"I don't know if I should laugh or something..." I slightly smirked towards Irene who told me about the twist she wasn't expecting during her meeting with Maia and Wes.

  "Don't you think this is rather serious?" My Elven beauty pouted.

  "Not really..." I settled on laughing.

  "Theon..."

  "What?" I chuckled. "Even Verka will tell you that their idea of vengeance is one of the best."

  "Theon!" Irene huffed.

  "Look. What those girls essentially decided to do was to be happy." I said to my wife, with a soft smile that left her lips agape in the middle of another protest. "They decided that their best revenge would be to have full and happy families—homes with loving husbands and smiling children. If you ask me this is the best kind of revenge you can get. Be happy."

  Irene closed her mouth and gave me a careful gaze.

  "What about you then? Would you just let go and live happily to spite Vestargo?"

  "Oh, absolutely not. As long as Vestargo lives, I won't be happy. I can have my moments of bliss but not true happiness." I grinned mischievously. "Everyone's different, Honey."

  "Right..." She rolled her eyes, gave me a smug smile, and shook her head. "What about the part where they will give birth to the mightiest warriors and most powerful mages of Arcadia? Isn't that concerning?"

  "I very much liked the part you missed." I chuckled. "The one where Maia said that they would loyally serve Arcadia."

  "Well, she said that they would serve you but I guess your interpretation is also correct... But still! Don't you think this is a little too extreme?"

  "Not really... No matter how you look at it and no matter what they claim, they just want a happy life." I shrugged once more. "What do you think, Aoi, Mia?"

  The Dragonkin and Nekomi looked up from their chess game and looked at me with unfocused gazes.

  "I don't see any problem to be honest..." Aoi slowly shook her head. "I agree with Theon that Maia's declaration might sound slightly odd or even belligerent, but in the end, she simply wants to be happy."

  "What about the fact that the freed girls married almost exclusively soldiers of Arcadia?" Irene insisted.

  "I can't say if it's their instincts or if they actually planned to marry our soldiers from the beginning. But honestly, to even join the Arcadian military as a recruit, our boys had to pass a screening so heavy and detailed that no freaks could join the military." Aoi chuckled. "Essentially, they are the best boys and husbands Arcadia has to offer."

  "True. Even if, by some miracle, a freak passed the screening procedure, they would be changed by Theon's Righteous aura which influences everything and everyone close to him. Such a person’s attitude would be changed or they would drop out of the training. And Theon's influence reaches every part of the world that is considered Arcadia. So, given time, everyone living in Arcadia changes slightly." Mia shrugged. "Simply put, any girl that wants a good husband, looking for an army guy isn't a bad idea. As for their rather belligerent boasts..."

  Mia hummed and moved her chess piece. Her expression was solemn.

  "I would call them realistic, Irene. Even if they didn't categorize it in such a way." Mia finally said with a sad voice. "War isn't something distant and unimaginable. It's always around the corner. Conflicts lie in people's nature. One day, we could be forced to fight for Arcadia ourselves. These girls understand that and when they become mothers their kids won't grow up to be terrified adults."

  Irene groaned in frustration and looked at the other side of the room where Luna and Cahrona were discussing something. "Luna? Cahrona?"

  "Sorry, Irene, but I don't sense any evil or corruption in their souls. Do I really need to say this, Saintess? You can sense it as well." Cahrona shook her head with a slight smile.

  "What do you expect me to say?" Luna scratched the top of her ear. It was apparent that she had more important problems on her head. "Those girls want to raise their children to be another generation of soldiers? Oh, no! What a damnable idea! Let's put them somewhere because that's dangerous? Irene... Please. Yes, they managed to hide their intentions from us and I get it that you took it personally but what they did isn't a conspiracy."

  "Oh no, but Luna, it is." Cahrona chuckled in amusement. "It's a conspiracy to bring more children to Arcadia!"

  Luna and Cahrona started laughing while Irene pouted.

  "I don't know if their conspiracy is dangerous and I know that they are pure and loyal to Arcadia... I'm just afraid of what might happen if they start to believe that we used them. Have you thought about that?" The Saintess cast us an accusing gaze.

  "You see, this is where we disagree." Mia sighed. "By allowing them to live as they please, without denying them their idea of revenge, we don't give them any reason to detest us."

