The First Harem Tournament 20 – Family and Stuff

Elek understood that he had to be moved to his own VIP section. ‘National security reasons’ was a good enough explanation for him. His women were a bit grumbly about it, insisting that family could be trusted, but relented when the men insisted it had to be this way.

Nightingale stuck with her family for now. She didn’t see them all that often and she was among the few women in the Imperial Choir that did have an unequivocally good relationship with her parents.

John went through his women as he strutted down a corridor in the arena. Jane had a complicated relationship with her parents. She did not like her mother; she had a generally good relationship with her father that had been taxed somewhat by recent events but remained ultimately healthy. They talked regularly.

Aclysia, Beatrice and Momo obviously did not have parents to talk to. The same somewhat went for Gnome, Salamander, Sylph and Undine. The Elemental Mothers were an uninvolved bunch and preferred to keep a distance by their nature. Only the Mother of Shadows seemed to take a more direct interest in Siena’s affairs and even then it was very hands-off compared to regular parents.

Lee had joined Lydia in having deceased parents, though circumstances made that more tragic for one than the other. Layla was technically in the same boat but had been orphaned long before John knew her. The same was true for Lorelei. ‘Is there something cursed about the letter L?’ he wondered. ‘No, Scarlett is also kind of there. As is Fianna… and Delicia.’

He had personally aided in the demise of Ehtra and Metra’s ‘mother’, incomplete as that was. Nahoa’s father(s) he had also seen the death of. Her mother had died of natural causes within Nahoa’s regular lifetime.

If Claire’s parents could have been found alive (which John doubted), they were somewhere in the Iron Domain and thus far beyond reach. Nia’s true parents were mundanes that were unaware of her existence. If they remembered her, they must have considered her a miscarriage which was… dark. Her sole parent was effectively the Horned Rat, with whom she had a good relationship.

Nothing in the world could untangle where exactly Lyndell came from.

Nathalia had spawned as a person after ascending from being a lizard.

Eliana’s parents had died from old age. From what she had shared with John over the years, he would have beat her father to a pulp for mistreating his gorgeous lady.

Moira had lost her mother in her early childhood. She did not like to talk about the exact details, John just knew that it involved a mission aimed at uprooting fire mages. William was an ass to John, but he and his daughter got along.

Hailey’s parents were both alive, courtesy somewhat of John. Whatever lung condition her father had would have wasted him away slowly. The covert usage of health potions likely had added 20 years to his life. They were fine folk, annoyed but accepting of his harem lifestyle. Hailey kept in regular contact with them.

Lu Zhi’s parents were also alive, alongside her nine siblings (two full, seven half). She knew her parents well and John was expected to go see them shortly before they made their relationship public. Her siblings were largely estranged. As a potential heir, Lulu had been raised in a special wing of the Forbidden City.

In summary, only Jane, Nia, Nightingale, Hailey, Lu Zhi and Moira had parents left to interact with. A couple more had siblings, though that rarely counted for much. ‘6 out of 28,’ John thought, the door leading into his private area now in view. ‘Considering the elementals, Artificial Spirits and ancient entities, that’s not a terrible ratio… it does also make planning Christmas a lot easier.’

He kept the macabre joke in his head. It echoed hollow even there. He would have exchanged a hundred hours of annoying phone calls with in-laws to talk to Magoi again.

The door swung open with a well-oiled whisper. John immediately closed it behind him, then did a quick check along the walls. Only Claire’s familiars sat on the walls, forming a subtle barrier against anyone who would have employed similar tactics. “Ya really don’t need to check each time,” Jane called him out.

Lu Zhi added, “If anyone made it to this point, it’d be too late anyhow.”

“True on both accounts, but I still feel better when I do it,” John told them. “It’s like checking whether your keys are still there after leaving the house. It’d make no difference at that point if you realized you forgot them, but you still do it.”

“I don’t,” Jane responded.

