The Eve of the Storm (1)

* * *

A long time has passed since the typhoon named Aileen struck. The city has grown to the point where I have to work as a lord. The decisive reason was that the empire’s first magic city was built in Lecante-or so the rumors said.

The territory evaluation team came in the middle, but a long explanation wasn’t necessary. If they gave this city a failing grade, they wouldn’t be able to handle the criticism that would pour out later. It was smooth sailing until I received the baronetcy. I officially became a noble.

The imperial family seems to have heard the news, but there hasn’t been any particular reaction yet. They don’t know if this place is a tiger’s den or not, and it seems like they’re taking a wait-and-see approach because there’s no point in provoking it unnecessarily.

Anyway.

To summarize what’s happened in the meantime…

The priesthood that came in the early days received permission from the Holy See and succeeded in making Lecante the new missionary base for the Holy Stream Society. Being recognized by the Holy See meant that they could independently train priests.

The city’s population has also increased dramatically. Mostly magicians and spiritists. It was inevitable since the entire city was rich in Mana and spirits.

Honestly, I wasn’t that happy about it. Magicians are highly skilled workers, but many were eccentric. I told them that anyone who caused trouble would be permanently exiled, so they were careful, but I don’t know how long that will last.

I welcomed the vagrants who had fled from other villages even more. The natives who had been living in Lecante before the city was built. The people who were struggling to survive in this harsh land.

Magicians develop the city? That’s fine. I don’t care if they all disappear. Because I’m here. I needed ordinary citizens more than highly skilled workers. People who know how to live. In particular, I hope there will be more farmers and carpenters.

I’m advocating for a magic city, but I wanted a nature-friendly city. Maybe it’s because I have an aversion to modern concrete forests, but personally, I’d rather have more fields than buildings. Endless golden wheat fields… Isn’t that romantic?

So, I allowed farmers to reclaim land outside the walls without limit. We can think about land distribution later. It’s too early to think about that. We don’t have enough manpower to cultivate the seeds and land yet.

It seemed like I was giving too much away, but I didn’t interfere excessively. I just distributed work to the people who came to the city, and I didn’t do anything more than that. If I just handle the administration, they’ll live well on their own. It’s already a city with all the infrastructure in place. The only thing lacking was population, so once that was filled, only prosperity remained.

…I received a lot of help from the Azure Lotus Clan to get here.

Somehow, they returned to the West and spread rumors until their mouths were sore. In the process, they monopolized transportation 운임 and made a lot of money. They kept thanking me, but I wasn’t that interested.

But…

It’s still not functioning as a proper city.

It’s chaotic. It seems like they haven’t adapted. A commercial route has been opened, but active trading hasn’t taken place. It seems like the floating population needs to increase more to even resemble a city.

Haa… Those magician bastards… They only do research and don’t do any productive work. I wish they would just disappear. Because of them, the vagrants turned to forestry. They can make money by selling rare materials to magicians. It’s good that they spend a lot of money in the city, but… It’s not the kind of development I want.

Oh, and.

There were a few familiar faces in the process of people gathering.

First, Clark and Sophia came here. He left the magic tower. Because it didn’t suit him. So he said he was going to Astra. Astra, the academy located in the capital. He declared confidently that he would go there to find what he truly wanted.

Actually, I didn’t recognize him as Clark at first.

Even though not a short amount of time has passed, it wouldn’t be a very long time for a person to grow, but he was three heads taller than me. He seems to be at least 176cm tall. He had an ambiguous height that he could insist was 180 if he wore shoes.

Anyway, back to the story.

He was very disappointed that he couldn’t be with me ‘in a companionate sense,’ but he seemed okay because Sophia was next to him. Structurally, she has the same body as me, so she will be a sufficient substitute.

Sophia’s belly was bulging as she entered the mid-term of her pregnancy. Her breasts also got bigger, and she was vigorously squirting Breast Milk. According to Clark, she has completely fallen. A bitch who knows nothing but sex. When I had an interview with her, her underwear was soaked with Vaginal Fluid, so that says it all.

In addition to this, Kamier, called the Ice Baron, and the deputy tower masters, including Pecapolis, came. Many guests came, but their common interest was―― ‘How the hell did you build this city?’

Nobles from other regions also witnessed the unusual growth and kept sending letters, but I didn’t answer them, including the guests.

I would answer if someone like the emperor asked me directly… But I plan to keep it a secret for the next few years.

“Hoo…”

Deureureuk, tak. I put the stamped documents in the drawer and turned my head to see a golden-haired man with golden horns. I organized the remaining documents and spoke to him.

“Why don’t you take a break?”

Shuriel is working on documents without realizing the time.

It’s already been five hours.

It looked like he should rest soon.

“…Has it already become this late?”

“It’s evening now. It’s good to do it moderately and rest. Shall I prepare something to eat?”

I’m learning administrative work next to him, but Shuriel still handles a lot of it. As the city began to run in earnest, there was a mountain of documents to be processed. I need to draw up a notice and pass on the work.

And when the city is stabilized, I plan to set up an agent and go out to subjugate demons. I didn’t have time to rot here. Shuriel was also an agent, so he couldn’t be tied up here forever. Demons are still rampant in the North.

Shuriel stretched and said.

“No… I just want to lie down for a bit.”

• Deolkeong!

Just as I was thinking of warming him up next to him naked, the door opened roughly from outside.

――Daddyyya!!!

