A/N: I own nothing of the Overlord Franchise: This is a parodic original work imagining the consequences of alternate realities and is distinctly non-canon after the events of Baron Monserrat's idiocy. Please enjoy.


"Goodnight, Milady."

"Goodnight, Alena."

The door to Renner's chambers closed softly, and Renner heard the muffled footsteps as her maid exited passed down the hall, extinguishing candles as she went.

The was a slight thud-click as the door to the maid's entrance through the pantry closed, and immediately the Princess threw off her cover sheets and leapt from the bed.

She was halfway to the closet when a deep, dry voice interrupted her. "Too late."

It was wholly inappropriate, receiving guests in her nightshift. She had no food prepared, no drinks to offer but the pitcher of water at her bedside table…

It mattered not. When Climb's shadow had stretched behind him that evening and held up two twisted fingers, the message was absolute.

Nazarick was coming that very evening.

In the moment, she could only conceal her fear and surprise while Climb obliviously carried on with his story of visiting the magician's guild where she'd sent him to inquire about purchasing message scrolls.

There'd been a heavy feeling in her stomach all day, since this morning when her brother had handed her that cursed parchment.

[That idiot noble has doomed us all.]

This could only be Demiurge's return. Ever since she'd struck a bargain with the fiend, she feared the day they'd decide her merit insufficient, and dismiss her either to live and die as a mere third princess, or kill her outright.

And now they had their reason to do so.

Mustering her resolve, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself turned to face the open area of the room and knelt.

Not a moment later, the dark portal opened in front of her.

She expected to see impossibly polished black leather shoes… but instead it was the Prime Minister's voice that met her.

"Rise."

Renner stood quickly, keeping her head down as her mind raced for an explanation for Albedo's presence.

[Gah, this is infuriating,] she decided. [There's simply too much unknowable, including the internal politics of the Sorcerous Kingdom. There's little reason to believe this is a consideration towards my modesty, though undoubtedly I'm left in this state to emphasize the difference between them and I… I stand virtually bare before a supreme beauty fully dressed and informed. Or is it a reflection of the Kingdom, instead of merely me? We are all wearing naught but translucent silks against them?]

"You know why I'm here."

"I believe so, Albedo-sama," Renner folded her hands before her as the priests were wont to do when offering blessings or prayer. "I stand ready to serve, to repent our nation of the crime the fool has committed against you."

It was perhaps too on-the-nose to use religious language, and she feared the words may sound false on her tongue. She had little experience in using them outside of her false persona, and she would only offend her masters if she adopted such a tone with them. But Renner had quickly observed the reverence with which the Sorcerous King's subordinates spoke of him, and adopted the closest equivalent with which she was familiar in order to ingratiate herself to them.

As Renner was speaking, the familiar suited form of Demiurge appeared from the portal behind Abledo, followed silver-haired gentleman in a butler-style suit.

The butler averted his eyes in discretion upon seeing her attire.

The demon did not.

The sharp-eared fiend offered a wry, knowing grin. "Drop the act," he instructed. "You care for this Kingdom even less than we do."

Renner felt her face relax, her affected posture loosening in obedience, even without the command matra he'd demonstrated on her before. She looked up at them for the first time, offering low curtsy.

"Then am I to understand that the Sorcerous Kingdom is preparing to remove their stain from the face of the world?"

The ease with which she slipped from our to their would be unsettling to most anyone not in this room.

"That was our initial consideration," Demiurge answered on behalf of them both, "but no, this matter will be settled more… diplomatically. Albedo will be taking point, I'm merely here as an advisor."

That was unexpected. From the conversations Renner had with each of them, Albedo seemed by far more likely to favor brute-force solutions and narrow thinking.

[What is the Sorcerer King playing at, to send a subordinate with such little experience and ill-suited a personality to conduct top-level negotiations?] Renner wondered. [She's more than capable of charming or intimidating a room, but sensitive diplomacy?]

Renner was no fool- she knew the demon Demiurge was Jaldabaoth. She was likely the only person in the Kingdom – no, anywhere outside the Sorcerous Kingdom's inner circle- who knew. That of course revealed the true nature of the "war" in the Holy Kingdom.

