I introduced the leaders to some of my favorite board games, and they took turns playing against me and each other. We had a great time. What about the important business of the conference? As far as I was concerned, this was great for building friendly relations between allied nations. As long as nobody was angry enough to launch an invasion over losing a silly little game, this could only deepen the bonds of friendship and camaraderie between leaders. After dinner and a sumptuous dessert, there were more political discussions. These meetings went very well after the rulers had spent the whole day relaxing and having fun.
There was even a little drinking, but thankfully, nobody got drunk enough to cause problems. Even my royal guards got into the alcohol, which they hardly ever did. Everyone got caught up in the festive atmosphere.
I don’t mean to make it seem like everyone just played around. We still did at least some real work. Territorial disputes and grievances were resolved one after another. We ironed out the finer details of currency minting, valuation, and counterfeit enforcement. Specifically, detecting and confiscating counterfeit currency, and punishing the people who made them would be the responsibility of each individual nation. However, in the event an international counterfeit operation was discovered, we would work together to bring it down. In the case of individuals trying to shave metal from authentic coins, the enforcement would be left to my people exclusively. In other words, if we detected anyone attempting to shave or otherwise tamper with the coins, I could send Irregulars to apprehend them. This applied anywhere in the alliance. I could add an effect to the coins that sent a signal when such attempted tampering took place, so we could pinpoint the perpetrator’s location. Guilty parties would then be put to work exploring the tower dungeons until they learned to earn their money honestly.
Speaking of guilty parties... At one point, King Doma approached me about his brother, Duke Finlaud.
“I’d like to offer him to you,” he said with a dead serious look on his face.
“Come again?”
“I’d like to hand my brother over to you, and you may deal with him as you like.”
“In other words, you’re too softhearted to punish him, and you want me to do it,” I concluded.
“I believe that after you defeated him, my brother truly felt the weight of his actions. He’s had a lot of time to think things over. Please give him the chance to atone. If you still find him unforgivable after that, then please punish him as you see fit.”
I breathed an exasperated sigh, but I agreed to the proposal. “I’ll put him to work farming points in the tower. If he really wants to atone, he can start by earning me some nice things. I’m not going to make it easy for him, and if he tries to escape, I’ll feed him to the Sprigumdrops. They can even eat human waste, so they shouldn’t have a problem with him.”
“He deserves every bit of that harshness,” the king admitted. “I’ll leave him to you.”
So that’s how, by the end of the conference, I ended up with custody of Finlaud, a former duke from the kingdom of Doma. When they brought him to me he looked absolutely dreadful. Pathetic didn’t even begin to describe it. So the first thing was to clean him up.
“Get those chains off of him, and make sure he has a bath. After he’s cleaned up, get him some adventuring gear. I’m putting him to work in the tower dungeon. His meals will be based on his progress. Sleep, too. If he doesn’t earn enough points, he’ll be getting special training before bed. You’ve spent most of your life comparing yourself to your brother, or being compared to him, right? If that’s the case, how about improving yourself as a person before you try to lead anyone?”
The stunned look on Finlaud’s face was priceless, but it didn’t last long. It was replaced by a look of resolve as he nodded in agreement. “I leave myself in your hands,” he said, looking more humble than I’d ever seen him.
“Not that you have a choice, but I like the change in attitude. Now, let’s get to work.”
On my orders, Finlaud entered the tower dungeons, but I used my skills to make sure he fought enemies on his own level. I wasn’t just trying to bully him; it was all to improve his skills and help him surpass his limits. He didn’t complain, and after a while, he started to see serious results. I ended up with more dungeon points too.
Finlaud wasn’t the only person King Doma sent to me. As it turned out, Gin was having trouble adjusting to being back in Doma.
“It just didn’t feel like home anymore,” he admitted. “People I’ve known for years are all total strangers to me now. When I approach them, they regard me with wariness or suspicion. It feels awful.”
“I was afraid of that,” I admitted. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. You were only trying to save me, and I’ll never blame you for that.”
“That’s so sweet. I am sorry to hear you had a rough time, though.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” he said. “Princess Sherin was very excited to hear a Sprigian ambassador was staying in the castle, and we had a lovely conversation. She had so many questions about your culture and people. It was truly a pleasure.”
“Aw, that’s great. I should go see her sometime. I wonder when her next birthday is.”
“I shall inquire about it, and hint that you’d like to be invited to any celebrations for such an event.”
“That sounds fun. I wonder what sort of present would be good.”
“She seems awfully fond of the stuffed bear you gifted her.”
“Hmm. Maybe that little hero could use a mighty steed,” I mused aloud.
Gin chuckled. “I’m sure the princess would be thrilled.”
“By the way, I know it’s not always easy for you around Grimwood, but I’d be happy to talk to you whenever I can, so that you’re not lonely.”
His cheeks and the tips of his ears turned red as I extended the open invitation. He was so cute. “Your Majesty, it would be my honor to enjoy your company.”
That gentle smile on his face is gonna melt my heart. Help!
“A-Anytime.”
Officially, Gin was still an ambassador, but I thought he felt isolated. In Doma, he was a Sprigian ambassador among humans, while in Grimwood, he wasn’t officially treated like a member of the group, since I hadn’t summoned him and he hadn’t sworn his loyalty to me. So I did whatever I could to make him comfortable. He was still really great to talk to. Since he was really good at explaining differences between humans and Sprigians, the ambassador job suited him well, aside from the social issues. As for my romantic feelings...
Even with how they treated him, he remained very attached to Doma. His thoughts were still very human. He had spent around eighty years as a human before he transformed into one of my people, after all. It wouldn’t have been fair to expect him to adopt a new mindset overnight. We had a lot in common, and he definitely met my standards physically. His mentality might have been the greater issue. I thought perhaps we’d be romantically involved later on, just not anytime soon... Eventually, we might even start a little family. Wouldn’t that be something?
That was all stuff for years in the future, though.
For now, I plan to just keep making this world cuter in my own way. There’s still a lot of this world to explore, but I’ve got plenty of time to do it. No rush. I’m just gonna do everything at my own pace.
Anyway, that’s how I died, began my new life in another world, and became the ruler of my own nation. Looking back on it like this sure feels nostalgic, even though it didn’t happen all that long ago. This world can be a savage and cruel place, but I’m dedicated to making it cuter. In this fantasy world, some call me a sovereign; others like to say I’m the Arbiter of Balance. People praise me as the ruler of Grimwood during our biannual conferences, but of all the titles I have, the one I like most is “the Adorable Dungeon Master.”