Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"This is for your own good, you know~ She seems pretty dangerous~ If you're not going to kill her, you'd better stay away~"

"Especially those oversized things, how shameless it is for a mere nun to develop like that, so unladylike~ And what's with her teeth, they're like those of a wild beast!"

"Oh my~ and that orange-haired coward behind her~ her heart raced and her body temperature increased when she saw your 'Ryuka-nii'~ and she even acted shy, that's what you call a scheming bitch~ using innocence to capture men~"

"Ah~ Over a thousand years have passed~ These stupid women of the Papacy are still the same, they haven't improved a bit in terms of ladylike qualities~"

"Hey~ Atina, why don't you use my power more often? As long as you accept me wholeheartedly, I promise I won't take over your body. Just let me vent my frustrations with my power~"

"Then you'll have everything—money, status, you can have whatever you want! You won't have to be a poor girl anymore! And you can even take that boy you like by force!"

"Otherwise, he'll be completely devoured by the surrounding bitches~"

"Shut up……"

Atina listened to Iduniel's rambling every day, but her body, which had been modified and strengthened by Iduniel, instinctively developed resistance to Luminova.

This nun... is dangerous...

Seeing Atina's furrowed brows and pursed lips, Sister Lindsay quickly pulled Luminova back.

Sister Luminova! You...you've frightened the child.

"Huh? Really? Ahaha~ Sorry, it's because they're so cute! Golden hair and fair skin, they're like angels next to a statue of a goddess! Ah! Of course, Evelyn and Elena are cute too!"

Luminova rubbed her head casually, while Lindsay kept apologizing to Atina.

"I'm sorry, Sister Luminova is just like this. Did she frighten you?"

Seeing Atina shake her head, Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glanced back at Luminova who was chatting and laughing with the Evelyn sisters and Ryusha, and pulled Atina aside to whisper seriously.

"Listen carefully~ It's okay if you don't like Sister Luminova, but absolutely do not speak ill of her to her face, or of the Holy See... Otherwise, she can be quite terrifying... Don't be fooled by her sunny and cheerful appearance!!!"

Sister Lindsay, who had just been shy and timid, now had a terrifyingly gloomy expression. Her face was so close to the ground that Atina couldn't help but swallow hard and nodded stiffly.

This plain-looking nun is actually quite scary...

"Alright, let's hurry inside, otherwise there won't be enough hot water if there are too many people."

Seeing Atina's distress, Ryusha quickly dismissed the two nuns and entered the men's and women's bathrooms separately with Atina.

Elena followed Atina inside and taught the first-timer how to use it.

"Each person has a separate cubicle. If you open this door, the metal shower head above will spray hot water, but you have to pull the bell here first. This way, the ladies who work boiling water on the second floor will know which cubicle is being used and will pour hot water into the buckets above."

"Each hot water session can run for twenty minutes, but the water flow will slow down as the volume decreases and the water cools down more easily. At that point, just ring the bell again, and the ladies will add more water, but it can't exceed half an hour."

"Although it's a bit troublesome, Mr. Ryuka said he would improve it later, but I think this design is already quite novel. And this is the bath soap, which is said to have been improved by Mr. Ryuka and Ms. Anjaberg. It hasn't been made public yet, but Mr. Ryuka said he'd give you one first."

Elena patiently explained, and finally took out a small piece of soap and handed it to Atina.

With Anjaberg's help, by adding magic stone powder, Ryusha finally managed to stably produce soap that could be used in this world. It seems that the material structure of this world is quite magical.

However, production is still very small, mainly due to a shortage of magic stones. They can only wait for the magic stone deposits to be developed. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

"Thank you."

Atina thanked her softly; compared to the overly enthusiastic Evelyn, the polite and quiet Elena was easier for her to get along with.

Closing the stall door dimmed the light; the bathroom was only illuminated by the fireplace at the far end and a few lamps, but it was still much brighter than taking a shower in the dark at home at night.

Since being parasitized by Idunir, Atina finds herself more comfortable in the dark than in bright places.

She removed her soiled clothes, revealing her healthy, smooth body to the air. Beneath her soft skin, slender muscles brimmed with elasticity and strength, usually concealed by loose clothing and unnoticed by anyone.

She lowered her head and smelled herself, especially raising her armpits to smell them. Her smooth armpits were hairless, with only a faint smell of sweat.

Shaking the bell, hot water quickly flowed down, gently washing the girl's body. Atina picked up the soap and smelled it; it did indeed have a faint fragrance, and it felt smooth and comfortable on her skin.

"No wonder... Brother Ryuka said I smelled bad. I'll definitely smell nice after washing like this, just like Miss Kania and the others."

