Chapter 6: 6. Madness of Fulfilment
Warning: This chapter is scheduled for a rewrite. The changes will be more centred on tone, characterisation, and milder humour.
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Day After the Transfer
Narberal 1
Near the hour of noon, the palace had settled into an easy bustle, though there was still an echo of the flurry that had gripped the serfs and guards after the news of the king's edicts had been made public.
The maids still made gossip of it in the lapse moments of their duties when rotations needed to be made, lest fatigue bred errors. And the palace guards made discreet laments over their halted stations that offered little in the way of opportunities for more pecuniary excess.
It was greed given voice, an envy for the Milatur and Aigroqir who had made agreements with the guilds and merchants to sell whatever great harvests they managed on their assignments in these lands so foreign.
However if offered the opportunity to switch, none of the guards would do so as the prestige and coinage awarded by their royal positions outstripped many that existed outside its walls.
Yet what if that opportunity did not compromise their current position? Would they be so forthcoming to greed's allure if safety, false or otherwise was assured…
Narberal was a Nishikienra, born and raised. And although she had not taken after the teachings of the clan's arts— a choice not of her choosing but the mere fact that her talents lied in other disciplines— she still retained the mindset.
Thus, hearing such words from those so close to the crown and its confidence did not fill her with joy, much less optimism, regardless of the nature of their utterance.
She wondered if the mujin would also take offence to them. Her father was bound to, though his reaction would be mild if persistent.
'I wonder how Yuri would react to these worms' treasonous jesting.' The others had went to fulfill the king's orders, many of them venturing outside the palace's walls and into the wider city, thus she would have to wait until dusk to seek calmer counsel on such matters.
…though that did not stop her vicious judgment.
The elementalist spared a glance to one of the guards in question now joking about marital prospects and a migration to the countryside.
Leashed were her emotions thus little was shown on her countenance. The damned worm dared to dream of a blessed life a few moments after his treasonous contemplations.
Velena needed to reeducate its servants on secrecy and disassociation once more. This type of behaviour could not be allowed to linger.
Had it been up to her then she would have long rendered them corpses, a harsher example to all those who might have forgotten the importance of their stations.
Alas, she lacked both the authority and might to achieve such a feat— monsters were the individuals who held purely combative stations within Velena— though she would be remiss as a Pleiades if she did not share her discoveries with the queen.
Narberal eventually withdrew her eyes from the armored guards and gazed at the blue skies devoid of clouds. The sun hung at its peak, glaring, yet its heat was mild and pleasant…
She wondered if that was its true intensity, familiar with some of the barriers the city boasted.
It would not be difficult to regulate the city's weather to a point of it being an opposite of the outside's. Though today she felt Mirror was at play, if for little else than the maintenance of some level of commonality to the Milatur who ventured outside the protections of Elgroth.
She turned a corner, her gait still deliberate and the hum of the serving tray she was pushing still at an easy rhythm. Her uniform fluttered from the soft breeze blowing southward, the scent of the flower garden northeast of the castle proper filtering through her nose.
The fragrance was almost addictive.
The sight of the garden was green with a congregation of colours red, blue, purple and yellow nurtured and styled. Rogue trees stood sentinel with fleeting shades, and slabs of stones made paths into the faux meadow.
Ponds stuffed with colourful fish shimmered at the sun's rays, and fountains made from ashenlimestone accentuated the coddled greenery.
It was a true sight to behold, though not one she was frequently exposed to due to her duties being so tied to the royals, who rarely left the castle's upper floors.
The maid was happy for the change, and hoped it was more a prelude than just a fleeting indulgence on the king's part.
Her gaze flickered to the gazebo at the centre of the garden. Within were two individuals locked in conversation, one dressed in robes of purple and gold while the other was adorned in a white hanfu after the day's third change…
Sebas had seen it prudent to separate the royals while he investigated the kitchens for aphrodisiac poisoning. Narberal thought it a fruitless endeavour. She also saw little wrong with the pair's coupling.
The bloodlines needed to be secured— the royal pair's second son was fated to inherit the house of Smaragdina under his mother's name. And it was for that reason that she saw little wrong in teaching the queen the Rabbit Set, despite knowing that she would use it as an allure.
And her reasoning? "Let there be a royal clan."
…a confused frown came across her face as she drew nearer, and the pair in the gazebo became clearer—specifically the person dressed in purple and gold robes.
Her eyes widened despite her leashed hold on her features. Shock and awe were in clear visibility on her face, though her heart did echo with fears of judgment and insignificance.
'The robes should have been an obvious giveaway.' She chastised her middling deductive capabilities, 'There aren't many people who favour that style of fashion.'
It had been a while since the elementalist had been in contact with individuals outside the palace, thus her mind did not immediately associate the king's current conversation partner with an outer visitor, much less the supreme magus.
Her self-conscious came full blaze, and she wondered if her physical presentation was up to par. Though she was loathed to admit it, the king was rather lax in judgment thus he would see— more notice— no fault in any appearance so long as the uniform was worn.
Unfortunately, that view was not shared by many, least of whom was herself.
