NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Sad Excuse for an Empire, part three (79)
…
Tanya looked at her two siblings in this life. They were both being babied by their mother and her father’s second wife, Lady Aeskell. She herself was safe from this babying, that Wictoria seemed to enjoy way too much, at least for now.
The twins were currently being held in their mother’s arms as she read a book to them that Ninya was holding with her four arms. She had apparently been human once, and had only a single pair of arms when she had first turned into a living doll as well.
How she grew a second pair, Tanya hadn’t a clue as to how. Right now, though, they helped her out a lot. Tanya herself was listening to the book with rapt attention. She was rather intrigued by what it was, in all honesty.
The book itself was nothing special, in the grand scheme of things. However, she recognized the book from her first life. The memory of the child’s picture book that she had seen read to a group of children was fuzzy, but it was there. All she needed right now was confirmation of her theory.
“The next day was Sunday again. The caterpillar ate through one nice green leaf. After that, he felt much better,” Aeskell read out loud, leading the yawn of one of children.
Tanya though, was still focusing on the book itself. She really wanted to ask where Aeskell had gotten it from, but that was going to be extremely hard to do. Her father and Aeskell acted like the three of them were actual babies, instead of the rest of the tomb. Who treated them as if they were some religious messiahs.
Going back to the book, one could probably guess that Aeskell was reading, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” to all three of them. Tanya herself hadn’t grown up on the book, but when she had visited the USA in her first life, she had seen a librarian read the book to a group of children.
The art was nice, at least; and she liked the fact that it was an interactable book. You could put your finger into some of the pages. Though, this one didn’t seem to have that feature, for some reason.
She was also getting hungry, and she was starting to wonder when her mother and father would come back. Yes, Tanya hasn’t drank from her mother’s chest in a while, but she was still the only one to feed Tanya, other than Aeskell on rare occasions.
Tanya was also just plain curious as to what her father was currently doing. So, Tanya raised her hand and asked a question when Aeskell paused and smiled at her to ask her question.
“Wheh will mother an father come back fwom the meefing?” she asked.
Aeskell smiled her usual motherly smile that seemed to make her own kids shiver slightly and answered her question. Aeskell was nice like that. Even if Tanya didn’t seem to understand the answer or words in it, Aeskell explained it anyway, in a way that a child would know.
“Well, little one. Your dada will come back when he is done meeting with the emperor of the Baharuth Empire,” she then frowned and mumbled something under her breath that Tanya could barely catch, “That sorry excuse for an empire still has slavery, what kind of up-and-coming power still has that.”
It appears the Empire still utilized slavery. Tanya didn’t like that one bit. The Libertarian in her hated it. The demonic lineage flowing in her blood thought that it was foolish that humans would treat each other better or worse. Despite the fact that they were both human parties and that meant that they were lesser than her. Even though she had been human at one point.
At least, that was how she interpreted the gut reactions and instincts that came from what she assumed to be her mother’s genes.
But some other part of her mind simply didn’t care. An apathetic part of her mind, that seemed the strongest, simply said it didn’t care. She knew that slavery was inefficient and morally wrong, yet her undead nature simply thought that didn’t really matter. That people can live like that, but her people can’t, if that made any sort of sense.
She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts, and focused back on the now. She decided to ask some more about the empire. After all, it seemed like they would be rather important in the future because of whatever plans her parents cooked up. As well as this emperor, he seemed to have made an impression on her father.
“What’s the empayah like?” she asked.
Aeskell looked at her once more with a deeply etched, familial smile. Again, her newly minted sisters cringed, why was that? She refocused her mind on what her father’s other wife said was saying.
“The emperor, from what we have seen and how he has acted, is rather smart. He also seems to be a bit scared of your father, if how he reacted to your father’s declaration means anything,” she explained, and Tanya nodded her head in response.
…
Leinas looked around the room they were walking down. Or, it was a hall rather. It was simply so grand and large that her mind had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that someone lived here. It was like a place gods lived.
As she and the rest of the emperor’s party followed behind the guide. She couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. Which, all things considered, was to be expected. They were in a foreign place. A place that they hadn’t ever been to before.
She didn’t really know what to do in this situation. She could run away if things got dicey, but then she wouldn’t be able to escape. From what she heard about what happened to the workers that came here, that was a bad idea.
Yet she wanted to live, and to live she would need to get away from the strongest threat to the enemy first, as they would be slain first. That was, of course, Fluder Paradyne. Though, guessing from what she had seen, he wouldn’t be much of a threat in the first place to these people.
She shook her head from such thoughts. She needed to think of the now, what was happening right now. Right now, they came upon a room, a wide room to be precise. Along the walls were demons, or at least powerful looking magical constructs that looked like demons.
Then she noticed the door, on one side was depicted an angel, on the other a powerful demon. The image the door itself projected was powerful, she could feel it in her bones. Even though she wasn’t a magic caster, she could feel the magic in the air.
Then the door opened. On the other side was death, sitting upon a throne. On his sides were monsters among monsters. Her fight or flight nearly kicked in as soon as she laid eye upon his form.
They came up to him, up and in front of death. Shivers of fear were still radiating up and down her spine. She could barely resist the urge to flee. She was strong, yes. What was in front of her was beyond strength, what was in front of her was the end of all things.
Then, it spoke. Its voice was like ice cold water in her mind. Chilling her till her hair started to shift from all the standing it was going through. Its voice made her mind nearly blank, for lack of a better phrase.
“Ah, Emperor Jircniv Farlord El Nix. It would be a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but given the fact that one of your nobles has paid several Workers to try and steal from my home and family, it isn’t. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the rest of these people are my subordinates and family,” it said, then gestured to the beautiful woman that Leinas had somehow missed.
“This is my wife, lady Albedo Ooal Gown. My second wife, Aeskell could not make it today for personal reasons. I’m sure you understand,” it introduced and spoke once more.
“A pleasure to make you acquaintance, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown. As you know, my name is Jircniv Farlord El Nix, you may just call me Jircniv. My nobleman has wronged you, and I wish to make amends,” he said while gesturing to his secretary behind him who was holding a jar containing the head of the man that hadn’t actually sent the workers.
He walked forward, and as he did the emperor spoke. His voice was just slightly more nervous than what one would expect of him. Yet she couldn’t fault him for it.
“This is the head of the foolish nobleman that sent the groups of workers to steal from you, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown,” He said.
One of the subordinates of death walked forward as well, grabbed the jar that held the head, and handed it walked back to it. The frog headed monster kneeled in front of the ruler of death, and opened the lid of the jar.
Death reached its boney hand into the darkness of the jar and held out a head. Then it spoke, its voice was dripping with royal decree and power. She felt a deeper shiver etch its way into herself.
“Thank you, all is forgiven with this. Though, I am not one for taking trophies,” it spoke, and the head began to melt into a black goop.
The head then morphed, and reshaped itself into one of those things that had served them the refreshments earlier in the day. Her fight or flight response nearly triggered again as it ordered the death knight it made to the line of golden skeletons on the sides of the hallway.
“As I said, now all is forgiven. You may leave if you wish. After all, we are about to be very busy here in The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick,” death itself intoned, and Leinas nearly fainted.
What does death mean? What could possibly make the physical incarnation of death more busy than what it already probably does?
“You see, my children might one day wish to explore the world as I once did, all those years ago. I was happy with this thought at first, but now that I know that the surface world, and the nations within it have changed, and maybe not for the better. So, I have decided to make it better and safer for my family, by declaring myself as king and founding a nation,” death spoke.
“That’s a wonderful idea!” the emperor said in nervous and false joy.
Then, Leinas fainted.
…
