Kallen was thinking that she could jump on Marcus the moment he returned. But she didn't expect him to return with sleeping Bronya in his hands. The girl looked tired.
She didn't need to be a genius to know what had happened, seeing that he was not winded, tired, or showing any signs of exhaustion.
After seeing this… she knew… she knew she couldn't just pull him aside and use her body as some sort of leverage.
'It makes sense… after seeing the list of women around him.'
The Maiden realised that she was naive to think that something as basic as that would work.
Bronya paid for it, and now she was fucked into sleeping.
"Well, you have me all alone, Kallen. Won't you try something?" He smiled after putting blanked on sleeping Bronya.
"Umm…"
"You knew my intentions?" She asked with an embarrassed look.
"Went through this before. A certain Goddess of Hunt tried to keep doing it until she thought I couldn't live without her body." He said in a blank, almost bored tone.
"It sometimes amuses me that girls can be that confident in themselves when they know I can make my dream girl any time of the day."
'...Right… that little detail…'
She looked down at her feet for a second. She glossed that part over… simply because his other parts were more dangerous than that!
Crushing power for once, interstellar and time-travelling empire for another, massive armies…
Midway, she forgot that if he doesn't like females, he finds he can just make one…
"S-Sorry for asking." At that moment, Kallen felt that whatever confidence she had was gone.
How is she supposed to compete?
Instead of saying anything, he walked over in front of her, put his hand on her chin, and made her look at him.
"You do realise that there is more to it than just warming my bed." He said with a raised eyebrow.
"...Y-Yes I know… but…"
How is she supposed to say it? Most of the people he showed interest in are females! So it's obvious that he wants to bed them!
"But?"
"I…thought that…" Kallen struggles to explain as she doesn't want him to be angry with her!
"What?" He asked before leaning forward and telling what she was thinking.
"That I only want to have my way with you?"
Instead of replying, the girl stiffly nodded at his response.
"You are not wrong, but I like you more than just a body~." He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled the maiden closer.
"You are a talented fighter. That means that you won't just warm my bed~" he commented, but then he teased her.
"Or do you want to stay in my bed?" Marcus curiously asked her.
"...I-I wish to be more useful than a bed warmer!" She quickly explained herself as just a bedwarmer who feels like some brothel girl!
"Indeed, you are Kaslana, after all. ~" He pulled his head a bit and looked at her gorgeous blue eyes.
"Let's see if you can perform the duties of a lover~."
She looked confused for a second as the thing that came to mind was bed activities. As someone who comes from the 15th century, she doesn't understand what else there is to do.
"But…you just said.. "
Seeing that she was clueless made Marcus smile, as he decided to show her.
"Let's go to the restaurant, and then we can go from there." He began to pull her towards the doors, but then he realised that he needed to modernise her clothes, as the girl was dressed in golden white robes.
With that intention, his nanites surged from him and went into her. Right before her eyes, she was dressed in a hoody, denim shorts, and blue sneakers. The girl's body type was exactly the same as Kiana's, so she was hitting all of the spots he liked.
"Oh…" Kallen looked at her clothes. She finds them comfortable.
"Are these the clothes that you'd like me to wear?" she asked him, thinking that showing off that much skin is a bit too much unless it's for a fight, as clothes can get in the way.
"Of course, now let's go." He pulled her towards the doors, and at that time, they opened, revealing Kiana, who had been following him since the Hot Springs.
"Umm…" The White-Haired Valkyrie looked around, trying to think what to say.
"Well…"
She thought for a couple of seconds before speaking.
"Can I come with you?" Kiana said with a nervous smile.
"Sure, we are going to get some food." The moment the word food left his mouth, there was a reaction! The pair trembled. Kallen tried to hide it, but Kiana looked like he was speaking gospel.
"T-Then let's go!" She moved to grab his hand the same way Bronya did. The girl observed the previous interactions closely.
"Sure."
~~~
It was lunchtime, and the restaurant had been open for three hours. The buffet was arranged to reflect that it was dinner time.
