The meeting with the leaders of Stormwind was rather straightforward and without any unnecessary delays. He and Buku were brought before the child King in the grand round throne room within the hour, surrounded by guards and politicians.
Ainz stifled a sigh, his wife doing the same. The scene reminded him of the grand throne found in the depths of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, with luxury and wealth covering every square meter. So many roleplaying events took place there over the years. The Throne of Kings dwarfed every other throne he had ever seen and he, the guild master, was the one to sit on it. He had sat on that throne in the last moments of Yggdrasil, oh how long ago that emotional moment felt now.
'Heh, I changed Albedo's story to be in love with me. Luckily there was no one to witness it.' He recounted the memory, shame permeating his undead form. 'Buku wouldn't let me live it down as long as I lived if she knew.'
How strange fate was. After making such a silly last-moment change and then he did find the love of his life in the real world which became the one he lived for.
King Anduin Wrynn sat on a throne far too large for his small frame, his legs not even reaching the ground. Despite his young age, he exuded the grace and dedication of a natural-born ruler, his blue eyes filled with an earnestness that belied his tender years that weren't yet worn with age. Flanking him were two figures, exuding authority. On one side stood a gruff older man with a stern expression, framed with brown hair and eyes that missed nothing in the room. Clad in full plate armor, he appeared vigilant. He guarded the boy with the dedication of a watchdog, ready to jump into action the moment someone threatened the King, blade in hand.
On the other side stood a striking woman with raven-black hair cascading down her back, a veritable super-model. She wore an elegant dress that accentuated her seemingly unnaturally perfect beauty, her face devoid of any imperfections, a bit too symmetrical to be human. Ainz's sharp eyes caught the subtle clues, he couldn't help but make the connection. 'If not for the eyes, she would be rather similar to Buku… that is a visage. She isn't human!'
{ That woman is using a visage, the same as us. Another player, perhaps. } He warned Buku.
{ I figured... Let's see where this goes first. We can't jump the gun and clear the palace on suspicion alone. Perhaps she has her reasons for doing so; being powerful does mean having a lot of enemies after all. } Buku replied as she and Ainz knelt before the young King and his closest subordinates.
"As the rightful King of the Kingdom of Stormwind, I thank you for your service. Please accept my gratitude," King Anduin spoke with surprising steadiness, his high-pitched voice not wavering one bit as his voice echoed through the hall.
"We were happy to be of service, Your Majesty," Ainz replied, his voice deep and respectful, practically stereotypical of those with his appearance in his first life.
"Indeed you two have done a great job. I will handle the reward, if you don't mind, Your Majesty." The suspicious woman addressed the king. The gruff man shot her a distrustful look, glaring, but glanced at the child for more information.
"Please do, Katrana" The boy nodded in agreement, his youthful face solemn.
Ainz and Buku exchanged a quick glance, both aware that this encounter held many more layers than what appeared on the surface. The elegant woman's intentions for taking over the awarding ceremony were unclear, and the protective knight's suspicion suggested a deeper intrigue within the palace walls. Politics, perhaps? Or something more?
"Follow me." The woman ordered, her tone brooking no dissent as she led them through one of the numerous doors surrounding the throne room.
As they walked through a spacious, well-lit hall adorned with tapestries and gleaming suits of armor, the woman started the conversation, "Your names were Ainz Ooal Gown and Buku Ooal Gown, if I'm not mistaken."
"Correct," Ainz confirmed, his deep voice resonating through the hallway.
"Katrana Prestor, charmed I'm sure," she introduced herself, her words dripping with a smooth, calculated superiority. "Would you mind explaining how you managed to kill over four hundred hardened criminals in one hour?" she continued, seemingly interested.
"They were unskilled brutes, there isn't much to explain. What are your intentions with us?" Buku questioned, her tone sharp and direct.
Katrana stopped in her tracks abruptly, and turned, her eyes glaring at Buku as if challenging her, "No taste for manners, I see."
"That is a valid question," Ainz interjected smoothly, "We helped the Kingdom of Stormwind out of our goodwill and are not interested in being dragged into whatever political machinations are going on here," Ainz added, betting on the fact that this woman likely wouldn't want to drop her disguise and go into an all-out fight.
"Political machinations?" she echoed, her voice silky but with an edge of steel. "Forgive me for my… uptight demeanor. You misunderstand me, I merely wish to understand the scope of your capabilities. As the King's advisor, I must keep up my appearances and know what goes on within the domain. But I'm sure you understand my curiosity. If two such capable individuals as you would be coerced by the Kingdom's enemies, we would have a real problem on our hands." Katrana replied, her lips curling into a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, which remained cold and calculating.
