A news was being broadcast in the famous news channel I.N If the sorcerous empire. A room could be seen on the television screen with two chairs on either side. Demiurge sat in one chair, and a vampire sat in the other chair, in a blue suit.
"Ainz-sama was supposed to come to our ceremony today. But Lord Demiurge has come in his place. Together he is the defense chief of the Sorcerous Empire, a floor guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a diplomat, and a scientist who invented the formula for creating artificial hybrids." Vampire said.
"At first I apologize to Ainz-sama. Ainz-sama is too busy with his work. So he couldn't come."
"No problem, Lord Demiurge. Above all, he is the ruler of this whole world."
"Yes, you're right."
"Hm .. so let's get started. My first question to Lord Demiurge. Is there any information about that gate structure? Almost all the scientists in the Sorcerous Empire have been researching it since that gate structure appeared in the Hoburns three months ago. Have they found any information?"
"No, they have not been able to unravel the complete mystery of that gate structure here. They have been able to discover 60% of how the gate structure was made. But hopefully, soon they will be able to unravel the complete mystery of that gate structure."
"Hm. Lord Demiurge, Which is the strongest nation and creature in the special regions? And are these a threat to us?"
"People in special regions think a flame dragon is the most powerful creature in special regions. And the most powerful nation in special regions is the Saderan Empire."
"Isn't the Saderan Empire the nation that attacked Hoburns, the capital of the Holy Kingdom?"
"Yes, they were."
"Then the forces of the Sorcerous Empire should not have any difficulty in occupying the special regions. Because the forces of the Saderan Empire are very weak."
"There is another gate."
"Another Gate?"
"Actually, the gates were open in two places in the special regions. One is in the Romalia mountain and the other is in the Alnus hills. The gate in Romalia is connected to our world, and the presence gate in Alnus is connected to a world called Earth. In our world, just as the gate structure appeared in Hoburns, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, so did the gate structure appears on the planet Earth in Japan. The empire attacked them, wounded and killed many of their citizens, and took many captives. The Japanese army is also powerful. But even then they are trying to establish diplomatic relations with the empire. Now if we attack the empire and destroy all the empires it would be barbaric. So, Ainz-sama sent a message of the peace treaty to the emperor of the Saderan Empire. But if they do not accept all our agreements, then we will attack them."
"Lord Demiurge, do you have any information about this Earth? How powerful are they?"
"Actually, we sent spies there a few days ago. So we haven't been able to gather complete information about Earth yet. But I can give you some basic information. Maximum human live on this planet called Earth. These humans are of low ranks. They can't use magic. They just rely on technology. Also, the planet Earth is very polluted."
"... Lord Demiurge, and what about the flame dragon?"
"Prince Ragnarok has ordered create a special team to kill this flame dragon."
"Lord Demiurge, to my last question. Is Ainz-sama thinking of occupying special regions? "
"It depends entirely on Ainz-sama"
Scene Change: Imperial Palace:
Zorzal was pressing a woman down onto a chiffon-veiled bed. He grabbed her neck from behind and pulled it up, enjoying the interplay of pain and pleasure on her face, his grunts and her moans mixing as he lost himself in his bliss.
"My, my Prince, please, please forgive me…" she moaned, mixing the pleasured moan with pain and disgust.
"Hmph, is that all the queen of the Warrior Bunnies can handle? Hmm, I'm sure you can make better sounds than that. Moan for me." bullied the woman under him the man.
As the man looked down on the Bunnygirl whose body was already twitching as she passed out, Zorzal slapped her buttocks with a "Hmph!" and dumped her onto the bed like a used toy.
The white-skinned woman rolled off the bed like a broken doll. The impact returned her to consciousness, and her body shuddered.
Her hair was as white as snow, and two fur-trimmed ears stuck out from the sides of her head. However, her body was covered in bruises, bite marks, and many other signs of violence.
"If you pass out from just that much, you won't be able to satisfy me…" huffed the sadistic prince.
"Please forgive me…" the woman moaned in a trembling, small voice. Her red eyes looked over at him as she climbed off the cold stone floor and back onto the bed.
"Try harder, then. Your people's fate depends on it." Zorzal poured some quality wine for himself to satisfy his thirst. Then licked away the remains from his lips.
"Please show mercy, my Prince, my people…" she pleaded desperately. However, she already knows it is fruitless; she only did so to upkeep her act.
"Enough! I'm going back!"
Zorzal did not even bother to answer her as he turned his muscled body away and ordered his attendants to dress him.
His Warrior Bunny lover sobbed as she rose naked from the bed and wrapped herself in its sheets. Then she limped away, supporting herself against the wall but before she left. She wanted to use the small vial she received from her mysterious visitor, but it was not the time, not yet… thus… she simply left. Neither she knows yet the effect of the mixture. So, she decided against it.
Zorzal clicked his tongue. "I'm getting sick of this toy." He wondered whether to dispose of her or not.
A voice responded to his muttering.
"Your Highness, even if it's for fun, you shouldn't take a couple with a filthy beast woman like that."
The speaker was Count Marx of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"What do you mean, I'm an enlightened man. I treat all people the same regardless of species. That Warrior Bunny's body is among the best I've seen." closing his eye he showed a huffish expression. He was straightforward offended hearing the accusation of Count Marx.
"But, if she gets pregnant…" said the conspiring man worriedly. Looking towards the half-open door through the woman left moments ago.
"That's fine too. She's the queen of the Warrior Bunnies. Having my child be their leader is a good thing too."
"But hasn't the kingdom she ruled long been destroyed?" inquired Marx. True, Zorzal knows that still, he found her uses time to time. It would be a shame to dispose of her yet.
"Shh, quiet… Tyuule's ears are very big. She might overhear you."
Marx shook his head.
