Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 1

In the gloom before dawn, Ludmila stood at the entrance of the E-Rantel Cemetery. The clinging mists mixed in her vision with the layer of negative energy blanketing the grounds. Here and there, she could see the places where efforts had been made to cleanse and sanctify the area. The city’s ongoing efforts to suppress the rise of the Undead was questionable at best, as patrols still had to destroy the Undead that manifested every night.

As close as she was to the miasma floating before her, it seemed to care little for her presence. No blobs of darkness drifted towards her, nor did any tendrils form to reach out in her direction. Puzzled at the lack of a reaction, she walked further into the cemetery, following the earthen path through the gravestones.

As she strolled along, the cemetery’s layers of negative energy drifted away.

Is this stuff avoiding me?

Ludmila reached out to wave her hand through a dense patch nearby, but it moved away before she made contact with it. She increased her pace to a run, and the negative energy parted before her like waves before the prow of her boat. At one point, she thought that she had trapped some in a corner, but it simply sank into the ground.

She eventually realized what she must have looked like to potential observers, though she doubted anyone would be around. While Ludmila had a few rumours floating around her and a reputation that seemed to grow in strange directions, adding the idea that she ran around graveyards at night like some crazy person was decidedly not something she wanted.

She scanned the area, but only saw a handful of Death Knights dutifully patrolling the grounds. They wouldn’t say anything, would they?

After making a few more surreptitious attempts at capturing the negative energy around the grounds, she gave up and headed back to the entrance. On the other side of the gate, a pair of figures adorned in black vestments appeared, walking towards the cemetery.

“Lady Zahradnik,” Themis greeted her. “It’s rare to see you here so early in the morning…actually, I don’t think I’ve seen you here at all. Were you waiting here to see me about something?”

Beside the Vicar, Sister Alessia nodded respectfully in greeting. It had only been a few days since her arrival, but in that time, Ludmila thought she had struck up a fast friendship with the Paladin from the south.

“Vicar Aspasia, I was just…”

Ludmila’s voice trailed off. What in the world could she say to explain her presence in the city cemetery before dawn?

“Is it about your family, perhaps?” Themis asked, “It’s been over half a year since everything happened. If you’d like to talk about it…”

As a Cleric of Surshana, a portion of Themis’ duties revolved around preparing the elderly for the end of life and helping the bereaved work through their loss. Ludmila’s people had a different approach to grief and the passing of loved ones, but Themis might have taken it as her avoiding the issue.

“No, I was just investigating something.”

“Investigating something…in the cemetery?”

“Er…”

『Ludmila? Ludmila, are you there?』

Lady Shalltear’s Message sounded in her head. Ludmila raised a hand to her ear, trying her best not to look visibly relieved.

『Yes, my lady?』

『Where’s your boat at the moment?』

『My boat? It should be arriving at the harbour in Warden’s Vale within the next hour or so.』

『Good. We’re going.』

『…going?』

The black surface of a Gate split the air. Alessia placed herself between the portal and Themis, eying it warily.

“Duty calls?” Themis asked.

“I have no idea what it’s calling me for,” Ludmila answered.

They waited for several moments, but no one appeared. Eventually, the top half of Lady Shalltear popped out of the portal.

“Good morning, Lady Shall–”

Lady Shalltear reached out to take Ludmila by the wrist, yanking her into the portal. Ludmila found herself surrounded by the familiar scenery of Warden’s Vale. A half dozen Vampire Brides scurried about, stacking bags and crates on the pier.

“May I know what is going on, my lady?”

Her liege’s chin turned up proudly. Ludmila detected a hint of excitement in her voice.

“I have a date with Lord Ainz.”

Lady Shalltear emphasized ‘date’ with an especially pleased note. Ludmila glanced around them again.

“You have my congratulations, my lady,” she said. “But what does this all have to do with your date? And you mentioned my ship…”

“Why, it’s a river date, of course,” Lady Shalltear replied. “A romantic trip through the Katze Plains. Just Lord Ainz, myself and our attendants. They’ll all be Undead, of course.”

“…I see. How long will you be spending together with His Majesty?”

“Ah, together with Lord Ainz…!”

Her liege wrapped her arms around herself and started to wriggle in place, swept up in some fantasy. Ludmila looked over to one of the Vampire Brides, waving her over.

