Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 25

“We have gone over this once already,” Shalltear said evenly. “That you had better provide an acceptable explanation for the arrangements that you request, if you do not wish to be thrown to your death – the latter part of that was yours, I believe. Now…why would you wish to be transferred to a department managed by the Guardian Overseer?”

As she waited for the Baroness to recover and come up with her answer, Shalltear activated Life Essence. The force at which she had thrown her would probably amount to half of an average Noble’s health – certainly not enough to kill even the weakest Humans – and since the wall had done the damage, her Cursed Knight abilities shouldn’t prevent recovery…but she double checked just to be sure.

She narrowed her eyes, as what she saw did not match her expectations. Instead of the aura surrounding the noblewoman indicating a substantial amount of missing health, it appeared as though the damage she had sustained was perhaps only ten percent of the whole. Was it due to her training with the Adventurer Guild? Or was she never like the rest of the flimsy nobles in the first place? She should have barely started with the former. Mare did mention that she was part of the first group that was most likely ready to be promoted from the lowest ranks of the Adventurer Guild, so it should be the latter.

Additionally, Shalltear recalled that the baroness’ abilities were more in line with that of a Commander class, though they were clearly related to her function as a member of the Human nobility. It reminded her of the Quagoa leader she had encountered recently during their journey to the north, Pe Riyuro, who was effectively a ‘noble’ of his own race but displayed the qualities of both a Commander and a Monk. The idea that the beings of this new world might have classes that functioned with high efficacy in multiple roles was difficult for her to wrap her head around, and felt rather unfair despite their apparent weakness.

Baroness Zahradnik pushed herself up from the floor. She was decidedly not the utterly flimsy thing that Shalltear had first encountered before the chambers of the Royal Court. She did not look down on the Supreme Beings’ decisions in the creation of her floors, but the vast majority of the denizens on her floors were weak pop mobs. With most of Nazarick’s defences set to save on maintenance costs, the resources available to her were even more scarce. That she could perhaps cultivate additional, useful vassals and expand her own contributions to her Master’s cause was a tantalizing notion…

…or perhaps these strange peoples were a future danger to Nazarick. So far, they had encountered a handful of what barely qualified as mid-level individuals in their short time here, so surely higher levels must exist somewhere as well. So far, most of these mid-level beings had been discovered by Demiurge in his assignment beyond the borders of the Sorcerous Kingdom. He speculated that they regularly possessed strange job and racial classes that did not exist in Yggdrasil, and thus were to be studied carefully while things were still well under control. The Guardian of the Seventh Floor was currently in the process of weighing and measuring the pros and cons of retaining them, so it seemed prudent for the other Guardians tasked with oversight in various parts of Ainz-sama’s dominion to follow suit.

Baroness Zahradnik returned to stand before her again, straightening her skirts as she appeared to reflect on what to say. Her steadfast disposition remained – unlike most other Humans Shalltear had observed, it was not simply a mask that she wore on her face to hide her true feelings: nearly everything about her exuded it.

“My lady,” the baroness said after some time, “an issue has recently come to my attention, stemming from one of the territories in the west. The House of Lords desires to be proactive and show to the Royal Court that they respect the spirit of His Majesty’s laws, but those same laws prevent us from directly acting against those not under our authority. They have taken measures to express their collective disapproval to the offending house but, at the same time, they know that it is most likely a fruitless gesture.”

“I understand what you are saying so far,” Shalltear replied, “but I fail to see why this is a problem. Once it is reported to the Royal Court, it will be but a straightforward investigation for the servants in the Judiciary.”

“Yes, my lady,” the Baroness replied, “it is something that I would have done without question.”

“Would have?” Shalltear arched an eyebrow, “I am perhaps the last person that should be saying this-arinsuga, but subtlety is not your strong point. I find you more agreeable when you are being straightforward – why must you step around lightly when it comes to this particular problem-arinsuka? Why does the House of Lords need to as well, for that matter?”

“There is an impression that several members of the Royal Court are dissatisfied with portions of the law that His Majesty has adopted from Re-Estize, my lady,” the Baroness answered. “The nobility fears that the actions of one will reflect poorly on the others – that it will be used as justification for the law to be amended or changed entirely. That their birthright: the generations of development and tradition that went into raising their houses and fiefs could be taken away from them through no fault of their own.”

This much was true, at least. Both Demiurge and Albedo had expressed discontent with the laws adopted from Re-Estize. It did not sit well with them that Ainz-sama’s power could be legally kept in check by the Royal Court and by the letter of the law itself. That same law protected nobles from direct actions without proper justification. In truth, they wanted to get rid of nearly all of it, but had only discussed several points in order to see how the Humans would react. A few of the NPCs, herself included, had concluded that Ainz-sama’s insistence on just cause for their actions was to prepare them for their eventual management of these peoples, but many others did not – no, could not see it that way.

