章 27: Chapter 4
Renner suppressed the desire to yawn as she frantically jotted down a torrent of information about the power structure of Eight Fingers, along with anything related to it which could be used as potential for power expansion in the near future. With hundreds of shadow demons at her disposal and spread throughout the city, all of the crime syndicate's leaders were accounted for. On top of it, she now knew which nobles were in their pockets, and thus soon could be useful for her masters. A surprise revelation awaited her—her eldest brother, Barbro, was among them. Barbro cheated on his wife with common whores without any worry, took massive bribes, and gambled them away on a near-regular basis. In short, he was so deep in their pocket that he would likely semi-legalize the entire organization upon ascending to the throne, if only to ensure that they would be appeased.
Today, she was sitting in the office of her other brother Zanac under the guise of studying politics under him. As a princess destined for marriage to a noble or royal, she needed to be adept enough in the topic to avoid embarrassing her future husband, so no one suspected a thing. To her, Zanac turned out to be a perfect lackey and followed her orders meticulously. Renner half-expected him to turn against her, but so far, he displayed a shrewdness she hadn't initially credited him with.
"Done. Here is the chart on which nobles are indebted to which branch leader," Zanac announced, passing over a sheet of paper.
"Take that stack and compile the major locations for brothels, gambling houses, drug dens, and warehouses," Renner replied, pointing at a pile of papers to her left and rubbing her eyes.
Both were sitting next to each other, surrounded by numerous piles of papers on the table. Should anyone enter unannounced, nothing would stand out as suspicious. By the entrance door stood two Renner's succubi handlers, while the third looking after Zanac was by the window. All three, of course, were completely invisible to the naked eye.
The office itself was fitted for a royal with a massive wooden table in the middle, while the walls were styled with bookcases filled with rare and expensive books covering topics from history and politics to monster encyclopedias and battle manuals. The floor was adorned with a rug made out of white bear fur, expensive enough to purchase a small house.
"You seem tired, sister, should we take a small break?" Zanac asked, concern lacing his question. And he had every reason to be concerned for her wellbeing, as Renner was his only ticket of surviving what was about to happen with Re-Estize.
"No. I need to finish this report post haste and send it to our masters," She retorted sharply, her fatigue evident from her sighs.
Zanac decided against saying anything else, grabbing another stack of papers and working in silence. The sense of being watched over never left him, but then again he already knew Renner had some sort of invisible creatures at her disposal. Still, the fact that his sister worked far beyond what her mind and body could handle was a clear sign she was afraid to disappoint their common masters whoever they were, and that wasn't a good sign of how far they could develop after all of this.
It took a short while to finish his task, and he once again handed over the finished paper.
"Hmm, they're ineffective and seem to be in competition with one another. This will work in our favor," Renner remarked, skimming over the contents with a tired look.
"What's next?" Zanac asked, knowing better than to ask questions.
"Now…ah yes… I think I have all I need. Tie up all the files while I write the conclusion," She smirked. All the hard work had culminated in a short, but concise report and a list of proposals on how to handle the Eight Fingers.
Most of its leadership would need to be eliminated and the rest consolidated under a single leader who would reorganize the crime syndicate into an intelligence and covert operation network. As for possible leaders, there was one primary candidate and a few secondary ones who likely would be left alive. The primary candidate was her old associate Zoran.
The man was the most careful and forward-thinking among the Eight Fingers' leaders and their already-established relationship would make for an easier future corporation.
Once she had finished writing and Zanac packed the rest of the data for easy review, she used her meager mana reserves to cast a [Message] spell.
{ Lord Demiurge, I have prepared the plan as you requested. }
Renner caught herself sounding more eager than usual, as if the act of pleasing her masters was immensely satisfying on its own.
'Hmm, that was… could my behavior be influenced in a way I have not noticed?'
A short introspection painted a rather disturbing picture. She has been thinking of ways to be of use beyond simply doing what was required. And what's more, felt this subtle desire to gaze upon Lord Ulbert again, and not in any romantic or lustful sense, but rather in a servitude sense.
