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There was a chill in the air as I sat eating at the table. A frosty aura permeated the room and was hard to miss. The pint-sized powerhouse, wearing Magical Girl chic, glares at me from across the table as if staring hard enough will allow her to drop my body temperature to absolute zero. Perhaps it will. I don't know, but I do know that Serafall Leviathan is as possessive of her little sister as I had been led to believe.

Some might think that it had to do with the forty-plus potential wives I had gathered around the table, but that was only part of it, and a tiny part at that. The real issue is that Serafall holds very unsisterly feelings for her sister and doesn't want her purity tainted by anyone.

Seated next to the fetchingly vexed sis-con is the object of her affection and my fiancee, Sona Sitri, red-faced and desperately wanting to find a hole to hide in. She's adorable in her embarrassment and is being consoled on her other side by her queen, Tsubaki.

Rias is on the opposite side of Serafall, looking amused at her friend's embarrassment until I fix her with a stare and a raised eyebrow. She recalls precisely how our first interaction with her family, or rather her family's attendant, went.

Seated on my left is Mio, who occasionally reaches her hand over to brush her fingers over my leg. On my right is a very pouty Maria. The reason poor Maria is pouting is that Serafall was not the only person at the door when the bell rang, and now there is a petite near clone of Maria sitting on my lap, happily feeding me my dinner with my arm wrapped around her waist.

"Say 'ah,'" Maria's mother, Shiela, says. Strictly speaking, there is little difference between the two succubi other than Shiela having a slightly more mature sounding voice and more robust horns in a purple, a half shade lighter than her eyes. They definitely look more like sisters than mother and daughter. Hell, if not for her more mature voice, I'd assume Sheila was the younger of the two.

I play along with Shiela and open my mouth to accept the bite. "Tell me, Issei, why haven't you fully claimed my daughter yet?" Shiela asks.

"Mm. Well, my dear, I've only just met her, now, haven't I?" I say with a mischievous smile, nodding towards the stoic woman standing slightly behind and to the side of us. Shiela's eldest daughter, Maria's sister, Lucia, stands in maid attire, acting as the attendant to her mother.

Shiela giggles. "Oh? Is that your plan?" she asks.

"Well, it is a plan, though not of my own design," I say, hinting at her younger daughter's machinations to have me claim the rest of her immediate family. "However, to answer your first question. Your youngest requested a bit of romance, in the form of a date, before consummating our relationship. Something I'm more than happy to do.

My relationships have been moving very quickly in the last few weeks, and I'd like to spend more time getting to know everyone. Maria's request reminded me of that and is one of the reasons I invited everyone over."

I lean in and whisper in her ear, "I'm delighted you came, as I have much to discuss with you. Maria made another request, one I'm very interested in accommodating, with your permission."

"Oh, and what is it that my little Maria asked of you?" Shiela says, taking a bite of food herself.

"She actually made a couple of requests, but relevant to your situation, she asked me to help you recover your abilities and power," I whisper. Shiela stops chewing and stares at me.

Technically speaking, Shiela still had a hefty amount of power, but she was getting weaker as time passed. The problem was that Shiela effectively neutered herself when she gave Maria her power. She cannot absorb the sexual energy that is the life force of a succubus.

She's been living on the dregs of her power since Maria's birth. Sasami estimates that she has only a few years left before that power fails her and she dies. Bah. As if I'd allow that to happen. She's a legal loli MILF. She checks so many boxes that it's like an alarm clock going off.

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Shiela says sadly. "There are things of which Maria is unaware."

"Perhaps, but I am, and I promise you, nothing is impossible," I say. "I could do it right now, but I'm afraid I'd need to charge up a little before a potential incident happens tomorrow. So, we'll have to put it off for a little while. Give me a week or so, and I'll fix you right up."

Shiela and Lucia stare at me, not knowing what to think. Lucia speaks first, breaking her mask of stoicism. "Can you really do it? You're not lying?" she asks.

"Of course I can," I say.

"I will give you anything you want if you can save her," Lucia says, displaying her most intense expression this evening. Lucia is indeed a momma's girl.

"Well, to be honest, I was going to do it anyway, but since you're offering, I'll accept," I say, and Maria smiles a little more evilly than she has before at her sister. Lucia notices and pales slightly before her implacable stoicism returns, and she straightens herself.

Tsk. The click of a tongue draws our attention across the table. Serafall's eyes have gone from scorching to frigid, the temperature in the room dropping significantly.

"Are you alright, Miss Leviathan?" I ask, expecting the blow-up.

"Do you really need more women?" she says acidly, gesturing around the table.

I furrow my brow and tilt my head a little. "Need?" I say. "You missed the conversation earlier, so I'll summarize. I don't need more; I just don't put an arbitrary cap on those I find exciting and attractive. I don't limit myself to pretending that I can only care about one or only a few women.

