Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 283

Aegir POV-

「So, what are you doing here? Didn't the village chieftess tell you to stay in the village?」

「……well, the male elves are boring . 」

「……and too small . 」

Returning to the mansion is Felteris and the black elf, who I remember as one of the captains .

The two of them are being questioned by the imposingly standing Natia .

「The joining of both elf tribes is the first serious matter in several decades . You left for such selfish reasons!?」

I understand her reasoning, but I don't think Natia's the best person to say that about others .

「In the first place, I don't want to hear that from a person like you who has been doing whatever you please! You've been living it up, haven't you!」

「Ugh!」

I expected as much . I haven't seen Natia recently and now she unexpectedly came back with a Lintobloom-make short sword on her hip . Apparently she hitchhiked on wagons transporting miners or goods . In any case, she's overflowing with the freedom to move around .

「Putting me aside, people of power like you two have an appropriate level of duty……」

Right when Natia was about to continue on, the door opened and in walked Mack .

As captain of the engineering corps, he was in the middle of constructing facilities until I summoned him .

The reason for that is of course because of that woman standing over there, tearing up .

「Mack-sama!」

「……you . 」

The black elf runs at him and jumps into his chest .

「I missed you! I felt so lonely without you…… so lonely…… fueeh . 」

At 180 cm, she is a woman who rivals Irijina in terms of height, however she makes for a good match with the 2 m tall Mack, who successfully catches her in his arms .

Natia makes a conflicted face at the moving reunion .

「Are you going to chase away a girl who came from far away to see her beloved c-…… I mean, her beloved man?」

「Guh……」

It looks like the two of them plan to settle down here as well .

「Anyways, I also had my share of time with her body, but she only wants Mack?」

「……what's the girl's name?」

Natia is at a loss for words .

Besides having an erotic body and lewd vagina, I only know that she's a captain of the black elves .

「You're the worst…… it was the right decision to go away . 」

Don't make that face Natia . Just when I thought her attitude was softening up .

「Hmph, that big musclehead is a perfect match for a lowly marsh elf like you . Why don't you mate like dogs or something?」

Felteris starts hurling insults when she sees the two of them hugging .

Mack, unaware of the two girls travelling amicably together, replies with a displeased expression on his face .

「I don't mind if you talk bad about me, but don't bad mouth her . 」

「What's wrong with calling a vulgar person vulgar?」

「……enough . 」

Mack gets angry as expected, then places a hand on Felteris's shoulder .

「Aah! You're going to violate me now, aren't you! You and that marsh elf are going to team up on me!? No, perhaps you'll get everyone here to gang up on me! With so many people, even I won't be able to resist…… what a humiliating gang rape!」

「Let's leave it at that for now . ……Mack, that's her fetish . Don't take her seriously . 」

I pick up Felteris who is repeating the words "how humiliating!" .

「It's not like they really ran away for good either . Let's keep them in the mansion for now and reconsider our options if a messenger comes for them . 」

「I don't really care either way!」

Natia sulks while the black elf captain looks like she wants to say something .

「……you can stay in Mack's house . Take the whole day tomorrow to rest . 」

When I said that, the two of them clinged to each other and left happily .

They'll probably be going at it starting now . I'm jealous .

「A-and what about me……? What about the gang rape…… and the whipping……」

「It's not going to happen . You had a long journey, didn't you? Take a bath and rest today . 」

I tell the regretful Felteris where the guest room is and urge her on with a slap on the bum .

She repeatedly mumbles "it's gang rape", "it's sexual assault" and other disturbing things while stepping out of the room .

「You say you're going to rest today? ……I'm impressed you can say that even though you were just romping around town earlier . 」

I can't hear what Myla is saying . For now, I'll try to make her overlook this by patting her head .

「Hey Aegir . Felteris hasn't left the forest before, so she won't know how to use things like human rooms or baths . 」

「Oh, right . I'll have to teach her . 」

It slipped my mind since everything came naturally to Natia, I guess she's a unique elf .

Together with Natia, we search for Felteris who should have headed towards the guest room .

