Makings of an Overlord

by The Emerald Commander

Suzuki Satoru has no idea how to rule the Great Tomb of Nazarick, especially now that he has been transported to an entire new world as a human (kind of). However, he is going to give his all, no matter how much Albedo keeps trying to sleep with him, how much Demiurge wants to commit genocides and how much he wishes to date that cute peasant girl in the village nearby. Slight!AU

14. Chapter XIII: Demons and schemers

Chapter XIII: Demons and schemers

Part 1

There were few times Princess Renner could be rendered speechless. Admittedly, in nearly all cases, she had purposely acted as if dumbfounded to further her own plans. However, a time had been bound to come when she'd hear something so damn bafflingly stupid that all of Renner's excessive brainwork would require to cease, if only momentarily, in order to reassess whether the Princess had heard correctly. Such had been the case when Captain Remedios first commented on Lord Ainz.

"Oy, Gustavo, do you think Pabel is related to this guy?"

Renner stared at the Paladin Captain. She wasn't the only one. The Vice-Captain, the Prince and Squire all shared the same look of disbelief.

"What? His eyes are all slanted and stuff, just like Pabel's," said the Captain with a firm nod, as if to emphasize some manner of reasonable point.

The Princess, on her part, was still unable to wrap her head around the absurdity of the question just as much as the ridiculous timing. The mere assumption that Lord Ainz's inhuman eyes were anything resembling to that of a human was baffling by itself (especially given how Lord Ainz were nowhere near like those of Pabel Baraja's daughter), but the randomness and self-assuredness of the Captain was mind-numbing.

"Is something the matter?"

The Roble delegation snapped their heads at Lord Ainz. He sat across the rectangular table and the city map, opposite the King. On one side was Lady Rubedo and on the other was Lord Sebas. Behind their master, Lord Ainz's warrior-wives stood ever vigilant.

"No, your lordship," Prince Caspond said with a strained smile. "My colleague here was – eh – curious about your eyes."

"I see. I do suppose they are strange although I do hope they do not bother you much," hummed Lord Ainz. "In any case, it is a pleasure to meet you, your highness, and your countrymen. I would have wished to meet under better circumstances, but alas, that is the way of life."

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, your lordship," replied Prince Caspond. "Allow me to assure you we are not troubled by your eyes at all…"

The tension in the Prince's body suggested otherwise. Lord Ainz merely hummed noncommittally, and Renner saw the Prince shift uneasily, unable to tell whether Lord Ainz had been offended or not.

"Now then, Genug geplaudert!" Lord Ainz turned to King Ramposa. "Your grace, what is this I hear about a demonic incursion?"

The Chief Warrior debriefed Lord Ainz much like he had with the Roble Kingdom. This time, however, Stronoff added battle plans and potential strategies, making use of the huge map over the table. He wisely addressed the Paladins for their input, which was thought by the Vice-Captain and translated by the Squire. The Captain's input was relegated to looking confident and nodding, arms folded, as if she understood anything that was being said. Renner, though, knew that was far from the case.

Throughout the explanation, the rest of the Six Great Nobles showed up. Marquis Raeven appeared with a dark emerald plate armor and a pale worried look on his face. It was easy to tell that Raeven was far more of a strategist than a warrior by the discomfort in his gait. Of course, as any nobleman worth his title, Renner didn't doubt Raeven could handle a sword, although rumors said that Raeven preferred the whip and poison for combat, much like his forefathers. He went to stand on Lord Boullope's side and exchanged firm nods with the huge warlord.

The wrinkled and grim Margrave Urovana marched to Marquis Pespea's right. He wore an enchanted cuirass on top of a hauberk and his dark blue cloak wrapped around him. Soon after came the fox-faced Count Lytton wearing his own silvery armor, looking nervous and uncomfortable.

And thus, while the city burned, humans were hunted down by demons and disaster spread, noblemen formed up on each political faction: on one side was Lord Boullope's group, who backed Prince Barbro's claim to the throne, and on the other was Lord Pespea, who believed he was the best suitor for the Re-Estize crown. As usual, the king could only helplessly watch between both warring factions.

Princess Renner was quite surprised none of the noblemen tried insulting Lord Ainz, or at least acted offended by a non-human foreigner in their midst. They were a prickly bunch, after all, especially when it came to potential political rivals. There were mutters and murmurs from the vassals around the table, all wearily glancing at Lord Ainz, but overall they seemed passively apprehensive. Then again, who could blame them? They had heard many tall tales of the dark lord, and at the moment, he truly looked the part of a legend. That and his two servants on each side cast a powerful warning aura with their stern gazes.

The nobility may be corrupt and arrogant, but they aren't stupid, Renner reminded herself. She glanced around the crowd once again. At least not all of them…

With everyone gathered and debriefed, King Ramposa stood and spoke.

"Thank you, my lords, for assembling, and I do apologize for disturbing your rest. However, we find ourselves in a situation unlike anything we have experienced: our beloved city of Re-Estize has been invaded by demons," said the King. "Tonight, the might of the Re-Estize Kingdom shall be put to the test, and we shall show these evil fiends that we are far from lacking."

The King leaned over the large map across the table, all while the noblemen squinted at each other.

"Our objective shall be simple: break into the cut-off areas. We must draw the demons to us both to remove their attention from our trapped people and create escape routes. Moreover, we need to gain ground to fight the spreading flames. Thus, we shall strike and push straight to the heart of this conflict."

He tapped at a plaza on the map, which was at the very center of all the marked fires and reported skirmishes.

"The royal mages have managed to catch glimpses of some manner of ritual taking place there," explained the King. "Unfortunately, we lack any other knowledge to know what they are up to. Perhaps they wish to summon demon reinforcements or perhaps they seek to bring forth a mighty demon. Regardless, it is our goal to reach that plaza and end this travesty.

"We'll move in three columns. Boullope, you'll smash in through the West road alongside Marquis Raeven. Pespea, you and Blumrush shall attack from the East. Urovana, Lytton, you'll be our backup and hold the Castle. It is possible that the ones responsible for this attack have other targets and goals," the king decided. "As for the rest of us…"

Everyone waited with abated breaths.

"…I will lead the third and final column and attack from the South."

There were gasps of surprise, some even sounded genuine. Renner, on her part, didn't say anything, even if she was expected to. All she did was give the king the saddened face he wanted, and he returned with a resign pathetic smile of his own. After all, as much as the Golden Princess was meant to care for her father, Renner needed the king to hold onto his power and not be openly questioned by his youngest offspring.

"Your grace, while I would gladly risk my life for… ehm… our people, couldn't we hire aid to valiantly fight these demons?" nervously said Blumrush. He turned to Lord Ainz. "Such as you, your lordship. We have all heard your great deeds at E-Rantel. I am most generously willing to reward a repeat of such gallant efforts in Re-Estize."

"No," said the king, voice firm and decisive. "If possible, Lord Ainz, I would like you to stay behind with Margrave Urovana as reserve. Your support shall be compensated properly. Of that, you have my word."

The lords, particularly Blumrush, looked mutinous. Why should they throw themselves and their precious (and expensive) retainers into the fire of battle when there was the perfect mercenary available? The idea of a non-human holding the rear from the safety of the castle probably irked them to no end. There were, however, two very important exceptions.

"Stop your sniveling cowardice, Blumrush!" Growled Boullope.

"For once we are in agreement, Boullope. It is truly unbecoming of a high lord, Blumrush," harrumphed Pespea.

Boullope and Pespea squinted at each other. Renner would have smirked had she been anyone else. The two idiots had played right into the plan. Boullope was desperate to garner political acumen to make up for his son-in-law's blunders while Pespea was eager to crown himself the successor to Ramposa III. Thus, they both saw this demon invasion as an opportunity to garner influence. Of course, what neither was taking into account was that the King had foreseen this… or rather a certain Princess had subtly hinted such useful motivations to her sire prior to the meeting.

