Royal Convocation

Author's note: My description of E-Rantel as the capital of the Sorcerer Kingdom ran into a contradiction. I did not invent that a portion of the population (and almost all rich people) fled the city when it was annexed, where another part died during the Katze Plains Massacre, is canonical. I deduce that the city had to become very impoverished (I explain why in the text below). In my first draft, I deduced that the number of beggars must have increased except... it was exactly the opposite. Maruyama says there's hardly anyone living in the slums anymore.

E-Rantel, Sorcerer Kingdom

E-Rantel was a large and beautiful city. Formerly, it was located southeast of the Re-Estize Kingdom, on the border with the Baharuth Empire. Now, E-Rantel was the capital of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

A large rectangular square lined with chestnut trees occupied the city center. Two monuments, an alabaster fountain, and an ornamented column were the pride of the inhabitants. Once a week, a market settled there. The street vendors attracted the onlooker by shouting at him as he walked between the stands. It was a joyous and good-natured crowd.

All around the square, large and beautiful stone houses had once belonged to rich bourgeois (judges, doctors, or administrators), or even to Merchants Princes. Three concentric walls divided the city into different districts. For centuries, these formidable defenses had guaranteed its inviolability. Never could the Baharuth Empire seriously threaten this impressive citadel. Many public buildings crowned with domes and surrounded by columns, as well as temples dedicated to the Four Great Gods marked the urban landscape.

E-Rantel was a fortified city as impressive as it was magnificent.

However, this splendor was now just an echo of the past. When Ainz Ooal Gown seized the city, the wealthiest inhabitants fled (1), leaving their houses abandoned. Months had passed. Broken windows and missing tiles had not been replaced. Soon, these magnificent houses would be nothing but ruins.

Even in working-class neighborhoods, the effects of occupation were being felt. Many houses were also abandoned by the fleeing inhabitants when they had not perished. Indeed, a poorly armed local militia had participated in the battle of Katze Plains... or rather the massacre of Katze Plains. So-called because 250,000 soldiers from Re-Estize had been ruthlessly exterminated by the monstrosities invoked by the Sorcerer King.

The biggest change in E-Rantel was not the number of its inhabitants, but their behavior. In the past, the streets were full of eager passers-by, carriages, and riders. The town criers were on every street corner, children were shouting, people were arguing and women were talking out their windows. The jangling was permanent.

Now people didn't leave their homes unless they had to. Even the children didn't play between houses. The frightened individuals who risked themselves on the streets fled as soon as they saw the Death Knights patrols and the windows closed when their heavy steps sounded on the pavement.

These undead, on the other hand, were everywhere... We could see them guarding the gates and patrolling the streets and the ramparts. Their dark shadows stifled laughter and the cries of children.

The once noisy population was buried in silence. They were scared, scared by the Overlord that ruled the city, and his undead armies.

Not only did the city now live in terror, but despite the installation of dwarf blacksmiths in E-Rantel, the standard of living had dropped dramatically.

First, most of the local businesses had closed. All the skilled craftsmen - rich enough to move - had left the city, as had the majority of the wealthy merchants. There remained only the less able shopkeepers and craftsmen... Not only did the quality of local products that could be bought in the markets have declined, but they were not selling well... for lack of buyers.

Among the people who continued to live in E-Rantel, there were many widows whose husbands and sometimes eldest sons had perished during the war (2). Without the labor income of adult men great poverty and distress ensued for the mothers who had many mouths to feed.

Normally, such poverty would have resulted in a sharp increase in crime. But the Death Knights were everywhere and they were incorruptible. One could say that the Sorcerer Kingdom had succeeded in eradicating criminality, but this was the only positive result for which the Sorcerer King could be credited.

Many itinerant vendors no longer came to E-Rantel and the market had lost half its stalls. Those who came did so by obligation. Gown had forced the merchant guilds from the former Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire vassal state to trade with E-Rantel.

Most of the local exports were fruits and vegetables from 'kolkhozes' (state farms) grown by undead. Despite the opposition of the priests of the Four Great Gods, the neighboring countries bought this food because it was cheap... and because war starved people. Nevertheless, the proceeds went directly into the treasury of the Sorcerer Kingdom and did not benefit the local population.

