Chapter 28: Heart of Stone
Silence. A concept known to mankind, yet the truth behind still a mystery to most. Though man has found peace many times, true silence does not come without notes but within the mind. It can be achieved even when the surroundings prove hard, carrying much noise to the hearer's disdain. Yet, if sound becomes louder, it returns to stillness, an unhearable tone that resembles peace.
In such a state was the princess of Re-Estize. Chaos ensured that everyone was tense following the invasion of Ainz Ooal Gown, yet not the princess. In her walk, no one could see even a trace of anxiety, simple tranquility.
Through the halls of the royal palace, with silent, delicate steps, the princess made her way toward the gardens, her bodyguard following suit.
What a delicate little thing he was, thinking himself a protector when, in truth, he was the hostage of a monster, a woman so cruel and devilish she would see her kingdom burn for her own needs. It even amused her, this thought of destruction, a whole nation gone, yet only she remained alive with her pet at her side.
How she would play with him once she was free from these shackles that restrained her, the title of princess that gave her no freedom beyond the one she had. Every motion, every word, and decision she makes must be thought of before. Such was the life she possessed. Kind yet cruel.
Passing the conference room, the princess could hear the rumblings of her father and some other nobles.
Oh, how naive! How foolish to think they even stood a chance against her new master! A smile appears on her lips, one she delicately placed once no one was watching. If she was alone, she would erupt in wicked laughter, more akin to a demon than an actual human could. Yet she had to restrain herself, for she had restrained herself for her whole life. This was nothing to her.
Looking at the windows on her right, she could glimpse the reflection of her Climb, her bodyguard, her slave.
What she would do to him once they were alone, away from all the lying, corrupt, and selfish nobles and their spying daughters.
'My Climb. Only mine alone. No one will take him away. No one! If they do, I will hurt them. Hurt them! Find them and kill them!'
Such were the thoughts of the Golden Princess, the height of innocence in all of the kingdom. The people's princess, the kind princess, the witch.
The face, the hair, the eyes. Oh, the eyes! She could stare into them for eternity and not get bored. She simply couldn't resist that naive look the boy had on him. A person so different from her, so pure, something she never was.
She was sure her father would have let her marry Climb if the nobles hadn't pressured him to such an extent.
She hated them the most, but perhaps she hated everybody in the nobility, anyone who could be in her way. No mercy for her enemies, only torture and, then, death.
Her father was now but a weak and broken man, a shell of the king he once was. A puppet of his former will. If the death of Barbro did not make him collapse, the death of his second son should.
Renner knew male heirs were the most important children of monarchs since they would carry on their legacy. Women, however, would be wed away for alliances. That was the harsh reality she found herself in. Luckily, she was not yet worth marrying away.
At Zanac's funeral, she had cried, emptied her heart of stone from which tears came out, yet those tears were simple water, a gesture, an act. Nothing was real. She didn't care about her brother or father, only about Climb. Her sweet little Climb.
Even now, her father tries to fight against Ainz Ooal Gown, preparing for a last stand on the plains before E-Libel. Yet she knew this would not succeed if not for a miracle. But she knew as much as her father that miracles were things granted by gods. And the gods had long forgotten about Re-Estize and its people.
'In 4 days, my Climb will depart with them toward E-Libel. I hope he will be safe. But of course he will.' Musing further, the princess knew nothing would happen to her shining knight since it was promised to her.
Finally reaching the exit outside, the princess looked over the flower fields, going over the Lilies, Gloriosas, and Saffron Crocus, fixating her view on a very special kind of flower. A red rose, or a bunch of them. Though blue had always been her color, somehow, she felt attracted to it.
Making her way over to them, she used scissors to remove them, breathing in the aroma of the flower herself. It brought her peace of mind. And somehow, she smelled the future. A future together with her knight.
In total, she picked three. One she would keep herself. One for Zanac's grave, and the last one for a very special person close to her.
"Climb?" She asked, at which the boy straightened up.
"Yes, your Royal Highness?" He awaited her next words patiently.
"I want you to have this rose when you depart to E-Libel. Think of it that I will be with you once you are on the battlefield." The Princess offered a rose, the most beautiful and grandiose.
The boys' cheeks turned slightly red from the gift.
"I-I thank you, Princess Renner, for the present." The boy said as he bowed again, accepting the gift and placing his hand under the princess's.
With her soft hands, she placed the rose into his, closing his palm slowly. "Don't lose the rose, understood?" She said with a smile, at which Climb nodded.
"Of course, princess." He answered.
"Don't worry, I know you won't."
"No, please, do-" A man cried for mercy, yet he received none, a blade in his chest as he made his last breath. A sword pitch black, belonging to a looming figure, a dark knight with armor so dark no light escaped it.
One after another, these knights killed the remaining villagers, ignoring their call for help or mercy. Some even tried to strike them, yet even the strongest villager left no damage on the knight's armor.
The villagers tried to run away with no hope left, yet these knights came from all sides. A knight was present everywhere they went, slicing left and right until nothing was moving anymore.
A boy, no more than 12 years old, hid inside a barrel, a small hole on the side for him to peek what transpired outside. His breath was rigged, and his eyes were widened from the trauma he had just seen.
