Regulus looked back at the dozens of Ryuzu clones seeing them off at the edge of the forest.
Although he very much wanted to take them all with him right now, once they were taken away, the Sanctuary would have no administrators, and Echidna's resting place would be left entirely unguarded.
But to tell the truth... Regulus wasn't really concerned about whether this dilapidated Sanctuary was guarded or not.
What Regulus truly cared about was Echidna's slumbering physical body and Ryuzu Meyer's original true body, sealed within the underground crystals. Especially Ryuzu's true body. While Echidna's physical body could theoretically be dressed and carried away, Ryuzu's true body—plus the massive magical crystal sealing it—was basically impossible to carry around on a carriage.
Under these circumstances, he could only let the clones continue guarding the Sanctuary for a while longer. He would come back to take them all away once he obtained the specific abilities needed to safely free Ryuzu's true body and fully awaken the slumbering Echidna into the real world.
As the dragon carriage moved forward, Regulus soon could no longer see the pink-haired girls waving goodbye.
"They all seem to like you a lot," Julia remarked from the driver's seat. She was driving the lead dragon carriage, her tone full of intense curiosity about what had happened during his solo trip into the Sanctuary.
Why did Ryuzu, who had supposedly never left the Sanctuary forest in four hundred years, know Regulus? And why did she seem to respect and cling to him so intimately?
Similarly, Julia had always thought there was only one Ryuzu, but there turned out to be dozens of identical clones. What exactly was going on? And what other deep secrets were hidden in the Sanctuary that she, the daughter of the domain's lord, didn't know about?
"Isn't it only natural that they would like me?" Regulus smiled, leaning back against the wooden bench. "After all, my handsome and dashing charm has captivated even the current Sword Saint, stern Knights of the Royal Guard, and even the proud daughter of a Marquis. I am an outstanding man."
"Hah!!?"
Julia widened her heterochromatic eyes, looking back at Regulus, who was boasting without a single ounce of modesty.
"What? Isn't that the case?"
"Of course it couldn't possibly be like that!" Julia retorted, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Who's captivated by you? I'm only with you because I lost a duel to you..."
"With me what? Why not finish your sentence?" Regulus teased, sliding closer to her.
"Hey! Don't mess around! I'm driving the dragon carriage right now!"
Facing Regulus, who suddenly reached out and pulled her completely into his embrace, Julia had to frantically grab the reins to forcibly regain control of the earth dragon that had almost veered off the road.
"I know," Regulus murmured, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's just a hug. I won't do anything else."
"Really?"
"At most, I'll just satisfy my hands a bit."
"..."
Julia was left completely speechless. Why was this man's mind constantly filled with such wicked thoughts?
Furthermore, as he slightly adjusted his sitting posture behind her, she could feel a very distinct, hard pressure pressing against her lower back. His stamina was just too monstrous. Even though he had been with the girls from the moment he woke up in the morning, and had disappeared for hours in the Sanctuary, he was already getting energetic again!
"Miss Carol! Could you come out to the front for a moment?" Julia called out desperately towards the passenger compartment behind them.
Given the current situation, she wouldn't easily believe Regulus's 'I'll only use my hands' promise. If she did, the dragon carriage might end up crashing into a tree very soon.
As Carol emerged from the carriage curtain to take the driver's seat, another girl followed closely behind her.
Theresia.
Noticing that Regulus and Julia were already embracing each other on the bench, Theresia paused, but she didn't retreat.
"I've been staying inside the carriage for too long recently. I wanted to come out for some fresh air too," she said, her face flushed red with nervous determination.
She already knew exactly what was about to happen out here, but precisely because she knew, she had chosen to come forward proactively.
She sat down on Regulus's other side, subconsciously placing both hands over her lower abdomen. Hidden beneath her clothes was the pink magical crest she had just received yesterday. It was a mark she had actively sought out. To get it, she had thrown away her pride and done some very embarrassing things—things like what Carol and Ine Mitarai often did to please him.
