"...Sheesh… I'm starving…" Rias shambled forwards like a zombie after helping her mother deal with the family's affairs for the whole day, feeling like she wanted to do nothing more than gorge herself on something sweet, take a bath, and then flop down on a bed to sleep until next week. "How did dad do that for years on end… I'm spent…"
"Ufufu, I feel like I dodged a bullet…" A familiar voice came from somewhere to Rias's side and she instantly lunged for it like a bloodthirsty beast catching a whiff of her prey, and Rias promptly buried her face into Akeno's boobs. "Ara? My, my, Rias-chan, not even a 'welcome back' to your old friend and ex-Queen before we go into fondling?"
"Uuugh, shut up… I need to calm down a bit…" Rias grumbled into Akeno's breasts for a moment before she pulled away and lifted her hands up in surrender, and then let them fall to her sides. "Right. I'm good. Welcome back, Akeno. How was your vacation?"
"Well, we ended up cutting it short because Azazel wanted Baraqiel to go and lead some formations to fight a particularly stubborn Devil house, since Serafall had to be rotated out of the frontline duties for some reason. Or that's at least as far as I managed to eavesdrop." Akeno looked around the outdoor walkway in Phenix manor. "Momon-kun's not around?"
"I'm not sure where he is, I think he mentioned something about frontlines during breakfast, but I've been swamped with paperwork and helping mom cope with the situation at hand so I haven't kept tabs on him… Not that I'm doing much better than mom, if I'm honest…" Rias's grumbling broke for a moment to let a sob mix into the grumbles. "Ugh, sorry… Don't mind me. Did you manage to catch up with your family?"
"Rias-chan. I can see you're hurting from a mile away… I'm alright now. Mom is happy, and Baraqiel seems to be doing fine." Akeno came to Rias's support and reached to pat her cheeks. "I'm sorry for letting you be alone in your grief, I thought Momon-kun would support you."
"No, it's not that… He's too busy with the war effort to think about what I'm going through, I think, but… yeah, I suppose…" Rias looked like her resolve was wavering and she promptly looked down while sighing hard. "...Mom is not doing too well… Dad died, and Momon says he can't bring him back, Sirzehcs-nii died, and Momon says he won't bring him back, and Grayfia-nee is definitely hostile to Momon and I worry that she'll do something stupid and then she too is a goner… At least Shuri is back so you have your family back together…"
Akeno hugged Rias against her chest and held her tight as the red-head's last words had been quite bitter. "I'm sorry. Seeing me take a vacation with my family intact when yours had just shattered must have hurt. I didn't think to consider your feelings."
"No, it's alright, I'm no longer your King and it's unfair if I demanded you to sacrifice your own happiness because I was miserable." Rias pushed Akeno away with shaky hands. "It's just… Haa, I feel like everything is just going wrong. The reports I've seen and what I've gathered indicate that the True God's faction is steamrolling the devil houses who elected to keep their loyalties with the Maous, but I can't help but to feel that what's going to follow is not an era of peace and prosperity but something more sinister…"
"Ara? Rias-chan is fortune telling again?"
"No, that's not the case. And just because I get a bad feeling every now and then doesn't mean I can see the future!" Rias stomped her feet angrily for a moment but calmed down as soon as she realized what she was doing. "Haa, sorry, sorry, I keep losing my patience…"
"...It looks like this is quite serious." Akeno's expression turned quite serious as she analyzed Rias's expression. "In that case, I need to bring out the big guns."
"Eh?" Rias paused for a while before her expression lightened up quite a bit as she saw Akeno's determined expression.
"Strawberry and chocolate ice-cream cake!" Akeno announced while pointing at the sky while Rias said much the same while pointing up with her other hand on her hip. "Let's gooo!"
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Venelana let a fragile smile cross her face as she spied on Rias's whereabouts through a magical tag she had placed on her daughter when she hadn't been looking in order to keep track of her and so that she could try to help Rias if she ran into problems with Momon, and Venelana heard Rias's banter with her ex-Queen through the tag. '...Rias, I'm glad you have friends like that… I can't do much to help you in the time I have left, but I'll do everything I can… So please stay strong…'
The papers in front of the now-ruler of Gremory House were filled with text and diagrams of Gremory house's affairs. Many of the papers had been sealed with wax that contained Venelana's blood and magic to ensure the seal's validity, and delivered to her via a messenger who had dropped the papers off and left, escorted by a group of Phenix house's soldiers.
Instructing Gremory house from within the confines of another house was quite difficult, and assuring Gremory's allied minor houses that she wasn't being held against her will even more difficult- After all, it would be hard to convince the minor nobility that they should keep following Venelana's orders when the house's affairs were led from a noble in captivity. But Venelana was keenly aware of what could happen if her people made careless decisions and ended up becoming rogue or hostile to the so-called True God through some harebrained plans such as attempting to break Venelana out of her captivity.
Venelana had been hearing reports from the frontlines daily as her old contacts in the houses who had declared their loyalties to the Maous in face of Momon's inquiry were culled, either by sword of war, dagger of internal betrayal, or flight to friendly houses- But there was only so far that one could walk back before they'd hit their back on the wall. And so shrunk the number of contacts Venelana had to the outside world, at least if she ignored the communication channels that Momon's sycophants had set up for her.