That meant she also knew just how shrewdly the fiend could manipulate his enemies.

Demiurge could easily navigate the nuance and pitfalls of Royal Court intrigue. Albedo, Renner worried, lacked the flexibility to satisfy the many priorities of a feudal court.

She revealed none of this on her face as she nodded. "Of course, and how may I serve you?"

Albedo stepped back into the conversation now. "We're convening a planning council in your drawing room. We will discuss there."

"As you wish." Renner raised from her curtsy to open the door from her personal room to the corridor leading to her sitting room.

Albedo led, with Demiurge following. The genteel-looking man stayed behind, forcing Renner to follow Demiurge. To the princess, the short corridor felt very much like a killing field- trapped before and behind by monsters as the man in white gloves followed.

Though if she were correct, and this man was truly who she thought he was, she suspected he may be the closest thing she had to an ally. At least, if his regard for Climb was sincere…

They reached the sitting room, and Albedo raised one hand to her ear.

"Yes, we're ready."

Though the curtains were drawn, there was still sufficient moonlight to witness the black portal opening again.

A tall blonde woman in a long white dress- not dissimilar to Albedo's- stepped through and immediately fell to her knees, bowing before Demiurge and Albedo. Renner noted the serpent tattoo running from her shoulder down her arm and instantly knew who had arrived on her sitting room floor.

"Get up," Albedo scoffed at the crime boss. "We don't have time for your groveling."

"Of course, Albedo-sama," the Eight Fingers capo rose with a fluid motion that defied her age. Her eyes widened when she realized who the young woman was in front of her.

"I take it you two know of each other?" Demiurge addressed the two blondes.

"Yes, my lord," Hilma offered slowly. "But why the third princess? Surely prince Zanac would-"

"How are your fields in E-Raia?" Renner interrupted her. She knew that Eight Fingers answered to the Sorcerous Kingdom now, so Hilma's presence did not surprise her. Since Six Arm's destruction and the fall of the slave division, Narcotics would be the most powerful of the sections- even after accounting for Blue Roses' extended campaign against them. Only banking would rival Hilma's department, but without the cash inflow from narcotics after the transfer of E-Rantel, even banking might have fallen.

Their cash flow had certainly improved since becoming the Sorcerous Kingdom's de-facto trade partners in and through the Kingdom of Re-Estize, but they were still rebuilding.

The tall woman's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Renner wasn't done.

"Or the fields southwest of Vellentown, or the processing site in Lynth?" she started counting off on her fingers. "After all, my dear friends in Blue Rose had nearly half your production sites burned by the time my Climb destroyed that underground brothel. Did you know Coco-doll had information on the fields in Boullope's demesne? They planned to use your field as a bargaining chip in case their smuggling route were compromised: to sell you out in exchange for leniency."

Hilma's eyes glanced over to Demiurge, who was smirking almost proudly as Renner listed off Hilma's operational secrets like trivia facts.

"And how do you know all this?"

"The same way I know about your old payments to my eldest brother, or which customs inspectors and guards are on your payroll," Renner directed her wicked grin on the other human in the room. "I get bits of documents from Blue Rose's raids and crack your ciphers. Or I study shipping manifests and look for irregularities, cross-reference those with transit times and distances, and look for nobles living beyond their means. You can learn a lot from a Lady's jewelry."

"You can't be serious," Hilma's eyes were vacant, head shaking lightly in fear and anger. "You were the one directing Blue Rose all that time? We purged so many good men looking for the leak, convinced we had a traitor in our midst-"

"A fact you used to eliminate the head of the Banking sector, as I recall," Renner giggled behind her hands with a face-splitting grin. "Don't say I never did anything for you."

The conversation was ended early by another portal opening up.

As the five turned to the portal, Renner reflected on what an odd assortment they'd gathered.

[A butler, a prime minister, a fiend, a princess, and a crime lord. I wonder who will be joining us next?]

She had a suspicion, which was confirmed when a familiar face stepped through.

[A doting father is so easy to blackmail, after all.]