'Since I've already gone that far,' Theresia reasoned in her mind, 'especially since Regulus seemed to be in a very good and happy mood because of my actions... if I am a bit more proactive now and do a little more, it will surely make him even happier. And then... he'll favor me even more, right?'
On the other side, Carol had taken the reins. She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, but out of the corner of her eye, she watched Theresia. The former Sword Saint was already held in the crook of Regulus's other arm.
Carol saw everything about the noble lady's proactive approach. She saw Theresia pressing her soft curves close against his side, actively creating opportunities for Regulus's roaming hands.
The reason for the young lady's bold actions was simple; it entirely stemmed from a profound sense of crisis.
'There are just too many girls around Regulus,' Carol noted internally. 'So many that if one isn't proactive, it would be hard to get any chances to interact with him alone. To gain his favor, one can't just keep waiting.'
It seemed that through their recent interactions, Theresia had finally come to understand this harsh truth of the harem. And precisely because she had come to understand it, the young lady—who was usually passive and almost never took the initiative—had begun to try taking the offensive.
A feeling of relief welled up in Carol's heart.
Watching Theresia's face begin to flush beautifully under Regulus's touch, Carol shifted her gaze to Julia, whose face was already as crimson as blood as Regulus's hand slipped beneath her shirt.
"Leave the driving of the dragon carriage to me," Carol offered professionally.
"Mmm... mmm," Julia whimpered, her consciousness already becoming hazy and strange. She immediately handed the reins over to the blonde Knight.
Having received the reins, Carol forced herself to ignore the wet, suggestive sounds happening right beside her.
She focused purely on driving the dragon carriage down the dirt road for a while. But a few minutes later, she suddenly noticed something very odd.
It wasn't just the two girls beside her. From inside the enclosed passenger compartment of the dragon carriage behind her, a chorus of soft, suppressed sounds could also be heard.
Judging by the muffled gasps and whimpers... they were the kind of sounds a girl makes only when being intimately touched and teased to the absolute limit.
But the problem was... Regulus was right here beside her! Inside the carriage were only his wives! What on earth was going on back there?
Carol turned her head to look beside her. Regulus had his eyes closed, a wicked smile on his face as his hands worked their magic on Julia and Theresia.
After a brief moment of silence...
"Regulus... inside the carriage..." Carol started.
"I know," Regulus interrupted smoothly, his smile widening.
"You know!?"
"That's right. Stop the dragon carriage."
"..."
Carol frowned in confusion, but she still obeyed Regulus's command, pulling back on the reins and bringing the earth dragon to a halt on the side of the forest road.
But the exact moment the carriage stopped—
"Guh... ah!"
A muffled groan escaped Carol's own lips. She immediately dropped the reins, her hands flying to cover her lower abdomen as she instinctively bent her waist forward.
A sudden, intense phantom sensation struck her core. It was as if invisible, expert fingers were directly stimulating her most sensitive nerves. She felt the sudden, terrifying change in her body, and she knew very well exactly what this sensation was.
However, this phantom feeling lasted only a few agonizingly pleasurable seconds before receding.
When it disappeared, Carol, panting heavily with a flushed face, couldn't help but turn to look at Regulus in sheer disbelief.
"That feeling just now... was that you?"
"It was me," Regulus opened his eyes, his Plundered Telepathy Authority shimmering faintly in the air. "I linked the sensory network using your crests. How did it feel?"
"How it felt...?"
Carol pursed her lips, her thighs still trembling slightly. How else could it feel? It was no different from when she was physically teased by him. The precision, the heat... even the specific, overwhelming sensations were completely identical to his actual touch. He was broadcasting the pleasure he gave Julia and Theresia directly into the minds and bodies of every girl in the convoy!
"It seems the effect of my new Authority is quite good," Regulus chuckled, seeing the dazed, aroused expressions on all three girls. "That puts my mind at ease."
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter