Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The War Hero is Forced to Marry (5)
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The banquet had ended.
Did I just shout at the venue something like, "How can you force me to marry a 37-year-old woman?!" or "This is the reward for leading us to victory in the war? I'm getting out of here!"?
If I had, the banquet would have ended immediately, and everyone from the Winchester Count to all the kingdom's intellectuals would have grabbed my pant legs, trying to persuade or calm me down.
And then, within the kingdom, the Empire's spies would have started moving subtly, one by one.
Even during the banquet, right after the king's marriage declaration, they had all slipped away from their seats, busy reporting back to their homeland—the Empire.
In that situation, if I had shown open defiance toward the king?
-Whoa!! Internal strife right after the armistice treaty! Prepare to bring Sir Wilhelm to the Empire so we can declare the treaty null and void!
-Gather 100 virgins aged 20 to 25! What? How can we give such benefits to someone who was our enemy for 12 years? Kid, once he's on our side, he's our hero from then on!
-Somehow revive the connection with Sir Wilhelm! Make sure the Red Devil of the Alliance Kingdoms becomes the Red Devil of the Empire!!
The Empire is all about efficiency.
They were the type who could set aside 12 years of enmity as enemies for the sake of continental unification.
They were the ones who had tried to conquer the continent through war in the first place.
It might be conceited, but without me, how long could the Alliance Kingdoms have held out against the Empire's magic artillery weapons and their masters?
How many people would have died to those spears and swords?
Ten thousand? A million?
"Tsk..."
My head hurt.
It wasn't motion sickness from the bumpy road to the mansion in the carriage; just thinking about it gave me a headache.
'A dilemma is still a dilemma.'
I still couldn't tell if this was a plan the king or Princess Sylvia had meticulously devised knowing my innermost thoughts, or an impulsive one they threw together before others could interfere.
But one thing was clear: Princess Sylvia's own will had played some role in the marriage declaration.
It was just my intuition, but it was probably right.
"Welcome home, Master."
The carriage stopped, the door opened, and a tall elderly man in a tuxedo with white hair greeted me.
"Have you heard about the banquet?"
"Yes, I received word via magic communication. It spread as breaking news right away."
"Let's talk on the way to my room."
He was the dapper butler managing my mansion on the royal road—the Wilhelm Mansion—and the one who had served here the longest.
"What do you think, Butler Robert?"
"It depends on your choice, Master. I am a servant who follows your orders."
He was one of my few trusted retainers, the kind that even made a modern guy like me think, 'This is what a loyal vassal is.'
"If you decide to take a 37-year-old spinster knight as the lady of the count's household, I will serve her as Countess. If you say you'll become the king's son-in-law of Grates, I'll secure a position as the royal chamberlain."
"Ambitious."
"As one who serves you, and for any potential madam and children, I must be in the optimal position."
His abilities were exceptional too.
The fact that he casually mentioned he could take the royal chamberlain position in the capital if he wanted showed there was no need to doubt this old butler's capabilities.
"What about the Empire?"
"...Are you serious?"
Even this old butler was taken aback by the word "Empire."
"Are you truly thinking of defecting to the Empire?"
"It's truly the worst, last resort. Only if I'm willing to look away forever while every citizen of the Alliance Kingdoms becomes an Empire slave or third-class citizen, worked to death for life."
Creeeak.
The front gate opened automatically via the magic device, and as soon as I entered the mansion, I headed straight to my study.
"Robert."
"Yes, Master."
"I'm a commoner who was conscripted at 15, a swordsman who knows nothing of the world but war."
"You are already more than enough as Count Wilhelm. You were when you first came here and saved me."
In the past, I had eliminated the traitor who was the mansion's owner.
From the vassals below him, I spared only those who hadn't served as Empire spies but were nearly purged under guilt by association, and entrusted them with managing the mansion.
"The lives you spared are ours, Master. Even if you suddenly announced defection to the Empire alone one day, we would either follow you there risking our lives or face death honorably."
That's why.
