Chapter 138 - 136 The Tribulations of Aristo and Windam
The Imperial Army was, in fact, invading the Western Margrave.
"W-Why? Why am I being attacked?"
"Do not play dumb. We already know you have been secretly connected to the Duchy of Walujava. Your son has already confessed! We even have the letters regarding your dealings with the Duchy of Walujava right here!"
"Gunuuu! That idiot Rex! This is the end!"
With 75,000 members of the Imperial Army attacking from five different paths, Margrave Shinbu realized there was no escape. In the end, he committed suicide. His sons were also captured, and various documents revealed their betrayal.
Starting with the Western Margrave, the nobles and merchants who had frequent dealings with him were cornered one after another. After that, the army moved upon the nobles and merchants with connections.
"Viscount Kuzutafu. It is over. Will you commit suicide with dignity? Or will you be taken prisoner?"
"Hmph! I will not accept help from people like you! My sons... come to me now..."
He drank poison and died, shouting, "Long live the Grand Duke of Walujava!"
Around that time, the His Majesty's council meeting had begun at the Palace.
A distinguished lineup had gathered.
The eight Elders of the Senate. And seven others: the Minister of Military Affairs, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Justice Minister, General Affairs Minister, State Minister, and Minister of Internal Affairs.
The sons of the Senate Elders served as the primary ministers. Now that the Namibia faction had vanished, everyone was part of the Klaus faction, though they currently claimed to be part of the Emperor's faction. The Finance Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Minister of Military Affairs, held by Windam, were the true Klaus faction. The remaining four had little interest.
Among them was Margrave Eckhart, a Senate Elder who was not a minister. As the Northern Margrave, he had originally been part of the Namibia faction. Being located to the west of Namibia's territory, they were initially on good terms.
However, they clashed over territorial boundaries, and eventually drifted apart, leaving him in a non-aligned state. Seeking power, he accepted an invitation from Walujava and used money to create his own faction, the Third Noble Faction.
"Eckhart. It seems you held grievances against me?"
"Such insolence. I hold no grievances against His Majesty."
"Ho. Then how do you intend to explain these numerous letters?"
"Th-this, where did you...?! Th-this is some kind of mistake!"
As His Majesty shook his head silently, the Imperial Guards appeared. They subdued Eckhart and said, "This is your last wine. And it is said to be the highest grade, Tarsel Wine! Open your mouth!"
Before making him drink the poisoned wine, His Majesty had asked, "Why did you betray me?"
"H-His Majesty! I... I did not intend to betray you! Money drove me mad. I never intended to betray... please believe me!"
"Pathetic! To think a traitor is a Senate Elder... Do it!"
After his final excuse, his mouth was forced open and he was made to drink the wine. Then, he met a gruesome end, struggling and writhing in agony. Shilling, who had been sheltered by Eckhart, was also captured but was turned into a Double Agent. Other nobles, such as Baron Kazarin and Count Klefe, were also imprisoned and executed.
They, too, had been unable to resist the temptation of money and had taken Eckhart's bait.
"It seems the Klaus faction has been almost completely annihilated, has it, Klaus?"
"There may be remnants left, but as long as they lack funds, activity will be impossible. Besides, the Lechaa Trading Company and Shilling Trading Company are completely on our side, so we will know immediately if any remnants arrive."
When the topic turned to what to do with the students at the Academy, His Majesty said, "I have an idea," and whispered into Klaus's ear with a smile.
"That sounds excellent! Let us have Aristo participate as well!"
The schemes of the two were immediately made known to the Academy.
About 50 first-year students who had caused trouble, along with the parents of 33 students, had been gathered, and everyone wore expressions of terror.
"Despite having overcome the rigorous exams to pass, His Majesty laments that such unfortunate things have occurred."
At the Principal's words, the terrified parents pleaded desperately, "Please! Just spare our lives!" or "Please, do not let our family name be extinguished!" Then, the Principal told them they would participate in a one-month correction program. When he said that if they achieved excellent results, there would be no punishment, everyone lifted their heads.
"Please! Please fix my son's character!"
"I will pay any amount of money! Please!"
In an instant, donations were collected, and even if all the first-years participated, there was more than enough money gathered.
Because of that, I was called out by the Principal once again.
"It is an order from His Majesty and Excellency Klaus. It has been decided that the Summer Training Camp shall be held again this year. All first-years are to participate. Second-years and above are free to choose, but Aristo-kun is to be forced to participate. Please understand that this is a settled matter."
"Could it be that His Majesty will also participate?"
"Most likely. He mentioned that he wishes to observe."
Since I was being offered plenty of money and preparations were being made, I couldn't say no, and I immediately began my preparations. When I told Sera, the three members of Shivans' Guard, and the people of the Marine Corps, "Train them hard again this year!" they were full of enthusiasm.
