After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 5

Chapter 5: What’s a Stud?

“I’ve ended up in an incredible world… where men have no value.”

As I muttered my disappointment, Sieg shrugged his shoulders and gave me a reassuring smile.

“It can’t be helped. Men and women have vastly different abilities. Considering the survival of the species… the aspect of reproduction is something only women can do. While men have the role of providing the seed, one man can fertilize multiple women. So, even if there were a hundred people, having around ten men would be sufficient, and the rest could be women. That way, the group would thrive.”

True, it made sense. If you secured a few men with excellent genes, the others weren’t really needed—nature dictated that. Men who weren’t “exceptional” were essentially unnecessary, or so it seemed.

“Well, the system here is quite different from what you, Kyōhei, might have experienced so far. But it’s not an uncomfortable situation. If we show proper respect and support, they respond with kindness and protect us.”

I couldn’t help but be bothered by the “protect us” part. For someone born in the Showa era like me, women were the ones you wanted to “protect” rather than depend on. It was a partner you sought, not someone to rely on.

But Sieg continued unabated, ignoring my inner turmoil.

“In that sense, even men have respected and admired professions. Top-tier talents can even become the head of a noble house.”

“Huh? Even without magic, there’s a job that commands respect? What kind of work is that?”

It was amazing. In a world so reliant on magic, the fact that a non-magical man could garner such respect meant he must possess an extraordinarily valuable skill. Like mastering the art of the sword, forging divine swords… Oh no, my thoughts were gradually succumbing to the light novel influence.

“Yeah, there is… it’s called a ‘Stud.'”

“Huh!?”

…

Well, in my original world, there were men referred to as a “Stud” with varying degrees of irony or jest, never as a term of respect. But well, it was definitely not used with the same level of reverence.

“Is that… someone skilled in the act of ‘creating offspring’?”

“Haha, it’s not about skill. Regardless of how skilled or unskilled they are, men whose seed is recognized as capable of producing exceptional magic users are respected as ‘Studs.’ In this world, securing exceptional women is directly linked to the survival and prosperity of a family.”

My question seemed to hit the mark, as Sieg smiled and nodded.

“The transmission of magical power to children has been studied for several hundred years, and the theory has mostly been established. Of course, the strength of the mother’s power is a significant factor, but it’s already a well-established doctrine that the lineage of the father is crucial.”

It felt somewhat reminiscent of my time studying pedigrees for horse racing in the past. While it might have been challenging to establish theories due to the limited number of mares, the discussions in horse racing about “bloodlines” mostly centered around the stallions.

It’s somewhat nostalgic. I remember getting into D◯taster in my younger days, studying that mating a N◯ruler lineage stallion improved speed, but the temperament became unruly and unreliable…

“Rather than explaining it in words, it might be faster to show you. Let’s go to Mom’s study.”

…

In the seldom-used study of the head, adorned with many luxurious volumes, Sieg pulled out one book without hesitation and placed it on the table. The cover had gold leaf stamped on it, looking quite expensive. Perhaps sensing something from my gaze, Sieg spoke.

“Oh, this one book is worth a hundred gold coins.”

“Whoa!”

I involuntarily let out a strange sound. The currency in this world is roughly based on the Japanese yen, with small copper coins being equivalent to ten yen. Copper coins are a hundred yen, silver coins are a thousand yen, and gold coins are around ten thousand yen. In other words, this book is roughly one million yen. Even considering the underdeveloped printing technology, it’s ridiculously expensive. By the way, there’s no such thing as offset printing in this world; all books are duplicated with magic.

“And the content is revised every year. All major aristocrats buy it every year.”

This is quite extravagant… or, to put it bluntly, wasteful. As I gazed at the cover with a somewhat sarcastic feeling, I was surprised by the title.

『Kingdom Studbook, Kingdom Era 834, Revised Edition, Magic Lineage Association Compilation』

Studbook… it’s essentially a “Stallion Directory” that compiles the lineage of stud horses. It’s strange that in this world with a somewhat Germanic feel, only this part is readable in English, but perhaps it’s best not to nitpick about it.

“Take a look inside, it’s interesting.”

Prompted by Sieg’s mischievous expression, I opened the studbook and was further astonished by its contents.