Walter could only sigh to himself in exasperation as he gazed up at the house his bosses had chosen. Nothing about the house itself particularly annoyed him, but instead he was annoyed that he was having to come here.
He had waited patiently for them to arrive and relieve him of his duty, happy that the town would finally be back in their hands… and, if he was honest with himself, he liked doing work from his own house.
Overall, he did not particularly like being in charge. He was nervous; about upsetting others, about making an incorrect call, about being chastised for his actions, and most importantly, Walter was nervous that his work was not as good as the work his bosses could do.
So, he wanted to get them caught back up as fast as possible. Of course, rumors traveled quickly, and he'd been told upon waking that Degurechaff had proposed to Serebryakov. Giving them a long morning to themselves seemed to be a prudent decision.
When they hadn't arrived at his house, and the representatives of the guilds and the Institute and a dozen other nobles had grown ever more impatient, he'd sent a messenger asking when they would be arriving. The representatives had been mollified by that and left.
When that messenger had returned, saying that they had been unable to get in contact with them, he'd been confused. After two further messengers had failed to produce results, he was now at their house to see what the problem was, because it was now two hours past midday, and he really needed them to begin working again. He'd made promises that they would be available, as they had said, and so they would be.
The anxiety might be his undoing otherwise.
He really did like the pair – they were smart, powerful, didn't look down on him for being adopted, and seemed to be genuinely invested in the well-being of Axel. Sometimes, though, they did confuse him.
He knocked on the door and waited. He did not tap his foot or cross his elbows as a show of his annoyance – he had been raised better than that. So he just stood, silently, staring forward resolutely.
"Hello?"
"OH YES! TANYA!"
Walter blinked rapidly as sound assaulted his ears. Very distinct sound. That no one could mistake for anything else.
How hadn't he heard that?
By contrast to the energetic sounds coming from the second floor, the woman that towered over him looked bone-tired. Bags hung under her eyes, and even though she towered over him, she was hunched over.
He scrambled to respond to her questioning glare – the sounds going on above her were distracting – and then he put on his best smile. "Ah, Ms. Lorelei. I came over to discover why my messengers had failed to obtain any information as to why Lady Degurechaff and Lady Serebryakov were unavailable. I presume…?"
"VISHA!"
"…Yeah."
He scowled. "But why didn't they just tell me that-"
Lorelei shrugged. "I dunno. If you were just a messenger, would you want to report on someone like Degurechaff doing something like that?"
Walter's mouth opened to reply, and then he clicked it shut. "I suppose not. Well, I don't suppose I could trouble you to-"
She let out a tired bark of laughter and stretched. "No way. I'm tired enough – getting knocked out doesn't actually make you feel all that rested. Just like I told those guys though: you're welcome to try if you want."
He looked at the stairway behind her, and then he listened to the sounds above her and licked his lips. "Well, how long-"
"From when they got home around eight until after midnight. I managed to sleep for a few hours, and they had gotten back to it by at least six. The sound has stopped for a few minutes at a time, but I haven't seen either of them," she said.
He sighed tiredly. "I… well. The rumors of them getting married soon are true then?"
She tilted her head, and he gave her a nervous smile. "Ah, the proprietor of the establishment you all went to last night has been given out free drinks to celebrate. Naturally, with the promise of free alcohol, the entire town is now aware."
She just shook her head. "That'll be fun to tell them. Alright, if they aren't done in an hour, I'll head on up."
He nodded. "Well-"
"TANYA! TANYA!"
Walter scowled. "Apologize to them for me for the interruption when they are finished." His words hung in the air. "It sounds like they're enjoying themselves, at least," he mused.
Lorelei snorted. "You've got that right. I wouldn't have given Tanya so many condoms if I'd known they wouldn't stop until they used them all."
He nodded and turned away. Young love was always wonderful to see. Maybe he should get around to getting a-
Then, just as he'd stepped down from their doorstep and the door closed, cutting off the sound inside, he stopped and stared off into the middle distance.
"Condoms…?"
He shook his head as he began to walk back home. His number of questions had just grown by one.
-OxOxO-
Tanya skipped through the streets of Axel.
His and Visha's room was a mess. Their house still had yet to be completely furnished. He needed to address the aftermath of Wolbach's attack. He needed to kill the Demon King before another Hero Candidate managed.
Despite all of the things he needed to get done, he couldn't care less.
Despite their initial eagerness, Tanya's prior experience hadn't helped him as much as he'd hoped it would. It had been… awkward, at first.
Their initial missteps had not stopped them, of course, and they had substituted experience and skill with armfuls of passion and… vigor.
He smirked as he continued to skip towards Walter's house. Of course, as with any skill, one can improve. They certainly had. Improved. With practice and hard work.
Lots of practice and hard work.
Tanya kept skipping, even as people watched as he passed by in bemusement, and he sighed happily. His first life had been full of contentment – with his work, his job, and his place in life. His second had had its moments, between the killing, dying, and starving. But this…
His life was so good.
Of course, all good things came to an end, and, since it was four in the afternoon, they did need to attend to their responsibilities. The town wouldn't run itself.
Also, they'd run out of condoms.
He strolled up to the front gates, smiled at the guards, and pushed through the gate and skipped forward. He knocked on the door, and he smiled at Walter as he slipped past his stupefied expression. "Hello, Walter. How lovely to see you. Let's get down to business."
