Chapter 170: Side
In a living room inside a luxurious mansion, stood a devastating cold-looking beauty with clear white skin, plump red lips, and a gorgeous body.
She has long beautiful golden hair that is tied into a braid. Everything about her is perfect but her most striking feature is her enchanting red eyes.
Nobody who saw her would believe that she's just 14 years old this year. Her entire demeanor and her confident attitude make her looks like a girl in her early twenty instead.
She's currently giving a cold gaze at the group of people in front of her.
There's exactly eight person situated before her. One male and seven female.
The man has a handsome feature and the women are also beautiful but if they're compared to the golden-haired girl, they look average at best.
These women are the man's wives.
The man has a pale complexion and there's blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He's glaring at the golden-haired girl with obvious shock and trepidation.
"...Heavenly emperor? Who somehow got reincarnated because of a divine tool. Lived for thousands of years during your past life and stood at that world apex only to die because of the betrayal of your past wife and friend." The golden-haired girl said uninterestedly with her red eyes glowing slightly while gazing at the man before her.
The man's eyes went wide open when he heard what she said.
"H-How did you..." He blurted out.
"That is not of your concern. What matters now is, you have a debt to pay." The golden-haired girl said coldly.
"..." The man bit his lips when he's reminded of the debt.
Previously, he didn't know what she meant when she wanted his "power".
He made a deal with this girl saying that he coveted her beauty and wanted her for himself.
The girl only smiled at his words and said: 'If you wanted to court me then how about a wager?'
He shouldn't have agreed back then... He thought he was just being playful when she said the wager is a "friendly" match.
If he wins he will get his chance but... He got his ass handed to him!
Granted, he was not in his full strength yet compared to when he was the heavenly emperor.
If he was in his full strength then surely... surely he will be able to win.
With her beauty, there's no way he would think of her as a normal woman and his instinct is telling him to not mess with this woman... But her beauty is just too tempting especially for a man like him! Even back when he's the heavenly emperor, he has never seen such a beautiful woman in his entire life!
Seeing that their husband was on the losing end, they strode forward in front of their men to protect him, seemingly like they were saying, if you want to kill our husband, you will have to kill us first!
"You all..." The man choked seeing their action.
"Stop with the drama." The golden-haired woman said boredly: "It's not like I asked for your life." She added.
"...You're asking for my power, it will make our family weak! The other families will immediately take advantage of this!" The man said through gritted teeth.
"And how is that my problem?" The golden-haired girl said plainly: "You made a bet and now you need to pay."
"...Can we just pay in another way? Perhaps money?" One of his wives inquired.
"Hahaha, I may lack in anything in this world but money is not one of them." The golden-haired girl said with a chuckle: "Now... Will you pay or not?"
"...How about a trade with our life?" The wives looked at each other and finally come to an agreement.
"No! Don't!" The man shouted.
"Brother Yu, although we are not able to fight, we are still able to help you in this way." One of them said weakly.
"That's right, if you lost all your power, our family will be doomed." The second wife nodded in agreement.
"Think of the rest of our family."
The man named Yu Huang gasped heavily. Because he knows that his wives are correct... If he loses his strength then it's the same as death for them.
But to trade his wives' lives for it is just... Unacceptable!
"Hmm... That's a tempting offer." The golden-haired girl uttered while tapping her cheek: "An exchange of life with your power, huh..."
"Then you can pick any of us in exchange." One of them said.
"Why are all of you being so disobedient, quickly leave!" Yu Huang shouted out painfully. He totally did not expect that there would be such a day like this for him. In the past, it had always been him who give others pain, and yet, now it is his turn to be given pain. Could this be the retribution that heaven gave to him!
How ironic, to think that he was called the heavenly emperor in his previous life...
"Alright, then I choose... All of you." The golden-haired girl flashed an evil grin.
"You!!!" Yu Huang gasped furiously and couldn't help but puked another mouthful of blood.
"Stop looking at me as if I'm the evil one here. I have already warned you again and again that if he were to take that wager, there will be no going back." The golden-haired girl said coldly: "If he wasn't so lascivious and be content with all of you as his wives, none of this would happen." She said to his wives.
They couldn't help but flinch at her words. Since it is true...
He already has seven wives and yet he still leers at other women.
While they understand that this woman is more beautiful than them so it's a given that their husband would covet her beauty, that doesn't mean they don't feel bitter about it.
"If you want to blame someone then blame your idiotic husband." She scoffed at them.
They bit their lips since they couldn't say anything in return.
This woman before them never provoked them but rather it's their husband who started all this.
"Now decide what you want to do. I'll give you 10 seconds to decide." She said cooly and she actually started counting.
"Ten..."
"Nine..."
"P-Please wait!" Yu Huang shouted.
"Eight..." But the girl didn't listen and keep counting.
"Seven..."
"...Brother Yu, let us do something for Yu Family. As long as the mountain is still there, there is no need to worry about not having woods to burn!" His wives finally looked at each other and said resolutely.
"P-Please... Please no... I beg you..." Yu Huang shouted out in anguish. His eyes were red, and blood continuously gushed out from the corner of his mouth.
He regretted! He truly regretted his action!
Just because he couldn't control his lust, he's going to lose all his wives!
"Three..."
"Two..."
They looked at Yu Huang with a regretful look.