She had sacrificed herself to protect her country and people. She had endured this terrible abuse for a full three years, but her home was long since destroyed and her people were nearly extinct. What few survivors remained were scattered throughout the land and lived in misery.
Worse, those survivors mistakenly believed that she had betrayed her people, and swore to exact revenge on her. That was cruel, even for a Beastman. The thought of what Zorzal would do when he became Emperor sent a shiver down on Marx's spine.
"Speaking of which, Count Marx. Why did you come here today? Peeping? Or do you want Tyuule despite your age? That's fine too. She might be a bit dirty now, but she's pretty when she's cleaned up." joked Zorzal, showing a mischievous smile towards the elderly Senator.
After Zorzal was dressed, his attendants left the room. Now only Zorzal and Count Marx were left in the room.
"In truth, I have a matter to report." Marx coughing up the youthful first Prince offered.
"What is it? Speak."
"Recently, there have been some unsettling moves among the Senators."
"And by unsettling you mean…?" raising his brow Zorzal inquired. He knows Marx always conspired. It was strange he shared this with him. Too strange, he needs to be careful.
"Yes, my Prince. Meetings in the night, secret trade deals, that sort of thing. At first, there were only a few of them doing this, but their numbers have steadily increased."
"Hmph. Is my brother up to something again? He must be stirring up the Senators. It seems Diabo has finally pulled out all the stops in his bid for the throne." smirking he was overconfident. He thought himself too strong and impressive to think he can lose.
"No, that does not seem to be the case. The ones meeting with the Senators appear to be the people who have unlawfully laid claim to Arnus and Romalia."
"What, how could that possibly happen?" Zorzal said as he shook his head in disbelief. Clenching his teeth in anger.
"Could they be emissaries? After all, we're at war, having envoys going back and forth is common. Usually, the enemy negotiates with the Empire for peace or surrender. Could it be they can't fight anymore?"
"However, it seems many of the Senators have already been bought off."
"What did you say?" Zorzal snarled with disgust. They are not beaten yet; it was only a temporary setback. Not even close to defeat. Ohhhh… if he could only know what happens next… if he would know who they are messed with… he would long ago fleed from the country with his slaves and wealth.
"Until now, everyone who has gone to war against them has died, but it seems quite a few people are still living like prisoners. This gathering of the Senators should be to negotiate the terms of their release."
"How could this be?" Zorzal punched his fist into his palm. Roared like a furious lion.
"To think, Imperial Senators would buckle under this sort of intimidation. Disgusting!"
"Using one's kinship as a weapon seems like something the despicable enemy would do." honeyed his words Marx. Leading the first Prince into a blind route.
"Well, it can't be helped. After all, their relatives are being held, hostage. That must have clouded their judgment. Very well, I know what to do. I shall inform the Senators of the enemy's despicable methods and wake them up." he came up with his genius or not so bright plan. How which, decide yourself.
"If your Highness goes in person, I'm sure they will." nodded Marx approvingly. Dropping his honeyed words into the Prince's ears.
"Still, Count Marx. Why did you not inform my father about this, but for me?" Zorzal asked suspiciously. He did not trust the old politician. He heard too much about his constant political scheming and games, too much to trust him blindly.
"There are many things to be considered, and if this news reaches the Emperor's ears, I fear something irreversible will happen. This cannot be a good thing for the Empire. Thus, I reported directly to yourself, as the heir to the throne."
"Well, that's true. We need to avoid conflict between the Senate and the Imperial family. Only Diabo will benefit from that. If that's the case, then we need to resolve it ourselves. Then, where are they meeting?"
Marx told him where they were meeting.
"What? So close to us?"
Zorzal furrowed his brows and then said to the patrician youths outside. "We're moving out!"
As Count Marx watched him leave, he muttered to himself, "You idiot. Go as grandly as you like." a foxy smile before he turned away and left.
Scene Change: Garden Party
The name for this sort of thing would be a "garden party" or "garden festival." The word conjured up impressions of large tents and roasting meat. It was located on the outskirts of the Empire, and many guests were invited to enjoy it together.
The garden was so vast that it contained parts of the forest that seemed to stretch to the horizon, as well as small hills, miniature forests, and even a little stream that led to a pool, in addition to enough grassland for a 36-hole golf course.
A large white canopy was spread over one corner of this garden. Below that, master chefs were barbecuing fish and beast meat over a massive fire. They made heavy use of those spices that were rare in the Empire, and the smell alone was enough to make people drool.
Some of the young girls in maid outfits could not help themselves and tried some, for which they were scolded once the old maids found out.
A short distance away, a group of musicians was playing a piece. It was not enough for people to consider it noise, but their music livened up the scene.
The pies filled with soup gave off a delicious herbal scent. Beside them were heaps of fruits stacked up from various countries.
After the guests filled their bellies, they would move on to the desserts.
For the sorrow of the appointed maids who received the 'grateful' task to look after the children.
As Piña watched this, she took a fruit out of a basket and chewed on it. However, her stomach churned in her nervousness. She knows without nutriment she will pass out.
"Sugawara-dono, inviting the families as a whole like this was more fun than I thought it would be. I like this feeling as well. Perhaps future events for the knight band can be like this too… But no one has come from the Sorcerous Empire yet."
Sugawara nodded and looked around. "Yes"
Then suddenly a black circle appeared. Six and some members of the S.E.A.F came out of there.
Piña and Sugawara were shocked to see this.
Six looked around, then his gaze fell on Piña and Sugawara. They walked towards them.
"We apologize for the delay. My name is Six. Prince Ragnarok is very busy, so he sent me instead."
Piña and Sugawara nodded.
Piña said nervously "It is not a problem. It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Six. And what was that black circle?"
"Oh, that was the Gate spell. It allows us to travel from one place to another easily and instantly."
"You mean teleportation?" Sugawara said stunned
"Yes, but it is considered the highest level of teleportation magic. There is no limit to its distance and the chance of a teleport accident is 0%."