"Princess Renner!" came the shocked voice of Marquis Raeven, his wide eyes giving her a blatant up-down before he realized himself and turned his face away. "Forgive me, I didn't mean-."

He was shoved forward roughly, his coat fluttering open to reveal patterned fabric of pajamas beneath.

Apparently, they'd all been pulled from their chambers without forewarning. It was likely Cygnaeus was still fully dressed from the day, attending to some pressing business by candlelight.

Behind him, a young woman who appeared around Renner's own age stepped through the portal, yawning in boredom as the portal closed behind her. She was dressed in a ballgown of purest black, her skin pale, flawless ivory.

Her blood-red eyes and pointed teeth were the only clues to her true nature.

[Ah, another one,] Renner, reflected. [I wonder if Evileye knows of her, or vice-versa.]

Despite Raeven's flustered attempts to avoid gazing in her direction, Renner did nothing to hide herself or preserve her modesty.

Such concerns hardly mattered in the presence of supreme authority and power, which could strip her bare with but an order. It wasn't as if preserving her modesty brought her anything of value, anyways.

"Ah, Shalltear," the butler spoke up from behind Renner. "Perhaps you could assist the Marquis?"

The vampire glanced between the Marquis and the butler, then to the princess before realization set in. She laughed gently, smirking as she realized. "Oh dear, is this too much for you, old man? She is beautiful, let's relieve you of that distraction. Blindness."

Hilma and Raeven stiffened at the sound of the spell, but it's was Raeven's distressed cry that revealed what had happened.

[How appropriate,] Renner couldn't help but reflect. [Three of the most powerful people within the Kingdom in the room. The Royalty laid as good as bare, the nobility blind, and only the crime lord standing fully possessed of her faculties. Though by all accounts, she's already been hollowed out, a shell refilled to suit their purposes. All counselors and servants to a distant king, plotting their own Kingdom's fall.]

Seeing that everyone had gathered, the butler spoke up.

"Since we are likely to be here some time, perhaps we should sit for discussions. I will prepare refreshments."

Renner felt the implications stab her between the shoulders- she'd failed again, this time as a host.

Seeing agreement, the group moved to seat themselves around the table. Marquis Raeven- still blind- was shoved along by the vampire to a seat beside Hilma. Demiurge and Albedo occupied the seats at the head and foot of the table.

"Now then," Demiurge commanded the attention of the room once more, a shadow demon having completed its report into his ear. "I'll conduct introductions, and Albedo will brief you on our mandate here. Those from the Kingdom should already be familiar with each other, but in case you're not: Marquis Raeven, Princess Renner, and Hilma Cygnaeus- capo and acting head of Eight Fingers. We of the Sorcerous Kingdom are of course Prime Minister Albedo, Minister of Transportation Shalltear Bloodfallen, myself, and one of our primary agents and informants Sebas Tian. He travels under the guise of a merchant and already has relationships among the guilds and some minor nobles."

That confirmed what Renner had already suspected.

[So the man Climb praised back then was indeed an agent of the Sorcerer King after all.]

His power had immediately marked him out as suspicious, the way he'd appeared and disappeared virtually out of nowhere had made it a near-certainty.

[Will the advantages enjoyed by the Sorcerous Kingdom never cease? A transportation minister who can whisk people from their beds and teleport them anywhere on a whim, and a merchant-spy who single-handedly bests adamantite-level crime lords.]

Said merchant-spy was returning from her galley already with a plate of pastries that certainly didn't come from her supply- they were fresh and their aroma filled the room immediately. He also had a blanket draped over his left arm, which he offered to Renner. She accepted graciously, wrapping herself in its unnatural softness.

Albedo stepped up next. "His Majesty the Sorcerer King has tasked us with responding to the recent development of which you all know." Nods around the room were solemn. "While we recognize the justification this could provide for war, His Majesty wishes instead to use this as an opportunity to improve upon our original projections. Our objectives are as follows."

"One: to advance the economic, political, and cultural state of the Kingdom; to prepare it for the rule of the Sorcerous Kingdom, either outright or as a vassal state."

"Two: to centralize power in the Kingdom, so his Majesty may enjoy his rightful authority when he comes into possession of the Kingdom."

