"Adonai, please reveal yourself," Xialdre muttered to himself.
The side of the Hassia continent where they planned to dock was a wilderness, specifically the southwest, known for its abundant nature.
"Master, do you know anything about this continent?" Asabe questioned Xialdre.
"Probably. I mean, I know every detail of the world or rather existence," Xialdre answered.
"That's quite creepy," Asabe replied.
As they finally reached land, the girls and Xialdre began carrying their items. Natalia had an idea. "Um, hey, can anyone here use Magic Domain Pocket?"
"I actually learned how to do it," Xialdre responded.
"We can too," Asabe, Xyrene, Isayao, and Clementine chimed in.
"That's great then. Can't we just put our things there so we wouldn't need to carry our heavy stuff?" Natalia suggested.
"If you ask me, that doesn't sound too bad. Though we do need to carry our important items ourselves, so we wouldn't need to constantly ask those who can use the Domain Pocket magic to open it as we travel," Xialdre explained.
"I see. Sounds like a plan," Natalia agreed with a smile.
As the group traveled through the thick wilderness, a cold breeze passed them. Xialdre could hear the laughter and voices of his comrades around him. Despite this, he felt nothing. His sociopathic side had risen again, and he viewed all of them as nothing but tools he could use to find Adonai.
"Each of them has their own value, like tools. It's not that I'm not trying to have feelings for them, but in truth, I am trying. It's just a long process. My heart is as cold as ice, and for years, I've been trying to light it up. For example, I dated every single one of them, I've tried smiling at them, and more. But honestly, nothing is working," Xialdre muttered to himself, expressing his thoughts.
Ahead of him, he saw Isayao, Clementine and Tailin happily playing; they were the youngest group. To his left were Natalia, Alixian, Furina, and Arisawa, who were around his age. To his right were Yuri, Alisha, and Emiko, the ones with more mature behavior and big breasts.
At the back of Xialdre were Rain, Asabe, and Xyrene, the eldest group, each from different races—Rain being a cat race, Asabe being a dragon race, and Xyrene being the Kraken herself. And in the middle of all the girls was Xialdre, their master.
The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Birds chirped melodiously, flowers bloomed vibrantly, and the trees swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves fluttering. Animals' calls filled the air, a testament to the bustling life of the forest. It was mating season, and frogs croaked loudly as they sought mates. Isayao noticed a pair of frogs in the midst of their ritual. With a mischievous grin, she grabbed one and hurled it toward Tailin.
"Tailin, catch!" Isayao yelled.
"Ribbit, ribbit," the frog croaked as it flew through the air. Tailin, terrified, screamed, "Ahhhh!" as the frog clung to her clothes before hopping away.
Isayao burst into laughter, while Clementine shook her head in disbelief. "Idiots," she muttered to herself.
Alixian giggles as a wind pass her making her hair sway in the air as it Casted through the sunlight by it's beauty.
As they continued through the thick forest, they stumbled upon a clearing by a river, perfect for setting up camp. Xialdre pulled a twenty-person tent out of his Pocket Domain.
"Eh, Master, where did you get this?" Natalia questioned.
"I created it myself," Xialdre responded.
"Really?" Natalia was shocked by his talent.
"My, my, I didn't know you were this creative, Xialdre. *Fufu*," Arisawa complimented.
"Do you girls sleep together with Xialdre?" Furina asked, curiosity evident in her tone.
"Isn't he a boy? Then that means..." Emiko trailed off.
"If you girls sleep with Xialdre every time you travel, does that mean you've done naughty things with him?" Alixian commented.
"I wish," Asabe replied immediately.
"No, no, of course not. Actually, we're still virgins," Natalia clarified.
The girls went out to take a bath in the river, catching fish and playing happily. Meanwhile, Xialdre settled their campsite along with Alisha, who also chose not to bathe in the river.
A cold wind passed, making the girls in the river shiver. Arisawa had brought her own teapot and sachets. Using simple fire magic, she brewed tea. Arisawa and Natalia, who also refrained from bathing, watched the other girls having fun in the river.
"Do you still hate me?" Xialdre questioned Alisha as they prepared the tent together.
This immediately caught the attention of Natalia and Arisawa. They subtly shifted their eyes to Alisha and Xialdre from where they sat.
"I don't know," Alisha responded.
"Why?" Xialdre pressed, curious.
"Because, first of all, you tortured me and kidnapped me out of my kingdom. But at the same time, you made me realize what life is like without being royalty—a life of an ordinary person, a life of freedom, a life without elegance. And I enjoyed it," Alisha exclaimed.
"Though I can't be angry at you now. You're my master after all, right? To be honest, as we traveled across the seas of Hassia and Satalias, I slowly developed feelings for you. The girls have told me a lot about you and how amazing you are," Alisha continued.
"Though inside, I know who you are. You're a sociopath, someone who lacks empathy and care for anyone. The girls told me that too. Despite knowing you don't care about them and see them as tools, they still continue to follow you."
"Morons, I thought to myself. But slowly, bit by bit, I realized you are quite attractive despite not being able to express the same feelings they do. And that's when I slowly realized I have forgiven you, and I started falling for you."
"If I were my past self, I would never say this, but... Xialdre, I love you—not as a comrade, but romantically. I know you can't express the same feelings I'm expressing towards you right now, so please try your hardest to finally feel something towards us."
