By the second half of the night, all four girls had been unconscious. Ethan let them sleep until dawn, when he woke Cerys up with a fresh round of "morning exercise." By the time they finally left Ravel's room, the sun was well up.
In the living room, Mio Naruse and the others were having breakfast. Ethan introduced Cerys to the group.
"Why is Miss Cerys wearing Ravel's clothes?" Maria, the succubus, asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Cerys was much curvier than Ravel, and the borrowed outfit was stretched tight across her breasts and hips, looking incredibly lewd.
"She didn't bring a change of clothes," Yuki explained quickly, saving Cerys from further embarrassment. The girls, all bound to Ethan by soul contracts, immediately understood what had happened.
After breakfast, Ethan went to assist Lihara with her magical research. Her project—a magical communication device—was nearing completion. As he walked toward the stairs, he ran into Sophia.
"Is there any news on Basara?" Sophia asked coldly, her nose wrinkling as she caught the faint, musky scent of sex clinging to Ethan.
"Soon," Ethan replied. "His father is God-tier; my people can't track him easily, but they should be back for the New Year."
Sophia flicked her crimson hair. "Fine. I'm moving out soon. Lihara is in your hands now."
"Moving out? Why?" Ethan asked, confused.
"Hah! Why stay? To be a third wheel to your constant orgies?" Sophia sneered. She had seen how quickly Cerys was "consumed" and didn't want to be next.
Ethan chuckled. "That's easy. If you don't want to be a third wheel, just join in. I'd love to have you."
Sophia's expression hardened, a hint of killing intent surfacing. "Boy, for Mio's sake, I'll take that as a joke."
She turned to walk away, her long legs striding gracefully. Ethan watched her go, noticing how her tensed posture betrayed her nervousness. He realized she was playing hard to get—the typical "warrior queen" fantasy of wanting to be conquered.
"Sophia, I wasn't joking," Ethan said, catching her by the wrist.
She looked back, a mocking smile on her lips. "Oh? So you have designs on me?"
"Of course. You're beautiful and powerful. I want you."
"I'm Mio's aunt, Lihara's sister, and you already have a harem. I won't say yes," she said coldly, yet she didn't pull her hand away.
"Then look at it this way," Ethan said, stepping closer. "Don't think of it as a relationship. Think of me as a tool—a human battery for your cultivation. You don't have to join the others; just come to me when you want to get stronger."
Sophia laughed, "So I can use you and kick you to the curb when I'm bored?"
"Exactly," Ethan smirked. He knew that once a woman like her gave in, she'd never leave.
Sophia blushed and looked away. "I... I'll think about it. Let go of my hand."
Ethan didn't let go immediately, pressing his advantage until she finally nodded and agreed to stay in the house. As she hurried away, blushing, Ethan turned to see Cerys watching them.
"Let's go, Cerys. Time to see some world-changing research."
They entered Lihara's room. Seeing the "sexy" Brave girl, Lihara—competitive as ever—immediately stripped off her own clothes. Ethan sighed happily as the two blonde bombshells began to vie for his attention. "Alright, girls, let's get to work. We've wasted enough time."