Chapter 58: Current Status of the Territory

-Aegir POV-

During the coldest time of the year, we warm ourselves by the fireplace while drinking tea. Since only family members are here, we don't have to be mindful of our manners so everyone is lying around however they wish. I was lying on Mel's lap pillow and accept the cup from Nonna. The sensation of Mel's thighs, perhaps because of her age, is slightly fluffy and feels the best.

「Ahn, what a pervert.」

While sleeping on Mel's lap, I fondle Nonna's breasts. As if rebuking me, Mel kisses me on the forehead and strokes my hair.

As time passed slowly, I was about to fall into a short nap but something suddenly popped up in my head.

「I forgot!!!」

「Ngyaa!」

Mel and Nonna were surprised at my voice, Carla screamed. It seems her ear-cleaner went in too deep.

「What's wrong?」

Only Celia remained calm.

「I forgot about that guy. I should probably go over there soon.」

Celia's face warps, I also heard her clicking her tongue, but does she really not get along with that guy?

「Then Yog-」

「I just let Adolph go to the territory like that. I have to go and check on his results.」

Celia was blinking in surprise.

「Ah....you're talking about that. You're certainly right, you have to go confirm that.」

「Hm? Is there anything else?」

「No, it's nothing. There's nothing. If you're going then I'll have to prepare, for horses it would take 3 days...if two people were to ride on Schwartz, can we get there in 2 days?」

Celia is fully intent on going together with me. According to Maria, last time I went to pick up Mel and left her behind, it seems she was really irritated. It couldn't be helped that Alma was afraid.

「I'll bring Celia along with me this time, but I also want to recruit people for my private army. Irijina, you come too.」

Irijina is the commander of my private army, but at the moment she is the only member. Other than swinging her spear in the garden, there shouldn't be any tasks she needs to do.

「Leave it to me! My spear has also returned, so there is nothing to fear!」

The reason Irijina is in high spirits is because her heirloom spear came back. I thought it was lost in the fire along with the royal palace, but it seems a soldier picked it up, and when I heard about it I bought it off him for 20 gold. Although it's called an heirloom, it's not something fancy with ornaments covering it so the soldier was astonished at the amount and happily gave it to me.

「I'm also going!」

Carla recovered after hurting her ears and jumped up. Then she was restrained by Nonna.

「You can't! Celia-san and Irijina-san are working. You are only trying to get pregnant!」

「But getting pregnant is a concubine's job, isn't it? What's wrong with that?」

「You should help me, the legal wife, get pregnant first!」

「This is tyranny! If I get pregnant first, I can be free to swing around the power!」

Who was it that taught her something unnecessary...

「It will only take a week to come back, so be good and wait. This time it is really for work. If I leave the territory alone for too long, they'll say something.」

There are quite a few among the territory nobles who leave the management to an acting officer, while staying in the capital themselves too, but in my case, it is also my mission to maintain peace in the local area. I have not been given an independent army either, but it would be bad if I didn't even see the local area yet.

「Also, there's a little place I want to go to close to the capital. I'm counting on you two for journey preparations.」

The place I want to drop by is the blacksmith, I plan to get a new spear. The one that Lucy gave me was broken. It made me sad since the spear broke. The Dual Crater has an incredible sharpness, but when I unsheathe it, its blade is brilliant and stands out too much and if I want to swing it while riding a horse, it isn't long enough.

「It's me. Is it done?」

「Yes. Lord Hardlett, I finished it with the highest priority.」

The face of the blacksmith is puzzled, contrary to his words.

(Light Novels Illustration: Aegir Checking Out His New Spear)

「What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with it?」

「No, the workmanship of the spear is fine, but is it alright?」

The blacksmith handed me the spear; its length is 3m and the large and wide spearhead stood out. The abnormal part of the spear was the thickness and material of the handle, in addition, it is made entirely of steel. The grip part already has wood and leather stretched on the surface to prevent slipping, but excluding that, it's a chunk of metal.

「Just as you desired, it's sturdy you know? Any spear that clashes with this one would break, and on top of horses and such, it won't bend at all.」

I take the spear from him. It is even heavier than the previous spear, but its length is advantageous when used on a horse and its large and heavy spearhead can crush enemies. It's perfect to fit my style of fighting by mowing down enemies.

