Artorius slashed apart Hiro's shirt and pants to show his injuries to the public. A large portion of his body had turned purple from severe bruising; The lightest ones were red while the majority were almost blue. The knight included a few swats to Hiro's cheeks and eyes which cause them to swell.
'Ah shit, he must have noticed I was watching him. I can't open my eyes anymore. Fuck! Well, I already gained a lot, but I will never bow down to the likes of you Artorius Moretti. Do your worse! I WILL COME FOR YOU! I may not be the smarter or the strongest, but you will not outwork me!'
By the end of the second minute, most of the spectators were no longer laughing but had aghast expressions. Most just wanted the match to end. But a thrashing match had special rules so no one other than the emperor and his queens could stop one. Rage and vengeance being the only things keeping Hiro from falling.
But he was no immortal, so by the 90-second mark, he completely lost consciousness. His body somehow continued to stand despite being beaten to a bloody pulp. When the spectators noticed he fainted while standing, on top of neither crying nor begging Artorius to stop; They were secretly amazed.
His face smiled the entire time he was being beaten up, such tenacity and strength of will were beyond superhuman. At exactly three minutes, Rhyne quickly ran towards Hiro and supported him while priests started to cast healing spells on the eggplant man.
Artorius said nothing but quickly left, he originally wanted to smash Hiro to the ground. But for some reason, the man refused to fall. He then remembered the fierce gaze of the newcomer. The man's eyes had no trace of fear but only a bloodlust akin to a ferocious predator that sent shivers down the knight's spine.
'I am afraid? Me? Artorius Moretti? The Righteous Blade? Bullshit! I destroyed him. He will see how pathetic he is! That trash will never raise his head in my presence again just like all the others.'
Rhyne called for maids and butlers to move Hiro to a guest room. The people in the training area did not laugh but silently watched the butlers carry out the transmigrator on a stretcher. To those who knew of battle, such perseverance and indomitable will were worthy of respect.
-----------------
After some time passed. Hiro eventually woke up on a bed, his arms were no longer bruised but were still on fire from pain. Checking around Hiro eventually saw a beautiful raven-haired woman by his side. The crown princess who saw Hiro awake made a heart-warming smile that was as alluring as the most beautiful flowers.
"Hiro-sama! You are awake! I'm glad your injuries are better. I thought my heart would stop while Artorius continued to beat you. Please forgive him, he tends to be overprotective of me. He is just fulfilling his role as my husband. Don't think he is a bad person."
Hiro who heard Rhyne try to justify the merciless beatdown he received at the hands of Artorius rolled his eyes but said nothing. Undeniably, Hiro focused too much on being an OP hero due to being isekaied. When he resigned himself that he was not, the transmigrator's depression messed him up for a few moments.
The drive to survive trumped everything else so he adapted. Thus Hiro focused only on how to get stronger. If this world was again going to be a living hell for him. Unlike on earth, He will slowly climb up from hell till he reaches beyond the sky!
But something caught his interest from Rhyne's, explanation. "What is a battle harem?" the transmigrator asked curiously.
"Oh! My mistake I guess I should start from there then."
Rhyne who sat beside Hiro on the bed started to explain. She was so near that their legs almost touched, but after the trashing Hiro seems to have lost the delusions of claiming this woman as his. If Rhyne had three more warriors on the level of Artorius, on top of her calling him Husband, Hiro had nothing to offer.
Hiro would never lay his hands on the women of another, NTR people can go to hell. The princess who noticed the abrupt change in behavior smiled bitterly. Rhyne however took it in stride and started to explain.
"My Father Emperor Leonidas Reisen Dominii unified the continent after a bloody war several millennia ago. Apparently, he fulfilled his mission from the heavens by doing so. Being a transmigrator the same as you gave him a unique perspective from his peers.
"Anyway, back to my story. A single wish with no limit became his reward. My father feared neither battle nor death but loneliness. Thus he chose the ability to share his strength with my mothers and allow others to use the same power.
"My father's wish created the Battle harem system. In its most simple form, a battle harem is a group of people who are important to you, you bind yourself to each other like marriage and gain benefits as you grow together.
"The owner of the harem is called the dominant while the members of the harem are called submissives. A battle harem's biggest benefit is the sharing of stats and skills. Depending on affection and trust, a dominant may share her power with her submissive. In contrast, a submissive makes an offering of his stats to the dominant as a dowry of sorts.
"Whether by quality or quantity, it is possible to raise the stats and abilities of those important to you through the battle harem system. My father feared losing my mothers more than anything else and begged the gods for this system to ensure their survival.
"A battle harem headed by a man is called a Gladius harem while one headed by a woman is called an Arcus harem. My battle harem is called Starfall and has over 370 members, they are comprised of people loyal to me, my friends, as well as my admirers and people devoted to me.
"In this world, weakness is a sin punishable by death. My father is currently missing, and his advisers are calling for a duel for the throne in six months. Among the two factions vying for supremacy, I am the candidate on the losing side. Thus, as my last-ditch attempt, I summoned another transmigrator. Which brings me to why I am here."
Rhyne then took both of Hiro's hands and grasped them in hers.
"Hiro-sama, will you please join Starfall as my husband? I need your strength!"
