Chapter 8: The Empire’s Circumstances (※)

At the Royal Knight Academy, a faculty meeting is held every weekend. The purpose is to check the progress of each class, any issues that arose, or upcoming events. But today’s meeting got bogged down in discussion about one particular student.

“His attitude is a problem. He looked up past hero chevaliers and started talking about why no heroes come from the royal family. In the worst case it could be lèse-majesté against His Majesty.”

“In the field rations preparation class, which is a hero specialty, it’s the same. Work that he should do himself he splits with several other heroes. When we call him out on it, he says that on a real battlefield there’s only one paladin per unit, but usually three or more are assigned, so it’s more efficient for heroes to share the load too. Honestly, his excuses are too smooth. That’s what makes him so bad.”

“If it was just slacking off a bit we could look the other way, but with him it’s blatant. Call him out and he piles on sophistry. This is going to have a huge negative influence on the other students. The other day in sword class he ditched everything and started playing tag. When we finally scolded him, do you know what he said?”

The headmistress, Reda Factlin, let out a sigh at the flood of complaints from the professors.

Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia of the Tolmakia Empire was doing his daily early-morning training with his partner, the paladin Aisis Elenskaya. It was a mock battle using swords and hand-to-hand techniques. Aisis is a first-rate swordswoman even without the goddess’s blessing. Austro fought her on even terms. When they paused for breath, applause rang out. It was Imperial Knight Order Commander Wolfgang Schneider.

“You’re working hard, Your Highness. Splendid swordplay. A true hero chevalier never forgets wartime even in peacetime?”

“No, this isn’t training as a hero chevalier. It’s simply the hobby of a crown prince. Besides, heroes don’t need sword or hand-to-hand skills anyway.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Suppose you were a hero chevalier. When would you be swinging your sword on the battlefield?”

“When facing the enemy, I suppose.”

“Exactly. And normally a hero waits in the main camp for his paladin’s return. The fact that the hero is facing the enemy means the enemy army has reached the main camp. In other words, it’s a total defeat. No time to be swinging a sword.”

“I see…”

Schneider nodded, seemingly convinced by the sharp crown prince’s words.

“…and that’s the kind of excuse he gives. Says we should train our legs to run away instead of swinging swords…”

“But sophistry is still logic. Doesn’t his opinion have some merit?”

Sister Maria voiced the opposing view. A small number of professors agreed. Professor Ernest, who teaches military history, was one of them.

“True, his expressions are extreme and he doesn’t mince words. That probably comes from being a commoner raised in the countryside. But his opinions are fresh and give others new perspectives. We should caution his conduct, but I don’t think we should erase that freshness. After all, we are educators.”

Opinions split between “punish him” and “protect him.” As headmistress, Reda had to balance both sides. So she offered a proposal.

“Why not let the first-years join next month’s march training for the second-years? It would be good to teach the first-years the importance of the paladin-hero relationship and that the field doesn’t always follow theory.”

“That makes sense. Even water supply isn’t simple in reality, yet operations must still be carried out. They’ll learn from experience that sometimes you have to push through the gap between goal and reality.”

“Indeed. There are also chance encounters during marches. He’ll realize there are times when even a hero must hold a sword. Good idea. Let’s go with that.”

With a plan both sides could accept, they reached a tentative conclusion. The march training would be held in the Alsace Mountains on the southwestern border with the Frosia Kingdom.

Three months had passed since enrolling at the knight academy. Going to the capital on weekends had become routine. Once December arrived, even the relatively warm kingdom started to feel cold. Wrapped in a cloak, I entered the high-class brothel “Gloria.” The inside of the room was warm. They heated water with firewood and ran it through copper pipes along the walls. The boiled water was then used for baths in each room.

“Dylan! Aaah… I’ve been waiting a whole month for this…”

The woman who clung to me was Lady Suzanne of some viscount’s house. In this brothel I’m called “Dylan.” Not just me—every male whore uses an alias. Probably Suzanne isn’t her real name either. Everything was fake, and only the joining of man and woman was real. We soaked together in the tub. Suzanne leaned her back against me between my legs. I reached around from behind and caressed her well-ripened fruits.

“I really want to monopolize you every week… Just imagining you holding other women makes me jealous.”

“You’ve been holding back because you wanted me to ravish you? Did you comfort yourself this past month, Suzanne…?”

I gently bit her earlobe and ran my tongue along her neck. I didn’t kiss her mouth. The faint marks that would appear on skin don’t fade for days. Besides, I prefer licking anyway, so no problem.

“Yes, yes! I’ve been aching to be ravished by you, to be pounded senseless from behind! That man only did it once this month… and it was over in just a few minutes… I’m so pent up!”