I'm not a normal man or even an ordinary demon, and I don't feel the need to pretend otherwise. I have the greed and lust of a dragon, and I am perfectly proud of that. I will become stronger, and I will help those I care about to become more powerful as well, and those that stand against me will find I also have the wrath of a dragon."

Pfft. "Well, you certainly have a dragon's pride," she mumbles.

I smile. "Thank you."

'Stop it, you're turning me on,' Ddraig says dryly.

I barely manage to keep from laughing. "I was telling Sona before you arrived that she should have invited you to begin with. We have plenty of rooms, or you could spend the night in Sona's room. I think the evening will be enlightening, and it will give us time to speak at length," I say. "We'll even be able to spar without leveling the city."

The chill coming off the Satan recedes a little, and Serafall's expression becomes pensive. "Did I mention there is only one bed in the rooms, and they're Alaskan King-sized, and there really isn't another place to sleep in the rooms? So, if you share a room, you'll also share a bed," I say.

Sona looks aghast at me while Serafall's temper recedes a bit more, and the room warms. I wink at Sona; I'm confident she'll be fine. Serafall won't do anything untoward to her. She hasn't yet and has had ample opportunities in the past. She knows Sona would never speak to her again if she pushed her too far.

Serafall sits back and crosses her arms. "Fine, I'll stay, but only to make sure you don't do anything lewd to my So-tan."

"Of course, I would never do anything to Sona without her express approval," I say.

Kalawarner snorts. I turn to her and raise an eyebrow. "Sona didn't try to stab me. Or do you think I was unfair to you, Kalawarner?"

She lets out an aggrieved sigh. "No, but I am a little disappointed that you don't use us for our intended purpose," she says.

"I second that," Mittelt says, raising her hand. "What is the point of taking us as slaves if you don't use us as such?"

"Oh, please," Maria says venomously. She was not the biggest fan of the fallen angels. "It's barely been any time at all since you've arrived here. Less than a week ago, you would have been trying to find a way to kill us, and now you think you've earned a shot to not only have sex with Issei but to get stronger because of it? I don't think so."

Shockingly, the two Fallen Angels look genuinely chagrinned at being called out. 'It does feel like it's been longer than a couple of days since Kalawarner's lust overload.' I think.

"What do you think, Raynare?" I ask the raven-haired woman.

"I think master will come to us when he sees fit and that it is not up to us to question as to when that will be," she says. "We can only hope to please him and earn his favor."

I can't tell if this is really her or just a persona she's putting on to make me lower my guard.

"Excuse me," Serafall says, frowning in curiosity at Maria. "What did you mean, 'get stronger,' because of sex?"

"Just what I said," Maria says nonchalantly. "Sex with Issei will strengthen a woman's body and magic."

Serafall stares at her for a minute before slapping her hand down on the table and standing up. "That's bullshit!" she shouts, looking around the table. "It sounds like an ability from a cheesy Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven smutfic! There is no way something like that is true."

"It is," Mio says. "I've only been with him a couple of times, and I'm already feeling the difference. Some of that is the training he's put me through that helped me control my powers, but the actual growth... I'm not sure I can explain it, but I can feel the energy pumping through me, making me stronger when I'm with him."

"Me too!" Shizuka shouts excitedly and waves from the other end of the table. "I'm just a human, but I accidentally crushed a doorknob at school this morning."

Serafall looks around the table as the succubi and Fallen Angels nod in confirmation. "It's true. Master hasn't even had sex with us yet, but with just the few times he's allowed me to swallow his seed, I have felt a profound effect on my development," Raynare says. Then a malicious gleam forms in her eye. "If you trust our word, then just look to the Gremory princess. She's taken a number of his loads in her ass. She should have had a significant power boost just from that one night."

Serafall stares at a beet-red Rias sitting next to her, staring into her lap. Serafall turns to look at me. I shake my head with a wry grin. "Raynare, this is not an appropriate dinner conversation, and you shouldn't talk about other people's sex lives," I say, turning back to Serafall. "Why don't we discuss this after the meal."

Serafall rolls her eyes and scoops up a forkful of food, shoving it in her mouth. She chews her bite with an annoyed expression which slowly morphs into a look of awe. She swallows the mouthful and looks down at her plate. Tentatively she takes another forkful and, after a moment, puts it in her mouth, chewing slowly. She swallows and looks around the table at the other happily munching women.

Maria is watching her and smirks triumphantly. "Issei's a good cook, isn't he?" she asks the Devil King.

Serafall looks from her to me. "You made this?" she asks around the mouthful of food.

I nod, chewing my own food.

"You should try his cookies!" Shizuka calls out, and a couple of the girls snort, chuckling at the simple girl's earnest joy.

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The rest of the meal passes with almost no conversation beyond 'please, pass the...' and the obligatory 'this is so yummy!' from the group's less guarded and more honest. After dinner, it was time for a talk.

"That can't be real," Serafall says, folding her arms over her chest. "There is no way you can hold so many people's consciousnesses in your mental space and stretch time within it to such lengths. It's impossible. Your mind would collapse."

