Yanpo’s attitude was something Ella was quite satisfied with; the only thing she didn’t like was the salute gesture.
“Don’t raise your right hand so high, lower it a bit, don’t be so ostentatious.”
“Understood. By the way, Lady Ayla, I have a small question I don’t quite understand.”
Yanpo was a bit curious, because he had heard before that the Kingdom planned to vigorously develop Harbor City, which was why they sent the girls over.
Now that the Demon King Army had secretly occupied the city, wouldn’t the Kingdom find out?
“That was the plan, but that was before, and only if all sorts of conditions were met.”
Ella waved her small hand.
“The ideas of those people up there are just wishful thinking, trying to get something for nothing.”
Why did the Kingdom set its sights on Harbor City, was it because they wanted to eat seafood?
Of course, it was because of maritime shipping.
Without that, even if there was seafood, it couldn’t be transported, so they couldn’t eat it even if they wanted to.
Their plan a month ago was to reestablish diplomatic relations with the Sea Demon Tribe, build a friendly relationship, and have someone help clear the sea routes—getting free labor for nothing.
Now, not only was there no friendship, but they had fallen out completely.
In the next few years, they could forget about maritime shipping.
As long as anyone dared to go to sea, the Sirens would do everything to bring them down.
So, regarding Harbor City, the Kingdom would most likely just let it go.
“I see, now I understand.”
Yanpo suddenly realized.
“It seems that the trouble caused by the Sea Demon Tribe actually helped us take this prime location.”
Ella’s mouth twitched, thinking, ‘Prime location, huh.’
Compared to life in the mountains, it was indeed not bad.
Anyway, as long as the soldiers were satisfied, it was all good.
“That’s all I have to say. You can go back now.”
“As you command, Lady Ayla.”
To avoid arousing suspicion, Yanpo deliberately took a detour and strolled along the beach before returning to the barracks.
As for Ella, she couldn’t be bothered to keep up appearances.
She turned straight back toward the inn, ready to go back to sleep for a while.
A mature woman’s voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
“After all this effort, was it just for this little bit of gain?”
The calm and steady tone made it hard not to trust her a little more.
Ella wanted to tell her to shut up, but didn’t dare say it out loud. In the end, she could only mutter in her heart, ‘You don’t understand.’
How could the Evil God in the heavens understand the great revival of the Demon Race in the mortal world?
A coquettish laugh echoed in her mind.
“I don’t understand, but—I can help you relax a little.
You don’t have to worry so much. With just a tiny price, you can get everything you want~”
Thanks, but no thanks.
Still, Ella wanted to rule the world so she could enjoy life in the future.
If the world became a mess, how could she enjoy anything?
And there was always a price to pay; nothing came for free.
Even the Sirens wouldn’t let the Kingdom get anything for free—how could the Evil God let her get something for nothing?
“Maybe the price isn’t as high as you think.”
The voice in her head grew even more seductive, full of temptation.
“Why not try it? I could even help you fulfill part of your wish first.”
Ella refused without hesitation.
As a classic Earth Traveler, in her past life she had received countless loan offers, and they all said the same things: ‘Funds first, paperwork later,’ ‘No interest for so many days,’ ‘Repay early anytime.’
Once you actually signed, you’d see how ruthless they were.
“You’ve misunderstood me a bit. In your words, it’s a stereotype.”
The voice in her mind became sorrowful, almost pleading.
“Even I follow the principle of equivalent exchange, so you don’t need to be so wary of me. For some small requests, I don’t need you to pay much.”
Ella knew she shouldn’t listen to the Evil God’s words, but the tone and emotion were so well controlled that she subconsciously asked—so what?
“So, you can try it first. Use some small matters to deepen our trust.”
The gentle voice coaxed softly, “For some small requests, all I need is for you to call my name in your heart.”
“No need.”
Ella spoke directly to the air, “Everything is going smoothly for me right now. I’m handling most things with ease and don’t need any outside help!”
Not to mention small daily matters—even something as big as the Revival of the Demon Race was proceeding steadily under the Demon King’s plan, and no outside help was needed.
The Evil God said no more, only leaving behind a coquettish laugh before vanishing.
Ella knew the Evil God hadn’t left, just hidden inside the Necromantic Sword.
The sky was clear, the weather was bright, and today Harbor City was especially lively.
On this first day without Sirens, the former guards, following Celes’s suggestion, organized a group of fishermen to go to the beach for fishing, while others went to the market to barter their household goods.
Although it was simple at first, as long as order was maintained, things would quickly improve.
Because of this belief, there were smiles on people’s faces and light in their eyes.
Only Ella silently endured the Evil God’s pestering, bearing the weight alone as she moved forward.
When she returned to the inn, all the girls were already up.
Except for Vina, who was yawning as she ate breakfast, everyone else seemed in good spirits.
“After driving away the Sirens, Harbor City’s original way of life can’t continue.”
Celes spoke earnestly.
“Before we leave, I hope to do a bit more for the commoners here, help them plan a way to get through this period.”
Brave and wise, caring for the people—truly the perfect knight of the Kingdom Rose.
That was what Ella said to herself.
In theory, as the real ruler of Harbor City behind the scenes, she should be doing these things.
Now that someone else was taking care of it, she couldn’t help but praise her a bit more.
Vina yawned, “You go ahead and think, let me know if you need help. After I eat, I need to sleep some more.”
Zero, just back from outside, said, “If needed, Lisa and the others are willing to help.”
“I’ll write to the churches in the nearest cities,” Leah said, sitting with her usual grace, gentle as a saint.
“Let them send people to Harbor City to establish a branch of the Church, spreading the blessing of Light over this land, so that the people will be free from suffering.”
Such a powerful statement, showing the strength and confidence of the Church of Light as the only officially recognized faith of the Human Kingdom, and demonstrating her responsibility as one of the Chosen of Light.
Flawless performance—she deserved to reward herself tonight by suppressing evil.
Just thinking about it made the Saintess’s sense of justice tremble a little.
“Then it’s decided,” Celes looked at the pink-haired thunder girl.
“Anything else to add?”
Ella: “No objections from me.”
And so, the morning’s impromptu meeting ended just like that.
The girls all found something to do—good things—and each felt that today would be a fulfilling day.
“Ella, are you free? Would you like to join me in discussing plans with the local guards?”
“Sorry, I’m a bit tired today. I want to stay in the room and rest.”
Ella politely declined Celes’s invitation.
“But I believe you’ll definitely find the best solution~”