Chapter 33: Fallen Monarchs
The Valencia Palace, once housing many staff members, seemed silent. One could hear the wind passing by, and storms that were miles away. The corridors were unlit, dark shadows looming in every corner, the only source of light being the moon itself.
One room showed activity, a candle being lit atop a table. Yet its reach was small, only illuminating its nearest surroundings.
In the darkness, clouded by the light, a silhouette loomed, kneeling on the floor as droplets of water filled the floor. The person was crying, tears flowing like rivers down her face.
"My Climb…" A feminine voice spoke, whispering before herself in a sorrowful tone. "Why did you leave me, Climb? Why did you abandon me?! COME BACK!" She screamed, her voice filled with malice a human couldn't express. Glass shattered, and objects surrounding her flew at her cry. The wind quickly found its way into her chambers, the curtains waving wild.
"Was it all for nothing? I was promised my only wish, my Climb, my precious little Climb. So innocent, so brave…" The weeping faded, a memory instead appearing in her head. For a moment, she smiled, yet not longer.
Silent, she stood up, nearing the candle, her features slowly visible to the light. She wore a black dress, while two bat-like wings sprouted from her back. Evidently, she was no longer a human. But even before her transformation, one could say she had betrayed humanity long before. The light in her eyes was long gone.
Grasping the candle, she left her room and wandered the empty halls of her castle. With every step, she remembered Climb by her side, walking this exact path. If her plan worked, he would now walk beside her as her king. Together, they would have ruled over the remaining Re-Estize region as vassals of Ainz Ooal Gown. Or so she had thought.
Climb was not here; she was not ruling Re-Estize; her plan had not worked. Her family was dead. Only she remained. No, she survived. Only because she was prepared to sacrifice anything for her and her lover's safety, she stands here alive. Her new masters could have killed her long ago, yet they saw her potential and the weakness to exploit her. If she didn't comply, they would have killed Climb. If she did, both could've lived happily together.
"No, it shouldn't have become like this. I should be happy! Why do I feel as if everything is falling apart!" Renner almost dropped her candle, yet as she wiped the tears off her face, she continued.
Thunder appeared as lighting fell from the sky, casting a bright light through the palace's windows. Yet the princess was no longer scared of such petty things. Unflinching, she moved on.
With her free hand, she opened the doors to the throne hall. There, lost of all glory and importance, stood the old seat of Re-Estize. She remembered her father picking her up when she was little and putting her on his lap as he held court. But even now, she had no remorse for what she had done. Or perhaps her new nature forbids it.
She neared the throne, gazing upon it like a predator would watch its prey, yet knowing the prey could not escape. The throne was hers. No other here to take it from her. She had all the power while having none at all. Her masters decided what she would do and what not. That she knew, and she shivered at the thought of seeing one of their kind again. But since the Sorcerer Kingdom won against Re-Estize, she did not doubt that the time would come when she had to face Ainz Ooal Gown himself.
What a terrifying monster that was. All his moves showed great intelligence beyond her own while possessing the powers of a god. Was it a god? She never questioned that. But even when Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't a deity, she knew she was nothing compared to him.
Renner had read of beings that came into this world from somewhere unknown. It was a book Evileye gave her. She was sure no such book was available in all of Re-Estize.
And she read it and was surprised at what she found out. Players, they called themselves. A powerful race of beings that enter the world every century or so. Sometimes alone or in groups. But it was sure that they brought forth changes into the world, either good or bad. Gods under mortals.
While she wasn't talking back to her masters, she was still curious. Ainz Ooal Gown hadn't been known just a couple of years back. But suddenly, as if appearing out of thin air, he conquered lands and killed thousands of soldiers with armies and might never seen before.
It was not hard to put one and two together. Yet, as the door behind her creaked open, she stiffened. She kept her back toward the intruder, not daring to turn around. The steps grew louder and closer just as she felt a breath on her neck. It was hot, very hot. Not as warm as a normal breath should be.
A hand placed itself on her right shoulder, Renner shivering at the touch. She dared a look, seeing black gloves and the start of a red and white suit. She knew who that was, and it frightened her.
"I see you're making yourself acquainted with the new state of the palace. Sadly, we had to execute all the staff members for safety reasons. But be assured, you will be assigned new servants, but only if you wish so." Demiurge's sadistic voice rang out, speaking into the princess's ear.
Quickly, Renner turned around and knelt before the Arch-Devil, trying to show proper respect when meeting a superior from Nazarick.
"I didn't know it was you, Lord Demiurge. Forgive me for not recognizing you right away." She said. Of course, she knew it was him or someone affiliated with Nazarick. But simply out of formality, she chose to tell lies. Her training as a princess only helped her in that part. The devil only smiled.
"There is no fault in your behavior. It was me who came unannounced. I hope I didn't disturb you at this late hour." The demon said, yet he didn't mean those words, that much Renner could muster out of the devil.
"You weren't disturbing me at all. But if I may ask, what is your reason to visit me, a lowly servant at this kind of time?" Renner asked.
"Perhaps I just wanted to see how our "lowly servant" is doing." Demiurge said, staring at her for a moment. "No, I will keep it simple. Once you swore to serve us, and in return we would let you live your life with your pet forever. Yet, it seems a variable has changed. Your pet is no longer here. But do not think that Nazarick won't fulfill its promises. Serve us faithfully, and you will acquire your little dog once more." Demiurge explained, Renner finding herself complying with his words, mostly.
"Of course, Lord Demiurge. I will prove my loyalty to you, Nazarick, and Lord Ainz." She replied, still kneeling as the demon hadn't allowed her to move yet. But she could feel its soulless eyes resting on her figure, its sharp teeth visible, as if he was right about to swallow her hole. That's what she felt every time. The power the demon held even clearer to her now when she turned into a demon.
