Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

I sent Shelly a message to send us a list of what he needed.

Oz, Ren, Shelly, Astrid, and Rix were all staying behind while everyone else piled in the RV with Gesai. I sat down in the booth while Aelin argued with Gesai over who was going to drive.

Ether sat next to me while Justia sat across from me. Zel slid in beside Justia before Fray or Jen could sit down, so Ether scooted closer to me so that Fray could sit next to her.

"Is Mister Vowler always…" Zel had changed out of her adventurer armor and was wearing a simple set of jeans and shirt. It was a lot less flashy than I had expected her to wear considering how dressed up her parents had been. "Intense?"

"It grows on you." I looked at Justia. "We haven't had much time to talk in a while, how've things been? Sorry about stealing Aelin for the last week."

"I understand why you did it." There was a hint of frustration in her voice. "And while I'm okay with it, I still would have liked to be asked if I was okay with it."

Zel looked between us. "What's going on?"

Jen leaned on the back of the booth between her and Justia. "Atlas wanted to sneak into the Dungeon to farm floor bosses so he could get a ring drop to give to Oz." She put her hand on Zel's shoulder, "Which is so romantic…" The Caster looked at her bare hand and held it up, "Though he hasn't asked me to join his harem yet, so I'm not sure how much of a romantic he really is. Anyway, he needed a team that could clear the bosses fast, so he took Ether, Oz, Ren, and Aelin into the dungeon with him…" She stopped when she saw the confusion on Zel's face. "Aelin is with Justia, the others are his harem. Atlas didn't ask if Justia was okay with Atlas borrowing Aelin, then they got in trouble for sneaking off and had to do special training as punishment, which meant that except for last night and today, Justia's been separated from her love."

I was starting to get used to the stunned and confused look on Zel's face. "Jen…"

"So you're not looking to build relations with the families?" Zel wasn't looking anywhere specific.

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"Why do you say that?" I looked at Zel, but she was still stunned by whatever it was that was so shocking. I turned to Justia, "What am I missing?"

"You're now the heir to the Vowler name and all the wealth and resources that Trent possesses." Justia nodded at Ether. "But there's only one heir, which means that there's only going to be one wife that has control of everything. The rest will be taken care of, but for Nobility, the mother of the heir is the one that shares a portion of that power with. Which is why waning houses try to pair their 'extra' children out to other heirs in order to funnel some of those resources back into the main family branch somehow." She looked at the woman sitting next to her. "Which is what I'm guessing her family's plan was."

Jen leaned forward so she could look at Zel's face. "So not a fan of joining the harem since the prime spot has been taken?"

"I'll do it!" Zel snapped out of her trance and tried to stand up, which only banged her thighs against the underside of the table. She sat back down and tried to wipe the embarrassment off of her face. "I'll join his harem as one of the extras if that's what it takes to join the team."

"If that…" I pointed at Jen. "No. I already went through this with Aelin and Fray." I looked back at Zel. "Look, joining isn't a prerequisite, because if it was, then Jovena would have been added to the team instead of Shelly and we wouldn't even be having this conversation." I looked at Ether, then Justia for help.

"What he's saying is that he's not going to add you unless it's something you both want. Not something that you're okay with." Justia looked at Jen. "Which is why she teases him about not having a ring, but you'll notice that she's never asked for one." The green woman smiled. "And despite there never being a chance for something to happen between us, he's already pledged his support as if something had."

"Wh… Huh?" Zel looked very confused.

"She's with Aelin." Jen motioned towards the driver.

"Oh. OH!" Zel's eyes widened. "You're an heir and you're with…" She stole a glance at the front, "Her?"

"I'll probably have to choose an heir from one of the other family branches, but yes." Justia looked at me and smiled. "He's helped me to start feeling safe, which is something that I never thought would be possible."

"That's so…" Zel shook her head. "Different."

I smiled, "Maybe it's because I wasn't raised as a Noble, so I have a different view on things. Or maybe I'm just a revolutionary."

The silver woman started to say something, but the RV stopped and Aelin stood up.

"IT'S TIME TO GO SHOPPING!"