Sorry for taking a while. I was on a break and all of that.
Ah, about the length of the chapter. Well, I wanted to wrap up this chapter. So we could open the second season? Of history.
Also, we have 1k followers! That's amazing!
Thank you all for the support! And for dealing with my grammar issues!
I want to hear your theories about what is going to happen! Let's see who is wrong or right!
In any case, see you guys later! Bye-bye!
(I will edit this chapter later!)
Chapter 40
Albedo sighed in defeat as she saw the reports coming to her. There was so much work for her at this moment. It's been three days since the Grand Opening, as Pandora's Actor calls it. The reaction of the awakening of her lady has brought this world to a new stage of chaos. Or so Albedo thought. However, her lady has been distant as of late.
Whenever Albedo tried to speak to her, the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick seems bitter and lost in thought. Albedo has tried to bring comfort to her beloved one, but to no avail. Albedo was feeling sad and rejected. She thought that perhaps the results were not as her lady expects them to be.
Could it be that we disappoint her? That we fail?!
Albedo was not the only one. The rest of the Guardians were feeling rejected too. They have been working harder than before. Moving to the next stage. But without their lady speaking to them, it was a hard thing to do. They were afraid of her leaving them.
But among all of that dread and fear, only one of the NPCs of Nazarick seem relaxed about their lady absence. It was Pandora's Actor. The only one who knew their lady's mind. Pandora's Actor was the only one capable of talking with their lady with no problem. They wanted to know if they fail her. If she would leave them. Albedo almost broke down. The desperation of not knowing if she has failed was eating her alive.
Pandora's Actor however smiled at the succubus.
Worry not Meine Dame. Our lady just needs some alone time. Right now, our lady is deep in thought and she wishes for some peace. Pandora's Actor told Albedo with a cheerful voice.
Albedo took it for granted, but she was still depressed.
"What could I do to become closer to my love?" Albedo whispered.
Albedo missed the soft lips of her lady. The warmth on her skin, the delicious hips. Everything she was in love with, she missed. But more than anything, she missed the feeling of love, of knowing her lady was with her. That her lady would never leave her.
So with another sighed Albedo continue to do her job. She would work harder than before. The succubus would make sure nothing disturbed her lady.
The sound of the upcoming message snapped her back to reality. Albedo with a calm voice responded, hoping it was her beloved one. And for Albedo lucky, it was.
"{Albedo, are you there?}" The voice of her lady almost made Albedo jump in joy. However, she calmed herself down, before making a fool of herself.
"{Yes, my lady! Is there anything I can do for you?}" Albedo asked with a soft voice.
"{I want you to get everyone in the throne room. There is something I want to discuss with everyone. Could you do that for me?}" Galadriel asked with an intense voice. It made Albedo shiver.
"{I will do immediately, my lady.}" Albedo responded obediently. The succubus wondered why her lady felt so powerful. Could it be because she forgot how she sounded after only three days? Albedo could not know. But something was clear, her lady was serious.
So nervously, Albedo did what her lady wanted her to do. Hoping nothing bad would happen.
At the throne room, everyone was waiting for the Supreme Ruler to arrive. And after three long days without knowing about their lady. They were glad to know she was still here. The fear of her leaving them was not a good one for any of them. They should have known better since The Demon Empress would never leave them.
"Hey sister, do you think, our lady is angry at us?" Mare asked with a nervous tone.
"Do you think she will leave us?" he asked with an almost trembling voice.
"Of course not! Our lady would never do something like that!" Aura replied with a confident voice, but she would not lie and say she was not afraid of the notion of her lady leaving them.
"She will never do that to us… Never," Aura mumbled.
The rest of the guardians said little, but they could all share the same feeling. The dread. The fear. How could they make it up for their lady? How could they forgive themselves for failing their lady? Those thoughts drowned them. So with trembling legs and fragile souls, they waited for her.