Caitlin Phenix, now reinstated into her old position as Lady of Phenix House in all but name as she had taken to helping the Young Lady Phenix in the day-to-day affairs, had stopped by a few times in Venelana's quarters, or rather her gilded prison, and each time the smug blonde woman had mocked her fellow noble for her resistance- Not with words, but subtly in the blonde woman's submissive yet proud stance and motion, practically celebrating her captivity instead lf rejecting it.
After all, the blonde woman was in much the position as Venelana, only that she was held captive in her own home. Yet she had embraced the captivity and Venelana had even heard the blonde woman call Momon 'hubby' and 'love' on occasion when Lady Phenix hadn't been paying attention to her words, causing Venelana's insides to curl in cold fear that the fellow noblewoman had lost her senses entirely and had fallen to psychosis.
An off-hand comment from the blonde woman in which she mentioned how she wanted to become pregnant with Momon's child had solidified the fact even further, making Venelana utterly terrified as to what would become of her in turn.
'...I do not know what sorcery, foul power or torment Momon has used on Caitlin to change her so, but I can only assume he's holding me here to do the same to me when the time comes… Those past encounters are an ill sign, yet he chose to take Caitlin in that room while he looked like a teenager and shooed me off- What is Momon trying to achieve with these conflicting signs? Rias says that he keeps things from her but tries to be as open as he can, which means he's lying to her. However, Rias hasn't been subjected to the same torment as Caitlin has been, or rather what torments her child, Ravel has been…' Venelana's thoughts ran the same track they had been stuck on for days now, rotating between worry for Rias to terror towards her own fate, to fear as to what would finally befall her already-grief struck family. '...The men of families that Momon touches seem to die off or suffer and fall. Is Momon after the women of the noble families? It would fit the modus operandi of the True God's Church, yet he has not carried through the act he started with me even if he came dangerously close to doing so, nor has he touched Grayfia as far as I'm aware… Millicent is alive as well, but is that because he's Grayfia's son? Or just a hostage that he keeps to hold me and Grayfia in line?'
'Or… If that pregnancy comment from Caitlin was anything to go by, does… Does Momon mean to impregnate each of the noble ladies that he has confined here and tie our families to him that way? The way he treated the daughter of Agares is a clue as well… It's clear that Momon doesn't respect a 'no', nor are such things as decency, respect or concern for others on his mind, this brutal conquest is a clear indicator of such… The trauma of the civil war is still fresh, yet he wages a new one in the Underworld with Angels by his side… A decent devil would have just accepted being declared Stray rather than try to break the whole society and condemn countless innocent to slaughter…' The door to the on-the-surface comfortable and well lit office room opened, breaking Venelana from her brooding, and Grayfia walked in while carrying a tray that contained a mixture of items from tea and sweet drinks to coffee and other stimulants.
Venelana glanced at the drinks and noted that the selection allowed Venelana to choose whether to retire for the night or continue working. However, the interruption allowed her to switch her mindsets a bit in order to look at the situation from the other side. '...Then again, strategically speaking it'd be advantageous to try to get into Momon's good graces, no matter how much of a monster he is, and pregnancy would likely guarantee at least nine months of relative safety in this time or chaos and turmoil since Momon has practically won this war already. It may be that Caitlin has thought this through further than I, and likely values her life, the sanctity of her body and bond with her late husband with different weights than I… If I didn't respect Zeoticus's memory or our shared life, nor what happened to my body, I would have likely reached the same conclusion as the illustrious noble lady of Phenix…'
Venelana shook herself out of it as her thoughts had become bitter, mocking and cynical at the end, and she could not afford any of such luxuries in her current situation.
She glanced at the bruise in Grayfia's throat that had been left by Venelana's attempt to strangle the maid, and noted that Grayfia's eyes were glazed-over and lifeless as if she had lost all hope as she placed the refreshments tray on a coffee table.
Venelana's fist curled up out of instinct and she had to visibly hold her back in order to not lunge for the traitorous cur who had betrayed her son and enabled Momon to rise smoothly to the position he was in, and who now served as Venelana's 'maid' as a cruel jest.
A second maid stepped from behind Grayfia and placed a tray containing confectionaries on the coffee table in front of a couch.
The second maid wore an emotionless expression, but Venelana could tell from the sparkle in the maid's eyes that she was keenly observing Grayfia's movements and mimicking them with hidden enthusiasm.
It might have even seemed cute, like a apprentice following their master's every more in a youthful strive to learn a profession, but the number on the side of the maid's temple told Venelana of her real nature- Which was to be both a guard and a executioner for Venelana, and possibly for Grayfia as well if her glazed-over expression was anything to go by.
'...I see. When Momon spoke about choices, he gave me a choice to either surrender my body to him, or forgive Grayfia. In other words, since I took the former option, it appears that Momon has decided to throw the traitor to the wolves and tie off loose ends from his sudden rise to power… Figures that the option was a sham, he must have planned to cross out Grayfia from the start and merely used the chance to give me the illusion of choice.' Venelana's face stretched to a cruel smile as she saw Grayfia shamble out of the room like a zombie, with the maid with the number on her face following her with precise and lethal steps. 'As befitting of a traitorous bitch like her… Ah… He must have Censured Grayfia, left her as a rotting husk of a body that still walks yet is mindless… That makes sense… Kukuku…'
It felt odd for Venelana to be so vindictive and vicious as she had mellowed out quite a bit after the first civil war in Underworld, but the anger from Grayfia's betrayal and her Bael blood had spurned Venelana back to hate- And she knew that she couldn't so much as inconvenience the reason for her suffering and loss, Momon, so she had to be satisfied with the small vengeance she was given like a coin flicked to a beggar, even if it was done so because the passerby was disgusted at how filthy the coin was and had nothing to do with goodwill towards the beggar.
