Rupegia

Chapter 11: Vows – Part 1

It's 3PM. I wake up and Alissa is besides me while Hana is stroking her hair.

I still can't properly cast magic.

"Is Roxanne okay? I wanna take a bath," I ask.

"She was helping wash the wounded so I know she's at least way better than you, master," Hana says.

"I'll go get her," Alissa says and gets up.

I slowly move outside and pull out the bath items. I sit down next to the bath and wait. Roxanne comes over, she's disheveled, her robes are dirty and one of the glass lenses is cracked. I want a mirror, what do I look like if I'm worse than her?

"Well, you look like shit, Wolf," she says.

"Thanks… I way overdid it, I can't cast magic."

"That's… just like you, right?" She gives me a wry smile.

She casts [Water Wall] and then throws a single [Fireball] in the tub and the water is steaming.

She leaves and Hana and Alissa help me take a bath. It feels immensely refreshing, much of the soreness goes away. Alissa shows me her hand technique while Hana kisses me. Honestly Alissa's hand is as good as mine but her hands are softer and more delicate, I feel like I will melt and pass out on the bath.

We get out and Roxanne has her turn. After a while she finishes and I recover the equipment. Then I go back to bed and rest, I don't feel sleepy now, though.

"That will leave a scar," Alissa says, she traces her fingers on my cheek.

"Don't use [Regeneration] on it, it will make you more handsome," says Hana.

At 5PM I crawl out of bed, I'm strong enough to use magic again.

"Who's the worst?" I ask.

"Targua," says Silvane. She's sprawled on a chair, she looks exhausted.

"You should go rest and sleep. I can heal them until the wounds aren't threatening anymore," I say.

"I won't say no to that..." Silvane gets up and leaves.

There's still a knight here watching the wounded. Silvane goes to her spare tent, which is much smaller than the other they had.

Targua is unconscious, he has a deep cut on his belly that's still bleeding a little, I think he got skewered. He has a few cuts on his arms and a nasty bruise on his ribs. I go for the cut and the bruise. I cast two heavy [Heals] and my head is back to hurting again. My mana is full, it's just that I have been overusing my magic.

I look at the others, I heal the space mage with a lung puncture, I heal the head of the knight who got a concussion, I heal the space mage who had a diagonal cut through his entire front and I heal the broken ribs of the hunter who got stepped on.

Done, they are all saved for now. My head is splitting and I need to rest again. I go back to bed and ask Hana for a head massage, it actually helps a bit.

I eat dinner and go to sleep. I don't let Alissa participate on the watch, I'm afraid of nightmares, but Hana has to because I can't summon my dogs tonight.

Today is the 19th.

My charisma increased by 1 (now 11), was that because of the scar?

We wake up and break camp. Targua and a hunter with a broken leg still need to be carried so we use a makeshift stretcher. Me and Silvane heal them more but we are still tired and our bodies overused mana. I have to cast [Swift Foot] on myself to keep up with the walking speed.

Alissa participates on the scouting to help the tired scouts. There weren't that many monsters since we came through the path we cleared. A few naked goblins, a single Young Ogre and two packs of Mossy Fangpines. I have no energy to focus on fighting so I just make sure to keep straight and walking. Soon enough noon comes but Haaran doesn't tell us to stop, we are close to the border, we will rest once we are out.

The trees open up and finally we see the short grassland. On the other side of the grassland is the road, beyond the roads are our wagons and a small group of city guards. They come running to us when we appear.

Haaran explains the situation to them and their expressions go somber. We eat a quick lunch and I don't waste anytime and get on my wagon. The rest of Akros enter but they remain mostly quiet this time, it seems Alissa won the competition with the dwarf girl.

"What happened to the bodies?" I whisper to Alissa.

"A space mage must be carrying it, the bodies don't rot on the [Item Box] and it's also a more dignified way of carrying it," she answers.

Well, that's interesting, but it makes me uncomfortable to think of a human body inside of my "Items".

I rest my eyes and take a nap while the wagon rocks on.

We reach the town by dusk. Silas, the Lord, and a group of priests wait for us at the city gates. They likely thought the worst since we are late in our schedule.

Haaran, still with a bruised face comes forward and shakes the hand of his father. They gaze at each other so powerfully it even affects me who's just observing from far away, it's like seeing a Renaissance painting in real life. I see a faint smile form at the face of the Lord.

Silas takes us to the barracks and an army of scribes wait for us. We sit in front of the scribes and they collect our reports. I'm so tired I absentmindedly answer their questions and retell our story. The scribe loses some of his composure when he hears about the Orc Chief and he frowns when we reach the part of the attack on the camp.

When it's over it's already 10PM. I just pull out the flying dinghy and Roxanne pilots us home. We take a quick bath, then dinner and direct to bed. Today was blur.

Today is the 20th.

It's over. Another crisis, another nightmare, another fight. It's over and now we are safe. The scene of Hana being suppressed keeps in my mind, I don't want to see that repeat but I know I'll have to fight again. If it's not because of me it's because of them, I can't change that these women are warriors. I'll just have to enjoy the moments we have and make sure they never suffer, make sure they never die.

I'm the one who wakes up first, I slowly wake up Alissa by caressing her ears. At the same time I caress Hana's arm scales with the tip of my fingers. Then Alissa turns and I kiss her deeply. I want you so much Alissa.

