I'm back! I hope editing the chapters doesn't spam your mailbox. I plan to go over what I've written so I can remind myself of the story, as well as polish some of the older chapters and cleaning it up. There won't be any major changes (hopefully). I expect to start writing and finishing a new chapter on Sunday.
Edit: Again! I ended up adding quite a few 'small' touches to scenes. I guess doing a 2nd look is important in writing (as well as getting a proof-reader)
Edit 2: I highly recommend everyone to only read wordy blocks of texts on a tablet/ipad/etc. Revising on my desktop has been a nightmare to my eyes.
Chapter 2:
Zanac Varleon Igana Ryle Vaiself gazed outside the tower of the castle in the Re-Estize Kingdom. His eyes were sunken, blood-shot, and unfocused from the lack of sleep. He was wearing the same clothing he wore the day before. This was usually unacceptable for the typically meticulous and newly crowned prince. However, this was not a 'usual' day.
His hair was disheveled and his skin was pale. There was a gnawing pain in his stomach, but it was not from hunger. The appetizing breakfast that was elegantly spread across the table was left untouched. In fact, the citrus tinged aroma of fruit and savory scent of buttered toast was nauseating.
The crown prince of the Re-Estize Kingdom was under an enormous amount of stress.
His saliva was bitter, and there was a heavy weight on his chest.
Due to the one-sided massacre at Katse Plains, the general populace of the Kingdom was thoroughly shaken. Faint tremors of civil unrest could be felt rippling across the capital. Both the noble and the royal faction was in disarray.
While many nobles were abusive and arrogant, they were also the pillars stones of leadership and authority. Due to the sheer amount of casualties during the war against the Sorcerer Kingdom, there were now vacant positions in the hierarchy. Inexperienced second or third sons subsequently rose to power to fill in the gaps. Naturally, they were utterly incompetent. Some of them were humbled by the life of a peasant and were too liberal in the distribution of wealth in their county. Others were drunk with the sudden power and gold that unexpectedly fell into their laps and proceeded to throw lavish parties and purchase extravagant gifts with no regard for the long term consequences. Frankly, many were simply unable to cope with the responsibilities of leadership.
The gaps in the hierarchy also lead to chaos. This is the reason why some people tolerate dictatorships in poor countries and never rise up to revolt. Sometimes the harsh but regulated life in a totalitarian system was preferable to the instability and chaos that follows a coup d'état.
When the body of his brother, the original crown prince, Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself was brought back to the capital, his father, the King, fell into deep despair. Barbro's body was mangled beyond recognition. It was as if a ferocious beast had torn into him. There were also signs that the beast may have been toying with him prior to feasting upon his entrails. If it was not for the ring which bore the royal insignia of the Re-Estize Kingdom, they would have not known it was his body.
What was also shocking was the carnage that surrounded the former Crown prince's body. There were almost a thousand dead soldiers. A vast majority of them bore signs of being mauled by a savage beast. Bodies were cast haphazardly through the field like discarded dolls, their lifeless eyes gazing in all directions.
However, the most concerning was that there are still several hundred bodies that were unaccounted for.
The militiamen who found the body were so frightened that they only managed to bring back the body of the former crown prince before fleeing the scene.
Ideally, we would have liked to investigate further, but the territory now belonged to an immensely powerful undead ruler with the capability to slaughter a hundred thousand men with a single spell.
Zanac was born as the second son of King Laponsa III of the Re-Estize Kingdom. He had initially thought that his coronation as the new crown prince would have been the happiest moment of his life. However, considering the circumstances, he had just inherited what was essentially a doomed kingdom. Furthermore, everything that occurs after this would be blamed on his leadership.
His father, King Lanposa III, was an excellent monarch. While he was not on par with Emperor Jinciv of the Baharuth Empire, he was a capable leader none-the-less. However, he also dearly loved his family, and the sight of his son's mangled body along with the guilt of having commanded Barbro to go to Carne village in the first place had broke him. As the King who disregarded the Warrior-Captains warnings and proceeded to the battle against the Sorcerer King which lead to the slaughter of a hundred thousand men, King Lanposa III was one of the most despised man in the capital. As such, he has all but abdicated the throne to his second born son, Zanac.
Marquis Raeven.. why have you forsaken me as well..
He had now learned that once anyone wears the crown of a kingdom, be they mortal or god, an incredibly heavy burden is placed upon them. Zanac knew that he needed to find allies quickly. However, he was not adequately trained in handling such dire situations by himself. He knew there was only one person he could turn to for advice at the moment.