"One..."
"Time's up. I assume your lives will be the payment?" The golden-haired girl said blandly towards the group of women.
"...Yes." They nodded after a brief pause.
"Very well." The golden-haired girl simply nodded and then she made a movement with her delicate arm.
She extended her right arm and make a grasping motion.
The seven women's bodies trembled slightly before they closed their eyes and fall to the ground just like a puppet whose string has been cut. Their bodies shone briefly before they turned into white orbs.
The orbs float towards the golden-haired girl's outstretched arm.
"No!!!" Yu Huang shouted out at the top of his lungs. Tears even began flowing out from his eyes.
He felt like his heart is broken to pieces seeing how all of his wives just disappeared before his very eyes.
He slumped down to the ground feeling heartbroken.
"Now then, that's that." The golden-haired girl said with a smirk.
Yu Huang who heard her voice glared at her with utter hatred.
The girl raised one of her eyebrows at this sight.
She suddenly kicked out and pinned Yu Huang to the ground with her right leg.
"Stop thinking that you've been wronged... As I said before, you have no one else to blame but yourself. And besides, not even once did you ever said that you're willing to trade your power in exchange for their lives." She scoffed at him.
"I-"
"Don't make excuses saying that by having your power taken then it will be all over. You can just go into hiding with all your wealth and start over... Although, once again, you only have yourself to blame for making so many enemies even after fully knowing that you're not back at your full power yet." She said mockingly: "You reap what you sow after all."
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" Yu Huang screamed.
"...Hmm, well, I won't deny that." The golden-haired girl said with a chuckle.
"..." Yu Huang looked at the golden-haired girl with confusion.
"I actually did appear before you on purpose... Knowing your lascivious personality, it's quite easy to gain your so-called attention, oh mighty Heavenly Emperor."
"YOU!!!"
"But at the end of the day, it's still your fault, no? I've never messed with your free will nor do I tried to charm you deliberately." The girl smirked: "It's all because you're thinking with your third leg rather than using your actual brain."
"If only-!!!"
"If only you're at your full power then you will not lose against me? Is that what you're trying to say?" Once again, before Yu Huang managed to finish his sentence, the girl cut him off yet again.
Yu Huang becomes flabbergasted at her words... How did she...
"Heh, you're like an open book. I'm starting to wonder if your original world is filled with idiots or something seeing that someone like you managed to become the so-called "Heavenly Emperor"." The girl said mockingly: "Just so you know... When we fought back then, I didn't even use 10% of my full strength."
Yu Huang is left dazed by what she just said... Not even 10% of her full strength? His current strength is at least 40% if compared to his previous strength as the Heavenly Emperor...
To think that she can so easily handle him despite that... No no no! She must be lying! Yu Huang thought in disbelief.
"You think I'm lying? Well, it's up to you whether you believe me or not... You reincarnators are so foolish. You must be thinking that you're the chosen one or something." The girl said with a smirk.
"...Reincarnators?" Yu Huang repeated.
"Oh, did I forget to inform you? You're not the first reincarnator that I've been dealt with... I think you're the fiftieth reincarnator? Or was it the seventieth? I can't remember since all of you are mostly the same. An arrogant idiot or just a daydreaming idiot." She shrugged: "Forget about that... I have a new deal for you."
"...A new deal?" Yu Huang said while still glaring at her.
"Indeed... Do you want your wives back?" The girl whispered after lifting his chin with her index finger.
"..." At first, Yu Huang becomes startled but then he asked calmly: "...What's the deal?"
"Simple, just work for my family. Whatever we tell you to do, you mustn't refuse." The girl said.
"Work for your family? You mean you want me to become your slave!?" He said through gritted teeth.
"If you want to put it that way, then sure." She chuckled.
"...For how long?" Yu Huang went silent for a while before he inquired.
"Let's see... Since there are seven of them then... How about 700 years." She smiled widely: "Serve my family for 700 years and IF you do well enough, well... Perhaps I will free your wives after that."
"..."
"For cultivators like you, 700 years should be nothing, right? Or is your wives doesn't worth even that much?" She provoked: "So what will it be? Will you serve or will you not?"
"...I agree." It took him a while but he finally agreed.
"Splendid." The girl snapped her finger and a chain collar wrapped itself around Yu Huang's neck.
"I hope you did well during your servitude. I have high hopes for you, O' Almighty Heavenly Emperor! Hahahahah..." The girl pulled his chain and laughed gleefully.
Yu Huang could only grit his teeth during the whole ordeal. Saying that he's feeling ashamed is an understatement at this point... The high and almighty heavenly emperor reduced to a mere slave!
"Now then... I'll give you your task later. Just continue what you've been doing before this." The girl stopped laughing and let go of his chain.
She gives Yu Huang one last smirk before she disappeared on the spot.
...
The golden-haired girl reappeared on top of a skyscraper building.
She gazed at the scenery before her and couldn't help let out a chuckle at what she said before.
"...Reincarnators are foolish, huh... I wonder if that applies to me as well." She said with a sigh.
She has a little secret of her own... And that secret is that she's also a reincarnator.
In her past life, she was the daughter of a duke household. But, her household is not known for its nobility but rather its evil deeds.
They're basically a household that deals with human trafficking, assassination, drugs, fraud, and many more... They're the family that basically rules the underworld.
