I’m here in Taruk today. It’s not exactly the Spirit Festival season, but Dianne and Cosmos have a backlog of things to take care of, so I’m handling that and also taking the opportunity to interact with Cosmos Headquarters and the Onyx Maidens. During the festival, we’re both too busy to really focus on each other. It’s easier to get things done in peacetime.
Plus, this time I’m also trying to find Kei-chan’s mother. The head maid won’t tell me anything, so I have no choice but to go around and ask directly myself. Honestly, it’s probably not that hard to find out in Taruk.
I want to at least convey my intention to acknowledge Kei-chan as my daughter, and discuss her upbringing. Might be pointless, though.
But if I completely ignore the situation, I might end up with another daughter indoctrinated with some weird ideology. I need to strongly show that I want a proper education for her, for the future’s sake.
So, with that resolve in mind, I was walking through Carlos-san’s garden when Janet, Dianne’s daughter, called out to me.
“Father. I have something I want to ask you.”
“W-what is it?”
I don’t have anything to hide—I’m actually here to correct some shady dealings into something more wholesome—but being caught by my daughter while looking for a maid throws me off balance.
Janet stared up at me with an unreadable expression, then pointed sideways without a word.
At the end of her finger was a sand-colored tower about fifty meters tall.
“I thought that tower had been there forever, but I heard you built it.”
“N-no, I’m not a stonemason. I just gave the orders.”
“Why did you build it? The Tower Emblem is supposed to be a one-horned organization. It doesn’t make sense for Father, who sides with Onyx, to build something like that.”
That tower’s called the “Horn of Taruk,” and it’s become a new landmark in Taruk—effectively a new symbol for the Tower Emblem. Their office is even inside it.
And the reason it happened…? Ashton Minister just told me to do it.
“Why?” I asked. “I don’t really know myself. Something must have been negotiated with Onyx.”
”…Is that really how you’d build something like that?”
“Probably as a show of force, too. For Lila and the others, it wasn’t even that long of a job.”
That’s right. We built it using dragons. Specifically, Lila and the lizardmen from the surrounding area who worship her.
Lila did the heavy lifting with her dragon body, while the lizardmen handled the finer details under Dianne’s direction. And with the Elven and Dark Elven architectural skills brought in, we built something as sturdy as the Tower Emblem tower that used to be here in Taruk—something that wouldn’t crumble even in an unprecedented earthquake.
Dianne said if an earthquake did happen, the sun-dried brick buildings throughout the city would probably collapse before the tower did.
Since buildings like that are rare around here, it’d practically mean Taruk’s destruction.
…But more than anything, having dragons build it sent a powerful message.
Namely: Onyx could easily surpass the Tower Emblem in construction if they wanted to—basically, a power play. And by generously “giving” it to the Tower Emblem, we were outwardly showing full support while simultaneously emphasizing our absolute superiority—“This is all you’re worth to us.” Plus, showing off the dragons was like saying, “We could destroy this anytime if you cross us.”
…Probably Ashton Minister was even angrier than Carlos-san because he knew what the Tower Emblem guys had done before.
Carlos-san just showed his subtle dominance as a hidden ruler, while Ashton Minister chose to instill more brutal fear.
He’s the one who originally showed that family motto—“Protect allies, give to friends, entertain guests, kill enemies”—to the clan. He’s entrusted Carlos-san with supporting the nation now, but he’s probably even more extreme by nature.
…And I’m explaining all this vaguely to Janet.
The reason it’s vague is because my sources are a little shaky.
Ashton Minister still gets weirdly angry when he sees me and storms off after yelling at his family. And I got the request to build that tower through Dianne. Carlos-san is basically the same way, so it’s hard for me to gauge how serious they are about anything.
“So, Dianne designed it, and I didn’t lift a finger during construction. I just kept telling her to drink sake instead of going outside in the heat, and before I knew it, it was built… I’m not even sure if I can really say I built it.”
”…As always, Father is truly remarkable.”
“Isn’t he?”
“He’s talking about being the linchpin of a grand plan that overwhelms all of Tark like it’s some side job. Normally, you’d brag about something like that for the rest of your life.”
“I was just drinking sake at the time… barely even considered it a side job. Besides, no matter how much a dragon does in construction, Carlos and Minister Ashton are the ones who give it meaning. Only then can great power truly bring happiness to people. I’m just not good at that kind of thing.”
