Refuse? You must be joking!
With the Dragon Kingdom's current military strength, it wouldn't even be enough for one of Clementine's father's spells. From the very beginning, she didn't give herself the option to refuse!
She somewhat understood Jierunifu's reason for allying with them so quickly. That scoundrel must have been as desperate as she was now, right?
Alright, since she had decided to yield, at least… at least she should struggle a little more and strive forsome favorable conditions for the Dragon Kingdom.
"I understand everything you've said, it's just… Lady Clementine, an alliance between your country and ours doesn't seem to have any benefits, does it? Among the countries on the Central Continent, the Dragon Kingdom is the weakest surrounding nation. I can't imagine any reason for your country to ally with ours, and our country can't do anything for yours," Draudillon said.
"Of course there are benefits. I mentioned it before, didn't I? The Dragon Kingdom's ideology is very close to ours. You know, isn't it difficult for other countries to accept the system we and you adhere to? I think if you can ally with us, it would be a form of indirect promotion for our Magic Kingdom's ideology, and… it can also send a message to other countries that the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom is a country that can be communicated with. What my father did on the Katz Plains earlier has made other countries very wary of us!" Clementine said.
So you do have self-awareness… And besides, isn't that a normal reaction?! One spell can wipe out seventy to eighty thousand people! And you advocate for an all-species coexistence that is even more extreme than the Dragon Kingdom's. Your approach will definitely be targeted by other countries! It's possible that those powerful nations might even unite against you…
Hmm?! Wait a minute! This… she couldn't possibly not have thought of something even I can think of, could she?!
In that case… is she trying to build her own forces before the powerful nations unite against her?
It's very possible… First the Bahaus Empire, then the Dragon Kingdom, followed by the neighboring Beast Kingdom and the Yestijia Kingdom. If all these countries are brought under their banner, then the remaining Slane Theocracy, Argland Council State, Elf Kingdom, and Holy Kingdom would still be able to fight even if they united.
Although she herself felt that the remaining countries already harbored mutual animosity and had almost no possibility of uniting. Draudillon thought to herself.
"Besides, an alliance with us doesn't only benefit the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom; it also only benefits your Dragon Kingdom and has no downsides, right?" Clementine said.
"Benefits?" Draudillon cursed inwardly, what benefits! It's all disadvantages!
If the Theocracy knew that the Dragon Kingdom was colluding with you, the Theocracy would definitely cause trouble! Who would she turn to for help when the Beast Kingdom returned then?!
Hmm? Since they have allied with them? If the Dragon Kingdom is threatened, they should also extend aid, right? Does that mean? The Dragon Kingdom can directly break with the Theocracy and no longer have to secretly pay tribute to the Theocracy to receive protection?
But if those great nations truly united, wouldn't the Dragon Kingdom, standing on their side, be in trouble?!
"From what I know, your Dragon Kingdom has been constantly harassed by the Beast Kingdom and is very unstable, right? At least on this point, with us here, the Dragon Kingdom won't have to worry," Clementine said.
See… she brought that up, as expected. Indeed, with the Magic Kingdom's protection, the threat from the Beast Kingdom could be alleviated, but at the same time, it would also put the Dragon Kingdom in a position of being an enemy to other great nations.
"And… the fundamental problem as to why the Dragon Kingdom is weak, is it still due to labor?" Clementine said.
"Gulp…" Although she really wanted to refute her, what she said was the truth! It seemed this person had indeed investigated the Dragon Kingdom! Draudillon was very annoyed.
"After we solve the Beast Kingdom problem for the Dragon Kingdom, we can indeed free up a lot of labor for you, but that's still far from enough, isn't it?" Clementine once again poked at Draudillon's sore spot.
That's right, due to the constant incursions from the Beast Kingdom, a large portion of the Dragon Kingdom's annual budget was invested in military preparations.
But you should know that even so… it was unable to effectively curb the Beastmen, so they could only place their hopes on the Theocracy's foreign aid.
However, judging by this large-scale Beast Kingdom invasion, placing hope on foreign aid is simply unreliable! Although, from the outcome, the Beastmen were indeed driven back, right? But at the same time, it also attracted a Great Demon even more terrifying than the Beastmen!
Leaving that aside, if the Magic Kingdom could completely resolve the Beast Kingdom problem, it would save the Dragon Kingdom a significant amount of expenditure and free up more labor, but this is still not enough.
Although the Dragon Kingdom has a large Hill Area adjacent to the Beast Kingdom, the part near the Katz Plains is a vast, fertile land that cannot be developed due to the lack of labor.
