While leading the three of them up a set of stairs with one limped, rushed step at a time, Mary gres at him over her shoulder.

  “Is my job a joke to you?” she asks through clenched teeth, “Do you believe the guild is some sort of circus?”

  Sincir groans. “C’mon, it was an apology for yesterday...! And I know you’re hungry...! I wasn’t trying to embarrass you on purpose or something!”

  Mary narrows her eyes at him, and he smiles at her.

  “Ask the girls; We ate some on the way, ourselves.”

  Mary throws Eleanor and Ena a look, and the tter smiles at her awkwardly.

  “...What did you do?” she asks at st, shifting her gaze back to him, “Our Guild Master doesn’t summon adventures without a good reason.”

  Sincir blinks innocently. “Me? You know I’d never do anything without the purest of intentions.”

  Stopping once they arrive at the top of the stairs, Mary points down a corridor as she narrows her eyes at him. “Boss’ office, st door.”

  Sincir sighs, but seeing as she is still holding the small bag he gave her earlier, he doubts she is truly angry about the corn...

  “The summon is about my identity,” he expins at st, “William started poking into it, and he brought another adventurer to our date, which I didn’t know he was going to... She told me herself she was going to bring my case to the guild master, and now, here we are.”

  Mary slowly lowers her arm, her frown diminishing ever so slightly. “I see... And I suppose this identity is a well guarded secret?”

  “Well, if you join the harem, we’ll tell you all about it,” Ena interjects, causing Mary to blink.

  Coughing, Sincir gres at the half-elf over his shoulder.

  “What?” Ena asks, smiling innocently at him, “It’s true.”

  Sincir sighs. “I’m sure you still remember when I told you Ena wasn’t one of my girlfriends... Turned out she was quite the mischievous one, under those innocence, pretty eyes,” he murmurs drily while meeting Mary’s gaze once more, “So now the number of girlfriends is up to three, regrettably... In any case, since Ena already made us the favor of bringing up the subject, have you thought about what I told you during our date yet?”

  Shifting her gaze in between the three of them, Mary licks her lips. “A harem...? Are you some sort of gigolo?”

  Sincir grimaces. “I remember telling you, specifically, that I do not sell myself for money... I’ve been rather honest with you, Mary, so how about you cut the bullshit?”

  Mary bites her lower lip, raising her chin slightly. “Meaning?”

  Sincir crosses his arms, smiling at her. “You have two of my girlfriends in front of you, and from what you’ve seen so far, you know that they aren’t the type to suck up to me... They’ll answer your questions, if you’re curious about what it’s like, and they’re not nice enough to lie for my benefit.”

  Mary grimaces. “Who the fuck ever said I wanted to date you, let alone join your damn harem?”

  Eleanor snorts, earning a gre from Mary for her troubles.

  “You had it once, and now you can’t forget it... It’s written all over your body, darling,” the nephilim murmurs softly, “You want me to believe you could go on without having another taste? Back to whatever miserable existence you lived before Sincir fried that little brain...? Please.”

  Under Eleanor’s gleaming blue eyes, Mary shudders, making a face. “I... Now is not the time for this talk.”

  “Now is perfect,” Eleanor corrects, crossing her arms as she leans against the wall, “There is nobody around, and all four of us are here. That being said, Sincir has already admitted he is up for taking you, which leaves our approval, and you putting your pride aside for long enough to admit that you want what he can give you... Think you can manage?”

  Mary gres at her, but seeing as the nephilim merely raises an eyebrow in return, she eventually shakes her head.

  “Okay... Let’s say I’m interested, hypothetically speaking, in giving whatever the three of you have a try...” Mary murmurs, averting her eyes from them as she curses under her breath and her cheeks grow slightly red, “What... Would that look like?”

  “Hypothetically speaking, of course,” Eleanor says, chuckling.

  Ena shakes her head, sighing. “Ignore her, please... She might seem like a bitch, but she means well, in her own way. As for what dating Sincir would look like... Well, he is not forcing any of us to stay, and he gives us veto rights, plus the choice to see other people, ourselves... He is not perfect, but he makes sure we’re all nice to each other, and he cares about our feelings, even when we sometimes act out of line...”

