Chapter 171 – Through the Eyes of Another: The Priestess and Her Holy Legion

Chapter 171 – Through the Eyes of Another: The Priestess and Her Holy Legion

Back in a certain well-known mansion located in the Human capital, a little bit before Alastair’s return...

“Mistress, we received a report saying that the ladies are back and will soon reach the estate,” Rene’s muffled voice passes through the door to my office as the Dogkin maid knocks on the wood gently.

I take a quick look at the standing clock to my right and nod to myself. They’ve returned a bit earlier than what I’ve been told but I’m sure that predicting the pace of a ship is a tough feat even for the Goddess. Weather and water can be finicky and we all know that she shouldn’t interfere in such basic mortal matters for no reason.

“Thank you, Rene. I will come and greet them in a moment,” I reply, returning my focus to the document forms lying in front of me.

“Naturally, Mistress Elea.” I can practically hear her polite bow in her bubbly voice. “I shall excuse myself now and return to my duties. Everything is proceeding within the given expectations. We are on a good path to making it on time.”

“Perfect. I’m glad we can all depend on you and the others.” Now I can almost feel the light breeze her wagging tail is creating behind that cute butt of hers. “Master is definitely going to reward you for your hard work. I’ll make sure to make some space for you in his schedule.”

“T-That would be wonderful, Mistress Elea.” And finally, my sharp hearing picks up on the quiet noise of something tapping on the wooden floor, or perhaps dripping is a much more accurate expression.

A small grin sneaks up onto my lips. “It would. Now, you can consider yourself dismissed. And, don’t forget to wipe the floor in front of the door before you go. We don’t want to create a slipping hazard out there.”

An adorable yelp answers me and something smooth brushes over the wooden panels before the sound of rushed footsteps echoes down the hallway. I can’t help myself but let out a quiet chuckle. Beastkin girls in heat are just something else. Though, I have to agree that even just a thought about our beloved master can make any girl wet in seconds.

No. Stop. I have important things to do. I can’t be walking with my thighs clamped for the rest of the day. Let’s save those thoughts for when Alastair comes back. He will definitely insist that we all immediately take a break. You can gush at him as much as you want then, my lovely body.

A sweet giggle reaches my ears from the side. “Ria always says that sitting behind a desk is the worst thing you can do to keep your mind from wandering off. Leave the remaining forms to me. I’ll gladly finish it on my own.”

I glance at Elise, who is sitting at the side edge of my desk and smiling at me knowingly. It’s of no surprise that she’s noticed what kind of wandering off my mind conducted. She might look like a young, sweet, innocent girl, but that mature friend of hers filled her head with lots of life experience.

“Thank you. I will take you up on that offer, then. Let me know when you are done and we will make one final check together, bringing Ria with us too.” I nod at her and stand up.

“Don’t mention it. Just like everyone else, I’m happy to help. This is a big operation and I really want it to succeed without a hitch.” A faint trace of rosiness colours her plump cheeks. “That, and as you said, Alastair is definitely going to reward us for our effort.”

Shaking my head, I chuckle lightly. “Looks like we are all craving for a piece of Master after not being able to bask in his feelings for a while. And fillings.”

She giggles once more and returns her focus to the papers. But, the blooming crimson spreading over her skin and the subtle bite in her bottom lip are enough of a confirmation of my earlier statement. Supplements can only get you so far.

Taking one last look at the small pile of documents, I nod to myself and head out. After opening the door, I pause briefly to check if I can safely step out of the office, then cross over the slightly shinier spot on the floor just in case. Without further ado, I move through the corridors to reach the front entrance.

I exchange a few words with a bunch of residents I pass by, mostly in greetings. It’s a rest day so all the girls are either hanging out around the premises or visiting the town’s facilities. It’s been a long time since we have started letting everyone casually wander out and it still sometimes feels like a surreal dream to have members of other races parading through the Human capital with relatively no risk and danger to their well-being and lives. It’s even better now after the recent reform of rules regarding slavery, though they are still extremely fresh.

In any way, this only brings us even closer to the next step of our grand plan. Of his grand plan. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that things are ready right on time.

Speaking of time, as I near the main entrance, I already begin noticing the arriving figure through the slightly warped glass parts of the doors. They stop to gather up and I open the gates of our paradise to them with a wide smile.

“Welcome home, sister.” My eyes roam over Cornelia.

