Chapter 439: From Reflection to Reality

Aegir POV-

After eating, we look around to see if there's anything else that is worth noting.

「Ah, a water fountain!」

Miti points happily.

In a corner of the main street lined with many street stands is a newly built fountain spouting water up high.

There is a pretty large fountain on the perimeter where people are cheering.

It seems the fountain is public and can be enjoyed freely by the citizens.

Trisnia is adjacent to the North Teries river and is also connected to many other smaller streams so there are plenty of water sources available for the city.

That's why they have the luxury of discharging water like this without worry.

Rafen's water situation has dramatically improved since the completion of the aqueduct, but there's no comparison to a city that's beside a large river. Nonna would be overjoyed if such a fountain was added to the city, whereas Adolph would most likely faint and go bald.

「Still, don't you think it's strange? Why is it shooting the water up at the sky?」

「Err, it feels like someone explained it to me before......mmm.」

Miti ponders the question.

「It's too complicated for me to understand~」

Maria gave up.

Well, there's no reason to rack my brains over it, I'm not a fountain craftsman after all.

Then, Miti and Maria start squirming restlessly.

「Why don't you go play? It's not like we're pressed for time.」

It's summer time. After eating and walking around for a while, they would want to cool their sweaty bodies in the water.

They're also wearing travel clothes, which are fine with getting wet.

「Urm......」

「It might be a little embarrassing......」

Oh, I guess playing in the fountain is a childlike act.

「In that case――」

I pick up Maria and Miti, one in each of my arms, and head towards the fountain.

「Kyaa! I said it was embarrassing!」

「Waa~ everyone is looking.」

I hop into the fountain with the two of them regardless of their screams.

「Gyaa! A big person jumped in!!」

「Fuee...... I'm soaked now.」

「Is he the same as Mr. Maroo? He's a grown-up and plays tag with me every day until late~」

I made a large splash when I entered, causing the kids nearby to shriek. Their parents groan in disapproval.

「Hahaha, seems like I upset some people.」

「Gosh! It's not normal for someone as big as master to get in!」

「I don't care anymore~ Might as well enjoy ourselves if we're going to be embarrassed anyways~」

Becoming unbound, Miti and Maria start frolicking in the water without concern of being watched.

That led to the adults sitting in the vicinity to gradually slip in the water too.

Everyone actually wanted to go in. Because I was so gung ho about it, they figured it wasn't such a bad idea.

「Ufu, I'll join too.」

Mel comes in and splashes the other two.

「Kyaa! That's too much~」

「Aahn, don't get water in my back~」

The three of them――forgetting Mel's age, play noisily.

I get out of the water and sit on the edge of the fountain, letting the girls have fun.

I only jumped in to get Miti and Maria in the water, not because I wanted to play.

I'd rather sit here and admire the wet clothes sticking to the girls' bodies.

A married woman throws an especially large wave of water at her own child.

Her clothes are so thin that I can see her nipples underneath.

Her nipples are dark and her areolas are fairly big, indicative of a mature lady.

The tugging of my sleeve interrupts my thoughts.

I don't see anyone at first, it was only when I looked down that I found a little kid.

「Hey mister, you're big.」

「And you're still small.」

The child――who is taking a break from playing in the water, was half naked on top.

Nevertheless, I can't tell whether the child is male or female.

「Techi is a girl.」

「Is that so? Then I'll have to be careful with you.」

I remind myself as I lift the child and rest her on the side of the fountain.

「Carry me.」

「Haanh?」

I let out a dumb sound when the child extends her arms.

「Carry me. You look like you can do it higher than mama.」

Now I understand what she meant.

Currying favor with a child, albeit a female, won't do much for me now, however refusing her and making her cry will leave me in an awkward position too.

「There, high enough?」

I support the girl with my hands in her armpits and raise her until she's up to my eye level.

She doesn't weigh anything and I can probably lift her with one finger.

「So high~ It's way higher than mama!」

In the corner of my vision, a person who I believe to be the mother is staring at me nervously.

She's attractive and has a nice pair of boobs.

「Higher~」

「Sure.」

I smile at the mother and then raise the child up to my head.