He gaped at him for some reason, sputtered, and then followed her into his drawing room. "Ah, well, of course. Governor. Um, before we begin, I had a question. You see," he said as they sat down, "when I talked with Lorelei earlier, I may have, ah, commented, on… well, she claimed to have given you… condoms, which, well-"
He rolled his eyes. "Walter, there's no need for you to sound so petrified. That was the whole reason I went to the Crimson Demon Village. Or, one reason anyway," he said.
"However," he continued, "the family we were staying with was under the impression that it was a 'nobility' thing. It isn't. I was cursed to look like a little girl. My face may look the same, but I am no longer a girl. Understand?"
He nodded rapidly. "Of course, Governor. I hope you weren't too harsh with the people you were staying with?"
His sunny visage darkened for a moment. "…No. I wasn't." That fiasco…
He shook his head, dejection fading as he tried to return to a neutral expression. "Your question reminded me. I told you we would be having a talk about your decision to reveal the artillery."
His expression was clouded by confusion. "The what?"
Tanya resisted the urge to sigh. "The… biggun."
His understanding quickly faded into nervousness. "Right. That. Governor-"
"It was explained. Explicitly. That you would not break my treaty with Verdia. You didn't forget, did you?"
"Of course not-"
"Then why did you do it, Walter? Why did you decide to disobey my order-"
"Because it doesn't matter!"
He raised an eyebrow as Walter crossed his arms and straightened up. "You aren't taking this seriously! The weapon that you made… it could end the war!" he said. "Surely not even a General could stand up to that power! So many soldiers wouldn't have to die – the Kingdom's enemies would be obliterated in one fell swoop!"
He continued to stare at him as he sat there, panting, until his excitement and rage – at doing the right thing and getting told off for it, just like with his father – drained away and left him feeling cold.
"My apol-"
"Don't apologize. You gave me the reasons you thought it a prudent move, and you stood up to your superior because you thought you had a good idea. Don't apologize for that."
His eyes narrowed. "You were correct to use the thing to try and bring down the Mobile Fortress Destroyer. If it could have defeated it with just Wiz's help and saved even a portion of the town, then losing the element of surprise would have been worth the town. However."
Walter's neutral expression twisted. "Walter, not making more of them or using them against the Demon King was me honoring my treaty with Verdia. I was planning to break it eventually, of course, and after visiting the Crimson Demon Village, I was going to do it sooner rather than later," he revealed. Walter winced again.
"It is unlikely the difference of a handful of days will make a difference, whether it was me or you that gave the order for its construction matters little to the Demon King. But you ignored my orders and broke my trust."
Walter grimaced, but the words didn't stop. "Wolbach may be dead, but it seems more probable that she still lives. Verdia… knows about them as well, though I don't know in how much detail. Regardless, Wolbach got a close-up look at it, and undoubtedly passed information about it to her subordinates, which means more information for our enemies to exploit," he continued.
"They will try to find a way to defend against it. Or, at the very least, they'll try to recreate it so that its power may be turned on Belzerg. Which means Belzerg must leverage its advantage before the Demon King can catch up."
He sighed. "Most of that had nothing to do with you. Your decision to get the ball rolling early may yet even prove decisive."
"And to do it, you disobeyed my orders."
He continued to stare at Walter. If Tanya had sided with the Demon King, he'd have been unbelievably mad at Walter – though he would have burned down the Mithril Foundation's factory anyway – for giving away his secrets. As it stood…
"Walter. Is that a bad thing?"
Walter remained stone-faced. Then, his gaze hardened with resolve. "I do not believe so. The negatives do not outweigh the positives."
A moment of silence, and then-
Tanya smiled. "You are correct. You aren't in trouble, Walter."
Then he chuckled, and Walter let out a shaky breath of his own. "I mean, honestly. It's not like I can just replace you, Walter. Besides, I prefer my subordinates to think for themselves."
Walter smiled and nodded and began to delve into how Wolbach's forces were now gone – or as gone as they could be. Those without access to someone with Teleport were probably hiding in dungeons, caves, and forests close to Axel, while those with Teleport might have set down anchors that allowed them to return at any time.
And as he talked, Tanya made a mental note that while Walter could think for himself, that would mean he'd reveal his secrets if he thought it was necessary. Having a subordinate who could think was good, but that also meant he would have to stop trusting him with as much as he had.
What a shame.
He shook his head as Walter finished summing up how the repairs of the town were going – yet more expenses. "Alright. What about the Mobile Fortress Destroyer?" he asked. It could easily be seen over the walls of Axel, and work hadn't stopped on it all through the night.
Walter's face lit up. "Ah! Many, many tons of Adamantites, as well as lots of mithril, golems, and other curiosities often found in the successor states of Norse have been recovered from the Mobile Fortress Destroyer."
Tanya's brow furrowed. This… reminded her of the Mage Killer from the Crimson Demon Village.
He shook his head – there was no way that the same person who'd made the Crimson Demons, IMPEDANCE, the Mage Killer, and the BMM had also made the Mobile Fortress Destroyer. What were the odds?
He shrugged internally – hopefully something in the thing told them who had made it – and returned to the conversation. "Well, is everything going well with the salvage?"
Walter winced. "For the most part. The miners guild, the builders guild, the greater merchants guild, and the adventurers guild all worked out their share of profits from its destruction and deconstruction. However, there are two groups who are quarreling over the particulars."
That didn't sound too bad to Tanya. "Unfortunately, the Magical Research Institute and the Mithril Foundation are arguing over some pieces of it and are holding up the remaining work. I could set up a meeting with them tonight?" he suggested.
Tanya nodded. "I'll arbitrate between them," he confirmed. "Now, how much is expected to be made?" he asked. Adamantite and Mithril were not exactly cheap, especially tons of the stuff.
