...
{Subaru Pov}
Now, after what genuinely felt like an eternity, I had finally reunited with my waifu, Reina.
Just standing in front of her again makes me let out a long sigh, because while this whole trip of mine barely lasted around two months from my perspective, Reina had to endure an entire year in another world while waiting for me to show up again.
The difference in our experiences is insane, and honestly, it still messes with my head.
I'm also fully aware of the things she ended up doing in that other world—some of which are… well, let's call them "questionable," though that's putting it mildly.
For example, the whole incident where she started praying to me like I'm some kind of Zeus on steroids, descending from the heavens just to rail her in every possible position—yeah, that's definitely going to stay burned into my memory forever.
And then there's the part where she chopped up two poor guys simply because they poked at her sore spots.
For the first guy, I honestly can't bring myself to feel even a tiny shred of pity.
He tried to assault Reina, and if she hadn't been the absolute Goat she is, things could have taken a very dark and disgusting turn.
So yeah, no sympathy for him whatsoever—he brought that upon himself.
But for the second guy… well, I do feel a bit bad.
He got dragged into the mess and ended up on the wrong end of her wrath, and he probably didn't deserve what happened to him.
I can at least give my condolences for that poor bastard, because Reina definitely didn't hold back.
Now, after helping not just one but two different Subarus from entirely separate worlds—and technically assisting across four different timelines during my whole chaotic search for Reina—we finally managed to return to our own world.
The moment things settled, I immediately pulled all my spirits back inside me, suppressing my senses as much as I could while holding Reina tightly in my arms.
She clung onto me even harder, practically burying herself against me as she inhaled my scent like she was terrified I'd disappear again.
She even started purring softly and rubbing her head against my chest, and honestly, that alone almost made the whole journey worth it.
I couldn't stop the small smile that formed as I watched how absurdly cute my wife was acting… but anyway, priorities.
I activated the magic circle, and in the next moment, I found myself standing together with Reina and the others back inside the workshop where the entire incident had originally happened.
The place looked exactly the same, but what caught my attention instantly was the presence of Echidna and Geuse waiting right there.
"Master Flugel!" Geuse said the moment his eyes landed on me, his voice full of relief and excitement.
Echidna, on the other hand, didn't even bother with words—she literally launched herself at me like a missile aiming for a hug.
Normally, I would have stepped aside and let her eat the floor face-first just for the comedy, but this time I let out a tired sigh and caught her instead.
She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, clearly refusing to let go anytime soon.
"Subaru!!" Echidna cried out, immediately rubbing her face against my chest like she was some clingy cat that hadn't seen its owner in years.
And of course, the moment she did that, my wife shot her a glare so sharp that if looks actually had the power to kill, Echidna would've been reduced to dust and resurrected only to die another thousand times.
Classic Echidna behavior, classic Reina reaction.
Honestly, nothing ever changes.
"You're back! You're finally back!" Echidna said, practically bouncing on her feet while holding onto me.
She looked way too excited, like she had been waiting the entire time just to jump on me the second I appeared.
"Did you forget that I am right here?" Reina said, her eye twitching and her lips pulling into a strained smile that was not a smile at all.
It was clear as day she was absolutely not thrilled with how close Echidna was pressing herself against me.
And look, to be fair, Reina had already accepted that I had a second woman—someone else I loved deeply but not Echidna.
Spoiler alert for anyone who somehow missed the giant red flags: that woman is Satella, the Witch of Envy herself.
Yes, that Satella.
The walking apocalypse in a pretty black dress.
Now that I actually take a moment to think about it, I am kind of screwed, aren't I?
I somehow managed to get myself into a situation where my wives consist of the literal Champion of the World and the literal Evil of the World.
On one hand, it sounds insane.
On the other hand… honestly, maybe I should give myself some credit.
I guess my taste and daring are on a whole other level. Might as well pat myself on the back for pulling off something this ridiculous.
