For Asuna, such a thing was still very hard to accept.
But when she looked around and saw the ministers wearing expressions as if everything unfolding was perfectly natural, she didn't say anything. She just looked at Ryuji with a puzzled expression, unable to understand what he was thinking.
After all, to Asuna, Ryuji had always been a gentleman.
However, the one who reacted most intensely was the Dark Elf Queen Olga, who showed extreme disgust towards Ryuji's 'reasonable' demand!
She glared at him, and in his eyes she saw only contempt, the look of someone seeing her as nothing more than a piece of meat or a breeding bitch valued only for her appearance and body. She could sense this very clearly!
Ryuji was disappointed!
Disappointed that she wasn't the enemy he had imagined but rather a lowly bitch, an idiot without any intelligence!
Olga was certain Ryuji was looking at her with these thoughts and this gaze! He didn't take her, the Dark Elf Queen, seriously at all! In his eyes, she was just a bitch from the very beginning!
"I have no intention of submitting to your lowly race!"
She shouted loudly. This was her pride. Whether they were called Dark Elves or Monsters, it was their glory!
Her power, her race's rank far surpassed that of a mere mortal like Ryuji! She could accept defeat and death! But she would never submit to Ryuji, submit to a mere human!
"I am the Dark Elf Queen! I have suppressed you humans for centuries! Killed countless of your people..."
But before she could finish, Esdeath punched her directly in the face. The arrogance on her charming face instantly vanished, replaced by shock and pain.
Esdeath showed no tenderness toward the fairer sex. She kicked Olga in the stomach again, sending the proud queen sprawling once more. Then, she stomped on the head that hadn't yet lowered, slamming the Dark Elf Queen's head heavily against the cage bars, causing a gush of blood to flow from her beautiful nose.
"My master honors you by making you his bitch, and you dare be so insolent!"
Esdeath's eyes were filled with icy coldness. In her opinion, Ryuji was too merciful. Even though this bitch was barking like this, he still didn't intended to kill her directly.
If it were her, she would skin this so-called Dark Elf Queen, chop all her meat into pieces, and feed it to dogs to teach other slaves what attitude they should have toward their master.
But unfortunately, Esdeath is now Ryuji's slave. And she had to admit, this female slave named Olga was indeed a rare breed, whose beauty even she had to acknowledge.
Moreover, the alluring aura about her far surpassed her own.
There was no helping it. Although hers were also quite large, compared to this woman, they were slightly inferior.
Her clothing wasn't this shameless either.
Thinking of this, Esdeath's expression grew even colder.
"You're just a weakling I took down in a few moves, and you still have the face to call yourself noble? Is this the character of all Elves, just boasting? Did you know that?"
While grinding her high heel into Olga's face, Esdeath looked at the others.
Although Olga wanted to resist and refute, Esdeath's heel pressed firmly against her chin, not only preventing her from speaking but also from biting her tongue.
Although Esdeath knew biting the tongue couldn't achieve suicide, this was Ryuji's property. Injuring was acceptable, but damaging was not.
That wasn't what a slave should do!
She was a sensible slave, completely different from this clueless fellow!
But Ryuji, seated on his throne, had no interest in watching Esdeath continue to abuse the Dark Elf Queen and her subordinate. After all, such matters were better left for later, perhaps in his basement.
Besides, if I remembered correctly, didn't Dark Elf Queen have a super powerful authority or something?
Something about directly accelerating crop growth and increasing food output? With such a divine skill in her hands for so many years, she still couldn't crush the utterly pathetic Seven Shields Alliance.
Ryuji truly felt it would be better to brainwash her into his loyal slave.
As for how to subdue her...
Didn't the original work provide the answer?
This Dark Elf Queen was afraid of heights! Just fuck her into a sex slave in the sky and be done with it!
So, he waved his hand, displaying his magnanimity, and spoke.
"Alright, Esdeath. If you're interested, you can deal with these two women later. I will properly compensate for the blood debt owed to those who died because of her."
Ryuji chuckled lightly, his tone full of disdain.
If he had previously thought that the Dark Elf Queen was primarily responsible for the chaos in this world, he no longer thought so after learning more about this world.
Because both sides were too lousy!
If either side had been even slightly competent, this war wouldn't have lasted centuries!
If the Seven Shields Alliance had been competent, they would have crushed Olga long ago, instead of until now.
And if Olga had a good brain, she would already wiped out the paper-tiger-like Seven Shields Alliance.
Because, in a sense, her ability meant gathering a group of loyal and super combat-capable subordinates would be as easy as playing a game!
Moreover, because she was a woman, simps would be numerous to a shocking degree!
And the result?
A stalemate with idiots like the Seven Shields Alliance until now and even all my own preparations were for nothing!
What the hell was I so wary about the Dark Elf Queen that was easily defeated by Esdeath?!
Ryuji now felt speechless thinking about his earlier probing and wariness. Fortunately, he had realized earlier that the Seven Shields Alliance was a paper tiger; otherwise, he'd probably still be struggling about how to change the plot.
"Yes, Master."
Esdeath immediately knelt down, responding and agreeing with Ryuji's words without the slightest hesitation.
In front of others, she would still be the Ice Queen Esdeath. But before Ryuji, she would only be Ryuji's most obedient slave.
