Disclaimer: I do not own anything (except my OCs)
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Flashback"/Flashback
{Message}
(Telepathy)
*SPELL/ABILITY/MARTIAL ART*
*[METAMAGIC]*
A/N: Well, here we are at the end of this story arc! It has been fun to write, and I'm glad to see a lot of you enjoying it. I hope you like this last chapter as well.
sebasthebutler/McLoggernaut/SpudyPotato/Fallen-AngelxNoNo/immyaccount/and a few guests: I'm glad you enjoyed this short little story of mine to get me back in Overlord mode. I hope you all like this chapter, the story arcs that will follow, and my next update of TSBOLAD whenever I get around to it. Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Angel Of Despair1: I know it is fast paced, but it was planned that way. This is just to get me back in the swing of Overlord and it wasn't meant to be drawn out. The other story arcs for this that I'll do eventually will be the same way. Only The Supreme Beings Of Life And Death will have more details and be drawn out. These along with the others I'll write, are meant to be fasted paced so I can get through each arc quickly. I'm glad you enjoy it though.
EmbersRyu: If this was canon Satoru, you'd be correct, he wouldn't be this straightforward. However, please read the A/Ns when you read a story if the story has them. As I explained in them, this is not Canon Ainz, this is MY Ainz Ooal Gown. The Angel of Death who has become his avatar with the memories of Suzuki Satoru. Not canon Ainz who is a 32-year-old, indecisive, I have no idea what I'm doing, virgin trapped in his avatars body lol. They aren't even in the same realm as far as personalities.
fuckyousao: Since you asked me a question I'll ask you one of my own. Why are you still reading my fanfic four chapters in when you think the plot is shitty and the smut is meh? I always find people like you interesting. When I dislike a fanfic, I don't read it lmao (Your Overlord fanfics for example). For some reason though, people like you continue to read fanfics you don't like and leave comments that I could care less about. You say I wrote Jircniv bad? He was in the fanfic for what, five paragraphs total? I concentrate on the MC when I write fanfics and that happens to be Ainz, Leinas, and my OC for this particular story arc. Also, if you're going to complain, at least read the author's notes (A/N). You complain about Ainz being OOC, but he isn't. You think he is because you're expecting canon Ainz when I told everyone in the A/N that this is MY Ainz Ooal Gown, the Angel of Death. My Ainz became his avatar but has the memories of Suzuki Satoru. Canon Ainz is Suzuki Satoru, the 32-year-old, indecisive, I don't know what I'm doing at all, virgin trapped in his avatars body. My Ainz is not that Ainz so your thinking he is OOC couldn't be more incorrect, but I mean I get it, one of your favorite characters in the Overlord Universe is an egotistical narcissist (Jircniv) so that tells me pretty much all I need to know about you.
VASH581: While I like that you enjoyed the smut, the rest of your review is pretty irrelevant to me, but I'll still address it. I didn't butcher Jircniv's personality as he was barely in this fanfic, and I didn't have him turn into a serve me or die person. Nowhere in the last chapter did that happen. I had him see that Ainz was leaving Baharuth, and he couldn't let that happen so he planned to keep Leinas prisoner so Ainz would do whatever Jircniv wished of him, but since he didn't matter in the grand scheme of my fanfic, I didn't write any of his investigating at all into Ainz. Your argument about Overlord not being some Disney rainbow and sunshine is very correct. Overlord is one of the few stories where the villain is the MC and the one loved by most, that doesn't happen often, but how can you know the politics of what will happen when I haven't even posted the chapter with the negotiations? How do you know the Re-Estize Kingdom isn't going to ask for 10 million gold in compensation and ten years of harvests for what Jircniv did? Or maybe they only came to gauge if they could take over Baharuth now that Jircniv is no longer in power? And about the gold, you are acting like Ainz spent five million gold in a month, he only spent a few thousand gold, and that wouldn't be nearly enough money to upset the economy of Baharuth. Plus, even if he did, this is a fantasy world and a fanfiction, it is for people to use their imagination and have fun with characters they love. Unless they are getting paid to write, no one is going to spend the time researching the economic impact a change in leadership will have on the economy, it is just a waste of time unless someone is paying you to write. Your Slane Theocracy point is also invalid in this fanfic. You've not heard, because I haven't written it, anything about the Slane Theocracy other than Ainz sent a message to them telling them he was the new Emperor. Spoiler Alert! You'll see, very briefly, in this chapter that the Slane Theocracy has indeed already tried to infiltrate Ainz's reign, but that is hard to do when your Scriptures are little more than ants to Ainz and he has a hundred Hanzos to watch everyone and everything about his new Empire. Speaking of LUNACY, I could write a whole novel on the fact you advocated FOR slavery. I mean, wtf is up with that? Slavery is a necessity until we have machines to take over for slaves? I hope you don't have kids lol. I shutter to think what the fuck you are teaching them if you do. If you dislike what I'm writing, it is very simple... STOP READING LOL. That's what I did with your Overlord fanfics. I didn't leave comments about how I disliked your Overlord fanfics, I simply stopped reading them. I'll never understand why people feel the need to bitch about irrelevant fanfics that people do for fun in their spare time. If you don't like mine, keep writing your own!
Time for the Last Chapter!
In Japan, Ainz had worked for a company that was hell bent on working him to death. He's sure these last few weeks though had been the hardest he'd ever worked. He'd never written this much in his entire life, and, for the first time, Ainz very much missed having a computer to type on.
He'd also learned a lot in that same time though. He had no idea, that while all humans spoke the same language in this world, they all wrote it differently. The Re-Estize Kingdom, Baharuth Empire, Dragon Kingdom, Dwarven Kingdom, and Roble Holy Kingdom all had their own alphabets.
It didn't make any sense to Ainz considering they all spoke the same language, but it only took him a few days to learn the different alphabets so it wasn't too much of a hassle. He wasn't enjoying how little free time he'd had recently though.
Except for taking about ten minutes to add on to the top of the Imperial Palace with the Super-Tier Spell, True Creation, Ainz hadn't had any time for much of anything else. He certainly wasn't giving up him time with Leinas and Sera, but all other things had to be put on the backburner for now.
If it wasn't for the small army of Hanzos Ainz created, he's not sure he'd be nearly as prepared as he was. He was quite proud of the new Royal Tower he added to the Imperial Palace though. He added it after he replaced the throne with his own.
Ainz didn't realize the Throne of Kings had, for some reason, been in his inventory. He replaced Jircniv's gaudy gold throne with the Throne of Kings and another on either side of his throne.
He let Sera and Leinas decide for themselves, and he has to admit, it didn't match at all. He chuckled every time he thought of Sera's pink marble throne and Leinas's Orichalcum throne on either side of his. The color scheme was downright awful, but Ainz truly didn't care. It was hard to take your eyes off the Throne of Kings when it was in your eyesight anyway.
The Royal Tower was a one hundred and fifty foot tall black spire that Ainz built on the roof of the Imperial Palace. It sat right in the center and cast a very large shadow over the Palace.
He designed it to resemble the crystals that made up the Throne of Kings, and Ainz thought he did a pretty decent job at making them look like a set. The only true difference was that Ainz had made the tower nearly completely black, with only the dark shades of purple visible occasionally while the Throne of Kings looked black, but was multiple shades of purple depending on the lighting.
There was one thing about the tower he was particularly fond of, Ainz absolutely love the view. He could see the entire capital from here, and at any angle since he put windows on every side. The rest of the tower wasn't so bad either.
There was an insanely large bedroom with two attached bathrooms and closets, three offices, two sitting rooms, two libraries, and a dining hall on the top level. The other levels consisted of numerous guest suites, meeting rooms, sitting areas, and any other rooms you'd need to entertain special guests.
While Ainz, Leinas, and Sera could simply use the Teleportation Circle to reach any floor, everyone else needed to walk up the stairs. It gave Ainz even more privacy than he hoped for when he constructed it.
When he first completed the spell, he thought he made a very large error inviting Fluder Paradyne to witness the casting of the spell. He still hadn't told anyone other than Leinas or Sera he could use Super-Tier Magic so the old man had nearly wet himself in excitement.