Hana wakes and moves her hand over my body. I turn around and it's her turn for the kiss. I get on top of Hana and fondle both hers and Alissa's breasts.

"You look energetic today, master," Alissa says while she grabs my erect dick and strokes it.

"I'm just happy we are all here, together," I say, breaking the kiss, "I'm glad I have you two… I really am. I love you, both of you, a lot."

I always believed love is something that grows on you with time, that it should be a deep feeling that you shouldn't rush. But the thing that I feel about these two women is not just lust or obsession, I trust them, I know I can risk my life together with them. I want to make them happy from the bottom of my heart and I know they are doing the same for me.

Is this the "Suspension Bridge Effect"? I don't know, I don't care anymore all I know is that I'm happy and safe with them and I want to keep it this way.

Hana grins and looks at Alissa, then back at me. Alissa is frozen and her eyes are wide open.

"I love you too, master," Hana says without a hint of shame.

"I-I l-lo-ve-ve y-you t-too, m-master!" Alissa stutters and shakes.

"Then show it to me," I say.

I push my hand between Alissa's legs, she pulls my head and kisses me. This time it's she who's eager and pushes her tongue inside my mouth. I move my body a little and push my hand on Hana's pussy too, she squirms and lets out a moan.

Soon enough Alissa is wet and I waste no more time, I move her hips and start fucking her. I break my kiss with her and kiss Hana, my left hand moves with all my strength on her pussy.

With my free hand I close Alissa's legs and apply pressure. It's the tightest I have ever felt, Alissa arches her back and moans loudly.

After a while I stop my kiss, my hand is tired. I turn Alissa around and fuck her from behind, I bend her back and reach her ears and bite them.

"HMNYA!" She screams amid moans. Hana laughs.

I hug Alissa from behind and put my head besides her ear.

"I love you, Alissa," I whisper.

She squirms, her insides tighten and her tail freezes.

"I love you, deeply within my heart, I trust you with my life," I whisper again.

Her breath is erratic, she's trying to mutter something.

"You don't have to say anything right now, tell me when you can," I whisper again and she stops talking, but I feel her insides tighten again.

I enjoy her body warmth and I let it out, I finish inside her.

I take a minute of rest and force myself to get erect again. Then I fuck Hana who's waiting for me, legs spread.

She grabs my hips and helps me thrust. We touch foreheads and just stare at each other, those yellow lizard eyes stare into my soul.

"I love you too Hana. You are mine, forever. I will make you happy and I will entrust you my life," I say.

"There's nothing else for me to... say, master. I already said I would give... you my everything. I love you, master," she smirks amid moans.

I pick up speed and violently smack her hips, I give all my strength. I grab her breasts and squeeze them, then I bite her nipples.

My strength is going away and I feel it coming, I don't try to hold it in. I lose speed and kiss her. Finally I finish inside her too. I'm spent, my body strength isn't fully recovered yet. I flop down between Hana and Alissa.

Alissa hugs me tight from behind.

"I love you, master. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..." Alissa repeats and her voice dies down, she's almost crying. I hear hear tail hitting the sheets rapidly.

Hana brings my face face to her breasts and kisses the top of my head.

I let some silent tears, I wanna stay like this forever.

After a long time Alissa breaks the hug, she and Hana have to go clean themselves and make breakfast, also another sheet needs to be washed. I stay to look at my stats.

[Mana Overuse Resistance] increased by 1 (now 2), incredibly [Summoning Magic] increased by 5, is this because I have a lot of knowledge on [Summoning Magic] now? [Light Magic] increased by 1 (now 9+2), [Sword Use] increased by 1 (now 9+5), [Redirect Mana] increased by 1 (now 2) and [Mana Control] increased by 1 (now 0+5). My "Magic Power" increased by 5 (now 225) and MP by 35 (now 490).

Now that I think about it, were there any humanoids at the goblin village? If it truly was a breeder village then it must have, but I didn't see anybody… oh… I don't want to think about this anymore. The hunter advice book says that people are considered dead the moment they are captured because they never come back, neither in body or in mind. There were no humanoids in that village.

I get up and go help with breakfast, thinking about this will ruin my mood.

We have a nice selection of cold meat cuts, bread, sheep cheese, and butter. With a few leaves and a mild herb sauce similar to ranch the sandwiches we can make are pretty good. Alissa also prepared a strong black tea, we have sugar now and we use it sparingly on tea.

Roxanne seem very content this morning, she will go back to work on Moonlight Moss now.

"Actually, I have an idea. I thought about an interesting way to process the moss," Roxanne says.

"The brain needs time to rest so it can process information and develop. Regular breaks should always be part of your routine. Did you ever get an interesting idea during the bath or before sleep?" I ask.

"Well… yeah, it happened a few times..." She says.

"Same principle, take your mind off things for a while and your brain will have the time to grow."

"Huh… No wonder you have a blessing. Alright! I will work hard and rest even harder!" Roxanne says jokingly.

"Something like this would be on par with your personality," says Alissa.

"Ah, Alissa. The wedding is gonna be at 5PM, how's it gonna be? I know nothing about marriages here," I ask.

"There's a small ceremony where they say their vows towards each other in front of the priest and write their names on the registry. Then it's a party," she answers.

