PSA: Sorry I've been quite busy lately, so the updates may be a bit slow.
Steel and Sorcerers - Chapter 35
Ainz, armoured up in his form as Momon and accompanied by Sebas, entered the Dragon Kingdom's throne room.
"Welcome back mister!" called out the childlike form of Draudillon, the Prime Minister beside her bowing to greet them.
'So she was still trying with that act of her's' thought Ainz. He had done some information gathering during his time in the Dragon Kingdom, and it seemed that she was much older than she looked. He had also sensed a small break in her façade the last time they had met. That she was still acting this way, in combination with the prime minister, a vice-head of state, bowing so deeply to him, meant they probably wanted something.
"Thanks so much for all your help! But you know, there are other villages that would appreciate your help too!"
As expected, even though with his help they had temporarily reversed the situation, the beastmen may eventually recover and push back. He could feel the eyes of the prime minister boring into the side of his helmet as he gave his response.
"I'm terribly sorry I can't stay. Before I travelled here I made a promise to a friend that I would come back to provide aid to their own country, which is also in peril."
Draudillon's expression sagged slightly, as if she had given up. "Ok then, I understand… Well, it's time for your reward now. Is there anything you would like?"
"The same as I stated before" replied Ainz. "I desire to know about wild magic."
"Oh, I see… Are you sure you don't want something else, like money?"
'Hey now, should a little kid really be speaking like that? Though, the fact that they are this reluctant to tell me about it must mean I'm onto something here.'
"No. As I said, I desire to know about wild magic" repeated Ainz, causing Draudillon to furrow her brow in exasperation.
"Ugh, very well then. However, you must promise to keep it a secret ok?"
Ainz would absolutely share this knowledge with Nazarick, but otherwise had no problem with this condition.
"I promise."
"Well, what would you like to know about it?" asked Draudillon.
'I see, she's trying to limit how much she has to tell me by making me ask for specifics. Unfortunately for her, I prepared for this scenario.'
"Everything you feel comfortable telling me about it. It's origins, who can use it, how it works. Well, let's start with that for now."
"Ha… alright then," she laughed a little nervously. "Wild magic can be considered the original magic of this world, before the introduction of the tier system some time ago. Only true dragon lords can use it, and the cost of casting spells is releasing souls."
"Can the descendants of these dragon lords use it as well?"
"…yes."
"I see. Though, what do you mean by releasing souls?"
"Well, that is to say it costs the life-force of oneself and or others to cast it."
'In Yggdrasil, because lost HP could just be recovered through restoration spells or potions, abilities that were powered by HP were usually weaker by comparison.'
"Could you give me an example of a spell, and the cost required to cast it?" asked Ainz.
"Sorry, but I would rather not reveal any specifics" replied Draudillon, holding her ground. "In terms of spells, there should be some with similar functions to those in the tier system."
"Interesting. How about creating a portal?"
"Umm, there might be a spell like that, I'm not sure."
"What about one that connects to another world?"
At this, Draudillon gave Ainz a weird look. "No… I'm not sure about that either. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's just something I thought would be interesting. Anyway, is there anything else you can tell me?"
"I don't think so."
Ainz considered staying for longer in exchange for more detailed information later, but decided he could always come back if he wanted to. Since he had visited this place now, he should now be able to teleport here freely.
"I see. Then, do you happen to know where I could go to find out more about wild magic?"
"Umm, you could seek out one of the true dragon lords. The Platinum Dragon Lord is probably the most accessible. He's a councillor of the Argland Council State. Though, there's no guarantee he will answer your questions. Ah! If possible, in exchange for you promising to come aid my country once again at a future date, I could provide you a recommendation, which may help you get an audience with him."
"I'll take you up on that offer then."
After the two adamantite adventurers had left, Draudillon dropped what little remained of her loli façade.
"Haa… What's with that guy? Why is he so curious about wild magic anyway, he reminds me more of that mage Fluder than a warrior. Also, it's weird that he asked about a portal connecting worlds. Do you think he knows anything about that event that happens every 200 years?"
"It's unclear. But, I don't think this will be the last we hear of him."
"Yes, indeed." From the reports she had heard, his power rivalled, no, exceeded that of many of the strongest adamantite adventurers. Perhaps it was this thirst for knowledge she had felt from him that enabled him, and his companion Sebas to grow this strong.
