Chapter 336: 123: Victors – Part 3

Nooo… I wanted to keep flirting with Belind all day long!

I thought about taking it easy today, but we're going to the capital tomorrow, and I still need to introduce Nono to Ahren's sister. So, if I also want to give Lyle a running start into electronics, it has to be now.

Pussy, or nerding out? Bros, or hoes?

Alissa's calming voice echoes in my soul space, "I'll make sure that she remembers you. It already seems like the Prince isn't the only one wanting to take a trip to Escanso, anyway."

I nod internally and sadly whimper, "Thank you, my love."

I return to Escanso, and both Poosh and Osaria are waiting for me at the entrance to the Network.

I smile warmly at them and ask, "How did you know I was coming?"

Osaria grins as she crudely, but accurately, puts it, "Unless you were balls deep in another woman, there's very little that would keep you from coming to greet your boy toy."

I chuckle bitterly. "I can't say I disagree with that, though I'm quite sad that I can't flirt with a pixie princess all day."

Both my milfs step forward at the same time, then they stop and share a look.

"Together," Poosh suggests, and Osaria gently nods, then they both undo their tops, baring their delicious breasts.

But why stop there? They then smother me with their softness, coffee from the front, milk from the back.

"That does make me feel a bit better," I admit, my voice muffled by their bodies.

"If you wish to have me, I'm ready for you, Your Highness," Poosh softly whispers in my left ear.

"If you don't take her, then I will," Osaria huskily whispers on my right.

I stand on my tiptoes so that I can actually breathe and speak properly. "I just had a sex marathon with the wives, so I'm not particularly hungry right now. The two of you also still have work to do, so I'll take both of you at the same time later today."

"He actually said no!" Osaria cries out in horror.

"That, I didn't expect," Poosh states, eyes open wide in surprise.

I pout at them and squeeze their asses as I grumble, "Har, har, very funny."

"'Har, har'? Sometimes you use the oddest of expressions," Osaria curiously remarks.

I narrow my eyes and glare as I warn them, "If you two continue to tease my masculinity, I'll make sure that you can't walk without a [Heal] after I get my cock inside of you."

Poosh calmly retorts, "I believe the phrase 'don't threaten me with a good time' has been uttered a few times by your wives already."

I let my jaw hang open and stare at her in surprise. "Even you?"

She nods and readjusts her round glasses as she categorically states, "My job is to ensure your happiness, and I know very well how fond you are of teasing."

I snort. "Well, I've been read like an open book, it seems."

"Better than an unstable, unpredictable, unapproachable man," Osaria dryly affirms, and I feel like there's some history behind those words.

I hum as I accept her take on it, "Well, if being simple is to your liking, then I'll gladly remain as I am."

But Osaria pouts, her dark, luscious lips forming into a shape that's begging to be kissed. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Sometimes, he actually acts his age," Poosh comments wryly.

I cough and add, "I'll stop before I embarrass myself any further."

"Awn…" Osaria whines teasingly.

"Back to work!" I shout and push them away with my claws that have been sunk into the soft flesh of their asses for most of this chat.

Lyle and his companions have been invited into the castle, so they're waiting in the main hall right next to the Hub Room I arrived in, and after a few steps, I have them in sight.

"Wol-… Wolf!" Lyle hesitates and shouts as he notices me, my new, draconic characteristics surprising him for a moment. He's still the same young boy with black hair and wild eyes as before due to his level slowing his aging, but for once, his hair is nicely combed, giving him an even stronger boyish air.

My eyes are then attracted to Hatara, the shy and young, raven-haired girl who changed into a confident, gorgeous woman once she seduced her now-husband. She has the air of a noblewoman, which instantly makes her attractive to me, and the thin, loose clothes she wears are provocative, hinting at a deliciously frail body underneath them.

Garanae, the anxious husband in question, stares at the statues of the previous Lords with childish curiosity. The blonde, well-built boy has gone for the refined look, and the tightness of his clothes reveals a "Strength" that's a bit unusual for a mage.

Hatara gives me a kind smile while Garanae stiffly turns around and walks back to the set of sofas at the center of the hall.

"Hello Lyle, Hatara, Garanae," I coolly greet them back and offer my claws for a handshake. "Don't worry, I can dull them at will," I add with a smile as I notice their hesitation.

Lyle's hand is soft like a woman's, with not even a hint of calluses from holding a wand or a staff. Even Hatara's aren't as soft as his due to her training to be a knight. And Garanae's the only one with a man's hand, though his grip is pretty loose due to his apparent fear of me.

"I heard about your change, but it's still quite impressive to see it in person," Lyle comments as he admires my mirror-like scales.

"I'm just thankful that the Gods still had the decency to keep me handsome after playing with my race," I wryly reply.

The three of them chuckle, though Hatara's is considerably louder. Perhaps, it's because she's a pious healer that she finds these sorts of jokes funnier than the average person, which makes me a bit fond of her sense of humor.

