"Ren? If you're free, shall we go to your room?"
As usual, Ren's workload in their daily life remained minimal. It was even more so now that Shion could assume her human form and help Fūri, Iris, and Mei. Lighting the cooking fires or preparing the bath no longer required Ren, and her main task was now limited to things like adjusting the conditions of the ice room.
Determined to at least handle this task, she used "Freeze" with enthusiasm. When she returned to the living room, a soft touch landed on her arm. It was the beautiful brown-skinned, white-haired girl—Meteora, the Dark Elf Princess—who was wearing a relatively heavy dress for everyday use with remarkable grace.
Clinging to Ren's left arm, her voice as she whispered in Ren's ear was sweet. It was a voice that shamelessly tickled the masculine heart. While thinking any ordinary man would be instantly defeated, Ren forcibly held back from agreeing immediately.
"No, I was thinking of practicing some magic."
"Magic? Don't bother with that. Your magic yields consistent results every time, doesn't it? Practice won't make much difference."
"That's true, but…"
Ren was flustered. The offer was not malicious—in fact, it was something Ren would be happy to accept, making it difficult to refuse. Feeling her thoughts dulling and unable to think clearly, she tried to say something, anything:
"Mii-chan! Aren't you monopolizing Ren a bit too much? We'd like you to be mindful of us too!"
Fūri, who had been checking supplies in the storeroom, peeked her head out from the basement stairs and complained angrily.
Meteora simply laughed. "Hmph."
"What's wrong with nurturing love with the person I'm going to marry? Instead of complaining about me being unfair, why don't you try tempting Ren yourselves?"
This was the issue.
The reason for this situation was the night the two of them drank together a few days ago... or rather, what happened afterward. The girl, who had no previous experience with such things, seemed to have greatly enjoyed it, softening—or rather, completely changing—her attitude towards Ren. She now constantly clung to Ren and seduced her, without regard for the time of day or who was watching, morning, noon, or night.
Ren thought Meteora would at least restrain herself outside, but the other members who had to witness this were understandably annoyed.
"No, something like this has to be fair to everyone, right? Ren is only one person." Fūri insisted.
"Oh, that's naive thinking. You wouldn't survive in a harem with that attitude."
"Ren isn't a King, and this isn't a harem, is it?" Fūri countered.
Fūri didn't actually want to fight with Meteora. She was only complaining because she didn't like the situation where Meteora alone was being spoiled by Ren. However, due to her feminine pride, she wanted to avoid being too direct. Her attempts at indirect language didn't work on Meteora, whose values were different.
"Anyway, keep that kind of thing to the night. And no going to Ren's room every day."
"That's for Ren to decide, isn't it? As are the approaches, which are for gathering information to make that decision."
Meteora was talking while clinging to Ren, so every time she spoke, her breath tickled Ren.
"Muu. Come on! Ren, say something!" Fūri pleaded.
"Stop it. From her perspective, this is a perk, so she can't possibly say 'no.' If she did, the benefit would decrease," Meteora declared.
"Yes, well, that's true, but being told that openly is awkward," Ren admitted.
This situation was definitely unexpected for Ren.
"Seriously, why did she get so hooked?" Ren wondered.
I should change the subject. Ren opened her mouth with that thought, but Meteora tilted her head and said, "Well, Dark Elves are inherently faithful to their desires, so that might be part of it. My mother also had several lovers."
"What? Your father was okay with that?"
"Yes. Kissing is only for marriage partners, but sexual intercourse is not forbidden. In fact, if it resolves frustration and keeps the couple happy, there's no complaint."
That was a quite unique set of values. Ren thought that might be generally unacceptable, but when she thought about it, what her group was doing wasn't much different. Still, it seemed a bit lonely to have such intimacy without kissing... and the conversation drifted further.
Fūri groaned, "Hmm."
"Then why doesn't Mii-chan get a lover too?" Fūri asked.
"I don't want to. Human men are terrible. And I don't want to be forcibly kissed."
She explained that among Dark Elves, the shared understanding that "kissing is off-limits" prevented problems.
"Besides, now that I know the pleasure of being with Ren, I don't think I could be satisfied with anyone else."
"I think so too," Fūri chimed in.
"I'm happy, but I'm also extremely embarrassed," Ren said.
"You should be confident. I'm sure only a handful of people can do what you do. ...A lesbian Succubus is a rare existence, after all," Meteora remarked.
"But even if it feels good, monopolizing her isn't right," Fūri insisted.
The conversation that Ren tried to divert was now, somehow, starting to return to the original topic.
"...Yeah. I don't want to exclude Fūri and the others either. Of course, I'm happy about your feelings, Meteora, but I want you to respect the order, or at least consider everyone else's feelings."
When Ren reluctantly stated this, the grip on her arm tightened.
"Are you saying that out of consideration for Fūri and the others?" Meteora asked.
"It's more like I value everyone and don't want to lose them," Ren corrected.
Perhaps her selfish answer appealed to her. Meteora smiled faintly and whispered, "...I suppose I'll forgive you."
The sweet voice reminded Ren of Meteora at night, making her feel strange, but she managed to suppress the excitement and smiled, saying, "Thank you."
"I'm glad you understood. I was just about to restart our dungeon dives."
Since the conquest of the 35th Floor and meeting Meteora, Ren and the others hadn't entered the dungeon. It had been almost a week. This was partly due to the chaos, but more importantly, because of the problem of "what to do with Meteora while we're away."
"I plan to hunt Lizardmen for a while, but do you want to come along?" Ren offered.
