“What happened? Why did I fall asleep?” Morgan asked as she rubbed her eyes, brushing the golden hair behind her ear. She was on several blankets that functioned as a makeshift bed for herself and the other women awakened from their sleep. Then, her eyes scanned the room, and she found her sister in the embrace of Martel, sitting at the side of the room.

“Are you finally awake, sleepyhead?” Freyja asked with a grin as her emerald eyes flashed with teasing.

“But… What happened?” Morgan asked again. Her confusion was prevalent on her face. “I remember walking through the Dimension Door, and now I’m here.”

Martel chuckled. “Well, since everyone appears awake now, I will explain. I brought you to the pocket space where the 12 local deities reside, and there they gave you what little remaining blessing was left at my request.”

“Blessing?” Miyuki asked as she brought her hand to her chin. “Anata, isn’t that what is used to create Talents?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, there was not enough blessing for everyone to awaken a Talent, so we must work on that. Luckily, you wasted none of it as it will help act as a catalyst for the future.”

“What do we need to do to awaken our Talent?” Lucibelle asked.

“Guess,” Martel responded with a cocked smile.

Lucibelle took several seconds before she glanced down in embarrassment, her red skin becoming redder.

Several other girls also blushed as they got the implication from Martel’s expression and Lucibelle’s reaction.

Noticing the ambiguous atmosphere, Freyja Cleared her throat. “Now, since we are finally here, we need to figure out a plan for the future. Yutsuki and Kuromi have only been here a while, so we can only play catch-up. However, I’m sure our husband has a plan for us.”

“I do. All of you should have access to the unique magic blended with the rules of this world called the System. The System will enhance your stats and become stronger by getting XP. You can gain XP via accomplishments, quests, and defeating enemies. However, the best way to level up quickly will be to enter the labyrinth. It provides XP based on how deep you can go, which is useful as you are already strong without the System. I’ve already prepared everything so you can enter the labyrinth in a few hours. With your strength and teamwork, it will be short work. 

“I have just added you all to my second party. As I mentioned in the information I sent home, there are ten stats you can enhance with points from the System. You can freely distribute up to 20 of the hundred points you get per level to those stats. Before you go to level, I would like to confirm your plans for stat distribution. Freyja?”

“I’m going to focus on SPR, MAG, and VIT, and minor in CON, AGL, and STR, and split the rest between DEX and AWR,” Freyja Replied immediately and firmly.

Martel couldn’t help but look at Freyja with some surprise. Freyja was never particularly a fighter, though partially because she never had the opportunity. When she did fight, it was usually with magic. Now, she focused on physical stats for her stat distribution, which he found confusing.

Freyja, who noticed Martel’s expression, sent him a wink. “I recently started using a sword and seem to have some talent.”

Martel couldn’t help but glance at the others.

“Honorable husband, it is quite true. I am surprised at how good she is with the sword.” Shalgana replied.

“I’ve even felt ashamed at times,” Miyuki added.

Martel’s surprise did not diminish but became even more intense. Shalgana was an undoubtedly talented swordsman, and Miyuki had the experience of two lifetimes. The fact they both vouched for her so strongly was surprising. “I understand,” Martel replied. “Morgan?”

“I’m going to focus on MAG, SPR, and STL. As for the rest, I haven’t decided yet other than I plan to ignore STR.”

“Why STL?”

“Well, let me tell you. I feel very uncomfortable wearing armor. Even the highly advanced SRIN armor I find annoying. I’d rather not stand out on the battlefield and make myself the target clanking around. Also, it would help my magic if I’m overlooked as easily, ensuring effectiveness.”

“I understand. I’m not sure how stealthy a mage who casts explosion magic can be, but….”

“Hey, explosion magic is Lucibelle’s specialty, not mine.”

Martel chuckled as he turned. “Speaking of Lucibelle.”

“I’m going to focus on SPR and MAG. I intend to minor in everything but STR and STL.”

“That should make you fairly versatile for a mage. Shalgana?”

“I plan to major in STR, SPR, and MAG. After, DEX, VIT, CON, and AWR.”

“Why the focus on magic?”

