Jircniv was sending his secretaries running, not out of fear, but due to the sheer amount of tasks that needed to be done. War after all was not a simple affair. In Re-Estize or in the past it would have been nobles that perform mundane tasks such as calculating supply lines, but the emperor's purges left only a handful of worthwhile and trustworthy nobles. So, as always, Jircniv was very busy, busier than most thought an absolute emperor should be' what were subordinates for after all.
However, in contrast to his usual demeanour, he couldn't concentrate. The mocking of the visitors from the Black Lagoon company kept ringing in his ear, playing on repeat and causing many sleepless nights. This was a war meant to expand his domain and get rid of an old rival, but what harm would it do if he avenged his honour and wiped that company from the face of the earth?
Speaking of rivals, Rampossa had died. Jircniv didn't ever hold much respect for the man, but he was, by all accounts, someone who did the best they could with the resources at hand. Yet the resources in Re-Estize consisted of corruption and incompetence. As much as Jircniv disliked him, the current outcome was much worse.
Queen Renner was the one woman he hated the most, one under whose veil of kindness and cluelessness he could feel machinations swirling. Her ascension to the throne was by no means a coincidence and the purge of dissenting elements by that so-called Bloodharbor Ripper was all too convenient. 'A much more insidious fate has probably befallen Rampossa…' he thought to himself.
Alas, such overthinking was of no use. He made his way to the war room, where his generals, all in charge of one legion and Carvain who ranked above them all, awaited him. A maid opened the door for him and all the men inside quickly stood up and saluted him.
He sat at the head of the table and began speaking, "How go the preparations? Our harvest was plentiful so I presume our supply lines aren't too strained?"
Carvain answered "My Lord, with seven of the eight of our legions being mobilized, while there usually would be concerns of domestic safety, it seems the Eight Fingers have slowed down their activities and thus no such problems arise. It is… odd, but not unwelcome. Respite from those lowlife scum is always welcome. Additionally, we have thought of conscripting workers, however we decided that with Sir Fluder's assistance they won't be required."
"Good, so everything is going according to plan. Note however that Fluder's presence at the battle also means that I will keep the four with me in the capital. I enjoy not having a knife in my back and in the event that Re-Estize tries to be crafty I'd prefer to have them here to stop it. Gramps can deal with Gazef anyway."
"Indeed, having Sir Fluder alongside us on the battlefield will inevitably boost morale, however what should be our strategy? Our usual prodding and retreat would not work if they levied over two hundred thousand in response to our seventy thousand." said Carvain while overlooking the map of the Katze Plains where the battle would inevitably take place.
"That would be a problem if that was a possibility." answered Jircniv.
"Could you elaborate, your majesty?" asked one of the generals, the eyebrows of all at the table collectively lifted while they stared at their emperor.
"Think about it. Renner just took the throne and the nobles are still bitter over their own being killed. Chances are they won't answer the call to battle and leave her with just what the royal lands can muster, which is what? Maybe even our number or a bit more. If they get desperate, hmm, a hundred thousand at most."
"My Lord, what if the Black Lagoon company gets involved, they are effectively a mercenary company after all." questioned another general.
The quill in Jircniv's hand snapped as the memories of the most insufferable people in history flooded back to him, "In that case we crush them there and then. With Fluder's help and the army there is no feasible way for them to win. Sure they're strong, but as long as they live they can be tired out. Some will have to be sacrificed for our victory, but at the end of it E-Rantel will be ours and the Re-Estize will soon follow. Now bring me another quill, I've got to finish writing the declaration of war…"
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The court gathered once more and the letter was read out. "So it has come to this… I should not have expected better of our neighbours." said Renner.
Climb actively shifted next to the throne, his anxiety clearly written out on his face. His position had improved noticeably, now being the personal guard of the queen and, in most eyes, at the same level of importance as Gazef Stronoff, despite the enormous gap in strength. His thoughts of course were still the same, 'No matter the enemy I will still protect you!'
Alas against the might of imperial legions he was in no way better than a single one of their knights, let alone two of them or a member of the four. His armour was top notch, made of mithril commissioned from Blue Rose in the past, but a well-placed arrow or sword would end him like any other mortal man. Still, he had faith both in his own ability and that of both his mentor, and more recently friend, Gazef.
