I walk down to the training area to begin familiarizing myself more with all the new offensive skills and the Formless Blade Arts. 

Sirgia complies with my request and decides to spend some time resting in her room. And by resting, I mean most likely drawing countless designs and schematics, and coming up with possible solutions for difficulties that will certainly arise during that time. At least she’s not going to overwork herself this time.

Cornelia leaves the mansion to check the completion of maid uniforms, curtains and other materials' orders which we placed on previously. Safi and Emi again accompany me to the underground arena. This time, I might actually accept their offer to help.

Before I start my practice, I remove the placeholder collars from their necks and present them with the beautiful, black, new ones. Safi gets the blue gem and Emi gets the green one. And Safi finally got her favourite maid clothes back after I brought them in recently. They look completely stunning in this full getup with the graceful collars. With their contrasting personalities, they would be perfect for our lovely poster girls. Just imagine the cheerful Emi joyfully dashing around the customers or trying to draw more of them by the front gate, while the kind and caring Safi just emanates an aura of politeness and observes her from the side with a motherly smile. But unfortunately, this won’t happen in this cruel world for yet some time. Who knows, maybe one day.

The slime duo gets delighted with this small gift and Emi locks me down with her wobbling hugs for a good ten minutes while Safi rains down sensual kisses on my lips. I peel them off me as soon as possible, to not earn myself a repeat of our last training session before I even begin today's one. Satisfied by lots of mana-pats, they move aside and play with their dangling badges.

I start my practice with the whip. When activating the artifact, I notice that the purplish helix thinned down a bit. My mana reserves must have risen a little with the tier-up. The ethereal smoke and material whip both form a lot quicker now and I feel that I have much more control over them. I begin repeating the whip moves I used before and they are visibly easier to pull off. Spending a few hours on the training, I raise my efficiency with the state-changing relic and manage to complete the desired set of repeats much faster than the last time.

After recovering myself with Rejuvenate, I begin focusing my mind on creating different shapes with the mist coming out of the hilt. Looks like most of the conventional weapons are still too hard to imitate even with my vivid imagination. I must be too weak, or my Tier or Mana Control is too low. An hour later, I finally get to a satisfying point with modelling a shortsword. The amount of smoke and its outline somehow resonate within me, so I guess I hit the sweet spot. 

I direct a clear and strong intent into the draconic handle and the purple energy starts swirling, forming a dark violet blade of a straight double-edged shortsword. As I expected, it’s slightly wider than the dragon’s maw which now bites into the metal, or whatever material it actually is. The weapon looks incredible. When held at different angles, it shines with a handful of shades of purple and violet, like magenta, fuchsia, slate blue or indigo. It’s unimaginably mesmerizing when swung around. The weight distribution, length, width and grip on the handle feels excellent.

For the next few hours, I familiarize myself with this new form and recall all the moves linked to this type of weapon which I can still remember. Whip shape still feels better to use but having an alternative is great. Near the end of my planned set of revisions, I begin feeling like I understand the artifact better, so I check the Status and it shows me that I’ve raised the Formless Blade Arts to the second level.

Something tingly persists in the back of my head, but I can’t get a hint on what it is. I decide to practice sword moves a bit more. At one point, my body starts moving by itself when switching stances and I feel my mana storming into the hilt. Seconds later, the blade dematerializes and I shove it deep into the floor. Tens of similar yet much larger violet swords burst out from the ground with a loud shiiiiing, crossing each other in a narrow, few meter long path of death. I pull the hilt up and they retract into the ground too, disappearing within purplish smoke.

「Holy fuck, that looked awesome… I finally got a useful offensive skill!」

I pump my fist in victory as the slimes run up to me.

[Master! That was amazing!] Emi launches herself at me with open arms.

[Indeed. That last move felt really powerful. The way it crystalizes Master’s pure mana into these blades is hypnotizing to watch for someone with Mana Sight. The efficiency is amazing for the first-ever use, but I think with some more practice, Master can easily perfect it,] Safi marvels over the given spectacle.

“Crystalizes mana, huh… Does it look like that when I materialize the whip or the shortsword too?”

[Yes, but it’s already perfected and of course on a much smaller scale. These weapons Master forms seem to be constructed out of pure, solidified mana.]

“I wonder if it has been named as a material. I don’t remember reading anything about weapons out of pure mana. I’ll have to ask Sirgia later. Thanks for pointing that out, Safi.” I give her a long kiss with lots of my mana, making her shiver a little. “I’ll be counting on you in the future too. Please, tell me about all the changes you notice. This might help me in finding parts on which I’ll have to focus on to better myself.” She nods and leans onto me for one more little peck.

