Harem-Powered Kingdom Building: Empire of Carnal Sin

With Starius and his exploration party finally departed, it was time for Hiro to get on with his business.

First, let's see what Tara is doing.

Using [Inspect Sense], Hiro saw that Tara was playing with Timmy - Rhonia and the lumberjack's young son. From their conversation, Hiro could tell that Timmy was showing signs of becoming a Starius fanboy. It looked like the Hero's story the previous evening had awakened something within him.

Naturally, Hiro did not care about that. What he did care about though was…

Good job keeping Tara occupied, Timmy. You're already my hero.

After determining that Tara was unlikely to disturb him, Hiro got up from his chair and exited the military pavilion styled white tent.

The rain had relented more than an hour ago.

The morning sunlight filtered through the cloudy sky of the Desolate Lands, casting weak shadows across the settlement as he made his way through the bustling activities of his citizens. Knowing that constructing a Temple was the highest priority, everyone moved with a sense of purpose.

Since the Temple would contribute greatly to their personal safety, it could be said that they were very enthusiastic about this project.

The reasoning behind their belief was also fairly obvious.

Yes, the Desolate Lands was known as a Land of No Return… but this was the first time a proper Realm was established here. This meant, this would be the first time a Temple, and a Safe Zone would potentially be erected here. And as long as they turtled inside the Safe Zone, wouldn't their chances of survival increase drastically?

Hiro was satisfied after noticing the optimism on the faces of his citizens. Very quickly, he arrived in front of his destination – the Refugee Arrival Station.

The Refugee Arrival Station stood out like a sore thumb among the wooden structures of the settlement. In fact, even to Hiro, the station looked like a piece of alien technology. Even back on Earth, he hadn't quite seen this kind of a construction.

In terms of design, it resembled a standard room which was approximately eight feet wide and eight feet long. But what stood out was the material with which it was made of. The station had a metallic surface which gleamed under the morning light, but even Hiro could not identify what sort metal, or alloy this was.

It is almost as if this belongs to a space-faring civilization, Hiro thought.

Such a structure obviously created an odd contrast with the rustic aesthetic of everything else around it.

The station's entrance looked like it was made of glass, but wasn't actually regular glass. The door opened and closed automatically for people who wanted to pass through it.

As Hiro approached the entrance, his thoughts drifted to the woman inside, the person responsible for manning the Refugee Arrival Station during daytime – Furina!

Throughout the morning, he'd caught glimpses of Furina glancing in his direction. Her eyes held a mixture of longing and confusion that hadn't escaped his notice. The effects of his [Ensnaring Touch] from two days ago were still clearly at work.

She wants me to continue what we started... but she's confused about why I'm holding back.

The memory of their interrupted encounter flashed through his mind—the way her body had responded to his touch, the soft gasps that had escaped her lips as his hands explored her curves. They'd been so close to crossing that line before Tara intervened.

Poor woman must be wondering why I'm keeping my distance from her.

Unfortunately, Furina had no idea about the deal he'd made with her daughter—that he wouldn't actively seduce her mother.

Hiro wasn't here to violate his deal with Tara. He was a man of his word. However, he was growing slightly impatient.

So, he wasn't here to seduce Furina. Instead, he was here to encourage her! Encourage her to take the initiative, that is.

HISS!

The station door opened automatically with a soft hiss, revealing the sterile interior beyond. Hiro stepped inside, his eyes immediately finding the figure seated at the reception.

***

Furina sat alone in one of the two comfortable chairs provided by the Refugee Arrival Station, her chocolate-brown hair catching the artificial light. She'd been staring at the arrival zone for what felt like hours, her mind wandering to places it shouldn't.

I'm not sure how I feel about this being my job. I guess the bright side is that I don't have to help with food preparation anymore…

Cooking for everyone in the settlement was obviously not an easy task. It was basically impossible for a single person to do it. Rhonia was the [Cook] of the settlement. Thankfully, she was also quite good at getting a lot of people to seamlessly coordinate in the kitchen.

She probably worked in a restaurant, or a communal kitchen before coming here. I never really had the opportunity to ask.

Furina began wondering if sitting in the Refugee Arrival Station all day long was really a good thing.

I'll have to work on something or the other for the whole day if I give up this position, but at least I'll have people to talk to.

Furina was slightly scared. Scared of becoming isolated. Of not having a friend group. Of her actions and reputation once again being controlled by Bob. And of living a life that was all too similar to her previous one.

And Lord Hiro...

Her heart clenched at the thought of him. Just two days ago, they'd been in such a compromising position. His hands on her body, his lips against hers, the promise of something more hanging thick in the air between them. But then, all of it vanished. As if it was nothing more than a dream.

I thought he would come for me. I wanted him to come for me.

Furina held no delusions about her desires. Two days was enough time for her to think about, and come to terms with what she truly wanted.

Was she being shameless? Yes.

Did she care? At this point, she was dangerously close to not caring at all. She had no idea how much longer should could hold herself back.

To her, Hiro wasn't just a handsome young man who could sexually satisfy her. He was also her key to a much brighter future.

If I wait too long, what if I lose my chance forever? Why did he not come for me? Is it because of Tara? Is it because I'm her mother?

The thought made her stomach twist. This wouldn't do. She had to have him.

Furina couldn't help such thoughts. Ever since his touch had awakened something inside her, she'd been unable to get him out of her head. The way he'd looked at her, the confident way he'd handled her body—it had been intoxicating. He made her feel things she didn't realize she was capable of feeling.

And just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, her fantasies…

HISS!

The station's door opened, and Furina's heart skipped a beat upon turning to see who had arrived. It was Hiro, standing in the doorway with that enigmatic smile that made her pulse quicken.

"Good morning, Furina," he said, stepping inside, the door closing behind him. "How are you holding up?"