Chapter 868: The Second Year of the Great Invasion 4
We’ll stay in Rennesto. We learned that the fort we built last time is now occupied by the Grand Knight Chief Lister, making it unusable, and suddenly heading to places like Catalina to stay would be difficult. Some suggested we might as well head straight to Kalwin and use that as our base for sweeping operations. But we came to help with the crisis within Renfangas itself; we didn’t come with some grand plan to utterly crush the great monster invasion. The areas around the towns are the points we should strike, and for that, extending our reach from Rennesto is still the closer option.
“I thought they might at least let us station troops around Catalina, but apparently showing up unannounced would be disruptive”
“Well, last year the food situation was pretty tight there too……”
Especially with dragons, you can’t just turn a blind eye. You have to feed them the best possible food. Even if it’s not our preference, it’s not hard to imagine that fear of dragons would make that inevitable. That inevitably meant the burden would fall on the soldiers who should have been getting decent rations, potentially leading to growing discontent despite their assistance. Moreover, last time only Maia openly acted as a dragon, but this time there are seven. The burden is that much greater. Using Rennesto as a base, with its larger reserves as the original capital, would offer more flexibility. But.
“Staying here……does increase the risk of trouble, doesn’t it……”
“We’ll try to have the worldly-wise Gauntlet Group and Anzeros escort them whenever they go out. But still, there’s no guarantee trouble won’t happen”
Dianne sighed too. She wanted to keep a close eye on them, but she couldn’t drag all the non-combatants around the front lines from morning till night every day. Even if she told them to stay put, trouble could still find them. In that sense, the handmade fort was so much easier. With no one watching, we could even be open about our, well, you know.
“Fortunately, if the Four Heads are fully operational, we can achieve significant results even in a short time. I’ll ask Lord Buster to pick out bases lacking attackers, and we can strike them overnight”
“During the day……is it because of sorties?”
“Also, having everyone stay in Rennesto during the day is less likely to cause problems”
I nodded at Dianne’s words. But the fact we have to go out at night means……I can’t just sit around in Rennesto either.
“When to sleep……seems like a tough call……”
“……Well, in your case……you tend to do that anyway”
……It’s true I often end up having sex instead of sleeping when I should be resting. But still. In Polka, no one really complained if I slept during the day (or rather, no one paid attention to my work details, so they couldn’t complain). But here. Look. Everyone wakes up in the morning, is active during the day, and sleeps at night. It’d be awkward if I was the only one living an afternoon-wake-up lifestyle. It’s a slightly different problem. ……This sense of shame might be something only I can relate to.
「Celesta Manor」 is quite spacious, so even with this many people, there’s enough room for everyone to have their own separate rooms without any issues.
The Gauntlet Knight group, the former Hero and Ace Knight group, and the two from Saint Gardo quickly picked their rooms and settled in. The problem was the dragons. None of them wanted to leave my side.
“You guys should pick rooms and relax too, okay? Hey, it’s not like I spend all my free time just doing erotic stuff, you know”
“Well, even if you tell us to relax”
“We are meat toilets, after all……”
“Actually, as our master, shouldn’t you be relaxing by our side? We’re not asking you to mate with us 24/7, but even just fondling our breasts or asses for your amusement makes us feel like we’re fulfilling our roles”
The black-collar group shed their clothes the moment they entered the room, settling into a posture of erotic indulgence.
“I’m worried Andy-sama might get sucked in by these girls”
“Hoho. Having only Maia as the restrainer might feel a bit lonely”
“W, Would you not trust me or Leda a little, Laila-sama?”
“Well……of course, if you command us, we’ll always offer ourselves to your heart’s content”
Maia, Laila, and Emma abandon the option to leave, under the pretense of protecting me from the Black Collars’ clutches. And then there’s Leda, who’s a bit more honest about her desires. Seeing them like that, Apple and Luna—who chose to crawl into my bed among the female slaves—said:
“The dragons get to monopolize you in battle and in bed……”
“That’s unfair. You have to pay attention to us too”
Well, I’m flattered. Honestly. The Black Collars’ 「Service」 feels a bit insincere, and it’s kind of uncomfortable……plus, the other dragons don’t really let me get close either. Apple and the others, who are so blatantly affectionate, are well, cute, I guess. But still. It feels a bit cold to ignore Laila and the others who actually work for me, right? That said, should I neglect the other female slaves? It gets complicated.
“Come to think of it, earlier……you said something kinda cool to that bald guy, didn’t you?”
