Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 1

16th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 1400 Hours

“So.”

“So.”

“So…”

A slice of sunlight swept through the cabin as Clara’s carriage turned and stopped in front of E-Rantel’s Royal Villa. It had been one week since the Sorcerous Kingdom started its relief efforts in the Draconic Kingdom. With rudimentary diplomatic ties established and the campaign to remove the Beastmen well underway, Prime Minister Albedo summoned them for a performance review.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time. At least for Clara’s ‘diplomatic team’.

Shortly after their arrival in the Draconic Kingdom, Clara thought that things were proceeding as smoothly as could be expected. Any reservations Queen Oriculus might have had concerning the Undead were swept aside by the need to remove the Beastman occupying her realm.

Unlike in the Baharuth Empire, aversion to the Sorcerous Kingdom’s exports was nonexistent, or at least inconsequential. This was likely due to how quickly everything was happening. Liane had effectively kicked a boulder down a hill and no one had time to digest what was going on before the resulting avalanche swept them along. Now that the Draconic Kingdom’s citizens were caught up in it, all they could do was see where it would carry them, which was well on the way back to a normal life.

Over the past few days, however, political resistance had built up against them. Negotiations had effectively come to a standstill with the Royal Court of the Draconic Kingdom, leaving them with an awkward note to end their report on.

Lady Albedo likely knew what was going on, which resulted in Clara’s party being summoned. The Prime Minister was always quick to pounce upon potential problems, and, knowing her, the fact that the issues were beyond her control irritated her to no end.

“Why didn’t we bring Ludmila?” Liane frowned, “She’s got all those shiny achievements to balance off our, uh…stuff.”

“It isn’t as if we’ve done anything bad,” Florine said. “Ludmila has her own meeting to attend with the Grand Marshal anyway.”

“I think they split us up on purpose,” Liane said. “Lady Albedo’s gonna grump at us lower life forms for hours now.”

“I don’t think I’ve had Lady Albedo grump at me before…”

“Well, I have. That woman is never satisfied. ‘Fifty per cent improvement in operational efficiency?’” Liane’s tone lowered in an approximation of the Prime Minister’s, “‘Why not five hundred per cent? And where are my personalised Lord Ainz skull carriage wheel covers?’”

“I always wondered where those came from,” Florine said. “His Majesty completely froze up when that thing rolled by. I’m pretty sure he wanted to run away.”

Lady Albedo overflowed with pride over those carriage wheel covers. At least until her carriage rolled over a puddle and splashed mud all over all four of His Majesty’s platinum alloy faces. She jumped out of the vehicle in a rage and attacked the offending puddle with her sceptre, blasting a colossal crater into the street. It was then that she finally decided to start resurfacing E-Rantel’s roads.

“Yeah, right,” Liane replied. “Undead are immune to mind-affecting stuff.”

“If it works like a Ring of Mental Fortitude, it won’t help against something like that.”

“Hmm…something new to ask Ludmila I guess. Do you know how it works, Clara?”

“It isn’t as if the Undead don’t have feelings,” Clara said. “I thought those wheel covers were nice, though.”

“Probably because you spend way too much time with Lady Albedo. Not that it’ll save us now.”

Clara sighed at Liane’s assertion.

“I don’t understand why you think anything overly terrible will happen. We’ve been caught in an embarrassing position, but we’ve barely started. The Baharuth Empire has been reluctant over all sorts of things for far longer and their Court Council answers directly to Lady Albedo. You don’t see any of them impaled on spikes in front of the Imperial Palace.”

The cabin door opened and they stepped out into the midday sun. Lady Pestonya, who had transported them to Castle Corelyn earlier that day, greeted them with a curtsey.

“My ladies, the Prime Minister awaits. Wan.”

Without further ado, they were led deep into the villa to the entrance of the Royal Court. Lady Pestonya bid them wait while she informed the court of their arrival.

『So...are we dead?』

Florine shot a look at Liane.

