Breeding Issues

by The Ruff Pusher

Momon the Dark Hero encounters Zesshi Zetsumei. mature content/smut

28. Chapter 28

Note: This story is a work of fiction. It has many content of adult nature. If you do not want to read such content, please close your browser window or press the convenient back button.

This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

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When set against the arrayed assembly that had been leveraged by the undead lord Ainz Ooal Gown, it became easy for the humans of the Holy Kingdom to conclude that they didn't really belong.

For what were humans when set against such monstrosities as legions of skeletal fiends, of armies made from spirits of shrieking dead, of troops of grinning demons; of many beasts of terrifying aspect and visage, all gathered here in one place. Gathered, and more than that, commanded. Where Jaldabaoth had ruled with an iron fist, yet allowed the demihuman tribes to do as they pleased, here the Sorcerer-King had gathered his monstrous multitudes, and woven them into an proper army with ironclad discipline and control.

And more than that, his armies were indeed vast. It was enough to surround the Re-Estize Capital for many miles around. It was spoken that there was enough of a number that no small rat could ever pierce the cordon without being first seen by many inhuman eyes. And if said rat was immediately judged to be some stratagem by the enemy force? Then the interdiction would be swift and brutal. Frankly, it seemed clear that the armies gathered here could just roll up and swallow the entire Capital City whole if they wanted. Even worse, they could but drown the entire continent with their combined weight if their Master would put his mind to it. Yet Ainz Ooal Gown seemed to be holding everything back, as if he had some sort of sinister stratagem in the works.

With an army of this scale, did it even matter that they had become allies? Had he really needed them? Or had he just been humoring them all along?

And there was also another concern: had this entire alliance been a mistake? Was it right to associate themselves with such a creature who wielded armies that overshadowed the terrible Jaldabaoth a hundredfold? If he willed it, he could send all these to menace their own Kingdom next—the Sorcerer-King no longer their savior, but their conqueror.

That had been the sole thought of one Remedios Custodios, mere moments after she had arrived with the advance troops to witness the encirclement with their own eyes. She had seen the long band of camps from afar, as they were riding in from the south. She had thought that had been the extent of their army.

When she and her men finally crested the hill, she was treated to the horrible truth. The Sorcerer-Kings' encampments were lined up in a perfect circle all around the city, forming a second wall of flesh and flame the hemmed the poor Capital City within its bounds. No one could get in, and no one could get out. Her head had started to hurt after she thought hard about the implications of it all, which had made her paladins think she was close to fainting from exhaustion.

And that thought had only been solidified after she and her entourage had been given a quick tour through several camps by the other side. While her soldiers had been amazed, starstruck by the organization and efficiency that was displayed for them to see, Remedios' thoughts were much disquieted on the other hand.

Here was a force that would not simply be tossed at a city's walls without regard for strategy. This was a meticulously organized endeavor that not only could marshal such great numbers of soldiers—it was also able to outfit and supply them for many days on the field. Not all the undead's minions were of the tireless undead, there were many other creatures who needed to eat, and who certainly needed many tools to craft the tents and camps and banners that dotted the surrounding landscape like signal towers on a wall.

"It's… burning?"

Right, they had also noticed—after being thunderstruck by the Sorcerer-Kings numbers—that there were various black plumes of smoke rising from within the walls of the Capital City, and that there was a persistent, yet obvious fiery glow emanating from a source unseen. Obviously, the city was on fire. But was it because they had already begun to launch missiles over the walls? Or had it been covert sabotage?

When asked, their guide had denied it. "It is simply the actions of our enemies inside. When the Marshal arrived here, the city was already burning."

"What? They just lit themselves on fire?" Remedios said in disbelief.

"I leave it to you to choose to believe it or not," the man said, shrugging. "But the final word is final. We have been waiting your arrival before beginning the siege—and not one moment later."

Remedios could only scowl, before she contemplated the half-burning city right before her eyes. Only a fair distance of miles from here to the walls. Only that small distance separated her from redemption.

Some time later, she was seated inside her personal command tent, set at the center of the camp that had been sectioned off for the Holy Kingdom's use. Their camp was a vast area, meant to house their own army, and the Sorcerer-King had even bid his servants set up tents for them to use, along with barricades and earthworks to act as walls all around.

But contrary to expectations, the encampment was not as full as desired. The rest of their forces were still recovering some miles south close to their newly captured fortress, leaving the majority of the camp unoccupied. There were many tents still left empty, lending the camp an uneasy, desolate air during the previous night. Adding that to the general foreboding of being surrounded by all these monsters, and it was doubly concerning for any right-thinking soldier. Many of her men sat and huddled close to their bonfires, refusing to extinguish it until morning. Some fools even deigned to sleep, as if terrified they would wake to a nightmare, which was problematic for many reasons.

As an aside, Remedios slept her due amount of hours, never too much or too few, her sword close in hand ready to leap to action in but a second's notice.

Currently, Remedios stared down at the map that had been so generously placed on the war council table for their use. It was some sort of approximation of the entirety of the Re-Estize Kingdom, which was now completely covered in all sorts of dark maroon flags—each indicating the Sorcerer Kingdom's captured territories. The flags were so many that it was impossible to get an estimate of the number without really sitting down and counting each and every one. It spoke grimly to the undead lord's reach—and of the terrifying promise behind his "well-intentioned" actions.

There was really only one portion of the map filled with teal flags—the representation of them, the Holy Kingdom, and the portions they had secured. The closest, to the south directly, was the fortress that had recently been captured at great loss. Compared to the overwhelming number of flags covering more than nine-tenths of the map, their contribution seemed painfully lackluster in comparison.

And if she was being perfectly honest with herself, their own occupation had been less than stellar. No, to be even franker, it was less than complete. Entire fortresses had been left behind after capturing them, as they had seen no need to hold and fortify them. They had needed to stay mobile at the start, to address their issues with their supplies and the relative strengths of the soldiers they had mustered to fight. And then they had left many towns unmolested aside from pilfering their supplies, and had not even left behind a garrison, nor less a scouting force. Remedios had wanted their army to keep pushing forward, to find that decisive strike that would force the King to negotiate.

For all their efforts, for all the blood they had spilt to avenge their honor, they had only managed to do so much in the long months they had spent in this damned country. On the other hand, the Sorcerer-King's minions appeared to have swept through the whole place, completely unmatched, and they had even arrived to surround the Capital before the Holy Kingdom could even reach it. Unlike them, they had claimed, claimed, to have occupied these lands they had conquered, which meant that they had the means to afford it compared to them!

When she remembered all the struggles that their army had undergone, all the hardships and the tribulations that the soldiers had endured, it almost seemed like the gods' attempt of a bad comedy. And that was not to forget that not even a year ago they had been languishing under Jaldabaoth's invasion, and some of her soldiers had therefore experienced two grueling wars one soon after the other. And it was a sad tragedy to think that many had survived the terrors of that inhuman horde with valor, only to fall to the blade of their petty neighbors in the east. The indignity of it all made her seethe with anger.

My Queen, I… Have I really done well? She thought, raising her eyes to the heavens, as if she could see her sister and her dearest friend looking down, bathed in golden light. Yet no answer came.

She knew what the whispers around the camp were saying. That if they had simply accepted the Sorcerer-King's offer from the outset, they would have accomplished their own objectives without having to sacrifice people "needlessly". Ainz Ooal Gown had proposed that this Marshal Cocytus would detach a force to help assist them. But she had firmly rejected the proffered hand of their allies; and so to many it was as if she had doomed thousands of soldiers to die on the ramparts of that fortress. Then they would discover, in the aftermath, that for all their efforts, they had only managed to do little, when compared to the Sorcerer-King. That undead was doing very well with undermining her authority and her reputation, all without even being in striking distance of her blade.

How dare they? Who would ever think that sacrificing the very soul of their nation just for the sake of appeasing some undead monstrosity was ever be worth it? The lives of all who had fallen had done so fulfilling their duty, and there could be no greater honor than that. To claim that their noble sacrifices were "meaningless" was the highest of insults!

And yet, the voices would say so insidiously, they would not have died so needlessly, if they had been commanded by a greater mind.

She banished that thought ruthlessly. She would not second guess herself. Others were allowed to have opinions as they wished, but her own self would not be suffered to rebel in whatever fashion.

Remedios strode towards the entrance of the tent and found the nearest guard. "It's almost time," she said. "Summon the others to attend me now."

"At once, sir," the paladin said, saluting.

Remedios strode out, leaving the confines of the Holy Kingdom encampment and making for the Sorcerer Kingdom's own camp a mile away, on their grand marshal's headquarters. She got on her horse and rode forth, accompanied by several of her most trusted subordinates. Their destination was supposed to be the meeting place where she needed to meet with the other side, in order to finalize their plans for the Re-Estize Capital.

Frankly, she no longer had the taste to prosecute any further war. The way she saw it, her Kingdom had done its duty in the eyes of history and had adequately avenged the raids that had devastated their border cities. Blood had already paid for blood. Her decision was to leave the rest of the fighting to their "allies", and she would use whatever excuse she could to accomplish that. After all, they had already done a lot thus far. Let them finish conquering the whole damned place as it pleased them.

The meeting place was a smaller camp, which stood on a small, hill-like mound that did not look at all natural. It seemed to have been raised by packing earth on top of each other, such that the camp overlooked all the gathered hosts of the Sorcerer-King in a way. Remedios was reasonably sure that there was some sort of magic involved in it. Once she and her men had dismounted and left their horses tied to the nearest hitching post, they then had to walk a few more meters up an incline, towards the tent pitched at its apex.

For a moment, she wondered why even the Sorcerer-King's purported "allies" were even forced to suffer this indignity. Then she remembered—this was just a game royalty liked to play. To force their lesser to bear slight indignities, so small that they would not incite resentment in any but the most prideful heart. The Holy Kingdom even had such rituals: she had borne witness to it countless times at court. Those who were to be granted an audience with the Holy Queen needed to make the proper obeisance—be they ambassador from a distant Kingdom or some local merchant seeking favor.

The tent itself was an ostentatious thing, almost looking like a building than strips of hide and cloth stitched together. Remedios wondered at the extravagance of even needing carpenters and smiths to forge the construction of this royal tent, but when one considered the thousands arrayed in the ring all around her, perhaps this was the sort of indulgence one came to expect from the Sorcerer-King.

Once they were completely inside the command tent, Remedios was able to see that she had been preceded by another group coming from the Holy Kingdom. She narrowed her eyes to see several paladins—supposedly under her authority. Yet she knew their true loyalties were to their masters of the southern nobility, whose stars were currently on the rise at home. Their intentions in serving her were quite transparent, and even Remedios could see that they were as much spies as well as little chains and muzzles to restrain the Grandmaster. And there was nothing she could do about it, but grit her teeth and endure their insubordination day after day.

It had been this lot who had loudly protested her decision to assault the last fortress, arguing that it would have been a waste of lives. And no doubt these paladins were also behind the whispers now circulating about in her camp—of recriminations and regret, of seizing hindsight by the horns to guide it to fit their vision. She had little doubt that after the war's end they would be jockeying to replace her as grandmaster.

