{Hoburns, three days after the undead envoy's visit…}
It rained and poured. Not a single ray of sunlight broke the glum clouds that had settled over Hoburns, even as the sun began to approach its zenith. But Calca had no means of contacting the Sorcerer King to postpone the visit for better weather. And so, she, with the Custodios, the nobles of her realm, the priests of the Temple, and the Paladin Order, waited before the mighty walls of Hoburns, hoping to receive a guest that, so far, had made no sign of even entering the Holy Kingdom. Fortunately for the Holy Queen and those immediately around her, a massive canopy had been raised, warding off the heavy rain. Two ravens gave no heed to the downpour, surveying the spectacle from the rooftops of one of the wall's turrets.
"I hope we won't have to wait long for the Sorcerer King," said Calca at one point. "If we had some sunlight, I would have liked to spend the day outside."
"Are you thirsty, Your Majesty? I know I am," said Remedios. No one answered.
They waited a little longer.
At noon exactly, it started. A vast, swirling portal opened some metres away from the Queen's entourage. What passed through nearly stopped the hearts of all that were present. A pitiful wail of despair rose from the denizens of the Holy Kingdom, from those who stood around the Holy Queen to the commoners who flocked to the walls and streets of the capital city to watch.
Death Knights, not one, but fifty of those legendary horrors stalked through the magic door. In their wake came a silent host of the dead, each warrior armed to the teeth, each weapon and armour plate of strange make, etched with forgotten runes. Many carried deadly spears, some others sword-and-shield, and archers made up the rear ranks. Some of the undead footmen carried no weapon, instead holding large banners of sanguineous red, darkened beyond night by the intricate emblem of the Sorcerer King.
As the first Death Knight appeared, Remedios instinctively imposed herself between the arriving undead army and the Holy Queen who looked on in shock. She was, after all, the shield and sword of the Queen.
When the undead infantry, five hundred strong, passed through the shimmering purple door, they were followed by undead cavalry, dreadful lancers on skeletal horses, some two hundred in all.
An echoing roar filled the cloud-covered skies. "DRAGON!" rose the cry, as twelve of those magnificent beasts in a formation roared overhead, swooping down over the city from the clouds, circling around to land with a ground-shaking crash behind the undead army.
Last of all through the [Gate] came a smaller guard of undead horsemen, escorting an ornate carriage, pulled by a team of dark eight-legged horses. It rolled to a stop directly in front of where the canopy had been raised, and its golden doors swung open after a brief moment. The occupants proved equally shocking to the denizens of Hoburns.
A small, female figure set foot outside first. Long hair of platinum blonde flowed from beneath her wide-brimmed hat, decorated with white flowers. She wore a long flowing dress that covered much of her skin. Only pale, delicate hands and a band of smooth slender neck peeked out from the immaculate white dress. An engraved white mask covered her face, and a lock of her hair covered one eye, leaving the other eye, an ominous red, exposed. She stepped left of the carriage door, and waited.
Next, a goddess of perfect, world-class beauty set dainty foot outside the carriage. Her hair reached her hips, deep black against the precious white fabric of her gown. Her face smiled, softly and gently at all who were around. Dark feathered wings sprouted from her lower back through her white dress, and two horns crowned her head. Her eyes, yellow, and narrowly slitted like a cat's, shone with a cold light. But the multitude of errant eyes of those who stood around Calca and on the city's walls did not pay much attention to the second visitor's face. Many men and women felt their bodies betray them, their blood rushing where they wished it would not, their faces flushing in admiration and desire at the sight of such a perfect body as hers. She stepped to the right of the carriage doors and waited.
The last occupant of the carriage emerged, tall, clad in ornate robes of white. Its face was hidden in the shadows of a hood, but the two glowing points of red light that pierced that darkness beneath left little doubt. As the three visitors passed under the canopy, even that last bit of doubt was banished when the Sorcerer King's hands, bare of skin and flesh and bedecked in many rings, lowered the hood, revealing a grinning white face of death. In contrast to its white garb and immaculate bones, an aura of darkness emanated from every bone of its body. It walked forward, folding its skeletal hands behind its back, and the two others fell in behind it without a word.
