If you want to support, you can do so at: https://www.patr eon.com/finlegost
There, you can find 18 chapters in advance.
Thanks to my patrons and to those who comment on the chapters. It means a lot to me and motivates me to continue this hobby of mine.
And, of course, thanks to everyone who reads this novel.
*************************************
At dawn, after spending a whole day with Melisa, I left her house without saying goodbye, as I didn't want to wake her up so early.
I could have waited for her to wake up.
However, I wanted to get back to Alessia and Delia as soon as possible.
So I decided to set off as soon as I woke up.
When I left the room as quietly as I could, Arya was waiting for me, wide awake and alert.
Once I met with the elf, I created an illusory door to Gerald's place so I could finish sorting out some issues regarding the work he will be doing for me from now on.
The distance between Gerald's house and Melisa's is not that big, so we could easily have walked there.
But if we did, we would probably have woken up the sleeping beauty when we left her house.
When Arya and I entered Gerald's store-home, I was a little taken aback by the person who greeted us.
It was Gerald, obviously.
But his appearance had changed so radically in a few hours that, at first, I didn't recognize him.
The old man, who is not so old now, seems to have rejuvenated several years in the 24 hours I didn't see him.
Before, he looked like an old man around 60 years old; however, despite appearing that age, he seemed to be on the verge of death. His height was also different from what it is now. He seemed to be 1.54 meters tall, with white hair and blue eyes.
But now he's an incredibly handsome mature man, thanks to his white hair and blue eyes.
In addition, somehow, most of the wrinkles on his face have disappeared as if they had never existed.
In fact, his body even seems to have gained muscle and his back has straightened almost completely, thanks to which he now looks quite a bit taller.
But his physical appearance isn't the only thing that changed in the old man.
His grumpy attitude, which I had grown accustomed to, changed to a friendly one.
Extremely friendly.
In fact, I found it a little uncomfortable how happy the old man seemed to be talking to me.
It seemed as if he now considered me something like a member of his family.
It was a somewhat disturbing experience, made worse by the fact that he recognized Melissa and me having sex in the air yesterday afternoon.
He had been spying on us with his telescope and seemed very grateful for the free show we gave him.
When he told me, with his now seemingly permanent smile, that he had spied on us with his telescope, I was about to punch him in his stupid face.
However, I refrained, as it was ultimately my responsibility for not recalling the old man's telescope.
Anyway, that wasn't the first time he had spied on us.
The last time, I had let it slide.
But the fact that he was no longer a helpless old man who seemed to be on the verge of death made my opinion on the matter change dramatically.
So I forbade him from spying on Melissa and me in the future and told him that if I ever found out he had done it again, I would make sure to make his life even more miserable than it was when he had the curse.
The old man turned pale upon hearing my words and promised me with a deadly serious expression that he would never again use the telescope to spy on anyone.
In fact, he offered to give me the telescope so that I would never have even the slightest suspicion that he had broken his promise.
But I have no use for such an object, so I declined the offer.
Before leaving his house, I left him a small pile of runes and a moderate sum of money.
That way, the old man will have the funds he needs to carry out the work he has to do for me for quite some time.
Upon seeing the runes, the old man asked me if I would be willing to sponsor his business, as he had many ideas and projects he had always wanted to carry out but, due to his cursed state and lack of funds, had never decided to try.
However, now that the curse of impotence was no longer affecting every aspect of his life, he could begin his work, provided he could secure the necessary funds.
In exchange for my sponsorship, I would get any invention he made for free for myself and my girls, as well as a significant percentage of any profits the old man made from the magical objects he invented.
I quickly realized that the deal Gerald was proposing was much more beneficial to him than to me.
This was true, at least for the immediate future.
However, if any of the old man's ideas were successful and he began to market them, I could have a new source of passive income.
That's why I accepted his offer without thinking too much about it.
In the end, the conversation with Gerald took longer than I had thought, and by the time I left his place, it was already mid-morning.
Cursing internally because my idea when I woke up had been to arrive at Alessia and Delia's before they woke up, I opened an illusory door to the bedroom of my house in the capital.
'Shit...
Just as I thought...
They must be having breakfast...
I had hoped to find them still asleep so I would have time to explain, but it seems that won't be the case.'
Sighing, I start down the stairs to the kitchen, where I see, thanks to the map on my interface, that my girls and the three annoying beauties are.
When I was halfway down the stairs, a fork flew in my direction and stuck into the wooden railing, where it remained vibrating in the exact spot where my hand had been a second ago.
"Look who decided to show up, girls..." says Alessia, looking at me with impressive homicidal fury.
'I've never seen her so angry...
It was only two days...
It's true that I left without telling them...
And it's also true that I left right after arguing with her...
But I didn't imagine it would bother her so much.'
"... And what's more, he's with another woman."
'Ahh... I see.'
"This isn't what it looks like, Alessia," I say, raising my hands in the air to show that I come in peace.
"Ohh, no. It's exactly what it looks like, Master..." says Alessia, reddening with rage.
"... You disappear for days, right after the three of us were about to die. And you left without warning! Only to come back TWO days later with a new girlfriend! You're a damn womanizer!"
As Alessia speaks, she has a knife in her hand and, at times, seems to be on the verge of throwing it in my direction.
Delia seems to be torn between siding with Alessia or speaking up to defend me, repeatedly shifting her gaze between the two of us, but she says nothing.
The three annoying beauties, however, are clearly pleased with what is happening and simply watch us with a smile.
' - Is that his other slave? Now I understand why Master is like that with me... I don't know what kind of bizarre relationship they have, but that girl is obviously the dominant one in the relationship... Haa... I don't like the idea, but maybe I can learn a few things from her.'
"Well... You're not wrong about most of the things you said, but you did get one thing wrong. Arya is just my new slave. I have no relationship with her other than that of master-slave," I say, trying hard not to smile, as I am now even more certain of the real reason why Alessia is so angry.
"We'll see about that..." Alessia says, her expression of fury wavering for a moment.
' - Another slave? Is... she my replacement? Don't go there, Alessia. Don't let that jerk Master distract you.'
"... What the hell were you thinking?! We thought you had fallen back under the control of that damn thing..."
All this time Alessia has been speaking with visible irritation, but then she recognizes the sword sheath I am wearing and continues speaking in a neutral, cold voice that gives me goosebumps.
"... Master... why is that thing hanging from your waist?"
"I can explain," I say slowly, seeing how the knife Alessia is holding trembles with the girl's fury.
"You better," Alessia says with a dangerous coldness in her voice and a nervous twitch in her right eye.