“A new festival?”
“Mm. I would appreciate your cooperation.”
The baron initiated the proposal on a late spring evening, scratching his head, which had long since given up fighting its gray hairs and gone completely white.
“Adding another one?”
“For Polka’s size, it still isn’t all that many.”
”…Ah, no, I see. Just Polka alone, there’s roughly the New Year Festival, the Spring Festival, and the Harvest Festival.”
I counted them off on my fingers.
Add in the Sacred Beast Festival of Breakcore, Celesta’s twice-yearly Spirit Festivals, Rapal’s Tide Festival, plus the Royal Capital’s Founding Day and Renfanga’s Hero Festival, not to mention Karlwin’s “Day of the Crossing Dragon” and Grandje’s Liberation Festival, and personally, I find myself thinking about festival preparations almost every single month.
On top of that, the Elven Spirit Temples operate on a unique calendar based on cycles of one hundred thousand days, so festivals pop up at odd intervals. I get called in unexpectedly for those, which often throws my schedule into chaos and earns me Tete’s wrath.
With that kind of rhythm, I’d lost track of how frequent it all was.
“I know you’re busy. But if you give the word, the Elves will move, and via Lady Diane, we can get access to the Celestan populace as well.”
“Mm. I know, but what kind of festival are we doing?”
“An Art Festival.”
”…G-g-geijutsusai?”
“Mm. I really want it to be a success.”
Currently, in Polka, an artists’ circle is forming around Gloria and Lanz. When Goot got married and transformed completely into a homemaker, Lanz took that as his cue to become Gloria’s apprentice a few years ago. Blessed with a good teacher, bolstered by his natural concentration and his understanding of the female form, he now produces original erotic scrolls at an industrious pace that rivals professional standards. Witnessing this, some young men from Grandje’s former Karlwin residents took up painting, and naturally, others gathered around them: Diane’s brother, that acrobatic sculptor Julio, shape-arts artists from the Northern Forest, and so on. As a result, artistic works have been multiplying rapidly in certain districts. The baron, who had supported Lanz as a patron since he first started painting, has gradually built galleries to house these works. However, given that it was Gloria and Lanz creating them, the collection consisted almost entirely of nude studies. It wasn’t something we could openly promote on a large scale. However, after much thought—and sensing the era’s shift where diverse cultures had relaxed their traditional norms—he decided they should boldly publicize it alongside other sculptures to convey the greatness of Lanz’s work. Indeed, limiting enjoyment to a small circle of enthusiasts seemed like a waste. The district with the ateliers looked like a different world entirely; rows of sculptures and murals lined the streets, offering visual depth in every direction that one couldn’t believe was a hobby project by rural amateurs. The galleries were even more impressive—it was hard to believe they currently displayed Gloria and her disciples’ works without assigning any specific monetary value to them. Gloria had stopped worrying about basic necessities once she entered my harem as a female slave, so she had no desire for fame. Her motivation was simply the immense joy I, Lanz, the baron, Old Man Harry, and others showed when she finished a piece, driving her to keep creating at a steady pace. Though it took a while longer than expected relative to how often we were together, she was blessed with children. Disciples from Grandje and the Northern Forest had gathered around them, and she seemed happy. But the baron decided that wasn’t enough.
“So, they’re planning a new Art Festival for autumn. Since it’s happening anyway, I want our side to help boost the atmosphere.”
Night.
Back at “Viper Palace,” we sat in the dining hall discussing this with the girls gathered there.
The group included those wearing slave collars, some dragons, beastfolk cats who had come to play, prostitutes from “Cosmos Honpo,” and Elven women from the Northern Forest.
Nudity was free within the palace—a rule primarily for brood dragons and certain female slaves whose exhibitionism had awakened. Excluding Elves who weren’t used to stripping or those who frequently went in and out of the premises, more than half the girls were basically naked all day long.
“So what do we do? Stand next to paintings like ‘Here I am, model♪’?”
“No, well, that would be effective in a way, but not exactly what I meant.”
