Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

*Pop!* As the piston for inhalation was pulled out, the transparent straw on Adela's fair, plump little bun trembled and swayed. The tender bud that had just calmed down became even more upright and swollen than before, like a giant pomegranate, glistening with moisture, looking both tempting and pitiful.

Adela lay to one side, sobbing uncontrollably, yet afraid to make a sound. This time, she had finally lost everything. Adela turned her back to Ryūka, her head seemingly wanting to escape the world. Meanwhile, her former maid watched as Kania swallowed and released Ryūka's thick, terrifying member, a look of surprise and fear on her face.

But there was a hint of curiosity and eagerness in his eyes.

“Miss Kania,” Yulina looked at Kania’s sunken, alluring profile, “Aren’t you in pain?”

"Pfft~ Ha!"

*Gulp...* After Kania swallowed a mouthful of saliva, she smiled at Yulina: "No way~ I love it this way~ But not everyone can do it~"

That's right. Even for Ryūka's other harem members, it would take a long time to adapt to the depth that Kania had, and even so, it would still be accompanied by a bit of pain.

This is the witch's talent. Have you thought about Yong Kong, Lin Zai Zai...?

Seeing Yulina's eager yet hesitant expression, Kania took the initiative and asked, "Want to give it a try?"

"Is it alright, Lady Ryukatsu..." Yurina looked at Ryukatsu, pursed her lips, nervous yet expectant.

Ryuka readily agreed to the request: "Just don't push yourself too hard~"

Yulina opened her mouth, but just taking the tip in made her feel a sense of foreboding; her jaw felt like it was about to dislocate, let alone like Kania's.

She tried to move a few times, but before she could even get to her throat, she couldn't help but gag, and even her teeth clashed a few times. Fortunately, Ryuka's constitution was strong, and she didn't feel uncomfortable, only a ticklish feeling.

"Phew... I'm sorry, I'm really useless..."

After trying for a while, Yulina gave up for the time being. Perhaps she could grit her teeth and swallow it, but Yulina really didn't want to risk spitting it on Ryusha, that would be too disrespectful.

Kania immediately took over, leaving Yurina to handle the easier part. The little witch was responsible for servicing most of Ryukatsu's needs with her mouth, while Yurina used her novice techniques to tease the lower part of Ryukatsu's penis that was exposed outside Kania's mouth. The two pretty little faces were buried between Ryukatsu's legs, a comfortable and pleasing sight.

As for Adela, she seemed to have been forgotten by the three of them, huddled silently in the corner of the cell, whether this was a sign of misery or relief was hard to tell.

Only a tenth of a month has passed...

Chapter 3 The Princess is Coming

The training of Adela has put Ryusha in a much better mood lately, giving him an outlet for the pressure accumulated from his daily official duties. As for Yurina, he's not in a hurry to take her in; he wants to observe the girl for a while longer.

Meanwhile, Sochi province gradually returned to calm, and Ryukyu was actively seeking solutions to the deficit and debt in the market. Today, good news arrived: Clovis in the north had begun implementing the emperor's provincial system. To this end, he initiated trade with the north, including selling large quantities of goods produced in Sochi to the north, and even to the Vino people of the snowy region.

This would clear out a significant amount of the goods piling up in the Sochi workshops. To this end, he specifically sent an envoy to sign a trade contract with Ryūsha, and also to deliver the gold coins he had exchanged for the five Judgment Knights in Ryūsha's possession. Combined with the ransom Ryūsha received from the Harvey family for Joe Harvey, this money was enough to silence the nobles in the province.

However, the identity of the special envoy sent by Clovis who was "very knowledgeable about Sochi" surprised Ryuka.

"So, the contract is now officially signed..."

Inside Sochi Castle, Ryukyu stamped the trade contract with his seal. A large number of northern nobles would buy up all kinds of goods stockpiled in Sochi Province at 80% of the market price, with a 20% deposit as down payment and the balance settled when the goods were sold.

"Is there anything else, Mrs. Mara...?"

Ryusha looked at the envoy sitting opposite her, who was none other than Mara Payne, the former mistress of the castle and the wife of Earl Duke.

