If Demiurge and Albedo finished it together, then I won’t need to step in. Ainz thought that, but did not say it.
“…Have you given the Empire enough benefits? Enough that the neighboring countries will look at the Empire and think, ‘life will be good for us once we become vassals of the Sorcerous Kingdom’, or something along those lines?”
“It will be fine.”
Ainz muttered “Yes” in his heart. In that case, he could give it his OK without even looking at the draft.
“Even so, your achievements in the Dwarven Kingdom and the Empire were truly breathtaking. I imagine the term ‘fathomless wisdom’ exists to describe you, Ainz-sama.”
“Certainly not. I’m confident you could have done this easily as well, Demiurge.”
Demiurge revealed a rare expression ─ a bitter smile. Then he shook his head.
“Indeed, if that was all. Even so, how far into the future have you predicted the course of the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
Not even tomorrow. But of course, he could not say that.
Ainz wondered what sort of answer would fit the style of a ruler. Just then, he remembered a guild name from YGGDRASIL.
It was called Millenium Kingdom.
If only the Sorcerous Kingdom could really last a thousand years. Perhaps it was because of that thought, but a relevant memory came to mind.
He had no idea why the guild’s emblem was that of a crane, and so Ainz had asked Yamaiko about it. After that, she told him that it was because Cranes were said to live for a thousand years in mythology. Similarly, tortoises would live for─
“─Ten thousand years.”
Ainz frowned as the words slipped out. He had accidentally overstated the scale. Just as Ainz hurriedly looked toward Demiurge, intending to correct himself, he realized that it was already too late.
“To, to think your plans were of such a grand scope…”
Demiurge’s eyes went wide, and those jewel-like pupils of his shone even brighter.
Ah, this is bad.
“I was kid─”
“─That being the case, things like spreading the undead around must surely be to encourage the other nations to rely on you rather than viewing our troops as dangerous elements, Ainz-sama. That must be the right answer for someone who views the world from such a wide angle. Still… how fearsome you are…”
Ainz did not know what he was saying, but he knew there was only one thing he could do at this point. “Well done, Demiurge, you have completely anticipated my plans, as I expected.” However, he could not use that tactic all the time. Therefore, this time, he would say ─
“Fufufu, I haven’t thought that far ahead, Demiurge.”
“…Is that so. Understood. I shall carve this matter into my heart.”
As he saw Demiurge’s gentle smile, Ainz’s heart flooded with cold sweat.
Eh? What? What’s going on?…I’m not too sure, but doesn’t this mean I’m in an even more precarious situation now?
However, Ainz had not thought of any solutions. Then, he would have to deal with it with a fake smile.
“Fufufu… I’ll leave it to you then, Demiurge.”
“Fufufu… Understood, Ainz-sama.”
In contrast, Demiurge’s smile shone even brighter than before.
Even though he wanted to cry, Ainz managed to pull himself together enough to ask a question in a trembling voice.
“…Then, Demiurge. About the report you sent… when do you think it will take place?”
“It will begin in the fall, but I shall have to trouble you in the winter, Ainz-sama. The beginning should be fine, but once the opposition makes their move as well, there might be some discrepancies even if we manage to manipulate them.”
“Well, you did plan this after all, Demiurge. I can leave it to you in peace.”
“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama. As for the matter of the Empire’s vassalization─”
“─I’ll listen in detail once I return. Can you give me a copy of the plan first?”
“Understood.”
“…Then, I look forward to how this project of yours will unfold, Demiurge.”
Epilogue
It was morning when Enri woke up. She quietly left the bed, so as not to wake her husband who was still asleep beside her. The air outside was very cold, and it made her want to get back into the bed that was still warm from their two bodies.
The bed creaked as she rose, but her husband of half a year was too tired to react. He slept like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Now that Enri managed his life for him, he kept a more regular schedule. Thus, his deep slumber was simply because that was the way he was.
…Although it didn’t use to be like this.
When they had just gotten married, he had not slept this soundly.
Maybe he was nervous… But now he’s used to it, so that’s good.
Enri yawned and stretched.
Her bare breasts jiggled.
Enri’s face flushed pink, and she reached for a piece of discarded clothing.
Granted, only Enri and her husband lived in this house, but this was hardly presentable.
If her little sister Nemu were here, she would definitely not be dressed like this. However, Nemu would not wake up here — in the Emmott house — but in the Bareare house.
Let’s not disturb the newlyweds, her mother-in-law Lizzie had said. Nemu had listened because they had decided not to rebuild the Emmott or Bareare houses. And so, this had happened.
It had been two years since the incident where they had lost both their parents. That said, Nemu was still scarred by the incident and was unwilling to leave her big sister at night. It was only by the grace of some unknowable instinct that she had managed to accept the new arrangement.
Since Enri lived in a farming village, she often saw animals engaging in those activities. She might also have heard about what young couples did when they vanished into the forest after leaving the dancing circle on harvest festival nights. Before she realised it, she had also learned what husbands and wives did at night.
However, nobody had explained it to her in detail before. Enri and Nemu were not old enough to have heard such things. Still, someone needed to teach her what to do, but knowledge was as much a poison as a cure.
Lupusregina-san does say a lot of weird things…
Everyone in the village treated the aide of the nation’s ruler with respect. Enri was one of them as well. However, they could not fully accept every aspect of her personality. Over the long time they had known each other, Enri had realised one thing: Lupusregina was a criminal who delighted in people’s reactions to her crimes, and she was the type who could watch someone fall into a trap with a smile on her face.
Enri had the feeling if she did not go out and say, “Please teach me”, Lupusregina would not teach her anything concrete.
On the other hand, if she did not keep an eye on Nemu before she spoke to Lupusregina, Enri had the feeling that Lupusregina would describe all sorts of things to Nemu in exacting and loving detail.
I can teach you all sorts of adult things any time you like. Enri had not forgotten those words from Lupusregina.
After making up her mind to find Lupusregina, Enri picked up her clothes which had fallen to the floor, and put them on.
After that, she headed for the kitchen, and turned the tap on.
She collected the water which flowed out in a small container. She turned the faucet in the opposite direction once it was full, and the water stopped flowing.
In the past, she had woken up early to draw water from the well. Now, she could use this magic item to obtain fresh water. Its temperature stayed the same even in freezing or warm seasons.