Ch 336: A game ended, another started.

Noah could almost feel himself dozing off, as he was currently very comfortable, sitting on a sofa, wearing only black jeans and a white T-shirt. But he couldn't allow himself to. If he fell asleep, he would leave Erica's soul space, and he didn't want to just yet.

Erica was comfortable, too, as she had closed her eyes and breathed peacefully.

She was laying on the sofa, her head laying on his lap, wearing only white underwear. And a red ball-gag. And red rope.

Noah had bound her legs together will coils of rope around her ankles, above and below her knees. More rope formed a simple harness around her torso and arms, keeping them against her sides, and her wrists snug together on the small of her back.

And of course, Noah had used another length of rope to form a crotch harness and bound it on the rope around her wrists, applying some pressure on her mound Venus whenever she tried to move her arms.

As far as bondage was concerned, this was quite lenient (by his standards, at least), and Erica didn't feel any discomfort from it. She had been embarrassed by him undressing her to her underwear, but after nearly an hour of Noah simply giving her a lap pillow, occasionally patting her head or playing with strands of her golden hair, she had forgotten about it.

For a few more minutes, Noah didn't move, simply relaxing, planning his next day.

He had created two hundred more Hildr-type golems, bringing his total to 1400, and decided it was enough. Especially when the last 200 had a special surprise, his response to the issue of large Legion formations generating a nearly impregnable shield. With them, he would be able to deal with any single Legatus. And if he had to face several, he would abandon the idea of a "fair" fight meant to give the gods a show and would simply get nasty about it.

One burst of Shunpo, one slash of his sword, and it would be over.

He wasn't worried about the Campiones, either. They were strong, but nothing he had learned about them indicated that they could compare to him as far as reaction speed was concerned. They just didn't compete in the same league.

His biggest issue was actually finding a good excuse to get out of the College and trigger that fight, because he didn't think Sun Tzu and the others would dare attack him here. But he needed a good excuse. He couldn't simply go and talk about an outing in the presence of the guys paid by Long Tian Yun, as they would smell a rat.

Noah stifled a yawn, and decided he had rested enough. He used his control over Erica's soul space to melt the ball gag in her mouth into nothingness. She opened her eyes and stared up at him.

"Don't tell me you haven't had enough yet."

"I can never have enough of you, Erica." smiled Noah. "But it's time we return to the real world. It should be early morning by now."

Erica nodded, and he left her Soul Space. Noah woke up immediately, and Erica stirred a few seconds later.

"It feels like days since I haven't been tied up." yawned Erica as she lazily stretched, completely naked under the covers.

"Subjectively speaking, it has been days. Soul Magic is such a cheat." grinned Noah as he started putting on his clothes.

When Erica extended a hand toward her underwear, Noah stopped her, smiling.

"I have a special outfit in mind for you today, Erica. You may have accepted your fate, but that doesn't mean you are trained to my satisfaction."

"…So, what kind of horror are you going to unleash upon me?" asked Erica with a dead stare.

"Not spoiling the surprise." chuckled Noah, creating for her a set of underwear, made of black latex. The bra seemed innocuous enough, but the panties had a single insert, shaped like a smaller version of his penis.

Erica sighed heavily and sent him a death glare. But she then put them on without a word.

"Are you satisfied, you pervert?" asked Erica when she was done.

"Not quite. I think some kind of punishment is required for this outburst." smirked Noah.

He created a shirt, made of white latex.

"You'll be wearing most of your usual school uniform, Erica, aside from switching the shirt for this one."

"Argh, fine!" growled Erica as she took the shirt off his hands. And as she put it on, she quickly noticed a problem.

"There are buttons missing. I can't close it up to my neck."

"Yes." smiled Noah.

"You did that on purpose!" accused Erica.

The white latex shirt wasn't just tight on her body, it also revealed just a hint of cleavage, and she couldn't close it further. She was wondering if she would look more ridiculous wearing the uniform's red ribbon over it, or dispense with the ribbon entirely, when her eyes widened as the sight of another item appearing in Noah's hand. A collar.

The item was made of a band of black leather over a wider band of red leather, and its inside were lined with what seemed to be a layer of neoprene. It had a D-ring in front, another in the back, and she didn't see any buckle that would let the collar be closed, but she didn't doubt for an instant that this was an oversight.

"No. I have Yanling lessons today, I can't be seen with a collar." breathed Erica, shaking her head.

"I'm aware, and you will go to those lessons. It's about time we let people outside of the dorm know that you belong to me, Erica. Lift your hair."

"…I'm starting to regret not playing that game." grumbled Erica as she glared at him, but she still did as he told her, lifting her hair.

Noah only smiled as he brought the collar to her throat, and she felt the two ends connect together somehow. The fit was snug enough to be unforgettable but didn't impair her movement and wasn't overly uncomfortable.

As soon as Noah stepped back, admiring her, Erica touched the collar, searching for the seam. But she only felt smooth leather.

"The collar is a golem." smugly said Noah. "It's not coming off unless I want it to. It has a few nice features, like enhancing your body's natural regeneration. Thanks to that, you will feel less tired.

"What other features? Will it shock me, or strangle me if I'm not obedient?"

"Nope. I don't want my girls to submit to me because they fear punishment. You should know that by now. The collar can also repair itself if damaged and will never get dirty."

