My Dungeon Life – Chapter 1755-1757

Chapter 1755

“Earl Deek Deekson of Aberis!” A voice boomed out through the massive ballroom.

Servants came to take our coats, although most of us weren’t wearing any. It was expected that we wore coats. Although most of the servants kept their heads down, another group that arrived at the door near the same time as us seemed to look down snobbishly at our group as they allowed the servants to take off their coats. It wasn’t even of weather that needed coats, or was it? As I grew stronger and experienced the extreme environments of dungeons, my tolerance for cold and heat seemed to increase. It might have been a bit chilly, and I just no longer could feel it.

None of my girls were wearing coats either though, so I put it up to this whole thing just being a silly costume. Well, it turned out the three esmere had coats to offer. The servants addressing them gave the impression of parents undressing their kids before putting them to bed.

“What is it?” Pait glared at me.

“Ah! Nothing!”

“Remember to make as many contacts as possible at this meeting. Your servant should also mingle.” The smooth-voiced esmere dignitary who came along with the two spoke up.

“I know how to be a diplomat!” Pait snapped.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and Pait’s face smoothed slightly and he gave a little shake as if to say it wasn’t a good time to speak. I could already guess what he wanted to say though. That other dignitary with such a smooth voice had such a calm and cool demeanor. Next to this guy, Pait was probably feeling some inadequacies. He felt a bit like a babysitter being sent along unexpectedly on such a mission.

“S-servant? You mean me?” Dav asked in surprise, her cheeks turning red.

“Mm, as a servant, most of the nobles will ignore your presence, which will allow you much more freedom than either Pait or I will have. Servants always gossip, and you will be privy to that gossip if you can ingratiate yourself to any of them. In a way, you will be able to learn more information about our connections than we can. Your job is extremely important.” He explained while Pait shot him a scathing look.

“Really? I had no idea!” Dav declared.

His words made a lot of sense. His words had been intended for the esmere, but wasn’t I in the same boat? The more information I had, the better off I would be for negotiations. This was the power of diplomacy. I had inadvertently made a spy out of Cici, but she wasn’t here. I needed to gain more direct information, and it seemed like servants were the best option.

I was far too new at all of this and far too naïve. I didn’t think about any of this beforehand. It made me miss jumping into dungeons. At least that was simple and direct. In the past, Elaya, Astria, or even Eliana would go behind my back and handle such affairs, so I hadn’t needed to learn them. It looked like I had a different kind of leveling I’d need to do tonight.

I shot the girls a look and confirmed the need to gather information through the Slave Communication. They each responded with a silent nod. After First’s speech, they were taking this night much more seriously, and so they instantly moved into reconnaissance mode.

With that mentality, the group of us stepped out onto a new kind of battlefield.

Chapter 1756

“Hello, my name is Sophie, I’m the daughter of Lord Jacques.”

“I’m Venelope, daughter of Lord Condoor.”

“I’m a cousin to the Lord Pretaria…”

“Move over ladies, my father is the lord with the most votes in this country.”

“Why would that matter to him?”

“Stop pushing!”

“Deek, don’t listen to these snakes. Shall we go on a walk?”

As soon as I walked out into the floor and my retinue of girls dispersed to gather data, a new group of girls appeared. Every single one of these girls was youthful and dressed in flowing dresses that spread out from their bodies. They became prisons that kept me from easily pushing past any of them. Within minutes, I was surrounded by a dozen young girls ally vying for my attention. They were pretty, but few of them matched the beauty of my girls.

“Hello… ah… hi…” I tried to introduce myself to one, only for her to get shoved aside and another appear.

I was basically surrounded, and not only could I not escape, but I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise. The girls were antagonistic to each other, shooting out glares, and that was when they didn’t push outright. I was starting to debate using Return and a portal to escape this entrapment. That’s when an older woman suddenly appeared. The younger ones seemed to be slightly afraid, moving aside for her. She had an elegant and aged beauty. It wasn’t at the layer of sex appeal like with Elaya, but she did have an air of strength.