The handle being made entirely of steel can easily block the blades of the enemies, if I want to beat people up, then it could also serve the same purpose as a club.

「This is fine. How much is it?」

「I used up quite a considerable amount of steel. It also took some time so 40 gold is...about right」

It costs a fortune, but it's not something I'll regret. Without haggling the price I hand the bag of gold to the blacksmith, who showed a relieved expression. He was probably afraid that I would be displeased and complain, hesitating on giving him the fees. He didn't think that he would be able to sell this spear to anyone but me either. Thinking about the amount of steel the blacksmith used, it was quite a gamble for him.

「I know it's strange to say it after receiving the payment, but don't you think it's too heavy? It weighs the same as seven and a half regular spears. My pupil is an idiot who brags about his strength, but even he is barely able to pick it up...」

I hold the spear in one hand and give it a huge swing. I switch to holding it with both hands and make two quick thrusts. The shopkeeper opened his mouth in amazement.

「It's fine. Something like this isn't a problem.」

I'll just need Schwartz to get used to its weight later, but he didn't feel anything when Celia and I were riding together while wearing armor, so he should be fine.

「You did well. I might come back for sharpening so I'll be counting on you for that.」

「S-.....sure....」

I should hurry and meet up with Celia and the others. There's only the three of us here so it might nice to put Celia on my lap and tease her. If I have Irijina ride on as well, it would probably be tough for Schwartz though.

-Blacksmith POV-

「Boss~ what happened? You're over there looking like an idiot.」

The pupil finished taking a break and was confused when he saw the dumbfounded blacksmith.

「Nothing's wrong with me. That monster was swinging that thing with one hand.」

「Eeh, the owner who ordered that monstrous spear? Are you talking about the hero from that whatever battle?」

「Idiot! That's why I say even your brain is made of muscle. Viscount Hardlett, the god of war from Datrohn!」

「That's right, but it's unbelievable that he cut down 200 heavy cavalry.」

「I also don't believe the rumors though. But if he swung that around like a windmill, then even if many people came at him, they would end up as piles of corpses.」

The pupil was impressed and raised his voice. It is rare for this eccentric boss to acknowledge other people. He's a stubborn geezer who would say that the entire story is just a lie.

「It's amazing, eh?」

「He might come again. Don't be rude! Your head and torso will have a tearful separation.」

Rumors are spreading among the citizens, mixing in made-up stories with the truth.

-Aegir POV-

「I've been waiting. Well, let's move on!」

「This is a boxed lunch. Since dried meat will taste dull, why not have this for the first night only?」

I pulled Celia and Irijina along with me on a little journey. I got on Schwartz with my new spear, but he was resisting as if saying 'ah it's heavy', but when Celia was added to the weight, he was obedient. In actual fact, he still has energy to spare, doesn't he? Maybe he really wants to try having Irijina ride on as well?

We head south, down the Goldonia territory, where we will be passing through Erich's territory first. My territory has become the neighbor of his to the south, and the northern part touching Treia kingdom has construction going on to prepare for the highway, but only one section has been completed. I don't know how long it will take for the construction to reach inside my territory.

Also, what I am most concerned with is that the expressions of the villagers in Erich's territory don't look good. When I spoke to him before, he didn't say that he was ruling over them especially harshly, and compared with the rule of the severe Arkland it should be relatively comfortable.

I was curious so I wanted to ask him again. Fortunately, our appearances are those made for traveling, so at a glance, we don't look like feudal lord or nobles. The weapon that I'm holding is extremely dangerous looking, though.

「Hey~, do you have some time?」

「....what, who are you guys?」

A man who looks to be a peasant came to speak with us. His age is around 40, he isn't young, but he isn't old either. It seems like he's growing something.

「You planting? In the middle of winter?」

「They're potatoes. If I grow them now, there will be many that won't turn out good, but if we're lucky enough we can harvest them before summer. As we are now, we might not have enough to make it past the season.」

「That field over there, the planting of the winter wheat hasn't been done yet.」

Celia sharply points it out.