―Little miss! I told you it’s not good to run like that!

“…It’s Aileen.”

“Haa… I guess I can’t lie down and rest.”

Aileen’s excessive stamina has been strangely stable since the first day, and she has been relatively calm recently. If there’s anything special, it’s that she’s grown incredibly tall. About 161cm…? It was a tremendous rapid growth that didn’t pale in comparison to Clark.

Her breasts were as big as mine, and her face was beautiful like mine.

I was happy to see my daughter growing up… But I felt strange because I had to look up to her now. I’m shorter than my daughter. Should I be sad or happy? When I walk around with Aileen, people say she’s my younger sister.

‘…I wish she would have remained a child to some extent.’

Perhaps because of the power of the World Tree, her body grew abnormally fast.

• Kung kung kung!

I put those thoughts aside for a moment, and Shuriel and I straightened our backs and waited for the coming typhoon.

• Beolkeok!

“Daddy! I’m here!”

―Warak! She jumps and hugs Shuriel as soon as she opens the door. Aileen, who was rubbing her cheeks like a puppy, stopped rubbing her cheeks only after her hair became disheveled.

“Keuheup…!”

Perhaps because the force of the hug was too strong, Shuriel frowned and coughed. I gestured to Aileen, who was trying not to fall off of him.

Aileen pleaded with a listless face.

“Heeng… Can’t I stay attached a little longer?”

“Ahem… Daddy is having a hard time.”

“Mommy has sex with Daddy all the time! I want to be attached like this too.”

I have nothing to say when my daughter says something like that. It was natural that I couldn’t win an argument. Shuriel also knew that this was not my own karma, so he always ended up fulfilling Aileen’s demands.

I squatted in the corner and started working on the documents again. This was all I could do.

“Bboppo! Bboppo!”

In the meantime, Aileen showered him with kisses that were a little too much. She flaunts her love without even realizing that her clothes are rolled up and her underwear is showing.

Even if I wanted to talk to Aileen, I couldn’t easily approach her because her only interest was Shuriel. Is it because I’m stuck with the idea that I’m a sinner in front of Aileen? It was difficult to approach her first.

‘…Is she going through puberty?’

But it’s not like she’s going through puberty, she treats me kindly when we’re alone. We eat golden apples and chat, and we go sightseeing in the city together. She hugs me tightly sometimes, but she’s been refraining from it recently because she knows she’s taller.

She didn’t hate me. She was just a teenager of that age. To her, I was a mother to be cherished, and to me, Aileen was a lovely daughter. This relationship will never change.

“Hehe. Daddyyya…”

“…Aileen?”

“Yes?”

“Even if you’re my flesh and blood, it’s not right to touch each other like this. And, it’s a little stuffy―”

“Where on the body? Breasts? Doesn’t it feel good because they’re soft?”

…At least, that’s the relationship between me and Aileen.

• Beolkeok!

“Heok, heeaek… Li, little miss…!”

Aileen’s blatant display of affection ended with the arrival of her exclusive maid, Fannie Alpenris. She couldn’t keep up with Aileen’s pace and ran breathlessly, panting with an exhausted face.

She was practically Aileen’s exclusive maid.

She always had a hard time serving a lively, immature young lady 24 hours a day. She was already receiving a huge salary, but I often thought that I should increase it even more.

“Don’t disturb your master’s work and come here! I’ve already made an appointment with the magic group, what are you doing really…? There are only ten minutes left now!”

“This much is okay…! We can go there by teleportation…”

“You’re really going to use magic when there are only a bunch of sissies who faint even if the little miss makes a water droplet? Can you handle it?”

“Euk….”

Aileen has long been a local specialty of the city, for better or for worse. Aileen didn’t particularly try to hide her talent. Every time she went out, she led the spirits and flew in the sky, so the magicians who settled here couldn’t help but be interested.

“The young lady said she liked it and made an appointment. Last time, I broke the appointment and I was the only one who got screwed…!”

Aileen enjoyed this attention. I don’t know what kind of effect Shuriel’s genes had, but she liked to show off and brag to others. When she gathered the magicians and showed off her magic, they clapped and praised her.

It was because Aileen unconsciously imitated my magic that this happened. The technique Aileen uses is the essence of the Archmage. To the magicians, Aileen’s magic was a realm of talent that seemed simple but could never be imitated.

“…Okay. I’ll go.”

These days, she seemed to like spending time with Shuriel more than that.

“I’ll come back later, Daddy! And Mommy too!”

She’s only grown in height, but she’s still an immature child.

I smiled warmly and waved my hand.

“Eue…”

And stretched out.

Only after Aileen was led out of the mansion by Alpenris did I relax my tense body and stretch out like a squid.

“Are you okay?”

“No….”

Shuriel and I lay down on the bed and silently shared our breaths. I buried my face in Shuriel’s chest and said.

“You two have gotten a lot closer lately.”

“Who? Aileen?”

“Yes. Keunkeung… I smell perfume, is that it?”

“…That won’t happen.”

“It shouldn’t. Even if Shuriel is a pervert, I don’t think he’ll touch his daughter.”

The actions Aileen has been showing recently were gestures of courtship that anyone could see. She was incredibly seductive and charming, just like me in this regard.

“…You have to be careful. She might attack you in your sleep. Always be with me when you sleep. Okay?”

“Haa….”

Shuriel squeezed his eyes shut and twisted his lips.