Before I head back to the lobby, I quickly dive into my own room to clean myself up a little. I did walk out of the Pleasure Chamber with my bare chest on full display and still partially decorated in Lianne’s love juices from the time I went down on her. It’s surprising that Cornelia didn’t comment on any of that. She’s perhaps getting used to seeing me in a weird state quite often.

Nevertheless, I wash up and dress back properly. Then, I return to the main hall and assist the others or talk some with customers, just acting as an active and friendly owner of the business should.

The rest of the night passes calmly and without any issues or new surprises, like the Queen’s visit from earlier. I get to chat briefly with our new Beastkin members and their first impression of the work and environment is very positive. They all already had a chance to test it out today, which is quite lucky.

We close up when the time comes. Something peculiar is starting to happen recently. Usually, not that many people are left when the hour to end arrives, but we are now seeing more and more people staying with us until the last minute, politely leaving without disturbing our operation, of course. They kindly thank us for the opportunity to spend time here and say lightly dispirited goodbyes to the girls.

With all the visitors gone, we gather up for a short debriefing in the main lobby. The numbers are starting to get noticeable. Not that long ago barely anyone was living and working here. Now, it’s like a small audience when we host these meetings.

Elea claps her hands a few times to capture everyone’s attention and the hall quietens almost instantly. She then nods at me with a soft smile and I respond with the same.

“Alright. Thank you everyone for your amazing work again. As usual, I won’t be taking up too much of your time. You’ve earned yourself a good rest. It’s getting livelier here day by day and it’s all thanks to you. Well then, anything important to report? Pleasure Chambers?”

I glance at Mafaris and she stands up; her tail waves seductively behind her back.

“Their popularity is still rising, Master. There were no issues tonight. Well, one of the ladies fainted from overstimulation but we have properly taken care of her, naturally, and rebuked her for going too hard without supervision.” She giggles and some other girls chuckle too.

“I see. Thank you. It’s not something you could have predicted or prevented. We can’t force everyone to go in while accompanied by one of our employees, of course. How are you faring?”

Mafaris responds with a wide smile and walks up to me. I let her sit on my lap sideways and she gives me a hug while pecking my cheek.

“I’m having a blast, Master. I really appreciate you letting me service the female customers. I’ve had so much fun with a few nice women thanks to you. I’ve never thought it could be this easy to find people with the same likes as me. I’m really glad we met.”

“And I’m glad to hear that. From what little chatter and rumours I have caught, your customers are always leaving fully satisfied. Considering that I can now recognize a bunch of them coming quite regularly, I dare to say that you are starting to build your own harem.”

She chuckles and starts switching her position. As her right leg rises and moves over my head to allow her to sit with her front towards me, I catch a glimpse of her bare crimson pussy, spread alluringly under the folds of her maid skirt that gets lifted by the action. She knows I see it, deliberately prolonging the movement for a good moment so that I can take in the sights. 

Some of the bolder girls decided that it would be a fun idea to go commando during business hours, giving the indecisive or shy customers a little flash of the rare delicacy to lure them in with the promise of a piece of heaven, and of course, she is amongst that group.

I was worried this could lead to some risky behaviour from the visitors that are less in control of their emotions than most, but there were no incidents so far. And the girls do enjoy acting flirty and seductive with their clothes to bring out various entertaining reactions from the guests, so I’m just having them be really careful with who they tease. We haven't had a situation where I would be playing with someone's pussy as they talk to a customer yet, but it was close to that a few times with the Tiefling girls. They are just too mischievous.

After changing our positions, Mafaris leans in for a kiss while grabbing both of my hands. As her lips press against mine, inviting my tongue for a sensual dance, she guides my palms to the front of her uniform and brings the bra part down, freeing her soft and springy breasts. It’s of no surprise that my fingers are pushed into the comfortable peaks, forced to knead them as we make out a little higher.

She backs away from the kiss after a few seconds and flashes me a coy smile, still squeezing her boobs with my hands.

“Even if we consider that true, Master, this body of mine will always be yours to use whenever and however you want. I might be more into women, but I’ll be the sluttiest slut for your magnificent cock whenever you wish for it. And I will be happy to get railed by you. Always. Even now. Just say the word.”