The Human woman shivers delicately. “Oh, Goddess... To think that it wasn’t that long ago when the only thing I thought I would be married to until my very death was the royal library... Now, I’m actually being called a sister by the other wives of the man that has taken me...”

“You make it sound like he has captured you against your will, Cornelia.” I chuckle at her.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” She sports a delicate blush.

“I know. I know. You were one of the first women to grace our husband with your love. Sometimes, it makes me a little jealous, even though my encounter with Alastair was nothing short of an exotic dream in itself.” I offer her a hand and she walks inside. “Where are the others?”

Cornelia groans while rolling her eyes. “Jealous? I almost fucked everything up with my stupid stubbornness. Even if I started to realise my feelings back during his training, it was Sirgia who should be considered his first love here. We can never reach her level. You know how much he dotes on that sweet cinnamon roll.”

“I guess I can’t refute that.” I smirk a bit. “But, it’s not like we are neglected while he favours her.”

“Yes, and you know again that it’s not what I meant. I was just stating the fact that she beat us all to it and is the rightful first wife if we consider how things work here rather than how he wants them to.” Cornelia waves a hand at me. “Anyway, this is pointless. We already know better than to uselessly think about this world’s customs around Alastair. As for the others, Lianne obviously had to check on her double and catch up, Meru and our Slimes are still with him, and Neira made a trip to fetch some supplies. She has a lot of work to do. You should have seen how many sketches and initial paintings she has done on the ship.”

“I can imagine.” We walk into the main lobby and she glances around.

“So, how are things around here? Are we still on the right track?” She turns around and raises a brow at me.

“Everything is going according to the schedule. Thanks to Alastair’s brief detour, we were able to grab a few additional days to polish everything up. I was waiting for your return so that we could begin immediately after I fill you in,” I reply.

“Well, there’s no time like the present. We both know that it won’t take him long to be back too. He already felt bad about not coming with us to make a proper return.” Cornelia rests her hands on her hips and smirks.

“That’s why everything has to be perfect. We need to show Alastair that he can chase his destiny freely while leaving everything else to us without a single worry. It’s our responsibility as his wives to take proper care of his household, and that includes developing it in ways that would make him proud and happy,” I state with a serious face.

“You know that he already knows that or else he would never go outside. He fears not being around to help when a problem arises. But, you are right. That is our duty,” she says and then shivers once more. “Damn. This whole wife thing is suddenly slowly sneaking up on me. It feels so weird.”

I laugh a little as I wrap my arm around her waist. “Is someone perhaps expecting?”

A faint tug catches me off-guard as Cornelia suddenly freezes in place. I stabilise myself before stumbling into her and take a look at her face for a possible explanation. Her eyes wide to the brim, she stares off into the distance.

“Cornelia?” I frown at her in confusion.

She looks at me, her complexion paler by the second. “I... Uhhh... Ummmm...”

My brows rise involuntarily. “What happened?”

She chuckles awkwardly. “You know how he exerted himself a lot to save us, right? Well... Things got a bit heated afterwards... Obviously... But... He was still really weak... And some of his abilities were clearly suppressed... So...”

A sharp gasp escapes my throat. “Did you get knocked up?!”

“What?! No way!” She jumps back and frantically waves her hands at me. “I mean... I took most of it in my ass... Initially... But we did a lot after... And for some reason, I really, really yearned for him inside me... If he hasn’t recovered until then... We...”

I can feel a small grin forming on my lips. “You wanted that child. Even if subconsciously, you didn’t want to pass on that opportunity.”

“No!” She denies it immediately. “I mean maybe... Or maybe yes... But I’m not a mental bitch who would ever force a baby without my man’s knowledge! That’s a complete betrayal of his trust! I will carry as many of his children as he wants, but only if he puts them in me consciously and willingly!”

She realises what she has just said and admitted to and the crimson shade of her embarrassment almost fully overcomes her previous, pale complexion. Cornelia then glares at me with a deadly serious gaze, clearly intending me to never speak of it again, especially in front of Alastair.

“Well, it’s not like he didn’t know about the chance and yet he didn’t stop you, so only time will tell.” I shrug nonchalantly. “Were you two alone or...?”

Her eyes widen a little bit again. “All of us...”

I chuckle openly and grab Cornelia to lead her forward once more. “Oh, I can’t wait to see everyone’s bellies start swelling up.”

She doesn’t respond to my tease and I catch the sight of her glancing down at her figure while tenderly rubbing her navel. “I need to dig up the pregnancy check spell as soon as possible...”