Then I take a seat before them. There's Tonique at the table, but after drinking coffee earlier, I don't think I need any more stimulants.

I give them a gentle gaze as I announce, "Welcome to Escanso, my home since a few day-cycles ago."

Hatara replies in kind, "Congratulations. We were kind of expecting something like this after you said that you were going to conquer a dungeon."

"Well, but maybe not quite so fast," Lyle adds as he looks around at the huge white hall.

I smile wryly and retort, "If we're going to talk about expectations, I certainly never imagined that you'd manage to go so far as to create a new field of logic with just a few pointers."

Lyle mumbles as he awkwardly plays with his hair, making it disheveled again just like I remember it being, "I just… I just knew that there was something special about your advice, so I believed in you and continued my research until I finally found a way."

Both Hatara and Garanae give me a suspicious smirk, and I feel like I'm part of a joke that I'm not privy to.

Lyle's words make a fair bit of sense. I'm not just someone with a "hunch," I knew that it's possible, I just didn't know how to build it. My specialty is programming and A.I., not electronics.

Still, I don't even really remember what I said; it was just a few words at most.

I nod and assert, "But the work isn't done with just that. There's a lot that we must build now that you've invented Lylean Logic."

Lyle raises his eyebrows in surprise and gives me a wild smile. "You have more ideas to share with me?" He asks excitedly.

"Oh, you have no idea," I huskily reply with a grin. "I want you to work for the Royal Ryder Research Institute. We'll get you a team so that you can pump out new 'electrolfic' inventions as fast as you can come up with them."

The word "electrolf" still tastes sour on my tongue, though.

And Lyle's wild eyes glint with excitement. "I'd love to!" He eagerly accepts.

I hum and turn to the Taranoa couple as I continue, "If all three of you want to stay in Escanso, we can arrange for a mansion in the inner circle for you to live in," I casually offer.

And Hatara and Garanae share a surprised look that quickly changes into happiness.

"We'd be honored to!" The blonde boy immediately replies. His disposition to me is really quite different now that I'm a noble too, but I'm not petty enough to give him a hard time about it, except for some teasing.

But that's not important. We have everything we need coming our way, so now, we can begin building a bridge to the skies.

Oh, yeah. It's all coming together.

I motion for the maid on standby to come closer and give her an order, "Call Poosh. She'll help them choose a new home." Then I turn to Lyle and grin excitedly, but the intensity of my stare makes him swallow heavily. "Now, let's start talking about what you should build next."

Meanwhile, Lina turns to Prince Looklwind and softly asks, trying not to smirk, "Have you ever heard of Lylean Logic?"

The dull Prince's eyes slowly widen as his recollection seems to perk him up. "A few things, yes. Why?" He hums back.

She lets her adorable smile show as she continues, "Lyle Ryzek, its creator, has just recently agreed to work at our Institute."

The Prince breathes in deeply. Enticing him is just so easy.

"Your Highness Ciel, I have a message addressed to you," the gnome messenger reports.

"Let's hear it," she gently replies, and the gnome just stares at her blankly, his pale face slowly reddening.

The knight beside her coughs, and the gnome snaps out of it. "O-one of the captives has woken up and is calling for you, so the head priest kindly wishes to have a word with you about him."

Her eyebrows rise in surprise. "Oh, I see… I'll go visit them in a moment."

The Lordsguard who stay behind are sad to see their idol leave while those who accompany her don't seem to care that they're missing the rest of the party.

Gnomeria's temple is just like any other, a white half sphere, but Ciel has been called to the "House of Healing" beside it. The only difference from the usual gnomic house is that it's a huge pumpkin instead of the crooked little towers of round rooms stacked on top of each other.

The House is quite busy with people coming and going all the time while healers tend to the wounded that have been laid out everywhere. Even the temple grounds are covered in the tents of a field hospital.

There's not enough room inside to accomodate all of the Lordsguard escorting her, so only one knight follows her in as the messenger guides them into the House. Though the pumpkin is already huge, the interior is suspiciously roomy, making Ciel suspect that a [Warp Space] enchantment is at work.

She sits on a sofa in the corner of the lobby while the messenger goes to fetch the head priest. It's surprising that everything is human-sized, but this is simply because the House has to take in a lot of adventurers, who are mostly non-gnomes.

A minute later, a rotund old gnome in priest robes, wearing his white beard like a scarf, waddles towards them with the messenger in tow.

"Lord Ciel, I thank you for answering my call," the head priest greets her with a short bow since his belly is in the way. "I'm Gottfried, the head priest. It's an honor to have a Blessed here."

"Always happy to help," she gently replies with an angelic smile.

But Gottfried plays with his beard anxiously. "I really hope you are because this man is… something."

Her smile is quickly replaced with a frown. "You're making me worried."

And the small man becomes even smaller as a hint of shame is shown in him. "Oh, well, it's not something bad. He just… wants to pledge loyalty to your family."

I actually get pulled out of my conversation with Lyle due to my surprise.

"Why…?" Ciel questions confusedly.

