Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 403: Praying Altar, Morning Routine

’So, she does have videos,’ Isaac thought.

He scratched his head slowly.

This was still new territory for him. Having multiple wives wasn’t something he had experience with in his previous life, and he wasn’t sure what counted as normal behavior.

Sharing videos of intimate moments felt strange to him.

But none of them seemed upset about it.

If anything, Celia sounded amused, and Alice sounded embarrassed rather than angry.

Isaac let out a quiet breath.

”Well, as long as everyone involved is fine with it.”

Alice glanced at him, surprised.

”You’re not... angry?”

”Why would I be? It’s private, and you’re all adults. I just don’t want those things leaking outside.”

Alice nodded slowly.

”That won’t happen.”

Isaac leaned against the doorframe.

”Still, Celia really has too much energy in the morning.”

Alice snorted softly. ”That’s not limited to mornings.”

Behind them, a soft voice spoke.

”...Isaac?”

Both of them turned.

Emily stood near the bed, half-awake, rubbing one eye. Her hair was messy, and she looked confused.

”What’s going on?” she asked.

”Nothing serious. Just Celia causing trouble again.”

Emily nodded absentmindedly, still half-asleep.

”Alright,” he turned to Alice. ”Just do what you want, but be careful. A Technomancer might hack into your devices.”

”...I’ve ordered Ruby to delete all videos as soon as there is even a hint of hacking,” Alice muttered.

While they were talking, a translucent screen appeared before Isaac’s eyes.

[Praying Altar completed.]

[Lord Exp +20]

Isaac’s attention shifted immediately.

”Give me a moment,” he told Alice.

He closed his eyes briefly and sent two Clones to different parts of the territory. Their vision overlapped with his for a second before separating, each moving toward prepared construction sites.

After confirming the new building with his eyes, Isaac then opened the building interface again.

[Would you like to build Praying Altar? Please select the materials and the workers.]

He selected the materials he had prepared yesterday and assigned a group of workers.

[Confirmation received.]

[Estimated time until completion: 24 hours.]

Isaac exhaled quietly.

He needed three churches for the Quest. This would be the second. One more remained after this.

”Done,” he said.

Alice nodded and stretched her shoulders. ”I’m going to the gym.”

Isaac followed his usual routine. He checked the crop fields first, collected the harvest and confirmed the growth rate of the crops. The soil in this region responded well to mana, and the crops were developing faster than expected. After confirming everything was stable, he headed toward the gym.

Alice was already there.

Yesterday, Isaac had brought new weight-training wrist straps from the Ashfang Tribe. They were simple-looking, made of dark leather and metal runic rings, but their function was extremely useful.

They suppressed stats when worn, even for Isaac despite his current stats.

Isaac wrapped one around his wrist. The moment it tightened, his body felt heavier, as if gravity had suddenly increased.

Alice noticed his reaction and her eyes seemed to be smiling.

”Now that our stats our equal, should we check who can do more reps?”

”Alright. Let’s make a bet too.” Isaac grinned.

With same stats, the difference would come from mentality—who could push more beyond their limits.

They began their routine.

The sound of weights moving and occasional breathing filled the room. Training like this reminded Isaac of the past when he used to train in the academy with Alice.

After finishing, both of them were covered in sweat.

”Bath?” Alice said.

Isaac nodded.

”Then, let’s go together,” she quickly added.

...

They entered the dining area sometime later, hair still slightly damp.

Emily was cooking breakfast with a bright smile. The smell of food filled the room, warm and comforting.

Celia sat at the table, yawning repeatedly. Her hair was a mess, pointing in different directions, and she looked like she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

”Why are you like this?” Alice asked, sitting beside her.

”I’m still tired from yesterday. I’m going to take it easy today and stay with Isaac,” Celia said, yawning again.

That sounded reasonable.

Yesterday had been exhausting for everyone.

However—

”Rest?” Alice blinked, as if the word itself didn’t make sense. ”But you are coming with me.”

”Huh?” Celia looked at her.

”You are coming with me to Ashfang Tribe. You will introduce me to them, and you will participate in the fight against the Tyrannical Golden Hens.”

”Huh?”

”I heard you lost to Vale yesterday and were sulking about it. This is the perfect chance to train.”

Celia stared at Alice in disbelief.

”You are going to take me to a fight where even ogres can die?”

”Yes,” Alice said, nodding once. A faint smile appeared on her lips, but her eyes were cold. ”Don’t worry. With me there, you won’t die.”

”...is this about me urging Emily to attack three races yesterday?”

Alice didn’t answer. She just kept smiling faintly.

Celia snapped her gaze toward Isaac, silently asking for help.

Isaac looked away.

He had learned his lesson.

The last time Celia did something reckless was during the Crimson Sky Wyrm incident. She had gone out alone in heavy rain to retrieve the corpse of the Catastrophe.

Alice had specifically told Isaac not to praise her for that, worried Celia would repeat such behavior if encouraged.

Isaac had praised her anyway.

Then Celia conquered three races in a single day.

He wasn’t making that mistake again.

Emily watched the interaction with a soft smile while stirring the pan. The words sounded harsh, but the mood wasn’t. It felt like normal banter between people who trusted each other.

Moments like this made her happy.

But something felt missing.

”Where are aunty and Sword Empress?” Emily asked.

”Sword Empress should be in Purple Bridge Dimension,” Isaac said. ”As for Professor...”

His voice trailed off.

He didn’t know where Professor Catherine was.

Alice spoke instead.

”Professor left a note in the living room. I found it when I came home in the morning. She said she is going to Purple Bridge Dimension.”

Isaac frowned.

”...Did something happen?”

”I don’t know. There wasn’t much information in the note,” Alice replied.