VIP Villa (3)

The room was the office and audience room of a king. The floor was covered with luxurious carpets. Against the walls, waxed wood bookcases alternated with paintings and woodwork. There was also a large carved fireplace. On the marble tablet, a clock in gold and mother-of-pearl was ticking peacefully.

Through two tall windows, surrounded by curtains as red as the carpets, came sunlight, illuminating two desks almost side to side.

The smaller of the two was cluttered with boxes of records, but no one was sitting there at the moment. On the other hand, Ainz Ooal Gown was sitting on a large golden armchair, almost a throne, placed behind the largest desk. Fewer records were awaiting his signature, but Ainz couldn't work. He was mentally exhausted.

Alone in the room (he had managed to keep the maids away under the pretext of preparing tea for him), he nervously shredded the goose feather that was used to sign the documents.

What was he supposed to do?

From day one, Ainz doubted his leadership skills. The NPCs created by his friends - their children! - had full confidence in him and believed he was a genius. Luck had so far favored the Overlord. Besides, rather than talk about luck, it would be better to say that a succession of coincidences defying logic had given the illusion that Ainz was a kind of Machiavelli manipulating everyone and planning long in advance completely unpredictable turns of events...

The Sorcerer King had even managed to convince the NPCs that his stupidest decisions were deliberate strategic mistakes, bait to force hidden enemies to reveal themselves.

Except none of this was true!

Ainz was not a genius diplomat, nor was he a Machiavellian politician or first-rate strategist.

The Hell, he was just a corporate slave, a simple cog in a megacorporation. His education was limited. He had never been to college and the little he knew about history was learned from his conversations with other members of his guild back in Yggdrasil.

And now...

Ainz's gaze fell on the record opened before him: "Proposal of reorganization of the fiefs of the former Re-Estize Kingdom."

He now had to exercise his 'genius' in legislation. Everyone believed that he had maintained the laws of the Re-Estize Kingdom because he was very generous and did not want to make the conquest bitterer by flouting local customs.

But it was just a trick to avoid having to create a new code of law from scratch.

For everyone, even him, however, it was obvious that the organization and laws of the Re-Estize Kingdom had to be thoroughly reformed to correspond to the changes imposed by the creation of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

It was obvious that there was a real dysfunction in the institutions. For example, the capital's population was suffering from famine... even as the Sorcerer Kingdom had become the first exporter of food in the New World.

Of course, Ainz had ordered food distributions in the streets of E-Rantel, but it was only a stopgap measure. It was necessary to reorganize the country's economy. Firstly, social peace could only be achieved if the population received a fair share of the country's wealth. Secondly, a wealthy population generated taxes necessary for the functioning of the state.

Unfortunately, Ainz's knowledge of economics was limited to what Suzuki Satoru (a minor employee from a world where ultraliberalism had triumphed) had understood...

Of course, The Sorcerer King had asked Nazarick's NPCs for advice. But he quickly regretted it.

Aura and Mare had proposed a law that would oblige all the inhabitants of the Sorcerer Kingdom to... wear the clothes of the opposite sex. The idea was certainly amusing. Ainz had for a moment wondered which country would be born from such weird legislation... but he wasn't stupid enough to put the twins' ideas into practice.

Unfortunately, Gown had failed to prevent the implementation of another idea. Demiurge proposed that the Sorcerer Kingdom should have a state religion: the cult of the Forty-One Supreme Beings. All the NPCs had enthusiastically approved. And of course, as the sole survivor of the Supreme Beings, he was the central character of this new religion.

Statues of him were to be built throughout the kingdom.

He had just received a new title even more extravagant than "Sorcerer King", he was now the "God of Death" of the state religion of this country...Even more outrageous expectations... exactly what he needed.

Ainz put his head in his hands, moaning helplessly. If he still had a stomach probably it would have convulsed under the effect of apprehension.

Ainz was very anxious. It wasn't just fear of failure. The Nazarick NPCs meant a lot to him. They were the 'children' of his friends, something like a family. He was afraid to disappoint them. What would happen when they discovered that his 'genius' was just for show and that all of his successes were only undeserved strokes of luck?

