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Chapter 246 ~ Bloody Princess

A grand, opulent gathering was held within the royal palace of Re-Estize soon after the departure of his majesty and the elite noble armies on their campaign to squash the peasant rebels.

It was a celebration, a preemptive one to celebrate the decimation of the peasant rebels and the end of their days living in fear. And after the deadly tense few weeks, the nobles unwind completely, and wine continued to flow from the bottle, into the glass, and into their parched throats as the servants of the royal family kept the wind bottles coming out. 

From where she sat at her father’s place at the table, Renner raised her glass again and again in toast. 

“To victory!”

They drank. 

“To the Kingdom!”

They drank more. 

“To the future!”

And they drank. 

The princess herself drank only pressed juice. The rich and full flavor was, to her, better than any wine in the world, with a tart yet flavorful sweetness that she only barely suppressed her urge to indulge too often. 

‘Truly a nectar of the Gods… I can’t believe such a thing exists…’

It was a special bottle given to her by Aika that Albedo passed on – though the princess only knew Albedo – as an initial reward for today. 

She looked at the rest of the nobles, and couldn’t help but sneer in her heart. 

They looked like they’re drinking the nectar of the Gods, while she was the one drinking it and they’re actually drinking the wine she had drugged. 

The wine flowed like a river, and the nobles chose to swim and drown in it. 

One by one, they began to pass out as the evening wore on, their cheers and loud cacophony of their little piece of heaven became as silent as a grave slowly. 

Renner looked out of one of the high windows. The full moon shone down upon the royal palace. 

‘I wonder how father is faring out there? Has he engaged already? Has he fallen?’

Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught a sight of Climb, who stood a few distance away from her. Ever presence to protect and be of use to his Princess, but enough to keep her privacy. 

She winked at him, and he gave a shapr nod and addressed a guard that promptly left the room. 

The heavy footfalls of the palace guard trodding down the stairs was an unexpected sound, but none of the nobles were sober enough to even comprehend it. 

A few moments later, Climb saw the previous guard giving him a signal, and she approached his princess to whisper. 

“It’s done, Princess Renner.”

She nodded, her smile blooming ever so radiantly. 

She tapped her glass with a golden spoon, and weary, bleary heads raised to look at her. 

“Honored guests. Nobles of Re-Estize. It’s been a wonderful evening, and now, there is something I must say, things that needed to be said that have gon unspoken for far too long. 

She kept a calm, ever smiling expression of the innocent Golden Princess, as she put a hand behind her back and clenched it into a fist. 

Her hatred and contempt for the nobles that “provided” the maids as their eyes and ears for their houses and invaded her life began to boil. 

“In times of peace and tranquility, you proved adequate in taking care of my family’s kingdom… Barely adequate. But whenever any disturbance arose, any trouble or trial, you forgot your duty to my family, our Kingdom, and our People. Instead, you looked out for something else. 

The more clever and slightly less drunk began to sense danger and tried to move, but inhibited by the mild additional dosing given to them. 

“You protected your lands, names, titles, and interests. You put yourselves first. And many of you, I know, engaged with Eight Fingers, openly using your peasants, the people you should’ve protected and served, to grow plant that was turned into black dust that destroyed lives. Or selling off your peasants as if my anti-slavery measures hadn’t passed. 

Those very actions caused the rebellion that my father has had to attend to. Then, when it came to the Baharuth Empire, you often sold out information on one another or the royal family. In every way you could daily in difficult times, you were failures.

In every way you could be corrupt, you were corrupt. But that ends today.”

Renner paused again and took a sip of juice, the flavor exploded on her tongue as the flavor and tart sweetness brought back a bit of happiness that allowed her to keep on smiling and grew it as she laid out the words she long held back. 

“As of today, every corrupt, disloyal, faithless, and/or incompetent house has its lands and titles officially revoked! You will be replaced by competent people. Loyal people. Your fortunes are forfeit. And for most of you, your soul is forfeit.”

Renner flung her glass down hard against the marble floor, shattering into a thousand shards that pointed at the guests. 

“Guards! Seize them!”

Chaos erupted, but ended as quickly as it did as those unconscious failed to understand that their lives as they knew them were over, while those awake enough to understand the changes to their world struggled to resist, only to fail. 

Upstairs, Evileye ran through the halls faster than the eyes of mere common nobles could hope to see. Lakyus ran in front of her, while Lupu and Momon were already gone by the time they realized and had began seizing guards and knights who were as guilty as their masters with fists and spells. 

On other floors, her sisters would be doing the same, along with Alexander and Lilith, dispatching the most trusted guards of the most powerful nobles as if they were wet paper mache, trash monsters beneath even novice adventurers to kill. 

Within an hour, the palace was purged. Renner looked at the now empty table. The Goblets lay toppled, glasses and bottles shattered. Wine mixing with the crimson from the traitors, coloring the beautiful marble floor red. 

“Climb?”

Renner said without turning from the sight. 

“Yes… My princess?”

Climb said, immediately at her side. 

“Climb… h-have the children been removed from their parents. Separate the families, but please be gentle… We can’t risk any kind of mass escape.”

Her eyes pooled with tears as she uttered the words that seemed to struggle to come out of her pale pink lips. 

“As you wish, princess.”

‘Even when giving a practical order like that breaks her heart… Such merciness and kindness… I must protect her at any cost.’

He resolved and left her side to carry out her orders. 

When he was gone, Renner took a folded paper from within her sleeve and went to the lower floor guardhouses. 