「Woah...... so high...... Techi is looking down at everyone...... fuoh.」

What a strange sense of happiness.

Her mother, realizing that I won't do any harm, pats her chest and slowly walks over to me.

「Hey no, Techi! Don't bother someone you don't know!」

Being scolded wasn't enough to rid the young girl's curiosity.

「More! Go higher!」

Sadly, my arms won't stretch any further.

「Higher! Techi wants to go even higher!」

「Fine. Stay still then.」

I'll do the same thing that makes Pipi happy.

The mother bows and apologizes for imposing on me.

It's fine, pleasing a child isn't a big deal.

I smile in return, lower my hips, and then――――toss the girl in the air.

She must have flown 10...... no, 20 m up.

「Gyaaaaaaaaaa!!」

The mother suddenly screams.

Hey, doing that right next to me is dangerous. What if I fail to catch her?

After hovering briefly at the apex of the toss, she falls back down rapidly.

I adjust my position by shifting a few steps to the left and right, then absorb as much of the impact as I catch her.

「Woaaaah...... a bird...... Techi became a bird......」

A mysterious ecstacy washes over the child's face.

I immediately turn around from the blood lust directed at me.

「She should be f――」

The mother's right fist meets my jaw.

「Of course not――」

Her left fist plunges into my solar plexus. A splendid combo.

「――gah!!」

Her final blow was a sharp knee to my groin.

I don't know why she's hitting me, but she's quite the impressive woman.

While I was reeling, the mother took her child and left.

The little girl wanted me to toss her once more, but her mother gave me a death stare.

By this time, Maria and the others had their fill playing in the water and are now on the side wringing their clothes and brushing their hair.

Sometimes it's nice to be a kid again and do kid activities.

Just coming to Trisnia to play makes me feel at peace.

「Oh my, look here Littoria-san. The common folk are making a fuss.」

「Yes mother, I was wondering why it was so noisy. There is quite a strong vulgar smell around here.」

Appearing before us are two women, one wearing frilly clothes and the other holding a frilly parasol.

The first is in her 40's and the second is likely in her mid-teens; I can't tell her actual age because of how thick her makeup is.

Unfortunately, neither of them were blessed with a decent face or figure.

The younger one walks over as we're tidying our outfits, and after staring for some time, waves her paper fan over her mouth, deliberately showing her superiority.

「Mother, they think that just because their clothes are slightly presentable, they can play in the water.」

The mature lady reacts in an exaggerated manner.

「Oh my! That's why lowly peasants are hopeless. They don't know how to dress and―― no, look carefully, Littoria-san. At first glance, their clothes appear nice, but they aren't sewn with gold or silver thread and they don't even have jeweled buttons...... in other words, they're cheap and perfectly suitable to their class.」

Of course we don't have gold threads woven into our travel clothes. Jewels are out of the question too. It would be too heavy.

「How pitiful, mother.」

「Yes, we should at least let them see what high class jewels look like.」

The duo display their necklaces and bracelets decorated with gems.

They're certainly big, but the shapes are somewhat uneven to me.

Previously, Claire told me the true value of a jewel is based on the clarity of its shine and how it's processed.

If the gem is badly cut and cloudy, its size doesn't matter...... or so she said.

「What do these people want?」

「How meddlesome......」

「......」

Miti, who was in a good mood, became glum, Maria frowned and Mel simply went quiet with a smile plastered on her face.

Meanwhile, the arrogant mother and child do as they please in front of the fountain.

They brushed the toddlers aside with a folding fan as if they were insects to prevent being bumped.

「Shoo, shoo! What if you dirty my clothes.」

Even after chasing the kids back to their parents, the mother rained abusive comments from afar.

「Since we're at it, how about getting the brats to do our laundry here. No, nevermind, the water is so filthy that it'll ruin the scenery. It would waste the beauty of Trisnia.」

This is too much.

Yet the mothers around the pair don't fight back, instead they bow in apology and run off with their children.

「They might be prominent nobles of this area...... Goldonia was once like that too.」

Miti suggests in disgust.

If people like that lived in the neighborhood and acted so self-importantly everyday, she probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it.

「In Roleil, you see some pretty delinquent knights...... here and there too.」

Maria has also experienced this behavior?