We spend the rest of the day training with both the sword and the whip. I do the moves and Safi points out areas where the mana flow is inefficient. I get too drained to try out more skills, so we leave it for tomorrow. Tonight, it’s Sirgia who awaits me in my room with slightly rosy cheeks but as a part of her usual, neutral face. I guess when out of the heat of the moment, she turns back into her less expressive mode. It’s sweet in its own way. 

She takes off everything but her panties and joins me in bed. Asked why she doesn’t wear any top, she hides her face in my chest whispering that it feels nice to snuggle to my warm body like this, but she’s too embarrassed to have her girly parts exposed. I chuckle at her honest answer telling her that she looks adorable in just her panties, and pull her as close into my embrace as I can. With a gentle goodnight kiss, we fall asleep cuddled together.

During the next two days, I keep training either by myself or accompanied by Safi, while others make their own preparations for the big operation. The girls start to hang and allocate the newly brought violet decorations, with Sirgia customizing them to better fit the rooms. 

I accept Safi’s pleas to assist me with testing the Void Chains. Thanks to that, I quickly learn how to summon and control them with just a few thoughts. When activating the skill, the desired number of literal chains, also in similar shades of purple, shoot out of the chosen surface and entangle the target with pinpoint accuracy. I can easily pin someone down or hang them in the air when using multiple angles. They seem special because Safi can’t just leak herself out from between the joints, forced to stay in her human form. Some kind of Void element effect I guess.

On the third day, I move out to the city with Sirgia. We buy some more things she needs for the projects she’s working on and also visit a weapon merchant to get her something to defend herself with. Thankfully, she does not resist the idea too hard and is quickly convinced by the argument that she can’t protect me properly without a weapon. I let her choose whatever she wants and we end up buying something akin to a great maul fused with a warhammer. I store it in my ring, walking around with an armed demi-human slave might garner too much attention.

“Hmmm… Sirgia?” I ponder for a moment and turn to her while we walk around.

“Yes, Master?”

“Are storage rings really hard to craft?”

“Yes, they are rare due to materials being costly and the process being deeply sophisticated when it comes to infusing something with spatial magic.”

“I see…” I nod in understanding.

“Ummmm…” She looks up at me a little hesitant. “If I had proper materials and a bit more developed workshop, I could possibly have a chance of succeeding in creating them thanks to my Mana Artisan and my past experience, even though I never worked on them before… But that would cost a lot before I would get them right without failing…” She drops her gaze to the ground.

“I guess we need to start thinking about that soon.”

“Really?” She looks back up.

“Of course. I promised you didn’t I? Baby steps, but we’ll get there. Make a list of things you’d like to have and organize it by priority and importance. And not just tools and devices, think about the layout and any constructions that might be required in your craft, not only for the rings but in general, okay?” 

I pat her head while she moves closer and hugs my arm with a faint smile. “Uhn!” She nods enthusiastically. 

“Ummm… Can Master come a little lower for a moment?” Sirgia asks out of the blue.

“Sure.”

Slightly puzzled by this request, I lower myself to get to her level. She hastily stands up on her tiptoes, places a kiss on my cheek and quickly walks away with her own cheeks getting a bit crimson. I chuckle to myself, catch up to her, place my hand on her head and ruffle her hair a bit while enjoying this short show of her cuteness.

On our way back, someone bumps into me, not even turning around to nod in apology or anything and Sirgia notices something sticking out from my coat’s external pocket. It’s a small letter. Suspecting what might be the contents of it, I leave checking it out for when we arrive back at home.

And as I expected, the message is from the organization. The auction takes place tomorrow and I have to show myself at a designated meeting point to confirm my identity and receive further instructions. I share the info with everyone, grab Cornelia and take a trolley ride to the King. We request an audition and wait in one of the chambers. He soon arrives at our spot.

“Al! Cornelia! Great to see you! I’ve heard that you have something important to discuss.” Ross enthusiastically walks through the door.

“Yeah. Al has been contacted. It’s happening tomorrow,” Cornelia gets straight to the point.

“Just as we suspected. Any details?”

“Nothing more than the date and place of some verification meeting. They might use this as an additional way of weeding out those who got through the first screening and lead suspicious ones out into the field,” I answer.

“Right. This might as well be just an elaborate trap. So, what are we doing?” The King asks.