Suzanne seemed to like being verbally abused while being roughly ravished. But I mustn’t actually hurt her. I had to strike the right balance of guilt and shame while giving her plenty of pleasure. Nadine, the proprietress, had taught me that. Women really are fascinating creatures.

“You really do have a great body, Suzanne… I’m going to devour this body thoroughly until morning. Right now you’re not a viscount’s wife. You’re just a female slave for me to eat. Got it?”

“Aaah… Yes. I’m a female slave. A pitiful female slave used only for your pleasure, only to make you cum…”

What kind of kink is this? She degrades herself and gets drunk on it. Of course not all women are like this, but stuck-up ones are a pain. A female who happily offers herself is much easier and better.

“Now, turn this way and lower your hips. Let me eat you.”

“Eat me… devour me completely…”

Still in ecstasy, Suzanne lowered her hips and connected with me. Stretch marks showed on her belly. She had three children by age twenty-five, but she was still tight enough.

(Still, are noble women idiots? They should be busy raising kids, yet they leave it to wet nurses and come buy male whores. And the money is probably taxes from their people…)

While thinking that in my head, I thrust boldly. First I’d make Suzanne cum twice. Then I’d have her wash my body and service me with her mouth and tits. After that I’d devour her on the bed. Might as well have her teach me more about the female body too. Pleasure makes the meat taste better…

The next morning, Suzanne—who I had cum inside five times—left looking satisfied. As a tip, in addition to the regular fee she gave me one gold coin, one thousand crone. Next reservation was in three weeks. I had to treat valued regulars like her carefully. For Suzanne it was just play while her husband was back in the territory, but for me it was part of my studies and research. Studies on female anatomy, research on the effects of the “goddess’s blessing.”

“You’ve gotten quite used to it. You already have three regulars and I think the number will keep growing. The only shame is that it’s limited to weekends, and all your customers are mid- or lower-rank nobles. If you could land a duchess you’d get enormous tips…”

Nadine stroked my head. For about two hours after the customer left I had been receiving lessons from Nadine on how to please women. When I asked her to teach me, Nadine had looked surprised, then laughed and agreed. Apparently impossible for other men. Most male whores go soft in the hips and try to rest even a little.

“Listen? Just verbal abuse isn’t enough. That will break a woman’s heart. Sometimes you have to praise and acknowledge her. Specific praise works best. Simply saying ‘you’re beautiful’ won’t make a woman happy. Compliment her clothes, makeup, hairstyle. The key is noticing change. Females want to be acknowledged by males. That’s why they wear makeup, worry over clothes, make an effort. They do something a little different from usual. Notice it and praise it. Then the woman will be delighted and want more and more.”

Nadine’s talks were genuinely educational. A hero chevalier is supposed to support his paladin—not just physically but mentally too. This male-whore experience would surely come in handy someday. I was convinced of it.

“So it’s another week of staring each other down…”

Emperor Ziltania Fizz Tolmakia of the Tolmakia Empire leaned back in his chair and exhaled. At Marshal Caldas Grizzler’s report the other generals folded their arms. The nearly two-hundred-year war between empire and kingdom could be summed up, in the extreme, as the battle over the Kabachi Plains. The northern empire and southern kingdom were almost entirely separated by mountain ranges. From the empire’s perspective the Risruna Mountains lay to the southeast and the Ribulus Mountains to the southwest, each several thousand meters high. The gap between those ranges was the Kabachi Plains. Both countries had built fortresses there as strategic military strongholds. If one side captured the other’s fortress they could pour in all at once, but it wasn’t easy. The clash between the two great western powers had originally begun with the empire’s southward push, but now it was back-and-forth offense and defense.

“So the Neias plan was impossible after all…”

Emperor Ziltania wore the face of a father. Crown Prince Austro, first in line to the throne, had a half-brother—Noias. The elder brother Austro had graduated top of the Imperial Military University as a hero chevalier, while the younger Noias was more suited to internal administration. On the surface the brothers acted close, but in reality their relationship was quite hostile. The main cause was the younger brother’s excessive awareness of the elder.

“I thought sending Noias to the battlefield like Austro would change his attitude toward his brother…”

The order of succession was set, yet there were still quite a few voices supporting Noias—mostly great nobles and administrators. Austro, on the other hand, was well-versed in military affairs and enjoyed strong support from soldiers like Marshal Grizzler, who oversaw the southern front, and Knight Commander Schneider.

“Should we have His Highness Austro take the field?”

At Marshal Grizzler’s suggestion Ziltania shook his head. Not for military reasons, but family ones. If the already rebellious younger brother had his failure cleaned up by his elder brother, how would that feel? As a father it gave him a headache.