The whole situation thus left Venelana clenching and unclenching her hands in indecisive vitriol. '...Haa, I wonder how Caitlin does that… When I think of Momon I think of nothing but hate, yet she can even proclaim to want his children and consider him her love. Meanwhile he has taken her children and husband from her much like he has done to mine, except for the one that he has married… I would respect her clarity of thinking, were it not so twisted and insane, and something that I am eventually forced to do as well.'
Venelana lifted herself up from her office chair with some effort as her body felt lethargic and alien to her, as if she was in a dream, and she knew why- She had pledged it to Momon, and she was already mentally distancing herself from her body so that when the monster came to claim what was his, she would at least be able to reduce the pain and humiliation of the act.
She walked up to the couch and promptly collapsed on it, and after a while reached for a brew that had thick honeyed aroma, recognizing it to be something that'd help her frayed, stressed-out and bitter mind get sleep.
A part of her chuckled at the irony, at how easy it would be for Grayfia to simply poison the food and take Venelana out that way, but at the same time Venelana couldn't care less- After all, the Supreme Being had told her that death was no longer a option available to her, so she did not care if she drank poison or not.
Neither would release her from her suffering. The 'resurrections' of the True God's Church were indicator enough that she was trapped on the mortal coil until Momon chose to discard her.
And so Venelana drifted off to sleep after shambling to her assigned bedroom and taking her clothes off, only wishing that the nightmare would come to an end, and squashing the instinctive fascination that her devil blood showed towards Momon's absolute power and authority.
However, the treacherous devil blood managed to force Venelana's dozing-off mind to wonder if Gremory House could become as influential as Phenix house was set to become in the new underworld order… If only Venelana put her pride and love towards her dead son and dead husband aside.
The thought plagued her until she finally fell asleep.
'...Like how Zeoticus and I put Rias's pride and love aside in order to honor the loveless marriage contract with Riser… What a wretched fate… Rias, I'm so very sorry, I never realized a contract like that would hurt this much… If I had known I would have never allowed Zeoticus to make that contract between you and Riser… I wonder if I do deserve this pain...'
.
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"...So, you're saying the Evil Dragons in Kuoh got absolutely devastated?"
"Yes, Rivezim-san." Belial sighed at the Son of the Original Lucifer who was sitting on a lazy boy-type cushioned chair and was balancing it precariously on two rear legs.
"Whew. Did you figure out who did that? Was it the one who sent that surge of power all around and knocked over my piece of art?"
"...It was a house of cards, of course it was going to fall."
"And I'm going to get my vengeance for it, you know?" Rivezim's vein pulsed on his temple. "Names."
"Right, by the location I'm guessing that it was Momon, either as a True God or as the Supreme Being. I'm betting on the former, considering that tentacle-sun would fit his m.o." Belial sighed, and hid a smirk as Rivezim's chair fell over as the devil froze slightly in surprise. "But there's been sightings of Momon in the Underworld of late, so I don't think he has killed the Evil Dragons in Kuoh at the same time."
"Huh, any ideas who the unknown killer might be? I was kinda attached to the Evil Dragons." Rivezim looked thoughtful and a bit sad as he climbed up and kicked the cushy chair upright before hopping to sit on its back-rest.
"...Were you really?" Belial was doubtful of Rivezim's expression.
"No, not at all. But I really thought they'd be able to do more than just fly around, snatch some humans, and then get fucking murdered by something random. Well, I suppose I should have figured out that Mo-kun had done that." Rivezim waved his hand dismissively, the earlier expression of sadness now gone from his face without a trace. "So, I'm guessing that either there's some new power at play, or alternatively… I heard Mo-kun has been in the Underworld as of late but hasn't been doing anything important?"
"The few infiltrators that the Khaos Brigade has managed to get into the True God's Cult, at least until they became useless to us due to the cult's training methods, report that Momon has been in the Underworld and from the sound of it, has been busy with administrative affairs. There haven't been many sightings of him, except for one near the front-lines some time ago." Belial answered neutrally.
"Which, naturally, means that Mo-kun stuck a fake or a body-double to take care of the paperwork and PR stunts while he went off to goof off. That's what I would do if confronted by taxes or paperwork." Rivezim nodded seriously while holding his chin with his hand and tapping his cheek with his forefinger, stuck in a pseudo 'thinker' pose on top of the lazy boy chair's back-rest. "Great minds think alike, after all."
"..." Belial had to use a lot of willpower to keep his resignation from showing on his face as Rivezim had mostly used him or Katarina Leviathan as such a 'body-double' when Khaos Brigade needed high-level administrative work done. "Speaking of our affairs, the Maou-aligned devils are getting killed en masse by Momon's regime, including not an insignificant number of Old Maou-faction devils and even Khaos Brigade's hideouts that have been discovered and wiped out- Which by all accounts should have been hidden even now. I've taken liberty to have the surviving ones relocate to more remote locations but we still lost quite a few places from where the Khaos Brigade could strike. I suspect that an internal mole-"
"Oh, that'd be Diodora-kun stabbing us in the back, I suspect." Rivezim nodded his head in a good-natured manner. "He swapped sides some time ago, I think. I first thought we should kidnap his fiance to get him off our back, but after I approached the girl in a dark alleyway in a disguise and took her out for a non-consensual date, I suspect it'd be more cruel to just let nature take its course with those two. Alimony's a bitch and a half, just ask my late pa-pa'h. Hehe."
