Wake to another morning.

The bed chambers aren't yet complete, so it doesn't quite yet feel like home. The dwarves said they would be finished very soon, however. You get some rest, and then wake up to the construction already racing along. The great hall is completely fixed and even polished, and there are four long tables set up between the columns on both the left and right sides. They've fixed up the carpet, there's no more hole in the ceiling, and there isn't a builder in sight. They've finished, for now at least. It's the perfect place for grand feasts, meetings with guests, and more.

You hold the crown in your hand and chuckle under your breath. You can't help but feel a little silly, like you're playing make-believe king, but everything around you is one hundred percent real. It's hard to believe still. You put it on your head and already feel more confident. Last night was wild, and you've gathered even more allies to add to your numbers.

Amara and occasionally some other girls on top have been assisting Summer in the kitchen each day, making simple meals with the ingredients you've managed to procure. Though the crew that arrived just this morning came with supplies as well.

Everybody gathers before the throne. You sit down on the cushions, and cast your eyes upon your people. It's a lot! You can't help but feel a little flustered. You might be 10th level, and you may have slain the Demon King, but it's still hard to focus when you have such an army of cute girls (and a few guys too) staring straight towards you, waiting for you to speak.

The only one not present is Summer.

"Well, things are pretty great so far. I can't deny that. And construction is going to be complete way faster than I thought," you say. "I owe these builders a lot."

Delphi flutters up near your shoulder. "Hehe. Sorry again about last night. I guess you probably wanted to join us, hmm? It got pretty wet and wild in the bath. You really missed out on some fun."

"Oh, uh. It's fine," you reply.

She squints. "Wait... Why aren't you more upset? Did something happen?"

"No, no." You cast your eyes around to spot Taiga. "Hey, do you know where your sister is?"

Taiga smacks the bottom of her spear against the ground and salutes. "I do, Lord Warren. She's currently in the kitchen preparing a bunch of her special meals. She said that with all these new ingredients, she can finally make what she wants to make."

"Indeed," Amara chimes in. "She instructed me not to help her this time."

"My sister is a remarkable cook, even if she's awful at everything else."

"How cruel," Mela suddenly speaks up from directly by your head.

You turn to see her partially phased through the back of the throne. You nearly fall forwards straight out of the seat. "Don't do that!"

She raises her hands to her lips. "Do what?"

"Dear me. Can one girl prepare food for this many people?" Luna asks.

"I doubt she thought that far ahead," Taiga replies. "But I assume she wants Lord Warren to taste it first anyway. Don't be afraid. I actually love her food more than any other. You'll come to love it as well."

"I never considered myself to be a cook, but then..." The moth turns her eyes to Jelly standing beside her. With a smile, she hands out a piece of silk for the slime to absorb, which she does happily. "What an adorable girl. Eat up, so you can grow up big and strong."

"There are so many types of people here, Mr. Warren," says Mela. "I do hope they allow me to inspect them more closely."

"That depends on how much you're paying," Stax speaks up, scratching her fingers together in a gesture for money.

Mela hangs her head. "I do not possess money."

"Look what I found in the treasure room!" Niki shouts. She holds up an ivory statuette of a dragon. Like a child, she pretends to fly it through the air.

Eva hops over and takes it next. She does the exact same thing. "Cool!"

Then the two of them start tugging on it back and forth. After a moment of struggle, they drop it, and the wings crack and break to pieces.

"Oh shit!" Niki yells out with hands on her head.

"... I can probably mend that with my--" you try to say.

Jelly in the form of a blob crawls over it, and you watch as the ivory slowly disintegrates bit by bit.

"Not the treasure!" Stax calls out in desperation.

Yin appears in a plume of smoke right beside you. She smiles, and curtsies politely. "I have finished washing your clothes, Master. Is there anything you wish of me right now?" But just as quickly as she appeared, purple bands of energy suddenly wrap around beneath her bust. They push up, and she's pulled backwards. "Huh?"

"I got something you can do," Delphi says with a wide smile.

