"This is my sister, Verdandi."

In the inn room, Albel introduced Verdandi to Alicia and Alusa.

"Hey there!"

Verdandi smiled and waved at the two girls. Not a trace of the little devil who had tormented Bessarius earlier showed on her face.

"Hello."

Alusa nodded, a pure, innocent smile spreading across her face. She hadn’t expected Albel to have such a pretty, adorable sister.

"Hmm..."

Alicia had already met Verdandi earlier—right when Albel had been taking liberties with her. Her cheeks were still flushed; it always gave her that awkward "meeting the parents" feeling.

"Bro, which one is the sister-in-law you picked for Vera... mmph..."

Verdandi turned her head to look at Albel, blinking. Both girls were stunningly beautiful, but she couldn’t tell which was the Holy Maiden Albel had mentioned before.

"Vera!"

Albel quickly covered Verdandi’s mouth and pulled her aside, whispering urgently.

"We’re not official yet. Don’t go blurting that out."

Albel worried Alusa might change her opinion of him. He needed to warn Verdandi—he wanted to take both girls home, after all.

"Bro, you’re so greedy."

Verdandi pouted. Her sharp eyes had already seen right through Albel’s thoughts.

"Well, a guy’s gotta have dreams, right?"

Albel scratched his head awkwardly. Who’d ever complain about having too many cute wives?

"Fine, Vera won’t interfere. Do whatever you want, Bro. When are we heading home?"

Verdandi shrugged. She knew Albel’s nature too well to argue. As long as he didn’t neglect her for others, she’d stay out of it.

"Uh, we’ll wait a bit longer."

Albel stole a glance at Alusa. Alicia seemed to have stopped resisting him, but he hadn’t cleared the air with Alusa yet. He needed the perfect moment.

"Bro Bessarius says: if you want it, take it. If they refuse, grab it."

Verdandi said it casually, like stating a fact.

"Some things can’t be forced. Don’t treat Bessarius’s words like gospel. Do you really think I’d stoop to his level?"

Albel rolled his eyes. Typical—his sister even quoted the same lines.

"Hmm, true. Your standards are even lower than his."

Verdandi nodded firmly.

"Alright, alright, Vera. Be a good girl and go play somewhere. Give me time—I’ll bring them both home. Don’t you trust your big brother’s skills?"

Albel ruffled Verdandi’s hair and puffed out his chest, brimming with confidence.

"Tch. You’re the least trustworthy person in this world, Bro. I won’t get in your way. But behave yourself. If you cause trouble, Vera won’t bail you out."

Verdandi pursed her lips. Her body dissolved into thin air, vanishing before Albel’s eyes.

Damn. With a sister this considerate, life’s worth living.

Albel felt tears of gratitude welling up.

"G-gone?"

Alicia stared at the spot where Verdandi had stood, disbelief written all over her face. Are all the Albel family members monsters?

"Al, what were you talking about earlier? I heard something about ‘sister-in-law’... and where did Vera go?"

Alusa asked, utterly confused. Her pure heart hadn’t grasped Verdandi’s meaning at all.

"Uh, Vera had urgent business. She left first. S-so... what should we do next?"

Albel scratched his head, relieved Alusa was so innocent. Otherwise, he’d have been caught red-handed.

Albel’s current plan: team up with Alusa on quests to build shared memories, boost her affection, and seize his chance later.

He’d call it the "Alusa Conquest Plan."

*Knock knock knock!*

Before Alusa could reply, the room door rattled under sharp knocks from outside.

"Yurei Amamiya?"

Albel stood near the door and opened it. There stood Yurei Amamiya, the black-haired katana girl.

"Can I come in...? Actually, this might not be the best time."

Yurei clearly had something to tell Albel, but seeing Alicia and Alusa inside, she hesitated, ready to leave.

"Uh, what do you need?"

Two days had passed since the Demon Tide and Arachne incident. Albel hadn’t seen Yurei—or Shenluo World—since that night.

"Can we talk privately?"

