Chapter 5 - 05 Klaus Once More
We'd finally managed to produce wheels, but there was no immediate demand for carriages. So the Master Craftsman came to consult with me about what to do.
"In that case, how about carts or carriages for traveling merchants?"
"That's it! We'll do that!"
He immediately gathered the artisans and set them to work.
At dinner that night, a strategy meeting began among the six of us who could be called family. After all, the 8 million G we'd received from Grand Duke Klaus remained untouched.
"Spring will be here soon. Since our livestock has increased, I'm thinking of building a pasture on the east side of the river. Any opinions?"
No one objected to this.The east side of the river was still untouched wasteland, after all.
"More importantly, Boss! That bastard Ash has been saying he doesn't have enough people for beekeeping, lumberjacking, and gathering wild vegetables and mushrooms. And isn't it about time we built a village at the volcanic ash site? If we don't do something about carpenters, people will freeze to death!"
I nodded at Gale's words. "We'll manage somehow. Our numbers have grown, but they've grown too much all at once," I sighed. Ben, who was in charge of security, seemed to be managing things skillfully.
"We've placed watchtowers at the ends of the east and west roads, but so many people pass through daily that we can't identify suspicious individuals. So we've had no choice but to hire former bandits to mark suspicious persons. Also, at the territory borders, we're having adventurers and hunters dispose of wolf carcasses."
The compensation was that wolf pelts could be sold for money, and catching deer and boars that fell into pit traps, or bears that would emerge in spring, and selling them to butcher shops seemed to be quite mutually beneficial. However, he added that there had still been no sightings of the Silver Wolf.
Next was my mother, Leen.
"As for weaving, we've already hired everyone from young girls to elderly women, so there's no problem. But we can't do design. Also, we need to hire someone for shampoo and conditioning soon. Not just me, but Emilia will soon be 13, so you never know when she might become pregnant, right?"
Don't turn bright red, Emilia. I've only ever kissed her! Father, Gale, and Ben, don't look at me with those 'You did it, huh?' expressions!
My silent scream went unheard as the discussion continued.
"Right. We need to start considering replacements soon. His Excellency Klaus has also sounded me out about whether we should enroll Shivans in the Imperial Academy. Personally, I wonder if it's right to keep Shivans here like this. Of course, since Shivans will soon be 12, I intend to let him become an adventurer too!"
"Ehh? The Imperial Academy is almost entirely nobles, isn't it? And it's a boarding school, so Shivans won't be able to see Mama and might die of loneliness, right?"
I'd thought Emilia, who wouldn't be able to see me, would be shocked by this topic, but that wasn't the case.
"What do you think, Shivans? Feel like you might die?"
Is this old man really an idiot?
"There's no way! Please don't treat me like a mama's boy!"
"I see. Then I'll send a letter to His Excellency. Dismissed!"
It looked like Gale and Ben would be teasing me with this material for a while.
I wanted to know what Emilia was thinking, so I invited her to the sandboard. Ever since she learned she'd be freed from being a slave's child, she'd become proactive about holding hands even outside.
"Hey, hey! Don't you think I've gotten good at sliding?"
Lately, she'd been dashing down even the advanced steep slopes with grace.
"Yeah! You've gotten incredibly good!"
"Ehehe. I got praised!"
Despite the cold, it was bustling with many customers. The lodge below had more shops selling warm food, so we decided to take a break there. There, I asked her what she thought about me going to the Imperial Capital.
"That's still a long way off, right? Sure, when the time comes, I might be lonely, but there's no way I'd get in the way of your growth! However, if you fool around with women in the Imperial Capital, neglect your studies, and father a child, I won't forgive you, okay? Do you understand?"
When I nodded vigorously, she said "Good!" with a smile.
"I want you to be active in a much bigger world! And I want to become a woman who can stand beside you at that time! So I'll do my best too!"
Knowing she was thinking seriously about it made me happy.
As always, both the hot spring inn and the regular hot springs were thriving. Occasionally, peeping toms and gropers appeared, but so far, all had been caught before completing the act. Ben's subordinates were excellent.
Entry to the regular hot springs was set at 50 G.We also set simple soap at a cheap 50 G, which was a huge hit. People working for us could enter for free every day, so naturally, they came daily.
"It's all thanks to the lord!"
"I'm glad I came here!"
Hearing such voices, Father didn't seem entirely displeased either.
"Boss! This is no time to be grinning. Are you sure it's okay even though the young master says he'll be gone in four years? What if he turns 18, goes on to higher education, and doesn't come back?"
He warned me that we mustn't let things return to the former darkness.
"About that, Gale. The nobles we're on friendly terms with now. To be frank, the neighboring Viscount. I'm thinking of having a thorough talk with them. Until now, no nobles anywhere have extended a helping hand to us."
