The Great River, Hysteria.
　It was once the natural border between the Lemurian Empire and the barbarian realm, and after the Bulgarons broke through it, the river ran through the Bulgaron Kingdom.
　Now that the Bulgaron Kingdom is part of the Lemurian Empire, it has returned to the natural border of the Lemurian Empire.

　At present, the Hystere River was being steadily fortified by the order of Hercule.

　Why are you defending it so well?　I don't think there are any enemies to the north of ...... that would threaten the Lemurian Empire.

　Alicia asked Hercule.
　Today, Hercule had come to inspect the fortification of the Hystere River.
　Alicia was his escort.

　Moats had been dug on both sides of the river, and sharp-edged fences and stakes had been filled in to prevent horses from crossing.
　Both ends of the bridge across the river were completely fortified, and siege weapons would be needed if one tried to cross the bridge.
　Such are the fruits of the Lemurian Empire's civil engineering technology, stretching for tens of kilometers.

　He's not here today. But tomorrow, the day after, I don't know.
　"The Tellitelle?

　The Hysteria River was the natural border between the Lemurian Empire and the barbarian realm.
　But not all the time, not all the time.

　Northwest of Nova Lemuria, in the northern part of the Hysteria River, there was a region called Dacia.
　This area has long been home to large gold deposits. ......
　Therefore, only Dacia was invaded by the Lemurian Empire and became a province, even though it was outside the Hysteria River.

　After that, it was conquered by the Kingdom of Bulgaron ......, and now it has been reclaimed by Hercule.

　Currently, the former Bulgaron Kingdom is divided into two administrative regions, Dacia on the north side of the Hystere River and Bulgaron on the south side.
　If the largest Bulgaron clan in the southern province of Bulgaron is the Krom, then the largest Bulgaron clan in the northern province of Dacia is the Teritel.

　The Teritelle clan suffered little damage in the Lemurian-Bulgarian War.
　They have also been successful in reforming the ...... economy by acquiring ports and trading directly with Lemuria.

　Hercule was wary of the Territorians, including their attitude before turning to Lemuria.
　But ......

　In the event that you've got a lot of money to spend, you'll be able to use it to buy a lot of things.

　It's a powerful, but only a few hundred thousand people.
　From the perspective of the Lemurian Empire, they're just pebbles.

　Of course, if the Tellitelle clan joins with the other clans to form a large force, they will pose a great threat.

　What for then?
　Well. For example, ......, the Kuro Death.
　"Coates, sir?

　Alicia's face contorted.
　The cultures of the Bulgurons and the Coats are very similar.
　That's because they are both the same people, if you trace their roots back.

　The Kuro Thrust were the champions of the steppe, and the Bulgurons were chased by the Kuro Thrust into the Lemurian Empire.

　Their power is far to the east, and their eyes are on the south ...... of Foulds and the Land of Silk. But that doesn't mean they won't turn their attention to the west. In that case, it will be the Taurica peninsula, the kingdom of Hayastan, and this area ...... of the Bulgaron region that will be invaded.

　Now that Linasha has married, she is allied with and related to Kurotsuto.
　But since we don't know what will happen in the future, it's best to be prepared.

　I'm not concerned about the black thrust. ...... This place is easily penetrated by nomads. Even if you Bulgurons can shield us, I don't know if that's enough to keep them out. I'll make sure of that.

　The reason why Hercule is not forcing the Bulgarons to become agrarian is that it is more reasonable to respect their culture in terms of governance. ......
　This is partly because it is more rational to respect the culture of the Bulgarons in terms of governance, but also because it prevents the creation of a power vacuum.

　The area around the province of Bulgaron has long been a base of operations for invading nomads.
　If the nomads in this area were to be wiped out, there would be a danger of other nomads entering the vacuum.

　Therefore, the Bulgars are subordinated to the Bulgars, but they are ruled as nomads.

　...... You have built a similar structure in Dacia, right?
　The fortresses in Dacia are more heavily fortified. The fortresses in Dacia are more heavily fortified because there are no rivers there and they are in direct contact with the barbarians.

　There are some mountains there.
　But mountains are not really a shield against enemy invasion.
　Not only can they be scaled, but the trees obscure the view, delaying the enemy's detection.

　And once they have escaped into the mountains, there is no way to pursue them.

　This is why the Lemurian Empire's defense policy has long been to keep mountain ranges within the borders as much as possible, and to create artificial borders such as the Great Wall in places with good visibility.

　Isn't that ...... expensive?
　I'm not sure what to make of it. It's good to have a workforce that can be reused.

　Alicia shuddered at Hercule's words.
　If she had made the wrong choice, the Chromes could have been forced into labor.

　The Bulgaron and Dacia provinces are lagging behind economically. The Bulgarons and the Dacians are lagging behind economically, so it would be a good public works project, and money is not such a bad thing.
　Is that how it works?
　That's the way it is. You'll get your money back in taxes in the end. Fortunately, Lemuria is booming right now.

　Hercule said cheerfully.
　The tax revenue is increasing, so there's plenty of room in the wallet.

　And ...... we can expect income from the gold deposits in Dacia.
　Isn't Dacia's gold already mined out?
　Isn't Dacia's gold mine already exhausted?" "Not to the extent that it can be dug with your technology. With our technology, we can dig deeper still. Our scholars estimate that there is at least enough for fifty years.

