Chapter 223: The Guard and the Triumphal Ceremony (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: The Guard and the Triumphal Ceremony (3)
Promin, the capital of the Hugo Kingdom, was swept up in a frenzy.
"Extra! Extra!"
"Kieeeeeeek!!"
"No business today! Bring out all the booze from the warehouse!"
"Stop giving me more... I think my stomach's gonna burst..."
Upon hearing the news that the Stejaishi Empire had surrendered, the people of the capital threw an impromptu festival. There had been a celebration when they successfully defended the capital from the Empire's invasion, but this one was on a much grander scale.
"Citizens! Please, enjoy the festivities to your heart's content!"
The person with the highest public profile among the royals currently remaining in the capital—the First Princess, Jasmine—stood upon the stage and made her declaration, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd.
The Sma Family listened to Jasmine’s speech from the very front. Several men, emboldened by the festive heat and alcohol, tried to strike up a conversation when they saw dozens of beauties gathered in one spot, but they were all sent packing with nothing but looks of utter contempt.
"Honestly. Why do they even try to hit on a woman whose belly is already sticking out?"
Iruna sighed after rejecting a courtship attempt from some noble. Looking at her tits, which bounced every time she took a breath, I felt like I knew exactly why. However, a "sweet guy" in a fantasy world knows better than to state the obvious; one must always empathize with a wife’s lament.
"I know, right? Who did he say he was again?"
"He said he was the second son of Baron Ex."
"I'll have to give him a piece of my mind later."
It wasn't even a high-ranking noble, just some lowly Baron's son hitting on my Iruna? While I was focusing on her, the succubus trio approached me hesitantly.
"Darling♥ Do I really have to wear this?"
"Human clothes... uncomfortable..."
"Lord Sma♡♡♡"
Lime was trying to turn her knee-length skirt into a miniskirt by hitching it up. Liard was awkwardly fiddling with the sleeves of her one-piece dress. And finally, there was Melissa, whose head was filled with nothing but sex.
Is Melissa really a succubus? She completely broke after just one session. Even pregnant women tend to have high libidos, and those who aren't pregnant yet demand sex every day because they want a baby, but none of them could keep up with Melissa.
"Lord Sma♡♡ Let's do that♡♡ Whimper, whimper♡♡"
"You've really lost it, haven't you? Who taught you that?"
"Cathy did♡♡"
"Cathy, get over here."
"Are you gonna praise me-nyan?"
"No."
Beastkin clothes have a hole at the tailbone for ease of movement. I grabbed Cathy's tail as it poked through, and she hissed at me.
"Hyaaaaaaaaack!!!"
"Don't go tainting the others with weird stuff. What the hell is 'whimper, whimper' supposed to be?"
"It's a sex appeal trend from the village next to my hometown-nyan!"
"Does a goat beastkin happen to live in that neighboring village?"
"How did you know-nyan?"
I let out a long, heavy sigh. This world is truly insane. The ninja sisters, who insisted on wearing their maid outfits instead of outdoor clothes, were starting to look like saints in comparison.
"Why are you here... Oh, you were with your wives."
The man I was closest to among the guards, Bruce, came strolling over but reflexively backed away when he saw my women.
On the other hand, Gorubau—Bruce's senior and the guard who once had a crush on Mehya—stepped forward boldly.
"Still haven't snapped out of the vacation afterglow, I see."
The vacation I earned for my performance during the siege had ended a few days ago. It was originally supposed to be longer, but it was cut short due to a manpower shortage.
I couldn't even complain, because Rena, Mehya, and Serika—who were all over two months pregnant—had been granted maternity leave. With three people absent during such a busy time, they said I couldn't use my vacation freely until new personnel were recruited.
Rena and Mehya were relatively new, so their absence wasn't felt too keenly, but Serika was the problem. One of the kingdom's only three Guard Captains was going on leave for several months.
"It's because there are people trying to make moves on my wives."
"You'll be my superior soon enough, so please, speak comfortably."
"Ah, right. My apologies, Acting Captain Sma."
I was slated for the position of Guard Captain thanks to my achievements in the siege and the fact that I was a Sword Master.
When I returned to the Guard Headquarters on my first day back, Ohwan—the Guard Captain who treated Serika like a daughter—told me the news while gnashing his teeth.
What was it that Ohwan said when he told me? That he'd kill me if a single tear ever fell from Serika's eyes? I might have been intimidated back when I was a weakling, but as a fellow Sword Master, I just let it slide.
Anyway, thanks to becoming the Acting Guard Captain, the guards who used to be my superiors now spoke to me formally. I expected a few to protest, but they all accepted it and treated me with respect simply because I was a Sword Master.
Power really is everything in a fantasy world. Just because I'm good with a sword, everyone looks up to me. Thanks to that, I was put in charge of security for Jasmine's speech.
