Harem Engagement Chapter 1

“Hold on. What are you doing here?”

The major kingdom of Ralfint existed in the mountains on the east side of the continent. Gottlieb, capital of the Mountain Base Dynasty, was commonly referred to as the Old City because of the great history and tradition sensed in its dignified appearance.

A fas.h.i.+onable little brick shop at one end of the main street sat below the beautiful sunset that made the western sky look like it was on fire.

That voice sounded threatening even in the chilly air and the boy looked back to find a girl glaring at him.

She was in her mid-teens. She looked small at first, but given her age, she was probably about average for a growing girl.

There was no apparent makeup on her small face and her slender nose, thin lips, and other delicate features did not look weak thanks to the strength in her large dark eyes.

Her fine skin was faintly tanned and the hair tied back in a ponytail using a large orange ribbon had probably started out black, but it had reddened somewhat from exposure to the sun.

Her long arms and legs were healthily fit and it was easy to imagine the athleticism hidden within. Despite her small size, she seemed to s.h.i.+ne with life.

Her energetic and determined personality were evident at a glance.

The stomach of her sky blue robe was tightened with a belt and the long skirt had bold slits on either side for ease of movement. The slits exposed her thighs and she wore leather boots that came nearly up to her knees.

She also had a leather protector over her left chest and a curved sword at her left hip. She looked at home in it and her balance was good. Someone who knew what to look for would know she was fairly skilled with that sword.

She wore a leather pouch on her right hip that was small enough to not impede her movement and she looked more like a warrior in training than a travelling mercenary. But she did not seem rough around the edges. She was a little filthy from traveling, but her clothing was well tailored and she gave off a hint of refinement within her elegance.

The only flaws would be the displeased expression ruining her cute face and the flatness of her body. Simply put, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were too small. Then again, she was still a growing girl and there was something refres.h.i.+ng about the almost genderless appearance of girls her age. There was a good chance she would transform into a head-turningly beautiful woman in a few years' time.

“Oh, Lady Arlee. When did you get back?”

“Just now!”

When the boy casually greeted her, the swordswoman's cheeks flushed with anger and she pointed toward his nose while stomping toward him.

“More importantly, you are technically a knight, aren't you!?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then act like one! What is that hideous outfit!?”

He followed the grumpy girl's gaze down toward his own appearance.

He wore a sign over the front and back of his body and the brightly colored text on them said, “Lucky charms for snagging a hot guy. Rock bottom prices on magical miracle water for keeping the cutest boys focused only on you. Magical tools to get through those lonely nights. Buy them all here at Magical Star Princess☆” He also carried a stack of fliers saying the same thing.

He was handing those fliers out to young women from the late teens to the thirties.

When he handed one out, they tended to read the flier's text, look at him, blush a little, and either shove the flier in their pocket or enter the store.

“Well, I mean…this isn't a job. I'm just helping out Lady Orphen. Ah ha ha ha.”

The boy tried to laugh it off, but the girl kept approaching with her eyebrows raised. He had to lean back away from her.

“You somehow managed to use my father's connections to make yourself one of Ralfint's knights, so your failures are my father's failures! Don't you understand that!?”

“I do. Of course I do.”

“This might be Or's shop, but it would definitely be a problem if it gets out you're working at such an indecent place!”

The boy being chewed out by the cute girl was named Bargisel. He had been orphaned during a civil war about ten years before. That itself was not all that unusual, but he had been fortunate enough to be picked up by General Ogmios, a high-ranking leader of the Ralfint Kingdom.

For over a century, Ralfint had fought constant fruitless civil wars between the prince faction known as the Cloudy Mountains Dynasty and the king's brother faction known as the Mountain Base Dynasty.

General Ogmios was from the king's brother faction. He was currently retired and stayed within his Lennus territory, but in the past, he had built up a name for himself by fighting many a battle against General Daist of the prince faction.

Ogmios was known as a War Demon for his courageous fighting, but he had apparently felt lonely after having three daughters in a row when he had wanted a son.

So when he had picked up this boy by random chance, he had loved him like a son and planned to send him to the royal family as a knight once he grew up.

Thanks to that, Bargisel was forever in Ogmios's debt and he tried to get along with the man's three daughters as best he could.

“What's all this racket out in front of the shop~?”

A sweet and high-pitched voice reached them before a woman in a pointed and wide-brimmed green hat walked out of the fas.h.i.+onable red brick store.

She was not quite 20. She was tall with wide shoulders, but her body had plenty of feminine curves.

She wore a skintight green dress with yellow hemming. Her shoulders were left boldly exposed, the top was tight around her chest, and the bottom ended in an extreme miniskirt. A closer look showed the fabric on the stomach was transparent, so her navel was visible.

The dress showed off her bodylines, so her figure was impossible to miss.

Unlike Arlee, she was anything but flat. Simply put, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were big. She also had a slender waist and a large b.u.t.t. She really was blessed with all the feminine curves.

The hair spilling from her green hat was fluffy, soft-looking, and pink. It had originally been black, but she had dyed it. Some of it fell from her shoulders and to her chest.

She had delicate facial features and her expression was like sweet sugar candy. One look at her smile was enough to a.s.sume she was a kind young woman.