Aside from the one Human Advisor, the Royal Court currently consisted of Nazarick’s denizens, so this was generally tolerable for the time being. The administration would, however, by necessity grow as the Sorcerous Kingdom’s influence inevitably expanded and the law included both those that would enter the Royal Court and the House of Lords as participants in the creation of new legislation and the amendment of old laws.

The collapse of Re-Estize was currently being engineered by Albedo and a few collaborators. If the Kingdom was absorbed, it would result in several thousand noble houses entering the administrative system, all subject to those same laws. The Guardian Overseer was one who was accustomed to having singular authority over Nazarick’s denizens on the behalf of the Supreme Beings, so sharing any sort of power with what she considered livestock and vermin would be an affront to her sensibilities.

The primary stipulation that accompanied the terms between the Sorcerous Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire was one of the results of this dissatisfaction with Human laws: the creation of a new Imperial Law to recognize the absolute nature of the Sorcerer King and the Sorcerous Kingdom’s representatives. Considering how readily the Empire had accepted, the Royal Court now considered the benefits of having Re-Estize subjected to the same terms. It would reduce direct administrative burdens, and compartmentalize all future problems into bite sized pieces that could be dealt with on a state by state basis. It also made it so that any new states would have to operate within the framework of their own laws, and benefit from none of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s as E-Rantel’s nobility had.

What the Baroness said about the nobility having limited avenues to pursue was true as well. Just as Ainz-sama had forbidden the denizens of Nazarick from fighting one another, so too could these Human vassals not go to war between themselves for any reason. Albedo probably understood this; waiting for an opportunity to pounce on something major enough to warrant the changes that she desired. Baroness Zahradnik also thought it was important enough to risk saying what she had.

“So your solution is to work under Albedo as a part of the Judiciary,” Shalltear said. “To hold the authority to intercede before these fears have the chance to become reality.”

“Yes, my lady,” the Baroness replied. “It seemed the most direct way for me to attack the problem.”

“So you would leave me to enter under Albedo’s service-arinsuka,” Shalltear said with a frown, reflecting on her thoughts from before. “Have I really been so terrible to you?”

“What…? No!” Baroness Zahradnik fell to her knees, lowering her head, “I have nothing but gratitude for your favour, my lady, and I would like nothing more than to remain in your service. I was thinking more along the lines of an official appointment…or something. I am unfamiliar with how the Judiciary is organized now.”

“Oh. Well then,” Shalltear let out a sigh as her irritation dissipated, “in that case, you need not even go so far. I have all the authority required to carry out what you appear to be asking for.”

In a rare moment of visible confusion, the Baroness looked up.

“You…you do?”

“I do,” she answered. “But first, you should tell me everything about this problem that vexes you so.”

Turning the seat in front of the baroness’ dresser mirror, Shalltear sat down and reached into her inventory, drawing out a fresh memo pad. She had been using them recently and already had two others: the first was filled with notes related to her beloved Master. The second was to help sort out her thoughts surrounding the organization of the Frost Dragons. The one she held with its green cover she decided to use for her Human vassal, as she was prone to burying Shalltear in lengthy explanations whenever a topic that struck her fancy arose. As the Baroness spoke at length, however, she did not write anything into its pages and felt a bit of disappointment at how trivial the problem seemed.

“This…is stupid?” She finally said after over an hour of back and forth to ensure she understood the details completely, “It is certainly not anything that I would need to worry about acting against. You are most likely correct that your dilemma will work in favour of Albedo and Demiurge’s case to amend the laws-arinsu: an example of how you nobles cannot even be trusted for your own good-arinsu.”

Baroness Zahradnik’s expression wilted. Shalltear frowned in thought, struggling with the uncomfortable idea that it was somewhat similar to how the other NPCs must have felt when she herself had failed Ainz-sama so catastrophically. Except Ainz-sama was a kind and merciful Master – Albedo would ruthlessly exploit the state of affairs to her fullest advantage while looking down on everyone with a sense of smug superiority. The Humans would be unable to do anything about it no matter how far things spiraled out of control, short of acting illegally. Doing so would also work to Albedo’s advantage: they were trapped either way.

But would this be according to the will of Ainz-sama? Shalltear felt that it was not the case. Both she and Pandora’s Actor had come to tentatively grasp perhaps a few of the reasons their Master had chosen to do things the way that he did, and this turn of events would reverse the progress that had been made. Certainly, they could continue to function with the changes enacted so far – assuming things didn’t collapse entirely – but that did not matter: if their Master was disappointed in the results, then there was no worth in anything they accomplished.

“Tell me,” Shalltear said, “do you believe that this sort of thing can happen in the future? In the Empire? In Re-Estize, should they enter under the Sorcerous Kingdom’s dominion? In the far off lands of other peoples?”

