Epilogue

Lying in a bed the Elf King felt happy. His happiness though was not a result of the efforts of his concubine, who was currently curled near the end of the bed. Rather his good mood stemmed from his anticipation of what was to come. I haven’t felt like this since that woman got pregnant with my child, he thought.

No, this is even better. Unlike that woman, this one is an elf, there will be no issues for her to bear my children. Ah, after so long I will finally take the first step in my world conquest. Another surge of satisfaction coursed through his mind. However, this train of thought made him think of all the years that had been wasted. An annoyed expression appeared on his face.

“Leave me,” he told the elven woman.

The female tried to gather her clothes strewn all over the bed before leaving. Her action caused him to feel a flash of anger, as he kicked the woman off of the bed. The woman didn’t complain or even cry out in pain as she crashed on the floor. Instead, she quickly got up and left the room.

The burst of violence having subdued his rising anger, Elvyon relaxed on the bed, as his thought traveled back in time. Those fools, a vicious smile covered his face. What kind of morons would just go on a random rampage? I didn’t say anything then – there is no point in talking to idiots like that. They laughed at me back then, but what about now? He laughed. They are all dead, like the morons they were, and I am still here, ruling this useless kingdom.

Soon, soon this world will be mine, he thought as he slowly fell asleep.

***

He woke up the next morning filled with anticipation. The women serving him could feel his elated mood but weren’t sure of the cause. He hadn’t bothered to tell them anything. What was the point of telling those useless elves about his plan? He shook his head in disdain, as the servants arranged the dishes of food in front of him.

“Your Majesty?” a now familiar voice resounded in his mind.

“Speak,” he ordered.

“We will depart the capital of the Slane Theocracy tomorrow morning. We should reach the border city of Kircha around 1 or 2 pm.”

“You have done well. Let me know if anything changes,” he replied.

Even a useless pawn can sometimes produce surprising results, Elvyon smiled, as he began to eat.

“Are you enjoying the food, your Majesty? The cooks hoped this dish would be especially to your liking,” Mirel, a concubine-cum-maid said.

“Eh?” Elvyon was confused. “Haha, it seems you are mistaken. My mood is not due to the food you brought,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh, I apologize,” Mirel was no doubt curious, but she knew better than to anger him with annoying questions.

“Well, I guess I might as well tell you. I am going to get a bride tomorrow,” he said excitedly.

“A bride? Who have you chosen?” She was startled. Elvyon had many concubines, but he had never wed anyone.

“A dark elf girl, an envoy of some useless nation. The important thing is that she’s strong. Ah, just think of how strong our children will be,” he said forming his hand into a fist.

“I, I am very happy for your…” she almost said “your new acquisition,” but stopped and coughed before continuing “for your bride and the future Queen of the Elf Kingdom.”

“Ah, that. Well, I suppose if the children she births are strong, then it would be fine for her to be a Queen,” he said, a light frown momentarily appearing on his face.

“Anyway, call for a small hunting party of my Elite Guards,” there was a hint of mockery in his voice when he said “Elite Guards.” Calling someone so weak an elite guard is a misnomer, he thought.

“We will depart once I am finished,” he motioned to the table filled with dishes in front of him.

“At once, your Majesty,” Mirel responded as she exited the room.

***

A dozen elves rode on deer along the edges of the forest. Dressed in a pristine leather armor, high-quality bows on their backs and gleaming swords at their hips, they were the Elite Guards of the Elf King. They had been riding all days yesterday, before making a stop for the night. Today was no different, as they rode for nearly five hours already, and were only now getting close to their destination.

Elodarn was feeling apprehensive. As a captain of the palace elite guards, he should have been told more details about their mission. Instead, the Elf King had just told him that they were making an excursion to a nearby nation to retrieve a dark elf girl. Mirel had already filled him in on the King’s plan to wed this dark elf.

Still, they were obviously going to kidnap the poor girl. Although, becoming the King’s bride was a much better fate than the other women the Elf King had kidnapped in the past had enjoyed. Having to take part in such deplorable activities made Elodarn angry.