Ainz is sure Fluder has an idea what Tier of magic he used, but he knew the maniac couldn't be sure. Ainz made sure to never tell him, and it was surprisingly easy to get him off his back by simply giving him a book Ainz had in his inventory.
It was a book he'd acquired when he first started playing. He hadn't always been a Fallen Angel, Ainz started as a Skeletal Mage when he began playing Yggdrasil. It wasn't until he met the other members of Nine's Own Goal and he unlocked the Fallen Angel race that he started on the path that lead him to where his character was now.
The book he loaned to Fluder was one he planned on using for his character when he believed he would end up an Overlord Wiseman. The one Fluder now possessed was the step to go from Elder Lich to Night Lich. It was transformation number 2 to number 3 out of 4 to become what he had originally planned.
The book had absolutely no value to Ainz now, but Fluder had treated it as a Sacred Relic. He'd scarcely heard from the madman since then. He was glad he went and took control of that Death Knight in the basement of the Imperial Magic Academy before giving Fluder that book. He's fairly certain that may have distracted him enough to become interested in talking to Ainz more if he'd done it after the man had the book.
That gave Ainz plenty of time for the numerous other tasks that he needed to complete. He knew it would calm down eventually, but everything was starting to get annoying to Ainz. He'd have probably snapped by now if it wasn't for Leinas and Sera.
His meeting with the High Priests of the Six Great Gods was a great example of that. Ainz should have known based on his intel of countries who followed the Six Great Gods as to how the meeting would have turned out.
As you can imagine, they didn't take too kindly to Ainz telling them he didn't follow the Six Great Gods, and didn't care what religion his people followed as long as it didn't cause harm to others. To say the churches were unhappy would be an understatement.
Ainz didn't particularly care though.
They may have grumbled and acted all tough, but they saw it was in their best interests to accept him as Emperor. He had plenty of Hanzos tasked with keeping an eye on the High Priests and higher rank Priests of the Six Great Gods.
If history taught him anything, it was only a matter of time until they decided to try something stupid. He's sure his brief message of "I am the new Emperor of Baharuth, Ainz Ooal Gown. This is to inform you of such, I have no interest in a relationship with your nation other than leaving each other in peace." that he sent to the Slane Theocracy wouldn't get him any favor points toward the church either.
Ainz had also been incredibly surprised at the responses to his letters sent all over the world. The people coming to attend his coronation and wedding had turned out better than he hoped for.
Ainz did believe he'd get a few responses, and some would send representatives. He had no idea almost everyone would reply and those coming would be of much higher rank then he anticipated.
In that area, Leinas and Sera had been invaluable. They both came from noble houses, and even though Sera was from a lesser one and Leinas a greater one, they both still knew the proper protocols and courtesies no matter how high or low of a rank an attending noble required. Speaking of his soon to be Empresses...
"You. Always. Feel. So. Good."
Ainz matched every word out of his mouth with a deep thrust and another load of cum painting Sera's lovely, tight, velvety walls. She was doing the only thing she could at the moment, moaning, but it barely sounded like it.
Ainz could tell the only reason her ass was still in the air was because he was holding her up. Leinas was nearly passed out laying to the right of them as Ainz had completely exhausted the blonde nearly ten minutes prior to this.
When Ainz finally pulled out and a stream of his seed started running down Sera's thighs, he felt he gave his Empresses proper attention for this morning. He could tell Sera want to collapse straight down on the bed, but he made sure she ended up on her side and not her stomach. He laid between both of them and pulled them to him, making sure to caress their very small bumps as he laid there with them.
They were both a little over two months along now, but it was more like a little over four according to Sophie. Their morning sickness had gotten very, very bad. It got to the point that Ainz wouldn't let them out of the room, but their morning sickness had only lasted a week then completely vanished and hadn't returned.
Ainz finally realized just two days ago that the woman needed to be privy to him being an angel since she would be the one to deliver his children. He didn't want to think of how the woman would react if either of his children came out with wings so he swore the woman to the utmost secrecy.
Ainz also made sure she understood the consequences of breaking her oath to the three of them. Since then, Sophie had given them a little more information that she was confident in revealing with her new knowledge.
The woman was fairly certain that Leinas and Sera would only be pregnant for about half the usual length of time it would normally take. Well, almost half, Sophie's best guess was five or six months so it was technically a little over half a normal human pregnancy.
Ainz couldn't lie, he loved watching their little bumps grow, but there was something he also enjoyed just as much. Leinas and Sera had become downright insaisable for him, and he loved it. The amount of times they'd interrupted him from various tasks over the last month so he could take them, he'd have trouble adding up.
Ainz laid there for a bit and allowed them to regain some of their stamina before getting them up. He usually let them rest for as long as they liked. However, it was two days from the coronation, and they had some very important people showing up in a few hours if his scouts were correct.
Ainz gave them both a long good morning kiss after they stretched their naked bodies out, and allowed them a few minutes to put on a robe and some underwear before he teleported to the base of the tower.
As always, his Empresses four new helpers were waiting patiently for Ainz when he appeared and all gave him a bow. They had both taken two handmaidens a piece, and that was why Ainz brought them up every morning.
Ainz was still a little surprised at who exactly they chose, but he shouldn't have been that surprised. Neither Leinas nor Sera had shown any hatred or dislike toward Elves, so it shouldn't have surprised him that three of the four handmaidens were, in fact, Elves.
All of them were former slaves from some of the nobles Ainz used as an example and turned into undead. Even the human that was among the three elves had been a slave to those former nobles.
Naya and Alyaina had been slaves of one of the few remaining Great Nobles of Baharuth and used as the man's playthings since he had purchased them at the beginning of Jircniv's reign.
Ainz did somewhat understand why the noble would use them for such a thing. Even if he'd never own a person, both were very beautiful and looked nearly identical. Both had dark green hair and eyes as blue as the sky. They both also had rather filled out bodies compared to most of the Elves he'd seen.
Ainz thought they were twins at first, and sisters at the very least. However, neither were even from the same region of the Elf Kingdom let alone related in any way. The same could be said about Valia, the last elf.
She had bright blue hair like he'd never seen before, and green eyes as bright as Emeralds. She didn't possess the larger assets that Naya and Alyaina had. She was built like most of the other Elves Ainz had seen, slim, graceful, and pretty.
Anna, the human of the bunch, looked much older than she was, unlike the Elves. If Ainz recalls, she was just over twenty, but the abuse she received during her life had aged her nearly twenty years by Ainz estimation.
The poor woman had the misfortune of being abused all her life, in every possible way. She was worked to near death many times, raped whenever her master or one of his subordinates felt the need, and told her entire life all she was good for was being used as such. It wasn't a surprise the woman was completely devoted to Leinas, and to a lesser extent, Sera.
Ainz teleported everyone and Leinas and Sera's breakfast up to their apartments. When the handmaidens started their routine, Ainz gave them both a quick kiss goodbye and went to start his own day.
While this morning would be much shorter than normal, he still wanted to stop by the chat with Loune. If Ainz was being honest, he contemplated killing the man when he took over. He seemed very loyal to Jircniv, but Ainz was sure glad he didn't. Loune knew his job very, very well, and he'd been nothing but respectful and helpful to Ainz.
Once he had a quick chat with Loune, he needed to make his way toward the front of the Imperial Palace. His first set of very important guests had arrived and were making their way to him from the front gate.
Ainz met Leinas and Sera when he was almost outside, and nearly took them back upstairs. They had both seemed to pick two colors and make them theirs, and now was a perfect example of that.
For Leinas, it was yellow and green. Ainz couldn't complain, her golden hair and emerald eyes always had his sight lingering on her for a few seconds more than they should. She was wearing a bright yellow dress with green accents that highlighted her figure to perfection.
For Sera, it was pink and purple. Pink was understandable, and she reasoned purple to Ainz when he asked by saying it reminded her of a dark pink. Ainz chuckled at that answer, but he certainly didn't mind the choices. Right now, she was wearing a very beautiful violet colored dress with pink embroidery very similar to the style Leinas had on her dress.
