“New festival?”
“Mm-hmm. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
Baron approached me with a proposal on an early summer evening, running a hand through his recently dyed-and-now-faded-to-white hair.
“Do you mean you’re expanding it again?”
“Well, not as much as Porca seems to think.”
“Ah, okay, I see. If we just count Porca’s events, there’s the New Year Festival, the Spring Festival, and the Harvest Festival—about that many, right?”
I counted them off on my fingers.
Then you add Breakcore’s Holy Beast Festival, Celesta’s twice-yearly Spirit Festivals, Rapal’s Tide Festival, the Capital’s Founding Day, Lenvangas’ Heroes’ Day, Carlwin’s “Dragon-Intertwining Day,” and Grunji’s Liberation Festival… personally speaking, it feels like almost every single month I’m constantly aware of festival preparations.
Plus, the Elven Spirit Temple operates on a unique calendar measured in units of 100,000 days, so sometimes weirdly timed festivals pop up out of nowhere and we get called on sudden notice. Thanks to that, my schedule gets thrown off all the time, and Tetes is always pissed at me for it.
Things’ve been like this—constantly swamped by festivals—that my sense of reality’s gotten warped.
“I understand it’s busy for you. As long as you give the word, the Elves will mobilize, and since Diane can serve as an intermediary, Celesta’s citizens should be easy to reach too.”
“Yeah, I get that part… but what kind of festival are we talking about?”
“An Art Festival.”
“H-huh? An-Art Festival?”
“Mm-hmm. I really want this to succeed.”
Currently, in Porca, an artists’ circle is forming around Gloria and Lanz. I can’t quite recall how many years ago it was when Lanz became a disciple of Gloria, now that Goat’s gone married and turned fully into a domestic husband. With such a good mentor, plus her innate concentration and deep understanding of the female form, she’s currently busily churning out original erotic scrolls that rival professional works. Seeing this kind of progress, young men from former Carlwin residents in Grunji who wished to become painters have started appearing; moreover, naturally, people like Julio—the aerialist sculptor, Diane’s older brother—and various craftsmen from the Northern Woods began gathering around them. Artworks have been proliferating rapidly in certain districts. Baron, who had supported Lanz from the very beginning as a patron by funding galleries to house these artworks… well, considering they’re Gloria and Lanz after all, most of their collection consists almost entirely of nude studies—not exactly something recommended for public display on a large scale. However, he apparently thought: wouldn’t it be good to boldly promote these alongside other sculptures, spreading word about the excellence of Lanz and others’ works? Feeling that times have shifted favorably toward a lighter approach to tradition amidst diverse cultures, he seemed to have reasoned it through. Indeed, confining such art to enthusiasts alone feels like a waste. The district with workshops truly resembles another world; sculptures and murals line the streets, and looking around, every scene offers something spectacular—not at all like some rural volunteers doing this merely for hobby. The gallery is even more impressive; honestly, it’s unbelievable that currently they don’t even put prices on anything, just hanging up works by Gloria and her disciples here and there without much care. Gloria, now fully my female slave, has no worries about livelihood anymore, so she lacks vanity too. Instead, motivated simply by the fact that painting brings great joy from me, Lanz, Baron, Grandpa Harry, and others, she continues to paint steadily at her own pace. She’s been blessed with children somewhat belatedly compared to the frequency expected, and disciples are gathering from Grunji and the Northern Woods too, all looking quite happy—but Baron apparently felt that wasn’t enough and decided something needed changing.
“So, let’s host a new Art Festival in autumn. Since we’re already pulling together resources anyway, I want us to help make it lively too.” Nightfall. Returning to “Vaper Palace,” I discussed this with the girls gathered in the dining hall. Among those present were some wearing collars marking them as female slaves, dragons, cat-beasts just visiting for fun, prostitutes from “Cosmos Storehouse,” and even Elven women from the Northern Woods. The rule within the Palace allowing free nudity mainly applied to Blood Dragons and certain female slaves whose exposure habits had awakened; aside from Elf women still unaccustomed to taking clothes off and those frequently moving in and out of the outside world, over half the girls were essentially naked all day long anyway.