Instead of finding her in the room, we see her in the garden .

「That's…… the son of the gardener if I remember correctly . 」

He should be helping with his father, the gardener of the mansion, with work . Recently, he has been completing simple tasks .

「That idiot……」

Felteris spreads her legs wide in front of the young man and shows him her genitals .

「M-miss! This is weird…… you're weird . 」

「Ara, your body is being honest though, look at that bulge in your pants . Don't you want to touch it?」

Felteris takes the young man's hand and sticks one of his fingers into her crotch .

「It's so hot…… and something thick and syrupy is coming out from the hole……」

「That is a man's semen . It will also come shooting out from this shoddy thing of yours . 」

「M-miss!!」

The young man couldn't hold back and hugs Felteris .

The difference in the size of their bodies was evident, but she allowed the young man to push her to the ground .

「Noo! You can't! You absolutely can't lower your pants and shove that erect thing into my crotch! Don't even think about swinging your hips and feeling good…… or cumming inside, I won't be able to withstand the humiliation!」

「Miss!! I-I'll fuck you!」

「Stupid, what will you do if a child gets hooked on rape?」

「You pervert!」

I grab and lift the young man by his collar, while Natia hits Felteris on the head .

The guest room is no good . It'll be bad for the children's education .

And that's how Felteris and the black elf captain came to stay in Rafen .

Later in the day . Courtyard .

「Hmhmmhmhm~ ♪」

A snake slithers around in the courtyard .

Most of the new maids and servants would faint, then rush over to either myself or the guards, but there's nothing to worry about here .

If you look carefully, you can see the serpent skillfully maneuvering around the planted trees and flowers in the courtyard .

Attached to the end of the snake's body is the upper half of a human female - a busty and beautiful woman - who is peacefully humming while watering the plants with the sprinkling can in her hand .

「Not many flowers bloom in the winter so it's a little lonely . I wish spring came sooner~」

I sit myself on the simple chair placed in the garden and admire the cheerful Lammy .

I'm not as bad as Irijina, but delicate work like taking care of flowers is not my strong suit .

And then a vine extends out from the corner of the garden to tap Lammy on the shoulder .

She's gotten along quite well with the Alraune .

「Yes, yes, I'll give you some, you don't have to be so hasty . . 」

Lammy stretches her serpent body and climbs over the flower bed, then pours water on the head of the part imitating a human .

The Alraune lets out a high-pitched squeal as it seemingly enjoys the pleasant shower .

That human-like part is not the main part of the plant, but it really lures you in .

「Even so, it's gotten so big . 」

I inspect the Alraune closely .

At first, it was so small that you couldn't tell the difference between the Alraune and grass, but now it's as tall as me .

In proportion, the human-shaped part in the center has also grown larger from being palm-sized to the size of a young woman .

「It's because you said such weird things that it looks so naughty!」

The size is that of an average young woman, but the Alraune is copying the form of a glamorous human female .

I don't know if it's trying to meet my expectations, but the breasts and genitals seem to be recreated especially life-like .

「It's fine this way, it really gets me attached to it . 」

「I'm female too though . How would you feel if you had a copper statue of a naked man by your bedside? Not to mention it moves!」

That would be gross .

「Well, enough about that . More importantly Lammy let's make love, it's been so long . 」

「Wait, all of a sudden!?」

I wrap my arms around Lammy, bury my face into her breasts and suck on her nipples .

「Aah! Wai-! Aahn! Aaaaah……」

Lammy's initial resistance gradually disappears and she circles her arms around to hold me tighter against her chest .

Being a monster, she has a stronger sex drive than humans and a stronger desire for males .

When I suck on her nipples and press my erect cock against her body to hint that I want to mate with her, she instantly becomes meek .

「Aaaaah――!! So good! Amazing!!」

「I'm not done…… how about this!?」

After getting into Lammy's little hut, the two of us wrap ourselves around the other and start mating .

I hold both her hands while thrusting my hips forward while she coils tightly around my body multiple times with her serpent tail .

