AN: So I re-read my previous edition of this yesterday and I agree I found it lacking, I really do appreciate everyone who pointed out the sudden changes and other inconsistencies, I was very happy to kind take a different direction with Raymond's character because I really do like him, and he'll be doing some things in upcoming chapters which make much more sense now, so thank you all for helping me, please keep reviewing and I'll see you all soon

-Learning

Chapter 14

The Cardinal of light had had his suspicions from the beginning, he had been privy to the thoughts and actions of Dominic before they came here and had helped him in trying to find a way to use [Downfall of Castle and Country], but his fellow Cardinal had been too hasty, he rushed and paid dearly for it.

'Damn it, Dominic, you should have told me from the beginning'

Worse still was the present situation, this summit was fast becoming a living nightmare for Yvon, everything was going to absolute shit and he could not contain the idea that this felt orchestrated, he was slowly and surely becoming extremely angry. As a follower of the six, he had a duty to stamp out evil wherever it reigned, he had the duty to uphold justice and deliver the people to salvation, and now he was staring down the very abyss of darkness, of that he was sure. He had thought that Dominic was rash, but what right did this creature have to give a Cardinal punishment, only the gods held that right, and while he thought this to himself he also knew that Dominic's actions had been inexcusable and his demeanour put the faith and the Theocracy to shame, or worse could have incited war with the Sorcerer King, an extremely dangerous idea… when done poorly, they needed to plan, Yvon was convinced now, nothing like this could be allowed to happen, it lessened the name of the Gods.

Yvon had been low born, his parents nothing more than common workers, but he had been born with a special talent for divine magic, his parents regarded him as a gift, they had always prayed to the gods, and they in their infinite power and mercy heard them. When Yvon was only 10 years old he could already cast second tier healing and divine magic spells, by the time he was 12 he could cast those of the third tier, this rapid growth quickly made him a star. His family heralded him has a blessing from the gods, and his village benefited greatly from him when the day came to join the priesthood he was more than willing to use his talents and let them flourish, he found himself advancing through the ranks with ease, his peers loved him, and his teachers even respected him, his piety and devotion was unmatched and his ability to cast now 5th tier spells made him indispensable. He was talented and devoted, and the gods worked through him, he could feel them when he cast his spells he could hear them when they gave him power and he could see all the good their light brought unto the world.

it was this connection to the gods which ensured that not a single part of him that was not absolutely infuriated by the taking of their national treasure, the holy relics were fundamental to the Theocracy both as a military component as well as a historical heritage. This 'vote' they had to take from them something so important was inexcusable and as he thought it over he only got angrier, he had long since made a list of the present members, the bastards who would try to cripple his Theocracy and undermine the will of the Gods.

As he thought more about how they had ended up in this situation, his rage grew almost out of control, Yvon had always believed in the practice of patience and goodwill to reflect the mercy and light of the six, their selfless actions should be held as inspiration for all, and so he did not like to get angry, he would repent for this sin later, but for now he needed to think, he needed to find a way for them to get [Downfall of Castle and Country] back and for a way to ensure these filthy creatures understood that the Theocracy was not to be trifled with.

They had all bit their tongues and been silent as reason after reason was laid for the thieving of their powerful weapon and he knew above all they were just greedy for this item, all of these damned monsters were, and while he was indeed angry, he still had to be cautious for the tales that were told about it, if this damned monster was right, then he also possessed something which could rival their gods weapon, and upon learning it was a so-called 'world item' he had been reaffirmed that the gods were indeed such, to be able to have such a powerful and divine artefact as their own, a fact which only deepened his hatred for all those involved with this ordeal.

Yvon had been sitting for a few minutes with his thoughts

'This is all your doing you damn bastard, you may have tricked some, but not all'

He had indeed been impressed with everything he had seen so far, he knew the technology here was wondrous, but he also knew that temptation was the weapon of evil. He saw as some of his peers seemed to be losing sight of the goal but this incident seemed to have made even them more cautious, something he could use to return them to see reason and to conceive a plan to deal with this creature and its insufferable minions. Yvon understood that at times Dominic may have been loud and rash, but he also knew that his friend was among the most devoted to the gods, among the most practised in their faith and had been trying to defend them from the entity known as the Sorcerer King,

'I will avenge you my friend, of that I promise'

He knew all this was true, and without a shadow of a doubt, he knew now they needed to act, he sought to find peace in it all, but nothing came to him, he would not allow himself or the Theocracy to abandon the gods, they would keep the faith even if it means facing oblivion. Yvon knew his being was powerful, but so what, he was convinced defying the gods was beyond this simple undead's power, and if they could not destroy him, then they would condemn him when they were all gone, he would not suffer to live in the same world, and he would make sure they all fought to save humanity and avenge all who had been tricked by this vile creature into the darkness.