　As I said earlier, there are gold deposits in Dacia.
　The surface layer has been dug up, but there is still a profitable amount of gold lying in the deeper layers,......, although it will take some effort.


　If we can dig it out, it will be a great source of income.

　"But even so, the provinces of Bulgalon and Dacia are currently in the red. We knew this would happen, which is why we didn't plan to conquer the Bulgarons in the first place.
　"What?　Is that so?

　Alicia's eyes widened at Hercule's unexpected revelation.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　What made you change your mind?

　Alicia's life had taken a turn for the better or for the worse, or rather, almost for the worse.
　It is only natural to want to know the reason for that movement, the reason for her change of heart.

　"To put it simply, I was angry that you did it to me.
　"...... got you?
　You know, thanks to your surprise attack, I lost a lot of my best men.　In addition to that, I also lost my arm. ...... Well, that's good because I got it back. It's natural to get a little angry or two.

　Alicia was stunned.
　If I hadn't been victorious at the time, the Kingdom of the Bulgars might not have been destroyed.

　So, what was your original plan?

　At best, the Bulgaron Kingdom would be subordinate to us and we would control their economy, at worst, we would take back their territory and rebuild their defense lines and then make a non-aggression pact. Either way, I was able to establish a friendly relationship with the Tellitelle clan, and I had some plans to drive a wedge between the Kotormir and Chrom clans. As long as I could devote a large portion of my energy to the Bulgurons, I would have been fine.

　So what did I do? ......

　"Well, that's a turn for the worse. I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful, because now I know that you don't care about keeping your promises. I knew it, but I didn't realize it enough. People like you need to be beaten and collared and disciplined.

　Hercule said and grabbed Alicia by the neck.
　Alicia shuddered.
　Hercule puts his lips close to Alicia's frightened ear and whispers.

　"Don't be so frightened, dear. It's not all bad for you and the Chromes, is it?　Quite frankly, I'm several times a better man than your ex-fiancee ...... tele something, aren't I?
　That's ...... well, yes.

　Alicia's impression of Telerig is even worse.
　It was also clear that Hercule was a better man than Terelig, and more importantly, stronger than her.
　However, Alicia's true feeling was that she could not honestly call Hercule a "good man" because of his serious character flaws.
　But with his neck in her hands, she couldn't say such a thing.

　"The Cotormir clan wanted to use you and the Crom clan. If you had stayed on good terms with Cotormir, you might have been in trouble in the near future. Besides, if the Territorial Clan had wanted to become the hegemon of Bulgaron, I would have supported them. A civil war between the Bulgarons might have resulted in a pile of corpses. Well, I can imagine all sorts of IFs that would have gone bad.

　"That's because ...... you're trying to shut down the Bulgarons, isn't it?

　When Alicia said this, Hercule smiled.

　You're right. You can't help it, can you?　You're still a pain in the ass.

　The Kingdom of Bulgaron has grown thanks to the Lemurian Empire.
　You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their lives.

　It's not surprising, then, that the decline and fall of the Empire depends on what happens to the Lemurian Empire.

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm not sure what to do.
　After all this time, you've got a nice ass. I think you're going to have an easy delivery and a healthy baby.

　Hercule stroked Alicia's buttocks with his other hand.
　Alicia squealed in delight at the suddenness of it.

　You're going to have a baby. A child who will be the future leader of the Krom clan. A child who will be the wedge that holds the Bulgarons to Lemuria, a child who will be a shield against the threats that may come from the Territorial ...... and beyond.

　With that, Hercule pulls Alicia into his arms.
　Alicia blushes as her body is held close.

　Hercule and Alicia are not the only ones present here.

　There are soldiers guarding them, bureaucrats guiding them, and many workers.
　They are being watched by many eyes.

　"No, please don't. ......
　You seem to be in a good mood even though you say you don't want to. Why?　Am I mistaken, or is this an act? ......

　If you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your wedding, you'll want to check out this website. 　
　As if stroking, his hand slowly moved up the inside of her dress and to the top of her thigh.

　Meanwhile, the hand that had been gripping Alicia's neck moved forward to the front of her upper body.
　From her stomach, it slowly crept upward.

　As Hercule's hands moved, Alicia's breathing became more ragged and her voice more muffled.
　While running his tongue over her reddened ear, Hercule whispers.

　I've been buying you for some time now. Your martial arts skills are second to none, your tactical skills are second to none, and your political skills are second to none. I don't like stupid women. You're smart enough to know that. That's why you have to keep her in a tight collar. ......

　Then Hercule blew on Alicia's ear.
　You'll be able to get a lot more than just a collar.


　She seems to have lost her strength and her will to resist.

　Hercule says to Alicia.

　"Listen, b*tc*. Wagging their tails, flirting, and performing tricks to entertain their owners is part of a dog's job,......, but a dog's main job is to help its owner. The dog became a domestic animal because of its hunting talent. And the reason I have you is because I want to use you as a hound.

　Alicia looked up at Hercule with feverish eyes.
　Nervousness, fear, disgust, obedience, anticipation, and pleasure ...... mixed together, making Alicia's heart race wildly and her body temperature rise.

　It was enough of a physical reaction to trigger the suspension bridge effect.

　"I'm counting on your devotion. Alicia.
　"Yes, Heika .......