After leaving Sochi, she immediately reverted to the Payne family name. Although there was no divorce ceremony, her connection with the Payne family was enough for her to sever ties with the Duke family and thus avoid being implicated in the 'Duke family rebellion'.

Not to mention she was Clovis's aunt.

The elderly woman was impeccably dressed, her face frosty. Despite Ryūka's deep entanglement with the Duke family, he had little contact with her. The masked guard who had once put Ryūka under immense pressure was also protecting Lady Mara, though his current strength as a peak Grand Knight was no longer a threat to Ryūka.

However, the atmosphere between the two sides remained somewhat tense. Ryūka was quite surprised to learn that Clovis's envoy was Mrs. Mara. The complex relationships between him, the Duke family, and the Payne family forced Ryūka to treat the old woman before him with caution.

However, the same applies to Mrs. Mara.

The emperor ordered Clovis to implement the provincial system in the north. Although it has not yet affected the Payne family's territory, it is clear to everyone that the largest local noble family in Otto is about to face a challenge.

The relationship between the emperor, princes, and maternal relatives is incredibly delicate. Ryusha doesn't know what kind of signal Clovis is sending by having Lady Mara come to Sochi in his place.

"Of course, Your Excellency the Governor."

Mrs. Mara glanced at Kira and Megan, who were flanking Ryukyu. One was Ryukyu's Minister of Finance, who would naturally be present to sign the trade contract; the other was Mrs. Mara's niece. Although Megan was no longer considered a member of the Payne family, she still nominally retained the Payne surname and even had her own title and territory. However, as a niece, she had lived with her aunt, Mrs. Marfa, in Sochi for over a decade, and Ryukyu had called Megan there to avoid an overly awkward situation.

After all, Kira is the illegitimate daughter of Lady Mara's husband, Earl Duke...

After glancing at the faces of Ryusha and the other two, Lady Mara said to Ryusha expressionlessly, "I want to see some people."

As a guest, her tone and attitude weren't exactly friendly. But compared to Ruka, who now possesses Sochi, Mrs. Mara spent more than twice as long in Sochi as Ruka has ever lived. And Ruka could see some complex emotions beneath her icy exterior…

It seems that Clovis told Mrs. Mara that her husband and children were still alive.

From Megan, Ryusha learned about the masked bodyguard behind Mrs. Mara: The Payne family once had a talented young knight who was said to have had a close relationship with the young Mrs. Mara. However, after Mrs. Mara was betrothed to Ronald Duke, who was then the son of an earl, this knight 'disappeared,' replaced by a masked bodyguard who never spoke in public.

Ryusha didn't care about the story of a noblewoman who was forced to sacrifice her love for a family marriage and a knight from a poor background. He also didn't care what role the knight played in Mrs. Mara and Count Duke's decades-long marriage, which was all show and no substance and full of scheming.

But he understood one thing: what Mrs. Mara had just said might not have meant that she wanted to see her husband, Earl Duke, but rather her two sons, Tavis Duke and Bran Duke.

Clovis sent Lady Mara without even a word. Ryūka gave Lady Mara's 'request' a wry smile; he could almost see Clovis grinning at him mischievously. Perhaps the Third Prince was using this condition to win over Lady Mara and sow discord within the Payne family, only Ryūka would have to foot the bill.

"I knew it, this contract wouldn't come so easily..."

Liu Xia tapped the contract on the table. Although it was a dumping at 80% of the market price, it was a very favorable price for Sochi, which needed to solve its immediate problems. After all, unsold goods have no value and will take up a lot of storage space and storage costs.

"I will arrange this, but you will need to wait patiently for a while."

Bran Duke is relatively easy to deal with; he's working in Sochi, concealing his identity, and is now much like the masked knight behind her mother. Plus, he has a close relationship with Lady Mara, so he'll likely come. But Tavis Duke and his son… they're closer to Earl Duke, and they're at the Hot Springs Resort. If Ryusha wants to inform them, she'll probably have to go through Earl Duke himself.