I poke around Lammy's insides and grind certain spots inquisitively .

「Aahn!!」

She lets out a sweet moan, so it looks like I hit a good spot . I change my position and try one more time .

「Hiiiiih――!!」

She lets out a scream, indicating that I hit a rather sensitive area .

「W-why do you know which spots make me feel good! Y-you're just a human!」

「It doesn't matter if you're a monster or a human, you're still a woman . 」

Let's see, what about this part?

「Nhhiiiih――――!!」

Her scream turned into a shriek . Looks like I hit another bullseye .

I let go of one of my hands holding her hand and hold down her shoulder .

「W-wait, you're not-!」

「Fufufu, get ready . 」

The moment I finish speaking, I focus my thrusts on her weak spot .

Lammy arches her back while letting out short gasps of pleasure, her long narrow snake tongue hangs out of her mouth .

I grab that tongue, lengthen it by pulling gently and lick along its length from the side .

As Lammy screams silently, her serpent body constricts my body ever tighter .

The bones of a normal man would have been crushed from the pressure, but it just feels like another form of pleasure for me as I near ejaculation .

「Nnh!! Nnnnn!! Nnh――!!」

「Uugh . 」

When Lammy holds my head and starts to tremble, I simultaneously push my dick deep inside her and ejaculate vigorously .

Semen shoots out from my dick with the same momentum as blood would leak from an artery, quickly filling her vagina with the sticky white fluid .

After her orgasming moan ends, she lets out a long extended sigh and her body slowly goes limp .

「Fuu, that was great . 」

「Auu……」

I gently caress the exhausted Lammy, who is still enjoying the lingering sensations of her climax, then I feel something tap my shoulder .

As I turn to look, I find a tentacle snuck in through a gap in the window .

It's one of the Alraune's vines . It's gotten so long from all the growing it did .

「What's wrong, you don't have enough water?」

As if telling me I'm wrong, the vine moves sideways to imitate the shaking of someone's head before extending another vine through the window, this one with a pot shape at the end .

If I recall, this is the one used to wring out the semen from the Alraune's prey .

I don't know if it made a new one just for me, but it is a vibrant green color and looks freshly grown .

I see, it also needs nutrients after getting water .

「You're a plant and a woman at the same time . Meeting the requests of a woman is a man's responsibility . 」

While naked, I stand imposingly in front of the Alraune's tentacle, which then happily curls around me, the pot opening up to swallow my dick .

「Ooh! This is incredible . 」

The inside of the pot is filled with a mucus-like substance with the walls having countless folds and bumps to stimulate males .

My hips feel like they're about to give out from the tremendous pleasure, but because that would be pathetic of me, I put my hand on my hips to remain standing and endure with a low-pitched groan .

I'm not able to withstand for long as the immense pleasure brings me to climax in a mere ten minutes .

「Guooh!」

My dick pulses and the vine swells up .

Seeing how one is not enough to contain the entire load, the Alraune brings in additional pot vines for me to empty my balls .

「Grow bigger quickly now . 」

If she grows bigger, I can probably have sex with the human-shaped part .

The tentacles feel good, but are a bit lacking when it comes to being a sexual partner .

Whenever possible, I'd prefer squeezing a woman's breasts, penetrating her crotch and cumming inside her .

As if acknowledging my request, I hear a cute squeal from outside the window .

「Hm? That sounded unusually close . 」

When I peek outside the window, I find the Alraune growing right under the window .

How strange, I swear it was planted in the corner of the yard and rather far away .

Whatever, it felt good, I won't sweat the small stuff .

「Uuun……」

Lammy lets out a tired groan .

She squeezed lots out of me, but I should be able to go one more round .

When Lammy finally wakes up, I once again mount her and cover her with my body .

Even later in the day .

「I've gotta say I did quite a bit of work this morning . 」

I rubbed Celia's ass as she stamped the settlement documents for me, I watched as Adolph readied the schedule for the collection of head tax while also paying attention to his balding spot, I monitored Tristan as he talked to the refugees to make sure he didn't slack off, and then satisfied the desires of a sexually frustrated wife .

