CHAPTER 204

"Oh, god yeah. It's been brought up by pretty much everyone that tries to break in. I'll admit, I've been tempted to go digging around for magic items to protect everyone, but I keep getting caught up in almost being murdered and rescuing my friends from imprisonment. No disrespect, just stating a fact is all. Frankly, if people would leave us alone, I would be more than happy to just kind of let things be and enjoy my time with everyone."

"Hmm." The queen put her chin in her hand as if contemplating something difficult. "Would you like to know about the game?"

Mike wondered where she was going with this but wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Yes, I absolutely would. That would save me so much time I would rather be spending with the others."

"You mean sexually." Her tone was matter-of-fact.

"No, not always. Heck, not even with everybody. I'm the Caretaker, so I try to spend time with them each day so they don't get lonely, and that sometimes means connecting on a more physical level. You can choose to see sex whatever way you want, but others, especially the women in my house, tend to see it as no different than a couple of friends just hanging out naked and giving each other orgasms. It doesn't have to be a big deal if everyone is having fun, but you shouldn't assume that I'm just in it for some monster booty."

"You can see why I may have made assumptions."

Mike nodded. "Sure, but for me, it's just so important to make sure that everybody feels important in their own way, especially the ones who don't get along with the others. Frankly, I'm a bit worried about Jenny, but that's mostly because she's...well, a bit standoffish. Oh, and Yuki. Her heart is broken in so many places, I have no idea the best way to help her. I wouldn't mind helping Kisa get her memories back, but that would require her to actually be around more often."

"Is that the black cat I keep seeing around the house? I only catch her from the corner of my eyes, and then she's gone."

"Wow, I haven't even seen her here yet." Mike looked at the house again and wondered why Kisa's soul hadn't shown up with the others. Then again, it wouldn't have been here for very long. "So, yeah, I assume so. I didn't know they were all living in here until we started our duel, I have no idea how any of this works. Well, I knew Naia was here, she was going to be my secret weapon."

"You really do spend time with everyone like you have spent time with them here. Conversations, games, meals. Things like that?"

"I do."

The queen looked at the sky and took a deep breath. "Your home isn't the only place the Architect built. And it didn't always look that way, either. It's been around a very long time."

"How many other places were there?" Mike asked.

The queen smiled. "I couldn't tell you if I wanted to. When a home like yours dies, it leaves a massive hole in the memory of nearly everyone involved. When I try to count them in my head, it's like they are a bunch of children running around. Just when I think I have them all, I see a new one in my head, and another disappears. I'm afraid that the geas isn't exclusive to your own home, you see, but I can tell you that at one time, there were many. Right now, I can only say for certain that your home is still active, but that's because I have had first-hand dealings with you."

"And what's the purpose of the house?"

"That I can tell you to a degree. Your home, like the others, is its own pocket dimension. The Architect wanted to create a puzzle with the ultimate prize, but it could only be found by someone who was truly worthy of it. But how do you decide who is worthy so many centuries in advance? The solution was simple; the Architect created many such places, each with a different set of rules. The owners of these places often went by different titles. For example, you are the Caretaker, but I have known others such as King, High Priest, and even Captain."

"Of a boat?" Mike was almost excited at the idea of a magic ship sailing the high seas and full of magical denizens.

The queen's eyes went dull for a second. "I assume so. I can almost picture it, but then it fades. I'm sure you understand. But yes, each home is its own puzzle, and yours just happens to be a refuge for monsters who have no other place to call home. I have a vague recollection of the Captain needing to sail their vessel along every known sea, but even they didn't know for sure if that was the key to unlocking it."

"Interesting. I've lived through some of Emily's memories, and she seemed to think that she needed to find more monsters to live in the house to unlock its secret."

"And if that's the case, would you do so?"

Mike shrugged. "I don't know. What's this prize supposed to be?"

The queen laughed. It was like the ringing of distant church bells, and it made his head swim. "You know as much as I do, but it's supposed to be something really good."

"Hmm." The idea of chasing down an unknown treasure seemed more than a little asinine. Emily had devoted a good chunk of her life to such an endeavor, and it hadn't ended well for her. She could have had so many good years with Yuki, and maybe the others in the home if she had just decided to be happy. "I can't say I wouldn't go looking if I ran across a clue, but I guess it's kind of hard for me to care when I'm already perfectly happy to just do my own thing."