CHAPTER 26:

TROUBLES OF A HALF-ELF

Pinnacle went down easily. In fact, the hardest part was ensuring they were kept alive for Demiurge. Heavy Masher, for all their greed, were nowhere near as bad, even if they wanted to kidnap Arche, despite knowing what she meant to Foresight, so they were killed and sent to the 'larder' for now. Jircniv had been sent back to the Empire, having been satisfied with the fates of the idiots who could have caused trouble for him, as had Hilma and Brain. However, Dragon Hunt and the three Elven slaves were brought into the throne room, as were Foresight.

Parpatra, upon seeing them, as well as Harry, had nodded thoughtfully, and Harry got the impression that he'd put together at least some of the pieces of the puzzle. The Floor Guardians, the Pleiades, Antilene, and Leinas also were gathered in the Throne Room. The only true absentees were Celicia and Tuare, who were babysitting Arche's sisters, with the help of a few of the Homunculus Maids.

"Good evening," Momonga said, having calmed down enough from his earlier fit of anger. Then again, so had Harry. Beating Pinnacle to within an inch of their lives helped, with physical violence a vastly-underrated part of anger management therapy. "I am Lord Momonga, the Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown, and the ruler of this domain. You have already met my chancellor, Lord Enzo, though you know him better as 'Hal', and this is his lover and the Overseer of the Floor Guardians, Albedo. Foresight needs no introduction to you, nor do Lady Rockbruise or Antilene. I should inform you that the other Workers are either dead, or captive. A few have been sent with Emperor Jircniv as a means to punish those who hired you. However, Dragon Hunt, and the slaves used by Erya Uzruth of Tenmu have surrendered, and indeed, it was our intention to try and offer you mercy and a change of allegiance."

"That's mighty generous of you, Lord Momonga. But, well, forgive an old man's temerity, I have a tendency to speak my mind. So, why offer us this clemency? I could tell that your insectoid warrior, Cocytus was it? He far outmatched us," Parpatra said.

Momonga held up a hand to forestall any protests at the man's deceptively casual words. "No, such a question is actually reasonable, Parpatra Ogrion. My friend, Enzo, had been friends with Foresight for some time, and they spoke highly of you. In addition, the moment you set off from the Empire, we've been keeping you under surveillance. Of the Worker groups sent here, only Dragon Hunt refused outright to kidnap Arche, or at least expressed doubts privately. You still intended to plunder my home, the Great Tomb of Nazarick, for whatever riches you could take from it, but Arche is far more dear to us than that."

"…Interesting," Parpatra mused. "I recognise your voice now. You're the Dark Warrior Momon. Well, I'll be. I wondered what it was about you that had me worried. Well, now I know. Still, to think an undead would care about people like Foresight so much. And here I was thinking that nothing in the world would surprise me anymore. So…what do you intend to do with us?"

"Retain your services," Momonga said. "As I said, Foresight has spoken highly of you. As Workers go, you are somewhat principled. True, you let the others go into the Tomb first, hoping for them to be…canaries in the coal mine, so to speak, and you also intended to rob my home, which I am still angry about…but in the end, you showed enough pragmatism to surrender, and you cared about Arche. The others were motivated by greed, a lack of care for others' suffering, or even outright sadism."

"I see…and what services will we be performing for you, Lord Momonga?"

"Work suited to your abilities as Workers. Keep in mind, as long as you are loyal, you will be well-compensated, and not sent unnecessarily into danger beyond your capabilities," Momonga said. "What is more, you are a veteran Adventurer and Worker, having been an Orichalcum-ranked Adventurer before a dispute with the head of the guild led to your expulsion, from what I've learned. I sympathise. But your long experience means that you know much about this world, things that may not be general knowledge. But to ensure you know the price of betrayal…Ainz Ooal Gown took down the Eight Fingers and their enforcers, the Six Arms. That is not hyperbole. What is left of the Eight Fingers are disparate criminal gangs, not a vast syndicate. Those we captured are suffering torments no sane man would wish to endure."

