The strongest… or one of them, anyway.
Before crossing into this world, she'd vaguely learned her power was among the strongest. But if it was just "among," that meant there were others on the same level.
Could that Ainz Ooal Gown guy be one of them? EeDechi ran her fingers along her giant sword, muttering to herself.
In the lavish palace hall, the ground around her was a charred mess—strewn with spell runes, flames, iron arrows, and ice spikes.
This was the wreckage left by the barrage of attack spells the court mages had unleashed moments ago. The marble floor was scorched with pitch-black holes, yet she stood there without a scratch.
"The Imperial Four Knights—big deal, huh?" Disappointment flickered in EeDechi's dark eyes. No wonder Baharuth rolled over and became a lapdog for the Sorcerer Kingdom. Human strength was just too damn weak.
The three knights who'd come at her full of bloodlust were now sprawled in the hall's corners, groaning. Each had a gaping tear in their armor, leaking pain.
Their Justice Value wasn't half-bad, so EeDechi hadn't gone for the kill. Still, they wouldn't be fighting again anytime soon.
Baziwood, one of the trio, was pale as a ghost. His fancy Adamantite armor sported a massive dent. He gripped his greatsword, trying to stand, but only managed to prop himself up on one knee.
EeDechi didn't spare him a glance. She swung her giant sword casually and strode toward the crumbling line of guards ahead. The soldiers fanning out around her could barely hold their shields and spears steady. Their eyes were wide with terror, and their Adamantite armor rattled as they stumbled back.
Emperor Jircniv, who'd been lounging on the throne like he had all the time in the world, shot to his feet. His handsome face was now pale, eyes unfocused, and his voice quivered as he spoke. "Warrior, please spare them. If Lord Gown wants my life, he only needs to take me out. Don't hurt my people or my men."
"Your Majesty! Don't say that! We're just too damn weak to protect you…" Baziwood, one of the Imperial Four Knights, gritted his teeth in frustration, struggling to get up.
EeDechi stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking puzzled. "Who's this Lord Gown?"
Jircniv stared for a moment and said, "The unparalleled God of Destruction, the most powerful Magic Caster, the Eternal Emperor of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Writer of Magical Rules, the Master of Time and Space, the King of the Undead...…"
EeDeChi was taken aback, "So many people!"
Jircniv continued to recite with the air of an actor performing in an opera, "...the One who Controls the World, the Supreme Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Great and Supreme Overlord—Ainz Ooal Gown!"
"So, it was the esteemed Lord Gown who sent you, right?" Jircniv asked, testing the waters. He figured a badass who could toss the Imperial Four Knights around and yank him by the collar onto his throne had to be one of Ainz's crew.
"Oh, you mean Ainz Ooal Gown? His name's got that many prefixes?" EeDechi nodded, finally getting it.
What she didn't know was that this over-the-top praise had been cooked up by Baharuth's literary minister over three grueling days, all just to kiss Ainz's ass hard enough.
"I wasn't sent by Ainz Ooal Gown. Hell, I've never even laid eyes on the guy," EeDechi said with a wave of her hand. "And honestly, I'm here to take him down."
"Take down… Lord Gown?" Jircniv sucked in a sharp breath, his voice shaky. "What do you mean by 'take him down'?"
"Means if I can kill him, I'll kill him. If I can't, I'll fix him up," EeDechi explained, cool as a cucumber.
Jircniv stumbled back two steps and plopped back onto his throne. He pressed a hand to his head, thoughts racing like lightning.
"But before I deal with him, I've got some business with you," EeDechi said, striding up to the throne with her sword in hand, locking eyes with Jircniv.
Jircniv snapped out of his mental whirlwind. He looked up, meeting EeDechi's hard stare. A weak smile tugged at the corners of his pale face.
He barked an order at the trembling guards huddled together in the hall. "Everyone, out! Knights, get your asses to the court priests for healing. No one comes back in without my say-so!"
The guards and court Magic Casters grabbed their weapons, hauled the wheezing Imperial Four Knights, and shuffled out of the palace one by one. The massive doors creaked shut, leaving the sprawling hall empty again—just Jircniv and EeDechi.
Perched on his throne, Jircniv leaned forward slightly, bowing his head in a groveling stance. "Warrior, whatever you want, just name it."
EeDechi didn't beat around the bush. "I want you to change the law. Ban prostitution for anyone under 18. Plus, tighten the leash on the red-light districts—run a crackdown on prostitution campaign once a year."
"Crackdown on prostitution?" Jircniv blinked, confused. "And wait, isn't 16 the age of adulthood?"
Most nations and tribes in this world set the line for adulthood at 16, or even 14. After all, most boys and girls have to step up and start providing for their families early.
EeDechi's eyes widened, her face twisting with anger. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
"NO! NO!" Jircniv caught the pissed-off vibe from the fiery girl in front of him and quickly backpedaled. "I can tweak another law—make 18 the age of adulthood."