“Honorable husband, while magic may not be my forte, I enjoy it. Given how useful my Soul Armament can be in a fight, I want to ensure plenty of MP. I also want to start integrating magic into my combat, like Miyuki. However, as you can tell, I will be focusing on swordsmanship. My focus on STR while not forgetting DEX is to ensure strength without losing finesse.”

“So long as you have a plan. Caelia?”

“I think I’m going to split my stats evenly,” Caelia replied, though her indecisiveness was spread plain by her tone.

“Oh? Why is this?”

“Well, my fighting style requires a blend of all the physical stats, and I don’t want to give up magic in case I find it to be used in the future. I may decide to save my stat points as I level up instead of using them immediately in case something comes along before finalizing my decision.”

“I understand, and nothing can stop you from saving points or spending them instantaneously. However, you should be careful. If you spend your points in the heat of battle due to a sudden need, you might find yourself disoriented due to the sudden change in your stats.”

“I understand.”

“Good,” Martel said as he glanced around the room. “If any of you also wish to save your stats, I won’t stop you. You’ll get a flat 20 stats per level every time you do so, so it is viable. Miyuki?”

“I plan to focus on MAG and SPR while minoring STR, DEX, AGL, STL, CON, and VIT.”

Martel nodded at Miyuki’s choice. Having the memories from their life together, he agreed with a stat distribution. She could be defined as a magic swordsman who focused more on magic. The distribution of stats she minored in would also be effective in a sword fight. “Shiro?”

“Yes! Shiro will be strong, fast, healthy, tough, with lots of mana.”

“So, you’re going to focus on STR, AGL, VIT, CON, and SPR?”

“… Yes!” She replied after several seconds, pretending that she knew.

Martel could not help but shake his head but did not persuade her otherwise. As a frontline fighter, there was nothing wrong with that stat distribution.

“Okay, that’s good. If you are wondering, Kuromi focuses on DEX, STL, and AGL and minoring in AWR and SPR. Yutsuki focuses on DEX and AWR and will minor in everything but WIL and STR. Now then, are there any questions?... About anything?”

Eventually, Freyja Turned to Martel. “So, Cali mentioned that I have become Queen Regent of a new kingdom.”

At a remark, Martel’s expression became embarrassed. “Sorry for not talking about that to you before.” 

“I was wondering why I have the title ‘Queen Consort of Tate,’” Shalgana mumbled.

As several other girls mumbled something similar, Freyja smiled. “That’s not a problem. However, given how adamant you were not becoming a king in my world, I’m slightly surprised.”

Martel stared in silence for several seconds at Freyja. There was no malice, disappointment, or other notable emotion; she just stated a fact. “The situation is different as I am far stronger than at that time. Additionally, I can leave at any time. At the very least, I can leave an instance of Marty to run the place.”

Freyja nodded with a little surprise on her face. His answer was well within her expectations. “That being said, I don’t fully understand the reason why. I know you have your reasons, and I, no, we trust you.”

Martel’s expression turned serious. “I did it for convenience. In the future, this land will be invaded by dragons from the land beyond the mountains. So many will come to cover the ground and sky alike. Though my memories of Shiba’s timeline are vague, I remember some things. In a short time, the land across the strait that belonged to the dwarves, gnomes, and halflings was conquered. The human kingdoms would’ve followed if not for the demi-human in the north and the merfolk in the strait. This left the only real invading force to be those dragons that could fly. However, some interesting things happened. 

“Some organizations, which did little against the waves, came out of the woodworks and helped create and maintain a new balance of power. Coupled with the fact that the flying dragons were often stronger and significantly fewer in number, the cities were left relatively safe. Suspicious of even each other, the dragons eventually took lairs in the wilderness. There they remained, rarely being seen as their kind currently in this land.”

Freyja frowned. “Then for what purpose did they invade in the first place? It seems as though not nothing was accomplished.”

“I’m not sure. My memory isn’t perfect. However, as I said, the dragons did take all the land on that side of the mountain. The fact they could invade was suspicious, implying that someone led them. Perhaps they were satisfied with land gain. Perhaps they stopped as they had no possibility of more reinforcements without further aid. Perhaps it was an unknown factor or a combination therein. I recall a wave in that area, which made it an interesting fight. At any rate, the dragon invasion is the primary reason why I felt the need to form a kingdom.

