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A bit late but very long Chapter instead ;P

Hope you enjoy and normal schedule should return on Monday!

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Chapter 44: Bittersweet

"I'm not sure I understood all of that..."

Sighing deeply Narkas looked at him as if he was an idiot and explained again.

It had all started with Makoto asking what houses really do.

To sum it up, it was quite similar to what guilds did.

First of all there was two options to joining a house, either being 'invited' or 'adopted'.

If you adopted someone you brought them to a noble status, this option was rarely ever used in older houses as they put a lot more trust in blood relatives than strangers.

There was a lot of intrigue between the houses and it happened on a regular basis that adopted nobles brought a house to ruin by working for another in secret.

You normally only adopted someone to a house after having known them for countless years, marrying them or owing an incredible favor to a commoner.

There also seemed to be a limit to how many people you could adopt to the house without the entire thing falling apart.

The commonly used thing was to invite someone.

You would for example invite a servant or Soldier to your house, sworn to stay loyal and serve via a magic contract.

The benefits with that were good pay, a place to sleep and also a certain degree of safety for the adopted members or children of the house was guaranteed.

All in all, houses could very well differ.

There was ones like house Stimridge that had dozens of Servants to wipe their asses while the adults of the house would work inside the city, having less need for actual Soldiers.

Naturally there was also those houses with only a few adopted members while the rest was all invited Soldiers, earning their money by traveling the land and subjugating monsters or helping defend the border.

Mercenary houses, Merchant houses, Criminal houses, there was a sheer endless list what a house could do and should never do or their king would revoke their nobility.

There was also quite a few infamous houses that had no allegiance with any kingdom and roamed the lands, plundering and stealing from wherever they could.

Every house in a Kingdom or Country was automatically sworn to serve their King for example.

These oaths to serve could be misused or broken and being banished or purged from said Country was the normal turn of events.

Only the greatest power in a Country like the King for example could create or allow someone to create their own house.

Every noble had once started as a Commoner that served his Country before the king elevated their status, that was the gist of it.

Together with the Royal families, Council and other houses there was 3 other entities that ruled the lands of Asuria and kept it in balance.

First of all there was the Magic Institute that created every Magic Contract inside the Kingdom while also using them for Bounties and educating young mages.

Next up was the Merchant Federation, a secret and selected group of the most influential Merchants that took care of the Country's financing and overall economy.

The last hidden Power in Asuria was the Warrior Academy that trained thousands of recruits in Elisante every year, most of which died either at the border or protecting the lands against monsters after only 5 years.

It was an incredibly cruel reality that showed just how dangerous the lands could be if you didn't live in a big Country like Asuria that tried its best to protect its citizens.

Naturally all 3 of these hidden powers where sworn to serve the king and his subjects but the people leading those facilities could be less loyal even if they supported the Country, seen as how Rhobos Grandel had used his power to imprison Makoto or how he had taken no action against his crazed brother.

"So does something like a Council exist in another Country then too?"

Makoto asked, clearly interested.

Narkas only looked at him for a few seconds before shaking his head with a laugh.

"No my boy, every Country has its own rules, this is just how it happens to work in Asuria and that is already complicated enough sometimes if you ask me.

My home country for example has no king.

Sure there are houses but Khalief is ruled by 8 powerful fighters known as the last Mithril Dragons.

I have never seen them and I also never want to but rumor has it they are nether man nor beast but also not beast-man, you could say something else entirely.

These 8 individuals rule with an iron fist, oppressing the weak and making their own subjects practically into slaves while creating a heaven on earth for the noble or rich that kept things in place for them.

Every Country has its own form of ruler or government even though Humans seem to favor a King for some reason."

Noticing the same dark look in his Uncle's eyes when he mentioned his home Country before, Makoto tried to take the conversation in a different direction.

"So what form of ruling do the Dwarfs of Farkiln have then?"

Narkas looked at him and seemed to sort his mind for a moment before replying with a smile.

"Well with them it is a bit special I guess, they have 12 powerful houses that form something akin to the Council we have here but a lot more efficient in how they solve problems.