Bah, to their idiotic politics! Perhaps she would not fight it. Though she was young yet, she deserved retirement, for all she had done. And it wasn't as if she wanted to serve this new Holy King, even when duty compelled. Perhaps she could find work as a trainer and teacher of future warriors, doing her best to raise up worthy humans who might end up ridding them of the scourge of Ainz Ooal Gown in the distant future. Yes, surely that was one part she could play in this wretched world, which had constantly conspired to take away all she wanted.

"Grandmaster," they greeted, bowing to her as she approached them. She returned their greetings with a curt nod. She did not need to be discourteous, but neither would she indulge their false pretensions.

Remedios crossed her arms and looked around. As expected, the other minions of the Sorcerer-King were present, but as none of them were the towering giant she had been acquainted with, they seemed like minor functionaries. But there were also other humans here, too. Obviously, these were people taken from E-Rantel to serve as heralds and diplomats. When she had asked one of these before about the type of service they contributed, that person had cheerfully stated that they'd been "hired" as actual employees under the Sorcerer-King, with a stipend and everything. They were also heavily guarded by his soldiers everywhere they went. It was a risky job, but they claimed that none had found cause to fear it over the past few weeks as they performed their duties.

"Frankly, being escorted by all these monsters is pretty scary, but y'know, at least they're on my side!"

She truly did not know if there was some trick to it. Even now she wondered if all those poor people shanghaied from E-Rantel were actually victims of some insidious mind-controlling spell.

"What do you think of it, sir?" one of the paladins said.

She blinked, turning her head to raise her brow at the paladin in question. "What are you talking about?"

The paladin shrugged, and spread his arms wide, as if to indicate everything around them. "About everything we've seen here. All these armies assembled, all these camps—it really makes one think about how powerful the Sorcerer-King is, eh?"

"And for all that they're monsters, they're pretty much organized too," chimed in another paladin, while he rubbed his chin. "Obviously way more organized than our mortal enemies in the Hills, but that's just a given. Those leaderless fools couldn't know about discipline and order even if it was shoved right in their faces. But these armies here… They're a lot more organized than even conventional troops, I reckon."

"Oh really?" asked the first paladin.

"Very much so. We could stand to learn a thing or two about them," said the second one.

"Fancy that, learning from Ainz Ooal Gown," said the first paladin, shaking his head.

"Are you two quite done?" said Remedios, her voice dripping with acid. "You lot sound like you're practically worshipping this foul creature. Have some self-respect, at least when you're wearing the armor of our order!"

The paladins had the sense to look apologetic. "Our earnest apologies, sir, we were only making our observations about the camp. Assuredly, it shall not happen again."

"Though…" said the second paladin, now addressing Remedios directly despite her very obvious hostility, "Are they not our allies, sir? Surely, we should at least spare some kind words for those whom our nation has pledged its aid."

"Such words have already been spent," Remedios said through gritted teeth, "By way of our ambassadors. But I will not have any of the paladins in our order besmirch their pride by fawning over the minions of an undead lord! You forget yourselves, sirs. I will not have any of this talk, not while I'm grandmaster!"

The second paladin bowed deeply. "My deepest apologies then, sir. It shall not happen again."

"Though please be careful on how you speak," said the first paladin. "You are representing His Majesty, after all."

"When I have reason to ask for your advice, then I shall speak. But I will not, and neither shall you." For the last time, the paladins bowed, before returning to speak among themselves.

Time passed, slow and arduous. The other paladins fell into talking in hushed voices, and some even conversed with the contingent from E-Rantel. As for herself, Remedios stood at attention, her brows furrowed as the minutes passed in agonizing slowness. Was the Sorcerer-King late? Had they misjudged the time somehow?

She started tapping her foot testily, her boots clanking softly on the carpet below. She tried not to match eyes with the monstrous minions on the other side of the table, nor did she spare her attention on the paladins beside her.

For all that he professes himself our ally, he's sure treating us like courtiers waiting for the King, she thought, her brows furrowed in wrath.

She was just about to slam her fist on the table, to complain about this late arrival to the other side, when there came a flash of light from nearby. Immediately, the paladins tensed, as if awaiting some signal to do battle. Then, she saw the form of the Sorcerer-King appear, the grinning skull covered in a forbidding cowl, his form shrouded in a great dark robe emblazoned with countless shining jewels, like stars trapped in a void of eternal dark.

After a few moments, Ainz Ooal Gown swept inside the command tent, his cloak swishing behind him.

The other creatures immediately bowed before him, which the other humans also did. She looked around to see that her own paladins were inclining their heads, for which she gritted her teeth. One did not bow to an ally! He was not their liege lord! She huffed.

"Apologies for being somewhat tardy," the undead offered. He gestured with his bone hands. "Please, rise. Well met to you all. Why are you all still standing? Please, sit. I made sure to have seats arranged for all of us here. Please, my dear allies, have a seat."

Steeling herself for yet another meeting with this fell creature, Remedios refused the order of a seat, and instead marched up to make a salute, slamming her gauntlet to her chest. "On behalf of the Holy Kingdom, I bid you greetings, Ainz Ooal Gown, on the basis of our nation's alliance."

It was so unnerving to stare right into the undead's eyes, where unholy fire burned. "Yes, hello, Remedios Custodios. Your presence is very much welcome. I trust that our alliance has been somewhat fruitful?"

"… In a way, yes," Remedios replied.

Ainz nodded. "Then that is good. It is gratifying to see two nations united in purpose. It really makes one appreciate how cooperation between nations is far more preferable to hostility and war, no?"

"As you say," Remedios said, masking her distaste behind a placid expression. She returned to her seat.

"Excellent. Now then, let us first discuss the state of the campaign thus far. Ah, but before that, let us have some refreshments!" Ainz clapped his hands together, and beautiful maids appeared, carrying in trays of food and drink. "It is not quite a meal—that should be reserved for later. But it allows us to eat and drink as we talk. So, let us get to it!"

Remedios watched through pursed lips as those present indulged in the Sorcerer-King's "generosity". The food certainly looked and smelled good; and this "juice" liquid seemed like a shot of heavenly nectar enclosed in a chilled mantle, as described by her subordinates. But she ate only a small bite and took only the barest of sips. She knew that on the balance the Sorcerer-King had no reason to commit some sort of treachery during this meeting. But there was still no reason to let one's guard down especially when facing an undead—beings who hated the living severely.

Also, she didn't know about the rest of them, but she had big reservations about eating or drinking at a table where the very host could not even participate in on his own generosity.

"To start, I should like to outline what I personally think should be the most primary concern during this siege," Ainz said, looking around the table as the others feasted. "We must always act with concern for the citizens of the city foremost in our minds. Of everyone involved in this conflict, they alone remain blameless and innocent. We must not risk further bloodshed by placing any unnecessary danger on them."

"But that is just easier said than done," Remedios said. "What if those citizens are hostile?"

"Then we treat them as any other hostile force in the war," Ainz replied.

Remedios rubbed her chin. "But what if they endeavor to hide within the ranks of the 'innocent'?" She recalled how the savage demihumans during the War with Jaldabaoth had resorted to using hostages and other innocents as literal shields to deter them, which had forced the soldiers to commit unspeakable acts—if only to liberate those poor souls while also decisively eliminating the filth. While the humans here were no demihumans, such brutality was still expected.

"Then you touch upon delicate matters that shall need our vigilant eyes and ears to address—during the moment, that is," Ainz said. "It is regrettable, but we must be prepared to do what is necessary to ensure that our objectives in the siege are accomplished. Should a terrible situation arise where we might be forced to act against even an innocent, then we must first discern if there is no other way."

"And if there is no other way?" Remedios asked.

Ainz shook his head. "Then there is nothing to be done." Just as had happened against Jaldabaoth—when scores of children were cut down and riddled with arrows, just so the monsters would not gain momentum. Remedios struggled to rein in the bile of disgust that swelled within her at the memory.

"Let us hope then that it does not come to that," said one of her paladins.

"Hear, hear," echoed the rest of them, raising their cups in salute.

Ainz nodded. "I am gratified that you can see that. As I have said, we will always take their safeties in consideration first. Let that be first on all our minds as we set to this task."

He cleared his throat, then turned his head to address her. "Now then, with that precaution out of the way, was there anything in particular you wanted to suggest, Remedios?"

Remedios blinked, surprised to have the whole room's attention suddenly thrust upon her. She swallowed her spit and looked down at the map displayed on the table.

Left with no other thoughts in her mind, she said the only thing that was already at the forefront on her mind.

"Lord Ainz, we of the Holy Kingdom would like to insist on being involved in the fighting," she said in as formal a voice as she could make.

For a moment, Ainz just stared at her, as if he was blinking in confusion. Then he said, "Well of course you may participate. But may I please inquire why you would ever think otherwise? You are, obviously, a treasured ally. I did not think we ever implied that we would not be working together."

"Of course you did not, honored lord. However, it is plain to see that judging by the amount of forces you have gathered here, it might have seemed… redundant for us to participate, when so much of your own forces outnumber ours," Remedios said, hoping she was understood.

Ainz did not say anything to that for a moment. Then he made a sound in his throat—or from whichever organ issued his hideous voice—which Remedios could not understand. "… Remedios, please be assured that we consider the Holy Kingdom to be worthy, stalwart allies. While you would be correct in thinking that I might simply order the Marshal to use our sheer numbers to overwhelm the entire city, that might be a little too impractical, no? Even with its size, not all of my warriors would be able to fit in—not to mention all the rest of the populace still within it.

"And so, that means we must resort to a plan, and I can assure you that the Holy Kingdom will have a place on it. Why would you have been invited here, after all, if not to hear your counsel and jointly create a good plan to be enacted for this siege?"

"It is gratifying to hear you say that, Lord Ainz," she said diplomatically. "On that note, the Holy Kingdom is therefore ready to contribute towards this war council." She glanced towards the paladins at her side, who all nodded resolutely.

"I thank you, Remedios," Ainz said. He gestured, and one of his minions set a map of the capital city and the space around it on top of the other map. His boned hand smoothed out one of the edges, before pointing a finger towards the city.

"Now, according to our observation of the city, there appears to be some form of unrest brewing within. I'm sure you've also observed it yourselves," Ainz said.

Remedios nodded in agreement. "It is clear that it's more than just unrest, however."

"As to that, we do not really have a picture of what is going on inside. We can speculate about it—we know there was a faction that was formed to repudiate the succession of King Zanac, and that is the reason why he yet remains in my custody, instead of being traded back to safety in exchange for a peace treaty. And it is perhaps the nature of such factions to break apart for no other reason than the brittle, fleeting connections each individual has with each other."

"Friction leading to chaos, collapse," declared a paladin to Remedios' side.

"Precisely," Ainz said. "Well, that's just one speculation. There could be many other explanations for it, but I fear we may only discover the root cause after we conquer the place." He sighed, and looked back down on the map. "Which we are here to do."

After a beat of silence, he said, "Remedios, are you familiar with the city?"

"I have been here before," she allowed warily.

"So you are familiar with its layout then." The undead's pointed gaze was fixed on the map. Remedios was therefore forced to place her due attention on it.

