Eyna wasn't kidding.
When did that shabby emergency shelter become a workshop?
The temporary building they'd thrown together was no more, only feathers and efficiency.
And by the spirits, there were so many feathers.
Whenever they butchered a goose in Halaima, these kids would pluck them here. They sorted their haul, too, and those with steady hands would cut and fit the wing feathers onto arrows.
They didn't throw away the rest, either. They'd become bedding for the orphans.
And as for the shafts and arrowheads—
"Actually, business has been lucrative lately," Eyna claimed with pride. "The geese from the Nord estate seem to have the softest down feathers. Peddlers pay their weight in gold."
"Too bad, it's not something heavy," Konrad pointed out, palm digging into a crate.
They sure felt soft, though.
The girl pouted.
"That specific crate's worth two whole coins, Master."
Oh? The Demon Lord whistled at that, too.
"That's quite something, Lady Eyna," he chirped, pressing closer. "And these are mere kids. Imagine if I sent the fletchers of my horde—production would soar through the clouds."
"Fletchers don't generate extra feathers," Konrad grumbled. "They're from Stella's geese."
But once he said that, he couldn't help but glance at the blonde necromancer.
"T-these weren't part of your, um, deathwatch, right?!"
The Church girl blinked as if hesitating whether to take offense or laugh.
"No, My Lord," she said, face twitching. "These are ordinary animals brought in from Aset."
Ah. So Gabrielle's hands were in this.
Raised on Stella's estates, all organized by the one and only Eyna—
Yeah. His entire harem was hard at work even while Konrad was away.
"We could still use the extra hands," the purple-eyed beauty noted with a smile. "Labor and skill were the things Halaima lacked the most. Your horde is more than welcome here, um—"
"Call me Maou," he offered, way too pushy for his child form. "No need for honorifics."
Was it all right to make peace with the Demon Lord?
Konrad wanted nothing more than to keep him away from his harem now.
But as the only one without the ability to use telepathy on her own—
Eyna read the room immediately.
"Lord Midori," she said, producing the most rigid curtsy before taking a few steps back. What a good girl. "I will work my hardest so that both our people can prosper together."
Konrad wanted to hug her. No, even a kiss wouldn't have been over the top.
She wanted one anyway, right?
That's what she said earlier—
But when he caught Lily's glare, he had to rethink that. He needed to survive first.
And stop forgetting about the crowd that followed him all day.
"So, you're, like, a farmer girl, or something, Stella-san?" Yuki tried herself at a casual conversation. "My grandma used to have chickens out in the countryside, and—hold on."
Her one eye, not hidden by her hair, darted to the still glaring ginger.
"Kaede-chan, is that my memory or yours?!" she gasped with the realisation.
Thank the spirits, that was more than enough to distract his first wife.
"It's Lily. And no, that's all you," she claimed. "Stella's no farmer, though, but a noble. And, uh, well, a necromancer. But she's a good one. At least better than anything Konny boy deserves."
"Hey, I can hear you," Konrad complained, having already moved on to the next section.
This carried the signs of Welf's hard work.
A place where they'd melt scrap metal and cast it into arrowheads. It also seemed to be the warmest place in the entire town. Too warm, even considering the chilly air outside.
While the others still strolled among feathers, Eyna slipped closer.
"M-Master," she whispered, her hand brushing his. "What do I do about, um, those advances?"
She leaned close enough to breathe into Konrad's ears, making him shiver and blush.
"W-what indeed?"
He felt more nervous than during that cavalry charge yesterday.
The way he was aware of her closeness—
Harems were not for the faint-hearted, after all.
"I don't want to sound conceited," the girl said. "But Maou Midori seems, well, interested in my humble person. And, uh, it makes me uncomfortable. Since my heart belongs to Master alone."
Ugh. And Konrad's was about to stop.
Okay, fine. Lily was right. She was way better than anything he deserved.
But what could he say?
He grabbed her hand, squeezing it before blurting out the dumbest thing to exist.
"It's okay. It's Gabrielle's fault. But Midori-kun won't stick around for long."
Eyna blinked, purple eyes filled with confusion. He couldn't blame her. Konrad used to think he was smart, but the proximity of a girl turned him into a stuttering mess.
"I mean, uh, she—"
Wait. Hold on.
Did the angel ever tell her what she actually was?!
'I did not, moron,' the answer came straight from his own head, but on Gabby's voice. 'Would you like to hear you're an artificial martyr with a single purpose you have already missed?'
Um. Good point.
Where did his common sense go?
And now Eyna was closer than ever, waiting for his explanation.
"G-Gabrielle already told me the Demon Lord fancies you," he tried to save face. "And since then, I've been jealous whenever he looked your way. S-so it's her fault I'm anxious, not yours."
He'd rather avoid those impossible eyes now, hoping his half-assed mumbling helped.
And judging from those cute sounds she made, it might have.
"Master," she whispered with a soft smile. "I made you jealous."
That wasn't a question. And she seemed way too happy about it.
"But of course you did. I want you all for myself. What would I even do without—"
"Without a head?" Lily finished that question for him.
How could a woman as petite as her somehow still tower above him?!
For a moment, he thought it was Welf, but no. She looked way more menacing than the blacksmith ever did. And wait, shouldn't her eyes be hazel, not this angry green?
"Can rip it off for ya and find out," she said, voice sweet as honey.
Talk about mixed signals and jealousy.
Not that he was brave enough to point it out right now, but, um—
'Yeah, I can read those thoughts, too, horndog,' Lily scolded via telepathy. 'And the ones of your realisation how fond you are of the angel's doll as well. You're pissing me off, sweetheart.'
Well, if she wanted to argue inside his head, Konrad wouldn't hold back, either.
'You're the one saying I should have a harem from the start,' he complained. 'And now that things are finally going somewhere, you keep interrupting, and—'
'Yes. Having a harem is fun,' her thoughts overwhelmed his. 'And I wanted the best for you.'
But her mental voice trailed off there.
He only heard the workshop's noises, noticing Eyna's confused gaze alternating between them.
'It's one thing to include others while we fool around, you gigolo. Like when I invited Gabrielle for that little session. But you're actually falling in love with someone other than me.'
Oh. So that's what it was?
His own feelings, that is.
She was right, of course—or at least, he didn't dare to think otherwise, with her still in his head.
But now that she pointed out, what was he supposed to do about those feelings?