CHAPTER 32:

A BONE STUCK IN HER THROAT

It had been a week and a half since their arrival, and Antilene was getting restless. She knew it would be a hazard of being so close to her sperm donor, and yet so far away. That, and basically being out in the Elf Country equivalent of the sticks. Then again, away from the capital and its surrounds, just about everywhere in Elf Country was in the sticks.

She wasn't the only one. Aura and Mare were enjoying themselves playing with their fellow Dark Elf children, but not as much as Momonga had hoped. Their power was awe-inspiring, after all, and while they had learned a thing or two from the Druids and Rangers here, it wasn't much.

Harry and Leinas were also getting bored. Harry had been discussing possible potions recipes with the local apothecary, Mango Gilena (who was another mediator between the elders and the young Elves), but otherwise, had to dance around the elders' schemes to try and entice the newcomers into staying. They weren't particularly nefarious schemes, just annoyingly manipulative.

When they revealed a few days ago that the organisation Ainz Ooal Gown were willing to help them emigrate back to the Great Forest of Tob, the Dark Elves were split down the middle. Oddly enough, it wasn't delineated by the elder and youth factions, at least not that much. The squabbling was still going on.

Momonga, meanwhile, had contacted them. Apparently things were interesting in the cursed sense of the term in the Dwarven Kingdom. The settlement he had been directed to had been abandoned some time ago, due to an ongoing war between the Dwarves and a mole-like race of beastmen known as the Quagoa.

The bright side was, they had a potential recruit for teaching them runesmithing: a young Dwarf miner known as Gondo Firebeard. They even had a chance of recruiting other runesmiths. However, Momonga was to try and expel the Quagoa and the Frost Dragons ruling over them from the Dwarves' former capital to gain their favour. The Quagoa were intent on committing genocide against the Dwarves, supposedly because the Dwarves took the minerals the Quagoa often supplemented their diets on, according to Momonga, Shalltear, and Sebas' interrogations of prisoners. Momonga was hoping to prevent that.

Antilene couldn't quite sleep. Another memory had haunted her, of one of the bad days of her 'training'. It was on a whim born of insomnia that she had climbed to the very top of the tallest tree in the village, and looked out across the forest. Here, at least, she was just above the forest canopy, looking out across the moonlit forestscape. A sea of green (or at least it would be in the daylight), waves of leaves and branches touched by wind, just as the water in the ocean would give rise to waves when the wind touched it.

In the distance, to the north, she fancied she could see the capital her sperm donor erected, a mass of far taller trees than the norm, crowded together. Oh, it was a long way away, and perhaps she was fooling herself into believing she could see it. But something was telling her that was where it was. An ugly, pus-filled boil on the landscape, one that needed lancing, badly.

A familiar soft flapping reached her ears, and a familiar presence joined her in perching on the large branch. "…You okay?" Harry asked, his dark wings retracing.

"…Sort of," Antilene said, kicking her legs listlessly. Harry didn't speak, instead, letting her speak. Which, eventually, she did. "We're so close, old man. So close, I can taste it. And yet…I'm not sure what I feel. I mean, aside from a general anxiety. Not fear, more like…tension. Like a false calm before a storm." Her mismatched eyes looked out across the forest. "…When I think about it, this whole vendetta I have against the sperm donor is really my mother's, forced upon me, mostly by her and the Theocracy. Don't get me wrong, he deserves to die for what he did to my mother alone, let alone so many other women, and yet…there's so many like him throughout the world, from the most baseborn of criminal scum to nobles and kings who do not deserve such titles or status, and yet view it as their birthright to take any woman to bed, willingly or not. So…is it for my mother, or for me, or for the good of the world that I want to do this? I'm certainly not doing it for Elf Country or the Theocracy, and as much as the Tomb of Nazarick is pretty much a welcoming place to me…I'm not doing it for Ainz Ooal Gown either."