Every time they showed such loyalty, I was repeatedly reminded that I was in a medieval fantasy world.
So.
"Even if I defect to the Empire, I'll ensure your safety. So let me ask you, the senior who's lived twice as long as me."
It was only natural to consult my people about my predicament.
"What are your orders, Master?"
"If a woman is 37, how feasible is it for her to bear children?"
"Risky. In general."
Robert replied as he brewed tea.
"As far as I know, your mother kept bearing children until she was forty."
"Right. Almost one every one or two years."
"So having a child at 37 isn't particularly unusual. Stories of siblings with big age gaps are common in noble families."
"True. But..."
"As you're thinking, Master, that's only for 'subsequent children.'"
Robert handed me the tea and stated firmly.
"Even in healthy cases at 37, it's like the third or fourth child. That's when the mother's body, starting from her early twenties, has adapted to pregnancy and birth—so much so that she could go back to farm work the day after giving birth."
"Hm."
"It varies by person, but universally, having your 'first child' too late can cause issues for the baby... history proves it."
"Like how all noble ladies seek husbands before 20, and marry by 25 at the latest to have kids?"
"Yes. Even commoners—no offense—farmers rush to have kids right at 20 to avoid legal scrutiny."
"Ah, I know."
A lot of history unfolds under the watermills of farm villages.
Especially in rural areas where more hands mean more assets.
"So generally, marrying a 37-year-old woman would be shrugged off if you prefer widows or married women. Especially if she's borne children before."
"Isn't that because the era demands 'heirs' from someone like me?"
"Exactly. The notion that a Grand Master dying without children is failing one's duty as a living being is widespread. The Beastman Kingdom would riot over it."
"Those guys... yeah, they'd definitely complain."
For beastmen—those with cat or wolf ears and tails on human heads—not breeding goes against their racial instincts.
"Ah. They might send someone from the Beastman Kingdom, so prepare a response. They could oppose a marriage to a 37-year-old princess, so treat any envoy politely."
"You mean like, 'If you're impregnating anyone, make it our princesses'?"
"You don't think so?"
"No. It's certain. The only question is who. Even the Beastman King threatened to have his daughters bear your seed, marriage be damned."
"Right. As a stud, that is."
This was a medieval fantasy world, and I was a war hero and Grand Master.
So beyond human kingdoms, others sought me out too.
"It's a shame. Of all places, the Dark Races' kingdom has an incubus."
"Hey, Robert."
"If the succubi hadn't sided with the Empire, would you be here today, Master? You'd have gone straight to the Dark Races' party and shown the succubi the majesty of a Grand Master."
"......."
Robert was loyal and knew me well.
"Robert. If you were in my position, what would you do?"
"My advice wouldn't help much. I'm over 50, and 37 is much younger than me."
"Hm...."
"And crucially, Princess Sylvia looks late twenties thanks to good preservation magic."
"......She said she sealed her 'issues' with magic."
Man-to-man talk.
"It's true she hasn't had periods since 27. I know that well."
"I remember the Empire launching full assaults whenever Princess Sylvia was ill early in the war."
To put it bluntly.
The Empire targeted her menstrual cycles for major offensives.
Even with such a ruthless Empire, the reason I could joke about going there was...
"Robert."
"Yes, Master."
"Will Princess Sylvia understand my 'hobbies'?"
"......."
I was still young, healthy, and full of vigor.
And Princess Sylvia greatly resented and disliked my womanizing.
"Even the Empire started with honey traps from mid-war to win me over. Do you think Sylvia won't try to lock me in chastity?"
"...I'll hold onto that worry for now."
Robert clapped his hands, and the door opened as five maids entered.
"Please enjoy yourself freely, Master."
All young, beautiful stunners.
The type who could be influencers in the modern world just on looks, with bikini pics circulating on guy-heavy sites under titles like 'Oh yeah))'.
"Yeah. I'll worry later."
I spread my arms to the beaming maids, and Robert nodded deeply before leaving.
"Yeah, this is the real reward."