Ainz was absolutely thrilled, he was so happy in fact that his emotional dampener had kicked in to calm him down, but still, the feeling lingered, which evidently he enjoyed in contrast to his normal anxious state. As he took the time to relish in this he had been just nodding along to the summit and the dealings which went on, he really didn't pay much attention to anything as he noted how much power was just acquired, any world class item was powerful and [Downfall of Castle and Country] was one he could use without worry of it being expended, but the thought brought with it some questions.

'I wonder what other world class items could be here?'

The thought began to spread in his mind and he did not want to think about the potential that some of the more powerful of the world items, especially any of the twenty, could show up and be used against him, anything like Ahura Mazda would be devastating to the entirety of Nazarick

'Perhaps I need to better research this type of possi….'

"Your Majesty, I wish to ask your thoughts a few matters"

He raised his head to indicate they can continue, the one who asked the question was the Prime Minister of the Dragon Kingdom, the man had not spoken much during the meeting other than giving his name, and while Ainz had nodded and said something he honestly couldn't remember it any more, so he chose to respond in gesture than in words, the man continued,

"I have been informed of some of the projects your majesty has embarked upon, please rely what your intentions are on this highway project, what is it you wish to accomplish?"

The question caught him a little off guard and he scrambled to think of something,

"Umu,"

He tried to sound contemplative, taking the time to enter one of his more regal poses in an attempt to at least by himself some more time.

"Imagine if you would a nation, one of the most critical components to the prosperity of any nation is how well it can manoeuvre itself, being able to transport goods and services quickly along its borders provides all regions with the support required to flourish and grow. The highway is meant to do just that when it is fully realized it will span the entirety of the Sorcerous, Baharuth, Re-Estize, and Aleblion Hills. Imagine people, goods, and more all moving in predetermined paths to major centres, cities can become larger, new areas can be discovered and most importantly, these routes will be safe, merchants and travellers need not worry of random monsters or bandits, that is the overall vision of the project. In another world, there was a saying: all roads lead to Rome; Rome was a prosperous metropolis of human innovation and technology, the hub of that world if you will, the saying was meant to convey that all routes in that world would lead to that prosperous centre."

"A human nation?"

The question was the first peep that escaped from anyone in the Theocracy corner, at the mention of a prosperous human nation they seemed very much interested at last, seeming to think this might work well with their dogma, the member continued with another question.

"This world you visited had a prosperous human nation?"

"Indeed, Rome was a jewel in the flow of time, their people made strides in art, history, arithmetic, sciences, astronomy, medicine, almost anything and everything under the stars, Rome was the birth of several innovative military concepts, they built aqueducts and waterways which allowed the entire city to be properly supplied with clean fresh water,"

The group was surprised, especially the dragonlords, with one saying

"And humans did this, what is this world?"

"Indeed they did, it was a planet called Earth, it is,... it was, beautiful."

There was sadness and bitterness in those words, and they all seemed to pick up on it,

"Was?"

"Indeed, it was,..."

Most of the group looked on interested, and he pulled himself to continue, there was hatred welling within him as memories began taking form and he had to remind himself that this was not that world something he would absolutely make sure of.

"Tell me, your people believe greatly in humanity, do you believe that if humans ruled this world it would be better?"

The question seemed to throw some of them off, there was a bit of visible warming within the Theocracy members, they had been extremely cold after the vote for their former item was taken and he could understand why then Ainz Ooal Gown had lost [Atlas], they had been devastated, and the group needed time before they could work as efficiently as before, Ainz pitted them and he thought that perhaps they would do well with the lessons his world had taught him, be thought a few of their members seemed very intelligent and would relish learning of mistakes they could avoid, eventually one of them ventured to answer.

"Yes, should humans gain control, we would finally be safe and become truly prosperous, any people need to have basic needs realized before they can continue to advance, regardless of where they are, and if we humans had control we could do very well for the world, far better world than any ruled by any..thing... Else."

Ainz was surprised by the poison in those words and he only reaffirmed himself that perhaps he should take over this world, they would all sooner kill themselves over petty reasons than truly get along.

