"Oh, you sweet talker. Do you really plan to marry all nine of them? I know about Koyuki, Envy, Michaela, Penthesilea, and myself—so who are the other four that will become our sisters?" Greed asked with a mischievous smirk.
"I don't know," Daniel replied with a wry smile. "I'm just saying that I won't take on more than this. In fact, nine is probably the limit of my abilities. I don't think I could make all of you happy if there were any more. I'm not that great."
"Don't you know there's a reason why mages usually marry only one person?" Greed probed.
"I don't know the specifics," Daniel admitted. "But I guess it has something to do with politics, right? Like... disputes over inheritance or power struggles?"
"That's right," Greed confirmed. "Most mage families aren't exactly peaceful. They usually fight each other to gain magical resources rather than trade them. That's because modern-day magical resources are dwindling to the point where it's nearly impossible to produce or obtain new ones from natural sources.
"Most of the magical resources you see in the hands of mages or on the market today are either inherited from fallen noble families or mage families, or they were synthesized through forbidden rituals. This is also why forbidden and bloody rituals, like human sacrifice, were never banned by the Hightower.
"So, while mages may have hundreds of concubines or partners due to their low fertility rates, they only have one wife. The wife's family gains the right to use the husband's resources, and vice versa. In short, their resources are pooled together, and both family lines can enjoy them," Greed explained.
Listening to this, Daniel asked, "So... you're saying most of the problems and conflicts in the Curtained World are caused by the severe shortage of magical resources?"
"Let's say... 70% of the problems are due to the resource shortage, and the rest are driven by mages' insatiable thirst for more knowledge and power." Greed paused, then smiled at him.
"You see, most mages are people who are never satisfied with the power and knowledge they have. That's because their ultimate goal is to reach the summit of magical power, to the point where there's no knowledge they don't possess—true omnipotence. But that... is like a grand festival of a wild goose chase.
No one knows if the goal is even feasible, but they're all adamant about reaching it," Greed said.
Hearing this, Daniel asked, "Isn't it strange? There's no hard evidence that this goal even exists, yet they all want to reach it."
"Yeah, I think so too. Or at least, I did until..." She paused, walking into her room and returning with an old notebook. "I found this." Greed placed the notebook on the low table and sat back down.
The moment Daniel saw the notebook, his heart shook. He recognized it well—it was the notebook he had used to jot down ideas when he was creating a card game back when he was still a game designer.
"That's why they exist... like Will, that muscular robot guy. I think Will... and maybe... Nexus Prime too, are half-materialized creations from that power of yours. Maybe the giant robot that appeared in Sri Lanka back then too. And possibly Oceanos as well.
Otherwise, it's impossible to explain where the Adamantine used to create them came from," Greed analyzed, recounting Daniel's creations that had suddenly appeared.
"And this might also be the reason why you can create Chromatic Philosopher Stones and the machine that makes them, while others can only stumble through creating crimson Philosopher Stones with human blood and soul sacrifices," Greed concluded.
She then turned toward Daniel. "Since you trust me, I won't pry into the secrets of your power. And also... this is the gift and surprise I was talking about." Greed clutched Daniel's hand, hesitating before continuing.
"You don't need to worry about anyone at your old workplace finding out about this. None of them can talk about it, and no one other than me, and maybe Koyuki, will recognize your secret. I've already taken care of them for you," Greed said, with an ominous hint in her voice.
Daniel was surprised at first. Then he felt conflicted... very conflicted, in fact. Yes, he was relieved that his secret wouldn't somehow reach his enemies by bad luck. But on the other hand, knowing that his former coworkers, from when he was just a normal game designer, might now be six feet under or sleeping with the fishes made him feel... complicated.
Of course, he couldn't be angry with Greed for doing this for him. But it would be a lie to say he didn't feel anything.
"Are you... perhaps... disappointed in me?" Greed asked, feeling a bit disheartened after seeing that her beloved didn't respond and seemed silent after learning the truth.
"No... I'd be a big hypocrite to admonish you for doing this for me. But it would be a lie to say I didn't feel anything, knowing that all my former coworkers are now... unable to talk anymore," Daniel explained. "It's... complicated."
"It's fine," Greed smiled. "Even if you blame me, it's okay, as long as you don't hate me. That's all I care about," Greed confessed, revealing her deepest worry—that her beloved might hate her for what she had done.
"You're overthinking it, silly. Those people were just coworkers—they weren't even friends. Everything was strictly business. Sure, some of them seemed friendly, and maybe they were genuine. I even went to a few parties and had drinks with them. But in the end, they were just coworkers.
I feel conflicted, yes, but not to the point of blaming you. Especially since I know you did this for me," Daniel reassured her.
"That's a relief," Greed said, before leaning in to kiss her beloved. They exchanged kisses as they stood up, and Greed's bathrobe fell open, revealing her naked body. The two continued to explore each other's bodies as they moved from the balcony to the bedroom.
Daniel gently placed Greed on the bed, removing his clothes, and was about to continue when Greed suddenly pushed him away, hesitating.