Chapter 292: The Girls' Arrangements & The Second Night
At the first light of dawn, Haruto pushed away Yubelluna and Mihae, who were clinging tightly to him.
After a quick rinse in the bathroom, he left the western villa and headed toward the main residence of the Phenex family.
Although he had woken quite early, many servants were already starting their duties at this hour.
Along the way, quite a few cute and pretty maids greeted Haruto, and he responded to each with a smile and a nod.
The Underworld was dimmer than the human world; even at dawn, the sunlight seemed somewhat gloomy.
Fortunately, it was mid-July, and the summer noon sun made Haruto feel a bit better.
Devils indeed preferred darker environments, but who could blame him when his bloodline wasn't purely Devil?
After spending the morning playing with Ravel in the garden and having lunch, the two took a short rest under the shade prepared by the servants.
"Haruto, did the treatment go smoothly last night?"
Ravel was growing increasingly at ease around Haruto. Though she was the youngest daughter of the Phenex family, she was also the only daughter.
Apart from being a bit tsundere and sharp-tongued, she possessed all the dignity and refinement expected of someone in her position.
There was a faint resemblance to a younger Rias.
Well, not just in demeanor—in figure too.
Ravel's figure was quite impressive for her age, but when compared to Rias, Akeno, and others, it fell a bit short.
Haruto preferred Ravel just as she was; it made their interactions much more relaxed for him.
As the saying goes, admiration is the state furthest from understanding.
If Ravel continued to regard him with such admiration, he would find it rather difficult to accept.
"Everything is going smoothly. After treating Karlamine and Siris tonight, only Xuelan and Isabela will remain."
Xuelan and Isabela had previously held the position of Rook, and their physical constitutions were the strongest among the women. Additionally, Xuelan's traditional nature as a Chinese girl played a role in placing the two of them last.
Ravel nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Haruto, have you ever considered taking Xuelan and the others as your Familiars?"
"I have, but upon further thought, I decided against it."
Haruto had indeed entertained the idea regarding Xuelan and the other thirteen beauties.
Foremost among them was Xuelan, the Chinese martial arts beauty. Both her strength and appearance met his standards.
Her identity as a Chinese girl was an added bonus for Haruto, who had transmigrated.
Second was the mature beauty Yubelluna. Even if she was slightly weaker than Akeno, her reputation as the "Bomb Princess," on par with Akeno, made her worthy of being a Bishop.
The dashing masked Isabela and the somewhat sword-obsessed Karlamine were also excellent candidates.
However, the others were less suitable, and Haruto didn't have enough remaining slots for everyone.
Selecting only a few individuals and offering them a brighter, happier future than before would be too cruel to those left behind.
Although this world had always been cold and cruel—something Haruto couldn't change for now, nor did he have the inclination to—he didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
By choosing none of them, they could continue to rely on each other and wait for any potential opportunities that might arise.
With the bond and understanding among the fourteen of them, and after Haruto's treatment, as long as no external forces interfered, they might not live lavishly, but they certainly wouldn't struggle too much.
If all went well, in a few years, not only would all of them be fully healed, but their strength would also see a significant boost.
After hearing Haruto's explanation, Ravel fully agreed.
"Indeed, if possible, I also hope they can maintain their current..."
The golden-haired devil young lady suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if she had thought of something.
She blinked her beautiful eyes and said, "Haruto, now that I think about it, once I break through to the level of a High-Class Devil, I'll be able to possess my own Evil Pieces too."
Haruto instantly understood what she meant.
Ravel was currently at A-rank, equivalent to the strength of a Middle-Class Devil, but she was only one step away from reaching S-rank, the level of a High-Class Devil.
As the legitimate daughter of one of the Four Great Satans, just like Rias, once she reached the strength of a High-Class Devil, she would naturally be allocated her own set of Evil Pieces.
However, Ravel had never considered nurturing Familiars before. Not to mention raising Familiars, she wasn't even diligent in her own training, so she hadn't thought of this possibility until now.
"Sounds good, I agree."