I chuckle at her wryly and glance past her shoulders. Cornelia just smirks at me while Elea gives me an impish smile. Sirgia is already blushing and I can see Neira reaching into her pocket to bring out a small notepad, most likely getting ready to sketch a potentially interesting scene. 

Astrea is as expressionless as usual and the reactions amongst all the other women around are varying between some quiet giggles, interested gazes and some faint chattering. Even if we went and literally fucked right now in the middle of the meeting, no one would most likely be uncomfortable with it. Except for Elise, I guess. She’s looking like a blush-covered, startled doe.

Shaking my head with a smile, I give Mafaris a quick peck on her crimson cheek and withdraw my hands, pulling her uniform up to house her alluring breasts again.

“Thank you for the kind words and extremely enticing offer. I’ll remember that, for sure, but let’s mind the others, shall we? If you are so eager for some action, I will be delighted to accompany you after the meeting, okay?”

Mafaris nods and turns herself around the same way as before. But, this time, after ending on my lap with her back towards me, she leans forward while stepping off it. The tip of her tail makes a slow trail from my crotch to the very end of my chin, of course revealing her precious flower while she is hunched forward, now also spread wide with her fingers, showcasing her hot insides only to me. 

She then makes a loud moan while stretching herself up and winks at me over her shoulder before walking back to her spot. I clearly catch Shawure and Zalia both silently spell out “Traitor” with their mouths towards the crimson-skinned tiefling, causing her to smirk at them.

What do I have to go through with all of them...

“Ekhm. Cornelia, what about our special guest?” I try to bring the conversation back onto its rightful tracks.

“Rested and happy. She wanted to thank you for the help so I led her to your chamber to let her wait there. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, of course, good call. Thanks. Then, anything else? Vii, Zehra, Yudie, Hari, Feriha? Anything you would like to say or ask?” I turn to the group of Beastkin girls sitting together.

They glance at each other and shake their heads.

“We’ve enjoyed our first day more than we expected,” Vii starts. “It was both fun and a pleasant experience.”

“That’s right. It wasn’t as good as with you, but it was nice. Mating with normal Humans isn’t that bad,” Hari adds, nodding her head.

Looks like I’m not considered normal anymore. Well, that’s to be expected with my Class and all that transpired between the two of us, or all the Beastkin in the Community. And from what the girls have been telling me, men in this world aren’t that good at sex for some reason. 

Maybe they lack the drive and care for their partner, not thinking about more than just feeling good by themselves. That’s partially why there are so many dissatisfied women coming to us for the Pleasure Chambers. The requests for me are also slowly increasing. Oh well, it’s not something to discuss during this meeting.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help too.” I nod at them. “And now, since nobody seems to be willing to speak up and it’s just me asking around, let’s cover one more topic and you’ll be all free. So, how are the votes?”

I glance over everyone, trying to pinpoint who has the requested information. My first guess would be either Cornelia or Elise since the former often deals with paperwork and the latter is also starting to help sometimes.

But, Elea is the one to stand up.

“While we did finish counting tonight’s votes, I personally think that keeping the results a secret until the last day will be much more interesting than revealing them part by part.” Everyone exchanges a few words while nodding. “I hope you don’t mind my suggestion, Alastair, Cornelia, Elise.”

“I don’t mind. I would lie if I said that I’m not curious and eager to know the numbers already, but I guess this will make it a little less stressful too, without our thoughts being led to the results of each night,” Cornelia responds.

“I won’t press further then. A surprise will be nice. And I agree with it being less stressful that way. Especially in the period between the final two working nights,” I say and Elea sits back down. “Seems that we are done here then. If you want to speak to me after the meeting, please wait for a moment while I tend to our VIP. Have a good night. Thank you.”

The lobby gets chatty pretty quickly and everyone leaves either alone or in groups. I quickly head to my chamber to not make Lianne wait too long. She should have told Cornelia to call for me instead. It’s not like I’ve been so busy as to be unable to spare her a few minutes.

I walk inside and find her sitting on the bed while combing her white hair, beautifully illuminated by the moonlight coming through the open balcony and windows. Lianne notices my arrival and the silvery brush disappears from her hands, most likely sent to a spatial storage.

She quickly gets off the bed and moves closer to me, wearing the same dress she came here dressed in.

“Are you done for today, Alastair?”

I nod. “Yes, we have just wrapped up the meeting. Why didn’t you tell me that you are waiting? I thought you left since Cornelia said nothing.”

