“Have you found anything new about the slime?” I asked Gemma after waking up in the dream world.

  “Nothing,” Gemma sighed. “All leads are dead ends. It looks like you’ll need to tell me everything after you learn more about it.”

  “Her,” I corrected. “She became communicative today. In a way, at least. She understands, but she can only answer by moving, so only simple yes and no questions.”

  “She’s a female?” Gemma asked.

  “Not exactly… She wasn't sure, but I wanted to name her, and she liked Peri, which sounds like a female name.”

  “What else did she tell you?”

  “I asked her a few questions, but she didn't know anything. Or she didn’t want to share it with me. Beyond that, she’s hungry and happy that I feed her.”

  “Did you ask her to activate the status screen?” Gemma asked.

  “No. Do you think she can do it?”

  “Maybe,” Gemma shrugged. “Everyone who has mana can. And she feeds on yours.”

  “Anything else I should ask about?”

  “Try to find out what she remembers. How she ended up in the b, and whether she can recall anything from before that. Who created her, how she was created, and whether there are more slimes like her, and where they are. Basically, everything she can remember. Oh, and also whether she can sense mana inside people, and if that’s why she attached herself to you.”

  “I think she can,” I replied.

  “There’s no way to check if someone has mana or not if they don't want to tell you, so it might be her unique skill or ability.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk with her, but you need to remember that all she can answer is yes, no, and I don't know. We can come up with some better way to communicate, but I doubt it would be fast enough to have long conversations.”

  “Start with what I already suggested. Maybe she doesn't remember anything. And… have you thought about ensving her?”

  “With my css?” I asked, surprised.

  “Yeah, it might work. You should be able to open her status then,” Gemma replied.

  “I don't know if she will agree,” I said. “Or even understand what I’m asking for.”

  Gemma watched me for a moment in silence before she replied, “You can always break the bond after checking it.”

  “Okay… I’ll think about it,” I replied, not convinced I really wanted to do it. Worried that Gemma might try to persuade me, I changed the topic. “Do you have a new job for me?”

  “Not yet.”

  I hesitated, wondering if I should mention that Sage had one for me, but without any reason not to, and hoping that maybe Gemma would help me if Sage got me into trouble, I decided to tell her.

  “Sage has one for me,” I said.

  “What now?” Gemma sighed.

  “She’ll tell me tomorrow.”

  “Okay… And why are you telling me about it?”

  “Just thought you should know,” I replied, shrugging.

  “Don’t get into any trouble, okay?”

  “I’ll try, but it's Sage. You know her much better than me.”

  “Yeah… But you can just refuse. And if she bothers you too much, come to me,” Gemma said, then rolled her eyes with a smile.

  “What?”

  “Because of Sage, I sometimes feel like I have more than one daughter.”

  “Is Virelia your only child?” I asked.

  Gemma seemed to hesitate before she confirmed.

  “Not a lot for someone who is… a few hundred years old,” I said.

  “I…” Gemma said, trailing off, thinking about her answer. “I never really thought seriously about kids. Not that I regret having Vi. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But before… I thought of kids as a problem, and… Well, I wasn’t wrong. Vi is… troublesome, but it’s totally worth it.”

  “Are you thinking about more?”

  “Maybe in a few decades,” Gemma shrugged.

  “It’s so weird,” I snorted. “In my world, where we are limited by time and age, a statement like that would not make sense at all. But here, being immortal kills a sense of urgency.”

  “First of all, we are not immortal. Second, I wouldn’t take me as an example. I still remember all those years of taking care of Vi as a single mother while ruling the guild at the same time. I need a break before I repeat it.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. In my world, even if a woman wants to take a break, she can’t. If she wanted to take a few decades off, she’d be too old to have another kid. That’s the urgency I meant, you need to choose between a break or having a second kid.”

  “I know. That’s what most women in this world have to deal with. Extending life is rare. You only know Sage and Zelda because of me. Normally, you wouldn’t just run into people like that.”