Impossible! As such, I heard from Itami that Sorcerous Empire has robots that can use energy burst. And now teleportation! What century are they?
"Anyway, you haven't introduced yourself yet." Six said aiming at Sugawara.
Sugawara was nervous but still, he extended his hand and said with a smile "Oh sorry, my name is Kōji Sugawara. I'm the Negotiator for Japan. Nice to meet you mister six."
Six shook hands with him. "Me too"
Piña took Sugawara and Six to introduce them to the aristocracy.
All of the important guests here were already familiar with Sugawara, but no one was familiar with Six.
Halfway through the introductions, a daring young girl ran over and grabbed Sugawara's arm, pressing her budding breasts into it in a teasing manner.
"Sugawara-sama, I saw my cousins' beautiful jewelry, and I'm jealous. Could you help me?"
This was quite rude, after all, and so she was promptly scolded by her parents.
The girl who clung to Sugawara was roughly 11 or 12, so she probably was not acting for greater benefits. It was kind of unsettling, but he did not shake her off. However, it would be difficult to be a diplomat without knowing how to handle situations like these. But there was a good way of dealing with young children.
As she watched the mother scolding her daughter, she whispered, "She's from the Tueri family, and a relative of Marquis Caesar." explained the Imperial princess.
Marquis Caesar was the leader of the Imperial Senate and by extension, all of the Imperial politics. To the Japanese government and for the Sorcerous Kingdom, that meant that they needed channels to him at any cost. Naturally, Sugawara immediately responded appropriately.
First, he stood before the girl's parents, who were angry about her rudeness, with a genial expression and asked them to kindly not scold her anymore. Then, he remembered her name — Sherry — and promised to give her a pearl necklace. This way, they would form a bond, and in the future, he could ask them to introduce him to other people.
This was what the diplomats' superior had meant when they said, "Gifts are our ammunition." Personal benefits could not be allowed to conflict with the well-being of a country, and sometimes people were attacked by the mass media on it. However, for the sake of diplomatic efforts, they could not afford to be stingy. Being too miserly might lead to relations breaking down.
What happened was that Sugawara adorned Sherry with a necklace from a velvet box, and she promptly ran off like an innocent child to show it off to her cousins.
Of course, after receiving a gift like this, one needed to repay it fittingly. That was the way they did things in the Empire. Soon enough, the repayment took place — they helped to connect him to Marquis Caesar.
As an aside, because of this arrangement, the almost 30-year-old Sugawara was beginning to warm up to the 11-year-old Sherry. Her calculative parents noticed this and began enthusiastically pushing them together, and the way things were developing began to worry him.
Piña smiled bitterly to the panicking Sugawara and the overjoyed Sherry, and then let her eyes wander around her surroundings.
For now, it was impossible to fully monitor the activities of all the guests.
As a host, she could not simply play around. To be precise, as a host, one could not enjoy oneself at the expense of one's guests. Still, it was better this time around. She did not have to introduce ladies to gentlemen and vice versa.
Events like this created a chance for young men and women to mingle. Although it was only natural for young patricians to flirt with each other, doing so out of the blue was very rude. There needed to be proper introductions first, and much of the time, the host would arrange for those.
Piña was the leader of a knight order which contained many young men and women. If she had to arrange for all of them to meet each other, she would be too busy to so much as taking a drink.
And this party was attended by the relatives of many patrician families, as well as their children who had not made their social debut.
In front of her parent's eyes, they could not do anything overboard. And if they were to spend time on introductions, they would not have any time to enjoy themselves.
Because of that, most of the guests decided to enjoy themselves as families. They split into two groups of males and females and had fun by themselves.
The ladies had obtained beautiful clothes courtesy of someone related to Sugawara, and they competed to outdo each other with displays of their brilliantly colored dresses and jewelry.
Since the materials and fabric were equivalent, then the only way they could compete was through the design and stitching of their dresses, which sparked their respective jealousies and competitiveness. In addition, the minute differences in quality of the accessories and decorations on their clothes ate at their hearts, which was why they wanted to maintain good ties with Sugawara.
Piña was surprised because Six was not giving anyone a gift or anything. He was not behaving like a diplomat.
"Hm .. Mr. Six can I ask you a question if you don't mind?"
"Yes"
"Um...Are you a diplomat?"
"No, I'm a chief agent of the SEAF. Prince Ragnarok just sent me here to show the emperor's senators a sample of the power of the Sorcerous Empire."
As I thought, Prince Ragnarok is not as friendly as Prince Beelzebub at all. Piña thought nervously. But Mr. Six is not a diplomat though. Even then I need to talk to him about prisoners of war.
"Sir Six, have you captured the forces of our empire that attacked your empire?"
"Yes, 146 people were captured and the scout team you sent that we captured. Then the total number of prisoners will be almost about 200."
What! About 400,000 Imperial troops took part in the expedition to the Romalia Mountains, and only 200 of them survive.
"Sir Six, is there any way to get the prisoners back?" Pina said nervously
"I can't decide on this. The prince alone has the responsibility to make this decision. But I don't think the prince will reject it. Because now they are of no use to us."
piña let out a sigh of relief.
"Princess Piña, where will the senators see our military might?"
"Huh?"
Then Sugawara came back to them
Piña asked Sugawara, "Where is Itami-dono?"
"He's over there."
Sugawara pointed to the main square, and specifically at an area that was walled off by sandbags and forbidden to the children.
The guests there were their main objective… In other words, they were Senators and the young men who would become new Senators. The JSDF had set up a shooting range here for them to experience the feeling of firing guns. In addition, they would also understand the terror of the guns that Japan possessed. That was the main objective of organizing this garden party.
To ensure bullets would not go astray, they set up targets in front of a big pile of sandbags. The targets in question were cheap pots of fired clay, bought in vast quantities.
