Valkyrie's Shadow

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 5, Chapter 7

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 5, Chapter 7

Chapter 7

18th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 1100 Hours

A warm breeze blew across the deck of Liv Frodesdottir as it plied the waters between Oriculon and Seagate. Under a flowing ensign of the Draconic Kingdom, Sebas stood behind Queen Oriculus’ shoulder, scanning the surroundings as the Queen conversed with Countess Corelyn.

He had never journeyed or fought on a ship before, though Cocytus mentioned that combat aboard a marine vessel had major differences from fighting on land. The Sorcerous Kingdom’s nascent navy was in the process of developing a wide variety of tactics for maritime and amphibious operations, but Sebas hadn’t had the opportunity to study them.

Countess Corelyn had offered a few basic pointers, however. Central to them was the fact that a ship underway was not fixed to anything. If he exerted excessive force in any movements, the ship would react accordingly. For instance, suddenly sprinting with his full might would propel the ship in the opposite direction, possibly sending it flying several dozen kilometres across the countryside. As such, he had to pay extra attention to Queen Oriculus’ surroundings so he could react well in advance to any incoming threats.

“The name of this ship,” Queen Oriculus said, waving and smiling at her subjects cheering from the shore. “It is not of a language familiar to Us.”

“Liv Frodesdottir is the name of one of the foremost shipwrights at the Frost Giant shipyards along our northern coast,” Countess Corelyn replied. “All of our transports are named after individuals who were instrumental in the development and construction of these ships.”

“And here We thought these were the product of some great Sage residing in the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

“Not to downplay the achievements of the Sages,” the Countess Corelyn said, “but great works of industry are rarely the product of an individual stroke of genius. These ships are a result of a combined effort from both the Sorcerous Kingdom’s citizens and its allies. E-Rantel has been landlocked until recently, so the Katze River wasn’t of much use to us. Our shipbuilding industry was similarly nonexistent.”

“It sounds like there is some grand tale to tell,” the Queen said. “At least to those who are interested in such matters.”

“I would say that it is a tale that highlights the benefits of cooperation, Your Majesty. Back when the Duchy of E-Rantel was annexed, the change that the Sorcerous Kingdom would bring to the region became glaringly apparent. I was of the mind that, since the Sorcerous Kingdom used the Undead for various things, the Katze River system could be turned into a transportation corridor that links the Sorcerous Kingdom with the southeast.

“We had to start with very little in the way of shipbuilding knowledge, however. Most of our research was based on what we could find out about water transportation in Re-Estize, Baharuth and Slane. Our initial proposals were somewhat embarrassing, but we were encouraged by His Majesty’s Royal Court to continue exploring the idea.”

“Umu,” Queen Oriculus nodded. “Any nation with navigable river systems possesses a colossal advantage over one that does not. Incalculably so if those river systems grant access to the sea. They would be fools to not see that.”

“Still,” Countess Corelyn said, “we’re very grateful for their support. In time, as His Majesty’s dominion expanded, we found that the talent and artifice we were missing were in the hands of peoples not two hundred kilometres away. The passion of the Frost Giant tribes seeking to reclaim their maritime heritage led to the construction of many prototype vessels. The rekindled industries of the Azerlisian Dwarves transformed those wooden prototypes into constructs of runeforged steel.

“Naturally, the motive force is provided by Undead from the Sorcerous Kingdom. The machining is done by workshops under House Wagner, which – as you might have guessed from its name – has been in the business of machining for its entire existence. Everything incorporated into our vessels has existed for as long as anyone can remember, but it is only with the advent of the Sorcerous Kingdom that we were able to envision everything coming together and render that vision into reality.”

Sebas nodded silently as Countess Corelyn shared with the Queen and her nearby courtiers. With Nazarick’s efforts in the areas west of the Sorcerous Kingdom following a deeply concerning chain of developments, he and several of his colleagues feared that chaos, destruction, suffering and despair would become the primary drivers of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s efforts abroad. He felt that the work of Countess Corelyn’s delegation was much-needed to counterbalance the evil being wrought.

The directive of Ainz Ooal Gown to turn the Sorcerous Kingdom into a nation that stood above all others – one that offered eternal harmony and prosperity to those under the Sorcerer King’s rule – was an objective most suited to a supreme sovereign. Unfortunately, how that objective would be achieved was subject to various interpretations by Nazarick’s denizens.

Some, like Yuri Alpha, sought to develop the potential of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s citizens. Pestonya and Sebas, too, made similar efforts in pursuit of the same goal. Those that undertook these quiet, benevolent activities were in the minority, however.

