Harem System In A fantasy World

Inside was a private meeting room.

A long polished table stood at the centre, surrounded by cushioned chairs. Shelves filled with documents, maps, and sealed boxes lined one wall, while a large window overlooked the city below.

Marilyn gestured for them to sit, and Elion took a seat without ceremony.

Zenovia sat across from him, while Aeron leaned back in his own chair beside Elion. Maya entered last and closed the door behind her, then quietly took a seat beside Marilyn.

Marilyn placed a thin folder on the table.

"Now then," she said. "Let us speak properly."

Her expression became more serious.

"The Triad Alliance is not one of the ancient powers. We do not have the history of the royal capital, the Church, the great noble houses, or the old academies. But because of that, we are also not bound by their old rivalries."

She folded her hands over the table.

"We are young, ambitious, and willing to invest heavily in exceptional talent." Her gaze settled on Elion, "And you, Elion Nova, are exactly the kind of person we cannot afford to ignore."

Elion leaned back slightly, "That sounds flattering."

"Well, because it is meant to be." Marilyn smiled, "I prefer honesty when negotiation is still possible."

Maya looked at Elion with a measured gaze, "You should listen carefully. This is not a casual offer."

Marilyn opened the folder.

"The hidden Legacy World will open soon. The exact date is not public knowledge, but estimates place it within the next month."

Elion’s eyes narrowed slightly. That confirmed his thoughts; not much time had passed while he was inside the Bloodline Trials.

"Entry slots are limited. Most will be controlled by the royal family, the Church, several great noble houses, Grimholt Academy, the other great academies, and a few old organisations with long-standing claims. Smaller powers like ours cannot compete openly for many positions."

She tapped the document lightly, "But we do have a few."

Elion listened silently.

"And one of those slots," Marilyn said, "can be yours."

Marilyn beckoned lightly toward Maya.

"As I said before, our organisation was founded by three mid-ranking noble families," she said. "And as you can likely guess, that naturally led to three factions forming within the Alliance."

Elion glanced at Maya, then back at Marilyn.

"Our goals are aligned," Marilyn continued, "but competition is always rife when multiple noble families share power. I am more of a neutral elder within the organisation. Maya, obviously, belongs to her father’s faction."

Maya remained quiet.

"The pair of siblings Manfred took away earlier belongs to another faction," Marilyn added. "And the third faction has its own chosen representatives as well."

Elion nodded slowly. That made sense. Even if the Triad Alliance presented itself as one organisation, the noble families behind it would still have their own interests, pride, and internal struggles.

Marilyn folded her hands over the table, "In total, we were given seven slots for the Legacy World."

Elion’s eyes narrowed slightly, "And as you can imagine, all seven of those slots are already filled."

"Then where does mine come from?" Elion asked.

Marilyn smiled faintly, "From one of them."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

"Having one of our current candidates give up their slot in favour of a far more capable recruit will not be difficult," she said. "Not if you prove your worth after officially joining us."

Elion leaned back in his chair. So that was how it was.

They were not offering him an unused position, but they were asking him to take someone else’s. He did not feel particularly bad about that.

Such was life.

Opportunities belonged to those strong enough, useful enough, or fortunate enough to seize them. If the Triad Alliance valued him more than one of their original candidates, then the blame did not lie with him.

Elion smiled faintly, "I see."

Marilyn watched him carefully, "You do not object?"

"Why would I?"

Elion shrugged, "If they want to keep their spot, then they only need to prove they are more valuable than me."

Aeron gave a small laugh from the side.

Marilyn’s smile deepened, "That is a very practical way to look at it."

"Well, it is a very practical world," Elion replied.

Marilyn simply nodded, "Good. That attitude will serve you well here." She pulled a bound document from her folder and slid it across the table toward Elion.

"This is the standard contract we have all recruits sign." Then she pulled out a second document and passed it to him as well.

"And this one was drafted specifically for you. I had someone prepare it hastily, so please read through both and compare them. If there is anything you would like changed, tell me, and I will see what can be done."

Elion nodded. If they had prepared a unique contract offer just for him, then he had to admit, he was somewhat flattered.

He picked up the first document and began skimming through it with a calm expression.

To Maya, Marilyn, Aeron, and Zenovia, it looked like he was simply flipping through the pages without properly reading them. Not even twenty seconds passed before he moved on to the second document and did the same.

With Elion’s current mental capabilities, however, along with his photographic memory skill active, his comprehension speed had reached an absurd level.

He read through all the terms carefully, even though it looked like he had done nothing more than flip pages around.

Every clause, every condition, every hidden implication, and every suspiciously vague line. He absorbed all of it almost instantly.

Marilyn frowned slightly when she saw him put both documents down so quickly.

"Is something wrong?"

"Hm?" Elion tilted his head, "Oh, nothing is wrong. I am done."

"Huh?" All four people in the room looked at him with stupefied expressions.

"You read through all of that?" Maya asked, unable to hide her shock.

Elion smiled lightly, "Another one of my useful skills."

"Unbelievable," Aeron said with a wry laugh.

Marilyn sighed softly.

The only person she had ever seen with mental capabilities this ridiculous was Lord Smith, and even his were largely thanks to that monocle treasure he always wore. She shook off the thought and returned to the matter at hand.

"So," she said. "What do you think?"