Hilma Cygnaeus

Hilma Cygnaeus (ヒルマ・シュグネウス) is the leader of the drug trade department of the criminal organization Eight Fingers.
== Appearance ==
Hilma is described as a woman with sickly pale skin who wears white clothing. She has a snake tattoo that crawls down her right arm starting from her shoulder blades and holds a pipe that gives off poisonous, purple fumes. She also wears purple mascara and lipstick, as well as thin garments that gave her the decadent aura of a high-class prostitute. However, after being tortured by Kyouhukou, she was traumatized and would later lose the ability to eat solid food, which caused her to become extremely thin. She now looks like an old lady rather than a "high-class prostitute."
== Personality ==
Before her ill-fated run-in with Nazarick, Hilma was a proud of being a high-class prostitute and used those skills of hers to blackmail the nobles, along with other people in power, to the service of Eight Fingers. After Hilma was interrogated by Kyouhukou, she became a miserable woman who has become mentally broken and in constant despair from the horrible torture she has suffered, to the point that simply asking about her experiences causes her to feel sick. She would go so far as to betray her comrades in Eight Fingers and has become utterly subservient to Nazarick.
Ironically, Hilma's experiences of being tortured and put to work under Nazarick actually made her a much more humble person and more empathetic towards the suffering of others. This was the case when Hilma was able to actually empathize with others who have gone through similar suffering as herself. Due to this torturous turn of events that had happened to her alongside them, she now sees her fellow Eight Fingers executives as no longer rivals or potential enemies. Rather, she considers her colleagues as actual comrades and friends in arms instead of rivals, leading Hilma to become much less brutal, manipulative, and cruel to her subordinates. Hilma's sudden change in demeanor actually shocked Christopher Olson on how understanding she was during his meeting with her and the other leaders of Eight Fingers, a way of thinking in stark contrast to her previous behavior.
Upon actually meeting the Sorcerer King, Hilma came to become genuinely loyal to him due to seeing how respectful and rational minded he was in comparison to his servants who simply enjoyed tormenting humans. This made Hilma admire him and consider him a merciful leader who would treat her immensely well if she does well in her tasks, thus making her more motivated to accomplish her work with a new zeal. Hilma herself is shown to have now seemingly developed the same religious faith the NPC's of Nazarick have towards Ainz.
== Background ==
Hilma was a former high-class prostitute who used her skills and intelligence to climb to the top of the underworld. After becoming the head of the drug dealing department, she started building ties with the first sons of noble houses, who had status and connections, but were powerless in politics and economically dependent of the head of their house. She lured them to the parties at her mansion and offered a place where they could satisfy their egos, along with drugs and beautiful women. That way, Hilma waited until they ascended to the power, then used their relationship to blackmail the nobles and put them under her control.
== Chronology ==
=== The Men in the Kingdom Arc ===
 and The Men in the Kingdom II Arc
Hilma and the other executives of Eight Fingers meet in an undisclosed location to discuss various issues affecting the organization; one of which being the attacks on her drug trade department, but they don't yet know who the perpetrators are. Zero offers to lend a hand to Hilma, but she turns down his offer and continues their meeting with the assembly discussing the newest adamantite adventurer team, Darkness.Overlord Volume 05 Chapter 2: Blue Rose
Later, Hilma's mansion is attacked by Nazarick during the Demonic Disturbance (itself a cover for Nazarick to capture her). After waking up and encountering the intruders, she attempts to attack Mare Bello Fiore with her Viper’s Tattoo, but Mare easily crushes it with his bare-hand.Overlord Volume 06 Chapter 9: Jaldabaoth She is then crippled by Mare, taken to the Black Capsule, and tortured by Kyouhukou. As a result of the torture, she willingly betrays the Eight Fingers by revealing their meeting place to Aura Bella Fiora.Overlord Volume 06 Epilogue
=== The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc ===
Since the Eight Fingers raid, she has been unable to eat solid food and has become thin and frail. Hilma helps Philip organize a ball in the Royal Capital, but because his family lacked the resources needed to organize a ball, Philip accepts her offer to rent a large estate and invite guests to entertain Albedo.
