To be honest, Esdeath held a rather low opinion of this world. The number of strong individuals here was too few and noticeably, there were more powerful women.
The strong men were either rigid or disliked, like General Budo or the kind even someone like her found despicable, leaving her dissatisfied. Looking at the entire world, the only one who seemed a decent opponent was the leader of the Black Dog Mercenary Group, whom Ryuji had killed.
But as luck would have it, that opponent was instantly killed by Ryuji with a space-time slash. She didn't even have a chance to intervene, which really annoyed her.
As for the other female strong individuals in this world, Esdeath looked down upon them even more. Their fighting will was quite weak; they tended to think about surrendering as soon as they were at a disadvantage. None had much backbone.
Especially their clothing. That shrine maiden Kaguya earlier practically wore underwear out in public. And the so-called half-dwarf before her was even more outrageous, going out with just a cloak and a tiny piece of cloth underneath.
If it weren't for the fact that this girl actually had something called 'magic' and that piece of cloth really didn't fall off during movement, she would have genuinely wondered if these people dressed like this to make begging for mercy easier after defeat!
Compared to the women from the three fortresses she had conquered, the Dark Elf Queen she encountered earlier could even be considered principled and modest!
Honestly, if there were even somewhat reliable people here, she wouldn't have advanced so quickly and roughly to this point.
"Whatever, I can't be bothered with you. You're just my master's slave anyway"
Esdeath couldn't be bothered to say anything more. In her opinion, this world was just a bunch of trash. The fact that Ryuji didn't want to do it himself but sent her spoke volumes.
But she still felt that there might be some opponents worth her time here.
"So, only two fortresses left?"
Esdeath looked towards the distant Sixth and Seventh Fortresses with a bloodthirsty expression on her face.
She really wanted to test herself against the so-called goddess reincarnation now, but she wasn't planning to continue the march immediately.
However, thinking about how long she had been away from Ryuji made her miss him. And the thought that Ryuji must have slept with many women in her absence made her feel uneasy.
And in reality...
Ryuji was indeed favoring new women.
He had even forgotten about that Dark Elf Queen and was now focused on enjoying Roxanne's dairy products.
Esdeath's perception of Ryuji wasn't entirely incorrect. But just as Esdeath thought she would rest for a while longer before attacking the Sixth and Seventh Fortresses, planning to help Ryuji conquer the entire world in one go. But...
The Sixth and Seventh Fortresses surrendered.
Esdeath found this news hard for to accept. What happened to the battle? The life-and-death struggle?
Somewhat displeased, she received the first wave of envoys and finally understood what had happened.
An army of monsters she was unaware of attacked the Seventh Fortress. Under such circumstances, they stood no chance against Esdeath's forces, especially after Esdeath had defeated so many fortresses in one go.
So, they surrendered. But the condition was that they needed help resisting an invasion from another world. Upon hearing about the invasion from another world, Esdeath immediately thought of their mission. She instantly became alert, sent people to notify Ryuji and swiftly chose to engage in negotiations she hadn't initially planned.
After all, for Esdeath, the concept of 'surrender' didn't really exist.
The envoys sent to persuade Esdeath were none other than Revy and Chifuyu Orimura, who had previously fought the goblins.
Accompanying them were others, including the military commander of the Sixth and Seventh Fortresses: Claudia Levantine, a married woman.
However, Revy wasn't very enthusiastic about this surrender. So, as they walked, she couldn't help but turn to Chifuyu beside her.
Although Chifuyu's IS unit was nearly out of power, Chifuyu had been a Mondo Grosso champion in her world, a school teacher and had dealt with many powerful figures. So, Revy instinctively followed her lead.
But...
"Hey… do you think this peace negotiation is actually reliable?"
Revy whispered. In her opinion, the people in this world all had a few screws loose. The women here dressed like they were wearing lingerie... fine, different world, different culture.
But talking about surrender at a time like this? That was absurd.
Sure, they weren't treated as criminals because of that so-called goddess and instead became honored guests.
But honestly, the other party's condition 'spare no effort to secure this peace talk' made Revy really worried that someone in these two fortresses might suddenly turn on them, capture the so-called goddess and then kill them.
Because she had heard that the man named Ryuji didn't treat nobles well. In fact, it could be called brutal.
Although Revy thought this was a good thing, the problem was that the two of them, at the invitation of that goddess waring a sexy lingerie like she was trying to seduce someone, had become knights of this country!
Chifuyu was also helpless, but there was nothing she could do. She had fought like a maniac yesterday and was ready to have Revy stir up some trouble when seeking reinforcements, then both make a run for it.
But they didn't expect the goddess followed by these two fortresses to issue a divine decree, ordering the authorities to help them invited them for an audience.
After that meeting, Chifuyu hadn't felt anything particularly "divine" about the woman, just that her ideals were quite good.
So, when she heard this so-called goddess issue a divine decree, she thought they would not get involved. But she never expected this goddess to directly appoint them as diplomatic envoys for the peace talks.
Although it was clear the so-called goddess hadn't thought it through much, the reason for sending them was that they were firsthand witnesses and could convince the generals here that the invasion from another world was a serious matter.
But Chifuyu didn't believe that a whimsical command from a so-called goddess could truly make two fortress countries surrender territory so easily.
Although in her view, these two countries were only at the city-state kingdom level, not even as big as Japan. Driving a car, you could cross three or four of the seven countries in a day. But the problem was that's just how countries were in this world! There would inevitably be politics and the associated filth.