Noah didn't tell her, but the last of the collar's features was that it would turn invisible whenever she left the dorm. When people outside wouldn't comment on her wearing a collar, she would at first assume that they were being tactful.

She would find out eventually, and he regretted that he probably wouldn't be able to see her face when the realization would hit her. Would she mostly show relief? Anger at being toyed with? Probably a mix of both.

There was, of course, another reason. Erica might have accepted that she was going to be his slave, and she might even love him to some extent, but that didn't mean that she was ready to sign a Slave Contract, truly putting his desires above her own. He needed to make her more submissive to reach the threshold needed to share his abilities with her.

He could put a Thrall Crest on her to accelerate her training, but he had decided that, in her case at least, he would make her ask for it.

So, her training would continue, even if he wasn't available. The collar could determine whenever someone looked at her chest, and it would send a signal to her panties, making the insert inside her vibrate gently.

As Erica sat on the bed, putting on a new pair of leggings, Noah let his gaze fall down to her chest for a second, and Erica flinched before jolting upward.

"You!"

"Does my slave have any complaint? I may add wrist and ankle cuffs." grinned Noah.

Erica tried hard to drill holes into him with her glare, but the universe didn't bend over to fulfill her wish, and she sighted before picking up her skirt.

Once they were ready, they left his room and headed for the kitchen.

"Good morning, Noah-sama, Kitten-sama." smiled Arianna as they entered. She was echoed by Karen. They two maids had started preparing breakfast.

They both stared for a few seconds at Erica, taking in her outfit, and causing the insert inside her to vibrate for a few seconds.

"Morning." said Erica with a tightly controlled voice.

"Good morning. Arianna, Karen. I have some news. Erica has decided to give up, so the game's rules do not apply to her anymore. You can now refer to her by her name."

"Oh. Does that mean that… Erica-sama will be your slave for five years after all?" asked Arianna.

"At least five years, yes. Do you want help with preparing breakfast?"

"Thank you, but that isn't necessary, Noah-sama." said Karen. "Our workload is already fairly light since we entered the College. We'll end up being bored if we don't at least do this."

"I see."

"Please just wait a few minutes, and we'll have coffee ready, Noah-sama, Erica-sama." smiled Arianna.

"I really could use some coffee." grumbled Erica.

"Same here." nodded Noah. "Are you girls really okay with simply staying in the dorm as maids? It must be pretty boring after a while. Should I ask Erica and Bunny to take turns and give you time to play Mystic Moon or do something else?"

"We are used to it, Noah-sama. We both are very fond of our Masters, and we want to remain close to them. Besides, a bit of quiet during the day isn't necessarily a bad thing." shrugged Karen.

Shuiruo entered the room, looking half asleep.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, sleepyhead." grinned Noah. Shuiruo smiled and walked to him, and they exchanged a quick kiss. "You must have stayed pretty late yesterday."

"I haven't slept at all, you mean. I found a nice spot to farm with Bing Yao and we did it all night, when there would be less people to bother us."

"Bother you?"

"We wore our masks, of course." shrugged Shuiruo. "But others can still guess we are cute, and they hover around like flies, trying to invite us into their groups. Several times, Bing Yao lost patience and killed those who wouldn't run fast enough."

"I see. I am on my way toward Azure Dragon City, but I'll need at least a day of travel. When I reach it, I'd like to meet with Yun Meng Xin and the others. I have things for her to sell, and we need to add each other to our contacts."

In Mystic Moon, players having each other in their contact lists could exchange messages regardless of distance, but they first needed to meet in person. New contacts couldn't be added remotely.

"Hum, I'll tell Bing Yao." nodded Shuiruo before glancing at Erica, and smiling. "How are you holding up, Kitten? Is he bullying you too much?"

"Erica, not Kitten." grumbled Erica, fishing from her blazer the black bangle that had been on her wrist for a little over two weeks and putting it on the table near Noah.

"Oh. That means…"

"Erica realized that she was going to be mine not for one year, not for five, but forever, so she decided to stop playing and accept the inevitable." shrugged Noah.

"Are congratulations in order?" smiled Shuiruo.

"I don't think this is something worth congratulating me over." sighed Erica. "Keep that for when I become the legal wife. If you support me in this, Shuiruo, I'll give you preferential treatment later."

"Yeah, no." cut in Noah with a firm tone. "I am aware that it is almost impossible to avoid the formation of factions within the harem, but I do not like it. It encourages polarization and scheming, and one of the Heads' roles is to discourage their existence. You won't climb in the harem's hierarchy if you try that approach, Erica."

"It was worth trying. It won't change anything in the end, though. And stop staring at my chest!"

Noah chuckled, and noticed something.

"Arianna, aren't you setting one plate too many? Or is Nono coming for breakfast?"

"Not Nono, Noah-sama." replied Arianna. "Miss Aki received a visitor late last night. Her older sister. She took one of the free rooms for the night."

"I see. It makes sense her relatives would visit, after she nearly died." nodded Noah before glancing at the bangle on the table. He then looked up at Shuiruo with a sly grin.

"Ruo Ruo, I now happen to have a bit more free time than anticipated. Are you still willing to play the game?"

"I am." smiled Shuiruo. Without waiting for confirmation, she took the black bangle and put it around her left wrist, where it locked itself, shrinking to a snug fit.

"Good morning, Ruo Ruo." exclaimed Yui. "Let's have plenty of fun together with Master."

"Yes, thank you, Yui."