Another set of NPCs – namely Cocytus, Aura, Mare and Pandora’s Actor – followed a more or less ‘neutral’ approach. They performed the tasks assigned to them, helped maintain the security and order of the realm and had their own projects that they hoped would assist in achieving the goal set for them by Ainz-sama.

Of the remaining NPCs, Demiurge was, of course, the worst of them all. In a word, he was a menace. His plans nearly always involved sowing destruction and chaos in the places that he targeted, tearing everything apart under the pretence that it was to rebuild a new order under Ainz-sama. It was a sick and twisted order, however, for Demiurge measured happiness, harmony and prosperity in sick and twisted terms.

To be happy, all one needed to be was less sad than those being inflicted with suffering. Sharing misery was harmony of a sort. An impoverished, disease-ridden village could consider itself prosperous if the rest of its country was reduced to ash. If Ainz Ooal Gown had not mentioned that he did not wish to rule over a pile of rubble, then Demiurge would have turned the world into a pile of rubble to show how superior the Sorcerous Kingdom was, relatively speaking. The greater the difference, the better.

Albedo sought to establish the Sorcerous Kingdom as the supreme hegemon of the region – and then the world – seeing to its productivity and excellence while arranging for its continued expansion through any means necessary. In Re-Estize, she sought to subvert authority through a network of puppets and collaborators. The intervention in the Draconic Kingdom was also an initiative that she had a hand in, though instead of puppets and collaborators, a legitimate effort was being made through officials from the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Seeing the progress being made in the Draconic Kingdom pleased him, yet, at the same time, it raised questions. Or rather, Sebas could only ask one thing: why?

If it took a mere mote of Nazarick’s power to bring the Draconic Kingdom onto its side, then why was it necessary to pile evil upon evil to achieve the same result elsewhere? Why did millions have to die in the Abelion Hills and the Holy Kingdom of Roble? Why were they orchestrating the downfall of Re-Estize through civil strife? Sebas had seen many unsettling things in Re-Estize, but, while some callously believed that the acts of the few represented those of the whole, he in no way agreed that millions of innocents should be put to the sword for the sins of the few.

Nazarick had the power to effortlessly punish whoever needed to be punished while saving those who needed to be saved. He couldn’t understand why the likes of Demiurge and Albedo thought it necessary to cultivate a legacy of evil, but he couldn’t oppose the Supreme One’s approval of their heinous acts.

He could only be thankful that Shalltear Bloodfallen had been assigned to manage the Sorcerous Kingdom’s transportation network rather than being unleashed upon the world beside Albedo and Demiurge. Strangely enough, the way that the Vampire seemed to seamlessly infiltrate Human society and build up achievements through her collection of local vassals ended up accomplishing far more good than all of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s goodly NPCs combined.

If only we had been afforded the same chance; the same authority…

No, there must have been some reason why all the good in Nazarick had been purposely withheld from participating in its activities abroad to the same degree. Some unfathomable vision that could only come from the incalculable intellect and wisdom of the Supreme One.

The barge slowed as they approached the next of many villages on the way to Seagate, and Sebas renewed his vigilance. A cheer rose from the villagers on the shore. Unlike with the previous villages, however, the ship turned and stopped, extending a metal ramp to the shore. Members of the palace guard disembarked to form a perimeter while a few Death Knights offloaded farming equipment manufactured in the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Queen Oriculus and her entourage – which included her entire cabinet – went ashore once the way was cleared. Hundreds of curious villagers had gathered from the nearby area, seemingly divided between being overjoyed to see their sovereign and unsettled by the presence of the Undead.

The Queen’s entourage boarded a set of wagons – which had been prepared by Countess Wagner and brought along for the trip – and rolled off down a rural road to the fields nearby. The Queen eyed the Death Knight pulling the vehicle.

“Hmm…We must say that it’s strange to see a Human-like figure pulling a wagon.”

“Back in the Sorcerous Kingdom,” Countess Corelyn said, “it’s usually Soul Eaters doing this sort of work.”

“Soul Eaters?” Lady Soruel frowned, “As in the legendary Undead that destroyed the Silent City in the Beastman Confederation?”

“That’s what they say,” Countess Wagner shrugged. “They stop feeling legendary after you see hundreds of them running around every day. We lease them at a great rate if you’re interested.”

Lady Soruel sent a reproachful look across the Queen’s back at Countess Wagner. Of the Draconic Kingdom’s Royal Court, she was the person most opposed to further advances by Countess Corelyn’s delegation. Refusing anything from technical assistance to increased aid, the young noblewoman was confident that the people of the Draconic Kingdom could handle their domestic affairs as they always had.

