With her hair back, Leinas felt like a new woman, better than she had in hears, like a heavy weight carried for far too long had been taken off her back and thrown away, never to be seen again. She felt like she could sing, but duty to her lord preceded in importance the expression of her happiness, and when she looked at her face again it was impossible not to smile. Ainz graciously allowed her to enjoy staring at herself for a time, supposing her years of waiting deserved at least an initial celebratory look.
"Our first visit," Ainz said, drawing her eyes to him, "will be to the Emperor, I believe he should be the first human to see you as you are now, since this is why he sent you to me. After that, we'll be walking through Arwintar and enjoying the Capitol." Ainz said, his voice eager as he imagined the joy of escaping his paperwork and having a valid excuse for it. A royal tour of his domain to raise spirits before the conflict he foresaw coming, was a fine justification.
Leinas tilted her head curiously, "Walking my lord? You will not use a carriage or a mount?"
Ainz shook his head. "The people should see their rulers, and too, they will be more comfortable speaking to my face than they ever would be speaking to me from atop a priceless mount or from within a gilded carriage. By walking among them, I may better come to know them, and the better a ruler knows his people, the more wisely he may rule over them." He said patiently.
'By the gods...no wonder he brought Jircniv under him, he understands humans so well and has calculated this so thoroughly...he belongs on that throne.' Leinas thought to herself with an awed expression.
"Besides, I am undead, do you expect my legs to get tired?" He opened his mouth in a genuine laugh for a moment, and she could not help but crack a smile of her own in response.
"No majesty, I suppose I don't." She responded with a wry smile and a sardonic voice.
"Then lets be off." Ainz said.
"Majesty...should I truly be your only protection? There are many yet who might not know your generosity or greatness and it might be that they would wish you harm and seek to carry it out while you are alone with only a single human guard." Leinas said diplomatically.
Demiurge was caught between outrage that a mere human should question his master...and agreement that she had a point when he imagined the horror of doing without the supreme one should anything happen to him.
Before he could make up his mind however, Ainz made it up for him. "I see you take your duties as a security officer very seriously, and it would be absurd of me to acknowledge you in a position of protecting me, then ignore your advice on the very thing you are tasked with doing. Sobeit, I will have several hidden guards follow me from the shadows and scout ahead for potential threats." Ainz said. "Eight edge assassins, when Leinas and I pass through the gate, follow us, and see to my security. If you find an active threat you can handle, detain it. If you find an active threat beyond you, alert me as you withdraw." Ainz gave them their instructions, and they acknowledged them with gratitude while privately vowing to prioritize the supreme one over themselves.
Ainz then opened a gate, and politely gestured with one hand to Leinas, "Proceed." And a moment later she found herself in Arwintar at the door of the palace not three feet from some shocked and terrified guards.
"Be at ease." Leinas said, "Its the Sorcerer King."
Privately she suspected they knew that...and that was just WHY they were not at ease.
When Ainz looked them over, he was pleased with their disciplined posture, he looked for almost a full minute at each of them before nodding in approval. "You guard your stations well. My royal brother is fortunate to have such good servants, I will convey my praise of you to him." He said in his noble voice, prompting stuttered expressions of gratitude. "I assume one of you will announce me to your emperor?" He asked, and the guards exchanged looks briefly before the one on the left moved, opened the door, and ran as fast as he could to the throne room.
Ainze and Leinas followed at leisurely pace, Leinas leading the way until she came to the main entrance before falling behind the Sorcerer King, and not coincidentally where the guard had urgently rushed into and announced them, kneeling before the throne. Jircniv for his part, had already stood in accordance with protocol, and descended from his throne, strode past the guard, and knelt before the Sorcerer King, who quickly bade him rise.
"Stand royal brother, it is good to see you again." Ainz said, and placed his skeletal hand on the emperor's shoulders. "You of course know Leinas," Ainz said, standing aside and gesturing to the bare faced blonde beauty as she stepped forward as he acknowledged her. Jircniv had already begun to stand, and he allowed a very small hint of a smile on his face.
"You got your wish." He said simply.
"It cost me everything, which means it cost me nothing, and it gave me everything I wanted." She said with a smile of her own. It was no secret between them or the other knights that she was the least loyal of them all, obsessed only with curing her curse and all other things and people be damned if that was what it took. However that did not preclude her from a genuine respect for her comrades in arms or for the emperor she'd served, and with her singular desire gained, this regard was able to begin to flower and bloom, as if a frozen over ground had been able to thaw at last and the seed buried within could at last breach the surface and drink in the Sun.
