The Retainers Prepare a New Event & Roman
At first I worried she might die from going too fast, but surprisingly she was perfectly fine. Aside from collapsing, there was no disruption to her work—just an ordinary day like any other. While I was immersed in internal affairs, the retainers who had remained at the academy finally returned, and the moment they arrived they kicked up a huge fuss.
“Why didn’t you tell us?!”
“Tell you what?”
“About the Great Spirit of Water, of course!”
“Huh? Didn’t I tell everyone?”
“You left right after the Q&A session ended!”
Hmm? Huh? Hmmmm… did I…?
“Why are you tilting your head like that?!”
“Hang on… let me think for a second…”
After wrapping up the Q&A following the lab raid, I had returned straight away. But the retainers who had gone to the academy with me had been busy with their respective club activities, so we hadn’t met for a while, and I had never told them about it.
← Academy
Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever properly introduced her to the retainers who stayed behind here either. I had been preoccupied with training Kabala for a while, and given Lacunatis’s personality, she didn’t exactly welcome humans other than me, so that probably made it worse…
← Mansion
After Kabala’s training ended, I immediately left on an expedition and wasn’t at the mansion anyway.
← Schetka
So the retainers left at the mansion only learned that Lacunatis was a Great Spirit after hearing about the Schetka incident?
← Mol?ru
“Wait, huh? During the time I was training Kabala, didn’t the maids naturally attend to Lacunatis?”
“That’s because it was you, my lord. They probably just watched from afar, thinking you’d brought in yet another new woman.”
“Then… the ones who stayed at the mansion noticed from a distance?”
“Divinity was radiating from her body. She clearly didn’t want to talk to us, and unlike Lady SoroR she spent most of her time hidden, so they were thinking ‘could this be…?’ Then after seeing what happened during the Schetka expedition, everyone figured it out.”
“They debated whether they should tell the group heading to the academy or not, and in the end…”
“…………”
Hmm… this is… maybe I should have introduced her properly after all…
『I am sorry. It seems I am still clumsy when it comes to humans other than my Master. Even while you were training Lady Kabala, I remained at your side or in the room, so I barely encountered them. I hardly spoke to the maids who came to clean either… I offer my repeated apologies.』
“No, we were also at fault.”
“Who would have thought the pouch at your side was actually a Great Spirit…”
“Thanks to that we missed the right moment to bring it up ourselves… haha…”
An awkward atmosphere settled over the office. The retainers who had stayed at the mansion awkwardly scratched their cheeks, while the group that had just returned from the academy grew angry again.
“Thanks to you, we were the only ones who suffered~! ‘What the hell did your master do this time?!’ they demanded. ‘There’s no way his own retainers wouldn’t know!’ But we really didn’t know?!”
“Suddenly a river named after Lord Roman appears in Schetka! We insisted it was a ridiculous rumor and got completely humiliated!”
“His close aides didn’t even know about it, they scolded us! But we really didn’t know!”
“Then the Spirit Society came rushing in! They caused a riot demanding we tell them about the second Great Spirit right now!”
That really was a terrible thing to do… To think that I, a former salaryman, had forgotten the basics of reporting, communicating, and consulting.
In the end I stood up and apologized with a formal tone.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I never imagined someone of my position would fail to report something this important. There have been so many exciting things lately that I must have lost my mind. I will be extra careful from now on so that this never happens again, so please calm your anger.”
“No… you don’t have to go that far…?!”
“We were just grumbling! Please raise your head!”
“That’s right! If you bow so deeply just because we complained a little, it puts us in a difficult position!”
When their boss lowered his head, they all panicked. It was my mistake, and they had clearly suffered because of it, so an apology was only natural. I always felt like I was making my retainers work hard, but this time I really felt like I had messed up.
“A-anyway, about the river… it really happened, right?”
“Yes. It was a joint effort between Lacunatis and SoroR. Before I left, it was already being called the River of Miracles.”
“Aaaah~! You don’t have to speak so formally!”
“It’s really fine!”
Everyone urged me to stop, so I reluctantly nodded.
“Well, the situation at the time was genuinely dangerous, you know? I went there full of motivation as reinforcements… but what did I find? There were seriously tens of thousands of them. The city was on the verge of falling, and they were sending reinforcements too. If those two forces joined up, not only would Servilia’s life be in danger, the capital itself would be at risk. So I just did it. When you consider they’re capable of mobilizing that many people, creating the river was by no means an overreaction.”
“It was that bad…”
“To think the capital itself could have been threatened… We’ve had many invasions before, but never to that extent…”
“The Barbarians invade other countries and increase their numbers there. Our Five Great Nations are large, but we aren’t the only ones on this continent. Most of the countries we can’t contact right now have probably been overrun by the Barbarians. Otherwise there’s no way they would send that many troops so casually.”
“What about the outer regions?”
“You bought that horse, right? What was that black mare called…?”
“Kabala? She’s the same. The outer lands are just as vast as here, and apparently they’re breeding like crazy there too. All the women King Remerus is sending this time are queens from the outer lands. When you consider how many ruined nations there must be…”
“Ah… it’s bleak…”
“We may be at peace, but it’s clearly a global threat. It’s gotten so bad that letters like these are pouring in.”