  Having the attention of the three of them focused on her, Ena also blushes, her voice disappearing.

  “...He is a good enough boyfriend,” she finishes drily, gring at them and crossing her arms defensively.

  Sincir snorts. “And here was I, certain you were incapable of saying something nice about me.”

  Ena flips him, and meanwhile, Eleanor rolls her eyes, uncrossing her arms to wave her hand dismissively.

  “Forget that stupid shit; Plenty of nice guys around, and if that’s what you were looking for, you’d have settled for one of them already,” she says, pointing at finger Mary, “But you; You want somebody to crush those stupid walls you’ve built around yourself while there is still something worthwhile left inside of them... You’re what? Early thirties? I don’t know your story, and I don’t care about it, but do you really think somebody like Sincir is going to show up again before your forties, or ever, if you refuse us today?”

  Mary swallows. “I didn’t ask-”

  “Oh, it’s clear you were determined to wallow in your own misery forever,” Eleanor interrupts, waving down the staircase as she smiles and continues, “We’re not actually holding you in here, darling. Go on, walk away.”

  Mary tightens her jaw, and a tense moment of silence goes by... Then she sighs, and her shoulders drop.

  “Fucking hell...” she murmurs under her breath, gring at him as she continues, “What did you do to me, that my stupid legs won’t move to walk down these stairs?”

  Sincir smiles apologetically. “I did warn you... Don’t mind the girls too much. If you want, we can go on a couple more dates, before you make up you mind, or we could stay as fuckbuddies...”

  Eleanor snorts. “He’d love for you to stay at his beck and call without any of the responsibility of having you as one of his girls... Think you’d grow any less addicted to his cock with time?”

  “...Just so we’re clear, I didn’t actually even show her my cock,” Sincir murmurs under his breath, “Thanks to a certain someone.”

  Ena sighs, ignoring him as she continues to sustain Mary’s gaze. “Hate to say it, but Eleanor is right... You won’t grow any less jealous, or needy, from here on out, if you continue to hang out with him... And Sincir is a rare find. You might regret letting him go without having at least tried.”

  Sincir grimaces; Look at them, acting as though they don’t have a single jealous bone in their bodies... Whatever, he tried to be voice of reason.

  ...Not that is has ever helped before, now that he thinks on it.

  “Okay, look, Mary...” he says once silence has settled in, causing her to meet his gaze, “Stop acting like you’re a scared bunny, and I’m the hunter for a second. You’re a big girl, and I am...”

  “...A small guy?” Eleanor murmurs, causing Ena to chuckle.

  Sincir clenches his teeth, but forces himself to continue facing Mary’s gaze. “Point is, we’re both adults, and it’s not like I’m asking you to marry me... In fact, I wasn’t pnning on asking you anything this suddenly, if not for these two idiots, but here we are, so I guess it’s up to you if you want to join in or not... My fucking harem, that is.”

  Mary raises an eyebrow. “Adults?”

  “...He actually admitted it,” Ena whispers toward Eleanor, “The world might truly end soon.”

  Though he feels he is close from losing it with them, Sincir smiles, “In any case, you heard the terms from the girls. I won’t lock you in a basement, and I won’t force you to be exclusive, because I don’t care about that, and because I still want to have casual sex with others, myself... And I’ll take care of you. That’s it.”

  Having said his piece, Sincir crosses his arms, grimacing as he gres toward the other two.

  “...I just don’t understand,” Mary murmurs after a moment, “What you’re supposed to get out of this.”

  Eleanor snorts. “Sincir? He doesn’t get much out of officially dating you, other than responsibilities... Why do you think he is so reticent?”

  Ena nods. “He wants to fuck you, girl, and we’re the ones pushing for him to become less of a pyboy... If we don’t, only Creator knows how many new girls he is going to end up tying to his belt before the year is over.”

  So, they were doing it on purpose... Of course they were.

  At st, Mary smiles. “You really do give him a hard time... I’m curious to meet girlfriend number three. Esme, was it?”