With her curvy figure, her sweet-smelling s.e.x appeal, and the motherly kindness on her face, she was exactly the type to attract a lot of male attention. But she had the otherworldly fas.h.i.+on sense of a witch from a fairy tale, so a lot of men would be reminded of a poison mushroom. They would think she looked pretty and tasty, but they would a.s.sume trying to eat her would only get them poisoned.

“Oh, would you look at that. It's Arlee. Welcome back~♪”

“Or!”

The brutal swordswoman and cheerful witch were actually sisters.

They were the second and third of the three Ogmios sisters who were somewhat famous in Ralfint.

Willful Arlee was the third sister. She looked like a traveling swordswoman at first glance, but she was in fact a Ralfint knight.

About a year before, she had become friends with a wandering swordswoman named Millia and received personal lessons in the Shooting Star Flower school of sword fighting. She had wanted to do some serious training afterwards, so she had gone to the swordswoman village of Beatrice to meet Irene, the master of that school.

The Shooting Star Flower's defining feature was the kicking and leaping used alongside the swordplay.

And Orphen, the young woman who looked like an exhibitionist or even a s.e.x worker, was the second sister. Despite her appearance, she was actually a magic expert who was even known as the favorite student of Great Sage Tode.

She was known as the Star Charm Witch and she was very well known in the magic business.

She had served the royal family for a time, but she had since resigned and now ran a magic shop in the castle town.

The two of them had very different tastes in clothing and behaved very differently, but if you knew they were sisters, you could see it in their slim skeletal structure and refres.h.i.+ng facial features.

“He doesn't work at your shop, Or. He is an active-duty Ralfint knight. Don't you get what that means!? What if he's fired for this nonsense!?”

“Eh? Then I'll just give him a full-time job♪”

The young woman looked confused why that was even a question and she hugged the boy in front of her sister, pulling him into her b.o.o.bs.

“Pfh!?”

Bargisel's entire face was surrounded by those luscious melons.

(Th-they're so soft. And they smell so nice.)

He knew it was inappropriate, but he could not help but grin.

“Bar doesn't owe the royal family anything, so why should he risk his life to serve them? He should just quit being a knight and come work for me. He'd get paid better too.”

“I-I couldn't do that. U-um, Lady Orphen, please stop.”

He knew he had to get away from her as soon as possible, but the virgin boy had trouble bringing himself to remove his face from the t.i.ts of a young woman as breathtakingly beautiful as her.

She had not used any magic, but he struggled like there was a spell holding him in place while the young woman whispered sweetly into his ear.

“How about you take a permanent position here?♪”

Just then, Arlee's heel hit him in the back of the head with plenty of force behind it.

“Oh, my!”

Orphen was shocked enough to let go, so Bargisel slipped from her cleavage, slid down her stomach, and kissed the hard ground.

“Ghh!”

This was a trip from heaven to h.e.l.l. Arlee kept her foot on his head to crush him like an ant.

And the girl criticized Orphen with the boy still collapsed at her feet.

“Or, he became a knight on father's recommendation. If he quits as readily as you did, it would damage father's reputation.”

“But nothing good comes of swearing loyalty to the royal family.”

“You can't say that! We're our father's daughters!”

Arlee's words were overflowing with pride and respect for her father. She refused to forgive anyone who would insult that, so she did not like how her sister joked about it. Orphen fell silent with a vague smile on her face.

Then Arlee looked down at her feet and kicked the boy in the gut.

“Quit lying there. We need to get to the palace!”

Instead of complaining and pointing out she had been stepping on him and keeping him from moving, he got up with quite an indomitable spirit for someone who had been crushed like that.

“We don't have time to goof off here. I need to see Eve as soon as possible.”

“Well, if you insist, I will lend you Bargisel.”

The younger sister snapped back at the older.

“You can't lend him to me because he doesn't belong to you! The palace is where he works. Here, take my things.”

“Oh, sure.”

The boy did not belong to Orphen and he supposedly did not belong to Arlee either, yet he readily agreed to carry the luggage she handed him.

“See you later, Bargisel♪”

“Okay. Just tell me if there is anything I can do for you.”

The boy responded honestly when the green witch waved at him.

“Again! Do not help out at that shop! Honestly, is Or's s.e.x appeal making you forget your duties as a knight?”

“It's not that. I just want to help out all three of you to repay Lord Ogmios for everything.”

“That doesn't explain the way you were leering at her. It's pathetic!”

Bargisel repeatedly apologized to the angry girl while following after her.

“Lady Evun. Lady Arlee has returned.”

In the elaborately and beautifully decorated royal palace, Bargisel called out through a thick door and a low, charming voice soon answered him.

“Enter.”

He and Arlee nervously walked into the room. They were always nervous when facing the room's owner.

The air inside was chilly, which seemed to represent the body temperature of the room's owner.

Someone was facing an ivory desk and working on their own with their back to the evening sun entering through the window.

She was a sharp woman with slender and delicate facial features, glossy black hair cut at shoulder length, and a dark blue military uniform.

She had only just pa.s.sed 20, but you would never guess it based on her mature atmosphere that lacked any girlish purity.

That was hardly surprising when she had reached the rank of general at her age.

She had the presence of someone much older and the s.e.x appeal of an adult woman. And instead of ordinary intelligence, her eyes hid a dark and cunning intellect. Simply put, she seemed like a wicked woman.