Then, one day, I was invited to the Klaus house.
Klaus was pained by the fact that the Madam and Aqua were suffering from irregular menstruation.< Windam and Aristo, who were sitting in the formal seiza position, were also present.
"It is likely due to that idiot who does no work and just brings home STDs, and that idiot criminal who rapes."
The two were being beaten up by Klaus.
There, I spoke to the members of the Klaus family.
"For both of them, it is a kind of illness. However, there is no cure."
Because their interest in people is extremely thin, they cannot remember names or faces. I explained that it was a tendency where they were easily perceived as 'having no heart' in a sense, and everyone nodded. "Indeed, I think there is such a tendency," Aqua said.
"Is there nothing that can be done? About these two idiot monkeys? They are like beasts with rutting instincts..."
The Madam looked down at Windam and Aristo with cold eyes.
"Both of them should exhibit abnormal concentration on things they are interested in. Sexual arousal is currently their primary interest, is it not? If they could exert their strength in something else, I feel they might unexpectedly excel in various fields."
Klaus, delighted by my words, sneered, "In that case, we should just castrate them. That would force their interest toward other things, wouldn't it?" Hearing those words, Windam and Aristo turned pale, clutching their crotches with teary eyes, and whispered softly, "Help me..." while looking at me.
"It is a good idea even to myself! Even now, many assassins are targeting the two of them. Eventually, they might be cornered by a woman and killed by having poison forced into their mouths, right? If we castrate them now, they might avoid being assassinated!"
As Klaus laughed cheerfully, "Father... I won't kiss anyone anymore!" Windam said, and Aristo said, "Me too! I won't kiss any other girls anymore..."
While everyone thought that wasn't the issue, Aristo grabbed onto me with teary eyes, saying, "Shivans! We're best friends, right? Stop Grandfather!" ...but what should I do?
So, I made one proposal.
"Aristo-sama, you are heading to the Summer Training Camp soon, correct? There, you must take first place in swimming and in reports. Furthermore, you must listen to the students' troubles and win their trust and confidence through advice, suggestions, and actions. However, you must help them through your own strength, without using the power or money of myself or the Klaus family. Of course, having relationships with other women is prohibited. If forced to say, I will allow you to only embrace Limone and Carla at night. How is that?"
They were about to say it was impossible, but thinking that castration awaited them if they spoke up, they nodded.
"Windam-sama, at night, you must have your concubines accompany you, but you must be able to match the name and face of the person you embrace. And please, solve the troubles of your subordinates in the Military Affairs Bureau. It is a chance to become a reliable superior, you know?"
I suggested that Aristo, as a student, and Windam, as a superior, should aim to be people who empathize with the hearts of their subordinates and concubines, and remember their names and faces. Klaus concluded the talk by saying, "Very well. You have one month. I will strictly monitor what actions the two of you take."
"If you don't want to do it, I'll castrate you immediately! Hehehe..."
"I-I'll do it, Father! I'll do my best!"
"I-I'll do my best too, Grandfather!"
Thus, the two were to challenge a battle involving the first castration of their lives.
Three days later. Since the Madam and Aqua had become energetic again, I visited the Klaus mansion bringing Kate, Aria, and Sera.
"These are the new dress designs. I thought I would show them to you first."
I brought out over 50 types of dresses and explained them.
"These four are the new items, but please understand that they have similarities to past designs. However, the skirt portion is significantly different from before."
They looked at the products displayed on the mannequins with excitement.
"Shivans-kun! I want to try this one on!"
"It's the latest dress! As expected of the Madam!"
"I-I'll take this one..."
Aqua is trying to go for a bodycon look.
"I'm sure it will suit you well."
"I want to wear it soon!"
In the end, the five women tried on all 50 outfits each.
"If this part were like this..." or "I'd want it if this part were more open!" I listened to the requests of the five and immediately made adjustments to those that could be fixed quickly.
We held a fashion show from the morning, and before I knew it, it was midnight, but I accompanied them with a smile. Since I was truly hungry, I asked what they wanted to eat, and Sera said, "Teriyaki burgers and french fries!"
"What, what? Is that delicious?"
"Has Aria-sama not eaten them yet? They are exquisite..."
Hearing that, her eyes were angry at me as if saying, What do you mean? so I hurried to make them.
When I served them immediately, the five women praised them, saying, "It's delicious!" Since Klaus had also returned, I fed him some immediately, and he asked, "This is convenient and good! Can we make this at the Palace too?"
"I think it's possible... but what do you think?"
"Those guys are stubborn!"
With a wry smile, he began drinking alcohol while using the french fries as a snack. Then, the topic turned to Windam.
