The green canopy of trees above gave a pleasant shade, making work far easier for those below as the blazing sun could not assault them with its heat. Nfirea blew everyone out of the water with how masterfully he picked herbs. Even Dyne, as a druid, could not keep up with his meticulousness or pace.
The bags filled up fast, and it didn't take more than a few locations for the job to be almost completed. They had finished the herb gathering in almost record time for their group and thus returned earlier on in the day than anticipated.
The rather casual activity had also lifted the mood of the Swords of Darkness members and Brita, all of whom had gathered a fair share and could look forward to a rather good payout for their time once they returned to the guild. Fear dissolved from the previous attack by goblins and ogres earlier.
"This should do," Nfirea claimed, satisfied with the amount gathered as he tied up the last bag.
"Then we better go. There is still a chance something nasty could show up," Peter stated, picking up two bags from under the tree and urging others to start walking. They had already picked up their respective bags and were resting, ready to leave at any time.
"You think there's something in the forest that we can't handle?" Pero asked in return, garnering a few chuckles from spectators who recalled the sheer amount of enemies he had slain.
Aura was already lurking nearby, and her new pet wasn't that far away either. All they needed was a signal and they would be attacked within a few minutes to 'spice up' their adventure once more.
"This part of the forest is supposed to be the territory of a legendary beast named the Wise King of the Forest. Few have survived to tell the tale after encountering him," Ninya spoke up.
He looked around with a wary expression and shuddered.
"Don't jinx it."
Lakrut grabbed Ninya by his shoulder and gave him a light noogie. The boy pushed away the taller man and rubbed his forehead, giving a pouty expression in response.
"That hurt!"
"Umm, guys, do you hear it?" Buku asked, staring into the forest.
It was the signal for her daughter to strike. Aura was under orders to avoid killing anyone, but at the same time, she and her beast could freely cause non-lethal injuries to their group. This meant even Pero and Buku had to be on Their guard.
"What is it?" Peter tensed up, staring intently in the same direction as Lakrut.
"Something large is coming!" Lakrut exclaimed, reaching for his bow.
He drew his bow and pointed in the direction from which soon all of them heard someone charging in their direction, trampling undergrowth and toppling smaller trees. Whatever it was, it was huge, and it was extremely strong.
Suddenly, a massive beast leapt into their vision with a tiny humanoid riding it, screaming its animalistic screams. A bush was torn asunder as it landed, scattering nearby birds as its tail whistled through the air.
The silver-furred beast was at least two meters tall, standing on all fours as its tail swung menacingly. The beast's rider was about a meter tall, dressed in a grass-weaved outfit and a wooden mask, had blonde hair, and long pointy ears peeking out from within.
"Thieves! You are stealing from the Wise King of the Forest!" the small figure screeched in a childish voice, pointing a large wooden staff roughly hewn from a stick at the group.
The massive beast shot its snake-like tail toward the nearest target, slamming Brita in the chest before anyone could react. She was sent flying through a thick bush, crashing into a tree with a thud as she slid to the ground.
The small creature jumped off the beast at the same time, flipping in the air and flying towards Peter, its staff aiming to crack open his head.
Knowing that the blow from Aura would be lethal, Pero intercepted her, parrying the girl's staff with His sword, and allowing Peter to regain his bearings and prepare to run.
Buku grabbed her shield and deflected the beast's next tail attack, saving Nfirea from the potentially lethal blow, doing her part as well. Nfirea scurried away until Pero took over the situation.
"Lucy, get Brita! The rest of you grab Nfirea and run! We'll handle this!" Pero shouted out orders while fending off Aura's relentless attacks.
"You heard him! Run!" Peter agreed, already pushing Nfirea by the shoulder as he ran.
For them, fighting such a beast was impossible, and the small masked creature was likely beyond their ability, given the furious clash between it and Pero as well. They would be courting death by staying, and make the fight harder due to being weak, as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
While they grouped up and started running towards the village, herb bags clenched in their hands, Lupus emerged from the brushes with Brita over her shoulder, already casting weak healing magic to stabilize possible internal damage.
The cataclysmic battle between the two siblings and the legendary beast raged behind them, tree trunks toppling loudly and brush torn to pieces. Animals fled from the region, occasionally even passing the adventurers in their flight.
Soon enough they had gained enough distance, and the frantically running group could finally stop and rest to lick their wounds. The Swords of Darkness formed a half circle around the others, taking defensive stances as they were used to intense physical exertion. Nfirea dropped to his knees, wheezing, exhausted from the experience. A pharmacist like him was not used to intense physical activity, such as running for his life.
The battle still raged on in the forest, seemingly only ramping up, if the smashes and crashes heard were anything to go on.
Somewhere in the distance, the beast's tail clashed against Buku's shield with ringing sounds. Trees were felled, bushes were crushed, and soil was obliterated as the fight rampaged onward.
Lupus, meanwhile, carefully dropped Brita on the ground, as she was wheezing hard. The young woman's chest armor was dented in; her face becoming blueish. Without much hesitation, Lupus tore off the armor and cast a healing spell on her.
As much as she would have liked for any of them to die, orders were orders, and her role needed to be played to perfection. The healing had to work, and it did.
Brita opened her eyes and jerked into a sitting position with a coughing fit, coughing up bits of blood.
"Easy there. You were almost a goner," Lupus stated cheerfully, and clapped the young woman's back.
"What happened?" Brita asked when she could breathe freely once again, shaking off Lupus' teasing and managing to stand upright against a tree.
"The beast slammed you hard in the chest with its tail," Lukrut claimed, "you went flying through a bush or two and crashed into a tree, which knocked you out."