Jokes aside, I gently patted Echidna on the head, trying to calm her down a little while simultaneously glancing toward my wife.
Polygamy was still a sensitive and complicated subject in any marriage, no matter the world, and even in a fantasy setting with spirits and witches, it wasn't exactly a smooth topic.
Still, as long as I genuinely loved both of them and stayed honest, I believed—well, hoped—that things would work out somehow.
(A/N: Hehe, Subaru, isn't it unfair if you only give happiness to just two women? Shouldn't you spread that happiness to even more? Imagine how many lives you could "improve," you sly dog~!)
"Echidna, calm down… By the way, aren't you going to meet her?" I asked, slowly pulling away from her grip.
As I spoke, I summoned Beatrice and Gloria from my soul space.
Of course, the "her" I was referring to was none other than Betty—Echidna's own artificial spirit daughter.
The moment Betty appeared, Echidna's expression froze solid.
Her smile just… stopped.
It was like watching someone suddenly remember a responsibility they had forgotten for the past several centuries.
She stared at her daughter with the kind of stunned face someone would have if they were told they had a child despite not remembering when or how parenthood even became part of their life.
I carefully stepped aside, giving both of them space.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward, like two people who know they're related but don't know if they should hug, shake hands, or pretend the air between them doesn't exist.
While they stood there awkwardly processing their emotions, I caught Geuse glancing at me from the side.
I met his eyes and gave him a firm nod.
He immediately returned the nod with a smile, and that was it.
Men really have that special kind of silent communication.
Just a single nod, no words needed, and everything we wanted to convey passed between us perfectly.
Respect, understanding, relief, acknowledgment—all wrapped in one simple gesture.
Shifting my attention back toward the awkward mother-daughter pair, I couldn't help but note just how drastically different their expressions were.
Echidna looked like someone who was suddenly reconsidering every decision she had ever made in her entire existence, as though a tidal wave of regret was drowning her.
Meanwhile, Betty stood there with her little arms crossed, pouting so hard her cheeks puffed up, clearly waiting—no, demanding—for her mother to at least say something instead of silently combusting.
"You are not going to say anything… I suppose?" Betty finally broke the silence, unable to tolerate the heavy atmosphere any longer.
Her voice trembled just a little, frustration mixed with a kind of fragile expectation.
Echidna let out a painfully dry laugh, the kind that held zero humor and about a hundred layers of shame.
"I do not believe there is anything left for someone like me to say… especially after everything I did to you," she admitted.
Her tone wasn't dramatic or emotional—it was simply blunt and honest, which somehow made it hit even harder.
"Betty loved her mother," Beatrice said, clenching her small fists at her sides.
She briefly looked toward me, as if seeking support or approval, her butterfly eyes shining with a complicated mix of anger, longing, and stubborn affection.
'I will support whatever choice you make, Beako. It's entirely up to you,' I sent her a calm telepathic message, giving her a small nod to reassure her that she wasn't alone in this.
Beatrice then shifted her gaze fully toward her mother, drawing in a long, steady breath as if preparing herself for something incredibly heavy.
Only after gathering her resolve did she finally begin speaking.
"Betty realizes… that as a spirit, Betty can never live or think the same way humans do," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice level despite the visible tension in her shoulders.
Then she lifted her chin and locked eyes directly with Echidna, refusing to look away even for a second.
"And Betty also understands that in the end… Mother is still a Witch," she added.
The moment the word Witch left her lips, Echidna visibly flinched—not dramatically, but enough to reveal that the word still carried weight and guilt for her.
"I know Subaru would tell me that none of that matters because Mother is still a person at heart," Beatrice continued, her tone firm but trembling slightly.
"But if Mother is asking for forgiveness… if Mother is truly willing to promise that she won't ever abandon Betty again on purpose… then Betty— no…" She paused, swallowing hard, abandoning her usual speech mannerism.
"I am willing to forgive you… Mother."
Beatrice breaking her third-person habit made the entire moment heavier, showing just how seriously she meant every word she was saying.
