Chapter 375: Bet on the Future

–Aegir POV–

「What is this about?」

I ask in a slightly harsh tone.

After all, I have no clue what this situation is.

Why is the vampire naked and lying down? Celia and Mel are here too.

More importantly, what is Kroll and Gido doing by holding her down?

「I’m sure depending on the answer, Kroll and Gido will have their dicks plucked off.」

「Hiiih!」「Hurry and explain!」

Kroll and Gido plead with Celia in tears. So these guys are doing this unwillingly?

「This is necessary for Aegir-sama to overcome his weakness.」

「I don’t get it.」

I don’t understand what Celia is saying so I wrap my arms around Mel, who is closer, slowly moving from her waist to her ass cheeks.

Hmm, perhaps it has something to do with age, but Mel has recently gotten more plump and her ass has gotten more lovely.

Young and tight asses are nice, but older and looser asses are wonderful too.

「Aaahn…… nnh……」

Mel surrenders her body and lets out a sexy moan.

I want to make another child. Let’s do it after all of this is over.

「Uuu…… like I was saying, Aegir-sama’s weakness is women. Not only is it known by the citizens of Rafen, it is known all throughout Goldonia.」

Celia looks enviously at the snuggling Mel.

「Aegir will be killed at this rate, so everyone talked came together for a discussion. If that girl was an assassin, she would ‘shing’ as soon as it got dark.」

That maid is bowing her head repeatedly beside Carla.

I thought it was strange when we entered the basement, but she didn’t have any murderous intent.

With that said, if Brynhildr didn’t stop the last attack on, I would have taken a hit, so I’ll stay quiet.

「What does that have to do with this current situation?」

Why are Kroll and Gido holding down that woman?

She is unnaturally emotionless as she is being grabbed by the two men.

To begin with, she is a vampire.

If she wanted to, she could easily send the two of them flying.

「It’s something you know. You will treat this one roughly and get used to dominating women instead of indulging in them.」

Brynhildr appears, her eyes glowing like flames.

Her charm is amplified further in such a dim place. As I thought, vampires belong in the dark.

However, I don’t agree with what she said.

「I always treat women kindly. I can’t imagine treating them ro…… ugh!」

My rejection is interrupted.

Brynhildr grabs my crotch over my pants.

「Quiet. You almost died to a woman. If it was daytime, I may not have made it in time. No matter how much I stay by your side, there’s no way of protecting an idiot.」

Brynhildr tightens her grip.

I can’t help sweating when a vampire is squeezing my important part.

「W-what are you doing!? Aegir-sama’s precious place―― aau.」

Celia wanted to come help me, but she was stopped with a single finger pushing against her forehead.

Mel does her best to remove the hand holding my crotch to no avail as the difference in her strength and Brynhildr’s is too large.

「I wonder if you’ll lose interest in women if I crush your balls.」

「Please don’t, I won’t be able to embrace you anymore. You love it when I grind that spot deep inside, don’t you?」

I try to embarrass her, but Brynhildr doesn’t look away.

She seems serious and the atmosphere is not one where I can end things by joking around.

「You have a choice. Either you treat this woman violently or your balls get crushed and you lose interest in women. ……or I can suck your blood against your will and turn you into one of my household. That would be the best…… since poison or blades will not work on someone who is already dead. I’m sure if it’s you, you may be able to walk under the sun.」

I don’t want to become a vampire or have my balls crushed.

「Alright. I just have to fuck this woman roughly, right?」

If I’m required to be rough, I can do the same thing I do when playing rape with Mel.

I can add a spank to the ass at the end and make it look realistic.

I don’t know how she feels, but I will focus on pleasuring her to the best of my ability, then send an apology gift later.

What does she like? Maybe tomato juice, since it looks similar to blood.

As I ponder to myself and take off my clothes, Brynhildr still does not seem receptive of my jokes.