"After a fashion, yes." She laid the tip of gauntlet on one side of the city, on one of the walls. "I and me entourage entered through this particular gate, the western one leading to the main road that goes towards our Kingdom."

"It is one of several gates into the city," Ainz explained. "And they have obviously been closed, and have seemingly been fortified. What interests me most is this particular gate here," he said, pointing at something in the northeast wall, close to the Palace district. "On this particular location, there has been fewer smoke, indicating fires."

"Well, that's because the nobles must be there. Their estates are sure to have been spared," Remedios said.

"That is logical," Ainz said. "And I believe that this is an important gate for us to capture. As it is closer to the Palace, it would allow us the best chance to seize the nobles inside the Palace, and claim victory over the city without needing to involve the rest of the populace. If there are any soldiers deployed in the other areas, by capturing the nobles we will force them to capitulate, to stop and lay down their arms."

"That seems obvious enough," Remedios said. "Cut off the head of the snake, and it shall trouble us no longer. So it seems very straightforward then. Working together, we shall seize this gate, open it up, and allow our troops to pour in." She traced her gauntlet over the Palace. "They will hold the line against whatever resistance may still exist, and at the same time, storm the Palace and make these nobles surrender."

"And thus end the war," Ainz said.

Remedios liked this plan. It was simple and had no complexities to it that would lead to deviations. It would leverage the power and number of this undead's legions to make moot whatever resistance still remained. She had no illusions that the gate would be captured, that the Palace would be brought to heel. And unlike their Kingdom, the Sorcerer-King could afford to blood his troops in the crucible of war that might be there. Clearly he had ample skeletons to spare.

Should she then volunteer her troops to make up the frontline? She thought she could see the clear opportunity for her here. Finally, she could have the chance to redeem herself in a fierce battle; well, despite the fact that it was clearly a token battle, and that it would be quite short, all things considered. The only risk was her troops faltering, allowing the Sorcerer-King to just pick up the slack over their fallen bodies and claim victory without their help.

Remedios glanced towards her paladins. No! That must not be allowed!

They had to participate, and more than that: they had to succeed.

"Perhaps then we can proceed to the finer points of the plan," Ainz rumbled. "As simple as it seems, perhaps we can make it all the smoother if we can arrange how it will go. That is, the finer aspects of the battle."

"I agree," Remedios said quickly.

"So then, Remedios," Ainz said. "Would you have any suggestions to make for the battle?"

"Certainly," she said. As she spoke, she had the oddest feeling that the undead had actually been anticipating her speak, as if it was waiting for her. Then again, it was probably just part of expecting that his allies would need to be included.

"Do we have any war machines on hand, my lord?" Remedios asked first. "Some battle towers, or catapults…"

"We do not, though…" Ainz stroked his chin. "If there was a need to be throwing large rocks or the like at the walls, I have certain soldiers who can do that. Have you seen my giants?"

"No, but I'm sure they would make for fine artillery," Remedios said, trying not to shudder at the thought of tall creatures from her nightmares hurling large boulders the size of wagons straight at her. "In any case, I was trying to state that we cannot really rely on them here. Is it not our stated goal to prevent as much innocent casualties as we are able?"

"Yes, that is true."

"That means, at the most we can use siege towers," she stated, her eyes still staring down at the map, as if a solution were about to spring out in full color to greet her.

"Sir," said one of her aides. "There is one thing." She and Ainz turned to look at him. She was more surprised than anything that someone else was speaking up. But then she remembered that this was supposed to be a war council after all, not just a meeting between herself and Ainz.

"Yes?"

The paladin hesitated, glancing from her to Ainz, before nodding towards the map. "Do we—do we even really need siege towers? Are there soldiers manning the ramparts?"

Remedios blinked, comprehension only arriving after a few moments. Then she glanced at Ainz. "My lord, what are the most recent reports about this particular spot?"

To her surprise, Ainz suddenly chuckled. It had come out of nowhere that it chilled her bones.

"Ah, do forgive me," he said. "I was only struck by the... by everything, perhaps." He made a sound as if he was clearing his throat. "Well, I do have word on that. And that is why it is funny: there are no soldiers currently awaiting us on that rampart. Or more to the point: there have been no soldiers waiting for us on top of those walls."

Remedios was struck dumb for a good long moment. "No… None? What the hell are they thinking?" she all but shouted.

"Perhaps they are concentrating their efforts within," the same paladin suggested. "Perhaps they have not the men or material to man the ramparts, and are instead committed to some other stratagem. And, my apologies, I do not have an idea what that is."

Remedios shook her head. "If your information rings true, Lord Ainz, then this has just become a lot easier. Instead of siege towers, the bare minimum my force will need are tall ladders to climb to the top."

"Ladders." Ainz nodded, as if to himself. "Yes, that can work. We can have ladders prepared today."

"Well then, using those ladders, I will lead my force to the top of the ramparts, securing it. I shall then open the gates, allowing your forces to enter. From there, my men shall be the speartip, and we shall invade the Palace first to 'cut off the head' of the enemy, as you say, once and for all."

"Well… that sounds simple enough," Ainz said. "With the gates opened, I will of course be sending my troops in to help pacify the city. And perhaps you can send a detachment of your soldiers to assist? Surely, the populace will be more assured with the appearance of your paladins than with my troops."

Remedios scoffed. She wanted to yell out, well obviously humans would not see loathsome undead and fearsome creatures as liberators at all, but that would not be diplomatic of her. "Yes, perhaps that is the case."

And perhaps she would need a contingency of witnesses, in case the Sorcerer-King was indeed as barbarous as she thought it was in its heart. All of his actions needed to be watched; and if necessary, spread to all the world for them to know his true nature.

"So, with all that said, it all seems rather settled now, doesn't it?" Ainz said, steepling his bone fingers together in a pyramid-like shape.

"Yes, thankfully, it was all very clear," Remedios said.

"Then, for now, we shall adjourn this council meeting, while I attend to making the requisite materials we will need for the siege, along with giving instructions to Cocytus."

"We shall also be prepared on our end," Remedios said. "I will be mustering the troops who will participate." For how few soldiers she had brought with her, having to think about leaving any behind seemed laughable.

But she wanted a certain contingency. She wanted soldiers she could trust to flee, to retreat to her home, should things turn sideways.

And that was why she was further bringing with her the paladins inside the southern nobles' pocket. If she was going to die in some way, then at least they would die with her. It would be her last, grim retribution for all the shit they kept on pulling.

After she had returned to the Holy Kingdom camp, she got busy organizing the soldiers, and having them ready their arms and armor. While the Sorcerer-King had not explicitly said it, it was very sure that they might be striking today, and no later. When Ainz Ooal Gown came to call, she wanted to be sure they were ready to move, proving their worth as allies to his eyes.

Armored accordingly, she went back to the command tent, and there met the Sorcerer-King again.

"The ladders are almost complete," Ainz told her. "As are the forces that are to assist you first with taking the gate. Once you've secured it, they will be the ones to rush through and provide a screen; and most importantly, a distraction that will allow you to proceed to the Palace with all haste."

"Good idea," Remedios said, placing her hands on the table. Her eyes were focused on the picture of the garrisoned gate. She tried to shake off the reminder of her previous actions against another gate, which had led to failure.

No, she would succeed.

She was just about to push herself from the table when there came a voice from outside.

"My apologies, Ainz-sama, but I bring news most urgent!"

"Ah, who is…" Ainz turned his humongous-looking body almost comically in his seat. "… Ah yes, come in. You have something to report?"

Joined by a loud clatter of metal sheets grinding against each other, a warrior clad in full silver plate marched inside the tent and bowed deep to the Sorcerer-King.

It was a figure she had met before—who yet remained nameless to her. She had seen its appearance many times from afar in this camp, which had led to her inquiring about it, wanting to know if it was some sort of leader like Cocytus. From the information that had been brought back, it seemed to be a fighter of some renown, judging from the way it moved. She initially thought it was an adventurer from E-Rantel. She was disappointed to hear from inquiries that it was yet another one of the Sorcerer-King's minions. There were very big odds that underneath its burnished armor were horrors unimaginable.

"My lord Ainz, it is my pleasure to forward some surprising news from the front—from Marshal Cocytus himself!" Then it bent down, lowering its helm close to the side of Ainz's skull. It started to whisper in a low, rapid voice, utterly unintelligible to Remedios, despite her close proximity. Ainz, in the meantime, didn't show any visible reaction to whatever secret message was being given to him—rather, it was impossible considering his skull features.

Halfway through, Ainz did utter a noise that sounded like amazement. Then, after a few more moments, Ainz nodded and gestured in dismissal.

"You have done well to bring me this news," Ainz said. "Return to your prior duties."

"At once, great lord!" the silver warrior said, saluting smartly, before marching away in a clatter of metal.

"Well, this is rather embarrassing," Ainz said, rubbing the side of his skull. "For all that we have been planning everything for this siege… It does take the wind clean off our sails to discover that those plans won't be needed after all." Ainz shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it. "It looks like we won't need to go ahead with the siege after all."

"What? What do you mean?" Remedios couldn't help but ask.

"As of this moment, honored ally from the Holy Kingdom, it seems that we have won the war."

"…What?"

Ainz had then left, with Remedios following, her paladins keeping up behind her. She had then seen something peculiar in the distance, off near the walls of the Capital City, and had then stopped to gape in shock.

The glow from the burning city was brighter now. There were now also many scattered lines of people streaming from the distant walls, like disorganized ants fleeing some calamity. It was such a bizarre and abrupt change, considering the fact that not five minutes ago she had cast her eyes towards the very same city, and nothing had seemingly changed.

"What has happened?" she all but shouted, her composure entirely lost.

"Do not worry, the army has been informed to do nothing about the people coming towards us," Ainz said, inclining his head. "And I have just been informed that matters in the city have gone to a head. You know the reality of how it's been chaos in there. Well, as you can see the chaos has overflowed, and everything has completely collapsed."

He raised a finger. "These are the facts that have been shared to me. First, there was some sort of general uprising that managed to storm the royal palace. For their own reasons, the city's lower-class populace has had enough, whether it is because of material things like food and money; or the shame of losing so badly in a war. According to our forward scouts, who can see a glimpse into the city, the fighting has penetrated into the Palace itself. The fires we've all been seeing? They're burning within the Palace now."

"I don't believe it…" Remedios said in hushed voice.

Ainz gestured towards the sight. "We've already started receiving 'refugees' from those people fleeing over there. Most of them are purporting to be 'commoners' fleeing persecution, but we have reason to believe that most of them are nobles. Naturally, I've commanded Marshal to to receive them and detain them as a temporary measure."

Remedios recalled how Ainz had ordered the encircling army show no mercy to any who would flee, and shuddered at what might have happened to all these fleeing people otherwise.

Their meeting was then dismissed for the second time, as Ainz went to address the ongoing situation with his subordinates. Remedios kept her soldiers on a high state of alert, while she herself watched the ongoing events from afar. The Sorcerer-King would send humans from E-Rantel as messengers to confer with them at their camp, providing them new updates about the situation.