"Hai…" he acquiesced finally, accepting defeat.
"Guards. Summon my dear sister at once!"
…
…
…
Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.
The Golden Princess.
Her long golden hair flowed elegantly across her shoulders and neck. Her vibrant blue eyes shined like sapphires and was filled with warmth. She wore a simple yet refined white dress, which only served to accentuate her beauty.
Knock. Knock.
The door reverberated with the impact of heavy metal gauntlets against aged wood.
"Princess. Your presence has been requested by his excellency, Prince Zanac. Please come with haste!".
"Just a moment. I will be right there!"
Renner hastily stowed away the box was placed on the table.
The door opened and a knight along with a maid entered the room.
The knight wore a finely crafted tunic and the sigil of the Royal Guard was emblazoned upon his chest piece. The maid was one of the Princess numerous attendants.
"Princess. I have been commanded to escort you to the crown prince's chambers. Would you permit us to do so?"
"Oh.. wait.. right now?
Renner quipped innocently.
"What could he want?"
"Do you think I should change?"
"Should I bring the fleece blanket that I knitted for him? Do you think he would like it?"
"-How do I look?"
"oh noes... what should I do? what should I wear?"
Renner nervously paced across the room while fanning her face.
A flash of irritation appeared across both the knight and the maid's faces, although they did not express it.
"I do not think that will be necessary. Although I do not know the reason his Excellency had for requesting your presence, he seemed to want to speak with you urgently".
"-Okay.."
Renner smiled innocently
…
…
In another place far away.
The warm, crackling fire that burned brightly on the hearth did little to sooth the chill that flowed in the veins of Marquis Raeven. He was a lanky, tall man with carefully slicked back blonde hair. His pale white skin and narrow blue eyes imparted a serpentine like visage that complemented the high quality scaled doublet that he wore. Small jewels were sewn into his clothes and the edges were laced with golden thread. It was plain to all that this was the image of a man who was both a ruthless and a cunning politician.
Once a close confidant of the King and the current crown prince, Marquis Raeven was known as a fierce tactician, a dilligent opportunist, and was infamously known for playing on both sides of the political battle between the Patricians and Loyalists. He was despised by many in the court for his shifting allegiances. Only a few people knew his true allegiance – the well-being of the Re-Estize Kingdom
He commanded the highest authority among the six great Noble Houses. It was through his actions that the Kingdom did not descend into civil turmoil many years ago during the constant battles against the empire. In the past, he had once aimed for the throne. However, this changed after the birth of his son. Everything he has done so far, he had done to sure a better life for his family. He was a true patriot, and a dedicated father.
Yet everything seemed to be falling apart.
They had grossly underestimated the cruelty and malice of the Sorcerer King.
Many corpses now littered Katse Plains. It was now a mass grave dedicated to the folly of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
How did it come to this? Was everything I worked so hard for in the last decade in vain?
Out of habit, he went to check on his son's room to see if everything was alright.
He was sleeping soundlessly. The picture of innocence. Colorful hand-drawn pictures decorated the walls in the room. Toys were stacked neatly in the corner. His blanket, hand crafted by his loving mother, was held tightly in his arms as he slept curled on the bed.
Tears rolled down Marquis Raeven's eyes.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
Steeling himself, he walked back to the study.
It was no longer the stride of a defeated man.
It was the march of a man who had found his purpose renewed.
A radiant, resplendent warmth pervaded the Marquis's core, washed out over his limbs, and infused him with a paternal holy light.
Alright. Think. The Sorcerer King is powerful beyond measure. There were already rumors that the Empire had pledged themselves as a vassal state. There was no guarantee that Ainz Ooal Gown would not set his sights on the Kingdom as well. No, in fact, it would be unusual if he did not.
The Marquis needed a safe haven to ensure the well-being of his family.
News of how E-Rantel was now populated with the undead had already reached his ears. Stories of gruesome death knights and ghastly soul eaters patrolling the streets were terrifying to listen to, and even harder to accept. Truly, it was a macabre future if the Sorcerer King decided to invade the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Who can provide refuge for his family with the current political climate?
The Republic? – they would never break their isolationist policies for one lowly noble.
The Holy Kingdom? – undoubtedly, they will fight the occupation by an undead lich with religious ferocity. However, he did not want his family involved in a long and bloody holy war.
The Elven Kingdom? – They were currently at war with the humans in the Slane Theoracy.
The Dwarves? – The Marquis did not know enough about them to trust the safety and well-being of his family to them
The Slane Theocracy? They had been secretly seeding civil unrest in the kingdom for some time now
But...
