You've plotted against me, Tamagushi!?
No, I kind of expected it.
After all, even though she had opened her legs and let him embrace her, she refused to reveal anything about herself.
It's obvious that they're up to something.
She will use her body to ingratiate herself with men for her secret purposes.
I was attracted to her strong determination, so I got carried away and raped her until I was completely trained...
Who would have thought that women's accessories would come in handy here...
Perfect timing, right?!
"Don't get it wrong, Sao-sama. I'm on your side."
"How dare you say that!?"
She's got her arms and legs wrapped around me like an octopus and is restraining me!? We're pressed together and our breasts are touching, but it's not like it feels good at all!
If I was unable to move like this and the Third Prince were to use his molecular disintegration punch, I'd die instantly!
Was this your purpose?
Are you trying to pit me and the third prince against each other and skillfully bring us both down!?
"Please calm down. If you wanted to die, you would have been reduced to ashes a long time ago."
"what?"
Come to think of it, while we're arguing like this, the Third Prince's punch should be coming at us any second now.
In fact, wouldn't it be strange if they hadn't already collided?
Telephone punch?
What are you whining about, Third Prince?
"Guh, ooooooooohhh?!"
Looking closer, I saw that the third prince's remaining left arm was trembling and stiff.
What are you doing with this once in a lifetime opportunity?
"Why? I can't move my body...?! I'm trying to kill this man...?!"
What are you talking about?
Do you think that just before he was about to kill someone, his hidden conscience awakened? ...That's definitely not the case.
"Your body is rebelling against killing this person... The blood of the Niosebuku royal family flows through your body. When I say that, you understand, don't you?"
"What?! That's not possible...?!"
"You have declared defeat. To Lord Sao, that is for sure. I'm sure it was just a lie spewed out in an emergency, but the words of royalty are not to be taken so lightly."
"No way...!? No way...!?"
His face turns pale and he trembles.
And I was left behind, not understanding anything about what was going on between the two of them.
"...Um, I'd appreciate it if you could explain it in simple terms so that an outsider could understand...!"
"No, you're not an outsider. You're the central figure in this situation, Sao-sama."
What story is it where you have no idea who the central character is?!
"Do you know, Lord Sao? We, the heirs of the royal blood of Niosebuku, carry something like a curse in our blood. When those of the same blood fight each other, the loser will always obey the winner."
Ah, I've heard that story somewhere before.
It is because of this curse that the Niosebuku Kingdom, whose only thought is fighting and killing and eating, has been able to survive to this day.
Otherwise, every time there was a change of leadership there would be bloody civil wars, and the nation would become exhausted and decline.
"Yes, it is a safety valve for Niosebuku, who can only decide things through battle. In any case, this curse also works on Gangastora, the third son of the late King Niosebuku. If he is defeated by his brothers and sisters of the same blood, this man will have no choice but to obey."
"Hmm."
....
....
...Huh?
What do you mean?
"Therefore, having been defeated by you, Gangastora will never be able to even scratch you."
"Wait, isn't that weird?"
I'm a complete outsider though.
How could a match between me and the third prince trigger the royal curse?
"Mr. Thao, could you please tell me about your origins?"
"I don't have any particularly impressive origins… I was born to a mother who lived in a rural area of a certain country, and I have one older sister and one younger sister. We're a surprisingly normal family, you know?"
"Who's your father?"
"I don't know."
No, really.
Ever since I was old enough to understand, I was raised by a single mother along with my older sister, and there was never any sign of a man who could be considered a father.
Later, I heard from my mother that she had been a mercenary, traveling from one battlefield to another, when she was captured by enemy forces and raped as a prisoner of war, and that it was me and my sister who were conceived within her.
The older sister was born when she was gang-raped by multiple enemy soldiers, so it is completely impossible to identify her father.
However, after she became pregnant with my sister, my mother, who was considered a fine beauty, was presented to the royal family of the enemy country.
