~NRK~
As Kurtis and the Hero Defender team were led away by the Seraph for a meeting that the scientist had long awaited, Naruto finally decided that it was 'time'.
Time to put his craziness into some form of consideration.
Transforming into his Werefox state, he ignored his new eighth tail and blushed.
"Okay…" How did he even start this conversation? "God, do I just ask?"
"What's up, Naru?" Etna asked him, sitting beside the man. "Something crazy?"
"No, um… I'm gonna bring that up."
The redhead took all of two seconds to realize what he meant. "A-Actually, about that!" She said quickly. "I wanna be the top bitch, here, alright? I ain't no follower."
"Aren't you a vassal?"
"Not the same thing."
Naruto considered her words, the sheer concept of what she was talking about confusing him to no end. "I… I think you're gonna have to fight, at the very least, Avarice on that one," he blushed but ran a hand through his neck fur. "Sardia doesn't seem like the type to care, Clarissa's likely fine with just b-being in it," he burned but nodded. "And Tramaris is into me, by the way."
Etna's jaw dropped as the fox man nodded. "N-No way!" Her eyes snapped to the Celestial Host currently speaking with Vulcanus about something, her wings seeming bigger than the young demon woman remembered. "... Wait, how do you know that?"
"She kissed me inside that odd space to give me the power to force my newest Transformation," Naruto explained, surprising Etna at the seriousness of this revelation. "She seems like she wants to talk about us, ya know? But I'm not sure how she's gonna view a 'harem' considering she's always been one of our more innocent party members."
Etna drummed her fingers against the table. "Well, I think you'd need to talk to her about it. Despite being a decent partner, your feelings kinda matter in this whole harem thing," well, look at her now, being all mature. "The thing is, if ya like us all enough to make a harem, she's gonna have to accept that."
Naruto considered her for a moment before looking conflicted.
"I get that, I do."
"I know how you are, ya big lug, you just want people around you happy but, sometimes, there are compromises you gotta make for yourself. Also, not sure if I'll tell ya outright who but I know someone else around us who might be into you."
Naruto's expression went flat. "Etna-chan, please, not now?" He pleaded a bit.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"... Hmm, alright," he got up and made several clones, one for each potential member of his newest perversion. "J-Just go and do it," Naruto grumbled as he got up and walked around the table to Tramaris's side.
The first clone simply turned around and walked behind him to Clarissa's currently pensive form.
"Hey, Clarissa-chan," he greeted as the Dark Apostle perked up and smiled at him, ears twitching a bit. 'God, she's cute,' Naruto couldn't believe that he could get such a reaction out of the woman but dammit.
He was lucky.
"Hello, Naruto, is everything going well?" Clarissa asked. 'I'll ask him,' she smiled some more. "Actually, when we have time, do you think we could go and complete another of my Trials?"
The clone was surprised but nodded all the same. "Sure, I'm down for that," he chuckled at her pleased expression. "B-But… Before that?" Naruto began as the tall woman tilted her head.
"Yes?"
"So… You've made it pretty clear you like me, right?"
"Oh, of course," Clarissa said with red cheeks as Naruto blushed harder. "I somehow doubt anyone could misconstrue some of what I've done to you," she burned as her ears wiggled a bit. "Y-Yes?"
"... So, I do like you, I like ya a lot," the woman gasped. "But I also like a few others and I wanna make you all happy so…"
Clarissa's eyes widened at his embarrassment, head tilting as she realized what he was about to suggest.
"A-A harem?" She asked, rather happily at the idea to the point that Naruto was a bit relieved.
"Originally, I didn't know what to do, being honest," he said as she nodded, stepping closer to him. "At first, I just wanted to help you but that slowly turned into a cool friendship that became something bigger than that. You don't know it but during our raid on Gallen's castle, during our tunnel digging, Sardia told me that I was thinking too much like a normal human."
"Ah, I see," Clarissa nodded. "In a way, she's correct," she told him as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y-You've done something kinder than any person could ever, Naruto. You gave up another chance at a normal life for Our Liege, you're now 'stuck' here… Does that bother you, at times?"
Naruto blinked at her look of concern, the warmth in his chest telling him this wasn't wrong.
"I haven't thought about it or, maybe, I just haven't had the time," he replied honestly. "But I know, amongst all else, my friends and family would never look down on my choices. They believe in me beyond a shadow of a doubt and I can't say it doesn't help me make the tough choices. So, a bit but I've learned to live with it," Naruto smiled.
Clarissa reciprocated. "I'm glad, you make me happy," she admitted. "I don't know what kind of life I might have led without you around but what I have now really isn't replaceable," the Dark Apostle giggled as he chuckled. "So, please, I'm fine with being in your harem as long as you can love me as much as possible."
Naruto lit up like a damn candle as Clarissa's nose colored harshly.
"W-Wow, um," he cleared his throat. "I-I will! Clarissa-chan, I promise, y-you just kinda hit me in a weak point there," the Werefox grinned weakly as she leaned down a bit and nuzzled him happily.
"Hm, hm."
"So… Since we're gonna do this thing, I never learned it but when's your birthday?"
The woman giggled drunkenly.
~NRK~
"Mmm~?" Avarice grinned as she and the now-Wind Spirit human floated in the air above the trees outside his odd castle. "... Question?"
Naruto nodded as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, you remember what you said on the mountain top this past week?" He asked her as they stood on a platform of wind. "Well… What if I said I wanted to make that real? The entire situation?"
Avarice's eyes shined in delight, shimmying over and rubbing her cheek with his.
"GOOD DAY!" She cheered as he chuckled, an arm slowly finding itself around her waist and holding her close. "Mmmm~."
'God, I'm gonna have to get used to this,' and now that he was making this relationship a thing, d-did he have to fear random kisses? "So, really, I'm glad to have you as part of my harem. You've got a strong personality, Avarice-chan, but I'm wondering if you have any dreams or not?"
The Harpy hummed. "Mmm, not many," she said to him as they looked out towards the sky. "... Be free," Avarice considered with a wing coming up to her chin. "Help you beat witch lady and g-get married," she blushed.
Naruto colored something fierce at her honesty. "O-Oh…" He ran a hand through his hair as her head dropped against his chest, wings around his sides. 'Did she feel kind of alone?' What about her grandfather?
Actually, speaking of, he hadn't seen the old Sage in a while.
"Hey, maybe, if we can really make things work out… W-We'll do that, alright?" Naruto said as he hugged her back. "I want to make your ladies happy, I'm just an idiot sometimes."
She giggled against his chest, leaving the spirit a bit breathless despite how ironic that was.
"... Kisses," she said as she looked up at him with a grin and eyes that shone like sunstones. "L-Lots and lots?" Avarice asked him innocently as she fiddled with her wings' wrists.
"I-I guess so."
The bird woman looked far too intrigued.
"Also, um, Etna wants to be the head harem mem-"
"Time for carnage."
Whelp, he tried.
"What's going on, Naru-Naru?" Sardia asked the currently-an-oni man, leaning against a tree as Naruto sat by it. "Some new info on your numbers?" She joked.
Naruto blushed a bit while rubbing the back of his head. "W-Well… It's related to that," he admitted as she froze mid-snicker. "So… Sardia, be really real with me, how into me are you?" The blonde asked.
The Professor's cheeks colored powerfully as she mechanically turned towards the eyebrow-raised, though blushing, Naruto.
"U-Um… Y-Yowzers, I-I didn't see that coming for some reason," she murmured as he nodded. "... Who?"
"Etna, Avarice, Clarissa, and Tramaris, possibly."
The Professor blinked at that. "Huh, I mean, it was kind of obvious she was copping some feelings for you, ya know. I'm guessin' you guys got cozy in that sphere," she guessed as he shrugged.
"She kissed me," he revealed as she hummed. "Outside of that? We got a little closer before today and I do want to help Tramaris fulfill her own dreams. Speaking of, what about you?" Naruto asked, surprising Sardia once more.
"Dreams?"
"Yeah. Like, I know we have a currently big thing going on, right now, but like how Enigma wants to become a Majin, I want the boss back, and Laharl wants to be a great Overlord, what do you want? You said you were on the run for centuries but from what?"
Sardia flinched at his observant eyes before fiddling with her fingers. "... Y-You can't tell anyone, alright?" She asked him as she shifted towards and sat in between his legs, leaning back against his chest with her legs pulled up.
Naruto didn't feel embarrassed at that moment as his arms came around her waist and Sardia sighed.
"I've wondered for a while. Your knowledge, your acting, you being on the run… Something tells me you're not as 'free' as I thought."
"It's not something that crazy…" She said nervously. "... O-Okay, so, you know how I knew about Class Changing in other places?" Sardia reminded him, surprising the blonde who nodded. "Obviously, I… I went to other places, it's how I became a Magic Knight. That was my former theater troupe but when I spoke about all my drama and stuff, that's where I started and I ran."