I get a shiver.

"I… don't like parties… ," I say.

Hana snorts, Roxanne shrugs.

"Well we don't have to stay long. Just enough for dinner and some talk."

"I should leave early, you should stay longer."

Alissa turns her head away and thinks.

"Do we have to take some gifts?" I ask.

"If you wish, but since we don't know how are the needs of the house we have to think of something special."

"Perhaps a decoration? Or maybe some expensive tea that you like," Roxanne suggests.

"Tea? Does she even like tea? Shouldn't it be something that's useful for her or something she likes?" I ask.

"I don't know. But it's not about whether she likes it or not, a present should be something that you enjoy and wants to share," Alissa answers.

I guess I'm too practical with gifts.

"Then I guess tea might be okay. I would prefer if it was coffee or chocolate, though."

"Coffee?" Asks Roxanne.

"A bean that you brew and make coffee, somewhat like tea."

"Never heard of it," she continues.

"Anyway, let's go in the afternoon and get the tea," I say.

"Ah, master. You should visit Ciel now then," says Alissa.

"Really?"

"Yes, she was interested in your adventures. If she hears you participated in the extermination and didn't even show up after she might get sad."

Well, she's a good person, I guess.

"Then, do you want to come?" I ask.

Alissa thinks for a bit, she looks a bit worried. What is going on?

"Alright, let's go together then," she answers.

I ride Alissa to the temple, we ask for Ciel and she's healing at the clinic, it's a in front of the temple. We wait at the lobby for half an hour until she starts her break. Then she invites us into an empty room.

"Sorry to bother you during your break," I say.

"No bother, a break is to be used relaxing or talking to others," Ciel says with a smile.

"Well, anyway. We just came back yesterday, we were on the goblin extermination request the guildmaster organized.

Ciel opens her eyes wide and then sighs. She could have healed someone from the expedition yesterday and seen the damage.

"Surprising, but not unexpected," she chuckles.

I shrug.

"Yep. I might have to really accept my nickname."

"Nickname?"

Alissa tries to contain a smile.

"After the Symbol I gained the nickname 'Good Luck'. Nobody is using it but it's just a matter of time before it's known."

Nicknames appear on the guild "Notable Hunts" and "Confirmed Kills" boards.

"All heroes had nicknames, there's no option but for master to accept it."

I cringe at these words.

"I don't wanna be a hero."

"Well, a hero is title given to others, there's no way you will have a choice in this matter," Ciel says.

"Se-seriously, let's stop talking about this it's giving me chills," I ask.

"Okay, okay. Tell me how it went, I only heard how the wounded got hurt, I don't know much else," Ciel relents.

"Ok, but. Why are you interested in my stories?" I ask.

"Well..." She looks away for a second, "I did say you were an interesting person, right?"

I don't feel like probing her further. We retell the story of the expedition, Alissa seems excited and proud. We end up also telling her about how the research on [Golemancy] and my small talent with [Summoning Magic] is going.

"Hohoh, you will get your 'Scholar' title soon enough," says Ciel.

"What you mean? Does 'Scholar' appear on my status like my nickname?

"Yes, there's a few titles like 'Scholar', 'Knight', 'Great Merchant' or 'Great Adventurer' and many other unique ones that appear once you accomplish something."

"What does a title do?"

"It's just recognition."

I'm rather ambivalent about it then.

"The story of your expedition gave me a bit of nostalgia," Ciel says.

"Hm? Were you an adventurer, Miss Ciel?" Asks Alissa.

"No, but I was warrior priestess. Once in a while we join the guard and explore the Sea of Trees. I also traveled for a little while with the Templar Knights."

"Oh, now that's interesting. What weapon did you use?" I ask.

"A glaive."

Me and Alissa lift our eyebrows in surprise.

"What's with the surprised faces? This robe doesn't show my figure, I'm pretty strong," and she lifts an arm and flexes, nothing can be seen behind the loose robes.

"They certainly don't," I say.

Ciel looks dejected.

"I'm sorry. That was rude, it's obvious you are beautiful," I correct myself.

"T-that's not e-exactly what I was talking about, but thank you."

Damn, I'm smooth.

Alissa smirks at me. What's with you today?

"Do you miss those days, Miss Ciel?" Alissa asks.

"W-well, no, I'm fine with healing people here," Ciel says while averting her eyes.

"That wasn't a very confident answer," I say.

Ciel shrugs.

"Those weren't bad days, it was just a choice I made… well anyway, my break time is over. Thank you for visiting, please come again Mr. Ryder and Miss Alissa," she says with a smile.

We say our goodbyes and leave.

"Master, I know this is presumptuous of me but would you invite Miss Ciel to the fellowship?" Alissa asks.

"Wha-what?"

"You have seen it too, she misses the fight. She only needs a good reason to go back."

"Ok, but what reason would she have to join us, specifically?"

"Well. First, you are basically the town's hero, after this expedition the Lord should have his eyes on you and he will likely try to reward you with something special, which means you are a competent adventurer. Second, she's already very interested in your personality, you two have a good relationship with your religious talks so I'm she believes you are a good person. Third, you already have plenty of women in the fellowship, this means you are trustworthy around women. Fourth, she's unmarried."