  “Right…” I murmured. “Who’s the oldest of the three of you?”

  “Sage,” Gemma replied. “And I’m the youngest.”

  “And you are ruling?”

  “Can you imagine Sage in power?” Gemma asked with a smile.

  “Yeah… Who knows what she would do if she got bored.”

  “And Zelda is not really interested. She prefers her studies. And while she’s an exceptional healer, she’s not really a strong fighter.”

  “And you are?”

  “Clearly better than her.”

  “What about Sage?”

  “It’s too complicated to judge.”

  “So, she’s stronger?” I asked with a smile.

  “I’m stronger,” Gemma replied. “She might be a better fighter when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. But I’m better with skills and I’m better prepared. But… It’s nearly impossible to kill Sage. I could win the battle, but I’d lose the war.”

  “Her css makes her immortal?” I asked.

  “In a way,” Gemma replied. “You should just wait and don’t ask her. She will tell you sooner or ter anyway. She’s not exactly the patient type.”

  “I just don’t understand why you make such a secret out of your csses.”

  “Because it’s funny to tease you,” Gemma replied, smiling. “And it makes it harder to fight against us if you don't know what to expect.”

  “Like I’m going to attack one of you… And even if I wanted to die, I would research first and find out. Like I did with Virelia.”

  “I doubt you’ll find anything about Sage. You don't know where to look, she changed her name many times.”

  “Why?”

  “Generally speaking… She reached a point at which she wanted to start a new life.”

  “Does she have kids?” I asked, wondering - since she was older than Gemma, it was highly possible.

  “It’s getting te,” Gemma said, completely ignoring my question. “We should end for today.”

  “Can I ask her, or is it a sensitive topic?” I asked.

  “She won’t answer anyway,” Gemma replied. “But better not to ask.”

  When I just nodded, wondering why Gemma so suddenly wanted to end the conversation, she wished me good sleep and ended our meeting, sending me back to sleep.

  -

  After waking up in bed with three naked demonesses, I wasn’t able to hold back for long before I started to kiss the closest one, which happened to be Zoe. It wasn't long before she started to kiss me back, and even faster, my hard cock was inside her always ready pussy.

  At first, we were making love slowly, but when the others woke up anyway, I began fucking Zoe hard and fast, making sure she reached the orgasms she had missed the previous day.

  After she climaxed three times on my cock, I let go and filled her pussy with my load. When I dropped to the bed afterward, Zoe y down on top of me, cuddling closely.

  While still resting, and before we would need to start our day, I summoned a bit of mana in my hand and moved it to the part of my chest where Zoe wasn’t lying. When Peri slid there, the succubus moved a bit to make even more space for the slime.

  I watched the green goo shiver as I fed her mana.

  “Peri, do you remember the boratory where you were held?” I asked when she was finished eating.

  ‘I don't know.’

  “Do you remember Hannah, the person you were attached to before me?”

  ‘Yes.’

  “Do you remember the pce where you got attached to her?”

  ‘No.’

  “Anything before that?”

  ‘No.’

  So not only did she not remember what happened before the b, it seemed she didn't even remember the b.

  “Is the first memory you have when Hannah lived in this house already?” I asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Peri replied, then began moving over my chest, as if she wanted to tell me something more, but I couldn't really understand her frantic movement on my skin.

  If she didn't remember anything before that, all the questions about who created her, how they created her, or if there are more slimes didn't make sense to ask, so I ignored them.

  “Can you sense mana inside me?” I asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  “Is that why you moved from Hannah to me? Because I have the most in the house?”

  ‘Yes.’

  “If we meet someone who has more, will you move to them?”

  ‘No.’ And again after that, Peri began moving all around my chest to tell me something more. For a moment I wondered if she was moving to create letters on my chest, but as I watched her movements, I didn't recognize any.

  “Can you write?” I asked.

