Chapter 167 - 165 Young Epoch
The nights in Sea Capital had grown bright.
Thanks to the bountiful harvest of fluorescent flowers, the entertainment district and street lamps were used extensively at night.
I had also attached a large number of them to the cape, making it feel like a kind of lighthouse.
Right! If I turn the open-air bath at the tip of the cape into an illumination display, couldn't it become a tourist spot?
I decided to pipe hot spring water into the open-air bath and leave its management to Taizou.
I used earth magic to build an arcade all the way to the tip of the cape, so the fluorescent flowers wouldn't be blown away even when strong winds blew. I also built a boat landing below the cape, making it accessible from both land and sea.
With me there, the fishing village was also gradually increasing in population and transforming into a town.
There was a market, of course, but when I built a fish paste factory and a stylish shopping district, Cielo latched on and opened shops there.
There were many women and children in the fishing village.
When I asked Taizou the reason, he told me sadly, "Men who go out fishing and never come back, like Jinta... they're not uncommon."
So, I decided to have the women become ama divers, which they could do, and have them make fisherman's meals to help attract tourists.
[Beautiful women dive into the sea in completely naked or half-naked states to fish]
This rumor spread, and many men came flocking.
"Make a viewing area so they don't interfere with the fishing, and charge them a fee."
When I asked Taizou, he said with a beaming face, "Understood!" and gave work to the idle elderly people.
The women working as ama divers, conscious of the tourists' eyes, started caring about their hairstyles and awakening to makeup. Tourists who learned they would be served seafood bowls with shellfish and shrimp caught by the ama divers, or sushi, came flooding in, and Taizou couldn't stop laughing.
"Kairi! I'm counting on you for the next grandchild!"
"I'm counting on you for the next grandchild!"
"Of course! I'll devote myself completely!"
The mother and daughter's interests aligned, and they were cooperating.
Ever since Kairi became a woman who devotes herself to me, she's been in a convenient onahole state.
"So we can do it anytime ♡"
She was wandering around in lewd underwear.
The only people who come to our house are Taizou and Taizou's female servants, so she says there's no problem with that appearance, but what about the effect on Jin...
Recently, I've been going on dates with Kairi often.
Her favorite thing is leaving Jin and the puppies with Taizou and going to the town I built or the hot springs on the cape.
Wearing lewd underwear, garter stockings, and draping the fur coat I made over her shoulders, she links her arm with mine and goes out with a happy face.
"Kairi, you always go to the hot springs on the cape, don't you get bored?"
"Huh? As long as I can go on a date with you, I'm happy anywhere!"
Completely acting like lovey-dovey couple, we head to the hot springs on the cape.
The changing room is separated by gender, with provided towels and bath towels. The hot spring is mixed bathing, so women who are concerned wrap a towel when entering, but Kairi enters completely naked. Though, is she being considerate of me?
It seems male customers only come when we're not here...
Then, women who have finished their work as ama divers, and other women who have finished their work, also come and surround us, talking.
While I'm at the washing area, cleaning the children I brought with shampoo and conditioner and body soap, I can hear the women's conversation.
"Hey, Kairi? You're living with the young master, right? You've gotten pretty lately, haven't you? You're having sex with the young master, aren't you? How does it compare to Jinta?"
She laughs "Ahaha," but the women are intensely curious.
"Shivans-sama's thing... there's no comparison with Jinta! It reaches deep into my vagina... I never came at all with Jinta, and it never felt good, but with him, I'm made to cum with every single thrust. I've already been turned into a body that squirts!"
The women swallow hard, gulping.
Are they all pretty starved for it?
As I think that, the women are also staring at my crotch.
"I-It's definitely about a size bigger than my husband's, isn't it?"
"When that gets big, even more... Ufufu! It looks like it'd have destructive power!"
They were talking while staring at my thing.
A woman around the same age as Kairi was speaking to her.
"But Kairi, you've changed. Until a little while ago, you seemed like you had no interest in sex. You had the image of being the net boss's daughter, all high and mighty. Is it because the young master turned you into a pervert?"
They were touching each other's breasts, squealing and frolicking, asking things like "Have they gotten bigger?" or "Are your nipples more sensitive now?"
There were also many women who wanted to be mixed in with the children, have me use shampoo and conditioner and body soap on them, and be cleaned up with shaving and hair removal cream.
They would let me grope their breasts, secretly let me touch their pussies, and kiss me, keeping me entertained.
In the bathtub, Kairi and the women were still talking.
"Kairi, you haven't had your period anymore, right?"
"If you get morning sickness, you mustn't do it, okay?"
"Mm... I know, but you guys aren't aiming for Shivans-sama, are you? I'm the one who serves him with my mouth and my ass!"
