Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: Three Kinds of Fruit Liqueur
I had come to the Forest of Confusion to combine research materials with leveling up, but I hadn't found many materials different from before. I guess the monsters had leveled up a bit and their numbers had decreased, that's the feeling. Wasn't there some unusual monster somewhere? Thinking that, I headed toward the Rhodesia front-line base, and the situation there was still dire.
"Whoa... this is quite a situation, isn't it?"
When I spoke to a soldier on the front line, he said, "You're young, huh? A new recruit?" and I nodded vaguely.
"'Quite a situation' doesn't even cover it... The higher-ups seem to be saying it's the work of the Altmea Empire, but do you think Altmea, which is under attack, could pull off something like this? It's probably dissidents within the country who set this up. They can't say that, so they're blaming the enemy..."
Then, another soldier said, "Tomorrow, the Commander of the Royal Court Mage Corps is coming to wipe out the monsters for us!" and the soldiers raised a cheer.
The soldiers were staying in a town about five kilometers from here.They were a motley crew of soldiers, gathered from nearby villages and towns.
"By the way, where are you from, Big Brother?"
"The village I lived in was destroyed, it's gone now. It seems it was a small village, but my parents died when I was a child... and the grandmother who took me in also died, so I've been wandering from place to place..."
When I told a suitable lie, it must be a common story in this country. They believed me right away.
"I'm Davide. I'm the captain of the guard for this town, 31 years old. And you?"
"I'm Shivans. I've turned 16."
After we finished introducing ourselves, he said he'd show me around town, so I followed. He pointed out things like, that's the lord's manor for this town, and from here on is the entertainment district, and I followed along thinking, wasn't this where he wanted to go? Passing through there, it was the slum district.
"Don't go beyond here. Even I don't go in alone..."
"Is it dangerous?"
It was dangerous, in a rough sort of way, but he told me that recently a disease had been spreading.
"It'd be terrible if I brought a strange disease home to my wife and kids. You be careful too, Shivans! Now, let's go drinking!"
Again, we returned to the entertainment district and he tried to go to a bar, but I said I wanted to see the shopping district and went off on my own. The shopping district was lifeless, so when I asked what was wrong, they told me, "The army took all our wheat flour... we're in trouble..."
"This land has plenty of fruit, though. But that won't fill your belly..."
Apparently, it started when the previous margrave had various fruits brought in from different regions and cultivated them for his daughter. That daughter seems to have become a complete old woman now. At this time of year, they said blueberries, plums, and apricots had a bountiful harvest and were being shipped in large quantities, causing prices to collapse.
There were merchants around, so I asked about the market price.
"About 100G per kilogram?"
"That must be the good stuff, right? The poor quality goods don't even fetch a price..."
So, when I said I'd buy good quality for 200G per kilogram, and even poor quality for 50G if it was fresh, they were astonished and at the same time overjoyed, saying, "Are you serious!?"
When I showed them I had wheat flour, someone appeared saying, "I'll pay 15,000 per kilogram!" and then, "I'll do 17,000!" and the price kept climbing.
"In that case, for those who bring me lots of fruit. The price will be 15,000! I'll sell you wheat flour with top priority!"
When I said that, they said, "Then, Big Brother! Come here early tomorrow morning! It has to be picked in the morning or it won't be fresh!" So I said, "Understood," and they called out, "Tell everyone right away!"
"If possible, I'd like you to sell me saplings and various types..."
Before I could finish, everyone said, "Leave it to us!"I immediately returned to the Butler territory and mass-produced the liquor made with honey.
"Young Master! I smell money again!"
"You can tell? This will be a profitable venture, so everyone, please do your best!"
Continuous distillation is difficult, so it won't be mass-produced right away... but Old Man Roro and Ash are working hard, and every year the honey production volume is steadily increasing, and the number of employees is increasing too, it seems.
(Even if we can't win with wine, we can win with this!)
I intended to make fruit liqueur. I returned to the lord's manor and gave Sera instructions.
"Tomorrow, I'll bring back fruit saplings. The northern part of the former Viscount Gran territory has no special features, so I want to expand there! I'll leave the team formation to you! If this goes well, it'll be another interesting business!"
Hearing those words, Sera urgently gathered the five village chiefs and formed a team.
The Next Morning
Before dawn, I went to the promised place, and a large crowd of merchants had gathered and were waiting.
"Hey! You're quite the eager businessman, Big Brother?"
"Of course! If someone claimed there were stones or sand mixed in, it would be trouble for both of us, right?"