"Wh-What is that menacing face?" she asks in panic.

You grab your head between your hands and fall back against the throne. What have I done? There's no way anyone could control all of these girls. I'm not a king at all. The first thing we're going to need to make here is some Aspirin.

But for now, it's breakfast time.

The chaos is finally subdued by Summer pushing a cart into the room. Both layers are covered in dishes, and when she enters, her beaming smile immediately catches everybody's attention. She waves her hand in greeting. "Hello! I'm so happy to have made some of my specialty dishes. Would you like to try some, Kyle? I think you'll really like them."

Taiga walks over and bonks her in the back of the head. "It's Lord Warren."

"Hehe. Oops. Sorry, sis!"

You sit down at one of the tables. There are enough chairs for everybody. Though the tables themselves aren't set with clothes, candles, and the like, they're finely crafted and the seats are comfortable. You watch Summer push the cart over beside you, and she lifts one of the plates to place down in front of you. At first, it looks like steak with vegetables, but there's a translucent yellow slime completely covering the food.

She's looking at you expectantly, so you grab a fork and knife and cut off a piece. Then you stick it in your mouth.

Your eyes widen. "It's so sweet!" What the hell is this? It's like eating pure sugar.

Summer giggles. "Isn't it? I'm glad you like it. It's flame grilled steak, steamed vegetables, with pure honey on top."

"You put that much honey all over the steak?" you ask.

"Yup! Here, try this one." She pulls out second plate. This one has a baked potato loaded with cheese and onions, and beside it is a fillet of fish. The entire thing is covered in honey too.

"I... But why?"

"Would you like to know the recipe?"

"The food itself looks so good, so why do you cover it all up with honey? I bet it tastes outstanding without it! I mean, even using a little bit might be fine, even if it's unusual on some of this, but--"

"What do you mean? Honey is the most delicious thing in the world~!"

Nyllia walks up from behind, and she places a gently hand on the bee girl's shoulder. "Ms. Summer. You are an incredibly talented cook, but what you must understand is that not everyone has the same sweet-tooth that you do."

She hangs her head. But then just as quickly, she perks up again. "I get it! These special dishes should be saved for special occasions. Silly me. I didn't think at all about what Kyle would want right now. I'll go make some more dishes right away."

"We will make sure to eat what you made already as well. Is that not correct, Lord Warren? We would not want the food to go to waste."

You chuckle nervously. "Yeah... That's right."

You, Nyllia, Taiga, and eventually Summer when she returns, are those asked to eat the honey-covered platters. At least half of you are greatly enjoying it. Everyone else has food made normally, and it's true that Summer is talented, even if her tastes are a little bit strange compared to your own. There's a grand feast, perhaps to celebrate the construction of the great hall, but either way it brightens everyone's spirits.

At the pace things are going, it won't be much longer before all the rooms in Castle Phoenix are finished, and then it'll be all about construction outside, and slowly obtaining furniture. You wonder if the treasure hoard will really be enough in the long term. Everyone here needs food as well, and other supplies.

You ponder as you eat, mostly to push yourself through the trauma of eating gallons of pure honey. We could always sell things we produce, unless that lands us in trouble. Maybe we'll just have to go back to running quests, even if we can't exactly frequent the Adventurer's Guild. I'm sure our scouts can find more things like that haunted house. That's not a bad idea. I'll tell Lynx about that later.

"Let's raise a drink to this new beginning, eh?" calls a voice. It's Bek. He's sitting just a few seats down from you. "I gotta thank you, Kyle. You've given me a home filled with tough women and the thrill of a new challenge! Who knows what kind of people will want you dead?" He snickers.

"Thanks for the pleasant thoughts," you reply.

"I'll drink to that!" Niki stands up from her seat and lifts her mug up into the air.

Everybody toasts. It's a joyous occasion, seemingly out of nowhere. People laugh, eat, drink, chat, and all around have a wonderful breakfast. It nearly takes all the way to lunch to fully conclude. Then, it's time to figure out what to do next.