Reincarnate as the Villainess's Husband - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Don’t forget tonight
Deploying an army to the battlefield is an extremely laborious task. Before Neonidas moved an army of fifty thousand men south towards the Hindonpon Kingdom, it would be necessary to inform the other duchies through which the army would pass and request logistical support from them.

So why was Neonidas planning to advance the army on foot when teleportation portals existed? The answer was simple: teleportation portals were extremely expensive. Each person passing through a teleportation portal consumed Mana, the expensive fuel used by the portal. Transporting fifty thousand soldiers through a teleportation portal to another location would probably mean spending tens of thousands of gold.

Besides this, there were tens of thousands of horses, pack horses, and donkeys. Not only that, but there were also loads that the army would need in many areas. In short, it was not wise for Neonidas to transport his entire army through a teleportation portal, and the empire did not have such a large Mana stock either.

Therefore, Neonidas wrote letters to several noble houses, especially to two dukes through whose territories he would pass and from whom he would receive logistical support. He then entrusted these letters to a trusted man and sent him off.

Now the important things had been planned. The only thing needed now was to wait for the army to gather and move out. Gathering such a large army and getting them ready to march in an orderly manner would take some time. Normally, in Neonidas’ previous life’s world, in old ages, gathering such a large army could take months, but in this world, it would take at most two to three weeks, at worst four weeks.

First of all, the population density was high. Communication was fast thanks to the existence of magic. Armor, weapons, and other needs for the soldiers were either ready or would be prepared during the journey. The climate of the Oreoned lands was stable, which meant there was nothing to make the journey difficult. The only problem was the travel distance, and that was why it would take a few weeks.

Neonidas prepared to leave the room. But before he left, he took out his mirror to check his stats.

______

Name: Neonidas

House name: Oreoned

Age: 21

Intelligence: 4(?)

Strength: 45 (+17)

Agility: 46 (+20)

Mana: 115 (+80)

Mentality: 3(?)

Charisma: 20

Special powers: Power of Light

Passive abilities: Immunity to poison, Some of the Great Wolf’s passive abilities, Teleportation

Bloodline: (?)

System comment: Not bad, not bad…

[Total stat points: 15(30)]

_________

It seemed he had gained new stat points. He could more or less guess how he had earned them. He had accomplished many things recently, including, of course, bedding the empress. These powers would definitely be useful in battle.

“Hey system, what are the average stat points of a human?”

[If a person has not received serious training and does not have an item that increases their power, the average person’s Strength, Agility, and Mana points are 10. Charisma, Intelligence, and Mentality points are 5. It should also be noted that most people do not have any blood ties.]

Reading the system’s comment, Neonidas looked at his stats for a while.

“Show me my starting stats!”

[Confirmed…. Loading starting stats…]

_______

Name: Neonidas

House name: Oreoned

Age: 21

Intelligence: 4(?)

Strength: 2

Agility: 3

Mana: 1

Mentality: 3(?)

Charisma: 8

Special powers: None

Passive abilities: Immunity to poison

Bloodline: (?)

System comment: If I were you, I would kill myself….

________

A smile formed on Neonidas’ face when he saw his starting stats. He had really come a long way.

“Will my Intelligence and Mentality points never increase? I tried to increase them before, but it didn’t work. Can I ask why?”

[Intelligence and Mentality points belong to the original owner of your body, not you. The part shown with ” (?)” belongs to your soul. So I cannot know at the moment whether you can increase your points or not.]

“At the moment? So, is it possible to know?”

The system quickly replied.

[I don’t know at the moment whether it is possible or not.]

“Are you kidding me, you son of a bitch?! When will you know then?”

[If you swear at me again, I will shut down the system and leave… Unfortunately, because of software reasons, I cannot swear for now, but still, act as if I have sworn!]

“…”

Neonidas looked silently into the mirror for a while. He began to think that this system was seriously a living being. He took a deep breath and spoke gently to the mirror.

“Okay, I understand. Do you need to be upgraded or something for you to be able to do these things?”