'From what?' Naruto thought with narrowed eyes. "From what?"
"Marriage."
His jaw dropped as she giggled weakly. "S-Sardia-chan? Is everything really good?" He asked nervously.
"Yeah, it should be," she frowned. "It's just, the guy I ran from wasn't exactly a normal person. He was a total shut-in," Sardia huffed as Naruto sweatdropped. "He made our troupe but didn't exactly manage it well and we ran out of money… A lot s-so, to pay off some debts…" She shook her head at Naruto's twitching brow. "He kinda promised a bunch of us off and we broke apart."
The blonde's eyes closed even as a vein throbbed on his forehead. "I see… Is it gonna just be your so-called 'suitor'?"
"Considering the guy he promised me to is rich? Probably not."
"What is with your life?"
Sardia chuckled a bit, tapping her pointer fingers together. "I'm full of experiences. So, if we do this harem thing-"
"We'll handle it together," Naruto said without issue as the Professor blushed but leaned into his touch, the man's hold on her beyond comfortable. "I wouldn't let a friend handle that alone, much less some I'm w-with," he told her as he straightened out his legs a bit and 'locked' her in. "So, we'll be handling a rich idiot. Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't happened yet."
Sardia giggled at that.
~NRK~
Naruto nodded to the angel duo. "So, Maris-chan has the opportunity for advancement?" He asked Vulcanus, standing next to the caretaker angel in question.
"Yes, due to her accomplishments," Vulcanus rubbed the back of his head as Tramaris shook hers.
"S-Sir, water under the bridge," the female angel said as the Archangel sighed.
"Per… P-Perhaps," the man honestly didn't look convinced and it did raise Naruto's opinion of him.
Knowing when you were in the wrong was important, after all.
"Due to her service, she has the ability to Class-Up within our Enhancement Sanctum. The curious thing is that, after checking her Aptitudes, I can't very well see her assuming the regular ranks."
Naruto blinked at that as he looked to Tramaris for answers.
"H-He means my speed," she said warmly as Naruto nodded, rubbing the back of his head in angel form. "Most of my Class and rank don't bear such an interesting attribute a-and Classing-Up wouldn't benefit it."
"Angel Tramaris was originally of the 'Angel Soldier' Rank," Vulcanus explained as Naruto cupped his chin. "Even 'Paladins', of her usual Rank progression, wouldn't give her speed the proper benefit."
"Then, are there Holy Classes for her to change Class into?" Naruto asked. "The fastest classes we know are: Kunoichi, Fight Mistresses, Thieves, Nekomata, Deathsabers/Slumber Cats, and some Monster Classes. But… Well, most of those guys aren't exactly similar to her moveset."
He shared his Subclasses screen and they looked through the Classes with observant eyes…?
"I'm not familiar with some of these Classes," Vulcanus said in surprise. "Evil Eye? Nine-Tails?"
Naruto's eyes widened at that. "Wait, we did meet a woman like that in the Item Sea," he remembered, surprising the two. "I wonder what her Aptitudes were, actually," Naruto began as he rubbed his chin.
Vulcanus shrugged and pulled a book out of the air, a large one of comical size that opened up to a blank page that was soon filled in with details and a graph.
"This should help then, our Class Books are rather useful since they auto-fill," the oldest of the trio said. "... It seems like a good match with their maximum Aptitudes."
"Man, Celestia is kinda crazy but I guess since it's infinite, it makes sense," Naruto said as he and Tramaris looked into the book. "Now, a Class for Maris-chan… You were right about the Nine-Tails," the blonde said fondly, something Tramaris noticed out of the corner of her eye. "Still, it can't be the only thing."
"F-Fairies are so impressive?" She asked as her eyes snapped back to the Class Book. "Along with-?!" Tramaris's eyes shrank as the three colored at the next monster Class.
The Succubus.
"Ignore it! Don't dirty your soul!" Vulcanus said quickly as he flipped the page in reflex. "Please, for all our sakes, don't follow that path," he pleaded, pale as Tramaris shook her head.
"I-I wasn't going to!" She squeaked.
Naruto cleared his throat as they landed on the next magically-impressive Class. "... Oh," he winced at it as the pure-angels' eyes went to the page.
They hissed at the sight of 'Necromancer'. "That's not one I desire," Tramaris frowned deeply. "The souls of the dead should remain safe and unharmed."
"Agreed," Vulcanus said as he turned to the pages.
The more they looked, the more the list solidified itself.
"Nine-Tails, Fairies, and Cheerleader," Naruto finalized. "Those have the INT, RES, and SPD bonuses that work the most for Maris-chan," he said with a fond look at the Nine-Tails page. 'I haven't thought about Kurama in so long,' he smiled.
Tramaris's eyes went to the blonde's smile and where it was directed. "... N-Nine-Tails," she declared with red cheeks, the two men looking surprised. "That one has the best aspects, doesn't it? We don't have a Class to manage the Item World, either."
"Are you sure? Maris-chan, I know you'll inherit all your Support Skills but this Class has more odd ones," Naruto asked her, pleased but wondering.
"I know but we have Scrolls, remember?" She smiled for him as his eyes widened. "Hm, hm, we've stocked up quite a few odd ones, you know? W-We can just use those for our uses."
Vulcanus observed the two with a discerning eye before his gaze went back to the book. "..." A Class to reach the woman's desired attributes… His eyes went to Clarissa with a frown but raised eyebrow. "What Class is she?" He asked Naruto as the male blonde blinked.
Looking in Vulcanus's chosen direction, Naruto blinked before his eyes widened.
"Wait, that's it!" He grinned as Tramaris's eyes widened. "Let me fill ya in, Vulcanus-jiji."
Explaining Clarissa's situation, which in turn had him explaining Avarice's, Vulcanus looked intrigued.
"Then, perhaps you should follow through on that in the Enhancement Sanctum. It imbues special holy properties upon Classes we desire, you've seen the Wood Golems, no?"
"In that case, we know that this can work," Tramaris said with a determined expression before Naruto nodded.
"Then, with that settled," the blonde male angel began as he rubbed the back of his head. "Maris-chan, can we talk?" Naruto asked with a smile.
Tramaris's cheeks turned a nice pink but she nodded all the same. "S-Sure," she said, looking as determined as before.
"I'll go and prepare my things then," Vulcanus said with an eye on Tramaris. 'I suppose it was obvious,' he shrugged and lifted into the air before vanishing in a flash of light.
Leaving the two blonde angels to their privacy.
"You like me, huh?" Naruto asked her as he gestured to a hallway, the two of them walking down it away from the main hub of the castle. "Like, romantically," he emphasized as she blushed heavily.
Tramaris's mouth wobbled but she nodded without a word.
Naruto truly didn't know what he'd done to gain all this attention but he hoped he could make their affection as valid as possible.
"Then, you should know, I'm not against us. Not a bit but… B-But there's something else, Maris-chan."
They reached a room of interesting interest.
Golden waters glowed in a wading pool the size of a ten-foot circle.
Tramaris looked worried and Naruto shook his head before gently grasping her lower back, getting a small gasp out of her as he led them towards the waters.
Sitting down, they took off their shoes, or greaves in Tramaris's case, before the male rolled his pants legs.
They put their feet into the water and the feeling of it allowed their shoulders to relax greatly.
"What… What do you mean?" She asked him, leaning on his shoulder.
"... Let me explain from the beginning, alright?"
He explained everything from the beginning, his life, his death, and then his second death.
Tramaris was downright awed and yet aghast at this magnificent soul, the male angel rubbing the back of his head as she gripped his hand gently.
He went on to explain their beginning conquest, their gaining of some of their party members, and then the raid that led up to the group rescuing her and Aramis.
"S-She said that?" The angel was red in the face and steaming as Naruto blushed as well.
"Yeah, I… I-I wasn't so sure of it, I mean, I was just a human soul," he admitted. "Still am but… But I'm here for good," Naruto took a deep breath and released it, accepting it all. "Over my time here, I've made all kinds of amazing comrades," he chuckled as he held her waist securely, the angel woman's head dropping as her face burned. "You and the others but, even then, I found more… I'm sure it's not said but I totally feel like a big part of the Krichevskoy family despite not being even closely related."
Tramaris blinked at that, face cooling only slightly. "T-Truly?" She asked him, lifting her head up to lock eyes with her fellow angel… Really, this wonderful human soul. "..." She colored before reaching out with her hands.
They settled on his cheeks, those whiskered things, and slowly caressed them.
"I can't imagine it… But I know I have something close," Tramaris whispered to Naruto as he chuckled, pressing their foreheads together and getting a gasp out of her. "M-Mmm," she tried to nuzzle him and Naruto simply held her close, their noses touching. "T-The children are… T-They're like my own," she said, completely lobster-boil-red as her wings grew rigid with ruffled feathers.