Walter looked down at the papers in front of him. "Well," he began, glee creeping into his voice, "the estimates I received initially put the total salvage value at something like five hundred billion Eris." He was grinning.
Tanya could understand why.
"That…"
Tanya sucked her breath in as the magnitude of what Walter had just said hit her.
Before he'd given up on holding onto all of Alderp's land and settled for just Axel, he'd had to go through the taxation documentation for his holdings to try to determine how many of the people claiming Alderp scammed them were telling the truth. Thankfully, the taxes of Belzerg were relatively simple.
There was only one tax that had to be paid a year If someone worked the land, they had to pay a percentage of the value of that land in taxes. If someone worked for wages or a salary, you paid taxes based on how much you made.
Running a business complicated things, and there were provisos and qualifiers, but that was how things were generally supposed to be, for everyone, from the laborer to the King himself, but nobles and richer businessmen weaseled out of their dues by simply leaving the country – most often for Elroad – until the month was up. That was a loophole he'd taken great pleasure in partially closing.
Of course, that one tax a year didn't count the money that the cults demanded, but most were seemingly content with that.
Which brought him back to how much they were making. It was… a ludicrous amount.
No, it wasn't just ludicrous.
There were three major river systems in Belzerg. The larger western and smaller eastern ones were linked by the sea to each other, while the northern one was close but not linked to the eastern one. That made the north behind the rest of the kingdom economically – though there were outliers, like Alcanretia and the Crimson Demon Village.
Tanya licked his lips. Axel was not poor. It had even begun to grow recently. It was the fourth richest town in the northern river system.
It was not rich. Several dozen towns across Belzerg were wealthier.
Five hundred billion Eris was mind-boggling.
From what he'd seen behind the scenes in Elroad while helping Revi run the place, its capital could raise that much in taxes any year. Also from the information from Elroad, he knew, if it was a good year, the western half of the entire Kingdom of Belzerg could raise that much.
There wasn't another city he knew of that could match that much money.
The army he could build with that much money…
"Unfortunately," Walter said, sending all of Tanya's visions into a death spiral.
He pouted at him, and Walter smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, that amount was a rough guess for when it was whole. We were forced to give Adamantite to Wolbach's army at dirt cheap prices to ensure that we had enough food for the expected siege. We stopped when the Axis Cult began distributing tokoroten slime to eat."
His tone grew sad. "I believe, after the money that is given out to the various parties salvaging it, that the government of Axel will obtain a hundred billion Eris."
That still wasn't a small amount, and unlike taxes, the money wasn't being used for infrastructure upkeep or to pay salaries. A huge lump sum that could be used for any number of projects.
"Walter. Why do you sound sad?" he asked. He had a feeling he knew, but…
"It is a lot of money. Axel has a lot of problems that require money."
"Such as?"
"Firstly, are the refugees," he began. "Much of the land between the Kingdom of Brydle and Axel was devastated by the Mobile Fortress Destroyer as it traveled from town to town. Whether in the towns that it was seeking or living in the farmland between, people were forced to flee west. Many died on the way due to the weather and harsh conditions, which means putting up with those who survived until the spring, at least."
Tanya scowled. "Is the capital sending any aid?" he asked.
Walter nodded. "Indeed. Ignis has also pledged a prodigious sum as well."
Tanya nodded. Darkness had gone on about her father several times during their travel to the Crimson Demon Village, especially about his magnanimousness. Considering how much of the windfall provided by Alderp's death, anything less than his best efforts would negatively impact that image.
The same went doubly so for Axel, considering the cause of the refugees' plight was now filling their coffers. "Then Axel and I will match it with the profits from the Mobile Fortress Destroyer."
"You?" Walter asked.
He nodded. "I'm sure the payout for Vanir's death will be generous. Some of it will go to helping the people."
Walter nodded back, a smile ghosting his lips, and Tanya sighed. "Will we have anything left over? Are there any other monetary problems?"
Walter shook his head. "Not really. The fact that the salvage is earning that much money couldn't be kept secret, of course, so I have heard the whole town is anticipating what will be done with it."
Tanya scowled. Sitting on all of it for a rainy day wasn't likely to go over well, then. Perhaps they could decrease how much in taxes people would have to pay next year?
"Alright. What non-monetary problems does Axel face?"
He nodded earnestly. "Several, in fact. Ignis wants a meeting with you at your earliest convenience, about your governorship."
Tanya's mouth formed a thin line. Hopefully it wasn't for anything bad – having access to all the money Axel would be getting would do wonders for ensuring Belzerg had the military forces to crush the Demon King.
"The guilds in general are growing… discontent. The refugees who were part of guilds in their old towns are refusing to join the ones in Axel. They're complaining that their ability to guarantee the quality of their services and products will be negatively impacted."
He raised an eyebrow at Walter. "It sounds like they're whining that they can't hold their monopoly over people… well, I'll meet with a few representatives in… two days, in the afternoon."
"The… town of 'Axisel' has expressed a desire not to be reincorporated back into Axel, citing their 'historic' claim to the land," Walter read from one of the papers on the desk that sat between them.
Tanya had to take a moment to remember what the hell 'Axisel' even meant. When he did, he stared incredulously at Walter. "You mean the 'town' that you let the head of Axel's Axis Cult set up so she could annoy Wolbach?"
"Well, it wasn't me, per se, that-"
Tanya raised an unimpressed eyebrow, and Walter nodded slowly. "That is the gist."
"Isn't there usually some kind of population threshold for that sort of thing?"
Walter's face brightened. "Ah, of course! I'll have a surveyor sent out to the area to confirm that less than ten families live there, and we'll dissolve it on those grounds."
