Science and Madness

by The Blight

In their pursuit of power and "data", defectors from Zurrernorn and Corpus of the Abyss try summoning something directly from beyond. However, what they pull from the other side is completely unexpected. Away from home and disoriented, a madman finds that when the world is filled impossibly powerful beings, science is his only ally.

28. Parley

The way in which the Slane Theocracy's main army progressed through the Great Forest of Evasha was slow.

In order to accommodate soldiers and supplies that needed to be moved by land directly from the Slane Theocracy's borders, a long, wide road needed to be built through the harsh, forested terrain. The creation of this road involved felling the trees ahead of it as it was built, as well as sending in troops ahead of the military engineers building the road to eliminate the elves within the forest.

Additionally, defenses and fortifications along the path of the road needed to be regularly built and maintained to repel guerilla attacks attempting to sever their supply lines.

But all that being said, the rate at which their army moved towards the Elven Royal Capital was still slower than it should've been on paper.

The main reason for this was intentional.

The opinion of the theocracy was that one hero was worth more than a thousand soldiers, and so, they had purposefully begun to wage war in an inefficient and brutal way. The philosophy was that doing so would awaken individual soldiers within the army who had potential to grow.

But, that didn't mean the soldiers' lives had to be seen as cheap.

The value of a life— of the Theocracy's citizens in this case— was extremely high.

Perhaps this was one of the weak points of the Theocracy. But, if given a choice between a nation where one's life was cheap and one where it's high, everyone would choose the latter.

It just meant that the top brass like the generals overseeing the elven theater would just have to bear the pain, and come to terms with the loss of valuable life.

General Valerian Ein Obinie's tent was set up a little ways behind the front lines.

He listened intently while the holocaust scripture member gave his report.

Alongside him were a pair of strategists as well as the captain of the Holocaust Scripture, Oseweic, and Schoen the vice captain.

The report concerned the appearance of a man named Rhamnusia.

Rhamnusia had appeared five days ago and since then had been systematically hunting down individual squads of the Holocaust Scripture.

Normally, such a thing would not have been a serious problem. Afterall, from the various reports, Rhamnusia was a being comparable to someone who had stepped into the realm of heroes. Likewise, it was widely believed that the Holocaust Scripture could take down a hero when they worked as a team.

And that was true, the Holocaust Scripture can kill heroes. They had done so many times before.

But that was only possible when a large part of the scripture was working together, and in order to do that, they needed to know precisely when and where their target would be.

For the hero level elves who appeared on the battlefield, this was easy to determine. They would always appear before the main bulk of the army. At that point, the scripture could plan and execute an assassination with the appropriate number of personnel.

When dealing with Rhamnusia however, it was the scripture who was on the defensive.

Rhamnusia only ever appeared deep within the forest behind their front lines, and thanks to a flying magical beast, he could move much faster than any of their operatives. By the time information of his whereabouts was brought back to headquarters, it was likely that Rhamnusia had already moved to a completely different part of the forest.

Additionally, Rhamnusia seemed to possess the ability to locate Scripture members through their stealth abilities.

Together, these two attributes made Rhamnusia difficult to pin down and difficult to escape from.

But even that belied the true oddity that was Rhamnusia.

"...when I awoke after that, I couldn't use my arms."

The one who spoke was a member of the Holocaust Scripture who had run into Rhamnusia. His arms were paralyzed and hung lifelessly to his sides as he gave his testimony. But other than that he was perfectly healthy. The divine magic casters had been able to heal his injuries upon his return to camp.

Rhamnusia never killed members of the holocaust scripture, and only very rarely did he kill common soldiers. There had only been two deaths so far among the 33 scripture members he's defeated, and those deaths were likely unintentional given the circumstances.

Instead, Rhamnusia would place a curse on captured scripture members that sealed the use of their arms. They already had the best clerical minds working on a way to lift this curse, but so far they have come up empty on a solution. Not even chopping the arm off and regenerating it nor killing the person and resurrecting them lifted the paralysis.

It was a perplexing problem.

While it could be said that it was good for the Theocracy that their elite soldiers— scripture members— lives were being spared, having their arms paralyzed still rendered them impotent combatants. While not dead, the captured and returned scripture members would still be considered casualties.

And why was Rhamnusia going out of his way to paralyze scripture members instead of killing them? According to Rhamnusia, it was because he was actually on their side, and that he was a human. He had even sent back several items so that the research institute could study them, simply because Rhamnusia wished to "share his knowledge."

"...he had gray hair, green eyes, a scar on the left side of his face…" The scripture member began detailing off Rhamnusia's appearance.

All of the reports agreed with each other that Rhamnusia was a human. However, it was still possible that it was an illusion. Demons have been known to take the guise of humans before.

Likewise, General Valerian had heard of Rhamnusia's involvement in the recent war between the Re-Estize kingdom and the Baharuth empire. Valerian was busy with the war with the elves, so while not briefed on the specifics, the Grand Marshall had made clear to him that Rhamnusia was a force of evil.

Regardless, Rhamnuisa seemed to be a problem that the Black Scripture needed to solve.

If the holocaust scripture continued to sustain losses, then their supply lines would become jeopardized by guerilla attacks, causing their progress towards the elf capital to cease or potentially reverse.

Valerian sent a report of the situation back to the Theocracy three days ago. Given that the trip took two days to complete by slepinirs, he assumed that the executive council's response as to how to handle Rhamnusia was already on its way back and would be arriving some time tomorrow. It was possible that reinforcements from the black scripture might already be on their way as well.

Of course, there was a way to communicate instantly with the Theocracy through the use of magic, such as the case with the 「Message」 spell. However, anyone with a grasp of history understood that relying on 「Message」 for important matters was a disaster waiting to happen.

"...immunity to lightning, high resistance to fire, immunity to acid…"

The scripture member continued his report.

Luckily, because Rhamnusia had opted to leave the scripture members alive, they had been able to gain quite a lot of information about his abilities. Valerian figured that it may be useful information for if and when the Black Scripture needs to fight him.

Valerian was no front line combatant, but even he could tell how odd Rhamnusia's abilities were from the reports. Osweic, the captain of the Holocaust Scripture also agreed with him that Rhamnusia's abilities were odd.

He could supposedly cast multiple powerful spells at once nor did his spells have cool downs. Likewise, he had two additional arms that he could fight with while simultaneously casting spells. This should not have been possible. It was simply the rules by which magic worked.

Additionally, according to the teams that have fought with him in close combat, Rhamnusia was a "disorentaing" foe. The scripture members described him as wildly fluctuating in speed and strength from second to second, both making it hard to anticipate his movements and to accurately assess his true strength.

He also had a wide array of resistances. His primary elements of choice, for both offense and defense seemed to be fire, acid, lightning, and poison. The holy element also did not seem to do much damage to him, which albeit, could be evidence towards him truly being human. Regardless, it meant that they should use earth element type spells and physical attacks against him.

There was also concern regarding the "Flying Red Magical Beast".

While some reports describe the beast as a giant bird with un-flapping wings, most agree that its shape is more akin to a dragonfly. The beast also produces a loud and low humming sound similar to what a giant dragonfly would likely make.

They didn't know what its abilities were since no one has yet to see the creature up close. They only knew that it was fast— supremely fast. It's been reported to fly beyond 200km/h, several times faster than what a wizard using 「Fly」 can hope to achieve and more than double the sprint speed of even the fastest sleipnir.

Finally, Rhamnusia was also sometimes seen with a person named "Calico". They didn't know much about her either, only that she was skilled at tracking.

Valerian sighed as the scripture member finished their report. It was a confusing group of individuals to wrap his head around.

Osweic agreed that for now at least, they should pull back the Holocaust Scripture to more defensive positions near the main army until they get back word or reinforcements from the Theocracy

…

Laurenz Hazeia Doss was the head of the Slane Theocracy's research institute.

Doss's position was critically important to the state. If the Theocracy could not research new magics, then it would eventually stagnate whilst the rest of the world moved on. Magical development served as preparation for when the centennial clock ticked and the Theocracy would be forced to protect all of humanity once again.

Additionally, the research institute was tasked with identifying and studying unknown artifacts. Doss had even personally held and studied the treasures left behind by the Six Great Gods.

That is to say, Laurenz Hazeia Doss was an important figure within the Theocracy and had his own seat on the Supreme Executive Council. He had the final word in regards to how the Theocracy should respond in matters regarding unknown magic.

Ainz Ooal Gown had cast 11th tier magic. That was certain from what he saw in the Thousand League Astrologer's visions. It was magic most people hardly knew existed, but thanks to Doss's access to the knowledge left behind by the Six Great Gods, he knew what those spiraling light-blue circles meant.

Rhamnusia was still a mystery, however.

He couldn't even begin to guess what kind of technique or spell Rhamnusia used to produce the gas that slaughtered 35,000 Baharuth soldiers. The gas didn't function in the same way normal spells did, and when it became apparent that the gas was being delivered via magical items, it still didn't explain how the items were made. He didn't even know where to begin.

Personally, he was on board with meeting Rhamnusia when the "demon" had sent them the request. Afterall, he was duty bound by his position to research unknown advances in magic. But he was also a firm believer in caution and democracy, and he had been outvoted. He could accept investigation into Rhamnusia's mysterious magic ending there.

But it had not ended there.

His luck had changed.

