Chapter 17: Preparations for War
**Pov Tuare**
I was a little nervous; my honeymoon trip was a bit unusual, but I was happy.
I'm glad Sebas's master accepted our relationship. Ainz-Sama must be a benevolent person to accept his subordinate's relationship with a mere human.
I was aware that I was a mere human based on my time in Nazarick, where even the maids had the strength of ten men.
The training was hard, but thanks to Sebas and Yuri, I managed to become a good maid by Nazarick's standards.
This led the Supreme One to recognize me and put me in charge of training maids in E-Rantel, to Sebas's delight.
This joy gave me immense satisfaction; making the person I love proud—who wouldn't be?
But I didn't expect Ainz-Sama to send me on a diplomatic mission of all things. What was he thinking?
Serving the Great Tomb of Nazarick was an act of love, a love shared by all its inhabitants. Tuare knew this, just as she knew that any failure would reflect directly on Sebas Tian, her savior. An unthinkable act for Tuare, as dedicating her body and soul to the Sorcerer King and the Great Tomb only mattered because it came after Sebas. For her, the butler was the most important person in her life, and if she had to sacrifice endless hours for a few extra minutes with him, it would all be worth it.
I was ecstatic knowing we would reach the Draconic Kingdom; a trip like this would take weeks, weeks with Sebas.
Sebas sat majestically in his seat, and I was in front of him, trying not to show my excitement. Despite my nervousness about being on an official mission, I was thrilled to travel to a foreign country. I've always lived in E-Rantel, so this was all an adventure, especially with Sebas accompanying me.
"So Tuare, how do you find the trip so far?"
"It's incredible; there are things I've never seen before." It was true—cows, pigs, windmills, many kinds of birds...
"I'm glad. Ainz-Sama was very generous to give us this mission," said the butler.
"Yes, I feel honored." If there's one red line I know I'll never cross, it's speaking ill of Ainz-Sama, the most benevolent leader I'll ever know.
The journey ended, to my dismay, and we encountered a patrol.
"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted the man who seemed to be the patrol leader, nervously.
The soldiers had never seen such a dazzling carriage. Its appearance screamed royalty in every sense, made of an unknown black material with golden accents. The obvious crest of the Sorcerer Kingdom on its side and the fact that it was drawn by Soul Eaters and guided by an Elder Lich made the patrol leader's question redundant.
The Elder Lich answered for us, "This is the entourage carrying the Emissary of the Sorcerer Kingdom as an ambassador to the capital of the Draconic Kingdom. We request an audience with Her Majesty Queen Draudillon Oriculus to handle official matters in establishing diplomatic contact."
The guard, still scared, replied.
"Understood, you will receive an escort to the capital, and we will send a messenger with your request. Welcome to the Draconic Kingdom."
"Sebas-kun, it seems to have gone well," I indicated.
"We will soon see the queen," affirmed Sebas. "Let's enjoy what's left of our honeymoon trip."
"Yes," I said, excited and blushing.
Honeymoon trip, kyaaa!
x-x-x-x
We were at the royal palace of the Draconic Kingdom.
"Hi, who are you?"
"We are Sebas and Tuare, simple servants."
"Simple servants dare to serve as ambassadors? Who does this Sorcerer King think he is?"
I noticed Sebas's fist clench when the noble spoke ill of his master.
"Calm down, we're all friends here, okay?"
A girl, with a very short skirt, that was the queen.
"Your Majesty Draudillon, my master has a letter for you."
"Servant-san, could you get the letter for me, please?" the queen asked one of her subjects.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The letter was delivered to Draudillon, who handed it to her minister, reading it in front of all the nobles.
After reading it for a while, the minister spoke aloud, summarizing the letter.
"The Sorcerer King wishes to make us a vassal state in exchange for reclaiming the lost cities."
This silenced the room.
While it was true they were desperate, they didn't know what kind of vassal state they would become.
Still, they weren't foolish enough to immediately refuse, pondering the possibility.
However, there were some who lacked such wisdom.
"Your Majesty, he is an undead. I urge you to seek help from the Slane Theocracy, not a vile being. I will do my utmost in this war."
A blonde knight spoke, judging by his attire, he wasn't a noble, probably an adventurer. I deduced this because there were three more with similar clothing by his side.
"That's right, let's reject these filthy undead," said a noble.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," the queen pondered, "yes, we also have to consider our friends in the Theocracy, but our citizens are being eaten by vile beastmen," she said, finally with an adorable frown, crossing her arms.
