Afterword
Hmm…well, after five acts and probably too much time editing, the first volume of Valkyrie’s Shadow has come to an end. Thank you for reading this far thus far, and I hope you’ve enjoyed things so far!
Many more thanks also go to those who have provided feedback and commentary on the writing – it’s been interesting to see how various elements of the plot, characters and interpretation of the canon material have been received.
As many have probably noticed long before reaching this point, Birthright is something like the reverse of the Overlord Light Novels: the majority of the cast consists of New World natives, living in an environment that they consider mundane in what mundane ways they know. Even scenes of the powerful members of Nazarick that make their various appearances tend to not focus on de facto power, but rather how each ends up interacting with the weak and alien elements of the Sorcerous Kingdom that they have been charged to oversee by Momonga. Kingdom building is not just about the construction of farms and blacksmiths, but also exploring aspects of law and culture, establishing national spirit, as well as addressing the various domestic/international events and problems that crop up along the way.
It starts with a whimper, and ends with a bang…at least relative to how it started. A slow ramp-up from the rather plain lives of the characters to hints of the more power fantasy-ish developments to come. The influence of Nazarick will change the Sorcerous Kingdom, and the Sorcerous Kingdom will extend its influence over the world…but not all at once and not even all parts of it at the same time. Valkyrie’s Shadow is the story of that journey, written within the plausible bounds of the canon material.
Volume Stuff
On References and Allusion
I packed the story full of these, as well as subtext in various dialogues and scenes, but I rarely see commentary on it. Maybe those that notice just don’t discuss it, as it is something to be personally discovered and enjoyed. I suppose I can point out a few, however, just to show that it’s there in many forms…
Example 1:
It was a bewitching appearance that anyone would fall to; any feelings of jealousy or envy swept aside by adulation and longing. Wealth and power beyond all reason would be squandered to obtain even a moment of her favour. She was possessed of a legendary beauty that could topple nations and spark wars that set the world aflame, and the world would gladly become ashes for her sake.
This is the first highlight of Shalltear Bloodfallen in the story, seen through the eyes of Ludmila Zahradnik. It is written as a three-layered irony, though it’s probably hard to catch for those not familiar with what it refers to.
When read at face value, it is a description of Shalltear’s world-class beauty. In Ludmila’s eyes, it becomes ironic as she can also see the True Vampire form of Shalltear. However the description itself is a flowery paraphrasing of ruinous beauty – the Four Great Beauties of China. In Overlord, this piece of Earth’s folklore appears in the form of Downfall of Castle and Country. Shalltear is being described in the same terms as the WCI that brought about her fall in Volume Three of the Light Novels.
It’s meant to reinforce the idea that she’s still in a state where she’s languishing in the fragments of her broken pride and uncertainty over her own worth, thus unlikely to be acting completely like the Shalltear that everyone is used to.
The final irony in the description is that, rather than a ruinous beauty and what many of her fellow NPCs believe her to be, she and her subordinates become a force for change in the right direction when it comes to the Sorcerous Kingdom.
Example 2:
“…Even we who stand closest to His Majesty are not above the Will of the Supreme One. If it was known that the Guardian Overseer herself sought to undermine Lord Ainz’s Will, the rest of us would set upon her without hesitation and render her into nothingness: only the disgraceful memory of her treason would remain…”
“As above,” her declaration resounded through the air, “so below.”
Shalltear’s conclusion to the lesson that she conveys to the noble quartet. Taken at face value, it is as it says: even the Guardians follow the same rules, and if the highest figures in the Sorcerous Kingdom are subject to them, so is everyone else.
There are two other meanings, however: an allusion layered upon another allusion.
“As above, so below” is a line in a piece of Hermetic text called the Emerald Tablet. You may also know it as Tabula Smaragdina. It is a declaration of intent, invoking the name of the Supreme Being that created Albedo: that if Albedo acts out of line, the Guardians will carry out the will of the Supreme Beings themselves and smite her.
“As above, so below” in Tabula Smaragdina is an allusion to a part of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Shalltear’s statement has become a prayer – that the glory of Nazarick will descend upon the New World. This statement has dual connotations within the context of the scene: that this glory will come in the form of the Sorcerous Kingdom, or in the form of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s retribution.
So...yeah, stuff like that. There are minor jokes and such that do the same thing, like Jezne saying that Yuri Alpha is the only one that has their head on straight in Act 1(not knowing that she is a Dullahan) or Mare’s point system suggestion(which is from his experience in the Drama CDs), so not everything is super deep. There are plenty of small references woven in everywhere. They will continue to appear throughout future acts.