The young noblewoman spoke with her gaze downcast, ears turning red.

“It will,” the baroness said. “When we first met, I would have thought this impossible; in hindsight, I am embarrassed over how confidently I spoke of so much without knowing what the world beyond my demesne was truly like. Now, I feel that all of my friends; all of the other nobles; even my servants, are more aware of these things than I. To be given the chance to learn everything I have as your vassal is a blessing that I am undeserving of, and a debt which I must repay.”

Shalltear tapped her cheek thoughtfully. With the expansion of her duties, she would actually be the one whose responsibilities ranged the furthest in the Sorcerous Kingdom’s sphere of influence. Actually, as the person responsible for logistics, it was already the case even before the Frost Dragons were placed under her. The task of creating an aerial transportation network, however, would have Shalltear and those under her interacting with the world at a far greater frequency than before. If the troubles described happened elsewhere, Shalltear would need to come up with measures to effectively root them out and deal with them. She could not turn a blind eye and plead ignorance after the fact, nor would she even consider doing so as a denizen of Nazarick.

This, too, was something she had asked the baroness’ thoughts on, late in the day when Shalltear had accompanied her around the city to learn what she could. Because they appeared to share many things in common, she was curious what the Human would make of it, but her reply at the time had been made in the same, mechanical fashion as much of her other thoughts on various subjects that day. It left Shalltear uncertain about how far she could go with her. Was the baroness hiding behind her Human ways: stepping around carefully and making excuses for the behaviour of her fellows, or was she truly unaware of the facts? Was she simply a useful pawn to be kept in the dark, or could she rise above the veil of ignorance to become something more? Though it had been over a month since her asking, Shalltear now had her answer.

“If that is the case,” Shalltear said, “preparations must be made for these eventualities. If you truly wish to act under my authority – above the traditions and laws of those who fall under His Majesty’s dominion – there are many things that you will need to learn. You should already have some sense of this through our time together, but I will once again make it clear who it is that you wish to serve.”

Shalltear rose from her chair, coming to stand before Baroness Zahradnik. The young noblewoman had remained seated on the floor throughout their discussion, looking up at her.

“I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Defender of His Majesty’s realm. Be it as His Lance or His Lady, I am the instrument which carries out His Supreme Will. There is no task too onerous; no distance too far; no duty too great or small. I live and die for my Master, and it is both my pride and my pleasure to serve.

“The order which I follow supersedes all others, for it is the Will of Ainz Ooal Gown. All laws, customs and traditions are beneath this order: secondary to the Supreme One’s Will. To serve as my vassal, this order must also become your own as well. I do not expect you to understand everything immediately, but as you learn, you will also come to know how your Human ways are not our ways. This may put you at odds with yourself and your peers in the future – but it may also help your kind as well.

“Knowing this, do you still wish to become my vassal in truth?”

The baroness shifted in her posture, rising to one knee.

“I am at your service, my lady.”

Shalltear reached down to cradle the young noblewoman’s cheek, tilting her gaze upwards to meet her own.

“Then as His Majesty has with me, so shall I with you,” her voice was solemn. “As a reward for your fealty and efforts in restoring the realm, I offer you…duty. It is an extension of my own: to be a Defender of His Majesty’s Realm, the first lance to be directed against those who would oppose His Will, both within and without. To be a faithful supporter of His Majesty’s precepts and the future which He envisions for the Sorcerous Kingdom. It is your choice to accept this, Ludmila Zahradnik.”

Though the baroness visibly struggled to control her emotions, her response was immediate. There was no hesitation, but her voice carried with it a heaviness that spoke of the weight in the young noblewoman’s heart.

“This duty – it would be my honour to receive this duty, my lady.”

She peered at the baroness, looking into the eyes that reflected her own crimson gaze in the darkness. Behind the tears which gathered was something that Shalltear had never seen before in the young noblewoman: a flame that burned with desire…no – need. Memories of the short time together with her charge brought with them the understanding of why she displayed the raw passion which was entirely uncharacteristic of her usually reserved self.

Much like the denizens of Nazarick, duty defined her purpose; without purpose, existence was meaningless. It was disturbing how her circumstances vaguely mirrored Shalltear’s own – but she had never failed as Shalltear had; never brought shame to herself and her peers. Her duty had simply been denied her, before she could even act to fulfil it. Yet she continued to serve: even as she clung desperately to the echoes of her former identity as a steadfast defender of a nation that barely spared her existence a thought.

As a Guardian, this was unacceptable. As her new liege, it was Shalltear’s place to rectify this matter.

“Very well,” Shalltear said.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against the crown of Ludmila’s head.

“Then this shall be the first of the Oaths between us,” Shalltear whispered softly into her hair, “my baroness.”

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