Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 13

Over the course of the next few hours, Ludmila went around assisting the headquarters staff as renovations were made and furnishings added to the former barracks. She wasn’t sure why it was necessary to come up with the aesthetically pleasing arrangements that they deliberated over for hours on end. One of the main advantages of Undead armies was that they could do without the needs and comforts of the living, was it not?

Luxurious pieces of furniture that one might find in the manors of E-Rantel’s central district were placed in every room. Militant artwork, ornamental – at least they looked ornamental – weapons, armour, plush carpets and other incalculably valuable articles accented the halls and corridors. By the time everything was tentatively arranged, the army headquarters outstripped the Shining Golden Pavilion by far.

Strangely, the kitchen had been restored as a kitchen, as was the mess hall. There were beds in the quarters for officers. Did they plan on stationing the living here, as well? Despite changing the look of the place, they were still in the Katze Plains and having a Zombie manifest in one’s bedroom while they were sleeping was almost certainly a bad thing.

The halls were also magically lit but Katze’s mists remained, giving the entire building an eerie feeling.

As Ludmila pondered the strange choices, she came across Lady Shalltear on the way to the war room. She was out of her combat equipment and back into her black ballroom gown. Its skirts swept over the floor as her liege made her way down the corridor wearing a pleased expression. With the surroundings as they were, the image she presented seemed to match the atmosphere perfectly.

“Lady Shalltear…”

“Hm?”

“Out of curiosity, were you the one that had all these furnishings delivered?”

“…no reason.”

In hindsight, it should have been obvious. Lady Shalltear’s taste in décor was quite distinct. Her liege tilted her head curiously, then seemed to shrug to herself. She wrapped an arm around Ludmila’s elbow, and together they continued to the war room.

Unlike when the one in the Dwarf Kingdom, the war room here was completely staffed by the Undead, save for the Grand Marshal himself. Rather than rectangular, the table was circular. Over its polished obsidian surface lay a velvet cloth. Upon that cloth was a map with few features. Various markers, plotting rods and documents were arranged along its sides.

Around the table stood four Elder Liches, two Death Knights and two Death Cavaliers. Lord Cocytus stood at the ‘head’ of the table, and Lady Shalltear went to occupy the open space opposite to him. The Grand Marshal nodded in greeting.

“Preparations complete?”

Lady Shalltear glanced at her.

“For the time being,” Ludmila replied. “I suspect that the staff will be rearranging everything once repairs to the building are complete. How go our efforts to map the area?”

“Vexing. Few features. Once a city, now…a layout.”

Studying the map, Ludmila thought his description apt. There was little of note, so the teams surveying the ruins were left with little to do except detail the vast field of rubble that lay where the city once stood. As a Ranger, she had a sense of what her surroundings looked like and could make passable maps, but what the surveyors had done so far truly put the scale of the ruins into perspective.

Thousands of flattened buildings lay within a vast network of streets and alleys. Her estimates of the city’s size had been right on the mark: its population would have rivalled the capitals of both Baharuth and Re-Estize. Yet this capital-sized city was not the capital of the state that once existed here. The city designated on the local maps was to the south of them, and Ludmila idly wondered what sights would greet them in what was surely a metropolis of unimaginable proportions.

Her eyes were drawn to what appeared to be the only building left standing in the city aside from the new army headquarters. The large circle lay across the city centre from where they were, roughly two kilometres distant.

“Is this…a tower?”

“Yes.”

“Is this a symbolic marker?”

“No.”

If that was the case, she wondered what sort of ‘tower’ it was. From what was drawn on the map, the diameter of the structure’s base was nearly the size of E-Rantel’s central district. The other two towers they had come across were about what one might have expected for the keeps of a decently-sized castle. This one dwarfed them by far.

“Were any details gathered beyond the building’s existence?” Ludmila asked.

“No,” Lord Cocytus answered. “Lord Ainz. He wishes to…explore himself.”