[They want us to improve the kingdom into submission?] Renner's mind was racing with possibilities, searching for a favorable end. [Of course, I also need to secure a solution wherein Climb and I prove our value…]

"These first tqi are mandatory in some form, but not absolutes," Albedo's commanding tone turned icy. "This last one is non-negotiable. The fools who dared raise a hand against the Sorcerous Kingdom must be punished."

[Of course.]

Albedo reached into a hole in the air and pulled out three binders, handing one each to Hilma and Renner. The Vampire cast Cure Blindness on Raeven, and he started in surprise before accepting the third binder.

"We've compiled a list of possible responses and strategies we may employ, your job here is to advise us on the likely responses among the royalty, nobility, and general population of the Kingdom as well as the resources needed and available. Failure is not an option."


For the next several hours, the assembled "council" reviewed the compiled dossiers, making notes in the margins as they went and passing their notes to Demiurge and Albedo for review. Occasionally they'd discuss comments on a certain plan, eliminating it due to some critical constraint.

In that time, the butler-spy supplemented the pastries with a pale lavender tea that shook away any sign of fatigue and left one feeling alert and fresh. Sebas never sat down after completing his service either, simply standing behind Albedo's shoulder as she read pages taken from the binders.

Renner understood now that the magnanimity Climb had spoken of when relaying his account of Sebas was no front: it was simply how the man behaved. His comments were always polite, his bearing authoritative but respectful, even to those clearly below him in status and strength.

[Both power and humility in extraordinary measure,] she reflected. [What the Kingdom could become with such a man in its ranks…]

Her eyes flashed wide, and she began flipping pages, reviewing and dismissing them in rapid succession.

[Make no declaration of war, and simply destroy the offending noble as a warning to others? Not enough direct benefits, and would only further weaken the Royal Faction and Crown.]

[Make war, conquer territory outright with minimal bloodshed and hold it with sheer force of arms? If we targeted land belonging to the Noble faction strategically, it might counter-balance the effects of losing at war to the same enemy twice, but His Majesty would surely be disappointed by the state of the land and people upon acquiring it.]

[Declare war, march straight to the capitol and force a surrender by siege, effectively conquering the entire kingdom with only one battle? The Sorcerer King would inherit a disjointed, incompetent Nobility. I need something more patient…]

There it was, towards the back of the document. Not a full plan, but a start of one. She crossed out a full section of details, replacing them with rough calculations and projections. She scribbled in some notes, fleshing out modifications and a rough script. Then, she added a bold variation on the scheme that would either earn her their ire or praise, but would undoubtedly turn a barely-viable plan into a wildly successful one.

"This one."

She turned the binder around and presented it to Demiurge, who was sitting closer to her than Albedo.

"Interesting," he pushed up his spectacles as he read. "Fascinating, actually…"

He picked up the page and stood, walking around the table to bring the paper to Albedo. He, she, and Sebas all leaned into it at once.

Albedo frowned. "Is this truly more effective, though?"

"It will require some dynamic adjustments as we go," Demiurge conceded, "but nothing we can't pick up as needed. Ainz-sama did emphasize as much, after all."

Albedo took out a foreign writing instrument that produced a pigmented ink. She underlined two sections, pointing them out to Demiurge. "This bears some resemblance, does it not? Could this have been what Ainz-sama meant?"

Demiurge nodded in agreement. "I considered the same. Candy and whip, no?"

Albedo frowned, brow furrowing as she pointed to another section. "What do you think, Sebas? Is this something you can do? I don't believe you've ever had a long-term assignment like this."

The butler paused to consider.

"It is indeed a new role I've not yet played," he considered. "But I think it's possible. Ainz-sama did say we'd need to grow and experience new things, yes? This may have been what he had in mind. The Pleiades may be some assistance here: Yuri and Narberal have some predilection towards administration and have been underutilized of late."

Demiurge pointed to a point somewhere near the top of the page. "We can enlist that fellow for this section, ensure it goes properly. I think he'd take to it quite nicely."