“Going in as planned. I secured us a potential way to get messages through their safety net, but that’s just an assumption.”

“You amaze me more each time we meet! How does it work?”

“I can exchange mental notes with Cornelia. She’ll stay by your side and pass my verdict directly to your ear, or to your squad leader, whatever you choose to do.” I glance at the magician making her avert her gaze with a slight blush, most likely reminding her of my previous attempts to communicate.

Ross catches that little detail. “Ooooooh… A skill of yours? So you two—”

“NO, WE DID NOT!” Cornelia shouts at him while getting almost completely red and gives the King an angry glare.

I snicker a little making her redirect that ferocious focus onto me. 

“As she said, but yes, that’s something I acquired recently. Unfortunately, as you know, most of my skills don't work on guys, so sorry, but that’s the only option.”

“Ahaha… my apologies, I didn’t mean to assume…” He laughs nervously and tries to deescalate the situation he brought onto himself with his own words.

After calming Cornelia down, we discuss some details of tomorrow’s operation and then head back home to have another meeting, but with my residents this time. As much as everyone tries to convince me that they want to come and protect me too, I don’t let them have even a sliver of hope that it’s possible from the very beginning. I can’t get soft here, not when their safety is at stake. Rest of the time is spent on fixing the dejected mood of the overly-attached emerald girl and trying to not falter under the most hurt expression from the loving sapphire girl I have ever seen anybody make in the whole 28 years of my life. Sirgia doesn’t show any objections with her face, but I know pretty well that she’s bottling them up inside again.

All three of them end up in my room tonight. I even sense Cornelia on the verge of pushing the doorknob between our chambers for a moment, but she hesitates, stands in front of it for a minute and walks back to her bed. I smile to myself. She might have a little bit of tsundere blood coursing through her veins. I’ll see if she’ll be able to overcome it by herself or if I’ll have to be a bit more straightforward and help her break down that wall which is holding her back.

Nevertheless, I spend the night with an adorable dwarf sleeping peacefully on my chest and two chilly slimes cuddled to both of my arms, enveloping them in the springy softness of their bosoms. Can life get even better than this?

In the morning, I empty my storage ring leaving inside only the additional money Ross gave me yesterday to flaunt my wealth during the auction, the draconic hilt, and don my formal outfit. Better safe than sorry. All the girls escort me to the very last inch of the doorstep with concerned expressions. I give each of them a long and loving kiss before departing and assure them that I’ll run away at the first sign of danger, immediately notifying them if something happens. Sirgia doesn’t let go of her weapon for even a second, ready to rush outside immediately.

Making Safi promise me that she’ll hold the other two back so they don’t do anything stupid, we finally leave the mansion with Cornelia. Our paths split midway to the meeting point and we part ways.

“Hey, Al…” she calls out to me before we walk in opposite directions, “be careful… please…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to die in some trashy slaver’s den. That would rob you out of the possibility to dissect my otherworldly body and we don’t want that, right?” I chuckle at her.

We lock our eyes for a second and she quickly averts her gaze with a faint, wry smile, biting on her lower lip a little. I step closer and pull her into a hug.

“It’s just a joke, idiot. Cheer up. You are only allowed to sulk like that after the spell you’ve been researching implodes gracefully.” She giggles quietly. “Evaporating all your clothes in the process,” I whisper sensually into her ear, tracing a line towards her butt over her back with my finger.

“Hey! Hands off me, you pervert!” She pushes me away with a frowning pout and then turns around, acting offended, but I can clearly see the corner of her mouth rising into a smile.

“Damn it! I hoped to get at least a single squeeze before I die, hahaha.” I also turn around while chuckling and start walking away. “See ya back at home. Don’t freeze half of the capital when you feel me stub my toe over some random furniture down there!”

Leaving it at that, I get on my way towards the described place. It looks like a clothing store in the Noble District. After entering, I’m greeted by a handsome clerk and I sneak the passcode mentioned in the message into our conversation. He catches that and leads me to the changing rooms. He gestures for me to enter one of the sections and covers it with a curtain from outside. Soon after, the mirror inside clicks and uncovers a passage leading down.

I walk into a small room with just a table and two sofas. A woman in a nice, long dress and with wavy, brown hair sits on one, smiling at me invitingly. I sit down on the opposite side to her.

“Got the invitation?” She asks uninterestedly.

“Yeah, here.” I pass the paper to her.

“Good. Anything to confirm your identity?”

I pull out a copy of the mansion’s deed which has my name on it and show it to the woman. She examines it carefully, even casting a few insight and detection spells to check for any falsifications. She hands it back to me after a moment.