"The Master's people have already started interrogating the first ones who fled. We now have unconfirmed reports that the Golden Princess, this 'Renner' who was supposed to be the new ruler of the Kingdom has disappeared. We are not sure, of course, but it is implied that her disappearance may have been what led to matters tipping over the edge."

They were all gathered on their personal command tent, discussing the recent changes with grim looks all around.

"I suppose…" one of the paladins remarked, servant of the southern nobles, "That without this figurehead, any legitimacy these nobles yet possessed were dashed to the wind. They are as brigands now in the eyes of the world, pretenders who had overthrown the legitimate government."

Remedios fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course it would be the pawns of the southern nobles who would offer such insight!

"They might still have proven their claim, had they power yet in their hands," another of her paladin said. "Which, unfortunately, was not the case."

A few hours later, Remedios once more returned to the main command tent to meet with Ainz Ooal Gown.

"We have confirmed our previous impressions from the many prisoners of war we interrogated," Ainz informed her. "As such, we no longer have any reason to believe that this is some sort of stratagem, or that there might still be elements of resistance waiting within those walls."

"It's a possibility, granted," Remedios said.

Ainz nodded to acknowledge that. "And now, with no formal government to accept surrender, we can now claim to have won this war through the total conquest of these lands. Obviously, we shall need to march troops into the city as a formality, but in doing so we will also be lending our aid to any survivors still left inside." He glanced towards Remedios. "And I hope the Holy Kingdom shall also play its part in offering succor to the defeated."

Remedios blinked, momentarily caught off-guard by the undead's pointed look. Then she coughed and nodded. "We shall be gracious in victory. I shall inform my soldiers to assist yours."

When she went back to her camp to announce it to the men, they all could not believe it at first. A great hush fell over the gathered assembly. Then, one of her paladins spoke, breaking the silence.

"I can't believe it. We… won the war?"

Far from it, Remedios wanted to say, with some bitterness. Their side had nothing at this stage, and if the city had had some stomach to resist their enemies, all that had been drained away by the Sorcerer-King's armies simply camping in a circle around them. That they had imploded all by themselves without battle even being offered was something that could only be laid at Ainz Ooal Gown's feet, to her eternal annoyance.

After a beat, Remedios said. She took a deep breath between her words, as if she had barely enough to breathe. "Yes. Yes, we did."

At that the whole room fell into chatter, each speaking to their fellows, whispering and gibbering eagerly amongst themselves. Left alone to her thoughts, Remedios could only grit her teeth as dark spikes of resentment shot through her mind.

Ever since she had taken up command of this campaign, she had sought a way to redeem herself—in her eyes, in the eyes of the nation, and in the eyes of the Holy Queen and her sister. At first, she had hoped to win through glorious battle, by repaying every insult to the Re-Estize Kingdom in a grand campaign that would see their nation revitalized as a power that was not to be underestimated despite Jaldabaoth's depredations.

Yet that was not what happened. She had gotten bogged down after the first thrust. Though they had been wildly successfully in defeating every enemy army that they met, they could not just convert those victories into anything meaningful. They still required supply caravans to make the long trip back and forth towards their homeland, making them delay in camp several days just to give them a chance to catch up.

Eventually, they had even been forced to give ground, for various material, mortal reasons beyond her grasp. It had been unfeasible to garrison and hold any of the towns or fortresses they had captured, as that would waste precious few resources that they did not possess.

And then, worst of all, they had been forced to ally with the Sorcerous Kingdom, sullying what had once been an earnest drive to reclaim their honor. Now they would forever be associated with the undead lord for all time as the histories would be written, their victories tainted by his mere presence.

And then, her big opportunity, but mere days past, to defeat the last holdout of the enemy in the fortress siege, had failed spectacularly. Despite winning that siege, the Holy Kingdom had taken significant losses, which were enough that she couldn't march the entire army here to make a decisive showing in front of their "ally". Only those who were still fit and able, despite being exhausted by all the recent fighting, were present in this very camp.

Still, Remedios had retained a glimmer of hope, that she could somehow leverage some sort of showing here in the siege of the Capital City itself. She had no plans for it at the moment, but she wanted to find and opportunity and seize it, just so her nation would be able to prove its worth to all in the world. And through that, she would be able to redeem herself before the eyes of her countrymen.

Yet now they were reduced to dispensing charity to the citizens of a dying nation. There was no glory to be found even in this most compassionate of acts.

She bit her lip and tried not to air out the thoughts inside her mind, much as she wanted to.

And so, later when they met once more with Ainz, she asked him, "If it is no trouble to ask: what will be the plan now for the Re-Estize Kingdom? Are we to assume then that there will be no one on the opposite side to negotiate with? What of Zanac?"

"You have struck the bit on the head concisely," Ainz said, chuckling. "Indeed, it has always been the plan to put Zanac back at the head of the nation that was already supposed to be his. Much of what I have been forced to do would have been avoided had Zanac been allowed to take up the throne as was his right. And so we would not have needed to fight those many battles."

Remedios tried not to think too hard about the last of those words.

"I see no reason for the stragglers out there to not accept that which should rightfully have happened long before. Zanac is now their King, and from there we can finally end the bloodshed and come to terms on the table of peace. For is that not the goal that we all have been striving?"

"…Indeed," Remedios said. "Where is Zanac now?"

"He is at a camp a little ways back. Now that news of the Capital's fall is here, I can immediately send word for him to be taken here. Perhaps it is right for him to be here to administer his people directly."

Or you want him to see the dregs of his kingdom, Remedios thought darkly. Though since Zanac had been in their hands for a long while now, there was no indication of the King's current condition. Perhaps he had already been properly brainwashed by these monsters, and now he would hand over his Kingdom to the undead gladly on a silver platter.

When she returned to her camp, she found that the soldiers present there had already started to celebrate. Casks of wine had been opened, mugs were passed around, and the libations flowed freely.

"Three cheers for the Holy Kingdom! For the Holy King!" cried one of the paladins, who raised his tankard high and whooped.

Others took up his cheer and cried, "To the Sorcerous Kingdom, our allies, and the benevolent Lord Ainz!"

"Three cheers for stout allies and righteous heart!"

"To the future!"

"Hurrah!"

The inside of the tent erupted into cheers. Only Remedios stood in the middle of the joyful throng, silent and unmoving.

Remedios was glad to see the end of this wretched war. But she knew this was not to be the end of what was about to come. She didn't know if the Holy Kingdom would even weather the end of this war intact, or if there was more trouble brewing on the horizon.

"To King Zanac!"

"To the Holy King!"

"To Grandmaster Remedios!"

"… And three cheers for Ainz Ooal Gown!"

---

It was always refreshing to have a plan come together. It was part of her nature, of course, but even more than that, she loved to put a plan together, and see it to devious conclusion. She didn't know if it was exactly what the Supreme Being intended for her, but at this point, she didn't really care.

Even if everything so far had been masterminded by the greatest Supreme, her beloved Ainz Ooal Gown, she felt safe in the knowledge that she had still played some small part in enacting his grand designs. He had been so kind and loving in leaving some space in his tapestry for her to weave, to be allowed to make even some small blemish on the perfection he was about to build inside this world.

And so, she had enacted the plans together with Demiurge that would subjugate the Re-Estize Kingdom, in order to finally eliminate yet another obstacle in Ainz's plan to rule over all. It had been an old plan that had gone through many changes and shifts, especially when Ainz-sama demonstrated the many ways one could subjugate a nation. It felt very humbling for them to see how small and petty their initial plans had been, when set against the divine genius that had laid low the proud Jircniv, or had brought the underground dwarves to Nazarick's banner.

When they had seen how elegant had been the fall of the Empire, how subtle its execution and the deviousness of its subordination to the Master's Will, they could not just continue the plan as they had. It needed to be a match for the Master's sample masterwork, an artifice of cunning that would impress their wise lord! And so they had plotted and schemed, seeding their preparations over many long months, each primed to bloom into a magnificent harvest. When things needed changing, they adapted as necessary, never once complaining that things had gone awry.

For in a way, even the worst failures were still doing its part to further the Master's scheme. What might have seemed perplexing in the heat of the moment may well turn out to be a brilliant maneuver in hindsight. Only a fool did not recognize this, and only fools did not strive to turn every setback into an opportunity, exactly as Ainz Ooal Gown wanted.

Admittedly, Albedo had not been able to be as "hands-on" with her part of the plans as she had desired. Halfway through, she had finally been accepted into her Master's arms, and that was a nice coup in of itself (even if there were still bothersome elements not to her liking). Her growing pregnancy and the word of the healers who were to take care of her and her baby meant that she could but act through intermediaries at most. The rest of it had been left up to Demiurge, with him taking up the slack where Albedo could not—though not for lack of trying or a lapse in motivation. But orders were orders, and she would not risk the safety of her children, as Ainz-sama desired.

Particularly after she'd seen what beautiful creatures had come out from Zesshi Zetsumei's belly. If such things spawned from a lowly creature were so radiant and wonderful to behold, what then would be the result of the coupling between the Master and herself?

Truly, it would only be even more magnificent. She could not wait.

She giggled, and patted her great belly. She was close now, she knew, and it was only a matter of weeks before she would experience what Zesshi did. The sheer joy of finally seeing the fruit of her union with the Master, of being surrounded by his love, of being the "prime woman" of Nazarick for but a few days—it was so very tantalizing! Her anticipation was marred by the fact that it was a lowly outsider who had been the First, but she could only moan and grit her teeth at the sheer indignity of the situation and nothing more. Well, she would be sure to give that woman her comeuppance soon enough.

She reached out and took a sip of the herbal tea close at hand—a drink provided by the maids to help facilitate the steady nurturing of the child inside her belly. She didn't really understand the peculiar alchemical processes involved, but if the wisdom of the healers were to be heeded, then she had no quarrel with it.

She sighed as the pleasant heat went down her gullet to spread all over her abdomen. She imagined her child eagerly drinking from what she had imbibed, nourished greatly by the contents.

"Yes, my baby," she said throatily, her dark, feathered wings fluttering in excitement. "Drink deep, and grow—grow to be greater than any of your siblings."

Yes, there was no doubt that the child born between the Master and herself would one day rule above all, just like his father. And she was under no illusions that there would be a day when siblings would need to fight, to claim primacy over the rest.

This child would be the one to triumph.

She would certainly make sure of it.

Yet just as her body was slowly digesting and absorbing the nutrients in the herbal tea, so too was she deliberating on the aftermath of the plans that had reached a successful conclusion. For though she had received word that the Re-Estize Kingdom had capitulated, and that the war was effectively won, there were still other things to take care of, certain loose ends that had to be attended. She and Demiurge, far from celebrating like most of Nazarick at the swift conclusion to the war and glorifying the Master (as was proper), would be spending quite some time managing certain things behind the scenes.

First, there was the massive logistical concern of recalling the bulk of Nazarick's forces before the delegations from the other nations would arrive for the peace meetings. It seemed foolish to not make a show of force for the others to fall in line, but it hadn't been her decision to make. Once more, she would trust in the Master's wisdom and vision.

