Title: "The Nazarick Grand Prix."
Disclaimer: Overlord is owned, written and created by Kugane Maruyama.
I do not own Overlord and this literature is only and purely, a fan fiction take on Overlord.
Chapter 20: Journeys back home.
The last day of the Pioneer's Holiday ended with a strong message for pursuit of peace, unity, and the hope for a better future for all living species. The evening was met with merry making on the streets and on the villages, while fireworks colored the evening skies as the nation proudly celebrated all of their King's accomplishments which were all historic on their own. The fact that these were done within the span of a week, was taking the word 'Greatness' to another level and standard. And since many of the residents were slept with filled bellies, they slept soundly late in the evening. As for those who were wasted, some of them passed out and slept on the streets. The guards who were disciplined enough to drink moderately and thus, kept their wits about them; carefully picked up the sleeping drunks and placed on the inner lanes of the sidewalks. Most of these drunks happened to be dwarves and labourers made up of various species.
Aura, who decided to walk around the streets as early as dawn, looked around the place. And saw the many drunks placed on the sidewalks so that the Death Knights don't see them as road blocks; therefore violating the rules, and would be killed by them. The young dark elf's mischievous and playful nature gave her an idea. Then, she reached into her inventory and pulled out a non-permanent marker. Then she moved quickly to draw on the faces of the drunks who let themselves get wasted last night, she moved so quickly that by the time the sun's warmth was felt by those lying on the streets. Aura had almost gotten every drunk in E-Rantel.
"Whew! That was a good work out, now to wait to see what happens when they all wake up." The young dark elf girl said to herself, as she stood on top of the highest signal tower in the City.
"What exactly are you up to now? Arinsu" Says Shalltear who just appeared next to her from a [Gate].
"Good morning Shalltear. Nah, it's just me having a little fun. Just wait for the city to wake up and you'll see. Anyway, what are you doing here?" Aura replied.
"I was just finished with the task Ainz-sama gave me, I just basically helped Pandora's Actor and Demiurge put more of those satellite devices up there." Shalltear answered as she pointed to the sky.
"Wow, that's so cool. That rocket thingy journey we had with Ainz-sama was truly wonderful. I wonder if there are any cool beasts out there. It would be cool to add one to my collection". The little dark elf replied. Shalltear just smiled and looked at the City below them.
And as the city's residents woke up to start their day, the drunks did so as well. Most of them still felt a bit dizzy, due to their hangovers. But as soon as they noticed other people looking at them on the streets, they got nervous and were actually shocked to know that their faces now had drawings on them. The little children who saw the painted faces of the drunks laughed, and so did some of the citizens. The drunks were mostly upset but just gave up on it and moved along to find the nearest wash area to clean their faces. Even Gondo Firebeard and his friends were not safe from Aura's pranks, as he woke up just outside the doors of the Pub they frequent. As soon as he saw one of the Dwarf Nation's Councillors marked faces, he laughed out loud and ended his laughter with some coughing and belly aches. The Dwarf Nation's Merchant Council head also laughed at Gondo's marked face, and soon they had a bit of fun at laughing at each other. It was a good thing that they mostly have a good sense of humor otherwise this could have started several fights.
The people moved on after that, and they went with their day very diligently. To many, it was because of the official opening of the movie theatres to the public. The people were generally excited, even more so than when the movies were initially announced and teased to the masses. One reason for it were the praises made by the City Councillors who watch the movies on the special premier showing, the praises from the heads of the delegation teams also boosted the people's interest in seeing them. Some of the councillors even dared some of their friends to test their courage by watching the horror movies without screaming. A challenge that many accepted and even made bets on about such things.
As for the Delegation teams, they all had their breakfast in the dining area. But with them was the Sorcerer King, although Ainz did not consume anything per se; his presence was symbolic like that of a family member seeing their loved ones off to their travels. After some talks and greetings and many whatnots, the delegates went back to their respective rooms to pack up their luggage. Included in these luggages are the various items that they've bought as souvenirs for themselves and as gifts to their family and friends. Raymond wasn't sure if Zesshi would like the gifts he bought for her, he was sure that she would like the movies he purchased. But was also worried that she might get excited and actually escape just to go to the Sorcerer Kingdom to face off against team Darkness, and maybe even against the Sorcerer King. Cold sweat flowed from him as the thought of such an event would surely end the Theocracy, so he instead decided that he will only let her see the comedy, drama, racing, and horror movies only.
After the Sorcerer King bid their group farewell, he and the rest of the Theocracy delegation team boarded their original carriages. The second seat just casually quipped "Aw man, not that I'm complaining. But, the ride quality in these carriages is a far cry from that Limousine they lent us during our stay". The others felt where he's coming from, but they all just sighed in understanding.
"I know where you're coming from, but I strongly advice you all not to say those kinds of comments back home, at least not in the presence of the other cardinals or their suck-up servants. Trust me; I want one of those cars too. Queen Draudillon is surely one lucky queen. I heard she got a customized car sent to her as a gift from the Sorcerer King." Cardinal Raymond said to the group.
"Well, how about that? Excuse me for asking this Cardinal Raymond. But, if I may ask. Was the Theocracy really always at war against other nations or rather, against non-human races?" The fifth seat asked.
