- Arthas -
We reached the inn about thirty minutes later.
Veena wasn't back yet.
I decided to go ahead and take a bath and get ready before she returned. The inn did provide hot water at all times, so it was convenient.
"I'll go and take a bath, or do you want to go first?" I asked.
"No… you can go first." She denied.
"Okay." I nodded and was about to go towards the bath when Rose spoke.
"Umm… thank you… for today."
"You don't have to thank me. I did promise this and I enjoyed the date too… If you are fine with it, I wouldn't mind going on another one later." I added.
I was initially hesitant because of Veena. While she did tell me that I would need to take other lovers, I had assumed that that was some kind of test from her, and I hadn't really thought about actually getting another lover.
Rose however, had changed these things as it had clarified several things to me.
Veena was actually serious about setting me up with other lovers.
Well, since Veena really didn't mind setting me up with other girls, it would be rude to not take advantage of this.
Rose… she was amazing.
Smart, talented, and extremely beautiful.
I wasn't joking when I said that she would make any man feel lucky to have her as a girlfriend.
As expected, she blushed red at my words.
"Oh! You don't want to?"
"N-no, it's not like that but… Veena… You are with her, right?" She whispered that last part faintly, and I was sure I would have missed it if I hadn't been at a high level.
"Veena doesn't mind. In fact, it was she who asked me to get more lovers. It's apparently something normal in the supernatural world or something? If she pushed for this date, I am sure she wouldn't mind us going on another one either or... make it something more for that matter... and neither would I." I added later.
Her blush deepened, to the point that it looked like she could faint anytime.
I chuckled at her reaction and left the room, not pushing her any further today.
The bath was relaxing.
I took the time to check on the activities of the Guild during this time.
Shiroe was managing everything back there.
Neither Star nor Suikazura-san or Whistler were the management type to help him out. Thankfully, there were also Bina and Elaine helping him out with everything. Both of them had more than enough experience with these kinds of things
"We are out on a hunting spree. Suikazura-san is getting near her level cap and will probably reach there in another week or so. How long will it take for you guys to return?"
"No idea. I will have to go to the capital with Arnold. As for how long it will take, I will know after today's dinner later today. Man, these things are tiring. I just want to go back to leveling up again."
"Aren't you getting rare skills and items there? Those things are far more difficult to get than just some levels. Just keep holding on. "
"Hmm. Can we please go to Sabaody after we return? Or Loguetown. I miss the exp gains there."
"Will depend on when you will be transferred to your new city. We can make plans then."
"Okay."
"Anyways, there are two new additions in the Guild."
"Kurumi is the girl who helped Rose. The other one is her brother. He is a Blacksmith with maxed out skills."
"Maxed out?!"
"Yeah… I was just as surprised. Turns out he has severe social anxiety and has become a shut-in… then got caught in the game. You can guess the rest."
"That… must have been difficult."
"Hmm. The boy is working as an apprentice for a Master Blacksmith in Greenfrost."
"Let him stay there and learn. I will try to talk to him in private chat. Didn't you get a new equipment blueprint as a reward? If he is trustworthy you can take that to him. Having a skilled Blacksmith in the Guild will help a lot."
"I know…"
My words stopped as the door to the bath opened and Veena entered the bath in a towel.
Now, I had seen her enough times in all states of dress to not be phased by that.
It was the figure behind her, in a similar white towel that attracted my attention.
Rose!
When did Veena return?
And what did she do to bring Rose here?
The girl was blushing even more, as if it were somehow possible.
I knew it had to be Veena's doing, or there was no way Rose would do this by herself.
Still, there was no way I could ask her that in front of Rose. So in the end, the only thing that came out of my mouth was...
"When did you come back?"
"Just a minute after you entered the bath. I wanted to take a bath too and we would have been late if we took turns, so I decided to join you. I brought Rose in so that she didn't feel left out." She replied with a casual smile as she came near the bathtub and removed the towel.
I stared at her stark naked form as she came and sat down beside me.
And as if that wasn't enough, she looked at Rose, who was watching the scene in awe and embarrassment, and spoke. "Come on in. The water is nice and warm."
Rose was taken aback at being called out like that all of a sudden but nodded shyly and in front of my shocked eyes… dropped her towel, revealing her body for us.
White hair cascaded down her shoulder over her bountiful chest, being parted only by her pink nubs, which were standing proudly, unlike her embarrassed form. There was a small patch of silver white above her pink lower lips.
As expected, my blood flowed down to my lower head, and it rose to full length in moments.
Now, both Veena and Rose were extremely beautiful. But there was something very different about Rose's embarrassed and shy demeanor, which was completely new to me.
This was a stark contrast to what I had been used to with Veena's confident, upfront, and proactive behaviour.
