Unwavering 5 (Overlord, Zanac!SI)
It's been what? A year or maybe two since I have visited the throne room. It was the same as usual, clean and well-maintained, but I could tell that this lengthy amount of time has been draining for father.
Either that, or the recent few days preceding my return had been particularly intense due to the potential cry for punishment Barbro's cronies were pushing for due to my 'reckless' behavior. As I entered the throne room, I had a bit of a inner grimace going through my seemingly calm expression. It wasn't a private meeting, but I had expected for some of the elder nobles to tag along the ride to either see what I was up to, or to press their own factions' demands on the matter to secure supremacy.
I was just there to report what was going on and dispel any stupid hysteria pushed forth by my stupid brother. I wasn't even given much of a chance to check on Renner just yet, but her letters remarked how Barbro had tried to make an axis with her in regard to a potential 'political concession to reforms'.
Renner refused, as expected, but she also added how Barbro had sounded 'unwanting' of this agreement too. Not much because he didn't see it convenient, but rather because he was being pushed into it. And I could tell that it was his faction's elders trying to pull strings around and failing to get a good move in since having Renner by his side would have been a boon to his dwindling reputation.
Despite a lack of major roles, Renner had been granted a degree of leeway to do what she found appeasing to her curiosities. The 'Royal Orphanage' was one of those things as she came to realize how important childhoods were.
I had to stop her from adopting a few policies within this idea which involved implicit indoctrination of the youth.
As much as I wouldn't say no to a whole new generation of yes-men, I also didn't want it to get to totalitarian levels. And knowing how zealous Renner was in her support towards me, I had good reasons to keep a leash around her neck whenever she tried to go too far with some endeavors.
Her studies in agriculture were the least dangerous developments in her growth, but even then Renner had leaned into the knowledge of producing poisonous herbs that couldn't be detected.
She was a wonderful spymaster in the making, but her sociopathy could really get fucking scary when I wasn't around to properly moderate it. She knew it was wrong, but she also knew that it was less about 'wanting to be better' and more like 'being born like this and having hardly a choice with her eagerness'.
Nonetheless, Renner was a matter for latter as I focused first on keeping my ass off the grill while addressing the King's own questions.
"Prince Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself, Governor of E-Rantel and 'Vanquisher of the Imperial Army'. Do you know why you are standing here and now before me, your king?"
"I believe I do through the letter that summoned me here. Alas, I am not going to lie and say I don't expect more to be handled in this important meeting."
The monarch nodded and then shifted in his chair.
"Prince Zanac, I will grant you the chance to provide your own recollection of the events tied to your handling of the emissary force from the Slane Theocracy. Considering the importance of the topic, I suggest you speak only the truth of what you have witnessed during these events."
I nodded back to the king, and, after clearing my voice, I provided a recollection of events that I had rehearsed before today. I knew it would have come down to this, but within a circumstance where I could have been wrecked by misplacing or misremembering details, I had to be quite careful with phrasing and memories.
"I will start by addressing the background of such event. The 'cause' was a large migration of half-elves within the boundaries of E-Rantel and its villages, actually a normal occurrence considering that this phenomenon is a monthly event by the border of the Slane Theocracy."
Taking a moment to think, I glanced around and saw Marquis Raeven there. His son had been born recently, so I had expected the man to be busy in coddling with the source of unending smiles in his life. I knew I had some support beyond Stronoff, but the unease hardly vanished from my chest as I went on.
"As per regulations, the half-elves were relocated to the Demi-Human District, provided with the means to register in the local census and most of those accepted to join the recent work-development programs that have matured an efficient presence of infrastructural expansion and modernization."
"If I may inquire, Prince Zanac," The King interjected, sounding curious. "It may seem that you have accepted a large contingent of non-locals with minimal controls. Shouldn't this be concern over E-Rantel's security?"
"My apologies. I had run an extensive check-up over the background of these individuals, but as it has happened for many years now even before my installation as a governor, the half-elves had not much beyond being born in slavery, being forced to do free hard labor if men and sexual activities if females. Of course, their gender isn't a limiting factor for either chores. Still, there was no security worry. They were third generation slaves with their parents hardly aware of what the Elven Kingdom is and what the Elf King's crime is."
"So, what you are telling me is that this behavior of accepting major groups of migrants is common in E-Rantel?"
"Only those coming from the Slane Theocracy," I assured with utmost peace of mind. "Even before the war, restrictions existed for migrants coming from the Baharuth Empire. While E-Rantel acted as a major hub for their traders, it was never practice for security to be lax around those people, may them be traders, diplomats or just some cheap vagrant that decided to settle within the territory."
"Yet, this case, as 'mundande' as you exhibit it as, has led to a development. A member of the Black Scripture has reached E-Rantel and demanded the return of the escaping slaves," The King continued with a serious voice. "I was told you refused. On which grounds?"
"The grounds that diplomatic scrutiny was required. Before the events that transpired on the meeting, I have to add that I had to call the evacuation of the smaller villages due to the known tendency of the Slane Theocracy's traders to 'mistake' running slaves for some of the Demi-Humans that had long settled in the premises of those locations. The issue came through when Miss Clementine, the 9th Seat of the Black Scripture, behaved aggressively and urged the return of the slaves despite genuine concerns over the legal application of laws between the two states."