"W-wha n-no w-we, ah, oh, uh…"

Alissa looks at me confused.

"What made you confused?" She asks, tilting her head.

"Why did you mention marriage?!"

"Ciel is getting past normal marriage age, you could easily pursue her. I'm a bit surprised you didn't, even Roxanne would accept you."

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"You don't look okay."

"Is that so?"

"Can you pull a chair and sit down?"

"Ok."

I pull a chair from my "Items" and sit, it's quite comfortable.

"Master…"

"Yes?"

"We really need to talk about this."

"Oh, what is it?"

"You should pursue Ciel and Roxanne."

Hm.

"I don't understand why you are so confident with me and Hana while you act like this with Ciel and Roxanne."

Huh.

"Perhaps it's because we are slaves? Now you are scared of the real thing?"

"AH! NO!"

"C-calm down…"

"I'm not… a bad person… I'm not… using you…"

"What are you saying? You are not a bad person, what are you talking about 'using you'?"

"I…"

Alissa won't let me escape, Alissa won't let me run. It's true, because Alissa and Hana were slaves I took their feelings lightly. It's why it was difficult for me to accept that their love is real, it's why I was feeling guilty of abusing their bodies, it's why I'm so scared right now, it's why I think I'm a bad person.

I used Alissa and Hana as a way to find comfort and safety on this fucking scary world, then I fell in love with them, it doesn't change the fact that I used them before that. But now that we are talking about marriage, how a real relationship might start, I get reminded of what I did, of what love should really be. Alissa and even Hana do not see themselves as my lovers, even if they say they love me they are still my slaves and now we are casually talking about marrying and bringing more women to my bed while they stay as my slaves, below my wife.

That still doesn't even touch how I already had a wife on Earth and I cheated on her with these two. That was just a problem I decided to forget, to push it away so I could remain sane and happy. Can I do the same to Roxanne and Ciel that I did to Lily? Could I abandon them if I found a way back to my world? Marriage means creating permanent roots here. Now even worse, I didn't even consider Alissa's and Hana's feelings, I still wished for a way back even while I was with them, even I didn't consider them to be my real lovers.

"If I were one day to return to my homeland there might be a chance I can't take back you, or Hana, or any woman I marry."

Alissa freezes.

I feel like crying.

"I just ignored it because I wanted company, I wanted comfort because I was scared and lonely. I bought you and Hana but I didn't consider your feelings if I were to ever abandon you. I'm sorry… I don't know what I should do," I lower my head and let the tears run.

Silently Alissa hugs my head.

I have a responsibility, I have a decision to make. Whoever I abandon will be hurt.

God might have fucked me over but it's still my decision to make.

I'm the weak one who cried for help, who then got saved and protected.

I have to take responsibility over my actions.

Neither choice is perfect, neither world is simple, neither outcome is desirable.

There's no logical choice.

I just have to follow my heart.

And my heart tells me one thing.

"I will stay with you. I won't go back, I will stay with you forever," I say.

Alissa hugs me tighter.

I don't know how long we stood there. I don't care how many eyes looked at us, all they saw was a young couple crying and hugging. All I know is that on this day, I become a different person, I cast out my old name. From this day on, I'm Wolf "Good Luck" Ryder.

I don't really know why I never told Alissa the truth. I guess I was just running from it, trying to forget Earth, trying to forget what I did to Lily...

"I will tell you the truth of my homeland."

"W-what?" Alissa says in a hoarse voice.

"Why I left, why I don't talk about it, why I don't know anything about this world, why I'm so different, and why I won't go back. I think Roxanne should hear it too and if we want to invite Ciel she will also need to hear it. Let's go back home."

We reach home at 10PM and call Hana and Roxanne to the dining table.

"Master, your eyes are red. What's going on?" Hana asks, worried. Roxanne looks the same.

"I wanna tell the truth."

They stay quiet and sit down.

"First of all, the thing that explains me the most is that I might come from another realm."

"What do you mean by that?" Asks Roxanne.

"Exactly that, the gods can see other realms, right? Well, my realm is different. There's no magic, humanoid gods, other races or monsters, there's only humans there. My realm is called Earth."

I tell them my life story. I was born in 2019 in Brazil, I grew up playing games and reading stories, I entered the university and graduated with a robotics degree, then I immigrated to Canada and married Lily at 30. During the ceremony I was transported here. I explained games as board games but much more advanced, they kind of understood it, there's magical board games that are similar to table-top Warhammer 40k. I explained robotics as similar to [Summoning Magic] and possibly very similar to [Golemancy].

It was very hurtful to talk to them about Earth, my past life. Remembering my few friends, my family, my Lily. All those people that I have decided to abandon, everything I built on Earth will remain unfinished. I will never be able to feel the happiness of those whom I loved, or the things I loved to do. I'm sorry Mom, Dad, Sis and Bro, Tito and Lala. Goodbye.

Then I told them how I appeared on this world and survived, my strange abilities to manipulate skill points and how I can change Alissa's and Hana's skill points. How my world has an entirely different common sense and how I was as careful as I could to keep a low profile. How I might be cursed/blessed to be a hero or to live an "interesting life", even though I want none of that I can still see and predict the "isekai hero" tropes. How I had nightmares about the monsters I killed until I slept with Alissa, this also explained why I'm so attached to her. And now that the talk of marriage appeared my emotions that I kept locked reappeared. I didn't tell them that Alissa suggested pursuing Roxanne and Ciel, I have no idea how to deal with that yet.

