OVERLORD:The Prince Of Nazarick

Saviour Of The Great City That Once Was

After leaving the corpse in the alley to see if it would be disposed of discreetly, Alf pondered the precarious state of the city. He realized that if he wanted to gather information, he would have to improve the city's condition first."City is on the edge of downfall, if I want to gather information... I need to fix it for them... What a drag," Alf muttered to himself. He scanned the area, ensuring no other shops were open, then decided to explore the roads leading out of the city in search of intact villages.Instead, he stumbled upon something intriguing: a cargo convoy guarded by royal soldiers, entering the city. Alf initially assumed it might be supplies for the people, but the contents of the cargo seemed diverse."Maybe the queen finally got enough supplies to feed the people?" Alf speculated before continuing his quest for information amidst the sparse crowds.After another fruitless day, Alf returned to his inn frustrated. He lamented his lack of progress, having spent the entire day wandering the desolate streets. As he pondered the city's fate, he considered the significance of the shop he had seen earlier. The presence of fresh vegetables and livestock intrigued him."Exactly, why are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide, and who are they hiding from?" Alf mused, resolving to uncover the truth the next day. He planned to visit the old merchant who might hold the answers he sought.Finally resigned to his uncomfortable bed, Alf drifted into a restless sleep, his mind still consumed by the mysteries of the Dragonic Kingdom.***Alf looked down upon his creation, there stood ash which used to be people, there were flames rising from their homes and earth was cracked open, flaming tentacles rising from within earth brought upon disaster to this city. Alf Tensed his muscles and raised wings from his back. Red wings of a dragon appeared on his sides, he elevated from the ground and stood above the capital of slane theocracy, a wide smile covered his face, a smile that radiated so much pleasure, looked all the more horrifying for the people below."YOU WORTHLESS SCUM, YOU RACIST BASTARDS. MY BIRTH WAS YOUR CATASTROPHE, AND YOUR ACTIONS THAT CORRUPTED THE WORLD BROUGHT UPON MY BIRTH. NONE OF YOU WILL SURVIVE, YOU WILL JOIN YOUR KINSMAN SOON ENOUGH. I AM THE RED DISASTER OF NAZARICK, AND I WILL PAINT THIS CITY RED, WITH THE BLOOD THAT FLOWS IN YOUR VEINS. KNOW DESPAIR BEFORE YOU PERISH" Alf screamed with all his might, declared to the people that were being slaughtered, their end had finally come for them."AND A LITTLE SOMETHING TO YOU FROM ULBERT-SAMA HIMSELF, ACCEPT HIS GIFT AND PRAY TO HIM FOR HIS KINDNESS...""Roar, my secret arcana! Descend, o ultimate disaster! Flow, ye tears of despair and regret!"Alf held the staff of the great supreme being, filling it with all his power. Power of the supreme being started to leak from him, the sky turned red and air smelled like leaves...Alf let out a battle cry, dancing with the staff on his hand.[GRANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD....***Awakening from his slumber, Alf experienced a familiar surge of energy, a spell he could perceive but never fully comprehend."Again... it hurts to see it, knowing I'll never attain it... but why can't I ever see the spell itself?"This internal lamentation was an echo of his unquenched desire to master a certain spell. Alf rose from his bed, the predawn darkness still veiling the city. In his previous life, this hour marked the beginning of his training or study sessions in Nazarick.Recreating bits of his routine, he undertook solo exercises, reminiscent of the ones conducted with Cocytus or the days when Ainz-sama guided his studies. Following his workout, Alf indulged in reading. The book he held was a light novel, a genre originating from Ainz-sama's world, a gift symbolizing a connection to his previous life.The narrative followed a protagonist desiring a normal life, a sentiment Alf couldn't fully relate to. His upbringing in Nazarick was a privilege, and he embraced his distinctiveness with gratitude.After a bout of reading, Alf peered through the window, noting the sunrise signaling the start of a new day. Disguised and prepared, he ventured out into the city."Hope I can make progress today."His route took him through the dormant shops, still yearning for signs of life. Determined, he headed towards his chosen destination, contemplating the mysteries surrounding the city."Hey there, old-timer, how goes the day?" Alf greeted Shoxe, the baker, who seemed somewhat puzzled by the familiarity."Uhh. Ulbert was it, lad?""Yes, that'd be correct.""Ahh, I see I see. Well, the day's the same as any other since the siege, cooking and baking, well mostly baking bread, not very much cooking. How are ye? Found any jobs aroun here?""Not much cooking, you say... Well, I haven't been doing much either. The adventurer's guild is closed, you see. I've been hoping they'd open it by now since there should be undead spawning around because of the siege.""Can't blame 'em, people are, if they are lucky, getting a bread for a person for a day. Barely not starvin', most of them have sick they need to tend to. You may need to wait for the monarchy to fix things up around 'ere.""One bread a person... Say, geezer, haven't you received anything regarding food recently?""Food... Well, they brought me some flour this mornin', which was less than last week's delivery.""Just flour? And it was less than last week's...""Yes, lad, just flour. The soldiers brought it themselves; they said even the capital was going through tough times. That's all they could send.""That so, that clarifies things a lot. Thank you, geezer.""You're welcome, lad, but what does it clarify exactly?""Nothing that concerns you yet; I'll try to help out in the city now. Take care." Alf waved and left the bakery, a revelation unfolding in his mind. After three days in the beleaguered town, Alf discerned the puppeteers casting the curse and understood why the city lay crippled.