"I see, well, unfortunately, it was not!" he rebuked

"The humans of that world had a glorious past, one of advancement and discovery, of growth the likes of which you could not imagine. They built wonders which lasted thousands of years, great structures out of stone and metal which could move without magic, they revolutionized the practice of medicines and even could cure many illnesses, they could produce food at rates which eliminate hunger entirely, but this did not last. It was a system built to provide equal prosperity, but it quickly turned into one of oppression, of forceful occupation and bureaucratic greed, people took each other for granted, the very ideals placed to help the citizen succeed turn upon them, and all that followed was suffering. When it was not enough for them, they turned upon their planet, letting loose the engines of death upon their world, polluting the skies and turning the water to poison." In this world, humans had no competition, no races which could challenge them, no dragons to oppress them, no demihumans to oppose them. They ruled over everything, and yet all of that was not enough, and in the end, nothing was left save for death and destruction."

As he talked more about this world, his world, he found that his emotional suppression engaged without his ever knowing, calming down he continued:

"I ask you, does that seem like a world which is better for anyone?"

There was a slight silence, he found without that other individual, the one who was surely enjoying his time here in Nazarick, people thought before they spoke, and to answer his question the Pontifex spoke.

"This world of humans you speak of is not ours, we are different" replied the Cardinal of Water

"I question if that is inherently true Cardinal, yes this world is different, this world is young, it is vibrant and alive, there is hope here, it is not too late, but understand, your tendencies are the same as theirs, your propensity for anger and violence is quite palpable. It was greed within the great nations which caused them to fall, within the Re-Estize Kingdom it was the actions of the few in power which sought to bring complete ruin to the whole, millions suffering for the aims of some who would never know their suffering."

"That kingdom's people deserved better, their system was corrupt and ineffective, we could all see that, but it does not imply that we humans are wrong"

"Than what of the Holy Kingdom, their people were being slaughtered by the droves, demons running amok, eating mother and child, old and young and yet the nobles of the south sat comfortably in their safe homes, their countrymen and peers dying as they slowly amassed some form of resistance, by the time they arrived the fighting was already done, is this complacency not the same, as well you speak as to the inefficiency they held but is your system not similar, without capable members, it will easy descend into chaos and corruption."

"We ensure that only those worthy can hold a seat among us," one of the Cardinals responded almost too quickly, sensing the opportunity, Ainz decided to be a dick and respond,

"Than how would you explain your other member, the one who attacked me?"

There was no response had at the words, and some of the delegations seemed angry at being reminded of the event, Ainz decided to continue with his prior point,

"Queen Draduillon, your people even now are suffering, dying by the thousands because of a more powerful nation, would you say they see you as fellow beings, as equals?"

The queen spoke: "No, absolutely not, the Beastmen consider us nothing more than food"

"It is because they are demi-humans, should we have power, more control, we could protect ourselves, survive, thrive and that is how it should be." responded the Cardinal of Darkness

"It is that mentality which brings suffering to life, that line of thinking which makes others nothing more than obstacles to be toppled. Pawns to be moved or even worse slaves to be bought and sold like livestock, the demihumans see you as food because they are more powerful, because they are strong, they can designate your place,"

Ainz looked at the Argland Dragonlords

"Your people ruled the world because they were more powerful, in that time, did you care for what was beneath you, even now, do you consider equal the myriad of other living beings within this world?"

The questions seemed to catch them by surprise, but the Worm Dragonlord responded before the others.

"No, our pride would not allow it"

He seemed to elaborate, and silence allowed him the time to think,

"Our people did rule the world, before the dawn of the Kings, and their massacre. In the Age of Dragons, we were beyond reason, we were forces of nature, unruly and unbound, doing and taking what we wish without regard. When this all came crashing down and out people nearly forced to extinction, much changed, I lost a great deal in the war with the Kings, more than simply my arm, we all did, but many of us decided to hide away from the world, to retain our pride as true dragonlords by believing we were above it all."

