Chapter 335: Frontier nostalgia
“N, kuu……n, nn……♪”
“Apple-san’s blowjob seems to feel good to those who are sick……”
It’s a glorious afternoon. Apple, who has baked madeleines for everyone, starts to give me a blowjob in the corner of the room. Tetes is watching her. She’s been very enthusiastic as of late.
“E, Emm……that, should I leave the room after all?”
And Neia is glancing at me and biting her madeleine like a small animal. Naris patted Neia on the shoulder.
“If you care, you’ll lose. The right way to be brave is to think of it as something like they’re making out and pretend you don’t see it”
“N, No, a hero should never have to encounter this kind of situation in the first place”
“It’s a word. I mean, is there such a thing as a hero’s style that you have to think about in detail?”
“No, well, you know. I was selected from among the entire population and was the only one entrusted with the responsibility of fighting foreign enemies……so I was expected to have a certain level of courtesy……?”
“Why do you look so unsure?”
“No, I just realized that I never saw my mother or mentor or……predecessor being very courteous to others……”
“What, your mother was a hero too, Neia-san?”
“Ha, it’s convenient to say that I’ve a mother. In Kalwin, children are not raised directly by their parents. And the relationship between husband and wife is not very strong”
“It’s a system I don’t understand. Is it a system that denies family relationships?”
“The theory of the royal court is that love for one’s own children is the root of all evil……I’ve heard that this is related to the fact that many times infants and elderly people are left to die because of famine or other reasons. Children were brought up together in an institution called an orphanage until they reached the age of seven or so and in times of famine, food rations were first reduced from there”
“Isn’t it normal for adults to hold out for food for their children?”
“Even if the adults die and only the children survive, the same amount of work is assigned to each village. Children can be born again, but work will never be reduced. If we reduce the number of jobs, the whole country will perish. That’s why the adults have to give priority to survival”
Neia stares at the half bitten madeleine and makes a gloomy face. Beside her, Naris also stopped her hand and looked angry.
“……That’s wrong. That’s not proper logic……that a child can die and you can make another one!”
“We don’t have a choice. We are poor in Kalwin. Still, no matter what happens, no matter how poor we are, we will survive and that’s the kind of world we live in……where we all huddle together to keep the human race alive”
“Then children must be even more important. In any country, the increase in the number of children is the strength of the country, right? Parents can endure hardship because their children have a future, right? I can’t believe that a politician doesn’t understand that”
“No, it’s different, Naris-san”
Neia’s hard voice stops Naris from refuting her.
“But!”
“Say no more. ……The heroes are the guardians of Kalwin. Kalwin also refers to kings and politics”
“Neia-san!”
Neia pulls the brim of her hat deeper.
“……I’m sorry. I’m not very flexible……if you ever step into the office of a hero, I have no choice but to do what is prescribed. Please”
“…………”
“I have a strange story to tell you. ……Let’s just nash this story out of the way. This wasn’t something I was supposed to talk about”
……Strange tension and tragedy, I was not about to ejaculate.
“Ah……”
My cock had gone all soft in Apple’s palm.
“Ah, Naris-chan and Neia-chan. You’re arguing so strangely, Master atrophied”
“E, Emm……sorry”
“No, let’s just stop sucking cock during snack time like normal! What are you daring to do, 10-man captain Smithson!”
“……Right”
I still don’t think it’s a good idea to overdo it. I pat Apple’s disappointed head, put away my cock and stand up. ……But, Kalwin. The more I hear about it, the more I think it’s a somewhat strange country. The more I hear about it, the more I wonder if it’s really okay to give Neia back to such a place. Will Neia be happy back home? Will she marry someone, have children and live a peaceful life? That’s all, but it seems to be systematically impossible to do so. It sounds like all the people can do is to fulfill their mission and live their lives and die without having anything to protect or leave behind. She will eventually die as a hero──I wonder if her repeated sense of emptiness is based on such a closed worldview.
“Apple”
“Eh, ah……yes?”
“Do you want a child?”
“……That’s what I want”
“I know. I want to raise a kid with Apple, too”
“……Huhuu. Yes, that’s right”
I pat Apple again, who looks a little embarrassed.
“Oh my, you’re not the only one, Apple-san”
“I, I guess you and I will have kids eventually”
“I hope I’ll be able to procreate thoroughly when I’m done with my mission too……”
Aurora, Almeida, and Anzeros verbally announced their participation. No, that’s not what I meant.
“……It’s just that I think it’s a natural feeling and I think Neia can understand that, not that Kalwin is good or bad”
Have children with someone you love, become a father and a mother and pass on the many blessings you have received to the next generation in the times they create. It is the work and desire of everyone alive. I am sure that Neia knows that the richness of 「World over here」 that Kalwin doesn’t have is due to the healthy pulse of such life, more than food and armaments……which is why she was able to understand that Naris’s words would be harsh. ……And I think and I looked at Neia and she was turning bright red with her ears drooping with the brim of her hat down.
“Emm……that, it’s certainly……not that I don’t think about going to have a child……but it’s just not that direct”
“……What are you talking about?”
“B, Because, 『Of course you want my kids, Neia, you know that』……”
“That’s not the point, the important point!!”
I thought I was telling a good story, but before I knew it, I was making a strong motion toward Neia. It’s not. I’m not that narcissistic. Believe me.
—————————————-
In the evening, Dianne returned to the girls’ room.
