Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 3

Ainz peered at Baroness Zahradnik’s back as the Death Warrior captain expertly guided their vessel towards the locks at the eastern end of the harbour. One of his goals for exploring the Katze Plains was to find a native Undead being who possessed true intelligence, yet that goal had somehow been checked off of the list before leaving the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Wasn’t she a Human when Pandora’s Actor was investigating her class build? Just what in the world happened to her?

He glanced over at Shalltear, then looked back towards the Baroness again. Did Shalltear turn her? He had left explicit instructions with the NPCs that the citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom were not to be harmed without proper justification. Maybe the noblewoman had been convinced or some bargain had been struck between. Turning the Baroness would secure a proven talent in perpetuity without needing to consume a race change item.

Ainz couldn’t see her eyes, but she didn’t have the pale complexion of a Vampire. In fact, she appeared to be nothing more than a Human. His Undead Blessing didn’t react to her presence, nor did she give off any other signs of being Undead.

“Does the new harbour please you, Ainz-sama?”

Shalltear’s question jarred him out of his thoughts. He scanned their surroundings for a point to discuss.

“It’s quite expansive,” he said after a moment, “but there is a distinct lack of ships. I assume that it won’t look so empty in the future.”

“Corelyn Harbour and Warden’s Vale are the only ports on the river at the moment-arinsuka, but Countess Corelyn plans to create a network of harbours that will connect every settlement with access to navigable waters. Baroness Zahradnik’s expansion of Warden’s Vale also means that traffic between her territory and Countess Corelyn’s will increase greatly.”

“That’s right,” Shalltear nodded, “it’s been noted that, as a former territory of Re-Estize, the average citizen is not very knowledgeable when it comes to magic. If anything, views on magic are either grounded in superstition or outright derisive, arinsu. We are known as the Sorcerous Kingdom, ruled by the Sorcerer King, so it must seem a farce to any visitors from abroad. There is a one-sided dependency on the Empire – a protectorate – for imports of magical items. Baroness Zahradnik deems it an unacceptable state of affairs, and has resolved to remedy matters.”

Shalltear’s words stabbed at him like so many jagged spears. Though Nazarick had acquired an entire duchy, its former nation of Re-Estize had invested next to nothing when it came to its magical institutions. Thus, what they had inherited was an empty shell of a Magician Guild and a handful of similarly vacated trade guilds. The local temples focused on ministering to the people and did not have any noteworthy magic item production.

While the land of the duchy was fertile and ideal for forestry and agriculture, it was like a barren wasteland where a handful of dried weeds grew when it came to magic. Ainz had enlisted the help of Fluder Paradyne in overseeing magic item production, but the reality was that the ratio of magic casters in the duchy was pitiful and ignorance on magical matters was rampant. Even the Empire’s renowned archmage could not force a population of magic crafters to spring forth from nothing. The newly-situated Runesmiths helped little in this regard, as they used a system unique to their craft.

By comparison, the Empire had both magic and military academies with generations of established tradition. An entire ministry existed to develop, promote and regulate arcane magic. The Imperial Legions had integrated both arcane and divine magic casters into their ranks and the citizens of the Empire generally enjoyed a higher standard of living due to its hard-earned institutional development and progressive government policies.

Placing his new nation and the Empire side by side, Ainz was left at a loss as to how he could turn the tables. Quite frankly, it was an impossible situation where one would throw their hands up in defeat after a single glance. Things seemed even worse now that the Empire was a client state of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

He could only hope that the raw might displayed by his Undead armies had people assume that the Sorcerous Kingdom was an incalculably advanced state and that what they otherwise saw was simply due to the lands recently being a part of Re-Estize. Little had he known that someone was actually tackling the problem.

Their vessel entered one of the locks, and Ainz watched the walls rise high overhead as the water level fell. The outer gate opened, releasing them into the river. He craned his neck up at the massive bastion on their starboard side: the island it was built on rose about forty metres above the water, and the walls added another ten to that.

“The fortifications of Castle Corelyn were Baroness Zahradnik’s design, as well,” Shalltear gazed up at the wall with him. “There is an aerie here for our Frost Dragons, and between the fortress island, the two army bases in Corelyn Harbour and the town’s fortifications, over a million Death Knights can be stationed here.”

Shalltear described her as humble, but moderation doesn’t seem to be in this woman’s vocabulary. How many centuries would it take me to summon that many Death Knights?

“If this was a result of her influence,” Ainz muttered, “I wonder what she has in store for her own territory.”

“Cocytus has already approved her proposal to create a major military installation there,” Shalltear said. “It will not only be for the Undead, but also for the living citizens who join the army. According to her projections, Warden’s Vale will be a small city in several generations.”

Once again, he wondered how this noblewoman had eluded his notice. That she was now an Undead being with a limitless lifespan could be considered an incredible stroke of luck.

“I’m curious about one thing,” he said. “How did she end up as one of the Undead?”

“Was it not Ainz-sama’s doing, arinsuka?”

Me? How could it possibly be me?! Never mind doing anything to her, I’ve only met her once for less than five minutes while acting as Momon!

Did the Baroness believe that he was responsible, as well? A Noble would normally introduce themselves to their sovereign at the first available opportunity. He glanced at Shalltear, who was looking over at him. Confusion over his question was evident on her face.

“Is that something she believes?” He asked.

“Like Countess Corelyn,” Shalltear answered, “Baroness Zahradnik is a follower of the Six Great Gods, arinsu. She believes that the god of death holds purview over the souls of humanity, and, without her god’s permission, it is impossible that she could rise as one of the Undead.”

Ainz turned his head away, watching the walls of Corelyn Harbour drift by on the northern shore. Could it be that the Baroness believed that he was her religion’s god of death? Many of the Demihuman tribes in the Great Forest of Tob and the Azerlisia Mountains saw him in that light already, regularly offering tributes in his name.