Of course, treating a woman as a tribute was an option, and my mother, who had been violated once again, became pregnant with me.
I've heard that story before...
If that's the case, then my father is some kind of royal?
And what if Niosebuku was the country my mother was fighting for?
As I was saying it, it started to seem like it was possible. This shitty country seems like it's at war with someone all year round, right?!
"The previous king, Imasi Nunda, raped many women and had them bear children in order to select superior members of the royal family. He mainly targeted the royal families of other countries that he had conquered, and among the captured women, he actively offered them to them and impregnated them. It is said that hundreds of illegitimate children were born in this way."
"What an incredible guy!!"
...No, I'm not like that.
I'm always doing it because I want to get close to girls, so I'm fundamentally different from King Niosebuku who only sees women as tools to get pregnant, you know?
"Isn't Thao-sama's mother one of the women who was embraced by my father? I heard that many of the women who were oppressed by the former king in the past were killed or banished along with their children because their children were not given a useful 'vocation.'"
My mother was ordered to "kill" my newborn sister, so she fled the country to protect her.
That's why I grew up in the tranquil countryside, like any other kid...
"However, the circumstances of your birth are not that important at this point. What is important is that Gangastora, who was defeated by you, activated the royal curse. This is the greatest proof that you are of the royal bloodline of the Niosebuku family."
"Wh, what did you say?"
"That is why I stopped Thao-sama. Thao-sama is so strong that he didn't even give Gangastora an opportunity to resist. If it continued like this, I would have ended up killing him before I could determine if the curse was working or not..."
You held me down when I tried to fight back?
What are you doing?
Luckily the curse happened to activate, but if it hadn't I'd probably be reduced to a tiny water flea by now.
"There was no need to worry about that. My 'calling' has firmly established that Lord Thao is the one who should become the king of this land."
"Tamagushi's... 'vocation'...!?"
Even if she says that, there's almost no information about her other than how her body feels to hug, so I don't know what to say.
"Valkyrie...!"
"yes?"
The person who posted a comment on my behalf was none other than the third prince, Gangasurah.
He was painfully holding his right arm, which was still bleeding.
"Valkyrie. The fighting goddess spoken of in legend. She soars through the sky clad in a feathered robe, and is said to be able to smash through the armies writhing on the earth. That is the 'vocation' of Tamagushi, the eighth princess of Niosebuku...!"
"The Eighth Princess...?!"
So Tamagushi was related to Niosebuku after all...?
And what about a princess?
After hearing this truth, everyone's eyes were glued to Tamagushi. She looked uneasy...
"Both my father and my brother are only interested in direct combat when it comes to 'vocations' and don't hesitate to call anything else 'trash'. That's why they only saw the 'Valkyries' as a class with high annihilation capabilities that imitates the Goddess. But that's just one aspect of my 'vocation'."
She also identifies herself as the Princess of Niosebuku.
She calls the king her father and the prince her brother...
"The Valkyries of legend are minor ladies who serve heroes. They receive the orders of the great god, seek out the souls of those who have accomplished great deeds on earth, lead them to heaven, and provide them with hospitality worthy of their accomplishments. They treat them to delicious food, pour them sake, and even offer their bodies... I, too, have copied the deeds of such goddesses as my 'calling', and I can intuitively sense those who are destined to become heroes."
And so Tamagushi hit upon the hero…
...I?
No no, no way...!?
...Huh? Seriously?
"That's cruel, Sao-sama. Otherwise I would never have embraced you on our first meeting...! That must also be the result of the instinct of a Valkyrie to 'serve the hero with all I've got'."
"Hold me...!?"
Why is the third prince shocked?
Was this one of the phrases Tamagushi blurted out?
