It"s Parthian shot…

Listening to Freed"s story about the war against Tarim I couldn"t hide my surprise.
The tactic Tarim soldiers used during retreat is too similar to the ancient tactics I"ve heard of.

―――― Parthian shot.
It"s a retreat tactic of nomadic tribes whose strong point is horse archery.
It"s a tactic made famous by the ancient Parthian Empire, I remember hearing about it in the past… Of course, in my previous life.

I pulled the hem of Freed"s clothes with trembling hands.

"Hey, was it the first time Tarim used those tactics?"
"That"s right. Until now they hardly used tactics, it was sudden. Although it turned out okay since I noticed it, if the response was delayed, the damage would be enormous"

In cold sweat, I took a breath and pestered Freed for an answer.

"Does this tactic have a name?"
"No, it"s the first time I"ve seen it, I don"t think so"
"I see…"
"Is there something about it?"
"No, I was just curious a little"

I have a premonition. And it"s not a good one.
Tarim suddenly used tactics they haven"t used until now.
And it was "Parthian shot" that I have knowledge of.
And it"s the fact this knowledge isn"t known in this world yet.
Which means――――.
I don"t really want to consider this possibility, but I feel I can"t cast it away.

"Hey, who was the other army"s tactician? Do you know?"

I thought he may not answer as it could be a military secret, but just in case I asked. Freed answered unexpectedly easily.

"I was also worried and asked Will to investigate. He couldn"t find out. But, he"s probably a newly appointed guy. It"s the first time I"ve seen Tarim move like this"
"I see, he couldn"t find out…"

Hearing this, I strongly pressed a hand to my chest.
It would be nice if it was only in my imagination.

I have a hypothesis there are other reincarnated people than me.
Moreover, this person possesses knowledge and may be on the enemy side.
Even as a joke it"s not funny.
Of course, there"s a chance it"s a needless anxiety. Thinking normally, it"s more likely.
Superior people are born in any period. Perhaps a tactical genius was born on the distant Tarim"s soil.
Still, I can"t get rid of the unpleasant premonition――――.

"… Freed, be careful about Tarim"
"Lidi?"

When I said so while looking into his eyes with a serious face, Freed stroked my hair and fearlessly laughed.

"Naturally. I won"t be careless. The calm side always wins the war"
"Yup"

I couldn"t say anything else, I could only nod.
For now I can"t do anything. There"s no evidence.
There"s nothing other than shelving it for some time. Having decided on that, I spoke to Freed as if nothing happened.

"Even so, was it okay? Telling me the details about the war"

I was taught even really minute details. I did say I want to hear about it, but I didn"t expect to be told this much.
Freed matched his eyes with the suspicious me.

"Since Lidi will be my wife, there"s nothing you can"t know. Rather, there are many things you need to learn"

While entwining my hair around his finger, he smoothly answered.

"Is there anything else you want to hear?"
"Nn? That"s right"

With these words, I remembered.
That"s right, Delris-san gave me that…

"Freed?"
"What?"
"Yes, have this"

Still on Freed"s lap, I clapped my hands and took several pink pills from my dress"s pocket. I gave them to Freed who seemed mystified about what I"m doing.
Freed tilted his head seeing the medicine roll on his palm.

"These are?"
"The medicine Delris-san said Freed was looking for"
"Ha?"

When I concisely answered his question, Freed stared at the pills unblinkingly.

"These are the Witch Delris"s pills?"
"Yes. I got them when I went to play before, but I forgot to give them to Freed. Ah, I was told you better be careful as there are some side effects. However Delris-san said they might be unnecessary anymore"

When I reported what I heard from her, Freed made an astonished face.
Ah, that face might be a little cute.

"You said play?"
"Yup, Delris-san is my friend"

Hearing this, Freed was overcome with surprise.
Huh? Did I say something strange.

"Friends? With the Witch Delris?"
"… Is that strange?"

As I returned anxiously, Freed vaguely said "No…"

"It"s not like that, but perhaps, Lidi, you can contact the Witch Delris freely?"
"I can, but…"
"That"s… It"s not that you paid for them, you earned the Witch"s favor?"
"Yup, so don"t worry about money. Ah, right. I received a bottle of them, if needed I can get more, okay?"

While tightly hugging me with one hand, he looked hard at the pills.
He pressed down on his forehead and shook his head as if denying something.

"… It"s a lie, right? … So easily? …"
"Freed?"

Taken aback, Freed breathed out a large sigh and weakly sighed.

"No, sorry. I was a little surprised. Really Lidi, you"re surprising. Certainly, I"ve heard before you obtained Delris-san"s secret medicine, but I never would have thought you"d become friends"

She"s Witch famous for misanthropy, Freed muttered in disbelief.

"Even though n.o.body has seen her for years. I also searched quite seriously? But ultimately, I couldn"t find her"
"Ah, yeah. Delris-san doesn"t want to meet people much. That"s why, sorry. I can"t tell you where Delris-san lives"

Since she gave me the medicine, she must not mind her existence being known, but surely, she doesn"t want her whereabouts to spread.
With such a feeling I warned Freed, to which he lightly shook his head.