“The location of the advance base has been selected. According to the research by the ace knight corps and Catalina’s scouts, this mountain is a candidate for the next fort. It’s got a water source, it’s close to the forest and the terrain looks good with a good vantage point”
“Ho. You’re really going to build it?”
“I’m sure that’s what Laila told me. We’re going to start construction tonight. Let’s make this quick”
Dianne spread out several maps on the bed and using one of them as a reference, drew a detailed topographical map in chalk on a stone slab.
“I’ve made plans for the layout of dormitories, warehouses, and defensive facilities, but there are still details to be worked out. The four gauntlet members are probably more knowledgeable about the climate. Each of you can give me your opinions on the living requirements as well”
Dianne draws a number of buildings on the stone slab that seem to be the site. She seems to be having a lot of fun.
“I wonder if Dianne-san has an architectural fetish……?”
“I think it’s exciting, even if you’re not Dianne-chan, to be able to build your own buildings at will, don’t you?”
“That’s true, but”
Even Hilda’s follow-up was a little less than enthusiastic.
“I understand that because of the location, you have chosen a place where it is difficult for monsters to appear……but I don’t think a stone wall of that thickness will be enough to protect you if a rocky monster comes”
Dianne grins at Neia’s point of view as she chokes a cutlass.
“There is a limit to how thick you can make the walls. But if you dig an empty moat on the outside, the effect will be great”
“The bridge is……ah, use a dragon to get in and out of it……”
“Yes, we don’t need one for the time being”
Sharon, who had been looking at the plans and mumbling, sighed.
“If we send out the normal construction crews, it’s going to take six months to complete the work……we’re going to use dragons to handle that too, aren’t we?”
“Yes. I estimate that with the maximum use of Laila and Maia, it will be a week. There’s a lot of room for us to nail them directly on the housing front, though”
“How will you procure supplies? If you are storing food and water, you will need a considerable amount of barrels and jars”
“For the time being, we have made arrangements to borrow from Fort Ghibli. Eventually, Celesta will send a replenishment”
“……Already made the arrangements
“Communication magic comes in handy. I could confer directly with Lord Buster”
Dianne is really shrewd when it comes to making these kinds of arrangements. She is indeed from a family of great merchants.
“The rest of the watchtowers and midge……can be grown directly from the inn”
Tetes focuses on the water source.
“Couldn’t we somehow draw water in by using a wooden gutter?”
“I’m sure you’ve guessed. Well, it will freeze in the winter, and given the perimeter defense, I wouldn’t trust it too much during defense, but I do plan to build it”
“I’d like to have a bathing area then, wouldn’t you? A large open-air one, like Polka. Let’s build it at the end of the direct pull♪”
Tetes suggested. But Almeida admonished her.
“Hey, Tetes. We must not be extravagant on the battlefield. If there is a river nearby, why don’t you just go and bathe in it?”
“Eh. I think it’s a good idea”
Tetes sucks her finger. Then Laila interrupts.
“Ho. Just make it. It won’t be used for ten years anyway and the facility we’re building this time is just a prototype. And if it’s to be built in the open air, I’ll just dig it up in one fell swoop with my own arm strength. If it becomes inconvenient, it won’t be much trouble to destroy it”
“……If you say so, Laila-dono”
Almeida also relented.
“I mean, do we make it in the open air……?”
Naris draws a bit.
“The building is tall enough and if you build a watchtower, people will be able to peek into the open-air bathhouse as much as they want”
Everyone is puzzled for a moment by Naris’s point. But.
“If you don’t want to be seen, you can go out to the river or wipe your body in your room. Only those who want to use it can use it”
When Dianne said this, everyone agreed with her, saying, 「That’s true」
“If you want to see it, you can. Only Andy-sama can do that”
“Yeah. Well……I’m used to being seen by regular soldier Lantz and regular soldier Goto”
Aside from Maia, I wonder if Luna would say that much. Dianne finished drawing the tentative arrangement and clapped her hands to pay it off.
“Okay, we’ve got the outline for now. ……Laila, you’re going to have to hang on for a while”
“Ho, don’t underestimate a dragon’s strength. Seven days or so of sleepless nights should not be too much of a burden”
“I can’t say I’d go that far, but I’m counting on you. ……Maia, you and Andy can come to the site tomorrow. The map is over there”
“Yeah”
Dianne quickly put on her jacket and headed to the rooftop with Laila.
“……Kalwin is finally getting close”
They walk out together, stare at the closed door and Neia mutters a few words.
“Neia”
“……Yes?”
“Why do you sound so lonely?”
“A, Are you lonely……?”
Neia’s ears twitched up and down as if in a panic and she stroked her face.
“I didn’t mean it that way……”
“I ask you. What is Neia going to do after she leaves……?”
“!”
Neia tensed instantly and quickly hid her eyes with her hat. I’ve always been curious. ……I wondered if Neia thought that maybe she couldn’t come back here again after returning to Kalwin. She may be hiding the reason for her belief. Come to think of it, didn’t she say that she would probably be stripped of her flash sword due to her prolonged absence? The flash sword is a weapon for the hero. If they take it away, it is very likely that even the most elite heroes will not be able to call themselves such. But then……what happens?
“……After returning. It’s……yeah. I think it is up to the person who arrived at that place. If, as a result of the traffic with the outside world being set in motion, there is no longer a need for heroism, then so be it……”
“I’m asking what Neia will do”
“I just……follow it”
Neia said it clearly and turned away, refusing to answer further.