“There are many things we do not know about the so-called ‘once and future king’. Most mysterious of all: his current whereabouts. As I have laid out, tracking history between dimensions is often quite difficult. While time does move at the same rate between the different worlds, the way it is measured and where the calendar starts can vary drastically,” the teacher took a pause to sit down.

Heron Moorsnai was my teacher for the Dimensional Heroes class. A man in his mid-fifties, he had surprisingly good hair and a surprisingly weak spine. He also had a love for passionate gestures. The result was that he strutted up and down the stage, only to collapse into the armchair next to the podium every couple of minutes. Despite relying on a wooden cane during all of that, he never seemed to run out of breath.

“If you ever find yourself studying history, be aware that the library has a Time Compendium. It’s always partly inaccurate, but, for most places, it will allow you to find out which dates are parallel to which others. You can’t create a proper timeline without it… now where was I…” A moment of silence. “Ah, yes, where Arthur was last is hard to discern. It is either Earth or Marvellia.

“Earth’s historical documents from that time are rather primitive and full of holes. In the first place, due to how Earth’s god handles things, he is only treated as a local legend. Marvellia went through revolution at the same time and replaced its calendar thrice during that period. The result is a fifty year period of confusion, during which the last sight could have been on either of those two… worlds…”

The last words came out somewhat forced, as Heron fought himself back to his feet and went to the walking part of his steady routine. “The legends between those two worlds are remarkably similar, however. Having fought his son, Mordred, he was mortally wounded and returned to his base of operations in Avalon to heal. As I have told you earlier, although Arthur’s tales often mention this Avalon, nobody knows where or even what exactly it is. It could be a place in a world, it could be a world unto itself. Whether he has died there or will yet return, we do not know. Given the time since his last sighting, however, the former is much more likely.

“In summary, King Arthur Pendragon is one of the most famous heroes across dimensions. He sired, directly or indirectly, governments across worlds and always fought on with justice and humour in his heart. While he hasn’t carved out any one institution that remains with dimensional travellers to this day, his mark upon history is felt across countless countries, nations and even planets,” Heron fixed the collar of his plain shirt and stood straight for a moment. “That concludes this week’s lesson. Next week we talk about Nutheus the Core. That should be especially interesting to the slimes and slime lovers among you.”

“I do love me some slime girls,” I hummed when the ‘end of class’ buzz all over the room began. Willt and I were throwing our writing utensils into our bags. As was usual, he had taken a lot more notes than I.

“I don’t really get that,” my longhaired warlock friend answered in a quiet tone, clearly intent on not getting heard.

“Excuse you?” I asked in a playfully offended manner. “What is there not to get about loving slime girls? Their whole body is raw juiciness!”

“I don’t know, I don’t really like the fact that they’re basically all one colour,” Willt responded with a shrug. “Plus, translucency is weird.”

“Okay, one, your girlfriend can be summarized with the word red…,” I pointed out.

“Arlethia isn’t just red, but sure, go on,” speaking more confidently as the room around us cleared, Willt adjusted his glasses and crossed his lanky arms.

“...two, the translucency is the second… no, third best… no, fourth best part,” I kept correcting myself as other things came to mind. “Don’t you think it's hot to see your dick penetrating them in real time?”

“No,” Willt shrugged and glanced over his shoulder. The only reason why we were still sitting was that we didn’t want to get caught up in the cramming that always happened around the doors. “I do like that they can decide where their body is sensitive though. I’m just going to assume that’s your favourite thing about them?”

“Well, no, that’s number three, actually,” I responded and then explained further. “Because, sure, that’s hot, but I’m pretty confident I can get them off the normal ways as well. Number two is the whole reshaping bit. Can’t argue that having a girlfriend that can take whatever shape you want on any given day is super-hot.”

“Really can’t,” Willt agreed, “Except, you know, it’s shape only and the texture is the same. Unless you’re talking about a Doppelganger.”

“This may be a problem for you, my dearest, demon-obsessed friend,” I made a dismissive gesture. “However, for a connoisseur of female beauty such as I, this texture is heaven. For you see, a slime girl is described to be made entirely of a jelly that compares best to the properties of a delicious booty, firm and jiggly. Who am I, to deny the heavenliness of such a creation, made entirely of gropable wonder? Not a fool, I can tell you… unlike you,” I pointed directly at his face.

Willt rolled his eyes and slapped my hand away, “If that makes me a fool, alright. What’s number one, by the way?”

“They can split. You can have a one-man orgy with any number of perfectly curved girls.” Now the same eyes stopped on me with the gravest of expressions surrounding them. “What?” I asked, getting the feeling I wouldn’t like what I was about to hear.

