Chapter 1178 – Prep Grinding 18 – Little talks and one more heart<h1></h1>


    Nia weighed the sword. It was a long, sleek thing, with a narrow cross guard and long grip. The de was wide, wider even than traditional two-handed swords. Despite its appearance, it could be easily wielded with one hand. Being made from manifested nirvana, there was no weight to it. Cuts by these weapons weren’t physical in nature, so that was never a drawback.


    What was a drawback was that Nia had limited experience wielding longswords. Thence and daggerbination she had wielded for so long, she had mastered with dedicated practice. Nothing truly forced Nia to switch to this new form of her manifested powers. Intuition told her to go ahead with it, however. Intuition backed up by her level developments.


    Something during the Raid must have given her the burst she needed. Of all of them, she did struggle the most while they were inside. It was good that it wasn’t just John who gathered valuable experience in Raids. With that in mind, she required some training. A master of all weapons was never far, in the harem.


    “Sword stances are all just a question of what angle you want to try to hit your opponent at.” Metra demonstrated a number of ways to hold the sword with a wooden training weapon Lee had spawned into reality. “Your stupid fucking movies show a bunch of swords shing mindlessly nowadays. Using normal weapons – dumb move. Smacking steel against steel at full force so that sparks fly quickly leads to two unusable chunks of deformed trash. Abyssal weapons are typically sturdier, so it bes more possible with them. Since you’re a teleporting, anti-magic creep, I don’t think blocking should be anything you specialize in.”


    Nia nodded. “I agree.”


    “Great, then I will concentrate on teaching you the wrath guard.” Raising the sword over her shoulder, the de practically level with her head, pommel pointing away from Nia, Metra grinned wildly. “Basically, what you do is, as soon as your opponent is in range…” She executed a powerful downwards strike. “…you split their skulls! It’s as aggressive as you can get.”@@novelbin@@


    “As light as the sword is, you might want to try and apply some fencing techniques,” John suggested from the side. “I can try teaching you. Lydia might be better suited though.”


    Nia mimicked the stance and the strike five times before responding, “Appreciated.”


    John watched them train for about ten minutes. Even if Nia wanted to take his offer, she had enough to learn from Metra that he wouldn’t be useful any time soon. Since they knew how to find him, he headed back into the mansion. It was still the sixth day and he wanted to keep hanging out with his women. Specifically, those that would not apany him during the Iron Domain trip deserved some special attention.


    The smell of heavy pork broth hung in the air, filling John’s lungs as he entered the mansion. Much of his harem hung out in the living room of the base floor. Nathaliay across a segment of the couch, iming it for herself while exchanging words with Siena. A particrly dangerous duo, one would think, yet their topic of discussion was entirely mundane.


    “Have you tried spiced jerky yet?” the dragoness asked.


    “I have, it was rather…cking,” answered the midnight elemental and leaned back with a sigh. “I do so love meat, but I like my hotness with chocte.”


    John did not catch the rest of the conversation, as he walked by with just a wink to Eliana, who was in a conversation elsewhere in the room with Rave, and Smander. He entered a hallway and passed an open door. He caught a glimpse of Lee getting eaten out by Undine while a second body of the slime girl sat on the young Fateweaver’s face. Blood rushed towards his dick, especially as the moans followed him down the hallway.


    Up a flight of stairs, the Gamer looked around on the first floor of the manor. In a small, half-hidden study, he found Momo having some solo time with a book and a dildo modelled after his dick. Although she had started it alone, she did notin when he decided to witness her bring herself to climax. Well, not until she was calming down, anyway.


    John ignored the erection that had given him and continued looking around the building. He found Gnome and Scarlett ying chess in the second living room. One was the obvious favourite, but an equal ying field was not always required to have fun. Although John was not looking for them, seeing the technomancer around let him ask a question. “Has Nightingale answered yet?”


    “Nope,” the redhead answered immediately.


    Since John had now confirmed that what Delicia needed, and Nightingale wanted by proxy, was in the hands of Arkeidos, he had seen fit to reach out to the goddess of night. The course of action had not quite agreed with his pride. Maximizing his chances against a millennia old lich of soul and metal was simply higher priority, so he had done it anyway. Scarlett had sent the message for him at the start of the grinding session. That was technically less than a day ago, even if it was almost six for them. Still, she must have been preupied, to not have seen the message in that time.