I try my best not to chuckle again and look ahead. To be honest, I do feel a bit jealous at the thought of others bearing Alastair’s children. But, even if I were with them out there on the ship, as Cornelia said, I would never betray his trust and get myself pregnant behind his back. We all know that, no matter how it would happen, Alastair would definitely forgive us and focus on showering the kids with his boundless love. And guilt would definitely destroy us all.

Nevertheless, we venture into the underground portion of the mansion and head towards one of the training grounds. Even with the door closed, we can hear the noise of clashing metal and the multitude of grunts and shouts coming from the inside. A quite fierce activity is definitely taking place in front of us.

I open the door for Cornelia and we walk into one of the arenas currently in use. It’s full of people in every corner. At the front and the back, Teffith and Garrena stand with their hands crossed under their chests. In the middle, a dozen of women in what Alastair calls sports underwear are gathered in groups of four.

She blushes and looks ahead. “There were many stupid rules back at home... Sensei deserves all of this... And... It’s hot... Him mating with all the monster girls... That we both fantasized about... I always imagined... How he would embrace my characters...”

“You two really were meant to be.” Cornelia grins at her.

We split at the exit and Shino hastily returns to the others. Chatting some more about her sea adventures with Alastair, we move with Cornelia to another part of the underground complex. After a knock, we enter the artisanal workshop and find our best masters of fabrics and leathers hard at work.

“Elea! Oh, and Cornelia! Welcome back!” Mari sends us both a toothy smile.

“Thank you,” Cornelia responds in kind. “We came to check on the clothes.”

“We are adding finishing touches,” Nyfile replies, sitting with her nose buried deep in some kind of a robe. “We want everyone to fall in love with their personal outfits, adding a detail or two that’s unique for them even though the entire organisation’s attire is highly uniform.”

“Good. We want everyone to know who the wearers belong to but also not strip the girls out of all their personalities completely. As much as they are going to be making a name for Master, they will also be making names for themselves.” I nod in approval.

“I already overheard one of the parties deciding on their name.” Mari giggles as she returns to her work. “It’s made up solely of pure-blood Beastkin. Can you guess it?”

“Something Fang or Claw?” Cornelia takes a shot.

“Paw Patrol!” Mari reveals and they both laugh out loud while the two of us exchange stunned glances.

“That sounds...”

“Childish?” Nyfile finishes for Cornelia. “It’s supposedly a thing in Master’s world. Shino brought it up once in the passing and they caught on it.”

“They have additional pawprint emblems on their clothes and gear. I think it looks super cute. Of course, our crest is still the most visible one no matter what, but their idea was what brought up the personalization of all attire,” the energetic Human tailor explains.

“Will you be ready in half an hour or so? The recruits are going to need their sets soon.” I roam my gaze over the black and purple chaos everywhere in the chamber.

“Fifteen minutes tops.” Mari shows us thumbs up. “I can’t wait to see all of them in their outfits! That’s like a dream come true! Another one! I so fucking love it here! Ah! Sorry!”

“You don’t need to apologise.” Cornelia smirks. “No one can scold you for being yourself in this room. And you have all the reasons to be excited.”

“I will have to thank Alastair so much again. He’s like this handsome prince on a white horse who rescued me from the confines of my tower and gave me a new life. Grandma can be the Dragon in this story.” Mari giggles to herself. “I have no idea how I’m going to repay this debt.”

“Well, I can think of a few ways.” I meet her eyes. “You could start by becoming this prince’s queen for example.”

Her eyes hastily escape to the material she is working on but no one misses the smile she is forcefully trying to suppress or her heating up cheeks. We wink at each other with Cornelia and decide not to push her too far.

“Let’s not interrupt them any longer and check the weapons now,” Cornelia suggests. “Thank you for your hard work, girls. Alastair will be proud.”

We leave them alone and follow the muffled noise of an anvil. It leads us to Sirgia’s forge and we slip inside through the slightly open entrance. She always leaves a gap so that Alastair can more easily surprise her. She loves it so much. It’s such an endearing thing.

Multiple weapons of various kinds and numerous pieces of equipment rest on wide tables she has brought out of her storage. They all look exquisite but it’s obvious from a single glance that they are high-quality and extremely durable too.

The core parts, meaning mostly the blades for weapons and most coverage for shields and such, are made with dark purple alloy meaning to imitate Alastair’s artefact. It does a quite decent job, being slightly darker to match our flagship colours. The handguards, pommels, and detailing are deep black or onyx. The combination does look good together.

