Diane and I returned to where the Valkyries and the rescued women were gathered. Equidna’s crocodiles were no longer there; in their place, puddles of black sludge were scattered near the lake.

"Rick, you’re back," Alicia said as she came to greet me as soon as she saw me, and then the others followed.

"What was that commotion in the forest?" Justine asked.

"Well, we had to deal with a pretty huge problem," I answered seriously.

Diane frowned, knowing I was referring to the elephant that had tried to kill us.

"A huge problem?" Sarah asked, wanting to know more.

Unfortunately, Diane cut me off. "One of the Night Apostles showed up."

"Eh?" Alicia looked surprised upon hearing such a revelation.

"What an inconvenient time for them to appear," Sarah said.

"Tell me about it," I replied. "Anyway, I think it’s best if we keep moving."

"Eh?" Leila seemed bothered; she and the other women were close enough to overhear our conversation. "I thought we were going to rest here."

"Change of plans—we have to leave. No rest until we reach the city," I said firmly. "There could still be enemies nearby."

When she withdrew, the monsters she had created with magic didn’t remain. There was a distance limit within which she could maintain them, so she really had left the area. Or she was deceiving us, lurking to catch us off guard.

There was a possibility she had deactivated her skill and was watching us, and I didn’t intend to stick around to find out—the sooner we reached the city, the better.

"I don’t want to have to carry that log again!" one of the women said.

"That’s right!" another shot back.

"We barely had time to rest," Leila said with a sad look. "I don’t think I—or any of us—can carry it any further today."

They were referring to the piece of Yggdrasil, a fragment of the tree of life that the Hobgoblin had used as a club. Since it wasn’t given to us as a gift, it was quite burdensome just to drag it along.

My Valkyries didn’t seem too thrilled about the idea of carrying my spoils of war either. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was one last way to solve our problems.

"I really didn’t want to do this. Last time, I got sent to clear a dungeon full of undead, but it looks like I have no choice," I said to myself.

"Huh? What is he talking about?" I could hear the women murmuring.

I completely ignored them and focused on telepathy. ’Brandish, would it be possible for me to talk to Freya?’

’Eh? With Freya? I need her help; otherwise, I’ll have to leave the wood here. Is that possible?’

’I’ll ask her,’ Brandish said proactively.

’Thanks.’

I didn’t hear back from Brandish for a while until she returned. The tone of her voice told me the answer would be a pain in the ass.

’Lady Freya said she can help, but she has some conditions,’ she said.

’Well, I was already expecting that. I can fulfill whatever mission she wants, but first I’d like her to do something about the log for now,’ I replied. ’I don’t have much time to carry out a mission right now when I have to take the girls back home.’

’That won’t be a problem. Lady Freya only wants you to do two things. First: you can’t have sex with your Valkyries tonight.’

’Could you repeat that? I think I heard it wrong,’ I said, stunned, thinking Brandish had said something nonsensical.

’You heard correctly. For Lady Freya to help you, you have to abstain from sex with your Valkyries tonight,’ Brandish repeated her cruel words.

Now that I stopped to think about it, ever since I did it with Sarah, there hasn’t been a single day I’ve gone without intimacy—except for the days I was in a coma.

’Brandish, wouldn’t it be possible for me to do a mission—maybe a dungeon nearby?’ I asked her.

’No,’ Brandish replied bluntly.

’But I still have to pick up some skills from Diane and Erina,’ I tried to come up with an excuse.

’Lady Freya said you’d say something like that.’

’Well then...’

’She told me to say, "It’s not my problem that you didn’t fuck them right after getting the skill. Follow the conditions or give up the wood." That’s what she said,’ Brandish added, imitating her mistress’s voice.

Of all of Freya’s requests, this was probably the cruelest. I didn’t have much choice, and I wanted to turn that piece of Yggdrasil into a weapon. It would be worth it—I just had to hold out for one night.

’Fine. What is the next condition?’ I asked, already bracing myself for her other absurd demand.

’The second condition...’ Brandish hesitated. ’Lady Freya will tell you personally. During your sleep, you will have to come to her palace.’

’Brandish, do you know what this second condition is?’ I asked; the tone of her voice wasn’t very reassuring.

’I don’t, but Lady Freya seemed very cheerful about it, so I have a bad feeling.’

Just imagining Freya smiling was enough for me to know she was plotting something.

’Fine. I’ll do it,’ I finally said.

At that moment, my system’s HUD appeared right in front of me.

[

New mission: Forced Abstinence

1 - You’re forbidden from having sex with your Valkyries (or any other woman) until dawn.

2 - You’ll be transported to Freya’s palace at night and must follow her orders.

Penalty: If you fail, your dick will be cut off.

Do you agree? Yes/No

]

’Brandish, my eyes aren’t lying to me, are they? This is a joke, right?’

I would’ve loved for my assistant to tell me I was having some kind of delusion, but unfortunately, that’s not what she did.

’L-Lady Freya said she wanted to make sure you keep your word,’ Brandish said.

’And she had to put my dick on the line? Are you kidding me?!’ I snapped.

’Hey, d-don’t get mad at me. I-I didn’t agree with that either,’ Brandish replied, a bit upset, stuttering slightly.

She was right. It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t fair to make her the target of my anger. All the blame was on Freya. It seemed like the goddess wanted to see me suffer just for her own entertainment.

But if she thought I’d back down because of this, Freya was completely wrong. I would survive this one night and come out with my manhood intact—and with a new weapon—no matter what.

My index finger hovered over the button labeled "Yes."

’Are you sure about that?’ Brandish asked, worried.

’Yes, I’m 100% serious about this,’ I thought firmly. ’I’ll accept this little challenge from Freya and come out as the winner.’

Without thinking twice, I clicked to accept the mission.

That was when the chunk of wood we had carried all the way there began to glow in front of all of us. As if it were made of fireflies, tiny lights drifted out of it until the piece of Yggdrasil completely disappeared. Freya had fulfilled her part of the deal in advance.

"Couldn’t you have done that sooner?" one of the women—Extra 2, I think—said.

I held myself back from telling that bratty girl that I had just put an extremely valuable part of my body on the line. I just sighed and let the anger go.

"You don’t have to carry the log anymore, so there’s no reason to complain. We’re moving out immediately."

"Fine," all the girls answered.

It hadn’t even been a minute, and I was already regretting it. Well, fortunately, my wives were understanding enough not to tease me—at least for tonight—so I think I’ll manage somehow.

Everyone was heading back to the road that led to the city, with one exception. Sarah was by my side, her beautiful red hair tied in a ponytail, fluttering in the wind. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on me, as if trying to see right through me.

"Something wrong, Sarah?" I asked her.

"Huh?" She seemed to only now notice that she had been staring at me. "No, it’s nothing."

Even though she said everything was fine, her gaze still showed she was uneasy.

"If something’s wrong, you can tell me," I said to her.

She shook her head in denial. "It was probably just my imagination, but you seem a little nervous since you came back from the fight."

’Of course I’m nervous! I suspect our former friend sold us out to the people who want our heads on a silver platter. Of course I’m nervous!’ I thought inwardly.

"Two fights to the death in one day is too much for me," I replied. "I just need a good rest, that’s all."

"I see," Sarah said, a smile forming on her lips. Her slender fingers touched my chest. "Maybe later, when we’re in a room, we could..."

"No way," I replied bluntly. "Today is a terrible day for that."

Words can’t describe the surprised look on Sarah’s face at my response. Surprisingly, it was more frustrating for me than for her.

’Damn you, Freya!’