Each envelope bore the splendid crests of the royal families. Proof that all Five Great Nations were participating.
“So… the thing they’ve been preparing for so long is finally…”
“Exactly that. There will soon be a large-scale expedition, and they’re telling me to participate.”
“They’re after the Great Spirit.”
“After the mess I caused in Schetka, there’s no reason not to use me. Every country wants to minimize their losses, and with a Great Spirit’s help, victory would be guaranteed. Even if we lose, they figure I could create another river to maintain the front line. As military assets go, it’s an outrageous bargain, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, but it’s still blatant pressure.”
“Do you intend to refuse?”
I tapped the letters and turned them over. Besides the crests of the Five Great Nations, I saw those of other countries as well.
“Outside nations are asking for help like this too, so I can’t refuse… Once I finish selecting my fiancée, I’ll stop by the Chang Kingdom for a bit, then head out on another expedition… I don’t mind, but I feel like I need some time to enjoy a peaceful daily life…”
Sighing softly, I leaned back in my chair. The retainers’ faces lit up with joy.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s still a good thing, isn’t it? It’s practically the entire Five Great Nations praising Lord Roman.”
“Indeed. Just recently you caused chaos at the broken engagement and the family head inauguration celebration… and now with just one Great Spirit, this is the result.”
“Ah, I saw it on the way back. A lake had formed in the outer areas beyond Lady SoroR’s influence. The laborers were overjoyed. I had no idea…”
“That’s right, it was Lacunatis~! I also created another sanctuary while I was at it, so she says there won’t be any more water shortages.”
“Ooooh…!”
I had tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible, but Lacunatis herself answered this one.
『I poured an abundance of my power into the lake at the center of the sanctuary, so you will soon witness many blessings. Everything caught there will be sold as precious as gold. If used as drinking water, it will grant vitality. If one bathes in it, it will cure all manner of diseases.』
“Is that really alright?”
“You just said you dislike humans, didn’t you?”
『Originally I had no desire to share my grace with humans other than Master. However, the people here follow Master. Especially those present—they have praised me many times, saying I have been of great help. That is why I changed my mind.』
“You did?!”
“I wasn’t lying. It’s true that I’ve been causing trouble. While I’m at it, I want to build a hot spring village centered around the lake. With Lacunatis’s power, I’m sure spiritually potent waters will spring forth. Don’t you think it could become a tourist destination?”
“That… is true.”
“The number of pilgrims visiting the sanctuary has increased… If we build an inn…”
“We could make money, prevent pilgrims from heading straight to the farmland, and it would only bring good things.”
“Right? The tide is coming in, so we have to row~! In that sense, we need more hands again, so I’m counting on you all for this project too. The idea of building a hot spring village was good, but I have no idea where to start, so I need your help.”
“More work again…”
“It’s not impossible… Should we ask those with experience for assistance?”
“The Chang Kingdom specializes in this sort of thing, so I believe it would be best to bring in skilled personnel from there.”
“Look at how quickly the opinions come~! As expected of our family’s aces~! Since I already have plans to meet Princess Sunho, I can ask her for help…”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Now that I think about it… have there been any bad rumors coming out of the Chang Kingdom?”
“Rumors, my lord?”
“Now that you mention it, the country has been rather chaotic lately…”
“The Chang Kingdom?”
“Yes. It seems there are signs of an impending civil war…”
“I heard the same from the rumor club.”
“What? At a time like this?”
“Actually, it seems to have calmed down precisely because of this timing. They say that if not for the Barbarians, a major incident would have occurred. I don’t know the details, but it’s true that factions within the palace have been struggling against each other. The troops stationed at the border moved suspiciously several times.”
They said they didn’t know the details, yet they basically knew everything. Why are my retainers so competent? They’re not only making my life easier—they’re practically wiping my ass for me.
“Have you heard anything, Lord Roman?”
“Princess Sunho did contact me. She said she wanted to meet privately because she has a favor to ask. She wants to borrow my power instead of a Great Spirit’s.”
“Could it be… related to the curse?”
“You catch on quick.”
“At this timing, that would mean…”
“An assassination…”
“That’s enough. I owe Princess Sunho a personal debt, so I will grant whatever she asks. That is already decided, no matter what anyone says.”
“Even so, assassination in another country is still…”
“That clever princess wouldn’t ask for a real assassination, so stop guessing. ─It’s unpleasant. Or do you want to argue with me?”
“No…”
“My apologies.”
I waved my hand at the retainers who hurriedly bowed, telling them it was fine, then looked at the pile of letters. They were all pouring in regarding romance and engagements. The aftermath of creating the river must have been enormous; there were even more than when I introduced SoroR.
…Most of them were nobodies, though!
“Any other rumors?”
“If we’re talking about rumors… this one counts as a major disaster…”
“What is it?”
“News that Princess Senia has been defeated…”
“Senia? Oh~! That flat-chested brat who tried to recruit Sigrid and failed??”