Brita looked at her dented chest plate and picked it up with a haunted expression. "This wasn't cheap."
"Um, Peter, you're not counting this against me joining the team?" she asked, looking at the man, who was just as distressed as his compatriot at how close they were to dying.
'If we hadn't befriended the trio and escorted Nfirea on our own, we all would have died. A sign from the Gods? There's something otherworldly about the three of them.'
She put the armor back on the grass and glanced at Peter hopefully. 'The potion would not have saved me. I need this.'
"We'll put it up to vote when we are back in E-Rantel. None of us could have shrugged off that blow."
He scratched the back of his head. It was a small miracle that she had even survived. If the beast had aimed a bit higher, Brita would have been instantly killed, likely pierced through the upper chest. Even so, the blow had shattered a few ribs and probably punctured a lung. The armor may have been expensive, but she would have paid with her life had she not worn it.
The battle in the forest had finally ended, the distinct lack of noise audible to all those involved. The siblings emerged from beyond their hasty pathway a few minutes later, appearing roughed up from the battle. Buku's shield had small and medium-sized dents all over, and Pero sported a gash on his right cheek and multiple bruises over His limbs.
Lupus rushed over and healed it before Pero's natural regeneration took care of it, playing her role once again. Buku leaned next to Brita, who was mourning the end of her chest plate.
"They escaped. I bet we would have gotten a nice reward for their heads," Pero announced, sounding disappointed as if he had let a juicy prize run away.
"I'll testify to the guild clerks that you fought the Wise King of The Forest, and add extra to your payment," Nfirea stated, awestruck at the duo. He had never seen such a fight in his life, even if it was only for a brief moment.
"Thanks, buddy, we appreciate it," Pero replied and flashed him a smile, rubbing a bruise.
"Brit, you alright? It looked like you got hit pretty hard." Buku asked, giving her a concerned look.
Aura was under strict orders to not kill anyone, but she and her pet had little understanding of just how squishy humans were. It did appear they had restrained themselves enough though, which was a relief.
"I'll survive. My armor… not so much. I hope the blacksmith can fix it."
"Perhaps… that dent is fairly large. Might cost you more than a bit to mend it, if it's possible at all."
After a quick stop in the village and Nfirea promising to return in a few weeks, the group was out on the road to return to E-Rantel.
Save for the scare of the beast's attack, their spirits were high as their thoughts returned to their generous employer's payments for the herbs and the fights.
"So you three are teaming up with us for now?" Lakrut inquired, a hopeful tone underlying his voice.
With Ninya showing no interest in the beautiful woman, his hopes for wooing Akari rose once again. And even if she didn't warm up to his advances, Pero was together with Lucy, and would not compete with him for other free girls, meaning he had all the time in the world.
"I see why not. We like hanging out with you," Pero replied, nudging his sister to agree.
"Sure. We're friends now," She responded.
Buku hopped onto the seat next to Nfirea before anyone else had a chance to take it. The road back to the city was two days long, and She planned to have a small streak of laziness before the next job. The boy was, to put it mildly, not entertained at the thought of the beautiful lady sleeping next to him.
X
The night was always the best time for a predator like her. Moving unseen through the poorly lit streets, Clementine crept towards the Bareare Pharmacy.
The strike needed to be fast and precise. The owner of the said pharmacy, Lizzie Bareare, was a third-tier caster and could cause serious harm to her. Her grandson was skilled in alchemy too, meaning quick-acting poison was also a possible threat.
Her plan was simple: use the mind control enchant to quickly subdue her, and then use her to deal with Nfirea. If the old hag died, so be it. If not, the child would be weakened enough for her to handle with ease.
Reaching her destination, she lurked around the windows to figure out the layout of the house.
'Where is that boy?' The old woman was the only one present, much to her irritation.
'I'll just get answers out of her.' Clementine quietly unlocked the front door and came face to face with the old woman, holding her hands up with two spell circles glowing around them. She had to act, fast.
"You chose the wrong house to rob!" Lizzie exclaimed in a stern voice. She was short in stature with a wrinkly face and pure white shoulder-length hair. Her blue-eyed sharp gaze didn't leave the intruder, the circles glowing ever brighter. This was not the first time she had faced criminals.
"Flow acceleration!" Clementine activated her martial art, not wanting to take any risks with the magician. Before Lizzie could react, she had closed the distance and with precise movement, jammed the mind control stiletto into the old woman's shoulder.
Ready to kill the other woman, she waited, holding her breath, to see if the enchantment worked. Thankfully, it had.
Lizzie lowered her hands, dismissing the half-cast spells as her gaze became glassy.
"Where is Nfirea?" Clementine asked with a sigh of relief. As sadistic and eager to kill as she was, her own safety still took precedence.
"He left to gather herbs near Carne," Lizzie replied in a monotone voice.
"When will he be back?"
"In one to two days."
"Just my luck. Oh well, I'll have to wait for his return. Now what to do with you? You know, this is your lucky day, I'll kill you quickly."
The mind-controlled woman didn't say anything, agreeing in silence.
Clementine pushed another stiletto into Lizzie's neck and waited for her to quietly expire.
To avoid any surprises, she rummaged around the house till she found a sheet of paper, and scribbled on it that the pharmacy would be closed for a few days before tying it to the front door.
"Now, what to do with you?" Clementine talked loudly to herself as she pulled out both stilettos from the corpse and dragged it deeper inside the house.