“How long will this trip be for?” She whispered.

“His Majesty wishes to explore the Katze Plains,” the Vampire Bride replied, “so it will take as long as it takes.”

“Explore…so it’s not a date?”

“O-of course it’s a date,” Lady Shalltear snapped out of whatever she was imagining. “I mentioned who will be going, yes? Lord Ainz does not wish for any of the living to interfere with his journey by attracting droves of the Undead wherever we go. Yuri is busy preparing for something important, which leaves just us.”

Ludmila and the Vampire Bride watched Lady Shalltear’s finger move back and forth authoritatively as she spoke. Didn’t His Majesty have thousands of powerful Undead servitors? How did it boil down to Lady Shalltear and her attendants? Ludmila supposed that it was none of her business, but her boat was.

“If you’ll be using my only ship, my lady,” she said, “how will I move goods back and forth?”

“Just let the Vampire Bride know what you need to transfer,” Lady Shalltear replied. “We have a few new Frost Dragons in the city, so they can perform deliveries while getting used to how things work.”

“There’s a lot of cargo that’s far too heavy for the Frost Dragons to move.”

“I can Gate those,” Lady Shalltear told her. “Nothing must get in the way of this date, Ludmila.”

“Of course, my lady,” Ludmila lowered her head. “Thank you for your consideration.”

The familiar sight of her ship sailing upriver drew closer. Lady Shalltear’s attendants started to unpack the things they had brought with them. They were items one might expect to prepare a ship for a long journey downriver: replacement boards, nails, tools for refurbishing the vessel, pails of varnish and…

Ludmila’s lips turned down into a frown, which deepened as more articles were withdrawn from their containers. There were luxurious fabrics, expensive-looking bottles of what she suspected was blood, ebony tables, an exquisite sofa and piles of silken cushions.

“My lady.”

“Hm?”

“What is all this for?”

“It’s not like you to ask rhetorical questions.”

Four Vampire Brides unrolled a long roll of pitch-black cloth. Dominating its centre was a giant pink heart.

“What is this, my lady?”

“It’s a sail, of course. What else could it be?”

Glancing over everything arrayed before them, Ludmila tried to imagine what the Knarr would look like after Lady Shalltear was done with it. Several buckets of paint appeared.

“You’re painting the ship?”

“It will look wonderful, no?”

“How many people know about this…excursion?”

“The others know that Lord Ainz will be going on a journey,” Lady Shalltear said. “Only I know the details, however. He left explicit instructions that he was not to be disturbed.”

Was this something that happened often? A sovereign leaving the comfort and security of their nation to explore the unknown with a small entourage might be a common tale that the masses enjoyed, but it felt like an unnecessary risk in reality.

Both His Majesty and Lady Shalltear were unfathomably powerful, but according to Lady Shalltear’s accounts of her past, she had often come to blows with other, unfathomably powerful beings. Considering the nature of such extraordinary entities, one would think they could appear anywhere, at any time without warning.

“There should be some surveillance at least…divination magic, or use of a Mirror of Remote Viewing.”

“His Majesty uses a Ring of Non-Detection, so they won’t be able to see him.”

“But they will see everything around him? Including the boat.”

“Yes, they will,” a cold smile played over Lady Shalltear’s face. “Ufufu…I should equip one as well. Even if that gorilla tries to spy on us, what Lord Ainz and I are doing will be concealed from her. She’ll only be able to gnash her teeth in frustration as she tries to imagine what’s going on.”

“Are you sure this is wise?”

Lady Shalltear peered up at her, crimson eyes glowing in the shadows cast by the mountains across the river.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

“I am yours, my lady,” Ludmila replied, “and I am happy for your feelings. I know how you become when it comes to His Majesty, however. As your loyal servant, I believe I should be supporting you by trying to ensure that your date goes off without incident. On that note, how will His Majesty feel about your arrangements?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m probably the furthest thing from an expert on romance, but I feel that appearing one-sidedly absorbed one’s own desires would be extremely off-putting. I don’t know much about His Majesty, either, but considering his expectations for this journey seems prudent.”

Lady Shalltear bit her thumb, making a vexed noise as she furrowed her brow in thought. She really had allowed her fantasies to carry her away. Sharing in her feelings, Ludmila couldn’t quite blame her for doing so.