"You're sure you want to go through it?" asked Erica, slightly dumbfounded. She knew Shuiruo was madly in love with Noah, but willingly signing herself up for bondage and humiliation was insane!

"I am. I already agreed to be his love slave, and bondage sex is fun. This is the proof of my commitment." nodded Shuiruo.

"You didn't need it, Ruo Ruo. I do not doubt the strength of your feelings for an instant." said Noah, looking at her with intensity, and she blushed slightly.

"Now, Ruo Ruo, you have an important decision to make." said Noah. "You can play the same game Erica did, with a randomly determined duration and intensity. Or you can play a similar game with different rules. Both were suggested to me by Lilith when I entered your world. The other game has four degrees of difficulty directly impacting the duration and number of randomly chosen rules, from Easy to Insane. Easy mode would likely be a lot less intense than what Erica experienced, while Insane mode would be… really hardcore."

"What does that other game look like?" asked Shuiruo.

"It has four tiers, whose duration would be decided according to the difficulty, from five to twenty days each, and four categories per tier, each having 6 degrees of intensity. Every day, you would first roll one dice. 1 to 4 would mean adding one rule or restriction for the day. 5, two rules. 6 would be three rules. When you move to the following tier, you would have the option to keep the rules and restrictions you accumulated during the previous tiers, or get rid of them at the cost or moving up one rank in difficulty, assuming you aren't already in the Insane setting."

"The Hard and Insane difficulties have two extra rules. I can, at my discretion, extend the duration of a tier up to twice its normal duration, although you wouldn't roll any more rules during the extra time, and if you roll a category that is already at level 6, you would have to reroll once, and only once."

"There is no penalty for giving up if you think things are getting too intense. And minor infractions would be met with a randomly chosen punishment, ranging from slightly increased duration to physical chastisement for up to twenty minutes."

"I understand. Would it impact my work with treating Isrock virus patients?"

"No. I will exempt you from following any rule during that work, and any that would interfere with your activity within Mystic Moon would be suspended as well. Same for whenever we visit your parents. They don't need to know about this."

"Alright." smiled Shuiruo, her eyes blazing with determination. "If your goddess suggested it, she must wish for someone to play it with you, right? I volunteer. As for the difficulty… I'll choose Insane. If I'm going to do it, I may as well go all the way. How bad can it be, really? There's no mutilation in there, right?"

"Of course not. But it will get pretty bad. Remember that you can give up at any time, and I won't hold it against you."

"I'll remember. But I don't intend to give up, no matter how hard it gets. So, how do I start?

"Since you have chosen the Insane difficulty, each tier will last 20 days, up to 40 if I choose to, and you can't get rid of any of the previous rules until the game ends. Please roll the dice, Ruo Ruo, to determine how many rules you have to roll today.

Shuiruo nodded and threw the black dice.

"That's a 5!" exclaimed Yui. "I can't decide if you're lucky or unlucky, Ruo Ruo. Please roll two dices now."

Shuiruo did, and the dices stopped, displaying 3 and 2 on their top faces.

"2 and 3. Lifestyle Restrictions Lvl 1 and Independence Restrictions Lvl 1. You cannot wear street clothes at home unless guests are over, and your Master must choose your outfit and get you dressed for the day."

"Not bad, I'll get to dress up my Ruo Ruo in various cosplay outfits." grinned Noah.

"Yes, it's not bad." nodded Shuiruo.

"Ruo Ruo, you are currently in infraction with the Independence Restrictions rule." declared Yui. "Please ask Master to take you to your room and change your outfit, or you will incur a punishment."

Noah stood and extended his hand to Shuiruo, who took it with a smile.

"We'll be back in a few minutes." said Noah to the others as they left.

"No casual clothes… How are you going to dress me up, Noah? Maybe with a latex catsuit?" asked Shuiruo with a mix of trepidation and anticipation as they climbed the stairs.

The previous days, Noah had started introducing her to latex garments, and she rather liked how it felt on her body, but she would feel really embarrassed to be seen wearing it.

"There will be plenty of fetish outfits for you to wear in the later tiers. And since Aki's sister is here, the first rule doesn't apply for now. No, I was thinking about a variant of a Japanese shrine maiden outfit for today, white and blue, instead of the classic white and red. You will look great in it."

"I look forward to it." nodded Shuiruo. When she closed the door of her room, she started removing her clothes.

"If Erica isn't playing the game anymore, why is she wearing a collar? And that latex shirt?"

"Erica may have resigned herself to being my slave, and I am sure she loves me to at least some extent, but I do not think she has reached the threshold yet. More training is needed. Do not tell her, but the collar will turn invisible whenever she leaves the dorm."

"Oh… I can't decide if you are being mean or merciful by tricking her like this." chuckled Shuiruo.

"Definitely mean." smirked Noah, thinking about the insert inside Erica as he created a set of shrine maiden clothes for her. "But I want her to become more accustomed with not being the one in control, and with being sexually harassed by me. Eventually, she will learn to appreciate it and truly submit to me."

"And she will share your abilities." nodded Shuiruo, now naked, and sending him a teasing smile. Noah added a set of blue latex underwear to the clothes, and started putting them on her. He had not required her to remove her bra and panties, but he wasn't going to object, either.

"And she will share my abilities. It would be unfair to rely only on you to cure the Isrock patients, so the sooner she gains them, the better. I'm probably going to spend a bit more time with Origami as well. I think she's close."