The Nobility
Though many types of nobles exist in the LN canon, Maruyama tends to focus on two loose groups in Overlord.
The first are what I affectionately term lolnobles, who are the very basic caricatures that appear in stories everywhere: sleazy authority figures who solely exist to be slapped down by the protagonist to the applause of the reader. They usually don’t make any sort of sense when examined closely. House Fassett is the first iteration of these types of nobles in Valkyrie’s Shadow, written in what I feel is how people like that can actually rise to power and stay there. They are not arbitrarily stupid/belligerent/mean-spirited, but they are essentially big fish in a small pond, entrenched in the ways that they have become accustomed to. A short-sighted and narrow-minded group of people, who employ their rights and powers in a way that cannot be legally challenged by outsiders.
The other group of nobles somewhat explored in Overlord are those leaders that are anywhere between average and extraordinary, surrounding themselves with capable people. There are actually a lot of them: Emperor Jircniv, Calca, Raeven, Pe Riyuro, Olasird’arc and Zanac, to name the more recognizable ones. They get Nazarick’d in various ways, without exception. Birthright mainly features this end of things but, as the nobles portrayed are on team Nazarick, they get a chance to shine rather than get flattened/mind-melted all the time.
One major thing I tried getting across in Birthright is that nobles are creatures of authority, rather than arbitrary characters that exist in a vacuum for plot convenience. That authority is defined by the law of the nation that they reside in and, as such, nobles are creatures of law. This will range from them being exemplars of good rulership and administration, to selfish and cruel people who turn the law to their personal advantage and to the sorrow of others. For the most part, they are what they are: the middle management of a feudal bureaucracy. As Ainz tends to roll 20s where it really matters, the Sorcerous Kingdom in Valkyrie’s Shadow also gives rise to a set of exceptional nobles, as well as some other interesting characters…
The Guardians’ Tests
There are several tests laid out by Nazarick’s Guardians: Pandora’s Actor essentially interviews Ludmila before deciding whether she’s useful or not in Act 1, Shalltear first gets a feel for Ludmila’s character in Act 2 before sending her off at the end of Act 4 – with what would be considered a ridiculous level of power for a New World native – to see how she behaves. Demiurge tests Clara during the audience at the end of Act 5. Albedo also has her own tests, but she uses them in a rather malignant way: trying to find examples to present to Ainz so he will approve of the things that she promotes, raising her own value while suppressing that of her rivals.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
As most readers probably know, the NPCs are fundamentally different from regular people. They are created to serve, and see things in an arbitrary way that would be hard for New World natives to understand. This being the case, when it comes to outsiders, the denizens of Nazarick would not only have to figure out who is a useful tool and who is not, but also figure out who can be entrusted with real responsibility.
In Re-Estize, the nobles are generally the ones who believe they are in these positions, and in the Sorcerous Kingdom you see them pass or fail to various degrees. You have old Count Fassett, who reaches too far and gets chucked, then you have his children who inherit his ways and think that everything can carry on just as it had previously. You have a member of the old guard in the form of Countess Jezne who, while set in her ways, quickly realizes how different the Sorcerous Kingdom is. While the nobles who can simply get by will get by, especially with Elder Liches to help, very few will earn any sort of general trust by the NPCs.
Nazarick Cast Notes
Pandora’s Actor
The Almighty Janitor of Valkyrie’s Shadow, the figure that moves in the shadows of the stage, ensuring that everything moves according to the Great Master’s Plan. He is usually portrayed as a silly sort of character in canon but, at the same time, he always appears to take his job seriously and does exceptionally well in doing so. As the story is the story of what goes on behind the scenes, so, too, does Pandora’s Actor show that serious and competent form of his more often than not. It’s my hope that I have accomplished this in my delivery of his persona.
Albedo
The maliciously evil, yet supremely austere, Guardian Overseer. As malevolent as she is, she plays by the rules – and expects everyone else to play by them as well. The effects of her management can be seen throughout the story, as well as her interpretations of how things should be. Ironically, there are many people that respect and admire her work in the Sorcerous Kingdom, while those working for her outside of it only perceive her in shades of dread.
Aura and Mare
The Dark Elf twins pop up a surprising amount in the story, though I guess it should be expected as they’re almost always around doing their work in the Sorcerous Kingdom. There’s also the fact that they are a part of Shalltear’s ‘family’, so they share many interactions and common acquaintances. They will continue showing up as the story progresses, as they have a lot of behind-the-scenes work that brings them into contact with new world natives.
