Valkyrie's Shadow

Winter's Crown: Act 8, Chapter 2

Winter's Crown: Act 8, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“…Decrement.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama?”

“It says ‘suggestions’ on the box, yes?”

The Homunculus Maid leaned forward to read the letters written in bold on the only slightly ornate-looking suggestion box. He still could not read the language of Re-Estize without the aid of his magical glasses, and it would not do to display his illiteracy here.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Decrement said. “It does indeed say ‘Suggestions’ on the box.”

“Nothing that even remotely resembles ‘complaints’, or ‘grievances’?”

“No, Ainz-sama,” Decrement replied, then her eyes widened. “Was the submission…”

“Forget that it had ever occurred to you.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama.”

Decrement lowered her head in acknowledgement, and Ainz frowned down at the slip of paper.

Not only was it a complaint, but a complaint written in Japanese. That a Player had appeared and submitted a complaint was unlikely. The remaining options were that it was a native of this world from a place where the language had taken root – much like a few other nations where significant portions of other languages from Earth had cropped up – or it was someone from Nazarick.

All things considered, it was probably one of the NPCs…but who was it? And why did they believe it necessary to add ‘anonymous’ to an already anonymous submission?

He walked out onto the street with the matter weighing heavily on his mind.

“A-Ainz-sama?”

“I’m heading back home,” Ainz told Decrement. “Is there something else that requires my attention?”

“No, Ainz-sama,” Decrement replied. “But Albedo-sama is scheduled to arrive for her appointment in two hours…”

He definitely couldn’t ask her about this, lest it started some sort of witch hunt. If it was about items, he should be able to inquire about it with Pandora’s Actor.

“I’ll be back before then. Is there anything else?”

“No, Ainz-sama.”

Ainz made his way to the designated teleportation area. He could have ordered the defences lowered so he could cast the spell from where he was, but it felt like a huge bother just to raise again a few seconds later. A short walk couldn’t hurt him, anyway. They made it all of two blocks before a figure popped out from one of the small gardens nestled between the guest manors.

Wha–! A-ambush?!

“A-Ainz-sama! What a most fortunate coincidence to have met you here!”

Before him on the street stood Shalltear Bloodfallen. Her face positively glowed with her delighted greeting…but something was off. The elegant script on the ‘suggestion’ floated to the forefront of his mind.

Shalltear…she’s definitely the one that wrote this. How long has she been camping that suggestion box for?

“Shalltear…hm?” His attention was drawn by two other figures who appeared behind her, “These are…”

The Floor Guardian’s silver lashes fluttered for a moment at his words, then a remarkable transformation occurred. A solemn air fell over her, and her silvery voice took on a refined quality that was beyond her usual mode of speaking. With an elegant movement of her slender hand, she gestured to the woman on her right.

“I have the pleasure of introducing you to the Countess of Wagner, Liane Loretta Dale Wagner, arinsu.”

Shalltear’s hand gracefully swept across to the woman on the opposite side.

“And the Baroness of Gagnier, Florine Kadia Dale Gagnier.”

Shalltear returned her hand to her lap, and her voice chimed over the street.

“Countess Wagner; Baroness Gagnier – His Majesty the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown.”

I’m sure they can tell just by looking…

In unison, the two noblewomen lowered themselves into deep curtseys, and their voices rose from below him in respectful tones.

“Your Majesty.”

Ainz examined the two women who held their postures before him, then glanced over to Shalltear. Though her solemn expression retained its aristocratic air, she appeared pleased about something at the same time. The lore of Earth’s Vampires, of which many elements were incorporated into Yggdrasil, often depicted them as proud and aristocratic. Shalltear’s desire to maintain an elegant appearance and her efforts to have the other female NPCs learn proper etiquette and form appeared to be an echo of this. It occurred to Ainz that, amongst the trappings of high society and the company of nobles, Shalltear Bloodfallen was in her element.