If… if the Magic Kingdom could also deal with the Undead near the Katz border of the Dragon Kingdom, then the arable land area would be even larger! However… for the current Dragon Kingdom, what is lacking is not land, but labor…
"The problem of lacking labor! The Magic Kingdom can also help you solve that, you know." Clementine leaned closer, feigning mystery, and said.
"H-how… how to solve it?" Draudillon involuntarily swallowed and asked.
"Undead, you know. Controlling Undead is a specialty of the Magic Kingdom," Clementine said.
Controlling Undead? Draudillon was aware of this, because indeed, such experiments had been conducted in the Empire before. Magic casters used enslavement spells to make Undead work. But… there were very few magic casters who could maintain enslavement for long periods and control Undead for labor; it was simply a waste of resources. Later, they switched to golems that required less magical power as substitutes for Undead, but the cost of those things was not something ordinary people could afford. No… it should be said that the cost of mass-producing such things was something even a nation would find difficult to support, so it was ultimately abandoned.
"Making Undead work? Is that really okay?" Draudillon had doubts about this.
"Of course it's fine. Absolutely loyal, working year-round, regardless of wind or rain, regardless of season," Clementine said with great pride, and she didn't look like she was lying.
"The premise is that you can accept it, of course, after all, they are still Undead… Normal humans might find it a bit difficult to accept, right?" Draudillon hadn't reacted yet, but Clementine's enthusiasm had suddenly cooled down.
Indeed, if they could truly achieve that, these benefits would be very tempting for the Dragon Kingdom, but doing so would also put the Dragon Kingdom on the side of being an enemy to the world.
"So, Your Majesty the Queen, please consider it carefully!" Clementine said.
Another urging? She probably understood the pros and cons, and it was time to make a decision, but could she alone make a decision that would determine the fate of the Dragon Kingdom?
Although she was indeed the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, still… this two-choice option… she felt like she couldn't bear it. Choosing wrongly… might lead to the direct annihilation of the Dragon Kingdom!
"S-since that's the case, then… the Dragon Kingdom… the Dragon Kingdom's decision is…" Draudillon once again returned to reality. How should she choose? She had no confidence at all.
"The Dragon Kingdom's… de… decision is…" Draudillon stammered for a long time, still unable to make a real decision.
"Decision… the Dragon Kingdom… a-a…" Just go for it! If she refused here, perhaps… the Dragon Kingdom wouldn't see tomorrow. If she agreed to her, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
"Please wait a moment… Your Majesty the Queen." Just as Draudillon was about to speak the crucial words, Clementine's hand rested on Draudillon's hand, which was tightly gripping her knees, and then her other hand was placed on Draudillon's lips, stopping her from continuing.
"Such an important matter, I imagine it's difficult for you to make a decision right now, isn't it? And if you agree now, it would feel like I'm 'forcing' you. Besides, this isn't a formal occasion. As for me! I only came here to offer you a suggestion. As for how to decide, please think it over carefully and then give me… no, give the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom your answer. Even if you refuse, it won't affect you in any way. Just relax and take your time to consider." Clementine said with a smile.
Just then…
"Lady Clementine! I'm back! Ah!! That… I… I didn't see anything! Ahhh!" Bei 'Lu' burst in without even knocking, carrying a large bag of fruit. Seeing Clementine smiling and interacting so intimately with the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, her face instantly turned red. She dropped the large bag of fruit and rushed out.
"Uh… it seems this girl might have misunderstood something. Well then, Your Majesty the Queen, I'll take my leave!" Clementine smiled wryly, then released Draudillon and quickly chased after her.
"Hey! Bei 'Lu'! You stop right there!!"
As Clementine's voice faded into the distance, Draudillon finally came to her senses. She hadn't been forced to make a decision... instead, she was given time to buffer?
What exactly was going on? In such situations, shouldn't she be pressured to comply?
But she didn't do that… So what did she mean? What was that person thinking?
"Draudillon? Are you alright? Why is your face so red?" Aunt Conna, who had been guarding outside the door, entered the room after seeing Clementine chase after her, and found Draudillon sitting there blankly with a red face, feeling very strange.
"I'm fine… I'm perfectly fine…" Draudillon quickly replied. Was she overthinking it? Did she really just come to help her and simply offer the suggestion of an alliance? Otherwise, it really didn't make sense, she couldn't figure it out.
"Aunt Conna, can you call my guards over! I need to go back immediately!" Draudillon said. Aunt Conna nodded and left, leaving Draudillon alone in the room again.
Draudillon raised the hand that Clementine had just held, feeling somewhat at a loss. Perhaps… she really had just come to help her.
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