While Zoe and Azura were washing, I sat on the bed summoning a mana blob, keeping it above my hand. The slime immediately slid from my back along my arm, but before it could reach my mana, I pushed it away, holding it hanging just above the bed.

  The slime moved to the tips of my fingers, trailing along them. It was visibly bigger than the previous day, as it frantically circled around. Then it slipped from my hand, darted along the bed into the mana ball, and absorbed it whole at once.

  Immediately after, it rushed back toward me. I could have taken my hand away, but I was trying to show it that even if it split from me, I would let it get back.

  After reaching my hand, the slime slid to my wrist, fttened there, and only then it wobbled and jiggled happily, digesting my mana.

  As I watched it doing nothing, wondering how quickly it would grow, the door opened, and Zoe and Azura walked inside.

  “Clean and fresh, Master,” Zoe said, plopping down on the bed next to me. “So, you can defile us all over again,” she purred.

  “Later on, gorgeous.” I gave her a small peck on her pink lips.

  She let out a soft gasp, averting her gaze as her cheeks reddened. Shaking my head, I chuckled, seeing as from a filthy nymphomaniac she was able, in one second, to turn into a shy, blushing girl.

  “My turn,” I said after leaving a soft peck on Azura’s lips. As I was pulling out new clothes, I used my new skill, Whisper of Desire, on Zoe.

  She didn't seem to react at all, lying in the bed with her gaze locked on me. I used the same skill on Azura next, and again, no reaction at all.

  “Have you felt something?” I asked, turning toward them.

  “What?” Zoe asked. “No,” she said uncertainly, with a frown.

  “Azura?”

  “No,” she hummed.

  “Zoe, the dome,” I said, and after she covered us in it, I nodded with gratitude. “I leveled up after your morning punishment, and I have a new skill that lets me put sexual thoughts into women's minds.”

  “I didn't feel anything,” Zoe said.

  “That’s actually great,” I replied. “And what were you thinking about?”

  “How you look at me when I choke on your cock, Master,” Zoe replied with a grin. “But I was thinking about that even before we came back.”

  “Azura?” I asked with a smile, realizing that a horny succubus wasn’t a good test subject for that skill.

  “I didn't feel anything, but it worked,” she murmured.

  “And what were you thinking about?”

  “Yesterday night.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said, wondering what someone without prior experience with me would see. I could test it on Mari, but first, I couldn’t just ask her what she saw, and second, I wasn’t sure she wouldn’t quickly realize what I was doing. So it would be better to find someone else to test it out. “I’ll go wash up now. You go downstairs and check if there’s something to eat.”

  I took a quick bath, put on fresh clothes, and walked downstairs, hearing raised voices even before I reached the ground floor.

  “I don't want to, Mom,” Azura said in the kitchen.

  “Baby, we’ll make it step by step, and this time will be better, I promise,” Hannah said as I walked toward them.

  Azura groaned loudly just a moment before I stepped inside. Hannah and Azura were facing each other, with Zoe standing slightly behind, listening.

  “Mom wants me to cook again,” Azura said, turning toward me with her hands crossed over her chest.

  “And do you want to do that?” I asked.

  “No!” Azura gasped.

  “Hannah,” I sighed. “I understand that you want to spend time with your daughter, but Azura clearly doesn't like cooking. Forcing her to do it just pushes her away, after all those years already separated.”

  Hannah gred at me for a moment before she turned back toward her daughter, and it immediately shifted to a worried look. “Do you really not like cooking so much?” she asked softly.

  “Yes, Mom!” Azura gasped.

  “Okay then,” Hannah sighed. “Okay, I’ll cook on my own,” she added, turning toward the counter.

  “Sorry,” Zoe said quietly.

  “Hmm?” Hannah hummed, turning around to look at her.

  “Can you… maybe… teach me?” Zoe asked, looking shyly at Azura’s mother.

  “You want to learn?” Hannah asked, surprised.

  Zoe nodded eagerly. “My mom never taught me, but I would want to learn.”

  Hannah seemed a little bit lost for a moment, just looking at the succubus. “Okay,” she said finally, smiling softly. “Yeah, of course, I will teach you.”

  “Amazing!” Zoe excimed, csping her hands together. “Can we start now?”

  “Yes,” Hannah said, gncing at Azura for a moment with a sad smile before she focused on Zoe again. “Come closer.”

  Grabbing Azura’s hand, we quietly slipped out of the kitchen while Hannah was expining to Zoe what she was cooking. I wondered whether Zoe truly wanted to learn, was trying to save Azura, or simply wanted to make Hannah feel better. As I gnced back on my way out, Zoe waved her tail from side to side at me behind their backs.

  With Azura, we walked into the living room and sat by the table. With nothing better to do, I pulled her into my p and began making out while waiting for food.

  But before Hannah and Zoe finished preparing the meal, someone else came into the house. For a short moment, I was hoping it was Amber, but then Sage looked into the room.

