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Vol 05 Chapter 163: Return

I welcomed Roswald, who had arrived at our country’s checkpoint. It seems that everyone was safe and sound.

I could also see the figures of Ainz and the other council members.

「Welcome back, Roswald. Good work. …By the way, was there really no trouble?」

I asked Roswald, who had returned without a scratch.

In fact, I had summoned an army of about two thousand and had them stationed at the border.

This was to put pressure on the city-states, and also to be ready to send cavalry to aid Roswald’s group at any moment.

Well, considering diplomatic relations, they had orders to not make a move until we received a request for assistance from Roswald.

I was absolutely certain that there would be pursuers from Lezado and that some city-states would turn against us. But Roswald returned safely.

It’s not that I’m not happy about it. On the contrary, it’s a joyous thing.

However, it’s puzzling.

「There really was no trouble. Every city-state welcomed us. At first, we were prepared to camp out, but that wasn’t necessary at all…」

Roswald glanced back over his shoulder.

When I followed his gaze, the guards of each city-state saluted. Behind them were several wagons loaded with goods like wine, wheat, and live pigs.

Roswald had not only brought back the pro-Rosais council members but also souvenirs.

「First of all, let’s celebrate your safe return with a banquet. I’d like the soldiers from each city-state who kindly protected my subjects to join us as well.」

◇

The banquet turned into a grand celebration. The council members, who had safely arrived in King Rosais’ Country, seemed to have relaxed their tension, drinking copious amounts of alcohol and devouring food.

Roswald, Soyon, Alice, and the others were welcomed as heroes.

The guards from each city-state kept their focus on the distilled spirits. Distilled spirits are extremely expensive, and they usually can’t afford to drink them. Hearing that they could drink as much as they wanted for free, they were desperately drinking all they could.

I’ll make sure to send them off with some souvenirs later.

「Ainz, are you enjoying yourself?」

「Yes, thank you. Not only did you help us, but you’ve also arranged this wonderful banquet…」

「Well, well, we help each other in times of need. Drink up.」

I poured some alcohol into Ainz’s cup. Ainz reverently accepted it and poured it down his throat.

Good drinking form.

「Now, sorry to bring this up in the middle of the festivities… but I need to know about the situation in Lezado, and why no pursuers came from there.」

Ainz tightened his expression, which had relaxed with the alcohol.

「We were imprisoned, so I can’t say for sure. But I can imagine what’s happening. They’re probably in a state of mutual suspicion among themselves.」

Mutual suspicion?

「Yes. Up until now, there had never been a change of leadership in Lezado through the use of arms. But this time it happened. They’re probably afraid they might be the next target… So, the remaining councilors don’t want to send out their mercenaries. Also, the merchants in Lezado don’t know about Alice-san’s abilities. When trying to investigate how a spy infiltrated Lezado and escaped while protecting us and our families, it’s easier to believe that there was an insider who facilitated our escape rather than thinking that a superhuman did it all.」

I see. If they send out mercenaries in pursuit, their own safety could be jeopardized.

They’re more focused on hunting down a non-existent traitor within their ranks than on sending out a pursuit.

「Moreover, there’s a possibility that the overall public order in Lezado has deteriorated. We pro-Rosais councilors were the leading merchants in Lezado. Our absence will have a significant impact on Lezado’s economy. The situation was already dire with the war disrupting trade. Adding the fire incident to that…」

It seems the political situation in Lezado is even more chaotic than I thought. Well, I understand why Lezado didn’t send pursuers… or rather, couldn’t send them.

But why were the other city-states cooperative?

「Your Majesty, would you prefer to be friends with a family that gets along well or one that is constantly fighting? This incident has significantly damaged Lezado’s reputation. Seeing our disarray, it’s only natural that the city-states that were undecided between being pro-Rosais or anti-Rosais would make their decision.」

How fragile they are. Alliances and friendships.

Not too long ago, the Kirisian city-states of the southern region didn’t even look our way, or worse, mocked us as country bumpkins… And now, they are abandoning the once biggest player of the region, Lezado, and trying to curry favor with us.

This situation implies two things: First, it won’t be difficult to annex the southern city-states. Second, if our momentum starts to wane, these city-states will quickly switch allegiances.

This is going to be a pain.

Simply suppressing them with military power won’t work. On the other hand, if we keep showering them with favors, they’ll easily abandon us when it suits them.