The option to just drag the dead body to the cemetery and bury her there existed, but there was a chance she would miss Nfirea's return, and upon finding the crime scene, he would cause enough ruckus to make his kidnapping much more problematic. It was also too boring for her tastes, now that her blood was pumping with adrenaline after the ambush.
Not that any adventurer or guard in the city posed a real threat to her, but get enough of them in one place and someone could get in a lucky hit. As confident as she was in her abilities, she was also well aware of her own mortality.
For now, she dropped the dead body in a storage space where the strong-smelling herbs would hide the stench of decay for at least a few days, and started to rummage around the house for something that could be useful. The old woman, as a pharmacist, was obviously wealthy, so there should be something worth stealing or using.
Save for various potions and books scattered all over the house, there wasn't much she could use. There was even a lack of gold coins, suggesting that she had done well to quickly eliminate the elderly as she was used to housebreakers. She did find a potion for cleaning, and she applied that to the bloodstains near the entrance, but that was about it until she started rummaging through the secondary pantry.
'The old hag has a neat cupboard full of magic scrolls. I should find something useful there.' She stumbled upon possible solutions to her problems.
"Let's see, healing, locate object, message… oh, I can drag that walking corpse here to solve the problem for me."
Clementine activated the scroll with a smirk. It would provide direct communication with the old man for a few minutes, which would be more than rough to serve her purposes.
{ Khajiiiit! I need you to come clean up a mess for me. }
{ What in the world are you doing!? It's not safe to use a message spell! } The old man shouted in her mind with a hoarse voice.
{ Relax. Just come to the place. You know where, and help me deal with the little mess I made. I need to wait for the tool you ordered to be delivered. }
'That idiot doesn't even realize that it's easy to send a message and not mention anything specific. If nothing else, the Black Scripture were not complete morons. Shame they were such stuck-up assholes.' Clementine reminisced about her old colleagues.
She cut the spell and went to the pantry area of the house. All the hard work had made her peckish. Upon finding a whole collection of fine wine bottles and enough complete meals for days preserved with magic, Clementine chuckled out loudly. "Just what I needed. You must have been waiting for me, Lizzie."
Khajiit arrived about an hour later and quietly entered the home through the backdoor. With every possible defensive buff active, he slowly crept around the dark house, knowing that defensive magic could still be around even after a person's death. As someone who spends his days in lightless crypts, his night vision was strong enough to navigate freely in the dimly lit cottage.
One couldn't be too careful when dealing with Clementine either, given her personality.
"If you want to sneak up on me, don't walk so loudly." Her mocking voice came from somewhere deep in the house, ringing out in the night.
"I have no time for your games!" he retorted back.
She emerged from one of the rooms beside him and motioned for him to follow, leading him deeper inside the house.
"So the boy will be back in one to two days, and I need you to make sure granny doesn't stink up the place."
Clementine played up her hip movement as she walked. Necromancy may have been the old man's life passion, but he was still a man and she'd play any card she could.
"Transporting the corpse may be too risky. You should have kept her alive!" Khajiit stated, completely ignoring Clementine's antics, used to it after decades of life experience.
"Mind-control enchant doesn't last for more than a day. That reminds me, be a dear and apply it again. I'm sure you know how to do it." Clementine pulled out the exhausted stiletto from its sheath and handed it to the old man, handle first.
"I'll deal with the corpse first." He grabbed the weapon and haphazardly stuffed it into one of his robe's pockets before casting a magic circle on the body.
The problem Clementine had caused was easy to solve with preservation magic to keep the body from rotting, akin to the meals she had scarfed down earlier. Once the boy returned and was captured, the remains of the old woman would not be worth any consideration. At most, she would be a small addition to his collection of bodies for spare parts.
Khajiit also enchanted Clementine's stilettos with a slight weight increase for greater punch and the mind control magic she wanted, given that it cost him fairly little magic to do so. Hopefully, this would keep her busy for a while longer so she would stop interrupting his work.
At the moment, she was an ally, and a capable one at that. Logically, there was no reason to believe that she would turn on him right now, but the mind of an insane person didn't work on normal logic. What truly went on in her head, only Clementine herself knew.
While Clementine stashed away the corpse under the bed of Lizzie's bedroom, Khajiit set up warning and protective wards around the house to notify himself and Clementine of possible threats arriving. He also disabled many of the ones surrounding the house for easier maintenance.
Satisfied with his work, he returned to Clementine, who was sitting on the sofa with an open wine bottle in one hand and her armor dropped beside her. Not bothered in the slightest, she was dressed only in the silk shorts she wore under the armor. Once Kjaniit's gaze was on her, she pushed her chest forward proudly, displaying her perky breasts.
"If you need me, I'll be in the basement. Houses are too bright during the daytime," Khajiit sighed.
"And leave poor me alone? I thought you liked my company," she replied with a whine.
"Stop playing around," he retorted, grunting as he left the house.
Clementine just flashed him a smile. 'He did look. Heh, maybe this will be more fun than I thought.'
X
The royal castle and its habitants were still in chaotic commotion. No one could make up their mind on how to react to the new power emerging out of thin air, making her job even easier.
A curious question here, an empty-headed insight there, and the public thought could be swayed however she liked, all while gathering information.
Renner listened to shadow demons report on the doings of her family at almost every hour of the day, gathering patterns and making plans. Barbo, as always, was only concerned about himself and how the mysterious stranger had humiliated him. The brute was seeking methods to deal with Lord Ulbert, should he show up in the castle again.
Of course, the crown prince had no idea who he was dealing with. To be fair, she didn't at first either, but after a bit of history research to discern if there were any mentions of the research guild in the past, she stumbled upon a strange coincidence that rumbled at her inner foundations.