"I think so as well." smiled Shuiruo. I saw Aki's older sister yesterday evening. She's pretty."

"Already trying to recruit more lovers for me? I won't say no, but I'm a bit swamped already." chuckled Noah.

"I am still evaluating her for suitability." shrugged Shuiruo. "She has the looks, but those aren't enough to be worthy of you. Unless you want her. But be careful with her, Noah. She didn't come just to see her sister. She's interested in you."

"What makes you think so?"

"A girl's instincts. And she triggered the lie detection ability you gave me. When she asked to meet you, I asked if it was to thank you for saving Aki. She said yes, which was a lie. And Aki was acting all stiff as soon as she saw her sister, as if they didn't get along. I think Mai really is thankful to you for saving Aki, but that isn't her sole motive for visiting."

"I see…" nodded Noah.

He used Promise to check on the dormitory's occupants, and quickly found a beautiful young woman he had never seen before, taking a shower. She had long black hair and purple eyes, and seemed to be singing to herself from the movements of her lips. Noah turned his attention to her suitcase and found a few interesting items inside a hidden compartment. A folded leather garment that seemed to be a leather bodysuit, black with copper accents. A sheathed Kodachi, a small pistol, many bundles of thin steel wires, dozens of small bells, and eight thin throwing knives.

"I just used my far sight ability on her belongings and found hidden weapons. Aki's sister is basically a ninja." nodded Noah.

"Should I warn the others?"

"Yes. I won't connect to Mystic Moon until she's gone. Yui, you have access to this world's internet, right?"

"Yes, Master. I can connect to it through the bracelets, but the bandwidth is not great. Do you want me to investigate?"

"Yes, please. What's her name?" asked Noah.

"Mai Sakatoku." replied Shuiruo.

"I'm on it." said Yui.

"Thank you."

Noah finished with Shuiruo's shrine maiden outfit, and took a step back to admire her.

"Is Master pleased?" coyly asked Shuiruo.

"Very pleased. You look great." grinned Noah, taking his smartphone, and Shuiruo smiled for the photo.

Shuiruo examined herself in the mirror, nodded, and gave hm a kiss.

"Alright, let's join the others downstairs." said Noah, and they left Shuiruo's room.

"Hi, Noah, Ruo Ruo." waved Rikka, sitting beside Erica. The latter had a flushed face and stared daggers at him.

"Hi, Rikka. Did you sleep well?" smiled Noah.

"Like a baby. We didn't bother you yesterday because you were with Ki, I mean Erica, but Aki's sister came to visit."

"I'm aware. And she has a short sword and a handful of throwing knives hidden in her suitcase. Be careful when you interact with her."

"Did you search her stuff?" asked Rikka with a raised eyebrow. "That's rude."

"I have my far sight, remember? And if I have reasons to suspect someone is a potential threat to me and my girls, curtesy can go take a hike."

"Ah, yes, I forgot you could do that… Wait, are you able to see through clothes?" exclaimed Rikka.

"I can, but I can't bother to do something so crass. Women wearing cute clothes look better than naked women. Case in point, Ruo Ruo here."

"Hey! Did you just imply that you don't like looking at my naked body?" protested Shuiruo with a smile.

"I do. But it's even better when you are aware that I'm looking, and you're slightly blushing in embarrassment." grinned Noah. "Anyway, Rikka, I won't use my ability to look through your clothes, since you have given me no reasons to suspect you may by hiding a knife or something. If I'm in the mood, I can go and have sex with Ruo Ruo or Origami at any time. Why would I waste my time just staring through the clothes of another girl?"

"Yes, that's a fair point." admitted Rikka. "And you look great in this outfit, Ruo Ruo. But why are you wearing it?"

"Shuiruo has volunteered herself to play a game similar to the one Erica experienced, although with different rules, and she has decided to settle for the highest difficulty."

"Really? How bad is it going to be?" asked Rikka, interested.

"I won't say too much and spoil the surprise, but soon after she starts the second half of the game, we will likely get a rule requiring her to have sex with me at least twice a day, and before it ends, she will spend more time tied up than not."

"Eheh…" chuckled Shuiruo.

"This girl's brain is fried." stated Erica, shaking her head. She froze as the vibrator inside her became active again, and frowned in suspicion as she could start to see a pattern. It seemed to happen whenever someone looked at her.

"Being tied up by my lover is actually not unpleasant." shrugged Shuiruo. "It makes me feel safe, comforted."

Noah noticed Rikka make a barely perceptible nod, and turned his attention to the stairs as he heard people coming down.

"Good morning, Bunny, Origami." smiled Noah.

"Morning."

"Good morning, everyone." smiled Liliana. She blinked at she noticed Erica's attire, and Erica, attacked by vibrations again, understood the pattern. The insert inside her became active whenever someone looked at her upper torso, and the latex shirt with its missing buttons and the collar made certain people did!

She wanted to yell at Noah, but she knew he would only laugh at her, and doing so would attract more attention to her predicament. The best option for her was to become a wallflower.

"That collar, did Kitten make her roll already?" asked Liliana.

"No, Bunny." smiled Noah. "Erica, and you can now use her name, gave up on the game, so she's not constrained by any rules anymore. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't train my slave girl to my satisfaction."

"You gave up?" asked Liliana with utter stupefaction.

"Yes. let's talk about it later, Bunny, when we'll be alone." sighed Erica.