"Hehe, I can see that. In a weird way, despite me thinking it was more brotherly at first, I… I guess you can say Aramis is kind of like that for me," Naruto said with a chuckle, his wings folding around her and mesmerizing the divine woman. "Yet, like I was saying, I've made family here and life-long comrades but… There's more. There are women in my life who've made me aware they like me and I l-like them. All of them despite how much of a sleaze it can make me feel like."
Tramaris's eyes widened at that, hands still caressing his cheeks. "M-More than one?!" She asked in disbelief. "N-Naruto, what are… W-What are you implying," the woman needed to know.
What was he thinking?
He blushed and nodded. "No beating around the bush, especially not with you. When we went to Lanzarote's music festival, I spoke to sis about all of this and she gave me an idea… A harem," Naruto said truly and fully.
Tramaris's eyes shrunk at his words, hands freezing around his face as his expression grew bashful.
"Yeah, it wasn't exactly something I'd considered up to that point but we do live in the Netherworld so, for them… Us, our culture's not like normal humans' own or Celestia's, most likely."
'Harems?' It was an illicit idea that filled her with conflict and heartache. 'It's unholy,' she thought as she looked down. 'I-I wish for a powerful matrimony,' her body warmed at the idea.
She knew Naruto would be a rather loving being, his connections, words, and ideals said as much… But was she truly willing to participate in such a p-perverse relationship?
"I'm not trying to force you into anything, not one bit. I couldn't live with myself if I did," Naruto said seriously. "Maybe, deep down, I'm really just a big perverted bastard-"
"Stop that," she told him solidly. "Y-You're not, you're one of the kindest men I've ever met," Tramaris said with a look of pain that had him holding her close. "N-Naruto, I don't… I-I don't know," she whispered to him.
Naruto's eyes narrowed a bit before he kissed her slowly, their lips meeting gently but fully as their eyes closed.
His hands didn't roam, he'd not subject Tramaris to such a thing nor would he have her think him as only into her for 'that'. No, his hands secured themselves around her waist as they sat side-by-side and allowed their lips to speak for them.
The feeling wasn't dissimilar to when he'd kissed Clarissa. The innocence and inexperience shone through but there was a different spark here.
A spark of confusion and yet affection that wasn't within the Dark Apostle's soul. Tramaris was truly at odds with this and the human soul couldn't do more than show her how serious he was.
Tramaris moaned a bit into the display of affection, her hands never leaving his cheeks as they pressed deeply against one another.
They kept going for an amount of time she didn't wish to give much thought before, by the end, they separated with flush faces and pressed-together foreheads.
"I know this isn't exactly ideal for you, I'm sure you're not a fan, absolutely sure… But I want to make all of you happy due to me not being a strong enough man," Naruto admitted as they closed their eyes and stayed like that.
For seconds, minutes, hours? It didn't matter.
Tramaris realized that this… That maybe, despite the nature of this 'ordeal', she might be able to gain the purity of his love regardless.
"Al… A-Alright," she whispered as kissed once more, this one chaste and more to 'seal' the deal than show more affection. "I-I know you know how uncomfortable this makes me, I don't want to force you to do something you feel uncomfortable with."
"Shouldn't I be saying that?" Naruto smiled for her as she hugged him close, face falling into the crux of his neck. "I won't make you regret this, that I promise you all amongst all else."
"... W-Who are the others?" She asked, pouting against his collarbone and involuntarily sending a hot breath across it.
Naruto shivered at the feeling and blushed before looking away as she looked at his face.
"?"
"N-Nothing! Um, well, assuming it's not gonna get bigger? You, Etna, Clarissa, Avarice, and Sardia," he admitted truthfully as her cheeks colored.
"T-That bird woman? I-I mean, I knew she didn't… S-She didn't hesitate," she pouted as Naruto chuckled. "This w-will be a trial, I'm sure," Tramaris pouted some more as he kissed her temple.
"Sorry, again."
"I-I know."
~NRK~
By the end of his 'harem-confessions', the entire group gathered once more in the center of his castle.
Informing the others of both Clarissa's Trial and Tramaris's Class Specialization, they were surprised.
"Huh, well, now that I think about it," Laharl raised a brow at the odd energy in the room as he spoke. 'The hell's going on?' His eyes snapped to the group.
Sardia's pleased-looking expression.
Clarissa's leaning onto his brother figure's clone.
Avarice's grin as she and another Naruto clone kept their 'arms' around one another's waist.
Etna snickering with another clone at her side, the redheaded young woman nudging him knowingly.
And, finally, most unusual… Tramaris's red face and the fact that her hand was currently in Naruto's own. The real one.
How Laharl knew? Just experience.
"... R-Right, like I said, I don't think there's ever been someone with pure Aptitudes for healing and speed. That kind of Class would probably be the opposite of Clarissa's Dark Apostle. Someone with the most tanky stats in HP, SP, DEF, RES, and SPD. No HIT, ATK, or INT."
"Yes, I'd like to speak with Ms. Avarice about this," Tramaris confirmed, content. "I-I'm not sure what answer we might find but I'd like to help. To make up for a lot of things a-and to ensure everyone's okay."
Flonne's jaw dropped along with Sicily's as Circe smirked a bit.
"Ah, you finally did it, hmm?" She asked the Narutos who blushed before looking sheepish.
Their 'chosen' women smirked, smiled, or just looked plain embarrassed.
"Y-Yeah," Naruto admitted. "But let's keep this calm around Vulcanus, alright? I'm sure he'll find out but let's give the guy some time to really settle in," the angelic man said as Draconis nodded knowingly.
"I know your woes," he said, getting a sweatdropping blonde for his troubles. "Some of their fathers could be easier to get along with, aye."
"Well… I-In a crazy way, yeah?" The Frog-Oni beside Sardia said in surprise as the Professor hummed in a jaunty manner. "I guess… A-Actually, oh God, Clarissa, am I gonna be worrying about your parents anytime soon?"
The Dark Apostle blinked at that, the Werefox Naruto holding her waist chuckling at her shaky smile.
"Something tells me that's gonna come up," that particular clone said as the Wind Spirit one laughed a bit.
"So, I should probably go and meet your gramps again," he said knowingly as the Harpy grinned. "I hope Old Man Greed doesn't become some kinda demon when it comes to who his granddaughter is with."
"This oughta be good," Etna snickered as Enigma balked at the situation at hand.
"DUDE?!" She blushed as Avarice smirked. "Nuh-uh, definitely not you. Okay, easy, I get that this kinda stuff happens but…" Enigma cleared her throat. "Y-You know what? Whatever, congrats?" She offered weakly and unsurely.
"Thanks," the angelic Naruto said. "Alright, well, glad this is out and about instead of stewing for too long. So, from here on out, we've got some goals to handle, yeah?"
"The ship's almost done the last time we saw the other Androids," Flonne grinned. "So, Gordon's crew can travel in it if they want."
"Yeah, I wasn't sure if we should send them in that thing or not," Laharl said with a hand rubbing his chin. "Also, now, we've got to powerlevel like crazy as much as we can for the next six months."
"My Trial," Clarissa piped in. "And Tramaris's Class Change as well."
"Then, we've got to focus on the big things," he said.
"U-Um, actually?" Sardia began with a shaky grin as Naruto chuckled.
Explaining her situation ended with Laharl shrugging.
"A rich asshole would honestly be simpler than usual," he waved it off as Sardia sweatdropped.
"Glad you're so accepting, Prince."
"Anything else?" Clarissa offered. "For now, we've got so many amenities to use and power-ups to attain. Speaking of, once we get past Cave of Ordeals second level, we'll have chances at a Carnage Weapon, won't we?"
"That's true," Circe said with a flipper tapping her chin. "Still, we know the truth of how well that might go. For now, getting stronger and boosting our Skills are important. There's no doubt in my mind that Makoranta's maxed every ability she's got. Speaking of," she opened her pouch before pulling out a jar the size of herself.
Putting it down, the group looked at all the Scrolls they had. "Right, we have over twenty-five ever since the Quest Board got added, don't we?" Flonne said. "Um… W-What did we have again?"
"Mmm," Draconis cupped his chin. "Remember, some Scrolls have Evilities and others can have normal Skills. Looking at the Scrolls we have," he noted the two colors of Scroll, yellow and green. "We'll figure out which one's which and learn them."
"Do we have the Evility Shop up and running, actually?" Werefox Naruto asked as he leaned his head onto Clarissa's shoulder, warming the former-Cleric's heart more than a bit.
"It's Cara the Valkyrie," Etna answered with a curious hum. "She's handling the Evility Shop, Harra the Witch is on the Skill Shop, Kana and the Queen are our Alchemists, and Plenair is doing the usual along with being the Chara World attendant, ya know?"