Parpatra looked to Foresight, who nodded, and he sighed. "Then it seems we are at your service, Lord Momonga."

"Excellent," Momonga said, before turning his gaze to the three Elves. "Now, upon your capture, you could not tell us your names. How, then, may I address you?"

The blue-haired Elf stepped forward. "Forgive me, my lord, but when we were captured and taken to the Theocracy, we were tortured in a manner whereby we were severely and brutally punished for speaking our names, until we could not utter them anymore. Instead, we three specifically were assigned titles based on our hair colour. I am Cyan, a cleric, and my fellow slaves are Magenta the ranger and Goldenrod the druid."

"Hmm, unimaginative, but not truly bad ones. A shame I could not hear your real names," Momonga said. "In any case, unlike the other Workers, you came here not of your own free will, but as slaves to Erya Uzruth. He is now in our custody, and should you wish to leave, then as long as you do not betray us, we would happily let you go with our blessing. We would heal your bodies and give you enough supplies to begin making your own way in the world. You are free."

Cyan, Magenta, and Goldenrod exchanged looks. Eventually, Cyan spoke. "My lord…we lived relatively happy lives in our village within the Elf Country. However, thanks to the Theocracy, and the apathy of our king, Decem Hougan, our village was wiped out, its people slain or enslaved. For all we know, the three of us are the only survivors from that village. Thanks to Lady Imina's efforts, assisted by your Dark-Elf Godkin, we are free, yes…but even so, where shall we go?"

Magenta nodded. "The Theocracy is off-limits for obvious reasons, and many in the Empire or the Re-Estize Kingdom would see us as mere runaway slaves, and treat us accordingly, even with the Golden Princess' reforms in the Kingdom. And knowing that our own king did nothing to help us in our plight…there is nothing for us there anymore."

"In other words," Goldenrod concluded, "we have virtually nowhere to go. Our country is ruled over by a despot who thinks nothing of taking comely concubines with or without consent, and who does not care when we are taken by monsters like the Theocracy."

After a moment's pause, Harry decided to speak up. "Well, how about you join us?" Harry asked. As they looked to him in shock, he said, "Look, we're not going to treat you like Erya did. You're not going to be anyone's concubines unless you want to, and I doubt you'd want to after all that. My children, Aura and Mare, they have an entire floor, a forest, that you can live in if you want. We're…considering our own little excursion to Elf Country before long. Any information you could give us would be appreciated, especially if it ends up taking down Decem Hougan."

"…May I ask why, my lord?" Magenta asked.

Antilene chose to speak up. "Because, as much as I hate to admit it, he is my father, at least by blood if not by deed. He violated my mother, and I was raised by the Slane Theocracy to be their weapon. I have left the Theocracy, but I still seek revenge against him for what he did."

"…Wait, you're a Godkin too?" Goldenrod yelped in surprise. "And his child? Lady Antilene…if that is true, why haven't you claimed your birthright from him?"

Cyan nodded eagerly. "Through your veins runs the blood of the God-King Hougan, your grandfather, and while ruthless towards those outside of the Elf Country, to us, he was our benevolent ruler! If you took the throne and his crown, then…"

"I DON'T WANT IT!" Antilene screamed suddenly. "I DON'T WANT HIS FUCKING THRONE OR CROWN! I JUST WANT HIM DEAD! I…I…" Her mismatched eyes were glimmering with tears, before she fled the throne room. They heard the telltale noise of a Gate being summoned just outside.

Harry stood, activating a Message. "Antilene? Antilene?!"

"Look, just leave me be!" she snapped back through the Message. "Give me…half an hour, okay? I'll be on the 6th Floor…"

She fled through the forest. Escape was not on her mind, at least not physically. Then again, the part of her mind that was still thinking rationally knew that there was no escaping her past, her bloodline.

