Roxanne and I stepped out of the room, exchanging gentle smiles.
That short conversation had left me feeling lighter, unburdened—though it also made me realize I needed more concrete plans going forward, especially if I wanted to protect these adorable girls of mine.
Roxanne had also returned the leftover money from shopping for the girls' necessities, and mentioned that she had bought a pair of scissors as a gift for me—saying she wanted to cut my hair with them whenever I allowed her.
Roxanne was such a thoughtful girl that it melted my heart. She really was the best!
Honestly, if she hadn't been on her cycle and we didn't have a whole group of girls waiting for me downstairs, I might have shown her just how much she meant to me… for real.
Still, that little make-out session was more than enough for now.
As we descended the spiral staircase, the chatting in the hall quieted. The newer girls even lowered their heads respectfully.
"Let me show you all what I brought back from the auction," I said with a smile. "Let's go to the large dining room first." I gestured for them to follow.
Anastasia eagerly picked up the Explorer Bag from the side and joined me, the rest of the girls trailing behind.
"We really need to start buying more furniture," I told Roxanne. "The drawing room and seating room are completely empty, so everyone ends up gathering in the dining room to sit."
"Master, I don't mind sitting on the floor," Shera said with a sweet smile.
"Did you forget what Roxanne-san said earlier? Master doesn't like us sitting on the ground—he wants us sitting with him," Remu countered from beside her.
"I didn't forget," Shera pouted. "I was just saying I wouldn't mind."
I chuckled at their little back and forth.
"Should we go tomorrow, then, Master?" Roxanne asked, giving them a subtle look to keep it down.
"Tomorrow might be tight—we'll probably be busy buying more equipment and visiting the labyrinth. Maybe the day after," I said, thinking it over.
Roxanne and Sherry both nodded in understanding.
In the dining room, I took the main seat while the girls settled around me. Roxanne and Sherry claimed the spots closest to my sides.
I was thankful I had bought a twenty-seater dining table early on—back then, it had just been a precaution for when I might need it, "someday in the future". But that "someday" had come much sooner than I expected.
"Anastasia, why don't you take out the items?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, Master." She stood, placed the bag on the table, and began unloading it. First came six crystals, which she lined up neatly.
"Kobold Skill Crystals," Sherry identified immediately.
"Yep. They had a set of six on auction," I said with a nod.
[Kobold Skill Crystal]
"They will be useful when combined with the other skill crystals—we can strengthen their effects," Sherry said with a pleased look.
Anastasia's smile widened as she reached into the bag again—and this time pulled out an entire sword.
"Wha—?" Shera blurted, eyes wide.
"How did that even fit in such a small bag?" Viviana asked in disbelief.
The rest of the girls stared, equally stunned.
"She must have used some kind of magic," Jasmine murmured, raising an eyebrow at the bag.
"Is Anastasia a wizard?" Shea asked curiously.
"No, this is just Master's magic bag," Roxanne explained proudly.
"Magic…"
"…Bag?" Ram and Rem echoed one after the other.
I chuckled. "I'll explain it all to you in detail later. For now, don't overthink it."
As the conversation continued, Anastasia kept pulling more swords from the bag.
"Six swords?" Sherry said doubtfully. "Could they be…?"
"Yes. They're all Swords of Incantation Delay," Anastasia confirmed with a nod.
"Oh, this will be perfect for the whole party when we are up against a boss that uses magic," Roxanne said, grinning.
"And what about their skill slots, Master?" Sherry asked, standing to run her fingers along one of the blades.
"Only these two have an extra empty slot. The others, unfortunately, don't," I replied, pointing to the two copper swords among the six.
[Sword of Incantation Delay: One-Handed Sword]
Skills: Incantation Delay, Empty]
"They were sold in a set of six for a party, so Master decided to bid on them anyway, even though most didn't have an empty skill slot," Anastasia explained.
"They will definitely be useful on the higher floors," Sherry said as she sat back down.
I noticed most of the girls looked confused by what we were talking about. I would have to ask Sherry and Roxanne to explain it to them later.
Anastasia then pulled out six pairs of Misangas.
"Are they all Sacrificial Misangas?" Sherry asked, surprised.
"Yes. I know you have been making a few daily, but with our family growing so quickly, I thought it best to buy some early for insurance—although none of these have an extra empty skill slot," I said, glancing at Sherry.
[Sacrificial Misanga : Accessory
Skills: Sacrifice]
"I understand, Master. Safety should always come first," Sherry said with a nod, and Roxanne nodded proudly from her seat.
"They were a bit pricey, though, since they were sold for the whole party," Anastasia said with a slight pout.
I could only chuckle. In the end, my Discount skill had slashed the cost so much that it was hardly an issue.
Next, she pulled out a long, thin, double-edged blade.
"It's a rapier, like the one Miria and I use," Roxanne said.
"Yes, but this isn't just an ordinary rapier… it's a Flame Rapier," I said with a grin.
"Oh, it has a Lizard Skill Crystal embedded in it!" Sherry said, tracing the blade with fascination. "Does it still have an extra slot, Master?" she asked, glancing at me.
"It has just one more empty slot left," I replied with a sigh, lamenting how rare empty slots were—even at the auctions.
[Flame Rapier: One handed Sword
Skills: Fire, Empty]
"Then what would be more ideal to add to it… a Cyclops Crystal or a Bee Crystal?" she murmured to herself.
"We will have to check what crystals we have and decide later," I answered.
Anastasia continued pulling out equipment—this time a full set consisting of leather shoes, gloves, a jacket, and a hat.
"It's made from Dragon Leather," Sherry said immediately, running her fingers across the material of the hat.