Over the past few days, the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegation quietly accepted the continued resistance of Queen Draudillon’s court. After going back to E-Rantel to meet with Albedo, however, Countess Wagner was starting to bite back.

“No, thank you,” Lady Soruel sniffed, “we can manage just fine on our own.”

“Is that something you’re authorised to say on behalf of the Draconic Kingdom?” Countess Wagner asked.

Lady Soruel bristled and narrowed her eyes at Countess Wagner. Countess Wagner, however, had already turned her attention away to the fields ahead.

From his place behind the Queen, Sebas’ eyes went from one woman to the other. Perhaps Countess Wagner was on the offensive because the delegation was about to go from making claims about the effectiveness of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s Undead labour to demonstrating it in the fields.

Their wagons stopped a few hundred metres from the riverbank, where a pair of Death Knights were busy setting up one of the pieces of equipment that they brought with them. One of them fastened the straps of a harness onto the other, which was attached to a wheeled frame mounted with six plough blades.

Countess Wagner hopped off the wagon to join them. Queen Oriculus stood up on the wagon bed, shading her eyes against the midday sun.

“Uh…whose land is this?” Countess Wagner asked.

“O-ours.”

A young man who looked about fourteen years of age raised his hand. Beside him stood a young woman of about the same age. Countess Wagner gave the couple an appraising look.

“New tenant?”

“Yes ma’am–erm, m’lady? Said they were handing out quarter hides to new couples, so we got married and took them up on the offer.”

“Well, good on you,” Countess Wagner grinned. “It’s not often that you get land thrown at you like that.”

“That’s what we figured, m’lady.”

Like the Farmers around E-Rantel, it appeared that Farmers in the Draconic Kingdom did not marry for love. What determined whether one’s candidacy for marriage was whether they would inherit a tenancy or become a successful tradesman. Without land to manage or a licence and facilities to practise one’s trade, one couldn’t earn a decent living and thus could not support a family.

“So a quarter hide…” Countess Wagner looked out at the field, “Just to be sure, one hide is a hundred twenty acres around here, right?”

The Farmer nodded. Countess Wagner signalled the Death Knights, who went on their way.

“Thirty acres,” she addressed the crowd. “That’s fifteen days of work using a team of horses and two-bottom plough. Am I right?”

Dozens of heads nodded in the crowd.

“These fellas here,” Countess Wagner jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “they’ll get those thirty acres done in an hour.”

“What?!” Marzar Forst, Minister of Rural Development, squawked.

“Yep,” Countess Wagner replied, “‘What?!’ indeed. If I went back to myself two years ago and told me that, I’d’ve laughed in my face. But, well, that’s how it is now. In the time it takes one household to plough thirty acres, these Death Knights will get ten thousand acres done. That’s the work of three hundred thirty-three farming households.”

The Countess turned her gaze to Queen Oriculus.

“One of Your Majesty’s Barons can lease a pair of Death Knights to cover all five of their villages. The Undead can’t do everything, but what they do is still enough to give each household time to work a half hide instead of a quarter. That means your capacity to cultivate grain crops will remain unchanged even if you lost half of your people.”

A low murmur broke out amongst the spectating villagers at Countess Wagner’s claim.

“That’s double the harvest, so…”

“That isn’t right. If the mouths to feed stay the same, the double goes to market.”

“Think of what you could do with that money!”

“Sure, but how much is the lease?”

Men and women discussed amongst themselves, throwing out rough speculations over seasonal household harvests and how things might change. The members of Countess Corelyn’s party appeared to be pleased over the villagers’ reaction, but the reaction of Queen Draudillon’s court was mixed at best.

With the plough demonstration continuing in the background, Countess Wagner showed off the other pieces of farm equipment on display. The villagers seemed to instantly recognise what each one was, and the Countess spent more time answering questions than explaining what her products did.

“That last one there’s a mill, right?” One of the villagers asked.

“Sure is,” Countess Wagner answered. “Just like you can use draft animals to drive a mill, our Undead labour can do it too. The Death Knights here are so strong that you can have a more powerful mill. As you can see, this one doesn’t use wooden gears – it uses steel ones. We sell all the parts to turn one mill into anything you need.”

“So we can grind flour or cut timber by just swapping out the parts?”

“And more. You can pump water or crush ore. Spin a lathe or run a crane. Anything that you use animal labour for, we have machines adapted for our friends out in the field there to use. They don’t need fodder and they never get tired. If a Beastman pops up, they’ll be more than happy to get rid of it for you.”

Pestonya was right.