Once every century or so, a strange group of beings called players would appear, causing a major shift in the world. The first were the Six Great Gods six hundred years ago, which resulted in the creation of the Slane Theocracy as they established their dominion over that part of the world.
Next were the Greed Kings, who built the largest empire known in history, only to tear it apart due to infighting afterward. Some older houses still remembered them or held remnants of their power.
There were no apparent records of someone arriving four and three hundred years ago, but the rapid changes in political climate indicated that someone or some people must have appeared to stir the pot, albeit not quite as successful as their predecessors. The final known arrivals were the minotaur sage and a few members of the thirteen heroes two centuries ago.
And now there was the Researcher Guild, two hundred years later. It could not be a coincidence. She had bonded herself to the next great change, whatever it may be, in her bid for survival and power.
With this information at her disposal, she came to a rather simple conclusion. The only way to stop the newcomers, who very likely were players, was to cause infighting. But these people were smart and careful; they read her every thought and watched her every move. And outliving them wasn't an option, since she would grow old and there was no indication that any of the players would.
'Assuming I can't do anything to defeat them from within, how do I assure my safety in the long run? I have no way to enforce the agreement made that night.' She only harbored such thoughts when there were no shadow demons near her, and even then they were mostly hypothetical what-if scenarios.
The safest bet was to be so valuable, no one in their right mind would try to get rid of her. Historical records and current experience suggested they were resourceful, meaning she would have to play the part of useful allies to their cause. Supporting cast to their main plot progression, if she would use an analogy.
Planning the first steps was the most critical part. It was easy to move around the nobles, their schemes nothing compared to hers as they danced to her strings even now. Even someone as smart as Raeven could be guided to some degree with the right nudges. Her real problem now was to obtain control over the Eight Fingers. The only member she knew of was the leader of the smuggling department, Zoran Romenof.
The man was a loose ally at best, but he was a start. When she proposed to outlaw slavery, it was done not only to increase her reputation among the masses and to give the impression to her beloved puppy of how caring she was, but the real reason was so the smuggling branch could expand and earn a lot more money by smuggling slaves.
She, of course, had a very generous pay for it and a mutual understanding that the cooperation would be continued so long as the law was in place, so he likely could be the way to first infiltrate and then take over the crime cartel for good.
Ten shadow demons were sent to his estate to start building an information base. Once all the leaders were discovered, Lord Ulbert and his second-in-command Demiurge could easily take over the Eight Fingers and utilize their vast network for their own ends, and she would be their public facade.
Of course, managing the ever-growing spy network in Re-Estize was only part of her concerns. Learning to use magic was paramount now, for multiple reasons.
Renner knew the value of magic before, but since she didn't have a great talent for it she mostly neglected to study it. Knowing second-tier magic wouldn't do her too much good if she could manipulate people into doing what she wanted with much less effort and time invested.
Yet now there was a need to empower herself by any means necessary. Her mind had always been her strongest tool, which she wielded like a sharp blade, but now she was not on the top of the game anymore. Demiurge was at least on her intellectual level, and there was no telling how capable Lord Ulbert was, not to mention the unknown number of other players.
This meant she needed to seek ways to become more capable, and fast. Her slender build was not very conducive to physical training. She had started to employ some of the basic routines she had seen knights do, but they needed to be done in secret, since Renner, as a princess, was not supposed to do such exercise. But the progress was very slow, and at best she could train to use a dagger in close combat against experienced amateurs, but not veterans or worse, players.
The only other way to make herself stronger was magic, as it was not dependent on the physical body's state. Grossly neglected in Re-Estize, it was overlooked by nobility as trivial and impractical, who followed the notion of money running the world. But for her, it was the only way to become rapidly more capable of showing her masters she was worth investing in, and thus keeping.
The first spell she hastily learned was the message spell, for communication with her superiors and her shadow demons. Unfortunately for now, she had to rely on Demiurge encrypting it from his end, but her efforts were noticed and the demon had promised to share some knowledge once her proficiency had grown sufficiently. She knew she was on the right track.
Today, she was resting in the library, Climb watching her from a distance as always. On the surface, she was reading a book about floral arrangements, but her real research today was the rather simple first-tier spell, Sleep.
It was easy to mix one book about magic among the massive pile of books related to flowers; just "another book" after all.
This rather simple spell could make someone very sleepy, and it was subtle when combined with the silent cast technique, which was not commonly used by spellcasters in Re-Estize; a technique Demiurge revealed to her. She was delighted to learn of this, much to the demon's entertainment.
If she could silently cast such a spell, planting evidence on her own would become a lot easier by sabotaging and delaying enemies. Relying on shadow demons to do it only invited weakness if they were to be suspected or exposed. An agent worth their salt first and foremost had to be versatile and constantly expand the number of tricks and tools at their disposal, and she intended to be worth more than a few grains of salt in their eyes.
{ Information of note has been discovered. } One of the shadow demons now hiding in her own shadow reported.
{ Go on.} Renner replied. This time it was the demon who activated the message spell channel and her rather meager mana reserves didn't need to be exercised, allowing her to continue her magic study while in communication.
{ We discovered the leader of the slave trafficking branch, a man named Ampetif Cocco Doll. }
{ This is excellent news. Please send an immediate report to Lord Demiurge and add a request for ten additional shadow demons. }
She quickly sent mental orders to a few of the shadow demons to stop watching less essential members of Zoran's staff and follow Cocco Doll, wherever he would be. He would never make a move hidden from her again.