"…I'm not sure I have the answer, Antilene, any more than the other times you've discussed this with me. At least with the Platinum Dragon Lord and Rigrit, it's personal for me, even if they never did anything as appalling as rape me or my mother. But you're right. As much as Decem Hougan deserves to die…your mother basically forced you into this role, as her avenger. True, she thought only you could have a chance at beating him, and Players and NPCs aside, she was right. But that's not the way a parent should act, turning their child into a weapon. Both of your parents are guilty of doing that. Faine did it with you, and Decem Hougan does it to all of his offspring, pretty much."

"Hey, don't say both like you're not my father, old man," Antilene said, looking to him. "You've been more of a parent to me than…well, either of them."

"I know, I know…but while they were poor parents, you should still acknowledge them as such, even if only as zygote donors," Harry said. "Antilene…you do know killing Decem Hougan won't really bring you any happiness, right? I mean, aside from knowing he won't harm anyone ever again?"

"Yeah. I know. I just…want to be free of this impetus to kill the bastard. It's like my mother's haunting me, and only killing Decem Hougan will let her soul rest in peace. Or join her in Hell or oblivion, whatever is the case. Whatever is the case, I just want to be free to be myself. Yet…I may not have that if I'm to ensure Elf Country doesn't fall to the Theocracy. And we may not be able to find someone to take my place."

"…Look, we can use Legilimency or something to see if we can figure out who's a good candidate, if need be," Harry said. "It's something for another time, when we make the decision to kill him. Decem Hougan's on borrowed time, one way or the other. Honestly, I'd love to give him to Demiurge, but he may be as powerful as you, or as maxed-out Players or NPCs. He might be able to escape. Better to kill him when we confront him. And you said you studied the files they had on him, right?"

"Yeah. He's got great skills as a druid, and he can definitely summon some sort of Earth Elemental into battle, possibly a Primal Earth Elemental. Survivors of one assassination attempt claim he called it Behemoth. I'm basing this off secondhand reports, but I'm guessing he's stronger than the Pleiades, but weaker than maxed-out NPCs or Players. Whether I'm stronger than him, I don't know. You looked at me with Life Essence and the like not long after we settled in Baharuth, and you reckoned that I'm in the high 80s if not low 90s, if I was an Yggdrasil Player or NPC. Given how I've fared against the Floor Guardians in spars when we're fighting on pure skill and innate power rather than our abilities, I believe you now. Even Mare can take me on if he put his mind to it. Heh. Now that would be humbling, getting the shit beaten out of me by a timid little transvestite."

"…I remember when you realised how powerful I was. At first, you were in shock, and then, after you got over your denial, you began asking me if you could have my lovechild."

Antilene grimaced. "Yeah, and you said teenagers weren't your thing. Ugh, how embarrassing. I guess I was my sperm donor's child after all, in that much. The main difference is, I at least can take no for an answer."

"Antilene, you're very different to him. You're a good person, despite his blood, despite what the Theocracy did to indoctrinate you," Harry said quietly. "True, you're more than a little…unique, shall we say, but I'm an immortal wizard who got isekai'd here from a computer game, and one of my best friends got turned into a Lich, and another was Luna Lovegood, so I can't exactly talk about strangeness."

The Half-Elf chuckled softly, the sound segueing into a quiet, happy sigh as she leaned into him, like a cat. "And yet, the past few years have been the best of my life, old man. A quiet life, no gilded cage, and I got to kill some deserving people in fun ways. You helped me love myself, despite my birth parents." She gently touched her pointed ears, before her expression fell again. "…But…this whole thing with the sperm donor…it's like a bone stuck in my throat I can't get out. Even though it was foisted on me by my mother, I can't help but be fixated on killing him. And yet…even as we close to the end…I'm not really eagerly anticipating it. Not for personal reasons, anyway. He's just another rapist, no different in character than those bastards we took out while dismantling the Eight Fingers. Oh, he's more powerful, in terms of strength and political clout, but…what separates him from those scumbags? Very little."

