Overlord And The Blue Citadel 16 『Shadow Of Death』

Like an ominous omen, the Shadow of Death had arrived in Re-Estize two days ago and has been stalking the very inhabitants of the Ro Lente Castle that oversaw the City itself. n.o.ble and Knights within the halls of the Royal Palace were ripe for the picking, a perfect host to satisfy Fenrir's qualifications, even members of the Royal Family showed themselves to be likely applications.

Black marble floors, royal blue carpets with bright yellow trim, white angelic walls with dark golden trim. The corridors were filled with decor exhuming the air of wealth and royalty. It boasted the former influence over the entire country that the family once held, not soiled by the corrupt n.o.bles and politicians of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

Dark and aged oil paintings dotted the walls, surrounded in embellis.h.i.+ng silver frames of ma.s.sive sizes. The walls and floors were spotless, to Archona's observation, the maids had done their job without fault.

It seemed the Royal House has yet to fall into full-on disrepair.

So much information existed here, especially the leaks of intelligence and state secrets. It took less than a day for Archona to figure out who could be of use and who wouldn't be. That and who would be a liability and those who could be utilized for the betterment of Fenrir-sama.

There was no one better than the Crown Prince as a host. For he not only had a large number of n.o.bles backing him but for the time being, was the first in line for the throne.

Not only that but he was quite the looker, with a neatly trimmed beard and a thin refined mustache. He even wore his blonde hair short upon his head. In a way, his appearance reminded her of Fenrir, except his hair color was the polar opposite.

Not only that but after following him for only a few hours, Archona learned of his ill-intent towards the King himself, along with his animosity towards those he preserved as threats. What his plans were for the future, for his half-sister the Golden Princess.

His demeanor though was what she had been watching, what she had been observing closely.

For those two days that the Shade known as Archona had arrived, it had followed many prominent members of the n.o.bility. Simply from a glance, she could tell, the world to these n.o.bles was far too small and their very foundation was corrupt at its very core.

It wouldn't take much to throw this entire country into a civil war, which would ultimately leave it in a state to be easily taken by an external force. These ideas were formulating within her mind, as she remained lurking in the Prince's own shadow.

What would Fenrir-sama want though, out of this? This new question came to her mind as the Crown Prince Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself transverse through the winding corridors.

Information was something that came in abundance here, and Fenrir asked for someone with power, someone of use. Taking the Crown Prince wasn't all that much of a bad idea, if anything, he'd be easy to emulate. His arrogance towards commoners such as Climb, the Princess's bodyguard and even the outright disrespect towards the Head Warrior Captain. It was all too easy, and he surrounded himself with useful p.a.w.ns.

While he in a way was intelligent when it came to governing, he was far from being fit for a King. Possessing him would give her access to everything he knows, and a soul to a.s.similate as a shade.

She didn't need his permission to enter his body either, she could just take it...

That was when he met with a rather wide fellow, who appeared middle-aged and had a scar over his eye. It was one of the Marqui in which followed the Prince and was the apparent leader of the n.o.ble Faction. Otherwise, the man appeared to have served in many military engagements due to his scars, something that was surely boatable. It turns out he even married his daughter to the Crown Prince, which a.s.sured Archona that their relations.h.i.+p was far from just acquaintances.

"Marquis Boullope, why don't you come in so we can talk?" Barbro spoke fondly as he marched into the room, which appeared to be his reception chambers.

Nodding with a grin across his lips, "Prince Barbro, I don't see why not..." Without a second of hesitation, the n.o.ble followed the man into the room.

Within his shadow, she watched as he sat down at a small brown wooden table and rested comfortably in his chair. "How much have you learned about the Royal Faction backing my father?" He asked as he crossed one leg over the other, his forearms sprawled over the armrests as he inclined his head whilst keeping his gaze on the man.

"Nothing, we haven't been able to learn which of the n.o.bles in the King's faction truly leads them," Boullope sat down across from him on the otherwise of the table, his eyes immediately taken as a young maid came into the room from a side door with a tray of tea.

Barbro's eyes wandered over the girl as she placed the tray down and onto the table. A smirk forming over his lips as her upper lip seemed to quiver at the sight of him. It was clear something was off, that was for sure.

