Hiromi had no idea whether the clothes she bought through the ERO System were teleported from somewhere else, or if they were created on the spot with magic, or with some technological method she simply didn't understand.

  Alasta was a city where you could see elven wizards cruising in vehicles that levitated above the streets, so almost anything seemed possible here.

  Still, one thing she was sure of was how incredibly embarrassed she felt as her bright, bluish eyes met the mirror in front of her…

  "The short, tight one-piece was already something, but this is on another level…"

  Not counting the curved babuchas, the outfit was divided into four parts, made mostly of pink fabric with different levels of transparency, held together by small golden metal pieces.

  From bottom to top, the first part was made up of golden anklets and thigh bands, with pink fabric running between them like loose stockings.

  The second part was a segmented golden belt, with two pieces of fabric hanging from it, one in front and one behind, leaving the sides of her legs and hips completely exposed.

  To Hiromi's relief, she wasn't going fully commando, since the belt set also included pink high-cut panties under the fabric.

  What did nothing to calm her down was the third part, which only covered her breasts and left her navel and hips completely bare.

  Although saying it "covered" them might be giving far too much credit to a few strips of fabric that basically just hid her nipples and kept her breasts in place.

  Besides the pink fabric, this part also included a choker, armbands, and golden bracelets.

  Finally, the fourth part was simply a pair of golden flowers placed at the sides of her head and, between them, a transparent veil that fell from the back of her head as decoration, covering part of her long, silky black hair.

  "Relax, Hiromi," she encouraged herself as she turned her back to the mirror to make sure her butt wasn't slipping out from the sides of the fabric. "If you think about it, this is more fabric than what you see in a lot of bikinis…"

  "But it's more erotic…" Ruby commented beside her, wearing an awkward smile and blushing.

  She was wearing a very similar harem outfit, but in a red shade that matched her scarlet hair.

  It showed almost all of her athletic figure, and her breasts, larger than Hiromi's, looked like they could slip out at any moment from the cloth holding them in place.

  "It might sound weird coming from someone who wore bikini armor all the time," Ruby continued as she stepped up beside Hiromi and studied herself in the mirror too, "but this feels different… I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's because it's made for that kind of thing…"

  "That kind of thing… Don't make me think about that when I'm already nervous!" Hiromi complained, covering her face.

  "I'm nervous too! I've never done anything like this… Tell me the details on the way to Alasta's palace…" Ruby asked, her cheeks even redder than before.

  "You seemed pretty confident in the barrel…"

  "I was just messing with you!" Ruby protested with a grin.

  "And why do you even think I'm experienced in the first place?!"

  "Didn't you get your outfit by doing erotic things?" Ruby asked, tapping her cheek with a finger.

  "Well, yes… But no!"

  "Yes, but no?"

  "I'm a virgin too… Don't make me say it!"

  "You said it all by yourself…"

  Hiromi let out a sigh and opened her system screen to check the section where her main quest was displayed.

  [MAIN QUEST: Be admitted into Alasta's Harem]

  [REQUIREMENTS: 1000 allure points / basic harem outfit]

  She hadn't been in Alasta for long, yet because everything was new to her, it had felt like an eternity. At least she'd finally completed the requirements for her first main quest.

  Nodding to herself, she went over her stats again.

  [----------------STATUS-------------]

  [NAME: ----- Shirakiyo Hiromi]

  [ALLURE: --------------------1300]

  [TRAITS: -- Exhibitionist Lv.6]

  [TITLES: ---------------------None]

  [ERO POINTS: ---------------200]

  [------------EQUIPMENT------------]

  [Hair accessory: -------------100]

  [Harem set top: --------------200]

  [Harem set bottom: ---------200]

  [Harem stockings: ----------400]

  [Harem babuchas: ----------100]

  (Every time I look at this, I can't help thinking this system has a thing for stockings…)

  "Alright, Ruby, we need to get going or we'll be late."

  "So this is goodbye to this inn… To think we'd be saying goodbye like this…"

  "We still have to pass the admission exam…"

  "Hah, they're just going to inspect us. Do you really think the inspectors won't let a figure like this pass?"

  Ruby placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, standing confidently in front of Hiromi.

  Her athletic build showed some muscle, but nothing too pronounced. Her slim waist, feminine hips, and generous breasts guaranteed she'd draw attention.

  "Hmph!" Hiromi puffed out her cheeks, a little jealous. "You can never get complacent!"

  "Relax, Hiromi," Ruby said, looking her up and down and making Hiromi instinctively cover herself with her arms. "If we're talking femininity, you have nothing to envy."

  Hiromi was shorter than Ruby. Her figure was slender and delicate, with rounded breasts and soft but well-defined hips. Nothing was excessive and nothing was lacking, she had ideal proportions, so to speak.

  Ruby stepped closer until her nose touched Hiromi's. Her emerald eyes stayed locked on Hiromi's blue ones.

  "And I'm not saying this to brag, but we both have a beautiful face," Ruby said with a bright, ear-to-ear smile.

  "Enough, Ruby! I'm getting embarrassed before the inspection even begins!"

  They laughed for a moment, but in the end they nodded to each other and prepared to leave the inn, heading toward Alasta's palace.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  ***

  Alasta had countless colossal buildings that seemed to belong to different historical periods and a variety of cultures.

  Buildings like the space elevator exchanged goods with gigantic spaceships so massive you could see their shadows in the sky.

  Another structure that stood out was the botanical complex, sprawling elven gardens overflowing with magic and mysterious creatures. It was ruled by one of the Ten Concubines, the most powerful women in the city.

  Maybe because there were so many things worthy of attention, Hiromi hadn't given Alasta's palace much of hers.

  But this imposing building, visible from every corner of the city, was no less impressive than the rest.

  "How many floors do you think it has?" Hiromi asked as she crossed the threshold into the examination hall.

  "No one knows," Ruby replied beside her.

  "What do you mean no one knows? Can't you just count the windows from outside? It's true they're not perfectly aligned in a lot of places, but you could still make an estimate…"

  "That's not it," Ruby clarified. "The palace has its own separate dimensions inside… Some people say it's even bigger on the inside than the city itself."

  "And I was already scared I'd get lost with just how big it looks from the outside… Ruby, what am I going to do?"

  "You have a system too, right? If you get lost, you can ask it for a map."

  "I'll trade you my system for yours… I have no idea what rooms mine would guide me to if I got lost…"

  Ruby started laughing and gave Hiromi a pat on the back. Since she was almost bare, it came out surprisingly loud.

  "Ouch! What are you doing?!"

  "Don't say stupid things! We're going to be rivals in this palace!"

  "Is that why you won't trade systems? I was just joking. I wouldn't dump this shameful system on anyone. You didn't have to get so mad…" Hiromi complained, trying to rub her sore back, but she couldn't reach.

  "Of course systems can't be traded, they're completely personal," Ruby explained, raising a finger. "But I said it because your ERO System is clearly an advantage here. If I traded with you, you wouldn't have any way to beat me. I'd be concubine number one in three days! HAHAHAHA!"

  "…Ruby, is it just me, or do you get very brazen when you're embarrassed?"

  …

  Ruby, whose cheeks were almost as red as her scarlet hair, lowered her head and started fidgeting with her fingers.

  "It's just that… people stared at us way too much on the way here… I thought I was used to it because of the bikini armor…"

  "Uuuuuu, don't remind me…" Hiromi replied, covering her face with both hands.

  "Ladies, are you here for the inspection? Through this door, please."

  After walking for quite a while down an immense corridor, they reached a room where an officer at the door invited them inside.

  There, they found a small group of women dressed just like them, also ready to take their chances at being admitted into the harem.

  "Ah! It's you!" Hiromi blurted out, startling Ruby.

  In front of them stood a woman shorter than Hiromi, but with long legs and a slender figure. Her feminine, delicate features only made her presence stand out more.

  Her outfit was black and went perfectly with her extremely long golden hair, which reached all the way to her knees. She wore a harem outfit similar to theirs, but the lower part was an open skirt that revealed a tiny black bikini-cut garment underneath.

  The blonde girl studied them with her unreadable lilac eyes until, at last, she parted her thin lips.

  "…Ele."

  "Ele?" Hiromi repeated, confused.

  "Is she your friend?" Ruby asked, also not understanding what was happening.

  "I'm not 'you'. I'm Eleonore," the petite girl said, pointing at herself with a finger.

  "Eleonore… So that's why Ele?" Hiromi asked, crossing her arms.

  Ele nodded.

  "Wait, the real question is, what are you doing here?!"

  The girl tilted her head, as if she didn't understand the point of the question.

  "I'm searching for the most delicious food in the world," she finally stated.

  "And they make that food in the palace?" Ruby asked, sounding a little hopeful.

  "I don't know, maybe?"

  …

  …

  "So you just decided to join the harem like that?" Hiromi sighed in disbelief, hands on her hips. "Do you even know what concubines do in this place? They're less like concubines and more like pro… pros… Don't make me say it!"

  "No one's forcing you to say anything…" Ruby muttered to herself.

  Ele tilted her head the other way and rested her cheek on a finger, thinking.

  "Perverted things?"

  …

  …

  "And that doesn't worry you?" Hiromi asked, with Ruby nodding beside her.

  "They don't let me into restaurants anymore, so there's no other choice."

  "Well, if you don't pay… Now that I think about it, how did you get that outfit?"