It wasn't a casual decision.
It wasn't something she said lightly.
Echidna's eyes went wide, her expression freezing in shock as Beatrice's words sank in.
She looked almost breathless, completely unprepared for the fact that her artificial spirit daughter—someone she had wronged so deeply—was still willing to forgive her.
And the realization that it was Betty who had stepped forward first, instead of her, made guilt twist even deeper into her expression.
She seemed ashamed that her daughter had to be the one to show courage in a situation that was entirely her fault from the beginning.
I gently nudged Echidna's hand, snapping her out of the frozen state she had fallen into.
She blinked a few times and then gave me a stiff, awkward smile—one that showed she had no idea how to handle the emotions crashing inside her.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, she shifted her gaze back toward Beako.
"You know…" Echidna began, exhaling shakily, "I've really been… well, a bitch, haven't I?"
Her voice wasn't dramatic or self-pitying; it was blunt and honest, like she had decided to stop hiding behind excuses for once.
"All I've done my entire life is fail in one way or another. There were always people better than me—kinder than me, more compassionate, more understanding. People who weren't some scheming, heartless woman like me."
As she spoke, she lowered herself to her knees so she could meet Beako at eye level.
"I'm such a greedy maiden," she continued with a bitter laugh.
"Even when I knew something was wrong, even when guilt was eating me alive, I still lied to Betty… just so I could see what choice she would make. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity more than I cared about her feelings. I was selfish and manipulative. A bitch through and through."
There wasn't a single hint of denial in her tone—she was laying out her own flaws without sugarcoating a thing.
"I know. Betty knows," Beako replied, her small hands trembling as she held back the tears that threatened to spill.
Just thinking about her past—the four hundred years of crushing loneliness she had endured—was painful enough to make her voice crack.
"But—" Beako suddenly looked at me, her eyes softening a little, "because of everything that happened, Betty eventually found someone… someone a thousand times better than whoever she might've chosen if things had just gone normally."
The sincerity in her voice hit me hard.
I could feel her emotions rising inside her—gratitude, hurt, love, and strength all mixed together.
She really was one incredibly strong girl, far stronger than she ever gave herself credit for.
"That is why I am willing to forgive you," Beako declared, staring straight at Echidna with a determined expression that showed she had truly made up her mind.
Hearing those words, Echidna's face softened into a small, almost fragile smile.
"I know everything I did in the past was genuinely unforgivable," Echidna said quietly.
"And honestly, I don't expect forgiveness. I wouldn't even want to be forgiven so easily for something like that."
Her statement shocked Beako—and honestly, even the rest of us were caught off guard.
"B-But—!" Beatrice tried to protest, clearly worried that her mother was rejecting her attempt at reconciliation.
"Instead—" Echidna cut her off gently but firmly, stopping Beako before she could jump to any painful misunderstanding, "I would like to start with Betty… from Zero."
'Damn! She stole my lines!' I thought immediately, feeling a mix of admiration and annoyance.
I mean sure, the moment was touching and emotional and all that, but stealing my signature dramatic line?
Really?
'Ughhh, I forgive you… I suppose! Hmph!' I grumbled internally while glaring at her just a little.
"M-Mother… B-Betty misses you, Betty misses you so much, in fact!" Beako finally burst out, her voice cracking as she took a shaky step forward.
The moment she moved, Echidna didn't hesitate.
She reached forward and pulled Beatrice into a tight, desperate embrace—an embrace that had been overdue by four whole centuries.
Beako's tiny hands clutched at her mother's clothing, and Echidna held her as if she were terrified that letting go would make her disappear.
And just like that—after four hundred long, painful, lonely years—the mother and daughter finally reunited, holding each other in a hug that carried all the regret, hope, and longing that words alone could never express.
"Is the drama finally over?" Gloria asked from the side with a completely straight face, and I swear my eyebrow twitched so hard it almost flew off.