Saying that, I showed them the wheat flour with no adulterants, and a cheer of "Ooh!" went up.
"We're watching carefully on our end too, so rest assured!"
They had prepared many of what are commonly called balance scales, and even had inspectors ready. While we were talking, carriages and carts arrived noisily.
"Over here!"
The merchants waved torches to signal, and it became noisy.
"I brought blueberries and saplings! Buy them properly!"
"Big Brother! How many kilograms of this high-quality wheat flour will you sell? I want to buy it even if I have to go into debt! If you want, shall I throw in my wife over there too?"
Amidst the surrounding laughter, when I said, "I'll sell as much as you want," a stir arose. People who didn't know I had an Inventory with infinite storage couldn't believe it.
"However, I only sell for cash, you know?"
"G-got it! Wait for me! I'll scrape together the money!"
The merchants helped for a ten percent profit, which was a huge help. They measured skillfully and recorded it in a ledger. When I paid in cash immediately and stored the goods, they were surprised.
"Big Brother has a Magic Box! I'm jealous!"
"I couldn't do business without this."
Then, a rumor started: "I've heard there's an artisan in the Altmea Empire who can make Magic Boxes! I don't know if it's true though..." When they immediately came to ask me, I told them, "I can't say which merchant, but it's true it's from the Altmea Empire," and they nodded, saying, "I knew it!" and tried to probe for information.
"I'm busy right now, you know? Are you going to get in the way?"
At my words, everyone started saying, "Don't make Big Brother angry, you idiot!"
"There's no way he'd just tell you easily, is there? You're not even on friendly terms!" Even a know-it-all type came over and lectured him.
Business proceeded smoothly, and I bought up over ten tons of various fruits and many saplings, and sold off a large amount of wheat flour.
"Everyone! Thank you very much!"
"Thank you! Come again! By the way, what's your name, Big Brother?"
Thinking, he asks that now?, I gave my name, "Shivans," and waved.
When I arrived at the front-line base, the royal court mages were already there.
"Oh! Shivans! Where have you been?"
"Sorry, I got lost. Davide-san, are those the mages?"
He nodded, saying yes.
There was an incredibly tense mood, and the person who seemed to be the commander was giving orders with an arrogant attitude. As I was looking for a chance to get close to the commander, he headed to the toilet. There, after putting him to sleep, I placed a Slave Mark on him and made him drink a truth serum.
"From now on, how will you defeat the monsters? What is that doing right now?"
"He drew a magic circle. With a magic circle, you can summon, and also teleport and transfer. However, until the magic circle is completed, you have to draw it while pouring magic power into it, so it took time."
I see. If you could just easily copy and paste the diagram, it would be quicker... As I thought that, an announcement flowed in my mind: You have learned 'Magic Circle' and 'Copy-Paste'. As derivatives, you have learned 'Summoning Magic' and 'Teleportation/Transfer'.
When I watched for a while, what he summoned by placing a magic stone was a golem.
"What will you do with that?"
"It's moved by magic power manipulation. It uses quite a lot of magic power, so it's tiring..."
As the commander extended his hand and operated it, I heard the announcement: You have learned 'Magic Power Manipulation'. I watched, thinking that if it were me, I could probably tame it and make it possible to operate. Large monsters were dealt with by the golem, and other monsters and rats were exterminated with fire magic.
(With this, they probably have no remaining capacity to attack the Altmea Empire. Once they learn they've already been defeated, they should be quite shocked. What will they do?)
Prisoner return and reparations, I guess.How much can be squeezed out of them will be a chance for the Foreign Minister to show his skill.
I promptly headed to the palace and reported what I had seen so far.
"The court mages used a golem... is that true, Shivans-kun?"
"Of course, Excellency Klaus. However, they don't seem to know they've lost the war yet..."
I explained that they likely had no remaining military strength from now on.
"The fleet they called their 'treasured possession' has been seized, and their main army is captured. If I were the enemy, I would consider fighting us any further to be suicidal. If they were attacked by another country now, they wouldn't last a moment. As a nation, they couldn't hold out."
Since they attacked without even a declaration of war, the reparations would likely be considerable. Then, His Majesty spoke to me with a beaming smile.
"Shivans. What do you think about the Academy?"
"Even if you ask 'what'..."
He told me to say everything I thought and felt.
So, I told him that having only nobles was a waste. Revise the entrance exam and make it possible for common people to take it as well. Regardless of status, they should seek out talented people lying dormant in the private sector.
When I said that the level of the teachers and classes was low, and that as things stood it wouldn't benefit the country, he laughed.
