After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

...Nia was silent for a moment. Then she sighed and asked, "What about the other races with magic resistance?"

"It's not good—they mutate more slowly than we do, but conversely, healing them consumes more magic than we imagined. The elves of the United Kingdom have complained to us more than once about not letting any magic-resistant aliens in."

"...It seems that the assimilation of these things is, in a sense, a kind of [magic]?"

"It's more like a hybrid of physics and magic—at least we can create chunks of flesh that are completely immune to magic and still be slowly assimilated."

In the game "Demon Realm," "Corruption" is a unique mechanism that exists between physical and magical elements.

Physically, corruption occurs through demonic bacteria that the Sirens call pathogens.

In terms of magic, [Corruption] will occur based on the unique magic power within the Demon Realm.

It's difficult to say which power is greater. But what is certain is that, at least in the current understanding of the people of Isgard, those who are easily corrupted are also easily healed. Conversely, those who are not easily corrupted, once infected, mean that the difficulty of treatment increases exponentially.

For Nia personally, this means a very simple fact:

Once the Black Dragon is corrupted, then no one can save its life.

Before launching an attack on its allies, the only thing the corrupted black dragon could do was end its own life.

(This is really not good news...)

Nia sighed, signaling to the Sirens that they could rest after finishing their work, and then she returned to her own tent to await His Majesty Yang Hao's arrival.

She had initially held onto a sliver of hope.

If [Corruption] only affects the magical realm, and physical healing is currently possible, then it should be feasible for me to venture into the Demon Realm on my own.

After all, no one knows what dangers lurk within the Demon Realm. With a powerful black dragon guarding them in the mist, the rescue team can surely carry out their mission with peace of mind...

But now it seems that if I were to enter the Demon Realm with my breasts... it would only bring trouble and become a burden.

The black dragon's near-magical immunity does indeed allow her to avoid mutations as much as possible.

However, once the mutation begins, it means that things are beyond repair.

If I were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter. Even if I mutated, I could be easily controlled or killed without much impact.

But the problem is, I am a black dragon.

Doesn't he know the destructive power of the black dragon? This is a black dragon capable of single-handedly taking on a small country...

"I never imagined that the characteristics of the Black Dragon Clan would become a problem that drags us down... But thinking about it, it makes sense. If everything could be solved with magic, that would be ideal... But the problem is, it's impossible to solve everything with magic."

While magic can bring us convenience, medical knowledge and technology based on physics still need to be prioritized.

The black dragon muttered to itself. If it wants to become an ally on par with the United Nations in the future, Ysgard must leverage its strengths and become the strongest industrial nation in a physical sense... But to be honest, the United Nations' current industrial strength is a mystery. I'll have to ask His Majesty Yang Hao about it sometime later.

Nia realized that it was impossible for her to spy on the situation alone. It was better to hope that His Majesty Yang Hao would accidentally let something slip someday—but then again, why did it always feel like every time he let something slip, it meant they were going to get tricked?

Ugh...

Black Dragon sighed again. But at least after shifting her focus, she felt a little better—although she probably couldn't change the fact that she couldn't enter the Demon Realm, at least she could be happier.

Just as Heilong was lost in thought, she heard hurried footsteps outside her tent.

She jumped off the chair in a panic, and while she was still adjusting her clothes, the people outside came in.

The guards did not try to dissuade him, not even General Piss had such an honor.

in other words...

"Your Majesty Yang Hao—"

"Alright, alright, we're practically family. Don't try to act like a princess in front of me... Let's get down to business."

Entering is His Majesty Yang Hao!

Nia, the black dragon, breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to look at Yang Hao, as well as Lalumia, who was wearing a hood, and Elena, who had white hair and red eyes, who were following behind him, she personally pulled out three chairs for them before sitting back down in her own seat.

For some reason, Emperor Yang Hao looked rather refreshed, while of the remaining two, the petite one had a slightly flushed face, and the mature one had a hidden smile.

