The entrance to the labyrinth trap was still quite small, and I didn't want the girls crawling through it. More importantly, I was fairly certain that Vesta wouldn't even fit through the gap.
'Master, I can still hear some monster noises from inside,' Shea said through party chat, pressing one of her rabbit ears against the wall. 'I… I think they sound like Naive Olives. But there are many of them.'
'Hmm. They must have survived because they were out of range of my Storm spells,' I said, nodding in understanding.
'Master, I can go inside and finish them,' Remu offered calmly.
Her build was the smallest among the girls—along with Nyx—so she could probably crawl through the opening without much trouble.
'Eh—no, Master! Let me do it!' Shea protested, hopping excitedly toward me. 'I still want to use my hammer more!'
'No. You girls stay here,' I said, shaking my head. 'I'll go around to the other side and bring you all over with Warp.'
If there were only Naive Olives inside, they wouldn't attack immediately. And if something did go wrong, I could retreat instantly with Warp.
'That is definitely the best option, Master,' Remu agreed, and the others nodded as well.
Not wasting any more time, I handed my Explorer bag to Vesta and crawled through the narrow opening.
Once I emerged on the other side, I immediately activated Appraisal.
Screens began popping up all over my vision.
Most of them identified the piles of demon drops scattered across the floor near me.
Beyond them, more windows appeared—each labeling the figures moving lazily on the far side of the room.
Naive Olives.
I counted ten of them strolling around without a care.
Carefully, I moved toward the right corner of the chamber, making sure not to step on any of the drops.
Once I reached a safe position, I quickly updated the girls on the situation before casting Warp and calling them over.
'Ah! There are so many things scattered on the ground!' Shera exclaimed as she looked around the room.
'We should collect them first before engaging the demons,' Remu said, glancing at me.
I nodded.
The girls and I quickly began gathering the demon drops, stuffing them into the Explorer Bag as fast as we could. For a moment I worried the bag might overflow, but thankfully everything was able to fit inside.
'Master killed so many of them… while we only defeated three,' Vesta murmured as she kept another film of olive oil into the bag.
'Master is really amazing!' Her eyes looked at me with clear admiration.
The other girls nodded in agreement, smiling.
Even I couldn't help but feel a little flattered under their gazes.
'Alright, now let's finish off those surviving plants,' I said, taking out my wand.
'Our party will stay in this corner with the same formation as before. But this time, I want Remu and Shea to run ahead and strike two of the plants. Then come back immediately. The Naive Olives should follow you, and we'll kill them together here.'
'Understood, Master,' Remu replied seriously.
'Hehe, that's easy,' Shea said with a smug grin.
'Master, I can also shoot them with arrows from here to lure them over,' Shera suggested, lifting her bow.
'Yes, but not yet,' I replied, looking at her. 'When I feel like one of the plants is about to die, I'll tell you to shoot another one from the group. That way we can keep the fights flowing and clear them faster.'
'Leave it to me, Master,' Shera said with a confident grin.
The girls moved into position.
Vesta stood at the front, now a Dragon Knight, easily wielding both the large shield and the Orichalcum sword.
Just behind her stood Nyx, silent and steady, holding her spear.
Four steps behind them, near the wall, Shera and I took our positions.
As soon as I gave the signal, both Remu and Shea dashed toward the plants.
Watching the catgirl and rabbitgirl sprint side by side, I couldn't help but wonder which of them was actually faster. Maybe I should organize a race between them back at the mansion someday.
The moment they reached the unsuspecting group, Remu slashed at one plant's trunk while Shea slammed her hammer into another's bark.
Following my orders, they immediately retreated.
Both plants were successfully aggroed. They broke away from the group and began chasing the girls back toward us.
Shera and I didn't wait for them to arrive.
'Fireball.'
I launched the spell while Shera released one of her Mana Arrows. I had noticed earlier that the range of her magic arrows seemed noticeably longer than my ball spells. Maybe I should have her test its maximum range later.
Our attacks landed cleanly, and the enraged plants sped up.
The moment they reached us, Vesta stepped forward.
She smashed one plant with her shield while slashing at the other with her Orichalcum sword.
Her stance still looked a little awkward—understandable since she had only just started dual wielding—but the raw power behind her blows was undeniable.
Remu, Shea, and Nyx quickly joined in, attacking the staggered plants from the sides.
As soon as my five-second cooldown passed, I launched another Fireball at the same plant I had been targeting.
Technically, I could have used a Storm spell instead—but that risked aggroing six Naive Olives at once. That would have been far too much for us to handle simultaneously.
After taking four of my spells, I figured that the first plant must be close to collapsing.
'Shera, aggro another one,' I instructed.
She complied immediately, firing another arrow toward the distant group. Even from this distance, the plant she struck turned and began moving toward us.
Very soon I realized something else.
Because of my magic attacks, the plants were dying too quickly.
So I deliberately slowed down my casting, letting the girls handle more of the fighting. More than anything, I wanted Vesta to grow comfortable with her new dual-wielding style.
Even with that restraint, we finished off all ten plants in what couldn't have been more than ten minutes.
And in the end…
Nyx was the only one who looked completely out of breath.
'I think this is enough for today,' I said once the girls finished collecting the drops. 'Let's head home.'
Technically, this team hadn't made much progress deeper into the labyrinth, but the encounter with the labyrinth trap had still revealed a lot about their abilities.
Besides, it had already been dinner time when we left the house. I didn't want the girls at home waiting for us any longer than necessary.
After giving the room one final scan, I opened a Warp, and we all returned home.
"Welcome back, Master."
Roxanne was the first to greet us the moment I stepped inside.
"Thank you, Roxanne," I replied with a smile as I moved aside so the other girls could step through the portal.
