From the day following the suppression of Brian’s invasion, I became incredibly busy. This was because the lords who governed within the Juka Kingdom had all gathered in the capital. Some of them tried to win me over with transparent flattery, while others aggressively pushed their own opinions.
Around 30 lords had gathered. I remember that there were over 100 noble houses in the Juka Kingdom, but they had been reduced to about one-third through the civil war. I ordered the gathered lords to maintain the current border lines and withdraw their troops, informing them that further instructions would be given later.
I compiled their requests and began verifying their authenticity. Generally, with my “Appraisal” skill, I could discern most lies and deceptions, but physical evidence was necessary. Therefore, I had the Fairy Dragons confirm each lord’s statement.
Through the investigations, it became clear which houses were lying and which were not. The majority of lords who demanded new territories, claimed certain areas were originally theirs, or requested excessive food aid turned out to be former nobles. They took advantage of my status as a slave and completely underestimated me. On the other hand, there were also lords who genuinely wished for the stability of the country and the safety of their subjects. Most of them were former commoners who had been cleaning up after fleeing nobles.
Deciding how much of their demands to accept troubled me. Indeed, when I met with eight former nobles on the first day, even I couldn’t help but feel disheartened, and in the evening, Rico comforted me. Not only that, Rico explained to me, gasping for breath, that nobles were weak against forceful intimidation. She truly was an amazing wife.
And so, three days after meeting with the lords, preparations were made to announce their respective treatments.
Following Rico’s advice, the lords who had come to the capital were shown daily demonstrations of mock battles and horseback riding by Layfence and others, showcasing our power. Finally, we had them witness the extermination of a herd of Cursed Chaloreis right before their eyes. These were elite soldiers carefully selected. They easily stopped the charge of over 30 giant bulls and effortlessly defeated them. When we served that as the evening meal, the appetite of the noble folks had significantly diminished.
And finally, on the appointed day, the prepared venue was filled with 300 soldiers wearing armor confiscated from Lamaron, along with elegantly dressed Layfence and a 10-member personal guard. At the center stood Rico, radiantly beautiful, and beside her was me, stylishly adorned thanks to her skilled hands.
Rico was stunning to the point of awakening admiration. The outfit I wore was toned down to avoid overshadowing her, but her overflowing grace and intellect sharpened the air around her, fully showcasing the majesty of the Hideita Empire.
“For the first time, I am delighted to meet all of you. I am Hideita Shua Ricolette. I would like to express my gratitude that you have gathered here under my husband, Basam Daake Linos. This Juka is the land where my beloved husband was born and raised until he came of age. When I heard that it was ravaged by the Demon Lord, my heart ached as well. Now, my husband will go to his homeland and, together with all of you, assist in its recovery. Could there be any greater joy? I am more than willing to offer my assistance, so please exert your full strength.”
She seems to be lowering herself, yet her words are permeated with an aura of “Don’t think we’ll show you any mercy if you defy us, got it?” Rico, in such a manner, bows her head respectfully to me and says,
“Please, exercise your command to the fullest. I hope that you will follow your orders with your life at stake.”
Immediately after those words, the soldiers standing in line saluted me and Rico with utmost respect. This silenced the majority of the aristocrats.
Furthermore, I had Raylic and Brian, the prisoners from Lamaron, sit together in the same place. Both of them were stripped naked and bound, unable to move. Indeed, seeing Brian in this state shocked the people of Juka, completely breaking their spirits.
After that, everything went incredibly smoothly. Based on my appraisal and the evidence from the Fairy Dragons, those deemed innocent were given food supplies. As for those deemed guilty, I ordered them to provide two-thirds of their mercenaries to the capital’s security force. Moreover, for two particularly misbehaving lords, their whereabouts were to be restricted in the capital, their territories confiscated, and the management entrusted to the capable innocent lords.
“Well, well, I’m exhausted.”
It was already getting late, but Rico, Layfence, Kunogen, and I were in the rest room of the Kingdom’s military headquarters, drinking sweet tea.