"My mother was a royal family member of one of the countries destroyed by Niosebuku... a shrine maiden princess in charge of religious ceremonies. Even though her country was destroyed, the religious ceremonies that had been passed down through the generations could not be wiped out, so she taught me, who was raped by Imashinunda and born, the wisdom and traditions of her homeland. My nature as a Valkyrie... commands me to obey Lord Sao. To return this land to its rightful form and rule in peace and tranquility, to guide and assist the chosen hero."
"Tamagushi...! Youyyyyyy...!!"
For some reason, the third prince took on a demonic expression and glared at Tamagushi.
As expected of royalty from a military nation, just his gaze would be enough to make an average person faint, but Tamagushi is amazing for remaining cool as he receives it.
"Why didn't you choose me?! I am the one who will rule this land and build the strongest kingdom with absolute authority! You will be most valuable if you serve me...?!"
"You are a man who can only misunderstand things, Gangastura. You are not worthy of being a hero. You are merely a raging thug. If someone like you were to rise to the top, the world would fall into chaos and become even more tragic. In order to prevent that, I had no choice but to serve Lord Thao. So that Lord Thao could save this land."
"No! It was me! It was me!"
He sounds like he's crying out in distress.
They are both princes and princesses of Niosebuku, so their relationship should be siblings. Of course, they probably have different mothers.
Was there something on your mind?
"Sao-sama... I'm sorry I haven't revealed my true identity until now."
Tamagushi bows his head humbly.
"I simply wanted to serve you according to my own 'calling.' However, I thought that if I revealed from the beginning that I was the princess of Niosebuku, that would prevent this from happening. That's why I thought it would be better to keep it a secret until I could gain your trust."
That being said, completely concealing your identity is just as suspicious.
Normally, I'd be suspicious and never let her be by my side. I was easily seduced by her charms, though...
"As long as you're not causing any trouble to humans, I won't say anything. I basically have a policy of not hurting women."
"As expected of Sao-sama. Your generosity is truly the makings of a hero. I will continue to serve you wholeheartedly♥♥"
Well, if she would let me have sex with her again then I'd be happy.
But once again, a shocking truth...
My father was...King Niosebuku?
"So, I was the one who was my own father without even knowing it...?!"
Well, that's okay.
He's a complete scumbag who is indefensible from any angle.
On the contrary, if he had ordered me to "kill" my baby sister Caliba, he should have made her suffer more and made her realize her sins before killing her.
"Are you saying that you were the one who killed my father...?!"
The third prince spoke as blood continued to flow from his arm.
"You were also present at the scene of King Niosebuku's death, weren't you? If so, isn't there a connection?"
The similarity between the King's fatal blow and the attack that just blew your arm off.
"I-it's true that my father was killed when his head and chest were blown apart by something too blind to see...?! Just like my arm...?! So it was really you?! Even though you were an illegitimate child, are you saying that you killed your own father?!"
In "Land of Tigers and Wolves," wouldn't killing one's parent be something to be praised?
Don't only appeal to emotions when it's convenient for you.
"You inherited the royal blood and killed the king with your own strength.... You, who have been Prince Niosebuku since birth, should understand how worthy you are to become the new king of this country."
"Guh...?!"
"You yourself have been completely defeated by Lord Thao and have completely lost your right to be king. Stop struggling and offer everything you have as a member of the royal family to Lord Thao."
"Not yet...! I'm not done yet...!"
Tamagushi begins some kind of confusing negotiation, and the third prince clearly reacts with opposition.
"I'm the prince! I'm the one who's going to be king! I'm not going to hand the glorious Niosebuku throne over to some random brat that just appeared out of nowhere! Come on out! Come on out!"
Together with the third prince's loud voice, murderous intent surged from all around.
Could this be a pattern similar to the famous "I don't care about you, my lord!"?
"Yes, I am the prince of Niosebuku! Even though I was defeated in single combat, I still have the power and authority to lead a large army! The curse has no effect on the soldiers who follow me! I will surround and kill the side branch born of some bitch and the traitor Tamagushi, and once again I will take back my place as heir to the throne!!"