After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 99
Chapter 99: Dependable? The Prince
The capital of Baden, Stuttgart, appeared like a fortress stranded in enemy territory, surrounded.
Enclosed by earthen walls were about three hundred homes and the narrow fields barely sufficient to sustain the inhabitants. Beyond the earthen walls lay a small area of wasteland, hemmed in on three sides by the Demon Forest. Day and night, monsters overflowed from the forest, attacking anyone who ventured outside the walls… under such circumstances, the town could hardly prosper.
“It’s about time we cleared the forest so the monsters won’t settle in.”
“If we could get Lutz’s mother here, couldn’t we just burn it all down in one go?”
Such casual responses come from none other than His Royal Highness, the playful prince. Given the strong support of the imperial soldiers, I’ve entrusted a unit of the development team and sought his counsel. After all, I’m still not familiar with the affairs of this world, let alone the customs and cultures of the empire… So, there’s no choice but to rely on this easygoing prince, who was involved in the imperial governance structure.
“No, no. My mother’s dictionary doesn’t have the word ‘mercy’. If I say ‘burn it’, this lush forest will turn into ashes in an instant. We need to leave some of it intact; otherwise, the people won’t be able to use it afterward.”
It seems that the value of what would be called “satoyama” in the previous world is not easily understood by the people of this world. Well, preventing today’s monster invasion takes precedence over the mushrooms and firewood we’ll gather in the future.
“That’s it. We just need to patiently defeat the monsters and continue with the development. Let’s do our best. The Empire has many users of wind and water magic, so they should be helpful.”
“Could you stop calling me ‘Your Lordship’… I prefer to be called Lutz.”
“Although His Lordship is young, he’s our master. But if the master wishes, let it be so. Command me as you wish, Lutz.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you. The key is how efficiently Max’s mixed unit can develop the forest.”
I had decided to divide the nearly thirty thousand slaves into three squads.
First, gather the precious magicians into one group. Although the magicians of the principality were devastated by Liese-nee-san’s ice spear magic, there are only a few survivors… including these remnants, there are about six thousand magic users from the empire, all of them women. Except for the particularly rebellious ones, almost all of them, along with young men from both countries as the main force, totaling ten thousand, will be led by the Empire’s First Prince Maximilian, whom I called Max. Then, the remaining ten thousand from the Empire and about eight thousand from the principality will be grouped separately and managed as three groups in total.
“You’ve thought this out… Is the aim to prevent the female magicians from returning to their homeland?”
“As expected, Max has sharp eyes. Especially for the women from the principality, I hope they’ll stay in Berzenbrück permanently.”
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if the men who acted as mere muscle walls were sent back home immediately… They’re useless except for physical labor in this world. But for the women who can freely manipulate magic, which is useful for both the people’s livelihoods and battles, I want them to stay here as much as possible and help with the development of Berzenbrück and the Baden territory. So, what I planned was to create opportunities for them to get close to the many young men who are here to sell their bodies for the next ten years, encourage them to make babies, and feel like they want to live here forever, contributing to the development of Berzenbrück. That’s the idea behind my rather unnatural scheme.
“If you say so, it’s reassuring. Max, I want you to advance not only the development but also that aspect. If you organize encounter events, I’ll provide the funds.”
“Hmm, leave that area to me!”
Somehow, it feels like we’ve become like a student club from the Showa era.
“Well, actually, I’ve already… enjoyed the company of a couple of quite amiable girls from the principality.”
As expected of a prince, he’s quick not only with work but also with other things. With his chestnut hair, almond-shaped purple eyes, and overly trained muscles, Max exudes a wild charm from head to toe. It’s no wonder the stressed witches from the principality would be drawn to him.
“Are you planning to take those girls back to the Empire and create a harem?”
“No way, I have no intention of returning to the Empire anymore. Rather than being constantly ridiculed as a disgraced royal who shamefully fell into enemy hands, I’d prefer to live freely in Berzenbrück.”
Indeed, we can’t afford to let go of this talent. His pragmatic approach and decisiveness displayed during the surrender negotiations are rare qualities among men in this world. Despite his casual appearance, he is sincere, and he has thoroughly studied governance and administration as a member of the royal family…
“So, shall we establish Max’s harem here in the Baden territory?”