Our little game was developing amazingly. With two beauties collapsed, I only had two more to handle.

And seeing Cornelia and Helga wrapped around each other, their moans equally mixed as their fingers explored each other, was the perfect stimulation for me to ignore the opportunity to take a breather, and continue with my self-appointed yet glorious mission.

As I walked closer, I couldn't help but appreciate the show they were providing. Their beautiful moans, the way their fingers danced over each other's hard nipples, their back arching as their bodies rubbed together.

It wasn't purely the pleasure that drove them to provide such a beautiful show. It wasn't that they weren't enjoying each other's treatment — which was clear from the intensity of their moans — but it was clearly a secondary benefit. No, the way they positioned their bodies, angled perfectly toward me to maximize the visual impact showed that it was a deliberate ploy to entice me.

And the smile on their face was far too naughty for it to have an innocent reason. — though, in the context of an orgy, the word innocent was quite nebulous to define properly. And their deliberate attempt to keep that edge concealed — a desperate attempt against my Subterfuge abilities — made it certain that they had a different aim.

"Won't you join us, Caesar?" Helga said as she turned to face me properly, lying on her side as she did so, a move that had a spectacular effect on her beautiful tits, especially when they were not resting on the bed, but Cornelia's tight body, their hair mixing into delicious copper color. Her legs parted open, her wetness inviting me forward.

"Mm, how can I reject such a beautiful invite?" I said as I started examining their bodies. I took a step forward, only to feel the faint presence of a ward around me, being established very slowly.

I recognized Helga's handiwork, even as she was doing her best to lean forward and nibble Cornelia's earlobe to distract me. Cornelia's wiggling body and loud moans were excellent ways of distracting me, of course. If it wasn't for the great gulf between our stats, she would have succeeded in her task.

Good, I thought happily. They were learning.

I felt like a dominant lion, happy to see the females of his pack becoming stronger hunters. Even the rationale was not too different. Just like a male lion was equipped to fight against other predators at the expense of his hunting prowess, leaving the important task of hunting to the females, I had to trust the girls to hold their own against the ordinary political machinations of the faculty, nobles, and other threats that could be classified as ordinary.

The trick pulled by the Zokras had spooked me greatly. The stronger they got, the less likely a similar event would happen, especially if they could stay in Silver Spires, where the headmistress was a proper deterrent now that the undead threat had been resolved, providing security.

For a given value of security, of course. In a collapsing world, security was always a rare commodity. Though, knowing that the said world was under siege of literal gods while being manipulated by a shadowy organization, the collapsing state made so much sense.

Unfortunately, Cornelia was about to leave for her family, which worried me greatly, even with her strength boost. Yes, she was supposed to be strong enough to take down her uncle, but ultimately, she was a mage, weak against close-range combat. A home under the control of her opponent provided too many opportunities for pulling such tricks.

Cornelia's straightforward personality made it even worse.

I was planning to go with her, to protect her, but with the situation back in Silver Spires wildly evolving with the nature of the headmistress and the inclusion of the Crown Princess, there was no guarantee that I could actually go with her.

It was why I took another step, letting Helga wordlessly direct Cornelia to subtly summon the ice cube once more, ready to launch while she continued to set the ward. I had been impressed by the way they worked together against the undead invasion, but collaboration under immense danger was easy, while cold planning required much better alignment.

Their little ploy got my interest exactly for that reason. Not only the low stakes and the playful nature were the perfect way of showing their collaboration smoothness, but also Helga was the one leading their little ploy, while Cornelia was listening to her obediently.

Exactly the thing that Cornelia needed back in her family. Cornelia's initial plan, before their lives were inevitably interlinked by mine, was clearly taking Marianne along with her to support, both politically and magically. Even then, Marianne wasn't a weak caster, and healing talents could make the difference.

Unfortunately, Marianne had two big drawbacks to that role. First, her magical skill set was extremely limited, restricted to healing, a situation that barely changed even at the moment. More importantly, however, she lacked the strength of personality to blunt Cornelia's headstrong approach, making her an easy target for any kind of ploy her uncle might pull.

I took yet another step, curious of seeing the impact of their little operational duo.

Helga leaned to nibble Cornelia's ear, making a show of their closeness while using that to whisper directives to Cornelia. Cornelia followed her directives, the movement of the ice cube hidden behind the ward Helga had created.

Cornelia's legs parted open while Helga's fingers slipped inside, perfectly timed to the last part of the ice cube's trajectory.

