Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 570.2

「It was swollen like this back then too. Remember, it was the time when Gildress-san barged into the bathroom. The fight couldn't be shown to the children......so Yoguri suggested it to be settled through swordplay.」

「I don't want to remember.」

The feeling of disgust was so strong, the memory was ingrained in my brain.

Ultimately, I landed a full-powered blow to Gildress's chin, dropping him to a knee, and threw him down the drain.

「I'm sure he's also busy now. He can't come crashing in.」

I enter the water hugging Celia.

The bathtime with the whole family that happens regularly once a week does not have set rules, and is a peaceful time where basically anyone can soak in the water and talk to anyone as they please.

「I'll wash your back now~」

「Mm. Please.」

At the end of my line of sight, an orphan girl is diligently washing Bartolome's back.

Naturally, they are both naked, though they are simply chatting with smiles on their faces and there is nothing impure about it.

Coming up to about a year since I welcomed them, the orphans have been treated as lovers, but a little while ago, those who seem compatible are being chosen as attendants for my children.

「Let's compete to see who can submerge longer.」

「Sure. But Her Majesty the Queen will scold you if she sees you, so let's do it somewhere else......ready.」

Compared to Bartolome, who just turned ten, the girl is 14 years old.

Having already been together for a few years, they get along as well as a brother and sister do.

「Puha! Yes, I won!」

「Fufu, I lost again.」

They're at the age where they start to become conscious of the opposite sex.

「Ah......your chest.」

「Wah, Bar-sama that's lewd.」

However, that's fine.

The male won't do anything terrible to his partner because of lust if the partner is someone he is compatible with and comfortable with.

For the girl's side, her partner is not a prince who showed up out of nowhere, her partner is someone she has been together with and thus feels no fear toward.

「Most importantly, the age gap is big. When the moment of truth comes for him to be a man, she is four years older. Additionally, her abundant experience with men, though unfortunate, gives her the upper hand if he tries to pounce.」

If they become lovers through those course of events, nothing changes. Both of them can be happy.

「Huh......my crotch feels weird. Eh? Eh?」

「Wah, congratulations~ I guess?」

If he were to grow up without knowledge of women, there's the danger that he would assault a random girl out of pent-up lust or get caught in a scheme.

「Brother, what are you doing with my upstream!? It's sufficient to have only father as the obscene one!」

「Ana-sama, if you raise your leg that high, Nonna-sama will get upset~」

Anastasia, who kicks Bartolome, is also accompanied by an older girl.

This girl will eventually become a maid she can rely on.

According to the ghosts of the inner palace, having absolute trust is more important than education or lineage.

The only one who refused an attendant was Antonio, who continues to cling to Rose and Catherine.

He's around 11 or 12 and should have some interest in girls.

Actually, Rose's attendant blushes when she sees Antonio.

That guy, despite having a boyish face, his eyes, nose and mouth are already perfectly spaced, and I can't see him becoming any less than a handsome man.

Having been trained by Gildress, his body is also bigger and if I think about how far his dick will grow in ten years, it'll get to a size that even I can't ignore.

He's someone whose thinking I still can't figure out.

I should sit down and talk with him over drinks sometime.

I shift my attention from my kids back to Celia.

「I wonder how long the Empire's unrest is going to last.」

Hahaha, even in a harmonious atmosphere, the earnest Celia is still bringing up such a serious topic.

「I don't know. Nor is it something I care about.」

In these five years, it can be said the biggest event was the great upheaval of the Garland Empire in the south.

Unable to fully recover from the devastating damage caused by the failed large-scale invasion of the Federation, the Empire attempted to suppress the swirling discontent by further tightening its already iron-fst rule.

What seemed to have been going well for the past few years was recently disrupted by a large-scale rebellion that broke out on the outskirts of the capital.

「I can't guarantee how fresh the news is since our information network in the Empire is weak.」

Seeing us talk about politics, Rebecca sits down next to us with a serious face.

As her investigation of my fetishes is excellent, she is not naked but wearing the skin-tight outfit of intelligence officers.

「The rebellion led to the temporary fall of the capital, however they barely missed capturing the emperor. And they collapsed from the counterattack that followed...... The wrath of Garland III was fierce, obviously executing those who participated in the rebellion, the soldiers and their families. He went as far as putting to death distant relatives, neighbors living in the area, and even unrelated parties with the same names as the rebels.」

「That's so extreme.」

I open my legs, place Celia on my left thigh and Rebecca on my right, and continue listening.

「But the supposedly absolute emperor had the capital stolen, albeit briefly, from him by the masses...... and that was a fatal blow. Even after the initial rebellion was suppressed, multiple riots broke out in various places, with rebels fighting each other as well, and now the Garland empire is in a state of constant strife.」

「It would have been better if at least the emperor was taken out.」

The dignity and power of Garland III didn't fall completely.

In other words, it remained partially intact but not weak enough to be defeated by rebels.

「If we look at the overall picture, the emperor's side might have the advantage.」

As a result, the entire land is a cauldron of hell where battles between the empire and the rebels are going on at the same time as rebels are fighting each other over differences in beliefs and interests.

「The victims are......come.」

Responding to her beckon, about ten girls walk over to my side.

Sullen expressions appear on Celia's face, as well as Nonna and the others who were washing themselves not far from us, but their annoyance quickly fades when the girls flatten their ears and bow their heads.

「To us, the emperor and the rebel army are enemies, so they attacked us. We are......you know, different after all.」

Dog ears are attached to the heads of the girls.

My eyes go down their somewhat hairy backs and spot a wet pliant tail on their butts, shaking.

Fur circles their wrists and ankles like bracelets and they have fuzzy pads on the palms of their hands.

Yes, the girls are all beastman. They were brought here after their village was burned by the ravages of war.

The air about them is more dog-like and more adorable than a certain mutt that's probably sleeping.

The reason Nonna and the others aren't angry has to do with how sad the girls look with their droopy ears and curled tails.

「You brought them here? So they ran away and crossed the border, seeking asylum?」

As Celia points out, I clear my throat loudly and reiterate her thoughts while rubbing Rebecca's ass.

「That's right, they fled here.」

「Aegir-sama, you said something about observing the border one week ago, don't tell me......」

We don't have to talk about that right now.

「The important thing is that the empire is chaotic.」

Good, I brought the topic back to politics.

Nobody has found out.

「Will you invade during the confusion?」

I shake my head at Celia's question.

Claire and Laurie strongly agree in the bathtub.

Goldonia steadily recovered after no outstanding war or calamity occured since my rebellion.

The emperor's side and rebel army bought weapons and supplies they lacked at a high price.

This influenced an unprecedented boom in Goldonia.

Houses and shops increased in the capital, and they started overflowing outside the walls.

Rafen developed into a second major city within my territory.

Claire and Laurie's C&L company also saw tremendous profit, and apparently when Rebecca secretly spied on them, the two were swimming in a pool of gold coins. I'm guessing there will be an intense battle between them and Adolph over additional taxation.

「We won't attack the Garland Empire. We don't have to do anything.」

「I see. Peace is also good.」

Relieved, Celia submerges herself in the water up to her nose.

In reality, we should attack.

I'm convinced that's the case.

It's fine and dandy to enjoy peace and prosperity.

But the good fortune of having a neighboring nation in disorder, and a normally untouchable superpower at that, will never come again.

Passing up this chance is unthinkable.

We will win if we attack now.

At the very least, we can seize territory several times the size of the central plains and the Empire can do nothing about it.

Knowing that, why am I not attacking? There is only one answer.

It's not because I'm a peace-loving guy.