Demiurge stood with his hands folded behind his back, towering over the prostrate Princess Renner, listening to what she had to say.  When she finished explaining it all, and what she intended to do to provoke her stupid eldest brother, Demiurge could not help but recognize the power of the mind subservient before him.

It was reason enough to reassure the Golden Princess at least.  “Yes, very, very well done.  And not to worry, we demons are very particular about contracts, deception in all things, but where your oath is given.  You and your ‘puppy’ will be safe when my Master reigns supreme.”  

She could feel the heat of damnation radiating from the monster in front of her, ‘What kind of monster is this being for ‘this one’ to serve it?’  Renner asked herself, and yet could find no answer that was not itself unthinkable.  

“One thing bothers me, however.  Why were you the one serving tea and not one of your maids?  Is it not normal for human societies of nobles to have servants or slaves do that kind of work?”  Demiurge asked.  Sensing it was alright, the Princess raised her head to meet his watchful face.

“Not when you want information kept quiet.  Everybody knows the maids can’t be trusted, and because I am a woman… well of course my stupid eldest brother thinks ‘I’ should be playing the role.”  The contempt that dripped from her lips spoke volumes of what she thought of that arrangement.  But at least it had been useful.

“Very well, continue to push the idiot towards idiocy for now, and when my master arrives, make sure the Noble Faction acts… just like themselves.”  Demiurge let out a cruel, mocking laugh that was joined by the crystal timbre of the Golden Princess.  

They bonded lightly over their shared contempt of the petty jealousies of the idiotic and the incompetent, and it made the Princess bold.  “Will I be allowed to meet your master beforehand?  I admit I’m curious to behold the majesty of such overwhelming power for myself.”

Demiurge’s face became serious, even grave, and his laughter died.  “Succeed, and you will meet him as your first reward.”  He brought a hand from behind his back, the long finger raised up from the closed fist it had been part of.  “It might not seem like a reward, but after you prostrate before his glory, you will not have another wish but to meet him again when he is gone.”  

“Then I look forward to my success, Lord Demiurge.”  Renner grinned, and the archdevil called up the gate again, and vanished with two steps into the void.

Renner had just risen to her feet when there was a knock at her wide, white double doors.  “Enter.”  She said, and her enchanted locks opened to allow her visitor.  Knowing who was coming, she felt even more at ease.  

A beautiful, golden haired boy in the flower of his youth came in, her puppy, her Climb, her bodyguard, her everything, approached and knelt.  He knelt in front of Renner with his head bowed, his mithril and orichalcum blended armor clinked only a little with his movement.  Fifteen summers old as best either of them could say, he always looked at her with such love and devotion that she hated it when his head bowed.

“Raise your head.”  She commanded as a Princess should, and he obeyed.  

“Did you want to inspect the city again, Princess?”  He asked her, placing a hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to his side.

“Yes, my Climb, yes.  You will protect me, won’t you?”  She asked with innocent blue eyes.

‘No matter what the cost!’  He cried out inside his youthful mind, losing himself in the endless blue pools.  But aloud he answered, “Of course, My Lady.”  He did his best to keep the breathtaking love for her out of the sound of the spoken words, but he considered himself remiss if he didn’t offer a critical point.

“My lady, I know you love to provide what help you can to the people, but I must still suggest an additional bodyguard, it’s no secret that your ending of the slave trade has riled the Eight Fingers, and being out in public with only me to guard you may be dangerous.”  Climb said to her again.

And again she shot him down.  “I understand, but I accept the risk.”  Renner answered, “You’ll just have to work hard.”  She gave him a tiny smile that thrilled him to the core, and the matter was closed.

Within the hour a white and gold carriage large enough to hold eight comfortably, but holding only the two side by side in the interior, was being driven out into the heart of Re-Estize.  

Across from the pair sat a chest full of copper coins and ‘bread slip’ papers.  This took up the bulk of Princess Renner’s allowance for the day, and Climb loved her for it. 

Her route was almost always the same, and she stopped at the same place no matter what route she took.  Climb knew the spot intimately well, the place she’d stopped when she’d found him.