The three Quasi-Knight households to the east were barely breathing. Their level wasn't much different from ours until recently. We were already showing moves to lend them money as well.
"I see. Those three Quasi-Knight houses seem to have military strength, but their financial power is at a level no different from ours until recently. That's a good idea!"
Thus, we began showing moves to form an alliance. Butler considered that we could obtain various information through this and started taking action.
After Dinner
As usual, Leen invited Emilia to soak in the hot spring.Lately, various lewd lectures seemed to be progressing.
"Hey, Emilia. Have you ever thought about why men want to go to brothels?"
"Th-that's because they're perverted creatures!"
When she said that was a little different, Emilia listened with interest.
"When I was young, people around me thought I was a pure, innocent girl, and I acted that way myself. But men, once they hold a woman like that, get bored quickly. So what should you do?"
When Emilia looked troubled, Leen smiled and gave her the answer.
"I become incredibly lewd! Papa loves that gap and gets fired up! Surely Shivans is Papa's child too, so he must like that kind of girl. Emilia, do you like lewd things?"
"Y-yes! If it's with Shivans, I love it!"
"I see! That's wonderful! I'm also limited to Papa only!"
And it seemed she was practicing every night with something like a wooden stick.
"That's wrong, Emilia! Suck more carefully and lewdly!"
"L-like this? Until saliva comes out, right?"
"Yes! Good! It's the best when your pussy gets wet!"
When she touched herself and played with it, she said embarrassedly, "Just imagining it makes my pussy wet. Enough that I can tell when I touch it."
"Also, sound is important! What if someone licked these cute nipples with slurping sounds? Doesn't it excite you? When you suck a cock, make lewd sounds too!"
"Ahh! If someone made sounds while licking me, I'd get excited! If I lewdly made sounds while sucking Shivans's cock, I think I'd get excited too!"
Emilia writhed as her breasts, which had swollen to somewhere between a B and C cup, were fondled and her nipples were licked with wet sounds.
(This is dangerous territory. My girlfriend and my mother playing like this.)
"Yeah! If you become lewd enough not to lose to any prostitute, Shivans will be crazy about you!"
"I'll do my best! Until Shivans is head over heels for me!"
I was just watching from the shadows, but I thought it wasn't much different from being a peeping tom.And I could only finally leave when the lecture was about to end.
(That person is this body's real mother, but her consciousness is someone else. This is bad. If I ever get an erection from my mother someday, I'll be branded a mama's boy!)
I soaked in the hot spring with a face that said nothing had happened.
And That Night
"I had Madam cast a contraception spell on me. It's a little early, but will you hold me?"
With her face bright red and looking down slightly, she said that and performed fellatio.And so, we were able to confirm each other's first time.
From Then On, I decided to make various things.Mirin from glutinous rice. Vinegar from sake. And a music box. In between, I was teaching trustworthy people how to make soap, shampoo and conditioner, potions, and feather quilts, so it was quite tough. Also, regarding the slime solution, I wondered if I could make that and tried making it.
When I appraised it, it read 'Onahole'.
(Men! Rejoice!)
The music box required making the cylinder, pins, and diaphragm from scratch, so it was quite difficult, but once completed, it would definitely sell! A week passed in the blink of an eye, and during that time, the slave trader came. The agricultural slaves and war slaves were finally freed from slavery.
Behind the scenes, Butler, Gale, Ben, and Leen had been secretly disposing of or capturing and handing over to the slave trader the spies, outlaws, and criminals who had infiltrated the territory.
"Fufufu. We don't want to let only Shivans bear the hard burdens, right, Papa?"
"Of course. It's still too early to make our own child do this kind of dirty work!"
The four, each bearing their own epithets, were not just for show.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
In the Imperial Capital
Klaus and his wife Marino had returned from our place.Today, his eldest son and wife, and their grandson Aristo were gathered.
"Mother-in-law! The bedding you gave us yesterday was supremely comfortable!"
"Hold on, Aqua! I'm only lending it! I haven't given it to you!"
Klaus stopped the quarrel between his eldest son's wife and his wife.
"Cease this! Over mere bedding!"
"Dear! You're sulking because Shivans-kun only gave you one, aren't you?"
At his wife's "ohoho" laugh, his face twisted as if chewing a bitter bug.
"As Father says, it's just bedding, right? You're exaggerating."
When his eldest son Windam said this lightly, as if mocking them, Klaus, his wife, and Aqua launched a fierce counterargument.
"What could you possibly understand, you who haven't even slept on it!"
"As always, you're an ivory tower idiot son!"
"You! Saying things based on assumptions like that is why your subordinates don't respect you!"
Windam, who thought he'd backed up his father, was shaken by the counterattack.
"Speaking of which, that stone we received as a souvenir. It becomes warm even though I feel no magic power. How does it work?"