  “Oh, sweet,” she said, coming in. “Can I hop on your p too?”

  “Spot’s taken at the moment,” I replied, with my arms around Azura. “But you can try your luck ter on.”

  “Luck’s never been my thing,” Sage said, sitting opposite me. “I prefer to just take what I want.”

  “That makes two of us,” I said, with my gaze locked on her.

  “Where did you meet Gemma?” she asked, suddenly changing the topic.

  “Why don’t you ask her? Aren’t you two friends of a few centuries?”

  “That’s exactly the problem,” Sage said slowly. “Despite how long we’ve known each other, when it comes to you… she won’t answer my questions.”

  I just shrugged, brushing my hand along Azura’s bare thigh, reaching higher under her skirt.

  “What are you up to today?” Sage asked, cheering up and leaning back in her chair.

  “Train at the arena, visit the library, and then fuck Zoe into a coma,” I replied casually.

  Sage giggled. “I like men with ambitions.”

  Before I could answer, quick steps echoed through the corridor, and I quickly put Azura back in her chair, to not irritate her mother even more. I could limit myself in shared space. At least when there was no one else around.

  “Master,” Zoe gasped, running into the room. She quickly leapt to my side and put a bowl in front of me. “Try it,” she said, staring at me with her pink eyes expectantly.

  “Where’s your portion?” I asked.

  “Later, try it first.”

  It wasn’t what I’d usually call breakfast - rice with veggies and meat - but I dug in with a big spoonful.

  “It's great,” I said. It wasn't anything amazing that would leave me speechless, but I could eat it every few days and look forward to it.

  Zoe squeaked happily, wrapping her arms around me and kissing my cheek.

  As she was pulling back, Hannah walked into the room with her daughters behind, holding more bowls for everyone. Immediately after them, Zelda walked in, and the only missing person was Mari.

  “He likes it!” Zoe excimed, looking at Hannah.

  “I told you, Zoe,” Hannah said with a smile that faltered when she looked at me and Azura. I really wasn't sure whose fault it was.

  We ate together, mostly focused on the food in silence. After everyone had finished, Anna wanted to py with Azura again. She was a bit reluctant, not wanting to stay behind while I was gone, but after I promised we’d be back soon, she agreed to py with her sister.

  After thanking Hannah and Zoe again for the food, we headed toward the exit, but I stopped by the kitchen. I prepared a portion from what was left for the stubborn kitsune. When I walked into her room, she was lying on her bed.

  “I don’t need you to bring me food,” she muttered as I set the bowl on the nightstand and picked up the empty one I had brought the day before.

  “Rest,” I said, leaving the room, not in the mood to argue with her. She needed food to recover her strength, and if she refused to get out of bed to fetch it herself, then I would bring it to her.

  After that, we left with Zoe, heading toward the arena.

  “Is something wrong, Master?” Zoe asked after a few minutes, holding my hand.

  “I’m thinking about Amber,” I replied. I was wondering if she didn't return because she didn't want to or if something happened to her.

  “Are you missing your little elf already?” Zoe asked with a smile.

  “I’m worried that something happened to her on the road,” I said. “I shouldn’t have let her go alone.”

  “She should be fine,” Zoe replied with a worried frown. “We can turn her into a mewling mess, Master, but she’s strong.”

  I nodded slowly, having a bad feeling about all of that. Maybe it was the fact that her decision not to come back felt like rejection. But I also knew this feeling wouldn’t pass on its own, and that perhaps I should travel to Atranth to check if she was alright.

  If she told me she never wanted to see me again, I’d at least know she wasn’t in trouble because of me. But the thing was… she wanted a man who could dominate her, and once she found him, she wouldn’t give up so easily.

  Even if she couldn’t accept that I slept with other women, I’d expect her to fight for me, to try to convince me she was enough and that I didn’t need anyone else. Just giving up didn’t seem like something she would do.

  “I think we’ll travel to Atranth to make sure that she’s fine,” I said.

  “Okay,” Zoe replied, squeezing my hand.

  I wasn’t sure when we’d find the time for that. Mari was supposed to rest, and the next day her ear would be healed. Atranth wasn’t far, and it was possible to go there and back in a single day. I wondered if Zelda would be willing to start healing Mari in the afternoon, then we could leave early in the morning, check on Amber, and return the same day.

  As I tried to figure out how to fit everything around Mari’s limited time, we reached the arena, and my thoughts were cut short as we stepped onto the training square, where Cassia was already waiting, warming up.

  After a brief greeting, we immediately began training. First, I worked with Cassia on my sword skills, while Zoe trained on her own with the new dagger she could summon thanks to her css.

  I was getting more comfortable wielding a sword, but Cassia kept reminding me that I still had a lot to learn and shouldn’t get overconfident. Later, we moved on to sparring, practicing short combinations on a moving target, both attacking and defending.

