Chapter 71: Sign that I am Yours

_Ah, but we're not married yet, so "girlfriend is a more appropriate term._

I tipsy-toed my way into the dining room as I thought of such a thing, [Guide] already gave me the blueprint of the whole castle and I already memorized it, anyway, I went to the dining area and I saw Eleanor in the front right of the long table that seem to house a lot of individuals, I wonder why it is so big though, after all, this is just an affiliate city to govern the great forest territory...

Well,  I actually don't, if you know what I mean, but in any case, according to tradition, as the head (top) of the relationship, I have to sit in the center seat, which I did. I smiled at Eleanor and said: "Good morning."

I can still notice the slight flinches coming from all over her body, probably because her ass is still swollen from all the things I did in those two round mounds because of the heat of passion.

Not only that, but she, while waiting for the foods that I am sure are just fruits has to cover her neck because of the hickeys I have given her, there are still a lot of them in her stomach.

Now I kind of feel unfair because I don't have one.

[And why do you think that is the case huh?]

...Ugh, I'm sorry ok? But anyway, I have a question for her you see.

"Say... You can heal those with your magic right?"

Eleanor who seemed to be still embarrassed because of what we did last night, flinched at the sound of my voice and immediately lowered her head as she replied: "W... well.. I want other people to know that I'm already yours..."

Her voice lowered and lowered as she said so and if it's not me having very good ears, her voice will surely not be heard.

_But still, it seems like she has somehow changed._

With an awkward "I see..." as a response, I observed Eleanor as I immediately saw her posture becoming more straight than before, when I first saw her I could already see her being the unconfident type just from her posture.

Well, I cannot measure confidence with posture alone, but this is a good first step I guess.

Anyway, the two of us conversed as I tried to get a topic going, however, it seemed like she would be embarrassed for quite a long time today, so when the fruits (as expected) finally arrived, I did not attempt to strike any conversation with her for that would just make it more awkward for her.

_Anyway, she's already my lover so not talking because our first night is composed of softcore S and M is normal._

[What is not normal is that a 10-year-old knows S and M.]

That 10-year-old was a high school student before he died, okay?

Anyway, I dug in with the fruits that were in front of me as I ignored [Guide], but still, it was amazing for them to gather fruits on such short notice, so I asked the Mananaggal a question, who seemed to assume her maid position earlier than I said because of The Prophet's suggestion, which is also quite fine because I will just instruct their leaders to teach them anyway, so it saved me trouble.

"Did the prophet instruct all of you to pick these fruits?"

The Mananaggal looked at me and then bowed a little as she replied immediately.

"This is the living's fruits they picked up for you, unfortunately, all of the ones who picked up the fruits are construction workers and don't have any experience in hunting for meat, even if they did, they cannot cook it in a way that will suit your palate."

The maid said as she bowed again, she did not further make any noise. That's right, I ordered every living soldier to protect the area of the first layer's future city, so no one is here, the Tikbalangs are... too jumpy to be able to let the construction workers catch up on them, they seem to be enjoying their freedom so much. With that little doubt in my mind being cleared, I did not talk further as I  finally finished my meal.

Alongside me leaving my chair is Eleanor who seems to also have finished her food.

"...Can... I come with you when you visit the remodeling of the city?"

Eleanor said so as she once again covered her hickey-filled neck with her hand while the other was tugging softly into the hem of my coat, I looked at her with confusion as I instinctively asked.

"Will you be able to cover those up properly?"

Eleanor immediately used her previously holding my hem hand to cover the other side of her neck, she blushed hard before exhaling and looked at me with determined eyes, wait why are you looking at me like you made a conviction? I never forced you to not hide any marks of our love before.

"Like I said, these will be  your body's mark on mine...!"

_Ah but that was probably because we never had lovely nights before._

I thought whilst listening to her very common reply.

Upon looking at her for about 5 awkward seconds, I finally said: "All right then..." I immediately glanced at the two spiders in the ceiling and then ordered them mentally to make Eleanor a scarf, surely I cannot let her go around having those love marks in all of the corners of her body. After some brisk motion, the spiders complied as they spit on silk and knit the most durable and maybe the fastest-made scarf in the world.

After a mere five minutes of me and Eleanor watching and admiring their precision, the scarf was completed, I picked it up saying: "Thank you" to the two spiders who made a little salute and went away once again.

"Even then..." I went near Eleanor and used air magic to float as I wrapped the scarf around Eleanor's neck.

"You don't need to shame yourself by doing this okay?"

Eleanor just looked at me whilst her face started to flush different shades of red and just clutched the scarf around her neck.

"I am doing this on my free will."

I ignored her stupor as I held her hand and guided her towards the exit of the castle in which all of the infrastructures were being rebuilt according to my commands.

_I wonder if her adoptive mother lets her wives walk around with hickies._

______

"H-hey Sophia, I think we have to refrain from handholding...'

Eleanor whispered to me, seemingly embarrassed by our act, however even if she said such things, her hand is still entangled with mine with not even a squirm saying that she wanted to let go of my hand, clearly she is just being conscious because it's her first time to hold hands in public, actually, it's my first time too.

