Chapter 310: The Happiness that we Unknowingly Bring
Epic of Caterpillar
[Day 191]
Today in the morning one of the plans I set in motion since I finished the conquest of the Forsaken Labyrinth has been finally done. My Slime Clones had settled several "Warp Houses" in various places of the Empire and the two vassal nations, Aquaria and Athetosea. Now with these Warp Houses, which were made with the teleportation artifacts made by the dungeon of a god, my population can transport between places even easier than before.
Of course, the flying carriages are still selling like hotcakes, and the Warp Houses ask for a small fee for each use, the Rin Sisters, imitating Earth, already created a card system where citizens can charge money into them and use them to easily transport between places without the need to invest in the costly flying carriages.
There had also been established a "Credit System", as the money used in the kingdoms that we conquered does not have as much value in here, mostly thanks to how easy we can obtain resources in the dungeon and how my daughter, Vudia, can generate gold endlessly, loosing its monetary value.
This credit system is pretty much the true "money", people can exchange precious minerals, jewels, equipment, monster materials, cattle, and even food for credits, which they can use to buy in grocery stores and several other services offered by the government.
Payment is being slowly converted into credits, and now, around 7/10 people have a credit card where they can store credits to use in several everyday services.
Credit Cards only have one design, and it's made of a synthetic material that does not age, and it's almost indestructible. It was made with my horns, blood and slime clones, alongside Vudia's gold, each credit card can self-regenerate if damaged, and contains their own "artificial" intelligence, which is the consciousness of one of my Slime Clones.
The credits are stored in the cards, which shows the number of credits that a person has in front of it. Also, if they ever get lost or stolen, the credit cards have special commands. If lost, it will slowly move back to its original owner, and if stolen, it will punish the thief with a powerful magic attack, while binding them completely. Of course, this doesn't work on very strong citizens, but the majority can be affected.
I also have my own Credit Card, and each of my wives and children received one as well, their credits are connected to my own credit bank, but if they want more credits, they need to ask me personally.
And because I govern this whole place, I have an unlimited amount of credits, or well, almost. It's the equivalent of all the things of "value" in the Empire.
Although they always had money before, for some reason, my wives and children were excited about Credit Cards and went shopping excessively, buying things that they don't even need. This reminds me of the humans on Earth… Rin Sisters, was this really a wise decision?
Today I also woke up with a ferocious appetite and realized that the baby had grown a tad bit more, now being of the size of a cherry. Using my [Mystic Eyes], I was able to clearly see the small fetus slowly growing inside of my womb, it resembled a typical human fetus, with barely any features other than two black dots that seem to be its premature eyes.
About gender… it's not quite clear, but by glancing at her cells and hormones, it seems to be a girl, although I've read in Earth that every fetus starts as a girl and then changes to male or something, but I'm not sure if this rule applies in this World with swords and magic. For now, I will assume that she is a girl, but I would be happy with, either way, it will be my precious child after all.
After having a fulfilling breakfast, where I ate around twenty dragons on my own to appease my child hunger, I took a warm bath with my wives, who tried to wash my entire body like the other day… Yiksukesh was also in here for some reason, helping Zehe and washing her back. Every time I glanced at her; she would give me a tired expression. Is she doing this unwillingly?
Today I remembered that I had a date with Oga, who kept insisting on it yesterday all day. And because she recently evolved, I needed to compensate her for her efforts, she is also attractive and seems like a good woman, so I wouldn't mind if she had one of my children.
I contacted her after the bath, some of my wives asked me for more credits as they wanted to buy new clothes for the children, so I gave them some and let them do as they pleased.
I decided to wear a new dress that my wives brought several weeks ago that I never used, it was a long black dress made of incredibly soft fabric, it had roses as decorations, tailed in the fabric itself, it was a rather simplistic dress as it was only one piece.
I also made my long and silky hair into a ponytail, with long black heels, I resembled a beautiful noblewoman from the earth, minus the long ears and butterfly wings. I also wore a beautiful neck chain which had a dark spirit stone, it seemed to combine with the whole set of clothes.
Huh?
I've become more feminine? I suppose… it's just normal that I want to look pretty in a date, right…?
A-Anyways, I met with Oga at in the citadel, I made sure to raise some Illusion over my appearance, so people wouldn't find out that the Empress herself was having a date in front of them.
When I found Oga, she was rather embarrassed and glanced over my appearance with a baffled expression on her face.
"M-Master is that a new dress…? Y-You, look so dazzling…" She said.
"Huh? I do? It's just something that I found that I haven't worn in a while, but thanks… You're also looking very beautiful, Oga~ Fufufu"
Oga was wearing a long white dress, which combined with her long and white hair, her dress was quite tight in her waist, showing her wide and feminine hips, she also had a very large chest, which showed the tips of her nipples, she seemed excited.
Her beautiful red skin was shinier than before, and instead of the usual charcoal smell on her body, she smelt like flowers, her hair was also made into a ponytail, being less messy. She was wearing white heels as well, which surprised me on how skillful she was in wearing them, as I always see her bare feet.