  "Exactly!" Cahrona agreed. "When I was freed from the corruption of the Enemies, I wanted vengeance so much. I even had moments where I believed that I could manipulate Theon into destroying the Demon Lord immediately. But what was the reason for the rush? He wanted to do it anyway. So what would be the point if I couldn't help him to find the enemy I wanted to pay for their actions so badly? So instead, I dedicated my life to supporting him. Well... That was a decision that probably made me who I am today. I believe the same is true for the girls we saved. They know first-hand the cruelty and power of Vestargo. So they are trying to support Arcadia in any way they can think of."

  "Well... We know what you have planned, Cahrona." Irene sighed. "But we also figured out that you fell for Theon the same way all of us did. Well... Maybe not Freya or Tia because they were obsessed from the beginning..."

  "If you think that I will try to defend my crazy sister, you are wasting your time, Irene." Mia laughed. "Even I had no idea what she had planned."

  "Focus, Girls!" I chuckled. "I believe that Irene's concerns do have some basis so I guess we should monitor the freed girls for a while. Would that make you less worried?"

  "Yes. Thank you." Irene exhaled loudly. "Where are Amber and Tia when I need them?"

  "Lavender asked them to help her in the Garden." I shrugged.

  "Amber and Tia?" Irene blinked in confusion. "They are the last people that come to mind when it comes to helping with gardening..."

  "Ha, ha. Very funny." Amber said dryly as she appeared with Tia and Lavender.

  "I asked them for help with Yggdrasil." The Dryad took off her pristine white fur coat that amazingly highlighted her olive skin. "There is something strange going on with its branches and I felt that I needed Amber and Tia’s help."

  "You figured out what's going on, my Sunshine?" I asked as she approached me, slowly removing her clothing layers until she was wearing only a long, soft, green sweater. She sat on my lap and put her legs over the armrest of my chair.

  "Kinda..." She grimaced. "Remember when I told you that Yggdrasil was trying to grow through the various dimensions?"

  "Yes..." I nodded and rubbed her bare legs and looked at her with shock. "Girl, why are you so cold?!"

  "So you could warm me up, my Boy." She winked playfully and kissed me. Once she stopped, she giggled and clung to me tighter. "Anyway... If Amber is right, and I just know that she is right, the flow of mana suggests that Yggdrasil is pulling away the ambient mana to do something in those other dimensions."

  "Wait, wait, wait! If Yggdrasil is using ambient mana, and you previously told me that Yggdrasil's roots are connected with the Dragon's Gates, that means your tree is syphoning away our world's mana!"

  "You think that I wasn't worried?! That's why I asked Amber for help." Lavender shivered.

  "I have no clue what the tree is doing but it is also bringing mana from somewhere else. But it's a strange mana... Very turbulent and violent." Amber sighed and poured herself a cup of tea. "Overall, it's bringing more mana than it's taking away."

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Ummm... I don't understand." I admitted after a moment. "What's it doing with that strange mana?"

  "As far as I can tell, Yggdrasil uses the Dragon's Gate to refine the alien mana. Once it's purified or whatever the leyline gate is doing with it, it feeds the pulse of Nilmerthis and Yggdrasil, in turn, uses that pure mana to continue whatever it is doing."

  "That's a very complicated way to say that you don't really know but everything looks kinda OK..." I shook my head in disbelief. "But it's fine, I guess?"

  "We never said it's OK..." Tia broke the awkward silence. "But on the other hand, we have a pretty good idea what is going on with Yggdrasil. The tree is trying to bring balance to those other dimensions as it grows through them. You remember that some Voidlings were boasting about killing entire worlds? It seems like they weren't talking about planets."

  "So you are telling me that the tree I planted in our garden opened portals to the universes already conquered by the Enemies?!"

  "Well, also..." Lavender nodded with a carefree smile and shifted her body in my arms to lean even closer to me. "Remember the dead branches I prune all the time? I believe that those branches entered universes that were too damaged by the Enemies and they are dying. But the other branches, the living ones, must be reaching out to places that are still fighting."

  "Huh..." I resumed rubbing her thighs. Her winter skin felt funny: it still felt like skin to the touch but it had a noticeable texture of a very fine bark. I considered something for a moment. "So what? You believe that Yggdrasil is supplying those places still fighting with mana? Or is it actively fighting off the Enemies and their minions in those universes?"

