirming my obvious guess.
<span style="font-weight:400">I sigh quietly. “Not unexpected but I was hoping for something a bit more… normal. Since we are already on the topic of collecting and transferring whatever this energy is, what about prayers? I admit that I have no idea what to do with them. How should they look? Do people have to pray to me?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It would be best if they did. Prayers are the most basic way of generating divinity. As for their form, it usually depends on the god. Anything works, technically, from a few silent, random sentences spoken in the believer’s mind to loud and creative choirs. But, the better connected the praying ritual is to the god’s sphere of influence, the more efficient it is,” Lumina exins.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then, in my case, that would be…?” I wrinkle my face while raising a brow at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Pleasure of the flesh,” she replies with a small smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">My expression draws a nk. “Seriously? What are they supposed to do? Rub one out to sleep each night?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her smile widens a bit within the silence that responds to my question. I let out a groan while swiping down my face.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, it doesn’t exactly have to be right before sleep,” Lumina adds.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s not the point and you know it well.” I send her a mock re.
<span style="font-weight:400">It looks like even the Goddess is starting to join in on everyone’s teasing of me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“As a god with a narrow area of expertise you have an advantage over me in terms of prayers,” she continues unbothered. “The divinity you will receive from slightly more <i><span style="font-weight:400">themed</i><span style="font-weight:400"> prayers is much higher than the one that is reaching me. I’ve been introduced as the creator of this world since its beginning so the way to worship me is much more general.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And in terms of worship, let’s finally address the elephant in the room.” I nod to myself. “I’m sure you’ve heard the suggestions from the girls. Can we somehow make it work?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I certainly hope so.” A pretty excited expression brightens her angelic face. “I should be able to send out a simple oracle to the highest priests all over Naharren to inform them about your appearance and our rtionship. Naturally, you should be careful with the way you are spreading your influence, but given enough time for the word to spread, the majority of people should treat you amiably.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s good to hear.” Elea exhales in relief. “As much as I’m eager to introduce people to stair’s greatness, I would hate to argue with the more devout followers of the current, only faith.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“There’s no need to argue. This will work without you having to <i><span style="font-weight:400">steal</i><span style="font-weight:400"> my followers. They can believe in both of us at the same time. They can respect us and pray to us without an issue. There’s no such thing as a cap on divinity that can be generated by a person. The two of us won’t be receiving half of the usual output but a full transfer each. Naturally, that can be more or less, depending on how much feelings have been put into the prayer itself,” Lumina continues.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, I’m sure there will be plenty of strong feelings as people <i><span style="font-weight:400">pray</i><span style="font-weight:400"> to him.” Ailish snickers.
<span style="font-weight:400">I ignore herment. “Is that the only way to gather divinity from people?”
<span style="font-weight:400">The Goddess shakes her head. “No, there are plenty of ways you can receive it from them. Prayers are just the simplest and mostmon. The next in line are blessings.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right. Elea mentioned those briefly. What do they entail?” I nce between my Dark Elf wife and our divine guest.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You and your Apostle have ess to various blessings rted to your sphere of influence. At first, there won’t be many, but they wille to you as you grow your powers and following,” Lumina replies. “Right now, you have ess to the Blessing of Fertility, which makes insemination guaranteed; the Blessing of Pleasure, which raises the sensitivity of the recipient’s body; the Blessing of Stamina, which raises the endurance of the recipient’s body, specifically in the reproductive area; and the Blessing of Carnal Desire, which is a weakerbination of the previous two while also preventing conception, contrary to the first one.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And they all are sex-rted. Obviously.” I chuckle wryly. “But, they sound like the perfect <i><span style="font-weight:400">buffs</i><span style="font-weight:400"> for the brothel. Do you think it’s alright to use them there?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why not?” The Goddess smiles back at us. “As long as they are given to your followers, they are going to function properly.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What would happen if someone lied about their faith in hopes of receiving our blessing?” Elea asks curiously.