The mother and child come over to us again, seemingly finished with the other citizens.

「Anyways, mother. These individuals...... don't you think it's odd? There is one man and three women......」

「Yes, most likely the man is a feudal lord of some rural area who picked up a few girls from a deserted poor village to play with. Aah, how obscene!」

Mel awkwardly averts her eyes, but it doesn't bother me that she's from a poor village.

What's wrong with picking up a girl, loving her, and having kids with her? It's great.

「Now that you mention it, these three don't have any aura at all. Their faces are forgettable.」

「Yes, this one is depressing.」

「D-depressing......?」

Miti's shoulders slump.

「That one is......mediocre, no distinguishing features at all. She looks the same as all the girls standing at the front of the inns of any town.」

「Medi......ocre.」

Maria's voice disappears into the shadows.

「And the far woman...... her face is decent...... but she's old. It won't be long until her looks fade.」

「......」

Mel's eyes widen and she silently reaches around my waist.

Woah, don't pull out the Dual Crater. Murdering someone in broad daylight is a bad idea.

However, the next words of the arrogant mother and child saved their lives.

「To that point, mother is turning 35 this year and is still beautiful...... as I thought, it's the difference in upbringing.」

「Ufufufu, exactly right Littoria-san. That woman should be in her late twenties, but her lack of dignity makes her look like she's in her thirties.」

Mel releases my Dual Crater and grins.

Her earlier blood lust vanished like it never existed.

Mel turns to me and gives me a thumbs up.

I'm just happy she isn't seeing red.

Actually, I'm reaching the limits of my patience.

I could endure it if I was the one being bad-mouthed, not when Mel and the others are being insulted.

They might be putting on airs, since real important people can't simply stroll outside without a care in the world.

Although we're in the city, I can't imagine them being higher ranked than me if they're walking around like this.

「Let me put them in their place.」

Nonna would tell me to make the most of the opportunity and greet the Trisnian nobles while I'm at it anyways.

My emblem is quite distinct so I'm sure they'll know it when they see it.

With a smirk, I reach into my shirt pocket.

「......I left it in the restaurant.」

「What are you going!? Celia-san warned you repeatedly to be careful not to lose it! She said unreasonable things like how she'll blame me if you lost it!」

Miti runs back in the direction of the restaurant in a panic.

What am I going to do if I don't have the seal?

My gaze moves up to the sky as I consider my options.

「Ngyaaaah! Thieeef!!」

So ugly...... wondering who could let out such an ugly scream, I see the arrogant mother fall to the ground on her ass.

It appears her heavy bag was snatched away.

The culprit has already run far away.

「Mother! S-someone, chase after him! Capture him!」

The daughter pleads to the citizens near her, but nobody does anything.

People briskly walk past, pretending not to hear her, or they bend down to grab their foot, faking an injury, and then the mothers whose children were treated like bugs actually smile at the arrogant duo's misfortune.

「Obviously, there won't be anyone who would help.」

「They did this to themselves.」

「They got their just desserts.」

「Haa, haa...... found the seal...... thank goodness.」

I honestly don't feel like helping either.

Losing something trivial like a bag should serve as a good lesson.

What I didn't expect was their reactions.

「A-all of our monthly allowance is in that bag! After him!」

「Understood, mother!」

The two of them started to run at a surprising speed.

At the rate they're going, I think it's possible to even catch up.

「......I'll be back.」

Feeling obligated, I also follow them.

It's possible the thief will threaten the use of violence once he realizes he's being chased.

I thought it would be good to teach them a lesson, but it'll leave a bad taste in my mouth if I found out they died to the robber afterward.

Sure enough, I encountered the exact scenario which I pictured in my mind.

「Haa, haa...... w-we caught up! Now, return the bag!」

「Fuu, fuu...... I'm going to hand you over to the guards and get you sentenced to death!」

After running around for some time, they finally caught the robber at the edge of the harbor near the levee of the North Teries river.

The previous levee was destroyed by a flood and dirt is being used as a temporary blockage while under construction, but there don't seem to be any workers here at this time.

A construction site without any workers...... in other words, this place is out of sight.

Rather than being chased here, it's more accurate to say that he was luring them here.