Tanya smiled. One less problem for him to deal with. "Anything else?"
Walter winced. "Ah, the last problem is also the largest. The various noble families have been making more noise about the… diminishment of their standing in Axel and have begun to clog up the court system and send us a large amount of mail."
Tanya almost dismissed the problem out of hand, but then his eyes widened and he stood from the desk and began to pace as a scowl set in on his face.
The nobles. The blackmail!
He hadn't bothered to have copies made – if any of it got out, the nobles might have thought he was attacking them and lashed out in response. They should have been safe in Alderp's mansion, until the entire fucking thing had exploded!
No doubt the paper and other incriminating evidence was long gone. Shit. That was not good.
"Walter," he began, "how is the government fairing? Those that were less corrupt under Alderp are working diligently? The new blood is working hard?" he asked. Walter nodded, and Tanya sighed in relief.
"Alright. And the noble families that were willing to do bureaucratic work are doing so?"
He made the sign for so-so with his hand. "Mostly. There simply isn't enough work for everyone to do."
He raised an eyebrow. "The skilled people that have been brought in who have no ties to the nobility are competing with the regular nobility for those jobs. There simply aren't enough to go around."
Tanya scowled. "I extended an opportunity for them to maintain some of their power, and they complain about it? If they won't take it because they're lazy, or if they get beaten because of talent, then that is their problem. I won't prop them up…"
"They won't like it," he says, before Walter can. "And I can't make them accept it anymore because the blackmail your father gathered is gone."
He took in a breath. "Alright. Walter, the big three families have been working well together, correct?"
He nodded slowly, and Tanya steepled her fingers. The flighty foreigner, Carleen Tennessee. The brutish collector, Wartholomew Undine. The power broker, Conceri Befrantz. Since his talk with them at his party, it seemed they'd managed to placate the nobles beneath them, and now that all evidence of all of their corruption was gone, all of the nobles were undoubtedly working even better together. The town wasn't likely to suffer too much if he told them all to hang, considering…
The elements of her meeting with Walter swirled together. The money. The refugees. The guilds. The nobles.
"Tanya?"
Tanya turned to Walter. "Yes?"
"Have you thought of something?"
Tanya nodded, only just realizing he was smiling as he stared at the reflective glass in his pocket watch. "I think I have. Arrange a meeting with all three of them. Together."
"…Any other meetings?"
"No. That would undermine their trust in each other."
"…And we don't want that?"
"Of course not. I generally detest conflict, even if I am willing to participate or even instigate it. On the other hand, why bother wasting the resources vying for political control – a conflict we would inevitably win with the Dustiness family on our side but that they could make incredibly costly to win with their combined forces – when we can all win?"
Walter remained silent. "What in the world do you-"
"Sorry, Walter, but I have another meeting to go to. Set the meeting up for two days from now, in the afternoon. I'll tell you my idea before then and we can refine it, but I have another meeting to get to."
He rose quickly, thanking him for his hospitality, and strode out of the door. He did not skip this time, and the smile plastered to his face was of an entirely different nature compared to the one he'd been unable to take off upon his arrival.
-OxOxO-
"Tanya!"
He turned around and raised an eyebrow. It took a moment for him to put a name to the face, but he did get it.
"Ah, Rex. Good to see you again," he said as he continued on and Rex fell into step beside him. He had known what to expect with the last meeting – the outburst from Walter hadn't been precisely expected, but he'd assumed Walter would probably be pretty invested in defending his decision considering Tanya's insistence on following the treaty.
This next one, however… he expected to be met with some amount of anger, but other than that-
"Sorry?" he asked as Rex said something. He looked like a deer in the headlights of a car – and not a small Japanese one, but those American behemoths that could make a tank feel emasculated. Rex gulped and continued. "Well… I was uh…"
He sighed. "Just wondering how your trip was."
Tanya narrowed his eyes, and then he shrugged. "It went well. I helped out," he said, pausing as he thought of what exactly he considered Kazuma and his party. "My friends. I helped them out, got to see some interesting sights in Alcanretia and the Crimson Demon Village. Upgraded my equipment. How have you been?"
He nearly tripped and stumbled to catch up with him. "How- how was I? Uh, good. Well, there was the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, which I wasn't that much help with, and the siege and battle with Wolbach, which didn't go too well for us, but… other than those, pretty good."
Tanya snorted. "You have a gift for understatement."
Rex muttered something else under his breath, and Tanya turned around and smiled. "I'm afraid I have a meeting to get to in my capacity as Governor. I hope you have a good rest of your afternoon."
"You too!" Res said, and Tanya continued on his way, mind still occupied with his next meeting. He hadn't wanted to cut off the interaction that abruptly, but he couldn't exactly walk into the Succubi's shop with him by his side, could he?
He arrived at the shop after a few more minutes and slipped in through the back door. He smiled at the few who were still there – the sun may have been up, but with the end of the day fast approaching, people wanted to get their orders in before they had to eat.
They looked to the door in interest and then…
Hmm. Tanya was in for a lot more anger than he had expected, based off of those scowls and glares.
"YOU!"
Tanya found himself under attack, though the lack of killing intent told him it wasn't serious. Lolisa was flinging her fists at him, bawling. Tanya blanked. Was he supposed to give her a hug or-
"You fucking bastard! How could you keep us away from your first time?!"
Tanya's concern dried up in an instant. "Yes, nice to see you too, Lolisa. Especially considering you stalked us across the kingdom and tried to give Visha dreams. Doing that without our permission worked out so well for you last time you simply couldn't help doing it again, right?"
