Its voice sounded overbearing, but I felt neither hostility nor malice from it.
Above all, the "+" on my status had increased.
It was not an enemy. Rather, like Leviathan and the others, it was an entity bound to obey me.
If that was the case, then—
Just like I did with Leviathan and the rest, I linked it to the Ring of Armor and manifested it.
The material of the ring shifted in the blink of an eye, transforming into a bird with massive wings relative to its body.
『My name is Ziz. Paired with Leviathan and Behemoth, I am the magic bird that symbolizes the sky.』
The grandiose tone echoed directly in my mind.
At the same time, I heard names I knew very well.
Leviathan, and Behemoth.
Every one of them was an entity that served me.
This Ziz had introduced itself as a being similar to those two.
"Then, just like Leviathan and the others, you shall serve Me."
『...As You will.』
The next moment, an image flooded into my mind.
An image of wielding power—Ziz's power.
"Interesting... I will test it at once."
As I spoke, Ziz canceled its manifestation and retreated back into the feather ornament.
Holding it, I focused my power and concentrated my will.
Immediately, wings sprouted from my back.
They were massive—easily twice the span of both my arms stretched straight out to the sides.
Though the feathers were white like a swan's, they shone with a brilliant radiance: wings of light.
"Whoa..."
Witnessing this, Shirley let out a gasp of admiration.
I tried to flap the wings.
"Ngh..."
Just like when I first tried walking on two legs after being reincarnated, it was difficult to summon the right strength.
I could feel them connected to my body, but I couldn't move them properly.
Still, I pushed through, my whole body trembling with exertion as I focused my strength.
Gradually, the wings began to move.
Flap, flap, flap, flap—
The motion grew progressively smoother—and then.
"Y-You're flying?!"
My feet lifted off the ground, and my body rose bit by bit.
By flapping with almost everything I had, I managed to soar roughly to the height of my own stature.
Thrilled by the success, I momentarily let my guard down; the flapping ceased, and I plummeted straight down.
Because I fell upright, I never lost my balance and landed smoothly.
"Amazing! To think Your Majesty could fly like an angel."
While Shirley praised me, more images from Ziz flowed into my head.
I understood the gist of it now.
It would take practice and training.
With practice, I could move the wings as naturally as any part of my body, and by raising my level and stats, I could hone my flight ability to a practical standard.
This—I was certain—would be a useful ability.
☆
The next morning, while I was handling state affairs in my study, Fourth Imperial Prince Henry requested an audience.
When I had him shown in, Henry knelt and bowed his head before me, his brow deeply furrowed.
"What is the matter, Henry? You look troubled."
"A report like this has arrived, and I was unsure how best to handle it."
"Show Me."
I took the report from Henry and looked it over.
It was addressed to Henry in his capacity as Imperial Prince Minister of Military Affairs.
Sent by the magistrate of a small frontier town, it stated that bandits had occupied a nearby mountain and were engaging in suspicious activity.
The magistrate declared his intention to devote himself body and soul to annihilating them—or so it read.
"The bandits number five thousand, hm?"
"Yes. Lelmo is a backwater town whose name even I did not know. If five thousand bandits are making suspicious moves there, it is a grave matter. If things go poorly, the entire town could fall, which might rapidly escalate into a full rebellion."
"Hm."
"I wished to ask for Your Majesty's sanction on whether we should dispatch imperial troops from the capital to suppress them."
Listening to Henry speak, I reread the report from the beginning.
And then—
"Heh..."
A cold smirk naturally curled one corner of my mouth.
"Your Majesty? What is so amusing?"
"Henry, you have fought the Rebel Army many times, but you've never tangled with frontier bandits, have you?"
"That is true, but..."
Henry looked back at me as if to ask, What of it?
Returning his gaze with a faint smile, I explained.
"When it comes to reports on bandit suppression, they always exaggerate the enemy's numbers—in fact, they inflate them considerably."
"...Why would they do that?"
Henry furrowed his brow, perplexed.
"Broadly speaking, there are two reasons. The first comes down to money. The more enemies there are, the more troops are supposedly needed to stand a chance. But if the enemy force is actually small, the local authority can pocket the requested budget without having to recruit a single soldier."
"Ah... That is what Your Majesty pointed out back during Rice's incident, isn't it?"
I smiled faintly.
That brought back memories.
Back then, Henry was the Imperial Prince Minister of Military Affairs, and I was merely his assistant.
Now Henry remained the Imperial Prince Minister of Military Affairs, while I had leapfrogged above him to become Emperor.
The reversal in our standing was somewhat amusing.
"And there is a second reason. By reporting vastly inflated numbers, an eventual victory yields far greater military merit, while a defeat can be excused as having been inevitable. In fact, Henry, you immediately assumed the local garrison couldn't handle it and that the central government had to intervene, didn't you?"
"Indeed..."
"Besides..."
My smile widened as I handed the document back.
Henry accepted it as I continued.
"Even though you were worried enough to come consult Me directly, this is merely labeled a 'report'—there isn't a single mention of requesting reinforcements."
"...You are right. It only contains dramatic phrasing like 'devoting body and soul to their annihilation.'"
"Reinforcements would actually get in their way, most likely."
"I see. As expected of Your Majesty, your discerning eye never ceases to amaze me."
As Henry bowed his head, Don stepped into the study.
"Well, well, Your Fourth Highness. Pardon the intrusion. Were you in the middle of an important discussion?"
"Pay it no mind, we were just finishing."
"Is that so?"
"What brings you here?"
"I have brought this for Your Majesty."
With that, Don presented a box.
Huwawa's Box.
It was one of the secure boxes distributed to trustworthy individuals across the realm for delivering confidential intelligence.
I took it and channeled Huwawa's power to unlock it.
Inside lay a single letter; I unfolded it and read.
"Heh... Hahahahaha."
"Your Majesty?"
"Whatever is the matter?"
Both Henry and Don looked puzzled.
Still chuckling, I handed the letter to Henry.
As Henry read it, a wry smile crossed his face as well.
"Just as I said, wasn't it?"
"Indeed... The actual number of bandits is five hundred. A mere tenth of the reported force."
The intelligence had come straight from Lelmo.
While it was true that bandits had occupied a nearby mountain and were acting suspiciously, their numbers were around five hundred at the very most.
"There was no need to dispatch an army after all."
"Your insight is truly astounding."
The anxiety that had weighed on Henry when he rushed in vanished entirely, replaced by relief.
"Even so, having bandits crop up all over the place is hardly ideal."
I glanced down at the original report Henry had brought.
Going forward, I intend to expand the Empire's borders.
If I am to project military power outward, the domestic front must be secure.
I cannot afford to have our focus fractured by bandits causing petty trouble in the provinces.
I need a permanent solution...
"How about managing them within reason, treating them like monster nests to blood and train new recruits?"
Henry proposed.
"It's a sound idea. However, we cannot rely on that forever. Eventually, we will be marching beyond our borders."
"I see your point..."
"Well, no matter. We can deliberate on it further in time. Keep the thought in the back of your mind as well, Henry."
"As You will."
Henry bowed, then paused as if something had just occurred to him.
"Speaking of which, Jerry Eisen's unit has achieved military distinction once again."
"Oh?"
Jerry Eisen.
He was a former bandit who, showing promise, had been inducted into the ranks under penal military service.
Since then, his battlefield achievements had cleared his record entirely, turning him into a regular imperial soldier.
"Military glory, honor—and women."
Henry gave a wry chuckle.
"Provide those three, and his men will fight to the death. Your Majesty's discernment in recognizing their nature and deploying the right men to the right place is truly remarkable."
"...That's it!"
I had found the solution.