"You will see to it that you do. And for the future, do not try to flatter me or Lord Ainz. If I find you doing so, you will be punished harshly. Did I make myself clear?" The demon stated.
"Yes, Lord Demiurge." She replied. She would note that she would not do so in the future.
"Good. I'll leave you alone for now. And something else. Soon, you will be called to our masters domain. You won't know when, but be prepared nevertheless."
The devil vanished. She knew it. Even then, she kept kneeling for a time as if this was a test; she was to succeed.
Thoughts raced through her mind. Should she stay? The only reason she felt obligated to Nazarick was because she wanted to be with Climb forever. But that wasn't possible right now. She knew it.
If she ran, she would be found in an instant. There were no carriages, no mages, nobody that could aid her now to escape the city. She was probably spied upon from every angle. She could feel it. The shadows weren't silent. They were alive.
While Demiurge was still here, she wanted to ask if she could see Lord Ainz once, alone. But she thought that would be too ambitious of her, needing to prove herself first before meeting with the great lord. Yet it seemed that she would meet him soon enough. Why and how, she didn't know.
But would that even matter as long as Climb wasn't with her? She noticed she was rather cold and emotionless without her bodyguard around. Without him, she was a husk, an evil woman with no heart for others. Climb changed that. He turned her into something kind. At least she pretended or tried to be so, only to impress the one she loved.
"What do I do now, Climb? What do I do now…"
"It can't be? How? That man-, that monster! If I only knew! He played me, tricked me into aiding him! Yet he didn't need my support! He was as strong as a hundred thousand men combined. And now it is said that he is truly a monster. An undead, an evil king, ruling over the living like a specter looming over its victims." Jircniv spat, grasping his hair as he pulled as hard as he could. His head hurt from the disaster he unleashed upon those poor souls. He doomed many men to death because he asked for Ainz Ooal Gown to unleash his strongest spell. He also made the Sorcerer King show his power to the world. How many would fear him now?
But that also brought hope. Knowing the undead's power, many would rise against him to stop his tyranny. At least, that was what the emperor hoped. As an ally, he couldn't directly attack the Sorcerer Kingdom. Even then, he feared his military might was beneath the Sorcerer King's. From the reports, he utilized undead in his army, as was expected. But not skeletons or zombies, but things out of legends. Death Knights and Soul Eaters are said to be legendary undead that could destroy entire cities in hours. And Ainz Ooal Gown had them en masse.
'There has to be some way to stop the Sorcerer King! That monster cannot be left untouched!' Jircniv could not let humanity doom itself. Not while knowing how he helped the undead king in his endeavours. But only then did he realize one important detail.
'How do I know he won't stop at the kingdom? Maybe he wants the empire to become his vassals as well. If that happens, I will not know what to do. Give in to the dark or stay away and die in vain.' The door opened before he could continue to venture into his thoughts, and a guard entered.
"Your Imperial Majesty. A messenger has arrived from the Sorcerer Kingdom." The guard exclaimed, Jircniv's eyes widening at the mention.
'Can a man relax for one second?!' It seemed his nightmares bore fruit in reality.
"Bring them in." He said, warding his mind from useless thoughts until the envoy appeared.
A beautiful woman with long black hair and silk-like skin. Her white dress seemed to make her like an angel. But those black-feathered wings, yellow-slit eyes, and horns showed her true nature.
If not for her fair appearance, he wouldn't have reacted this calmly.
'Ainz Ooal Gown seems to know of my weakness for women, sending someone like her.' He knew this, but still, it was a weakness he chose not to remove.
"Welcome into the Imperial Palace, my Lady…" Jircniv stood up while holding Albedo's hand. And like on cue, she continued what Jircniv expected of her.
"Lady Albedo, Guardian Overseer of Nazarick and faithful servant of the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown." She answered.
A strange title, yet the Emperor didn't question it.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Albedo. I must thank Ainz Ooal Gown for sending such a maiden like yourself. But enough with the pleasantries, let us talk why you came here." Jircniv said, offering a seat to the demoness.
"Thank you. As you know, my Lord has conquered Re-Estize and made it his own. My master appreciates your support in that matter and wants to personally invite you into his home." Albedo said, procuring a letter of invitation as she put it on the table.
'Inviting me? What could that mean? But as a respectable ally, I shouldn't deny his request.' Jircniv thought, his eyes lingering on the invitation letter.
"The location is written on the letter. Our king has prepared a great feast with many activities for our allies to enjoy." Albedo explained.
"There is nothing I would love to do more. Tell Lord Ainz that I accept his invitation gratefully." Jircniv said, his sly tongue at work. Albedo showed a faint smile. Even though it was not real, nobody could distinguish it. Not even the Emperor himself.
"My master will be most pleased. Well, now that I have fulfilled my duty, it is time I leave you alone, Emperor Jircniv." Albedo said, standing up as she gained dominance in this situation. If any other person would do such in the presence of the Emperor, it wouldn't come well. Yet Albedo was a different case.
"Feel free to visit Arwintar or our Colosseum. Our capital has much to offer." Jircniv said as any respectable host would.
"I will keep it in mind." Albedo replied as she made a short bow, leaving the presence of the Emperor.
He only stood there and watched her leave. Seconds later, he collapsed on the couch, sweat running down his face.
'I cannot read her, nothing. Was it her beauty that stunned me? I should not be afflicted by mental effects, but perhaps it wasn't any kind of magic. Still, she is a dangerous individual I have to look out for.'
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 some time to update this story, but I had to see where I go with this story first. The Kingdom and Empire arc is almost over. I skipped the dwarf arc since I don't find it any interesting. So, I'm gonna try to focus on the more important parts of the Overlord story.