"Is all of it made from Dragon Leather?" Roxanne asked in surprise.
"Anti-Dragon set," Viviana murmured under her breath.
"Yep, it's the Anti-Dragon Set," I confirmed with a smile, nodding to her while stealing a glance at Vesta—who was a Dragonkin herself—out of the corner of my eye. But she seemed perfectly alright, simply gazing at the equipment in fascination.
"It's said that those who hunt dragons always wear Anti-Dragon equipment," Roxanne said with a smile.
I could only look at her speechlessly. I had already feared that buying the set would put the idea of dragon-slaying into Roxanne's head. Still, I could just veto it until we were strong enough, so I shouldn't be too worried.
Honestly, I bought it simply because it sounded pretty badass to own an Anti-Dragon Suit.
"What about the empty slots?" Sherry asked, getting straight to the crucial point.
"Well, the jacket has three, the gloves and shoes each have two, and the hat has one," I replied, double-checking with my Appraisal skill.
[Dragon Leather Jacket: Equipment
Skills: Empty, Empty, Empty]
"Oh, that's very good," Sherry said, her eyes lighting up as she examined the set.
Three was the maximum number of empty slots Dragon Leather equipment could have, so it was indeed a great find.
"I have never even heard of Dragon Leather before," Lillia murmured with a wry smile.
"The general ranking of equipment materials goes something like this," Sherry explained, "Leather, Hard Leather, Iron, Steel, Dragon Leather, Damascus Steel, and Orichalcum."
"Ohhh," Shea nodded in understanding, and most of the girls had that naruhodo—"I see"—look on their faces.
Personally, I would place Dragon Leather near, or even below, Iron since it offered fewer skill slots than Steel… but that was just me nitpicking.
Next, Anastasia placed another sword on the table—a long, slender blade with a sharp point.
"Is this an estoc?" Sherry asked curiously.
"It's an Estoc of Petrification," Anastasia said with a proud smile.
"Oh! So it has been fused with a Coral Skill Crystal," Sherry muttered, then glanced at me.
"It has three more free skill slots," I said before she could even ask.
[Estoc of Petrification: One handed Sword
Skills: Petrification, Empty, Empty, Empty]
"That's excellent news," Sherry said with excitement, her gaze fixed on the weapon.
I noticed Miria sitting quietly in her chair, her eyes following each piece of equipment with curiosity. In the original story, she had been using the Estoc of Petrification—maybe I would just give it to her for use as well.
Honestly, I was quite lucky to find an Estoc of Petrification with the maximum number of slots at the auction. That alone was enough to make me happy.
Next, Anastasia pulled a pair of earrings from the bag.
"An accessory?" Sherry asked, tilting her head.
"It's the Earring of Fortitude. We got it for a nice price too," Anastasia said with a grin.
"So a Slime Crystal was used for the Physical Damage Reduction effect," Sherry said as she examined the earring.
"Oh, this would be perfect for Master's safety," Roxanne added while inspecting the other one.
"It also has two more free skill slots," I said with a wry smile. Even now, I still felt a bit awkward at the idea of wearing earrings as a man… though I had to admit, it was a very good accessory.
[Earring of Fortitude : Accessory
Skills: Physical Damage Reduction, Empty, Empty,]
"Master… I don't think I can take out the next one," Anastasia said, struggling with a helpless smile after a few futile attempts.
"Oh? Vesta, why don't you help her?" I said knowingly, a smile tugging at my lips. I already knew exactly what the next item was.
"Yes, Master." Vesta quickly stood and walked over to the other side of the table.
"This… one…" Anastasia said, holding the top of a large, gleaming object that barely peeked out of the bag.
Vesta nodded, took hold of it, and in one smooth motion pulled it free.
"Wow, it's so big!" Shera exclaimed in awe.
"It's a large shield. This is the first time I've seen one in person," Sherry said in surprise.
The massive shield completely covered Vesta's torso, even with her holding it in just one hand.
"It looks so sturdy and heavy," Remu muttered.
"It definitely is. Even the merchant said that normally only Dragonkins are known to use it," I said with a grin. "It also has two empty skill slots."
[Large Steel Shield: Shield
Skills: Empty, Empty]
Vesta turned the shield over in her hands, moving it with a wide, almost childlike smile.
"She will be able to defend Master from any demon attacks," Roxanne said, nodding in satisfaction as she touched the shield.
"We were the only bidders, so we got it quite cheap too," Anastasia added, sticking her tongue out playfully.
After a moment, Vesta set the shield down with a slightly embarrassed expression and returned to her seat.
Next, Anastasia carefully pulled out a pure-white, knee-length outfit.
"Is that… Alba?" Sherry asked curiously.
"I have seen monks and priests wear something like that," Erina said, recognizing it.
"What's Alba?" Shera tilted her head.
"Alba is made from holy silver. It's a high-tier piece of equipment that increases magic power and greatly boosts magic defense," Sherry explained. "It's generally worn by monks, priests, or wizards."
"It's rarely seen on the market too," Anastasia added with a wry smile. "There was fierce bidding for it. Since magic defense is so valuable against monsters that use spells, even people without magic-based jobs want it."
"Then it would be perfect for Master!" Roxanne said excitedly.
"Well, it still has two empty skill slots," I said, picturing myself wearing it. A slow smirk spread across my face. "It would definitely be… fun to wear it."
[Alba: Equipment
Skills: Empty, Empty]
I could already picture it—me rocking this knee-length outfit as the Father of the Church (which is this mansion), and all these girls as the sexy sisters and nuns in all black tight outfits.
It would be like some damn porn game... where all these girls showed their devotion by sucking my dick!
Honestly, starting a new religion in this isekai doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all!
***
[Razor has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]