Overlord: The Exiled

Disclaimer and Notes: Overlord is the property of Kugane Maruyama and licensed by YenPress. It looks like we won't be getting anymore Overlord Light Novels for a while, at least 2019 for Volume 14. Though with certain developments in Volume 13, I'm wondering if that's a good thing. He's obviously getting worn out writing. Maybe the break will get us better content in Volume 14, but I'm skeptical.

Chapter 18: The Cracks in a Kingdom

"Avalon? Is that where the Baharuth Empire said that the Scarlet Swordsman hailed from?"

"They're off of the coast of the Roble Kingdom? How is he so far away and none of the other nations realized it?"

The merman representative did not have the answers to those questions. Honestly, he doubted many people could answer them.

"Representative of the Merfolk, what can you tell us concerning this Avalon that . . . I do believe the emissary from Baharuth mentioned the Scarlet Swordsman hails from."

A multitude of nods traveled across the gathered assembly. The merman nodded and cleared his throat as he drew forth a magical crystal. The gathering of the Parliament perked at the object.

The crystal glowed and from it, a projection burst forth. Those gathered gasped as the image of the island appeared. The Crystal Tower surrounded by the Alabaster Castle and its surrounding city stunned the witnesses gathered. The city surrounded the castle. The castle itself wrapped itself around the Crystal Tower and as it rose, it melded into the tower itself. Alabaster white met their eyes with a royal like blue adorning banners and rooftop tiling.

The city and likewise, its walls were in an octagon shape. Farther inwards were the castle walls proper which were also octagon in shape. The overall size and scope of the city just from what they could see was unlike anything any of them would have imagined.

How did they get such a view of the city? They wondered.

A wing flapped into view and the view shifted giving them their answer in the process. Who ever was using the magical crystal to view the city turned to show the back of a young woman. She was wearing light armor, but anyone with enough experience could tell that it was no iron or steel in make. It's quality was superb as well. The Dragon Lords perked as did many of the Parliament members with smithing experience. She was wearing mythril armor.

"Sorry Sea Friend, but on our Queen's orders, I cannot fly you any closer. This will have to do."

Her voice was buffeted by the wind a bit, but everyone could hear her voice well enough. She sounded young. A whinny made the crystal move again and those watching held their breaths as pegasus, white as snow appeared beside them. Hooves magically gripped the air, allowing the winged steed to propel itself as if on land. The wings flapped occasionally and held firm to glide with the current.

Sitting in the saddle was a woman of honey amber hair and beautiful looks. Her mount drew murmurs as it wore barding that they all thought would surely weigh down her mount too much, yet it seemed to not be burdened or taxed by such armor. The young female guide of whoever was holding the crystal called out to the new arrival.

"Lady Claire! Did you need something?"

"Yes actually. Lady Gareth is calling for a meeting within the bell. I need you to bring the aerial view of Avalon to a close and be ready to report."

"Yes ma'am."

The woman nodded and peeled off, her mount angling away with broad and beauteous wings outstretched like a bird on the wind. As she drew away, four other riders in a V-Formation followed the woman in such sync that it made a number of the Parliament bite their lips in concern. Aerial military forces? Though the Baharuth Empire had Gryphon Knights as an elite guard, it seemed like this nation's air force was a formal military and not just an elite group.

The view descended towards the water level. The walls drew closer as they approached the sea level at a floating outpost that had both humans, demi-humans and merfolk waving up towards them. The whinny of the young woman's winged steed as they landed and whoever held the crystal dismounted told them that he too had been riding for a brief moment, on the back of a pegasus.

"I hope you enjoyed the aerial show of the city view. I have to go report in." The young woman waved at them and took flight again. Several merfolk began asking things pertaining to the feeling of being in the air. The Crystal's projection faded as the magic ended.

The representative from Baharuth swallowed hard. This was the nation the Scarlet Swordsman hailed from? It was no small wonder that he had outright rejected Jircniv's offer of prestige as an Imperial Knight. The could tell that city of this Avalon was superior to Arwintar, and they were the most advanced city to the known continent. Pegasi that flew and they gave permission to record? Or did the rider just not realize it? Even so, allowing such a thing was a bold move. Either they had defenses that could not be seen, or they were truly that powerful to just casually allow someone not of their nation to view their home from the air.

Likewise, the representative from Re-Estize paled a bit. What news was a single adamantite team compared to that of an entire city nation like what was just shown? Did the Scarlet Swordsman in helping the Dragon Kingdom really hail from such a city?

A Knight Most Heavenly . . . A man with a title from a place like that must be extraordinary. A Holy Knight of exceeding power?

Platinum Dragon Lord and Pyre Flame Dragon Lord looked to their peers in concern. Blue Sky Dragon Lord also glanced around to his peers with questions in his mind. The hazy violet scales of the fourth member of the Dragon Lord Council glinted in the sun light for a moment. A deep, yet feminine voice resounded in the air.

"This Crystal Tower and the city surrounding it. How are they interacting with the Holy Roble Kingdom?"

Her question snapped many present back to their discussions. The merman answered the question after clearing his throat. He had not expected to receive a direct question from any of the Dragon Lords.