'I need to get to the bottom of this. But how to trick Demiurge into revealing what is being done to me? I could… no he would catch on and that would spell disaster.' There was no easy way for her to get answers. At best, she could just be mindful of her own thoughts and actions.
Her introspection was interrupted by a gate appearing in the middle of the office. With a startled expression, she spectated the dark void, suspecting who would step through it. Her guess was on the point as the figure clad in a red suit with white vertical stripes appeared before her. Zanac audibly gulped beside her.
Renner jumped to her feet and practically ran around the table kneeling before the demon. Zanac copied her actions best to his ability, performing the feat unbecoming of a royal.
"Rise, there is no need for the formalities. Time is of the essence," Demiurge declared, strolling past her and picking up the report.
Both siblings stood up, their eyes fixed upon the demon as he went through every single page with impossible speed. The air in the room felt heavy, and an uneasy silence hung between them. It took him maybe two minutes or less to read everything.
"Excellent work. I will run this by Lord Ulbert, but I am confident he will approve most of your proposals. Using your puppy as bait is an interesting touch, I might add." Demiurge turned to face them with a smirk.
Zanac felt his knees go weak when the demon's gaze fell upon him, but by some miracle, he managed to keep his composure.
"What are your orders, Lord?" Renner asked with a bow.
"For now, continue monitoring Eight Fingers. Oh, and while I am here, I think your efforts warrant a reward. Let's start with you." Demiurge waved at Zanac, who, by the looks of it, was a half-step away from fainting. While Demiurge didn't flash his aura, his mere presence was enough to invoke dread in normal humans.
"As long as my safety is ensured, I do not require any additional reward," Zanac responded, sounding surprisingly calm and regal even if his physical appearance suggested otherwise.
'This one knows how to control his fear. It seems Renner's decision to recruit him was a correct one.' Demiurge stared at the young prince, his smirk growing wider.
As much as he wanted to remain professional, Demiurge couldn't help but let his cruel side take over.
"As long as you serve loyally and with a modicum of competence, your safety is ensured. That said, Renner clearly expressed her desires yet you think you can hide yours," Demiurge stated, his expression growing more demonic as he took a step forward to the prince.
Truth be told, he already knew what Zanac actually desired by using the ability Flornohe had taught him as an olive branch. While reading emotions and desires was an innate ability for all succubi and incubi, other types of demons, Demiurge included, could learn with relative ease.
What Zanac truly wanted was to be noticed and appreciated. Living in his older brother's shadow since his birth, not sharing Barbro's good looks, and being short and chubby instead of tall and well-built had put a heavy weight on him. He had no friends and next to no allies, and those very few women who were willing to share the bed with him did only in hopes of producing a royal bastard that could be used as a political tool against his family.
But this prince would never say those things out loud. Demiurge drank Zanac's growing fear and anxiety with delight.
"Brother, I recommend you do not hide anything from Lord Ulbert. Someone who has nothing to hold against him is a liability, not a boon," Renner commented coldly, observing the unfolding scene.
"I-" Zanac nervously gulped, his gaze firmly fixated on the demon's crystalline eyes hiding behind small glasses. "As a member of a royal family, all my needs are taken care of. What I want is to survive the coming change."
"Is that so? And you wouldn't want a toy of your own, like your dear sister has?" Demiurge leaned close to his ear, "I know what you want, boy. By hiding it, you are gaining nothing."
Zanac closed his eyes, his forehead now glistening with nervous sweat. "If it is possible, I would like to obtain a form more befitting for a prince." He uttered the only thing he deemed believable enough to be asked as a reward for him.
"I see… Once Re-Estize belongs to our masters, we'll see what we can do with your request," Demiurge couldn't help but admire the prince's bravery. But said bravery also posed a problem and needed to be addressed. The most obvious option would be to get rid of Zanac and replace him with a doppelganger. This solution, however, went against his father's principles of not wasting resources, since the boy still has his uses. Thus an alternate approach was preferable. If a boy was not willing to expose his weaknesses, then they needed to be exploited in a more covert way.