If only Tabula Smaragdina were there! He was the most rational and analytical of all his friends... he would find a solution. Punitto Moe would also have been a better leader for Nazarick. Ainz Ooal Gown's guild members called him "The Strategist" because he was behind all the tactics they used. It was he who had turned a group of friends into a guild occupying the first place in the Yggdrasil ranking.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door.

Immediately, Ainz changed his attitude, pretending to be confident and behaving like royalty... he had been practicing this kind of comedy a lot in front of a mirror.

"Come in!"

A maid resembling a beautiful girl dressed in a French maid dress, entered and bowed politely.

"Ainz-sama, Marquis Elias Brandt Dale Raeven requests the honor of a hearing."

The Overlord hesitated briefly. Raeven was one of the nobles that he had spared after the conquest of the Re-Estize Kingdom. He had participated in several governments, a man who had acquired the kind of political experience that Ainz lacked. Perhaps he would be able to solve some of the problems that accumulated.

"All right, let him come in."

A human was introduced into the room by the maid. He was a young, blond, with a very pale complexion, almost sickly. This nobleman had belonged to the highest aristocracy of Re-Estize as evidenced by his white silk doublet inlaid with gold.

Elias knelt as he entered the room, his eyes humbly turned to the ground.

"Your Majesty, thank you for accepting me in."

Ainz waved his hand.

"Please, Marquis Elias, it's quite normal. Have a seat. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Your Majesty, I would like to talk about the issue of the submission of the fiefdoms of the Former Re-Estize Kingdom and the disarmament of the feudal armies."

"Oh?" A red light briefly lit in Gown's gaze."I listening."

When the Marquis Elias came out, Ainz slowly nodded. It had been a fruitful discussion

After annihilating the royal army, destroying the city of Re-Estize, and killing King Ramposa III and Prince Zanac, the Overlord asked Elias Brandt Dale Raeven if someone would dare- now- challenge him openly. The marquis immediately responded negatively.

And what followed proves that he was perfectly right. All the nobles of the Fallen Kingdom had offered their submission. Gown, however, distrusted them and wished to dissolve their feudal armies. But the nobles had not been quick to comply... Nevertheless, none had refused, strictly speaking, but many resisted passively.

Some objected that they could not leave their subjects unprotected from brigands. Others argued for the necessity of a guard to protect them or that the knights attached to their households were like family members. Still, others explained that the feudal guards and knights had families to feed, and depriving them of any income would not help to pacify the kingdom.

The problem was further complicated by the size of the country and the many feudal domains. There were more than 17,000 towns and villages in the Sorcerer Kingdom as well as 22,000 castles, not to mention 8 large cities (Re-Ulovale, Re-Bluemalashull, Re-Balborel, E-Asnaru, E-Libera, Re-Lobell, E-Pepel and finally E-Rantel).

Even geography did not facilitate the task of the Overlord. The Sorcerer Kingdom had the overall shape of a triangle with the Fresh Water Sea as its base... and E-Rantel was located at the vertex. The capital was therefore as far as possible from the most populated part of the kingdom. After explaining the situation to Ainz, Elias Brandt Dale Raeven proposed a compromise.

Avoiding a conflict with the nobility over feudal armies was not a very difficult task. After all, The Sorcerer King only needed to concede the form without conceding anything on the substance so the nobles would not lose face.

Marquis Elias' suggestion was merely common sense. Of course, it was necessary to make the feudal armies unable to threaten the Sorcerer Kingdom, but that did not necessarily mean that they should be disbanded. Weaken them would be sufficient.

The noble armies were mostly militias and levies... a rabble army that was easily wiped out by the undead armies of the Sorcerer Kingdom during the recent war. The feudal guards in the service of the nobility were barely more competent than the militiamen. Only the House Knights were competent, but they were few and scattered. Nevertheless, the nobles considered their armies indispensable for their protection but perhaps even more so because they were part of their privileges. A nobleman without feudal guards or knights can no longer assume his rank.