"The Holy Queen Calca Bessarez approached them herself."

That piece of information raised eyebrows. The Holy Queen herself? Not one of the Twin Wings instead? Not some random diplomat?

"The Queen of Avalon along with a handful of her retainers met with the Holy Queen. However, they returned shortly afterward. I am told that they rejected the offer of aide and opening relations."

"On what grounds? Were you informed of that information?"

The question came from an adventurer team from Argland.

"I am told that due to the division between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, and their prejudices against demi-humans made Avalon's queen skeptical and doubtful to the benefits compared to the possible backlash. Avalon is a city comprised of demi-humans if you remember what I informed you all of not long ago."

The Parliament nodded. The Dragon Lords fell back into deep thought as they contemplated what this meant.

The whole of the assembly fell into deliberations. These developments on so many differing fronts was a bit mind jarring to say the least. Should they hunker down and see how these prominent groups played out on the world stage? Would it be wiser to reach out to make certain that certain elements did not grow out of hand?

The elvish section of the Parliament began to think about reaching out to at least Avalon. Another organized city nation of demi-humans had promise as another haven for those elven brothers and sisters trying to flee the tyranny of the Elf King and the oppression of the Slane Theocracy.

The dwarven contingent could not remove from their mind's eyes the quality of the armor the young lass upon the pegasus and the barding of the pegasus they saw. It was beyond anything normal armies had. They could tell that it had levels of enchantment. Magic arms and armor on a military scale? What was their secret? Would they share with allies? Even just a sliver of that knowledge could be invaluable.

The centuars and their cousins all made differing conjectures about all the various bits of information provided. From the Dark Hero Momon and his partner, Beautiful Princess Nabe, to Avalon and their erstwhile Knight Most Heavenly Draconis Brightblade and their mysterious Queen.

The Dragon Knights among the assembly pondered as their superior Dragon Lords did.

Pyre Flame Dragon Lord grunted and thumped his tail a single, mighty time before speaking.

"I propose that we all take this time to adjourn before meeting again to take a vote on Argland's stance for developments around the nations of these persons of interest. I trust that my peers have no qualms to this?"

"I have none Pyre Flame Dragon Lord." Blue Sky Dragon Lord spoke as he nodded in agreement. His tail swished broadly to and fro, kicking up dust and dirt.

The others in their group also agreed and the group rose from their reclined positions. Platinum Dragon Lord addressed the assembly.

"Parliament is adjourned for the time being. Remain in the vicinity of the grounds and we shall all reconvene in two days time."

The masses began dispersing in various groups. The Dragon Lords remained atop their mesas until the entire assembly left the grounds. Once they were certain that all Parliament members had vacated, they began to talk among each other as The Dragon Council.

"So what are everyone's thoughts on these developments?"

Pyre Flame Dragon Lord closed his eyes in speculation before speaking.

"I personally am concerned about this Draconis Brightblade, but to be fair, that is due to one of my sons's apparent involvement with the man's assistance with the situation with the Dragon Kingdom. A warrior of sufficient skill can defeat a war troll despite the difficulty. I am very sure that this man probably has a magical artifact that allowed him to win. Perhaps, due to his connection to this kingdom, he is allowed certain treasures. My sons are rather treasure greedy, sad to say."

"You believe it was a bribe or a payment for an agreement?"

It wasn't terribly uncommon for other dragons to accept payments of treasures to ensure a deal. As dragons themselves they understood the feeling, however, they were also in positions of leadership of a nation and thus stood as exceptions to the treasure bribing scenario. Pyre Flame Dragon Lord's words made sense. Blue Sky Dragon Lord spoke next.

"So should we consider then, Darkness a more potent development? Just two of them and they have accomplished so much in such little time."

The Dragon Councilor of violet scales spoke up as well, her voice was harmonious.

"Considering the feats achieved by Darkness and the lack of other key bits of information concerning Avalon and this misplaced Knight Most Heavenly of their Queendom, I would agree that Darkness is more potent on the surface."

She continued speaking before any of them could interject. "However, that very lack of information could end up revealing that they are a potential threat to the neighboring kingdoms. Two individuals of such power as adventurers compared against a city nation with an army that has fliers?"

They thought back to the images displayed by the crystal. The city was a fortress and its structures alluded to a bastion against massive assaults. The city interior even from the distance in the air was split into sectors cordoned for defense and swift deployment of troops. They had obviously seen many battles where they had to defend themselves. If the claims were true and they had many demi-human citizens, then it made sense if they had come under attack by prejudiced forces.

"Seeing as this Momon of Darkness operates within the kingdom of Re-Estize, should we not keep a closer eye on them instead? The other two are obviously going to be more occupied with the Holy Roble Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom."

The group of Dragon Lords nodded in unified agreement. That made much sense. The movements of this Draconis Brightblade were so far away that anything that he did would take time to both reach them and affect them in any way. The Holy Roble Kingdom's views of demi-humans would have Avalon's hands tied.

"I shall send a delegation to this queendom in order to learn more of them. Perhaps that may shed some illumination on their power and situation better."