"This was exactly what I talked about with the other passengers in the rocket. I'll tell you what I told them, the answer is NO. According to the old surviving records, our nation was in good relations with other non human races, namely the Elves and the Dwarves. I don't know the details as to what happened with the Dwarves, but you already know about the reason why we are at war with the Elves. Or to be more precise, against the current Elf King. I tell you all, if the Elf king makes a move against the Sorcerer King's territories. He'll be wishing he was dead, a fate I don't ever want to experience. I mean, can you imagine if every mage from the Sorcerer Kingdom would be able to cast that spell Nabe did? And I don't mean the powerful lightning spell she casted at the end of the tournament, it's the one that can bring any man down to the most pathetic levels." Raymond replied. At the mention of Nabe's emasculating spell, the men's faces in the carriage turned pale and cringed in imaginary pain.
"Wait, what about the movies? I bought one, and Cardinal Raymond was given one and even some other movies. Do you think we'll get to buy copies of those movies when they're released to the public?" Sylvan asked around him.
"I think we can, as long as nothing bad happens and the Sorcerer King's demands are met. And that's where the headaches starts, remember the plan we've discussed before. There's no backing out once we enter the Grand Central Cathedral, so if anyone wants to change their minds, they can speak out now." Raymond spoke in a serious tone. The Theocracy delegates continued talking about various topics until they reached the Slane Theocracy borders.
Around the same time, King Rampossa-III was enjoying the comfortable seat of the Limousine he and the Royal Family are riding in right now. The Royal Carriage was just ahead of them as well as some of their security escorts.
"Haah… these seats are a blessing for my aging back and these features are truly something else! And these fruit flavored iced teas are like, the nectar of the gods. Somehow, I feel like a young man again." King Rampossa said as he enjoyed the Limousine ride home. Being grateful and happy for the Limousine gifted to him as his own kingdom will soon be a vassal state under the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Please remember to take it easy father. The Sorcerer King did warn us that over consumption of anything can lead to bad things, even if done with good intentions." Princess Renner kindly advised her father to ease on the drinks.
"Oh thank you for being such a thoughtful daughter dear. Don't you worry, I'm just drinking this now because as soon as we're back in the kingdom. The real battle between the Royal faction and the Noble faction starts and I will end it once and for all. I may go down in history as the king who sold out his own nation for his own benefits, or that I'm the king of cowards for offering my own nation out of fear and whatever reason they'd come up with. I hope they'd somehow listen but we all know that's just wishful thinking, I've had enough of those fools. The only painful part of all this is the fact that if I was strong enough to do the right thing, things wouldn't have led to these problems right now. All those poor souls and Gazef would probably still be alive today. Make no mistake everyone, as soon as we start the declaration. We will make them know that we mean business." King Rampossa seriously emphasized his points and the delegation team nodded in agreement with him.
"Fear not, King Rampossa. We are right behind you in this mission for a better future. I believe the plans we've made would make the best options in gradually making the public appreciate the benefits of being allied to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Starting from the cities and villages closest to the Sorcerer Kingdom, going towards the capital would make get the public to accept the vassalization process easier and much smoother for us. And this path will lead to the least violent transition." Marquise Raven reassured the king. And after that, Princess Renner, Prince Zanac, their Siblings, and the rest of the Nobles with them. Even team Blue Roses, Climb, and Brain Unglaus nodded in support of the plan.
The Re-Estize delegates rode on until they reached the first City in the Re-Estize Kingdom's territory, the City's guards were very surprised to see a couple of carriages coming their way. When they saw the flag of the Royal Family and that of their own nation, the highest ranking officer ordered some of his men to inform the mayor of the king's arrival. But then as the Guard Captain looked to the distance, he noticed that following the Royal Carriage were several strange vehicles. A long elegant looking shiny white long vehicle, and right behind it are three very large vehicles that to him; might be some new kind of monster. And with that, he ordered his assistant to gather the other guards to help defend the Royal Carriage from the large monsters coming after them.
As soon as the Royal Carriage reached the City gates, the guards gathered; all armed and looking quite worried at the possibility of facing off against several large monsters that they didn't even knew existed. They thought it was weird, having the Royal Carriage be driven by a soldier instead of the Royal Carriage Driver.
"Sir, is his majesty alright?" The Guard Captain worriedly asked the soldier driving the Royal Carriage.
"Yes, his majesty is well; so is everyone else. If you want to check on them, you can see them behind us." The soldier replied. Then the Guard Captain asked for permission to check on the passengers of the Royal carriage, just to ensure his duties are fulfilled properly. After politely asking for permission, a voice answered from inside. And the captain was surprised to see the ones inside, are the servants of the Royal Family. Then he looked back at the driver, and gave him a sceptic look.
"Hey! I thought you said his majesty was behind you. What's the meaning of this?" The Guard Captain asked out loud, prompting his fellow guards to be alert for possible confrontation. In response, the soldier just sighed and rolled up his eyes and reply.
"Sir, his majesty IS behind us. By that, I meant the vehicle behind US! Do you see that long white and shiny vehicle? The one followed by those massive other vehicles? That's where his majesty and the other nobles are. We were sent ahead only so that we don't kill the horses trying to catch up. You already know that this is the Royal Carriage, yet you keep asking stupid questions. I smell something fishy going on here." The soldier retorted to the Guard Captain, the two groups now both holding their swords' handle expecting an armed confrontation.
Fortunately for both forces' attention were drawn to the Limousine, as Prince Zanac; guarded by Climb and Brain stepped out to investigate the cause of this unnecessary delay.
"(Ahem) I wish to know what is going on here? Father needs his rest and instead of moving on, we are being delayed here. Is there any reason for such a delay? If not, then let us through!" Prince Zanac said with an annoyed tone. Normally, he doesn't want to use his authority or status like this. But certain situations have forced him to make use of it from time to time.