Therefore, only a few army groups were left behind to garrison the Capital City. Cocytus had been commanded to assign those who would be left behind, and those who would be returning. It was left to one half of the dark elf twins, Aura, to actually be the ones overseeing the multiple Gate deployments that would return all of them to their posts back in Nazarick. It helped that she was also commanding the beasts from her own Floor, who were finicky creatures that needed her "personal" commanding touch.

The other half of the twins, Mare, was in charge of providing resources for the garrison, as well as the people who were still present in the Capital. Having been put in charge of doing the exact same thing to the other towns and cities they had occupied in the Kingdom, it was a natural fit for him which he undertook with his usual stoic touch.

The Death Knights that had been commanded to watch over very same places were also left behind, again on Ainz's orders, and that was something more sensible that she could readily understand. There was a very real risk that some enterprising group would attempt to seize any of the defenseless territories of the Re-Estize Kingdom now that it could no longer defend itself through any reasonable way. Those guards would be more than a deterrent, it was also a reassurance to some of the captured cities and towns that their proposal to be directly integrated into the Sorcerer-King's domain would be heeded.

Speaking of those territories, of course, Demiurge had finally gotten the tally of those who had spoken for being directly annexed by the Master. And when he had shared it to Albedo, she had immediately seen how it could be perplexing to the devil. Many of those territories were like ugly pieces of patchwork over a canvas surface, entirely disconnected from each other like islands in a sea of irrelevance. Either of them would have made an argument for annexing everything, but the Master had already firmly expressed his point of view that the final borders would be determined on the peace meetings.

And yet, having already made promises to the leaders of these towns, Demiurge felt that reneging on their word would be far more damaging to Ainz-sama's reputation than if He pushed for annexing large swathes of territory.

"Why would you have even made promises you could not keep?" Albedo had asked the smiling devil. "We already knew the Master had no intention of annexing territories from the start, when he had made that declaration of war."

Demiurge shrugged with the air of one who has decisively solved a difficult equation, and was yet perplexed by the possibility of there being another solution. "I had thought the Master intended on using them as leverage for some key ploy. And yet, it seems He has a different view on their status. Or to be more specific: it had always been His intention of letting them be."

"Well, as we both know, Demiurge, when it comes to the Master, nothing is ever definite yet," she assured him. "In cases like these, we must trust that He has already seen the path to the future that shall be taken, and that we must look to our other duties first before attempting to gainsay his wisdom."

"You are right, of course, my dear," Demiurge said, shrugging. "For it is only the Master who has likely seen the outcome of this 'peace conference', in his words. And I have faith there will be something there that may yet surprise us."

"Fu fu fu," Albedo could only utter, with a wide smile.

There was also another matter for her to consider. It was in attending to the matter of those who had indirectly helped her Master's schemes, no matter how small or insignificant. Through espionage, sabotage, and other subtle means, they allowed the plan to go generally unhindered, and were Nazarick's cats' paws within the Re-Estize Kingdom. All of them occupied a vast network over which she and Demiurge presided.

With the Re-Estize Kingdom all but effectively fallen at this point, there was a need for restructuring the vast network. Some had already been ended preemptively, as they had outlived their usefulness. Those were usually Demiurge's little birds, the dregs who no longer had any use now that the Master had conquered. Then there were those in higher positions, who were usually Albedo's remit. Those little birds were trapped in a state of flux, as they were still unsure of what would happen to the Kingdom now that victory had been achieved.

But there was one bird in particular who had done very well, and who must now be rewarded for the part it had played.

And as if fate heeded her thoughts, a portal then opened a certain distance away from her. It was a Gate helpfully provided by the lich who was standing by inside that very room.

Eyes lighting up, Albedo reclined and made sure to appear as regal as possible even in this simple, undecorated chair. It had been made not as much for luxury as it was for the comfort of pregnant women, fulfilled by captured master carpenters on the order of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Such dignity was needed from her part—after all, she was meeting royalty.

A figure emerged from within the Portal. It was a beautiful-looking maid, with a stern demeanor and a measured walk. It was carrying the body of a human wearing plate armor over its shoulder, like it was a sack of grain. Immediately, Albedo could see that this maid was not one of the homunculus maids, as she could recall all their faces to a very accurate degree.

So obviously, this could only be one of the lesser doppelgangers, who were forbidden to mimic anybody else in Nazarick by royal decree—unless explicitly ordered as part of a stratagem.

The doppelganger widened its eyes upon catching sight of her. It went down on one knee, while still carrying the body, and exclaimed, "Greetings, my lady Albedo. I am pleased to report that I return after successfully executing the mission assigned to me."

Albedo inclined her head in acknowledgment. She turned her attention pointedly to the body it had slung over its shoulder. "Have you confirmed that that is the one we need?"

"Affirmative, my lady," the maid said, nodding. "Our contact has confirmed it herself. She should be arriving shortly."

As if on cue, another figure emerged from within the portal, this time someone stepping forward in slight trepidation, as if unused to travel by Gate. It was a beautiful blonde woman, wearing a sumptuous silk dress made obviously for royalty to wear.

The figure would be none other than Princess Renner, their spy and cat's paw within the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was fairly obvious to Albedo, as this one was the very reason she was here, instead of being out there with Ainz-sama. She had finally accomplished her given role in Ainz-sama's plans and would therefore be rewarded accordingly with what she desired most in the world.

Already, Albedo could see that the human had not restrained herself in the least from adopting the "gift" she had bestowed. Several horns could now be seen protruding from the human's head, sitting elegantly over her hair like a gruesome crown. A pair of bat-like wings could be seen on its upper back, small and dainty. Finally, a thin, rope-like tail hung from the Princess' lower back, twitching and coiling by itself as if it had a life of its own.

The little Princess had been an early find of Demiurge's when they had first been scouting Nazarick's surrounding kingdoms. He had taken an interest in the girl, as she had some "potential" that a devil like him could sniff out like a hound does its favorite meat. He had drawn Albedo's attention to her, and spoke of how it had been a coup to subvert such a highly placed royal in a Kingdom Ainz-sama was destined to conquer.

Control over Renner was then passed to Albedo, when she was assigned as liaison to the Kingdom in the wake of the Katze Plains. She had found the little mortal and her silly mind quite amusing as a diversion, a rarity among the mortals she had met in this world. She seemed less a human than a demon masquerading in mortal flesh, and that was quite surprising to encounter. She'd seen the shades of how "evil" these mortals purported themselves to be, but the Princess had been something else.

And that was the reason why Albedo had granted her the use of a changing item, in order to see how far she would go to become who she truly was.

The former princess Renner was looking around in wonder and astonishment, but upon catching sight of her, her face immediately bloomed. "Albedo-sama, it is good to see you!"

"Yes, same to you," Albedo said, spreading her arms in a magnanimous manner. "You have done well. Exceedingly well." The Gate fizzed out behind the Princess, having completed its use. The lich who had maintained it bowed unobtrusively in the background before withdrawing as previously instructed.

Albedo gestured to a chair next to her. "Come, sit with me for a while. Let us converse. I formally bid you welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the grand domicile of our Master Ainz Ooal Gown."

The Princess curtsied. "And I am honored to have been welcome within His halls." She did not hesitate to take the indicated seat with the appropriate grace, as befit one who had been bred for royalty.

Albedo cast her attention briefly back towards the doppelganger. "Take him to the Ninth Floor—they are already there expecting him and the Princess. You are to watch over him until further orders come, or should the Princess arrive to claim him."

"Understood, my lady," the maid said, straightening her body in salute before marching crisply away towards the chamber's exit.

"Will he be… alright?" Renner asked hesitantly, her eyes obviously affixed upon the body of Climb, her paramour and pet, and the one person of interest who had been explicitly singled out in all of the plans that had been made for the Re-Estize Kingdom.

"You shall be there when he awakes," Albedo assured her. "You would have already been there with him, as has been planned, but I wanted to meet you here first. To exchange words, even for a little while. Please forgive us this slight indulgence."

"No, not all," Renner protested, giggling slightly. "I am pleased that Albedo-sama herself has come to greet my arrival. It is truly an honor, my lady. And please allow me to state my eternal gratitude for freeing me from that awful place; from all those annoying, overbearing bugs who call themselves nobles. And of course, there was the most supreme gnat of them all, my dearly departed father."

"It is too bad that he has not been more amenable to reason," Albedo remarked airily. "He might have figured more in the Master's plan, but ultimately he was discarded as useless." It had been unusual, for Renner to petition her for the right to kill her father. Demiurge had approved it, but of course Albedo had to consult Ainz-sama if the King were to be important in any way.

"Is he not abdicated?" Ainz-sama had replied. "I do not think there is a way for us to return the throne to him. And of course, we have already promised it to Zanac, so there's no taking that back."

From that, Albedo had deduced that the King was unimportant to Ainz-sama's goal, which then allowed her to give the permission that Renner seemed to crave very much.

"He was useless," Renner said in agreement with a very wide, toothy smile. "And to the very end he was so, nosy. I had planned to leave him to the wolves back at the Palace, but it was fortuitous he showed up when he did." She clenched her fist, as if imagining she was holding someone's head within them. "Then I was able to express my gratitude to him once and for all."

Renner truly was a fascinating creature, an unusual exemplar of her species, to have been so cold-blooded as to murder her own father, personally at that. That had then led to her achieving the minimum requirements of the item that had been given to her, and had thus transformed into an Imp as could now be visibly clear, a testament to the sheer malevolence of her heart. To Albedo, it was a demonstration of how far an outsider could go. She lamented, briefly, that she was not a mother—she could have proved an excellent counter-weight to the damned Zesshi Zetsumei.

"Yes, I know full well the feeling of having to deal with some annoyances on an almost daily basis," Albedo remarked. Though she couldn't really do anything about that just yet.

"Right~?" Renner said. Fortunately, she had no clue about the turmoil of her mind in that moment.

Albedo cleared her throat, to move the subject of their conversation forward. "Now that you are here after successfully accomplishing your tasks, allow me to formally congratulate you for playing your part to perfection." She indicated towards a glass of wine on the other side of the table next to her, which was close to Renner; while she herself took up the cup of tea. Wine was forbidden by the healers, so this was something purely for her guest. She knew that the Princess did not drink, so this was a sort of test for her.

However, Renner did not hesitate to take up the glass.

Albedo lifted her cup in salute. "To a job well done, and to the Grand Vision of the Master Ainz Ooal Gown," she announced.

"Indeed," Renner said, taking up the toast, before taking a sip of her wine. Albedo observed her expressions carefully even while drinking the herbal tea. That she was eager to imbibe that drink meant that she was willing to endure discomfort or anything that went against her inner desires, if it meant having to put up a façade.

"So it is really true then?" Renner asked, after putting the glass of wine aside. Still, it was very telling that she only took a few gulps, as if she could not really tolerate drinking anything more. "That it was Ainz-sama who foresaw that I would be of help?"

Albedo leaned back and shrugged, adopting the mien of someone who was about to dispense some mysterious wisdom.

"Of course. Nothing is free from His boundless gaze. We are all glad and satisfied to be able to play our particular parts for Him. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing His insidious genius play out before your eyes, unfolding like divine providence, and seeing how all the pieces fall into place; indeed, as if fate itself was conspiring together with Him to create history anew. I can assure you, my dear, from my perspective it is very humbling to see it all, from the beginning to the end." She chuckled. "Although He does not like to show a glimpse of His brilliance to us so openly. He doesn't really like to flaunt—He is humble in that way, no matter how many accolades we might seek to lay at His feet."