Hence, albeit with extreme carefulness and deliberation, the elementalist seperated her Elemental Mana from her Arcanic, and cast a thrice boosted [Purge] on her person. Common
Yet even as the 1st-tier spell took effect and wasted away, her fears did not wane. Not for the first time did she lament the absence of an [Order] variant within the arcane side of the mystics.
The druidic spell would have been a much better alternative for rectification— assisted organisation. Narberal sighed and resigned herself to the supreme magus's judgment.
A few serfs did pass by in the corridors, among them a couple of gardeners whose aura stank of damped earth and tree sap. Those must have felt her envy because they tended to give her a wide berth and feigned ignorant to her existence.
"Spineless curs a lot of them."
She finally stepped out the pale corridors and into the paved pathway that led to the gazebo. Two royal guards stood by the sides of its entrance, semi-clad in their armours and with sheathed swords on their hips.
Their postures were lax and easy, though there was an eeriness to them that demanded caution.
'I suppose this is how the other servants feel in our presence.' It was not a realisation new to her, 'Though I and the rest of the Pleiades aren't so free with our intents.'
Narberal's façade of calm did not wane at their searching stares, long used to them. Even as their items chimed false with the existence of poison, her gait was proper and back straight.
Yet within her periphery, she saw the Sir Bellriver give her an odd look, though it was more befuddlement than judgment.
She and the serving tray climbed over the small curved bridge way which allowed the pond waters to wander free. She was closer now, close enough to hear the words exchanged while feigning ignorance.
She was sure the queen would find the conversation interesting…
"…I'm talking about curses, you know, like a tripping curse or a sneezing curse. Sinister still would be an insomnia curse, nightmare, nausea, coordination, irritation—the list goes on."
That was her liege's voice, soft and excited. He noticed her presence despite his lack of visual regard and gave her a gesture of invitation.
Narberal did so, pulling next to the short staircase and channeling her fractured Mana into the [Float]enchantment woven within the tray crafted from an alloy of black iron and emerald gold.
"And all this because you fancy a book?" The supreme magus's voice had a bit of vexation in it, ever so casual with his tone.
"Watch that coy of yours, Ainz." The king returned, irritated but not offended. "If you aren't keen on assisting me with this then I don't get why you even sought an audience with me."
"I didn't," Lord Gown stated, sighing. He glanced her way and smiled, a shimmer of recognition reflecting in his eyes. "If it isn't young Nabe."
The elementalist stood by the side of them, her hands clasped together on the lower part of her white bib— her abdomen. She bowed, graceful, "Your Majesty, Lord Gown, I come with your midday meals."
"Is that so," The king's voice came out soft and amused. "Then don't let us delay you from your tasks, though I hope you did bring something sweet for me. Sebas has been rather antagonistic to my palate."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
She went to the tray and retrieved a tablecloth, applying it to the oak table. The two powerful men continued their talks, this time focusing on the absence of the head butler.
It seemed Narberal had been worried over nothing, the supreme magus barely spared any of her appearance a judging glance.
That eased her nerves, and her movements grew fluent as she started the food placements. The first—the starters— were two small bowls of cut fruits drizzled with honey placed closer to the pair.
A comment of appreciation echoed from her king as his pale delicate limbs grabbed the bowl with an easy casualness.
"…agonoid is truly becoming insufferable," Her liege remarked, pointing his fork towards the kitchens with a piece of dragonfruit skewered on it. "He tricked me into drinking some atrocious concoction this morning."
The supreme magus nodded, seemingly thinking over something, "On that topic, I've always wondered why Sebas is still yet to wed. I understand he has his duties, though I do feel his…bloodline is too much of a valuable thing to not secure…"
Narberal almost dropped the jar of chilled blueberry lemonade, flabbergasted at the tactlessness and direct insinuation executed by Lord Gown.
"I admit much of his delay is due to my deliberation on the matter," King Arathron said, unaffected but thoughtful. "Though I feel this will be his final month…or two. It's best to take advantage of this year's blessings, especially with extremely rare races like the butler's."
"And you think he will be able to find a suitable partner before the year's end?"
"It shouldn't be difficult; there are many noble candidates even in the palace who would be happy to have him as a husband." There was something optimistic about the king's voice. "The head maid comes to mind for one, or even the leader of the Pleiades."
Again, Narberal found herself a bit flat-footed. Unfortunately this time she drew the pair's attention.
"Narberal," Her liege's sunset gaze was on her, his rose thin lips quirked up in question. "You seem to have found fault in my judgments, no?"
There was no actual hostility or disapproval in the king's voice, yet even then she felt a cold chill spread throughout her body. Freezing.
Luckily, the supreme magus came to her aid. "Don't frighten the girl. Given how strict that ninja bastard tends to be, she probably believes questioning your judgment is tantamount to high treason."
While there was little hostility to Lord Gown's voice when he talked about her father, the disapproval was thick and festered. The maid cased that little tidbit to be reviewed later.
The king withdrew his attention, turning to the supreme magus. "Though I do try to be open to criticism. Wise as I am I'm still not immune to ignorance."