I would have done a lot more but Celia and Adolph, Celia being more polite than the blunt Adolph, told me that I was in the way .

Left with no choice, I went out to the yard to pick up dead branches so I could roast some potatoes .

Sensing the presence of potatoes, Casie flew down toward me from the second floor window .

Don't worry, I'll make sure to share some with you once they have finished roasting, just wait in your room . Those who can see you will scream if you come outside .

It seems there were others who realized I would be roasting potatoes .

「Did you guys sniff out my intentions? Sure, I don't mind sharing one or two more potatoes . 」

Before I knew it, Messerschmitt and Pochi came outside .

「I've always thought that your names were hard to remember . 」

The large red lizard, which has grown to be about my size when standing on its hind legs, is named Pochi .

Riding on Pochi's back while resting its chin on a protruding scale with an unmotivated look and half-closed eyes is the worthless dog named Messerschmitt .

I've seen this useless mutt sitting on Pochi's back for most of the time and rarely, if ever, seen it walk outside on its own legs .

When I asked Pipi the caretaker, she told me the dog isn't useful besides being soft and fluffy .

All told, I suggested to eat the thing, but it was a dog entrusted to me by Leticia and that laziness seems contagious so I refrained from going through with it .

On the other hand, Pochi is a clever lizard who understands most instructions given to it and is able to complete simple miscellaneous tasks .

However, being smart was not enough to endear the lizard to the maids who pet and feed the fluffy Messerschmitt instead .

I can sympathize, seeing the lizard who feels the world's absurdity listen to Pipi and do his job obediently while allowing the dog to ride its back .

Still, Pochi's growth rate is incredible . I'm surprised such a large species of lizard exists .

「Crap . I forgot to bring the kindling . 」

I piled up the dead branches and leaves before realizing I didn't bring something to start the fire .

The new mansion being large is a good thing, but the distance from the yard to the kitchen and to each room is fairly far so having to go back is a pain .

「If only Alice was here…… she's not around . 」

Of course she won't conveniently show up .

If I call for a servant to bring a fire starter to me so I can roast potatoes, it would make me look uncool like a selfish child .

「Oh well, guess I have to go back and get it . 」

When I let out a sigh and get up, Pochi lets out a cry, setting the bundle of dead grass on fire .

「Ooh, it's burning!」

That saved me the trouble of having to go back to the kitchen for a fire starter .

Not to mention the flames are quite powerful, even turning the dead leaves to ash . It's hot enough for me to put the potatoes on immediately .

「Good job, Pochi . How impressive of a lizard to breathe fire . 」

Those growing wings aren't for show .

As I pet the lizard's hard-as-steel head, Pochi lets out a pleasant squeal .

And then Messerschmitt barks .

It was as if telling me to hurry up and put the potatoes on .

「Be quest, worthless dog . 」

I flick Messerschmitt's forehead and knock him off Pochi's back .

Without any complaints, the dog squirms his way back up the lizard's scales and crawls onto its back again .

He has some determination at least .

When the potatoes eventually finish roasting, I give half to Messerschmitt who didn't do any work and toss an entire big potato in the distinguished Pochi's mouth .

The potato still had some fire on it, making Pochi flail when it landed in its mouth .

I thought since he spit fire, a little bit of smoldering would be fine…… guess I'll give him some water .

I'll give him one more potato to cheer him up .

Pochi slurps the potato up while the dog also munches on its portion, leaving scraps all over the red scales .

Pipi found those food scraps and only blamed Pochi for eating without permission .

Oh yeah, I haven't seen Casie lately .

（I can't deal with lizards and snakes . As a girl, they're too much . ）

The voice resounds in my head . But I'm sure what the girls in this mansion are most afraid of is you, Casie .

Yesterday, she apparently popped her drowsy face out of a wall and scared the night patrolling maids, making her piss herself .

I took the collapsed girl to the bath to comfort her and take her virginity .

The Next Day .

