Vol 1 Chapter 7 – Hero

My shop gets a truly diverse array of visitors.

Truly diverse people. From royalty and nobles to ordinary citizens—we get them all.

“E-excuse me…”

A woman enters my establishment.

She’s an impressively gallant figure, her body clad in armor. Long golden hair flows down to her waist, and her emerald eyes sparkle like gemstones. Her features are strikingly beautiful, and her physique is incredible. Even through the armor, you can tell she has a voluptuous build.

She’s what you’d call a peerless beauty, but there’s something even more eye-catching about her.

“Elf ears are great, aren’t they?”

“Wh-what are you saying out of nowhere?!”

Those would be her large, distinctive ears.

In a fantasy world, you’ve got demi-humans—beastfolk, elves, and the like all exist in this world. And the customer right in front of me now—

“So then, Hero Tail. What brings you to my establishment today?”

“Ungh?!”

Her name is Tail.

As a long-lived elf, she’s over a hundred years old, and throughout her lifetime she’s overcome countless battles and achieved great military feats—a living legend. She’s an incredible person who serves this nation as a hero.

Incidentally, there are no male elves. The only way they can have children is by joining with human men.

“Though I suppose everyone who comes to this shop wants just one thing.”

“Mmmph!”

At my words, Tail’s face flushes bright red as she lets out a strange cry.

“I-I am a hero of this nation…! I c-certainly don’t desire anything lewd whatsoever!”

She quickly recovers though, throwing down this challenge despite having come to a place like this.

“Fuuu…”

I move right up close to Tail and blow gently on her ear, then slowly stroke it.

“Hauwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!”

She cries out and collapses pathetically.

From this display, you’d never guess she was a hero.

“Classic! Every time!”

Tail is like this every single time.

She’s a closet pervert, but she has this strong conviction that as a hero she must always maintain her dignity, which is why we end up going through this routine every visit.

“U-ugh… can I ask for today’s session?”

“You’re a hero, after all! You’re always working hard, so I’ll give you special treatment. You’re protecting us, so I’ll take care of you.”

“Th-thank you… truly. Right now, this time—only this time—is my only comfort.”

“Well, I’m honored to hear that! All right then, here we go!”

With a spring in my step, I led Tail into the back room.

Vol 1 Chapter 8 – Roadside

My establishment gets all kinds of customers.

From ordinary citizens to heroes… truly varied. Which is why if I casually walk around town, I’m immediately recognized. It would cause even more of a commotion than a popular YouTuber walking around Tokyo… Well, even if I weren’t running the shop, just being male would draw attention and cause chaos if I went out.

So whenever I walk through the royal capital, I have to use magic to completely disguise my identity.

“…Ah.”

As I’m walking down the street thinking about how inconvenient this is, a girl I had relations with about three months ago suddenly comes into view.

Isn’t that Reine?

The commoner’s daughter I was with a while back is now walking down the street with her belly slightly swollen.

She’s definitely pregnant. That one time must have done the trick.

“…Should I approach her?”

By my past life’s standards, if you got someone pregnant, you’d marry them and take responsibility… but it’s different in this world. Men don’t play a role in birthing and raising children. A world where it’s considered sufficient for them to just thrust their hips and provide seed.

I’ve gotten quite a few women pregnant so far, but I’ve never been married.

In this world’s value system, being able to bear children is an honor for women, and I’ve fully adopted that mindset.

However—

“Excuse me, could I have a moment?”

“Wh-what is it?”

“…! That scent?!”

“Hey, it’s been a while. You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

“Y-yes, thanks to you! For someone like me, a common citizen, to receive the good fortune of having a child—thank you so much!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! I’m keeping my identity hidden right now!”

“Ah… s-sorry.”

“No, it’s nothing to apologize for. So, did you report the pregnancy to the government?”

“Y-yes… I reported it.”

“I see. And how much support are you currently receiving?”

“Um, well… right now…”

The nation desperately wants children to be born, so it strictly manages those who are born.

Basically, the person who gives birth can raise the child, but where they raise them and where the child will eventually live is decided by the state.

It’s a measure to maintain civilization and the nation.

Even if it’s necessary, it’s still forceful. In exchange, the state provides extensive childcare support. I check with Reine to see how much of it she’s utilizing.

“Yeah. It’s not enough.”

“Huh?”

“This is a noble’s child—my child. You can receive much more assistance. Plus, there’s support I can request as the father, so let’s get that too.”

Most of my customers are nobles rather than commoners.

If they’re nobles, they won’t struggle even with children… but it’s different for ordinary families. They need to properly utilize the government’s support system.

Supporting the women who bear my children… it’s really just the basics.

It’s truly modest, far too minimal, but still—I want to do at least this much. Enough of the moral values I cultivated in my past life remain within me to make me feel that way.

“So, shall we head to the government office together first? Did you have any special plans?”

“N-no! Nothing like that! Please, let me come with you!”

“Good, then. Let’s go.”

“Ah…”

Casually taking Reine’s hand, I led her toward the office.