Melina vi Therios.
The current head of the House of Therios that was involved in the founding of Aegina Kingdom.
That House of Therios has a history of once having the crisis of discontinuation of their House, and survived through adoption from the royal family.
Because of that, Melina believes that he is a part of a royal family, having the bloodline of the House of Aegina.
Possessing the blood of the royal family, although having the title of the Duke makes Therios a top existence within the Aegina Kingdom, having an abnormally strong lust for authority, he was unable to be content in his current status.
The places which a person who is not content with the title of the Duke can aim for is limited.
Melina’s ambition naturally turned to Aegina’s summit.
The beast called ambition was completely released from its cage after the King collapsed and the Crown Prince fell.
Melina drew Annis and Gate, bringing the ancient system, the Three Lords Regency to them, and attempted to seize power.
After seizing that power, he had already planned on erasing the two other Dukes, namely Annis and Gate.
With thorough preparation, his coup d’etat should’ve succeeded.
If only the Demon Sword Wielder did not exist.
「Damn you! Annis and Gate! Damn you, making a fool of me!」
In the Royal Capital, Rethim.
In the best room of the Winter Palace, the palace of the king, the center of authority, Melina threw the two letters he had finished reading to the ground.
Unable to be content with that, he stomped on those letters many times.
His face turned red, his obese body that was made by power and money was already out of breath just by doing that, with huge drops of sweat dripping down from it.
*Gacha*
The door opened, one man came to Melina.
A man who have once assisted Selene, Abraham.
Right now, he is working for Melina who had entered the core authority of the Kingdom through a legit way called Three Lords Regency.
「What happened, Lord Duke?」
「Read those letters! Those two……making a fool out of me!」
Abraham quietly picked up the letters and read them one after the other.
Although his expression became solemn in the middle of reading them, he was still able to finish them with a cool head.
「Duke Gate is recuperating due to his sickness, and Duke Annis will transfer the headship of their family to his eldest son, huh」
「What an absurd thing to do at this timing! What sickness! What transfer the headship! How spineless you are for wincing for just a little thing!」
「Please excuse me for saying this, but His Majesty is on their side」
「It’s an impostor!」
「However, the peopleーー」
「An impostor is an impostor!」
「……Her Highness Selene is with them」
「The Three Lords Regency has more legitimacy than a single princess!」
「…………Xiphos is also with them」
「That is just a chunk of moldy iron!」
Abraham closed his mouth.
He understood that there would be no meaning to whatever he tells Melina.
No, it might be more accurate to say that he was disappointed and gave up on him.
He gave up on the man in front of him who illogically denied everything like a fool.
However, he still had the clear mind not to show that on his face. Without showing the disappointment he has towards Melina, Abraham followed what he was saying.
「It is exactly as Lord Duke says. With only an impostor, a princess, and an ancient relic, the legitimacy is within Lord Duke’s hands. If so, then there is only one problem」
「What! What is the problem>」
「It’s the enemy army. This is the single and the greatest problem. Since it is now in the shape of a war, nothing will end if they are not annihilated
「Only that?! Gather soldiers, make the civilians enlist as well」
「It is unfortunate, butーー」
Abraham chose his words carefully.
Abraham used the words that Melina likes and the words he is able to accept.
「People are stupid. They only believe what they see with their eyes. No matter if it’s an impostor, just a princess, or an ancient relic, these combinations would look like the real thing in the eyes of the foolish mass. I believe that it is very difficult to gather soldiers starting now」
「Whatever! Just gather them, gather whatever you can!」
「……yes」
Melina was enraged more than what Abraham expected, so much that one cannot exchange a conversation with him.
Abraham became more and more disappointed.
He tried to come up with something, while lamenting on his luck in choosing his liege.
「That’s right, there’s a way!」
「Lord Duke?」
「Do you know Shinai?」
「Yes……it’s the key point in the borders, for many years, it has defended against Comotoriaーーwait?!」
「Borrow soldiers from Comotoria with the condition of giving them that」
「Lord Duke, please reconsider it! If Shinai was given to them, our Kingdom’s second biggest city, Tabol shall be completely undefended. Moreoverーー」
「If this goes on, this Kingdom will be stolen by an impostor. One or to Tabols, it’s cheap as long as I can protect my Kingdom」
「What……!」
Abraham couldn’t help but lose his words with that.