  "That's a good question." Amber shrugged and smiled wryly. "But I haven't seen Ubril lately. And he was a kind of obnoxious guy who returned periodically, like Mondays."

  "Yeah... I think he is busy fighting Yggdrasil so his masters won't lose the dominion they are so boastful about." Tia grinned and dropped onto one of the large pillows in front of the fireplace.

  "Fair enough..." I nodded with slight conviction. "Can we use the same portals Yggdrasil uses to cross dimensions?"

  "Not now... Maybe in a distant future but, for now, I have no clue how the Tree does that." Lavender shook her head in denial and untied her winter-black hair. It was incredible how the Dryad changed with the seasons. "On the other hand, the possibility that anything could use the portals is close to zero. I'm the Guardian of Yggdrasil and, supposedly, only I can freely use its power. Still... I dispatched a company of those new Praetorians Watchers to guard the tree."

  "Very well." I smiled with approval. "I..."

  I was interrupted by the violently opened doors through which entered a very unhappy Tommy. Our son marched through our sitting room with a solemn expression and dropped powerlessly on the large bean-bag pillow-like sofa that my wives preferred. Face down. With a sad groan that was exceptionally loud despite being muffled by the soft material, Tommy lay on the pillow, not moving, seemingly waiting for one of us to inquire. I looked at Lavender who reached behind my neck and lifted herself using me as a convenient support. My other wives discreetly started fixing their clothes but, fortunately, they were still decently covered.

  "What happened, Tommy?" Lavender gracefully moved to our son and gently patted his black hair.

  "It's nothing, Mom..." He mumbled into the pillow.

  "You are doing a very poor job for someone fine, you know?" I turned my chair to face him and rested my head on my hands as I leaned forward. "You can share with us what's wrong, Son."

  He took a deep breath and his cat-like ears flopped in defeat.

  "When will I get a class, Dad?" He asked with a sad voice.

  There it was... A question I had no answer for. He looked at me with his eyes full of sorrow.

  "When I first arrived in Nilmerthis I didn't have a class as well, Tommy." I decided to say something. Maybe telling him that would help him feel better?

  "Really, Dad?!" His tail wagged in excitement. "Then how did you get your class?!"

  "Really." I patted him with a smile. "It wasn't until I met with your mum, Luna, that I obtained my first class."

  "So do you think that I will obtain a class one day as well?" He said with an uncertain smile but I noted that he started thinking about something.

  "I believe that you will, my Son." I kneeled near him and patted his head. "But what happened that brought this up again? Something at the University?"

  Tommy lowered his gaze while Lavender lifted him on her crossed legs and hugged him.

  "You know that you can always tell us everything." She said softly while the rest of my wives gathered around.

  "I..." He cringed slightly but took a deep breath and started talking while staring at the floor. "Some kids from the practical training class said it's unfair for my party to use Scions as my summons. They even tried to talk Fiona and Diana into joining their parties... Well... Anya left our party but Fiona and Diana said that she also stopped talking with them, and it's strange..."

  "Amber?" I looked at my Half-Elf wife whose red hair wasn't the only thing glowing.

  "I just demanded reports and I can't believe my eyes." She stammered, took a deep breath, and smiled brightly at our son. "Don't worry. We will ta-"

  "No, Mom!" He protested loudly as his head swiftly jerked up. "I must deal with it myself! Otherwise, everyone will say that you are favoring me!"

  "Of course we are." I laughed and ruffled the hair on his head. "You are our Son! This is my Empire and if someone thinks they can play stupid games with my Son-"

  "Dad..." He interrupted me with a huff. "Please tell me, Mom."

  "It looks like some kids were jealous of Fiona, Diana, and Anya. While no one could attack Fiona or Diana, or especially you, they bullied Anya. The teachers tried to curb them, but that's not easy."

  "They bullied Anya?" He tilted his head and scrunched his face. "Why would someone do something so awful?"

  "Well..." Irene sat near Lavender and fixed his ruffled hair. "Mostly because they were jealous of her. After all, she was close to you."

  "I... I didn't know she was bullied... I must apologise to her... She must be sad." Tommy wiped his tears.

  "But there is another reason. They are kids like you, Tommy, and sometimes kids do such things." Irene said with a comforting smile.

  "Just remember that you can't hurt them... Too much." I said with a smile.

