novelraw Chapter 177 - 175: It’s Fine, I’ll Guide Both of Them Equally
Chapter 177 - 175: It’s Fine, I’ll Guide Both of Them Equally
"Mivana?!"
Amidst the commotion, the Wolf-eared Maiden with long, violet-black hair arrived before the high tower, one hand resting on the pommel of her sword. With her head held high and chest puffed out, she happened to walk right into this scene.
After locking eyes with Westheid for a moment, the Lady Knight tilted her head and said with a deadpan expression:
"Teacher, I’ve come for you to mate... I mean, ’guide’ me. But it looks like Teacher West is already planning to mate... I mean, ’guide’ someone else?"
’That’s too many slips of the tongue! I’m starting to suspect you’re doing it on purpose!’
Westheid shook his head. "That’s not what’s happening. They’re just playing around."
Ever since Mivana confessed her feelings, Westheid had made a gentleman’s agreement with the Wolf-eared Maiden. He would do... more intense things to Mivana, but she wasn’t allowed to retaliate. If she did, Westheid would be in for a world of hurt.
In any case, Westheid didn’t dare to keep stringing the Wolf-eared Maiden along. It was better to proactively provide an ’outlet’ for her than to let Mivana’s Star Universe build up until she couldn’t resist raping him. This way, the situation was at least somewhat under control.
Mivana, ever the pragmatist, directly called it "mating." Westheid, on the other hand, tried to be more reserved, euphemistically calling it "guidance."
He was starting to understand, anyway. Whether it was Reiya or Mivana, a direct manifestation of these chosen maidens’ rising affection was intense desire and possessiveness.
Because a Powerhouse must ruthlessly confront and unleash their desires. If one lacked even the spirit to act as they pleased, they couldn’t be called a Powerhouse. Westheid strongly agreed with this sentiment.
’It would be even better if that desire wasn’t being unleashed on me, though.’
Liliana, seeing that the research time she had fought for might go down the drain, hurriedly said:
"Duke Qinghui! I’m not playing around! You just promised me. Your word is your bond, is it not?"
The results of Westheid’s efforts to treasure and cultivate his reputation were clear. Even a Witch Apprentice with whom he wasn’t particularly close knew this about him and clung to it like a lifeline.
"...I do, of course, always keep my word."
Hearing this, one of Mivana’s beast ears twitched and drooped. "So, does that mean no ’guidance’ today?"
Although the Wolf-eared Maiden’s facial expression remained unchanged, Westheid knew full well that her beast ears were a barometer of her emotions. The Lady Knight usually wore a dazed, simple, and calm expression, and her tone of voice hardly ever changed... but those wolf ears would react vividly to any emotion she felt, so much so that Westheid had become ’fluent in ear-language’.
For example, they would stand straight up when she was happy or surprised. When she was sad or disappointed, one ear would droop; if she was truly grieving or in pain, both would droop. If she was excited, one fluffy wolf ear would twitch and swivel frequently. And if she was getting thoroughly... ’serviced,’ both would spin like electric fans. It was incredibly cute.
Right now, one of Mivana’s beast ears was drooping, which meant she was feeling disappointed.
Westheid looked at Mivana, then at Liliana, who was pressed tightly against him.
Making a choice right now wasn’t actually difficult. In terms of both usefulness and his feelings for them, Liliana couldn’t compare to Mivana at all. It would be a no-brainer to choose the Lady Knight.
But Westheid suddenly realized: could this situation be considered a Chaotic Scene?
’I was already mentally prepared for a Chaotic Scene back when I started unscrupulously using my Charm.’
Even though the Imperial mindset was relatively open, and monogamy wasn’t a tradition anywhere besides the Celestial Vault Kingdom, his status as Duke Qinghui provided a natural, justifiable reason to have a harem.
But even in a harem... No, it’s precisely *because* it’s a harem that the jealousy and fighting for favor would be even more severe.
In fact, Westheid could already feel it. There was indeed such an atmosphere around him. Whether at work or in daily life, many people fought endlessly behind the scenes to win his favor. Duke Qinghui simply turned a blind eye, since none of them could even offer a T1 Talent and were thus completely insignificant.
If a Tier T0 Talent was on the scale, he would choose the T0 without a moment’s hesitation. Are you kidding? Westheid would even give his life for a top-tier Talent!
But what if there were two Tier T0 Talents?
’If it was a choice between Reiya and Mivana, what would I do?’
’This isn’t some baseless worry; it’s an inevitable reality that I can’t escape. Am I just going to be indecisive and end up sweating bullets? I need to decide on a stance, starting now.’
So, Westheid let out an indistinct low growl from his throat and said:
"Don’t worry. I’ll ’guide’ you both just the same."
Good, good. As long as he would ’guide’ them, it was fine.
Neither Mivana nor Liliana was *that* possessive. Hearing Westheid’s assurance, they both breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied.
"Then there’s no problem."
"Duke Qinghui, this is a solution that satisfies everyone."
Only Shamuel was left, blinking her vibrant, fiery eyes. "Hey, what about me?"
Westheid laughed in exasperation.
"Now you’re making demands too? Do you even know what we’re talking about doing?"
"I do not."
The young girl shook her head decisively, then puffed out her curve-less chest and huffed.
"However! I have heard this is a matter of research. Though I may be young, I am well-versed in Runes, Alchemy, and Techniques. Do not underestimate me."
"...Why don’t you go improve the energy storage units for the Magic-guided Cannons? Weren’t several of them malfunctioning last time?"
"There were no problems!"
Shamuel immediately stomped her foot. "The products we make have absolutely no problems! Last time was an accident! Yes, definitely an accident!"
As if feeling that wasn’t convincing enough, the young girl with long, flaxen hair turned and walked away, saying:
"I’m going to go give all the equipment a thorough inspection right now! I guarantee there won’t be any accidents next time."
Westheid was just too good at pushing people’s buttons. With her craftsman’s spirit, Shamuel couldn’t stand any suggestion of flaws in her technical expertise. A single sentence was enough to shatter her defenses, and she left without a backward glance.
However, watching the young girl’s retreating back, Westheid felt this wasn’t a long-term solution. To be honest, it was exhausting to constantly navigate these situations with high emotional intelligence and delicate tactics.
’As I thought, the simplest and most direct method is still... to fuck them!’
’No matter what petty jealousies they have, I’ll just fuck them until it’s settled. Fuck them until they never dare to defy me again!’
’This is my world-shaking wisdom!’
Westheid thought it, and he did it. In the subsequent "guidance" and "research" he conducted with Mivana and Liliana, he subjected the Witch Apprentice to an inhuman ravaging.
What’s that? You ask why he didn’t go all out on Mivana? Are you trying to get Westheid killed?!
Looks like he’s destined to only bully the weak in this life.
The effect was immediate. After just a few days, the flock of chattering girls around Westheid got exactly what they asked for. The toxic atmosphere of jealousy was purged, and the feeling of confrontation disappeared.
This continued until Yolanda, whom he hadn’t seen for many days, pulled the smug Duke Qinghui out of bed and said:
"That’s about enough. Even if the war has entered a lull, you shouldn’t be so debaucherous. Anyone who didn’t know better would think the victory celebration has already started."
After chiding Westheid, the platinum-blonde girl’s expression turned serious. "Also, Brother, the task you assigned me... I think I have some results."