“Sorry to break it to you mate,” he told me, “but I think you skimmed that paragraph at best. There is exactly one slime species that can do that, they only do it during mating season and to do that they become rooted to one place because their body mass expands rapidly.” Willt put a hand on my shoulder and let out a fatherly sigh. “I am sorry to tell you this, buddy, but you can’t experience this unless you find one of those and are ready to raise a bunch of oozlings with a woman that will get as big as a house.”

I fell silent.

“…I can literally see you consider it,” Willt joked.

“One-man orgy,” I repeated.

“You’re such a simple mind.”

“No, I’m a simple, honest guy,” I countered. “Don’t mistake my genuine expressions for idiocy.”

“I wouldn’t if you could actually read about any sort of monster girl biology without getting a boner that takes all the blood away from your brain. Your memory is compromised by your horniness.”

“It’s one point, my dude.”

“Still wrong.”

Our bantering continued on like this, as we left the room. Dimensional Heroes was our last class of the week. Not much had happened since the incident last Sunday. I had occasionally seen Karona but, even without Esther around, she was keeping her distance. It appeared that that particular bridge had been burned, despite my… Well, I wouldn’t call it my best efforts, but despite my general efforts.

Classes had largely continued to be interesting, work was as expected and my relationship with Esther stayed solid, with no new dramatic surprises. The worst ‘fight’ we had recently had been over my minimalistic approach to homework and greater interest in her thighs. She had given me a minor reprimand, I had promised I wouldn’t distract her further. Although I had no plans to dedicate anything beyond minimum necessary effort to homework, I did respect that she wanted to do it all flawlessly. As a result, I gave her the space she needed and, once she was satisfied with herself, we watched a movie together. With our initial communication issues sorted out, we were now sailing in tranquil waters.

My third week at Welldark therefore passed like I had envisioned my first two to go. Attending classes, flirting around and generally having a good time. A small concern I had was that progress with Esther had essentially halted at the current, comfortable understanding we had going on. I would give it a couple of weeks, before getting worried about that lack of development. For one, because it was working so nicely and, for two, because letting our initial fascination wear off before we went any further was probably wise.

I had known more than a few people who had gotten into relationships on a whim and broke up within days or weeks. Esther and I were dating now, which was already a pretty large commitment from both of us. Either of us would have a beyond easy time finding someone else, in this harem-building environment.

Admittedly, if the gender ratio wouldn’t have been so skewed, I would have had a much harder time than her. That was courtesy of my perverted honesty and the fact that women were usually the ones to choose a partner.

Willt and I arrived at the train station.

“Huh. It’s earlier than I thought,” I said, after checking one of the many clocks around.

“Professor Moorsnai seems to generally finish earlier,” Willt remarked and shot me a knowing glance. “You’re going to pick up your lady, aren’t you?”

“She is in her Duelling class, she is going to be all worked up and maybe wear yoga pants,” I simply stated and Willt nodded as a fellow man would.

“Yoga pants are good,” he agreed. “Well, I have Arlethia waiting at home, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“If you want to fuck in the kitchen, make it quick and clean up after yourself,” I joked, managing to make the warlock blush with embarrassment. I knew he would never do anything like that. His innocent, demon-summoning soul just wasn’t bold enough for it. With a somewhat awkward wave, we parted ways.

________________________________________________________________

When I arrived, things were in the process of wrapping up. The Duelling class room was quite similar to those where I attended my own combat classes. Mock weapons covered the walls and marks on the mat-covered floor delineated the boundaries for each engagement.

Sweaty women in tight clothes stretched and bowed to place the training weapons back in their places. More than a few wore clothes that were just barely appropriate, cladding only their breasts and firm booties under the spandex. Bare midriffs of wonderful flatness revealed various stages of toned abs. Drops of sweat suggestively ran down exposed skin. My nostrils were filled with the intoxicating mixture of light perfumes, panting exhaustion and the general sweetness of beautiful girls.

I had almost forgotten who I had even gone there for when Esther and I spotted each other. With a firm movement of her hands, she twisted the training weapon she was holding at the handle. It appeared she had conjoined a sword and a dagger replica to create a wooden replica of her own Artefact. All of the training weapons had the capability to be attached to one another in some fashion.

Wordlessly, I walked up to her, still distracted by the numerous girls exhaustedly sighing and laughing around me. Whoever the teacher was must have put them under a lot of pressure. ‘There are no guys here,’ I suddenly realized, unable to spot a single person with presumably floppy reproductive organs. ‘Maybe I should switch to this class…?’

While I still asked myself that question, I heard the sound of clacking teeth. That was all the warning I needed to quickly twist out of the way of the incoming lunge. Having missed her jab at my shoulder, Esther whirled her off-hand around and tried another stab at my side. Although slightly painful, I knocked the wood aside with the back of my hand, then took a step backwards.

With an amused look on my face, I dodged and parried four more attacks. Esther raised her training sword high and brought it down in one massive swing. A massive overswing, missing me by quite the margin. I saw it as my opportunity to counterattack. Which was exactly the gamble she had taken.