Unlike the casual s.e.x appeal of Orphen who ran a lady's magic tool shop in the castle town, hers was a more decadent s.e.x appeal. It was like a seductive poison that would draw men in even though they knew how toxic it was.

She seemed like an entirely different kind of person from cheerful Arlee and friendly Orphen, but she was actually the oldest of the three Ogmios sisters. She was also Bargisel's direct superior.

Evun did not wield violence against others or cruelly manipulate them, yet her unique atmosphere tended to frighten people. It may have been an act she had perfected so people did not underestimate such a young woman as their general.

“I have returned. Thank you for allowing me that selfish journey.”

“Welcome back. It pleases me to see your cheerful face.”

Evun set down her pen and brought a beautiful smile to her composed face.

She had become a military officer due to her father's influence, but she seemed more like a capable civil official than anything.

“So how was your time at the swordswomen village of Beatrice?”

“It was extremely useful.”

“That is good to hear. I am sure father will be pleased as well. I would like for you to spar with Bargisel sometime. His instructor tells me he is fairly strong himself.”

Bargisel had been hanging back to not interrupt this sisterly reunion, so he was surprised when they mentioned him.

“No, I'm nowhere near Lady Arlee's level.”

“That's right. I've never lost to him!”

Arlee glared over at him.

Since he was a boy and she was a girl, Bargisel should have had the advantage in muscular strength, but the two of them had trained since a young age and she had never once lost against him. That was because he would always hold back if he was ever about to defeat her. He considered that his duty as a servant.

Arlee had of course noticed and Evun was aware of it too.

Arlee had chosen to train in that village of swordswomen because she had wanted to defeat him for real sometime.

Now that she had mastered the Shooting Star Flower, she seemed eager for a rematch with the boy. She gave him a grin that said “Just you wait. I'll give you such an a.s.s-kicking”, so he felt a chill down spine.

Then Arlee faced her sister again and got to the point without hesitation.

“Um, are the rumors true about dad's illness worsening?”

“So it would seem.”

“So it would seem?”

The hot-blooded girl's cheeks tensed. Her sister's reaction must have seemed too coldhearted for her liking.

But she knew her sister's facial muscles were stiff and she rarely showed any emotion, so she bore with it.

“That second wife of his is looking after him.”

Ogmios had mastered all forms of martial arts and made a name for himself as a military commander at a young age, but it had not been until late in his life when he finally took a wife from a branch of the royal family and had three daughters: Evun, Orphen, and Arlee. It was thought he had only taken a wife because he had wanted a son to be his heir, but having three children so quickly had been too much of a burden on his wife's body and she had died.

Discouraged, Ogmios had spent a long time without taking another wife, but he had recently married Fasilia, a young maid who had begun working in their estate.

His daughters were of both n.o.ble and royal descent, so they did not necessarily like referring to that servant woman as their mother.

“I did hear something of interest about dad during my journey.”

“What was it?”

Evun folded her hands on the desk and calmly asked her sister to continue.

“The nearby families are apparently banding together to attack while he is sick.”

Bargisel's face stiffened at that, but Evun did not bat an eye and responded calmly.

“That does not surprise me.”

It was late autumn, after the rice and wheat harvest had been completed. That was the season for war. It was the season when people wanted to play around with their troops.

“How can you stay so calm? This is a crisis for dad. Lennus doesn't even have 100 knights right now. And not all the ordinary citizens can fight. Eve, surely you aren't abandoning him just because you hate our new mom!”

“Arlee, there are some things you should not even suggest.”

When Evun gave her a glare like a drawn blade, Arlee flinched back and then apologized.

“Sorry.”

As mischievous as she might seem, she apparently still feared her oldest sister. Evun tried to calm her sister by bringing a smile to a face seemingly made of gla.s.s.

“First of all, I do not hate her. I am not as childish as a certain sister I could mention who got jealous and claimed she was stealing dad from us.”

“…”

That certain sister tried to argue back, but the young general held out a hand to stop her and stood up.

“Do not worry. I will do what must be done.”

A few days after Arlee brought news of the threat to their home territory of Lennus, they received word of an attack from the nearby families who belonged to the prince faction.

Some troops of the king's brother faction were immediately sent out to help.

Evun was in command. They numbered 500 and that included a new knight like Bargisel and Arlee, who had just returned from training.

The Ralfint Kingdom covered a large area, so it still rivalled the Domos Kingdom and Orsini-Sabrina Double Kingdom that were rising to prominence in the central plains.

And when it came to history and the arts, those other nations could not hold a candle to Ralfint.

But much of that vast territory was covered in mountains and rivers. The arable land was divided up by the basins between mountains, so the kingdom was not as powerful as its territory would suggest.

It had also lost much of its power over the course of its long civil war and the smaller families divided between the king's brother faction and prince faction kept breaking apart.

Since they could not direct their military might outwards, the neighboring kingdoms did not view them as a threat. In fact, they were often mocked as a dusty old kingdom. Their heyday was thought to be well in the past.

“Lennus Castle is surrounded by the Salamis, Dogor, and Elveela families. And is that the Tia Temple of Martial Arts? Hm, they seem to have around 2000 troops.”

In a leafless grove of trees, Evun smiled coldly at the report she received on horseback.

