Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

"Is it okay to use the Under Blades as slaves? I don't mean to be rude, but you are their leader, and your word is their command. Even if they don't want to do something, they would have to do it— which makes them… slaves."

"I have never forced anyone to do anything. They have freedom, more than humans. Just like humans have a job and do work to make a living, the Under Blades are the same. Those who take on the job get rewarded.

And they like working to keep themselves busy. They hate being bored. It's in their program. We Under Blades never get exhausted, so it's an easy task for us. Moreover, this place is close to my heart, so I want to try restoring it back to its glory… even though it's no longer the same."

"Then everything is settled. I will send my team later today, and they will start working. I will make everything clean as new. Just give me some time, and I promise I won't disappoint you," she said with a composed look on her face.

"Okay. But you only have to pay extra attention to the castle. I truly don't care for anything else. And let's say something happened and the castle collapsed, that's fine too. I have copied the entire continent already, so I can make a similar one— although I have never used that ability to make something so big before."

"Yeah…. I don't think that's possible, even for someone like you. Oh, I don't mean to be rude, but to create an entire continent sure is a tough task. Even if you could make one, it must require time, precise control, and focus, am I right?"

Lu Bela asked calmly, with a focused look on her face.

"Hmm~" Rudy hummed in amusement, seemingly wondering whether he should tell Lu Bela about his 1989 time travel or keep it a secret from her.

'Lu Bela has put her trust in me and is doing whatever I ask her. Surely, she is no longer my enemy. It's not that I don't trust her, but just because she is my close friend doesn't mean I should tell her about my personal adventures.

Or so would have old Rudy thought, but I won't do that. She just told me everything about her, so I would be an absolute asshole if I didn't tell a fragment of my memory.'

"Hmm? That 'Hmm~' of yours and then the long pause… why do I think you are going to say something mind-blowing and assert your dominance?"

"Wow. That wasn't my intention. And when did I ever try to assert my dominance?" he asked.

"Except for the time when you had kidnapped the Ross family," he immediately added.

"Then what were you going to say just now?" she asked with a grin.

"Well… I have actually created billions of universes in less than a second."

"..." Lu Bela's grin vanished, and she stared at Rudy with a dead serious look on her face.

"I had a retort planned, but… I am truly speechless right now. The Lord is supposed to be all-powerful, but… to be able to create so many universes without even trying… is… just unfair, don't you think?"

She asked reluctantly with a hesitant look on her face.

Rudy simply shrugged his shoulders in response as he truly didn't have anything to say in response. Sometimes, he would purposely stay silent to pretend to be shocked, but this was not the time.

"If someone is given such powers… just think about it… what can they not do? This world… no, this universe is truly lucky to have you as Lord. Had it been someone else… the world would have been doomed a long time ago."

"Don't put me on a 'kind, humble, noble, good, hero, et Cetra et Cetra and all the positive vibe' pedestal. I am not what you think I am. And please, don't say that I am humble. I don't like when someone imposes something on me… even if it's good.

I am probably trying to say something else, but this came out in an unintended way. Don't take it to heart. You wouldn't like it if I called you a 'good and kind' woman, either. And I am sure you aren't one."

"True."

"Well… let's go then? The sun is about to rise, and if Maria and Lilim are done eating… and saw us together, she would misunderstand," he groaned.

A short pause later, he added, "She truly hates you."

"I know the reason."

"Oh?"

"We used to play together when we were kids. Although I was an adult in a kid's body. I had to make it look like I was a normal human who was born and grew up. It's all my fault if Maria hates me, and I am fine with her hating me."

"You make me curious, but I think it's better if I ask the story to Maria herself first."

Rudy held Lu Bela's hand and teleported to the Underwater hall.

Lu Bela glanced around and sighed in relief before saying, "We are lucky that no one saw us. You should have teleported us somewhere else."

"..." Rudy simply glanced at Lu Bela and chuckled nervously.

"I am just saying that we shouldn't risk it. I am sure you have the power to erase someone's memories if they saw us, but still…"

After seeing Rudy looking at her, Lu Bela stopped after saying, "Nevermind. My concerns don't matter since no one saw us."

"About that…" Rudy pointed his gaze at the corner of his eyes and smiled awkwardly.

"Hmm?" Lu Bela looked behind her and saw Lilim and Maria standing at the doorway of the hallway.

"...!"

Maria folded her arms below her bosom and glared at Lu Bela and Rudy. After noticing they were holding hands, her glare sharpened, and she said,

"I was feeling bad that I left you behind and went to eat with Lilim, so I didn't eat much and returned as soon as possible, but I guess I just caught you cheating on me with this bitch."