Chapter 338

When the meeting was over and the ranks were thinning as they prepared to move on to the next leg of the journey, Ainz reached out to put his hand on Calca's shoulder.

"Husband?" She asked after taking up their son into her arms.

"Queen Draudillon will be in my residence shortly. She might appreciate the comfort of a human woman, depending on what the elf King has done." Ainz suggested, and with that the Queen couldn't disagree.

"May I bring Kelart and Gustav with me? They worry, I know they do." She suggested, and though his first thought was to deny her, looking at the white hair that tumbled down her back and Aurelion in her arms, he relented.

"They may. Maybe it will help if she sees more humans." He suggested.

And so minutes later after summoning the pair, the small party emerged through the gate into the throne room.

Recalling the lessons of Queen Draudillon who did her best to be regal at all times, he ascended the stairs to the Throne of Kings. Albedo followed, but Calca did not. 'The protocols of royalty…' Ainz had the thought come and go before he took his seat, and Calca stepped aside, though she remained near to the stairs that led upward.

"Kelart?" Calca said as her lover and closest advisor fell in at her right hand and Gustav fell in at her left. Kelart's long brown hair swayed at her back as she accepted the wiggling crown prince into her arms. He giggled a little and smiled up at her, and the magic caster of renown returned the expression, dangling a few wiggling fingers above his face.

Aurelion grabbed them and squeezed. Kelart winced and yanked them from his grasp as fast as she could. "Ouch!" She whipped the injured hand around as if to shake off the pain. The Allfather, Allmother, and Calca all looked in her direction, but Kelart only let her smile become a little fragile.

"I'm fine, he's just… much stronger than he should be at his age…" She winced again and put the two injured fingers into her mouth and briefly sucked on them to help dispel the pain and draw blood flow back into the extremity.

"Husband, perhaps Cocytus should stay with him in my Kingdom." Calca suggested, "If he can-"

"Break… I think he broke them." Kelart winced.

"Break the fingers of adults at this age, how long will it take before he is an unintended threat to everyone around him?" Calca asked.

"That is… acceptable. I think Cocytus would enjoy that role a great deal." Ainz said and stroked his chin as he thought it over. "For now though…"

He paused and cast his message spell, summoning Pestonya and various other maids.

The dogmaid appeared within minutes, and went straight for Kelart. [Cure light wounds] She said, her maid dress bounced around at the base still, the result of the haste of her coming, and the white healing magic glowed over the injured cast.

"Much better… th-thank you." Kelart answered, keeping her eyes on the young prince. 'I must get used to this. I must. The nonhumans are taking their place at our side, I knew this with the others, and I saw the way my Queen treated Queen Baraja… we're never going back to the old ways…' Kelart reminded herself, and then her thoughts went still as, mere moments after the other maids assembled themselves with demure postures and heads down on the opposite wall, the gate opened up.

A stream of people poured through like water loosed from a tap that was turned immediately to high, human women, followed by elf women, followed by elf men… the noise of their thudding feet as they came through crying or crying out, filled the throne room. Their eyes darted in every direction like frightened deer who heard noises from many directions.

The whorling vortex remained open, and finally the expected pair emerged.

Sebas, arm in arm with the stately white haired Draconic Queen.

At once Ainz was struck with admiration for her regal demeanor, her back was straight and though she was dressed in what amounted to no better than a pauper's rags, and that strained against her flesh, threatening to tear away and leave her in nothing at all, she entered as if Nazarick were her palace.

Her head and eyes straight, Sebas escorted her around the throng, her presence and ease had a slow ameliorating effect on the elves and humans alike, and they began to quiet down. Cries became murmurs and fear became awe as they took in the towering and expansive room. The smooth dark columns, the obsidian throne and the figures up above, the bright lights that hung from on high and the rich red carpet that led to the distant double door. A few who still stood on that long crimson carpet began to scrunch their toes over it to savor that soft, comforting feeling.

But the Draconic Queen had eyes for only one. 'I never needed to see his face to know who he is. There's nobody else in all the world who has access to that spell.' The Queen told herself as she found herself centered before the throne. At her left she caught sight of the one she knew must be Queen Calca, and her companions.

'Am I captured, or rescued? A captive ruler can be made to give up everything at a single word…' It was a fleeting thought, but one she crushed quickly. 'I am a Queen. I will always be a Queen. Even if I'm cast down into the dirt… I will not shame myself.' She then crossed her feet at the ankles and as Sebas released his hold on her arm, her hands went out as if to grasp a royal dress instead of the mere air that was there and she bowed her head to the throne. "Thank you for the rescue, Allfather. I'm truly grateful."

"Queen Draudillon, please, raise your head, you are a guest in my home." Ainz said, but then tilted his head up to indicate the others, "And… they are?"

"My Lord, the Queen would not leave without those she deemed 'her people'. That is the cause of our coming after the rest." Sebas explained, putting his hand over his heart and giving a half bow, "If this displeases you-"

Ainz dismissed it with a wave of his hand and cut off the beginning of an apology. "No, it's fine. A handful of extra mouths is nothing."

The others finally came to their senses and rushed to make enough space for themselves, the clamor was brief, but seeing the way Draudillon behaved and hearing the title she gave to Ainz, they knew well enough what to do.

They bent the knee, descending to the floor with heads low and one knee up with the other back.

"You are safe." Ainz said, and a few began openly weeping in the kneeling ranks below. He gestured to his maids. "You will abide here as my guests, attended to by my maids, they will afford you every courtesy as the people of my good friend, Queen Draudillon." He then turned his eyes to Sebas. "See to their temporary 'comfortable' quartering until things in Arwintar are resolved."