Not that the pair of Kaslanas paid attention to such a small detail. Instead…
They looked at the selection of food with hungry eyes.
Marcus decided to bring the pair here to see if they could overcome their natural inclinations and focus on their objective.
Yes, he knows the objective from the beginning. These girls forget that he is an esper; he can read surface thoughts with a simple gaze…
He hopes that future schemes can be more organised because adjusting on the fly is not the way forward.
'Then again, they are hero types… the types which make their plans on the fly, and the plot helps them overcome it.'
As he was thinking about their plans, he took a plate and began to pick up his snacks, from pepperoni slices to several arrays of cheese. Truth be told, he isn't that good with buffet style. He would rather be in a restaurant and read through a menu and take something like 'steak', knowing that it will have salads, sauce, potatoes, and the steak itself.
But unlike him, the pair were putting a lot of things on their plates.
Chicken, beef, pork, sausages…
'Damn…'
It was different with Sirin. He recalled her being self-conscious, but her other part was easily swayed by food!
Regardless, he took some bread and decided to make sandwiches. He wants to see how this goes.
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~~~
"I forgot how amazing this kind of buffet style can be!" The white-haired girl said to her distant relative.
Sadly for Kiana, Kallen never was in such a place; all she could think of was that she needed to eat all of it!
"I don't think I will be able to eat all of this." Kallen looked at the tables in the front.
She could see a bunch of chefs dressed in white clothes cooking something.
There are a lot of them! No matter how big of an appetite she has, there is no way she can finish all of this!
"You not suppose to! This is a buffet! You take what you want!" Kiana clarified to her.
"...But so much food will be wasted!" Kallen complained to her that her food was sacred!
The white-haired Valkyrie saw how her distant relative was looking at her. She decided that she needed to explain a couple of things to her.
"I know, but remember where we are. Do you think they will discard this food if we don't eat it?" She clarified to her, making Kallen ponder for a second.
"...I guess you are right." As she looked at the ground for a bit, her eyes widened, and she looked around for a second.
Seeing that Marcus was alone, doing something at one of the tables.
'Oh no!'
The girl swiftly ended the talk with Kiana, turned around, and walked to Marcus.
She forgot that he could potentially be testing her! The Maiden of Schicksal recalled what happened to Sirin; that whole thing was a test. She realised that after watching from the sidelines. No matter how easily he can make things, there has to be a catch.
Sure, Sirin might have brought gifts, but those were 'bought' with his resources. It was similar to how parents do with their kids: They give them things and watch what they do with them.
The whole situation with that invasion was like that. Marcus watched her, and after failing, he summoned her back and punished her.
In other words…
'He is watching and making sure luxury like this doesn't get into our heads.'
As Kallen was thinking, she returned to his side. Seeing that he only made… a thing from bread, slices of sausages and cheese.
"Are you not hungry?" She asked him as she got closer.
"Not really. I know you girls like your food."
'So he was testing us!' For a second, she got cold feet.
This guy is relentless!
"Well, I got what I wanted. We should find where to sit…" Her gaze went to the countless available tables to the side. Honestly, if not for the chefs, the whole place could be creepy—how empty it was!
"Fine by me." He looked for a bigger table and began to walk there. Kallen followed after him. She wondered how he had passed the test, while Kiana seemed quite clueless.
The girl was going through the tables and continued to put stuff on her plate…plates!
The pair walked over and sat down at the bigger round table, which had enough space for four people.
"Hmm…"
"What is it?" He asked her as he saw that she was thinking of something.
"...Your tests…"
Marcus raised his eyebrow when he heard where she was going. Well, she was not Kiana because Kiana kept things to herself… for a while until she became Flamescion.
And at this moment, she is not.
"What about them?" He asked after taking another bite.
"Well… I have no idea how to work on them." Kallen honestly told him.
"I see. In this situation, your job is to show that you can take care of your 'hubby', " he said, looking at Kiana. Kallen followed his gaze.
"As you can see, she is failing miserably." His words made the Maiden of Schnicsal tremble nerviously. Thankfully, she realised before it was too late.
