Chapter 85 - Three Is Company

---Several Days Later---

After enjoying a filling breakfast with my family, I went down to the smithy with Shigure to begin working. Today we were scheduled to upgrade the Order of the Rose Knight's equipment, and Shigure was going to assist me with the work. Having offered to help me out, she decided to take everyone but Piña, Bozes, and Hamilton. This worked for me since I had a feeling today was going to be a good day, something the others seemed to agree with.

"You sure you are okay with this?", I asked her.

"Of course, I enjoy working with metal.", she replied.

Thanking her for her assistance, I saw Tōchūmaru sitting on her shoulder with a small cup of tea in paw. Apparently he was going to make sure she didn't over do it on the designs, or maybe even just be there for moral support. The knights didn't mind though as they thought he was cute. In fact, I had been told they had been offering snacks recently too.

'Hold up...is he doing this for attention!?', I thought, 'That cheeky bastard!'

Putting that thought aside for now Piña, Bozes, and Hamilton were waiting for me in my half of the smithy. Looking at me with excitement, they asked me who was getting their equipment first. Saying that since Shigure was taking care of their comrades, I thought I could knock them out together. Hearing laughter coming from the other knights, the three of them blushed.

'Wow...these knights must either be sexually frustrated or perverts to twist things around all the time.', I thought.

Taking them inside the room my forge was in, I started giving them instructions.

"Alright you three, strip down to what you usually wear under your armor.", I told them.

"Uh...is there a more private place you can have us do that..?", Bozes asked me, "It's kind of embarrassing that you are just asking us to strip here. There is a more appropriate place for that..."

"What do you mean? You do wear padding under your armor right?", I questioned, "It shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Padding?", Hamilton replied.

"Yeah, the stuff you wear between your armor and skin.", I stated.

"Is that what you do in this world?", Piña asked me.

Asking for a single piece of their armor, I looked inside and found out that they had their padding riveted into the armor itself. Looking up at them I asked how the hell they didn't get itchy. Admitting that they did, they just did their best to ignore it.

"Screw that, this is a terrible design.", I told them, "We are doing something different. Go change into something you'd be comfortable wearing under your armor."

Doing as I said they came back a few minutes later. Telling me that they were in training clothes now, I told them I would need to measure them. Nodding their heads they gave me the go ahead to measure them. As I was getting measurements, I could smell their perfume quite well which smelled of lilac and roses. Hearing their hearts beat rapidly at my touch, I found their actions to be very cute. Running my hands gently over their bodies as I was taking measurements, I could tell they were getting a bit aroused by my touch.

Once I had their measurements jotted down, I playfully brushed against their butts. Hearing Bozes almost squeal, Piña and Hamilton turned five shades of red. Giving them a wink, the three of them quickly hid their faces away. Heading over to the drawing table, I began sketching their armor out. Following me over to take a peek, they asked what sort of armor I would make them.

"I am thinking scaled armor makes since. It's light, and is much easier to move around in.", I stated feeling them press their chests against my back.

"What sort of armor is that?", Hamilton asked.

"You know how Dragons have scales all over their body for protection? The armor I will make does the same thing.", I told her by pointing to the small scales on the armor.

"Oh!!", they said, "Is that a common set in this world?"

"In the past yes, the concept is skill being used in our world today as well.", I replied, "While you use only metal, our world used the idea with ceramic tiles to provide protection against bullets."

Completely my designs for each of their armored suits, the three of them were very happy with the appearance. What pleased them most was the Rose design I planned to add over their chests. Giving me their seal of approval, I pulled the metals I intended to use out of storage and put them in the forge. As I started to heat up the metals, Piña noticed that I was using mythical metals for their armors. Knowing how expensive the metals were, she started to get worried.

"Hamilton...those metals...", Piña whispered.

"I was about to point that out...", Hamilton replied in a low voice, "What he put in so far is more than what the Empire could afford to pay for! Even if we took all the gold in the empire we still wouldn't have half the value of the ore. It's why the Royal Guards only have a small amount in their weapons."

"Princess Piña, are we sure we can accept such a gift?", Bozes questioned, "He is basically giving us armor that could pay for a very comfortable lifestyle for ten generations."

Feeling too uncomfortable with accepting such a fine gift, Piña decided to question Victor.

"Victor...using normal metals would be more than enough. We are asking you to do this without payment after all.", Piña stated, "Such expensive metals are wasted on us..."

Looking back at them, I sighed and shook my head. Since the others were in a different room, I didn't need to worry about someone overhearing us. Turning around to face them properly I stood up to speak.

"Are we going to continue this game?", I chuckled with a playful smile.

"Game?", Piña asked.

"You have been following me on my patrols, standing outside my home before sunrise, and have obviously been keeping tabs on my movements to stick around me.", I pointed out, "Thanks to a few passing comments from all of you, I'd say you find me attractive. I'd also say you might be waiting on me to make a move?"

"I...I mean...", Piña said nervously, "...are you saying you like us? We don't have anything to offer like your other lovers."

