"Then, after seeing such a brilliant double act from that Female Devil and her daughter, do you still believe that the Female Devil would betray her father? As for the possibility of their subordinates betraying him, would you betray me?" Jierunifu asked indifferently.
"Of course not! We swear to follow Your Majesty to our deaths! We will never betray you!" Bajed and Ningbul quickly replied.
"Even a foolish Emperor like me, who has been completely played, has loyal people like you who swear to follow to their deaths. Let alone Ainz Ooal Gown. It's almost impossible for his subordinates to betray him; it's already a lost cause! I can't think of any way to deal with this anymore," Jierunifu said dejectedly.
"But we can't just become a vassal state, can we? Ainz Ooal Gown himself doesn't seem very willing for the Empire to become a vassal," the two generals completely failed to understand why becoming a vassal was considered a means of struggle. Shouldn't becoming a vassal be the absolute last resort? And he himself didn't seem very willing.
Upon hearing the two generals' remarks, Jierunifu sighed again.
"You still don't understand! Why did Ainz Ooal Gown immediately reject the Empire becoming a vassal? Why was he unwilling for the Empire to become a vassal? Haven't you thought about it? Earlier, when I proposed the idea of becoming a vassal to Elizabeth, she also rejected me directly. I just explained her reasons. Then Elizabeth immediately turned her attention to Theocracy and swiftly took down the Dragon Kingdom. Now, Ainz Ooal Gown still holds a somewhat dissatisfied attitude towards the Empire becoming a vassal. It's obvious! The Empire becoming a vassal is not part of his plan! Ainz Ooal Gown definitely has another goal!" Jierunifu explained.
"Goal… what other goal could there possibly be? What could be unsatisfactory about such a large country as the Empire becoming a vassal state?" Bajed looked utterly bewildered.
"I don't know. If he were an incompetent person, it might be an excuse to delay because he lacks confidence to deal with the current situation. But he is Ainz Ooal Gown! With his wisdom, when I proposed becoming a vassal, he was silent? It's clearly because he was considering whether the Empire becoming a vassal would affect his original plan! If his plan is successfully implemented, the benefits he gains will definitely be greater than simply taking over the Empire. However, judging by his final attitude, the Empire becoming a vassal state should not have too much impact on his plan, which is why he ultimately gave us an ambiguous answer, or perhaps he has some alternative solution. In any case, we should quickly advance the process of becoming a vassal state!" Jierunifu said with annoyance.
Ainz Ooal Gown, he must have some other reason for not being very willing for the Empire to become a vassal state. Putting myself in Ainz Ooal Gown's shoes, under what conditions would I be somewhat unwilling to accept such a large country as the Empire as a vassal?
I can't figure it out… I've racked my brains and still can't figure it out! Jierunifu unconsciously grabbed his head with both hands and started scratching… By the time he noticed, he had scratched out a lot more of his hair.
At this rate, he was really going to go bald!
"Indeed, it's strange. If the Empire becomes a vassal state, wouldn't it be easier from all aspects? Although it's not as good as the Magic Kingdom… the Empire's military strength is still one of the best on the Central Continent!" Bajed was also somewhat annoyed, as if he had given someone a grand gift, and they were utterly disgusted and didn't even want to accept it! It felt just as bad!
"I don't understand. That scoundrel's wisdom far surpasses mine! It's truly terrifying! His daughter was already too much! I didn't expect the old man to be even more excessive!" Jierunifu slammed his fist on the table in extreme frustration.
"What if he didn't think of anything at all?" Bajed scratched his head and said jokingly.
"How is that possible?! He has 'figured out' our actions to this extent! How could he not have thought of anything?!" Jierunifu rolled his eyes at Bajed.
Bajed also had nothing to say. After all, he was just a warrior, and he was indeed helpless when it came to strategy. However, for Ainz Ooal Gown and Elizabeth to 'force' the Blood Emperor, the wisest among all the Empire's emperors, to this point, was indeed extremely, extremely impressive.
"Your Majesty…" Ningbul called out, looking distressed.
"I apologize! My emotions got a bit out of control. However, becoming a vassal might not necessarily be a bad thing. Although it's verbally stated as a vassal, as long as we can secure most of our autonomy, the Empire's future situation can largely remain the same. No… if we have the Magic Kingdom's overwhelming military protection, perhaps the Empire's future life will be much safer than it is now," Jierunifu said.
After hearing their Emperor say something that offered a glimmer of hope, the expressions of the two generals softened considerably.
"Therefore, the main event is next. If we become a vassal state, there will definitely be discontent within the Empire. First, we must resolve this. If the Magic Kingdom does not allow our country to retain autonomy, those disloyal forces will certainly take action!"
Jierunifu then thought of the noble factions within the Empire that had only recently been purged. They would definitely seize the opportunity to cause trouble and overthrow him. However, without military support, they wouldn't be able to stir up any major waves.
What about the military? That is, the Imperial Knights. They participated in the Katz Plains battle, and they certainly wouldn't oppose becoming a vassal.
What about the common people? There are many ways to appease the common people. As long as a stable life can be maintained, they don't care who the ruler above them is.
"It's mainly the Church, right?" Bajed said.
That's right, the Church would definitely be the first to disagree. If the Church takes action similar to E-Rantel, directly withdrawing from the city, then it would be very troublesome. We must find a way to persuade them before they withdraw from the Empire, though the success rate would be very low. If all else fails, we can only appeal to the Magic Kingdom… Jierunifu thought to himself.
"What about His Majesty's personal safety?" Ningbul asked.
"I'm fine. Just declare to the outside world that as long as I am here, I will ensure the Empire becomes a vassal state of the Magic Kingdom. Let's see who reacts," Jierunifu said with a smile, as if he had given up on something.
Yes, in this situation, it would be better for someone to come and unseat him, letting that person deal with the monster Ainz Ooal Gown himself!
What exactly did he do wrong? Since inheriting the Empire's throne, he had smoothly strengthened and consolidated the Empire, allowing it to gain a foothold on the Central Continent. He believed he hadn't done anything too immoral, had he?
Why would heaven send Ainz Ooal Gown to retaliate against him? Only a few months had passed since he encountered Ainz Ooal Gown. Everything was in chaos.
The Empire, which had hoped to become the strongest nation on the Central Continent… would soon become another's vassal state… This was truly ironic!
"The most unfortunate person in the world right now is probably me!" Jierunifu sighed and said with a bitter smile.
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