Behind them were berms of dirt. This was what Itami and the others were setting up beforehand.
The Senators were lined up at the firing line, and under the supervision of 3rd Recon's troopers, they opened fire on the targets 50 meters away, to their hearts' content.
The twenty or so Senators took turns firing.
Cicero stood at one of the firing positions. He followed directions, and firmly held his rifle, took aim, and then pulled the trigger. The loud report of the firing and the kick in his shoulders made his eyes water.
Piña wanted to ask, "So how does a gun feel, Lord Cicero?" but she did not. If anyone had asked her that question, she would have thought they were trying to intimidate her. Therefore, she kept quiet. After all, they had experienced and had enough time to think about it.
The first shot made him jump.
The second shot awed him with its power.
The third shot let him feel that power with his body.
By the fourth shot, he wanted to own the gun he had in his hands.
And then, after ten rounds, he realized what it meant to fight an army that was fully outfitted with these weapons.
Next, they demonstrated the Minimi (a light machine gun). After they saw a line of pots shatter in an instant, they understood why the invading army they had sent beyond the Gate had been defeated. They also knew why the Coalition Army that attacked Arnus had been wiped out.
After that, there was a question.
"How do you make these things?"
Of course, they could not teach the Senators how to make them. Then again, even if they told them, they might not be able to understand it.
What the Senators could understand was that these weapons called guns were a collection of countless intricate parts. They were the product of technology more advanced than the ones which had produced the gifts which Sugawara had given.
And after that, the question was, "How can we buy these?"
But they could not give them the answer they desired. They could not. How could anyone be so stupid as to sell weapons to their enemies in the middle of a war? The Senators knew that too.
If they had agreed to sell them, the Senators would have suspected some sort of scam or trick. Then why had they asked? It was because guns possessed a power that could not be ignored.
To prevent their theft, each gun was secured by two chains, and each one had a person supervising them.
The kind instructors, who explained how to load, how to aim, and how to pull the trigger, did not allow their vigilance to slacken in the slightest.
Then a voice from behind suggested, "How about buying them all off?"... But judging from the way they spoke and their actions, it would be impossible. In the end, they had to end it with, "...As if."
Cicero returned his rifle to the soldier in front of him and left the firing range after thanking his instructor for his time.
After that, they began demonstrating, even more, things that frightened the Senators.
"Ah~ we're beginning the 81mm mortar demonstration, please come this way."
Itami led the Senators to a new firing range.
Some distance away, there was a cylindrical object standing slanted on two legs. The cylinder looked like a tube made of metal. This tube pointed out to the grassland in the distance.
As the audience started to crowd in, Itami shouted, "It's very dangerous, please stay back!" and the Senators had no choice but to stop.
With an order from a commander, the three-man mortar crew began their tasks.
One of them fitted the sighting unit and began aligning it with the horizon and a red and white aiming post.
Another person loaded the mortar round with its fuse and its propellant charge.
After that, the person standing behind him took the round in both hands, and slid half of it into the mortar barrel, but did not let go.
"Half-load complete!"
The commander folded his fingers as he counted down, "Five! Four! Three! Two!"
"Fire!" "One!" the two voices rang out together.
The man holding the mortar round let go and immediately ducked his head down to avoid injury.
After that, the round slid down the barrel as it was pulled down by gravity.
The tail end of the round was loaded with a propellant charge. The distance it flew could be adjusted by changing the amount of propellant. Once the charge hit the firing pin at the barrel's base, it triggered a small explosion. The shockwave produced by the detonating propellant launched the round from the tube.
First, a tongue of flame spouted from the mortar's mouth, and then the round flew out. This was the strange thing; there was almost no gap between the round and the barrel, yet the flames and shock wave emerged first.
After seeing this, the audience was frightened by the bang which was far louder than those of the guns. And then...
"Impact~ now!"
After that, a huge plume of black smoke bloomed from the target, followed a second later by the gut-churning sound of an explosion. To amplify the visual effect, they had fitted the round with a long-delay fuse so that it would explode on the ground. This would create a spray of dust and sand like in the movies.
And then the mortar continued firing.
The rounds dug huge chunks out of the earth, and the sounds of the explosions roared like thunder. They fired over ten shots in the end.
The Senators who saw this also imagined their cavalry and heavy infantry being blown to smithereens. In addition, they also envisioned their fortresses and castra engulfed in these explosions.
"Sorry to trouble you, but… what is the maximum range of these weapons?"
Itami did some mental calculations and replied, "Hmm, from the measurements of this place, I'd say three leagues or so (1 league = 1.6km)." This was a conservative answer; there was no need to describe their weapons to their enemies accurately.
"Did you say, three leagues?"
In the Special Region, even the battlefields were not that large.
"Ah, I have another question. How many of these weapons do you have?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you the exact details. You can assume that every man has one."
"E-everyone?!"
The Senators each reached the same conclusion. No, in truth, they had already known this. They just did not want to admit it to themselves.
If we fight them, we will lose.
They had experienced it firsthand. The Empire's soldiers, the Empire's weapons, the Empire's tactics, none of them could hope to defeat Japan.
Who was the idiot that suggested declaring war on a foe like this? The Senators looked at each other with hateful eyes, but all they saw was the pained expressions on each other's faces. Everyone had the same thing on their minds.
Advancing the next was the Sorcerous Empire demonstration. Six gestured to his men. Then they took out some boxes from their storage. Which were made of metal.
Everyone was shocked to see it.
Cicero said, "What was that black circle?"
"Are you talking about storage?" Six said.
"Storage?"
"Yes, it allows each of our soldiers to easily carry up to 500 kg."
They were even more shocked
What! That means burning villages, croplands and mixing poison in the water, all this was useless. These were of no use!