<span style="font-weight:400">“At best, it just won’t work. At worst, apletely opposite effect might be invoked. For an unpredictable duration. It could be a day or it could be a century. It all depends on the one who requests the blessing and how impure their intentions are,” Lumina satisfies that curiosity, making us both shudder a tiny bit.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think we should purchase one more building next to the mercenary headquarters,” Ailish suddenly suggests, arriving by my other side.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What do you have in mind?” I turn to her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right now? Something big.” She nces down and winks at me. “These blessings sound quite useful for themon folk too. Not everyone will be willing to visit a brothel to receive one from our lovely Head Priestess or the big man himself. I know you don’t want temples and shit, but a simple ce where people cane to ask about you, discuss things with others and your actual followers, and just learn more in general, would be wise to have. Couples could visit without being all awkward and embarrassed about showing up in such a locale.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I agree with her.” Elea nods appreciatively. “A separate location for such things that would uphold all the necessary respects is very much wee. We don’t have to turn it into anything close to the typical chapels and shrines but it would definitely make the curious and interested visitors more at ease.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll bring it up with Liaer, then. This is something she and Ross should know about anyway. Perhaps they will have some ideas on how to introduce this new faith without offending the entire capital,” I reply, evoking some chuckles from the women by my sides.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is there anything else you would like to discuss right now? Your Apostle’s soul is still in the process of adjusting so we shouldn’t expose her to my presence for too long yet. Fear not though, child. With time, we’ll be able to spend more time together.” Lumina joins her gaze with Elea.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This much is already enough for the insignificant me.” My partner lowers her head.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think we are fine for now.” I nod at the Goddess appreciatively. “I can always speak to you about the entire godhood thing and stuff rted to it on my own. Including the existence of this… abomination. I don’t think Ailish has enough influence over my Soul Realm to raise such a <i><span style="font-weight:400">fancy</i><span style="font-weight:400"> structure alone.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She just smiles at me mysteriously while the violet-skinned troublemaker avoids my eyes. Not wanting anything ufortable to happen to Elea, we bid our farewells and return to reality.
<span style="font-weight:400">Well, I say we, but it’s just Elea and me. Ailish is on temporary house arrest. Or rather castle arrest. She’s going to sweep the entire thing with a mop as a punishment before going out. It doesn’t matter that all the surfaces are pristine and clean by default. You don’t raise a massive penis castle in a man’s mind without consulting him about it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Elea decides to fill the others in on some of the information we’ve gathered from this brief meeting while encouraging me to take care of the other matters. There certainly is a lot so I can’t exactlyin. With a quick nce around my room, I confirm that my guardian spider is watching over me from hiding. Figured that it wouldn’t take her long to resume her protective duty. But, I’m d that she hasn’t drastically changed after the recent developments between us.
<span style="font-weight:400">Nodding at Hecate, I leave my bedroom and do ap around the mansion. There’s still enough time in the day before the night opens so most of the girls are either rxing or slowly preparing for the uing work. I find a small group of them gathered together in one of the rooms which has been redesigned into what looks like a ssroom. Stopping by, I listen briefly to the lesson about acting given by Elea’s friends. When they get to the live practice segment, I escape sneakily before their saucy lines distract me from my other objectives.
<span style="font-weight:400">Somehow, I don’t find Sirgia in her forge, which is surprising. A quick check through our bond reveals that she’s on the other side of the street with a few other women. Curious about that, I make my way to the building we’ve chosen for our mercenary headquarters. The entrance isn’t locked and I slip in without an issue.
<span style="font-weight:400">Immediately, I spot plenty of our girls, including the mercenaries, carrying lots of stuff around. There are also people I don’t recognize, but considering that they are mainly Humans, they must be hired contractors partaking in the redesign of this ce. My favourite Dwarf trots from ce to ce while continuously instructing everyone as she holds a packet of what must be floor ns and such.