Platinum Dragon Lord spoke with some level of concern.

"Truly Platinum Dragon Lord? I did not think you prone to helping other kingdoms unless it was a matter of international emergency. Even then you did nothing when the Silent City fell."

"I was not in any position to provide such assistance against that threat."

"Enough speculation and debate, all of you. It grows late and we should disband for a while."

The final Dragon Lord of the Council spoke with a measure of irritation. This one was unlike any of them and even Platinum Dragon Lord had to give him respect. His eyes were bright crimson and his colossal form was even larger than Platinum Dragon Lord. If the two of them were to be side by side, Platinum Dragon Lord would only be three-fourths his size. A massive form with dark black scales and crimson edged wings of incredible size. He possessed an impressive array of horns on his crown that splayed like flames consuming a willow tree in the wind. His tail alone was sixty feet long.

However, Platinum Dragon Lord's respect did not stem from his peer's incredible physic, but the intelligence he wielded. Despite his appearance, he was rarely seen outside of official or emergency gatherings. Preferring to keep to his unknown lair and send emissaries and champions to deliver his messages and missions. The manner in which he commanded his subordinates was one of a mastermind and a cunning, ruthless strategist.

Dark Puppeteer Dragon Lord.

The dragon took wing, his massive appendages created a downburst so harsh that the entire area of his mesa disappeared into a cloud of dust and debris. When the sudden dragon generated squall disappeared, the massive Dragon Lord was no where to be seen at all.

"Tch! Show off. He wields Tier III magic like a plaything." Pyre Flame Dragon Lord scoffed mildly at the dramatic flair in taking flight and casting [Invisibility].

"Even so, he is the strongest of all of us when it comes to the Tier Magic. He can cast Tier VI spells with ease."

With grudging nods of agreement, the rest of them disbanded, each taking wing to return to their respective beddings for the next few days. Platinum Dragon Lord began to think of who he would commission to send to the island of Avalon.

Southern Holy Roble Kingdom

The people of the Southern Kingdom's port city could only gape in horror at the scene before them.

The ship that approached from the Northern Kingdom had been reduced to wreckage. Screaming sailors and their adventurer escorts littered the waters as they roiled. The only vessel that had left their port to try and assist them was torn asunder by the same means. An extraordinarily long and sinewy body of pale and dark blue hues splashed with scarlet and violet fins and scales breached the waters.

A violent, spiraling waterspout hundreds of feet high shot forth from the watery abyss. The few men and women in the waters screamed as they were sucked up into the watery tornado. Their cries literally drowned out the moment they were engulfed. The waters continued to churn and declare their fury up the waterspout before beginning to form a massive sphere of ocean water that rippled and pulsated with power.

As the people of the city quaked in fear and terror, the spherical orb grew in size as more waterspouts revealed themselves from the sea. They surrounded the sphere in the sky on all sides. The sky darkened and lightning crackled in the air. Within the darkening waters leading up to the sphere, they could all make out the sinewy, serpentine figure as a dark shadow. From the sphere's interior, a pair of glowing crimson eyes pierced the dark depths of the sphere and all who witnessed it paled.

The sphere exploded in a massive burst, the waters erupting from the sphere rained down on the sea and the city. It was as if a thunderstorm dropped upon them. The serpentine body of the creature twisted and from its maul it roared mightily, its cry felt like a death knell to them all. The creature was easily more than a hundred meters long.

Leviathan Oceanis dove back into the briny depths. Its darkened body in the water made its way back to the open seas, in the direction leading to the haze of the north.

Later that day, the remaining wreckage and bodies of the dead washed ashore. Families wept for lost loved ones and cursed the watery creature. Among the wreckage a single scroll container, water proofed and buoyant, was brought to the head of the city. Its contents spurred outrage.

It was the letter sent by Calca Bessarez concerning talks to better the Kingdom as a whole. Those in charge in the city who learned of this from whispering servants, and gossip mongers in taverns took the attack of the deep sea serpent to be a sign from the Four Great Gods. Specifically the Great God of Water, that the time of the Holy Queen was coming to and end. Or that Calca Bessarez had done something to earn the ire of the heavens.

News of this event would spread like wildfire across the whole of the Southern Kingdom. Eventually reaching Caspond, who upon hearing the tale, grit his teeth and made to speed his way north, though he knew that it would take quite some time to reach his younger sister.

Several Days Later . . .

Pavel Baraja, Black of the Nine Colors of Roble, rode on horseback accompanied by a small contingent of soldiers from the Great Wall to Rimun. It had been days since they had received Governor Delacroix's missive and needless to say, he was concerned by its contents. When he had reported in to the superiors at the Wall to bring the matter to their attention they had surprised him with instant approval.

When he had asked why such a sudden, unquestioned decision, he had been informed that a number of Paladins of the Order were being summoned directly to Rimun by order of White herself. That bit of information, along with the contents of the missive made him even more concerned. After making a brief selection of troops to accompany him, he had departed.