While feeding two of the daughters, Cosmos spoke with her characteristic boldness and nonchalance. In fact, there were quite a few paintings Lanz had done using Cosmos, Hilda, Lyra, and others as models.
But those are exciting for the viewer in a different sense. As for building hype for an art festival…
“The girls here at the palace are numerous. I think it’d be good to hold something like an amateur exhibition contest among them.”
“Doesn’t the town side hold open calls for that?”
“They do, but apparently not many people sign up.”
You can’t just easily gather canvases, paints, brushes, and other art supplies on a whim. For a household with absolutely no background in art, the barrier to entry is high.
However, within this palace, those tools could be easily procured and shared. Using the dragons, we could also order materials from the capital effortlessly. It didn’t have to be painting; sculptures were fine too, and I or Jeanne could prepare the necessary crafting tools.
“Gloria said she’d handle beginner instruction, so if anyone is interested, please give it a try.”
“Is there a prize?”
Organo raises her hand to ask a question. Lorie and her child are beside her, naturally naked.
“The prize is…… um, what should I do?”
I scratch my head and think for a moment.
And then—
”……How about a participation prize with this? One Andy Coin, for everyone.”
Ping, I flick it with my finger.
It’s a “prize ticket” I made imitating the “Isabel Coin” from Cosmos Honpo. Using it entitles you to demand a handmade present from me, or have a dragon take you anywhere you want.
……There wasn’t an option for being transported by a dragon at first, but Emma came up with the idea and implemented it to lighten my load. The usage rate is…… not very high, but it happens sometimes. Naris uses it the most.
A “present” could be anything from a several-hour date or whatever. Even so called dates tend to quickly turn into sex, and since I’m prone to being gathered around for group play when I’m just hanging out without purpose, the ability to openly demand one-on-one sex has become rather a rare privilege these days.
I can’t help but think it might not make the girls who aren’t female slaves all that happy, you know? But right now, if I focus and go at them hard, even the girls from the prostitute group claim they can thoroughly climax like madmen, so it’s very well-received.
If you keep grinding every night for over a decade with Hilda-san, Cosmos-san, Gloria-san, and others, your skills improve. They had improved.
“So, if someone wins…… what would be good? Anyway, I’ll make something special.”
I made a super vague declaration, thinking this might not motivate them, but the girls erupted in excitement.
Do I really have that much evaluation? Even as a craftsman.
……I thought that, but then—
”……If I win…… would it be okay to try making a baby seriously?”
Maya asked hesitantly. Of course she was naked.
”……I’ll take that into account just in case, but you guys usually do that anyway, right?”
“Not just the usual 2 or 3 times until we’re done, but with the intensity of fucking dozens of times to make sure I’m pregnant.”
”……That’s fine, then.”
I was about to add that since there are children around, it’s better not to talk too much about those kinds of things, but my words were completely drowned out by their excitement.
……Is that what everyone wants?
No, this is Polka, so even if I do something rough, they recover quickly.
The ones usually in the palace are basically only children under the age of reason, around 4 or 5. Once they get older, they move their living base outside.
There are also girls like Jeanne and Selen who stay with the Smayson family, but most female slaves now have their own houses. The majority live in their mothers’ homes.
As for the girls who aren’t female slaves…… well, they mostly return to their hometowns to be raised. Most of the girls who have sex but aren’t registered as female slaves can’t bring themselves to completely cut ties with their hometowns, you see.
By the way, there are also a few women from Cosmos Honpo who carelessly gave birth to my babies without making much fuss about it. I mean, most of them had no contact at all after returning to Taluk before giving birth, so I accidentally ended up hooking up with the oldest one (who was the daughter of Felicia, the White Fox girl). Because they just casually mention it after a battle.
After that, if a young girl tries to seduce me, I strictly check to make sure she isn’t my own child.
“I want to keep doing sexual stuff with my daughter to that one incident.”
“Isn’t it fine as long as it’s not forced?”