The robber whistles, signalling four men to emerge from the shadows, who quickly surround the mother and daughter.

By the time they notice the predicament they're in, it's already too late.

「Should we kill 'em? Or maybe we should kidnap and sell them?」

「Killing them would be bad. Selling...... they aren't pretty enough. Strip them and silence them by fucking either one of them.」

All five men take out knives from their pockets and close in.

「S-stop this! Do you know who we are!?」

「Do you know what will happen to you if you anger my father, who is employed by Lord ―― who is the top retainer of ―― sama, the ruler of the proud Trisnia!?」

Retainer of a retainer?

If I were to use an example, they would be in the same position as the girl Leopolt keeps by his side.

Man, there's no way they have any kind of prestige.

The men continue to inch forward slowly. There's almost no room for the two girls to run.

I don't feel like it at all, but I'll help them.

「Hey.」

I step in between the two parties.

I can see the faces of the confident men warp as their opponent changes.

「Who the fuck are you!?」

「Don't tell me, you're their bodyguard or something!?」

I don't reply, rather I keep my eye on the men's weapons.

All of their knives have short blades about 20 cm long.

I'm not in much danger even if I'm bare-handed.

「Y-you are――」

「Don't move, stay where you are.」

I instruct them, shielding them with my body.

「Hey, this is bad. He looks strong.」

Yeah, I'm stronger than you guys, so run away. That'll save me the hassle of fighting.

「We have five people. And from what they said before, they're only related to an insignificant bodyguard.」

Idiots don't live long.

「They saw our faces anyway. We can't do business tomorrow if we let them go.」

What a stupid conclusion they drew.

The five of them ready their knives, partially surround me, and then reduce the distance between us.

「Fools.」

I stand my ground and merely lower my hips.

「Shhu! Shu, shu!」

One of the men hiss nastily with every thrust of his knife.

His feints are rather obvious and so easy to avoid that I don't have to move from my spot.

「Take that, I'm gonna stab ya! S'gonna hurt! Ora, o――」

Another man comes in from the side while spouting nonsense, and right when he was about to add a feint, I pounce without making eye contact or showing any pre-emptive movements.

I slap the hand holding the knife with my left hand, grab his head by the hair with my right hand and slam his face into the pebble-ridden ground.

He groans painfully as I bring his head back up with blood trickling down from his broken nose and a few teeth falling from his mouth.

「Well, that's that.」

Since these guys didn't weren't going to kill, I don't have to go out of my way to take their lives.

I don't care if they die later.

I toss the man aside and face the remaining four.

「Bastard―― unforgivable!!」

「It's too late even if you beg for your life! Blood was shed!!」

Two men become enraged and assault me.

「I'm definitely gonna kill you!!」

Both of them swing their knives at my face......

「You liar.」

I see through the path of the knife and stop his arm with my right hand.

「Oww! S-such strength...... it's gonna break!」

I mean, there's really only two ways to kill a standing opponent with a knife.

The first is stabbing the knife in the throat and the second is plunging the knife deep into the abdomen.

It's possible to sever the carotid artery, however, that takes a considerable amount of skill and the difficulty level would instantly be raised by several levels if the opponent was wearing a collared shirt, so it's not very realistic.

Celia could easily accomplish the feat, but she's an exception.

In other words, the moment they aimed for my face was when I realized they weren't prepared to kill me.

I can step in rather forcefully and come out with only a minor scratch on my handsome face.

「Fortunately for you, you weren't planning to kill anybody, so I'll do the same.」

I add my left hand to the arm I'm already grabbing...... and snap it in half like a twig.

「Dammit!!」

The other one lunges with his sword from the hip.

Judging by how low the strike is, he's probably aiming for my thigh. Forgive me for what I'm about to do, it's unavoidable.

I pretend to receive the attack head-on, only to dodge to the side at the last second and trip him.

As he tumbles, I grab his waist――and then toss him straight up into the air like I played with the little girl earlier.

The man weighs much more so he flies about 5 m, and obviously, I'm not going to catch him.

「Guubh! Gehah! Gurbh!!」

After falling on his back, the man coughs and writhes on the ground.

He shouldn't be able to do anything other than squirm.

