Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 14

Ainz and Shalltear took their usual places as their exploration recommenced, flying slightly behind Baroness Zahradnik’s advance. She and her Undead company marched their way northeast out of the plaza where the Royal Army’s operations were being staged, following the remains of the city streets towards the massive tower located by Cocytus’ reconnaissance forces. After several blocks, their procession slowed to a halt.

He drifted over to the front, following the Baroness’ curious gaze. A pair of Elder Liches were conferring over a clipboard as several Arachnoid figures carefully picked their way through the ruins.

“Ah, those are Eight-Edge Assassins, Zahradnik-dono,” Ainz told her. “We can’t afford the months it would take to pore over every piece of rubble in this city, so I had the Royal Army arrange for something instead. While they are fundamentally combat-oriented Rogues, their detection skills are more than adequate for performing this sort of work.”

“They’re extremely powerful,” the Baroness noted. “I understand that they’re not Undead servitors, but can they be hired for domestic security? When it comes to the forces made available for the territories, we have a markedly weak reconnaissance relative to everything else.”

“You noticed that as well, hm? Multiple departments have pointed out our shortage in this area. The Royal Army needs scouts, foreign affairs needs intelligence agents and domestic affairs needs investigators and counter-intelligence agents. Transportation needs…hmm…did you ask for them as well, Shalltear?”

Shalltear turned from her watchful vigil to address him.

“No, Ainz-sama. The Frost Dragons are excellent hunters, which happens to make them far superior at these tasks than most of the locals, arinsu. As it is, we’re ahead of the other departments. If anything further is required, I’m sure Ludmila will come up with something…”

She will?

“Not specifically for the Ministry of Transportation, Your Majesty,” the Baroness replied, “but the military installation in Warden’s Vale will be a place for training soldiers. Amongst them will be a Ranger Corps that will provide support for other elements of the Royal Army. It’s highly unlikely that they’ll be anywhere near as effective as these Eight-Edge Assassins, but they will be more than sufficient for regular duties.”

Why aren’t the NPCs doing that? Is it because their standards are impossible for locally-sourced agents to meet? No, Demiurge and Albedo are probably already doing something about the problem – I probably skimmed over the relevant report and forgot…

Demiurge had requested permission to deploy several Doppelgangers for his work in the Holy Kingdom, but that still employed Nazarick’s resources. They needed to rely less on limited Yggdrasil-sourced means and shift their burdens to what could be sustained locally. Every Yggdrasil gold coin saved was one that went towards defending against the high-level threats that must surely be in the world somewhere.

“I appreciate your initiative, Zahradnik-dono,” he told her. “It’s good to see citizens investing themselves in the affairs of the nation. Speaking of which, how is your recruiting done? Are you only training Humans, or are Demihumans also involved?”

“I am most familiar with Humans and the training of Human Rangers,” she replied. “The development of my demesne was originally structured to provide the appropriate growth rates of every profession required in my territory, including militant ones. Since then, however, a few Demihuman species have moved in and each holds certain advantages over Humans. Lizardmen, for instance, are superior when operating in marshy or semi-aquatic environments. Some races naturally lend towards being Rangers. Also, with the demand for scouts in the Royal Army, I’ll need to expand my efforts at recruitment once construction of the military facilities in my capital is complete.”

“Umu,” Ainz nodded in satisfaction at her reply. “The multiracial nature of our nation provides us with strengths that cannot be found in those primarily composed of one race. You’ve done well to recognize this – especially considering that the vast majority of local Humans adhere to Human-centric thinking. It is my hope that the people of our land eventually shift towards a collaborative mindset that is more suited to citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

The Baroness fell strangely still at his words, staring up at him for some reason. A handful of seconds passed before she blushed and turned her gaze away.

“Is this truly Your Majesty’s Will?”

“Is it truly so strange to desire this?”

“It’s just that…” her voice trailed off, then she seemed to give herself a shake. “No, of course not, Your Majesty. If it is your desire, then I shall see it done to the utmost of my ability. We Nobles will follow your lead, though time will be needed to accustom ourselves to the new ways. W-what am I saying? Your Majesty must already know this, considering the nature of your rule thus far.”

The young noblewoman started to fidget nervously, and Ainz grew curious over her reaction. Was what he had asked really that drastic of a change? Parts of her aristocratic mask had cracked, revealing the expression of one who had some pillar of their reality suddenly knocked out from under them.

At some point, the Baroness became aware of his gaze. She wheeled her mount away and led her Undead company forward again. They travelled a half-kilometre through the city streets before coming to the edge of another plaza. It was far larger than the one they had left, its distant ends obscured by the clinging mists.

