I Won't Be Someone That Holds You Back

"You let him swallow your internal core?!" Helena panicked. "Young Miss!" She bemoaned. "You...I told you to be careful, didn't I? It's still new, how could you lose control like this? What were you doing that let it run off like that?! Oh. Oh, this is bad! It's so bad!"

Upon hearing all that was said Helena went visibly pale. It was an unusual reaction from the girl. In the game she was always a cool and enigmatic character, one of the most beautiful of the heroines you boink. Seeing her so distressed was a new experience for me.

"Let me guess, she'll die if she doesn't get it back?" I asked, calmly extracting myself from Dolly's embrace.

A hasty series of nods."Very terribly!"

"And the only way for me to return it would be my death?"

"But if that happens, it'll be an all-out war between our species!" She slapped the table in frustration, causing the teacups to spill over a bit.

"However if perhaps I gain some cultivation I could probably transfer some Phoenix essence to her to sustain her vitality?"

She paused. Her soft, limpid eyes widened. "Transfer of essence...yes. Yes, that could actually work!" Hope welled up only to diminish moments later. " But, Your Grace...you will have to cultivate your own Dragon essence soon. Although Dragon's are beings whose physiques all but go against the Heavens, it's still very difficult to cultivate their essence. To take on the challenge of cultivating Phoenix essence...though you could do this thanks to her core... as a water Dragon, an element completely opposed to our inborn fire element, it would be akin to climbing a steep mountain with both feet tied. Simply inconceivably difficult! What's more, to prolong her life you'd have to stay by her side almost constantly. Otherwise, she'd grow weaker and weaker until she becomes bedridden."

"Really?!" Cory hummed with untold levels of happiness just then that made my mood sour considerably.

I mean seriously. The fuck is this shit then? I can't believe I'm being forced by plot to let this kid stick to me like this.

"I can't do that. Constantly? Come on, be reasonable." I frowned.

"But you must, Your Grace. Please." She pleaded. "I fear this must be why she hasn't been as rosy-cheeked these past few days. Shame on me for not noticing something so crucial."

"I got shit to do though. I can't be looking after a child."

"Your Grace, she's the granddaughter of my race's Emperor. I beg you to understand." The dark-haired beauty then did something I'd never seen her do for anyone before in the game. She clasped her hands and bowed her head low in submission.

"I know it's an inconvenience." She began solemly. "But look at this child. Don't think of her as my race's Princess, but as a little girl who needs you."

Dolly looked between the three of us with hesitation. "Cory will really die?" I saw a hint of fear. "No! I don't want something like that. Even if she is a traitorous bitch, she's still my friend. Day, what do we do? I still want to play with Cory lots and lots. She can't die like this...she can't!" I felt my shirt being tugged. Dolly's tearful face broke my heart.

Cory also joined in. "Hubby, please don't let me die! I-I'll be a very good girl from now on, okay? I'm not ready to go yet! I don't want to leave everyone!"

Man. Double-teamed by two crying lollies like this...it just ain't playing fair. Fucking hell. I really don't wanna take her!

Goddamn forced plot events. I know damn well this is just to boost her screentime. And I already have a whole bunch of girls who need that. I can't believe this minor character is stealing the limelight this arc. Who decided this?

I have Bubbles, Minnie, Evie, Vee, Mary. Even Becks now, who I haven't even talked to properly despite her being my apparent "soul mate" not to mention Rhea who been after my ass since all those years back. Before, even.

Oh and let's not forget Bridget, that sudden addition that came out of the left field.

I might even meet more "heroines" later on.

See, this is the problem with harems. Too many goddamn women--or even men in reverse ones--to count. It's exhausting. I will unwillingly admit that I have passively acquired a harem situation, sure. But can we PLEASE keep it to like four or five tops?

Ain't no way we can seriously give them all proper character development at the rate I'm getting new candidates.

I just want to be all Adult Novel with my two trees. Can't we make this a romance instead? I took a look real quick at my Pimp class and all the bitches under my management and sighed. I guess not.

"Alright, fine. But I'm not marrying her and she better not go needlessly offending poor cultivator girls."

"...I'm not sure I have the authority to agree to that. A sensitive matter like this has to be reported to her father and grandfather. I feel a marriage, even temporary, is the only way for them to accept this. She'll have to be around you all the time, after all. An unwed girl like her hanging around a man like Your Grace...and I've been told your libido is quite high in contrast to your kinsmen. It's worrying."

"Who told you that?"

"Your mother sent--"

"Please don't finish that."

"And actually, Miss Vera here has constantly been complaining about how insatiable you are. It almost felt like bragging though…."

I stared Vera down.

"What?" She met my eyes fearlessly. "Women talk."

I snorted coldly. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Ladies never tell'?"

"I am a maid."

She has me there.

"Tell? Tell what?" Dolly asked.

Meanwhile, Cory looked like she swallowed a lemon. "I won't get jealous." She stated stiffly.

"Jealous of what?" My ever-airheaded sister persisted. "I want to know!"

"You don't need to know that stuff!" I admonished.

"But I want to!" She huffed. Dolly gazed at me suspiciously. "Is it...is it lewd stuff?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Which is it?"

"I wonder?"

"Day, you meanie. Fine, keep your secrets."

Heh.

"By the way, how do I cultivate anyway?"

Helena raised a trim brow. "You don't know?"

"Is it like using Aura?"

"No, not at all...it's entirely different, though the ways of controlling the energies are similar at the higher levels of Aura utilization. Did your mother never show you how to cultivate?"

"She's a careless woman."