Despite his kingly demeanour, it was the first bit of kingly behaviour that Ludmila had seen out of the Sorcerer King. Reserving the best portions for himself or bestowing them upon a favoured subject…Ludmila waved away the thought before she floated away on the idea that he might be showing her special favour. It was His Majesty's excursion, so it was a matter of course that he would spend his time on the parts most interesting to him.

“I see,” she said. “In that case, I should report what I know about the locations on our journey so far before His Majesty returns.”

Considering that most of what they had crossed was a desolate wasteland, there was little to describe aside from the ruins around the two towers and the bank of the river that they followed. Most of their time was spent estimating the required frequency of patrols, the suitable number of sentries for the river routes and the survey work for the portion of the plains that they had already passed, but did not personally explore.

There was also the matter of how close to the borders of neighbouring nations they should send their patrols. Ludmila advised that they remain within the perimeter of darkness created by the mists to minimize the risk of incidents with their neighbours.

A long discussion about patrol composition was underway when Lady Shalltear – mid-yawn – raised a hand to her ear. Her black ballroom gown was replaced by her crimson plate armour, and she turned to walk over to a clear area nearby. Everyone turned to lower their heads as the Sorcerer King made his entrance.

“Welcome back, Lord Ainz,” Lady Shalltear said.

“Umu. I have returned.”

They raised their heads in unison at his reply. Behind His Majesty, a dozen Death Priests made their way out of the Gate. Ludmila eyed the group as they marched out of the war room. The Sorcerer King had mentioned something about creating Death Priests for the next few days…did that mean he could create a dozen Death-series servitors a day? Or were these only the few that he brought with him, the rest being dispatched to other parts of the Royal Army?

Not that a dozen wasn’t plenty. It was enough to devastate both Re-Estize and the Empire, at least.

Ludmila went to join Lady Shalltear to make room for His Majesty at the table. He rested his hands on its surface, leaning forward to examine the map.

“Only one other location of note in the city, hm? Excellent work – this has saved us days of scouring these ruins on our own.”

“Hah!”

The Grand Marshal saluted, and the Undead at the table followed suit. The Sorcerer King turned and came to where Lady Shalltear awaited.

“Let’s continue on our Adventure, shall we?”

“Yes, Lord Ainz!”

They followed the Sorcerer King back out of the barracks. As he went around to take a look at the activity around the plaza, Ludmila jogged over to join her contingent. More Undead had arrived since she had entered the barracks, as well as more supplies. Scaffolding was being raised around the building’s exterior with various materials neatly organized around it. The first of the Undead patrols – consisting of two Elder Liches, a Death Priest, six Death Knights and four Death Warriors – set out, all mounted on Soul Eaters.

As they passed by, Ludmila thought the looks they cast upon her and her company were a mix of respect and envy. A short while later, the Sorcerer King and Lady Shalltear returned from their brief inspection.

“They truly covet duties to carry out in Your Majesty's service,” Ludmila said.

“Hm? Yes, I suppose so, Miss Zahradnik. They are essentially summons, so it is natural for them to seek the commands of their summoner. Since they are intelligent, however, I often wish they would be less arbitrary when matters aren’t so pressing. Do you find that strange? To wish for one’s own creations to express free will?”

If they were regular summons, it would be. Casters called them for a specific purpose and they were dismissed when that purpose was fulfilled or the duration of the spell that summoned them expired.

The Sorcerer King’s Undead creations, however, were permanent. In addition, the Elder Liches, Death-series servitors and Soul Eaters possessed roughly Human-level intelligence. Though each type was shaped by the same mould, so to speak, time and experience led to a slow divergence and the development of distinct personalities. If one considered that they would exist in perpetuity unless somehow destroyed, it did feel sad that they were ultimately bound by their existence as summons.

A part of her thought that she might simply be projecting a one-sided empathy towards them – they owed their creation to the Sorcerer King, after all – but it appeared that His Majesty felt the same way.

