Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 386

After breakfast, Prim, Mana, Meena, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Aria, Mako, Apricot, and I boarded a Tenju Manufacturing Beast Carriage and transferred to Ovest, the capital of the Vald Beast Duchy.

I find this prospect rather daunting, but it was brought up at the coronation ceremony, and considering the future of Vald, I have no choice but to accept it.

“Even though you say that, you’re a Foxy, just like Prim and Lady Apricot, a beautiful and bewitching woman with fox ears. There’s no real reason you’d dislike it, is there?”
“…Please don’t read my mind.”

As Mako said, I don’t dislike Emperor Neige.
Emperor Neige is Prim’s cousin and Lady Apricot’s niece, so she strongly resembles them in appearance.
If she hadn’t been introduced as a cousin, I would have thought she was Prim’s older sister.
The thought of having children with Emperor Neige myself is something I would gladly welcome.
However, the reality is that I am already involved with 18 women, and all of them sometimes come to my bedroom, so it’s true that my physical stamina and energy are strained.

“Rumor has it that you handle at most about ten at a time.”
“And single mothers don’t always stay with their husbands, so you’re lucky if you see them a few times a year. Aren’t there scoundrels who never see you again after just one encounter?”

I’ve heard those stories before.
There’s no limit to the number of wives, but since the Father God’s wives are said to be twelve goddesses, there’s a custom that limits the number of wives to twelve.
By using that custom as a shield, I can apparently prevent my wife count from increasing further.
Instead, the number of concubines would increase, but for me, wives and concubines are the same. In that case, Alka would have to live with me.
I have no intention of carelessly increasing their numbers, and I have my limits, so honestly, I’d prefer not to have any more.

“Including Emperor Neige, that’s 19 people. Why not just make it 20?”
“It’s a nice, round number, so that would be better.”

Despite that, Lydia and Prim are saying they want to add one more person.
Even adding just one more person is a tremendous undertaking, ladies?

Along the way, for some reason, the upper limit for concubines was decided, and by the time we finished discussing it, we had arrived at the Vald Beast Duke’s mansion.

The Vald Beast Duchy consists of the baronial territory west of old Valentia, the area around the Gagun Great Forest, and the former Hydransia Duke’s Territory.
Unusual for the Valentia region, it has few forests and several mines instead, making mining its primary industry.
While there’s enough lumber for domestic consumption, farmland is scarce, so food is largely imported.
The capital, Ovest, also has a port, making it a prosperous trading city.
Furthermore, with the addition of the Gagun Great Forest to its territory, monster materials from Fusang Trees and the Gagun Labyrinth have begun to become specialty products.

“Welcome, I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Long time no see, Sister Neige.”

When we were shown into the reception room, Emperor Neige was waiting there.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Yamato. I want my child with you to be the next Vald Beast Duke. Is that alright with you?”

As we sat down and were served tea, Emperor Neige directly stated her request.

“Um, are you sure I’m okay?”
“Of course. More importantly, there is no man better than you, Yamato.”

I feel like I’m being greatly overvalued.
Surely there are plenty of men better than me if one looks for them.

“Incidentally, I have also obtained Emperor Reinhardt’s approval.”

Aren’t they moving rather quickly?
However, in cases like this, Emperor Reinhardt is usually the first one to be excluded from consideration.

As Emperor Reinhardt has ascended to the throne as Celestial Emperor, his children naturally inherit the right to succession.
Even if the children themselves have no interest, those around them might instigate them or act on their own.
That’s why, not just Emperor Reinhardt, but past males of the Amister Royal Family have never had concubines.
Furthermore, they seem to have had at most about five wives, so there haven’t been many children with the right to succession, leading to constant succession issues.

Perhaps due to this, Amister, who desires competent subordinates, apparently doesn’t hesitate to introduce suitable partners, regardless of whether they are royalty or nobles.
Emperor Reinhardt’s approval means that there will be no problem even if my child inherits the Vald Beast Duke title.
Speaking of which, Dart, the sub-Order’s Master of Memoria, also mentioned recently that he was introduced to a Hunter woman.

“Ah, well, I have nine wives and three fiancées, so I cannot marry according to custom. Is that still acceptable to you?”

I already know the answer, but I can’t help but ask.

“Of course. It’s not my style to butt in from the side. Besides, with Prim here, marriage would only cause problems.”

The answer I expected, thank you.
It’s not uncommon for sisters to marry the same man, but in such cases, the older sister takes precedence in the wife hierarchy.
The hierarchy is merely nominal, but it can be necessary for external appearances, and it seems that wives other than the first wife have their positions changed accordingly.
This applies even to cousins, but in Prim’s and Emperor Neige’s case, it becomes problematic.
Prim is my first wife, so she has the highest status among my wives.
However, since Emperor Neige is Prim’s cousin, the question arises whether she should be treated higher than Prim. And what about Mana and Yuri, who have become viscounts like myself, and Queen Hilde of Torencia, who is superior to Vald?
Therefore, Emperor Neige apparently has no intention of taking on unnecessary complications and does not wish to marry me either.