  "Theon!" A slightly disapproving choir of my wives' voices made me and Tommy laugh.

  "What? He must learn how to deal with bullies..."

  ???

  Fiona sighed nervously as she fixed her school uniform. She wasn't sure why everything went wrong but poor Anya was barely showing up. Even though she quit their party, she was still having a tough time. The worst part was that neither Fiona nor Diana knew how to help her without using their parents' authority. Though, even worse, part of this was Thomas’ mood. The Crown Prince was extremely smart but also clueless in many social situations. For the moment, she wondered if she should explain to him what was going on but she wasn't sure how to even start. Fiona fixed her hair and took a last glance at her room in the University dormitory. When her parents were away from Avalon, she preferred to stay at the dormitory because she was slightly nervous to stay alone in their mansion. She opened the door and, suddenly, her passive defensive skills activated. She ducked down as her barriers activated and covered her head while she exchanged her uniform for armour. Then she heard a splash of water and the muffled cursing of some boy.

  "Are you all right, Fiona?" Tom's voice barely hid his anger.

  "I... Yes, Tom. Thank you..." She straightened and looked around.

  Tom was standing with Diana and he was all wet. However, a few steps away, sprawled on the floor with a metal bucket flattened over his ass, was a guy who was among the bullies.

  "I'm glad you are fine!" Tom smiled warmly and she blushed.

  "Tom! You are all drenched!" She looked at him with horror and then looked at the boy furiously rubbing his back. "Are you stupid?! You attacked the Imperial Prince!"

  "Don't worry about it, Fiona! We are even. Although... He won't be using that bucket anymore..." Tom grinned widely and flipped his fingers.

  "My Lord... BY THE HEAVENS!!" Quentin appeared in his Human form and started panicking upon seeing how Thomas looked.

  The Kelpie Scion extended his hands and pulled away all the water from Tommy's clothes and hair. In an instant, Tommy again had the immaculate appearance and walking perfection he usually carried.

  "From now on, I won't accept any of you being bullied," Tommy said with an angry voice as he grabbed the older boy by his ankle and dragged him towards the doors of Anya's room. "You are my precious friends, Fiona, Diana. I'm so sorry I was so oblivious and didn't protect Anya..."

  He knocked on the doors and Fiona smiled brightly. He was so handsome when he was angry... The doors to Anya's room opened and the shy girl looked at him with eyes full of tears.

  "I'm sorry Anya, I disappointed you when you needed me the most." He bowed to her, still holding the bully by his ankle, but it seemed that Anya didn't notice his encumbrance at all.

  "Your Majesty... I don't think it's a good idea for you to..." She lowered her head.

  Fiona and Diana were standing close to Tommy, uncertain what they should say, but the Prince shook his head.

  "It's certainly not something that you should be concerned about, Anya. I don't care that they call you a commoner." He shook his head and lifted the bully up. Only then did Anya gasp in shock as she saw him. "Today he attacked Fiona. I wonder when he would try to do something to Diana... Hey. I'm talking to you, commoner" as he shook the boy lightly.

  Tommy's eyes were fixed on the boy who was still rubbing his back.

  "I'm not a commoner, my Lord..." He weakly protested.

  "Oh, you see, this is where you are wrong unless you are a foreign students-"

  "I'm Arcadian! Ouch!"

  "In that case, I have some news for you since your parents didn't tell you." Thomas grinned with a very cold smile. "Only a handful of people in Arcadia have a hereditary title. One of them is Marquise Fiona Southcross. The other established houses are Blair, Ban, Sparrow, Silverfang, Terion, Nix, and three Dwarven houses led by uncles Ragnar, Bjorn, and Verni. There is also my sister's household but she still hasn't decided on its name. Everyone else who has a noble title was granted it according to their merit and those are a lifelong privilege but only for the holder. So as far as status goes, you are a commoner, Hugo."

  "What?!" All the blood from Hugo's face drained, leaving him pale despite him hanging upside down in Thomas's iron grip.

  "Oh, you didn't know? Seriously?!" Diana hunched over and her tail started wagging in amusement as Tommy laughed. "Even though my Dad is one of the most important Lord Generals of Arcadia, our title is not hereditary. How stupid could you be to bully Anya for something like that? You'd better tell everyone who thinks they are Arcadian nobles how wrong they are!"

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

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