Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

Although those hundred people are not exactly high-end combat power, there is Satella here who can travel between different planes!

In fact, in the previous deal with Aleister, Satella not only received a Dragoon, several generators and necessary electrical equipment, but also nearly two hundred guns!

Of these two hundred guns, more than half were the ToySoldier F2000R that she had used before.

This recoilless assault rifle, which requires no aiming and can be used by any novice, was specially prepared by Satella to expand the strength of Emilia's faction.

In the Re:Zero universe, the characters' strength is extremely polarized. The top-tier combatants, such as the Witch of Envy, the Sword Saint, and the Archbishop of Greed, are very powerful.

However, those around the third tier, like Julius and Crusch, seemed to have experienced a significant drop in strength; at least Satella didn't think they could withstand firearms.

As for the other ordinary knights and soldiers, there's not much to say; they felt much like the soldiers in real history.

After Hughes's hundred witch cultists were equipped with [toy soldiers], Satella believed that their combat strength was even greater than that of a thousand-man regiment!

Putting aside these digressions, after hearing Emilia's somewhat willful words, Hughes frowned slightly and said with some helplessness, "Lady Emilia, even if I am the Minister of the Interior, there are some things that I cannot decide. For example, those lords on the border have been causing quite a stir lately."

Emilia's current role is Border Count, in charge of the entire western border of the kingdom, so naturally she has more than just one territory under her command.

In fact, Emilia now has more than a dozen lords under her command, and there are dozens of villages like Alam.

These people were naturally not convinced by Emilia, the silver-haired half-elf. In fact, if it weren't for Satella's title of 'Dragon Envoy', they would have already united to rebel.

Although there has been no rebellion, there is no shortage of sabotage behind the scenes, which has caused considerable trouble for Hughes's work.

Even so, Emilia herself was at a loss. She tentatively suggested talking to the lords, but Hughes rejected the suggestion without a doubt.

"Then let's win some over and suppress others," Satella said, tilting her head as she nestled under the covers.

"Well……"

"How to say?"

Seeing that Emilia and Hughes were looking at her with questioning eyes, Satella cleared her throat and said:

"First of all, you must understand one thing: those lords' enemy is not us, but themselves!"

Stopping Emilia from speaking, Satella continued, "The border is only so big, and resources are only so many. No matter how fair the distribution seems, it's impossible to satisfy everyone. Dissatisfaction breeds jealousy, and jealousy will cause them to become hostile to each other."

Just like the powerful regional officials of ancient times, the border lords in Re:Zero have a high degree of autonomy.

To put it more vividly, Emilia's relationship with her lords is like that of a king and his ministers.

As a border countess, Emilia does not participate in specific local construction projects, but is responsible for resource allocation and overall coordination.

Judging from the fact that Natsuki Subaru traded away the mining rights of the mines in his territory when he allied with Crusch in the original work, the Border Count has absolute say over the resources in his territory.

"In this way, we will have the initiative in our hands."

Along with her words, Satella wanted to make a "I want them all.jpg" gesture, but her body was tied up, so she could only proudly shake her little head and continue:

"What those lords are fighting over is nothing more than profit. As managers, we have no conflict with them in terms of profit. The real conflict with them is with those colleagues who have taken away the resources!"

Satella explained her method: "Bribe those minor lords, give them mines, people, and preferential policies. In order to hold onto their interests, they will naturally turn against the major lords. And those major lords, in order to preserve their interests, will naturally have no choice but to curry favor with us. In this way, we can both stabilize people's hearts and strengthen the competition, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone!"

“…What an excellent plan!” After praising it, Hughes frowned and asked, “But Lady Emilia currently lacks prestige. What if a lord secretly disobeys her?”

"Then we'll have to resort to our last resort."

Satella shrugged. "Hughes, you send the Witch Cult's forces to attack those territories, keeping the destruction to a level that will frighten them but not cause any real casualties. That way, they'll naturally have no choice but to ask us for help, and then..."

Satella didn't continue, but for a smart man like Hughes, there was no need to continue.

"Even I can't find any fault with it."

Hughes shook his head, but his pride as an interior officer still made him somewhat unconvinced and he continued to ask:

"Lady Satella, the spring planting season is in full swing at the border, but many places are experiencing a shortage of manpower..."

“Construct water conservancy projects, replace human labor with material and animal power, and order each lord to purchase oxen and farm tools, which will be rented to farmers in need.”

"The mixed nature of border trade and the inconsistent prices across different regions are causing great distress to the people..."

“Choose a suitable location, set up a market, open once a month, and ordinary people can participate for free. Merchants will collect taxes based on the final transaction percentage.”

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"There is some money in the treasury right now. Where does Lady Satella think it should be invested first?"

"To get rich, build roads first."

"..."

In fact, Satella didn't know much about domestic affairs; what she knew was just a superficial understanding gleaned from the internet.

Even this small step was considered a far-sighted move by people whose civilization was still stuck in the Middle Ages.

To put it simply, Satella wasn't better at politics than them, but she had a vision that was several generations ahead of them!

Hughes sighed, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Lady Emilia, I think Lady Satella should be appointed as the Minister of the Interior."

"What? You want me to go to work?!"

Satella stared wide-eyed as if she'd heard something unbelievable: "Don't even think about it! There's no way I'll work, I'll never work in my life! Just give up on that idea!"

Emilia, who was about to say something, choked back her words and coughed repeatedly in discomfort.

Even Hughes, who had lived for nearly five hundred years, looked dumbfounded.

Emilia suddenly took a deep breath, looking as if she had made up her mind, and said to Hughes, "Hughes, you go out first. I have something to talk to my sister about privately."

After Hughes took his leave, Emilia looked at Satella with a stern expression. Satella, who was wrapped up like a caterpillar on the bed, glared back without fear.

Crackling sounds!

At the point where their eyes met, it seemed as if sparks were flashing!

After a long silence, Emilia spoke, her little face full of confidence: "Big sister, you haven't forgotten, have you? Before we set off to hunt down the White Whale, we made a bet!"

Before they parted ways, Satella and Emilia made a bet: whoever defeated the target first would win.

The loser must unconditionally grant the winner one request!

"I won in the end!"

Emilia, her silver hair swaying like moonlight, stood with her hands on her hips and smiled smugly.

"Waaah..."

Satella muttered something in frustration.

To be honest, she felt it was very unfair, because Emilia not only set off early in the morning, but also had the cheating tools she provided, but she had to inform Crusch and the others first in order to publicize her achievements.

Therefore, it's only natural that they would lose.

However, Satella was a person who accepted her bet and would never go back on her word. So, after complaining inwardly for a moment, she asked warily, "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to work?"

No, it's not just that.

Emilia shook her head slightly, gazing at her beloved older sister.

She had always known that her older sister was very capable and had excellent eloquence, but now she realized for the first time that her older sister also had such outstanding talent in politics!

She has such talent, yet she's so lazy—just look at how her older sister is now!

She was curled up in the blanket like a hamster, and even though it was already evening, she still claimed that she wanted to take a nap!

—We can't let my older sister continue like this!

If this continues, my older sister will definitely be ruined!

Emilia felt the weight of her burden. She took a deep breath, gazed into Satella's eyes, and spoke firmly:

"Then, my request is this: from today onwards, my dear sister, you must be a diligent and upright person!"

……

……

"Good morning, Your Excellency the Interior Minister."

The next morning, Natsuki Subaru, who met Hughes in the corridor, greeted him with an overly familiar air.

Because the Sword Saint went to a neighboring country on business, Natsuki Subaru did not return to the Astraea mansion after the White Whale Extermination Campaign ended. Instead, he shamelessly stayed at Satella's place.

"Good morning."

Hughes nodded steadily and politely. Incidentally, after killing Greed, Satella personally treated Hughes, not only reattaching his severed arm but also repairing the hidden injuries in his body. Therefore, Hughes has now regained the handsome appearance he had a hundred years ago.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Natsuki?"

"Well... how should I put it?"

Natsuki Subaru scratched his head awkwardly, and only after getting closer to Hughes did he lower his voice and ask somewhat shyly, "Lord Hughes, you are Miss Satella's adoptive father, aren't you?"

After a slight pause, Hughes replied, "I am Lady Emilia's adoptive father. If Lady Satella and Lady Emilia are truly sisters, then I would also consider myself her relative."

"Oh my!" Subaru Natsuki's eyes lit up instantly. "How should I put it? From the first moment I saw Lord Hughes, I felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Maybe we were very close partners in a past life..."

Looking at Natsuki Subaru's fawning expression, Hughes thought for a moment and understood what he was thinking, and couldn't help but show a half-smile on his face.

"You want to ask me for information about Lady Satella, don't you?"

If it were anyone else who heard Hughes say it so bluntly, they probably wouldn't have dared to ask any further questions, but Natsuki Subaru is the kind of person who's shameless.

Hearing Hughes ask this, he shamelessly nodded and said, "After all, Miss Satella is my savior. To repay this debt of gratitude, it is very important to find out her preferences!"

"..." Hughes wasn't stupid; of course he understood what Subaru Natsuki's true purpose was.

But this is exactly what he wanted!

Although he has now let down his guard against Satella, he is still worried about the current relationship between Emilia and Satella!

It's clear that the relationship between Satella and Emilia has now crossed the line that sisters should have.

As a person of integrity and who strictly adheres to his duties, Hughes did not want to interfere with Emilia's love life, but how should I put it... he still felt that it was a bit inappropriate.

However, there are too many concerns about asking him to persuade Emilia. If Subaru Natsuki could win Satella's heart, that would be even better!

So he didn't expose Natsuki Subaru, but smiled and nodded, saying, "I've only known Lady Satella for a short time, so I'm not very clear about her preferences, but if I have any information, I will tell Mr. Natsuki as soon as possible."

"I am deeply grateful for this great kindness! I, Natsuki Subaru, will go through fire and water for you in the future if you ever need me!"

"Oh, not at all. I also want to be friends with a young and promising person like Mr. Natsuki."

Just as the two were praising each other, a silvery voice suddenly rang out.