Having finished her speech, Jasmine descended from the temporary magical platform. I turned to the women who were gathered in small groups, chatting away.
"I'm going to go see Jasmine for a bit."
"Have a safe trip!"
"I'm sorry. I should have been the one in command..."
"Serika, just focus on taking care of your body."
As I climbed onto the platform, the male knights guarding Jasmine glared at me. In contrast, the guards stepped aside slightly, while Erwi and Jasmine looked at me with eyes dripping with honey.
"How was I? I looked pretty cool, didn't I?"
"Princess, please compose yourself."
"What's the harm? It's just us. I can even do this!"
Jasmine hopped up and threw her arms around me. As she buried her face in the crook of my neck and took a deep sniff, the knights looked like they wanted to murder me.
I'm not afraid of bastards who aren't even Sword Masters, no matter how they glare. Even Erwi, the strongest escort knight, is on my side, so what is there to fear?
"You did great. The citizens were absolutely eating out of the palm of your hand."
"Well, I am quite beautiful! And I wasn't up there alone, you know."
Jasmine performed the feat of keeping one arm draped around me while using the other to stroke her lower belly. One of the escort knights wiped his eyes with his gauntlet.
"To think the Princess is pregnant..."
"I thought she would be like a child forever..."
They're really putting on a show. I caught sight of Erwi, who had been looking at Jasmine enviously, touching the abdominal area of her armor with a dejected expression.
"You worked hard too, Erwi. It wasn't too taxing, was it?"
"I was just standing there. It's fine."
"Can't the Knight Order grant maternity leave?"
"Even if I took leave, I'd just end up staying by the Princess's side anyway. It's easier to just work."
True to their status as childhood friends, Jasmine and Erwi had gotten pregnant on the same day. I remembered how happy I was when I first heard the news.
"The Princess and Erwi at the same time..."
"Rumor has it he's also like that with the Guard Captain..."
"I want to kill him... but I'd probably be the one who dies..."
The knights in this world are so incredibly jealous, just like that knight named Hans from before. And to think my wives are barely over twenty.
Well, I'd be jealous too. So, let's forgive the guy who muttered that last part to himself.
"Oh, right. Did you hear?"
"I know. The army is almost here, right?"
"How did you know?"
"I was put in charge of leading the people enjoying the festival toward the city gates once the army came into view. The other Guard Captains are really working me to the bone just because I'm the rookie."
"I'd scold them for you... but I guess I can't. A Guard Captain is too high-ranking for even me to mess with."
As I've explained before, even the Royal Family finds it difficult to interfere with the Guard.
"Don't worry. In a few years, I'll be stronger than all of them."
I'm a genius who became a Sword Master in less than a year since being isekai'd, so it's only a matter of time. I could seriously aim for the title of the strongest on the continent.
Though it might be difficult right now, since I'm spending all my potential training time having sex. Maybe I'll have some spare time once my women are all five or six months pregnant and it becomes harder to go at it.
"That's my husband for you!"
"I'm jealous..."
"I'll kill him..."
"It's a shame we can't enjoy the festival together."
"I'm fine. Everyone is gathered over there, so go hang out with them. I'll join you once I'm done with my patrol."
"Understood."
"It's a promise, okay? A promise?"
I was only released after making a pinky promise with Jasmine. What was next on the schedule? Deploying the guards gathered in the square for the speech to various parts of the city, reporting to Ohwan who was lounging at headquarters, and so on.
There's too much work. This is the price I pay for that long vacation.
After frantically processing the work and heading to headquarters, I found all the Guard Captains gathered. Like the pirate manga I saw back on Earth, the three Guard Captains sitting in their chairs looked down at me.
Feeling a bit annoyed, I took a seat next to them. Hmm, now that I'm in a high position, I understand why the Captains all cross their legs. The view is pretty nice.
"Sma. Why are you sitting?"
"Pardon?"
The rookie hazing should have its limits. Now they're picking a fight over me sitting down? I'll endure it because I'm a nice guy.
"I will take responsibility for Serika and make her happy."
"Ugh..."
"Grind..."
The other Guard Captains, who adored Serika as much as Ohwan did, gnashed their teeth. It's honestly a bit nauseating to see old men acting like that.
"That is a given. The armies of Crown Prince Nero and Prince Rominas have arrived. Get ready."
"Already? They arrived earlier than expected."
The guys who were supposed to arrive around sunset had shown up before lunch. If they were going to do that, they should have just linked the victory ceremony directly to the festival to save everyone the trouble.
"They said there is urgent news to deliver. The Crown Prince specifically asked to speak with you, so leave the task of leading the citizens to me and go prepare to meet His Highness."
"Really?"
"Grind... Yes..."
Wow! Freedom from this hellish workload! My fondness for the Crown Prince, whom I hadn't even met yet, began to grow rapidly.