He had a peaceful life in the village of Berna. Playing together with the other kids, he had a fun time until these nightmares appeared, who slaughtered everyone left and right. To his luck, they were playing hide and seek, and he hid inside a barrel he found on the side of a house. Who would know that this saved his life from certain death?
He could not move, not even say a word out loud. As if he was frozen in place, his body and his mind were still, trying to contemplate what was happening.
Yet he continues to watch. He saw how the knights dragged the corpses to a pile amid the village. His heart pained, and his eyes were drenched in tears. Neighbors, friends, and, at last, even members of his family found themselves on the pile.
His mother, father, and siblings, their eyes devoid of life as the knights threw them on the stack.
He could not believe it. The thought didn't even try to register inside his brain. He was still twelve, a young child, innocent, yet now faced with the truth of reality.
But then, a different figure emerged. One clad in twilight robes, its flesh barely visible. It was pale, almost too pale for a human. Yet, as the boy could get a good look, he wished not to have seen it.
It was not a man or woman but something made of bones. Its face frightened the boy so much that his breath grew faster.
The creature moved toward the pile of corpses, stretching its hand out to do something with them. And then, suddenly, the corpses began to move and twist in ways unnatural.
The boy, seeing this, accidentally let out a yelp, at which the knights turned toward him as if they saw him through the barrel.
One knight came closer, the boy only seeing his feet from the hole. Closing his eyes, he thought that he would disappear. Yet, something more terrible happened.
Instead, the boy went into an eternal sleep, forever dreaming in an eternal void.
'It seems the subjugation of the Re-Estize Kingdom goes better than planned. A little more resistance was expected, but I shouldn't complain.'
Ainz Ooal Gown, The supreme ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, currently sat in his majestic seat inside his office made of the most expensive marble in the whole of Yggdrasil.
One could see the reflection of an Overlord when looking at the ground with pristine quality as if it were water. And if the said Overlord had a face, he would undoubtedly look in deep thought.
'We have sacked about 44 villages, all with approximately 200 or so residents, meaning they should have about 8800 new zombies in our care. Not much, but that excludes the cities we raised and the buried dead we also need to make undead.' Ainz mused. To think he would once attack villages for more undead, especially when he saved a village on his first day or so in this world. What an irony. He could have landed at any other village, which in turn would be spared by his undead legions. Yet it was Carne that was chosen from the rest.
'The empire's legions have been assigned to aid our forces at E-Libel, them arriving there before us since they take the direct route. I don't think they will have any problem taking in E-Lyttonel, and crossing the river shouldn't be a problem either, except if the kingdom destroys the bridges leading to E-Libel.' Ainz, contemplating the possibilities the kingdom could do. And if Marquis Raeven was as smart as in his reports, he certainly thought of this idea before him.
'Even if the bridges get destroyed, the empire has mages who can construct an artificial one. It shouldn't be anything special. But it would simply be time-consuming, stalling the empire's legions and delaying their arrival at the Middle Plains.' Certainly, nothing that would hinder their movement, yet because he accepted their help, he would like to make use of the emperor's army.
'How many levies will the kingdom raise exactly? About 300'000 if I'm right. Even more than before, it seems. Yet nothing that could rival my legions of Dark Paladins. They are, after all, mid-tier. Strong ones at that.' Standing up from his chair, the Overlord first stretched his bones far, finally leaving the office after 2 hours straight.
'That should be enough for now. Let's see what the twins are up to.'
discord . gg / h6cpJ5d3xh
Here's my discord invitation code. Join if you're interested in becoming a proofreader of my next chapters, or you just want to hang around. Both work.
Took me a while because of the holidays. But it's here. Not much, but enough.
Also, some of you asked what abilities the staff has right now. Well, here you go:
[Last Resort]-When holding the world item, the owner will be instantly teleported to the Throne Room of the Great Tomb of Nazarick when health drops under 10%. Any magical or physical means can not stop this effect. The owner will also gain a health regen until the HP has reached 50%. The owner will also have protection against physical and magical attacks under level 80 when interacting with the world item [Throne of Kings]. The effect can be deactivated at will.
[Beyond Limits]-The selected entity will lose the level cap of 100 and be able to gain more levels. But the cost for a level-up will rise twice as much every time. There can be only one selected entity, and when changed, this entity will lose all levels and return to level 100. The experience from this level will not be lost but can be used, for example, with [Wish upon a Star].
[Arcane Creation]-Allows players to create any item equal to the cost of mana.
[Temporal World Enemy]-Allows a player to temporarily be a World Enemy without getting banned instantly. Duration can be altered by the owner's mana, which fuels the transformation. But the player will receive an infinite amount of mana as a World Enemy, separate from his own mana pool. As an example, the player Momonga will last 12 minutes as a World Enemy until his own mana runs out. After the transformation ends, the player will revert back to his form and be left with no mana.
[Time Defiance]-Allows the user to overcome any cooldown from spells, skills, and abilities by sacrificing the mana cost of a tier 10 spell.
[Race Shifter]-Allows players to change their race once a day. The player will select classes. The level stays the same. Save files can be done.
[Touch of Erasure]-While holding the world item, the owner will be able to kill one entity a day by touch. The strength of the enemy is irrelevant. Doesn't apply to World Enemies.