「We didn't have enough hands. And by the time the young'uns come back from the war, it would be too cold. We would miss out on the time to sow seeds.」

After winning the war, I was not directly affected so I didn't know, but the villages in this area may also be affected by the bad access to traffic.

「But it's not like we can give those guys nothing to eat when they come back. When there are more people, we suffer more.」

I see, those returning soldiers are eating meals without helping out with the farm work. I can only say that the timing is bad.

「But, are the taxes lighter than they were during the Arkland days?」

This is more like Arkland was way too out of hand, rather than Erich imposing good laws though. From what I've heard, around 60% was good, and more than 80% believe he's a bad feudal lord. Furthermore, head tax, conscription, labor services and a variety of obligations are imposed.

In Goldonia, 40% head tax is normal, and if necessary, conscription is imposed. The amount of head tax is rather fair compared to Arkland. The feudal lords in other countries have slight differences in amount but are quite similar.

I don't believe Erich strays too far from the standard either so it should become closer to half.

「The tax payments have gotten lighter sure...but the highway maintenance fee, flood control fee and such haven't really changed in the end.」

Celia's eyes narrowed. The maintenance of the highway is done by the kingdom, it's not something that Erich should be taxing. He didn't mention anything about the construction of the flood control either.

A new tax cannot be decided without the permission of the feudal lord. However, I am excluded, since I delegated the full authority to Adolph.

「Is that tax payment in kind? Or is it by currency?」

「If it isn't currency, they won't take it. There aren't many merchants here so the prices are marked down and it's making things unnecessarily difficult.」

Then it's decided. The crops that are turned into tax are allocated directly to the kingdom or to the preservation of the troops. They are heavy too, so it's not like the products can be easily moved around. If there is an injustice, then it would be the currency that is going into someone's pockets.

「But, should we be the ones to speak out?」

Celia is right and this is Erich's problem in his own territory. We have no authority here. If it is on Erich's orders that those people are committing injustice, then we can't do anything about it here. Irijina has given up in various ways and is playing around with Schwartz.

The peasant spoke up thinking that our silence seemed suspicious.

「So, where are you guys going?」

「Rafen.」

The place we are headed to is my territory and the largest town, Rafen. The map that I gave to Adolph also had a circle in this area. Although it's the largest, the population is only around 400, and the population of my territory altogether in the first place is just 2000 people. It is exactly the case that it is just a large area with nothing around.

「Rafen? You guys and the horse are impressive looking so it won't be such a long distance but...along the way there might be a barrier. If you get caught then it might be troublesome.」

「What? Barrier?」

My voice came out without thinking. I don't remember such a thing being set up, and it's not like Erich created it. I thought it was Adolph for a split second, but if he did something so stupid, I'll throw him out immediately.

「Yeah, depending on the people passing by and the cargo, they have to pay toll. And it seems they might be picking a fight or doing something like extortion.」

I guess he's warning me it would be annoying since I'm bringing especially beautiful ladies with me.

But this is perfect. This seems easier to resolve than the issue with the tax.

Seeing me smile, Celia holds her head in her hand, Irijina is thinking about something and one bite of the hard bread was left on the ground. I don't think it's true but even if you plant bread, nothing will grow from it, you know? The goodwill you left behind will just rot and disappear.

We said farewell to the peasant and followed the highway for a while...although saying that is presumptuous (it's a path someone has passed through before), we continued on and just as we were told, there was a soldier holding a spear and a simple fence made of wood left on the road.

「Stop! In order to pass by here, you need to pay a passing fee...you need to pay one silver.」

It seems he hasn't decided on the amount. I finally came closer and he wasn't even shady or suspicious.

「I didn't know that there was a passing toll here.」

「It's orders from the new feudal lord! Just shut up and follow it!」

「That woman there too! 1 silver, if you can't pay you can also pass through some other method though...」

Celia's expression disappeared. If the soldier touches Celia's body then his neck will instantly be slit. But this won't be solved even if you kill him.

「I know the feudal lord over there, there's no way he would create a barrier.」

The soldier appears to panic for an instant but recovered right away.

「We are not soldiers from Viscount Hardlett but soldiers from Count Radhalde. We were told to take tax from those who pass through the territory...here」.