"Sister, if you're having trouble believing just this much, you are in for a rather rude awakening," Sona says, having grown tired of her sister's obstinant objections. "If you couldn't tell, Issei is a rather unique existence. You'll have to accept that some things he's capable of are beyond our normal experiences."

"Such as?" Serafall asks skeptically.

"As we said, directly increasing our abilities, improving our power, physiques, and very life spans, not to mention granting us new powers and abilities, and that's only what I've pieced together so far. The scope of his abilities is potentially without limit."

"Sona!" Mio says, slapping her hands against a coffee table, frustrated. "That's in-family knowledge. We shouldn't be exposing that to people not already part of the group."

Sona waves her off. "She's my sister, she won't betray my trust, and anyway, there is little chance that she won't eventually join the inner circle. Issei will need people who can sway the various factions in his favor, or else someone will eventually try to control or destroy him. That will likely not end well for the party that initiates the conflict."

"Hey, there is no way I will join this-this... Harem!" Serafall shouts. A number of the other girls listening, roll their eyes at one of the so-called leaders of the Devil race.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting on a couch with Asia on one side, Albedo on the other, Sheila still claiming a spot on my right knee, and Arin claiming the left. Sheila's cheeks are pink, and her breathing is a little heavy, possibly because I'm running my thumb and forefinger over the base of her whip-like tail.

I can feel Lucia staring at me from behind the couch; I'm pretty sure the girl is a mom-con. Maybe it's a succubus thing. I'll have to check it out with Ageha, Kurumu, and Lolisa.

"How is this going to work anyway?" Serafall asks, her temper rising. "With so many women, you can't hope to find the time in a day to satisfy them all. What are you going to do? Clone yourself?"

I scrunch up my face and shake my head. "Why do you think I've been spending so much energy on space and time magics. I want to create a space similar to my Dreamscape for more carnal activities and physical training, where I can dedicate time to each and every one of you while we all still have our place in the world outside.

As for clones... I can see using them for anything but intimate activities. I want it to be the real me that spends time with all of you, not some magical construct. Maybe I could make time clones; those would at least be the real me just a second out of step, but even that I'm not comfortable with, to be honest."

"So, why would you consider them then?" Tomoe from the Sitri Peerage asks.

"Well, certain people have a fetish or kink for multiple simultaneous penetrations," I say. "And I'd like to be able to accommodate my lovers' needs."

Looking around, I see a few of the girls who understand but many more that seem confused.

I roll my eyes. "I mean, some girls might like to get gangbanged."

Eyes widen, cheeks flare, and steam shoots out of the ears... of most of the girls. Some, on the other hand, seem to be considering the idea. Others start looking around the table, trying to figure out who the gang bang sluts are.

Of the more freaked-out girls, Serafall is right up there. Though I think it's because of how turned on she's getting picturing Sona being made air-tight rather than any actual objection to the concept. Her staring at her sister and drooling may have given it away.

Tsk. "Maybe I should just grow some tentacles," I say with a weary sigh. I don't know; I'm part demon; after all, perhaps I can get some ideas from La Blue Girl. "Some kind of body control and shapeshifting ability would probably be a good idea, anyway."

Serafall stares at me, her mouth agape. "Careful, Miss Leviathan. Some might take that as an invitation."

Her eyes register what I said, and her mouth snaps shut with a click.

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"Alright, does everyone have a room assignment?" I ask.

"Can't I sleep with you, Darling?"

"Not tonight, Shizuka," I say, and she pouts. "There are a lot of people I have to link up with, so I'm going solo tonight. Don't worry. There will be plenty of time to spend with each other within the Dreamscape."

That was a small white lie, I'll have Kuroka with me, but that's why I don't want anyone else in the room.

"But Sora gets to stay with you," Shizuka mumbles.

"That's because, as my grimoire, she's helping me with the magic," I reply patiently. "It's all in the name of safety."

Yeah, mine and Kuroka's safety.

A few minutes later, the girls all head towards their rooms. Serafall, with a lewd expression, follows Sona and Tsubaki into one room, with the rest of the Sitri Peerage split between two more. Aika and Claudia follow Asia into her room. The entire Gremory Peerage, minus the male members, is split between two rooms. Maria and her family are in her room, the Kurono's another.

There are enough rooms for everyone to have their own, but given the mysterious nature of the evening's schedule, some want to stay together. They'll be fine. No one will get hurt, and no real-world sexcapades this evening, either. Sigh.

"Sister! Stop that!" Sona shouts.

"Mother! That tickles!" Kurumu yells.

"Oh, don't be like that. You should be throwing yourself into my arms and telling me how much you missed me. Then we can hold each other and maybe kiss a little with a little hot girl-on-girl action," the Devil King says.

"Oh? Has my little sweetheart gotten shy?" Ageha says. "Hold her arms, Lolisa."

"Yes, mother!"

My shoulders slump. Why do I feel like I'm missing out suddenly?