The Dragon Kingdom.
It was a miscellaneous sort of country.
The buildings were of uneven heights, and the people's clothing was all over the place.
The streets were an unorganized mess — an inn for adventurers could be found right next to a noble's mansion.
A dojo of the Sword God Style stood across from a dojo of the North God Style.
It was a country brimming with vitality, chaotic and utterly lacking in any sense of unity.
It had history, but no prestige.
A nation that ran on both meritocracy and imperialism.
And so, upon arriving in this country, I did not head straight for the royal castle—
No, I didn't go at all.
"Just because they lack prestige doesn't mean I can't show some authority of my own."
That was something I'd learned in Millis.
When dealing with the personnel of a large organization, you had to demonstrate your own stature, or they'd walk all over you.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
...Well, that wasn't quite right either, but in the sense of meeting the other party on their level, I needed to come prepared as well.
So, my destination was the embassy.
Which country's embassy, you ask?
Well, the Asura Kingdom, of course.
Ariel was a major shareholder in my company.
The idea was to make it clear that the Asura Kingdom stood firmly behind the Orsted Corporation.
No — perhaps it was the other way around. That the Orsted Corporation stood behind the Asura Kingdom.
Well, either way, if we borrowed heavily from the Asura Kingdom's authority, things shouldn't turn out like they did in Millis.
With that in mind, I arranged to borrow clothes and a carriage from the embassy.
On top of that, I'd secured a letter bearing Ariel's seal, and with all of that, I set out for the royal castle.
Of course, I'd already informed Ariel of my future plans and obtained her approval.
When she heard the proposed course of action, she told me, "If it looks like a decisive battle is approaching, I'll send military support as well."
Over the past few years, she'd been strengthening her forces and had solidified her position considerably.
She'd even formed something like a personal guard unit, and it seemed she had enough resources to spare some military power to me.
Well, whether that military power would actually be useful or not was anyone's guess, but...
"......"
And there I was, dawdling in a room at the embassy, reviewing the situation — all because one person was taking far too long to get dressed.
"Aisha, if you find something you like, you can take it home. Just hurry up — Eris is waiting."
"Hmm... but, Big Brother, I keep changing my mind... Maybe I should go with something green? Eris-nee wears red, and you're always in gray..."
Aisha had been wandering around in her underwear for some time now, unable to decide on today's outfit.
Normally, one shouldn't stare at a woman while she changed.
But since Aisha had asked me to pick for her, I was watching her change in real time while enduring the icy glares of the other maids.
Of course, Aisha might have said she wanted me to decide, but she had no intention of actually giving up the final say.
Even when I picked something with "This one, then," she'd go, "No, this would clash with what Eris-nee is wearing," and move on to look at another.
Last time, there had been quite the fuss over a maid outfit.
So I had no complaints about her wanting to dress properly, but this time she was overthinking it.
Three frilly, fluffy dresses lay spread around me.
Everyone else in my party had gotten ready without any trouble, so while the novelty was nice, I was starting to get worn out.
"Besides, I'm not the main attraction today, so shouldn't I go with something more subdued?"
"No, flashy is fine. Yep, let's take the Death God's breath away with how cute you look."
"Take this seriously!"
She got mad.
But honestly, Aisha had zero man-appeal — this could be a chance to find a match, couldn't it?
We'd go for a knockout-cute outfit, catch the eye of some noble's son at the royal castle, and land herself a Cinderella marriage!
Or something like that.
I'd be in trouble if she brought home some weirdo, though...
Like Aisha herself had said, there wasn't really a formal mission this time, so her love life was her own business.
"Then go with that dark green one. It won't clash with Eris's outfit, it's appropriately understated — sounds good, right?"
"Eh... but, this one has a short skirt... You'd be able to see my legs."
So what if they could see your legs?
That's what I wanted to say, but the maids around us all had looks on their faces that said "Absolutely not," so maybe showing them really wasn't okay.
"Hmm..."
