The first day of the tournament had ended. However, in the front square of the Victoriaz academy, Arion was already standing restlessly waiting for Arvin's arrival.
As soon as the Astoria and Flamort academy group emerged from the main gate, Arion immediately approached them with hasty steps.
Seeing the reddish-yellow-haired youth approaching, Arvin stopped his steps and turned his head towards Dean Saires who was standing not far from him.
"Dean Saires, it seems we will all be a little late returning to the shelter house this afternoon." said Arvin with a polite but firm tone. "Please return first with the others. We have an important matter that cannot be delayed."
Hearing the request from the academy owner, the Dean did not want to ask many questions. He immediately nodded in understanding and ordered all students and other board of teachers to line up neatly and go home first to their shelter house in the capital.
A few moments later, the crowd of academy students disappeared from sight. Now, in the middle of the academy square that was gradually becoming quiet, only nine people remained: Arvin, Allen, Alrain, Ordion, Alvein, Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion.
"So... can I claim your promise to me now?" asked Arion impatiently, his voice trembling slightly, breaking the silence among them. His eyes radiated a mix of hope and despair.
"Of course, Arion." answered Arvin calmly, without the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice. "But to do that right now, we need absolute privacy. Let's find a place that is truly quiet and safe from anyone's sight."
Hearing that, Arion, who quite knew the ins and outs of the capital, immediately gave an idea.
"Around this academy block, there is a noble mansion that has long been empty and abandoned!" suggested Arion quickly. "We can use its enclosed backyard area if you want to find a quiet place."
Arvin and the others agreed with the suggestion. Then, guided by Arion who walked in front as a guide, they all walked along the small cobblestone street, walking away from the square towards the intended house.
Upon arriving there, they found a large unkempt house. They immediately walked around to the backyard of the empty house.
The place was very quiet, tightly covered by a canopy of many shady trees and also protected by a fairly high stone fence wall, so no one from the outside could peek inside.
"Perfect! This place is adequate enough!" muttered Arvin, feeling satisfied. He turned to look at the eight youths in front of him. "Now, I ask all of you to stand and get closer to each other in the middle!" he ordered gently.
Without asking, one by one they started to close ranks until they were huddled together, forming a compact small group amidst the tall grass.
Seeing everyone lined up neatly within his reach, Arvin raised his right hand.
"Close your eyes, everyone, and nobody move!" instructed Arvin again, his tone this time sounding more serious.
Simultaneously, they all immediately closed their eyes.
And then, Arvin channeled a large amount of his mana and activated a very complex long-distance teleportation magic to his mansion. A giant magic circle with a very bright golden light instantly appeared and spun rapidly under the soles of the nine of them, illuminating the gloomy backyard.
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, the bodies of the nine of them had moved from the Victoriaz capital, directly to the middle of the living room of the Vedegra family mansion in the Astoria Kingdom capital.
"You may open your eyes now." said Arvin calmly.
When they opened their eyes, Dylan and especially Arion, were extraordinarily shocked by the sight and the spatial transition they had just experienced.
The gloomy sight which seconds before was just the terrace of an empty house's backyard with many wild trees and also a high stone wall, had now drastically changed into an enclosed room with a row of grand furniture and wall decorations that looked very luxurious.
"M-M-My Beloved... did you... did you use teleportation magic?" asked Dylan stuttering, shocked realizing the complexity of the youth in front of him's magic was increasingly immeasurable.
"Yes, I just used long-distance teleportation magic!" answered Arvin casually, as if he had just used magic to turn a water tap. "And welcome. Right now, we are all already inside my private mansion in the Astoria Kingdom!"
Arvin then walked towards the sofa in the middle of the room and sat leaning back.
"Come on, don't just stand frozen there and sit down! There is something very important that I have to say and discuss with you all, and especially with Arion first."
One by one they started walking and sat on the soft sofas. They looked at Arvin with focus, waiting for what the prospective head of the family would say.
Once everyone was seated comfortably, Arvin shifted his sharp gaze towards the reddish-yellow-haired youth who looked the most tense among them.
"Arion, are you ready to release that absolute slave seal on your body?" asked Arvin starting his serious talk, cutting straight to the core of the issue.
Hearing those two words 'slave seal' spoken aloud, immediately made Arvin's seven spouses flinch in shock. They simultaneously turned to look at Arion with widened eyes, not expecting there was a fact that dark behind the youth's neat appearance.
"My Husband..." Allen was the first to break the silence, looking at Arvin seeking confirmation. "So what you whispered to him in the academy hallway earlier..."
"Yes, you are right as you guessed, Allen." answered Arvin nodding slowly, confirming his husband's assumption. He looked at Arion with sympathy. "I promised him that I would destroy that seal and release him from the absolute slave status that has been forcefully passed down and inherited to his family's bloodline endlessly for generations."
"Gosh... No wonder he unhesitatingly agreed to be your slave when you offered it to him." chimed in Alrain suddenly, realizing the heavy burden and despair borne by Arion.
Alrain then turned back to look at Arvin, shaking his head slowly, feeling amazed as well as afraid. "Until this second, I truly still don't understand you, My Love. You... you seem to know all the deepest secrets in this world."
Hearing the praise accompanied by confusion, Arvin fell silent for a moment. He smiled faintly, but his eyes radiated a guilt that he couldn't hide completely.
"I promise, I will definitely tell everything after I successfully gather and marry all the people who have become my targets in this world." replied Arvin gently, giving an absolute promise to them.
Arvin leaned his back, letting out a long sigh contemplating the path of fate. "And honestly, the current condition has actually deviated far and is outside my initial prediction. Even though initially, I only intended and wanted just eight spouses that I wanted to marry..."
"....but look at me now!" he continued again, spreading his arms slowly. "Right now I already have nine spouses if Arion is counted in, and I am sure, that number will soon increase as time goes by."
Arvin then looked at the faces of the eight youths who were very precious in his life right now one by one. He stared intently into their eyes, seeking absolute honesty.
"Answer me honestly, without any lies or guarding my feelings!" asked Arvin, his voice lowering, in every word demanding honesty from the bottom of their hearts. "Do you think I am a very selfish and greedy person for choosing to marry so many cute men and gathering all of you under one roof in this world?"
That sudden rhetorical question made the eight youths silent for a moment. The atmosphere in the living room became quiet. They looked at each other, trying to read each other's minds, before finally Allen, as the first person who had the most right over Arvin, smiled and answered his question.
"You are not selfish at all, My Husband!" answered Allen gently, no doubt whatsoever in his voice. His eyes radiated absolute affection and sincerity. "As your first spouse, I don't mind sharing with them at all. With one absolute condition... you must master that cloning magic soon so you can satisfy and pamper all of us fairly!"
"Allen is one hundred percent right!" chimed in Alrain agreeing, his laughter breaking melting the tense atmosphere. "I myself was the one who forced you to make this harem. But honestly, after you said the other day that the cloning magic book is guaranteed to be in the secret library of the Flamort Kingdom palace, I felt very relieved!"
"Yes, I agree as he said!" chimed in Ordion with his wide smile, not wanting to lose. "At first I thought, all of us would forever queue and wait for a very long turn just to be able to make love to you. For me, you are free to marry tens, hundreds, even thousands of cute men out there! But the condition is, you really have to master that cloning magic as soon as possible without any excuse!"
"Of course he has to master it!" complained Alvein suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest, thinking about his position as the fourth spouse. "I, who am currently in the status of waiting for the fourth turn, already feel very restless if I have to wait for you... what is the unfortunate fate of those who become your fifth, sixth, and so on spouses in the future if you can't duplicate yourself?"