“You’ll have to excuse these children.” She let out a little laugh. “Their families have asked them to get close to you. They’re young and desperate.”

“Children?”

“Who are you calling desperate? What’s an old lady like you hitting on a man too young for you?”

She raised her eyebrow at the girl who chose to talk back, and she quickly lowered her head nervously. The woman then turned back to me.

“Why would they be desperate?” I asked while the other girls were cowed.

“These are all daughters of the lords of Jespain. Although Jespain may seem peaceful on the surface, political intrigue is built into their bones. They are always scheming for power, willing to use whatever it takes. You’re a man from the wild east, and by your retinue, it is clear you favor pretty women. The lords hope to toss their daughters on you. If you take one in, it will only strengthen their position and give them better contacts.”

“Take one in?” I blinked.

“You could accidentally knock one up, getting her with child. Few of these girls will resist too much if you ask them to spread their legs. Their fathers and grandfathers have already offered them to you for such a sacrifice. Well, they prefer you fell in love with them and took them into your harem, or the most coveted position, don’t they want to be married as your wife?

My eyes wandered to the other girls. They had glared at her angrily or looked away blushing when she spoke of spreading legs, but at the word married, their eyes brightened and they all looked at me with someone determined expressions. This was far more worrisome than I had predicted.

Chapter 1757

“So, what about you then?” I asked the lady who had seemingly given me some interesting information.

“Oh? I’m one of the ten lords, although the only lady.” She chuckled. “Although, I’ve already been married once. I’m not looking for another, but if you want to be a lover, I might be amendable.”

“This woman!”

“So shameful!”

Although the younger girls were angry, they made sure to mutter under their breaths so it wasn’t clear who was saying what.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already in a relationship with the princess of Aberis.” I declared, making sure to include all of the girls and trying to end this quickly.

“Please.” The lady snorted. “I’ve already heard the princess has become your subordinate, and thus can’t be a wife. Political marriages are extremely common in Jespain. My marriage was political, and all of these girls will also be married off for political reasons for one reason or another. They merely wish to find the best candidate to maximize their happiness.”

“How am I the best candidate?” I blinked. “I’m only an Earl.”

I decided to undersell myself. There was no point discussing my meteoric rise, the fact that I was a Duke in all but name given the amount of territory under my control, and my extremely close relationship with Aberis, Jespain, and the Ost Republic. If I had to play a clueless yokel, I would play the part.

“You’re a wild man from the east.” She laughed. “Just looking at your build, you seem like the kind of man these girls dream about while reading their fantasy books to each other during sleepovers.” Her words struck a nerve with the girls, who either looked angry or shy as she unveiled their secrets. “Furthermore, you seem to have many lovers, so your expectations for them in bed would be lower since you can get your satisfaction elsewhere. Furthermore, although barbaric, the lands to the east are potentially wealthy, and their married and sacrifice would be extremely beneficial to their families. It’s that kind of thing.”

“I see…” I looked down at the girls, and not a single could meet my eyes. “None of the other lords have approached me, but sent their daughters instead. Where does that put you? You’re on the side of the Refluents, aren’t you?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh? You have done your homework. I’m quite surprised.”

Had it not been for Cici, I would have had no clue what that was, but thanks to her spying, I knew that there were two rival factions in Jespain. The faction with the post votes called themselves the Prepotents. That smaller faction that contained more territories was known as the Refluents. I had also remembered that there was a female lady among the lords on the Refluent side, which could only be the lady before me.

“Her name is Lady Seeired,” Alysia said.

“I know many things, Lady Seeired.” I explained.

It wasn’t that she remembered where I didn’t, but that she resided in my soul world where the notes Cici had left me were also placed. She was able to check on that information and relay it to me without me needing to reveal my ignorance. That was a subtle skill I had rarely used, but in this game of politics, I had to use every skill at my disposal to learn what I could.

For example, I knew Lady Seeired was talking to me because she hoped I allied with the Refluents. My influence and power might just be enough to tip the balance in Jespain. This was ultimately why Jespain was so eager for a cultural exchange. This situation was only getting more complicated.