While I was busy staring at her, she quietly entered the bath. The bath wasn't that big to allow all three of us a lot of space, and since Veena had already taken one side, the only place left was my other side, which is exactly where she sat, her thigh touching mine.
I wasn't an idiot to not realise what Rose doing all this meant, nor was I dumb enough to reject it after the amount of courage she has gathered to do something like this.
So I did the only thing I could think of.
My hands wrapped around the waists of both ladies and rested there quietly.
I didn't make any more moves, just keeping my hands there unmoving.
This was already enough as my answer to her approaching me.
But just because I was talking things slow didn't mean Veena was going to be slowing down too.
She rested her face on my chest as she wrapped her hand around me, snuggling into my side. Her leg rested on mine, and I could feel the heat from her core on my thigh while my length was snuggled between her thigh and her calf.
I looked at her in surprise, but it seems that it was too early for me to be surprised as she pressed my length between her thigh and calf and was massaging me.
The sudden move made me tremble and grip Rose's waist with more force.
My action must have hinted to the girl to follow Veena's actions as she too took the same position as her, although much more hesitantly.
The smile on Veena's face widened too and she stopped her actions, having already achieved her purpose.
…
Well, as they say, in for a penny, in for a pound.
I too relaxed my grip on their waists, instead taking to slowly caressing their backs as I basked in the soft feeling of their bodies in my embrace.
Veena, as if agreeing with my actions, started some small talk to ease the atmosphere.
I, having found a way out, joined in too.
_______________________________________x____________________________________
"I have sent a message regarding Arthas' promotion to the City Lord. When are the two of you planning to go to the capital?" Prince Arthas asked Arnold and me.
"In a week."
"Good. Normally we would have asked you to come with us to the capital, but both Sir Uther and I have to make another detour. I apologise for not being able to accompany you there."
"Please don't apologise for something like this. It's not a problem." Arnold said. Then hesitating a bit, he asked. "May I ask something from you, your Highness?"
"Yes."
"I have heard some news of unrest in the border towns. Is it... that time already?"
The prince sighed, and on his side, Uther closed his eyes, a calm look on his face.
"Yes. We have indeed found such information. The number of bandits is increasing in the territories, and the number of skirmishes on the border is increasing slowly. There have even been news of weapons and armour being ordered into Baweth from the Dwarven Kingdom as well as Sabaody. Everything is pointing to such a situation. If the past is any indication, then we might very well be looking at a war in the coming months."
…War?
My ears perked up at the news of a war.
War in this game might be a World Quest, and as seen in the previous World Quest, getting advance information could make a world of difference between players.
"But isn't this earlier than usual? Normally, another war wouldn't have started for another couple of years. Baweth needs more time to recuperate. How did they even get funds to get all the equipment?" Arnold asked.
"That's the problem. Normally, Baweth accumulates wealth through banditry. This means whenever they want to launch a war, we see an abrupt rise in pillaging of the surrounding counties a few months earlier. This time, however, that hasn't happened. Instead, a large amount of weapons and armour, even supplies, was carried towards Baweth through surrounding counties. We suspect that an outside power is providing support to Baweth to start a war. That's why, this year, the war might be... different from other years." Uther explained, probably seeing my look of confusion and expectations.
"Different how?"
"The only reason Baweth stops a war is when they are out of supplies. This time however…"
"Do we know who is providing them with support?" I asked.
"No. This is exactly why we are travelling through the kingdom and meeting with the kings of the surrounding counties to find out the mysterious backer of this war."
"This is also why several experienced T6 Knight's are being slowly shifted to the frontline and newer people are being given their position as City Lords." Prince Arthas added, throwing me a glance. "And new Grand Knights being appointed is also to show a stronger front."
"I will not let you down." I said with a slight bow.
"I trust you. We obviously wouldn't pass on the position to someone who wasn't worthy. You were not given this position only due to your victory in the tournament. The previous defence of Llyne, where you and your team secured a victory with a considerably small amount of people, was also considered. This time around, we need such people holding the fort in case someone slips by our defences."
"I will contact my team and tell them to start preparing in advance."
"Good then. We also need to meet with other important people so we might not be able to stay in one place for a long time or return to the capital quickly." He brought out a letter and passed it to Arnold. "Please hand this to my Father, the King."
Arnold nodded.
"Train and gain strength as soon as possible and prepare for a big wave this year. Our goal is to protect our kingdom. Don't worry; the kingdom will not forget you either. We always honour our heroes." He added looking towards me.
Probably to give me some motivation to work harder for the coming war.
Not that I would have ignored it otherwise.
Even if he didn't say anything, this whole plot seems like a World Quest.
I would have prepared for it regardless.