We went to the prison where the now-deceased goblins had kept the girls as hostages.

Their faces were anxious as they tried to see through the bars what had happened in the village, but unfortunately their field of view was very limited, leaving them with nothing to do but wait for someone to bring them news.

"You came..." the black-haired woman who had spoken to me before said, her eyes wide. "So the goblins..."

"Yeah, there’s none of them left to tell the story," I said to her. "You’re free now."

The girl who had cried in despair earlier collapsed to her knees and started crying again, but it was no longer out of sadness.

"Thank goodness," she said amid her sobs of joy.

The other girls joined her in a chorus of joyful sobs now that the door of their cage was open.

The girls who still had empty eyes, eaten away by fear and despair, seemed to receive a breath of life, and their gazes began to shine again. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Thank you so much," said the black-haired woman, hugging her friend who was crying loudly, trying to hold back her own tears. "Thank you for saving us."

One of them jumped on me, crying all over my clothes and using my shirt to wipe her runny nose.

"Thang you for savin’ us!!" she said in a voice thick with nasal congestion.

I felt awkward. Not because of the girls’ gratitude—my previous experience with the people of Ironburgh had made me more able to accept the thanks of those I had helped. What made me anxious was the proposal I was about to make.

The girls had finally calmed down, their emotions settling as the crying ceased. The black-haired woman in peasant clothes turned to me, looking at me with her brown eyes.

"What’s your name?" she asked.

My Valkyries watched her with suspicion. They probably took it as an insult that she asked for "my" name and not "our" names.

"That’s right," another girl said excitedly.

"We need to know the name of our benefactor," said another, even more eager.

I could feel two kinds of gazes in that place. The girls I was rescuing looked at me with a mix of admiration and curiosity. I wondered if it was only because I had rescued them, or if there was another kind of interest on their part.

But I had to be careful, because my Valkyries were watching me, attentive to every word that came out of my mouth. My wives seemed to be the type to clearly mark their territory, and I was inside it.

"M-My name is Richard Forster. I’m an adventurer. These are my party companions—" I said, only to be interrupted by Sarah and Alicia.

Each of them hugged one of my arms tightly.

"He is our husband," the two said in unison.

The girls who used to compete for my attention were now acting in a coordinated way to push the girls outside the harem away.

The girls seemed frozen at the news, unable to believe what they had just heard. It’s not like there weren’t men with more than one wife in this world, but monogamous couples were far more common.

"Just to make it clear," Erina said, pointing to herself and the others, "we are also his wives."

"Seriously?" one girl asked in surprise. If a man married to two was already quite uncommon, imagine their reaction upon learning that all six girls were my partners.

A little further away, I heard one of them whisper, "How can such a handsome man be married to them?"

Another whispered, "He must have a lot of stamina to share a bed with six women."

"You do know we can hear what you’re saying, right?" Justine said, making them jump in surprise.

The black-haired woman, who up to that point had been acting as the leader of the prisoners, scolded the two. "Don’t say those things. Regardless of their appearance, they are our saviors and should be treated with respect. My name is Leila. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"Despite our appearance, you say," Sarah repeated Leila’s words, trying to hide her hostility with a smile. "I’m already regretting that we stopped here to save you."

"Anyway," Leila said, trying to change the subject, "we are eternally grateful for you saving us. How could we repay such a brave deed?"

At that moment, Erina smiled like a cat about to catch a mouse.

"It’s very good that you asked us that, Miss Leila. As it happens, we need a little help from you with something. You’re from the city of Livinnia, correct?"

"That’s right," Leila replied politely.

"Perfect. That’s our destination as well, so we can not only escort you back to your city, but also receive your help. Give and take. Do you agree?" Erina asked.

I looked at her in disbelief. She hadn’t even mentioned what the girls would be helping with or how. It felt like I was watching a devil offering a pact to a clueless girl.

"Ah, yes. I don’t see why we couldn’t help you along the way," the clueless girl said. "If there is a way to help our savior, we’ll be extremely happy to do so."

"Excellent response!" Erina said with a big smile. Now that the pact had been made, the devil showed her claws. "Take this."

Erina placed the end of a rope in Leila’s hand, maintaining her smug smile. We had found that rope in the middle of the goblin village, taken a decent amount of it, tied it to the Yggdrasil log, and brought it close to where the girls were being held captive.

"W-What does this mean?" Leila said, her polite facade falling apart.

"Ah, that. We need help carrying that log to your city, so I’m counting on you," Erina said without caring how she would take the request.

Leila seemed annoyed by Erina’s request, her arms crossed at my impertinent wife, so I decided to step into the conversation.

"I would be very grateful if you helped me with this," I said, scratching the back of my head. "But if it’s too heavy for you, you don’t have to—"

Three girls stepped in front of Leila and stood a short distance from me. If it weren’t for Sarah and Alicia pulling them back, they would have run their hands over my chest as if I were some kind of celebrity and they were hysterical fans.

"If it’s a request from our savior, we’ll be very happy to help you," one of them said.

"That’s right. Nothing would make us happier."

"We’ll help you with all our pleasure. Come on, girls!" said one of the girls who had stepped forward.

Without further delay, the girls grabbed the ropes. Each one who passed by me gave me a smile and made a point of looking at me in a provocative way.

"You must be very happy about this," Sarah said when the last of the girls passed by me.

"N-No, I’m not."

"You don’t have to lie," Sarah said, still hugging my arm. "You’re handsome, so it’s natural for women to be attracted to you. But that doesn’t mean you can go leading them on, understood?"

"Understood," I replied. "They’re normal girls who don’t seem to have awakened, so they wouldn’t become Valkyries, right?"

"That’s not what I’m talking about," she said, puffing out her cheeks. "You’re a pervert, so you’d probably sleep with them if you let your guard down."

"I see," I replied, and then my gaze fixed on the girls pulling my spoils of battle.

I felt a bit guilty about Erina’s idea, seeing the effort the girls were making to carry it, so I said to them, "If it’s too heavy, you don’t have to do this."

"Don’t worry, Mr. Richard," said one of the girls, who, after only a few minutes of trying to drag the log, was already sweating.

"That’s... right..." another girl said, out of breath.

"This is nothing..." said one of them, standing with her back to the log, trying to push it forward.

"Richard," Leila said, "I can make a suggestion."

"Ah, yes. And you don’t have to be so formal with me either. You can call me Rick," I replied.

"Alright. Rick, there’s a lake nearby before we reach the city. If it’s not too much trouble, we could stop there to freshen up. The girls would certainly feel better if they could stay there for a bit after carrying the log."

"Oh! That’s a good idea, Leila. I don’t see any problem with making that stop," I replied.

I had my own ulterior motives for this. I hadn’t slept with my Valkyries last night, so I could have a little fun with them at the lake.

So we continued carrying the Yggdrasil log toward the lake Leila had pointed out to us. But I wasn’t the only one in that group with ulterior motives, intending to find a bit of intimacy in the crystal-clear waters.