The king frowned. "Truly? Have you tried to appeal to negotiations?"
"I have done so, my liege. I have explained that the matters of such complex situation was at the hands of diplomats which would entail a few days of deliberation at best, but Miss Clementine pressed that if the slaves were not returned, then this would have been seen as a 'clear sign' that the Re-Estize Kingdom, due to my 'choice', was deemed as a heretic state by the Theocracy."
These last words I uttered triggered a loud grumbling among nobles. While some were unable to accept this was indeed the truth, some were quite familiar with the handlings of the Theocracy and some of their corrupt officers' abusive use of the religious terms against 'threats'.
"And what you decided to do was to trigger a duel. Why?"
"It was becoming clear within that confrontation that Miss Clementine was willing to spill blood to see her claim was upheld. Although we would have easily overwhelm them, the chances of that event to be mischaracterized as a savagery against a 'diplomatic group' made it clear that a mindless approach of escalations would have done more harm than good. Thus, I saw fit to take a risk and successfully win it."
"At the chance of being slain."
"Yes. And I take full responsibility for the repercussions of my actions"
The nobles got loud again, but there was no shouting just yet.
The king grasped the armchairs of his throne, giving me an intense look as he was a man that despised the notion of losing more children - which is why he was so unwilling to take a stance against Barbro's bullshit. Yet, he didn't appear too severe as he waited a moment to clear his mind.
"Were you injured?"
"I was not."
"You know that could have ended poorly?"
"It should have," I admitted, bowing my head for a moment. "However, I saw fit to play my card once it became clear that my foe was not planning to take me seriously and was severely limited in what her abilities needed - speed."
The king nodded, but appeared hardly 'content'. "Yet your actions could have led to a war-"
"They would have not. I am... sorry for interrupting, but I believe it's only for the best that this concern is dispelled at once," I remarked truthfully, stunning the king and some of the diplomats with my blunt rebuttal. "The Theocracy will not prepare for war against us."
"And how can you tell?" Ramposa pressed, surprised and curious by my honest response.
"I had a few trustworthy individuals check on the affairs of our neighbors. I can already say that the Empire will once more dare to harass our lines within a few months, and I know that the Theocracy is not going to be able to muster a proper invasion force to claim E-Rantel," I answered rapidly. "Their entire army is currently focusing on the Elf Kingdom and has been in such a state of war for decades now. With their laws on conscription, they can't muster a solid force to lay siege to our kingdom and I also doubt they will do so for the sake of the Black Scripture's member under my care since she was an 'unreliable' element."
"You say that they will not mount an offensive, Prince Zanac," One of the nobles finally spoke, raising a document to read. "But I have here a petition filed by forty priests of the Theocracy claiming that a force to be mustered and for the 9th Seat to be rescued."
There was more grumbling and I recognized an attempt to bersmirch my claim was being made. The king was given the chance to study the paperwork, and then turned to look at me with a dead serious look.
"What is your response, Prince Zanac?"
"My response, my liege, is that petitions are not a legal method used to push for something of this kind. An example of this is the petition of more than three thousand priests leveraged after the raping of the former leading figure of the Black Scripture around a century ago. The document, albeit supported by popular request, was trashed due to its lack of legal standing. It would take for the Extra Seat of the Black Scripture, the child of the raped member, to raise this demand as a Godkin," I flatly answered, raising a document of my own. "These two cases are not similar at all considering that the event has a solid diplomatic standing that resolved in just the detention of the defeated Black Scripture member. A legal duel ensued and no unbecoming treatment of the prisoner unfolded. Likewise, I also raise this document which is a recent proclamation of the Six Sects that says explicitly that 'Clementine Windstrider has been forever stripped of her role as part of the Black Scripture for several unwarranted murder cases and a couple of traitorous affiliations with Demi-Humans'."
The grumbling was back, this time my faction cheering on the fact that this unsavory attempt had gone bad for the opposition. The king reclaimed silence within the throne room shortly after, and he appeared quite strained by the intense back and forth.
"Prince Zanac. This event seems to be quite 'contained' as you were able to support. I assume you will bear full responsibility of any potential repercussions on the matter, yes?"
"I will as I have up to this point, my liege. I plan not to run from my burden as governor and as guardian and as protector. As I have accepted my title years ago, I shall forever more stand beside my fellow countryman and protect the borders of our kingdom within that region and beyond if so asked."
My pledge warranted a mix of delight at my masterful game and also a few fuming glares as Barbro's group was definitly deprived of means to further attack me. After that intense meeting, I was told I would 'linger' for two days to see how things are 'back home', but I would then return to E-Rantel for a renewed mandate there.
However, as my headache-inducing ordeal wrapped up, it was time to face Renner and- as I reached the garden where she would find solace during breaks, I found her doing something... peculiar. That was indeed Climb and he was... moving around like a puppy, getting rewarded with headpats and 'good boy's from the blonde princess.
The sight was indeed insane, but I could tell one thing as Renner turned to see me, smiled and ran at me with a bright smile.
"Brother! Your Pavlov Method works!"
Goddammit Renner. You can't just be a cute shit and avoid repercussions!
AN
Next time... Renner POV and Zanac goes back to E-Rantel to find out that something's off with Clementine. Like really off.