“A new festival?” “Indeed. I hope you’ll help me with this.” It was late spring when the baron approached me, scratching his head that had gone completely white after giving up on dyeing it. “You want to add another one?” “There aren’t many festivals in Polka yet, are there?” “Oh right, yeah. New Year’s Festival and Spring Festival and Harvest Festival, I guess.” I counted them off on my fingers. Then if you include Breakcore’s Divine Beast Festival, Celesta’s two seasonal Spirit Festivals, Lapar’s Tidal Festival, the Founding Day of the Capital City, Renfangas’ Heroic Festival, Karlwin’s “Day of the Dragon,” and Grangis’ Liberation Festival, I’m practically preparing for a festival every month. And then there are those weirdly timed festivals from the Elven Spirit Temples that follow their own 100,000-day calendar, which throw off my schedule and get me in trouble with Tetes. It was all so overwhelming that it felt like I spent most of my time preparing for one festival or another.
“I understand you’re busy, but if you give the word, even the elves will move and it would be good for communication with the Celestas through Lady Diarne.”
“Yeah. I get that much, but what kind of festival is this?”
“It’s an art festival.”
”…An a-art festival?”
“Aye. I want to make sure it succeeds.”
Currently in Polka, Gloria-san and Lanz are forming an artists’ circle. Ever since Gort got married and settled down as a family man, it had been years since Lanz became Gloria-san’s disciple. Thanks to his good mentorship, along with his natural concentration and understanding of the female body, he now energetically produces original erotic scrolls that rival those of professionals. Seeing this, young men from Granze who used to live in Karlwin have started aspiring to become painters as well, while even Diarne-san’s brother, the acrobatic sculptor Frio, and other artists from the northern forest naturally gathered together. As a result, artistic works were multiplying across several neighborhoods. The baron who had been Lanz’s patron since he began drawing supported him by gradually building galleries to house these artworks. But given Gloria-san and Lanz’s penchant for it, most of their collections consisted of nude paintings. It wasn’t something they could widely promote.
However, he thought that it might not be a bad idea to boldly advertise their works alongside the other sculptures and spread the word about how wonderful they were… He seemed to have felt the times had changed as traditions became lighter in diverse cultures. Indeed, it was somewhat of a waste for only some enthusiasts to enjoy them. The area where the atelier is located truly feels like another world with all the sculptures and murals lined up; one wouldn’t think that amateurs from the countryside were doing this out of hobby. The gallery is even more impressive, as what’s currently displayed there are just paintings by Gloria and her disciples hung up casually without any price tags, which is unbelievable. Since Gloria had become my female slave, she no longer worried about making a living and lacked vanity; thus, drawing when I or Rants, the baron, Grandpa Harry, etc., would be delighted was enough motivation for her to continue painting at a leisurely pace. She seemed happy having children and disciples from Grangie and the Northern Forest gather around her, but it wasn’t good enough for the Baron. “So there will apparently be an art festival in autumn,” he said. “I want to help make it successful.” At night, I returned to the Vape Palace and spoke with the girls gathered in the dining hall about this plan. Among those present were female slaves wearing collars, dragons, catgirls who came just for fun, prostitutes from Cosmo Books, and women elves from the Northern Forest. In the palace, it was mainly a rule allowing nudity for blue dragons and some female slaves who had developed exhibitionist tendencies; however, half of the girls there were basically naked all day long, except for those unfamiliar with being nude (like the elven women) or frequently going in and out. “So what do we do? Stand next to paintings as models?”
“Actually, while that would be effective in a way, I was thinking of something else.” Cosmos said boldly as she fed the two girls. In fact, there were quite a few drawings Lanz had made using Cosmos, Hilda, and Rila as models.
However, that wouldn’t really work for the festival’s purpose. It might excite people to see them but it’s not what I’m looking for. “There are plenty of kids here at the palace. How about we hold a contest for amateurs?” “Doesn’t the city do something like this?” “They do, but apparently no one shows up.” Art supplies such as canvases and paints aren’t easy to get your hands on spontaneously. For truly amateur families, it’s quite difficult to start painting.
But inside the palace, these tools are readily available and can be shared easily. It’s also simple to use dragons to bring them from the city. Besides paintings, we could do sculptures too; I or Jeanne could provide the necessary tools for that. “Gloria said she’d give lessons to beginners, so anyone interested should try it out.” “Is there a prize?”
