Dungeon Defense (WN)

early and getting up early.”

“Fine, fine.”

Elizabeth waved her hand.
She clearly thought it was bothersome.

“I finally managed to retire my nanny, but it seems that my secretary has become my new nanny and is tormenting me.
Yulia, sleeping fitfully has been a norm for me since I was 12 years old.
Do you think you’ll be able to fix it now after all this time?”

“Your Excellency is not even 20 years old yet.
Your time as a woman has yet to begin.”

“A woman? I’m surprised to hear that a life as a woman has been set aside just for me.”

Elizabeth chuckled.

“If you perhaps have the crazy idea of making me marry someone, then give up on it now.
I am already married to this nation.”

“Haa.
You were even born as the most beautiful woman in the world, too…….”

The secretary pressed her hand against her forehead.
She had a headache.
People say that nothing is worse than working for someone who is crazy about their work, and Her Excellency Elizabeth was the perfect example of this.

“There is something I have been curious about for a while now.
What sort of man would have to appear for Your Excellency to even consider them as a partner?”

“Mm.
A man who can bed me, is it?”

Elizabeth fiddled with her side bang as she spoke.

“At the very least, shouldn’t he be capable of bringing me the heads of every single Demon Lord? I would more than gladly give my virginity to such a capable man.”

“Aren’t you just saying that you’ll never get married!?”

“It’s a joke.
Mmm.”

Elizabeth stretched.

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“Well, I will most likely enter a political marriage one day.
I will more than gladly get married if an adequate partner appears.
However, it is too soon to waste my strongest card.
I am the supreme commander of a single nation.
This value will not diminish even if I were to become 20 or 30 years old.”

“You sure are confident…….”

The secretary who had long passed her age for marriage grumbled a complaint.

“If you think it is unfair, then how about being the supreme commander yourself?”

“My apologies, but I do not want to get executed for treason.
Your Excellency, please go rest for a bit.”

Fine fine, Elizabeth uttered as she got up.
She was pushed from behind by her secretary into the bed that was prepared in the room next to the office.
It really had been three days since she last slept.

However, 20 minutes hadn’t even passed before Elizabeth shot up from her bed.

There was sweat on her forehead.
Elizabeth breathed heavily as she covered her face with her hands.
A groan that couldn’t be held back seeped out from between her fingers.

“……Sorry, Robert.
I’m sorry……your sister……this sister of yours, Robert…….”

How many months have passed since then?

Ever since the day Dantalian taunted her on Bruno Plains, Elizabeth has never been able to sleep longer than 2 hours.
She would always get tormented by nightmares the moment she slept.
It was already like this in the past, but it became worse recently.

Originally,

A man was supposed to appear and save her in the future.
He was supposed to cut down all of the Demon Lords on the continent and devote his entire being to the Queen.
Elizabeth was then supposed to be comforted by this man and stop suffering from her nightmares.

However, everything changed because of a single person.
She was no longer the Imperial Princess or the Queen.
She was now the leader of a republic nation.
The man who was supposed to give her salvation was already on a different path.

“……Dantalian.”

Her eyes glowed sharply between her fingers.

“At least not like me, never……never……”

Elizabeth continued to mutter ambiguous words.
She continued to repeat these words over and over again before she tired herself out and fell back asleep.
She would then wake up again 30 minutes later.
The same thing happened over and over again for 2 hours in this place of rest where no one else was allowed to enter.

Ο

* * *

Ο

I returned to my Demon Lord Castle after the negotiations came to an end.

The diplomatic battle ended somewhat successfully.
I helped the Plains Faction win and put a collar on Gamigin.
It wasn’t a perfect victory, but it should be fine to say that it was half a success.
No, a perfect victory doesn’t exist anyway.
In that regard, I succeeded.

There was something I realized as well.

Generally, my chances of defeat increased the more I stepped into the limelight while my chances of victory increased the more I hid in the shadows.

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“Jeez, I’m not some sort of tactician who can fight on par with heroes.
I should just hide and rest in an alcove like an old man.”

To put it simply, I figured out my place.

Queen Henrietta and Demon Lord Agares are tactical nukes.
Despite this, I lost to the former and won against the latter.
If you look at war from a tactical perspective, there are way too many variables.
Especially here since things like auras exist.

“I understand it perfectly now.
I’m going to keep my hands out of tactics from now on! You won’t see me stand on a battlefield holding a baton anymore.”

“A wise decision.”

Lapis responded as she received my coat.

“There are many things you have to take care of aside from war.
It would be more efficient to leave military matters to Miss Laura.
I recommend not leaving your Demon Lord Castle from now on.”

“I would love that, but the world doesn’t always revolve the way you want it to.”

Hoo, I let out a sigh.

“So? Were there any problems while I was gone?”

“Everything has been proceeding as planned.
However,”

Lapis furrowed her brows ever so slightly.

“As expected, the villages are the problem.
It appears that they are struggling to adjust to the new laws.”

“I see.
Why is that? Is the trial system not working properly?”

“The villagers are putting in an effort.”

Was she saying that new beginnings always have rough voyages?

I stretched.
Uah, work after work.

“I guess it’s obvious.
Leave it to me.
I’ll take care of this within 3 days.”

“……Your Highness seems to be overflowing with enthusiasm despite having just returned from the demon world.”

Lapis sounded surprised.

I grinned.

“I’ll get to it after I rest today.
I worked rather hard, you know? Referentially, the saints say that you shouldn’t leave work that can be done tomorrow on the you of today.”

“…….”

Lapis let out a small sigh.
Why am I not surprised? That was the mood she was giving off.

What? You’re making me sad.
I really am living earnestly and sincerely, you know?