While sex for him in this isekai had all the traits of a transaction, it seemed to Lucas that he was getting the better end of the deal.
The A.I system rounded up the briefing with another classic information; Lucas had the exlusive ability to combine the magic of this world with the technology of earth. He very nearly whistled when he came to terms with this fact. Basically, if he had nuke, he could arm it with the magic of this world and blast any enemy back to the stone age!
Having briefed Lucas thorougly, the A.I system's voice ceased to speak, leaving Lucas to digest all the information.
The girl's had not moved an inch all this while. It was almost as though they were waiting his permission to move, speak or even breathe. When Lucas came around, he noticed their tension and immediately moved to diffuse it;
"At ease ladies. It's all over now. You can be yourselves."
Still no answer or movement. Just three pairs of eyes staring at him worshipfully.
"I am Lucas." He explained, "I am a human from another world called earth. And I have the power to master science."
The last part would not exactly have been necessary if this was a regular introduction on earth. But he judged aptly that this was what the girls needed to hear.
"What about you? Can you tell me your names?"
The elf girl spoke up; "I am called Lolita of the elvin clan." She pointed to the catgirl, "Thiss right here is Monica," and to the vampire girl; "...and this is Catherine."
Lucas nodded curtly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. How did you all get into this level of trouble in the first place?"
"We are a team of adventurers. We go on quests and search out the mysteries of the land and stuff."
Lucas was intrigued. They truly seemed like an interesting bunch. One look at them and he knew immediately that there was not going to be a single boring minute with them.
"Come now, you must tell me about all your adventures. I'm sure you have a lot of stories to tell."
The catgirl called Monica was the chatty type. She filled Lucas in on the sequence of events that brought them to their present point;
"...so you see, it all began when we accepted the challenging task of protecting the residence of the ruling Count of this region. At the time, it seemed like a pretty decent job!"
Lucas noticed how her eyes danced when she spoke. She had that dramatic flair that spiced up the story.
"...but then a hidden enemy attacked and proved to be more deceitful than anticipated!"
Lolita scowled; "That slimey cowardly prick...!" she spat scornfully.
Mildly irritated that she had been interrupted halfway, Monica pressed on with her tale;
"Hidden behind the scene, from the shadows, he summoned hundreds of C-rank ice wolves at will!! It was a sneaky move from an even sneakier enemy." She clapped her hands together in an exhuberant manner- CLAP! "And that was when we realized we needed to take the battle to another level! We knew we had to summon the brave one to come to our rescue!"
Lucas listened intently. It was strange hearing out loud the sequence of events that tirggered his arrival here.
"If the summoning had gone wrong, I and my friends would have perished like the others."
The others. Lucas vaguely remembered her saying earlier on that everyone else was dead save them. That seemed a tad bit suspicious to him. But he dismissed his baseless suspicions and concluded that the fact that the girls were alive was a testament to their skill and power.
The more Lucas listened, the more he realize just how little he knew about this place. Lolita delicately infused in the conversation some facts about the other current non-human races;
"The other races have ceded a good portion of their natural habitats. With no territory to live on or hunt in, they have been relegated to smaller territories."
"Really?"
"Yes. With the exception of the orcs in the far north, all other races are on the brink of extinction. The orcs are barely thriving as it is. They control a small territory. But even they are far better off than the others who have formed tribes just to survive in the land."
By being with them at present, Lucas knew he was courting danger. But they still had not hit the nail on the head. So, he asked cautiously;
"What or who is responsible for this interruption in the ecology of this world?"
"Why humans of course!"
Lucas swallowed. This was going to be tricky. He was a human, and they knew it. How was this going to work?
"Please, do explain further..."
Lolita dove right in without the slightest hesitation and said flatly; "Humans here are exceptionally powerful. They have crushed entire civilzations on whims, decimated territories, and still marching aggressively to conquer more ground."
Of course, Lucas thought. It sounded all too familiar to him. Even across space and time,it seemed like the human race was still pretty much the same- covetous, greedy and insensitive to their environment. It was the same script being acted out here in this Isekai. By the looks of it, it had gone a little bit too far.
Visibly ashamed, he sighed aloud. "I am guessing the other races aren't too happy about it..."
Monica, the catgirl shook her head sadly with a distant look in her eyes. "The situation is dire. The strength and conquest of the humans remains an ever present threat to the survival of all the other races. The inhabitants of the land have turned to victims overnight."
For the first time, the vampire girl called Catherine spoke up; "For them, it's no longer a battle to keep their territories, right now it's more about survival."
The others nodded in assent.
"How is it that you all have survived this long under these harsh conditions? Were you part of an army or something?"
They all chorused a resounding 'NO' at the same time.
"There's very little options for demi-humans like us. Sure, we can pass off as humans at first glance. But when it comes to it, the only way we can truly make a living is by completing tasks..."
Monica stepped in and completed what Lolita was actively trying not to say; "...or by becoming human slaves. Like I said earlier on, it's all about survival. Considering all things, we are pretty fortunate. Some other demi-humans were not as lucky as us."
Lucas was moved by their story. Even though he had no direct influence in the order of things around here, he still could not help but feel a little bit guilty about the situation. So, the next words that flew out his mouth were, without question, genuine;
"I am deeply sorry for what you and your kind has been through. But do not worry, I am here now..." He stood up on his feet and crossed his arm across his chest as he made the solemn declaration; "So long as I am with you in the flesh, I will do everything possible to make sure you all live a happy life! You have my word!"
....
A few hours later, having left the ruins of the castle far behind them, they re-appeared on the precipice of one of the main streets in the town. Lucas was taken aback by the crudeness of this landscape. It was faintly reminiscent of the feudal period, and yet still very much alien to him.
The streets were busy and bustling with all manner of people. Humans and demi-humans alike in steady streams, trickled along the roads. Lucas did not need anyone to tell him that staring longingly here was a bad idea. Even though he was a stranger, he had to act among.
Gleaning information was his top priority. There was already so much he did not know. And there was only so much he could hope to learn from his three travel buddies. As they waltzed through the town with their heads bowed, Lucas made it his duty to imbibe as much as he could.
It was not as hard as he thought it would be. the evironment itself was screaming to be be heard, so within a short while, he observed a couple of things. Even though this was a world teeming with magic, it seemed like the ruling class had redirected the magic almost entirely to the military. Outside of the military, little to nothing had been done with magic to advance the everyday life.