[I don’t know if that will work… But a system upgrade will definitely be beneficial. Now close the mirror, I’m tired of seeing your ugly face.]

Neonidas didn’t say anything, despite the system’s arrogant attitude. He put the mirror in his pocket and took a deep breath. This strange relationship with the system was always full of such strange dialogues. However, the information it gave was usually useful, so he knew he had to be patient.

Now he had to continue his preparations to gather his army and set out. He could try to solve the system’s secrets another day, but his current priority was very different. Many challenges awaited him, such as organizing an army of fifty thousand men, meeting their food and water needs, and keeping their morale high.

When Neonidas left his study, it was already midnight. He walked through the empty, cold corridors and then stopped after a while in front of a large, luxurious door. He knocked on the door three times. He waited silently for a while, but then the door slowly opened. In front of him was an incredibly beautiful woman, and the woman’s face was flushed, and she was averting her eyes.

Empress Velriona Donnadan. The woman who supposedly held the greatest power in the empire. She was blushing like a newlywed woman right now and definitely looked very cute at the moment. It was an absurd situation that all these shy behaviors were because of Duke Neonidas, who was once called useless and stupid.

Neonidas remained silent at the door for a few seconds. The Empress’s state amused him. Knowing that there was such a fragile and lovely side behind her strong and cold stance caused Neonidas to feel a strange warmth somewhere in his heart.

Neonidas quietly entered and turned to the Empress after the door closed. “Do you regret your decision?”

This question caused the Empress to become even more embarrassed, but she still gathered her strength and shook her head. “I… I want this.”

The Empress had retreated to her room all day and was thinking about this situation. Actually, there wasn’t much to think about, being with a man to save her daughter and herself. It wasn’t that bad, and being with Neonidas was not as painful or as bad as she had imagined. Therefore, she no longer had any doubts about completely surrendering herself to Neonidas.

“Then,” said Neonidas, in a warm, desirous tone. “I will not ask this question again… And I will not hold back.”

After these words, Neonidas walked towards the Empress without wasting time, held her by the waist, and gently led her towards the bed. Since he had noticed that the Empress liked gentlemen, he would be really gentle with her tonight. He wanted it to be more of a romantic night. A few hours later, in the middle of their lovemaking, when they wanted to rest a little, he even had a snack prepared for her.

So tonight he would treat the Empress more sweetly and romantically than last night. He would show her that he liked her as a person, not just out of pure desire. This way, they could build a solid, reliable relationship. If he only used Velriona as a bed warmer, this would definitely cause the woman to leave him in the long run.

As Neonidas became aware of these new feelings, he had for Empress Velriona, he inwardly began to understand that he did not see this relationship solely as a means of political gain. Discovering the fragile and human side of Velriona’s strong and cold image affected him even more. However, Neonidas still avoided expressing these feelings openly. This could be perceived as a sign of weakness for him, especially in his current position.

Later that night, Velriona was looking at Neonidas with a tired but satisfied look. When Neonidas saw the sparkle in her eyes, he once again realized how strong-willed this woman actually was. However, despite all her strength, she was completely surrendered to him at this moment.

The two burned the dark night with their fire, cut the cold wind with their moans, and nourished pure desire with romantic feelings. Until sunrise, Neonidas created a symphony from the Empress’s irregular and meaningless moans. When they both satisfied their lust, and when Neonidas was about to leave again, the Empress took the initiative for the first time and gave Neonidas a short, shy kiss.

Velriona’s shy kiss astonished Neonidas. It was rare for such a powerful woman to have such a fragile moment. But Neonidas was getting used to this side of Velriona. Perhaps this was a sign that she was beginning to touch his heart. He looked at her silently for a moment. This silence showed that a bond had formed between them that could not be expressed in words.

Velriona, hesitant from Neonidas’ gaze, took a step back. However, Neonidas, noticing this small movement, spoke in a soft tone:

He approached and kissed her arrestingly on the lips. “You can be sure that I will never forget this night.”

After these words, Neonidas left the room with a wide grin