Chapter 269: I Want A Harem

Cecilia had been lost in thought, wondering if Mika would ever publish a book about himself—his body, his mind, his mysteries. It would probably be the best book ever written, she thought, half-smiling at the absurdity.

But her musing was cut short by the sudden sound of frantic footsteps crunching through snow, followed by desperate voices echoing across the valley.

She turned around sharply. Adrian and a group of volunteers were sprinting toward them, faces pale, eyes wide, some even crying.

"Mika!" Adrian shouted as they reached him, breathless. "Mika, we have a problem! A big problem!"

"What is it?"

Adrian pointed behind him toward the field of spears still standing in the snow.

"Some of the spears we sent down...there’s been no reaction at all! You haven’t called those up yet, and even when we tried pulling them ourselves—nothing. No weight, no resistance, no sign anyone’s holding on!"

His voice cracked slightly.

"It’s like they never touched the spears at all."

Cecilia’s heart sank. She followed Adrian’s gaze and her breath caught. Around thirty spears still jutted from the white expanse, untouched.

No rope movement. No signs of life.

A wave of cries broke through the air from the families that had followed him.

"Please! My daughter is still down there!"

"My husband! He hasn’t come up yet!"

"Someone help! Please, I beg you, she’s still under there!"

The cries grew into sobs, voices full of desperation.

The sight made Cecilia’s chest hurt painfully. She realized what it meant, those remaining victims were likely unconscious or too weak to move.

Mika’s entire rescue plan depended on each person being able to touch the resin, to cling to the spear long enough to be pulled out.

But if they couldn’t even do that...

It was hopeless.

She turned to Mika, expecting panic, or perhaps disappointment. But instead, what she saw made her mouth fall open.

He was...undressing.

In one motion, he stripped off his coat, his shirt, and then his pants until he stood there in nothing but his underwear, completely unfazed by the freezing air.

Gasps rippled through the volunteers, especially from the women, whose faces instantly turned crimson. Some even peeling from the distance to stare at his impeccable body.

"M-Mika—what are you doing?" Cecilia blurted, her face heating up.

But he simply stretches his body like he was going for a swiw and said casually.

"Don’t worry. I kind of expected this might happen."

"Expected—?!"

He cut her off with a half-grin.

"Sometimes, when you’re spearfishing, not all the fish take the bait. When that happens..." He bent his knees slightly, adjusting his stance like a diver. "...you have to dive into the ocean yourself."

He summoned a pair of dark goggles into his hand, slipped them on, and began stretching his arms.

"Time to get personal."

Before anyone could stop him, Mika leapt high into the air, forming a perfect diving posture—and plunged straight into the snow.

The crowd gasped as he vanished beneath the surface. A few screamed in shock.

Then came the vibrations.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground trembled beneath their feet, like the heartbeat of a buried beast. The snow churned and rippled as if something was swimming furiously beneath it.

"What in the world...is he doing?!" Someone whispered.

"Is he—diving through snow?!" another stammered.

"That’s crazy! It’s snow, not water!"

Cecilia didn’t answer. She just watched, eyes locked on the snow, heart pounding in disbelief.

The vibrations grew faint—then vanished entirely. F

or a tense few seconds, there was only silence.

Then—

WHOOOSH!

A geyser of snow exploded upward, and Mika burst out of the ground, his hair tousled and frost clinging to his skin.

And in his arms—

—was a older girl, limp but breathing.

Gasps filled the air, before he hoisted her up with ease and shouted,

"Well? Are you all going to stand there gawking, or are you going to take her?"

That snapped everyone out of their shock.

Volunteers rushed forward, pulling the unconscious woman from his arms and carrying her toward the healing dome.

Her family came running behind, crying tears of relief.

But Mika didn’t stay to watch. He took a breath, pushed his goggles back down, and dove into the snow again.

Once more, the vibrations began—stronger this time—and moments later, another plume of snow burst forth.

This time, Mika emerged carrying a man.

Then again—another dive, another rescue. A boy.

Then two children clinging together. Then another pair of men.

Over and over, he disappeared beneath the snow and came back with survivors, each time moving faster, more efficient, as if he were gliding through water.

It was like watching a deep-sea diver in the middle of a frozen ocean, pulling treasure after treasure from the abyss.

Cecilia stood there, breathless. Every time she saw him reappear, her heart jumped.

And soon, there were only two people left: Cecilia herself, and a woman standing beside her, trembling with fear.

Her daughter was still missing—her last thread of hope buried somewhere below.

Cecilia gently took the woman’s hand, squeezing it in reassurance.

"He’ll find her." She whispered. "He’s found everyone else. He’ll find her too."

Then, once again, the earth quivered. The vibrations grew, stronger and stronger, until suddenly the snow exploded outward—Mika shot up from below, his arms wrapped protectively around a small, pale girl who looked no older than twelve.

"My baby! Katie!" The mother screamed.

She fell to her knees, sobbing, as Mika handed the girl over.

"She’s just unconscious." He said calmly. "She’ll be fine once Fauna sees her."

The woman clutched her daughter tightly, crying into her shoulder.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, young man! I don’t know how to repay you—you saved her, you saved her life!"

Mika just smiled faintly, brushing snow off his hair.

"Then repay me by not letting her stay out here. Get her to the dome, fast."

She nodded frantically, whispering one last tearful "thank you" before hurrying toward the golden light where Fauna and the doctors waited.

Cecilia watched as Adrian and another medic ran to assist. When they were gone, she realized Mika was still standing there—barefoot, covered in frost, his body steaming slightly from the temperature difference.