She was the second eldest daughter in the household. Her father has six wives and her mother was his second wife...
Their household never the one to care about familial love. They only judge someone for what's their worth... Apparently, she has a brother who's not up for the task and so he was killed by the eldest son on their father's order.
He was only 7 years old at the time but yet, he loses his life just because their father doesn't deem him worthy...
It's safe to say that each and every one of them is abnormal... Including her.
Whether she was forced or not, her hands are stained with the blood of the innocent.
In her entire life, she was taught to kill and use her charm as a woman to deal with anyone who stands in their way... She and her siblings were nothing but a tool for their tyrannical father.
They lived their lives as nothing but tools...
As time passes on, she becomes numb with all the evil deeds she had done... Her heart is akin to a dying ember at that point.
But as they always said... Evil deeds won't go unpunished. One day, their father provoked someone they shouldn't have.
Long story short, their entire family got obliterated...
At the end of her life, the only thing that went inside her mind was... Freedom.
She can finally be free of this twisted life... She's hoping that if there is a next life, she will be able to live her life to the fullest and not as a tool... Then her vision went black when the enemy blade pierced her heart.
That's how her life ended at the tender age of 19.
But apparently, that's not the end... While she was drifting in the darkness, she saw a blinding white light that seems to beckon her... She followed the light and felt warm and safe...
And when she opened her eyes once again, she was greeted by the most beautiful woman she has ever seen... Her silky Golden hair which looks brighter than the sun, her pure amethyst-colored eyes that looks like the most exquisite gem in the world, her smooth milky white skin... Everything about her is absolutely perfect and there's not a single flaw that could be found.
Her blissful, warm, and kind smile of hers instantly charmed her.
[My child... My beautiful daughter...] The woman said lovingly to her.
That was when she met her new mother... Her voice was filled with love and warmth. Something she has never felt before in her previous life...
That unconditional love and that blissful smile when this woman saw her made her went into a daze.
[Fufufu... You've inherited your father's eyes...] The woman giggled while caressing her cheek.
A few moments later, a light bang resounded from the entrance and she automatically looked towards it.
Once again, her worldly view has been turned upside down... If she thought that her new mother is the most beautiful person she has ever seen... Then the man who just walked in is beyond that.
His otherworldly face made her went yet into another daze... How can a man be so devastatingly beautiful like this...? She couldn't help but thought amazedly inside her mind.
[Master, our daughter is born...] Her blissful mother's voice resounded.
'Master?' When she heard how her mother called her supposed father, she unintentionally frowned.
Did her mother call her own husband with the word 'Master'?
Is it the same as well in this life? Is her new father also someone who treated his family as a servant or tool?
Her heart couldn't help went cold once again but in the next second, her tiny heart started beating erratically... Because her supposedly new father flashed a loving smile in her direction.
His gaze when he looks at her is nothing like her previous father... It's filled with endless love that doesn't lose out against her new mother's gaze a moment ago.
[Um... She's just as beautiful as you, Jeanne...] He said while walking forward and proceed to hug them both in his embrace.
The two of them smiled at each other before sharing a deep and loving kiss...
After they separated their lips, they then looked at her with a happy and warm smile.
[What should we call her, Master?] Her new mother whose name is Jeanne asked.
[Hmm... Let's see...] Her new father observed her intently before he started speaking: [A name fitting for those beautiful ruby-like eyes... akin to a crimson hue of the burning sun... And since she's as beautiful as you... How about Roxanne?]
[Roxanne... Roxanne Hyoudou? And you also mixed my name with hers... It sounds beautiful, Master! Hehehe, your name is Roxanne Hyoudou! Aren't you happy, daughter?] Her new mother said lovingly.
And that's how she received a new name... A name that serves as a signal for her brand new life.
[I hope you always be happy and healthy, my little princess... ] Her new father said before giving her forehead a gentle kiss.
When she heard his words, she unintentionally cried...
Needless to say, both her new father and mother started panicking thinking that they just made her upset...
Of course, she wasn't crying because she was upset... She was crying because she was overwhelmed with happiness...
She has finally got what she always wanted... A warm and loving family...
Well... Maybe the word "Families" is more suitable in this case since she apparently has more than a thousand mothers! Those kings and princes and her previous shit*y father that have multiples wives are like a child in comparison!
And to make matters more surprising, she's apparently not a human anymore! Her new father is actually a True Dragon God! An actual God!
In her previous life, there was also a religion that worships a God but never in her wildest dream that she could become an actual child of a God!
There are also multiple races but there is no God race in her previous world...
Saying that she's surprised at this point is putting it mildly...
Her new mother apparently was a Saintess... She doesn't know whether fate is messing around with her or not. To think someone whose hand was tainted with so much blood of the innocent could have a Saintess as a mother...
Her eldest sister also visited her quite often and her other sisters seem quite close with each other even when they're still a baby.
All of them are showered with love from their mothers and father.
Their father is the most doting seeing how he never says no to whatever they wanted. Their mothers are the ones who are being strict with them so they balance each other out...
As a result, there's not really an overly spoilt one amongst her sisters.
They care and protect each other just like how they're taught from the start.
[Your family member's happiness and safety is always the most important thing... Anything else is secondary.] Their father said to them.