"Piña, you don't need to compare yourselves to everyone else. There is always going to be someone stronger, smart, and better looking than you out there. The thing is, there will only ever be one of you. You are unique in your own right with your quirks and attributes, no matter where I go there won't be another person like you, Bozes, or Hamilton.", I told her, "I find the three of you to be very attractive, and while you do wear your emotions on your sleeves I find that attractive."

"You...you mean you don't mind that we are failures?", Piña choked up.

"Failures?", I questioned.

"We weren't able to do anything to save our people. Here we are pleading for your help because we can't do it ourselves. I...I am a failure of a Princess, I couldn't lead our troops to any victories!!.", Piña cried, "I made so many terrible decisions that led to the deaths of so many of my troops and citizens."

Pulling her into a hug, I held her tightly as she cried her frustration out. Beating herself up for not being able to do anything to save her world, she felt terrible that she had to come to me for help as an outsider.

"We all make mistakes Piña, what's important is that we learn from them and try to prevent them from happening again.", I stated, "You are still very young, and have a lot to learn. Holding yourself accountable for something you had no training on is ridiculous. You did the best you could given what you had."

"He's right Princess Piña, no one could have planned for what happened. Never in our world's history have we faced such power. We did the best we could.", Hamilton told her.

"Don't beat yourself up Princess Piña.", Bozes hugging her from behind, "We will pull through this."

Telling her that she did more than her brother or father would have, I said she should be proud she kept the fight going so long. People may have died, but no one can fault her for doing the best she could. No one plans for an interdimensional invasion...usually...so she shouldn't beat herself up for it. Giving me a smile, she hid her face in my chest.

Motioning for Hamilton to come over, she ran over and joined in the hugging but Bozes went right for first base. Giving me a rather aggressive kiss, it was clear she had never kissed anyone before on the lips. As she had no idea what she was doing, she almost bashed our teeth together. Taking control of the situation though, I got her to calm down and move at a more reasonable pace. Probing her mouth a bit with my tongue, she let out a soft moan in response. When we were done, she pulled back and looked at me like a tiger staring at its prey.

'Holy shit!! Where did that come from!?', I thought, "You are a good kisser."

"Thank you...", she said as steam poured out of her head, "Men like that sort of thing, right?"

"Yes...did you read a book or something?", I inquired.

"We...may have borrowed a book from the Japanese Empress.", Piña stated as she stepped back for a moment, "I say borrowed, but more like pushed into our hands."

Handing me the book, I quickly read the cover.

'The Art of Seduction: How to Be A Sultry Noblewoman...', I thought reading the title, 'Who the fuck carries this with them!?'

"She said it would improve our chances, but some of them are just too much!!", Piña shouted hiding her face, "Like...like swallowing your...your...your thingy!!"

'Oh my...she can't even say member or pole.', I thought, 'This is going to be a lot of fun!!'

Saying they didn't need to follow this book to get my attention, the three of them looked mortified they had been so foolish. Telling them they could have approached me normally, the three of them apologized as I flipped through the book. Whomever wrote this went into great detail of positions felt the best, what sired the most children, what men liked the most, and the best way to get a man's attention. Noticing how some of the text was phrased, this book had been re-written from a much older text that probably had been passed down for generations among the Japanese Imperial family.

Deciding that I would take this up with the Empress later, it seemed she would be more trouble than I initially thought. Putting the book in storage, I returned my attention to three of them. Giving them each a kiss as a thank you for be honest about the book, Bozes looked at me with a smile after hers.

"You are much better at kissing.", Bozes laughed.

"I have had a lot of practice.", I chuckled.

Shaking my head at her with a smirk, I told them to take a seat as the metal was ready to forge. Working hard alongside me the three of them put their full attention into making the armor. Making the individual scales was more difficult that I intended them to be, but over all the effect was breathtaking. Using a wooden form as a base, I used magic to stitch the scales into armor. With many enchantments imbued into the metal, the armor took on more organic look.

The rose was still very prominate on the armor, but the armor changed colors based on what angle you looked at it and which direction the light hit it. Putting the armor on, the suits adapted to their bodies perfectly. Having them try moving around in them, the three of them were extremely surprised that the armor was so light. Doing some combat rolls and acrobatics, they were satisfied that the movement had been improved significantly. Stepping out of the room to see how it looked in the sunlight, their fellow knights looked at them dumbfounded.

"You are already done with your armors!?", Panache gasped, "Also...those suits are stunning!!"

"Oh my word, look at the intricate rose design!", Beefeater pointed out.

"Princess Piña looks absolutely amazing!!", Shandy shouted, "Bozes and Hamilton look good too."

"Wow...", Bozes sighed.

"Way to be supportive...", Hamilton laughed dryly.

Taking a break from smithing, Shigure was watching them from the edge of her room. Seeing me walk out of my room, she puffed her cheeks out at me. Asking her what was wrong she pointed at the three suits of armor.

"Show off.", Shigure remarked.