Albedo's frown lessened slightly and she reached into the aether again to pull out another binder. This one was twice as thick as their review documents, and she flipped immediately to a select page.

"The forecasts from our experiments would certainly provide the needed incentive."

Sebas leaned in to look over her shoulder.

"I'm unfamiliar with the measurements in question, but if I may: I think we should confer with the treasurer to approve some supplementary benefits."

"You want to sweeten the candy?" Albedo raised a skeptical eye at Sebas.

"It wouldn't need to be much, but to secure enthusiasm for the endgame I believe a few strategic investments would go a long way."

"Yes, I agree," Demiurge confirmed from Albedo's other shoulder. "Better to prepare redundancies, in this case. We will still be dealing with baser individuals, after all. With something so dynamic, there's still a risk of more fools sticking their fingers in the gears. Sweeter candy will give us additional room to crack the whip."

The three lapsed into silence, and Renner felt a strange pride well up in her that her plan had held up so well in their considerations.

But the real challenge had just begun.

As they scanned the document in silence, Renner knew the sticking point… her calculations for the time needed to bring the plan to fruition.

"We need to cut this timeline in half," Albedo insisted.

"Let us make some further refinements," Demiurge placated, "then perhaps the Marquis will be able to identify what steps will accelerate the timeline without instigating too much unrest."

Albedo begrudgingly acceded, and the two completed some additions to the page. They passed the plan off to Raeven and Hilma.

The woman spoke first. "Eight Fingers has been doing good business above-board, but our underground operations are still recovering. We have people who can do what you want, but if you want absolute discretion, we'll have to silence them afterwards. I'll need resources to replace them."

Demiurge dismissed her with a wave. "We can provide agents to handle the more critical elements. We wouldn't want another carriage misunderstanding, after all. You'll just need the right person to manage them when the time comes. Much easier to replace one than a whole team."

Hilma nodded in acquiescence, and all eyes turned to Raeven.

"This… this is insane," his voice was shaking. "You want to turn Prince Zanac into… a Bloody Emperor?!"

Renner's head tilted to the side.

That was a hallmark of the plan, to be sure. Demand unpopular concessions from King Ramposa, have him cede the crown to Zanac or dispose of him outright, then orchestrate the removing of incompetent or disloyal nobles. Eight Fingers would provide the justification through evidence- real or fabricated- of corruption, or they'd just eliminate the nobles outright.

But that was merely the foundation of the plan that Renner had built on.

The rest of her modifications ensured the nobility would have motive to shift their allegiances towards the Sorcerous Kingdom while simultaneously strengthening the economic and cultural power of the Royal Faction.

In the end, Renner and Raeven would guide Zanac either into a position of power in which to vassalize the Kingdom under the Sorcerous Kingdom, or stage a coup of the nobility to demand rescue from her brother. Either way, they'd be primed to accept the Sorcerer King with open arms.

And, as a benefit, her plan ensured not only Renner's, but Climb's positions of value until the time came for their ultimate reward.

It seemed the only person not on board completely was the Marquis.

"Do you have any idea how many nobles will need to be eliminated for something like this to work?"

[Between 113 and 158, depending on how many of the new faction are actually idiots and how many can develop some modicum of ability.]

"And this timeline! Eighteen months?! It can't be done!"

[It can be done in sixteen, if we borrow some Elder Litches from the Sorcerous Kingdom and make it look like Zurrenon. Or stage a demihuman invasion. Fifteen if we do both.]

"The Nobility is fractured. Half are incompetent, and the other half are overwhelmed keeping operations functional! The fallout from this kind of turnover will be catastrophic!"

[This is the perfect time for a purge. Every noble with any military power lost most it at the Katze Plains, and the fractured factions make it virtually impossible to build a coalition strong enough for an uprising. The Royalty kept enough forces in reserve to protect the castles and conduct security operations, and has the most robust systems in place to train up new soldiers. Any fallout will be blamed on the incompetent nobility, especially once the new leadership solves half the problems by importing grain from the Sorcerous Kingdom.]

In truth, Renner didn't care about the temporary fallout from a massive turnover… the future of a prosperous, well-managed Kingdom delivered to her new masters was all that mattered.