Belial was quiet for a moment. "...You knew the hideouts were compromised but didn't inform anyone?"
"I suspected, but didn't want to bother correcting the rules of nature. After all, the strong get all the good stuff and the weak get murked." Rivezim shrugged and then leaned back on his recliner. "Chaos is always fun, no matter if it's external, internal, emotional, or psychological. And it's been fun seeing the lower-tier sheepies running around in panic. Mo-kun takes care of the macroscale chaos and I take care of poking ants with long sticks, at least for now since it looks like Mo-kun's got a good killstreak going and it'd be a shame to interrupt a montage like that. Efficiency is very important for evil schemes, you know? And the dress code. Specifically that."
Belial closed his eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them while looking up at the ceiling. "...The things I do for vengeance…"
Rivezim giggled a bit in a good-natured way at Belial's words.
.
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Momonga wondered how the situation had turned out the way it had, as was usual for him by that point.
'I wonder when I'll stop being surprised this happens?' The man sighed and tried to rack his brains for easy answers. Unfortunately, he was in a bit of a pinch and Ddraig had tapped out as well and had gone to sleep since it didn't seem as if there was anything going on that'd interest the dragon- Which Momonga suspected was the dragon's way of giving him a moment of privacy, which he definitely appreciated.
Nonetheless, as soon as Momonga had stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room of his quarters in Phenix castle-manor, he had discovered that there was a small crowd in the room.
Kuroka was looking around in a more than a bit nervous manner, all the while she was holding Koneko in front of her and had tied her hands around the girl's waist to keep her still. Or rather, she had tied her arms around the young woman's waist, as while Koneko's facial features were still somewhat recognizable, she appeared more like her big sister in terms of physical features than her earlier definitely-not-legal body.
However, that didn't make Momonga feel any more at ease, or that he was doing a crime by staring even if Koneko in her somehow-now-mature body looked like she was more than fine with the staring.
Meanwhile Rossweisse was letting out a small, quiet growl-slash-whines of annoyance as she stuck to Momonga's side and was holding his hand in hers. It looked like she was feeling quite possessive as she was clad in a bath-robe after she and Momonga had just gotten out of the bath, which had nearly ended up in lewd acts except for Rossweisse's cute request for the two of them to go to bed to do it.
Momonga glanced to the side and noted that Irina was looking conflicted, while Xenovia had a strange expression that was something akin to a mixture of gratitude, regret and some other emotion that seemed to flicker too often for [Actor] to deduce it.
Meanwhile Ravel and her mother were sampling warm drinks while sitting on a couch some distance away, with a coffee table laden with light drinks and confectionaries in front of them, and the duo were seemingly unfazed with the awkward stare-down happening on the other side of the room.
"Ahem, I wanted to come and thank you for forgiving Griselda-sama from my foolish ideas." Xenovia coughed and started the conversation. "I deeply appreciate your guidance, my Lord and Master."
'Forgive who? What?'
"M-my lord, I've finished teaching Koneko the essentials of Senjutsu by means of unlocking her Kasha and Touji, and teaching her to temporarily transform her body with Senjutsu." Kuroka looked like she got spooked by Xenovia's sudden declaration and spoke her piece with quick words. "She is ready for you, my lord! Just, um, p-please allow me to be present so that I may ensure that, ah… t-that, um… if it isn't a problem…"
Kuroka seemed to pause to search for words while looking more and more nervous.
Momonga stared at her for a moment as he deciphered the nekoshou's words while putting Xenovia's words to the side for a moment. It looked like the blue-haired girl noticed and developed a small angry tick on her temple as she stared at the nekoshou who had interrupted her. '...Umu, so senjutsu allowed Koneko to have a lewd body for a moment? There's more to Senjutsu than just acting catty? Wait, hold on, when I went through Kuroka's memories… Ah. Right. Senjutsu can do all sorts of things, but why is she so ner- wait.'
He recalled the memories he'd seen when he had used [Control Amnesia] to make Kuroka forget about the Overlord General and her discovering that Momonga was, even if accidentally, the Supreme Being… And realized a tidbit that he had overlooked in a hurry and thanks to the hectic schedule ever since hadn't had time to recall until then- Namely, that Senjutsu apparently allowed one to protect their mind against mind-controlling abilities.
In other words… 'W-wait, Kuroka knew who I was all along after I took her to the Underworld?'
The sudden surge of paranoia was clearly sensed by Rossweisse as Momonga's grip must have tightened on her hand, and Rossweisse gripped back while moving a bit closer to Momonga's flank almost reassuringly. Luckily though Momonga managed to use [Actor] to stop the surprise from showing up in his body language otherwise.
