As Shea's body heaved on my lap, still coming down from her loud, overwhelming orgasm, I found myself in an extremely awkward position.
My dick was rock-hard, pressing insistently against her stomach. My right hand was sticky with her juices, and her pussy was still dripping. There was no way I could simply pull her underwear and pants back up like this — they would end up soaked.
"Master… here, clean your hand."
As if she had read my thoughts, Roxanne stepped forward and handed me a cloth.
"Thank you, Roxanne," I replied with a wry smile.
I wiped my hand first, then carefully cleaned Shea's fair butt and the wetness between her thighs.
"Ahh…!"
She still let out soft, trembling moans as I did so.
Worried that she might climax again just from that, I quickly pulled her underwear and pants back into place.
"Alright, you can get up now, Shea," I said, holding her arm. "Your punishment is over."
As I helped her to her feet, I finally saw her face clearly.
Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, and her blue eyes looked hazy and unfocused.
"Th-that was amazing…" Shea murmured dreamily, leaning forward as if trying to steal a kiss.
But before she could get any closer, she was suddenly pulled back.
"Behave yourself."
Roxanne had grabbed her by the collar, dragging her away with a firm expression.
"Ehehe…" Shea laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
I shook my own head in mild disbelief. I hadn't expected her to try something like that just now.
Standing up, I became painfully aware that all the girls' gazes had shifted toward my pants.
Of course they had — there was no hiding the obvious bulge straining against the fabric.
Suppressing the embarrassment, I forced myself to walk over to Shea again.
"M-Master… I-I'm sorry," she muttered, staring at the floor, her face still burning.
"It's fine," I replied, recalling the slave merchant Branrik's earlier explanation — how rabbitkin needed proper 'care' at least once a week or their health would suffer, and how intense their natural libido was.
"Other than that one mistake near the labyrinth trap… you did really well today," I added, gently rubbing her head.
Her rabbit ears twitched at my touch.
"Thank you, Master," she said with a small grin.
Looking down at her bright, relieved smile, I couldn't help but recall the tearful face she had shown earlier.
"I suppose the rumours about rabbitkin being useless are a bit exaggerated. Shea proved herself quite useful today," I added a little louder so the other girls could hear. As I spoke, I gently caressed her blue hair and rubbed her soft pink rabbit ears.
"Hehe, that's because I'm different from those other bunnies, Master. They're really useless — and unlucky too — but not me! Even the elder in my village used to be jealous of my luck!" she said, looking up at me with a confident yet bashful smile.
In a way, discovering a labyrinth trap on her very first outing as a scout could indeed be called lucky.
"Good. Keep it up," I said, lowering my hand.
"Master, I have lots of stories that prove how lucky and different I am!" Shea continued energetically. "Like whenever I went into the forest, I always managed to find Kyopiko growing wild. One time I even—"
"Alright, Master must be getting hungry," Roxanne cut in smoothly. "You can tell him your tales later."
Judging by the way Roxanne's gaze kept drifting toward my hand, it was obvious she had grown a little jealous.
Well, according to the very rule she herself had created, she wasn't part of this party's run — which meant she didn't get a head pat.
Of course, I could have patted her anyway. But perhaps it was good for Roxanne to experience the consequences of the little customs she kept introducing into this household.
"Oh… okay," Shea said with a bashful smile.
"Yes, we shouldn't delay dinner any longer," I agreed with a nod.
At my words, Roxanne signalled to Erina, who immediately began calling other girls to help carry food into the dining room.
"I won. Master rubbed my head the longest," Shea declared proudly as she hopped over to her usual group.
"But you were punished too, so that cancels it out," Remu replied flatly.
"Hehe, Shea, you're such a scaredy-cat. You practically wet yourself when Master spanked you," Shera teased as they followed other girls out of the room.
"There is no such thing as a scaredy-cat. All cats are very brave!" Remu immediately argued.
"It's just a popular saying. You should read more books, you idiot cat," Shera shot back with a smug grin, making Remu grumble in irritation.
"I didn't wet myself…" Shea muttered shyly. "Master just made me feel… really good."
"Don't lie. We all saw it," Shera whispered conspiratorially. "You even splashed some on Master. I thought he would punish you even more for that!"
"You really are an innocent girl, aren't you," Remu said, giving Shera a look full of pity.
Shera flushed in annoyance, and the three continued bickering even as they left the room.
I couldn't help but shake my head hearing their chatter.
Then my gaze drifted to the damp spot on the side of the brand-new sofa.
…Yeah. That definitely needed to be cleaned before it left a stain.
"So even this punishment didn't go the way you intended, huh," Sherry murmured from beside me. "I'm sure the newer girls are starting to think this 'family law' is just some sort of game for Master's personal amusement."
PAT!
"Looks like you're eager to join the game too," I said with a smirk, giving her ass a sharp smack.
"EEK!" She let out an oddly squeaky yelp. "I-I need to help in the kitchen!" she blurted, hastily fleeing the room.
I couldn't help but watch the sway of her perky backside as she hurried away.
Still… her words weren't entirely wrong.
In a sense, this was a kind of game I was playing with the girls under the guise of discipline.
For most girls, such punishment would be deeply embarrassing — humiliating even.
But for someone like Shea, it had clearly turned into something pleasurable instead.
…Yeah.
I would have to think of a different kind of punishment for her next time.
Soon dinner was ready, and we all gathered around the table.
The long dining table was lined with covered pots and neatly arranged plates filled with food.
Sherry kept glancing at the bottle I had placed in front of me while Roxanne calmly served my portion first.