"A hero from another realm..." Says Hana.

"A hero indeed..." Says Alissa.

"OHOHOH! How exciting!" Says Roxanne, clapping the tips of her fingers.

"NO! I'm no hero, please… I don't want this kind of life..." I plead.

"It's not for you to decide, you are already being guided by the gods," says Alissa.

"And we will support you," says Hana.

"Certainly!" Roxanne agrees.

I feel like crying again but I don't want this kind of support, be indignant with me and help me escape this fate! But that's what I get, I surrounded myself with warrior women.

"I don't want to be a hero…"

"You kinda already are, I'm almost sure you meeting us might be part of your hero's 'reward'," says Alissa.

"I agree, it's difficult to think we would find a master so perfect for both of us and even as a companion for Roxanne," says Hana.

"Ugh… I can't really deny that."

I also agree they are perfect to me.

"But you are a total cheat. Infinite inventory? I will make you carry all my stuff now! Any skill at any time? That's insane, you will be a demi-god if you keep increasing your level!" Says Roxanne excitedly.

"But I don't wanna be that powerful… also, I won't carry everything, it will be a bother to have to keep all the stuff of everyone."

"That's fine, but you will carry most of my clothes now. Anyway, this also means you really are a scholar! A scholar from another realm, at least."

"Yeah, well, I can't really deny that also."

Alissa coughs.

"Hm… I'm sorry about your wife, master," she says.

"Yeah, it's quite an experience, we understand your pain. That also explains a few things..." Hana says and looks at Roxanne who nods.

I accepted my place in this world now.

"But you said you will remain?" Asks Alissa with expectancy in her eyes.

"Yes, I will live my life here to the fullest, I can't abandon you both now."

"What if there's a way to take us with you?" Asks Alissa.

"That will be difficult, it's a different world, or rather, a different realm. You and Hana will call attention with your bodies and there's no magic, you will have a hard time adapting."

"Perhaps, but it's not like it's impossible. For you we would do anything."

"Even give up fighting? There's no monsters to fight in my realm."

"Well, first, I'm quite sure the gods won't allow you to return to your realm until we save this one, so we'll be fine as long as we are with you," Alissa says with a confident smile.

That's comforting, but not the part about "save the realm".

"There's also no polygamy in there, we would have to hide our relationship somehow."

"That's not a problem," Alissa shakes her head.

"Agreed," Hana nods.

"Yeah, also, now that we know this you definitely should invite Ciel to the fellowship," says Alissa.

I shudder, it's coming.

"You should also pursue her for marriage," Hana says.

Oof.

"What, even you...? Marriage is something different in my world, it's a pledge for life and we take years to choose someone as we can only choose one. I don't know how to deal with it in this world. Everything here happens too fast, I'm still adapting, I know that I lost Selina because I'm slow, it's just... everything is a bit confusing."

Roxanne props forward.

"Hmm… Marriage here is a partnership, in a sense it's a fellowship between lovers where they form a team to work together. A team isn't forced to have only 2 people, neither it is required for love to already be there before it starts. There can be more people on the team as long as everyone agrees with it. In the end, teams can be broken too if it's not working out. The Humanoid Gods ask only that the married ones do their best to work together to keep each other happy and raise their children properly," says Roxanne.

There's even divorce here, how progressive.

"So in a way, it's like I'm already married to Alissa and Hana then..." I say.

Alissa freezes, her gaze goes to the distance.

"Hah! That is certainly true," Hana grins, "A Blood Slave for life is too similar to a marriage if there's love."

"Well, it's not like you are going to ask Ciel to marry you immediately, you know. You would have to invite her first," says Roxanne.

Marriage is talked so lightly here it makes me uncomfortable, it's difficult to accept it since it's conflicting with my values from Earth. But still, I keep remembering Selina, even though we weren't a good match, if I lose because I was slow...

"Talking about that..." Hana mutters and stares at Roxanne.

Roxanne shudders, she turns her head away. Hana sighs.

Oh boy.

"H-Hana, d-don't s-..."

"I'm sorry, Roxanne but I think this shouldn't wait any longer, now's the best time. Master… do you wish to marry Roxanne?"

"Hana?! As a slave you shouldn't say such things!" Alissa strikes the table in anger.

Oh... boy…

"She's not a virgin but I don't think you are the kind that will not marry her just for that. Also, there's one last thing…"

"HA-HANA!" Roxanne is desperate.

"I have to ask, it's master! It would come up eventually!"

Roxanne's mouth moves up and down without making a sound.

"Master, I ask that you share me with Roxanne."

OOOOH BOOY...

Oh, the image, those two, together. NO! Now is not the time, gimme back my blood, other me, my brain needs to think.

Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Calmness, it's time for logic.

Marriage is definitely something more casual here, more practical, the high death rate of people must have some influence of that. Roxanne also is not denying Hana's words, she's only shaking in fear, she was unprepared for this.

"Is this normal?" I ask after a minute in silence.

"What do you mean?" Hana looks at me worried.