"We have no intention of getting involved in politics. Rest assured, we won't join anyone," Ainz declared. The situation was tense, and angering this woman was unwise, but at the same time, he had no intention of bending his knee and becoming a pawn in her wiley schemes. He didn't even want to be here in the first place.
"And what are your intentions, then?" Katrana resumed her walk, her gown flowing like liquid silk as she waved for them to follow through the hallway.
"Travel the world for a while and then settle somewhere and help the people of the Alliance," Buku answered, mirroring Katrana's faint smile with one of her own.
"In that case, you'll find the reward suitable." Katrana led them into a spacious office room and unlocked a heavy metal chest with various decorative carvings with a delicate-looking key. She took out a silk bag, relocked the chest, and handed the bag to Ainz.
The room itself screamed opulence and indulgence from every square centimeter of surface area. The furniture was decorated with gold and precious gems from the lowest stool to the highest chandelier, gleaming in the soft light. The floor was covered with a rug woven with complex, glittering designs and the walls were covered with paintings that had probably taken months for talented artists to complete, works of a lifetime each. The air was thick with the scent of polished wood with faint hints of incense, a subtle reminder of the wealth and power that surrounded them.
Ainz accepted the bag and slowly untied the silk thread. Inside, he found at least a hundred gleaming gold coins, each one a small fortune, eliminating the need to use Yggdrasil coins for a while wherever they were accepted.
"A rather generous reward," Ainz commented, a hint of surprise in his voice. He had half-expected this woman to attempt to not pay them at all, but the opposite turned out to be the case.
Katrana's eyes flickered with something unreadable as she watched him and his wife, "Suitable payment for the feat, I believe. There is a request I want to make. Let's not pretend that you two are not mercenaries, mainly driven by money." she paused, crossing her arms. "If you are offered to join any faction, I want you to contact me first. I will at least match the offer and likely increase it. Consider the token a reminder that the Alliance, and me in particular, look after those who serve well."
"We can agree to such terms," Ainz replied. He could swear he saw Katrana's eyes change for a fraction of a second, turning golden and catlike, before reverting to the human-like ones she had before.
"Excellent. You have earned a chance to take a proper rest and," she wrinkled her nose, "freshen up!"
"Not our fault we were dragged in here right after the battle," Buku muttered defensively, sniffing herself discreetly.
"The Warden has no tact. I am well aware of that fact. That man has no regard for etiquette or the state of the castle' rugs." Katrana scoffed. "In either case, I will notify the city guards of your exalted status so you are not going to be bothered by the commoners."
"Thank you." Ainz bowed and Buku followed his lead, sniffing her sleeve again as she did so.
"On your way now." Katrana motioned for them to leave.
Not wanting to be in the company of more uptight nobles, both were out of the royal castle in mere minutes, power-walking all the way.
"I need a bath. That bitch…" Buku grumbled as they strode through the bustling streets of Stormwind.
Ainz glanced at Buku, who was still fuming. { She was poking to see how we would react. } he instantly switched to messaging. Discussing Katrana out in public would be unwise, as it was very likely that she had eyes and ears everywhere in the city, but they had yet to see any evidence that suggested the woman could read minds.
{ No shit. She was clearly not happy we dealt with the prison problem. Maybe she's the one who initiated it in the first place. She is dangerous. My instincts were all in alarm mode near her. } Buku speculated.
{ You probably weren't the only one who thinks that. It seemed that the other advisor was trying to shield the King from her. } Ainz recalled a peculiar detail of their encounter.
{ The buff guy in armor! For sure. What concerns me is that that bitch has the King's ear so she can tell him whatever she wants about us. For all we know, there might be assassins after us now for rejecting her initial offer. } Buku glanced around eyeing every passerby with suspicion.
{ It's possible, but I don't see what she would gain from it. If she is indeed a player in disguise, she likely already controls the entire nation, so it would be illogical to sabotage it from within. Although there might be more players involved and we got in the middle of their power play by accident. However, it would be beneficial to find out what relationship the two advisors have. } Ainz offered his thoughts on the matter.
{ That sucks. By the way, Ainz, it kinda dawned on me that your manner of speech has gotten more sophisticated. You use a lot of words you didn't use before… Am I doing the same without noticing it? } Buku came to a sudden realization.
{ Do I? I haven't noticed. } Ainz replied, genuinely surprised. 'Has my speech truly become more sophisticated? Contemplations on this topic… yup! I am using words I didn't even know before.' Ainz quickly concluded that Buku was right. He hadn't noticed any change in her speech, since she was the smarter and more educated one, even before they were transported into this new world, but he had definitely changed.
{ I'm not complaining. I love that my man is smart. Still, what do we do now? } Buku asked as she moved to hold his hand.
{ Let's rest for today and decide tomorrow. We could tour the city before resuming our travel. } Ainz suggested.
