In the east campus of the Olsylvia Academy, was the Doyle Hunting Grounds in the Olivia Wizard Academy. Many low-level demon beasts and demonic beings roamed this artificial patch of woods that was being used as a daily training ground for the students of the academy. On a typical day, students would often come here to train as the massive size of the woods provided ideal conditions for individual training.
Right now, everyone else was in the class. If they were to loiter elsewhere, it would attract the attention of the members of the Disciplinary Committee. Since Bella had planned to ask Natasha out on a date that week, it was probably best to maintain a good impression. Therefore, Bella decided to bring Kriss and Lolita here to relax for a bit.
Lolita was insistent on following Bella. The Darkness Attribute Loli was surprisingly clingy, even when compared to Mia, Angel, or Noesha. As Lolita’s abilities were far too powerful for Bella to commit any mischief on. In her heart, Bella felt a twinge of unhappiness in her heart as all she could do was stare at Lolita and salivate as she thought about all the things she could do to ravish her.
Once, Bella had taken the Dragon Binding Ropes from the Twelve Evil Demon Kings in an attempt to control Lolita, but it was completely useless against her. With a gentle pinch, the ropes had immediately shattered into pieces. The situation was similar to when Dark Creator Mystica had destroyed a divine artifact from this dimension right before Bella’s eyes.
At this point, Lolita had the strongest combat ability on Bella’s side. She had long surpassed the combat ability of the Six Abyss Demonic Kings and was Bella’s most powerful “bodyguard”. It would inexcusable if Bella didn’t bring her out for some fun.
The demonic beings in the Doyle Hunting Grounds mostly consisted of the two lower-level beings – Goblins and Demon Imps. As for demonic beasts, most of them were Grassland Demon Rats, which were F-Class low-level beings. However, there were no other typical low-level demonic beings such as Slimes as they had already been hunted into extinction on the human continent. Now they could only be found on continents inhabited by other races like the Demon Race and the Beast Race.
The main reason that led to the extinction of Slimes was that their sticky bodies were the perfect materials for Alchemists who wanted to create gold, and it was cheap as well. This led to the rampant hunting of Slimes which caused them to completely disappear from the human continent within a few years. Now, the Slime bodies used by the Alchemists were all imported from the Demon or Beast continents.
Goblins and Demon Imps were small in stature and often grew up to the size of a human child. They held weapons like wooden rods and tended to start smashing rocks when annoyed. In terms of combat abilities, even the F-Class demonic beasts could easily defeat them. Honestly, they were not much use for actual combat training and were only good for testing new moves and strategies.
Bella sat down on a flat rock, with Kriss leaning against her side. Both of them sat quietly and simply enjoyed each other’s companionship as though they had been friends for years. Behind them, Lolita had reclined against a tree and appeared to be resting. Next to her, was a disfigured mass of what used to be the Grassland Demon Rats who had probably died a horrible death.
As Bella had requested for Lolita not to use her terrifying crushing strength unless it’s the last resort, Lolita had obliged by using the most primitive way possible to destroy those demon rats. She simply used her innate brute strength to pummel each pathetic demonic beasts to their deaths.
Surrounding the trio, was a ring of Goblin and Demon Imp carcasses. These cannon fodders that had been tragically slaughtered by a Demon King who had no moral principles simply because they were in the way. For such low level unintelligent demonic beings, most Demon Kings would recruit them to use them as cannon fodders. However, to encounter a Demon King like Bella who had no qualms about annihilating them, it was definitely a first.
“Bella, Lolita is far too violent! To be honest I couldn’t bear to see these poor demonic beasts suffer!”
“That is just how Lolita is, there’s nothing strange about it. Just that you… Never mind, let’s not talk about such solemn topics anymore. It is so rare that we get to come out and enjoy, so let us chat about something more light-hearted instead!”
As Kriss was watching Lolita pummelling those low-level demonic beasts, there wasn’t an instance where there was an appreciative smile that flashed across her face. In that instant, Bella felt like Kriss had momentarily become a different person. Even though she looked like Kriss on the surface, but that ruthless expression was not something that belonged to her.
It was a pity that Kriss’ expression had quickly returned to her normal self as it had left Bella wondering how to broach the subject. Considering the fact that Kriss’ status was similar to Lisha, Bella guessed that the ruthless smile that she had seen earlier may have been caused by her hidden personality. She decided to let sleeping dogs lie and it was probably best to keep it to herself.
“Bella, recently you’ve been sneaking around with Elaine discussing who knows what and often returning to the hostel only in the wee hours. Sometimes, if you had gone out with Noreya, you don’t return until the next morning. Also, you and Ariel….”
“Hold on a moment. Kriss, the way you are behaving right now…. it’s almost like a girl who suspects that her boyfriend is cheating on her!”
“I don’t want to act this way either! Just that, watching your relationships grow more intimate, I do feel quite unhappy. Bella, tell me, what is wrong with me? Why am I acting so strangely?”
Bella wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and looked at Kriss with an awkward expression. She had never expected this little lass, despite not saying much, was far more insightful and observant than anyone else. As much as Bella wanted to tell Kriss that she was in love, but she could not. If they were any other heterosexual couple, Bella could have already been killed by an ax a long time ago.