“If it is allowed,” Ludmila asked, “could you share the details of this excursion, my lady? It may be possible to strike a balance between His Majesty’s objectives and your desire to grow closer to him.”

“Y-you think so?”

“I can’t offer any guarantees, but we can at least try.”

“Well, alright…Lord Ainz wishes to explore the Katze Plains. Things will get busy with the autumn harvest, so he’s made time for it between now and then. I have been selected as his escort since we’ll be able to relax and go around without attracting all of the Undead in the place.”

Even if the Sorcerer King was one of the Undead, a sovereign randomly going out to wander around an Undead-infested wasteland still struck Ludmila as odd.

“Is there an objective for this ‘exploration’?”

“Not that I know of,” Lady Shalltear told her. “Our Master’s designs are truly unfathomable and grand in their scope, so I cannot say what purpose he might have for this journey. As his loyal servant, I am already filled with joy to be chosen as his escort.”

As usual, it appeared that the Sorcerer King’s motives were beyond her ability to perceive. One may as well try to discern the will of the gods. Ludmila frowned as she realized that she was trying to do just that. She shelved the notion and decided to see to Lady Shalltear’s end of things.

“How does the ship factor into everything?” She asked, “One would think that better ways to travel exist for such an esteemed personage.”

“The boat was my idea,” Lady Shalltear pressed her fingertips together. “It’s the perfect opportunity, no? The Katze River runs through the plains, so we can relax and enjoy the journey in close quarters. If Lord Ainz wishes to investigate something, we can anchor the boat and head out.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. The ship could act as a base camp of sorts. Turning it into an opportunity to happily spend time together with His Majesty would probably not feel overbearing as long as Lady Shalltear’s endeavours were not too unreasonable.

“What else do you have in mind?”

“I plan on using the ship to tour parts of the transportation network that haven’t received much attention in the reports. Lord Ainz might be pleased with our progress.”

Ludmila straightened in alarm, looking around at her far-from-complete harbour. The future city was still a small cluster of buildings over an island of bare stone, and most of the construction planned for the citadel was nonexistent.

“…does that mean His Majesty is coming here?”

“Do you take issue with that?”

“We’ve barely done anything here,” Ludmila said. “It’s more nothing than something. How about sticking to Corelyn Harbour? Construction there is effectively completed, and it looks quite impressive. Most of the river transportation network will be in Clara’s county, anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Well, if you insist…have you come up with any ideas for the boat?”

Ludmila licked her lips. Hopefully, Lady Shalltear would be accommodating to her recommendations.

“The sail is definitely a no-go.”

Her liege made a loud, disappointed noise.

“It’s too much, my lady,” Ludmila said. “It even has frills and streamers, and that giant pink heart…anyway, since His Majesty will be present, it would be more appropriate to display the emblem of the Sorcerous Kingdom. We already have a flag for the mast, but we can bring a couple of spare banners along as well.”

“What else?”

“Fixing up the ship is fine, but there isn’t any need to paint it over. Turning the entire thing black will transform it into an oven for passengers. As for the furnishings, we can do away with most of them. The ship is large, but so many pieces will crowd the deck.”

Lady Shalltear reached out and started tugging at Ludmila’s dress.

“Y-you’re taking everything away, Ludmila,” her eyes turned teary. “At this rate, it’ll just be the ship! It’s supposed to be a romantic journey – romantic!”

“The canopy and seating arrangements should be fine.”

“Really?”

“It’s the key point in your strategy, yes? Ensuring that His Majesty has a comfortable journey, and that you have a place close to him. Any other time, His Majesty will be out exploring the area, so these other modifications will be superfluous. You should be focusing your efforts on the place where you will be spending time together on the ship.”

Her liege blinked several times, then she nodded energetically.

“Yes, that’s exactly right! What was I thinking? I’m glad you caught all of that.”

Lady Shalltear turned and walked over to the Vampire Brides, hurriedly issuing new instructions. The ship arrived at the pier, and the Death Warrior captain stepped off to walk up to her. It slowly gazed out over the items spread out everywhere, then turned to Ludmila with a questioning look.

“You have a special job ahead of you, Captain,” Ludmila said. “His Majesty will be using this vessel to travel downriver and explore the Katze Plains.”