Baroness Zahradnik raised her left hand to an ear, nodding silently several times. She lowered her hand again.

“Orders from the Grand Marshal,” she said. “I’m to ‘subjugate’ the main city plaza and use it as a battlefield to clear the Undead between here and our destination.”

“Then I suppose your task is clear,” he replied.

“Also…”

“Hm?”

“He said something strange at the end…”

“What was it?”

A scowl filled the noblewoman’s expression and her voice dropped an octave.

“Show them the power of Naz–er, the Sorcerous Kingdom!” She grated, then her expression and tone returned to normal, “Since these Undead are mindless, they’d have no more or less appreciation over any particular method that I use. Furthermore, my company is not composed of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s regular forces – I’d be ‘showing them the power’ of their fellow wild Undead from the same area.”

It was a good thing Cocytus wasn’t present to hear her. Ainz could imagine the Floor Guardian’s ardour deflating as the Baroness shredded his enthusiasm to bits.

“It’s a common turn of phrase for us,” his mind worked to provide an explanation. “You’re correct that, in our case, a show of strength will have no effect on the mindless Undead. In this exercise, it should be taken in the sense that Cocytus wishes to see what you’re capable of. An expression with different meanings, yes?”

“I see,” she replied. “Thank you for the explanation, Your Majesty…as an aside, is this the reason you address me as you do?”

After fumbling out his response, Ainz’s already-strained mind ground to a halt. What was she talking about?

“Erm, what do you hear, Zahradnik-dono?”

“You’re…that is, you may address me in whatever form you wish, Your Majesty, but I’d just like to note that it’s rather…odd. Maybe this isn’t the right way to put it, but it’s as if you’re addressing me as a commoner. Since you mentioned that your language incorporates terms and phrases with different meanings, it may be the reason why I hear that.”

“Hmm…ah, you’re referring to the way languages are translated, yes? In that case, you would be correct. I am using an honorific in my language that may be applied to different ranks in the regular social hierarchy.”

Ainz frowned internally. Since he knew next to nothing of the various forms of etiquette practised in the region, he thought he would be safe to use -dono. It seemed that it wasn’t enough, however, and he had been snagged by someone with true expertise in how the world’s autotranslate function worked.

“Then…Zahradnik-dono?”

“Much better, Your Majesty,” the Baroness smiled. “When it comes to the use of linguistic elements like this, one must ensure that the appropriate concept is conveyed or the receiving party may hear the wrong thing.”

A – nonexistent – nervous sweat broke out over Ainz’s brow. How many thousands of -donos had he used up to this point? It could mean Miss/Missus/Mister when addressing those without position or title, Master/Mistress for the leaders of guilds, businesses and other organizations, or Lord/Lady when speaking with members of the nobility or royalty.

It was for this reason that he thought it was convenient and ‘safe’ to use, but what had he really sounded like? Ainz used -dono for Ainzach because it was correct to call the Guildmaster ‘Master Ainzach’. He used it for Emperor Jircniv because he was addressing a fellow sovereign. Since he had been trying to get on friendly terms with him, had he been calling him ‘Mister Jircniv’ all along?

“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer Zahradnik-dono?” He asked carefully.

“I sense that you mean to put me at ease,” the Baroness answered. “But to members of the region’s nobility, being addressed in relation to one’s title is our ‘casual’. We only address one another by our first names in private and only if we’re close to one another. No one is addressed in the style that Your Majesty has been employing. Since you are our sovereign, especially paranoid Nobles may take it as a threat or indication that they are being stripped of their titles.”

“Since you put it that way, I suppose I should be careful of local nuances in language. You have my thanks, Zahradnik-dono.”

The Baroness lowered her head.

“It is an honour to be of service, Your Majesty.”

“Ludmila,” Shalltear asked. “Have I been saying anything strange like that?”

“No, my lady,” Baroness Zahradnik answered. “From our first meeting, your speech and mannerisms have been appropriate to your station and our circumstances. Through your impeccable demeanour, others are always assured of where they stand.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good then.”

Baroness Zahradnik left them to prepare for the upcoming battle. Ainz watched her move about with an awkward, itchy feeling.

Should I tell her that Shalltear speaks like a high-class courtesan and not a high-class lady?

It appeared that the Baroness knew no equivalent for Shalltear’s Yoshiwara dialect. Or it could be that it had been attributed to institutions like the imperial harem, a place where only women of the highest calibre qualified to serve.