  That was the moment I chose to strike. Not with my sword, but with my new skill. During one of her attacks, I used it, sending a sexual vision into her mind, curious to see how she would react.

  Cassia was mid-attack, her sword coming at me from above. I deflected it to the side and got ready for a follow-up, but this time it didn't come, as she completely stopped with her sword lowered.

  “Cassia?” I asked, stopping myself from smiling, seeing how she got distracted.

  “Yeah?” she asked. “Oh, sorry,” she added, shaking her head. “Just got a bit distracted,” she said, then attacked me again.

  At least that told me the skill worked. And from the fact that she didn’t blush or shy away, I realized she wasn’t so innocent and bashful. As I blocked her strikes, I couldn’t help but wonder what she had seen.

  After we were finished with sparring, Cassia moved on to help Zoe, practicing her new weapon and tail attacks, as I practiced on my own with a spear or rested, watching both of them.

  We were nearing the end of our training, but Cassia stopped a moment earlier than I expected as she stepped closer to me. “I was looking for someone to join us, and I found someone who might be interesting,” she said, gncing toward one of the entrances.

  A woman was walking in our direction.

  “She’s an archer. Her level is still quite low, and I wasn’t sure she’d actually come, so I didn’t mention her before, but here she is,” Cassia expined quickly as the woman approached.

  She was a blonde with very long hair braided down past her waist, the braid bobbing behind her as she walked. Her skin was tanned, her smile soft, and her eyes curious, with a slight bounce in her step.

  “Cassia, right?” she asked once she reached us.

  “Yes,” the woman replied. “This is Tobias and Zoe,” she added, introducing the two of us.

  “Marcellina,” the girl said. “But friends call me Marcy.”

  For a brief moment, I was tempted to just use my skill the moment she looked at me from up close, but decided to wait, to not raise any suspicions.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said with a smile.

  “Marcellina is level one, and she never went through the dungeon’s Level 1,” Cassia said. “So we must go through it with her, and it can be a test run for her. We can take care of that on one of the days when Mari’s not avaible.”

  “Sure,” I replied, but noticing Marcellina’s questioning gaze, I expined. “Mari’s our mage, and I don't think anyone would get insulted when I say that she’s the strongest among us. But currently, she’s going through a healing procedure for some old injuries, so she’s not at full strength every day.”

  “Oh, okay,” Marcy replied. “Is there someone else part of the team?”

  “Azura, who stayed at home, and we supply potions from Amber,” I said.

  “Nice,” Marcellina said, focusing her eyes on me. “So, Azura lives with you?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “Yeah,” I replied, chuckling. “Me, Azura, Zoe, and Mari live at the same pce.”

  Marcy nodded, shifting her gaze to Zoe. “Nice tattoo,” she said with a smile.

  “Thanks,” Zoe said, grinning as she reached for her neck.

  “I was thinking we could go to the dungeon tomorrow,” Cassia said, while I watched Marcellina, wondering if her comment about Zoe’s tattoo had carried more meaning than just complimenting its appearance. But she didn’t seem to have a problem with Zoe being my sve.

  “I have something to take care of in the morning, but can we go in the afternoon and pass Level 1?” I asked.

  “If we go the fastest route, killing everything as fast as possible, we might end it te at night, but we can do it,” Cassia replied.

  “Does it work for you?” I asked Marcy.

  “Sure thing. What are you doing in the morning?” she asked.

  “You are a curious one, aren't you?” I asked with a smile.

  Marcellina shrugged with a grin.

  “We are traveling to Atranth and back,” I replied.

  “Isn’t Amber from there?” Cassia asked.

  “She is,” I said, and after a short pause decided to expin. “She was supposed to go there to pick up her things and return, but she still hasn’t come back. I worry that something happened to her or that she’s been deyed.”

  A frown crossed Cassia’s face.

  “Can I come with you?” Marcy asked. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better before we actually head into the dungeon.”

  “Sure, but we’ll most likely leave very early in the morning so we can be back in time for Mari’s healing and the dungeon.”

  “No problem,” Marcellina replied.

  After that, we agreed on a time and a pce to meet by one of the gates the next day.

  “Okay, so once we return, we can head to the dungeon,” I said, gncing at Cassia.

  “Fine,” she replied.

  “Alright, I still have things to do today, so we should get going. Hopefully, we’ll have more time to talk tomorrow,” I said, looking at Marcy.

  “Gdly,” she answered with a smile.

  As I turned to leave the arena, I quickly used my new skill on Marcy to send sexy thoughts into her mind, trying to catch her reaction from the corner of my eye. But with her gaze locked on me, there was no sign of where her thoughts had gone.

  She seemed nice and cheerful, quite pretty, and her tanned skin set her apart from Zoe’s and Amber’s pale complexions, something that could distinguish her if she ended up among my women.

  For now, though, I needed to focus on someone else - someone with skin shaded more toward green, who worked at the library, where Zoe and I headed after leaving the arena.