The touch allowed Momonga to push aside the surge of paranoia even quicker as it gave him something to distract himself with, and redirect the nervousness to quick review of Kuroka's actions until now- Namely, how her nervousness made suddenly way more sense, and recontextualized Vali's murder. '...I figured that it was to protect Koneko from being caught in the crossfire between me and Vali, but could it be that it was Kuroka's way of protecting me? But I saw that the Overlord General had done such horrible things to her, why'd she help me if she knew what was going on? I figured she'd have tried to grab Koneko and run- Ah, wait. She did that at the start, but then I caught up to her and that must have made her realize that there was no escape after I mind-wiped her and she cleared her head with Senjutsu, or something like that?'
Momonga resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands in exasperation and shame as he realized that he had inadvertently did the same to Kuroka as to what had happened to Ravel without even realizing it, as he recognized Kuroka's mannerisms and contrasted to how Ravel had become what she was now- That being, smirking smugly alongside her mother while drinking cocoa some distance away and looking at Kuroka's shaking.
However, it looked like Kuroka was still in the 'deathly afraid' phase of conversion so Momonga couldn't breathe easy just yet. Not that he could do that anyway, the situation being what it was. '...Sheesh. Well, Kuroka hasn't stabbed me in the back or screamed who I really was, and it's not like there aren't others already who are in the know… But seriously! Am I the only one who thinks that me being the Supreme Being is still a secret?!'
Nonetheless, the not-exactly-self-titled 'True God' realized that he needed to act the part without being too overt as Momonga was fairly sure Xenovia and Irina didn't know about him being the villain of his own heroic story of rise to power, and he wasn't sure if the two of them would react as 'positively' as the rest of the people in the room, all of whom Momonga either knew or suspected knew who he really was. '...Koneko must know as well. She probably knew from the start since she had senjutsu, and from the way she acted like I was a monster… That debacle with Koneko in the library of my manor in Human World couple of months ago should have been enough of a clue. But I'm guessing that no-one believed her. Sheesh, was my disguise always that spotty?'
"Umu, good job, Kuroka-san. I knew you could do it. Well done, Koneko-san." Momonga sweated internally as he looked at Kuroka's panicked expression and saw as it became a bit more serene if slightly worried. "Xenovia, I trust everything is fine otherwise with the church-side of things? You're helping with Xenovia's workload, yes?"
"Uh, yeah, I suppose…" Irina looked like she was hesitating as she shuffled awkwardly, glancing between Koneko's lewd expression, Rossweisse's suspicious one, and the duo of blondes in the corner who looked at the whole conversation with amused expressions as if they were watching a live-action performance of some sort.
"In addition to thanking my lord for his guidance,I've come to offer my body once again. Please ravage me to your heart's desire." Xenovia noted after Irina had grown quiet, causing the girl to let out an embarrassed squeak. "Moreover, it is my firm belief that Irina wishes to spend time with my lord. I suggest that we combine the acts in order to save my lord's valuable time."
"T-that is not what we talked about! I'm not- T-that's!" Irina seemed to trip over her words. "Issei-kun, please tell, erm, s-sorry, Momon-sama, please tell her that's not the case! I'd like to go on a date with you, just the two of us, to think about the past and stuff and figure out things from there!"
'Haa…' Momonga realized the problem. Which he had seen from a mile away but hadn't had time and opportunity to address. 'It's as Ddraig said, I haven't spent nearly enough time with my group of followers to form proper bonds. Ainz Ooal Gown raided for years until we formed the bonds we had, yet in the end we drifted apart as the guys stopped logging on and I never heard of them since. Not that I really knew them in real life… I'm glad we had those experiences, but in the end only I remained…'
Momonga reached to pat Rossweisse's hand as she let out a small grumble when she heard Irina's words. 'I'm guessing Rossweisse guessed what I thought about the whole Issei thing. I'm glad if she's feeling offended on my behalf but it's alright… After all, from Irina's point of view I'm still probably 'Issei but bigger and different', much like how Rias was until some time ago. I've not spent enough time with her to think otherwise, and while I could theoretically reject her it'd be really bad for public relations to effectively excommunicate one of the two major public non-Angel figures in the True God's Church's leadership.'
He couldn't blame Irina for her hesitancy. However, the problem came from the other onlookers in the room- Namely that he couldn't be too easy-going when Ravel and Lady Phenix had started to chuckle quietly when they heard Irina refer to Momonga as Issei, and Kuroka looked a bit worried and grateful as if Irina had jumped in front of a mad beast and distracted her from mauling Kuroka by getting herself mauled instead.
So, even though Momonga felt somewhat dirty about misleading the girl, it was but a small grain of dirt in the sea of filth that Momonga's conscience was swimming in.
Rossweisse, meanwhile, clearly read the room as well… And coughed. "That's great, Irina-san, but Momon-sama's schedule is really full right now, as you know, so don't be offended if I point out that your request might come across as a bit ill-timed… Speaking of timing, Momon-kun, do you think it'd be a good idea to ask someone to take care of your time schedule regarding dating? I'm certain there's a lot of girls that are lining up for your attention, not to mention that, eh, you're married as well… T-that's actually really lecherous and inappropriate, now that I think about it…"
Momonga realized that Rossweisse must have realized Momonga's dilemma and had come in from the side to distract Irina and Rossweisse in order to let him refocus his thoughts.
"Hmm?" A hum came from the Phenix corner of the room and Momonga noted that Lady Phenix and Ravel were both now paying keen attention to the conversation… And Momonga realized that when the subject of the 'date-schedule' had come up both of the blondes had suddenly started to take things seriously.