"I'll pass. Communication will be cut off there, won't it? It would be boring to go if I can't communicate in some way," Meteora said.
"I see."
There was also the initial question of whether taking Meteora along meant starting over from the first floor or if they could begin at the 35th Floor. It seemed odd that a person who was just on the 35th Floor would have to start from the first to re-enter the dungeon, but with this dungeon, they couldn't rule out the possibility.
"Well then, maybe I'll have the old man look after you while we're gone."
"Wait! Why do I have to go to that man's place?" Meteora demanded.
"I can't exactly leave you alone in the house, either."
It wasn't that Ren didn't trust Meteora. But if asked whether she could guarantee 100% that Meteora wouldn't do anything, the answer was no.
"You're right. Aisha-san also comes and goes, so they might end up alone together."
Aisha only arrived last year and has never entered the dungeon. Her Teacher class gives her a massive experience boost for "teaching others," so her level is respectable, but she is fundamentally a non-combat class. Defeating Meteora in a one-on-one fight was impossible.
The Princess understood that the caution was "a natural decision," but she insisted:
"Even so, I refuse that man. Isn't there anyone else suitable?"
"Hmm, even if you say that…" Ren mused.
The brothel's main activity is at night, so it might be inconvenient, and someone as beautiful as Meteora might cause strange excitement among the customers or male employees. The owner of the Western restaurant would be too busy to look after a demanding princess. The poor compatibility between Elves and Dark Elves had already been proven through conversations with Iris's parents.
"Maybe I'll ask the owner of the cosplay shop."
Ren immediately sent a message and then went to consult with her directly. To Ren's surprise, the owner readily agreed. The owner saw it as a great opportunity to take measurements for custom orders and have Meteora model for costume design inspiration.
Meteora also consented, saying, "That shop, huh? That's fine." So, the problem was solved for the time being. The shop owner, having lived in this place for many years, was certainly stronger than a collared Meteora. If they continued to monitor the situation and no problems arose, they could lower the level of caution.
-----------------
Using the Alarm skill to gather enemies meant they would come to them, allowing them to collect many drops in a short time. The inside of the dungeon, now cleared of enemies, was utterly peaceful. Having Shion cast "Sanctuary" just in case made it practically a rest area.
"A way to communicate even inside the dungeon, huh," Ren murmured, while performing Energy Drain from her companions: Iris on her left arm, Mei on her right, and Shion on her lap.
Fūri, who was organizing the drop items with Mariabelle, responded.
"Wouldn't the best way be for Mii-chan to learn Japanese, or for us to learn her foreign language?"
"That's true, but either way, that's going to take time."
Take English, for example. Ren had studied it for over three years in Japan, but her English proficiency was nowhere near the level of a native speaker. While it might not take long to reach a level where simple instructions could be given, it likely wouldn't resolve the "boredom" Meteora mentioned.
Mariabelle spoke up next.
"Is there a skill that might suffice for the time being?"
"There is, but…"
It was a new skill that had recently appeared. Its name was "Fated Mate." Essentially, it allowed Ren to designate a partner, enabling telepathic conversation with the designated person. Additionally, it allowed for a slight Energy Drain even without physical contact, and it boosted the efficiency of regular Energy Drain.
"That is quite comprehensive, isn't it?" Mariabelle observed.
"If they are constantly subject to a Drain from Ren-sama, would they be able to lead a normal life? I feel like they wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything until they got used to it…" Iris worried.
"That's true, but there's another problem... this skill only allows you to designate one target," Ren revealed.
"!"
The girls' eyes flashed with an unpleasant gleam.
"Hmm," Fūri hummed.
"...Is that so," Mariabelle said.
"...Well, now," Iris murmured.
"Master? It's me, of course, right?" Mei stated.
While Ren suspected Mei's words were half-joking, she nodded. "Right."
"I can increase the number of people as I level up, but I don't have nearly enough Skill Points to set everyone right now."
What to do? Theoretically, only Meteora's slot was needed, but doing just that would be too unfair. Besides, knowing the Princess, she would seize the opportunity and gloat, "So that means I'm the legal wife, right?"
"I think this is the time to use a Reset Stone," Ren decided.
This was an item they had previously acquired that "resets acquired skills and recovers the Skill Points." While using it wouldn't increase the total Skill Points, it would allow her to give up existing skills and allocate the points elsewhere. She could scrape together about five points somehow.
"Specifically, which skills would you be removing?" Mariabelle asked.
"The Energy Drain efficiency boost and the Magic Activation Interval Reduction, I think."
The former could be substituted by the new skill. The latter was acquired for an overall power boost at the time, but it wasn't strictly necessary now that she could increase destructive power with Dual Magic and Homing.
"Then, wouldn't that be fine?" Fūri asked.
"It would, but in games, you often find out later that the skill you thought you didn't need was actually quite useful. I'm worried about that," Ren said.
For example, a change in the magic activation interval might cause a subtle timing shift during battle, potentially working against her at a crucial moment. In a situation like the one-on-one fight with Meteora, it could be fatal.
"If you try it and it doesn't work, you can just use another stone. You have several remaining, and they can be purchased with money now," Mariabelle pointed out.
"That's true, but it feels like a waste, and I want to agonize over it until the last minute."
"Ren-san, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" Iris noted.
"Yes, I think I might be," Ren admitted.
Even with shopping, the most fun part is often "the time spent agonizing over what to buy." This situation might be similar.
Then, Fūri murmured, "A skill, huh."
"I wonder if I could change races too."
============
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