“What are you planning? Model duty—♪ standing next to paintings?”
“No, well, that could work effectively in a way, but it’s not about that.”
While having two girls eat their meals, Cosmos speaks openly and boldly. In fact, Lanz has quite a number of paintings modeled after people like Cosmos herself, Hilda, Lyra, and others.
But while viewers might get aroused by them, it’s slightly off-mark for boosting an Art Festival’s momentum.
“There are plenty of girls here at the Palace. I think we should hold something like an amateur competition among them.”
“Don’t you do similar calls in the city?”
“We do, but it seems unlikely many will gather.”
Canvas, paints, brushes—all art supplies aren’t things you can just casually round up whenever inspiration strikes. Drawing is truly a high barrier for completely novice households.
However, inside this palace, such tools are easily available and shareable; plus, dragons could fetch them from the metropolis without hassle. It doesn’t have to be paintings—sculptures would do just fine too, and crafting tools for that sort of thing, I or Jeanne can prepare.
“Gloria said she’d handle beginner instruction, so those interested should give it a try.”
“Any rewards for participating?”
Oregano raises his hand to ask a question. His parents, Lovage and Bay Laurel, sit beside him. Naturally, they’re all naked.
“What kind of prize would be nice… hmm, what should I give?”
He scratches the back of his head and thinks for a moment.
Then, “As an attendance reward: one Andcoin. Presented to everyone.”
He snaps his fingers with a sharp ping.
It’s a “reward voucher” modeled after Cosmos Honpo’s “Isabel Coin.” Redeeming it lets you demand handmade gifts from me—or ask the dragon to take you somewhere of your choosing.
…At first, nobody claimed the option of being transported by the dragon, but Emma came up with the idea to ease my burden, and it got adopted. Usage isn’t very high, though people do claim it occasionally. Naris uses it the most.
A “gift” can be as simple as a few hours of dating. Dating often turns sexual quickly anyway, but since I’ve been spending time aimlessly lately, things tend to devolve into group play whenever people gather without purpose. So the ability to openly demand one-on-one sex has become quite a rare privilege by now.
This coin might not appeal much to non-slave females—though I can’t help thinking it’s still a bit of an indulgence—but currently, when I focus my efforts, even the prostitute group members can ride my waves completely and go absolutely crazy. After putting in countless hours each night for over a decade with Aunt Hilda, Madame Cosmos, Gloria, and others, my skills have improved. They’re better now.
“So, if you win… what should we make? Something special, regardless.”
I declare it with exaggerated flair. If this isn’t motivating enough, the girls erupt into an uproar of excitement.
Am I being evaluated so highly? Not just as a player, but as a craftsman?
…Well, maybe.
”…If you win… shall we try serious fucking?”
Maya timidly asks this question—naturally, she’s completely naked too.
”…I’ll consider it, though you’re probably already doing this anyway?”
“More like going on for dozens of times, not just ending after two or three rounds.”
”…Okay, I guess.”
I was about to add that since there are kids around, maybe we shouldn’t talk about things like this—but my words get completely drowned out by the sheer frenzy.
…Is that what everyone wants?
No, sure, we’re in Polka after all. Even if it’s a bit rough, it heals quickly anyway.
Usually, only children under four or five, basically before they’ve developed mental faculties, stay at the palace. Once they reach that age, they move their living base outside.
There are kids like Jeanne and Selen who live with the Smalls family, but female slaves nowadays mostly own their own homes; most of them live in their mothers’ residences.
Children who aren’t female slaves… well, they’ll probably return to their homelands to be raised. Most of the girls who engage sexually haven’t made the resolve to cut ties completely with their origins if they don’t end up becoming slave females.
Incidentally, a few of Madame Cosmos’s prostitute offspring have carelessly gotten pregnant with my infant child. In other words, everyone has given birth without contacting me since returning to Tarq—the eldest one (Ms. Felicia, the white fox girl) actually messed around unintentionally. That’s because she just casually mentioned it after the battle ended.
