The Protagonist System

109 Making Choices

Half of the people in the Guild Hall cheered and hollered congratulations for someone finally getting with the elusive magic store owner. Wiz broke the kiss and her blush was epic, so I kissed her again to distract her and she hummed happily and kissed me back. I handed over my card as Wiz and I made out and Luna let out a sad sound as she did the experience conversion and awarded me more skill points.

That was two generals of the Demon King's Army I had defeated, even if the second one was pretty much just Wiz not fighting against what happened. It was almost funny at how easy it was and the bounty would be split between the six of us. It was pretty much free money and Wiz was very happy and grateful for her share, even if she complained that she didn't deserve it.

Another 300 million Eris split 6 ways had shocked the others in my party, even though that wasn't the most money they had ever seen. It was the easiest money they had ever earned, however. They hadn't had to do anything for it and they all felt guilty about it, which made me laugh.

So, I compromised. I set the entire amount aside and said I would donate a percentage of it each week to feed the less fortunate in the town by providing several meals in front of the Guild Hall to be given out like we did a few weeks ago after the massive cabbage harvest. I'd leave it to the guild to handle it all, though.

It made the girls in my party very happy and the guild workers looked just as happy, because they would be making twice their salary for the day each time and the cooks would earn bonuses for it as well. After my card was updated, we left the Guild Hall and went to my tower. It didn't take us long to get there and Wiz, Cremea, and Fio were warmly welcomed by the succubi that lived there with me.

They chose rooms on the floor above the succubi, just like Darkness had, except they moved in officially and loved having their own space. It was more than they ever had previously, especially Cremea and Fio that had been a party with the previous hero, and the view was spectacular. They were used to living in an inn all the time and the Tower was so much better.

Having their own room that had fancier furniture and a higher level of living quality, really made them appreciate joining my party. Of course, being rich helped as well. It changed their priority from adventuring to pay the bills like rent at an inn and to afford good food, to adventuring to gain more skill points and experience to level up.

It was a novel experience for them, just like it had been for Megumin and Darkness the first time they went out to have an adventure only for the sake of having an adventure and not because they were desperate to continue living to get another chance to eat or to enjoy the thrill of battle.

Wiz on the other hand, was absolutely delighted to have a real bed to sleep in and room for her clothes to be stored. That also gave me an excuse to teleport the two of us over to her old business to pack up her things. She looked a little sad about that, until I told her my plans to make the store twice as big and to give her a lot more things to sell. She would be making a lot of people happy when my business opened.

That earned me another kiss and she gave me a longing look before she blushed. “Kazuma... I... well... you need to know that I... I won't be falling into bed with you on the first night after falling for you.”

I held in my chuckle at that and whispered back. “I'm not going to rush you, Wiz. It's up to you how quickly you fall into my bed and I won't push you or try to pressure you. That's not how relationships work.”

Wiz nodded. “We need to learn to trust each other.”

I gave her another quick kiss and we started packing up her things. It didn't take long, since she hadn't had many personal things after sinking so much of her savings into the store's useless stock. She gave the front display room a sad look and I understood what she was thinking.

“Don't worry about them. I'll try sending them back to your supplier for a refund first. If he refuses, I'll set them off in a safe area to see how devastating they could be.” I promised her.

Wiz sighed and nodded, because she knew they were more dangerous than she had been led to believe. It was one of the reasons no one ever bought anything from her. I thought about packing them up and chose to cover them with temporary walls instead. That way, no one looking in would see anything.

We teleported back home to the Tower after that and I helped her set up her things in her room that was twice the size of her old business. It made her realize how much she had been missing out on by living in the back room of the shop. A home was supposed to be where you went to unwind and relax, not where you slept until you needed to work again.

I kissed her goodnight and left her blushing as I went up to the top floor to my room. The Head Succubus was there and she looked inordinately pleased. I didn't have to ask her why, because I had brought three new people into our home and also fulfilled their heart's desire. Since both her and the other succubi fed off of ambient emotions, their 'meals' had been enhanced by a significant amount with all of the positive emotions.