『We’re not dead. Why would you even say that?』

『Because Lady Pestonya is usually more chatty, wan.』

『We’ve made plenty of progress. Your expectations are just unreasonable.』

『Considering what’s gone into this, I think they’re pretty reasonable. The Draconic Kingdom is literally at our mercy. It’s ridiculous how we’ve somehow gotten stuck.』

Clara remained silent at Liane and Florine’s back and forth, but she did agree with Liane. The sheer number of impasses and obstacles that had found themselves confronted by was far from any reasonable expectations. She didn’t think that they would so simply have their way with the Draconic Kingdom, but neither did she think that they would get ‘stuck’.

The doors before them opened again.

“The Royal Court will see you now,” Lady Pestonya said.

Within the chambers, they found dozens of documents scattered across the central table. On the far side stood the Prime Minister of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Albedo, adorned in her usual dress of diaphanous white silks. To her left stood the Dark Hero, Momon, clad in his black plate armour. Lady Pestonya went to wait on them to the side.

“Countess Corelyn, our latest reports have indicated an undesirable trend.”

The Prime Minister’s modulated voice veiled a sense of annoyance that would have set the faces of many awash with nervous sweat. As one who had worked with her for the better part of a year, however, Clara thought she could empathise. Those possessed of intellect, talent and drive often grew impatient with, well, everyone else.

Others were incapable of seeing what they saw, at least not until their thoughts were expanded upon in ways that could be grasped. Doing so was onerous and time-consuming, yet it had to be done. Intelligence, talent and drive meant nothing to the world unless they could be rendered into a form that the world could appreciate.

Lady Albedo was in the enviable, yet uniquely unfortunate position of serving a supreme sovereign while also being surrounded by the excellent vassals that the Sorcerer King had gathered under him. She existed in a divine realm and had to, by His Majesty’s command, step into a mortal one.

As such, she was forced to work with ‘normal people’, and it was something she was evidently unaccustomed to. To her credit, the Prime Minister rarely flew into fits of demonic rage over her experiences, though Clara had witnessed it a few times. She had also on occasion vented her grievances over various aspects of administering the realm, usually when analysing new and amended processes submitted for her review.

While they would not call one another kindred spirits, they were something like ‘comrades in impatience’. Clara, for one, found it refreshing to have someone around who shared in a similar situation.

“Undesirable,” Clara replied, “but not unexpected, my lady. It would have been nice if we had free reign for a bit longer, though.”

“What could have caused it, I wonder…” Lady Albedo said, “Between the reports of your delegation and those of the Royal Army, all aspects of the operation have been proceeding nominally.”

“I was certain to ensure that the benefits of our proposal were made clear to Queen Oriculus and her court,” Clara said. “That being said, we are not dealing with a conventional government. While the Queen seems well-versed in everything that might be expected of her, her court is cobbled together out of whatever she could find. The palace staff is composed of promising young individuals, but they lack the experience and knowledge of the regular government.”

“The same could be said for your party,” the Prime Minister noted. “If this is the best that the next generation of the Draconic Kingdom’s administration has to offer, shouldn’t the situation continue to degrade from here? If the members of her court already show signs of dysfunction, then this Queen should act to replace the dysfunctional elements.”

Clara didn’t think it was a fair statement. If anything, the Queen was holding things together exceptionally well.

Albedo and the other members of the Royal Court had a certain attitude that Clara found puzzling, or, more precisely, alien. They held to notions of purpose, but it was to the effect that there was a predetermined place for everything.

Regardless of their age or experience, those who didn’t perform according to the expectations of their role were considered ‘faulty’ or ‘lacking’ to the point of being ‘unworthy’. It was one of Lady Albedo’s most common gripes, which was often parroted by the Elder Liches that the Prime Minister had trained for the administration.

Humans, at least, were not born knowing everything they needed to know about whatever they ended up doing, so it was an ever-curious thing that the Prime Minister would continue to carry that attitude. It was as if she insisted the world was wrong and what she believed was correct, and that the world should fall in line with her beliefs.

It was possible that Lady Albedo’s views were due to her knowledge of the ‘Class System’. An immortal being surrounded by other immortal beings would likely assume that everyone already had enough time to adequately harness the capabilities of their ‘class builds’ and accrue a vast repository of knowledge and experience.

“Mah,” Momon stirred slightly, “our initial expectations were based on certain assumptions that were proven incorrect. We should reassess the situation and see if there’s anything that can be improved upon.”