However, despite this Boullope didn't notice all that much about the girl's demeanor as he focused on the tea. Taking hold of a cup, he brought the fragrant liquid to his lips and smelled it, before taking a soft sip. It was hot, it burned its way down his throat, but he was used to it by now.

"From what I can tell, it isn't Marquis Blumrush, that man would sell his family for a measly copper coin," Boullope sneered in disgust at the fellow n.o.ble's corruption despite the amount of influence the individual held due to owning the majority of the Kingdom's mines.

"Schemes for monetary gain may be his favored pastime, but he is one of the most slippery patriots I've ever seen..." Recalling how the shrewd Maquis always disappeared quickly from mandatory meetings and hardly appeared if given a choice, he shook his head. "It makes me wonder why my father doesn't abdicate the throne, and it makes me worrisome that he doesn't dispatch those types of cowards from his inner-circle." Barbro seemed to growl lightly in disapproval of his father not giving him the throne as well as for the company he kept.

"In six months, there may be an annual war, my Prince," Boullope shook his head as he placed his cup of tea back onto the table. He hardly moved as he heard the door of the room close, the maid had exited the room in quite the hurry and remained silent about it too.

"Oh? And what about the annual war?" His eyes narrowed on his supporter, his primary sponsor other than the Eight Fingers Syndicate. "Do you plan on allowing my father to be struck dead by the Imperial Knights?" Though he spoke in a hushed tone, he could only chuckle to himself, amused by the Marquis words implied.

"If our faction pulls back to E-Rantel, while the King fends off the Imperials, we'd be able to effectively take over the Kingdom. But the Risk is too high..." His eyes wandered to the ceiling, "That commoner that stands beside our King is another obstacle all together."

"Yes... The Head Warrior," muttered the Prince as he plucked the fanciful cup from ahead of him and brought it to his lips. Dipping his lips into the small vessel, testing the temperature, he slowly sipped from it casually. "A commoner holding such a t.i.tle... If our father gave him the t.i.tle of Knight-Captain, it would show he is fairly unfit to rule... Giving such a dog power."

"You are not wrong my Prince!" Laughed Boullope, before resting his gaze on the surroundings of the room. "Once all of the Kingdom is yours, there will no longer be any worry, the n.o.bles will be united behind you."

Barbro nodded with a subtle smirk across his lips, a smirk that held a very deep-seated secret. The n.o.bles that support him, that will place him on the throne, he knew their true intentions.

They wanted to use him as a puppet ruler, but they had no idea what his plans were. Taking inspiration from the Emperor of the Bahamaruth Empire, he wanted to purge the n.o.ble faction.

That was when there was a dainty knock on the door and the two of them froze. Not expecting anyone, the Prince turned his head to look to the door. "Enter," his voice stern.

The white double doors were pushed open by a single pet.i.te female, wearing a blue dress and a circlet on her forehead. She had similar features to himself, blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was only partially related. It was his younger half-sister, a female he was planning on marrying off as nothing more than a mere decoration despite her political and governing genius.

Standing behind her was a young man in composite plate armor with blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was short, similar to his own, but he didn't even have a patch of hair on his face. It was Climb, his sister's bodyguard.

"Ah... Princess Renner!" The Maquis stood up from his seat as he bowed his upper torso ever so slightly and not an ounce more than he had to, "If you're here to see your brother, I will be taking my leave."

"Maquis Boullope, you may go," Barbro spoke as he gestured towards the door, but didn't bother to rise to his feet for his sister. He saw no need, as his eyes locked with hers.

For the past couple days that Archona had been here, Renner seemed the most valuable as an ally rather than a host. She had influence, but if her personality changed radically, some individuals would notice.

On the other hand, the Crown Prince wanted to keep his position would allow her to mold the body into a fine specimen to reshape the Kingdom. To those ends, she had negotiated with the Princess an easy alliance. Knowing the Brother's plans along with many other items of interest, Archona had been able to make a deal with the woman.

"Brother," Renner spoke quietly as she stepped into the chamber, Climb remaining outside as the door closed right as Boullope left the room. "We have something to discuss..." A smile was covering her lips, one that gave the prince a s.h.i.+ver down his spine.