The gnome shrugs. "Weredog adventurers are always… 'hard-headed.'"

"I prefer the term intense," Ciel soberly replies.

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"An adventurer trying to use honor to get closer to royalty? Not unheard of," Yunia harshly remarks in my soul space, but Ciel takes issue with that.

She shakes her head and calmly affirms, "I'll talk to him, it's no problem." Then she annoyedly replies to Yunia, "He went through Hell and came back. He at least deserves to be heard."

Yunia doesn't respond; she just wants Ciel to be careful.

Then Gottfried nods and guides her further in.

The captives are all in the same room, being slowly healed by [Regeneration] magic gems while still being kept in an induced sleep, and a couple of tired-looking gnome priests are watching over them.

"The curtains. His name is Brett," Gottfried whispers and points to the only bed that's cordoned off with black curtains. The man who woke up should've regained new eyes through [Regrow Limbs], so they must be quite sensitive to light right now.

Ciel nods and walks up to the curtains, then she softly calls, "Brett? I'm Lord Ciel Ryder. You called for me."

"Ahck!" A sudden whimper comes from the other side, making the vigilant gnomes jump in their seats. "P-please, come in!"

She crosses through the curtains and sees an Asian weredog man wriggling to get himself upright into a proper seated position, but he's failing. Without even stumps of his arms and legs, he's pitifully helpless.

"Let me help you," she offers and walks up to him.

"N-no, it's fine. I can just-…" He nervously tries to stop her, but she ignores him and moves without any hesitation.

She turns his pillow 90º degrees, then deftly pushes him up so that he can rest his back against it.

"I have a lot of experience with helping the wounded," she kindly remarks, then takes a step back.

Brett is a blonde weredog man with faintly bronze skin, a round and rather cute face, the characteristic eyes of an Asian person, and pointy orange ears. His body is quite muscular, though not at the same, monstrous level of Rande or Palo. He's still lacking his front teeth, which might've been removed just so that the monsters could put in a wider feeding tube.

"What did you wish to talk to me about?" She gently asks and holds her hands in front of her in an assured, but welcoming pose.

He nervously glances at the stern, armored knight behind her and swallows heavily as he builds up his resolve.

After a moment of hesitation, he begins his earnest speech, "I apologize for bothering you with my troubles, but I really needed to speak with you. I lost everything because I was arrogant, stupid, and… weak." Then he looks down at his own body and grits his teeth in anger. He seems to be disgusted with himself that he has to admit this, but the fire of self-loathing that Ciel sees in his eyes seems to fuel his conviction to look back up at her again and continue. "So I wish to pledge my life to someone who might have a use for me, someone with honor, who wouldn't misuse my 'power.'"

"'Power'?" Ciel reflexively questions with suspicion.

He nods slowly. "The priests call it a 'Gift.' I can harden my body at will, making me indestructible, but the monsters just held me down until I passed out…" -His jaw trembles as he resists the instinct to shrink in shame- "then they used my body as they wished."

We all stop whatever we're doing to listen to him.

Ciel turns to look at the knight and whispers, "Don't let anyone get near."

The man nods and closes the curtains, then he stands guard outside.

She turns back to Brett and takes a step closer so that she can whisper, "If you wish to work for us, it'll become known that you're Gifted. This means that if you ever decide to part ways with us, there'll be people all over the empire trying to coerce you into working for them."

Brett smiles bitterly, calmer now that she didn't reject him outright. "I'm happy that you'd give me the choice to leave your service, but I've lost everything… I mean it when I say that I wish to pledge my life to you."

She sighs and shakes her head. "You may say that now, but things change. Not even Blood Slavery is immutable."

His pointy ears flatten a bit, but his conviction is still strong. "I'm sorry for being so childish, but when I heard about the Ryder family, of what you achieved, I just felt that you were the right people to serve."

"Don't turn him down," Yunia requests through [Bind].

"How fast you change your tune," Ciel dryly replies.

But Yunia is unfazed. "I'm merely pragmatic. You can be the heart that guides us while I fulfill my role."

Ciel frowns and looks away, deep in thought. She won't discuss philosophy with either of them right now, so she reflects on the safest course of action for right now.

After a short moment, the answer becomes clear to her, so she asserts to Brett, "After going through what you did, there's no way that you're of sound mind right now. Therefore, we'll let you join our Lordsguard for the time being, and perhaps, at a later date, we'll accept your pledge of loyalty."

Brett lets out a sigh of relief and happily accepts her demands, "Thank you, thank you for listening to my unreasonable request."

She hums and grabs his shoulders, then she slides him back down on his bed. "For now, you should rest. We'll take you back to Escanso later today along with the rest of our men."

What a day…

"And there's still another half to go," Alissa wryly remarks in my soul space.

"Surely, all of today's excitement is over already?" Yunia sarcastically asks.

"Don't jinx it," I jokingly reply.

Alissa snorts. "Well, that's a silly Earthling belief."

I smile wryly. "You forget that the Gods are always listening."

And she chuckles rather nervously.

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