Today though, they met up with a platoon of Paladins that rode from the capital of the Northern Kingdom. As they continued onward to Rimun, he noticed that a disturbing number of Paladins were joining them. The Paladin Order was 500 in number with the majority of them able to take on a Difficulty 20 monster. However, the ultra-elites, rumored to number around 25 or so, were able to fight a Difficulty 60 monster in single combat and win.

Among their growing number, he estimated around 80 of them had joined their traveling band of soldier and warriors. Just what was going on here?

As they approached Rimun proper, they all began to mutter among each other at the sight of the Crystal Tower in the distance and the island city at its base. With his sharp sense of sight and the clear skies, he could easily make out flying formations. Unconsciously gripping his reigns tighter, he felt a pit open in his stomach.

So it isn't a play on words in the missive sent to me. There really is a Crystal Tower with an aerial guard. It's a queendom of demi-humans that co-exist with their human population? I wonder about that . . .

As they arrived at the main gates to the port city and began to file through, they could see that a number of Paladin and other Northern Kingdom soldiers were already present within the city walls.

"What is all this?"

As he walked about the city and slowly, but surely made his way to the Delacroix estate, the halted sound of a pair of footsteps came up shot behind him. Turning, he was stunned.

"Neia . . . ? Dear?" He was stunned to see both his daughter and wife. His wife was a former Paladin of the Order who was forced into retirement due to her wounds fighting a demon. She was slightly shorter than he was, but only barely. She smiled at his shock in seeing her before nudging their daughter.

"H-hello Father."

It had been more than three months since the three of them had been together, yet now this . . . whatever it was had drawn them back together. His wife's light brown locks did little to conceal a scarred right eye and its opaque color, one of the wounds she had suffered in her battle against the demon. Her left arm was a stump from the elbow down from where it had torn her shield and arm literally from her in its final moments. She stood with pride despite her appearance. A necklace that dangled from her neck told any who saw her that she had served as a Paladin and as such she had most people's respect. A harsh, strict woman, but not without compassion. Just very stickler for professionalism.

"It's so good to see you daughter dearest!" He brightened, the only thing that could truly change his expression was his daughter and his wife. He walked up to them to give them a hug, but Neia stepped back just out of reach.

"Father, I'm on duty."

He stopped short and sighed even as he shook his head in mild disappointment at being snubbed a family moment. Yet he knew where she was coming from even if he could not fathom why she'd want to become a Paladin like her mother,. Not that he would ever admit that in front of his wife. She had so much talent that did not lie in the sword arts.

"Very well. Though it surprises me more to see you my dear."

His wife smirked as she nodded firmly.

"I could say the same to you my dear husband. I was pulled from our home when the call to rally the Order from a new demi-human threat on our western shore. Though I may not wield a sword on the field, I will still be here providing rear guard support for our people."

He nodded as he began to piece together what was sent to him by Governor Delacroix in concerns to this Queen of Knights.

"What are you doing here though Pavel?"

"I was requested personally by the Governor of Rimun himself."

Both his daughter and wife perked at that information. They were here on the rallying summons of White. But Pavel was not a Paladin. He was a ranger of the Northern Kingdom's army and one of the Nine Colors. Did the governor of the city have some other reason for calling one of the Colors independent of White's order? Had they not coordinated?

Regardless, it seemed like the Crystal Tower in the distance was the cause for all of these gatherings.

"How many of the regular army is here?" It was a valid question for Neia. She was now a squire, something that he still could not get his mind wrapped around. She looked a bit out of place in her tabard with the dark cloak and boots. Her fierce eyes, like his own, were focused on the Crystal Tower in the distance.

He knew that she was thinking about this whole situation as well, but unlike his wife and himself, she did not have the experiences to be able to appropriately assess the situations. Then again, she had been working hard to become a Paladin . . . perhaps all her work paid off in some way that he did not know of.

As they all filed into the main area that had been reserved for all of the men and women gathering together, he caught sight of an adventurer team giving them all rather heated looks. He could see their plates and they were an Orichalcum team. The group shook their heads and walked away towards the Guild building.

Inside the Governor's Manor, Albert and Alicia Delacroix shook their heads in anger and frustration. The news of the ship that they had sent the missive from Calca being sunk by a massive sea serpent with the ability to control water had made it back to them and sent Remedios into a fury of finger pointing and blame laying on Avalon. She had immediately rallied the Paladins in the immediate area and sent summons for more of their number in addition to a significant portion of the standard army.

Calca was firmly against such action as their was no proof whatsoever. In an odd step away from the normal, Kelart had taken measures against her elder sister, informing the local priesthood and clerics of the church to remain stationary and uninvolved with this mobilization of military power. When the various troops had begun to arrive in earnest, Albert genuinely worried about the retaliation that would come from Avalon's Queen of Knights. She did not strike him as one who would hide behind castle walls if it was uncalled for.

Calca sat at the table they had for her with a crestfallen expression on her face. Yes, it was a tragedy with the fate of the ship that they had sent off to the Southern Kingdom. There was not a single valid reason that she could muster in her mind that would justify this build up of arms and personnel against Artorias's nation. This truly was one of those times when Remedios would end up ruining something. This time however, Calca feared that things would be unrecoverable.