One day ago the research institute was given several items to study. The items were given to members of the Holocaust Scripture by Rhamnusia for the express purpose of being taken back to the Theocracy for study. And so, that is what they did.

Firstly, Rhamnusia had given them three potions to analyze: A healing potion, an agility potion, and a strength potion. Each one was contained in a small glass ampule.

The potions were far different than what they were used to.

The healing potion was red, at least they were familiar with that. The Theocracy had long since been able to produce the "blood of the gods" red healing potions by using herbs cultivated from ones left behind by the Six Great Gods. However, the sample Rhamnusia had given them seemed somewhat different still. Its color was slightly off, it did not seem to be made of the same herbs that the Theocracy used, and most notably, it was a gas.

They've seen vapors before, obviosly, but was the first time they've seen a true gaseous potion. He couldn't even begin to guess how it was done.

In terms of healing to weight ratio, Rhamnusia's potions were more potent than even Theocracy's red healing potions. According to the brief notes Rhamnusia had left them, Rhamnusia had achieved this by "concentrating" the full power of a potion into just a few milligrams of gas.

The same was true for the strength and agility potions.

They were used to strength potions being a yellow-orange color and agility potions being a teal color, but the strength potion Rhamnusia provided was more akin to gold in color and the agility was a deep turquoise. And of course, they were very potent for their size.

The next thing Rhamnusia had given them was a pair of items called "radios." He provided instructions on how to use them. They were capable of transmitting voices from one device to the other similar to magical tools enchanted with the spell 「Whisper」.

However, they were not able to appraise the radios in any way. They had assumed that this was because the radios were magical items so high level that they were simply beyond their normal appraisal magic, but that didn't seem to be the case. Afterall, Doss was able to at least gain some insight even into the treasures of the Six Great Gods, even if it was just to scratch their surface.

No, Rhamnusia explicitly stated the devices were no more magical than a rock. He had provided a detailed diagram and instructions of how to make the radio and currently the institute was in the process of recreating them.

Finally, Rhamnusia had given them a sample of the substance he called "black powder". It was, as the name implied, a black colored powder. The powder burned extremely quickly when exposed to flames, and would explode when ignited while it was in a compacted form.

Rhamnusia had implied that it was also no more magical than a rock and the appraisal spells corroborated that. And as with the radios, Rhamnusia had provided detailed instructions on how to make it. The research institute was hard at work recreating that as well.

Overall, these were supposedly just "samples" Rahmnusia had provided them, made through advanced, non-magical technology. And he claimed that he could do so much more.

The letter addressed to Doss personally urged that Rhamnusia was willing to share the entirety of his knowledge with the Theocracy should they work with him. It was an enticing proposition. Just the knowledge on how to concentrate potions alone was game breaking.

But Doss was just one man, and he'd need to convince the Theocracy on Rhamnusia's behalf. At the very least, he was willing to let the "demon" make his case before the council.

…

The Supreme Executive Council met as they have many times before. The current situation on the table concerned the recent developments regarding their war with elves and Rhamnusia's appearance. They had already been informed of the basics.

They knew this day was coming. Rhamnusia had warned them as much in his first letter to them.

They had expected that Rhamnusia would attack one of their cities with the gas spell he used on the Baharuth Empire, and so they had been on tight guard to respond to such a situation.

But that attack had not occurred.

This was perhaps a blessing. Afterall, upon leaving the last meeting regarding Rhanusia, they had prepared to sustain some casualties from his retaliation. So if Rhamnusia truly did not feel like attacking the Slane Theocracy directly, then all the better that their citizens' lives be spared.

Of course, that is not to say that they could just ignore Rhamnusia. General Valerian's report had made it very clear to them that Rhamnusia was not a problem he and the Holocaust Scripture could currently deal with.

With the establishment of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the incentive to finish off the war with the elves was ever increasing. They needed the distance to the capital to close so they could send in Certain Death to kill Decem Hougan.

They were barely making progress as is. With Rhamnusia now in the mix, it was conceivable that their front line could even begin to go backwards as the elves gained the upper hand.

They needed to solve this problem soon.

The Grand Marshall, Fabian Jan Morath, layed out an envelope onto the table. It was a letter addressed to the Supreme Executive Council from Rhamnusia. It had been carried back to Captain Osweic in the mouth of a paralyzed member of the Holocaust Scripture. One could still see the tooth marks of the scripture member left in the paper.

It had fallen into the Morath's hands only a few hours prior.

"It's from Rhamnusia. Would you like me to read it?" Morath asked.

The other members of the council indicated they had no issues.

Morath cleared his throat.

"Dear Dozen or so Fine Men and Women of the Cloth,

I had hoped that I would not have to communicate to you through writing once more, and could instead do so in person. My disappointment can not be understated.

However, I fully understand your position and forgive you. I am human as well, as I hope you've realized by now, and as such I can relate to your reasonings. You are being cautious. You are concerned about my demonic reputation and my terrible power. I have little doubt that I would do the same were I in your position.

But the longer we drag this out the larger the Sorcerer Kingdom grows. If we can not find a resolution soon I will be forced to escalate.

As such, I have done my best to annoy you, and dearly hope that you are thoroughly annoyed. Of course, I've taken measures to assure that very little permanent damage has been done, and I can promptly restore what I have taken.

I've sent back several examples of my technology that I wish to share with all mankind that I hope you are hard at work studying. Those examples are the very tip of the iceberg that I was able to make with the help of only a few dozen people. Imagine what we could build with the effort of a few million.

The greatest strength we have as humans is our ability to cooperate; to leverage our collective manpower against the forces of nature itself. The very same nature that deems us the weakest intelligent race on this planet.

I imagine I will soon be coming to a crossroads where I must choose whether I am to share my knowledge with the Argland Council State, Decem Hougan, or the Slane Theocracy.

The riskiest path before us is one in which we do not take risks. We can not hope to overcome inhuman obstacles if we do not have the will to bet it all.

Warm regards,

Rhamnusia."

Morath finished reading the letter.

They collectively sighed in annoyance. Rhamnusia wasn't really making their job any easier.

"If we can not find a resolution soon I will be forced to escalate."

The line was a thinly veiled ultimatum, which meant they needed to decide on a course of action now. If they did nothing then they would likely be attending a meeting similar to this one in the near future, only under much more strenuous conditions.

"First things first." One of them said, "Are we still so sure that Rhamnusia is a demon?"

They turned to Morath. Afterall, he was the one in direct correspondence with General Valerian and thus currently the one in the room with the most detailed knowledge of Rhamnusia.

"General Valerian and Captain Osweic say he's telling the truth." Said Morath. "Everyone who's seen him has corroborated that he's a human with fair skin, green eyes, gray hair, and a scar on the left side of his face."

"Could he not just be hiding his true appearance?" Someone asked. "Demons are known to have that ability."

Morath shook his head. "He isn't vulnerable to the holy element. That would be extremely difficult to hide. Additionally, the people who've fought with him all say that while his equipment and mask are monstrous, his mannerisms and reaction are unmistakably that of a human and not a monster. He has also refrained from killing or torturing any one he has captured."

They went deep into thought at the assessment. It would be difficult to maintain the position that he was still a demon.

"So what about his killing of the 35,000 soldiers then? To do that over the course of a minute is not something a mortal could do."

Raymond, the Cardinal of Earth interjected. "Not exactly. An awakened god-kin could indeed do that."

Doss, the head of the research institute, spoke up. "Also. I may have some more insight on that matter."

"You do?"

"Yes." Doss continued. "The institute has been studying the samples Rhamnusia gave us. I have reason to believe that Rhamnuisa is not actually a magic caster capable of laying waste to armies directly, but is in fact an extraordinarily skilled alchemist and artificer."

The table went silent at the proposition and listened intently to Doss.

"He seems to have the ability to concentrate potions to absurd degrees, and then to transform those potions into volatile gasses. I suspect that what he did to the Baharuth Empire was simply the result of him stockpiling an immense amount of concentrated, poisonous gas, and spreading it over the Bahaurth's forces."

Doss continued. "Additionally, I suspect he is a skilled artificer. I'm not precisely sure how he went about distributing the gas, but he clearly made magical tools to accomplish the feat instead of merely using a powerful 「catapult」 like spell."

They thought about the revelation. It made sense, and of course, Doss was the head of the Research Institute for a reason so logically, he would have the best guess as to what Rhamnusia had done.

"That makes everything make much more sense now." Someone said.

"What do you mean everything?"

"On why Rhamnusia specifically wants to cooperate with an entire nation. If he was an alchemist and artificer, he would need an immense amount of resources. Also, didn't you remember in the first letter he said that he wanted our help specifically to "make" something and that it would be a project requiring "many people" and "resources.""

They nodded. "So he's definitely not a demon then."

"What do you mean?"

"When was the last time you heard of a monster being an artificer or alchemist? Typically those kinds of job classes are only undertaken by humanoids."

Many of the people in this room knew the basics of how job classes and racial classes interacted. Alchemy and Artificing did not synergize well with the bodily and magic casting improvements that racial abilities often provided. As such, it was almost unheard of to find monsters in the New World with those kinds of crafting abilities.

"So do we want to meet with him, then?" It was the Cardinal of Water, Zinedine Delan Guelfi, who had spoken.

They all turned to look at him.