In truth, she is just using him and the rest of the new noble faction as a means to further destabilize the noble faction and cripple the royal government even further as preparations for the Kingdom's annexation under Albedo's orders.Overlord Volume 10 Chapter 2: Re-Estize Kingdom
=== The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc ===
Hilma's tutelage of her ward, Philip, has taken a toll on her mentally. When word spread that Ainz Ooal Gown was dead, Philip believed that he would be able to marry Albedo and, in doing so, take over the Sorcerer Kingdom. His sheer idiocy causes her to wail on the floor in front of her colleagues. Her comrades attempt to console her and urge her to continue, though the former prostitute still demanded a transfer from her assignment.Overlord Volume 13 Intermission
=== The Witch of the Falling Kingdom Arc ===
Hilma is dragged to a summon by two Death Knights under orders from Albedo to clarify why the incident with the carriages happened and whether she had any knowledge of it Ainz, using [Dominate] on her, was able to clarify that she had no knowledge of the operation that was carried out by the noble under her charge, all the while trembling in terror and stuttering her words in fear of her life.
Since she did not willingly betray them or had no prior knowledge, she is given mercy and spared from any harsh treatment. Hilma is instead ordered to come up with solutions to rectify the problems that have occurred as a result of the noble's action under her charge. Hilma then bows her head to the floor, thanking Ainz for his mercy, continues to swear her undying allegiance to him, and leaves the room immediately to carry out her new assignments.
Upon being transported to Noah Zweden’s mansion, Hilma is quickly confronted by her colleagues, who had arrived out of concern for her well-being. However, she reassures that nothing bad has happened to her like last time. She informs her colleagues that the Sorcerer King is not as terrifying as she thought he would be, but a master who they can reason with and be given mercy from. She encourages everyone to work even harder for the Sorcerer King and show loyalty to their master from now on. Afterwards, she begins seeking assistance from various sources for the task she had been given by the Sorcerer King.Overlord Volume 14 Chapter 1: An Unexpected Move
Later, when the Sorcerer Kingdom have begun their march towards Re-Estize. Hilma and the other Executives are ordered to choose about a thousand people from the Kingdom to be spared and taken to a safe location. While they wait with their followers in one of their mansions for an envoy to extract them, the other Executives become worried that they would not be rescued before the Kingdom's destruction. Hilma remains stead-fast in her conviction that the Sorcerer King will send someone for them. After Cocco Doll is brought into the room, the former notices their odd behavior and appearances and wonders if they are impostors or planning to kill him. When they refuse to respond, it made him all more suspicious. Hilma does not deny anything. After Shalltear Bloodfallen arrives and takes the Executives and their followers to a new village in the Sorcerer Kingdom, Cocco Doll is taken away by the Floor Guardian. Hilma, knowing what fate awaited him, quietly apologizes to her colleague. Though she and the rest of her friends know that Cocco Doll's fate is unavoidable, they believe that he will survive and join them.Overlord Volume 14 Chapter 4: Well-Prepared Traps
=== Mass for the Dead Arc===
After the Catastrophe and the emergence of the Cracks, Eight Fingers disbanded due to the crack down on all illegal activity by the nobles. Hilma later reformed and relocated to E-Rantel and gained a high-ranking position at the Pharmacist's Guild thanks to her knowledge on drugs. She would later return to Re-Estize and tried to invite her former colleague Zero and Six Arms to work as mercenaries at the city, but her offer was declined.Memory of Chaos: Zero 
Hilma's reputation as a former Executive of Eight Fingers would still linger among the populace of E-Rantel though she continued to use her skills for the city. The protagonist and his team were later hired by Hilma to retrieve soil samples from Carne Village to allow for the creation of a herb cultivation project that Hilma was working on with Lizzie Bareare. Later Hilma and the protagonist were brought before the city officials of E-Rantel. Due to the abnormal rise in the numbers of Sanitary Slimes and their aggression, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra suspected that Hilma was responsible for the change, as the slimes contained heavy doses of alchemical solution which could only be accessed by a high ranking member of the Pharmacist's Guild. Given Hilma's shady past suspicion was cast over her and the protagonist own history of obtaining herbs for her were also brought to light. Hilma maintained that she was innocent stating her current project kept her busy from even concocting such a devious plan. It was determined that Hilma was telling the truth as the rising numbers of slimes was just as accident. The slimes were being feed runoff water that originated from her herb cultivation field which caused their aggressive mutation.Mass for the Dead Chapter 05: Platinum Adventurer
