Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 11

As the Zombie Wyvern clambered out of its lair, Ainz decided that it looked quite impressive for such a low-level creature. The Dragon-like beast was roughly five metres long from snout to stinger, with a wingspan of about seven metres. The simple cottages of rural villages would be easily crushed under its weight, and people would surely flee in panic before its imposing form.

Despite its cinematic-style entry, the fight did not start with a bang. In fact, it did not start at all.

The Zombie Wyvern crawled down the tower and stopped where the Baroness had rapped her staff against the stones. Its rotting head of sickly green scales swivelled from the Baroness to Ainz, then to Shalltear before it just…stopped.

As it stood before her motionlessly, Baroness Zahradnik frowned over at the Zombie Wyvern.

“I don’t think it realizes that you’re the one that made all that noise, Zahradnik-dono.”

The Wyvern’s head swivelled back to Ainz, but it didn’t make any aggressive movements. Like the other Undead, speaking in normal tones didn’t appear to draw aggro if they recognized the speaker as a fellow Undead being.

“They’re dumber than I gave them credit for,” the Baroness muttered.

“Mah, this is what ‘mindless’ means, doesn’t it?”

“Shall I cut off its head, Your Majesty?” She asked.

Ainz shuddered internally at her businesslike tone. Once again, there was no sense of aggression whatsoever; no indication that she felt anything at all about asking what she did. A Zombie it might be, but most people would express something.

“Just to be certain,” he said, “how strong is that Zombie Wyvern relative to yourself?”

“It’s a bit weaker than I am.”

“Then that would be a waste. This is by far the biggest ball of hit points we’ve encountered, it’s a good opportunity to display some of your offensive ability.”

Baroness Zahradnik raised a hand to scratch her cheek, as if wondering what to do. After a moment, she went to tap loudly on the stone again.

The Zombie Wyvern’s head snaked around ponderously, and its jaws opened to reveal rows of decaying teeth. The Baroness easily sidestepped the attack, slashing her assailant’s right eye open before retreating a dozen metres. A gurgling hiss issued from the Zombie Wyvern’s throat, and it shambled off after her with a loping crawl.

She continued her retreat over broken stones of castle lane, weaving deftly around the Zombie Wyvern’s attacks while retaliating with jabs and slashes to its head. After the fourth exchange, as the Zombie Wyvern was recovering from its lunge, the Baroness made one of her own. Her spear split into three, lancing in from different vectors. When the points made contact with her opponent, its neck compressed like a spring and the draconic head exploded. The rest of the Zombie’s body flopped lifelessly to the ground.

Instead of depleting its entire health pool, she had opted to destroy its head: a common weakness of low-level Zombies.

Eh? That’s it? She’s really not very flashy at all – an Adventurer would at least call out their Martial Arts, if nothing else.

Rather than cheer, pose victoriously over her vanquished adversary or anything of the sort, the Baroness examined her spear with a critical eye. Ainz and Shalltear walked up to join her, looking down at the body of the Zombie Wyvern.

“This is the third spear I’ve lost from this castle alone,” Baroness Zahradnik muttered. “Your Majesty, how much more durable are magic weapons? If they were only slightly better, I don’t think I could justify the cost.”

“It would depend on the materials used, the skill of the crafter, the type of weapon and any additional reinforcements made by, say, enchantments. Compared to a mundane wooden spear, hm…are you aware of the concept of item durability?”

“I’ve heard it mentioned before,” she replied, “but I’m unsure of its precise workings.”

“Think of it as a sort of health value for a piece of equipment,” Ainz told her. “I suppose you might be able to apply some of your common sense to it. Materials have inherent properties to them, and one of those properties is how durable the material is. In addition, materials have Hardness, which you may correlate to a sort of Damage Reduction for items.”

He held out a hand towards the Baroness, and she handed over her spear. Ainz raised the weapon, examining its damage as he spoke.

“There are different types of wood, but a wooden haft like this does not possess much in the way of Hardness compared to one made of steel. To damage a weapon, you must surpass the hardness of the material used to craft it and reduce its durability. There are special attacks with Sundering properties, which are specifically augmented to deal extra damage against an item’s durability. These attacks are extremely effective against opponents who wield mundane equipment, since one can easily break weapons and render armour ineffective or even cause it to hamper its wearer.”

Ainz handed back the Baroness’ weapon, then withdrew the ‘runecrafted’ holy sword from his inventory.

“Magical equipment is effectively treated as a single component when it comes to the damage that it takes. As long as it has enough Durability, it will continue to remain fully functional. Each tier of enchantment also improves the Hardness and Durability of an item by a specific amount, so it’s not as simple as having a wooden spear haft that has the Durability of the entire spear backing it up. An adamantite weapon like this one is naturally twice as hard as steel, but the strength of the enchantments upon it makes it three times harder and far more durable. With this sword, one can cleave through any number of steel weapons and suits of armour without it taking a scratch. Needless to say, destroying it would be quite the feat for someone from around here.”

