Ch.9 The Philosopher's Empire
Moments after returning, Flamel has summoned her recent acquisitions, Entoma and Solution, to see if they carried out her orders as requested.
She sits in her throne as the maids bow before the empress while she asks "Have you both installed the networks instructed of you both?"
Entoma is the first to respond "Of course, milady, I have coated the interior with thin webbings as instructed."
While Solution then says "And I have positioned the slimes in the appointed locations as per your request, Lady Flamel."
The Empress smiles with a pleased expression and she says "Very good. If my calculations are correct, then we'll have a foolproof network in place." She places her finger to her face and says "Delta, release the guinea pigs."
Below in a prison-like area, CZ2128 Delta nods and opens a door which releases some prisoners, who run in a panic. They smack her with a club-like piece of lumber and she falls over, but this is a rouse as she doesn't even actually have a scratch.
The prisoners, five of them with three men and two women, scatter in a panic and run all over the palace.
In her throne room, Flamel closes her eyes and feels around her throne and gently feels around her armrests and she feels something silky between her fingers that lightly vibrates in her fingers and she calmly says "Two are in the east lower corridors, two in the west, and one in lower pantry." She looks at Solution, who snaps her fingers and a sphere-like slime emerges from the ground and floats in front of the Empress and three small reflections of light form in the areas that she mentioned and surely enough, she has calculated correctly that the prisoners are where she says.
Watching at her daughter's side, Albedo grins while complimenting "Ingenious, Flamel. Now we have a monitoring system because of your ingenuity."
Appreciating her mother's praise, Flamel informs the maids "As a reward for your work, I leave the prisoners for the two of you to do with. (looks at Entoma) Also, I'll need you for integrations later, Entoma. I believe you'd be best for what I have in mind."
The two maids are pleased with their reward and they go to the lower corridors and she calls Delta to come to the throne room for a reward after taking that blow to the face and her willingness to oblige. But, Flamel looks a bit sorrowful as looks to her mother.
"Mother, if father were to return, would you leave me for him?" she asks sincerely.
Albedo simply smiles and replies "What a silly question. If your father would return, we'd both immediately run to his side. I wouldn't have to worry about a thing." She then hugs her daughter's head and further says "After all, you are his true heir, not that bloodsucking mosquito half-sister of yours. Her only credit is she has his mighty power in her veins, but you have mine and his."
Before too long, a familiar furry face enters the throne room and says "Lady Flamel, finished orders, I have." Hamsuke has entered the throne room alongside four similar giant hamsters who bear a strong resemblance to her. She stands on her hind legs and claims "Proud of my children, I am." Hamsuke's children are the rides of Flamel's elites and her most trusted companions in battle.
Flamel, curious, asks "What trees have begun to bloom? How was the fruit production when you left?"
Despite being a hamster, Hamsuke has a huge stake in this empire and she explains "Apples, pears, strawberries, and kiwis, I saw."
This pleases the empress but the idea of her father taking back everything she's worked on makes this more unacceptable and she needs to plan for the inevitability that her father will come here to announce his return, and Flamel bites her finger with anticipation for it.
Crimson Empire
Ainz rides in a carriage with his daughter and Lakyus who looks at the one who is considered a god within the confides of both empires. They approach the capital of Garudas with Justina being welcomed back by her people. She looks outside and waves to the people who can see her.
Seeing this grand welcome, Ainz at least says "It appears the people at least worship you, Justina."
She turns to her father and replies "Yes, I have done what I can to support the investments you made centuries ago, Father. I've simply nurtured what you planted."
However, he remembers before and criticizes "But, imposing labors of immense scale upon a smaller town is unbecoming of a larger empire. I saw what happened in Carne and wasn't pleased with that action."
Lakyus defends her Empress and argues "Lady Justina was doing what she had to. Many people are sick right now, and many others are growing hungry because of diminishing food supplies."
Ainz turns his vision to Lakyus and Justina sternly tells her black knight "Shut up. Do not speak that way in front of my father."
Turning his gaze back to his daughter, Ainz rebukes "No, Justina, it is fine. Rather, I am pleased with her devotion to you. Loyalty is a key factor in establishing one's dominance."
Bowing in apology, she apologizes to her father "Sorry, father. You're right."
The carriage stops in front of the palace where Justina currently calls home and she exits with Lakyus to present her father to the people.
Watching atop the towers, Shalltear catches a glimpse of Ainz and her first response is a loud gasp and she immediately jumps down while shouting "Lord Ainz, is that really you!?"
