Chapter 884: Fort – After
While we were trying to persuade Tetes and Naris, Laila’s wings had already reached the skies above the fortress. At the fortress, Grand Knight Chief Lister and his troops had just returned from somewhere and were climbing ladders back inside. Neither Grand Knight Chief Lister nor anyone else seemed fazed by Laila’s appearance. Perhaps it was because Lord Buster had made our presence in the kingdom known to everyone via the nation’s communication mages, or perhaps it was simply because everyone was fully aware of the dragon rampages that had been occurring since last year through this spring.
“Black……so it must be Lady Laila. No, I mustn’t jump to conclusions. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d managed to ensnare another black dragon since then”
“That possibility certainly isn’t out of the question, but unfortunately, today it’s the black dragon you know”
“My apologies. While I might recognize you in human form, it’s quite difficult to tell in dragon form”
……I can hear Grand Knight Chief Lister and Laila exchanging such a conversation, but we’re currently busily getting dressed again after entering our landing position.
“Andy-kun, do you have my panties?”
“Why would you think I have them, Hilda?”
“Wouldn’t it be weird if one of the other girls was hiding them☆”
“……G, Genius”
“Oh, you really did have them? Well, that’s fine then. Here, have them☆ I’m totally fine without wearing them, but I just thought you might get in trouble if you weren’t actually trying to play a shame game☆”
“You’re a goddess……”
As Hilda and I engage in this kind of silly conversation, Dianne lightly taps each of us in turn.
“That sort of mischief isn’t something you do on the front lines. It’s one thing when it’s just us, but the defenders stationed here barely get to hold a woman. Provoking them is a bad move”
Hearing Dianne’s words, Tetes and the other girls in the Gauntlet group looked at each other and went, 「Ah」, as if they understood.
“That’s true……when they’re pushed to the limit of abstinence, some guys will take a shot in the dark and try to attack even a long shot like us”
“That kind of reckless rape, huh. Actually, I hear there are cases where it actually works out sometimes. That’s why it just won’t go away”
“Eh, really?”
“Tetes-chan, you haven’t been in the army long, so you might not know this. But honestly, it happens quite a bit. When you’re barely scraping by during a major invasion, some romances really do start with rape. I mean, come on, the women get pretty pent up too. And when death is right at your doorstep, there’s this feeling like you’d be missing out if you didn’t get it in while you’re still alive. ……Also, there was this female knight who was a total nymphomaniac, though she’s retired now”
“Huh, who?”
“A dark elf Red Arm named Helen. Rumor had it that if she was attacked, she’d turn the tables and suck the life out of them, but apparently she ended up getting pregnant and retired right away. ……It was back when I was still a bowman, so I didn’t really know her personally”
“Ah……I don’t know her. If she was a Black Arm or higher, I’d remember everyone from the last 30 years or so”
That sounds like a story worth hearing in detail. Since she’s a dark elf, she’s probably from Celesta, so someone like Dianne might have some solid intel. But we’re keeping Grand Knight Chief Lister waiting outside. Besides me, Hilda, and Sharon, Apple and Maia had also taken off their clothes, so with the clothes getting tangled up or mixed up, it’s taking a surprisingly long time.
“So……is there anyone inside that hut, Laila-dono? They haven’t come out yet……”
“They’re in there, but they’re busy. Wait a moment”
“……Busy, huh?”
“They’re busy”
In the end, just to be safe, we used a spell to mask our scent and it took about five minutes, so Grand Knight Chief Lister had pretty much figured it all out, and we ended up being greeted with a very awkward look on his face.
Apparently, the garrison currently consists entirely of men.
“That way, there’s no hassle with toilets or sleeping quarters”
“But aren’t there quite a few female warriors in the Renfangas Kingdom Army and the Gauntlet?”
“Compared to other places, yes. But it’s not exactly a balanced ratio. ……With a unit the size of Catalina’s, it might be different, but in a place like this, where a hundred-man squad fills the space, it’s easier to avoid complications if we stick to men”
True, it’s more than spacious enough for our needs, but from a military perspective, it’s not exactly large……you certainly couldn’t call it a town.