    Nightingale would make for a powerful ally. Her abilities were, as far as he knew, focused on sensory suppression, rather than directbat. Regardless, a goddess was a goddess and would increase their chance of sess notably.


    There were other powerful people to whom John could offer favours in exchange for their support in this. None came to mind that he wanted to owe something, though. There was no doubt that he could call on the Horned Rat for support, for example. Technology from another world that let souls be transformed into crystals? Doubtlessly something the god of future cmity wished to research. With the weight of the Illuminati behind him, he could send forces that made the conflict with Arkeidos a lot easier.


    At what cost? John didn’t even ask, as he knew it would be higher than he wanted. He kept the option in mind, in case his choices were split between indebting himself to the Horned Rat and failure. Unless it came to that extreme, he’d rather face the additional hardship.


    Scarlett moved one of her knights forward and took out one of Gnome’s rooks. The season elemental squealed and bowed over the board, desperately trying to find a way to salvage her position. “I’ll tell you when she finally replies,” the redhead assured, smirking at Gnome’s panic.


    “Alright.” John nodded and kept on walking. The only ones he hadn’t seen yet were Aclysia, Beatrice, Sylph and Lorelei. Aclysia, he knew to be in the kitchen. A quick mental scan revealed that the passive maid meant to scrub the bathroom, but instead used the mop to fence with Sylph. A bit of childish fun that he deemed healthy. Irksome about this was only that it left him with no clue where Lorelei was.


    He was looking for the seer, to spend some more quality time with her. As far as Observe and his own intuition went, it would only take one more good conversation for him to apply Lover’s Will to her. A priority, for several lewd, loving, and practical reasons. Although his dick was protesting the fact it went limp unused, a break in the sex of the day was also wee.


    John went up to the second floor and found itpletely vacant. The manor was designed to amodate a group their size. Normal groups their size did need more personal space than they did though. There were a bunch of bedrooms around that were only used when a group either wanted to keep sex to the participants or if whatever they wanted to do required more space than a couch gave. The former was extremely rare. Not unheard of, but rare. As normal as tapping in and out of the orgies was, everyone deserved opportunities to do private loving with specifically chosen partners.


    ‘Did I miss her?’ he wondered. The Mand Sphere was flying around outside, watching over the environment that had, by now, been changed to a mixture of a pce garden, a public park, a legendary vacation spot, and MMO set pieces. She wasn’t anywhere there. John concentrated on his aura sense and tried to see if there was someone in a room he hadn’t checked on. One signal appeared above him. ‘Guess I’ll check the attic,’ he decided and went for the final flight of stairs.


    John could barely stand at full height under the highest beam of the nted roof. It was barren up there, a naked construction of wood and instion. Lorelei sat on her knees towards the end of the single room, underneath a circr window. The ss was split into quarters around a central circle, the frame simple, ck wood.


    Something about the air felt too heavy to raise his voice thoughtlessly. Approaching quietly, John could soon see the raised, sped hands over Lorelei’s back. The seer had bandaged her eyes, although the rest of her body remained nude, and quietly moved her lips. Rather than read the words, John took a step back and quietly waited for her to conclude.


    After about ten minutes, Lorelei turned towards him. “Thank you for your patience, John.”


    “It wouldn’t be right of me to interrupt your prayer,” the Gamer shook his head, “there’s nothing to thank me for.”


    “All good behaviour should be encouraged.” Lorelei’s soft smile had a note of daring eroticism to it. “You are deeply aware of this, are you not, Master?”


    John amusedly blew air out of his nose and crossed the distance between them. “I suppose you are right in that sense,” he conceded and lovingly caressed the side of her face. “Can I ask what you prayed for or would that be a breach of etiquette?”


    “It would perhaps be, were you not the one whose fate I share,” Lorelei responded and put a hand on his. “Yet, there is nothing to tell, for I have prayed for nothing. It is not my ce to ask the Lady for anything. She has already given me so much. I give thanks for the opportunities she has created.”


    “Hmm, you think the Lady is responsible for this?” John asked, brushing over her shoulder with his left hand. “With how strictly against your Order was against my kind of rtionship, feels a bit odd to thank your interpretation of Gaia for where we ended up.”