"First armor test."Six command
Some soldiers set up the standard black armor. The armor that a simple Imperial soldier in the Sorcerous Empire wore.
First, Six asked the best archers in amongst the Senators. Several of them volunteered. The range was quite close. Straining the strings, the senators released the arrows. Aiming first at the chest piece and next to the joints of the armor. Rounds after rounds no one amongst them even scratched the surface of the armor.
Then asked the soldiers of the JSDF to fire on the armor with their appointed gun. Itami however hardly. But for the constant pleas and pressure from the nearby Senators agreed and the nearby JSDF instructors lined up in the firing range. Fired their guns. What comes next surprised everyone.
The bullets so easily destroyed the simple targets before. Simply repelled by the armor enchantment. Leaving less than a scratch after each bullet. Like a force field surrounding the enchanted armor, it repelled easily the incoming bullets.
After several rounds of magazines and constant fire later, only a slight dent can be seen on the armor.
They then set up the suit that an ordinary SEAF soldier wore. But after hundreds of attempts, the JSDF soldiers were not able to bring a single stain on it. Because it was specifically enchanted to prevent bullets.
The next station was the long-ranged weapon test. Normally most of the imperial forces still used enchanted bows and crossbows. But gradually they are being equipped with magic guns.
Six just can't let the JSDF shine. He was ordered to intimidate the Senate and the JSDF.
Six told his soldiers to pull out the machine guns. The soldiers then opened a box containing a machine gun.
Some soldiers went and set up the armor of the soldiers of the Saderan Empire and the bulletproof jackets of the JSDF.
A soldier took up a position with a machine gun.
"Fire"
Numerous shots were fired from the machine gun at lightning speed. The bullets shattered the armor of the imperial soldiers and the bulletproof jackets of the JSDF and went into the sandbags. As the bullets continued to pierce the sandbags, Six gave the command to stop firing.
The senators and many JSDF soldiers were very impressed and panicked. The senatorsthought that this weapon was more dangerous than JSDF's weapon.
And some JSDF soldiers thought it might be able to penetrate tanks as well.
"How many weapons do you have?" Cicero said.
"...I don't know. It's only Tiger class weapon."
"What do you mean?"
"We have divided our weapons into different categories. Tiger class: Weapons of this category can harm a large number of people. Demon Class: Weapons of this category can destroy a village or a small town. Dragon class: Weapons of this category, an It is possible to destroy a city or a small country. World-class: It is possible to destroy a country or an entire continent. However, some world-class items have the power to harm the whole world. "
"Aren't you kidding?"
"No, it's true."
They were even more frightened by it.
Then Kuribayashi approached Six and asked, "Can I try this once?"
"No, it's dangerous."
"Don't underestimate me. I'm a soldier too. I have the training to wield such weapons." She said angrily.
"That's not the point. You guys are much weaker than our human soldiers. So you can't stand the pressure. It's like letting a kid run a gun."
She looked angry at Six. Because she thought he was making fun of them.
Six realized it. He gestured to one of his soldiers. The soldier came and stood in front of Kuribayashi. "You can see him hit"
"Ok," Kuribayashi said with a smile
Itami tried to stop her but Six stopped him "No problem"
Kuribayashi swallowed back a little and tightened her fists and screamed and hit the soldier.
But the soldier resisted her attack as if she were a 6 or 5-year-old child.
"What?"
"I said before that the human of our world is stronger than the human of your world."
After all, the senators realized that perhaps the Sorcerous Empire was stronger than the JSDF.
Six gestured to his men. Then few Soldiers of the S.E.A.F opened two boxes. One box contained a mortar and the other contained several mortar shells.
They set the mortar and loaded the shell into the mortar.
"Range 2.5 km"
"Fire"
Like the mortal the soldiers of JSDF used. The magical shell flew high in the air. Releasing a big, deafening roar. Then drawing an angle started to fall back towards the ground.
It made a huge hole. And dwarfed holes left by JSDF's mortal. The hole was so big that it was enough to destroy a village or a small town in an instant.
"What is this?" "Which class?" "Ho-How much do you have these weapons?" "What kind of madness is this !?" "We are doomed!" "This is a bad joke! Is this really happening?" shouted multiple senators at once. Roaring in unison. Some of them even asked it is possible to buy a few of them.
"It's a Demon class weapon. Usually, all forces have this type of weapon."
The Senators understood.
They knew why Piña had so enthusiastically volunteered to be a mediator between the three sides. Indeed, it was for the sake of the captives… But she knew before all of them had discovered now, that if the Empire continued fighting, it would be defeated. No, not defeated. Destroyed. Either by Japan or burned to the ground by the Sorcerous Empire.
Now she understands. The gods of Japan and the Sorcerous Empire did not even need to move a single finger. Their military might more than enough to burn everything to ash.
They were surrounded by women and children who knew nothing of the terrifying enemy they faced. And there were many other patricians other than them. None of them were on their guard. They lived in leisure. Before this day, Piña thought she might have been one of them.
After exchanging looks, Marquis Ducie and Lord Cicero stepped out of the group.
Cicero forced out his question.
"Sugawara-dono. Six-dono. May I ask why the Sorcerous Empire and Japan want peace? It's clear that as long as they fight, they will be victorious."
"Peace is exactly what my country wants," answered Sugawara.
"Ainz-sama asked to give your empire a chance, what do you want to destroy or peace. Thus, Ainz-sama sent a message of a peace treaty to your emperor. It seems that he has not responded yet."
What? To the emperor. The emperor is not a man who will accept the demands of the enemy. They panicked.
Marquis Ducie replied in a voice that matched his distinguished station.
"Peace… I see. What a pleasant-sounding word. But this word has many meanings. The peace attained through victory is sweet, but the peace of being defeated and cast aside is bitter. Both are peaceful all the same, but this old one is aware that they have completely different meanings. Until this day, this old one has only tasted the peace of victory."