Kelart's orders to immobilize the church and its priesthood to try and mitigate the damage was telling enough for her. Speaking of the younger Custodios sister, she had tried several times to convince her elder sibling that this was a fool's errand and suicidal. Yet after the fifth argument and Remedios stubbornly refusing to budge on, "the damned threat that that demon dragon spawn whore queen posed." Was the last straw.

Pegasi were known for having very finicky criteria for accepting a rider, and they were also said to be equally specific in their herd grounds. They would not remain peacefully in an area of land filled with decay and despoiled corruption. Having so many pegasi riders alone was a telling sign to the younger sister that this land and its queen were either so powerful that peace was enforced, or pure enough that the lands and its city were ideal grounds for the magical beasts. Either way, Kelart wished to learn more of the island. Attacking it was the last method she would want to employ against a city with obvious magical capacity.

The whole situation was stressing her to no end. Kelart's intelligence network and reports from other sources told them that the sea serpent was outside of its usual migration season. Normally the naval captains adjusted their routes over the sea and water trade routes to avoid such an incident. Not that the normal everyday person would understand that. Now, the reason why its migration was out of sorts? That was anyone's guess. No one had a feasible answer.

Outside Military Gathering Grounds

Remedios was feeling immensely proud of herself as she gazed out across the men and women of arms and the Paladins of the Order who arrived so swiftly at her call. She could not accept that some demon dragon's bastard child was telling the truth of her demi-humans co-existing with humans. This so called "queen" was probably making use of some kind of magic to force them to submit if they weren't using them for food. Or worse for the women.

She could not fathom why Kelart, her own sister, was against gathering their forces to quell this demi-human threat and their traitorous human allies before they moved against their western front. Calca's negative reaction also confounded her. Did she just worry for the Paladins and troops safety? That made sense. But what was that look of disapproval and fear? These were the minions of a demon dragon child. Evil was to be crushed underfoot by the Order. No matter what, their justice would show them that they needed to call off that abominable sea serpent or face the consequences.

The leader of the Paladin Order failed to notice the lone woman crouched behind a parapet of the roof, looking upon the gathered troops in despair for their sakes. The figure swiftly vanished and made her way back to the Adventurer's Guild of Rimun. She had done as she was ordered by her leader, and now she too was convinced that this was a fool's errand.

The woman deftly, silently, leaped from rooftop to rooftop until she arrived at her destination. Arriving on the veranda of the large, rice paper doors of the office, she knelt just outside the thin portal barrier one one knee.

"Alkaid-sama, I've completed the task you gave to me."

"Aritgatou Oitsu-san. How bad is it?"

Oitsu bowed her head lower. She was a part of the old group that Alkaid had adventured with and had been her retainer since childhood. Having spent literally over fifteen years attending Alkaid-sama, she knew that her charge had been to Avalon when she had returned late a few nights ago and swore to not have the adventurers of Rimun cross the island city nation. She had not however, expected such fierce reaffirmation of their traditional tales and legends until her curiosity made her ask her liege and friend what she had discovered.

The admission that it was the legendary Queen of Knights: Artorias Faye Pendragon and a handful of her Knights of the Round, had stunned her. She didn't believe her liege for a moment, but the sincere determination and shine in her eyes was something she had not seen in a while. The look of a woman who believed with her whole being that the tales were true. She had even presented a token gifted to her from the Queen of Knight's hands herself. A pennant of vibrant, royal, pendragon blue with gold and emblazoned with a dragon roaring to the skies. It matched the painted image scrolls of the old tales and history parchments down to the descriptions of the materials used.

The hue of blue made from no cloth, but metal itself that shimmered in light, yet flowed like the smoothest of silks. The gold in the tapestry was also woven precious metal. It weighed less than they had thought it would, but far more than a cloth of the same volume by any measure. Perhaps even more cementing of the claims was the war banner of Bakamatsu Genpei that was sent with her liege as well. An original banner . . . Oitsu and had never bowed so low in her life to her liege lady in apology for doubting her words.

It was supported by a Living Steel Wood frame. A wood so strong that steel bounced off no matter how sharp. Only and enchanted blade could possibly rend the wood asunder, and even if it did, the wood grew back together when the parts were placed next to each other. The crimson and silver banner was also woven of precious metals turned spindled thread. The Mon of the Kai clan lay at its center, with every other clan emblem emblazoned in a protective circle around the Kai Mon. The clan emblems were laid over a lotus petal of white and black gemstones that swirled like the tides. It was overwhelming to see, much less carry to place into a special storage lockbox Alkaid kept hidden within her office.

"Alkaid-sama. White has called more than sixty of the Paladin Order and nearly 20,000 soldiers of the Northern Kingdom's standard army. Also, I believe I caught a glimpse of Black among the soldiers to arrive, though I overheard him say that he was here at the behest of Governor Delacroix, not White."