Lianne smiles softly. “I didn’t want to inconvenience you more than I already have. Besides, I did need to rest up a little. I hope you don’t mind me using your bed. Cornelia was too adamant on letting me wait here instead of anywhere else, saying that I should be placed in the best chamber.”

“Of course not. But, considering my circumstances, I don’t think I would have offered you my bed if I was the one guiding you. For various reasons.”

She chuckles quietly. “I’m fairly sure I know which ones. The scent of sex is even stronger than in my own bedroom back in the past.”

I give her a wry smile and Lianne chuckles again.

“But, don’t forget who I am. And I don’t mean my position. Such aroma was nothing but pleasant to me. I might have enjoyed it a little bit too much, to be honest…”

“To have my bed marked by the former Queen. What an honour.” I bow slightly, smiling knowingly.

Lianne’s fair cheeks show a hint of rosiness as she smiles back at me. She then clears her throat and steps closer.

“Thank you for your assistance with my selfish request, Alastair. I really didn’t plan on things going that way. My desire just got the better of me for a brief moment. I apologize.”

“No, please, there’s no need for that.” I shake my head. “You did not force me into anything nor did I comply with your wishes just because of your status. I enjoyed every moment of our short and intimate time together and I would gladly do it again. You are a beautiful woman and I can count myself lucky to be able to lay my eyes on your exquisite figure, not even mentioning my hands.”

She blushes a little more visibly and leans into me. With her delicate hands on my chest, Lianne leaves a peck on my cheek and backs away.

“Thank you again. I must admit, not even my late husband was such a smooth talker, fufufu~ I’m very inclined to make my decision right now and right here, but I think both of us understand that such things shouldn’t happen under the heavy influence of emotions, especially a quite fervent lust.”

“They do say that men tend to think with their dicks when in the company of a charming woman for a reason.”

“Does it mean that I’m thinking with my pussy right now?”

We chuckle together at the quite inappropriate joke that certainly no one would expect to come from their very noble, polite and well-mannered Queen. Lianne takes a deep breath, followed by a steady sigh. I nod at her and she takes my hand, putting on the masked veil.

I escort her back to the tunnel leading to the castle and help her up into the cart. It was actually modified and upgraded by our skilful craftsmen just as I had wanted some time ago. It’s now in the form of a fancy open carriage. Even the seatings are now cushioned and very comfortable. Additionally, the mechanism runs on pistons that use various Mana Crystals.

After the Queen hops in and sits down, I step back to allow her to depart. She glances at me one more time.

“Till next time then, Alastair. I’ve enjoyed my time here today greatly. I will relay to Ross what you asked me to. I’m sure he will be very happy to receive such information, fufufu~”

I chuckle too. “Certainly. I guess I should be expecting his noble friends to show up quite soon. Have a good night and feel free to visit us whenever you feel like it. I will naturally lend you a hand if I’m around.”

“Much appreciated. And, don’t worry. I will try not to think too long about my decision.”

“Whatever it will be, just know that I will be happy to be of help either way. It’s a big honour to assist the Queen.” I make a courteous bow with a faint smile.

Lianne chuckles softly. “I think I better depart already. There are various things going through my mind after hearing the word big and they certainly aren’t related to honour.”

I chuckle too and we nod at each other. Placing her palm on the control panel, just like in the case of our makeshift magical phone, Lianne activates the contraption and the carriage starts travelling into the long tunnel.

Without wasting any time, I head back up. There’s another woman most likely waiting for me if I’m not mistaken. And, I’m definitely not as I spot Mafaris leaning over the reception in the main lobby while scribbling something on a piece of paper. A quick scan with my senses lets me know that no one else is here or in the close vicinity.

The playful tiefling notices my arrival and lifts her right leg, placing her knee on the counter. Naturally, this reveals everything again and she winks at me, brushing her fingers over her lower lips, opening and closing them in turns.

I can’t very well ignore such an invitation and show my appreciation to the crimson-skinned beauty by taking her hard all over the reception desk. Thank gods it’s quite durable because she keeps egging me on to plow her to my heart’s content, very insistent on using her body to show her gratitude. I fill up both of her love holes with a luscious load each before we finish things up.