Antilene stumbled to a halt in the middle of the forest. She knew she was far enough away from any of Aura's pets, she'd been down here enough times to know where those monsters usually roamed, more or less. And she hoped Harry would heed her words. She needed time alone. Half an hour would probably not be enough.

The emotions inside her boiled and roiled. The three Elves had, inadvertently, cut her to the quick. While she was older than most people in this Tomb, let alone the rest of the world, her body was still that of a young adolescent, thanks to the slow ageing of Elves and their progeny. And sometimes, that showed in volatile emotions.

For a moment, she saw the face of her birth father, something she had only seen in portraits her mother had shown her, sneering at her from the bark of a nearby tree, and with a scream, she punched the tree. The trunk was annihilated, splinters flying everywhere. Another tree looked like her mother, and she punched that too with another hoarse scream. Yet another tree looked like it had the Six Cardinals, their beatific smiles hiding the sneers she knew they had for her as a half-breed. That was turned into woodchips as well.

By the time her anger had subsided enough, she'd made a small clearing. She leaned against a tree she hadn't punched into kindling, and slid down, sobbing hysterically, torn between crying in lament, and laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all. Her, rule fucking Elf Country? What the hell were those three smoking? It had to be pretty strong shit. What a fucking joke.

She wasn't a good ruler, any more than her sperm-donor was. She'd been trained as a warrior from the day she could hold a weapon. Besides, blood didn't make a good ruler. It was why, on analysis, she despised monarchies. True, Ramposa was all right, even if he was wishy-washy, and Jircniv was pretty good, but they were exceptions rather than the rule. Ramposa's eldest son was expected to be his heir, and he was a muscle-headed brute.

And yet, they were looking at her like she was their messiah. Their fucking messiah. What a joke.

In fact, Antilene began to giggle, then chuckle, then laugh. There was precious little mirth in that sound, just a cracked bray, more about catharsis than humour. The irony was, Harry knew what she went through, given the fact that he went through all that Boy Who Lived shit. Hell, so did Momonga, no, Satoru. He'd had the job of guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown thrust upon him because those who wanted the job would have caused too much hassle, and those who would have been better…well, they worried about causing more. And he was now forced to lead these former NPCs.

"How do you guys cope?" she asked, not expecting an answer, even as she looked up at the starry sky through tear-blurred sight. She knew intellectually that it was artificial, a beautiful creation of Blue Planet, working from old pictures and videos from before their world was terminally poisoned. But it didn't detract from the beauty.

In the end, it was amazing. Harry fought Voldemort and won, albeit with help from others. True, Ginnymort had ganked him, and Dumbledore had set things up to help Harry win, but for a teenager to win against one of the most feared warlocks was an achievement. And Satoru kept the Tomb of Nazarick going long after his fellow guildmates left. That he was keeping a rein on these former NPCs was an achievement in of itself, even with Harry and Albedo's help.

Could she rule Elf Country? While she could be a better ruler than her sperm-donor, that was more of a 'by default' sort of thing. He set the bar pretty low, after all. But she had no training in statecraft, no patience for dealing with idiots (it having been exhausted by her time as Zesshi Zetsumei), and no connection to the country she was supposed to rule. Hell, the only Elves she had really met were slaves, or else the occasional fighter on the few occasions she was sent to the front there. Imina was an exception that proved the rule, and she was born well outside Elf Country, her father a fugitive from Antilene's own sperm-donor's regime.

Her hand reached up, gently tugging on her ears. For the longest time, she had viewed them as a curse, a mark of shame. Her mother certainly encouraged this view. Only Nazaire ever viewed them as something else, at least within the Theocracy.

But Harry had helped her view them not as a mark of shame, but of pride. For all that she was given those ears by a rapist, she was still a person, as was any other Elf. Meeting Imina also helped. She took some pride in her heritage, not because she was the daughter of Decem Hougan, but because she was an Elf. A Half-Elf, to be sure, and a Godkin, but it helped her shore up her identity…only for those idiots to tear it down.

