Chapter 493 – Tournment with Friends

The delays have finally stopped for the tournament. Who knew that having a giant war and then crowning a new Queen would make it difficult to hold large events that require the same people who are officers in the army? And nobles who have to watch me get crowned.

"Is the crowd always this big?" I ask.

"Yes, only the fights get more people to show up, Empress Alzi," Shyla says. "Fighting has more followers throughout the year, and the Hunting Grounds really only has this tournament that pulls a large crowd. It's a lot harder to follow than who is bleeding more."

"That is going to be a problem," I say. "I'm not very good at the simpler version of the game."

"Don't worry, My Empress," Kou says. "I'm well-versed, and there will be announcers who will be looking over different boards. When they aren't explaining Mr. Hayes' board, I will be. You don't need to be as skilled as the players to talk about the possibilities of the positions. We will also get to see both sides of the board. And one of his wives will be with us. She was the champion last year, so she gets to skip a few rounds. I'm sure she will be more than happy to fill in about anything I don't catch."

"Oh, that's good," I say. "I didn't know how this all worked."

"Yes, Empress Alzi," Shyla says. "They've done their best to make this possible to spectate for those who aren't good at the game. I hardly play, otherwise, I would've given you advice back at the camp, but I still had some fun going to the tournament a few years ago, just for a short time. There'll be a few other men from the party here as well. Worst case, you can cheer a bit and chat with them."

I have only been around babies and women for a while, though I guess there was Ioelena's dad. I'm used to being the only one with a cock around, so it'll be good to see them and talk for a bit. I'll see if they can come up with something to sway Fertility to let more men into the world. Is there another Goddess that I could give birth to to help with that? Maybe they could take away Fertility's ability to set the genders? I can't set them for my kids, so it can't be her inherent power.

"It will be good to talk to them again," I say. "Most of them were very nice." And I came up with a great plan that they all followed. It was a great night until that dryad passed out, and then it was a relaxing night.

I wonder how that invasive dryad is doing. She must've given birth by now. All of those wives... Babies, which babies were theirs? I didn't really meet the parents or pay attention to the last names of the kids. I'll have to ask Elora about the birthday party family later.

Elora offered the castle to host the beginning of the tournament after I requested the move. It makes it easy for me to get in and go to some special box or something. There's probably a stupid name for a room to hide our group and me from everyone. Not that I would have to walk to any event with Nanoka and Nakuma around. I could even scam Space into teleporting me around if I really needed it.

"Ready to go? I haven't been to an event like this for a few years, so this is going to be fun," Nanoka says. Her belly is showing now, and she is so cute with that little bump that she loves to rub and all those tails floating behind her. She does look like a Queen relaxing, which she kind of is.

"Yes," I say.

It is just a room overlooking a bunch of tables behind a short fence. I guess everyone else has to stand? There are other rooms around, though they're all a bit smaller than mine. So, it's just most people who have to stand.

"Is this all the room they have?" I ask.

"No, there are other buildings like this one, but this is the main stage, My Empress," Kou says. "There is more room outside the building to sit, and they will play the moves outside so that they can all see the games. Some like to focus on a certain group, while others like to wander around. If you do want to see the other games, we'll have a board here that we can use to mirror any of the other games, so you'd just be missing the walking experience, which is probably a good thing for all the pregnant women. If the game lasts long enough, we'll have lunch brought up to the box."

"That's good," I say. I think the building can hold about twice as many as my shows back at the brothel could get. It would be kind of sad if some girls shaking their asses had a larger audience. "I doubt I'll care about that board, but some of the others might use it. Oh, I see it in the corner. I should pick a spot. Even the mention of walking has me struggling right now. I think Fertility's ritual is wearing off."

"I have to agree with you on that," Nanoka says. "My feet have already swollen up. I'm happy to have the kids, but oh, is the process draining. I don't know how Elyne is handling two pregnancies at once, or Vanya with how many she has. It's been centuries since I've felt this pain, and I will tell you that I forgot just how bad it gets."

"Please, relax," Kou says. "Everyone else should be arriving shortly. The players are starting to come out. Cornelius will be playing a woman. She was a past champion, but she's on the decline. He'll have to be sharp if he wants to win before the Empress."

I wonder if they give the men harder match-ups so that they'll get sent home faster. I hope I'm not adding too much pressure for him. "How did he get an invitation to this event? It didn't sound like he liked to play that much," I say.

"All of his wives are in the tournament, My Empress," Kou says. "Him not playing much is probably still more than how much your entire harem plays combined. He isn't a star or expected to win, but he's good. If he had a normal match-up, he would make it to the middle of the tournament."

So they do try to eliminate the men first. Assholes. That's just one more thing to look into. Is there a Goddess of Games? I need to get a list and then try to find a method to the madness of the Goddesses I'm creating.