Mafaris follows our fun with a quick cleanup and leaves after leaving a flirty hickey on my neck. As she travels up the stairs, I notice her two colourful friends glancing down at us over the marble railing. Judging by their jealous gazes, they have been here for a moment. But, fortunately, I’m not dragged into another session and they walk away together. I do send them a Whisper, letting them know to find me tomorrow if they want in on the fun too.

Seriously. With the number of girls that are into me physically getting this high, I will not have a single moment to catch my breath if I lose this bet. They are at least somewhat understanding of my situation right now, not pouncing on me all the time, but walking around with my junk in the open might be just a little bit too much to pass by uneventfully. 

Before going to bed, I stop in front of Cornelia’s room, sensing her presence still by the desk. I come inside after she invites me and find her working on some documents while already in her nightwear. Moving closer to her, I hug my precious magician lady from behind and peck her cheek, taking a peek at the papers.

“Sorry. I’ve been so busy recently that most of the finances and formalities fell almost completely to you. I promise to get back to it from tomorrow on again. Leave this to me and come to sleep.”

I can see a soft smile forming on her lips. She rubs her cheek into mine while still filling up the documents we have to submit monthly to the proper governmental bodies. Even if secretly supported by the King, we are still an official business that needs to check all the required boxes.

“I’m almost finished with this part so just let me. And you know that I don’t mind. I’m used to paperwork. There’s always lots of it when you need all the permissions from every department when your research or experiments require something from them. It’s much worse pain than this. Had fun?”

I sigh. “How could I not? If you think I will ever get bored of enjoying a good time with a nice girl then I have bad news for you. Is someone jealous, perhaps? Should I show you who is the one to get preferential treatment here?”

She chuckles while shaking her head. “I would rather finish the documents for you.”

“What if I finish inside you while you finish the documents, finishing too?”

She snorts and erupts into a tame giggle. “Al! Please! I’m trying to focus here!”

“And you are doing great.” I peck her cheek again and move to sit on her bed to not disrupt her further.

Cornelia follows me with her gaze, most likely missing the warm hug and I raise a brow at her. She raises hers in response and I start to wiggle mine, causing her to erupt in a giggle again. Shaking her head, she gets back to work.

“There’s not that much of it so you can leave it to me. And well, Elise also offered to help as she has plenty of experience with official paperwork and I agreed after she kept asking again and again.”

“Why is she trying to pull more responsibilities onto herself while being employed as a receptionist? This is clearly the job for an accountant or the boss.”

“I think she still finds it hard to believe that she can live in a big mansion and get paid this much just for manning the reception, feeling like she should be doing more to earn her keep. I couldn’t change her mind. And she also told me that she has a friend who could help with the paperwork if we would be recruiting.”

I rub my chin and ponder. “I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I was doing stuff myself before starting to go out actively but it’s only natural for things to change and not stay the same forever. I don’t want to burden you with my responsibilities either. Let her know that she can tell her friend about us and we’ll talk if they would be interested.”

Cornelia nods and returns to working in silence. In the meanwhile, I take a quick trip to the kitchen and make her favourite tea, bringing it back to my lovely researcher. She thanks me with a brief kiss and continues filling in various sheets while sipping on the hot refreshment.

She finishes in fifteen more minutes and stretches on the chair. I quickly move behind her to give her shoulders a gentle message and Cornelia releases a sigh of relief and pleasure, slightly melting under my touch.

“Mmmmmhhhhmmmmm… I forgot you learned how to do this in your own world… Sooo goooood…”

After a short moment, I help her up and we hug each other from the front, exchanging a few pecks. I then swoop her into my arms into a princess carry while she chuckles at me.

“Let’s continue this in bed. And I don’t mean that.”

“I know. You have surprisingly better self-control than I would expect someone with a sex-related Class to have.” She kisses my neck and I carry her through the door between our rooms.

But, shortly after I walk inside with Cornelia in my arms, I stop and stare at my bed with quite a surprise. All of my remaining lovers that are currently in the mansion are lying on it while dressed in their respective versions of negligee, underwear or sleeping gown. And that includes Sirgia, Elea, Neira and Astrea. Shino is not here today. Cornelia seems as surprised as I am so this might not have been planned by all of them.

“What’s this?” I ask, glancing at my timid dwarf, blushing a little already.

“Ummm… When we were sleeping with Astrea’s friends… it actually wasn’t that bad so… I thought everyone would be happy to sleep together with Master… and I can get used to it more…” Sirgia answers slowly, twirling one of her long brown braids.

