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"Eighteen thousand knights...?"

Jircniv collapsed in his seat. It was the third time he had asked the question.

But no matter how many times he heard the answer from the kneeling messenger, he still couldn't believe it.

"Yes, your majesty. A-All four imperial knights appear to have been killed... And the survivors making their way back all report the same thing. 12 Winged angels with the head of a lion, a lance of flame, and shield covered in eyes... Each with an unprecedented level of power slew everything in their path. The reports were... truly horrific. Many experiences... mental breakdowns and have been deemed to be unfit to continue serving."

The messenger bowed his head, and continued.

"Sir Loune... is among the dead as well."

Jircniv felt the strength left his body.

Adorned in gold and jewels, sitting on a luxurious couch stuffed to near bursting with down within his room designed to accentuate comfort and the power of the throne, Jircniv never felt so powerless.

An emperor's greatest treasures are his best servants... and now, he had lost a major part of them in a single day.

The four knights, dead. His general and secretary, slaughtered. Eighteen thousand knights, decimated. Even Fluder was now missing...

Each and every single realization felt like a hammer blow to his crumbling spirit.

The emperor who bathed in the blood of traitors and the corrupt, now found himself bloodied by the impossible.

"...What of the Theocracy? They sent observers this year, did they not? What do they think of the atrocity that wiped out so many humans?"

"... Here is the report, my Lord."

He trembled as he delivered the bad news and flipped through documents with a nervous haste.

Then, when he found what he sought, he licked his lips rapidly as sweat began to run down his face.

"The Slane Theocracy confirms..."

He read the missive that not only confirmed... but justified the decimation of eighteen thousand men.

The vow.

The breaking of that vow.

The condemnation of Baharuth Empire's general for breaking it.

The total defeat that followed.

And... the private advice of Cardinal Raymond not to struggle onward."

'An actual good advice...'

Emperor Jircniv flung himself on his back, his limbs draped down from the couch like death had taken him as he stared up at the high ceiling of his palace in a daze.

"What are the terms?"

He asked, dread apparent in his shaking voice.

The messenger bowed his head even lower.

"Turn over the territory demanded, an apology for the raid on the home of the King, as well as... the surrender of the dark elf slaves. All of them."

"...Strange. I suppose it would hurt our labor force. But... after losing almost twenty thousand knights, that's almost doing us a favor. Such a defeat would embolden rebellion."

He felt the weight of the loss renewed once more upon uttering the sheer scale of the devastation and death with his own mouth.

"Tell me... What would you do?"

"M-My lord... I-I would... make amends. Then form good relations as fast as possible. I am from the area he's asking for. There's a lot of open land. This may be why he wanted the slaves, to cultivate it into an actual city. But, it would take years to build cities and towns even with the Kingdom of Re-Estize and Carne helping him. If you can make peace valuable, perhaps... there won't be such tragedy once more."

Jircniv covered his eyes with his arm and let out a sigh.

"That is good advice... I want to be alone for a little while."

"My lord."

Just as the messenger was about to leave, Jircniv spoke once more.

"Send me someone to take a message of surrender to the Nazarickian King in an hour."

"Yes, my lord."

The messenger left in haste, and soon, the sound of heavy door opening and closing echoed through the room, before a deathly silence filled the space.

Jircniv tilted his head to the side, and the drawer by his bedside entered his vision.

It was then that he recalled his late father's words. An advice that reminded him of an item passed down throughout the generations of Emperors of Baharuth.

A box to be opened during the Empire's darkest times.

He wondered, could this be the time?

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

"Ah, Yuuji! Look! All the missions and special missions are completed!"

Aika showed her phone to Yuuji excitedly.

"Ah, you're right..."

Becoming an adamantite ranked adventurer. Obtain one World item. Subjugating an evil organization. And finally, subjugation of at least one nation.

The first three they've completed for quite some time. While the last one, although they completed it after the death of King Rampossa III and the ascension of the Golden Princess to the throne in addition to the establishment of the Kingdom of Carne, they still wanted to wait for the surrender of the Baharuth Empire as well to gain the extra points.

And certainly, he saw the Baharuth Empire listed as subjugated right under Re-Estize and Carne.

"Missions...?"

From Yuuji's left, Albedo, who had been closing her eyes and leaning on his shoulder while hugging his arm, looked up towards him and the phone.

Shalltear, who was sitting on the floor in between his legs, similarly looked up in confusion.

"Well, I guess it's stime to tell you everything."

Yuuji and Aika told the two everything related to the group chat. From the missions it gave on occasions, the powers it granted, the different worlds they all came from, and their true identity.

The look of shock never left the expression of the two guardians.

Shalltear was immersed in his and Aika's story, about the different worlds, and how the Supreme Beings were capable of traversing through it.

But Albedo soon realized what this meant...

"So... You'll be returning to your world... My love?"

Albedo squeezed the question through the lump in her throat. Her hand clutched Yuuji's tighter.

It was then that Shalltear finally realized the implication and clutched onto Yuuji's pants tightly.

"Yes. But, with the missions complete, all of us will have accesss to this world. We can return whenever we wish."

Yuuji nodded and caressed Shalltear's smooth, cold cheek and tightened his hold on Albedo's hand.

"That's right~ You girls don't have to worry~! We'll come here often!"

Relief finally washed over them, but Albedo nor Shalltear had loosened their hold on Yuuji. It was only natural.

Albedo may not care as much about her creator, but having experienced abandonment, the deep-seated trauma and sadness that floor guardians and all members of Nazarick experience was something they wouldn't be able to get over it so easily.