It seemed Albedo and Demiurge agreed with her, as they simply stared Raeven down until he pulled himself together. He glanced around the table, seeking an ally but found none.

"You all- you all believe this is possible?" he seemed wary to look back down at the page, lest he fall under some kind of spell it had cast on the rest of them. "You all- you're going to do this, aren't you?"

"The alternative is the total destruction of the Kingdom, if you prefer," Demiurge grinned wickedly. "It would certainly save us a great deal of time."

Raeven's already pale complexion grew alarmingly white, and he seemed to slouch into his seat. Gingerly pulling the parchment up from the page, he seemed to regard it hesitantly, as though the ink itself might rise up and strike him down.

"I- I may need some time to consider this," he hedged unsteadily. "I- I can certainly advise the Prince, counsel him in order to facilitate the consolidation you're looking for."

"You'll also be responsible for building up as powerful a Royal Faction as possible," Albedo dictated, her voice an Adamantite chain, binding the Marquis to his fate. "Eight Fingers will work in the shadows to drive competent leaders to you. Disloyal nobility will be pressured and exploited by Eight Fingers until their crimes merit their removal. Loyal nobility will be spared and supported with resources you 'import' from the Sorcerous Kingdom."

Marquis Raeven's head nodded in defeat as he accepted the Prime Minister's edicts.

"Then we will prepare the declaration of war, negotiations to begin in two months. The rest of you, begin gathering intelligence and resources, and prepare proposals to accelerate the timeline without jeopardizing our final result. We will reconvene during the treaty negotiations."

Three heads bowed in obedience, expecting this to be their dismissal.

Instead, Albedo continued.

"Before we leave, I give you one chance: what resource do you lack to ensure success?"

She turned first to Hilma, who responded immediately.

"As mentioned, by your Majesty's will, I need muscle. With Six Arm's defeat, our fighting strength was scattered, and we lack the individuals capable of threatening properly trained adventurers. I also need a list of nobles divided into categories: those to be incriminated, those to be intimidated, those to be eliminated, those to be supported, and those to be left alone."

Albedo nodded, eyes to the ceiling as she considered. "Marquis Raeven, work with Princess Renner to draw up a preliminary list. Give it to your handler for Demiurge to review by the time our declaration of war is delivered."

Raeven nodded in obedience, preparing to speak.

"Then, by your grace, I will need time. My demesne has been in turmoil since my return, and I've been overloaded with work… I don't know how to maintain my operations and fulfill these expectations."

A wave of hostility rolled through the room, and Renner and Hilma prepared for Albedo to strike down- or at the very least, chastise- the impertinent noble.

Instead, the wave receded as quickly as it came.

Everyone peeked nervously at Albedo to discover her looking up at Sebas, who had his hand gently resting on her shoulder.

"Perhaps I can be of service here," Sebas offered with a polite smile. He held out his hand, a small plain-looking ring of silver resting in his palm. "This is a Lesser Ring of Sustenance. It will permit the wearer to forgo sleep and nourishment for so long as it's worn. It will exhaust itself after 100 hours of use, however. I have many of them in my possession."

Renner's jaw nearly dropped. Hilma's actually did.

[That's, that's just unfair! A legendary item, just handed out like a sweet?]

Raeven sat stunned as Sebas placed the ring on the table and slid it over to him.

All eyes tracked the priceless treasure as it stopped in front of him.

Gingerly, the marquis picked up the ring between two fingers as though he might break it. He examined it from all angles, but there was nothing to distinguish it from any other ring among thousands.

[How many of those might I have walked past unaware?]

"I will also send one of my assistants to your residence," Sebas continued. "You'll find her exceptionally intelligent. She needs to be educated in the administration and operation of an operation like yours. She's equipped with a similar item, so will be able to work and learn continuously."

Sebas turned to Albedo for confirmation.

"I'm assuming Miss Yuri will be available for such an assignment, Lord Ainz permitting?"

Albedo had a sour look on her face, but it faded to her usual steely resolve and she nodded.

"Excellent," Sebas stepped back, nodding to the Marquis. "I'll be checking in periodically to replace your ring and check on her progress. Between her assistance and the extra hours in the day, you should have the time you requested."