Nazarick’s Head Maid always remarked on the adaptability and creativity of this New World’s natives. When they first arrived, Sebas’ knowledge of production was limited to the Yggdrasil techniques contained in the Great Library of Ashurbanipal. If one wanted to craft an item frame, one used a book from the library. If one wished for a specific type of food or other consumable items, one used specific recipes. There were thousands of recipes available, but the fact of the matter was that they never changed.

Conversely, the natives of the New World were in a constant state of change. As weak as they were, their potential was seemingly infinite. New and improved things were produced by their artisans season by season. New spells, Abilities, Skills and Martial Arts were constantly under development. Race and Job Classes unheard of in Yggdrasil were regularly proven to exist, and, if Pandora’s Actor was correct, entirely new Race and Job Classes could be created.

In a way, it was intimidating. For Nazarick’s part, Ainz-sama sought to monitor development in all fields. This was to both ensure that Nazarick reaped the best of what the Sorcerous Kingdom cultivated and to control anything dangerous that might manifest.

As promised, the field took roughly an hour to fully plough and Countess Wagner’s product demonstration ended. Despite what Sebas thought was a decisive display, the sentiment of the Royal Court did not change. The villagers were enamoured of the idea that much could be gained through the equipment shown to them, but they were also hesitant about employing the Undead.

Countess Corelyn and her party took the disappointing response in stride, packing away their equipment and returning to the barge to continue the journey west down the Oriculon.

It was a parade of sorts, with the vessel from the Sorcerous Kingdom being escorted by three ships from the Draconic Kingdom. They slowed down every three or four kilometres so that the villages along the shore could see their Queen, who stood and happily waved to her subjects as they lavished their adoration upon her. Between villages, the Queen would wander around the ship, speaking to the Nobles standing in groups on the main deck.

“Orban,” the Queen said as she approached the dark-haired Minister of the Economy.

“Your Majesty,” Orban and his deputies bowed.

“What are the ministry’s thoughts on the equipment demonstrated by Corelyn’s delegation?”

“The ploughs were undeniably impressive in practice,” Minister Orban replied. “All of the artisans we’ve spoken with affirm the quality of their craftsmanship. Based on what we’ve seen, they would certainly assist at the beginning of our recovery efforts. The problem is that there is no need for any of this in the long term.”

The Minister glanced at Sebas before continuing his explanation.

“Our country has always recovered quickly from Beastman raids. One might argue that the magnitude of the current invasion is beyond anything we’ve experienced before, but our rate of recovery still broadly applies. Your Majesty has seen the crowds at every village: they are full of fresh young faces ready and eager to claim vacant tenancies and build new lives. While not every tenancy may be filled right away, we expect it to be the case within the next few years.”

“Lord Orban,” Countess Corelyn said, “you say this as if a return to the old status quo is a desirable thing.”

“That’s right,” the Minister replied. “I don’t see why that shouldn’t be the case.”

“Should this not instead be seen as an opportunity to retool your economy?” The Countess asked, “A nation’s economy is limited by how it utilises its labour and resources. The amount of labour you have is limited by food production, which is limited by land. Let’s say for now that three million people remain alive in the Draconic Kingdom. Your population before the occupation was seven million. If, with the assistance of Undead labour, you can already utilise all of your lands, does that not mean you have essentially freed up four million future citizens to work in other sectors of your economy?”

“My lady, it is hardly the time to be experimenting with the economy of our country. Regaining stability is our goal; playing with our people’s lives by embarking on unproven ventures before then would be selfish and irresponsible.”

All around them, the groups of Nobles that had gathered to listen all nodded at Minister Orban’s words. The discussion paused when the barge slowed and Queen Oriculus left to wave at the next crowd of villagers gathered on the riverbank.

Sebas had no expertise in economics and admittedly less-than-rudimentary knowledge of nearly all of the topics brought up by the Queen and her Nobles. The Nobles did not seem to be resisting the Sorcerous Kingdom’s proposals out of self-interest or any malicious intent, so Sebas thought he could sympathise with them. As an NPC, he was created to serve the Supreme Beings and protect the sanctity of Nazarick. A Noble had many similarities to an Area Guardian, as they were assigned to manage areas of a country and uphold the order of those who ruled them.

But as beings in an ever-changing world, was maintaining the status quo a desirable thing? For many of Nazarick’s denizens, the fact that the world constantly changed and evolved would be disturbing if they were as weak as the locals. Thus, ensuring that the denizens of the world stayed in their weak situation was an overarching thought that accompanied the plans of Albedo and Demiurge.

“The Sorcerous Kingdom brings change, Lord Orban,” Countess Corelyn said. “You and your people may not find the old status quo to be so desirable once it returns and you have had time to understand what that change entails. By then, it won’t be so easy as it is now to make the desired adjustments.”

“I suppose we shall see about that, Lady Corelyn. In the meantime, our lands are bountiful enough that we have no fear of hardship even with our ‘old status quo’.”

Minister Orban offered nothing more, exchanging pleasantries with Queen Oriculus before the next village came into view. The cycle of viewings and discussions continued for four more villages, at which point the southern town of Seagate came into view.

Dozens of small vessels awaited the Queen’s arrival in the estuary. Hundreds of cheers carried over the wind and waves as the barge made its way to the town’s largest pier. A pair of Nobles stepped out from the crowd of townsfolk, bowing deeply in greeting.

“Your Majesty,” the one on the right said. “Welcome to Seagate. As you can see, the citizens are overjoyed to see their Queen.”

A renewed wave of cheering drowned out whatever the Noble was going to say next. Rather than showing any offence over being interrupted, he merely smiled, sharing in the citizens’ sentiment.

Sebas focused on their surroundings, eyeing the buildings and rooftops as Queen Oriculus was conveyed through the streets of the coastal town. Four Shadow Demons assigned to the escort flickered from alley to alley, but in the journey from the wharf, around the town and to the town hall, no ambushes or signs of unrest were detected.

The Queen was led into the administrative office’s main hall, where one of the noblemen stopped Sebas at the entrance.

“Please wait outside,” he said. “This area has long been secured and we will be discussing the business of the realm.”

Without waiting for a response, the door was shut in his face. Sebas quietly weighed his options.

The area had long been cleared of Beastmen by Baroness Zahradnik’s forces, so it was unlikely that any would appear in the town. Queen Oriculus’ subjects were fanatically loyal, so it was similarly unlikely that they would purposely bring any harm to her. There were no powerful individuals amongst her courtiers. After Sebas and the Shadow Demons, Countess Corelyn was the next strongest in the building.

As a precaution, he ordered two of the Shadow Demons to guard the Queen inside the room. The others were sent to guard the perimeter of the building. With the security arrangements for the meeting seen to, Sebas turned to find Countess Corelyn, Countess Wagner and Baroness Gagnier standing in the antechamber with him. Countess Wagner wordlessly shrugged and went back outside with Baroness Gagnier.

“I’m sorry, Lord Tian,” Countess Corelyn said.

“Whatever are you apologising for, my lady?” Sebas replied.

“I feel that this is all my fault,” the Countess touched the tips of her fingers in front of her waist. “We’ve unintentionally cultivated antagonistic sentiment from Queen Oriculus’ Court and now you’re being unjustly subjected to it.”

“Hmm…to be honest, my expectations were not very high to begin with.”

The Countess’ fingers stopped.

“They weren’t, my lord?”

“Have I ever told you of my first trip abroad in this region, my lady?”

“I don’t think so…”

Sebas moved away from the door to stand across from Countess Corelyn, holding his hands behind his back.

“His Majesty did not send me on a diplomatic errand, but I ended up in a number of negotiations nonetheless. First, I negotiated the release of an abused young woman for one hundred gold coins. That led to accusations of slave trading. To keep a low profile, the official that visited me demanded an additional five hundred gold coins.”

Countess Corelyn’s amethyst eyes seemed to gleam with an unnatural intensity. The voice that passed her lips was calm and quiet, but if one could kill with words alone, Sebas believed that the young noblewoman before him was capable of it.

“Slavery is indeed outlawed in Re-Estize,” she said, “but there is no law or procedure that allows one to destroy legal records or annul any ongoing proceedings.”

“Oh, they were quite clear about it being an illicit transaction,” Sebas replied. “They took the time to gloat openly, even going so far as to suggest that they should be allowed to have Solution.”

“Miss Epsilon?” The young noblewoman’s mouth fell open, “I assume that they weren’t aware of what they were asking…”

“Surely not,” Sebas smirked. “At any rate, I was unfamiliar with Re-Estize or its laws at the time. To avoid causing trouble for His Majesty, I felt it necessary to go along with their farce. That wasn’t the end of it, however. One thing led to another and the situation eventually became violent. Compared to that, I would say your efforts in the Draconic Kingdom are going slightly better.”

Sebas raised a hand, indicating a small distance between his thumb and forefinger. Countess Corelyn stared at the space for several seconds.

“…have things really gotten that bad, my lord?”

“Please have some confidence in your abilities, Lady Corelyn,” Sebas lowered his hand. “Lady Albedo would only accept the best to serve as representatives of the Sorcerous Kingdom.”