Her musculature and slim feminine traits made her into a charming maiden that exuded both femininity and strength, it attracted me a lot, as since I was in Earth that I've liked muscular women in video games, and now that I can finally be with one in person, I always get overly excited. Just like Brontes, Zehe, or Nesiphae, their muscles have been always very attractive.
We went around town while admiring the beautiful day, the sun was shining more brightly than before, and there were very few clouds in the sky. As we wandered through several places that I recommended Oga, we ended up resting near the Great Lake, which was now surrounded by a beautiful park where couples would usually gather to have picnics and dates.
We bought some refreshments and ice-cream crepes, which we were enjoying while bathing in the warm sun. The air was quite citric, due to the fruit trees that made out the park, the wind was rather calm as well.
"It has really been mindblowing…" Said Oga, breaking the ice of our silence.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Well… you know… All of this, your Kingdom as a whole…"
"My Kingdom?"
"Yeah, I lived most of my life in the Lower Realm, where the conditions were absurdly harsh and it was even hard to enjoy a day and relax for once… Even the Kingdoms and Nations that we once visited were nothing much, people still starved and the luxuries were only enjoyed by the strongest, and even such luxuries weren't as much as this place… Everything is so calm and laid back, the people help each other and is a sense of companionship that I've never experienced before…" Said Oga, with a sincere smile while admiring the park and the several couples enjoying a relaxing day.
"Well… It hasn't been easy to reach this far, but I've done my best… Since I was born here, I've strived to create a place to call home, where I could relax and enjoy everyday activities with my family and citizens, without having to constantly fight to survive… a place where we could take a break from the everyday struggle, that was both safe and filled with commodities…"
"Master Kireina… You're truly an admirable woman… What I saw of you back then wasn't even half of what you truly were… After seeing the Kingdom and how much you've reached, to the point of creating a place where even the poorest of citizens can enjoy various plates of food a day, clear water, a home, and a warm bed, alongside several other entertainments that I and my people would have never come out with… Its really incredible" Said Oga, as she glanced at the clear blue sky.
"Haah… It wasn't all me, you know? There have been always various people at my side, who have helped me reach so far… I think that I haven't even done much myself outside of beating enemies and keeping things safe, the technological advancements, the food, the houses and all, was made by my family and my citizens, my loyal subordinates and friends… They are truly admirable as well~"
"Heh, you don't really need to be so modest, Master… You should recognize your efforts and what you've done… There are so many streets, such a big city, people coming and going everywhere, working, crafting, cooking, living… the little child's playing around, safe from the outside, and the wild beasts… I wish… I wish that my little sister would have seen this, she would have liked it" Said Oga, her gaze suddenly turned slightly sad, as the light of her eyes became dimmer.
"Oga…? Your sister?"
"Y-Yeah… Haha, it's in the past… You don't have to worry… See? You are too good, you don't even need to worry about me or what happened to me before… yet, you do…"
"Well… I know a couple of people that have lost precious family members… and in a sense, I've also lost… some…"
As Oga talked about her little sister, I remembered my parents, whom I left in Earth, I never said farewell neither hugged them before dying… If I had some regrets, it would be to had never said goodbyes correctly… Whenever they are, I hope they are fine.
Oga patted my back as she approached me.
"I can see that you've suffered a lot as well… This world is merciless… But in those experiences, is where we grow stronger and strive for a better life, Master"
"Oga… You've surprised me with such words, are you truly Oga?"
"Gueh…! O-Of course I am! Did you think that I was some airhead, Master…? It's just that living here has opened my eyes a lot, and my mind as well… Seeing my family, my old father living peacefully, without having to worry about moving every few weeks to escape the giant monsters of the Lower Realm… Without having to constantly survive, my mind slowly opened to new thoughts, and as I've read the books in the library, I've increased my vocabulary as well…! Partially…"
"Oga…"
"Y-You see… After seeing how each of Master's wives is an incredible and admirable woman by themselves, both in strength and intelligence… I also wanted to improve, and be more deserving of you… Hehe… Do I sound like an idiot?"
"Not at all, you just surprised me, but I really feel moved by your words… I can see that you are truly compromised on being with me, huh?"
"Y-Yes…! I don't want to give up… So, Master…" Said Oga, as she grabbed my left arm, as the other was holding the ice-cream crepe.
Oga approached her face towards mine, as she looked at me with her beautiful scarlet eyes.
"L-Lets go to the love hotel…!"
"Huh?"
"M-Master…?"
Sigh… I should have expected this from her… I really thought that she was going to confess her love to me or something! A-Anyways, it's not like I'm a kid who likes cute girls to confess their love to him…
"Haah… I should have expected this…"
Oga seemed confused.
"Alright, but let's make it quick~ You have worked hard, haven't you? A master only must reward her royal subordinate's hard work~"
"T-Then…!"
"Yeah, let's go to a love hotel, the two of us only~"
"Uoooh!"
Suddenly, Oga's entire body was engulfed in the blazing heat as she princess carried me towards the nearest love hotel, leaving most of the surrounding people surprised and even scared, the chair where we were sitting was on fire, and someone with Water Attribute Magic had to quickly turn off the fire before it became worse…