“Forming a kingdom justifies the construction of a giant wall and army in the eyes of other races. The territory the dragons will invade is independent, and I’ve already taken the first step in conquering it. Additionally, Hastings will be safe from future waves, making it a haven for the local inhabitants. It won’t hurt to save and protect a few other people.”

Freyja nodded. “I understand. What would you have us do? I can speak for everyone when I say that we want to help and are tired of being unable to do so.”

Martel glanced across the room and saw the unified expectation in their eyes. He wasn’t surprised, as several had stated this before. However, he did not want to risk their safety until he had more information and a decent understanding of this world’s safety. The answer was not safe enough, but nothing was anymore. At least here, everyone had a clear path to become stronger. “All right, then I’ll explain everyone’s roles. Freyja, as Queen Regent, you will be functioning as the ruler. You will be head of Diplomacy and the face of the kingdom.”

Freyja’s expression became serious. “Understood. Tell me, what style of government shall we have specifically?”

“A constitutional monarchy.”

“Oh, not a democracy or Republic?” Miyuki asked.

“No. I believe a democracy here would be a terrible idea. The majority of the people in this world are unlearned. They can easily be taken advantage of by those who seek their self-interests. To be fair, I can say the same thing about Earth. No, any republic or democracy here will fall far too easily. I have chosen a constitutional monarchy to set up the framework for after we leave. The concept of the king won’t be foreign to the people here, and they will be expecting it. However, I do not intend to have the king be a dictator. There will be a constitution that will be the highest law of the land. This constitution will limit the king’s power to help ensure the freedom and prosperity of the people. Should the king go against this constitution, it will give the military reasons to usurp them. While it won’t be perfect, I believe it to be a step in the right direction.”

“For what reason would you limit your power?” Lucibelle asked.

“It’s less for me and more for whoever rules after. I’m fairly confident not to abuse that power as I have little want for it. Nevertheless, keeping my thoughts and actions in check will be useful. In a way, it won’t be to different from how we run our family.”

“I understand. Then what of our roles?”

“All of you will have different roles in the government. Miyuki will be the head of economics and be given charge of the Red Dragon Trading Company.”

Miyuki’s eyes lit up, and she began to speak excitedly. “Understood. With our ability for teleportation, I already have some good ideas to turn a profit. We can go anywhere instantly, buy cheap, and sell high. Supply and demand at its finest.” 

“While I applaud your enthusiasm, I cannot recommend that.”

Miyuki’s expression became crestfallen. “Why?”

“We are not here to get rich. When it comes to resources, I can already dominate with the SRIN. While I don’t mind you turning a profit, you should focus less on our profit and more on the profit of this world. Think about it as an investment. Say we sell lumber to someplace that was scarce, and thus more expensive, at a normal price. They will build more housing, creating more jobs, so more people to build wealth. Eventually,  they will spend it with us. The standard of living will increase tremendously for everyone. Perhaps, in the long run, we will see even better profits for it.”

“I understand,” Miyuki replied, though a hint of disappointment remained. “Yes, that does seem smarter. As you said, we need no particular resources in this world, and I imagine those we do would be hard to purchase with money.”

“Indeed, I already have some issues in that regard. Next is Shalgana, who shall be the head of logistics. You will be in charge of ensuring everyone else gets what they need, within reason.”

“I understand, honorable husband,” Shalgana replied with a serious face and a slight nod. Yet, the excitement in her eyes was palpable.

Martel knew how driven she was, especially in ways she could be useful to him. “Caelia, you shall serve as ambassador.”

“Ambassador, me?” Caelia asked as she blinked in confusion. “Why would you pick me? Not particularly good in terms of social aspects.”

“You will be fine. Even if you can’t, we can change it later. At the very least, there are dark elves here, and I would like you to at least start there.”

“I… I understand.” She replied tentatively.

