"Morin Petz, are those Undead alright?"
Draudillon slumped on her throne, looking exhausted. In truth, this past month had been the most relaxed period for Draudillon in a long time.
She no longer had to receive those inexplicable Adventurers, nor did she have to imitate a young girl's handwriting to write Letter of Condolence (consolation letters) to the front lines.
After all, the threat from the Beast Kingdom had been lifted, and post-war reconstruction was proceeding in an orderly fashion, almost entirely carried out by Morin Petz.
Logically, Draudillon, who had always been annoyed by state affairs, should have been happy. However, ever since Draudillon handed the alliance request letter she personally wrote to Morin Petz, she had been in this listless state.
"So far, there haven't been any problems, Your Majesty," Morin Petz replied, looking at the constantly sullen Queen. He clearly understood the reason.
"Are you regretting it, Your Majesty?" Morin Petz asked. There were no outsiders in the reception hall now, so it was time to properly counsel his Queen.
"I don't know… Morin Petz, did I just sell the Dragon Kingdom to the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom?" Draudillon said with a pained expression.
"Draudillon…" Conna looked like she wanted to speak but hesitated. She had intended to comfort her, but the words got stuck in her throat.
"I don't believe Your Majesty's choice means selling the Dragon Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom. We are merely allied with them. Why would Your Majesty think such a thing?" Morin Petz asked. Clearly, he was asking knowingly.
"Allied with a country like that, and even renting so many Undead laborers… the people must hate me, right?" Draudillon replied.
"While the common people were indeed very averse to the Undead at first, over time, once they understood that the Undead were harmless, other cities have already suggested renting more Undead to help them with their work." Morin Petz seemed prepared, walking over to pick up a thick stack of documents and handing them to Draudillon.
"Eh? Why is that?" Draudillon was a bit confused. She took the opened and read documents, quickly scanning their contents. A large portion consisted of applications from cities not previously affected by the Beast Kingdom's invasion, requesting to rent Undead laborers. This greatly puzzled Draudillon. She remembered very clearly the fearful and disdainful looks of the onlookers when she personally went to greet the Dark Elf envoy from the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom who brought the Undead, as well as the various unpleasant rumors that followed… Everyone believed she had sold the Dragon Kingdom to that incredibly evil country.
After all, after the battle on the Katz Plains, the news that the Yestijia Kingdom's army was largely annihilated by a single spell from Ainz Ooal Gown immediately spread throughout the Central Continent.
Some even called that country the 'Demon Lord's Country.' Draudillon only learned this news after the Beast Kingdom's invasion crisis was resolved. But what good was knowing then? At that point, Draudillon had no retreat.
"It's probably because they're envious of the Undead laborers' 'performance,' after all, Your Majesty only allocated those Undead laborers to cities previously attacked by the Beast Kingdom to assist with reconstruction and other labor. Those who didn't receive any naturally became jealous," Morin Petz said.
"What is this?! They were so averse at first! Besides! The number of Undead laborers in my country now already exceeds the number of soldiers! Do they have no sense of crisis at all?!" Draudillon roared.
"Your Majesty, they don't know that. Those humans only see profit. To put it plainly… as long as you can give them enough profit and a stable living environment, they don't care if their ruler is Your Majesty or some creature that isn't even alive. So you don't need to blame yourself for those people," Morin Petz stated bluntly, without any reservation.
"…" Draudillon again briefly scanned the requests from the two cities with the highest demand for Undead laborers, her expression very subtle.
Because those two cities could be said to be the lifeblood of the Dragon Kingdom. Almost eighty percent of the Dragon Kingdom's treasury income came from there. Those two cities were mining cities, producing rare metal ores found only in the Dragon Kingdom.
A portion of the funds offered to the Slane Theocracy annually was directly offset by the ores produced in those two cities.
Ever since the Beast Kingdom began its large-scale invasion of the Dragon Kingdom, mineral extraction in those two cities had almost come to a standstill.
Although the war did not reach those two cities, the primary workforce was diverted to the battlefield. Now that the Beast Kingdom's invasion was over, nearly forty percent fewer personnel could return to their original work positions. Although mining had resumed, production efficiency was far less than before.
"What are your thoughts?" Morin Petz asked, looking at the silent Draudillon.
"Should we reallocate some from those six cities to them?" Draudillon tentatively asked. Draudillon also clearly understood the importance of those two cities to the Dragon Kingdom, but at the same time, she knew… if Undead laborers were used for mineral extraction in those two cities, those tireless Undead, who required no food or water, could bring immense benefits to the Dragon Kingdom.