"Thank you, Roxanne," I said as she set the plate down in front of me. She simply smiled and gave a small nod.
I then looked around at all the girls seated at the table.
A table overflowing with food and beauty alike — under the soft glow of the oil lamps, they all looked far more tempting than the dishes themselves.
"I know today might have been difficult for some of you," I began, my gaze drifting toward Nyx, Erina, Yasaka, and Kunou. "You might even resent me for making you enter the labyrinth and fight when you weren't even sold as combat slaves."
"No, Master—"
Several voices rose at once, including Yasaka's, Kunou's, Erina's, and Nyx's.
I silenced them with a raised hand.
The problem with such a large group was that it became difficult to truly understand what each individual was thinking. If the majority spoke up first, the rest would instinctively fall in line.
It wasn't simply herd mentality — it was survival instinct.
Slave girls were just conditioned to follow their master's will.
And statistically speaking, I had far more combat-oriented girls here. Roxanne, Miria, Remu, Jasmine, Viviana… all of them were talented fighters. Naturally, the overall atmosphere of the group would lean toward battle.
That meant I had to be careful not to pressure the other girls into matching their pace.
Like I had done with Shea earlier by comparing her to Roxanne.
Even after realizing that the situation had partly been my fault, I had still gone through with her punishment. My reasoning had been to show the newer girls that disobedience would carry consequences — and even Roxanne and Sherry had agreed that disciplining Shea was the right move.
Still, I couldn't ignore the possibility that some of them might start viewing the stick as a carrot… especially after seeing how that "punishment" had ultimately played out.
"Let me finish first," I said a little louder, lowering my hand. "I want all of you to know that while I won't force you into the labyrinth against your will… I can promise you substantial rewards for doing so."
"Rewards?" Anastasia's eyes lit up instantly, and several others reacted the same way.
"Master accompanying you into the labyrinth is all the reward I will ever need," Roxanne said, placing a hand over her chest.
I gave her a wry smile.
She wasn't exaggerating. With how much she enjoyed fighting, she would probably consider spending an entire day in the labyrinth a treat.
"Even so, this reward is simply my way of showing appreciation — both as your Master and as the head of this household — to my family," I continued with a small smile. "Today, you all successfully completed the practice run. To celebrate that… we will enjoy some of this fine Slime Sake."
I gestured toward the bottle placed beside my plate.
"I knew it!" Sherry exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
"Waaah~!"
The table immediately burst into cheerful chatter.
"I've never tried Slime Sake before. Back in my village, I heard it was quite expensive and only city taverns stocked it," Lillia muttered excitedly.
"The Slime sake's taste is… alright," Erina said with her usual straight face.
"But everyone will only take a small cup," I said firmly. "I don't want any of you getting seriously drunk tonight."
I paused, then added while looking directly at Sherry, "And don't empty the whole bottle thinking it's water."
"I won't," Sherry replied, rolling her eyes.
Roxanne poured a small cup for me first, then passed the bottle around so the others could serve themselves. I still kept a watchful eye on Sherry until she finally handed it over without doing anything suspicious.
The sake itself tasted like a very mild vodka.
As I ate the delicious meal, and drank the sake, I found myself quietly entertained by everyone's reactions. For many of them, this was their first time drinking alcohol.
Some, like Kunou and Rem, clearly disliked it.
Others, like Nyx and Ram, seemed to find it pleasant enough.
Sherry, Erina, and Jasmine drank theirs as if it were nothing.
Meanwhile, Miria and Shera were so focused on the food that they barely even noticed their cups.
I simply sat back and enjoyed the scene in silence.
Watching all these beautiful girls laugh, bicker, and share a meal together felt strangely soothing.
After dinner, the girls cleared the table together. Just as we were about to head toward the baths, Roxanne stopped us by reminding me about equipment maintenance.
Knowing she was right, I gave a nod. This time she expected every girl to clean and maintain her own gear, though she would personally supervise to make sure no one made careless mistakes. After all Roxanne was always extremely strict when it came to equipment upkeep.
Thankfully, Roxanne handled my equipment herself, which meant I was spared from those duties.
Still, I wasn't exactly lazing around.
I had something far more interesting to check — my level-up rewards.
I hadn't spent that much time inside the labyrinth today, and for most of it I had been focused on observing and guiding the girls. Even with my ridiculous experience boost, I shouldn't have gained many levels from that alone.
But Shea discovering that labyrinth trap had turned into a perfect power-leveling opportunity.
Sure, the demons inside were only Level 6… but their sheer numbers, combined with my 800x EXP multiplier, more than made up for it.
_
[Job Setting
Acquired Job: Villager Level 25, Thief Level 20, Hero Level 25, Farmer Level 1, Explorer Level 37, Swordsman Level 10, Warrior Level 31, Merchant Level 20, Wizard Level 36, Herbalist Level 1, Monk Level 26, Alchemist Level 27, Sex Maniac Level 20, Knight Level 1, Bounty Hunter Level 1, Cook Level 1
Set Job: Explorer Level 37, Hero Level 25, Wizard Level 36, Swordsman Level 10, Alchemist Level 27, Monk Level 26]
_
Hero had jumped from Level 20 to Level 25.
Wizard from Level 31 to Level 36.
Explorer from Level 32 to Level 37.
Swordsman from Level 4 all the way to Level 10.
Alchemist from Level 20 to Level 27.
Monk from Level 19 to Level 26.
And Sex Maniac from Level 13 to Level 20.
…There were a lot of level-up rewards.
And I couldn't wait to open every single one of them!
***
[Gorama27 has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]