There, to a guard, she passed the folded, sealed paper over. 

“See this to the captain of the city guard… Place it only in his hands.”

“Yes, my princess.”

The guard shot to his feet and ran. Not bothering to even think of looking at its content. 

‘Illiteracy has its uses…’

After it was done, she’d only need to consider transferring or eliminating the captain of the guard. After all, he couldn't risk having Climb learn that she sent out an order to kill the rest.

In the darkness of night, reserved homes for minor nobles and temporarily borrowed inss were hit by rank after rank of Re-Estize city guards. Panic quickly set in. 

The old died first. The young hid. The cowardly fled. The brave fought. And the weak froze. But all, in time, joined the old. 

And when dawn came, princess Renner went to the throne room of the Re-Estize Kingdom. 

 There, was her father’s chair. His place of power for decade upon decade. 

Empty. 

Alone. 

With her. 

The Golden princess stepped up on the raised platform on which it lay, turned around, smoothed her dress back. 

Then, as the golden sun streamed into the hall of the Kingdom, the princess sat on the throne. 

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

“Are you ready?”

Yuuji asked the assembled party of Foresight.

They stood on the sands of the arena, arms crossed behind their backs and feet shoulder width apart, before all four Supreme Beings and the Floor Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Floor, Shalltear. 

They were adorned in equipment that was far beyond the trash items they came with. “Divine Armaments” granted by the Gods they now served with their soul. But even more than that, their bodies were far removed from their previous one, as if they’ve been reborn. 

Hekkeran’s blonde hair had grown down to his shoulder, and the pale blue of his eyes now shone like cerulean ice. His twin swords were replaced by a vastly improved weapon stronger than Adamantite. A blade of white, which robbed its victim of their stats temporarily and heals the user, and a blade of black, which inflicted horrendous wounds that shan’t heal. His armor and boots were scaled, like that of a dragon, and shined with a beautiful gleam of platinum. 

Imina and the others wore armor that matched his. But unlike Hekkeran’s, which was enchanted against piercing damage and elemental magic, her own was enchanted to enhance her speed and dexterity in addition to resistance against elemental magic. At her side, she wore a dagger that gleamed with silver light, enchanted to teleport back to its user when thrown, as a backup for her enchanted bow of gold that was strung with string taken from Fenrir’s hair. 

She held up her golden bow up to her head, pressing her forehead against it. 

“Yes my lord. You returned  our Arche to us… Spared our lives when you could have killed us. Given us more than we deserve when in another life… we might have been among those who sought to rob you. No, we would have been; I’m sure of it. But I pledge myself again. If I fail, I die trying.”

Roberdyck’s head was shaved bald, only the faint stubble of blonde remained where his formerly neat haircut was done. In place of the old white robe he wore over his armor, which was enchanted against bludgeoning and piercing, as well as debuffs which affected the mind, he now had a similar robe but bearing the crest of Nazarick.

“Oh Gods of Mercy and Righteousness, I swear I will not fail you. Your kingdom shall be the most glorious in all the world. All shall rever your mighty name, in all its holiness. I will grind myself into dust to make it so.”

Arche’s head was bowed. Her blond hair had grown out until it reached the middle of her thin, shapely waist. Her cheap staff was replaced with a golden staff with a bright crimson crystal affixed atop it, surrounded by three angelic feathered wings that seemed to hold it aloft. Her robe, enchanted to enhance her mana recovery, magic damage, in addition to resistance against movement debilitating spells, bore the crest of Nazarick. 

“God of Magic and Justice. Savior of my life and my family… I am your humble servant. Your tool. Use me as you see fit.”

Yuuji nodded, and Aika as well as Lelouch followed suit from the side. 

Momonga was silent, a bit surprised by the show of fealty, or rather… unquestioning loyalty. He… did not expect the plan to be this effective. 

“Ainz.”

Yuuji’s voice snapped him out of his daze, and he walked to the front, before Foresight. The burning crimson points within his skull observed each of them one by one, assessing their levels and status with his geass. 

‘This should be enough… If a level 35 with maxed level 35 gears loses to someone still in the twenties with trash equipment, I… No, they better not! Our whole plan lies in this gamble!’

Although impossible physically in his current Overlord form, Momonga let out a sigh as if to release the tension in his heart. 

“We begin with the battle of champions. If the other side accepts, I need it to be known that we offered a chance for peaceful transition, lest the Kingdom of Nazarick will be known as warmongers. I expected nothing less from you.”

“Yes, my lord! We shall bring you victory!”

Hekkeran shouted, representing all of Foresight in his vow. 

“Good.”

‘We could’ve used the guardians for this but… It’ll look too much like a slaughter if we do, which won’t be good for our image. Also, it’s better to hold our native forces in reserve, as Lelouch suggested. They’ll be our trump card.’

“Has the fort to hide my forces been built?”

Momonga turned towards Shalltear.

“Yes, my Lord. By Mare.”

“Then, it’s time to go.”

Momonga turned towards Yuuji, who immediately changed into his full, 12-winged angelic form with white and gold armor, and nodded. 

Yuuji responded in kind, and looked towards Shalltear, who was staring at him with infatuation. 

“Shalltear.”

“A-Ah, yes my love~!!! [Gate]!!!”

“Have a safe trip, darling, Ainz~”

“Good luck.”

Aika and Lelouch bade them farewell, and they vanished through the swirling hole of darkness in space. 

Foresight bowed at the two remaining Supreme Beings and Floor Guardian, and followed them seconds later.