Lolisa cringed back from Tanya. "Urk! Well, I mean…"
More Succubi came from around their shop, though not all of them. "How nice to see you all again. Lorelei said it was quite… amusing seeing you all at our doorstep."
The Receptionist Succubus stepped forward, and Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Anything to say, for yourself or your compatriots?"
She smiled. "Yes. We're done with the Mithril Foundation."
Tanya blinked rapidly, the wind forced from his sails. "What?"
"You heard me. I speak for all of us. We don't want to manage it, own it, or work in it. We're done." She crossed her arms and turned up her nose.
Tanya resisted the urge to sigh as he was once again forced into the position of peacemaker. "Okay. Isn't… that a bit of a leap?"
"No." She ground it out like she was chewing sand. "We've been looking forward to feasting on the lust you two would give off during your first time ever since we agreed that you two should be together."
"'Should be together?'" Tanya parroted, his question not asking what they meant but that he had indeed understood what he'd just heard.
The Succubus gulped. "Well, I mean, we often imagine which pairs of our customers would produce the most lust when together, and the more we heard about your relationship, the more lust we were sure it would produce."
Tanya's dangerous glare did not let up, but the Receptionist Succubus rallied. "Yeah! We were all looking forward to it, and we let Lolisa trail you, just in case you couldn't wait until you got back, and then you hadn't and we trailed you all across the city during her birthday, and then, when you got home, it all disappeared!"
Tanya smiled mirthlessly. "Well. It sounds like it was your fault for not asking, for assuming I'd forget that you all called this city your home or that I'd just be okay with being peeped in on when I had the means to stop it."
"If you wanted something from me, you should have made a deal instead of betting you could get it for free," he continued with a shrug. "That's how you get your lust normally, yes?"
The group of hostile Succubi deflated. "But we knew you'd never agree… and also, we didn't realize just how powerful that Archpriest was, or that you could get such powerful protection so easily," she admitted.
Tanya barely had time to process her statement when Lolisa nearly jumped into his arms. "So can we? Please? Even if it isn't your first time, it'll still be amazing!"
Tanya gave Lolisa a look of disinterest at her provocatively rubbing her chest against Tanya's shoulder as he dropped her – only for her to hang in the air, unperturbed.
He pried the girl off of him. "Certainly not without getting something in exchange, and knowing where you are or being told that you're here is also right out," he answered as he finished prying Lolisa off of him and tossed her into the air, where she did a somersault before landing lightly on the ground, pouting in a reclining pose.
"Of course," he continued, "Visha is much more apprehensive than I am and wants more convincing. From you all. And since my partner's comfort is an integral part of my life now, if you can't convince her, there isn't any price that will make me okay with it."
Lolisa looked up from the ground. "Can't… you understand how we feel? We had that goal, were working towards it and anticipating its completion for months, were watching as it dangled just out of reach, and watched as it was snatched away in an instant by an uncaring power we-"
Tanya cut her monologue short. "Okay, I was feeling bad and comparing your situation to mine, but you laid it on way too thick. Of course I understand that. It's your fault you deluded yourself into thinking you could get away with consuming our lust without talking with us first."
He shook his head. "If you offer a good enough price, maybe I'll go to bat for you. I want to continue our friendship, so-"
"No," one of the pink-haired Succubi cut in. "You're still our friend! We're not going to cut things off. We're just… frustrated." The group of Succubi all chimed in with their agreement.
Tanya blinked. "Oh. Well, good. Perhaps if you continued with the Foundation-"
"Er…" That question brought up a lot more conflicted looks. Another Succubi stepped forward. "Look, it's not like we don't appreciate it, but… it's so much work!"
"I may be a Demon that feeds on lust, but that doesn't mean I don't like to partake in sloth too."
"I thought we already did too much paperwork before we started running the Foundation…"
Various nods and voices of agreement were had all around the room, and the Receptionist Succubus stepped forward. "We've… been looking for a way out anyway, and this seems like as good an opportunity as any. Besides."
She cast a look towards the door. "We've been getting too much attention from people not in the know and other Christmas Cakes. People within the Foundation are starting to get suspicious as well. The people who are part of it want to expand it beyond Axel, which is something we can't do if we want to stay secret. We don't really have enough control of Axel's school anymore to portray ourselves better without arousing the suspicion of the teachers we've hired. And while the extra money is nice, we don't really need it."
Tanya wanted to argue about it, but they all seemed pretty dead set on it. One more problem for him to solve…
Unless…
"How is the Foundation doing anyway?"
The Receptionist Succubus shrugged. "Better than ever. The charity portion is well-entrenched in Axel and competes with the Eris Cult and wants to expand, like I said. The influx of refugees has kept it busy, but plenty of the refugees were willing to join. The business side is doing even better – merchants have been bugging Wiz and anyone involved about getting a license to sell the products all around Belzerg and even abroad."
Tanya's eyes kept getting wider, and a part of him was shocked that they'd give up being at the top of such a thriving organization. "The Foundry-"
"The what?"
She blinked. "Oh, right. That's the place that Max runs. You went there to drop off your record player?"
"Oh, of course."
"Yes, the Foundry is getting too big. Max wants to set up more, either next door or outside of Axel where he can build it as big as he wants without anyone else in the way. He wants it next to the river. If someone loses their job, Max or one of his subordinates walks up to you and practically pushes you into the Foundry is what some of our customers have started saying."
She frowned, and Tanya raised an eyebrow. "There's a problem? It sounds like things couldn't be going better."