After another kiss, they each took an arm and walked out the front doors to welcome their first foreign representatives to the festivities. While all the nobles from the Baharuth Empire had arrived already, the last being yesterday, none from other Kingdoms had come yet.
Ainz figured if they would send someone, they would get here very close to the actual date. He didn't really give them much time to make a journey such as they would be taking, but they did come.
As the first set of carriages rolled toward him, Ainz smiled a bit. He wasn't quite sure what their design style would look like, but it seemed as though the Dwarves leaned toward a somewhat Steampunk look for their carriages.
The entire thing was made of metal, mithril if Ainz's eyes weren't deceiving him, and had several spinning attachments also made of metal. He was surprised to see each one pulled by a single horse until he noticed the rune carved into the carriage to make it lighter.
There were twenty armored Dwarves, ten of his Imperial Knights, and the envoy he sent to the Dwarven Kingdom riding in the procession as well. As they arrived and the doors opened, Ainz knew his enhanced memory would certainly be working overtime with the Dwarves.
All three of the Dwarves that exited looked exactly alike.
Ainz honestly couldn't spot a difference to them at first glance. And even when he did after more scrutiny, they were very small differences. One had slightly lighter eyes, another was slightly more tan, and the last had slightly bushier eyebrows. Those were honestly the only things Ainz could spot to tell them apart.
All three made their way to Ainz, Leinas, and Sera and bowed before introducing themselves. Ainz was honestly glad for the bow as all the Baharuth Empire nobles had to kneel upon arrival. He wished there was a way to get rid of all the pomp, but he knew that was a bad idea. It wasn't that terrible anyway.
Ainz found out they were the Merchant's Guildmaster, the Master of Caves and Mines, and the Cabinet Secretary. Ainz was pleased to know they were the ones to come. That meant that three of the four most influential Regency Council Members had shown up with only the Commander-In-Chief missing, and Ainz understood why he'd stay behind with the other that came.
This was the one Kingdom Ainz hadn't really known what accommodations that they'd like the most, and Sera and Leinas were just as clueless, unlike with the rest of the Kingdoms. Ainz secured four different locations and allowed them to choose.
He wasn't sure which one they'd take between his tower, the Imperial Guest suites in the Palace, the Dragon's Nest, or rooms he'd prepared underground. He was a bit surprised they choose his tower, but not completely surprising.
The Imperial Palace felt like the whole thing was made of gold, even if it wasn't. The black stone/crystal that Ainz tower was made of would probably feel more like a cave compared to the Imperial Palace, even if the tower was nicer.
Ainz, Leinas, and Sera only had about an hour to spend with the Dwarves before they were needed again. The second of the arriving representatives were already making their way to the Imperial Palace.
As they watched these carriages pulled up to the front entrance, they couldn't have been more different from the Dwarven carriages. While they had metal frames and fittings, the rest of the carriage was made out of solid wood.
The carriage itself was painted a dark blue with white trim, and looked to be of a very fine quality compared to those Ainz had seen other than his own. He was a little surprised there was only two carriages.
The ten soldiers mixed in with his ten that were originally sent wasn't surprising, the Dragon Kingdom was currently in the middle of war. Ainz is sure they needed every soldier they could get.
When the front carriage opened, out stepped a woman Ainz could easily describe as typical cute anime girl. She had light brown hair and eyes, and the heart shaped face you would expect on a girl described as such.
Although, by the looks of it, the girl is a few years older than Leinas and Sera, mid-twenties if Ainz was guessing, so you couldn't really call her a girl. She was a woman really. It was made apparently when you made it past her cute face.
She wasn't nearly as filled out as Leinas or Sera, but there was no mistaking she wasn't a woman. She dropped into the perfect curtsy and bowed slightly as she approached Ainz.
"Your majesties, it is an honor to final meet you."
Ainz took a step forward and took her hand before laying a kiss on the back of it.
"The pleasure is ours, Lady Ayla. Allow me to introduce my Empresses, Leinas and Sera." She gave a slight bow to both as they were introduced as a burst of envy shot through her at the two women. "We have you accommodations prepared for you. Would you like to follow us so you may get settled into your rooms?"
The woman was going to agree anyway, but when Ainz offer his elbow, she latched on and simply nodded. Ainz, Sera, and Leinas led them to the guest suites in the tower and explained how the coin worked after teleporting them up there the first time as they did the Dwarves.
Ainz was happy they all agreed to sit down to a dinner that night and forego talking of alliances in favor of getting to know one another. Lady Ayla was gracious and didn't seem to mind the bluntness or drunken antic of the Dwarves.
Ainz only had to drink the Dwarves under the table to earn their friendship. Considering they ended up all passed out while he wasn't even buzzed yet, it had to be the easiest way to make friends, ever.
While he did converse with Lady Ayla from time to time, the woman seemed to take a liking to Sera so he let her work her magic. There was a reason everyone stared at her even when she was a receptionist, and it was only partially due to the fact she was stunningly beautiful.
Ainz made sure to reward Sera and Leinas that night for being such a big help with all these nobles occupying so much of their time. He made sure to wake up eariler than them the next day to continue their rewards, and as always, by the end, Ainz felt like he was the one who ended up rewarded.
There morning started much different that day as Ainz, Leinas, and Sera were to receive their highest ranking representative today, and not just one, but four. While they all weren't the same rank, they were all high ranking enough that they would have created a minor fuss if only one of them came.
So Ainz waited for their handmaidens to do their hair and add any accessories they wished to wear before seeing the servants out. Today, they were not wearing something handmade by Sophie, but something from Yggdrasil.
Ainz had a near comical amount of cosmetics, men and women's, and all of them were of a quality no one he knew of could produce in this world. Not only that, but the defensive stats on most of them were nearly unobtainable if you were looking for it on a suit of armor. A dress was just plain silly to have them, but they did.
Ainz had picked one for each of them that melded their two chosen colors together rather perfectly in his opinion. The straps on the middle-upper arm to Leinas's dress were a dark green and the intricate pattern down her bust to her belly button was the same green while the rest of the dress was a bright yellow.
Sera's was identical in style, but the color was different. Instead of purple accents on a pink dress, the top of Sera's dress was dark purple and it slowly got lighter and lighter until it was pink around her waist to the bottom of her dress. It went perfect with the amethyst necklace and pink diamond bracelets she chose.
Leinas and Sera had the exact same feeling as they stood at the bottom of the steps leading to the Imperial Palace as the newest representative arrived, and it had nothing to do with the fact two other nations were already friendly enough to stand behind them on the steps and welcome their new guests with them.
They had both played the part of Empress fairly well until now. For that was what they were doing, playing a part. It was still hard to grasp for both of them it was real. However, somehow, someway, a dress had made both of them finally feel like an Empress instead of just acting like one.
They were not only beautiful beyond words, they fit perfectly, and yet, somehow hid their small bumps at the same time. Ainz telling them it would protect them like a suit of armor was easy to believe once they put them on, neither wanted to take them off and lose this feeling.
Ainz watched the carriages pull up and couldn't help but admired their craftsmanship. They were on par with Jircniv's personal carriage, but Ainz liked theirs better. He thought Jircniv liked gold too much and the Re-Estize Kingdom's three fine carriages stood out to him as they used silver, and were blue instead of red.
There were quiet a few more carriage then just the three, ten if he counted correct, but those three held their special guests. The fact two of their guests held the rank of Marquis would have been enough to draw attention, but the fact the other two held the titles of Princess and King, Ainz guessed they'd be the talk more than the two Marquis's.
"King Ramposa, it is an honor to have you here for this occasion." He shook the man's hand before taking the Princess's and kissing the back of it. "Princess Renner, it is an honor to have you attend as well. With the addition of Marquis Raeven and Marquis Doullope as well as your famed Warrior-Captain, I am most pleased with the Re-Estize Kingdom's attendance here."
Ainz noticed the Princess let go of his hand as soon as was proper, and tried her hardest to fight the blush. She succeeded for the most part, but a faint one did appear she couldn't help. The King spoke before anyone else could after that.