Even now, I occasionally borrow Dragon’s power, but I often realize it doesn’t always have the full effect one would expect.
Of course, if it’s just slaughtering monsters, a simple “Go get ‘em” gets the expected results. But in the human world, it’s not that simple.
You need meticulous planning for things like who needs this, whether parts of the problem can be solved by other means, or how to turn the fear of a dragon into something productive… Without knowledge and experience, unexpected drawbacks tend to pop up.
Thankfully, Dianne and Irene usually handle the brainwork, so I don’t make too many fatal mistakes.
I’m always impressed by how those who can weave such details together do it, while all I say to the dragons is, “Thanks.”
It doesn’t really feel like my accomplishment at all.
“I often hear about Father’s grand projects wherever we go. My mother and sisters are always bragging, ‘Our father did it!’ but Father never tells me anything.”
“Huh? Well, if you ask nicely, I’ll explain—just like I am now.”
“Maybe he really can’t remember who he told what achievement to unless he’s asked?”
“U-ah, well—”
Well, with a hundred people or so, there are bound to be things I forget.
Janet looked away with a faint sigh.
”…Sorry. That was a mean question. It must seem like I only talk to Father that way, making you feel unwanted.”
“Huh?”
Wait, wait. Janet, that’s a huge misunderstanding.
“I’ve never thought of you as unwanted!”
”…It just looks like you’re trying to keep our interactions to the bare minimum. You didn’t even invite me to the camping trip last time.”
“Ah, well, I figured you might not be interested… Besides, it involved fire and knives, so we weren’t inviting the little kids…”
“Florea and Ryle are the same age as me…”
”…Look, if you wanted to go, I’m sorry.”
”…To be honest, I’m just annoyed that you didn’t invite me. It’s not like I wanted to go camping or anything.”
“W-why say it like that? Just… sorry, okay?”
Janet, who is as dignified as Dianne despite her young age and excels in both academics and sports, was sulking in a way that was oddly childish—both frustrating and endearingly precious.
…If I took her along, it would have been a disaster, I thought.
Florea has been a bit distant since witnessing my parents’ live sex session, and if I suddenly showed something like that to Janet, who normally avoids such things, she might never speak to me again until she’s fully grown.
When I told Dianne about it, she laughed.
“I don’t think you need to worry so much. She’s not the type to be easily shocked. She already knows Elenia and Frena are head-over-heels for their father.”
“And that’s completely different from them having actual sex.”
“I’ve never told her to stay away from the Palace. She’s a curious child. I think she’s seen you doing everything there at least once.”
”…!?”
“I can tell you one thing. Don’t treat her poorly. She may be just one of hundreds to you, but she’s my only daughter. I don’t want to see her suffer from a lack of love.”
“Are you really saying that when there are already several girls who’ve crossed the line into… ‘love’?”
“If she wants it, then I’m on her side.”
Even Diarne-sama seems to have been influenced by Serena and the others.
Minister Ashton clearly hates seeing his daughters naked, but here he is giving permission like it’s nothing—makes no sense.
After that, I was sneaking around the estate trying to gather information about Kei-chan’s mother when I stumbled upon her talking with Janet.
”…So, you want to get closer to your master?”
“To me, you’re still my father. Why don’t you call me that?”
“No, before I’m a daughter, I’m a maid and… well, a sex toy.”
I wanted to jump in at this point, but I was being sneaky, so I couldn’t.
“By asking me for an answer, I’ll assume you wish to join our ‘Daughter Fleshlight Collection.’”
“Fleshlight…? What’s that?”
“It’s a tool for stimulating your master’s genitals until he ejaculates.”
This is definitely going too far.
I stopped sneaking and started walking briskly toward them, but halfway there, several maids restrained me and dragged me into the servants’ quarters.
“W-what are you doing?! As her father, I have a duty to protect Janet from ideological corruption!”
“Lady Janet is intelligent. She can distinguish between knowledge and ideology without worry.”
“Besides, we’re on Kei’s side.”
“I wish you’d be on my side sometimes!”
“Your wish is my command, Master… But given that Polka and Tark already have roots in this situation, isn’t it impossible to completely block her from sexual knowledge?”
“No, it’s not that I want to block it—I just… I want her to grow up cherishing herself… if possible.”
I know, deep down, that my words lack conviction because Ele and the others are steamrolling me.
But still, I want you to hear me out. I just want to be a normal father. That’s all.