Martel wanted Caelia to serve as an ambassador for two reasons. The first was because she had no relationships with other dark elves. Though these elves were different, being from a different world, they would have some similarities, not that Caelia would know. The second reason was that Caelia needed to be more social. However, Martel could tell this was not because she was introverted. Caelia was more extroverted, but only when she was in comfortable company. This was likely because she grew up ostracized, so he wanted to give her more opportunities to come out of her shell. 

“Morgan and Angelica shall be the heads of magic and science research and development, respectively. I hope you both can bring your knowledge to work together.”

The two of them glanced at each other before they turned back to him.” I guess.”/“Okay.” 

“The first thing I want you to do is to figure out how to incorporate guns into the System.”

“What do you mean?” Angela asked with a confused and worried look on her silver face, considering the implication that her favorite weapons wouldn’t work.

“I’ve already done several tests, and killing a creature with a gun does not increase your experience. This differs notably from a bow and arrow that operates under similar principles.”

“I can’t use my guns? Do you have any idea as to why?”

“I believe I do. The method of propulsion is different. You set off a chain reaction that causes a projectile to move forward with a gun. With the bow and arrow, you are directly causing the propulsion. I did a further test with the spear. I dropped the spear onto a creature to kill it from a height, and it netted me no experience. However, I gained XP when I tried again, adding force, no matter how little. It seems that to gain XP, one cannot be too far removed from the process. It seems that guns fall into this category. For this reason, I want you to work together to combine magic and technology.”

“That does sound quite interesting. I’ve been experimenting with magic as I find it fascinating.” Angelica continued. “What do you think, Morgan?”

“Sounds like a pain, but I’ll do it,” Morgan replied as she clicked her tongue.

Martel ignored the stubborn princess. “Lucibelle, I would have you remain a helper for Freyja and work with Marty to create and enforce a set of laws.”

“That… That sounds like a lot of paperwork.” Lucibelle thought with a shutter.

A strange smile broke out across Martel’s face. “Indeed.”

Lucibelle’s shoulders slumped forward as she resigned herself to her fate.

“What about Shiro?” Shiro asked.

“... You will be the head of food and entertainment,” Martel replied.

Shiro tilted her head as she seemed to ponder. “Does that mean I get to eat lots of food?”

“Yes,” Martel replied with a chuckle, as that was his intention.

“Yay!” Shiro suddenly shouted. She stepped forward to jump in his arms, which Martel was expecting. However, she suddenly fell face-first onto the ground. Luckily, the blankets padded her landing.

Many would think how she fell was cute, but Martel’s face soon turned deadly serious as he rushed to her side. He noticed that her face had begun to wince in pain before falling.

“Caelia, are you alright? You look pale.” Freyja suddenly asked, her concern made clear from her tone.

“I… I don’t know. I suddenly feel weak, and I… I hurt.”

Martel quickly rolled Shiro over to reveal that her face was also whiter than usual, grimacing in pain. “Quick, bring Caelia over here and lay them down together.” He continued as he scanned them with his eyes. However, there was no information he could glean from her situation. He would have a decent idea if they were sick with something, but the sudden attack left him blind.

[Alessia, do you know what’s going on?] Martel asked in desperation.

[They’ll be fine, though they are an interesting case.]

[What do you-] Martel began but stopped when Shiro tugged on his arm.

“Martel, Martel.”

“Yes, Shiro, I’m here. What’s wrong?” 

“My… My…”

“Yes?”

“My butt itches.”

Martel’s face suddenly became covered with black lines. “Freyja, can you check Shiro to ensure she’s all right while I care for Caelia?”

“Yes, of course,” Freyja Replied.

“Caelia, how are you feeling?”

“Hot. It feels like my body is burning and itching. In my heart, it hurts.” Caelia said through gritted teeth.

Martel was concerned but quickly grew surprised as he noticed a strange phenomenon. Caelia’s skin, which was whiter than usual, began to darken. Such a sight was not uncommon as her skin would often bronze due to an immense emotional swing or the phase of the moon. However, this continued far beyond bronzing as her skin turned black.

“Martel, Shiro started growing another tail,” Freyja said.

“What?” Martel asked in disbelief, though he did not glance over. [Alessia?]