Of course, the king knew how he felt. If anything it was because of this knowledge that Elodarn was always sent on such missions. Well, that’s what I get for being unable to contain my emotions, he thought pessimistically.

He was Mirel’s husband before the Elf King took a liking to her. Elodarn fought to protect his wife, but he was easily beaten – Elvyon was simply too strong. However, he wasn’t killed, or even stripped of his position as a captain of the palace guards. The King enjoyed tormenting him, as he was forced to serve the one who caused him and his wife so much pain.

There wasn’t anything he could do though. It was impossible for him to kill the King. Although he thought of killing Mirel and himself, Elvyon had told him that in such an event, their children would have to bear the responsibility for his betrayal. He had no choice but to grind his teeth and to serve the one he hated. Consumed by these thoughts, it wasn’t until one of their scouts called out to him that he noticed that they had arrived at their destination.

“Then, what shall we do, your Majesty?” Elodarn asked the King who was riding slightly behind him.

“Dismount, hide the deer in the trees over there,” Elvyon pointed at a growth of trees some distance from them.

“Cut a couple of trees to block the road some fifty meters ahead of here. We’ll hide here and wait for them to come when they stop at the blockade, I’ll hit them from behind. Also, send a couple scouts ahead,” he continued.

“Yes, your Majesty,” Elodarn saluted, as he quickly dismounted and began to give orders to the rest of the guards.

***

Elodarn laid in wait near the road. From his position, he could see the King’s bored face. They had been waiting here for nearly an hour. The Elf King was not a patient man. I am happy I wasn’t involved with the timing of this mission. Although even if this delay isn’t my fault, that doesn’t guarantee I won’t become a target for the bloody bastard’s wrath, he thought.

His musings were interrupted as he saw one of the scouts approach.

“There is a group of riders coming,” the elf announced once he got closer. “I moved here right away, so I don’t have any details,” he added with an apologetic look.

“That’s fine,” Elodarn told him. “Your Majesty, what should we do?”

“Wait for them to stop at the fallen trees up ahead. If it’s them, I’ll strike. If it’s not them, we’ll let them go and then move the trees back to block the road,” the King replied with a shrug, though his eyes betrayed a hint of excitement.

Elodarn nodded and sent the scout back to his position up the road. After a while, they could hear the sound of hoofs against the road. Peeking out of his hiding spot, he saw a large group of riders on the road. He couldn’t see what they looked like due to the cloud of dust which surrounded them. However, as they got closer he was able to make out some of the details.

His jaw dropped when he saw the riders. What the hell? These aren’t humans! Is this an undead raiding party from the Katze Plains? I’ve never heard of such a thing! He glanced at the Elvyon, but the Elf King displayed none of the emotions which filled the guard captain.

“Your, your Majesty, is this our target?” He called out hesitantly.

“Yes,” the King replied, his voice sounding very excited.

Did the undead kidnap the dark elf first? No, no, that makes no sense. The undead don’t take hostages, they would just kill anyone living that came across them. Just what is going on here? And how did the King know about this? His head was buzzing with questions.

Meanwhile, the escort had ridden past them, stopping at the fallen trees blocking the road. Several undead dismounted and moved to clear the trees away. Elodarn’s eyes were attracted by the motion near him – the Elf King moved out of his hiding spot and moved to strike the escort from behind.

***

Elvyon rushed silently toward the rear guards of the escort. He summoned a ball of red light in his left hand, which he threw at one of the riders as he entered melee range. The ball of light hit one of the Death Cavaliers and exploded, bones flying everywhere. He leaped and punched another raider, sending a shower of bones in every direction.

Weak, he thought as he continued to smash through the nearby monsters. I hope the elf is much stronger than these weaklings. He threw another ball of light at the approaching guards.

The undead tried to stop him, but they were too weak. He would shatter them with a single attack, while their strikes barely made it past his armor. Of course, even if he stood completely still, it would take the monsters quite a while to actually kill him.