As I attempted to grab her arms and force her into a contest of strength, she dropped both of her weapons and rammed her already lowered shoulder into my gut. We both went to the ground, but the suddenness of her attack stunned me momentarily. That raw power comparison that I had wanted to start was now happening, but not to conditions in my favour. Quick as lightning, Esther had secured her position on top of me, pressing my hands against the mattress and straddling my hips.

“You should greet me, if nothing else, before leering at other women, perverted Karitas,” the lady of my desires scolded me.

I could see it in her eyes that her jealousy was real, but not too intense to be really worried about. “If it ends with me in a position like this, I don’t think I’ll greet you first ever again,” I joked, not even attempting to struggle. My gaze lowered to her breasts and stayed there. Even completely covered by lycra-fabric and likely held by a sports bra, those bountiful cushions had to obey the dictate of gravity. Round and enticing, they hung basically above my face. What was more than what I saw is what I felt further down. With a growing grin, I added, “I don’t think you dislike this either.”

The fully erect dick of any male was a very sensitive organ. For me to feel the soft grinding of her crotch against mine was basically a given. I was more than certain that the particular bit of hers those slight movements was stimulating had done its own bit of swelling. I was also certain that both of our underwear would suffer if this went on.

Esther blushed in a way that was beyond exhaustion or embarrassment. With a moaning sigh, she straightened up. The damp fabric stuck to her midriff and let me see her subtly toned abs in about a quarter of their glory. Wet clothes or no clothes would have gotten me half or full wonder. She let go of my wrists and my hands immediately landed on her surprisingly meaty thighs.

“What am I supposed to do with you?” the lady of my desires asked, her pink lips slightly parted as she let out yet another slight sigh. The slight movements of her hips hadn’t stopped and we were getting into properly dangerous territory now. I was only distantly aware of the eyes on us.

“I made a long list of suggestions,” I answered earnestly. “Well, I compiled it. How about we start with the Kamasu-“

A wooden blade suddenly stabbed the floor next to my head. Not to create any wrong impressions, this was a literal blade made from wood, not one of the blunt training weapons. Its sharp tip sank several centimetres deep into the sports mat I lay on. Travelling up the edge with my eyes, identifying it as something akin to a katana, I eventually arrived at the dark grey hand holding it.

She was a dark elf in her middle ages. Silver eyes stared down at me, set in a sharp face that could have been attractive if she hadn’t been scowling at me. Long, white hair framed her stern expression

“Yo,” I tried to keep it relaxed, greeting her with an upside-down wave. It failed to have the wanted effect, only causing her expression to grow more displeased. I got the feeling that the next wrong choice of words would hurt. “Sorry, how may I help you?”

“This is a place of training. Respect that,” she simply stated and pulled her sword from the ground. Her attention shifted to the woman on top of me. “You can do much better, Esther. This man strikes me as equally capable and distracted. Worse, he seems to have the same effect on you.”

“When it matters, he can concentrate,” the raven-haired lady disagreed to one point, while she nodded towards the rest. “I respect your criticism, teacher.”

Not entirely happy with that answer, the dark elf stepped away while shaking her head. “Youths, always getting tangled up with unworthy men…”

“I get the feeling she doesn’t like me,” I suggested and looked back to Esther, who gave me a playful slap. My face moved to the side, but it was not painful in any fashion.

“You are a comical character,” she told me.

Pouting, I responded, “That’s not very nice.”

________________________________________________________________________

We were out of the building remarkably fast. Esther changed into her school uniform in a hurry, presumably after finding some secure corner. Not like I could follow her into the girl’s locker room to verify. Likely, she changed while everyone else went into the showers. I already knew that she had her reasons to skip out on that in public and didn’t mind too much. It would take longer than the train ride back home for her to start smelling in any offensive way.

There was the off-chance that she was one of the blessed few that didn’t stink whatever they did, but the reality of the humanoid body was, even for the female half, that not everything was sunshine and rainbows. That was about as much as I thought about the topic though, I liked living in a world where I wasn’t steadily reminded of the unhygienic parts of lovemaking and existing.

The second we were home, she hopped into the shower and I set up the table at the top of the tower. It wasn’t a luxury we took every day, but I was in a good mood after earlier. ‘Wish I had the money to invest in candles,’ I thought, placing down the tray that I used to reduce the number of trips. Bread, toppings, drinks and utensils switched from one wooden surface to another. ‘Esther is just going to scold me if I waste money on that… maybe if I come out of this month with a good amount of Darks still around?’

The chances for that were rather slim. My efforts to spend more consciously were yielding some results, but I still had bought a number of frivolous things. A game for my Ashod, unnecessarily high quality ingredients for my cooking, a lecture on the biology of different races, as well as the money spent during dates, all piled up to create a hole in my pocket. Not a deep, black hole that threatened my living standards, the job at the Café Served ensured that, but one that I had to be wary of.