"Well, on Earth marriage would only happen after a few years of dating, I know things are different here but is it normal to ask for marriage like this?"

"A slave would never ask for such thing, at least not in the way Hana did, without any tact..." Alissa says and glares at Hana who grins back, "But if you are talking about time then some would say you are slow, that you took quite some time to look at Roxanne in this way."

"Still, isn't marriage a big decision, what if we end up hating each other?"

Alissa smiles, then she corrects her posture and cleans her throat.

"'It's best that you show your love and try and fail to make something instead of wallowing in the what could have been'. That's one of the teachings of the Goddess of Love," Alissa says.

"'It's best that you leave your mark in the world, even if for a little bit, even if only on a single person instead of being forgotten the moment you die'. That's one of the teachings of the Goddess of Fertility," she finishes.

I chuckle, no, of course it's not fast, I'm actually slow. People have to live without regrets here, of course they would end up being somewhat immediatist. Anyway, me and Roxanne? I could have a chance with Alissa since I managed to snatch Lily on Earth, Hana is just winning a lottery since she's a freak in bed and has a fetish for small men. But Roxanne? Holy shit.

"Why me?" I say after another minute in silence, "Aren't you too beautiful for someone like me? Couldn't you find a tall, strong, handsome man for you?"

"Master… you need a bit more confidence on yourself," Alissa says with disappointed face.

"I know small men are very self-conscious, that's why I told Roxanne to be aggressive. It worked for me, but she was too reserved," says Hana.

"W-wha-what? Since when have you two talked about this?" I ask.

"Since the first day. She has no courage, this woman!" She looks indignated at Roxanne, "It frustrated me that she didn't do a move yet!"

Roxanne hunches over a little more.

"I… think I'm somewhat perceptive of these things and didn't notice a single signal from her, only very ambiguous reactions," I say.

"I was… a bit scared to move," Roxanne says, hugging her arm, "Your relationship with Alissa intimidated me a little… if even her you wouldn't admit you loved, would you have accepted me then?"

Alissa looks concerned.

I told them I didn't know what I considered my relationship with Alissa and Hana to be, but now I know I love them.

"That's true... I think I would have denied you if you asked me then…"

"And now you changed?" Says Hana, leaning forward with expectancy.

"Yes… I would have hurt someone no matter what I did, so I chose to be happy here and not hold a far away hope to return to Lily. I think Lily knows I would come to this if she knew I was here."

I look at Roxanne, her beautiful face looks worried. That charming smile and her bright personality, it's growing on me. She's someone reliable, someone you can trust your back to even though she's a bit of an airhead. She's someone I desire. There's no reason anymore to say no.

"I would like to marry you, Roxanne. Would you accept me?"

A rare sight, Roxanne is blushing.

"Y-yes! Yes!" Her face brightens and she claps the tip of her hands.

Dear god, I'm greedy. I have 3 women now.

"S-should I say something like vows right now? I-I'm not sure how to ask someone in marriage on this world."

"If you wish," Alissa says with a smile.

I get up from the chair and move towards Roxanne, she's sitting still, frozen for a moment. I grab her hand and kiss it. I can smell her sweet perfume. I spend a moment to think on my words, can't disappoint now.

"I will protect you, I will keep you happy, I will fight with you and defend with you, together we will adventure far. I will entrust you with my life. Do you wish to do the same for me?" I ask.

She smiles and gets up.

"I will protect you, I will keep you happy, I will fight with you and defend with you, together we will venture far. I will entrust you with my life," she repeats.

Should there be a ring here? I don't know.

I put my hand on her chin and pull her downwards. She's 170cm, I'm 165cm, she's even higher since she wears heels all the time.

I kiss her. A sweet taste on her lips. I kiss her again but harder, I push my tongue and her mouth opens, I hug her and she hugs me. We explore each others mouths and the tingling feeling of her tongue makes me excited. I still remember the taste of her body, it's even better when it's the real me.

We break the kiss and look at each other. She's blushing again, she looks incredibly sexy. This face is mine now.

"Ah, Master. So… how about… ,e?" Hana asks bashfully, now that's another first.

I nod.

"It's okay, I'll accept the relationship of you two. I admit I'm a pervert, I, uh... I wanna watch…"

Hana smiles, Roxanne squirms a bit in my arms. Then Hana slaps the table.

"We have to celebrate! Bring the alcohol!" Hana yells and laughs heartily.

"Oh, I still have that wine I got from killing the Oodogloo."

I pull it out with a *poof*.

"Yes! That's a good wine! Let's open it!"

"Wait, we still have Selina's marriage to go to. It's 1PM, we have to eat and then leave soon," Alissa says.

Ah, that's right.

"Anyway, let's celebrate another day then. The day after the ceremony is good, let's buy a cake too," I say.

Hana sits down a little disappointed. Roxanne hugs me tighter and rubs her cheeks on the top of my head.

"Yes! Cake for the celebration! Finally! Also, I'm gonna get married!"

Your priorities in celebration are a bit off.

"I admit, this household is interesting..." Says Alissa, she's chuckling and her tail is swaying slowly.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask.

"No, it's like I said, master. You are likely to gain a blessing from the Goddess of Love like this."

I shrug. I won't complain.

"What should I do now? On Earth we use rings to signify someone is married, there's also the ceremony, how should we arrange that?"