If the lords lose their private right of war (4) and could no longer conscript peasants to strengthen their armies, only Ainz's undead army would be in charge of the defense of the country... and the feudal armies would be reduced to a mere police force with honor guard function.

It was a clever compromise and Gown promised that he consider this proposal.

Rubbing his chin, Ainz Ooal Gown nodded.

He was right to listen to Renner. The former princess of the Lost Kingdom had convinced him to 'recruit' the Marquis, explaining that Elias Brandt Dale Raeven was one of the most competent politicians in the Re-Estize kingdom... and he had a weak point that made him easy to control. He just had a baby.

Albedo had visited Marquis Elias in his castle and had hardly any trouble convincing him to switch sides. It must be said that Ainz's Army already surrounded the marquis' estate and that the succubus had taken the time to explain with an abundance of details what would happen to Rii-tan (the son of Elias Brandt Dale Raeven) if his father refused Ainz's 'generous' offer.

Once again it was Renner's idea... Ainz didn't particularly like blackmailing someone, but if it was effective... then why not?

Someone knocked at the door (again!) and Gown answered immediately.

"Come in."

This time the maid let Albedo in. The latter placed two new records on her desk before turning to the Overlord.

"Ainz-sama, two urgent matters require your attention."

As often, the Sorcerer King remained silent. An outside observer would probably have seen a huge skeleton-type undead dressed in a mage's robe that listened silently to his subordinates, impenetrable and terrifying. The reality was much more prosaic. By the time he was still a mere employee called Suzuki Satoru, he had learned that silence was the best way not to say nonsense.

The self-proclaimed legal wife of the undead king opened the first records, turning a few pages, and then looked at the maid waiting by the door.

"Introduce Lizzie Bareare."

La maid bowed.

"Anything you say, Lady Albedo."

Lizzie Bareare was a wrinkled old woman, dressed in a brown leather apron cluttered with vials and test tubes, her snow-colored hair partly hidden by a green headdress. She was one of the most eminent pharmacists in the kingdom, and she had been working for Gown since he had saved her grandson Nfirea.

She humbly bowed down

"Your Majesty."

Ainz questioned Albedo with a look while crossing his bony hands under his chin.

In response, the prime minister spook to the old lady.

"Lizzie Bareare, explain your problem."

The old woman cleared her throat nervously before taking out an orange potion from her apron's pocket.

"Your Majesty, I bought this potion at the E-Rantel market three days ago. Do you see the seal of the Slane Theocracy on the cork? It's a product that was imported from this country."

"A potion," asked Ainz.

"Yes, Your Majesty, a healing potion."

Neither in Yggdrasil nor in the New World, orange healing potions were distilled. So it was an entirely new product. He pondered awhile. If Albedo considered this a serious problem, it meant that...

"And this potion is more effective than the one you produce in the village of Carne."

Lizzie nodded to the Overlord's words. Her hands twisted the bottom of her apron. She seemed excited but also devastated.

"Yes, Your Majesty. More efficient, but also cheaper... we analyzed several of the potions using all the known tests... and we did not identify any of the components. I haven't faced such a mystery since Brita broke into my shop and asked me to analyze the healing potion you gave her (5)."

"How many potions did he have on his stand," Ainz asked in a soft voice... but already suspecting the answer.

Albedo spoke instead of the pharmacist, having already conducted her own investigation.

"The merchant imported 200 potions. He sold them all. According to him, the producer would be Theocracy itself. The dealer also told us he would be back in four days with 500 more potions."

Lizzie shook her head.

"Not only are these potions cheaper and more efficient than the ones we make at Carne, but our production rate is comparatively low... we have to go to the Great Forest of Tob with an escort of goblins looking for the necessary herbs. With what we harvest, we make 20 potions a day, 30 the best days."

It was a disaster.

Thanks to the influence of Lizzie and Nfirea Bareare, the Pharmacists were one of the few guilds of E-Rantel to have fully accepted the Sorcerer Kingdom. Ainz had rewarded this support by offering potions from Yggdrasil to the Bareare. Until now, they had not succeeded in duplicating the effects of the samples they had analyzed. But what they had learned allowed them to create a few beverages more effective than those distilled in the New World.

