The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 25: Chapter 4 - Ayane, The Spirit Fox (6)

Adorned in what appeared to be silk garments that covered most of her body, the attire was sleeveless and just long enough to conceal half of her legs. Unfortunately, she wasn't wearing any legwear, leaving me a bit disappointed as I had a soft spot for them. Well, I could always make her wear whatever I desired, right? After all, she was already mine. She had devoted herself to me.

Golden hair flowed straight down her back like a cascade of gold, and her eyes sparkled in a vivid emerald-green. As a member of the elven race, her ears were elegantly pointy and long. Her skin possessed a pearlescent, radiant whiteness, and her facial features were of extraordinary beauty.

I activated my skill to scrutinize her domination requirements. However, much to my surprise, it yielded nothing. Ah, I see. As suspected, trying to conquer a woman right off the bat isn't a walk in the park. No wonder her requirements remained elusive; she simply wasn't interested in me.

My skill followed some rules. The first one was that to dominate a woman, you had to pique her interest for the skill to reveal her domination requirements. If the woman didn't show any interest, it meant her requirements wouldn't be displayed, and you couldn't dominate her.

This woman before me showed no interest. Despite her claim to devote her body to me, it was apparent her heart hadn't fully embraced the notion.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Artemis," she replied.

Her name suited her face incredibly well. The first time I laid eyes on her, I thought she could pass for the goddess of the hunt.

I cast my gaze upon the assembly of trainee prostitutes and declared, "Anyone willing to be my plaything, like Artemis here, can step forward. I assure you, I won't venture into the realms of the unreasonable, and I won't coerce you into anything you're not comfortable with. You'll revel in the freedom to move, even visit your family or the place you hail from, as long as you return promptly to fulfill your obligations for me. The establishment you'll be part of won't harbor shadows of shadiness; the person overseeing it is nothing short of commendable. Direct supervision won't be my role; she will handle that. Once you embark on your duties, I promise you'll find solace in a place to rest and relish three meals a day. All of this, if you choose to accept my offer."

To get them to budge, I needed to dangle a carrot on a stick in front of their faces. As trainee prostitutes, the prospect of leaving this place before facing defilement was enticing enough, but they still feared I might defile them in some other way. Now, by sweetening the deal, they might be more inclined to take a bite of that dangling carrot.

Sure enough, some started to raise their hands, a few hesitated but eventually joined in, and soon enough, every hand in the room was raised.

***

Numerous carriages awaited at the front gate of the city of Pleasure, a fleet of at least ten. All the women had chosen to accept my offer. Now, fifty-three of them, to be precise, were set to join Leonamon's company as workers. They also expressed their intention to become my playthings, provided they were granted freedom of movement, and I refrained from issuing unnecessary or uncomfortable orders. As a man who always stood by his word, I had no intentions of treating them absurdly.

All the women boarded the carriages, while I lingered outside, meeting Martha's angry gaze.

"If you do anything weird, I'll surely put you down. Understand that?"

Her lack of trust was clear, and it was understandable, given that this was our first meeting. Yet, she was making an effort to trust me. Without that effort, she'd be forever burdened with worry, and I didn't want that.

"You've got the smartphone I handed you, right?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I do," she answered, casting a suspicious glance my way. "You're not thinking of snatching it back, are you?"

"No way. I just want to share my number with you."

"N...Number?" Martha tilted her head, confusion making her look pretty damn adorable.

"So we can stay in touch. This device is perfect for some long-distance conversations, you know?"

Martha's eyes widened in amazement, "I-Is that so? W-Well then, I guess I'll take you up on that offer. I need you to keep me in the loop regularly on their status, after all. If you don't hit me back and show me some proof that they're okay, I'll come charging in wherever you are with a knife in hand. Got it?"

Wahh, scary. She's a bit like Shredica. "I got it."

"Well, if you get it, here's the phone."

Martha handed me her phone, and I quickly opened it to exchange numbers. Glancing at Gabrielle, who stood composed beside me, I noticed her scrutinizing Martha with discerning eyes. Why was she eyeing her like that? Probably assessing if she was worthy to be one of my women.