"So, who's our Quest Board person?" Angel Naruto asked.
"Pretty sure that's Karen the Fight Mistress," Sardia said. "She's another Android if you even needed that to be said."
"So, we're all set up, right?" Divine Spirit Naruto asked as Avarice tilted her head. "Hoggmeister's on Interrogation, Kurtis said he'd handle the Netherworld Squads attendant position, and the Cooking Station is being handled by who?"
"I'm pretty sure it's another Android, her name's Cera," Sicily answered with a raised fist. "We've got all our slots filled!" She grinned.
"So, with that, what's in the Scrolls?" Etna asked.
Opening up the jar and taking out one of those green ones, Circe opened it and read its contents before finding a dotted line at the bottom.
"So, this one has the Skill: Espoir in it," she told the group. "Does anyone need that? From what it says, we just need to sign the bottom with our fingers/fins/claws."
"I'll take it," Angel Naruto said as she handed it to him, the man using a small ball of angelic power to hold it in the air so he could sign it, Tramaris holding his other hand being non-negotiable at the moment. "And… There, done."
The Skill Scroll rolled itself up before sinking into his chest, leaving the angelic man to hum.
"Alright, I know Espoir now," he chuckled. "What else do we have?"
"Let's look at the Evility Scrolls then," Laharl grinned as Circe chuckled and pulled out one of the yellow Scrolls. "We've got six of those so I guess they're rarer."
Opening that Scroll up, Circe hummed. "Oh, that's a good one. It's Evility: Auto Heal."
"Give it to me!" Laharl grinned as she did so without issue, the young man signing the Evility Scroll without hesitation before it slipped into his chest. "Nice! I'll attach it when we get back."
Going through the rest of their stash, they had three more copies of Espoir and ten basic-level elemental spells before they hit the interesting ones.
"Stat enhancers?" Flonne said as the one she got, Extreme Smart Guy, sunk into her chest.
With Clarissa getting two of them, Extreme Agile Guy & Extreme Mean Guy, they had two more left.
"I'll take Extreme F-Fast Guy if you all don't mind," Tramaris said as Circe handed it to her before the angel woman signed it with ease.
"Oh, you're left-handed?" Angel Naruto asked in interest as Tramaris smiled bashfully.
"I'm ambidextrous, it helps to write some reports in double the time."
"And the last one is Mana Maniac which I believe we all know should go to Naruto," Circe said as the angelic man nodded and signed it, receiving the Evility. "With that, we're done for now but please remember that, at best, we need to keep our Skills List short."
"Got it," most of the group said.
And, just then, Seraph Lammington returned without much fanfare with a grinning Gordon next to him.
"Come along, comrades. We've got Celestia-based food to try!" The hero declared with an impeccable grin.
~NRK~
Reaching a private area within the Seraph's own Sanctum, the group ate food only meant for holy tongues.
Literally.
"Huh," Laharl chewed and then swallowed. "The taste of Celestia is clearly a lot more complimentary," he said to his mom who nodded.
"Their food has a lot more easy-to-blend-together flavors," she considered as Sicily sweatdropped.
"B-Bro, when were you a connoisseur?" She asked.
"I've eaten some pretty good food when the cooks were still around. Doesn't beat mom's but they had their moments and we had really expensive stuff like molten lobster horn soup," he explained as Sicily perked up.
"T-That sounds delicious!"
"Right?"
Enigma swallowed her food in thought, observing the newest trend added to their dinner time. 'They look so damn happy,' she considered the 'Harem Crew' as she'd begun calling them.
Etna, for starters, ate some of Naruto's food without shame with a grin, the currently-a-fox man huffing at her with his fingers pointing between his eyes and her.
The demoness looked more bold.
Meanwhile, Clarissa leaned over a clone's head while she ate, Naruto in her lap and bright red. It was an amusing sight that was made more hilarious by how the Prinny was squashed between the Dark Apostle and her Shadow Woman on his other side, the two chuckling at the man's position.
Following that was the 'biggest turnaround' of Avarice eating in Naruto's lap for the first-time ever.
The Harpy seemed so at peace with the position, the Frog-Oni sweatdropping as she had him feed her without delay. Naruto did seem to be enjoying himself as he held her waist with one arm that sent the Harpy's face into the 'Red Sky'.
Sardia wasn't much better, using her oni clone's lap as her throne but there she had him 'train' by leaning back and holding his posture. It was crazy enough that Naruto followed through but the man now looked considerate about the idea.
The Professor just laid back on his torso as she patted her full belly, giggling at something the blonde had said flatly.
Finally, the oddest of the changes was Tramaris.
At present, the angel woman was currently leaning on his shoulder, the currently-an-angel man doing so back as Tramaris hummed a small tune they shifted back and forth at.
Essentially, it was love-a-palooza and she was feeling it a painful amount.
'I need to chill out,' Enigma told herself as she ate. 'I shouldn't be focusing on that kind of stuff, anyway, I'm not exactly a massive case of feelings at the moment,' being part mechanical probably didn't make her dating options grand anyway-
"What are you talking about, you hella pretty," Naruto admitted with some red across his beak as she flinched with some red on her own face.
'SHIT! No, no, no! He was being nice, dammit,' Enigma knew that Naruto was just that nice of a guy, really kind, too- 'Don't start with the mental monologues about the guy, please,' she pleaded with herself.
She'd been in a few relationships, of course she had by her age, but they'd never… Lasted, unfortunately.
Not because of big things, she was sure, they just… Drifted apart! Yeah, that's why she wasn't in a relationship. It just got in the way, too, so she focused with her nose to the grindstone.
Everyone liked a powerful demon, anyway. She'd probably be swimming in 'logs' without too much effort…
'What am I, some whore?' Her just-a-second-ago thoughts grated on her nerves immensely for some reason. "Fuck," Enigma hissed a bit, feeling something she didn't dare put a label on.
Laharl, meanwhile, looked at the five pairs alongside Lammington. The Seraph chuckled at it all, not looking remotely bothered.
"It's kinda crazy," the prince said as he looked at the smiling Seraph. "And you don't seem all that bothered."
"Despite the origin of the ritual, 'harems' where love is the leading factor are far more acceptable," Lammington said with a sad smile. "I'm also well aware that Naruto's situation isn't normal, much less common. His relationships with others are all mutual in some fashion, I can see that 'Light' between individuals and it tells me a lot," the head angel chuckled as Flonne nodded rapidly
"M-Me, too!" She told him quickly and quietly, not wanting to give away their observations. "They're so bright when they're around Naruto, it's so amazing," Flonne grinned as Laharl raised a brow.
"What?" He asked.
"It's an angel thing, Laharl."
The demon prince tilted his head at that before shrugging. "Alright, hope that doesn't come back to bite me," Laharl muttered even as Seraph Lammington smiled knowingly at him and the slightly blushing Flonne.
Circe giggled at the two as Draconis nodded.
It was obvious.
The EDF Quartet weren't so easy to appease.
"W-What is this?!" Gordon gasped as Jennifer squealed next to a snickering Corrin.
"Would ya like to know what happened while you were gone?" The Thief Senator said with a smirk as Kurtis cleared his throat, a woman next to him.
She went blank-eyed at the craziness around her. "K-Kurtis?! What is this?!" She squeaked like a church mouse.
Being a woman of average height, she had long elf ears, purple hair that fell down the sides of her head and covered her trembling eyes, and white skin. Wearing an white business suit, she looked completely out of her element.
"Karin, please, it's not that crazy," Kurtis said with a look of utter disinterest in the harem. "You wouldn't believe it, I've told you some of my adventures with Gordon, but this doesn't even count as a top 15 for us."
"I-It's not normal, per se," Gordon blushed powerfully as he rubbed the back of his head. "But… In the grand scheme of things… It's not even in my top 30."
"Oh that's high praise."
"Kurtis, I'm a well-traveled man, I've seen things I'm not a fan of."
Karin froze before turning to stone as Corrin laughed without remorse.
~NRK~
When all was said and done, the group stood at the Celestial Gate.
The Seraph and Naruto bowed to one another, the latter in Prinny form. "I'm not exactly happy with how everything went but I'm glad with how things turned out," he chuckled. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Seraph-jiji. I hope we can all meet again as many times as possible, we're allies no matter race or element."
"I truly hope the world can be the same way, Naruto, one day," Lammington smiled before turning to Flonne and Tramaris.
The former giggled at her bigger wings and new blue badge.
The latter smiled at her leader before bowing.
"Thank you, for everything!" They said in unison, the former with more enthusiasm.
"Please, my young angels, don't tie yourselves down by simple definitions and 'good' or 'evil'. The worlds are composed of a large amount of 'White' and 'Gray'." he said, turning to Vulcanus's bashful form next to them. "I hope for you to see the same, one day."