After the second summit of the Tripartite Alliance, Hilma delivered herbs requested by Lizzie. When she inquired the need for such materials, Lizzie declined to offer a reason, though the former criminal suspected that the herbs were being gathered in anticipation for someone very important and in dire need for medical attention.Mass for the Dead Chapter 09: Evil Darkness
Hilma would also provide information on one of her former associates Cocco Doll, who had become a crime boss of the Black Market. She provided the authorities led by Saint Clementine on his illicit operation allowing them to arrest him and eliminate the corruption in E-Rantel.Mass for the Dead Special Event: Steel Butler and the Darkness of the Black Market
== Abilities and Powers ==
As one of the top executives of Eight Fingers, Hilma has full authority in the drug trade department and is able to do as she pleases in the organization relating to the drug trade. She is also one of the few capable of correctly perceiving Mare's gender, despite how the latter's appearance and clothing make him look like a girl. Hilma can tell a person’s inner thoughts by the fluctuations in their voice, their expressions, and their partialities. This wasn't some unusual ability, but just something she had picked up over time with experience on the job.
More so, due to Hilma's way of carefully manipulating and blackmailing those in her parties and festivities to entertain the Kingdom's nobility and first born heirs in order to gain leverage over them, Hilma has successfully gained immense secret political power over the Kingdom's hierarchy. In a way, Hilma happens to hold quite an immense influence and resources within both the Re-Estize Kingdom's official government and its various underground organizations. This can be indicated as she possessed enough power to skillfully arrange and create a New Faction for the Sorcerer Kingdom without many being able to tell that she was the true leader, founder, and power behind the faction. Hilma also possesses enough resources to easily acquire high level equipment with little trouble, as seen where she gave Philip a new set of high level armor.
=== Main Equipment ===
* Viper's Tattoo: A magic snake tattoo that can materialize and come to life to attack at the wearer's command, the snake would then inject powerful toxins to kill its victim.
== Relationships ==
=== Eight Fingers ===
Like other executives of Eight Fingers, Hilma uses other executives as a way to promote their own power within the Eight Fingers and the Kingdom. However, due to differing views, Hilma had no qualms about selling them out to Nazarick if it was to end the suffering of torture.
After becoming slaves of Nazarick, all of them started to view each other as true friends who have endured the same pain and are bounded to the same fate, showing that the other executives have forgiven Hilma for selling them out, understanding the consequences of defying the Nazarick's inhabitants. As shown after Hilma’s interrogation regarding her charge’s foolish actions, the other executives showcase genuine concern for her and are glad that she was sparred.
=== Ampetif Cocco Doll ===
Even prior to being enslaved by Nazarick, Hilma has always possessed a friendly relationship with her fellow Eight Finger Leader, Coco Doll, due to their similar backgrounds. She also had a prior relationship with him in presumably the prostitution industry, where the two work together to reach their individual goals prior to joining the Eight Finger executives. He refers to their relationship as one of "Partners".
Later, after he is liberated from prison and saved by Eight Fingers during the final Siege on the Royal Capital in the Fall of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Coco Doll is able to immediately notice that something is wrong with Hilma due to her incredibly skinny frame and deeming it impossible that she would starve herself that much due to knowing how much effort she places in looking "elegant", further emphasizing their close relationship. Later, Hilma feels guilty at not been having been able to save him being dragged off by Shalltear to have his "Black Baptism" and is later hopeful that he would survive and join them in becoming servants (slaves) to Nazarick.
=== Philip Dayton L'Eyre Montserrat ===
Philip was one of the newly promoted nobles whom Hilma manipulated by feeding his ego. Because of his delusional behavior and naivety, she viewed him as the "ultimate fool." At the same time, the foolish noble was a great source of frustration and distress to Hilma, since she feared that the idiotic acts of Philip would cost her her life too.