At first, the riders had surrounded him, but as he continued to punch away, their numbers began to dwindle. Less than two minutes after the attack began, he had shattered the last of the skeletons.

“Too weak,” he spat on the ground as he approached the carriage, which the undead were supposed to protect.

The carriage door swung open, and a dark elf girl nearly fell out, as she stepped down in a panic, an elven woman followed her.

“Who, who are you? The dark elf spoke in a panicky voice.

Elvyon ignored her, looking questioningly at the elf woman next to her.

“Your Majesty, she is Mare Bello Fiore, an envoy of the Sorcerer Kingdom,” Liel replied to his silent question.

He looked back at the dark elf – she was just a young girl, he was surprised that someone so young would have a position of an envoy. Then again, there was no shortage of idiots in this world, who knows how the elf had attained her position.

‘Wha… what…” Mare mumbled as the Elf King stepped forward and punched him in the stomach.

“Your Majesty!” Liel cried out in alarm, as she watched Mare crash against the carriage and double over on the ground.

“I had to test her since the escort was so weak,” he shrugged.

“What, what do you want?” Mare whizzed trying to catch his breath.

Elvyon laughed at the elf’s hapless expression. Extending his hand to the crouching girl he spoke.

“Come with me if you want to live.”

***

Unbeknownst to the elves, two humans were watching them from afar. If Liel saw them, she would instantly recognize the woman as Berta, the assassin from the Windflower Scripture. The other human was also from the same Scripture – a male magic caster.

Berta was astonished by the power of the elf. This was the first time she saw the Elf King in action. The undead were strong, very strong, she had felt their power back in the capital when the envoy had first arrived. To see someone shattering such powerful undead with a single strike… it filled her with dread. Now she understood why the Theocracy was hesitant to commit the needed forces to conquer the elves.

She was a little surprised when the dark elf didn’t put up a fight. Instead Mare got back into the carriage and which the elves took control of, as the small ambush squad began to leave the scene. She had probably relaxed and thought she was already home. A surprise attack on their own turf was not something she was prepared for, Berta thought

Berta smiled. It was annoying to have to show respect to the elf. Now the girl will learn just how cruel fate could be. Going from an envoy to a sex slave, she thought, that will teach her what happens to those who disrespect the Slane Theocracy.

“I have relayed what happened back to the captain. He had ordered us to retreat,” the man whispered.

“Then, let’s retreat,” Berta replied, as she watched the elves and the carriage disappear from their sight.

“I wonder if the Sorcerer Kingdom will attack the elves now,” the man said as they moved.

“Would an undead even care about the living? Besides, the Sorcerer King is dead, his servants are the ones running the show. Perhaps they would be happy that one of their ranks is gone, less competition for them in their quest for power,” she shrugged. “Either way, I doubt we’ll ever see this dark elf.”

Soon, the only signs of what had transpired were a couple trees blocking the road and the shattered bones covering the ground.

***

Far away from this place, deep inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo was seated on a chair made out of bones. Shalltear, Aura, and Demiurge were seated nearby. All of them watching the images in the Remote Mirror of Viewing. Outside of Shalltear’s residence on the second floor of Nazarick, a group of powerful NPCs waited patiently.

“That bastard! He dares to destroy the undead which Ainz-sama had created!” Albedo was livid as she watched the Death Cavaliers getting destroyed.

“Restrain yourself, Albedo. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough,” Demiurge reasoned.

Just as Albedo calmed down a little, Aura exploded.

“Shalltear, open a [Gate] I am going to kill this guy right now,” she exclaimed as she got up from her seat.

“Everything is going according to Ainz-sama’s plan,” Demiurge reminded everyone. “You can cut off his limbs and feed them to your beasts, once we capture him,” he added while looking at Aura’s angry face.

They continued to observe, as Mare and Liel got back into the carriage, which was now controlled by one of the elves. The ambush squad and the carriage moved away from the road and towards the Elven Kingdom.

With a terrifying smile on her face, Albedo addressed the guardians: “The Elf King has taken the bait.”

 

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