“So, Mr Carter… It’s your first time taking part in one of our events, right?”

“I believe so.”

“What’s your goal then?”

“A goal, huh. Desire to try something new? Thirst for something exotic? I’m quite close with Madam Selina and I’m getting slowly burnt out with just her merchandise. Just don’t tell her, m‘kay? She would feel hurt knowing that one of her precious Rubies has an affair behind her back.” I give the woman a mischievous smile. Her facial expression changes for a second after hearing the name people have given to Selina’s VIPs.

“I see… I’ll keep it a secret naturally. Let me briefly explain how the event works in that case. Everyone who enters the gala does so under a nickname and wearing a full-face mask to protect their identities and allow them to enjoy all the attractions and discussion without worrying about accidentally offending someone they shouldn’t. Nothing ruins a good party more than a tense atmosphere brought in by some bigshots. Do you have one in mind or should we come up with something right now?” she explains and asks.

I ponder for a moment. Quite a clever system. They really put a lot of work and thought into their operations. But this will also make it harder for me to discern the authenticity of the place with everyone hiding behind fakes. Nothing I can do. As for the nickname…

“Pimp.”

“Eh?” She blinks a few times. “Pimp…?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with it?” I ask, acting surprised.

“No, no, of course not, but… why? Most of the people choose things like Sword of Darkness, Lord of Lightning, The Immortal Phoenix and such.”

I cringe a little internally.

「Is this a slave auction or a fucking chuunicon? Oh my god, where am I headed to...」

“Well… just imagine, you talk to someone and they ask ‘And you are?’, and you answer with ‘Pimp, at your service.’” 

I say with a completely stoic expression and lock gazes with the woman. A moment later, I explode into a hearty chuckle while repeatedly slamming my thigh with my hand, supposedly laughing at my own joke. She furrows her brows concernedly.

“I… see… well… cough… Let’s move to the next part.” She composes herself back before continuing. “You are free to walk around and have fun in the whole complex. The areas off-limits to the public will have bouncers stationed near the entrances, so don’t try sneaking past them or you’ll get kicked out instantly. The main event starts at 6.00 pm. Before that, there are banquets, balls, discussions, but also chambers where you can relax or even talk some business. Merchandise won during the big auction will be delivered to the exchange room after the whole thing ends and you will be able to pay-up there. People on site will answer your questions if any arise. And this is your mask, catch.”

She ends her monologue and throws the item towards me. It depicts a calm wolf with grey fur.

「Heh. A hungry wolf entering the sheeps’ den. What an irony.」

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to have lots of fun. If it turns out boring, I hope you don’t mind me crashing here for another, even more, pleasant chat.” I wink at her playfully before leaving.

The same clerk leads me into another booth and then we enter yet another secret passage. He guides me through a labyrinth of corridors and we arrive in front of a giant, steel door. Definitely enchanted with lots of magic. If not for my Partners’ connection, I’d have a really hard time trying to judge where we are now after exiting that maze.

The guards in front of the gate use some spells to examine me and point out that my storage ring has something looking like a weapon. I pull out my draconic hilt and try explaining to them that this was once a sword belonging to my fallen friend, which broke when he gave up his life to protect me with his own body, and that I always keep it on myself as both a memento and a lucky talisman. I try to emphasize that I wouldn’t have gotten far without it and that I’ve encountered countless great opportunities while carrying it. They inspect it in detail, but it doesn’t seem like they figure out its real purpose and hand it back to me, allowing me to pass. Fortunately, they didn’t explode into puddles of blood either.

I put my mask on, enter through the door and send Cornelia a message to try pinpointing my location and to be on standby for further notices after I confirm if it’s legit. I also release the limits I placed on my skills and titles. First thing I see is a wide main hall, similar to the one in my mansion but on a much larger scale. There are tens of neatly dressed people in different masks walking around or sitting by tables and sipping on wine. It’s loud from all the talking.

I start looking around and exploring the complex. As I walk around, many women turn their heads when I pass by, most likely catching a whiff of my scent. The banquet hall is the one crowded the most, nothing unexpected, the food here is top-notch and even I can’t hold back from spending some time marvelling over the bountiful and exotic cuisine placed on display. Besides that, there are plenty of other facilities guests can enter, like a small theatre, a gambling corner full of people playing cards, most likely throwing away most of their fortunes alongside it, a dedicated alcohol corner, even though there are countless waiters and waitresses manoeuvring between everyone while holding trays full of strong liquids, a massage and bathing chamber where visitors can relax, and even an area offering much closer physical contact with many gorgeous girls ready to take care of a person’s needs. 