"My apologies Prince Zanac. It's just we are worried for the king's safety especially after visiting the Sorcerer Kingdom and their undead king. You see your highness, earlier today we saw the Royal Carriage being followed by those… what are those exactly? If you don't mind me asking." The Guard Captain replied.
"Very well to get things cleared up right now. First things first, all of you stand down! Now, that's more like it. That white vehicle and those large ones behind it are called automobiles, 'cars' as they're commonly referred to in the Sorcerer Kingdom. These cars will be the future of transportation for the nobles, the army, and for the public. The Sorcerer King gave this one as a gift to father to make his long distance travels much, much comfortable and way faster than the vehicles we have at our disposal right now. as for those large 'monsters', they are commonly referred to as 'trucks' and they are specially designed to transport large and heavy loads of just about anything you can fit in there. Right now, they are filled with numerous items that will help the people of our nation. The others are carrying tons and tons of food and other relief goods to help the public from starvation and death. The City officials including you will be briefed later on what you need to know. But right now, no more of this nonsense and let us pass." Prince Zanac explained to the guard captain, as he later ordered them to disperse and let the group pass through.
As soon as the Limousine passed by the Guard Captain, he just looked at the vehicle dumbfounded at the vehicle that runs without any horses pulling them. And as soon as the large semi trailer trucks got close to him, that's when he realized just how big such the strange vehicle really is. As soon as the truck driver blew its horn to alert him to get out of the way, the awestruck Guard Captain quickly scurried off to the side as well as some of the other local guards.
"By the Gods. That thing's massive!"
"What the heck is that thing?!"
"Where did those monsters come from?"
Such were reactions from many of those that saw the massive trucks that rode on, passing beyond the city walls.
As for the Draconic Kingdom delegates, they are now halfway from E-Rantel to the Katze Plains. Their travel time covering this much distance, would have taken them around two days with minimum rest in between. But since they already send the majority of the soldiers to travel on the horses and use their original carriages as additional transport units to carry some of the donations in advanced and Marquise Alex already gave specific instructions to the officers to relay to other officers; all the way to the queen for a more secure welcome upon their arrival.
And since Marquise Alex is now travelling in the hatchback car model he bought with his own money, he is now travelling much faster than how he would have if he was still using horse-pulled carriages. But now that he is travelling using a more efficient vehicle, he can certainly expect to reach his home nation in just another day or two, instead of a week like they did when they first travelled to E-Rantel on horses and carriages. The large semi trailer trucks that are running shortly behind him would surprise many of his colleagues for sure. Even more would probably be the foods that the Sorcerer King, especially the 'instant noodles' that Ainz formulated himself. Just to ensure they all get a taste of good quality with affordability in a cup.
On the Empire's side, it was already noon time when Jircniv stepped on the acceleration pedal with just a little bit more pressure on a straight away open road. And his brand new sleek-golden sports car just accelerated like a golden blur on the open road, impressing him greatly and even more impressed were his eldest children properly seated in car's passenger seats. The drive home turned out to be a good bonding moment for him and his kids, even though it was just their first time experiencing such speed and power from a vehicle. They enjoyed it greatly and thought of the experience as something fun and cool, therefore; making Jircniv look like a Rock star in the eyes of his children. Deep inside, the youngest Emperor in the Baharuth Empire's history deeply appreciated the bond he and his kids are now enjoying and are having throughout this drive home. His younger children are enjoying the ride home, either in his personal SUV, which was a gift from the Sorcerer King or in the other carriages with their mothers.
Jircniv smiled a bit as he remembered that earlier, before they left E-Rantel to get back home. Ainz called him to present to him his newly ordered sports car, which he ordered just a few days ago. He could still remember the attendant told him before; that the actual cars' arrival could take two to four months for it to be completed. But instead of that, Ainz surprised him by hastening the production and assembly process while ensuring top notch quality on the materials and the specific assembly of his car. The longest part of making his new car; was the gold plating process, since the dwarves had to ensure that all of the necessary parts are plated properly before putting them together for the final assembly process. The sleek looking sports car is truly eye-catching not just because it's the Emperor's new ride. But mostly because of its unique appearance and the shining gold exterior certainly turn heads to it wherever it passes by.
Roune Vermillion, Jircniv most trusted assistant and scribe was the one driving Jircniv's SUV with some of his other children on board. He was enjoying the sense of liberation that he felt as he drove the car, following Jircniv. The children were enjoying observing the sights as they pass them by quickly and easily, the children kept asking Roune to do the quick sprints where the SUV accelerates from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds. And whenever Roune would oblige to the young ones' request, the kids' heads would be pulled back to their seats and they loved it. The sensation reminded them of the experience of riding the roller coaster back in the Kindertraum Park, to many of the young ones and young ones at heart. That place is sacred as far as they're concerned. A special place to for families to bond together, and make lasting memories from childhood all the way to one's seniority and so on; truly worth the time spent travelling all the way to get there.
As Jircniv noticed the sun slowly setting down on the sky, he marvelled at its majesty as it reminded him of the mind blowing sights he saw from outer space. The experience made him want to forge closer and friendlier ties with the Sorcerer King and his servant even more, not just from the obvious reasons of self preservation and securing their nation's safety. But to ensure that he or some of his children and their children will also be deemed worthy to travel up to the heavens just as and the chosen few have done yesterday, but to him; it felt like he's done it ages ago. That's how strong those memories were to him, it felt like such a memory and experience was something that he would never allow to be forgotten. Looking back at the now-purple skies, he smiled as he made a quick glance at some of his kids in the car. Some of them are looking at the skies through the transparent glass roof of the car, while some have already fallen asleep.