“I see. I believe that I understand your explanation, Your Majesty, but I’ll have to get a feel for how it works in practice.”

“But you understand just how crucial it is to secure magical equipment, yes?”

“The world I lived in was very…mundane, as you put it. Wearing brigandine layered over chainmail and a gambeson is more than sufficient to prevent damage from brigands and most tribal Demihumans. After my recent experiences, however, I’ve come to realize that this equipment is not as reliable as I once thought it was. The steel plates of my brigandine may as well be paper against opponents above Mithril-rank.”

“Umu.”

Ainz put away the sword and looked down at the defeated Zombie Wyvern again. Normally, people wouldn’t think to attack the tough and dangerous head of a Wyvern, even if it was a Zombie. They would instead attack its flanks, wings or try to remove its stinger before taking it down from behind.

“What was the attack that you used just now?”

“I used two Martial Arts,” the Baroness said. “The first was Ability Boost. The second was…well, it doesn’t have a name.”

“Really, now,” he looked over at her. “Adventurers tend to come up with flamboyant names for any advanced Martial Arts that they learn. Is there some reason why you do not?”

“I just don’t place any importance on it. Though it is unrelated, I also think that calling out one’s attacks when there is no benefit in doing so is rather foolish.”

Her voice seemed to almost shrug as she replied. Ainz wondered what she would sound like if she was telling a story.

“Hmph,” he snorted. “I guess you didn’t learn your Martial Arts from Adventurers.”

“I’ve received assistance with training, but all of my Martial Arts stem from the school of combat passed down to me by my parents.”

“Your defensive, mobile style is due to this?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The principle style that House Zahradnik employs reflects the martial traditions and culture we’ve carried through the generations. I’ve heard that it’s something from the land of my ancestors in the south. This school of combat is not one Adventurers would pursue, but one used by professional soldiers.”

“I look forward to seeing more of it,” he said. “For now, let’s see what our friend here was guarding.”

“Would it have been guarding anything, Your Majesty?” Baroness Zahradnik asked, “It was one of the mindless types of Undead, so unless someone put it there for a specific purpose…”

The noblewoman had an uncanny quickness to her that seemed to invariably beat the romantic notions out of anything. Ainz cleared his throat, looking up at the tower.

“A turn of phrase,” he said. “This keep seems the most likely place that we’ll find anything of value, and the Wyvern served as the ‘final boss’ guarding against our entry.”

“Lord Mare uses that sort of terminology sometimes.”

A chuckle rose from his throat.

“It conveys the idea well, yes? A little bit of spice to add to the tale of any adventure.”

Together they flew up to the top of the ruined tower. He saw that not only had the upper levels collapsed, but the floors below as well. The Baroness descended first, dispatching the remaining Undead that were trapped within.

Ainz looked around them as he and Shalltear floated down to join her. Like the buildings outside, the interior of the keep had been subjected to an inferno. Everything flammable had burned away, and ashes rose as he settled on the ground. It was no wonder the structure had collapsed.

“I don’t understand,” Baroness Zahradnik said. “It’s said that these towers were ruined by battles between monsters centuries ago. What we see here doesn’t suggest that.”

“I’ve heard several people say the same thing,” Ainz nodded. “Maybe a Red Dragon or some other creature attributed to fire did this. Have you found anything?”

“Nothing but ashes,” the Baroness replied. “There should be collapsed floors beneath us, but…”

“「Summon Undead V」.”

Four Wraiths came into existence with the completion of his spell. He ordered them to see if there was anything below.

“Incorporeal Undead are useful for tasks like this,” he explained. “They can pass through moderately thick obstacles, so any spaces under our feet should be accessible to them.”

They continued to sift through the rubble while the Wraiths explored the cracks and hollows below. In the end, however, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Baroness Zahradnik scanned the area one last time before they left, a furrow marring her brow.

“Why would anyone be so thorough in destroying every possible trace of this place’s history?”

“Maybe it’s just this one castle that someone didn’t like in particular,” Ainz offered lightly. “If I recall correctly, the next fortification should be on the Katze River?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Roughly a day’s journey downstream. We’ll have to walk back to where we left the ship, so that will add another two hours.”

“I instructed the captain to move downriver on the way here. Our ship should be waiting for us where this river here joins with the Katze River.”

They headed off, following the tributary northeast. As they made their way, Ainz noted the Undead that appeared out of the thickening mists remained consistently weak. It was akin to walking through the zones just outside of a starter area in Yggdrasil, but the atmosphere and their surroundings were uniformly bleak and silent.

The mist itself filled his Undead Blessing with what was essentially static, making it impossible to distinguish where any real Undead were. Rather than a low-level zone in Yggdrasil, the Katze Plains felt more like a horror setting where monsters could pop up at any time.

“I wonder if the strength of the Undead here will change as we make our way deeper.”