Calca moved forwards as well. She thought of the common people all around who watched her, afraid of the undead king, and remembered her promise to give them happiness, and that promise pushed her forward. Kelart, Remedios, and Caspond gathered behind her to back her up. The Holy Queen met the Sorcerer King halfway. One last, nervous step brought her within arm's reach of an undead being that had slaughtered tens of thousands with its power. She felt an almost unbearable pressure, as if her body would rupture and implode from the mere presence of the Sorcerer King. The sheer sound and timbre of his voice nearly caused Calca's soul to leave her body there and then, as he spoke.
"Lovely weather today."
She was utterly caught off guard. All of Calca's rehearsed greetings and platitudes had to be abandoned. How should she respond? Was he joking? Was he serious?
At last Calca found her voice. "Ainz Ooal Gown, my brother in rulership, welcome to the Roble Holy Kingdom, and to our capital city, Hoburns."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. My name is a mouthful, so you may call me Ainz." Calca had tried to keep an open mind about the Sorcerer King, but he immediately struck her as a man of great humility. He surely knew his own strength in comparison to hers, and yet in spite of such a gap, he spoke to her not as a superior to a subordinate, but as a respected peer. He seemed almost… friendly?
"Then you may call me Calca, Lord Ainz."
"That is acceptable, Lady Calca." Calca's reply came naturally.
"We can move indoors to avoid the rain, Lord Ainz. I regret having to welcome you to our nation in such poor weather, but my domain does not encompass the sky, I fear."
"I see. All the same, any nation is more beautiful in the sunlight," said Ainz. As if on cue, the rain ceased, the dark clouds broke up, and warm rays of sunlight shone down on the canopy. "Yours is no exception," he added, an air of satisfaction in his voice of a job well done. He looked around at the green fields and farms around the city. The Temple priests gawked, and Kelart put a hand to her mouth in shock. The gathered crowds murmured among themselves at the sudden, likely unnatural shift in the weather.
"Now then, Lady Calca, I believe there was a welcoming ritual from the Temple priests?"
"You wish to undergo the Fourth Blessing?" she replied incredulously. "Are you sure?
"I am."
"Kelart Custodio will conduct the ritual."
"Indeed, Your Majesty," acknowledged Kelart to Calca. She turned to Ainz. "Lord Ainz, I hope we made it clear to your emissary that the Fourth Blessing is a holy ritual of cleansing. The Temple priests and I will invoke the holy magic born of our devotion to the Four Great Gods to wash away the sins and trespasses of the participant. If the ritual could be categorized as a proper spell, it would sit between either the third or fourth tier of magic. Are you truly willing to continue?"
"Fourth tier… interesting. Proceed with the ritual."
"A-As you wish, Your Majesty. Since the rain has… been stopped, we will have these canopies removed so that all around may view the ceremony. Rest assured, Lord Ainz, it will be brief." Kelart turned to the crowd. "I crave silence for the Fourth Blessing to be performed!" Servants broke down the canopy in quick order, and the Temple priests gathered around Ainz in a half-circle. Kelart stood directly in front of Ainz. She raised an open palm towards him, as did the rest of the priests. Magic circles of light appeared on their palms from spellcasting. Divine magic.
"In the name of the Four Great Gods, the saviors of humankind, we call upon that sacred power to purify the body and soul of Ainz Ooal Gown. May the Gods guide his hands to righteous acts, his feet to righteous places, his eyes to righteous vision. Let any guilt be cleansed from his heart, and let him walk in the grace of the Gods forever, as we welcome him to our land and our hearts." As Kelart finished, a wave of holy light sprang up around Ainz, obscuring him for a few moments. Remedios and some of the temple priests smirked, expecting a pile of humbled ashes to be left when it was finished.