“Leave them to me,” Kunogen proudly declared.
“I apologize for burdening you,” I replied.
“If it’s Kunogen, this is still nothing, right?” Layfence grinned. Kunogen chuckled wryly.
“Now then, Lord Linos,” the old general said, his expression serious.
“It’s about time we advance troops to the borders.”
“What do you mean?”
“The southern territories are still ravaged by Lamaron. It would be better for Lord Linos to go there and provide food aid. The people recognize those who feed them as their lords. We will also lend a hand.”
“However, if the general lingers here for too long, it might affect the morale of the Northern Army, won’t it?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I will return to my residence and rest from the evening. There won’t be any issues.”
The old general casually said. For now, starting tomorrow, Layfence and I would inspect the southern territories together.
The old general had already used the teleportation barrier to return to the Empire, while Rico and I, accompanied by Ferris and the others, were preparing to go back as well. At that moment, a female magician who was being held captive along with Matokal approached me quietly.
“Um… I apologize for the interruption. But… Matokal-sama’s… it’s about to begin soon,” she said.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what she meant, but Rico instantly grasped the meaning and started whispering something to her. Then, after returning the woman to her room, Rico said, “Linos, Matokal is coming soon. We’ll bring her along too.”
“Huh? Why?” I asked.
“Well, there’s something I want to test,” she replied with a mischievous smile. With the added beauty of her attire, Rico looked even more stunning than usual.
“You look beautiful, Rico.”
Blushing, Rico reached out her hand towards my arm. With her cheeks tinted red, she looked even cuter than ever.
“Uh… ahem.”
I snapped out of it at that voice. And there was Matokal, who had arrived.
“S-So, shall we go…” I stuttered.
We joined Ferris and the others and teleported back to the mansion.
As soon as we arrived, Rico, accompanied by Ferris and Matokal, headed straight to a room. In the dining area, a table was being filled with delicious-looking dishes prepared by Peyris. Everyone had already returned and taken their seats. We also sat down on our chairs, and naturally, the debriefing for the day began. It turned out that Mei was making great progress, getting along well with Gnome. Additionally, thanks to the work of the forest spirits, a place for the Fairy Dragons to live had been created. It seemed to be near the settlement of the Sirius, a place with beautiful water and blooming flowers. We decided to leave that matter to Mei.
Furthermore, it seemed possible to raise Golden Birds. The thought of being able to enjoy their juicy and flavorful meat from now on filled me with excitement. (T/N: Is it just me or is Mei like the most versatile scientist on the planet?!)
As we discussed such matters, Rico descended to the dining area. Following her, Matocal entered, as if being pushed by Ferris.
To my surprise, Matokal was dressed in Rico’s attire, with makeup applied, beautifully adorned.
Even though her mother was a concubine, she was the Emperor’s daughter. When dressed up, she exuded an air of elegance and possessed the beauty befitting a princess from a great nation. Above all, her slightly raised eye corners gave her a charming appeal, making her likely to be popular among men.
“Just a bit more hair growth, and she would be even more beautiful. Well, in this state, I’d give her a score of about 70,” Rico casually remarked. In my opinion, she deserved a perfect score of 100.
“I believe women should adorn themselves beautifully. Moreover, since she is already beautiful, I thought that by enhancing that beauty, Matokal would find happiness. So, I wanted to give it a try,” Rico explained.
“As expected of Lady Rico. Just by choosing one of your outfits and quickly applying some makeup, she has become this beautiful… I’m amazed,” Ferris exclaimed.
“I will give Matokal the necessary items later, so please take them and return. Well, since you’re here, why not have dinner together before you leave?” Rico suggested.
“In this attire…?” Matokal blushed, looking embarrassed and fidgety.
“Ah… My legs feel cold. Do women always endure this… being cold and embarrassed like this?” Matokal mumbled.
Rico tilted her head in puzzlement as she looked at Matokal but soon recalled something and exclaimed.
“Oh my, how could I forget something like that!”
“What’s wrong, Rico?”
“I forgot to make Matokal wear undergarments.”