"The Re-Estize Kingdom has long sought peace with the Baharuth Empire. I wish to show our seriousness on the matter by bringing those who could make final decisions here and now, Emperor Gown."
"It is wonderful to hear the Re-Estize Kingdom has such sentiments, King Ramposa. I have set aside an entire day two days after my coronation for us to discuss the future of our nations, if you are able to stay for such a length of time, King Ramposa."
The King of the Re-Estize Kingdom nodded at Ainz words, and Ainz gave him a polite nod in return. It seemed the future of Ainz reign was starting rather well in his opinion. Ainz, Leinas, and Sera led the royal party from Re-Estize to their rooms and left them to get settled.
Since Ramposa was the only royal in attendance who wasn't Ainz, Leinas, or Sera, Ainz gave him the former Emperor's Royal Chambers. Ainz didn't have a use for them other than this purpose, and he could tell it got a lot of points with the other nobles and the King that these would be their accommodations.
Ainz relayed his desire for the Re-Estize representatives to join him along with the Dwarven representatives and Lady Ayle from the Dragon Kingdom for lunch, and they were happy to oblige. He could see he scored even more points with them with that lunch and scheduling a private dinner with those from Re-Estize that night.
Every time Ainz shared any space with those from the Re-Estize Kingdom, he kept his eye on one person in particular, Princess Renner. While she was rather beautiful, it wasn't for that reason Ainz kept an eye on her.
She was still a few years away from being interesting to Ainz in that sort of fashion even if she did possess the golden blonde hair he was a sucker for. No, he kept an eye on her because of his reports from his Hanzos.
She was just as intelligent as they reported, and even better at hiding her cruel, manipulative, cunning mind from those around her then he thought she would. It wasn't until he discreetly used Analyze on her and saw her actress levels that he understood how she was so good at hiding it.
While he planned to make an accord with Re-Estize, Princess Renner is the one he was most interested in talking with. He could see the moves she was making and where it would lead eventually.
Ainz planned on helping her along as best he could. He could already see the end of her plans, and he had a good feeling they wouldn't end as she had been planning for quite some time by the looks she gave.
Much to Ainz dismay, he had to stick around at this dinner for far too long to finally get a chance to talk with the Princess. If it hadn't been for Leinas and Sera properly distracting the rest of the nobles, he knew he would have waited much longer than he did.
When he moved to stand next to her on the balcony, he didn't say anything at first. He simply stared at the stars. In part because he always loved the sight of it, but also to ready himself for this conversation. It would be much different than any conversation he'd had in this world so far.
"Have I given you enough time to reset your mask, Princess Renner?"
"Whatever do you mean, your majesty?"
Ainz chuckled at her innocent, sweet tone before turning to Renner. As he looked into her eyes, he could see no hint of the cruel, calculating Renner he'd heard about. Ainz doubts he would have figured this girl out without the intel from his Hanzos.
"I'm not like the fools you are used to dealing with, Princess. I didn't come out here to talk to the perfect, innocent, fake Princess Renner. I came out here to speak with the cruel, cunning, intelligent, manipulative Renner who has her hands around the throat of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
That seemed to get her going as one side of her mouth twisted into a wicked grin. If Ainz wasn't level 100 and prepared for that grin, it probably would have scared the shit out of him.
"How can I help you, Ainz?"
"Your father and I will come to an agreement, Renner, but it will be nothing more than a trade agreement to make up for the years of lost harvests. Of course, I will give the Re-Estize Kingdom favorable terms, but it will be nothing more than that."
"Why would I need to be informed of such, Ainz?"
"Because it is you that I wish to give my support to, not your weak father."
"And why would I need your support? My plans are working out perfectly."
Now that she was full on grinning at him, Ainz couldn't help but smile back at the girl. She would certainly be a great addition to his resources without having to do much in Re-Estize and concentrate on other areas.
"They have... so far." Ainz is tempted to wink, but holds off and continues. "It is very clever of you. Your father and the other nobles passed the law to ban slavery, but somehow, everyone still knows it was your idea for such a law to pass. Freed slaves will remember for generations who freed them."
Ainz kept up the smile as he saw the look in Renner's eyes. Ainz was never one for plotting and planning, but he has found he quite enjoyed it since coming to this New World.
"The same thing with your orphanages. Most adults are set in their ways. It would be difficult for you to sway men who are stuck in their ways, but that is why you make a show of bringing food, blankets, toys, and gold to orphanages. And lets not forgetting about you reading to them. By the time your plans come to fruition, your orphans should be all grown up, and the story former slaves will tell their children will paint you as a true hero of the people. It would surprise me if they didn't demand you be crown Queen of Re-Estize."
"Perhaps you are not the same kind of fool I am used to dealing with." The giggle Ainz heard Renner let loose was creepy, not cute like giggles sounded from Leinas or Sera. "However, as you have said yourself, my plans will work out when I wish them too. So tell me Ainz, why would I need the full support of the Baharuth Empire?"
It was Ainz turn to chuckle. She was very, very intelligent, but she didn't see everything.
"Full support? I never said I'd give you my full support. I was offering a little assistance to speed up your endevour. I cannot give you my full support until the rest of you catches up with your mind, Renner."
Even with all Renner's intelligence, she couldn't figure out what Ainz meant by that.
"What are you talking about?"
"I speak of your purpose for all your schemes, Renner. It is quite adorable of you to convince yourself you need to do this so you can have your puppy all to yourself. Making yourself believe in something you know will never happen is a great way to motivate yourself for years, even decades I suppose, so it is a little clever."
Even Renner couldn't keep her eyes from widening. She had no idea how Ainz Ooal Gown knows all of this, and there was little more in this world she despised than not being able to figure out a problem when it was in front of her.
"We both know you need to take the throne because you are the only real option. Your father is weak and easily manipulated. Your eldest brother is little more than a dumb dog in heat. Prince Zanac has a capable enough mind not to be a completely shit king, but he'd only be passable. And lets not start on your airheaded sisters, they are little more than walking, talking wombs wandering around aimlessly thinking they are important."
"I could add a million words about my family, but you have the big points nailed." Renner did look slightly happy, but it changed to anger, definitely anger, when she continued. "But what do you know of my love?! My Climb is wonderful and has puppy eyes and he's... he's... he's mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"
Ainz has no idea how Renner managed to shout angrily at him, but somehow not raise her voice. He smirked as he thought of asking her how to do it, and it only grew when he saw her getting mad at his reaction.
"As I said, your obsession with your pet is adorable. You focus your goals on a boy, who will always be a boy. He will never be a man, and certainly not the kind you believe he can be. He will always be that boy you found in an alley. A scared, weak, stupid, lost little puppy who can never, and will never, be what you need or want, Renner."
"You dare speak about MY Climb like that?!"
"Sometimes the truth hurts, does it not, Princess?" Ainz chuckles at her murderous glare. "What I am offering you is the use of the criminal organization known as Eight Fingers, and two of my personal subordinates who are proficient in all manner of intelligence gathering and infiltration. We may talk about more support once you have finally figured out what you truly need, Renner. So what do you say?"
The last thing Ainz expected was to see Renner incredibly calm right now. The girl was just on the verge of raging two seconds ago.
"I think... I was the fool for believing you when you said you weren't a fool, your majesty. I have plenty enough resources and no one will stop my plans. All I see again is another clever, egotistical fool sitting on the Throne of Baharuth who thinks too highly of himself."
Ainz should probably feel ashamed at how much he was enjoying the way Renner was speaking to him. No one, and he means no one, spoke to him like that. He's not even sure Leinas or Sera would say something like that to anyone, let alone him.
Ainz understood though. He was an Emperor, and nearly everyone around him had witnessed some form of his strength. Fluder, two acolytes, and a few guards had seen his magic in action, and that tale was quickly spread in the Magic Academy by Fluder.
To increase his newfound aura of power, he'd removed Jircniv's throne himself. That doesn't sound very interesting until you know it was welded down to a gold base and eight soldiers couldn't budge it. That was until Ainz put a hand on the bottom and lifted.