He looks up and sees Shalltear gracefully float down to the shock of the people watching as one claims "Lady Shalltear, has exited the tower?" Another says "She never leaves so suddenly."
Ainz overhears the people's surprise, but must dedicate attention to his servant. She is absolute shock in seeing him, much like Demiurge before her. She drops to her knees with a smile unlike any other "My lord has really returned." She utters with a tone of complete happiness as Justina walks up and hugs her mother.
"Yes, mother, father has returned to us." They both look extremely happy to have their lord back and Ainz expected this much from the moment he learned of this. He treasures everything he and had friends built up, including the guardians and all the denizens of the great tomb. But, for this reason, he must unite it once again.
He approaches the two and holds out his hand while saying "Shalltear, come, there is many things we must discuss."
She swiftly rises up with a very happy expression claiming "Oh yes, there are many thing we must catch up with. Many things to say, many things to do, and many tales to tell." Her enthusiasm great, Shalltear is simply bursting with life despite being undead.
First and foremost, he must see where Justina commands from, her throne room. Justina orders Lakyus to fortify the defenses of the capital for the moment so their welcoming of her father won't be interrupted by anything. Then Ainz follows her through a dark palace with many gothic elements and dimly lit corridors. Being vampires, they prefer the night so the setting makes sense to Ainz.
But he notes something in his mind "Uh, this place is starting to stink a bit. What kind of palace smells like a slaughterhouse?" His jaw nearly drops when he sees Justina's throne room and he sees the pools of blood near her throne "WHAT KIND OF THRONE HAS POOLS OF BLOOD AROUND IT!?" He shouts in his head. He looks back at the two "Of course, vampires. I should have guessed."
Justina bows and says "Father, my throne is yours to use as you see fit."
He looks at the throne and becomes concerned given the décor of the room. He considers asking Shalltear to act as his throne again, but remembers how bad that was for him and her lustful look. He then has an idea "Actually, Justina, I believe there is another option for me…."
Moments later, he sits on a throne of ice conjured by Cocytus, who bows to his overlord he had a large gushing moment before his lord and is still showing his gratitude "Oh glorious day, the true lord returns and is still needing of my service." He boasts as his relief and joy shines through.
Ainz sighs a bit and replies "Indeed, Cocytus, I thank you for this most relaxing throne. The cold eases the tension around my bones." His kindly words bring an even greater joy to the massive warrior.
Justina sits in her throne which is next to her father's and she gets offers "If you desire, you're more than welcome to use my blood fountain to your delight. It's still fresh, I promise."
He looks at the fountain and can't help but wonder how many people were needed to fill this room. Sniffing the air, Justina gets the urge to drink some herself as she walks over and dips her hand into the pool and suck some blood through her fingers.
He looks at her method with intrigue "Curious, I thought all vampires consumed blood with their fangs rather than their fingers." He says intrigued.
Shalltear proudly explains "Justina developed a method to consume blood more effectively for combat reasons. Biting into a victim is fine, but her method allows for more direct interaction."
Cocytus simply reiterates "Lady Justina is feared for her military and brute force. Her armies are only equal to Lady Flamel's."
Ainz raises his hand and comments "I due time, Cocytus. But for now, I wish to see Aura and Mare. I also wish that Sebas join us as well." He wishes to see her army later.
Cocytus was closer than the others in the Crimson Empire, and Lupusregina is off to get the twins as well as Sebas. The news of Ainz's return is the first priority to the guardians right now and he says that in three days he'll hold a proper summit to announce it to the guardians still at the tomb, but he trusts Flamel to pass the message to the guardians in her Empire. Though, Albedo will probably do something drastic and immediately come here, but that can wait for the moment.
He looks to Justina and she appears tired, so he asks "Would you prefer to settle this matter later? If you wish it, you're free to rest."
She yawns and rubs her eyes while responding "I'm fine, I just get lethargic after drinking too much."
He shakes his head "No, you are tired, and would be less capable. I say you get your rest and we'll discuss this matter later. Listen to your father, Justina." He says with clear concern for her health.
Not wanting to disobey her father, Justina complies and walks off with Lakyus acting as her guide. Now with just the guardians, Ainz looks upon Cocytus and Shalltear with a question "On my way here, I encountered some very foolish soldiers. One proclaimed that he carried a sword with Justina's blood on it. Care to elaborate on that?"
This memory brings unease to Shalltear and Cocytus, the former admitting "It was because of Albedo. That no good bitch…"
Cocytus immediately argues "We don't have proof it was her, Shalltear. You're just angry as were we all."