As Ryusha spoke, he slowly rose and bowed slightly to Lady Marfa, who returned the bow in return. Despite the complexities of the relationship, business was business, and politics was politics; both sides needed to maintain the necessary decorum in this setting.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.” Mrs. Mara remained expressionless, as if time and experience had robbed her of most of her emotions. After hearing that Ryūsha had agreed to her request, she spoke again, mentioning something that Ryūsha was interested in:

"There are rumors that the capital has decided which member of the royal family will be sent to Sochi to preside over the inaugural opening ceremony of the Imperial Military Academy's Sochi branch. Furthermore, they will reportedly stay in Sochi for a period of time under the pretext of awaiting the Emperor's inspection tour..."

"Oh? I wonder which prince or duke it is? Or their son?"

Ryuu was curious about how Lady Mara knew about this. He hadn't heard anything from the fourth prince, Elias, since Elias was responsible for handling this matter for Ryuu as part of the conditions for failure.

Moreover, Lady Mara only brought up this matter as a prepared thank you after he had already agreed to her request. It's very likely that Clovis didn't ask her to convey this message beforehand, since Clovis's connections were weaker than Elias's, and the fact that the Third Prince's mother was always viewed with suspicion by the Emperor because of her Pain family background was common knowledge throughout Otus. Therefore, there was no reason for Clovis to know the outcome before Elias.

It seems this old woman has some tricks up her sleeve. A daughter who was sent abroad for a marriage alliance decades ago was not sidelined or ostracized after returning to the family, but instead reappeared at the poker table. It seems there's a reason why Mrs. Mara was someone Meghan used to admire.

"You will be pleased to know, Your Excellency the Governor."

Mrs. Mara rarely smiled, but her smile carried a hint of vengeful satisfaction. This made Ryuka uneasy.

No way? Could it be...?

“Your Highness Princess Tipalotura Yóu Ottus. Your ‘nominal’ sovereign. Well then, Your Excellency, please allow me to take my leave…”

Seeing a slight change in Ryūka's expression, Mrs. Mara left in high spirits. If it weren't for Ryūka's sudden appearance, the Payne family would have already defeated the Duke family and taken control of Sochi. It could be said that Ryūka's existence rendered Mrs. Mara's decades of life futile, hence her slight resentment towards him—something Ryūka could understand.

But Tipalotura?

For matters of this caliber, such as making an appearance at the Sochi Academy, the usual imperial practice is to send a member of the collateral branch of the princes, rather than a direct descendant of the emperor.

Especially since Ryukyu entered the imperial court as a consul appointed by Hetia, he was certainly seen by outsiders as a vassal of the Tipalotura faction. In order to prevent the heirs of the throne from having too many opportunities to form factions and win over external nobles, the current emperor of Otus rarely allowed his children to have frequent contact with the noble forces they were on good terms with.

Besides Clovis, the Payne family behind him was a powerful force that even the emperor himself couldn't handle and considered a major threat. Therefore, the emperor ignored him with a dark face, so Clovis was always regarded by the world as the emperor's least favorite son.

For Ryukyu, the arrival of the mysterious princess Tipalotura in the Sochi province was an even bigger headache.

First, as Hetia once mentioned, Tipalotura possesses a peculiar ability to foresee the future.

This princess knew that Ryūka was not her vassal, and even that Ryūka had taken away her subordinate, Hetia. But for some reason, she had tacitly approved of this, and in many past incidents, she had acted in the capital as Ryūka's patron. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentences.)

Her own path coincided with that of the Princess… This was what Hetia told Ryukyu, one of the reasons the Princess sent her.

Therefore, compared to gods, the papacy, or the Primordial Witch, Tipalottura is the most unfathomable being for Ryūka. Other potential threats stem from their power, while Tipalottura's threat arises because Ryūka completely misunderstands this princess, yet he himself has been part of her plans all along.

Another reason is the witch...

The Otus royal family, descendants of King Kranar, has been secretly raising witches. This is what Kania told Ryuka.

But so far, apart from Kania, Ryuka has only met one 'witch'.

That was the short-haired girl Tipalotura sent to deliver the message, the one who could hide in the shadows and sneak into her room in the dead of night.

