Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 9

Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ludmila took in a lungful of air as she stirred from her oblivious state. Green, earthy odours hung in the air, suggesting that she wasnt in the same place as before. Additionally, there were two other scents that she immediately recognised, one much stronger than the other.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Lord Mare?

H-Hello.

She looked up at the wooden ceiling for a moment before turning her attention to the rest of her surroundings. The walls, floor and furniture all appeared to be crafted out of wood and decorations suited for the daughter of a wealthy family were tastefully placed around the room.

Actually, I dont know what half of these items are.

Ludmila sat up, finding Lord Mare seated at the end of the bed she had been lying in. He had his back against the wall and a book was open across his lap. She narrowed her eyes at the open window beyond him.

Its nighttime? How long have I been out for?

Ah, its not nighttime, Lord Mare told her. We just turned the daylight off.

I beg your pardon, my lord?

Umthey changed the lighting from day to night because theyre doing something at the tournament festival.

She still didnt get it. Ludmila checked under her covers to make sure that she was decent, then decided to use the opportunity to equip her civilian garb. Once she was done, she pulled back her blanket and swung her legs over the side of the bed, reaching for her boots on the floor.

How much time has passed? Ludmila asked, And how did I get here? The last I remember, I was having a conversation with Lord Holenyot in his Area and then His Majesty appeared.

She cringed at the recollection of the undoubtedly poor showing on her part. Why did she have to be so utterly hopeless in the presence of the Sorcerer King?

Holenyot brought you over, Lord Mare told her. He took you to an empty cabin at first, but then some weird rumours started so I moved you to our house.

Is Lord Holenyot still around? I should apologise for all of the trouble that Ive caused.

He went back home as soon as I picked you up, Lord Mare said. Its been a few hours since then. H-How are you feeling? Holenyot said that you fainted, but is that even possible?

Ludmila rose and stretched out of habit. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the door to the room had opened a crack and someone was peeking inside.

Someone is looking in on us, she said. Is it a member of your household staff?

Huh? Oh. I guess? We took in three Elves a while ago and Lord Ainz gave them jobs. Theyre pretty annoying

Ah, them. I recall you mentioning that before.

Mhm.

Ludmila took her boots over to a table near the middle of the room. She pulled out a chair and sat down, then felt an odd sensation as the piece of furniture grew to fit her.

About my fainting, Ludmila said as she pulled on a boot. Are other Undead not affected by His Majestys presence?

Lord Mare looked up from his book, a tiny frown crossing his lips.

There was something that Shalltear said back whenoh. But can that make the Undead faint? I dont remember there being any status effects like that

From what Ive seen, Ludmila said, different types of Undead are affected by His Majestys presence in different ways. The Elder Liches of the Katze Cabal, for instance, are filled with awe. Lady Shalltears handmaidens seem to experience something similar to their mistress. There arent many other examples that I know of yet, but I think that each type of Undead is affected differently.

If she were to broadly describe it, the Undead became more alive in the ways that suited them in the Sorcerer Kings presence, displaying reactions generally reserved for the living.

Hehthats interesting, Lord Mare said. I should ask Yuri about it.

Ludmila pulled on her other boot.

I wouldnt recommend that, my lord, Ludmila said. Miss Alpha is a stern woman

Lord Mare seemed to shrink in on himself as if imagining what the director might do to him. Ludmila had heard some stories from Liam and Saye, but, aside from nearly punching a hole in a classroom wall, nothing the Orphanage Director did seemed that extreme.

She fished a mirror out of her Infinite Haversack and placed it on the table. Strangely, her ordeals hadnt left much of a mess aside from a bit of grime collected while making her way around the Second Floor.

Have you heard anything from Lady Shalltear, my lord?

No. Want me to contact her for you?Rread latest chapters at n/ov(e)lbin(.)co/m

lets not.

Ludmila put her things away and went over to the window. They were in a meadow surrounded by tall woodland and only some of the vegetation looked familiar.

Ive seen some of these plants before, she said. Arent they the ones youve placed in Glasirs keeping?

Yeah, Lord Mare replied. Things are going well in Wardens Vale, so Im hoping that we can introduce more soon.

Speaking of whichone of those plants ate a pair of socks the other day, are we going to have to worry about plants going into peoples dressers and eating peoples clothing?

They broke into someones house and ate their socks?