As the general commander, she wore a helmet with gorgeous feather decorations plus a white silver breastplate, forearm armor, and leg armor over her dark blue combat outfit. She also wore a dark blue cape and a hip-covering with gold hemming and carried a rapier at her hip. She looked quite valiant atop her buckskin horse.

As a young female general, her splendid clothing was beautiful and extremely ostentatious.

“Hm. 2000? This will not be easy. General Evun, what plan do you have in mind?”

Langobard, who served as her second-in-command, was a general in his fifties.

It was not uncommon for experienced generals to a.s.sist younger ones like this.

He was the head of a family with territory one size smaller than Lennus and Ogmios had a.s.sisted him during his first battle. That was why he acted so kindly even to as harsh a woman as Evun.

“No plan is necessary. Too many cooks spoil the broth, as they say. They are no more than a collection of fools, so they cannot utilize their superior numbers.”

“That is far too reckless! War is a numbers game, so shouldn't you request further reinforcements from His Majesty?”

“General Langobard, His Majesty gave me authority over these troops. Do you understand that?”

When she treated the old general like she was a dictator, he gave her a look that said “Do I need to teach you a lesson sometime, girl?”, but in the end, their troops had to charge straight into an enemy force four times their size.

The battle began with an ordinary exchange of arrows and Evun silently drew her rapier atop her horse.

And she expressionlessly swung it down.

The tones of a thick war horn tore through the dry and chilly air and Langobard's voice echoed out.

“Charge!”

Bargisel reacted instantly. This was his first battle, so the bravery of ignorance allowed him to show no fear as he pulled on his beloved horse's reins.

“Taryaaaaaaaahh!!!”

He carried a halberd over his heavy armor, cried out like a wild animal, and charged straight toward the enemy formation.

“We cannot let such a young boy die. Follow his lead, everyone!”

Drawn by the youth's madness, the rest of the troops began a tsunami-like charge.

But Bargisel's horse's legs were taken out from under it as soon as he reached the enemy formation.

“Eh!?”

He flew through the air and slammed into the ground. He felt dizzy and nauseated, but he could not afford to collapse here. He scrambled to his feet and swung his halberd around.

“Lennus and Ogmios are not yours for the taking!!!”

As he cried out like a wild animal and swung his halberd around in his heavy armor, his advance was reminiscent of a war chariot.

A club hit him and a spear jabbed at him, but his indomitable fighting spirit kept him moving forward.

Even when four spears were sent his way simultaneously, that berserker did not even try to dodge them. He trusted in the protection of his helm and approached the enemy. But the impact he had expected never came.

A flash of light sliced off the four spear tips.

A cute girl appeared on a racing horse and leaped from the horse with a beautiful spin. Bargisel was confused as Arlee shouted at him with blade drawn.

“How stupid are you!? Just because Or cast magic on your armor doesn't make you invincible! You never know when the magic barrier will be breached.”

But Bargisel was not worried about himself.

“Lady Arlee, it's dangerous here. Please fall back.”

“Shut up! You're clearly in more danger than me! I'll cover for you!”

She used her drawn sword to make a powerful jab that pierced straight through an enemy soldier's steel armor.

This lightly-armored swordswoman had obvious skill and there was clearly something special about her sword too. The enemy faltered at its formidable edge.

“Master Irene gave me this sword when I was officially initiated into the Shooting Star Flower. It is named Flower Piercer and it was forged by none other than the famous Jelcrinas. It can slice through magic steel. Don't believe me? Feel free to test it out on yourself!”

Arlee showed off an elegant dance of the blade and Bargisel used brute force to try to protect her. The two were wildly successful working together, but individual bravery was a fleeting thing on the battlefield. On the other battle lines, their allies were keeping their distance and at most exchanging spear strikes with the enemy.

The larger allied force would eventually win at this rate. The allied force was clearly convinced of that and Evun's troops seemed to be waiting for the best opportunity to flee.

“Lady Arlee, you are out of breath. Please fall back!”

“Don't be stupid! You're weaker than me! If I fall back, you'll be killed!”

Both of them could tell they were fighting a losing battle here.

Bargisel hoped to let at least let Arlee escape, but she refused. They had held that exact exchange a few different times now.

On the opposite end from Bargisel and Arlee's fierce fighting, a few dozen magic bullets erupted from behind the allied forces.

It was a small change in terms of the overall battle, but it had a dramatic effect on the battlefield.

“Oh, no! An ambush from behind!?”

“Traitors! Elveela betrayed us!”

“What!? So they really did betray us? Come to think of it, the head of their family is the son of Ogmios's cousin.”

Evun's troops were outnumbered, but they had charged straight in. And with plenty of morale.

That made a lot more sense if they had a separate force and a spy waiting behind the enemy.

“d.a.m.n, Elveela! Those double crossers!”

The Elveela troops were just as confused as anyone else on that panicked battlefield.

They had not been ordered to do so, but they were wondering if their commander really had betrayed the other two families.

“We'll be surrounded on three sides at this rate. We have to withdraw.”

The allied forces were fragile once each family grew suspicious of the others. The troops scattered and retreated for their respective territories.

“Do not bother pursuing them. Let them escape. Treat all the wounded, regardless of affiliation.”

