In a grand room of the largest and most extravagant palace in this world, an old man sat comfortably in his throne, facing his primary advisor. This man was none other than Emperor Gredor, ruler of the Donnadan Empire. There was a profound weariness in his eyes, and a lock of his long white hair had fallen across his face. Nonetheless, his authoritative presence was as imposing as ever, pressing down on those before him. Turning to his Army advisor with his deep, rumbling voice, he asked,
"So, what's the latest situation in the north?"
The Army advisor adopted a pleased expression at this question. "It appears that the largest monster armies have already been dispersed. Your daughter, the Red Princess Allea, truly lived up to her title, staining every river and lake in the monster region with the blood of her enemies. In doing so, she once again proved her abilities. Additionally, both our high-ranking generals and a young man highly praised by your daughter and hailed as a hero among the people swept across the battlefield like a storm. Currently, the northwestern front is facing some difficulty, but I'm confident we'll soon receive word of victory there as well. Aside from a few incidents worth reporting, we are on the verge of winning this war with an unprecedented success in history," the advisor said, taking a glass of water from the table and drinking it gracefully, as befitted noble etiquette.
Throughout his reign, Emperor Gredor had prepared for the monster invasion, and now, seeing the fruits of his efforts, a rare smile spread across his face. Monster invasions were unpredictable, but devastating when they occurred, and humanity had suffered greatly from them throughout history. Yet, for the first time, a decisive victory of this scale had been achieved against the monster hordes. In past invasions, entire kingdoms, and even empires, had been wiped from history pages. Such was the monstrous power they faced.
But humanity had, for the first time, triumphed overwhelmingly, and this success had taken place during Emperor Gredor's reign. Of course, the Donnadan Empire was not the only state fighting against the monster invasions; many other kingdoms had sent their armies as well. Yet, without a doubt, the greatest credit for this victory belonged to the empire's sacred army.
This would undoubtedly grant immense prestige and authority over the nations across the two human continents. At last, the Empire might have a chance to expand beyond the continent itself! This It was a dream that the emperor Gredor wanted so badly that it even made his penis hard with excitement. But then, as his mind turned back to reality, his enthusiasm dimmed. He had no male heir—or rather; he had lost them all. He had many daughters, but only one of them stood out, and he intended to leave the throne to her. Recently, a daughter born of a slave had also caught his attention, but she was far from Allea's caliber and would likely never be accepted as a successor.
Naturally, Princess Allea seemed the most likely future heir to the throne... but there was a problem: her fiancé and soon-to-be husband, Neonidas, was a useless, cowardly fool, literally a piece of shit. This made Gredor hesitant about leaving the throne to Allea. Nonetheless, he was somewhat reassured by the thought that Allea would likely dominate him and effectively rule in his place. After all, Emperor Gredor was getting old, and the future of the empire was a pressing matter.
If it weren't for that useless sack of filth, Neonidas, there would be no problem! Yet, Gredor had made a promise, and the Great Emperor Gredor never broke his word. Neonidas's father, the late Duke Leonardo, had been a close friend of his. In fact, it was Duke Leonardo who had played a pivotal role in Gredor's ascent to the throne. When Gredor wished to repay his greatest supporter after securing the throne, he told his old friend, "Wish me whatever you wish" At first, Duke Leonardo had asked for nothing, but when Gredor insisted, he requested to betroth his son to Allea.
Duke Leonardo had a keen eye, and he'd foreseen that Allea would accomplish great things even as a child. Also, Neonidas and Allea had been close friends, so he'd thought this marriage would be ideal. Gredor had promised without hesitation that his daughter would marry Neonidas. But as the years passed, Duke Leonardo had met an untimely death.
By the time his son Neonidas, then eighteen, took his father's place, rumors about him had spread throughout the empire. People noticed that Neonidas was an utter failure, displaying only a fraction of his father's intelligence. Still, many hoped things would change once he assumed his title. After all, the late Duke Leonardo had also been a notorious womanizer and drunkard in his youth but had seemingly transformed upon taking his seat as duke, quickly gaining achievements and strengthening his duchy.
But that transformation never came, and Neonidas ran his duchy into the ground. Only with the empire's assistance did his domain manage to survive. Also, despite all this, Neonidas and Allea were not as close as they had once been as children. In fact, Allea despised that worthless sack of excrement. She had asked Emperor Gredor multiple times for permission to break the engagement, but he had refused.
"Hah… what am I to do?" thought the emperor, though suddenly, he recalled something, a faint glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.
"Tell me, what has Neonidas done recently with the loan we provided him?" he asked, addressing his economic advisor, who had been standing silently in the corner.
The economic advisor looked surprised at this sudden attention, especially considering the inquiry concerned such an insignificant scoundrel as Neonidas. Still, he answered without betraying his displeasure.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, Duke Neonidas hasn't done anything noteworthy… or, well, perhaps he has, but…"
"But what? Just tell me, you fucking bastard! What did Neonidas do with that money?" Gredor demanded impatiently.
Economic advisor trembled with fear "I apologize, Your Majesty. I did not mean to irritate you. As for what Neonidas did with the loan… it appears his first action was to send an expedition to a mountain, looking for a mine. But no valuable resources have ever been found in that area. The next thing he did, strangely enough, was to purchase several master blacksmiths and set up forges, despite the big war nearing its end. And lastly, with the remainder of the funds, he started a new brand of brothels throughout the duchy. Forgive me for my bluntness, Your Majesty, but I'm at a loss for how to discuss this without calling it what it is."
Emperor Gredor let out a deep sigh at what he had just heard. The fact that Neonidas had engaged in such absurd ventures only deepened the disappointment he already felt. The reconnaissance team sent to the mountains and the investment in blacksmiths seemed neither strategically nor logically beneficial for the empire. And the brothels opened with borrowed money were a disgrace that tarnished both the empire's and the duchy's reputation.
After the economic advisor finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the room. Gredor furrowed his brows with his usual authoritative expression. Though the desperation was evident in his eyes, as emperor, he was compelled to always appear strong.
"Neonidas…" he murmured thoughtfully. Then he turned to his advisors. "Perhaps we should give him one last chance. If he truly deserves the title of duke, he'll prove himself, under the most difficult circumstances. But if he doesn't… I'll leave him to face his fate alone."
Before standing, the emperor thought sadly of his old friend, "Don't worry, brother. Even if your son is a worthless waste, I'll help him as much as I can. Because I know you would have done the same—probably more—if you were in my place."
••••
"You goddamn emperor… You're probably thinking about how incompetent I am and how bad I am for Allea, aren't you? Don't worry; I never wanted your crazy daughter, anyway. Ahh, I just want to live—no, I want to live peacefully. Just to look out over the endless ocean and… well, to keep… um, pleasuring myself endlessly. Mhmm, isn't that a nice dream?" Neonidas mused to himself.
He then stepped out of the luxurious carriage and began walking toward a nearby slave market. Yes, as one might expect, he was here to acquire someone who, despite possessing incredible power and enormous potential, had endured a tragic, bitter, and worthless childhood that had led to slavery. Incidentally, this slave would later become part of the main character harem in the story. Interestingly, he was also a masochist—or, to be more specific, someone who took pleasure in pain—and, as if that wasn't enough, he preferred a passive role in bed. Overlooking these quirks, he had the potential to become a remarkably powerful mage, and now Neonidas entered the slave market with determination to purchase him...