My name was Sil. I was a happy beastman, blessed with many wives.
I wasn’t lying to myself, I promised. I really was happy. There was absolutely no need for anyone to worry about me. Was I dissatisfied? Not at all. Truly, I had no complaints. I appreciated the concern, but I was fine.
If I had to name one thing, though, it would be the sleep deprivation. Yes, I was quite tired. I preferred not to be asked why. Compared to the Village Head, I still had a long way to go, but I told myself I would do my best again today.
I took my seat in the office of my mansion. This was my place of business. The estate was located near the Royal Castle and had originally belonged to the noble who ruled this region. In other words, it was a former lord’s mansion. It was massive and incredibly spacious. I had heard that even Uncle Demon King had lived here before the Royal Castle was completed.
I had wondered if it was truly acceptable for someone like me to live in such a grand place, but the previous owner had been the House of Leg—the family of my wife, Hou. The dignitaries of the House of Leg had appeared en masse, and I had eventually buckled under the immense pressure of their "request" to accept the deed. I had tried to argue for a simple lease, but in the end, the mansion became mine. It was a moment that made me realize how immature I still was.
Still, with so many wives, a large mansion was a necessity. There were also the maids, butlers, escorts, officials, merchants, and even assassins that my wives had brought along with them. I decided not to worry about the finer details. Having an abundance of talented personnel was a good thing, after all.
"My Lord, here is the paperwork for today."
The elderly man who had emerged victorious from a power struggle between the various butlers and became the Head Butler placed several sheets of paper before me. Normally, there would have been hundreds of times more work than this, but the civil officials my wives had brought along vetted and processed the bulk of it in advance. My personal workload had been reduced to just these few pages.
However, I couldn't afford to underestimate them. If the officials couldn't make a decision, it meant the content was significant. I braced myself and began to read.
Every single sheet was a consultation from my wives' parents regarding names for their future grandchildren. They were certainly getting ahead of themselves.
I shook off the distraction and looked for more pressing matters. Was there really no other work? Nothing? That seemed impossible. I asked about the request from Tiselle. Apparently, the staff my wives brought had already handled it. They were in the middle of capturing dangerous spies and extracting information.
I made sure to specify that they weren't to use "painful" methods. The Head Butler assured me they were only using delicious food. The first meal was a courtesy; any subsequent helpings were exchanged for useful information. I wondered if that truly worked, but if it did, I suppose it was fine. I also asked to be kept in the loop regarding the intelligence they gathered. They were currently summarizing it, and I was told I would hear the details during lunch.
With nothing left to do, the Head Butler suggested I take a nap to make up for my lack of sleep. I decided to take him up on the offer.
At noon, I ate lunch with my wives in the mansion’s dining hall. Since they all had their own duties, they operated on a rotation system. Today was Robia’s turn. As it turned out, she was the one who had summarized the spy reports.
"I believe we have eliminated most of the spies with dangerous ideologies," Robia reported. "The others… rather than being true spies, they seem to be trying to establish a rapport with the Demon Kingdom. Naturally, we are capturing anyone who resorts to unscrupulous methods."
"I see," I replied.
"A few countries have already succeeded in building a foundation for a relationship, and their representatives are currently en route. The details are in this report."
She handed me a list that was long enough to justify the paperwork. At a glance, there were about seven nations. When I noted that they were all small countries, Robia explained that it was likely a matter of spy quality.
"The major powers are paralyzed by their own internal constraints. The Prince of the Gorunzen Kingdom came here recently, but that was almost entirely of his own volition."
Furthermore, that Gorunzen Kingdom had already collapsed and been replaced by another nation.
"Speaking of which," Robia added, "there are rumors that the fall of the Gorunzen Kingdom was the work of the Demon Kingdom."
"What? Really?"
"The story is that the Prince asked the Demon Kingdom to lend him military strength."
