Surviving a Harsh Fantasy with Cheat Items (WN)

After two straight nights of keeping up with my four wives and potential future brides, I was utterly spent. I couldn’t get out of bed and was waiting for Oracle’s examination.

「Takeru, it seems you’ve truly drained your spirit. Even for you, two nights in a row is too much. I think it’s time for this, don’t you?」

Oracle produced a baby bottle. The milky white liquid inside clearly wasn’t milk—it was thick and a little… suspicious.

「Is this… some kind of energy booster?」

「Precisely. It’s a special drink I made by blending Ria’s divine milk Amrita with a secret tonic from the Dragon Maids. A specialist like me has crafted it, so it’ll replenish your spirit in no time.」

Drinking Ria’s breast milk was already awkward, but relying on something like this felt even worse. Yet, I couldn’t afford to stay bedridden, so I reluctantly took a sip.

「Well, at least it tastes good…」

I could feel nutrients spreading through my body. But this forcibly charged-up feeling was still unsettling.

「I double-checked the ingredients myself. Nothing harmful in there, I promise. In fact, it’s crafted to suit your constitution perfectly, so it should be good for you.」

「Really? Things like this always have some side effect later.」 「Don’t you trust my handiwork?」

「It’s not that I don’t trust it… I appreciate it, really…」

Thanks to the drink, I could get back up, full of energy.

「Fufu, if you’re that grateful, why not repay me here? The bed’s already right there.」

「So, you want me to restore your spirit in return?」

Oracle snickered, pressing herself closer.

「Actually, if I replenished my spirit by absorbing yours, we’d practically create an endless energy source, wouldn’t we?」

「Sounds like you’re just using me as some spirit-recharging tool.」

Whatever she was scheming, I just hoped it wouldn’t get too out of hand.

「Oh, don’t be silly. Now, hurry up and give me a taste of that delicious milk of yours.」

「Oracle, that’s indecent!」

And so, my days passed like this.

My wives had me completely at their mercy, but I’d have to hold my ground to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Of course, spending time with family is important, and as a husband, I have my duties. But staying cooped up in the inner palace means the number of wives might keep growing unchecked.

There’s even a rumor going around that as a reward for the last war, I’ll accept anyone’s confession.

The looks from the maids in the castle hallways are starting to get a little intense. This… isn’t looking good.

The whole mess began because I said I’d grant people’s wishes after the last war. So, should I stop granting wishes?

No, I should take control and actively fulfill them myself.

Some requests, like rebuilding the wyvern ranch and constructing a rest area for volunteer soldiers, are already underway. But I’ll take it a step further and handle things in person.

If I stay in the castle any longer, I might end up with an infinite number of wives—and besides, I’m tired of just hanging around here.

「Excuse me for a moment?」

I approached the head of the carpenter’s guild, who’d been in and out of the new palace construction.

「Yes, King-sama?」

「I’d like a hand building some new entertainment facilities.」

「Oh-ho, entertainment, you say? Now that sounds intriguing.」

When I showed him the plans, the head took a keen interest and immediately went off to gather materials.

※※※

「Your Majesty King General. If it’s a rest area, wouldn’t a bar be enough?」

When I mentioned my idea to build a recreational hall for the soldiers, some of the volunteer soldiers raised that question.

「Nah, you can go into town if you want to hit up a nightspot. There are women in the volunteer corps too, you know. Wouldn’t it be better to have activities where both men and women can have fun together?」

「True, that might be nice.」「We’d like that!」

「Exactly! So, I had these made!」

I had the carpenters bring in a pool table, along with a bowling ball and set of pins they had made for me. Each was a single prototype set.

「What’s this table for?」 「And what are these big balls and pins?」

「Hang tight, I’ll explain. This is a game called billiards. You hit the round balls on this table, trying to get them into the holes.」

When I struck the cue ball and sunk the ball labeled ‘1,’ a cheer went up from the soldiers.

「Whoa! The ball went into the top hole and came out the bottom one!」

They looked on with wonder, like kids seeing it for the first time, crying, ‘Amazing!’ The crowd was clearly starved for some entertainment.

Seeing their delighted reactions was satisfying for me, too.

「Pretty neat, huh? That was the trickiest part to make.」

「Then, I’ll take the first shot, as the representative here.」

Alan, the deputy commander of the volunteer army and a refined-looking fellow, picked up a cue and aimed at a ball, sending it smoothly into a pocket. Quick learner—he only needed to see it done once.

「Did I get it right, Your Majesty King General?」

「That looked amazing, Vice-Commander Alan!」

His subordinates cheered as he sank a ball.

「Hmm, the stroke is right, but the game has rules, so that wasn’t quite correct.」

「Ah, so there are rules to it.」

「You hit the balls with the cue, yes, but you can’t just sink any numbered ball directly. I’ll show you how it’s done.」

I struck the cue ball and sunk the ‘2’ ball.

「So, you’re supposed to hit the white ball?」

「Exactly. You hit the white ball, and it needs to hit the other balls in sequence, starting from the ‘1’ up to the ‘9.’ The one who sinks the ‘9’ ball wins. If you miss a numbered ball or accidentally sink the cue ball, the other player gets a turn.」

「I see. This is a deeper game than I thought.」

Alan mused, impressed.