Not exactly, my lord, Ludmila said. The Linum sisters like the feel of the grass under their bare feet and one of them left their socks in the hall. We learned, too late, that at least one of those plants can devour fabric.

Glasir will have to speak with the plants about it, Lord Mare told her. They should listen to her, but let me know if they dont.

Outside, the starry night was abruptly replaced by a sunny day. Practically speaking, it didnt make any difference to Ludmila, but the idea that day and night could be switched so casually was mind-boggling.

Mind-boggling and problematic. Doesnt doing this interfere with natural cycles?

A second observer joined the first at the door. Ludmila backed away from the window.

I shouldnt impose on you any longer, my lord, she said. Out of curiosity, how far is your territory from Lady Shalltears?

Umthree floors?

Three floors?

Un. This is the Sixth Floor. Shalltears lowest Floor is the Third.

Did that mean they were even deeper underground? Was the scenery outside of the window something like a highly advanced version of the underground farms she was building in her demesne? An underground forest? If so, she was falling far short of the Sorcerer Kings expectations when he had first explained the concept to her. She would have to realign her vision to more closely match what she had seen.

Another face appeared at the door. Lord Mare closed the book on his lap and tossed it on his pillow.

We should go, he said.

The door swung open. Three Elf women in maid uniforms rushed into the room.

You mustnt, Lord Mare! The pink-haired one said.

Humans are dangerous! Said the blue-haired one.

Shell turn you into a slave! The last, a blonde with short-cropped hair cried.

Lord Mare turned his head to look up at Ludmila.

Y-Youre going to turn me into a slave? He asked.

Slavery is illegal in the Sorcerous Kingdom, my lord, Ludmila answered.

See? She dodged the question! We wont let you turn Lord Mare into your toy!

Lord Mare wandered off as he spoke, bringing them to a barren-looking field halfway along the path to the village. He gestured with his staff to the huge rosette of leaves in the centre.

It looks like a carrot, Ludmila said. At least if carrots grew to that size.

It is a carrot, Lord Mare told her. At least a carrot that grew to that size.

The Dark Elf boy shrank away slightly as Ludmila peered at him. His three Maids immediately sprang into action, forming a barrier of bodies between them.

Dont bully Lord Mare!

Such disrespect!

Lord Mare, please punish this insolent Human!

Ludmila turned her gaze back to the carrot. Only its top was sticking out of the ground. Going just by what she saw, however, it was at least as large as an adult Human.

Is this some foreign breed of carrot? She asked, A magical carrot, perhaps?

No, its just a regular carrot, Lord Mare answered. We had some of the plant-type Heteromorphs infuse the carrot with nutrients using their special abilities. After a certain point, it transformed into that carrot.

Thats quite impressive, Ludmila said. I knew that magic could stimulate plant growth, but not to that degree.

It was by now well known amongst the Farmers of the Sorcerous Kingdom that the spells used on their crops resulted in yields that were half again that what they once considered a bumper crop, but it didnt result in any produce even remotely approaching the scale before them.

Were not sure what happened, either, Lord Mare squeezed out from between his Maids to stand beside Ludmila again. One second, it was a regular carrot. The next, it became that thing.

How strangewait, what?

I-I said it transformed, didnt I?

I thought it was a figure of speech, Ludmila said. Is the carrot edible?

It should be, Lord Mare replied. Theyre still performing tests on the carrot and the field that its in. Divination spells say that its just a big, high-quality carrot. It doesnt have any magical effects and there isnt anything toxic to Humans in it.

If prepared properly, Ludmila said, this is enough carrot for an entire village. The field that it grew in isnt looking so great, either. How large would it be if it had good soil to grow in?

A-Actually, the field is like this because of the carrot.

Ludmila examined the pitiful-looking parcel of land. It looked like the result of a foolish Farmer who didnt rotate their crops properly out of blind greed.

That doesnt make any sense, my lord, Ludmila said. A single carrot doesnt have such an extensive root system.

Yeah, Lord Mare agreed, thats a part of why were not sure whats going on here. This soil cant be used again until it's been left fallow for long enough or we use magic to replenish its nutrients. The only thing I can think of that explains whats going on is that youre limited to a single carrot of this size per field.

Is it worth it?

The Dark Elf shook his head.