We exchange glances with Cornelia. No words are necessary, not even the connection between our minds, for each of us to immediately understand what the other is thinking about. This adorable cinnamon roll is too precious for this world.

I let Cornelia down and we walk to the bed together. I quickly move to Sirgia’s side and nuzzle my cheek against hers, showering her in tiny kisses afterwards, evoking a muffled giggle from the cute dwarf.

After everyone gets a goodnight kiss, we jump under the covers together. Sirgia deserves lots of love tonight so she ends up embraced by me from behind while I pull her as close to myself as a big spoon as possible.

Cornelia’s arms wrap themselves around me from the back and she rests her forehead against the back of my head. Elea and Neira lay down behind the two girls the closest to me. 

As for Astrea… I suddenly feel something crawling over my legs and a grey-haired cat-eared head pops out from under the sheets. Purring faintly, my catgirl of a few words snuggles to my side that stands up vertically as if she is lying on a thin plank. I chuckle and tilt my head enough to peck her forehead, earning myself a gentle lick in return.

We spend our first night with everyone together and have a good rest. In the morning, we exchange a few kisses and dress up before moving to eat breakfast. I have a feeling that something else was going to happen, but Sirgia’s presence stopped a certain Dark Elf duo from greeting me in a different way. Not that I mind, honestly.

We then split up and everyone goes their own way. A bit of the paper that we need to submit is still left to be filled in so I choose to take care of it before Cornelia steals that responsibility from me again. While I’m doing so, my lovely bundles of colourful jelly accompany me, cheering me on and receiving some mana-pats in return.

At one point, someone knocks on the door to my chamber and I can tell that it’s Rene, the half-blood Dogkin maid of ours.

“Come in.”

She walks inside with a letter in her hands. With a warm and gentle smile, she steps closer while extending it to me; her tail makes excited wags, swishing lively behind her back.

“Good morning, Master. I was asked to deliver this to you by a Human in a butler outfit. I’m pretty sure he was here at least once in the past because I recognized his scent. Although it was very faint around the mansion at the time when I picked it up.”

“Good morning and thank you, Rene.”

I take the white envelope off her hands and give the adorable doggirl some pats, which are immediately met with a visible speed-up of her tail’s movements and a wide grin on her face. The paper is adorned with a sigil that I do not recognize so it certainly is not from Ross. I wonder who the butler was if it wasn’t one of his people and she still recognized him.

Emi, currently sitting on my lap, changes her finger into a sharp pointy knife and cuts through the envelope for me, earning herself a mana-filled peck on the cheek. Safi pulls the contents out and unfolds the letter before holding it in front of me while she stands behind my back.

I scan through the fancy writing and quickly realize what this is about and who the mysterious butler could possibly be. The message comes from Lord Jericho. He’s a famous alchemist Ross told me about in the past and also the father of the blond-haired prick who got himself impotent after having ill intentions towards our girls.

The message is of course written with the kind and flowery style that at first sight is very polite, inviting me to their mansion to talk about a certain event that involves both sides. It’s unfortunately impossible to guess anything more from just this, neither if they are furious at me and are looking for compensation nor sorry for their family member’s mistakes. But, I think the latter is much less probable.

Lord Jericho would like for us to meet this week. Works for me. I planned to ask Ross about the location anyway and head there to ask about the promise myself around that time too. That guy would be dreaming if he thought I would forget the bet he so adamantly wanted to make.

Suddenly, I jerk a little from an unexpected sensation on the side of my neck. My head snaps towards the source and I spot Rene giving it a few quick licks. Our eyes meet and she freezes, most likely just realizing what she is doing. She quickly steps back and bows down.

“I’m so sorry, Master! I didn’t mean to interrupt your reading! I didn’t mean to lick you either! I got lost in my thoughts and it just happened!”

Both her tail and ears are not moving now and lay down and still, clearly showing that Rene feels guilty about her transgression. I can spot a visible blush on her cheeks as she lifts her gaze a few times to judge my reactions, trying not to move from her apologetic position.

Besides that, there’s one more thing I notice. Perhaps partially thanks to my senses getting sharper and stronger with my stats that keep growing, and to my recent experience with various Beastkin subraces, my nose is able to pick up a certain very specific scent left in the air after Rene’s escape. It’s hard to mistake it for anything else after getting exposed to quite a lot of it, even if it varies per person.