After hearing Cicero's words, the Marquis nodded.
"You are correct. Peace talks are essential. However, we must verify the conditions of the peace treaty with the Sorcerous Empire and Japan."
Both Sugawara and Six nodded, and then they coldly stated the basic stipulations:
One: The Saderan Empire must admit its guilt in starting the war and hand over the persons responsible for punishment.
Two: The Saderan Empire must pay the appropriate damages to Japan and the Sorcerous Empire. This amount is 500 million suwanis for Japan. 700 million for the Sorcerous Empire.
Three: The Empire must cede the territory around the Gate for 100 leagues around the Gate to Japan and the Sorcerous Empire. A demilitarized zone will exist for ten leagues around this border where both sides are not permitted to station military forces.
Four: The Empire must sign trade agreements with Japan and the Sorcerous Empire.
Five: The captured citizens of Japan must be returned immediately. Without any kind of harm. Or the chances of the Capital military occupation will grow day after day.
"Five… five hundred million suwanis?!"
"Seven ..hundred million?!" shouted another senator.
"There wouldn't be that much money in the world even if you gathered it all together!"
"Asking to punish the responsible parties, on top of ceding territory, this is asking too much!"
"Mi-military occupation!?"
"Exactly. Do you intend to destroy the Empire?"
After seeing the panicking Senators, Sugawara hurriedly clarified the conditions.
"There's no need to pay it all at once. Also, the sum can be paid with mineral rights." Six nodded. Clarifying what Sugawara said.
"Even… even so… Don't you think it's a bit much?"
"It's, it's impossible. We won't be able to convince the other Senators of this."
"How can you say you desire peace when you say this?"
Piña was also trembling when she heard the conditions of the Japanese government and the Sorcerous Empire.
To think, the peace proceedings she was presiding over would turn out to be a death sentence. Sugawara's words about paying in installments and paying in mineral rights went in one ear and out the others.
The strength fled her body, and in the end, she could not even remain to stand and sat down. In a voice filled with despair, Piña asked:
"Six-dono. May, may I ask how this is different from an unconditional surrender? Rather than this… Wouldn't it be better just to kill us all and save the time?"
"Huh...I don't think this number is high. It's the Holy Kingdom's annual income."Six said.
"Indeed, 500 million suwanis was probably too much of a shock," Sugawara said after a brief pause to think.
"That amount is one year's worth of our budget, and a little bit extra."
"However…" Six looked around suspiciously. "If your Empire joins under the Sorcerous Empire flag as his majesty vassal state. The Saderan Empire can keep its sovereignty. His majesty only requires a few rules to be kept in return. And the yearly contribution as well very generous. Your family remains in power, and in the border of the rules of the Empire you will gain free reign." He whispered.
Six offer was tempting. Pushing the princess towards the solution. Becoming a vassal seemed the only sensible way out. The last light in the dark, night.
The Senators sat down one by one.
All the gold objects on the continent… Starting from the crowns of their vassal kings, their treasure, their currency… If you gathered them all up and reforged them into suwani, they could not mint anywhere near 500 million of them. And to think, this huge sum was roughly equivalent to a year's expenses for the enemy. How big was this country called Japan? How big is the sorcerous empire that a vassal country of theirs can earn 700 million one year? Summing up the two. 1200 million. There is no way they could pay as much.
Regarding the problem of payment, the Japanese government had already verified the Special Region's economic situation and identified potential problems before drawing up the agreement.
For example, the total of all the gold ever mined throughout the whole of human existence was around 160'000 tons. Granted, this was due to advances in mining methods over the recent two or three centuries.
And, The amount of gold in the Sorcerous empire was 250,000-300,000 tons, and the amount of platinum was about 100,000 tons. However, extraction work was still going on in the platinum mines. But it will end soon. Very tough number. Thanks to the Sorcerous empire's advanced mining technology and skilled races in mining. As a result, it was possible to extract such a huge amount of treasure in 300 years. Of course, the contents of the Nazarick vault were not calculated.
So, 700 million is nothing special for Sorcerous Empire.
Judging by the technological level of the Special Region, they probably still extracted gold by hand, using pickaxes and shovels. Even with the help of ogres and goblins, given their undeveloped methods, the total amount of gold extracted would be around 10'000 tons.
In addition, even the Empire could not completely administer the whole of the Special Region.
And within all this, the suwani was this world's most valuable currency.
A suwani contained roughly 60 grams of gold and was roughly the size of a Japanese 500 yen coin. It was very thick and heavy. Besides using it in circulation, it was also used as a form of investment, similar to the gold koban coins of Edo-period Japan. As a result, very few were made, and almost none of them appeared on the market.
As for the standard Sorcerous Empire gold coin. It was worth around one and a half suwani and called Momonga officially. If we counted the artistic value of the currency. It is worth five times as a standard suwani.
But, the people of the sorcerous empire used gold coins as well as paper money. It was introduced 100 years ago.
One thousand of these gold pieces called suwani would weigh 60 kilos. One million (one thousand-thousand) of them would weigh 60 tons. 12,00 million of them would require 72'000 tons of gold… that was to say; it was impossible to pay.
Then there was the most commonly circulated gold coin in the Empire, the sinku. It was slightly smaller than the suwani, and its gold content was slightly under ten grams. As a trade currency of the Special Region, its value was commonly subject to fluctuations depending on local conditions. Therefore they could not simply equate six sinkus = 1 suwani by gold content alone.
sinkus were quite valuable because of their convenience in trade. Therefore, the exchange rate was five sinkus to 1 suwani.
If the Saderan Empire bought back large amounts of currency to pay off the debt, it would cause hyperinflation and make buying things difficult. This would also affect other currencies.