「I worked hard today too . 」

Today I rubbed Celia's thigh while sitting beside her as she approved some documents, wrapped my arms around Myla's waist while secretly rubbing her ass as she was giving instructions to the security unit, accidentally pushed my erect penis up against Luna in the confusion during her battle training, and continued to ask Leopolt about the relationship with Nina as he was supervising the soldiers' training .

When I was having a drinking contest with Irijina, Leopolt came from the training grounds to pick me, the feudal lord, up for some reason .

And so I dangled a string into the moat dug around the mansion .

This is the place where water from the aqueduct flows into .

On the end of the string is not a hook . Instead, an apple was tied at the end and dipped into the water .

「Caught another one . 」

「Papa~」

What I caught was one of Mirumi's children, who have grown up before I knew it to be as big as a 10 year old child or so .

「There, there, calm down and eat . 」

I carry the children and have them sit as they gnaw on the apple .

Just like Mirumi, the children have tails and fins on the bottom half of their bodies, but they could also move skillfully on land .

「For such a cute bunch, all of you have such sharp teeth . 」

It goes without saying that the girls' bodies are small, their faces still look young and innocent .

Still, they have rows of disproportionately sharp jagged teeth lining their mouths, using them to bite through the entire apple, core and all .

「They look capable of tearing through flesh…… well, I won't worry about that for now . They're so cute after all . 」

「Papa, love you~」

When I pick up the little mermaid child, she smiles at me . I really don't feel any trace of brutality from her at all .

Not only that, Mirumi's kids are all just as pretty as she is .

When I hang another apple on the string, this time two more kids were fished up .

The two of them frolic on top of me and behave like spoiled children .

「Papa, play with me . 」「Play~」

The girls touch all over my body .

Sensing the playful atmosphere, the rest of the children in the ditch also jump up .

「Hey now, that tickles . 」

The fawning kids climb on my head and then jump playfully back into the ditch .

I lift the kids up high and then toss the mischievous-looking ones playfully into the water .

This would be a terrible thing to play with human children, but mermaids should not be at a huge risk of drowning .

「Auun . 」

When I grabbed one particular child, she let out a strange cry .

Oops, I guess my hand touched her chest .

「Hm, it's a small mound . Still undeveloped . 」

「Nyahaha! Papa, that tickles~!」

They seem to growing bigger though .

That would be an unbelievable amount of growth for a human child, but she's a mermaid after all . I don't know their exact growth rate .

As if feeling curious about it themselves, the other children start touching their chests .

「Soft and jelly-like . 」「Flat……」

Each mermaid has their own peculiarities too .

One of them happens to reach out and touch my crotch, then tilts her head .

「Papa, it feels soft here . 」「You're right, it's squishy . 」「Show me, show me~」

「Fumu . 」

Unlike Mirumi, these mermaid children don't incite any lust from me, showing them my dick should be fine .

A few of these children might want to become my women in the future .

To prepare for that, it might be a good idea to get them familiar with my tool――

「No, that has to be straying from the path as a living being . 」

Mirumi pops up beside me . That was close, I almost lowered my pants and took my dick out .

「It's mama!」「Mama, play with us too!」

The children separate from me and hug Mirumi . It feels a little lonely, but this is what it feels like to be a father I guess .

「It's been so long since we've spoken . Shall we just lay around and talk leisurely?」

「Yeah, we should . 」

Mirumi deftly folds her tail, rolls beside me and looks up at the sky .

Time passes by as we talk about a bunch of random topics ranging from the growth of the children, the strange fruit she found near the lake, the athletic meet of the fishpeople, and how tasty the scoundrels who threw garbage in the lake were .

「By the way, Mirumi . Regarding the children, have they only been going back and forth from the lake to the ditch?」

Mirumi replies with a forlorn look .

「Yeah . Well it's been like that for me too recently . In the past, I have gone out to far places and explored during the flood, but it takes roughly three years to come back, all the friends I went with were stranded after the water receded…… and I don't want these children to be exposed to that danger . I do want to show them the outside world at least once though . 」

「That would be nice . 」

It is definitely hard for mermaids to live in a corner . I wonder if I can do something to help .