***Until all the shops closed, Alf continued his subtle investigations, asking innocuous questions to gauge responses. As the sun dipped below the horizon, he revisited the alley where he had disposed of the little girl's body. As expected, it was gone, and a heavy silence enveloped the town about the unsettling incident.Alf reached the clandestine door the little girl had pointed out, knocking on it. The door opened slightly, and a cautious voice demanded money upfront before discussing any business."Money upfront, and I tell you? Can't I come in?" Alf queried."No, you give the money, and we bring it to you.""Interesting. Why is that? Got something to hide?""That's none of your business. Now, are you buying, or am I gonna lock the door?""Don't worry. I'm here to buy everything you have after you [Open the Door]."With a commanding tone, Alf compelled the guard to open the door. "Good boy. Now heed my warning and act like this did not happen, that is if you wish to live another day."The bewildered guard, having been dominated, ran outside, leaving Alf inside the mysterious warehouse."Smart guy. Maybe he went to get reinforcements, but still, props for making the right choice and not dying."Surveying the surroundings, Alf noticed crates stamped with the queen's insignia. His suspicions were confirmed—the trusted bakers of the city were secretly profiting from the rations sent by their queen."Ahh, as I suspected. The trusted bakers of the city, making money off the rations their queen sent for everyone. It was indeed suspicious how all of you praised her, even though all you had was plain flour."The bakers, now faced with the consequences of their deceit, stared in shock and confusion."Now, this can end two ways. I either kill all of you and take this back to the people, which I would rather not do because there is a lack of cooking prowess in the city currently. Option two, all of this goes to the people, and you don't charge them a single copper for your cooking."One of the bakers panicked and yelled for guards, who rushed to the scene, swords drawn."Good grief... Are you three the strongest among all these people here?""That would be true, and you will be dead in a few moments.""That so? Shiver me timbers."[Triplet maximize magic; Reality slash]The guards, mere hired hands, fell to the ground, cut deeply."Stings, doesn't it? Yeah, I know."Alf took a red potion, downing it in one gulp. "Now, as you can see, there is absolutely no hope for you to defeat me. Even if all 14 of you jumped me, it would be fruitless. Send me an ambassador to talk things through, and we'll be done here."The bakers turned their eyes toward the back of the room, and a familiar face emerged—Shoxe, the old man from the bakery."How goes the day, old man?" Alf greeted him."Ulbert boy... how'd ye figure it out?""See, it's a funny story because I should've figured it out sooner, but your act the day we met was very convincing. I was thrown off your scent. Remember when you said this morning how the soldiers brought you the flours? I first thought it was the soldiers who sold it to a merchant, who then sold it to the people, but that doesn't make sense. Why would you hide all this if it were the case? Soldiers around the city would be in on this. But no, you are hiding from them. And since soldiers deliver these to you directly, you are the only people that know apart from the soldiers these exist. I was taking a stroll outside the city walls yesterday when I saw the caravan, which very clearly had these crates in them. I'd ask you why you are doing it, but I couldn't give less of a shit, and money is a good enough motivator.""...""I'll be honest with you. It's a great plan to get rich off the monarchy. If it wasn't blocking my business, I would let you do whatever. But you see, I had to kill a child yesterday because of you. Because you let the people live just above starvation. Your greed is a problem, you see. And if you don't do as I instructed, I will seriously kill every single one of you."Alf slowly removed his hood, revealing his red hair and youth, which created an audible gasp among the bakers."See, I know you people know who I am. All of you sold me similar stories, thanking the mysterious redheaded mage saving you and all. Which is probably a load of bullshit now that I think about it. You're acting like leeches, and when justice reaches these lands, unless you change your act to be proper, all of you will die, screaming.""You are the one who saved us all, Ulbert?""That I did, and now I'm fixing up your city for you because I have important business to take care of."Nobody dared to speak back to him. Silence dominated the room until Alf spoke once more."From your reactions, I can see you'll be good boys and do as I said. Now, I don't intend to reveal what happened here, how you've been stealing food from the queen herself. And you will not reveal it was me who saved you all; you'll also give further credit to the queen, like you've been doing, to fool the soldiers on how the people love their queen. If tomorrow morning I don't wake up to all of this city's inhabitants feasting upon your best recipes, I will not just cut you in half, I will skin you."After enough intimidation, Alf put his hood back on and left the warehouse filled with terrified bakers, attempting to profit from the post-war lack of food. Alf left the streets that day, victorious.