"True enough," Harry said. "Look at it this way. He's a son of one of the Greed Kings. They caused untold devastation in this world, and probably are the main reason why Zeyndelux Vaishion hates Players. But…evil doesn't run in the blood. Because if there's one undeniably good thing that Decem Hougan brought into the world, it's you, Antilene."

"Heh. Cheesy, much?" she asked, though she was touched by the sentiment. "Besides, some of his other children might be okay."

"I said undeniably, Antilene."

"I'm not even that. I used to be a good little drone of the Theocracy. And even now, bloodshed excites me," Antilene said with a sigh. "…Still, I suppose my sperm donor sets the bar very low. It'd need an effort to be worse than him. And…well, I know I've grown since you took me from the Theocracy. But…is it enough to face him?"

"I don't know. But…we're here for you, Antilene. I was always going to support your revenge, as long as you did it the right way."

"I know. And I know why we went after Leinas' family and former fiancée first. At least Jircniv could help shield you from the political fallout. And besides, they were weak compared to us. Leinas alone could kick their arses handily. But Decem Hougan? Even without thinking much about the consequences, I knew it'd be messy. And there's avoiding the Platinum Dragon Lord's scrutiny. Besides, as a Half-Elf, I have plenty of time to wait. Well…in the end, I guess I'll have to wait until the time comes. Just…can I make a request?"

"Sure."

"…I want to face him alone. The only help from you guys I want outside of emergencies are buffs. Don't get me wrong, if I'm in danger of dying, you and the others step in and help. Hell, if you want to fight off Behemoth while I take on Decem Hougan, that'd be great. I don't want any distractions. But…I want to see if I can take him on myself, to exorcise these demons haunting me."

"Okay. But if you're in serious trouble, don't hesitate to ask for help. Even if all I do is hold down the bastard while you make him one big internal haemorrhage."

"Heh. I have a better idea, actually. But on another note, I think I know what buff I'll need to start the fight with, though. Mercy of Shorea Robusta. The regen effect and the auto-resurrect effect might come in handy if things go south."

Harry nodded. It was one of the spells he had learned during his time in Yggdrasil. "And there's also your Martial Arts skills. But promise me…if things really go south, don't be afraid to use your Talent and draw out the skills from your weapons."

"Of course. Using The Goal of All Life is Death is probably a bad idea if I'm around others, though." Antilene yawned, struck by a surge of tiredness. "Ugh…this talk has tired me out. Thanks for talking with me, Dad. Indulging a bit of teenaged angst."

"You're welcome. I wish I had more people to indulge my own at the time. I'll help you get to bed."

"…Not a kid, old man."

The next day, they were in a Message conference with Demiurge. The various Demons that they had helped gain a foothold in Elf Country had travelled to the capital and carried out intel-gathering. The process had been slow, as Decem Hougan had placed countermeasures in the palace. But they now had a far better idea of what was going on.

"…While there doesn't appear to be an organised resistance against Decem Hougan, there is considerable resentment against him. Hidden and behind closed doors, yes, but there," the unctuous Demon explained. "Many of those hope that one of his much-vaunted children will become strong enough to overthrow him. I've compiled a tentative list of people who could potentially rule Elf Country, or even help Antilene rule should she so desire. I believe that the first person you should consider ruling in your stead is Lady Myugi, one of the more prominent concubines of Decem Hougan. She even has a child, Rugi, a prodigious Ranger who is being trained by her father to become his latest trump card. Rugi is very young, I might add, and I doubt she would be a suitable ruler."

Leinas frowned. Harry knew that years of experience in Jircniv's court had given her an education in court politics, even if she despised them. "Are they suited to rule?"

"Given the limited observation and analysis I have been able to do, yes. I will defer to Lord Enzo's own judgement via Legilimency-gathered information for the final say, of course. I can also furnish a list of those who have profited from Decem Hougan's misrule. No doubt you may need to deal with them if you wish to improve the state of Elf Country. In any case, Antilene, I do have a few possible solutions for you to consider."