A tiny crease appeared on the Prime Minister's brow.

“Improved upon? I fail to see any demerits for the Draconic Kingdom in our proposals. If anything, they should be kissing the ground at our feet and praising us for our intervention.”

『I’ll second that.』

『Hush, you.』

“I am in agreement with the Prime Minister, Mister Momon,” Clara said. “About the lack of demerits, that is. If we are to improve upon our proposals, we need some sense of why they’ve been rejecting them. As of this point, the Royal Court of the Draconic Kingdom hasn’t offered any counterproposals or even the rationale behind its refusals beyond them being ‘unacceptable’.”

Being met with seemingly arbitrary refusal was the most infuriating part. Queen Oriculus also appeared to be going along with the sentiment of her court. The whole thing was mind-boggling.

“Perhaps we should be more forceful in our diplomacy,” Lady Albedo muttered.

“That would be strictly against the Sorcerous Kingdom’s objectives for the Draconic Kingdom and the mandates of our government’s foreign policy,” Momon noted. “Furthermore, acting rashly so soon after establishing contact could be construed as a sign of desperation. Or worse: the immature tantrum of a nation unworthy of its position and power.”

Lady Albedo narrowed her eyes at the armour-clad figure, then looked away. With all of his efforts to bring about a stable and harmonious society in the Sorcerous Kingdom, it was all too easy to forget that Momon had initially remained in E-Rantel to prevent any atrocities from befalling the people.

“The Sorcerous Kingdom has no desire for irrational actors amongst its allies,” Lady Albedo said coolly. “If the Draconic Kingdom can’t be counted upon to be reasonable in a favourable situation, I can only imagine that they’ll be an endless source of headaches in the future.”

Clara couldn’t come up with any argument against her assertion. She silently scanned the documents on the table. Some, she recognised as the reports and articles she had submitted over the past week. Others looked like information from the Royal Army. Like Clara, Lady Albedo was the sort to analyse and act on existing information, so the developing situation in the Draconic Kingdom felt like an unfair obstacle.

If there was no information to work with, then they tried to get their hands on some through research or experimentation. It was not so easy to do so in someone else’s country, however – especially on such short notice. Clara believed that most of the blame lay on the general lack of communication in the region.

Strangely enough, despite their antagonistic relationship, Re-Estize and Baharuth were well-connected and enjoyed the most robust diplomatic ties in the region. It helped that they were once a single country and maintained many common threads of culture, as well as shared commerce. Especially telling was how Re-Estize had a diplomatic mission in Baharuth and Baharuth had a diplomatic mission in Re-Estize, yet Baharuth did not have a diplomatic mission in E-Rantel, the capital of its suzerain.

If anything, diplomacy was the one thing that Re-Estize excelled at over the neighbouring countries. It probably didn’t mean much in the eyes of most of its neighbours, but they tried. Most of the other nations in the region were either isolated or purposely aloof. One country establishing contact with another was a simple act that cost little, yet the state of diplomacy in the region was such that whole countries could disappear and no one would be the wiser. At least until a Merchant unexpectedly discovered that their destination was a pile of rubble.

Perhaps it was simply a byproduct of their reality. One could not say that they lived in an environment conducive to diplomacy. Competition between races and tribes was fierce, calamitous powers reared their heads on a semi-regular basis and the world seemingly could not go a century without a catastrophe befalling some part of it.

The balance of power between states could swing wildly from generation to generation. A hero – or more accurately, what Ludmila termed a ‘Champion’ – could rise at any time, dramatically tilting the scales in their home nation’s favour. By the same token, a Champion could be lost in battle or succumb to old age and there was no guarantee that there would be a replacement. More often than not, the Champions that a nation pinned its hopes on would not be a Champion at all, instead choosing to live a self-serving existence.

Diplomacy could act as a chain that kept parties from acting arbitrarily. One might argue that it could not accurately reflect a country’s situation when the balance of power in a region was dependent on seemingly whimsical factors. Because of this, military solutions were considered more effective than diplomacy as an extra Champion or two could break a stalemate between two powers and facilitate aggressive expansion.

