"How is the strengthening of my forces coming along?"
"Things are going well, my liege."
In a rather plain throne room, compared to the ones I had seen in kingdoms of ole, I listened to the report of my advisor from a platform of about ten feet in height. Much time had passed since that fateful battle on the Plains of Gloom, so the losses were no longer a concern. I had to retreat before even taking a step inside the forest, but that didn't bother me very much. Now I only looked forward to making my army much stronger.
While looking at the only lich left to serve me, Farrow, I was sure that it also wasn't bothered by this situation. After all, now that Clavis and Lucarius were gone, it could enjoy all of the resources and benefits that they would have gotten. I was always displeased by this excessive greed, but as a ruler it would be shameful to treat a valuable talent harshly just due to preference.
*Knock knock*
In the middle of the briefing that Farrow was giving, a series of knocks came from the tall double door that served as the entrance to this throne room.
"You may enter."
Words were not needed for the servant behind the door, this was for the guest that came with it.
Subsequent to my approval, the door was slowly pushed open by a skeleton knight, and from behind it entered a being with a fine bag of flesh. With a charm that disregarded gender, this one purposefully stomped their way towards me and looked up with an arrogant smirk. Knowing what I would be put through next made even an undead such as I feel an incoming headache.
"To what do I owe the honour, Lord Isaac?"
"Actually I've been a woman for the past thirty years so call me Lady Isla. Can't you tell from the length of my hair, you dumb boneman?" asked the guest with a provocative tone.
...
I refrained from saying that I couldn't see the difference in her shoulder length silver hair, but that resulted in a pause before I could respond.
"I see, my apologies."
"Hmph, it's not like I expected much from something like you. And where's my chair? Do you expect me to keep standing here as I look up at you?"
Her blue and red eyes squinted in anger as she folded her arms. Long used to the flow of this conversation, by the time I raised my hand, Farrow had created a chair of bones for her to sit on. Though Farrow was the weakest of the three liches that once served me, it was the swiftest and most versatile in situations such as this.
"Please forgive me. I hope you can satisfy yourself with this."
"Ugh, do you really expect me to sit on this?! Tch, what did I expect from a boneman like you? Never mind, I'll do it myself."
With a snap of her fingers, the ground beneath her rose to form a platform that put us on the same level, before a throne similar to mine was moulded into shape for her.
I remember embarrassingly losing my composure when she, or well, he first did this, but now I could dismiss it as part of a ritual that had to take place before the main topic.
"So, may I take it that your visit isn't for leisure purposes?"
"Of course it isn't. Why would I want to spend my vacation here of all places? My coffin would be much better."
"Is that so. Then, may I ask what you have come here for?"
"That's none of your business. Hmph, don't get full of yourself boneman, you might have your own territory but I still outrank you."
"How could I ever forget?"
"Good. By the way, I heard you tried to confront the big lizard in the forest?"
"Yes, but I was forced to stop before I could make any real progress."
"Kukuku! Well of course you would screw up at something like this, but moving on. I heard that three familiars and their master were behind your failure."
Unlike the disdainful attitude she had before, the moment this topic was brought up, her atmosphere changed. I could no longer brush off the arrogant peacock before me.
"You're not wrong, but may I ask where I got your information?"
"No. What, were you trying to hide the facts behind that shameful event?"
"No, I was just interested in the network of someone under the Demon King's direct authority."
I was sure that none of my followers could have leaked the information, but I wasn't surprised that she could find out this much. Even if my walls had no ears, there were always birds in the sky.
"Oh, I suppose even a boneman like you knows excellence when you see it. But sorry, that's a trade secret."
!
She stuck out her tongue like an troublesome child yet her strangely mature aura somehow moved the heart of an undead like me.
'A dangerous opponent as always. Please grant me strength, Lord.'
"I see. What a shame."
"Indeed, I would love to show off my greatness even to a pile of bones like you. Oh, I know. How about if you tell me something interesting, I give you a little hint on how I can always find out what I want to know?"
"Hoho..., that sounds like an interesting proposal, but I'm afraid I don't know what you would like to hear. Not much happens in this backwater after all."
"Well, that's true. But if you do think of something, send a message. I'll try to put aside a time to hear you out since I'll be staying here for a bit."
"I see, Farrow."
Lady Isla then snapped her fingers once more, returning her platform to its former flat state and walked towards the door with Farrow following her. I didn't remember giving her permission to stay, but I knew I had no choice. I had nothing I needed to be wary of her seeing here, but that didn't mean I had to drop everything off at her doorstep. Even if it would only delay the inevitable, time was what we needed most.
After my doors opened and closed once more, I slowly got up from my throne and walked towards the velvet curtains behind it. More specifically, I walked through the curtains so that I could enter a small room with nothing but a couch and a table that separated us. Without daring to put on any airs before him, I went down on one knee.
"My lord, it seems things are happening faster than planned."
He didn't respond, he only stayed in a cross-legged position with his eyes closed. However, I was sure that he heard, and even if he didn't, I simply needed to repeat myself.
The time I spent waiting seemed extremely short as I felt a fresh excitement when I felt his gaze land on me. My lord, with his green hair and magenta eyes said his first words of the day.
"Tch, to interrupt my sle-training, this better be worth my time."
"Naturally. I have an urgent report, my lord."