"Ainz-sama is truly deserving of the praise," Renner said with a hushed, awestruck voice. "It has also been a humbling experience on my part as well, as I never expected to be able to suddenly play a role I had not anticipated. Or rather, I knew what my role should be, but then 'fortuitously' I was able to take on another role, quite as if by accident. But as you say, this was actually but another facet of Ainz-sama's grand plan, so I am humbled and awed at such divine foresight."

Albedo nodded indulgently. The Princess was referring to that slight shift in plans some time ago, when the Prince Zanac had so suddenly and foolishly brought his army over the border into the Sorcerous Kingdom. The man had hoped to do it in public, but he had been neatly caught by Cocytus and his troops, who had just so happened to be present on that particular moment.

The news had been slightly disconcerting to Albedo and herself, as they had not really expected the prince to do such a foolish thing. Not the act in of itself: by that point, they had already anticipated his army's coming to the point of sending Cocytus as a guard on that exact moment and place. But neither nor Demiurge had ever thought of planting the idea inside Prince Zanac's head, as they were more content to continue with the original plans. To be blunt, Zanac was a non-factor, and there had been no orders to subvert him. Therefore, there were two possibilities. Either Ainz-sama had placed the idea inside his head, or he had foreseen his actions from long ago, and had allowed them to keep on with their plans knowing what was about to happen. It was a masterful stroke in either case.

Albedo had at first assumed that this was just part of humiliating the Re-Estize Kingdom. From there, they would be able to force concessions and other indignities in exchange for the Prince's return. Being the last heir, it would have been very effective to hold the executioner's blade atop the Prince's neck.

She had not expected the Master to instead declare war—through the Sorcerous Kingdom. Though she had not anticipated it, she had instantly grasped his intent, for with the Prince's act he had been able to secure a valid casus belli to ensure that Nazarick's war would be "righteous" in a way. No sane mortal could therefore claim that Ainz-sama was about to embark on some world-conquering spree—they were acting just like the Holy Kingdom, to seek vengeance for sovereignty violated.

But that was not all.

With the two nations now at war, the Prince had suddenly become a much more important hostage to exact leverage on any future negotiations. The King, Ramposa III, was then forced to abdicate. Such was another event neither she nor Demiurge had anticipated, though they had both grasped what was about to happen from here instantly.

To all others it might have seemed abject madness, but Albedo saw the King's hopes: that by ensuring that the King and leader of the nation was suddenly in Ainz's custody, the two Kingdoms would be able to come to terms quickly and end the war. This would give Zanac back, while also preventing them from fighting a two-sided war against both the Holy Kingdom and Ainz-sama. It was a worthy gambit, and if he had ruled over a sensible nation then it might have even worked.

Quite unfortunately for the poor King, the Master had correctly predicted that much of the nobility would not accept his decision, and would therefore lead a coup to denounce the succession—and instead prop up Renner. It was at this time that Renner, who had so far just been Nazarick's spy and secret weapon within the very heart of the Kingdom, had suddenly acquired yet another part to play. In doing so, this also ended up eliminating the rest of the nobles still loyal to Zanac, further placing the Kingdom right into Ainz-sama's palm.

The nobles, instead of listening to common sense, would then insist on prosecuting this two-pronged war, ensuring their defeat. Ultimately, Ainz's simple intervention into her and Demiurge's plan won him another war, and this time he was not some mere aggressor, but a wronged person seeking reparations, a leader only willing to do what was right.

It was, as Demiurge described, "a very beautiful sequence of events, and we are glad to be able to witness it as His loyal minions".

Albedo couldn't help but privately agree, as she stroked the child in her belly. "His mind is ever turned to the future, in a way. Even now, He could be thinking of entire plans; and contingencies for said plans many years in the future. It would only be futile for any of us to perceive what He actually intends. You can never be sure that whatever it is you do, whether in support or in opposition to His directive, is not in itself part of his Grand Scheme. It is a concern for us loyal underlings, who seek to execute His will. Yet it is also a privilege, to be able to witness such divine cunning as can never be seen anywhere else."

Renner made a clapping sound. "And I am grateful to have played some part, no matter how small, in His deviousness." She wasn't sure if the mortal was genuine in this praise or not, but she was not going to be fooled.

Albedo scoffed. "You should not sell yourself short quite yet." Already Albedo could see the many uses for this peculiar human specimen, though that would depend on what Ainz-sama was about to do next. But of course, there was no need to tell her about that.

"Ah, I had almost forgotten, Albedo-sama," Renner said next, slapping her hands to her cheek in what might have been a lovely manner, though it did not affect Albedo at all. She giggled, and continued, "I have something of a gift for you, as my personal thanks for helping me thus far. I know what you've granted me is not something that can simply be repaid by a simple gift, but I hope you can indulge me in this."

"Oh really?" Albedo said, raising a brow in interest. "Well, well, this is unexpected. What is it?"

"Well, during our last talk we discussed how certain pleasurable activities could help in nurturing one's body—and in extension one's child, remember?"

Albedo nodded. "Of course." From a previous talk, they had pondered on how certain activities, such as sex, could be good for one's humors. Just as other hobbies straightened the body and the mind, they speculated on how an injection of pleasure could lead to a better mindset. And they wondered, too, if that would affect a pregnant woman and her babies in some way.

"Our last word on it was of how doing performing grueling sadistic torture would be a fine thing to test, as I recall," Albedo said, as she cast her mind back through her memories.

Renner nodded. "Indeed. And you were lamenting on how you could not find a suitable subject, nor the time."

"Yes." As they had been discussing possible solutions, Albedo had to admit to Renner that she did not currently have the time to be doing such things on her own. She was mandated to get as much rest as possible in her pregnant state, when she wasn't tending to their plans as much as possible. She was too busy, simple as that.

In addition, she would have to find some suitable subjects to test. Unfortunately, she could not just go to Demiurge and request one from his farms, as it would have gotten back to Ainz-sama. It was the sort of frivolity that was forbidden. She did not want to be scolded again.

"Well, I am happy to say, Albedo-sama, that it seems we shall be able to test it out, after all!" Renner said happily.

Albedo cocked her head. "Oh? Do tell."

"I have been able to 'acquire' a certain specimen who seemed to me rather suited to a role as a test for this concept of ours," the former Princess said, her face twisted into a grin.

"Oh my," Albedo said, a grin now blooming on her face. She sat up, alert now. "Well, if that is your gift, then you have certainly caught my interest." She gestured for her to continue. "And who or what is this… fortunate unfortunate?"

"You may recognize him," said Renner. "I believe you have had a little history before. I was able to acquire him a few days ago. I gave him to one of the shadow retainers to hide, after explaining that they were to be a sort of surprise."

Albedo was intrigued, and a little excited now. She immediately cast a Message, to converse with the shadow demons to whom Renner was referring.

"It is I," she announced, when the Message connected. "I have heard that the Princess Renner has some surprise for me? Good. We can receive it now."

As it turned out, the specimen had been bound and transported to Nazarick a few days back. It was in one of the bulk shipments that were directly headed for Demiurge's farms, though this one had been especially singled out by Renner. At the latter stages of the siege, some effort had been made by their representatives in the Eight Fingers to kidnap a particular number of nobles discreetly, who would not be missed by anyone.

The door to the chamber opened, and a pair of skeletal knights entered. They wore hulking, baroque armor, emblazoned with sinister heraldry. They were carrying some sort of sack between them. After they got near, they dumped the sack unceremoniously on the ground. The knights saluted, then turned around departing.

The sack started to twitch, affirming its identity as something living. There were moans coming from within the cloth covering that was worn over its head like a mask. Renner stood and sauntered over to the sack. With a smooth swipe she removed the cloth covering its face, allowing Albedo to see it clearly.

In an instant, she recognized the thing. It was that fool insect Philip, who had been so brazen in his attitude towards her some time ago. A gag was set over his mouth, silencing whatever filth came out of his mouth.

"Hmmmphhh… hmmmphhh…!"

"Ah yes," Albedo said, smiling. A dangerous light gleamed in her narrowed eyes, the gleam of an apex predator who has sighted prey it did not particularly need to eat, and yet wanted to hunt anyway. "Truly a worthy gift."

Renner giggled, the smile on her face at odds with the cold, cruel light hidden within her eyes. It was at this point that an outside observer would have seen the look on both their faces and remark that they were pretty much similar to each other. "I thought you'd be impressed, my lady. I have heard stories about how this one has wronged you. No, it is perhaps more appropriate to say that this one has never shut up about you. This undeserving insect has gone around spreading lies about his unworthy self to anyone who dare listen. And so, I took note of him. When the time was right, I had them abduct him before he could flee like a rat, or get killed like the scum he is. I hope I have not erred in doing so?"

"Not at all, my dear," Albedo said, chuckling.

The man's eyes were wide and bloodshot, laced throughout with panic. He was looking at her exclusively, begging him without words for a mercy she would never grant. She did not deign to meet his eyes, and instead appraised the fool's body in more detail. The man looked as if he had been abducted right in the middle of the day, as he still wore a host of refined clothes, though torn and ruffled now after ill use. There were several bruises on his person, to which Albedo raised her brow.

As if sensing the thrust of her thoughts, Renner hastily rushed to say, "Ah, but those were not because of the retainers, my lady. Please be assured that this fool had participated in certain skirmishes at the royal palace. Attempts that did not seem to be very successful, it seemed. I can assure you that I asked the retainers to abduct it unharmed and also to carefully from there on, knowing it would need to be presented to you—intact."

Mollified by the explanation, Albedo nodded. "You are to be commended for your conscientiousness."

"I shall always aim to serve, my lady," Renner said, curtsying.

"But I would not have really minded if he was missing a finger or two. I've wanted to break several of them myself. Now then," Albedo said, sighing, her mind now thinking up of endless cruelties for the hapless insect before him. "Unbind his mouth. Let me hear its piteous cries, for the last time."

"… As you wish," Renner said. Her fingers were now ended with long, sharp spikes like daggers. She bent down and swiped them through the cloth binding the man's mouth, letting it slacken and fall, while also nicking the skin on his face, making the man scream as blood spilled.

Philip coughed as he spat the cloth away, causing his spit to rain on the floor. Albedo did not allow the disgust to show on her face—all of this was going to be cleaned up later after all.

"Albedo-sama, thank the gods!" the man said, his voice hoarse now, perhaps from hours of shouting. "Please, untie me! Have no fear, I can definitely help you escape this dreadful place! You have to trust in me, my dear! Trust in your faithful servant Philip! But please! We must go now! We must go, before… Before the fiends return!"

Albedo could only chuckle as she reached over to take another sip of tea. The man struggled to a kneeling position, as he could not quite rise to his feet with all the binds on his person. Renner stalked nearby, like a cat scenting an opportunity to play with prey.