"Fine."

"Ruo Ruo decided to play a similar game, so you won't be alone having to follow rules, Sweet Bunny. And speaking about rules, today is an odd day."

"I know, My Lord." blushed Liliana as she took her dice from a pocket and threw them on the table.

"5 and 4. Double Rules, Orgasm Training, and Ownership Progression." announced Hikari. "Orgasm training Lvl 2: You must edge at least twice every day, and orgasm at least once. Ownership Progression Lvl 2, wear a locked collar at all times."

"Huh..." squeaked Liliana, her face going red. From her perspective, today's rules were very bad. She felt so embarrassed she wanted for the floor to swallow her.

Noah smiled as he stood, and created a collar identical to Erica's, aside from the color being black and blue.

"Lift your hair, Bunny. This will look great on you."

Liliana reluctantly did as he told her, and a tear of humiliation almost escaped her as she felt the snug neoprene-lined collar snug on her neck.

She failed to notice Karen taking pictures on the side with an entranced expression.

Noah hugged her gently and kissed her, before talking with a low, gentle voice.

"It will be okay. You will get used to it."

Liliana took a deep breath and calmed herself before making a reluctant nod. His voice had an almost hypnotic quality to it, and she believed him.

She sat down, reaching for a waffle, and everyone around the table was tactful enough to change the subject immediately.

The conversation turned to Aki's sister, and as if a signal had been given, Aki came down the stairs, followed by her older sister Mai, whose long black hair were still a little damp from her shower. She had them styled in a hime cut and wore the College's uniform.

"Hi, everyone." said Aki. "For those who haven't met her yesterday, this is my elder sister Mai."

Aki's expression and voice were a little stiff, as Shuiruo warned him. Mai smiled and nodded.

"Good day, everyone. It seems my sister has many friends."

"She has." smiled Noah as he gestured to the end of the table that still had empty plates and seats. "I am Noah Enfield. It's nice to meet you."

"I heard your name a few times, even before you saved my useless sister. That you were the one guy who can rival Eve, among other things." shrugged

Aki winced at Mia's merciless words, and Noah frowned.

"Aki is a brave and kind girl, and that's plenty enough, as far as I'm concerned. Call her useless again, and you get a spanking."

"Oh?" smirked Mai, amused by the threat. "Could it be that you have the hots for her."

"That is correct. Why do you seem to despise her?"

"Hum, I like men who aren't shy about making what they want clear." nodded Mai with a small smile before shrugging. "That's not contempt, just indifference. Aki and I were raised separately, so we don't share a sisterly bond. But it would have been a stain to the name we share if she had died as being just someone else's underling. As long as she's alive, there's at least a chance she'll grow and become independent like me. So I'm thankful that you saved her, at least."

Noah observed Mai thoughtfully. He could tell that Mai was a bit of a tsundere when she said that she didn't care about Aki. There was something there. Maybe some regret or longing, over that sisterly bond that never was.

Aki beside Mai sat silently, her eyes lowered.

"I see." sighed Noah. "So, you're independent and not working for anyone?"

"I'm a mercenary. I have clients, but I'm independent." replied Mai.

"A mercenary?"

"It's nothing strange. A lot of alumni from the College work as mercenaries." nodded Mai.

"What kind of jobs do you specialize in?" asked Rikka.

"…Mostly, I collect information, and I relocate objects."

"...Stealing?" exclaimed Rikka.

"That's a rude way to phrase it! Don't lump me with morons who rob banks or elderly people!" retorted Mai. "It's just, when there's this or that CEO guy that does shady stuff behind the scenes, one of their competitors may ask me to find something that will get them in trouble, like grabbing some corporate secrets or planting evidence where someone will find it, or maybe find if he has a Mistress I can expose to his wife, that kind of work…"

"A bit of a spy, and a bit of a private investigator, then?" suggested Noah.

"Yeah, that's a better way to describe what I do." nodded Mai.

"Have you ever worked for Long Tian Yun? He and I currently are in conflict." asked Noah.

"Ah? Heck no! Screw that guy! I heard of him." replied Mai, her disgust visible. "He's the kind of employer that will stiff you the instant he thinks he won't need you anymore. I only work for a handful of reliable clients."

In reality, Mai only worked for a single one, but she didn't want Noah to grow interested in learning about Su Enxi, and since one was technically part of 'a handful' in Mai's mind, her response didn't trigger Noah's lie detection ability.

"I see." nodded Noah, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And I assume one of your clients gave you a mission that is related to me."

Mai's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think that? Isn't that very arrogant of you, to think everything that happens is somehow centered around you?"

"It would be, if it weren't true." smiled Noah. They stared at each other for long seconds, until Mai sighed, looking annoyed.

"Alright. I may or may not have been asked to learn more about you. But there's no harm in it, right? I'm not going to try to pry under your bed or anything. And I won't say anything about my client."

"Yes, I can respect that." nodded Noah.

"So, what is the place you comes from like? Do you have any memory of it? Spirits said they had amnesia when asked about it, but I always wondered if it was real or just an excuse."

"I can't talk for the others, but I have no amnesia. If we're speaking about the world I was born into, it would be a lot like this world would have been if the Sacred Beasts never came, bringing magic with them. With the same advantages and problems that you can expect to find in a modern world."

