One of the strongest…

Before she crossed into this world, she had a vague sense that her power was among the strongest. But if she was one of the strongest, it meant there were others who were also among the strongest.

Could that guy named Ainz Ooal Gown be one of them? EeDeChi muttered to herself while stroking the giant sword in her hand.

In the opulent palace, the area where she stood was a charred wasteland, scattered with spell marks, flames, iron arrows, and ice shards.

This was the aftermath of the various offensive spells cast by the court mages earlier. The marble floor was scorched with blackened holes, yet she remained unscathed.

"Is this all the Empire's Four Knights can do?" Disappointment was evident in EeDeChi's black eyes. No wonder the Baharuth Empire had willingly become a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom—human strength was just too weak.

The three knights who had just attacked her with murderous intent now lay in the corners of the palace, their armor torn and groaning in pain.

These three had a fairly high Justice Value, so EeDeChi hadn't killed them, but they wouldn't be able to fight again anytime soon.

One of the knights, Baziwood, was pale, with a large dent in his high-quality adamantite armor. He tried to rise, bracing himself with his heavy sword, but ultimately ended up kneeling on one knee.

Ignoring him, EeDeChi swung her giant sword and approached the crumbling defense formation of the remaining guards. The guards, forming a fan-shaped perimeter around her, wobbled with their shields and long spears, their eyes filled with terror as their adamantite armor clattered as they retreated.

The emperor, Jircniv, who had been sitting casually on the throne, now stood up. His handsome face was now blank, and his voice trembled as he said, "Warrior, please spare them. If Lord Gown wants to take my life, he only needs to strike at me. Please don't harm my people and my subordinates."

"Your Majesty! Don't say that, we're just too weak to protect you…" Baziwood, one of the Empire's Four Knights, showed a face of reluctant resistance, struggling to stand.

EeDeChi stopped and turned around with a puzzled look, "Who is Lord Gown?"

Jircniv stared for a moment and said, "The unparalleled God of Destruction, the most powerful Magic Caster, the eternal emperor of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the writer of magical rules, the master of time and space, the king of the undead...…"

EeDeChi was taken aback, "So many people!"

Jircniv continued to recite with the air of an actor performing in an opera, "...the one who controls the world, the supreme ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the great and supreme—Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"Is it Lord Gown who sent you?" Jircniv asked cautiously. He had thought that such a powerful figure, who could easily defeat the Empire's Four Knights and toss him onto the throne, must have been sent by Ainz.

"Oh, you mean Ainz Ooal Gown. His name has such a long prefix," EeDeChi said, suddenly understanding.

What she didn't know was that this flattery had been crafted by the Baharuth Empire's Minister of Literature over three days, intended to butter up Ainz.

"I'm not sent by Ainz Ooal Gown. In fact, I've never even met him," EeDeChi waved her hand. "And, I need to deal with him."

"Deal with… Lord Gown?" Jircniv gasped, his voice tense. "What do you mean by 'deal with'?"

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"It means... if I can kill him, I'll kill him. If I can't, I'll at least change him into something else," EeDeChi explained, looking relaxed.

Jircniv took a couple of steps back and sat down again on his throne. He covered his face with his hands, his mind racing.

"But before dealing with him, I need to discuss something with you," EeDeChi walked up to the throne, staring at Jircniv.

Jircniv snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to meet EeDeChi's stern gaze. He forced a thin smile on his pale face.

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He ordered the trembling guards huddled in the palace, "Everyone out. Knights, go find the court priest to treat your wounds. No one is allowed in without my command!"

The guards and court mages picked up their weapons and helped the exhausted Empire's Four Knights out of the palace. The massive palace doors slowly closed, and the grand hall fell silent again, leaving only Emperor Jircniv and EeDeChi.

Sitting on his throne, Jircniv leaned forward slightly, adopting a humble posture. "Warrior, feel free to make any requests."

EeDeChi wasted no time and stated directly, "I want you to amend the laws to ban anyone under 18 from engaging in prostitution! Also, strengthen the oversight of the sex industry and conduct a crackdown on prostitution once a year."

"A crackdown on prostitution?" Jircniv looked confused. "Also, isn't the legal age 16?"

In most countries and tribes in this world, 16 or even 14 was considered the age of adulthood, as most boys and girls had to take on the responsibilities of supporting a family early.

EeDeChi widened her eyes and looked furious. "Are you arguing with me?"

"Ah… no," Jircniv, noticing the girl's displeased expression, quickly added, "I can amend the law to set 18 as the age of adulthood."

"Good, you're still reasonable," EeDeChi said, nodding in satisfaction.