"Oh! But how terrible!" Philip exclaimed, his eyes now falling onto the very prominent belly. "I see now… How much you've suffered… To have been taken and violated so cruelly…" Then he shook his head. "But it does not matter one whit to me my dear. When we have escaped this place and taken care of that… problem, we shall be able to have trueborn, beautiful children of our—gyaaaaah!"

The man screamed, as the other end of a teaspoon was now protruding from his shoulder. Blood spurted from it.

Still smiling pleasantly, Albedo stood up, and started to walk over to the fallen man. With a blurring motion that was almost unseen, she pulled the spoon free from his flesh, causing the thing to collapse on the ground after uttering another scream. The spoon had scooped up a few chunks of filthy blood and flesh, which she flicked away with pronounced revulsion.

Albedo examined the ruined teaspoon and sighed. "A waste of good silverware. I should not have let my hand slip like that." Throwing it had been almost instinctive, as if her body had moved independently of her mind, too fast for reason to merely stop.

"Oh, the thing does not look the worse for wear, my lady," Renner said. She was leaning down slightly to examine the bleeding wound on the man's side. "You did not hit anything vital… which would have spoiled our intent to test this new technique."

"Indeed," Albedo said, smiling serenely. "I really must thank you for this wonderful gift." The two of them looked down upon Philip, their eyes glittering with the full promise of malice and everything else to come. "And you were telling me about this new bit of torture you've discovered?"

"Oh yes! I am eager to proceed my lady. Suffice to say that the explanation will be quite long, and it would be better served if I demonstrate the new techniques by showing it to you rather than describing."

"Actions do speak louder," Albedo said, nodding. "Now then, you poor thing. Let us see how long you will last. I hope you shan't disappoint us."

Renner laughed, child-like.

"Oh, I can't wait!"

---

"So this is all rather amusing, is it not?" Edstrom said, letting out a chuckle.

Zero glared at her, her mouth pursed in anger.

They were both inside one of the rooms afforded to Tuare, as Sebas' personal lover. With that distinction having been granted to Edstrom, naturally that also gave her the same privilege. There were no issues of space—as the bed was large enough to fit approximately four people, and there was more than enough room to add more.

Still, it wasn't a place Zero would have ever entered. Unfortunately, due to a very recent event, she had no choice.

Edstrom suddenly cackled, as if the amusement bubbling out from within her could no longer be contained. "Ahhh… haaah… This is just… Too much… Hahhhh, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard…"

"Yeah, keep going," Zero muttered. "Get it out of your system."

"You still want to act that way, boss?" Edstrom said, in between wheezes. "After you just admitted you were letting Sebas-sama ride through your mud river—completely toll-free might I add—you're still going on with this reluctant maid shit?" The dusky woman shook her head. "Were it any other woman, it'd be cute and endearing, on you it's kind of…"

Zero grunted, gritting her teeth as the memories of that recent humiliation dug into her mind.

---

She could not deny that her body had developed a peculiar ache, an itch that she could not reach, and could therefore not be so easily satisfied. It was a silent, bothersome thing, afflicting her mind on an hourly basis without any way of being sated. Neither meditation through trying to seek out some form of inner peace, nor by expunging the energy from her body through rigorous exercise helped to scratch that itch. It would fade, but like a wound that was still healing she could feel its presence hovering in her mind like a shadow.

And then she noticed that this itch only seemed to be occurring whenever she chanced to work with Sebas—particularly whenever she was in close proximity to him.

Her body was betraying her, and she could try to live with it, or she would succumb.

Unfortunately, that Sebas was a very discerning type, and he was instantly able to deduce that she wasn't really performing at her best. He demonstrated his perceptiveness when he pressed her for an explanation during one of their spars together.

"It's nothing!" she had insisted.

He shook his head. "You are betrayed by the tremor of your voice, and the weakness of your body. You cannot even muster a good resistance for me now, so what use is it for us to continue?"

"How dare you?" she put her fists up, and grit her teeth. "I'm still as fit to fight as I've always been!"

"As you are right now, you will fail, miserably. I did not even think it was possible, but you've regressed to the point where you are weaker than the first time I met you."

She glared at him for a full minute. He matched her with a stoic gaze that never wavered.

Then she spat and turned away, while uttering a vindictive "Fuck!" under her breath.

For a moment there was silence as Zero turned to face the wall, to beat her head against it several times. Then Sebas said, "Would you like me to tell you what your problem is?"

"What?" She turned towards him, her gaze still quite hostile.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I have seen the signs, and I think I now have an inkling of where exactly your problem stems. It is obvious now, in hindsight, particularly when I started sensing your odor a few spars ago."

"My…" She goggled at him. "My what… My odor? What the fuck are you talking about?"

Sebas shook his head. "You may try to deny it, but it is futile." He took a step forward, in a way that made her take a step back. He had a look on his face that suggested that he was no longer putting up with any sort of bullshit.

"It is the scent of a bitch."

She spluttered. "A… A what?"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I feel your behavior hitherto this point warrants it. Let me be very clear. My senses had picked up, for a while now, what your body has been emitting, perhaps without your knowledge. It's something I have learned to recognize—it is the pheromonal stench of a bitch in heat, a wretched female who desires fulfillment… Well, a certain type of fulfillment. I trust I do not need to be specific about what sort of 'fulfillment' that would be?"

"Stop!" she'd cried. "What the fuck… Where is this 'scent' business coming from?"

"Oh trust me, you do not need to keep denying what your body is doing," Sebas said coldly. "It is… a natural thing, as I've learned to understand. In my time observing the Master's lovers, and with my own in Tuare and Edstrom, I've been able to distinguish what I had initially dismissed before." He shook his head. "You could say I've been 'cursed' with this knowledge."

He snapped his fingers and pointed at her—well, not exactly her but at a spot below her abdomen. "That place right there, it reeks of the female pheromone. You may think of it as a bothersome itch or some other sensation. On that point, I have not precise knowledge. But I do know that you are emitting it, like the fear-musk of an animal fighting against its own death. Your body is seeking a partner, and its goals are now twofold. One, it keeps on bothering you to the point where you will find it difficult to keep performing your duties. And two, it keeps on emitting an invisible pheromone-like gas that serves to attract the opposite sex. And you're old enough to know exactly what a female would want from a male involving her private parts."

"I don't know…" she said. "Are you going to tell me?"

At that, Sebas had snorted in amusement. "I cannot tell you what your body's been telling you all this time." He turned around. "However, at this point, it would be useless to continue having a spar with you. Your body is distracting you, and it would be a waste of my time to keep on going. Good day, and may you find the solution."

"W-wait!" she all but shouted. "Are you just going to leave me here? Like this?"

She could certainly feel it now, as if she'd been wearing a blindfold all this time and only now had it been removed from her face. A seeping liquid had seemed to be flowing from the intersection of her thighs, and once more did she feel the itch, like a mighty thing that she could no longer just ignore.

"And how would I even be able to assist, Zero?" he asked, with his back still turned. "You have set your boundaries. And I am honor-bound to honor them." He took a step forward. "… Unless there is something you wished to ask…?"

"You bastard!" she spat. "You really want me to fucking beg?"

He exhaled out a sigh. "No, but I am aware that any sort of solution I can offer is something that will likely involve your private parts," he replied. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Unless you tell me, explicitly, to help you and allow me to work on your body then I really cannot help you."

"I can't, I won't… not sex," she said, "But if, in any other way… If you could please help me," she said, aware of the very clear whine in her voice.

Sebas exhaled again. Then he turned around. "Very well," he said. "If you've given me permission, then I see no reason why we cannot begin. And as soon as possible, at the least."

"Wh-what exactly will you be doing… first?" she asked, struggling to keep up with the insanity of why she had even agreed.

"First I will try with a simple massage," he said. "Perhaps it will help without going further."

He had her lie face down on a table he had acquired—completely naked with her legs and arms spread wide. She was completely helpless and open for him to see and explore, but any shame she felt at him seeing her most intimate parts were squashed by her desire to have it all end, no matter what. It was like having to wade through a sea of shit just to get through to the treasure on the other side.

Sebas had taken off his gloves, and had daubed his hands in some sort of liquid. "This is something I have borrowed from a co-worker. I do not know of its exact use or efficacy, but I have used it successfully on Tuare and Edstrom?"

"As what, a lubricant?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"In a way, yes," Sebas said, as the sound of his hands rubbing together could be heard echoing in the room. "But not in the way that you might think. It will make working with your skin easier than usual, as any normal oil does."

When Sebas' fingers started working on her body, she didn't know what to feel. But she didn't expect to feel scattered tingling from all over her body, making her shudder repeatedly as his fingers started prodding over through muscle and cartilage.

"Ungh… There… That's…"

She could feel the tingling coalesce into another type of buzzing sensation, almost like another itch, though this time she did not feel like it needed to be scratched or anything. It was like a wad of indescribable something that made her clench her fists and curl her toes. It felt like a woman was giving him head.

"Gods… WHAT? Ughh… What… What are you doing… to me…"

His fingers were like magic. Wherever he exerted pressure, there quickly arose a a frisson of pleasure, like he was opening up geysers from deep within her body all over her back.

"To describe it," he said, "I am merely gathering all the excess energy in your body, so it can be expelled later. They are like bits of flotsam floating around inside the energy pathways within you, and when enough are gathered they can cause you immense stress. Not even constant exercising would be enough to release it—eventually you would have still been overwhelmed. And worse, confused, because you did not even realize exactly what had happened."

Then he said, "My apologies for this," before she felt a brief tingle of pain on her ncek.

She was about to ask what he had just done when she felt it. Or rather she felt the absence of sensation. Her arms, her legs—both sets of limbs hung slack from her body, and try as she might she could not control them anymore. It was like she was a puppet who had lost access to the strings controlling her limbs.

"What the hell did you do?" she all but shouted.

"I merely demonstrated exactly how such blockages in your energy flow would lead to a catastrophic end," he said. "But also because your first time is bound to be… explosive. This will mitigate the potential damage your body might do—yes, even to yourself."

"What does that even… whoo…" She gasped, as her mind was suddenly gripped in white light. "The fuck… The FUCK! What's happening to me? The hell are you doing?" She could feel pinpricks of pleasure surging through her back as his fingers guided the buzzing sensation ever southward, down towards her loins.

"I am 'building' up to a climax. The climax which will solve the problem that afflicts you. You are close now, I think." She could feel his eyes studying her open cunt, which to her shame was now leaking her juices like it was some weeping whore.

"Shit! I'm cumming!" she wailed.

"No, you're not," Sebas said, his voice cold and clinical. "You will notice that though I have been touching you liberally, I have never touched your private parts yet. I have not even stimulated them once. If I had, then you would have been orgasming many times before now. But that would have bene quite unproductive, and contrary to what is supposed to happen. As it is, you have been kept on the brink, and I will keep you there."

"Nuoooh…" She could feel her drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, as his massage reached a point, and yet refused to actually push her over the edge. She was just so close, so close now! Just one more and she would be freed, just one more and—

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, as she felt his presence behind her.

"Applying the final portion of this treatment," said Sebas.

"Is that your fucking cock? I told you I didn't want you to fuck me!"

"In your vagina, yes," Sebas said, speaking as a matter of fact as if they were merely haggling wares on the market. "But you did not say anything about this." And she didn't have to be a genius to know what he was referring to.