Alkaid shook her head in regret and sighed heavily. She sat behind her desk and grit her teeth as she thought. More than a day ago, she had ruefully discovered her ancestral aunt's mischievous side. She had been made to play the Shukuhachi with a Koto accompaniment shortly after their discussion about instruments and music. Being rather out of practice, she had been a bit mortified when she had missed a note or two, but the ruler of Avalon hadn't cared and laughed and even danced! The young woman who had been called to play with her – she discovered – was actually a descendant of a group of their people who had remained in Avalon with Shin Yoshitsune Kai's blessings. To think that their culture had been preserved in a foreign nation!

"Queen Pendragon is a peace loving ruler, but make no mistake Oitsu, the tales of their military might shows all over her palace."

The woman nodded in acceptance of that news.

"Thank you again for the news. Please return to your post and I shall do what I can to ensure that the Adventurer's Guild remains independent of this incident."

Oitsu bowed and changed her outfit mid stride out of Alkaid's office. She had gone from shinobi of Bakamatsu Genpei's Tsukiyomi clan to the receptionist of the Rimun Branch of the Guild. Alkaid looked out to the Crystal Tower and sighed. She placed a crystalline pyramid on her desk and let the magic activate. An image of Artorias greeted her.

"Alkaid. I did not think to hear from you so soon after your return to your duties. How may I help you?"

"Your Majesty, I do not enjoy being a messenger of bad news, but I felt like you should be aware of some things." Alkaid's eyes hardened and her ancestral aunt picked up on her mood.

"I see . . . I'm listening."

"Remedios Custodios, the leader of the kingdom's Paladin Order has summoned a number of the order in addition to quite a number of the standard Northern Kingdom's army. According to my retainer, she overheard that Holy Queen Calca Bessarez tried to get a message to the Southern Kingdom's in an attempt to begin repairing relations as you advised her, but it was sunk by a sea monster we all call Leviathan Oceanis. The creature is beyond adventurers and the army as well as the Kingdom's navy. Remedios blames you and Avalon for the sea serpent despite knowledge that it is merely acting out of its usual migration season."

"Leviathan you say?" Artorias was intrigued and she could be seen rubbing her chin in thought with her thumb and index finger. "Is there an accurate description of it? Powers?"

"Yes, it does. Azure and violet scales with crimson highlights and long whiskers with crimson eyes. It had engulfed itself in a sphere of water atop waterspouts before bursting forth, making the water become like a raining deluge."

"I see. Yes . . . I see indeed." A small smile crossed her lips. "Thank you very much for informing me of these developments. I believe we can do something in concerns to the Leviathan. I assume you will be keeping the Adventurer Teams out of this growing incident with this Remedios?"

She nodded with a concerned frown.

"It is my intention."

"I will take this into account and advise my knights and people to not hold this over the heads of the Holy Queen herself or the city of Rimun. However, if we cannot convince them to back off, then my people will defend themselves."

Alkaid nodded in agreement. She did not know how much of Artorias's grace was due to her relation to the Queen of Knights, but she was grateful regardless.

"I understand. Thank you for your gracious consideration."

A soft smile answered her words.

"Not a problem dear Alkaid. Take care, I have a meeting to attend to."

Alkaid nodded in understanding before deactivating the magical crystal. Sighing in fatigue, she rested her elbows on the desk and rubbed her face with her hands. Burying her face in her hands after a moment, she let out a groan of frustration.

What a day.

Avalon

-Artorias's Office-

Evalyn had been present for the conversation between Artorias and Alkaid. She frowned as Artorias leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. The queen held it in for a few moments before exhaling with a huff. The woman got up from her chair and began to pace in a circle around her desk. One of her sure signs of stress and annoyance.

"My queen?"

Not missing a step, Artorias began to rant.

"I knew this was going to happen at some point, but not this soon. I will admit, this Leviathan Oceanis is a definite concern, but blaming a creature indigenous to their own world's actions on us? That seems like quite the stretch. I need to talk with my Rounds. Can you call for them please?"

Evalyn nodded and swiftly left to call on the Knights of the Round. Artorias walked to railing of the veranda balcony which overlooked the sea. The city of Rimun in the distance seemed to darken a bit in her eyes. Changing her view to the city below, she could see various people going about there business. Her hand went to her ring finger and rubbed the wedding band there.

"Draconis . . . Help those you are assisting and come home. I miss you so much."

Cavall, sensing his mistresses distress, padded over to her and laid down on her left before wrapping his massive tail around her in comfort. Artorias absently scratched behind his ears in thanks and he whined in mild concern in response.

The first of her Rounds to arrive was Gareth. Not that she was surprised by this. Gareth always was quickest on responding to summons if she was present and nearby. The Sky Valkyrie immediately took notice of her mood and went to her side. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the taller knight of the queen gave her a reassuring squeeze. Artorias nodded in thanks as Mordred and Lancelot entered in short order. They thanked Evalyn before allowing her to go for the time being.

"Artorias? What's wrong?"

Mordred walked over in concern. He knew the signs of stressed troubles. Lancelot followed with his own face marred in concern. The doors closed and the group left alone to talk to each other. Artorias slumped to the ground and rested against Cavall's flank.

"The leader of the Paladin Order has rallied a number of her order and a number of the Northern Roble Kingdom's standard army. They number around 20,060."