"I… It will be a long journey, sir," Vulcanus said. "I'll do my utmost to focus on that wench," he growled with clenched fists before the Seraph's sad smile doused his anger. "I-I see, sorry."
"You're an old soul, Vulcanus, I can't just assume deep change can happen in a matter of hours. Please, do your best."
The Archangel sighed.
"Alright! It's time for some levels!" Sicily grinned happily as Laharl cupped his chin.
"All things considered, what level are ya, Vulcanus?" The prince asked the grunting angel before the man grumbled and sent his screen to Naruto, Tramaris, and Flonne. "Wow, okay, we're gonna be working on that attitude," Laharl smirked as Vulcanus grumbled some more.
"3002? That's pretty strong, Vulcan-jiji," Naruto said without much hesitation, startling the man as Lammington chuckled. "You've also really leaned into the Male Angel's Angel Lord and upped your ATK and HIT."
"... Hmph, Divine Anger is a physical skill, of course I did."
"Wait, it is?!" Laharl asked in disbelief as Vulcanus huffed. "Hold on… I mean, yeah, I got my Blazing Knuckle b-but still!" He declared.
"I got my Angelic Knuckles," Sicily smiled happily as the two sweatdropped. "And it's an INT move."
"Yes, despite the behaviors of some abilities, they aren't what they seem," Circe said, getting a curious hum out of the Seraph.
"Are you truly fine with not washing off your sins, Mrs. Circe?" He asked, surprising the woman and the group a bit. "I'm sure you all wouldn't be away for long but she'd likely have to work up to becoming an angel cadet."
"Hmm… I've thought about it, especially after a small chat with Flonne a couple months back," Circe said, surprising Laharl and Sicily.
"Wait, s-seriously?! I-I mean, you'd be back, I guess," he said embarrassedly as Sicily nodded.
"Mom would be an Angel Witch!" She said.
"Angelic Mage," Vulcanus corrected.
"W-Wait but Witches are the female-versions of Mages!"
"We don't have such a distinction here, Sicily."
The hybrid pouted as Vulcanus crossed his arms.
Karin just let out a shaky breath as she and Kurtis pressed their heads together. "I-I'll see you soon?" She asked, swallowing her depression before the scientist smiled for her and held her close.
"Of course, I'll see about coming at least every week if I can but the training we're going to do is going to cause odd time irregularities, I'll have to be careful of that," he said as his wife nodded slowly.
"Y-You didn't even get to see Kurtis II."
"I'm sure I'll meet him if he's as problematic as I hear!"
The man chuckled as his beloved pouted at him.
Avarice observed it from all angles while Etna smirked.
"Already worrying the missus and you've only met for a day," she snickered as Kurtis smirked, a gleam in his eye.
"But having her worry for me is the greatest feeling in the world-hup! I-I know, honey!" Kurtis said with a grin before it turned nervous at his wife's pinch to his side, the woman's big puffy pout igniting a second hug. "I'm joking!"
Gordon chuckled at that while Draconis nodded.
"Hmm, I think we'll take one more day of rest before throwing ourselves into training, no?" He offered. "If I'm going to be away for a time, I need to go to my Netherworld and leave someone in charge again."
"Got it, we'll see ya in about two days," Laharl said as Naruto nodded.
"I've gotta work on being a good boyfriend, now, dood," the Prinny said as his harem chuckled or blushed heavily, in Tramaris's case.
"Ah, you do, do you?" Vulcanus asked, surprised but pleased as Tramaris paled and burned all in the same breath.
Lammington smiled before gliding over and taking his fellow high-ranked angel to the side. "We'll be a moment," he smiled knowingly as Tramaris hyperventilated.
And her worst fears came to life a moment later.
"TRAMARIS WHAT?!"
The angel woman trembled before Naruto transformed and she hid behind his angelic wings.
~NRK~
Returning to the Netherworld brokered two responses.
One from Vulcanus and the other from Etna.
"What MADNESS is this?!" The Archangel roared into the sky as Tramaris's face did its back to burn a red hole into Naruto's back. "WHY IS EVEN HE FINE WITH THIS?!"
"Ahhh, back home," Etna grinned at Vulcanus's shouts of horror, disbelief, and anguish. "It's like we never left."
~NRK~
Post-calming down, somewhat, from Vulcanus, they returned to the Overlord's Castle.
The first thing that happened once they entered the main hub area was Naruto catching a small lunging salmon-haired boy.
"YOU'RE AN ANGEL NOW?!" Aramis asked, sitting in Naruto's grip, eyes wide in wonder. "W-What the hell happened?! Are you super-charged now?! Can you do something cool with my zombies?"
"One, yeah, I got my second-to-last Transformation," Naruto chuckled as he set the boy on his shoulder and moved to the MC Table. "Two, we finished our fight in Celestia and gained some new allies, info, and partnerships," he admitted sheepishly as Vulcanus's drained form flopped against a wall like melted clay.
"Why? I-Is an angelic woman not enough for you?!" The man cried as Naruto blushed.
"L-Like I said to Maris-chan, I'm… Clearly not great at relationships, I'm doing my best, old man."
Vulcanus made a miserable sound.
"Wait, huh?" Aramis tilted his head at him.
Tramaris burned as he shot her a look before blinking in confusion.
"So… Well, I've got a harem now, Rams," Naruto admitted.
"... W-With Sis?"
"Hehehe, a bit more than that," Etna said from behind the two, sitting down as Naruto set Aramis onto the table's edge, Plenair balking as she entered the area from a hallway. "So, Naru here decided to be a big man and make a bunch of girlfriends," she snickered before squawking as Avarice cawed from above the table.
"Me Head Member," she declared as Etna's eyes glowed in defiance. "You second."
"I ain't second-nothing, bird woman!"
"Wrong!"
Watching the two redheads squabble, Etna literally getting out of her seat to stamp on the table to argue, Aramis blinked as Tramaris sat down quickly beside the angel man, steaming in embarrassment.
"Um, so, you have Sis and the bird lady as part of your harem?" Aramis asked.
"Haa, let's… There's Maris-chan," Naruto began slowly as the boy looked downright shocked at the red-faced angel woman. "She's the one I wanted to ensure had the best chance at a pure happy relationship."
The steam that shot out of the blue-haired woman's ears could have put a kettle to shame as she pinched his sleeve with the biggest of barely-restrained grins.
Aramis blushed a bit at that, the Imp boy sneaking a look at the burning angel with a look of interest. 'H-He's like some kinda book hero!' Getting the girls, being super-strong, and even being able to turn an angel to his side.
Naruto was something else!
"Then there's obviously the redheads to our right," the angel man shrugged as Avarice and Etna kept on arguing on one end of the table. "Avarice wants to get married one day if you'd believe it," he said, snapping Tramaris out of her happiness-induced trance to blink at him, a shaky hand adjusting her glasses.
"S-She… She does?" She asked, looking surprised beyond imagination as her eyes went to the buxom flyer. 'She also wants regular matrimony?' Tramaris could never have guessed such a thing in their time together as a group.
Really? That, rather coming on strong at times, Harpy cared for that holy act?
"Yeah, I guess, for her, maybe she's been 'unique' for too long and I think she got lonely at one point."
Tramaris considered his words as Aramis blinked.
"That sounds… I-I mean, maybe? I don't see how that works, bro," the boy said as Naruto shrugged.
"It's fine, I promise. Then, there's Sardia who we're gonna be fighting the suitor of, eventually."
"... I got nothing," Aramis sweatdropped as the Professor sat on the other side of the table with a grin alongside a giggling Clarissa who took the seat on the blonde's right side. "A-And what about Big Sis Clare?"
"Oh, trust me, she's in on this," Naruto said as the Dark Apostle smiled. "And that's it… I-I hope," he added nervously as Clarissa chuckled while Sardia grinned knowingly.
Tramaris pouted. "I-I don't understand," she said, leaning on his shoulder.
"Right, um, apparently Etna said there was someone else in this place who liked me? I don't know, it came out of the ether during our talk in my castle."
"W-Wait, your castle?!" Aramis said with a look of excitement. "D-Does it have a lot of ground-?!"
"Rams, please, don't destroy my holy sanctuary with zombies, alright?" Naruto pleaded as the Imp boy pouted. "Look, you remember how I said I'd look at your Zombie creations from the new Classes?"
Aramis perked up before jumping to his feet and hurrying off. "I-I'm gonna go and get them!" He said as grinned in excitement.
"That kid's in for a rude awakening one of these days and I fear for which type it'll be."
"I'm sure he'll control himself, he respects you a good amount," Clarissa said as Naruto nodded.
"I get that, I just need him to ease up on the zombies, his interest in stuff is good for him, it's how you become the best."
"Spoken like a true guardian," Circe chuckled as the rest of the group, sans a peacing-out Draconis and a still-limp-against-the-wall Vulcanus, came over. "It's an art, Naruto, you seem to be picking up on it well."