"In the Military Affairs Bureau, because they messed up during the previous fort construction, everyone is treating them coldly. Well, it's their own fault, though."
He seemed completely unaware that he himself was quite unpopular, and was currently trying his best to talk to his subordinates.
"I-Is there anything troubling you?"
It seemed the reaction from those around him to this question had been cold.<
"The biggest trouble is that Lord Windam participates without even studying."
"That's right! You even brought home diseases! If you don't want to be here, you don't have to come! Are you seriously thinking about national defense? Everyone is busy, so please don't get in our way!"
It seemed he was more unpopular than expected. He appeared to be quite depressed.
And it seemed he had just gone to his concubine and been kicked.<
"Huh? You're asking my name now? Are you stupid? How many years do you think we've been together! Don't mess with me!"
"Agyaa!"
Speak of the devil; Windam, who was broken in both body and soul, had also returned. Because he was so pitiful, I called out to him, and he said sadly, "I-I'm fine... I can't let myself be castrated," while quietly drinking his alcohol, but before I knew it, he had fallen asleep while crying.
Klaus was in high spirits, drinking alcohol surrounded by five beautiful women.<
"Hey, darling? Could you have the dresses finished with the highest grade fabric?"
When the Madam made a cute request, he was in high spirits, saying, "Fine! Have them do the most expensive ones!" When the other four also made requests, he tossed out five Large Gold Coins.
"Kyaa! Mister, you're wonderful!"
Klaus was in high spirits as the young girls poured his drinks.
On the other hand, the Academy was steadily preparing for a slightly delayed Summer Training Camp. All first-years were participating, but about 200 second-years and third-years had also declared their participation. The reason was because of me.
"If you place within the top 10, we will present the women with these high-grade dresses. To the male students, we will present Cabaret Clubs & Soaplands!"
Both the female and male students were incredibly hyped. Aristo believed he could easily take first place, but seeing everyone get motivated at this stage, he was panicking, thinking it was seriously bad.
Naturally, the Seven Idols also harbored extraordinary determination; when told, "If you make the top 10, we'll give you a dress and I'll embrace you," their motivation surged.
The Next Day
Aristo came to complain to me while I was at the Klaus house.
"That's cruel, Shivans! Using products like that to get everyone motivated! Are you trying to prevent my first place!?"
"Are most of them just happy to win easily against first-years who know nothing? Are you really okay with that, Aristo-sama?"
"B-but if I lose, I'll be castrated..."
As he looked like he was about to cry, Klaus appeared and said with a menacing face, "Are you already whining? Shall I just castrate you right now?" making him cower.
"Aristo-sama. I understand your heart is weak. However, you have come this far as my best friend and good rival. Rather, isn't this level of difficulty a perfect handicap for you, Aristo-sama?"
"That's right! I don't want to see an Aristo who whines over something like this!"
When even Aria said that, Aristo immediately got motivated. What a easily swayed child...
"Oh, oh! Aristo, are you okay with losing to a first-year who said they didn't need to apologize to you? Aren't you more frustrated by that than by castration? If you take first place, Aria and I will wear sexy panties and stomp on you!"
When Kate said that, for some reason, he caught fire. Is that okay, Aristo?
"Just watch! I will definitely take first place!"
"That's the spirit! Do your best!"
The women's support became an encouragement for Aristo.<
I took Sera and visited the Cielo Trading Company for the first time in a while, and we were very warmly welcomed. However, Sera complained to her father, Cielo, with a fed-up face.
"Geez! Eighty percent of this shop's business is made up of our products, isn't it?"
"That's exactly right! Thanks to that, business is going well! Customers from the countryside come without end, saying they want to follow our lead!"
Cielo said, unable to stop laughing.
When invited to the reception room, he immediately bowed and said with deep emotion, "It has already been four years since I met you, Cielo-san! Four years. To think such a day would come. It is all thanks to you!"
"It has already been four years since I met you, Cielo-san. Time flies. Thanks to you, our territory has also prospered. I came today to talk about business."
When I said that, Cielo leaned forward.
I immediately showed him the new dresses. Of course, since the Madam had told me, "Don't show or sell the dresses the five of them chose to anyone yet!", I showed him the remaining ones.
"These... will sell!"
"I'm glad to hear you say that. Even with the same design, the price changes depending on the materials used. If we use Silk Worm thread, gold thread, or silver thread..."
As I was about to say, he said, "I know. It will be over 10 million." So I said, "That's right. For normal ones, even with the same design, it's possible to be under 1 million," and he nodded.
When I showed him the catalog and products I had made, he was overjoyed.
Cielo also said he had something to consult me about.
Having already learned about fast food, he came and said, "Let me sell it."
"No way! Don't rely on us for everything!"
"Why not! They say it's a mutual benefit, right?"
What Sera was worried about was not just that, but that the materials would run out.