It does help that they don't really have to deal with protecting their border as their cities are all deep below ground, hidden from the eyes of man and beast alike beneath a mountain range that is impassible on foot and too dangerous for any army."

Narkas kept explaining the different cultures and politics of a few other countries before arriving at Sarachec, the Country that created the most trouble for Asuria and that they also had the most warfare with.

"I have to say their 'ruling' is probably the most barbaric and least efficient of all.

They host the biggest Tournament the world has seen every year for a whole week where people of their race compete in fighting for the right to sit on the throne.

They have the absurd iron rule that the strongest should lead a country and that an old king would create a weak country.

I don't envy those young and powerful creatures that fight their way to the top, considering that most of them don't even live to see through even half a year of ruling.

Not only does the ruler change every year with the end of that Tournament but on top of that the current King could be challenged at least once every two months by the most promising challenger.

This constant craze and rush to take the throne and be the strongest has created some of the strongest fighters in all of history, not to mention mercenary houses.

House Barsuul is especially well known as the Mercenaries of Death, having only Beast-man in their house and accepting the most dangerous of request."

After listening for quite a while and learning many things about the lore in Azalon, Makoto was about to ask for a few other details when Sharon came down the stairs.

Seeing the angry glare and remembering his promise to spend the entire week with her he looked to his Uncle for help in calming this raging beauty.

Narkas on the other hand went quite pale after seeing Sharon's expression and quickly fled the room.

"Don't leave me Uncle!"

Feeling as if he had just been betrayed in a terrible way he looked to his girlfriend who had the most terrifying look he had ever seen and immediately Makoto went down to his knees with his head touching the ground.

About to apologize he hears an audible "pfft" and looks up only to see Sharon laughing her head off in how quickly she was able to scare him.

"And here I thought you were about to rip my head off for not waiting for you to come back and going out instead..."

Shaking her head with a smile and putting a gentle kiss on his cheek she denied it.

"Do you think now that I can visit you in Real Life any time I want I would be hurt or ticked off by not being with you inside the game for a few hours? Are you sure you know your own girlfirend?"

Showing a smile now too, Makoto pulled her closer and put his lips against hers.

"Well it seems I don't.

Maybe we should go upstairs so I have the chance to get to know her a bit better?"

Giggling about his hidden intentions, Sharon put her head against his chest with a blissful smile on her face but didn't respond.

Staying like this for a good while they both enjoyed the moment and only after a while Sharon looked up to him.

"So now that I own your ass for an entire week, what do you want to do my love?"

Quite a bit surprised about the way she worded her sentence and feeling a bit self conscience what she could possibly want with his 'ass', Makoto shrugged.

"Normally I would want to level up or grind but that doesn't really seem too romantic so why not just enjoy the day and explore the city a bit?"

Quite content with what he had suggested, Sharon locked arms with him and pressed her breasts against him, well aware of how that made him feel.

"You dirty girl."

Smacking her behind as a little revenge they both left the mansion with a happy smile plastered on their faces.

.....

It was a good decision to just enjoy the afternoon and take it easy for once.

Makoto even discovered a stand that sold something similar to ice cream even though it wasn't as sweet.

There was a lot of Buildings and Monuments in Elisante that you could visit, as long as you could find them that is.

Seeing that the sun was about to go down both Makoto and Sharon were on their way back to the mansion when he suddenly got a message from Lilliana.

-Where the Fuck have you been jackass! Messaged you a bunch of times already over the weekend but you never responded and I know that you are online and can see this!

I thought we would go to the Labyrinth on Saturday and Sunday, if you also ignore this one I swear to god that I will put a bounty on your head JUST to get a response from you!-

Remembering the countless messages that he had quickly dismissed while working undercover as a Servant for house Stimridge he quickly wrote back.

-Sorry Lilly, I was on a Quest during the weekend that couldn't wait, spent over 24 hours ingame on it and then had to go to sleep for Monday, hope this explains my sudden disappearance and why I didn't respond to any messages!.-

He didn't have to wait long for a response.

-Next time send your friends a message that you will be busy and can't reply please, it is annoying seeing someone not respond for two days when you clearly know that they are online.