The teaching they received is completely different compared to the teaching she had during her past life.
They're taught some common sense and how to never look down on others but they also need to maintain their pride at the same time.
Always treat others depending on how they treat you first.
If they treated you with kindness then do the same to them. If they treated you unfairly, then show them no mercy.
Straight and easy to understand. Eye for an eye.
Such are some of the teachings their father and mothers taught them...
Their father seems to always have the time to accompany them to play which made her and her sisters very happy.
Although their father seems quite busy, he always have the time to accompany them whenever they feel lonely...
Not that their mother doesn't accompany them all the time but their father just made them slightly more joyful. His presence alone could bring happiness to them all. Both them and their mothers alike.
It's like he has this hidden attraction that couldn't be described in words... Long story short, they feel more joyful whenever he's around.
Even when they made a mistake, their parents are always very forgiving...
Unless they did something over the top, they never really went on their way to punish them.
Roxanne never felt so happy before... So this is what familial love feels, she thought to herself on her sixth birthday.
Surrounded by her family members who genuinely felt happy for her.
The ever-loving parents that always be there for them...
She couldn't be happier with her current life...
But... Sometimes during her life, Roxanne started to wonder to herself... Will they still treat her the same if they were to know about her past life?
Roxanne becomes extremely nervous and often went into a daze during these days.
As always, her father is always quick to realize her restlessness.
[What's on your mind, honey?] Her dear father asked the 7-year-old her with a doting smile.
[...] She went into another daze while gazing at her smiling father.
She's truly afraid of losing his doting smile... She has become too dependant on this loving side of his.
[...What can I do to make you proud, father?] So she asked to change the topic.
In the past, she never tried to do things out of her own volition. Especially not trying to make her previous father proud of her... But now it's different.
Her father never loses his doting smile and calmly said: [As long as you grow happy and healthy, father will always be proud of you, little princess.] He then gives her forehead another kiss.
She couldn't help but shed another tear when she heard that... Even after 7 whole years and despite having so many children... He still said the same thing when he first saw her.
He never wanted them to be powerful or anything like that... He only wanted them to be happy and healthy. Such a simple wish and yet... That brings her so much happiness.
She has never come to know of the emotion called "Love" in her previous life and she obviously never found someone to "Love" but now she's certain what she's feeling right now is one. She loves her father and new family dearly...
From that day forth, Roxanne swore to make her entire family and most importantly, her beloved father to be happy... No matter what it takes... Even if it means tainting her hand with the blood of the innocents once again...
Roxanne gives a faint chuckle when she remembered her past. It's like her past life is no more than a fleeting nightmare... And now she has finally awakened from that nightmare.
"I wonder if dear father will be happy with this new helping 'hand'..." She muttered in wonder.
One of the reasons why she's targeting the reincarnators is because she thought that they would make a great pawn. After all, they're basically old foggies in disguise so they should be good at something after living such a long life and if not, they should serve as a good cannon fodder at most, right?
Besides, the reincarnators that have been "contracted" to her are not innocent anyway so she technically never went against her beloved father's teaching.
Truthfully, those reincarnators are basically like a walking peacock seeing how prideful they are... Whether it's male or female.
The male one often wanted to covet her beauty while the female one wanted to get rid of her since they're jealous of her beauty... Just like the previous Yu Huang.
He coveted her beauty and wanted to trick her to get into his harem so she just responded appropriately.
Is there any easier target than these reincarnators who basically think with their lower half? She doesn't think so.
It's just like taking candy from a baby... They get to have a free labor force on top of it.
Oh, the joy on mother Sona and mother Rakia's face back then are quite memorable. They get to save some expenses because of it.
Even though they're not lacking in money, free things are always welcomed.
If there are no important tasks at hand then they could just make them do menial things such as cleaning the toilet or whatever.
"It would be more wonderful if dear father would give me a reward for it though, fufufufu..." She said with a giggle.
"Now then... Let's see what I miss..." Roxanne took out her phone and started to browse through the news.
"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows at the message on her sisterhood group.
"A parallel world? Interesting..." Roxanne mused to herself: "And father's current location is... Hmm, I see." She narrowed her eyes after knowing that Shirayuki is currently with him.
She wastes no time before creating a spatial opening headed towards Issei's direction.
...
"Train you?" Arte looked at Hajime while bringing her fist down to the incoming monster's head.
Her small fist directly sending the monster's skull tunneling into its own neck and body. It twitched for a couple of seconds before it stopped moving altogether.
"Um, if it doesn't bother you." Hajime gives a pitiful glance at the poor bastard who has been turned into a pancake.
Yue who's nearby secretly dropped a sweat feeling thankful that Arte holds her strength back when she's dealing with her... If not then she would've shared the same fate as this monster.
Even though she's immortal, that doesn't mean she can't feel pain... And somehow her intuition is telling her that Arte could actually kill her for good...
Perhaps she should keep her desire at bay... But that heavenly flavor is just too unforgettable! If she could have another taste then dying is totally worth it!
"Humm... I'm not sure about training you... I mean, I don't really know how to train others since I never trained other people before. And my training routine is not something others who are outside our family could follow. Here, let me show you a simple example." Arte said before she created a magic circle around Hajime.
"?" Hajime tilted his head and even after a while, he still doesn't feel anything.