"Not bad. You're a sharp kid who knows how to read the room," EeDechi said, nodding with approval.
"Anything else you need, uh, ma'am?" Emperor Jircniv asked cautiously.
EeDechi stared at the top of Jircniv's head. In her vision, a number hovered above him: -52. That was the emperor's Justice Value.
"Hmm… yeah, one more thing," EeDechi said, reaching into her coat and pulling out a thin, golden stick—a pen. She aimed the pen right at Jircniv's head. Its sharp, slender tip glinted with a golden sheen.
"What the hell is that? What are you doing?" the emperor asked, a hint of panic creeping into his voice.
"This little guy's called Modify. It's my personal magic gadget," EeDechi muttered to herself. "Been a while since I last used it.
"Besides helping me cast the Magic Repeater, its big trick is tweaking people's Justice Value. This pen generates 2 points of Justice Value a day, up to a max of 500 stored points. I can dump those points into someone else—the weaker they are, the better it works."
Jircniv stared at the sharp tip of the golden pen, aimed right at his forehead, less than 8 inches(20.32centimeters ) away. A faint golden glint flickered at the point.
For no damn reason, a chill of fear hit him, and he started to rise from the throne.
EeDechi slammed a hand down on his head, her tone dead serious. "Don't squirm, kid. As an emperor, your Justice Value's only at -52—way too low. I've scraped together 132 points, and I'm dumping them all into you."
"Relax,I am coming." She muttered some words, and the pen burst forth with a golden light that shot straight into Jircniv's forehead!
"Now your Justice Value's at 79," EeDechi said, nodding as she checked the number floating above his head. "With that imperial aura shielding you, it only ate up 1 point. Not bad."
Jircniv felt a warm surge churning through his brain, but it settled down quick. He nervously checked himself over—no missing limbs or organs, and his mind seemed intact. He let out a long, relieved breath.
EeDechi tucked the pen away, gave Jircniv's shoulder a solid pat, and said in a pep-talk tone, "Keep up the good work, kid. You're a solid emperor—I've got high hopes for you. Just remember: don't go hiring any undead with a Justice Value of -500. That shit'll mess with your personality over time."
"I… haven't hired any… have I?" Jircniv mumbled, totally thrown, but he didn't dare push back.
The black-haired girl with a slightly mature demeanor strapped the giant sword back onto her back and walked out of the palace.
"Warrior, where are you headed?" Jircniv blurted out, stunned. Did she really storm the imperial palace, hold him hostage, and beat the crap out of the Four Knights just to make him tweak the laws and stop kids and teens from selling their bodies?
"I've got a ton on my plate. First, I need to track down where my crew's at, then I'm off to find Ainz Ooal Gown and make him hand over a girl, no fuss," EeDechi said without looking back. She kicked the palace doors wide open, took three steps in two leaps, and vanished into the palace grounds.
Jircniv slumped back in his throne, his taut nerves finally unwinding as his body deflated. He propped his elbow on his head, thinking hard and cool-headed. After a long stretch, a light bulb seemed to go off, and he smirked to himself. "Heroes these days sure have some wild personalities."
A mop of messy white hair peeked cautiously around the palace doors, scoping out the scene. Once sure the lady bandit was gone, the white-haired figure tiptoed inside.
He stared at Jircniv on the throne for a good while, then let out a relieved breath when he saw the emperor was still in one piece.
Jircniv looked up and recognized Justin, the empire's state minister. One of the few veteran cabinet members left, Justin had been his tutor back when Jircniv was just a prince, and they'd built a pretty tight bond.
Justin bowed low to Emperor Jircniv. "Your Majesty, we've confirmed it. That crazy bandit chick is the one who torched a noble's mansion in the southwest district of the capital last night and beat a count to death. The empire put out a citywide manhunt for her last night. Lucky for us, she hasn't totally lost her marbles and didn't lay a finger on you…"
Jircniv eyed the minister's trembling white beard, waved a hand, and chuckled. "Justin, when I was a kid, you told me all those stories about heroes slaying dragons—like the Thirteen Heroes. A badass warrior, with a king's help, fights tooth and nail to kill a dragon, save a princess, or take down a demon king to save the world.
"Back then, I dreamed of being a hero, leaving behind a fearless legend that'd live on forever. Never thought I'd end up not as the hero, but as the king."
"Your Majesty, leading the empire's people and soldiers is your birthright. Heroes? That's just bedtime stories for kids," Justin said, a little rattled. He couldn't figure out what the emperor was getting at. Was Jircniv suddenly itching to play hero? If so, Justin was in deep shit.
Jircniv grinned. "If there's a demon king, there's gotta be a hero. She's the empire's shot at hope. As king, I should be hooking her up with weapons and magic gear, but with her skills, she'd probably scoff at anything in my treasury.
"Pass down my orders: cancel the manhunt for that bandit. And get the justice minister in here—I need to convene a meeting of the court as soon as possible!"