“Can’t be helped. Snow is starting to fall. We have no choice but to withdraw.”

At Ziltania’s words the civil officials all nodded at once. There had been no notable victories, but no notable failures either. They judged it best to end things before piling up more expenses.

“Then we’ll begin preparations for withdrawal. The kingdom side must be quite exhausted too. I don’t expect any pursuit.”

With the marshal’s agreement, today’s meeting was settled.

“So in the end it’s withdrawal… Completely pointless.”

Austro snorted. He wasn’t laughing at his brother’s failure. He was laughing at this barren war itself. He avoided public criticism in front of the soldiers who supported him, but Austro was fundamentally opposed to waging war on the kingdom. Once only his trusted staff were in the room he let loose with harsh words.

“What is this war even for? What are we trying to gain by moving tens of thousands of troops, spending enormous military funds, and attacking south? Instead of focusing on the strategic essentials, we just discuss tactics about the immediate battlefield as if it matters. What good does that do!”

“Your Highness, please restrain your ambition. Your thinking is entirely correct, but this war has lasted two hundred years. If we don’t move the army, jobs for post towns, blacksmiths, and so on will disappear. If you think of it as creating work for them by moving the army, it’s not entirely pointless, is it?”

Staff Officer Chief Partina Sircury smiled and gently admonished him. She too had once been a paladin candidate and Austro’s classmate, but Austro had valued her staff-officer intellect instead, persuading her while still in school and making her one of his own. Receiving the admonition, Austro let out a deep breath and sat in his chair.

“Once I take the throne I’ll completely overhaul the military. End this ridiculous war quickly and turn our eyes north and east. Promote industry and trade to enrich the nation. The kingdom is stuck in the old ways. If we leave it alone it’ll collapse from within sooner or later.”

Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia stood head and shoulders above previous crown princes in excellence. His vision was broad, his capacity deep. His trusted staff swore heartfelt loyalty not to him as a hero chevalier, but to him as the wise ruler who would one day take the throne. Yet even within Austro’s broad vision there existed something he could not yet grasp. He would learn of that existence a little later.

Claire Jilfied was being tossed about on waves of pleasure. Her breasts were sucked, her lower half slurped, her toes nibbled. The man who had once simply taken her like a beast now deliberately gave her pleasure like this. Her womb ached. It begged to accept the man soon. The aching was maddening. A hot, wet entrance was pressed against her soaked secret place. But he didn’t enter easily.

“Please. More, more…”

“No good. You have to beg properly…”

Words to satisfy the man’s conquest desire. The man thought of sex as “eating.” He was waiting for the female who had surrendered to pleasure to offer her own meat. Claire could no longer resist.

“Please. Eat me! Devour me completely!”

“Yeah. Then I won’t hold back—time to eat.”

Zun! He thrust all the way in at once. The man’s thick cock hit deep with a thump. At that instant Claire’s back convulsed. Even though she had been fucked many times, this “pleasure of the flesh” never changed.

“Kuu… Delicious… Ripe married women aren’t bad, but a paladin’s meat really is the best. I’m gonna eat until I’m full!”

When he moved his hips her breasts swayed back and forth in time. He grabbed them with both hands and kneaded them. The overwhelming pleasure made Claire wrap her slender legs around the man’s waist. His hands stroking from breasts to waist stirred even more pleasure.

(No good… I can’t even remember that person’s face from the first time anymore. I already belong to this man…)

They kissed, eyes locked. The man asked.

“Claire, it feels good when I fuck you, right? You want me to keep fucking you, right?”

“It feels so good! Fuck me! I want to be eaten by Kaito-kun from now on toooo!!”

She felt heat overflow inside her womb. At the same time Claire’s pleasure burst. Yet the man’s vigor showed no sign of weakening. She would probably feel this heat many more times. Claire rejoiced in her female face.

“March training?”

I had Claire clean my cock—after cumming three times—with her mouth. At first Claire had resisted quite a bit, but lately even that was gone and she obediently let me eat her beautiful flesh. Combined with the weekend male-whore work, my “sex life” had finally stabilized. She pulled her mouth away and explained while licking. Apparently the training would be in the Alsace Mountains.

“I see. The aim is hands-on experience…”

I had her service me with her tits. I stared at the ceiling and thought. I could probably learn the terrain of the Alsace Mountains by checking in the capital. Might even get a map. Since it was march training, I’d have to work as a hero chevalier. I’d need to check water sources and rations too. Water is bulky. If I could procure it locally that would be best.

(If it goes well I might get to eat some paladin candidates.)

Pleasure was building. I decided to cum a fourth time right there and stopped thinking.