Killing the enemy earned you nothing, but a living hostage could be exchanged for ransom money.

This was a civil war, so there was no need to deepen the existing grudges with unnecessary bloodshed.

Yesterday's enemy could be today's ally. That was a common saying in this age of war, but it was even more true in Ralfint. Although this could be seen as one reason the civil war refused to end.

While giving prosaic commands, Evun walked between the enemy and allied wounded before coming to a stop.

Bargisel and Arlee were sitting back to back and looking dead tired.

They had fought on the front line the entire time. Their teamwork must have looked like the grim reaper to the enemy.

“Good work.”

Bargisel tried to respond to Evun's words of thanks, but then…

“Oh, it's Bar and Arlee. Were you hurt?♪”

When a voice far too carefree for the battlefield reached them, Arlee jumped up.

“Geh!? Or? What are you doing here!?”

“What kind of reaction is that for today's MVP?”

That grumpy response came from the fas.h.i.+onable witch in a wide-brimmed and pointed hat and an outfit that bared her shoulders and had an extreme miniskirt.

“Wait, were you the one that fired those magic bullets, Or?”

“Yes, I used my transformation magic to sneak behind the enemy and then fired about a hundred magic bullets at once from the mountain back there.”

Firing that many magic bullets in such a short time was enough to warrant the t.i.tle of genius, but she did not seem like much of a genius most of the time.

“And that's not all. I snuck into the enemy army and went around shouting about how there was a traitor and that Elveela had betrayed them. Pretty cool, right?”

Orphen proudly pushed out her large chest while asking for their praise.

“Well done, Orphen. You have my thanks.”

“Just this once, okay? I only helped out because my big sister begged me to. You know how much I hate war. …But to be honest, I didn't expect this to work so well.”

“They fear the shadow of father's reputation.”

Evun responded like it was nothing, but this meant she had incorporated that into her calculations here. Bargisel was honestly impressed.

Meanwhile, Arlee spoke up worriedly.

“But are you sure we shouldn't pursue them? If they find out about Or's lie, they'll band back together and attack again.”

“Do not worry. If groundless rumors like that were enough for them to fall apart, they can never function as an alliance again. More importantly, Arlee, Bargisel, can you stand? Let us report back to father.”

They approached the fortified estate. When they stopped in front of the drawbridge, they did not have to wait long for it to lower and the metal gate to open. They were met by a lady in a black dress who tied her blonde hair in a ponytail.

She was in her late twenties, her skin was white, and her face was egg-shaped. She had an excellent forehead, blue eyes, long eyelashes, and red lips. She carried the graceful s.e.x appeal of an adult woman and she had a somewhat sad look about her, but she was a traditionally beautiful woman.

“I am glad to see you well, step-mother.”

Evun gave a formal greeting, Orphen smiled at the woman, and Arlee looked the other way. Bargisel kneeled.

She was Ogmios's second wife, Fasilia. She was married but had not had any children, so her body's lines were still pristine.

She did not wear anything as revealing as Orphen and she was not showing off her s.e.x appeal, but a powerful sensuality showed through even in that modest dress.

This was an adult woman's charm very different from the younger girls. She was like a fruit ripe for the eating. Even Evun looked like a girl compared to her.

All of the soldiers who had fought on the deadly battlefield were charmed by her beauty.

The black-clothed and blonde-haired woman looked across the group and solemnly opened her mouth.

“Evun, Orphen, Arlee, Bargisel, and all the brave solders of Ralfint, thank you for coming. I greet you in my husband Ogmios's stead.”

When Fasilia bowed, the group cheered and applauded.

“Where is father?”

“This way…”

Fasilia quietly nodded at Evun's question and showed them into the castle.

It was a small and unrefined castle. It was an ordinary estate for a minor n.o.ble family.

But it had been the three sisters and Bargisel's home since childhood, so they had many memories there. They were shown to the room of the castle's master.

Once inside, they all came to a stop. The plainly-designed room was filled with flowers.

“I-it can't be!”

Bargisel spoke up without thinking and looked to Fasilia.

“My husband fought back his illness to take command of what troops we had inside the castle and he suggested a plan to hold out until all of you arrived. It is thanks to him that we still live. It was truly a…courageous end to his life.”

The lady's brave face slipped and she had to wipe her eyes with a silk handkerchief.

“L-Lord Ogmios!!”

Bargisel slammed his fist against the floor and shouted in shame for not arriving in time to see the man he had seen as a father on his deathbed.

“Father! Noooo!”

Arlee wept and Orphen silently held her younger sister's head to her chest.

“That sounds like father. A befitting end for the man known as a War Demon.”

Evun's words may have spoken for them all in that moment.

He had suffered from this illness for a long while, so they had all had time to prepare themselves for this moment.

A rushed funeral was held. Evun's troops, the residents of Lennus, and Ogmios's personal troops all recalled what a great man he had been to see him off into the great beyond.

The funeral was led by his widow Fasilia and Evun bowed to her afterwards on behalf of all three sisters.

“Mother, thank you very much for caring for father and being there for him in his final moments. I am sure he was thankful as well.”

“I didn't do anything worthy of thanks…”

Fasilia tried to be modest, but then she looked up again.

“He did leave behind a will.”

“What does it say?”