Sirgia stops hammering the tip of a spear and notices our presence. “I was done but I felt unhappy with this one so I’m quickly reforging it. I want all the weapons to be perfect for Master’s troops. There can be no flaws anywhere.”

Cornelia steps closer and lays a hand on her head. “What would Alastair say?”

“Not to overwork myself...” she mutters under her small nose.

“Well, then you are lucky that he is not here right now.” Cornelia chuckles, ruffling through Sirgia’s hair. “We won’t say a thing but don’t go too far, please. He will notice immediately.”

Sirgia lets out a quiet, soft chuckle. “I’m such a bad girl.”

“We all are.” I smile at her warmly. “What’s the progress on the underground expansion?”

“The King gave us all the necessary permissions, but we lack trusted architects and construction teams. I think we might have to purchase the buildings on the other side of the street first and restructure them into our headquarters first, just as we planned initially. The girls can hang out there during the day and come work here at night if they want and don’t have any mercenary requests. Those who joined our services, of course,” she replies. “Later, we will have a passage linking both places under the street, of course.”

“Nothing we can do about that.” Cornelia sighs, standing up.

Sirgia wrinkles her nose a little. “I could... I might be able to get help from some of my old friends and family... If I went home with Master just as he offered... We would have our own people for that, then...”

“You are due for your own adventure,” I agree. “You’ve been with him the longest amongst those who haven’t yet accompanied Alastair outside.”

“You too.” She glances up at me.

“I can wait.” I smile at her.

“Me too.” She nods.

Cornelia snorts. “We won’t get anywhere with you two acting like this. Alastair will definitely want to stay for a bit anyway so we can use that time to decide on his next destination. He feels strongly about both of your wishes. He speaks about them a lot.”

“Alright. Though, Sirgia’s trip would bring Master more benefits. Mine is just for petty revenge. Nothing of high priority.” I shrug lightly. “Can you deliver the gear to the girls in half an hour?”

“Your revenge isn’t petty.” Sirgia shakes her head. “And, yes, I can. Anything for Master.”

She nods at both of us and turns her focus back to her work to make it on time. We quickly leave the forge and head for the last remaining place on my list. Soon, we stand in front of Ria’s office and step inside at her invitation.

“How can I help you, my dear ladies?” She welcomes us with a cordial smile.

“Everything is ready. Do we have nothing to worry about in terms of our finances and legal aspects?” I ask.

“All the examination fees have been paid upfront. I don’t think our amazing girls will fail but I slipped in some extra to make sure that there will be no extremists amongst the judges and examiners. Well, if they don’t uphold their promises...” A menacing twinkle sparkles in the mature woman’s eyes and she clears her throat. “All the legal forms have been long submitted and approved. Utopia’s mercenary force will become official the moment the required minimum of twelve members receives their certifications. The King was kind enough to help us with our promotion so the word should spread quickly. We just need to inform him about their ranks.”

“They won’t be too high at first since we are doing it right now. Too bad you need to wait a month before attempting reexamination.” Cornelia sighs. “But maybe that’s for the better. If we would have popped up with a dozen S-ranks out of nowhere, it might have caught some unwanted attention.”

“Precisely.” Ria fixes her glasses. “The girls can survive one more week without riding Al’s incredible cock. It's good training for their long-time missions. After they finally taste his godhood, no toy will ever match up to it.”

I chuckle a little. “There’s something to that, sister. Hopefully, those will be enough to keep their morale up during lonely nights in the wilderness.”

“I’m pretty sure Sirgia and some other girls are working on a strap-on with a function to cover the wearer in an illusory image of Al so it might be of help. After he allows its use, of course.” Cornelia laughs.

“Commendable, but it won’t be enough.” Ria smirks. “Alright. I have ten minutes left to organise your permits and assessment IDs. Pardon me, but I need to focus. This stuff is so unnecessarily complex and sophisticated.”

“I will start getting ready too.” I nod at her and turn to Cornelia. “Go get some rest after the journey. I can see how wobbly your legs are after weeks on a ship.”

“Maybe it’s not because of the ship,” Ria comments without raising her gaze up from her work.

Cornelia turns red and we both chuckle as she escapes the office trying to walk naturally. I follow after her and return to our room. It’s finally time for me to put on the robes I haven’t used in a long time. I didn’t think I would get a chance to ever do so again but today is a special occasion. I need to be all dolled up for my dear husband’s sake.

His holy troops need his Princess.