"Makoto, can I talk to you for a bit?" David asked as he approached Makoto.
"Sure, what's up?"
David motioned for Makoto to follow him and led him to an empty part of the central square.
"I found out that the dagger you got from the Highland Orcs is called Lapis and it's a family heirloom of Toa and Rinon's. Their family lost it during a fight against Tomoe when she was still a dragon and then the orcs picked it up. Then, it happened to find its way to you," David explained.
"It's a good weapon, but I was thinking of creating a better one for you. I'm not forcing you or anything, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to part with Lapis and allow me to give you a better weapon?"
Makoto's eyes widened, "I didn't know that, I'm sorry! She won't think I stole it or anything, right?"
David just shook his head and chuckled, "Haha, no, not at all. If you just explain to her that the orcs gave it to you and that you didn't know about it ahead of time, she shouldn't be mad at all."
"I see. Then, if it's not too much trouble, would you make me a new weapon?"
"Of course! I had a few ideas for what to make you and I think you'll really like it. It'll take a bit for me to calculate everything, but when it's done, you'll never want a new weapon, I guarantee it."
Makoto smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, David. I'll go find Toa now to give it to her, then I'll probably go practice with my bow."
"Sounds good. Also, don't tell Toa that I told you about the dagger. Who knows, maybe you'll earn some brownie points from her with this, heheh~."
David laughed a bit mischievously as he patted Makoto on the shoulder.
"I don't need anything like that, come on!"
Makoto brushed off David's hand and hurriedly went off to find Toa.
'Hmm, he still seems to be against relationships. Eh, I don't blame him. Alright, I'll just let nature take its course and won't interfere anymore. If I fail that optional objective, I won't lose anything so it's fine.'
David walked over to Tomoe and Mio who looked like abandoned puppies.
"Don't look at me like that, I had to say something to Makoto. Anyway, I'm heading back out so I can head to Tsige. I'll be back when I'm sleepy, but you guys should stay here and take care of things. Use the memories Tomoe took from me and teach people stuff or something, I dunno."
Tomoe and Mio looked reluctant, but still followed David's orders.
"Understood, young master...," they said in solemn unison.
David nodded and created a Mist Gate that led to where he had just entered from right outside of Zetsuya before entering it and walking toward Tsige.
⟪ Alright, now that I'm alone, I can work on some spells. I don't want Tomoe or Mio to think I don't want them around, but I need to be alone to think of these spells. First, I need to create an adaptive weapon for Makoto. Then, I need to think of a spell that will work on the goddess to both attract her attention as well as brainwash her when I inevitably meet her. ⟫
⟪ Hmm, I should also think of a spell to brainwash that garbage hero Tomoki Iwahashi. He's nothing more than a spoiled, petulant creep who uses his power to charm and brainwash women. I'd like to see how he fares when he's the one under control, heheh. ⟫
⟪ I need a spell for the Rembrandt sisters as well since I don't feel like messing with alchemy as it would take longer than just casting a spell. I'll also need to think of power-ups I can give to Hibiki if I meet her so that she doesn't suffer as much as in the original work. Or maybe I'll just give Tomoki a power-up after he's brainwashed and bring Hibiki back to Japan. ⟫
⟪ Lots of things to do, lots of things indeed... I'd also like to tweak the 'Land of Repentance' a bit to include various biomes like harsh cold mountains, muggy poisonous swamps, an ocean that both freezes and boils... So many ideas~! ⟫
David continued entertaining himself and anyone listening with his ideas for a while before starting his spell creation.
David would spend 18 hours a day walking at a slow pace so he could focus on his spell creation and then would teleport directly to his bed and spend the next 6 hours sleeping.
Every day he woke up, he would draw his daily lottery and enjoy the income of either gold coins or strawberry milk.
This went on for seven more days before he finally saw a large stone wall in the middle of a mountain pass with a large iron gate.
⟪ Finally... Most of the spells have been completed and perfected just in time. That should be Tsige right up ahead! Since Zetsuya wasn't destroyed this time, our adventurer's information should've been transmitted already, right? ⟫
David stretched his body before walking to the side of the road and creating a Mist Gate.