He doesn't know how he should speak to me after hearing that I'm an acquaintance with the feudal lord. There's a limit to telling lies about a barrier being at the end of the territory.

「I will only say this once. Bring the guy who built this barrier without permission at once. If there isn't one, then tell the guy with the highest standing to come.」

The soldiers look at each other, but as expected if they call the head here then they would get yelled at.

「This guy's getting cocky!」

「I don't mind killing you here you know!?」

There was a dull sound. My spear...it was the sound of the handle of my spear being shoved against the soldier's armor.

It wasn't a blade, and it was only the surface of the armor that I hit so his body won't receive any fatal wounds. He just flew backwards, then fainted after rolling around about 5 times.

「He said it was only going to be said once.」

It's helpful that Celia said it. Since I can't open my mouth anymore. The other soldier is hurriedly running to call his superior.

「I am the knight Ebbo, put in charge of this barrier by Count Radhalde! Depending on what you do...」

「What? Continue speaking.」

The superior that came out froze in place. He might recognize my face. I don't know a guy like this though.

「Th-this is....um what business do you have....」

「I was just going to my territory and there was this barrier. Is there anything else besides that?」

I am already holding my spear. Celia has also unsheathed the sword from her waist, Irijina is carrying her spear too. If a stubborn group of people comes out, we should have no problems killing about 10 of them.

「Er..well, this is the order from Count Radhalde so...」

「Is it? I am close with the Count. It's easy for me to ask, you know? I could say something like 'Count, there seems to be a barrier created here.' That's it, I'll be upfront about it, so is it really alright with you? ........Knight Hebbo was it?」

「No! This is the order from the acting official, so I can't say whether the Count knows about it directly or not.」

This is slow. I scoop the feet of this Knight Hebbo, and thrust the end of my spear on his fallen back. The man is squirming but he shouldn't be able to get up.

「Go quickly. Tell the guy who ordered you that there won't be a second chance. Next, if I see you again, I'll crush you like some thief. Got it?」

They dismantled the fence in the blink of an eye, then helped up the fallen soldier.

「This should be resolved right?」

「They won't do anything unnecessary on the boundaries of my territory...but I can't change the tax of the people.」

But beyond that, things get complicated and quite annoying. In the first place it's Erich's territory, so he'll do something about it. These corrupt government officials will pop up whenever and wherever like insects, but I'm not suited to menial tasks like crushing these bugs by squishing them one by one.

「But this section of the area - it can be treated as my land.」

「Yes...however, next time it might happen to Aegir-sama's territory.」

「They'll be skewered then!」

Irijina reacts. Even so, these women are quite violent.

If they do as they please in my territory, nobody will say anything if they get cut down.

However, I've become a little uneasy. The only thing I know about the territory is that I dispatched Adolph and have given him 100 gold. Other than that, I wasn't interested in the management and stuff of the territory, so I really left it alone. If I go there, it's not like there wouldn't be any citizens left right? I'm so worried that I can't sleep at night.

I can't sleep, so I'll pay Irijina a visit at night. We were in a little bit of a rush on the trail, so when it got dark on the way, we simply lined up our tents and slept. I move slowly so I don't wake up Celia and lie on top of Irijina.

「Nnn..... Hey! Hardlett-dono, what are you doing so late at night!?」

Without saying anything, I peel her clothes away, massaging her breasts and sucking her nipples.

「Nnnh! What is it all of a sudden?!」

I don't answer, sliding her pants to the side and slipping a finger into her hole.

「Wo-would you like to sleep with me or something? You did it so suddenly, I didn't even bathe.」

It's true that there is body odor coming from Irijina who hasn't bathed, but it's just a few days, moreover, it's winter so it's not something that would make my lust disappear. I check how wet she is and prepare myself. The both of us didn't take off all our clothes, I just peeled Irijina's tunic to reveal her breasts, and also shifted her pants up to her thighs. For me, I only had my cock out.

「Uoh!」

I was just about to penetrate her but the one who raised their voice was me. All of a sudden, my pants were dropped to below my knees from behind, and a hand reached out towards my balls.