Eliyen arrives, showing her little, normally progressing pregnancy, just as I spot Cornelius moving over to one of the tables down in the stadium. A few men follow in behind Eliyen. William the human, Rilitar the dark elf, and Kamdet the dwarf. I don't see many dwarves around, so it'll be fun to talk to him again.

"Hello, Empress Alzi," Eliyen says. "I've got another special surprise for you."

Leena comes in next, walking in all proper. I'll have a few daughters that act like nobles, I guess.

"It's great to see you again," I say.

"Hi, Father," Leena says, walking up to me for a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Haha, pregnancy isn't a great time," I say. "But it is exciting to create the future generation. I'm doing well. Just a bit tired. I swear you're taller than when we last met. You haven't been drinking any strange potions, have you?"

"No! I would never," Leena says.

"Good, just wanted to make sure," I say. "You're just naturally getting tall. That's good to hear. Now, I'm sorry for being boring, but I would like to sit down. How about we see if I can get you on my lap? The belly may make things difficult for us."

"I would like that," Leena says.

"Then I'll make it work," I say. "This way. Let's get us some good seats. I am the Empress, after all. We can't have the Empress and her daughter struggling to see the games. The game is about to start, right?"

"Yes, My Empress," Kou says. "I can help with getting Leena on your lap."

"We're happy to follow you," William says. "Getting the great Eliyen to help us understand these games while being next to the Empress? This is the best invitation I've ever gotten. You're as beautiful as you were at the party."

"Thank you," I say. "Shyla has her work cut out for her these days. The belly makes it hard to fit me into things."

"Well, Shyla, you're doing a wonderful job," William says. "Your dress for Alzi's last address left just as great an impression on us as the speech did."

"That almost feels like you're insulting the dress," I say. I give Leena a little pat so we can start working towards the seats at the front. Kou picks her up as Shyla helps guide me into a seat. My belly doesn't leave much room for my daughter, but there's enough.

"Your address was well received," Rilitar says. "Well, for some families. Not everyone loves rulers who are willing to enforce their reign. You've left little room for nobles to fight you, and the commoners are happily spreading your words themselves. As long as you back up your words with actions, you and Elora will be loved."

"Thank you," I say.

"Welcome," booms through the strange building. "We want to thank Empress Alzi and Queen Elora for offering the beautiful castle grounds to host the yearly Hunting Grounds Championship. We rarely get a setup this large, with all the games able to be viewed like the mainstage we have here. Thank you. The players are excited, too, for all the attention, and we can expect some wonderful games for all of us to enjoy. Now, there's no need for us to stall any longer. Let the clocks start!"

It looks like I sat at the perfect time. Cornelius is right in the middle of the room. The woman plays the first move and slams the clock, and Cornelius starts playing. The announcers start commentating, telling everyone what has happened for each of the starts, even giving out some long names for the different openings everyone is apparently playing and has memorized.

I really thought I wasn't too bad at the brothel. I guess it isn't surprising that women who paid for the bedroom aren't very good at games, but it was still better to play when you couldn't work on the floor.

"Do all the openings have a name?" I ask.

"No," Eliyen says. "The ones you'll see done in these games all have a name. Basically, none of the openings without a name have a chance to win at this level of play. You're seeing them blitz through the normal moves. It is harder to play openings due to the limited information compared to other board games that don't use mana. In some ways, that limits the number of good openings, but it can also allow for more aggressive openings as you move into the fog of war. Cornelius is playing more conservatively, but the old champion is getting more aggressive after her pieces disappear. We just have to wait and see if Cornelius is predicting the aggression. If he is, then this should be his game. Otherwise, it may be a quick loss."

"This game is a lot harder than what I ever played," I say.

"Yes, things can get surprisingly complicated," Eliyen says. "But that's what our family, well, the wives, all love about it. We aren't the best fighters, but we are good at a board. And Cornelius likes the game more than he lets on. We just make him play a bit more than he would like."

"Sure," Kamdet says. "Just like how my wives only force me to try on the stupid jewelry they make more than I like."

"You like wearing jewelry?" I ask.

"No, but that hasn't stopped them from piercing my ears," Kamdet says. "Why do you all put up with that? I don't understand."

"We like how it looks," I say. "I guess you would all start to like it if you needed to start fighting for women's attention."

"Please, I would have a head start on everyone then," Kamdet chuckles. "Not that my son needs the help."

"You have a son?"

"Yes, one little boy," Kamdet says. "He has four sisters who are following my wives' example in dressing up the poor lad all the time."

"He must at least be cute in the, they don't force him into dresses, do they?"

"Unfortunately," Kamdet says.

Fertility, we are going to have to talk about some changes here. 'Space, have you talked to your Mother about getting her to let more men into the world?'

'No, I haven't talked to her much, and I've never wanted to risk our relationship now that we are talking.'

'I see. I'll work on it, then. Thanks.'

'Love you. Enjoy your day out.'

'Love you, too.'

A Goddess to watch over men probably wouldn't turn out well. She'd probably be like Justice, forcing men into an even worse form of slavery than they already have. But how do I even everything out?