Based on what we have available to us, its not economically viable. You need specialists to induce the transformation of each carrot and then you need someone to restore the land. The overall mana efficiency is just bad. Were still repeating the experiment to try and figure out the principles behind it, but the participants arent very well-versed in magical theory. Theyre just plant Heteromorphs using their natural abilities.

It may be worth it if applied to a higher-tier crop, Ludmila mused.

I-I think so, too. Its going to take time to find out, though. The people here arent skilled enough to cultivate Second-tier crops yet.

What level do they have to be for that?

As far as I know, Lord Mare said, they should follow the same rules as other production Job Classes. It feels really hard to level Farmers, though. Its been two years and they still keep failing.

Is that something that can fail, my lord? It isnt as if Farmers are necessary for plants to exist. So long as it has the right conditions for growth, a plant should thrive on its own. Lady Shalltears demesne had multiple crops growing here and there with little in the way of supervision or expertise.

Thats because they were set up to grow there, Lord Mare told her. The Green Hole is cultivated from scratch by its tenants. You may be onto something about needing the right conditions, though. Ill have to read up on it.

They left the strange carrot and continued on their way to the nearby village. The residents a few dozen Lizardmen came out to greet Lord Mare as they stepped into the village square.

Welcome, Lord Mare, a dark brown male came forward with a bow, is there something we can do for you today?

Im just showing Baroness Zahradnik around, Lord Mare replied. How come youre not at the festival?

Things wound down after the stage production, the Lizardman said. We figured we could take a nap or something before the fights tonight.

Oh. Okay. Were going through to the other side. Bye.

The Lizardmen bowed deeply as Lord Mare continued on his way. Several minutes of walking brought them into the orchard tended by Treants and Dryads that she had seen from a distance. The nearest Treant ambled forward to greet them with a creaky nod and the Dryad riding on his shoulder hopped down to genuflect before Lord Mare.

Good afternoon, Lord Mare, she said. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?

Ludmila noted the sterile construction of the Dryads greeting, wondering what it was she had actually said.

Were just looking around, Lord Mare replied. This is Baroness Ludmila Zahradnik, one of Shalltears new Area Guardians.

The Dryad rose to her feet and dusted off her knee, looking up at Ludmila curiously. Much like Glasir, she had the supernatural charm of her kind, though her features were that of the Oak trees more commonly associated with Dryads in folklore.

You look like a Human, the Dryad said, buthave we met before? In the Dream Between Wakings, perhaps?

Im sorry, Ludmila replied, I dont know what youre referring to. Would you mind explaining what that is?

Oh. UhIm not sure how to explain it? We Dryads awaken into existence. The time between existences is the Dream Between Wakings, I guess?

Are you talking about some sort of Dryad afterlife?

No? Well, maybe? Its just where everyone goes between cycles of existence. Its after one, before another, and between all of them.

Had she tripped over some strange aspect of Dryad religion? Glasir had never mentioned anything of the sort. After a moments thought, Ludmila decided that it wasnt all that strange. One could say that the world was built out of countless interrelated cycles. Druids, Rangers, and beings that were close to nature were keenly aware of those cycles, incorporating them into their activities and outlook on life in general.

Are you saying that we persist after death and eventually awaken as a new existence? Ludmila asked.

Probably.

What do you mean probably?

Ludmila sent a questioning look in Lord Mares direction. The Dark Elf Druid shrugged.

It makes sense to me, he said. Whenever I die, I just wait for Lord Ainz to call me back. Im not sure if anything happens between, though.

If he put it that way, it made a bit more sense. Surshana determined the fate of ones soul, after all.

I didnt know that Dryads saw things that way, Ludmila said. Thats very interesting, erm

The Dryad stared at Ludmila as her voice trailed off.

Its Pinison, Lord Mare said.

Me? Oh, yes. I am Pinison. Pinison Pol Perlia, Chief of the Green Hole.

Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Chief Perlia, Ludmila replied. Does that mean youre the Area Guardian of the Green Hole?

The Green Hole isnt an actual Area, Lord Mare told her. Its technically a part of the Field of Flowers, but the Field of Flowers doesnt have an Area Guardian. Pinison was the first person to move here, so she put herself in charge of everyone else.

I seedoes that make her a Dryad Lord?

Me? A Lord? Well, theres an Alraune Lord, so maybe theres a Dryad Lord?

For some reason, Chief Perlia let out an unsteady laugh. Ludmila fervently prayed that Glasir wouldnt grow up to be like her.