Aisha groaned and went back to choosing a dress.
Still, she really had filled out, standing there in her underwear. You could see her growth all too clearly.
She was developing in all the right places, with proper curves to match.
Not just Aisha — it seemed our family was blessed with nice figures.
The kind that attracted the wrong sort of attention.
Zenith and Lilia were the same way.
The Notos Greyrat side of the family had always been a line that appreciated a busty figure.
So my grandmother must have been well-endowed too.
It had to be genetic.
"...Hey, Big Brother."
"Hm?"
"You're staring."
Without warning, Aisha planted a hand on her hip and placed the other behind her head, striking a pose that showed off her underarm.
I'd seen that pose somewhere before.
"Who taught you that?"
"Pursena. She said this always works."
"That's a lie. None of her poses have ever had any effect so far... You really shouldn't trust her too much."
"Ehh...? But she's popular in the mercenary band..."
"Stop fooling around and pick something already."
I urged her on, though there was still plenty of time.
All we had today was a meeting with Princess Benedict and her knight, Randolph.
Neither of them seemed particularly busy, so they were free the whole day.
We could take our time and head over sometime in the afternoon.
The odds of an hour's difference turning someone into an enemy were pretty slim.
My motto these days was: don't cut things close.
Breathing room is always important — both in your heart and your schedule. Act with space to spare.
"You're taking forever!"
However, there did exist people who preferred to do things as fast as humanly possible.
One such person threw the door open with a bang and stormed into the room.
It was Eris.
She wore a striking red jacket over a pair of black trousers.
She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and the outfit — formal attire of the Dragon Kingdom — suited her perfectly.
She looked like a spirited swordswoman.
But as it turned out, the outfit was actually men's wear.
According to the maids, none of the dresses at the embassy allowed for wearing a sword, so Eris had immediately settled on this.
"How long are you going to keep choosing?!"
"Oh, Eris-nee. Sorry. I was having trouble deciding."
"Hmph..."
She shook her bright red hair as she walked right up to Aisha with heavy, purposeful strides and grabbed one of the dresses laid out around her.
A wine-red, blazingly red dress.
"Wear this one!"
"But if I wear red, I'll be matching you, Eris-nee."
"So what, you don't want to match with me?!"
"It's not that I don't want to — it's just that, you know, I'm the background character. If Eris-nee stops standing out, that'd be a problem."
"You're not a background character today! Dress in a way that won't embarrass you as my sister!"
At Eris's words, Aisha's cheeks turned a shade of pink.
Then, with a sheepish grin, she took the dress from Eris.
"If Eris-nee says so, I'll go with this one."
She looked rather pleased, actually.
Was she happy to have been called her sister?
The hearts of young women were a mystery to me.
And so, Aisha's dress was decided, and we set out for the Dragon Kingdom's royal castle.
---
The Dragon Kingdom's royal castle.
It was neither as massive as the Asura Kingdom's nor as refined as Millis's.
Its appearance — bloated horizontally and vertically by repeated expansions — could only be described as bizarre.
It practically radiated a gaudy, low-class quality, as if every addition had been made only because it was absolutely necessary.
And yet, perhaps because of that very quality...
It exuded an indescribable sense of overwhelming pressure.
If anyone considered storming this place, that sense of pressure alone would give them serious pause.
Of course, I wasn't about to be overwhelmed this time.
I'd come thoroughly prepared.
A white-horse carriage, fine clothing, and a proper appointment.
On top of that, Orsted had already provided me with solid intelligence on the country's current political situation, the tastes and interests of its key figures, and who was likely to rise or fall in the future.
It might not be perfect, but knowing versus not knowing made a world of difference.
So why not carry yourself with confidence?
"So, Eris, Aisha — you two ready?"
"Yes."
"Mm."
Incidentally, three of us were going this time.
Me, Eris, and Aisha.
"If the Death God turns out to be hostile, Eris and I will hold him down while Aisha deploys the full formation's magic circle. I'll pour in the mana and we'll finish it in one shot."
