NSFW content, read at your discretion...
[Edit: This is not a filler. There's a short summary of this chapter at the end of Chapter 328 for those of you who do not like reading chapters like these. Thank you.]
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When Gale got back, the three women were still on top of the tower.
"Did I make you wait long?" he asked before his avatar materialised there. He wanted to catch them off guard but was unfortunately unable to get the reaction he wanted. There was a weird sombre silence flowing between them, and even his presence didn't seem to help. "What happened?"
Agnes narrowed her eyes, exchanging glances between him and June, before shaking her head. "Nothing much, your elf girlfriend was just asking me questions about you."
Gale raised an eyebrow and turned to June. "What is there to ask that you cannot ask me?"
"It's nothing," June said, looking guiltier than she usually did. "Can we get back to the real world now?"
Gale's eyes flashed towards Dawn, who was in one corner. She probably would answer him if he asked what this was about, but he was unsure if he should ask her right now.
"Well, let's get us out of here for now," he said as a gate materialised before him.
One by one they jumped into the gate and appeared back on the banks of the lake.
"Well, that was certainly some experience," Agnes said, letting out a heavy breath. "If you don't have anything heavier to show me, perhaps I'll take a break and go to shop for something?"
Gale shook his head. "I was thinking all this was enough for today."
"Good," she rasped. Flashing one last look towards the elf, she rose in the air, dark wings unfolding behind her. "I'll be back maybe tomorrow..."
Gale frowned. What really happened to her when he was taking the class?
"Think of whatever you need to discuss with me by then..." With that, her figure vanished into the sky.
Gale turned to the remaining two.
"I need to take a bath," June said abruptly and clutched Dawn's arm. "Come on, Dawn, let's go."
She literally pushed Dawn into moving back towards the guesthouse, leaving him to stand there in incredulity.
Are they forming an alliance against me or what? he thought. But then again, Agnes seemed to have become very rigid in the group.
He had left them together in the soul domain, thinking they would bond together in his absence. Perhaps it hadn't happened as he would have liked it to.
"Well, I'll prepare my future plans and do some runesmithing in the meantime," he decided, "and then see what this was about..."
*****
Gale had left the duty of meal to Dawn and June while he busied himself with work. Agnes hadn't come back after she left in the morning, but she mentioned she would be back, so he could only prepare his plans for her.
Absorbing the power of a dead god wouldn't be any small matter, even with all the help he could provide her.
Finally, after having dinner with only the two of them, he called Jason and Dragonforge to gain some news on the frontlines as well as set up a meeting. In the end, he asked them to come to the guest house within a few days.
June was waiting patiently for him to finish up the call, lying on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.
"When did Dawn leave?" he asked, not finding the familiar figure on a nearby seat.
"I mean, I cannot give you all right now," she paused, "and you're very virile in this aspect. I don't want you to feel restricted."
"You elves are weird," Gale said after fully comprehending what she told him.
"We are not," she said. "You humans are far more in this aspect. Go to Iman and you'll see their custom."
"Well, I don't think a human woman would be fine with her spouse sleeping with other women," he said.
"Neither am I," June sighed. "But we elves are more open in this aspect, mostly because of our long lifespan. My mother had eleven companions before she found Father and conceived me."
"Wow," he said.
"Of course, she had lived over millennia, and most of those relationships weren't serious."
Gale thought deeply about that. "Whatever you say, June," he said, kissing her softly on the cheeks. "I cannot bear you sleeping with another man..."
"Ah!" she cried. "That's what you're worried about. I guess it's natural with men and their possessiveness."
"No, I'm just not that open about having an open relationship."
"You can rest assured," June said, kissing him. "I'll never do it... never, so long as you love me as you do now."
They exchanged a deep, intimate kiss, hungry for each other.
"I cannot wait to eat you," he said between heavy gasps.
"What about Dawn?" June asked out of nowhere. "Do you have any feelings for her?"
"Where did that come from?" he asked.
"Perhaps you have noticed, or perhaps you did not," June sighed. "But she has a deep emotional bonding with you, which may not be limited to benefactor and receiver."
Gale had not noticed any of what she was saying. "I don't think you have—"
"Trust me when I say this, but I'm certain about this," June said. "I may not be open to reading emotions all the time and with everyone, but she... Dawn really has something for you."
Gale groaned. "Is it because of my glamour boost, or something..." but he had kept it all sealed.
"I can tell you value her very much, and perhaps confronting her about it might make you lose a loyal devotee," June continued. "And considering the plans you laid ahead, you'll need someone like her to help you."
"What should I do?"
"I don't know," June said. "Huh, it softened. I have never felt it when it's like this..."
Gale almost facepalmed. Of course, he would lose steam if she brought up a serious topic like this. After leaving him to wonder about a heavy topic like that, June stirred on top of him.
"June, what are you doing?"
"It's soft," she said, stroking his shaft. "I want to see it. Wait, it's rising again... Quick, go back. Don't get hard before I inspect it."
Gale rasped. "It doesn't work like that."
June moved one-eighty degrees to finally come face to face with the member, but by that time it was already half-awakened. She pouted, her palms moving back to stroke his shaft again, her lips growing closer.
"I'm happy that you never went after another woman, even if I couldn't give you all."