After a while, the holy light vanished, leaving a small veil of smoke behind. It cleared, leaving the Sorcerer King standing where he had been, unscathed by the intense power of fifth-tier holy magic. Kelart almost stumbled back in surprise, but quickly regained herself. Remedios and the Temple priests felt their hearts drop through the floor. Ainz Ooal Gown had survived.
"The-the ritual is complete, Your Majesty," stuttered Kelart.
Ainz looked around momentarily. "So quickly? It was no exaggeration that it was brief." Ainz hoped the distraction would allow him to gather his thoughts. Fourth tier? Who are they trying to kid? That was fifth tier magic! Well, regardless, it didn't hurt me at all, since it wasn't sixth. This Kelart person is one to be cautious around. She had me fooled before they actually did the ritual. They have more tricks up their sleeve than they let on, especially the player. I'll need to be more careful, even if I brought Albedo and Shalltear. If it comes down to it, I'd prefer to fight a battle on my terms.
"Lord Ainz, we may move to the palace. Servants will prepare guest quarters for you and your entourage as we do so."
"We can discuss matters there, or perhaps somewhere outdoors would be more to your liking, Lady Calca, given the current weather?"
"A wonderful suggestion, Lord Ainz. I know a good area in the city."
The two monarchs entered the city together. The sacred stones of Hoburns' streets felt for the first time the feet of an undead king. Calca managed to sequester a small green in the city, as some servants prepared to bring a table and chairs from the palace. Ainz stopped them.
"Three, four, five… and… ten. [Create Greater Item]." An elaborate table and ten chairs of obsidian appeared in the main palace hall at Ainz's spell, to the amazement of all. It was set with eight tall glass cups. Ainz continued. "Allow me to show you a small part of my kingdom beyond the unsavory rumors." He reached out, his hand disappearing into a deep void, drawing out a beautiful crystal decanter, filled with an orange liquid. He poured the contents into each glass himself, and sat down at one of the two places without a glass. The decanter seemed no less full than it was to begin with. Albedo and Shalltear sat down after Ainz, with Shalltear taking the second spot without a cup.
Albedo raised her glass. "Please sit with us. It is uncomfortable to talk business on your feet." Calca looked to Kelart, and Remedios, and sat down opposite Ainz, followed by the two Custodios, Caspond, and the three most senior priests of the Temple. She looked at the orange liquid in her glass, moving her hand to take it. They all stared at her, wishing they could beg her to let them taste it in her stead and endure its effects, but they could do nothing. Calca took a sip of it. She looked at the glass again, before downing the rest of it.
"Lord Ainz, I can never go back to wine or water after this," she said with a smile, before emptying the glass all the way.
Kelart tried it next, genuinely intrigued by Calca's positive reaction. "It tastes… incredible… Remedios, give it a try."
Remedios cleared her throat. "I'm not thirsty." she said as her voice cracked. "Thank you," she added hastily.
"Remedios," ordered Calca. The Paladin-Captain at least knew better than to argue with the Holy Queen in the presence of a foreign ruler, so she took the smallest sip she could possibly manage, and apparently managed to inhale even that, coughing slightly. She quickly changed her tune as soon as she saw Calca and Kelart's embarrassed expressions. "Sorry…" she said sheepishly.
Ainz stared at Remedios for a few more seconds before returning his attention to Calca. "Now then, Lady Calca, we should discuss the matter of aid."
"Indeed, Lord Ainz."
{The Palace gardens, later that day…}
Ainz appeared from the concealing magic of [Perfect Unknowable] with a sigh. He stood in an open space, as the sun was setting, shining down on all the beautiful flowers and plants, and an apple tree on one side. A garden of some sort, likely the Queen's. But neither the faded beauty of that garden or the two ravens that settled on the apple tree's branches were on his mind at all.
Why must Albedo and Shalltear fight so much?! It even turns our progress on the treaty sour, dammit! I hardly understood all the stuff, but Albedo seemed pleased with the terms. I guess even if I hadn't changed Albedo's settings there'd be a fight over me, regardless. Damn it all…
Ainz heard the voices of several people approaching the area, and they came into view before he could react. The voices argued.