It was, put plainly, a warmer reunion than she had herself expected, or the emperor, though he would never admit to it to his dying day...he'd long pitied the frustrated woman, a curse deprived her of everything but her skills, and her skills could never give her what she wanted no matter how she'd tried. Jircniv was no monster...despite his reputation as the bloody emperor, he did not hold his servants in contempt, nor did he abuse them, he would expend lives, but strive to preserve them, and he was not above sympathy for those who could neither be helped nor help themselves, and Leinas Rockbruise fell into both categories at once, and was made more pitiable because of her power otherwise, rather than in spite of it. At least the powerless knew they had nothing, had clearly felt like a person constantly swimming after a lifeline that was always just out of reach to keep drowning at bay. Now she was whole.
"So what brings you to your loyal vassal's home today?" The emperor asked with a smile on his face. "I have decided to take a tour of my realm, visiting its many places to better know its people, aside from yourself I intend to meet with the priests, see the temples, speak with your military commander and the common soldiers, meet with your merchants and spend time walking among the people." Ainz said politely as he rattled off his agenda.
Jircniv's eyes went wide, "You intend to walk? Should I not prepare a carriage for you?"
Ainz laughed, "Do you also expect me to get tired?"
Jircniv did not succeed in restraining his laugh in response. "No I suppose not, but...why walk? You are the Sorcerer King, who would begrudge you a mount or a carriage?"
"None." Said the Sorcerer King with a voice harder than adamantite in its conviction. "However they would begrudge me their truths."
Jircniv looked a tad confused. "Their truths?"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Yes," Ainz replied, "by putting myself on the same ground they walk on, they will more easily speak their minds, yes I can set myself above them symbolically by a terrifying mount such as my little lambs," several knights began to shake in terror, veterans of the battle of Katze Plains, most of them could not go near a goat or lamb without pissing themselves even to that day, "but I do not need that symbolic status, I need to know their true thoughts, and that cannot so easily be found from up high, I must get closer to them in order to know them, and in order for them to know me." Ainz said.
Jircniv bowed, "You are truly the King of Kings, I will engrave your words onto my heart. May I ask, if you will not take a carriage or a mount, will you at least take company?"
Ainz looked at him curiously, "Who did you have in mind?"
"Your loyal vassal of course." Jircniv said, "I might not be tireless as your esteemed self, but I am not so old that a walk around the streets of my city is beyond my power, and also, it might be good for them to see us together as comrades so they know my support for you is true and not going to embroil them in some bitter conflict between royals, common people rest more easily when they see kings and emperors in common peace."
"I would be glad of your company." Ainz said with a warm simplicity.
Jircniv quickly summoned several attendants and two choice guards, and with that Ainz and the Emperor walked out of the palace.
As they began to walk through the streets Ainz instructed Leinas to walk in front of them and guide them to the temples, he would follow alongside Jircniv so that the two could converse.
As they walked together following behind the once and present knight, Jircniv could not help but note that the Sorcerer King, with his height, his visage, his intimidating staff and supreme attire, made an act even as simple as walking look like just what a king should be doing. After a few short minutes of silence as they looked around, Jircniv remarked, "I've lived here all my life...but I've never seen it from the ground except for in the scantiest of moments, and then I never really saw it, I only passed through it before going indoors about some errand.
Ainz nodded, "I know what you mean royal brother, there truly is something to be said from this position, the buildings seem taller and more magnificent, the slow pace allows you to take everything in, both good and bad, and the time it takes...though longer...can be savored more fully, like slowly drinking wine rather than gulping it down."
"The perfect analogy." Jircniv said admiringly. "Seeing things from this perspective, I cannot help but see what my city lacks."
"What is that?" Ainz asked.
"Artistry. It is true our buildings architecture is quite remarkable if you will permit me my pride on the matter, but it lacks color, it lacks intricacy in the fine details. When your initiative is completed and Count Yvas (*AN: Memory & a Message C1) has his first year of graduates, I hope you will not object if I request their services after they have finished working on what you determine to be their expression of gratitude to you. I should like to see great frescos such as those in your book of art, to rediscover the lost techniques, our work is functional, but where are the monuments to human potential, the idealized statues that give people something to aspire to be, however impossible?" Jircniv said loftily, and Ainz had a vision of a revolution in art and architecture springing forth in the empire in the years ahead if all went well.
"It takes only the time and will to achieve, and if it is your wish, I see no reason to stand in the way of it, your greatness is my greatness, and mine is yours, such is the nature of mutually beneficial arrangements." Ainz said.
"That is something else I wondered." Jircniv began, and then paused.
"Please, speak your mind." Ainz requested.