"We use matching rings, pendants or bracelets. A few use piercings but that's somewhat unfashionable," says Alissa.

"The ceremony could wait for Ciel," says Roxanne.

"I-I'm sorry, w-what? Already talking about adding another?" I say, stupefied.

Roxanne shrugs.

"Hana told me a lot of things, I may have a higher libido than the average human but we might need another woman for you."

"Wha-what, Hana?!" I look at her and she shrugs, "I'm not a monster, I don't need sacrifices or something, I can control myself. I-I wasn't like this on Earth you know, this world messes up with my libido."

"Yes, yes. But still, what reason is there to wait?"

"I'm the kind that thinks calmly and slowly."

"But you are just gonna accept this in the end, right?"

I desperately search for a counter argument. There's none. It's true, I like Ciel. If I'm gonna be like this and accept the speed people marry here then there's no reason for me to not go for Ciel too…

I sigh.

"Let's just ask her to join first, then... I will deal with it if she actually likes me."

"That's reasonable, master."

"No problem, master."

"Sounds good… husband."

I shiver. What am I doing...? I feel guilty since not even Lily called me "husband".

No! It's too late to go back, I already know these women are my life and I can count on them, I will make them happy!

I hug Roxanne harder. All this time I didn't release her, she feels too good, her body is actually softer than Alissa's, who has an athletic body. Hana's body is the sculpture of a goddess, but aside from her breasts she's not very soft.

"Let's eat something quick, we have to go soon," I say.

We go out and buy the tea and cookies I ate at the Golden Necklace, these are heavenly, I hope Selina will like it.

This time the dresses are cute but contained, no reason to steal the show with the 3 goddesses. We reach the house just before 5PM, we used the flying dinghy so we didn't get sweaty from walking around.

Selina's husband-to-be is a cloth shop owner, it looks simple but it's still quite a good house. It's a 2-storey timber framed house with blue bricks and dark wood. The second floor is jettied and a small veranda on the corner of the second floor can be seen.

We enter the building. The shop is cleared, there are plenty of benches and chairs on the walls and a group of 20 or so people are around. There's a clear division in types of people found, the first type are light-blond smaller framed people while the other is tall black-haired people. I recognize one brown-haired man, it's the innkeeper.

We approach and introduce ourselves, I stutter a little but introduce Roxanne as my fiancee. The innkeeper and his family are surprised with us, they recognize we are the ones who killed the Symbol. One of Selina's uncles, an athletic looking but short blond man, is a hunter who knows we participated in the latest goblin extermination request. I'm uncomfortable here, as the questions start being asked about us Hana and Roxanne save me and I slip from the conversation.

I'm still a bit shocked I introduced Roxanne as my fiancee, I decided to live my life with the Goddess of Cuteness, the Goddess of Sexiness and the Goddess of Sexuality. It's all happening so fast.

As I day-dream for a while a priest appears on the hall along with the betrothed couple. Selina is wearing a yellow silk cloak and a gold and white frilly dress embroidered with symbols of wine, grapes, wheat, and bread. Her hair is braided and decorated with a crown of leaves and wheat.

The groom is a tall, black haired man with a square and handsome face, I'm jealous. He looks to be between 17 to 20 years old. He wears a black velvet jacket and straight velvet pants. His cloak is like it's made of feathers, each feather made of a different cloth.

"Is there some symbology going on?" I whisper to Alissa.

"Sometimes people make their clothes represent their occupation," Alissa whispers back.

So bread and wine represents the inn?

The priest stands in the middle of the hall while the couple face each other. Everyone gets up and surrounds them.

"Today, this couple, Selina Ludor and Thomas Hymel are to be married. From this day forth they will work together for the sake of each other's happiness and safety. They will work together to further prolong the gift of life given to us by the God of Creation, they will work together to fulfill their duties as members of the humanoids and create a family, be it of blood or not. They decided their lives together hold more value and so, we will listen to their vows."

"I, Thomas Hymel, swear loyalty to you Selina Ludor," his voice is confident and unwavering, "I swear to give my all to keep you happy, safe and secure. I swear that I will give my all to provide for us a life worthy of you, that I will give my all to provide the place for our children to grow and gain their place in this world. I swear I will fulfill my duties as a member of the humanoids."

"I, Selina Ludor, swear loyalty to you Thomas Hymel," her voice is as soft as always and her smile is endearing, "I swear to give my all to serve your needs, to help you achieve your goals. I swear that I will give my all to keep a safe haven for you to come back to after your daily labor or any hardship that appears, I will give my all to ensure our children grow and gain their place in this world. I swear I will fulfill my duties as a member of the humanoids."

With a *poof* the priest pulls a large book, a table, and a white pen from his [Item Box]. Thomas writes on the book followed by Selina. The priest chants and casts a spell while touching their foreheads.

"No evil is present on this ceremony, no lie was spoken between these two. Those present accept this wedding as valid and now the gods will watch and judge as you progress. May happiness and success befall the two. You are now husband and wife."

Selina and Thomas stares at each other while the priest speaks. Once he's done Thomas grabs Selina in a princess carry and they kiss, then everyone claps. I'm jealous again.

