Marius perused El’s plan.
From his perspective, it was exceptionally well-made, but the sheer volume made him doubt it could have been completed in a single night.
“You had this prepared beforehand, didn’t you?”
The only reply was the sound of a whistle. Marius, a little exasperated, continued reading. Then, a shocking detail caught his eye.
“Those who commit sexual crimes are to be thrown into the dens of Orcs and Goblins…?”
The women present let out a bloodcurdling scream upon hearing this.
“That’s too cruel, even if it is for a good cause!”
“Sexual crimes should be eradicated, but surely there’s a line regarding basic dignity.”
“Is El a demon, or some kind of devil?”
El ignored the clamor but offered an explanation to their master.
“We can’t exactly exterminate Goblins and Orcs, can we? So, wouldn’t using them as a deterrent for crime be a viable option?”
Marius found it difficult to judge, but given the shrieks from the women, it seemed like an incredibly cruel punishment. He couldn’t help but wonder how much Orcs and Goblins were hated. However, he reconsidered, realizing that since attacking women was part of their nature, they were bound to be disliked.
“Anything that generates too much backlash is a bit much.”
Marius hesitated. He didn’t particularly care about the human rights of criminals, but was it right to disregard public opinion?
“But Goblin couples also have the right to procreate.”
“That’s true, however…”
Having advocated for coexistence between humans and monsters, they couldn’t simply say Goblins and Orcs could be wiped out.
“Hmm. Since Master doesn’t seem to favor slavery, I thought I was being considerate…”
If alternative punishments were established, new slaves would decrease. Using Orcs and Goblins for penal servitude had that implication as well.
“I appreciate you considering my intentions, but…”
Scratching his head, Marius looked at his wives.
“What do you two think, Lovisa and Barra?”
“…Regarding repeat offenders, I think it’s a viable option.”
Lovisa was the one who spoke. Barra, raising her hand, agreed.
“Yes. Also, for cases with multiple victims.”
“So, there’s room for consideration.”
Marius pondered. Then, he reached a conclusion.
“Alright, begin deliberations in that direction.”
In other words, he dumped it all on the bureaucrats. His wives made dejected faces but couldn’t think of any counterarguments. To accurately express their feelings, it would be something like, “Marius can be refuted, but El? Impossible…” However, they couldn’t back down now. Lovisa attempted a modest counterattack.
“Are sexual offenders the only ones who will pair with Goblins and Orcs? If that’s all there is, I don’t think it’ll be enough for them to reproduce.”
“We can have Master and Auraniess create the rest, the females.”
El answered immediately.
“Couldn’t we have planned that from the start?”
Barra questioned, to which El replied with a smile:
“We just showed the intended use for Goblins and Orcs first?”
“…”
Marius wondered if the fatigue that seemed to spread through the room was his imagination. Sighing, he said:
“For now, let’s put using Goblins and Orcs for punishment on hold.”
“Roger!”
El cheerfully replied.
“For now, I’ll cooperate with Auraniess to create mates for the Goblins and Orcs.”
Marius tried to sense Auraniess’s presence, but she didn’t seem to be nearby. Normally, she would come even without being called; her timing was unluckily off. Nevertheless, summoning Auraniess wasn’t particularly difficult for Marius.
“Auraniess, let’s have a contest!”
As Marius shouted, the door was kicked open the next moment.
“Alright! What kind of contest is it?”
Auraniess barged in with a broad smile. Everyone was naturally surprised by this.
“How did you get here?”
“Even for Auraniess, that’s impossible!”
Marius addressed the bewildered attendees.
“It’s fine because it’s Auraniess.”
“That’s not an explanation… But it’s strangely convincing…”
Barra started to retort but realized how difficult it was. Marius added:
“She’s Auraniess, after all.”
“Huh? I don’t get what you’re saying, but I’m Auraniess, for what it’s worth.”
Auraniess tilted her head, puffing out her chest.