From then on, whenever a young girl starts seducing me, I verify whether she’s carrying my child or not.
“I want to ensure I don’t do anything lewd with my daughter.”
“Couldn’t you just force her instead?”
“I think Selen should be the one most angry about this kind of case!?”
“If forced by Dad, she’ll absolutely develop a distaste for sex. But if she genuinely lusts after him and then gets rejected, she’ll come to repudiate her own instincts, which will only make things warped.”
”…Well,”
“I believe that above all else is the happiness of the children.”
Selen washes dishes while maintaining her own calm pace and smiles quietly.
Hmm.
Is Selen thinking the problem isn’t me fucking with children themselves, but rather “whether they get hurt by it”?
It’s true I casually overlook people having sex with others—but let’s set aside social problems like reputation for now; as a half-elf who grew up being picked on and targeted by society, I genuinely don’t care about those things.
The issue of my bloodline becoming more concentrated… Irina often says something like “Not too much is really a big deal; magic can handle it. But once it goes on for decades in a row, the whole thing changes,” so that must be why she dismisses it.
No, no, wait. But still.
“I can’t condone Peter attacking his mother or other female slaves, no matter how much he himself might want it.”
“Fair enough. Children aside, the female slaves are Mr. Andy’s personal property after all.”
“But coming to terms with a daughter reaching out to her father… I guess that one gets brushed off…”
“I really think Mr. Andy should realize he’s someone special, someone exceptional. No matter whether it’s dozens or hundreds of women, he has the power to make them happy. Only those who accept this can draw near to him. Unfortunately, Peter just isn’t that kind of person… Right? If it were Mr. Andy, even if it were his own daughter… as long as she’s female, I think he’d be able to bring her happiness.”
”…Sometimes, though…”
”?”
“I’m just reconfirming that you’re the owner of some pretty dangerous thoughts, y’know.”
“So? I’m just a realist! ♪”
I wonder what a “realist” actually is. Let me philosophize a bit for now.
Of course, the first one to officially recognize me as their father among all the children was Peter.
However, being a half-dwarf meant his growth was a little delayed.
He should be slightly older than Elenia, who recently started shedding her small-child frame and becoming more slender, but he still looked like he hadn’t quite reached ten years old yet.
Dwarves generally don’t grow very tall, and once you’re a kid their size, the next thing you know they’ve got facial hair and are gradually building up excessive muscle mass—but Peter hasn’t shown any of those features that would ruin his innocent look.
Still, for a ten-year-old, his voice was a bit thick and gruff already. It’s like he’s going through puberty.
“Hey, pops. Can I enter the Vaper competition too?”
“You can… but hey, do you even know how to draw?”
“I don’t draw much myself, but I can make simple dolls.”
Peter looked a bit pleased with himself and brought a handmade doll into the room from his storage space.
It was a knight figurine made of lead… Ah, yes, Dad and I made one of those together.
“I’ve already made twenty of them. Grandpa Jackie says they’re market-ready now.”
“Stop calling Jackie Grandpa. It only confuses me.”
Usually, it’s Jackie-sensei spending time with Peter. He’s passed fifty but remains a fully capable blacksmith.
Perhaps lonely since Sarah married, he’s been doting on Peter especially recently.
“But saying they’re ‘market-ready’ is just a little too much of an overstatement. The details are messy. You really need to finish them more carefully, Peter.”
“Tsk, pops always looks for faults.”
“You’ve got good sense. I’m telling you not to cut corners. If you try to pull something like this at the competition, you’ll just get laughed at.”
“Alright, alright… So if I win a prize, can you give me more allowance?”
“What are you gonna do with all that money anyway?”
“That’s… uh, well, whatever! Use it for anything!”
My son stammered, looking a bit embarrassed. Hah, he thought he could fool Dad.
With this polka setting, there’s hardly any other legitimate place for a kid to spend money. He’ll probably just buy some trinkets from traveling vendors as gifts for his girlfriend or something.