From the day following the suppression of Brian’s invasion, I became incredibly busy. This was because the lords who governed within the Juka Kingdom had all gathered in the capital. Some of them tried to win me over with transparent flattery, while others aggressively pushed their own opinions.
Around 30 lords had gathered. I remember that there were over 100 noble houses in the Juka Kingdom, but they had been reduced to about one-third through the civil war. I ordered the gathered lords to maintain the current border lines and withdraw their troops, informing them that further instructions would be given later.
I compiled their requests and began verifying their authenticity. Generally, with my “Appraisal” skill, I could discern most lies and deceptions, but physical evidence was necessary. Therefore, I had the Fairy Dragons confirm each lord’s statement.
Through the investigations, it became clear which houses were lying and which were not. The majority of lords who demanded new territories, claimed certain areas were originally theirs, or requested excessive food aid turned out to be former nobles. They took advantage of my status as a slave and completely underestimated me. On the other hand, there were also lords who genuinely wished for the stability of the country and the safety of their subjects. Most of them were former commoners who had been cleaning up after fleeing nobles.
Deciding how much of their demands to accept troubled me. Indeed, when I met with eight former nobles on the first day, even I couldn’t help but feel disheartened, and in the evening, Rico comforted me. Not only that, Rico explained to me, gasping for breath, that nobles were weak against forceful intimidation. She truly was an amazing wife.
And so, three days after meeting with the lords, preparations were made to announce their respective treatments.
Following Rico’s advice, the lords who had come to the capital were shown daily demonstrations of mock battles and horseback riding by Layfence and others, showcasing our power. Finally, we had them witness the extermination of a herd of Cursed Chaloreis right before their eyes. These were elite soldiers carefully selected. They easily stopped the charge of over 30 giant bulls and effortlessly defeated them. When we served that as the evening meal, the appetite of the noble folks had significantly diminished.
And finally, on the appointed day, the prepared venue was filled with 300 soldiers wearing armor confiscated from Lamaron, along with elegantly dressed Layfence and a 10-member personal guard. At the center stood Rico, radiantly beautiful, and beside her was me, stylishly adorned thanks to her skilled hands.
Rico was stunning to the point of awakening admiration. The outfit I wore was toned down to avoid overshadowing her, but her overflowing grace and intellect sharpened the air around her, fully showcasing the majesty of the Hideita Empire.
“For the first time, I am delighted to meet all of you. I am Hideita Shua Ricolette. I would like to express my gratitude that you have gathered here under my husband, Basam Daake Linos. This Juka is the land where my beloved husband was born and raised until he came of age. When I heard that it was ravaged by the Demon Lord, my heart ached as well. Now, my husband will go to his homeland and, together with all of you, assist in its recovery. Could there be any greater joy? I am more than willing to offer my assistance, so please exert your full strength.”
She seems to be lowering herself, yet her words are permeated with an aura of “Don’t think we’ll show you any mercy if you defy us, got it?” Rico, in such a manner, bows her head respectfully to me and says,
“Please, exercise your command to the fullest. I hope that you will follow your orders with your life at stake.”
Immediately after those words, the soldiers standing in line saluted me and Rico with utmost respect. This silenced the majority of the aristocrats.
Furthermore, I had Raylic and Brian, the prisoners from Lamaron, sit together in the same place. Both of them were stripped naked and bound, unable to move. Indeed, seeing Brian in this state shocked the people of Juka, completely breaking their spirits.
After that, everything went incredibly smoothly. Based on my appraisal and the evidence from the Fairy Dragons, those deemed innocent were given food supplies. As for those deemed guilty, I ordered them to provide two-thirds of their mercenaries to the capital’s security force. Moreover, for two particularly misbehaving lords, their whereabouts were to be restricted in the capital, their territories confiscated, and the management entrusted to the capable innocent lords.
“Well, well, I’m exhausted.”
It was already getting late, but Rico, Layfence, Kunogen, and I were in the rest room of the Kingdom’s military headquarters, drinking sweet tea.
