Chapter 92 – The Things Stirring in the West

Seazack made his way to the theatre. Although it was called a theatre, it wasn’t really a place where plays were performed. It was more of a strip show where almost naked women danced to arouse the male audience.

Several women, with seductive smiles on their faces, writhed their bodies in front of the seated audience.

Some squatted with their legs open, moving their hips, while others held onto poles, spreading their legs while standing on one foot, revealing their private parts.

They varied in age and race, but all of them were wet between the legs.

“… Do they have what we discussed?”

“Yeah. Some of them are even virgins, you know? Hard to believe, huh?”

Next to Seazack sat a man with tanned skin, who appeared older than him.

But he was far from frail, rather, there was a predatory gleam in his eyes.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, aphrodisiac? Just a little coaxing, and they’re all over it. No matter how composed a woman is, she’ll get wet right away.”

“But it doesn’t last long.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, as long as you don’t misuse it, you can create a paradise like this.”

The paradise Seazack referred to wasn’t this strip show; the man understood he was talking about the western part of the empire.

“You were good at using it on Princess Brenak too.”

“Oioi, that was years ago! Well, when you’re in the age of love, just getting a little wet makes you think it’s love. It was easy then.”

Seazack originally hailed from a country far south on the continent. Born in a desert nation, he was knowledgeable about the dubious substances made there.

“Nowadays, it’s a valuable commodity. You wouldn’t want those women to easily use such things.”

“Don’t say that! She gave me such a rebellious look~ It made me want to remind her that she’s a woman too, you know?”

Saying this, Seazack looked at the woman on stage. She was shaking her hips while white fluid dripped from her vagina.

“So… how about Arloston in the capital, Goya?”

“I’ve received reports from Kriya. There seems to be an opportunity once a month.”

“Huh? Once a month!? That’s too few!”

“We’re proceeding cautiously.”

As Seazack had previously told Bliss, he was considering kidnapping Arloston’s daughter. There were several objectives to this plan.

Firstly, he simply wanted to tarnish the reputation of the empire and the Knight-Commander. Arloston’s actions in recent years had been troublesome for Seazack. The further strengthening of the Imperial Knights was only a hindrance to them.

On the other hand, the threat level of the Lords Alliance was underestimated. They were merely a group of individuals who wanted to voice their opinions to the emperor, and Seazack assumed they would not come west to unite.

However, circumstances had changed considerably.

Currently, the most reputable noble in the capital was Arloston. By kidnapping his daughter, Seazack could seize the initiative.

Ignoring her would damage Arloston’s reputation and greatly affect his mental state.

Showing a negotiating stance would create opportunities for exploitation. Depending on how it was done, it might even create a rift between Arloston and the Knights.

As for how to use the kidnapped daughter specifically, it would depend on the situation at that time. Seazack himself preferred such improvised schemes.

“It’s a bit troublesome, but it’s fine. But you’re excellent… just as expected of the Purple Lightning Eight Blades, huh?”

“Well…I never thought I’d be using this skill in a faraway land. It never crossed my mind.”

The Purple Lightning Eight Blades. They were a group of eight assassins operating in the southern part of the continent.

For certain reasons, they were currently wielding their skills under Seazack’s command.

“If we can successfully kidnap the daughter and bring her here, Karmanda’s troops will attack Diltrack to the north.”

“Taking advantage of that chaos, we’ll send Bliss and the others to Diltrack and hold an event for looting, right?”

“Yeah. The Lords Alliance…no, it’s the Northern Empire now. Anyway, if the Northern Empire and the Empire start clashing here, Arloston will have to put the response to his kidnapped daughter on hold…”

“You still have that unpleasant personality. I’d like to see your parents’ faces.”

“Are you really the one to say that?”

Boosting Arloston’s reputation while causing trouble for the North Empire that’s getting cocky, diverting their attention to the western region, all while securing their own gains. That was Seazack’s plan.

“So, what about the North Empire? Have you found out anything?”

“Yes. Prince Vilgard indeed has complete control over the Lords Alliance.”

“Damn! Seriously?”

Seazack himself had thought Vilgard was taking a cooperative stance with the Lords Alliance. He assumed Vilgard would negotiate moderately with the major lords, while silencing the minor ones with force.

However, upon investigation, it turned out Vilgard had personally unified the northern territories governed by the Lords Alliance. He treated them as rebels from the start, compelling them to submit to him.

Seazack genuinely admired Vilgard for achieving this in such a short time. From his audacity alone, Seazack even felt like they could get along if their personalities allowed it.

“Well, that’s probably not going to happen. After all, with a prince like him, it seems like he’s seriously aiming for the unification of the empire.”

Naturally, they would clash with him as well. But he wouldn’t give them an easy opening.

So, he thought of using the same tactics he had planned for Arloston on the North Empire as well.

“He’s got more military talent than the mediocre nobles of the empire. It’s a good thing he’s not the current emperor.”

“Are you really that wary of him?”

“Yes. From what I’ve found, the prince has been fighting on every battlefield. If he’s got the skill, he’s probably got the guts too.”

“He must have been through a few rough patches.”

Until recently, Seazack hadn’t paid much attention, but now he clearly recognized the threat posed by the North Empire led by Vilgard.

“Haa, enough of that. It’s too much hassle to think about. Let’s think about something more fun~. Nothing’s going to change drastically until Kriya returns anyway.”

“As for Kriya, I’ve given her some aphrodisiacs, just in case.”

“Huh?”

Aphrodisiacs was a stick-like object made using a special process, lit at the tip to emit a scent.

When women smell it, their sensitivity increases several times over and they all become aroused, but its effects are exclusive to women.

Seazack grinned as he watched the men and women on stage begin copulating.

“Hey, that’s a valuable commodity, you know? What do you plan to use it for? You’re not thinking of using it on the still young daughter of Knight-Commander Arloston, are you?”

“Well…the effects work regardless of age. In case of necessity, if we can get the Lady as well, our options will increase…”

“What?! I told you to kidnap the daughter, didn’t I? Don’t overcomplicate things!”

Despite saying that, Seazack’s eyes and mouth were smiling.

“We’ve gone to the trouble of sneaking into the capital. We have enough manpower, so we could probably take two people.”

“And then you plan to use the aphrodisiac to convince the Lady to come with us obediently, right? Hah… there are so many ways to use it besides just having sex.”

“Deciding how to use a tool is our job.”

Aphrodisiac can induce arousal forcefully or induce a kind of hypnotic state.

For example, it can make a composed and cool-headed woman beg to be taken. It can even be used to instil a poison called love in a princess of a country.

“Worst-case scenario, even if we can’t bring them back, imagine how Arloston would react seeing his changed wife…”

“Oi,oi,oi, that’s too wicked! If his daughter gets kidnapped and then his wife changes like that, Knight-Commander-sama’s heart might break!”

Aphrodisiac is a valuable commodity and there are hardly any left. It was certainly worth giving it to them.

“So, it’ll take some time, huh? Well, that sounds more interesting anyway…! I don’t mind, do as you please. The empire and the North Empire will likely remain deadlocked for a while. Let’s shake things up here!”