"Your grace, perhaps Lord Ainz could provide aid closer to the invaded areas?" Marquis Raeven stoically said without a hint of emotion in his face. "We could count with the support of a powerful mage."

"I am afraid we know too little of this situation to risk all our forces," the King remarked. "While I hold no doubt that with Lord Ainz fighting by our side we'll avert losses, the reality is that some unknown enemy has summoned a force of demons we have never seen before. The power and resources required for this attack alone suggests there is an immense threat lurking in the shadows, one that we might need the most powerful spell-weaver of our times to counter."

There was a grim moment of silence as the simpletons around the table finally realized the gravity of the situation. All too suddenly, they didn't appear that bothered by Lord Ainz's presence. The king wasn't done, however.

"Worse, we are not even sure what this enemy wishes to accomplish. This could only be one phase of a more elaborate plan, or a trap. Maybe this is only a test for us, or perhaps some ill-intended threat. Thus, I believe Lord Ainz would be far better suited as a reserve. It is quite possible we will require him at his full strength."

"Oh, your grace, you make it sound as if you expect an Evil Deity to show up," joked a sweating Lytton.

The King's response was a stoic blank stare at the Count. Lytton gulped. The eyes of the other noblemen widened at the implication. It was truly surprising it was the first time they even considered such a possibility. The last time so many demons had assembled, it had been under the Demon God King. Renner was quite glad she had told her father just that for her own plan to work.

"My lords," the king sighed, only to stare resolutely at each of the Great Six Nobles. "The city… our people… needs you. Who here shall answer the call?"

"Don't fret, your grace!" Roared Boullope, smacking a fist against his chest and grinning like a madman. "I'll cleanse this city of evil fiends in the name of Re-Estize!"

"These demons must pay for their evil deeds!" Bellowed Pespea. "Let us go and smite them in the name of the Gods!"

The mood in the room shifted as the noblemen all followed suit. Emboldened, they started rising their voices, their weapons or fists and proclaiming their devotion for the fight. Throughout it all, Boullope and Pespea glowered at each other. Even with the threat of an Evil Deity out there, the two imbeciles hoped to come out as heroes. Or perhaps, and far more likely, they were praying for their rival's demise.

Renner could see plenty of the noblemen, for all their cheering and boasting, were quite reluctant on engaging inhuman monsters. However, Renner cared more for Lord Ainz's reaction. He reclined on his seat, stroking his chin. Renner did not miss the way he examined the Roble delegation, no doubt reassessing his web of schemes and plots. Hopefully, Renner had manipulated the king just as her new master would have wanted. It didn't matter. While the king went to battle, she'd have a unique opportunity to stay behind and spend time with Lord Ainz.

The king would try to make sure to keep her away from him, but he sorely underestimated her. No, nothing would ruin this. Let the fools go out and play their stupid games, games she had managed to conjure through hints and manipulation. She rather approach the dark lord and bask in his genius plan.

Her heart skipped a beat. The excitement of finally engaging in another conversation with Lord Ainz promised to leave her flustered, much to her own surprise. Then again, why shouldn't she feel like this? The mystery and dilemma, the challenge, made her blood pump with eagerness. When had she felt so excited about anything in her life?

She stared in awe at Lord Ainz. Is this all your doing, my lord? Or perhaps someone else is trying to thwart your grand plan? Oh, how I wish I could catch a mere glimpse of your thoughts…

Pandora's Actor, on his part, was thoroughly interested in getting his hands Captain Remedios' sword, if only to touch it.

---

The streets of Re-Estize were filled with the clanking and clinking of weapons and armor. Knight orders, the sigils of noble houses, the marks of mercenary companies or simply the flag of the Re-Estize Kingdom joined together in a procession of flesh and steel that poured out of the Ro-Lente castle. The might of the Re-Estize Kingdom was on the move.

The army split off soon after they hit the crossroads of the main road to the Ro-Lente Castle. Thankfully, such road was well-paved, differently from the many others ridden with mire. One column, led by the fierce Marquis Boullope went one way while another one led by Marquis Pespea went another. King Ramposa himself led the rest of warriors, accompanied by Prince Caspond. Ahead and behind the royals, mages, priests, knights and huscarls marched.

Neia wasn't sure if it was a good idea both the King and Prince to march into the fray in such a way. What was Prince Caspond hoping to achieve? Neia didn't know, but she was a lowly squire. It was not her place to question his highness. A part of her did wonder if Prince Caspond did not wish to stay anywhere near Lord Ainz Ooal Gown. She also wondered if he wanted to keep Remedios as far away as possible from the dark lord to avoid a political disaster.

Down the cobbled streets they went, amidst the tall buildings and watched by hundreds of citizens. Neia kept her head looking forward, trying to ignore the many gazes boring into her. She was reminded of the day of her people's arrival, when the people of the city had crowded the streets to sate their curiosity regarding the foreign delegation.

Right ahead of Neia, Prince Caspond and King Ramposa rode side by side, flanked by their personal top warrior. To Neia's embarrassment, she found herself caught between the head of the Royal Knights and Gustavo behind the two royals, a privileged position for such a lowly squire as her. Of course, it was a choice born from pragmatism, as Neia would be needed as a translator, yet Neia felt out of her depth surrounded by such important people.

Neia noticed the Prince leaning towards the king. Although she had wanted to protect their privacy, she inevitably picked up on their conversation, probably thanks to her keen senses. Then again, Caspond's broken Re-Esterith was impossible to deliver softly.

"Do you think that Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is behind this?" Prince Caspond murmured. "He commands demons, doesn't he?"

"There are rumors that he does," somberly replied the King. "I am not sure about Lord Ainz's involvement, your highness. He could be orchestrating this attack to swoop in at the last moment. My daughter doesn't think so, though. She strongly believes that had Lord Ainz orchestrated a demon incursion, he would have done so without destroying the warehouses. I'm inclined to agree with her."

"Because Lord Ainz is interested in goods?" Asked an incredulous Caspond.

"That appears to be the case," nodded Ramposa. "Each time Lord Ainz assisted my people, he asked for various goods, from grain and cattle to bolts of linen and silk and metals. This attack, though, is destroying everything in its wake..."

Neia could see the orange glower over the horizon grow brighter. The smell of burnt wood was already striking her nostrils. Screams and the sound of fighting was getting louder. There no longer were any people there, other than retreating guardsmen, badly-injured or terrified, and men and women running towards and away from the fires with buckets.

"This demon incursion is very ill-timed, your grace," remarked Caspond. "Your strongest noblemen and their warriors are gathered here, with a delegation from the Holy Kingdom that includes our strongest Paladin and elite fighters… so why attack now?"

While Neia did agree that many powerful individuals were at the capital, she also remembered that the bulk of Re-Estize military strength laid out across the land. Most knight orders and huscarls were elsewhere, either in the lands of their liege lords or other cities. The bulk of Re-Estize army were levies, either peasants called to fight or militias summoned away from their villages. Amongst them were the savage Northern Tribes, warriors that kept to the archaic Old Ways and were above the average city guardsman. Then there were the demi-humans. Rumor had it the Re-Esteize Kingdom counted with the huge Jotuns, the scary Leshy and even regiments of elven archers in times of need. There were also weird whispers that the Re-Estize was no stranger to hiring ogres, trolls and even lizardmen to fight. Neia wasn't sure about the veracity of such claims, though.

"I don't know," gravely said Ramposa, glaring at the pillars of smoke looming over them. "But perhaps we'll find out shortly…"

They reached a barricaded street up ahead and the army stopped. There, standing watch over a crumpled mess of wooden spikes, tables and other pieces of furniture that had hastily been thrown into a pile, guardsmen and knights were engaged in combat against demons. Neia felt her heart clench and her blood drain away from her face as she laid eyes on those nasty creatures.