"It's honestly not hard when I've got experiences he doesn't, which is kinda weird when you think about it."
"Exactly."
"So, what's on the itinerary today?" Corrin asked as she hopped onto the table and kicked her feet off to the side. "It's a 'Rest' day, yeah? We just fought Vulcanus," she gestured to the groaning man currently being offered some water by a Prinny. "And Naruto learned he's a real mix of different lives."
"Well, yeah, we should probably relax for a bit," Naruto said. "Hmm… Well, let's go and mess around with our shops and stuff."
Splitting up into several groups, Naruto blushed as he found his entire harem following him to the Skill Shop and Evilities Shop.
The Harra the Witch tilted her head in confusion.
"Yo, Naruto, dude, what's up? Down for some more Skill Maxing?" The cyborg woman grinned as Naruto chuckled. "Ya also changed again, what's up with this?"
Explaining the situation, she accepted it pretty easily and, soon enough, all the group were managing their Skills.
Naruto and his clones looked over their shoulders, the real one looking over Sardia's as she leaned against his chest.
"Thoughts?" He offered her.
"Just working through my Element Device, it's the crank thing that I put spells into and get Skills out of," the Professor explained. "I've also got all the Support Skills, some Class Skills, and all the Elements up to the Giga-tier. The thing is, I've already upped most of my elemental spells up for the mixings but now I'm not sure. Naru, I ain't a buffer despite my newest Evility."
Showing him her screen, Naruto noted her [Medical Insertion] and read its effects.
"Man, that's so useful, too… I just got an idea," he chuckled as he made a clone and popped it, the clone with Tramaris perking up and explaining his idea to her. "So, as for you, well, what do you like to use the most?"
Cupping her chin, Sardia tilted her head. "... Okay, so, ever since I became a Professor, I've been really into the flow of magic," she told him, surprising him. "The thing is, I can feel that flow increase when I use elemental spells and after I mix them. That flow becomes more intense and I can't help but be entranced by it."
Naruto considered her for a moment before humming. "Then, maybe you should try and reach the highest point of your spells then," he said as they sat down in a corner against a wall. "Does that flow feel like it's a good thing?" He asked her.
Sardia blinked at the question. 'Does it feel like a good thing?' She… I-It was, wasn't it? "I-I think so," more words rested on her tongue but didn't leave, her mind going back to Enigma's words from their fight on the Gargantua. 'It's fine, he'll just be worried,' and as much as she liked the idea she didn't need Naruto worrying over her like that right now.
"Then, how about you lean on me while I meditate?"
She tilted her head at the idea. "Something crazy happens when you do?"
"I'm a sage, Sardia, I can feel the flow of the world and its magic by meditating," he explained, shocking her.
"S-Seriously!?" She looked excited, pupils becoming swirls. "T-Then, while we're touching, o-our bodies align?!" Sardia asked, blushing even.
Naruto blushed as well, looking bashful. "Y-Yeah, well… I can sort of match wavelengths with you all in Frog-Oni form. It's got the most sensory-ability," he explained. 'Geez, s-she put it way too forward!'
Sardia blinked back to normalcy, burning up at her own words. "S-Sorry about that!" She said quickly, embarrassed to all hell. 'T-That was a bit much!' Even by her standards.
Sardia knew she had some thirst in her but that kind of insinuation was a bit much!
She fiddled with her fingers as Naruto cleared his throat.
"Yeah, so uh… We'll just move past that and think more about your Skills, alright?"
"Y-Yeah, thanks."
Clarissa, Shadow Woman, and a Werefox-Naruto clone considered the first's list of Skills.
"Yes, well, your ability to increase our 'range' is a bit misleading, ma'am," the summon said, surprising the two. "That just increases our forces and unlocks our ability to summon our own troops if you will."
"Isn't that redundant? Or, really," Clarissa's eyes narrowed in thought. "Am I right to assume there's going to be a Shadow who will have the power to command armies of shadows under him?"
Her summon grinned and Clarissa considered it.
"... Can you be honest and tell me? He's the next one, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is."
That was likely going to be a harsh one. "Naruto, I know for a fact I'll need you there for that Trial," Clarissa said as the fox nodded.
"Always," he said. "So, ya gonna do it? It's light for now but that Skill's probably gonna get expensive fast," Naruto considered.
"Oh, definitely. It's already an A-ranked Skill, that won't be a small jump," the Dark Apostle considered before enhancing the ability regardless. "Yes, it's already in the thousands…" She enhanced it twice more before shivering at the cost. "I believe I'll do Abyssal Usage and Alt. Performance next."
Upgrading the moves as much as she could, thankful for their lower costs on the way up, she nodded.
"That's it for now, I'll need to upgrade my Dark Spells next time," she said with a smile. "But now I can cast them almost instantly. With that, I'm getting a hang of this."
"We're glad, Mistress," her summon said with a nod. "Now, I'm sure that you'd like for us to cuddle Our Liege," she said like she was talking about the weather, a finger tapping her cheek before it raised as she grinned knowingly.
Clarissa blushed but grinned as well.
Naruto blinked. "W-Wait, you're what-?" He tried to ask, body already realizing what was going to happen as he blushed like a Christmas ornament.
The two glomped on him both sides, leaving the blonde burning full-body red.
"Let's go to my room," Clarissa whispered knowingly.
Avarice grinned as she and Naruto balanced on their shared perch's wooden platform. The walking away form of Tramaris and another of the man's clones ignored after she'd explained some things.
Now, with the oni holding her waist and keeping her balanced, she was beyond cloud-nine and didn't care for anything else at that moment.
"Let's see," Naruto muttered as he cupped his chin, unknowingly gripping her side tighter and sending the Harpy's mind into the nether. "Wait, you've got Tera Fire? W-Why don't you ever use it?" He asked her, mouth to her ears and basically destroyed her ability to speak for a moment before she trembled back into the conversation.
"H-Hmmm?" She made a shaky questioning sound, Naruto raising a brow at her. "U-Um! M-Me don't have stamina… For it," Avarice blushed at her words. "T-Too strong!"
"Then, you've gotta up your stamina… Alright, it's time to get a little wet, Avarice-chan-Why are you looking at me like that?"
The Harpy went rigid as her entire body burned red, just red.
"Um, Avarice-chan?" Naruto tried again and got no response. 'I-I'm not handling this so well yet,' but he'd get better, dammit! "... Avi-chan?" He whispered.
Avarice's mouth wobbled as she mechanically turned to him before fainting entirely.
"ACK?!"
Etna sat beside the Prinny man as they looked at her list of Skills.
"... Etna-chan?" Naruto asked slowly as Etna blushed, knowing exactly what he was seeing. "What the hell is Sexy Beam?"
"U-Um, well, I can't control my Skills, they just… Come to you! Yeah! Think of it like they're fitting me," she smirked at his blushing, and groaning, form, the two in massage chairs. "Why, you'd be surprised to know that I'm quite desirable."
"Yeah, yeah… Maybe," he shrugged as she colored but looked more and more pleased. "Still, um, this fic is rated 'T', Etna."
"It's nothing so crazy, just some posing and the power of my appeal!"
Appeal huh? Well, it's not like she was wrong.
"You're kind of right," Naruto said, shifting into his Werefox form and leaning back in his seat with her Skills screen in front of him while Etna burned. "Y-Ya do have appealing parts, I guess I just don't think about that kind of physical stuff outright," he admitted bashfully.
Etna's tail shot up out of her chair before curling into a big heart.
"H-Hey, no secret attacks!" She burned, scrunching into her chair as Naruto chuckled.
"It's only true, nothing secret about it."
CRITICAL HIT!
Etna melted under his compliment and realized that this might be bad for her health.
Damn her and her need for 'dangerous' calories!
~NRK~
Tramaris had led the angelic man's copy outside, the two of them flying to the heli-pad of the castle with Avarice's scroll in the woman's hands.
And soon they had a follower, Vulcanus grunting as he landed behind them.
Naruto had the decency to look embarrassed. "Hey, jiji," he said as the archangel grunted.
"We're on bad terms," he said to the blonde man before huffing. "What did you receive, Tramaris?" Vulcanus asked, coming up on the woman's other side and looking at the item in her hands. "... Ah, this is how it works?"
"It's a ritual to unlock the pathways within one's ancestry," Tramaris clarified. "A-After a few words with Avarice, it seems that it can be modified to include aspects of other Classes. The thing is, we need some samples of them."
"So, the Nine-Tails, Fairy, and Cheerleader… I'm not sure if we'll ever find that last one unless someone changed Classes already," Naruto said to the other angels. "But would you want just Monster Classes in the mix, Maris-chan?"
Tramaris blinked at that particular question. "H-Huh?"