"Remedios, Kelart. I will be fine by myself. I don't need you both to guard me from- Lord Ainz?" Calca came first, clad in a loose gown as dark as the night, speckled as if with glittering stars. A servant carried a small pail with some tools for gardening, it appeared. Kelart and Remedios Custodio were beside her. Remedios quickly imposed herself between the Sorcerer King and the Holy Queen.
"What are you doing here… sir?" said the Paladin-Captain, hastily adding the 'sir' to her accusing tone.
"I was simply meditating, and this seemed like a quiet place. I apologize for intruding. I will go elsewhere."
Calca waved Ainz off, moving around Remedios. "Not at all, Lord Ainz. You are our guest. You're welcome to enjoy the royal garden, even in its sorry state. Please don't mind the weeds, though. It's been a long time since I've been able to tend the garden, with the war and other occupations of my free time. This is a good chance meeting, I'd say, because I did want to talk to you but on an individual basis, not as the embodiments of our respective nations."
"Lady Calca, I-"
"Please, just Calca. No titles needed here. This isn't an official function."
"... Likewise, in that case. Now, as I was saying, what did you want to talk about?"
"I, well, we have so many questions that we'll be old and gray before we've asked them all. Is it alright if I work on the garden as we talk?"
"Please."
"Thank you, Ainz." The servant set out a mat for the Holy Queen as she got on her knees. She set about pulling the various weeds that infested the soil. "As my first question, I wish to know, how are you so different from other undead?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your envoy said that you aren't like most undead, and now that I've met you and become acquainted with you, I agree, and I want to know why that is. Every undead I can think of in the past has been completely hostile to living beings, but in contrast, you are courteous and display a kind of… restraint that many undead lack. I hope I have come upon the right word."
"I have nothing to gain from exterminating the living as most undead wish to."
"Then why'd you kill all those people from Re-Estize?" asked Remedios, hoping to put the Sorcerer King on the defensive.
"Why do I do anything? What do I want?"
"Answer the question… sir."
"I want to be happy."
"What?" sputtered Remedios. "You talk about empathy and emotion as if you can even imagine them! That's impossible for an undead."
"You are right to some extent. I cannot experience strong surges of emotions, and in many ways that is a blessing."
"Even if that's true, why would you take away the happiness of thousands-"
"Tens of thousands," corrected Kelart. Remedios nodded.
"Tens of thousands of people?"
"Happiness is a finite resource. Those who would steal what little you have must be destroyed."
"I don't… understand," puzzled the Paladin-Captain.
"Is it not a boon to your nation that Jaldabaoth is gone? He tried to take away your happiness."
"But that's different! He was a demon."
"He too desired happiness, but his happiness took the form of causing despair in others. The demihumans enslaved by the Demon Emperor also desired happiness, but they were too weak to protect that happiness from Jaldabaoth. It seems that you were strong enough to defeat Jaldabaoth on your own. I commend your strength."
"Not our physical strength," said Remedios proudly. "The power of our righteousness saved us in the end!"
Ainz furrowed his non-existent eyebrows. What's she on about? Is she taking credit for this player? Or is she confirming that the player is a known part of this kingdom?
"Remedios…" sighed Calca. "Our guest has been honest with us, let's not repay that openness with deception. Admit it. We were all going to die in Kalinsha were it not for the messenger of the Wind God."
"Messenger of the Wind God?" asked Ainz. Aha! The player! Time to gather information! "What can you tell me about this messenger?"
"We know very little, I'm afraid. All we can say is that he fell from the sky in shimmering light, fought Jaldabaoth, and defeated him, allowing us to escape from the city. 'Messenger of the Wind God' is just a title we've given him in the Temple," said Kelart. "It seems fitting, doesn't it?"
"Indeed. This is most interesting," mused Ainz. I wonder… I could use [Dominate] to get the truth out of them if they're lying, but it might cause some other complications. If this player is on their side, I'd rather not have them call him in.