While I was busy reprimanding myself for getting those things despite my attempt to better myself, I felt my Astral Capacity resonate. It was just a tiny ripple, coming from my belt. Its origin was the Ashod. Those devices were synced with their owners Astral Signature and could vibrate on a personalized, supernatural frequency as their notification mechanism. Unlike buzzing, it couldn’t be missed and did not interrupt conversations. The disadvantage was that it only worked if the Ashod was very close. Causing ripples like that wasn’t as easy as one would think.

I pulled the rectangular stones apart and caused the magical screen to stretch out between them. Once It had reached a comfortable length, I took the hard-light construct and scrolled around. ‘A message from the administration?’ I wondered, when I found it in my inbox. It read rather simply: ‘You have received new physical mail.’

Somewhat confused, I made my way towards the entrance of the mansion. I hadn’t spotted a letterbox anywhere, but I also had never bothered to check. In this day, age and location, I didn’t think anybody would bother to send physical mail. Then again, if I ordered something physical off the internet, it had to get to me somehow.

True enough, there was a slit for letters next to the entrance and, once I checked the corresponding area on the inside, I found a panel that I could press my Ashod against to get it to open. Inside, I found two identical letters. One was addressed to me, the other to Esther, both had the signature of Taurus, Welldark’s headmaster and founder, on them.

“Why don’t they spare themselves the paper, if they can send me messages whenever…?” I mumbled to myself. The answer likely lay in the impressive design. Far from the heartless design of bureaucracy, the envelope I held had that velvety texture of high-grade production, with little decorations etched into it in gold. The letter even smelled nice, peppermint and lavender wafting off it.

After putting Esther’s letter on the kitchen table, I closed my eyes to manifest a letter knife. The construction of Astral Capacity appeared in my hand and lay there like forged starlight. As unnecessarily posh as I found all of this, I wouldn’t just rip open something as carefully crafted as this. With a few skilled movements, I loosened the glue that sealed it and opened the envelope.

Inside was a single piece of paper, folded in the usual way. Quality, decoration and scent were the same. At least the actual words were written in normal, black ink. The artful way the letters flowed into each other was a masterful display of calligraphy. It was also doubtful that the bull of a headmaster had written it. I couldn’t see hands of that size create this sort of elegant writing.

I heard the bathroom door open as I read. “What purpose does that letter serve?” Esther asked, before I even looked up.

“It’s an invitation,” I told her once I had finished. “Apparently there’ll be some sort of ball at the Golden Eagle island on Sunday evening and we’re invited because we managed to land here.” I folded the letter back together and used it to gesture at the surrounding mansion.

“It states that we are both invited?” Esther asked with a raised eyebrow. After shaking my head, I pointed her at the table. “Hand me your created knife,” she requested in her usual, authoritative way. I did, she used it, read her own invitation, then placed it back on the table. When she attempted to give me the knife back, I just made it disappear. “A needless event,” Esther stated, leaning onto the table in a way that pushed her fantastic butt up.

“You don’t want to go?” I asked.

“I have no interest in such frivolities,” the raven-haired lady shook her head. “No, I would have no intention to attend, were it just me who made this decision. Do you wish to visit this elite festivity?”

“Well, I can’t say I’m particularly interested in the company of the kind of people that would send a scented letter,” I responded truthfully, “but the letter does contain a coupon of over 250 Dark to buy proper clothes with. I would like to own a set of ‘good’ clothes.” Walking up to her, I put my arms around her waist and pulled her close. I felt her legs against mine, her chest against mine, and her heartbeat, a wonderful combination. “I would also like to see you in a dress and have a dance with you, my lady.”

Attempting to kiss her to underline those words was a sweet temptation. However, that would have taken it a step too far. I could hold her like this because she trusted that I wouldn’t push her before it was time. Were it not for those limitations, I would have laid her down on the table at that very moment.

“You will look and dance with others whether I attend or not, isn’t it so?” Esther asked, her impossibly soft accent forming even that inquisitive question into a velvety string that caressed my ears like the touch of a warm, lulling night.

“It’s in my nature,” I whispered back without any guilt. “If you’re there, you are what my night shall spin around. Like the planets rotate around the sun, so too shall I be around you, sometimes facing another way, but always within reach of you, should you desire my attention.”

Esther placed a hand on my neck and pulled me a little bit further forwards, until our foreheads connected and rested against one another. “As you desire, then,” she answered quietly. “We will meet tomorrow and find suitable clothing. For this evening, I make the suggestion that we-“

Our tender moment was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

For the briefest of moments, Esther’s pupils narrowed and her eyes flashed with the yellow of sulphur. One blink later, she had forcefully relaxed already. A stern mask layered on top of her irritation. Forcefully stepping out of my embrace, her body language betrayed that she was still moderately bothered by the interruption.