…
…
The Marquis opened the door and left the study. The two guards who were standing outside, garbed in the attire of the House of Raevan, hurried to his side as he descended the stairs down to the hall. His manor was large, but the rooms were mostly used as accommodation for visiting nobles and for the servants. The main hall was dominated by a semicircle of steps that lead up to several rooms protected by a heavy set of wooden doors. He moved with a purpose towards the second door on the left. He was heading to the library. This was where the magical scrolls were stored.
As he neared his destination, one of the guards stepped forward and opened the thick oak doors to reveal a massive and brightly lit room filled with rows and rows of leather bound books. At the center, there was a small pedestal with a stack of scrolls piled neatly on the table next to it.
Surprised by the creaking sounds of the heavy wooden doors, the elderly man who was half-asleep in the corner jolted himself awake and rushed to meet his liege, stumbling in the process.
Each one of the six great noble houses had entrenched a spell-caster from the Magicians Guild. Often times, they were stationed in the library of the manor, where the greatest congregation of knowledge was found, and was left in charge of screening dangerous magical objects, or maintaining the large number of lavish arcane objects that nobles often ended up purchasing during their travels, and of course, handling communications through the 'message function'.
Due to the great distance between many of the noble houses and the capital, the quickest way to get information across was via magical means.
However, it was also expensive, which meant only the heads of the six great houses could afford to use them on a regular basis.
"Leave me"
Both the guards and the magician were taken aback by the sudden command.
The marquis face softened.
"It's alright. I just need to send some sensitive information, and I would like there to be no prying ears".
The magician nodded in understanding. There was a reason why this room was enchanted with several layers of anti-espionage measures.
"Yes my liege"
As the Marquis heard the door close behind him, he took a deep breath and exhaled.
He then immediately banged his head on the table. He got up silently and banged again.
He continued to bang his head on the desk multiple times while muttering 'Stupid.. stupid..stupid..'
The scrolls fell to the floor.
Finally, the Marquis sat up straight and picked up one of the parchments lying on the ground.
"Message—activate!"
The air directly in front of him simmered. The colors bled into one another as if one was washing his paint brush with the air as the solvent. Blues became yellow. Greys became green. Red became white. By the end of the product, only a swirling whirlpool remained, and the sounds of an echoing tunnel was heard.
"My name is Marquis Raeven of the six noble great houses of the Kingdom of Re-Estize."
"Please, I implore you to listen to my request-
…
…
Meanwhile, in Nazarick
He had just gotten back from the Empire after beating the Martial Lord.
For the better part of an hour, Ainz Ooal Gown lay sleepless in his sweet-smelling bed, rolling restlessly from side to side. He trashed wildly, more so a reflex than an attempt to get away.
What should I do…
He rolled to the right.
How am I supposed to run a kingdom? I didn't play any city building games!
He rolled to the left.
I didn't even get to Year 1 in Sim City before I went bankrupt!
Ainz had a habit of purchasing and building all the unnecessary infrastructure before anyone moved in and often found himself in the red right at the start in these city simulation games.
He rolled back to the center.
And now I have a vassal state?! What did it mean to have a vassal state anyways?
He grew up in a society that had taken advantage of the ease of looking up information on mobile search engines. There was little need in memorizing archaic terms like these when troves of information were literally at his fingertips.
-If only I could look it up
Finally, he signed and threw off the covers.
Without hesitation, the maid that stood at the corner of the room rushed to pick up the sheets. With blinding speed, she methodically folded it and placed it neatly at the edge of the bed. Immediately afterwards, she apologized profusely and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry Ainz-sama!"
"If only this one was quicker.. Your sheets have been soiled by touching the floor! Please forgive this one for her careless mistake and inattentiveness. I am unworthy of being in your great presence!"
In truth, the floor was spotless. The maids of Nazarick paid particular attention to this room as it was the personal chambers of their Supreme Leader. Not a single fleck of dust could be seen even if one bent over to scrutinize it with a magnifying glass. Furthermore, the maid had been awake for the last 23 hours and her hawk-like eyes had never left Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Please! This one is not worthy of her station!"
She continued to genuflect while apologizing copiously.
" I will accept any punishment you deem fit! This one cannot bear that shame of failing you, Supreme One"
"-Sigh"
"It is not a big dea…"
"I mean.."
"Understood. You are forgiven. Such trivial things do not concern me. You are all assets to Nazarick, and I appreciate your dedication in keeping this place unsullied"
"Thaa… thank you Ainz-sama!"