"We're all thinking the same thing." Guelfi continued. "If Rhamnusia is truly a human; an artificer and alchemist whose skills are on the level of an awakened god-kin or at the very least an outlier, then he'd have relevant knowledge that could be employed at a national level. He's practically said as much himself. Likewise, we have many tools left behind by the gods that no one in our country has high enough skills to use."

He looked towards Doss. "I assume that's what you were about to advocate?"

Doss nodded readily. "Exactly." He addressed the table. "I'd like to posit that the potential knowledge gained from Rhamnusia is worth the risks."

The table thought it over for a minute.

They knew that advanced crafting techniques beyond normal mortal limits existed. Afterall, even the treasures left behind the Six Great Gods needed to have been crafted by someone. Unfortunately, none of the Six Great Gods are recorded to have made any of the treasures themselves. The only one closest to what could be considered a craftsman was the great god of wind, who had the ability to create golems.

Unfortunately, all the golems had long since been destroyed by the Eight Greed Kings.

Eventually, Raymond spoke up. "I might have an idea that satisfies both concerns."

"You do?"

"Yes." Raymond said. "I was just discussing this with Marshall Morath on the way over. Currently, Rhamnusia is in a difficult place for us. Because we don't know where he is at any given time, and the speed at which he moves, tracking him down would require an extended period of time. As such, it is too great a risk to deploy Certain Death. We cannot be certain whether or not the dragons are watching. Additionally, making too much noise in the forest may draw the Elf King's attention."

"Therefore," Raymond said, "I opt that we expedite the selection process for Kaire's replacement."

"Kaire…"

The name lingered over the table. She had been killed some time ago when the Black Scripture had run into Honyonpenyoko the vampire. Unlike her other colleagues, she was very old and her body had been unable to withstand the resurrection process. Or rather, it may have been the case that her soul was old and simply didn't wish to return.

Regardless, Kaire was gone, and so too was their ability to use their world item.

"The Downfall of Castle and Country" had several requirements to be able to use effectively. Not just anyone could pick it up and be useful with it. The nature of the item was such that its best user was someone who could activate the item's ability quickly and reliably.

Therefore, they had come up with a large pool of potential candidates to take Kaire's place, taking names from both the six scriptures as well as the wider population of the Slane theocracy based on individuals' unique skills and talents.

Each individual had to be carefully screened and put through rigorous training to assess their aptitude. The process naturally took years, afterall, they would only settle for the best.

"Expedite the selection process?"

"Yes." Raymond said. "We've already narrowed down the pool to a handful of people. If we wished to, we could have someone trained and ready to serve as an honorary member of the Black Scripture in less than a month. After we deal with Rhamnusia, we can resume the normal selection process."

The table thought over the proposition.

Setting up a meeting with Rhamnusia and mind controlling him would be the ideal outcome. There was no guarantee that even if they sent the Black Scripture after him that they'd be able to capture him without killing him, as was often the case with powerful opponents.

Using the world item to mind control him would also guarantee his cooperation and access to his knowledge if and when he showed his true colors and had ulterior motives.

"You say it will take a month?"

"Two weeks at least." Raymond replied.

"Could you not do it faster? Why not simply pick which one you think is best from your current pool now?"

"We still need to ensure their body and mind are able to keep up with the demands of the Black Scripture" Raymond replied. "We're not just going to send them out to die before they can use the item. They'll also need sufficient time to get used to the world item once they've been officially chosen."

Indeed, they all understood this well. If Kaire had not been so heavily wounded when mind controling Honyonpenyoko, there was no telling the depth of information they could've gained from the vampire.

"I see… two weeks."

"Rhamnusia likely won't take kindly to the delay. Do you think he will 'escalate' as he said?"

They looked over to the Grand Marshall. "The situation on the front is concerning, but it is not untenable. If we can win Rhamnusia over to our side, then it will be worth it to sustain two weeks worth of losses. Even if he escalated and we lost ground. Additionally, we can use him to restore the currently paralyzed members of the Holocaust Scripture."

"So assuming we go ahead with this world item plan, how do we respond to Rhamnusia, and what do we tell General Valerian and Captain Osweic?"

"We tell them to hold fast for at least two weeks." Morath replied. "Tell them we have a plan for dealing with Rhamnusia but it may take a bit of time. During that time, he should focus on minimizing losses. Additionally, he should accept Rhamnusia's request for parley. I don't expect anything to come of it, but the more information we have on his desires the better. It may also assuage Rhamnusia from escalating too fast if we show that we're at least willing to open dialogue on that front."

"As for responding to Rhamnusia himself." Raymond said. "I think it may be best to send him a message indicating our interest, but without setting a date in stone. If Rhamnusia intended to do anything to General Valerian, it may dissuade him if it looks to him as though he can win us over."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Very well then." The Pontifex Maximus spoke. "Unless anyone else has any more ideas, let us put it to a vote. Who votes that we offer Rhamnusia and audience right away to avoid potential retribution?"

Two people raised their hands. Doss, the head of the Research Institute, and Guelfi, the Cardinal of water.

"And who is in favor of waiting at least two weeks to prepare the Black Scripture?"

Six hands went up. The Grand Marshall, Morath, The Cardinal of Wind, Partouche, The Cardinal of Earth, Raymond, the Cardinal of Fire, Santini, the Cardinal of Darkness, Lagier, Head of the Executive Branch, Cristea, and the Head of the Legislative Branch, Puscas.

The rest abstained.

"There we have it then." The Pontifex Maximus concluded.

"Guelfi," The Pontifex Maximus turned to the Cardinal of Water, "It's best you send our reply, same as last time. Work with the others to send the right message."

"Of course. I had already assumed as much."

"Then if there is nothing left to discuss, let's consider this meeting concluded."

…

His name was Navarre Folen, and he would not be surprised to learn that he had the most hopeless job in the world.

The source of his dismal work life stood a little ways off in the distance, gazing out the balcony.

"—is that all you came to say? A demon who killed a few humans?" The king asked him.

The king, Decem Hougan, was perhaps the most hated individual by all who had the displeasure to know him. It was Folen's great misfortune that he should have the duty of being the supreme commander of the elven military.

It was a dangerous role. As dangerous as serving as the front lines. In fact, it could be said the elven military had two front lines as is and one was right in this palace.

Folen bowed low. "But my liege, what is it you propose be done about Rhamnusi—

"—Do I look like I care? Do Whatever the hell you want."

Folen knew the only reason he was not dead already was because the king found the sight of blood on the carpet disdainful.

This was actually a carefully chosen strategy by Folen. He had secretly had the carpets changed from their previous red color to blue years ago so that blood stains could not be hidden. The workers who had changed the carpet had been executed for doing so without Decem's permission, but Folen considered it a carefully calculated sacrifice for preserving the longevity of his mission.

Decem had forgotten about the carpet change the very next day and never bothered to have it changed back to red.

The king continued. "You have that band of rejects, what more do you want?"

Folen resisted the urge to say 'For you to use your power to the benefit of this nation'. His station had already been replaced many times because of that phrase, and he couldn't afford to join his predecessors.

That was because more so than his predecessors, he was smart enough to figure out that disobeying and being killed would ultimately do the nation no good.

He needed to stay alive so that he could continue to do what already doing; bending the rules as much as he could so he could continue to raise a proper defense against the Theocracy.

He had been forced to use fall guys on several occasions to cover up his meddling so that the king would not find reason to kill him. He was not proud of it, but it was all simply so that the nation could survive.

He bowed lower, his nose sniffing the fine blue carpet. "I only wish to carry out your will as best as possible."

The king laughed, his voice full of disgust. "You really are all weaklings aren't you? And I know I shouldn't even bother to ask, but have any exceptional women awakened?"

"No, my liege."

He scoffed. "I really shouldn't have bothered. Do you need a reminder of what your job is?"

"No. I'm on it."

The king turned away. "Now get lost before I'm tempted to throw you off the balcony."

Folen slinked away from the room and closed the grand doors behind him.

He cursed Decem's name silently.

Though the king had not explicitly said it, he had just been ordered to round up more women and throw them at the Theocracy. His king hoped that maybe doing so would cause one of the women to awaken some hidden power and thus be a suitable mate for bearing strong children.

He didn't like doing it, but he had no choice. The king would just kill him and find some other random elf who was willing to act out his orders otherwise. Protesting never did any good. So long as Folen had the role, he could at least tweak some of the numbers and spare a great deal of women.

The one saving grace about Decem was that he was immensely stupid.

And In some ways he did also hope that one of the women may awaken some hidden power. That way at least they'd gain another soldier capable of fighting off the Slane Theocracy.

The only people he could actually command tactically were males like himself, who were invisible as far as the king was concerned. He simply didn't care about anything that he couldn't potentially mate with.

Folen took a deep breath and tried to calm his emotions.

It could be said that the elf nation was more akin to a dragon sitting atop a horde of gold than an actual nation. The king's subjects were simply kept there by fear and served only to keep him placated. Because even if every single elf were to rise up at once in rebellion against the king, they would still have no chance of winning. His power was truly that terrifying.

And there would never be any hope for the people so long they were enslaved to the dragon.

He looked out the windows at the sparkling city in the forest below them. Most of the people there didn't even know that they were slaves either, the kingdom would never be able to function otherwise.

He mused for a second that elves were slaves wherever they went, be it here or in the clutches of the Theocracy. He quickly caught himself from pursuing that cynical line of reasoning any further.

He couldn't afford to be plagued by defeatism.