"And Marquis Julius, you said you'd do everything in your power to stop those wicked men."
"Tch, Your Majesty, I ask you to reconsider. Reports say he is a demon who killed 170,000 good men."
This convinced many in the room, thinking nothing good could come from a demon.
If only they could see our master's greatness...
Luckily, the girl was either stubborn or didn't care about her people's opinion.
The little girl stayed with her arms crossed, seemingly talking to herself, a vision that was adorable yet slightly odd for a monarch.
"Ohhh, I have a super-duper idea, let me speak with the bad demon."
"Your Highness, I don't think that's possible," it was the prime minister's turn to speak.
"No," I said, "my master can teleport here if he wishes."
I had seen him do it once, teleport to E-Rantel.
Murmurs echoed throughout the room.
I doubted that such a powerful being would find it difficult; our honeymoon trip was probably to ask the queen for permission to teleport.
"Your Majesty, please expel these infidels of faith from here, I beg you as the person who has contributed the most to the Draconic Kingdom in this war. The Theocracy, my homeland, has sent two scriptures to deal with those beasts and will send more if you ask. Seeking help from the Sorcerer Kingdom is a grave mistake."
That knight was very annoying.
"I accept, let him teleport here," the queen said, surprisingly serious for the first time.
Sebas nodded and sent a message.
[Message]
"Ainz-sama, I humbly apologize, the queen has requested that you teleport to her kingdom to discuss its vassalage."
Seconds later, a portal opened. It was the Sorcerer King, with his empty eye sockets, black hair, wings, and two horns.
[Design Change]
Silence fell over the room.
"Draudillon-Dono, a pleasure to see you," my master said.
The queen was surprised, her face contradicting her earlier immaturity.
"Well, that was impressive, Ainz-dono. I expected you to take longer."
"I'm glad I arrived in time. My troops are ready, as you saw. I master spatial magic, and I can station my troops within the country and conquer this kingdom if I so desire. But as you imagined, I'm not interested in ruling by force."
"That...that is terrifying." The queen briefly acted more mature for her age. Was the minister whispering something to her?
"Ahem, yes, Ainz-dono, do you promise that the bad men will never return?"
"Let's make a deal. Let's talk in private. Put this on."
The object he handed her was the Great Tomb of Nazarick's signet ring.
"You! Are you proposing to the queen-sama despite being engaged to the queen of the Holy Kingdom of Roble? Respect human traditions!"
The golden knight retorted at Ainz Ooal Gown's actions.
That guy either didn't know fear or was very stupid.
Ainz-Sama, being as cool as always, didn't react to the accusation.
"I apologize for the confusion. This ring nullifies the effects of time magic. For a private meeting, I need to stop time."
"What!" someone shouted.
Understandably, the master's power knew no bounds.
This silenced everyone.
"That's very cool! Servant-kun, bring me his ring."
"Yes!"
x-x-x-x
He was a damn demon.
"You! Are you proposing to the queen-sama despite being engaged to the queen of the Holy Kingdom of Roble? Respect human traditions!"
Ahhhh, I hate him. If you weren't my best soldier, I'd condemn you for high treason or something.
To begin with, the Theocracy didn't help me directly because I was partly of dragon lineage.
They helped in secret, but they didn't liberate a city.
The golden knight retorted at Ainz Ooal Gown's actions, and he responded.
"I apologize for the confusion. This ring nullifies the effects of time magic. For a private meeting, I need to stop time."
"What!" someone shouted.
I also wanted to scream.
Quickly, I had to keep up the facade.
"That's
very cool! Servant-kun, bring me his ring."
"Yes!"
I put the ring on my ring finger. Mmm, a fine piece of jewelry...
And the demon was handsome if you ignored his empty eyes.
Suddenly, the world turned gray, except for the butler named Sebas, who remained kneeling.
"How!" They had warned me, but still, seeing time stop was something I never expected to witness even in my imagination.
There goes my act...
"It will be a moment. You can change to your true form. Fluder Paradyne warned me that this isn't your true form. Sebas, stay where you are."
"Understood, Ainz-Sama."
Of course, a being like him already knew my secret...
Feeling strangely safe with this demon, I changed to my true form.
An older woman with large curves and big breasts.
I noticed the demon stared at my chest for a few seconds before looking away, and I smiled, flattered.
It was nice to have someone interested in my adult form for once. I wouldn't mind if he looked a bit longer...
