Chapter 4 Part 4
Ainz was in a great mood as he waited for his audience with the Queen. Although his primary goal for coming to the Draconic Kingdom was to learn about wild magic and to alleviate his boredom. However, this trip had been much more fruitful than he anticipated. He had gained a great reputation among the citizens of this nation. The captured minotaur could prove useful in Demiurge's research. And the necromancer, Brolg, would provide them with information on Zuranon. The fact Ainz had remembered about the Orb of Death, and acquired more of them from the goat and could use them to increase his and Nazarick's power was just icing on the cake.
Yes, this was a very worthwhile adventure, Ainz thought as he summed up all the benefits he had received. My luck stat really is working over time. He smiled.
When the evening came a guard came to the room which Darkness occupied and asked Momon to follow him. Ainz was surprised when the guard led him not to the place where the strategy meetings were held, but to the Queen's quarters.
Hold on, she isn't planning anything annoying, is she? Ainz thought. Draudillon's behavior was becoming more and more extreme. Perhaps she is getting desperate, he shrugged his shoulders waving the thought away.
After entering the Queen's quarters he was led to a bedroom where Draudillon was waiting for him. Ainz was surprised that she was alone, the fact she was sitting on the side of a bed only made his worries about her inadequate behavior grow.
"Your Highness," Momon bowed slightly.
"Momon-sama," the Queen greeted him. "You have liberated my nation as promised, and here is your just reward," she continued, while she sat
She isn't talking about herself, is she? Ainz hoped as he felt a headache coming.
"Then, before we get started," she said, while Ainz's jaw dropped, "I have offered you both the kingdom and myself. Are you not interested?
"Umu, I am flattered, but, ahem, you are not my type," Ainz managed to come up with an excuse on the fly. "And my loyalty lies to the people of E-Rantel," he added.
"Then, you are not a lolicon, Momon-sama?"
"I am not," Ainz replied. Is she giving up? He thought.
The Queen stared at Momon for a long time in silence.
"Have you talked to Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix about, about the way I look?" she asked after some hesitation.
"The Sorcerer King's servants had," Ainz replied.
"Then you are aware that this is not the way I truly look?" Draudillon asked pointing at her appearance.
"That's what I've been told," Momon replied.
"I see, in that case, I'll be right back."
The Queen got up and left the room, leaving Momon alone.
Is she going to switch to her older form? That would be interesting, I wonder if her forms work as a shape-shifting ability, similar to that of a doppelganger. Ainz thought. Or is the reason she left something else?
A little later a woman had entered the room. She was in her late thirties and had a certain similarity to the young Draudillon, though as a mature woman she was quite curvaceous.
"Your Highness?" Momon asked.
"Yes, this is my true appearance," she confirmed.
"So, it's true, you can change your appearance."
"I might only have 1/8 of a dragon's blood, but I can still do this much."
"Hmm, how interesting. Your younger appearance was not an illusion. So, how does it work? Is it shape-shifting?" Momon spoke while curiously.
"It's actually a complete biological change. That's how a Dragon Lord could have an offspring with a human," Draudillon explained.
"And do all Dragon Lords have such an ability?"
"The older ones do, according to my grandparents."
"I don't imagine the transformation is limited to just a human form?"
"I wouldn't know that," the Queen shook her head.
For a while, both sides remained silent. Both had their own thoughts running through their heads. Draudillon was the first to speak.
"Now, that you have seen my true form, does your answer remain the same? You could wed me and become the king of this nation," she said.
"I am afraid my answer is still no."
A bitter smile spread on her face. She shook her head, and after a sigh spoke again.
"In that case, I have a request for you as a representative of the undead King," after Momon gave a slight bow, she continued. "I would like for the Draconic Kingdom to become a part of the Sorcerer Kingdom."
"Why?" Ainz blurred out surprised. "No, I mean you want to become an actual part of it, not just a vassal state?" He tried to recover.
"I don't believe we would receive as much aid as we need as a mere vassal state. But if we were a part of the nation," Draudillon voice trailed off, but it was obvious what she implied.
"The minotaurs are dead though, so there should be no immediate threats," Ainz wanted to understand her reasoning.
"Not from beastmen, no. But, we have lost nearly half the population, are running low on food, and will require both the resources and manpower to rebuild. Even if no one attacks us in this time of weakness, it would still be near impossible to recover before mass starvation happens," Draudillon said.
"And you believe that the Sorcerer Kingdom will provide the food, resources, and manpower you need to survive and rebuild?"
"That would be my conditions for joining their nation."
"I see, I will talk to Albedo-sama, the temporary leader of the Sorcerer Kingdom, about it," Momon said. "Also, I would suggest that you offer the body of the minotaur to them as a gesture of good will," he added.
"The body of the minotaur? What do they need it for?"
"I understand as one who commands the undead, bodies of powerful individuals hold a certain interest for Ainz. The Sorcerer King might be dead, but his servants would appreciate such a gesture all the same," Momon explained.
"I see. Then, how would we transport the body?"
"I will take care of that."
"Alright, I'll give the order," Draudillon nodded. "Shall we talk about your reward? What would you like to know about Wild Magic?"
"Let's start with the basics," Momon said.
"The Wild Magic is the original magic of this world, and could only be used by Dragon Lords. From what I understand, it became corrupted around the time when the Six Great Gods had appeared, and the rules for using Wild Magic had changed. Nowadays, the use of Wild Magic requires souls to fuel it."
"Souls? How does that work?" Ainz was intrigued.
"The user can choose to sacrifice someone to produce the souls needed by a spell."
"Then, why didn't you sacrifice the beastmen?"