  "Also, the Crimson Monarch might know the best food in the world," Ele said, completely ignoring Hiromi's question.

  "Ah, right! That makes sense," Ruby said, tapping her fist into her palm.

  "Alright, everyone, line up against the wall."

  The various conversations among the groups of harem candidates were interrupted as palace officers entered the room.

  Some had stern faces, while others looked like they were devouring the women with their eyes.

  Hiromi couldn't help swallowing and quickly positioned herself between Ele and Ruby.

  All three girls straightened their backs and held their breath as the men paced in front of them. Well, Ele was mostly imitating the others, and her expression still didn't show much emotion.

  One of the men, wearing glasses and sporting a sour expression, stopped in front of Ruby and looked her up and down.

  This time it was Ruby who swallowed, and a bead of sweat slid down her temple. Her generous breasts rose and fell with her nervous breathing.

  "You… are disqualified," the man's voice was sharp as he wrote something on a clipboard.

  "What, why?!" Ruby exclaimed.

  "Ruby…"

  Hiromi beside her didn't know what to say, while Ele just watched, expressionless.

  "The harem already has too many tall women. We're trying to focus on more variety," the officer replied, still staring at his clipboard and barely paying Ruby any attention.

  "Just because of that?! I can offer a lot more than my height!"

  The man let out a tired sigh and finally looked up at Ruby to say something, but a hand landed on his shoulder at that moment.

  "Wait, wait, there's no need to rush so much."

  The officer who had placed his hand there was another inspector, a bit overweight, with a gaze far more perverted than average. Behind him stood another man who, by contrast, was so thin he looked like a pole.

  Both of them were devouring Ruby with their eyes.

  "We don't have to be so strict," the heavier officer continued. "I think we should give her a chance to prove her worth, like she claims."

  The skinny man nodded as well, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together.

  The inspector with the sour face let out another weary sigh before replying.

  "Fine, but if she passes, let it be the last. There are already too many tall women."

  "Of course, I understand completely," the heavier officer said with a smile. "Alright, woman, follow us. We're going to a private room."

  Ruby swallowed and said goodbye to Hiromi with her eyes before following the two men out of the room.

  Hiromi barely had time to think about what would happen to Ruby, because the inspector with the sour expression was now standing right in front of her.

  Meanwhile, Ele was also face to face with one of the officers acting as inspectors, a burly man around two meters tall who made her look even smaller than she already was.

  "Alright, young lady," the inspector with the sour expression began. "You have a rather exotic look, which is a plus. But we can't let just anyone in. Let's begin the exam, or rather, the examination."

  ***

  [ERO SYSTEM NOTICE]

  [Content censored by the Alasta Administration]

  [Impact on the plot: None]

  [Also, would you like to accompany Ruby on her secret trial?]

  [Besides the usual uncensored spicy scenes, consider supporting the novel on Patreon to get access to exclusive R18 chapters!]

  ***

  She'd done it. Now she was part of Alasta's Harem!

  Not only had Hiromi been approved, but so had Ele, and even Ruby, who had ultimately been accepted into the harem as well.

  After the admission exam and reuniting with a dejected Ruby, the three of them, along with the other new concubines, were guided to their respective rooms.

  "It's really luxurious…"

  Hiromi looked around while lying on an enormous bed, one that could comfortably fit four people.

  "I think the entire first floor of the inn could fit on it… The food is free too, according to the inspector who guided us. And it's not just that the pay is good, Ruby says retirement is at forty for anyone who wants it… If it weren't for the fact that the job involves "that", this wouldn't be so bad…"

  [Welcome to Alasta's Harem! Your adventure truly begins here!]

  In front of Hiromi, the ERO System's pink holographic screen opened on its own.

  "Maybe I shouldn't ask what kind of adventure it means…"

  [At this time, the user only has access to the first floor.]

  "Well, they explained that while they were guiding us through the corridors…"

  [CLARIFICATION: The user must attempt to rise in rank to become a second-floor concubine.]

  "…But specifically, how am I supposed to do that?" Hiromi asked, not sure she even wanted to read the answer. "They were going to explain the details tomorrow after letting us rest… which is what you should have done too if you were more considerate of your user's mental fatigue…"

  [The user has no time to lose if she wants to become the number one concubine!]

  "…"

  [As the user increases her allure and passes the trials, she will be able to move up in rank.]

  "Trials? What trials?"

  [Generally, satisfying guests of the Crimson Monarch. The user may refer to them as floor bosses if she prefers.]

  "What?! The harem has bosses too?! Is it a dungeon or something?!"

  [But the first floor is somewhat different.]

  "Then why are you wasting my time?!"

  [It is important for the user to prepare mentally.]

  "…"

  "But then what do I have to do on this floor to rank up?"

  [The first-floor trial consists of…]

  …

  "Just say it already!"