"No, it"s fine. The Witch Delris is famous for misanthropy. Besides it being something Lidi got for me, as the Witch said, I have no need for it anymore"
"Is that so? What"s this medicine?"

As I"ve always been curious, I boldly asked.
I fixedly stared at the pills in Freed"s hand.
Seeing my curiosity, Freed made a mysterious face.

"Huh? You haven"t heard from the Witch?"
"Yup, Delris-san said Freed had a reason for going to b.a.l.l.s, but I"ve only heard this much"

When I said that, Freed nodded in affirmation.

"As expected of the Witch. She completely saw through me. That"s right, I"ve also promised Alex, so it"s the right time to explain myself"
"To Older Brother?"
"Yes. He told me to explain to Lidi why I partic.i.p.ated in masquerade b.a.l.l.s"
"I don"t really care though"

When I spoke my true feelings Freed made a complicated face.

"Being told you don"t care this much, normally I"d be hurt thinking you don"t care about me. But, surely, in Lidi"s case it"s that you simply don"t mind"
"Well, if I cared about everything that happened until we met, I feel like I"d overload myself"

It"s fine to not talk about things you don"t want to.
I also absolutely don"t want to reveal the thing about my previous life.
I"m sure I"d look like a cringy person.

When I declared that, Freed quietly muttered I see.

"And again, it"s such a Lidi-ish thing to say. Then, shall we get over it quickly. If you find anything that piques your curiosity, feel free to ask. I"ll explain in detail"
"Yup, I got it"

When I nodded, Freed picked up a pill.
He spoke while showing it to me.

"To put it simply, this is a medicine that suppresses libido. I"d been searching for the Witch to obtain it"
"Hee…"

Listening to his words, I stared at the pill.
Then, I wondered.
Certainly, Freed is unequalled, but is that enough reason to need medicine.
Not understanding the reason I frowned, so with "Well, you wouldn"t understand with that" Freed started talking.

"Men of the Royal Family are all born with high magical power and libido. But even among them I"m exceptional…"

According to Freed"s story, the magical power and libido that were high until past year rapidly increased.
Despite his confidence in controlling magical power, the increased libido made it too difficult to concentrate, and at last it became difficult to control magical power during combat, he confessed.

While talking, Freed had the expression like he went through hards.h.i.+ps.

"… As expected, I found it problematic. I searched for the Witch Delris who could compound something to suppress my libido"

It"s certainly a problem for a front-line soldier.
I didn"t know he wanted to suppress his libido to be able to control magical power.
I see, that"s why he was searching for Delris-san.

"But, you couldn"t find her, right? Then what? Weren"t you troubled?"

Hearing the story, I understood he was at his wits" end.
If Delris-san couldn"t be found, he had to take other measures, so I wonder what he could do.
Freed averted his eyes and finding it difficult to talk grimaced.

"Well, right… It"s slightly shameful story, but I couldn"t calm it down by myself. After worrying endlessly, it ended with me going to masquerade b.a.l.l.s"

There I met you, Freed finished confessing.

"Couldn"t calm down… Hey, don"t men calm down after coming?"

Isn"t it a common saying that it"s a physiological phenomenon for men.
When I spoke of my doubts, Freed bitterly smiled with it"s different.

"That doesn"t work. The reason can"t be made public. I haven"t told this to Alex either, but Lidi, do you know the story of this country"s founding?"
"Umm, that thing about G.o.d of War establis.h.i.+ng this country?"

It"s a fairy tale everyone knows. This country being made by G.o.d is one of the popular legends.

"Correct. G.o.d of War, also called Dragon G.o.d, fell in love with a human girl and established this country, it"s a story where a G.o.d became a human to marry a girl"
"Yeah, and?"

I easily followed the legend Freed narrated briefly.
Then, he continued with a serious face.

"It seems Alex somehow noticed, but this legend really happened"
"He? No way"

I reflexively denied Freed"s words.
If that"s true, G.o.d really exists. And unbelievably, G.o.d became a human being.
Seeing my surprise, with it"s true Freed continued the story.

"Us men of the Royal Family inherit this blood. And, the power contained in this blood is not magical power. We only call it that publicly so we aren"t exposed. In reality, our power is G.o.d"s power… divine power"

Being suddenly told that I stared at him blankly. Freed put a finger on my lips and informed me that it"s the most important secret of the Royal Family. So easily, oi.

"The problem has been continuing from that very founder, regardless of becoming a human unfortunately the G.o.d"s power didn"t disappear. It runs in the bloodline. And the problem is, excess G.o.d"s power in human"s body is difficult to control. If countermeasures aren"t taken it eventually runs out of control"

To prevent this power from running out of control, the Founder King invented the "King"s Flower", Freed said.

"The "King"s Flower" is a secret art that connect your partner to yourself. By giving the "King"s Flower", it"s possible to share partner"s magical power. Human"s power being mixed in makes it easier to control divine power. The "King"s Flower" exists for that reason"
"… Now that you mention it"

While listening to Freed"s story, I remembered what Delris-san said.
Certainly, she said the "King"s Flower" makes it easy to control magical power.