I climbed into bed and she gave me a quick blowjob and then cuddled me like a teddy bear. It was honestly the cutest thing she had done in a while, probably because she was riding the same high the other succubi were enjoying from the new founts of emotions that were in the Tower. We fell asleep and didn't wake until the next morning.

I always woke at the crack of dawn and I stayed in bed instead of starting my day. It wasn't going to be a lazy day; but, we had nothing planned. The armour pieces and weapons would take a few weeks to complete, mostly because the blacksmith had a bunch of orders to fulfill. It was mostly repairs and alterations, so having to make almost two full sets of stylized armour would take a lot longer.

I thought about doing my own transfiguration trick and enchanting the armour myself, except I decided I wanted to be there to try and pick up the skills the blacksmith was using to construct them. It would benefit me a lot in the long run to make actual armour pieces first and then use my transfiguration trick, since they would keep the original stats and I would just add to them.

The Head Succubus stirred and her half-lidded eyes almost glowed as she lifted her head from my chest and looked at me. Neither of us said anything as her hand moved down under the blanket and she took my hardness into a firm hold and started playing with it. She seemed to like that I never stopped her or complained that she was pretty much using me for her own pleasure and to gain power.

I had fully accepted that was what she would be doing and she was amazed that I was willing to let her. That had never happened to her before, in her entire existence, and she whispered that to me as her hand sped up. My hand went down to between her legs and she moaned as I fingered her. She was still very tight, as if she had never been touched before, and she got off in mere moments.

Of course, I was shoving as much loving affection into her as well as my fingers. That always got her off in record time, too. She purred as my fingers kept moving and then she felt me twitch down there. Her face almost lit up and then she ducked down and turned around under the blanket. This presented me with her delicious dampness and I dove in there with my tongue going full blast using Parseltongue.

Her body jerked and she let out a muffled scream as she tried to swallow me and orgasm at the same time. It made me laugh, mostly because she had such a hard time doing both. She was supposed to be the representation of a sex goddess and something this simple messed her up? It was hilarious.

She wore a pouting glare when she switched back around, so I pulled her in to cuddle her again as I cast cleaning spells on us. She let out a contented sigh and relaxed against me once more.

“What are we going to do all winter?” The Head Succubus suddenly asked.

“I've been thinking about that. We have a couple of choices as the colder weather settles into the region.” I said and she listened intensely. “The first choice is we all hole-up in the Tower and become hermits for the next three months.”

The Head Succubus looked thoughtful for a few moments and then gave me a very sexy smile. “Just you and 21 sexually repressed women locked up in a castle tower for three solid months? With nothing to do but each other? I chose that one!”

I almost snorted when I laughed. The pleased smile on her face let me know she had successfully teased me, so I gave her a deep kiss for several moments. She sighed happily and snuggled in some more.

“Second choice is we take a few runs at the local dungeon to get everyone a few levels and some experience in an actual combat situation.” I said and she hummed.

“That's not an ideal one. My girls are not anywhere near combat oriented.” She responded.

I had to agree with that. “Third, we join a caravan going to the capitol and set up teleportation circles in key places. Once we're there, we explore for a few weeks to a month and see what local stuff we can do, then we join another caravan and head to other areas and set up more teleportation circles before heading back here in the spring. It should keep us busy for the entire winter break.”

The Head Succubus looked stunned at that suggestion.

“I know it might be a bit difficult being on the move for so long...” I started to say.

“I vehemently vote for the third option.” She interrupted me.

“Are you sure? It's a huge commitment to...”

“My girls have already adjusted to the tastes of the locals and are getting less and less from them.” She informed me and it made me think about it.

“Is it because they are getting stronger and need more or is it because the locals have almost no imagination and the girls are getting bored with the same old things?” I asked.

“It's both, of course.” The Head Succubus said and kissed me. “I warned you a long time ago that you were spoiling them.”

I chuckled. “I'm the one that spoils them?”

“Yes, dear. It's all your fault.” She said in a sexy voice and kissed me passionately.

