The video on the screen continued.

I watched as the perverted god began to explain something I wasn’t sure I would ever understand. The video played on the dick-shaped screen. Only I was able to hear it as I checked on the girls. They were still sound asleep next to me.

"Adrian, in only a short time, you’ve already managed to obtain two of the first five members of my—... huhu, your harem." I watched as he cleared his throat before continuing. "This world is not going to stay this way. Very soon, a great evil is going to threaten this world, and I want you and your harem to fight it." The perverted god raised his hands in protest as my face twisted with confusion. "I know you’re probably watching this thinking, what is this crazy old man talking about? Well... I designed your system to make you not only desirable, but powerful. Each member of your harem adds another power to you."

The god stood up and walked closer to whatever piece of equipment gods used to take a video.

"Adrian... I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to defeat the Demon Lord."

The video cut to static before the system panel itself disappeared. I lay there thinking about it, anxiety rising as the thoughts of a real Demon Lord existing ran through my mind. I had read about them in manga and seen them in anime, but the protagonist was always overpowered, leaving me wondering why the god had chosen me in the first place, and why he let me pick healing as my magic.

I called for the system screen that held the quest for my harem.

[ QUEST: BUILD YOUR HAREM ]

[ REWARD: HAREM MANOR (CLAIMED) ]

[ CURRENT PARTY CAPACITY: 2/5 ]

[ EFFECTS: ACCESS TO SHARED MANA POOL & PERMANENT LOYALTY ]

"So this is what he meant. Each girl that joins my harem makes me stronger somehow..." I trailed off as exhaustion took over my body, forcing me to sleep.

***

The smell of fresh food woke my consciousness as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, looking around my bed with blurry vision and noticing it was empty of the beauties I spent the night with.

Slowly making my way downstairs, the smell became more dense. Looking over the railing revealed Reika and Celeste in the kitchen cooking together. Occasionally, one would tell a joke, and the room filled with laughter.

Their faces brightened up as I placed my foot on the living area floor, the soft smack grabbing their attention. After they had said their good mornings and asked how I slept, I decided to sit them down and explain how my power worked. The system had dropped a bomb on me last night, and I couldn’t expect these two to follow along so easily.

Reika set the table, and Celeste brought the food over before joining us, both still grinning at me for some reason.

"Okay... I need you two to listen closely. I’ve been keeping something a secret, and now is the time I feel it’s best to explain." I cleared my throat before continuing the explanation. "I have a special power... it grows with every member of our harem..."

Afraid to look up at their faces, I looked down at my hands. I had been twiddling my thumbs to try and help with the anxiousness, but it wasn’t working. As I sat in silence, all I could imagine was them walking away. They hadn’t signed up to share, and I would be forcing them to.

"Harem?" Reika’s tail shot up in confusion. "Adrian, what’s a harem?" Leaning down, showing off her curves, the outfit she was wearing became apparent. "Why do you look so sad, Adrian? Need some more Reika time?" Her voice was cheerful and genuine.

I explained what the word meant and what it meant for them. We spent the morning discussing the positives of my unique power. Not once did either girl bring up a bad point. Once they had agreed to the idea of there being more women in the manor eventually, I continued explaining about the Demon Lord and the threat that was coming, leaving out the fact that a perverted god had told me via dick video. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"So we need to get stronger then?" Celeste asked earnestly once I finished. "Sounds like we need to start doing guild work. It’s the fastest way to power up around here... and they pay you."

"We have plenty of money... remember?" Conjuring the bag filled with gold coins, it appeared in my hand. I then waved it in Celeste’s face as she tried to grab it. "I guess it would look suspicious if we didn’t... okay, we’ll get Reika initiated at the guild and start building our team."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that? Last I knew, she refused to go into the village." She gestured toward the kitsune. "We can’t force her..." Taking another bite, she chewed and sat in silent thought.

A thought hit me like a Mack truck. The system had stated inside the harem details: permanent loyalty. I decided to see how that worked. Looking up at Reika, she had some food stuck on her face, oblivious to it as she continued to eat. In the short time she had been a part of the team, I had grown fond of her, and leaving her in this house to go on adventures without her felt like a punishment.

"Hey Reika... if I gave you some kind of reward... would you come with us into town?" Making sure to speak as smoothly as possible. "I really need you to get vetted at the guild for us to continue as a true team."

Her ears perked up after the word reward, and her eyes gleamed as she stared directly back at me, excited at what I had said. She got up and walked over to our front door, cracked it open, and looked back toward us.

"Hurry... Reika wants her reward!"