After meeting with Aris and Arsia, I went to see Morione...
"Welcome, Harold."
"Husband! It's been a while!"
They greeted me with an atmosphere so cheerily forced, it almost felt insincere.
As if... they knew I was coming...
"Um... The thing is, I have something I want to talk about."
Trying to ease the burden of their overenthusiastic treatment, I rub the back of my neck with my right hand.
"Morione, you might already know... but soon, a calamity akin to a disaster will occur in the world."
Tempest seemed relaxed and nonchalant, suggesting there was plenty of time, but with a time limit looming, I felt it best to get straight to the point.
I relay the information I heard from the god of time, summarizing the key points as succinctly as possible.
"Hmm... Tempest said that, huh..."
She seemed intrigued, but her reaction was more of confirmation than surprise, as if she already had some awareness of the situation.
Oddly, Luceria just kept silent, appearing to have a lot to say but restraining herself, which seemed a bit suspicious.
"I had a vague feeling about it, and I've already started some preparations."
As expected of the goddess of fate... There was a sense of understanding in her words.
With the original matter swiftly dealt with, my mind feels suddenly blank.
Was there something I forgot? Unlike the others I met before, they didn't ask me to do anything embarrassing.
I was bracing for some humiliation here as well, but Morione and Luceria just looked at me, as if asking if there was anything more, without saying much.
Honestly, this was a better situation for me, considering how exhausting it had been dealing with the excessive demands of others... Though there was a slight unease about their lack of response, a part of me breathed a sigh of relief.
Since there was nothing more to say, though it felt a bit awkward, I had delivered my message and was about to leave after a brief farewell... "Really... but now that it's missing, you feel disappointed, don't you?"
Morione suddenly utters words whose context I couldn’t grasp.
"Disappointed...?"
"You can tell by looking at your face, there's a sense of disappointment... Like there's a significant void where something should be, right?"
Then, out of nowhere, Morione slightly lifts her dress, revealing her shoulder...
"Should I also act spoilt?"
Just when I thought I was relieved... I am immediately betrayed by her actions...
"In fact, I know, Harold, who you met before and what you did."
"?!?"
My thoughts freeze instantly at her words.
Did she know everything I did and said to them?
The thought brings an intensified sense of tension.
If she knows what I said to Erina...
Just the thought sends shivers down my spine... Given her jealousy and past efforts to make me hers, being found out would be disastrous for me.
It could be the end of me.
"Especially with Erina... How could you say such a thing?"
"…?!!"
The anxiety I had been harboring erupts as she strikes right at the heart of my fears...
"Even if it's a world where a male can have multiple females, isn't it a bit too much to say such things to people who truly love you?"
Her eyes darken rapidly... I sense something has gone terribly wrong.
"Can I expect the same treatment ~?"
Her seriousness fades, replaced by a hollow ease and a hint of a smile.
"Honestly, I don't think I can leave you alone anymore... Without me, your good nature gets exploited into making such absurd promises."
Luceria, apparently aware of this, approaches me with a dissatisfied look.
"I want to experience that right now... Can you do it?"
Such an unreasonable demand... It was something I couldn't possibly comply with in my right mind.
"Just a moment... Let's try to resolve this through conversation, please..."
With each step she takes towards me, I take one back, widening my stride as much as possible to increase the distance between us. "...?!"
But that was only momentary... My retreat is blocked by something cold at my back, and I can't move back any further...
"Just a moment...?"
When I turn around, what I see is the firmly closed door of the temple.
It should have been open, but at some point, it shut tightly, standing like a wall.
"Where are you trying to run off to? You know that words come with responsibilities... You've said them, so shouldn't you own up to them, no matter who it is?"
Finally, Morione and Luceria have approached me, right up to my nose...
Just a moment... Really?
Am I unable to fully accept reality, or am I in denial, hoping it's not true? I reach out my hand to stop them, still doubting what my eyes see.
"It's pointless, why not accept it? It seems like it would be better for both of us."
"That... I don’t know how such a word exists within you, but... I don’t think this is the right way...?"
I try to argue with the meaning of her words as a last resort, fully anticipating what they intend to do to me.
Right now, their actions could technically be justified, but that wasn't the issue.
"Just... lightly...."
Morione’s lips are getting closer, and she seems serious...
"Ugh!"
I quickly compose my unprepared heart, closing my eyes tightly, bracing myself for a reality I really don't want to accept.
"Hehe, just kidding."