Oregano raised her hand to ask a question. Laurel and her daughter were also there, of course, naked. “What should the prize be… hmm, I wonder.” She scratched her head for a moment before continuing: ”…Here’s a consolation prize: one Andy Coin. Everyone gets one.” She flicked it with her finger. It was a reward ticket modeled after Cosmos Corporation’s “Isabel Coins.” Using them would allow you to request a handmade gift from me or have the dragon take you wherever you wanted. …At first, there hadn’t been an option for having the dragon transport someone. Emma had suggested and implemented this idea in order to reduce my workload. The usage rate wasn’t very high but it happened occasionally. Nalis used it the most often. A “gift” could be a few hours of dating as well. While dates usually ended up turning into sex, if I were aimlessly wandering around, everyone would gather together and end up playing in groups anyway. So being able to openly request one-on-one sex was now quite rare. I wasn’t sure the coin made non-slave girls very happy, but it was extremely popular because even the prostitute group girls could cum wildly when I focused on them.
After working hard every night for over a decade with Hilda, Cosmos, Gloria and the others, my skills have improved. They’ve really improved. “So if I win… what would be good? Anyway, I’ll make something special.” I made a grand declaration of fluffiness and thought that maybe it would get them fired up, but the girls were already going wild with excitement. Do they think so highly of me as a craftsman? …That’s what I thought until… “…If I win… can we do serious baby-making?” Maya asked timidly. Of course she was naked. “I’ll consider it, but you guys usually do that anyway, right?” “Not just two or three times and then stop. We should keep going until I’m pregnant, like dozens of times.” “…Sure.”
The kids were there, so I tried to add that we shouldn’t talk about such things, but the conversation was already in full swing. …Is this what everyone wants? Well, yeah, since it’s Polka, even if they get a little rough, they’ll be fine right away. Usually only children under four or five years old live with me at Palais. If they’re older than that, they move out to live elsewhere. There are also kids like Jeanne and Seren who live in the Smison household, but most of the female slaves now have their own homes. They mostly live with their mothers’ families. As for children who aren’t female slaves… well, they usually go back to their hometowns to be raised. Most kids who do dirty things without becoming a slave can’t bring themselves to completely cut ties with their hometown. By the way, there are also some of Cosmos Corporation’s prostitute’s children here. A few of them casually gave birth to my baby. In fact, they all went back to Talur and gave birth without contacting me at all, so I accidentally touched one of the oldest kids (who was Felicia, a white fox girl). She just told me after the battle. Also, if young girls come seducing me, I make sure that they’re not my own child. “I only want to do naughty things with my daughter once.” “If it’s not forced, isn’t that okay?”
“I think Selen should be the one to get mad about this kind of stuff!?” “If someone forces me into sex, I’ll definitely hate it, but if my dad is the one who gets turned on and then rejected by him, that would make me suppress my own instincts and end up messed up too.” ”…Uh” “I think what’s most important is the happiness of children.” Selen was washing dishes while laughing in her usual laid-back manner. Hmm. So Selen isn’t against me having sex with a child per se; she’s worried about whether it will hurt them emotionally. She just takes it for granted that I have sex with others, and since she grew up being ostracized by society as a half-elf, she doesn’t care at all about social stigma. And the problems caused by mixing blood… well, Aelina always says something like “a little bit won’t matter much; magic can fix it. But if you do it for decades, that’s another story.” No wait, no no. Still, though.
“I won’t allow Peter to attack his mother or any other female slave, no matter how much he wants it.”
“That’s understandable. The children are one thing, but the female slaves belong only to Andy.”
“You’re okay with your daughter getting involved with her father, yet you can’t accept that…?”
“I think Andy should realize more clearly that he’s a special case. He can make any number of women happy. Only those who accept this get close to him. But unfortunately, Peter isn’t one of them. …That’s right. I believe Andy could even make his own daughter happy if she were just another woman.”
”…Sometimes,”
“Huh?”
“I’m reminded that you have some pretty messed-up thoughts.”
“Is that so? I’m just a realist~”
What is a realist, anyway? He felt like philosophizing for a moment.
Among the children, Peter was obviously recognized as my son first.
But being half-dwarf, he was growing a little slower. Even though he should be slightly older than Elenia who recently started to grow out of her childish looks and become more slender, he still looked like he hadn’t quite reached ten years old yet. Dwarves in general didn’t grow very tall; they often found themselves with facial hair before they realized it and gradually developed overly muscular bodies while retaining their childlike figures. But Peter had not yet shown any of these characteristics that would detract from his childish appearance. However, for a ten-year-old, he did have an unusually deep and rough voice—almost like he was already going through puberty. “Hey dad, can I enter the Vape competition too?” “You can, but… Can you even draw?” “I don’t really draw much, but I can make pretty good dolls.” Peter looked a little proud as he brought out one of his handmade dolls from his room. It was a knight doll made of lead… Oh yeah, I remember making this with my dad. “I’ve already made twenty of them. Grandpa said they’re ready to be sold.”
