- Serenia -

Mhmhm!

For the first time in quite a while, I am in a good mood.

Things finally stopped looking so dire.

We finally have a chance to grasp control again.

And this is only because of the help we received from a more than unexpected side.

Who would've thought that slimes could be so useful?

True, it might be unnerving to be in their presence.

Their malleable bodies, fake facial features, and the simple fact that all their body can switch any moment into a modus to dissolve you.

I get especially nervous when I see that green one playing with my daughter.

Yet you don't come to, and far less stay in, power if you're faint-hearted.

Rather than savage monsters, I should see them as very effective guard dogs.

And if the guard dog cuddles with my daughter but rips apart everyone with less pure intentions, then I'm fine with it.

The blue one is a bit more complicated.

I can see that "she", for lack of a better allocation, has an agenda, is thinking ahead, planning, having more or less concrete notions, desires, and subsequently demands.

She shows a cunning intelligence, yet this can prove useful as it allows a degree of independent acting and every being that has desires can be taken up on those.

The one thing I can be sure about is that they're powerful.

If, for example, they'd work for the other side, they could just scour the whole floor and the rebellion would be completed.

So I have to make concessions to them to make them pledge their loyalty to me, the blue one in particular.

It's obvious that the blue one is making the decisions for both of them.

So I have to adhere to her demand not to use them as... well, dogs which I'm siccing on my enemies.

No, she wants to retain standards.

Although the sewer mission shows that those can be bent to a degree.

All I need is to make them feel respected, and as foreign the notion to respect a slime may appear, their strength warrants it.

Fortunately, being of royal pedigree offers a very simple option for such cases.

Which is granting a title.

Naturally, not a noble one but something similar.

Through this, all tasks given to them will become duties that come with their granted position.

It's much more likely for them to accept anything dangerous or ambiguous under this pretext.

After all, it's only natural for a knight to slay the enemies of his liege.

The difficulty lies in another point.

I have first to convince the one to grant such a thing.

So it's time to head into battle.

"Parcian, my dear. May I ask a favor of you?" (Serenia)

My husband is currently in his office, which is the perfect time to speak to him without too many uninvolved people listening in on our conversations.

"Serenia, if you’re already starting like this I worry deeply about what comes next. Is it about your little 'pet’ project?" (Parcian)

He put the emphasis on "pet" since this is what they are to him.

Which might already be an improvement to his first assessment as uncontrolled savage monsters.

"Those 'pets' allowed us to gain hold of Count Loria and to successfully take down the collar facility." (Serenia)

"So it is about them. What do you want?" (Parcian)

"Nothing too grand. Just... What would you think about granting them some kind of knighthood?" (Serenia)

Huh, that was maybe a little too bold, judging by the way he now glares at me, but I discovered that it's easier to slowly whittle him down than to beat around the bush.

He always had great disfavor for being approached in a roundabout manner.

"This is hopefully a joke." (Parcian)

"We both know it isn't. I simply believe that this course of action might benefit us the most." (Serenia)

"Are you even halfway aware how crazy you sound? Slime knights? What next? Do we look for recruits in the sewers?" (Parcian)

"No. I'm simply talking about the two we already have and should more than anything want to bind to our side. Their combat potential is paramount and they're certainly useful. You should know best how important loyal assets are. Especially, when they're capable of destroying whole armies by themselves." (Serenia)

"Please, don't remind me of this. I get it, you saw the report, right? How Count Kahan's forces were almost eradicated till those two got into action. Can you imagine such a scene? Three hundred men, dissolved into slime." (Parcian)

"I suppose it looked fairly disturbing. Yet for exactly this reason I don't understand why you won't claim the chance fate decided to bestow on us." (Serenia)

"You see a chance, I see the risks, Serenia. Nobody knows what those creatures are up to. How we would stop them if they decide to turn against us. It's all a gamble." (Parcian)

"Yes, it is. But a calculated one. Otherwise, I wouldn't allow the green one to spend time in the same room as our daughter." (Serenia)

"You seriously want to bring up that you allowed this?! To leave her alone with that thing!?!" (Parcian)

"Lorena was as well present. And you should've seen them. That creature is extremely infatuated with her. Maybe not the best influence, a bit primal in its worldview, but friendly, and more importantly, honest enough that I can be sure she is safe to be around. Maybe even more so than without her. A notion your friend Radon seemed to share." (Serenia)

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Don't remind me of this mess. Not only was he quite vocal about his opinion that it's, in fact, our fault that his lands were raided and his estate burnt down to the ground, but apparently we took his most efficient servants from him as well." (Parcian)

"Oh, please don't tell me your inspiring relationship is going down the drain." (Serenia)

"Don't be so snappy. And no. He's loyal to the end and even signed that document you sent him. Yet not without adding some 'interpretations' on the text. Which favor the slimes..." (Parcian)

This just proves to me how valuable they are if even the count takes their side.

Gaining the favor of such a stern man is a feat that requires honest effort.

"You're only adding points to my side. Safe to say that if we proceed to hold them at a distance, we're going to lose them. Yet if we can satisfy their needs we gain loyal servants ready to do our bidding. This seems far more appealing than sending them away to do as they please or, even more illogical, provoking a needless fight. If we follow my strategy we only stand to gain from it. And all it costs us is for you to pull one measly title out of your sleeve." (Serenia)

"Why are you so obsessed about granting the slimes a title? Is it your revulsion against the noble society that makes you want to play this stunt on them?" (Parcian)

It's true, I never held much appreciation for nobles and everything they stand for.