"That's… Possibly quite true," Vulcanus massaged his chin. "Would you not prefer more Humanoid Classes within your transformation?"
The woman looked surprised, eyes going from both her fellow angel back down to the scroll. "I… I-I don't know," she whispered. "I didn't think it'd be an issue… I-Is it?" She asked them, now worried.
The two looked sheepish. "It's not that we think it will be bad, per se, but preferences might play a factor. That Dark Apostle woman only had humanoids in her blood but the Harpy was, apparently so, a Witch and yet transformed."
"I think what he's getting at is that it might cause a change you won't like," Naruto elaborated as the older man crossed his arms. "Like, Fairies are really not that big, ya know?"
Tramaris froze at that. "T-That's true."
"I'm not sure if you'd mind the Nine-Tails since it's still human-shaped, it's just got, well, nine tails. That might bother you… Maybe?" He shrugged as she bit her lip a bit. "So, I'm thinking, maybe she should get some of me and your DNA, Vulcan-jiji."
"Ah, I see. Hmph, despite your debauchery, you raise a good point," the man said as Naruto wore an embarrassed grin, Tramaris blushing at the older angel's words. "In that case, why not that of a Holy Dragon's?"
"More monster, though?"
"It's more for the sake of balancing the energies in favor of Holy power. Tramaris can't just change to demonic attributes."
Naruto blinked before nodding. "Man, this feels kind of complicated, huh?"
"It's rather in-depth but not so much that it can't be understood," Vulcanus said with a nod. "For now, give her one of your feathers," he added as he plucked one of his own.
Following the man's example, Naruto did the same and placed his crossed with Vulcanus's atop the scroll's seal.
Their feathers glowed before slipping into the formula.
"With that, it should be balanced towards holy energy but we can still do this in the Enhancement Sanctum."
"U-Understood, sir," Tramaris said as they looked out onto the horizon. "... I know how it looks, sir, but this world can have its beauties," she told the older angel who grimaced and looked concerned. "I-I know that there are demons that live up to their reputation of being vile, nasty, beings. But, living with this party w-we've been with, I think it's not so cut-n-dry."
"... Be that as it may, I can't just… Accept them," Vulcanus frowned deeply. "Even with, let us assume, exceptions, demons as a whole are a race who frolic in sin on the daily and thrive in it."
"You're not wrong, not completely," Naruto smiled sadly as the other man crossed his arms into his sleeves. "Sad to say, you're mostly right. All the demons we've fought up to their point, even Draconis, have a decent sin close to their heart. Draconis's own is one of battle lust, I guess you'd call it."
"Wrath," the archangel specified. "Violence can fall under that sinful category."
Naruto hummed before nodding. "Yep, you're right… But does he come off that way to you?" He smiled as Vulcanus blinked. "Hehe~ We had a rocky start with him, he did want to conquer our Netherworld in the beginning, but ever since beating him, fighting him, understanding him, I realize that he's not a bad man… He told me that his reasons for doing so did have selfish parts to it, no lie, but Draconis also seeks more places to allow his people to grow, thrive, and maybe hide."
"H-Hide?" Tramaris asked as Vulcanus looked alarmed. "From… F-From who?"
"Baal."
The two winced at that name. "I-I'd forgotten for a moment," Vulcanus frowned deeply. "He, Baal, are you all truly seeking to face that… T-That thing?"
"No, not really, but we need to seal him for good," Naruto said. "Right now, maybe I'll have the right power or not but the Boss, King Krichevskoy, he was working on a seal to try and do that after he fell into his coma from fighting him way back almost three years ago," the two looked alarmed as he sighed. "Baal's shade was coming close to this Netherworld. Had he not done something, we might not all be here."
Vulcanus was truly taken-aback. "I-I don't… Why? He was but a mere demon, Baal is a being of the universe who could be said to have circumvented his very race! Why would he fight that thing?!" He didn't get it.
Naruto grinned brightly at that as Tramaris held her hands, and the scroll, to her chest.
"Because of what he cared about," they said in unison, Naruto chuckling as his angelic girlfriend smiled serenely, shocking Vulcanus.
"Because there were things he feared for more than his own life, sir," Tramaris said softly as Vulcanus looked away, some shame falling upon his face. "His son, his people, his home, I don't think he'd ever want to leave them alone."
"He never would and that's why he's such a great guy," Naruto smiled. "Demons have bad in them, yeah, but they also have just as much as good as an angel can at times. Hehe, Laharl's young but he's growing into a great man who's understanding of the world is becoming more tempered. He's got his outbursts but he's gaining understanding that can lead him down a path of greatness."
"..." Vulcanus sighed. "Very well, I… I may have misspoken, I'm sorry."
"We all had to learn a bit," Tramaris said happily. "I think that there are things we all can share as we work together."
"Is that what this arrangement has at its base?" The older angel asked with a raised brow as the two sputtered. "Hmph… My distaste for it is well-known but, at the very least," he gestured divinely at Tramaris. "Keep it holy, woman! Those other… vixens will lead this innocent soul down a path of mayhem and lust he'll never escape from!"
"H-Hey!" Naruto blushed at the insinuation as Tramaris agreed?! "M-Maris-chan-!"
"No, h-he kind of has a point, Naruto," Tramaris said with fire in her eyes. "I-If even Avarice can desire a happy marriage, there's hope for them all! We just need to lead by example!"
Naruto's jaw dropped at the two. 'Is this actually happening?'
~NRK~
Sicily nodded in her seat, going through her big book. "And then we had a super-big fight with Archangel Vulcanus. I-It was a bit scary, the list on the girls bathroom even voted him as the scariest angel in all of Celetia!" She said. "... Um, well, he was the only angel on that list b-but that's a lot of votes!"
Sitting beside her, Laharl snorted as he leaned back in his seat with crossed arms. "I doubt he wouldn't have laughed at that," he smirked. "Dad's sense of humor was a bit weird, a lot weird, but he got it down when it comes to crap like that."
"I see!"
Circe chuckled beside the duo, the three seated in front of the unconscious Krichevskoy. "Your father could still have some fun at another's expense sometimes, he was a truly nice demon but he had a good sense of humor. We need to get him up as soon as possible so you can witness that," she sweatdropped. "A-And, just so you're prepared, he can be a good bit of weird-but a good kind!"
Laharl smirked as Sicily looked excited.
"Yeah!" The girl cheered before blinking at something. "A-Actually, I've been wondering about something," Sicily cupped her chin with a pout, Circe looking amused but curious. "T-That… Aramis guy," she pouted deeply as Laharl rolled his eyes. "I-Is he, um, Naru-bro's kid?"
Circe chuckled goodnaturedly while Laharl gawked at her.
"W-Why does everyone keep thinking that?!" He asked in shock. "I mean, for one, Aramis is older than Naruto is."
"H-He is?!"
"Yep, at least by two hundred years," the prince said with a cupped chin. "Naruto's almost 21, Sicily."
The hybrid looked shocked. "T-Then, how… I-I mean, I know they love each other and stuff b-but how can he have had all the ladies on 'im, then?"
Laharl blushed. "I-I don't know, I'm not prepared for that stuff yet," he muttered as Circe's eyes glinted.
'My son, you'll grow well if you can figure out your own feelings,' best to let him do so. "Hm, hm, well, for many a woman, heaven or hell," she began. "Naruto holds attributes that a woman would find attractive, honey."
"Really? He is super-strong," Sicily said with a faux-demonstration of her none-muscled arms. "And he's so fluffy," she added with stars in her eyes.
"I swear it's a woman thing, he's fluffy, sure, but he's not that fluffy," Laharl said with a sweatdrop. "Come on, I've felt his flipper before and it's really not that crazy."
"It's all about perspective."
"I'm even going to begin to worry about that."
Circe chuckled. "Sure, being strong and fluffy helps, Sicily," she said, amused. "But a woman who tries to stay for those kinds of things typicallyisn't much better in basic nature. No, Naruto-kun has something a lot of women would like for their partners to have but never realize they don't have it themselves. He has emotional intelligence," the red Prinny explained.
"Emotional intelligence?" Sicily blinked. "I mean… Yeah," she nodded. "He does."
"Exactly, Naruto's young by our years but he's millennia ahead in wisdom molded by such a short frame of time," the woman explained. "That's interesting to many a woman, especially if it's on display or put into effect. A man with values is someone who can likely get with any woman but wouldn't, it took your father a long time to figure that one out. Then, when they've stayed, they'll find out how much more depth that man has. Naruto's from a whole different world, one where Celestia, Netherworlds, and possibly even Baal don't exist, that's quite the difference."
"T-Then what about when the angel ladies say men need to be pure?"
Circe laughed outright as Laharl blushed.