‘I do wonder how that impacts her sight,’ I thought, watching after Esther as she waltzed towards the front entrance. ‘Narrow pupils means less light enters, so does everything get darker when she gets mad?’ I had no idea why that question surfaced in my mind at that particular time. Since Esther was so adamant about being the one to open the door, I could only follow, think and stare at her ass.

The bubble butted lady in front of me grabbed the handle of the entrance door and pushed down. A quick pull later and we saw who was standing outside.

A woman of deliciously bottom-heavy body, having only a moderate chest but a wonderful swing to her hips and thighs. Her skin was an extremely pale white, the colour of pure snow, only interrupted by the soft pink of her lips and the emerald green of her eyes. As for her clothes, she wore a simple, yet elegant summer dress of black colour. Its wavy skirt flowed down to her ankles. It would only take the addition of a few white frills and an apron to make it a maid outfit. An impression that I didn’t just have my perverted mind to thank for, but also the fact that the woman in question bowed her head in a diligent fashion. Even while doing so, her silver-white hair stayed in its combed back order, firmly brushed behind her pointy ears.

“Good evening,” Aclysia greeted while straightening back up. “I hope I did not disturb you in anything.”

“You have interrupted us in a conversation of interest,” Esther stated, her hand still on the door handle. I stepped next to her and placed a hand on her lower back, hoping my presence would dissuade her from taking any rash action.

“Oh,” the headmaster’s daughter bowed again, deeper this time. “My sincere apologies, lady Esther.”

“…Why do you call me that?” Esther asked, already relaxing. Being addressed in such a respectful manner evidently helped in softening her up.

Aclysia still had her head lowered. “It…” she spied up to me. “…I am in the know of parts of your origin due to my own heritage, lady Esther,” she formulated very carefully. This was a fact I was already aware of, thanks to me stumbling into the tail end of a conversation during the introduction ceremony. Good on her for formulating things so carefully though.

Esther finally let go of the door, but only to take half a step forwards and bow down to Aclysia. “That information is mine alone to disclose, you will never talk to anyone about it,” the raven-haired lady said, it sounded like a command, rather than a request.

“Affirmative,” Aclysia promised without hesitation. “Would you prefer if I no longer addressed you in this way?”

“You will address me as is appropriate without my origin,” Esther retorted.

“…As you wish, lady Esther,” the diligent woman answered after a moment of deliberation. “If my presence at this time is an inconvenience, I would be happy to return at a later, appointed hour on this day.”

I stepped in, since the initial situation was resolved and I wasn’t going to let Esther make all the decisions around here. “Well, the damage is already done, so we might as well take care of your business now,” I decided, then turned to the lady of my interest. “Or do you think differently, Esther?”

“No, this is acceptable,” Esther decided and turned on her heels. “You may enter, good Aclysia.”

The same straightened up and showed a slight smile, before walking inside. I followed closely and shut the door behind us. “Want some tea or coffee? Be warned, we only have instant for the latter,” I made a hospitable offer in the usual, somewhat joking tone.

“I would be thankful for the latter,” Aclysia said in a graceful tone and, once she had removed her shoes, wandered towards the dinner table. With a gesture of her arm, Esther stopped the diligent woman from sitting down.

“State your intention here,” she asked (or demanded, rather). “It has to do with the ball, correct?” That would have been my guess as well and a clear nod by Aclysia confirmed it.

“I have come with the intention of asking for permission to attend with you two,” the white-haired half-elf stated. As always, I was happy that the other half, overly muscular bull man, didn’t really show itself. Then again, if it did, that may have increased the size of her breasts tremendously, given that she was technically half cow girl.

‘Would I take the tits if the cost was her bulking up considerably?’ I wondered and quickly arrived at an answer, ‘No, I don’t like that amount of muscle.’ “Both of us?” I asked, to keep my mind on the topic. My hands shovelled black powder into a mug.

“Truth be told, my interest lies with you alone, Karitas,” Aclysia told it like it was and I appreciated that a lot. “However, I understand that you, Lady Esther...” another slight, respectful bow, “...are Karitas’ Queen candidate. Unlike a common associate, I have no intention of disrespecting this.”

“Karona really casts her net wide,” I remarked. There was no doubt that she was the mentioned common associate. I really had to marvel at the Thornborne succubus’ ability to network. I poured hot water over the powder in the mug, stirred a few times, then returned to the table. “Why don’t we sit down?” I offered, gesturing at the dinner table.

“Are you in a hurry?” Esther interjected before Aclysia could take or deny the offer.

“I have no pressing plans for the remainder of the evening.”

Crossing her arms, Esther fell silent and directly stared into Aclysia’s eyes. I knew that to be nothing else than her thinking about what to say next. For anyone uninitiated, it was an unnerving experience. Aclysia tensed up like a mouse that had noticed a bird of prey looming over it.