"You don't feel anything, right?"
"Indeed." Hajime said in confusion.
"Mm, as expected... I just used my magic to stimulate your bloodline. If your bloodline contains a large potential then my magic just now would've unlocked it immediately. But since you're a normal human until recently, there's really nothing to awaken." Arte explained.
She paused for a moment before continues speaking: "I don't really know much about this kind of stuff but your supposed "bloodline" must've activated already... Meaning when you ate your first monster flesh."
Hajime recalled that moment when he first ate his first monster...
"So you mean the reason why I changed to what I look like right now is because I somehow "activated" the bloodline I received from eating the monster flesh?" Hajime said disappointedly.
"Mm, that's right. But don't feel disheartened about yourself. According to my observation so far, you should be able to keep gaining more and more potential for your bloodline the more you feast on a stronger monster. Your "bloodline" must've contained the <Gluttony> perk." Arte concluded.
"I see." Hajime nodded excitedly.
"Is there any other training method that you could teach me other than this?" He asked.
"Hmm, you mean like a combat practice?" Arte questioned.
"That's right."
"It's impossible." Arte shakes her head: "I couldn't control my strength quite well yet. I might kill you by accident if I'm not careful enough. If you want a combat practice then you could just train with these monsters for now or with Yue instead... They should serve as a good practice target for a while."
"...Got it." Hajime said disappointedly.
If Arte could train him then he will be one step closer to getting to his target.
Remember, Arte is still 12 years old. Her training just started recently. She started her training when she was 11.
One year of training is nowhere enough to make her as proficient as her elder sisters just yet.
She started training at 11 because she was a bit lazier compared to her other sisters. Even her big sister Kozelotte started her training when she was 10... While Shirayuki started her training when she was 9...
"By the way, you said my bloodline contains the <Gluttony> trait... Is it the same gluttony that is related to the 7 deadly sins?"
"Yup. To make it simple if you still don't understand, the more you eat, the stronger you get. And it goes without saying, the stronger the monster is, the better it is for your growth."
"Oh... Then what about your bloodline, Arte-san?" Hajime asked curiously.
"My bloodline? Well, my bloodline is kind of complicated..." Arte said dubiously: "Let's just say that I possess all 7 deadly sins within my bloodline."
"...Including <Lust>?" Hajime added with a gulp.
"Of course? My mama possesses a Royal Succubus bloodline according to what I've been told." Arte said while tilting her head slightly: "Why do you ask?" She added.
"...No reason..." Hajime mumbled.
Arte becomes further confused at his act.
Hajime peeked at Arte's body... No wonder... He thought inside his mind.
Yue gives Hajime a scrutinizing look and said: "...Pervert."
"..." Hajime blushed slightly and hastily feigned ignorance.
The Abyssal Human hiding within Arte's shadow narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Hajime.
Her Master has given her an order to kill Hajime if he were to overstep his boundary...
...
"Ne ne, mama." Lotte tugged on Forzelotte's shirt.
"Hmm?"
"I found this... bra? I believe you said this thing is called a bra before." Lotte took out a piece of bra from her pocket dimension.
"!!!" Forzelotte's eyes widen at the sight of the bra Lotte just took out.
"Is this bra broken, mama? There's a hole on i- huh?" Lotte pointed at the two holes on the front of the bra cluelessly but before she could finish her sentence, Forzelotte snatched the bra away from her hand.
"You were mistaken..." Forzelotte said sternly while hiding the bra away.
"E-Eh? B-But..."
"You were mistaken." Forzelotte repeated with more force behind her voice.
"O-Oh, um... I-It seems Lotte was mistaken..." Lotte stutteringly said.
"Um... Mama will make whatever you want for a snack later."Forzelotte said with a strained smile.
"Y-Yaay!" Lotte 'cheered'.
Amou, Momoyo, and Kozelotte who's behind them snickered between themselves.
Forzelotte glared at the three of them and they hastily looked away as if they never saw anything in the first place.
That was close... Forzelotte thought solemnly inside her mind.
That bra is something she often used whenever she had her nightly activities with Issei to enhance it even further. It comes with matching panties but thankfully Lotte only found the bra.
Although... There are still a few sets stashed away in her room... Such as the Gym clothes, Nurse uniform, Cheerleader dress, Shrine maiden outfit, Bunny outfit, and many more...
Few of them could still be ignored by saying that it's just a normal outfit but most of them are just like this bra... It would be very bad if she were to discover that as well.
Looks like she needs to be more careful when hiding her stuff away...
Unknown to her, Kozelotte, Arte, and few others have already discovered them long ago... But they didn't ask her about it since they obviously have more common sense compared to Lotte.
"Now then... It seems that we're missing someone." Forzelotte said with a frown.
Out of all their daughters who were supposed to be present, she realized that someone is missing on their way to the living room. When she's still doing a headcount inside her head, it finally hits her.
"...Koze, where is your eldest sister?"
"Shirayuki nee-san? Uhhh, dunno?"
Forzelotte frowned and spread out her divine sense on the whole fortress but she still couldn't find Shirayuki anywhere.
"That child... Could it be..." Her frown deepened.
She hastily called out to the Abyssal Human hiding nearby and asked her about Shirayuki's whereabouts... She's also informed of Issei's new "job".