“It’s a much safer location than before, so that’s a relief. We don’t have monsters swarming in like we did at Catalina or Ghibli. Right now, I’m leading a force mostly made up of Gauntlet members, but with encounters this infrequent, the national army alone should be enough to maintain it”
“Didn’t they ever think of building a fortress in a place like this before?”
“We were too busy constantly rebuilding and defending the cities established long ago. I suppose there wasn’t much thought given to deliberately venturing deep into demon territory either. If it weren’t for Kalwin, it would just be a reckless expedition that only serves to increase casualties”
It’s not that far from Catalina, it’s just a small forward base, but having allies stationed at a safe stronghold, ready to coordinate operations in an emergency……that’s extremely important. There’s certainly enough here for the Renfangas Army to deem it worth taking over and maintaining. However.
“……Speaking of which. ……Several of those……lewd Celesta picture scrolls have been found in the barracks. What’s the story with those?”
“……A, Ah……well……that’s probably the work of Lantz and Goto……”
According to them, it’s an 「Emergency stockpile」. They have this habit of hiding several erotic picture scrolls in places where they’ve decided to stay for a while. Erotic scrolls are pretty expensive, so why on earth do they do that? Well, I guess it’s because they have hundreds of them.
“Because we keep finding stuff like that, the young soldiers are constantly trying to tear up the floorboards and furniture in their rooms, and it’s becoming a real problem……”
“……Please tell them they aren’t hidden in places that can’t be accessed without tools”
“Why leave those things behind in the first place? It was decided we’d vacate this place once the Spring Incident was over”
Grand Knight Chief Lister looked utterly baffled. But I can understand his feelings……just a little bit.
“……Romance, I suppose……”
“……Romance, huh?”
Grand Knight Chief Lister looked resigned. Yeah. I totally get why he wants to say, 「I don’t get it at all」. But here’s the thing. As connoisseurs of erotic scrolls……we want more people to love this culture just as much as we love enjoying them ourselves. As a way for people to discover them, unearthing them as hidden treasures……there’s no doubt that’s as dramatic as it gets. The reasons for hiding and keeping them secret are probably easier to understand than those for gold and silver treasures. And as a practical matter, there aren’t many erotic scrolls that are true masterpieces, the kind you can use dozens of times with just a single copy. There are certainly many pieces that, once used, one might feel comfortable passing on to the next generation. However, even if a piece is merely a stepping stone for a seasoned connoisseur, it’s not so for a beginner. If someone were to discover such a piece, use it as an introduction, and then like us, take flight into the world of erotic picture scrolls, expand the market, or even create a space where new erotic picture scrolls can be born in this world, that would be a wonderful chain of events……even if it’s just a convenient dream for now. There’s the real-life example of Gloria, who was so moved that she became an artist herself, so I don’t think it’s an impossible scenario. In this way, we scatter and plant erotic picture scrolls across the land as 「Seeds」 for enthusiasts. I’d like to believe that this isn’t just a silly oversight, but an act imbued with meaning and romance. ……Though there’s no point telling such a story to Grand Knight Chief Lister, who has absolutely nothing to do with it, so I’ll keep it to myself.
It’s only been a few months since we left, but now that others have started using the place, the atmosphere feels quite different somehow. I look around, feeling a little lonely about it, yet also vaguely excited. I used to have sex with that girl right here, and I chained her up over there……I’m wandering around grinning to myself when I hear Naris scream, 「Gyaaa!」 so I stick my head out of the dormitory.
“My masterpiece mural!! It’s been erased!!”
“Oh, you mean that creepy one……”
“Don’t call it creepy! Why did you erase it!?”
“B, But, I mean, it’s one thing during the day, but seeing it at night is seriously spine-chilling……”
She’s snapping at the bewildered soldier. ……Yeah. I guess we’ll let her get away with that. It’s up to the user.