The four welds where the chair met the base broke off instantly, and Ainz carried the ridiculously heavy throne with one hand out to the west balcony and proceeded to toss it toward the forge for melting. Ainz figured it would save some time, but he had no idea the effect it would have when he turned around and saw everyone's faces.
Renner didn't know any of this though. He'd killed her spies weeks ago so she had no way of getting information on him. She shouldn't take it personally though. He'd killed everyone's spies, he didn't discriminate.
"Yes, your plans will work, and if everything goes perfectly, you'll be Queen in ten years." The subtle change in the look in her eyes gave away her surprise to Ainz. "However, a quarter of the way through your ten years, maybe even soon, you'll realize what you really want, an equal. Then you'll remember you passed on a man who was not only your equal, but who could dominate you in every possible way. Are you sure you want to pass on an offer that will not be made again for a weak boy?"
Ainz had already found it strange neither of them had budged an inch since speaking, but he doesn't remember being this close to Renner. If either of them move forward at all right now, they'd rub against each other.
When Ainz realized this, he watched Renner reach to the hair ornament holding up about half of her hair. For a Princess, it was a very fast movement. It would have been somewhat fast to an adventurer. To Ainz, it was as if she wasn't even moving.
He watched her pull the pin out holding her hair in place. It was about five inches long and looked to be made of Mithril. Renner spun her wrist and balled her fist around the pin before slamming it right down on Ainz heart.
Renner expected a shocked look, blood, and the thumping of Ainz body as it hit the floor. Instead all she saw was the smirking face of Ainz Ooal Gown looking down on her.
"I'm dying to know what your plan was if you would have killed me, Renner."
She pointed toward the tower behind her without even thinking.
"I saw a spy, but it turned out to be an assassin."
"Why's your hairpin in your hand?"
"I took it out to cut the cloth around your wound. If I twist it into the cloth, I'd be able to keep better pressure on your wound."
Renner has no idea why she keeps answering Ainz, but she can't stop herself. And if she isn't mistaking, his lips are getting closer and closer to hers by the second.
"But why is your hairpin bloody already?"
"I was going to cut around the wound first, but everyone startled me when they came running out and I dropped it on your wound."
"Supreme intelligence does have it's benefits, doesn't it, Renner?"
"Yes..."
Ainz was so close her whispered answer was easily heard as Renner closed her eyes. She couldn't believe how badly she wanted Ainz Ooal Gown to kiss her. She only wanted her Climb, no one else... until now.
"Ahh, the fun we could have had if only you'd accepted." Renner's eyes fly open as she hears Ainz not right up against her anymore. He's standing the perfect respectable distance from her as protocol dictates. "Sadly, we have run out of time, Renner."
She goes to open her mouth, but Ainz reaches for her hand. It is the first time in her life Renner moved it up to meet a gentlemen's hand for the normal kiss on the back of the hand in greeting or departure.
When he bends to kiss her hand, she realizes why he's doing it as she sees Climb spot them and start walking their way. It is the first time since she'd picked up her puppy she was angry at him.
"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Princess." Ainz drops her hand with a smile on his face and turns toward Climb. He takes two steps and is next to the human. The surprise on Climb's face is not able to be hidden when Ainz shakes his hand. "It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak with you, Sir Climb."
"Y-Your majesty! The-The pleasure i-is all mine!"
"I do like to learn everyone's point of view as best I can, Sir Climb. I was wondering..." Ainz puts his hand on his shoulder. "since you have the honor of guarding Princess Renner, I'm sure learning and defending against as many fighting styles as possible is your key to success in doing your duty. With that being said, how would you like to join in on some of our knights training while you are in Arwintar?"
"I-I'd love to, your majesty, b-but I cannot l-leave the Princess unguard-"
"I accept." Renner interrupted Climb and made sure Ainz understood what she meant before she continued. "And I shall make sure Climb is able to be present for training in the morning, your majesty."
Renner was staring right at Ainz, and she believed it was his voice she'd hear next. However, it wasn't and she found herself wanting to scowl at her puppy once more.
"Princess! I-I am your to command! I could never ask-"
"You did not ask, Climb. I offered and I shall make it a command if need be."
Climb straightened up immediately. It was the first time Renner had given him a stern command, and he wasn't one to disagree with his Princess.
"As your command, your majesty."
"I am glad we shall see you tomorrow, Sir Climb. Oh! I nearly forgot."
Renner watched as Ainz walked toward her and pulled something out of the inside of his robe. She'd never been one for material possessions, especially something as cliche as a rose, but the one Ainz presented to her had her rethinking such beliefs.
The stem was a green that Renner had never seen before. It was so bright, it looked like it was glowing. The thorns that came off the stem were not the same green as the stem, but blood red. The rose itself was a color Renner had never seen on any flower, let alone a rose.
The pedals were the darkest black you could imagine. The whole flower had Renner enchanted. When he got close enough to hand it to her, Ainz whispered something only she could hear.
"I am glad you accepted. There is a gift for you in your room, Renner. It shall be preserved in that state for a century, just as this rose has been."
Renner curtsied as Ainz gave her a slight bow, but she had to appear proper in front of Climb so she added...
"Thank you for the gift, your majesty."
"It was my pleasure, Princess."
Ainz walked away after that and both Renner and Climb watched him go. Renner had plenty to think about after that moment so she had Climb escort her to her room after saying goodnight to her father and the other nobles who'd joined them for dinner.
Renner had noticed the box the moment she entered the room, but didn't open it until the servants they had brought with her were done with their duties. After finally being sway by something as cliché as a rose, Renner was fascinated by what was in the box, and she was not disappointed when she opened it.
Renner didn't bother to move the box from the table it was on, she simply opened the lid. Inside was something she'd always wanted, her eldest brother's, Crown Prince Barbro, head preserved with a look of pure terror on his face.
The sadistic, cruel, cunning smile Renner hid from the world came to her lips instantly. She knew that instant she made the right decision to ally with Ainz Ooal Gown. One thought did come to her mind though that she had to voice out loud.
"I wish I would have remembered to ask him about those subordinates he mentioned to me."
Renner was never surprised, but she nearly yelp in surprise and terror when two shadows formed out of the ground and took a knee before her. She could barely see anything about them other than shadows, and when they spoke, it even sent chills up her spine.
"You need only ask to see us, Mistress. We serve your every desire at the behest of our Master, Ainz Ooal Gown."
Renner composed herself quick enough and that secret smile of hers was back on her lips. She had many questions to ask of her new spies, and it was prudent to start with the obvious so she knew their capabilities.
"I must know your skills and power so I may determine how you will best serve me. Tell me of them."
"We are trained to be experts in all skills one needs to be an expert assassin, Mistress. Anything you require from information gathering to the disposal of any target you wish."
"And you are here to serve in any way I wish?"
"As long as it does not bring harm or inconvenience to our Master, we shall follow your every command, Mistress."
"How long have you been with me?"
"Since our master left the balcony outside of you dinner, Mistress."
Her secret smile grew even wider with that knowledge. That meant they'd been near every noble of the Re-Estize Kingdom and even the Warrior Captain and none of them had noticed.
"Did your master assign you two to me for a specific reason?"
"We are the ones responsible for bringing those known as the Eight Fingers and Six Arms into our Master's possession, Mistress. This is why we were chosen, Mistress."
"And should I have need of you, how do I call you?"
"Well shall always be with you, Mistress, unless you have sent us on a task. Our master has named us Nain and Ju if you wish to speak to one of us specifically, Mistress."
"Very well, both of you shall keep an eye on those from my kingdom for now, Nain and Ju. Return when the last has gone to bed for the night."
Renner watched as one of them disappeared into the shadows, but didn't understand why the other didn't follow her commands. That was until it opened its mouth again.
"Ju shall see your desires carried out, Mistress. I shall inform you of everything we learned while you were not in earshot of those you wish information on before joining my comrade."
Renner didn't think she could smile anymore, but she was. This creature already knew more about her father, the Marquises, and their own servants than most did. They even gave her information she hadn't learned yet about some of them. Renner fell asleep after her briefing with a type of smile on her face that she hadn't let slip out in quite some time... happiness.
