Shiomi had actually accumulated quite a bit of experience when it came to dealing with his master.
Scáthach was not the petty type, but as a woman she still appreciated his consideration.
After all, it was her beloved disciple, the one who had wandered into the Land of Shadows by chance, who had opened her heart.
For example, he must never casually bring up her age.
For example, he should often express pride in his master.
And for example… at important moments, he should listen carefully when his master spoke.
This time, however, Shiomi had been overwhelmed by the joint ambush from Skadi and Olga Marie, drowned in pleasure, and failed to hear Scáthach's final question.
As a result, he received his master's "punishment."
Of course, what began as punishment soon turned into complete chaos.
Shiomi felt like a tireless beast, charging wildly through endless softness and warmth.
The rising and falling sounds of their soft breaths surrounded him, until eventually his mind went completely blank.
...
When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying on Morgan's lap.
Her pale skin was tinged with a soft flush. Her beautiful swimsuit had already been tossed aside, and she now sat there completely naked.
The others were not much different.
Everyone looked exhausted, just like him.
"My husband worked hard," Morgan teased with a soft laugh.
"I'm fine. I paid a bit more attention this time and didn't draw any Mana from you," Shiomi said, holding her hand. "Otherwise, at the pace we had just now, something really could have gone wrong."
"So my husband did not lose all reason after all," Morgan said with a small shake of her head. "Since we have already had our fun, let me ask you something. What do you plan to do with the Authority you left with me? Right now would be the perfect time to take it back."
"I already told you. Leave it with you for now."
He raised his hand slightly and pressed his palm against the center of Morgan's chest.
"See? Retrieving the Authority like this would place a burden on your body. The best method is to transfer it while we are in the Unity God form."
"That may be true," Morgan said thoughtfully. "But if the Authority were recovered all at once, would the burden not be even greater?"
"No. The Authority residing within you also affects your spiritual foundation," Shiomi explained. "Do you remember the earlier battle? You felt that your power had grown stronger."
"Yes." Morgan nodded. "But what exactly caused that?
We only have one third of the Authority, yet the Unity God's strength already rivals the state when it was complete."
"That is because the Unity God itself works by 'gaining greater power through sacrifice,'" Shiomi said plainly.
At this moment Skadi sat up.
"Like how the great god Odin sacrificed himself to obtain the primordial Runes that symbolize wisdom?"
"You could understand it that way," Shiomi replied calmly. "Authority and divinity are the very foundation of a god. Surrendering those things in exchange for greater strength means the cost and the reward are naturally proportional."
That was why the Unity God could stand on equal footing with the Alien God.
"The act itself carries risks," Morgan said, having grasped the principle. "Even a wife you trust completely is still someone separate from yourself. Handing over everything you have carries the possibility of losing it all."
But she would never betray him. The risk existed only in theory.
"But this time it is different," Shiomi continued. "My Authority was forcibly stripped away and divided into three parts.
And because of my wife's perfect compatibility, she became the focal point for the Authority's return."
Skadi suddenly understood.
"In other words, to some extent this counts as Tenkei completely abandoning his original Authority. A sacrifice with such a high cost would naturally produce a greater return."
"I see." Morgan nodded in agreement.
Whether or not it had been voluntary, Shiomi's lack of urgency in reclaiming the Authority gave this outcome enough justification.
That was why, after becoming the Unity God again, she could display power far beyond the original complete state even with only one third of the Authority.
"This is also my own selfishness," Shiomi said. "You have seen the power of the Alien God. Even in our original state we were evenly matched. If losing my Authority can give us a greater chance of victory…
Then even giving you my divinity would be something I would accept willingly."
Morgan could not help laughing.
"Let us not go that far. Simply holding your Authority already lets me feel how tempting that power is. If even your divinity became mine, I might truly turn into a fairy god who looks down on all living beings."
"Would she?" Shiomi asked Skadi.
"In my view, Morgan is not obsessed with power," Skadi said, shaking her head. "Just like you.
You are strong because you are naturally capable of such strength, not because you twisted yourself in pursuit of power and seized things that do not belong to you."
One could even say that for both Shiomi and Morgan, power was something they could choose to abandon.
To protect the things that matter more than power.
"See? Even the Lady Goddess says so." Shiomi rolled over and slipped into Skadi's arms, wrapping his arms around her soft waist. "Sigh… I still can't quite get used to this. I hope I can return to my original form soon."
With Shiomi ending the topic, Morgan stopped dwelling on it as well.
The answer was already clear.
Since the Authority being in her possession was currently more advantageous, it was better to maintain the status quo.
"Wasn't my husband enjoying himself quite a bit just now?" Morgan said while stroking Shiomi's back. "Taking advantage of that small body to roll around on top of us and all that?"
"A pool of wine and a forest of flesh," Skadi murmured.
"Yes, yes, I'm the modern King Zhou then. So which one of you is my Daji?" Shiomi buried his face in Skadi's chest.
That single sentence made the others, who had been lying nearby resting while listening to the three of them discuss serious matters, suddenly sit up.
"Now that is quite an interesting topic," Scáthach said thoughtfully.
"Uh…" Shiomi immediately realized he had said something he should not have.
"You really are easy to scare." Morgan laughed happily as she stroked Shiomi's back. "Still, it's quite incredible. That body looks so slim and delicate, yet you have endless stamina."
Shiomi let out a relieved breath, then said proudly,
"Never underestimate human desire."
"We certainly don't underestimate it. That's exactly why we have to keep a close eye on you," Touko said with a playful smile as she grabbed Shiomi. "If you still had the energy to start some fleeting romance here in this Lostbelt, when ORT could awaken at any moment…"
"Well, that just proves my beloved disciple's charm," Scáthach said with a shrug, already used to it. "But we still need to keep an eye on him. At the very least, we should make sure he's too exhausted to go after other women."
"At least right now I really don't have any strength left," Shiomi said as he collapsed into Touko's arms. "Anyway, we're supposed to head to Chichen Itza tomorrow to meet up with everyone. Let's just enjoy this rare vacation properly and stop worrying about unnecessary things, okay?"
The moment he said that, Shiomi regretted it.
For the first time in a long while, he experienced what it meant to lose track of day and night entirely.