Momonga
After much dodging of his responsibilities, Ainz Ooal Gown finally shows up near the end of the volume, fresh and sparkly from the Dwarf Kingdom. When writing Ainz, I feel that he’s either being used in some way for the readers’ humour, showing off some power fantasy hijinks, or rolling chains of 20s at a crucial juncture. Or Expositing. In his first original scene, I started with some humor, catching up with all of the things he left behind and forgot about and being subjected to stuff he’s uncomfortable with. But, as Valkyrie’s Shadow is a kingdom builder, the return of the king must naturally be a chain of 20s. Will he remember anything by the end of next month? Knowing him, probably not, but everyone else certainly will. I’m sure something shiny will draw his attention away again. Speaking of which, have you heard of Runecraft™️?
Shalltear Bloodfallen
Though new world characters usually take centre stage in Valkyrie’s Shadow, Shalltear Bloodfallen is the central figure of the story – the Guardian that somehow manages to pull everything together and sets off on the path to achieve what Ainz Ooal Gown envisions for the Sorcerous Kingdom. At her core she is always quite the monster, but, beyond that, she is honest, earnest and hard working. Rather than try to puzzle out everything through raw intellect, she relies on her extraordinary intuition to feel things out.
The understanding that she isn’t some infallible existence leads her down paths that many of the other NPCs would not dream of taking. When Pandora’s Actor sets her up with Ludmila Zahradnik, whose role as a Frontier Noble puts her in a position similar to that of an Area Guardian, she gains a conduit through which she starts learning more about the new world side of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Not only that, she gains what she eventually considers a new and trustworthy vassal.
With the events of Volume 11 behind her, she’s regained much of her confidence, but is still tempered by her past experiences. Unfortunately for those in the New World, it means she’s also patched up a lot of the cracks that allowed Ludmila to slip in close to her, so any new acquisitions had better step lightly…
The Noble Quartet
The noble quartet is the group of nobles followed through the story of Birthright, and they will continue to make appearances in the future. Formed out of the ashes of what one might call a disaster for the Kingdom of Re-Estize, they are talented young women who have inherited their titles after the men in their families met their end at the Battle of Katze Plains. Without this catastrophic event, they would have gone to become wives of other nobles elsewhere, or lived out their lives quietly out of notice. With the advent of the Sorcerous Kingdom, however, they have come into the unprecedented opportunity to make their mark on the world.
Though initially formed out of old ideas of political convenience and generational ties, the noble quartet is less a political faction and more a group of close friends that rely on one another for support; a surrogate family of noblewomen who have lost their own. To the outside observer, they are viewed as a force to be reckoned with – especially with the stupendously wealthy and charismatic Clara Corelyn at their centre and the grim spectre of Ludmila Zahradnik at her side.
Beyond their own respective duties, however, they have no overarching agendas that they try to push in the House of Lords. They instead become an anchoring force in the legislature of a nation that still doesn’t understand what it is they are a part of. The noble quartet are the first who have made the transition from being nobles of Re-Estize: coming to understand and accept what it means to be a noble of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Their agenda is the agenda of the Sorcerous Kingdom – the Supreme Will of their undying sovereign: Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King.
[https://i.imgur.com/wjOHjQI.png]
The first MC introduced in Valkyrie’s Shadow, Ludmila starts out as a rather common noble – at least when you look at what nobles are historically: militant administrators, responsible for managing and personally defending their little slice of land. This type of noble, possessing the Noble Fighter class in Overlord canon, is usually far away from centre stage and thus the central events of the LNs. Where they do appear, however, they are extraordinarily strong by New World standards. Two of the Four Great Imperial Knights are Noble Fighters, recognized for their ability even with their scuffed class builds.
Ludmila, however, is just a young woman recently come into adulthood and unexpectedly inheriting after the battle of Katze Plains. She is possessed of a militant lineage and an extraordinarily steadfast character, though pretty much nothing else. Her Talent draws the eye of Pandora’s Actor, and, well, the rest is history.
When she is introduced, she is a straightforward and rather colourless woman that thinks along rigid lines and preconceived notions of how the world treats duty and obligation. The acts that follow her development are filled with review, overanalysis and parroting of rote knowledge due to having little in the way of life experience to turn to and smoothly act upon. Much like a straight-laced honour student, her perspective as she steps into adulthood is often arbitrary, judgemental and awkward compared to her polished exterior. We've all seen this person before - or perhaps some of us were this person back in high school or university.
Her character gains flavour over time, however, as more and more people come into her story, challenges are placed before her and experience is gained. When she finally starts seeing the truth of the world when measured against her old perceptions, she doesn’t turn away in disgust or try to change the core of what she is. Instead, she holds on tightly to her values and faces the world head on.