His golden sports car arrived at the Baharuth Empire's border on proper evening (8-9 pm) and the guards that have been used to seeing their emperor come and go riding the cobalt blue SUV, is now riding in a new vehicle and this one being more eccentric; especially with its golden colors that commanded attention. Were still surprised at seeing their young Emperor driving the new type of vehicle that has no animals pulling it, the golden color made it look way more fancy than any other carriage they've ever seen or have known before. After entering the first City of the Baharuth Empire, Jircniv parked his golden sports car on the parking area of the City's most Exclusive Hotel; much to the public's astonishment. Jircniv and his kids waited only for less than ten minutes to see the Royal SUV come into view; once again surprising the border patrols and the City patrols. After Roune parked the SUV next to Jircniv's car, and as per the Emperor's orders; Roune Vermilion gathered young princes and princesses and led them into the hotel so that they may eat and have their respective rooms ready. In the meantime, while the Royal siblings were being accompanied by Roune and a few soldiers. Enzenio Ferrario; the mayor of the city of Revintar, walked out from inside the hotel that Jircniv and the rest of the delegates are going to stay in for the night. He greeted Roune, the soldiers, and the little children respectfully and with genuine cheerfulness in his voice.
Originally, he was just the leader of a small remote village near the city. He lived the hard life of a commoner living in a small, remote village. He was a hard worker, but always wondered how to make his life easier and possibly share the idea to his fellow villagers if his ideas worked. Since he did not get any proper education, aside from learning how to count and read just good enough to be able to understand if whatever's written can be good for him or not. Naturally, he relied on testing his ideas on his small farm and learned through trial and error. And when he learned enough to be sure that such ideas could be applied to the rest of the village and worked or at least, has the highest chances of working, then and only then he would share his ideas. His crop planting methods and his ideas of planting crops on a wide wooden wall and have it stood diagonally against their village's walls not only increased their productivity, it also doubled as extra protection as another set of walls normally made it harder for wild beasts to attack their village directly.
Such accomplishments would eventually reach Jircniv's ears and hence; is why he was chosen to be the city's new mayor after Jircniv was done with his "Purge" of the incompetent members of the noble classes. That leap of a promotion gave him the opportunity to get a better education and with such knowledge, he did what he could to make the City's residents lives better as well as those living in villages including his hometown. He loved his home and its people, and the people loved him back. Even the family of the previous mayor did not resent him replacing their family member as he was known to be of good nature. It wasn't like the previous mayor was corrupt or abusive of his authority, on the contrary; he was respected by most of the citizens. It was just unfortunate that his old way of leadership did not suit the vision that Jircniv has for his empire.
After getting out of the hotel doors, Enzenio headed to the area where the carriages are to be parked. He was expecting to get a glimpse of the cobalt blue Royal SUV that he was always amazed of, ever since he first saw it. He was even more amazed at the fact that it doesn't need any animal to pull it and is fully under the driver's control. He was smiling in anticipation of seeing the Sorcerer King's gift to their young emperor but after he turned left on the building's side, he was utterly surprised at the sight of the golden car right beside Jircniv and his guards. Jircniv saw him walking towards his direction and decided to wave to the mayor.
"Ah! Good evening to you Mayor Enzenio Ferrario. I knew you'd be here, well? How do you find my new car? Something else isn't she? I just bought her from E-Rantel, and his majesty's genius certainly never disappointed and even surpassed my expectations." Jircniv happily greeted the Mayor who turned out to be interested in the new wonders that's been being introduced to their nation ever since the vassalization was made official. At first, like most of the residents that heard rumors of an undead magic caster taking their nation under its wing as a vassal worried him greatly. But in time, his views on the Sorcerer King changed for the better; especially after he heard of the story of the Sorcerer King saving the peasants of Carne Village and even the late Warrior Captain whom even those in the Baharuth Empire have admired and respected due to the late Gazef Stronoff's good personality and humble nature.
"In behalf of the city of Revintar, I welcome you once again your majesty. But may I ask a question?" The Mayor asked in a humble tone.
"What is it?" Jircniv replied.
"I would just like to know how did you come about this new miracle of a vehicle your majesty? Surely this must cost a fortune I'm sure is beyond my imagination." The Mayor asked in a nerdy tone, his curiosity and excitement barely being hidden.
"Oh. It seems to me like you might be what the Sorcerer King refers to as a 'Gear-head', it's a term used when referring to a person who is interested in cars and the like." Jircniv said light heartedly.
"Oh, ho, no your majesty. I was simply admiring the wonders of the vehicle you've driven here before, and this new one is certainly most impressive. The golden color fits to match your status if I may say so." Enzenio said.
"If you think these are impressive (referring to his two vehicles.), then I suggest you stay here with us as we await the arrival of those large trucks." Jircniv teased.
"Those… large trucks? Please forgive this uneducated one, your highness. But what is a truck?" Enzenio asked with such curiosity.
"Just wait a while and you'll see." Jircniv replied. This statement piqued the mayor's inquisitive mind, so he stood there and waited for whatever this "truck" is.