That was absurd. There was no way to transport a military force from the Demon Kingdom to the Gorunzen Kingdom. It was logically impossible. People might think of Teleportation Gates, but they weren't convenient tools that could be placed anywhere. If we could use them for an invasion, the human kingdoms would have crumbled long ago. I suppose someone who didn't understand the limitations of the gates might believe such a tale.
"We have disclosed the information about the Teleportation Gates to every nation," Robia noted.
So they knew the limitations but refused to believe them?
"Not every king shares the full truth with their subjects. If people only hear about the existence of Teleportation Gates, the common folk will assume the Demon Kingdom can appear anywhere at any time."
I understood then. They were weaponizing that anxiety to fuel hatred toward the Demon Kingdom.
"That is the situation in the various royal capitals. However, the provinces don't seem to be following that trend as closely."
The fact that public sentiment wasn't unified was good news for our side.
"I believe that is the result of Count Chrome’s efforts," Robia said.
Uncle Beezel was certainly working hard.
"Returning to the topic of spies," Robia continued, "there is one caravan that concerns me."
"A caravan?"
"Yes. A group led by a merchant named Joro. They are fairly large, but their movements suddenly ceased once they reached Shashato City. They weren't on the spy list provided by Village Five, so I haven't prioritized them, but they’ve piqued my curiosity."
The name Joro sounded familiar. I searched my memory and eventually found it. "Joro’s Caravan is fine. Miyo-san in Shashato City checked them out. They’re just ordinary traveling merchants."
"Was that so?"
"The reason they stopped moving is likely because the members started finding work in Shashato City and Village Five."
"In other words, they were lured in by Maruura and Ramen Street?"
"Probably. Some of them even made contact with Uncle Demon King, but since they didn't take any hostile action, they aren't assassins. They were just enjoying a game of baseball."
"Understood. Then I will proceed with the assumption that Joro’s Caravan is not a problem."
I told Robia that, but in truth, I also found Joro’s Caravan suspicious. The speed with which they had approached Uncle Demon King was strange, and the fact that a "cleared" message had come from Miyo-san was also peculiar.
However, my current assignment was to verify and capture the spies specifically listed in the reports. Those not on the list were technically outside my jurisdiction. If the higher-ups wanted the spies wiped out entirely, they would have given that order, but they hadn't. That suggested Joro’s Caravan was already involved in a matter concerning the Village Head or Lady Tiselle.
At least, that was my theory. Unfortunately, Gol and Bron weren't around for me to consult. I hadn't told my wives everything about the Village Head or Lady Tiselle yet. I had intended to reveal everything once I could take them to the Village of the Great Tree, but we were waiting to coordinate the trip with Gol's and Bron's wives, and the timing hadn't worked out yet. While I could talk to Hou, doing so would make the other wives jealous. Besides, Hou was busy managing the Demon Kingdom’s financial affairs. I couldn't burden her with my suspicions.
Regardless, if they caused trouble in Shashato, Miyo-san wouldn't let it slide, and Village Five was protected by Yoko-san and Prada-san. Whether my guess was right or wrong, it likely wouldn't matter in the end.
With lunch finished, I decided to get back to work. I saw Robia off and returned to my office. I asked the Head Butler about the rest of my schedule.
"After lunch, you have baseball practice in the garden," he informed me. "The members of the household who wish to join are already preparing."
"……"
"I will have a bath ready so you can wash up afterward. Please do your best."
"I will, but… can I ask you something? You’re making sure I don't leave the mansion, aren't you? Why is that? I mean, it’s obvious—I haven't set foot outside the estate grounds in ages."
"Ah… strictly speaking to myself here," the butler whispered, "but the wives have expressed a desire for the current members of the household to conceive before any further additions are made to the family."
"Before any more…?"
"Before you find any more wives."
While I didn't appreciate the implication that I picked up a new wife every time I stepped outside, I wasn't entirely without a guilty conscience, so I chose not to argue.
"Alright, let's get to practice," I said.
Uncle Demon King had mentioned wanting to spread baseball everywhere. At the very least, the practice wouldn't go to waste.