Yes, this is the terror of Ainz Ooal Gown; the Empire has already lost.
And it lost terribly. The moment he listened to Fulda's advice and dispatched Black Workers to that demon's den, he had already lost.
Everything was within Ainz Ooal Gown's plan. Even though he had seen through his plan, he couldn't resist or stop it. He could only watch the Empire, like a butterfly caught in a spiderweb, struggle in vain.
Now, the only chance of victory lies in the upcoming battle on the Katz Plains against the Kingdom, to let Ainz Ooal Gown display his terrifying power before the world. Only then can it draw the attention of other nations.
Only then can his previously conceived plan for an Anti-Ainz Ooal Gown Alliance be implemented! If all else fails, there's still Princess Elizabeth as a trump card.
Underneath this trump card, there's also an Adventurer who closely resembles her, serving as insurance. Now, all he can do is wait.
"Your Majesty..." Looking at Jierunifu's worried expression, the adjutant didn't know what to say.
"It's fine, we still have a chance to win, as long as we wait for... Huh?" Jierunifu suddenly felt a sense of incongruity. Let him organize his thoughts first.
The drought that the Empire began experiencing several months ago was caused by Ainz Ooal Gown.
Then came the invasion of the Theocracy around the Kingdom, the assassination of the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, Ainz Ooal Gown's initial appearance, followed by the traitor Fulda advising him to send Black Workers to invade Nazarick.
Next was the visit to apologize, bringing back Princess Elizabeth. This means that several months ago, Ainz Ooal Gown had already planned everything.
He had even foreseen that, several months later, his daughter would make such an absurd request in the great hall of Nazarick.
Of course, there's also the possibility of collusion, but based on his observations and tests of Princess Elizabeth during this time, she hasn't inherited her father's wisdom, so that can largely be ruled out.
So, that means that several months ago, Ainz Ooal Gown had already arranged everything. He hadn't quite understood why he would send his precious daughter to the Empire, and with only two maids at that.
Through the attack incident and this rain-praying incident, he basically understood. It was to establish Nazarick's image in the hearts of the Empire's people.
However, this brings up a new contradiction: Princess Elizabeth's two undead pets.
Princess Elizabeth is quite fond of them. If he hadn't begged her, she would have wanted to take those two terrifying creatures out for a walk.
Elizabeth clearly wants to show off her pets. As mentioned before... Ainz Ooal Gown understands his daughter's nature very well, otherwise he wouldn't have designed such a scheme months ago.
Moreover, this Princess, who is supposed to build a positive reputation for Nazarick, actually wants to stroll down the street with feared undead monsters. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?
Ainz Ooal Gown, who arranges everything so clearly, couldn't possibly not have thought that his daughter would do this. So, why did he still arrange for his daughter to come? What was the intention behind this?
"Your Majesty?" Seeing Jierunifu fall into contemplation mid-sentence, the adjutant cautiously asked.
Jierunifu didn't respond, still thinking about Ainz Ooal Gown's intention in doing this.
Clearly, these two events happening together are contradictory. No matter how much Princess Elizabeth tries to build Nazarick's reputation, taking even one undead monster capable of destroying the Empire for a stroll would instantly plummet Nazarick's reputation.
While it's true that the Imperial Royal Family's reputation would also fall, the people of the Empire, who deeply believe in the Church's doctrines, would certainly not believe that someone walking with undead monsters would be a good person?!
Ainz Ooal Gown doing this would be completely meaningless, but... he would never do something meaningless. It's just that he hasn't seen through his plan. Why would Ainz Ooal Gown act in such a contradictory manner? On one hand, he's building Nazarick's reputation, and on the other, he's doing something self-destructive that ruins his image. This is truly abnormal.
"It seems our Emperor has thought of some extraordinary way to win again. Don't disturb him," Bajed said with a smile. He trusted Jierunifu greatly. If it were anyone else, they would probably have already knelt before Ainz Ooal Gown and declared their allegiance and vassalage!
Just as Bajed finished speaking, Jierunifu's face instantly turned pale. This was completely different from Jierunifu's expression just now. It wasn't the previous worry, nor was it unwilling anger, but despair.
"After... after we go back, contact... contact Rone... and have him... have him propose to Ainz Ooal Gown that the Empire... the Empire wishes to become a vassal state of Nazarick..." Jierunifu said with difficulty, biting his lip.
"Your Majesty! Are you mad?!" Bajed was stunned. What was happening? He was fine just a moment ago, how did he do a complete 180-degree turn so suddenly?!
"This is the only way to preserve the Empire!" Jierunifu roared. Now, Jierunifu looked like a helpless child.
"Your Majesty... please calm down. What exactly happened?" Bajed asked.
"I can't win! I couldn't win from the start! No matter how much I struggle, it's useless!" Jierunifu ignored Bajed, instead clutching his head with both hands, pulling hard at his golden hair.
Bajed and the adjutant didn't know what to say upon seeing Jierunifu in this state. Suddenly talking about becoming a vassal state of Nazarick, this was completely unlike the style of the man known as Blood Emperor Jierunifu!
Jierunifu remained silent for a long time, holding his head, then finally looked up and let out a long sigh.
"This is the only way. Now, all we can do is pray that Ainz Ooal Gown will treat our citizens kindly," Jierunifu said in a despondent tone, as if he had given up everything.
"Your Majesty... what happened?" Bajed asked again, seeing Jierunifu recover.
"I can't defeat that monster... From the very beginning, everything was under his control. The drought, Fulda's betrayal, Princess Elizabeth's matter, the Anti-Nazarick Alliance matter—everything, absolutely everything, is under Ainz Ooal Gown's control. Bajed, you were right, Ainz Ooal Gown is not an opponent that humans can defeat," Jierunifu said very frankly.
"The alliance matter? You mean our planned Anti-Nazarick Alliance was also within that monster's expectations?!" Bajed was also stunned.
Jierunifu didn't reply, only nodded helplessly.
"This... this..." Bajed finally understood why Jierunifu was so desperate. The Anti-Ainz Ooal Gown Alliance was just a plan, and the very first step hadn't even been taken, yet it was already within the opponent's expectations. How could one possibly win against such an opponent?!
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