I decided to encourage them a bit, and let the cube come almost within touching range before reacting, confirming the effectiveness of their team play. However, I didn't let it touch, because I didn't want them to be overconfident. Instead, I made a show of being shocked before deflecting the cube away. "That was close," I murmured, my Subterfuge helping to sell the idea I barely escaped their attack.

They pouted at their failure, but still, the glint in their eyes told me that it was a moral victory for them. Exactly what I had intended.

"So close," Helga murmured as she pulled away from Cornelia, though that was not a stop to their affairs. No, it was just to allow me to squeeze between their delicious bodies.

"Not bad," I said with a chuckle even as I put my hands on their bodies, enjoying the way they shivered under my touch. "You're getting better, Cornelia. You might even handle the challenge in your House without dying."

Helga looked at us, confused. Her reaction was normal. We have talked before about Cornelia going back to her family, but that didn't mean that she had known the full gravity of the situation. Especially since her commoner background isolated her from the gossip that might have informed her of that.

Cornelia looked at my eyes for a moment, asking for permission to explain, and I nodded, indicating that there was no problem sharing the details Helga. "It's my uncle," she said. "I'm the heir of my house, but my uncle is the regent, and also, the one that would take the reins of the house if something happens to me."

"But that's horrible," Helga cut in. "He's your family."

"That doesn't mean much when it comes to noble families," Cornelia answered sadly. "At least, not when rewards are easy pickings."

"So, that's why you didn't graduate years ago, despite your power," Helga said. "You don't trust the members of your own house."

"My uncle had years bribing or marginalizing anyone that's remotely loyal to my late father, and the ones that didn't obey his wishes disappeared mysterious," Cornelia answered. "I have the legal right, but if I go back without overwhelming power, things won't end well for me."

Helga said nothing, shocked by the revelation. I was willing to bet that until now, even with their growing relationship, Helga had just assumed Cornelia was a privileged heiress, wasting time to enjoy her privileges before the reins of her family, unlike her, who was struggling to carve a place for herself in a school that was dangerous for her.

To her defense, Cornelia was far too aggressive and prickly to actually tell someone about her problems, leaving her isolated, making her uncle's job much easier. It was no wonder Helga didn't understand the implications.

"Thanks," Cornelia muttered, appreciating Helga's simple gesture. I didn't know her reaction would have been the same before everything had happened, but I suspected otherwise. Despite the changes she had been gone through, Cornelia was still a girl who had been shaped by the narration of nobles being superior to common blood —admittedly, due to quirks of the system, it was more than an illusion. She was accepting Helga's consolation, not because she had gained a new appreciation of the commoners, but in her eyes, Helga had elevated herself up through her skills and power, carving an exception for herself.

Not to mention, the help Helga's position received from my status. I had established myself as Cornelia's superior to such a degree that she internalized her forced identity as a maid. And she accepted that position smoothly, due to my overwhelming display of strength putting me above the other nobles, rather than lowering her position into a commoner.

Of course, none of those meant Cornelia's and Helga's relationship would be perfectly smooth, especially when Helga tried to limit her actions. Clashes between them were inevitable. Luckily, Helga was smart enough to handle the implications of a position.

All that was needed was for me to explain my plans about the next steps about Cornelia's ascension. Plans that would no doubt make Cornelia bristle in annoyance, thinking she was being treated like an unreliable hothead — even though she was certainly one.

Luckily, I had some interesting ways to smooth that message, a particularly fun version popping out immediately. One that would work wonders to strengthen them before pushing excellently with the need to strengthen them before a dangerous situation.

And I had all day to make sure they were properly equipped to face danger.

—

[Level: 31 Experience: 493210 / 496000

Strength: 46 Charisma: 63

Precision: 40 Perception: 42

Agility: 40 Manipulation: 45

Speed: 39 Intelligence: 49

Endurance: 39 Wisdom: 51

HP: 6324 / 6324 Mana: 2931 / 7750 ]

SKILLS

Master Melee [100/100]

Master Tantric [100/100]

Master Biomancy [100/100]

Master Elemental [100/100]

Master Arcana [100/100]

Master Subterfuge [100/100]

Expert Speech [75/75]

Expert Craft [75/75]

PERKS

Mana Regeneration

Skill Share

Empowerment (1/1)

Teleportation

COMPANIONS

[Cornelia - Level 21/25]

[Helga - Level 18/21]