But I realized Selina really wasn't the best choice for me, she is a traditional housewife, she will work and serve her husband from home. Her vows are completely different from mine, I swore my life to Roxanne and she swore hers to me. I wouldn't be able to bring Selina with me on my adventures if I had chosen her, it would be a painful marriage. This eases the pain in my heart.

Alissa was staring at them intently. I grab her hand and she quickly wipes a tear forming on the corner of her eye. She's still a girl behind all the bravery and servitude she shows to me, I need to acknowledge her feelings.

A few tables are pulled out of [Item Boxes] while a group of people go into the second floor and bring out a banquet. A roasted Dragolite the size of a medium dog, 4 different meat pies, 2 are sweet fruit pies, a large pot of bean paste that reminds be of chili, a selection of breads and toasts, roasted and cooked veggie salads, croquettes and dumplings, a variety of fruits and berries, lots of wine and cider, and Selina's own vegetable stew that I ate a few times on the inn.

After eating Alissa manages to bring us to Selina.

"Hello Mr. Ryder. I'm glad you came," she says with a smile and a small bow.

"T-there's no way I wouldn't come."

"Master is shy but he still makes the effort to please his friends," Alissa says.

I smile wryly.

"You have to tell me of your newest adventures you two, I heard you fought in the goblin extermination!" Her eyes gleam.

"Certainly, I know Alissa is eager to talk to you. Anyways, this is Roxanne, my fiancee. She's a mage."

"Ohoho~."

"Hohohoh."

The two greet each other with a smile and a weird laugh. Just what?

"This is Hana, another Blood Slave, she's the main front line of our group."

Selina is dazzled by Hana, I don't even have to try to slip away from the conversation, Selina only has eyes for Hana now.

I greet Thomas, he seems a cheery person but when he greets me I sense a sharp gaze. I know, I know, I would do the same but I have no intention of stealing her now. Though after the greeting Thomas seems interested in hearing about us, I'm not the best at conversations like this but I force myself to answer his curiosity for the sake of Selina.

Alissa brings our gift to Selina and she loves it. Thomas is another tea drinker, we nod to each other from a distance. After that I recuse myself to a corner and soon Roxanne sits by me to keep me company.

"Their vows are completely different than ours," I say.

"Each marriage is a different deal, each team works on different conditions," she says.

"Why do you know so much about marriage?" I ask.

Roxanne looks away.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"I would have to tell you one day… I had a fiancee once," she says in quiet voice.

"Fiancee", not "fiance", since it's in Andraste there's a difference in pronunciation.

"She… was a hunter. She died of venom from a monster of the Death Valley."

I wait for her to gain confidence to continue, there's no need for me to interrupt.

"It's a venom too powerful, nobody could have done anything. I decided to leave the continent after that, I looked for a cure for that venom."

"Is the Moonlight Moss that cure?"

"Hah… no, I never found the cure. The Moonlight Moss has incredible properties, but even that would not work," she looks at me and lets out a half-smile.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you… but I'm over it now, she wouldn't want to see me wallow in a pointless quest for too long," she hugs her arm.

"Searching for a cure is not pointless."

"It is when I let the search have a bigger priority than my life. Moonlight Moss was the first thing that I got interested on after abandoning the search. If I hadn't abandoned it I wouldn't be here, I gotta thank the gods for that..." She lets out a pained smile and grabs my waist.

"Since when… did you start to like me?"

"Well," she scratches her cheek in shyness, "Kinda after the Symbol, I thought you would propose to me after all you had done to save me."

"I… was just following my code of honor, I couldn't let you die."

"I understood that after a while, it actually… made me like you even more, you are someone I can truly depend on. While on my search for the cure I had my fair share of bad encounters, you are a rare find. Then I saw how you treated Alissa and Hana and, well I got envious. What about you? When did you come to like me?"

"Well. At first your personality was obnoxious," -she makes a pained face- "but it grew on me. There's no way to not see you as a woman, you are the embodiment of sexiness and coolness, even though you don't act like it most of the time…"

"Wow, 'coolness'? Hmm… you are warming my heart like this!" She rubs her cheek on the top of my head.

Just going to ignore the last part, eh?

"Then I saw you were reliable and a good companion, life with you around would be fun. I didn't want to separate from you, I knew we could work together and keep each other safe. But at first I didn't think you would like someone like me, I thought you were way out of my league."

"'Out of my league'?"

"Ah. It's an expression of my world, it means that you are too beautiful for me. On Earth people try to find partners with a similar level of beauty. It may sound vain but that's how it is."

"Yeah, it's vain, there's much more that you have to look at for a partner than just beauty. It's nice to have a beautiful partner but your value is much more than just your cuteness."

I can't avoid blushing at this.

"It seems this world needs reliable and powerful people, compatibility of lifestyle also seems much more important than beauty. On Earth life is pretty simple and there's not that many hardships, so beauty becomes much more important."

"Oh, I see. It's like a realm made of vain nobles."

"Hahahah, sounds like it."

Even though on this world the nobles have the duty to control the monsters and dungeons they still have the tendency to grow lazy and hedonistic.

"To be honest, I think I was forcing myself to be happy," she sighs and leans on me, "I just thought I was losing out so I had to 'catch up' on all the time I lost brooding. But now I'm calm, I'm happy with this and I don't feel like I need to force myself anymore."

I just smile and hug her more.

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