The head warrior had taken some time off recently. Rampossa was not only his closest friend, but almost his reason to live. With him gone he felt lost, as if suddenly plunged into icy and uncertain waters. Still, he persevered and since his former liege's last wish was to protect his daughter then that was what he would do. Gazef thought he knew how the battle would turn out, it was always the same. A stand off would be followed up by a brief clash and then retreat. Both sides would declare victory while the Theocracy would grumble on the side and life would go on for another year.
Yet with the appearance of a certain man things were changing quickly and certainty no longer seemed like a viable thing to hold on to. That cryptic message left behind in the middle of the night still hadn't revealed its meaning, perhaps this would be the time? Alas politics was best left to the politicians and that was what he was planning to do. In full gear, while had no chance against the likes of Pyke, he still felt he could take on the four with a comfortable margin of error. However the entire army was out of the question, stamina was infinite only for the undead. And Gods forbid Fluder Paradyne would be on the battlefield; perhaps if the stars aligned he would win against the caster, but the chances were slim. The reputation of the wizard as equal or above the thirteen heroes was not mere tall tales and bravado.
Renner meanwhile was smiling on the inside as her puppy gazed at her with worry, 'It seems my Lord's servants are as efficient as the summoned demons… I'd expect nothing less of such a genius.' Now it was only time to play the naive, newly crowned queen and make sure that little, or preferably no nobles, offered her support.
However it seemed that no initiative would be needed on her part for this to happen as one of the nobles from the royal faction spoke up, "Your majesty, I believe this is a good time for you to prove yourself as our Queen. Additionally, I don't believe many of us could hope to contribute or our harvests would be too small and cause a famine. I'm sure in your infinitely compassionate heart you understand."
The other nobles nodded and shared similar statements. In theory the royal faction should have supported her, however she was the first queen in history and they still schemed for her brother to take the throne. The lack of support from the noble faction went without saying and, while their numbers were culled, they still held vast influence and didn't have to answer to her. Raeven played along, feigning sickness and disappearing from this meeting beforehand.
Renner heard them out and put on a sad expression that would surely break the hearts of the public, but those animals weren't useful beyond surface level support. "I understand… I shall protect our lands with my army, so that you may better develop your domains."
Climb, in his obsessed mind, was disgusted with the nobles, 'How dare they not answer Queen Renner's call to war! And they dare call themselves nobles! Hhn! Her Majesty's golden heart is on full display and they still stand their ground!' Did he have an alternative besides dying for her on the battlefield? No. But if that was to be his fate then he would walk into oblivion bloodied, knowing he did all he could to protect the target of his affections.
Gazef's brain meanwhile was racing in a futile attempt to find a solution to this rather disastrous issue. E-Rantel did have three sets of walls and each of those were very hard to siege, and the Katze Plains were difficult to move supplies through due to undead, and winter was about to go into full swing, but a siege scenario was not something he wanted to get himself stuck in.
Sieges as a rule were very unpleasant for both attackers and defenders. You barely got sleep thanks to the artillery and constant threat, rats would scurry around and thrive, the food was barely edible and any sort of enjoyment was sapped out of life. It was said in military circles that one could see immediately that someone was stuck in a prolonged siege just by looking at their eyes, the experience staying with them for a lifetime.
He sat there, silently staring into nothingness as his brain worked overtime. As the strongest known warrior in the lands he usually wasn't one for grand strategy and left it up to his liege, but this time he thought and thought and thought. Who was strong enough to stop this from happening, had no allegiance or positive connections to someone from the empire and wouldn't take kindly to them or their charismatic ruler.
It suddenly clicked in his head and he snapped his fingers, inadvertently drawing attention to himself. He turned to Queen Renner, "Your majesty, why not hire Pyke and his Black Lagoon Company? I know from experience that if there is one man who can stop the empire and is willing to do so, it'd be him."
'You are a more useful pawn than you know, Gazef.' Renner thought to herself as cries of outrage at the mention of the Ripper filled the hall.
"Bring that monster back!? You brought him here once, Head Warrior! And you remember how that ended?" one noble questioned.