Apart from that, whether it was the third prince Clovis, the fourth prince Elias, or Prince Hypnos whom Ryūka had met several times, Ryūka did not find any signs of the witch's presence around them.

Not to mention any signs, Ryuka even had a strange feeling that these people seemed unaware of the witch's existence!

Unless they've hidden it too well.

Only with Tipalottura did Ruka know for certain that she had witches under her command, and that she was dedicated to opening the heretical ruins in the East. This made Ruka even more unfathomable about Tipalottura…

Chapter 4 Above the Map

Witches—their existence is what worries Ryuka the most.

After all, just like Kania's ability to control people's minds and the Messenger Witch's ability to enter the shadows of animals, witches' abilities are varied and cannot be measured by their combat abilities.

Not to mention, they are all women, each with their own unique beauty. Just hearing the word 'witch' would fill most men in the world with both fear and an irrepressible surge of desire!

For ordinary people, witches only exist in epic stories, erotic tales created by bards and third-rate novelists, or dark fairy tales that scare children... Just like succubi in the image of demons, there are actually quite a few people in the streets who admire this attribute.

Although witches can indeed bring people extreme pleasure in that area, without even requiring the person to take the initiative, Ryuka is quite qualified to speak on this point... but he also understands how terrifying it would be if witches were used as henchmen and weapons!

If a witch with the same abilities as Kania, but even stronger, were to infiltrate one's territory, she could secretly control those around her little by little, which would be more destructive than any army.

Ryusha was a cautious man. His greatest fear of the Otus Empire was not its territory, military strength, or anything else, but rather the mysterious power wielded by the Otus royal family.

Knowing only from Kania that the Ottus royal family kept witches was far from enough. Ryuga didn't know their distribution within the royal family, their numbers, or in which specific operations they would appear. These were things he couldn't possibly find out by any means! Fear stemmed from the unknown; ghosts were more terrifying than zombies, and witches were those ghosts lurking in the shadows of the royal family… not to mention that the witches kept by Ottus were probably not sane people like Kania, but rather insane women who had been brainwashed…

Thinking of this, Liu Xia sighed. Otherwise, he would have already followed the example of other nobles in remote areas, concealing population and taxes, violating imperial laws by illegally mining and expanding his army! He'd have a little friction with his neighbor today, and tomorrow he'd seize a piece of their territory; even if there was no friction, he'd create it!

Or perhaps they were caught between Otto and the barbarians or other small states, nominally guarding the frontier, but gradually evolving into warlords who outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied orders...

The only known person so far is Tipalotura, who has a young witch as her messenger, and she is about to arrive in his territory!

Heaven knows if there are other witches around this princess with precognitive abilities! Even if there aren't, the pomp and circumstance of the royal family's outings, the guards, and the political impact they bring are giving Ryuka a headache.

Thinking of this, Liu Xia ordered someone to bring a map of the central continent. The enormous map, shaped like a carpet, was slowly spread out on the floor. Liu Xia took off her shoes and walked onto it, silently gazing at the mountains and rivers beneath her feet…

The entire central continent resembles a giant round table, and Sochi, at most the size of a birthday cake, is placed on the upper right side of this table.

To its left lay the Ottus Empire, occupying half of the central continent and spanning a vast expanse. Each territory demarcated by the golden line resembled a delicious delicacy in Liu Xia's eyes. Ottus was the main course at the center of the table, while the numerous kingdoms surrounding it and the uncivilized lands considered barbaric were like desserts and exotic fruits. As for the scattered islands beyond the central continent… let them be the golden tassels adorning the edge of the table…

At the center of Ottus lies the imperial capital, and the Holy City of the Papacy is also encompassed within Ottus's territory, albeit in the south-central part of the continent, near Ottus's southern border. Because Ottus's geographical location is slightly higher in the central continent, while the imperial capital is located in the north-central part, the Holy City and the imperial capital are like two symmetrically placed candles on a table, their light radiating throughout the entire world.

"Just looking at it makes me want to expand my territory... Haha~ It's like opening a world map in a strategy game. Except when you hover the mouse over it, you don't see enemy information, resources, or troop composition; there's a fog of war everywhere..."