Lancelot bristled as did Mordred.

"That doesn't sound like preparation for war at all . . ." Mordred spat dripping with sarcasm.

Garthe looked at her two friends with an admonishing gaze as she spoke. A hand went to her hip in a fist as she pointed at each of them like little boys caught fighting.

"We don't even know why yet. Can we at least figure that out before drawing steel?"

Mordred sighed and nodded while Lancelot rolled his eyes even as he agreed with her. There was no arguing with Gareth when she went into her lecturing older sister routine. Artorias shook her head at their antics before explaining what she knew.

She started with Alkaid's information about Leviathan and then continued with the facts that they had learned from their meeting with Calca and Governor Delacroix. The group traded opinions of the facts and possible decisions that this leader of the Paladin Order, Remedios Custodios could come to. They also did the same with the younger sister that they had learned about via Alkaid, Kelart Custodios.

By the end of their deliberations, Evalyn was among them with drinks of other small refreshments, fresh fruits and a small platter of cheeses with crackers. Most of it was consumed, with the small group left with just non-alcoholic beverages. Evalyn sat beside Cavall, rubbing his ears as he began to nap. She was paying close attention to their conversation and what she heard disturbed her.

"So we all agree that this Remedios Custodios is likely acting on pure blind prejudice and emotion?"

A round of nods answered Artorias's question. Mordred was particularly vigorous in his nod. The man had been in the Judge Advocate General, or JAG during the Arcology War and seen a plethora of mental war causes in addition to war crime trials and other incidents where the accused was innocent of their charges and acquitted, or tragically condemned. The blind justice belief was nothing new to him and Remedios fit the profile all too well. What he didn't understand was how such a person had been elected the leader of an order of Paladins. If it was via pure ability to fight against evil, then that was a horribly flawed system. He would not judge the actions of all due to the actions of one unless the whole was in unconditional agreement with the one responsible, yet he felt that there were exceptions scattered about the Roble Kingdom.

He had been jokingly called "JJX Mordred" by the guild due to his unique rare classes: Arbiter and Carnifex. Judge, Jury, and Executioner Mordred. Dark Knight or Fell Knight Mordred. The Arbiter and commander of the Judges of Avalon, he also commanded the Executioners of Avalon. Both were respected in the Queendom. The judges were thoroughly screened and as unbiased as possible. They did not serve life terms, but rotated every year.

The Executioners on the other hand were the wet works teams of Avalon and had worked very closely with the Queendom's Spy Master network lead by another one of their player members. All of them had two requirements: First, have the Fell Knight/Dark Knight class. Second, have enough resolve to raise their blades against even Artorias if she stepped off the path of true and good leadership for the people of Avalon.

Artorias herself agreed to the creation of the Executioners under one condition. That they all extend that judgment to their own members as well. This prevented rogue Fell Knights from abusing their own power and mindful of their peers for fear of facing the very judgment they wielded. A single Fell Knight or even a group of them could very well come under the same condemnation as those that they rose up against if others of their order disagreed and thought them taking it too far. It was a surprisingly effective, if not brutal check and balance system. They were just as friendly and genial as other knights of Avalon, but if you knowingly broke the law and caused harm to your fellow citizens, woe be unto you if you were not truly repentant and had a Judge pursue you or worse if you were an Enemy of the State and were condemned and had an Executioner pursuing you.

The Judges of Avalon under Mordred also served as national studiers of the foreign laws as well, ensuring that Avalon also understood the laws and customs of other nations as well. One would have been quite surprised how many battles and misunderstandings had been avoided or smoothed over by diplomatic and judiciary battles instead of ones of drawn steel. A Judge was nothing to sneeze at either, for many could also fight viciously not just with words and ink, but with magic or steel. Their "Law" system was bone chilling if you violated their terms and conditions during a fight. Few people played them due to their being restricted to the very same laws they set forth, but Mordred had seen the class as a challenge and relished in it.

"I do not believe this Remedios to be someone who really thinks things through. For one, they don't know our military strength outside our fliers. Perhaps twenty thousand is a lot for a nation in this world?"

Lancelot shook his head as he answered Mordred's question.

"If that is the case then even Draconis's private homunculus forces would be more than enough to decimate such a number if only due to the difference in power here. Remember the report he sent us concerning the power levels here?"

They did and shuddered. Level 30 was something akin to near unbeatable, legendary even to these people according to the report Draconis had sent them. At least for most humans of this New World. Something about the difficulty rating that the Adventurer Guild made use of was telling in comparison to their own levels of power. Not that they thought it completely accurate. Still, if the standing army of Avalon, or their PoPs forces were all considered more or less "Hero Level", then facing their army in open combat would not even be a battle. Just a one sided massacre if the opposed forces were only humans.

Deploying the whole army was out of the question. Hells, even a third of the army was overkill against human soldiers and the average mook. The group groaned and shook their heads as they wondered how to respond to this.

Leviathan Oceanis was a literal larger threat to Avalon than all the soldiers and paladins of the Roble Kingdom assembled off the neighboring shoreside put together.