「Is it Celia? What's wrong?」

「It's not what's wrong. You're mean, starting with just the two of you.」

Celia bit my ass as some sort of punishment. It secretly hurt but it can't be helped that this happened. It's still cold, but the three of us were entwined with each other with just our lower halves exposed. If I declared I was going to be connected with them right now then it would feel naughty.

I place Celia on top of Irijina, who was lying on her back, lining up their genitals together and admiring the sight. The difference in their bodies is evident and Celia's face is at just the right spot to be buried in Irijina's breasts.

「Ooh, Celia is slender though. It's an amazing feat that you're able to go out to battle with that body!」

Irijina caresses Celia's entire body without reservation.

「Please stop that! ...Irijina-san is big though. Your muscles are amazing too, it's like getting on top of Aegir-sama.」

As if realizing what she said, she turned back to look at me, responding with 'Aegir-sama feels way better though!!' I won't get angry at something like that though.

「Which of you wants it first?」

「Me!」

「How about me first?」

Let's put it in between the gap in the center of them. I put it in between the area where their genitals are lined up, all the way to their stomachs and start rubbing. The two of them are impatiently wiggling their ass while I massage them and I rub their clits with my meat rod.

「Aaah! It feels good!」

「Ooh! It's rubbing my clit!」

Juices start flowing from both their holes and immediately my cock gets wet. Then I push it into Celia just like that. The tip is even thicker than her own clenched fist, while thrusting it in and penetrating her, the cock causes her stomach to expand to its shape. It wouldn't be strange to hear moans of pleasure but instead, I heard words of welcome.

「Aaah! That sturdy thing came in, I'm so happy!」

Celia may also be happy that she took first priority and she's shaking her hips while bouncing around. I feel bad for leaving Irijina alone so I'll put a finger inside and rub somewhere nice. The two asses are squirming, they are letting out moans and their juices are spraying. I enjoy stirring the insides of the girls for a while but I thought of something good.

「Irijina, lift Celia up. From the back.」

「Like this?」

Irijina grabs both thighs and easily lifts Celia up. Celia struggles but having her legs grabbed, she can't move much, so she gave up and entrusted her back against her chest. In that position, I once again thrust my cock into Celia's vagina. Celia was lifted up and pressed in between us while I was slamming my cock into her.

「Uwa! Don't push me. It'll go in deeper!」

I match my movements with Irijina and thrust my hips as if trying to lift Celia.

「No matter how many times I see it, it's amazing, your stomach is full and I can tell the shape of his cock...are you sure it doesn't feel painful?」

「It's painful but it feels good!」

Celia answers Irijina's question with a melted expression.

Let's finish off the agonizing Celia.

「Irijina, put your finger in Celia's ass. Do it slowly and don't hurt her.」

Irijina ignores Celia's silent screams and sinks her finger in her ass. And although I told her to do it gently, she did it with quite the momentum. Maybe such a boorish girl can't do such minute adjustments. ...really, now she's putting 3 fingers in all of a sudden.

「Aaaaaaaaaa-!!」

The cock attacks deep in her hole, the fingers enter her ass harshly, and I steal her lips and touch her nipples while Irijina is kissing her neck. All of the stimulations became a mess, causing Celia to thrash wildly and letting out screams like some sort of monster.

「Aaaahh-!! Aaahh-!!」

Celia is moaning unusually like a beast, I thought the liquid that got on me was urine but it's female ejaculation from being broken. And after some time of screaming, Celia leaned against me and after kissing my lips, she fainted. She loves getting kisses after sexual intercourse and she will definitely seek them from me, then she looks so happy when she falls asleep after doing it.

Even so, the climax this time was amazing. Perhaps her weak spot is her ass. As expected, if I put my cock in there, her colon will break, so I'll just thrust my fingers in there.

「Ooh, marvelous. It was an incredible voice.」

「Oh yeah, it was the first time that we attacked Celia together. She was unexpectedly into it too, so do you want to try doing it with her next time?」

「Muu, I don't prefer to sleep with girls...but I'll comply if it's Hardlett-dono's orders.」

It might be wonderful to watch the two women caress each other while enjoying some alcohol. Once I get turned on, I'll insert it in them and it would be twice as delicious.