  ‘No.’

  “Can you read?”

  ‘No.’

  I sighed, realizing that even if she could open her status, she wouldn’t be able to read what was inside. Not even speaking about passing information to me. I could ensve her to read it myself, but even if I freed her immediately after, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take advantage of her not understanding what it meant. And I didn't even know if she would agree, perhaps she would understand completely and not agree.

  “Can you try to open your status?” I asked, and then proceeded to expin how to do it, and in the end, she managed to accomplish it. But as I suspected, she wasn't able to read what was inside. At least for now.

  “Okay, I don't have any more questions,” I said, but before Peri moved to her favorite spot on my back, I stopped her. “Oh, one more thing. If there’s someone not from this room with us, don’t show up. I promise I’ll remember to feed you, but I don't want everyone around to know that I have mana. Okay?”

  Peri confirmed she understood before she slid over my body. The sensation was weird, but I was already used to it, and it didn't cause me to shiver anymore.

  The women around were lying in silence, watching the conversation, but there was something that I needed to tell them too.

  “Sage has a job for me,” I said.

  “What job?” Zoe asked.

  “I don't know. She’ll tell me in the evening, but she wants me to go somewhere with her without you.”

  “Master…” Zoe said. “I should go with you. Who will protect you otherwise?”

  “I can manage on my own pretty well, and in the end, I’ll be with Sage. I think she’s quite capable of protecting me.”

  Zoe pouted, pressing herself tightly into me, her tail wrapped possessively around my waist. “I don’t like it,” she murmured.

  “Everything will be good, and hopefully I‘ll pay back a big part of the debt,” I replied, wrapping my arms around her.

  “Does she want to have sex with you?” Amber asked. “Is that job just a cover because you two want to fuck?”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied. “And while I would love to stay the whole day in bed with all of you, we need to prepare before the dungeon.”

  Reluctantly, and after a few more kisses for each one of them, we were finally able to leave the bed. At least three of us, with Amber staying in it, as she didn't need to get up yet. She would wait till everyone leaves and she has a quiet space in the kitchen to brew more of her potions.

  As Zoe and Azura headed to the kitchen in search of some food for us, I checked on Mari. But with no surprise, she wasn't in the mood to talk. After giving me a few short answers, she asked me to leave. At least she seemed polite and didn't scream at me to get out.

  After eating and picking all the necessary things, we headed toward the spot where we met Cassia and Marcy. After leaving the city, Azura and Marcellina turned into their animal forms and pyed as we traveled to the dungeon.

  On the way, Cassia repeated again that when I was supposed to not take any risk, that meant I was supposed to not take any risk. Beyond that, we agreed to take a break the next day, but only if I would do extra-long training first thing in the morning.

  Despite being able to enter Level 3, we focused on killing monsters on Level 2, to gather loot and farm experience. During the whole exploration, we didn't really have any trouble, the loot was decent, and both Azura and I leveled up.

  She was first, reaching level six in her Shapeshifter css.

  [Level up!][Demon: Azura][Css: Shapeshifter! (Level 6)][Stat Points Gained: 1][Skill Level Increased: Increased Strength: Level 2][Skill Level Increased: Increased Dexterity: Level 2]

  Both skill upgrades granted her an additional three points in the respective stats, and with a free stat point to add however she wanted, she gained seven stat points in total, which made this level-up a really strong boost for her.

  I leveled up not long before we finished our exploration, and I reached level 6 too in one of my csses.

  [Level up!][Css: Demon Master (Level 6)][Stat Points Gained: 1][Unlocked new skill: Sve Tattoo Alteration (Level 1)]

  [Sve Tattoo Alteration Level 1 (Active) - Allows the Demon Master to alter an existing sve tattoo on a bonded demon. The user may change its appearance, location, or suppress it entirely, rendering the mark invisible. The bond itself remains intact.]

