Chapter 254 – Kitsunes Play for the Future

*** Alzi ***

We finally marched!

The Princess made two camps; the main one I live in shifts over to where the other camp is a day after it moves, and then they push forward again. Normally with a group or two getting poisoned or ambushed and then winding up in my tent to get fucked. I mean healed.

The Princess promises that they are also killing some of the enemies, but I don't know how much I should believe her. She has been spending a few minutes with me every day with Inanos, but I think they mainly want to calm down the kids. However, that includes the three in my own womb, so I won't get too mad about it.

The Princess also told me the Kitsune will be sending a healer to help my Mother and Mai, so that's good. But moving around so much isn't getting any easier as I grow larger. Soon, I don't think I'll fit on a horse, which will be a bit sad, as I don't know if I'll be able to keep playing Cornelius in their little encampment if I can't quickly make it back to the medical tent.

I have been able to heal most of the commoners who lost a limb, though it did require me to get Shyla pregnant. Well, it did since I didn't want to be the one getting fucked in the middle of the tent. But the commoners all gave me a warm hug afterward, so it wasn't too bad getting my last maid pregnant for them.

"My Lady," Shyla says. "Would you like to go to the men's tent?"

"Yes," I say. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I just want to make sure," Shyla says. "I'm getting to experience how hard pregnancy is on a working woman firsthand, but watching you, it is easy to see that it is tiring. You can always get some more sleep if you like."

"I'm used to getting little sleep," I say. "The brothel didn't let the women stay over with me often, but that didn't let my nights end any sooner or my days start any later."

My levels have kept growing at a steady pace, now at seventeen, with plenty of mana to show for it, along with a Skill to remove curses. But it only works on women, as I have to get them pregnant to lift the curse.

I should find someone to curse Esiyae, then taunt her into begging me to give her even more children to cure it.

...

"Hello dear," the Princess says, pulling me out of the game. "Sorry, it was your turn, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, but Alzi dear, you need to attack more," the Princess says. "If you just hole up, you'll lose every time."

"I've noticed that," I say. In all five games we've played, I've lost.

"Even small attacks would work. Just sending your assassin out to look for a good chance to slip a knife between a rib or even just to wound the mage to slow the reinforcements down could give you a win."

"I know," I say. "I know that, and I just don't understand how to do it. I get that you just send them out, but I don't get how to move them or balance that or anything."

I feel her stupid, strong arms wrap around me. "Sorry," the Princess whispers. "Cornelius has probably told you that a lot. If I could stick around longer, I would play on your team and talk through the moves. A project for after the war, how about it? I think Cornelius would enjoy having you cheering him on at a competition sometime. We could go see how they play."

"I wouldn't mind having someone as pretty as Alzi cheering me on," Cornelius says. "But I have to say that spending time with you, Alzi, brings up too many things you must never tell my wives. If they hear that the Princess wants Alzi to watch me play, I'll have to start a new training regime this afternoon."

"We can keep this private," the Princess says. "I'd hate to cause stress for my wife's friend from a loose tongue."

"But you're fine with having your wife lose because of it?" I ask, trying to figure out my next move.

"Sorry," the Princess says. "Strike out with the warrior. You need some room to breathe."

"But if she falls..."

"Yes, if she falls, you've lost. But look, you have the height advantage and the correct side. Your opponent doesn't get to use their strong arm, nor do they have an easy time attacking upwards. You don't want to overextend, but you can't let them do whatever they wish, or their mage will bring the tower down. Cornelius likely has a plan if you push out, but I think you can see that he has a clear path to victory if you do nothing."

"Fine," I say. I don't have much else to do. The women at the brothel never set up these kinds of attacks, with the mages doing so much damage without ever coming within range of my forces.

My warrior wins out, pushing his back. But my assassin gets killed before she can hit the mage. I try to get my warrior out of the tower, but he's too slow. Both warriors die in the fall, leaving just my own mage and Princess alive to face the assassin and mage.

"There, you needed to keep pushing," the Princess says. "Your mage could defend the tower while your warrior pushes forward. Here, you need to take out the mage before the assassin sets up her final attack."

"The mage isn't even in range," I say.

"No, you'll need to move her. You're down, so you'll need to take the risk, dear," the Princess says. "Count on the Princess finding the assassin in time. That is your only chance."