"Without the "King"s Flower", sooner or later we"d completely lose control. The lifespan of royalty without partners is dreadfully short… They die of insanity from runaway divine power. Such dangerous people cannot be recognized as royalty, right? That"s why, without completing the ceremony one isn"t officially recognized as royalty"

With these words, I remembered one more thing Delris-san said.
She said, if you erase the "King"s Flower", Freed will die. So it was because of that.

"Even without the "King"s Flower" by sleeping with women one can temporarily acquire magical power and to a certain degree suppress divine power from running out of control. Perhaps to understand the method instinctively, when divine power rises, libido rises proportionally. That"s why it"s impossible to deal with it by oneself. If divine power doesn"t calm down, so doesn"t libido. That"s why masturbating does nothing… Thanks to that, the label of l.u.s.tful men stuck to many men of royalty"

Caressing my cheek, Freed smiled bitterly.

"In fact, I don"t how effective the Witch"s medicine will be on royalty. Still, it"s worth trying. If libido is suppressed, it may be possible to control divine power"

We can at least give it a try, he said dropping his eyes.

"Because of such various problems, fundamentally royal men marry quickly. I was exceptionally late as I skillfully controlled divine power. But it"s as I said earlier. Ultimately my divine power and libido exceeded my capacity, and being at my wits" end I ended up with the temporary measure of going to b.a.l.l.s"

Recalling Freed"s spectacular appearance, I nodded with an unconscious aah.

"There was a rumor you were a playboy"

And it was the reason I chose Freed.

"It can"t be helped that I was seen as one, if Lidi wants to condemn me I"ve resigned myself… No matter the reason, what I"ve done remains unchanged"

When Freed declared so clearly while looking me in the eyes, I shook my head with I won"t do that.

I"m not going to fuss over purity and other women… Definitely not.
Rather, since he"s a 21 year old handsome Crown Prince, if I heard a nonsense like it"s his first time I"d honestly draw back.
Thanks to his experience he"s skillful at s.e.x and my first time went well, so I have no complaints.

"No, I really don"t mind…. Ah, but that reminded me of what Older Brother said. He said Freed hadn"t actually messed around before the b.a.l.l.s"
"I may have been doing such a thing, but I don"t have good memories of women"

Gloom showed on Freed"s face. Perhaps, it"s a story from his past.
But, even if by any chance he had really messed around, since he"s promised to behave well from now, I won"t say anything.

Having been told that I heard it from Brother, Freed muttered "I wonder if it was that guy"s follow-up?"

"… I was hiding my ident.i.ty, but the matter of going to b.a.l.l.s got exposed to my father. It seems he realized then that I couldn"t control my divine power. That"s what coming in contact with women meant. I guess the engagement talks with Lidi that immediately followed were the kindness on his part. I didn"t realize at that time, but now I understand why he hurried me to get the "King"s Flower""

Before his son self-destructed, the King chose to have him marry.
And, it seems that at such fortunate timing my Father brought up the subject.

"Is it okay now? Umm… Is the divine power under control? Or something"

I asked just to be sure, to which Freed smiled cheerfully.

"No need to worry. I met Lidi. Because Lidi received the "King"s Flower", my power is more stable than ever before"

He readjusted his hug and kissed the top of my head.

"Returning to the story. I can control divine power thanks to the "King"s Flower"s power. There"s no need to suppress the excessive libido. That means I don"t need medicine. Above all, I have Lidi"
"Eh? Me?"

I get that medicine is unnecessary, but not understanding why my name came up I let out a foolish voice.
Looking at such me, Freed gently informed me.

"There"s no man that would suppress his libido with a beloved woman at his side, is there?"
"Eh… If divine power is suppressed and you can control it, doesn"t libido decrease with it?"

We"re talking about right now, right?
I thought so, but Freed denied with a smiling face.

"What are you saying. It"s natural for a man to want to embrace his beloved woman, it"s a different matter, right? Of course, divine power"s influence lessened, but the foundation still remains? Isn"t it obvious"
"…"

… Wait a moment. Let"s try remembering.

Certainly, the last time we embraced I already had the "King"s Flower".
Going by his story, at that time Freed wasn"t under the influence of divine power.
In other words, in the end even in his normal state Freed is unequalled…

… Woah.

At this point, I turned pale.
It seems my feelings showed on my face, as Freed slipped out a giggle.

"That"s why I said it. Even embracing you for three days and three nights won"t be enough. It has nothing to do with divine power"s influence, it"s my own disposition, okay?"
"It… it"s a lie…"

Dreadful. When I muttered in shock, Freed said with a serious face.

"I only love Lidi. I don"t want anybody except Lidi, I swear I"ll never embrace anybody other than Lidi… So, accept it all?"

Hearing his terrifying declaration spoken with narrowed eyes, I became lost for words.

Next chapter is a little bit R18.