[The same thing is happening to the two of them, though for slightly different reasons. They are being affected by the rules of this world. Do you remember how I told you there were no half-races in this world? Well, that has influenced the woman you call Caelia. Instead of being considered a half-dark elf, she would now be considered a dark elf with a human bloodline. As for the little girl you call Shiro? Her species should be nekomata. However, there should be a stark difference between the two species. The rules of this world are changing her to fit its definition. Tell me, do you know of any differences?]

Martel quickly went through the information he had and did find two notable differences. [In her world, nekomata only have one tail and consist of both genders. Additionally, they were considered demi-human, not a beast.]

[That should be the reason, then. Don’t worry. They will be fine. These types of baptisms are never bad. Take a look at her stats. You’ll notice that they have improved, more so for Shiro.]

Martel sighed in relief as he turned to look at the others, who were all concerned. “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.” He said, just as Caelia began to relax in his arms.

Caelia caught the sight of her hand, understood the significance, and glanced at Martel. “How… How do I look?” She asked with trepidation, unsure as to the extent of her transformation.

Martel glanced at her before he locked onto her blue eyes. Her obsidian skin starkly contrasted with her crimson hair and gave her an exotic vibe that was incredibly appealing. However, Martel did not immediately respond.

Several seconds went by, which caused Caelia to start to worry. However, Martel banished those thoughts from her mind once he recklessly kissed her. After several seconds, though it seemed much longer to Caelia, they stopped. “Does that answer your question?” Martel asked with a cheeky smile.

Caelia didn’t respond but gave him a light punch in the chest before she snuggled closer to hide the embarrassment plastered on her face.

“Spoil Shiro too!” Shiro exclaimed as she suddenly bounded over, giving Martel enough time to catch her.

Shiro purred as she rubbed her face against his chest and settled in, her two tails twitching in happiness. However, they suddenly stopped. She suddenly smelled his chest, looked up at him, looked back at his chest, and then looked back up at him. “Have you been cheating on me?”

Luckily, Martel wasn’t drinking anything while the others broke into laughter.

“All right, all right, that’s enough laughter at my expense,” Martel said to cut the laughter. “Let’s go over the territory and accommodations.” Martel then led the women up to reveal where they were. They were in Hastings’s original ducal castle, near the strait and land bridge to Whale Mountain. The women took several seconds to watch the eruption of Whale Mountain as a rainbow briefly appeared.

“Anata, I think I see some construction on the side of Whale Mountain. Please don’t destroy something so wonderful.” Miyuki said.

“I will avoid that as much as possible as I don’t want to destroy either. This castle will be used as the primary castle of the kingdom. The far side of Whale Mountain will be a military fort. It will be relatively simplistic but contain considerable firepower to help control the strait, whether by sea or air. Luckily, there is enough foundation on the far side to do so without destroying its natural splendor. Surprisingly, the land underneath the land bridge is deep enough to allow ships through, so I am dedicating the nearby side of Whale Mountain to be a military harbor. Though not extremely large, we will have concealed ships docked and created. Additionally, this will not be particularly far from the harbor you can see being built over there.” Martel added as he pointed to the south.

The women glanced along the coastline towards the harbor. This excluded Lucibelle, whose vision focused on the castle exterior and the city in the distance. “I see you’re putting the SRIN to use.”

“Yes. The other facilities I have spread throughout the land are completed or are not required to be completed in the short term. As such, I focused nearly all of the SRIN to finish the construction of Hastings as quickly as possible. Thanks to the propaganda being spread, we are already starting to get an influx of refugees. Additionally, knowing that Hastings should be safe for future Waves, many will come for that sense of security.”

Angelica glanced around. “I can see what you’re doing on the outside, but what about we can’t see?”

Martel smiled. “Very astute of you. Follow me.” Martel led the women back into the castle. He showed several secretive doors in the castle that they could access throughout the fort to the ground below, which consisted of new tunnels. However, these tunnels were anything but ordinary. 

The tunnels contained platforms they could use for transportation, and quickly at that. Additionally, they could seal off these tunnels in sections if enemies discovered them. However, the women noticed when the platforms they were on moved much farther than the castle’s domain.