「Let me think about it . It's just sad to be exposed only to such a tight world . 」

Even for me, I travelled around a lot after meeting Lucy, and I think that's how I became the person I am today .

Being limited to such a small world makes people narrow-minded .

「I'm looking forward to it . And also…… even though I'm not completely sure of it yet……」

Mirumi brings her mouth close to my ear so the kids can't hear her .

「It looks like I'll be laying eggs around this summer . When they've been laid, could you fertilize them?」

Without saying anything, I cover Mirumi's body and left it at that .

With that battle over and my body cooling down, I return to the mansion .

「I've been getting it on with a lot of non-human girls lately . 」

I mutter to nobody in particular .

As I glance out the window, I see Clara, Claudia, and her child playing around .

My face relaxes at the tranquil scene, but the freely moving child climbs up on an uneven step and looks about to fall .

「Oh no!」

I exclaim reactively .

The difference in levels is trivial, but the kid can barely walk .

The child may fall head first and break his neck .

「Aaah!!」

Clara realizes what is happening and rushes to save the child, though she is too slow .

As expected the child falls head first .

「Hmbah!!」

However the child's head does not hit the ground .

With incredible force, Claudia rolls forward and catches the child .

「Ooh, she did it!」

That moment of happiness lasted only briefly as Claudia's momentum carries her further forward .

At the rate she is going, she'll crash into the tree in the distance .

「Watch out, you're going to hit the tree!」

It all happened so fast, nothing could be done about it .

Claudia could not turn in time and proceeded to run straight into the tree .

「Claudia! Someone call a doctor!」

I yell out as I jump out the window and run towards her .

But something unbelievable happened in front of my eyes .

「T-the tree……」

The tree Claudia rolled into started to make cracking noises as it snaps and falls over .

……that thing was pretty thick too .

「My beloved!!」

Claudia stirs restlessly before turning to me and rolling…… no, walking towards me .

「That was a close call . If something happened to your child, I wouldn't be able to live with myself!」

「I'm glad that nothing happened…… more importantly, are you hurt?」

Claudia brushes the dust off her dress and gives her belly a smack .

「I'm fine, no problem . 」

「I see…… that's good then . 」

When I look, the tree has fallen down, a part of the wall collapsed and the servants are making a fuss .

It was that thick of a tree .

「Ohoho, now go and play with your father . 」

I strain a smile as I pick up the child .

In my head, I imagine charging into the tree with all my might .

Would I be able to break it? Probably not .

「In any case, everything's good . 」

「No, it's not . Nonsense!」

I turn around slowly after hearing the familiar voice .

It came from a person with gorgeous blonde hair, a voice as clear as a bell, and the stature of a child .

The area at the person's feet is slightly caved in, probably because that person jumped down from the roof of the mansion .

「Brynhildr . 」

「You've left me alone for quite some time . You didn't even greet me when you came back! I should punish you for that!」

She pulls my arm and takes me with her . What incredible strength .

「You've been underestimating me too much! I think I should re-educate you with the proper punishment!」

「Please be gentle . Or else I won't be able to make seed anymore . 」

「Fool! Why are you taking out your dick after hearing the word punishment!?」

She's extremely beautiful even when mad .

I'm sure the punishment will be delightful .

-Third Person POV-

A Little While Ago……

Near White City: Olga Federation Army - Command Headquarters

「Commander, the enemy in Erizunui has been surrounded and annihilated, all the cities around White City have been recaptured!」

「Message just in! The port city in the west Chilgus has been recaptured」

「The attack of even the enemy in the east has been crushed . The entire enemy force is starting to retreat . 」

Favorable reports start coming from different allies, making headquarters lively like the blooming of flowers .

The Federation army has been suffering repeated defeats since the war began, but ever since the turning point of when they broke the encirclement of White City with the blizzard offensive operation, they've been hearing constant news of their victory .

Everyone has acknowledged and praised the new commander Martin .