So far no one had noticed the shadow demons, and as such they could be utilized with relative ease for the time being, almost liberally given the number of demons under her control.
{ Report sent. There is another piece of information you should be aware of. Cocco Doll has put a reward for capturing Climb. }
{ Not surprising. I trust Lord Demiurge has accounted for this, but just in case, update me on any of Cocco Doll's plans or whom he meets with for the targeting. }
{ I will, Miss Renner. }
With that, the demon departed from her mind.
'I will make that scum suffer. That pathetic piece of shit thinks he'll get to me through my precious Climb!'
The quill she was using to take notes snapped in half in her delicate hand from her outrage, barely unnoticed as she hastily replaced it with a new one.
'Concentrate! I don't have enough time to make it personal right now. Now, back to the spell.'
Returning to the topic at hand, she reread everything she could about the spell, picturing how it should be cast and what would be the effects of said spell. A good portion of magic was dependent on a person's understanding of the topic, especially when performing their first cast.
'Now, I should test it. There's no point making my darling fall asleep here. I should do it in my quarters when his armor is off…'
'Concentrate dammit! Now is not the time for such thoughts.' Renner harshly reprimanded herself.
Her only other possible test subject was the head librarian, who was sitting behind his desk and producing a copy of a rare book. Quill in hand, he failed to notice her shift in demeanor, engrossed in his work.
The man was in his fifties, dressed in a simple but well-made suit, with small round glasses. His balding head was reflecting the light from the chandelier above him, evident of his long occupation working at the library.
She covertly glanced at the man and attempted to cast the spell, 'Sleep.'
The man yawned and looked up from the book. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and reached for the cup of tea that was sitting at the corner of the table.
Soon enough he returned to his task, the tea having been brought for the specific reason of staying awake. Using the opportunity Renner cast the spell again, but this time two times in a row.
With her mana reserves being far too small for constant use, this would be her last test for the day.
The man yawned again, slowly slumped over the book, and began to lightly snore.
'It worked!' She bit her cheek to keep a neutral expression and looked up faking curiosity.
"Climb, can you see if Sir Bilal is alright? I think he overworked himself again," she called out for her dutiful servant to take action.
"Of course, Your Royal Highness."
Climb approached the older man and lightly shook his shoulder.
"Sir?"
Bilal slowly rose up and yawned, appearing confused.
"Did you need something, boy?" he asked groggily.
"Princess Renner asked to check on you. You seemed to have fallen asleep," Climb replied with a polite bow as he took a step back.
"Did I?" The man glanced around and then looked down. "Oh no, the book!"
The painstakingly written page had a large ink smudge and would have to be replaced. The librarian had one on the face too, but Climb decided to not address it, not wanting to increase his stress levels further. A maid would point it out later.
Meanwhile, Renner had approached them, looking deeply concerned.
"Sir Bilal, is everything alright? I hope you are not overworking yourself," she asked, her voice sounding almost pleading.
"I am fine, Your Royal Highness. I just…" He absentmindedly touched his cheek, getting the ink on his white glove. "I should take a rest before continuing."
"Please do. Let's go, Climb. If you don't mind, I'll take these with me and return them tomorrow."
Renner brought his attention to the books she held in her hands.
"Keep them as long as you wish, Your Royal Highness. I will inform you if anyone is looking for these books." Bilal replied, not noticing the spell book she intentionally hid from his view by holding the pile of books in a particular way and burying it between several others.
'It worked! With time I should be able to make the spell stronger and have even better results. If magic wasn't so neglected I would have a much harder time using it covertly.' Renner mused. If she could even get to the point of inducing sleep at various distances and intensities, she could perhaps wreak havoc without anybody ever realizing it. Natural sleep was always appreciated, no matter the occupation.
Such a simple and easy spell could be made into a devastating weapon if used properly, and she intended to use it to its full effects.
X
'A proper leader should always be sure his subordinates have everything they need to perform their duties.' This was one of the core tenets he took to heart from Earth media and His time as a guild leader.
A lot of floor guardians were already away on missions, so Ainz started with those who were not present in Nazarick to prioritize their transportation of resources and labor.
While sitting in an armchair in his office, Ainz made a mental list of the order he planned to contact everyone, with the elven twins making the top of the list. Albedo was the only one excluded, but that was due to them working closely together and her slowly opening up and telling him about things that frustrated her or what she wanted to improve.
Aura was out in the forest organizing the domestication of various creatures that could be used for all kinds of purposes, from being food sources to mounts and pack mules.
{ Aura, I hope I'm not disturbing you. } Ainz sent a message to her first, initiating the conversation.
{ Not at all, Lord Ainz. Is there anything I can do? } The elven girl immediately responded.
{ I just wanted to check on you. Do you have everything you require to perform your duties? }
{ I do, Lord Ainz. But if it's not much to ask, I would like to have a stable for Wisey on the sixth floor. I can't just dismiss her like the rest of my pets. }
{ That can be easily arranged. }
{ Thank you. Wisey also says thanks. } Aura responded cheerfully.
The conversation with Mare was similar. He requested pop monsters with enough intelligence to learn how to recognize the herbs he found in the forest and would be able to command the skeletons to perform the time-consuming gathering duties.
His request, too, was easy to grant since liches fit this requirement and could summon low-level skeletons on their own.
The next were his two friends having an adventure. For about ten minutes he watched them interact with humans they had befriended before shooting over a message.
'That looks so much fun. Traveling on the road and meeting new people.' He couldn't help but feel a bit envious of the greater freedom they had.
{ How are you both doing? Is everything going alright? } He contacted both siblings at the same time once they were slightly isolated from other people.
