[R18] King's Domination
Chapter 40: Battle Preparations Begin

Chapter 40: Battle Preparations Begin

"You were told to be careful, weren’t you? You’re my trump card... no, the hope of Freesia," the princess said sharply when we met again in the audience chamber after half a day. Her attire was a long dress-like nightgown, as if she had jumped out of bed upon hearing the commotion.

"No need to worry about it. My level has gone up a lot, lately. I took them down easily," I replied.

"Don’t lie," Princess Ellis said, grabbing my bleeding palm forcefully.

It seems she had noticed I was hiding my wound.

"It’s just a scratch. No big deal," I said.

"If that arrow had been coated with expensive poison, you might already be dead," she retorted angrily. I had never seen the princess this upset before, and her anger was justified.

"I’ll go get bandages and disinfectant," Reina said, hurrying off to a room deeper in the castle after seeing my wound.

"From now on, Lord Seiou, please don’t leave the mansion so carelessly," the princess said.

"With all due respect, Princess, the fire was too strong. Only Lord Seiou’s magic could put it out. This is the fault of our guard unit, not Lord Seiou’s," Captain Kanon said, bowing apologetically.

"There were multiple fire sources, all upwind of the sewing workshop. It was likely a planned arson targeting the workshop," I added.

The princess’s face darkened as she turned to Captain Kanon. "Who were the men we captured?"

"They’re part of Rodri’s faction, the ones who targeted Lord Seiou yesterday. Rodri’s death has been confirmed," Kanon replied.

With that wound, he must have died almost instantly.

"Princess, I’ve just returned from the garrison headquarters," Officer Miya said, rushing back into the audience chamber. "According to Garrison Commander Gejin, Rodri and his group were discharged yesterday, so the garrison claims no responsibility for this incident."

(I see. They’re taking the stance that Rodri and his men acted on their own, so the garrison isn’t involved.)

I could see through Commander Gejin’s intentions clearly. He planned to destroy the sewing workshop and bankrupt this country.

"The mastermind is likely Commander Gejin. He seems intent on driving Freesia to ruin," I said.

"Why would he do that? If the country goes bankrupt, he won’t get any garrison funds anyways," the princess asked.

"Some people would kill the goose that lays golden eggs just to steal the gold inside," I replied. If Freesia collapsed, the women of this country would be sold into slavery. Gejin likely planned to buy them cheaply or was colluding with slave traders.

(It looks like a battle is unavoidable...)

As Reina disinfected my wound, I steeled myself with this grim resolve.

"For now, Lord Seiou, please take care of yourself. Without you, this country cannot be rebuilt. Always stay with the guard unit," the princess urged.

"The guard unit was there this time, but they couldn’t handle the ambush. What we need is a different kind of talent," I said.

"What kind of talent do you need? Please tell me," Princess Ellis asked.

I chose my words carefully. "Thanks to Reina and the others’ dedication, my magic’s power has increased dramatically. I won’t lose in a direct fight. What’s dangerous is ambushes or assassinations."

This incident showed my strength. The next attack would likely be an assassination or an overwhelming force. The latter seemed unlikely in the city, so assassination was the greater threat.

"What we need now is a professional who can counter assassinations. Someone with sharp eyes, good night vision, and keen hearing would be ideal," I said.

"In this world, the usual way to counter an assassin is to hire an even more skilled assassin as a bodyguard," Kanon said.

"Yeah, I think that’s a good idea," I agreed. A skilled assassin would know the enemy’s tactics inside out, and that expertise was exactly what I needed.

"Understood. I’ll use my connections to find a suitable candidate," the princess said, seeming to have someone in mind.

"One more thing, no matter how powerful your magic is, being unarmed is a problem. You also need a weapon," she added.

That made sense. My SP could run out.

"You’re not carrying the sword I gave you?" she asked.

The sword she gave me was heavy, so I left it at the mansion. Besides, while I had some kendo training, it was with Japanese swords or bamboo shinai, not Western two-handed swords. Mastering it would take time, and I doubted amateur swordsmanship would help against professional soldiers.

(Wait.... Sex King’s specialty weapon was...)

I recalled the aptitude test from when I was summoned.

"My specialty weapon was a.... whip," I said.

"Yes, the aptitude test showed your specialty is a whip," the princess confirmed.

A whip. It could be effective in crowd control, especially with my Seiou job bonuses.

"If that’s how it is, then I know of a good whip. I can have it delivered to you by tomorrow," the princess said, seeming to have a plan, so I left it to her.

"Master, I know how to use a sword, so I’ll carry one starting tomorrow," Reina said.

"Can you handle a sword?" I asked.

"I trained under a top-class sword instructor before, so I’ll be fine," she replied.

A top-class instructor? She must have been quite the lady in the past. But to have Reina protect me....

"Reina, your life is just as important as Lord Seiou’s," the princess said, speaking for me. I didn’t want to survive at the cost of Reina’s life.