"My Lord." Sebas answered, and with the firm organization of an experienced manager, he sorted them into groups, assigning several to each maid before they were led out.

With the rest gone, Ainz took more notice of the Queen herself, the clothing she wore looked to be sized for a child and left little to the imagination. "Queen Draudillon, we will have you provided something more… appropriate to your status. But first, are you… fit to carry on? Will you conduct the journey you intended to Arwintar with the rest of us… do you wish to return to your home, or to remain here for a time and… recover from your ordeal?"

It took some seconds of silence before the Draconic Queen understood what the Allfather meant. And to realize the implications of her transformation and the impact it had on how she appeared. She resized her body to that of a child. "I disguised myself this way, Allfather. It seems the elf King has no lustful interest in children, and I told him I was the 'daughter of the Queen' on the way to join my mother."

"Clever." Calca remarked from where she stood, "Very clever."

"Thank you, Queen Calca." Draudillon said with a wan little smile in the direction of her counterpart. "It was effective enough, I was turned into a servant, but I remain unmolested otherwise… The same is not true for my people… I lost several to suicide and the others… they will never be the same. I failed them all."

"Bad luck. But that is all, royal sister." Calca asserted and approached to place a hand on Draudillon's shoulder. "You had no way to beat that thing."

"No, no I didn't. But he has to die for what he's done." The royal wrath of the now freed Draudillon was hotter than the burning sun. "He has to die, he has to pay…"

"He will." Ainz answered her. "He has attacked my ally, and a nation engaged in talks of subordination to my own. That is an act of war."

"My Lord you can't mean to…" Draudillon felt Calca squeeze her shoulder again.

The Draconic Queen felt the other hand of Calca touch her other shoulder, and the gentle breath of the white haired woman caressed her ear when the Holy Queen leaned in close, "Let the will of God be done, royal sister."

Ainz used his message spell again, and quietly held until, to Draudillon's surprise, a nervous looking girl holding a long wooden staff ran into the room.

The little girl clutched the staff as if afraid it would fall out of her hands if she relaxed, and she was, in the Queen's view, the picture of loveliness, soft features and wide eyes, heterochromatic, blue and green. A white skirt flapped about until she came close to the throne.

"L-Lord Ainz, wh-what can I do f-for you?" She asked.

"Mare, the elf King has committed an act of war against our Kingdom. Go seize his home. Take his kingdom away, and make yourself King in his place. And…" He scratched his chin, "Try not to cause 'too much' destruction, we don't want it to be hard to rebuild."

"My husband… what about the Slane Theocracy, they are also at war with the elves." Albedo asked and put her hand on his thigh, her lust rising to new heights as her Lord altered the world at a word before her very eyes.

"I suppose they should be treated 'temporarily' as allies." Ainz muttered and again he used his message spell. 'Just try not to cringe.' Ainz told himself.

Minutes later the melodramatic voice rang out, "Mein Vater! I come at your command!" Pandora's Actor made a dramatic wave of his right arm while putting his left hand to his chest. "What services can I render to thy eternal glory?!"

Ainz felt himself begin to groan, but as the yellow uniformed Pandora's Actor strode in with a supremely confident air, his cape billowing at his back and clad in a uniform that Ainz still thought, 'Looks really cool…' it seemed to impress the Draconic Queen if the lingering look she gave was any indication.

"Step-son. How good to meet you." Calca said and approached to grasp his hands. And briefly embrace the Treasury Guardian.

"And you, step-mother." He said, the three holes that passed for eyes and mouth made no expression, but his words were clearly more than warm, as was the gentle return of his embrace before she moved aside to allow him to present himself and kneel before the throne.

"You will go in the disguise of a human, to Kami Miyako. Inform them that we will join their war on the Elf Kingdom until it surrenders." Ainz answered, "I'm sure Mare can take care of it within a few days. I doubt the elves will resist when they learn that their King is dead."

"And when it is conquered, Vater, what do I tell them?" Pandora's Actor asked.

"That it is now a province of the Empire of Nazarick and that hostile actions will result in extermination for anyone crossing the border under arms." Ainz replied to his son.

"My Lord, the border is very large, perhaps something to guard it after the victory?" Albedo suggested, and Ainz rubbed his chin,

"Mare, when you leave, take Aura with you, her tamed beasts should be able to secure the border. Oh, and… use your dragons… oh and bring Heijinmal to search for books to add to our collection, it may take longer, but arriving on dragonback should impress the situation on the elves of Crescent Lake."

"M-My L-Lord, of course, y-yes." Mare shifted uncomfortably before rising to his feet.

"My Lord, perhaps I should see to the Draconic Queen myself, and to provide quarters for the Holy Queen's party. You… rest in your room, I will come tend to you afterward." Albedo suggested, and Ainz felt the hunger in her eyes despite the comportment of her voice.

'I wish I'd looked at her flavor text more closely, I'm starting to think Tabula put 'tease' in her settings.' Ainz thought as her wants began to inspire his own. She enjoyed the 'buildup' a great deal, and though he was certain she had no lustful intent toward either Calca or Draudillon, being a succubus, Ainz was fairly confident she would play out thoughts like that in her own mind before returning to pounce on him herself.

"That is an… excellent idea." Ainz said and clapped his hands together the way he'd seen Draudillon do when matters were settled. "Then let it all be done." He said, and when he stood up, so did Albedo, and those present began to enact his will.