Haruto skipped over the details and said, "Although we're still missing one Bishop, with the Phoenix family's innate talents and the excellent coordination Yubelluna and the others have already developed, we can immediately form a considerable combat force."
Not just considerable—barring unexpected circumstances, Ravel could directly replace Riser's former position in the Rating Game.
If given the opportunity to add another powerful Bishop, she might even surpass the original Riser's strength in the Rating Game.
"Alright, it's settled then."
As Haruto's Queen, Ravel also felt this was the best approach.
Not only did it resolve a long-standing concern, but it also added a substantial combat force to her King... along with bed-warming maids.
Although the golden-haired twin-tailed young lady had a good personality, due to the world's nature, she couldn't place Yubelluna and the others on the same level as herself.
When they were nominally serving as Bishops under Riser, Yubelluna and the others had been at her disposal, acting in the role of maids.
Now that Haruto had reawakened her childhood dreams, only her aspirations had changed—her treatment of Familiars remained the same as before.
"Mm, remember to find a beautiful girl for the last Bishop position too."
Facing his Queen, Haruto showed no hesitation and stated directly, "If there's a male among them, I'd feel very uncomfortable."
Ravel rolled her eyes gracefully. "Understood. I'll bring them for you to see before the reincarnation."
"That would be best."
Haruto chuckled. This Bishop was, in essence, also his woman, so choosing one that matched his preferences would naturally be ideal.
Actually, finding beautiful girls wasn't difficult, but finding one with both suitable attributes that didn't overlap with the other fourteen and having the required potential was somewhat challenging.
Among Haruto's numerous eroge heroines, he could barely pick four or five suitable candidates.
But he had no intention of introducing them, worried that if word got out, it might give the other girls some unfavorable impressions.
Rather than that, it was better not to give any hope from the start, eliminating all potential troubles.
In the afternoon, the two wandered around the Phoenix family's territory, bought some miscellaneous items, and returned to the Phoenix residence just as the blood-red sunset was about to fade completely.
Having spent the day building rapport with Ravel, it felt like the beginning of a relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend.
Having never walked the path of pure love before, Haruto found it somewhat strange—especially when he thought about the long-dormant Cuckold Protagonist Template that seemed to be brewing something major, making him feel even more uneasy.
So, after dinner, he eagerly headed to the western villa to begin a new round of 3P... therapy, striving to rediscover his original intentions.
...
Under the hanging Tsurugane Rurika lanterns, in a boudoir filled with the sweet scent of young maidens, two exquisitely dressed and alluring girls stood somewhat shyly before Haruto.
Karlamine, with her tea-colored shoulder-length hair, wore a sexy bodysuit, her long and shapely legs sheathed in delicate black stockings with red accents.
Her jade-green eyes held a hint of shyness, while her fair and beautiful face was slightly flushed.
Normally expressionless Siris could no longer maintain her composure. Her sharp, upward-slanting eyes that usually carried a fierce aura softened, elevating her already considerable beauty by several degrees.
She wore a dark evening gown as deep as the night sky, dotted with golden specks resembling starlight against the heavens.
Haruto gazed at Siris's blue-gray hair, tied high atop her head with the ends tightly bound into a thin braid, and lightly furrowed his brow.
He had always disliked this hairstyle. It had been passable with simple casual wear, but now it seemed utterly disappointing.
"Siris, let your hair down completely."
"Huh?" The tall, slender Knight maiden skilled with greatswords blinked in confusion, but obediently loosened her cascading blue tresses despite not understanding why.
Watching the smooth, dark blue curtain of hair spread out like flowing water, Haruto examined her once more.
This time, he was thoroughly satisfied.
Indeed, regardless of the world, hairstyle significantly impacts a person's appearance.
Even in this fantasy realm teeming with beauties, this truth held firm.
After appreciating Siris's true beauty, Haruto declared decisively: "Siris, keep it like this from now on. No more of your previous hairstyle."
"Lord Haruto... this is very inconvenient for battle..."
Siris protested softly. As a Knight, waist-length hair truly hindered combat.
Not just Knights—all close-combat fighters shared similar troubles.