The Receptionist shrugged. "Well, both sides are tied together tightly. The charity uses marketing and products of business, while the business uses the connections and people of the charity. Unfortunately, both branches argue with each other. Constantly."
Tanya nodded. He wanted the Foundation to keep doing well, especially the Foundry, since it was going to be important for the war against the Demon King, but he just didn't have the time to do it himself – not if he wanted to keep running Axel and keep his combat skills sharp. He couldn't eat his cake and have it too.
Keeping his skills sharp was non-negotiable, since he did need to kill the Demon King eventually, which meant, in a choice between running the Foundation and Axel, it wasn't really a contest.
"Do you all have any suggestions on who to run it?"
There was murmuring at his question – it seemed Max Litet was the most senior member of the business side of things, while a woman named Firenze Daytongust was in charge of both the school the Mithril Foundation ran as well as the legal department… and both wanted to ditch the other half. Other than them, Wiz was notable for being reliable and willing to escort the children to school when the Adventurer's guild didn't manage to find anyone.
It seemed yet another meeting was in Tanya's future… a meeting he couldn't really be seen at unless he wanted those two to link him with the odd, beautiful women who had helped run the Foundation and all disappeared at the same time… though, as long as he was vague, did it really matter?
He could turn it over to Vanir, but he might reveal the truth just to get a good meal out of him… though, it wasn't as if Vanir didn't already know about everything anyway…
He shook his head. He was meeting with the Magical Research Institute and the…
"When you get the request for an arbitration meeting between the Foundation and the Magical Research Institute, send them both. I speak with them before the appointed meeting time for a bit," he ordered.
They nodded. Then…
"Even if you're no longer interested, I do want to thank you all for working with the Foundation for so long," he said. They thanked him, and he moved on to the second reason he was there.
"Before I leave, I was wondering if some among you would be willing to take an… apology gift to the Demon King for me," he said.
"Apology? For what?"
"Well," he began, "I have broken my treaty with Verdia, atomized Vanir, glassed Wolbach's camp, and didn't help her get her other half back. I've decided on siding with Belzerg," he declared, "but I want to give him a… 'no hard feelings' gift."
He grinned to himself. "Of course, it isn't perfunctory or just an attempt at mocking him… though, you'll want to leave pretty quickly when he opens it."
Hopefully, revealing what he'd learned in Alcanretia would assuage any anger the Demon King felt. No need to needlessly antagonize him.
The longer he had to build up, after all, the faster he could bring the war to an end.
Lolisa shot up off the ground, where she'd been picking at one of the flagstones, with an impish grin on her face. The others looked at her and began to grin as well as she stepped forward. "Well, we could, Tanya, but it seems that our rates have gone up."
Tanya's grin faded quickly.
"Wouldn't you know, we now charge one night of listening in on your lovemaking for mail delivery to the Demon King. You'll pay, of course?"
Tanya sighed tiredly. "Can't I just owe you a favor?"
The Receptionist curled an arm around his shoulders. "Of course! As long as that favor is 'getting to listen to you piledrive your lover through the bed-'"
Tanya groaned. It seemed he was not about to leave anytime soon.
-OxOxO-
The need to talk with Lolisa and Viktoriya outside their house for a few minutes had soured the evening somewhat. Eventually, they had agreed to disrupt the circle Aqua had made, as delivering the gift would help to sow discord among the Demon King's ranks, which meant the price they were asking was worth it.
They'd have it repaired as soon as they could, however, which meant the Succubi would have to wait until the next time Tanya and Viktoriya had a job for them. Lolisa had agreed.
Besides that, Dinner had been good. A rather simple meal to complement their more simple living situation – he needed to figure out what to do with all of Alderp's old servants. He didn't want to have any more grand parties, but maybe having them maintain some showy location for that purpose would be prudent? – the conversation had been equally simple.
What had they done in the two and a half hours apart? How was decorating the house going? How much longer until the training room was set up? Did you, and he couldn't have stressed the point anymore than he had, get more condoms?
He'd received positive responses that left him feeling excited for that night.
Of course, one of the questions he'd asked was of particular import for the meeting he was walking towards in Walter's house.
"Have either of you heard anything about the 'Magical Research Institute?'"
Viktoriya had frowned. "I think they post quests asking for monster parts sometimes?"
Lorelei had known much more.
"They're… crafty," was her initial response.
"When I was first living in the slums after first becoming a Monsume, they always came around asking for us to come in for experiments. I heard that those who went were paid as well as they would have been if they… had normal jobs. But…"
She'd gotten a disgruntled look on her face. "People didn't like to talk about what the experiments were, and even before I became a Monsume, I knew that people who go into magical research are either eccentric or… cold."
Tanya had forgotten Axel had slums, until he'd remembered seeing them next to the dump Dust had trained them in…
"Hey," he said to herself as he paused outside of the door to Walter's house, "if this place has a dump for people's trash, maybe Kazuma was right that products from the 21st century actually have demand?"
He shrugged as he knocked on Walter's door and let herself in. He doubted Kazuma had thought that far ahead.
Walter whisked him through his house and into the meeting room, clean and richly decorated, though not nearly as gaudily as his adoptive father's had been. He smiled and shook the hand of both of its current occupants.
Max Litet was as young as ever, with unruly bright blue hair and eyes and pearly white skin. His clothing was as unkempt as it had been when he'd first met the boy – overalls and a rough shirt that were both stained with various fluids.
Where Litet was young, Firenze Daytongust was an aging woman with a crooked nose, wrinkled, light brown skin, and burgundy locks that were threaded with white, gray, and black that she wore in a bun. She was taller than the two of them, though with her age, there weren't many others she was taller than. She was dressed in what appeared to Tanya to be a cross between a victorian-era dress and an office worker's blouse and jacket. Somehow, she wore it without looking ridiculous.