"To what end?" Harry asked, suspicious of the Demon's motives.

"To the end you were striving for in the first place. Whether it be publicly or covertly, you wish to make Elf Country a protectorate of Nazarick, in the same way as Carne Village is a protectorate. They owe us fealty, in exchange for protection from their enemies, particularly the Theocracy."

Harry opened his mouth to protest that that wasn't what he had intended, until he actually thought about it. In many ways, it was what he had intended. True, he hadn't been intending to ensure Elf Country was subordinate to Nazarick, but using its authority and denizens to protect Elf Country? Yes, he had been intending that.

He looked to Antilene, who looked as surprised and shocked as he had felt…and also as thoughtful. Eventually, she nodded. "Not quite what we were intending, Demiurge, but close enough. Let's do that. But first, I want to hear what those solutions are."

"But of course. Let's begin…"

CHAPTER 32 ANNOTATIONS:

So, here it is. Yes, I know this chapter wasn't meant to be coming out too soon, but I had some creative momentum rolling there. I wanted to give a quiet moment for Harry and Antilene to affirm their relationship. Plus, a rare time when Demiurge's thought processes, twisted and convoluted though they are, actually align with Harry and Antilene's, more or less. Then again, it helps that Harry and this version of Momonga are better communicators than canon Momonga.

The title of this chapter comes from Antilene's last line in Volume 15, when, upon being woken up by Infinite Magic, she is told she is finally being deployed to Elf Country to kill her father, she says, "Then I can finally get this bone out of my throat." I liked that turn of phrase, as well as how it related to Antilene's own feelings about her revenge in canon, so I had her discuss it with Harry.

Anyway, while I don't know when the next chapter will be out (amongst other factors, I'm engrossed by exploring the new region of Fontaine in Genshin Impact), I hope to have it done soon. And it'll be the clash between Antilene and her sperm donor. I don't think I can do as exciting a clash as the version Small italian boy did for The Overlord of the New World (the fic is not really my cuppa, but I have to admit, the fight scene between Antilene and Decem Hougan was as good as such a fight scene could be), and I'm shit at writing action scenes, but I hope what I do write will be good.

Review-answering time! Unknown524: 'Avalon Sheep' or 'Abelion Sheep' are actually human beings that Demiurge farms and experiments on. He uses it as a euphemism in front of Momonga in canon (Momonga is at least aware by the end of the second season/the sixth light novel that Demiurge is using innocent people in experiments, but I don't think he realises quite how bad it is). Thankfully, thanks to Harry laying down the law earlier, he hasn't done any such thing, at least to kidnapped innocents. Instead, he restricts his experiments to the prisoners he's been allowed to keep.

I answered Beleriond's review in correspondence, but I should point out that they did have earlier correspondence with me regarding solutions to Antilene's ruling Elf Country or not, and I intend to use a variation of such ideas, so credit where it is due.

Nathair1: Unlike Tomura Shigaraki, Philip causes destruction more or less unintentionally, and out of sheer stupidity and self-centredness rather than true malice. I think of him as being closer to the 'Percy' characters played by Tim McInnerny or 'George' characters played by Hugh Laurie in the various series of Blackadder.

SaberYagami: To be fair, there's little about BubblingTeapot's background in the novels anyway, aside from her being a voice actress whose brother is Peroroncino. However, the impression from the novels is that she's an enthusiastic and decent person who is usually quite cheerful in a sugary way…but who often fights with her brother. Aura is said to act quite a bit like her, so there's that.

Skull Flame: Clementine was already insane when she encountered Momonga. Really, she's come out through the other side of Demiurge's torture partly out of sheer spite. She's probably only cursing him because it's the only way she can express her anger. This is someone who didn't quite trying to escape Momonga's grasp in canon until her body gave out.

No numbered annotations this time.