Kuroka's cat-ears seemed to perk up as well, albeit hesitantly almost as if she wasn't sure if she was allowed to participate in the conversation.
"Ah, of course. Indeed, between all the more important matters that take Momon-sama's attention it's foolish for us to think that Momon-sama would have time to spare for us mere mortals at our whims. Therefore proper scheduling is important to maximize the amount of sexual acts lord Momon has with as many girls as possible, as is fitting for the True God." Xenovia nodded resolutely while having her hands on her hips and standing in a wide, headstrong stance that utterly dominated the space on her and Irina's side, even if Irina hadn't blushed to her eyebrows, squeaked something, and waved her hands wildly in front of Xenovia to stop her. However Xenovia wouldn't be budged from her stance. "I shall gladly bear this burden of ensuring my lord has an adequate amount of time to breed each woman in his vicinity!"
'T-that's…' Momonga had frozen on the spot as the part of him that was Suzuki Satoru received critical morals damage from Xenovia's speech and was stunned for a minute.
"Naturally, as Master's preferred fuck-hole I shall take on this task. I shall ensure that Lord Momon will always have a selection of prettiest and shapeliest females as cock-sleeves to impregnate at his leisure, and I shall cut the throat of anyone who dares to allow their bodies become loose enough to lower my master's pleasure. I'll also take care of cleaning away the useless females who break from my master's rough fucking and toss them to the meat grinder to be fed to the pigs, as is fitting for worthless meat like that." Ravel interjected and Momonga glanced at her, noting that the blonde girl had put her hand daintily on her breasts while closing her eyes and appearing like a prim and proper noble lady, even if her words were anything but that. "The flow of disposable living onaholes will be endless, and all sorts of delicacies will be available for my lord to sample. This I swear."
'...Right, harebrained ideas are abundant when Ravel acts like a proper little lady. Yubelluna's hint keeps on giving…' Momonga sweated internally and glanced at Lady Phenix for help.
"My lord, if I may be so bold, I have a total of three hundred years of experience in managing harems, namely that of Ravel's father's which was at one point quite extensive. I have not heard of a complaint in regards to this. If my lord wished, I can ensure that all parties involved will be satisfied with the arrangement." Lady Phenix supplied her opinion with calm, collected voice and content expression while holding a cup of what looked like milky tea in her hands, striking the pose of a calm and confident noblewoman even if Momonga detected underlying nervousness underneath the pose through [Actor]. "Of course, I believe that with some tutoring Ravel will be more than capable of doing much the same, if my lord prefers her to handle this prestigious task. In such a case I'll be delighted to assist her and teach her the ways of managing a harem in a way that ensures that my lord is satisfied."
"T-that's… Um, Momon-kun, I can't boast about experience or anything else but I think I'll be able to do the managing part at least, so, uh, that is… erm… H-how'd it come to this, I didn't mean to…" Rossweisse blushed to the color of a tomato while letting go of Momonga's hand in order to tap her fingers together in a guilty manner. "T-that is, if you don't mind then I'd be happy to do the paperwork necessary for, um, making schedules and timetables, I think?"
'...Yeah, 'how did it come to this' is a good question indeed.' Momonga was stunned at the sudden change in the conversation, and wasn't sure if he should feel thankful for Rossweisse trying to help him at the start or feel annoyed at how she had ended up opening a can of worms with the help that probably should have stayed closed. However Momonga couldn't blame her as he should have been able to come up with some convenient excuse by himself to stop the situation from going too far. 'Ddraig's asleep so that avenue of advice is cut. Hm… Well, considering how ero-world methods have worked, I should probably consider those as well. It's not like my normal repertoire of YGGDRASIL skills have much utility in imminent relationship drama anyway, outside [Control Amnesia] and Kuroka can resist it anyway.'
"I see… How about a competition instead?" Momonga suggested a competition more to dodge the question in order to postpone answering or distract the crowd long enough for them to forget about it. "The winner gets to help me arrange my schedule regarding dating.." 'Sheesh, that sounds ridiculous even in my head, I can't believe I'm speaking it aloud with a straight face…' "...With the caveat that I'll reserve the right to make alterations to the schedule as necessary."
"I shall triumph at any task!" Xenovia's announcement was bold and headstrong, while Irina blushed and lifted her hand up as if to volunteer.
"Of course, my love…" "...My master." A pair of voices volunteered from the blonde duo in seeming unison, and Momonga realized a problem.
'Wait, this doesn't sound like a fair competition- Rias isn't here, neither is Sona, or Yubelluna, Xuelan, Akeno or Yasaka… Er, although I'm fairly sure Yasaka wouldn't care much since our union is mostly politically aligned with a caveat for shared sort-of parenthood of Kunou…' Momonga wasn't sure if he should go for a delaying tactic, but realized that he couldn't appear indecisive- While Rossweisse would likely understand, Ravel, Lady Phenix and Kuroka would most likely start to doubt him if he showed weakness and Xenovia would likely take the indecision and run with it as if it was some sort of divine guidance. "What about you two, Kuroka, Koneko? Ah, I realize that I've done you injustice, Koneko-san. After all, we're not dating so I feel that my question was inappropriate."
Kuroka looked surprised and more than a bit glad that Momonga asked her about participating, but the happiness turned to horror as soon as Momonga apologized to Koneko. Meanwhile both Ravel and Lady Phenix looked quite amused as they glanced at the pair of nekoshou.