  As it was with this css before, it wasn’t a skill useful in fights, but it potentially could help if I needed to hide that Zoe or Azura were my sves. I wasn't sure what situation would require it yet, but maybe one day I will find a use for it.

  Or I could change the tattoo if they wanted it to look differently. I would need to offer them the possibility when there were no people around who didn't know about my css.

  After leaving the dungeon, we headed back to Ortas. Once we got home, I barely had time to wash before Sage was already waiting for me in the corridor when I stepped out of the bathroom.

  “Just a coincidence that you are here again only a few minutes after I returned?” I asked, walking past her to my room.

  “Totally,” Sage replied with a smirk, following me into the room, where Azura, Zoe, and Amber were chatting, sitting on the bed.

  “What’s this job?” Zoe asked, standing up as I was putting my clothes on.

  “That’s a secret,” Sage replied.

  “Is it dangerous?” the succubus asked.

  “Maybe,” Sage shrugged.

  Zoe frowned, looking at her, before she took a step closer. “If something happens to him, I will kill you,” Zoe said, gring at Sage.

  I doubted Sage could really take something seriously, but even if something like that existed, Zoe threatening her clearly wasn’t one of those things. Which in a way was understandable with how much stronger Sage was. But to add fuel to the fire, Sage began ughing, staring straight into Zoe’s face.

  And to my surprise, the fire exploded.

  Zoe got closer to Sage, only inches separating their faces, and as Zoe’s lips moved, but I didn't hear anything, I realized she used Silent Dome to cut me out of what she was saying. When I moved toward them, she pressed her tail into my chest, keeping me outside.

  As Zoe kept speaking, she had this serious and dangerous look in her eyes, mixing into something really scary. Enough for the smirk to vanish from Sage’s face. And while it wasn't fear that repced the amusement, it was worry. Sage replied with something, to which Zoe spoke again for a moment longer, before she stepped back.

  Sage was looking at Zoe in a moment of silence, and she seemed really tense after their short exchange.

  “What was that?” I asked, looking at Zoe.

  She turned toward me, and her whole expression changed as she got flustered. “Girls stuff,” she murmured.

  “What did you tell her?”

  Zoe hesitated before she approached me, resting her hands on my chest. “Master, I just want to make sure you will be safe, but please don’t ask me to tell you.”

  I wanted to know what she could possibly say that would make Sage so serious. But… I trusted Zoe, and if she really didn't want to talk about it, then I wasn't going to ask. When I nodded, Zoe rose on her toes and kissed me shortly, before she returned to the bed.

  This time it seemed Amber wanted to add her threat to the whole situation. “If you have sex with him… Zoe will kill you,” the elf said gring at Sage.

  “I won’t,” Zoe protested. “Master can fuck whoever he wants.”

  “You are not helping,” Amber hissed at Zoe.

  I approached the elf and pulled her in for a kiss. She resisted a bit at first, but then returned it. I had one of my hands on her back, and moving it higher and higher, I finally grabbed her white hair and pulled her head away from the kiss as she groaned.

  “I will fuck whoever I want,” I murmured, before I pecked her open lips one st time and gently pushed her back on the bed.

  I shifted toward Azura, who was lying in the bed listening to all of that.

  “Do you want to add a threat too?” I joked.

  Azura looked at Sage and growled. Maybe it would seem like a threat if she was in her wolf form, but in human form, it looked more amusing than threatening, even for me. Shaking my head and smiling, I kissed her before I stepped away.

  “Seriously, it's just a job, and I will be back today. You all behave like I was leaving for a war and we weren’t supposed to see each other for months.”

  They still didn't seem happy that I was leaving without them, but it was time to leave and take care of whatever Sage came up with.

  “Don't get into any trouble while I’m not here,” I said as I was leaving the room, before I followed Sage out of the house, hoping that I wouldn't be the one who got into trouble. But with the biggest troublemaker walking just in front of me, I wasn’t so sure what was awaiting me.