The captain threw up its hands in shock, and its hat nearly fell off. A second passed before it turned on its heel and animatedly issued orders to the Skeleton crew. The Undead crewmen and nearby Death Knights scrambled to unload the vessel and begin their preparations.

Several hours later, the newly-refurbished boat rested on the shore, its fresh coat of varnish drying in the sun. Nearby, Lady Shalltear was trying out the sixth iteration of her seating arrangements. A closed canopy fashioned with heavy black fabric and crimson frills covered a red sofa that looked half a throne. At its feet, the silken cushions were arranged in a pile.

“Why are the cushions on the floor?” Ludmila asked.

“That’s where I’ll be sitting,” Lady Shalltear replied.

“Shouldn’t you be sitting beside His Majesty?”

“It’s more appropriate for me to be at his feet, yes? I can drape myself over Lord Ainz’s legs and he can stroke my hair…o-or maybe he’ll use me as a footstool? Or maybe I can be the seat again?”

Again?

Panting filled the air as Lady Shalltear’s excitement rose. Ludmila could almost imagine the pink haze floating around her liege’s head.

“Oh, I have this too.”

Lady Shalltear reached into her inventory, producing a black iron collar with a heavy length of chain. Her cheeks grew flushed as she stared down at it, and then she looked up at Ludmila.

“Maybe I should get you one too, just in case you need it?”

“I’m afraid to ask why I would need this.”

“It’s a collar, so…”

A metallic click sounded as Lady Shalltear closed the collar around her slender neck. She went over to the throne, placing the chain on top of the seat while she lay down seductively on the cushions.

“Something like this,” Lady Shalltear told her. “Lord Ainz will be holding the chain, of course. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Ludmila scanned the harbour, fervently hoping that none of her subjects was around to witness the scandalous sight. Seeing only Undead servitors, she turned her attention back to Lady Shalltear.

“A-are you sure this is something His Majesty would want?”

“Even if it isn’t,” Lady Shalltear said, “I will do anything His Majesty desires. I’m fairly certain you fancy this sort of thing as well.”

“I have no idea how you could come to that conclusion, my lady.”

A salacious smile crept onto her liege’s lips.

“Because it fits your character? Also, the way your faith operates seems to lend you towards this sort of thing.”

Lady Shalltear stretched herself out over the cushions, her back arching in an enticing curve.

“Your tenets encourage you to seek those who will beget superior offspring upon you,” Lady Shalltear jingled the chain attached to the collar. “Since you’re the fighting sort, it would be to breed with the strong, yes? Submission to those who can best you. To be dominated and ravished by a worthy partner is your deepest desire.”

Ludmila’s mouth fell open; she felt a flush creeping up her neck. She turned her gaze away from Lady Shalltear’s lewd smile.

“I knew it,” her liege said.

“That’s a horrible way to interpret things!” Ludmila protested, “And why do you think I would need a collar right at this moment – or ever?”

“Why,” Lady Shalltear told her, “it’s because you’re coming with us too.”

“Me?!” Ludmila squeaked.

“I believe I left no room for misinterpretation.”

“I-I can’t!”

“Of course you can.”

“Please, my lady!” Ludmila begged, “You know what happens to me when I’m exposed to His Majesty’s presence! I won’t be able to bear this.”

Ludmila felt herself slowly warming up as the memory of her first encounter with the Sorcerer King stirred the feelings that she had bottled tightly away.

“It’s a given that His Majesty is magnificent to behold,” Lady Shalltear told her, “but as one of His Majesty’s nobles, you can’t avoid him for eternity.”

“This excursion is going to come to a premature end because one of His Majesty’s nobles flooded his transport.”

Lady Shalltear’s lips twitched up into a smile.

“That might be interesting to see,” she said, “but in all seriousness, you need to get used to it. I’ve already introduced all of your friends to Lord Ainz. It would hardly do for you to be left out. I can’t blame you for the results of your first encounter, but a servant of His Majesty must be able to maintain her composure around him, yes?”

“I have no idea how I’ll be able to do that.”

“I’ll be there with you,” Lady Shalltear said. “We’ll figure something out. If all else fails, I will be more than happy to help you calm down.”

Lady Shalltear’s crimson gaze glowed brightly as she licked her lips. Ludmila sighed: there was no escape.

“I…will do what I can, my lady.”