Unwavering 11 (Overlord, Zanac!SI)
A new summoning to the Royal Capital was expected and thus accepted without a worry, but I would say that nothing had prepared me for the 'setting' of such invitation to not be the same public one of the last few times.
Instead, I was invited for a long week at the capital to spend with the 'rest of the family'. I could see Renner wanting this, same for the King, but I could tell something was wrong when my 'big brother' was behaving in a strangely appeasing manner as I found him wandering near the living quarters I was using.
He greeted me, gave me some praise and then 'hoped to a wonderful dinner with me and the rest of the family'. A potential assassination attempt? My agents confirmed nothing of the sort was going on after they checked for any suspicious ingredients in the planned meals of that day and any unusual elements joining the guards as of recently. More controls were done, but the result yielded nothing of worrisome.
Still, this behavior left me perplexed and wary, and I would soon have good reason to feel like this as the dinner unfolded. It was a surprisingly small affair considering the usually expensive endeavors. In fact, I couldn't help but notice a curious drop of quality in the food produced for the evening meal.
Renner too made a point of this as she huffed while playing with some meatballs and veggie mash on her place, but I decided against inquiring on what was going on and let the king do all the early talking.
"Zanac, how's the situation with this 'Undead Infestation' north of E-Rantel?" Ramposa asked, trying to break the ice with a topic that was both concerning but also not the main source of his worried look from the way he appeared 'fidgety' over that unknown matter. "The reports were quite scarce, but from my understanding you sought not to destroy it. Why not?"
"Indeed, brother, wouldn't it have been easier to obliterate such a blatant invasion of your domain?"
Despite his weird politeness, Barbro was still a bastard as he didn't hold back from throwing a jab in my direction, but I was ready for it and far worse.
"Father, the 'Undead Infestation' is far greater than a mere infestation. From my assumptions, and I can say I am underestimating this group a fair bit, they may have a higher military potential than the Slane Theocracy and the Empire combined."
...
"Z-Zanac, surely that's excessive and-"
"Their use of magic was considerably alarming as it seems to be far greater than the mightiest of the Black Scripture. Likewise, their capacity to produce an undead military capable of outpacing the first deployments of the Empire makes a 'physical approach' less likely to overwhelm them," I coldly remarked as I interrupted the king, shedding politeness to stress how serious I was on the matter. "And that's only about their minions. The three leaders of this 'Great Tomb' are individuals that stir my unease and curiosity at the same time. If I was to draw an assumption out of similar past situations, I would say these three reminds me of the Gods of old."
"You think they are... a new group of Gods, brother?" Renner asked, interest piqued over this unexpected circumstance.
It was a rather huge claim to make this early on, but I knew that Nazarick would soon make a point by 'looking into the new world' and making their presence known. By merely scouting all over, they were going to show a degree of power projection that could undeniably add more legitimacy to this very idea.
"That's correct, which is why I have adopted a cautious and mostly diplomatic effort to prevent any potential... issues in that regard." I confirmed, and the king looked pensive over my words.
"I could lead an army to take care of this threat before they can react to it and-"
"No."
The one that rejected the notion was not me. I was about to do so after Barbro was done sprouting this crap, but it was the king that spoke and the glare he gave to his eldest son was enough to confirm one of the potential scenarios behind those odd behaviors that not even Renner was aware of: Barbro did something quite crappy and it was something the king found out to be horrible enough for him to distance himself from his usual 'my children should not be fighting with one another' mentality.
It had to have been huge, and it ultimately was revealed as the king sighed and turned to look at me with a tired look.
"Zanac, there is also another reason why I have seen for you to return home. Your governorship of E-Rantel has been nothing short of impeccable and the reports you sent coupled with the few royal agents confirming those as factual further elevate this exemplary skill of yours in administration," Ramposa remarked strongly, the praise feeling honest but also forcefully loud so that the message was heard at the table. "Alas, your skills may be best used to address a higher issue, one that involves the kingdom as a whole."