'Wait, what was that?' Momonga feared that he had made some sort of mistake but he wasn't sure where. Xenovia and Irina merely tilted their heads at the Phenix duo's strange shift in expressions.
"M-my lord! I assure you that both I and Koneko are capable of competing, it's just that- t-that, ah, w-we share the competition as one! You see, as we Nekoshou are so few in number it's rare for there to be sisters in a family, therefore we have bonded so deeply that we are practically one person! This is even more true with Senjutsu uniting the two of us! As Koneko's body shows, we are like one!" Kuroka panicked instantly, making Momonga realize what was going on.
'Right, Ravel-school of terror. Of course. That was foolish of me, by insinuating that Koneko wasn't in the 'competition' I insinuated that she was 'out', and in 'Supreme Being Logic' that would effectively mean the same as 'off with her head'.' Momonga wanted to kick himself for lapsing in judgment. Moreover both Ravel and her mother clearly saw through Kuroka's panicked excuse as clearly as Momonga, and were clearly waiting to see the nekoshou's punishment.
Unfortunately, that put Momonga in a position where he was forced to either go ahead with the dismissal of Koneko, which would definitely be misinterpreted no matter how descriptive he'd be and thus cause Kuroka to turn on him as he was well aware how loyal the nekoshou was to her sister. Or he could punish Kuroka for her lying to appease the Phenix duo which would likely cause Koneko to turn hostile to Momonga once she regained her senses. And if he just did nothing then he'd show weakness to the Phenix duo and indecisiveness to Xenovia and Irina who'd probably deliver the indecisiveness to the Cult.
'...Damn. This has gotten seriously complicated in just a few careless words…' Momonga felt worried, but it looked like Rossweisse had caught onto it and moved forwards.
"I see! I think I heard something about that when I studied as a Valkyrie! You see, we had courses on various mythical species and the poor birth rates of Nekoshou are well documented." Rossweisse nodded while having closed her eyes and crossed her arms as if in deep thought. "I think allowing Kuroka-san and Koneko-san to compete as one entry is justified, owing to their special circumstances."
"...Umu, I agree. Rossweisse-san has a good point." Momonga mentally thumbed up Rossweisse for her save while resisting the urge to glance worriedly at the Phenix duo who had gained calm and controlled expressions, yet not quite hiding their sudden fright. It wasn't a huge jump in logic to figure out that it was because Momonga had forgiven Kuroka yet the duo had acted smug at the nekoshou prior to it..
Kuroka, meanwhile, breathed out a huge sigh of relief even if she tried to disguise it as her reaching to mumble something into Koneko's cat-ear.
It looked like the breath was too much for the white-haired nekoshou as she let out a loud 'Nyaaan' as a response.
"S-so, what is the competition about?" Rossweisse turned to glance at Momonga.
'Huh… I didn't think about that, actually… It should probably be something that everyone can participate in, so-'
"Naturally, sex. First to be pregnant wins." Xenovia interjected before Momonga could make up his mind.
"Breed me, nyan~ My body feels too hot, nyaan~" Koneko seemed to break out of her earlier silence even if Kuroka hastily slapped her hand on Koneko's mouth.
"Indeed, I feel that this is a suitable challenge." Ravel agreed.
"Naturally, as a matter of course." Lady Phenix nodded easily.
"Eeek?!" Rossweisse blushed to her eyebrows.
"U-uh, w-what about a test of cutting? If we get a bunch of straw targets we can compete to see who can cut through most with one swing…" Irina suggested a bit warily while she had a raging blush on her face and a wavering look in her eyes.
"Denied." "Foolish." Unlikely." "T-that's… A good suggestion, Irina-san?" "Nooo- Nya! I want to bree- umhp!" A chorus of voices answered Irina, some more disapproving than others while Kuroka hurriedly covered Koneko's mouth as she had squirmed free once again.
'U-umu…' Momonga felt a bit of resignation that things seemed to have turned ero-way once again. However he didn't dislike it as spending some time with the group of women that had slowly formed around him wasn't something that he was opposed to, not to mention he felt as if he had been too passive of late and all of the acts had been initiated by the ladies. 'Umu… There don't seem to be many guys in my current circle of associates, come to think of it… There's Yuuto-kun, Michael-san and Azazel-san, but I wouldn't really call any of them friends in the same way I could call my friends in Ainz Ooal Gown friends with whom I'd just hang around and do stupid things with…'
However, Momonga couldn't really feel alone either, as while he had despaired for a long time at the fact he was beset by potential dangers from every side if he slipped, his talk and venting with Rossweisse had made him realize that the situation wasn't as critical as he had thought- Namely through knowing that Rossweisse knew a lot about him and hadn't rejected him for it, even if both of them knew that both sides had financial and power-related incentives to keep each other's company. That there was a way for Momonga to unwind and let loose without compromising himself too badly.
It would be naive for Momonga to think that such a thing would be universal, nor that it wasn't dangerous for him to trust Rossweisse that much, but the venting had allowed him the clarity to realize that his biggest enemy was most definitely himself. Or more specifically his biggest friend and enemy was his paranoia that was simultaneously a tool that had kept him safe but at the same time hindered his potential and more importantly, self-confidence.