The conversations between Bella and Elaine were all regarding incidents described in the forbidden book, “Olsylvia Academy’s Midnight Unbelievable Tales”. She had realized that Elaine was not afraid of such gory topics and was actually really intrigued. From then on, both of them had continued to hold their discussions in secret. Bella was afraid that such topics would make other girls uncomfortable and thus avoided talking about it with them.
When Bella and Noreya went on late-night field trips, they would sneak into St. Louis Church Academy to play forbidden games with President Maria and the four Holy Maidens. If Kriss had known about this, Bella doubted that Kriss would be as calm as she was right now.
As for that minx Ariel, it was after the time that they had kissed after Bella had mistaken her for someone else. From then on, she had been pestering Bella to take responsibility for her actions. However, every time Bella asked what “taking responsibility” would entail, Ariel would blush and run away. She had no idea what was going through Ariel’s mind. She was obviously intelligent, but would often drop the ball at the most crucial of times.
These were only the ones that Kriss had seen within the hostel. She had not figured out that Bella had secretly accumulated quite a large harem. This included President Maria, President Britney, the four Holy Maidens – Daisy, Sophie, Hayley and Sophia, her sisters Luce and Irene, the Assassin Lola, Swordswoman Ivy, Princess of the Golden Dragon Race Laceman as well as Demon World Princess Diaz. Other than that, Roland and Annie in Sarnia Duchy had shared a romp between the sheets with Bella as well.
Other than those girls that Bella had “slept” with, Bella had also shared some ambiguous and amorous relationships with many girls, which made things even more awkward. This was definitely the biggest challenge Bella had faced since arriving here in this Other World. She had always wanted to establish her own harem, which had been a secret desire of hers in her previous life. After arriving in this Other World, she now had the looks and figure to finally start building her harem. Otherwise, what a waste of beauty it would be!
“Kriss, do you dislike Lisha, Ariel, Elaine, and the others?”
“No way, Bella. Don’t be ridiculous, why would I even dislike them?!”
“That’s it then. Since you do not dislike them, it should not be any problem for all of us to live happily together in harmony! Kriss, you are absolutely remarkable. It wouldn’t do for you to dwell on such trivial matters.”
Bella began to carefully “sway” Kriss. This would determine if she would be successful in building her harem. Once she had convinced Kriss, it would make things so much easier. She was different from the others. Girls like President Maria and President Britney, Bella could easily dominate and ravish them to bring them over to her side where she would gradually build a relationship with them.
Just like Lolita, such tactics would not work on Kriss either. She was extremely powerful and potentially had a hidden split personality. The only way to obtain Kriss’ heart was to gradually break down her walls and convince her to accept the proposal to be a part of Bella’s harem.
“Something still does not seem quite right. Bella, you haven’t actually answered my question! I just feel that… Bella, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, ask me anything! I will never lie to you.”
Kriss’ face was flushed and she looked rather flustered. She leaned over and stopped as she was mere centimeters away. Bella was a little confused but she did not move a muscle as she silently waited for Kriss to speak. To her, this was not the first time she had spoken to another girl in such close proximity, and there was nothing to be nervous about.
“Bella, do you have a boyfriend? I mean someone whom you are seriously dating, not just a fling. Also, is there someone else that you like? Olsylvia Academy is practically filled with handsome boys. You don’t have a crush on anyone, do you?”
“Uh… Kriss, why the sudden question? You’ve only seen me spending time with girls, how could I have a boyfriend? Furthermore, I’m not even one of the Top Ten Academy Belles, do you think a boy would show any interest in me?!”
“Don’t change the subject. I’m asking you, yes or no. I don’t care what other boys think about you. All I want to know is what you truly feel in your heart! Give me a definite answer so I know how to manage my own strange thoughts!”
Kriss kept a straight face and asked Bella earnestly. If she was not blushing, it would be far more convincing. Bella stiffened, not knowing how to react. Based on her past impressions, Kriss had always been a mild-mannered lass. She did not expect to see such an aggressive side of her and was not used to it at all. In her mind, she was still frantically trying to think of the best way to answer Kriss’ questions.
While Bella was figuring out what Kriss’ motives were, there were a few figures hiding behind a nearby tree. Lisha, Elaine, Noreya, and Ariel were all anxiously waiting to hear Bella’s answer.
The commotion created by Bella and Lolita earlier had caused the Holy Magic Mentor Gilbert to lose all credibility in front of everyone. Once they had left, he hastily announced that the period was now a self-study class and fled the classroom as quickly as his feet could take him. More likely than not, he was headed to discuss strategies with the other “antiquated” old fogeys from the Olsylvia Academy.
Since there was no need to attend class anymore, Lisha and the others made use of the hubbub as a cover to sneak out. Out of curiosity about why Bella had made such plans with Kriss, the four had simultaneously decided to go take a closer look. With Noreya’s help, they quickly found the general location of where Bella and Kriss went on their date. Little did they know, the first thing they heard would be about boys who could have caught Bella’s eye. Now, they shared Kriss’ laser-like focus in finding out Bella’s reply.
