"Your Majesty, Emperor Jircniv… I trust you are already aware of the purpose of our visit.
We have come in the hope that the Empire will lend its strength to help the Holy Kingdom suppress its internal rebellion. Should Your Majesty be willing to extend a hand this time, the Holy Kingdom will repay this favor generously in the future—and we are prepared to enter into a formal alliance of friendship with the Empire."
Even knowing how slim the chances were, Remedios still made her request in earnest.
What surprised her, however, was that Jircniv did not reject her outright as the Kingdom had.
Instead, he fell into deep thought.
In truth, the prospect of forming an alliance with the Holy Kingdom did tempt him—because the Empire itself was currently mired in a dangerous quagmire.
According to Jircniv's original plans, if they were ever to stand a chance against the Sorcerer Kingdom ruled by Ainz Ooal Gown, they would need to unite multiple powerful nations—the Kingdom, the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and even the Theocracy.
At present, the Empire was essentially walking a tightrope—playing both sides. Other nations were unaware of this precarious position, but whether the Empire would eventually clear its name… or be punished after the fact… even Jircniv himself could not say.
That was precisely why the Holy Kingdom's offer, delivered right to his doorstep, sparked certain ideas.
Perhaps, through them, he could warn other nations of just how dangerous the Sorcerer Kingdom truly was—and portray the Empire as a party acting under coercion.
Moreover, supporting the Holy Kingdom wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, this war was fundamentally a clash between the Kingdom and the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Though the Empire had pledged assistance, it didn't necessarily need to commit its full military strength. Diverting a portion of its forces to aid the Holy Kingdom was still within the realm of possibility.
The real concern, however, was whether such a move would arouse suspicion from Ainz Ooal Gown.
Especially considering that, at this very moment, a particularly troublesome individual stood nearby.
Yes—under the guise of maintaining "friendly exchanges," Demiurge had been stationed within the Empire, his presence set to last until the Sorcerer Kingdom's occupation of E-Rantel was complete.
Friendly exchange, in name only.
Jircniv understood all too well that Ainz's true intention was to monitor every move the Empire made.
With a metaphorical landmine already at his feet, Jircniv chose his words with extreme caution, all while subtly observing Demiurge's expression.
"At present, the Empire does possess sufficient forces to assist the Holy Kingdom. However, I believe Lady Remedios understands the Empire's current circumstances.
Since we have formed an alliance with His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown of the Sorcerer Kingdom, any major action prior to the coming war must first be discussed with them…"
Jircniv phrased his response as tactfully as possible, carefully watching Demiurge for any hint of reaction.
But before he could even finish speaking, Remedios abruptly cut in.
"With all due respect, I believe Your Majesty's current course of action is exceedingly unwise.
A nation founded by the undead—how can such inhuman beings possibly be trusted?
And compared to such a newly established country that barely even possesses territory, our Holy Kingdom is clearly the stronger power. Is maintaining an alliance with such a monstrous nation truly more important than forming one with us?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Jircniv nearly leapt out of his seat.
Cold sweat ran down his back as he instinctively glanced toward Demiurge.
Only after confirming that the demon's expression remained calm did he let out a slow, silent breath.
But when he turned back to Remedios, his attitude had completely changed.
He had heard before that the Holy Kingdom's strongest paladin was a woman of great strength—but lacking in intellect.
Now, however…
This wasn't a matter of being "a bit slow."
This woman had no sense at all!
The Empire had barely managed to stabilize its relationship with that monstrous existence known as Ainz Ooal Gown—and one of his closest subordinates was standing right there.
And yet this woman from the Holy Kingdom had the audacity to declare, in front of him, that inhuman beings were untrustworthy—and to suggest that the Empire abandon its alliance with the Sorcerer Kingdom in favor of the Holy Kingdom instead.
If the Holy Kingdom had a death wish, that was their business—
But they were not dragging the Empire down with them.
In that moment, Jircniv felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he had never pursued a marriage alliance with Queen Calca.
That queen had always struck him as someone overly obsessed with appearances—and judging by this paladin, even her most trusted subordinates were… deeply problematic.
"My apologies," Jircniv said coldly, his tone now firm and final.
"It seems the Empire will be unable to provide assistance to the Holy Kingdom.
If you are capable of asking us to betray the Sorcerer Kingdom today, then who is to say you would not just as easily betray the Empire once your own crisis has passed?"
Remedios frowned, utterly bewildered.
Why had the Emperor's attitude changed so suddenly?
Just moments ago, he had seemed open to negotiation—but now his refusal was absolute.
Had she said something wrong?
It didn't take long for her to arrive at a conclusion.
She must have offended him by interrupting his speech.
After all, he was the ruler of an entire nation. Cutting him off mid-sentence had indeed been discourteous.
If there had been no hope from the beginning, Remedios would have accepted it and withdrawn.
But she had seen a glimmer of possibility—and for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, for the sake of her dear friend Calca, she refused to give up so easily.
"Your Majesty, I sincerely apologize for my earlier rudeness.
Furthermore, I can assure you that the Holy Kingdom would never betray an alliance with the Empire. We are not dishonorable beings like those inhuman races—on this, I ask that Your Majesty trust us…"
"…My apologies," Jircniv cut her off, his expression darkening once more.
"I am feeling rather fatigued today. I must ask the delegation of the Holy Kingdom to take their leave."
For a brief moment, his expression had softened at her apology—
But the words that followed had turned his face ashen.
This time, he didn't even want to hear her out.
If she kept dancing across landmines like this, his heart wouldn't survive it.
For the sake of his own life, Jircniv decided it was best to wash his hands of the Holy Kingdom entirely.
"In that case… may I ask one final favor, Your Majesty?"
Remedios pressed on, unwilling to back down.
"I would like to request a simple sparring match with one of your Empire's knights—Tendoin Ren Kuroda."
She lifted her gaze, determination burning in her eyes.
"If I am victorious… then I ask that Your Majesty grant us one more opportunity."
Remedios was convinced that her earlier rudeness had caused the Emperor's change in attitude.
This duel, in truth, had been one of their objectives from the start.
And no matter the outcome, she believed it would not be a loss.
If she were defeated, it would lend credibility to the Golden Princess's words—meaning they could then seek out the adventurer known as "Jet-Black Fubuki" for help.
But if she were to win…
Then perhaps she might earn back the Emperor's favor—and reopen the door that had just been slammed shut.