I couldn't argue against such a good argument and we fooled around for a while before getting up to go make breakfast for everyone. They all gathered together at the large breakfast table and the three new people were shocked at the spread of food that was available. While they ate, I gave them all the same three options. Surprisingly, it was Wiz that spoke up first.

“We're taking the third option. It will give us a good chance to survey what people actually want in a magic item store.” Wiz said, as if that was the end of it. By the looks on everyone's faces, they all agreed with her.

I raised my glass of orange juice and saluted her. “Our sales manager has spoken, so shall it be.”

Wiz blushed as everyone cheered and started hugging each other.

“We have so much to pack!” One of the succubi exclaimed and suddenly the entire table was empty except for me.

I actually did snort before I laughed and shook my head at that reaction. They were more than happy about just taking a trip and the reasons didn't matter to them. I finished eating and used cleaning spells to deal with the mess they left and stored the dishes in the cupboard. With that done, I left the Tower and went to the Guild Hall to find out when the next caravan left for the capitol.

Luna gave me a sad smile and handed me the schedule. I checked for one that would fit our needs and made note of how to contact the man running it. I also asked about procuring a wagon and horses. She gave me the address for a good stable and wagon builder and I tipped her a silver coin. Instead of dropping it into her cleavage to make me admire her large breasts like her thoughts suggested, she slipped it into her pocket.

I had to smile at her not giving in to her normal actions and left the hall to head over to the wagon builder. The man accepted the commission and let me help him, too. We had the thing built in under an hour and it was a solid wood carriage with the full top and everything, instead of the normal canvas cover. I had also enchanted it with several different things along the way.

When I paid him for the job and for the six skills he had demonstrated for me, he looked stunned. It had me chuckling so much that I stored the thing without thinking about it. The man fainted and I laughed pretty hard at getting that reaction. I didn't bother trying to revive him and just propped him up beside his workbench to let him wake normally.

I left a nice tip for the rush job and went to the stables next. The woman running the place gave me a searching look for several moments, then she agreed and sold me her two best horses. They were a mated pair and would remain happy as long as I kept them together. That was quite insightful for her to ensure the animals were happy after being sold, so I bought everything she recommended to take care of them.

That made her very happy and she showed me how to use each thing on the horses, including how to drive the carriage and handle the horses properly. When she was done, I paid her for the eight skills she showed off and she looked both embarrassed and surprised.

“Why are you surprised?” I asked her and didn't mention her red face.

“I thought only adventurers could qualify for notices on the job board inside the Adventurer's Guild.” The stable owner said, sheepishly.

I held in my laugh. “I'll have you know that the first skills I learned and paid for, were from the cooks and kitchen helpers at the guild hall.”

That revelation made her happy and she whispered something.

I didn't quite hear her and leaned in close. “Could you repeat that? I didn't hear...”

She smirked at me and kissed me instead of responding. I jerked back from the unexpected kiss and gave her a surprised look, then she dropped to her knees and my pants were down around my ankles as she showed off another skill she had.

The blush on her face when I paid her 1,000 Eris for it, was worth the joke. I had gained that skill almost right after I had arrived in this world and I was never ever ever going to level it up. I was not that kind of a protagonist. No, sir.

I took the reins of the horses and led them back to the Tower. I would have to add a garage or something with access to the road the Tower was on when we came back. For now, I set the whole thing up right in front of the front doors of the Tower. After I had the horses hooked up to the quite fancy carriage, I entered it and did the same enchanting trick to expand the inside.

Since I had previously enchanted the underlying parts with other things, the carriage counted as 'magical materials' for the skill and the expansion was almost ten times what it would have been with normal materials. I was quite pleased with it and quickly set up individual areas for the girls, all of them, and they could chose to sleep alone or with their friends.

Just as I finished adding the appropriate furniture and securing it to the floor to stop it from sliding around as the carriage moved, the front doors of the Tower opened up and a literal flood of succubi and luggage poured out and into the street.

“There's no way we're getting all of this up there on top of the luggage rack.” One of the succubi said and pointed to the small space on top of the carriage. “Mine alone will take up half of that!”

