Right after escaping Lucian's embrace, Mei rushed straight into the changing room, locked the door behind her, leaned against it, and slid down to the floor. Not only was her heart still pounding uncontrollably, and her cheeks burning with heat, looking crimson like a boiled lobster, but even the tips of her ears were bright red.
Remembering the spot on her waist where Lucian's thumb had brushed against her skin, which was still tingling with a faint electric sensation, Mei covered her face in shame.
In that moment, however, her mind was suddenly filled with images of the scene by the hot spring: Lucian's strong chest, his warm arms, his deep gaze, and that kiss that had almost happened, right there, just a breath away...
'Did he... want to kiss me just now?'
As this thought emerged in her mind, Mei's heart raced even faster, a mix of embarrassment and sweetness flooding her thoughts.
In the next moment, she removed the towel covering her body and buried her flushed face in it.
Who could have imagined that the seasoned super warrior of Izumo would be made to feel so self-conscious by a man?
Regardless, it wasn't entirely her fault, considering she had never been in a romantic relationship before.
===
At the same time, in the corridor near the changing room, the other guardians were in the middle of discussing what had just happened.
"We're done for..." Ana said, grabbing her long hair and covering her face with it. "Now the boss saw everything... I'll never get married now..."
"Yeah, so embarrassing..."
Theresa responded with her head hanging down, looking like a pitiful, small animal.
"Hmph, then I'll just marry the boss," Azta said with a pout, her face a bit flushed. "I don't like anyone else anyway."
At her words, Ana and Theresa froze, their faces turning even redder, and they stumbled over their words, unable to respond.
"Hahaha, that makes sense!" Himiko laughed heartily, as unashamed as ever. "I'm older, so I'll go first!"
"I think you two are just after the boss's body!"
Senti exclaimed with a frown, glaring at those lusting after Lucian.
"Well, the boss is strong, handsome, has a sexy body, and is gentle—he's basically the most perfect man I've ever seen."
Sakura, who was now dressed in a white kimono and in the middle of combing her hair, chimed in calmly.
"Besides, he already saw my chaste body—how can I look at other men? He must take responsibility."
At this, everyone instantly fell silent, unable to retort.
Indeed, facing such an outstanding man, who was not only their savior but also someone who had seen their most intimate sides, their feelings toward him were obvious. It would be a lie to say they weren't moved or interested in him, but it was too awkward to admit, especially with so many people around.
Mei, hearing their conversation from inside the changing room, suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
'What do they mean by that?'
'What do they mean by not looking at other men?'
'Are they all going to compete for Lucian?'
As this thought flashed through her mind, Mei instantly felt a strong sense of crisis envelop her heart—it felt as though something that belonged to her was being eyed by others, as if she were about to lose it.
Just then, Bianka, who had just returned, furrowed her brows and shifted the topic.
"We were lucky this time because the boss came just in time. But what if the curse flares up again and the boss isn't with us?"
Bianka recalled the helplessness she had felt when facing her cursed, transformed sisters, a shudder running through her.
"Now that you said it, yeah, you're right..."
Xuanyuan casually wiped her wet black hair, speaking with a slight frown.
"Nihility's curse is unpredictable, and as you all know, our Sentinels are the ones causing the problem."
"I mean, from what we understand, those damn kami came into existence because of the power of Nihility from that black sun, and the Sentinels were made from their corpses."
"Given that, it's only natural for the curses of Nihility inside our Sentinels to keep messing with us."
Hearing this, Wendy, lazily leaning against the wall, spoke up.
"True, but we can't stay with the boss every day, right?" Wendy said, her brows furrowed as she glanced at the tightly closed changing room door. "I mean, Mei's with him..."
Hearing this, Kyuusyou, already wearing her usual monocle to look cool and stylish, chimed in.
"But the boss's power is the only guarantee!" Kyuusyou said seriously, lifting her monocle slightly so that a faint flicker of light reflected off it. "For the safety of the group, personal inconvenience is nothing! I think we should move in with the boss and live with him in case the previous incident happens again! Mei will understand!"
Everyone could see that the more she spoke, the more excited she became.
"Move in, huh?" Xuanyuan said, playfully twirling her black hair, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Doesn't that mean we'd get to see the boss every day? Interesting... I'm in!"
In this way, there would be more opportunities to deepen her relationship with Lucian and gain stronger power from him. It was about legally gaining power, not stealing, so there would be no curse from him this time!
"Hmph, though I hate to admit it, Kyuusyou's right," Sirin said, crossing her arms. "I don't wanna turn into one of those ugly monsters again. My head feels light and comfortable now that my horns have vanished."
"Hahaha, you're right! Now I can sleep on my stomach without those damn horns getting in the way!" Himiko exclaimed with a big smile, rubbing her clean forehead. "Fine with me. I can move in. I got along with the boss at the hot spring, so we'll get along in other ways too."
"Don't wanna turn into oni, but can't give up Sentinels..." Senti muttered, feeling conflicted. "Whatever... guess we all have to cling to the boss."
"He saved us, so he's our savior," Sakura said softly, putting her fox mask on. "According to a story I read before, we should dedicate ourselves to him in return for his kindness."
