The Palace of the Sorcerer Kingdom, early morning.
Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the sheer curtains, falling across the young woman's long golden hair.
Her eyelashes fluttered gently. Slowly, she opened her clear, brilliant eyes, as blue as the sky.
"Another new day."
Renner murmured softly, her voice tinged with drowsy contentment.
She stretched, smoothed down her slightly tousled hair, yawned, and sat up.
Throwing back the covers, she stepped barefoot onto the floor and made her way lightly to the balcony.
Fresh air washed over her, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers and grass.
A gentle breeze brushed her cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness that immediately refreshed her.
"I finally have some free time today. I should take Climb out for a walk. It's been so long since we've had some... time alone together."
Returning to her room, Renner stood before the mirror and began arranging her loose hair as she thought.
Her fingers gently combed through the strands, smoothing them out before tying them into a simple yet elegant ponytail.
She studied her reflection and smiled in satisfaction.
The young woman in the mirror had a beautiful face, snow-white skin, and delicately sculpted features. She was dressed in a pure white formal gown.
Yes, it suited her current persona perfectly.
Once she had finished getting ready, Renner left her room and walked briskly through the corridor to the living room.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, scattering patches of light across the floor and bathing the entire room in brightness.
Renner entered the kitchen, brewed herself a cup of coffee, and quietly savored the peaceful moment.
The Sorcerer Kingdom had continued to flourish.
As the saying went, getting started was always the hardest part. Once the initial difficulties had been overcome, everything afterward would naturally fall into place.
Renner's daily work was simple. She carefully reviewed the various documents submitted by her subordinates, then decided whether to approve or reject them.
Occasionally, she also received complaints concerning the Sorcerer Kingdom.
To Renner, it was little more than children playing house. There was no difficulty to it whatsoever.
Even so, she could not afford to be careless. She had to give every task her full attention.
After all, her great Supreme Ruler, her beloved Naohara-sama, and the other two Majesties might suddenly dump a pile of difficult problems on her at any moment.
It certainly would not be the first time.
Renner had tried voicing her objections tactfully before.
She was a person, not a machine, much less omnipotent.
The result was that she had earned the nickname "Dora-Renner."
Well, that was simply how Supreme Rulers were. As prime minister, Renner only had to sit at her desk and handle official affairs, while the Three Supreme Beings directing everything from behind the scenes had far more to consider~
"Nope. Subordinates aren't allowed to badmouth their superiors, not even in their heads."
"Otherwise, you might get caught red-handed, just like today."
A light tap landed on the top of her head, followed by a teasing voice.
Renner froze for an instant before quickly regaining her composure. She turned, and Naohara came into view.
"Naohara-sama, peering into a young lady's thoughts hardly seems like something you would do."
Renner lowered her head and immediately gave a flawless bow befitting a loyal subject.
At the same time, she restrained her instinct to think, forcing her body to act before her mind could form any further thoughts.
"What do you mean, something I would do? I belong to the 'do whatever I feel like' faction."
"And there's no need to suppress your thoughts. I won't pry into them. I place great importance on personal privacy, after all."
Naohara rubbed Renner's golden hair, then sat down in a nearby chair with a soft chuckle.
As expected of someone who had fused with his human blood. Her hair was luxuriously soft and silky.
Renner stared at him. (ಠ_ಠ)
He did not seem particularly trustworthy.
Renner felt somewhat helpless, but she still allowed her thoughts to flow freely again.
He might be unreliable at times, but he was Naohara-sama, after all.
"Have you had a great deal of free time lately? I'm surprised you actually came to the Sorcerer Kingdom."
Renner tilted her head, displaying precisely the right amount of confusion.
Hey, what was that supposed to mean?
She made it sound as though he did not care about the Sorcerer Kingdom at all. It had only been a little over two months!
"Ahem. Well, that's why I'm here now..."
Naohara cleared his throat and silently reflected that he might indeed have neglected his duties somewhat.
But what else could he have done? That fellow Samirth had drawn up a list of things he wanted to accomplish before dying.
As his friend, how could Naohara not stay by his side?
To improve efficiency, he had even resorted to handling two things at once. He had been carrying out the curse following the reincarnation ritual while simultaneously dealing with Demiurge's project reports.
Afterward, he still had to relay everything to Momonga and Herohero. He had become a glorified errand boy, and it was exhausting.
"By the way, when are you planning to marry Climb? As prime minister of the Sorcerer Kingdom, I'll make sure you have a grand wedding."
Naohara changed the subject.
He still had matters to attend to, but there was no harm in chatting for a while.
Climb's feelings for Renner were no secret.
Most of the Sorcerer Kingdom's staff had already noticed.
"I have no plans to marry him for the time being."
"Marriage doesn't suit my current persona. Besides, I prefer our relationship as it is now to becoming husband and wife."
Renner shook her head without the slightest hesitation.
Marriage?
No. She was not interested.
"Why? Don't you love Climb?"
Naohara could not help asking curiously.
"I do love Climb, and I want to remain with him forever. But hasn't that wish already come true?"
Renner's "love" for Climb was twisted to an extreme degree.
Back when she was still the Golden Princess, she had all but threatened the Second Prince into promising that, if she helped him ascend the throne, he would arrange a marriage between her and Climb.