“My husband Ogmios visited the royal capital of Gottlieb before he died and received official authorization for this from King Sharias himself.”

Fasilia held up an envelope that was indeed sealed in beeswax using King Sharias's seal. She opened it using a letter opener with a golden ta.s.sel.

It was all very solemn, but it was only for show. They already knew who was best suited as Ogmios's heir.

Every one of them there could guess what the will would say, but the words spilling from the young widow's pink lips were not at all what they expected.

“Evun, Orphen, Arlee – beloved daughters of Lennus Lord Ogmios. One of you three is to marry Bargisel and inherit the family. That is all.”

“!?”

At first, an indescribably odd feeling hung over them all.

The three sisters and the widow all turned to look at the servant. Bargisel's jaw dropped.

“Wh-why?”

He could not muster any other words. His mind had gone entirely blank.

The three sisters must not have expected this either because they had the same look on their faces as he did.

But Fasilia responded calmly.

“Ogmios must have really seen you as his son.”

Ogmios had wanted a son as an heir but had only had daughters. Everyone was aware of that.

So to make up for the lack of a son, he had taken in a war orphan he found on the battlefield.

Bargisel had sworn loyalty to Ogmios and his three daughters to repay the man.

“B-but I couldn't do that. I couldn't possibly!”

Finally, Bargisel managed to get out his voice.

“So are you going to disobey his will?”

Bargisel squirmed as Fasilia's blue eyes stared at him.

“But, um, I couldn't possibly be the lord of Lennus. Besides, you can't just tell me to choose one of them…”

“It shouldn't be that hard. The four of you were raised like siblings, so you should know each other as well as it is possible to know someone. Just choose whichever one you like the most.”

“Whichever one I like the most…?”

When he looked hesitantly up at the three sisters, the meaning of the will seemed to finally hit home for Arlee and she raised her voice.

“Hold on! Are you kidding me!? What kind of nonsense will is that? Eve should obviously inherit the family!”

“How is that obvious? I a.s.sumed that step-mother would have a son who father would insist inherits the family since he always wanted a son.”

After Evun calmly pointed that out, Orphen cut in mischievously.

“I've got a great idea. The three of us can have s.e.x with Bar and whichever one is most s.e.xually compatible with him can marry him.”

“Pipe down, Or!” shouted a blus.h.i.+ng Arlee. “You're only going to make this worse!”

Fasilia opened her mouth while the others argued.

“At any rate, we have opened his will. From now on, the three of you are Bargisel's potential fiancées. But you need to figure this out before the mourning period is over because we must report back to the royal capital with an official fiancée and heir by then. Talk it out amongst yourselves and make a decision, okay?”

Thanks to its mountainous terrain, the Ralfint Kingdom had plenty of hot springs, so Ogmios's estate in Lennus had a large open-air bath made from a hot spring.

Bargisel was still dazed, so when Fasilia suggested he take a bath to help calm himself down, he took her advice.

The death of his savior and that unbelievable will had driven it from his mind, but he had fought his first battle today and he had been active on the front line from beginning to end. His muscles were aching.

“Oh, the stars are so pretty. I wonder if Lord Ogmios's star is among them now.”

He lay back to float in the water and zoned out while trying not to think about anything at all, but then he heard some noisy voices.

“Curse that perv of a father. That is quite the surprise he left for us at the very end there. Why should one of us we have to marry Bargisel to inherit the family? Eve should be the heir by default!”

The voice that did not even try to hide its anger was Arlee's.

“Wills are a way for the dying to force their ideals onto everyone else. Anger will accomplish nothing here.”

The calm voice belonged to Evun.

“I already have my shop and I'm not interested in the castle, so you can have that, Evun. But I do think I will be taking Bar.”

That carefree suggestion came from Orphen.

The three sisters seemed to be recovering from the shock of their beloved father's death.

Did that mean women were more resilient about these things? Bargisel had yet to recover from the shock, but then he realized what those voices meant: the sisters had entered the open-air bath. Since this was not a bathhouse, there were no separate baths for men and women.

He quickly hid behind the large stone in the bath.

“Hah!”

Arlee gave a shout followed by a splash. She must have jumped into the bath. Next, the older two sisters began soaking in the bath without noticing Bargisel's presence.

“Phew, I love this bath. Nothing's better after an exhausting day♪”

“It's been a while since we all bathed together, hasn't it?♪”

“Yes, it probably would not have happened without special circ.u.mstances like these♪”

Arlee stretched and spoke happily and Orphen replied with bliss in her voice. Even Evun sounded relaxed for once.

The three soaked in the bath and stared up into the starry sky, but then Orphen spoke up.

“By the way, Arlee, how was did your training go?”

“Well, it was very useful. Like I knew it would be.”

“I don't care about that part. How was life in the swordswoman village of Beatrice? That's a lesbian paradise, isn't it?”

“Bff!? They're not all lesbians! Eek!”

Arlee protests changed into a shriek.

“Your b.o.o.bs weren't this big before, were they? I bet you had Master Swordswoman Irene groping them every day.”

Orphen spoke with a mischievous tone and Arlee argued back while splas.h.i.+ng around.

“Wait, Or! Stop that! Quit groping my b.o.o.bs!”

“Oh? Your nipples are already hard. You sure have gotten sensitive. What kind of training were you doing in Beatrice?♪”

“Kyah! Just normal sword training.”

