Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 377: Celia’s Offer

Isaac POV

In the end, the deal closed at forty gold coins.

Isaac felt the loss the moment the number settled in his mind.

It was not a small amount.

Across from him, Althea looked pleased. More than pleased, actually. She was smiling openly, the kind of smile that made it very clear who had won.

She enjoyed this moment far more than she expected.

For once, she had negotiated from a position of strength.

Until now, every exchange between them had ended with Isaac steering the terms, either through leverage or sheer inevitability. This time, he had needed something badly enough to compromise.

This feels good, she thought, watching him frown at the contract.

Maybe I should pressure him more in future trades.

He looks... kind of cute when he’s losing money.

The thought lingered for half a second too long.

Althea stiffened, color rushing to her face as she realized what had just crossed her mind. She quickly looked away, pretending to check the seal on the document.

Idiot. He’s taken. Thoughts like those belong to house wreckers, she scolded herself.

She forced herself back into her usual composure and cleared her throat.

”Anyway, the infrastructure plan is ready. We should get started before soon,” she said, brisk now.

Isaac nodded, still nursing his internal wound. ”Let’s do it before I change my mind.”

The four of them moved together after that.

Althea, Charlotta, Isaac’s clone, and Gram—the summon he had pulled from the Summoning Altar with an Architect-class—headed toward the designated construction zones.

There was a reason Isaac purchased the seeds, even if they cost him forty Gold Coins.

”They’re woods of these seeds is strong,” Althea explained to his clone. ”If Awakeners fight nearby, the buildings won’t collapse easily. Even human champions would find it hard to damage them easily.”

That explanation alone justified the forty gold coins, no matter how much Isaac disliked admitting it.

While his clone worked with Althea, his original body was busy in the office.

Stacks of documents lined his desk: budgets, manpower allocation, logistics, future expansion plans. He read them all, one after another, barely pausing.

Time passed quietly.

Then the window opened.

A gust of air swept in, followed by a soft landing. A shadow crossed his desk, and before he could look up, someone leaned close.

”Isaac~!”

The voice was playful, and familiar.

Celia landed lightly and, without hesitation, settled onto his lap. She leaned back against him, peering down at the papers spread across the desk.

”What are you looking at?” she asked, smiling coquettishly.

”Nothing important. Just some budgets,” Isaac replied automatically.

She raised an eyebrow. ”Budgets, huh?”

”Yes.”

”You look like you’re trying to glare holes through them.”

”That’s because they deserve it.”

Celia laughed softly and adjusted herself, twisting her hips slightly until she was sitting more comfortably. Isaac barely reacted, aside from shifting the papers so they didn’t crumple.

”Can’t you give this kind of work to your subordinates? You’ve got more than enough capable people in the Super Guild,” she asked.

”I know. But I can’t dump everything on others,” Isaac said, flipping a page.

He rested his chin briefly against her shoulder, eyes still scanning the document. ”If I want to become a Lord, I need to understand administration. At least the basics. If I know nothing, someone will eventually take advantage of that.”

”Makes sense. Still, it sounds exhausting,” Celia said.

”It would be,” Isaac admitted, ”if I were normal.”

She glanced at him sideways.

”My thought processing speed is high because of my stats. I calculate faster, learn faster, and remember almost everything at a single glance. As long as I’m serious about it, this kind of work isn’t hard. It just takes time.”

”Mhm.” She nodded, accepting that easily.

There was a brief silence as Isaac turned another page.

”By the way, you came flying in,” he said, casually.

”Yes.”

”Does that mean you’re finally showing your wings and tails to the people?”

She smiled. ”I am.”

Celia leaned back slightly, her wings shifting behind her. ”I thought a lot about what you told me. About not hiding who I am. So I decided to try.”

Isaac looked at her then, really looked, and waited.

”With the education policy changes the Super Guild implemented, people already know about other races. Alice, Emily, and even Emily’s summons are all openly helping the city. Everyone’s gotten used to it. When I showed myself, no one panicked much. There was a little trouble here and others, but I think majority was excited and happy.”

”That’s good,” Isaac said.

He smiled faintly. That was better than he’d expected.

As Celia talked, he listened, letting her fill in the gaps he hadn’t had time to observe himself.