"If only that was possible," Draudillon smiled bitterly. "Only the souls of that who those who worship, or are loyal, to the caster can be sacrificed. That's one of the reasons most Dragon Lords lead a tribe or a nation. The ability to sacrifice their followers and cast powerful magic serves as a deterrent to any would-be attackers."
"But, didn't the Eight Greed Kings kill most of the Dragon Lords?" Momon asked.
"The souls don't last very long. After the sacrifice, there is only a small window in which a spell can be cast. In other words, both the sacrifices to fuel the spell and the target for the spell need to be close to each other. I believe the Dragon Lords couldn't meet this condition and were unable to use Wild Magic as a result," the Queen explained.
"Then, what kind of spells can be cast? Is there a large variety of are they limited to a few spells?"
"There is some variety, but I can't answer the other questions. Since I had never used it, I can only vaguely feel what the effect and power of the spells I can use. Also, since I only have 1/8 of a Dragon Lord's blood, the amount of souls I would need makes it nearly impossible to find a situation where using Wild Magic would be a good idea."
"Then, what of the power of the spells?"
"I feel the spells I can cast are much, much stronger than the 3rd tier spells the high ranking adventurers use. I can't really tell much more," Draudillon shrugged.
"I see. It seems it would be impossible for you to use Wild Magic against Jaldabaoth, but it could be done by a Dragon Lord," Ainz mused.
"Technically, but I doubt you can find one who was willing to do so."
"Why is that?"
"After the slaughter at the hands of the Eight Greed Kings, the dragons lost most of their holdings. Today, the only Dragon Lord controlled nation is the Argland Counci State. However, for them to use Wild Magic would mean to lower the number of those they can sacrifice. I doubt the Councilors would weaken their power in such a way, not unless Jaldabaoth was attacking their nation."
"I see. Your information had been of great value to me," Momon said. "Also, can you write down the effects of each spell you can use? Just the general effects should suffice. I am sure the servants of the Sorcerer King would be grateful for such knowledge, and would provide you with food supplies and other aid quicker," he added.
"If you think it will get us help sooner, then sure," Draudillon shrugged her shoulders, it was simple enough to write such a list.
"Then, I shall go and recover the body of the minotaur, and have it delivered to E-Rantel," Momon said.
"Thank you again for liberating my nation, even if I won't be its ruler for much longer."
"That's what I was sent here for," Momon bowed to the Queen, before exiting the room.
Draudillon changed back into her younger form and sat in a chair thinking. A while later there was a knock on the door. She answered and the Minister walked in.
He shot a questioning look at the Queen, who in turn shook her head.
"So, it didn't work?" He asked.
"No, as we've suspected, Momon wasn't interested in my true appearance either."
"Then, you've asked for the Draconic Kingdom to become a part of the undead Sorcerer's nation?"
"We had agreed that it was our only chance of survival."
"Yes, as much as it pains me to say so. Still, Ainz is dead and his servants are busy with preparation to fight Jaldabaoth. They might just leave you alone to continue to rule over this nation, with little oversight from them," the Minister said.
"We can only hope," the Queen replied.
In the heart of the Slane Theocracy's capital, a large procession stood in front of a building. About fifty human riders surrounded two dozen undead monsters. In the middle of this group stood a carriage, in front of which several figures were talking.
Over the last few days, Mare had spent most of his time with Zesshi. He had completed all of his tasks in the capital, and could finally kick back and relax. Without the need to be on guard, his interactions with Zesshi had become more natural as well. As a result, the two had become rather close.
Being with Zesshi also had a great benefit – she allowed Mare to experience something he never could with Aura. He couldn't even imagine doing it to his sister, whereas it was not only easy to do it with Zesshi, but the half-elf seemed to enjoy it. That is, being able to tease her.
Chatting about random things, and teasing Zesshi, Mare had greatly enjoyed these couple of days. Sadly nothing lasts forever, and now, it was time for Mare to leave the Theocracy.
He smiled looking at the escort Theocracy had provided him. As anticipated, there were a lot of guards. Since the Theocracy didn't know the exact plans of the Elf King, they beefed up their forces to make sure nothing would happen to Mare on their territory.
"Why are you spacing out? Do you find me that boring?" Zesshi said angrily.
"Can you blame me for being taken aback by your beauty?"
"I can't even tell if you are joking or being serious, it's annoying," the half-elf replied in an annoyed voice, but the slight red which covered her cheeks betrayed her true feelings.
"You really are starving for a compliment, aren't you?" Mare laughed at her, as Zesshi, predictably, denied his words.
"I wish we had more time. Alas, I need to return to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Then, until we meet again," Mare said.
"I look forward to that time," Zesshi replied.
"Your Eminence," Mare bowed slightly to Dominic Ihre Partouche, who stood nearby. "I hope our nations will have a long and prosperous cooperation."
"I am sure we will," Dominic nodded.
"Let's go," Mare told Liel who stood next to the carriage.
He had asked for and was granted the ownership of the elven slave. The two of them climbed into the carriage, and the whole procession began to move. Zesshi stood there, staring after them until they disappeared from her sight. Her emotions were a mess.
Why am I feeling like this? Am I already missing Mare? Will I regret my decision? What's wrong with me, she shook her head dejectedly.
"I am almost surprised you didn't tell her about the ambush from the Elf King," Dominic addressed Zesshi.
"There is no need for that."
"Oh? I thought you liked her. Don't you feel bad for the horrible things which will no doubt happen to her? Perhaps if you had warned her, Mare could change her fate."
"If she is as strong as I feel, she doesn't need my warning. The strong can write their own fate," Zesshi replied before walking away.