    Lorelei softly shook her head. “You see the worldly extension, filled with failure, and fault the divine for it,” she chided him in her pleasant tone. “The Order has not, does not, and will not always live up to the true extent of the Lady. Her will is the provenance of our beliefs. The Lady is the deity of faith and life. Outwardly, much by necessity, the Order of the Golden Rose projects its faith more so than its adherence to the value of life. It is a harsh world we act in, sadly.”


    “It is,” John agreed and fully sat down in front of her. “I try to give religion credit where I can. As far as I can see, there must be some value to it, especially when it created prosperous societies.”


    “Yet you do not see the value in it for yourself,” Lorelei observed.


    John could only nod. “I’m not your average person. I have the strength of mind and character to make my own values. I recognize that only a few can do that though.”


    “You recognize your own superiority,” Loreleimented, sounding just a bit reprimanding. “The purple and gold of your soul, it reveals your thoughts to me, John. This conclusion of yours is born from pride.”


    “Yes,” the Gamer admitted what he already knew. “And I can understand that you can fault me for that. Perhaps it would be better if I saw my values inspired by a divine ideal. Arguably that would keep me from bing too arrogant – at least in this aspect.” He leaned forwards and kissed her. Willingly, she obliged. “But I can’t. That’s just not who I am.”


    “It is fortunate you have Stirwin to humble you in the furthest reaches of your arrogance,” Lorelei whispered.


    “Could not hurt to have others who keep me humble.”


    “Ick the strength of will to oppose you, John.”


    “I don’t think you do,” the Gamer disagreed. “I do not fall for women that break under pressure.”


    “If the Lady so blesses me, perhaps you are right.”


    “You do not need to be blessed with power that is already yours.”


    “Will you test me to prove that?” Lorelei asked, taking both of his hands between hers. “Or will you swear an oath to me? If you cannot believe in the divine ideals of our Lady, then perhaps our love shall be enough to anchor some humility in you? May I ask you not to fail me? Not to fail… your…”


    “I won’t fail you, mydy,” he finished the sentence for her. “As much as I may believe in my own superiority and as much as that superiority may be true, I will stay humble enough to not believe that my soul weighs more than that of others. For my principles alone, I would do so.”


    “History is full of great men warping their principles in the name of power and convenience,” Lorelei responded. “Faith in the Lady is the greatest anchor in the truth, to me. Where faith fails you, worldly man, true love will not. To that, you agree?”


    “To that, I agree.” John nodded.


    Lorelei smiled and let go of his hands. She reached behind her head and unmade her blindfold. Its purpose could have only been ritualistic. Carefully, she folded it and ced it to the side. “It pleases me to disagree with you,” she confessed. “I know that, under all the words that fail to conveyplete intent, your soul is true to divine grace.”


    “Only because I want to live in a world where gentle souls like yours aren’t crushed,” John responded and checked on the numbers. It was a visual confirmation of what he already knew in his heart. “I could mark you now,” he told her, causing the smile on her face to bloom fully. Despite that, he kept a serious tone. “You can see it as the physical proof of my oath to you. You will help me stay humble. You know what I want in return.”


    “You ask for many things.” Lorelei’s voice was filled to the brim with sweetness. “For my submission to your desires, for me to be, until ourst day, one in your harem, for me to aid you with my powers and with what little wisdom I have. Yes, I know what you want in return. You want all I am. There is nothing I would rather give.”


    John ced two fingers on her sternum. ce did not matter, only physical contact between them. Through that connection, his magic flowed into her. While it spread inside her, a part of her seeped into him in return. An exchange of small parts of their deepest selves.


    Lorelei trembled and failed to withhold a moan, high-pitched and lustful. Ity in stark contrast to the conversation they just had, as did the intense reaction of her body. She threw her head back, while the winding lines spawned above her pussy, taking the shape of a heart with two arms extending to the side. Roughly, the shape mimicked that of the womb it was on top of.


    A tingle around his right thumb let John know where the mark he received in return formed. ‘Fitting that she shares a space with Gnome,’ he thought, looking at the heart shapes thatyered on top of the middle joint of the thumb. Simr ones were all over his knuckles, sharp lines extending down from them and towards his wrists, which were also marked. Each was somewhat like a ring for the women he was in love with. He wore them proudly, just as they did.


    “Oh, John, I love you,” spoke Lorelei, a hand gliding affectionately over her mark.


    “I love you too,” he responded, wrapping an arm around her. A whisper into her ear made her entire body tremble. “Let’s head downstairs.”


    A pause could onlyst so long.