'Well, he's that dragon lord's problem now and it's up to him how much he chooses to reveal. He would know a bit better what he's talking about. Anyways, I have more pressing issues to deal with. Maybe I should've pressured him to stay longer in exchange for more detailed information. No… if I did that and revealed some key information about the other dragon lords they might come chastise or beat me up later.'
It was just coming onto the dark of night, so most of the Re-Estize Kingdom's citizens were heading to bed. Clementine sat among a large group of strangely dressed men in a building nearby the location of an 8-fingers run brothel. The uniforms of the men had a green-brown pattern on them that looked like it would be useful for blending into woodlands. Here in the city though she doubted it would be of much use. There were a few more normal looking individuals among their ranks, likely ex-adventurers and the like. Drawing it from its sheath by her side, she examined her current primary weapon. It was an estoc, and put simply, it was the sword equivalent of a stiletto. The reason for her not using stilettos as she usually did, being she could be more easily found out. She did have experience with using an estoc, though her old one was mithril coated with orichalcum, while this one was just plain steel. She currently wore glasses as part of her disguise, and hoped they wouldn't fall off during combat, as they had gone crooked a couple of times during training.
For the upcoming operation she had been given some upfront pay. It was a decent amount due to her ability level, probably enough to escape to the Empire, where that Momon and his companion hopefully wouldn't be able to find her. Still, she should probably wait at least until she completed her contract here before leaving. There were a couple of reasons. Firstly, she didn't need another group of people hunting her down. She still wasn't really sure what these guys were capable of, although most seemed to be specialised into some sort of ranger-class build. When she asked about the weapons they carried, called 'guns', they simply laughed and said they're like crossbows, but made a loud noise depending on the type. She really wondered where these people were from. They claimed they were from the far south, but during her time in the Theocracy, which was south of here, she hadn't heard of them. Therefore, they were either even further south, which seemed a long way to travel, or they were lying for some reason. The second reason why she wanted to stay for a bit was because she had a rough idea of the strength of 8-fingers. Among their number there shouldn't be anyone too much stronger than herself, at least when she was at her peak. Thus, by participating she should be able to wipe out a few thugs while regaining her strength, and if a stronger enemy showed up she would have some back-up.
The sound of a man gathering everyone's attention pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Alright everyone, we've got 15 minutes before it's go time. Just before we head out I'd like to go over everything once more. Now, there will be three teams, Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. Alpha will be assaulting the main door while Bravo will be taking the back entrance. Charlie team on the other hand will guard the entrances and provide look-out for incoming enemy reinforcements, buying time if necessary for the other two teams to complete their mission and make it out. The objectives are to clear the brothel, neutralising any hostiles. Then, grab any important files, capture any enemy VIPs, and rescue any victims of 8-fingers who request our aid. This should all be done as quickly as possible as the guards or reinforcements from 8-fingers may be called in at some point. During the operation when you encounter hostiles, try to subdue and take prisoner those who surrender. Since we aren't on Earth, the usual laws don't technically apply here, and due to the many unknowns in this operation don't hesitate to open fire if you feel threatened. However, I would still ask you show proper conduct. Now, after the area is secure, although normally we would prefer not to, but depending on the scale of the operation we may have to leave some bodies behind. However, since it is already our intent to go to war with 8-fingers it isn't a big deal if they find out we've been here. Lastly, to all the new-bloods here, those from the Re-Estize kingdom." Clementine felt the gaze of the mission commander pass over her. "We're counting on you to do your part."
In the darkness, Alpha team moved into position, stacking up on the door facing out onto the main street. After a few moments they got a message from Bravo team, confirming they were also ready to move in. At the time they had pre-determined, 20:30:00, the main breacher pulled out a bell from a satchel on his waist and shook it gently, causing it to ring out. There was a click as the door's mechanism unlocked, and he pulled it open, revealing a passage that ended in a pair of double doors. In front of that stood a bearded powerhouse of a man, wearing steel armour. However, just before he could make a move to call out or draw his weapon, a series of snapping sounds rang out, causing him to stumble back and fall to the floor, like a puppet who's strings had been cut.
"Workers, move up" ordered the team leader.
"Hey, what's going on?" called out some male voices from behind the door as the workers moved up, swords drawn.
They went up to the set of double doors and flung them open, then quickly dove to the floor as suppressed rifle rounds shot over their heads. A cry for help rang out, before being silenced by another volley of suppressed gunfire.
"Workers, move up" ordered the team leader once again.
