Chapter 71 - Time To Man Up

I was nervous.

Since I'd arrived on this world I'd been through a lot. I'd summoned beings from fiction, something that I'd never thought would happen. I'd fought and felt pain like I'd never expected. I'd seen magic, and kor, and power the likes of which didn't exist on earth. I'd met other races and been treated not like a teenager with no prospects but a man of power.

A king.

Even with all that, I was still nervous heading to the birdcage. I'd slept with Blair, Leone, and Domino, and while not as beautiful, others on earth, so I wasn't inexperienced when it came to the opposite gender, and well it seemed like every female summon I got, had a crush on me, but the fact I was heading to a ceremony to name me sky lord, and potential have sex with over a hundred beautiful women, each of which beautiful enough to easily be on the front page of a beauty magazine, was ming boggling. It was a fantasy come true, literally.

The palace was quiet as I walked to the birdcage. The guards were still around, as they always were. There was a shift in place so that there were always guards on duty. There were a few servants, but not many. My footsteps echoed in the wide and long hallways, heralding my coming.

Every servant that saw me, bowed instead of kneeling which was a welcome surprise, though they all shot me looks of curiosity, which was unsurprising, considering that they were probably confused as to why their king was walking around, dressed in fine clothes, just before midnight.

I only nodded in return, my mind focused on the upcoming ceremony. I'd walked to the birdcage before, but I swear it felt longer than usual, which was probably due to my nerves.

Just as I was about to turn down the last bend before the last hallway to the entrance, I stopped, and took a deep breath, berating myself for being so nervous.

I'd stood in the middle of an army while it had been massacred and hadn't been nervous. I'd slept with beautiful women and hadn't acted like this. I shook my head and mentally gave myself a smack. I was acting like an idiotic anime MC. I was prepared for this. I had Zombiemans regeneration so I wouldn't get tired and I was dressed appropriately, and the talon riders were loyal and friendly. They had done much for me and it was time to repay them.

I clenched my fists. I wasn't going to go in there and act the fool and ruin this for them. I would act like the king I bloody was, with grace, and confidence. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, unclenching my fists as I did.

"A king," I said to myself. "You are a king, you are their king, and will be their sky lord."

It was time to man the fuck up.

I turned the last bend and walked down the hallway to the entrance with my head held high.

I spotted the difference between this time and the last immediately. Every time I'd come to the birdcage, there had been two riders guarding the door and this time was no different, except they were both completely covered by a large cloak. Their faces were impassive, and they didn't change when they spotted me, but I could see the truth in their eyes.

Excitement, and lust. The sheer amount of both in their eyes gave me pause, and I almost stopped walking closer for a second, but I managed to calm myself down and continue on.

I couldn't be sure, but from the way the cloaks covered them, it seemed like they didn't have their armour on, which led to a wave of images running through my mind. They could very well be naked under the cloaks, or wearing something loose, either way, it would be quite the sight to see since I'd never seen a rider in anything else besides their armor, which did suit them perfectly, but at times I preferred casual clothes. I was glad to see that this time it would be so.

When I stopped just a few feet away from them, they both bowed, being careful and clearly making sure that nothing of what was beneath their cloaks showed.

"Welcome, your majesty," They both said in unison. "If you would wait for but a minute one of us shall inform Asara that you have arrived."

I nodded, not complaining it asking any questions. It was clear that this night was important to them and I would go along with what they asked as long as it wasn't too weird.

One of the riders quickly left through the door, making sure to only open it as much as she needed to. It seemed they didn't want me to see anything until everything was ready, which was understandable. From the way Asara had talked about it, this ceremony was clearly a big deal to them.

As I waited for the rider to return, I thought about what the ceremony might entail. The sex part was clear and even if I didn't end up with all hundred, it was clear some form of sexual intercourse was going to happen, but I wondered what else. Would it be similar to a coronation, or would it be more tribal? Would it involve combat? If it did I wouldn't be surprised, although I didn't think it would.

I was keenly aware of the other rider taking sideways glances at me, and from the tugging of her lips, she was clearly fighting back a smile. I didn't try to hide my looks, and from the way, her cheeks reddened, and her eyes blazed brighter, it was clear she didn't mind.

After a few minutes, the rider finally returned, giving me a large smile. "All is ready, your majesty. My sister and I shall enter and we ask you follow after a minute."

I nodded, and took a deep breath when they left, letting it out slowly as the seconds ticked by,

You've got this, I thought, you've got unlimited stamina and endurance.

When the last second went by, I took one last deep breath and let it out as I entered into the birdcage.