"Gabrielle, stick around and give Martha a crash course on navigating the phone."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Why me?! I've got things to handle at the academy, you know?!"

"Chill out," I said, offering reassurance. "I'll make it worth your while later."

"O-Oh..." A flush of pink spread across Gabrielle's cheeks. "O-Okay then, if you say so. But you better deliver on that promise later!" she declared.

"I will," I replied with a smile. I wondered what kind of reward would be fitting. Well, I was thinking of indulging in some kinky outdoor activities with her tonight at the academy, maybe put her on a leash and have her walk like a dog. That sounded like both punishment and reward.

Alright, let's go with some spicy outdoor fun, with her on a leash. It's a reward fitting for her hard work. And, of course, a playful punishment for being a bit disobedient.

As we had this conversation, Martha gave us a disgusted look, "Gross. I really hope nothing bad happens to those girls in your hands."

Without missing a beat, I playfully spanked Gabrielle's ass, prompting a surprised yelp, before heading to one of the carriages. Upon entering, I found two familiar faces—Ayane and Artemis—and two unknown women already seated. The unfamiliar duo looked somewhat uneasy, so I opted not to sit next to them and instead took a seat close to Artemis. With that, we set off for the capital of Milham.

***

We were cruising along the road between Santuria and the city of Pleasure when chaos erupted. I sharply pulled back the curtains to address the coachman.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"Bandits, sir," he replied with a grim expression. "Seems they've caught wind of these numerous carriages going through the plains and want to catch a big fish. And they came...quite prepared."

"I see."

"Why didn't you hire adventurer bodyguards, sir? This convoy of carriages is like a invitation for bandits. They'd happily slaughter everyone on board for whatever's in these carriages—be it women, kids, or goods. They won't spare a thing. I wish you'd made some kind of preparation for this..."

The coachman's face twisted in genuine terror as he scanned the surroundings with the bandits closing in. The other coachmen were scrambling to abandon their carriages, but there was no escape; we were surrounded. The fear emanating from the women in our carriage was tangible. The only person not showing any distress in this situation was... Artemis.

She locked eyes with me, those emerald orbs unwavering. However, she made no move to join the impending conflict. It seemed like she had no intention of fighting.

"Well, why didn't I hire adventurer bodyguards? That's a good question. Why indeed?"

"S... Sir?" the coachman asked, confusion in his voice as I pondered aloud. For a moment, I thought I saw anger in his eyes. He was getting frustrated with me for what he perceived as a mistake. Of course, I didn't see it that way. Why would I need adventurers?

I stepped out of the carriage. The women inside, excluding Artemis, looked shocked as I exited. The coachman's eyes widened.

"Sir! It's dangerous! You can't get out!" he exclaimed.

I didn't bother looking back at him and simply said, "Allow me to answer your question." With that, I raised my hand, gathering mana from the atmosphere. Magic textbooks always harped on about limits to how much mana a person could gather for a spell, warning of potential explosions that could maim or even kill if exceeded.

Yet, I continued gathering mana, forming a ball of dazzling light in my hands. I was casting light magic. The amount of mana in my hand already surpassed the supposed limit. But I didn't stop. Why? Because the notion of a cap on mana gathering was complete bullshit. There was no limit; the risk of magic exploding stemmed from losing control over the mana being gathered.

Yellow light started to blind the surroundings, causing both bandits and others to shield their eyes from my magic. It was a massive ball of light in my hands. I felt like Goku in this moment.

But even though it was already enormous, I kept gathering mana to make it even more potent. Why could I maintain this giant ball of light? Well, the answer should be glaringly obvious already, right? Because my control of mana is precise.

"Light Bullets!" I roared, and brilliant beams shot straight at the heads of the surrounding bandits, swiftly taking their lives. There was no gruesome sound of flesh scrunching; the Light Bullets were fast enough to erase any audible trace.

I systematically eliminated all the bandits encircling us. They were killed one by one, their bodies slowly slumping while still standing. After each was hit, they all collapsed simultaneously. It was child's play. I didn't bother using any skills inherited from my women. These bandits were nothing to me.

I turned to the coachman, who stared at me in shock, his jaw practically scraping the ground.

I flashed him a grin and answered his question, "The reason why is that... we don't need one."