Thinking it was a nice save, Windam patted Aristo's head.
"The one who made that is an 11-year-old boy, the same age as you."
"Really, Grandfather? The same age as me. That's amazing!"
And when his wife began recounting how wonderful the hot spring inn was, his wife Aqua tilted her head.
"Huh? That's the territory of 'Lightning-fast Butler,' right? I'm sure I heard it's a barren wasteland covered in volcanic ash and desert?"
"What Aqua says is true, but it seems that boy has completely transformed it. The volcanic ash and desert still remain, but for the desert, he created a recreational facility called sandboarding, and they slide down the mountain slopes. It's bustling daily with people from quite advanced ages to children."
"And also! In the volcanic ash area, they planted a sweet potato called Patata, and that boy is making sweets with it! The currently popular shampoo and conditioner is also from that boy! The carriage outside too, that boy came up with the idea and had artisans make it!"
My wife showed off the shampoo and conditioner I had loaded onto the carriage.
"And this! Is the shampoo and conditioner that's all the rage in high society now!"
As Aqua bit down hard on the topic, her husband was taken aback.
"He also completely cured my headaches, stiff shoulders, and back pain. I'd almost want to make him our personal physician. That's right! From today, make Marino eat more vegetables! Otherwise, she'll die in five years, apparently!"
"Dear! You were also told to cut back on alcohol, weren't you! Don't serve this man any more alcohol! He'll die!"
The servants were shaken by Klaus and Marino's words.
"Die? You say that, but you seem quite energetic?"
When Windam said this hesitantly, the two nodded.Just then, Aristo, who had gone to see the carriage, had sparkling eyes.
"That carriage was designed by a boy my age?! That's incredible! Not only the concept of six wheels, but it also had a toilet and windows, and transparent panels were fitted in. The chairs had a reclining mechanism, the interior was tasteful, and while maintaining an elegant exterior, it was built robustly, you know? Don't you think it's amazing, Father?"
"Y-yeah. It is..."
Windam replied to his son, slightly taken aback.
"I wonder what that boy studied by looking at? I'd love to meet him!"
"Say, Windam? Is work busy? It's rare for this child to say he wants to go somewhere. Shall we visit that territory?"
When Aqua said that, Windam screamed in his heart: You're the one who wants to go, aren't you!
"Father. Can a child really accomplish that much?"
"Windam, you know Butler, don't you?"
"It's been a very long time since I last met him. Certainly, he struck me as the type who moves his body rather than his head. Isn't that Gale of the Wind? I heard he's somewhat sharp?"
He chuckled and denied it, saying that wasn't it.
"It was a land that had been continuously in deficit until now. Even the surrounding nobles and His Majesty didn't extend a helping hand, but in just three or four years, it's undergone a complete transformation. He praised his son to the point I thought he was a doting parent. Most likely, that son really did change everything."
Hearing Klaus's words, Windam could only watch Aqua and Aristo chorus "I want to go, I want to go" with an annoyed look. But then he had a flash of inspiration.
"Th-that's it! Could we invite that boy to our place?"
"Shivans-kun? Impossible. As it is, reservations there are already backed up for months. Study up on the ways of the world a little!"
His wife immediately rejected the idea, and Windam shrank back.
"Windam. What is your role?"
"My job? I am the Minister of Military Affairs. Surely you know, Father?"
When he made a face as if to say "What's this about now?", Klaus deliberately spread out a map.
"If it were you, how would you defend and develop this place?"
A basin-like land surrounded by mountains. Hot in summer, cold in winter. On top of that, one quarter was desert, one quarter volcanic ash, one quarter wetlands, and only one quarter seemed like decent land.
If told to manage somehow with just the four of them, plus 80 agricultural slaves and 20 war slaves.
"Impossible."
"I made you a minister, not a military man, precisely because I thought you were more politically inclined than me. As you know, last year wasn't quite a famine, but many nobles suffered. Around Butler's territory too, there was damage from bandits and wolves, and some villages and towns were destroyed. However, this territory alone is developing. I hear that until about three years ago, they were nobles in name only, and even Butler was drinking soup made from scrap vegetables."
He looked like he wanted to ask if that was really true, but looking at the map like this, he could nod in understanding. A land left neglected for many years. A desolate land with no resources, where crops wouldn't grow.
"Even now, they have only 20 guards. Though they have four people bearing epithets, they keep bandits and wolves away from their vast territory and continue developing it as a tourist destination."
Doesn't that pique your interest as the minister defending the nation? his father asked him.
"Indeed! I want to see it! Father, did you notice something?"
When Klaus mentioned hearing explosion sounds in the mountains and that the guards in the watchtowers carried unusual weapons, Windam fell into deep thought.
"To defend this place for a full day, you'd need at least one division. Moreover, if also accepting refugees, you'd need two brigades to rotate."