"Alright, what do you want? It's clear you're interested in my country," I said in my normal, tired voice, a mature woman's voice.
"Yes, I want your country, along with the 2 million people. I also have a job for you."
"What job?" I asked, curious, not used to being given orders.
"I would like you to replicate a certain ring."
The demon took a ring from his inventory.
"This ring is imbued with wild magic, making the wearer reach their limit."
Mmm, the demon knows how to tempt people, an ancestral ring of my kind.
"Alright, I'll try to replicate it, though I can't promise anything. What are your plans for my species?"
"Simple, to improve their civilization. I'm collecting various races under my banner. Humans are part of my utopia. Beastmen, for now, are not. You will be the vice-queen."
Vice-queen? That didn't sound too bad.
"You said that for now, beastmen won't join. Does that mean the man-eaters will join in the future?"
"Mmm, that's a difficult question. Under the ideology of the Sorcerer Kingdom, all intelligent species can coexist. Now, if they refuse to serve me, they will be eradicated."
I hope they refuse.
Honestly, as long as they stop eating my people, I'll be satisfied.
Okay, let's think. This being didn't harbor hatred towards humanity, only demanded servitude for now. How can we use this to our advantage?
"Please, if you eliminate all beastmen from the city, I'll be your loyal servant." It was the only way.
"Fine, but I want you to collect souls so you can use wild magic, and at the same time, be a witness to my power."
So he wants me to go to war.
I've never set foot on a battlefield, even though I possess wild magic. I have the power of a normal woman; it would be dangerous. So far, I've only sent support letters to soldiers.
"I accept the deal," I said determinedly. This is the chance for revenge.
"Then do I have permission to teleport my troops here?"
"Yes." Please, let it be something good.
The demon used the spell to communicate with some subordinates, as his butler did before.
"The operation was a success. Deploy the 5 divisions in the plaza in front of the castle in 5 minutes," said the demon.
"Alright, Draudillon-dono, it's been a pleasure. I'll give you the terms of vassalage later."
Suddenly, the gray tone around me dispersed.
"You can take off the ring now, Draudillon-dono."
"The queen!!"
What did you do to the queen!
It took me a moment to understand what happened.
My form, my form had been exposed. I didn't change back before he canceled the spell.
He did it on purpose! He knows I'll lose Celebrate's support!
Wait, that's good now.
Ahem, let's act.
"Dear citizens, I present to you my true form. As you know, I am of dragon lineage. I have made a deal with Ainz-Dono. He will rid us of the beasts with his power."
My citizens were gaping, except the prime minister, who looked worried.
"Please, look in front of the castle for a while and tell me if I should accept the deal or not."
Almost all the nobles stared at the terrace except the pedophile Celebrate and the remaining nobles who stared at me with broken hearts.
How can you be like this? I'm a sexy mature woman! You're supposed to be entranced by my new form like the demon was!
It's not fair! Why are my citizens pedophiles?
Wait, please, demon king, it better be something good!
Minutes passed, and five portals opened, war drums sounded throughout the palace.
My poor guards didn't know what to do in front of such an army. A few kept their spears; I'll promote them later.
"My generals, introduce yourselves," shouted the demon from the terrace overlooking the plaza.
"Enri Emmot, commander of the 1st division, representing the goblins."
"Go Gin, commander of the 2nd division, representing trolls and frost giants."
"Leina Rockbruise, commander of the 3rd division, representing humans, frogmen, and lizardmen."
"Pe Riyuro, commander of the 4th division, representing the quagoa."
"Buser, commander of the 5th division, representing the demihumans of the Abelion hills."
Are you sure they won't destroy the beast kingdom?
Behind them were a lot of people who looked like adventurers, no, they were adventurers. I could see their plates from here, some of adamantite.
But the most shocking thing was that they were riding dragons!
I think I'm going to faint. I'm glad I didn't offend this being, or god, or whatever he is.
"So, Draudillon-dono, when will your troops be ready?" said Ainz Ooal Gown.
"I'll alert my bannermen, please wait a moment, Ainz-Sama," I said as I returned the ring that nullified the effects of time or whatever.
Ainz-Sama was the only thing I could call him now. This demon could kill me with a single order.
"I forgot, I want something else from you."
"And that is?" I said, still in shock.
The demon looked at my body again before speaking.
Could he want? That? In exchange for saving my country.
"I'll gladly give you my virginity if that stops the beastmen."
"Huh?" the winged man exclaimed.
"Huh?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone