"Report to the Commander: the Great Tomb Squad, the Night Raid Squad, and the Chaldea Squad have brought in several more individuals from the recruitment list."
Aboard a ship floating above the planet, Belfast gracefully saluted Setsuna.
With a snap of her fingers, the Angeloid led a few timid little girls forward.
"Except for the Demon Slayer Corps, who are still searching for Emilia, most of the Royal Selection candidates are here now."
The Royal Selection—
The Kingdom of Lugnica, also known as the Dragon-Blessed Kingdom.
Throughout its long history, the word "dragon" had never faded from its legend.
After the previous king's mysterious death, only five women acknowledged by the dragon—known as "Dragon's Priestesses"—were qualified to participate in the royal election, each bearing a crest marked with the dragon's insignia.
In the original story, the Royal Selection arc was a pivotal part of the Re:Zero world, centered on the rivalry, cooperation, and entanglements between the royal candidates and the Witch Cult.
However, because of the current timeline, most of the royal candidates standing before Setsuna were still little girls.
They huddled behind the head maid, cautiously observing their surroundings.
"..."
"Commander, are you a lolicon?"
Tohru asked with a deadpan expression.
She had noticed a pattern—every recent operation led by Setsuna seemed to involve lolis.
He had rescued a group from the DITF world, brought along Ram and Rem, and now, yet another batch had arrived.
"Isn't it better to start raising them young?"
Setsuna put down his teacup and glanced at the girls.
Golden-haired, short-statured Felt; the pale-lavender-haired, youthful Anastasia; and then Priscilla and Crusch.
Having only known their mature appearances, seeing them as little girls was oddly disorienting.
Among them, Crusch appeared slightly more mature, while the others were barely older than Ram and Rem.
"E-Excuse me… where are we?"
Crusch asked nervously, clutching Belfast's skirt.
"This is the Starsea Empire. Don't worry—we won't harm you," the head maid said gently, patting her head.
Among the four, Anastasia and Felt had still been living in the slums, while Priscilla had fled to Lugnica after being rejected by the Empire.
It hadn't taken much effort for the squads to find them and bring them aboard.
Only Crusch was a native-born noble of the kingdom.
"C-Com… mander…"
"Are you… the leader of the Starsea Empire?"
The green-haired girl stammered as she spoke, gathering her courage to continue with the words her elders had taught her:
"I-I am the eldest daughter of House Karsten. This is my family crest. My father hopes the Karsten domain may maintain lasting peace with the Starsea Empire…"
"Thus, I shall follow the agreement and enter into a political marriage with you…"
Pff—
Setsuna and the shipgirls couldn't help but laugh.
No one knew exactly what Albedo and Duke Karsten had discussed, but somehow, the duke had come to believe that forming an alliance through marriage was the proper way to secure protection.
It was a common idea in medieval times—perfectly in line with native customs.
However… the imperial harem queue was already quite long.
"You'll live well here. Don't overthink things."
Setsuna rubbed the little girl's head fondly.
He beckoned toward the royal maids.
"Take them to Ram and Rem. Have the maid squad teach them about the interstellar era."
"Ah, more adorable little girls again~!"
The cheerful maids surrounded the newcomers, leading them away for baths and new clothes.
Those who had come from the slums had never experienced such luxury and were almost trembling with awe.
After settling the second group of little girls, Setsuna shifted his focus back to the ground campaign.
The various squads continued acting in their own unique styles—
Some hunted magical beasts, others investigated the Witch Cult, some searched for people in the Elior Forest, and others… simply enjoyed themselves.
Iris led the Crimson Demon lolis around the city, sampling local delicacies.
Setsuna found it all rather wholesome—so long as they were happy, it was fine.
After all, the Great Tomb Squad was handling the serious work.
They had, in their own unexpected way, become the main force of this world's conquest.
Setsuna was deeply curious to see how the powers of this world would react to the sudden appearance of an undead calamity. What would be the outcome of this war between the Overlord world and the Re:Zero world?
Outside the capital city of Lugnica—
On a vast, barren plain, the Pleiades-led divisions regrouped a short distance from the city. From above, seven or eight undead legions converged from all directions, forming a single massive army of over one hundred thousand.
The flag of the Starsea Empire fluttered proudly amid the ranks, held aloft by towering undead soldiers, a sight both grand and awe-inspiring.
The battle maids and Guardians returned to Albedo's side, while Antilene's team rejoined as well, reporting their results before lining up neatly behind her.
On the map, nearly half of Lugnica's territory was already under imperial control.
"Wow, they're really weak—barely any resistance. Too easy~"
Lupusregina clicked her tongue.
The entire advance had gone abnormally smoothly—almost a straight-line sweep.
The other battle maids nodded in agreement. Their siege pace was practically equal to their march speed; if they'd abandoned the ground forces and just ridden bone dragons, it would've been even faster.
"They all surrendered on sight… I didn't even get to fight. What a waste," one of them pouted.
"You'll have your chance soon," Albedo said with a faint smile, her gaze fixed on the majestic city walls in the distance.
Soldiers on the ramparts moved frantically, setting up defensive weapons.
Shua—
With a sweep of her sensing magic, Albedo scanned the capital.
"So, they've gathered all their forces to defend the capital… planning a decisive battle?"
"A rational move—but also a foolish one."
The kingdom hadn't attempted to intercept the Great Tomb's army earlier. In part, that was due to the limits of a feudal-era military's mobility—and in part, due to fear of being defeated in detail, which would leave the capital undefended.
Thus, during the imperial army's territorial advance, Lugnica had mobilized nearly every available soldier, massing them around the royal city in hopes of repelling the undead with one decisive engagement.
"The Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Kararagi City-States will probably do the same," Albedo mused lightly. "They'll gather all their strength and attempt a single decisive battle to annihilate us."
Then she chuckled softly. "Oh, but Ritsuka Fujimaru went off in her Gundam to assault a fortress—wonder how that's going."
"That's perfect," Shalltear sneered. "If they all gather together, it'll save us the trouble."
"This world's conquest will be unmatched—none shall surpass our results."
Pa—
Shalltear extended her hand, summoning several black, orb-like wraiths that flew swiftly toward the capital.
"—By the will of the Supreme Beings, we deliver this decree."
Within the royal palace, the wraiths howled as they issued their final ultimatum to the nobles and the Council of Sages:
"All within the royal capital—lay down your arms and submit to us immediately."
"We guarantee the safety of those who surrender. Any who resist will face total annihilation…"
"..."
The Council and nobles exchanged uneasy looks.
Crack—
Reinhard swung his arm, his mana slicing through the wraiths effortlessly.
"Royal Knights—move out. Meet the enemy beyond the walls."
—
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