“I do not like any boys, nor do I care if any of the boys were attracted to me. Kriss, I can assure you, in this lifetime, I would never fall for any man. I would never marry one either. This is my answer, hopefully, it resolves some of the doubt within your heart.”
Kriss quietly let out a sigh of relief after hearing Bella’s honest reply. If Bella really had a boy who she had liked, then she would bury the feelings she had for her, which was taboo, deep within her heart. Otherwise, if she were to hold on to her strange feelings, the guilt would be far too much for her to bear. Since Bella did not have feelings for any boy, she might even be able to bear her heart to her now.
Kriss was not the only one who had heaved a sigh of relief. Lisha, Ariel, Noreya, and Elaine now breathed a little easier. They did not know why they did it. Could it be that like Kriss, they harbored similar mysterious feelings for Bella as well?
Lolita had already noticed the few of them lurking in the shadows behind the tree but did not say anything to expose their location. Even though Lisha and the others were definitely powerful, and kept their abilities well hidden, they had no ill intentions towards Bella. On the other hand, they had the feelings so complex that momentarily stumped Lolita and thus she decided not to take any action against them.
“In that case, Bella, do you think… is it appropriate for girls to have feelings for other girls? Not just as a friend, or like a confidant. I am talking about feelings that are much more intense than that!”
“Wouldn’t that be even better?! Uh, apologies, it was a slip of the tongue. I mean, it doesn’t matter to me! If two people truly like each other, then gender should not be an issue, right? Eh, Kriss, why are you asking such a question? Could it be that you like…”
Before Bella could react any further, Kriss had thrust herself into Bella’s embrace. Both of them had hugged before, just that at the time, it was Bella who initiated it. To have Kriss take the initiative to hug her, it was a first! Bella’s hands hesitated slightly in mid-air but she eventually gave in to the embrace.
“Bella, I like you. From the time you saved me at the pond in that unnamed forest, I realized that I could never forget you. These past few months, I’ve been trying to dissuade myself from acknowledging my feelings. As both of us are girls, it would be nearly impossible for everyone to accept our relationship.”
“However, I can no longer keep deceiving my heart, I believe that my feelings are valid. Ever since you attended Olsylvia Academy, you have been surrounded by an increasing amount of beautiful young ladies and some of them are even comparable to me. I was afraid that if I remained silent, it would be too late by then. Bella, if you feel that my thoughts are too weird, please ignore what I am about to say!”
“Bella, I like you. Will you give me the honor of being your lover? I do not wish to conceal my feelings anymore!”
Bella was taken aback as she stared at Kriss. It was not her first confession. She had once shared such a moment with Lisha. However, back then, it was Bella who had professed her feelings. This time, it was Kriss who took a leap of faith and expressed her feelings. Bella was rather touched as Kriss had bravely made the first move despite not knowing if her feelings would ever be accepted. Just this courage alone was already worthy of Bella’s respect.
Kriss had no idea that Bella was a transmigrator. At a time where it had not been determined if this Other World was accepting of same-sex relationships, a girl who took the initiative and poured her heart out to profess her love was definitely someone that Bella should treasure and cherish.
The girls lurking behind a nearby tree were nervously watching the entire situation unfold. As the surroundings were rather quiet, there were no distinct sounds in the vicinity. Even though Kriss spoke softly, they could hear each word, loud and clear. Once the girls had heard that Kriss had professed her love for Bella, each of their expressions had immediately turned into an interesting expression.
Elaine was the most composed out of the four as she had not yet engaged in any physical interactions with Bella. However, the composure was relative. She had gripped the branch so hard that her knuckles had turned white. She had shared a complicated relationship with Bella. What if Bella had accepted Kriss’ feelings and was not able to spend time alone with any other girls anymore? What would happen to her then? She had no intention of losing her close friend and confidant.
Noreya and Ariel’s peculiar expressions were the most evident. They had both allowed Bella to kiss every inch of their bodies. For one of them, Bella had even taken her first kiss! It was obvious that they were here first. Why was it that Kriss could confess her feelings before they were able to? If Bella did not manage to placate the two ladies and relieve them of their doubts, there would be no lack of chaos within the harem.
Lisha had a rather interesting expression on her face. It was a show of inexplicable excitement. To her, if Elder Sister Bella was to accept Kriss’ feelings, then it would not be a problem for her to profess her love as well! Lisha had seen how Bella, Eldest Sister Irene, and the other girls had fooled around in bed. In her heart, it would be weird if Bella did not build her own harem. Bella truly had feelings for all those girls, it was not just for show to get them into bed.
Regardless of which path Elder Sister Bella would decide to take, Lisha’s status as a younger sister would not change. Out of all the girls around Bella, she was the most loyal one. She would not be like the other girls who would distance themselves if Bella chose to accept Kriss as her lover.
Bella was at a loss. She did not know how to react to Kriss’ heartfelt confession. Until now, she had yet to notice the four girls hidden in the shadows. Little did she know, her answer would directly affect the bonds between herself and these few important ladies in her harem.