She had done so only to avoid being forced into a political marriage that might separate her from Climb in the future.
But her wish had already been fulfilled.
No one could prevent her from being with Climb now, so marriage was no longer necessary.
Besides, remaining unmarried could also be used to her advantage.
"Tsk, tsk. No wonder your own brother called you a monster."
"That poor boy is completely wrapped around your finger."
"And yet his determination to protect you is unwavering."
Naohara clicked his tongue. As expected of Renner.
Still, the relationship between the two of them perfectly matched what Demiurge had once said about conviction.
Only those with conviction could be controlled more effectively.
In that respect, the two of them were surprisingly alike.
"Hehe. I found him and raised him little by little, after all. I love him, and he loves me."
"Whenever I picture him training desperately so that he can protect me, I feel such genuine joy."
Renner clasped her hands together. A vivid blush spread across her face as an intoxicated expression appeared in her eyes.
"Of course, if Naohara-sama desired my body, I would offer it without complaint. Without you, I could never have remained with Clem forever."
Renner stuck out her tongue and gave him a gentle smile.
...
She was unbelievable!
Naohara no longer had the energy to retort.
How had the conversation somehow turned toward him? What kind of outrageous statement was that? Was she trying to persuade him to cuckold Climb?
No, this probably would not even count as cuckolding.
"Are you serious?"
"Mm~ Would you like me now?"
Renner rose to her feet and reached to remove her clothes.
Before she could do anything, Naohara stopped her.
Invisible magic gathered around her, freezing Renner in place.
"Fine. You win."
Naohara spread his hands helplessly. He had no doubt that Renner would have followed through if he had not stopped her.
"Your human blood flows through my veins, so in a sense, you are also my father~"
"Isn't it perfectly natural for a daughter to help her father relieve his stress?"
Once she regained control of her body, Renner obediently sat back down and spoke with a sweet smile.
That almost sounded reasonable... except it was complete nonsense!
Hey, do not drag incest into this!
"Let's change the subject. Tell me about the Sorcerer Kingdom's recent situation, as well as Albedo's current condition."
He did not deny it?
Renner's gaze shifted subtly. Had she successfully established herself as one of the Supreme Ruler's offspring?
That had gone more smoothly than expected.
No, perhaps Naohara-sama simply had not cared enough to correct her. Either way, it was a favorable result.
Naohara-sama was the kind of person who responded better to coaxing than pressure.
Her actions just now could have produced three possible outcomes.
The first was that he agreed. Given Naohara-sama's personality, however, that had been extremely unlikely. If he wished, he could indulge himself with someone different every day.
The second was refusal, which was what had happened.
The third was also refusal, but of a far more dangerous kind.
There had been risks, but the potential reward was equally great.
She would only dare try such a thing with Naohara-sama. Had it been Momonga-sama or Herohero-sama, Renner would have immediately withdrawn into her shell like a turtle.
"The Sorcerer Kingdom has been quite stable recently. The only matter worth reporting is that one of the Platinum Dragon Lord's subordinates, a Dragon Lord who calls himself the Radiant Dragon Lord, has arrived in the Sorcerer Kingdom."
"Considering his status as a Paladin, I assigned him to the Magic Academy as an instructor in one of the Alternative Systems branches of the Arcane System, filling a vacant position."
"I imagine that was also the Platinum Dragon Lord's intention."
Renner considered it briefly before explaining.
She was not worried about Naohara reading the little scheme she had attempted earlier from her thoughts.
That was simply part of her persona. After spending so much time with her, Naohara-sama surely understood that.
Once people grew accustomed to something, they would subconsciously accept it as reasonable, making it difficult for them to feel angry.
Besides, if he truly did probe her thoughts, she would have to reconsider how she dealt with him from now on.
After all... Naohara-sama had just promised that he would not.
"As for Albedo-sama..."
Renner paused, seemingly lost in thought.
With her intelligence, she naturally understood the problem surrounding the matter. In fact, she had already begun to suspect something when Albedo arrived in the Sorcerer Kingdom on leave.
"There has been nothing unusual about Albedo-sama. She merely holds tea parties quite often, and I have had the honor of attending several of them."
Renner did not particularly care, so long as she was not dragged into the matter.
Whatever Naohara-sama intended to do, she would support him.
If the Three Supreme Beings were divided into factions, she would undoubtedly belong to Naohara-sama's. In fact, the same could probably be said for seventy percent of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
This had originally been a nation ruled by dragons.
Although its rulers had changed, its residents would inevitably gravitate toward the one Majesty who was a dragon.
"Is that so..."
Naohara tapped his fingers against the table, his thoughts unreadable.
Seeing this, Renner obediently prepared a cup of coffee and handed it to him.
[Message]
[Pandora, Sephis, come to the Sorcerer Kingdom.]
Naohara took a sip of coffee and silently activated Message.
It was time to resolve the issue with Albedo.
[As you command. ×2]
Two replies echoed through his mind.
"Very well. I'm going back to my room for a while. Contact me if anything comes up."
Naohara set down his coffee cup, rose to his feet, and prepared to return to his room.
He intended to read while waiting for Pandora and Sephis to arrive.
…
Watching Naohara leave, Renner furrowed her brow slightly.
It felt as though she had forgotten something.
That was right. The half-elf from the Theocracy was apparently still...
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