{ We're doing great. We found the alchemist Tabula was asking for and learned a lot about how stuff works in this world. We'll compile reports when we return. } Pero reported back, sounding as cheerful as ever.
{ That's great. } Ainz replied, trying to sound at least a bit enthusiastic, but his envy of the two siblings having an adventure still seeped through.
{ How are you doing? I know you wanted to come with us. } Buku asked, picking up on the jealous undead.
{ I'm doing fine. I had a bit of free time so I'm checking in on everyone. }
{ How are my kids doing? Not causing any trouble? }
{ Both are doing great. Aura's and Mare's skills are irreplaceable when it comes to utilizing what can be found in the forest. }
{ How is my girl doing? Have you visited her? } Pero asked.
{ Not yet. I still have to figure out how to approach her. As I understood, she doesn't take me being together with Albedo all too well. } Ainz tried his best to not say that he had avoided the young vampire, not knowing how to deal with her.
{ You can always make her the second one. } Pero chuckled.
{ That… umm… }
{ Give it a rest, birdbrain. Ainz isn't like us and isn't aiming for a harem. He's handling all the stuff we can't. } Buku came to his rescue, unamused.
{ I know. Just saying it's an option. But you could at least talk to her. Oh, avoid saying that you chose Albedo over her because she's on the flatter side. }
{ I'll try talking with her. } Ainz managed to get out and cut the conversation line after emotional suppression did its wonderful job.
The last to contact on the list was Cocytus, who was currently in the hobgoblin village, training an organized local militia from goblins and ogres to a sufficient level. Ogres in particular were wrung through the ringer for their brute strength.
It was mostly a symbolic gesture to introduce locals as part of the new nation's forces. With even the old guard being far stronger and easier to command, they would mostly serve decorative purposes and patrol the forest alongside the much more reliable undead.
{ Cocytus, how are things on your end? Any difficulties with your task? }
{ THE LOCALS UNDERSTAND DISCIPLINE AND CAN BE MADE INTO COHERENT UNITS WITH RELATIVE EASE, BUT THEIR EQUIPMENT IS BASICALLY UNUSABLE AND THEIR CRAFTING EXPERTISE IS NONEXISTENT. }
{ I see. In that case, I authorize you to send up requests to the crafting department to produce some base-level armaments. }
'I should entrust someone to create and send out a survey for metal ores in the area we control. Albedo likely will know what to do, but I think I'll wait for a few days until she runs out of tasks to do and has rested enough.' Ainz took a mental note for later use.
{ THANK YOU, LORD AINZ. }
With that done he could go see the rest in person, one floor at a time.
With His ever-present bodyguard Rubedo right behind him, Ainz set on a small tour around the Great Tomb.
The first one to see was his son, whom he had neglected to interact with as of late.
Pandora, as usual, was located in the treasury, happily sorting away piles upon piles of various items magical and non-magical. The moment Ainz teleported in he flipped around, saluted, and loudly said, "Greetings father, I am overjoyed to see you!"
'No German? He is really trying.' "Good to see you, Pandora. How are you doing?"
"For now I am doing great, but I came to a rather grim conclusion," Pandora replied in his overly dramatic manner.
"What do you mean?" Ainz's voice cracked a bit when he asked the follow-up question, guessing at the following response.
"It will take me about two months to completely sort the treasury, and with no new items coming in and requests taking about twenty minutes a day at best, I will run out of things to do! Father, you have to help me solve this crisis!"
"I'm sure we can think of something. How about you take an hour or two off your regular duties each day and think of ways you could help improve Nazarick in ways you found engaging." Ainz relied on another line from the book about management.
Employees who go above and beyond should be given the freedom to help the company grow and be motivated with appropriate rewards to do so, and Pandora fit the bill and then some.
"But that would prolong the sorting of the treasury!"
"Finding something for you to do in the long term is more important. Most of what is left aren't high-priority items, and Nazarick won't suffer any setbacks if they stay in the pile for a few weeks longer."
With his son reluctantly agreeing to the proposal and both setting aside time to spend on a yet undecided father-son activity, Ainz moved to the following people.
Ulbert and Demiurge could be found in his friend's office together with his other subordinate, Flornohe, whom Ainz had yet to meet in person, working on handling the situation on the ground and management of human resources.
From what he knew, the ancient demoness was as cunning as she was beautiful, and should not be taken too lightly. She would likely require more intellect to handle.
Appearing right in front of the office door, he was led in without needing to knock, the inhabitants within having sensed him already and swinging the door open.
"Ainz, didn't expect to see you today. Did something happen?" Ulbert greeted him.
Demiurge jumped up from the sofa he was sitting on and kneeled, Flornohe immediately following his example in the presence of the head Supreme Being.
"Rise and be at ease." Ainz stated to the two demons and then addressed his friend, "No, I'm just making sure everyone has everything they need to perform their duties."
"In that case, Demi and I need some test subjects. I would send someone to gather lowlifes myself, but perhaps someone else is bored out of their mind and could use some work." Ulbert replied, sighing.
"Didn't you have those Sunlight Scripture people you captured at Carne?" Ainz asked, sitting down on the sofa.
Demiurge and Flornohe took seats at the subtle command of their masters, silently listening to the two Gods interacting.
"Tabula managed to kill off most of them. I think only Nigun and two others survived."
"Then it's safe to assume he'll ask for more test subjects as well," Ainz stated, stroking his pointy, bony chin with two fingers.
Gathering some bandits roaming the countryside and lurking near the major roads should be an easy enough task to accomplish. The question was who to send out on a hunt.