I chuckled as I opened the carriage door and stepped out. “Then it's good that we're not using it for that.” I said and motioned towards the door I just stepped out of. “Go on in and find the rooms with your names on them.”

Every single succubi squealed like a little girl getting a pony and rushed inside. Without their luggage. The Head Succubi's demure laugh came out through the still open front doors of the Tower.

“I know, I know. I spoil them too much.” I said and gave her a kiss, then used the Locomotor spell on each of the suitcases and bags and brought them inside. I left them in the main common area for the girls to sort out for themselves as the Head Succubus sat down on one of the very comfortable couches that were there.

“The others will be out soon, too.” She said and gave me a searching look. It made me chuckle and I told her about what happened with the stable owner while we waited. She softly laughed at the joke I played, mostly because it gave the woman the impression that she had been the first to do it and now she would always have the thought in her head to teach me more things like that for more money.

I laughed, too. I hadn't thought of it like that and would have to visit the stable when we returned, just to see the look on the woman's face and to read her thoughts. I needed to know if the Head Succubus was right or not.

“This place is great!” Megumin exclaimed and dropped her luggage on the pile. “Where's my room?”

I pointed to the door with her name on it.

“Thanks, Kazuma!” Megumin said and blushed slightly, then she took a deep breath and walked over to me to firmly kiss me on the cheek. She nodded in satisfaction at my wide eyes for her being so bold and she grinned as she walked over to her room and went inside.

“It appears my girls are not the only ones you are spoiling, my dear.” The Head Succubus said, her voice smug.

I shrugged and went back outside to wait for the others. Darkness, Cremea, Fio, and Wiz came out wearing travelling clothes that were tougher and designed for it. I helped them with their luggage and we all entered the carriage.

Only Wiz was shocked at the expansion and getting her own room. She gave me another searing kiss for being so considerate of her feelings and took her luggage into her room. The others left their luggage in the pile and went to their own rooms, too.

“You will have all of them in your bed soon, my dear.” The Head Succubus commented.

“That's not why I do things.” I said and sat down beside her to cuddle her.

“I know.” She said and nuzzled my neck. “We all know that, dear. It's what makes you so desirable. You being so accommodating is a huge turn on, especially here on this world.”

“Is it accommodating and not indulging?” I asked and she giggled.

“Some believe they are interchangeable. However, we both know they are not.” She whispered and kissed my earlobe. “You can bend over backwards doing things for some people and they will assume they deserve it, even when they know they don't.”

I nodded and had to agree with that.

“Then there are people like myself and my girls. We have never had anyone take care of us before, just like the girls in your party. We are not used to someone caring about what we think, asking us our opinion on things, or even bothering to speak to us when it's not necessary.”

I opened my mouth to refute that and she kissed me to stop me. I sighed into her mouth and she broke the kiss.

“It's one of the things we all adore about you, Kazuma.”

I blinked my eyes at her using my name and not dear.

She smiled warmly and gave me a soft and tender kiss. “I needed you to take what I said seriously, dear. You would dismiss it as unimportant, otherwise.”

Now that I couldn't refute.

She saw the look on my face and giggled. “I will help sort out the luggage while you go outside and finish enchanting the things on the horses. We will be ready to leave when you are.”

I nodded and stood, then bent back down to return her soft and tender kiss. “Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, my dear.” She said and watched me leave.

I went outside and did as she suggested. I made several protection amulets and enhanced their speed by fixing their horseshoes and enchanting the metal on the reins to make them more comfortable. The horses neighed happily as their restrictions eased and I warned them that the carriage was really light and we could move very fast when we were outside the city. They neighed in agreement.

“Momma said to tell you that we're ready to go!” The smallest succubi shouted as she hung her head out through one of the many windows.

I waved to her and she disappeared back inside. I went to the Tower and locked and secured the doors with spells, raised the protective enchantments to their highest level, and climbed onto the front of the carriage. I picked up the reins and flicked them to slap the soft leather on the backsides of the horses. They didn't jerk in pain like they would have with normal reins and started walking.

I smiled at the soft cheer that came from inside the carriage. We were on our way and our cross-country trip had just started.