Raeven shook from his stupor, jolting upright with an upright posture to rival even Sebas'. "Thank you, Master Tian, this is overwhelmingly generous. I will endeavor to make the most of the resources you've given me." He bowed his head low and placed the ring in his jacket pocket.

All eyes turned to Renner as she let her eyes go glassy.

"If I'm to remain as my brother-dear's advisor, I need to secure my place in the Palace."

She slid her gaze to the Marquis in front of her. "I think perhaps it's time to announce my betrothal to the world."

Raeven's eyes shot wide as he recalled their conversation that felt so distant.

[That's right,] Renner reflected. [We reached that arrangement just before 'Jaldabaoth' appeared. He must have thought that circumstances changed when we found our new masters. I once thought it obsolete as well, but now it comes full-circle in utility again.]

Raeven seemed to follow her thinking. "You- you still mean to be betrothed to my son until he is of marrying age. By then, you'll be in position to break off the engagement and secure your relationship with Climb."

[Long before then,] Renner corrected in her mind, but instead she merely smiled.

"Indeed. This should allow me to remain here for the course of our agenda, and strengthen your position of power among the nobles."

Raeven seemed uneasy, but nodded in agreement.

Renner turned then to Albedo.

"If I were to ask for anything else, it would be a way to communicate in the event of emergencies. If something unexpected comes up, I'd like to confirm with you before advising Zanac in one direction or another."

Albedo narrowed her eyes, and Renner held her breath in anticipation.

[Too bold?]

Ultimately, Albedo simply huffed before nodding. She reached into the aether again with a frown, withdrawing a golden handbell.

"Ring this," she instructed. "It will ring another in my possession and I will contact you when convenient."

She set the magical bell on the table, but left her finger resting on it pointedly.

"Abuse this," she affixed Renner with an iron glare that chilled everyone in the room. "And I will give you your reward. Without your puppy."

Renner felt her heart stop for a moment, and she felt faint for the first time since her childhood.

"Of course, Albedo-sama. Your servant hears and obeys."

Albedo judged the waver in her voice and apparently found it sufficiently appropriate.

"Very well," she pushed up from the table, the rest of the Sorcerous Kingdom's representatives rising with her. "We are returning to the Sorcerous Kingdom to compile a final draft and submit it to His Majesty. With his approval, we shall deliver detailed expectations and instructions to each of you. Shalltear will take you back to your homes."

Renner took the initiative among the humans to push her chair back and kneel. Hilma followed swiftly, Raeven a moment later.

The vampire yawned, summoning a portal which she bade Raeven into.

As soon as he was gone, another opened for Hilma.

Finally, Renner was left in a room of monsters.

"I must congratulate you," Demiurge chuckled as he waved a hand and the leftover papers on the table burnt away to nothingness, not even soot or a scorch on the table remaining.

"We expected you to promote yourself and your plaything, but you still managed to surprise us."

Renner offered her own giggle in response. It came out much deeper and… wetter… than her usual façade's.

"Was it truly so suprising? I thought perhaps his presence was a hint."

"Oh, no," Demiurge picked up their final draft and gave it one more review. "Sebas was here so that the Marquis and Hilma could recognize him and support his operations among the nobility, and support his cover as a merchant."

He turned to affix his silver-haired accomplice with a grin.

"So, Sebas… are you ready to become a Noble of the Kingdom?"


A/N: Alright: there you have it! Albedo doing what an administrator does best: creating a bureaucratic system of documentation, review, approval, and implementation in the most efficient manner available. I hope you're interested in what happens to Nazarick's most rigid and dogmatic personality when she's thrust into a realm of subtlety and uncertainty: it wasn't my original intent but it's something I've been fascinated by ever since I realized the contradiction. I think this could either lead to incredible character growth, or great calamity... and in true Overlord fashion we don't really know which way it'll go.

Please, leave me a comment with ideas, suggestions, and feedback! I love hearing from my readers, and I'm open to suggestion if you think I could improve my characterization or canon-accuracy.

Thanks,

TwistedPremise