Unless Ryuji's strength fell below hers!
"Take these two away!"
After instructing the head maid, Esdeath turned her gaze to the human woman in the cage.
"This woman is called Maia. She claims to be a scout sent by the Seven Shields Alliance to see if we are fighting the Dark Elf Queen. Actually, it was after I discovered signs that the so-called Dark Elf Queen intended to attack us that I directly assaulted their tower."
Esdeath went on to explain her previous actions. It was only after wiping out a large group of orcs and learning that someone here wanted to attack Ryuji's kingdom that she went straight for the tower.
She just never expected to capture the enemy leader directly!
"Oh? It seems this is another crime deserving of hanging."
Ryuji smiled as he looked at the mercenary named Maia.
This mercenary had also appeared in the original work; she was a female mercenary who admired the leader of the Black Dog Mercenary Group.
As for her fate...
Let's just say she got what she asked for. Betrayed by the person she admired, she fell into the hands of a noble who treated her as a plaything, resulting in the collapse of both her spirit and body.
Ryuji felt mostly pity for this Maia, so he gave her a choice.
"Tell me, do you want to live or do you want to die?"
Maia touched her arm. Because she had behaved well, she wasn't shackled or anything. But looking at Ryuji, and at the struggling Dark Elf Queen Olga slowly being taken toward the dungeon, she took a deep breath and spoke seriously.
"I... I want to live! But if you want me to be your plaything, I'd rather die!"
"Oh?"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. After all, those who knew better understood the morals standards of female mercenaries. If there were still pure female mercenaries in other worlds, in this world...
Honestly, Ryuji didn't believe it.
"A female mercenary saying such things? Are you some chaste martyr?"
Maia's face instantly turned red, and she couldn't help but shout loudly.
"So what if I'm a virgin?! Is having done that something to brag about?! Besides, the person I admire is someone like Walter, the leader of the Black Dog Mercenary Group a truly upright man! Not someone like you, like you..."
Maia stopped halfway, realizing her mistake. She wanted to say she didn't want to become a noble's plaything, but then she noticed the person before her wasn't a noble either, or rather, he should be a mercenary. Because according to outside rumors, Ryuji was a mercenary who seized the country by force, a very cruel person.
"Oh? The Black Dog Mercenary Group was wiped out by me. So, in your eyes, I'm a cruel person?"
Ryuji chuckled. This girl was indeed a bit foolish. But since she was one of the main characters from the original work. So, if she wasn't a virgin, treat her as a quick fling; if she was a virgin, just add her to the harem.
He didn't expect Maia to say anything nice and was about to have the head maid take her away. But Maia bit her lip and then spoke in a trembling voice.
"No... But... you must have misunderstood Brother Walter!"
What she had witnessed along the way wasn't chaos but prosperity, everyone living happily and stable lives. She didn't think a cruel person could govern such a kingdom.
Ryuji was shocked, not just because she didn't think he was cruel, but also because the Black Dog Mercenary Group was notoriously scummy. Even after all that, they still had brain-dead fans, making Ryuji wonder if he could later use his reputation in this world to sleep around.
See a pretty girl, flash his face, and directly take her to bed!
Even the naive Asuna was dumbfounded, staring at this red-haired female mercenary, starting to wonder if the other had been hypnotized or something.
To call the Black Dog Mercenary's actions a 'misunderstanding' was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard in her life!
"Misunderstanding…? Forget it. You and Alicia can both be my 'Untouchables' people no one dares to provoke. This world is far too complicated for someone like you. Being my Untouchable suits your level of intelligence much better."
Ryuji rubbed his temples. Under Asuna's mixed expression of a little agreement but mostly opposition, he declared the fate of this female mercenary.
With this level of intelligence, other possibilities were out of the question. Honestly, being a slave who never had to think would be far better for her than wandering this dangerous world on her own.
It was simply too dangerous.!
Besides, the ending would be the same anyway. So, it's better to skip all the unnecessary detours and go straight to her destined ending.
"Hey! You!"
The red-haired Maia still wanted to say something, but Esdeath directly gagged her, leaving her only able to make muffled sounds. Led by the ever-smiling head maid, she too entered Ryuji's harem, awaiting his favor.
As for interrogating her for information? That was never the point. Esdeath brought her back precisely because she was pretty and had a good figure, just like a dog bringing a toy back to its owner, it was a display of her ability and loyalty to her master.
Ryuji and Esdeath, who were fully aware of the other kingdoms' capabilities, couldn't care less about so-called intelligence.
Ryuji then turned his attention to the other ministers.
"Then let the next proposal be to unify the entire world."
He casually stated this, but before his ministers could be shocked by this order, Ryuji spoke again.
"Esdeath, since you've demonstrated your ability, you will take command of all military forces and conquer this world for me. All rules will follow those currently in place here. You can promote whoever you want directly without asking me. As for the remaining monster forces, leave them to the city defense army for training. Everyone else, during this period, obey Esdeath's commands. Understood?"
Ryuji truly had no interest in military campaigns and warfare; that was Esdeath's domain. As for Esdeath's loyalty, this mission would be the test. If she faithfully completed her task, he would try to accept her. If not, then they would simply part ways.
"No problem, Master!"
~~~~~~~~~~
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