The Guest from the Empire -1
Night falls, we stop and rent a lodging.
I train.
I fuck her.
Then we spend the night and set off again.
Repeat that a few times, and we're already in my territory.
I decided to ask before our final night at the last inn.
"Teacher."
"What is it?"
"Have you heard anything about the imperial inspector coming from the capital?"
"Inspector?"
Even Teacher seemed a bit surprised.
But she quickly composed herself.
"Well, if there is one, they'd go to your father first, right?"
"That's what I thought too. But they said they're coming to me as well."
At that, Teacher pondered deeply, as if weighing her options.
"Should we bribe them?"
I suggested it first.
"Imperial inspectors are directly under the emperor. It'd probably backfire."
As expected from someone from the capital—she knew her stuff.
"But... is there anything that could be a problem for the inspection?"
I figured there wasn't.
But there was.
"It's that damn war."
"War?"
Teacher blinked at the unexpected topic.
"The days of the capital dispatching the full army for subjugation are long over."
It's easy to think the whole nation pulls together, but imperial wars are different.
"You know this well. These days, local forces handle expansions on their own."
"Do you think the support is sufficient, Teacher?"
"Practical matters are complicated, so I can't say for sure."
Teacher was a combat specialist, not a strategist.
"Truth is, central support alone isn't enough if you want to wage war properly."
To use decent soldiers, you have to reward them generously.
"Plunder reports are lower than before... and tax collections are underreported for spending..."
"That won't look good to an inspector."
"But I've never pocketed any for personal gain.
The last war ended just a month before the tournament. Normally, there shouldn't be any money left."
Teacher nodded at my words.
"I'm not experienced enough in field command to know the details."
But then, as if struck by an idea, she pointed to herself.
"But I was an instructor. Can't I just explain that mobilizing troops that way was the rational method?"
That sounded reasonable enough.
Seeing my unease, she continued to reassure me.
"I was an instructor at the empire's top military academy, after all."
But saying it naked like that didn't carry much weight.
With her arms crossed proudly, her breasts got squished...
"Shall we do it one more time?"
"Eh? Wh-what?"
My cock was already hard, so I moved behind her.
"W-wait a—"
Squelch♡
Spank...!
"Hiiik♡"
Teacher no longer held back her moans.
To be precise, I'd trained her not to.
"Haaang♡"
"Every time you try to stifle a moan, I punish you with my cock. You're doing so well on your own now."
That didn't mean she wasn't embarrassed.
Her face was beet red.
'That just makes me want to thrust harder.'
I pounded her relentlessly into the late night.
Ang♡ Ang♡
Hee-guk♡
I'd said just once more, but her reactions were too fun, so I kept teasing her.
Changing angles shifted her moans too.
'This is fun?'
Beyond the pleasure, it felt like pure entertainment.
Knock knock knock!
A sound came from outside the door.
"Hey, we need to prepare for tomorrow. Shouldn't everyone get some proper rest?"
But we'd been enjoying ourselves too much.
A complaint from one of my men.
"Ah, sorry."
I'd been a bit shortsighted.
I decided to stop right away.
"Uuuugh..."
Teacher covered her face with her hands, mortified.
Well, her moans were what echoed through the inn, after all.
Her own cries had kept everyone up late.
'Should I comfort her a bit?'
"You were an instructor at the empire's top military academy. Have some confidence—"
"Don't say that now!"
It backfired instead.
Anyway, we set off early and arrived at my estate.
"Now then..."
Resting my weary body and mind sounded good, but—
"Rosters and ledgers!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Non-essentials go straight to the basement warehouse!"
We started preparations for the inspection immediately.
"What about important documents?"
"Keep originals, rewrite the rest to look clean!"
Papers flew everywhere, a few books tossed into the basement.
"How about like this?"
"Oh, good idea."
And surprisingly, people from Teacher's Vakteron family were a big help.
'They've done this a lot?'
I had slight doubts about the empire's integrity, but no time to dwell.
"Hurry up!"
"Dump everything in the warehouse first, then bring up only the safe stuff!"
We were in the thick of hiding things.
Thud thud.
Sudden knocks at the main gate.
"Imperial Inspection Team. We request your cooperation."
"Already?"
Preparations weren't done.
"T-Teacher!"
"Y-yes?"
"Go stall them for a bit!"
She was from the capital—maybe she had connections.
All I could do was pray Teacher bought us time.
Truth be told, Karna was stumped by my request.
'I don't know inspectors well either...!'
She'd trained soldiers, so she had contacts there.
But inspectors weren't military to begin with.
'No connections on the inspection side.'
...Too late to say that now.
'She might know someone anyway.'
"Uh, we're just tidying up the house a moment..."
Hm? Where's the inspector?
Karna panicked briefly.
'Disguised as a guard?'
Fortunately, she recognized one guard's face.
But still, where was the inspector?
Inspectors were a separate power structure in the empire.
No reason for one to disguise themselves.
'...!'
A guard she knew gave her an eye signal, as if recognizing her.
'What? What is it?'
"...Right here."
A voice came from below her.
'No way...?'
She looked down.
Pretty short.
The height difference had hidden her completely.
Of all people, the inspector.
'We're screwed...'
Being especially tall herself, Karna hadn't even noticed the petite inspector.
"We'll help with the cleaning.
...Though we might end up cleaning something else entirely."
Ice-cold, strictly professional tone.
But maybe a hint of anger too.
Her attempt to bluff had ruined the first impression instead.
"St-still, as guests, please wait just a moment while we prepare properly."
"No need for that."
Looking closely, imperial medals hung on her chest.
Medals were sometimes given to inspectors for authority, but...
'This combination?'
Then she saw the face.
Jet-black short hair, blue eyes.
A monocle on one side, sharp and no-nonsense beauty.
Holding a small ledger fitting her tiny frame.
'This must be...'
Hoping she was wrong, Karna asked.
"Are you Elin of the Belmore family?"
"Yes. It's an honor that a noble recognizes me."
Her tone said it was anything but.
'Dangerous...'
The Belmore family.
Citizen class, but infamous among nobles.
They'd served the imperial court for generations.
And had a good shot at noble status.
But more than that...
'Belmore's fiercest woman.'
"W-we'll prepare quickly!"
Karna hurriedly called her Vakteron retainers.
They could buy some time.
"Q-quickly escort her to the reception room!"
She's a lady from a central family—
"Big trouble!"
"...Not what I hoped to hear."
I hadn't expected her to make me more anxious.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Belmore's Wicked Woman!"
"Wicked Woman?"
"Ah, a nickname."
As if I'd know central figures.
"Explain."
"Rumors say she once gutted a massive scandal and wiped out several families."
"Several? Rumors?"
Why so vague?
"She definitely crushed one house for sure. The rest are rumors."
'Crushed one outright?'
Seeing my skeptical look, he continued.
"She shook them down so hard the family head and key members got executed. Barely clinging to survival now."
"Wait... Belmore? Never heard of them."
"Citizen class. But rank doesn't matter for inspectors."
A noble house might cover for each other.
But citizen class?
"Wait, don't citizens usually get heavy posts?"
"By rank alone, she's just one employee in the inspection bureau."
"Ah."
This was bad.
Worst case, I might watch Teacher's family get crushed right after she joins mine.
"We have more tea we haven't shown you yet. Please wait just a bit longer."
"That's enough. I'd rather start the inspection."
"Come on, no need to—"
"Inspection team, prepare."
Dangerous voices from outside.
No time left.