Despite being called out on a catastrophic error that had potentially led to many misunderstandings in the past, Ainz felt a sense of happiness wash over him. The number of individuals who would confront him on his mistakes or offer contradictory views was few and far between. That number tended to dwindle as time passed and people somehow convinced themselves that he was an untouchable genius, an endless font of unfathomable wisdom, or some sort of divine being. Or all of the above.

Baroness Zahradnik came off as a young woman with a cool and distant aura: one that was extraordinarily adept at wearing the impenetrable mask of a Noble. Yet, as he came to better know her, the genuine way in which she conducted herself made it seem like the mask was only there because she thought it should be – that she was the mask itself. It was the exact opposite of Ainz, who hid behind the mask of what everyone thought that he was.

Whether it was a mask or not, it appeared that what she considered service was not the unthinking acceptance of assigned tasks by the NPCs or so many of his acquaintances that slowly drifted into that state. He had hopes that she would continue to point out his mistakes, offer contradictory opinions if she felt it was necessary, and continue to act independently. The best part about it was that she appeared to be conscientious and discreet.

Service was duty, and duty was held above all else. It felt a paradox that one who possessed what would be considered an arbitrary mindset could be trusted to not be arbitrary.

Ainz settled in for a long battle as the Baroness personally scouted the surroundings. Like most of the city, low-level Undead were the vast majority of what could be seen. Though this was the case, the plaza was still large enough that the sprinkling of Skeleton Warriors, Blood Meat Hulks and other ‘higher-level’ Undead numbered in the hundreds.

Ten minutes later, the Bone Vultures in the Undead company started to fly off into the mist. Ainz furrowed his nonexistent brow as they vanished from view. As dominated Undead – thus effectively his pets – he had a sense of where they were going. Each Bone Vulture became part of a grid that lay over the entire plaza, and the low rumble of thousands of Undead filled the air.

Baroness Zahradnik returned on her mount at a trot, motioning for her company to advance as she wheeled around before them. The company reorganized itself, Blood Meat Hulks forming the front rank while the Skeleton Warriors followed from behind. One of the Death Priests bringing up the rear held aloft the banner of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

The rumble of the Undead grew as they advanced, and soon Ainz saw what they were heading towards. He double-checked the locations of the other Bone Vultures, then nodded to himself.

She aggroed the entire plaza in advance with the Bone Vultures, partitioning everything here into groups of a few hundred. Not something she can do with the living…or can she?

Her tactical acumen was so far ahead when it came to what could be accomplished in this world that Ainz could only sit back and watch what she came up with. The scariest part was that most of her moves were easily understandable once they happened – even to Ainz. She used tactics composed of a few simple elements, which made them easy to carry out and extremely difficult to foil.

In Yggdrasil, Players who came up with stupidly convoluted ploys were generally the easiest to defeat. Simple, yet effective was the paradigm. As the Blood Meat Hulks continued picking up momentum, Ainz could already envision the result. The charge playing out before him was undeniably simple, and at the end of it lay irresistible violence.

By the time the Baroness’ company made contact with the first group of Undead, the massive Blood Meat Hulks were moving forward at the speed of a galloping horse. The enemy had no Skills; no Martial Arts; no spells or Abilities to stop them. They didn’t even make any sounds that could be distinguished from where Ainz and Shalltear were observing from above. One moment, hundreds of Undead were trying to reach the Bone Vulture above them; the next, they were crushed.

Everything under Level 10 was pulverized. Everything that survived lay crippled and broken in the charge’s wake. The Skeleton Warriors following from behind finished off the survivors and ran to catch up. The Blood Meat Hulks had barely slowed as the Baroness led them towards their next target. Any damage taken was regenerated along the way.

The next group of Undead had a Blood Meat Hulk. Baroness Zahradnik pulled further ahead of her ranks, punching through the group to reach the giant Undead. Her glaive flashed out as she passed by, its silvery blade severing one leg, then another. The Blood Meat Hulk toppled onto a dozen of its fellows. Those that turned to chase after the Baroness were trampled from behind.

As with the first group, the company’s Skeleton Warriors arrived to finish off the survivors while Baroness Zahradnik and her makeshift ‘knights’ charged towards their next set of victims. Ainz shook his head as thousands of Undead were crushed in mere minutes by a tiny fraction of their number.

“Is it just me,” Ainz muttered, “or does she get exponentially more violent with every large battle?”

“She does,” Shalltear’s eyes glowed brightly as she slowly licked her lips, “and I love it.”

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