"Is there anything else you need?" Emperor Jircniv asked cautiously.

EeDeChi fixed her gaze on Jircniv's head, where a number -52 floated above him, indicating the Emperor's Justice Value.

"Well… there's one more thing." EeDeChi reached into her bosom and pulled out a slender golden object—a pen. She pointed the pen at Emperor Jircniv's head. The pen's tip was sharp and thin, shimmering with a golden light.

"What is that? What are you going to do?" The Emperor's voice quivered with a hint of fear.

"This pen is called 'Modify.' It's my personal magical tool. I haven't used it in a long time," EeDeChi muttered to herself.

"It not only helps me cast the Magic Repeater but also has a major function: it can alter a person's Justice Value. This pen generates 2 points of Justice Value per day and can store up to 500 points. You can transfer the stored Justice Value to others. The effectiveness of the transfer depends on the recipient's strength—the weaker they are, the better the effect."

Jircniv looked at the sharp-tipped golden pen, the tip pointing directly at his forehead, less than 8 inches(20.32centimeters ) away, with a glimmering gold edge.

He suddenly felt a pang of fear and tried to get up from the throne.

EeDeChi firmly pressed his head down and said sternly, "Don't struggle, young man. As an emperor, your Justice Value is -52, which is way too low. I've managed to gather 132 points here. I'll transfer all of it to you."

"Relax,I am coming." She muttered some words, and the pen burst forth with a golden light that shot straight into Jircniv's forehead!

"Your Justice Value is now 79," EeDeChi said, watching the number above the emperor's head. "With the protection of imperial authority, it only used up 1 point. Not too bad."

Jircniv felt a warm flow swirling in his brain, but it soon settled. He nervously checked his body and found no missing parts or organs, and his mental state seemed normal. He let out a sigh of relief.

EeDeChi put away the pen, patted Jircniv on the shoulder with an encouraging tone, and said, "Do well, little brother. You're a competent emperor, and I have high hopes for you. Remember, don't employ undead with a Justice Value of -500 in the future; it will negatively affect your character in the long run."

"I… didn't employ… anyone like that…" Jircniv thought, feeling confused but reluctant to speak further.

The black-haired girl with a slightly mature demeanor strapped the giant sword back onto her back and walked out of the palace.

"Warrior, where are you going?" Jircniv asked in surprise. Was she storming into the imperial palace, capturing the emperor, injuring the Four Knights of the Empire, just to make him change the laws to prevent children and young adults from selling their bodies?

"I've got a lot on my plate. First, I need to find my subordinates, and then I'm off to find Ainz Ooal Gown and get him to hand over a girl," EeDeChi said without turning around. She kicked open the palace doors, took a few quick steps, and vanished into the palace.

Jircniv slumped back onto his throne, his tense nerves finally relaxing. He leaned on his elbows, deep in thought. After a while, he seemed to have an epiphany and smiled as he muttered to himself, "The heroes of today really are something else."

A messy-haired figure peeked cautiously around the palace doors. After confirming that the woman had left, the disheveled figure carefully stepped inside.

He took a long look at Jircniv on the throne and, seeing that the emperor was unharmed, sighed in relief.

Jircniv looked up to see Justin, the Empire's State Minister. He was one of the few senior ministers in the cabinet and had been Jircniv's tutor when he was still a prince, so they had a deep bond.

Justin bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, it has been confirmed that the madwoman who attacked us last night is the same one who burned down a noble's residence and killed a marquis in the southwest district of the capital. The Empire had already issued a citywide manhunt for her last night. Fortunately, she hasn't completely lost her senses and did not harm Your Majesty…"

Jircniv looked at the trembling old man with his white beard and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Justin, when I was young, you told me many stories of heroes slaying dragons, much like the legend of the Thirteen Heroes. A powerful hero, with the help of a king, battles tirelessly to slay dragons, rescue princesses, or defeat demon lords to save the world.

"I always wanted to be a hero, to have my brave and fearless legend passed down through the ages. But now, I haven't become a hero—I've become a king."

"Your Majesty, leading the people and soldiers of the Empire is your inherent duty. Being a hero is just a bedtime story for children," Justin said, a bit apprehensively. He couldn't quite grasp what the emperor meant. Was Jircniv suddenly wanting to become a hero? Then his guilt would be great.

Jircniv smiled. "If there are demon lords, then there must be heroes. She is the hope of the Empire. As king, I should be providing weapons and magical items to this hero, but with her strength, she probably wouldn't even look at anything in my treasury.

"Send out my orders to cancel the manhunt for this outlaw. Also, call the Minister of Justice. I need to convene a meeting of the court as soon as possible!"