"Just let Demi and I do the picking first if you don't have any ideas. Oh, another thing I need your approval for is a plan to send out a team to infiltrate and subdue Eight Fingers. I'm still thinking about details, but I kinda want to use Sebas." Ulbert declared, leaning back on the sofa and taking a gulp from the teacup he was holding.
"Why Sebas? I thought you didn't like him." Ainz eyed his friend with suspicion. They were old friends, yes, but Nazarick came first, and Sebas was a valuable asset.
"I didn't like Touch Me, not his creation, and Sebas has his uses. The guy even looks the part of playing the role of a trader. Give him some eye candy as an assistant, and you'll have a perfect team for weaseling their way into sleazy rich businesses."
"Sure. I have nothing against it as long as you aren't enacting revenge towards Touch Me by setting up Sebas to fail badly."
"Nothing of sorts, I assure you. The sins of the father aren't the sins of the son" Ulbert said, raising his right hand in a mock school club pledge.
"I'll take your word for it," Ainz said.
"Trust me, buddy. I'm not sabotaging our own forces for some petty revenge. If Touch himself shows up, that's another business entirely." Ulbert cackled, giving the dastardly impression that he had done extensive planning on how to mess with his old rival in the guild.
"I sure hope we can find a way to bring our friends here, the more the better. Despite all the changes, I think you'd agree with me that our lives have changed for the better. Oh, before I go, how have you been? We hadn't had much chance to interact." Ainz turned to and addressed Demiurge.
"Ever since my father's return, I couldn't have been better." The demon gave him a toothy grin, a cunning yet delighted glint in his eyes.
"That's good to hear. And you must be Flornohe. I heard you're shaping up to be quite a formidable advisor to Ulbert."
"Thank you for the high praise, Lord Ainz. I am trying to do my best and hoping that I am worthy enough to be among the ranks of Nazarick." She replied, tilting her head at the undead overlord in respect.
The next to visit was the only other of his friends currently present in Nazarick. Knowing that Tabula had been wholly engrossed in his work, Ainz expected to find the brain eater working in his laboratory.
Predictably, it was Mariposa, his wife, who let him into Tabula's quarters as always, greeting him with a deep bow. "Lord Ainz, I must apologize on my husband's behalf, as he is busy with alchemical experiments."
"There's no need to apologize," Ainz replied, raising His hand.
"Please," She motioned for Aiz to sit down, "He will hopefully be with you in a few minutes."
Mariposa joined him in the guest area, a homunculus maid pouring tea in cups and preparing refreshments. The other maids filed out of the room, removing all finished paperwork as well.
An awkward silence settled between the two, staring at each other.
'What should I say to her? It's weird how similar-looking she is to Albedo. I guess I should start with the generic pleasantries and hope Tabula shows up soon enough.' Ainz thought, nervously shifting around in His seat.
Rubedo, as always, showed no emotion to the matter, just standing at the door next to the maid.
"I hope Nazarick is treating you well, considering the not-so-pleasant first impression," Ainz started in a somewhat wooden manner, clearly offering an olive branch to the awkward peace.
"It couldn't be better, Lord Ainz. If anything, I still need to get used to being treated like royalty," Mariposa replied, nervously shifting around as well.
She then glanced at the maid and guard before continuing, "I wished to thank you for indulging my husband as often as you did. He may not express it often, but he remembers interactions with you fondly."
It was obvious to him that Mariposa knew who they were before becoming their avatars. The question was how, or should, he even address it.
{ I and the other summons will never talk about what you were before. As far as everyone else is concerned, you and the other Supreme Beings are newborn Gods. }
{ I see. }
{ However, while I have your attention, I would like to put up a request. }
{ I'm listening. }
{ As I understand, you now have the ability to increase one's potential without a need to break through the upper limits. If it is possible, I humbly request to be placed on the waiting list. }
There was a long list of Nazarick's denizens he wanted to empower in such a way, given the many benefits it would only give them. Even most of the floor guardians were still waiting for their inevitable turn. Her case was somewhat special due to her relationship with Tabula, though. If Tabula asked, he would empower Mariposa without hesitation, but it was she who asked it.
{ What does Tabula say about it? }
{ He, as always, thinks he can figure out how to do it on his own. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not making any demands or even asking to be put above others. I just want to be placed in the waiting line. }
{ I'll increase your limit after I'm done with the floor guardians, given your significant contributions to Nazarick and its leadership. }
{ Thank you, Lord Ainz. }
At that moment, Tabula emerged from his lab, a cloud of greenish smoke floating around him.
"Sorry for the delay, but I needed to finish what I had started," He apologized, sitting down next to His wife as she waved away the fog.
Right after him, a dragonoid emerged from the lab with a crate of potions. The creature's movements were jittery as his gaze shifted all around, obviously unstable.
He bowed before Ainz and then addressed the brain eater, "Lord, I'll deliver those to the alchemical department."
"Nigun, get their verdict before you come back."
Ainz watched the dragonoid leave. 'Looks like whatever Tabula did to the man had severely affected him.'
Putting his attention back to Ainz, Tabula asked. "Did you need anything from me?"
"I just came to ask if you have everything you need for your work and if there is any progress from your experiments. Oh, I also came to tell you that Pero and Buku found an alchemist who wants to work with you."
"That is excellent news. Please notify me when I can come into direct contact with the said alchemist!" Tabula exclaimed enthusiastically.
"I do need more test subjects, but I have made excellent progress and achieved an eighty percent success rate with race change and other body modifications."
"I'll send someone out to capture lowlifes for experimentation," Ainz stated.
