Combat Maid Harem

Niko's hands shook as he stared at the spells in his hands. These were the things he worked hard for. He felt glad he did all of the things he did even though a lot of them hurt him.

The suffering of commanding such a large number of mages and the burden of any casualties on their side was worth it. Unknown to him, his eyes started to water as tears fell down the side of his cheeks.

"This is just too much…*sniffle*"

"You deserve it." Lawrend nodded his head.

Niko looked up at him and clasped his hands in prayer.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I will be a devout believer from now on!" Niko shouted.

"That's your choice. Wipe your face. You don't look like the future commander of this imperial army," Lawrend replied.

"Y-yes…"

Niko realized he was crying and wiped his face with a small towel. He was extra careful to not get the parchment paper of spells to get wet.

After that, Niko stood up as straight as he could. He stared into Lawrend's eyes and felt emotional.

"I'm proud of you. Go back to your spot. I will give another lesson since everyone has gathered here once again."

"As per your orders, Your Imperial Majesty!" Niko said in salute.

Niko returned to his post and arranged the mage army in a block formation in front of Lawrend.

Once everyone was in place, Lawrend opened his mouth once more.

He gave a lesson about unity this time. He wanted these mages to develop more army formations that would benefit them in the future. He might become too busy in the future to guide their development path.

By lunchtime, Lawrend finished his lesson. The imperial army looked around at their colleagues with a new sense of respect and expectations. They wanted to work together after hearing the profound knowledge Lawrend gave them.

"My first mission for all of you is to locate any blonde-haired women in the city. Once you find them, inform Ramiela. Don't engage with them. I repeat, do not attack these women. They are very strong," Lawrend said cautiously.

This was Lawrend's intention from the start. His Imperial Army was made for the purpose of defending his empire. This was also a great chance for them to improve further and become a cohesive whole.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!!"

Their response shook the air because of their strength.

"What is the ratio of the Arch Mages in the army?" Lawrend asked Gregory beside him.

"80% of the mages are Arch Mages now. Niko here is the closest to becoming a Grand Mage," Gregory replied quickly as if he was expecting that question from him.

"Closest, huh? I will personally train him if I have the time."

Lawrend took a quick glance at Niko's body using his Elemental Eyes and confirmed Gregory's words. He was somewhat satisfied with this group that he had gathered.

Niko visibly trembled when he heard Lawrend's words. He couldn't be any more grateful to hear those words. It was like a dream come true for him.

"I know a lot of you are missing your relatives. I give permission for one battalion to leave and bring their relatives here," Lawrend said.

"How would you like for that battalion to be chosen, Emperor?" Gregory asked.

"It's up to all of you to decide whether it will be fair or not."

"I will make sure it's fair," Gregory replied.

The mages in the army became happy as soon as they heard Lawrend's words. It was true that they were starting to miss their relatives. The army life was full of suffering, after all.

"That's all I have today. Take care."

Lawrend abruptly disappeared.

"..."

Gregory stared at the spot Lawrend disappeared and felt relieved. Speaking with Lawrend took a lot of his courage. If he didn't know Lawrend already, he would've been prostrating to him.

The memories of how Lawrend taught the whole imperial capital and then created that defensive magical formation were still fresh in his mind. Lawrend was a god in the flesh of a human.

…

Lawrend returned to the imperial castle and to his room.

Aezel was nowhere to be found and the place was clean. Lawrend sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated. He focused his mind inside his body and on his soul.

The planetary system appeared in front of him once more. A sun, a planet, and a moon. They rotated around each other in a cyclic manner.

At the moment, Lawrend was a High Mage in all of the elements.

'It's time for me to become an Arch Mage.'

Lawrend felt excited. He sensed the elements around him and took them into his body slowly. He made sure to segregate them and discard any impurities mixed within.

It was a slow process that Lawrend took very seriously. He filled his body with them and surrounded his soul. His goal was to collect as much mana and absorb them into his soul in one burst.

If he didn't understand the elements as much as he did right now, it would've been impossible for him to store mana from the elements he hadn't trained in his physical body. That was because his Lightning, Fire, and Space mana naturally rejected the weaker amount of the elements in the mana he absorbed.

It was like Lawrend was blowing a balloon inside of another balloon. It was hard, but it wasn't impossible. With the right expertise, he was able to do it.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Hearing the knocks, Lawrend relaxed and contained the mana he had absorbed inside his body. He prevented them from escaping and reacting with the mana he already had.

"Who is it?" Lawrend asked.

"Master, I have some questions about Truf," Humility replied from behind the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Humility walked inside in her maid uniform. She walked up to him and sat beside him on the bed.

"Master, Truf wants to train already. He's throwing a tantrum and said you tricked him," Humility said with a worried look on her face.

"Alright. I will come to visit him now."