{ Great idea. I wonder if we can get the double-sized bath. } Buku enthusiastically nodded as they headed towards an inn.
Katrana paced around her office, her face twisted into a snarl. The pair of meddling adventurers had disrupted her carefully laid plans. Months of careful planning, now all for nothing. It took all her willpower not to revert to her true form, that of a black dragon, and devour those two pests on the spot for daring to break her plans with such insolence. But such an action would have blown her cover and she couldn't afford that, not for now. She still had other plans laid out, and she would need more to handle the two troublemakers.
She also felt something amiss about the two. They weren't humans; their disguises were too perfect, and their abilities too extraordinary, for mere humans. That would explain how they cleared the prison with such ease. Even in her visage form, she possessed the strength of a hundred men and the resilience to withstand mighty sword blows with relative ease, a testament to her true nature. As the brood mother of the black dragonflight, she had been a force to be reckoned with for millennia, capable of crushing armies with ease.
Her mind drifted to her father, who had succumbed to madness. The molten lava burning within his form, rendered him incapable of breeding with his consorts, permanently disfiguring her mother during their last attempt at producing offspring. It fell upon her and her brother to take charge, and she embraced it with a fierce love for power.
'Buku and Ainz, what are you? One of the flights? No, no Dragonflight I know would act like this. My brother's sick joke? Unlikely. I need more information.' She thought, her mind racing with possibilities of who could be interfering with her plans. She stopped her pacing and pressed a concealed button under her ornate office desk, summoning the kingdom's spymaster to her office.
Mathias Shaw, the head of Stormwind Intelligence, better known as SI:7, arrived ten minutes later. His arrival was prompt, as always, his demeanor exuding a blend of professionalism and suspicion due to his job. The man was in his early forties, with short brown hair, a mustache, and a goatee of the same color, his green eyes sharp and calculating. He was clad in a rather unassuming-looking set of leather armor, way too plain for a man of his stature.
Katrana activated the dragon eye amulet hidden beneath her dress, a powerful artifact that allowed her to control and manipulate the thoughts of others she targeted. Its magic ensured that Shaw's inherent paranoia, which he had honed into an art form, would never unmask her true identity. Without this artifact, he would have figured her out a long time ago and moved against her.
"You called, Lady Prestor?" The Spymaster took a quick bow before leaning casually against the ornate wall, arms crossed.
"Our new heroes, what do you know about them?" She questioned impatiently.
"They have done nothing suspicious, but I am convinced they use some sort of hidden communication method. They do not discuss anything of importance out loud, only small talk. My agent has been shadowing them from the moment they entered the city," he reported.
The reports from the field agent indicated that they grew silent the moment they were to discuss anything of importance like the meeting with Prestor. To reach such a conclusion was rather obvious, even if magic specialists couldn't explain how such a spell would work. In truth, this one speculation had set the SI:7 magic department into a frenzy as they tried to replicate such a spell. The implications of such a spell would shake what they knew of magic to its core, and permanently change logistics and intelligence gathering forever. There was no denying that silent communication would help tremendously in his line of work.
"Then improve your methods!" She hissed, her eyes flashing with barely contained fury. "They might be a security risk and you know nothing?
Should I replace you with someone more… competent?" She added threateningly.
"Throwing a fit won't change the results. I have eyes on them, if they are a threat to the kingdom's security, they will slip up sooner or later. So far, no foreign agent has attempted to approach them." Shaw retorted, showing no care for her status or mood. His defiance was palpable, a rare display of boldness in the face of her authority. He was perhaps the only person who dared to do so in the entire kingdom besides the king's other advisor, to defy the kingdom's most powerful woman.
The Regent Lord Bovlar already suspected that Katrana was behind numerous criminal activities that had sprung up over the past few years ever since she had attained power. Although nothing had been proven yet, in case she tried to temper with the SI:7, Bolvar would put his foot down and openly thwart her attempts. And she knew that too.
Katrana glared at the mortal man who was foolish enough to stand up to her, imagining him as nothing more but a pile of ash. Her fingers itched to crush him, but she restrained herself from doing so. "I want a report by tomorrow. You already failed to notice their arrival in the kingdom."
"Teleportation magic. Ainz is a mage, isn't he? So here is your answer to how they showed up under our noses. Prestor, why did you call me in? I don't exactly answer to you." Shaw defied her even more, his eyes challenging her with an intense gaze. He answered directly to the king after all, she had just been abusing her connection to royalty to summon him.
"You will continue reporting to me. I need to be informed of all that is going on to properly advise the King. You don't expect that dullard Bolvar to see the point in having SI:7, do you?" She activated the dragon eye amulet, amplifying her message in the man's mind, ensuring he felt the full weight of her command.