That should be a part of what he saw before him, at least. As he examined the two noblewomen again, he suddenly realized he was extending their greeting. He clamped his mouth shut to keep the ah’s and um’s that wanted to spill out, and wracked his memory for the proper response to their greeting. In a final, desperate bid for assistance, his eyes went to Decrement…but she didn’t move.

Why?!

She had spoken for him without hesitation when the Lizardman came to deliver his report from Cocytus a few months ago…

This is…because they’re my direct vassals?

Under Nazarick’s hierarchy, Decrement could speak in his place to someone on the level of Cocytus’ messenger. In the Sorcerous Kingdom, however, it would be a breach in decorum for a maid to act as the go-between for Ainz with a ranking vassal. The only one who could speak for him in this scenario was his Prime Minister, Albedo.

“You may raise your heads,” he said in the most dignified tone he could muster.

The two women rose with the same elegance they had enacted with their greeting. Now that he could see their faces, Ainz’s gaze went carefully from one to another.

Countess Wagner was a slender woman, standing roughly a head taller than Shalltear. Her wavy, light blonde hair hung just above her shoulders, and a pair of topaz eyes looked up at him from over a petite nose. She had thin lips, soft cheekbones, and an appearance that Ainz thought might look mischievous if she was in a more relaxed situation.

In contrast, Baroness Gagnier had a full figure that most women would probably be envious of. Despite this, she appeared to be attempting to conceal it through the elements of her garb, which had the reverse effect of making her more enticing. She was of a height with Countess Wagner, and her dirty blonde hair hung just below her shoulder in loose waves. Her amber eyes almost seemed to glow in the morning light, and her facial features, like her figure, possessed a sensuality to them that reminded him somewhat of Albedo.

They were both women who would be counted as beautiful in a world where even the average person would be considered so on Earth. Ainz had heard that the nobles of the surrounding nations valued physical appearance in their wives and consorts, and these two indeed served as prime examples of this pursuit of feminine beauty.

They were also young – young enough that he thought them perhaps in their mid-teens. Most of the noble houses that remained in E-Rantel left behind bereaved wives and daughters, who had taken up the mantle of lordship after the Battle of Katze Plains. How did they feel about the man – no, the Undead being that had killed their fathers and brothers?

Though he looked over them carefully, he could not read them. If they were common folk, there would almost certainly be some emotion there. Fear, or a desire for vengeance…but there was nothing.

Nothing…

It was then that he realized that they did not fear him. Or at least they did not openly display any fear that they might be harbouring. In a city where everyone cowered or fled, they stood calm and composed not three metres away. Was it something significant to note? Or was it the painted mask of a noble, maintained through joy, sorrow and adversity?

In their silence, Ainz also realized that they were waiting for him to say something. Aristocratic society really was a pain…but it did give him a rare opportunity to interact with his subjects and see how they would react. He fished around his memory for some appropriate topic.

“Countess Wagner…you were recently promoted for your progress in improving our nation’s infrastructure and logistical capabilities, I believe. How goes your work?”

This was one thing that he actually did pay attention to, as it heavily affected the Sorcerous Kingdom’s ongoing attempts to rent out the Undead. As powerful as Soul Eaters were by the measures of this world, that power could not be fully harnessed with what was available. The wagons and roads that were used around E-Rantel were not designed for the high-speed transportation that the Soul Eaters were capable of. Simply put, they fell apart.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Countess Wagner replied, “Between the new frames being developed under my supervision and test roads being laid with the assistance of Dwarven engineers, things are stable enough that heavy freight wagons will remain stable at speeds of up to twenty kilometres an hour. We will be able to move goods from the imperial border to E-Rantel in less than six hours if construction is approved.”

It was extraordinarily fast by this world’s standards. Ten times faster than a freight wagon drawn by a team of a dozen horses on oft-muddy roads of the neighbouring Re-Estize. More, considering that the Undead could run without tiring, and work day and night without the need to rest. Soul Eaters would become both the fastest and the most cost-effective means of transport by far with these advancements in logistics.

“Umu,” Ainz slowly nodded his head, “What of the options outside of our borders?”