"So the class level is low after all... It was a hotbed for fools who opposed me. Teachers and students alike have nothing to be proud of but their status. When humans have too much free time, they don't think of anything good!"
He nodded, saying there was some truth in what I said. And then His Majesty ordered Klaus: "In this country, regardless of status, gather top-tier talent—internal affairs officers, mages, scholars, swordsmen, martial artists! They will be employed as teachers! There, make the Imperial Academy an elite group. Make the university even stricter starting this year!"
After that, I returned to the lord's manor, handed over the saplings, and had them planted.
"Shivans-sama, what will you make with the fruit?"
"Something Sera will also enjoy! Look forward to it!"
I returned to my family home and made fruit liqueur with the liquor I had prepared. One type with high alcohol content, a fruity feel but with suppressed sweetness, and another with low alcohol content, where the fruit was blended in to create a thick, smooth texture and a sweet taste. I tried making each with blueberries, plums, and apricots using 'Mixing'.
In the remaining time, I also made various replenishments of jewels, accessories, and medicines. I also made a choker for Kate that would serve as proof of a sex slave.
After a certain amount of trial and error, the liqueur was completed.I named the blueberry liqueur 'Blue Sacred Wine', the apricot liqueur 'Golden Beach', and the plum liqueur 'Crimson Beauty'. When I had everyone sample them, the sweet type was generally well-received by the women.
When I took them to Cielo Trading Company and had them sampled, Cielo immediately said, "I want exclusive sales rights right away!"
"I'm thinking of selling them to high-end bars and such."
"In that case, it has to be us even more, right? Please!"
Worn down by Cielo, I prepared several for sampling and put them up for sale, and they were a huge hit, apparently selling better than Tarsel Trading Company's wine. Even though the production volume was still low, a single bottle was being put on sale for a price of 100,000G.
"Twenty percent is fine for us! I'm counting on you for exclusive sales!"
Sera also said, "It can't be helped..."
Actually, when chilled, it was easy to drink, and it seemed that nobles and wealthy merchants would buy it up as summer approached. In fact, they were ecstatic, saying it sold out the moment it arrived.
When I went to the student council, Aristo, Aria, and Kate were there. There, I said I had a gift for Kate, and when I wrapped the choker around her neck, it suited her quite well.
"Hey, Shivans? Why don't I get one?"
"It's like a charm to keep you from falling for useless men."
Aristo and Aria laughed, and Aria said, "She's certainly right! You didn't learn your lesson with David, and you were saying Narcy was good too, weren't you?" and Aristo teased, "You like guys with good looks who are a little bad, right?"
"D-did I say that? But, not anymore! I'm fed up with useless men after David and that trash prince."
Even so, no one believed her, but Aria said, "I understand. But I also understand Shivans's worry. You'd better keep it on for a while!" and Kate reluctantly nodded.
That Night
"This is actually different, isn't it! Ever since I put it on, my pussy has been throbbing."
That was because she drank water laced with an aphrodisiac.
"Whatever the case, it's a one-month contract. You'll obey, right?"
"I-I know, Master."
She said it and then gasped. That's right. This is just a Collar of Subjugation. I had it set so that when we're alone, she calls me Master.
"That's right. For the next month, Kate, as promised, should call me Master and feel lust only for me. Regardless of love or romance... with pleasure carved into that body, by being embraced by me, you become a female who feels joy."
With this, even if Kate falls for a useless man and is embraced by him, her body will be unresponsive. Because it's a Collar of Subjugation for a master-servant relationship with me, her body won't react to other men. Due to the aphrodisiac, her sensitivity has increased, and she writhes and moans from caresses.
"Kate... what do you want?"
"Cock! I want you to put your cock in my virgin pussy!"
"What kind of pussy is it?"
"A lewdly wet, slutty pussy!"
She was penetrated, and it seemed pleasure won out over pain.
"How is it, Master? Kate's body is good, right? I've become incredibly lewd... and my pussy didn't feel any pain! It feels good!"
I cast contraceptive magic and came inside her. I taught her cleaning fellatio, and by the second time, she started to cum. By the third time, she squirted too. She screamed many times and came to have orgasms.
"Master... morning is coming... Aah! I'm cumming again! My pussy is breaking! I'm cumming too much and dying! I'm already Master's sex slave! So always train your female Kate properly!"
Kate wore crotchless panties every day, and with an open bra, her nipples were constantly hard, and she came to feel lust the moment she saw me. Being embraced morning, noon, and night, she became skilled at fellatio and quickly started begging.
