The morning began with the hiss of hot water cascading over my shoulders, steam rising around me. My muscles were sore, but in the good way—the kind of soreness that comes after an enjoyable, chaotic night shared between Darkness, Luna, and Aqua. Darkness, of course, had begged to be roughed up. Luna had tried to keep things orderly, only to collapse under Aqua's drunken giggling and demands for attention. It was exhausting, but satisfying.
As I let the water rinse away the sweat, I leaned forward against the tiles and exhaled. Managing this harem is going to be a challenge, but for now they're happy. And if they're happy, I'm happy.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion, Yunyun and Megumin were pacing in separate rooms—dark circles under their eyes from the noises of our lovemaking—each monologuing to herself like a tragic heroine in a poorly rehearsed play.
"I… I need to shoot my shot!" Yunyun whispered to her reflection, cheeks blazing red. "If I don't, I'll be left behind… even Kazuma has a girlfriend now!"
Megumin, sitting cross-legged on her bed, jabbed a finger at the air. "Yunyun thinks she's going to get ahead of me? Ha! I'll show her! Ethan will notice me first!"
Their duel was imaginary, but their determination was painfully real.
Kazuma himself had, in fact, started dating a random adventurer girl—some cute brunette from the guild whose name I couldn't even recall. The two had become inseparable, and now she had moved into his room. The noises from their side of the hall only rubbed salt in Yunyun and Megumin's wounds… though I had to admit, it gave both of them a new sense of urgency.
Ethan's Plans
By the time I finished my shower and wrapped a towel around my waist, my mind had shifted away from domestic nonsense and onto more important matters.
Wolbach.
I remembered from the show and novel her desire to become whole again—half of her sealed away, trapped in Chomusuke. If I reunited her halves with the Tiger Talisman, she'd finally be whole. That was the leverage I needed to turn her and gain a powerful dark goddess for myself. It didn't hurt that she was stacked and exotically beautiful with that red hair.
And then there was Sylvia. Outwardly, she was already stunning—statuesque, curvaceous, every move dripping with feminine grace. But beneath her skirt lay the truth she despised: her greatest insecurity. If I used SCP-113—the red stone of gender reversal—to make her fully the woman she wished to be, she would swear loyalty to me for life. I would have nearly depleted the Demon King of his generals. The barrier maintained by the generals would be no hindrance to me, especially since I had already snuck into the capital earlier with the Snake Talisman and placed a teleportation point within.
The Demon King won't just lose his generals, I thought as I tightened my belt—he'll hand them over to me. And when the dust settles, he'll be nearly defenseless, surrounded by commanders who already answer to me.
The Message from the Crimson Demon Clan
My thoughts were interrupted by Yunyun bursting into the hall, her hands clutching a glowing magical letter. Her eyes were wide with panic.
"E-Ethan! My family—my whole village—they're under attack! Demon General Sylvia and her minions are moving on the Crimson Demon Clan!"
Megumin, for once, didn't crack a joke. She straightened her hat and nodded seriously. "We have to go. This is our home, our people… please, Ethan."
I didn't need much convincing. If Sylvia was there, this was the perfect chance to enact my plan.
"Pack your things," I told them. "We leave within the hour."It turned out we got there even faster, as Yunyun had left one of her own teleportation markers in the village.
The Crimson Demon Village
The journey was quick, and the moment we arrived, chaos greeted us. Crimson Demon villagers struck dramatic poses as they ran to and fro, hurling spells at distant monsters. Children mimicked their parents with mock incantations, while elders argued about the proper posture for casting.
Yunyun's mother, Kururu, nearly smothered her daughter in hugs. "My sweet Yunyun, you've come back! And you brought Ethan—good, good. You've chosen well."
Yunyun went beet red. "M-Mom!"
Meanwhile, Yuiyui, Megumin's mother, gave me a calculating once-over. Her lips curved into a smile that was equal parts warmth and scheming. "So this is the famous Ethan. Strong, wealthy, and already tied to my daughter by fate, hmm?"
Megumin's hat wobbled as she pulled it down over her face. "M-Mother, please…"
As sharp as they were, the mothers kept dropping hints about marrying their daughters and the matter of dowries. I could only laugh awkwardly. I didn't have any problem taking both of them, but the straightforward advertising was… a lot.
Komekko, Megumin's sister, was excited by the talk. Yuiyui was already promising to buy Komekko new clothes with the money from a marriage I hadn't even agreed to yet.
I planned to help the Crimson Demon Clan with this threat, but if it was up to me there wouldn't even be a need for a fight. Using the Snake Talisman to become invisible and the Rooster Talisman to fly, I planned to sneak into Sylvia's base camp near nightfall.
Sylvia's Tent
While the Crimson Demons prepared their defenses, I slipped away under the cover of night, activating the Snake Talisman. My body melted into shadows, slipping between patrols until I slid silently into the heart of Sylvia's command tent.
She stood before a map, armor polished, her long hair cascading down her back. Her beauty was undeniable—a perfect woman in nearly every regard. But I knew the secret beneath the surface.
"Who's there?" she demanded, her hand flying to her weapon.
