(MC POV)

"Sorry to subject you to that," I apologised to Brendan who had to sit in a corner just now and listen to the sounds of our lovemaking.

I wasn't the one who put him in that corner by the way, he went there voluntarily by himself. I don't actually really mind him watching us doing it since… Well… I already know about his erm… Affections… for me, but I guess he's too shy to do that.

Speaking of which… I guess Manami and Kiyomi became like that because it was still kind of their breeding season while in Diao Chan's case… Err… I guess she's just like usual.

Brendan chuckled, "Oh, there's no need to apologise to me for that Master. I understand how the girls are feeling after all."

I grinned, "Oh? Does that mean you want to join in as well?"

He sputtered, "Eh? I… I wouldn't dare, Master!"

"Relax, I was joking," I chuckled. "Although if you're really backed up, just let me know eh? I'm sure we can find a nice brothel in their capital city for you."

"O… Oh… Yes… Of course, Master."

He sounds so disappointed by my words. If you really want to sleep with me just say it, Brendan, I won't judge. Like for the girls, I'm letting him make the first move instead because I know he'll just say yes if I were the one to ask even if he didn't want it or wasn't ready.

Oh well, guess that day is still far away but it's ok Brendan.

I sat back down on the couch as Brendan moved to prepare tea for me, the girls still in blissful unconsciousness after our exercise.

Don't worry, I already made sure all of them were properly dressed so there's nothing to be ashamed of. Cai Hong is also still sleeping soundly on the couch beside me, the little dragon mumbling something about roasting 'fluffy marshy mallows with Papa'.

So cute.

Brendan placed my tea in front of me and I gestured for him to take a seat across from me.

He obeyed and I poured some tea for him as well, my alchemist waiting patiently for me to take the first sip before following suit.

"Since the girls are still out cold, why don't we start discussing what we should do with the king first?"

Brendan pursed his lips, "Umm… Is Master sure that's a good idea? I think it's better for Master to discuss this with senior sisters after all…"

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Why? What's wrong with talking to you first?"

"Umm… That is… Well…"

I gave him a wry smile, "It's because you believe you're inferior or below them in status, is that it?"

He sighed and nodded his head.

"I suppose that's normal considering both that you're the only male amongst my disciples and that in terms of combat ability, they are above you."

Brendan said nothing but dropped his head lower, evident that what I said was something he was already aware of.

I leaned back and sighed, "Putting aside that Elaria is technically weaker than in you in terms of personal combat strength… For you to feel this way is also an indication of my failure as your Master."

Brendan gasped, "No, no, no! Master is not to blame! I am forever indebted to Master for picking me up back then!"

"That's not it. As your Master, no… As your teacher, I am not supposed to make you feel inferior to your peers. I'm supposed to guide you and to accentuate your strengths, not your weaknesses. Only a terrible teacher will make you feel inadequate and downplay what you are good at."

He smiled, "Master… It's fine… I know my own weaknesses and have already come to terms with it. I know I'm weak and I don't have the talent to even touch the hem of my senior sisters' robes. But as long as I do not disappoint you, Master, that is enough for me."

"And yet you are seeking godhood. Isn't that ironic?"

He chuckled, "I feel if I failed to do even that, I would have wasted the time Master had spent on me."

Hmm… I'm not sure if this level of self-depreciation is actually ok for him… Brendan definitely isn't showing signs of depression but this seems to have affected his self-confidence.

He seemed ok with it but that's definitely not ok, I'll need to think of some way to help him with that.

'Ara, ara? Can't Master just alter his mentality to do just that?'

Messing with my disciples mentally like that is a definite big no no, don't even think about it.

'Ara? If they started to hate Master, Master wouldn't even change them back to love you?'

If they really started to hate me then that means that I screwed up and it would be my fault. They are their own people and I will not manipulate their consciousness to suit my wants and needs. If I did that, I might as well just have a couple of dolls as my disciples instead. It's different if someone manipulated them to think that way, of course.

'Ufufufu~ How interesting…'

Brendan refilled my teacup before filling his, prompting me to return my attention back to him.

I crossed my arms, "How's your family?"

Brendan seemed surprised by my question, "They're fine, is something wrong with them, Master?"

"No, no, nothing of that sort. Just that you're pretty much the only one aside from Elaria who has a family outside and we both know how Elaria's family is like."

"Umm… In that case, they are totally fine, Master. We're still writing letters to keep each other updated. I believe my family was put in charge of managing several new territories as well as dealing with the Sects that had turned hostile before."

I narrowed my eyes, "Sects that turned hostile?"

He gasped, "Ah! Err… That is… Umm… That was supposed to be a secret… Could Master forget about it?"

My eyes narrowed even more, "There isn't anything bad happening back home is there?"

Brendan shook his head frantically, "Not at all, Master! Everything's actually solved already, it's just… Please forget about this but… They just want to save face, Master, that's all. Everything's fine, really."

I was very tempted to use omniscience but since Brendan was assuring me that it was fine, I decided to just let it go.

"Fine, but let's go visit your family when we return. It's been a while and it's not good to be separate from family for too long."

"Th… Thank you, Master."

I smiled, "Now back to the main topic, any suggestions on what to do with the king? I just want to hear some suggestions, no need to be worried."

Brendan thought for a moment, "Umm… This might sound stupid… But if I may just suggest… Why not Master just act like those arrogant young masters?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"We're not afraid of repercussions anyway and, like her Majesty Guiying had said, it would actually benefit us if they declared war on us instead. So we can be as brazen as we want, there's no need for us to be polite and just demand the king to hand the Dark Sect over."

I stared at him.

Brendan winced, "I know, Master, the idea is stupid. I don't know what--"

"No," I interrupted him. "You're a genius Brendan! That's exactly what we should do! Yeah, screw them! Why do we need to be nice to them? The other ambassadors were nice and polite, we'll just be gangsters going in to collect some debt he owes us, that's perfect! You're a genius, Brendan!"

I reached forward and patted his head.

"Eh? Ehh? Umm… Tha… Thank you Master…"

Yes, perfect idea! Let's just be gangster! No more mister nice guy!

I was a former yakuza weren't I? I just need to channel that inner yakuza and do some debt collecting! Perfect plan!

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