"My skirt has gotten shorter too, so the stares from men are almost painful! It's hard to make sure they don't see the pussy that belongs only to Master, but that in itself is fun! Hey? Can I play with my female pussy and do masturbation fellatio?"
"You are my female slave. I have to train you to be even more extremely slutty!"
A distorted world of master and servant. I understood it was a state like friends with benefits.
"Of course, I like you, Master! But, it's not the burning feeling I had with David... But, I really love this cock! I've been made into an erotic pussy that won't get wet for other men! Now, embrace me as a female! It feels incredibly good for me too!"
We also shared deep kisses.It was for each other's desires, or rather, we had settled into a master-servant relationship. When Kate had her period, I developed her anally. She took pleasure in it and came to offer her ass on her own.
"Stick out your tongue, Kate!"
She licked and sucked with slurping sounds. Wanting her breasts groped, she took my hand herself and made me knead them, and just from having her nipples played with, her love juices overflowed with a 'squelch'.
"I'll suck your pussy!"
"If you lick my erotic pussy, love juice will overflow and I'll squirt and make a mess, you know?"
When I said I'd drink it, we got into a 69 position, and she said, "Then let me drink Master's semen too! It's delicious!" and changed direction, saying, "Violate my ass too! I'll cum right away and squirt too, is that okay?"
And then insertion.
"If we weren't using contraception, I'd definitely get pregnant! But, it feels good for me too when you cum inside!"
Every day, we drowned in pleasure.
One DayThe principal came and said, "As an extracurricular lesson, we will conduct a dungeon exploration!" Everyone disliked it, but it was a mandatory mission. Apparently, it was located 20 kilometers north of the imperial capital.
As usual, no map existed, so it looked like I would end up making one. Team formation didn't seem to consider grade or gender, so I formed a student council team.
"I'm counting on you, Shivans-kun!"
Kate, in a miniskirt and looking very erotic, said. In public, she properly called me by name, so our relationship wasn't exposed. Each team acquired weapons, loaded food and tents onto carriages, and departed. The Traffic Light Trio wanted to join the student council team, but when I hinted that even three people was tough for me, they gave up.
The area near the dungeon was quite a town.There was an Adventurer Guild, and weapon shops, armor shops, and bars were plentiful. Some teams were re-forming their teams at the Adventurer Guild, and each had a supervising teacher, but for some reason, we were the only ones without a teacher. Were we trusted? Or were they just short on teachers? I didn't know, but it was easier for me that way.
In the bars, beautiful older women were soliciting customers.
"No, Aristo! I'm here, aren't I!"
"I-I know... I was just looking!"
It seems like he's already having sex with Aria. They seem to be using contraception.
"Master has me, your sex slave, don't you!"
Kate said in a whisper, linking her arm with mine. Because she was cute, I had granted 'Instant Death Prevention' to her choker, but it doesn't prevent death. It only prevents instant death; if not treated quickly, she'll eventually die. Also, Kate's choker cannot be removed by anyone other than me, the contractor.
We couldn't all fit in one inn, so we went into separate inns. Normally, Kate and Aria would share a room, and Aristo and I would share a room, but there was no way we'd follow that.
I asked Kate a question out of curiosity.
"Hey? Are Aristo-sama and Aria-sama doing it?"
"You didn't know? After the two of them went to the peeping room, it seems they started a relationship? It seems Aria-sama is interested in a threesome, and feels like she might want to try it together with Master."
She hadn't heard it directly, but she seemed to have gotten that feeling.
When I asked what about her, Kate said, "I don't feel like being embraced by another man. If Master absolutely insists, I might do it, but... I'm not interested." Well, I guess that's because I made it so she doesn't feel lust for other men.
A threesome with me and Aristo? I don't feel like doing that either.
At last, we were to enter the dungeon, but amateurs are in danger. Therefore, the teachers from the infirmary had also come and were on standby at the entrance. I was impressed they were quite serious about this, when suddenly it was time to start.
Apparently, our group was at the head of the academy students, so we decided on a formation. The vanguard was Aristo, with Kate and Aria behind him. I was at the very rear, giving instructions from behind. Aristo attacked with a spear, Kate with a bow, and Aria with magic.
"About ten meters ahead, diagonally down to the right, five enemies. Immediately behind them, near the rear, two enemies. Beyond that, a trap."
When I gave instructions from the rear, Aria murmured, "That's convenient."
"Aristo-sama. You're putting too much tension in your shoulders. Kate-senpai, draw your bow only after you see them."
The two took a deep breath and replied, "Understood."