“Karitas.”

“Yes?” I wondered, still holding the mug.

“You still require a shower. Take it, then join us for dinner.”

I considered pushing back. Yes, I was committed to letting Esther make choices regarding who was or was not part of my harem. That did not mean that I would let her make these choices on her own. This was still going to be my Anomalia and I had to put my foot down at some point to remind her of that. It appeared that Esther realized that she was pushing her authority too far, however.

“Only if that finds your agreement, good Karitas,” she added in a soft and pleading tone.

That was all I needed to hear. It wasn’t like I was opposed to her having a private conversation with Aclysia. It was all about maintaining that we were partners. What kind of man would I be if I let myself be ordered around all the time? Not one that could handle a woman like Esther for long, much less keep together a harem, that was for sure. “Alright, I’ll take about fifteen minutes,” I told her and placed the mug down for either of them to pick up. “Do feel free to peek,” I added with a flirtatious wink before walking off.

This whole thing was a pleasant surprise. After the whole Karona affair, especially. Not only was I interested in Aclysia, not only had she sought me out, but she was also aware to work with the current arrangement I had with my future Queen. Likely, Esther would grill Aclysia about her intentions while I was gone. The purpose of such a thing was to see if the diligent woman was actually submitting to Esther’s authority or only acting the part to get close to me.

If it was the former, good for everyone. If it was the latter, then it was probably in my best interest not to be closely affiliated with her. Liars and seducters rarely made for good long-term partners. From what I knew about Aclysia, I heavily doubted her to be that sort of manipulative gold digger. The two of us had talked more than once, on the way to or on campus.

As such, I turned the shower handle in a very good mood, certain that I would ascend the tower to find a pleasant outcome. It was a certainty that didn’t waver through the stream of hot water, the time I spent soaping up, the following up rinsing, the specific washing of my white, longish hair and the second rinsing. After the shower, I put on leisurely clothes, a simple, black shirt and cargo pants, and was on my way. The certainty stayed strong every step up the tower.

And turned out to be true once I was up there.

Aclysia and Esther were sitting across from each other. Neither had touched the food yet, only holding a cup of their preferred drink. Both had their equivalent of a content face, smiling ever so slightly. “Seems like you ladies came to an agreement,” I said when I sat down on Esther’s side of the table.

Nodding, Aclysia spoke up, “Indeed. We agreed on conditions fairly quickly.”

“It is rare to find an individual with such remarkable common sense,” Esther supported, her velvety voice even softer than usual because of how pleased she was with the situation.

I looked back and forth between the two of them. “I’m almost forgetting that the two of you met by fighting each other.”

“An official affair that need not depress our future relationship,” Aclysia stated. “My failure is my own to acknowledge.”

“It is as she says,” Esther agreed, sipping on her glass of milk.

Those two really did seem predisposed to liking each other. They were both hardworking, disciplined and picked their words carefully. The largest difference between them, as far as I could discern, was that Esther was a far more dominant person, while Aclysia had that maid-ish streak of her mother. A difference that made them even more compatible.

“It is with your Queen candidate’s approval then, that I request to attend the ball with you,” Aclysia addressed me directly, her green eyes locked on mine with hopeful anticipation.

All three of us already knew what my answer was going to be. I wasn’t going to give it quickly, however. I was curious about something. “Why me?” I asked. That question took Aclysia off-guard, the white-haired woman’s eyebrows slightly rose. Esther, in the meanwhile, poured herself a second glass of milk. “I think we have good talks and that we have great chemistry and that you’re as attractive as your butt is round, but I think you could have just about everyone. Your parents are beyond influential, you’re a beautiful white flower to behold, with eyes greener than the pastures of any emerald jewel of a world, power and wit are also attributes of yours,” I cleared my throat when Esther nudged me in the ribs with her elbow. A clear signal to stop overemphasizing. “The point is, I’m taken and you could be a Queen, why make your interest in me so publicly known?”

“I care not for what position in an Anomalia I hold,” Aclysia said. “Only to serve a man I deem worthy. Of all those I have encountered, you are the one I have felt the most attracted to,” she blushed slightly after saying that. “I wish to observe your personality more closely, Karitas. To validate my first impressions. What outsiders think of that doesn’t concern me.”

My curiosity sated, I gave her a big smile and said. “Well then, it would be my honour to attend the ball with you.”

Esther put down her glass, audibly. “I have offered her to accompany us during our shopping date tomorrow, should you agree?” She slightly tilted her head and thus made that statement a question.

“Would I, a man of culture and refined taste, ever agree to having a date with two girls at the same time?” I asked in a joyfully sarcastic tone. “Yes, yes, I would.”

“That is how we shall proceed, then,” the raven-haired lady of my (primary) interest nodded slightly to herself and looked over to Aclysia, who once more bowed her head, this time in thanks. “You may partake in dinner with us, if you want.”

