Chapter 721: Responsibility for pregnancy
We left the reception room and moved to Lord Buster’s private room. He insisted that it would be more productive to talk there, as he was a personal acquaintance of his father, rather than staying where his father was glaring at us. After closing the door and setting up a light sound barrier, Lord Buster let out a deep sigh.
“This is going to be a hassle”
“……Emm?”
I couldn’t quite follow the flow of the conversation, so I waited for him to continue. Lord Buster scratched the back of his head, where his hair was thinning, and glared at us.
“You don’t seem to understand. ……It’s pointless to explain everything from the beginning, but I’d like you to understand without me saying everything……”
“Don’t be unreasonable”
“The War God probably already understands most of it”
When I looked at Dianne, she shrugged her shoulders.
“It would be strange for me to speculate when the person himself can explain it”
“……My father is getting anxious. He’s at an age where he could die at any moment. Every time we meet, he asks me when I’m going to produce an heir, saying he’ll provide as many pregnant women as I want”
Even among the great nobles, women are treated as nothing more than wombs. Well, that’s just how it is, I guess.
“But isn’t Grand Knight Buster going to become the queen’s consort?”
“I told you I’m not”
Sir Buster immediately rejected Naris’s blunt remark. The queen’s consort is the queen’s husband. In other words, he will marry the queen. It seems that Queen Flare has completely decided on Sir Buster, but he is still resisting. He doesn’t like the fact that they are as far apart in age as a father and daughter, and that she resembles his first love, the previous queen.
“Then isn’t there no reason to refuse when the previous Eagle-san said to just find a suitable partner and have children?”
“…………”
Lord Buster grimaces at Naris’s remark. ……Ah, I’m starting to see the connection. He won’t marry the queen. But if he takes a wife in a hurry, the queen will be sad. He doesn’t want to see that, so he can’t just take any wife. That’s the background to his treatment of Tetes, who is now imprisoned.
“If it weren’t me, Tetes could have an heir. That’s what I was thinking when Tetes came back……I hadn’t mentioned anything about female slaves to my father. I mistakenly thought that Tetes was going to quit the army quickly, and I assumed she was being a dutiful daughter who would dedicate herself to the marquis’s family. When my father grew suspicious of Tetes trying to leave again and reprimanded her, she made the worst possible announcement: she was pregnant. Since then, I’ve been desperately trying to appease my father every day. If I were to try to take Tetes away from you, the dragon rider, along with the baby, who knows what would happen. So I had to keep that under wraps and desperately negotiate a compromise, and the compromise was naming rights”
……Ah, right. Well, even Lord Buster wouldn’t want to fight us if he could help it. There’s no way we’d get away with it. So he was desperately trying to rein in his predecessor……I see. Did the story change because Lord Buster himself was reluctant to let Tetes go?
“……So, what about Tetes?”
“She’s in the basement. We can’t have her escaping. We put her in a room with all kinds of magic countermeasures”
……I don’t trust Tetes. Well, I guess you could say that as a fellow genius of magic and a challenger who will stop at nothing, she is trusted in a sense.
Apparently, she was unable to break through the mountain of traps created by Lord Buster and was quietly staying in the room she was locked in.
“Master!”
“Let’s not use that name in front of your family”
I feel a little discouraged, but I catch Tetes as she runs toward me. She’s smaller and lighter than Sharon, so she doesn’t stumble much.
“Is it true that you’re pregnant?”
When Dianne asks Tetes, who is happy to see her again, Tetes freezes with a half-smile. ……She’s not. Yeah, I thought so.
“I thought so”
Naris spoke on behalf of everyone, and Almeida and Sharon nodded in agreement. What a wonderful sense of trust. Then Sir Buster sighed dramatically.
“Do you have any idea how much joy you caused my father with your bluff?”
“Well, if I were told that I, a concubine, was pregnant with the child of some unknown man, wouldn’t you just throw me out?”
“Haa……”
Then, Sir Buster made a motion as if he were going to flick someone’s forehead.
“Agaa”
Tetes actually jerked her head back. ……Was that the original spell? Or maybe it was a directional shockwave like the one used by Grand Knight Chief Lister? It was impossible to tell. With a look of utter exasperation on his face, Sir Buster opened his mouth again.