"Hey, I am sure you could pull it off without any issue too.", I replied.

"Yes, but not three suits in half a day...", Shigure said lightly hitting me, "So since you went overboard on the armor, does this mean they are moving in?"

"Yes, look what they gave me.", I said handing her a book, "They said the Japanese Empress gave it to them."

Flipping through the pages Shigure handed me the book with a slightly red face. Some of the positions listed in the book were rather...well lets say very revealing. It also went to confirm my suspicion that royals enjoyed bondage. There were a lot of positions involving cuffs, ropes, gags, whips, and...well other things. Most of this stuff I wasn't ever going to use with my lovers, but it certainly explained why the three women were so skittish with me. If they genuinely thought they'd have to do these things with me, I could see why they were so nervous.

Putting the book in storage, I let the women have a bit more time to talk before getting back to work. I had to repair Hamilton's gauntlets and Bozes sword, both of which they requested I do separately with them. Since Piña had nothing else for me to fix, she said she would move their belongings over. Rushing off before I could tell her I'd handle it later, I opted to let her do her own thing.

"Alright Hamilton, let's handle your bracers first since they will be the easiest to repair.", I told her.

"Okay!", Hamilton said walking into the room with me.

"So do you want to repair them, or reforge them into something new?", I asked.

"Well...the new armor really looks good so I guess reforging makes more sense.", she replied.

"Okay, lets heat them up and get to work.", I stated.

Making a mold of the bracers, I stenciled in more details to make them a bit more ornate. Once the molds were set, we melted down the bracers and recast them. Having her pour the molten metal in, I helped her regulate the flow so we didn't over fill. Giving it some time to cool, I then broke the bracers out of the mold and quenched them. After a good buffing and polishing, the bracers looked like a top class masterpiece.

"They are amazing!!", Hamilton said giving me a kiss on the cheek, "You don't know how much these mean to me..."

"Is everything okay?", I questioned.

"No...getting to hold these repaired bracers...", Hamilton choked up, "Victor, you are sure you can fight that man? I...I don't want to lose more people I care about."

"Of course I can.", I assured her.

"Brute strength won't be enough to kill him. Even all the Apostles together weren't enough to harm him. He shrugged them off, and-"

Sealing her lips with a kiss, I could feel her body shaking with fear. Apparently the thought of having to fight him again truly scared her, and I couldn't really blame her. Most people people couldn't go toe to toe with Davoth, but I could. Individuals like Rory and company weren't capable of even scratching him.

"Everything is going to be okay.", I told her calmly, "We will get through this, brighter days are on the horizon."

Thanking me for reforging the bracers, Hamilton left to help Piña. Coming in and shutting the door behind her, Bozes gave me a smile as I pulled out her sword from storage. Placing the parts in the forge to heat up, Bozes took a seat on my lap as we waited for the sword to reach temperature.

"Someone is quite bold.", I teased.

"Is...is that bad?", she questioned.

"Of course not.", I replied kissing her neck, "I like you just the way you are."

"Thank you for consoling Piña. All of us have tried to get her to see that it wasn't her fault, but she is too intrenched in living up to the legacy her forefathers had.", Bozes admitted, "She always wanted to hear her father's word of praise, but it never came. He never once saw the Order as anything more than a toy to display in front of the pigish noblemen."

"You really hate the nobles that much?", I asked checking on her blade.

Explaining to me that many noblemen were snobs on her world, she shivered in my lap just remembering some of the disgusting men that tried to court her. Most of the men that came to her were twice her age, and if not for Princess Piña she may have been married to one by now.

"I don't mind dying in battle for the Empire, but...I want my body to be shared with someone I chose. Noblewomen have very little say in who they marry, especially if their family wants to build relations with others.", Bozes said, "My father on several occasions ordered me to use my body to persuade other noblemen to his cause. Mother had done it a few times before I came of age, and...I saw how badly they beat her for their own pleasure. Father didn't like it, but that was what he had to do it in order to maintain his power. I...I just wish that he would have cared for us more than his position."

Assuring her that I would never ask that of anyone, she gave me a smile and nodded her head. Changing topics on me, she asked if the sword was ready to forge. Confirming that it was, we took turns hammering the sword back together. Placing the ruins I wanted on it, I was surprised that the sword went from a Normal Steel Sword to a Heroic Sword.

'What the fuck...I didn't use any runes to make it Heroic...', I thought.

"It's because her grandfather was, and he helped initially forge it. Since you helped reforge it and used runes on it, it took on the Heroic attribute that you restimulated in the blade.", Midna told me.

"Is she going to be able to use it? Bozes doesn't have the title of Hero.", I replied.

"She will, her grandfather and her made the blade together. The blade knows who is the rightful owner, and will allow her to use it.", Midna snickered.

"Wait...you are saying Heroic swords all have some sort of consciousness?", I questioned.

"Yep!", Midna answered.

Handing her the blade, as soon as she grabbed the grip the sword let of a faint blue light.