The depictions of demons in the Luminaria hadn't made any justice to the real things. Ghastly creatures resembling skeletal flayed men with scorching red eyes clawed at human fighters, sometimes using their leathery wings to fall back or attack the archers on the rooftops, while coal-black burning beasts that looked like the cross of dogs and lizards spewed streams of flames at their target. Cackling little imps flocked over their targets, hovering and swooping in like birds of prey, all with their malicious squeaky voices.

They broke the perimeter? I thought they were keeping inside the ring of fire, thought Neia.

Amidst the valiant defenders, Neia spotted the Knights of the Blue Rose up in the air, engaged in aerial combat against dozens of demons at once. They had flown ahead to assist, and apparently just in time. They presence alone appeared to have kept the guardsmen below from being outflanked.

King Ramposa didn't hesitate. He urged his horse forward, drew his sword and pointed at the road ahead.

"Sound the horns! Men of the Kingdom, let none of them survive!" Roared the old man with surprising strength and vitally.

Loud bellowing horns sounded across the army. Neia saw one of the Huscarls blow an elongated S-shaped instrument, one that released the sound of a roaring beast.

A carnyx, realized Neia.

As the sound of the magical instruments reverberated across the air, her skin tingled all over and her breath caught in her throat. A sense of exhilaration washed across her entire being. A desire to charge, to fight, even die in glorious combat, overwhelmed her.

By that point the front of the army had joined in with a battle cry, swarming all over the demons. Neia's heart started racing as the men behind rushed around the royals and their bodyguards like a tide of human ferocity made flesh. The heavy feet of hundreds of soldiers accelerated the tempo of her heart beat and made the ground shake.

Amidst the charging forces, Neia spotted all manner of warriors: from simple gambeson-clad guardsmen summoned from all parts of the city to fully-plated noblemen. Refined knights and burly huscarls boldly charged forward, wielding a wide variety of weapons: mace, axes, spears, halberdiers, scythes, billhooks… there was no end to them. It suddenly occurred to Neia that she was witnessing the Re-Estize Kingdom given form: a disorganized group of barbarians, freemen and noblemen bound together into one mess of a nation.

Behind the armed force that had swept forward against the unholy tide, more guardsmen and people swept in. These ones, though, were ill-suited for a fight, particularly because they weren't carrying weapons. Rather, they had another task.

"Quick, the fires!" Commanded Ramposa, pointing at the burning buildings on each side of what had just become an overwhelming victory of the humans.

While a new tide of humans went forth to help put out the fires, Ramposa and Caspond urged their horses forward to join the army that was delving deeper into the burning neighborhoods. The main barricade was being cleared and new more elaborate ones were being raised. The effects of the carnyx and war horns subsided and Neia released a long sigh, half-wistful and half-surprised. It had been quite an exhilarating experience, to say the least, and a tinge of excitement remained.

"Your grace…"

"Sir Aindra," Ramposa replied to the weary knight as she descended towards him.

Lady Lakyus looked disheveled and was panting hard. Blood trickled down from a cut on her temple. Her companions didn't look much better, with the exception of Sir Evil-Eye. Then again, with her mask, it was hard to tell anything about the petite mage. For some reason, Captain Remedios was squinting with suspicion at Sir Evil-Eye. The short magician, in turn, seemed far more concerned about Lady Lakyus. Neia had a strong feeling Sir Evil-Eye was staring fixatedly on the blood on Lady Lakyus, probably in concern.

"Something has changed, your grace," wheezed Lakyus. "When we got here the demons just charged out with great zeal."

"She means they came right at us like a bunch of crazed animals," snorted Sir Gagaran. "Right, shorty?"

"Huh?" Sir Evil-Eye said, snapping out of her daze. "What did you say, muscle-brain?"

"That those evil bastards came right at us like blood-thirsting vampires," chuckled Sir Gagaran.

Sir Evil-Eye visibly bristled, as if personally insulted. No, Neia dismissed such interpretation as her imagination. Why would such a noble petite knight of the Kingdom feel insulted?

"It must have been your face," muttered Evil-Eye.

"Huh, I guess demons can't stand someone as beautiful as me," Gagaran laughed, gesturing at her manly body.

"Or they were offended by your stench, She-Ogre!"

"Jealous, Pipsqueak?" Taunted Gagaran.

The Warrior Chief cleared his throat and the Knights of the Blue Rose remembered their current situation.

"Very well, rest and we will take it from here," King Ramposa said.

"There are still more in there, though…" softly said Sir Lakyus.

"You have done your part. As soon as you've recovered, join us ahead," ordered the King.

Lakyus looked ready to protest, but held her tongue at the last moment and nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, your grace."

Without another word, King Ramposa led his men and the Roble forces deeper into the besieged area. A glance back, Neia saw Lakyus grumbling under her breath while Evil-Eye and Gagaran went back to their verbal sparring. On their part, she spotted the twin assassins looking at her. There was something predatory in their eyes. Neia blushed and snapped her head away, not entirely sure why.

They were weirder than I had expected, thought Neia.

Her thoughts were broken by the Warrior Chief.

"It doesn't make sense, my king," Gazeff commented. "Why not attempt to ambush them inside?"

Ramposa, though, could only sigh wearily.

"None of this makes sense, my friend."

Silence fell amongst the Re-Esterith men, just as Remedios turned towards Prince Caspond.

"Your highness…"

Remedios looked at the Prince with fierce determination. It was obvious what she wanted.

"No, Remedios. My sister would never forgive me if you were harmed out there."

"I am sorry, your highness, but I can't stand and watch as evil assault the innocent! My duty demands I assist!"

Caspond pursed his lips, a look of regret marring his features. He probably now realized it had been a bad idea to approach the demons with paladins in tow. To his chagrin, the Vice-Captain shared Remedios' look. Even if he was far more level-headed than the Captain, Neia sometimes forgot that Gustavo was as much as a devoted paladin as her mother, and Neia was certain her mother would never sit idle with demons so near. Whilst commendable, Neia could understand Caspond's apprehension.

"Calca told you to do as I said, Remedios," reminded Caspond firmly.

Remedios petulantly scowled but otherwise didn't charge. She did look ready to jump out of her horse and rush at the fray at any moment, though. In fact, so did most of the Prince's soldiers. A mix of lieutenants from the Nine Colors and regular footmen, the Roble warriors probably disliked being at the sidelines.

Onwards went King and foreign Prince alongside their respective entourages, and hesitation crossed Caspond's face as they accompanied Ramposa and his bodyguards inside the area that once had been held by demons. While guardsmen worked to clear the streets and combat the fire, ranks of mercenaries, knights and more guardsmen marched forward. Some took to the roofs, jumping from one to the next, while other broke off into alleyways and houses. While the street was wide enough for a few horsemen, it barely managed to accommodate the moving army. The sound of fighting ahead was drowned by the thunder of hundreds of feet.

They didn't find any survivors. In their stead, all they found was death and devastation. Women, men and children had all fell victim to the demons. Blood, entrails and gore had been spread over roofs, walls and windows in some gruesome decorative display.

Eventually, the Prince bowed his head and sighed in resignation, drawing everyone attention. Then, Caspond turned to Remedios and gave her a nod. The Captain responded with a nod of her own, before she drew the legendary blade Safarlisia, and pointed it to the heavens.

"Forth, men of the Holy Kingdom! Let us show the Gods the might of her Holiness' chosen!" Shouted Remedios.

She immediately rode forward, followed closely by half of Prince Caspond's personal guard. Gustavo turned to Neia, and she nodded in understanding, even while she fought to still her shaking hands. With a fateful whip of her reins, Neia made to follow after her countrymen, leaving behind the safety of the Chief Warrior and King Ramposa's bodyguards.