Ainz thanked him in his heart for his words, using the momentum he chose to drive home his vision,

"It is strength, power which allows one to place themselves above others, the Beastmen see you as less because they are more powerful, the dragons of old believed themselves to be more because they too were more powerful, and so too do you all now,"

he said looking at the Theocracy:

"Believing the world will be better when humans rule is not a change in the system, it is a continuation, one which leads to the same ruin. The purpose of the mighty is not always to rule, at times it is one's ability to look beyond their power to what avenue will bring peace that marks true might. In the conflict resultant of Jaldabaoth's rise, the entirety of the Holy Kingdom saw what it is when power is let run rampant, should I have wanted to, I could have already easily done something similar, dominated this world and impressed my strength upon all of you, and there would have been nothing to do about it"

As Ainz was speaking this his anxious mind had allowed his [Dispar Aura] to increase, the slight outline of a black halo beginning to appear around his form and with the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown equipped his presence made the entire room feel heavy, unbeknownst to him every single other creature in that room felt as if gravity was bearing down upon them, the weight of his unrestrained power bringing home his point that they would all be nothing but ants raging against a storm.

The guardians within the room all had felt this power before, it was the absolute might of their master manifest itself, they all thought this as shivers running across their bodies,

"So.. so why haven't you, or is the all part of the process, part of your plan?" the words crawled slowly out of the mouth of the Blue SKy Dragonlord, his hesitation and soft voice making him appear as small,

Ainz laughed at the comment

"No, not at all, should I do this than I too would fall within the same cycle, becoming nothing more than an oppressor, another demon to stain this world like those who came before me, and it would make me nothing better than a hypocrite"

"Than what are you here to do, what is your purpose?"

"It is the same as before, I wish to create something peaceful, that will last, a great thinker of my time once believed that the greatest threat to those living, is the fact they are alive."

The words clearly made some members of the room scared, believing that he was implying he would turn them all into the undead, a fat many thought was worse than death, fearing he would lose his audience Ainz quickly continued,

"Allow me to explain; to live is to struggle, against nature, against others, even against the gods,... ultimately to live is to struggle against death. To realise your own finality, and conceptualize a time when you will no longer exist, many see this as a reason to impress themselves upon others, if life is so final, than seek as much as you can while you are here. Those with wealth acquire more even at the expense of those without, those with power exercise it at times without restraint at the expense of the weak, this is not to say all are like this, look at the legendary Blue Roses, their reputation of fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves truly brings awe to even one such as I. Yet they are the exception, not the standard, to that I ask why?"

The Roses puckered up when called upon, the women brimming with pride at the compliment, Ainz continued,

"Life is too short for such struggles is it not, your existence fleeting from one moment to the next, so why to spend it in such haste, in such torment and violence, to harm and claw and drive others into desperation for your own gain. It is true life can be the very detriment to the idea of living, but it can also be the drive for existing, life is special because everything is more beautiful when you are domed, the whole world more vibrant when you know it will not last. I ask you if the stars only shone once every one thousand years, would it not be a spectacular endeavour. Would not the whole world stop and appreciate that glorious sight, If we can recognize this why then why can we not coexist. why should we not sue for peace, embrace our mortality and do the best we all can while we are here? If you wish to know from my eyes, all the differences which make demihumans and humanoid, are superficial, things which can easily be resolved with proper dialogue and honest intentions extended, and I believe my city and its myriad of wonderful citizens prove just that, so why not live in peace?"

He left the question to linger in the air, he could tell some people were considering it, others it seemed were already convinced and others still looked apathetic, namely the Elf King, Ainz reasoned he just didn't really care too much about peace

'So why did he come,... oh well I'll think on that later'

He took time to look at his handy work, the contemplation seemed to continue for quite a few minutes, the Dragon Queen asked,

"What is your place in this your Majesty?"

He thought for a moment, while it was true he wanted to bring peace, he did think too hard about what they would see him as, and while he knew many of his guardians would think he was playing everyone here for the fool, he wished to see this as an opportunity to actually bring a true peace to this world, to bring back the days of old, it was then an idea came to him, and as he spoke, he pieced together the thought,

"I wish to facilitate this change, I wish to help transition this world into what it can become, to ensure no such fate happens here where good people, regardless of race and background are not unjustly thrown to the wayside,"

"Is your goal not too idealistic and lofty?" the question seemed to come out of nowhere,

"Not at all, I believe this should be what we strive for as leaders, as those entrusted with the fate of our people, it is within our power to do so. In a previous world, there was an organization, a coalition of nations, a gathering of representatives where they would speak on issues and present matters which merit concern. This assembly would debate and vote on issues like slavery, and the fair treatment of citizens, they would hold each other accountable and ensure a general people was upheld by vowing to protect each other and to resolve any conflicts with debate and words than through violence, I wish to recreate this here, I wish to build an example for many generations to come, that unity will bring more than disharmony, that together we are all for the better."