Jircniv, his soldiers and now with the mayor; waited patiently for the trucks and the other carriages to arrive. Jircniv knew the trucks were getting closer because he can hear the soldier and guards shouting and instructing the public to "Get out of the way" or "Make way for behemoths" the people who happened to be simply walking by, all heard the guards' shouting. But since none of them saw anything from their position, they decided to ignore the warnings. While those who were observing the emperor's new ride got the idea and decided to move to a safer place to wait for whatever's coming into the city.
Upon passing through the city gates. The truck drivers, which are all trained and from E-Rantel's transportation program. Most of these drivers are former paupers and homeless but have volunteered after hearing about an opportunity to travel delivering passengers or sometimes goods and make decent money while going places. They all passed the necessary tests, and are now among the early batch of drivers doing their duties and travelling outside of E-Rantel for the first time. The fact that the trucks they're driving are currently carrying many of the new items and foods and drinks that the young emperor will be introducing to the public brings them an extra sense of pride as one of the first ones to do this kind of job using these new vehicles. Huge, powerful, overpowering massive trucks. Anyone that has the ability to appreciate the brutality of its design and power will certainly like these new trucks.
As the trucks were parked near the hotel, on the opposite side of the street where Jircniv had two of his cars parked. The people are gradually walking closer to them, to get a closer look at the large new vehicles that just rode in. The sight of seeing a person stepping out of the truck's driver side, really surprised many as they thought of the large behemoth as some real beast that was tamed of something like that. Jircniv just let a cocky grin form on his lips and after that, gave the mayor a few instructions for tomorrow morning. Then he went inside the hotel to get his rest, followed shortly by his knights and his concubines and his children. The servants and other delegate members followed shortly after they got off from their respective carriages.
As the morning started, Jircniv and the Royal Families mostly composed of his concubines and his children from them. Together with the delegates and the City's councillors had their breakfast in the hotel, to the hotel's staff it was obviously a very big deal and honor to host the emperor or any of those close to him. After having his early meal, Jircniv then proceeded to inform the City's leadership of the many major changes that will come to the Baharuth Empire. He also explained about their advantages and disadvantages, these new wonders seemed too good to be true for some of the councillors but they kept their opinions to themselves for fear of being punished or worse. Jircniv however expected this and ordered some of the knights led by Nimble to bring to them the "Movie package" the combination of the music and video player, the connecting speakers and the very big monitor screen. He also ordered them to bring forth other items from the trucks. And while they were waiting for the knights to get the necessary items, Jircniv told the local leaders of his and his delegates' experienced during their attendance of the Pioneer's Holiday. And as he regaled them with his stories, more and more of the people listening find some of his stories to be unbelievable thinking that the undead magic caster must have used some powerful magics to fool their senses. Naturally, the ones that voiced such theories are the local priests of the temples of the four gods. Their arrogant tones just irritated Jircniv but he paid them no mind as he already had something in store for them. He couldn't wait to see their reactions once he informed them about the news of what the priests from local temples of the six gods did in E-Rantel and how that ended for them.
He was appreciative of the priests from the sect of Ainz Ooal Gown for being calm and level headed in spite of the four gods' priests' obvious jab at them. Then he told them about his experience of having dinner aboard and 'Airplane', a vehicle that can soar through the skies with all the comfort they could ask for and see from the perspectives of how flying creatures must see the world through their eyes. Taking it even further was when he told them about the historic rocket launch and his personal experience in the first ever space travel, everyone's attention was on his every words. No one dared to ignore such a tale, even the hotel staff and their supervisors were also gathered around the dining table and listening to the young emperor's tale of him and the other nation's delegates actually walking on the freaking moon itself. He told them how the experience humbled them all, there in the vast unknown space of darkness and uncertainty. There, he realized how trivial everything truly was in the end. Money, fame, power, authority, and so on. None of them would matter when one is face to face with the grand open space of the heavens beyond the skies.
As Jircniv was telling his story, there are times when some of the delegate members would chime in, as testimony to what Jircniv had said. And when the "Movie package" was finally set and assembled, he inserted the disc labelled: "Pioneer's Holiday. A Documentary of the Sorcerer Kingdom's vision for the future." Jircniv; who was very familiar with operating the remote control of the media player, showed them selected parts of the documentation. But when he got to the part that showed the large airbus and the towering rocket, the people's eyes gotten wide and then Jircniv stopped the player. Much to everyone's disappointment.
"I'm sorry for that, but I can't reveal everything just yet, have no worries. For a week from now, I plan to set up the first ever Movie showing, together with a Grand Exhibit in the Capital. And I want every village and city leaders and every major merchants and as much as possible every head of every noble family attend the event so that no one misses out on the new future that's coming our way. If possible I invite all of you to attend the upcoming events. There, the people will learn of the new inventions and innovations the Sorcerer King has kindly shared to all under his rule. And take my word for it when I say; that only a fool of epic proportions would be one to intentionally not attend it and miss out on the promise of a new world." Jircniv said with such charisma and ended his speech with his toothpaste endorsing smile.
As a result, word of the planned event in the capital spread like wildfire to throughout the city and after a few more days, it spread to other villages and towns and other cities. The emperor's invitation to the public was also promoted by Jircniv himself as he made a guest appearance in the capital's first ever radio station that normally play songs performed live by the empire's home grown musical talents. Many people tuned in to the time announced by the radio host for Emperor Jircniv's guest appearance in the studio. And when the time came, Jircniv greeted his subjects and made his announcement for the Baharuth Empire. After his announcement about the local movie showing and the exhibits, he announced that their nation will be participating in sending relief goods and troops to help save their neighbouring country; the Draconic Kingdom. This venture will also be joined by the Argland Republic's troops and by the Sorcerer Kingdom. He also encouraged the population to donate whatever they can to help alleviate the living conditions of the survivors from the beastmen invasion. Fortunately for Jircniv, the populace responded in kind to his invitations of the featured events and the charitable efforts by his nation.