Both of them smiled at him as they shook his hand and then resumed glaring at each other.
"Well, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, Max," he began, "I was in fact the one who set up the Mithril Foundation."
After talking it over with his partymates, he'd decided that telling them parts of the truth, as well as a few lies, would help to obscure the fact that he'd been working with Succubi, especially since there wasn't any way to cover up his creation of the 'biggun.' "I wanted it to be seen as a force for good, rather than an extension of my will as a noble, which was why there was so much secrecy around my identity. I hope this revelation won't impact your desire to work for the Foundation?"
Both shook their heads vigorously.
"We're making so many advances that I'd never even dream of-"
"The good we're doing is far too important for something so trivial-"
Their simultaneous attempt to answer had both of them cut themselves off and stare at each other in disbelief before they resumed glaring at each other. Tanya resisted the urge to sigh.
"Now, as much as I want the Mithril Foundation to succeed, much of the upper management recently came to me and expressed a desire to retire. I didn't begrudge them that, but that means that there are some openings at the top. I was wondering-"
"Of course I'll run it. With me in charge, we'll be making advancements and money hand over fist-"
"Thank you for this chance, Governor. With me at the helm, we'll be in for calm seas as we expand to-"
They glared at each other again, and then-
"The Mithril Foundation is about making money and advancement, first and foremost! Axel will become the new Tromdski."
"The Mithril Foundation was first made to help the poor and has become a beacon of humanity's goodwill! What use have we for mere trinkets when-"
"If you can't agree," Tanya cut in, "then neither of you will be leading the Foundation. I have at least one other alternative than you two, and though it would pain me to part with either of you, I can and will," he said, not really sure Vanir would even want to – he knew Vanir wanted to get enough money with Wiz's shop for a dungeon, but what that entailed besides turning a profit on a consistent basis, he wasn't sure.
Well, if nothing else, he could always fold it into his plan for the nobility.
Both quieted down, and Tanya scowled as he looked at his watch. "Alright, the representative for the Magical Research Institute will be here soon. I'm not saying you need to like each other, but… if you didn't have each other's resources, how much harder would it be to do the things you want to do with the Foundation? How well would the charity function without the cash from the business? How well would the business function without the people the charity is educating and earning goodwill from?"
That caught both of them off guard, though they didn't remain so for long as the door opened and Walter led in a lone man.
Tanya could almost believe they were a normal Mage, with the white cloak and black staff and the confidence they held in their stride, but the buttons down the front of the cloak made it look more like something a mad scientist would wear. His face was paler than even Litet's, and his dark green hair was slicked back.
He nodded and thanked Walter and then sat down across from them. "Thank you, Governess Degurechaff, for agreeing to arbitrate this… disagreement. I am Kayatt Derontra, Head Researcher of the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg's branch here in Axel. It is most unpleasant that it has held up work on the MFD for so long." He said it all in a monotone, though he did extend the slightest nod of thanks to Tanya.
Tanya smiled pleasantly. This must have been what Lorelei meant when she'd said they were cold. "Of course. Now, why don't you tell me what this is about?"
He opened his mouth, but Max began. "I want to take the Mobile Fortress Destroyer apart! I want to see how it works – a golem of that size should have degraded, and while the Coronatite core at its center would keep a golem of its size from degrading much, its efficiency would have had to have been near-impossible for how fast it traveled and its other powers."
Tanya looked to Derontra, who nodded. "The Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg also has this desire-"
Max scoffed. "Oh please. I'm well aware of what you want to do with it – try and figure out how the head and the golems and the entire thing works, and when you can't, everything will wind up destroyed before your colleagues can get a look at it so they don't steal your glory."
His eyes narrowed. "And that is why the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg doesn't work with unintelligent rubes and children."
Max shot up, but Daytongust grabbed him and pulled him back into his seat. Tanya sighed. "And this can't be a joint project?"
"It should be-"
"Governess, the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg simply does not work with outsiders."
Tanya sighed and looked back at Max. "Why do you think you should get it?"
He stood up again, slapping away Daytongust's hand. "It's part of my heritage! The Mobile Fortress Destroyer was meant to protect Norse and ensure it could never be threatened again – a weapon that would ensure eternal security! I can find out why it went berserk, why it turned on its creator and went rogue and caused the destruction of Norse hundreds of years ago and began to terrorize the land for generations!"
"What an idiotic argument. Someone from my country built it, so I should get first dibs."
Max glared at Derontra, who made his own pitch. "It is clear that the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg is simply better able to complete the task at hand. We have more resources, more personnel, and a higher chance of success because of it."
He sat back down and smirked, while Tanya raised an eyebrow. That pitch might have been factually true, but it didn't do much to sell Tanya on the idea.
Tanya faced Derontra. "I am already fairly familiar with the Foundation. They've made a good name for themselves in Axel. What is the Magical Research Institute about? What jurisdiction does it have?"
The man in the pseudo-lab coat blinked and then blanked his face. "Governess, it is the Most Respec-"
"Then call me Governor. It is my title, after all."
His gaze snapped away from where he'd been studying Max and Daytongust and beheld Tanya. "My apologies, Governor. The Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg has also taken an interest in you."
Tanya kept his face blank, mirroring Derontra. "It has?"
For the first time, he emoted. "Indeed. You were seen flying around, you see. That is a most amazing feat that conventions dictate should not be possible. At all. Despise the best efforts of the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg, the closest we have gotten to such a feat was the creation of an enchantment whose only use is making a carriage float three feet in the air, over flat land only, that still requires considerable effort to move."