The average citizen used silver denarii, and a soldier's daily pay was in soltas (a day's pay for a soldier was one Solta). If the gold currency were gone, then the importance of silver and copper currency would increase as well. This would lead to explosive inflation and eventually a large-scale halt in trade.
If they did pay this huge sum, it would not just be the Empire whose economy was destroyed, but the entire Special Regions. In addition, if they tried to bring so much money back through the Gate, the Americans, Russians, Chinese, French, Italians, and other nuclear powers would most likely order a nuclear strike on Japan as well. With the gold market in freefall, the entire world's economy would collapse as well.
Therefore, paying 500 million suwanis to Japan was out of the question.
If they paid for it, it would cause a lot of headaches. Circulating inferior currencies with lower gold content would also be very troublesome. These poor currencies would cause a market crash if they were used in the Saderan Empire.
That being said, they could not tell them that the amount was "being decided."
On Japan's side, they were simply following the example of their neighbors after the battle. They had asked for 1.4 times their yearly national budget, so Japan had instead asked for their yearly budget.
These funds would be used for compensation paid out to the victims, various other forms of payment such as for loss of income caused by the Ginza Incident, in addition to the cost of the JSDF's ammunition, manpower, fuel, and so on.
The sorcerous empire did the same. They wanted the Holy Kingdom's annual budget. Because the accident caused a lot of damage to the Hoburns.
Sugawara tried his best to explain these details to the Senators (of course, some things could not be said), and despite his clumsy command of the language, Sugawara finally managed to make the Senators understand. Fortunately, Six helped him out several times. Thus misunderstandings are quickly left behind.
The important thing was that the reparations they demanded could be met in ways other than by currency.
They would decide on the punishment of the responsible parties later. Similarly, the details of the trade agreements.
In other words, what Japan wanted was...
They wanted the Empire to apologize and say, "We were wrong, and we're sorry."
And then, they wanted someone to be punished.
The Saderan Empire had to pay reparations, as much as they could.
The Sorcerous Empire wanted the same. However, Pina suspected in truth they wanted the Saderan Empire as a vassal state. She suspected Six not only whispered in her ears as teasing. But handed an ultimatum subtly.
'Be our vassals, or we will find you and ruin your economy in the process. If you resist, you will be crushed. Either way, we will take over your lands.' This is what the princess filtered from the diplomat teasing words. And she shook. What to do now? Even if they resist and request the JSDF help against the Sorcerous Empire, she was not sure about the victory. Not after she saw today. And that was only the fraction of their true capabilities.
If what Beelzebub told her about his father and his servants is true. Not even the JSDF, the apostles, and the god's unified power can stop the Sorcerous Empire. In the current situation, she hoped Beelzebub only teased her about his father and his servant's capabilities. She trusts her fellow royalty good nature will prevent further destruction. To reach her goal, she would be even willing to marry him. Not as it was against her. He was good-looking and a good chatting partner. She also felt some kind of warm feeling in his side. But the problem, however, was that Beelzebub was no longer in charge of the Special regions. Now, Ragnarok was in charge of the forces of the Sorcerous Empire in the Special regions. But even if Ragnarok wants to marry her, she won't forbid him. Because he was handsome too. But she knew Ragnarok was not interested in her.
But there is still another problem. The problem of paying the required sum. Because they could not possibly clear the entire debt in one shot, they would need to pay in installments, and they could pay for valuable goods, or with the rights to underground minerals.
Everything around the two structures belonged to Japan and the Sorcerous Empire, and the Imperial Army could not approach it.
And then, trade. Or rather, they could make more money with a trade.
...Those were the details.
These terms were quite reasonable to the loser. In addition, they would not need to become a vassal country and pay tribute in perpetuity.
In the worst-case scenario, after being defeated, the whole country would be conquered. Its rulers and nobles would be executed or exiled, and after its land was taken the people would become slaves and there was a chance, there would be rampant looting in the cities and streets.
Therefore, this request for mere currency was incredibly lenient, in a sense.
The Senators who understood this point sighed in relief. Their shoulders were heaving, as though they had just finished a sprint.
"Let, let's discuss this properly..." offered Sugawara.
"Y-yes, that's it. Let's sit down and talk about it. Especially the reparations. If we learn about each other's situations, we can find a solution that's satisfactory to all three of our sides."
At this point, Piña collapsed.
Perhaps she had fallen from shock because she would twitch from time to time. Itami picked up a branch and poked her, and then Piña's entire body seized up.
"Ah, Piña-dono. Are you alright?"
Next, he patted Piña's face. Then, Piña suddenly threw open her eyes and grabbed Itami's hand.
"Itami-dono… I… I don't think I can make it anymore. So I must tell you right now. I'm very sorry about what happened back then. Please, please, I pray you will forgive me!"
Back then? ...Ah, what happened back then. When Bozes and the others beat the crap out of me… As Itami recalled that incident, he gently lifted Piña's upper body.
"Oh, it's fine. Humans don't die so easily."
"No, I can't… I'm not going to make it… please. Please forgive me, please…"
"I got it, I forgive you, and I forgive you, so get a hold of— Waah!"
Piña was hugging Itami tightly.
And then, she muttered "Really? You forgive me… Thank you, thank you so much…" before bursting into tears.
Scene change: Great Tomb of Nazarik
Ainz was sitting on his throne.
Albedo: "Ainz-sama, why are you calling us all here?"
Ainz: "Ragnarok has a plan to easily occupy the special area."
Ragnarok: "I think we need to spread a virus there that no one in the world and special regions can create an antidote. So they will come to us for help, and we will give them two conditions instead of helping them. (1) To attack us we have to hand over the people responsible for that, (2) they have to be our vassals. "
Demiurge: "As expected from Prince Ragnarok. Spreading the virus will kill many people, and we will get the culprits. And the borders of Ainz sama's empire will increase. Kukuku ..."