The Argland Republic Council reached their nation's capital after almost four days of long travels and rest stops, the soldiers that welcomed their leaders upon reaching the nation's borders were quite surprised that the Council brought along some massive and definitely strange looking vehicles. Even more surprising, was the fact that the Dragon Lords were not in their respective carriages. Instead, the Dragon Lords and the other council members were all inside the long shiny, silver plated Limousine. And as far as the Argland soldiers were concerned, this clearly new and strange looking vehicle is truly something else.
As soon as the council members got back in the capital, they gave the order to have every noble and species representatives gathered for an urgent and grand meeting in the Great Assembly Hall two days from then. The Argland Republic's capital buzzed with stories shared by the servants, soldiers and adventurers that accompanied the Dragon Lords and the Council members. The people's opinions were mixed, from those who were at awe and some even inspired from the stories, and those who found it hard to believe, especially about the journey to the moon. Regardless, no one would miss the grand meeting for sure. The capital, nay, the majority of the towns and villages are talking about the stories about the Sorcerer Kingdom's week long occasion. Lots of discussions and yes, even debates from various kinds of scholars and whatnots from different races and groups tackled and exchanged their thoughts about the stories.
Some of them were very dubious of the stories, even going as far as saying statements like "I'll believe it when I see proof of their travel on the moon" and so on. Others decided to save up some coins to go to the Sorcerer Kingdom and see for themselves whether the stories are true or not. Needless to say, the Pioneer's Holiday of the Sorcerer Kingdom was the new buzz that most of the nations on the continent are all talking about it. And on the actual day of the Grand Meeting, lots of topics were discussed especially by the Blue Sky and the Diamond Dragon Lords who were both chosen to be included in the first ever space travel. The other delegates who were also witnesses themselves testified and told their own experiences of the wonders brought and introduced by the Sorcerer King with his followers and their collaborations with their allies. The discussions were taken very, very seriously by those in attendance, especially after the Dragon Lords announced that they have agreed to be allies and trading partners of the newly founded nation. The attendants including the merchants understood the good opportunities that the new inventions and innovations could bring to their people, especially the new kinds of transportation that will soon be available to the public.
Many of the critics were silenced, when the Dragon Lords allowed some of the attendants to try and sample a taste of some of the foods and drinks they bought from the Sorcerer Kingdom. Those were purchased to serve as souvenirs and meant to be shared with their fellow councillors while keeping a separate and personal stash of those great foods and drinks for themselves individually. In short, the samples they let everyone try were their 'distraction stashes' to keep anyone away from their real and personal stashes of food and drinks. Which were already delivered to their respective homes, the new tastes and texture of the food was definitely new to them and the energy drinks were an instant hit with the races that are usually suited for labor works like most beastmen, Orcs, Trolls, etc. while the warriors took a liking to the drinks that bares the names of famous individuals like Team Darkness, Go Gin, and interestingly, the Nazarick Floor Guardians. Well, some of them anyway, as Ainz intentionally did not let some of the Guardians like Demiurge and Shalltear be included in the package and flavor designs for obvious reasons.
The inventions that were displayed on the Grand Hall, have garnered much interest and awe in some cases. The Dragon Lords even put the Limousine on display, since they won't be using it for now. The other councillors and nobles were allowed to enter the vehicle under the supervision of the same adventurer group that accompanied the delegation team. The moment that they sat on the car seats, they were amazed at the level of comfort the seats have. Unlike their usual carriage seats, naturally though; there are some that were afraid that the advent of the new type of vehicles would mean the end of their businesses. These are the businessmen that operated the carriage services in many places, for both nobles and public alike. But the Blue Sky Dragon Lord alleviated their fears as he told them that Sorcerer Kingdom would only allow the production of such vehicles in limited numbers to preserve the natural balance and to keep the economy in good health, as well as to provide the populace with options depending on their spending capacities and purposes of their journeys.
Back at E-Rantel.
The few weeks after the Pioneer's Holiday backfired on Momon's popularity in a strange way. The dark hero still retained his fellow citizen's love and admiration but, things have taken a few twisted turns ever since rumors of the "Momonster" have began to spread slowly among other adventurers and then to the public. Many have admired him more because to them, Momon was now clearly and absolutely the epitome of manliness. His bulging muscular frame, the humble and calm personality, his skills and martial prowess as a warrior, and lastly; the obelisk insignia of a man's unique symbolism. For the past few days since the sports events, Ainz (disguised as Momon) noticed that many of the single females have been looking and sometimes even staring at him in the lewd ways Albedo and Shalltear sometimes do. This mentally stressed him out even more.
'Pandora's Actor, why did I allow to read those books? Damn you Peroroncino, for smuggling your "supremacy" books disguised as health and well being books. Now I have to do a lot of work to ensure all of them are found and have them all sealed in the "pervert's vault". Ah, this is embarrassing. I feel like a porn actor in a midlife crisis, it's just feels… dirty.' Ainz mentally groaned.
He awkwardly waved to the people greeting him, even to the single ladies who greeted him while staring at his groin area the whole time. He decided to ignore the lewd stares and just head for his destination, the Adventurer's Guild.
