F-Rank Puppeteer!! But I'll be Queen, and I'm not a narcissist!!!!!

Chapter 316: Currently Totally Casual

"...U-Urgh..." I walk with a slightly awkward gait as Esther accompanies me through the castle garden. Yesterday was a really rough day for me.

"Are you okay?" She asks, and it’s a very hypocritical question.

"M-My butt hurts... th-that’s all..." I murmur as we reach a small wooden structure built for shade. Two chairs, a table, and some snacks are already set out for us.

"..." I sit down on the chair with some difficulty because of the sore feeling in my butt. Even my tail reacts, lashing against the ground somewhat aggressively.

"How is the situation with your other body going?" Esther asks, sitting down on the other side. I pick up a cup of hot chocolate, but before I can drink, Esther grabs a small pastry and puts my medicine into the cream.

"By the way, Evelyn, it’s time for your medicine. Don’t forget to take it at the right time. Yesterday you didn’t take what you were supposed to, and yes, that was my fault, but we need to avoid that." Esther takes another pill and puts it in her mouth, which leaves me a bit confused.

"Why are you taking medicine?" I ask, picking up the pastry and eating it along with the medicine, which is kind of bitter.

"...Saluvia made it to help me with my hunger. It doesn’t stop it, but it satiates me when it gets too intense. The first pack came out this morning. Here." Esther pulls a pack of 20 pills from her clothes and then puts it away again.

’If she took it just now, then...’ I feel a little overwhelmed at the moment, but also grateful that she took it for me.

"A-About the war... my troops have started advancing. We’ll reach the first city in one day... For now, morale is great... but the situation between me, Marie, and Laplace is tense, and both of them are clearly dissatisfied."

"But I’ve been making lots of puppets too!! I already have 60 thousand puppets!!!" I announce the news of what’s been happening on the other side.

"Hmm... that’s good. Evelyn, you also still have that Katana, which is dangerous but also an incredible weapon. When the time comes, do you plan on joining the fight against the queen of the angels?"

"...I’ve been strengthening Eve, so Eve can probably beat her..." Ever since I arrived on the angelic continent, I’ve been fortifying Eve as much as possible. She’s the only living puppet I have that fights.

"...The angels are trying to move things in their favor. While you were having fun on that island, I did your work for you. The beastmen will soon enter the war, but there’s a high chance they’ll be our enemies. I’m trying to negotiate with them. I’ll need your help with this."

"Oh... you’re not going to let the subject of that island go, are you..."

"Of course I will, but I’m merely stating facts. This war will be very long, and if the beastmen join in, I bet it’ll be a problem. The humans are already our allies, but they haven’t sent troops."

"...I think-"

"You are not leaving this kingdom, Evelyn. Don’t forget you’re forbidden from doing so. I’ll need your help to resolve this, but you’ll either deal with it from a distance, or, if I decide it’s worth us going to the beastmen kingdom, you’ll create an extra body."

"...But I can barely handle two bodies. If I had three, I’d be completely confused!"

"Exactly. So let’s hope I can settle this soon. For now, focus on the war. Winning is far more important than brooding over some future problem that I’m here to solve."

"...Okay... then I’ll leave it to you to handle."

"Hey, Evelyn... don’t be too nice. The angels are our enemies, and they tried to take your life the moment they got the chance. I know they won’t succeed, since you’re here, after all."

"But if you show too much mercy toward our mortal enemies, the demons will lose what little loyalty they have. You are not powerful, and your lack of power makes the demons not trust you."

"So you need to control that through tyrannical rule. Be merciless toward the angels, to show that you are not the queen of demons for nothing. Don’t go around trying to save angels, or avoiding torturing them for information."

"I-I know... haah... I know... Currently, this is how things stand." Using my abilities, I create a sort of 3D wood map that perfectly represents the forest, the soldiers, the puppets, and even the city.

"Wow, since when can you do that?" Esther asks, looking at this perfect model of the situation.

"...I learned... on the island... Anyway, look, we’re here, and here is the city. As you can see, we’re very close. I don’t know the angels’ positions, so they’re not marked here, but the terrain has already been analyzed by small spy puppets, so everything is accurate."

"Hmmm... this is very good. The model is excellent... Here, are you going to attack from this side?" She says, pointing to the left side of the city, which doesn’t even have a real wall — just a basic structure to keep wild animals from entering the city.