But all these efforts to develop an alchemy industry in Carne Village proved to be a waste of resources. Suzuki Satoru had worked long enough in a megacorporation to know how the competition worked. A product of lesser quality could only be competitive if it was sold cheaper, or could be more easily found than rival firms' products. However, the Slane Theocracy overwhelmed the market with a product not only of better quality but also cheaper.

Ainz sighed.

"Abandon all research on healing potions. Focus on the other type of potions."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"You may leave, Lizzie Bareare."

When she got out, The Sorcerer King turned to Albedo.

"Send Shadow Demons into the Slane Theocracy, I want them to get the alchemical formula of this healing potion, as well as samples of the ingredients."

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

If your competitors do better than you... just steal their method and do like them. The answer was well-known to Suzuki Satoru. All the megacorporations warned their employees against industrial espionage.

Imitation is said to be the most sincere form of flattery.

But Miriel hated sweet talk. Moreover, she had anticipated the Overlord's reaction... and left in the Slane Theocracy a guardian for her secrets.

Gown turned to Albedo. She had taken the second file and had just risen from her chair.

"Ainz-sama, we must return to Nazarick to meet Cocytus and Aura."

"I see" replied the Overlord while joining the Pure-White Devil.

In general, internal affairs at the Sorcerer Kingdom were dealt with in E-Rantel, while external policy issues were debated inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The Dungeon was a much safer plan and spying on meetings was almost impossible.

Ainz Ooal Gown raised one hand, whispering a simple word.

"Gate."

Immediately, a disc of watery appearance formed before them. But this 'water' was made of purplish darkness rippled with reddish reflections.

Escorted by Albedo, Ainz crossed the Gate as the maid left the room, closing behind her.

Sitting at the end of the huge cathedral-like throne room, Ainz watched Cocytus and Aura come forward. The huge insectoid spewed an icy puff of steam before kneeling.

"All Hail. The. Supreme. Being. Ainz. Ooal. Gown."

Beside him, Aura knelt with one hand on her heart and turned her head to look at the throne with a wide smile.

"All Hail the Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown."

The Sorcerer King nodded, before glancing to Albedo.

"All right, why are we here?"

Albedo smiled and pointed at Cocytus.

"The 5th Floor Gardian Cocytus requested this meeting to inform you that the Lizardmen training was now over. Their tribe can now be considered part of Nazarick's armed force."

"Oh?"

Ainz rubbed his chin while looking at Cocytus. He had not returned to the Lizardmen village since his trip to the Dwarf Kingdom.

"I see that you are sure of yourself, Cocytus. And what strength will the Lizardmen bring to Nazarick?"

The giant insect-like demon rose.

"They. Are. Master. Of. Hiding. And. Tracking. In. Swamp. Places. Warriors. Loyal. And. Fierce. Tamer. Of. Monsters. Druids."

"Interesting, indeed. And you have already led them into battle?"

"No. Ainz-sama. Nevertheless. They. Have. Convinced. Their. Neighbors. The. Toadmen (6). To. Submit. To. The. Sorcerer. Kingdom."

Waving to attract the Overlord's attention, Aura spoke.

"Cocytus would like to test his new army against some particular opponents."

Pulling a map of the inner pocket of her white and gold vest, she unrolled it at the steps of the throne. While rubbing her nose, the Dark Elf Ranger pointed to a small territory east of the Baharuth Empire.

Ainz plunged his hand into a purplish nothingness and took a monocle from his Inventory.

"The Trolls Kingdom" he read.

Aura nodded.

"Right! These strong, regenerating half-humans would make good recruits for Nazarick."

"Yes, that's for sure."

The Undead turned to the Ruler of the Frozen Rivers.

"I don't think you want to conquer a kingdom full of Trolls just with one tribe of Lizardmen and some Toadmen. What reinforcements are you asking for, Cocytus?"

The demon threw out a puff of icy mist.

"Ten. Elder. Lichs. 10,000. Low-level. Undead. Ainz-Sama."