  “She is girlfriend number one,” both Eleanor and Ena correct at once, sounding equally bitter about it.

  “...Don’t ask,” Ena adds darkly, a moment ter.

  Sincir chuckles. “Was that a yes?”

  Mary grimaces, seeming to fight some sort of internal battle, then sighs. “I suppose... I suppose I could give this a try, whatever it may be?”

  Eleanor nods, straightening herself. “In this case, now it’s time for us to decide if you have what it takes... Feel free to change your choice at any point.”

  Ena sighs. “Sorry, but I’m supposedly head harem girl, and if you’re to join the family, we need to know that we can count on you... Of course, we’ll do our best to earn your trust ourselves, so it’s a two way thing. We’re actually all pretty new to this... Bear with us, okay?”

  Still, you’d think Eleanor was born for it, by the way she slowly circles a grimacing Mary, making a show of inspecting the other woman from head to shoes.

  “...Passable,” the nephilim murmurs, stopping beside, but still slightly behind Mary, while gently pcing a finger beneath her chin in order to lead the clerk to meet her gaze, “But then again, I suppose we wouldn’t be here if a certain rude clerk didn’t have such a nice ass, now, would we?”

  “Like you’re one to speak,” Ena murmurs under her breath, having crossed her arms as she watches the exchange attentively.

  “What... What is this about?” Mary murmurs.

  Eleanor smiles. “You heard what Ena said earlier? We’re one happy little family, and being a part of it means you’ll have to pull your weight... Ever been with a girl before, Mary?” she whispers, slightly hoarsely.

  Mary blinks. “...No?”

  Mary and Eleanor have blue eyes, but Mary’s are slightly darker, and the contrast in between them is made clear with the two of them standing right next to each other...

  Eleanor says nothing else before slowly leaning forward and locking her lips against the clerk’s, whose eyes widen, then narrow slightly, as the nephilim slides a hand against her stomach... By the time Eleanor pulls away, Mary shudders slightly, her cheeks having grown heated.

  “...The fuck,” she whispers hoarsely, “Was that?”

  “A taste,” Eleanor retorts, in the same tone, “Of your reward, if you manage to pass our test. Are you going to be a good girl for me?”

  Under the nephilim’s gleaming eyes, Mary shudders again. “Never been a good girl once in my life, angeling... But I can py your game, if you tell me the rules.”

  Eleanor smiles. “I’ll make it simple... I’ll give you four tasks, and Ena will ask you four questions, and we’ll judge you, based on your performance... If you fail a task, or fail to answer a question, you’re demoted to side-girl; Equally, if you don’t meet our standards, you fail... That easy enough for you?”

  Mary narrows her eyes, smiling back cold. “Ever heard of fairness before, sweety?”

  “Sincir will be the judge... He’ll stop us if we’re making unfair judgments,” Ena adds, “And, just to be clear, we’re not your enemies, Mary... Not yet, anyway.”

  Mary seems unconvinced, but, after a moment, she nods, and Eleanor finally steps away from her, smiling with satisfaction.

  Knowing where this is going, Sincir sighs and inspects their surroundings in order to make sure no one is coming. Somehow, for some reason, they’re fucking in the guild’s corridor...

  Don’t worry, they said; We’ll behave, they said...

  He is supposed to be the sex maniac of the group, damn it.

  “I’ll start with the first question, then,” Ena says, “What is Sincir to you?”

  Mary raises an eyebrow. “I assume honesty is what you’re looking for?”

  Ena nods. “Please.”

  Mary shrugs, throwing him a gnce. “At first, I thought him an overconfident brat, eager to rush to his death... Unfortunately, he was quick to prove me wrong, at least partially, and I’ll admit I’m intrigued about his real identity... Other than that, it’s obvious he has grabbed my attention, but without knowing more about him, I can’t really say I’m ready to marry him.”

  “Fair,” Ena says, nodding, then waves her hand toward Eleanor, “Go for it, El... And for the love of everything sacred, try to take it easy for once, would you? We’re not trying to scare her away.”