She didn’t doubt that many powers would consider old agreements null and void in such a situation, thus making diplomacy useless for long-term foreign relations. The more callous considered the willingness to engage in diplomacy as a sign of weakness. To them, advantages were to be exploited whenever they were available. Whether they could retain their gains was something for future generations to worry over.

It was due to the same logic that Clara believed diplomacy took the forefront in Re-Estize. Every Noble was a ruler who effectively held absolute authority within their own fiefs. They were first and foremost driven by motives that put forward the interests of their houses. At the same time, Nobles of the same kingdom could not so easily wage war on one another. Those that became too belligerent were recognised as a threat and set upon by the rest.

This created a need for ‘internal diplomacy’ between Nobles, which in turn gave rise to factions that represented collective political and economic interests. Thus the culture of the Kingdom of Re-Estize evolved to see diplomacy as a viable avenue for discourse between parties. The Empire shared the same cultural roots as Re-Estize, but the power of its aristocracy had been significantly eroded and was similarly weak in those eroded aspects.

The Draconic Kingdom’s views on diplomacy were mostly unknown. Rationally speaking, they should have been receptive to foreign aid as they already relied on it to hold against their Beastman neighbours. Since their former benefactor, the Slane Theocracy, refused any official ties with them, the Draconic Kingdom should have been especially welcoming to the Sorcerous Kingdom’s immediately tangible and benevolent overtures.

“The second phase of our ‘offensive’ will begin soon,” Clara said. “It should open new avenues through which we can influence the Draconic Kingdom’s sentiment towards us.”

“Your reports state that the Guilds are a ‘faction’ that the Draconic Kingdom’s aristocrats see as a rival,” Lady Albedo said. “Do you mean to say that you will be playing them against one another? Or do you intend to increase the power of the Guilds to erode the influence of the Nobility?”

“We’ve yet to see how the economic influence of the Guilds affects the politics of the nation,” Clara said. “Historical accounts in the Draconic Kingdom’s Royal Archives have the unfortunate tendency of dismissing the activities of the Merchant class as inconsequential. Since the rivalry you’ve mentioned exists, I can only think that the influence of the Guilds is far greater than historical accounts claim.”

“Would that not antagonise the Nobility, Lady Corelyn?” Momon asked, “You may face political backlash for your actions.”

“To be perfectly honest, Mister Momon,” Clara sighed, “I’m beginning to find the behaviour of the Draconic Kingdom’s court insufferable. We have done nothing but put our best foot forward on every front, so I can only think that they are taking advantage of His Majesty’s goodwill. They may be of the mind that they have a monopoly on our resources due to our moves to strengthen their central authority.”

Momon’s gauntleted hand came up to stroke his helmeted chin.

“So by dealing with the Guilds, you seek to dissuade them of the notion…”

“We only see it that way because of how things have developed,” Clara said. “Deploying our Merchants and integrating the draconic Kingdom’s economy with ours has always been a central component of the plan. Since the Draconic Kingdom’s nobility appears to believe the activities of Merchants beneath them, they may not notice what’s going on until the strength of the Guilds begins to affect their internal politics. Our Merchant companies will simply be doing what they usually do. They can hardly blame us for lawfully conducting business.”

“And you’re absolutely certain that eroding the power of the Nobility will not erode the power of the crown? If that happens, you’ll be sabotaging our own efforts.”

“If there is anything to be certain about, it is that Queen Oriculus will remain in power no matter what happens. She is an absolute existence in the hearts and minds of all of her subjects. An increase in the power of the Draconic Kingdom directly translates into an increase in the power of the crown, no matter the source.”

“So Queen Oriculus has at least secured our foothold in the Draconic Kingdom,” Lady Albedo lightly tapped a fingernail against the table, “ensuring the security of her nation, both in a military and economic sense. Beyond that, she merely acts to guide national policy? For what reason would she do this? Why not assert her absolute authority and push negotiations through to facilitate the rapid recovery of her kingdom? It would be one thing if she were one of those foolish wastrels starting to rear their swelled-up heads Re-Estize, but you’ve rated her as a highly-capable ruler.”

