The dragon's harem

“A visitor? Here?” This was the private royal quarter where only Arad, his wives, and women lived. No one else was allowed in, and this place was even under Merlin’s direct watch. “Who is it?”

The maid bowed her head, “Me, my lady.” The maid’s face melted, and her blond hair turned black, followed by a gust of cold wind. The candles in the room flickered, and the shadows grew darker.

Mira paled, and the maid smiled from ear to ear, her burning purple eyes radiating with pink malevolence. “I am Death, nice to meet you, future Divine of Greed.” She gave her a gentle bow.

“What happened to the maid you were impersonating?” As Mira growled, Death lifted her head. “She is asleep. I do not kill or harm, I simply harvest lives that have reached their end.”

“So? What brought you here? Is it my time to die?” As Mira silently sent a divine spark toward Arad, Death shook her head.

“No, your death is still far off. You’ll live for tens of thousands of years, and I can see you ruling over a myriad of worlds as a divine of craft and wealth.” She pointed at her, “The one dying is the child inside you. It is still a few weeks off, so I came to warn you.”

“Warn me? Just that? Is there a way to save the child?” Mira had to do her best to stay calm, and thankfully, her divine brain was far more resilient than that of a mere mortal.

“No, you can’t cheat death. But you don’t need to cry about it. He would merely die as a mortal and get reborn as a soul in your heaven, a god by birth.” Death’s voice was cold, sharp, and echoed through the shadows, making Mira’s back lose all of its strength.

“The problem is that his death and reincarnation as a god might harm, disfigure, or even maim him. To make sure he reincarnates safely, get Arad and Eris to construct the shell as quickly as possible.” She pointed at Mira, “There is no time for Eris to grow stronger. She shall birth the sun, and Arad shall forge it.”

Mira took a deep breath. “If we can do something about it, then it is fine.”

At that moment, the bath’s door in her room opened, and the other girls walked in, only to see Death standing at the door. “Who is she? I never saw her here before.” Camilla walked forward. “But, I’m new as well, so that may be the case.”

It was then that Camilla’s eyes opened wide. “Yeah, I saw you before. You’re that weirdo who was at the observatory tower.”

The observatory tower was a large watchtower outside the capital’s walls, constructed solely for the purpose of keeping an eye on the forest. It was rarely visited by the soldiers or guards, let alone regular people.

“I’m glad you are still alive.” Death smiled, “Did you tell them? About that foolish attempt at your own life?”

Camilla paled for a second. “Some know…” She didn’t want to look at the others’ faces. Matilda and Selina didn’t know a thing about her past. She then sighed. “Anyway, are you a maid here? No, you should be.”

“I am not a maid here. I am Death. It is very rare indeed that I get see people without them dying.” It was then that Camilla realized that the one who persuaded her off suicide wasn’t just any random girl, but Death herself.

Camilla couldn’t speak anymore, and no one else could besides Mira. Realizing who stood before them, it was both terrifying and unbelievable. Out of all the divine beings, Death was the one God that all mortals knew far too well. She is the one who took away all of their loved ones, hated enemies, and loomed at the end of their lives as the one inevitable truth.

“The first sign of death is birth. The Goal of all life is death. The Inevitable cannot be delayed or hastened.” She smiled. “No one would ever die before or after their time.”

Mira stared at her. “Then what about Betty?”

Death giggled. “That only goes to speak of how broken she is.” She then looked up. “Ops, I gotta go unless I want my butt torn open. See you later.” She sank into the shadows just a fraction of a second before Arad teleported into the room, looking like a raging Titan.

“Shadow magic?” Arad growled, “Linda! We’re catching her.” He looked around for a second, but then Linda’s voice rang around him. “No use. She didn’t teleport through the shadows. She jumped inside and killed herself; that way, she should’ve returned to her heaven without leaving a trace for us to follow.”

“Arad… She didn’t come here to stir trouble. Sorry for worrying you.” As Mira approached him, Arad smiled. The raging face he carried disappeared without a trace, and he looked around. “Did anyone get hurt? You did good by calling me.”

Mira then went on to explain everything Death told her, and he looked worried with each word. Eris had told him about crushing a star into a Gravastar to use as an eggshell for his kids, but how could they achieve such a thing in a few weeks?

Now, he has to dedicate one of his incarnations to working on that with Eris. But for now, he had to finish this night. He only expected Mira on his bed tonight, but it seems that Matilda and Selina are here as well.

As he looked at them, Mira still looked a bit worried, and everyone else was shaken by the sight of Death. He, too, was worried about the child, but someone had to take the pressure off. He’ll figure something out with Eris, so Mira doesn’t need to worry.

Stress only damages the body and mind; it isn’t a thing that should last more than a fraction of a second in a fight. “Relax, take your mind out of it for now. I’m handling everything.” He reached forward and pulled Mira toward him.

Mira took a deep breath and then sighed. “You’re right.”

“Wait!” Matilda gasped behind them. “Did Death just… run away before Arad could arrive? Was she scared of him?” She looked at Selina and got a nod. “Yeah, she said she had to go, unless she wants her butt torn open. She was probably referring to Arad.”

The maids were still terrified, especially Camilla. The three of them fell to the floor and gasped for air. Arad threw a smile at Matilda and chuckled. “Well, if she tried to harm any of you, I’ll certainly tear her open.”

Selina looked to be the first one to get over her shock and cried. “Wait! Can you fight Death herself? That doesn’t make sense! I know you are strong, but are you that powerful?”

Giving Arad a second look, and going through his massive, over three-meter-tall body, bulging veins, large muscles, and disgustingly large mana pool and presence, she could see it. Arad towering over Death and grinning, his entire body oozing with the death curse’s radiant glow.

Mira left Arad’s side and went to check on the three maids, who were still gasping for air. The most scared of them all was Camilla, knowing that she had met Death herself before, and that Arad here, their emperor and the man she technically married, could fight her.

She had always imagined Arad’s power as ridiculous and out of this world, something able to kill the gods, but she had never imagined that one day she would see Death herself running before he arrives.

“They’ll relax soon enough.” Mira smiled and then looked at Arad. “We should start. The night is long, but it’s been a while, and I do want to get my mind out of life for a while.” She called the night shift maids, and then got ready.

As the door opened and the twenty maids responsible for the night walked in and lined up by the wall, the three maids serving directly under Mira were finally back on their feet.

“Who should go first?” Mira asked, and Matilda looked at her with a smile. “You, of course. I won’t come here and take your place.”