⟪ I haven't seen Mio or Tomoe in a week, I miss their presence. Though, I'm sure Tomoe was still coming into my tent to record memories like she did before. Still, my arms feel empty without them holding onto me. Have I become spoiled? ⟫
David shook off his thoughts and entered the Mist Gate, arriving in his tent.
⟪ I wonder how much progress they've made in a week? ⟫
With a smile on his face, David exited his tent, excited to see what changes had been made.
However, when he looked around, his smile froze.
[David > Tomoe] 'Tomoe, where are you?'
[Tomoe > David] 'Ah, young master! I'm in the Eastern Forest, training Toa, Louisa, Ranina, and Hazal!'
'Who?'
David was confused before he remembered the name of the adventurers who were supposed to be in Toa's party in Tsige.
Louisa was the blonde elf female and her class was 'Bless Gunner'.
Ranina was the silver-haired dwarf female and her class was 'Priest Knight'.
Hazal was the orange-ish-haired human, or Hyuman, male and his class was 'Alchemist'.
Toa's class was 'Dark Thief' by the way...
[David > Tomoe] 'I have many questions, but first and foremost... What the hell happened to the village?!'
The village that previously had simple stone and clay constructions were now all replaced by neat-looking stone brick houses in a grid formation, creating multiple streets and squares.
The central square that housed the Dimensional Gate Tower was now paved with grey stone bricks in a neat pattern with simple merchant stalls stationed around the tower.
The Alke no longer looked like spider people and instead looked like humans.
Various people had all sorts of different clothing on ranging from casual clothes, adventurer's outfits, work clothes, and some Alke even had fancy formal attire.
It was no longer a simple village, but a bustling town that looked like it could transform into a city at any moment.
[Tomoe > David] 'Ah... That...'
Tomoe stayed silent as she sounded hesitant to speak up.
[David > Tomoe] 'I was gone for seven days... How in the hell did you all manage to grow to this size?! I'm not mad or anything, I'm just baffled! Did I spend more time walking than I thought or what?'
[Tomoe > David] 'No, young master, you were indeed gone for seven days, but... Well, I was looking through the Cradle Management Interface after you left and discovered the option to speed up time, so... I kind of adjusted things a little bit...'
David was speechless.
'So she sped up time and didn't even tell me? How long has it been?!'
[David > Tomoe] 'What was the time difference?'
[Tomoe > David] 'Um... One month inside is equal to one day outside...'
[David > Tomoe] '...So you're telling me you just let seven months pass by just like that? Without saying anything to me?'
[Tomoe > David] 'Wait, young master, don't get mad!'
Before, David wasn't mad and just wanted to know how she did it. Now, knowing that he was absent for seven months filled him up with an uncomfortable feeling.
He immediately spread his Sakai out and kept expanding it until he found Tomoe with Toa's group a number of kilometers away.
David didn't listen to anything else that Tomoe said and instantly teleported to her.
"Young master!" Tomoe said, but when she saw the look on David's face, she refrained from jumping on him.
David grabbed Tomoe by the arm and teleported back to his tent.
"Sit down," he commanded.
Tomoe just bowed her head and sat seiza on the floor.
David went over and sat in front of her on the bed before speaking calmly like talking to a child.
"Messing with time is not a simple thing, Tomoe. Did you tell everyone else what you were doing or do they all just think that I abandoned them for seven months?"
Tomoe didn't raise her head and just said, "I told everyone about it and said that I wanted to surprise you when you returned, young master."
"Are you sure you weren't trying to do anything improper or betray me by lowering my image in the eyes of everyone?"
David wasn't trying to have negative thoughts, but when he heard that Tomoe messed with the time, his mind immediately reverted back to his insecure self and thought the worst had happened.
That way, if the worst did indeed happen, he would at least be ready for it.
However, he severely underestimated Tomoe's loyalty.
She shot her head up and looked at David with a pained expression.
