Demonic Dragon: Harem System-Chapter 784: Strax went to see his other wives.

The mercenary guild room was far too quiet for its size.

Large, spacious, with a central table of thick wood marked by old cuts, drink stains, and maps scribbled on top of other maps. Torn flags hung from the walls like poorly cared-for trophies, and the light streaming through the tall windows made particles of dust dance in the air.

Rogue was sitting in the main chair.

Or rather… sprawled in it.

Her legs were stretched out and resting on the table, her dirty boots shamelessly so, her arms crossed behind her head. The chair creaked slightly under her relaxed weight, but Rogue seemed perfectly comfortable, rocking back and forth as if on an improvised throne.

Scattered around the room, in various and clearly disorganized positions, were the others.

Cassandra occupied a bench near the wall, elbows resting on her knees, looking at the floor with a tired expression. Daniela was sprawled in another chair, reclined too far for her own safety, an empty bottle dangling between her fingers. Bellatrix leaned against a column, arms crossed, observing everything with a sharp, clearly irritated gaze.

Rogue broke the silence.

"You guys are resting too much." The air instantly grew heavy.

Daniela turned her face slowly, her eyes narrowing in a mixture of disbelief and pure, contained hatred. "…fuck you, Rogue."

Rogue didn't even move.

Daniela continued, her voice rising slightly with each word.

"You live with your legs up on that damn desk, sprawled in that chair like you're the queen of something, while we do all the work."

She made a sweeping gesture with her hand, almost knocking over the empty bottle.

"Mission, collection, ambush, negotiation, cleanup… it all falls on our laps."

Rogue grinned lazily. "But someone has to supervise."

"Supervise my ass," Daniela growled.

Bellatrix let out a low sound, almost a dry, humorless laugh.

"It's really audacious of you to say we're resting," she murmured, her eyes fixed on Rogue, "after dominating an entire city and forcibly expelling all the other guilds."

Rogue tilted his head slightly, as if considering the comment.

"And it was efficient," he replied. "You did a good job."

"Look at that," Bellatrix retorted coldly, "she praised you." Cassandra finally stirred.

She let out a long, heavy sigh, the kind that comes after days of not sleeping properly, ran a hand over her face, and looked up at Rogue.

"Go fuck yourself," she said, without any emotion. "Seriously."

Rogue let out a short laugh. "You're all very sensitive today."

Daniela slapped the arm of her chair. "Sensitive my ass. We took the city by force, and you're saying we're resting too much?"

Rogue slowly uncrossed her arms and leaned forward slightly, still with her legs on the table.

"I say that," she replied calmly, "because now comes the worst part."

The three stared at her.

"Maintaining," Rogue continued. "Dominating is easy. Maintaining control is what's hard work. Other guilds will try to come back. Independent mercenaries will test the limits. Local rulers will try to buy you."

She gave a crooked smile.

"And I need you sharp."

Silence.

Bellatrix was the first to respond, with an irritated sigh. "You could have started there, instead of provoking."

"But it wouldn't have been as fun," Rogue replied.

Daniela rolled her eyes. "I swear I'm going to punch you one day."

"You already tried," Rogue retorted. "It didn't work."

Cassandra stood up, cracking her neck. "Great. So what's the next shit?"

Rogue finally took her legs off the table and stood up, the chair creaking behind her.

"Now," she said, with a dangerous glint in her eye, "we show the whole city that it wasn't luck." And by the expressions on the other three's faces… they already knew that rest wasn't coming anytime soon.

The guild room door burst open violently.

It wasn't a kick—it was someone pushing too hard, the wood banging against the wall and echoing through the large hall. The conversation died instantly.

One of the subordinates rushed in, clearly out of breath. She was young, still with the guild symbol freshly stitched onto her shoulder, her eyes wide and her face pale.

"B-boss—!" she began, almost stumbling over her own words. "There's someone outside wanting to see you."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, throwing himself back against the table with his arms crossed.

"If he didn't make an appointment, send him away," he said impatiently.

"I tried!" the girl replied too quickly. "But he doesn't want to leave. He insists on seeing the four of you."

Daniela let out a short, dangerous laugh. "Then teach him how insistence works here."