"Oh. That makes sense. Dragons don't have trouble with cultivation apart from building up their essence so at the lower stages their physical abilities alone are enough to deal with cultivators at the same level. You could even call yourselves body cultivators before you start training your essence."

"Even if I practice Aura?"

She shook her head."Aura comes from within to begin with so it will be counted as a type of bodily cultivation. These kind of cultivators are called body refiners. Cultivators who take in the worldly energies that exist outside of their bodies and is it to nourish a new kind of energy within their dantians, however, are called Ki refiners."

I have no idea why in all these cultivation stories they're using terms like Ki and dantian when those are clearly eastern-based words from Earth...like what, did isekai'd Chinese dudes go out to conquer all the known realm in those novels or something?

But whatever lets roll with it. If we nitpicked with the etymology of words like that we'd have to question why things like chairs in another world setting are called chairs the same way they are in Earth and not something else instead.

"And since I don't naturally have this Dragon essence I'm going to assume I turn worldly energy into essence? Making me a Ki refiner cultivator?"

I wonder what stage my current bodily strength makes me if we translate it to xianxia terms? There's a lot of different systems, but if we go with the traditional beginning stages...I might be at the Xiantian stage? That feels right considering my level is 99. I think most people won't easily get to that level considering how few people I've met who are as strong as me here, and I did it without even trying.

Level 100 should be a kind of transformative or definitive level that normal folk can't often reach.

"Exactly. You catch on quick."

I shrugged. "I can pick up on clues, yes."

"But you probably don't have any manuals with which to start your training, do you? Since you didn't know about this, I'm guessing you won't."

"You're right."

Helena tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You'll have to go to your mother for a method to build up your Dragon essence, but for gaining Phoenix essence I can give you the cultivation method I practice."

Cory hands darted into the hair. "No, mine! Use mine!" She jumped up and down enthusiastically.

The older of the two Phoenixes blanched. "Young Miss, your cultivation method is a prized possession practiced exclusively by the Imperial family! He's a Dragon, a race we aren't on very good terms with! Not to mention he's also of the Okeanos Royal bloodline, the supreme leaders of the entire Dragon race. You can't leak such an important--!"

But the little girl was already running off. " Paper...I need paper! Hubby, don't move, I'll be back soon and write everything down for you!"

"YOUNG MISS!" Helene screamed, chasing after her. Vera stared at her retreating back.

"I understand her pain."

I resent that but couldn't say I didn't know why she said it. Wanting to have a more private conversation but having no reason to send Dolly away I just took the girl and put my hands to her ears.

"Day?" She questioned, but I ignored it and just sat her on my lap after taking one of the empty seats. She was confused but wasn't displeased.

"Sera, are you there? Don't let Dolly see you, but if you can hear me come out."

As soon as I said that I felt a presence behind me. Vera also glanced in that direction briefly.

"What?"

"The core. Can you kick it out?"

"No, " I heard her say. "It isn't part of me. It entered me through you and is part of your body, not mine. It only exists within me because I'm connected to you and am the most convenient place for it to exist as a manifestation. But make no mistake, it can leave me if it wishes and dwell somewhere else within you. I have no control over whether it stays or goes. Your Vera was different only because you somehow entered me and planted her. She wasn't absorbed into you like the core was."

"Balls." I cussed. "Alright, that's all I wanted to know. Thanks."

"No problem." And I felt her vanish.

"Moving on, is this going to be a problem?" I asked Vera.

"You having a girl attached to your hip, you mean? It's nothing new."

Oof. That stings. Nice to know she hasn't lost her edge just because she��s with me. If anything she's more open with her abuse! I found it cute she was more talkative with me, however.

"I don't know how close we have to be or anything though. If she's going to have to be with me from now on it could get in the way of a lot of things, you know."

"It's certainly not an ideal situation but preserving her life so we don't risk a war with her family is more important than whatever feelings I might have one way or the other." She replied forcefully.

"Alright. Just wanted to make sure you understood how inconvenient it could be. What about the other thing we talked about?"

She tilted her head at me. "What other thing?"

"About me waiting for you. I told you, if you don't like the idea of me being with Sera that way, even if it's just one more time, I won't. And since I don't like you being planted in someone I won't have full control over that means you have to be taken out. Sure you may turn back into your child form, but like I said I don��t mind."

The girl was silent for a long time. Finally, she opened her mouth and every word sounded pained.

"How can I ask you to do that now? Mother told me what happened to you," She admitted quietly.

Ah yes. Life's thorned monster cock that I talked about. The sudden appearance of the Angels certainly is that.

But you don't know what they told her. Young Master, even if you succeed and kill the Angels by destroying the planet and catching them in the explosion, that's not the end. Their masters want you, too."

"Masters…?" I understood as soon as I asked.

"The Divine." Her eyes looked far away. Scared. "I don't know why they want you. Mother didn't know either. But they taunted her with it. Told her she'd never see you again, that they were the only ones who could hide you from them and that you belonged to them. If that's true then you'll be discovered by the DIvine eventually and Angels rarely lie." She gripped her dress hard, obviously fighting to control herself. "Young Master, I hate that I'm too weak to help you. So at the very least, I won't stop you from helping yourself. I won't be someone that holds you back. I don't want you to be taken away, so you have to get much, much stronger as fast as you can. I don't care what you have to do to achieve that. I just want you to be able to stay with me."

I examined her carefully. "What are you saying?"

She gave a hollow laugh. "You're part incubus, Young Master. Don't you know what the fastest way for them to become stronger is?"

Realizing what she wanted, I cursed vehemently. "You can't ask me to do that," I said through gritted teeth.

She acted like she didn't hear me. "Make Sera yours, find more treasures for her to bind to you, and take as many women as you can. That'd be ideal."