Clara didn’t have any answers to Lady Albedo’s questions. Queen Oriculus was too smart to not understand that every proposal was meant to ensure a stable, healthy and quick recovery for the Draconic Kingdom. By allowing her court to ‘deliberate’ over the Sorcerous Kingdom’s proposals, the Queen was prolonging the devastated condition of her country. Clara had hoped that Albedo might be able to offer some insight into Queen Oriculus’ strange behaviour, but it appeared that the Prime Minister was at a loss as well.

Silence hung over the chamber before Momon shifted his attention to Clara’s left.

“What do you think, Lady Gagnier?”

Florine started, turning nervous as all eyes went to her.

“M-me? I…it’s because she’s the Queen, isn’t it?”

Clara frowned at her response. As did Lady Albedo and Liane.

“What do you mean by that, Lady Gagnier?” The Prime Minister asked.

Florine fidgeted with the ring on the middle finger of her left hand. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she answered.

“The proposals that we’re presenting to her,” her amber eyes met the Prime Minister’s own. “To the Draconic Kingdom. They’re…bureaucratic. Solutions for the present. More than that, they lack soul. I think Queen Oriculus understands this. Her processes – the ones that almost everyone here seems to consider ‘inefficient’ – are in reality the most efficient.”

“How can that be?” Lady Albedo scoffed, “The data does not lie; neither do our results. Are you suggesting that our knowledge is flawed in some way?”

“The data applies where it applies,” Florine’s voice rose. “What I am saying is that you’re trying to force that data into everything – even places where it doesn’t belong!”

The noblewoman’s eyes widened. Her hand went up to cover her mouth.

“Forgive me, my lady,” Florine lowered her head. “I shouldn’t have conveyed myself in that manner.”

“Then what are you trying to say?” Momon asked.

Florine straightened from her apology, smoothing out her skirts before lightly placing her fingers on the edge of the polished oak table.

“Last spring,” she answered, “when E-Rantel was annexed, it was clear that Lady Albedo had a ‘plan’. We had manuals, almanacs, new paperwork, new processes…quite frankly, we were all amazed. There were so many things that we thought were impossible; so many concepts predicated on the existence of those impossibilities. We were all in awe of you, and we still are. At your intelligence and talent; at the peerless quality of your work and all of the time and effort you must put into it. It’s something to be admired and envied. But…it’s the work of someone who is purely a ‘bureaucrat’.”

“I fail to see any issue with that,” Lady Albedo said.

“On its own, my lady, there is no issue. But…there was more, wasn’t there? More to your plans for the Sorcerous Kingdom. The traces of those plans are evident to those with eyes that can see them. Entire swathes of procedure are missing or amended, as if someone said ‘no’ to something broad. You made the appropriate alterations in your admirably fastidious manner and they show up as swathes of uniform changes.

“The only person I can think of who could make you do that,” a pointed note entered Florine’s tone, “is His Majesty.”

“You dare equate Draudillon Oriculus with His Majesty?”

Lady Albedo narrowed her eyes at Florine, but the young noblewoman didn’t flinch away from the Prime Minister’s ire.

“I am saying that it is one thing to administer and another to rule, my lady. His Majesty accounted for things that bureaucrats are blind to...or at least consider inconsequential. No one can say that he was wrong.”

“Then what do you think Queen Oriculus is trying to accomplish here, Lady Gagnier?” Momon asked.

“It should be the same as what was done in the Sorcerous Kingdom, no?” Florine answered, “Queen Oriculus is intimately familiar with her own kingdom. She has seen enough of what we can offer to understand the change it will bring to the Draconic Kingdom. Our proposals present solutions for the present, but Queen Oriculus seeks answers for the future. She is manipulating every side to draw out all of the problems that will eventually manifest as a result of our new relationship so she can preemptively address them.”

Florine started to fidget again under everyone’s stares.

“So you are saying that Queen Oriculus is not resisting the Sorcerous Kingdom’s advances?” Lady Albedo asked.

“She is far ahead of us, my lady,” Florine answered. “Our first few days convinced her that we were trustworthy enough to deal with. The shift in her court’s attitude indicates that she is preparing her country for a long-term relationship with the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

“Why wasn’t any of this mentioned in the reports?”

“Because it’s not something that we’re supposed to know. Even her own people don’t know. I…I just got so angry because it looked like we were about to do something irrevocably stupid! I had to say something before it happened…actually, I may have ruined everything. Please forget what I said…”

The Baroness of Gagnier’s words trailed off into a silence that reigned over the Royal Court of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Lady Albedo let out a barely perceptible breath.