Her fears would later prove themselves to be justified, as thanks to his foolish actions in attacking the supply caravan meant for the Holy Kingdom, she was summoned by Albedo and brought before Ainz to explain Philip's actions. However, upon her appearing completely clueless about what action she was charged for and her own dumbfounded expression at the situation, Hilma herself was nearly sentenced to being tortured to death by the Sorcerer King's aids, causing her to curse Philip due to his stupidity. But, in the end, she was spared harsh reprisal thanks to Ainz's mercy. Eventually, upon the Final Siege to the Royal Capital and Hilma having successfully evacuated the Royal Capital with her subordinates, their families, and her friends, Hilma was shown to have now completely abandoned and forgotten about Philip as she left him to his fate.
=== Albedo ===
Albedo is the one to whom Hilma reports directly on the Eight Finger's operations. Hilma's view of her, like all members of Nazarick, is of one absolute terror. Hilma is especially careful to avoid upsetting Albedo, to the point where she doesn't even think about telling her about Philip's idea of marrying her, for fear of what Albedo might do.
=== Ainz Ooal Gown ===
The Sorcerer King is her master, and thus she respects, but also greatly fears him. When she was brought in for interrogation in front of him, all Hilma could do was cower in fear and did everything in her power to keep herself alive, as she was certain he would kill her for the actions of the noble under her. However, Ainz showed her mercy and, in doing so, she felt very thankful for his mercy and has further strengthened her loyalty and allegiance to him. Hilma is looking to try her very best to make it so that she and her companions could become direct subordinates under the Sorcerer King. She views him as the type of master who would reward someone based on their performance and not treat his subordinates unreasonably.
== Trivia ==
* Hilma couldn't eat solid food after being tortured by Kyouhukou and, thus, her body became weak. This is most likely because the torture involved Kyouhukou having her organs eaten from the inside by his carnivorous roaches. Hilma makes several references, such as the things sliding down her throat, when she remembers the torture.
* Her division was one of the most, if not the most, powerful and profitable of Eight Fingers.
== Quotes ==
* (To the Executive): "Yep, it's true, a village that was used as a production plant. Cost me a pretty penny too. I might cut down on distribution."
* (To Aura): "W-wait! Not me, right? I helped you, didn't I?! Please! I'm begging you! I can't take it! I can't take it any more!"
* (To Aura): "G-got it! Leave it to me! We can definitely make something useful of them!"
* (To Philip concerning her health): "It's not like that. The fact is, I can no longer eat solid food, so I can only consume drink, and I can't take in too much either...yes. Please, do not worry. I will have someone use healing magic if it's because of an illness."
* (To Albedo about Philip): "He did nothing, but believes that he's the only special one. He has truly reached the ultimate level of incompetence."
* (To her colleague about Philip): "–I've had it! Swap with me! I need to watch that idiot’s movements! My stomach hurts! What the hell's wrong with him! I lose my mind around idiots!"
* (To her colleague): "If that were all, my stomach wouldn't hurt like this! He, he said that if he married Albedo-sama, he would be able to inherit the Sorcerer Kingdom!"
* (To her colleague): "Oi oi oi! We were ordered to prepare an idiot, but why don't we just kill him off? Wouldn't it be better to prepare a more suitable idiot!?"
* (To her colleagues about the Sorcerer King): "His Majesty was...his Majesty was truly a reasonable master. Not only was he tolerant of my failures, but he was also merciful in his ruling."
* (To her colleagues): "I didn't think that I would be returning alive too, the reason why I could return without a scratch was because of our master. His Majesty the Sorcerer King — truly someone fit to be called a king. If our master wasn’t there..."
* (To her colleagues): "That’s right. Though our master is of the undead, he embodies justice and mercy. Even when he's being callous, he isn’t being cruel. After all, the consequence of failure is punishment. He could have killed me to send a message to you all, but his Majesty did not do so."
* (To her colleagues): "I hope his Majesty the Sorcerer King will remain with us forever. If it was our master, he would have..."
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