After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 123

Chapter 123: Off to the Capital

“They’ve gone, haven’t they?”

“Yeah.”

After Clara and the others departed, I found myself staring blankly in the direction they had disappeared. Perhaps to ease my stillness, Gretel, having finished her task, spoke up.

“You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”

At her remark, my heart skipped a beat.

“Well, I mean…”

“No need to hide it. Lutz, you’re attracted to those earnest types, aren’t you?”

“…Sorry, just a little.”

Yeah, to be honest, I like her as she is now.

When I first met her, she was timid and hesitant about everything, lacking confidence. But during our short time together here, she transformed into a strong and positive woman. It’s based on her confidence in magic control, which she has built up through constant effort since childhood… To my sensibilities, accustomed to the Showa era, her heart seems so beautiful.

Of course, I can’t forget the feeling of her soft, springy skin either… but mentioning that might upset Gretel. Yeah, silence is golden.

“Oh, about that figurine…”

Gretel noticed the stone carving Clara left behind. She seemed surprised, but it’s just an ordinary figurine.

“Yeah, Clara gave it to me when she left. It’s a token of gratitude… It’s a cute little figurine, isn’t it?”

“But, isn’t this…”

“Hmm? Is something wrong?”

“…It’s nothing. Hey, Lutz, keep that figurine with you at all times.”

“Huh? Why?”

I don’t quite understand what Gretel is getting at. From the perspective of an engaged person, it’s not normal to keep a “memento” left by another woman upon departure visible, even if you don’t throw it away. But, sensing an atmosphere where I couldn’t question further, I kept quiet. Well, Gretel is capricious, so maybe she was just swayed by that protective instinct of hers… Thinking that, I let the matter slide… and soon forgot about this exchange altogether.

—

The frantic rush to complete the development work continued until the last possible moment for sowing winter wheat. We surpassed Gretel’s goal of four hundred hectares, nearly reaching five hundred hectares of cultivated land. We also built makeshift earth walls between the forest and our settlement, ensuring some degree of safety.

Now, it all depends on how hard the wood-element mages work to grow the wheat… The outlook is becoming brighter. In the future, we’ll need to open up a path to the aforementioned silver mine during the winter. I was troubled about how to give work to all the men swarming around, but Clara’s discovery resolved that in one fell swoop. All hail Princess Clara.

“Now, all that’s left is the wedding!”

Gretel is practically panting with excitement. Well, for the past two months, she’s been swinging her axe relentlessly just to “get things done and hurry up with the wedding!” It’s understandable to get so absorbed in it.

As for me, I have no interest in such ceremonies. Even in my former world, I mostly left the arrangements to my bride-to-be, and during the actual ceremony, I just sat there, steadily drinking one beer after another… far from being a model groom.

But, once the ceremony is over, I feel excited at the thought of finally being able to have children with Beato and Gretel. Well, Gretel isn’t interested in seeing herself in a wedding dress; that’s not her goal. She’s been clamoring for children for so long, I wonder if we can finally fulfill her wish.

So, when we sent a message to His Majesty, we got a reply saying, “It’s not extravagant, but we’re finally ready,” and now we’re bustling about getting ready to head to the capital.

“I was measured a few months ago… Do you think the outfits will fit?”

Gretel is concerned about her waist and chest area, but I want to assure her that there’s nothing to worry about. She’s been clinging to me every day for magical recharging, so there’s no doubt that there’s no unnecessary fat… Unfortunately, it hasn’t increased where she wants it to increase either. Well, if I were to mention that, she’d definitely get upset, so I’ll keep quiet, yeah.

As for me, I’m just going with what I’m wearing. Max was worried and assigned a few wind-type mages to accompany us, but with Gretel, the strongest escort, there’s no need for any concern.

And then, Ayaka-san and three of the dark clan sisters are coming along disguised as maids. It’s reassuring, but given that our purpose is the wedding… Ayaka-san’s feelings must be complicated.

“That’s not the case. I’ve essentially been fulfilling the duties of a ‘wife’ for the princess, so there shouldn’t be any dissatisfaction.”

Well, that makes sense too. Between Ayaka-san and me, there are already Kaori and Honoka, the fruits of our love. The bond between them is already stronger than anything else. But if you were a woman from my former world, you’d dream at least once in your life of yourself wrapped in a bridal gown… I wonder if it’s different in this world. Come to think of it, in modern Japan, understated weddings without ceremonies were also becoming popular, so maybe it varies depending on the era and environment.

“No, Ayaka! This is about closure. Don’t hold back. We can have a proper ceremony after we return to Baden, right? Let’s do it properly?”

Surprisingly, it was Gretel who insisted on Ayaka-san having a wedding ceremony.

“I’m a noble, so I can stand beside Lutz in an official setting with Lady Beato. It might be impossible for Ayaka in her position… But the three of us are all Lutz’s wives. Whether it’s official or not, we all have the right to take Lutz’s hand with everyone’s blessing! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Ayaka gets to have a ceremony too! Right?”

“Y-yes…”

For some reason, while being pushed by Gretel, Ayaka-san’s cheeks tinged with color, making her look surprisingly cute, not at all like someone five years older.