It took only a few minutes before they could all see her. For the first time in three days. Everyone expected to see the face of disappointment on her. And on their knees, they waited for the inevitable. For the worst punishment, they could think of. Her leaving.
Albedo could see the face of her beloved, and although deep down, she was afraid. Albedo was surprised by what she saw on her beloved face. Her lady was not angry or upset, or anything she thought before. Her lady appeared to focus, confident, and determined. Why? Albedo didn't know.
Did something happen those three days? Albedo wondered.
Galadriel sat down on her throne. She saw how all of them were on their knees and the tension in the air was almost visible. She sighed, knowing this was her fault. Galadriel should have known better than just disappear for three complete days. But it was something she needed to do. Galadriel after the fight, with the Dragon Lord, realized something. A problem, something she hated admitting.
That she was not the leader Nazarick deserved. It was like an epiphany.
Galadriel understood now, how unprepared she was. The reason for her exhaustion, or her tiredness. Was because Galadriel felt as if everything was beyond her control. Like she was always behind everyone. Galadriel felt ashamed of it most of the time. She had to always pretend she knew something. Galadriel lied multiple times in order to look competent in leading. She would always feel two steps behind Demiurge and Albedo. And that brought shame and sadness to Galadriel. She felt useless.
Galadriel was not in control, not really. She would always react to something. Yes, she would sometimes bring an idea to the table. Or something along those lines. But she felt it was not enough. Never enough.
That was the reason for her exhaustion most of the time. The inability to be what everyone wanted her to be. How far below she was from everyone's expectations. And the only reason they felt her capable of leading was because of the undying loyalty and complete blind devotion they had on her. Galadriel did not want to be like that anymore.
That's why she retreated to the safety of her room. To meditate, to reflect, to find herself.
Galadriel was tired of being a failure. The words from her father, telling her how everything was her fault. How disappointed her mother would be if she saw her. How she would never be in control of her life. How people would take advantage of her forever. Well, no more. That was the last straw for Galadriel.
Galadriel had enough of it. She would not spend her life always following shadows. She would not allow herself to be a failure anymore. She would take control of this fast car.
So she thought, what does she want in life, in this life. Trying to make sense of Demiurge and Albedo's plans all the time was tiresome. So, Galadriel wanted to make a goal for herself. Something she wanted. So thinking back, she realized that conquering and creating an empire was a truly intriguing idea. Galadriel was a Demon Empress but without an empire, the title was meaningless.
The next was to figure out how she would do that.
Galadriel read and read many books on the topic. And she concluded that she needed to find a place where to start. A city in the middle of everything. Taking one map of the New World Galadriel had. She studied all the possibilities. Then she came up with the only option for her. The most logical. The city of E-Rantel.
It was the perfect place, all things considered.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick was close to it. Carne Village too. Making it easier for them to move around. Then there was the most important thing.
E-Rantel was in the middle of the continent. Making it the most vital part of her plan. The Re-Estize Kingdom, The Baharuth Empire, and The Slane Theocracy were all connected to this city. The economic importance of this place was huge in the long run. Having this city under her control would give her the power of the continent easily. This was going to be her goal. Galadriel would stop pretending to be a monarch, and instead, she would become one.
Galadriel saw the rigid bodies of the guardians and everyone else. And sighed. They did not deserve what she put them through.
"Thank all of you for coming here. There is something I need to tell to everyone. And it's about my plans. But before that, I need to apologize for my absence," Galadriel said with a soft voice, bowing slightly.
Everyone was freaking out to have the supreme one bowing before them. The scandal.
"My lady! Please forgive us for our incapabilities of doing what you told us! We will work three times harder… No! Ten times more in order to erase our shame!" Demiurge exclaimed on his knees.
The rest of the guardians had their faces hitting the ground, and Galadriel could only shake her head.
"Demiurge, none of you have disappointed me at all. This is not a punishment. The reason of my three days absent was because I needed to think of my own failures," Galadriel said, and the moment everyone heard the word failure from the supreme mouth. They were losing it.