Even if the Trolls completely destroyed this army, they would quickly replace this loss. This type of undead creature was automatically spawned from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

"All right, Cocytus, you have permission to act as you see fit. As you requested, the Lizardmen are your responsibility. However, warn me before attacking. I wish to witness the battle."

"It. Will. Be. An. Honor. Ainz-sama."

Targos, North of the Roble Holy Kingdom.

As her flying carpet lost altitude and maneuvered to land on the square near the manor of Baron Breval, a crowd gathered spontaneously, joyful and friendly.

Inexplicably, as always, Miriel was irritated by this display of trust and affection. On the one hand, the half-elf suffered because no one loved her. On the other... she hated to be given evidence to the contrary. There would probably be a lot to say about this contradiction, but unfortunately (fortunately?) there was no psychiatrist in the New World.

First to jump to the ground, Diolaine stretched like a cat. The pink-haired thief looked around and waved her hand recognizing Altiria Siina Verteil.

"Hello, princess! What's up?"

Without formalizing the rather... relaxed manners of the young woman, she greeted her with a single nod, the salutation of a princess to a noblewoman of far inferior rank. It was not an insult, but Altiria was aware of her standing... unlike Diolaine. Ironically, as a handmaiden, the young woman knew perfectly the protocol between nobles. But as soon as she could, she clearly showed her lack of interest in this kind of "stupid waste of time" (sic).

"Nothing important happened during your absence. The only news is that Khalid and Leyen met a master of martial arts who took them as a student."

Quickly looking around to see if Lady Sole or her servants were nearby, the elf priestess leaned over to Miriel and murmured quickly in her ear:

"There is something strange about the so-called envoys of the Baharuth Empire. You must speak with Antilene."

"I'll do it."

Altiria stood up and smiled, before resuming speech aloud.

"And Baron Breval also wants to see you."

"I'll go immediately."

After putting the flying carpet back in her inventory, Miriel knocked on the door of the mansion. Five minutes later, she sat in front of the baron's desk and politely refused a glass of wine her host offered her.

Marcus Aquaire Breval returned to his seat and took out a letter from a drawer.

"While you were away, a messenger crossed enemy lines. Queen Calca Bessarez arrived at Daggerford. The city will host a strategic meeting bringing together the Queen's Councilors, and the Barons of the North under the presidency of Her Majesty.

"A strategic meeting?"

Baron Breval nodded.

"Yes, to establish a joint action plan against Jaldabaoth. I am invited to this conference and so are you."

"Me?"

Incredulous, Miriel grabbed the letter to check and... grimaced. Once again, she had forgotten that an inexplicable 'translation software' allowed her to understand everything the inhabitants said... but that it did not apply to the writings. For her, the letter was covered with rather exotic signs with no meaning...

"Learning to read the local language" was on her to-do list... as well as several hundred other urgent things. It must be said that this list was a kind of cousin of the Hydra of Lerna. Each time she deletes a task from the list... three others were added.

Marcus Aquaire Breval nodded.

"Exactly, the message is an invitation to 'the player Nimrodel'..." He smiles at her with compassion. "I know you do not appreciate this kind of attention, but you cannot refuse a royal order."

With his finger, the baron tapped the seal at the bottom of the scroll. The red wax was adorned with the coat of arms of the kingdom.

Miriel sighed with exasperation while rubbing her forehead.

"I understand it well..."

The half-elf had done her best to hide that she was not from the New World, but her weird magic, her Inventory, and the fact that she could only read the 'language of the gods' (Japanese ideograms)... was a series of quirks more than enough to draw attention... and very often, unwelcomed attention.

And this 'invitation' (it was the term used on the letter... but calling it an order would be more accurate) meant that she would not have time to enjoy a moment of respite.

You had to be stupid to want to be reincarnated as your game avatar in a distant world... Since her arrival on the New Word, the only thing she was awarded was a growing collection of problems to solve.

While they were still discussing the royal audience, Baroness Cordelia entered with Diolaine, Antilene Heran Fouche, and a servant carrying a tray with a teapot and several cups.

As often, Cordelia Monsagan Breval looked at Miriel with a mixture of grief, worry, and exasperation. She was probably the only person to consider the Summoner first as a teenager tricked into going on a battlefield. For the baroness, the fact that she was a 'Player' came only after... Miriel's refusal to care for herself made Cordelia frantically angry... when it didn't make her cry.