"Leave it to me!"
Ideally, I would have brought Zanoba and Roxy along as well, but they'd be tied up for a while with the magical armor I'd asked them to build.
For now, this was our lineup.
Eris and I, in terms of pure combat power, were a formidable combination.
This was assuming the Death God turned out to be hostile.
With Eris, I could trust the front line to her.
That said, I still wanted someone who "could do anything" by my side in case a situation arose that required unpredictable capabilities.
This time around wasn't expected to go sideways, but I'd be setting up a mercenary band eventually anyway.
Getting a feel for this country firsthand wasn't a bad idea.
"......"
While we were having that rather tense conversation, we cleared the Dragon Kingdom's city gates.
I didn't handle any of the talking.
The people from the Asura Kingdom's embassy took care of everything.
The appointment, the exchanges with the gate guards, the arrangements after that.
We passed through into the castle grounds more smoothly than ever before.
"We're being watched," Eris said.
We stepped down from the carriage and were escorted through the castle grounds by a local guide.
But we were certainly drawing attention.
People who looked like nobles, and people who looked like knights, all stared at us openly.
"Just act natural," I said.
This time, I was here not only as Benedict's acquaintance but also wielding Ariel's authority.
The Dragon Kingdom's likely rival was the Asura Kingdom, after all.
And it was entirely possible they'd heard about my exploits at Shirone.
As long as they didn't find out that I was the one who'd killed their king through Orsted...
If that did come out, I'd just have to ask Ariel for help again.
---
The room we were led to was, for a royal castle, rather modest.
Barely the minimum necessary size, the minimum number of attendants.
"It's been a while, Lord Rudeus."
And what must have been the maximum number of bodyguards.
Death God Randolph Marient.
The specter-like figure stood guard, positioned as though shielding Princess Benedict and the infant in her arms.
"......"
When Benedict saw me, she pressed her lips tightly together and clutched the baby to her chest with a look like she was about to cry.
I decided to greet her before Randolph.
That was the proper thing to do.
"Princess Benedict, it's a pleasure to see you again."
"......"
No reply.
But I supposed that couldn't be helped.
She'd heard about what happened that day eventually, no doubt.
And before that, Pax must have told her about me and Zanoba.
I couldn't imagine Pax had said anything flattering.
"I see your child is in good health. Zanoba would be happy to hear that."
"..............."
"Oh — it's a girl?"
Benedict slowly shook her head.
It was a boy, then.
"Might I ask his name...?"
"...............Pax."
"He was given his father's name — Pax the Second," Randolph supplied.
They'd named him after his father.
He'd probably end up called Pax Junior, or Little Pax.
I see. A fine choice.
"......"
"Um... oh, right. Today I'd like to introduce you to my wife and my sister."
"I'm... Eris Greyrat."
"Aisha Greyrat. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Eris was stiff and awkward; Aisha, by contrast, was composed.
Both wearing red, they looked like sisters.
Well, technically, they were. Step-sisters, with Aisha.
"............"
Benedict didn't respond.
She merely looked up at Randolph with a worried expression.
"If I recall correctly, Lord Rudeus's wife is of a demon race?"
And so it was Randolph who answered.
He had a habit of speaking over his master, but since his mistress had gone completely silent, staying quiet himself would have been the greater discourtesy.
"I have three wives. Roxy is one of them."
"Oh my... That's rather incompatible with the Millis faith, isn't it?"
"My friend the priest gives me an earful about it every chance he gets."
I turned to face Randolph directly.
"It's been a while, Randolph."
He was the same as ever.
A skull-like face with a sour expression.
His stance appeared full of openings at first glance, but there were none.
You could tell just by looking at Eris, who had her lips pursed in a scowl.
"You look well."
"Yes, quite. I'm always in fine spirits. On the other hand, Lord Rudeus, you don't seem to be doing so well."
"Well, I've got a former friend who's turned against me."
