Ascension of the Harem King : From Fugitive to Lord

The next morning, Zedd was busy washing his mouth. Even though he no longer needed food or water to survive, he still kept his mouth clean. Using a makeshift brush—a twig and some leaves—he scrubbed his teeth. For toothpaste, he had mashed up a few leaves to make a paste.

He thought to himself, I don't need to brush my teeth anymore, but bad breath is still disgusting.

The fire from the night before had long since burned out. Elara stirred first, followed by Reina.

Zedd turned to them, his voice slightly mocking. "Good morning, sleepyheads."

Both girls instantly covered their chests, and Elara shot him a sharp look. "What did you do to us?" she demanded. "Did you touch us? Assault us?"

Zedd raised an eyebrow. "I did nothing."

Elara's eyes widened with suspicion. "That's exactly what someone who did something would say!" she snapped.

Zedd's patience was wearing thin. "Don't question my decency, idiots. I could've left you two here, and most likely, you would've ended up as food for wild animals or sold into the slave market by some bandits. Or worse—killed."

Before the conversation could escalate further, he heard a soft stomach-churning sound. Zedd turned his attention to the girls. Both of them looked embarrassed—clearly hungry. He sighed. "You two want food?"

They nodded eagerly.

"Then find some for yourselves," Zedd said flatly.

Elara's jaw dropped. "We thought you were going to feed us like a gentleman!" she exclaimed.

Zedd smirked. "I have no food with me."

It was true. Thanks to his synthetic tissue, he didn't need food or water anymore, but he couldn't exactly tell them that.

Reina looked confused. "How will you travel without food, then?"

Zedd shrugged, uninterested. "Doesn't concern you. Go back to your village."

Elara and Reina puffed out their cheeks, exchanging innocent, puppy-dog eyes. Zedd sighed, clearly irritated. "Okay, okay. Relax. I'll get you some food."

He quickly washed his mouth, then reached under his cloak for two kunai. With a swift motion, he aimed them and threw them into the river. Splash! The kunai pierced two fish perfectly, pinning them to the tree on the opposite side of the riverbank.

Elara and Reina gaped, completely shocked by what they had just seen.

Zedd crossed to the other side, retrieved the kunai with the fish still attached, and brought them back to the fire.

"What are you staring at?" he asked flatly.

Reina stammered, "How… how did you—"

Zedd held up a hand, cutting her off. "I'm going to say this once: don't ask questions. Don't ask about me, my past, or how I did that. Got it?"

They nodded, both girls wide-eyed with awe.

He quickly set up a small fire and fried the fish, handing them over to the girls.

As they dug in, devouring the fish hungrily, they looked at him with questioning eyes. "Aren't you going to eat?" Reina asked.

Zedd shook his head. "No, I'm not hungry."

Which was true. But he couldn't exactly tell them why.

Elara and Reina, still eating, glanced up at him. "We want water," they said.

Zedd barely suppressed a smirk. "Go to the river and drink. It's right there."

The two girls looked at him, surprised by his bluntness, but he didn't care. They were on their own now.