After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 177
Chapter 177: Unsettling Baden
“So, what happened to the male victim? Did you capture the female perpetrator?”
“Fortunately, the lady was nearby. She knocked out the crazed woman with one blow and then used healing magic on the man… It was shocking. He had been shot through the chest and stomach with air bullets, and it looked like a fatal injury, but within just twenty counts, she healed him so completely that not even a scar remained.”
The “lady” referred to in the Baden territory is, of course, Gretel. She was already the kingdom’s greatest healer, and now, thanks to being blessed with my “Seed of God,” her magical power has likely risen to SS class. As long as her target is still alive, she could probably heal them through sheer force of will. I left her to watch over things because I was worried about the child in her belly… but thanks to that, a young life was saved. I’ll have to praise her thoroughly later.
However… this is quite a problem.
Out of the roughly thirty thousand war slaves in Baden, a little over ten thousand are directly under Max’s command, a mix of imperial citizens and those from the principality. We gathered female mages here and deliberately paired them with young men we thought they’d be interested in, hoping to gradually foster feelings between them through daily work and eventually form couples. We even spent quite a bit of money on matchmaking events and lured in cafes perfect for dates from other towns.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to have these female mages settle in Baden by starting families. In the past six months alone, several dozen couples have formed, and the Supreme God’s church has been so busy handling weddings that they’re practically coming in every weekend. It looked like the plan Max and I devised was progressing smoothly… until this incident happened.
But now, with an imperial woman seriously injuring a young man from the principality, our plan will be severely set back. The friendly relations we carefully cultivated through casual mixers and parties will crumble in the face of life-threatening danger. The people from the principality will be reminded of their long-standing resentment toward the empire for treating them like a semi-dependent state, and the imperials will grow increasingly frustrated with the rebellious principality folk.
What lies at the peak of this mutual resentment is a systematic conflict between the imperials and the people of the principality. If even a small part of that happens, the disturbance will spread quickly among the war prisoners. If nearly thirty thousand of them start fighting in earnest, not even Gretel’s unmatched power will be able to contain it. If it comes to that, we’ll have to request the national army’s intervention from the royal capital. Of course, they’d be able to quell the conflict, but the Baden territory’s “Magic Forest” development project, which relies on the labor of the prisoners while respecting their rights, would be branded a total failure.
It can’t be helped if we’re criticized for that, but there’s no way I can take full responsibility as the lord. My spouse, Beato, who is nominally the master of the slaves, will surely face intense criticism from the nobles… and Clara’s faction will likely take this opportunity to make a comeback.
“Lutz’s concerns are valid. We’ve strengthened surveillance of the ‘Group of Six’ to keep them in check…”
“Yes, but we need to get to the root of this and find out why the woman did what she did.”
“Right. I happen to know the woman involved, and she didn’t seem like someone capable of such a thing. But from what I’ve heard from those around her, she’s been acting strange for the past two weeks.”
“Perhaps we should have the Dark Clan investigate.”
At that moment, a calm, measured voice echoed, as if waiting for the right time.
“Yes, we are already in action. Here’s the report.”
Of course, the one kneeling behind me, despite her visibly swollen belly, is Ayaka, who now oversees the Dark Clan headquarters in Baden in place of the clan leader in the royal capital.
“So, did you find out anything?”
“The woman was driven mad by drugs.”
“Drugs, you say?”
“Yes, but not a natural herbal medicine. It was a concoction altered with metallic magical power… It sharpens the senses. It’s often given to male soldiers to help them fight through the night.”
Ayaka hesitated, her tone uneasy. Ah, I get it. This reminds me of something similar from my previous world.
“Is this something used during… procreation?”
“Lutz-sama, you are well-informed. Yes, it is said to be used not for reproduction, but for heightened pleasure. However, the drug doesn’t only have beneficial effects…”
“It’s addictive, right? Once you take it, you can’t live without it?”
“Exactly.”
Wow, this is almost identical to something from my previous life.
“But who would bring something like that to such a remote place? An adventurer, maybe?”
“No. I’m afraid I must say this with great reluctance…”
“Go ahead, tell me.”
“It seems to be… from your brothers, Lutz-sama.”
“What?! It’s them?”