“That should be the case, Your Majesty,” the Baroness said. “The surrounding nations send Adventurers, Workers and army patrols to suppress the Undead in the outskirts of the Katze Plains. We’re only about twenty kilometres from the border of Corelyn County, so this should be part of the area once frequented by Adventurers from E-Rantel.”

“Hmm…I suppose a possible reason for the state of that tower and its surroundings was that it was long picked clean by people coming through.”

After a moment’s thought, the Baroness nodded.

“It’s as likely an explanation as any, Your Majesty. If the collapsed tower was assumed to be cleared of all valuables, those who work here would consider it a familiar landmark of little interest. Since the accumulation of weak Undead lead to the rise of stronger Undead, the Zombie Wyvern might have manifested inside the tower, out of sight of any suppression forces passing by…”

Baroness Zahradnik’s steps slowed, and she raised a hand to call a halt to their advance. Ainz looked around, but the mist fully obscured the scenery beyond a hundred metres. Beside him, Shalltear cocked an ear. With their discussion interrupted, only the sound of the wind and the current nearby could be heard.

“What do you see, Zahradnik-dono?” Ainz asked.

“It’s what I don’t see,” the Baroness answered. “There haven’t been any Undead for the last few dozen metres.”

Ainz scanned the area, noting that it was indeed the case. With the interference from the mist and everything around them being so hopelessly weak, he hadn’t paid the uniform variety of Undead that they passed any mind.

“A recent patrol?” He offered.

“Clara’s patrols only clear the immediate area around her borders,” Baroness Zahradnik replied, “but we’re close enough to the Theocracy that it could be one–”

Her voice was abruptly cut off as a tendril of water rose from the nearby tributary, snatching her leg. She vanished under the surface with a light splash. Ainz immediately recognized her attacker.

“Water Elemental. She won’t drown but…does she have a Freedom item?”

Interposing herself between Ainz and the shore, Shalltear shook her head.

“She had one once, but she returned it to the person she looted it from.”

“This is dangerous – a Water Elemental that can survive here can easily deal enough damage to overcome her reduction.”

He walked up to the edge of the water but saw no sign of the Baroness.

“「Widen Magic – Negative Burst」!”

A wave of black radiance erupted into the area around him. He cast the spell again, then examined the surface of the water. By using the spell, he hoped that he could reach wherever the Baroness had disappeared to, healing her and harming the Water Elemental at the same time.

“Shall I retrieve her, Ainz-sama?”

“「Widen Magic – Negative Burst」!”

A moment after the third cast, the Baroness’ head broke through the surface of the water. She crawled up the shore and equipped her glaive, defensively brandishing her weapon in the direction of the river. After a minute, she backed away cautiously to rejoin them.

“What was that thing?”

“A Water Elemental. Are you alright, Zahradnik-dono?”

Baroness Zahradnik nodded, unequipping her glaive and retrieving a towel from her Infinite Haversack.

“I couldn’t escape from it,” she said, “and it was damaging me quite a bit. Were you healing me, Lady Shalltear?”

“Ainz-sama used Negative Burst since we couldn’t see where you were, arinsu.”

“An area of effect spell that deals negative energy damage,” Ainz explained. “Though it is not very potent, it’s a spell that can heal the Undead at the same time. Arcane casters do not have access to the Mass Inflict line of spells, so it’s an efficient option for maintaining a large number of Undead summons.”

The Baroness lowered her head.

“Thank you for your assistance, Your Majesty.”

“Was the Water Elemental destroyed?”

“No,” Baroness Zahradnik shook her head after straightening again. “It retreated into the murk at the bottom of the river.”

Water Elementals didn’t take extra damage from negative energy attacks, but the fact that it had survived three of them suggested it was at least Level 20.

“I wonder how many people have been killed by it,” Ainz mused as he gazed out over the water. “Perhaps we should finish it off.”

“I believe that it would be better to leave it alone.”

He turned back to look at the Baroness, surprised by her statement.

“Even though it attacked you?”

“Even though it attacked me,” she nodded. “Though it is only acting according to its nature and attacking those that disturb its home, this Water Elemental is suppressing the Undead around here. It’s doing more good than harm, and it’s not a threat to our subjects so far from the border. This location might even be well known; the Elemental left undisturbed under the same reasoning by those who work here.”

Ainz was once again reminded that the residents of this world did not behave like Players in Yggdrasil, who only saw monsters as targets for experience and potential loot. Baroness Zahradnik, in particular, appeared to have a strangely broad perspective.

Was it because she was a Ranger? Or was it the way that her House and its people had come to see things as residents of the frontier, surrounded by nature? In his experience, those who lived inland – urban residents especially – possessed markedly Human-centric views.

“I see…that is an admirably pragmatic decision. You are able to see past your personal feelings to measure long-term costs and benefits. It appears that you are well-suited for leadership and administration, Baroness. In that case, let’s be on our way – I’d like to set sail again before dawn.”

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