What was it about?-

-Can't really tell you any details but the reward was that I was adopted to a house and I am now a Noble of Asuria.-

-You shitting me here?-

-Nope, why would I?-

-Well the knowledge about houses is quite new and until now people have only been able to get into a Servant position, if you are telling the truth then you are the first player to actually get into a house as far as I know...

Makotooooo, could me and Sanja join your house too?

Pretty please?-

Grinning about the message, he quickly typed back.

-Not really my choice but you can try I guess, you would have to talk with the First of my House, I can tell you the way to the mansion that I am heading back to if you want to really join it.-

Immediately she wrote back that she indeed wanted to give it a try and Makoto described the way to House Forrowfell.

He then informed Sharon that Lilliana and Sanja would visit soon enough in an attempt to join his house and she seemed to be happy about seeing them again.

It didn't take a lot of waiting for the three of them as both girls arrived only half an hour later with a loud knock.

Practically dragging Sanja behind her, Lilliana immediately gave a deep bow towards Narkas and asked the same thing that Makoto had already explained beforehand to him.

"Hmm."

Letting out this sound his Uncle walked around both girls that stood stock still and examined them from head to toe, even going as far as looking down their cleavage or lowering his head to their behind which clearly made both of them very uncomfortable but they endured.

Sighing once he finally spoke.

"Well I have to say you both are very beautiful indeed but sadly a bit too young for my tastes so which one do you want to marry Makoto?"

Everyone inside the room froze at those words.

Sharon was the first one to recover and spoke with an incredibly frosty tone.

"I have to say that was not a very funny joke."

Narkas only looked at her and showed a crooked smile.

"It wasn't meant to be one, you have to see I am currently unable to adopt anyone to this house even if I wanted to, it is one of the restrictions to houses that you can only adopt 1 member per month.

The only way to go around this is if either I or Makoto would marry the girls but I am no longer in my teens and not only would I feel bad for the girls, I also have no intention of starting any disastrous rumors that I like younger women so I can't do that, no matter how beautiful they are.

You could also marry one and have the other as a Concubine which would be a Servant in a way I guess."

Thankfully both Lilliana and Sanja abandoned the idea of joining his house any time soon with a bit of help from a few sharp glares from Sharon while hugging his arm tight to the point where he lost all feel for it.

"Anyways, it was nice meeting you both.

Makoto, I have to attend an emergency meeting at the Dome and I will only be back in the late hours of the night so I wish you a good night and let us continue our conversation tomorrow."

Standing up and giving another courteous bow to both Sanja and Lilliana, Narkas left the room and shortly after, the front door could be heard as it opened and closed.

Makoto watched his Uncle leave with a very bad feeling that quickly turned out to be true after being aware of the stares he was getting from all 3 girls.

Emergency meeting my ass, he just noticed the way they looked at me and decided to quickly save his own hide...

Feeling their relentless and calculated gaze he had a cold shiver run down his spine and with a bit of panic shouted for Baltas in hope of rescue.

The white haired Butler quickly showed up in the doorway and assessed the situation.

"Not even the Divines can help you now young Master."

And with a light chuckle he left Makoto who was pinned down by these 3 very serious stares.

Once again feeling the sting of betrayal by even a Servant that should gladly die for him, Makoto swallowed once and finally faced them.

It was Sharon who finally broke the silence.

"I just wanted a moment without your Uncle to tell you that I added both Sanja and Lilliana to my friends-list some time ago and that they know about me."

"Oh...I see, well that is great."

Immediately a lot less scared, Makoto leaned back with a sigh.

"So how was the sex with him Sharon?"

Cringing at this rather sudden and personal question from Sanja, Makoto shot a glance to his girlfriend that had a dirty look on her face.

"Well he does look just like ingame first of all but there is a difference down there if you know what I mean."

"The Good or bad kind?"

Lilliana asked this time while Makoto wished for this whole thing to end right here and now.

Sharon evaded the hand that tried to cover her mouth and responded with a giggle.

"The VERY good kind."

All 3 girls started to laugh now and Makoto could feel his cheeks flush for the first time in quite a while.

"Could we stop talking about these personal things please?"

He tried to change the subject but no one seemed to hear him as Sanja eagerly asked for more details about the Sex.