Wait a minute. If she’s close friends with Countess Corelyn, does that mean they both believe I’m a god? Is that why they work so hard? What about their subjects – do they all believe the same thing?

What should he say? If he denied the connection, would they lose their motivation? Would the substantial rate of progress in the southern territories grind down to nothing? Things could even fall apart.

If he neither confirmed nor denied it, they would probably continue to believe and advance the cause of the Sorcerous Kingdom. What was the chance that their belief would become the source of problems in the future?

Religion is terrifying…

Then again, if he looked at it from another angle, the citizenry in Corelyn Harbour conducted themselves favourably in his presence compared to those in E-Rantel. Even Captain Cavallaro, a newcomer to the Sorcerous Kingdom, felt like he would be an easy person to get along with.

Ultimately, however, he did not understand how the people of this world viewed a god. He had never entered a temple or listened to a sermon. In addition, he held preconceptions from Earth of religions giving rise to fanatics, extremists and irrational zealots. According to Pandora’s Actor’s research, it was highly likely that more than a few of the gods worshipped in this world were Players from the distant past. If he were in their shoes…

There’s no way I would demand to be worshipped as a god, placed on a pedestal or anything like that. I can’t even handle the NPCs acting that way.

He tapped his skeletal fingers on the polished armrest of his seat. Why was he thinking himself in circles? The answer was probably right in front of him.

“Bring her to me.”

“By your command, Ainz-sama.”

Shalltear stepped out from under the canopy, rose from the deck and flew over to the Baroness. He couldn’t hear them over the sound of the wind and the river, but they spoke with animated gestures that gave him a vague idea of what passed between them.

Until he had no idea what passed between them.

Eh? Why is Shalltear holding out a collar? What’s going on?

Baroness Zahradnik’s eyes widened, and she shook her head violently. After an energetic back and forth, the noblewoman finally relented. She knelt before Shalltear and tilted her chin up, exposing her neck. Shalltear leaned forward and snapped the collar on, then reached into her inventory to produce a square of black cloth.

Shalltear folded the cloth and tied it around the young noblewoman’s head in a blindfold. The Baroness rose again, tentatively placing one foot in front of another as Shalltear tugged on her collar. Ainz watched, aghast, as Shalltear brought the chained, collared and blindfolded noblewoman before him. When they stepped into the shade of the canopy, Baroness Zahradnik silently lowered herself to a knee.

The end of the heavy chain was offered to him. He stared at it blankly.

“Ah, ehm…Shalltear.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama?”

“Would you care to explain why you’ve brought her before me like this?”

“It’s a precaution…or a countermeasure?”

“A precaution…does it have to do with her current state?”

“Yes, Ainz-sama.”

Ainz carefully examined the woman kneeling before him. Did becoming Undead change her behaviour in some way? Enough to require that she be chained and blindfolded? Given the fact that she continued to function as a noble of the Sorcerous Kingdom, it couldn’t have been that bad.

“Baroness Zahradnik.”

The Baroness swallowed.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Now that you’re one of the Undead, how do you feel?”

“I…feel like myself,” she replied. “I was confused and concerned at first, but I believe I am coming to terms with my new existence.”

“Have you experienced any compulsions – those that might be attributed to naturally-spawned Undead?”

“No, Your Majesty. I also was worried that this would be the case upon discovering my Undead state, so I kept my interactions with the living to a minimum. Recently, I’ve determined that I am as I was as a Human when it comes to my conduct around the living.”

Beside her, comprehension dawned on Shalltear’s face.

“Ah, Ainz-sama,” she said. “The blindfold and the collar are not a precaution against her bringing harm to others, they are for her benefit, arinsu. The collar is to keep her from fleeing, and she won’t be able to see you with the blindfold on.”

His tenuous grasp on the situation fell apart. Now nothing made sense.

“I-is that so? Well, as long as you can answer a few questions…”

Baroness Zahradnik rose to her feet, folding her hands in front of her lap.

I wanted to go to Katze Plains to find an intelligent Undead, and I ended up running into one before we even got there. To top it off, they’re already one of my subjects. Hmm, how should I go about this…

Ainz had all sorts of tests that he wanted to conduct, but she had already proven herself to be a valuable asset. He didn’t want to come off as being callous. His eyes scanned the harvested vineyards along the distant riverbanks to either side. If they were where he thought they were, it was probably a good half a day before they reached the edge of the Katze Plains. He could relax and take his time.

“Zahradnik-dono,” he asked, “how much do you know about your Undead state?”

The noblewoman opened her mouth, then closed it again without a word.

“For instance,” Ainz prompted, “do you know what race you are? Your strengths, weaknesses and abilities? The traits inherent to what you have become?”

“I’ve discovered a few, Your Majesty,” Baroness Zahradnik replied, “but much is still a mystery. I don’t even know what I am.”

“How foolish.”

The noblewoman flinched and turned her face down towards his feet.

“Shalltear describes you as a diligent and capable individual,” he told her, “yet you have not explored the extent of your own capabilities. As one who is responsible for many, should you not first understand yourself?”

“…it is as you say, Your Majesty,” the Baroness replied softly, “but how do I do that? It’s taken over a month to discover what little I know. I would ask for assistance, but I still worry over how people might react if they discover what I am.”

A sense of excitement rose within him. How long had it been since he had this feeling? All of the Undead he had encountered so far were at most variations of familiar mobs from Yggdrasil, but it was not apparent what Baroness Zahradnik was. Would she be something entirely new and unknown?

“That is a needless worry here,” he told her, “for we are all Undead. It will be roughly twelve hours before we cross into the Katze Plains. If you possess the resolve, I will help you understand what you have become.”

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