“Ah, I understand. However, I would like to be involved in raising the children, so I would like to have Gate Stones installed in my private room here and in the Vald Castle.”
“Prim told me, are you sure? You haven’t installed them in other duchies, have you?”
“I have no plans to install them anywhere else. Torencia will also have them removed once Hilde abdicates.”

Amister is the central country, so it’s an exception, and there’s also the guest Sayuri.
Besides, the reason for installing them in Vald is not only to be involved in raising the children but also because, even though we are not marrying, I recognize her as a wife, and I want her to feel welcome to visit anytime.

“Is that so? Thank you. I’ll accept your offer.”

Her appearance resembles Prim’s, but her gentle demeanor is exactly like Lady Apricot’s.
I was momentarily flustered.

The business was concluded in less than ten minutes, but it’s impossible to return now.
Well, I brought the Gate Stones, so I have to install them in Emperor Neige’s private room, so it will take a bit longer.

“Your Majesty, how is the Gagun Labyrinth?”
“It’s hard to say. The number of Hunters entering is increasing, but most of them are from Amister or Valentia, so it’s difficult to say that they are truly delving into it.”

Even though it has become one of the primary industries, monster materials from the Gagun Labyrinth are not readily available.
The reason for this is the small number of Hunters entering it.

Until a few months ago, there was a civil war, and high-level Hunters were favored in old Valentia.
The reason was that they were considered a fighting force, but this also led to a worsening of public order.
While most Hunters were well-mannered, some were overbearing, and even outlaw gangs appeared.
When warned, they would threaten to side with the opposing party, and many indeed did.
However, now that the civil war has ended, Valentia has been divided and independent, and has joined the Federation Heavenly Empire, such individuals have been punished across the board.
Hunters who participated in the Anti-Beast King Organization not only had their licenses revoked but were also imprisoned or even executed.
The punished Hunters accounted for one-third of the Hunters registered in Valentia, which was a significant problem for the newly independent Beast Duchy.
Although there is the Beestar Guild as a defensive force, many high-level individuals, especially High Hunters, are capable of fighting a hundred opponents alone.
Moreover, many of the punished Hunters were around level 40, and there were quite a few High Hunters, so coupled with the fact that lawlessness was rampant to begin with, the number of Hunters entering the Gagun Labyrinth has further decreased.

“When we have some free time, perhaps we should try entering it?”
“That’s a good idea. The Gagun Labyrinth is said to reach the 19th floor, and there are Crawlers along the way. G-rank monsters also appear from around there, so there should be high demand.”

So there are Crawlers.
Crawler silk is in high demand as it can be made into fabric, but its supply is low in proportion to the demand.
They are said to inhabit the Haura Great Forest, but they are S-rank monsters, making them difficult for Normal Class Hunters to handle. It’s also said that their silk cannot be easily cut even by High Class Hunters, so they are rarely slain.
Nevertheless, silk is generally obtained from Crawlers inhabiting the Haura Great Forest.

The 19th floor of the Gagun Labyrinth is supposed to be an Undead floor, so they must inhabit some floor before that.
If alloy arms and armor become more widespread among Hunters, the number of Crawlers slain will increase, and demand can be met, couldn’t it?
In that case, wouldn’t silk become a specialty product of Vald?

“Silk as a specialty product? That’s appealing.”
“If that’s the case, perhaps I’ll enter the Gagun Labyrinth too.”
“That would be greatly appreciated, but are you sure?”

Emperor Neige is concerned whether we are willing to support Vald.
However, I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.

“I am ranked first in the Vald Beast Duke succession, so there is no problem with me doing so.”

Yes, with Prim, who holds the Vald Beast Duke succession rights, present, any issues can be resolved.
Besides, if silk becomes a specialty of Vald, it will be supplied to other countries.
Silk is a luxury item, so an increase in supply would be welcomed by nobles and others.

“No, the problem is that the Wing Crest is getting involved. If it were just Prim, it could be managed.”
“It’s alright. If Emperor Neige is going to have a child with Yamato, it’s no exaggeration to say she’ll be family. We don’t need a reason to help family, and we’ll be entering the labyrinth for our own convenience. It’s a Hunter’s freedom to enter any labyrinth they choose, so there’s no room for complaint.”

Mana forcefully pushed through Emperor Neige’s concerns using Hunter logic.
It feels a bit forced, but I agree with her.
Even though I have become a noble, I consider myself a Hunter, and where a Hunter operates is their freedom. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what a royal or even a national monarch says.
If they complain, we simply won’t visit their country.
It’s rude and an extreme view, but I think it’s acceptable to push through with this.

“That’s rather forceful.”
“It is to some extent. If it becomes an issue, the Hunter’s Guild won’t stay silent either.”

Although the law stipulates that even nobles must register with the Guild, few nobles register as Hunters.
However, it’s not uncommon to visit other noble territories for Guild activities, so if they were to complain about such things, they wouldn’t be able to conduct any activities at all.

“I see.”

Emperor Neige, with a wry smile, came to understand.

Afterward, we discussed the Gagun Labyrinth, the Gagun Great Forest, and the state of Vald, and installed the Gate Stone in His Majesty’s private room.
Apparently, Alka is coming tonight.
Even though I married Mako yesterday, I’m going to have another concubine the very next day…
Well, now that it’s happened, I’ll do my best.