In doing so, she achieves what would be considered an impossibility to nearly everyone both within Nazarick and in the New World at large: she earns the trust of Shalltear Bloodfallen, becoming her vassal in truth.
[https://i.imgur.com/DCCOGhG.png]
Ludmila’s childhood friend and almost-sister-in-law, their close relationship has many aspects of themselves rubbing off on each other. Most notably, Ludmila’s stalwart nature has rubbed off on Clara, while Clara’s phenomenal talent in administration and economics has rubbed off on Ludmila. They would not be who they are today without their past together.
When we first meet her, Clara is tearful and timid and seems very much damsel-like in character type. Once she finds her feet again and begins moving forward, however, we find out she is much more than that. By the end of Birthright, even Albedo believes that her raw ability is substantial enough to note to Ainz.
Possessed of superlative intellect, beauty and charm, the Radiant Jewel of the Riverlands leads with a graceful acumen admired and envied by her peers. Like Ludmila, she is a worshipper of the Six Great Gods. As the administrator of the prosperous Riverlands – where the Sorcerous Kingdom shares a border with the Slane Theocracy – she is the perfect choice.
Despite all of her strengths, however, she is still a shy girl at heart who needs to work up the courage to take the first few steps regardless of what it is she’s doing. But once Clara gets going, she just keeps going. Her convictions lead her to speak her mind, which often results in her verbally lashing those whom she perceives as demonstrably incompetent or wrongheaded.
[https://i.imgur.com/KDaBEZe.png]
The elder of the two city nobles in the quartet, Liane Wagner is ambitious, playful and caring of her few true friends. She’s quite merciless when it comes to her competitors, however, in the way that nobles and merchants often are. The vast majority of people are only exposed to her cheery or merchant side: she only allows herself to show vulnerability to her close friends.
She is her father’s daughter and, growing up in his footsteps, she has become a savvy merchant with a broad worldview. Being exposed to so much, however, makes her judgmental and she eagerly dishes out justice when infractions appear before her. With her father’s death at Katze, she has taken the reins of House Wagner with a solid foundation under her feet and the ambitions of her family in her heart.
Liane is the closest to a cosmopolitan aristocrat when it comes to the insular nobility of Re-Estize, and she knows much more of the world than any of her friends. Possessed of the mindset of both a magnate and a technocrat, she now boldly pursues avenues that will bring the civilized world from beyond their backwards little corner of the continent to the Sorcerous Kingdom’s doorstep.
[https://i.imgur.com/1hwDsf0.png]
The youngest of the noble quartet, Florine is Liane’s best friend, having a demesne sharing a border with her. A city noble, she bemoans the fact that she never seems to draw the right sort of attention. Due to her stunning beauty and generous figure, people tend to see her as a young woman to be desired or envied, the object of longing and amorous fantasies.
Beneath the surface of her quiet and reserved personality, however, is an talented administrator who is unafraid of toil or hardship. The Mistress of Gentle Pastures is a moniker well earned, for her lands overflow with agricultural bounty as a result of her years of care. She claims that she doesn’t have much work to do, but the fact is that her efficient and adept management of her territory just makes it seem that way.
Within her circle of friends, she views herself as lacking. She neither has the martial excellence of Ludmila, the wealth and renown of Clara, nor the bold and ambitious drive of Liane. In an effort to show her worth, she has volunteered for many duties outside of her own demesne, from the resettlement of the ravaged Human farmlands in the northeast, to working with a myriad of Demihuman and Heteromorph populations in both E-Rantel and the untamed lands beyond.
Toiling in silence and without complaint, she secretly dreads that the distance between herself and her seemingly superior friends will be too great and they will drift apart. There is at least one person, however, that is making sure her work doesn’t go unrewarded.
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Aaaand that’s it, I think? On to the next story arc, Winter’s Crown. It’s a lot longer than Birthright. Chapter releases will be slowing down as well, as ensuring two chapters per day come out nice and polished has been a bit crazy…the pacing will become faster, however, as we’ve got quite a lot of the basics already covered in Birthright. Or at least I hope it will.
The first act will be back in Warden’s Vale, since we haven’t been there for a while and things have happened. Before that, however, the second MC of Valkyrie’s Shadow will have a brief introduction~
Ah, that's right...as we're done with a volume, please vote, rate and review(if you're feeling generous) when you have the chance! Full reviews are more powerful on RR, apparently? Also, I've heard that upvoting existing reviews lends them more weight, so even if you don't write one, you can help out that way by just going through and 'liking' them.
Don't hurt me, please :0