"Why are you ruining Betty's moment, I suppose?!" Beatrice snapped instantly, turning toward the Great Spirit of Yang with a glare that could probably set a city on fire if she tried hard enough.
"No—no! Don't misunderstand. I'm genuinely very happy," Gloria said, raising her hands innocently.
"After all, now that everything's resolved, I'll finally get more time with Father all to myself." She finished with a wide grin.
Beako snorted loudly, crossing her small arms. "Hmph! Subaru will always be Betty's number one in fact! Mother can stay at number two!"
Echidna's eyebrows twitched at that comment—hard.
Even though she already knew where she stood in the ranking, hearing it announced like some official proclamation hit her pride deeper than she wanted to admit.
But honestly?
Hearing that made me feel weirdly smug.
What can I say?
Beako is my precious imouto, in fact!
Gloria didn't back down either.
"It still doesn't matter," she said with a smirk.
"I'll be the one spending more time with Father anyway. Since you now have your mother back as number two, I, as the superior concubine spirit, will obviously be Father's one and only."
Beatrice's eye twitched so violently it looked like she was about to unleash a forbidden spell just to prove a point.
The rest of us collectively sighed as we watched the two spirits—Yin and Yang themselves—bickering like two competitive siblings fighting over the last seat next to their favorite parent.
And while they argued, I stood there thinking one very unfortunate but extremely realistic thought:
How the hell am I supposed to put my Yin and Yang in harmony when the two of them can't go ten seconds without trying to emotionally murder each other?!
… If there's a manual for this, I desperately need it.
...
I pulled Emilia into a hug, and she clung to me with the strength of someone who hadn't seen her emotional support pillow in years.
Honestly, at this point she was hugging me so tightly I might as well have been a giant stuffed teddy bear she refused to let go of.
"Lady Emilia, I believe you should separate from my Lord," Reina said flatly from the side.
Her tone was calm, but her eyes were very obviously saying, 'Hands off my husband, Elf.'
I couldn't help but smile at the contrast.
I reached over and gently patted Reina's head, and just like that she started purring like an oversized murder-cat that had imprinted on me.
A husband must always know how to keep his waifus happy.
It's part of the job description.
"B-But!" Emilia protested, still holding onto me as if I would vanish again if she loosened her grip even slightly.
Her eyes were shimmering, overflowing with two months worth of pent-up emotion.
"I missed Zero! I missed him a lot!" she declared, her voice cracking with raw relief and overflowing sincerity.
Ram, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed, let out a very tired sigh as if she had just witnessed a toddler shouting an embarrassing truth in public.
"Lady Emilia, please speak with a bit more tact in the future," Ram said, adjusting her hair with a bored expression.
"If you say things like that out loud, it can easily be interpreted as a love confession."
Emilia froze instantly.
And then—boom.
Her entire face turned bright red in a heartbeat, the blush spreading all the way from her cheeks to the tips of her long Elven ears, making her look like someone had dipped her upside down in red paint.
"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Emilia said quickly, her voice shrinking into this tiny embarrassed squeak that absolutely nobody with a functioning brain would believe.
The tone alone could make even the densest idiot raise an eyebrow.
Great!
Fantastic!
Wonderful!
Now I had to deal with another half-elf possibly developing feelings for me.
Just what I needed—my life turning into an isekai harem comedy at high speed.
Man, if it were my older Subaru self—the idiot version of me from the earlier timelines—he would have already been jumping around like a lunatic, throwing confetti, and screaming about how Emilia was finally "hot for him" or whatever embarrassing phrase he would've used.
Ahem.
Moving on.
I shifted my gaze to Ram.
She had stepped forward silently and was now staring at me with that very specific look she used—expression perfectly blank, eyes half-lidded, face calm—yet unmistakably demanding something.
It took me only a moment to realize what she wanted.
Ram wasn't subtle.
At all.
So I stepped closer and raised my right hand toward her head.
She didn't move, didn't speak, just waited with the patience of a cat pretending it doesn't want affection but absolutely does.