“If the truth comes out, can you imagine how angry your father will be for letting himself be reassured by such a foolish hope?”
“……But, even so, if it’s my master……”
“Are you just going to spread the flames and run away irresponsibly?”
“U, Uh”
As a former marquis, even if he’s already retired, his influence is still significant. It might be better than fighting with Sir Buster himself, but it would still strain relations with the entire Renfangas. And even if she were to flee to me…given Tetes’ past actions, would it be so straightforward to forgive her in the name of 「Renfangas Kingdom」? That’s a tough call.
“You pretend to think things through, but you end up relying on superficial tactics without really thinking. When cornered, you immediately flaunt your trump card……it’s all too shallow”
“……Uuh”
Tetes couldn’t refute Buster’s blunt words. But, well, he was right.
“In any case, you will take responsibility. This time, even I have my limits in supporting you”
“What do you mean, this time?”
“I consider myself a politician to some extent. I assume that most domestic issues can be resolved through power. But if my father really starts causing trouble, there’s nothing I can do. He’s using his advancing age to stir up trouble across the country, and if it gets out of hand, we won’t be able to contain it”
Even Lord Buster is weak when it comes to his father. Or maybe it’s because his father can use Lord Buster’s political base as his own. Even without the military power of the Gold Arms, there are plenty of people who would support him. Plus, there must be political enemies who would do anything to get rid of Lord Buster if it meant taking out his father. If we make such an enemy, it could lead to major chaos. I finally understand the whole picture. Buster looked like he was chewing on a bitter pill, hesitated for a moment, but then pointed at Tetes and said firmly.
“……You have six months. No more excuses”
“……What?”
“Make the lie true within six months. I don’t want to say this, but you sowed the seeds yourself. You can do it, right?”
……Tetes and I looked at each other. Emm.
“So……you want me to actually get pregnant?”
“Is there another way? If we say it was a misunderstanding or that she got pregnant but miscarried, my father will never let Tetes go. Worse, he’ll force her to marry some hot-blooded Black Arm and lock her up here until she gets pregnant for real”
“……That’s extreme”
“That’s how things work in noble families. If you’re okay with it, then fine”
“There’s no way that’s okay!”
Tetes clings tightly to me and pouts. Dianne, Naris, Sharon, Almeida, and Lord Buster all sigh in unison.
—————————————–
Two days later, Polka returns.
“That’s right! I, Tetes Murray, will be entering full pregnancy slave mode starting today!”
Tetes raised her hand energetically at the Smithson household and declared. She was completely naked except for a collar.
“I have to get pregnant within six months, so I’d like you to give me at least one shot every day!”
The gathered female slaves looked at each other in confusion. They weren’t sure if they should say it was understandable because of the circumstances or protest that it was unfair to make excuses. In the midst of that,
“I also need to get pregnant as soon as possible”
Almeida stepped forward with a very serious expression. Seeing that, Sharon also asserted herself.
“I also need to show my brother the child I bear as soon as possible; it’s related to the protection of Renfangas”
And for some reason, the three of them put pressure on Naris, who was left behind.
“Eh? Eh……no, I don’t want children. Why are you looking at me like I should join in?”
“Naris-chan, read the room”
“Just give up, Naris”
“It’s easier if you just admit it”
“No, no, no, no, no! I understand your situation, but could you please not try to involve me? I’m fine with just having occasional, intense contraceptive sex!”
……And in the shadow of their commotion, the three members of Rainer´s faction and Leda’s arrival were quietly dismissed with a 「Ah, right」 by most of the female slaves. Wait, hold on. Sure, Leyla, Corti, and Leda did seem like they might need some attention from me, but don’t just brush them off like that. They’re members who could easily cause a big fuss, right? Especially Shario. But when I protested,
“We heard about it, and we figured Andy would bring them along eventually”
“Yeah”
The two women holding a baby nodded, and the rest of the group, including Tetes and the others, got caught up in a discussion about whether they should join the serious child-rearing group or not. ……No, wait. Wait, wait.