Balancing the carrot and the stick is easier said than done… It’s hard to find the right balance.

To begin with, what should we use as the carrot, and what as the stick…

「Well, as long as you’re in this country, your safety is guaranteed. We’ll accommodate you as much as possible.」

「Thank you… Your Majesty.」

Ainz bowed his head to me.

◇

Meanwhile, at that time, Lezado’s parliament was in turmoil.

Due to the delayed response, they had committed the major blunder of allowing the pro-Rosais faction to escape. Furthermore, the small city-states began to lean towards King Rosais’ Country all at once.

The Southern City-States Alliance, centered around Lezado, was on the verge of collapse.

Before addressing the countermeasures to this unprecedented problem, they were debating over who was responsible.

「If we trace the root of the problem, it’s the chairman’s fault for leaving the gates poorly defended.」

「So you think it would have been better for Lezado to be reduced to ashes? Besides, I left sufficient forces. The breach happened because there was an inside collaborator!」

Of course, there was no inside collaborator. But that explanation was more convincing than the fact that Alice, a beastkin, had easily infiltrated by scaling the walls in the darkness.

However, what doesn’t exist doesn’t exist.

「I heard that you are distantly related to Ainz-dono, the pro-Rosais faction leader, is that correct?」

「What nonsense are you spouting… Let me ask you in return, is there anyone here who had no acquaintance with the pro-Rosais faction? No, right? Such a question is meaningless.」

Blame-shifting. Hunting for non-existent culprits. No solutions being discussed.

The Lezado Council had become a prime example of a corrupt oligarchy. The very system where the number of votes one could cast was determined by the amount of tax paid was problematic to begin with.

This was the fate of a nation completely immersed in greed.

「Damn it! How long are you going to keep arguing about the same thing!! Now is the time to come up with countermeasures!!」

One of the council members shouted.

The council members all looked down at once.

Everyone understood that this blame game was pointless. However…

「There’s a traitor among us. How can we discuss anything without resolving that issue first? We’re being eavesdropped on by King Almus!」

「That’s right. Finding the traitor is the top priority!」

「But who could it be…」

The endless, unproductive discussions started again.

Lezado finally implemented countermeasures two days later, exactly one week after the fire incident.

◇

「Pofenia seems better in comparison. Really…」

Alexios sighed.

Alexios had successfully narrowed down the escape routes of the attackers to two. However, he couldn’t pursue them.

The council didn’t grant permission.

To search outside of Lezado, he needed to cross the checkpoints of various countries. Of course, they wouldn’t easily allow an army through, and they couldn’t just leave the country on their own.

The cooperation of the Lezado Council was absolutely essential.

Naturally, Alexios sought approval from the council, but it was denied.

「Perhaps they’re suspecting me. After all, I fought alongside King Almus. He even tried to recruit me.」

「And we did betray our homeland once before.」

Melia shrugged her shoulders.

There was probably no one more suspicious in Lezado than Alexios.

It was understandable why they couldn’t give him permission.

「Still, you’d think they’d at least send one or two diplomatic notes, right? Like asking the checkpoints to be on alert or requesting the capture of the criminals who set the country on fire… Not being able to do even that is just too much.」

「Right now, anyone who steps out for a moment could be ousted…」

To act as a diplomatic envoy, one must at least be a council member. That’s the proper etiquette.

However, no one in the council could afford to leave now.

「But was Lezado always this bad? It seemed a bit better when we fled…」

「The big merchants were in charge back then. Also, King Rosais’ Country wasn’t as powerful as it is now. Everything went wrong when they imprisoned the key merchants who were central to Lezado’s governance.」

Now that the key merchants who managed Lezado’s politics were gone, there was no one left to take control.

In other words…

「If things continue like this, we’ll probably lose to King Rosais’ Country…」

「What should we do, Alexios?」

The question implied, ‘Should we flee the country again?’

「What should we do indeed? Abandoning two countries in a row is a little too much… but I can’t let you become a widow. For now, let’s lay low and be ready to escape if necessary.」

For Alexios, his family was the most important thing. Of course, he had a debt of gratitude to Lezado. However, that didn’t mean he was willing to risk his and his family’s lives.

「Where should we go next? King Rosais’ Country? Or maybe Nemes, Gehenna… The Rozel Kingdom might be a good idea too…」

The two began seriously considering another escape. Pofenians were not sentimental enough to cling to a sinking ship forever.