The women reply with "Yes, yes," but they say, "Kairi, you've really changed, haven't you? You used to seem like you had no interest at all in erotic things..." and when she says, "A woman changes because of a man!" everyone nods.
"Yeah! That's convincing!"
They were getting lively.
Then, a mother came with a boy of about ten years old.
The boy was fidgeting, unable to open up to the group, and kept his distance.
"I wonder who my child takes after... He's finally, just recently, become able to read and write and do simple calculations. His little sister could do it long ago. He doesn't have any physical strength either, so his father is worried about making him a fisherman..."
I wonder if this is the place for such a serious consultation, but half of it is probably hoping I'll listen and do something about it.
"Maybe it's because his father is stupid from the start, so his son turned out that way?"
"His little sister can read, write, and calculate, right?"
"That girl takes after me! See! Her face is cute too, right?"
"Maybe the seed is different?"
"Ahaha! Maybe so!"
The women are making a big fuss, but for a sensitive ten-year-old boy, those words must be stabbing deep. I should help him out here!
I ask the boy, "I'm Shivans. I'm the lord of this territory. And you are?" He says, "Please don't make fun of me. Even I know who Shivans-sama is. My name is Epoch. I'm ten years old."
Surprisingly, he speaks clearly and can use polite language.
The women were also watching us talk without realizing it.
"Epoch, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Well, I want to become a cool person like Shivans-sama! There are a lot of people around me who admire Shivans-sama too. Being a fisherman... isn't for me. My dad and mom say I can't do it, and I think I can't do it either. I get seasick when I go out to sea..."
Well, when he's told things like that, it hurts the kid too.
Maybe because he has a feeling of aversion, he's mentally weak and that causes the seasickness. Maybe he's not improving in reading, writing, and calculating because he's doing it reluctantly.
Sympathizing with Epoch, I thought I'd teach him starting from the joy of learning, and made this suggestion.
"Epoch, you said you admire me, right? Then, how about coming with me tomorrow morning? I'll teach you about the work of a lord."
"Really!? Is it okay!?"
"Of course. We'll be walking quite a bit, so wear something easy to move in."
Then the other children also asked, "Only Epoch?"
"Of course, anyone who wants to come can come along. Get permission from your father and mother first. I'll be waiting on the sandy beach by the sea tomorrow morning."
Then the mothers also asked, "I'm worried my child might cause trouble, so can I come along too?"
When I said, "You're very welcome!" with a handsome smile, the women squealed. Kairi, looking concerned about this situation, said, "I'll come too."
The Next Morning
When I woke Kairi up, she kissed me happily.
"They're probably all waiting already, you know?"
"The sun just rose. Surely not..."
But, given the momentum from yesterday, it might be possible.
Thinking that, I hurried through breakfast.
Kairi fixed her hair more carefully than usual, put on slightly flashy makeup, and wearing her usual fur coat, pressed her breasts against me while linking her arm with mine, saying energetically, "Let's go! My love!"
When we headed to the sandy beach, people were gathering one after another.
It felt like there were more guardians than children. And, the mothers and older sisters were strangely pretty. Their hairstyles and makeup were perfect, even this early in the morning.
"First, let's go to the market!"
It felt like I was a guide giving a sightseeing tour, but the children were innocently excited.
When we arrived, the children were overwhelmed by the market, which was as lively as a battlefield.
"Come on! Any more? 150 G, that one's 170 G, yes, sold for 200 G!"
The children watched with intense curiosity as the seafood was auctioned off one after another.
Then, I showed them a fish similar to sea bream that had just been auctioned off.
"Right now, this fish was bought for 200 G. Do you know where this fish goes?"
"Yes, yes!" the children raised their hands energetically.
"Yes, you there!"
"To the fish shop!"
"Correct! Does anyone else know where else it goes?"
Everyone looked at each other, and one person raised their hand, answering uncertainly, "A restaurant?"
"That's right! Correct!"
When I gave the child who answered correctly a bekko ame candy as a gift, they were delighted.
"Now, the fish that your fathers and older brothers caught was bought for 200 G. So, do you know how the fish shop sells this big fish?"
Murmuring, they asked their mothers and older sisters, "Don't they just sell it as is?" but no one knew the details.
"Then, let's go to the fish shop and ask!"
This time, we went to the fish shop and listened to the old man there.
"So, what do you do with the fish you bought? Please tell us."
"Ooh! Listen up, kids! If you sell it as is, you won't make any money. But if you fillet it like this, the fish you bought for 200 G becomes a total of 400 G."
When the children said, "Huh? That's expensive!" the old man continued without getting angry.
"You'd think so, right? But there are old people who only need half, and there are people who can't fillet fish, you know?"
The children also nodded in understanding, saying "I see!"