Past buildings in fire, Neia saw mostly intact structures. Windows and doors, though, had been broken into, and the same gruesome slaughter as before painted most of the streets in horrible red. While fires illuminated most of the bloody exhibition, it was the sun-like magical orbs overhead that revealed the deeds of the demons. Mages and other magic users they passed seemed to visibly regret casting such flares over the evil that had befallen Re-Estize.

While the bulk of the army ahead of the Roble fighters marched down the main street, warriors started splitting off in whole troops left and right, smashing their way into buildings, followed by inhuman screeches and the sound of fighting. Humans, Neia noticed, were fearless and undaunted, emboldened by potions, blessings and, above all, war instruments.

Thankfully, it seemed that the demons weren't practicing any proper tactics. If anything, they were acting as more like wandering feral beasts than a dangerous force. Neia did recall from the Luminaria that demons, while generally cunning, could lose themselves in their desire to inflict pain. While the average demon did possess superior strength and speed to a human, it amounted for nothing when outnumbered and outmaneuvered. That and it did help the demons lacked armor and ranged weapons.

Neia found her way to ride close to Captain Remedios, who was still on her horse in the main wide road. The Captain snapped her head left and right, where Neia could hear the most intense fighting. A glimpse of her eyes told Neia that the Captain was using [Detect Evil] to locate all surrounding demons, which were apparently already engaged in combat.

The young squire felt a twinge of shame. Many squires her age had already mastered Paladin skills, such as [Holy Strike] or [Under Divine Flag]. Neia knew why she was failing so badly, and it only made her feel worse, especially at that moment. All she wanted was to serve her country, yet right then she was only a burden.

Neia looked around at Remedios' party. Not surprisingly, they were all members of the Nine Colors. There was a Red Berserker, wearing a Bafolk skull atop his helmet with accompanying Zoastia's bleached skulls for pauldrons. To the man's right rode a Yellow Guardian, a warrior dressed in thick bright yellow armor and carrying an equally blinding tower-shield. A Purple Battle-Mage was already casting support magic with her skeleton staff made of Magelos spine and an Orange War-Singer cheerfully tuned his bone lute while surrounded by battle and mayhem. Behind them, a Blue Sea-Reaver twirled his twin cuirasses and a Black Night-Ranger tested his bowstring.

"Captain, ahead of us," maliciously cackled the Red Berserker, pointing to the road ahead with his massive cleaver.

Down the road, the Re-Esterith defenders had congregated in a throng of men and steel. Pikes, spears and halberds kept demons at bay, all while archers, slingers and skirmishers rained down arrows, bullets and javelins at incoming Imps, Gazer Devils and Hellhounds. However, everyone's attention went to the humongous beast groaning in the middle of the road. Although huge, the hulking terror could do little against the tight pike formation, especially not when pestered by projectiles. Still, it seemed the humans could only deter attacks… for the time being.

"That's one ugly demon," commented Remedios.

She turned to Neia, who in turn gulped, unsure whether the Captain wasn't scarier than the demon.

"Is it strong?" Remedios asked.

Neia looked at the demon. It was the cross between a man and a frog. It had a jaundiced yellow skin that gleamed with a sticky, shiny coating. Its body was covered in huge lumps, which were in fact human faces pressed out against the skin from the inside.*

"That- that's an Overeating, Captain," spluttered Neia.

Remedios kept blankly staring at Neia.

"It…" Neia paused. "It should be no problem for you, Captain."

Remedios smirked and looked at Overeating. She jumped off her horse and, without another word, she sprinted off. The rest of her party was left staring. Remedios reached the back of the human army and jumped. She flew straight at the Overeating and over the heads and weapons of the human defenders, catching everyone by surprise. She crushed onto the creature's stomach swung her blade, there was a flash of light, then jumped back. The demonic beast disintegrated into ashes soon after just as the Captain landed behind human ranks. Needless to say, the Re-Esterith warriors watched in awe at the Roble warrior. Remedios, in turn, smirked, some would add with an air of confidence, Neia would be between those to describe it as arrogance.

There was a loud crash to a side. To everyone's shock, one of the buildings had collapsed, only to be quickly covered in flames. Remedios hurried over, blade at the ready.

"Demons!" She roared.

SMASH

From the burning debris sprouted a score of demons. The men of the Re-Estize Kingdom reacted immediately. They raised their pikes and spears, and tightened in a close formation. A street battle started anew.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Laughed the Red Berserker, jumping off his horse and charging straight at the new wave of demons that promised to outflank the human forces.

The men and women of the Holy Kingdom exchanged looks, before shrugging and following after their comrade, plunging into battle. The empty-eye sockets of the Red Berserker's skulls started burning with red orbs and the warrior cackled with glee as a magically induced rage overtook his senses. He recklessly dived at the first lot of demons. The Guardian rushed behind him, quickly moving to defend his comrade.

Neia charged, her sword drawn. She glanced back, noticing that the Night Ranger was sticking suspiciously close to her. In hindsight, considering who her father was, she wasn't surprised. No sooner did she look forward at the awaiting battle, a sense of dread paralyzed her on the spot.

The sound of a playing lute poured into her ears, and suddenly she was filled with elation and clarity of mind. All self-doubt vanished and, for the first time in her life, Neia felt like she truly could become a Paladin. She glanced to her right, seeing the Orange War-Singer playing his instrument, the strings and fingers glowing with magic. The man winked at her before focusing on the fight ahead of them.

Neia engaged against a screeching Imp, dodging as it flew low and swiped at her head. Reflectively, she swung as it passed her, cutting a wing. The critter fell on the hard road and got on all fours, hissing like a cat. It lunged at her, claws aimed at Neia's eyes. She didn't hesitate; she side-stepped the creature and slashed. There was no flash of light, but the cut was enough to slice the imp in half. Only ashes remained of the demon.

Neia was thankful she did not pause to worry about her inability to cast [Holy Strike] even under the aid of blessings and support magic, for she was quickly beset by a Hellhound.

The young squire rolled sideways, avoiding a jet of flame, before charging at the beast. The monster jumped at her, and she smacked it in the snout. Like before, there was no flash of life. This time, however, the strike was not enough. Neia dodged a swipe of its claws but tripped backwards. Her eyes widened. The demon, with a cunning maliciousness, smirked and jumped. Its maw widened and revealed the burning hell within.

From behind Neia, something swished past her. The creature stopped its attack and screamed in agony. Neia composed herself and noticed the knife buried in the beast's eye. She didn't glance back to the Night Ranger to thank him. She lunged and pierced the Hellhound's skull with her sword.

When Neia searched for her next opponent, she realized the battle was over. There were no demons in sight. There were only blackened ashes and corpses on the ground and proud human warriors standing.

Neia blinked, only to look down at her hands in surprise.

This is the first time I slew anything, she realized in shock.

Her sense of pride evaporated, coincidently as the sound of the playing lute died down. Instead, a sense of shame washed over her chest and she clenched her sword.

But I didn't manage to cast [Holy Strike], Neia told herself.

Unbidden memories of Gustavo surfaced at the forefront of her mind. She could remember when he had reassured her that she would manage in the heat of battle.

A shadow over her pulled her attention to her side, only to find the Night Ranger offering a short smile. Neia didn't fail to notice the way his eyes scanned over her for any injuries, to the point Neia started to ponder if her father hadn't personally asked the Blacks assigned to the delegation to keep a careful eye on her. The silver owl emblazoned on his chest all but confirmed Neia's suspicions.

The rest of the Re-Esterith army moved forward, with warriors returning from houses and alleys and moving forward in close formation. The wounded were being walking back or treated by comrades. Those who had recently fought rested, catching their breath or drinking from waterskins. It looked as if it was going to be a long night.

"Oy, Neia," called Remedios. "Come here."

Neia snapped out of her reverie and turned to the Captain. She was frowning at a corpse. Neia hurried over to her, standing in full attention.