"Can you be any more vain, I wonder." The magus scoffed, his azure eyes rolling. He then turned his attention to her and gestured, "You heard the king acknowledge his ignorance, do humble him lest his decision ruin the lives of two innocent people, young Nabe."
She was calmer now, recovered. It was rather embarrassing that her first response to the king's curiosity was freezing. She resolved not to repeat that mistake.
A breath left her lips as she turned to the king and bowed. "Please forgive my uncouthness, my liege. It was truly unbecoming." The king was dismissive of her shame, his fork-held hand whirling at her deference as he urged her to continue.
"In regard to the candidacy of Lady Pestonya and Yuri, I believe you might have mistaken the trio's similar beliefs as a point of romantic interest. It is not." She chanced a look at the king and found him ponderous. "I know for a fact that Yuri has no romantic interest in the head butler, nor does Lord Sebas have any romantic attraction towards the pair."
Her liege hummed, the soft breeze dancing his untied locks. "It seems I had been hasty in my evaluations. No matter, I'm sure the butler would have no trouble securing himself a fine wife even without any aid."
"One would think you would be more distraught than that." Lord Gown was amused, a half-drunk glass of blue lemonade in his hand. He seemed to enjoy the drink more than the fruits, an observation that urged the maid to refill it for him…
"I'll be sure to tell my heart to assist where possible, I'm sure she'll find more success than I." There was ever a smile on the king when he talked about the queen.
Narberal envied it despite her disinterest towards matters of sworn romance.
"Typical of you to unload your work to your wife. To think you can't even be bothered with minor favours for your minder."
"This coming from a man who'd wholly abandoned his household duties to his wife? Parton the bluntness but I'm not going to take insult from a notorious hobbyist."
The pair continued their conversation, arguing and agreeing in infrequent intervals.
It seemed that the king had intercepted the supreme magus on his way to Lord Fiore, hoping the magus could create spells from a children's book series the king had taken a fancy to.
The intent behind the creation was so a play of the story could be reenacted, thus her liege wanted spells that catered to it.
Unfortunately the supreme magus found the request absurd, if not completely time and effort-wasting. And although the elementalist hated herself for it, she agreed with the magus.
Spell creation was incredibly difficult and tedious. It was something the king knew, thus the want to delegate the task to someone else.
This ultimately led to them exchanging barbs, with little regard on resolving the king's problems.
"This seems something that can easily be resolved with illusion magic, my liege." Had been her suggestion. A suggestion that garnered her a rare sight in both men.
Flustered embarrassment.
Of course, as it was proper of a royal serf, one also born of noble blood, she acted as though that part never happened. And her recounts would be absent of that hindsight…or any of the bickeri—heated debates for that matter.
…a plate of pan-seared duck breast with roasted potatoes, asparagus and cherry tomatoes drizzled with béarnaise sauce was her offering as the main dish, followed by a dessert of chocolate parfait the king was quite taken with.
It was quite a nice lunch. And she was now all the more hopeful that the flower gardens were not a fleeting fancy.
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Information [Magics]
1. Mirror: A spell matrix in a form of a ward that mimics the environmental effects of the outer world and reflects them into the isolated plane.
2. Rabbit Set: A collection of 1st-tier arcane spells under the school of alteration that impart rabbit features unto the caster, along with boosted attributes.
Rabbit Ears: This spell spawns a pair of rabbit ears on the caster's head and increases their auditory perception.
Rabbit Legs: This spell spawns a pair of rabbits legs on the caster and increases their speed.
Rabbit Tail: This spell spawns a bunny tail on the caster and increases their agility.Cast all at once, the caster will undergo a pseudo transformation that leaves them with certain rabbit features (a term bunny girl might be suitable) for a certain duration.
3. Elemental Mana: A unique metaphysical energy common within the mana system of individuals with elemental affinities. This energy makes their elemental spells more potent if fuelled by it. It also grants unique abilities (mostly elemental in origin) if the affinity is strong or impressive cultivated.
Elemental Detection is one of the common and likely abilities acquired, although geared towards the respective element type.
4. Arcanic Mana: This is the type of mana cultivated by arcane practitioners and it is almost capable of invoking any spell from the arcane branch and its derivative.
5. [Purge]: A 1st-tier arcane spell that can be used to eliminate unwanted dirt on individuals. This spell has a none lethal effect to it and seeks to restore external cleanliness to nonorganic materials .
6. [Order]: This is a 2nd tier spirit-plant druidic spell that conjures invisible, vine-like appendages that extend from the caster's body, acting as extensions of their will. These appendages can perform a variety of minor tasks, such as organizing objects, cleaning surfaces, or fetching small items. The vines are ethereal and undetectable by sight, making their actions seem like the work of unseen hands.
7. [Float]: This is a lesser derivative of the Levitation spell. It allows the user to defy the laws of gravity for a short moment, though the flight it grants could barely be classified as such.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BoombaTheSaint
BoombaTheSaint The Saint: Yes, that’s bloody Ainz (made in the image of Satoru and given the magical capabilities and enthusiasm of some of AOG’s finest). I made several other characters of AOG, like Buku, Nishikienrai, Yamaiko, and such. Yeah , it’s fucked up, but it’s something I’d definitely do.
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