"You’re going to freeze to death." She muttered, hurrying over as she wiped of the snow and put on his shirt for him.

"I can dress myself, you know." He raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Quiet." She said firmly. "You’ve done enough. Just lift your arms."

He chuckled but obeyed, letting her guide his arms through the sleeves. Then, crouching slightly, she helped him step into his pants and tugged them up, fastening his belt with care.

From the side, it almost looked like a wife helping her exhausted husband after a long day’s work.

As she tightened the belt, Mika looked down at her with a faint smirk.

"The belt is overkill. I’m not a child."

She looked up at him, smiling gently.

"It’s the least I can do, Mika. Lady Fauna and the others are busy tending to the survivors and after what you’ve just done, I think helping you put your clothes on is a very small favor."

Her tone was warm, sincere and it made him grin.

"Is that so?" He said teasingly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Then maybe you can help me with one more thing, but I don’t know if you would be up for it."

Cecilia blinked up at him.

"Anything." She said earnestly. "After what you’ve done, I’d do anything to help right now."

"You see..." He leaned closer, voice dropping to a low, playful whisper. "My hands are absolutely freezing after swimming through snow for that long. I really should’ve worn gloves. So..."

He grinned.

"Would you mind if I slid them into your pants and between your butt cheeks to warm them up?"

Cecilia froze, her face immediately turning red.

He expected her to pull away, to yell, or at least stammer in protest. But instead, she looked away shyly, her hands fidgeting with the hem of his coat.

"That’s...an embarrassing request." She admitted softly. "But...if that’s really what you want..."

Her voice trailed off, barely above a whisper.

"...then I don’t mind."

Cecilia didn’t hesitate.

She stepped forward, pressed her body flush against his, and, cheeks burning crimson, reached behind herself. She grabbed both of Mika’s ice-cold hands and boldly slid them straight down the back of her pants, past the waistband of her underwear, until his palms were cupping the warm, bare flesh of her ass.

The sudden heat made him groan softly. His fingers instinctively flexed, kneading the soft, firm cheeks, spreading them slightly just to feel her shiver.

Cecilia too let out a tiny, embarrassed whimper but didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned harder into his chest.

Mika stared down at her, dumbfounded.

"I...honestly did not expect you to say yes." He admitted with a stunned laugh, squeezing again. "We slept together once. I thought that was a one-time, heat-of-the-moment thing."

"But you’re just...letting me grope your ass in the middle of a blizzard like it’s the most normal reward in the world."

He said before jokingly adding,

"Maybe you’ve fallen for me or something like that?"

He expected her to simply deny it and claim she was just helping him out as a sign of gratitude. But once again, she shocked him when she looked up at himwith a shy gaze, hesitating for a moment before finally saying,

"Maybe I have. Maybe I have fallen for you."

"Wait...What?"

"Don’t look at me like that!" She squeaked, lightly smacking his chest. "I said maybe! It’s not confirmed! I—I don’t even know why I’m letting you do this! I’ve never let anyone touch me like this before, and suddenly I’m shoving your hands down my pants in public—!"

She took a shaky breath, then met his eyes with surprising steadiness.

"But if I did fall for you...and it only took one day...you can’t really blame me."

"Oh? What do mean by that?" Mika raised a brow, amused.

"Well..." Cecilia started counting on her fingers, voice gaining strength. "For one, you’re Lady Fauna’s son—meaning if I ever dated you, I’d basically be part of the family of the woman I idolize most in the world."

"You’re ridiculously handsome."

"You’re funny."

"You stay perfectly calm even in the most dangerous situations, which I find really attractive as a doctor."

"You’re a genius inventor who’s probably more richer than half the nobles in this city."

"And you have more raw power than most blessed I’ve ever met."

She gave him a shy, knowing smile.

"So really...how is any woman supposed to not fall for you? It’s unfair."

Hearing this brazen confession that stroked his ego, Mika threw his head back and laughed, the sound bright against the falling snow.

"Damn. If I were a woman I’d fall for me too. I’m pretty great."

Cecilia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

Then his expression softened, something more serious flickering behind his eyes.

"But look." He said quietly, thumbs stroking her ass—he hadn’t stopped groping, and she hadn’t stopped letting him. "I like you. A lot. And if you have feelings for me, I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t make me happy."

"But...I’m not exactly available for a normal, exclusive relationship right now."

Cecilia tilted her head, curious rather than hurt.

"You’re in love with someone else?"

"It’s...complicated." He admitted, being continuing in a awkward manner, "I’m kind of chasing multiple women. All of them are way out of my league, all of them matter to me, and...I don’t want to choose just one. I want all of them. Full polygamy. Zero plans to settle for just one."

"You basically want an entire harem of women for yourself?" Cecilia blinked.

Mika shyly nodded, expecting instant disappointment or, worse, mockery.

Instead, Cecilia just blinked, then burst out laughing: bright, genuine, and utterly unbothered.

"Of course you do." She giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "It makes perfect sense! Someone like you? One woman could never hold you down. You’re too much for any single person to handle."

Mika stared, mouth slightly open. "...You’re really not mad? I mean that’s not something that a strong independent women like you would agree with."

"I’m a doctor, Mika. I’m practical." She smiled up at him, soft and sincere. "At the end of the day, what matters is whether the people involved are happy and consenting."

"So, if you can love them, make them feel safe, cherished, and they’re okay with sharing you...then who am I to judge?"