"Don't worry. We won't be gone forever. After all, it's impossible for me to leave you girls."

"My love..."

"Yuuji-sama..."

Their shoulders slumped. As much as they didn't wish for Yuuji, Aika, or the other Supreme Beings to leave, they knew it was inevitable. Except for Momonga, this was not their world, after all.

"I understand... But please, come visit us often..."

"Of course."

Yuuji pulled the two into his embrace and placed a chaste, loving kiss onto their lips, and held them closely, wrapping his arms around both of their waist.

"Ah, Yuuji, we'll also have to invite one person to the group chat!"

Yuuji nodded at Aika's words and looked at the black-haired succubus.

"Mm, and I'll think Albedo would be a great addition to our group."

"Me?"

Her face bloomed into a wide smile.

"Yes~! I'll be happy to join!"

Yuuji smiled and kissed her forehead, and turned towards Shalltear.

"I'm sorry, Shalltear. We can only invite one person. But don't worry. I will give you a means to communicate with us, along with the rest of the floor guardians."

"Yes, Yuuji-sama! Thank you very much!"

Shalltear wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face to his neck.

Then, the four spent the rest of their day in each other's embrace and stretching it into the dawn of the next day, making love.

The next day, Yuuji and Aika convened with Momonga and Lelouch to discuss their return.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

"...Thus, we have secured the subservience of Re-Estize, Carne, and Baharuth Empire as per this moment, according to your will."

Demiurge spoke with pride, as if he was the one who had single handedly conquered all three kingdoms. But far from it.

The pride he felt stemmed from being a creation and servant to the Supreme Beings who had the wisdom to create such a masterful plan to let all three kingdoms fall into their hands in a single stroke.

How lucky was he to be created by such supreme beings and be able to serve them.

His words elicited awed gasp from his fellow guardians, aside from Albedo who had learned of it beforehand. And they too became awed at their masters' greatness.

Demiurge handed a letter, sealed with the wax of the Baharuth's emperor, and handed it to Albedo, who then handed it to Momonga who sat on the throne.

Momonga cut open the letter and read it, before passing it to Yuuji, Aika, and Lelouch.

The letter contained the emperor's acquiescence of the lands demanded, apologize for the transgression done by one of their nobles who hired the Workers that raided the home of the King of Nazarick, the death penalty given to said noble, the monetary recompensations, and the wish to start anew with a friendly relationship and trading with the Kingdom of Nazarick.

A letter that, while not explicitly declaring the throne's involvement in the raid and any wrongdoings, implicitly conveyed their subservience and complete surrender to Nazarick.

Of course, it was only natural...

Against something that could decimate an army of twenty thousand knights, killing eighteen thousand knights, without an army and any losses, it was impossible not to surrender if they wanted to avoid total annihilation of their country.

Even the Theocracy, their supposed "allies" though they appeared only as "observers", had expressed their unwillingness to be on the bad side of Nazarick and simply advised the emperor of Baharuth to acquiesce to anything he demanded.

With their military in shambles, and the economy suddenly taking a downturn all of a sudden, the empire truly had no other choice but to surrender.

"Good work."

Momonga nodded and praised the guardians before him, eliciting a wide smile from all of them.

"Your words are wasted on us. It is through the wisdom and might of the Supreme Beings that are beyond our meager understanding that everything could happen according to your will."

Yuuji smiled softly.

"And it is you, who had moved according to our will, that made it happen in reality. Thus, a word of gratitude is the least we can give you. If you have any wishes, let us know. It would be your reward."

"My lord! Serving you is the greatest reward we could ask for! We live to serve the Supreme Beings."

Demiurge lowered his head further as he kneeled in a display of absolute loyalty.

"I know. I truly appreciate the loyalty you have all shown us. And such loyalty is deserving of a reward, isn't that right, Momonga?"

Momonga nodded.

"Indeed. Tell me your wish, my Floor Guardians. And if it is acceptable, then I shall grant it. You may take your time to consider your wish. If there is none, then we shall grant you a reward ourselves."

An echoing clang of the golden staff of Ainz Ooal Gown filled the great throne room, finalizing the decision of the master of Nazarick.

"Undeserving as we are, we are truly thankful for such generosity. Thank you very much."

""Thank you very much!""

All floor guardians, aside from Albedo, lowered their heads further down and expressed their gratitude in unison as happiness filled their heart.

To serve such great masters was already a reward. But to receive a reward personally from the Supreme Beings for serving them... How could they not be happy?

"Then, moving on to our next agenda. How is progress with the Holy Kingdom?"

Albedo turned towards Momonga and began her report.

"Everything is going according to plan, my lord. Our agents have assimilated themselves within the ruling nobilities of the northern and southern Holy Kingdom. Through them, we've received plenty of information and influence within these ruling circles. And through various means of manipulation, seduction, and blackmail, we've festered even more corruption in the foundation of the nation."

Momonga nodded.

"Good. Proceed as planned. How about the Theocracy?"

This time, Demiurge raised his head and began his report.

"My lord. With the Black Scripture as our puppet thanks to Lord Lelouch's power, we've managed to gain a great deal of information as well as an insight to their national structure and relationship with various nations. Most notably would be information regarding their "secret weapon", a human woman descendant of the current king of the elven kingdom and former ace of the Black Scripture. She is believed to be the strongest within the Theocracy."

"I see... Continue to monitor her. If possible, ascertain her level, classes, and abilities."

"Yes, my lord."

Soon, after a few more points of discussions, the meeting came to an end.

But before the guardians were dismissed, Momonga announced to them one last thing.

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