Putting his face into his hands he endured nearly 2 hours of giggling between the girls until he also decided to join in on the conversation, noticing that Sharon was only giving a few details while keeping most of it private for which he was thankful for.

Time quickly flew by and soon enough it was incredibly dark outside.

It was then decided that they would explore the Labyrinth a bit more tomorrow and that Sanja and Lilliana would stay over at the mansion in one of the many empty rooms for guests that Baltas guided them to.

Sharon went ahead to their room and Makoto only stopped once to check outside and see if Finn was possibly standing outside with the promised Gold Bars already.

Quickly trying to follow his lover he was about to enter their room when he heard a voice at the end of the hallway.

"Can you come here for a second Makoto?"

Unsure what was wrong he saw Lilliana waving and entering her room so he told Sharon that he would be right back and walked past a few doors until he reached the right one.

Entering without hesitation and a bit confused that no one was inside he was about to shout for her when he heard the door close behind him.

Lilliana stood there, her face hidden by shadows and unsure what was wrong Makoto approached her.

"Are you alright Lilly?"

Not responding she just stood there so he took another step forward.

With a quick movement she appeared right before him and he could feel arms grasping around him.

Stunned about the sudden intimacy Makoto just stood there and looked at the smaller girl that buried her face in his chest while hugging him tight.

"Lilly?"

Still not responding she only pressed herself against him harder and he could feel two gigantic soft mounds now too against him.

Still surprised but thinking that something in Real Life might have happened and she maybe just needed a hug, Makoto put his own arms around her.

Her entire body twitched as he touched her and with a surprising strength in her frail arms she pushed him away and opened the door while not looking in his eyes.

"Y-You should go back..."

Clearly hearing the panic in her voice and having a slight hunch at what could be going on he looked at her for a long time before finally leaving.

"What took you so long?"

Sharon asked while looking at him beneath the covers.

Deep in thought Makoto just sat down on the bed without responding right away.

"What happened?"

She asked a bit alarmed and he told her about the strange behavior from Lilliana.

He could see the surprise on her face for a second before a knowing look appeared in her eyes.

"Do you think that she maybe lik-"

"I think you should wait for her to answer that question my love.

At least give her the chance to explain her actions before judging her."

Surprised about her soft tone Makoto looked up again and saw the sad smile on Sharon's face.

Putting one hand on her face he looked deeply into eyes before speaking.

"You know that I would never leave you right? Not for anyone else in the world."

Showing him a wry smile and leaning forward to kiss him once she nodded.

"I know and for that I am very glad but I am not worried about losing you. It might sound a bit strange but I am more worried about what kind of weight that puts on Lilliana.

We got pretty close while you did your Quest you know, she and Sanja were the reason I even visited you this soon."

Surprised about this revelation he looked at her for a second before putting his hand on hers.

"I don't want Lilliana to feel guilty for what she might feel towards you... I see them both as good friends."

Staring at their hands while talking he could clearly see the sad look on Sharon's face and following a sudden impulse he pushed her onto the bed and kissed her.

"I promise everything is going to be alright, I will talk to her tomorrow after the Labyrinth and we will figure it out between each other alright? You don't have to worry ok?"

Unsure what else to say and filled with the desire to see her smile again he kissed her once more and Sharon put her arms around him.

"Alright, I trust you.

Hear her out and be gentle to her please.

As far as I know she only ever dated douchebags so at least show her that not all men are like that alright?"

"I promise."

Both smiled happily at each other and while shifting his weight something very interesting pressed against her leg suddenly.

"The night is still young you know."

Sharon said with a very mischievous grin and Makoto didn't wait a second longer to rip her clothes off.

He could feel a satisfied growl inside of him when he spread her thighs while looking deep into her sapphire blue eyes as they held a lustful greed of their own.

With a quiet moan from her he was once again conquering Sharon while the beast inside of him howled and gave him new vigor and constantly fueled his lust...

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Hope you all enjoyed this rather lengthy Chapter and see you tomorrow as always :D

This is actually as far as I have written the story line for Volume 4, I have a rough idea but I really need to write it down so it might very well be that the Chapter tomorrow is also posted rather late!