"Yes, Captain?" Said Neia.

For a brief moment, Neia thought the Captain would give her some praise. This was Neia's first engagement against demons and she was but a lowly squire, who had dutifully fought alongside elite warriors of the Kingdom. She tried to squash such hopes, to no avail. Instead, she told herself she would only be reprimanded for one thing or another. Thus, she sucked a deep breath and braced herself.

To Neia's surprise, the Captain didn't speak when she turned towards the squire. Instead, Neia was taken aback by a strange expression marring the captain's features. Remedios' eyes didn't hold its perpetual scary edge and she wasn't scowling. In fact, her face exuded a softness and tenderness Neia found alien on the likes of Remedios. If Neia had to use a word, she would say Remedios looked… compassionate?

"You in one piece, Neia?" Gently asked Remedios.

Neia, though, was too dumbstruck to answer right away. Had some shapeshifting demon replaced the Captain? This couldn't possibly be the famous and zealous Remedios who had always been rather hard on Neia. And yet, memories of people mentioning some other side to the Captain floated in her mind.

Unfortunately, the Captain took Neia's silence as a sign of concern.

"Someone, quick! We need a healer! She's not answering! Must be a concussion!" Remedios called at the Orange War-Singer.

The other Roble warriors sweatdropped at the Paladin Captain's obliviousness. Neia, on her part, snapped out of her thoughts, face burning with shame and embarrassment.

"I am in full health, Captain!" Neia exclaimed. "Was there anything you needed?"

Remedios frowned, looking rather unsure, before scoffing. The once caring Paladin vanished and was quickly replaced by the ruthless demi-human slayer, acting as if she had never actually cared about another soul.

"Right, yes. Eh… what was going to say?" The Captain muttered, scrunching her face in annoyance. She squinted at Neia, as if blaming the squire for the interruption. The familiar face was oddly comforting for Neia.

"Ah-ha! Yes!" The Captain exclaimed, triumphant at recalling what she had been meaning to ask but mere moments ago. "Aren't demons supposed to turn to ashes when killed?"

Neia looked at the corpse on the ground. She nearly recoiled in fright at the sight of a beheaded Gazer Devil. Unmoving and lacking the bright glower of its eyes, the demon looked as dead as it could possibly be. As if to make a point, Remedios poked the corpse with her sword.

The squire was utterly dumbfounded by the discovery. She looked at the other corpses and realized there were also corpses of Imps and Hellhounds. There were few of them, however, yet the fact there were corpses only added to Neia's befuddlement.

"Yes, Captain," said Neia.

"Then why aren't they ashes?"

"I-I don't know, Captain."

"Huh? You didn't read about it?" Admonishingly said the Captain. "Gustavo said you should know this stuff."

And shouldn't the Captain of the Paladin Order know more than a squire? Neia sourly thought.

"I apologize for my ignorance, Captain," Neia said instead.

"Apologizing won't help us, will it?" Dismissively scoffed Remedios.

The Captain sighed and shook her head at Neia, as if she was dealing with a naughty child. Neia wondered if Remedios had learned such a posture from the Queen and the High Priestess. The shame Neia would have felt was surprisingly numb, perhaps due to emotional whiplash from Remedios' little bout of compassion.

"Oy! Rogardo, drop that!" Shouted Remedios, looking away from Neia and pointing at the Red Berserker.

Said man was hunched over a demon corpse, cutting himself an arm of a fallen Devil Gazer. He was already carrying a bloodied pack hanging from his waist, probably filled with demon body parts to build up new magical armor pieces.

"We are representatives of her Holiness so don't make us look bad before the Re-Esterith!" Exclaimed the Captain.

The red Berserker grumbled but did as told, glaring at the Re-Esterith men who had been staring at him with disgust. Neia didn't fail to notice that while some knights were revolted by the Berserker's predilection for flesh, others either didn't care or they too looked greedily at the demon corpses. It was safe to assume some warriors knew where such rare materials could fetch a fortune… if not for other reasons. It didn't escape Neia's notice most of the men who stared most eagerly at the demon corpses looked like huscarls.

Father did say that there were tribes in the Re-Estize Kingdom that were Flesh-Eaters** like the Reds, recalled Neia.

"How barbaric!" Harrumphed the Purple Mage.

She, in turn, was studying the head of a Hell Hound. Neia didn't need to be a mind reader to know that the battle mage was thinking of ways of using the skull, eyes and perhaps even the brains of the creature. The Night Ranger, on his part, was subtly filling a stopper with demon blood, no doubt to take back to his brethren to develop poisons against demi-humans.

"Now this sinew could make for fine string," mused the Orange War-Singer as he studied the leathery wing of an imp.

Remedios released a long sigh of exasperation but did nothing other than glare disapprovingly at her countrymen. Whether she liked it or not, the Nine Colors were filled with practices and traditions the average citizen of the Holy Kingdom found disgusting or unholy. Instead, the Captain turned to Neia once again and the squire felt knots form anew in her gut.

Thankfully, before the Captain could bring Neia's spirit down any further, a huge shadow descended nearby.

"Incoming demon!" Someone shouted.

The humans, resting or standing guards, cleared out just in time for a huge beast to drop on the road. Neia and her countrymen all stepped back, weapons ready. They didn't attack right away, though, shocked by what they were seeing.

This demon was unlike any of the others, both by the power it exuded and the fact it held a weapon: a huge maul. Just as big if not bigger than the Overeatings, its muscular body was covered in purple-colored reptilian scales with a tail that resembled a snake. Beacons of bluish-white fires glowed from the empty black sockets of the goat skull it had for a head.

"A-A Scale Demon," gasped Neia, drawing her blade.

"Is it strong?" Remedios wondered, her eyes not leaving the new foe.

The Scale Demon released a thunderous roar. The humans, be it Roble or Re-ESterith, shrunk back in fear, intimidated by the powerful unholy creature. Neia glanced at Remedios, who was still waiting for the much obvious reply.

"So?" Impatiently asked Remedios.

Isn't obvious?! Neia mentally shouted.

"Yes!" Squeaked Neia instead. "This type of demons have served as lieutenants for Evil Deities!"

Remedios blankly stared ahead, only to nod, as if she actually understood the implications of the squire's words. Neia, on her part, felt ready to groan in exasperation.

"I don't think we need to be an expert on demons to know this is going to be one hell of a fight," remarked the Red Beserker. Neia didn't appreciate the way it was said as if it was a good thing.

"If this one doesn't vanish either, I call rights of conquest on the skull!" The Purple Mage cackled.

"I call dibbs on the heart!" Laughed the Red Berserker, licking his lips.

"Men of the Holy Kingdom!" Yelled Remedios. "Tonight, Justice shall be delivered!"

Neia gulped. She looked down at her sword and then at the huge demon. Something told her she wouldn't be of much use in this upcoming fight. All the humans present braced themselves and the Scale Demon eagerly crouched down, ready to pounce. And so, battle began anew.

---

"How interesting," hummed Suzuki.

His gaze remained fixed on the [Mirror of Remote Viewing] all while comfortably reclining on the [Throne of Kings]. It actually felt like watching live television, if only to witness an ongoing battle. A part of Suzuki wanted to take the situation more seriously, given the many lives at stake. However, he was deeply irritated that this was the second time some mysterious force was messing with the Re-Estize Kingdom. That and it had interrupted a rather… private… debriefing with Albedo.

An overlord can't snog his top lieutenant in peace without some kingdom-ending event getting in the way, apparently, mentally grumbled Suzuki. Admittedly, things had started simple enough before escalating into something more heated.

Not surprisingly, the Guardian Overseer was just as irritated by the whole situation. She stood in her usual position to his right with a smile and calm demeanor, but Suzuki could feel the murderous frustration oozing from the succubus.