Renner woke up before dawn the next morning for the first time she ever had. She'd not slept that deeply in her entire life. She received more reports from the Hanzos, as she learned they were called, before getting ready for the day.
As she suspected, Climb was just outside her door when she exited for the day. She didn't think her puppy would get any sleep with the prospect of training with soldiers of the caliber the Baharuth Empire had.
While she knew her puppy looked up to those such as Gazef Stronoff, there weren't many in the Re-Estize military who he could look to other than Gazef. The Knights of the Baharuth Empire, on the other hand, were all professional soldiers, unlike most of the Re-Estize forces.
Renner greeted him and told him to follow, he did so like a good little puppy, and they both made their way to the training ground. Renner had been to Arwintar before, but she never took the time to take in the Palace or the city.
She'd not wanted to spend any more time in Emperor Jircniv's presence than was necessary so she overlooked everything that didn't involve her leaving as fast as possible before. Now however, she had to admit that this palace was gaudy, but nicer than Valencia Palace.
She truly thought the best part of this was the large black spire and unbelievable throne she'd seen so far, but the rest was still nicer than what she called home. She observed on the way that she was indeed correct, the Baharuth Empire soldiers were everywhere and it was obvious they could easily defeat the Re-Estize foot soldiers.
The walk to the training grounds took much longer than she anticipated due to her observing much more than usual. When she finally did make it to the training grounds, Renner stopped dead in her tracks at what her eyes landed on.
Only a little more than fifty feet from her position stood Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown. He was standing in the middle of ten men, but that wasn't what stopped Renner. No, that honor went to the fact Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't wearing a shirt.
Renner had only lusted after one before, and he was a soft boy who hadn't matured enough to grow the hard muscles only an adult man could. Ainz Ooal Gown, however, seemed to be made of nothing but solid, hard, firm, cut muscle. The man looked like someone had chiseled him from stone at how perfect his body was, and her lust climbed to the realm of desire when she watched him move.
Ainz Ooal Gown hadn't come down here to observe training, he came down here to partake, and Renner now understood even more about the new Emperor. She knew he was a magic caster, but as she watched him completely dismantle and embarrass the best trained military men in this world, he showed her he was more than any magic caster she, or anyone else, had ever met.
He moved fast enough that none of the soldiers could touch him with their training swords and they couldn't outmaneuver him. Every movement from Ainz had another sword or shield clattering to the ground as he systematically disarmed each knight of all their weaponry.
By the time he was done, he wasn't out of breath, but what Renner truly noticed was the water sliding down his body and disappearing at his waist into his trousers. For the first time, she wondered what it would be like to lick that water trail up his body to see what he tasted like.
"I'm glad you could make it Princess Renner, Sir Climb. I apologize for not being able to stay longer, but my training session is concluded for the day. Sir Climb, you may take my place with the soldiers if you wish."
"ItWasAnHonorToWitnessAWarriorOfYourCaliberYourMajesty!"
Climb answered so quickly, it sounded like one word instead of a complete sentence. Renner was much more eloquent than Climb was with her words.
"We had heard you were a talented magic caster, your majesty. I had no idea you were as equally talented a warrior."
"I never saw the point of being a powerful magic caster if all a warrior needed to do was get close to you to make you powerless, Princess." The twinkle in Ainz eye said that was only half, if that, of the reason. "Sir Climb, I have told them of your wish to train." Ainz points to a middle aged man when he gets Climb's attention. "That is General Ray, commander of the Eighth Legion, he will be showing you the ropes today."
"ThankYouSoMuchYourMajesty!"
Climb bowed so quickly and spoke, Ainz thought he'd slam his head off the ground. The boy didn't even wait to be dismissed, he simply ran off toward General Ray. Ainz didn't mind, it meant he didn't need to do it himself. He turned his attention to Renner who, he was smirking on the inside to see, was quite hot and bothered by him without a shirt on.
"I am glad you enjoy the rose so much, Renner."
Ainz points to the flower woven into the middle of her hair. He has to give her props, she hadn't cut it at all and figured out how to get it in her hair thorns and all.
"I've never been one to accept flowers Ainz, but I believe this one suits me."
Ainz agreed. Not that Renner wasn't already beautiful, but she was too bright. All Ainz saw was the bright whites and blues her clothes were normally made of, and that bright golden hair of hers.
Ainz thought the black rose complimented them perfectly. It also showed a bit of the darkness she had that no one got to see, except for him. Now all she needed was for that body of hers to mature, and Ainz would think her perfect for him to have.
That part was easily remedied if he didn't want to wait years for it to happen though. Although Leinas and Sera hadn't changed after becoming Immortal Humans, that was because he knew they couldn't get more perfect.
Normally, it would increase or decrease the targets age to peak physical form for what race they choose, but there was no need for that for either of his Empresses. All that happened to them was their skin tightening slightly around their entire body.
Their bust size hadn't changed, their hips, ass, legs, height, hair or eye color. They stayed completely the same other than that one small detail. They hadn't even gained a unique feature like strange colored eyes or hair as almost all Immortal Humans possessed.
Renner had a cute, firm little butt, but he knew that would grow if she underwent the same change. That also went for her little bust that Ainz guessed was about a mid-B cup. Those would certainly grow, and he also knew that tiny little bit of baby fat on her cheeks and jaw would disappear as well. He did wonder if she'd get a unique trait unlike Leinas and Sera, but he'd wait for that until Renner was ready for it.
"I believe it suits you very well, Renner. I apologize for having to cut our conversation short, but I have duties to attend to. I hope you enjoy your time watching your puppy grow."
Ainz smirked at her then turned to walk away, but didn't. Renner wasn't done talking and what she said had him turning to her once more.
"May I accompany you, Ainz?"
"Do you not wish to stay and watch?"
"I find myself wondering what a day in your life is like, Ainz. Are you worried what your Empresses might think of me spending the day with you?"
While Renner was wondering if she could find out if the Empresses knew Ainz was flirting with her and what he had planned for her, Ainz was trying hard not to laugh. If there was anything Ainz knew for certain, it was his Empresses stance on this matter.
"My Empresses were very clear to me, Renner. They deemed me strong enough to have many wives and mistresses before I was even a lord. Now that they know my might, they have decreed that only Empresses, Queens, and Princesses are worthy of being my wives and consorts."
Renner was glad for the information, but disappointed when Ainz put his tunic back on. The sight of a shirtless Ainz had her feeling things she didn't think were possible with a girl as manipulative and cruel as she could be. When he extended his elbow though, it felt like a spark travel from her finger through her whole body when she took the offered arm.
"Shall we, Princess?"
"We shall, your majesty."
Ainz spent nearly the entire day with Renner, and he enjoyed it even more than he believed he would. She stood near him as he held court, and even swore an oath of secrecy in front of all those gathered in the Throne Room not to speak of what she saw when he turned a murderer into a Death Knight.
He had seen a look in her eye after he sent the Death Knight to hide with the others in his offices that he'd seen on every woman he'd come across, but not Renner until then, lust. After court, he had a light lunch with Renner and took her somewhere he thought she might enjoy after her reaction in the Throne Room.
Even his Empresses never wanted to step foot where he led Renner. It wasn't that they didn't know what he did down there, they simply didn't want any part of the dungeon. Ainz believed Renner might enjoy what he had planned for them though.
It turned out, Renner was much more capable than even he believed. While he was sure she was more than capable of psychological torture, he was beyond impressed at how well she was at physical torture.
Renner knew how to cut someone and cause the most amount of pain while doing the least amount of physical damage to their body. She had gotten one of the Windflower Scripture soldiers of the Slane Theocracy to make noises even he hadn't been able to yet.
It lifted his mood considerably for the rest of the day even when he parted from Renner so they could get ready for the dinner he was having with all the representatives who came for his coronation.
The next morning, Ainz had taken it easy on his Empresses. He knew they had a long day of getting ready planned so he didn't hold them up for too long nor completely exhaust them. It was between breakfast and the ceremony that Ainz got a surprise he wasn't expecting at all.