I gently patted her pink hair, slowly and deliberately, letting my hand rest there for a moment before giving her another small pat.
Only then did she finally react.
Ram closed her eyes for a split second—just long enough to betray how much she enjoyed it—and then, as she stepped back, she immediately put on a smug expression that screamed, "Of course, this is the natural order of things."
Honestly… classic Ram.
"Ram welcomes you back, Lord Zero," she said while performing a perfectly practiced maidly bow.
After that, she glanced toward her sister, giving her a small nod.
Rem stepped forward as well and echoed, "Rem welcomes you back, Lord Zero," mirroring Ram's bow with the same level of polite formality.
I couldn't help but chuckle at their dynamic, genuinely amused by how hilariously different their relationship toward me had turned out compared to how it was originally supposed to go.
In the "normal" version of events, Rem would have been practically glued to me, all affectionate and devoted, while Ram would have been firing verbal daggers straight into my chest every chance she got.
But now?
It's completely reversed.
Honestly, I'm grateful.
At least I don't have to deal with Ram piercing my heart with those cold, merciless words she's fully capable of delivering when she wants to.
Feeling a sudden impulse, I reached out and gently patted Rem's head, catching her completely off guard.
My hand ruffled her soft blue hair, and I watched her stiffen slightly, clearly flustered but not pulling away.
"Rem," I said, keeping my tone calm but firm, "I relieve you of your duty as my private maid. You're free to continue working together with your sister instead."
Her cheeks turned an obvious shade of pink, and she stammered out, "T-Thank you, Lord Zero," clearly embarrassed but also relieved.
Ram, of course, grinned the moment she saw Rem's reaction, as if she had just witnessed something she could tease her sister about for the next several days.
Not wanting to give Ram even a fraction more material to work with, I immediately withdrew my hand before she got any weird or troublesome ideas.
"Anyway," I said, shifting my attention toward Otto—who was desperately trying to maintain some sense of dignity—and then toward Garfiel, who looked like he was barely being restrained by his sister Frederica from doing something loud, stupid, or both.
I couldn't resist.
A grin formed on my face.
"Boys, you're not seriously telling me you won't give your friend a hug?" I spread my arms wide, inviting them, and their expressions instantly shifted from shock to disbelief.
"Aye! Aye, Captain!" Garfiel yelled, practically launching himself at me like a missile.
Otto followed right behind him, though with significantly less enthusiasm and a lot more hesitation, but he still joined in the group hug.
Even if we hadn't shared the same dramatic, emotional bonding moments that the other Subarus had with their counterparts, the truth was that as men, it really didn't take much work to form a solid friendship.
A few shared struggles, some mutual respect, and a little chaos—that was enough.
Once we separated, I greeted Frederica as well, offering a simple nod before finally moving on to start the meeting.
Roswaal, as usual, was the last to arrive.
And the moment he stepped inside, he immediately spotted his own former teacher sitting calmly on a chair with Beatrice perched comfortably on her lap.
Then his gaze shifted to me—sitting like some kind of self-appointed king, relaxed but commanding, with Reina sitting neatly on my lap as if she belonged there.
"I welcome you back… Lord Zero," Roswaal said, his tone deliberately neutral as he moved to take his seat.
Predictably, he sat as far away as physically possible from Echidna.
The Witch of Greed only gave her disciple a single, unimpressed glance before letting out a long, tired sigh, clearly disappointed—if not outright embarrassed—by how he had turned out after all her so-called "guidance."
"Anyway, everyone," I said, raising my voice slightly to grab the full attention of the entire room.
"Now that all of us are finally gathered here, I want to officially announce that I am back. Completely back. And… I also want to apologize for my sudden disappearance during these past two months, for leaving all of you without warning."
"Lord Zero, it obviously wasn't your fault. It was nothing more than an unfortunate accident," Ram said immediately, quick to defend me as usual.
"Yes… except it was my fault," Reina added quietly from my lap.