"It's…" She gasped. "It's the same!"

"The harmful energy within you needs to be expelled. To complete that, must penetrate your vagina, and trigger the release within the nerves there. Yet you have stated that you do not wish to be penetrated there, then the second best thing is to do it here, as the hole is reasonably close enough."

"What sort of nonsense—" she groaned. She was so close, gods damn it all! She wanted this to be over, for this itch to be cleared once and for all! "Fine! Damn it! Just make it quick!" She'd just think she'd been beaten up by a weakling and forget all about it. It was just one quick assfucking, nothing major.

"As you wish," Sebas said. She held her breath as he penetrated her asshole, bracing for the pain, which she knew would happen from prior experience. But the imagined pain did not happen. Rather, it felt like there was something slipping inside her ass, but it didn't feel bad nor painful. It just felt awkward, to have something foreign moving in and out of her ass.

Well, before his cock struck something deep inside her.

"Guh!" Her eyes rolled up the top of her head, her pussy gushing out a flow of quim as an explosion of pleasure rocked through her spine. "Th-That—"

"Ah, so it's here is it?" Sebas paused in his fucking, angling his body so his cock seemed to be pointing at a particular spot. "Very well. Allow me to finish it off with this. Please hold on, and don't lose sight of yourself."

"Just fucking do it, you—Hiii yaaaaahhhh! Cumming! Cumming! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!"

Release never felt so sweet. Hell, it was better than any ejaculation she'd ever felt before. She only knew about it afterward, but apparently a waterfall seemed to have opened up from inside her pussy, which ended up disgorging quite a large amount of liquid down onto the bed, gushing and gushing, and soaking it completely to the deepest layer. Her first girl orgasm shattered her mind and left her a gibbering, mindless fool for a long while. It was true that if her limbs had not been paralyzed, she might have hurt them in the convulsions that wracked her body.

On that first time, Sebas had not come. "It is enough for me to administer to you."

"Thank goodness for that," she'd said. The thought of a man coming inside her was still something she could not accept.

And yet, the problem did not completely go away. So when it happened again, some time later, Sebas said, "We can circumvent having to massage you by stimulating those same nerves inside you again. They've already been attuned to releasing those energies by your first experience. Though, it'll still take a while."

She had no choice but to agree to a second "coming", only this time Sebas did end up cumming inside her ass. The first proper assfucking had been long and hard, as the embarrassing sounds of her ass being slapped repeatedly made its way to her memories to dwell forevermore. And she was even more mortified when she only came after she felt a hot spurt deep inside her intestines, which meant he had seeded her. To be cumming from being inseminated by a man—it was not quite one of the worst things she had ever experienced. It was bad, but by its very nature it was also a good memory. It left her feeling quite used and "filthy".

Zero did not admit that to him. "I suppose it will take longer now for each time we attempt this treatment," he said.

"Yeah, probably," she had muttered, trying not to give away the shame in her voice.

And the itch would return, again and again, which necessitated that they repeat the assfucking again and again. And each time, she would feel the rush of release and freedom only when she felt warmth soak into her asshole, like some bitch who liked to be seeded by a man's cock.

She made him do it out of sight and in secret from Tuare and Edstrom, and only when they were completely sure they were alone from it all.

Zero had thought that this plan was completely foolproof.

Unfortunately, just a few hours ago, her assumptions were proven wrong and shattered completely.

It was Ainz Ooal Gown himself who discovered her shameful secret. Not only did he see her getting fucked in the ass by Sebas, he was also present when he came in her ass, just like that! She didn't really know what was happening, as she had closed her eyes and covered her face in abject shame. She was only able to hear a few words as cold sweat dripped all over her skin, as Ainz Ooal Gown departed, leaving her alone with Sebas.

"Well, that was strange," Sebas had said, speaking as if there really was nothing wrong. He had swiftly cleaned up, looking like he had not just been pounding her asshole with his cock. Said cock was also nowhere to be found. "But really, I must go. The Master has commanded me to do something. I shall see you later."

She returned, dejected and humiliated, to her quarters. But before she could do so, Edstrom had come to drag her into this very room. By her excited demeanor, she had somehow heard about what had happened.

Apparently, word traveled fast, extraordinarily so, and she had heard from a maid, who heard from a maid, who heard from another one who was present at the time she and Sebas had been caught. Faced with the reality that she could no longer hide her shame from even Edstrom, she eventually broke down and agreed to confess everything.

And now, here they were some hours later.

---

"I mean it's not surprising, what with you training almost every day with the guy and all…" Edstrom said airily, as if it wasn't any of her business at all. "When put in close proximity with such a guy like him… I wouldn't be surprised to find that any woman's pulled down their trousers for a chance to get him inside. It's almost… inevitable."

"You're bloody right it's a womanly thing," Zero snarled. "It's only precisely because I'm in this weak, flabby body that I actually succumbed to the temptation at all! Such disgrace…" As if to emphasize her point, she lifted her hanging breasts, which continued to be a hindrance to her.

"And that same disgraceful body has fully decided to do this," Edstrom said, sweeping her hand over her body pointedly. She was wearing thin, skimpy lingerie, which did nothing to hide the feminine curves and swells of her body. And of course, Zero was wearing the same—yet another scanty ensemble that fit better on whores than on a warrior like her.

She clucked her tongue at that, making Edstrom laugh again. She reached over and flicked her nipples over the thin fabric, causing Zero to screech lightly. She drew away, covering her own breasts and glaring at the other woman. Seeing this, Edstrom only howled even more in laughter.

"Stop that!"

"What's the matter? If you don't want this, then you can just make me stop," Edstrom said, her mouth quirked teasingly. As she spoke, her fingers flipped up and down over her nipples repeatedly. "Yet you look more like you're enjoying yourself. Now isn't that nice…" she cooed.

Zero closed her eyes, attempting to drown out the small shocks of pleasure running through her from her nipples. She bit her lip and clenched her fist, grinding her thighs together in agony. Then she slapped Edstrom's hand away, even as she breathed heavily. "Enough…" she croaked in an uneven voice.

And now, she was being roped into another one of Edstrom's foolish womanly schemes. She had even convinced Zero to wear this skimpy outfit, something she would have been horrified to wear. But the plan had been to help seduce Sebas once he was back, and for some reason Zero was no longer inclined to just refuse out of principle.

It was like she wanted it, and that was most horrifying to realize out of all.

Then there came a knock at the door. "It is I, Sebas," came a voice.

Edstrom immediately stopped what she was doing to face the door. "Come in, darling," she said huskily, while she lay back against the bed in what Zero thought to be a seductive manner. Zero braced herself, while she glared at the woman. She wondered if she had been riling her up just so Sebas would walk in on her unexpectedly while she was at a vulnerable moment, just as had happened with that Ainz.

The door opened and Sebas entered, his piercing eyes quickly scanning the room in less than a second. "Ah, hello," he greeted.

"Welcome back, my darling," Edstrom said, leaping from the bed to sashay towards the butler. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and allowed Sebas to kiss her, a sight that made Zero cringe.

"Would you happen to know where Tuare might be?" Edstrom asked innocently, after the kiss was done.

"She has been very busy with her work," Sebas said in his rumbling voice. "She is currently resting somewhere else."

"Ah, what a shame~" Edstrom proclaimed, though the look on her face made it clear she wasn't unhappy at all.

Sebas took another appraising look at her, then at Zero, before he raised a brow. "So what is this about? Is there something you wanted…?"

"Well, my love, I heard all about Zero's recent predicament. It was certainly an experience!" Edstrom began.

Sebas shrugged, motioning for her to continue.

"And so, we're both here, in private, to continue what had been interrupted." Edstrom cocked her head, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "Oh, and this is, of course, Zero's idea. She did mention how you would also need to get rid of your stress, since you're about to return to the war front. And that's a whole bunch of work for you, right?"

Zero spluttered, almost about to rant out a protest. However, Edstrom glanced at her pointedly, silencing the retort she had been about to make. That idiot! She thought. She was clearly making this up! What was she doing?

Sebas' eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Zero.

"I…" she swallowed, then nodded. Aw hell. If she was going to be humiliated again anyway, she may as well get what she needed out of it. "…Yeah."

Sebas smiled, then walked over to her. He laid a hand on her head, making her blush, though she had no idea why she was reacting like this.

"I thank you both for your thoughtfulness," he remarked. Then he shook his head. "But, to tell you the truth, there is no need for that. I am pleased to say that the war has already ended. And so far, I have yet to be given orders by the Master as to what I shall be doing."

The two of them stared at him in shock.

So did that mean..?

And then their surprise heightened, when Sebas started methodically undoing the clasps on his clothes.

"And therefore," Sebas said, carrying Edstrom and throwing her back on the bed, to bounce next to Zero, "We currently have some more time to 'waste'."

"Zero should go first," Edstrom said, winking at her. "Let her experience the full brunt of your love, my lord, this time without any interruption."

Sebas looked at them, with his cock rising high like a mighty tower between them. "As you wish," he said, reaching for Zero first.

Many minutes later, as Zero's body was literally being pounded into the bed from behind by Sebas' powerful thrusts, she could barely hear Edstrom's whispers close by. As his cock plunged deep inside her asshole, Edstrom said, "The offer still stands, you know. You just need to say the word. Tuare will understand."

Zero could only groan in response, her face literally pushed into the sweaty surface of her massive breasts as Sebas continued to fuck her ass hard. She reached her peak a second later, her eyes rolling up to the top of her head as Sebas dutifully seeded the depths of her bunghole with his seed.

"My turn," she could hear Edstrom whisper in the darkness.

As she lay on her side of the bed, her asshole leaking copious amount of Sebas' seed, she bore witness to Sebas masterfully dominating the other woman with his cock, this time plunging full deep into her pregnant pussy.

She thought back to what Edstrom had said, of the offer to formally join their ranks as Sebas' "women". A part of her still balks at that, wondering why now she saw the butler as someone very attractive. Was it because of her body, or was it something about his great strength, or was she just now attracted to his body?

Perhaps her mind was too far gone. Maybe it had fully accepted this change.

"Fuck! Yes! Breed me! Breed me!" The bitch Edstrom whimpered as Sebas continued to plow inside her.

Zero sighed and looked down at her breasts, proof of her change. For a brief moment of insanity, she imagined a baby nursing from her nipples, the fruit of her union with such a strong, virile male. The baby's features were vague, but they were a cross between hers and Sebas'. She could imagine stroking the top of the baby's head, crooning lovingly as it nursed from her body.

She blinked and shook her head ruthlessly. She laid her head back against the pillow and sighed, trying not to be distracted too much by the frantic fucking just close by. She could feel an odd tingling inside her belly, close to "the spot" where Sebas said would release her energies. If she allowed him to enter her pussy formally, would he be able to give her the same pleasure? Or would it be greater? And what would it really mean, if she allowed him to access her womb with his seed, to plant a baby inside her?

Would she really become Zero, mistress of Sebas Tian then?

Why had her simple mercenarial life become so godsdamned complicated now?

---

Chapter commissioned by UltraSpink of Da USA, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown under "RHoldhous".