"It ended with corruption being cleansed from the kingdom. Are you afraid you'll be next?" asked Zanac, speaking up for the first time since the meeting started. Now he could be more bold, his position guaranteed by forces neither he nor the nobles could hope to understand.
The noble gulped, "N-no, your highness. It is just that the man can be rather unhinged and who knows what a madman like that would demand as payment!" he countered.
Renner looked at Gazef, "What do you think, Head Warrior? What would he demand?"
Gazef put an armoured hand to his chin and fell into thought once more, "I cannot claim to know exactly, but perhaps a large sum of gold? It's typically what mercenaries want and saving a kingdom would warrant it."
"Our treasury would not be able to handle such a burden!" said another noble, hoping to avoid a confrontation with the man who haunted his worst nightmares.
"But your demesne can't contribute much, can it? Or are you hiding something from the crown?" intervened Zanac once again. The noble backed down and the prince spoke once more, "Queen Renner, in the worst of cases shall he demand too large of a payment then I believe the late Blumrush had not dedicated his wealth to anybody, we could confiscate that and the mines."
Further cries of outrage were heard until Gazef hit his chestplate several times, the rattling overpowering the squeals of the nobles and silencing them… eventually. Renner clapped her hands once and put on a determined face, "In that case it is decided. Send word to the Black Lagoon company to present themselves in the court as quickly as they can."
And so her will was done, the messenger arriving in E-Rantel only days after. The other meetings, such as deciding who would act as general, given that Renner had no relevant experience, were postponed until Pyke would arrive. The mercenary company was said to be extensive and supply anything and everything one could ask for, so who knows what kind of people they could hire. Perhaps a general that could lead their army? A diplomat to defuse this conflict? An assassin to end it with a dagger in the night? Or all of the above?
One thing however was sure, even the stench of perfume that permeated any noble meeting could not mask the fear and anxiety that now spread amongst them…
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Brain was walking back from the tailor and was feeling pretty good. Sure, the whole being underwater but not feeling like it thing was odd, but you got used to it after a while. He was invited here to stay a couple days by Valodan, to train, learn and share information.
However ample leisure time was afforded to him and so he decided to go pick himself up some new clothes; there was not going to be another repeat where Pyke's magic has to bail him out from looking like a bum. Being surrounded by eldritch creatures, demihumans and so on was uncomfortable at first, until he saw how those chefs could cook! 'Frankly, after seeing that maybe humans really are just a worse race? That… What was it called? Barber? She worked magic with those tentacles as well! I haven't looked this good in years!'
He picked himself out a nice suit that was flexible enough for some fighting, albeit not made for it. Now he was on his way to get his upgraded katana from one of the smiths of the city. Valodan did offer to bring it to Ferra, but Brain thought something more down to earth would do, rather than whatever mythical blade that one would have created.
Little time was actually spent in the palace, since the maids were afraid of humans and of men especially. He understood why, hell, he probably made some like them during his endless escapades to grow stronger. 'Actually, what the hell happened to those women in the cave? He just kind of killed my crew and then we left… Better not remind him.' he thought to himself.
He arrived at his destination and the doors opened by themselves, a nifty feature that he both appreciated and resented, as he got noticeably spooked the first time and a certain scythe-wielding half-elf would just not let the subject go. Across the counter was a merman with six eyes instead of the usual two, as well as hands that, while resembling traditional mermen, had longer claws and small gills on them.
Brain raised his hand in greeting, "Hey Sujo! Got my sword reforged?"
The merman nodded and took it out from the pocket space everyone called an "inventory." This one was the silent type, in opposition to his swordsmanship teacher who sometimes would never stop talking, as endearing as it was. Still, working with smiths of few words often made for good results and this one didn't disappoint.
He unsheathed his sword and immediately noticed the dark blue hue it now had. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the smith, "Adamantite?" The smith nodded and took out an additional list, handing it to Brain.
"Enchanted as well? You outdid yourself Sujo, really. Appreciate it. Next time I see you, the drinks are on me! Cya!" he said, making his way back to the palace. Immediately he tried to sneak to his room, well, he called it a room, but it was a suite worth a noble's mansion many times over. It even had his own training area! And that's where he was heading to now.