The supreme one has no failures! She is always right! She can never be wrong!
Those were the thoughts of everyone. And like a mind reader, Galadriel could sense they were thinking of something like that. Galadriel saw Pandora's Actor, the only one who understood her better than herself. He became a rock for her; it was easy to talk to him.
Perhaps because Galadriel made him. Who knows? But it was clear how much he meant to her. Galadriel let it all out. All of her fears, insecurities, vulnerabilities. Everything she always buried deep down her soul. Galadriel trusted him with all of this because she knew he would die before exposing anything to anyone. He was the shoulder Galadriel would cry on. Just like in the past. He was also the one who advises her on what to do. And how she could take control of this life.
It was therapeutic to just sometimes, to let it all out. Galadriel would do it again later. But now, thanks to Pandora's Actor, she was feeling more confident. More in control of herself.
"I will say it again. None of you have made anything to anger me. Nothing, so stop looking at the floor in embarrassment, and look at me," Galadriel ordered. Everyone obeyed immediately.
"I needed some time for myself, like I said before. But, I didn't speak to any of you in that time. This made some of you depressed, and that was never my intention. So I apologize," Galadriel said.
The guardian felt confused, but it was their lady's words. There was nothing they could do to change things. But the relief they felt was surreal.
"Now, I wanted to let everyone else about my upcoming plans. But before, Demiurge, tell me what are you planning on doing with the Re-Estize Kingdom?" Galadriel asked him.
"Well, we have our agents getting more information about the nobility there. Also, since the Eight Fingers are in our control, we are stating instability in the kingdom. Before taking over, of course, we are planning to do the same in the Empire," Demiurge said with a big smile.
Galadriel nodded, at least she was not that far behind from them as she thought. Still, she could notice some weak points on that. It was something no one from Nazarick could ever know. And it was human stupidity. Something Galadriel had more experience than anyone in Nazarick.
"And I believe you know, how I would like to create an empire, do you?" Galadriel said and everyone gasp, well besides Albedo and Demiurge.
"We are my lady. We have prepared everything for it, and now that your awakening is on everyone's mouth. You would only kneel before you, and those who don't, we will eliminate," Demiurge said, and everyone applauded. But Galadriel only sighed. This was what she was fearing.
The plan was a solid one. Create instability, bring forth an enormous treat like a demon or something. To only make everything worse by the awakening of The Ancient One. Then everyone would know about her, and soon enough, the world would be in disarray. With a demon creating problems, corrupted nobles, poverty, incapable rulers. And she, the supreme one, like the only thing capable of bringing everyone together to a new age of prosperity. That was the plan in a nutshell.
She could see it clearly now.
But there was a tremendous problem with that. And it was humans themselves. This was something Demiurge was not taking notice of. Humans were stupid, greedy, cruel, and even with all this evidence before them. They would turn their heads around ignored them. That's humanity.
Someone could piss in their heads and tell them it was raining. And they would believe it.
"Demiurge, if I am not wrong… This contact of yours in the Kingdom, is part of the royalty, isn't?" Galadriel asked, trying to gather some more information.
"Impressive, my lady. Yes, princess Renner is the one who will swear loyalty to us, and give us the kingdom to us," Demiurge said with an excited tone.
"And what does she want from us?" Galadriel replied.
"So far, she wanted to keep her pet safe from harm. But I belive she would want something else. Like a race changing or immortality to spend time with her beloved… Dog," Demiurge said.
"Crazy girl," Galadriel muttered in amusement.
Galadriel suspected as much in history. The royalty was always in the deeps of betraying and corruption. So, by reading many books about her own old world history. Galadriel concluded that the only contact that could be worth taking notice of anything. Would be part of the royal family. Besides, Demiurge would not waste time with anybody. So this girl could be very smart or very twisted, perhaps both.
"I see, but there is something I want to tell you about some stages of the plans. Well, they will mostly fail," Galadriel and Demiurge seemed to have a stroke. Could it be that his plans were wrong all alone? That her lady saw them fail?