“That’s because my influence allows you to live with an empty head.” The Emperor of Fusion advanced into the uncharacteristically quiet room. Plenty of conversations were going around, shared between the pockets of Harmonia scattered about. As per usual in any large gathering of people, there were those set in place and those that sort of wandered from place to place, though membership in either category was no permanent thing. What was different was the current lack of erotic activity.

To be fair, they had just come out of their apartment. It would take an hour at the utmost before someone got horny again. For the moment, they were sated enough to keep their fingers and tongues where they were.

John made his way to the armchair he had occupied most of yesterday. A quick inspection revealed it to have been completely cleaned and spritzed with some fresh vanilla scent. Truly, his maids were too good for him.

Not three seconds passed that his lap was made a seat of its own. Aclysia claimed his left side, half-lying on top of him. “You’re lighter than usual,” he remarked to his first maid, while Lydia laid down on his right side.

“I chose to switch to a composition approximating my size’s human weight,” Aclysia explained. “Combat readiness does not currently suit me. Best to be light to vacate the area rapidly.”

“Wise words from your maid.” Lydia had found the optimal spot on his shoulder to rest her head and reached over to caress Aclysia’s midriff. “It bears repeating that I know how odd it is that I adore witnessing another woman carry your child. Yet, I care little for this strangeness.”

“It is only correct to acknowledge the spread of Master’s supreme seed as a blessing,” Aclysia stated.

“That is pushing it further than I intended to say,” Lydia drawled, the iron of her voice corroded by dry humour. “As a largely reasonable woman, I was observing that I love the two of you and therefore delight in your union, in spite of other female instincts.”

“I am pretty sure those lie defeated by now anyway.” John had his arm around the queen’s (currently clothed) waist. The armchair was, of course, designed for maximum comfort while being shared. “We’ve been together for a while now, my lemon. Your brain chemistry is thoroughly re-arranged in recognition that you have nothing to be jealous of and are getting all the resources and love a woman could ever want.”

Lydia scoffed. “Will you ever let go of that ridiculous moniker?”

“You keep reacting to it in all the amusing ways.”

“You also maintain your citrusy aroma,” Aclysia added. “If you wished the moniker foregone, you could switch shampoos?”

“Nein,” Lydia switched to her mother tongue for emphasis. “I enjoy the scent.”

The first maid tapped the stern Harmonia on the nose. “Then a lemon you will continue to be.”

“…I preferred you when you were more reverential towards my position,” the queen grumbled in the tone of the unserious. “What happened to the sweet servant that would bring tea to my study and assure Sylph would not converse until my ears detached?”

“I have developed as a person.” The maid’s hand now gently caressed the side of Lydia’s cheek. “Though I am certainly willing to provide you with freshly brewed tea, princess.”

A light blush tinted the cheeks of the queen. Placing her own hand atop Aclysia’s, she let out a warm sigh. “So much has happened since I greeted you with that title,” she looked to John. “Soon you will have your own list of titles to be declared whenever you enter a space.”

“God… I’m not sure if I will cringe out of my skin or explode with arrogance,” John groaned.

“Emperor John Newman, first and foremost of all Masters.” Aclysia rolled onto her back, gesturing widely as she heralded his arrival to a fictional crowd. “Sovereign of the Empire of Fusion, Ruler of Collide, Progenitor of the Imperial Lineages.”

“Huey Tlatoani of the Mexica, King of Hawaii, Baron in Berlin, King-Consort of Rex Germaniae, Husband of Heaven’s Daughter,” Lydia continued the list, then hummed. “I am certain you will acquire more landed titles in due time.”

“Pretty much inevitable at this point,” John agreed. Since he was creating aristocratic lands all over Fusion, he was going to allocate some of that land to himself (if only to hold it until he gave it to someone else). That would create titles, some of which would become important enough to mention in due time.

Lydia was back to running her fingers over Aclysia’s stomach. “It is truly remarkable how intrigued I am…” she muttered. “Drastic changes are coming, in many ways.”

“Quite sorry for having caused so much of a stir,” John said with a crooked smile.

