Chapter Text
The Princess and the Overlord
By Wanderer D
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Prologue
"Satoru…"
The world burned with flames that consumed all, even demons. Beyond the bubble surrounding the Throne Room in Nazarick, the few survivors could see how everything slowly peeled away and disintegrated into the invisible, terrifying flames that reshaped reality.
"Don't speak, Keno," Kyouhukou said much more gently than someone who knew the usually-callous giant cockroach would have expected.
Keno grimaced. He had to be in pain, with almost half of his body missing, and yet here he was, being kind to her and not even flinching. The devotion of the denizens of Nazarick to Guildmembers was truly something.
"Yeah," Crystal said, the small fairy-like bug landing on Kyouhukou's head. He also had barely survived… in fact, had only done so because of a last-minute dive into Satoru's robes as they reached the others and teleported the hell out of the World Gate. "You need to conserve your strength, you know. Can't have you croaking on the way."
Keno coughed as a laugh forced its way out of her throat. "D-don't joke, it hurts."
"If you're able to laugh, you're good enough to store these," Mare coughed. He painfully made his way over to her, his burnt body barely seeming strong enough to keep him upright, and making her want to order him to lie down and heal.
But it was pointless.
She watched in silence as he reached her and sat heavily next to her, his breathing ragged.
She grimaced and nodded, using her magic to open her storage box. Mare carefully slid several items into it, before nodding as she released the spell. "That should help you…" he hesitated. "Please tell…" He shook his head, a small snort escaping. "No… never mind."
"Everything is ready, Keno."
"I… guess this is goodbye."
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Although the hallways, rooms and catacombs had torches and candles that provided a minimum amount of light needed for making navigation possible for those that might not have darkvision, darkness was an absolute of sorts in The Great Tomb of Nazarick: a statement that, even though light might glisten here and there, Darkness reigned in here, where surface dwellers simply didn't belong.
So, when the Throne Room located in the deepest part of the Tomb lit up like the sun itself was shining in the middle of it, the sudden glare drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity. And when the palpable magical power accompanying the light was felt by all, it immediately summoned the guardians still in the Tomb.
This was distressing enough for those charged to guard it, but also confusing, as the magical energies accompanying the glare carried the familiar magical signature of their lord and master.
"Lord Ainz is here?" Cocytus asked aloud, walking into the Throne room and feeling the familiar aura behind the unknown magical effect. He stopped next to Shalltear, who was covering her eyes from the glare of the magic and doing her best not to grimace too much as she observed it.
"He shouldn't be," she responded, gritting her teeth at the light. "Lord Ainz should still be in E-Rantel. But who else could it be? Nothing and no one should be able to teleport into Nazarick, much less the Throne Room. Aureole Omega wouldn't allow it."
As if in answer to their voices, the light shifted, changing colors in a series of rotating patterns that turned into themselves, creating a wavy, glittering, colorful mandala that overtook most of the area, then flashed out, leaving a small body floating in the air for a few seconds before it crumbled on the floor of the Throne Room.
Although no attack had come from their visitor or their now-gone item, the pair of guardians had sensed the tremendous power of the destroyed artifact, and though they could not confirm it now, Shalltear at least was reminded of the time such a powerful item had been used against her.
"Was that a World Item?" she muttered, making Cocytus nod at her in acknowledgment. He didn't know for sure, but her words had at least made him cautious.
The last of the motes of lights disappeared and immediately Cocytus lifted his halberd, approaching the still figure alongside Shalltear, who studied it with a frown.
"A small human," Cocytus stated, a hint of surprise barely perceptible in his tone.
Shalltear used her foot to push the human around, revealing it to be a young woman. A child. But something stirred within her senses. "Not a human," she stated. "Vampire." She wrinkled her nose. "Not one of mine."
"But why is she here? And why—"
"Why was she enveloped in Lord Ainz's magic?" Shalltear interrupted. 'To be surrounded, embraced… no… penetrated! Yes, thrust through by Lord Ainz's magic! His essence! How is it that this… this minor undead…' her thoughts came to a halt the moment that the girl-like vampire groaned and her hand slid into view. "Why does she have that?!"
She made a mad grab at the young girl's hand, but Cocytus' claw held her back. "Shalltear. We must call Lord Ainz," he said. "There is no reason for her to have that that we can understand. But only he could have given it to her."
Shalltear had looked about ready to fight until she heard his words, and bit back her retort. The Shalltear of old would have ignored him, but she was still deeply guilty about fighting her master. Cocytus was right, and she was trying to learn more patience and to think more logically ever since visiting the Dwarven Kingdom.
"...B-Bloodfallen," a small gasping voice reached her ears, and her eyes widened as she looked at the weak vampire, trying to raise her small head to look at her. The creature's mouth formed a small smile. "Always… wanted to meet you. H-he did describe you beautifully…" she managed to mutter before once again losing consciousness.
Cocytus released Shalltear's arm, tilting his head in confusion. "Why is she unconscious? She is undead, is she not?"
'Lord Ainz said I was beautiful? Of course he did! Of course it had to be him! Who else would have… but if my beloved Lord wasn't the one… but we felt his magic!' Shalltear almost jumped when she heard Cocytus repeat her name, and her thoughts went to his question.
Calming down, she gave it some thought. "I do not know," she answered eventually, "but she is not a lesser vampire." She bit her lip, considering their unexpected guest.
Although the girl was an unknown she had been blessed by the Lord of Nazarick's magic, and although she didn't like where her mind took that implication, she couldn't also ignore the ring's meaning. As far she knew, all of the rings were accounted for.
The girl couldn't be trusted without a guard, but she could also sense she was extremely weak for her already limited power as an inferior being, and unlikely to start a fight in that state.
As a fellow vampire, it unnerved her that someone like her could simply fall unconscious for no obvious reason. Shalltear wasn't a particularly studious spellcaster, but she was versed enough to be able to at least tell if an effect was cast upon their mysterious guest.
She shook her head and sighed, looking up at Cocytus, who had patiently waited on her decision once she put her mind to it. "She is probably a guest of some sort of Lord Ainz's…" she looked over her shoulder at the gathered denizens of Nazarick who had immediately rushed to the Throne Room, ready to defend their home.
"Solution Epsilon," Shalltear called, not even blinking when the maid emerged from the shadows. "Take her to a guest room. We shall contact Lord Ainz. Immediately."
The blonde Battle Maid bowed in silence, waiting for the pair of Guardians to leave before summoning other maids to assist the apparently insignificant vampire that wore one of the Rings of Ainz Ooal Gown.