「Hey.」

Brynhildr calls out emotionlessly to the woman.

「From now on, you will become a slave. You will beg this man to inflict all sorts of pain on you, seek abusive remarks and insults, and implant the heart of a ruler in him. If anything were to happen, you will throw your life away and protect him.」

「Understood.」

She’s saying some incredible things.

「She has already become part of my household. She won’t die even if you skewer her with a sword or strangle her neck. After a human woman is broken once, you can do anything you want to her. Doesn’t that excite the beast in your heart?」

「Pleased to meet you…… master.」

The woman bows to me.

Her icy expression is similar yet different to Leopolt’s usual emotionless demeanor.

Carla and Mel swiftly back away.

You girls planned this so why are you all looking at me like that?

Nevertheless, she doesn’t seem unhappy after those ridiculous orders she was given.

Are the household of vampires so absolutely loyal to the master? It’s incomparable to the superior-subordinate relationship in humans.

If Lucy or Brynhildr force me to become a vampire, will I act like that too?

I’ll probably be stepped on, used as a chair, and kicked whenever they felt like it.

I’ll be insulted, saying I’m incompetent or I’m merely a large dick.

Hm? That surprisingly doesn’t sound bad.

「Honestly, I hate this woman. If you act half-heartedly and treat her like a lover…… I’ll bathe her in the sun.」

The way Brynhildr looks at the woman is the same way one would look at a pebble on the side of the road or worse, the way one looks at an enemy.

Even after becoming part of her household, Brynhildr still hasn’t forgiven her for deceiving me?

「Hey, hey, that’s going too far. I won’t let you kill her.」

「If you don’t want that, do your best to hurt her. I’m cooperating for your sake because the thought of you embracing her disgusts me. If she isn’t useful in helping you overcome your weakness, I really will bathe her in the sun.」

Brynhildr leaves the conversation there and leaves the basement.

……or so I thought. Brynhildr stops right at the door.

Sekrit was apparently waiting on the other side.

「Move it, you’re in the way.」

「Fuu, well excuse me, Ms. vampire.」

I thought she would leave after, but Brynhildr stares at Sekrit and doesn’t move.

「Don’t look at me with such scary eyes. His cock is a huge favorite of mine and I won’t tolerate it being crushed. That’s why I’m watching over him.」

「Hmph, you think you can do anything to me? Besides, I also really―― whatever. I’ll give up on making him a servant.」

I catch a glimpse of something shining in Sekrit’s hand.

It appears to be a knife, though it’s too small to be considered a real weapon.

「A silver knife……」

Celia mutters softly.

I see, she has a piece of cutlery.

Against a vampire, that is probably more effective than a hammer.

Regardless, there is little she can do against Brynhildr, even with a silver weapon.

I am however impressed at her perceptiveness to see Brynhildr as a vampire and her quick judgement ability.

It also warms my heart to know she came to help me knowing of her disadvantages.

Sekrit’s cruel personality often stands out, but when the two of us are together, especially in bed, she is surprisingly cute.

The time we become one is brief, but she screams adorably and when I cover her as I climax, she says provoking things while hugging my head.

One time as we were lying together after sex, I commented how she had lots of hair on her crotch, and even though she laughed at the moment, the next time I slept with her, she had shaved it clean.

Sekrit walks over to my side with a gentle smile.

Before I could thank her, her smile warps into a grin.

「You’re going to be hurting that woman now, right? Then use this, I’m sure normal tools won’t deal any pain to vampires.」

She hands me a leather whip.

It looks very used.

That reminds me, I’ve seen a maid in the mansion who had whip-like marks on her legs.

「I’ll watch next to you. Hitting her, hurting her…… imagining it gets me excited.」

She really has a screw loose in her head somewhere.

「How much longer do I have to stay like this?」

「Us too.」「How long do we have to hold her down?」

What should I do with the naked vampire girl who has turned into my slave and the two men holding down her down?