“Do not flatter yourself with an inflated sense of importance. You happened to be the Latebloomer who awakened at the right time to involve himself in a number of events already in motion.” The red lips of the queen approached the maid’s midriff, pressing a blessing kiss on the place one of the Imperial Choir’s children was growing. “Though you have not aided the matter, this era was bound to be tumultuous. Consider yourself the foot that gracelessly bumped into the first domino on a chain long created.”

“I’ll think about it,” John whispered, pulled into the thrall of her ruby mouth as it hungrily pressed on his. Warm and loving, the balanced hourglass of her figure rubbed against him.

Aclysia hummed a little song as she watched the scene. There was a gorgeous little melody beating in her being at all times. She played with the end of Lydia’s braid, waiting patiently until the kiss shifted. Leaning in, she took her just tithe of attention from both of them. Lydia, then Aclysia, then watching the two of them for a bit. Cherry red and pale pink mashed against one another in a sapphic entanglement that knew nothing but complete sincerity.

Drunk on female attention, John giggled to himself. The sound had Aclysia respond with three harmonious chuckles of her own, each as pure as the ringing of a bell. Lydia rolled her eyes, amusedly, all the while. “Strong as you get, you are still that cute young man deep down,” she called him out.

“I hope so, you fell in love with him after all,” John answered.

“Allegedly.”

“I have it black on blue.”

“We both know that system can be tricked.”

“Then I have it deep blue on pale skin.” Unsubtly, he placed a hand on Lydia’s womb.

“Ah…” The faint touch was enough to make the royal moan. Her eyes were the colour of a clear sky, drifting firmly out of their regular blue state by the depth of her relaxation. “What you make me feel, my love… you were certainly correct about re-arranging my brain chemistry.”

“To be fair, that’s a two-way street.” John lifted up his hand, waving around all the fingers with all of the matching marks on them. “Got it deep blue on tanned skin.”

“Good.” The singular word left Lydia’s lips, then she settled back down on his shoulder. “I am a complicated woman, but I yearn to be a simple partner. You love me. You make efforts to improve my life. That is all I ask for.”

John could have made a joke that improving a world leader’s life was a tall task, but he bit that back. Instead, he just brushed over the smooth skin of Lydia’s neck.

“I have many more requests,” Aclysia prevented the silence from settling.

“Such as?” John asked. “Your wish is my purpose in life, my Aclysia.”

The assurance had the maid squeak in delight. A small show of her crazed core, before continuing in her graceful tone. “Kiss me, hug me, demonstrate to the world the superiority of your lines, be yourself, be happy, do not drive yourself mad with stress, know that I will always be there for you.”

“…I’ll try,” John promised. The second half of those requests was a lot harder. Well, except for that last one. If the Gamer had any certainty in life, it was that he could count on his Harmonia to be there for him, and among them, Aclysia was an unwavering pillar. “Bit of a shame you two aren’t competing,” he lamented.

“That eager to watch your women violate each other?” Lydia asked drily. “Has the BDSM rotted your brain to the core?”

“I resent representations of BDSM as ‘beating the shit out of your partner’, you know that,” John pushed back immediately. “I will not have this high art slandered in such a manner.”

“I apologize, my love. Low-hanging fruit, as they say.” She put a kiss on his cheek. That did make him forgive her instantly. “Still, you are this eager to witness a glorified spar?”

“I like competitions.”

“With all due respect, Master, in a series of one-on-one fights, the victor of this competition could only ever be Metra or Lu Zhi – and the Heavenly Jade Empress shall lose that throne within the Imperial Choir within the year.”

“Probably,” John agreed. “Maybe next time it should be 2vs2?”

“Randomized partners? This could be interesting.”

“This is how silly traditions start,” Lydia groaned. “Bored immortals throwing around money and power.”

“Well, would you rather us bored immortals do actual fighting?”

“No, I have found there is another way to spend eternity.” Without another word, Lydia swung her leg over his hips, straddling him a moment thereafter. “What do you think, my love?”

“I think that Fusion will have a lot less silly traditions than the Greater Empire.”

Lydia smiled seductively. “Correct.”