"Are you worried for her?" He chuckled after seeing how nervous she was.
"...Of course…" she whispered under her breath.
"Why?" he asked curiously. The Inventor already knew, but he wanted to hear how she would word it.
"...It should be evident we have to be at the top of Technocracy to make sure our world is safe and people can live freely there." She said that with a serious tone.
"I see. The Kaslana self-sacrificing trait, but if you think that small, then you will fail." He finished his sandwich and leaned into the chair.
"..."
Kallen gulped down nerviously. Should she keep that to herself?
"If you were someone else and not 'Kallen,' then I would have demoted you to the lowest-tier maid."
When she heard that, her face paled; she remembered this 'serious' face when he was talking to Sirin. It was terrifying; it was like she was some small, insignificant lifeform in front of a force of nature.
All she could do was watch and wait for her doom!
"I said before, but you girls only have a single objective in all of this. What do you think you need to do? Do you know, tell me." He asked her quite seriously.
"...Umm…"
"Your objective and focus is me. Nothing else should matter. That is how a simple girl who can only cook will be my wife." He mentioned how Erina was able to achieve her status.
"..."
Kallen, for a second, looked at her food.
"Hmm, I never thought that it was so difficult." He joked, recalling all the other times something like that happened. Artemis tried to make him addicted to her, and Hippolyta tried to make him her husband just for the sake of it. There was some underlying obsession there. Since she was a Warrior Goddess, she saw him like a trophy or something along those lines.
Of course, there were other times, like Carmilla, the Vampire Queen, who tried to seduce him and use her beauty to secure and protect her Kingdom, similarly to Persephone, who wiggled herself to his side by using her body.
He accepted them and gave them what they wanted, but because of that, they will never achieve more. Well, maybe that is what they want: those petty kingdoms they can rule.
"...It's not…" She finally spoke. "It's that such a thing can easily be missed. Your… abilities and…achievement outshine such basic…things." She clarified to him.
"If you say so." He shrugged back at her.
"It is… I want to be worthy…" she commented while not looking at him. The girl felt shy about speaking about such a thing, but using fists was way, way easier!
"I see. But the question is, who is deciding if you are worthy? You? Or is it… common sense? Or some sort of societal structure?"
Midway, he started to smile in a mocking way. It's absurd that one should use others' common sense and their beliefs in his Technocracy!
For a second, her brain stopped, and she wondered who would decide if what she did was worthy of him.
"...Umm… sorry…"
Midway, she realised she was using the wrong methods to decide such a thing!
"There is no need to apologise to me." He shrugged again as he looked at his plate. Now he wants another sandwich.
She stiffly nodded before looking where he was looking.
"L-Let me bring one for you!" The girl quickly jumped out of her seat and rushed to the buffet tables.
When Marcus saw that, he chuckled. Kallen adjusted quickly. He wondered if this was permanent or if she would forget and return to how she was before.
As he looked at her, his gaze went to Kiana. He understood that her change in actions was related to her desire to protect her world.
In other words, it's her agenda. That moment, he recalled what Elysia said about the whole hidden agenda.
'I wonder how they are doing.'
He summoned his console and checked his three new maids.
It turns out Belfast is having fun with the trio, showing all the little things. For now, they are in his quarters in the Assimilator.
From how the bedsheets must be placed to checking if the fridge has everything he likes. Well, the fridge is quite easy as much of it is automated.
'Wait a sec…'
Marcus mentally recalled the hotel rooms.
'Erina didn't install any of the Assembly lines?' Mentally, he double-checked his memories. He recalled a classic wardrobe, classic fridge…
They were basic without any of the perks of Technocracy.
'Well, it's her choice.'
The inventor shrugged. This was, after all, a test run. Internally, he was chuckling at the idea that when he conquered a reality, one of the first things that popped up over the conquered world was Erina's hotels…
"Umm…"
Marcus snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at an ashamed-looking Kiana. The girl had two plates of everything, but she looked like she had realised something.
"What is it?" He asked her.
