A comfortable silence, accompanied with the occasional ruffling of papers, filled the office of one of the Supreme Beings.
The massive mahogany desk and chair of ornate makings, carved into existence by who could only be the greatest of craftsmen, that sat right before a massive tapestry with the embroidery of an angel and devil's wing symbol were empty.
Instead, the couches that sat right before it meant for guests were filled with piles of neatly stacked and organized files on the coffee table that sat in the middle of the two.
Yuuji sat on one side, reading the documents and reports regarding the current economy and corruption within Re-Estize.
On his head, a beautiful, sparkling, white slime sat silently, enjoying her master's presence. While her twin, the starry black slime, sat on his left shoulder, reading the documents along with her master.
To his right was Albedo, similarly going through the reports that she had actually read and organized, but was reviewing once more before handing it to the Supreme Beings.
Meanwhile, resting her head on his lap was Aika. The temptation to sleep after a whole night's worth of lovemaking, in addition to the calm, soothing silence and her beloved's warmth, was simply too much for her to resist.
And lastly, sitting on the other side of the table was Lelouch, similarly with files of documents in his hand.
"My love, Lelouch-sama. There's something I would like to show you."
Both raised their heads from their documents and took the copies of the reports Albedo handed to them, and began to read.
"This is…"
"Hm…"
A thoughtful look appeared on both of their visages as Albedo began her explanation.
"These are reports that the doppelganger agents we've sent to the Empire had gathered regarding a certain individual. She came from a line of family of talents, each with varying degrees of usefulness. This one, in particular, possesses the talent to see through the highest tier of magic one is capable of casting. She also seemed to be talented in the ways of the arcane, at least as regular humans do, and was taught by the Empire's greatest magic caster, Fluder Paradyne."
Yuuji and Lelouch immediately recognized the name written at the top of the page as well as the painting of the person attached to the documents.
Arche Eeb Rile Furt.
A genius young magic caster who once ranked at the top of the Imperial Magic Academy, only to be reduced to a mere worker due to the collapse of her noble household that happened during the purge of the Bloody Emperor.
A girl who worked her hardest and putting her very life on the line to gain money for her little sisters' livelihood, only for her delusional parents, who refused to accept reality, to squander her hard earned silver and fell into massive debts.
In the anime, she met a tragic end within Nazarick after taking part in the raid and plunder Ainz and Albedo had set up to test Nazarick's defensive system and establish the Sorcerous Kingdom, in hopes to gain enough money to get her sisters out of the unfortunate lives under her parents.
However, perhaps this time…
"We may have some use for her…"
Lelouch muttered under his breath, his thoughts escaping his lips unconsciously as he began formulating plans in his mind, enough for everyone to hear it within the silence.
Yuuji nodded in agreement.
"Yes… She's talented and her character seems decent. And with her situation, she would be loyal to her savior."
"I agree, my love. I've also taken the liberty to investigate the members of her party. They seemed… better than the rest of the workers within the Empire."
Albedo handed the two a few more files, each containing descriptions of Arche's party members.
"...Yuuji, can I have Sebas and Solution go to the Empire instead?"
The sudden question caught Yuuji and Albedo by surprise, for it meant changing their plans that had been set into motion.
However…
"...Alright. We can have them go there."
"My love?"
Yuuji turned towards Albedo and smiled softly.
"Sebas's character and appearance is the most appropriate to establish a relationship with her. And their "background" as a well established, rich, foreign noble would be perfect to attract the attention of her delusional parents. In fact, it might hasten her displeasure towards her parents, and Sebas would be able to "save" her more quickly."
Yuuji watched fondly as Albedo's brilliant mind processed his words and its implication that was left unsaid. And as he expected, it didn't take long for a look of realization appeared, and her smile widened.
"I see~ As expected of Yuuji-sama and Lelouch-sama. Very well, I shall prepare for the change appropriately and inform Demiurge as well."
Her lips curled in delight with a tinge of mischievousness as she lowered her head in a respectful bow before the brilliance of the Supreme Beings.
A myriad of plans appeared in her mind one after the other, each capable of bringing an entire kingdom fall into the hands of the Supreme Beings in less than a year. Yet, she kept the grace and elegance that would be expected from the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick and did not let her excitement overtake her.
"We'll have Providence take care of the Eight Fingers along with Blue Rose. With the increasing amount of deep-rooted corruption within the Kingdom, and Providence's recent achievements with the undead tragedy and Vampire attack, the king might use them to invite us to the castle under the guise of granting us rewards, and make the request to eliminate the Eight Fingers then."
Lelouch nodded.
"Alright. I will handle things over in the Empire in the meantime. Albedo, please relay this to Sebas and Solution. I will open a [Gate] to the Empire for them. Have one of your agents there to prepare their accommodation there. Make sure its an impressive one and near to the Furt household."
"Yes, my lord."
Lelouch raised from his seat with a few files in his hand, and Albedo followed suit before bowing towards the Supreme Being.
"I'll be going now. Tell me if you have any updates on your side."
"Mm. See you later."
Their fists bumped each other and Lelouch left the office, leaving Yuuji with Albedo and the napping Aika, along with the two adorable twin slimes.
