Book 3: Chapter 13

I slip back into the mansion quietly with Ariel still in my arms. After bawling her eyes out while confessing how her body had been “ruined” by another man, I had to talk her down from a cross between being convinced I’d leave her for seeing her ugly side and leaving her because her body had been defiled by another man. Once I had finally convinced her that her butt was still perfect, even though some other guy had touched it, and that her horrifically murdering everyone in the inn was okay, she finally passed out in my arms.

Well, it’s not like I didn’t do just as bloody murder when I rescued Chris. Something Ariel had completely witnessed. With regards to the inn, it wasn’t like the so-called “innkeeper” owned it. The lot of men there were a bunch of noncitizens trying to take advantage of my free housing to set up shop. The man who’d be called this town’s “innkeeper” was actually spending the night with his family at home. He’d swung by the new inn, but was sent on his way by the vagabonds. he planned to contact people in the morning. 

I frowned thoughtfully as I used magic to quickly investigate. The inn, and everyone in it, disappeared into the night, magic tightly erasing all evidence of our misdeeds. A new, more homely inn was put in its place. It looks like tomorrow I was going to have to start putting things in order. Just casting some city building magic was insufficient for a city to run peacefully.

I would need structure, guards, and a city-hall like system. People like the real innkeeper needed someone they could go to when they were being bullied. The whole city would have been overhauled. This would not be an easy feat. I sigh at all the work I had inadvertently taken on when I so thoughtfully became this town’s lord.

“Is she well?” A voice broke the silence from a nearby couch.

I peer into the room to see Aura sitting there next to a fire. She looks like a mature beauty, radiantly with child and in full bloom. She appears around six or seven months pregnant. What would that be, maybe 2 weeks left?

“Aura, what are you doing up?”

“Mmm… Sebastian let me know my daughter was out, I couldn’t help but stay up and worry.”

“Ah, well, as you see, your daughter is fine, so you don’t need to worry about her.”

“I wasn’t worried about Ariel; I was worried about you.”

“Me? What do I have to be worried about?” I ask incredulously.

“I heard you were quite distraught when you left. I was afraid you might do something drastic. Punish people that weren’t guilty, or inadvertently spurn Ariel.”

“Spurn?” I raise an eyebrow, but it lowers as I remember the night.

Ariel’s actions were vicious and violent. I had underestimated her entirely. Not just physically. I had played with the girl’s stats and knew she’d overpower anyone with ease these days. However, I had thought she might be the type to sleep around on me. She had such a slutty nature with me, the insecure part of me that had not died, still feared that she’d act that way with anyone.

“Was… was Ariel always that… um… violent?”

Aura put on a laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Oh, hero-san, do you really not know?”

“Hmm?” I ask as she looks at me coyly.

“Twelve other men have died tonight.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“The girls. Us. Your lovers. Your beautiful trophies. Did you really think other men don’t covet us? That other men haven’t tried, behind your back, to violate or touch us.”

“What!” I scream. “I’ll fucking kill them!”

Aura gives a throaty laugh. “I already said, hero-san. They are dead.”

“What? Who? When?”

“Mostly today. Shivra’s butt was squeezed, so she tore out the man’s throat. A guy tried to kiss Grimhilde, so she cursed him in a way that turned his skin black and he fell to the floor in spasma. Even Elysa put her sword in two men who tried to grab her breasts.”

“Why is all this happening? Fuck, I’m just going to destroy Riun after all!”

“You probably don’t have to worry much longer. The survivors are getting the message. Even if you aren’t there, touching your harem isn’t safe. You know, the ones stupid enough to try only do so because you have so many girls in the first place. They think… “Well, with almost twenty women, he can’t possibly notice if I attack one!””

“Grrr… why do they have to be such perverts in the first place!”

“The hottest girls in town? I don’t want to be the one to defend men like that, but isn’t it natural to covet the best, especially when the gap is so large?”

“Hmmm…” I consider, scratching my chin before snapping. “You’re right. The gap is the problem. It looks like I’ll just have to fix that.”

“Does hero-san have an idea? What do you plan to do?”

“Isn’t the solution simple? The men of Riun are driven mad with lust because my women are so great and their women are so plain. The solution is simple. I need to make every woman in Riun a slutty, horny, knockout beauty. Just like the goblins and the sex toys, if I give them something nice to play with, they won’t bug me.”

Aura’s smile twists a bit. “You’re going to make every girl have the same looks as us?”

“Of course not!” I wave my hand. “You girls will always be top-notch in sex appeal. This is more the B team. By the time I’m done, there won’t be a single girl in town who won’t turn a head or two!”