"...I can share some of my food if you want." She is trying to salvage the situation as it appears she realised something.
"Only if you feed me, Kiana." He told her his condition, her eyes perked up at this idea! She quickly nodded at him.
The white-haired Valkyrie quickly pulled a chair closer to him and sat down, taking a fork that was on the table.
"There is no need to rush." He calmed her down, seeing her all nervous.
"R-Right!" The girl calmed herself for a bit before offering him a piece of BBQ chicken.
"Here."
Marcus took a bite.
"Oh, not bad, as expected from Erina." He commented with a smile. The food here is top-class. The inventor knew that all of the chefs in this place were created according to her memories and experiences.
Kiana quickly took a bite as well! Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-Wow…this is amazing!" the girl commented in shock as she looked at the food she had brought.
'T-This is dangerous! How am I supposed to focus on him when food is this good?'
The girl was struggling. The food is heavenly!
After taking one bite, she was about to take another, but Marcus moved in, pulled her closer to his lap, and made her stop midway.
"Don't get carried away, darling~" He whispered into her ear as his hands squeezed her waist.
"You said you would feed me, so start with your task." He continued to whisper, making her blush and then slowly nodding.
The girl refocused and began to feed him. Midway, Kallen returned, and she saw Kiana on his lap acting strangely.
She had never seen such a thing before. Is this kind of thing a modern thing?
From wasting food to feeding him like that… she feels like she is behind in understanding the culture.
"Oh, my sandwich is here." Marcus turned to the side and saw Kallen bringing several sandwiches to him.
Kiana looked at her. She realised that, once again, the Maiden of Schicksal was a step ahead of her, understanding the taste far quicker.
As the girl walked over, she placed the sandwich in front of him.
"Well, Kallen, since Kiana started feeding you, you will do the same."
The girl slowly nodded to his request, but then she wondered how to do it.
Marcus looked at her struggling behaviour while Kiana, on his lap, observed all of this. She wondered how this would progress.
Switching from fighting for the world's survival to… this is something she didn't expect a couple of days ago!
"Here, let me." He used his hand and knife to slice the sandwiches into smaller pieces.
"Now, you can use these to feed me." He chuckled, seeing a realising look on the girl's face. Kallen quickly started to feed him.
Midway, she started to smile as this was an… interesting experience for her.
Kiana started to feel neglected, so she quickly joined, and midway, two Kaslanas began to 'compete' in this 'task'.
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~~~
"Amazing! There is a forest inside a space station!" Elysia gushed at what she saw before her.
"...The station is big enough, you need to think logically, so it's not a surprise." Dr MEI commented in a critical tone, befitting a scientist.
"Indeed, however, Master had to redesign the interior as it was mostly flats, too many flats, so he changed into things like this forest park," Belfast added her part in the conversation as the group of four were walking to the hotel where Marcus was.
After going through a crash course, it was time for the maids to join their Master full-time.
"...What are those?" Sakura pointed at gigantic lifeforms walking in the forests.
"Those are sauropods. Lizards from the Mesozoic Era. They lived more than a hundred million years ago on Earth."
"...You mean…these are dinosaurs?" Sakura looked shocked for a bit before nodding to herself. It made sense that he had those.
'Then those armoured chickens who chased me were dinosaurs, too?'
The girl felt a chill down her spine. She got chased by animals who should be extinct for a very long time.
It made her feel goosebumps for a bit before calming down.
"Did he recreate them or went to the past to pick them up?" Dr MEI asked the shipgirl.
"Both," Belfast replied immediately.
"All Mesozoic eras are under our control. We collect samples and then store their Data for future use. Like these Brachiosaurus, they are gene-altered for this specific forest, including the artificial sun and lack of space….
"...lack of space… this forest is big as it is…" The nerd version of Raiden Mei looked around; she couldn't even see the edge of the forest…
"Well, they need a lot of calories." The maid shrugged before they continued to walk the cobblestone walkway that led them to a small hill with a tunnel.
Once they passed that, they saw a five-storey wooden building.