“I find that their behaviour is somewhat similar to how loyal vassals conduct themselves in the presence of their liege,” Ludmila said. “Away from your immediate presence, each does express themselves more freely. They remain your servitors and thus their existence still revolves around your service, but they have a will that exists within those bounds. In Warden’s Vale, my subjects can tell the locally-stationed Death Knights apart by their personalities alone.”

“Is that so? Your territory sounds like an interesting place, Miss Zahradnik. I should come by and take a look around one day.”

Ludmila froze, imagining His Majesty’s priceless robes sweeping over the rough, unswept stone of her mostly undeveloped capital.

“W-we’ve barely started construction, Your Majesty,” she said. “I’m afraid there isn’t too much to see at the moment.”

Another Undead contingent made their way by as they went on patrol. They straightened under the gaze of the Sorcerer King, and even the Soul Eaters seemed to take on a proud gait until they disappeared into the mists. Ludmila marvelled over how quickly the place had taken on the atmosphere of a military installation.

“I doubt that anyone will notice until the official announcement,” she said, “but what will the neighbouring nations say about this occupation?”

“Do you think they’ll say anything at all, Miss Zahradnik?” His Majesty asked, “It’s not as if this region holds any practical value to them.”

“The economic value of the region to the living is nonexistent,” Ludmila answered. “No – it’s actually a drain on resources since it must be continually suppressed with no tangible gains. It has a certain strategic value, however.”

The Empire would probably be relieved that their suzerain had moved to alleviate the threat along their southwestern border. With the Azerlisia Mountains, E-Rantel and the Katze Plains under the Sorcerous Kingdom's influence, three legions’ worth of national defence – plus the budget for Adventurers and Workers – could be allocated elsewhere. While it was true that two legions had been dissolved, the spare legion that remained would be free to carry out imperial policy.

National defence was a careful balancing act, and the grand interplay between states where each had their own to perform determined the broad balance of power in a region. An entire legion being freed of garrison duties meant that they could be employed to tip that balance and change the geopolitical landscape.

“I see…” The Sorcerer King’s voice drew her from her thoughts, “So you believe that our occupation may be perceived as a potential threat?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ludmila replied. “Security is a sovereign state’s responsibility – one that others cannot be relied upon. Threats to national security tend to be first considered out of practical concerns. The Sorcerous Kingdom’s occupation of the Katze Plains would be a dire one from their perspective. Since our army is primarily Undead, the Katze Plains is essentially an unassailable corridor that may be used to strike at every other nation in the region. Well, it already is, but drawing attention to the fact is sure to result in additional worries.”

“So you would advise that we not make an official announcement at all?”

“From a strategic perspective, there’s no reason to let anyone know unless we want them to for some reason. From a diplomatic perspective…I’m not qualified to offer any real advice. Personally, I would say yes simply to be forthright with our neighbours, but it would be better to consult with those well-versed in diplomatic matters.”

“You haven’t any clue about what your friends would say?”

Ludmila paused to consider the question for a moment, realizing that each of their answers would be drastically different.

“Corelyn and Gagnier would say yes,” she said. “Wagner would say no. How they would go about saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is what I haven’t a clue about, Your Majesty. Corelyn would probably deliver the proclamation in such a way that all would be assured that it is to their benefit, then use the political goodwill that we garner as a foundation to build future endeavours upon. Wagner would exploit the thousands of opportunities that arise from how we structure our silence, which would in turn lay a different sort of foundation. Both of their approaches would aim to achieve the goals set for by our foreign policy. The intricacies of either are beyond me – it would be for Your Majesty’s court to deliberate over.”

“Umu,” the Sorcerer King nodded. “I believe that would be for the best. Either way, the Sorcerous Kingdom will be extending its control over the Katze Plains. We should focus on what we have to do here, yes?”

From attending Lady Shalltear’s river date as a lady-in-waiting to adventurous exploration. Now she served as a captain spearheading their ‘conquest’. Her impromptu trip had certainly escalated.

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