Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, another hot chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
An unexpected encounter leads to unusual solutions.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 81: Vampires to the Rescue
Two weeks before the Blue Roses arrived in Hoburns
In the throne room of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Supreme Being was deep in thought. This meeting had been requested by his own Guardians, all gathered to make a request, which was quite unusual. His enthusiasm at seeing his subjects taking initiative was obliterated when he realized the reason. To his surprise, they wanted to ask for permission to hold a celebration for a specific date.
Ainz had never liked this particular date. He had always had a specific reason to feel down at this time of year. But, since it was the children of his friends who asked, he couldn't refuse.
While everyone discussed the trivialities of the organization, he now pondered the situation in the Holy Kingdom.
'There's no way they can win! From what I saw in the Remote Viewing Mirror, the cities are surrounded. Even with Néia's group's support, the armies are weak and the population is starving. With all our actions and interventions, we've left the place very weakened. I didn't expect the impediment of going to war and saving the place. Now, I've left everything in the hands of that girl with the strange eyes. The worst part isn't losing a kingdom, but how am I going to explain to Demiurge that everything happened as "I predicted"?'
"Ainz-sama?"
"Hm? Yes, Albedo."
"Is something troubling you?"
"Sorry, Albedo. I was lost in thought. Sorry for worrying you. Were you saying something?"
"My lord, your concerns are our concerns, and nothing is more important. Command us, and we will fulfill any request." said the Overseer Guardian as she knelt, followed by all the others.
"Hm, thank you. Thank you all. I... I was thinking about the Holy Kingdom and how it won't withstand the southern assault."
"As Ainz-sama wishes," said the Archdemon.
'Damn!' – "Demiurge, don't you see any problem with that kingdom being destroyed and taken?"
"None, my lord."
'Ugh!' – "Why not?"
"As Ainz-sama has told us before, we must trust the Ten Thousand Year Plan. I believe the plan encompasses both the Northern and Southern victories, different paths leading to the destiny of the Glory of Ainz Ooal Gown!" – everyone applauded.
"Yes, that's right, exactly, but…"
At this moment, everyone fell into suspense. Their master had said "but," the word that always indicated a great revelation.
"But I really didn't want to lose that kingdom. We invested so much in it that it would be a waste to hand it over to the South."
"YES, AINZ-SAMA!" – everyone spoke at once, forming a circle where they began to debate something.
'What are they doing? What have I done?'
The Guardians began discussing the possibilities and chances for the Holy Kingdom to survive the rebel army's assault. Albedo, Demiurge, and Pandora's Actor were the most involved in formulating plans, while Cocytus, Aura, and Mare contributed mainly as support.
"Logically, Ainz-sama does not want to lose one of his jewels, especially one he has been polishing for so long."
"Then, Demiurge, you shouldn't have strengthened the enemy army so much."
"Albedo, the theocrats went there on their own, and I only gave a trash weapon to the paladin. She needs to be up to par to be a memorable antagonist. It would be useless for the girl Baraja to defeat someone insignificant."
"So we have few options left, mein Freund."
"We need. Time. To. Study. Strategies."
"But why did Ainz-sama ask us to do this? If everything is part of the plan, Ainz-sama already has the solution, right Mare?"
"Y-yes, oneesan."
"Still, I believe mein Vater assigned us this mission at this moment so that he could see our ability to adapt. Ahan! Vater! We will immediately study any actions we can take and bring the solutions afterward."
"But, Pandora's Actor, we are very limited, what can we do now?"
'Oh! Mein Vater won't give us time to deliberate, he wants us to improvise.' – "Already! In this situation, we can discard sending soldiers. Since sending forces from the Sorcerer Kingdom is out of the question, perhaps we could send undercover agents."
"No, it's too dangerous for us to be discovered. That's why we even withdrew the Shadow Demons. Only the doppleganger Gaspond was kept, as he is essential and virtually undetectable without a direct spell."