“I think Selen should be the one angriest about these kinds of cases!?”
“If Papa forced himself on me, I’d absolutely hate sex, but if Papa really liked me and I was aroused, and he rejected those desires, I think I would come to despise my own instincts, which is a different kind of distortion.”
”……Umm”
“I just think my children’s happiness comes first, you know.”
Selen says this while washing dishes, smiling at her own pace.
Hmm.
Is Selen not concerned with the act of me having sex with children itself, but rather considers “whether it causes them to be hurt” as the issue?
Me casually slipping through the fact that I have sex with others…… well, let’s not go there again at this point, but regarding social reputation or societal issues…… probably because she was raised by a half-elf who has been shunned by society, she simply doesn’t care at all.
The problems arising from the bloodline becoming denser…… Irina always says, “It’s not a big deal if it’s just a little, magic can fix anything. If you keep doing it for tens of generations, that’s a different story,” so that must be how it is.
No, no. But still.
「I can’t condone Peter attacking his mother or the other female slaves, no matter how much he desires it. It’s something I simply cannot accept.»
「That’s certainly true. Children aside, the female slaves belong to you alone, after all, Mr. Andy.»
「I agree with that part, but do you really just ignore the fact that your own daughter is trying to hit on her father? ……」
「Mr. Andy should understand much better that he is a special and exceptional individual. Whether it’s dozens or hundreds of women, you are someone who can make them happy. Only those girls who have come to accept that reality approach you. Peter just hasn’t reached that understanding yet. …That’s all there is to it. If it were Mr. Andy, I believe he could bring happiness even to his own daughter… if she is a woman, at least.»
「…Sometimes, huh…」
「?」
「I keep getting reminded that you possess rather dangerous line of thinking.»
「Is that so~? I’m just being a realist, that’s all♪」
Realist. What does that even mean? I feel like I want to delve a bit into philosophy on this.
Among the children, Peter was naturally the first to be recognized as my son. However, since he is a Half-Dwarf, his growth is slightly slow. He should technically be a little older than Elenia, who has recently shed her short stature and grown slender, but visually, he still looks like he’s barely reaching ten years old. Dwarves generally don’t grow very tall anyway; it seems that while they retain a childlike frame, they suddenly sprout beards and their muscles become excessively bulky. But Peter hasn’t yet shown any such characteristics that would ruin his youthful look. The only thing is that for a ten-year-old, his voice is a bit thick and rough. He’s already hitting his change-of-voice period or something.
「Hey, Pop. Can I enter the Wiper contest?」
「You can, but… can you even draw pictures?」
「I haven’t really done much drawing, but I can make some pretty good little figurines, y’know.」
Peter put on a slightly proud expression and brought out a hand-made figurine from his room. It was a knight figurine made of lead. …Ah right, I made those with him too.
「I’ve already made twenty of them. Grandpa Jackie says they’re good enough to sell.」
「Stop calling Jack “Grandpa.” It confuses me when you do that.」
Jack is usually the one who babysits Peter. He’s passed fifty but is still in his prime as a blacksmith. Maybe it’s because Sarah got married and he feels lonely these days, but especially lately, he’s been doting on Peter quite a bit.
「However, saying they’re good enough to sell might be a bit of an overstatement. The details are sloppy. You need to finish them with more care, Peter.」
「Cheh, Pop always finds fault.」
「Your sense isn’t bad. I’m just saying don’t cut corners. If you try to fudge things like that in the contest, people will laugh at you, y’know?」
「Yeah, yeah. …So if I win a prize, can you bump up my allowance?」
「What would you even spend that much money on?」
「Wha… what’s it got to do with you! It’s whatever I want to use it for!」
My son stammered, looking a bit embarrassed. Hah, he thought he could fool his old man? In this Polka place, there aren’t many outlets for kids to spend money on anyway. He’d probably just buy souvenirs from a peddler to give as gifts to his girlfriends or something like that.