“So? What’s this contest? A fight? Or maybe a five-way fusion?”
“Today, it’s creation of life.”
Marius said, and Auraniess’s eyes sparkled.
“Ooh? Giant monsters? Great Demon Lords? Or maybe we can try creating a new sun?”
Surprised by her unexpectedly enthusiastic reaction, Marius replied:
“Putting aside whether a sun is a living thing, I plan to create female Goblins and Orcs.”
“Ehhhhh…”
Auraniess made a dubious face.
“What’s so competitive about that…?”
Her enthusiasm clearly waned.
“The winner can order the loser to do one thing. The loser cannot refuse. How about that?”
“I’m in!”
Auraniess answered immediately. Marius felt a surge of unease at her eagerness.
“If it’s impossible, it’s impossible, alright? Only things you can do.”
He emphasized this point.
“Ah, alright, that’s fine.”
Auraniess nodded, full of high spirits.
(Huh? Did I mess something up?)
Marius felt a bad premonition and started to sweat.
“Master, you’ve tossed incredibly fine grass to a hungry horse. What’s your strategy?”
El whispered, her face full of suspicion. Marius whispered back as if he’d been waiting for this.
“Help me, Elemom.”
“…So, you had no intention from the start.”
Marius nodded at El’s questioning gaze. El let out a small breath, but she couldn’t be blamed for that. One could even praise her considerable patience for not clicking her tongue or sighing loudly.
“What should we do?”
His wives would likely have said he should be thoroughly beaten and reflect on his actions. While that thought might have crossed his mind, summoned beasts would never voice it.
“If you lose, please provide me with about ten possible arguments to persuade Auraniess.”
“I’m always in your debt.”
“No, it’s a summoned beast’s duty.”
She said this with a smile, stroking his cheek.
“Aah! What are you doing! You’re supposed to be playing with me!”
Auraniess immediately protested, while his wives eyed her with a cool gaze. Not that they were jealous. They figured, “He must have cried to El because he’s in trouble.” A wife’s intuition was quite formidable.
“I was just asking for input on the contest.”
“Hmph, I’m going to win.”
Auraniess was confidently ungrounded. “That’s a defeat flag,” Marius thought, but he didn’t say it aloud. It was more convenient for her to set it up that way.
“The rules are simple. Whoever creates a female that Orcs and Goblins find more popular wins.”
El stated this. It seemed she had instantly accommodated Marius’s excuse. He expressed his thanks with a nod and turned back to Auraniess.
“This is fine, isn’t it? Shall we go to the Orc and Goblin dens?”
Marius used teleportation magic to transport himself and Auraniess.
The Goblin horde initially couldn’t comprehend what was happening. But the next moment, some fled at top speed, while others threw down their weapons, prostrated themselves with their hands and foreheads on the ground, desperately begging for their lives. Normally, faced with a beauty like Auraniess, they would have drooled and attacked. Instead, they trembled in fear, instinctively understanding the terrifying nature of the being before them.
“As always, Auraniess is incredibly popular.”
Marius said this, though his tone was completely flat.
“Hmph, that’s irrelevant.”
Auraniess showed no interest. Orcs and Goblins were beneath her notice. Then, she used the divine power “Birth of Life.” Releasing a white mass from her palm, she kneaded it into a human form. What emerged was a female counterpart to the Goblins. Marius, not to be outdone, also used “Birth of Life.” What Marius created was a beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties. However, two horns grew from her temples.
“Now then, you lot, which woman do you prefer?”
Auraniess asked. The Goblins, who had been trembling and desperately rubbing their heads against the ground, looked up in surprise. After glancing at each other, they quickly muttered something in unison. Auraniess nodded once and commanded:
“Line up before the one you wish to take as your mate.”
The Goblins hesitantly stood up and formed a line. Then, all of them lined up in front of Marius.
“…Huh?”
Auraniess tilted her head in confusion.