"What will this organization be called sire? Asked Jircniv awed

"The name can be decided upon a vote, but my recommendation would the Union of Nations, or U.N. for short"

The leaders seemed to feel out the words, many coming out with pleasant expressions, seemingly enjoying this idea very much,

"And would vessels be allowed to participate in this organization?" the Dragon Queen asked

"Of course, the Sorcerous Kingdom would bring delegations from each of its vessel regions, to properly represent those nations."

"Than your Majesty, Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, I, Queen Draudillon Oriculus of the Dragon Kingdom, wish to extend a formal request for visualization into the Sorcerous Kingdom…"

The shocking revelation of Queen Draudillon's interest in becoming a vassal of the Sorcerous Kingdom came as absolutely no surprise to Jircniv, he had long suspected and just confirmed her interest and it seems that they would soon share not only a border but a master as well. He found some comfort in that her people would be safe from now on but he also now had to suffer her more on a regular basis, something he would have to strongly consider later.

The rest of the meeting went by in a rather simple matter, after the myriad of revelations concerning the viewpoint of the Sorcerer King and his long aim into the future, Jircniv found speaking about trade agreements and simple terms of mutual interest to be quite refreshing, he found this closer to the domain of his own mental facilities. He would, however, take much time to contemplate the ideas presented by his Majesty, and think on them critically, he understood quite well the idea of creating a union of nations for the interests inherent to those in the region and he saw how this would isolate those who might not agree or would be hostile to a pace between all the races.

Jircniv had felt a bit more satisfaction than he should have when Dominic's attempt had failed, he was overtly joyous when he saw the dreadful look on his face as he was carted away into the black void of the portal by the little girl, Shalltear, and he had kept an eye on the members of the Theocracy to gauge how they would take this information, and his suspicions were struck. He saw how they seemed to hide themselves, glaring at his Majesty and the rest of them, he knew they would try to retaliate, though he did not imagine they would be stupid enough to sue for war when they had just been privy to the awe-inspiring power held by not only the Sorcerer King but his guard as well.

'Only an idiot would try to fight after seeing something like that'

Jircniv could than see that should such a potentiality come true, it would be to his best interests to claim some of the freed-up land, or ask to be given some of the more fertile lands in order to build more cities. When his master had spoken to them on the benefits of the highway, he had indeed nodded and could confirm the increased efficiency such a system brought, his own towns were quickly growing and his people prosperous because of it, he was very pleased with the results, and imagined that once the Dragon Kingdom was integrated, they too would quickly begin work on implementing some of the radicle ideas of his master.

The rest of the days meeting went without much of a hitch, the vassalisation proof the Dragon Kingdom would be handled at a later time and time was indeed taking its toll on them all, at least the humans within the group, thus when his master called for the meeting to be halted until proper rest relaxation and sleep could be had, no one had issue with the idea.

"Won't you all be guests within my home?"

The question was met with generally positive reactions, the Dragon Queen, himself and Renner, graciously accepted, and the High Council of Argland did after slight hesitation also accept, interestingly not only the Theocracy council but also the Elf King chose not to enjoy the hospitality of this place and rather asked to be teleported back to E-Rantel, where they would stay the night and return the next day for its events, something he found was extremely odd considering this realm they were in was equivalent to a heaven in and of itself.

After some talking the returning members entered the gate spell as he was told and returned to the city, the remaining group looked to the Sorcerer King, and one of the dragonlords asked,

"Where will we be staying your Majesty?"

"We will be going to the guest rooms, I will ensure each of you as well as your guards and retinue receive proper accommodations, but there is a myriad of facilities within this floor, there are private and open baths, many with different effects and amenities. There are Spa's, hot springs, and lounge bars as well."

"What is this Spa you speak of?"

"I presume it would not be something native here, a spa is a facility catered towards relaxation, an individual would enjoy several different treatments as they are known, which focus on releasing tension, stress and healing and beautifying the body, there are some for all different types of bodies, should you decide to remain in your humanoid forms or take on your dragon forms it makes no difference, as well the hot springs have varying types as well, from cold to warm to some which shock the body with low volts of electricity to relax your muscles."

The explanation was wondrous, and Jicniv considered if this was something similar to the Jacuzzi, which he had tried when they had arrived in E-Rantel, something he would most definitely seek to try.

After he had relayed instructions to the butler a collection of the unimaginably beautiful maids entered the room and they began to split between the groups in order to take them to their rooms, as they all began to filter out of the massive conference hall Jircniv thought forward to what wonders would await him in this godly domain.