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Volume 7 Chapter 3 Part 7

「A Lord would willingly do something like that? 」

Edochia was surprised.

「He is said to be the head of the Rossini family, the former Lords of Sistina, and his name is Juzel Rossini. In order to suppress the rebellion of the people of their territory, it was important for them to not only use force, but also to make them mistrust each other and rob them of their hope. They say they come from a family that was good at crowd control. 」

「There are many different types of Lords in the world, it seems. 」

Edochia said this with great enthusiasm, but the person in question is also said to be a very special Lord.

「If all goes well, he’ll be able to bring the slave soldiers to our side. 」

「Can something like that really be done though? 」

Edochia looks at Laura with suspicion.

「When the slave revolt first broke out in Stark, it was relatively small in scale, but thanks to Lord Juzel’s instigation, things are now on the verge of breaking out into something much bigger. I’m sure that the slave soldiers also know that as well. That’s why he’s probably going to monitor the situation closely and respond accordingly to how things are going to develop. 」

It was a plan he had devised after consulting it with Siluca.

「Is that all we need to secure victory for ourselves? 」

「If they side with us, then I’m sure we’ll be able to win. 」

Laura responds with a confident smile.
「Haman is a small country. If Lord Juzel fails in his mission, I don’t think we’ll be able to win against all the slave soldiers. 」

「I know. However, during the course of the battle, a fleet of ships will pass offshore to liberate Dartania from Milza’s grasp with the support of the Earl of Sistina. They won’t cooperate with us, but just seeing that fleet should be enough to make our enemies feel upset. 」

「The Earl of Sistina again? Does he really think that he’ll be able to defeat Milza in combat while simultaneously liberating both Stark and Dartania? Just who does he think he is? 」

「He is praised as a hero among the people all over the continent, and that reputation had to originate somewhere. 」

Laura had never imagined that a simple wandering Lord whom Vilar Constance picked up as his vassal on a whim would go on to become an Earl od Sistina and go on to become such an important figure in such a short time.

「He didn’t look like much to me, but maybe he’s actually going to turn out to be surprisingly trustworthy? 」

Edochia said with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

It would seem that she suddenly took interest in Theo as a member of an opposite sex. However, Theo Cornero is officially on a really good terms with Siluca Meletes. They’d need to ask them about it some more to know how it really is between them, but for the time being there wasn’t any good opportunity for them to do so.

「We would like to follow the Earl of Sistina’s example and ask the people of our territory to cooperate with us. They also know that Lady Edochia already emptied the national treasury in order to protect the people from plundering of the Nords, so they should understand it. 」

「They only see me as a pathetic Lord who cannot only do anything more than that. Even my subordinate Lords and soldiers have probably given up on me already. 」

Edochia sighed.

「That’s not true. Lady Edochia’s free-spiritedness is admired by everyone. If Lady Edochia decides to make a move, Haman will unite and fight against the Norse people who have landed on our shores without a moment of hesitation! 」

「You think so? Because I wonder about that. 」

Edochia said, putting her finger to her lips.

「Of course! 」

Laura nodded vigorously.

「In order to make that more certain, would it be possible for you to take those expensive clothes of yours off, Lady Edochia? 」

「No, I don’t like this! That’s absolutely out of the question! It’s the first dress that my first lover, Sorus, gave me! 」

Edochia screamed and hid her ample breasts with her arms as if to stop Laura from taking her clothes off of her.

「I have no intention of selling it anywhere. Haman’s subordinate Lords and soldiers are gathered in the courtyard of the royal castle, so if you take those expensive clothes of yours off in front of them, you’ll once again demonstrate that the wealth of this country has truly been depleted, and that the only things left to sell are the country itself and its people. It should make the people realize that they have no choice but to fight to protect their homeland now. 」

「You want me to be naked in public? In front of all my subjects?! 」

「Didn’t you know that once all the money for tribute to the Nords runs out, you’re going to be essentially left naked, Lady Edochia? If there was ever time for you to act, that time is now. Your body is still very attractive, so the sight of it will definitely inspire your subordinate monarchs, the soldiers, and the people of your country to take up arms for you. 」

This is a strange plan that only Edochia, known as the Immoral Queen, could possibly pull off.

However, Laura was certain that her display would succeed, and there was no other way to protect Haman anymore.

「I understand… 」

Edochia muttered with a sigh.
「If that’s enough to protect Haman, then it’s a cheap price to ask. 」

「I-I’ll accompany you too, of course. 」

Laura said as her face turned red.

「You will? 」

「If I was wearing clothes while you’re not, we wouldn’t be able to ask the subordinate Lords and soldiers to fight for you because they wouldn’t take us seriously. 」

And they won’t be able to defeat the Nords unless they throw away their reason and fight with everything on the line.

And so, Queen Edochia and Laura then appeared in front of Haman’s Lords and soldiers who were lined up in the courtyard of the castle without any of their clothes on. Although the subordinate Lords and soldiers were surprised at first, they remembered he queen even brought a bathtub into the throne room to listened to petitions of the people while taking a bath.

「I have given everything I had to the Norse people. The treasury is empty and I no longer have any assets to dispose of. And yet they still want to take away the land of Haman from the people of this country. That is something that I cannot give them. I cannot allow them to turn Haman into a colony like Stark, where my people would be enslaved. In order to prevent that outcome, I am willing to sacrifice the only thing that I have left, which is my life. 」

In a speech drawn up by Laura, the queen made her emotional appeal, and her subordinate Lords and their soldiers responded by raising their weapons and shields while cheering. Then, they quickly stripped naked, put on only their armor, and grabbed their weapon and shield, ready for battle

「Now then, let us march together! 」

The Queen rode naked in her two-horse chariot, and Laura stood next to her. Then she took place at the head of the column of soldiers and departed from the castle. Her subordinate Lords and soldiers followed closely after her.

The people living in the castle town widened their eyes at the sight of the strange march, wondering what was going on. However, when Laura told them that the Norse people were going to attack Haman to conquer it, the expressions on their faces changed momentarily, because they knew very well what the Norse people have done in Stark.

The city was filled with voices of support for the queen, and people began to appear one after another, picking up objects that could be used as weapons and following after the formation of soldiers. Filled with strange excitement, the army of the Immoral Queen set out for the coast where the Nords were going to be landing.

* * *
Ulrica, daughter of the Ocean King Eric could not believe her own eyes when she saw two naked women riding in their chariot at the front of the Haman’s army. It was not only because of the strangeness of her army, but also because it was larger than she expected. She thought that at best Haman could muster no more than 2000 soldiers, but there were at least 4000 of them.