"If you want to know about the worlds I visited before coming to this one, however, it gets more interesting. I have met many kinds of supernatural existences, from Death Reapers to Fallen Angels…"

For a few minutes, Noah spoke about some of the things he had seen in other worlds. He was careful, however, not to reveal any of the abilities he had not used in this world yet and didn't mention his harem or his role as a Champion.

When he stopped, he watched Mai quietly, and she just stared back. She looked like she had carefully memorized everything he said, but she kept a poker face.

"Alright. Thanks for telling me." finally nodded Mai, standing. "I need to go to the restroom, then I'll get my suitcase and leave. I can get the 9am train if I leave within ten minutes. Thank you for letting me crash in for the night."

"You're welcome. Feel free to visit again, Mai." nodded Noah.

Mai returned upstairs, and Noah smiled at Aki.

"Don't listen to her, Aki. You're a great person, and I'm happy that you joined us."

"Thank you." sighed Aki. "She isn't completely wrong, though. I'm not as strong as she is."

"Once you share my abilities, you will leave her in the dust." shrugged Noah as he picked up a waffle and spread hot, melted chocolate on it.

As the girls talked to each other, Noah kept observing Mai using Promise. She did go to one of the restrooms and used it. However, when she was done, she didn't immediately return to her room. instead, she carefully listened to the sounds they made from the hallway, smiled thinly, and silently walked to Noah's room, entering inside. She headed to the window, unlocked it, and left the room before returning to her own.

It had only taken her ten seconds, and if Noah hadn't known about her hidden weapons, he wouldn't have bothered to keep her under watch, and she would have gotten away with it.

Mai descended the stairs, suitcase in hand, waved them goodbye, and left.

"Who do you think her employer is, Noah?" asked Erica.

"I don't know. It could be an information broker, a wealthy CEO, just about anyone with means. At least, she was honest when she said that she doesn't work for Long Tian Yun." shrugged Noah.

He kept track of her as Mai headed for the train station.

"I'm going to connect to Mystic Moon." nodded Erica. "I'm probably within the top 30, if I judge from the number of points the first ten have, but I won't remain in it if I delay."

"Yes, good luck." smiled Noah. "I'll do the same."

Noah and the girls all moved to the room they had furnished with comfortable armchairs, and the girls logged in Mystic Moon. Noah, however, only sat, eyes closed, still observing Mai. Unlocking his window could only mean one thing, and he wasn't surprised when Mai entered the train station's restroom, opened the false bottom of her suitcase, then stripped to her underwear and put on the black and copper leather bodysuit. She fastened the holster holding her gun and Kodachi around her waist, and opened her mouth to mutter something.

Then, she and her suitcase became invisible.

Noah frowned, realizing Mai must have used one of the Yanling magic spells he hadn't bothered to learn, as it was redundant with his Light Runes. Spell 69, Hell's Light. From what he remembered of its description, it made its user and everyone else within a two meters radius invisible if they didn't move, and only manifested some quickly dissipating black smoke when they moved quickly.

Noah would still easily locate her even if she moved, as his Promise was more than just a visual input from some invisible camera he could move at will. If it had been the case, he would never have detected that dragon guardian in the Lake's dark waters. Promise also included a degree of omniscient awareness of everything within its observation range, and he could still perceive her, moving or not.

Mai headed back toward Valhalla's dorm with a brisk pace, pausing at times when school students were near to avoid detection from the faint black smoke the spell left behind. She circled around the dorm, hid her suitcase under a bush, and carefully approached one of the windows where Noah and the girls were.

Satisfied that they were all logged inside Mystic Moon, she moved away from the window, located the one on the second floor corresponding to Noah's room, and with the agility of a parkour expert, climbed to it. She pushed the window open and entered Noah's room.

Noah sighed as he stood and quietly left the girls. When Arianna saw him, Noah immediately put his finger to his mouth, signaling for her to keep quiet, and she nodded, confused.

Noah used his flying magic to go upstairs without making a noise, then silently walked toward his room, watching as Mai was searching his room, minimizing the noises she made as she opened and closed drawers.

When he was four meters from his door, Mai froze a the fraction of a second before silently closing the drawer and swiftly walking to the nearest room corner, her face tense.

Noah wondered just how sharp her hearing must be, as his steps had made almost no noise.

He entered his bedroom, closed the door behind him. He then looked straight at her and smirked.

"I know I told you that you could visit again, but you really should use the door next time."

Mai's face twitched in shock as she wondered for an instant if he was guessing or really could see her, but his words were far too specific for it to be a guess, and her hands slowly drifted toward her weapons.

"I wouldn't to that if I were you." added Noah.

"…Blazing Sun." muttered Mai, using the strange, deep and warped voice that Yanling users adopted when casting spells, and Mai produced an intense white light detonating like a flashbang. Unaffected by her own spell, she dashed for the window, but Noah, already recovering and using more than his eyes, intercepted her before she reached it, grabbing her right wrist, making her lose her balance, and tackling her to the ground. He took her left wrist before she could reach her sword, secured her wrist behind her back with one hand, and pinned her with a knee.

"Wanting to leave already? But you just came back!"

"Damn it! How did you even know?" asked Mai as she struggled.

"…Surely you noticed that I remained vague about the abilities I possess when I spoke earlier." grinned Noah as he engraved a Stop rune on the back of her right hand, sealing her ability to use Yanling magic.