"I-It's probably not what you're thinking about," he grumbled as Sicily blinked, confused. "Look, it's as simple as Naruto being well-rounded and then some, yeah? Dad was kind of the same way but he could also be an idiot like Naruto," Laharl grinned as she leaned in with interest. "Did you know he literally cast out a vassal for eating his favorite snack?"
"T-That's so petty!" She said but Sicily looked confident. "You don't just eat your boss's favorite food like that!"
Laharl laughed with Circe at the girl's indignation.
~NRK~
Enigma considered herself as she kept sitting at the MC Table. 'I'm not into anyone, I really can't be, right?' Not to say she couldn't find something like this but… That shouldn't be allowed. 'Stop it, you're not even in the mood for that,' she told herself despite the opposite bothering for the past three hours.
She'd basically been transfixed on the sextet, stop thinking about that, and the fact she was concerned Enigma immensely.
'I just… I don't actually like Naruto like that, do I?' Was that even possible?
With the few bits of 'personal times' they'd spent together it should have made that impossible.
His promise, their sparring, that moment in the lava springs, him helping her swim/carrying her dead-weight ass to shore-Okay, so, maybe there were a few things there b-but that couldn't be it!
Where was this stupid 'spark' thing? Wasn't that supposed to have kicked in by now? Wasn't she supposed to be fucking entranced by that bastard by now and having rose-tinted vision?
If she wasn't then… Why? Why did she care so damn much?
"Haa," she'd been like this for too long, Enigma literally did not need this at the moment. "That's fun."
"What is?" She nearly screamed bloody murder as her head snapped to Corrin. "Sup?" The Thief Senator greeted with interest.
Enigma grunted as she calmed down. "Nope, I'm good. Totally easy street," she lied as easily as she breathed, grunting as she got up. "You know what? I'm gonna go to the Item Sea and work off some steam-" She began to say, looking at the Item Sea area before blinking at another Naruto clone standing there in Prinny form.
The man seemed to be chatting up Plenair who nodded at some questions or shook her head at others, looking red in the face.
Enigma was glad her real eyebrow was different from her visor's because it was twitching. "Fucking, is he gonna 'recruit' her, too?!" She asked in disbelief, slapping her hands against the table's surface.
Corrin smirked as a familiar flower woman came through the portal. "Hehehehe, something tells me you were lying earlier," she said as Enigma froze before blushing somewhat. "Yep, I had a feeling you were going 'ga ga' over our resident human soul."
The Android grit her teeth before sitting back down. "No, I'm not," she denied.
"What's all this then?" Bellona asked as she hopped on over, looking at the strongest member of the Overlord's crew. "Something interesting happened?"
"Yep!"
"No!"
Corrin grinned knowingly as Enigma hissed out a breath, visor 'clicking' as she did with a screen-version of her twitching brow on it.
"Well, that means something definitely happened."
Corrin let the words flow so easily from her lips.
Listening in about their fight, their reconciliation with the angels, the talk with the Seraph, and more. It all led up to the creation of Naruto's harem.
Needless to say, Bellona was intrigued beyond words. "Oh my Satan, there's no way he actually did it already?!" She asked, looking excited.
That hit a nerve that Enigma wasn't happy with.
"And that means?" She asked, a hiss in her voice.
Bellona smiled knowingly. "What do you think that means?" She asked her with a curious tilt of the head as Corrin nodded sagely. "I mean, he's clearly open to multiple partners, that's interesting."
Enigma's hands clenched. "You know you don't like him like that."
"And?"
"She's got a point," Corrin considered. "The thing is, you don't control who he chooses, ya know? And what if Naruto's fine with her if they can make 'something' real?" She shot the Android a look.
"Tsk," Enigma hissed. "That's not how it works."
"For who?" Bellona asked her slyly. "With all due respect, Ms. Enigma, romance can work anyway. Whether the two like each other, hated each other, just had a lustful relationship," she grinned perversely as the Android trembled in fury. "They could have met one day and things worked out, the individuals might have gone from comrades to lovers, or more. Quite frankly,y you're not thinking properly."
"I'm thinking just fine!"
"Are you? So, why do you care?"
Enigma froze, mid-speak before she grunted and scrunched in on herself, face red, and head down.
"No one decides how the rules of romance work. Hell, a harem? Naruto's not even a perverse man yet he's made one for himself," Bellona countered.
"T-That's not the same thing. He's an idiot who cares, dammit, that's why this is a situation," the cyborg said quietly. "That's why that works."
"And you want part of that, don't you?"
Enigma just stared before looking down as she bit her lip. "..."
"... I was joking, by the way," Bellona informed her kindly. "Naruto is an amazing specimen of a man, truly he is, but I'm not interested in him, not so much emotionally as I am physically," she had the decency to blush. "You, on the other hand, are a bit more enamored with him and I do mean emotionally," she grinned through her own perversity. "You desire a relationship or, at least, a deep relationship."
Enigma burned at her words. "I-I'm not so sure, I mean…" She waved out a hand as if gesturing to something. "I-I'm not… There's none of that r-romantic stuff. No fireworks, spark, or anything! It's supposed to be like that, isn't it?"
"Wow, you are… Surprisingly innocent aren't you?" Corrin asked, utterly flabbergasted by the blushing cyborg's rather naive view of how romantic feelings worked. "Um… I-I don't have that kind of experience. Bellona!"
"It's fine, you both are looking at this too complexly… Anyway, I'm not married, now am I?"
"W-Wait, then, what?!"
"Same, what the hell are you giving me shit for?" Enigma grunted. "B-Besides, no one said… He's just my bud, I don't wanna make things weird."
"Hmm… Ah, then, why not talk with someone who got the most powerful man in the world?"
~NRK~
Having left Krichevskoy's room with light hearts, Laharl was surprised by the newest situation they'd ended up in.
"W-Wait, you, too?!" The prince gaped as the Android cleared her throat while Corrin snickered and Bellona smiled.
"I believe this might be an interesting situation," Circe said with a smile as they all sat in a recreational room. "Alright, well, let's start like this: Do you know what you're feeling, Enigma?" She asked simply as Sicily watched with bated breath.
The cyborg blushed and muttered something. "... I-I don't know, alright? I'm not even sure what this is gonna solve," she admitted. "I just can't stand it, all that PDA, the fact they're happy and I'm not even saying I hate it like it's cancer or something. I just get irritated," Enigma groaned in her seat.
"You're jealous?" Sicily asked, surprising the part-robot woman. "I-I mean, you don't hate 'love' but you're mad because of it, right?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Then, um, wouldn't that mean you want that?"
The woman blushed as Bellona looked intrigued. "Very astute, ma'am, it's basically the situation," the Floral Beast chuckled as Laharl grunted but observed the whole situation. "Enigma can't, or really doesn't, understand the whole situation with herself," she added as the Android grumbled.
Circe tapped her beak. "Hmm… Well, I'd ask, what's stopping you from just trying?" She asked as Enigma blushed. "It's the same thing I told Naruto when he was unsure about all of this. I told him to feel out the situation, to see how he felt about everyone, and just allow things to happen. From what he's told me, Tramaris wasn't even a choice until she found the courage to put herself forward so it's not like things don't happen on their own."
Enigma looked surprised but blushed more as she considered her words. "T-Things'll just get complicated," she said weakly. "Complicated is annoying, embarrassing, and awkward. He'll never act normal around me."
"Or he might care more than he should if you two broke up," Circe said as Enigma steamed at the idea of such a situation.
Where he still cared even while they were apart a-and Naruto would show the same affection even if they weren't together, and then she'd move in and trap him in a room-
The Android exploded into red colors as Laharl cupped his chin.
'So, this is what a normal person looks like… Maybe,' was she normal, comparatively? He didn't think so.
She was basically implying she wanted to try and be a part of his big brother-figure's harem, after all, but a 'Naruto Harem' was likely a normal thing but just split a couple ways.
Hell, the guy had clones so there'd be no crazy hyper-focus, would there?
'When I think about it, Naruto's really a relationship hub,' Laharl postulated on the hilariously embarrassing idea.
Sicily, meanwhile, blushed but stared with big shining eyes.
Enigma dragged her hand down her visor, cheeks a vermillion color. "I'm going to make this so stupid," she muttered.
"Hehe, you're gonna go after some lovin'," Corrin snickered as the Android groaned. "So, ya gonna do it now?"
The cyborg looked down in thought before shaking her head. "I-If I'm gonna do this, I need to make it noticeable. He's got five women on his arms already and they're probably too noticeable," she grunted. "I need to isolate Naruto for a bit and get his attention before I do anything."
Laharl looked surprised at that. "You're saying it so easily," he said curiously.
"Like I said, if I'm deadset on it, I wanna do this correctly. Besides, I don't just drop things, not without my fingers going numb. I wanna do this? I'm going all in and trying to make it work… S-So, uh, is there anything Naruto likes? Something that'd make him real happy?"
~NRK Out~