“Leave them to me,” Kunogen proudly declared.
“I apologize for burdening you,” I replied.
“If it’s Kunogen, this is still nothing, right?” Layfence grinned. Kunogen chuckled wryly.
“Now then, Lord Linos,” the old general said, his expression serious.
“It’s about time we advance troops to the borders.”
“What do you mean?”
“The southern territories are still ravaged by Lamaron. It would be better for Lord Linos to go there and provide food aid. The people recognize those who feed them as their lords. We will also lend a hand.”
“However, if the general lingers here for too long, it might affect the morale of the Northern Army, won’t it?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I will return to my residence and rest from the evening. There won’t be any issues.”
The old general casually said. For now, starting tomorrow, Layfence and I would inspect the southern territories together.
The old general had already used the teleportation barrier to return to the Empire, while Rico and I, accompanied by Ferris and the others, were preparing to go back as well. At that moment, a female magician who was being held captive along with Matokal approached me quietly.
“Um… I apologize for the interruption. But… Matokal-sama’s… it’s about to begin soon,” she said.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what she meant, but Rico instantly grasped the meaning and started whispering something to her. Then, after returning the woman to her room, Rico said, “Linos, Matokal is coming soon. We’ll bring her along too.”
“Huh? Why?” I asked.
“Well, there’s something I want to test,” she replied with a mischievous smile. With the added beauty of her attire, Rico looked even more stunning than usual.
“You look beautiful, Rico.”
Blushing, Rico reached out her hand towards my arm. With her cheeks tinted red, she looked even cuter than ever.
“Uh… ahem.”
I snapped out of it at that voice. And there was Matokal, who had arrived.
“S-So, shall we go…” I stuttered.
We joined Ferris and the others and teleported back to the mansion.
As soon as we arrived, Rico, accompanied by Ferris and Matokal, headed straight to a room. In the dining area, a table was being filled with delicious-looking dishes prepared by Peyris. Everyone had already returned and taken their seats. We also sat down on our chairs, and naturally, the debriefing for the day began. It turned out that Mei was making great progress, getting along well with Gnome. Additionally, thanks to the work of the forest spirits, a place for the Fairy Dragons to live had been created. It seemed to be near the settlement of the Sirius, a place with beautiful water and blooming flowers. We decided to leave that matter to Mei.
Furthermore, it seemed possible to raise Golden Birds. The thought of being able to enjoy their juicy and flavorful meat from now on filled me with excitement. (T/N: Is it just me or is Mei like the most versatile scientist on the planet?!)
As we discussed such matters, Rico descended to the dining area. Following her, Matocal entered, as if being pushed by Ferris.
To my surprise, Matokal was dressed in Rico’s attire, with makeup applied, beautifully adorned.
Even though her mother was a concubine, she was the Emperor’s daughter. When dressed up, she exuded an air of elegance and possessed the beauty befitting a princess from a great nation. Above all, her slightly raised eye corners gave her a charming appeal, making her likely to be popular among men.
“Just a bit more hair growth, and she would be even more beautiful. Well, in this state, I’d give her a score of about 70,” Rico casually remarked. In my opinion, she deserved a perfect score of 100.
“I believe women should adorn themselves beautifully. Moreover, since she is already beautiful, I thought that by enhancing that beauty, Matokal would find happiness. So, I wanted to give it a try,” Rico explained.
“As expected of Lady Rico. Just by choosing one of your outfits and quickly applying some makeup, she has become this beautiful… I’m amazed,” Ferris exclaimed.
“I will give Matokal the necessary items later, so please take them and return. Well, since you’re here, why not have dinner together before you leave?” Rico suggested.
“In this attire…?” Matokal blushed, looking embarrassed and fidgety.
“Ah… My legs feel cold. Do women always endure this… being cold and embarrassed like this?” Matokal mumbled.
Rico tilted her head in puzzlement as she looked at Matokal but soon recalled something and exclaimed.
“Oh my, how could I forget something like that!”
“What’s wrong, Rico?”
“I forgot to make Matokal wear undergarments.”