Her face was filled with guilt, her eyes lowered because she still blamed herself for the fact that the magic circle had activated out of nowhere and swallowed me up.
"It was my responsibility as well," Echidna said after clearing her throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"I was the one who failed to create proper safety measures for the magic formula. I should have anticipated the possible risks. So it was my mistake as well," she admitted sincerely, showing no hesitation.
"You know what? If we start playing the blame game, we're all going to be pointing fingers forever," I said, letting out a tired sigh before continuing.
"Besides, a part of me is honestly… grateful. Because traveling to another world gave me the chance to help people who needed saving, and it made me understand even more clearly just how much I love my Reina and every single one of my spirits."
As I said that, I glanced at Reina, then at Betty sitting proudly, and finally at Gloria who sat calmly at my side—each of them reacting in their own way, but all of them important to me in a way that words barely described.
"This concubine has never once doubted her father's love for her," Gloria declared confidently, as if she were stating the single most obvious fact in the world.
I couldn't help but smile at her attitude before saying, "Then I'll forgive both of you—Reina and Echidna. But the real question now is… will all of you forgive me?" I asked as I looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes one by one.
"It was never Sir Zero's fault to begin with, so there's nothing for any of us to blame," Otto said in a steady tone, earning several nods of agreement from the others around him.
"Yes… and Sub-Zero's absence actually taught me how to continue working as a leader on my own," Emilia admitted with a shy but proud expression.
Her honesty made me smile, and I leaned forward slightly as I asked, "Well, now I'm genuinely curious. What exactly happened here while I was away for the past two months? Why don't you all go ahead and start explaining?"
And with that invitation, the actual meeting began.
One after another, everyone took turns explaining what they had been doing during my disappearance, and honestly, I was genuinely surprised at just how much progress they managed to achieve without me hovering over them.
They'd accomplished far more than I expected.
Though out of everything, what impressed me the most was the fact that Emilia had straight-up ignored my original suggestion of using both Otto and Geuse to help her with managing all the work.
Instead, she had Otto focus solely on running my Company, keeping him away from her administrative duties entirely.
It was such an Emilia-like decision that I couldn't even be mad—just impressed and a little amused.
And apparently, Geuse had been helping Echidna refine and enhance the Yggdrasil magic while also working on creating some kind of backup method to search for Reina—just in case I failed to locate her within those six separate timelines I had been thrown into. Knowing she went that far out of genuine concern honestly made me respect her a bit more, and of course Geuse.
I had to praise Emilia for taking initiative with all this, and she genuinely looked stunned by the compliment, probably assuming I was about to lecture or scold her instead.
"Emilia, a true leader doesn't always choose what's best in a perfect sense. A true leader chooses what feels right to her in the moment," I said clearly, making sure she understood the weight behind my words.
"And among everyone in this room, you're one of the few people who consistently act out of kindness. So you did well."
Her cheeks immediately turned red, and she looked even more flustered than before.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Geuse grinning like he was already planning our wedding and preparing to hand over his daughter to me on a silver plate.
My eyebrows twitched at his expression, and with my boosted senses, everything became painfully obvious—too obvious, honestly.
But I ignored the implications for now and got us all back on topic before things got even weirder.
Otto explained to me how he had put a complete halt on any further activities regarding the production of the Oven while I was absent, and instead redirected all efforts toward establishing and expanding the newspaper throughout Lugunica.
He detailed how the initial sales of the newspapers had already started generating a substantial profit, and more importantly, how the widespread distribution of the newspaper had successfully diverted the public's attention from Emilia's sudden absence in delivering public speeches.
Our competitors, seeing this surge in publicity through the newspapers, had assumed that we were merely shifting to a different method of communication.
They didn't suspect that the true purpose was to cover up Emilia's handling of my territories in secret during my absence.
It was a brilliant strategy—not only did it obscure the fact that I was gone from prying competitors, but it also ensured that the growth and momentum of our company continued uninterrupted despite my temporary disappearance.