"Something good must have happened in Constantinople," Nia thought. With that in mind, she succinctly explained the situation in the Demon Realm and yet another advantage the Sirens had over her to Yang Hao, receiving a thoughtful reply from him:

"Simply put, the alien races in the Demon Realm change faster, and the Sirens have the ability to repair the land in the Demon Realm, right?"

This is good news... but the problem is, we can't risk sending a large force into the fog-filled demonic realm to clear its [core]—I just took a look outside, and this fog is an absolutely unacceptable obstacle for the army... so, our main objective this time is still to rescue the main colonial army force. That's all.

Having efficiently confirmed the main objectives of this operation, Emperor Yang Hao leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully turning his head to look in the direction of the tent exit. He then added one more thing:

"Besides that... Natalia said that, considering the situation at home, we need Isugard to provide some [collateral]—after all, we really can't get our people to agree to unconditionally help you right now..."

Or perhaps, our people share a common understanding on the matter of "fighting the demons together." But no matter what, people still need to eat. They need to see the benefits of assisting Ysgard, at least to ensure that Ysgard will be on the same side as us in the fight against the demons.

Rather than becoming a madman who stabs you in the back.

Do you think we in Isgard are not trustworthy?

“No, all of us in the leadership recognize Isgard’s efforts and are willing to trust you—but Miss Nia, as a leader, I think you should also know very well that sometimes people are not able to discern the facts. They need to see tangible benefits or promises before they can work for us with peace of mind.”

"...But we in Isgard have nothing to offer as collateral?"

"All you need is a promise."

Faced with the bitterness in the face of the black dragon Nia's helplessness, His Majesty Yang Hao simply shrugged, took out the contract he had prepared in advance from Lord Lalumia's pocket, and handed the contract to Nia for review.

Nia accepted the contract, which was stamped with the official seals of the three major powers of the United Nations and the signatures of the three empresses—of course, the signature of His Majesty Yang Hao, which Nia valued most, was also included.

Only then did she begin to browse the contents of the contract.

The content is very simple, strictly speaking, only three lines.

1. The United Nations will assist Ysgard in rescuing the main force trapped in the Demon Realm, but if the rescue fails, Ysgard cannot use this as leverage to demand compensation from the United Nations.

(...Hmm, that makes perfect sense. Although I'm sure some members of parliament in the country have thought of similar approaches, Margarita and I would never allow something like this to be submitted to parliament... No problem at all.)

Nia muttered to herself as she looked down at the second condition.

2. In order to give the United Nations peace of mind in providing assistance, Ysgard must promise to stand on the same side as the United Nations in the future fight against demons.

(Hmm...that's fine too. For me personally, it's a bit redundant...but if countries can establish a basis for cooperation through contracts, it can indeed reassure the people and also be beneficial for propaganda...)

Nia didn't see anything wrong with it and felt reassured by Yang Hao's generosity. She then began to look at the last condition.

3. If the two countries need to unite against the demons in the future, and if a major change occurs in Ysgard, then the two countries must establish an alliance to fight against the demons together, and the leading party must be the United Nations.

"..."

Nia's expression immediately became extremely strange. It wasn't just strange confusion, helplessness, and a hint of sudden realization—it was more of an attitude of having been mentally prepared all along.

To be frank, ever since she reached a consensus with Margarita that day and had the idea of ​​making Yang Hao the regent of Isgard, she had long known that her homeland would one day be unable to extricate itself from the alliance of the United Nations.

Think about it carefully. Will the United Nations turn bad now that it has broken away from Ysgard? Perhaps, but right now it's not about what kind of losses the United Nations will suffer as a result. The more important thing is that if Ysgard breaks away from the alliance of the United Nations, it may die suddenly from the demonic calamity a few years later.

After breaking away from its allies, the United Nations might at most suffer a minor setback, but Isgard would face the risk of sudden death—under these circumstances, Nia simply didn't have the confidence to fight for dominance for her own country.

And then again...

"Your Majesty Yang Hao... regarding the third condition? Can I understand that you wish to establish a permanent transoceanic alliance in the future?"

