Isekai Herald
Fun fact all the women of the harem are named after songs. Here's a list of the ladies with the artist who sung the song.
Michelle by The Beatles
Gloria by Laura Branigan
Sara by Jefferson Starship
Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
Beth by Kiss
Rosanna by Toto
Valerie by Steve Winwood
Epilogue for books 1-5 added to the bottom of this page.
When do you have freedom?
This is the philosophical question explored in Isekai Herald.
It starts out by questioning whether we can have the freedom to choose when we are being exploited.
In continues with the question of whether we are being exploited if we are forced to work to be able to eat.
It questions whether the changes hormones play are a part of us, and is it freedom to be with or without them.
Later in the series it questions freedom of responsibilities, and movement.
Finally it questions if control of the laws of reality and being the most powerful in the universe is how far we have to go to achieve freedom.
Iris on book 1's cover (without typo)
Michelle on book 2's cover (without typo)
Gloria on book 3's cover (without typo)
Sara on book 4's cover
Beth on book 5's cover (without typo)
Rosanna and Valerie on book 6's cover (without typo)
Michelle
Michelle was the first to die, even though her lifespan was longer than Beth’s. After James died in the fight against the demon king, Michelle tracked down the blacksmiths who abused Sarah and killed them. After that, she wandered, drank, and fought. (as well as made some art to cover her drinking habit.) She came upon a group capturing children and putting them in cages. She was alone and half drunk, but couldn’t turn away. She saved several children and killed most of the thieves before she fell. The town didn’t know her name, and she was buried in an unmarked grave. The practice of orphan children kissing her grave stone for protection was adopted over the years, and visiting dwarves found themselves helped by the children of the city.
Beth
Beth took another husband and bore an heir to the throne, not that it mattered. He was a king in name only, holding no real power. Beth’s husband loathed the princess penis (The dildo James created), but Beth continued to use it in secret. She felt it was only fair that she cheat on him, given that he was cheating on her with everyone from the staff to other nobility. Beth’s only point of joy was the horses that she raised. She was too kind-hearted when it came to breeding, but her fame allowed the business to prosper. Beth died of old age, wishing she had followed her heart rather than bowing to her responsibilities. She was proud of the life she’d made and the kingdom she left for her children. One of her most significant points of pride was her progress in women’s rights and equality. The world would be a better place for daughters, and that gave her a profound sense of peace in the end.
Sarah
Sarah grew in fame. Her weapons and armor were the most coveted in the world, and nobility would fight over any metal sculptors she created. Her success was hollow, however, because of all the women, Sarah could never get over James. In the hoards of suitors, she saw nothing but people wanting to use her, and her fame for their own benefit. Dwarves, humans, and even elves were all turned away as she put all her pain, loneliness, and anger into her work. The harassment became so severe that she exiled herself from society and hid in a remote dwarven town. She purchased a large workshop and had it expanded even further. For decades, she experimented with metal, creating without selling a single piece. The dwarven boy who delivered food was the one who found her dead body. When the town searched her land, they found hundreds of pieces of the most exquisite metal art, weapons, and armor the world has ever known. Buyers came from across the globe, and the town turned her workshop into a tourist attraction to make even more money off her death. Amongst the artwork was a sculpture of James. From the wear on it, you could tell that Sarah had lain against it many nights and stroked its face. The metal was worn from decades of her caressing it, and it was one of the few pieces the town didn’t sell. (It also had the lowest value because of the state of the statue, which likely played a bigger part in the city not selling it.)
Gloria
Gloria, like Beth, was a public figure. She took to her role as the high priest of Ares and didn’t take lovers publicly. She was well-read, knowledgeable, and considered to have great wisdom by all. Also, like Beth, she felt a strong sense of responsibility, and she played her role well. It wasn’t what she wanted, but what was expected of her. Of all of James’s wives, Gloria was the most unfulfilled. She felt cheated and bitter that James had died so quickly after finally reconciling with him. She beat herself up for her immature behavior that created a wedge between them, and those errors are likely what kept her playing the role of high priestess until she died. Surrounded by people who adored the idea of her but didn’t know her, guilted into responsibilities she didn’t want to fulfill. If James had been there, he would have told her to follow her heart, but he wasn’t, so she put on her mask and played her role. She died loved by millions, but known to none.
Iris
Iris, unlike Sarah, had many lovers. Maybe it was her hate of the nobility, or perhaps it was her way to show her devotion to James, but she spent centuries advocating and pushing for the democracy James began. Iris worked year after year, decade after decade, and even century after century to change the kingdom into the democracy James envisioned for the country. She was critical in giving the weak and the poor protection from the nobility and the rich. She made many enemies, but she was cunning enough to foil all the assassination attempts. She dealt with those enemies just as brutally, one of whom was the sultan whom she’d never forgiven. She destroyed his reputation, made him bankrupt, and then killed him when he was no longer a public figure. She had a reputation as someone you did not want as an enemy. While her father was on the list of those she never forgave, her mother was a different story. Her mother had left her father after giving her daughter up without a fight. Iris reconciled with her mother, but kept her away from the public eye to keep her safe. As Iris grew older, she faded away from politics slowly. For nearly a century after her death, politicians were still attributing bad fortune to nobility who abused others because of her. She died peacefully in a villa with a boy toy made rich by her death. She was tired of living when she passed, believing she’d lived a full live.