「By the way, I haven't cum yet...Hardlett-dono doesn't seem to have released your seed either, so will you give me some affection?」

Of course, I don't have any objections but in the past, Celia will remain hugging me even after losing consciousness. She's asleep so she isn't conscious but her limbs are tightly wrapped around me. Can't be helped I guess, let's just do it like this.

I hug the clinging Celia and have sex with Irijina. At first, it was difficult, but feeling my body temperature rising, Celia was talking in her sleep and whispered 'I love you' and 'screw me more please' in my ear and those words turned me on, helping me release a lot of more than usual.

Celia, who's the smallest, and Irijina, who is large, have pretty good compatibility with each other. There will be opportunities for them to head into battle together too, I can expect some fun combination-play between them. I held Irijina in one arm, who is shooting my seed back out like a water gun, and sleep while kissing Celia, who is seeking them on top of my stomach.

The next day

「It looks like the citizens have scattered so we don't have to worry.」

Celia points to the front while saddled on the horse. The scarf that she eagerly wrapped around her neck is to hide the kiss marks around her neck.

In a village located a little before Rafen, the villagers are gathered to do something. It doesn't look like they were farming, but for a small village, quite a considerable amount of people are moving about.

「Sorry. Do you have a minute?」

「What's up? You a traveler?」

I ask a middle-aged woman who looks like a farmhand.

「Something like that. I'm heading to Rafen. So, what are you doing?」

「We're making compost and soil. It's not like we're rushing but well, we do it whenever we can.」

I don't know much about farm work. But this village is different from the one at Erich's place and the villagers are cheerful. Geographically, it shouldn't be much different from Erich's territory though.

「The north part seems to be struggling somewhat, is this village alright?」

The woman seems a little hesitant to talk about the village's condition. A small village like this hates strangers. There is also the fact that tax collectors and investigators might pay them a visit to talk to them personally like this.

But as expected, she probably wouldn't think I'm a tax collector, seeing as how I'm bringing two women along with me and holding such a large spear. The woman started to talk.

「Well the thing is, a short while ago, the acting official of the new feudal lord came, and he said that we won't be taking the head tax for this spring!」

「Wha-!!」

Celia reacts, but it would complicate things if she were to shout so I cover her mouth.

「Moreover, the tax for the fall harvest will be reduced to 20%! When the soldiers return, the food cost will normally increase, so we have been reserving food for the tax, but since we were told that we could eat it up, we can manage now.」

「Wh-wh-wh-!! Nguh!」

Celia is getting even wilder, so I stuff my fingers in her mouth.

「Also, there are various labor tasks to do, but it seems they'll pay us in gold. If it isn't just for work, then the men are going to Rafen every time they are hiring. And there are still many things to do at home in the winter.」

The acting official of the new feudal lord is definitely Adolph. The faces of the villagers are so cheerful that they couldn't be compared to those in Erich's territory, they don't have any impression of starving. I'd say he's doing quite well, isn't he?

「By the way, mister, that girl seems to have melted there but could you not start in the village?」

Before I knew it, my fingers have been stirring around inside her mouth. Celia has completely become obedient, but she didn't want to return to her own horse. It can't be helped, I'll have her ride with me.

「Aegir-sama...give it to me please...」

Celia undid the drawstring on her pants while riding Schwartz and grabbed my hand, guiding it to her crotch. First, we will meet with Adolph in Rafen, then we can talk after that. I stir around Celia's vagina, and we continue on our horses while she writhes in agony.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett 20 years old Winter

(Traditional age reckoning)

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Viscount. Eastern Independent Army Commander.

Feudal Lord of Arkland Southeast Area.

Assets: 795 gold (silver and below not counted)

Weapons: Dual Crater (large sword), Custom-made large spear

Equipment: Black Cloak (Cursed), Simple leather armor

Family: Nonna (wife), Carla (concubine), Mel (concubine), Sue (daughter),

Melissa, Maria, Rita, Kuu, Ruu, Catherine (commuting)

Servants: Sebastian, Miti, Alma, Kroll, Nina

Subordinates: Celia (adjutant), Irijina (private army commander),

Leopolt (army commander), Schwartz (horse), Adolph (domestic affairs official)

Sexual Partners: 39, persons who got pregnant: 6