Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 70. Caught By The Bond Network

He barely had time to turn around before Carmilla hugged him so hard that the air left his lungs. Rick felt wetness on his shoulder as she pressed her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him with all her strength.

"Three weeks," Carmilla said, her voice muffled but full of feeling. "Three weeks seemed like three years for me without you...!"

"I thought I’d lost you when I felt you dying through the bond, and the pain was so bad that I fell down in the middle of the training grounds."

Rick hugged her back just as tightly. "I’m fine now... you can clearly see that I’m here right now, meaning that I made it through."

"Almost." Natasha’s voice came from behind Carmilla.

It was cold as always, but there was an edge to it that showed how she felt. Rick looked over Carmilla’s shoulder and saw the ice mage standing there with her blue eyes slightly red.

"You feel different because of the bond."

"I can sense it became even stronger but also more complicated. There is now another presence there. The Queen of the Dragons."

"Yeah," Rick said as Carmilla finally let go of him enough for him to breathe. "Sylvia and I made a Spirit Bond. It’s permanent."

"We know," Liora said softly as she walked up from the side.

The High Priestess looked worn out but beautiful, and her amber eyes were full of joy and relief. "We felt it happen."

"As soon as your bond network turned on to save your life, we all became connected in a way we had never been before."

"I can feel Carmilla’s protectiveness, Natasha’s clarity, and now Sylvia’s fierce need to own. It’s both beautiful and scary at the same time."

Rick felt the bonds and knew Liora was right. The network had changed.

Before, he had separate threads of connection with each woman. Now they were all connected in a complicated web where everyone could feel everyone else to some extent.

"Is that going to be strange?" Rick asked. "Is everyone feeling what the other person is feeling?"

"Probably," Natasha said in her usual blunt way. "But we’ll get used to it."

"We do this all the time." She moved closer and, to Rick’s surprise, reached up to touch his face gently. "You look a little bit different when I see you up close. It looks like you’re tired but fine with it."

"The gifts from the dragon fit you."

"Wait, you can see that I have draconic gifts?"

"Your eyes are a little different. Less green, more amber. And you have a heat that you didn’t have before." Natasha looked at him with a critical eye. "The bond changed you in more ways than just spiritually. Now that’s interesting..."

Carmilla finally moved back far enough to see Rick clearly. "Was she nice to you? The Queen of the Dragons?"

Rick’s face got hot as memories of the last few days came rushing back. All three women quickly realized that Rick was embarrassed and understood the reason for it through the bond network.

"Oh," Carmilla said, and her face changed to something more complicated. "You two were going at it with the intimate feelings."

"More than once," Natasha said, reading Rick’s feelings through the bond with disturbing accuracy. "Extensively intimate."

"Is that a problem?" Rick asked, suddenly scared.

He had known in his head that his partners were okay with having more than one partner, but it was new for him to have them know the personal details through the bond network.

Liora took his hand and said, "No. We knew this would happen."

"Rick, you’re the Hero of Mature Hearts. Your fate is to make real, deep connections with strong women, and, of course, being close to someone physically is a normal part of that."

Rick said, "I still think I should have told you first. Instead of all of you finding out because you can feel it through the bonds."

Carmilla’s face softened. "Rick, we thought you were going to die. We felt your soul being torn apart by dragon fire."

"After that, knowing that you also found joy and connection with someone who makes you happy? That’s a relief for us, not even a slight problem."

Natasha said, "I am entitled to be a little jealous," and her lips curled up in what might have been a smile. "You’ve been gone for three weeks and came back with a Dragon Queen in your bond network." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"That’s a big step up."

Rick said quickly, "You’re not an upgrade! None of you are. In different ways, each of you is important to me."

Liora said, "We know. We can feel it through the ties."

"You really love each of us in a different way. That’s what makes this work."

For a moment, the four of them stood there, united by a bond network they had never witnessed before. Then a loud voice interrupted their reunion.

"Well, well, well... It’s the man of the hour."

Rick turned to see Miraya, the receptionist for the guild in Thornwick, coming up with a knowing smile. And she was still 29, which was just below the age limit for his system, but she was definitely more interested in him now.

"Miraya? I didn’t know you were here."

"Just a little trip here, that’s all." Miraya looked him up and down with appreciation and said, "Heard you made it through the Dragon Queen’s trials."

"I can’t believe I can see you kept on growing and improving with that ridiculous job, but to be honest, it’s actually kind of impressive."

"And I have to say, you look pretty popular right now here in Valdris. All the female adventurers in the guild have been talking about you."

Rick saw that several women in the guild hall were watching him with different levels of interest, which seemed to support her point. Some were more obvious than others.

"Great," Rick said quietly. "Exactly what I needed."

Miraya winked and said, "Just a few more months until I’m thirty. Then you’re in big trouble, Hero of Mature Hearts."

"Gulp...!" Rick knows exactly what she meant, and of course, he can’t wait for that. "Well, how about—"

A loud voice rang out in the hall before Rick could answer.

"RICK ROLLAND! MY WORKPLACE! NOW!"

Rick looked up and saw Guildmaster Roderick standing at the door to his second-floor office. The man was huge, at least six and a half feet tall, and his muscles made it clear that he had been on adventures before. His beard was gray and had scars on his arms, which showed that he had been in a lot of fights over the years.

Rick said, "Oh fuck... That doesn’t sound good."

"That’s probably about your promotion," Carmilla said. "The Dragon Kingdom sent the guild an official letter about your new status. And I believe they need to change your rank to match."

"What a relief..." Rick let out deep breathes.

Rick climbed the stairs to Roderick’s office, fully aware that dozens of people were watching him. There wasn’t much in the guildmaster’s office. There was just a big desk with papers on it, weapons on the walls, and a few chairs that had seen better days.

"Sit," Roderick said, pointing to a chair. His voice was rough, but it wasn’t mean. "We need to talk about where you are."

Rick sat down and tried not to think that he was being called to the principal’s office. Roderick went through some papers on his desk and found an official-looking document with a dragon seal on it.

"This came yesterday by magical mail."

"The Dragon Kingdom has officially recognized you as the Consort to Dragon Queen Sylvia Flameheart."

"They have also acknowledged that you have completed the Three Trials and asked us to change your guild rank to reflect your new status and abilities..."

"Y-Yeah, so...?"