Post-war reconstruction now required funds everywhere, so Draudillon could understand why the chief executives of those two cities would make this request.
However… if Undead laborers were to handle mineral extraction, it would also mean… the lifeblood of the Dragon Kingdom would be firmly held in the hands of the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom.
"That's also an option, but the number we can extract is probably far from sufficient for their needs. After all, post-war reconstruction in those few cities also requires a lot of manpower, and the labor in some surrounding villages is almost entirely using those Undead laborers now. It might be difficult to transfer some from those places," Morin Petz replied.
"Then? What should we do…" Draudillon hesitated for a long time, unable to make a decision. After making the decision to ally with the Magic Kingdom last time, Draudillon now needed a very long time to consider any matter requiring her decision.
"Your Majesty, how about this?" Morin Petz took out what looked like a draft from his pocket and handed it over.
Draudillon took it, unfolded it, and her face grew even paler.
"Morin Petz! Are you suggesting we rent even more Undead from the Magic Kingdom?!" Draudillon clutched the draft of the rental request that Morin Petz handed over, completely bewildered by his actions.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I believe this is the most beneficial method for the Dragon Kingdom." Morin Petz answered calmly, facing his Queen's slightly reproachful inquiry.
"But if we do this…" Draudillon hadn't finished speaking when Morin Petz cut her off and continued.
"There's nothing to worry about, Your Majesty… We are not the only ones allied with the Magic Kingdom. Furthermore, this proposal was made by me, Morin Petz, so I will be the one to carry out this matter. Therefore, the one selling out the Dragon Kingdom is only me, Morin Petz, and it has nothing to do with Your Majesty," Morin Petz said.
"…" Draudillon silently looked back at the draft Morin Petz wrote, re-reading it carefully. It detailed various rental quantities, rental amounts, and a series of other specific terms.
"Morin Petz, thank you. But can we afford this amount right now?" Draudillon had nothing else to say but thanks.
"This is what I should do, Your Majesty, no need to thank me. As for the money, our current treasury naturally cannot afford this sum, but we have goods that can offset this amount," Morin Petz said.
"Ores, then…" Draudillon understood his meaning.
"There's one more thing: the backlash after doing this will absolutely require Your Majesty to step forward," Morin Petz said.
"Backlash?" Draudillon was a bit confused.
"Yes, I have already received reports from the cities that received the Undead laborers. Without exception, all the church personnel in those cities have withdrawn," Morin Petz continued.
"Wha—What?!" Draudillon suddenly became anxious. This should have been thought of long ago! But she had been too focused on the alliance and had forgotten about this! Renting Undead… this was clearly going against the church, which was hostile to the Undead. It would be strange if they didn't withdraw. Without the church, what about the people's medical care?! This was bound to cause problems sooner or later!
"Currently, I've temporarily arranged for Adventurers who can cast healing magic to assist with the medical issues of the common people in those cities, but this is not a long-term solution. Moreover, if Undead are used in those two mining cities this time, the churches in those two cities will also directly cease operations. At that time, we can only rely on Your Majesty to request Adventurers from other places to come and help," Morin Petz said.
"Alright… alright, I will step forward then." Draudillon knew that those two mining cities were important cities for the Dragon Kingdom, so the guards and such were all regular Dragon Kingdom troops. Therefore, there was no Adventurer's Guild there, and they could only be transferred from other places.
Just then, Morin Petz's subordinate rushed in with a panicked expression, without even greeting them, and nervously whispered something in Morin Petz's ear. Morin Petz's brows furrowed, and seeing his expression, Draudillon no longer had the heart to blame the rude subordinate.
"What happened again?! Morin Petz?" Draudillon asked.
"You may leave first. Remember, no matter how urgent the situation is next time, if Her Majesty is present, remember to greet her first," Morin Petz said to his subordinate.
"Ah! My apologies! I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I… I was too anxious." Morin Petz's subordinate immediately apologized. Draudillon was no longer in the mood to care about such things.
"Your Majesty, my subordinate was disrespectful just now. Also… the matter of the church withdrawing that I just mentioned has already been resolved. You won't need to step forward," Morin Petz said.
"Wh—Why is that?" Draudillon looked utterly baffled. How was it resolved so suddenly?
"The Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom seems to understand the predicament our country faces by renting Undead, so they came to provide after-sales service. What my subordinate just informed me was that the Magic Kingdom sent many Healers, saying they are here to help us overcome this difficulty," Morin Petz said with a strange expression.
"Huh?!" Draudillon gasped and stood up from her throne in surprise.
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