「Master has given orders so if you don’t rape me, turning into ash will be my fate.」

Hearing that from her makes it harder for me. Brynhildr is someone who would follow through too.

「It can’t he helped. I have to resolve myself and fuck you. I apologize in advance for being violent.」

「Yes, those are master’s orders. Feel free to use that whip too. No wounds will be left on this body after all.」

This is going to be really tough.

Getting past that ordeal somehow, I head to the garden to take a walk.

I also feel the urge to pee, though it all ended in an unbelievable manner.

Brynhildr told that woman to follow me until she said otherwise.

Furthermore, she said that my actions were too half-hearted and told me to hurt the woman more.

「Good grief, they’re worrying unnecessarily.」

As I complain out loud, I have a chance to rethink the value of my life.

It might be pretentious of me to think so, but this place will certainly collapse if I die.

I don’t do military affairs or domestic affairs and even high society interactions are taken care of by Nonna.

Be that as it may, the one Leopolt obeys is me and the one Nonna loves is me.

The one Adolph views as a superior, the one Celia has sworn her allegiance to and the one Sekrit listens to is also me.

If I disappeared, Leopolt won’t listen to Nonna and Adolph won’t consider Leopolt as his superior.

Celia also won’t find someone else to be loyal to after I die.

That I can assert with confidence.

Everything will fall apart here.

If I die, all my precious women’s happiness will be blown away too.

I can’t simply throw that away and have a decent life.

「Besides……」

I look over the city from a window of the mansion.

Rafen, which has developed favorably, and the land beyond the city walls is currently my territory.

「I have come this far already. I want to meet her alive.」

I’m not particularly obsessed with status or territory.

If I have lots of gold, I’ll be happy since that would allow me to surround myself with more women and also let me entertain high-class prostitutes.

Attaining status is also all for the sake of claiming Lucy.

While she hasn’t completely disappeared from my heart, lately I feel like my sense of urgency and desire has waned.

Spending time daily with my beloved women might have gotten me satisfied with the current situation.

Fucking the vampire woman caused those feelings of the past to resurface.

I remember that absolute beauty, that supreme body, that mischievous laughter, and that gentle smiling face.

「She would softly brush my hair when I took a nap on a stump.」

After that, she would goad me to fuck her.

「I want it…… I want her so badly.」

I clench my fist tightly.

The words of Nonna as she proudly declares on the bed echo in my mind.

“Aegir-sama has now climbed up to the apex as a noble!”

“You may not have the authority of Military Commissioner, but Aegir-sama, as a feudal lord, has more wealth than that person who works in the palace……”

“That lord made up another reason to visit again. Just the other day, he was mocking how you were an upstart.”

I feel sorry for Nonna who seemed so happy in my arms, but my heart had gone surprisingly cold at that time.

Sure, I might have reached the highest position for a noble of Goldonia.

「But that’s it.」

I think I climbed the stairs to success pretty quickly from when I was a knight baron.

However those stairs end here.

I could reach Erich’s status and become leader of the royal army or I could reach Kenneth’s status and be in charge of the civil officials. And then what? As the noble of highest rank, I would get fortune and fame rivalling that of the king. That’s all.

To obtain Lucy…… to become king, climbing the stairs is not enough.

To lay hands on her, I need to take an all-or-nothing leap.

And that act is one where I need to wager my own life and the lives of all my precious women.

Celia’s sulking face, the arguing Nonna and Carla, the laughing Mel as she’s surrounded by children, the embarrassed Catherine as she climbs on my chest, the happy Claudia as she rolls around…… each of my important women’s faces runs through my mind and at the end, Lucy’s face remains the most vivid.

「I don’t have to make a decision yet, do I?」

I have to make a decision when the time comes. But I want to keep things ambiguous as they are now.

Which is why I appreciate dearly the approaching footsteps that interrupt my thoughts.

Those steps are quick, though not fast enough to be a run.

