Chapter Twenty Four

Arwintar, Baharuth Empire

Outside in the magnificent gardens of the Imperial Palace,the Blood Emperor, Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix was walking. Near him, were some nobles and behind them were the Imperial Knights, Baziwood Peshmel, Nimble Arc Dale Anoch, and Nazami Enec to guard the emperor from any possible threat.

Things have turned really bad. It has been a month and there were no news about the two thousand knights that went to slay the undead monster known as the Death Knight.

"Just what in the world is this?"

Two thousand knights can be replaced easily because there were commoners that joined the knights corps everyday, but losing someone like Fluder and Leinas has put the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Magic Academy in a desperate situation.

All those magic casters that has spent years to learn magic of the third tier, now they are lost into the cursed land that no human can rule.

Jircniv have given the Royal Air Guard the order to fly above the Katze Plains to search about Fluder and the others, but even they never came back to bring any information.

"Your Majesty, shall we send more legions to slay that monster?" asked one of the nobles

"What is this fool talking about?"

They had lost the trump card of the Empire. Someone that had lived in the times of the 13 heroes and can destroy armies alone. There was Leinas too, one of the best Imperial Knights. This loss for the Empire was a national emergency and this little fat noble suggest to send more legions of knights straight to their deaths.

"Shall I execute him?"

Jircniv was being annoyed from all these nobles. Since the time the knights started to disappear, the nobles has suggested him all the time to send more knights and has become even worse with the loss of Fluder.

"Wait…

The knights knows about the disappearance of their comrades and has begun to lower their respect for the emperor that was sending them to die away from home. The knight were the ones that put Jircniv in the throne. If he loses their loyalty…

"Bastards! So that's how it is huh."

The nobles were using this dire situation to overthrow him from his throne by turning the knights against him and who knows, maybe later they will even turn the citizens against him.

"No, I will not send knights there anymore. We should focus on the kingdom for now."

"But my emperor, that undead monster is-

Jircniv stare at the noble with dangerous eyes and that made the little fat noble to lower his head. If he angered the emperor, he might say goodbye his territories that belongs to him, family and his head.

Something terrible has happened in Kingdom some weeks ago. The capital of Re Estize was attacked by an army of monstrous vampires that were led by an unknown Vampire Lord called Nosferatu.

The adventurers and the soldiers fought a heroic battle, but the piles of the victims and the others that were turned into ghouls had passed one thousand. It was a really tragic moment for the Kingdom. All countries around has heard about this, and they had started to fortify their borders and the walls of their cities if an army of monsters attack again.

But there was another report. The Vampire Lord was not defeated by the adventurers of the Kingdom, but from an entity that descended from the sky. Those who had seen that scene called that being an angel. It was that angel who slayed the Vampire Lord.

Jircniv bit his lips. If he had Fluder here, he would have gathered plenty of important information from the Vampire Lord, and the mysterious entity known as the angel. Now he has these stupid nobles around.

"It's going to rain huh…

It was really bizarre because some moments ago, the weather was clear. But now, some grey dark clouds were formed telling the coming of a storme.

"It's better to get inside the palace, your Majesty." said Nimble.

"Yeah, let's go inside."

The young emperor ordered the nobles to return to their domains. One of his trusted subordinates, Vermillion joined with Jircniv that was heading where the throne room was located. They walked through the hallways of the Imperial Palace talking about the plans that the Empire will take.

"Your Majesty, what shall we do with the Kingdom now?" asked Vermillion.

"We attack, of course." spoke the Emperor.

The Kingdom now was tired from the vampire attack and this will be the perfect time to invade the territories of the Kingdom. If it happened a few months ago, he would let them alone for some time. But the Baharuthe Empire has lost many knights and their trump card. So, it was not the time to rest.

"Attack… you mean, to invade the Kingdom, your Majesty?" asked Baziwood.

"That's right. I will not play games anymore. This time, we attack them for real with full power."

It's about time. The Empire had let the Kingdom to exist for too long. Re Estate was tired for now but the Empire had to be also careful. The surrounding nations does not know that Fluder has disappeared, so they had to act like pride lions and like nothing has happened.