Following at a distance behind the workers, the team entered an exquisitely furnished viewing room. The corpses of two men, filled with holes, lay on the floor. Seeing this room had passageways that led out to other rooms, the team spread out to cover ground more quickly, some members getting to work putting the corpses in body-bags and taking them out the door. However, after looking around for a little while they found nothing.
"Monty, use the passageway bell" ordered the team leader.
One of the soldiers brought out a bell and rang it in the centre of the room, causing the outline of a hidden door to appear on the floor.
"Now use the trap bell."
Ringing it, there was no response.
"Might not be trapped, but be careful when opening it."
It seemed this secret door wasn't locked, so they opened the panel with a heavy thud, revealing a staircase that led down below. Following behind the new worlders, the American operators fanned out upon reaching the new area below the stairs. The muffled sound of yells, frightened screams and gunshots filled the halls as they methodically cleared each room.
Two soldiers had been assigned to clear a particular room. One moved to the door while the other kept watch with his rifle, ready to open fire on any hostiles within.
Opening the door revealed a small room. The only furniture in this almost-empty room was a cabinet and a bed. A naked man sat on the mattress. He was well into his middle years, and gluttony had made his frame flabby. His looks had originally been average at best, but putting on the pounds had made him that much uglier. He looked like a pig from every angle. A battered and beaten woman lay crushed beneath his bulk.
That man, or rather pig, Stefan, let out a cry as he turned to see who had opened the door. "Ah!"
"Freeze, show me your hands!" yelled the soldier keeping watch with his rifle. Then upon taking a closer look at the scene, "What the fuck…"
Stefan rose as he rushed for his clothes.
The crack of a projectile breaking the sound barrier rang out, and Stefan clutched at his side in pain and disbelief.
"I said freeze! Stop moving! And put your hands in the air!"
Stefan, not really knowing what was going on, complied.
"Now, come on out nice and slowly, keep your hands where I can see them."
By this time, Stefan had recovered from the initial shock. "You idiots! Who do you think you are?" he cried, looking at the wound on his stomach which was starting to ooze blood.
The other operator stepped past him, quickly checking the room. "It's clear. Oh man, this guy is one sick fuck. Hey, would it be alright to just kill this guy here?"
"Wha? Who do you think you are!" yelled Stefan indignantly.
"Well, we're supposed to take prisoners, but I think we can make an exception for this guy. The Geneva convention or whatever doesn't apply here, so let's just say it looked like he was going for a weapon."
Bravo team, which Clementine was part of, stacked up on the back entrance. At the arranged time, one member of the team moved up with a [Bell of Open Lock] and shook it, causing a series of three clicks to resound from the door. As heavy footsteps could be heard approaching from the other side, another soldier moved up and swung open the door.
As the door opened a series of loud cracks, like the sound of someone snapping a whip at super-high speed, rang out from behind her. Flinching slightly, Clementine looked over her shoulder to see the soldiers aiming at the open doorway with those things they called guns, their ends giving off a faint plume of smoke. To be able to fire so quickly… Even if they were a little loud, they were clearly on another level to mere crossbows.
"Workers, move up" came the order from the squad leader.
Clementine decided to let the others go first, following just behind them. Although she and the other workers the EWTC had hired were supposedly here for support, Clementine was sure that they were actually meat-shields, going in ahead to trigger any traps that may lie ahead. A few bodies lay on the ground, riddled with small holes and pools of blood forming around them, which she stepped around as she searched the surroundings, estoc drawn and at the ready.
Together with the EWTC soldiers they cleared the other rooms, not finding any other hostiles.
The squad leader had them all reconvene. "Nothing here. The princess did tell us there would be secret passages though, so let's look for those. Use a bell."
One of the soldiers took out a bell from a pouch and shook it, causing a corner of the ground to glow with a pulsing pale white light.
"Use the trap one too, then try opening it."
The soldier took out another bell, shaking it and causing a loud clank to resound from the secret door. He then pulled out a strange metal rod and used it to pry open the door. A loaded crossbow could be seen attached to the bottom.
"Nice one. Alright, workers, let's go."
The secret door led down to a winding staircase, which had a locked door at the bottom. After using another bell to unlock it, they found themselves in what looked like a large storeroom.
"Alright, let's spread out. Claire and you two will stay here to search this room."
With that the others moved out down through the other hallways.
