"Is everything ready?"
"Most of the Re-Estize Kingdom's forces are under our control. A few are still resisting, but it should take no more than three days to finish the preparations."
"I see."
Shido nodded his head with a flat unreadable expression.
He was currently in an unfamiliar hall, surrounded by his subordinates. At the forefront stood Marquis Raeven, while behind him were the former leaders of the Eight Fingers and other high-ranking nobles.
Although Shido's original subordinates had been the Eight Fingers, he considered Marquis Raeven far more capable. For that reason, he had appointed Raeven as the head of the operation.
He then turned his attention to his subordinates, who were reporting on their progress in overthrowing the kingdom. Though he kept his expression neutral, Shido couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment, their pace was slower than he had anticipated.
However, upon reconsidering, he realized that the only force he had lent them to control the kingdom's troops was Clementine, and it was only temporarily as Clementine always seek Shido. That might explain why Marquis Raeven needed more time than Shido had originally expected.
They lacked the leverage needed to make the nobles fully submit. Realizing this, Shido decided it was time to lend them additional support to complete his quest as quickly as possible.
"Is something wrong, Master?"
This time, Marquis Raeven didn't address Shido by name. With no outsiders present, he opted for the more formal 'Master'.
"Nothing. Oh, right, I will provide you with helpers to ensure your task proceeds without issue."
"Ah."
Marquis Raeven opened his mouth and wanted to say something but ultimately stayed silent. Inside, he smiled wryly. He suspected that Shido was disappointed with their progress, but what could he do? These nobles were far more cunning and stubborn than most would expect.
In the end, he sighed, realizing that having extra help would make their work proceed more smoothly.
"Come."
With a wave of his hand, two figures suddenly materialized from thin air, startling everyone in the room.
"Calm down. These are the helpers I mentioned. You may call them the Azure Knights."
"I-I see."
Marquis Raeven and the others let out a collective sigh of relief, realizing that the two were not enemies. In truth, all of them had frozen the moment the figures appeared. There was an intimidating aura radiating from them just by existing in the same place as them.
Marquis Raeven observe the two figure and was in awe at their appearance. The two figure wore a silver knight's full body armor.
They wore fully enclosed helmets with two prominent horns that concealed their faces. Silver steel wrapped their frames in sharp, angular plates, while azure highlights ran along the edges, creating a striking contrast.
Their hands were sheathed in plated gauntlets, and their steps were heavy with the weight of steel boots. Over their leg armor hung pleated blue skirts, layered above the cuisses, providing both freedom of movement and a bold visual contrast against the polished silver beneath.
"You can command them at will, and they will do anything you say."
Shido's words cut through Marquis Raeven's thoughts, and he immediately bowed.
"Thank you very much for your help, Master."
"No need for that. I should have done this a long time ago."
Shido shook his head, but it was just idle talk, he had only recently acquired the two. It was the armor he had stolen from the Platinum Dragon Lord by severing his connection with them.
After returning to Nazarick, Shido removed all traces of the Platinum Dragon Lord from the armor and modified its appearance.
Using some SP, he redesigned it with Mordred's armor as a reference. The only major change from the original was the crimson highlights, which he replaced with an azure hue. He also removed all the floating weapons, leaving only the greatsword.
Like the armor, Shido also reshaped the greatsword to match the design of Mordred's Noble Phantasm, Brilliantly Shining Royal Sword.
With that, he completed the modifications to the Platinum Dragon Lord's armor and weapon. He then used 'Concept of Multiply' to create a copy of the armor. Shido had to admit, this ability was currently one of the most OP and useful skills he possessed, making his journey significantly easier.
"Master."
"What is it?" Shido glanced at Marquis Raeven, waiting for him to continue.
"There is… actually a small matter I need to discuss with you."
Marquis Raeven hesitated, unsure how to phrase his concern, but when Shido beckoned him to speak, he decided to voice it.
From Marquis Raeven, Shido learned about various affairs of the kingdom, including its members and hierarchy. He also mentioned the head knight, Gazef Stronoff, who was King Ramposa III's most trusted aide.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Gazef Stronoff had already surpassed the level of an Adamantite adventurer and was approaching the threshold of the Realm of Heroes. To Marquis Raeven, this was a matter of genuine concern.
"Ah, him. You don't need to worry about him. These two can handle the head knight." Shido gave a faint smile. He didn't blame Marquis Raeven for his concern, he understood that, in the eyes of ordinary people, Gazef Stronoff was indeed formidable.
But when compared to his new creation, Gazef Stronoff were nothing. They could even conquer the entire kingdom if Shido wished to, but he chose to do it secretly as he plan to be the controller behind the scene of Re-Estize Kingdom.
Hearing Shido's reassurance, Marquis Raeven finally relaxed. But then he added something that caught Shido slightly by surprise.
"Brain Unglaus was staying with Gazef Stronoff?"
"Yes. The spies I sent to observe the head knight reported that to me."
"...Hmm."
Shido fell silent, recalling the night Shalltear had invaded the bandit base. According to her, she had captured Brain and handed him over to a vampire bride. But based on what Marquis Raeven said, Brain was actually in the capital, staying with the head knight.
That could only mean that someone strong had helped Brain escape, or that Brain had regained consciousness and used every ounce of his strength to free himself and eliminate the vampire bride assigned to escort him. After all, Brain was stronger than those vampire brides.
Regardless, the matter of Brain wasn't all that significant, no matter which hypothesis was true. In the end, Shido gave them further instructions before teleporting back to his house.