“Then did you make yourself this sensitive? I know masturbation is fun, but show some restraint. I don't remember raising you to be such a dirty girl.”

“That's not it either. Eve, help!”

The oldest sister answered the youngest's desperate plea with a seductively low voice.

“Arlee, I thought you were still a child, but it looks like your body is growing up.”

Evun's serious expression could be deceiving because she had a habit of making deadpan jokes.

“W-wait, what now!? I'm not a child, but this isn't what-…ah, stop that, Eve! Not there! Not there~~!”

What were they doing?

While cowering down on the opposite side of the rock and listening to the sisters' conversation and Arlee's distressed cries, Bargisel's imagination took a strange turn. He washed his face in the bathwater to cool himself down, but when he remembered that was the same bathwater the sisters were soaking in, his face only grew hotter.

“W-wait, don't spread it. The water will get in~~~. Stop that. You're taking this way too far. Ahn♪”

He could have sworn he heard a sensual tone enter the youngest sister's voice as the older sisters teased her.

Should he stop them? But that would mean revealing his presence here.

And was it really right to get in the way of their sisterly bonding?

(But what part of Lady Arlee were they “spreading”? It would have to be down there, right? Right? And if the bathwater got in her p.u.s.s.y, then you could say all the bathwater is…no, wait. Lady Evun and Lady Orphen are soaking in the water two. Wow.)

His imagination ran wild and not even he was sure what he was thinking about anymore. It did not take long for him to start holding his erect p.e.n.i.s in both hands. It was throbbing so hard he could not stop himself.

As far as individual combat technique went, Arlee was stronger than her sisters, so he convinced himself that she could escape if she really wanted to.

“Ah, wait, n-not there. Really not there. Please…ahh.”

Arlee was so quick to anger, yet her voice was rapidly growing more alluring and weaker.

At the same time, Orphen's voice grew more mischievous.

“Are you was.h.i.+ng yourself here properly? It can get dirty pretty easily. And if you have a smelly p.u.s.s.y, Bar won't want to try it out♪”

“I'm not letting Bargisel try anything out. Besides, even if he is an idiot, his loyalty is the real deal. He won't go along with that nonsensical suggestion.”

She seemed to at least recognize his loyalty.

He had been imagining the scene on the other side of the rock this whole time, but he finally gave in. He pressed himself against the decorative rock and peeked around it.

This happened to place his rock-hard p.e.n.i.s between the slippery rock and his stomach. He looked quite pathetic doing this, but he was too preoccupied to think about such things.

He peered through the steam and saw shoulder-length black hair swaying back and forth. He saw wide shoulders and a smooth white back. He could see the contours of the shoulder blades and backbone. He could even see the tight and firm b.u.t.t.

He was seeing Evun from behind. That was a very attractive sight and he normally would have been endlessly charmed by it. However, he could see a total of four legs spread wide on the other side of that attractive back.

She was in the way. So terribly in the way. If Evun had not been there, a truly incredible sight would have been there for him to see.

“Ah, ahh, wait, not there~. Ahh.”

Arlee's skinny legs were trembling.

Orphen was having fun teasing her younger sister's nipples and she asked a question of the older sister teasing the younger sister's v.u.l.v.a.

“Ha ha. Arlee is even more sensitive than I thought. Evun, should we go ahead and make her c.u.m?”

“No, let's stop it here. I wouldn't want Arlee to get a taste for this. Also…”

“Okay~~~♪”

The older two sisters exchanged a meaningful nod and then released the youngest sister.

Once she escaped Orphen's arms, Arlee got down on all fours and gasped for breath.

Seeing that filled Bargisel with a complex mixture of relief and disappointment, but after casually fixing her hair, Evun called out behind her.

“Bargisel, you'll overheat yourself if you stay in the bath too long.”

“Eh!?”

Bargisel and Arlee were the only two to cry out in surprise.

“Did you think we wouldn't notice? If you can see us from there, then we can see you~♪ Come on over, Bar~♪”

Orphen beckoned him over, but he could find nothing to say.

However, he could not just run away.

He crouched low and hesitantly walked over while feeling like a prisoner walking to the gallows. Why was he crouching low? To make sure his erection did not rise above the water. But he was still worried, so he surrept.i.tiously held it down with a hand.

“W-w-w-w-w-wait! What are you doing here!?”

Arlee was still on all fours with her b.u.t.t pointed toward him, so she covered her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with her right arm and her crotch with her left hand while glaring at him.

“Well, um, I was taking a bath before you got here.”

He gulped when Arlee's tight a.s.s came into view. Her hand was strictly guarding the more important bit and her b.u.t.t was too tight to see the a.n.u.s, but he could see her tailbone, her back, her sideb.o.o.b, and her ankles. They all inspired male l.u.s.t because they were generally kept hidden.

Evun most likely knew what the boy was thinking, so she asked a sarcastic question while soaking calmly in the bath.

“Here to ‘try us out' like Orphen mentioned?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Evun did not seem at all embarra.s.sed as she soaked up to her chest. The bathwater should have been clear, but the reflection of the moonlight kept him from seeing below the surface.

Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were floating and wobbling a bit, but he could only see the top of them and the important part was just barely out of sight. Of course, that only made it all the more arousing.