Folen was the last line of defense that kept the Theocracy from marching on the capital by the end of the year now that the enemy had deployed the Holocaust Scripture. He needed to focus on his task.

Reports had been flowing in for several days now that a monster named Rhamnusia was making appearances all around the province. Supposedly he was on their side and repelling the Theocracy soldiers wherever he went, but the monster was always gone by the time his own operatives arrived.

Folen desperately wished to get into contact with him for obvious reasons. He would take help against the Theocracy wherever he could find it, monster or not.

As he was thinking over his options, a courier entered the hall and ran over him. The young elf's face was flushed red and he was nearly out of breath.

"What is it?" Folen asked.

The elf walked over slowly, as if somehow intuiting that the king was beyond the doors behind Folen and not wishing to disturb the air and floor and make his presence known.

The courier caught his breath and whispered into Folen's ear. "It's Telenym-sama's group. They managed to make contact with Rhamnusia. They want to meet with you."

Folen nodded urgently. He had been waiting for this. "Where?"

"They found him at a village 20 kilometers south of Creeping Moss Glade. They're heading to Marshall Lajunct's camp right now."

"Lajunct? I can get there immediately! Was it Rumo's fey messenger who informed you of all this?"

"Yes. Do you want me to send it back?"

"Yes." Folen said. "Tell them I'm on my way. I will meet them there as soon as I can."

"Yes sir."

Folen and the elf ran out the door and parted ways.

Thank you Telenym! I knew I could count on you!

…

The five of them made their way through the forest.

The marching order was Telenym in the front, followed by Vera, then Stockwell, then Rumo, then Mimin in the back.

Stockwell marveled at how quick their pace was. Telenym had a unique ability as a ranger to find the path of least resistance through the uneven terrain, while Mimin used his druidic abilities to bend the foliage around them out of their way.

Together, these two abilities made traversing the forest feel like walking on a leveled, dirt road.

It was obviously nowhere near as fast as flying above the forest, but they did not currently have enough room to carry five people.

A luminous pink sprite fluttered towards them from up ahead. It was a so-called "Fey Spirit" summoned by Rumo. It looked similar to Stockwell's idea of what a "pixie" was, only that it seemed to be made of pure light so only its silhouette could be seen.

Rumo had sent it out half an hour earlier to serve as a messenger and it appeared it was now returning. The fey spirit fluttered up to Rumo and whispered in his ear.

"Thank you." Rumo said softly. The fey spirit then dissolved into nothing.

"So?" Stockwell asked.

"Field Marshall Folen would also like to meet." Rumo said. "He's on his way now. We should be arriving at camp around the same time."

Stockwell nodded.

They turned their attention back forward and Telenym resumed leading them through the forest.

Stockwell had ultimately decided that working directly with the elves would be the best way to achieve his objectives. As far as he could tell, their interests were mostly aligned. The elves wanted an end to the war, and so too did Stockwell. He saw no way in which the Theocracy was benefiting from this war and as such, he would be the first to advise them to stop this unnecessary waste of resources.

If they were going to achieve any form of victory over Ainz Ooal Gown, he needed the entire industrial capacity of the Slane Theocracy devoted to his various projects. A nonsensical war with the elves would only slow them down.

All problems pointed to Decem Hougan.

If the elf king was gone, then there would be room for a resolution.

Of course, Stockwell knew Decem was not an easy problem to solve. If he were, either the Theocracy or the elves would've gotten rid of him by now.

If they wanted to take out Decem, the Theocracy, the elves and himself would all have to work together. It would require coordination and an immense amount of trust between hostile parties.

But trust was the very thing Stockwell came here to build in the first place.

He knew General Valerian and captain Osweic were beginning to open up to the possibility of parley, and if he could also rope in the commander of the elven military into talks, that would be a monumental achievement. Rhmanusia would immediately be elevated to a human capable of rational negotiation in the eyes of the Theocracy.

They continued towards the elf camp.

"Excuse me, Rhamnusia."

It was Rumo. The elf's voice was soft as it always was, practically a whisper. He neared very close to Stockwell to speak, brushing the talismans that hung from his head wear aside as though it were hair in order to lean in.

"Are you an entomancer?"

"An entomancer?"

"Entomancer's can summon and control insects to do battle. It's a kind of spiritual summoned magic related to talismancy and fey summoning." Rumo said. "I don't know much about it; I have only heard that the ability exists."

Rumo gestured to Stockwell's various armaments. "I thought that those appendages and your weapons might be summoned insects. There's also the giant red dragonfly creature you use."

"I see…" As stockwell thought about it, he could see how someone might come to that conclusion. It wasn't just the huge spider limbs assisting him, but also that every exposed surface of metal on him was plated with OTB. OTB was a coppery color with an iridescence that looked just like that of a scarab beetle's carapace. Additionally, the windows of his gas mask were coated in a thin, iridescent optical coating that reflected light similar to an insect's eyes.

"But no." Stockwell explained. "All of these are inanimate tools I designed. Even the spider limbs are just inanimate flesh I'm controlling remotely. The "dragonfly" is also a tool."

"Hm." Telenym nodded as he was listening in. Both Mimin and Rumo also seemed interested as they listened.

"That's quite unique." Telenym said. "Are you an artificer then?" he asked.

"Not exactly." Stockwell said. "I work alongside an artificer to make the tools, but their core mechanisms are often more technological than magical."

The expressions on the elves' faces told him that they did not understand.

"It's alright if you don't get it." Stockwell said. "I would not expect you to. It's the same way you would not expect a non-magic caster to immediately understand how magic is casted."

"If you like," Stockwell continued, "The three of you are welcome to join us back at our own base of operations. I would very much like to study this "spiritual" kind of magic that Rumo possesses and the druidic abilities of Mimin. Also, Telenym, simply your perspective as an octo-centenarian alone would be valuable to my research."

"Your… base of operations?"

"Yes." Stockwell said. "It's a village north of the Slane Theocracy. Of course, I don't expect you three to just drop what you're doing so you can indulge my research. We're all very busy at the moment. Just know that the door is always open if you want to learn more and have the time."

"Learn more? About what?" Telenym asked.

"I remember I told you I was a researcher, yes?" Stockwell said. "Well, you could say I research everything. Namely, the fundamental forces of this reality. Metaphysics, data, tier magic, wild magic. Anything that isn't yet known about the rules that govern this world is within my purview."

Mimin had a confused expression. "Can you clarify, please?"

"Certainly." Stockwell thought for a moment. "For example, things such as Health Points, Mana Points, and the way things like physical strength and durability manifest in living creatures. If you can pin down the precise mechanics of how these attributes interact with each other and the physical world, all problems can then be distilled down into simple mathematics."

"Take Decem Hougan, for example." Stockwell said. "You all describe him with words like "Powerful" and "Invincible", but those are qualitative words, bound up in one's own despair. However, if you had a complete understanding of how his abilities and magical biometrics worked, then you can instead quantify him. Instead of describing him as 'Invincible', you might then be able to describe him as having something like… I don't know… say 60,000 RHC, 1,000,000 mVr, and 100 SHU, and so on."

"This simple shift in thinking demotes Decem from a terrifying, exotic being of incomprehensible ability to just a set of big numbers. And numbers are no longer scary. Likewise, with numbers, you can just make a simple calculation to determine to reduce them to zero."

Stockwell waved his hand. "Of course, you might calculate that it's impossible for you to do such a thing in reality. But, numbers exist in the theoretical. And so long as something exists in the theoretical, you can always imagine a scenario that leads to your ideal outcome, and then pursue that line of thought unerringly."

Stockwell put his hand on his chest. "It is these theoreticals, backed by facts baked into the backbone of existence itself, that allow us weak, mortal beings like ourselves maintain hope in the face of that which seems insurmountable."

As Stockwell talked, Vera realized that he was not talking about just Decem.

"To summarize." Stockwell concluded. "You can't truly fear what you understand. And so by transitive property, if you understand everything, nothing ever can truly scare you."

They continued through the forest for a few more minutes.

Eventually, they arrived at a place that appeared to be the elven military camp they were looking for.

The encampment was a network of passageways built into the earth and up into the hollowed out trunks of large trees. Just from what Stockwell could make out on the surface, it was likely that the elves had burrowed extensive networks of tunnels beneath the earth that stretch far further than just this area.

Stockwell caught the forms of several elves peering at them from up within the trees and peeking at them from beneath trap doors in the ground. There were also several tents made of large pieces of foliage strewn about the forest floor.

Telenym waved at them and made it clear that they were not a threat. Upon walking further into the camp, a group of elves approached them.

They appeared to be just normal soldiers.

Vera kept her mask on for now.

"Telenym-sama." One of them said, "We got your message. Marshall Lajunct is just in there."

He pointed to the trunk of a very large tree that had a hollowed out room inside.

Telenym nodded and led the group to the tree.

As they walked, Stockwell saw many murmurs and exchange of hushed words going on between the elves. He also recognized a few of them as the elves who he had first met in the forest; the ones who worked under the late Lieutenant Potema.

They did not approach him.

They arrived at the tree, but before they could enter an elf exited to meet them.

He was a fair amount shorter than the rest of the elves despite clearly being an adult. Despite this, it was clear that the elves around him acknowledged him as a superior. One of his legs seemed to have been replaced with a wooden prosthetic and clutched a wooden staff in his left hand.