Shalltear's eyes glow red with anger when she reminds him "We all know that Albedo always plotted against me and Justina. She just wanted her daughter to be the only overlord."
At the thought of the accusation, Cocytus immediately yells "Lies! Nobody once conspired against you or the child of Lord Ainz!"
Without realizing it, the two immediately turn and remember that they are in Ainz's presence, and they immediately apologize for this rude display, but he puts them at ease.
"Calm yourselves and tell me from the beginning what happened." He requests of them in his calm yet concerned demeanor.
As Justina's mother, Shalltear takes it upon herself to explain what Justina's scar is from it was when she was very small, an infant in fact.
Centuries Ago
Shalltear is with Justina for a walk on the 6th floor of the Great Tomb. She is followed by a vampire bride with a curvy figure, Justina's Wet Nurse. She usually brings Justina out for recreational fun like light exorcise and the occasional picnic when she actually grows her fangs. Because she's a vampire, Justina nurses with blood and milk, hence the vampire bride.
Shalltear receives a call from Demiurge about something "I need to come here for a moment. It relates to something we've discussed before." He says.
"Oh, is this related to Justina's future armor?" she asks with the response being a yes. She wants to go right away, but Justina begins crying, something she does only when she wants to nurse, so Shalltear hands her over to her vampire bride while smiling and threatening "If I find one scratch on her, you know what will happen." Since they are the in tomb, she believes this will be safe and Aura and Mare should be nearby since they guard this floor anyway.
Shalltear uses her ring to transport to Demiurge's location on the 7th floor, his residence. She gets as close as she can get and enters the Blazing Temple and Demiurge is waiting alongside his subordinates. They look at a thin set of metallic crimson armor intended for Justina when she comes of age. He is pleased with this due to the craftsmanship of the armor and he explains the functionality of it. He has been seeing to the creation of the equipment for the girls. He's taking the greatest of joys in their ascension to the throne of Nazarick and finally getting a new overlord again.
But back on the 6th floor, Justina is in the care of her wet nurse as she suckles a bit without any worry. But, someone teleports nearby without being seen and holding a sword that they coat with silver. While the vampire suckles, the person swiftly runs up to them and cuts down the vampire bride with the silver sword, and she drops Justina on the ground which causes her to immediately start crying.
When she does, Aura and Mare, who happen to be nearby, run to her recognizing the sound. Aura is the first to arrive because of her greater physical abilities and she sees a most horrifying sight, the intruder plunges the sword into the abdomen of the infant Justina, and she (Aura) pulls out her whip and swipes at the intruder with it, but they disappear in a moment without any warning. Looking a for any trace of nearby foes, Aura can only hear the sound of Justina's crying and immediately calls for another guardian in a panic who has healing powers, but she swiftly pulls out an item, a refined potion for emergencies, and uses it on Justina's wound.
Later
Shalltear panics as does the other guardians when they hear about it. Luckily, because Aura acted so swiftly, Justina was able to survive the wound. Shalltear and Demiurge meet in the amphitheatre with Justina being in the care of many maids and vampire brides with Sebas as a guard.
Panicked, Demiurge summons all of the denizens in the amphitheater, except Gargantua and yells "What happened!? How did anyone get inside the great tomb with us noticing!?"
There is nothing but fear within the Great Tomb but thinking on it, Demiurge looks at his finger and wonders "Could it be?" He takes it upon himself to inform Shalltear "I don't like this notion, but it may have been possible that someone could have gotten in here with help."
Shalltear and Demiurge take a look in the treasury, and find Pandora's Actor here guarding it diligently and he swiftly greets them. But his greeting is cut short when Shalltear pushes him aside to look into something.
Though panicked, Demiurge calmly asks with a nervous sweat "Did anyone come into the treasury recently?"
Pandora's Actor salutes and declares "Nay, not a gentleman nor a fine maiden dare enter this sacred room for many days now." His formal way of speaking making it clear, Demiurge must make a fact known as he says "I can't believe any one of us would even….but I cannot deny the possibility. No matter how asinine it sounds."
Shalltear returns and says "Not a single one is missing, so that means…"
This news troubles them and they call for the floor guardians to meet in the throne room. The guardians, except for Aura and Mare, weren't present as Cocytus was hunting for the intruder with help from the lizardmen and Hamsuke, Albedo fled to her quarters with Flamel for safety, Sebas was guarding Justina, the battle maids joined the hunt, and all others were looking around.
In the throne room, all the floor guardians assemble with Shalltear looking furious and Demiurge takes the floor to say something troubling "I'm afraid that the possibility has come to our attention, that one of us gave the intruder the means to sneak into the Tomb."
