The Plum Blossom Swordmaster Reincarnated into a Count's Family
The paper stamped with Sharnell's pussy and the clay mold cast from it would go straight to the archive.
Archive was a generous word. The place was closer to a private collection — a record of every maid who worked the estate, each one catalogued by the shape of her cunt.
Another piece for the collection today.
I studied the paper bearing Sharnell's imprint. Her pussy was small, so the outline came out simple — but everything that mattered had transferred cleanly: the clit, the labia, the entrance to her hole.
The clay would need to dry and be finished afterward. Not by me, of course. A maid would handle it.
After that I showered and climbed into the bath. Sharnell scrubbed herself with trembling hands, drowning in shame. She tried to put as much distance between us as the tub allowed. Fat chance. I crooked a finger at her.
Her face twisted as she came closer. I pulled her onto my lap. The weight of her settled heavy against my thighs.
About time.
I summoned a Breast-Enlargement Potion, smeared it across my palms, and went to work on her chest. The potion sank into her flesh and vanished almost at once.
"Hngh… nn… kuh…"
I kept kneading. Her breasts were a little larger than my hands, which made them a pleasure to work — soft, springy, with just enough give. Her sensitivity was already halfway developed; a few more squeezes and her nipples stiffened hard.
"Haa… haah…"
I focused on those soft pink tips until Sharnell shuddered through a light climax. I kept fondling her for a good while longer before shoving her aside and calling the other maids nearby.
"Someone come soothe my cock."
"I'll take care of it, Master."
The maids rushed in and pressed themselves against me.
And that was how the orgy began.
"Count Eugene Frucus enters!"
A servant's voice boomed through the chamber as the doors swung open. I strode down the red carpet without a flicker of hesitation. The audience hall held far more than Princess Aileen — nobles packed the room by the score. A hundred at least. Every lord who could make the journey had come.
Over a hundred pairs of eyes locked onto me. The weight of those stares tried to press me down. It would take a lot more than that.
Right side of the carpet: the noble faction that follows me. Left side: the princess faction that follows Aileen.
The numbers were roughly even.
The nobles on my side feared me. They had some idea of what I could do — and most of them owed me money. More than a few were already compromised by leverage I held over them.
The ones behind Princess Aileen, though, carried real pride. Call it dignity if you like. Looking at them standing against me, I almost had to admire it.
How the hell did Aileen cook these people so thoroughly? Their loyalty is something else.
Princess Aileen, through and through. Her political instincts were monstrous.
I looked straight ahead.
She was not sitting on the throne. She had placed a chair beside it instead — a quiet statement that she was not yet queen. She knew where the line was, and she did not cross it.
Where's Prince Aiden?
Nowhere in sight. Aileen wouldn't waste a scheme this small on him. He was probably holed up somewhere, drinking himself stupid. Fine by me. Having him here wouldn't have helped anyone. Aiden was a figurehead and nothing more.
"It's been some time, Your Highness."
"I hear you've inherited the countship. Congratulations, Count Frucus."
She was still beautiful — brilliant golden hair, eyes as blue as sapphires. Her white dress was neither gaudy nor plain; it simply framed the clean, noble air she carried.
"My thanks, Your Highness. And my thanks to everyone gathered here as well."
"……"
The atmosphere was ice. I shrugged.
"I know better than anyone how busy you all are, so I'll get to the point. Give me an army. I will lead it myself and conquer the Cobalt Kingdom."
"……"
The princess-faction nobles traded glances, then looked to Aileen. Whatever she decided, they would follow — unspoken, but clear.
"Count Frucus."
"Yes, Your Highness. Please speak."
"The Rapheli Kingdom is exhausted from years of war. Our staff officers who fought in the northern campaign have concluded that the continental war will end within one to two years. We are the victors. All we need to do is hold until the fighting stops. There is no need to invade Cobalt."
"Those staff officers are idiots. The continental war ends in one or two years? No. It will not end. Not even close."
A hostile murmur rippled through the princess faction.
"Count Frucus! Did you just call us idiots?!"
"Were you one of those officers? I only said what was true. The continental war will not end in one or two years."
He ground his teeth and glared at me.
"And what makes you so certain?"
"The Cobalt Kingdom. Its current king, Dulibard, has been eyeing Rapheli for a long time. He already attempted an invasion once. You think a man that obsessive gives up after a single failure? Cobalt is conquering its neighbors as we speak. Its territory grows by the day, and its army is larger than anything it fielded before."
