Today, I was summoned by the lord of this city.
The lord of Shiki City, to be precise—he was actually a person from the imperial capital.
"I have a request for you."
Again? I was already delivering cheap sake to them on a regular schedule, plus providing soba for the elderly.
"It's about the shop in the imperial capital."
...
"I completely forgot."
Right. They had told me to open a branch in the new capital of the empire. I hadn't done anything about it.
No one had said anything, so it slipped my mind.
"Was it better that you forgot…?" the lord muttered, sounding gloomy.
"Did something happen?"
"It's about the tax issue concerning you."
Taxes.
"Isn't the tax rate the same as in the imperial capital?"
"I am the lord of Shiki City. I don't handle taxes outside my territory."
Oh, I see.
"…But since I live in Shiki City, doesn't that mean I'm treated as a resident here?"
"Actually, it's different… Oi! Madara! Explain it to him!"
An old man appeared and began to explain.
In short:
"Anyone doing business in the new capital must pay taxes there unless they submit a special application."
"Why?"
"It has to do with how Shiki City was established. Let me continue."
To summarize the long explanation:
The empire's economy relies heavily on Shiki City. That's why the capital made it a direct territory. But it's too far away, so they created a system that lets it function almost independently for convenience. Still, complicated paperwork like tax filings has to be handled in the new capital. Basically, the imperial government wants to centralize as much as possible in the capital.
"…Sorry, I'm just a traveler and don't know much history. Why is the system so complicated? Wouldn't it be simpler to make everything a direct territory?"
The empire called itself an empire, yet the actual imperial homeland was strangely small. It was truly puzzling.
"Ah, originally this empire wasn't built through military conquest. It was formed through elections."
Elections…?
"Elections!?"
An empire with democracy?
"Originally there were several warring nations. To avoid endless conflict, they formed a confederation."
I nodded.
"At first it was just a small alliance of countries in one corner of the continent. To stand against bigger powers, they wanted stronger unity. That's when they created an election system where the kings would vote for a supreme leader. Having too many voices made them weak against external threats, so they unified command under one elected head."
So the "election" was actually a vote among kings.
"This election was held once every five years. In the third election, a 13-year-old king was chosen. That boy became the first emperor."
"…Was he strong in war?"
"No. He was strong with words. His tongue was incredible."
His tongue?
"A genius at negotiation. He was chosen as leader of the confederation at just 13, after all. Once he became top, he charmed one country after another into joining. Those countries thought that since even a 13-year-old could lead the alliance, they might be able to take it over later."
Makes sense.
"While doing that, the future first emperor went alone into the largest nation on the continent."
Huh?
"He completely seduced the king's only daughter and made her fall madly in love with him. That country had no male heirs—everyone else had died from a plague. The king tried to marry her off to a close relative, but the princess refused. She was head over heels and insisted she would only marry him."
Uhh…
"The first emperor ended up with 150 children. Understand? 150, including those from concubines. His legal wife, the princess, gave birth to 16 of them. Sixteen from one woman. He was apparently an absolute sex monster."
Whoa…
"As a result, the king of that great nation decided, 'I'll let someone else inherit the throne, but we'll join the confederation.' His cousin took the crown. With that, one-third of the continent joined the alliance. Then…"
There's more?
"…The largest country on the continent offered to join the confederation. Their plan was to take it over from the inside. Win the election, and one-third of the continent would fall into their hands without a fight."
A real conspiracy.
"They bribed kings left and right to prepare the ground. Then came the election when the first emperor was 18. That rival king suddenly dropped dead."
Huh?
"Illness, old age. He was already quite old. The successor had a bad reputation. The first emperor won in a landslide. After that, he proposed reforming the confederation into an empire, turning the other kingdoms into duchies."
"…And that actually passed?"
"It did. Because instead of being just the awkward 'leader of the confederation,' winning the election would make someone the Emperor of an Empire. Much more appealing, right?"
I see.
"The election system was kept. Everyone agreed, and thus the empire was born. It never waged a single war of invasion. That's why the imperial homeland itself stayed small."
"…Is the emperor still chosen by election even now?"
"No, the election system ended with the second emperor."
"Didn't anyone rebel!? They basically broke their promise!"
"The first emperor ruled for 60 years and won every election. The second emperor was his great-grandson and ruled for 40 years."
So long!
"After 100 years, the entire generation had been replaced. By the third emperor, abolishing the election caused no real problems."
What an insane history.
So that's how the empire came to be.
"That's exactly why we have a problem now. The imperial capital developed while surrounded by allies, so it never expanded its territory. There were no wars—only persuasion and absorption. That's why the homeland stayed tiny."
Ah, so that's the context.
"I want you to insist that you will pay your taxes here in Shiki City. You might face pressure, but we will support you. Without your own clear will, we can't stop the capital's moves."
"Understood. I don't mind at all."
"I'm grateful. Honestly… I don't want to send any more money to the current imperial capital than necessary."
The lord smiled faintly.
"After hearing that history, you probably realized it too. This empire has already reached its limit."
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(Mio's POV)
I was out shopping for the things Izumi had asked for.
"Books, huh…"
Izumi was starving for knowledge.
But he ordered way too many.
"I can't carry this many home…"
Dozens of volumes. I sighed and looked at the register when an idea hit me.
"…Oh."
That's right. This would work perfectly.