“Stop calling Mr. Jackie ‘Gramps,’ it’s confusing for me.”
Usually, Peter is taken care of by Mr. Jackie. He’s over fifty but still a solid blacksmith in his prime. Since Sara got married and left, he seems lonely lately and has been extra kind to Peter.
“But saying this will make it sellable is a bit too much praise. You’re sloppy with the details. You need to be more careful about your work, Peter.”
“Cheh, Dad always finds fault with everything.”
“You have good taste, but I’m telling you not to cut corners. If you try to get away with this in the competition, people will laugh at you.”
“Yes, yes… so if I win an award, can I get more pocket money?”
“What are you going to spend all that money on?”
“W-well… it’s okay, right? Whatever I want!”
Peter looks a little embarrassed as he stammers. Hmph, did he think he could fool his father’s eyes?
There’s not much for kids to spend money on around here. He probably bought something from a traveling merchant and plans to give it as a gift to his girlfriend.
“I’ll enter if I can. Even though everyone is an amateur, there are elves and dragons participating too, so it won’t be easy.”
“Hmph. I don’t feel like losing to anyone but my mom.”
I’m slightly worried about my overly confident son. Has he been pampered too much?
By the way, it turns out that his request for more pocket money was because Cosmos-san’s prostitute had rejected him when he tried to sneak a touch while she was flashing her naked body in Palace and said, “If you want to do naughty things with us, bring some money!”
And then, about one week later. The girls from the palace started coming out to draw pictures and other activities, making this town feel more artistic than ever before.
“It’s a great opportunity. Porca is a good city, but it lacked cultural refinement.”
Christie squints her eyes at the art boom that has taken hold of both the townspeople and the crossbowmen stationed here. Now that she thinks about it, despite everyone looking healthy and beautiful because of the spirit spring, the town did lack some design flair.
…Part of it was also because Gloria, the top artist around here, only drew pornographic pictures. And among them was Eleana seriously painting a forest scene. “…Eh, Eleana? You’re getting more pocket money too, right?” “Pocket money? There’s no use for that around here. Plus, did Peter or Claudio start saying such things?” Claudio is Hildegard’s child and he’s about the same height as Peter now. While Peter is mischievous, Claudio is a bit shy and clings to his mother. He’s been raised with all of Hildegard’s maternal affection. “…Don’t you want any rewards or anything?” “…I do, but I’ll ask for it if I win.” Eleana said that while drawing with her face in a pout. …She looks so cute even when she has that pouting expression, thought the kid-loving me.
And after watching Elenia like that for a while, I felt satisfied and thought maybe it wasn’t my place to voice my crude concerns. Maybe the fact that Elenia came over to Palace naked and kept trying to touch me was just because she had no shame due to her environment, and perhaps she really wanted to be filial or seek comfort from me as a daughter. Yeah, that must be it. It’s probably just a coincidence that my mother Seren is so relaxed about incest.
And then there was the art festival. People came from Grange, the north, Celesta, and Renfangas in large numbers, and they enjoyed paintings and sculptures placed throughout town. …The actual works of Gloria & Rants were only put out to a tenth or so, but because their quality was outstanding, they definitely captured people’s hearts and attracted many buyers, making it a substantial success. And then there was the main competition at Baronial Manor. The best prize selected by the judges… was Mya’s “Scale Statue.” She had collected broken dragon scales and made a miniature dragon statue out of them. Some thought this was too unfair due to the material difference, but since it wasn’t prohibited, they decided not to exclude her from winning.
And while gold and silver were won by others, Elenia’s “Single Pine in the Forest” barely made it into third place.
“So.” “Ah… Well, Eren? If possible…” “You won the contest and you’re not going to listen to my request?” In a corner of the bath area in the Palace at night. Sure enough, I’ve been pinned down by Elenna. “…You see? Papa would like to grant your wish if possible. But…” “You won’t listen.” “…………” “I hate it.” “Guh… Well, Eren, I’m not refusing just because I don’t want to hear you out; it’s that I think it’s too early for you.”
“Then how old should I be!?” “No, really, just wait a little longer, Ele. Okay?” The girls in Palas all looked at them with a kind of sweet smile.
…He begged and pleaded until they finally gave him a break today. H-he didn’t want to get on her bad side. If Ele hated him, he would die. …It might not last long.