Chapter 149: What is a harem (2)
The love of one man and many women.
Alas, it could never be considered a common form of love.
If I was greedy, it was greed.
My desire for them all to be happy.
I only hope that this greed is not too much for me.
For now, I decided to listen to Geppeti’s plan.
I decided to listen to Geppeti’s plan, because I found her voice quite convincing.
Soon enough, Geppeti, who was standing on one of the rooftop railings, spoke up.
“…For now, I think we need to start building a framework, because right now it’s kind of a blank slate.”
Geppeti tilts her head as she continues.
“I kind of get what you’re saying.”
“It’s the first step in building a framework, but you have to be special to them, so that they can’t give you up easily, even if something as absurd as sharing you with another woman happens.”
“Hmm…”
“Normally, that’s not easy, probably impossible. There are plenty of men in the world, and the women Lord Zetto cherishes are all of superior quality.”
Well, that was true.
I nodded in affirmation at Geppeti’s explanation.
“But it’s a process you must go through. Whether it’s obsession, over-possessiveness, or dependency, it doesn’t matter, because you have to get through it somehow before you can move on to the next step.”
“That sounds pretty risky to me…”
“Of course it is, because you’re doing something that’s just as risky, and you’re not going to stop walking down that path just because it’s difficult and dangerous, are you?”
“…”
“Unless you have the power to force this mold, this is the only way to do it, and I don’t think you want to do it.”
“That’s true.”
He wanted them to be happy, after all.
“But you don’t have to worry about that, because from what I’ve analyzed, you seem to be getting through this pretty smoothly.”
“I’m…?”
At my stuttered question, Geppeti’s mouth drops open again, and she glances at me.
“You seem to have a tendency to underestimate yourself, Lord Zetto, but I’m not lying, and since we don’t know what kind of emotional interactions you’ve had with the ladies, I’m going to take a very objective look at you, ruling that out…”
As she trailed off, Geppeti turned to face me.
Her red eyes slowly scan me then her lips part.
“…To use an animal analogy, you’re bathed in male pheromones that a female can’t easily resist.”
“Sorry, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Animal pheromones” was an incomprehensible explanation.
Geppeti wiggled her eyebrows at my short answer.
“Well, how about this…Lord Zetto is a man who can mesmerize even me, an A.I…?”
Geppeti blushed and stuttered shyly, as if she wanted to explain this to me somehow.
Even an A.I. can be mesmerized.
It didn’t make any more sense than the pheromones.
More importantly…
“…Mesmerized?”
“…That’s what I’m saying.”
Geppeti jerks her head away from me and continues to explain.
“I’ll let it slide, because I don’t think I’m going to be able to make you understand this, but I’m saying that it’s a process you have to go through in order to build a framework, and it’s a very difficult one, but… I know you can do it, Lord Zetto.”
“Okay. So what do you think I should do?”
The conversation was back on track, and Geppeti answered my question succinctly.
“You just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“As usual…?”
“I can’t give you specifics on how to do that, it’s something that you need to lead on your own, and I shouldn’t have much to do with it, otherwise it won’t be from the heart, so my role is just to briefly summarize the situation and offer advice.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
I too was curious about the plans of the highly advanced AI, but I had no intention of relying on Geppeti.
“Since you’ve only recently become aware of your feelings, your behavior will naturally change accordingly… and I think you’ll move past this stage.”
Behavioral change…
As it turns out, I did have a chance to tell Aizel how I really felt.
I explained to Geppeti what had happened with Aizel.
I felt like I was making progress because I was telling her the truth.
When I finished, I was smiling with pride but the next thing I know, Geppeti lips curl up into a smile that I can’t quite put my finger on.
“So you’re saying that Lady Sierra heard all of this, too?”
“…”
I nod quietly.
“I had no idea you jumped through so many hoops in such a short time… While it’s a positive thing that you’ve spoken your mind, I would have preferred that others not know about it at this time… I suppose it’s part of who you are. First, I’d like to ask you something. Is Lady Sierra one of the people in the mold?”
Without further ado, I opened my mouth to answer Geppeti’s question.
“I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but… I guess so.”
“No, even if she is a spirit body, she could still interact with you normally, and she’s been around for a while, so it doesn’t seem strange that you’d harbor such feelings. Anyway…Since things have come to this, I can only tell you the next step in advance.”
“What’s the next step?”
“Once you’ve established a framework, you’ll need to keep it stable, and to do that, you’ll need to be fair. After all, your goal isn’t to own them, it’s to make them happy, so no one should be left out, and there shouldn’t be any complaints.”
It was an idealized story though I had a feeling it was easier said than done.
“But what about Sierra…”
“Due to Sierra’s nature, I’ve been unable to determine if she has feelings for Lord Zetto, but if she does, she’s not in a good condition.”
…that was true.
***
When Zetto and Geppeti returned to the room after their intimate conversation, they were met by Rei, who was urgently searching for Zetto.
For some reason, Zetto’s Spectral Sword, which he had placed in the center of the room, was leaking yogi.
Seeing this, Zetto casually picked up Sierra, who was emitting powerful yogi, and told them to stay away from him for a while.
“…”
For now, Zetto remained silent, kneeling on the ground and holding his sword in an extremely respectful manner.
Rei, who followed Zetto’s lead, was sitting on the floor not far away, holding a fluffy Sheddie in her arms and staring at him blankly.
Suddenly, Rei has a question.
What the hell is going on here?
In Rei’s eyes, Zetto was completely engulfed by the ominous energy emanating from his Spectral Sword.
It looked dangerous enough that she wondered if he might be harmed, but the spirit was supposed to be his teacher, so it was not her business.
Furthermore, with no knowledge of the Spectral Sword, Rei had no idea what was going on.
Geppeti, on the other hand, was nonchalantly making dinner. ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s going to be taken care of,’ she said, ‘just trust your brother.’
‘I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope it’s going to be okay…’
She didn’t want him to get hurt since she still had a lot of candy left to take from him.
***
I open my eyes and immediately feel water on my feet.
There was no end in sight to this empty space with shallow water at the bottom.
In the sky, I see a purple full moon.
‘The spirit world of Sierra… I should say.’
Hurrying back to the room from my conversation with Geppeti, I found myself face to face with Sierra, who was leaking yogi.
The bonds of the seal were visibly weakened.
Then I reached for my sword and realized that Sierra was pulling me in.
I prepared myself and accepted her touch without resistance.
This is how it’s been since my vision went black but the one who had brought me here was nowhere to be seen.
“Master?”
I call out to her, but there is no answer.
The echo-free void was eerily silent.
I walked slowly forward as I listened to the sound of the water sloshing in my ears and pondered.
I wondered why Sierra had called me here.
What had upset her so much that she’d disappeared into the Spectral Sword?
Sierra’s behavior was puzzling, as she always referred to the relationship between them as master and pupil.
Even after listening to Geppeti’s explanation, I was still confused and nothing made sense.
I was walking around aimlessly and started to think about it.
Maybe it was the wrong way to call her.
-Pfft.
I stopped in my tracks and opened my mouth to speak.
“Sierra.”
I called her name, not Master.
When had I ever called her that before?
I scratched my cheeks, feeling a little embarrassed, perhaps because she had recognized my feelings for her.
Finally, she responded.
Out of nowhere, a cloud of purple smoke rises in front of me, and then she appears.
Her impassive eyes meet mine as she emerges from the smoke and approaches me, then her mouth opens.
“Why have you come?”
“……”
Sierra is pouting hard now. I’m sure of it.