I follow the Princess's advice. My mage pushes into a duel with Cornelius's, but I don't manage to land a killing blow before the assassin comes in and stabs me in the back.

"Princess Elora is right. If you take out my mage, you just need to guide your Princess through the forest with your mage and hope that my assassin doesn't get a lucky hit in."

"Still so hard to get this."

"Yes," Cornelius says. "Your style is one of the hardest to pull off. You have to time your fights perfectly, but when you master that, you'll be almost unbeatable. There have only been a few that have managed to pull it off, but all are amongst the greatest."

"Still frustrating," I say.

"Of course," the Princess says. "Losing is never fun, especially many times in a row. But I'm sure you'll get it, dear. I'm sorry that these meetings are so short, but a lot is going on, dear." She gives me a soft kiss on the cheek and gets up. "Good luck in your next game."

*** Queen Kiyomi of the Kitsune ***

Tanatsu is going to have to deal with hosting her sister. Those idiots down in the lower realm are messing around with the Goddesses like they can't end everything for everyone.

Do they not teach the legends down there anymore?

Of course, Yuki has forgotten them as well. Hopefully, that crazy girl is teaching her some manners right now.

"Miki!" I shout out. That girl had better be listening.

"Yes, Mother?" my second child says, kneeling down before me. I take a sip of my tea and get ready for an annoyance.

"You will be going down to help a dragon and cat give birth," I say, a light clink ringing out as I set the cup down. "Tanatsu will host you."

"You want me to be with that thing and help a cat?" Miki says.

"Yes," I say. Can she figure it out? Or have my children gotten too comfortable up in our realm? Counting on me to handle everything...

"Who do they know?"

It's a start. "Yuki."

"Has Yuki finally started her quest in earnest?" Miki asks. Is she really not paying attention to the world right now?

"Yes, for a while, she has. We now have a few months left until they are due. One is pregnant with twins, and the other is small, so they will come early. Be ready to go in a month. Avoid the royal harem if you can. I do not need them to get the wrong idea about my daughter being there, but if you are asked, just remind them that nothing bad can befall those two. Nothing."

"Yuki is trying to make up for her failures, it seems."

"You should already know about this," I say. "Go prepare and be ready to help that silly girl. She may get herself hurt, and I want you ready to jump to her."

"She is meant to complete the mission by herself," Miki says, daring to look at me.

She can't bother to pay attention to the goings-on of the realm but wants to tell me how to run it? "You know we need children, and for that, we need Yuki to succeed. She will not become the Queen, so there is no need to be strict about the mission."

"I can..."

"No, the one Yuki has her sight on is best. You are going down there to help smooth over Yuki's failures. If you get a chance to get pregnant, I expect you to take it. Only the rainbow will work, as you should know."

"Yuki wants the one this is all about?"

"Go figure it out on your own time. I should not have to explain things that have been happening for months and years now. If you want to beat out your sister, then figure it out. Now, leave me."

"Yes, Mother," Miki says, vanishing again.

Less fighting than I was expecting from her. She has learned a bit over the years.

"Little one," Mother says. "You shouldn't be so strict with them."

"I did that with Yuki, and look at us now. Alzi could have been with us for years by now. Yuki knows the signs well enough. All she needed to do was ask me for help, and I would have Alzi in my realm without anyone knowing I took her. A dual champion, all for us at the cost of letting in a few weak dragons."

"They just wish to please you," Mother says, taking a sip of my tea. "If you were a little more relaxed with them, they would come to you for help. Instead, they feel the need to go above and beyond to make you happy."

"Then they have much to learn."

"They have much to fear, dear. You need to be soft with Alzi," Mother says, sitting down across from me with her many tails flowing behind her. I still can't get my tails to look like hers. And even with her aging, they look better than mine.

"I know. I need her to get a lot of our women pregnant quickly, but without making it so she will not give us more in the future. I will give her Yuki, and I was hoping you would be willing to join her."

"You want some new sisters?" Mother laughs. "She is even getting those ancient vampires pregnant. Do you want to see your Mother with a belly? I wouldn't mind spending some time with that dragon. But know what you are asking."

"No, what I want is someone to actually protect that girl," I say.

"I know," Mother says. "We all do. Just know this will drag us into the war."

"We always were going to be part of it. So, we'd best make sure we stand to gain from it."