"But if you only sell half, you lose money, uncle, and the fish is pitiful too."
"Just as the little lady says. There are times when it doesn't sell. On those days, we sell it to the fish paste factory, even if it's cheap. Your fathers and older brothers worked hard to catch it! We can't waste it."
The children seemed to feel a little proud of the fishermen's work.
So, next, we headed to the fish paste factory.
Here, they were happy to be fed rice balls and fish paste products for breakfast.
"I didn't like fish before, but I can eat this!"
"I didn't know fish could become something like this!"
The factory manager watched with satisfaction as the children ate, saying it was delicious, and when they finished, he explained with a smile.
"Here, we take unsold fish and grind it into surimi with that machine and process it. The selling price is fixed, so if fish gets expensive, we have to raise our prices too, or we can't make a living. If your fathers and older brothers say, 'I quit being a fisherman,' fish gets expensive and we're in trouble too. It's because your fathers and older brothers are working hard that we can work hard too!"
Hearing the factory manager's explanation, the children said to their mothers, "Dad is amazing!" and "Wow! So it's thanks to Big Brother!"
After finishing the factory tour, we walked through the shopping district.
There, shopkeepers were calling out to customers with energetic voices.
Among them, we stopped in front of a shop dealing with shrimp and shellfish.
"Hey there, kids! The shrimp and shellfish I'm selling are fresh and delicious!"
Skewered shrimp grilled over charcoal gave off a fragrant smell.
"Did you know that we can do business because beautiful mothers and older sisters dive into the cold winter sea every day as ama divers!"
The mothers and older sisters had faces that weren't entirely displeased at being called beautiful. The children shook their heads and looked at their mothers and older sisters.
"Mom was amazing too!"
"Big Sister is cool too! I always thought being an ama diver was... I'm sorry..."
It seemed everyone gradually understood what I was getting at.
And, it seemed only Epoch noticed that this shop was the only one separating the shells and shrimp shells separately.
This kid doesn't seem to be as dull as his parents think.
As we were looking around various shops, some drunks from Sea Capital came to pick a fight.
"Hey there, pretty boy! What are you doing, leading around a bunch of women and brats? Let us join in too! Gyahaha!"
"Unfortunately, I have neither the intention to answer your questions nor to let you join us."
I'm not sure if they found it creepy that I was smiling without fear even when looking at the eight men, but the leader-type man gave orders to his underlings.
"You naive little brat! Get him!"
"Hey!"
But they ended up clutching their stomachs, crouching down, vomiting, and collapsing.
"Is everyone alright? No injuries?"
"Kyaa! Amazing!"
The women tried to hug me, but Kairi, looking displeased, pushed them away. The children were impressed, saying, "I couldn't see it, but taking down eight people is incredible!"
Then, Vel's subordinates, who had heard the commotion, arrived.
"Shivans-sama? What happened?"
"Just got harassed by some drunks. Please cool their heads."
"Hah! Understood! Take them away!"
Why were the men knocked down? They were probably captured without ever understanding.
I took everyone to a seafood tavern.
There, when I had them serve sashimi of a fish similar to sea bream, some of the children said, "I can't eat that."
"Well, people who can't eat it don't have to. However, there is a meaning to serving this sashimi. Now, a question for everyone. How much do you think this sashimi is?"
The children started reasoning, saying the original fish was 200 G.
"Let's hear the answer from the owner."
When the shop owner came out and said, "The answer is 1,000 G," the children were surprised, and booing started, so I stopped them.
"What I wanted to teach you all is about technical skill. The more a knife is used on a fish, the higher its price becomes. You'll understand if you try it, but it's not easy. You can see that various artisans are selling their technical skills, right?"
"So that's what it was! He's definitely better than my mom!"
Of course, I also explained that costs like using 'Clean', expensive plates, beautiful plating, paying labor costs, and maintaining the shop were necessary, and they listened seriously, some even taking notes.
Then, the owner stepped forward and spoke to the children.
"Because your parents, older brothers, and older sisters go out to sea to fish even in this cold weather, we can show off our skills. We want you to be more proud of them!"
The children applauded, and we left the shop.
"Is everyone tired?"
"We're fine!!"
Everyone started walking energetically while licking bekko ame candy. The mood was like a picnic, and they seemed cheerful.
Leaving the shopping district, we walked along a path by the river, going upstream. After walking for about an hour, we arrived at a large pond.
"We're farming Giant Pincer Crabs here. A boat will be coming soon!"
The children looked at the giant crabs with excitement.
"They're huge!"
"Can you eat those?"
"I wonder if they're tasty?"
Then, fishermen were loading something onto a boat.
"Huh? Dad? Dad!"
When they called out loudly, their fathers and older brothers waved from the boat with smiles.