The living room was illuminated by several oil lanterns hanging along the walls. Most of the girls had gathered here already. The only ones I didn't immediately spot were Erina and Yasaka.
As Roxanne helped me remove my equipment, the others began chatting among themselves.
Ram and Rem were the first to walk over to Shea, Shera, and Remu, eager to hear about their labyrinth run.
Nearby, I heard Miria proudly declaring herself the Onee-chan to Vesta and asking if she was alright, with Lillia standing beside her and translating.
Jasmine and Kunou had approached Nyx, whose legs were still trembling slightly as she leaned against the wall for support.
Viviana stood a little apart from the others, quietly watching the lively scene with a peaceful smile.
Meanwhile, Sherry, Anastasia, and Setsuna gathered around me.
Seeing everyone just standing around the room made me realize something once more.
We really needed more chairs. Either that, or we should spread out the bought carpets so the girls could sit comfortably on them instead of just standing.
While thinking that I disbanded the party and invited both Sherry and Roxanne into a new one. I needed their opinions on something important. Our discussion only took a moment, and both of them quickly agreed with my judgment.
"Are Erina and Yasaka in the kitchen?" I asked Roxanne.
"Yes, Master. The food is ready, but they decided to keep an eye on the fire so it stays warm until your arrival," Roxanne replied.
"Good," I nodded in approval. "Still, I want them to witness this too. Go call them here."
"Understood, Master," Roxanne said with a nod before leaving the room.
I walked over to Vesta first. She had already removed her equipment and stored it inside the other Explorer Bag.
"You did amazing, Vesta—even though it was your first time in the labyrinth," I said, having to look slightly up at her as I raised my hand and gently caressed her soft red hair.
"Th-thank you very much, Master," Vesta replied meekly, her face turning as red as her hair.
Next, I approached Nyx. Her pale face was slick with sweat, and strands of her dark purple hair clung to her skin.
"You did well to hold on until the end," I said gently, patting her head.
"Thank you," she muttered quietly, her eyes drooping from exhaustion.
Then I moved to Remu, who did her best to maintain a straight face while I thoroughly rubbed her soft cat ears.
The elf girl beside her, on the other hand, began stuttering and blushing furiously as I complimented her while stroking her silky blonde hair.
At last, I faced the eager-looking rabbit girl.
Instead of saying anything, I calmly sat back down on the sofa.
"In today's labyrinth run, we encountered a labyrinth trap," I began evenly. "It was Shea who discovered it."
"Hehe," Shea smiled smugly.
Several of the other girls nodded—they had already heard about it while chatting earlier.
At that moment, Roxanne returned to the room with Yasaka and Erina following behind her.
"But Shea also disobeyed my orders, ran ahead by herself, and triggered the trap's entrance," I continued, looking directly at her.
"Eh… I'm sorry," Shea said, her smug smile cracking as it turned into an awkward one.
"We were lucky the entrance was small," I said somberly. "Otherwise things could have gone very badly for us. Still, that doesn't mean I'll forgive her mistake."
The room fell silent. Every eye turned toward me and Shea.
From their expressions alone, I couldn't fully tell what the others were thinking—but at least Roxanne and Sherry, whom I had consulted beforehand, supported my decision.
"So Shea, you will be punished according to the family law for disobeying my orders," I declared. "Now come here and bend over my knee."
With a weak smile, she nodded and walked toward me, her rabbit ears drooping low.
The newer girls hadn't personally witnessed Anastasia's punishment before, but they had heard about it, so they weren't entirely unaware of what was about to happen.
Keeping my face expressionless, I watched as Shea carefully laid herself across my knees. The weight of her body pressed against my legs, and I could feel the soft fullness of her breasts against my side.
Looking down, I noticed a small white puff of cotton peeking out from the waistband of her pants—it was her rabbit tail.
"B-be gentle with me, Master," Shea muttered nervously.
"I know this was your first time acting as a scout," I replied calmly. "So I won't punish you too harshly for your mistake."
With one swift motion, I pulled down both her pants and underwear.
Her pale, white buttocks were suddenly exposed to the entire room, and the rabbit girl trembled slightly across my lap.
"This time you'll only need to count to three," I said firmly. "But if you fail to count properly, we'll start over. Understood?"
"Uhmm…" Shea nodded vigorously.
I raised my hand and brought it down against her right buttcheek.
SMACK!
"ONE!"
"Ah! O-one!" Shea cried out loudly.
I paused for a moment.
Not only had the sharp sound echoed nicely through the room, but her backside had felt surprisingly soft and springy under my palm—my hand had practically bounced back from the strike.
Trying to ignore the lingering sensation, I raised my hand again and brought it down on the other cheek.
"TWO!"
SMACK!
"AHHH! TWOOOO!" Shea moaned loudly, her body quivering as her hands clutched tightly at my legs.
I looked at the rabbitgirl oddly, surprised to find her pussy already dripping with juices. She had even started breathing heavily, her body shifting restlessly over my lap.
Was she really getting aroused right now? She was clearly way more sensitive then I expected, in fact I hadn't even used my Seductive Touch skill on her yet!
Wanting to finish the punishment quickly, I raised my hand once more and brought it down firmly on the already reddened cheek.
"THREE!"
SMACK!
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!! Thrrrrreeeeeee!!!! MASTERRR!" Shea moaned the loudest, her body jerking violently as suddenly a stream burst out from her pussy.
SQUIRT! 💦
My hand ended up getting wet from her juices, and my dick had already gone hard from her moans.
Around us, the room had gone completely silent.
When I glanced up, I noticed several of the girls watching the scene with curious or slightly bewildered expressions.
I was sure they were already judging me, but this time I hadn't done anything… I was innocent in all of this.
Somehow this simple punishment under family law had turned erotic…
And it was all this horny rabbit's fault!