Ryūka paced back and forth on the carpet, then used the power of the Leader's Token to summon Hefren Alvarez. The white-haired female knight, whose voice echoed in her mind, quickly arrived at the castle.

She watched as Ryūsha sat barefoot and cross-legged on the enormous carpet embroidered with maps, then glanced around to make sure no one else was in the room. Kira had gone to her daily work, while Megan was responsible for receiving her aunt, Mrs. Mara—or rather, monitoring her…

"Just the two of us?" Heflian smiled, glancing at the ornate carpet embroidered with a world map beneath Ryūka's feet. She then took off her boots, tossed her spear aside, and stepped onto the carpet, feeling the soft texture under her feet as she walked towards Ryūka.

"Let me guess, Ryukatsu, do you want to try lying on this world map? I get it, I get it~ Just looking at the territories and borders on it is so exciting~"

Ryuka couldn't help but roll her eyes at Heflian's half-joking, risqué remark, and said irritably:

"Stop joking. You know why I called you here. It hasn't been long since I beat you up and you were crawling on the ground trying to escape. Have you already forgotten the pain?"

What Ryusha was referring to was, of course, the night at the Dark Elf altar beneath the Sochi Cathedral.

Faced with the mockery from a boy several years younger than herself, Haiflian playfully stuck out her tongue, a rare occurrence for her. Of course, she understood that Ryusha hadn't called her here for no reason, but seeing the handsome boy sitting cross-legged on the carpet, intently studying the world map beneath his bottom, inexplicably stirred her heart.

Ryūka summoned her simply to discuss issues related to military supremacy.

In Ryūsha's harem, there are three female knights, but Hetia Tartu comes from a fallen noble family and has not received any military training from a young age. Although she is quite capable in combat, she has served both Tipalotura and Ryūsha, always as a monarch-serving knight. Although Ryūsha is cultivating her abilities as a commander, she still needs to develop.

Megan Payne, with her imposing stature, ferocity, and fearlessness, coupled with a morbid loyalty honed through training, makes her like a hunting dog, capable of tearing anyone apart at Ryūsha's command. While she excels at managing the city's defenses and maintaining order, she needs to follow orders to be effective on the battlefield.

And Hafelle Alvarez...

Born into a military family, her father was the commander of the emperor's imperial guards, the most loyal of the ten Heavenly Ranks. However, she herself disliked this kind of 'military life' within the imperial city, and inheriting her father's position as a high-ranking bodyguard was not what she wanted. Haifulian had an extremely high passion for establishing merit and proving herself; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was her life motto before she met Liuxia.

Although Melanie Snowfield, as a grand mage, possesses intelligence and an understanding of aristocratic life, she is ultimately an ice and snow grand mage, somewhat arrogant and preferring personal cultivation. As a fellow military noble, while she has the qualities of a strategist, Ryusha feels she lacks a certain radical spirit and thirst for achievement, qualities that Hafulen possesses…

This is the quality required to become a 'commander' and not just a 'general'...

Therefore, when Ryūka is contemplating the general trend of the world, the person by his side must be Hefleen.

After Ryūka told them about Tipalotura's upcoming visit to Sochi, the two quickly turned their attention to the world map beneath their feet, discussing the impact this event would have on them and on the entirety of Ottus.

Looking around, in Otus today, apart from the relatively stable central government, there are quite a few families like the Payne family in the north that have grown so powerful that they are gradually becoming rivals to the capital. Some are betting on the imperial heir, some are princes or grand dukes themselves, and some simply have ambition.

The strongest among them was the Payne family. Although they only held the title of earl, their true strength far surpassed that of the other forces. In Ryūka's view, there were only two reasons why they always remained under Clovis's command and never established their own independent power.

One possibility is that the Payne family knew some of the royal secrets, and their caution stemmed from this.

Another reason is because of Clovis and his mother.

Ryusha's thinking wasn't that the word 'family' would keep the Payne family loyal to Otus. On the contrary, it was Clovis and the Payne family mutually exploiting each other, a view that Hafley agreed with.

They're all seasoned shrewd old foxes; it's hard to say who'll outmaneuver whom.