And the reaction of the Isekaied Japanese could make you smile.

The usually fearless Summoner curled up in her armchair at Cordelia's arrival, avoiding the baroness's gaze. The Reincarned Japanese was very uncomfortable because she did not know how to react to the anger of Cordelia Monsagan Breval. After all... even Watanabe Haruko's own mother had never behaved as... well as a mother.

Fortunately, Antilene immediately took the floor.

The Heterochromia Girl had a twisted smile and literally lifted the half-elf from her chair to hug her. With the result Miriel begins to moan in pain... because it was the embrace of a bear!

"I'm glad to see you again, girlie... You scared me by fainting like that. I... I know you won't believe me, but... I'm not insensitive. I spend so much time yelling at people, making fun of them, and... "

Sudden Death blushed and coughed in her fist before resuming her speech in her habitual mocking tone and behaving coldly again.

"... forget what I just said. It's not very important. Er... what is important is that Baharuth's envoys are probably not what they appear to be."

"What do you mean" asked Baron Breval.

"The guards, the caravaneers, even the maid... they are ordinary people. But my instinct tells me that Lady Sol is dangerous. At least dangerous for people like you... I'd blow her up with no trouble."

Probably true, apart from Jaldabaoth, Miriel had never met anyone who could defeat Antilene.

Sudden Death's smile became dreamy as she stroked her belly. Picturing in her mind something that would probably be... uh... classified as "18+"

"But the butler... him... he could make me taste defeat. And maybe, after, he would take me and fertilize me... ah... This idea alone is enough to make me feel funny..."

Cordelia interrupted her by loudly clearing her throat, while Diolaine looked up to the sky, spreading her arms exaggeratedly, mimicking disbelief.

"Keep the children away, lock the doors! Antilene is about to talk about her fantasies..."

Except that Miriel had absolutely NO desire to learn more about the Gothic Girl's odd tastes. She put the conversation back on track.

"Tell me more about the butler."

"His name is Sebas Tian, an old guy, a kind of martial arts artist...

But the Heterochromia Girl interrupted herself seeing the emotions that followed quickly on the face of the Summoner. At first surprised and even a little amused, Miriel suddenly stood up, completely panicked!

"Exorcism! Antilene, quick! There's a Shadow Demon in the room!"

Understanding that the half-elf was serious, the Extra Seat of the Black Scripture stood up and clapped her hands against each other, in a gesture of prayer.

"Bannishment!"

Immediately, a white and golden aura enveloped the Gothic Girl... the wave of light swept through the room, driving out all darkness... except a demon silhouette with wings and horns. The two-dimensional creature cried out in pain, raising his arms to protect his eyes before disintegrating, returning to the demonic plane of existence from which it came.

Speechless, they all remained to fix the location where the Shadow Demon had stood. Diolaine was the first to regain her calm. She turned to Miriel.

"How did you know?"

"They are spies of Gown or Jaldabaoth... or both of them. They came to learn our secrets. Already, in Silksuntecks, they had used Shadow Demons. From now on, we gather only in brightly lit places... without any shade!"

Antilene nodded her head.

"Okay... but you didn't answer. How did you understand?"

Miriel raised her arms to the heaven, still agitated, panicked.

"Do you really think this is the most important question to ask in such circumstances?... 'Sebas Tian' is a dumb pun that only a Player can understand."

In Japanese manga, the butler of the hero of their story is often called "Sebastian" (or abbreviated as "Sebas"). Only a Japanese Player could have called an NPC "Sebas" (first name) "Tian" (name), playing between the long and short form of this stereotypical butler's name.

Motionless in the middle of the room, looking at a wall without seeing it, Miriel reflected aloud, opening and closing her hands spasmodically. Her thoughts collided at full speed, bouncing against each other...

"Antilene destroyed the Shadow Demon before he reported to the spies. They must not yet know that we understood... We must leave... immediately. No..."

The Summoner closed her eyes, an expression of almost painful concentration on her face. She bit her lips.