「Let’s see if you actually win. Everyone else is amateur too, but Elves and Dragons are entering too, so it won’t be easy.」
「Huh. I wouldn’t lose to anyone except Mommy anyway.」
I felt a twinge of unease at my son’s unnecessary confidence. Am I spoiling him too much? ※By the way, it was later revealed that the reason he wanted an allowance increase was because he had secretly tried to grope a prostitute at Cosmos’s place who was topless at the palace, and she had warded him off by saying, “If you want to do naughty things with us, you’ll have to bring some money~♪”.
And then about a week passed. The girls from the Palace started going outside for activities like sketching, and Polka suddenly became steeped in an artistic atmosphere.
「This is a good opportunity. Polka is a fine town, but it has been lacking this kind of cultural enrichment.」
Christie narrowed her eyes, observing the sudden artistic boom that had even caught the attention of the town’s residents and the stationed Crossbow Corps. Come to think of it, she had a point. For a place where people were glowing with healthy beauty thanks to the spirit springs, the town itself lacked a certain decorative flamboyance.
……There’s also the fact that our leading artist, Gloria, spent her time drawing nothing but porn.
And amidst it all, there was Elenia, seriously painting scenes of the forest.
“…Eh, Elenia? You’re getting a pocket money bump too, right?”
“Pocket money? There’s no real use for it around here. Wait, who came up with that idea, Peter? Claudius?”
Claudius is Hilda’s child. Right now, he’s about the same height as Peter.
Compared to mischievous Peter, he’s quite shy and reserved. In exchange, he’s a mama’s boy, having grown up soaking in all of Hilda’s maternal affection.
“…So, you have no demands for rewards or anything?”
“…I do. But I’ll only talk if I place.”
Elenia said that with a stern expression while continuing to paint.
…The parental doting filter kicked in, making me think she looked adorable even from the side with such a serious face.
And after watching her like that for a while, I felt content enough to decide my crude worries shouldn’t have been voiced out loud.
Maybe it wasn’t anything more than her modesty regarding nudity having broken due to environmental factors; perhaps she was simply coming around the palace naked and trying to make me touch her because her feelings as a daughter—wanting to be filial or clingy toward me—were just strong.
Yeah. It had to be exactly that. The fact that Selene, my wife, is weirdly lenient about incest was merely a coincidence.
Then came the Art Festival. People gathered from Grandze and the North, as well as from Celesta and Renfengas, taking this opportunity to enjoy the paintings and sculptures displayed throughout the town. …Gloria and Lanz’s master-disciple works accounted for only about twenty percent of those exhibited outdoors, but thanks to the clear difference in quality, they reliably captured the hearts of the viewers, guiding them into the gallery and attracting many buyers, so it could certainly be called a success. Then, the main competition held at the baron’s estate. The Grand Prize selected by the judges was… surprisingly, Maya’s “Statue of Scales.” She had collected fragmented dragon scales to create a miniature dragon statue. Some argued that the material advantage was too much of a cheat and that the Grand Prize should be reconsidered, but since it wasn’t explicitly forbidden, disqualifying her wouldn’t have been right, so she managed to win.
The Gold and Silver awards went to others, but Elenia’s “One Fir in the Forest” barely squeaked into the Bronze category.
So.
“Ah… well, Elenia? If it’s possible, as your father I…”
“You won’t listen even after I placed?”
The night at the palace, in a corner of the bath area.
As expected, I was being pinned down by Elenia.
“…Look? I want to fulfill your wish, too, if I can. But you know…”
“You’re not listening.”
“…………”
“I hate it.”
“Guhf… Ah, that, Elenia. It’s not that I absolutely won’t listen, but well, I think it’s still too early for you, right?”
“So what age will be okay!?”
“Nah, seriously, just wait a little more, Elenia. Okay?”
The girls from the palace were watching this scene with gentle smiles, finding it endearing.
…I prayed and begged to be spared for today only. I don’t want to be disliked, I really don’t. If Elenia hated me, I’d die. …I might not last long anyway.