With that he left for the last stop of the day; Shalltear's sanctuary.
There was not much point delaying it anymore. He needed to face her.
Before Ainz could knock on the door, a vampire bride opened them and let him in. Shalltear was already kneeling in the room, her servants kneeling around her as well.
"Lord Ainz, I am grateful you came. How can I prove myself?" she spoke, her lip quivering.
"Shalltear, if this is about me and Albedo, then you don't have to prove yourself. And please rise."
"What did I do wrong?" she asked. 'I lost to that bitch. And I can't even hope to be the second one. Lord Ainz is not the type to take multiple wives. Father was sure of it.'
"You have done nothing wrong."
"Lord Ainz. I don't understand. Am I not as good as th- Albedo?" she inquired, inadvertently drawing the blood from her lower lip with her fangs as she bit her lip.
'What should I say to her? It's not her fault. It all happened so fast.' Ainz looked at the young vampire who so desperately desired an answer as to why she wasn't the one he chose.
"It's not about if you are as good as her. Shalltear, you are not the one to blame."
It seemed she wasn't satisfied with the answer. Shalltear glanced downward and whispered quietly, "Please let me prove myself. I want to do something for Nazarick, not just sit around and wait for Father to return again."
'I could send her out to hunt the lowlifes. That would give her something to do.'
"I have a task in mind and you are perfect for it. Nazarick needs test subjects. The moment we locate a perfect spot for you to go on a hunt, I'll let you be the one to bring them in." Ainz responded carefully, taking a step forward. With Rubedo behind him, there was a little chance Shalltear would try to do anything unreasonable, but he did have to keep up decorum.
"I would be honored to hunt for suitable test subjects!" Shalltear exclaimed, glancing upwards with a small grin.
'Maybe one day he will choose me after all. All I have to do is to be useful and wait.'
With his subordinates addressed, he could return to his quarters with a sense of a job well done. There were a few tasks he would have to give to Albedo to solve, but there wasn't anything too difficult or time-consuming.
Bonus Story - Time to Relax.
To show a good example and prevent his son from overworking, Ulbert pretty much ordered Demiurge to join him for an afternoon of leisure. The two had spent days working around the clock, and it was high time they took a break.
With the bath area problem solved, he, Demiurge, and a few succubi were relaxing in a jacuzzi. The water was comfortably warm, the jacuzzi was more than large enough to accommodate them all, and the session was hot in more ways than one.
With a cigar in his mouth and a glass of cognac in His left hand, He soaked within the water, Flornohe by his side. After all, there was no reason not to enjoy everything she could give.
Meanwhile, three younger succubi were trying to get Demiurge's attention to them, with no real success either. The archdemon, the same as his father, was slowly sipping cognac and enjoying soaking in the jacuzzi.
Two of them were sitting at his sides, and the third one behind him at the edge of the jacuzzi, which was built inside the floor.
At their side stood a homunculus maid and two other succubi as assistants, ready to be of use. There was a small, portable bar of booze, and a table with all kinds of delicacies to be consumed upon any desire.
An incubus stood in a further corner and was softly singing a relaxing tune, strumming a guitar made by the crafting department from instructions found in the library.
"You know, we should build a proper casino on the ninth floor," Ulbert declared, letting out a big puff of smoke.
"The idea itself is interesting, but who would we build it for? The Supreme Ones have unlimited access to the treasury, and the rest of Nazarick are not getting salaries to fund such an entertainment," Demiurge replied as one of the succubi ran her hand over his chest, the third one.
The young demoness was swinging her tail under the water, clearly unhappy at the lack of progress. With Gods being off limits, the floor guardians were the next most sought-after prizes, and here was one tantalizing her, even allowing her to touch him!
Unfortunately, only Shalltear out of all of them had shown interest in adding a few demonesses to her collection of toys, but her highly sadistic nature made even dedicated demons think twice before approaching her.
"Obviously, money isn't worth using here. But I'm sure we could think of some rare commodity we could use as a substitute," Ulbert stated thoughtfully.
"Summons. If I am not mistaken, the types each God can summon do not overlap. A chance to obtain prized servants would be a great motivator for gambling," Flornohe suggested after draining her glass dry, motioning for a succubus to refill it.
"Unfortunately, Ainz would be against it, and even if he wouldn't, Pandora's Actor can pretty much use the skill sets of all guild members, save for the few most unique skills each of us has," Ulbert shot down the idea, puffing another cloud larger than the previous one.
"Artwork then. Father, a lot of Nazarick's denizens have taken upon creative activities in their free time. A system could be established where artwork could be exchanged for chips or Yggdrasil gold, and later used in auction for the most sought out items," Demiurge laid out his idea, allowing a succubus to massage his back.
"That could work and would let everyone participate without needing to revamp or create new currencies. Hell, maybe over time We wouldn't even force anyone to take time off, but it would happen voluntarily. But then we also need to have proper salaries for everyone. I'll put it up with Ainz and Albedo. That likely would include us as well." Ulbert inhaled the sweet fumes from the cigar and broke into a smirk, his son brilliant as always.
The plan was perfect. No doubt Ainz would agree for everything to be set up. And then he would control not only the casino but the art auction as well. With a limited amount of money in circulation, it could be used for all kinds of purposes.
On top of it, if the experiment was successful, a similar chain of establishments could be created once enough territories had been added to the budding empire, albeit far into the future.
Editing by aidan_lo
Proofreading by aidan_lo, Swiss, Visur Nyxan, Sad_Smiles, Aurodium, Sapphire_Drake, and Sluethen.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).