While I can support that a country needs a ruler, and therefore in the derivation of that thought they have to appoint sub-rulers to administer the land in controllable partitions, those should act on behalf of increasing progress and prosperity.

This is the reason why people allow others to rule, so they don't need to think for themselves.

But look at where that brought us!

What we have now is a deviation from all resolutions there could have ever been.

Where are the servants of the country to advance into a brighter future?

No, we have pompous cocks, who only hoard their own profits to themselves.

And those are the better ones.

Others splurge every bit of wealth they can get their hands on for the sake of their enjoyment as if it doesn’t belong to them.

Which honestly, it doesn't.

Nothing they own should be theirs.

They just manage it for the people and their rightful ruler.

I know I sound like a hypocrite while being the queen of this country, but at least I try fulfilling the duties my position brings with it.

"You know, Parcian..." (Serenia)

"Oh, please no. You're having 'that' look again. I don't think I'm ready for one of your lectures." (Parcian)

"A shame, you'll hear it either way. You know, today I saw probably the most abhorrent thing in my whole life." (Serenia)

"Did one of the slimes dissolve someone?" (Parcian)

"No. This condemnable creature was nothing less than a human. Though, nothing else downgrades the severity. This thing was the pinnacle of entitlement and disregard for everyone they consider beneath them!" (Serenia)

"Are you done? Where are you trying to go with that?" (Parcian)

"What I'm trying to say is that I'd rather dine with those slimes than spend one more minute than necessary in the same room as such a character. People like that should be eradicated! All of them! This country is long overdue for another purging like it received centuries ago. Yet as I'm aware that such a purpose is a bit too extreme and not very realistic to accomplish in its idealized version, I'd instead opt for the next best thing. To get rid of the worst excrescences. To dissolve them into nothing. Or if this isn't achievable... Why not into slime? This way they would at least serve a purpose. As fertilizer for the fields." (Serenia)

"Do you have any idea what you just said? How it might sound to others?" (Parcian)

It might be good that nobody else is here.

Even my husband, who shares my ideals to a degree, was slightly taken aback when he noticed the degree of my outlook on the current state of the world.

"Mostly. I tend to lose the overview if I get into rambling." (Serenia)

"That's an understatement. So you want to appoint those two as your loyal subjects to lead your crusade?" (Parcian)

"No. Nothing as crude as this. They wouldn't even be all that willing to do such a thing. You wouldn't believe it, the blue one has morals. Yet what she desires is recognition for her efforts. So if we grant her this she'd be rather willing to throw herself in all the dangerous missions we appoint her with and which a human might not survive as well as they do. At least, as long as we allow her some break days in due time. She was rather audible about that point." (Serenia)

"You nonetheless can't gloss over the fact that you're asking me to make concessions to them. I mean, a title? That's not just a piece of paper! Do you have any idea what is necessary to make this happen? The privileges that come with it?" (Parcian)

He can say what he wants.

Fact is, we aren't at a straight "no" anymore, but already discussing the "how".

That means I've almost done it.

"Most of it only involves alleviation of taxes since the nobles somehow managed to increase the concessions the crown had to make towards them with each generation so they'd pledge their loyalty. Yet you don't believe that those slimes would've paid them before, right? Regarding the necessary status, I would take it completely upon myself. It's not too foreign of a concept that a queen should have her own order to pose as her guard or to fulfill her will in a more practical manner. Having my own knights isn't very strange nor that I recommend who I'd like for such a position neither. You could certainly make that happen. I know that such a thing involves a bit more than just a stamp on a paper, yet as you are still formally the king of this country, you can, of course, formally create an order of agents and formally appoint two individuals to a position similar to a knight. And in return, they'll help you to stay a little longer in your position. Sounds like win-win to me." (Serenia)

"You make it sound so easy." (Parcian)

"I know it isn't. But you're capable and can make such a thing happen. One of the little silver linings for this country." (Serenia)

My husband might not be a great reformer, has never done anything outrageous aside from holding this country together, but in doing so he shows his strength.

This man managed to avoid a bloody conflict for so long in order to keep the bloodshed away from the populace and the people he holds dear.

He earnestly conducts the daily business and still managed to be a loving father while living quite frugally for a king.

Without all the adversaries plotting against him, he might've already led this country into a new age of prosperity and improved the livelihood of its people considerably.

Yet the world isn't as nice and shying away from conflict might only make things worse in the long run.

And because of this, he needs someone to tell him the right course of action.

As ungrateful as this role is.

"You truly intend to officially appoint them? You know, if they're in the official register there's no easy way to get out of this anymore and cut all connections to them before it blows up." (Parcian)

"We need to show goodwill. The blue one is distrustful, which I would be as well in her position as it's quite founded. But if we prove to her that she has our allegiance then this will make her abandon any reluctance to help us out. So please, would you kindly draft the papers?" (Serenia)

"Sigh. Just why am I always giving in to you?" (Parcian)

"Because you know that I'm right as it's the best thing we can do with the most unlikely miracle we could've hoped for." (Serenia)

"Give me some time. Getting this on its way will prove to be quite the effort." (Parcian)

"Then I’ll meet you tomorrow." (Serenia)

"Sigh, honey..." (Parcian)

"Yes, my dear, I know. And this is why I love you." (Serenia)

I truly do.

Of all the men in his position I could've been forcefully betrothed to, I turned out to be quite lucky.

My marriage with him fares far, far better than one might assume from the outside.

And that is not only because I win.

Again.

I think I'm going to celebrate a bit.

"Click"

"What did you just do there? What is that device?" (Parcian)

He looks at the remote.

"This? Oh, nothing. It just soothes me to press the button from time to time." (Serenia)