  Eleanor snorts. “Speak for yourself; I’d be quite fine with having one less idiot to share my boyfriend with. If she can’t complete my tasks, then she doesn’t have what it takes to be my equal... And besides, have you already forgotten what awaits us at end of our little adventure, pipsqueak? Do you think some dead weight would make it?”

  Ena sighs, averting her gaze, and Eleanor snorts again, shifting her gaze toward Mary.

  “...And so, as you can see, nobody is coming to your rescue. Scared?”

  “I’ll do fine,” Mary retorts, shrugging as she sustains the nephilim’s gaze, “After all this talk, I’m more worried about being terribly disappointed by the real thing.”

  Eleanor smiles, and her eyes gleam savagely for a brief moment, before growing cold again. “Never mind the easy course, then; I see that you’re eager to be put to the test. Undress for me, and that will be the first part of your first test... And remember, we’re also evaluating performance, sweety.”

  Mary grimaces. “You want me to strip? Here? Do you realize my boss is a corridor away...?!”

  Eleanor rolls her eyes. “Strip, or give up on Sincir and walk down those stairs, back to that miserable rat-hole you call a house.”

  Mary tightens her jaw, gring at the nephilim, then sets down the bag of corn cobs, angrily pulling her clerk uniform over her head.

  “If I’m fired for this, Sincir, I swear...!” she whispers while trowing the dress aside.

  Sincir pauses, blinking. What?! How is any of this his fault?!

  However, seeing as Mary is already going for her panties, even as she gres at him, he groans. “Fine, if we’re caught, I’ll beg on my knees for them not to fire you or something... I’ll say everything was my fault.”

  ...Although, he has to admit, the view is damn nice. Other than her scars, Mary is a well built woman of fwless fair skin, with good-sized breasts, and a well-shaped, toned ass... Her sex, now exposed as the clerk struggles to remove her underwear from her bed leg, is still hairless from what happened during their date, and her nipples seem slightly hard, perhaps from Eleanor’s kiss...

  Apparently being unable to raise her leg, Mary has to awkwardly lower herself in order to undress completely, and her cheeks burn once she rises once more, throwing her panties on top of her dress.

  “Shoes, too,” Eleanor orders, her expression making it clear she didn’t miss the other woman’s struggle, and is taking a good amount of pleasure from it.

  As Mary tightens her jaw and crouches again, Ena stares at the clerk’s scarred leg with undisguised sympathy...

  “There,” Mary says once she has also removed her shoes, standing naked and gring at Eleanor, “Now what?”

  In spite of her bravado, Sincir can tell it took a lot of her to undress in front of the three of them; Her cheeks are still blushed, and her hands shake slightly as she favors her right leg in order to stand, with shame gleaming behind the challenge in her eyes.

  Eleanor smiles. “Creator, what a pathetic thing you are... Barely able to undress yourself without help...”

  Mary swallows. “Is talking big the only thing you’re good at?” she murmurs hoarsely, “I might be a cripple, but I don’t remember asking you to go easy on me.”

  Eleanor nods. “Indeed, and for that, you’ve earned yourself some extra points... Put those arms up for me, little clerk, and keep them that way, so I that we can all take a good look at you.”

  Mary hesitates, her eyes shifting toward him for brief moment (making it clear she is aware of her exposed body more than she wants to admit) before she obeys, crossing her arms above her head while groaning softly.

  Eleanor chuckles hoarsely over the view. “Nice boobs... I might have a problem with them, if I was the jealous type...”

  Having said as much, she gently grabs Mary’s nipple, gently pulling it as Mary blushes further and gres at her.

  The nephilim smiles. “I was thinking, that for your first task, we’ll test your ability to put your pride aside when it counts... Being able to apologize is an important virtue, after all.”

  Ena snorts, and even Sincir has to press his lips together in order to stop his ughter... The irony doesn’t escape Eleanor either, and her eyes gleam with amusement as she continues.

  “...And that’s why, for this task, I want you to thank Sincir for the corn, and apologize for always walking with a stick up that nice ass.”

  Mary’s eyes widen, and she grimaces.