A couple of minutes later, a loud thud resounded throughout the room. Clementine and the two EWTC soldiers immediately went on the alert, them pointing their weapons at the large crate the sound had come from.
One side of it had fallen to the ground revealing two men, a secret tunnel stretching out behind them. Based on their briefings, one of them matched the appearance of Succulent. He was a member of Six Arms, and a strong opponent.
"Contact, we've got Succulent and another man in the storeroom," one of the soldiers quickly spoke into a device attached to his vest.
Succulent eased a blade out of its sheath as he looked at the three of them, narrowing his eyes and saying, "We knew there were intruders from the [Alarm] spell, and even took the secret passage to avoid meeting them... I guess we ought to make another one, huh?"
"What point is there in saying that now?" the man behind him replied in a shrill voice.
"Hey, stop moving! Put your hands in the air!" barked one of the EWTC soldiers, aiming their gun at him.
"Ugh, it would seem we're outnumbered" grumbled Succulent. "Cocco Doll-san, get behind me."
"Let me handle this one" said Clementine.
"What, are you sure? Back-up should be here in just a moment" said one of the operators.
Although she didn't have to fight him one-on-one, she wanted to start regaining her strength. She was scared of dying again, but Succulent should be at the lower-end of strong opponents, and even if something went wrong she had support from the EWTC soldiers.
"Ho, and who might you be?" asked Succulent, sizing her up much like how a serpent sized up its next meal to be swallowed whole.
"Ha? Why should I tell you? You're going to be dead soon anyways."
"What? You bastard!"
Although Clementine was smack-talking right now, she herself was also carefully sizing up her opponent. She wanted to avoid making a fatal miscalculation at all costs.
"Hey, you're talking to the Phantom Devil here, don't think you can win so easily!" cried Cocco Doll from behind Succulent.
"Well, I'll do my best. But please remember that our win condition is that you escape, no?"
Clementine remained on her guard and eyed Succulent, trying to find the reason why he was called the Phantom Devil.
Succulent slowly raised his sword and took a stance, his blade flickering for just a moment. He stepped into range and swung his sword. That movement did not look like an attack from an adamantite-ranked warrior. In fact, it looked sloppier than the strikes from that Elder Lich.
She raised her blade in preparation to intercept the strike. Then, a chill not born of the air ran through her and she hurriedly leapt aside, jumping back. There was a small cut on her side.
"Tch" came a sound from Succulent.
"Hoho, so you have that kind of an ability then? So that sword-arm is an illusion, while the real one is invisible? Hahaha, what a quaint combination."
"What, you figured it out already? No, you must be bluffing. But, that dodge… However, can you tell what is real and what is merely illusion?"
Saying so, Succulent's body split apart into multiple images of himself, stacked one on top of the other. "[Multiple Vision]." The one in the centre looked like the original, but Clementine had no way to be sure. Taking a quick glance to the side, it looked like the other soldiers were freaking out, slowly backing away with their weapons raised. The multiple images of Succulent then charged her.
[Greater Evasion]. Knowing her vision couldn't be trusted, Clementine chose to listen carefully instead, and activated a martial art. Hearing a clear set of footsteps she thrust out with the estoc to strike. However, at the last moment, she felt faint vibrations coming through the ground from a different direction. She quickly moved to dodge, receiving another minor cut. They must have some ability to manipulate sounds too.
Quickly moving to counter-attack, she stabbed at the air, causing a clang to ring out as her strike was deflected.
The visible copies and the actual Succulent jumped back, his invisibility undone. "What the hell, who are you? To be able to dodge like that and then immediately go on the offensive!"
"Heehee, I wonder?"
"Hmph." Succulent turned invisible once more.
This time, Clementine went all out. [Ability Boost], [Pace of the Wind]. She would've activated [Greater Ability Boost] too, but she had lost that after dying and being revived.
As she dashed forwards, she activated [Flow Acceleration]. Her glasses were blown off by the force of the movement, but it didn't matter. Sensing movement in the air to her left, she thrust with her estoc, piercing something. Blood spurted out as Clementine jumped back, and there was a thud as Succulent's body fell to the ground.
After picking her glasses back up, she then turned her gaze on Cocco Doll. He did not look like he was going to flee. However, something about Cocco Doll's face made her suspicious. The man seemed too relaxed.
Sensing a presence behind her, she spun around, thrusting at the air. Her blade made contact, piercing the now visible Succulent. Her strike was so powerful that it had even broken through his orichalcum chain shirt.