"Is it really, my love?" Said Albedo. "These humans are so weak and pathetic… barely worth your time, much less your attention."

It did not escape Suzuki's notice the rather lustful flutter of eyes she sent her way, as if to say: there are other better things we could be doing right now.

"I digress," said Suzuki with reluctance. "This is a golden opportunity to watch first-hand the battle prowess of both Re-Esterith and Roble warriors."

In fact, Suzuki found the warriors of the so-called holy Kingdom quite fascinating. He watched, mesmerized by the way the foreigners surrounded and worked in perfect coordination against the Scale Demon. The Paladin Captain, Red Berserker and Blue Sea-Reaver would charge in and out in a strange dance all while the Yellow Guardian would use his defensive skills to either distract the demon with a [Shield Bash] or move in to deflect blows, all while the Black Ranger, Purple Mage and Orange War-Singer offered their support through projectiles or buffs. All around the Roble warriors, men of the Re-Estize Kingdom watched from a safe distance. The whole army remained stuck, the ones further into the fallen territory unwilling to advance further until those further behind could catch up.

Suzuki frowned and, with a lazy move from his hand, zoomed in. Alongside the Black Ranger, he spotted a familiar young girl.

Oh, it's that girl with the scary glare, thought Suzuki.

At the moment, her face was a cross of the same scary glare and fear, coming off as something akin to constipation. She trembled, sword drawn but unable to intercede. If she did, Suzuki suspected it would mess up the deadly dance of her countrymen. Bored of the girl, Suzuki went back to studying the moves and abilities of the men of the Holy Kingdom.

"The Nine Colors, huh?" Softly said Suzuki to himself.

He internally groaned as he realized he didn't know that much of that organization. He recalled reading reports about it, but details eluded him.

"Demiurge," called Suzuki. "Why don't you give me a refresher on the Roble Kingdom's military organization?"

At the foot of his throne, the heads of kneeling Floor and Area Guardians turned to a certain Archdevil. Demiurge, on his part, rose to his feet, adjusting his tie and smirking with delight.

"It shall be my pleasure, Supreme One," purred Demiurge.

Suzuki sweatdropped as Demiurge turned around to address his fellow NPCs.

Because of course he thinks I ask for their sake rather than mine, mentally groaned Suzuki.

"As some of you probably know already, the so-called Holy Kingdom is geographically divided into two major regions: North and South. While the southern part of the kingdom is relatively safe and isolated from threats, the northern part is connected to an area called the Abelion Hills. There, uncouth lesser lifeforms – called Abelar by the humans - constantly fight each other like savage fools and, from time to time, try to raid the humans, mostly for metal and weapons to carry on their pointless fighting. In response, the humans of the Roble nation have formed an army of, for the most part, conscripts forced into military service in order to be granted property rights. However, the humans also rely on a large organization that binds together various types of warriors that resemble the many knight orders of the Re-Estize Kingdom: the Nine Colors."

"Nine colors?" Repeated Mare.

"That sounds so stupid," chuckled Aura.

"Indeed, but what can be expected of such lesser lifeforms," giggled Shalltear.

"The name does sound rather silly, and there is a long deep lore behind it, but I rather not waste your time on it," mused Demiurge. "Anyway, as I was saying, the so-called Holy Kingdom…" Suzuki could feel the Archdevil's disdain at the name of the nation "…has dozens upon dozens of orders which foster certain skills and talents. These orders, in turn, coordinate with others to form part of one of the mentioned Nine Colors.

"The order of the Silver Owl, for example, trains rangers capable of fighting demi-humans in pitch darkness… at least, by the standards of lesser forms," said Demiurge with a smirk of amusement. "That order, alongside the assassin order of the Scarlet Spider, the order of thieves and rogues named the Black Rats and the networked of spies dubbed the Onyx Bats, make the Blacks, and are all under the leadership of Lord Black."

Huh? Assassins? Thieves? Suzuki thought, baffled. I thought the Nine Colors like the knight orders of the Re-Estize Kingdom… why would they train such skills against demi-humans?

There was a loud hiss as Cocytus released a particularly long jet of cold vapor.

"Yes, Cocytus?" Demiurge said.

"I apologize for the interruption, Supreme One," the insectoid Floor Guardian said, bowing apologetically towards Suzuki. "But why are there thieves, spies and assassins in one of the Nine Colors? Weren't they meant to fight demi-humans?"

Demiurge's smirk stretched wider.

"Who said that the Nine Colors were only meant for the Abelar?" Purred Demiurge. "No, Cocytus, the Nine Colors have been used by the holy kings for many purposes."

The approval on Demiurge's voice told Suzuki that the Holy Kingdom was not as saintly or holy as they called themselves. In fact, a shiver went down Suzuki's spine. What manner of atrocity that the Holy Kingdom committed to warrant the archdevil's amusement. However, Suzuki quickly remembered many of the stories and history of the human tribes of the New World.

I sometimes forget humans of this world are a bit more… brutal… than those of Earth, thought Suzuki, pursing his lips.

"Thank you, Demiurge," dismissed the overlord.

"It was an honor, Supreme One," purred Demiurge, bowing humbly at his master.

The overlord returned his attention to the magical mirror. By the looks of it, the Scale Demon, for all of its superior strength, was being overwhelmed. For all their talents, it was the paladin amongst the Roble warriors that seemed to be doing the most damage. By her speed alone, it easy to say she was on a level above her peers. Moreover, it became clear she was trying her hardest to draw the Scale Demons attention and keep her comrades safe.

For a brief moment, Suzuki was reminded of his old comrade Touch Me. A smile stretched on his lips, thinking about all the corny nonsense his friend would spout when cosplaying as a fighter of justice. In fact, a fond smile stretched Suzuki's face. He wondered if the female paladin was the same, screaming about justice and protecting the weak.

Suzuki reluctantly decided to pry his attention from the Roble warriors and zoom out, over that portion of the city. He was supposed to be overseeing the entire situation, after all. Thus, he expertly guided the remote view of the mirror and got an update on the other battles taking place.

"It would seem not all humans are faring so well," commented Suzuki.

And indeed, there was one column struggling against a far bigger tide of demons than the rest. While on first glance the king's plan didn't appear that bad, it had more than a few issues borne from risky assumptions. For starters, there had been no guarantee demons would be uniformly distributed across the controlled area. Secondly, it could have been safely assumed that the demons would be coordinated and, thus, may have countered the bold counter-offensive. Still, there was much that baffled Suzuki.

"What are you wishes, my lord?" Demiurge asked.

Suzuki looked at the NPCs kneeling at the feet of the dais. There were Floor and Area Guardians as well as basic fighters from all floors ready to join in. The overlord hummed and pondered on the question.

Do we need to do anything? He wondered.

A part of him thought that he had to help. People were dying, after all, and as much as Suzuki had experience with death and dead people, he still had a niggling discomfort at the thought of an ongoing genocide. He blamed it on his growing interactions with the New World humans, like Prince Zanac, Sir Aindra and Enri. Suzuki was finding a certain… interest… in the humans. The rest of him, though, dismissed such notions. He had no obligations to intervene yet, not when the King had apparently told Pandora just as much. Moreover, a lot of the demonic incursion bothered Suzuki.

"For the time being, we wait," decided Suzuki. "From the very beginning, this entire demon invasion had the set-up of a huge trap. Let's allow the humans to spring it for us."

"What about the resources there, Supreme One?" Asked Demiurge.

Suzuki perked up.

"Resources?"

"Why, yes, my Lord, that area of the city is deep within the merchant district with plenty of warehouses. If our information is accurate, and I have no doubt it is so, there should be a substantial amount of food, mostly grain, stored and ripe for the taking."

That made Suzuki frown and return his attention to the mirror.