However, she wasn't completely without confidence. After all, this so-called Seven Shields Alliance was practically a paper tiger. In less than two days, three fortresses had already fallen. Including the ones taken before, surrender was the smartest move they could make.
So, although she was also somewhat worried, overall she wasn't too afraid of someone suddenly causing trouble.
After all, even a fool should understand who is an enemy they absolutely could not provoke.
"There's no other way. At that time, we couldn't really say anything else. And if we don't rely on this world's official forces, how can we solve that problem? Should we rely on the parasites of the Sixth and Seventh Fortresses instead of this newly established powerful nation?"
Chifuyu sighed. She was also helpless without the right resources. If only her IS unit had any method of rapid energy recharge, she wouldn't be wearing these gymnast-like clothes all day, letting the IS absorb that feeble solar energy and avoiding energy loss from repeatedly deploying the IS.
"You're right about that..."
Revy also sighed softly. She knew Chifuyu's point was valid. The two of them truly couldn't fight those seemingly endless goblins. Without relying on the local forces of this world, there really wasn't a good solution.
Moreover, she understood the unspoken message in Chifuyu's words.
That the Sixth and Seventh Fortresses simply didn't have the qualification to raise a rebellion against Esdeath.
"Good that you understand."
Chifuyu sighed and stopped whispering with Revy. She put on a cloak and looked at Claudia.
This married military commander clearly understood their concerns, so she deliberately gave them some space for private conversation.
Now that Revy had no objections, Chifuyu intended to meet Esdeath together with Claudia.
"It seems you've reached an agreement?"
Claudia looked at Chifuyu and asked in a gentle tone.
Unlike her husband's father, who thought Chifuyu and Revy were just two insignificant women unworthy of the goddess's favor.
Claudia felt that Chifuyu and Revy, being able to save those women from so many monsters must be remarkable knights with considerable virtue.
Especially Chifuyu. Her dignified aura, calm and steady character made Claudia want to get close to her.
Revy, on the other hand, reminded Claudia of those mercenaries accustomed to freedom, so she didn't value her much. And she could clearly see that within their small duo, Chifuyu was the one truly in charge.
"Yes. It's just that we don't know what conditions General Esdeath, who annihilated three Fortresses in two days without causing major chaos, will demand."
Chifuyu didn't have much hope for these negotiations, but talks were still necessary. Knowing the general situation was better than knowing nothing. And the worst-case scenario was just her escaping with Claudia and Revy.
At that time, relying on Claudia's reputation and the military strength of the Sixth and Seventh Fortresses, they could at least ensure most people wouldn't be captured by those suddenly appearing goblin monsters.
She had that much confidence.
Claudia also sighed.
It was precisely because this negotiation was almost certain to fail, the goddess asked this lady, who looked like a wandering knight, to help her.
"Yes..."
Claudia felt a little melancholy. As the saying goes: what you cannot win on the battlefield, you certainly won't obtain at the negotiation table either.
That female general named Esdeath definitely wouldn't easily accept our surrender.
"But at least she's a female general. If it were a male general, then probably..."
Looking at her own body, Claudia sighed.
They all knew what Ryuji did to nobles. She was well aware of what her fate would likely be, she only regretted failing to give her husband a son.
Even though every medical examination said she was perfectly healthy…
Claudia couldn't help but fall into distress. And thinking about how her husband's father was upset because her husband couldn't make her pregnant and how he had been looking at her strangely lately, made her even more melancholic.
After informing Esdeath's subordinates that their group was ready, Claudia led Chifuyu and Revy into the hall where Esdeath was.
This place should have been the palace of the half-dwarves, but now Esdeath had requestioned it as a temporary command center.
The moment she stepped into the palace, Claudia's heart sank because she saw what she least wanted to see.
The half-dwarf leader Lulu and Kaguya, the leader of the shrine maiden kingdom were now kneeling before the throne. Dog collars were around their necks, and thick chains were held by a woman with ice-blue hair, exuding a cold aura, sitting on the throne.
And the words she spoke were the last Claudia wanted to hear.
"The envoys are quite attractive. Perfect. Since you're here, you'll become my master's sex slaves... After all, you came to surrender, right?"
Esdeath sized up the three women, especially Chifuyu and Revy. She didn't care much about their clothes. Although Revy and Chifuyu's attire was indeed strange in this world but it could even be considered conservative by this world's standards.
Even Chifuyu, who showed the most skin, only revealed her legs.
As for appearance and figure, all three women were quite good.
"I am not here to offer as a gift of surrender. We came to explain matters regarding the monsters invading from another world."
As she spoke, Chifuyu wanted to take out her phone to explain to Esdeath.
However Esdeath, looking at Chifuyu, who showed no sign of bowing and Revy beside her acting similarly, couldn't help but show a smile.
Because the moment this black-haired woman entered, she sensed a dangerous aura.
"It seems you intend to defy me? That is not how surrender works."
Esdeath casually extended her hand, and a ice-blue military sword formed in her hand.
"Surrender means handing everything over for the victor to decide!"
Cold air emanated from her body. She couldn't suppress the urge to fight surging towards Chifuyu. Because the moment she saw Chifuyu, she knew this woman would never surrender.
"This is troublesome."
Seeing Esdeath ready to attack at any moment, Chifuyu didn't hesitate. She raised her arm, summoned her IS and the moment it manifested, blocked Esdeath's sudden attack!
~~~~~~~~~~
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