This news makes everyone look offended by this accusation, but Shalltear states "The only way for that insect to get into the floor without anyone noticing was for him to have a ring that should only belong to Lord Ainz or us."
Everyone feels their hands because they all wear one these days as a means of maneuvering should the occasion arise. Shalltear checked the spares, but all the ones not currently being used are still there. But then, everyone notices something about Albedo, she feels her finger and says "It's gone…"
Everyone's eyes are looking to Albedo at her utterance of those two words. Demiurge adjusts his glasses with unease and he asks "Would you care to elaborate, Albedo?"
Nobody wants to think Albedo of all people would do anything like this, but she answers "My ring is gone!" Then, everyone cannot believe what she has revealed, hers is the only ring unaccounted for since all of the other guardians have their rings, and Ainz's is the only one missing since he disappeared. But she thinks for a moment and then says "I think I know where it is."
Anxious, the floor guardians make their way to Flamel's nursery, where she is napping, and there is a barrier in place for her protection and guarded by a dragon for an extra measure. Once inside, Albedo immediately runs to her child's crib while she rests and gently feels around the sheets and sighs with relief and produces her missing ring and shows it to her peers and explains "Flamel must have removed my ring when I placed her in her crib."
However, Shalltear argues "How do we know that? You could have just placed it there while you were searching."
Insulted, Albedo gives a look of malice and asks "Excuse me!? What exactly are you insinuating, Shalltear?"
Shalltear then states "We all know that you never wanted Justina to be born. You've always had thoughts of Flamel becoming the sole ruler of Nazarick."
Everyone believes Shalltear is being over dramatic and her rival even rebukes "That is not true. I favor Flamel, yes, but Justina is a part of Lord Ainz as well. Why would I dare wish harm upon a part of him?" Nobody believes that Albedo was behind this assassination attempt, but things are just too crazy right now. Justina did survive the wound but it left an unsightly scar. But a person unseen for any of the denizens, warped away before Aura could attack him, and had a weapon specifically meant for a vampire. It just sounds too crazy to be coincidence, and Shalltear simply believes that her peer is in some way involved because of the circumstances.
Present
Learning the story, Ainz doesn't believe for a second that Albedo would do something so treacherous and underhanded, but he is filled with anger towards the assailant.
He shakes a little and states "That vermin deserves to die a thousand agonizing deaths, more horrible than the last."
But, Cocytus must sadly admit "Unfortunately, we couldn't find any sign of that coward. We searched all over, but we couldn't find him. We considered simply destroying all the nearby towns and villages, but we figured you wouldn't allow it since many of the humans in the area worship you."
Calmed, Ainz thanks them for their consideration of his wishes even in his absence, and he does inform them of his battle with the humans who currently owned the sword with Justina's blood on it and that he destroyed it. Much to the joy of the two guardians in his presence and they expected no less from their lord.
Nay, he declares "Such a relic showing the shame of these actions was not allowed to exist. I took great pleasure in erasing it from this world." He makes something clear to Shalltear when he sincerely tells her "I am deeply sorry that you went through that kind of ordeal. Had I been around, such a horrifying event would have never took place. But you've raised a fine daughter in spite of that."
Shalltear blushes deeply and bows to her lord "Thank you for your praise, Lord Ainz. But Justina lacks many of your admirable traits and your grand presence."
Hearing her own mother speak low of her, at least comparing him to her, he wonders if this is his fault for not being around, regardless, he proclaims "In any case, I will solve Justina's crisis as amends for my absence these last three centuries." But in reality, he thinks "It's the least I can do for being gone for so long. But I better make sure that Nazarick reunites if I'm forced to leave again. After all, there's no guarantees that this is permanent. Also, I should prove that Albedo didn't do what Shalltear believes. Since I don't think for a moment that she would do something like that."
Shalltear and Cocytus kneel to their lord and a loud "LORD AINZ!" is heard when Aura enters the room while a stunned Mare and Sebas enter alongside Lupusregina as they all run to kneel before their lord and give him a grand welcoming as they feel a great sense of happiness from seeing him once more. It very much feels like a welcome party to the might ruler of Nazarick.
Justina rests in her chambers with the company of her vampire brides as she feels her scar and her hand is moved as one of them licks her scar and she lightly moans. She thinks about what her father said about sending an army from Nazarick in their empires. She says toherself "I have to make sure that father favors me and doesn't' send an army here. I won't have a chance of winning if he's leading them." She smiles and gets an idea "Tomorrow, I'll make a grand announcement to the people and properly introduce this world to him."