"Do you have any idea how far Cobalt sits from Rapheli? From Cobalt's perspective, invading us would be a pure loss."
"I already told you — he tried it once. Having done it once makes the second attempt easier. And you know Dulibard's temperament as well as I do. The man is a war-mad tyrant. Sooner or later he will point his spears at us. The best move is to strike Cobalt down before it grows any stronger."
He was twisting his face to answer when Princess Aileen cut in.
"Count Frucus. I understand the danger Cobalt poses. We've also received reports of Cobalt advancing north, so as you say, their true objective is likely Rapheli."
"As expected of Your Highness. Far easier to talk to than that officer of yours."
"…But that still does not explain why we must launch a conquest. If Cobalt's army invades, we defend. You know as well as I do that holding a fortress is easier than taking one."
"By then it will be too late. Cobalt will be far stronger than Your Highness imagines. Rapheli will not be able to stop them."
"…You sound very sure, Count. On what grounds?"
I didn't answer at once. I swept a look around the hall.
Whatever I said here would leak. The risk was blowback — and I could weather it.
"The king of Cobalt has joined hands with demon contractors."
The nobles erupted. Some shouted that it was impossible. Others nodded along with me.
"…Count. That claim cannot simply be left alone. Do you have proof?"
"Think about Cobalt's recent movements. They wage war almost daily. They expand in every direction. Three nations have already vanished under their invasion. And through all of it — battles, supply lines, the usual disasters of campaigning — not a single common problem has surfaced. Does that sound natural to you?"
"…Cobalt has many brilliant generals. Calling it demonic power is premature."
"Your Highness. Cobalt is strange starting from its king. Dulibard vanished as crown prince, then reappeared years later as an Aura Master and took the throne. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"You yourself became an Aura Master at a young age, did you not?"
"I was called a genius from childhood and stood out early. Dulibard was not. He disappeared without context, came back, and was suddenly an Aura Master."
I laid out several more examples. None of it was a lie. Dulibard truly did use demonic power — aggressively, and with enough subtlety that most people never noticed.
This world had the Serion Church, which stood against demons, but in the present age their influence was pitifully thin. If Dulibard decided to erase them, he could do it tomorrow.
"We must bring Cobalt down before Dulibard's ambition reaches us. Your Highness. Authorize the conquest."
"The kingdom does not have the strength right now to—"
"It does. The east under Frucus protection is already stable. The northern war ended not long ago. The western front is being cleaned up. The south is far more peaceful than anywhere else. Give me an army. I will march south and break Cobalt myself."
"The war is only just beginning to end. The people are only now returning to ordinary life. And you want to send them back to the battlefield?"
"This is the last war — the one that ends the continental war for good. Your Highness. Think of the future. If Cobalt falls… Rapheli becomes the greatest kingdom on the continent. We could dominate it for the next hundred years."
A hundred years of continental rule. The moment those words left my mouth, hunger lit in the eyes of the nobles clustered around the princess. Her staff officers were no different. They had decided the odds were real enough to matter.
"Your Highness. For the peace of the continent, Cobalt must fall."
I even wrapped it in a pretty bow. A few of the princess-faction nobles began speaking in support.
"…I will authorize the conquest of Cobalt. But does the army truly need to be led by you, Count?"
"I am the best for the job."
"You aren't even thirty yet, are you?"
"Age and ability do not scale together. I am a third son, and I inherited the countship. Why do you think that is? Ability. Mine has already been recognized."
"Others here seem to disagree."
The princess looked over the nobles. Quite a few were glaring at me with open fury — men who wore the title of great general.
I let my gaze travel slowly across them and smiled.
"Anyone who refuses to accept it, step forward. I'll challenge you to a territorial war."
"Count! We are still in a state of war! Territorial wars are not permitted!"
Princess Aileen shot to her feet and shouted.
"Then a duel."
"……"
No one moved.
I turned back to Princess Aileen. Ambition sat plain in her eyes as well. Victory in this war would hand Rapheli the continental hegemony. For a princess this hungry, it was a chance she could not afford to miss.
She had probably intended to approve the war from the start. She would have preferred to seat one of her own people as commander — but I had stepped forward so openly that she had little room left. I was, after all, an undefeated general.
"Haa."
Princess Aileen let out a long breath. I smiled.
Everything was proceeding exactly as I wanted.