I stepped out of the shadows calmly. "Relax. I'm not here to fight you, Sylvia. I'm here to offer you what you've always wanted."
Her eyes narrowed. "You must be Ethan… How could I trust you, and what could you possibly give me?"
I held up a scroll—a magical contract pulled from a world of fiction, binding and unbreakable. "Your true womanhood. Permanence. Freedom from the shame you hide. All I ask is your loyalty. Swear it here, and I'll make you whole."
Her composure cracked. For the first time, uncertainty wavered in her voice. "Y-You… you know…?"
I nodded. "I know. And I don't mock you for it. I can fix it. If you sign this magic contract, you will pledge your loyalty to me—and I will be compelled to give you what you want: to be a true woman."
She trembled, staring at the contract. Finally, with shaking hands, she signed.
I briefly explained the process: using a red stone I took from an SCP video, I would use its power to transform her into a woman. She looked at me skeptically, but having already signed, she went ahead with the process.
From my pocket, I produced SCP-113, encased in protective gloves. The red stone shimmered with unnatural light. "This may sting," I said as I placed it against her skin.
Her body convulsed. Light flared. She gasped as her towering frame shrank, settling into graceful proportions. The hidden male features she had despised dissolved into nothingness. When the light faded, she stood there trembling, tears running down her face as she looked down at her perfectly feminine body.
"I… I'm whole," she whispered, touching her face, her chest, her hips. "I'm really… me."
I offered my hand. "You're mine now, Sylvia. Serve me, and you'll never be mocked or rejected again."
She fell to one knee, pressing her forehead to my palm. "Yes, my lord. I swear it."
With her on my side, we cleared out the demon forces that refused to defect, while the Crimson Demons I had on standby (in case the deal fell through) pounded the rest. It was a massacre; the few who refused to work for me turned to ash under a storm of spells.
The Family Bargain
The battle ended soon after, the Crimson Demon Clan celebrating their victory. But the real drama came at the feast that followed.
Yuiyui, eyes sharp as a hawk, leaned forward across the table. "Ethan. You've saved our people. As a reward… you may have Megumin as your prize."
Megumin froze, face crimson. "M-Mother!!"
I opened my mouth to decline gently, but Megumin blurted out, "I-I don't mind!" Her voice cracked halfway through, but the words hung in the air.
Yunyun, panicking, shouted, "T-Then I'll be his prize too!"
Kururu and Yuiyui exchanged a look, their shrewdness aligning. They hushed their husbands quickly as they were about to object. Yuiyui whispered into hers, "If Megumin marries Ethan, we'll be secure forever. Don't ruin this." Kururu muttered similar words to hers, adding, "Besides, he's rich enough to support both girls."
The fathers, after some resistance, caved. "Son-in-law!" Megumin's father boomed, slapping me on the back hard enough to make me spill my drink.
Komekko, Megumin's younger sister, darted into my lap. "Onii-chan! I've always wanted a big brother like you! I'll marry you too when I grow up!"
I patted her head awkwardly. "Only after you're grown up, Komekko."
Megumin, in the background, fumed. Sold off like a sack of potatoes, she thought bitterly.
Building a Future
To solidify my ties, I commissioned builders to expand the village. New farmland, fortified walls, and even a castle-mansion rose under my orders. The Crimson Demon Clan would become more than a village—it would become one of the cornerstones of my future empire. With their talent for magic, they'd form the backbone of an army of Arch Wizards.
My plans in Konosuba were coming toward an end. I'd enjoyed this world, but I had accomplished most of my objectives. There were only a few things left to do before taking out the Demon King—just a few more generals to either assassinate or recruit toward my own ends.
Wolbach's Temptation
That night, using my teleportation marker, I slipped into the Demon King's capital. At the heart of the enemy's empire, I found Wolbach—her loneliness palpable, her other half still sealed away.
"Who's there?!" she yelled as I stepped out of the shadows. I didn't even sense him, she thought to herself. He must be much more powerful than we first thought. She brought her hand behind her back, preparing a spell as a contingency. "Lord Ethan… what could you possibly want from me here in the capital? Here to kill me?"
I chuckled. "Far from it. I would be loath to harm such a beauty, and I have no prejudice toward demonkind. No—I'm here to offer you a deal."
Wolbach slowly extinguished the spell she thought I hadn't noticed her preparing, then asked, wary, "What kind of deal would that be?" Her look seemed to say, As if you could offer me anything I would possibly want.
"I offer you what you've always craved—the reason you joined the Demon King to begin with. Completeness. To become whole again. I know where your other half is, and I actually have the means to make you one again. Unlike the Demon King and his false promises, I can deliver."
A look of shock crossed her face. How does he know!?
"I won't be needing an answer now. I'll give you one week. If you accept my offer, come to Axel and meet me at the lakehouse behind my mansion at midnight. I expect I'll be seeing you soon."
With that, I activated the Snake Talisman again as I slipped back out, leaving her standing there with confusion—and hope—pulling her in two directions.
As I left her to consider, I stood atop the castle roof, gazing over the Demon King's capital.
"Maybe I won't just destroy this place," I murmured. "Maybe I'll take it for myself."