Yurei paused, then spoke again.

"Sure. Give me a sec."

Reading Yurei’s expression, Albel guessed she had urgent news but couldn’t share it in front of the others.

He nodded, stepped back into the room to brief Alicia and Alusa quickly, then closed the door. He followed Yurei to the corridor’s end—a quiet windowsill spot rarely visited.

"Alright. What’s up?"

Yurei stayed silent too long, so Albel prompted her.

"The young mistress needs your help."

Yurei finally spoke.

"Help?"

Albel blinked. This probably meant trouble.

"Yes. She wants you to find a material called Crystal Grass. It’s vital to her. Name your price—anything."

Yurei nodded.

Albel frowned. Of course it sounded troublesome. If it weren’t, why offer unlimited rewards?

"Anything at all?"

Albel decided to test the katana girl, pressing for confirmation.

"Correct."

"Then I want you."

Albel crossed his arms, looking down at the petite black-haired girl. He was curious—just how far would a loyal guard go for her master?

"If the young mistress agrees, I have no objections."

Yurei’s face flickered with surprise before settling back into its usual blank mask.

"You really are devoted."

Albel was impressed. Yurei’s loyalty to Shenluo World ran deep.

"Without the young mistress, I wouldn’t exist. So—will you help her?"

Yurei shook her head, focused only on Albel’s answer.

Albel hesitated. Should he take this job? She’d promised any reward, but what he truly wanted was a harem of beauties. Would she actually give that? Unlikely. Quests were such a hassle—better to keep bonding with Alicia and Alusa.

Wait—if Shenluo World really offered Yurei as payment, that’d be a shortcut. One step closer to his dream harem.

And if Shenluo World and Yurei were like sisters... two birds with one stone?

No, no. Things that good never happen.

Albel crushed the thought. The odds were lower than winning the lottery.

Uh, what was "lottery" again?

"Why me? With Miss Shinra’s wealth, hiring top-tier bounty hunters should be easy."

Albel asked carefully. He wasn’t dumb enough to chase fantasies.

"Crystal Grass grows deep in the abandoned mines west of Rainhall City. It’s a plant infused with ore minerals. Normally, the strongest monsters there were ten-star level. But recently, a black dragon flew in—sixteen-star level. No bounty hunter dares take the job. You’re the only one the young mistress could think of."

Yurei sighed.

"Even you couldn’t beat a sixteen-star dragon. So..."

"Hold on. A black dragon?"

Albel narrowed his eyes, cutting her off.

"Yes. A black dragon named Bahamut."

Yurei nodded. She’d checked its stats from hunters who’d seen it: sixteen-star overall level, with attack and defense stats hitting two hundred thousand each.

Even Albel, with his evasion and counter skills, probably couldn’t win. That’s what Yurei thought.

"Fine. I’ll help."

Albel had been hesitant, but hearing "Bahamut" sealed it. He had a score to settle with that beast.

"Y-you agree?"

A rare flicker of shock broke Yurei’s calm facade.

"Yep. I agree."

Albel nodded firmly. He always repaid debts tenfold. Letting someone get away with screwing him over? Not his style.

"But that dragon..."

Yurei worried. She’d never seen Albel’s full stats. Doubt gnawed at her—could he really win?

"Don’t worry. Just tell Shenluo World this..."

Albel leaned close, whispering in Yurei’s ear. The ever-composed girl’s cheeks flushed crimson, as if about to drip water.

"The young mistress would never agree to that!"

Yurei shouted after Albel’s retreating back, her voice thick with shame and anger.

"We’ll see."

Albel waved without turning, opening the room door and stepping inside.

"Al, who was that woman?"

The moment he entered, Alicia cornered him against the wall, glaring like an interrogator.

Panic gripped her. Was Albel chasing someone new? If he found another girl, would he abandon her?

Albel finds new love → I get dumped → sustainable future ruined → handed to demon minions → end up as their plaything.

Alicia shuddered. For her future’s sake, she had to protect her place.