"But... this thing must be very expensive, right?"

The girl scrubbed her body vigorously, then looked at the soap in her hand, which had shrunk considerably, and felt a sense of loss. Meanwhile, Idunir's incessant chatter echoed in her mind again.

"Shut up, I will not acquire wealth through murder..."

Meanwhile, in the men's bathroom on the other side, Ryuka was enjoying the peace and quiet all by herself for the first time in a long time, with only the sound of running water in her ears.

Being with Kania and the others, they couldn't even have a quiet and pleasant bath. Just imagining it made Ryuka feel the heat rising in her body again.

"Calm down, calm down... I can't let the witch's power lead me astray. I feel like I'm turning into the cruel witch... the witch man, from the book..."

The recent rapid increase in the value of the Leader's Certificate indicates that Ryukyu has gained the approval of most of its citizens.

However, if it's not someone you've had close contact with, it only brings numerical points without a specific skill tree, indicating that the Leader's Token has certain requirements regarding the specific follower relationship.

Unbeknownst to them, the murals of Ryuka's followers on the stone wall bearing the proof of leadership have become a catalog of beautiful girls.

Kira, Anjaberg, Evelyn, and Elena all strongly identify as "superiors" in their work or lives.

As a result, Ryūka also gained some knowledge of commerce, dark magic, and magical engineering.

Strangely enough, even Sister Lindsay was included, though her approval rating was slightly lower, and she couldn't learn the Holy Magic Qi yet.

The one who has made the most rapid progress is Hetia. Although the increase in loyalty slowed down after 50, it is now approaching 80.

Meanwhile, Ruka gradually learned Hetia's combat skills and fighting spirit characteristics, which further enhanced his physical abilities.

However, the growth in pure physical abilities is also nearing its limit. Although there are many points available, there may be too few followers to allocate points for opening new skill trees.

After all... winning over specific people takes time, and Ryuka is as busy as a spinning top.

"Is this forcing me to switch from production and construction to visual novel strategy guides...?"

While taking a shower, Ryuka checked everyone in her meditation to see if any new skills or attributes had been unlocked due to increased approval ratings.

When she saw Kania, Ryuka couldn't help but exclaim.

"Flirting magic and contraceptive tattoos?! What the hell?! Kania, when did you learn these things?!"

Chapter 6 Anjaberg's Flash of Inspiration

When Ryusha finished washing up with hot water several times, Atina had already been waiting at the front desk for a while, with a towel under her wet hair, drinking the hot tea that Elena had brought her.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let me take you home."

"Not long."

Atina stood up from her chair, the scent of her fresh shower wafting over with the rising steam, her pale golden wet hair appearing almost transparent under the light.

"Ah! It's Ryūka! As the captain of the guard and the governor, why isn't he attending the evening meeting? Is he on a date with a girl?!"

Annoyed voices came from the doorway, and Anyaberg arrived late, carrying a wooden basin containing clothes and towels.

"Miss Anyaberg, would you like a massage today?" Elena asked politely. After seeing Anyaberg nod frantically, she took out a sign, wrote it down, and handed it to Evelyn, who immediately ran upstairs.

"As usual, after you shower and change your clothes, please go to your room on the second floor. There will be a masseuse to give you a massage. It will cost you two copper coins each."

"Thanks, Elena~ I still have my assigned room, right?"

"Of course, Miss Anjaberg is a regular customer, and that private room is basically reserved for your use."

"Is that so?" Atina asked Ryuka as she listened to their conversation.

"Well, the men can work and earn money, and the women in town also want to have a chance to earn income, so Kania came up with this idea."

Ryuka scratched his head, unable to recall when this bathhouse started offering massage services.

"The public bathhouse is open at night, so it won't interfere with your housework or work during the day. Each massage lasts for twenty minutes and costs two copper coins, one of which is the bathhouse's commission."

Massaging ten people earns one silver coin... Seeing Atina deep in thought, Ryuka knew she was thinking about making money again.

"Because of the bathroom's opening hours, each auntie can only serve two or three people at most per night, and there's no guarantee that anyone will be there. After all, the only people who would spend this extra money are basically students and soldiers from the capital."

"So stop thinking about it. You should use this time to study. Why are you so obsessed with making money? Your father's land rent is enough to live on, isn't it?"

Ryuka tapped Atina on the head, a gesture of affection that made Elena a little envious.

"...Academy..."

"what?"

“Brother Liuxia wants me to go to academy, right? But if my grades aren’t good enough, I’ll have to pay tuition, and I’ll have to pay for my own living expenses.”

"..." Ryuga looked at Atina and fell silent. "But isn't squeezing out study time counterproductive? Besides, she's unwilling to let you intern with Kania."