"No... no... if we all leave at the same time, they could slaughter the people of Targos."

Diolaine and Cordellia looked terrified while turning as white as chalk. Antilene and Marcus clenched their fists in helpless anger. Gown and Jaldabaoth were known for their lack of compassion. They both ruthlessly butchered thousands of innocent people in response to simple provocations. If they vent their anger on Targos, no one would make it out alive.

"This is what we must do. Baron Breval, you will accompany me to Daggerford with your wife and Diolaine. We will travel on my flying carpet. Before leaving, we will explain publicly that Queen Calca Bessarez has summoned us. Besides, it's true, and if the Shadow Demon did its job, Sebas Tian must already know. Antilene you stay here with Khalid, Altiria and Leyen... If things go wrong, you're the only one with a chance to beat that archetypical butler."

The Heterochromia Girl grinned, she liked the idea.

"Got it."

"In a few days, I'll send you a message announcing that I have decided to stay in Daggerford and asking you to join me. As I am their target, they will leave Targos to join Daggerford. Antilene, you and our friends, you leave as soon as they leave the city. But you will not go to Daggerford. We will meet in Hoburns (7). Travel quickly and discreetly. Don't take the roads, don't sleep in inns."

She turned to the baron and baroness who had listened to her plan without saying a word.

"After Sebas Tian has left Targos, I will take you back home before joining my friends in Hoburns."

Cordellia spoke reluctantly.

"What about you? Are you... are you going to be okay?"

Miriel hesitated between a reassuring but hardly credible answer... and the bare truth.

"No, they are going to keep going after me... and they've already found me three times."

The half-elf didn't want to spend the rest of her life running away and crawling in fear. She couldn't bear the thought that her presence alone was enough to put innocent in danger. She had to stop this manhunt.

This meant... she had to defeat Gown.

It would be more realistic to ask her to stop a tsunami with her bare hands... she would have a better chance of succeeding.

Author Note:

The end of this chapter highlights a classic communication problem.

During my studies, I was told that we looked at a person only the first time we met him. All we did afterward was "take notes", comparing his current evolution with the memory of this first encounter.

Hence the importance of a good first impression.

Ainz sends a sympathetic individual, really able to befriend Miriel. But the half-elf discovers the butler's true origin before Sebas even has a chance to talk to her and coax her to follow him... The result? She immediately runs away.

No doubt many of you must find her reaction exaggerated. She had nothing to fear from Sebas... true. But YOU know this BECAUSE you know the Overlord series. On the contrary, Miriel has never met Sebas and knows Ainz only by what she saw in her crystal ball (the massacre of the inhabitants of the Re-Estize Kingdom by undead armies).

Yes, Ainz has a... abysmal reputation. But he reaps what he sows.

Moreover, from Miriel's point of view, the undead king is also the worst breed of stalker. Not only does he pursue her for weeks, but he murders the people she frequents and even the ones she only meets, torturing them to death to get information about her (yes, you are right, technically Demiurge did it).

So I think her reaction is pretty normal.

(1) With the notable exception of the Pharmacist Guild members.

(2) The economic consequences of the death of young men, fathers, or eldest sons in a war are often overlooked... especially in the medieval era. Sun Tsu said that the death of a man in combat could throw seven families into misery. A minimum of 850,000 people died during the war between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Sorcerer Kingdom, I let you imagine the economic consequences!

(3) Note that the expression "VIP Villa" is used in the Web Novel to designate the royal castle dominating E-Rantel. "VIP Villa" is unsuitable for a royal castle and reflects Ainz's ignorance of architecture and history. The E-Rantel castle has a similar architecture to Chenonceau, one of the most beautiful "Château de la Loire" (in France), built in 1513.

(4) The right of feudal lords to wage war against other feudal lords.

(5) Exactly, she speaks about the Yggdrasil's healing potion that Brita had received from Momon, but Lizzie is one of the few inhabitants of the New World to know that Monon and Ainz are the same person.

(6) The Todmen live in the same swamp as the Lizardmen, north of Nazarick, just south of the Dwarf kingdom.

(7) The capital of the Roble Holy Kingdom.