Chapter Twenty-Four

  Subtle questions told Demiurge and Albedo the little things they couldn’t have known about how things were done in the Queen’s service in the dining hall. But by the same token, certain things also made sense to the pair of Guardians that would have made no sense to the other servants.

  ‘No more than forty-one people…’ Demiurge looked at the table, it was easily long enough to comfortably seat well over twice that. And yet even counting guards and servants, no more than forty-one. ‘He still honors the guild, he hasn’t truly forgotten us. He hasn’t. He can’t… I can hardly wait…’

  It didn’t take long of course, to learn that he had actually arrived at the castle, and the pair of Nazarick Geniuses shared a triumphal look in one another’s eyes when they realized that their every course had thus far been absolutely correct.

  Albedo made sure to stay close to him when the servant girl in the maid outfit shouted the news that, “He’s here! He’s here! The Game Changer is here! He’s with the Queen right now!”

  “Have you seen him, and what he looks like?” Albedo asked, then quickly corrected herself to say, “Is he really a demon like the stories say?”

  The maid shook her head, her mouse brown hair bounced around, “I didn’t, but the guard who told me they arrived, said that the Game Changer appeared human.”

  “They? Was there more than one?” Demiurge asked, that was outside of their calculations. ‘An escort going as far as to join him with the Queen was strange.’

  “Yes.” The maid answered, “A knight, the guard who told me about it said that they appeared to be friends.”

  ‘So my creator has taken on a human pet. I suppose that isn’t so strange. Hamsuke was taken in by Lord Ainz. And Lupusregina seems to have taken to Enri, Sebas to Tuare… even Albedo seems to be intent on acquiring that one human female of the Kingdom as her favorite… why shouldn’t my creator adopt one of these new worlders himself? It is his right, after all. And it seems to be Lord Ainz’s will to act through mortal, weaker agents to strengthen Nazarick and preserve our strength for only our own needs. Just like with the human paladin we’ve chosen as the next Holy Queen. We’ll have to make contact soon and ensure there is no conflict in schemes…’

  Demiurge’s mind was moving a mile a minute as he considered the implications of Lord Ulbert’s intentions, pretending to go about the task of assisting the rest with their decorating, the cleaning of chairs that had been little used as there was no reason to celebrate or feast until now…

  A roaring fire was set to crackling against the far wall, and the pair of demons continued to work… and wait.

  ‘Marrying a demon would probably have made that soft twit Calca faint. The very idea might have made that spoiled princess Renner vomit. Doing so might set me against the Slane Theocracy… not that they wouldn’t have loved to replace me for my inhuman ancestry anyway. I suppose this Kingdom is lucky I’m on the throne, very little is beyond me, especially if it preserves my kingdom against harm.’ Queen Draudillon did not so much as tense up at the demon’s words, in truth, it was the opposite. ‘I was prepared for this, to offer absolutely anything to preserve my country. Even if I had to wed that monster in the north that destroyed the Kingdom’s army on the Katze Plains.’

  So, rather than protest the joke, or laugh, she took advantage of it, and inclined her head. “Perhaps it is, Ulbert Alain Odle. But we live in strange times. You have saved my Kingdom from destruction, driven back our enemies, and preserved hundreds of thousands of lives. So if that is the reward you wish, then my hand is yours, and our child will rule after I am gone. My home will be your home. My kingdom, your kingdom. For as long as you are willing to protect it. If of course, that is the reward you wish.”

  Ulbert felt a flash of gratitude to himself for having maxed out his character’s intelligence, and that his head did not allow for the same range of human emotional expression. “You say that, but if I understand your customs correctly,” he bluffed, struggling to recall what Touch Me said of cultures like this and marital practices, “the bride comes with a dowry, but the husband to be must offer a sufficient price to his betrothed in his own right. And I’m afraid I have no lands to offer the crown.”

  ‘Clever demon, putting it that way opens up the obvious to me, to establish the Draconic Kingdom as a force to be reckoned with for a thousand years.’ Queen Draudillon thought and smiled sweetly as could be when she said.

  “It is as you say however, the traditional bride price can be met simply by eliminating the western half of the Beastmen Kingdom. If you do this, no objections will remain, and nobody can object to calling you King Ulbert Alain Odle of the Draconic Empire.”

  His demonic nature thrilled at the title, the power, all that she offered up to him, his former poverty was receding rapidly in the back of his mind, the whole world was opening up before him and his heart sang with bliss and delight beyond all reckoning…’Anything is within my reach now… slay a few monsters… why not? To become a King?! How do I pass that up?!’ It didn’t hurt that the Draconic Queen in front of him was almost ethereal in her attractiveness, he felt his body thrum in response to the magic he felt resonating from her dragon bloodline.

  ‘In my old world if I ever had a chance with anyone, all I’d create is a new screaming cog in a corporate machine that would bleat like a sheep until it died like my parents did, and like I probably would have… but here… power, wealth, status, it’s all in my reach… all of it… and all I have to do is kill a few more monsters?’ Still, it begged the question. “Why only half the Kingdom?”

  The court of attendees mumbled under their breath as he seemed to suggest that the whole thing would be no trouble. And the truth was simply that in his own mind… ‘It’s not hard, not hard at all.’

  “Leaving some of it intact as a buffer state would be practical, though if you want to take more than half, I will not object.” Queen Draudillon’s smile never left her face as she sentenced the greater part of a kingdom to extermination.

  And Ulbert snapped his fingers to restore his human appearance, so that he could smile back. With the promise of everything he ever dreamed and played games about dangled in front of him, he never felt even the tiniest hint of guilt about the slaughter to come, and his Chuuniish personality took over his performance in full.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “I will lend my power to your kingdom, for your kingdom, for your hand, for all of you, and for a shared future, if I can ask but one more thing.” He said as he held yet another bow to the throne of the Draconic Queen.

  “Yes?” She asked, as she prepared herself to seal the bargain with the demon.

  Ulbert straightened up and clapped his hand on the shoulder of the kneeling human at his side. “Sir Torald Haroldson. I understand that he showed courage that other humans lacked, coming to me when others hesitated. I wish his house to be put into my personal service, and to elevate his rank accordingly. Giving him lands in the places I conquer. Do you object?”

  “Not even a little.” Draudillon replied with the iron voice of a born noble.

  “We intended a feast for you, to honor your victory, I suppose now it will be a wedding feast instead, it will be prepared in a matter of hours. But first, we should settle some things in private.” Queen Draudillon kept her voice steady, unwavering, but given the position she was in, there was nothing she felt she could properly object to, and who knew what the customs of demons might be, they never spoke except to fight against the will of man.

  “I would be pleased to join you in your quarters.” The Demon who would be King said with barely concealed delight as she stood from her throne.

  “Provide refreshment to Sir Torald, and some proper clothing for dinner tonight.” The Queen gave the order as she held out her hand toward Ulbert, and noticed as she did so that, while his hand was slightly warmer than she expected… it wasn’t the burning heat she originally feared might touch her skin.

  As they left the throne room and the door shut behind her that would take them up to her private room, she had a brief hope pass through her mind. ‘May it not be the last relief I know before tomorrow.’

  Senda rolled over on the ground and shot to his feet, he took off at a dead run. He held the coin in his hand, ‘Hold on tight, hold on tight, this is your only chance at a future! I didn’t do it, but they’ll still hang me for it anyway, so if I lose this, I’ve lost everything…’

  ‘You’ve already lost everything.’ He closed his eyes tight against the words as he ran, but though he could close his eyes, stop his ears, plug his nose and shut his mouth…

  He was defenseless against his thoughts. They assaulted him like shadows as he tore through yet another forest in his attempt to avoid the roads.

  ‘Some killers they hang. Unless they want to set an example. Then there’s the drawing and quartering… rip off your arms and legs and leave you a stump, which limb would be left? Would your arms give out first, or your legs, it doesn’t matter, they’ll cut off whatever’s left and leave you a husk of pain to be pecked to death by birds… or they’ll behead you… they saw you… they know what you did… doesn’t matter if they’re wrong. Nobody will care enough to believe you, not after you ran… and if you’re really innocent, why run? Why run?’

  “Shut up!” Senda roared as misery swept over him at his horrific misfortune. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” He shouted as if that alone would drown out the voice in his head.

  “Who’re you talking to?” A voice caught his attention, and Senda darted his eyes too and fro amidst the shadows of the woods.

  “Who? Where?” Senda asked, he clenched the coin tighter in his left hand.

  “Don’t move, or you won’t ever move again.” It was a woman’s voice. “What are you doing out here?”

  Senda froze. “Please don’t shoot. I’m innocent, I didn’t do anything… are you bandits, if not, please… tell me who you are?”

  “Sabina, of Crystal Tear. Now you.” She said and Senda’s blood froze.

  ‘The gods themselves want you dead… how else could this have happened…?’ He heard the cursed voice taunt his mind, clawing at his sense of hope and leaving only despair behind.

  “Please! I didn’t kill anyone! I swear! He was already dead when I found him!” Senda protested, but all he heard in his own mind was laughter.

  “Alright, this then.” He heard the bow relax, then draw and a release from somewhere… he felt the blow to his head, and everything went black.

  He woke up naked and bound by a crackling flame, a man with a brown beard sitting on a log with some of his companions, including a woman. “That’s all he had on him. He was shouting something about not having killed anyone. Probably a wanted man.” The woman said, and the male to whom she spoke, clad in a knight’s armor and with a clearly enchanted broadsword at his side, rolled the coin back and forth between his fingers.

  “Bastards! I told you! I told you I didn’t do it!” Senda sobbed and wiggled in his bonds, the scratchy brush on which he lay, tore at his body from the tips of his toes, to his genitals, to his tear stained face.

  “Well, if he is wanted, there’s a bounty on him. And bounties don’t have to be collected alive.” The male said and looked smugly over at Senda. “We’ve been short of work since we’re out of beastmen to hunt, so I’ve been reduced to hunting bandits. If you’re wanted, there’s a bounty, if not, I’m Cerebrate of Crystal Tear, nobody will question me if I show up with your head. Will they?”

  Senda lowered his face to the forest floor as the last bit of will was drained from his body. He only kept one eye up, tracking the movement of the coin between one finger and the next. He felt himself lose control of his bladder when he saw the sword, but otherwise…

  ‘The ground is soft… it’ll feel good to lie in… I won’t need to worry about nobody believing me anymore…’ He thought, and felt the sword sink unresisting through his neck, severing it at the vertebrae. And then Senda felt nothing.

  “That was strange.” Cerebrate said as he looked down at the dead man whose head rolled away from his body, it came to rest staring up at the leader of Crystal Tear, wide eyes still filled with tears they would never get to properly shed.

  “What was?” Sabina asked when Cerebrate swept the sword out and cast the blood into the fire. It hissed and crackled, but continued to burn despite the sudden red wetness.

  When he sheathed his blade Cerebrate answered saying, “Usually they beg and plead for freedom, they try to get away, but this one? Sure he said he was innocent of… whatever. But it was a lot more like a man who made his peace with being hanged. You don’t see a lot of that.” He looked down at the severed head, it was still staring up at the hand that held the golden coin.

  She shrugged and continued fletching new arrows, “Maybe not. But people respond to death in all kinds of ways. Some of them are just bloody stupid.”

  “I suppose, so… what do you say we make a bet?” He suggested with a smirk and nudged the head with the boot. “You want heads… or tails.” He asked, and when she cocked her head at him he chuckled and explained, “We take the head in for a bounty, you can either have the coin, or the bounty from the head. What’ll it be, there’s big bounties on murderers, and the odds aren’t bad that he’s got one on him.”

  “Fine.” Sabina answered, “I’ll take the bounty on the head, you keep the coin, no hard feelings if the head is worth more.”

  “Nope. None.” Cerebrate said and slipped the coin in his pocket before tossing a burlap sack over to her to collect the head.