Meanwhile, in the changing room, Mei, who held her breath and focused her hearing on the conversation outside, froze upon hearing their arbitrary decision.
'Mo-Move in together?! All of us?!' Mei thought in disbelief, completely caught off guard. 'Doesn't that mean there will be no more time alone with him like before...?'
As this thought surfaced in her mind, she quickly put on her clothes and walked out of the changing room.
"What about your official duties in the Castle?"
Feigning calm, Mei asked seriously, her face expressionless.
Everyone immediately looked at her with odd expressions, some with a hint of teasing in their eyes.
"No worries. It's a small problem," Kyuusyou said casually with a smile, patting Sirin's shoulder. "Just have Sirin take us back and forth with her spatial power."
Indeed, with Sky's space manipulation abilities, traveling long distances was no problem.
Noticing Mei's slightly tense posture, Bianka leaned close to her ear and whispered quietly so the others would not notice.
"You're not worried we'll steal Lucian's affection, are you?" Bianka whispered with a faint smile, feeling amused. "I can tell he's especially fond of you."
"I'm not... I just... I just think you should ask Lucian for his permission first..."
Mei defended herself awkwardly, her expressionless face faltering ever so slightly.
"Oh, I already messaged him. He said it's fine!" Senti raised her phone and spoke loudly. "He said the house can be expanded. We'll each have our own room!"
Now that Lucian had given his consent, Mei had nothing more to say, so she could only smile—a smile more forced than sincere.
Even though they were all like sisters, each of them now harbored ulterior motives and had become rivals.
===
On the afternoon of the next day, Lucian's hillside house was filled with a group of women—some looked like mature ladies, while others looked like little girls.
Of course, it should be noted that although Azta and Theresa looked like underage girls, they were actually already more than a hundred years old, so they were legally adults.
Unlike yesterday, however, if one looked at them carefully, one would instantly notice that all of them now appeared fully human, with no horns, no fox ears, or reptilian eyes.
Yes, aside from the seven rescued guardians who had been restored by the Godly Bandage, the other five were also ultimately treated with the Godly Bandage in order to prevent unexpected, complete oni transformations from happening again.
Naturally, this method was only temporary, because as long as they continued using Sentinels, the curses of Nihility would always gnaw at them, causing their oni transformation to progress over time.
In other words, the Godly Bandage merely reset the countdown to their complete oni transformation, not permanently.
As for the blessing of Abundance, he felt that an ordinary blessing was not sufficient, while a more powerful one could only be granted through sex, which was not possible for the time being.
For that reason, he decided to just go with the flow for now.
And so, as the eleven guardians moved into his house, they each went to choose their respective rooms, while Lucian sat in the living room, leisurely watching them bustle about.
Living with twelve beautiful women of all types—this was the kind of situation that could only be seen in certain videos before his transmigration. Now that it was happening in reality, Lucian couldn't help but feel somewhat strange.
Mei, as the original resident of the house, helped everyone with the arrangements and guided them accordingly.
"For absolute safety! To bathe in the light of our savior! We, the guardians, must stand by the boss's side! I, the true guardian, Houraiji Kyuusyou, will live next to the boss!"
In the living room, after touring all the rooms, Kyuusyou declared seriously, pushing up her monocle in an attempt to look cool.
"Hmm..." Bianka, sitting on the sofa with a straight posture, pondered seriously for a moment, then made her decision. "Well, I'll stay next to Mei's room, then..."
"I'll take a room on the first floor," Sakura said with an elegant smile, gently wiping the scabbard of her Sentinel. "It'll be convenient to protect the boss in case enemies invade."
"Mm, I want a room that gets plenty of sunlight..."
Lying afloat in the air, Wendy yawned and spoke listlessly, looking sleepy.
"Hey, Mei, is there no basement?"
Xuanyuan asked with a grin, playfully leaning toward Mei.
"Hmph, I want the second-largest room!"
Sitting elegantly with one leg crossed over the other, Sirin spoke in her usual 'tsundere' manner, turning her head away.
"Any room is fine, dammit!" Senti said impatiently, looking annoyed. "Let's hurry up and move in already! I wanna play!"
"Hahaha, I'm going to move my booze here!" Himiko said with a big smile. "Boss, tonight we're drinking until we drop!"
"I heard the courtyard here is beautiful..." Ana muttered with an excited, slightly blushing expression, then glanced at Lucian. "Boss, can I plant flowers in the courtyard?"
"I-I want to get a cat as a pet!" Theresa raised her small hand, then glanced hesitantly at Lucian. "Is that okay...?"
"Boss, can I put some rocks in my room?" Azta asked eagerly, gesturing with her hands. "I want to create a grotto-style room."
"..."
Hearing their various requests, Mei fell silent, feeling that the usually peaceful house was now very, very lively—maybe a little too lively.
Holding a tea tray, Mei stared blankly at Lucian, who agreed to every request before casually picking up the tea she had just made and leisurely taking a sip, looking graceful as always and appearing completely unfazed by the commotion.
===
Several hours later, the eleven guardians finally settled into Lucian's house, marking the beginning of a wonderful and harmonious life between one man and twelve women.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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