"I will admit, the prospect of making ourselves with more goods has its appeal, Demiurge," slowly replied Suzuki. "However…" his eyes studied the many burning structures across the district "…it doesn't look like this attack is leaving many warehouses intact."

Didn't Pandora say the fires actually started at warehouses? Thought Suzuki, struggling to remember. Oh, all that food and goodies… lost…

"What a waste," grumbled Suzuki, shaking his head.

It actually irritated him to witness such pointless destruction. However, it also confused him further. After all, who would benefit from it?

Suzuki stroke his chin. No, this attack doesn't make much sense.

"Do you believe we are the target of this event, my love?" Albedo asked.

"I will not dismiss the possibility," stated Suzuki. "First E-Rantel and now this… there are clearly forces out there on the move, and I have the distinct impression it is no mere coincidence that they are taking place not so soon after the Gathering."

"But Lord Momonga, do you think anyone could actually stand up against us?" Aura naively asked, with Mare nodding next to her.

"Ha! I say we teach them a lesson for daring to think themselves a match to your glory, Supreme One," purred Shalltear.

"My lord!" Cocytus called. "Allow me to prove that the might of Nazarick is not to be trifled with!"

The other NPCs all joined in, expressing their desire to act. Suzuki silenced them all with a lazy wave of his hand. They all bowed their heads in submission and Suzuki refrained from sighing.

"For the time being, we'll watch and wait," decided the overlord.

He waved his hand and the mirror showed the central plaza, the objective of the human armies. Just as reported, there was a glowing magical circle with a dozen or so people, clad in cult-looking robes and hoods. Suzuki zoomed in. The cultists weren't chanting or doing anything. In fact, Suzuki raised an eyebrow at what he saw. It suddenly clicked in his head.

It does look like either a trap or a distraction, thought Suzuki.

Given what he saw and considering what he knew about the New World, it occurred to him that perhaps there wasn't really any trap to spring. Just thinking about the unique resources needed to summon the demon army and its wasteful use only added to that notion. Perhaps he was wrong, but Suzuki couldn't just sit around, not when there was much to be gained.

A devious thought trailed in his mind. Rather than dismissing it, a smirk crawled on his face.

"Be it as it may, we can't allow this… opportunity… to go to waste, can we?" Suzuki chuckled darkly.

Albedo and Demiurge gave smirks of their own while the other NPCs stared at their master with eagerness and enthusiasm.

"Let us prepare in case the perpetrators of this little nuisance prove to be…" mustering the full overlord persona, Suzuki took a moment to extend a pause as dramatically at possible "…disappointing."

Suzuki knew he was dabbing into rather questionable morality, but the thought of putting up a good show and benefitting the tomb in doing so left him eager to act. Besides, if things went as planned, no one would be harmed. Well, not permanently at least. One thing was sure:

He was really starting to love being an overlord.

---

Neia watched, amazed, as the Scale Demon gave one final roar and Captain Remedios delivered the killing blow, slicing the famous blade Safarlisia through the beast's neck. The unholy fiend burst into ashes and silence ensued. Soon after, the spectators of the Re-Estize Kingdom broke into a loud cheer. Remedios, on her part, ignored the crowd and instead turned towards her countrymen. For the most part, they were intact and healthy, if not overdosed in healing potions after a few close calls.

With the death of the scale demon, the human armies marched forward. The Roble warriors were given a wide respectful berth as they gathered to catch their breath. More than one dropped on the ground, panting, while the Red Berserker (who sported a bashed in arm and lacked a skull pauldron) heartily laughed. Thus, Neia found herself there, out of place, amongst such competent fighters.

The young squire grimaced and looked down at her feet in shame. She had never felt so useless before, so weak…

I'm so pathetic, she thought morosely.

Thankfully, her countrymen ignored her for the most part, tending to their wounds or distracted by their own weariness.

Eventually, in came the rest of the armed procession. The main street had become oddly uneventful, with no demons in sight, and many warriors were wandering around and searching for either fiends to slay or people to save. Warriors and knights marched past the men of the Holy Kingdom, before King Ramposa and Prince Caspond rode in, escorted by unscathed bodyguards.

"Excellent work, Captain," the Prince said.

"Thank you, your highness," boasted Remedios. "They were really weak."

"You didn't charge alone, I hope?" Gustavo queried.

Remedios scowled, earning a chuckle from the Prince. Gustavo gave an admonishing look, but otherwise smiled. The Vice-Captain then turned to Neia, and she stood up straight once again, unwilling to allow him to see her inner turmoil. Instead of any question on her health or performance, Gustavo gave her a nod and opened his mouth, before frowning at the demon corpses that littered the ground.

When Remedios asked Gustavo about the dead unholy creatures and their lack of flesh-to-ash vanishing, as expected Gustavo offered the same answer as Neia. This time, though, Remedios merely accepted the answer and said it was something best to discuss with her sister.

Neia found it harder to contain her bitterness. She reminded herself that she wasn't owed any praise or special attention, yet deep down she knew she craved some recognition. At the same time, she admonished herself for having such desires when she was so weak and useless. The conflict warred in her gut, leaving her a mess of emotions and anxiety.

The army regrouped and pushed further into the neighborhood at a steady and guarded pace. Any burning houses they found were quickly worked on by civilian volunteers that followed the army, while warriors would either spread out into the narrower side streets or returned from scouting around. Remedios, Gustavo and Neia returned to their horses and to their position on the procession.

A stifling silence pervaded the air. Other than the clip-clop of horse hoofs or the sounds of rattling armor from the walking warriors, there was no other sound. Added to the stillness of the lifeless urban world around them, a deep sense of unease buried deep into Neia and the men around her.

"Only dead people, burnt buildings but no demons, your grace," said the Chief Warrior after yet another round of outrunners returned.

"My Paladins feel no evil around here," remarked the Prince with a frown.

The King looked around with skepticism. Neia shared the king's feelings on the matter; this couldn't be the end of the demon incursion. Still, there was a lot of devastation around. Few buildings had been left untouched by either flame or demons. It would take years to recover its previous looks, much less the population numbers.

"We are almost at the central plaza… the epicenter of this entire catastrophe," said the King. "Could all demons have moved to fight against the others?"

"I do not know, my king," said the Chief Warrior. "We should have been the first to reach the attacked areas… but perhaps whoever is behind this commanded the demons to concentrate on Marquis Boullope's or Marquis' Pespea's forces."

"Then let us hasten our march," commanded the King.

However, no sooner had they broken into a trot, the procession stopped. The royals pulled back their reins and listened attentively as did everyone else. Neia perked up her ears, only to frown in confusion. She did not hear the sound of battle or screams of dying. Rather, another sound filled air.

It was the sound of cheering.

King and Prince exchanged looks before ordering the army forward. They managed to move forth without much issue. Only scorched remains or tattered homes greeted them on their path forward, and no demons moved to intercept them. Emboldened, they picked up the pace until the street opened up onto a wide central square, devoid of trees and made entirely of cobbled stone. They weren't the first to arrive there.

A crowd of soldiers, be it knights or simple guardsmen, surrounded the very center of the plaza. They all held their weapons high and shouted with euphoria. Standing in the middle of them all, atop a fountain, was a knight. He was clad with a black chest piece of armor, which was covered in white marking reminiscent to the Re-Estize flag, while the arms and pauldrons were crimson-red. A grey fist was engraved over his heart.

It was not the strange unique armor that caught Neia's, or anyone's attention. Rather, it was the pure white spear he proudly hoisted and the head of a slain demon impaled at its tip: it was the severed head of a Scale Demon.

"Barbro?!" King Ramposa exclaimed.

"Father!" The knight boisterously shouted.

Neia and her companions stared dumbfounded at the man they now recognized as the Crown-Prince of the Re-Estize. They had all been led to believe he was elsewhere, or rather unavailable. Prince Caspond looked at the King, suspicion in his gaze, while Ramposa bared a stormy expression on his face.

