Chapter 105

Yuri moved to the ‘audience room’ of the palace and sat down on the throne.

At first glance, it looks like an old wooden chair, but it’s probably the most luxurious chair in the world, with plenty of ultra-rare materials like the World Tree and Scarlet Gold.

Knowing this, every time Yuri sits on it, she had a complicated feeling.

I think that materials should be used for their intended purpose.

To the left and right of Yuri’s throne stood the eleven captains of the various units of the Yuri Empire.

The only one who was not summoned this time was Meteora, the captain of <Kikyou>, who was entrusted with the construction of the new city.

A few moments later, Hamanasu brought four men and women into the audience hall.

Half of them were faces that Yuri knew well, Rubetta and Ados.

But for the other half, the two girls, it was their first time meeting.

(… Well, I know who they are, but…)

Yuri had already grasped the names of the two with [Spatial Grasp], and their origins were obvious just by looking at their names.

You can imagine what the purpose of their visit to Yuritania was.

“Welcome back, Rubetta and Ados. I must admit I’m relieved to see you all safe and sound again.”

The four kneeled in front of the throne, and Yuri was the first to call out to them.

Rubetta smiled happily in response to Yuri’s words.

“I’m very grateful for your concern. Thanks to the Black Light Bracelet that Your Majesty, Yuri entrusted to me, I was able to return safely without being attacked by the skeletal soldiers flooding the cities of the kingdom. I would like to respectfully return the bracelet to you.”

“Oh… so you were concerned about my strict order to return the bracelet. I don’t care about the bracelets as long as you and Ados are not lost. I will give you all 20 bracelets that I have entrusted to you, and you can use them freely in the future.

Even so… Ados, aren’t you a little too young? Your original old age is no longer a shadow of its former self.”

Ados’s appearance, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, was that of a young man past his prime.

I’m sure that only Ados is too young, because his wife, Erin, whom I met a few days ago and who is still in Yuritania, looks like a normal ‘adult woman’.

“Well, there’s no excuse for this… Every time I get younger, I’m so happy to be able to move my body more freely and easily that I end up drinking too much.”

“You should not drink more than that. And I think you need to be scolded by Erin so you can take it in moderation.”

“My wife is scary when she’s angry… No, I can’t help it…”

Yuri smiled at Ados, who gave her an embarrassed look.

At any rate, I’m really glad they came back safely.

It’s not that I was worried about them, of course, as I had even secretly attached the Greater Wraith’s messenger beast as their escort.

“… So, I think the reception room would have been fine for just greeting you guys. I’d like to know if the reason you asked me to meet you in the audience room has anything to do with the girls behind you?”

When Yuri spoke up. The two girls who were standing right behind Rubetta and Ados shook their shoulders slightly.

The taller of the two girls, in particular, showed a great deal of agitation in her expression, indicating that she might be a bit on the faint of heart.

“As you may have guessed. The two people we have brought with us this time are both princesses of the Eldard Kingdom.”

“Hmm. If this is the first time we are meeting, I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Yuri, and I’m the Empress of the Yuri Empire. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah… My name is Lizelia… Lizelia Eldard.”

“My name is Roselotte Eldard. It is a great honor to meet you today, Your Majesty.”

Lizelia said her name in a blatantly trembling voice, and Roselotte said hers in a clear and distinct voice.

I think that Lizelia is the older sister and Roselotte is the younger sister, judging from their appearance. It seems that the older sister is as timid as her dainty appearance, while the younger one is more stout-hearted.

From Yuri’s point of view, Lizelia is about 16 or 17 years old and Roselotte is about 12 or 13 years old.

Of course, in this world where there are only 160 days in a year, it would be better to think that her actual age is about double that. Roselotte’s age on the outside looked about the same as Sofia’s, the head of the Explorers Guild.

“Lizelia and Roselotte, let’s remember that.

So… what would the princess of the Kingdom of Eldard, who attempted to invade our country with about 60,000 troops, have to say to me?”

At the same time as Yuri said this, a faint cry of ‘Hee!’ scream went up.

Needless to say, it was Lizelia, the older of the two princesses, who screamed.

“………”

“………”

“I’d like to know what your intentions are for the visit.” When Yuri asked her with a glance, Lizelia only shook her body slightly but did not answer anything.

(… Am I that scary looking?)