Just what was he seeing here? Her eyes seemed to almost inhuman, having discarded her facade of the Golden Princess simply for this moment. She planted herself in the chair Boullope had once seated himself upon, and grinned across the table at him.

Her fingers danced over the rim of the teacup.

"How unusual for you to leave your toy outside the room," huffed the Prince as he sipped at his tea once more, attempting to give a false face of amus.e.m.e.nt. "Is it something you don't want him to hear, hm?"

"No, Dear Brother. You have always seen me as lesser and inferior, you wanted to take my love away from me." the Princess shook her head. "I just needed you alone."

"Love?" The Prince raised a brow at this, scoffing at the idea of someone loving his little half-sister. His eyes then narrowed forward though when she had said she just needed him alone.

It wasn't her that needed protection, it was him? This statement confused him up until he sensed movement in the room. Gooseb.u.mps ran up his arms, dotting his skin under his uniform. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a cold draft seemed to wash over him.

"What kind of trick is this?" He grinned at the girl across from him, but that is when he noticed her eyes were no longer on him. In front of him, his sister was looking directly above his head. "What are you looking at...?" Creasing a brow he turned his head to see a ma.s.sive collection of what appeared to be souls that took the form of a semi-solid black mist with demonic s.h.i.+ning white eyes. The ability to scream was torn from his lungs as the monstrous form poured into his eyes and mouth, his body spasming and falling out of his chair with a soft thud upon the tiled ground.

"Hehehe..." Renner snickered seeing her brother hopelessly flopping about on the ground like a fish. It was as if he was drowning, or being strangled to death. He clawed at the ground with his filed fingertips. Drool poured out of his mouth as he soundlessly screamed in agony.

Veins seemed to be apparent as they become stressed all over his body after a short several seconds, only to calm down as the body of her brother went limp. The sound of his body being reworked subtly met the Princess's ears. Hearing it was like listening to the sound of pop-rocks. His body was mutating to sustain the creature that now inhabited it.

A few inches were added to his height, his blonde hair became slightly darker and his blue eyes did the same. It was hardly a notable change, but having watched this... It was as if his very soul had been devoured and another had taken its place.

Letting out a light groan, the Prince's eyes fluttered open and his body sat up.

"Now... That was a new experience..." Uttered Archona, now as Prince Barbro, stood up by planting a hand on their knee as they did so. "Such an interesting addition..."

A shade was a composition of multiple souls, so as Barbro had been replaced, his soul had essentially become a part of Archona. His consciousness no longer existed, his individualism was gone, but everything he was she was now him.

"Princess Renner, you have done this being a service that you will not regret," using the Prince's voice, they grinned to the young woman who nodded in return. "When the time comes, you will marry Climb." His eyes s.h.i.+fted to the door where Climb was before the door shutting, "I will inform you of my next contact with my Master... He will be pleased."

"I look forward to hearing from you big brother," Renner's demeanor had completely changed as she spoke with a heart-stealing tone, clearly she was an actress, adored by the people. "Today's talk has been extremely insightful for the future of the Kingdom. I... Only hope that your relations.h.i.+p with our brother can be mended as soon as possible..."

Her smile went from natural to the way it had been before, yet the personality hidden behind Renner's mask didn't at all faze Archona and the now reborn Barbro. "I look forward to your wedding to Climb when I have become King, don't forget to invite us." A domineering smile formed over Barbro's lips.

"Of course!" Renner nearly squealed as she grasped the skirt of her dress, returning to her feet as she moved to the center of the room. "The Blue Roses should be waiting for me..."

"Ah, the Blue Roses," Barbro chuckled, "the one in the red hood detected my presence earlier." Summoning a Ring of Life Status from their item box, they slipped the enchanted jewelry onto their ring finger. "Her name is Evileye, correct? Sounds... Unusual."

This particular ring was silver with a ring of dark onyx encrusted into its slender form. It was capable of hiding the user's contrarily undead status.

"Yes, what about her, brother?" Renner blinked as he was speaking of her current tools to reshape the Kingdom that would appease the smile of Climb. She loved the face he made when he recognized the good she was doing, even if the good didn't truly matter to her. "It might not be her true name, but it is the name her friends address her with."