He made his way to the front of the Imperial Palace to greet an arriving representative. He had no idea why they came or sent someone from this kingdom, but he'd still welcome them to attend the ceremony.
He would have been able to tell what kingdom they were from just from the crest on the carriages, but his soldiers had already informed him there were representatives here from the Roble Holy Kingdom. Why they came was still puzzling. His message wasn't much different than the one he sent to the Slane Theocracy although it was a touch nicer.
When the carriage came to a stop, the first out was a very pretty brunette with very dark blue eyes that looked almost black. She had a very pretty smile, but it looked like she was plotting how to kill everyone she laid eyes on.
While it would have been easy to come to the conclusion she was a priestess by her clothing, Ainz happened to know this was High Priestess Kelart Custodio. She was not only the leader of the churches in the Roble Holy Kingdom, but also its most powerful magic caster.
The second person out of the carriage was also someone who was known to Ainz. He was a middle aged man with brown hair that was starting to turn gray. He had a small goatee that Ainz thought fit the man well. He was Gustav Montagnés, Vice Captain of the Roble Holy Kingdom's Order of Paladins.
The man looked everything Ainz imagined a Paladin should look in his silver, white, and blue armor with his longsword on his hip. He had a small flash in his mind that the man looked eerily similar to how Touch Me would have looked in his Paladin armor if his human self was in Yggdrasil.
"High Priestess Kelart, Vice-Captain Gustav, welcome to Arwintar. I am sorry your reception is lacking. I had no idea the Roble Holy Kingdom would send representatives, and the ceremonies are set to take place shortly so most of the others are busy, my Empresses included."
"It is no trouble, your majesty. Our Queen wished us to, at least, have a conversation with the man who took over the Baharuth Empire so quickly and with so little bloodshed."
Ainz knew the conversation he'd have with them would be very short and to the point. No need to have it here though and he had plenty to do before the ceremonies began.
"I see no harm in having a conversation tomorrow after the festivities have concluded. Come, I shall show you to your rooms then I must get back to my day. The ceremonies are in an hour and I still have much to do."
Neither protested and Ainz led them to their rooms. They would be considered the Imperial Guests suites if Jircniv was still Emperor, but that is what Ainz considered the former Emperor's chambers now. They were in nothing more than spare rooms as far as Ainz was concerned.
Ainz truly didn't have much to do before the ceremony, he simply didn't wish to spend what time he had left in the company of those from the Holy Kingdom. He got dressed and checked on a few last minute details before heading to the city center.
Everything about both of these ceremonies had a purpose for Ainz more than a simple wedding and crowning. The location, who performed the ceremony, and even those that attended and where they were seated was a strategic decision by Ainz.
Of course, he didn't skimp on the luxuries either. While it was purposeful and strategic, he also wanted Leinas and Sera to have the wedding of their dreams. He's sure neither ever thought of being crowned Empress, but he'd make that special as well, even they didn't know who was crowning them today.
Ainz stood on the constructed dais and looked around at all those gathered. The number of smallfolk easily outnumbered the royals and nobles by thousands. They were packed into the streets farther than Ainz could see, standing on rooftops, and even hanging out windows to witness the ceremonies.
Ainz had chosen over a hundred of the smallfolk and former slaves to have seats close to the ceremony. He had also strategically placed Lady Ayla from the Dragon Kingdom between the royals of Re-Estize and the Regency Council Members from the Dwarven Kingdom.
The lady seemed to enjoy the Dwarves crassness, but it bristled the royals and nobles of Re-Estize. While he could tell Lady Ayla preferred the company of the Dwarves, she was perfectly formal and cordial with those from Re-Estize.
Ainz last minute addition had made enough effort to get settled and make it to the ceremony. Ainz had placed them next to the Dwarves with some of the smallfolk on their left. His opinion of their kingdom went up slightly when it didn't seem they were offended by being near commoners.
When Ainz heard Here Comes The Bride, a song he taught the Baharuth Empire orchestra, he turned to take in his two Empresses. Both of them looked completely stunning to Ainz, and he was glad they talked him into coming down at the same time.
Ainz thought they'd both like their time to shine, but they insisted on coming together if he was going to give them an equal status as Empress. Ainz agreed, but knew it was Leinas who'd come up with this and had to talk Sera into it.
Sera had been deferring to Leinas since day one. It was easy to tell she was without her admitting it. He knew it was for two reasons. The first was Leinas was Ainz first, not Sera. The second was because Sera's old training kicked in and she saw Leinas as a noble from a house much higher in standing than hers.
As they made their way to him though, Ainz couldn't see them as anything other than equal. They both brought different skills to offer, but all of them was valuable to Ainz. He'd chosen them at first for their beauty, and it was on full display before everyone, but he'd come to rely on their minds and knowledge as much as he wanted them for their looks.
They had decided to have the same exact dress made for each of them, and Ainz was surprised how amazing it looked on both them. He had no doubt they'd look good, but a wedding dress was usually a very personal thing. Every dress didn't look the same on every woman, but he'd found they had ones designed that highlighted every beautiful curve both had.
Ainz couldn't give Sophie enough credit for what she had created with Leinas and Sera's input. This was her last job as Ainz personal seamstress, and he had no doubt she'd make herself and incredible amount of money when everyone learned she designed Leinas's and Sera's wedding gowns.
It was a combination of an A-Line style dress and a Mermaid style dress. The top had the look of a traditional A-Line dress. It was made of white lace and from the front of their collarbones down to their bust looked to be an upside down A. The lace didn't covered any more than it absolutely needed to other than the sleeves coming slightly farther down her shoulders than the rest of the lace.
From the bottom of the deep V running down their cleavage it was a Mermaid style dress. The satin fabric hugged every inch of them while showing off every curve his Empresses possessed. Thousands upon thousands different colored, tiny diamonds were sewn into the gown anywhere there was fabric. The dress flared out at their knees and formed a very long train that followed behind each of them.
The gowns shown yellow, white, green, pink, purple and blue depending on the angle the sun hit their dresses at. It gave them both a glow Ainz doubts any bride in this world has ever had. Both of them looked the part of radiant Empress as they made their way to him.
Ainz had heard what a normal ceremony entailed and had actually made it a bit longer. He had learned there was a way to signify who the women of this world were Ainz's, a wedding band. It, apparently, wasn't a thing here. Ainz added it to the already short ceremony so it only added a couple of minutes, at most, to the already short ceremony.
The ceremony was indeed only ten minutes long, but Ainz could tell the rings meant more to Leinas and Sera than he anticipated. They had been near tears when he'd told them about the exchange of rings, but the tears couldn't be stopped when they'd laid eyes on what he slid on each of their fingers.
Leinas's was an infinity band made of Celestium, Ainz doubts anyone in this world would know what it was or how much it was truly worth. Every other stone in the band was an enhanced yellow diamond and the others were pure in clarity flawless diamonds.
Sera's was similar, but unique to her as Leinas's was. Sera also had a Celestium infinity band with pure, flawless diamonds making up every other stone. Unlike Leinas though, her other stones were not yellow diamonds, but pink diamonds that he knew only existed in Yggdrasil.
They said the same generic vows that those who didn't follow the Six Great Gods did at their ceremonies and before Ainz knew it, he was kissing both Leinas and Sera to seal their marriage. He doubts two kisses have ever gotten that loud of a reception in this world.
The nobles were clapping politely, but the smallfolk were going absolutely crazy. However, Ainz didn't revel in it too long as that was just the end of the first ceremony. The second one would be even shorter, but that didn't diminish its importance.
Ainz waited until the crowd calmed down a bit before he motioned two women to step forward. Ainz had chosen Leinas and Sera's favorite handmaidens to bring their crowns to his Empresses.
Neither of them had seen the crowns Ainz picked out for them, and he was sure they would love them. The gasp her heard from both of them as their handmaidens opened the wood boxes they were in let him know he was right.
Both crowns looked to be made of silver, but were made of Celestium just like their rings. The band was only an inch or so thick, but the Celestium was designed to come off the band and shaped to look like interconnected hearts made of clear diamonds.