But contrary to my worries, what I feel is just a light touch on my neck.
"Maybe it’s best, like you said to Erina, to wait until everything is over, so I'll let it slide for today."
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the future looks dim, but at least I'm safe for now, so I let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Come on, you don’t have time to be doing this, you need to speak to the other girls, hurry up and go."
The grand doors of the audience chamber slowly start to open at Morione’s words.
"Yes...?"
The situation resolves more easily than expected, leaving me feeling a bit empty. "Just for today, I'll let it slide, so go ahead. I'll come to see you at dinner time, but don't get too carried away."
Suddenly, Luceria's attitude changes, showing consideration instead of her usual competitive nature.
Why this sudden change...?
"Well then... I'll take my leave..."
Seeing no harm in it for me, I follow Morione's suggestion and head out of the temple.
Such a strange reaction...
What could be their hidden agenda in letting me go so easily...?
After Harold leaves, only Morione and Luceria are left in the grand audience chamber.
"But you know about the other women he met before, right? You know what happened... That’s why you're so confident, isn't it?"
"Soon, it'll just be us... It's not bad to show a little mercy and let him meet them once more."
"Harold...? Welcome...!!"
The next person I visit is Princess Marika.
Meeting her required going through a very meticulous screening process.
Being a royal, meeting her involved more cumbersome procedures than meeting anyone else.
"You came all the way here! I'm so happy!"
She rises from her desk, ignoring the pile of documents in front of her, and sits across from me at the table meant for receiving guests.
"What brings you here? Just the thought of you visiting makes me smile."
She starts preparing tea with quick, adept movements, suggesting she enjoys and is skilled at tea-making.
"Let's talk slowly. We have time."
She hands me a cup of fragrant red tea, holding it with both hands.
I just stare at the tea... My reflection in the clear, transparent red tea reminds me of someone.
It's a peculiar coincidence, considering I came to talk about just that.
"The god of time will soon start a rebellion... If gods with true power get involved, the kingdom will be in real danger..."
Marika's calm demeanor changes as her eyes widen in alert.
I sip the tea slowly, explaining the situation as I did with the others. "Oh my..."
Marika's reaction was different from the others, showing a particularly shocked expression.
It was understandable, considering her country could be facing a crisis of annihilation.
"Then we must strengthen the kingdom's defenses... And although I'm not sure how much time we have, I need to improve my skills even a little."
"I'm not as strong as you, Harold. If the gods really go berserk, I won’t be able to withstand them at all."
She seems to accept the warning with gratitude, responding satisfactorily.
"By the way, Harold... I have a favor to ask."
The hopeful mood shifts as she broaches a serious request.
"At the academy, I mentioned, if all goes well... would you become my personal knight?"
She suddenly asks me to become her guard...
"Let's postpone the engagement... but even if it's just for a while, please stay by my side as a knight."
She extends her hand to me with a more earnest expression than ever before.
"Since my brother was branded a heretic and passed away, the succession's first place has been vacant... Politically, there are many issues, with several of my siblings striving for the position my brother would have occupied."
"And after the incident with the ancient god, being deemed incapable because I survived the sacrificial ritual, I've been gradually reevaluating. Though the public doesn't know, if you look at the rankings that are updated daily, my influence is steadily growing."
"So please help me... Just having you by my side gives me strength. My performance was poor when I heard you had gone missing, but now it’s recovering."
Had I ever seen Marika this serious? She was sincere.
"I'll think about it positively... I genuinely want to help you become the next follower."
Although it wasn’t the answer she wanted, she smiles satisfactorily and gently shakes our clasped hands.
"Thank you, Harold... You're so kind, even when I say I want to use you, you don't refuse."
"It's nothing."
I lightly brush off her compliment, finish my tea, and get ready to leave... "That's why you have so many women around you..."
Marika suddenly makes an odd comment.
"Compared to the various gods and capable talents... next to the other women by your side, I'm just a burden."
The previously smooth atmosphere suddenly shifts in an unexpected direction.
"Then, compared to the others, my position is certainly weaker."
"To resolve this, I need to establish a strong fact..."
As she speaks these words that shouldn’t have been said...
"Ah...?"
My vision begins to blur...
What's happening...?
Struggling to keep my heavy eyelids open, I look at Marika...
Her face is flushed with a lustful gaze.
"For example, if I were to get pregnant first... ♡"
Then she swallows two pills from seemingly nowhere.