"...A hotel? In the middle of nowhere? In a space station?" The blue-haired scientist tried to process what she had seen.
"Oh gosh! Look at what it's saying!" Elysia pointed at the signs.
"It has hot springs!" The pink menace clapped her hands in happiness.
Even Sakura smiled for a second, but for her to feel happy, she needed Rin next to her. As for now, she felt that she was doing something bad without her sibling next to her.
"...I can ignore the facts… for hot springs." Even Dr MEI decided to ignore the silliness of hot springs!
"Fufufu~." Belfast chuckled, seeing all three of them agree to this.
The four of them entered the hotel and saw the reception.
It was fully staffed…
"...How far does this go?" Dr MEI asked the ship girl.
"You mean playing the part of the hotel?" Belfast knew what the nerd was asking.
"Yes."
"It's not an 'act' because it's a fully staffed building. Erina, one of Master's fiancees, is testing how well she can run the hotel as she comes from a family with hospitality experience.
She is using her memories to create her version of chefs, reception, cleaners and so on."
'An…experiment! But it's so real that she even created people!' A few drops of sweat dropped from Dr MEI's forehead as this was a dream come true for someone like her!
The girl imagined what she could do with such resources!
For a second, drool started to drip from her lips, but she quickly controlled herself.
The girl shook her head, needing to calm down sadly when Elysia saw that, the pink-haired girl slightly frowned.
'I need to get to his side as quickly as I can.'
Elysia doesn't want Dr MEI to give herself to Marcus. She always found Kevin and Mei's romance sweet, and she was even jealous. That is why she wants to get in front of the Inventor and sweep him aside with her cuteness!
Being a smart girl, she quickly found out how other girls behave around him. They all have hidden agendas, from wanting power to other things!
That is why she targets him as a girl who wants him for herself; the rest will fix themselves! Honestly, it was similar to her original plan, where she thought about sacrificing herself to change Herrschers for future generations.
If she becomes his perfect wife, she could be the best Empress in the cosmos. Marcus would conquer while she would bring salvation to the conquered worlds… under Technocracy…of course!
However, her plan has bumps in the road.
As the trio looked around, the maid walked to the reception and asked where Marcus was.
After a couple of words, the group walked to the restaurant, where they saw Marcus and two girls enjoying their lunch.
"Master~" Belfast walked over to the table.
"Belfast, I can assume that showing around has ended." The Inventor looked at the ship girl on the side.
"Yes, the trio are ready to serve you."
Marcus nodded at her explanation and looked at the three girls who approached them.
But then Sakura dropped to one knee. Her abrupt actions caused everyone to look at her.
"Master! Please! Can my sister be freed? I-In return, I will do anything you ask! I will sell my soul to you if need be!" The pink-haired assassin girl sharply spoke in an almost begging voice.
Her actions caused everyone to think about themselves, too.
Since he had their world and people under his complete control, what about them?
However, unlike Sakura, they don't have the courage to ask such things blatantly. A proper time is needed; after all, they all have 'grand' plans after seeing what Technocracy can do.
"Sell your soul? Well, your soul is already mine, but I understand what you mean." Marcus looked at the kneeling assassin.
"What I need at this moment is a pet; my previous one rebelled and was demoted to ranger duties at the base, outside the time flow."
Sakura's eyes perked up when she heard that! It was exactly line, Sirin said! She could be his pet! It's like the best position! Forget about the wives or whatever! Pets stay close to their owner all the time!
"It will be my honour! Master!" The girl immediately accepted, and the rest looked at her strangely.
Did they just get tricked?
"W-Wait a second! Didn't you call me your kitten!?" Kiana complained she was sitting on his lap right now!
"You want to be my fiance and future wife, different roles." He clarified what they talked about before. His reply made her pout for a bit.
"W-What about me?" Kallen from the side got his attention.
"I do not have a position or role in your faction." She reminded him that she had no assigned role; simply being a 'collectable' didn't mean much.
"True. In that case, you can be my pet too!" He nodded to himself as if something incredible had been decided.