By opening a message channel to Renner, all three succubi present, he announced. { Zalarta, from now on you are appointed to be Zanac's handler. Use whatever methods you deem necessary to keep him loyal and useful. }
{ Thank you for this opportunity, Lord Demiurge, I won't let you down. } The young succubus enthusiastically replied.
With one of the royals dealt with, Demiurge then put his attention to Renner. Knowing her superior's intentions, she spoke without being asked to.
"If possible I would like an audience with my ultimate master. It would be an-"
"I'm afraid that request is not possible at this time. You are far beneath his notice, and if you ever have the honor to meet him in person, it will be he who will demand your presence," Demiurge harshly interrupted her.
Renner lowered her head and spoke quietly, "I apologize for my arrogant request."
"It's not the request itself that was arrogant, but the way you chose to approach it. Events in E-Rantel are your answer. Our meeting has concluded. Keep up the good work." Demiurge waved her off and disappeared through the gate.
Complete silence fell to the room. Zanac returned to his seat, ignoring his sister's expression that gave the impression that she just chewed an entire lemon.
Renner grabbed the sides of her dress, twisting her hands into knuckles so hard they went white.
'I need to be more careful. It was so stupid of me to assume Demiurge would not realize what I wanted to know,' In hindsight, it was obvious that her demonic superior would figure out that what she really wanted to know was the hierarchy of Nazarick. Luckily, her request was fulfilled at least partly.
The first thing she deduced was that Lord Ulbert wasn't the leader, given the lack of reference to being the ultimate one at the top, but likely close to the top instead. Beyond that, it was clear that the one declaring himself to be the God of Life and Death was the actual leader of Nazarick. And she wasn't important enough to stand before this self-declared God.
'What if he is a God?' This thought invaded her mind as an insidious worm. All her life, she believed Gods were nothing more than a fairytale made up to control the masses. Players were a powerful race for sure, but they bled and died just like everyone else. But what if that wasn't the case? What if her longing to meet Lord Ulbert again was a result of coming in contact with true divinity? For now, there were no true answers to these questions.
What she did know was that her ultimate master could perform miracles and had done so for now unclear reasons. The most possible explanation was to spread his worship, as it had taken deep root in E-Rantel, nearly replacing the worship of the Six Great Gods.
Snapping out of her contemplation, she stretched her aching fingers and returned to her seat, feeling the smug look from the succubus who was tasked with looking after her.
{ Don't gloat. I got what I wanted. } She sent Venosa a cold message.
{ You are playing with a fire, girl. }
{ Don't you find it ironic that I, a human girl, am less afraid of it than you, a demon born in hellfire? } Renner taunted the demoness.
{ Not all demons are of hellfire you ignorant… aghr, you are doing it again. I won't fall for your tricks. } Renner could practically see the invisible demoness shake with anger.
{ I would offer you a proper alliance and look out for each other, but you wouldn't agree to that with a mere human, wouldn't you? }
{ Alliance with a treacherous beast like you? Don't make me laugh. } Venosa spat back.
{ Suit yourself. Besides, didn't your kind have some sort of mutually unbreakable contract? } Renner calmly responded. To make her handler a proper ally would be immensely useful. Especially when it came to avoiding pitfalls regarding Nazarick if other minions they were gathering without her knowledge came into conflict with her.
{ What would I gain from it? Lord Ulbert would find out and punish me if I worked against his interests for you. }
{ I am not interested in defying Lord Ulbert's will. That should be obvious by now. But if we assist each other, we can gain his favor much easier. You need my intelligence as much as I need your knowledge and experience. Let us join forces and thrive under our master together. }
There was no response for a good five minutes. Renner assumed her offer was rejected, and left Zanac's office to return to her quarters and take a rest. As she walked through the hallways, she felt Venosa walk close to her.
{ What are your goals? And do not dare to lie to me. If I feel any duplicity, there won't be any deals. }
{ To gain immortality and get as close to Lord Ulbert as possible without causing any problems to Nazarick. It might be a gut feeling, but I assume infighting would be harshly punished, so I prefer to gather allies, not adversaries. }
{ I will prepare a deal then. } The succubus replied after a minute.