  “Look into his eyes while you do it,” Eleanor adds, chuckling as she leans closer and grabs Mary’s ass cheek, squeezing it. “And make it sound honest, at least, or I’m not passing you.”

  Mary jumps slightly as Eleanor continues to feel her up, her cold blue eyes incensed once she shifts them from the nephilim to gre at him. “Fucking enjoying yourself, love?”

  “If anyone here is enjoying themselves, it’s Eleanor,” Sincir retorts, crossing his arms while sustaining her gaze, “Though I do believe I’m owned a thanks for the nice, selfless gesture of bringing you food after your day of work.”

  Ena snorts. “Selfless, he says...”

  Mary seems to consider something for a moment, then sighs. “Fine, why not...? I’m already naked, and being molested by some perverted girl nearly half my age... What’s some humiliation added on top of it?”

  “Hurry up,” Eleanor pulls away from her for long enough to say, squeezing her nipple and causing Mary to curse as she does so, though the slight blush in the clerk’s cheeks makes it clear she is not exactly immune to the nephilim’s attention, “We don’t have the whole night... Unless you’re already giving up?”

  Mary curses again... Then grimaces. “Sincir... Thank you for bringing me food...” she, at st, murmurs through clenched teeth , “And... I’m sorry for being rude.”

  Eleanor ughs. “Creator, that was the most pathetic apology I’ve ever witnessed...! You fail, obviously.”

  Once Eleanor sps her ass, hard, Mary jumps again, cursing.

  “Try again,” Eleanor orders, her tone now serious, “Last chance.”

  Seeing from the nephilim’s expression that she isn’t kidding, Mary hesitates.

  “Okay... Fine. I might’ve been... unfairly rude, in the p-past... Must you molest me while I try to do this?!” Mary snaps.

  Eleanor hums softly, having moved behind her, then presses herself against Mary while grabbing both of her breasts, squeezing them... It is clear she has no intention of stopping until Mary has completed the task, and the clerk seems to have realized the same, grimacing as she shudders, before shifting her gaze back to him.

  “I... I-it was nice of you to bring me f-food...” she admits, biting her lower lip as Eleanor slides a hand in between her thighs, “And... Look, I k-know I can b-be... Too much sometimes...! And I doubt I’m going to become n-nice all of a sudden...! But... You don’t always deserve it, so I-I’m sorry...!”

  Facing Mary’s slightly gzed, apologetic eyes as she squirms under Eleanor touch, Sincir smiles. “I think she means it, love.”

  Eleanor chuckles, pcing one st pinch against Mary’s nipple before finally stepping away as the clerk shudders again.

  “Pass,” the nephilim says, chuckling once more as she lightly sps Mary’s ass, “Go for it, pipsqueak.”

  Ena shakes her head, sighing. “Four questions, was it? Don’t worry, I’m not looking for the best way to humiliate you, like that one... I’m just trying to know you better. Sort of like a first date interview, I guess.”

  Eleanor rolls her eyes. “Of course you’re not interested in humiliating her... Why do you think I gave you the questions?”

  “C-can I lower my arms now?” Mary asks drily, panting slightly as she shifts her gaze in between the three of them with blushed cheeks.

  Eleanot ughs. “Sure.”

  “Okay then, second question,” Ena says once Mary awkwardly lowers her arms, “Let’s get this over with... I heard your fiancee died, and I’m sorry to bring this up, but how did you handle it? How... What was it like?”

  Mary blinks, and, after a moment, ughs humorlessly. “I didn’t handle it. Two weeks after his death, when those of us who survived finally managed to crawl back from that hellhole, the fact I had my leg nearly torn in half was the only thing which stopped me from going back in, because it allowed the others to hold me down... A year ter, our guild master dragged me out of the bottom of a mug, and forced me behind that cursed clerk desk... That’s the whole of the story.”

  Ena smiles sadly at her, her leaf-green eyes now gleaming with unfallen tears. “I’m sorry.”

  Mary tightens her jaw, averting her gaze. “Don’t be... It was a long time ago, and it was partially my fault.”

  “Sad,” Eleanor says, approaching Mary once more, “But now that we have that out of the way... Are you ready for your second task, dear Mary?”