'...Buying into one's own hype is dangerous, but at the same time, Ddraig is right in saying that being too timid and defensive makes me equally vulnerable- Wait, this is not the time for this sort of line of thinking!' Momonga snapped back into reality as he realized that he had almost slipped into the trap of self-cheerleading once again. "Umu, in that case I propose that I oversee the 'competition' one at a time. Any objections?"
"My lord, if I may…" Ravel smiled serenely as she lifted her hand slightly, making Momonga worried. "This foolish woman proposes that I am first in the line-"
The room exploded in squabble almost instantly, with some of the participants being more squeaky and embarrassed than the others but definitely sharing the sentiment.
"Right, nevermind. I can see that you are all willing and eager and I'm glad that is the case- In that case I propose I'll take all of you at the same time." Momonga sweated internally while feeling more than a bit worried that his words would sound too corny or pushy. 'Between my stamina and those super-tantric potions Serafall made for me, I should be able to do it… Besides, this should be a good exercise for me in terms of me building resistance to the 'side effect' of lewdness of the mana potions. It wouldn't be good if I had to drink a few during combat to restore my mana and I went on a lewd rampage as a result of the side-effect.'
Rossweisse had been pointing her finger up in a lecturing manner and froze utterly when she heard Momonga's words. A second later steam started to rise from the top of her head while her upwards pointed finger began to shake.
Irina hid behind Xenovia.
Xenovia promptly bent over and pulled her pants off.
Koneko's lewd look turned even more lewd, likely due to her 'heat'.
Kuroka blinked and instinctively hugged Koneko closer.
Ravel and her mother merely curtsied in unison before turning to head towards the bedroom with nearly identical, refined gait and sway of hips.
'U-umu, I think that went better than asking them to form a line?' Momonga analyzed the situation and nodded internally as it looked like everything had turned out somewhat fine, and reached to check Rossweisse's temperature as she looked like she'd overheat.
The white-haired woman spasmed as if the touch shocked her, while she let out a protesting whine and small tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Muuuuh… B-but we were supposed to have a romantic date with a good ending…"
"We have eternity to have those just for the two of us." Momonga noted while reaching up to stroke Rossweisse's cheek with the back of his hand, and leaned closer to her to whisper to her ear. "Besides, it's not like we can't go on another date. And countless ones after that. After all, you're mine. Our fates entwined."
Rossweisse blushed somehow even harder, somehow, and nodded. "U-um, in that case… Please be gentle with me?"
"Sure, if that's what you are into." Momonga kissed Rossweisse on the lips in a chaste manner before withdrawing, leaving the woman blinking while putting her hand on her lips in a surprised, cute and innocent manner.
"Shall we?" Momonga took Rossweisse's hand and motioned for the two other pairs of girls in the room. 'I feel like a letcher, but going against that when it's gotten to this point would be hypocritical and pointless. Besides, I'm sort of interested in seeing how Senjutsu works in close detail- Memories are one thing, witnessing it myself will tell me more. Also I think Senjutsu had some bedroom methods, something about healing? I should look out for that, just in case… Traditional healing items damaged my innermost self at the start, but as of late this exterior fleshy body has started to fuse to me and actually protect me from negative effects so it might be able to stop traditional healing from damaging me by absorbing the healing to itself…'
Kuroka gulped and nodded before herding Koneko towards the bedroom, which was surprisingly difficult considering that Koneko looked like she had enough and started to let catty sounds while pawing her hands towards Momonga in a clear struggle to jump him instantly.
"Um, that is… Ah, I think I forgot something on the stove! Xenovia-chan, Momon-sama, if you don't mind I should go check up on it!" Irina looked like she lost her courage and Xenovia caught her when she was about to flee.
"Do not be cowed, Irina! I believe in you! Your fighting prowess is excellent and you have always been quick to learn new things, so I believe in your ability to overcome and excel in this challenge!" Xenovia spoke proudly to the twin-tailed brunette while hugging her against her chest. "You can do it!"
"I… I'd be glad to hear that normally but this feels really lewd…" Irina squirmed in Xenovia's hug and mumbled the words to her breasts. "That is, um, Issei-ku- S-sorry, my lord, I'd like it if we went on a date and then there were just the two of us, but, um…"
Rossweisse blinked at Irina before her expression softened quite a bit as if she drew a comparison from the girl's acting. And then she lifted her finger up in a headstrong, lecturing manner while speaking to Irina. "Yeah, I think I can arrange that to happen, Irina-chan. So don't give up! You can do it!"
"T-thanks, I suppose." Irina looked a bit awkward as Xenovia kept up the hug and the brunette was half-walked half-dragged to the bedroom.
"You know, I see a bit of myself in Irina's acting." Rossweisse looked at the doorway after Irina went through and disappeared from view. "...Heh, was I that innocent and cute as well when I approached you, Suzuki-kun?"
"You were." Momonga reached to stroke Rossweisse's hair and kissed the side of her neck. "Shall we? The others are waiting."
"Mhm… Please spoil me lots, alright? Ah, is there anything you'd like that I'd do?" Rossweisse looked like she had gotten her blushing under control after seeing Irina's blushing and turned to give Momonga a calm glance, even if her blush clearly threatened to return as soon as she made eye contact.
"I'm sure we'll figure out all sorts of things." Momonga ran his finger down Rossweisse's back and then reached to tie his arm around her waist to guide her towards the bedroom as well.