I could sleep in Izumi's bed and go see him.
"What's this?"
Izumi looked at it curiously.
"It's an e-book reader that works without internet. It's loaded with tons of recipe books too."
It had been expensive—nearly 50,000 yen.
"Whoa! Awesome! There's so much stuff in here!"
He was clearly delighted.
"Here, AAA batteries."
A pack of 100.
"This should be more than enough."
"I'll still buy physical books too, but use this for now."
"Thank you!"
Izumi was genuinely grateful.
Then I leaned in and kissed him deeply.
"…Mmmnn♡♡♡"
Once I'd been held by him, my body could never go back.
I couldn't stop craving Izumi.
"Izumi♡♡♡ I want you…♡♡♡"
I shook my ass invitingly, already dripping with need.
"…Hey, Mio, aren't you being seduced by anyone?"
Izumi's voice carried a hint of worry.
"I am~♡ Same as always."
He'd been wondering if it was okay for him to be the one.
"…Then with that guy…?"
I spread my pussy wide open with both hands, showing him my puffy, ruined folds.
"Fufufu♡♡♡ If I showed them this, they'd run away in disgust~♡♡♡"
My pussy lips were loose and swollen from how roughly he had used me before.
"This pussy♡♡♡ has already been trained by you, Izumi~♡♡♡ It won't accept any cock except your huge one anymore♡♡♡ Hey♡ Put it in~♡♡♡ Fuck me hard and knock me up♡♡♡"
The moment the words left my mouth, Izumi's eyes darkened with raw lust. He grabbed a thick fistful of my hair and yanked my head back roughly, forcing me to look up at him.
"You want my baby that badly, you pathetic ex-girlfriend slut?" he growled, voice thick and dangerous.
"Yes♡ I want your baby more than anything♡ Please… breed me like a cheap cumdump♡"
Without another word he shoved his thick, veiny cock straight into my mouth and started brutally face-fucking me.
"GLK—!! Mmmphhh—!!"
His heavy balls slapped wetly against my chin as he thrust deep into my throat.
"That's it—choke on the same cock that ruined your pussy. You don't need that fancy company job anymore. All you need is to be my breeding bitch."
He slapped my cheek hard—SMACK!—then again on the other side while still pounding my throat.
I gagged and drooled messily, tears running down my face, but the humiliation only made me wetter.
"Gllrk—glk—glk—!!" I choked out around his pistoning shaft.
Izumi wrapped one strong hand around my slender neck and squeezed, cutting off just enough air to make my head spin with dizzy pleasure.
"Tell me how much you love being my cumrag while I choke you."
He pulled out just enough for me to gasp.
"I love it—♡ I love being your cumrag more than my career—♡ Choke me harder while you fuck my face—♡ I don't care about anything except your cock and your baby—!!"
"Good girl."
He slammed back into my throat even more savagely, yanking my hair like reins and slapping my flushed, drooling face repeatedly.
After long minutes of merciless throat abuse, he finally yanked me off his cock, flipped me onto all fours, and rammed his massive length balls-deep into my sloppy pussy in one brutal thrust.
"FNYAAAAAHHHH!! Your cock—♡ It's splitting me open again—♡"
"That's right. This loose, ruined cunt only fits my dick now."
He started hammering me doggy-style with savage force, one hand choking the back of my neck, the other yanking my hair hard enough to make my scalp burn deliciously.
PLAP-PLAP-PLAP-PLAP!
"Harder—!! Pull my hair more—!! Slap my face while you breed me—!! I want to feel like a worthless breeding sow—!!" I screamed, voice cracking with pleasure.
Izumi slapped my cheek again and again while still choking me and pounding my pussy.
"You're nothing but my ex who threw away her pride for my cum. Say it."
"I'm— nothing— but— your— ex— who— threw— away— everything— for— your— cum—!! Knock me up—!! Make my belly swell with your baby—!!"
He fucked me even rougher, then suddenly pulled out, flipped me onto my back, pinned my legs wide against my shoulders, and drove back in with pile-driver force.
"Look at me while I pump a baby into you, slut."
Our eyes locked. My tongue hung out, drooling shamelessly.
"Cum inside—!! Flood my womb—!! Get me pregnant—!! I want to carry your child even if you disappear—!!"
Izumi growled like an animal and slammed balls-deep.
With heavy, rhythmic spurts—SPURT—SPURT—SPURT!!—he unloaded thick ropes of hot cum straight into my fertile depths.
My whole body convulsed violently. I squirted hard around his cock, then completely lost control—hot piss spraying out in a shameful arc as I came harder than ever.
"I'm cumming—!! I'm pissing—!! I'm your breeding bitch—!! Fill me more—!! Give me your baby—!!"
Even after he slowly pulled out, thick white cum poured from my gaping, twitching pussy.
But Izumi still wasn't done.
He grabbed my hair again, forced my mouth back onto his cum-covered cock, and started face-fucking me once more.
"Clean every drop, Mio. Then I'm going to fuck your ass until you can't think straight. You wanted to be used and thrown away? Then I'll use every hole until you're nothing but a pregnant, cum-soaked mess."
My only reply was a muffled, ecstatic moan of total submission as he continued destroying me—choking, slapping, hair-pulling, and breeding me relentlessly—turning his once-professional ex-girlfriend into a broken, blissed-out breeding toy who only craved his cum and his child.