“Where are we going?” Shalgana asked.

“Currently, we are crossing the land bridge.”

“Is it structurally sound enough?” Miyuki asked.

“It is. This entire area is rich in adamantine ore. Even without my reinforcements, it is extremely sturdy. There’s a reason why this geographical location looks as it does. The junction we just passed will lead to the harbor, but we are going into the depths of Whale Mountain for specialized facilities.

“What kind of facilities?” Angelica asked.

“The more modern ones. I didn’t feel it appropriate to have modern facilities within the fort. After all, it will already be suspicious that I got Hastings back up and running quickly. Using the Red Dragon Trading Company’s wealth and connections as an excuse can only go so far. You can think of it as a house inside a mountain. Everything we have in my bunker is also here, along with a few extras. At the lowest level is a blacksmith forge heated by the magma that heats the water of Whale Mountain.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Freyja asked.

“With the combination of magic and science for barriers and monitoring, not very. There is nowhere near enough pressure in this area to indicate a volcanic explosion anytime soon. Hence, it’s very safe, along with being very hot.”

Martel then gave the women a quick tour before returning to the castle, where he gave them new equipment. The armor was crafted by himself. Its style and design were similar to what was common in this world, yet incorporated more modern designs and conveniences. However, a close inspection revealed that it would be impossible to do so with normal blacksmithing techniques. The only notably different thing about the set was that the helms were closed-faced. It was fashioned in such a way to help hide their identities.

Martel was taking extra steps to be careful. His wives had some popularity back on Earth due to the appearance of Angelica’s ship and the subsequent delegations with her race. As such, there was some concern about being recognized. However, he also knew it would be impossible to keep a secret forever. At the very least, he wanted to ensure that everyone was strong enough before they revealed their identities.

Martel could not help but be pleased seeing his wives fully equipped. The armor fully covered them, revealing no traits besides their physique. It was not enough to identify them without knowing who they were beforehand. Even knowing beforehand, he was still surprised by Freyja’s weapon of choice, a bastard sword and shield. What surprised him further was how naturally she wielded them. It was so natural that it seemed unnatural. However, he tossed those thoughts before bringing the women to the room dedicated to teleportation after donning a different attire to hide his identity.

They all appeared within a large underground facility with a flash, the teleportation nexus that Martel created. They made their way to a specific teleportation circle which brought them to the Red Dragon Trading Company in the capital of Sussex. From there, they went to the adventurer’s guild to meet Kurt and Pamala before they received their guild cards and promptly went to the labyrinth.

While the girls delved into the labyrinth, Martel opted to stay outside. Thanks to Morgan, he was fully confident in their ability and knew that they could leave at a moment’s notice. Even if they encountered a difficult situation, they could contact him with the call function of the System. Hours passed as Martel waited, doing nothing, which was rare and relaxing for him. Eventually, the women all came out. They had reached the same level as Martel’s party and decided to stop. They could have gone further, but their goal was to gain as many levels as quickly as possible, so going further was inappropriate. Additionally, though they reached the same level as Martel’s party, they had done so far faster because they had rushed it. They were nowhere near their full strength.

“How was it?” Martel asked

“It was quite an interesting experience,” Freyja replied.

“Good, good. Let’s go back so you can clean up.”

“That’s a relief. I need it.” Morgan mumbled.

“Speaking of needing it,” Miyuki interjected. “I’ll be leaving my door unlocked, and I am sure I will be alone.”

Martel couldn’t see inside the closed helmets, but he could tell that the more thin-skinned women were embarrassed by their body language.

“I have an early morning tomorrow and will be up before dawn, so I can’t go wild tonight. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“It’s not my hope that I want to get up.” *Smack* “Hey, why did you karate chop my head?”

“We are in public,” Martel mumbled when he noticed strange glances coming his way.

“Then I’ll wait until we are in private.”

Martel shook his head as he knew she was retaliating for him not visiting her when he returned impromptu. He glanced at Freyja, who made a gesture that implied that it was his problem. Martel sighed, then mumbled, “It’s good to be the king.”

End of Day 106