"Well, I'm sure we can manage. It's fine, Cielo-san!"
"Geez... you are too soft, Shivans-sama! Father! If you don't sell the dresses properly, I won't give you the recipes!"
"Leave that to me! I'm counting on those recipes!"
As Cielo spoke while rubbing his hands together, I thought he was a merchant to his core.
After seeing Sera off to Port Town Marino, I said, "The students will be arriving soon, so I'm counting on you!" and she replied, "Leave it to me!"
I had told the Seven Idols that Sera and Yaris were good role models, so they would likely want to listen seriously. Especially since Sera is the daughter of the greatest merchant in this country.
I decided to extend a hand to the completely broken Windam.
"To begin with, why do you think we build forts?"
"I know at least that much! It's to make them hard to attack and easy to defend, right?"
That was correct, but I wanted him to be more specific.<
"Specifically, do you know what should be done?"
Since he made a troubled face, I took him to my territory and showed him the mountain castle I had built.
"This is called a 'Kirisaki' (cut slope), an earthen wall that keeps the enemy away. It has a steep gradient, so they can't climb it. Please try climbing it."
He couldn't even climb one meter before sliding down.
"Next are the 'Tatebori' (vertical trenches) and 'Horikiri' (moats). If the enemy tries to flank, they can't cross, right? Because if they fall, they might get injured."
"True... if I fail, I feel like I'll break a bone..."
He watched while trembling in fear.
"Next is the 'Kuruwa' (enclosure). Here, we store soldiers, horses, and logistics like food to ensure we can endure a long-term war. You monitor the enemy from that 'Seiro-yagura' (watchtower) over there. Would you like to go up?"
"From here, you can see 360 degrees! You'll know no matter where the enemy comes from!"
When we descended from the watchtower, I showed him the earthen ramparts.
"You stand on top of this to defend against the enemy. Even if the enemy fires flaming arrows, they are ineffective against earthen ramparts."
"I see! That's certainly true!"
Windam asked various questions while looking around with excitement.
"When going up to the enclosure, the path was narrow, wasn't it?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"It's called a 'Kokuchi' (gatehouse/entrance) to prevent intrusion."
Even if tens of thousands attack, the path only allows about one person through at a time. When I explained that if the enemy passed through here, they would be attacked from above and unable to advance, he was impressed.
"This fort doesn't have them, but..."
I drew diagrams of 'Umadashi' (outworks) and 'Masugata-kokuchi' (box-shaped gatehouses) to explain.
"When launching a sortie from the castle, having an 'Umadashi' is convenient. Enemies who enter a 'Masugata-kokuchi' are essentially walking into annihilation. It would be a threat to the enemy, wouldn't it?"
He nodded repeatedly while staring intently at the blueprints. I had proposed this thinking that there probably weren't any 'Umadashi' or 'Masugata-kokuchi' in this world.
"Regarding the 'Umadashi', I will show you something interesting at the Autumn Party!"
"Thank you so much, Shivans-kun! I was at my wit's end regarding what to do! You've saved me!"
Windam took my hand and continued to glare at the blueprints even after returning. It seems he has found his motivation, which is for the best. Why did I help Windam? It was because I learned that Aqua goes to the Military Affairs Bureau every day to bring him refreshments.
"Everyone. I apologize for the trouble my husband has caused!"
"It is not the Madam's fault! Please, raise your heads!"
"Please... please do not abandon Windam. I beg of you..."
Thus, Windam participated in the construction of the Western Fort, and by being able to offer opinions, he began to surprise those around him.
And then, the day of the Summer Training Camp departure arrived.
It seems Aria and Kate are going as well.<
"Even so, he is my husband..."
"I'm the Student Council President, so I'll go and train my body too!"
"I'll go to check on things once in a while too!"
Well, since 'castration and disinheritance' await them, they will likely do their best. They had unusually desperate faces. Of course, I have birds acting as monitors, so I can go immediately if there is a problem.
(Last year, he had a prince-like character... but this year, I'm worried that his character is more of a hated man than mine...)
I returned to the Butler territory to request the alterations for the five dresses.
There, I saw Emilia and Reimi fighting against Father Butler.
"What are you doing?"
"Fighting only monsters isn't good training for human combat, is it?"
Emilia said something perfectly reasonable.
It seems she is also being given special magic training by Mother Leen.<
"The ones currently making the Holy Water Aqua are me and Emilia! Were you surprised?"
"Yeah... I'm sufficiently surprised..."
The two said they were 'having fun' as they were taught various magics every day until they ran out of mana.
"Give us a reward!"
When I embraced the two until morning, Emilia said breathlessly, "As usual... you drive women mad..."
"I'm going to take the whole day off today..."
Reimi said as she fell into sleep.