Windam muttered and pondered.
"How about it, Windam? Do you feel like going now? Delicious food and sake you can't taste in the Imperial Capital. And healing. Plus, there are many rare things there, you know?"
"Let's go, Father! I'll prepare immediately!"
Then, his wife hit him.
"I just told you! Reservations are backed up for months!"
"Leave it to me! I'll send a letter to that muscle-brain immediately!"
Just as he said that, a notice came that a letter had arrived.
"Who's it from?"
"It's from O'Brien-sama!"
O'Brien? No one understood, but they soon realized it was Butler.
"Dear! What does it say?"
His wife, excited, peered from behind Klaus.
"It seems Shivans-kun will be taking the Imperial Academy entrance exam. It says he wants to take the exam, so please take care of things. Also, reservations for the inn are at least a month out? For a mere Butler, he's got some nerve! What's this? He wants fabric because he wants to know the latest fashions for clothes and dresses? Hmm... That's it!"
He called the butler and ordered him to urgently procure the most erotic clothes and underwear that prostitutes wear.
"We'll go in one month! Prepare the letter and the latest fashions immediately!"
So the butler and maids bought up a massive amount of outrageously erotic outfits and the fabrics used for them.
"Grand Master. Um, is this really alright?"
"Of course! He'll surely be delighted! Ahahaha!"
Four days later.The luggage and letter arrived at our house.
"That old man! These are dresses like prostitutes wear! And he's cut it to less than a month. And this time he says to let him stay for a whole week! Don't screw with me!"
"Boss. They say resignation is key, right? If you disliked it, that's one thing, but let's just be grateful he wants to come right away!"
Persuaded by Gale, I reluctantly accepted.As I was looking at the dresses and lewd underwear, Leen asked, "Are you interested?"
"Fufufu. If this is considered the best in the Imperial Capital, don't you think it would be amusing to make something even more amazing and surprise them in return?"
"Young master. Which parent did you inherit your nasty personality from?"
"That's a terrible thing to say, Gale. They started the mischief. Returning it properly is what courtesy is about!"
"Haa... is that so."
He said that and left.I asked Marc if he could get more thread made of glossy material, even if it was just good quality, and he said he could.
"With this, I can have it ready in a month!"
"No. Please do it within one week!"
"Young master... always so unreasonable."
"A merchant is someone who responds to customer requests, isn't that right?"
As he sighed "Haa," Gale appeared.
"Marc. No one can beat the young master when he's scheming like this. Give it up!"
"You're right. Because to win, he'll push through even with sophistry."
I thought they were rude bastards, but I hurriedly set to work.Ideally, I'd want a pattern maker, but I couldn't afford to be leisurely.
First, I measured Leen and Emilia's sizes and made dress forms.After that, I performed draping using a method called three-dimensional cutting.
(For the rest, I'll do what I can within the scope of what I can teach the seamstresses!)
I had the blacksmiths make scissors and first had them get used to old fabric. I changed the designs to things I knew, and in the first week, the base for the first garment was completed.
Then Marc arrived.
"H-how about this? Does it meet your requirements?"
"Excellent! Please bill Father for the payment!"
I further changed the thread to things like gold thread and silver thread.Then, from the Viscount's territory, pepper, pearls, castor oil, safflower, coconut oil, lemons, and baking soda arrived.
"With this, I'll make them gasp!"
Of course, I finished them into glossy, alluring outfits without being vulgar.They were completed three days before their arrival.
Then, I had my mother Leen and Emilia try them on.
"Yaan! Shivans, you perv! Making Mama wear something like this?"
"Shivans, I don't want other people seeing me in this."
So I had the prostitutes wear the flashy underwear and outfits.Surprisingly, people who saw them in town gave favorable reviews, asking "Where are they sold?" So I also asked Emilia's parents and had them sold at the hot spring shop, and noble ladies bought them.
I had them put on mannequins and displayed in a show window to attract attention. The women who were maids at the inn also said, "Please make it our uniform," so I improved the maid uniforms and made garter stockings, which were also well-received.
"I wonder which is better, this or the slit skirt?"
When we asked the men, they said 'hard to choose between the two,' so they decided to wear whichever they preferred.
In those three days, I built a Pat-Pat Golf course in the backyard.This would allow even the elderly to enjoy themselves.
The balls were made of hardened slime solution, and the putters were commissioned from the woodworker and the master blacksmith.
"What's something like this used for?"
They asked me curiously, but I had them make three sizes—large, medium, and small—as cast products.
And on the morning of the day, I styled my hair, used a hair dressing made from castor oil to give it a wet look, and applied lipstick made from safflower to the women.
The arriving Klaus family party was astonished by the outfits of the women welcoming them.
"Awawawa..."
Perhaps the stimulation was too strong; Aristo turned bright red and looked down.