"So, we can do it the easy way, or the hard way. You can tell me who you work for and what you really came here for, and I may just let you go. Or you can be stubborn, and I'll make your life very unpleasant until you talk."

"You won't get anything from me!" snorted Mai. "I have trained to resist interrogation techniques. Even a truth serum won't make me talk. Besides, are you really going to torture Aki's sister?"

"The hard way it is, then." nodded Noah, secretly quite pleased. He took from his inventory a pair of police handcuffs and put them on Mai, helped her stand, then slipped a black leather blindfold over her eyes.

Before she could protest, he took his Sanctuary, already having a full charge, and brought her inside with him, directly into the basement.

"Huh? What happened?" asked Mai, somehow sensing the change.

Noah didn't answer and undid the fasteners of her holster, taking her weapons away.

"You look great in that bodysuit or yours, Mai, but it's in the way. Do not move." said Noah, taking the zipper's pull against her throat and slowly pulling it down.

"Hey!" exclaimed Mai, shocked. "torture is one thing, but what you're suggesting is another! I'll have an endless grudge against you if you do anything perverted!"

"By the time I'm done with you, Mai, you will want me to." shrugged Noah, opening her bodysuit up to her navel. He slid it off her shoulders, fully revealing the white satin bra she wore.

"Ah! You think you'll break me by raping me? Go ahead, if you dare! I'll take revenge tenfold later! I'll violate your butthole with the biggest dildo money can buy! No, I'll pay someone to make an extra-extra-large one just for you!" growled Mai.

"What a lovely threat." snorted Noah as he moved behind her, creating thick, padded black leather cuffs, and fastening the first one just above right elbow. He closed the other above her left elbow, then connected the two with a padlock, forcing her elbows close to each other behind her back.

As Noah removed the handcuffs and pulled her bodysuit further down to hips level, getting her arms free of it, he estimated that as a trained Ninja, Mai might be able to pull tricks like breaking her thumbs to slip through cuffs. It wouldn't work if Noah added the self-sizing enhancement to his restraints, but he didn't want her to even try. So, he created a pair of leather mittens that would not only bind her wrists together but also rob her of her fingers.

Mai didn't cooperate, but with blindfolded, and with her elbows already bound, she just couldn't win, and soon enough, her fingers were closed into fists, covered by tight leather. Noah used another padlock to link the two mittens together.

He pulled her bodysuit down completely.

"Please lift one of your foot, Mai."

"No." snorted Mai.

*SMACK*

Noah gave her a hard spank, and she yelped, jumping into the air. She would have lost her balance if Noah hadn't held her.

"You ass!" shouted Mai, fuming.

"You're going to have a nice handprint before long, Mai. It seems you don't understand the situation. You have no power here. You either do as I tell you immediately, or you do it after I punish you enough for you to change your mind. Now lift one foot, or you will have more handprints decorating that nice butt of yours."

"You fucking scum! Pervert! Scumbag! Asshole!" growled Mai.

But as Noah was lifting his arm again, she lifted her left foot.

"Good." nodded Noah, satisfied. As expected, he could at least obtain minor compliance through the threat of pain and humiliation. "I could have just cut that suit off your body, you know? Just like… this."

Noah pulled on both her bra and panties, getting some room to cut them with small Light blades. It was over before she could react.

"Do not worry, Mai. I am not going to rape you. Well, not quite. You are going to ask for it."

"…You piece of shit." replied Mai with a calm tone. She was beyond furious by now.

Noah created a chastity bra, made of naked steel lined with black rubber, and locked it around her with a padlock between her breasts. Next was a steel chastity belt with two inserts. The back one was shaped like a series of pearls of increasing diameter, and the front one was shaped like a classic vibrator, with a large number of warts. He coated both with a generous amount of lubricant before fastening the top of the belt around her waist.

"You're not going to like what happens next, Mai, but you don't have a choice. You'll feel something pressing against your anus. Try to relax your sphincter."

"What are you going to do?" gasped Mai.

Noah didn't answer and guided the insert, applying gradual pressure. Mai resisted and squirmed, but she could stop the gradual invasion of her butthole. When it was half-way in, Noah positioned the front vibrator, and Mai gasped again.

Noah gradually pushed both upward until they were fully in and locked the belt with another padlock. The belt adjusted itself to fit her perfectly.

Satisfied, Noah created the last item he wanted her to wear. A penis gag, of moderate width and girth. It would fill her mouth without risking triggering her gag reflex. The last thing he wanted was for her to drown in her own vomit.

Although, if it did happen, he would simply revive her.

"Please open your mouth wide, Mai."

Mai clamped her jaw shut.

*SMACK*

He spanked her again.

"AWWW!! You won't get away with mphhh!"

Noah, with impeccable timing, shoved the rubber cock between her lips and pulled on the ends of the strap, pressing the gag's leather panels against her lips and cheeks before fastening it close and locking it.

Noah removed her blindfold, and Mai blinked for a few seconds, then stared at her surroundings, full of bondage furniture, restraints, and sex toys.

"mpheph harm phi?" asked Mai, her face going pale.

"In a dimensional pocket, in my portable dungeon, so to speak." shrugged Noah. "No one will even know where you are. Don't expect your client to be able to reach you."

"Here is what is going to happen, Mai. In a minute, the bra and belt will both become active, and they will drive you to an orgasm which they will measure as your baseline. After that, they will edge you endlessly."