He looked out of the little window of the carriage.  The memory came rushing back as it always did.  ‘My Princess found me there, a little waif of a thing, barely more than a toddler, dying an unfortunate death in the cold,  wet, uncared for, unmourned, and unloved.  Until the angel beside me turned her face to mine.’  Nursed back to health, given food, bathed, cleaned up, taught to read and write, dressed, and allowed to stay as a companion and servant. Climb’s life now had purpose.

He was deep in those thoughts, while the Princess partially exited the carriage, and began to throw coins to the crowds that gathered expectantly.  

Dirty, unwashed, filthy, foul smelling, grimy, ugly, crude, ignorant, wretched, abandoned, and hopeless.  Climb knew that there was not a kind word to be said in high society about any of those the Princess turned her eyes toward.  Most who had anything, preferred to ignore this segment of the population, which was most of them.  Until the slave trade ended, they were the bulk of the ones being sold off, they were the bulk of the crime, and they were the bulk of the peasants snatched up and thrown to replace the population of any slaughtered village.

The smell they emitted hit him like an ocean wave in the middle of a storm, and there was no way the bathed and perfumed beautiful Renner didn’t smell it either.  Yet she didn’t mock them, nor taunt them.  

She tossed coins to those in the back, and handed them gently to those in the fore.

Climb knew his duty, and kept close to where she stood, the footman who held the door open and rode outside of the carriage was armed as well, a longsword hung from his belt, and he wore leather armor beneath his formal clothing.  

As usual, it proved wholly unnecessary.  A hunched old woman who was probably no more than thirty, held a gnarled and mutilated hand out, at her tattered dark cloak clung two small children that looked with awe up at the angel who gave their mother money.  ‘I wonder if their father is alive.  I wonder if she even knows who the father is?’  It could have been anyone really, prostitution was rampant, and it used up peasant women in their prime and spat them out into chewed up husks of their former selves.  And that was if they were lucky, both voluntary and independent.

Eight Fingers brothels were hell houses, seldom raided, openly patronized, and in flagrant violation of the law.

The old woman didn’t speak, Climb watched her face and wondered if she could, tears ran down her cheeks, and that said plenty. The Princess then added a bread slip to the few coins she gave to her, and the woman bowed as fast as she could, and her children with her, before someone else took her place.

The bread lines were one of the few ideas that had been generally accepted by the nobility as a way to reduce crime in general.  Bread slips could be traded for free prepared bread, old food on the cusp of going bad, it proved a useful way for merchants with aging stock to clear the shelves by selling it to the crown to be given to the masses.  Crime had dropped accordingly, but the population had also gone up as fewer people starved.

Subsequent attempts at finding work for them had all been blocked by the nobles.  Something Renner acknowledged when the rabble spoke to her.  “I give you what they give to me, if I could give you work, I would, but…”  And she broke down crying before the masses every time.

Her sweet and bitter tears at their plight, and her constant visits to the poorest segments of the city had made her exceedingly popular, and made her the butt of more than one joke told in the private company of nobles… whenever Climb was not there to hear it.

Their time there was barely an hour, and when it was done, Renner held out the now empty chest to show her time was up.  The crowd began to disburse, the footman closed the door, Renner sat beside her bodyguard, and the carriage rolled away.

At her side, she could feel his loving eyes, though she pretended otherwise.  ‘Climb!  Yes!  Look at me that way, my Climb!  Mine!  My precious Climb!’  Every time she did this, he looked at her with such loving devotion, such total innocence, that  was all she could do to keep from losing her mind to her passionate desire to possess him completely.

And yet she held back the desires of her mind that rampaged like wild horses, until she was alone in her room back at the palace, and could only stare at the mad face in the mirror until daydreams and desires could be brought completely to heel again.

 

---

 

Lupusregina stood with her hands on her hips over the struggling Ninya.  The little brown haired girl was struggling because Lupusregina had a foot  on Ninya’s ass and was pinning her to the dirt.  “Just because you’re a magic caster, that doesn’t mean you have a reason to have a weak body.”  She giggled a little until the brown haired girl stopped struggling.

Only then did Lupusregina let up her foot… only to give the girl a sharp kick to the flesh of her behind and send her tumbling over to land face up.  “Why’d.  You.  Do.  That.  Lupu.  I… I gave up.”  Ninya asked with her arms spread out.  Her breath was rough, hard, desperately labored from the exertion.

