The dragon's harem

As the door opened, Arad found himself walking into a large marble castle made from quartz, pearls and carved opal. The half-angels’ architecture was both beautiful and strange, resembling a mix of old Roman structures and Mesopotamian building style with countless temples, walled gardens, and towers.

The floor was slightly cold, and sunlight seeped through the massive windows and balconies, giving the whole city and castle a clean, vibrant look. All of that whiteness was contrasted by countless green plants and gardens that were dotted everywhere, decorating the kingdom.

Arad could see a massive golden pillar in the distance that was one of Merlin’s labyrinths. It bathed the whole place with faint golden light, making it seem like a holy beacon of sorts.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lucifer smiled and approached Arad, standing beside him.

“It is indeed.” Arad then looked at Lucifer, “I won’t waste any of your time. Both the Storm and Volcanic Titans had an abomination locked beneath them. Do you have one locked here? Do you know anything about it?”

Lucifer looked at Arad for a long moment and then took a deep breath, “I’ll take you to meet her later. For now, enjoy yourself here. I’ll prepare a quarter for you in the castle. You can stroll the city. I’ve already informed everyone, so you’re allowed to do pretty much everything.”

“Everything?” Arad tilted his head, and Lucifer laughed. “I mean it.”

“You know what I mean. Stores are free, so pick up whatever you want. You can also go anywhere, even into people’s houses or military bases. Just stroll in.” He pointed down, “Also, married women wear earrings. The free ones don’t wear any, and the widows only wear one earring.”

Arad sighed, “What in the nine hells do you want me to do with that information?”

“I would kindly ask you to leave the married women alone, but the rest are on the table. You won’t believe the uproar the young ones displayed when I declared that a powerful emperor dragon who united the human, elvish, and Titan kingdoms was going to visit.”

He then burst laughing, “Do you know why Commander Ward attacked you? His only two daughters were lusting over the news, dreaming of getting whisked away by that emperor.” Lucifer then pointed across the city, “See that large house with the garden of red roses above? That’s their house.”

“I don’t need any more wives. Isdis still didn’t even get to finish dealing with our nobles’ daughter.” Arad looked at Lucifer, “Do you know how strange it feels when the maid, whose only job is to open and close a single door, is the daughter of a city lord?”

“Listen, Arad, you are a boat, a boat to a better world.” Lucifer looked around, then waved his hand, calling one of the maids working around the castle.

“Tell me, what do you see in Arad?” He asked her, and she looked at Arad for a long while.

“I see what you mean.” She smiled, “In this world overrun by monsters and horrid dangers, strength is an attractive feature for many. Beauty only comes second. Size is often seen as a measure of strength, which makes his bulky and muscular look extremely attractive to most women.”

She started thinking, “But that is only the start. Emperor Arad’s power is rapidly gaining fame, and each rumor is better than the one before.”

“Have you seen the divine punishment light from here?” Lucifer asked with an amused grin, and she nodded, “I did. It strangely was repelled to the heavens by a dark mass…” She then froze, “Don’t tell me.”

“Yep, it’s this guy over here. He literally swallowed the divine punishment whole and spat it right back up at Jemima, the goddess of the harvest.” Lucifer laughed, “As you said, each rumor is better than the one before. But this is a reality.”

She rubbed her face. “Not even the gods can… What this means is that even if you didn’t have anything else besides your strength, women would still flock to you for safety. If even the gods’ wrath can’t reach them between your arms, then they’ll do anything to get in there.”

She then approached Arad, “Then there is your wealth. As a dragon, I bet you’ve got more gold and gems than you can ever spend. Don’t get me wrong, women who only seek money can be a bit dangerous, but in your case, they won’t need to think about money ever again.”

She walked around Arad, “Status is another matter. From what information reached us, you were a baron before, but now are an Emperor that rules the human kingdom of Ruris, the High Elf kingdom, the Dark Elf kingdom, and the Storm Titan kingdom if what Lucifer told us this morning is right, and gods’ know what.”

“I could probably brag about just being able to stand near you like this.” She then backed away and looked around, “Then, there is the flock mentality.”

“Flock mentality?” Arad lifted an eyebrow, and the half-angel maid gave him an example.

“Let’s say there is this beautiful princess who all young women see as a role model. Then, one day, this princess is head-over-heel for a dashing and powerful prince.” She shrugged, “They’ll too fall head-over-heels for the guy, simply because their princess did so. What do you think a poor farm girl with big dreams will think when she sees five princesses and queens shaking their rears at you? If those wealthy beautiful, and powerful women are happy with that and set to gain, won’t I the poor and less beautiful one win more if I got in their place?”

“There are other things as kindness and care, even many more obscure things that either make you tick or not for a woman, but those can only be answered after getting to know you better.” She approached Arad, “What I’m saying is any woman outside will give you a chance, a very big chance, some will even throw themselves at you. So be careful.”

She reached forward to try and tap his shoulder, but he was too tall for her to reach, so she had to fly a bit with her wings. “But, if you feel like you need help, how about we go together and have a look around?”

She then looked at his face, “You’re alone?”

“No, not really.” Arad smiled, “I can reach my wives from here. I got some powerful magic.”

“If that is the case, you can invite some of them to come. They’ll be a good deterrent to any unwanted attention.” She landed beside Arad and he waved his hand, calling on his company on this trip.

The moment they showed up, the half-angel maid froze in place.