The ship was floating steadily on the calm waters. And I had to say, but the pirates did a good job repairing it, especially when they were threatened by my wives. A glare from Nanya or Shanteya would have been enough to make them start moving in fear for their own live. As for me, I got the amazing First-Class Deluxe Option of sitting on my raft while it was being pulled by the huge vessel.

To our great joy, we finally encountered a vessel. It was a typical Paramanium Galleon with two black sails and a bulky black body. Fourteen cannons were lined up under the bridge in two rows and another four on top of the deck. There were signs of battle on it, with two holes in the bow of the ship and three in the stern, all on the starboard side from which we approached. The main mast was grazed as well, but it held tight.

“Nyaaa... Pet me more! Pet me more!” I said as I snuggled in Shanteya's lap.

Out of all of them, she knew best how loved to be petted. Well, she and Illsy... My mate was a genius in finding my weak spots, to the point where I was envious I couldn't do the same!

“You are awfully active, aren't you?” she asked with a soft smile on her lips.

“Munyaaa~ Not really... I just have nothing to do...” I replied while letting my tail sway as it wished.

This was the third day since we left the island... or rather we were thrown off, cast away, kicked aside like a Merion. So far, there were no ships in sight and our small craft was moving slowly just with the paddling power of Illsy and Nanya. I would have helped, but my current armor was the old one I asked Illsy to repair. It was working well, but it paled in comparison to the one he built for me. Even so, I still wished to use it for old times’ sake.

“Nyaaan~” Tamara let out a cute sound.

“Ah~! The ocean! So beautiful and filled with resources! So many things to explore within its depths and so many wonders to discover from ages long forgotten!”

These words flowed from my mouth like the lines from a well critiqued script of a drama play. The only things I have not done were the exaggerated body movements because of... reasons.

After my wives returned, they found me sitting down at the entrance of Melkuth’s Temple and petting Tamara. She was overflowing with cuteness and fluffiness!

Do I have a nekomini fetish? I wondered and got slightly frightened by the idea.

“Ah! There you are!” I lifted my hand up.

“We’re back, Illsy. Hm, is Tamara sleeping?” Nanya asked.

For a man, Heaven and Hell could easily be compared with the Love and Wrath of the woman or women he married.

Such was the case of a certain Dungeon Lord who stirred both of them in his wives. The anger coupled with the lust, love, and desire sent me on an upward spiral towards the ninth cloud. It was paved with kisses, moans, scratches, bites, and bone-breaking hugs offered in no peculiar order.

As soon as I returned to my Inner Mind, I quickly moved towards Zoreya. I was on borrowed time, and I had to heal her fast. Well, since she was here now, I could also take the liberty of curing and enhancing her body in any way I pleased. I did the same with everyone else, so why not with her as well? Besides, they all benefited from me fixing their Magic Energy Channels.

Opening my eyes, I saw the endless blue sky above me. Then I felt the dirt in my mouth and my whole body aching in pain. It was such a ‘lovely’ wake up call.

With a loud groan and some bones creaking, I managed to get back up on my feet.

This isn’t working... I thought as I felt the pain surging through my whole body.

An hour... a day... maybe a week or more... I had no idea how much time went by without me noticing.

It felt like I was in some sort of trance from which I could not escape on my own, or maybe I was once again experiencing that moment of stopped time I did when I fought against Dankyun. The difference was that now I wasn’t as aware of myself as I was back then.

What was this that I heard?

What was this that I saw?

Before my eyes, I saw the stubborn Zoreya smiling, crying, speaking those words which touched my heart. It was a confession, but then... she fell back, and I saw the blood.

The red stain spread on the ground, while The Darkness laughed in joy.

The weapon that killed her... was in my hand...

“I’m holding it?” I said and saw it.

The battle with Zoreya had begun, and I could not help but worry about her. In my mind, I prayed and urged her to run away, to hide from this abomination created by my own hands, but this one was a crusader and an Apostle of Melkuth, the God of War. Running away from an opponent would have been considered cowardly, maybe even disrespectful towards the one she prayed to.

Our current situation was... awful to say the least.

When we stepped on the battlefield prepared to fight against The Darkness, we all believed that we had all it took to defeat it and somehow or someway free Illsy from under his grasps, but the reality was a bit different from what we expected.

Illsyore was a Dungeon Lord. His body was that of a humanoid Dungeon. The Darkness was a gathering of memories and thoughts of the Dungeons constituting his body. In other words, we were not seen as wives from our point of view, but rather that of a Dungeon’s.

Frustrated, confused, in pain... I couldn’t bear with my own thoughts as I let the hours pass by me like sand grains in an hourglass. What good was an Apostle to a God of War when they didn’t even have the strength to lift their own shield up.

Drinking didn’t help either... yet I tried to drown my own thoughts and think about what I could do, for I was so ashamed of my failure, I didn’t even have the courage to go and face my own god.

The Darkness took over in but an instant. I was unable to stop it... No, I let my guard down, and that split second was all it needed to rip the control of my body out of my frail grasp. But instead of destroying me, it kept me caged like an animal with only a small window to the outside world, through which I could watch the terror and disasters it was about to unleash upon all those unsuspecting mortals.

As soon as we reached the inn, Shanteya put on a smile and went to join my other wives. Since then, two hours had passed. Now, I was sitting on the roof of the inn, gazing at the clear blue sky above me while I waited patiently for Zoreya to get ready for our date. It was a beautiful day, but if I were to complain about something, that was the lack of entertainment around these parts. Above all, I missed my computer.

Ah~!

Thinking about the good ol’ days before reincarnating into this strange world, I realized how everything was so simple, so peaceful. There was only one god I had to pray to, and the only thing I had to worry about was whether or not I could finish a game event in time. Dating was simple, only one woman for one man. Superpowers and magic were seen only in games and read about in books.

Master scared me that day... I tried to avoid him, to stay away from him because I was afraid of Master who wasn’t Master will come out and harm me again. There were two Masters in Master’s body, but one was evil, and I didn’t like him, while the other was the Master I knew.

Zoreya explained this to me, so did Nanya, Shanteya, and Ayuseya, but I was still afraid of the evil Master. My fur would stand at its end whenever I was around Master.

What if he came out? What if he hurt me? What if I was attacked by him? What if he killed me?

Do you think I will let her kill us?! The Darkness shouted at me.

I was currently inside my Inner Mind, facing this monstrous thing. It was huge and literally enveloped everything around me like tar would a helpless prehistoric creature. I couldn’t even access the material deposits without it allowing me...