Inside the Guild's lobby, Momon was greeted by his fellow adventurers. However, due to rising popularity of his "Momonster", some of the female attendants blushed as he asked if Ainzach was in his office. The awkward encounter aside, he was led to Ainzach's office on the second floor of the building. The Adventurer's Guild building was originally a two storey building, but ever since Ainz's occupation and the guild's reformation; it has been renovated into a seven storey building. And now it also offers an historical record archive, fully designed and operated by Elder Liches and guarded by two Vengeance Ronins that were created by Ainz himself. The other floors feature facilities that serve as a small hospital for medical treatment and so on, other features includes a temporary holding cell, relaxation lounge and canteen, a gym and exercise floor etc.
Ainz announced himself as he asked for permission to enter.
"Hello, Warden Ainzach. It's me Momon of team Darkness. Can I come in?" Momon humbly asked.
"Of course Momon-dono, please come in and make yourself comfortable. I hope you can forgive me for not being able to assist you at the moment, since it takes a bit of a time for me to get out of all of this." Ainzach said as he was carefully placing the tall stacks of papers aside. One of the reasons for these stacks of papers, are due to the numerous applications of young and new aspiring adventurers looking to be accepted into the reformed Adventurer's Guild. Other reasons for the large stacks include requests for assistances on many things from pest control to security and protection jobs for travelling merchants and nobles. Others are requests to investigate sightings of certain creatures that the locals fear might attack their humble homes.
Momon sat on the couch in front of the Guild Warden's table. He patiently waited for Ainzach to carefully set the papers aside, since documentation work was something Momonga find to be very tedious; he sympathized with the man as he shared his pain and stress over the paper works.
"(Fake cough) Sorry for that delay Momon-dono. I know you to be a man of action so let's get to the point, if you don't mind. How can I help you?" Ainzach spoke directly.
"Thank you for time Ainzach-dono. I'm here to talk about the upcoming expedition to help save the people of the Draconic Kingdom, since his majesty already gave his go signal to send help. The only thing he's waiting for is the reply from Queen Draudillon; I just hope that she agrees to the terms. I mean she should be considering the long term benefits from the Sorcerer King's offer, since the benefits definitely outweighs any negative alternative they might imagine (Ainzach nodded). But I'm actually here to talk about how we could still help those people if their queen refuses the Sorcerer King's offer for assistance. As a senior adventurer, perhaps you have some ideas on how the guild could proceed." Momon spoke in a compassionate tone, making Ainzach respect him even more.
"I happen to agree with your concerns Momon-dono. But from what I can see about the issue, it's that even if his majesty allows the guild to still provide some form of assistance after Queen Draudillon refused the deal; we will still be putting a lot of members at risk. Especially the newer members, and there's a ton of them applying right now (Ainzach pointed to the tall stack of papers beside him). If we just send the higher level teams like from Platinum up to Adamantite, chances are that we'd still fail due to the overwhelming numbers of the opponents. However, if we come in sufficient numbers and succeed. Then that would be probably used by critics in the future to refuse deals from his majesty, so no matter which way it goes, unless they accept his majesty's offer." Ainzach said as he tried to imagine different types of scenarios and how the guild could respond in a way that doesn't stir trouble for anyone, especially against the Sorcerer King for obvious reasons.
"Hmm… you do have a point there. Ahh, its times like these that make me tired even without doing anything. First, we got the problem of the beastmen invasion on the Draconic Kingdom. Then we got to help the Re-Estize Kingdom with their famine and hunger problems, and right after that; they have a potential civil war once the declaration of vassalization is made official. As if that's not enough, the Northern Roble Holy Kingdom is already on their way into a civil war against their southern counterparts. And to top it off, the Slane Theocracy's issues is still most likely the one that will definitely lead to a lot of deaths. If those other cardinals are smart, they'd agree to free the elves and other species that they've forced into slavery. Otherwise, we're looking at another page in the history books that says "It was the second time the Sorcerer King unleashed his terrible magic on the Slane theocracy…" and I'd rather none of that becomes necessary, even if there dogmas are for idiots." Momon said in a stressed tone, as he sensed the potential problems adding on top of another.
The two of them went on to discuss about potential solutions, even contingencies in cases of possible emergencies, whether it happened on the expected mission outside the nation, or if it somehow happened within the nation's territories. And during their conversation, a knock on the Guild Warden's door was heard. The person outside announced himself to be Wasabi, one of the intelligent Elder lich created by Ainz to help with the administrative works. Ainzach told him to enter, and upon entering. The Elder Lich greeted the two gentlemen in the room as if it was a normal thing for a powerful undead to do. So as not to blow his creator's cover he pretended to greet 'Momon' as respected individual and not as the Sorcerer King. He was holding many folders in his hands, inside these folders are the reports of several adventurer teams that were authorized to do some exploration on certain blank spots on the continental map. These areas that each team went to were all chosen to be within the territories of the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire which was already their vassal nation.
There were many more areas that needed to be explored and added to the new mapping system the Guardians refer to as 'Ji-Pi-Es' (GPS). But as Momonga was cautious enough to ensure that Nazarick avoid any unnecessary risks just as he wants to avoid unnecessary costs of Nazarick resources, which he was sure that are unlikely to be replaced with anything from the New World. Some of the information from the recently submitted reports had Ainzach's eyes wide, since he was amazed at some of the new discoveries of various species of animals and plants. They would still require further studies to be properly added to the records, especially the later. Many plants have their own uses and roles in nature; some can be used for making different kinds of potions. Some can be made into poisons or anaesthetics, or even explosives. Most of the plants discovered turned out to be good ingredients for certain foods and drinks. While there are some that have been certified to be kept away from for all intents and purposes, like the "Gimpy-gimpy" a kind of bush plant, that has neurotoxins that are too powerful; the itchiness it can cause to who or whatever touches it will keep on scratching the affected area until they wound themselves. In the worst case scenario, it can force the victim to commit suicide just to be free of the pain an itching.