<span style="font-weight:400">I aim to surprise her with my presence but she clearly senses my approach and turns around with an adorable smile. Crouching down, I wee the short cinnamon roll into my arms as she snuggles into me with a contented sigh. After a short moment of affectionately stroking her hair, I finally draw back to address my master architect.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Tell me just one thing. There are no pussy windows and penis columns in your designs, are there?” I raise a brow at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sirgia giggles quietly and shakes her head. “No, Master. I know you appreciate a more professional look so we are making this ce resemble a respectful, noble-themed establishment. Since we are going to be working with the royal family, I thought it would be best to create a fitting atmosphere for any uing visits and meetings.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s my girl.” I peck her forehead with a big smile. “How is it going, then? Did you find enough help or are we still somehow limited and I should hurry to recruit more Dwarves from your homnd as soon as possible?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That would be great, but we are doing fine for now, Master.” She nuzzles her cheek into mine. “Lianne is assisting us a lot by rmending people who have previously worked with them on sensitive projects. Changing this ce to suit our needs isn’t thatplex. But, since we are already talking about it, there’s another issue connected to construction that I was going to bring up with you soon.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? What’s the matter?” I gesture at her to continue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“We are slowly running out of free rooms at the mansion. If we don’t want long queues to start forming during working nights, we would need to start using some of the girls’ private chambers as service areas. Naturally, some of the women do use their own rooms for work too, but so far it has been a choice and not an obligation. We continue to offer shelter for strangers as we did in the past, but that might get troublesome the further we develop and grow.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see.” I nod at her and wait since she looks to have much more to say.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Additionally, with the uing introduction of cosy and roley, it has been suggested that we restyle some of the rooms to fit the most popr themes. Remember the temporary barracks for the mercenary girls in the underground? Shino is sure something like that would work for a service chamber where the customer could take a girl or girls in military uniforms, armour, and such. Cornelia confirmed that it’s amon male fantasy amongst many Humans to enjoy themselves within a garrison of female soldiers serving the kingdom.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. Definitely.” I chuckle to myself. “So, you would like to make more of those bunk bed rooms and other themed chambers? I can get behind it. A guild reception with a guild receptionist would definitely sell like freshly baked buns. Perhaps a store or merchant shop with a cute clerk too. You are right, this is an amazing idea. But, the problem is the avable space, yes?”
<span style="font-weight:400">She nods shyly. “Unfortunately, yes. But, we are nning to free some of it soon, including the dungeons. The mercenaries will move here, and so will the training grounds, Mari’s workshop, Neira’s studio, Velen’sb, and my forge. That way, we will be able to expand the underground area and open it to the public. It will help a lot with the addition of the aquatic races who arrive at our establishment through the waterways connected to it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Your forge too? Damn, and after we’ve put so much work into building those workshops.” I sigh lightly. “But well, you can hardly ever predict how things are going to develop in the future.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m sorry, Master.” Sirgia timidly lowers her gaze.
<span style="font-weight:400">I quickly pull it up by her cute chin. “Why are you apologising? You’ve done the Goddess’ work on their construction until now. I’m sorry we will have to destroy all that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It does hurt a little to think about it, but this is also a great opportunity to do better.” She looks deep into my eyes with strong conviction. “If we can convince my people to help, the new workshops will be ten, no, a hundred times more professional. At the same time, I’m sure they would be able to further expand the mansion’s wings without leaving a single hint that anything has been added. People would ask themselves if their memory is failing them after seeing the bigger, longer building.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That would be awesome.” I ruffle through her brown hair. “I was afraid it would look cheap or bad if we tried extending the already constructed parts. There’s so much space in the front yard that we could make use of. Of course, I love the pretty floralpositions and gardens, but you know what I mean.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, I do, Master.” Sirgia graces me with a cute smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, a trip to your homnd moves on top of our to-do list now?” I raise a brow at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think so.” She fidgets a little, avoiding my eyes. “But, you don’t need to hurry. We can take care of the moving and reconstruction on our own, leaving things like the mansion’s extension and moreplex workshops forter. There’s still enough space tost us a while, especially with the vacant underground, which we can now expand a lot. ”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay, but I’m not going to dy it forever.” I boop her on the nose. “Better start preparing for our veryte honeymoon because we are leaving as soon as things are settled here.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Evoking quite a few giggles from the tinydy as I yank her into me for a sweet kiss, I spin us around a few times. Sirgia’s cheeks turn quite rosy by the time we stop and she pecks my cheek shyly before we separate so that she can return to work. I’ve already distracted her long enough.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Boss!”
<span style="font-weight:400">We both turn around as a familiar voice calls to me and find Elise walking our way with another woman by her side, waving at us with a big grin. Sirgia scurries away with onest nod and I approach my favourite receptionist to see what she has in store for me.