Xialdre realized Alisha was in tears as she continued, "I have forgiven you, Xialdre, and I swear my full loyalty to you." Alisha smiled at Xialdre before wiping her tears, having finished preparing the tent. "That's all. I'll be bathing with the rest of the girls now."
As Alisha walked away, happy to have finally expressed her feelings confidently, Arisawa and Natalia giggled at each other, having overheard the conversation.
Xialdre shifted his eyes back to Natalia and Arisawa, who both smiled at him.
Later, the thirteen girls sat around the campfire with Xialdre. The night sky had already darkened, and they were cooking the fish they had caught, while some had already feasted on theirs.
The staggering lights of stars flashed in the sky, and a couple of shooting stars passed through the cold night. The seven moons glowed overhead as everyone enjoyed the night.
"Oh guys, how about we each tell horror campfire stories?" Natalia suggested.
"Well, that doesn't sound half bad," Furina agreed.
"Let's do it then!" Isayao yelled.
Tailin came running to Xialdre, pressing her body against him. "Eh, what's going on now?" Asabe asked.
"As you can see, guys, Tailin is actually pretty easily scared," Arisawa revealed.
"Sister, how dare you say that!" Tailin replied angrily.
"Ohhh, I've got a lot of campfire horror stories," Emiko added, being literally a ghost herself.
Tailin hid her face in Xialdre's chest as Xialdre patted her head, causing all the other girls to feel a pang of jealousy.
"Anyways, who should start?" Natalia asked.
The girls had fun telling stories, except for Tailin, who stayed in Xialdre's arms until she fell asleep. Gradually, the girls began to slumber one by one, leaving only Furina, Yuri, and Emiko still awake.
"My, my, don't they look so cute when they're asleep," Yuri commented.
Carefully, they moved the sleeping girls back to the tent and settled them in before going to bed themselves.
Xialdre woke up early, while it was still dark outside. Yawning, he sat up and noticed that Emiko was not in the tent. He remembered waking up to a strong gust of wind and seeing Emiko leaving the tent but had not bothered to get up then.
Now, he decided to look for her. Using his ability to locate his slaves, he tracked her through the thick wilderness. As he walked, he heard the faint sound of someone singing a lullaby or perhaps healing. It didn't bother him as he was eventually led to a clearing by another river. There, he saw Emiko walking in the water, singing softly.
Emiko's body was covered with bruises, and her eyes were pitch black. Her presence was dark as she shifted her gaze to Xialdre. Slowly, she began floating in the air, singing softly, gradually moving towards him. Xialdre remained unfazed, calmly heading towards Emiko as well.
When they were three feet apart, they both stopped. Emiko knelt down before him.
"Master... What made you come here?" Emiko asked, her tone and voice echoing across the wilderness.
"Emiko was not just a ghost but also an evil spirit. Despite her nature, she had lost to me and became my slave," Xialdre muttered to himself.
"In the past weeks, she had been struggling to hold herself back from feasting on her comrades. As an undead, her diet consisted of humans, and she often left her chest box to search for victims. But the day I opened her chest, something unexpected happened."
"That was the time she became my slave. She hasn't had proper food lately. Humans are her proper diet, and meat of animals and vegetables aren't the best for her body."
"And what she did right now, was the best for her and us. This is why her mouth is covered in blood," Xialdre concluded.
Emiko smiled lightly at Xialdre, her mouth covered with blood. "Did you murder the campers and feast on them?" Xialdre asked coldly.
Emiko giggled. "Yes. Are you going to kill me now that you've realized you have a literal monster on your team?"
"Come on, master. I know you wouldn't let me live for long. If I hadn't feasted on those campers, I could've died," Emiko exclaimed as her neck snapped. She laughed as her presence grew darker and darker.
Xialdre remained unaffected by her attempts to intimidate him. Her presence didn't faze him, and he felt no struggle or effort to comprehend her nature.
"Did I say I would kill you?" Xialdre replied.
This shocked Emiko. Xialdre's calm demeanor made her sweat as she realized that no matter what she did, there was no chance for her to bypass him.
"Are you going to have fun with my body first since you can touch me? Or will you make me suffer?" Emiko laughed maniacally.
"Clean up before the girls wake up," Xialdre replied smoothly.
"Eh?"
"I don't mind an evil, psychopathic spirit in our group. Besides, Asabe is a literal dragon king candidate, and Xyrene is the Kraken," Xialdre explained. "What matters is your loyalty to me. If you like to feast on humans, then do it. I don't mind. Besides, those campers were perverts anyway, right?"
"They've been sneaking on us the night we're camping. They were bad people anyway, so feasting on them was better than just killing them," Xialdre continued.
"But what if I manage to eat innocent people?" Emiko pressed.
"Do you really think I'll stop you?" Xialdre answered confidently.
Emiko shifted her eyes to Xialdre and realized they were the eyes of someone who had seen hell. Xialdre was intimidating and cold. She saw the eyes of a sociopath, someone who lacked empathy.
This made Emiko flustered and lost in Xialdre's gaze. She found him attractive. "Master..."
"Let's go," Xialdre replied.
As he started heading back to the tent, Emiko was silent for a minute, staring at Xialdre walking away, blushing.
She giggled and finally followed Xialdre back to the tent, fully swearing her loyalty to him.