"I understand. In my younger days, there was a time I had to cut down a friend, and it weighed on me deeply."
Randolph spoke, all the while glancing sideways at Eris.
He was nodding, but also shifting his body, subtly adjusting his position to place himself between her and Benedict.
"Eris, step back one or two paces."
"Why?"
"Randolph is having trouble talking."
Eris had already closed in on Randolph's critical distance.
And not just that — she'd been gradually repositioning herself to keep me from coming between them.
The two of them were circling each other in a slow arc, like warriors measuring each other's range.
If this kept up, a fight could break out the moment they both found their optimal position.
"But he might be an enemy too."
"If he were an enemy, I wouldn't have let you carry a sword into this room."
For that matter, I wouldn't have had Benedict in this room either.
I wouldn't put the person I was protecting behind me and then fight a Sword King-level magician.
I would have waited alone, or with several people in ambush.
The fact that Benedict was here meant Randolph wasn't an enemy.
Of course, there was the possibility that Benedict was a body double, or some other trick...
But if this were a trap, I'd like to think they'd have set it more cleverly.
Then again, he could be playing the long game and fooling us right now — but there was no end to that kind of thinking.
For now, the fact that we hadn't walked into a trap here and now would have to count as a measure of trust.
"...Fine."
Reluctantly, Eris retreated toward the entrance.
With her hand on her sword, of course.
"I apologize, Lord Rudeus."
"No, please, forgive me. It's just that things have been rather hectic lately..."
"This is about the friend you mentioned? May I hear about it?"
"Of course. That's why I'm here."
And so I told him about what had happened in the Millis Holy Country.
That a demon named Geese had turned against us.
That Geese, while possessing no combat ability, was extraordinarily silver-tongued.
That through those verbal gifts and the schemes of the Human God, he was amassing powerful allies.
That I intended to crush Geese by placing bounties on him across multiple nations while recruiting the strongest fighters as allies.
"You're fighting this head-on and honestly, aren't you?"
"I couldn't think of any cleverer approach."
"No, no — I meant that as a compliment. If you steadily crush each little trick with brute honesty, eventually even the cleverest among them will run out of ideas."
Randolph let out a rattling, clacking laugh.
Was that born from personal experience?
The immortal demons were supposed to be quite good at that sort of thing.
"So that's the situation. I would very much like to borrow your help."
"I would very much like to help, but I have no reason to do so. I'd also rather not have too much to do with the Human God."
"...Even if the Human God is responsible for Pax's death?"
"Oh? Do tell me more."
I explained that the incident at Shirone had been the Human God's scheme.
Who the Apostle was and what had happened.
Randolph listened to the end, and then he laughed.
His cheekbones jutted out eerily, and he let out a clattering, clicking chuckle.
"In that case, I would be most willing — I do want to settle the score for His Majesty as well..."
Randolph said this with a grin.
The eerie expression on his face made it look like he was considering a betrayal, but judging a person by their face was unwise.
Still — that had gone smoothly.
If this kept up...
"That said, I'm also rather busy on my end..."
Oh. So this was the part where it didn't go smoothly.
"Might I ask what about?"
"Heh heh, the tables have turned since earlier, haven't they?"
Being told that with such confidence made me feel as though I was the one backed into a corner.
Maybe this was just Randolph's way of being friendly, in his own fashion...
"Save that line for when you have the upper hand."
"I do have the upper hand. You need my help, don't you?"
He had a point, actually. I was in a position where I had to hear him out.
Now then — what unreasonable demand was he about to make?
Or was this part of the Human God's scheme?
"No, it's nothing major."
Randolph took a single step back.
His stance shifted from a protective position guarding Benedict to one that was more on display.
Benedict stood there, cradling her baby.
There was something frightened in her expression.
"As you may already know, the kingdom has been in a state of some turmoil."
The Dragon Kingdom's turmoil.
It had been caused when Orsted killed the Dragon Kingdom's king during the business with the Shirone Kingdom.