The next man fakes to the right with his knife, so I counter by grabbing his left sleeve and dragging him to the levee...... then I toss him into the North Teries river.

The levee was 10 m wide and 5 m tall, which made me doubt how things would turn out, but the splash let me know he reached the water.

Now there's one person left.

「Wait, don't move! If you move, this woman will...... huh?」

As I was busy dealing with his buddies, the last guy circled around to the mother and daughter and pointed his knife at them.

His miscalculation was that he didn't account for me reading his actions and matching them.

In terms of speed, I had the clear advantage. I may appear sluggish, but I'm actually fast.

I go behind the man who was about to stab the daughter in the back and grab his head.

「You're not supposed to use a woman as a hostage. How unfortunate.」

I proceed to twist the man's head around 180 degrees.

With a satisfying crack, his neck bone broke.

「Hiieeee!!」

The daughter's shriek signaled the end of the fight.

The shock from what happened to the man's head in front of her prevented her from standing for some time.

Since I saved her, I felt it was my responsibility to at least watch over her until she calmed down.

「Hey you. I guess you did well this time.」

「Mm.」

I casually dismiss the mother's praise.

「From what I can see, you aren't a low class...... well, if you are looking for a job, I can ask my husband for you.」

「No need.」

Are the daughter's legs still wobbly?

「Worried about money perhaps? Rather than a job in the city, I can――」

「Hey, what's going on――!!?」

Finally, the guards are here.

Like fish who found water, the mother and daughter promptly stood up.

「Kinihi, you're late! I'm going to tell my husband!」

「That's right! Father will lower your wages for that―― eh?」

The guard captain initially looks dubiously at the two of them, however, he hastily dismounts from his horse after confirming my face.

「You guys, hurry and get off too or you'll be beheaded!!」

The other guards ignore the squealing mother and child and kneel in front of me.

「I heard about your visit from the management officer of Trisnia, Kyuzel-sama! This incident is due to our ineptitude, there is no excuse――」

I hold out my hand to stop them from continuing and then pick up one of the fallen men.

「There were five armed robbers. I defeated three and killed one. The last one was thrown into the river, so I don't know if he's still alive.」

「You threw him over the levee? ......the rumors of your matchless strength are true then. To attack without knowing who they were up against, these idiots were irredeemable anyways.」

The captain lightly kicks one of the groaning men.

That was when the arrogant duo cut in.

「Kinihi! What's the big idea, ignoring me like that!? Also, is this man an acquaintance of yours? Why don't you tell me his name while you're at it.」

The man called Kinihi looks at the mother in disbelief.

「M-madam, you are not aware?」

「No, how would I know? How can a knight's wife like me know the name of――」

Her words were interrupted by the appearance of another person.

「Are you hurt, Lord Hardlett!?」

Accompanied by his horse, was the management officer appointed by the King――whose name I forgot again.

Once he verified my safety, he breathed a sigh of relief and then went on to yell at his close aide.

「What are the people in charge of public order doing, letting a gang commit robbery in broad daylight!? This visit was announced by the Military Commissioner! If injury were to befall him...... clear the city immediately! Wipe out every last thug!」

「I chose to interfere on my own accord. No need to make a big deal out of it.」

With that said, I choose to leave right away.

If they invite me to some banquet as an apology―― I'd rather avoid it altogether.

I'm going to drink and have fun with Mel and the others until morning.

「Lord Hardlett......? The great feudal lord of the east...... the number two ranked noble of the new noble faction...... Goldonia's fiercest general...... demon of war...... man of 10 000 lovers...... the walking reproductive machine...... you mean that Hardlett-sama?」

The mother mutters dumbfoundedly.

I want to question where she got the titles in the latter half.

「Mother...... this is bad...... w-what should we do......」

The daughter trembles in fear.

When asked "what happened" by the Trisnia management officer, the man called Kinihi slowly distances himself from the mother and child.

Fumu, I was honestly annoyed by those two, but no matter what, it doesn't feel good to scare women like that.

I place a hand on the mother's shoulder.

「Are you okay?」

「H-hyaah!」

She nods timidly.

I smile as gently as possible.