"How could you say that? Even if it were not for the contract we share, I would never betray you, young master! Why would you think I was doing anything other than supporting you?!"
David felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he saw the tears starting to form in Tomoe's eyes.
'Shit, I let my insecurities show...'
David couldn't think of anything to say and just bit his lip as he looked at Tomoe.
"Do you really not trust me, young master?"
David tried to speak up, "It's not that I don't trust you, but--"
"But what? How would you feel if you worked hard for months to surprise someone you care deeply for, only for them to come back and accuse you of betraying them?!"
"I..."
David once again couldn't think of anything to say.
[I care about you a lot, but Tomoe is right. You didn't even think to ask about her reason for doing what she did and just accused her of betraying you... You need to stop letting your past control your present actions, David. At least when it comes to these women, okay? I was watching them the whole time and they were so excited for you to come back and see what they built.]
Hearing Chaos-chan reprimanding him made David feel like a massive piece of shit.
Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to make things worse, David just stood up and pulled Tomoe off her feet before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her.
"I'm sorry, Tomoe. I let my insecurities get the best of me and thought of the worst case scenario."
David then put his hand on the back of Tomoe's head and transferred memories to her that he had blocked before they met, memories relating to all of the betrayals he experienced in his life.
"This isn't an excuse, but I just want you to know where I'm coming from. I blocked these memories before we met so you only saw some surface memories of my past life, but these are some of the more raw ones."
Tomoe took a little bit to process all of the memories that David had sent her and she finally let the tears in her eyes fall before hugging David tight.
"I understand, but don't treat me as if I were the same as those girls, okay, young master? These past months have made my affection for you grow to a level I didn't think possible before and it hurt when you assumed I was like those trashy girls."
David nodded and continued hugging Tomoe, enjoying her warmth while he reflected on his actions.
'I'm such a piece of shit. I'm just glad I didn't accuse Mio, otherwise I'm not sure how she would've reacted...'
Speak of the devil and she shall appear.
Mio sensed David's return and stopped what she was doing to rush over to his tent to see him, but when she finally got there, she saw David and Tomoe hugging each other with tears in their eyes.
Although David didn't want to admit it, yes, he cried. The guilt he felt for accusing Tomoe made him want to rip his own heart out and stomp on it for being so black.
Instead of being jealous or angry that Tomoe was getting hugged by David, she was worried about David's tears and quietly walked up to him before hugging him from behind, placing her head on his right shoulder while Tomoe's head was on his left.
After a few minutes of silence, David let go of Tomoe, though she didn't let go of him.
"Um... Should we go see the town?"
Nobody responded to him.
"Girls?"
Again, nobody responded to him.
David didn't try talking again and instead just brought himself to the bed and laid down on his side, allowing Tomoe to lay in front of him and Mio to lay behind him, both still hugging him.
⟪ I guess a nap would be fine... ⟫
...
Four hours later.
David woke up with Tomoe and Mio on his left and right sides respectively, each hugging one of his arms with their legs wrapped around his and their heads resting on his chest.
He didn't say anything and just laid there patiently, waiting for them to wake up.
⟪ From now on, I won't even think about being betrayed. Instead, I'll just put my full trust in those close to me and if a betrayal ever does happen, I'll deal with it then. Assuming the worst will just lead to weaker relationships and causing pain to those that care about me... I never want to see Tomoe cry again. Not only does it make my heart feel like it's being twisted, but it doesn't match her valiant samurai demeanor. ⟫
David pulled his arms free and gently rubbed Tomoe and Mio's heads, enjoying how warm and soft their hair is.
After another ten minutes, Tomoe started to stir.
"Fuaaaaam~..."
Tomoe yawned and looked at her position, noticing she was clinging to David.
She looked up and her beautiful ruby-red eyes were staring into David's, 10 cm apart from each other.
They got lost in each other's eyes for a moment before David pinched her chin and gently kissed her lips.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, Tomoe. It won't happen again, you have my word."
Tomoe was stunned to suddenly receive a kiss from David, but she was overjoyed.