“Yes, she is Princess Servilia’s younger sister…”
An extra who wasn’t even on my list of royal pussies to fuck in the future. Wasn’t she the one who went to the mountainous region or wherever to check on the invading forces? That’s why Servilia came to Schetka instead, and I went as reinforcements. That’s how I remember it…
“She was defeated there, apparently.”
What?
“Did she die?”
“No. From what I hear, she was captured alive… Thanks to that, Tebere is in chaos. The moment Princess Servilia returned, she threw a tantrum saying she would go herself, and since King Remerus has gone missing, they’re currently trying to stop her.”
“What about the knights who went with her? What were they doing?”
“The front line collapsed and it’s said half were captured and half died…”
“That side is practically in mourning right now.”
I see… so she was captured… She wasn’t someone I had my eye on, so I don’t feel much, but being captured means that, right? Getting brainwashed by the Barbarians? Her skin tanned, white tattoos engraved, piercings dangling, belly swollen with pregnancy, turned into a breeding sow…
“…Lord Roman?”
I couldn’t turn Servilia into a Barbarian because I planned to eat her myself, but Senia might be okay? I felt annoyed when the Great Spirit was taken from me because I wanted to eat her, but since I had no intention of eating Senia, the feeling was different. Kind of like a tasteless dish that had been heavily seasoned?
“Can you send a letter in my name?”
“Yes. What should it say?”
“I am saddened by what happened to your sister. Since I am not completely unrelated, I will seriously search for her using the power of the Great Spirit. So you stay put. If you act recklessly, I will withdraw. Don’t do anything unnecessary. …Write it in a slightly provocative tone. Otherwise she won’t listen.”
“You two were on such bad terms… Are you sure this is alright?”
“We sort of reconciled during the last expedition, so it’s fine.”
“Is that so?”
“To reconcile even after going that far…”
“Then how will we conduct the search?”
“─We won’t?”
“Pardon?”
“I won’t. That was a lie meant to tell her not to act recklessly. If I leave her alone, it’s obvious she’ll charge in on her own and end up giving birth to Barbarian spawn. How could I let that happen?”
“Hmmmm.”
“Given her personality, that does seem likely…”
“Then you’re completely washing your hands of rescuing Lady Senia?”
“We aren’t even close, so why would I? Besides, there’s a large-scale expedition coming up, so she’s almost certainly going to be there. Otherwise there would be no reason to kidnap only Senia. It’s obvious they’ll use the kidnapped girl as an excuse to scheme all sorts of things, so tell them to leave her be without wasting energy in advance.”
“So they already knew about the expedition and used a diversion to kidnap Princess Senia?”
“Now that you mention it, the location of the Barbarian attack this time was strange…”
“Since all the nations have been preparing for this for a long time… it’s possible…”
“Hmm… the movement of supplies was also quite large…”
“Speaking of the expedition, they were the ones who attacked cities first to secure a retreat route before invading the capital. Despite looking like primitive tribes, they had siege weapons. There’s definitely someone smart among them—whether it’s the leader or not. News about the Great Spirit has probably reached them too. They might be using her as insurance.”
“A meat shield.”
“Exactly. In this situation, should I let Servilia make a blunder? Absolutely not. Imagine the sisters both falling to the Barbarians, suffering every kind of humiliation, then mooing like cows. King Remerus would shed tears of blood, wouldn’t he?”
“Wise words indeed.”
“Indeed… If they were truly stupid, they would have disappeared long ago…”
“There is definitely something guiding them.”
Everyone seemed to agree with me. If she doesn’t show up, I can just search using Lady Perpena’s power, so I was mostly bullshitting… but I probably wasn’t wrong.
“Understood. We will send the letter as you instructed.”
After wrapping up the discussion, they flipped through the list again. Perhaps because this latest achievement was so significant, quite a few women wanted to join the Pussy Knights. And not as fiancée candidates, but as actual knight candidates. Their profiles were perfect, and many were female knights who had distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
Are they crazy?
“The interviews start tomorrow, right?”
“What do you think of them after looking through, Lord Roman?”
“The self-proclaimed fiancées? They’re recruiting concubines, not a legal wife, so I don’t know why they’re so eager. There are a few who catch my eye, but I wonder about the rest… I also don’t understand why the knights applied…”
“The world is wide and there are many people with deep faith.”
“There may be women steeped in a sense of duty, willing to serve as knights even if the family that rules the sanctuary behaves disgracefully.”
“I don’t need knights who serve the Great Spirit instead of me.”
“Even so, it is necessary for generational change.”
“It would be good to bring in skilled individuals and slowly train them.”
“We can’t just reject everyone… I understand. Since Sigrid will filter them anyway, let’s leave it to her. While we’re at it, we can also weed out the fiancée candidates who tried to enter our family through the back door.”
The workload had increased again. The hot spring village project, the internal conflict in the Chang Kingdom, the Barbarians who kidnapped Senia, the large-scale expedition, and on top of that the engagement event… Since they were all things for me to enjoy, even though it was tiring, I felt excited.