His smile crept up his face even if it didn't reach his eyes. "So. How do you do it? How much mana do you have? Which spells are you using? No such spells are recorded in Belzerg's copy of the Majika Tohmei Rejisuturia," he claimed.
Tanya just raised an eyebrow. "The what?"
Something flashed across his face – anger or frustration, Tanya was sure – as he explained. "The Majika Tohmei Rejisuturia is a magical tome of unimaginable importance. It lists every spell that a Mage or any of its evolved jobs may learn through their cards, as well as how it can be performed. Belzerg has one of the originals."
He looked deliberately at Litet. "Norse had one, but it has been lost for over a century."
Litet actually tried to jump at the researcher, but Daytongust held him back again. "Please, please calm down. We're not here to antagonize each other, are we?" Tanya said.
While Daytongust spoke to Litet, Tanya turned to Derontra. "Are you going to answer my questions? If you aren't-"
Now, he sneered, anger visible on his face. "The Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg," he hissed through clenched teeth, "was founded by King Belzerg the Great, almost immediately after founding the kingdom for which he is named. As the name suggests, we research… magic. In its totality." His sneer twisted into a furious smile. "Making chants shorter, increasing the potency and efficiency of spells, and investigating the ties between monsters and magic. It goes without saying that we are respected throughout Belzerg, especially by the king."
Tanya smiled back, falsely genuine. They certainly thought highly of themselves, at least, though an organization that could even claim their history went back that far was bound to be powerful. In that case, he couldn't just hand everything over to the Foundation so he could monopolize it.
"And yet you said it anyway. Regardless," he said, cutting off an outburst, "I did not hear you say that you are not allowed to work with outsiders, unless you know of one on the books, Missus Daytongust?"
The old woman shook her head, also falsely cheerful. "In that case, you will simply have to cooperate with the Mithril Foundation," Tanya insisted.
His mask of indifference was back, cold venom leaking into his voice. "How, precisely?"
"You will be given an equal number of golems to do with as you wish," he began, "and you will jointly research anything notable within the Mobile Fortress Destroyer itself, along with any other organizations or people that desire to try their hand."
"Governor, that will take too long," he said monotonely.
Tanya shrugged. "It wouldn't be fair otherwise. Of course, those with more resources should be given more time with it, so a schedule will be set up so that the time people get is proportional to the resources they have available to research the golem."
"Governor," he tried again, but Tanya cut him off. "That will be the end of it."
"The Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg created the Create Golem spell! We've shaved whole seconds off of dozens of spells this century alone! Our achievements-"
"Are why I am letting you in at all." Tanya cut him off. "Frankly, I know nothing about your organization and a lot more about the Mithril Foundation."
Litet and Daytongust were whispering to each other as they walked out, smirking as they passed Derontra and left the room. The stone cold mask came back into play. "Understood, Governor. Thank you for the opportunity to prove our utility to the Kingdom once more."
He smiled and stood, turning his back on him as he left. "And your spell? What is the name of the spell, Governor Degurechaff?"
He smiled again. "Well, Kayatt Derontra, Head Researcher of the Most Respected Magical Research Institute of Belzerg, any such ability I have is not why this meeting was called. It is late, and I want to go home. If you or anyone else from the Magical Research Institute would like to talk about my abilities, you'll need to set up an appointment."
His mask did not move an inch. "Of course. Have a good evening." He left through the door he was holding open and seemed to glide through Walter's home.
Tanya followed soon after, his mind whirling.
Not about his meeting, of course. Derontra and the whole Magical Research Institute seemed fishy, but that sort of problem wouldn't be solved with an evening of thinking.
No, his mind was whirling about the condoms.
He absolutely needed to invent synthetic ones. The ones made of linen he'd used last night were not very comfortable, neither of them had any desire to stick something made of animal intestines near their genitals, and Tanya did not trust that the blessings offered by the cults would do jack shit – Eris would turn the blessing into a curse to spite him with how low his Luck was, and Aqua didn't know what a period was.
Even if part of it was uncomfortable for one night longer, she was looking forward to tonight. After sleeping for a few hours, they'd discovered that their Reinforcement spells did wonders in the bedroom. Tonight, they'd see what it felt like in the air.
-OxOxO-
A/N 1: I'm having too much fun with this.
Also, I can't believe a Magical Research Institute got mentioned and then absolutely nothing was done with it outside of the short story it was introduced in where some researchers want to scan Megumin's barcode tattoo.
Anyway, this chapter was a whole lot of talking and worldbuilding, but I need the setup for everything that is to come. If you look at the timeline, Kazuma dies in chapter 1 of volume 2, while the end of the third volume is a month later. Then, at the beginning of volume four, it's suddenly spring. Considering how much the novels talk about adventurers not doing much during winter, the assumption I made with the timeline was that a couple months pass between them with nothing happening, which is fine when your protagonist is a NEET like Kazuma but less good when your protagonist is Tanya.
Thankfully, her proactiveness means stuff is happening to her even in winter… though, I guess you could argue Darkness could have gone through a lot of noble shenanigans in the aftermath of the MFD attack and Kazuma didn't know or care about it, if you wanted to.
On the other hand, it isn't like nothing happened during the winter. Hehehe…
A/N 2: If you'd like to donate to support me monetarily, search for Sugarcane Soldier on the website of the Patrons.
Thank you to WarmasterOku, Afforess, and UNSC_Kawakaze for supporting this story and everything else I write.