Once Renner was in her sleeping chambers where no castle staff could disturb her, Venosa canceled her invisibility and handed Renner a parchment.
To her surprise, the demoness didn't try to put any unfair clauses in the agreement, but there was one requirement that made her suspicious.
"Why is my blood needed for rituals we perform together?" She questioned.
"Blood of mortal beings is more potent compared to a demon's. My physical form, while stable and unaging, helds less potent blood then a naturaly born physical creature. Besides, most rituals require a few drops, no more," Venosa explained.
"I see. Very well," Renner took out a quill and bottle of ink from the nightstand and signed the document, with Venosa quickly doing the same. As the last part of ritual she pricked her finger with needle and pressed it against the document, leaving a small smudge that quickly disappeared.
How their alliance would pan out only time would tell, but for now, she gained her first ally in the organization she knew almost nothing about.
X
His handler was a careful one, but once Zanac put a lot more attention to noticing the invisible creature, he found a way to locate where it was standing most of the time. The most horrifying thing about this creature was that he couldn't possibly know if it was his guardian, future executioner, or both.
As Zanac wrote a letter addressed to Marquis Pespea, his brother-in-law who was married to his oldest sister, he glanced at a spot between two large windows. The letter was more of a formality to announce his intention to visit his sister in the near future.
The curtains moved ever so slightly as the invisible being likely shifted to break the long monotony. Zanac turned his head a bit but quickly returned his attention to the letter.
'That was careless. I should not give signs I know,' Zanac took a longer breath to calm down and dipped the quill in the ink bottle to start the next sentence.
{ I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me. } A pleasant feminine voice invaded his mind.
'Dammit.' "If my sister had invisible guards, it was safe to assume I would be watched as well," Zanac responded flatly to hide his nervousness.
"Oh well, I might as well show myself." The creature spoke from the spot Zanac suspected for her to be. A moment later, a young woman appeared, resting on the window sill.
A pair of dark horns sprouted out of her forehead. A pair of wings were folded on her back, and a slim tail, ending with what appeared like a wide stinger, was tracing against the window sill. She was dressed in very tight black pants of fabric Zanac could not recognize, a leather corset, and knee-high leather boots. There was a rather long knife strapped to her belt.
'A demon. Why did it have to be a demon?' Zanac continued writing and avoided looking at the young woman despite her stunning looks that surpassed any woman he had seen before. Her pale skin was flawless, her red lips full, and her green eyes were firmly set on him.
With a casual motion, she pushed aside her black locks and spoke in the same smooth voice, "My name is Zalarta. As long as you serve my master loyally, my job is to make sure nothing bad happens to you."
"I am grateful for Lord Ulbert's care towards me. I will do my best to not disappoint him," Zanac rather flatly replied, feeling his pulse go up.
'Why? I know why. That demon, Lord Demiurge knew how I felt. Putting such a creature to guard me is a clear attempt at manipulating me. Does he think I would feel smitten by a demon? I better be polite. Who knows what she will report back,' Zanac pondered about what stance to take.
Zalarta carefully observed her charge. As someone who took great pride in her looks and the subtle skills necessary to apply her aura just enough to entice but not seem forceful, Zanac's outward indifference and inward fear and suspicion didn't sit right with her. The task she thought would be trivial, but it seemed to not be as she assumed. By all means, someone as lonely as the chubby prince should jump at the opportunity to have any sort of relationship with her. Instead, Zanac made his intention to keep her at arm's distance clear as day.
'The bastard thinks he can just ignore me?' "What's the matter? Is my presence bothersome? Do I look too inhuman to be a proper guard for you?" She asked, scorn behind her voice.
Before Zanac could make a polite response, Zalarta was already standing behind him. The only person he had seen to move so fast was the Warrior Captain, internally scaring him.