However, that Martin was the only one without a smile .

「Commander, is there something you are not satisfied about?」

The staff officer asks with a conflicted smile on his face .

「No, I am content . Everyone has done well . However…… if I could be greedy, I wanted to win a little more . 」

The staff officers reply in surprise .

「The battle in the east and west have completely turned around . The enemy around White City have mostly been driven to the southern coast of the river, plus the remaining enemies on the north coast should be eliminated within a few days . Further victory would mean……」

Martin continues with a smile .

「That's right, I wanted to wipe out the enemy, leaving no trace behind . To beat up the soldiers of the army so much they can't be recognized, then let them escape . 」

As the staff officers begin to offer their rebuttal hesitantly, Martin interrupts .

It was an unusual act for a person like him who often listens to what his subordinates have to say .

「Do we have enough effective strength to completely defeat the enemy with an all-out attack?」

「Sure it's possible, we have plenty of forces to face them head-on . 」

The staff officer puffs out his chest . He was definitely not putting up a bold front .

「So, is it possible to force our way across the river?」

「That's……」

Not possible . The staff officer swallows those words .

The enemy has been exhausted by the cold and lost many soldiers, with many more getting weaker by the moment .

The enemy would most likely collapse in a faceoff against their high-spirited allies .

But there is a reason preventing that from happening .

「……as long as the enemy fleet sits on the river, we can't cross the river as we want . Even if we detour around to the east and land, as long as we don't have the military force to fight against the enemy fleet, there is chance that we will get isolated and destroyed . 」

「The enemy fleet…… especially the firepower of the flagship is not just a threat on the seas, but also a threat to our land forces . We can't freely move near the river let alone cross the river……」

Martin's face eventually tenses up and he puts his hands together .

The smile he showed even during the hopeless siege battle is now no more .

「The river fleet didn't stand a chance, the enemy commander is intelligent and won't fall for traps . Even a night raid using small boats didn't work……」

One of the commanders shakes his head .

The only result was an unnecessary loss of soldiers .

「But is it alright if we don't hurry? The enemy has been dealt a severe blow to their forces up until this point . They shouldn't be able to mount another attack . If we take a careful approach, we should be able to……」

Martin turns to the commander with non-smiling eyes and smiles .

「That is wishful thinking . 」

The commander was spoken to in a calm manner, but that still made him straighten his back and tense up .

「As long as the enemy controls the sea route, they can send as many reinforcements as they want, whenever they want . Our superiority will diminish when it becomes spring, so they will probably try to invade White City again with more forces . When that happens, this time we will surely……」

Martin cuts his sentence short as the headquarters gradually becomes silent, then pounds the desk .

「Which is what the ministers may be thinking . They know almost nothing of the war…… did you know that?」

The commanders laugh and answer "of course" .

When the place calmed down a moderate degree, Martin continues .

「The weak-willed ministers will be trouble if they bring up talks of peace with the Empire . Look at the current situation on the map . It is clear between us and the enemy who is getting pushed in, right?」

It doesn't matter that the counterattack has begun, the battle is still occurring deep within Federation territory .

One can consider the overall situation to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Empire .

「If peace negotiations are done under these circumstances, the Federation will surely cede a considerable amount of land . That may include your hometown, or your hometown . Or perhaps it will be the hometown of my lover which I have yet to see . 」

Anger fills the headquarters .

「We will cross the river no matter what . Let's turn the Imperial army into corpses and return their naked bodies to their hometowns . To do that, we need to get rid of their navy . 」

After exhaling once, Martin smiles .

「I will think with all I have . So all of you should risk your lives to think as well . Think of a good plan to destroy their fleet . Plenty of rewards will be given out . Pocket money soaked with my blood, sweat and tears . 」

Everyone chuckled then saluted .

They weren't feeling wishful like they were earlier, though they weren't pessimistic either .

There was just the right amount of tension in the air, an optimal amount just enough for everyone to not shrivel up from the pressure .

The smile was already gone from Martin's face as he turned behind .

There was nobody here he had to smile at to encourage .