"But what guarantee is there that they won't suspect us?" It was told by Ingrid Ooal Gown, daughter of Ainz and Shalltear.
She was five feet tall. She has the appearance of a preteen girl and calf-length silver hair, partially done up into three pigtails held with black hairpieces that resemble bat wings. The black headdress is connected by a black headband. she has red eyes, hers are large, sharp and s, somewhat slanted.
She wore a short black, frilly style dress with a layer of white ruffles on top of the skirt ruffles black. The upper part of the cloth is open in the form of a raindrop above his chest and has straps of the top crosses on both sides before reaching his neck. The top has an open back with two x-shaped crossing stitches tightening it at her waist. A strip of silver went down from both sides towards the front of his top and ended with a red bow above his raffles. The five gold buttons in the vertical parallel design were distributed on both sides in silver strips.
She has white collars parted in the center of her neck that reaches over her collar bone. It is bound by a silver ribbon with a large bow on the right side of her neck. It has a golden oval decoration in the center and a pair of ribbons trailing from it that reach her hips.
Also, she wears loose, loose black sleeves that run down her shoulders holding her hand and widening towards the end. It has two gold buttons on the cuff. A black ribbon tied to a bow on the outer side of these sleeves and its tails reached sleeve length. The white lace frills adorn the tops of her sleeves and the long white frills hang down the sleeves. Both white ribbons were stretched in one part of the sleeves of the bottom sleeve.
Under these sleeves, she wears a pair of black gloves that are tighter against her skin and reach her knuckles. Each one has a pair of silver stripes running down from her knuckles to the end of the glove.
She wore long black boots that were initially folded below her knees.
At the appointed time, she was wearing a black dress under her skirt. It moves from her waist to the lower ankle and splits below the center.
Ragnarok: "I have a plan for that. The virus will be created in special areas, and all the materials used to create the virus will be in special areas. And we will spread the virus in such a way that everyone thinks it is an accident."
Beelzebub: "But what about the gods of the special region? If they knew about it."
"There's a solution to that as well. We'll use world items to fool the gods."
Albedo and Shalltear were jealous of Ragnarok. Because they think Ragnarok got most of Ainz's intelligence and strength. But they didn't hate him because he was Ainz's son.
"Excellent! As expected from Ragnarok-sama."Cocytas
"I agree with it"
"If Ragnarok needs any help from any of you to implement this plan work, I hope you will help him."
"Of course, Ainz-sama!"
Scene change: Seven days later
Yao was walking towards Tauren's office. She was very happy. Upon entering Tauren's office, she saw a few more people besides Tuaren.
"Lady Yao, you've come. Let me introduce you to them."
He pointed to all the other people in the room.
"This is the Struck team. This team was created to kill the Flame Dragon."
One by one, Tuaren began to tell Yao about theirs.
"His name is Thomas. He's the captain of the Struck team. Also, he's a colonel in the S.E.A.F."
Thomas was half-human and half-vampire. He was wearing a long white military coat with the S.E.A.F symbol. He has two badges on his shoulders. Among the badges were one gold stars. His hair is black, and her skin is pale. His eyes were red like vampires. He is seven feet tall.
"This is Robin Hooks. He's the vice-captain of the Struck team. Also, he's a commanding officer in the Imperial army. He's been an adventurer in the past."
Robin was an orc. He wore black full-body armor. He also wore dark purple capes, which symbolized the Sorcerous Empire.
"This is Charlie Lien Ho. He's a Magic caster on the Struck team. He's efficient at attack magic."
Charlie was a birdman. He was wearing the standard uniform of the Magic caster force.
"He's Rick Cornell. He's a magic caster on the team. He's efficient at divine magic"
Rick was half angel and half-elf. He was wearing the standard uniform of the Magic caster force.
"This is Riza Hawkeye, 1st Lieutenant of SEAF. She is a Ranger of this team. She is very good at Sniping."
Riza is a pale-skinned woman. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are brown. Each of her ears was pierced with silver studs. She is about 22 years old. She was wearing S.E.A.F's standard uniform.
"His name is Oso Maretelo. He is a sergeant in the S.E.A.F, and he is also a member of this team. He is skilled at wielding heavy weapons."
Oso was an Elf. He was also wearing SEAF's standard uniform.
Oso went to Yao and kissed her hand and said "I'm glad to meet you"
Yao was a little embarrassed. "Um...Yes, Sir Oso"
"You don't need to say, Sir, you can just call me Oso."
"Yes, Oso"
"Sergeant Oso, are you finished talking? I need to introduce Lady Yao to the others."
"Sorry, General Tuaren."
"Lady Yao, his name is Arnux. He is also an Ex-Adventurer. Currently, He is a captain of the Imperial army. He is also a member of this team."
Arnux wore black full-body armor. He also wore black capes, which symbolized the Sorcerous Empire. He is a beast.
"He's Rombauer. He's a skilled S.E.A.F driver. He's a member of the team."
Rombauer was a man. He is about seven feet tall. He wore the clothes that a normal S.E.A.F soldier wears.
"His name is Salazar. He is also a driver and a soldier."
Salazar wore the same clothes that ordinary S.E.A.F soldiers wear. His face was like a jackal and his body was like a human. He is also about seven feet tall.
"And he's the last member of the team. His name is Arthur. He's a mechanical engineer on the team."
Arthur was a dwarf. He was wearing a brown leather dress, black pants, black shoes. He also wore two gloves on his hands, and goggles on her eyes.
"I'm glad to meet you all."
Yao's eyes filled with happiness. Because she can save her clan now.
"We will do our best to kill the flame dragon."
"Thank you very much!"
"Then we need to leave now."
AN: Let me know if I do anything wrong.What kind of virus do you think needs to be spread in special areas? I want the virus to be so terrible. For the virus to be such that a normal human vomits as soon as they see an infected person.