"Let us focus on Leviathan first. As a sea based creature, fighting it will prove to be a challenge, but not unsurmountable. It's clear that it will only cause us problems in relations to the Roble Kingdom even should Calca Bessarez not be a part of this military build up in Rimun." They all nodded at Gareth's words. "I would suggest that Lancelot, Artorias, Claire, Lucretia, myself, and one other head out to handle Leviathan, and Mordred will remain here to command a contingent of our forces to deal with the forces from Roble if they make a move."

Mordred nodded as he spoke his opinion.

"I do not see a reason to object to this arrangement, but who shall be your final slot?"

Gareth thought about that for a moment. Honestly she did not have a good idea of who to fill their last slot, but it seemed like Evalyn did. The fey woman bowed to her as she spoke.

"Lady Gareth. I suggest taking Cathari."

The group looked to her surprised. Chathari was an NPC created by Ser Agravain as a part of Avalon's Spy Master network, which he had been in charge of. Unlike many of them, he was a quirky one, and Cathari was his Second-in-Command. The woman was given the epithet of "The Invisible Howl" for her abilities. Mordred was keenly aware of her abilities as he had made use of her as a sweeper for the Executioners at one time. Even though she was a Dark Knight, her levels were more structured after the Fall of the Valkyrie patch. Even though they were a swords and sorcery guild, some facets of their IRL managed to stay with them, especially when that patch had released.

Carthari was an interesting choice, but they were not sure if she was the best pick for this excursion.

"Might I ask why you would suggest The Invisible Howl? Her modus operandi is covert and clandestine operations, not outright combat."

Evalyn nodded at Mordred's concern.

"She has some of the best eyes in the kingdom though. Lady Carthari would be invaluable to prevent or counter ambushes."

The group glanced between each other in silent deliberation. No, they couldn't risk Cathari when her abilities tanked harshly when it dealt with a foe who could submerge. They all knew this quite well. All of them could not remember the number of times diving into water, no matter how polluted, had saved their lives from incoming fire. Cathari was an excellent Seeker, but not for this impending battle.

"The suggestion has many merits Lady Evalyn, but for this battle on the horizon, she may find herself rather lacking. Do we have any other possible candidates?"

Evalyn nodded in acceptance. She was not offended by the refusal of her suggestion. They knew the issues of this upcoming encounter and were merely thinking of the most effective people to bring with them. Thinking for a moment, she ran her mind through the others who could assist the Queen.

"Perhaps Lady Maribelle of the Church of Bahamut?"

The group of knights and their queen looked at her with a bit of surprise at the suggestion. Lady Maribelle was another one of Bedivere's NPCs. She was a peer and compatriot to Cecilia Von Houten. A healer and magic caster of the same school, yet different teachers in magic.

"That would work. What do you think Artorias?"

The queen crossed an arm over her chest and cradled her chin in her opposite hand. She nodded firmly and looked to Evalyn.

"Please send a messenger to call her to my office. Thank you for the help Evalyn."

The fey woman nodded and bowed before excusing herself from the knights and her liege. All of them began to plan out the rest of the contingencies. Hopefully, they would not need to draw steel and mythril. Mordred grit his teeth, he wasn't keeping his hopes up for this one.

I've got a double Character Profile in the next chapter. On to the reader review responses!

Awayuki: Yes, I am glad to see readers like yourself enjoy other characters I've introduced. Thanks for dropping in yet again!

MadDan90: I figured that another nation eventually made its way into the interactions.

SolarBlaster: Here we go! Yeah, Remedios will be facing fallout from her actions.

R.E.W.4: Thanks for the review! To answer your question, the answer is YES. I already have his true form all ready to go. He just needs a feasible reason to bring it to the front lines due to its EXTRAORDINARY power. I know it seems like it's taking a long time to reveal, but it will be worth it when I get to it.

RyuujiVantek: More on the way! Lol.

DimensionDisorder: You're welcome.

Lew89: That will be a fun moment. Thanks for dropping by!

PervySageChuck: I was thinking more like Optimus Prime voice.

Guest Reviewer 1: Things will change a bit with Ainz after I write the Lizardman Arc. Yet most of this so far, aka, Season I. Happens in an Overlord Canonical 2 WEEKS.

Omegadramon2: There probably are. Yet Draconis and the others aren't as much a horder of old items like Ainz is. At the same time, he doesn't use them if he has them due to his other plans, aka using them as sudden reinforcements, or other such uses.

Zandaino-Nova-Ari: Hajime Saito and Souji Seta and the Shinsengumi are from the anime romantic-action/comedy Rurouni Kenshin. Hajime Saito and Souji Seta are actual historical individuals and they are romanticized frequently in other media outlets.

Ilireanwri: I hope you enjoy their interactions! Thank you for showing up!

loki98065: 10 chapters a week? LOL. Yes there is a build up and goal, yet groundwork always takes the longest.

OverWarlord: Thanks. I dunno? A mix of like and dislike concerning a number of the Holy Roble Kingdom characters?

Guest Reviewer 2: Thank you for your review and thoughts! I look forward to seeing you again in future reviews.