New Master

Midway through building the village, a distant *dodododod* sound reached our ears.

Frowning, I glanced around, trying to figure out what it was.

"O-oh! Your Majesty!"

Anna rushed over in a panic.

She tripped mid-stride and fell, scraping her knee.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

"Are you alright? Here, take this medicine."

I handed her the emergency potion I always kept on hand.

"Eh, but—"

"Just take it."

I firmly told her, not letting her hesitate.

Anna nodded reluctantly, looking apologetic, then took the potion and drank it.

The scraped knee healed instantly, no trace left behind.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Never mind that—what’s going on? Why the rush?"

"Right! Your Majesty! Something huge is coming—like a massive iron block. I’ve never seen anything like it. Probably a monster."

"A huge iron block?"

Frowning, she repeated it.

That thudding sound—dodododod—was still going.

"Yeah, I see. That makes sense."

The noise and Anna’s explanation clicked.

"It's a battleship. Not a monster."

"A battleship?"

"Yeah. I built it—my weapon. For fighting monsters."

"R-really?"

"Is Mira here? I’ll go take a look."

"Ah, I’m coming too!"

Anna hurried after her.

They crossed the village, reaching the very edge of the newly activated Ilya's Spring.

There it was—Battleship Risha.

Its massive frame plowed through the road, climbing the mountain.

Impressive, to say the least.

The villagers had all come out, gaping up at it, stunned.

I stepped forward. The battleship stopped. After a pause, Mira stepped out.

"Akito!"

Mira stepped out from the entrance and dashed straight toward me.

Something’s off—she’s way more fired up than usual.

“What’s up? Sudden visit?”

“I’ve got something to tell you, Akito. Which do you want first—the good news or the utterly meaningless news?”

“Original. In that case, I’ll take the meaningless one first.”

I’m the type who saves the shrimp tempura for last.

“Huh.”

Mira calmed down in an instant.

“Got rid of the last of the Midrofan remnants. Cleaned them up with a coordinated broadside.”

“Ah. Yeah, that’s probably meaningless info.”

Once you’ve decided to wipe them out, their lives become about as important as a forgotten pebble.

And on top of that, there’s no way a battleship like Risha would fall to a bunch of weaklings like that—so yeah, it’s definitely meaningless.

Mira’s message was, indeed, meaningless.

Which means… the good news might actually be good, huh?

"Good news?"

"Got it."

"What?"

"Got it, I did."

Suddenly, Mira bursts into the same high-energy tone she had when she first appeared.

Still… what the hell did she “get”?

Before I can finish thinking that, Vela steps through the entrance Mira just came from.

The child slave who’d been sent as a messenger runs straight to me.

"Master."

She stops in front of me, her expression as cool and composed as her mother’s.

"Delivered the message."

"Good work."

A faint, almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of Vela’s mouth.

—Charged magic power: 3,000.

Well, it’s pretty obvious, really.

I reach out to stroke Vela’s head.

"——!"

My hand freezes mid-motion.

Gritting my teeth, I turn toward Mira.

Still buzzing with energy, Mira grins.

Ah… that’s it.

"Did you… do it?!"

"Yep! Akito’s child’s here!"

"Really?!"

"Yep!"

Done—done.

A child—has been made.

Mya and her comrades, the personal guard entrusted with the battleship Risha.

Women who begged me to "impregnate them all," and now I have.

It’s… done.

Not the same kind of thrill as with slaves.

Not about who’s above.

More like top-grade sushi versus premium wagyu.

"And three of them! Three are pregnant!"

"Ohhh…!"

So damn moved.

Elevated.

"Hey, hey, Shasri, what’s going on?"

"The master’s child is coming."

"A child of the master and a human woman—so a little master?"

"Or maybe a little mistress."

"A new master—can’t wait!"

I was too caught up in the child’s joy to hear the usual, eerily eternal slave talk from the others—same child, same strange, endless servitude.