The next day.
The Valley Base, Kaito's Log Cabin.
The lid of the coffin creaked open just a fraction. Kaito's skull peered through the gap, his empty sockets scanning the world outside the window. The sunlight was pleasant, birds were chirping, and everything appeared far too peaceful.
Thud.
He slamd the lid back down. Kaito rolled over inside his narrow wooden sanctuary.
The entire Eastern Border. It was all his now.
That newly crowned Queen of the Odri Empire had so serious stones. To cede a territory of that magnitude—an entire chunk of the map—directly to the Evernight Empire without a second thought... It ant dozens of cities, hundreds of towns, and a near-infinite count of villages and farmland were now registered under Kaito's na.
It was a headache. A monuntal, soul-shredding headache.
How was he supposed to manage that many humans? How do you govern a territory that large? His ideal life was that of a hands-off manager—lying in a coffin all day, occasionally coming out to poke a few humans for a laugh, and generally doing nothing.
He pushed the lid open again and sat up. There was no hiding from it; the problems were stacking up, and they had to be dealt with eventually.
Kaito's Soul Fire flickered. Through the invisible threads of the Soul Link, a command was instantly projected into the consciousness of the Seven Generals.
"eting. Now."
Valley Base, Strategic Council Chamber.
A massive round table stood in the center of the room. Kaito's figure had already materialized at the head. One by one, ripples of blue light flared, and the Seven Generals teleported in: Greed, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, and Lust.
The seven figures took their respective seats.
"Everyone is here," Kaito's voice resonated through the stone chamber. "You are all aware of the situation. The Odri Empire has formally ceded the entire Eastern Border to us. This territory is now our responsibility. I want to hear your thoughts."
Skele-Wrath was the first to speak. "Master, no need for complex talk! Dispatch my Fearless Vanguard imdiately! We'll march through every city and every village one by one. If anyone dares to resist, we beat them until they're loyal! I guarantee that within three days, there won't be a single dissenting voice in the entire East!"
Wrath slapped his chest armor with a confident clang.
"Crude," Skele-Pride sneered. "Is there anything in that skull of yours besides combat? Have you already forgotten the concept of 'Sustainable Developnt' we studied?"
"What the hell are you barking about?!" Wrath slamd the table, making the massive round wood shudder. "Believe it or not, I'll dismantle your ribs and use them as kindling!"
"You're welco to try." Pride crossed his arms, looking down at Wrath with cold indifference. "We can see if you burn first, or if I turn your skull into my new wine goblet."
Kaito said nothing. He simply extended a bony finger, pointing toward an area near the door where a lone skeletal head was idly staring at the sky. The two Generals imdiately went quiet, though they continued to glare at each other.
"Gluttony, what are your thoughts?"
Gluttony, never one for eloquent speech, hesitated for a long mont before glancing at Sloth beside him. "Master... my thoughts are exactly the sa as his."
Sloth stared at Gluttony in utter disbelief. "You little rat! You dare sche against even in a eting?!"
Gluttony said nothing, rely turning his head back toward the window to pretend he was admiring the scenery.
Kaito: "..."
Skele-Lust covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. She had recently perfected an illusion magic that allowed her to change her appearance in the eyes of others—shifting between an Elf maiden and a succubus-style elder sister. "Master, we only need a single City Lord to occupy each major hub. If each Legion contributes a hundred soldiers to maintain order, we can slowly replicate the 'Iron Fortress Model' across the region."
Kaito remained neutral on the suggestion, giving a non-committal nod. "Next. Envy."
"Why do they all get to speak first? Why am I always last?" Envy muttered. "Why does that brainless barbarian Wrath get the first word? Why does that narcissist Pride get to sit so straight? Master, this is an injustice..."
"Enough. Stop talking," Kaito interrupted Envy's rambling and turned his gaze toward Greed.
He was the hope of the room.
Greed stood up, offering a refined bow to Kaito. "Master, I believe General Wrath's proposal has rit, but it requires significant calibration."
Wrath shot Greed a look that said, 'Glad you've finally grown a brain.'
Greed ignored him and continued. "A military deterrent is necessary. I recomnd that each Legion dispatches elite units of Millennary scale to every district. Sweep through the East with the force of a thunderclap; liquidate all remaining noble militias, bandit groups, and threatening mabeasts. We must be swift and we must be ruthless. Every human must understand that the era has changed."
Wrath rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Now that I like!"
Greed's gaze swept the room. "After the sweep cos the takeover. Vampires possess human appearances; they excel at negotiation and administration, and they possess significant combat strength. Appointing them as temporary City Lords is our most efficient option. A Tier 4 Vampire is more than enough to suppress any local riff-raff."
"Tier 4s as City Lords?" Gluttony asked instinctively. "Isn't that a waste of resources?"
"On the contrary," Greed shook his head. "It is a declaration of our power to the outside world. Furthermore, it ensures that our policies are executed without compromise. We will replicate the successful models of Iron Fortress and Jade Territory: establish basic education, open foundries, and develop comrce. We must make every person in the East dependent on the New Order we have built in the shortest ti possible."
Greed finished and sat down. The chamber was silent. Even Wrath and Pride offered no rebuttals; Greed's plan was logically seamless, with every gear interlocking perfectly.
After a mont, Pride spoke. "The plan is perfect, Greed. However, you've ignored the most central issue: our current manpower is insufficient. Master, our total undead count is barely over one hundred thousand. That sounds like a large number, but if we scatter them across the entire Eastern Border, it would be like tossing a pinch of salt into the ocean."
Lust, annoyed by Pride's pessimism, chid in. "Won't the undead converted during the 'Great Sweep' make up for the numbers?"
Sloth added a rare comnt: "Why not just govern the major cities and leave the rest for later?"
The argunt flared up again, with the Seven Generals bickering over troop allocation. Kaito listened quietly, his finger bones tapping a steady rhythm on the armrest of his throne.
"Cease."
Kaito spoke, and the room went silent instantly.
"Greed, you are responsible for the establishnt and implentation of the civil administration system. The City Lords shall be Vampires, as you suggested.
"Pride, you will coordinate the overall military deploynt for the Purge.
"The rest of you will provide full support to these two.
"Lust, you will not participate in the sweep. You are to lead the Arcane Legion. Every settlent in the East—be it human, or demi-human tribes willing to submit—must be connected by a network of magical highways. Use the sa standards as our current roads."
Kaito sat back into his throne, his voice returning to a calm flatline.
"Operations begin at sunset tomorrow. Go."
Flashes of blue light erupted as the Seven Generals vanished from the chamber. Kaito was left alone, looking at the empty round table.
He let out a sigh.
Busy. Well, I suppose being busy is better than being forgotten.
☆☆☆
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