"Telenym!" The elf called out.

"Marshall Lajunct." Telenym responded. "I've brought Rhamnusia."

Lajunct turned towards Stockwell. "So you're Rhamnusia! I was skeptical about you being a human, and yet here you are!"

Lanjunct did not seem to have any sort of hostility.

"Yes." Stockwell replied. "Here I am. I'm looking forward to working with you, marshall."

"Likewise." He turned to Vera. "And you must be Calico."

Vera nodded to him wordlessly.

"I heard that Luitenant Potema was successful in contacting you, yes?"

"Mhm, correct." Stockwell replied. "Unfortunately, the Holocaust Scripture ambushed us shortly after we made contact. He did not survive."

Lajunct nodded sadly. "Potema was a good man. The last of three brothers. It's a damned shame."

"Come inside." He said as he gestured to the tree behind him. "Field Marshall Folen will be here soon."

As he said that, they heard a commotion at the far end of the camp.

Approaching from the forest, they saw a large, wolf-like creature known as a barghest. The reactions of the elves showed that they were not hostile towards the magic beast.

As it neared, Stockwell could make out the form of an elf riding atop of it. The barghest skidded to a halt in the center of the camp and collapsed to the ground. Its breathing was heavy and it was evidently exhausted, likely having run for an extended period of time.

"Very soon, apparently. That's Folen." Lajunct said. He pointed at the elf descending from the barghest's back.

The barghest collapsed with exhaustion.

Field Marshall Folen wore light armor that appeared to have been made from some kind of enchanted wood that helped him blend into the forest. When he walked, a small amount of soil rose to cover his feet so that it hid where his shoes began and the ground ended. Stockwell could imagine that the other pieces of armor had similar effects. Folen also carried within him a short bow, a spear, and a riding crop.

He was evidently a ranger and beast tamer of some kind.

He waved to the elves and one of them directed his attention towards Stockwell,

He approached them immediately.

"Lanjunct. Telenym." He exchanged a firm nod with Lajunct and Telenym before turning towards Stockwell. "Are you Rhamnusia?"

"Yes." Stockwell replied. "I take it you're Folen?"

"Yes, I'm Field Marshall Nivarre Folen, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard how much you've been doing for us." Folen shook Stockwell's hand with both hands.

He turned to Vera. "And you are?"

"Calico." Vera replied.

"Of course." Folen also shook her hand.

"We should talk inside." Lanjunct said and motioned that they talk inside the tree.

They agreed and went inside.

The space inside was deceptively large, due in part because the floor was dug in beneath the earth, forming a room where the ceiling was made out of a large network of tree roots. The room was lit by way of some kind of glowing moss that clung to the underside of the tree roots.

"Please, sit." Lajunct said. He waved his staff and roots grew out from the floor of the room to form seats and a table.

Moss materialized on the roots to form a soft cushion, though it didn't matter much to Stockwell. The nature of his armor made it difficult for him to sit down as is, and hard armor coupled with the internal padding made it impossible to discern the texture of the seat.

He politely sat down and Vera did the same.

They sat opposite of Folen,Telenym and Lajunct while Mimin and Rumo stood by the entrance.

"Now then," Folen said. "What would you like to talk about? I have many things I personally wish to share soon, but it looks like you also have things you wish to urgently talk about."

"Yes." Stockwell said with a nod. "First things first though, I'd like to clarify what a human like me is doing here in this forest combating the holocaust scripture. It would be helpful if we're all on the same page here."

"Alright then." Folen said. "Please do. All Rumo's fey messenger told me is that you wanted to speak with me."

Folen did not have an accusatory tone. If anything, the elf seemed genuinely appreciative of Stockwell's forthrightness.

"Of course," Stockwell said, "The most important thing you should know is that I have a bit of a complicated relationship with the Theocracy at the moment. You could say I'm trying to be a pain in their ass so that they get annoyed enough to open negotiations with me."

"Open negotiations? What for?"

"You see," Stockwell said, "My real enemy isn't the Slane Theocracy but a country known as the Sorcerer Kingdom. I wouldn't expect you to know about it due to the ongoing situation over here. It's a small, and recently founded country to the north of the Theocracy ruled by an undead named Ainz Ooal Gown."

"An undead?"

"Correct." Stockwell said. "Naturally, the Slane Theocracy is also concerned about the Sorcerer Kingdom, but they're also concerned about me. I have a bit of a reputation of being a demon who killed 35,000 soldiers in a single battle."

Folen briefly looked him over, but stayed silent and let Stockwell continue.

"In order to defeat Ainz Ooal Gown, the Slane Theocracy and I need to work together, and the only way that is going to happen is if I can sit down with their leaders and explain the situation in detail with them." Stockwell explained. "But unfortunately, even I am not strong enough to bust my way into their capital and make them cooperate by force."

Folen pondered.

"...Okay, I think I understand the picture."

Folen then looked squarely at Stockwells face. "But then, assuming you achieve your goals and obtain the Theocracy's assistance, you'd become our enemy, no? Why tell me all this?"

"Because I need your trust and cooperation. And most importantly, our interests are still aligned." Stockwell said.

"How so?"

"Because correct me if I'm wrong, but Telenym told me a little bit about your relationship with Decem and that you'd like to make peace with the Theocracy if possible."

Folen exchanged a glance with Telenym. He grumbled and turned back towards Stockwell. "It's not that simple."

"I'm aware of that." Stockwell said. "But if there was a chance to end the hostilities, you would take it, right?"

Folen released a tired sigh. "Yes, of course I would. Who wouldn't in our position?"

"Exactly." Stockwell said. "This war has dragged on for far too many years. It's a waste of life and valuable resources for both sides. I want an end to this conflict just as much as you do. If I'm successful in gaining the Slane Theocracy's support, we'd end up shifting focus towards preparing to fight the Sorcerer Kingdom. A war on two fronts would be nonsensical."

Stockwell continued. "I think I more or less understand the state of the war right now, and so far it seems like the only thing preventing peace between the elves and the Slane theocracy is Decem Hougan. If he dies, all of our problems can be solved."

"Hah!" Folen released a small chuckle. "Decem dies? And you think you can make that happen?"

Stockwell shook his head. "Based on what I've heard, no, not by myself. However, if I had yours and the Theocracy's cooperation, I'm certain we could build a device capable of obliterating him."

"Build a device?"

"Yes. I was discussing this with Rumo and the others on the way over here. My power is a unique one. It's not one that's readily apparent." Stockwell explained. "The best way to explain it would be to say that I'm an artificer."

"An artificer? Like someone who makes magic items."

"Mostly, yes." Stockwell siad. "I'm a craftsman with advanced knowledge I'm sure can be used to combat Ainz Ooal Gown, but I need a huge amount of resources to make my items."

Folen thought it over. "Depending on how many resources you need, we might be able to provide you with the resources you need. Why bother with the Slane theocracy then? "

Stockwell shook his head. "I doubt it. In order to make my devices, millions of tonnes of rock needs to be excavated and processed. Foundries, factories and generators need to be built. Also it isn't just a matter of resources but of manpower. I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of people exerting man power over months. It isn't something we'd be able to hide from Decem."

"Hm… I see."

Folen sighed. "But even if you are successful in building a device to obliterate Decem, there is no guarantee that our people will be safe from harm once the Theocracy takes over. As much as I'm loath to admit it, we cannot beat the Theocracy without Decem's sporadic interference."

"Again, that's where I come in." Stockwell said. "Once the Theocracy realizes how much value I have to them, I'm sure they'd be willing to spare your people if I ask. They also have little reason to continue hostilities after Decem is dead anyways. As I said, this region doesn't have enough resources to be worthwhile, and it would only be a waste of valuable manpower trying to subdue angry elves here that just want to be left alone."

Folen gave him a skeptical look.

Eventually, Vera spoke up.

"Excuse me, Field Marshall."

"What is it?"

He turned towards Vera.

"Just like you, Rhamnusia and I are no friends of Decem or the Theocracy." Vera said.

She took off her gas mask.

Folen and Lajunct breathed in sharply when they noticed her mismatched eyes. "Are you related to him?"

"Yes." Vera said. "Just not as closely as those two." She gestured to Rumo and Mimin behind them.

"My biological father supposedly was a ranger with elven blood." Vera explained. "I don't know much about him. Both he and my mother died shortly after I was born. The people who raised me didn't like to talk about it. They were… racist, to put it mildly."

She gently touched beneath either of her eyes. "I inherited my father's eyes and his talent for ranged weapons. All I knew was that he was distantly related to elven royalty. I did not not think much about it until now."

The elves in the room exchanged protracted looks with each other.

"I've already thought about who her father and grandparents could've been," Telenym said. "Calico said she was somewhere between eighth and quarter elf. Her lineage would've split 200 to 300 years ago. There's at least a dozen of Decem's children who would've left the forest to marry humans during that time."

"I see." Folen said.

He looked for a long time at Vera's face before looking back to Stockwell.

"Alright then. I trust you, Rhamnusia. What is it you have in mind?"

"Firstly," Stockwell said, "I'd like to try assassinating Decem."

Folen's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"I'm working on a very special poison at the moment. I think there's a possibility it can work on someone like him, but I'd like to have some idea about how his body would react before we try it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd like to get some samples from Decem's body to study."

"Hm." Folen thought for a moment. "What exactly do you need?"