"This time, we will destroy their army of peasants and E-Rantel will be the first city that we will invade."

Jircniv knows that he will not live forever, so he has to work hard to turn the Baharuth Empire into a superpower that will be feared from the other nations. And the other plan was to find someone with a rare talent to replace Fluder. He did not know how much time that will take but will not give up.

Jircniv and his subordinates were knitting plans with smirk on their faces till they reached the doors of the throne room. Baziwood and Nazami went forward to open them for the Emperor.

Inside the throne room, Jircniv could feel a cold atmosphere. He stays most of time in this room and he had never felt like this but…

"Your Majesty!"

The three Imperials Knights rushed forward with their swords to protect the Emperor. Jircniv still didn't understand what was going on but he saw his subordinates looking at the throne, and then he saw him...

Chill crawled through the spine of Jircniv because of what he was seeing. On the throne that he was supposed to sit, now upon it was someone else that was sitting… Someone not human.

It had a bleached skull as a head and was wearing a magnificent dark robe. On his skeletal fingers, the beautiful rings were shining like stars. The red orb on his ribs shone like his dreadful crimson eyes. On his left hand, he was holding an extraordinary golden staff and on his right hand he had a glass of wine. There was only one description for this skeletal being.

Death.

The embodiment of death was sitting on his throne.

Jircniv knows that thing is an undead, but he can not fall in fear.

"Who are you undead? What are you doing inside my palace? I demand answers!"

The undead being did not speak and it made the young emperor frustrated. He was just standing there watching his wine and waving it softly. He did not even care about the Imperial Knight that were pointing their swords at him.

Jircniv could not bear it anymore this monster standing on his throne.

"Kill this monster, NOW!"

The Imperial Knights activated their martial arts and went straight at the undead skeleton. But before reaching him, in a blink of an eye, the knights were sent flying at the left side of the throne room till they made impact with the wall. The three Imperial Knights fell unconscious on the floor.

The eyes of Jircniv went wide from the shock. The three strongest warriors of the Empire were defeated like it was nothing and the undead being hasn't even move one finger.

Jircniv was filled with panic and his legs were shivering. He even was afraid to shout for the guards to storm inside and protect him.

Suddenly, something hit him on the back of his legs that caused him to fall on his knees. He had closed his eyes from the sudden pain but when he opened them, he saw the blade of a spear that was near his neck. This spear looked familiar in his eyes. He slowly turned his eyes to see the owner of this spear.

"Yo-You...

It was her. Leinas Rockbruise with her dark armor was standing on his right side with her black spear near his neck. Her eyes had different color than before, and she was not covering the right side of her face, because that curse that she had was nowhere to be seen.

She had fulfilled her wish.

"There."

Jircniv quickly turned his eyes at the undead being that spoke.

"There is where your eyes meets my eyes."

It was the voice of a true ruler and it made Jircniv to feel like a commoner in front of a king.

"Just what do you want monster?!"

In reality, Jircniv was afraid to speak at him with a tone like that, but he was the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire and he can not lower himself in front of a strange undead being.

"You think you're tough huh, pretty boy?"

Those words sent shivers in his body. The Bloody Emperor was just a mere pest for this undead being.

The undead skeleton placed his cup of wine upon the small table that was on the right side of the throne. After that, he pointed his hand at Jircniv direction. When his opened his hand, an image of a human heart appeared, and it looked really bizarre.

The undead being, touched the strange heart a bit with his hand and…

"GHHHHAAAAAAAhh!"

Jircniv fell on the floor harshly and screaming in agony. He felt intense pain inside his chest like his heart was being crushed. He was crawling on the floor like an animal that had its throat cut by a butcher, and waiting for the soul to leave the body.

"PlEaSe sToP! I'm bEgGiNg- GGGUUUAAAAHHHH!

The heart that was in the hand of the undead being disappeared and the pain inside Jircniv went away but he had trouble with his breath. Leinas grabbed him like a sack and throw him closer at the throne where the undead being was sitting.

"HAAAAA! HAAAA! HAAAA!"