「That's good. Then let's put what happened behind us. I've already forgotten about something so trivial.」

「It was extremely rude of us...... h-how could we ever make amends......」

The daughter steps forward.

Fumu...... she's not the prettiest, although some female charm still exists in her young body.

「In that case, there is one thing.」

「Gmh!」

I steal the girl's lips.

My tongue parts her lips and enters her mouth, stirring around inside for a few seconds before I separate from her.

「That's good enough. Farewell now.」

I make my gallant escape.

End of Flashback.

It was actually a rather nice story, but there is unfortunately more to it.

After that, the mother and daughter came by to greet me before I left the city.

They brought some tasty wine and even offered to pour it for me......then, before I knew it-

「I gobbled them up.」

By the way, the daughter was a virgin.

It's mysterious how despite not having an attractive face, the act of screaming "it hurts" while clinging onto me was enough to seem charming.

According to Nonna, there was news of a great turmoil caused by the wife and daughter of a knight household in Trisnia both becoming pregnant with illegitimate children at the same time.

「More importantly――」

Memories of Trisnia resurface again in my mind.

First is the harbor.

The interior and entrance of Trisnia's harbor are wide enough to allow combat vessels to rush in.

However, the harbor is equipped with heavy chains to prevent stowaways, and tying them up on land would easily shut down the harbor's entrance.

In other words, it's impossible for combat vessels to infiltrate Trisnia's harbor.

Next is the fountain.

The fountain's water supply flows from the north to the south.

So this means that even though Trisnia appears flat at first glance, the north part is actually more elevated than the south.

Last is the levee.

The sturdy levee which was used for many years burst open due to a flood that happened two years ago.

Such a sturdy levee still broke.

Although details have not been gathered, I'm sure many levees in the vicinity were also destroyed.

Fixing them takes substantial amounts of time and labor.

They won't be completely repaired in the near future.

I don't think much information is known about these things.

I'll have to tell Leopolt later.

「Guh......」

As I get lost in thought uncharacteristically, my lower half becomes numb.

「Gmmh!!」

Pamela, who is in between my legs, groans along with me.

Not good, not good. It's rude of me to zone out while she's servicing me.

Pamela cups her hands together and spits out the seed I released in her mouth.

Rather than liquid, it's more solid...... it came out like an over-ripened peach.

「What is this?」

「I wonder.」

Recently, my semen has been clumping up.

It's probably because I'm pent up. It scares me a little when I think about what the next evolution step will be.

I pat Pamela's head softly and give her some kind advice.

「Go back home first thing tomorrow morning.」

「Is it starting?」

I nod silently.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 25 years old. Summer.

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. Sex King of White City.

Subordinates:

Myla (militia commander), Leopolt (staff officer A), Tristan (staff officer B), Celia (battalion commander)

Yakov (pissed himself majorly), Irijina (commander), Luna (bow cavalry commander), Gido (in perfect condition♪)

Ivanna (preparing), Brynhildr (completed), Annette (princess of the 105), Sekrit (preparing)

Piris (step-sister), Harty (military prostitute)

Army - Southern Goldonia

Under Protagonist

Escort Unit: 75

Infantry: 7200

Cavalry: 770

Archers: 870

Cannoneers: 430

Bow Cavalry: 7600

Independent Celia Squad: 500

Conscripts + Security Unit: 17 300

Cannons: 50, Large Cannons: 25, Dwarven Cannons: 16, Field Artillery: 20, Chariots: 50

Reinforcements / Allied Forces

Aless Soldiers: 13929

105 Army Corps: 3850

Fleet

Battleship Suvorov, Battleship Aless of Aless (?)

Large Combat Ships: 2, Small Combat Ships: 8, Transport Ships: 20

Ally Forces: Frontal Warfront - Royal Army: 78 000

Conscripts: 52 000

Enemy Force

Frontal Warfront - Regular Soldiers: 29 000

Conscripts: 75 000 ⇒ 80 000

Cavalry Army: 25 000 ???

West Coast of River - Regular Soldiers: 40 000

Magrado Local Army: 30 000

Meldora Fleet: annihilated, only a few small ships remaining

Assets: -10 000 gold

Sexual Partners: 785, children who have been born: 69 + 567