Tsk, that child is getting too powerful for her own good. Forzelotte heaved a sigh once she finishes hearing the abyssal human report.
Her growth is as expected being the descendant of the strongest person in the multiverse. She's happy yet concerned at the same time...
She then told Lotte and the others to wait here while she's going to fetch Shirayuki back.
...
And that's how Forzelotte arrived at Shirayuki's side...
"Forze? What are you doing here?" Issei asked.
"What else? It's because of this little troublemaker." Forzelotte huffed while holding Shirayuki still.
The person in question is trembling slightly under her pressure.
"Troublemaker? What trouble did she cause? As far as I know, Yuki is not the type to cause trouble." Issei said while tilting his head.
"Hehehe, the 'trouble' she causes is because of another reason, Master... Not like you would understand." Nero chuckled bitterly.
All of their daughters are quite a fathercon, including her little bundle of joy herself... Nero lamented inside her mind.
Whenever their father is around, they would instantly scramble to his side forgetting about their poor mothers... Such injustice is truly intolerable!
Nero and the others could only stare begrudgingly at him when the time comes.
"Huh? Why?" He asked cluelessly.
""That's why."" The two said in unison.
See? He still doesn't understand until now that their daughters' affection is borderlining in the danger zone at this point... Thankfully he truly never sees them as the opposite sex or it would be a massive headache to deal with. Not like it's not headache-inducing right now but still...
"Now... I'm pretty sure I've already said that no one is allowed to go after your father before, didn't I? Not even you are allowed unless you have a good reason for it." Forzelotte said towards the shivering Shirayuki.
"U-Umm, I-I just wanted to help dearest father..." Shirayuki squeaked out a reason.
"Do you really think that your father would need help considering how powerful he is?" Forzelotte deadpanned.
"...No." Shirayuki mumbled.
"And even if he does need help, asking you and your sisters for help would be the last thing that he would do. He would've asked us, your mothers first before he would ask any of you."
"That's not true, I often asked them to help me." Issei chimed in.
"Asking for their help to make breakfast or dinner doesn't count you stupid husband." Forzelotte said scrutinizingly at Issei.
"Umu umu." Nero also nodded along with her statement.
"Oh..." Issei wryly said while scratching his cheek.
"Then... Why are you still here anyway, Ise? You could've easily handled all these ants in an instant if you want to. Even if they're in hiding or sealed somewhere, all you need to do is just release 5% of your power and that will be the end of them." Forzelotte said with a frown.
"But that will also cause massive catastrophe to this world." Nero pointed out: "If Master really uses 5% of his power then... At the very least, half of this world would be done for."
Erica and the others who listened to their conversation had their body went cold. Even the Gods and Goddesses present had their expression become twisted in horror.
"Hmph, you and your morality compass." Forzelotte said with a sigh: "But never mind, since you're the King then you can do as you see fit. As your wife, I would support anything that you wanted to do."
"Thanks." Issei flashed a loving smile at her.
"H-Hmph, fool..." Forzelotte blushed before she's reminded of something: "Wait... if your only job here is to defeat a bunch of weaklings... You should let the others take care of it. There's no need for you to take matters with your own hand. You should send the Overlords instead."
"Umm, about that..."
"Don't say that you wanted to spoil Brynhildr because she's pregnant. While I understand your intention of spoiling her, that doesn't mean you should spoil her here. You could do just that back home... Or did you forget that there are others who are currently pregnant right now?" She said with narrowed eyes.
Although Forzelotte said that, she knows better than anyone that it's impossible for him to forget about his other wives.
"Of course not... It's just that if we were to go home. Brynhildr's reserved attitude wouldn't allow her to act spoiled with me. She would just go away somewhere while making some excuses to hide herself." Issei said with a sigh.
"True..." Forzelotte frowned while remembering Brynhildr's attitude.
That girl honestly needs to be more honest with her feelings.
It has been quite a while ever since she became one of her sisters yet she still acted so reserved.
And this dummy of a husband is too soft at times... While that's a good thing in its own way, sometimes he needs to be a little stricter.
Granted his wives never really did anything overly troublesome, but as the head of the house, he should showcase his dominant side more often... outside of the bed that is.
He is very "dominant" in bed already... Any more than this then they might not be able to stand his advances anymore.
That feeling of wanting to stop but cannot is just like a drug...
"So... why are they not been dealt with yet?" Forzelotte glanced at the surrounding Heretic Gods and Goddesses.
"Well... They were experience points for Nero earlier and when Yuki arrived, I was thinking of giving them to her to hone her skill." Issei responded.
The Gods and Goddesses gritted their teeth for being treated as a training dummy by Issei but they couldn't do anything in return... The fact speaks louder than words.
Even when they tried their best, they couldn't even put a scratch on him.
He's treating them like they are nothing but toys for his family!
"Hoo... Is that so? Then, while we're at it... How about calling the other girls here? I reckon it's about time for most of the girls to have their first battle." Forzelotte mumbled.
"No." But Issei denied it immediately: "They're still too young."
"Hmph... you're treating them as if they're a weakling. Our daughters are anything but a weakling."
"That I know... It's just that..."
"Do I need to remind you of the number of artifacts on their body?" Forzelotte said with narrowed eyes.
"Uhh..." Issei becomes stumped.