Atina remained silent, fearing the exposure of Idunir's secret, especially since she periodically needed to hunt humans for sacrifices. The thought of Kania's seemingly piercing eyes filled Atina with unease.

Moreover, the thought of Kania and Ryuka being intimate made her feel uneasy. Although Atina felt she had no right to interfere in Ryuka's affairs with others, at least not seeing it made her feel much better.

"In short, I forbid you from doing that kind of dangerous physical work during the day, or else..."

Ryuga glanced at Elena, who seemed to understand immediately and nodded with a smile.

"You can come here and help Elena and Evelyn with their work from now on. During the day, the bathroom needs maintenance, water fetching, wood chopping, and so on... They're quite busy."

"If possible, Atina can also teach the two of us to read."

Seemingly worried that Atina would refuse, Elena took her hand first, stood next to her, and smiled at Ryuka.

"Sister Qila is often not at home, so maybe Atina can stay overnight at our place occasionally. My sister and I don't have any new friends in Linhu Town yet, right, Mr. Liuxia?"

“Hmm, that’s pretty good too.” Ryuka smiled, while Atina was concerned about another issue, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

How much is the wage?

"Working here, we can take hot showers anytime, and our skin has improved a lot."

Seemingly noticing Atina's hesitation, Elena added insult to injury: "And the soap is free to use..."

Atina's pupils suddenly contracted, and she finally nodded.

Sure enough, girls understand girls best. Ryuka smiled as she looked at the two girls in front of her.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!!! You three have been leaving me hanging since the beginning!"

The fiery, energetic tone belonged to Anya Berg; she puffed out her cheeks like a hamster, venting her dissatisfaction.

"And am I not considered a friend of yours, Elena?!" Mei Ne Mei Yong wanted to say something to Lin Zai Zai...

“Oh? I’m sorry… I meant friends of the same age. Miss Anjaberg seems to be two or three years older than us.”

“Uh…” Elena’s words pierced Anyaberg’s chest like an arrow. Although she didn’t look much older than them, she was actually eighteen years old, though she still had a childlike personality.

Eighteen is the legal age to get married in the Otus Empire, but when it comes to things like legal inheritance, you have to be twenty to be considered an adult, which is quite strange.

“I’ll forgive you for now…” Anyaberg muttered, then turned her attention to Ryusha. Although Ryusha was younger than her, Anyaberg treated him almost like a peer, respecting his professional position.

"But it's too much for Ryuka to skip the council meeting tonight! We're all working so hard! And you just sneaked off by yourself! Ouch!"

Without hesitation, Ryuka flicked her forehead, and Anyaberg immediately pouted in dissatisfaction.

A wise woman doesn't suffer losses in front of her; since she couldn't beat Ryuka, she could only endure it.

Furthermore, he often sought my attention to discuss magical engineering and the production of various items, and his ideas and suggestions were very useful...

"If you don't hurry up, the lady who boils the water will be off work soon," Liu Xia threatened with a mischievous smile, looking at the boisterous girl in front of her.

"Okay... Ah~ I wish I could take a bath. Hey Ruka, when are you going to expand the bathroom?"

"You don't have enough money or manpower, and apart from you guys from the capital, no one else has the demand or desire for this. You should think about developing the magic stone mine. Also, how's your machinery manufacturing going?"

What Liuxia asked about were the production equipment needed by Anyaberg's engineering department, most of which were similar to bench vises, milling drills, and hand-cranked lathes in his original world. Since being captured by Melanie, most of the equipment had been lost, and now they could only rebuild it little by little by hand, or hope that Kira could buy it from outside.

"I don't want to talk about get off work after work~ Who told you not to come to the regular meeting? We've already discussed all of this..." Anjaberg snorted and put her hands on her hips, but quickly deflated...

"Ah... I wish there were a hot spring nearby... Hmm? A hot spring?"

She suddenly seemed to remember something and blinked...

"Ah—maybe it really is!"

Chapter 7: Stealing a Moment During the Morning Meeting

"This is it! A hot spring!"

The next morning, in the lord's manor's meeting room, Anyaberg slammed his hand on the blackboard, his enthusiastic expression and excited tone reminding Ryusha of New Year's fireworks.

"What exactly happened? What hot spring?"

Ryuu frowned. At the conference table sat Kania, Hetia, Anyaberg, and Kira, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"His Highness gave me a survey map! It marks all the resource points within the mountains covering the entire administrative area of ​​Linhu Town! I checked it last night! Sure enough, there are hot springs! Right here!"

Anjaberg drew a rough map on the blackboard and pointed heavily at a point.