I nodded and said, "Otto, we will eventually create the machines and establish the factory necessary for mass-producing the ovens. However, for the time being, it will be far more strategic to focus on expanding the newspaper and solidifying our reach across the capital."
He agreed with my assessment, sharing the same vision for the company's immediate priorities, confirming that our direction moving forward was aligned and well thought out.
Then we shifted our focus to what had transpired in my territories during my absence.
Emilia had managed everything exceptionally well, maintaining order and ensuring that daily operations continued smoothly.
While she hadn't implemented anything revolutionary or world-changing, she had kept the distribution of the fertilizers I had developed ongoing, which ensured that agricultural productivity in my territories didn't falter.
Observing this made me realize that I needed to restock the fertilizers myself, as I remained the only person in the entire world capable of producing them due to the technological limitations here and my unique abilities that allowed me to create such advanced compounds.
I praised her for her diligence and ability to manage everything in my stead and advised her to focus fully on the Royal Selection, knowing that she could delegate the responsibilities of the territory back to me.
I also reflected that my absence had unexpected benefits.
With me gone, the nobles within my territory were less intimidated by my direct oversight, particularly compared to the extreme measures I had enforced during my previous intervention.
Back then, I had executed all the corrupt nobles in a city as a demonstration of authority and to eliminate any potential threats.
Now, in my absence, whether the nobles behaved properly or committed minor transgressions, this provided a clearer picture of their true nature.
It would allow me to distinguish which nobles were genuinely loyal—or at the very least, which ones refrained from committing atrocities—without my constant interference influencing their behavior.
As for the general populace, those who misbehaved, whether during my absence or prior, would still face execution in due time if their crimes were as vile as those committed by the individuals I had dealt with before.
After all, offenses of that magnitude were beyond forgiveness, and no leniency could be afforded in such cases.
Then we finally came to Ram's report, in which she detailed how she had managed the assassins in my absence.
I found myself compelled to praise her once again, along with the others, as they had all handled the situation flawlessly.
Ram had cleverly taken advantage of two critical factors: first, that she was the one who had traditionally relayed most of my orders to the assassins, and second, that they were completely unaware of my absence.
By acting as if I were still present and issuing commands on my behalf, she effectively maintained strict control over the group, keeping them aligned with my intentions.
Even though the fear factor stemming from me was still subtly in play, Ram demonstrated remarkable leadership and tactical awareness in handling the situation.
Beyond simply maintaining control, she had also redirected their efforts from gathering intelligence to actively defending my shops, ensuring that both my commercial holdings and the operations of my company remained secure during my prolonged absence.
Her ability to simultaneously manage the assassins, enforce discipline, and safeguard my assets displayed exceptional strategic foresight.
It was a move so clever and efficient that I had no choice but to wholeheartedly commend her for the ingenuity and competence she had demonstrated.
It also made me realize just how much the people around me had grown.
Ram, for instance, had become far more assertive than before, and in a genuinely positive way—her confidence and decisiveness had clearly strengthened during my absence.
Emilia, who once struggled to stand up for herself, had now evolved into a capable and decisive leader, truly managing the camp with authority.
She even demonstrated the ability to weigh her own considerations and, if necessary, deny my orders—a sign of genuine leadership.
Knowing her, though, she might not ever refuse other commands of mine in the future, but the fact that she had the capacity to think independently impressed me deeply.
Finally, with all matters discussed—the events that had transpired, the plans for the future, and everyone receiving their due praise—I adjourned the meeting.
A sense of clarity washed over me; the path forward, the direction of my future, had never seemed more defined.
Just as I was settling into that thought, I sneezed, as if someone unseen were whispering behind my back.
Rubbing my nose, I couldn't help but grin, a self-satisfied, almost mischievous grin spreading across my face.
"Man," I said aloud, "I guess he finally received my gift."
I was completely satisfied with the gift I had left behind for our soon-to-be King Baru.
Hehe.
To be continued...
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