"I’ll just be a bodyguard. I’m the one who’s always by your side, Master. Besides, I want to protect myself too," Reina said firmly.

She wouldn’t budge once she made up her mind, as both the princess and I knew. Her point was valid, there might be times when she’s out of my sight too.

"Don’t do anything dangerous at any point. Always prioritize your own safety first," I said.

"Yes, got it," Reina nodded obediently. If it was just for self-defense, that was fine.

The meeting ended. It was late, so I decided to finally get some sleep after all the tantrums.

---

---

Next day.

Word must have spread that I subdued the Laika faction at the brothel. I could feel the growing trust and rising morale among the workshop girls.

"Keep working as you are," I ordered the seamstresses, trying to sound authoritative.

(I’ve always wanted to say that line.)

I gathered Jerry, the chief technician, and Ran’s group of young women in a separate room to check on yesterday’s miniskirt matter. Sitting heavily on the guest room sofa, I listened to their reports. Ran’s group stood in a line before me, all wearing knee-length skirts they had likely adjusted.

(This feels nice.)

I fought to keep a grin off my face and maintain a dignified expression.

"The prototype underwear from yesterday was well-made," I said.

"Yay!" the women cheered, their voices filled with joy.

"Thank you, we are glad that you liked it, Lord Seiou," Jerry said, bowing on behalf of the group.

"But can you only make this string-tied type?" I asked.

"Yes. Currently we don’t have any stretchy materials to make variants," Jerry replied.

"Looks like this can’t be helped," I said.

String-tied underwear might be the norm in this world, and that was fine because I’m not a nerd top grader from my world to invent elastic materials in this world....

"Next, I want to hear your thoughts on wearing the miniskirts," I said solemnly.

Ran spoke up. "They’re super cute and comfortable to wear. I really like them."

"They’re cute," another said.

"Thanks to the underwear, we can wear freer fashion. It’s great," said another.

"They’re easy to move in," added another.

The women shared their thoughts one after another, all with bright smiles. This group had a certain charm, different from the women at the brothel but equally beautiful and appealing.

"What about going outside in them?" I asked.

"Uh..."

"Well..."

For the first time, their faces clouded over.

"We went out together, but the men’s stares were very intense, so we came back quickly," Ran said, speaking for the group. It matched what Reina had told me yesterday.

"They stared so much!" one said.

"Even my friends who didn’t know were shocked, like, ’Your skirt’s so short!’" another added.

(So, even knee-length skirts get this reaction. Imagine if they wore thigh-high skirts..... Damn, this world needs some freedom and democracy🇺🇲🦅)

The men must have been stunned by the sight of young women’s bare legs. Spreading a new culture would be tough.

"Also, it’s fine in a group, but walking alone could be... dangerous," Jerry, slightly older than the others, said cautiously.

She was hinting at the risk of rape. This country’s security wasn’t great afterall.

The women’s faces darkened. They understood that the country’s poor security made it hard to wear the fashion they wanted.

"Jerry’s concern is valid. But security is the country’s responsibility. It’s wrong that you can’t wear what you like because of bad security," I said.

The women, including Reina, looked surprised.

"The Freesia government will take responsibility for improving security. Until then, travel in groups when you go out wearing miniskirts," I said.

Security was one of this country’s toughest problems. My words were close to idealism. Still, the women’s faces brightened, as if they believed I could make it happen.

"Amazing!"

"We believe you’ll make this country safe and better, Lord Seiou!"

"Please make a country where we can go out without worry!"

They voiced their trust one after another.

(I need to solve these problems while I still have their trust. Time’s also limited, I have to act fast.)

In politics, the first three months are called the "honeymoon period," where positive attention is easier to get. This world was likely the same. I needed to achieve results within three months or they’ll get used to my yapping.

(Still, it’s a shame they’re getting stared at for their bare legs..... Maybe I should try ’that’....)

Using item creation, I produced a new piece of clothing.

"Wow!"

"More magic?"

"Amazing!"

The women cheered. I had created long black socks, knee-high socks, to be precise.

"Take one and check it out," I said.

The women grabbed the socks with excited squeals, saying, "Yay!"

"Are these a type of tabi?"

"They’re so long!"

"They look warm!"

They shared their thoughts freely.

"Can women wear tabi?" Ran asked.

"No problem at all," I replied. In this world, women usually went barefoot. They wore tabi for long trips but dressed in men’s clothing for safety due to the poor security.

Historically, few places allowed women to travel alone safely, except perhaps Edo-period Japan.

"These are called ’knee-high socks’ in my world, a women’s garment. Wear them with miniskirts to avoid gazes," I said.

For now, covering bare legs was the best way to shield them from men’s gazes.

"Master, can we try them on now?" Reina asked.

"Of course," I said.

As the women happily began putting on the knee-high socks, I stood to move to another room during their changing, but they said, "It’s just socks, it’s fine!" so I stayed.

The women slightly lifted their skirts to pull the socks up their thighs. It felt oddly erotic, like watching high school girls change. Another perk of the job, perhaps😌.