I poke Emi’s thigh a few times so that she can let me stand up and walk closer to Rene, placing my hand on her light brown hair. The slightly startled dogkin shivers faintly, but notices after a short moment that I’m gently patting her head instead of doing anything more violent. She raises her eyes and I smile at her softly.

“Please, don’t apologize. I don’t mind, really. I’m pretty aware of how absent-minded Beastkin can get during that time, and the effect I have on people. If you would like to mate with me, just let me know. I will gladly help with your heat if you are fine with me.”

She listens to my request and stops bowing, starting to enjoy my fingers, and even her tail begins wagging again until her eyes widen and she freezes again just when I mention the last part. Her cheeks get covered with even more red and her pupils keep jumping to my face and down, most likely to my crotch.

“Y-You knew?”

I chuckle and scratch behind her pretty ear. “I noticed just now. No need to be shy about it. I’ll find some time for you if you would like. Or if you are wondering about finding a different partner, just know that you are free to look for them without needing permission or anything.”

Rene keeps silent under my tame pats, most likely trying to collect her thoughts. After a few seconds, she raises her gaze again and her tail is back to making some faint wags. Somehow, I can tell she feels a little expectant and hopeful.

“Then… If you don’t mind, Master… I would like to mate with you when you have some time…”

I ruffle through her hair a bit stronger and smile at her. “With pleasure. I’ll let you know when I’m available. I wouldn’t want us to rush it and instead for you to fully enjoy it. But, if it gets too hard to hold back, just come straight to me.”

She nods with a wide smile and I lean in to leave a quick peck on her beautiful lips, causing Rene to blush even more while covering them with her fingers. I chuckle at her and she bows again, rushing off through the door a moment later. So sweet.

Well, with that done, I get back to the documents and wrap them up in around an hour, finishing everything that’s necessary. Then, I let my most important women know about Rene and the invitation. Cornelia volunteers to accompany me, as expected, but I politely reject her offer, pointing out that this is a personal invitation and it could be taken the wrong way if I bring a well-known Court Magician with me as a support.

She agrees after Astrea and Sirgia convince her that I’m now strong enough to protect myself in case anything happens and that she can always stay nearby. This is what we end up with and I prepare to leave. My lovely magician and adorable dwarf give me a helping hand with it. They have decided to show up by the mansion later, following our connection, to avoid looking as if they were escorting me.

Dressed up and sent off, I head to the location described in the letter. I pass by a few people that nod their heads at me and I respond with the same. It still feels a tiny bit weird getting recognition in the neighbourhood, but the pleasant weird.

I stop by a few places to check on the notice boards and replace old or damaged posters if there are any to take care of. Some young lady ropes me into a short chat while I’m doing so at one of the spots and we talk a little about her pleasant experiences at our establishment and how most of her friends are fans of it too.

Since I’m quite busy at the moment, I politely offer her a coupon with a small discount for her help in spreading the word about us, but actually just to shut her up so that I can leave without looking like I’m escaping, and we part our ways.

Unfortunately, it seems that the world is after me today or something because just fifteen minutes later, I hear some angry shouts and surprised screams behind me. Turning around, I watch as someone jumps out of an alley in quite a hurry, bumping into many people, pushing them away or even causing them to fall. 

The person in question is now heading my way and I notice that they seem to be a woman, with long blond hair and barely covered by a piece of cloth over her chest and waist. The current street is quite packed with people so she shows up from time to time as I look that way.

Some more shouting follows and a few men run out of the same alley that the woman has exited recently. I instantly recognize the suits of the two of them and even one person’s identity—it’s Lucas from Selina’s. He, his coworker and a few guards most likely, start following the trail of toppled people, definitely chasing after the woman.

That’s when I catch the glimpse of her face amongst the sea of people after she gets a little closer to me. The dots quickly connect in my head as I realize that I know it too, recalling where I have seen it. My judgement of the situation might not be correct, but I’m willing to take a bet.

Observing the woman’s struggle, I move closer to a nearby alleyway and step into it. A few short moments pass and the turmoil reaches my position. Already prepared for it, I grab the arm of the dashing girl the moment she shows up in front of my eyes and pull her towards me.

“What?!”