"Please let me explain you why. You need to understand, how the human mind work. They are greedy and stupid. They would things that won't make sense to you. They would do things that you could consider being, ludicrous and confusing. They will act on their own, and even with all your planning. Their stupidity would be something you could never measure," Galadriel said with a bittersweet voice.
"For example, Albedo, do you think they will kneel before me?" Galadriel asked and the Succubus lover tilted her head. No understanding the question. So she answered the only way she could.
"Obviously! Those filthy humans should know better!" Albedo exclaimed, and many nodded in agreement. This was the problem, and Galadriel saw it. And this was an example only. Galadriel could swear that many nobles were already thinking to take advantage of this, regardless if they believe her existence or not. She could bet those clowns of the Slane Theocracy were already plotting or something. And there was that annoying flying lizard. The dragon lord's life over. She would find him and kill him.
"That's were you are wrong, my dear. Humans will not simple kneel, and even if they do. They will always plot, and think they can take advantage of Nazarick, or me," Galadriel said, and she saw the furious faces of everyone.
"I see now. My inability to think of… How humans foolishness could have jeopardize my lady's plans," Demiurge whispered. He felt like a failure. To think something as trivial could put on hold everything. He should have known better.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone can make mistakes, even me. But now, there is a way of taking advantage of this," Galadriel smiled, as she could see everyone looking at her.
Galadriel finally felt in control. Like she was more than a genuine leader. She was something the Guardians could look up to. She was not a failure.
"Eat shit, dad. I am no longer that little girl you could hit. I am not a disappointment. My mom would never think that of me! Wherever hell you are! Fuck you dad!" Galadriel thought.
"I want you to start a rumour around the kingdom and empire. Whispers about how everything was Jaldabaoth plot. Then I want you to counter those rumours about how, it was a plot from the empire or kingdom. Later how The Ancient One wants only harmony for the people of this world, I want those rumors all over the place," Galadriel said.
"A rumour campaign? To deceit them? What would that be the point of doing that?" Albedo whispered, thinking hard about her beloved one plan.
"It really doesn't matter what rumors you create, the important thing is that, people will believe them. This will speed things up. What I want is to make sure all those stupid nobles move around. Albedo tell Rubedo to move closer to the rest of the nobles in the empire. I want her to tell you which ones are expendable. Demiurge let our dear princes to do the same," for the first time in his life. Demiurge was having a hard time understanding his lady plans.
Galadriel could see it in the faces of Albedo and Demiurge. They were having a hard time understanding her. For the first time in her life here, she was ahead of them.
"The annual war, Demiurge… Think of the annual war, and how the nobles like to believe they have done something," then it hit him. He could finally understand her. Albedo was the same.
"What better way to show them the truth, than a big… Show?" Galadriel said with a smirk.
"I see both of you now understand," Galadriel smiled with joy. The rest of the guardians, however, were beyond confused. They were having a hard time trying to keep up with them. They could barely figure out what was going on.
"I see now… You intelligence truly has no comparison, my lady!" Demiurge exclaimed with joy.
"My beloved… To think of something so complex… To make them dance around your fingers! Oh, I need to find a good dancing dress! We need to prepare for it! Ah~ Dancing with my lady!" Albedo squeal in joy.
"Kill them softly, an elegant way to do it," Demiurge said with an evil smirk on his own.
"Ah, my lady… I don't understand what is going on," Mare asked with a timid voice. Galadriel smiled softly at the cute elf boy.
"It's okay, Mare, I will explain everything. But before that… I want to have a meal with everyone of you. Together," Galadriel said.
"Together?" Albedo asked.
"Yes, I want to spend time with all of you. With my… family."
Galadriel felt complete like she finally changed for the better. She would make Nazarick a living legend in this world. And while she still had a lot to work with. This was the first step for her to be a true monarch. To be a true Leader worthy of Nazarick. For all of them.
"Mother… I will make you proud."