"My apologies for coming off too impersonal. As a prince, I must keep certain appearances at all times, be it friends, allies, or superiors, of neutrality," Zanac announced, trying to sound as refined as possible as his pulse shot up even more. He could feel her hand touch his shoulder in just the right way as her fragrance invaded his nose, making it crystal clear what sort of reward this demoness planned to dangle like a carrot in front of him.
There wasn't much he could do in this regard save persevere, stay away from the temptation, and be mindful of how the demoness planned to manipulate him. 'As if dealing with Renner wasn't enough.'
"I see. Very well, then I will keep my demeanor professional," Zalarta gently massaged his shoulders for a while longer before fading into invisibility once again.
X
Ulbert skimmed over the latest report from Demiurge about the Re-Estize situation with Renner's plan attached to it.
"So the princess managed to wrangle in the succubus that was assigned to keep an eye on her?" Ulbert asked, clearly amused.
"Rest assured father, both are carefully monitored and will be dealt with accordingly should they betray Nazarick. Although so far they have not shown any inclination to work against Nazarick and their temporary alliance is made to rise in ranks among your personal subjects," Demiurge commented.
"Neither seem to be stupid or arrogant enough to think they could get away with pushing their ambitions ahead of our plans. Moving on, do you think Renner's plan will work?"
Not that he wasn't capable of noticing discrepancies or potential pitfalls, but his intellect fell short of Demiurge's, and on top of it, his son was so happy to smugly explain his observations. Besides he wasn't the only one among players to let floor Nazarick's NPCs shine, and when complemented, let them think that their superiors had a similar plan and they just made a lucky guess instead of coming up with the entire plan in the first place.
As a leader, all he needed to do was to plan a general direction that would benefit Nazarick, run it by Ainz and Albedo, and let Demiurge, or in some cases, Renner, plan out the rest.
"Provoking a civil war and bringing Re-Estize to the state of mass starvation is perfect grounds for Supreme Ones to come as saviors. In my opinion, it is a decent approach and will clean off the weak and unworthy. Using the crime syndicate as a blueprint for local intelligence organizations is also a fairly efficient way to increase Nazarick's influence. I must admit, I didn't expect Renner to be so eager to cause such suffering amongst her own people." Demiurge grew more enthusiastic as each word escaped his lips.
"Right, you are. However, that girl isn't right in the head, which works for us. If you have time, drill into her that she should ask things openly, not try to outsmart you," Ulbert commented, moving on to the part about Zanac who, according to Renner's suggestion, was a prime candidate to be the Re-Estize administrator once Nazarick takes over.
"I gave her a warning to not do that anymore. Should I do something to her puppy if she doesn't get the message?" Demiurge fixed his glasses as his smile grew wider.
"Nothing physical, we need that boy to keep her in line. Speaking of control, it seems the succubus assigned to Zanac has made no progress so far. What's your impression of him?" Ulbert flipped a page and continued to skim over the contents of the report.
"For a mere human, he had a surprising amount of courage and restraint to not show fear. I would like to test his limits, the data could prove useful in further dealings with humans," Demiurge proposed.
The 'Happy Farm' project hadn't started yet, but Demiurge was eager to get his first test subjects and jumpstart the prison program for those who deserve it. The list of candidates was already decently long, mostly consisting of Re-Estize nobles and Eight Fingers operatives outlined by Renner. The main issue was that for now, it was better to not inform Ulbert's fellow guild members about the project since they likely wouldn't be on the same page yet.
"Let the succubus do her job for a few weeks, and if she fails completely, then step in and see what you can do to make sure the prince is loyal to us, not just afraid. We can off him at a moment's notice for a perceived failure. For now, concentrate on starting with the Eight Fingers takeover," Ulbert ordered while putting down the report.
Making Re-Estize fall through subtle means was something he would definitely enjoy. If he failed, there was always an option to just create expendable undead armies and crush the human nation directly, but that would undermine his whole God of Trickery part, and he genuinely enjoyed his part in ensuring Nazarick's growth.
Proofreading by Saphire_Drake, Clagan, Lightflan, nate051499j6, atharv, aidan_lo, Antilene, Aurodium, and Sluethen
Editing by aidan_lo.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).
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