She immediately brought her face closer and held the side of David's face before kissing him, though her kiss was a little more aggressive.
She didn't hesitate to stick her tongue in David's mouth, finally getting a taste of his saliva that she'd been fantasizing about for the past few months.
Loud sounds of kissing and slurping could be heard as Tomoe greedily tried to suck the sweet nectar out of David's mouth.
Whether it was the rough movement, the body heat being emitted, or the sounds she heard, Mio slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was late yet again.
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" She screamed.
She wanted to erupt in anger, but she felt David's hand grabbing her own, slowly caressing the top of her hand gently.
David pulled away from Tomoe's kiss and saw the blush and hazy eyes she had.
He then looked over at Mio and said, "I'm sorry, Mio. I hurt Tomoe earlier and indirectly hurt you, too. I mistakenly thought that you two had betrayed me and I just wanted to tell you that it'll never happen again."
Mio looked shocked, then hurt, then slightly sad when she heard what David said.
"I would never betray you. I already said you are my husband so naturally, I would be forever loyal to you!"
Mio wasn't that upset anymore and understanding the situation, she just puffed her cheeks out and pouted cutely.
David chuckled upon seeing her cute expression and pulled her closer to him before giving her a kiss on the lips as well.
Just as he was about to pull away and say something, Mio followed his head with hers and began kissing him just as aggressively as Tomoe had, if not even more.
The slurping and kissing sounds reverberated in the room once again as Mio straddled David.
She ran her hands all over his chest and face, wanting to feel every inch of his body while she tasted the most delicious sweet taste she has ever had in her entire life.
Before Mio could get carried away any further, Tomoe pulled her away.
"Mio, it's still daytime and we need to show the young master our progress over these months."
Mio glared at Tomoe, but she relented.
David could feel the heat radiating off of Mio and Tomoe and knew that he had been holding off for long enough.
He sat up and pulled them both in for a hug.
"I would like for you two to officially become my women. If you agree, you need to know a few things. First, I already have a woman in my home world, but she knows I'll have more and would be excited to meet the two of you. Second, you won't be the last of my women in the future as I fall in love too easily. Third, once you become my women, there's absolutely no going back for you. You will be stuck with me for eternity so you need to think it over carefully."
David pulled back and looked at them both in the eyes, "I'll give you until tonight to think about it. Even if you're sure right now, I still want you to think about it and what it means to be with one man for the rest of eternity. When you've made your decision, you can come to my bed and let me know."
He then stood up and stretched his body. "For now, let's go see all of the changes you all made. I'm excited to see what there is."
Mio and Tomoe were still in a daze as they tried to process David's words. They were ecstatic that David wanted them to become his women, but they also had to think about the fact that there would be more women and that they'd be with him for eternity.
Eternity is quite a long time after all...
David waited at the door for Mio and Tomoe.
[I'm glad you were able to overcome one of your traumas, David. Even if you hadn't, I would still support you, but I'm glad to see that you won't needlessly hurt those close to you.]
'Thank you, Chaos-chan. If it weren't for your reprimanding, I probably would've still harbored some doubt. I'm sure it'll take a few days to adjust my mentality to not worry about betrayal, but I'll do whatever I can to make sure Tomoe doesn't cry again. She's a cool samurai, not a depressed lovesick girl.'
[Indeed she is. Anyway, I think you'll like the town. It grew a lot in the time you've been gone.]
David just nodded in his head and once Tomoe and Mio were next to him holding his arms, they left the tent and prepared for the new tour.
---
(A/N: Apologies for the shorter chapter and drama, as well as the seven month timeskip in the Cradle, but progress needed to be made in the Cradle and David's trauma over betrayal needed to be resolved. With this little event, he's going to start filling in his position as the love-addicted harem protagonist we all know he can be. Though, I'll be doing my best to make sure he treats every woman fairly and that they all get their screen time. I know it'll be hard when the harem gets really big, but I'll do my best to make sure nobody gets forgotten.
As always, thanks for reading this dumpster fire.)