Tabol is not something that they could afford to give to an enemy.
Tabol is not a simple city.
It is made in as a backup in the case where there is an emergency, as a place for the royal family to escape. The roads leading from the Royal Capital Rethim and Tabol are well maintained, on top of that, there are also fortresses along the roads.
It is nigh-impossible to capture Tabol from Rethim, it is made in such a way.
If Shinai were given away, then Tabol would come as well. If Tabol was taken away as well, then it is the same as giving away half of this Kingdom.
It was something that an Aeginean must never do.
That’s why he desperately resisted and tried to object.
The angered Melina called soldiers, made them capture Abraham and keep him in the cells.
That one case with Abraham was only a tip of the iceberg.
Following the advance of the Kingdom Army, the people that have proper minds around Melina disappeared one by one.
In Comotoria Kingdom’s Royal Capital, Krades.
I’m naked, sitting on a stool in the middle of the elegant main bathroom, while letting Aura who’s wearing a maid uniform wash me.
There are also several other maids, however, they are not moving directly to serve me, at most, they would help Aura wash me.
Aura is washing my body earnestly.
「How is it? Kakeru」
「It feels quite nice. You’re good at washing huh」
「I’m usually having my maids wash me, but it feels good, so I learned it so I can wash Kakeru」
「I see. Thank you」
I turned to Aura, held her chin, and kissed her.
Although blushing, Aura continued to wash me.
I let her do what she wants, and started to speak of the reason why I came here.
「I want to ask something of you」
「Other than educating Selene?」
「That’s right」
「I got it. Just tell me」
「Pretty soon, an emissary from Duke Therios will come to this Kingdom」
「How do you know it’s here?」
「By the process of elimination. The more that Mercouri uses its currency, the more it shows my involvement with them. Siracuza and Calamba were already contacted by the other two, so they would also be avoided. If so, this is the only place where Therios could contact」
「I see」
「About 90%, that guy would ask to borrow soldiers with the condition of ceding territory. The other possibilities would be money or women」
「Isn’t that……?」
Aura enjoyingly said while rubbing my back.
「It’s because Kakeru made it so that’s all that he could do」
「That’s slightly wrong. It’s Helene who did that. I just guessed from the situation that that’s the most probable thing that would happen in the current situation」
「I see」
「According to Helene, they’d probably borrow soldiers with Shinai as the condition」
「……if that’s true, then what an amazing offer it would be」
Aura’s hands stopped for an instant and said with a serious tone.
Is it really that amazing? Giving Shinai away.
「You want to take it? Shinai」
「Kakeru’s planning to add Selene to your harem right?」
「Yeah, that’s why I’m doing all of these things」
「If so, even if Comotoria gets it, it’s just the same with Aegina having it」
「I see. If so, I’ll ask you again. Just extend the negotiations as it fits. I want to let Selene slay Therios after all」
「I got it. Leave it to me」
While accepting readily, Aura continued to wash me.
After a while, another maid entered, ran and whispered to Aura.
I caught it with my 777x hearing.
「A person who names himself the emissary of Aegina’s Duke Therios has asked for an audience」
Aura nodded and made the maid go back.
「It’s as Kakeru has expected」
「Can I leave it to you then?」
「If you would listen to one of my requests」
「What? Tell me」
「The maids over there, they’re girls who are very hard-working」
Hearing Aura mention them, I looked at the maids around us.
「……if you take care of them after me」
「You’re using me as a reward?」
「After all, it’s the greatest reward that I can give them. Having Kakeru meet them and feel special」
「I see」
After hearing that much, there’s no way I can refuse.
After making love with Aura, I made all the maids let me listen to their heart.
I granted all of them the first time that they wished for.
Just like that, Therios was completely buried starting from his surroundings.
The end of the war is near.