Princess Renner knew she was outclassed by the demons alone, but being confronted with this one? This… being? He was far taller than she expected, his flowing robes the most expensive she'd ever seen, and the room in which they met? That… that was just further proof of what she already knew. "Mighty." She lost control of herself long enough to utter the single word, he cocked his head down at her as he took his place at the table.

"What was that?" He asked of her, and Renner put on her kindly expression.

"Displays of wealth are displays of power, I was just praising My Lord's residence, it is beyond beautiful." She explained, it was no exaggeration, the artisans who crafted every stick of furniture were leagues beyond anything she'd seen in Re-Estize.

And as she well knew even if many a foolish noble did not, 'A Kingdom's artisans are a measure of its abilities.' Artisans, from wood to metal to stone, were the ones who crafted the weapons of war, a poor showing in that was as good as announcing one's decline, like announcing poverty by serving shoddy wine.

"The sinews of war, unlimited money." Momonga said reflexively, quoting Punito Moe, and then snapped his jaw shut. 'Please don't let that have been foolish.'

Renner snapped up the scrap of wisdom, her estimation of the man who was her host went up by leaps and bounds.

"My Lord is a keen student of statecraft." Renner remarked, "I wish my country had such wise leaders." It was a carefully crafted criticism of the state of her country, and one she hoped would bait him into revealing his true aims.

Momonga was tight lipped for a moment, "All kingdoms can be improved, and poor leaders replaced… when they're poor enough." He said and took a long sip from his cup.

"The right people, the right places, the right times, and of course, with the right people and resources to back them." Momonga said, reciting an old maxim from a guild building guide. 'What is she referring to?' He wondered, but oddly enough, he felt more at ease than he expected.

'Ah, so that is his aim.' Renner realized, 'Replace the rotten foundations…'

It wasn't hard to put the rest of his plan together, but strangely enough, he hadn't directly asked her for anything, and so she finally asked, "My Lord, you're very wise…"

"Please, call me 'Momonga'." He said, and Renner felt her heart drop.

'He's not just a new player, he's flipping the whole board!' The thought hit home, he wasn't like any ordinary King. Establishing that kind of intimacy usually meant establishing dominance, yet he seemed to have no interest in doing so, his tone, his manner, his courtesy, he was treating her as an equal, a peer.

"Is My Lord sure of that?" Renner asked and blinked her eyes in disbelief.

"Of course, if we are to be friends, we shouldn't be so formal with one another, after all, friendship is the finest gift someone can offer to another." Momonga said it as naturally as he breathed, and with the utmost sincerity.

Renner's estimation of his canny nature jumped up yet again, 'He displays overwhelming might with his servants, overwhelming wealth with his home, overwhelming wisdom with his words… and then declines to use it as a weapon to crush me while I and my country are trapped in his grip?!'

None of it made conventional sense, and so she turned her mind to unconventional thinking.

The closest equivalent she could think of were the stories of the Six Great gods…

'They didn't seem to have a single leader, not in the traditional sense, but discussed things among one another, they were more like a merchant's guild without one merchant being too powerful. Or they were like teams of adventurers who voted on their courses of action. They had leaders, but leaders are chosen or removed and they all kind of agreed… like how the guildmasters were chosen by the guild members.' The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Like a guild." She barely said the words, but it was immediately obvious he'd heard them.

"Yes." Momonga answered, 'At least she came to the right conclusion.' He thought with some relief that he barely kept from being expressed with a weighty breath.

'I see. Yes, those do have advantages, openly speaking one's mind… father can't get a straight answer out of the lords themselves, even his most loyal advisors, like Raeven, are constantly playing at duplicity. A council of peers might make wiser decisions, especially if headed by an overwhelming power with which they are comfortable…' Her thoughts rapidly cataloged the advantages at play and she answered him with an easy, open smile.

"My Lord, no, Momonga, it would be my honor to call you my friend. I only have one small concern, it is for the safety of my puppy. I love him very much, and I'm afraid any future plans might put him at risk, could I ask that he at least be kept out of dangers in the future, or kept safe if he forces himself into them. He has no survival instincts I'm afraid." She tilted her head and fluttered her eyes, keeping back her fear that this 'friendship' might include a hostage she could not do without.

"Of course, just let Albedo know and we'll even provide your ah, puppy, a bodyguard in secret if you like." Momonga made the promise, it seemed silly for her to worry so much about a dog, but it was also so trivial a matter…

Her eyes widened until they were like an indoor sky, "Then I am the most loyal friend that good Sir Momonga could ever hope to have!" Renner exclaimed and then with a gleeful measure as if to prove it, she snapped up the pitcher of juice and began pouring a refill for her host. "We will get along wonderfully, and I look forward to assisting you with whatever you need."

"That is what friends do, after all." She added, and Momonga was not about to argue with her answer, however confusing it was.