“What do you think happens when you give up?”  Lupusregina crossed her arms and walked over to the girl.  “Giving up gives the winner the right to do whatever they want to you.  And for a girl, that gets real ugly real fast.  Or did you forget that?”  The brutal truth hit Ninya like a hammer.

“R-Right, I won’t forget again, but I am a magic caster, I don’t know how to fight without magic!”  Ninya stammered out without rising.  

“First you learn to take a hit, then you learn how to avoid getting hit, and then you learn to hit back better than the other person.”  Lupusregina said, ticking off the three steps with her fingers, folding them into her fist, and then snapping her body down into a kneeling posture and bringing the closed fist down inches from Ninya’s head.

The ground shook like an earthquake underneath her blow, and Ninya felt the icy tendrils of death’s chill run over her body.  ‘That would have shattered my face into mush.’  The sweet smile in the beautiful dark face seemed more menacing than ever, as the impossible cleric brought home the reality of her lessons.

Others were watching nearby, Brita aided with sword instruction along with Peter, while Lukrut and the goblins helped the newcomers.  But it had all stopped when Lupu demanded a practice session with the little magic caster.

Ninya felt the eyes on her and the ears turned toward the advice of the adamantite ranked adventurer.  ‘So this is what it’s like to learn from the peak… and to think I ever imagined I could become strong…’  Ninya thought, despairing of her limited progress.

“I understand.  I will train my body harder.”  Ninya closed her eyes so that she needn’t see the promise of pain in the beautiful face, and gave her word.  She felt the gentle tap of a palm on her cheek as she was patted there by the hand that shook the ground.

“Good girl, don’t let me down, start every day with a four mile run and an hour practicing not getting hit, and when I get back, if you can avoid my hand on your ass, I’ll praise you.”  Lupu said and stood up, putting her hands behind her head she looked around.  “Anyone else want to try to wrestle with this lovely adventurer?”  She giggled when there were no takers, and spun on her heel to walk primly away with a smile like that of the cat that swallowed the canary.

Her goal was Enri Emmott, the little minx was freshly bathed, but to Lupusregina’s sharp werewolf senses, she still had the scent of sex coming off her body as if she had just moments ago stopped rolling in the sheets.  ‘Nfirea is more of a man than I thought, keeping up with this little cat in heat.’  Lupusregina couldn’t help but be amused by the whole affair, but she had a different reason to approach the woman, and it was Enri’s own request.

At the village square, where the tables for Enri and her little council sat, there were only Enri and Lord Mare, who was helping her with land parceling at that moment.  

“S-So y-you see, if y-you d-do it this way, you’ll get much more f-food.”  He pointed to the way he’d drawn on a piece of paper.

It was profoundly counter intuitive to Enri, even Lupu could tell the blonde peasant was confused, but it was hard not to approve when the peasant girl scratched her head and answered Mare with, “I don’t understand how, but if Lord Ainz says it, it must be right.”

It clearly pleased Mare, who gave his usual nervous smile up to her.  “R-Right!”  He nodded his sharp featured head several times in rapid succession.  

Lupusregina watched as the pair bantered back and forth, Enri seemed uncommonly comfortable with the little boy, her hand often going to his own or to his shoulder or arm.  Her warmth towards him seemed both natural and genuine, and Mare didn’t seem to mind it at all.  

The battlemaid didn’t have to wait long, a minute or two after she came to stand in front of the village chief, Enri said a warm, “Thank you, Lord Mare, I’m truly grateful for your advice.  We’ll do it how you say, then maybe we can begin to repay Lord Ainz for his kindness.  But… do you think you could let him know about my concerns for the future, you know, the new villagers?”

“Y-Yes of course.”  Mare said, and then inclined his head toward Lupusregina before parting ways with Enri.

Lupusregina approached, “You two are getting along well.”  She said congenially.

“Of course, he works for Lord Ainz, therefore he’s always correct and I should treat him as the honored guest he is.  Insulting him would be like insulting our savior, and that won’t  even be considered.”  Enri said with an iron conviction that raised a red brow on Lupusregina’s face.  

She marked that down in Enri’s favor in her own heart’s ledger, and went on, “You wanted to see me?”  Lupusregina asked.

“Yes, thank you, Lupu.”  Enri hung her head, “I want to beg Sir Momon’s help… again.  Our village is already poor because of our debt to Lord Ainz, but… I will give him anything he asks if he can help.”  