The trained servant looked at the already decked table. There was clearly enough for several people, so there was no need to refuse on that front. “I would be honoured,” she said.

“Well, let’s eat then,” I decided, brushing through my slightly wet hair. “I’m starving.”

With the decision making done, we all reached out to the table. The sliced bread was the first victim of our appetite and the foundation for what else we each wanted. After that there was butter and deliberation regarding the toppings. “Who was the topic of the Dimensional Heroes class this week?” Esther asked, over the sound of cutlery and moving plates.

“King Arthur,” I answered quickly. “It was alright, a bit more mythical than I like. I prefer it when the tales have a bit more realism to them. Like, I don’t need it to be gritty or anything, but I would at least like to know that the things I hear about really happened, not might have really happened, eventually, if you squint your eyes, over at that place surrounded by mist.” I threw some salami on my bread.

“You should study history then,” Esther advised me.

“That goes too far in the other direction. Too much data and too little personality,” I retorted and bit into my meal. While chewing, a question surfaced in my mind. I filled my glass with water and used that to wash down what remained in my mouth between bites. “Aclysia, while I have you here, you mind answering a question?” I took a second, then added, “Several questions, not necessarily related to each other, actually.”

“That would depend on the question,” Aclysia responded, spreading strawberry marmalade over her buttered bread.

“Okay…” I put the bread down and both elbows on the table. My chin rested on my thumbs, my intertwined fingers hid my mouth and my expression was one of grave seriousness. My voice was deeper than usual, when I asked, “What is your relationship to the word ‘Master’?” Next to me, Esther let out a long breath through her nose. It was the closest thing to a groan I had ever heard her produce.

“It is a word I hope to use a lot in the future,” the diligent woman said without a hint of shame.

I moved my legs about a bit to deal with the sudden tightness of my pants. “In or outside the bedroom?” I specified, since I wasn’t sure how literal a person Aclysia was.

“Yes,” her cheeky response was delivered so straight that I couldn’t have been mad at her if I tried.

“Perverted Karitas,” Esther shook her head. “Your thoughts circulate to places of little use.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, turning to the little basket of fruits we had and plucking off one of the grapes therein. I threw it in my mouth to ascertain if they were still good, we had bought them two days ago. The answer was yes, thanks to the refrigerator, they were still nice and juicy. “Jealous that I show that attention to someone else, perhaps?” I asked, after plucking a second grape. I presented that one to her.

Esther thought about that for a few seconds, staring at me with those amber eyes of hers. “No,” she finally answered and reached out to take that grape – with her mouth. Her red lips brushed over the tips of my fingers, while the tiny fruit rolled into her mouth. She turned away from me, still chewing, which only sent my gaze down to the stretched fabric of her shirt. “It doesn’t bother me,” she continued. “I trust you, good Karitas, and I trust Aclysia enough to know she won’t tempt you into anything. I have no cause for jealousy,” she sounded quite liberated by that.

“Professor Lionflower’s first lecture was enlightening,” Aclysia noted.

I had since been informed about the contents of that first lecture by Esther, so I nodded along. “Everything that helps my lady with being secure,” I said and put an arm around her. I also went back to my bread, after asking her a question, “By the way, did you have a snack before the Duelling class?”

Esther gave me an intrigued glance, “I had a small meal between classes. What made you aware?”

“The fact that you didn’t rip Aclysia’s head off,” I mumbled, then swallowed to get the rest of my answer out clearly, “despite her annoying you shortly before mealtime.”

“I fail to follow,” Aclysia chimed in, her eyebrows, just silver enough to rise from her pale skin, pulled together.

“Esther, lovable as my stern lady is, cannot be left on an empty stomach. You see, as the blood sugar plummets, so does her mood and-“ I was jabbed in the ribs again, this time strongly enough to make me produce a mixture of pain and laughter.

“I do not react as rationally as I should, when hungry,” Esther put the issue into a concise, if somewhat lowballing, sentence.

“Oh,” Aclysia nodded, “I understand. I will take appropriate measures, should the future demand so.”

“What would those be?” I wondered. My imagination went to Aclysia keeping dog treats with her. That was a demeaning way to look at the lady of my desires, but also an amusing thought.

“I have been trained from a young age to be a proud servant, Karitas, I have my ways,” the half-elf answered mysteriously, then attended to her marmalade bread.

For a few moments, all of us concentrated on eating, only the sound of birds in the nearby forest drifting in through the open window of the tower. Absent-mindedly, the hand I had put around Esther wandered up to her boobs and squished. By the time I actively noticed what exactly I was doing, the fondled lady could have berated me three times over. Instead, she just blushed and let it happen. Across the table, Aclysia gave us a voyeuristic glance, but didn’t comment.