"[Fox Sleep] huh. Not gonna lie, you almost got me there" she said.
"Amazing work Claire" came the voices of the two soldiers who had been watching the fight. "It would've been a real hassle to have to deal with him on our own."
Shortly after, the other soldiers arrived, and they began the process of searching the building for any documents, taking Cocco Doll into custody.
Princess Renner sat in an elaborately furnished waiting room, the members of Blue Rose standing beside her.
"So, Evileye, what did you think of their performance?"
"Hmm, while they didn't seem to possess particularly exceptional physical strength or senses, since they didn't notice me, along with there being no magic casters among their ranks, they do have a certain way of doing things."
Renner tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, they have unique weapons which seemed similar in concept to rapidly-firing crossbows, although at much greater power. In addition, the way they moved and handled themselves, they seemed like seasoned warriors, or rather rangers. Basically, unless you have powerful magic or equipment, I wouldn't underestimate them.
Actually, there did seem to be one exceptional individual among them-"
There was a knock at the door.
"I'm sorry Evileye, but we shouldn't keep our guests waiting. We'll continue this conversation later. Please come in!"
The EWTC representatives from before entered the room, extending a bow to the princess. After exchanging formalities, Renner spoke.
"Congratulations on your successful operation. I now feel comfortable trusting in you and your abilities. I would like to introduce some acquaintances of mine, who I was previously working with to help defeat Eight Fingers. I hope that you would work with them going forwards."
"The Blue Roses? Their status as legendary adamantite-rank adventurers precedes them. We would be extremely grateful for their assistance."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Renner-dono, we had something else that we also wished to ask" said one of the representatives.
After she nodded, they continued. "You see, around a week and a half ago, an outpost of ours came under attack by members of Eight Fingers, one of the reasons why we wanted to help you in this effort in the first place. We were wondering if you, or the Blue Roses had any information regarding the whereabouts of those captured during that attack?"
"Actually, I do."
"Really? Could you tell us where?"
"Ah, if you don't mind, I would like to make a proposal."
"Of course!"
"Since Eight Fingers is now alerted that someone is targeting them on a large-scale, they will have begun increasing their defences, making it harder to reach them in future. With the help of Blue Rose, I have attained information on a number of different facilities run by Eight Fingers, at which members of their leadership should be, as well as those captives you were talking about. That is why I propose one swift major strike in the near future, to eliminate Eight Fingers once and for all, before they can reinforce themselves any further."
"Well, we would need to discuss it with our superiors first, and leave time for planning, but such an operation is indeed quite appealing."
As they discussed the specifics of the plan, all Renner could think about was sending Climb to suffer some serious injury during that doomed operation, then she would be able to enjoy herself taking care of him for a while.
It had been a bit over a day since Ainz and Sebas, in their outfits as Adamantite-rank adventurers, had passed through the city of E-Asenaru and officially entered the country called the Argland Council State. Even though they had been able to teleport a fair distance, the journey across the Re-Estize kingdom to get here had been quite long. Not that Ainz disliked it.
They were currently in the capital, trying to get an audience with the Platinum Dragon Lord. As they walked through the streets, they got a number of glances. Not just because Ainz was in quite flashy armour, but because it seemed humans were a minority here. Most of the people he saw around him were various species of demi-human. Ainz also noted how much like in the Dragon Kingdom, the terrain was quite mountainous, making it suitable for defence.
Since adventurers were known for killing 'monsters', including demi-humans, they had gotten some hostile looks when they had gone to the Adventurer's guild here. However, they were able to gather information without issue. It seemed this country functioned on a loose parliamentary system, making it the closest thing to a democracy he had seen so far in this world. Though, 5 dragon councillors, including the Platinum Dragon Lord, seemed to each hold a permanent seat, unlike the other races who only had one each, so there may be some bias there.
Dragons tended to be the strongest race in Yggdrasil, so he would have to be extra-cautious while he was here. Although the frost dragons in the Azerlisia mountains had been quite weak, they may have just been an exception.
He and Sebas walked to the Parliament building, an extremely large and grand structure, no doubt because dragons had to be able to fit inside, and they requested an audience with the Platinum Dragon Lord. Even with their status as Adamantite-rank adventurers, and with the letter of recommendation from Draudillon, it would be four days before there was a timeslot available to meet with him. During that time, Ainz intended to enjoy himself taking in the surroundings and culture here, as was as doing a bit of information gathering of course.