The large heart in the center of the crown housed a large jewel right in the center of it. For Leinas it was another yellow diamond. For Sera, it was a pink diamond. More jewels were placed inside each heart and they got smaller as they made their way toward the back of the crown.
There wasn't a jewel Ainz was aware of that wasn't present in the crown. Both had their signature jewel in the center, but every color diamond was present in their crowns. While yellow and pink diamonds were rare, there were also blue, red, chocolate, black, and then each was finished off at the back with another signature jewel specific for each of them that wasn't a diamond.
Leinas's was a set of emeralds that made up the back of her crown while Sera's was a set of amethysts that made up hers. As Ainz lifted the first one out of the box, he could her the gasps from the crowd and saw the tears forming in Leinas's and Sera's eyes. He pulled out Sera's first, but held the crown slightly over her head as he spoke before crowning his Empresses.
"People of the Baharuth Empire! I crown my Empresses to show everyone that while they are the most beautiful trophy wives an Emperor could ask for, they are so much more than that! With these crownings, I proclaim that my Empresses hold the same power I do! Their word is law just as mine is! For I know they will give everything they have to see that your lives are better than they were the day before and every day after!" Ainz lowers the crown onto Sera's head before finishing. "I know proclaim you, Empress Sera Gown of the Baharuth Empire!"
Ainz let the people hoot and holler until their hearts content while he gave Sera a sweet kiss that made the crowd go even crazier. He waited until they had finally calmed down a few minutes later before reaching into the next box and pulling out Leinas's crown. He hovered it over her head just as he did Sera's before slowly placing it on her head.
"I now proclaim you, Empress Leinas Gown of the Baharuth Empire!"
The crowd erupted again as Ainz placed it on Leinas's head. He gave her the same sweet kiss he gave to Sera, and the crowd reacted the same way, with thunderous applause. It wasn't until they calmed down that Ainz motioned for his crown to be brought forth.
The one carrying his crown, and the one who would be placing it on his head was also another very strategic decision by Ainz. He knew Sera and Leinas wanted to do it, but he couldn't decided between the two so he instead played more toward being an Emperor of the people.
Two people made their way toward Ainz, and instead of waiting on the raised dais for them, Ainz walked to the bottom of the dais to meet them on equal ground. Ainz's crown was resting on a dark purple pillow, and was being carried by a very young boy.
As if Ainz hadn't already gotten the smallfolk on his side, he choose the youngest former slave to carry his crown to him while the oldest former slave would be the one to crown him as Emperor. Ainz couldn't believe there was a seven year old boy who was a slave, but he was the one carrying his crown. The oldest former slave looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies, but the man was barely over forty years old.
Ainz honestly believed it was a miracle this man survived as a slave in the mines for over twenty years, but the man had endured. He had agreed instantly to be the one to crown Ainz, and he could tell it meant everything to the old man.
Ainz crown was much different than Leinas's and Sera's though. While they were wearing high level magic items he'd picked up in Yggdrasil, Ainz's crown was part of a set. Ainz had actually never worn this crown even though he'd been given it from the moment they conquered The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
It was the crown that went with the Throne of Kings.
It had large spikes coming off of it that looked black until the sun hit them then they appeared a dark shade of purple just as the Throne of Kings did. The only difference in appearance was that there was a large jewel at the base of each spike that wasn't present on the Throne of Kings.
In the center was a large black diamond, but all colored jewels wrapped around the base of each spike on the crown. They started off dark in the center, and got lighter as they moved away from the center of the crown. At the back of the crown there was a yellow diamond and pink diamond that finished off the expense jewels that made up the crown. Ainz hadn't planned it to match Sera's and Leinas's crowns, but it happened to work out that way.
When the young boy and old man finally made it to Ainz, he kneeled before them, and it caused the kind of reaction he was hoping for. He could hear the surprised whispers of everyone as they watched their Emperor kneel before two former slaves, who might be free, but were still nothing more than smallfolk. The old man picked up the surprisingly light crown and held it above Ainz's head.
"It is my greatest honor to crown our new Emperor!" The old man's voice even caught Ainz by surprise at how much emotion came out in it. "We, the people of the Baharuth Empire, have never had a more glorious day in all our existence to crown the man responsible for freeing us from our chains and making our Empire the shining example to all other nations! With the greatest honor bestowed upon me in my long and hard life, I now proclaim you, Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown, Emperor of the Baharuth Empire! Long may he reign!"
"LONG MAY HE REIGN!"
The old man hadn't even finished setting the crown atop Ainz's head before the entire city yelled their happiness at Ainz reign beginning and their hope it would never end. Ainz stood up after the crown was on his head and the crowd went absolutely ballistic. They took it to another level when he shook the old man's hand and ruffled the hair of the young boy who carried his crown to him.
"People of Baharuth! My Empresses and I thank you for your support and your acceptance of our rule over you! Know that we shall work tirelessly to make sure everyone in our Empire feels safe and prospers under our reign! Now, let us celebrate this momentous occasion by having a feast and merriment that can be heard all across this world!"
It was short and too the point, and it drove the crowd even crazier as he finished his speech. Ainz went and helped his Empresses off the raised dais and took their places at the head table in the city center. Ainz had no intention of feasting in the Imperial Palace. No, he would dine outside with his people, and he could tell it was already having the intended effect.
Anyone was allowed to approach their table and say a few words with them, and soon, Ainz, Leinas, and Sera found themselves nearly drowning in gifts from their people. Ainz figured some would do this, but it seemed like every person currently in Arwintar had some form of gift for their new monarchs. It took nearly three hours just to get through the line of well wishers before they could start to eat.
Ainz had employed the staffs of their favorite three places to eat, the little café they frequented, the super high end restaurant they ate at a lot, and the Dragon's Nest along with two other highly recommend places to make all the food for everyone at this feast. Ainz is fairly certain no one has ever paid this much for food at a wedding or a coronation.
It was well worth it though as he saw the expressions on the smallfolk's faces at the quality of food they were eating. Ainz was certain he could murder someone right here and now in front of everyone and not a single citizen of the Baharuth Empire would say a thing about it.
Ainz, Leinas, and Sera all enjoyed their feast. They made their rounds after food was served and talked to as many people as all three of them could. It wasn't just the visiting nobles from their Empire or the foreign representatives that they talked to either. They spent the majority of their time talking to the smallfolk, and Ainz was sure they were even more devoted to them by the end of the night.
Ainz had given another short speech that was received just as well as all the others he'd given when he went to retire for the night with his Empresses. When they finally made it back to their chambers, Ainz was a little puzzled as Leinas and Sera stood next to each other staring at him with this certain look in their eye.
Ainz knew they wanted him, but it seemed they had plans for their Emperor this night as they didn't move at all to rid themselves of their dresses. It wasn't until he approach to take off their dresses that he understood what game they were playing. He reached for them, but they pushed his hand away with a mischievous glint in their eyes.
"Not yet, my love." Leinas started. "All others have gotten the privilege already, but your Empresses have not." Ainz was puzzled until Sera finished for Leinas. "It is time we bend the knee for our mighty Emperor."
Ainz watched them drop to their knees and free him from his trousers, they both flattened their tongues out and licked him from root to tip and it caused Ainz to groan in pleasure. When he looked down at them, their words made him rock hard and ready to take them.
"Long may you reign!"
'Yes.' Ainz thought as he watched Sera take every inch of him while Leinas followed down his shaft with her tongue. 'Long may we reign!'
Ainz knew there was still much to do, especially when it came to the foreign representatives present, but he'd not think of that tonight. Tonight, he'd enjoy his Empresses everyway he possibly could. Everything else could wait for the following days.
So there is the last chapter of the first story! Yes, yes there is still much to do, a lot of conversations to be had, and many, many more plans to make, but this is the end of the Baharuth Empire arc for now. In the second story there will be moments in the Baharuth Empire because it is their home kingdom, but it will focus more on the other nations and how Ainz deals with them. I believe the second story will take place in the Dragon Kingdom, but it is possible I switch it up and have the second story be held in either Re-Estize or the Dwarven Kingdom. Thanks for reading and I'll see everyone neXXXt time!