Boats came one after another, and what they were unloading from the boats were giant sharks.
"Those are Black Sharks!"
"Huh? Scary..."
The children got scared and started making a big fuss, so when I started talking, the fishermen and children looked at me.
"Indeed, Black Sharks are troublesome creatures. If you fall into the sea, they'll attack people. They cause trouble not only for fishermen but also for ama divers and people who come to swim."
The children nodded in agreement.
"And they're not tasty! They can't even be made into fish paste; they're useless."
When I said that, the fishermen also laughed.
"The reason they've been left alone until now is that they're hard to catch and there was no use for them. But I'm different! As the lord, I'll solve this!"
Everyone applauded.
Thanks to the Giant Pincer Crabs, a use had been found.
The Marine Corps, who were guarding the coast, caught the Black Sharks with crossbows and flaming arrow bombs, and by having the fishermen transport them here, the transportation costs also became income.
"I have a question for everyone. What would happen if one Black Shark ate 1 kg of fish every day? 360 kg in a year. If it lived for five years, it would eat 1.8 t of fish."
They understood that even a single one caused great damage.
"What if there were 100 of them? If they lived in this bay, they'd be dangerous to people, and in five years, they'd eat 180 t of fish."
The fishermen also said, "That's a terrifying story..."
"The work of a lord is to protect everyone like this and make it possible for you to live. However, even if I work hard alone, there are limits to what I can do. It's only with everyone's cooperation that I can be the lord."
When I bowed my head, a great cheer erupted.
"We'll follow the young master!"
"That's right! Until now, everyone looked down on us fishermen and never lent us a hand, young master! Thank you!"
Many people were deeply moved and emotional.
Kairi was also moved to tears and hugged me, but if I touched her now, she'd probably be stiff and slippery.
After that, I invited everyone to a nearby crab restaurant, and it turned into a banquet.
"Everyone! Please, help yourselves!"
"Cheers!!"
Crabs that had been properly purged of mud and had 'Clean' cast on them were lined up on the tables.
The fishermen were also enjoying a family reunion for the first time in a while, savoring the crab and chatting happily with everyone.
"But eating such a disgustingly nasty shark can make something this delicious?"
"I thought the same thing! It's strange, isn't it!"
Kairi and I were talking with people from single-mother households.
Once the alcohol started flowing, people came over in high spirits to pour me drinks.
I'm healthy so I don't get drunk... but everyone else is pretty drunk.
When I went over to the children, Epoch was sitting alone, so I spoke to him.
"When we were walking through the shopping district, you noticed that they were separating the shells and shrimp shells, right? Do you know why they were doing that?"
"Huh? I don't know... but I thought it was strange..."
"A child who can notice things like that will go far in the future!"
At my words, everyone paid attention.
"Besides the Giant Pincer Crabs, I also brought a chicken called a Giant Cock to this territory. They're omnivores. They eat the shells and shrimp shells we think are garbage, the shells of these crabs, weeds, insects, and even rats."
"Wow! That's amazing! So they can solve a lot of the fishing town's garbage problem too! The lord really thinks about all sorts of things!"
Epoch latched on, his eyes sparkling.
Then everyone focused on me.
"You know, the reason I was able to become a noble isn't just because I caught those thugs like I did during the day."
When I said this jokingly, everyone laughed.
Epoch asked eagerly, "Then why is it?"
"It's awareness. Don't you think everything has a meaning? Some fish have parasites, and some fish have poison. The same goes for plants. When I wonder 'why is that?' and look into it, it's surprisingly fun. And if it can be for the good of the world or for people, wouldn't that be the best? Studying isn't just about reading, writing, and calculating!"
Epoch was crying, moved.
"Amazing... As expected, Shivans-sama is a genius! I respect you!"
His unprecedented enthusiasm made those around him pull back.
"Right now, there's something called the Imperial Research Institute. It's an organization directly under His Majesty the Emperor. If you're interested, study various things, and produce results, I could write you a letter of recommendation. But you must never forget the feeling of enjoyment."
Hearing it was an organization directly under His Majesty the Emperor, Epoch's parents panicked.
"This child is only ten years old, you know?"
"I made shampoo and conditioner when I was eleven. If I could do it, there's no way Epoch can't. Of course, it depends on his motivation. If the children want to do research, I'll build the facilities too. There are still many things in the sea that haven't been figured out."
It seemed to be a shock for the adults, who had lived until now without thinking deeply, just assuming 'this is how it is.'
"But children are bundles of curiosity. It's also our role to nurture their talents. Maybe a student from this fishing village will enter the Academy."
"The school where the young master is? Epoch?"
"That's right! Maybe his parents just don't know it yet."
Epoch's parents forgot to eat their crab and stared at Epoch.