"Ideally, I'd want a piece of flesh— living tissue. But that is probably not possible for you to obtain given his power. Alternatively, any living cells could still prove useful. Epithelial cells from saliva as well as leukocytes from his semen. Feces and urine might also have some useable cells."

Folen thought it over. "Saliva and semen… that might be possible to get next time he calls a woman to his chambers. Feces and urine shouldn't be too hard to get either..."

"My thoughts exactly." Stockwell said.

Folen nodded. "Once I get you these samples, how long do you think it will take for you to make this poison?"

"Well, I already have the poison." Stockwell said. "It's more of a variety of poisons, really. It's just a matter of choosing the one that will best avoid his body's supernatural defenses. Once I have his cells in hand, I might be able to provide you with more information within a few days depending on whether or not I'm able to determine how his auxiliary resistance and other metrics react."

Folen nodded as it seemed a plan was forming in his mind.

"Of course," Stockwell said, "The poison may not work, in which case, we'd have to go with plan B."

"Plan B?"

"What I discussed earlier, we'd need the Theocracy's cooperation. If we had that, we'd be able to obliterate Decem. No poison needed"

"I understand." Folen said. "In that case, I'd like to open talks with General Valerian as soon as possible."

"Really?" Stockwell asked.

"Yes." Folen said. "I had talked with General Valerian a long time ago about turning on Decem and making peace with the Theocracy, but we weren't able to come to an agreement. But with you there this time, we might be able to make something happen."

Folen turned to Rumo. "Rumo, can you send a fey messenger to the Theocracy's camp for a request to parley? Inform them that Rhamnusia will be attending as well."

"Are you sure?" Stockwell asked. "I've been requesting a parley with them for a while and they've refused me."

"And my talks with them are always unproductive regardless." Folen explained. "They do not see us elves as a threat worthy of serious negotiation. But with you attending, they'll have to consider my words much more seriously. It's a similar story with you, no?"

Stockwell nodded along. "I see… They won't be able to ignore the fact that Rhamnusia has begun officially working alongside Field Marshall Folen."

"Exactly." Folen said.

The room then turned towards Rumo. Seeing the room look towards him, Rumo wordlessly tore a talisman from his helmet. The symbols on the talisman glowed with a pink light before the piece of paper disintegrated into nothing. As the paper disappeared in his hand, a form took its place in his palm.

It was the "fey spirit" that Rumo had used before.

He gently whispered into the fey spirit's ear.

The small being then immediately flew in the direction of the door before turning invisible

"I don't expect them to agree to halt the hostilities altogether." Folen said. "It's not like we'd be able to anyways. Decem is an idiot, but he's not so clueless that he wouldn't notice all the fighting suddenly coming to a stop."

"Are you proposing we ask for some kind of partial cease fire, then?" Stockwell asked.

"Yes." Folen said. "Now let's figure out exactly what we wish to tell them."

They discussed their plans for about twenty minutes before the fey spirit returned.

"They've agreed to parley." Rumo said softly.

"Let's finally meet with them, then."

…

The sun was low, just barely touching the horizon when their group neared the Slane Theocracy's camp.

This would usually be the time when the Slane Theocracy's forces would be preparing for the elves' night raids. There were currently no fights being held. Evidently, both sides had been recalled and were on standby at the moment.

As they approached, they saw a figure standing out in the open in front of the palisades that constituted the Slane Theocracy's front line.

The figure looked to be a human male. He was wearing armor, though his helmet was off and held beneath his arm. He looked to be a captain of some kind.

Behind him were two more individuals who were likely members of the holocaust scripture. One looked to be a ranger while the other one was someone Stockwell recognized.

Hey! It's tomahawk guy!

The two groups approached one another without any outward signs of hostility.

Folen spoke to the lead man as soon as they were near. "I'm Field Marshall Folen. I'm here to parley with General Valerian. Who are you?"

"I'm Captain Ronde of the Slane Theocracy's first army." The man responded. "General Valerian and Captain Osweic are expecting you. I'm here to lead you inside. Follow me."

Folen nodded back to the others. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Captain Ronde turned towards the palisades and they followed after him.

A wooden gate in the palisades opened and allowed the two parties to pass through.

As they entered the camp, Stockwell saw many soldiers through the camp looking at him.

Between himself, Folen, Lanjunct, Telenym, and Vera, it was obvious based on appearances who Rhamnusia was.

Stockwell was not wearing his mask, and it should've been common knowledge to these people at this point that Rhamnusia was human. Regardless, the surprise was still evident on their faces.

Ronde led them a little ways into the camp and gestured to a large tent. "They're waiting for you inside."

Ronde stepped aside and allowed their group to enter.

Inside were three men sitting at a large table.

The one in the middle, whom Stockwell assumed to be General Valerian, looked to be a man just over 50 years old. He had slightly graying hair and the top of his left ear was missing from an old injury. He had a cool intelligence in his eyes that Stockwell could not mistake.

Sitting to his right was likely the captain of the Holocaust Scripture, Osweic. He was a ginger with a face full of freckles. He appeared to be a magic caster and wore a set of green and brown robes. He was eyeing Stockwell carefully.

The third person at the table was much younger. Likely a strategist or intelligence officer of some kind.

The two holocaust scripture members who had greeted them outside entered the tent behind them and took positions behind the three at their side of the table. They were evidently security for this meeting, and Stockwell could not help but notice that the tomahawk user was trying very hard not to look at Stockwell.

The tent was lit by the flame of an oil lantern, filling the space with a flickering orange light.

Several chairs had already been prepared for them and Stockwell, Folen, and Lajunct took their seats, with Folen in the center.

Vera and Telenym stood by at the entrance.

Valerian released a long exhale and addressed the tent. "Greetings. My name is General Valerian Ein Obinie, commander of all Slane Theocracy forces within the Great Forest of Evasha. With me is Captain Osweic and Lieutenant Lotte."

"It's nice to finally meet with you again, General." Folen said and formally reintroduced himself for the others in the room. "I'm Field Marshall Nivarre Folen. On my right is Marshall Lajunct, and on my left is Rhamnusia."

Stockwell smiled politely to Valerian and Osweic. "Glad to finally make your acquaintance. General, Captain."

They stared back at him. Stockwell could feel them probing his face with their eyes.

"So then." Valerian said. "I've agreed to your request for parley. What is it you want to discuss?"

Folen gestured to Stockwell.

"Firstly," Stockwell said. "I'd like to reiterate my intentions here. I am not the Slane Theocracy's enemy."

Valerian returned his gaze. "You realize how difficult that is for me to believe. Considering not just what you've done in the past, but also what you've done here and on which side of the table you're sitting on."

"And that's why I'm here to talk." Stockwell responded. "My enemy is Ainz Ooal Gown and the Sorcerer Kingdom. I'm sure the Slane Theocracy is of the same opinion. It's why I did what I did at Katze. I'm sure the supreme Executive Council has at least given you the gist on what I've told them, yes?"

"More or less." Valerian replied.

"Good." Stockwell then gestured to Folen. "In regards to the side of the table I'm sitting on, I'm sure you've long since realized that none of the elves here are truly your enemies. You wouldn't have parleyed with us if you didn't hold at least some sympathies. Which is why we'd like to strategize with you."

"Strategize?"

"Decem Hougan." Stockwell said. "The elf king. You want him dead."

The way Valerian and the other's eyes narrowed in contempt in response to the name as an almost conditioned response demonstrated their overwhelming hatred for him. Afterall, he was the sole reason so many people have died in this forest, on both sides.

"Exactly." Stockwell said. "You've discussed this same topic with Folen long ago. You should also be aware that the elves also want Decem dead. It's simply a matter of power, and of trust. Power enough to actually do the deed, and trust enough that you will leave the elves in peace as soon as your reason for being here is gone."

"Working together, The elves, myself, and the Theocracy, I'm confident we'd have enough power." Stockwell explained. "So It's simply a matter of trust."

Valerian put his hand up. "One step at a time, Rhamnusia. You talk of power. What makes you think we'd be able to kill the elf king so easily?"

"For one." Stockwell said. "I doubt you would've started this war unless you already had a plan for killing him. And even if you didn't, surely you wouldn't still be fighting it after you've seen his strength so many times now."

"Also, I should reiterate that my true target is Ainz Ooal Gown." Stockwell said. "I've done my research, that player is far stronger than Decem, of that I'm certain. And with the Theocracy's help, I can make weapons capable of turning even that undead and his kingdom into a smoldering crater."

"Player?" Valerian asked.

"It's the type of being that Ainz Ooal Gown is. The same as the Eight Greed Kings."

Valerian nodded along slowly. He did not seem to outright dismiss the information.

"Decem is the child of a Greed King." Stockwell explained. "Still powerful, assuredly, but not to the same extent as a true player. I'm confident that we'd be able to kill him, and if not, then there was never any hope of fighting the Sorcerer Kingdom in the first place."

"I see…" Valerian exchanged a glance with Osweic, Folen, and the strategist and returned to Stockwell. "And you're certain you can kill him?"

"We. I'm certain that we can kill him." Stockwell said. "I've said this time and time again to your executive council, and now to you. I can't do much on my own. You can think of it as me being a craftsman of sorts. I need manpower and resources. A country's worth, mobilzed towards a united purpose. But with that cooperation, I can make weapons capable of annihilating even a Greed King."

Valerian paused and thought it over Stockwell's explanation. "And you intend to just give us these weapons?"