Successfully avoiding the maids and praying that none of the other inhabitants noticed him, he made it to the training dummies and tried out a few practice swings. As expected, the blade felt great, better than when he first got it and katanas were pricey things from the South! Only those with real cash or connections could get them up North and he was one of those who saved up desperately for one.
Now that it was enchanted and no longer mere steel, he felt confident he could beat Gazef. Just from a broken blade and hilt the artisan managed something truly wonderful. Suddenly the door flew open and out of pure instinct he ducked low, avoiding a bag that would probably decapitate him due to the velocity. Thankfully the hinges of the door were reinforced with prismatic ore or he might have been flattened by that instead.
He turned to the doorway and saw exactly who he expected, "For fuck's sake! Did no one teach you proper manners woman?! Or at least how to knock!?"
"Oh shut it! No one taught me those things, why would they!?" answered Zesshi, "Now go get your bag, everyone's going somewhere and we're not being left out for once! Well, maybe not, but Pyke said to gather around!"
"You could have waited to tell me that! Or sent a [Message]! Who knows what I'm doing here ya know?! At least try to contact me if it's not urgent!" he answered.
"This is urgent! Pyke said this was top priority and that we're going out in like twenty minutes, so move it weakling or I'll replace all your doors with automatic ones." With those parting remarks the black and white half-elf left, presumably to pack her own things.
"She could of at least fucking told me where we're going! Now what? Business? Battle? Both? How is she this useless when it comes to anything but fighting?!" he cursed.
Zesshi popped her head out once again and pointed to her partially elven ears, "These do in fact hear better than a human's so watch it! Unless you want a repeat of your first day here? You're not a masochist, are you?" she teased. "We've apparently been summoned by the Re-Estize royal court, something about it all going to plan." she said, this time leaving for good.
"Ah. Okay." he mumbled.
"No, wait, what the fuck do you mean we're going back there?!" he called out to her, but no answer came. He stood up and got the back that was thrown at him earlier, "Courts and Pyke." he said, dusting it off, "Name a better combination…"
(AN: I do not consider myself a liar. In fact, I would say I am a trustworthy person, although the bias is obvious. Still it appears I lied to you all in the last author's note and I should have changed "soon" to "in the next few days" since soon is too subjective. Either way, Volume 3 is here in part, even if releases will be slower. Onto the next matter. To my most dedicated reviewer, who I presume knows I am referring to him just from that description, first I'd like to thank you for the criticism and inspiration you have given me. Secondly, there is a side story in the works that will come after chapter 1 of this volume and that will shine a bit more light on the Black Lagoon Company's activities. Still, I wouldn't expect much from it, as you should view the company as a transition, the cocoon in the life of a butterfly I suppose. Thirdly, my pacing is a bit fast, I admit, and I am hoping to improve on it in the future, alas it is what it is. I am no wordsmith of great calibre, that can weave word and plot as a martial artist does his natural weaponry or magi his spells, I am but a man who's native tongue isn't even English; not that I am very good at my native tongue mind you. As for the rest of my dear readers, I thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting; it boosts my ego and soon I shall ascend and consume the puny Gods who have confined me to this mortal coil following my failed attempt at overthrowing them. In addition, I apologize for any mistake, be they grammatical or lexical in nature, that have slipped through, for tequila is not a companion that improves the editorial process. If anyone wishes to be a beta reader and erase such things then please do reach out to me on the Overlord Fanfic discord's channel that is dedicated to me, for I possess no such aides at the moment. Perhaps a fresh perspective would assist in the writing process... Meanwhile, while I write the most mediocre fic to grace this site, I recommend you indulge in Russian Reversal's [Grand Foreigner] fic. I shall admit that the lore of Fate Grand Order is a mystery to me, expect for the broad elements of the fate series; either way I found the fic to be immensely enjoyable and rereading it once I familiarize myself with the Fate series will be a major cause for delays in writing. From the depths of my heart I apologize for the long rambling, but the previous notes were short, so I believe I reserve a right to spew such blatant nonsense onto this page. As always, more to come and I hope you enjoy the story!)