Chapter 245: A Suspiciously Large Number of Virgin Succubi (1)
Chapter 245: A Suspiciously Large Number of Virgin Succubi (1)
Once the battle reached its conclusion.
The first thing I did was summon the enemy commander, Irsenti Sirjosia.
"Ngh...!"
Irsenti glared at me as if he wanted to tear me apart, but that was all he could do.
Bound tightly by ropes, he was incapable of any resistance. His only weapon was that murderous stare.
"Truly a tragic display of brotherly love. You led your soldiers into a deathtrap all because your brother died."
"Shut up, you piece of filth! You killed a man just because he touched some woman!"
"Just a woman? No. She belongs to Fermaton. He dared to lay a hand on what is mine without permission, so his death was only natural."
There was no point in further conversation.
"Mother. How should we handle a lord who loses a territorial war?"
"Usually, it ends with the territory paying a massive indemnity. But this situation is entirely different. There was no declaration of war; he just gathered his troops and invaded out of the blue."
"Then what should be done?"
"We must ensure he never looks toward Fermaton again. Life imprisonment, or perhaps..."
Even Zenith hesitated to say it, but the fate of a war criminal like Irsenti had been decided before the battle even began.
"Count."
"Hmm? Nero, what is it?"
"When initiating a territorial war, one must fundamentally send a declaration of war and then notify the Royal Family to receive permission."
"Permission from the Royal Family...?"
"Yes. That is the role of the Crown. When a conflict large enough to spark a territorial war erupts, the Crown's duty is to send a minister to mediate and prevent the conflict from escalating."
It seemed the Royal Family played a much larger role as mediators in noble disputes than I had thought.
"However, since he ignored all that and launched a war anyway, the Sirjosia family are rebels in the eyes of the Crown. It would be best to dispose of him immediately."
"Well, if you put it that way."
If Nero, who was well-versed in the inner workings of the Royal Family, was suggesting summary execution?
Then it was game over.
"Irsenti. Any last words?"
"...My sister is innocent."
"You want me to leave your sister alone? Fine. I had no intention of forcibly annexing the Sirjosia territory or sending soldiers to occupy it anyway."
Fermaton needed to focus on its internal stability for now.
"But I cannot let you go. I'll send you to join your brother. Sir Lambert!"
"...Yes!"
As if he had been waiting for this exact moment, Lambert stepped forward.
He didn't lick his lips or bite his bottom lip; he simply stood there as a dignified, solemn knight.
It seemed my request for him to at least hide his personal... proclivities... in front of me was finally having some effect.
"Take Irsenti Sirjosia to the execution ground. You are permitted to take the knights under your command and the escort soldiers as well."
"By your command. I shall follow the Count's orders."
"Hmph, even if I die, I will curse you for the rest of— Wait, hold on. No way... Re-really? You bastards! What did you do to my brother—"
Thwack!
Lambert buried a fist into Irsenti's stomach. Then, he scooped him up in a princess carry—as if he were cradling a woman—and vanished into the distance.
"Hmm."
For a moment, I worried if the 'backdoor' plague might start spreading, but seeing as Lambert was still alive and well, he was clearly handling things in a... healthy(?) and hygienic(?) manner.
'He'll take care of it.'
There was no need for me to get blood on my hands.
When it came to these matters, it was best to leave it to a professional. I had no desire to hear a detailed report on exactly how Lambert carried out the execution.
Simply put.
Following Irmiri, Lambert had opened up Irsenti's 'back gate' and executed the brothers.
That was a good enough summary.
Besides, there were things more important than a single Irsenti.
"Next. Connect the crystal orb outside the outer wall."
"Here it is, Count."
Astarotte approached and handed me the crystal orb. I surveyed the soldiers standing in perfect rows and columns through the glass.
"Ah. People of the former Sirjosia who have surrendered. Future citizens of Fermaton. Welcome."
The soldiers' gazes toward the crystal orb—my proxy—were far from pleasant.
"Your dicks almost exploded, but in the end, they didn't. You made a wise choice and kept your bodies intact. Congratulations. You are the chosen ones, and from now on, you shall live and enjoy happiness on the lands of Fermaton."
Despite my welcome, none of them looked particularly happy.
Understandably so—they were the losers.
And they hadn't just surrendered; they had surrendered in a panic because their cocks were about to burst.
Their pride must have been shattered, their self-esteem hitting rock bottom.
But such issues would be resolved through overwhelming welfare, benefits, and the experience of living as citizens of Fermaton.
"I will give you a choice. You may live under a new Viscount in the former Sirjosia territory—which will soon have its name changed—or you may bring your families here and settle down. I will provide the funds and carriages."