"Albedo, please have Entoma prepare herself to accompany Shalltear as her maid to the kingdom. I believe Aika has given her the Seed of Lust, so her appearance should be more "human-like" now. I will be informing Shalltear of the change in plans."
"Yes, my love~ With pleasure~"
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"That's right…! I heard they leveled a massive area of the outskirts in E-Rantel!"
"Really? From a battle? That's… unbelievable."
"They were fighting a vampire that wiped out the Death Spreading Brigade and even a mythril-ranked party. I heard they had to blow up some sort of artifact to kill it…! Maybe that's why there's so much destruction."
"Hey, I heard it looks like a Katze Plain… It's all barren with any kind of life. Just what kind of battle happened there…"
"I guess we'll have another Adamantite Adventurer party now… I mean, they should be right?"
"I think so too… They've killed two Skeletal Dragons, a notorious adventurer killer, and a Vampire Lord… I heard they're even invited to the castle by the King to receive rewards!"
"Eh? Then are they coming here?"
"Two adamantite parties in one city… Well, that's something you don't see everyday."
Shalltear walked through the hustling and bustling streets of Re-Estize's royal capital.
Many eyes shifted towards the beautiful, crimson red dress she wore that spoke not of her obvious richess, but of her elegance and class.
She seemed young, given her lithe and short stature, which was only slightly uplifted by the red heels she wore. They could not see her face clearly, as it was covered by the crimson red parasol she held with her lithe, white hands. But, they could see her luscious pink lips and soft, white cheeks that tapered into a perfectly shaped chin that invited a second and third look for a chance to see the beauty beyond the veil of mystery.
With that, and her pale, jade-white white skin that was matched solely by her icy silver hair, the best description that came to mind upon seeing her figure would be a "beautiful, sheltered noble young lady".
Their theory was further reinforced by the figure following closely behind her.
She was a young, doll-like, beautiful young girl with dark purple hair tied up into two buns on either side of her head. Her crimson red eyes shined like deep red rubies. Her cheeks flushed with a healthy red, and her lips naturally luscious and pink.
She was dressed in a maid outfit, but not one conventionally found within the kingdom nor the empire. Her petite body was covered in a modified maid's outfit with propped up collars covering her neck completely, white frills, and a big red ribbon tied around her waist. And aside from her face, she did not show any skin at all.
The walk through the dirty streets with filthy blood bags and insignificant insects scuttling around left and right was one she never truly enjoyed. It was a boring and unpleasant experience.
Only her orders and the thought of finally being able to meet her beloved Yuuji would normally prevent her from letting the urge to slaughter take control.
This time, however, the smile Shalltear often wore on her mask of a demure, graceful, lady of nobility curled slightly more as she listened to the words spoken by the adventurers walking on the streets that were either making their way to the Adventurer's Guild, or away from it.
Hearing stories about the might of her beloved master and seeing these insects showing reverence and awe towards him, as they should, lifted up her mood.
"Welcome to the Shining Golden Pavilion, my lady. May I show you to your table?"
Shalltear did a slight nod towards the server who had welcomed her the moment she arrived before the entrance of the most luxurious restaurant within the royal capital of Re-Estize Kingdom.
She followed the young server towards her usual table, located deep enough to allow for a personal space, but still within view of most of the highly wealthy and noble patron of the establishment.
She had frequented this establishment quite a bit as it would be the place where she would meet her beloved, giving the excuse of having just moved in and finding the meals here appealing after her first visit. And after three visits and spending generously for food and tips, she had quickly become one of the most valued customers of the establishment.
A week has passed since she arrived in the royal capital of the kingdom along with Entoma and acquired a massive, luxurious mansion within the upper district with funds given personally by Yuuji himself.
It has only been recently that they've been transported into this new world, and yet, her beloved master had taken deep roots within the economy of both the Kingdom and the Empire, quickly wrapping his fingers around many of the most lucrative and successful businesses within the kingdom.
She had also heard from Aika's stories that he had also gained a lot through "confiscating" assets belonging to the cancer of the Kingdom, an underworld organization called the "Eight Fingers", and slowly shaving and cutting off their roots and tendrils.
'And now, they're starting to panic~! All as Yuuji-sama planned~'
Reports given to her by their doppelganger agents and Entoma's insects showed increasing number of murder, kidnapping, and the illegal distribution of "black powder", a highly addictive drug capable of corrupting even the sanest minds into their slaves just for the chance to get a whiff of it.
These, in turn, created a turmoil within the palace as pressure for the crown to take action increased exponentially by the day from nobles to extinguish the flames of corruption they were stoking behind the scenes.
A marvelous, self-made spiral of corruption, despair, and chaos that would leave the kingdom ripe for the taking by her beloved master.
"Fufufu~ This is splendid~"
"Really~? I think the food here is trash compared to our home, Shalltear-sama~"
Entoma tilted her head confusedly. Her sweet, adorable voice. a complete juxtaposition to the words she uttered, mirroring her absolutely adorable and beautiful appearance to her true nature.
"Oh of course. But I wasn't talking about the food."
"Hm~? Is that so?"
"It is. I'm simply looking forward to the day we see his plan come to fruition~"
"Ah, me tooo~ I will do my best so I can receive his praises~"
"Good~ Do your best~"
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AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!
Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~!
Thank you~!