Aware He's Keeping a Harem

They entered the portal with the carriage and waited.

The floating sensation was a strange one. They could feel it, yet they weren't actually falling.

The transit time was longer than a normal portal.

She'd heard that travel time increased with distance, but just how far were they going…?

Just as she was thinking that, the exit came into view.

They followed the flow and stepped out.

Their feet touched ground. They'd finally arrived.

Solid ground underfoot was reassuring.

The place they'd emerged into appeared to be a plaza, lit by torches and bright despite the nighttime.

It was packed with people and incredibly noisy.

Multiple conversations blended together, making the content hard to follow, but picking up fragments, it seemed people were gathering information ahead of the auction and discussing recent business conditions.

There were people from the Kingdom and the Empire, of course, but those from other nations were visible as well.

In one corner of the plaza, there was an area surrounded by guards that no one was allowed near.

Nobility, perhaps.

"Wow, Master. There are so many people."

"There are. Looks like this is the place."

Unused to crowds this large, Azu had sidled up to Yohane and was pinching the hem of his clothes.

Yohane let her do as she pleased.

"This many participants? I'd heard the tickets were quite rare."

"Rare doesn't mean only one. They're probably tagalongs."

The ticket had stated companions were allowed. That was the whole reason Yohane had been able to bring Azu and the others.

The total numbers were limited, but factoring in companions for every ticket holder, the crowd made sense.

"Everyone sure loves auctions, huh."

"If there's a good find, you might turn a profit."

Elza murmured in admiration.

Spending money was a form of entertainment in itself.

Yohane spent what he earned, too. He wasn't in the business of hoarding.

That said, more often than not, he spent money to make money.

Guards lined the perimeter of the plaza, directing people not to leave.

The building that appeared to be the auction venue was visible, but the doors hadn't opened yet.

That explained why the plaza was this packed.

"Let's move to a corner for now."

They moved away from the portal exit and found a relatively open spot at the edge of the plaza.

They parked the carriage and took a breather.

In the adjacent space, a portly merchant sat in a chair, arms folded, gazing at the building.

Yohane gave a slight bow. The merchant responded by spreading his right hand without unfolding his arms.

Servants were standing by around him.

By the look of things, a wealthy magnate.

The quality of the servants' clothing and the merchant's own accessories gave a fair indication.

It seemed they'd be spending the night here.

"I'm going to sleep, so you three take turns napping. Wake me immediately if anything happens."

"Understood."

He left the rest to Azu and the others and lay down.

They'd loaded gold coins on the carriage for the auction, so keeping watch was essential.

They'd also brought the orb.

With this many people around, the possibility of unsavory types blending in couldn't be ruled out.

Leaving it to Azu and the others would be fine.

He pulled a blanket over himself and closed his eyes.

He felt the fatigue, but sleep wouldn't come easily.

Then he heard someone lie down beside him.

A faint waft of perfume drifted over.

Alexia. She'd taken a liking to fragrances, and he'd given her a few prototypes to try.

It seemed Alexia was taking the first nap.

Then she started fidgeting, apparently unable to sleep either.

"Hey, are you awake?"

"What is it?"

He answered her.

With the Triwright Auction right around the corner, sleep felt impossible, so he decided to humor her.

Glancing over, he saw Alexia with the blanket spread under her from the knees down, looking his way.

She'd taken off her armor and was in just her dress.

Without it, the bravery she showed in battle faded, and she looked like an ordinary girl her age.

If she carried herself this calmly all the time, she could easily pass for a sheltered young lady.

"I just want to talk a little until I get sleepy."

"Fine by me."

"… It's been a while since you bought me, hasn't it?"

"It has."

He'd bought Alexia shortly after Elza.

He remembered rushing over after a slave trader brought him word, wanting to secure her before anyone else could interfere.

A noblewoman's education. Exceptional skill as a mage.

And she was beautiful.

He'd wanted her at any cost.

Though Alexia's attitude at first had been awful.

Now that he knew her circumstances, he could understand it had been unavoidable.

He'd used the stick to keep her in line, then followed up with the carrot to win her over.

Fortunately, she'd settled in despite her grumbling, and he'd felt her open up around the time they'd traveled to the Empire and visited the city of Aquarius.

Having bought Alexia had ended up being a tremendous help.

Getting out of that cell, for one.

"Honestly, I thought it was the end of the world. But as second lives go, this is surprisingly decent. Though I do feel like I'm being worked awfully hard."

"Sorry about that. I rely on you as a mage."

He told her how he honestly felt.

He meant it.

When Yohane said that, Alexia smiled in a kind of 'what can you do' way.

"That is my job, after all. I know."

"Yeah. And to look after Azu for me."

"I suppose. That girl does overdo it sometimes… Speaking of which, you're not planning on getting more slaves?"

Yohane made a show of thinking for a moment at Alexia's question.

"Give me a break. Three women is already too many cooks, and any more would be impossible to manage. And adding a man to a group of women I'm keeping would be a terrible move."

"Oh my, so you are aware you're keeping us."

"Well, yeah."

Though he hadn't laid a hand on any of them.

Azu aside, there would be no issue age-wise with Elza or Alexia.

Having bought them as slaves meant he didn't even need consent, yet he'd never gone that far.

There was a reason on Yohane's side for that.

As if dodging the subject, he moved both hands behind his head and stared up at the carriage ceiling.

"Well, this is fine for now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

They went on chatting about nothing in particular, and before long, drifted off to sleep.