Barbro looked livid now, and he clearly knew what was going on as I leaned back on my chair to hear whatever announcement the king was up to this time around.
"How long would it take for you to find a suitable replacement for your role in E-Rantel?"
"...Three days."
He nodded at my rapid reply. "I am glad to hear this since... I wish to have you appointed as the newest Prime Minister of Re-Estize."
This was... huge. Perhaps the highest grade of news I could have received: to put it bluntly, a king makes a son of theirs a Prime Minister for many reasons, but it is context that limited the lists of potential issues behind this move.
The first being, and it would explain Barbro's dreadful mood, was that I was getting lined up to become Crown Prince. This claim was not done without some merit as it is a historical fact for crown princes to be claimed as Prime Ministers in times of need, but for Barbro to be skipped over it then it was clear he did something that made him unfit for the job.
"Why is my appointment to such prestigious role needed, father?"
My question finally sparked a stronger reaction from my brother.
"Indeed! I should be the one to-"
"To sit down and accept responsibility over this mess!"
The loud interruption further surprised me and Renner- this was the first time we heard our father speak so loudly and so angrily about a topic and towards one of us in that regard.
Barbro appeared baffled too, so stunned that he instantly folded and sat down with a perplexed look plastered on his face. The old king was then looking at me again.
"The reason behind this appointment, Zanac, is because due to a disgusting case of embezzlement that involves the former Prime Minister and your brother as ringleaders, the kingdom's coffers have dried up considerably. We have two years before the economy experiences a major recession, maybe five if we run on a stricter budget."
And I am going to be put there to use my Midas' touch to fix this mess somehow.
The news was still jarring, especially since I had actually done a lot to actually improve the economy by screwing the criminal lords subverting taxes and other forms of national income. To hear that my brother, somehow, got us so close to a collapse was... I was pissed.
I would have loved to lash out to the bastard and make him hear this from my mouth, but I held back the bitterness and focused on the issue at hand.
"I will still have to run some deficit-inducing programs to properly kickstart the economy-"
"Whatever you need shall be provided, Zanac," The king assured, sounding desperate and yet hopeful. "I know you will find a way to save us."
That was a big rock on my back, but I nodded nonetheless. The dinner ended and I spent the remaining hours of being awake for that day in writing letters for my agents to deliver back to E-Rantel. One for my successor as Governor, one to other clerks meant to assist my successor, and one to a few members of the committees behind the Public Work Efforts to be appointed as part of a national committee to expand the programs to the entire country.
This was good in terms of political advancements as I was expecting to be made Crown Prince after fixing the economy, but I also found the deadline somewhat worrisome to fix Re-Estize's entire economic environment.
While RENDA had worked relentless in dealing with the worst scum, that didn't mean we targeted traditionalists that would oppose unorthodox programs meant to modernize the economy. The Status Quo was not meant to last for long despite that and... it was still going to lead to some headaches.
After finishing writing the letters and having those sent away, I decided to go to bed early in an effort to catch some more sleep hours before facing the music. Clementine was meant to stroll about by the hall in front of my room together with a few reliable guards, so I didn't fear an assassination attempt from Barbro...
But as morning came, my peaceful thoughts were disrupted by a warm and wet feeling happening below my waist. Lifting the sheets, I was greeted by two innocent blue eyes that tried really hard to make it seem as if the cock-sucking unfolding before my gaze was something 'fine'.
"Renner, we are going to have a lengthy talk about this."
Despite the irritated voice, I admit that not reacting to Renner's cock-worshiping may have enabled her to believe this one could be ignored as she happily sucked and then proceeded to drink the cumload she earned from that fellatio as greedily as a horny whore.
While I had originally thought that long-distance would have made my sister less interested to dare into the depravity of incest, I think that it actually made her more demanding of it.
AN
Help, my 'lil' sis is trying to be my cock-sleeve!