Only one person was here, his best friend who he could place his absolute trust in .

「Martin . 」

「Nikolai, I'm in trouble to be honest . I can't think of anything . Do you have any ideas?」

Nikolai shrugs with his arms spread open .

Seeing that, Martin smiles bitterly .

「Guess not…… oh right, did you already take care of 'that'?」

「Yeah, of course . But is that a good idea? You'll get unnecessary backlash, won't you?」

「If everything goes accordingly, it's not good . But I have no choice because I'm at a loss . 」

Nikolai lets out a small sigh .

「A request to Goldonia for a temporary commander, huh . I can see the red faces of the staff officers now . Now, we wait until the day a clumsy fool shows up……」

「It'll probably be an idiot who only chases after honor . I'm taking a huge gamble by betting on one letter, you know? Failing to get anything is expected while finding anybody useful will be a godsend . 」

「So you'll use anybody you can, huh . ……they may feel uneasy when they find out you're relying on a gamble . 」

「Don't say that . I didn't have the worst luck in the past . I've never lost big whenever I gambled . 」

The two of them smile .

「But I've never left my life entirely to chance . Nikolai, make plans to attack with the river fleet in conjunction with bad weather . You can select the people that make up the army . 」

「Alright . I'll need a thousand recruits who are accustomed to the cold and three hundred large horses . 」

「I'll have it ready in three days . 」

The two friends turn their backs to each other and head off to carry out their respective duties .

The hands of fate start to spin .

Federation VS . Empire - Comparison of Military Forces (Current + Losses = Max Mobilization . In the case where numbers don't match, it means there are spare forces . )

Olga Federation 「Stalemate」

Military Strength - Current: 1 250 000, Max Mobilization: 2 550 000, Losses: 1 300 000, Civilian Victims: 940 000

Garland Empire

Military Strength - Current: 1 100 000, Max Mobilization: 3 100 000, Losses: 2 000 000 (Military slaves not included)

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 24 years old . Winter .

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave . Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area . Mountain Legend . Friend of the Dwarves . Friend of the King of Aless . Dragon Slayer Hero .

Elf Mediator .

Citizens: 176,000 . Refugees: 4000

Major Cities - Rafen: 27,000 . Lintbloom: 5000 . Vandolea Special Town: 9000 .

Army: 7700 men

Infantry: 4500, Cavalry: 1000, Archers: 600, Bow Cavalry: 900, Temporary Refugee Guards: 700

Reserve Army: 2300

Cannons: 20, Large Cannons: 18, Dwarven Cannons: 16

Family:

Nonna (legal wife), Carla (concubine), Mel (concubine), Miti (concubine, expecting), Maria (concubine, expecting), Catherine (concubine, expecting)

Melissa (lover), Kuu (lover), Ruu (lover), Mireille (lover), Leah (lover)

Casie (ghost), Rita (head maid), Yoguri (playwright), Pipi (caretaker), Alice (sensitive magical girl)

Marceline (pregnant lover), Daughters - Stephanie (lover), Bridget (lover), Felicie (lover)

Sebastian (butler), Dorothea (capital mansion supervisor), Claudia (giant meatball), Clara (female attendant)

Natia (adventuring elf), Felteris (pervert elf)

Non-humans:

Lammy (plant caretaker), Mirumi (mermaid), Alraune (can move), Petit Roper (enlarging), Brynhildr (enraged)

Pet:

Messerschmitt (worthless dog), Pochi (giant lizard)

Subordinates:

Celia (adjutant), Marta (aide), Irijina (commander), Luna (commander), Ruby, Myla (security officer), Gido (escort unit), Polte (refugee case worker), Gretel (wife-dog-to-be)

Leopolt (staff officer), Adolph (balding domestic affairs official), Tristan (domestic affairs official's assistant)

Claire & Laurie (official merchant), Schwartz (horse), Lilian (actress), Kroll (man), Alma (Kroll's woman)

Assets: 13,600 gold

Sexual Partners: 438, children who have been born: 55 + 555 fish