She shouts in surprise and I quickly push her against the wall while making sure that I don’t slam her into it with all my strength. She still grunts a little from the impact and then glares at me after opening her eyes. They widen instantly.

“You!”

“Play along if you don’t want to get caught.”

Without waiting for her response, I press myself into her, put my left elbow on the wall at the height of our faces, use the right hand to bring her leg up and behind my waist, and go for a deep kiss before she even has a chance to register what is happening.

Covering her as much as I can and making us look like passionate lovers embracing each other in the alleyway, I somehow manage to fool the pursuers and hear them rush past us without checking the corner. She must have realized what this is about pretty quickly as the Elf woman doesn't resist from the start.

I keep the act up for a while longer until we can’t hear any more commotion. Having her mouth finally freed, she gasps for air instantly, looking at me half-suspiciously and half-curiously. I quickly throw a cloak on her from my ring and pull her away before people who saw our little trick decide to ask questions.

After we move through a few intersections, I stop walking and turn to the blond-haired Elf woman. She still seems apprehensive of me and that’s understandable. I draw the rune of Hall of Serenity and activate it.

“I know it might not be that easy to trust my words, but there’s no need to be wary of me. If I wanted to capture you for myself, you wouldn’t be able to fight back.”

To illustrate what I mean, I punch the nearby wall with all I have, cracking it visibly and creating a small dent in the stone. Her eyes widen at the display and she nods.

“Alright. I get that you have somehow escaped from Selina’s and that’s the reason behind our unexpected reunion,” I continue.

“Yes. I finally got a chance when they opened the cage to bring me out for the buyer. I managed to avoid getting caught and reached the surface but they were quick to run after me. If you really don’t have any ill intentions towards me, can you let me leave now? Thanks to your intervention, I might be able to escape the city.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. And it’s because of that.” I rub my chin and point at her.

Her gaze follows my finger and stops at the slave mark on her chest. She groans, most likely understanding what I’m getting at.

“We are lucky that they haven’t activated the safety measures yet to restrain and locate you, but I don’t think that state will remain for long.”

She hits the wall with her fist. “Curses! Damned Humans! Uuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhh!”

“Please, try to calm down. It doesn’t mean there’s no way for you to get out of this situation.”

The woman looks at me again. “What do you mean?”

“As far as I remember, you have been caught unjustly right?”

“Of course! I was on the hunt when the slave hunters captured me!”

“Right. That’s what you said back then.”

“Eh? What? You understood me?”

I chuckle. “As good as right now. We are speaking Elvish if you haven't noticed yet.”

Her mouth opens and closes once in surprise as she realizes that I’m right.

“Anyway, it’s not like I exactly believe in fate, but it’s our second time randomly meeting so I feel a little inclined to help. I can get you out of this as long as you play along.”

She ponders over my words for a brief moment before answering. “And how are you going to do that?”

“Simple. I’ll just escort you back to Selina’s and demand to claim you as my reward for helping. Of course, paying for the merchandise properly.” I smile at her. “I have quite a good relationship with Madam Selina so it shouldn’t be a problem to shove your buyer to the side.”

“What? You want to bring me back there? Are you stupid? Like I would believe that!”

“To believe or not is up to you. But, better decide quickly. I don’t think we have a lot of time. Either run or come with me. If you choose the latter, I’ll let you stay in my mansion to recuperate and help you cross the city’s walls.”

“You will be able to control me via the mark after they transfer the ownership to you. I’m not that stupid.”

I sigh and shake my head. “I’m also able to completely remove it if you are mine. In fact, no slave in my home has a working seal as I have taken them down immediately after purchase. As I said, the choice is yours.”

There’s not much more that I can do or say to convince her. The Elf woman keeps thinking about it while eyeing me up, clearly torn between running away and choosing to gamble her life with my suggestion. After a brief moment, she hits the wall again.

“Damn it! Alright! I’ll follow you! I’ll end up back there if they activate the mark anyway! I hate Humans so much!”

I smile wryly and nod. “Understandable. And I won’t ask you to act polite. The more you struggle, the more believable it is, and the better for us. Now, come here.”

A few smoking Void Chains surge from the ground after I snap my fingers and wrap themselves all around the elf’s body, shocking her greatly. It’s only now that she realizes it would have been impossible to escape from me if I really wanted to capture her, even if she thought that she could somehow avoid my unusual strength.

I guess it’s time for a little detour first.