"Yes, my puppets are also mapping other places. After all, there are many cities, and for now we’ll need to set up several bases. So we’ll take over cities along the way so we have bases until we reach the main kingdom, and of course, to avoid attacks from behind!" I say to her, proud of how well my plan is coming together.

"Huh... I’m surprised you were only capable of thinking of that."

"Huh? B-But it’s perfect!" I did everything in the best possible way. To take down the defenses, the puppets will throw themselves at the walls and explode them. We’ll have an invasion, attacks, and everything else.

"Evelyn, their defense is much weaker than you let on before. Your plan sounds foolish because of that. Not to mention, look at this structure, the uneven terrain — Marie alone could devastate this city with a single attack. That way, there’d be zero casualties. It wouldn’t even be a fight."

"Plus, a city so close to the edge of the continent is a city with no real defenses. There won’t be anyone strong there. You’re trying to prove yourself as a leader when it’s completely unnecessary."

"B-but... I... I thought..." I look at her expression, which seems quite disappointed.

"Sorry, you’re right... I didn’t think to ask Marie..." Her disappointment practically radiates from her gesture as she eats a pastry from the table.

"You’re trying too hard to prove yourself, Evelyn. Your powers are genuinely amazing, but they aren’t everything. So stop trying to handle the war with your puppets when it’s not necessary."

"For the first cities, you could probably just send Marie or Laplace to deal with them, and they’d be capable of conquering those places on their own."

"They’ll obey even if they don’t like it. Do it now. Send Marie to take the city. By the time you arrive there with the soldiers, the city will already be in your hands." Esther speaks in a very authoritative tone.

"...Okay..." My other body leaves from where it is and heads off to find Marie to give her the order.

"Do you really need to hear praise from other people?" She says in a serious tone while I shake my head.

"That’s not it... I just thought I was doing well..."

"No, that was a terrible resource management choice."

"W-Well then, why don’t you do it? If you’re so good at this, you make the decisions." I point at her angrily.

"?" She gets confused when I say that so irritably.

"I just wanted to make you proud. You didn’t have to do nothing but criticize."

"W-Wait, Evelyn, I didn’t-"

"No, I don’t want to lead anymore. I never wanted to. Since you want to lead so badly, then take it." I toss her a small disc-shaped puppet.

"My other body has the same communicator. She’ll even keep sending you perfect 3D overviews of the terrain. You handle everything now."

"Evelyn, this is very cowardly of you, abandoning-"

"Abandoning what, Esther? I’m your slave. You’re the one who’s supposed to solve my problems, aren’t you?" When I say that with a smile, she glares at me with anger.

"You’re absolutely right. It’s my fault, Evelyn. Go ahead and leave the leading to me, my little doll." She tosses the communicator back at me.

"I want a better one. I want one that also lets me see what the other communicator sees. I’ll show you how you really exterminate those white-winged rats. And I don’t want to hear a single complaint, understood?"

"I’ll choose what is done with them. You just obey."

"Perfect!!" I say mockingly.

"Yes, it’s perfect like this. Now, shall we get back to our walk? You need your daily exercises." She says, even though I’ve barely eaten anything.

"Fine..." When I stand up, she suddenly pulls me into a hug.

"You don’t need to try to make me proud or impress me. I just need you to exist and nothing more. Your existence is everything that matters to me, so stop trying things like this."

"...Okay... but... you know about my past... why do you want me to do nothing so badly..." I speak in a sad tone.

"You’ve already proven your point, haven’t you? You’ve already put in the effort. You’ve proven you’re not a failure. Now you don’t need to do anything besides enjoy the good life I want to give you, ’Queen.’ So just accept it."

"So you don’t care if I do nothing? What’s the point of having a wife who’s more like a doll?"

"...You are a doll, my little doll. You don’t need to be ’entertaining,’ because you’re not some disposable toy. So smile for me when I want, cry when it’s time to cry, and obey."

"...You’re so toxic..."

"You’re toxic too, love. So smile for me."

"..." I give her a smile, the sweetest one I can manage.

"That’s it, my little doll. You understood. Now that you understand, let’s get on with our walk. After this, I have to go back to work, and you’ll have free time to entertain yourself."