“If you win, then sure. But remember, even though everyone is considered an amateur, elves and dragons will be participating too, so it won’t be easy.”
“Heh. I don’t plan on losing to anyone other than my mom.”
A bit of unease creeps in seeing my son’s unnecessary overconfidence. Is this kid spoiled rotten?
※By the way, it later came out that the reason he wanted more allowance was because Cosmos-san and one of the prostitutes at the palace had let him secretly touch her while she was flashing around naked, then said, “If you want to get intimate with us, bring some money first! ♪”
And about a week later. The girls in the palace began going outside for activities like sketching, suddenly bringing an artistic flair to Polka. “A fine opportunity. Polka is a good town, but it lacked this kind of cultural enrichment.” Kristi squinted appreciatively as she watched the local residents and even the stationed Crossbow Corps get swept up in the sudden art boom. You know, thinking about it, she was right. For all that people were glowing with health and beauty thanks to the Spirit Springs, the town itself lacked design-based vibrancy.
It’s partly because Gloria, the leading artist, has been drawing nothing but porn since she started. And among those works, there was even one seriously depicting the forest scenery by Elenia. “Huh? Elen? You’re getting a raise in your allowance too, right?” “Allowance? There’s nowhere to spend it around here anyway. Besides, who said all this about money? Peter? Claudio?” Claudio is Hilda’s child and just as tall as Peter at the moment. While the mischievous Peter is bold with everyone, she’s a bit shy around strangers. For that matter, she’s quite clingy and was raised soaking up her mother Hilda’s maternal love entirely. ”…You’re not asking for any kind of reward?” “I am, but I’ll say so only if we win.” Elenia said this while staring straight ahead with a grumpy face. Damn it, that stern profile is actually cute too. Motherly instinct overriding my better judgment, and after watching her like this for a while, I found myself satisfied, thinking it wouldn’t be proper to voice my tasteless worries anymore. Besides, whether Elenia wanders around the palace naked more than before or tries to get me to touch her in various ways, she’s probably just got her modesty about being naked somewhat shattered by the environment. And as for wanting to act filially towards me and wanting to be spoiled more as my daughter… yeah, that must be it. There’s no way anything else could be true. My own mother Selen being oddly lenient about incest is purely a coincidence.
And then came the Art Festival. People gathered from Granje, the North, Celesta, and Renfang, enjoying the paintings and sculptures set up all over town thanks to this opportunity. The works of Master Gloria and his apprentice Lanz that were supposed to be on display ended up only accounting for about twenty percent of what was exhibited outside. Still, due to their quality differences, they certainly captured people’s hearts, guided them into galleries, and attracted plenty of buyers, so we can say it was a substantial success in the end. And then, the actual contest held at the Baron’s mansion. The masterpiece selected by the judges turned out to be… Maya’s “Statue of Scales.” She gathered cracked dragon scales and made a miniature statue of a dragon. There were opinions that awarding this first prize was unfair given how much the material disadvantage favored her, but since disqualification wasn’t prohibited either, she ended up winning after all.
Besides those gold and silver prizes, Elenia’s “Pine Tree in the Forest” barely scraped into the bronze category as well.
Anyway. “Ah… um, Elen? If possible, I mean, as your father…” “I won a prize and you won’t even ask for my request?” Nighttime at the palace, in a corner of the bath area. As expected, she had her weight against me again. ”…You know, Dad wants to fulfill whatever Elen asks for if possible. But—” “You’re not listening to me.” ”…………” “No way.” “Gaaah… ah, well, Elen. It’s not that I refuse flat out, you see, I just think it’s a bit too early for you.” “Then what age would you want me to be!?” “No, really, wait a little longer, Elen. Alright?” The palace girls were all watching the scene calmly with faint smiles on their faces, making the whole thing seem strangely heartwarming.
…I begged her mercy until she finally relented for just today. I don’t want to get hated. If Elenia hates me, I’ll die. …Maybe it won’t last long.