“Countess Corelyn,” she said, “Pestonya will arrive at Castle Corelyn to return you and your delegation to Oriculon tomorrow morning. Be sure to make any necessary preparations before then.”

The doors of the Royal Court whispered shut as Pestonya escorted Countess Corelyn and her party back outside. Albedo’s gaze lingered on the polished oak portal for three seconds before her hands moved to collect the documents scattered over the table.

Preposterous.

Was it a weakness? No, it couldn’t be considered one. If the Supreme One would only allow them to, they could…

But they couldn’t. They explicitly weren’t allowed. Nazarick could subjugate the region in the blink of an eye, but the direct use of force was prohibited. Albedo could think of at least a dozen reasons why Momonga-sama would do this. She was certain that Demiurge and Pandora’s Actor could each think of a dozen other reasons more.

“A weakness, hm?”

Her head snapped up. She directed a cold glare at Pandora’s Actor. Did he have to say it out loud?

“It is a weakness easily remedied,” Albedo said.

“If all of Nazarick’s resources were at our disposal,” Pandora’s Actor replied, “and if we could do as we pleased, perhaps. But that is evading the problem, is it not? Well, it isn’t as if I don’t understand the source of your irritation. Our Master, in his supreme wisdom, has issued a challenge. The solution to that challenge is not something we can directly provide.”

That wasn’t explicitly true, but it was close enough. The problem could be seen as a small part of a greater problem; one presented by the realities of the world that Nazarick had found itself in. This New World contained a myriad of aspects that did not exist in Yggdrasil, and so Nazarick was not equipped to confront those aspects head-on. They could bludgeon it to death or otherwise neutralise it through alternative means, but one never knew when those aspects might prove troublesome.

As the Doppelganger had noted, the problem was one that grated against her pride as a creation of the Supreme Beings. She was certain that all of the NPCs felt it to some degree.

That these lesser beings in their laughable weakness could accomplish what they could not…should it be allowed? Could it be allowed? Every single day, it felt that the citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom pleased their Master in ways that Albedo could not discern. Some of them could seemingly understand Momonga-sama’s will and carry out his desires in ways that surpassed any of the NPCs.

Her beloved had pointed it out to her nearly a year previous when she delivered her report on Fassett County. Yet, she could still only answer to those existences with one word.

Preposterous.

“Still,” Pandora’s Actor’s voice drew Albedo out of her thoughts, “while I already had a sense of what would happen, I never thought it would make itself clear so quickly. This is no longer something we can ignore, and I believe Ainz-sama wanted to do something with her anyway…”

“Considering where this is headed,” Albedo replied, “I’d rather you not phrase things that way.”

A low chuckle rose from Pandora’s Actor’s throat and softly drifted through the chamber.

“Considering your response, I assume your ‘vote’ hasn’t changed?”

“Even if it did,” Albedo put away her documents, “it wouldn’t alter the result.”

“As the Guardian Overseer,” Pandora’s Actor noted, “it is well within your rights to overrule our decision.”

Albedo regarded the Doppelganger with a cool look. Was he testing her? Pandora’s Actor was an excellent colleague – at least when it came to his intellect and capabilities – but he had a way of serving the Supreme One that fell outside the calculations of herself or Demiurge.

“It is the obvious course of action,” Albedo told him. “Especially when everything else is factored in. The Supreme Beings did not bless us with superlative intellect so it could be squandered devising sub-optimal solutions and agonising over lesser beings.”

“In that case, you’ll leave the execution in Shalltear’s hands?”

“Of course. We are all responsible for our respective subordinates. Nazarick wouldn’t have been created the way it has been, otherwise. Besides, I can’t imagine Shalltear would botch a task of this nature.”

The shifting of metal plates rasped through the air as ‘Momon’ left the table.

“Then I shall prepare things on my end,” Pandora’s Actor tossed his crimson cloak behind him as he strode towards the door. “Baroness Gagnier has become much beloved amongst the citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Not just with the Human subjects, but with every race she has touched with her efforts. Unforeseen developments may arise in response to her fate.”

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