That said, the previous king had anticipated such a contingency and had properly designated a successor.
The next king took the throne quickly, and the Dragon Kingdom had begun to regain stability.
But that was only on the surface.
Who had killed the previous king?
Someone from another country?
Or someone from within the court itself?
The culprit and the motive were both unknown.
Under these circumstances, the court was far from unified.
Those consumed by suspicion and paranoia conducted their governance in a state of timid anxiety.
"The turmoil itself doesn't directly concern us, but... the Queen's child has been treated as something of a nuisance."
What Randolph was concerned about was, naturally, Pax's son.
Benedict was the previous king's daughter.
She'd been treated as if she were half-invisible.
In the end, she'd been married off to Pax, Prince of the Shirone Kingdom, as if she were being gotten rid of.
Well, that was fine in its own way.
A useless princess had found a use. That was all there was to it.
But if that prince died in a civil war, and on top of that, Benedict had borne his child — that changed everything.
The forces that had risen up in the Shirone Kingdom were steadily rebuilding the nation.
They didn't yet have the leisure to make a move.
But they harbored grudges against Pax.
Against Pax, who had slaughtered the beloved royal family.
"Personally, I think that country will be swallowed up by the north before it can rebuild, but there are plenty of people who are worried..."
Royal bloodlines were troublesome things above all else.
In a country like Shirone, whether someone "directly descended from the legitimate line of the king" could determine whether they had a right to the throne.
So for those currently ruling Shirone, the fact that Pax's son was still alive was deeply unwelcome.
Give it a few more years, and once Shirone had stabilized, they would demand Benedict's child.
For the sake of future friendship between Shirone and the Dragon Kingdom.
Little Pax was, after all, the grandson of the previous king.
If the vassal state demanded he be handed over and the Dragon Kingdom simply complied, it would be a blow to the nation's pride.
But if they refused, relations with Shirone would deteriorate.
And so, it seemed, there were those who wanted to preemptively eliminate the source of the problem.
In other words, kill Little Pax before anyone could ask for him.
That way, both the Dragon Kingdom and the Shirone Kingdom could save face.
The only one who'd lose face was Randolph.
"And would people really want to fight the Death God Randolph just to kill a child?"
"Many seem to think it's better to fight a single man than to go to war with a country."
Well, yeah, that made sense.
Currently, several of the Dragon Kingdom's vassal states were under attack from other nations, exploiting the chaos.
In such a state, if their northern bulwark, Shirone, were to become an enemy...
That was what worried them.
If it were me, though, I'd be more afraid of Randolph turning hostile right in front of me.
"As long as I'm here, assassins are meaningless — but if things continue like this, the child's future is... uncertain. You understand?"
Even if assassination were avoided, the next thing in store would be a demand from Shirone to hand over the child.
No matter how you sliced it, Little Pax was not going to have a peaceful life.
"...Even if I solved that problem, is it still impossible to bring you along to the decisive battle with Geese?"
"Yes, impossible, I'm afraid... However, you'll need allies within the Dragon Kingdom, won't you?"
"......"
"Having me as an ally would be very reassuring. Everyone says the same thing — that I'm dependable."
"I'm sure they do."
Randolph wouldn't fight beside me in the final battle.
But on the other hand, that also meant he wouldn't be swayed by the Human God's silver tongue into fighting as an enemy.
He would be neither friend nor foe in that conflict.
But that didn't mean I could abandon him.
As he himself had said, even if I couldn't bring him to fight the Human God, having a powerful ally within the Dragon Kingdom was invaluable.
This was an investment that would pay dividends ten or twenty years down the road.
A forward-thinking strategy.
The Orsted Corporation was a company that looked to the future.
"Understood. Then I'll see to it."
After all, the chaos had been set in motion by our CEO in the first place.
A manufactured crisis, if there ever was one.
"Yes, please do."
The Death God knew full well what was behind all of this, yet he wouldn't push on that point — that was what made him such a handful.