If I ever had to count my blessings, this moment definitely belonged on that list. I moved my chair a bit closer to Esther’s, just so I could continue more easily. She leaned towards me and, between taking bites of her meal, I heard her sigh wantonly. Absolutely glorious.

“Right, my actual question,” I suddenly said, my hand continuing to indulge in all the squishiness I could feel through the shirt and the accursed bra. One day, I swore, I would convince her to get rid of those soft-blocking things. “The Dimensional Heroes class, why is there no lesson about your father? I mean, I have only read a few things about Taurus, but those were already impressive.”

“My honoured father gets embarrassed when praised too much and has requested such lessons to be discontinued.”

“Really?” I asked, trying to imagine the giant muscle-mass of a man with a blush. I failed. “Well, parents can be quite odd, they’re only people as well for better or…” I remembered things and fell into a darker tone, “…for worse.” My hand had stopped.

“Is your own parentage a bitter point?” Aclysia asked, carefully.

“Ah, well,” I tried to quickly get away from that topic, before my brooding could ruin my mood or the wonderful setting I found myself in. “I’m somewhat of a Neverborne, you see.”

“How could one be somewhat of a…” Aclysia trailed off for whatever reason. It could have been she just read the room. Maybe Esther was giving her a very intense stare. I didn’t know, I stared at my plate, grabbed the remains of my first slice of bread and wolfed it down with two bites.

Esther had a question of her own that put some light-heartedness back into the situation. “How do you get your hair that orderly?” Regardless of the silliness of that question, the raven-haired lady was completely serious.

“I am sorry if this disappoints, but I only brush it back after showering,” Aclysia answered.

“Ice, blood and curses,” Esther whispered under her breath and brushed a stray strand of her own hair behind her ear. The hair tie she was wearing did fairly little, since her post-workout-shower hair was even more unruly than usual. If she had worn her tricorne, that might have helped, but she had stopped doing that when eating with me at some point. I took it as a sign of comfort and trust, given that the same hat was also her Artefact.

I was tempted to try and yank the scrunchie out and let her wonderful mane go freely, but that struck me as a bad idea thrice over. First off, most importantly, it was super unlikely to work. Yanking a scrunchie out of her hair would either be painful for her or too slow to prevent her from stopping me. Secondly, there was the fact that messing with her hair was one of the quickest ways to get her angry with me. Finally, I did not want to get my current boob-touching privileges revoked. My hand instead resumed kneading that softness.

Esther moaned when the restart happened. I must have accidentally focused on her nipple or something.

“You’re such an adorable, kinky thing,” I whispered into her ear, unable to not flirt in that situation. Esther just pressed her lips together and let me continue. “How does this qualify in terms of good and bad attributes, by the way?” I asked Aclysia.

“I… am unsure,” the servant girl responded. “My experiences in sexual matters are limited. My honoured mother made sure I would know all that is necessary and I have… delved into the adult sections of the internet, let’s say. Beyond that, I have little more experience than kissing. I am saving myself for my King. Therefore, you two have more experience than me.”

“This is false,” Esther dispelled that idea without a second of hesitation. “I have neither kissed anyone nor watched porn of any description. Your experience would therefore exceed my own.”

Aclysia looked at my circling hand. “This strikes me as rather odd,” she called it as she saw it.

“If you want to find out if it’s good or bad, I could always include you,” I offered with a lewd smile, raising my unoccupied left hand. “I am ambidextrous, I assure you.”

“Your honesty, if not your perversion, is appreciated,” Aclysia let out a small laugh behind a raised hand. “I’m not used to discussing sex so openly. You make it easier with your brashness.”

“It’s how I separate the kindred spirits from the closeted fellows who think like me but don’t act on it,” I said.

“To answer your question,” Aclysia continued, “I prefer to keep this minimal distance - for the moment.”

“If you said more sensible things, you would have an easier time growing your circle of associates,” Esther reinforced her thoughts on the matter.

“But would I be able to massage your breasts right now?” Silence and a defeated sigh. “I will continue as I am, please and thank you.” Then I turned to Aclysia. As much as I liked talking about and doing lewd things, they weren’t all in life and not all that I was. “So, what interesting classes did you have this week?” It was the best entrance into other topics that I could come up with.

We continued talking for an hour afterwards, spread across different stages. We talked while we ate, then we talked while we let the meal settle, we continued while we cleaned up and we were tangled up for a final ten minutes at the door. Goodbyes had a tendency to be drawn out, when the people talking had too much fun. Eventually, Aclysia went on her way, however, leaving Esther and I to go about the rest of our own evening plans.

Not that there was too much to be done. It was already close to 22:00 hours and Esther had her final class of the week tomorrow at 8:30. In accordance with her morning rituals, she would need to go to bed soon. Rather than watch something together, we decided to take a quick evening dip in the pool to really tire ourselves out. It worked like a charm and, when we had departed for the night into our individual rooms, I fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

___________________________________________________________________