Did Celia get worried and come looking for me?

Or perhaps Carla wants me to take her to town to play?

I can’t let them worry and let them see me with such a serious face.

I turn around, making sure to smile.

「Lord Hardlett, urgent report.」

「Oowoah.」

The one in front of me when I turned around was Leopolt.

He was closer than usual so I let out a strange sound.

If I took one more step, our lips would have touched.

「Return my friendliness.」

「That can wait. First, take a look at this report.」

「Fine. And nevermind about what I said.」

Now that I think about it, the report must be a pretty big deal if Leopolt is walking so quickly.

「It’s an urgent report from the unit sent to observe South Yuguria’s training exercise. It reads: “South Yuguria has crossed the border. More and more of the participating squads are starting to transgress the border. Full-scale attack is highly likely.” They have not made contact since then. I believe they have been eliminated by the enemy vanguard.」

「So they’ve come.」

I knew this would happen, it’s just shocking to hear it.

At the same time, I feel uplifted.

「Multiple scouts have been deployed to try to ascertain the enemy strength and invasion route. For now, please wait briefly.」

「Was the kingdom notified?」

「It has been done. However, there should be no need. We shouldn’t be the only one South Yuguria attacks. Without a doubt, they will start to invade from the entire west region.」

Well, that makes sense.

「Celia!」

I shout in a booming voice which echoes throughout the mansion.

A few moments later, accompanied by cautious footsteps, Celia runs over to me.

I must have been slightly disturbed to confuse these adorable sounding footsteps with Leopolt’s footsteps.

「Did you call me!?」

Celia appears, sliding to a stop on the polished hallway.

「Get Myla right away…… as well as anybody else who might be needed. It’s time for war.」

「Eh!? ……u-understood!」

Celia salutes rigidly and runs off with those same cautious footsteps.

Ooh, she jumped through an open window. She spins once…… and lands safely. As expected of her expertise in acrobatic maneuvers.

「First is South Yuguria. If it ends here, there won’t be any stairs or leaping for me.」

「……」

Leopolt doesn’t say anything and listens silently to my monologue.

With that said, he shouldn’t understand anything from just listening to that much.

「……」

Leopolt nods slightly after looking at my eyes.

He doesn’t really understand, does he?

「The only corps of the royal army near the border is the third corps around the city of Kascal south of Trisnia. They likely won’t be able to fend off the enemy.」

I listen to Leopolt’s explanation as I head to the office.

Probably because Celia is broadcasting the news, places within the mansion are gradually getting messier.

I see my personal army who had the day off scrambling to the garrison.

The one riding a horse back to the mansion must be Myla who was in the middle of training.

Irijina is with her…… I can hear her yelling all the way over here.

Bored of watching me and the woman have sex, Sekrit disappeared somewhere and before I knew it, went out to the courtyard to tan in the sun. She’s tidying up and coming over with a real look of joy on her face.

Next to her, Claudia is doing sit-ups.

Clara is using stones to keep count.

I guess the place at the very right represents the ‘ones’ column. Let’s see, 2……9……8……4, wait is she stupid?

(Big trouble, big trouble, what are we going to do? Am I going to sortie too? Where’s the armor~)

Getting infected by the atmosphere, even Casie is flying around in a state of panic.

She’s wearing a headband that says “Now come, honorable defeat”.

「You can’t be defeated honorably.」

To be precise, Casie has already passed on.

Besides, she has nothing to do with the war, so I want her to be good and eat pumpkin in the mansion.

I’ll do my best not to get burned.

Everyone has already gathered in the office.

Well, I don’t intend to spout a long speech.

Our goal is simple: to fight with our all and win.

「It’s finally time for war.」

Myla and Celia have determined looks on their faces.

Nonna and Mel look worried.

Irijina and Sekrit are excited.

「Destroy the enemy. That’s all.」

I must win without losing a single person.

Of course that includes myself.