Building a Harem in a Noble House-Chapter 93: You’re No Fun.

We strode through the streets of Podros, the familiar bustle hitting us like a wave. The streets were alive with the usual chaos: merchants yelling about their wares, carts rattling over uneven cobblestones, and groups of adventurers weaving through the crowd like they owned the place. The air smelled of roasted meats from nearby stalls mixed with the sharper tang of sweat and unwashed travelers. Lyra walked beside me, her steps light and purposeful, eyes scanning the faces around us.

"So here’s what we have to do: head straight to the Adventurer’s Guild and see if anyone’s seen Meredith." Lyra paused, giving me a curious look. "She still looks the same, you think, right? Surely her entire appearance wasn’t because of her fusion with the Life Warden...?"

I blinked, equally stumped. "Do we even know her full name? I doubt she’s known as ’Meredith the Life Warden’ just yet."

She stepped closer, seizing me by the collar. "You don’t know her full name?!"

"You don’t know it either!"

"I thought you did! You were closer to her than I was!"

"We’re never gonna find her..."

Lyra released me. "Y-yeah, we can! Let’s just... oh! Let’s go to the Order of Paladins! Maybe we’ll find her hanging around near there?"

"Meredith is the most antisocial person either of us has ever known. I doubt she’s ’hanging around’ anywhere other than a pull-up bar."

"Work with me!"

I sighed, adjusting the strap of my sword belt as we turned down the main thoroughfare. The Order of Paladins’ massive building loomed ahead, a massive, judicial-looking building with banners flapping from its walls. My stomach twisted a bit from the earlier letdown at the manor, but I shoved it down. We were two 5-Star Adventurers. We were like royalty in Podros!

The front steps of the Order were crowded by groups of Paladin recruits. Teens and early twenties, all decked out in mismatched armor and cloaks that were emblazoned with some Noble House insignia or another. They lounged against the pillars, laughing and swapping stories, a few practicing flashy spell gestures or sword flourishes that were more show than skill. One girl wearing a House Sverwinter cloak with a bow slung over her shoulder was demonstrating a draw to her friends, pulling the string back with exaggerated flair.

We approached the girl and her friends, and I cleared my throat to get their attention. "Hello, my name is Lloyd May, and this is my partner, Lyra Knight. We’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay?"

A couple of them glanced over, recognition flickering in their eyes. They knew the name, at least on some level. But then the tallest guy, a lanky kid with a scruffy beard and a shortsword propped against his leg, snorted and turned back to his group. "House May? Oh man, that’s the new one, right? The Fledgling House. No offense, old timer, but we don’t have any time to spend with a group of amateurs."

The group burst into laughter, the bow girl covering her mouth but giggling anyway. "Sorry, old man. Isn’t your House like, a week old? Talk to us when your House is old enough to crawl!"

"Crawl, hmm?" Lyra smiled, eyes concerningly closed. "Is that so?"

"L-Lyra, listen. We can–"

"I mean, that’s a pretty reasonable request, no?" the Everwinter girl continued. "You’re here to recruit us, aren’t you? Well, get lost. We don’t want what your trash House can–"

Lyra shot a piercing bolt of red light through the girl’s knees. She screamed in pain, falling to her knees. The startled recruits fumbled with their weapons, pointing them shakily at Lyra. The woman laughed, charging a Fireball which she shot point-blank at the group of recruits.

They didn’t get back up. Around us, recruits charged us, forcing Lyra and me to run.

"YOU WANTED A HOUSE THAT COULD CRAWL, DIDN’T YOU?! YOU CRAWL. CRAWL TO YOUR GRAVES YOU ARROGANT PIECES OF SHIT!"

And this was why I shouldn’t have let Lyra come with me. This right here.

"Okay, Lyra, you got it out of your System, can we turn back time now?!"

Lyra laughed like a madwoman as we hid in an alleyway, avoiding the clamor of recruits and real Paladins alike. She settled, sitting on the dirty cobblestone beneath us. "Fine, but I’m waiting at the Guild. I don’t have the patience to deal with a bunch of snooty assholes."

***

"Sorry, old man. Isn’t your House like, a week old? Talk to us when your House is old enough to crawl!"

Lyra gave the girl an eerie smile, nodded, and left, leaving me alone with the group of annoying kids.

"Look, I’m not here to invite you to join our House. Frankly, I don’t want any of you in my House. I’m just here to ask you a question. Now will you answer, or will you continue to be difficult?"

The Everwinter girl tilted her head. "Now is that how you talk to someone you want to ask a question?"

The tall scruffy kid, also from Everwinter, nodded in agreement. "How rude, Evelyn. How very rude."

The girl, Evelyn, chuckled. "I agree, Reuben. How unbecoming of the supposed leader of a–"

"Holy shit, can we stop the haughty act? I just want to know if you’ve met someone by the name of Meredith. I’ll just ask someone else if you haven’t."

Evelyn scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You’re no fun. Why should I answer you?"

I threw my hands up and turned to leave. "You don’t have to. Take care."

"Don’t waste your time looking for her," Reuben added. "She doesn’t speak to anyone. All she does is train and go home. Besides, what business could you possibly have with that ugly, muscle-headed freak? That waste of space isn’t worth meeting–"

I seized Reuben by his collar, aura flaring enough to draw stares from everyone in the vicinity. The man froze, eyes widening as his sister Evelyn shakily reached for my arm. "I didn’t ask you to give me your opinion on her. I asked you if you’d seen her."

"W-we don’t know," Evelyn said, gripping my forearm. "She seriously keeps to herself. Nobody knows what she does with her free time. She’s a mystery!"

"But she is here? And she’s a recruit?"

"Yes, she is. Now, can you please let me go?!"

I obliged, nodding politely as I clapped my hands, letting my aura dissipate. "See? Was that so hard?"