A murmur rippled through the ranks.
The look in the soldiers' eyes changed instantly.
"You will live in the newly constructed residential area outside Fermaton's outer wall. Regretfully, Fermaton Castle is currently at capacity, so we cannot accommodate you and your families inside."
I said that, but living outside the outer wall was common for commoners.
Even in a medieval fantasy setting, while many lived inside the walls, the number of ordinary farmers living in wooden houses outside the walls was just as high.
"I ask only one thing of you. Just taxes. And that you live for Fermaton and remain loyal to it. That is all."
It was a slightly dangerous thing to say.
If one were inclined to take it the wrong way, it sounded like I was telling them to work for Fermaton instead of the Kingdom.
"Living for Fermaton is living for the Kingdom. Do not forget that you have simply gone from being Sirjosia's people to Fermaton's people; you are still subjects of the Kingdom."
My intention was obviously the former, but for public appearances, I claimed they were subjects of the Crown.
"Discuss the details with the administrators there."
With those final words, I set down the crystal orb.
I had already given all the necessary instructions to the relevant officials. Even if they were a bit busy, the administrators would handle turning those men into people of Fermaton.
'Who can resist a performance-based bonus?'
—I will pay 700 Ruji Coins per head for every person you turn into a Fermaton citizen.
—If I persuade a hundred people... that's 70,000!
—Now, go and persuade them with all your heart.
—Yes, Count!
A bonus for doing the job they were supposed to do anyway?
In this Fermaton, where the colors of capitalism ran deeper than anywhere else, everyone was bound to work their hardest if promised a reward for success.
The budget wasn't the issue.
The only thing we lacked was 'manpower.'
"Then, it's time to handle today's main event. Astarotte, Laura. Is the negotiation settled?"
"Yes. Astarotte said she'd let the Count have sex with her in her Succubus Queen form later as part of the deal."
"I can do that as much as she wants. Phew, I'm glad she's being cooperative. I was worried about what to do if she refused. Ah, Serica. Is anyone deserting on your end?"
[No. There are none. After I cut down a few who tried to leave immediately, no one else has moved.]
"Good."
Serica was at the garrison for the soldiers outside the outer wall.
Gathered there were all the soldiers 'except' those who had died on the battlefield from exploding dicks, arrows, or being cut down by our knights.
The remnants of the defeated army.
Among them were those whose cocks had necrotized but who hadn't died, and those who had made the extreme choice to cut off their own cocks to survive.
One doesn't die just because their cock necrotizes.
Though some do die from excessive bleeding when it actually bursts.
"Good. It's a pity for them to live the rest of their lives with broken dicks, so start sending them into the Labyrinth ten at a time. So they can be 'reborn.'"
[Dressed as miners to dig for magic stones.]
"Perfect."
[I have sent the first ten as Group 1. I will lead them all to be reborn as workers of Fermaton until every group has taken on their new form.]
"Good. Then... lead them all to the 'Queen.' Commencing operation."
[Commencing.]
From this moment on.
"Tell Desmonica of Spawning. The materials are coming in, so start the factory lines."
I would use anything I could.
Even if it meant using the demons of the Infinite Labyrinth.
"Operation Name: [Taiwan Succubus No. 1]."
Execute.
* * *
At that moment.
In the darkness, a youth eating fried pork over chewy black noodles chuckled hollowly at the scene on the screen.
"Using the resources inside someone else's Labyrinth however he pleases. Isn't that a bit much?"
Plop, plop, plop, plop.
Every time the massive Succubus Queen shook her hips up and down, giant eggs slid out from beneath her.
"Hmm..."
The youth watched the cave intently with a complicated expression.
[Aaaagh! Stop! I don't want to die like this...!]
[Ohoho! What's wrong? I'm reviving your dick before you die so you can enjoy one last session.]
[Noooooo!!!]
Men whose necrotized cocks were restored by sex magic, only to be captured by succubi for one final ejaculation.
[Ngh-oooh!]
The Succubus Queen, gathering the essence of the drained men into a single point to spawn anew.
[I am... ooh...?]
[There! Run and put the bitch collar on her immediately!]
Fermaton's soldiers, finding the newly born succubi tossed into the Labyrinth and snapping collars around their necks.
"It's a total mess."
The youth wiped his nose.
"The succubi are happy because they get to drain a massive amount of human essence, and the humans are happy because they get Virgin Succubus slaves. Well... I guess it doesn't matter if they were men before they died."
The youth toyed with his flowing blond hair and smirked.
"What a disaster."
The youth poured the sauce over his fried pork.
One day later.
Suddenly, two thousand Virgin Succubi had been created.