"It's just that—" the subordinate swallowed hard. "He… he hit the security guards."

Silence.

Bellatrix slowly uncrossed her arms. "Hit… how?"

"Like—" the girl made a vague, nervous gesture. "They're… on the ground."

Cassandra sighed deeply. "Great. Another idiot thinking he can test his territory."

Rogue was already standing now, his lazy smile replaced by something sharper.

"Okay," she said. "Where is he?"

The subordinate opened her mouth to answer.

She couldn't.

A hand landed on her shoulder.

It wasn't abrupt.

It wasn't violent.

It was… heavy.

The girl's body froze instantly.

She felt no pain.

She didn't feel aggression.

She felt a presence.

The kind of presence that made instinct scream louder than any rational thought. The air around her seemed to thicken, as if breathing required effort. Her heart raced so fast that the world faded.

And then…

She wet herself.

Right there.

Her legs simply gave way, the fear coming so pure and irrational that there was no time for shame. Her body responded before her mind.

The four leaders looked back at the same time.

And froze.

The man was there.

Tall. His posture too relaxed for someone who had just broken through the guild's security by force. His hands in his pockets, a calm, almost bored expression. His golden eyes reflected the light of the room with that unmistakable gleam—ancient, deep, dangerous.

For a second.

A single second.

The silence was absolute.

Then, as if someone had pulled an invisible string—

"HUSBAND!"

The four screamed together.

The reaction was instantaneous and completely chaotic.

Rogue was the first to move, crossing the room at an absurd speed, jumping over the table without even thinking. Cassandra came right behind, cursing someone in her path. Daniela knocked over her chair as she stood up, laughing loudly as she ran. Bellatrix maintained her dignity for a split second… before also firing.

The four practically threw themselves at him at the same time.

Strax opened his arms naturally, as if he had expected it.

"Hello," he said, amidst the collective impact, his voice perfectly calm as he was embraced by four different women at the same time.

Rogue was the first to grab him by the neck, laughing almost maniacally. "You DISAPPEARED! Why didn't you come to visit! You bastard!"

"For two months." Cassandra finished, gripping his arm tightly. "Two. Months."

"And you didn't even send a message," Daniela added, lightly punching his chest before resting her forehead there. "I thought you'd given up on us…"

Bellatrix said nothing. She just wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a low sigh, too long to be casual.

Strax stood still for a moment, absorbing the weight—physical and emotional—of all four of them at once.

"I told you I was going to sort some things out," he replied, with a half-smile. "You guys exaggerate."

"You always say that," Rogue growled, tightening her grip. "And you always come back with more problems."

He chuckled softly.

Meanwhile, the subordinate was… paralyzed.

She had fallen to her knees, her hands trembling, her eyes wide and fixed on the utterly absurd scene: the guild's four most dangerous figures—women who had just taken over an entire city—clinging to that man as if he were the only solid thing in the world.

Strax finally noticed her presence.

He looked down.

The girl felt his gaze even before she lifted her head.

"Ah," he said simply. "Sorry about that."

She nodded too quickly, almost hitting her chin on her chest. "N-no, sir, it was—it was my fault—"

"It wasn't," he replied calmly. "But you can ask someone to clean this up."

She nodded again, desperately, and practically crawled out of the room.

When the door closed, Strax turned his attention back to the four women clinging to him.

"Are you going to let me go at some point?" he asked.

"No," three voices answered at once.

Bellatrix was the exception. She just squeezed tighter.

Strax sighed. "It was rhetorical."

Rogue finally stepped back a little, crossing his arms and analyzing his face with exaggerated attention.

"…you look tired."

"Because I am," he replied.

Daniela tilted her head. "You smell of strange magic."

"Me too," he confirmed.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "You brought someone."

He blinked.

"…how do you know?"

She pointed vaguely into the air. "You always bring someone when you come back like this."

Strax opened his mouth to reply.

Before he could, a presence appeared behind him.

Silent.

Organized.

Albedo stepped into the room.

His wings were folded. Impeccable posture. An expression too neutral for someone who knew exactly where they were stepping.

The four froze.

The air grew… tense.

Rogue was the first to speak. "Who."

Strax sighed deeply.

"…long story."