Alice, apparently, had been moving nonstop. Healing injured civilians, helping overworked medics, stepping into areas Awakeners usually ignored.

”Her image is improving rapidly. Awakeners usually don’t even look at normal humans. Before you restructured the city, there was obvious discrimination. Even their living areas were separate.”

Isaac remembered that clearly. The divide had been stark.

”But now,” she continued, ”Alice is helping people who thought no Awakened would ever care. To them, she is a savior. And because she is representing you, your religion’s follower count is increasing rapidly.”

Isaac paused his reading.

Her words make him recall the promo video, and he thought about scolding Celia for the it, but he decided against in the end.

It was a good thing after all.

The numbers of his followers was increasing rapidly. It had reached 20,000 already!

Knowing Celia and Alice were working hard for him made him happy.

Suddenly, Isaac had a dreaded thought.

Alice is good-looking.She’s helping people when they’re desperate.They’re going to adore her.

Another thought followed immediately.

And once they find out she’s with me...

His jaw tightened.

They’re going to associate me with NTR, and that stupid Lustful God Domain.

Isaac shook his head sharply.

’No,” he muttered. ”That’s not happening. Definitely.”

Celia noticed his sudden silence. ”What’s wrong?”

He exhaled and explained, clearly unhappy even saying the words.

When he finished, she stared at him for a second.

Then she burst out laughing.

”Ahahahahaha!”

He looked at her flatly.

”...You’re laughing?”

”I—sorry—but NTR? Lustful?”

She laughed harder.

”That’s what you’re worried about?”

A vein bulged slightly on Isaac’s forehead. For a brief moment, he considered throwing her off his lap.

She noticed immediately and turned to face him, looping her arms around his neck, and speaking coquettishly.

”Alright, alright, don’t get angry.”

”I’m not angry.”

”Your face disagrees.”

She chuckled as he sulked.

He really, truly did not want those domains. Any of them.

Unfortunately...

”You should be prepared,” Celia said, her tone shifting.

”For what?”

”Alice will gain just as many fans as me, if not more.”

”....What do you mean?”

Celia thought for a moment, organizing her words in her mind, then explained,

”She’s cold, yes. But she’s always caring. Anyone who stays around her long enough will notice that. And the contrast between her cold personality and caring actions, will make people fall for her and she will become their idol, or as they say in my career path, a Goddess.”

Isaac had a stiff smile on his face.

When he thought about it, that was exactly why he had fallen for Alice in the first place. She never tried to please anyone. She ignored most people outright, yet when she chose to help, she did it wholeheartedly.

Back at the academy, Alice had been famous.

She barely spoke, never socialized, and actively avoided attention. Still, her popularity was absurd.

There had even been a group of students who proudly called themselves the ”Queen Alice Fan Club.”

He had laughed about it back then.

Now, it felt less funny.

I’m screwed, aren’t I? he thought.

There was no way he could tell Alice to stay inside and stop healing people. Even suggesting something like that would go against everything she believed in.

Dammit.

”And that’s not all,” Celia added casually.

Isaac’s head snapped up. ”There’s more?”

She chuckled at his reaction and nodded. ”Much more.”

He sighed. ”Go on. I’m already mentally prepared for disaster.”

”Emily. She’s already seen as a people’s person among both nagas and awakeners.”

Isaac frowned. ”What do you mean by that?”

”Well, you know how Emily is. She’s strong, but she speaks gently to everyone. She doesn’t look down on people, and she doesn’t flaunt her power. That makes her likable. Her summons also saved a lot of people. All of it makes her famous among human awakeners.”

She paused, then continued. ”For nagas, authority and popularity within the tribe are measured differently than humans. They’re inherently summoners. The more summons you have, and the stronger they are, the higher your standing.”

Isaac leaned back slightly, already seeing where this was going.

”And Emily can summon a lot of monsters. And every single one of them is terrifyingly strong,” he said quietly.

”Exactly,” Celia said.

He closed his eyes and leaned back fully in his chair.

Yeah. I’m definitely screwed.

For a brief moment, Isaac genuinely wondered if he had committed some kind of unforgivable crime in a past life. Otherwise, why did it feel like fate itself was pushing him toward domains he absolutely did not want?

NTR.

Lustful.