"Yes." Stockwell said plainly.

"Why?"

"It's not like I can just build and use them on my own. Keeping them for myself would be impossible." Stockwell said. "Also, I'm human just like yourselves. For the thousandth time: I am on your side."

Valerian looked over to Folen and back over to the other people in the room, as though assessing their reactions to better glean Stockwell's sincerity. After a while, he eventually spoke. "You realize I'm only a general incharge of this front. I can't grant you the kind of permission you require."

"Of course." Stockwell said. "I didn't expect you to. All I ask is that you convey my earnest intentions to your superiors. With full cooperation of the Theocracy, Decem can be dealt with."

"Duly noted." Valerian replied.

"Now then, I should also mention another method for dealing with Decem. It would only require your own cooperation as a military commander, but It's hit or miss on whether or not it would work."

Valerian narrowed his eyes. "I'm listening."

"I'm developing a poison." Stockwell said. "With it, it may be possible to assassinate Decem."

"A poison."

"Correct." Stockwell said. "Again, I'm unsure if it will work. I don't know if it will affect someone with his enhanced physiology. I give it 50/50 odds. Getting it to him will be easy at least. From what I hear, he's quite the idiot. It could easily be administered by one of the women he calls to his chambers."

Valerian nodded slowly. "So what do you need my help for? It sounds like you can handle this matter yourselves."

"Trust." Folen said.

Valerian turned to Folen. Folen continued. "We need to establish trust. With Decem dead, there will be nothing preventing your forces from overwhelming us. We have both fought this war long enough to understand that."

"So what we need," Folen said, "Is trust. I'm talking about the terms we discussed in our very first meeting with each other."

"The ones concerning the treatment of the elves?"

"Yes. Those." Folen said sharply. "In exchange for helping you kill our king and allowing your soldiers freedom of movement through the forest, we want basic rights, and freedom and repatriation of those you've captured over the years."

Valerian sighed. "You know I don't have the authority to free slaves. As for how your people will be treated in the aftermath of Decem's death, I can only make suggestions to the council. I won't be able to guarantee much."

"I'm aware of that." Folen said. "That's why I'd suggest to your council taking Rhamnusia's offer of total cooperation. With him in your ranks, I'd feel more comfortable making deals with you."

'Hmph." Veralian nodded slowly. "I see."

"As for what we can do now though," Folen continued "for building trust, just between the three of us, I'd like to propose a partial cease fire.

Valerian seemed taken aback by the sudden proposition. "A cease fire?"

"Yes." Folen said. "All fighting beyond 5 kilometers of this road would come to a halt. This would mean that all settlements within the forest would become off limits. No more children will have to die. Likewise, you'd still be able to maintain this war at the head of your army. Elves will still meet you there, and I'm sure Decem will continue to show up as he pleases, if he's still alive that is."

Valerian exchanged a glance with Osweic.

Then Stockwell spoke. "I will also agree to not attack the main army, because I realize that's what your council is fearing; another attack like the one I did to the Baharuth legions. Additionally, with your men no longer deep within the forest, I will have no opportunities to strike."

"And finally," Stockwell said, "As compensation for agreeing to this partial cease fire, I'll undo the curse I've placed on the members of the Holocaust Scripture I've captured. In fact, I can have their arms up and moving right this second if they're here in this camp."

Both Valerian and Osweic went into deep thought and turned towards each other. After exchanging some whispers, they looked back to the other side of the table.

"Could you give us a moment to discuss in private?" Valerian said.

Folen looked to Stockwell and then to Lajunct then nodded.

"Of course." Folen stood from the table and exited the tent, followed by Stockwell and the others.

…

Once the other party left the tent, Valerian could not help but release a tired groan. Captain Osweic and the apprentice strategist Lieutenant Lotte had a similar attitude.

"We can't accept the proposal, General." Osweic said.

"I know that." Valerian said.

They had just gotten word back from the Slane Theocracy on their upcoming plans. The council intended to deploy the Black Scripture in two weeks time to capture Rhamnusia. As such, Valerian's current orders were to maintain the status quo. Any deviation would upset those plans.

If a cease fire went through, followed by Folen and Rhamnusia's assassination attempt failing, then it was possible that Rhamnusia may simply disappear from this forest altogether. It would be good for Valerian and Osweic, but not so for the Theocracy who would lose out on potential information.

The real issue though was that Rhamnusia had made a lot of sense.

The Slane Theocracy was inevitably going to fight the undead Sorcerer Kingdom in the future. The very purpose of waging this war as is— sending raiding parties deep within the forest— was to awaken their soldiers for that inevitable fight. Alternatively, training their soldiers to hide and navigate the forest would prove necessary in the tragic event that they must evacuate humanity to this forest as a result of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Humanity had done so in the past before and they were not so foolish to think that they might not have to do it again.

Agreeing to a cease fire would not be in their long term interests.

Valerian himself held no hatred— only pity for the elven people, and would like to make peace if he could, but the situation was far too complex to make that happen.

But now, Folen and Rhamnusia had opened the door once again to the peace talks the elves and the Theocracy had at the very beginning of this war— a chance for true progress.

The strategist interrupted his thoughts. "I can tell what you're thinking, general. But we really cannot afford a cease fire right now. We need to think about the health of the entire country right now,"

"So what then?" Valerian replied rhetorically, "Stall for two weeks while Rhamnusia continues to hunt down the holocaust scripture?"

"It's better than agreeing to a cease fire and then immediately breaking Folen's trust when the Black Scripture captures Rhamnusia in two weeks." Lotte replied. "If we play with Folen's trust like that, then making a deal with him once this war is finally over will be all the more difficult. Staying the course is the best option, for both sides."

Valerian turned to Osweic. "What about you? Can you stall for two more weeks?"

Osweic nodded. "Yes. That was always the intention. Once the Black Scripture captures Rhamnusia, we'll gain back all our losses."

"So you trust what Rhamnusia said then? About being able to restore the paralysis."

"Yes." Osweic said. "He's… an interesting person. It was difficult to get a measure of his strength. While you were talking with him, I was using my silent magic to carefully appraise him."

"And?"

"He doesn't seem to be able to detect my spells, which is strange for someone of his reported level, but even so, he still has that presence."

"Presence?"

"The presence of a hero." Osweic said stoically. "I've seen it several times. The look in his eye is of someone who thoroughly understands where the limits of humanity are, and how to surpass them. It is the look in the eye of those who have breached the realm of heroes. It's an unmistakable, and uniquely human look."

"But that's not to say I think we should take the offer." Osweic continued. "If it was up to me and only me, I would take that risk. However, we have to think outside of ourselves."

Valerian nodded slowly.

"Besides," Osweic said, "It's good training for us Holocaust Scripture members. Everyone who has come back has said the same thing— It's like they can almost beat him at times. I'm tempted to guess that he is going easy in order to intentionally train them. It would explain why he's so open about his abilities, why he explains himself to captured scripture members, and why he ultimately does not kill anyone."

"...Interesting." Valerian muttered.

"In that case, I'll have to make a detailed report for the Grand Marshall and the council." Lieutenant Lotte said. "I'll make sure your individual insights are included."

They nodded to each other.

"Are we done here?" Lotte asked. "Before I ask them to come back in?"

"Yes, think so." Valerian said. "Unfortunate as it is, we can't take Folen's offer just yet."

Lotte nodded and approached the entrance of the tent. "You can send for them to come back now."

…

Folen, Stockwell and the others were led back in.

"Welcome back." Valerian said. "We've made a decision about your proposed cease fire."

"And?" Folen said.

"Take a seat." Valerian gestured to the table, but Folen did not approach any further. Stockwell saw this and also hesitated to take a seat.

"What have you decided, General?" Folen said. It was clear by his intonation that he was frustrated. He didn't want to take a seat if it seemed that his efforts at peace were being dismissed once again.

Valerian sighed. "Field Marshall Folen. It's nothing against you or your people, but you know that I cannot make such decisions easily. I have many things on my end that I need to consider."

"Even for a relatively small cease fire like this?" Stockwell asked. "It wouldn't be a halt of hostility, just raids on elven villages."

"Even so, we must decline."

Folen closed his eyes and sighed with frustration.

"However," Valerian continued. "I intend to make both of yours," he looked to Stockwell, "and Rhamnusia's words and earnest intentions clear to the executive council. While we may not be able to trust each other just yet, I have hope that we may be able to come to an agreement in the near future."

"How near?" Both Folen and Stockwell asked at the same time.

"Again," valerian said, "I'm not at liberty to say."

Folen and Stockwell exchanged a glance with one another.

"Then, if there is nothing else for us to discuss, let's adjourn this meeting." Valerian said as he rose from his side of the table, alongside Osweic and Lotte.

The three of them stretched out their hands.

Stoccwell was pleasantly surprised by the gesture.

He shook the three of their hands. Folen and Lajunct did the same after a moment.

Stockwell did not feel any tension from their handshakes. He had been concerned that they had not accepted their overwhelmingly generous offer and was afraid he wasn't making any headway with the Theocracy, however upon shaking their hands he could feel that at least some progress had been made.

Stockwell had shown his face and talked with these high ranking officials and they clearly took his words to heart. That alone was more than enough.

"Captain Ronde will see you out of the camp now."

Ronde signaled to them and their party left the tent.