"At some point, you will really want for it to stop, really want the orgasms they will deny you. When you reach that point, all you have to do is beg me to collar you, to take you in as my sex slave."

"Mphepher!" shouted Mai defiantly, but Noah could already see the doubt and horror creeping in her gaze.

"When you do and receive your collar, I will have sex with you and give you the orgasm you craved. But I will not stop. I will give you orgasm after orgasm, until you faint from the pleasure. Then I will use another ability of mine to invade your dreams and keep fucking you, over and over and over. And when I grow tired of it, you will still be filled with toys giving you more orgasms. You will have no escape, only a few short reprieves for me to keep you fed and hydrated."

"Only after you become addicted to the pleasure, only after you break and fully accept your place as my bound plaything, will you get to rest. By that point, you will tell me all about your clients, not because I am threatening you, but because you will want to please me. And I will keep you as my sex pet for the rest of your life."

Noah took his smartphone, started an app that had been in there since shortly after he came out of his two years inside Sword Art Online, and synced it to the chastity set he had just made. He taped a few options, and Mai flinched as vibrators around her nipples, as well as the two inserts, started humming and moving slightly.

"Now, I am going to leave you for a while. If you made a mess of my dungeon by the time I return, your bondage will increase. I will tie you down to one of these pieces of furniture, and the blindfold will return. Do you understand?"

Mai tried to kick him, but he only grabbed her leg, shook his head with a slightly fed up expression, and added black leather cuffs around her ankles, linked by a twenty centimeters chain, and locked the door of the dungeon.

"See you later." smiled Noah as he left the Sanctuary.

Since it currently ran with a time flow forty times faster than normal, he would need to return within five minutes to give her water, as hours would have passed for her.

Noah sighed as he left his room. He was going to gain another pretty girl as a slave, and one with some useful knowledge about this world's underground, but he wouldn't have time to connect to Mystic Moon until Mai submitted, and he winced as he imagined how much the gap between him and Eve would grow.

In order to not waste too much time, he would mark her with a Thrall Crest at the first opportunity and would give her the Crest's inherent Bondage Bunny curse, making her love being bound. And if that wasn't enough, once the curse's effect took hold and became part of her, he would replace that curse with another, making her a masochist or giving her a defeat fetish or a craving for praise.

Noah walked down the stairs and found Arianna and Karen.

"We can talk, Arianna." nodded Noah as he saw her hesitation.

"Did something happen, Noah-sama?" asked Arianna.

"Yes. Mai had unlocked my bedroom's window before leaving and cast that invisibility Yanling spell to return and search my room, while she believed we were all connected to Mystic Moon. I caught her in the act, overpowered her, and brought her to my Sanctuary, where I will slowly interrogate her to learn more about her motives and her client."

"So you won't see me for most of the day, maybe more." shrugged Noah. "If I am really needed, you will find me in the basement."

Noah had previously taught them how to enter and leave the Sanctuary, but they had never entered its basement.

"Understood, Noah-sama." nodded Arianna. "Should we inform Aki-sama?"

"No. I will tell her when this is done."

"Understood."

Noah nodded to them with a smile and left the dorm to grab Mai's suitcase. He tried her smartphone, thinking her text history and contact list might reveal clues about her employer, but unsurprisingly, it was password-protected. Noah put the phone in his inventory. Mai would unlock it for him soon enough.

Noah set the sanctuary on a shelf and entered it.

As expected, Mai was panting and groaning miserably, her body covered by a thin layer of sweat. Her juices ran down her tights, and she glared at him. She was sitting on the edge of the bondage bench.

"I see you haven't made a mess, aside from some fluids on the ground, but that's okay. Do you want some water?" asked Noah.

Mai eyed him suspiciously, perhaps wondering if there would be poison or aphrodisiacs in the water, assuming he wasn't just mocking her.

But she was thirsty and she would have to drink at some point, so she reluctantly nodded.

Noah walked behind her, unfastened the gag's strap, and slowly extracted the rubber penis from her mouth.

"Here." smiled Noah, suddenly holding a large glass filled with a clear liquid and a straw.

Noah almost laughed at the funny face she made as she tried to glare at him while drinking from the straw.

When the glass was empty, Noah put it back in his inventory and comfortably sat on a padded chair, watching her.

When Mai opened her mouth, no doubt to swear at him, he forestalled her with a raised hand.

"If you refrain from insulting me, I will leave you ungagged."

Mai glared at him, then looked away, not wanting for him to watch her. She was so, so close… and they stopped.

Mai couldn't completely stifle a low groan of disappointment and need.

This bra and this belt were pure evil. She had already experienced their three modes several times. They stimulated her constantly at an average intensity, keeping her close to the edge for a long time. Or they varied their output at random, low most of the time, but with spikes of intense activity. Or, they went at their maximum intensity, quickly bringing her to the point where she could feel an orgasm start to build, but then would completely stop.

She glared at him, and he smiled back.

"I have been doing this for a long time, Mai, and hundreds of women have gone through my hands. I am not even exaggerating on the number. And if there are two things I learned, it is that everyone has a breaking point, and that pleasure is harder to resist than pain, more insidious. You will break. It's not a question of if, but of when. Do yourself a favor and accept it quickly. Once you fall, I will treat you well. I keep my slaves on a very loose leash."

"I'm not… like them!" gasped Mai.

Noah only shrugged. She wasn't the first to make that claim, and she wouldn't be the last.