Chapter 563: The Empire Reduced to a Vassal Kingdom

“The King of the Subhuman Kingdom…”

Upon hearing Shengzai’s words, Gilknifer clearly froze for a moment.

He was about to blurt out that subhumans had no nation and no king at all, but then he remembered what he had seen and heard in the Holy Kingdom.

The Holy Princess had fallen for the man before her precisely because he had resolved the Holy Kingdom’s long-standing threat—and even became its hero because of it.

Gilknifer had heard rumors in the Holy Kingdom about how Shengzai dealt with the subhuman issue.

But the folk legends and stories were too absurd, so at the time Gilknifer had merely listened without taking them seriously.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for him to investigate Shengzai’s dealings with the subhumans if he’d put in the effort.

But having been rejected by the Holy Kingdom, he clearly had no leisure to care about such matters.

Moreover, if not for Shengzai’s interference, the Empire might never have sunk to its current desperate state.

“Your Majesty, who has already visited the Holy Kingdom, should know that I did something there.”

For certain special reasons, the subhumans I took in have independently established a nation and all recognize me as their king.”

Though the total population of the Holy En Subhuman Kingdom is nowhere near the scale of a kingdom or empire, it still numbers nearly a million.

If organized into an army, it could muster roughly three hundred thousand troops. And I guarantee that the subhuman army’s combat power exceeds that of both the Empire and the Kingdom.”

“So with such power at my disposal, surely it is not unreasonable for me to demand a seat at your ‘Council of Nations’?”

After Shengzai finished speaking, both Gilknifer and Bajude were stunned silent.

After a brief pause, Gilknifer looked at Shengzai with a complex expression: “Why are you helping our Bahas Empire so much?”

The Kingdom and the Empire have long been rivals; though Gilknifer had spoken with righteous fervor when seeking aid.

But he himself knew well that if the Kingdom’s king were still Ramboza III, the man might not have been swayed by his words.

“Reason? Naturally, because I know better than any of you just how powerful and dangerous the Magic Kingdom’s people truly are.”

The principle of ‘when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold’ is understood by anyone with even a modicum of foresight.”

“And I’m not helping the Bahas Empire out of kindness—I intend to be compensated. So, Your Majesty, are you prepared to bleed heavily?”

Hearing Shengzai’s words, Gilknifer did not grow angry; instead, he was overjoyed.

If Shengzai truly could bring three hundred thousand subhuman troops into battle, it would be an immense boon.

And once Shengzai joined the war, the Holy Kingdom, per their prior agreement, would also enter the conflict.

With the Holy Kingdom guaranteeing its participation, the Church Nation could no longer stand idly by.

In short, Shengzai’s personal will alone now determined whether the Coalition of Nations against the Magic Kingdom could even form.

Faced with Ainz Ooal Gown and those powerful undead summoned forth, Gilknifer could think of no way to defeat them head-on.

The only strategy he could conceive was to overwhelm the undead army with sheer numbers.

But that strategy was impossible for the Empire alone—yet if combined with the Subhuman Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom, and the Church Nation, victory would no longer be entirely out of reach.

Compared to the Empire’s annihilation and the hundreds of thousands of humans here becoming playthings and food for monsters, even if Shengzai demanded he bleed heavily, Gilknifer felt it was all worth it.

At the same time, Gilknifer could not help but admire Shengzai’s wisdom and foresight—it was truly awe-inspiring.

For no matter the outcome of this war, the Kingdom would inevitably emerge as the greatest winner.

Would the deaths of countless subhumans harm the Kingdom even a little?

Obviously not. And if the Magic Kingdom won, the Bahas Empire would be destroyed, and both the Church Nation and the Holy Kingdom would be grievously weakened—but the Kingdom itself would remain untouched.

What if our Coalition won?

Though the subhumans fought, the real beneficiaries would be the Kingdom.”

The Kingdom’s Third Prince subdued the subhumans, granted favors to the Holy Kingdom, and maneuvered the surrounding nations—all to secure a guaranteed victory for the Kingdom.”

“Then, Prince Shengzai, what price must the Empire pay to secure this Coalition of Nations?”

Though he had braced himself for an exorbitant demand, the Bahas Empire now had no choice left.

“I demand that the Bahas Empire change its name to the Bahas Duchy, accept the title of Duke from the Kingdom, and henceforth pledge fealty to the Kingdom.”

“Of course, the Empire’s internal governance and laws remain under Your Majesty’s sole discretion.”

Upon hearing Shengzai’s terms, Gilknifer said nothing, but Bajude beside him turned furious—yet just as he opened his mouth to protest, Gilknifer raised a hand to stop him.

“Ha. Changing to a Duchy, accepting the Kingdom’s ducal title—it’s merely a disguised form of becoming a vassal state.”

“Yet even this condition is far better than what I originally expected.”

“Then I, Gilknifer Luernfalrod El, Emperor of the Empire, swear to you: if the Coalition of Nations truly succeeds in repelling the Magic Kingdom, I shall accept all the conditions you have just proposed!”

“Your Majesty, his demands are too…!”

Though the Kingdom and the Empire had once been a single human great power before the War of the Demon Gods, they had been divided for so long that for Bajude, a knight of the Empire, the notion of submitting to the Kingdom in this manner was deeply bitter.

“Say no more. This is the only way left to save our people.”

“Compared to becoming a paradise for monsters, submitting to the Kingdom at least preserves our dignity as humans—and we retain autonomy. This condition exceeds my wildest hopes.”

“Though I am unwilling, such is the nature of statecraft between nations.”

“War is not merely fought with swords and spears—political maneuvering can just as easily determine a nation’s fate.”

“The Third Prince of the Kingdom’s strategy and planning surpass mine. Since I have lost this political game, I must accept the consequences.”

Hearing Gilknifer’s assessment of him, Shengzai wanted to say he hadn’t thought that deeply at all.

If pressed, he himself didn’t even know why things had turned out this way.

But remembering that in this world, anyone with even a modicum of intelligence tended to suffer from overthinking, Shengzai decided not to bother explaining.

If they all thought he was brilliant, let them believe it.

He never wanted to show off—but they forced him to. What could he do?

(End of Chapter)