"Hmph!" Kiana puffed, but she didn't leave his lap.
"What? You still need to beat your desire for food, as it is more important than your future hubby."
Kiana turned stiff upon hearing that comment! It was a low blow, in her opinion!
"I-I was carried away for only a couple moments!" She tried to defend herself.
"Not the best track record~, " he teased her for a second. But at that moment, Dr. MEI took a step forward, and she felt that this was the best moment to address her case.
"...Master Marcus." The nerd version of Raiden Mei got his attention away from Kiana. Her speaking made the Valkyrie look at Mei curiously.
Seeing her with nerd glasses like that is still weird….
"What is it, Mei?"
"...My talents lie in research, science, maths, and computer science, not housekeeping or cleaning. I request that you review my job position." The head scientist of the now-defunct MOTH organisation raised a valid point.
Something Marcus was waiting for.
"You do have a valid point. However, simply allowing you to tinker with my tech is a bit… dangerous."
"I understand. I am willing to be tested as many times as need be to prove to you that I won't betray you." The girl pushed her glasses up as she spoke in an honest voice.
"And your boyfriend?" He raised his eyebrow at the elephant in the room.
Elysia and Dr MEI trembled for a second. They were a bit surprised to know that he already knew about Kevin and MEI.
'Just how much does he know?'
"...well…"
Elysia stepped forward, getting in front of MEI.
"Why don't you settle with me?~" The girl pointed at herself.
"I can promise to do everything you could possibly dream about while you leave Dr MEI alone to her research, " the pink-haired maid said in a bright voice.
The girl animately spoke, making everyone speechless, but at that moment, Dr MEI grabbed Elysia's hand.
"What are you suggesting!?"
To be perfectly honest… Dr. MEI wants to research Marcus. She wants to know his secrets, how he achieved… everything and more! She is a very curious individual, and while she…adores Kevin, she can't see them being together!
Even now, they are realities away!
"...MEI…"
"Read the room!" MEI hissed at the pinkette.
"I am curious… Elysia."
Marcus 'smiled' at her. What he was hearing was a challenge! He likes those… A lot! Last time, Angra Mainyu challenged him.
It went well for the challenge. Now, Elysia is telling him that she can substitute MEI.
The girls, excluding Belfast, trembled when they saw his smile.
"Yes! Just ask anything, and I will do it! Don't guys love cute girls like me?" She winked at him.
"We do." Marcus gently pushed Kiana back on her chair, making her realise the pinkette was stealing his attention away from her!
'Damn it!'
"However, you are not dealing with a simple guy." He walked over to her and gently stroked her cheek. He had a smile on his lips the whole time.
"As you can see, Bronya tried to… keep me for herself, but it ended up with defeat and her capitulation." His comment made the maids realise that one girl was missing…
Some sweat appeared on the pinkette's forehead as she tried not to look at him directly in the eyes.
"...Umm… you won't torture a cute girl like me, right?" The girl was having second thoughts about what she just said!
"Come now." He leaned closer as his eyes softly glowed in purple.
"Why would I torture a cute girl?" He softly whispered as Elysia began to see flashy images of her being naked in a big bed. She could see how he would keep her in that bed for days…
She would do all sorts of things, just like she asked, but she would never leave his room as she would never have the strength to do that.
It would continue, for…
"...Hehehe…" Elysia began to giggle. Her nervousness was evident.
"...Can we discuss this?" She began to fiddle with her skirt, but she couldn't stop looking into his eyes as he continued to feed her with his intentions!
"We can, as much as you want, in the bathtub or the hot springs, maybe in the throne room? I have several of those." Marcus said with a smile.
"...Master Marcus, please don't listen to her. She is an airhead. I am more than willing to do my part in whatever you might desire." Dr MEI couldn't contain herself and interrupted Marcus's treatment of Elysia.
The poor pinkette looked like a lamb before a huge direwolf, ready to be eaten.
"Hmm, if you say so, Mei. I might test you first and then give you some things to tinker with." He looked away from Elysia and looked at the nerd blue-haired girl.
~~~
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