"When you created your terms of vassalization, you made them very generous ensuring ample benefits to the empire, you didn't impose brutal terms and crush us or make us entirely dependent, despite having all the advantages necessary to do so easily between your magic and your military force. Why?" Jircniv asked.
Ainz thought for a moment, and then said curiously "I hate to answer a question with a question, but if you will forgive that, let me ask in turn...why does someone do that?"
Jircniv was just about to answer, then closed his mouth, remembering that everything Ainz did had multiple meanings and layers and motives. So he gave it very steady and enduring thought before he said, "They do that to crush resistance, to break the ability of an enemy to fight back, to enrich themselves to the greatest degree possible and enhance their power against all threats."
"An apt answer from a knowledgeable king." Ainz said, and he signaled a pause as they passed a street vendor, who froze like a statue when Ainz approached and held out a gold coin, the frozen man looked wide eyed at the impossible sum, and Ainz pointed to a single sweet treat. The man was able to act at all only through the force of routine alone, his slender frame shaking every moment, and when Ainz handed him the coin, the man was practically in tears as he scrambled to try to make change. "Do not concern yourself, citizen. Tell me, do you take pride in your work?" Ainz asked the man.
He managed to find his voice enough to stammer, "My lord...my family has made sweets for three generations from this cart, I grew up at this cart, watching and learning from infancy, I put a piece of my soul into every batch I make. Yes, I stake my pride on the quality of my work."
Ainz handed the treat to Jircniv.
"Is his pride well placed?" Ainz asked the emperor.
The emperor was curious about the course of this, and driven by his curiosity he took a bite. Flavor exploded in his mouth, sweetness, tartness, a buttery warmth spread through his mouth as a warm creamed cheese flavor flowed over his tongue, when he finished the treat he said, "His pride is well placed." The peasant baker knelt immediately before the monarchs, tears in his eyes at the praise.
"I will tell every generation of children that I live to see, that you praised my work my lord. It will give them something to aspire to." The peasant said, and Ainz handed him two more gold coins.
"I will take several more of those, distribute them to the guards and attendants, one more each, including one for the emperor." Ainz said.
The baker quickly did as he was instructed, his fear had become excitement, his flurried activity one of inspiration, and the sight of the emperor enjoying something from the man's cart, brought an abundance of visitors as the monarchs walked away.
When they had proceeded a short distance away, Ainz stopped and turned around and pointed at the cart. "He will do good business now won't he?" He asked.
Jircniv was forced to agree, "And he deserves to, I will bring him to the palace often enough to make the whole court fat if I am not careful." He laughed with a bit of self deprecating humor.
"Now, do you think his loyalty has disappeared, decreased, or increased?" Ainz asked.
"Increased." Jircniv said.
"If we had confiscated his goods, threatened him, or otherwise ruined him, do you think you'd ever be able to tax his work? Do you think you would enjoy more such sweets?" Ainz asked.
"No, not really." Jircniv said, "He might leave for elsewhere, or he might hide, or he simply wouldn't put the effort in that he previously had and the quality would decline." He said, a slowly dawning understanding coming over him.
"Enemies are destroyed when they become friends, when two work together for mutual gain, enmity need not exist, and brotherhood grows, mutual gain and cooperation is almost always more beneficial than simple conquest. Suppose I had dispatched my army and used my magic and crushed the empire, what would be the state of this land?" Ainz asked.
"Ruined and resentful." Jircniv said with absolute certainty.
"Yet you are now a loyal vassal, your empire thrives, my wealth grows, your people prosper, are we not both better off?" Ainz asked.
"We are." Jircniv said, "I begin to understand. I could not eat the sweet twice if I destroyed its maker by taking it once by force, in the same way if you had ruined us with terrible terms, we'd be broken and resentful and in the worst case, you'd rule only ashes."
"Indeed, I prefer to gird myself with allies and friends rather than to surround myself with resentful enemies." Ainz said simply. "A heartless enterprise with a people that hate to be part of it, does not deserve to endure, I prefer a rule where people are grateful for the way they live, and desire that the world they know to endure as it is in their lifetime for a thousand thousand generations." Ainz continued.
"That is the sum and definition of a King I think, though I had never considered on mass in the way you have." Jircniv answered, "I am grateful for the lesson."
"My lord we have reached the grand temple." Leinas said, and the two looked ahead of them.
"The name befits the place." Ainz said. "Shall we go in?" He asked.
"After you my lord." Jircniv said with a bow, and with a noble step, the Undead King began to mount the steps of the temple of temples, the home of all the great gods of the empire, was about to be entered by the god of kingship.