“That would be dependent on the roads, Your Majesty,” she said. “The Empire will enjoy the full benefits of Soul Eaters if they can be convinced to build and maintain the same standard of infrastructure, but the Temples are sure to oppose their use. The Dwarves already have that standard of infrastructure, and they appear to be willing to rent Undead labour after the Ministry of Transportation’s work with their recent migration. Understandably, the world at large has a negative impression of the Undead, so this will continue to be our main hurdle when it comes to marketing any sort of Undead labour.”

“So it seems,” Ainz said. “Tell me: how do you personally feel about the use of Undead labour?”

“I would use them where I could,” Countess Wagner replied, “but we cannot get too far with them yet. Most of our neighbours still hold conventional views of the Undead, so my merchant companies have to use conventional means beyond the borders still. Within our sphere of influence, though, I feel that it is inevitable. If people do not get on board, they will not be able to compete at all.”

“That’s good to hear. I look forward to your results in the future.”

Countess Wagner lowered her head with a smile.

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Ainz turned his attention away from her with a sense of bemusement. Rather than what he feared would be reflected in her replies, Countess Wagner appeared more excited than anything else. If anything like fear or hate existed within her, it was buried so deeply that it may as well not exist.

His eyes fell upon Baroness Gagnier. Now that his memory had been jogged, he remembered what her specific contributions were. That being said, he couldn’t make any verbal promises to her without running them by Albedo first to make sure if they were sound, or even possible.

“Baroness Gagnier,” he said, “your work integrating the various Demihuman and Heteromorph populations that have come under our rule has been of tremendous value as well. Con…”

His voice trailed off as a tear ran down her cheek.

Uh…

The young woman started to sob quietly, shoulders shuddering with her ragged breaths.

W-was that me? Did I do something wrong somehow?

“Fuehhhhhhh…”

Baroness Gagnier started to weep openly. She looked to her side with a sniff, and Countess Wagner recoiled with a ‘geh!’ before the other woman threw her arms around her.

“Fuehhhhhhh!!!”

Ainz glanced about nervously as her sobs rose into the air. The Sorcerer King was standing in the middle of the street with a young woman crying before him. That wasn’t good. He absently checked to see if he had accidentally activated his Despair Aura. No – that would be a Fear effect, not a Cry effect. The latter did not even exist, as far as he knew.

“…did I say something wrong?” He had no idea how to put himself across regally in this scenario.

“It’s alright, Your Majesty,” Countess Wagner said as she rubbed Baroness Wagner’s back gently. “She’s just been really worried that her work’s gone unnoticed all this time. Florine’s just relieved, and…eh?”

A tear rolled down Countess Wagner’s cheek, and she started to weep as well.

Ehhhhhh…

Shalltear sniffled.

You too?!

“It is only right for Ainz-sama’s loyal servants to weep tears of happiness upon receiving his recognition, arinsu,” she said in a misty voice. “They are truly model subjects of the Sorcerous Kingdom, arinsu.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Decrement dabbing at her cheek as well. The entire district wasn’t about to burst into tears, was it? Ainz clenched his fingers, feeling the ‘suggestion’ in his hand. He cleared his nonexistent throat.

“Ah, that reminds me,” he said. “There is a matter I need to attend to before the day begins.”

“Of course, Ainz-sama,” Shalltear said as Baroness Gagnier was gently led back into the garden by Countess Wagner, “please don’t mind us…oh? Was it something I might help you with? Do you desire a Gate somewhere, perhaps?”

Looking down at her face full of expectation, Ainz was reminded just who exactly put the ‘suggestion’ into the box. He would rather avoid being seen as taking sides in a dispute between the Guardians. Not to mention that he knew absolutely nothing about it.

“It’s fine,” he said, “I’ll just be returning to see about this before the Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver her morning report.”

Shalltear fluttered her lashes up at him for a moment with a blank expression, then a look of realization dawned over her.

“Ah – of course, arinsu,” she stood aside, lowering her head in a graceful curtsey. “Have a pleasant morning, Ainz-sama.”