"We got somewhat sidetracked, Ainz. We were talking about happiness. What makes you happy?" wondered Calca.
Ainz looked up slightly, as twilight set in over the land. The question gave him pause. Briefly in his mind's eye, he saw the immediate answers: Albedo, bright and warm like the shining Sun, and Shalltear, pale and cold as the Moon; Aura and Mare, their eyes like mismatched sapphires and emeralds; bold Cocytus and cunning Demiurge, stern, noble Sebas, the Pleiades battlemaids, each fair and deadly, and more people besides, all created by his friends. Ainz could not think of a price too high to pay for their happiness.
"I cherish those I rule. When they are happy, I am happy."
Calca smiled, looking at the dumbstruck Kelart and Remedios. "That's all a monarch needs, Ainz. To love their people and give them happiness."
"B-b-b–bb–bb-b-b—b-b-but…" stammered Remedios.
"But what?" asked Ainz.
"Y-You're an undead… you can't possibly understand any of that! Those are human emotions!"
"Like I said, happiness is finite, and you must fight and kill to protect it. The Kingdom's desire for happiness threatened my own, so I destroyed their armies and killed their Royal Champion, Sir Gazef Stronoff in a duel."
"Bu-"
"Remedios. Enough," sighed Calca. "Ainz, I ask that you excuse the impertinence of my servant once again."
"I completely understand. I have similar issues with my own subordinates from time to time." Which is why I left Albedo and Shalltear to squabble over me in the guest quarters. At least it doesn't seem like they've gotten violent.
"I think it's a good time to change the subject. I have one last question for you, if you are willing to humor me and answer it."
"Please."
"You are clearly strong, and you wish to give happiness to those you rule. I have the same desire as you, but I see now I lack the strength to protect what I have. Will you accept an oath of fealty from the Roble Holy Kingdom, and take us on as a vassal?"
Ainz, Kelart, and Remedios all responded the same way.
"EH?!"
{The lonely wooden house in the Great Forest of Tob, the next day…}
The grizzled man opened the door. Someone outside had been angrily pounding on it. That someone stood casually away from the door. He was short and thin, maybe around his thirties with brown hair and a beard. A great many tattoos in blue and red covered his bare torso, from and back, as well as his arms. The stranger wore only trousers, and his feet were bare. He looked the grizzled man over, sizing him up.
"Thought you'd be bigger… but you're definitely the one." The stranger spoke in an almost slurred tone of voice. "Long way from home, aren't you?"
"What do you want?"
"Oh, I think you already know the answer to that."
"You are mistaken. You should move on." The grizzled man turned to go back indoors.
"And here I thought your kind were supposed to be so enlightened, so much better than us, so much smarter… and yet you hide out here in the woods, like a coward."
The grizzled man stepped towards the stranger. "You do not want this fight."
"Oh… I'm pretty sure I do," he replied, as he struck the grizzled man in the face. And then again.
"Leave. My. Home."
"You… are going to have to kill me for that to happen," replied the gaunt stranger. He punched and punched at the grizzled man again and again. He struck one more time, before the grizzled man caught his fist with his own hand
"I warned you."
"Finally…" sighed the stranger. The grizzled man punched him solidly in the face, with a dull crack signaling the dislocation of his jaw. The force of the blow pushed the stranger a short distance away into the snow. The newcomer murmured something to himself. "No, no, no, no, no…" The grizzled man grabbed the stranger's wrist, to drag him away from the house. "My turn…" muttered the stranger. With a swing of his fist, he sent the grizzled man flying into the air, crashing along the roof of his house, before tumbling into the snow on the opposite side of the house. The grizzled man rolled out of the way as the stranger leapt from the rooftop to smash him into the snow. He regained his footing as the stranger taunted him. "How incredibly disappointing… Come on then!"
Author's Note: A successful end to this fic's Holy Kingdom arc. They all get a happy ending. Huzzah! As for Nazarick and Kratos, things'll pick up from here. Thanks for reading!