Tears welled up in her eyes while admiration and respect washed over her.
"It will not happen again!"
…
Ainz sighed once again and proceeded towards the exit.
He had gotten used to the overly emotional maids.
Darting forward, the maid rushed past him and opened the door.
While walking past her, Ainz could see a smile on her face. It was the smile of someone who was ecstatic that they had been given a second chance to be useful and redeem themselves.
- it was time to pick his clothes.
…
…
A few hours later, a familiar scene presented itself
…
A foreboding figure entered the room. He was dressed in a tacky and flamboyant red robe and a massive gaudy chain. A gigantic sparkling ruby in the center hung from his neck. Flashy gems were sewn into the embroidery and the frills were needlessly lacy. There was even an ascot tie.
The only thing missing was a giant clock hanging from his neck and some gold teeth.
Every occupant in the room gasped when the figure strolled in.
"Majestic!"
"As expected of Ainz-sama, simply superb! An appropriate raiment of a regal ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"
"Um… you.. look good Ainz-sama…"
"Truly, a garment befitting of a supreme one such as yourself!"
….
….
What? Am I truly the one with a weird taste here?
Well, I guess if everyone here thinks this looks good, then I'm glad I had the maids choose my clothing.
In truth, he had no idea how a ruler, much less an undead overlord, should dress. He had peeked at Jircniv several times and noticed that flashy clothing seemed to be the trend.
"Ahem.."
"Let us begin"
Ainz opened his cabinet and took out a stack of papers. These were suggestions and opinions collected from everyone in Nazarick in order to aid the development of the Sorcerous Kingdom. These were collected anonymously so his servants would not fear repercussion and Ainz would gain additional insight on matters that were not clouded by reverence or bias.
He has even been adding his own suggestions on the papers. He had hoped that Albedo, as an impartial third party, would judge them on merits alone. Ainz had to do this because if he made those suggestions directly, his subordinates would force themselves to make them happen, even if they were impractical. This could lead to tragic consequences.
Ainz began to read the first suggestion out loud.
After about half an hour of deliberation and hijinks, Ainz frowned his non-existent eyebrows at how the scene had turned out.
Aura was sitting on his right thigh bone, and was nuzzling her head against Ainz's hand.
Albedo was enthusiastically making cooing noises and sitting on his left thigh bone.
Mare was standing uncomfortably behind him.
Incidentally, among the other Guardians, Shalltear was assigned to [Gate]-related teleportation duties and the security of Nazarick. Cocytus was in charge of the Lizardman village and its nearby lake. Demiurge, on the other hand, was on assignment to the Holy Kingdom. In other words, all the mobile guardians were now in this room.
"Ah-"
"On to the matter of the construction of the underground training dungeon for the adventurers. What is the progress on that?"
"...Um… well… you see-"
Mare shifted uncomfortably.
"We are digging as fast as we can,… but I'm not really sure what to do next"
"What do you mean Mare?"
"... I mean.. um.. after digging everything out.. where do I go from there?"
Ainz was in deep thought.
That's right! I didn't think about it after that.
Ainz was never a regular part of the core raiding team in the guild, but he had farmed countless dungeons during his time in Yggdrasil. However, he had absolutely no experience in actually designing and creating a dungeon.
Let see.. we need traps, secret doors and hidden switches. We also need treasure chests and boss monsters. Oh! And the exit should somehow lead to a hidden passage that doubles back to the beginning, so people don't have to trek all the way back to the entrance when they complete the dungeon.
Both Ainz and Pandora's Actor have been creating lower tier undead for some time now. This meant that the minion problem was settled.
"Um.. well.. I was..um thinking we could use some of the stuff in Nazarick.. I think Shalltear has a lot of things which can be useful in the dungeon.." quipped Mare in a timid voice that lacked any confidence whatsoever.
A palpable aura of rage rose from Ainz's left hand side. The room darkened.
"Youuuu… dare…..!"
Albedo snapped from her bashful act as a baby.
"Mare! How could you! How could you suggest that we use precious things bestowed from our creators in Nazarick to be used on lowly human swine! To- to take something that was placed in our floor by the supreme ones is simply desecration!"
Albedo's black wings flapped furiously. The Eight Edge assassins on the ceiling squirmed.
The force even knocked Aura from Ainz's right thigh.
"Ugh! Watch it!"
Aura had a look of intense annoyance on her face while she pouted.
Ainz raised his hand, and silence fell across the room.
"I understand your sentiment, Albedo".
"…I'M SORRY! I didn't think of it that way…"
Mare had tears in his eyes. His nose was starting to turn red and he tried hard to contain the sniffles.