For example, the amount of artifacts that Lotte has on her body is by no means little.
Her clothes, her pants, her accessories, and even her underwear are divine artifacts.
Heck, even if all Gods present were to use their everything to attack Lotte, they still won't be able to harm her in the slightest.
All of his daughters are equipped with a divine artifact with no exception.
Only those who are at his level could break their defense.
As for their actual combat practice, they have their mother Scathach for that since she's the most enthusiastic about training their children.
"Stop pampering them too much already."
"But..."
"No buts." Forzelotte said sternly.
"..."
"Don't start sulking now..." She sighed looking at her pouting husband.
Erica's little party gawked at his childish behavior. The personality gap he displays is so far in between... He was being so domineering a while ago and yet... here he is acting like a child...
But his current pouting expression is so... so cute! They squealed secretly inside their mind. They felt like a few arrows just lodged into their heart.
Even Luo Hao is no exception. She blushes up to the root of her ears being charmed by his current sight. Although she likes domineering man more... Somehow this expression of his is not bad at all.
The four of them notices another spatial opening nearby. Knowing the energy signature, they didn't feel alarmed except for Shirayuki.
"...She's here..." She mumbled with a slight frown.
"Good afternoon, dear father, mother Forze, mother Nero... And big sister Yuki." Roxanne appeared from the newly created spatial opening and proceed to greet everyone there but when she greeted Shirayuki, there's a slight smirk on her face.
"Anne? You're here as well?" Issei said while tilting his head slightly.
Nero only gives her typical "Umu!" as a response to her greeting.
"What are you doing here, young lady?" Forzelotte asked sternly.
"Oh, I'm just here to pick big sister up, mother Forze." Roxanne said with a smile.
"Pick her up? What for?" Forzelotte raised her eyebrows at Roxanne.
"Um, remember that big sister is the vice principal for our little academy? As her secretary, it's a given that I should remind her of her duty." Roxanne reminded while her eyes clashed with Shirayuki creating an invisible spark.
"Oh, that academy, huh..." Forzelotte nodded after remembering about it.
"Yes, mother Forze... It's about time for us to return to that place... Especially since big sister often went absent from her duties." Roxanne gives a faint sigh.
"That's a false accusation, little sister... I've been only away for a few days. And I've already finished all my tasks beforehand before leaving my post." Shirayuki retorted.
"But you're still absent nonetheless, did you not?" Roxanne pointed out: "Didn't someone said that they wanted to take care of the academy for dear father before? I heard that the exam for new freshmen will start soon. What if something happens on the exam?"
"You..." Shirayuki narrowed her eyes at Roxanne.
The spark created between their gaze intensifies.
White meets Golden.
While Forzelotte and Nero shook their head in resignment, someone is smiling foolishly seeing how "close" his two princesses are.
"Aren't they close?" He said cluelessly.
""In what way are they close?"" His two wives retorted.
These two are almost always at odds because of a particular someone.
Out of all the sisters, these two are the ones who are the most competitive wanting to gain their dummy father's attention.
Thankfully they still know their boundaries and never tried to harm each other.
They often do "jabs" like this at most and things never really get out of hand much to their relief.
"Well, go take her away then... Your father and I still have some stuff to take care of." Forzelotte said with a wave.
"...Alright." Shirayuki is the first to break off their eye contact with each other and Roxanne flashed a victorious smirk at this.
"Then... Dearest father, Forze okaa-sama, Nero okaa-sama, I'll excuse myself." Shirayuki bid her farewell with reluctance.
"Um/Umu!" Both Forzelotte and Nero nodded with a smile.
"Um, take care on your way there you two. Remember to call for help if you need one." Issei said with a smile of his own.
"En, thank you, dearest father." While Shirayuki smiled at Issei, Roxanne's eyes flashed before she took a step forward in Issei's direction.
"Hm? What's wrong, little princess?" Issei tilted his head slightly seeing how Roxanne suddenly stood in front of him.
Shirayuki and Forzelotte had a light frown on their face while Nero is also a bit clueless.
Roxanne suddenly stands on her tiptoe and proceed to give Issei's cheek a kiss.
"Ah!" Shirayuki gasped in shock.
Forzelotte and Nero could only sigh seeing this.
Issei blinked his eyes repeatedly but soon he smiled from ear to ear feeling happy that his little princess just gave him a kiss on the cheek!
"Then, beloved father... I'll see you later." Roxanne beamed at Issei.
"Um um! Take care!" He nodded rapidly at her words while still smiling widely.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Forzelotte deadpan voice resounded.
"Of course not, mother Forze." Roxanne gives a smile before she proceeds to give Forzelotte and Nero a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Then we'll excuse ourselves... Let's go, big sister." Roxanne strode forward to the spatial opening she just created but not before taunting Shirayuki: 'That was delicious~'. She whispered in a low voice when she passes by the stiffened Shirayuki.
"Hold it right there, little sister!" Shirayuki snapped out of her shock and growled at Roxanne's taunt but the latter has already entered the spatial opening while laughing gleefully.
While both Forzelotte and Nero sighed bitterly at their departure, a certain smiling dummy of a father is still smiling from ear to ear...
"I wonder just who they take after..." Forzelotte sighed to herself.
While they were in their little family gathering, the surrounding Gods and Erica's little group have become a background character being completely forgotten...