All she cared about where Elf Country was concerned was slaying her sperm-donor. She didn't care what happened to the country afterwards. They could find someone else. Whoever took Decem Hougan's place couldn't be as bad as him, right?

…Right?

Antilene realise she hadn't even considered what would happen. What if someone as bad took his place? She forgot, he had a veritable army of his children, many of whom were born of incest with his own children. How many of them were just like him in temperament? And there could be others in Elf Country with the same mixture of ambition and brutality, just unable to act because of her sperm-donor's power.

But there would be plenty of innocents, too. The various countries were reflections of each other more than they would like. Simply killing her sperm-donor and walking away would let them suffer, from either a new tyrant, or else the Slane Theocracy steamrollering all over them. And thanks to her time living in the Baharuth Empire, she did grow some care for the normal populace.

Well, even if she didn't intend to rule, she would make sure the Elves had a good leader afterwards. And maybe becoming a leader was the true challenge she had been searching for all her life. Who knows? Maybe she could prove to be a good leader.

That was her conclusion even as she heard noises approaching her position. Two sets of footsteps, very quiet, with only her Elven hearing, enhanced by her power, allowing her to discern their advent. She opened her eyes to see Aura and Mare approaching. Aura looked around the devastated clearing, and clicked her tongue. "Did you have to do this?"

Antilene nodded. "Sorry, I needed to blow off some steam. Mare can fix it easily, right?"

The timid druid nodded, and Antilene stood as he got to work healing the trees. "You made Dad worry, you know," Aura said, pouting in both annoyance and concern. "You made us all worry with that outburst."

"…I know. I just…needed to get away, to think. I'm…well, as okay as I'm gonna be tonight," Antilene said. Eventually, she said, "Aura? What do you think about what those three said?"

Aura, after a moment, shrugged. "Look…I don't know anything about ruling. I was made by Lady BubblingTeapot to be a servant of the Supreme Beings. I guess my being able to tame beasts isn't unlike ruling, but even then, there's a bit of a difference between my beasts and people. Honestly, beasts are easier in the end. They generally have simple desires. And whether you'd be a good ruler, well, I dunno."

"I think she'd look good as a queen, actually," Mare said, even as he finished healing the trees. "I mean, a warrior-queen. But Antilene…sis…what do you want?"

Antilene stilled at his words, before chuckling. "Aside from Decem Hougan dead by my hand? I'm actually not sure. I…I have a family now," she mused out loud. "Not one by blood, but family all the same. I've got one brother, and quite a few sisters. Two of them are right here." The two Dark Elves looked startled by that, and she took advantage of it to give them a hug. Aura and Mare, after a moment, relaxed into her embrace.

She still wasn't sure what the hell she intended to do, whether to assume her birthright, or else leave Elf Country to someone else better suited than her. But she at least had a family here, not by blood, but by choice. And so she stayed there, enjoying the warmth of her siblings, until she heard more arrive in the area.

Harry, Satoru, and Albedo had arrived, looking angry but concerned. Antilene broke off the embrace she had with Aura and Mare, and said, "Sorry to have you all worried. But…I have a request…no, I guess you can call it a demand too."

"And that is…?" Satoru asked.

"Get Demiurge to redouble his efforts to gather information about Elf Country. I want to be ready for the time when we put that rapist bastard into the ground where he belongs…"

CHAPTER 26 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. The surviving Workers have been given an offer, and Antilene goes through some angst…only to realise that there is more to dealing with the Elf Country than mere revenge.

I actually only considered this potential plot point when writing this chapter. In canon, I doubt Antilene gave a shit about what happened to Elf Country once she killed her father. But here? After the Elven slaves' demand, she's had a wake-up call. And maybe, just maybe, she could rise to the occasion. ALL HAIL QUEEN ANTILENE HERAN FOUCHE!

No numbered annotations this time.