Chapter 303: The Golden Rose Guard (02)
Chapter 303: The Golden Rose Guard (02)
[NT: Sorry for the delay—my landlady just showed up out of the blue with a technician, saying she needed to do some electrical work here and telling me to cut the power to the house.
We’re moving out in two or three months, so she wants to start renovating to sell it as quickly as possible.
It was a pain in the ass and really messed up my already difficult work, since I’m in a really tough part to write in both novels.
(Yes, I regret promising extra Chapters, but I didn’t expect it would be this hard to write these parts. I’m spending two to three hours per Chapter.)
But anyway, everything’s back to normal now.]
***
Ethan took a step forward, his gaze falling on one of the women—the strongest among them, already at the peak of the second stage.
With the talent they possessed, it wouldn’t be long before every one of them reached the third stage, transforming into a truly formidable elite protective force.
"L-Lord Ethan..." A trembling, flushed voice caught his attention. "M-may I ask you a question?" she continued, stumbling over her words as she bit her lower lip lightly.
He turned toward the young woman, meeting her gaze for the first time. She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old.
Long black hair spilled over her slender shoulders, contrasting with her bright blue eyes and pale, flushed cheeks—an undeniable beauty.
"Yes." Ethan nodded, his voice gentle.
"Is it true that you plan to make us your concubines?" she asked, the blush on her cheeks spreading further, staining even the tips of her ears.
"E-early this morning, I had the chance to speak with Miss Aurora of the Order of the Silver Wings, and she told me that Lady Arwen has already made it clear that they all belong to you!"
Her words ended almost in a squeak, and for a moment, seeing Ethan’s face darken slightly, she regretted having spoken at all.
Ethan closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.
He turned to Evelyn, only to find her covering her lips, hiding a mischievous giggle behind her delicate fingers.
"Ah... is that something you want?" he finally asked, his gaze sweeping over each of the women gathered there.
To his surprise, in perfect synchrony, they all nodded eagerly.
He let out another sigh.
Originally, he had planned a salary of twenty gold coins for each of them once they reached the third stage—a considerable sum, more than enough to finance a very luxurious life, especially considering they would receive it directly from his hands.
But if they became his concubines, they would no longer be mere guards.
He would have to take on much greater responsibilities, both financial and personal, tied to each of their lives.
"Ah... I really need a life-saving artifact..." Ethan muttered to himself, already beginning to consider what to do with his next chance in the luck system.
He’d thought about drawing a rare character card, but an artifact capable of preserving his women’s lives would also be a great choice.
"We all agreed to this the moment Lady Elena recruited us, Lord Ethan." Another woman spoke up, visibly uncomfortable with his prolonged silence.
"It’s all right." He sighed, opening the wife assignment screen and selecting each of the one hundred and fifty women.
Without further hesitation, he confirmed his selection.
The women’s eyes suddenly sparkled, a gentle energy coursing through their bodies and connecting each of them to Ethan in an invisible bond.
Immediately afterward, Ethan’s own eyes lit up. His premium gacha tickets shot up to twenty, as each concubine granted him one premium gacha ticket.
Unfortunately, as the number of registered concubines increased, the number of tickets provided by each girl decreased.
The first twenty each granted one ticket, but the next forty offered only one for every three girls.
For the remaining ninety, the rate dropped even further—just one ticket for every five girls.
Still, in the end, Ethan walked away with fifty-one premium gacha tickets—enough to reach the hundred needed to secure the new sword he’d set as his prize in the luck system.
Fortunately, he was certain that such a decrease wouldn’t occur when he received the bonus for taking their purity.
In other words, that would mean at least another 150 tokens—350 if he took the purity of the women of the Order of the Silver Wings as well.
"Very well, follow me. From now on, you are mine," Ethan said, letting his hand rest casually on the exposed swell of the breasts of the young woman who had spoken to him earlier.
His warm palm pressed against her soft, silky skin, his fingers sinking gradually into the plump flesh that spilled from the tight neckline of her armor.
The young woman held her breath at that very moment, her body stiffening under the touch—as unexpected as it was daring.
He squeezed just enough to feel her breast mold to the shape of his fingers, the pillowy flesh giving way to his grip as though it had been made to fit there. A faint tremor rippled through the rest of her chest, the untouched swell quivering with each shallow breath she managed to take.
A smile curved Ethan’s lips as he heard the low, trembling moan that escaped her, so gentle it nearly dissolved into the air between them.
Her cheeks burned, and the blush spread down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her armor.
Shortly afterward, he turned and began leading the group toward the central gate of the high walls that protected his palace.
There stood a fortress.
It was enormous, spanning several tens of thousands of square meters and almost perfectly integrated with the gate itself, with two tall towers rising on either side and unrestricted access along the top of the wall.
Anyone seeing it from a distance would think it was just a strangely large gate, not a real fortress.
Ethan stopped in his tracks, retrieved a knight order creation orb from the system’s inventory, and turned to the women, who were watching his back with bated breath.
With a sigh, he crushed the orb between his fingers.
[You are creating an order of knights!
Orders of knights start as a blank slate, but as you develop them, you can shape their ideals, their strength, and their purpose as an order.
Set a name for your order:
Set a grand master for your order.
Set a main stronghold for your order.]
Ethan didn’t hesitate to type "Golden Rose Guard."
Selecting Evelyn as Grand Master and that stronghold as the order’s base, he clicked "Confirm."
A golden light blossomed in the air, descending like a shining dome over the women and enveloping each of them in a warm, comforting glow.
System notifications appeared before their eyes, and they all confirmed with obvious excitement, genuine smiles blooming on their faces.
[Congratulations, you have created the Golden Rose Guard, an order designed to protect your family!]
"From now on, you will be the Golden Rose Guard, protectors of the Goldenveil family. Serve me well, and I will reward you. Love me, and I will love you."
Ethan was about to lead them inside the fortress when, suddenly, he froze in place.
"My Lord!" A powerful voice cut through the air.
As Ethan turned, he came face-to-face with a panting soldier rushing toward him, his hands stained with blood.