'All he can offer is pointless speculation. This fool is of no use to me. Perhaps I should replace him with one of my children.' She thought, her mind weighing the possible repercussions of doing so. It would temporarily cripple the intelligence network, but in the long term it could be worth it ….
"You will get reports daily. Bolvar is indeed dismissive of the spy network." Shaw instantly agreed.
"Good. You are dismissed," She ordered, her voice dripping with disdain as she callously waved for the irritating mortal to leave.
As Shaw exited the room, Katrana's thoughts returned to the matter at hand. The amulet's influence ensured that Shaw remained useful, but she knew she couldn't rely on him indefinitely. She needed to understand the true nature of Ainz and Buku, fast. The duo's presence posed a threat she couldn't ignore. Her slender fingers brushed the cool surface of the Dragon Eye Amulet as it pulsed faintly, its power a reminder of her might and the lengths she was willing to go to secure her plans.
Left in silence, she felt a familiar presence. The dark presence behind her mind resumed its maddening whispers.
'New and unseen. They open many gates. You will drown. Your heart, torn apart. Your life snuffed. Traitor. You will cower in their wake. Their hearts are empty.' The whispers of the Old Gods never left her mind. Telling of futures, screaming to break out of the prison and remake Azeroth into what it was before the Titans came.
It was her father, Naltharion, better known as Deathwing, the aspect of the black dragonflight, who fell to this corrupting influence and infected all his offspring. And she, in turn, did the same to her children.
By the will of the Old Gods, she schemed; by the will of N'Zoth, she worked to end the current world and bring upon the hour of twilight. In that dark future, the Old Gods would break free and rule the world once again as they had in the past.
Katrana listened to the whispers, trying to make sense of them. The vision of her drowning often entered her mind as a grim reminder that she could meet her end in such an unrefined manner. She, one deserving of the title of Queen, could end up dying like an insignificant animal. Impossible. Then again, the dark one had shown her countless ways she could die over the millennia, and most of his whispers were nothing but possible outcomes should she become too careless.
Resolute, she straightened her shoulders and steeled her mind against the dark whispers. She was the broodmother of the black dragonflight, the chosen of N'Zoth. She would not falter. With a final glance at the amulet, she turned her attention back to the task at hand, her mind was already plotting the next move.
Bolvar Fordragon glanced up from his office table as Shaw entered the room without knocking; there was a mutual understanding between them to do everything to keep Stormwind together while they searched for King Varian Wrynn.
"The snake is most certainly using some sort of artifact, I caught her altering my thought process," Shaw remarked as he closed the door and leaned against it.
"Are you sure? I cannot act without proof. You know how much backing she has among the nobles." Bolvar leaned back in his chair, a slight clunk coming from his plate armor.
Despite having the authority to remove Lady Katrana Prestor from the position of an advisor as the Regent Lord of Stormwind, he lacked the much-needed political backing, and unless he wanted a civil war that would paralyze the already thinly spread Stromwind armies, his hands were tied.
"Did she pay the two heroes a proper amount for their services?" Bolvar asked, his brows furrowing.
"I couldn't get the exact sum, but Prestor paid them at least a hundred gold coins." Shaw sighed. It was clear that the Lord Regent would not act upon suspicion alone and as tempted as he was to use the Stormwind Assassin's Guild to eliminate her, Prestor had at least a few of her agents well hidden within the organization and could use such actions against him.
"Then there is nothing we can do at the moment," Bovar admitted with a defeated sigh.
'We both know Prestor had a stake in the riots.' Shaw aired for a few moments before continuing. "I could not find any information on Ainz Ooal Gown and Buku Ooal Gown prior to their appearance in Northshire."
"Mathias… give me your opinion. What are we dealing with?" Bolvar asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea. People who can kill hundreds of criminals in an hour, or shower an entire valley in the holy light, just don't drop from trees. They have some hidden agenda, but I see no reason to believe Prestor has any prior connection to them, if anything, they appeared as her foil. I already sent an agent to check if the dark portal hasn't become active, as it is my only theory at the moment on from where they could have come." Shaw explained.
His only legitimate guess was that the pair came from the dark portal which was supposed to be inactive. Once it was the gate to another world from whom the orcish horde staged the invasion of Azeroth, but it was closed down and has laid dormant for two decades.
"As if the kingdom didn't have enough problems. Keep me updated."
"I will, Lord Regent." Shaw nodded and left the room.
Bolvar stood up, clenching his hands into fists. Things were getting more complicated by the day, and he was the last bulwark protecting the crown against the numerous hostile forces, both foreign and internal… And yet he had to persevere. Young King Anduin was his charge, and the boy was not ready to face the world yet.
Editing by NabeisWaifu and aidan_lo.
Proofreading by aidan_lo, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, miraculous-trash, fvvck, Malguis, Ainz-sama, and I AM THE STRING CUTTER.
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