“If you wanted to see me naked, you just had to ask. I would've stripped for you on the spot♪”

Orphen suddenly stood up from the water. She stood boldly tall and spread her arms to invite him to view her nudity.

Bargisel's eyes were naturally drawn to her large jiggling b.o.o.bs. Slender but s.e.xy was the perfect description for her.

She did not seem embarra.s.sed, but he was and he lowered his head.

(Wait, Lady Orphen went to the trouble of dyeing her pubic hair pink too?)

He tried to keep himself from looking, but his male instincts briefly turned his eyes that way. And once he saw it, the image was permanently burned into the back of his mind.

“Hold on, Or! Do you have no shame at all!?”

Arlee tried to caution her sister, but Orphen did not care in the slightest. In fact, she brushed back her wavy pink hair and moved her hips to the left in a provocative pose.

“Why bother hiding it when we're going to let Bargisel try us out anyway?”

“He will do nothing of the sort. He's too much of a gentleman.”

While Orphen and Arlee argued, Evun casually made a horrifying suggestion.

“What are you crouching down for? Stand up straight.”

“B-but…um…”

“You do not just get to choose one of us. We have to choose you as well.”

Evun gave a strict order, so he had no choice but to stand up.

“Move your hands.”

He found it hard to disobey those sisters, but that was especially true when it came Evun. He moved his hands out of the way while his shoulders trembled.

And the part he had most wanted to hide sprang out into view.

Arlee reflexively covered her eyes, but she realized a moment later that left her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and crotch exposed and quickly returned her hands there. She was, however, giving his p.e.n.i.s some curious glances.

“Ha ha♪ Wow, a flesh sword worthy of a knight♪” Orphen sounded utterly delighted. “So we agreed the castle and land go to Evun while Bar goes to me, right?♪”

“I never agreed to that.”

Evun calmly objected, but Orphen did not seem to care.

The aroused young woman walked naked through the bath with her giant b.r.e.a.s.t.s jiggling.

He instinctually took a step back to escape, but he could not move another step more and simply stood there sweating.

“Ha ha♪ The foreskin's still covering it♪ How cute♪ Let's fix that, shall we?♪ I'll peel it back for you♪”

Just like when she had captured the youngest sister, Orphan wrapped her arms around Bargisel from behind and gently placed her hands around his p.e.n.i.s.

“Ahn~♪ It's so hard~~♪ And so hot too♪ I can feel it throbbing♪ This is wonderful♪”

“Wait, Or!”

Arlee blushed and tried to stop her sister.

“What is it, Arlee? Do you want to touch it too?”

“I'm never touching that filthy thing!”

“Don't be so mean. It's no filthier than your p.u.s.s.y.”

“…”

Whatever Evun was thinking on the inside, she silently viewed the boy's nudity with no apparent embarra.s.sment.

Arlee crouched down while covering her chest with her hands, but her back and bare b.u.t.t were still turned toward Bargisel.

“U-um, Lady Orphen, y-your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are pressed against my back!”

“Oh, is that a problem? You're free to touch my b.o.o.bs whenever you want from now on.”

Orphen rubbed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s against the boy's back and her pubic hair against his b.u.t.t.

“I-I have no intention of doing that…”

The boy panicked and froze up like a statue, but the mischievous young woman whispered sweetly into his ear.

“I want you to pierce my body with this hard flesh spear♪ Go at me as fiercely as you did the enemy earlier today♪”

Her soft hand gently stroked his d.i.c.k while she did so.

“I couldn't possib- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

He could imagine what would happen if he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed here, so he did his best to prevent it. But the more he tried, the greater the pleasure Orphen's hand brought him and the harder it was to prevent it.

A boy writhing in pleasure must have been a rare sight for Evun and Arlee because they stared at him without blinking.

The three sisters' eyes were all focused on his manhood as it grew even larger inside the young woman's warm hand.

“Ha ha. Look at Bar's face. He's really enjoying this. You're so cute. Here, I'll make you feel even better♪”

Orphen's hand rhythmically stroked his c.o.c.k.

“Ahh, please no more. I can't hold it in any longer. Kwah!”

The red swollen head was poking out just a bit from the foreskin and something squirted from the small hole there.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!?”

He gave one final cry as s.e.m.e.n flew forcefully out every time his p.e.n.i.s throbbed.

“!?”

It got on Evun's face as she soaked in the bath and it got on Arlee's back and b.u.t.t as she crouched down.

“I-it's so hot. What is this!?”

Arlee shouted a question and Orphen answered like it was the dumbest question she had ever heard.

“It's c.u.m, obviously. Ha ha. Look at it fly♪ You got some real distance on that♪ And such a strong smell. So this is what Bar's c.u.m smells like♪”

Orphen was impressed, but Arlee asked a hesitant question.

“Y-you came…already?”

“…”

Bargisel gave a small nod.

Once his e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n was over, the boy's hips gave out and he fell onto all fours in the bath.

“That was quick,” calmly pointed out Evun.

That was the last straw for him.

“I'm sorry!”

He tearfully apologized and fled from the bath.

His lower body was still weak, so he tripped and fell while the three sisters watched. He ended up kissing the stone around the bath, but he scrambled back to his feet and made a quick exit in front of the shocked sisters.