"At least that's true in the fight against demons. After all, it's not hard to see that the demons' invasion of this world is comprehensive—even if the demons on the continent of Elusia are dealt with, we can't guarantee that Isgard will be safe."

"...I understand. Could you please give me some time to contact the President? This is a very important matter, and I cannot make the decision on my own."

Yang Hao nodded and made a "casual" gesture. After receiving permission, Nia got up and left the battalion commander. Taking her magic mirror, she went to a quiet place and thoughtfully contacted Margarita, revealing the three conditions of the United Nations and her thoughts on Ysugard.

Margarita, who hadn't rested in Isgard, listened attentively. After a moment, when Nia finally finished her statement, the President sighed and gave Nia an affirmative answer:

"So be it—we need a united nation. Our two countries are not equals to begin with... At worst, they'll suffer some acclimatization issues if they leave us, but if we leave them, our countries will surely explode. Moreover, if the demons truly cripple us in the future, with countless civilians needing to be relocated and seek refuge, we'll struggle to survive, let alone Ysgard..."

"Margarita? Are you sure it's okay? Can't we—"

"If Isgard is truly crippled by demons in the future, we might have to find a way to get into his bed so he can provide refuge for our people. Right now, his promise of future dominance is good enough for us—that's all. I'm busy here, we're short on money, we need to print some more while avoiding inflation... Could you also ask His Majesty Yang Hao to reduce the frequency of gold transactions? We're really about to collapse. Bye."

I haven't said anything yet!

Nia blinked blankly, but then realized that there seemed to be more and more problems within Isuga's Germany.

Resource scarcity has forced Issugard to wage colonial wars, which are bound to be expensive. Once the money runs out, Issugard will probably have no choice but to print more money.

This is not good news. After all, it means that Issuga's domestic cash flow is nearing its limit...

Ugh.

Nia sighed, knowing that she would likely be controlled by Yang Hao again. She stopped breathing and her face stopped turning red. All that remained was a listless indifference and a sense of resignation.

Sigh. Anyway, no matter what we do now, we're going to lose control. Your Majesty Yang Hao, when you come to our country on business, could you just be quick and let our country join the United Nations?

This way, at least we won't be ripped off as much when trading with our country, right?

Miss Nia was filled with helplessness, but she didn't show the slightest hint of it on her face.

She calmly returned to her tent, nodded to His Majesty Yang Hao in agreement, and then signed her name and stamped the contract that was utterly frustrating for Isgard.

"Your Majesty Yang Hao—we will be relying on you from now on. So... on what date shall we begin our operation?"

Nia's question received an immediate and prompt answer from Yang Hao:

"Tomorrow. That is, May 21st—my troops have already arrived, but before that, we need some time to conduct tests."

"test?"

"We need to test whether the artificially controlled golems will be corrupted in the Demon Realm—if not, our operation will be much easier."

...I feel like I've heard something similar before?

Although Nia was curious, all she could do after Yang Hao explained his proposal was to agree with it.

..........

The night before departure.

After communicating with General Piss, Yang Hao took Nia to inspect the upcoming Golem operation experiment.

This is an enlarged version of the flying golem. Because the field not only needs reconnaissance units, but also consumables that can withstand combat and attrition missions, Yang Hao did not concentrate all the golem quota on the flying golem and the machine gun golem.

He brought some of the golems Arthur used back then. They were the kind of golems that were twice the height of a person and could transmit human consciousness into them. Their official name in the United Nations is now "Consciousness-Embedded Golems."

Abbreviation: [Inlaid Golem].

"The key point is... it's acceptable for the golems themselves to mutate, but we can't accept that the operators outside the Demon Realm will also be corrupted and mutated. Let the magical puppets proceed cautiously."

As Yang Hao explained, he gestured for the magical puppets to begin their work.

One reason for using magical dolls in experiments is that their bodies can be replaced at any time. Even if they are infected, they can simply upload their consciousness and then change bodies.

On the other hand, the magical puppets also possess the highest level of scientific research within the United Nations. They know exactly what they should do and when, and naturally, they have sufficient initiative to conduct various data investigations without orders from Yang Hao and the others.