Seeing it was finally their turn, the soldiers gathered eagerly around the table.

「I’ll give it a go… wait, oops.」

「Ah, I sunk the white one. This is harder than it looks.」

「Reflecting the balls off each other is the trick, so take your time and try different strategies.」

They’d learn best by playing, rather than getting a lecture. Soon, everyone was engrossed, despite some clumsy attempts. The pool game was clearly a hit.

「Now, let’s move on to bowling.」

「So, do we just hit this big ball into something, Your Majesty King General?」

Asked Jeanie, the female artillery captain, eyeing the bowling ball curiously.

「Not quite. With bowling, you line up ten pins like this in a triangle, and just aim to knock them down by throwing the ball.」

「Oh, that sounds simple enough for me. May I go first?」

「Go ahead!」

With a swift motion, Jeanie hurled the ball, scattering all ten pins.

「That’s a strike! The highest score!」

「Hah, it’s child’s play compared to firing a cannonball.」

「Alright, if Jeanie can do it… let me give it a shot too!」

A somewhat clueless Commander-in-Chief, Mars, showed up.

「Think you got this? I’ll help set up the pins, so give it a try.」

「Alright! Here we gooo! How about this!」

Mars, tensing his shoulders unnecessarily, hurled the bowling ball with all his strength, but it rolled off in a completely different direction, not even grazing the pins.

「That’s a gutter.」

「Uh, what’s a gutter?」

「It’s when the ball falls into a side trench—though we haven’t built those yet. But basically, it’s zero points.」

「Hahaha! Commander Mars, that was terrible!」 「Zero points!」

「Shut it! This game is harder than it looks. You guys give it a shot!」

「Alright, I’ll show you how it’s done!」 「Me next!」

When his subordinates took their turns, they managed to hit the pins. Some, like Jeanie, even scored strikes.

I showed them how to keep score on the scoreboard. Starting, of course, with Mars’ gutter.

「Damn it, hurry up and set those pins back up! Next time, I’ll get a strike!」

Mars threw the ball again, this time with utmost care. It looked like it was going to be a great shot… but halfway there, the ball took a sudden curve, rolling off in the wrong direction again.

「Another gutter. Honestly, that’s kind of impressive.」

That was practically a miracle.

「King General, it’d be better if you laughed instead of trying to praise me. That stings.」

「Nah, I was just thinking it’s impressive you survived the war without even being able to hit pins with a bowling ball. Anyway, let me borrow it for a sec.」

I took Mars’ ball and threw it, landing a strike.

Guess it wasn’t the ball—it was Mars’ technique.

Jeanie was right. Compared to the precision shots I’ve trained for in combat, bowling feels like child’s play.

It’s a good game for Mars and his friends, but maybe it’s too easy for these skilled artillery soldiers. I might need to come up with more games to challenge them.

「Ha! Another gutter, Commander! Couldn’t you hit at least one pin?」

「Shut up. Come on, that one didn’t count. Just one more shot, one more!」

Mars kept struggling, but having a guy like him around makes the game more fun. He’s bad at almost everything, but his goofy antics get everyone laughing, so in a way, he’s a fantastic source of entertainment.

I thought so as I chuckled from the sidelines, but then Mars came up to me.

「What, done playing already?」

「No, it’s just… thank you, Your Majesty King General, for thinking of us and doing all this.」

He bowed so formally that I felt a bit embarrassed.

「Oh, don’t worry. This is just a small reward for you guys, for volunteering in the last war.」

「There’s no other king who’d go this far for us, but the Hero himself. Alright, everyone—let’s give our thanks!」

At Mars’ words, everyone chimed in with a loud ‘Thank you!’ If something this simple could make them this happy, I’m glad I made it.

※※※

「King-sama, King-sama, did you see that? I just knocked down balls five and six in one shot—is that allowed? 」

「Yeah, that’s allowed—wait, since when did you show up, Berenice?!」

Before I knew it, my guards, Berenice and Clementine, had joined the volunteers at the billiard table, thoroughly engrossed in the game. Aren’t they supposed to be part of the Royal Guard, not the Volunteer Corps?

「We came to look for you, King-sama. We heard you were in the volunteer barracks.」「We are your personal guard; you can’t just wander off on your own.」

「My bad. But I’ve wrapped up all the business here, so no need to stick around on my account.」

「Are you done already?」「Perfect timing, then.」

「What, you came all the way here because you needed me for something?」

「Yes, there’s been a security issue at the palace.」「We have urgent orders from Knight Commander Jill and Knight Captain Marina to escort you back at once!」

A security issue? Wasn’t there a similar setup before?

This is going to be just like last time, isn’t it? They’ll try to get me to select guards for the palace again, like that spy recruitment episode.

I can see right through this. There’s no way I’m going.

「Very well, then, I’m ordering you two to handle the security matter yourselves. Just give me the report afterward.」

「Nope!」「Now, King-sama, enough fun; it’s time to go. This is an important royal duty.」

Hey, you two were having fun, too. I said I didn’t want to go—what kind of royal guard doesn’t obey the king’s orders?!

And so, with my arms firmly locked in Berenice’s and Clementine’s grips, I was forcibly escorted away.

Ah, after all that trouble to sneak out, here I am being dragged back to the palace. I have a terrible feeling about this!