…

After only a minute, they were once again back outside the palisades and in the forest. Ronde waved them goodbye as the gate closed behind them.

The sun had since fallen below the horizon, and the trees were dark around them.

Folen sighed in disappointment once more as soon as they were out of ear shot.

"We knew going into that there was a chance they wouldn't accept." Stockwell said.

"I'm aware." Folen said. "It was my foolishness that allowed me to get my hopes up, thinking that you being there would change things."

"So what is the plan going forward?" Lajunct asked.

"Same as before." Folen said.

"Right." Stockwell agreed. "We'll continue to push them. And now that we're working together, we should be able to fight the scripture more efficiently."

Folen allowed himself a small smile. "I'll see to it then. I can offer you Telenym's squad to assist you, in addition to a few others I have at my disposal nearby. We'll make the Theocracy regret this decision as much as possible until they're ready to reopen negotiations."

Lanjunt nodded. "I'll be heading back to camp now."

"Good." Folen said. "I'm returning to the capital. I need to make sure Decem knows nothing of this. What about you, Rhamnusia?"

"I need to resupply." Stockwell said. He patted his spider limbs which were undoubtedly swimming in metabolic waste and gestured to his equipment. "I can be back the day after tomorrow, early morning."

Folen nodded and glanced at Telenym. "Do you want to take some men with you? Or is your flying machine not capable of that?"

Stockwell shook his head. "No, I might be able to take one, if nessaracy, but it would be a hellish ride for them. We have a resupply point on the sea north west of the forest if for some reason you desperately need to see us. It's probably too far for you to send men there in a timely manner, though."

"Where is this point exactly?" Folen asked.

"You know the large river that runs through the center of the forest?" Stockwell said. "Where that river opens into the sea, if you go north about ten kilometers along the coast, there is a hidden alcove in the rocks. It's hard to find. We land on the water and refuel there. We have enough supplies to last another week, but after that we'll have to restock from our home base which means we'll be gone for a few days."

"Understood." Folen said.

Shortly after, they heard a low rumble approaching them from in the distance. "That's our ride. You should probably see how this works when there's no river nearby, it's a bit of a procedure. It's not something we can do easily, in case you had any ideas."

The radio buzzed from beneath Stockwell's coat in response to the nearing rumbling. "Baron to Rhamnusia, come in Rhamnusia. Do you read me? Over."

Stockwell took up the radio. "Loud and clear, Baron. We're ready for pick up. It's dark, so Calico will fly up and give you a light on where to drop your cable. Over."

"Understood. Over."

Stockwell glanced back behind him and Vera had already wordlessly begun to rise into the air.

「Fly」

She flew above the trees. Once she was clear of the canopy, she cast another spell,

「Candle Light」

A bright point of blue light illuminated the tops of the trees.

The radio buzzed. "I see the lass. Dropping cable now. Over."

The loud rumbling rapidly increased in volume before doppler shifting into a lower pitch as the biplane passed over. A long cable ejected out the end, trailing a small lantern that descended into the canopy.

Vera was there to intercept it.

「Magnetic Pull」

She drew in the metal cable into her grasp and the biplane began to circle.

"I got it!" She yelled down to Stockwell as the cable turned in her hands.

"That's my cue to leave." Stockwell said. "I'll return to Lajunct's camp as soon as I can."

Folen and Lajunct gave him a firm nod.

「Ring of Magic Bound: Gust」

He deployed his parachute and rose into the canopy.

Using his thrusters, he aimed for Vera and grasped a hold of the cable using his magnetized left hand. He then found the small plate at the end of the cable wide enough to plant his feet in.

Vera spoke into her radio. "We're on, pull us up."

They felt a sudden ripple in the cable in response to Vera's voice.

They were jerked upwards at an astonishing speed.

Were Stockwell's hand not grasping the cable by way of an electromagnet, he would've assuredly lost his grip.

Stockwell's large frame barely managed to avoid crashing into the side of the biplane as he was pulled up through a large hatch beneath it and deposited into a back seat. Vera, who was ahead of him on the cable gingerly got out his way with 「Fly」 as she dodged into the seat ahead of him.

The winch of the cable was physically linked to the drive shaft of the engine which is why it had enough power to pull his weight.

As the winch grinded to halt, the biplane recoiled both as additional power returned to the propeller and Stockwell's weight came to a sudden stop. Stockwell could feel the heat coming off the winch's gears burning on his left thigh.

They heard Faber the blacksmith's voice shout over the roar of the engine in front of them.

"Glad to see you're alright! These pickups are always so nerve-wracking!"

The blacksmith pulled a series of levers, causing the biplane to jerk and regain speed and altitude.

The biplane had a large engine, large enough that it could've flown without needing the additional lift a second wing provided. However, the additional lift from the second wing meant that the plane could maintain flight at much lower speeds and gave it a tighter turning radius.

Additionally, because of aluminium and the magical materials they had on hand, they could make the biplane much lighter than would've been possible on Earth, meaning it could carry a relatively large amount of fuel and cargo.

"Are we headed for resupply!?" Faber shouted.

"Yes! Take us away!"

Faber nodded and leaned into the throttle. They sped off into the night at a speed faster than any horse could hope to achieve.

So long as nothing unexpected occurred, Stockwell saw the makings of an end to this conflict.

…

It was early in the morning as Invern, Brain, and Rigrit flew over the trees.

They sat sprawled over the large, red flying carpet. It was a magical item Rigrit had acquired from one of the late members of the Thirteen Heroes. It was a very valuable item that allowed them to travel much faster than would normally be possible.

Of course, both Rigrit and Invern had the ability to teleport, but doing so over large distances consumed a lot of mana.

Given that Invern did not know what the situation was like in Re-Estize after she fled from Jaldabaoth, it would be risky to simply teleport the three of them back over there and end up right in the face of an enemy with no mana left to spare.

Therefore, they had opted to travel via flying carpet.

The carpet was about six meters long and little more than three meters wide. So while there was a room to fit all three of them, it was a little cramped.

Brain sat in front watching the horizon, Rigrit sat in the middle, and Invern sat in the back with her legs hanging off the side.

If they wanted to head back north towards Re-Estize quickly, they had three options. They could either go over the Abelion Hills, the Slane Theocracy, or The Great Forest of Evasha.

They were liable to be attacked in the Abelion hills by hostile demihumans, and Blue Rose was currently on bad terms with the Slane Theocracy given their past involvement with the Sunlight Scripture. So naturally, they chose to fly over the Sea of Trees.

Brain kept his hands on his new swords, slowly removing them from their sheaths by an inch before putting them back in, imaning his duel with Rhamnusia. Rigrit had been able to replace his lost items for him and more. He would not be caught unprepared this time.

Invern organized the scrolls in her bag. She had run her fight with Rhamnusia over in her mind many, many times. It was frustrating because she saw how clearly she could've had him if only she had played her cards differently. The scrolls she had gathered would prove invaluable to countering Rhamnusia's unique abilities. The demon's greatest weapon was the element of surprise, and he had that no longer.

Rigrit ran through her notes as she controlled the flying carpet. The memories of her old friends in the Thirteen Heroes played out in her mind as though it were only yesterday. If Rhamnusia really was a player, she'd be ready to spot the signs.

As the three of them sat in thought, enjoying the view of the sun rising above the treeline, Brain noticed a small disturbance in the tree line below them.

"What's that?"

"What is it, Brain-kun?" Rigtir asked.

"Shit-for-brains probably just spotted another all-important boar he wants to hunt."

Brain leaned over the edge of the carpet. "... no its—"

His eyes grew wide as he saw an object suddenly approach them. "—Rigrit get down!"

As he called out to her, a large arrow made of rock and earthen material pierced through the underside of the carpet and grazed Rigrit's body.

The carpet began to lose altitude.

Brain was on par with an adamantite adventurer, and both Ridrit and Invern were heroes among heroes. They did not stay surprised for even a moment and sprang into action immediately.

"I got Brain-kun!" Rigrit called to Invern.

「Fly」 Rigrit caught Brain by the arm as he fell.

"I'm going down there!" Invern shouted back.

「Fly」

「Crystal sphere」

A defensive bubble of crystal materialized around her and she descended down towards where the arrow had come from like a meteor.

As she broke the canopy of the trees, she saw four humans covered in camouflage.

She didn't know why they had attacked them, and they too seemed confused for a moment.

Regardless, the humans launched a barrage of magic at her.

「Triplet magic: Magic arrow」

「Triplet magic: Mud arrow」

「Maximize magic: Earthen Grasp」

「Boost magic: Slow」

She saw them begin to cast.

「Quicken Magic: Crystal Bulwark」

A huge fortress of crystal rose from the ground around here and blocked the barrage of spells. Immediately after, she dropped the fortress and returned fire.

「Crystal Lance」

The human she targeted dodged out of the way.

I see. So they're at least somewhat skilled.

She heard two of the humans scream in pain as she turned to see Brain standing over one of them with his sword drawn while another was being engulfed by dozens of skeletal hands erupting from the ground. Rigrit descended from behind them.

The other two humans turned and saw the new arrivals.

"This clearly isn't Rhamnusia!" One of them shouted to the other.

"It was big, red, and flying! What was I supposed to think!?"

Rhamnusia!?

Invern went on guard at the name. She saw Brain and Rigrit also dial in on the mention.

The three of them wordlessly agreed to each other.

Let's beat these guys up and find out what they know.