The report on the "Gimpy-gimpy" made Ainzach sad, as he cringe at the report on the folder. He even read it out loud so that Momon may be aware of it as well. According to the report, one of the Gold ranked Adventurer Team's warrior happen to set off from the rest of his team to drop deuce and urinate in privacy. Unfortunately for the poor guy, after he was done dropping bombs and urinating on what seemed to be a safe area in the middle of the small forest; his foot was tripped by an unseen root of the tree closest to him. Him losing his balance caused him to fall on some nearby bushes. It turned out that his pecker was still out as he hasn't properly put his pants back on after he answered natures call, and he unfortunately, accidentally made direct contact with the dreaded plant. His screams of pain was heard by his team mates and so they followed his voice to help him, at first they thought he just fell down on a bad position and broke some bones or something. It took them about twenty minutes to get to his location, but when they found him, he had just killed himself by sticking his short sword on the side of his head.
The first one of the team to find their friend was shocked at what he'd just witnessed. He couldn't think of any reason for his friend to commit suicide, more so while his pants are still down on his ankles. Normally if it was just a drunk on the victim's position, they'd be laughing. But as they know their friend to calm and collected, this puzzled them all. When some of team members got close to retrieve their friend's corpse, some of them also came in contact with the dreaded and soon to be named "Gimpy-gimpy". They caught the itch on their hands and some on their feet. They said that the itch was very persistent, and the anti-poison potions were only able to provide temporary relief and then the itch would continue and it was unbearable. One of the adventurers, who were not affected, activated his emergency device and called for help. Shortly after his call for help, a [Gate] appeared a few meters from them and several skeletons and a pair of Death Knights came out, followed by an Elder Lich. The unaffected adventurer told the Elder Lich what happened and the undead decided to send the affected team into the quarantine area within the fake Nazarick and inform Demiurge of this new discovery.
Inside the laboratory in the fake Nazarick, Demiurge examined the plant samples brought in by the skeletons from the surrounding area of where the incident happened. He also examined the skin and blood samples taken from the affected adventurers while they were being treated with intravenous versions of the anti-toxin potions and pain blocker potions to keep them calm and not feel the itch and pain. And that's when Demiurge understood why the potions weren't enough to cure the victim. He discovered that the plant had thousands and thousands of microscopic needled that carry the toxin in a capsule like manner, which makes the toxins hard to be totally removed. As it happens, most of their distributed anti poison potions worked by immediately removing the cause of the poison. In this case, the toxin itself. However, the micro needles were structured that it can create small amounts of the toxin even if it was severed from the plant as the plants' from of natural defence. So what they needed to do was to carefully remove the micro needles and the capsule like structure that it leaves behind in the affected area. And base on this, Demiurge smiled a sadistic grin of joy. Then he proceeded to work on an effective cure based on Nfirea's pharmaceutical research a few years back on potion production. And after a few hours of experimentation on the plant and blood samples, he tried his latest iteration of the new potion and was glad that it worked. The first victim's body was treated with the cure first, then he was resurrected. Then he finished his report, and sent copies of it to different locations. Namely, to Ashurbanipal, to Nfirea, to his own office, and to his master which he knew was going to be visiting the City of E-Rantel. Most likely, to the Adventurer's Guild. After a few minutes of keeping quiet as he thought deep and hard on what just happened, a realization came to his mind. Then a few seconds later, the Arch Fiend was laughing maniacally within the fake Nazarick's laboratory.
"WHAA! Ah ha ha ha… Oh praised be the Supreme Beings, that it was Lord Ainz that led the forty one! For only he, possess the wisdom to truly understand how this universe works. Oh sure, "Got to go to the Explorers office, who knows what they'll discover". Yeah right, as if you didn't know what they'll discover. Ah Lord Ainz, you never fail to impress me with your all encompassing wisdom." Demiurge said as he even impersonated what Ainz said to him on the throne room before Ainz went to E-Rantel to go to the Adventurer's Guild. Then the cunning Guardian chuckled in a deep, creepy and evil voice.
"Ah, Slane Theocracy. Oh how I would pity you, a nation of blasphemers to the last Supreme Being. I truly am blessed as Lord Ainz has deemed me worthy to be informed of such vital information and in an unsusceptible way none the less. If they refuse Ainz-sama's demands, they will know eternal discomfort. And that's just the first part!" Demiurge went on and then continued his evil laugh as it echoed all throughout the fake Nazarick halls.
Author's Note: Merry Christmas to everyone. Sorry for not making a longer chapter, this chapter was meant to be much longer, but as I don't have the time right now; I'll make sure to complete the rest of this arc on the next chapter (chapter 21) which I will post before or after the New Year start.
As for "Death Comes For Us All." I will post it around the same time as chapter 21 of "The Nazarick Grand Prix." BUT, I won't be posting it on this site as the rules seemed vague to me for posting new stories here.
I will post my other fan fiction stories on Archive of our own dot org since I have more freedom there. And I can post much darker and twisted content. Thank you again to those that have read my works, I hope you will continue to read my new stories that will be posted soon.