As the people in the Arcus Kiss dining hall finished up their breakfast an hour before 9, four people entered. Three glowing women led by a white-haired man strutted like the world belonged to them.
Upon their entry, the staff all bowed their heads in a light bow, Dylan who noticed the change felt bitter. The prince needed to give good money to earn the help and loyalty of Alan and Xing.
Yet when they returned from the Apocalypse zones two months ago both announced to him the same thing. While they would not betray him, their loyalty now lies with Heavenly Sword.
Though the pair considered him an ally they never treated him as their master. Seeing the behavior of even waiters and cooks towards Hiro and his women gave a clear indication of the power dynamics.
Lucky for Dylan, Hiro had no desire for the Dominii throne, otherwise he could do nothing to hold on to it. While pathetic, if the BHR goes his way no one can argue with the results.
As Hiro walked towards them, the people rearranged to make a side with four seats available. Hiro comfortably sat down with a goofy face, his women on the other hand were busy getting food.
The butcher looked at the men and women at his table and smiled. "Wonderful morning right? My blood has been boiling since last night!"
Leto who grew annoyed at the appearance of Hiro rebuked him. "Why wouldn't you be? Your debauchery is too much! We came here to get you only to find you doing the same things as last time!"
Laughing in amusement Hiro turned to Dylan and stated in a straightforward manner. "Oy, Prince Dylan, your woman obviously wants more of your affection. Treat her better."
Dylan nodded and grabbed his blonde knight by the waist and made her sit in his lap. Leto flushed red in embarrassment but offered no resistance. The normally boisterous woman became as meek as a cat as she nuzzled her face into her man's chest. Dylan enjoyed her warmth as he brushed her hair like a cat.
The princes' other wives all smiled at the cute appearance of their sister. Talvi leaned into her husband's right side as she closed her eyes listening to his heartbeat.
Autumn and Vesna giggled but remained where they were. One of the habits Dylan's women developed was to allow a few of them to bond with their husband.
Sometimes just a few hours of skinship would eliminate loads of unease and stress. Both the mages would take the next opportunity. For now, the time belonged to Leto and Talvi.
Hiro who saw the situation nodded in approval. As one who owned a harem, such tacit understanding between both the wives and the dominator needed to be established.
Eventually, Hiro's women also arrived and placed plates of food in front of Hiro. Today the food comprised a traditional Japanese breakfast. It comprised of rice, grilled fish, miso soup, natto, pickled and vegetable side dishes, and Nori. Such a meal gave the right nutrients while being light but also satisfying.nov????????????????????dot????\o/????
White the smell of the Natto did tick off some of the people at the table, they stifled their complaints as it was someone else's breakfast. Hiro and his wives gave thanks and began to eat.
Dylan didn't know if it would be wise to discuss the topics he needed to talk about right now. Normally Japanese ate together, so the situation was weird from his perspective.
As the servants cleared their dishes Tsugumi and her harem began to drink tea while waiting. Lene and her sisters quietly ate while flirting with their husband.I think you should take a look at
The one to break the silence was Hiro. While he took short breaks from eating he began discussions with the royalty in front of him. "Prince, you have questions for me do you not? Ask."
Pleased that Hiro gave him some consideration, Dylan gestured to his wives. Autumn and Vesna raised their hands towards opposite sides of the room and whispered. "[Silent Room]" x2 a film-like covering wrapped around their table like a snow globe and faded out of existence.
Dylan then asked in a serious voice. "Hiro, we have yet to speak since you left. The nature of the battle harem royal has changed. With so many kingdoms joining it is increasingly difficult to push through with my original plans. However, this is also a chance for me to gain support."
The butcher didn't say anything and simply ate. His wives also focused on their food while listening intently. The silence made the prince feel like he was presenting to a board of judges. Clearing his throat the man continued.
"I have no idea how it can be done, but I have made a list of allies. If at all possible I want three swords to assist them in any way you can. I don't need you to make them win, just ensure they do not die."
Jei used mana to retrieve the scroll and gave it a quick glance. Hiro ignored the prince and faced Xing's lover instead. "Alan, got any more?" the man nodded and handed another list.
This time the one to receive it was Lene. She read it silently before commenting. "His Highness's list has twelve battle harems, Alan's has forty-three."
"Forty-three?" unable to understand Dylan could not help but blurt out. Only when he hung out with Hiro did Dylan feel like a regular person. The butcher only superficially gave him respect. To him, it felt refreshing. Brusque, uncouth, and lacking manners Hiro could be seen as the farthest from what a vassal should be.
But the prince who needed to navigate politics and intrigue from an early age liked one thing about Hiro. The man never lied. This trait made him incredibly trustworthy. Thus he never tried to enforce anything else on him.
Xing who noticed the confusion in Dylan's voice explained to him. "Your Highness, the twelve battle harems in your list should be the ones you managed to form alliances with right? Yesterday master gave Alan and me a directive. It was to look among the competitors who had dominants with righteous personalities."
"And among all of two hundred and twenty-nine, we only managed to find forty-three groups who have morally outstanding characters. seventeen more that had too little information while over a hundred that were scum." Alan continued while expressing his disgust.
Still puzzled the prince inquired further. "Forty-three battle harems would have over four hundred people. How do you guys intend to protect that many? How many matches will Three Swords join of the forty matches?"
The one to answer was Alan, his face beaming with pride and superiority. "Master intends to join thirty-six of the forty matches."
Talvi who heard the number opened her eyes as she asked in disbelief. "All nine of you will be joining four matches alone? Are you all insane?"
Hiro then bloodthirsty smiled as he responded. "From a normal person's point of view, we might be. But this is the answer you wanted to hear right your Highness?".
Dylan quickly computed in his mind, there were over two hundred battle harems that joined. If each had ten members that would be over two thousand people. The forty matches of fifty people could cater to exactly two thousand combatants.
If heavenly sword camped at 36 of those matches and with nine people, they could theoretically eliminate almost 90% of all the participants. Protecting four hundred people would be easy under such circumstances. And the might displayed would be beyond convincing.