Corti wraps her arms around my arm, pressing her naked body against me.
“C, Cool?”
“Me and Neia bearing the weight of Rainer’s death. ……Well, maybe it’s just totally normal for you. But it kinda startled me, and I saw you in a new light. Rainer-sama lost, died, and it was over……but you’re still carrying that life, aren’t you?”
“……I don’t think it’s anything to get so worked up about, yeah”
We could have ended it without killing him. Even if it sounds too good-natured, letting him go and waiting for Rainer’s repentance wasn’t out of the question. But in the end, we prioritized resolving the valley’s anxiety about peace. Or perhaps the hero Neia chose to end the history of 「Kalwin’s Hero」 with that resolution. Both were just a matter of closure. If someone asked whether taking a life was truly unavoidable, I’d hesitate. But even so, we must stand tall and declare it 「Right」. We must say it was necessary closure……saying we hesitated, that we regret it, wouldn’t save anyone. So, I can only say I bear it. Especially in front of Corti and the others.
“As long as you think that, Rainer-sama……at least, it won’t be as if it never happened. For everyone except us three, Rainer-sama’s life is surely just a thing of the past, a closed chapter. So, hearing you say that so matter-of-factly……made me a little happy. ……So, I thought I’d give you a little something extra”
She gave my cheek a soft peck……and with a faint smile still on her face, Corti reached for my clothes. But her sister immediately yanked her collar, pulling her away.
“Hey……sister! Interrupting like that just now!?”
“You’ve been going a bit overboard lately. Trying to steer things your way like that, just to get your turn, isn’t exactly admirable”
“E, Eh……”
“If my count is correct, Corti alone has mated 73 times this past month”
“You’re seriously counting, Shario!? Don’t you have too much free time!?”
“I do have free time”
Had I really done it that much……yeah, I was aware I’d been prioritizing Corti too much, even when any of the three were available, since it was easy to get into that rhythm.
“Seventy-three times……”
“Even by simple math, that’s over twice a day……we really should rein it in”
Leda and Emma chewed on that number with serious expressions. ……I do feel a bit bad about it. But please don’t pick on Corti. I didn’t push her too hard, at least. ……Well, in Polka, thanks to the spirit spring, there’s not much room for pushing her too hard anyway.
“If we’re talking about going out at night, you shouldn’t have that much time to play around. You lot should just be satisfied with getting your butts rubbed”
With Laila mediating, Corti and the other two obediently stuck their butts out toward me. ……Wait, is this how you rub them? This is kinda awkward for me too, but are all three of you really happy with this? Confused, I still enjoyed rubbing and patting their butts, feeling their softness, but it still left me feeling unsatisfied. Breasts were somehow……more satisfying, I think. With butts, it’d be awkward for them to watch my face while enjoying it and comment or anything.
“W, We want you to touch us too!”
“If it pleases you……”
Emma and Leda also thrust their butts out and lined up. Including Maia, who joined silently, I ended up continuing this strange ritual of relentlessly stroking, kneading, and bouncing the lined-up butts. Seriously, what is this? If sticking my dick in was an option, it’d be a fun setup, but just touching? A line of butts.
“Should we join too?”
“If Andy wants to touch, it’s totally fine……”
I politely declined Apple and Luna’s offer. Let’s just fuck normally when we get back. Yeah.
The sun set. Now it was the monsters’ time. Their activity levels rose, putting species with poor night vision at a disadvantage. From here on, everyone would avoid open combat and retreat to their respective forts. I’d gotten permission from Lord Buster to start with clearing the area around Rennesto. Still, with Laila and Maia around, pacifying the surrounding area wouldn’t take until midnight. As backup, Dianne will ride Laila, while I’ll ride Maia to oversee their attack. ……So, while preparing in the garden, a clunk sounded from the 「Flying Sexroom」 which should have been empty. Startled, yet somehow suspecting who the culprit might be, I quietly looked up at the roof. Sure enough, peeking out from the attic and looking around was Charlotte, with her long bangs.
“…………”
“…………”
“………………Haa!”
“Well, I kinda had a feeling you might show up”
“I, I’m sorry……I just, I really wanted to see you go to that faraway country……”
“I wish you’d just say that outright. ……Anyway, come inside the mansion. Emma, come help show her around!”
Monsters aren’t the problem this time—irregular troubles are the scariest. I really want her to just stay quietly inside the mansion……this is troublesome. If her presence vanishes, she’ll be the hardest to keep track of.