Just thinking about them made his head hurt.

But then, another thought surfaced.

No.

His eyes opened, sharp and focused.

I refuse.

There is no way I’m taking those domains.

A stubborn fighting spirit ignited inside him.

I’ll get the farmer domain.

The thought felt absurd at first, but the more he considered it, the more sense it made.

I’ll create crops that are tasty, cheap, and filling.

Food that everyone wants.

He straightened slightly.

I should look into poultry too. My class skills can probably handle that.

Isaac would make sure people knew him as a farmer.

He would get a Farmer Domain.

The reason he had did not think about War or Battle Domain was simple. Most people would not see him fight. Only a handful of awakeners would witness his battles.

That would limit the popularity of his combat abilities.

While he could record videos, that would be same as showing everyone about how he fought and what skills he had.

But food?

Everyone needs food in this world.

In an apocalyptic era, good food was more valuable than flashy victories. With proper advertising and supply, he could reach everyone.

I’ll drown those stupid domains under crops.

Just as he was deep in thought, Celia shifted, forcing him to look at her.

”Anyway,” she said, her tone changing, ”there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Isaac blinked. ”What is it?”

She tilted her head slightly. ”You like Selene, don’t you?”

The words hit him like a physical blow.

Isaac froze.

Celia watched his reaction closely, her eyes lifting with amusement. Since Isaac liked ”bullying” her whenever he got the chance (in Isaac’s defense, she was the one who always started it. Like the time she had started stroking him during breakfast), she had always promised herself she would get back at him someday.

Moments like this made it worth it.

Her inner devil was satisfied.

”Do you want Selene, Isaac?” she asked softly, tracing a slow line down his chest with her finger.

”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Isaac said quickly, turning his head away.

Celia laughed at his reaction. It wasn’t mocking. More like fond.

She could tell he felt guilty. Guilty about how it looked, as if he were chasing after women without restraint.

But Celia wasn’t bothered by it.

She knew what kind of person Isaac was. Sincere to a fault. And she knew that no matter how many wives he ended up with, he would give each of them everything he had.

”So you don’t like Selene?” she asked lightly. ”Are you sure? If she gets a fiancé, she’ll become his. They’ll hold hands. They’ll kiss—”

”Celia.”

His voice was cold enough to cut.

She stopped mid-sentence.

”You should leave now. I’m busy with work.”

Celia blinked once.

Then she grinned.

”No way. I want to stay longer,” she said cheerfully.

Isaac stared at her, his expression dark and unyielding.

But Celia remained completely unbothered.

”See, you clearly like Selene. Your anger proves it. You can’t even hear her kissing anyone else. Even if you deny it now, you should understand something. You’re a dragon. You’ll never let go of what you think is yours.”

Isaac said nothing.

”I’ll help you. I’ll help you make Selene yours.”

Silence filled the room.

Celia smiled, her expression soft but dangerous at the same time.

Her sweet voice, layered with an almost honeyed allure, felt like a devil’s offer. One that sounded tempting precisely because it felt forbidden.

”All you have to do is admit it. Say that you want Selene. And I’ll help you,” she said.

Isaac finally spoke. ”What are you trying to achieve by making me say that?”

She shrugged lightly. ”You’re too uptight. You follow rules other people set for you, and you worry too much about how they see you.”

She leaned closer.

”That NTR and Lustful Domain you hate so much. I don’t know exactly how godhood works, but if you became a god of those domains, wouldn’t you gain powers related to them? With those powers, you could easily seduce women. It would help you get stronger—”

”I would never do something like that for power.”

”I know. I’m not saying you would abuse your powers. I’m saying you’re afraid of the idea itself.”

She met his eyes directly.

”What’s wrong with those domains? Are they embarrassing? Why? People have children. Children don’t fall from the sky. They’re born because people love each other. Because they have sex. Society just decided those topics were embarrassing. So now you feel ashamed of the domains associated with them.”

Her voice softened.

”I want you to live freely, Isaac. I want you to do what you want without worrying about other people’s gaze.”

Isaac let out a slow breath.

”...and how is that related to Selene’s situation?” he asked.

”Honesty. To live freely, you first need to understand and accept your desires. That means being honest with yourself about what you want. And the first step is to make you accept that you want Selene.”