...
"That's quite sly of you, little sister." Shirayuki said begrudgingly on their way back.
"Hm? I'm just stating facts though?" Roxanne said with a chuckle.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about." Shirayuki said: "It's quite sly of you to just suddenly kiss dearest father out of nowhere."
"Why are you so upset? Isn't it normal for a daughter to gives their father cheek a kiss?" Roxanne said tauntingly.
"Hmph, that rule doesn't apply to you. If it was our baby sisters then it's okay, but not for you." Shirayuki scoffed.
"And why is that?"
"You know perfectly why." Shirayuki harrumphed.
"Fufufu, don't act as if you also didn't see dear father in that kind of way. I'm just being true to my feelings~" Roxanne said with a giggle.
"You are being shameless!" Shirayuki said with a slightly red face.
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." Roxanne simply responded: "Now then... Let's talk about the task at hand. I wonder if there will be anyone that could interests you this year. If there is, then I'm more than willing to help you two get closer. Don't be shy and just tell me, big sister." She said with a smile.
"Oh, no need, I'm satisfied with my current situation. How about you, little sister? I heard you're quite interested in those reincarnators... How about I find a suitable one for you?" Shirayuki beamed back: "I heard recently Kanna just came across a reincarnator that possesses Kathryn okaa-sama's system... I wonder if he could be a perfect match for you."
Their atmosphere between them immediately turned frigid once again... The two of them are smiling at each other and yet somehow it made the air feel cold instead of creating a warm scene...
"Let's stop here... We have a task to do." Shirayuki once again is the first to break off their stalemate.
"Agreed... We can't embarrass our dear father's name now, can't we." Roxanne nodded in agreement.
The two of them regained their bearings back and become calm once more.
They both wear a veil that hides most of their face and only the upper part of their face could be seen.
While the veil hides their face, it still can't completely suppress their otherworldly charm.
When they arrived at the academy, they're greeted by the staff there. Both males and females alike become slightly entranced at their sight.
Both Shirayuki and Roxanne have already finished their school education early on. Roxanne skipped her class since she has already mastered the subjects in her school.
And being a reincarnator, despite a flawed one in her previous life, she has no problem blending in the society.
The two of them give a faint nod at the staff and strode forward to the examination hall...
Once they arrived there, the once rowdy hall went silence... Only faint whispers could be heard now and then.
All their eyes are glued onto the two Dragoness. The teachers are also no exception and they put their undivided attention to them.
The two Dragoness went towards the podium with Shirayuki being the spokesperson while Roxanne situated herself behind her.
"Greetings... I'm the vice-principal of this academy, Shirayukihime Shen Hyoudou." Shirayuki started her speech with a simple greeting.
"I will spare you all the pleasantries and get straight to the point... Those who pass the test will be able to enter the academy and have their chance to become a great <Hero> while those who fail will be given a second chance next year. But a word of advice... Those who come here without proper preparation should retire now. We won't be responsible if you were to get hurt or worse... lose your life in the process." She said sternly making the prospective students gulped audibly feeling nervous.
But some of them are feeling excited instead.
"Any question?" She asked but no one raised their hand: "If there are none then that will be all... If later you have some questions, you can ask the teacher or the staff here and don't be shy to ask them. Now let's not stand on ceremony and proceed with the test." She concluded her speech just like that.
"Give a round of applause for our vice-principal!" A male teacher with bulging muscles shouted loudly while smiling widely.
They all clapped loudly feeling nervous and also excited at the upcoming test...
Both Shirayuki and Roxanne nodded lightly at their enthusiasm. Looks like there are quite a bit of good seedlings present...
...
In <Glory City> the <Sacred Family> searched everywhere for the culprit who's responsible for their young master's comatose state and the missing experts from their family.
The eyewitness told them the one who's responsible but they're unable to pinpoint her location.
They can only search blindly all over the city.
-Night-
It was really quiet. Occasionally, sounds of beasts howling and wind blowing through the grass could be heard. The moon was embedded in the dark blue sky. Under the full moon was a pool of water braved by a thin fog. In this dim white mist, a graceful figure was faintly discernible.
Bai'er was seated on the side of the pool.
She gazes at her reflection... A flawless face that could bring the downfall to realms is reflected on the water. Any man would kill just to catch a glimpse of a smile from that flawless beautiful face.
It's been 17 years ever since that destined day... The day when she met her dearest elder brother.
Her body has fully grown becoming a transcendent beauty. Her body has been sculpted to perfection.
Bai'er waited day after day for the time where her elder brother would claim her as his wife... But much to her frustration, that day never came.
Even when she tried to seduce him with the advice of the other big sisters, she still couldn't entice him.
He always treated her like a child... Bai'er couldn't help but pout when she thought till here.
Elder brother you big dummy! She thought grudgingly to herself while throwing a pebble onto the pond.
Bai'er sense suddenly perked up when she sensed a presence coming her way.
She could recognize this presence since it belongs to the same girl she helped before.
This girl has continuously come here for the last three days. She always brought something with her, most likely food considering their scent.
Bai'er quite enjoys the scenery in this place. During the day she would try to look around but during the night, she will stay here.
So today, Bai'er finally decided to meet the girl...
Bai'er floated downward to the girl's front and said lightly: "What do you want?"