"It is my understanding something is about to happen shortly... Their party may be needed for, but I a.s.sure you, I can make their absent worthwhile." Barbro folded his hands behind his back, walking over to Princess Renner, towering over him with his height alone. "You'll know what it is."

Suddenly the doors opened, Climb stumbling into the room, "It's an emergency! A messenger from the Roble Holy Kingdom has arrived, your father has asked all of us to report to the throne room."

"All of us?" Renner blinked at her obsession before looking up towards the inhabited body of her brother, as it smoothly marched out of the room. Raising her skirt slightly so she wouldn't step on it, the three of them made their way out into the hall, their destination being the throne room.

"Is this what you meant?" She was quick to be by her 'brother' which was rather strange for Climb to see, but at the same time, seeing them get along was for the better. A matter a factly, It was something he could shrug off. "The coincidence of your words was far too close to this occurrence."

"Yes, a messenger has been sent before my arrival here, you will soon learn of my master's ident.i.ty," Barbros was speaking in a quiet tone, Climb and no one else being able to hear it.

Renner nodded at this after giving her accomplice a long look, then kept her gaze forward. It wasn't long before they entered the throne room from a door to the right of the throne. The two royal heirs were ushered into the room and they quickly took their seats by their father.

Before their four thrones, was a man on his knee, he appeared tired and restless.

"Your Royal Highnesses, Your Majesty, I hail from the Roble Holy Kingdom with the news! A ma.s.sive construct has appeared between our border and Abelion Hills. It towers above our walls... This is our report, the Paladin Order is to be mobilized to investigate the possible threat."

Ramposa the Third stared down at the mere squire who was an acting messenger, hearing the words that came out of their mouth. It was clear things sounded dire. He brought his hand up to touch his chin, he had just sent his right-hand man off to the frontier zone to protect villages from an unknown threat. To him, this sounded rather convenient.

Renner blinked at the news, Zanac was outright confused, and Barbro was wearing a soft grin.

The Six Great n.o.bles who were standing near the thrones were looking to one another, speaking silently. It was clear they were trying to try and make use of this message. Time just wasn't on their side, however.

"Father forgive me for speaking out of turn, as our Warrior Troop has been halved, I do believe we should send a group of Adventurers to help our closest neighbors with their investigation." Barbro tapped his finger on the arm of his throne that was lesser than his father's.

"That may be a good idea, my son, it has some merit. Do you have any suggestions?" He looked fondly to his older son, as he cared for him dearly, and although some of his features had darkened...

The King his father hardly noticed the changes that had befallen his eldest.

Zanac quickly snapped his head to the side as he was seated directly beside Barbro, his polite tone had changed, but it seemed to be a smart decision as well. What happened next caught him off guard as he heard his sister begin to speak up.

"I have the perfect adventurer party for the job," she was well known for her use of the Blue Roses to combat things that her own nation's military refused to handle. The Eight Fingers being their primary adversary in the war against drugs and slavery. "The Blue Roses may be able to investigate the tower, it would help us gather knowledge on what is going on as well.

"Oh? That is an excellent strategy," looking over the young squire, the King nodded lightly. "I approve of this notion, there are only benefits if we learn that this is indeed a threat to our sovereignty and our people," Ramposa spoke wisely as he let his eyes flicker on over to his daughter, someone he wanted to live freely without being tied down politically. "Once you get in contact with the Blue Roses, I leave everything to you."

"Of course father, leave it to me." Renner giggled with her standard happy expression which many adored.

Even more strange than before however, as Zanac began to notice, was the way his brother was still smiling as he was facing Renner. It was as if they had created an alliance and he was in the center of it, that was something he was beginning to fear in the back of his mind.

In his mind, he couldn't even compute when they had ever been this close. Or even when this hypothetical alliance yet occurred. If these two were working together, then that would mean trouble, but at the same time, he saw it as something he could use.

Zanac wanted to compete for the throne, his brother-in-law supported him, so he could indeed become the next crown prince and take his other brother's place. However, his ambition was different and to the point that he may give up on the throne if the Kingdom itself may prosper for it. The idea of the entire family working together rather than working against one another, it was almost as if things could work.

Could they save the Kingdom this way? Or would it ultimately be destroyed? Was this alliance a fluke, a fake, or was it true and something that may endure the coming conflicts ahead?

He needed more information...