The eyes of Lizelia staring at Yuri with so much fear in her eyes, Yuri inwardly let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders.

I felt a little sad that I had frightened the girl so much, even though I hadn’t activated [Ruler’s Dignity] skill.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… My sister is a bit of a coward, may I explain the situation instead?”

Roselotte replied on behalf of Lizelia, who didn’t answer anything.

It seems from her words that the timid Lizelia is the older sister.

Yuri felt a little warmth inside when she saw her stout-hearted sister trying to support her sister with devotion. I think that sisterhood is a very good thing.

“Yes, well, let’s hear it from Roselotte.”

“Yes. Our request to Your Majesty, Yuri, is nothing else. We would like you to accept the surrender of the Kingdom of Eldard.”

Rubbing her forehead on the ground, Roselotte tells her in a sincere voice.

Yuri couldn’t help but admire the young girl as she prostrated herself on the floor and begged for surrender. This girl easily shows that she understands the responsibility she is carrying and is willing to do anything if necessary.

“I see, the two of you are messengers of surrender. So you came here with a letter from the king or something?”

“No, not exactly.”

Roselotte shook her head in response to Uri’s words.

“My father, the king, is already dead, killed by skeleton soldiers. My brother, who was the rightful heir to the throne, was also killed by skeletal soldiers.

In addition, it is known that almost all the noblemen and their legitimate children in the kingdom have been killed by the skeleton soldiers… The kingdom is no longer a nation.”

“I see. So, the princesses Lizelia and Roselotte, as emissaries―――no, as the ‘Queen’ of the kingdom, have offered me their surrender?”

“I’m not going to fancy myself as a ‘Queen’, even though my father and brother are all dead… I would be grateful if you could consider me in a similar position.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri had ordered the skeleton soldiers to attack ‘those with weapons’ and ‘demons’.

So if you wear a sword or have a weapon of any kind in your hand. Whether you are a king, a crown prince, a nobleman, or his son, you will be recognized as a target for attack by the skeleton soldiers regardless of your status.

It’s not impossible―――that the holder of the throne or the heir to the throne will be killed by the skeleton soldiers.

Conversely, those who do not carry weapons are not targeted by skeleton soldiers.

Since noblewomen rarely carry weapons, Lizelia and Roselotte would not have been targets of the skeleton soldiers.

As a result, all the men in the royal family died out and only the women survived.

The current Eldard Kingdom is in such a strange state.

“As for me, I don’t remember doing anything against the kingdom other than fighting off the fire that was raining down on us.”

“An unusual number of skeletal soldiers are still laying waste to the entire kingdom…”

“It was just a matter of sending back the kingdom soldiers who came to the Yuri Empire. 60,000 corpses and armor left on our land would be a nuisance. So we just turned every last one of them into undead and had them bring back all of their armor.”

“That’s all you did?”

“I didn’t expect the kingdom to be defeated by those skeletal soldiers in the first place. I think it would have been possible to eradicate them if you had fought them using the protective barrier?”

When Yuri told her that, Roselotte’s expression became blatantly distorted.

The Eldard Kingdom had won the war against the Duchy of Selsia eleven years ago and was proud of the strength of its soldiers.

This time, those soldiers had been overrun by skeletal soldiers. It was not hard to imagine that Roselotte’s inner feelings were complicated.

“Let’s talk specifics. What does the kingdom want from me?”

“Oh, yes. We have been educated as princesses, but we have not been educated as rulers at all. So, instead of ceding only a portion of the kingdom’s land, I think the best way to ensure the well-being of the people is for Your Majesty, Yuri to take all of the lands and rule over it.”

“How many cities and villages are there in the kingdom?”

“There are twelve cities and villages in all, and I’m not sure how many villages there are, but I’d say over fifty.”

“…………… I see.”

I wonder―――if this was something I should be happy about.

Many of the captains of the troops lined up beside Yuri seemed to have happy expressions on their faces.

“… Let me think about it for a minute.”

When Yuri spat out the words in a bitter manner, Roselotte had a pouting expression on her face.

She probably didn’t think that she would be able to offer a total surrender and have it withheld.

―――There are currently only three cities in the Yuri Empire.

Even with just those three, they have their hands full managing them. But the fact that there would be 12 more cities at once? From Yuri’s point of view, it was an event that seemed like a kind of nightmare.