Chapter 13: Curses and second helpings, part two (81)
…
“So, he will try and tear us apart? Well then why don’t we just kill him and wipe out his whole nation?” Shalltear asked the question that Ainz had momentarily thought of.
Of course, Ainz wasn’t actually going to try that plan. Though, he had thought of it. That plan was of course thrown out immediately. He didn’t need Aeskell telling him while he railed her that that was a bad plan.
Still, he couldn’t get last night of his head. The way she moved while the two of them were intertwined was mesmerizing. He was thinking about it even now. He sighed in happiness as his emotional suppression skill finally went off.
He then realized where he was and made his now slackened posture look more intimidating. He put hand to his armrest, and another higher up on his staff. Though, Aeskell didn’t seem to be convinced at his acting and bluffing.
He coughed into his boney hand to try and get their attention away from him, though he miscalculated and apparently that caught the attention from them all. Demiurge gazed at him as if he were about to spout the greatest plan since sliced bread. Sebas simply looked at him with a slightly reproachful gaze, While the twins didn’t get it.
The NPCs looked at him in slight confusion while Aeskell smugly smiled on his left. Albedo also smirked as she realized what he was thinking about. Aeskell then clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention away from himself.
“Ok everyone, what spell do you all think that Ainz should use to destroy the army of Re-Estize? I myself was thinking he should use, “La Shub-Niggurath.” But that is just my idea, what are all of yours?” she asked with a serious voice.
Shalltear looked rather pleased with that suggestion. She put a hand to her face and giggled a little bit. She then spoke in her characteristic haughty voice.
“Could you imagine the looks on their puny faces and the way they would run away and trample each other to get away? Yes, that is a glorious suggestion my lady!” she said with genuine praise.
Demiurge and Albedo also seemed to love the idea for the spell as well. Demiurge could be seen weeping somewhat. While Albedo could be seen blinking back happy, but surprised tears.
Then, Demiurge spoke in reverence, like a preacher who had just found God. The mental comparison was not lost on Ainz, and he chuckled a bit in amusement. Demiurge continued to speak.
“Sasuga Ainz sama! Such a grand idea from Lady Aeskell as well, Amazing!” he spoke in utter devotion that made Ainz’s metaphorical skin crawl somewhat.
“That’s enough Demiurge. It is fine. You can stand up now,” Ainz spoke, and the Kneeling Demiurge stood.
How he had begun kneeling when no one had noticed, Ainz had no idea. Then, he turned to Aeskell who had a finger to her chin in concentration. She tilted her head when she spotted him looking at her. Then, he himself asked her a question after reiterating something.
“I will be using the, La Shub-Niggurath, spell. Though, I was wondering Aeskell what will we do about Carne? We have built it into a fortress over the course of your and Albedo’s pregnancy. How will we defend it from the attackers?” he asked her in case if she had any plans.
Building a fully self-sufficient star fortress was her plan. It had underground farms aided by druid magic, with walls with enchantments that defended it from underground attacks.
A mote had been dug around the village itself. Undead marine life had been let into the water so that no one could swim across it. Trenches that could fit two death knight abreast had been dug around the base of the newly made walls, so that no one could get to the base of the walls and climb it.
Mounds, for lack of a better turn of phrase, had been put up just outside of these trenches. This was so the crossbowmen, and eventually gunmen could aim over the trenches and not endanger the base of the wall from spells equal to artillery.
Concrete dragon teeth, large metal caltrops, and poisonous plants, along with underground reinforced stone walls, had been placed outside of the motes. This was to slow down or stop any army that wasn’t aided by machines or anything of the like from getting nearby.
Siege warfare in this world was lack luster, all things considered. Siege engines were rare, people only really used the bare minimum number of traps to defend themselves. Cities didn’t even use drawbridges, or artillery, or anything to defend themselves other than their walls and maybe burning oil.
Aeskell had been pissed when she had learned this. There was a reason that the wooden walls that surrounded Carne village had been torn away and built back up better than ever. She was simply pissed off at the lack of imagination and logic.
No wonder humanity was losing against any other foe outside of this landscape, they were idiots.
“We’ll just use the human men-at-arms we raised to defend Carne. After all, I trained them, designed their walls along with your firstborn. Why shouldn’t I use them?” she asked with a sinister smile that made his spine tingle in a strange way.
…
“Ninya? Why was the wall vibrating last night?” Erika asked Ninya, her nanny.
The living doll’s face grew pink, and she closed her eyes in panic. This was her flustered face that Erika had found some entertainment in. really, her new parents were caring, but they didn’t really have much in the ways of entertainment for a child her age.
“No reason,” she said in a fluster.
Erika Ooal Gown was tired. Not because her parents had gotten it on so much that their muted room was starting to vibrate, but because she was thinking about the upcoming war that her new parents were planning.
It was just like with the devil of the Rhine all over again. However, this time she was just a baby instead of an upper officer in the military brass. Well, maybe she could get a job in the military, but she was over with that.
No, she was a lot more worried about Tanya. The girl she had once feared she now worried about. The girl was starting to act her age more. She was starting to go native, some might say.
After mother Albedo had said that whoever wanted the seat of heir would get it, Tanya had stopped trying too actually more than she naturally did. This earned her strange looks from Erika and happy hugs from Wictoria. Erika wanted to get to the bottom of it.
…