Jircniv still has trouble breathing till the effect of that horrible pain that he hadn't had ever in his life, disappeared away completely.

"How do you feel now, young emperor?" asked the undead being.

He lifted his head and saw the dreadful eyes of the skeleton.

"It seems, you are sweaty. Here take this and clean yourself."

The undead skeleton threw him a handkerchief. Jircniv slowly took the handkerchief and started to wipe his sweat from his face and his neck.

"Please just… just tell me what do you want from me?!"

"From you? I want nothing from you. If I want something, I will take it, no matter what."

"I-I…

Jircniv didn't know what to say. This undead being was out of his league.

"Wha-What did I commit to deserve this?"

"You foolish mortals. With all those stupid wars you do inside my realm, you have disturbed my long slumber."

"GODS! Does that mean…

"Im-Im really sorry! Please accept my apologies! We didn't know that the Katze-

"SHUT UP!" demanded with a frightening tone the undead being.

His mighty voice echoed inside the large throne room. It told Jircniv that this undead being was a real tyrant.

"Every year! Every single FUCKING year, you fight upon my tomb and what's worse. You had the balls to kidnap one of my Death Knights."

Jircniv was frozen from his words. That monster that Fluder captured, belonged to this undead. He was beginning to understand what this means. That Death Knight might have been protection the domain of his master just like his knights that protect the Baharuth Empire. This means…

"Please wait! There are many people from around the continent that go in Katze Plains to slay undead-

"Oh, so you want to tell me that your pathetic Empire, is not the only one to blame huh? Is that what you want to tell me, young emperor? What a childish move. Who do you think I am, you little shit?! One of those nobles scumbags?

The harsh word of the undead being, made Jircniv to look so small in front of him. At any time, this monster can wipe the floor with him and not caring for the fate of the Empire.

He was the only one to blame. Even the Slane Theocracy wasn't very much active in Katze Plains. Jircniv wanted to create a great Empire so he had to do what's best for his nation.

But now, his greed had lead him into a dead end. The road to a greater success has taken a terrible turn.

"Kill me!" said Jircniv

"Hmm? What did you say?" asked the undead skeleton.

"Please kill me. Let me take all the blame, but please… spare my citizens. They have nothing to do with all this. Please have mercy for them!"

Jircniv had grabbed his hands into a gesture of a prayer and was begging to the undead being to not touch his citizens. Why take down the Empire with him when he can just sacrifice himself for all the sins that he had committed.

"No struggling?" asked the undead.

"I don't think the Empire is mighty enough to fight against you."

Jircniv was being honest. Going to war against this monster, will be fatal for the Baharuth Empire.

"It seems you are brave, young emperor. I thought you are like the nobles of the Kingdom."

Jircniv wasn't sure what to say, but he let the undead being to speak.

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King of Sorcerer Kingdom of Nazarick and your Empire now, belongs to me."

The eyes of Jircniv went wide from the shock but he was not in position that he can refuse so he had to accept every term from the Sorcerer King.

"But you will play the "Emperor" for three years and after that time, your Empire will become part of my territory. Do not attack the Kingdom for now."

"Yes... Your Majesty." accepted the broken Jircniv.

"You see the shadow on the floor?"

With wonder Jircniv turned his gaze on the floor and he saw a strange shadow that did not look like his form.

"Ye-Yes."

"That is called a Shadow Demon. He will protect you and see how you play the "Emperor"."

So that means, the Sorcerer King was leaving a spy behind. It was not a surprising thing. He had ordered many of his agent to spy on the nobles.

Suddenly, Ainz Ooal Gown came near him looked him in the eyes and it made Jircniv to shiver.

"You dare to even think about betraying me... and guess what… I'll crack your fucking head open."

Jircniv could feel that there was still wrath inside the Sorcerer King. This was the last threat from the Sorcerer King and with Leinas, they vanished.

"What have I done…

This was the beginning of an end. The glorious days of the Baharuth Empire will be over soon. What he had brought upon the Empire was nothing but despair. The citizens, no… the entire world will curse his name.

He almost forgot that he had a demon behind his back. He has to work hard to leave the empire in a great form for his lord.