"Maybe a catastrophic event? Mare could create a volcano that would destroy most of the enemy army or further reinforce the snowstorms."
"No, Albedo, that would be too coincidental. All fingers would point at us."
"We could send creatures from this world," said the Archdemon. "Aura could control some snow beasts like rodents. Entoma could then spread a plague with her insects, as could Kyouhukou. We know how unsanitary war camps are, an outbreak wouldn't be surprising."
"For such an act to work, Demiurge, we would need to contaminate the overcrowded cities as well. This way, there would be no suspicion, but the deadlock would remain as both sides would be weakened."
"Why don't we send adventurers?" – all eyes turned to Shalltear.
Until that moment, the vampire had remained silent. In fact, she seemed to have been struggling to think of something on her own.
"Hm, but we can't hire adventurers, nor send Momon. Obviously, we are prevented by the treaty."
"But what if adventurers came to help, with no official connection to us and of their own volition, just with a slight suggestion?"
"Interesting, but who could it be and how would we do that?"
"I could send my apprentice to convince her friends to fight. They are the kind of... nice ones and might have reasons to go there."
"You have an apprentice?!"
"Y-yes, I mentioned it in one of my reports, though it might have been a bit vague. Just a moment, I have a copy here, Ainz-sama" – said the vampire, rummaging through her personal inventory and then pulling out a sheet of parchment from the dimensional space.
"Here! I found it! Ahaam! "I inform Ainz-sama that I have acquired and am training a True Vampire as my pupil.""
'IS THAT IT!? That's the report?!' – "Ahan! Yes, I remember, Shalltear, but since it was somewhat superficial, I would like you to tell me who this True Vampire is."
"You know her, she is the little sorceress with the mask, the one from the Blue Roses adventurers."
"Aaah! The harasser."
"Yes, her name is Evileye, but her real name is Keno. I made her my pupil and sometimes she does some minor tasks."
"I knew she had some secret. So how did you convince her to work with you?"
"Convince? Well, eeeh, I kind of... forced her."
"You forced her?! – said Ainz, raising a metaphorical eyebrow.
"Yes, Ainz-sama, I used my power as a superior vampire and compelled her to come learn with me. She really needed it, she didn't know anything about being a vampire."
"I see. And what exactly are you teaching her?"
"Well, basically, what I learn from Lord Barintacha*." – said Shalltear, this last part almost in a whisper.
Ainz almost smacked his forehead.
'SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING!' – Yes, I understand. Lord Barintacha is an experienced vampire with millennia of life. I believe he has many things to teach, even to a powerful vampire like you, Shalltear. But I am concerned about your pupil's loyalty. How do you keep her under control? Do you reward her?
"Reward?! The glory of being the subordinate of the subordinate of the Sorcerer King should be enough."
Ainz remained calm and serene, but inside his head, Suzuki Satouro was rolling in agony. His salaried self could not bear the fact that someone was working without compensation.
"Shalltear, I know we can force people to do what we want, even though over the centuries it may lead to indoctrination and obedience, but there will always be a possibility of revolt."
"So I should negotiate?"
"Something like that. Offering something in return usually helps maintain interest and confidentiality of her connection to you."
"Yes, Ainz-sama, your wisdom always enlightens me. The girl seems to need help figuring out who turned her into a vampire and seeking revenge. She always complains about it."
"Perfect, a great motivator. Offer help."
"Alright, Ainz-sama. I'll contact her right away. I think she has been causing a lot of trouble for Pandora's Actor. Lately, she hasn't left Momon's side, arinsu."
"Meinlieber Freund, I am immensely grateful for that. But will the Blue Roses be enough to tip the balance?"
"If that kingdom wishes to survive, the Blue Roses will have to put in a lot of effort." – concluded Ainz.
...
Author's Note
As I said in the previous chapter, I explained how the Roses ended up going to the Sacred Kingdom, I hope I was coherent.
There are nine chapters left until the end of this arc.