“With what?”  Lupu asked, the arched red brow didn’t come down.  

Enri explained about the events surrounding the murder and the fugitive villagers that took place during Lupu’s absence, and when she was done Enri fullyexplained what she wanted.  “Sooner or later, they will get found out, I know some of the villagers are just hoping that nobody will notice.  But I know we can’t hide them forever.  When that happens, the lord’s lord will probably send people to come take them, and then we’ll be in trouble for ‘harboring’ them.”

“So, whattaya want?”  Lupu asked, her yellow eyes boring into the distressed peasant chief.

“You’re going to the capital, right… to get a reward?  Ask… ask for us.  Ask for Carne Village, if an adamantite adventurer becomes lord, it’s possible that the whole thing will be swept under the rug to avoid fighting another noble.  Nobody cares what happens to us, so nobody cares what happens when we’re slaughtered…”  Enri stood up so sharply that the chair she was in flew backwards and briefly scattered the dust into the air where it hit, she approached around the table and went down on both knees to Lupusregina and bowed her head.

She then went prostrate with her forehead into the dusty floor.  “They’d think nothing of killing us all to avenge one dead lordling.  But they probably won’t want to fight another lord over the third son of a minor noble.  Especially a lord who has the favor of the King and the Royal Head Warrior.  Ask for this village, become our lord, and we’ll be good servants.  We still have to pay back Lord Ainz, but I’m sure a great man like Lord Momon would understand why we have to do this right here.  I know we’re not much of a reward, but please!”  Enri’s words tumbled out like raging river waters over a cliff, falling from her lips with the force of desperation.

“Please!”  Enri said again with her eyes rising no higher than Lupusregina’s boots, “Ask for lordship of Carne, and we’ll be the best servants any lord can ask for!  We’ll grind ourselves into the dust to give him everything he could want…”

“Why not ask for this ‘Lord Ainz’ fellow?  Didn’t somebody say he’d helped out here before, and didn’t a messenger come saying he was also invited to the capital?”  Lupusregina tried her hardest not to laugh uproariously at the whole affair, and she was incomplete in her success, sounding only hesitant as if the prize of ‘Carne’ was worth less than what he was entitled to.

“He’s wealthy beyond words, and he’s already done so much, plus if he asks for the place he rescued it might make him look bad, so… I can’t ask that.  Please… it has to be Sir Momon, I know how little this place is, I do.  But if it helps… I’ll throw myself into the offer as… something other than a farmer.”  Enri flushed with embarrassment, grateful she was being left with space to speak privately to the adamantite ranked cleric.

Lupusregina took in the extent of Enri’s offering for a long moment, and she was unable to resist.  “Oh myyyy!  You’re so desperate you’re sexually harassing me!  Oh noooo, someone…!”  Lupu clapped her hands together with fingers interlocked and held them to her cheek, tilting her head away and fluttering her eyes as if in distress.

Enri had felt herself about to weep a moment earlier, her love for Nfirea was such that offering herself, even for his sake, and even for that of the village, felt like a betrayal.  But when Lupu melodramatically and mockingly turned it on its head and began to laugh, her urge to cry faded away.

Lupu’s laughter was like birdsong, the adventurer was wearing a green and black slit skirt that exposed her powerful leg with every step, it was somehow beautiful and practical and made the powerful adventurer seem even more than she already was.  But when the woman grabbed her own belly and doubled over in laughter, Enri could only think to stand up, put her hands on her hips, and look really, really embarrassed before starting to laugh with her.

“Damn it Lupu!  I was being serious there!”  She leaned forward to face the woman who mocked her, and Lupusregina finally began to wipe tears of laughter from her bright yellow eyes and straighten up.

“I know, and that’s why it’s so funny, don’t worry, pervert girl.  I’ll ask Momon for you, my guess is he already has that in mind anyway, and I’ll leave off your pervy offerings of a threesome between us,”  Lupu winked, and Enri turned several deeper shades of red.

“A threesome?!”  Enri said much, much louder than she intended, and scores of heads snapped to face her.

She darted her face around, embarrassment multiplying a hundred fold, she yelped out, “Damn it Lupu!”, and rushed back to her home, leaving a laughing Lupusregina behind her.