"It's alright, Mare. You were only following my orders in offering a suggestion. It is my fault for not giving you any guidance on how to proceed."
"Mare. After this, let us go to the library. There might be some books that will help us on this."
That's right! Many of the decorative books in Yggdrasil were added by the developers for immersion purposes. Because of that, they often contained random short stories to tie into the game's lore as well short excerpts of the game's history. However, they were also some books that were filled with concept art and design choices with developer notes in order to give players some insight on the creation of the game.
"I think I got a virtual copy of the developer diary as a DLC bonus in there somewhere-"
"Um.. Ainz-sama.. what's a developer diary?" asked Mare.
"Forgive this one for her pitiful knowledge, but I also do not know of this developer diary you speak of. Please forgive this incompetent servant of yours!" shouted Albedo.
Aura was unusually silent. She was still fuming at Albedo for pushing her off Ainz's lap.
Ainz raised his hand and brushed them off.
There was only one more matter to deal with before they could adjourn the meeting.
It was a glaring issue that needed to be addressed.
"Now.. how do we attract more people to live in E-Rantel"
Since occupying the city, there have been almost no merchants who came to sell their wares. Almost all commercial activity had come to a standstill. People walked listlessly on the streets looking for work. Empty, abandoned houses littered the city. There have been almost no influx of tourist or visitors.
Well- that was somewhat expected -thought Ainz
'OHHHHH!"
Albedo abruptly stood up.
However, regret immediately flashed across her face as she could no longer feel the 'warmth' of Ainz's lap.
"What is it, Albedo?"
"My Lord. Please forgive this one for her foolishness. There is something I would like to discuss with you. It is with regards to the plan for the Kingdom. Also, our servant in the Kingdom wanted me to pass a message to you"
"Is it Renner?"
Ainz was curious. He had heard much about this person, although he had not actually met her in person.
I wonder what kind of person she is. To have the respect of both Demiurge and Albedo was an impressive feat.
"Yes, Ainz-sama. She wanted me to extend her fealty to you as well as pass on how impressed she was that you predicted her plan and movements so well. She also wanted to voice her thanks in aiding her in furthering her goals in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown."
Suddenly, a colossal grin appeared on Albedo's face as she spoke.
"Ku..ku..ku.. To think Ainz-sama had thought so far ahead! As expected of the ruler of Nazarick!"
-Whattttt?
Panic stirred in Ainz Ooal Gown. He was flabbergasted. Even the automated mood stabilizer skill failed to fully contain his surprise. Instantly, numerous scenarios and events surfaced in his head. Internally, he scrutinized each one of them, and came up with absolutely nothing.
What the hell? What did she mean by that? I haven't even met this girl before. The only thing I know about her is from Demiurge and Albedo.
"Ku..ku..ku.. It was such a brilliant plan. Only a master strategist such as yourself could have come up with something so sinister"
Albedo beamed with pride as she stared lovingly at her master.
Over the last few months, both she and Demiurge, along with Princess Renner, had been discussing and running through countless simulations to determine what was the most effective way to have the Kingdom cede control to Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Ku..ku..ku.. but to think Ainz-sama had already reached this conclusion and had seen this far ahead!"
Albedo practically squealed with excitement. A lustful glaze began to form in her eyes. The Eight Edge assassins on the ceiling tensed up once more.
-Wait!
Eventually, Ainz calmed himself down and regained his composure. He then looked at Albedo, smiled, and inclined his neck. She then followed his gaze to the two elvish children standing on his right hand side.
Understanding what he meant, Albedo excitedly explained the plan to both Mare and Aura.
All three of them listened intensely as the Guardian Overseer outlined the strategy while Ainz strained to eavesdrop.
"Wow…!"
Mare said meekly.
"…Incredible! "
Aura blurted out exasperatedly. She was no longer pouting. Instead, her eyes were wide with amazement and respect, and her hands were clasped together to contain her excited tremoring.
Ainz screamed internally.
WHATTT?
"If Ainz-sama approves, we will begin stage one of the plan" Albedo bowed deeply. Her hands were grasped tightly on her dress as she genuflected.
-WHATTTTTT?
…
…
…
Meanwhile, simultaneously, back in the royal chambers of the crown prince of the Re-Estize Kingdom where Zanac Varleon Igana Ryle Vaiself and Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself were meeting to discuss the future of the Kingdom, an identical accompanying cry followed suit.
"Whhhaaatttt!?
Screamed the crown prince as he listened to his sister's plan.