"It's fine, look the undeads are not even sparing us a glance and are just carrying bricks to restore the city."

I tried to console her even though I was quite embarrassed myself too as I could not help but overthink, would my hand get sweaty? I also started to blush when such thoughts escaped my brain, but thank god I had this creepy guy inside my head who calmed me down immediately.

[You sure blush hard for someone who pounded her hard last night.]

I have to rarely thank you for your random bullshit this time, [Guide].

I said so as a certain goblin whom I recognize as Bang, the head of the construction Kabra is the one responsible for the city blueprint of the first layer.

"My Lady, the blueprint is now finally completed and I have instructed you to create bricks and stockpile them in advance. " The leader said as he went and gave me the goatskin that has the blueprint of the whole city, all this while I am too busy and I cannot find an alternate way to create paper so this is just what I did, goatskin scrolls.

The goblins can create these things even before they gain higher knowledge so for now, this will suffice. I started to read the blueprint but before I could even start, Bang interrupted me.

"My Lady, I think you should let go of your beloved's hand while you read the blueprints."

I stared at him in confusion for a while and then trailed down little by little to the hand which was occupied by the other side of the blueprint and the hand of Eleanor, at that moment I heard her stutter.

"... I... Think so too, Sophia..."

I immediately released her hand as I blushed hard and said: "Right... haha... sorry..."

After a minute of staring at the blueprint to refocus myself away from that embarrassing encounter, I finally read its content and... Well should I say that our architecture is influenced by the "Layer style" of the forest?

_They did come up with this alone with the experience that I have given them all that time huh?_

As I admired the growth of my subordinates, I observed the layout of the whole city. The city is encased in a half-moon polygon style (1) like a wall with all of the facilities needed for defense marked on it and I kid you not, the layout of the infrastructures is based on the 5 Layer style of the forest, the districts were arranged in that style based on their importance and vulnerability. The first layer is the military district which will be the buffer for the other districts to be alarmed that the city is under attack.

The second is the industrial area which will be the one responsible for the supplementary creation of the weapons we will surely need, alongside this, their job is that they will also serve as my producers when I start my innovative experiments. The third is the trading and business hub that will contain all sorts of economic activity of the residents, however, the government will have to control some business for our profit. The fourth is the residential area that will house all of the commoners, this is so that I can respond when someone attacks. Of course, the most important of all is the castle.

"There are no noble areas?'

Eleanor unconsciously asked, but the construction leader in front of me immediately answered.

"For us, we will never accept anyone calling themselves noble unless it was Lady Sophia or the ones she recognized."

Eleanor's brow raised as she said: "I... I see..."

It seems like she got cringed by such a statement, actually me too even Bakunawa who was just hiding between the pillars and for some reason following me even though she knew that I could order her around from kilometers away visibly snorted, I mean why is that of all reason?

_Sigh..._

I shook my head and a: "Good work."

I sent Bang away as I looked at the undeads, they looked like they were elderly slaves being forced to work to their deaths as they were shaking and shivering while they strode slowly towards the points designated to store the bricks and wood they gathered. A spider suddenly flopped itself towards my head, it started to look around too, and with a sigh that came from that voluptuous spider, the spider spoke.

"I think I need your help to hasten the process of producing a new species of spider. This will not just work if we take the leisurely way."

I immediately nodded and with a: "I think so too." and grabbed Eleanor's hand again and turned towards a certain pillar in which Bakunawa was hiding, the serpent seemingly flinched as I ordered.

"Can you transform to your serpent form? We need  transportation."

Bakunawa came out of her hiding with some veins bulging out of her head, well, I will get pissed off too if I am a big scary snake but someone treated you as a mere breathing bullet train. Anyway, she went in front of me and stared me down before getting out of the city's proximity and transforming into her serpent form.

"Woah..."

It seems like she has grown bigger and stronger than before and I cannot help but exclaim, some parts of her scales are still healing, but she overall can go for a round two if she decides to, though I am confident that I can defeat her even with my bare hands now the moment she decided to do such a thing, as I was thinking that, she let her head down as she silently signaled us to go on board, I jumped on one of its armory scales and jumped off the upper part of Bakunawa's snout whilst Eleanor used sand to float in the head part of Bakunawa.

I followed her tightly and the spider also jumped off my head.

"How exciting fufu~," Arachne's voice said as she also went into the head part alongside me, I then asked.

"By the way, I need to visit the first layer city first, is that okay?" The Head of Bakunawa rapidly went up and pierced through the tallest tree in the forest, Eleanor made an "Ekk!" sound and hen hugged me immediately, the spider also latched on my foot.

"Woah, windy... but sure, you'll just look at the blueprint of the city anyway, just be guided  by this spider on your way."

I then nodded, as I looked forward and Bakunawa started to slither away into the first layer, I had to show myself as their queen and of course gave them some words of encouragement, for I am so sure that their future role would give them a lot of self-doubts.

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1: This means the curved line in the half-moon was made by making several points and connecting them, creating straight lines that eventually create a "curved" shape.