One thing that catches my attention and actually makes me feel a little relieved is the fact that there actually are women of other races in that last chamber, even if they are like a droplet in the sea of Human ones and most likely being slaves forced to partake in such acts. This gives me a bit of hope that there might be more people with such tastes hiding around than I was starting to believe there are. I just really pray that they aren’t some rotten to the core bastards with abusive characters. 

Nevertheless, I return to the banquet hall. Can’t lose sight of my main goal. So far, it does seem pretty believable, but I’ll decide when the main auction starts. I contact Cornelia and learn that they most likely found me and the King’s men are gathering above the location, with some still stationed near the other places they’ve gotten info about. While I’m having a weird, sensual, mental conversation with my friend, a man in a white suit and wearing a mask depicting a white tiger arrives at my side.

“I get that the food here is great, but to enjoy it as much as to space out in a hall full of people is something rare, hahaha,” he speaks in an upbeat and young sounding voice.

I turn to him. “It’s just so amazing that I was reminded of a specific event from my past. The chefs here truly deserve a myriad of praises.”

“Certainly, hahaha.”

“What do I owe this pleasure of speaking with you, Sir…”

“Frostwind Claw. And I was just curious about the person who nonchalantly steals all the attention of every beauty present here while acting hard to approach. And you, my friend, are...?”

His remark is definitely spot on. There’s even a group of like seven girls following me everywhere I go while chatting and giggling with each other. They stand a bit to my right even now, acting like they are having fun with food, but glancing my way every other second.

“Pimp. I’m honoured by your praise, Sir Claw.” I make an exaggerated bow.

He bursts out laughing. “Hahahaha! Did you choose that name because all the girls are after you? Man, you are such a funny guy.” He offers a handshake and I accept it.

We start a friendly banter about the place and its facilities. He does seem like a pretty decent person from our little conversation. 

“I’m glad I’ve spoken to you, Sir Pimp. Most of the people here just flaunt their statuses and wealth when you try to speak to them,” he says.

“I’m always up for a pleasant chat. What’s the point in trying to enter a contest to see whose dick is bigger when we are all equal here?” I chuckle to myself.

“Exactly, hahaha! I have a feeling we would be great friends outside with how similar our way of thinking is. It might be a bit insensitive to ask about such things, but I’m really curious about your reason for coming here.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s not a secret or anything. I’m here to have fun. It gets boring being subjected to the monotonous routine and this party seemed to be a nice opportunity to try something new. And well… there certainly are plenty of things a man can feast his eyes on here,” I give him a similar talk as to the woman from before.

“You never disappoint, haha! I feel you, my friend. Personally, I love collecting rare and exotic stuff. I’m hoping to get something special today. Surrounding myself with things pleasant to the eye is my way of living, so I get what you mean, haha!” He gives my shoulder a few slaps.

A bell rings through the hall, announcing that the auction part will be starting soon. 

“Looks like it’s time for the main event. I wish you luck, my friend. But, you should know that I will not show any mercy if you try to steal something I’ve laid my eyes on, gotcha?” He chuckles a bit more and leaves. I get a feeling that this wasn’t just a friendly joke.

The previously mentioned group of girls approaches me after he leaves.

“Dear Sire, would you give us the pleasure of accompanying you during the bidding?” One of them asks while entwining her arm with mine and rubbing it against her cleavage.

“How could I be so heartless to reject a request from such lovely ladies!” I raise my arms to allow other women to take a hold of me and walk towards the auction hall surrounded by beauties from every possible angle, gathering countless envious stares from other men as we stroll through the crowd.

We sit down at one of the bigger sofas in a large hall with a beautiful, theatre-like scene with marvellous curtains. There are even hanging side-lodges in the walls above, like in a high-tier opera. Well, I’m happy with my cosy seat. Not many other people have so many gorgeous women leaning all over them.

I spot my new friend a few rows before me. He’s sitting with another man who seems to be his butler or something. Someone walks out from behind the curtain and the auction starts.

「Let’s see if it’s the real deal and try to get someone out of this shithole.」

Saileri

I have lots of stuff to do so there might not be a midweek release this time. Just wanted to give you a notif. Not sure tho.

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Enormous gratitude towards our S-rank Guild Member - Magiwarrior! We couldn't have such epic adventures without your support! This Guild Master is greatly honoured by your presence!

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