The Crown Prince hopped off the fountain and arrogantly strutted towards the King. He lazily cast aside his holy spear, which was quickly caught by a knight with a similar sigil of a clenched iron-fist. The men parted away but did not stop cheering.

"What are you doing here, Barbro?" Asked King Ramposa. "And are those your knights?"

Neia was taken aback by the anger in his words. She hadn't thought the emaciated old monarch to be capable of such fury.

"But father, I came here to save the city, and just in time!" Laughed Prince Barbro.

He removed his helmet and revealed a teal-eyed well-built young man with a square jaw. While not handsome, he was far from ugly.

"Come, father, allow me to present the ones responsible for this mess!" Guffawed the Prince.

Barbro gestured at the crowd, from which prisoners were dragged forth. Sobbing and wailing men and women were thrown to their knees before the King and foreign Prince, hands tied in front of them. Neia didn't miss the signs of beatings, from bludgeoned eyes to missing teeth. Their robes were a dark red, akin to blood, and quite what one would expect of evil warlocks, except for one of them.

"This is the leader of this band of warlocks!" Boasted the Prince.

He grabbed one of the prisoners by the hair and shoved her forward. A blonde woman, Neia realized her robe had golden trimming unlike the others, perhaps marking her of some superior status in her group of evil-doers. The woman, though, looked nothing like a warlock. Her face was caked in blood and mud.

"Yer grace, please, we're not at fault here," sobbed the woman, tears rolling down her eyes. "We were forced to wear these robes, sire!"

The other prisoners started shouting the same amongst wails and sobs.

"Silence!" Shouted Prince Barbro. He kicked the alleged warlock leader into silence. Neia winced as the sabaton struck flesh. "How dare you spew lies to royalty, scum?!"

He reared his leg to give the woman another kick only for none other than Marquis Boullope to easily push the Prince behind him, keeping a firm grip on the man's shoulder. The Prince glared petulantly at the warlord but otherwise didn't do anything else.

"Forgive your son's behavior, your grace," said the warlord. "It has been a hard night for all of us…" he gave the Prince a warning glare "…right, your highness?"

The arrogant Prince actually opened his mouth to retort angrily, only for one good look at Boullope's face to make him keep his lips sealed.

"Marquis, it is good to see you alive and well," the King remarked politely.

"Likewise, your grace," curtly grunted the Marquis. "I must thank your son here." He patted Barbro's shoulder. "The Iron Fists proved their loyalty to the kingdom, with the Prince at their lead. You must have seen it, your grace. He rode most gallantly, and fought like man! He even slew a mighty demon."

The burly nobleman gestured at the knight holding the holy spear and the head impaled into it. He then smirked and raised a hand, as if to stop anyone from asking.

"You don't have to worry about that pansy, Pespea. I sent my men and Raeven to help; Gods know that man probably needs it," he added.

"As always, you've proven to be a mighty war-hog, haven't you, Marquis?" said Ramposa with a thankful smile.

"You know me, your grace," said Boullope.

For a brief moment, Neia saw what appeared to be old bonds of friendship between the two. It spoke of a time when King Ramposa probably held better ties with his noblemen before something happened. The moment was short-lived, though, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

The King ordered his men to march towards the street on their right, probably where Marquis Pespea was leading the rest of the kingdom's warriors, while others scattered to help secure the square. Then, he turned a stern expression onto Barbro, who preened at the king's attention. It reminded Neia of Remedios, actually.

"Now then, father, let us interrogate this filthy mongrels."

"Enough Barbro," grunted the King. "I'll-"

"Foolish mortals."

Neia's eyes widened and snapped her head upwards. Everyone else did the same, gapping in terror at what they saw: a demon. This one, though, was stronger and bigger than even a Scale Demon.

Its body looked as if made of pitch-black stone scales on top of molten iron, with fire surrounding him. Two sets of horns arched upwards from the sides of its head and a set of demonic burning wings spread wide. The eyes were the most frightening part, though. It held a gaze filled with wrath that burned as hot as its body. It actually felt as if it was wrath made flesh.

Men fell back, giving the demon a wide berth and dragging their prisoners away. The demon, in turn, slowly descended over the fountain. The Chief Warrior, who had moved in front of Ramposa, urged the king to flee, but everyone, including Prince Caspond, was paralyzed in fear. Remedios Custodio leaped off her horse and drew her blade, moving to stand before her Prince. Marquis Boullope drew his enchanted mace, gritting his teeth and ready to fight, even if his eyes radiated immense fear.

Barbro, on his part, spun around and released a sound between a squeak and choke, before two of his knights hesitantly moved in front of him.

All eyes were on the demon. For some reason, he took a moment to look around and smirked, as if waiting for something. Then, as if satisfied by his own performance, he addressed the crowd.

"Now then, disgusting mortals… Who dared summon me, Evil Lord Wrath?"

---

This was a powerful demon. Remedios didn't need to be as smart as her sister to know that much. Every fiber in her being screamed for her to flee. Even Safarlisia urged her to avoid engaging the fiend. Remedios, though, held her ground and gritted her teeth.

This is bad, thought Remedios as her eyes scanned the plaza.

Men of the Re-Estize kingdom were quivering in their boots. To his credit, the lord with the boar imagery held his ground proudly, all while urging the blond knight from before to flee. Remedios didn't understand who that guy was, but apparently he had been someone of importance – and an outright bastard. How dare he kick a peasant? He gave Remedios the same vibes as those pathetic southern lords that kept making her queen's life so difficult and thus gave her the urge to punch him. Hard.

He didn't matter, not at that moment. Remedios cared only for the Prince, who was also staring in horror at the powerful demon, alongside the old wrinkled king.

I vowed to Calca that I would protect her brother, and I won't fail, Remedios mentally growled, tightening the grip on her holy sword.

The demon, in all of his fiendish glory, spoke. The malice rolled off with each word and an untold evil emanated from its vicious smirk. His voice was a deep baritone, one that seeped straight to her marrow bone. However, it was hard to be apprehensive of the demon at the moment due to a simple thing.

"Oy! Demon!" Shouted Remedios, interrupting the huge unholy creature.

Hundreds of human eyes turned towards her in disbelief. The demon too looked incredulous. Behind her, Neia's jaw went slack in horror at what the captain was doing.

"Why don't you speak in the Roble tongue?! I don't understand a thing you're saying!"

The demon stared at her. Her companions too blankly turned their faces to her. Gustavo, though, chose to face-palm.

"Argh! It doesn't matter," muttered Remedios. "Your highness, you must leave! We'll cover your retreat."

"I… right, yes," stammered Caspond, broken out of his stupor.

The demon's evil gaze turned to the Prince. Before he could do anything, Remedios acted. She ignored the yelp of protest from Gustavo and charged. With one power leap, she was shooting straight at the demon's head. She used all her strength to swing at the fiend's neck. At the last second, a claw parried the blade. Remedios swore and kicked herself back, employing a martial art that enveloped her in a yellow color to skid backwards and away from a counter-attack.

The demon didn't press his advantage, though. Rather, he stood there and said something in a smug evil tone. An eyebrow twitch on Remedios' forehead; being unable to understand the bastard was getting really annoying.

"Captain!"

Remedios kept a battle stance as Gustavo went to join her, sword drawn. Behind them, members of the Nine Colors formed up, nervously looking at the demon. Even the Red Berserker looked apprehensive. To her left, Remedios spotted the Chief Warrior and members of the Warrior Troop standing ready to face this new evil. Finally, men of the Re-Estize Kingdom were finding their wits and organizing in formation. The demon, in turn, folded his arms and laughed sardonically at them.

"Now is not the time to go charging blindly," chided Gustavo. He gulped and tightened his grip on his sword. "This is not your average demon, Remedios."

"Really, Gustavo? I hadn't noticed," said the Captain.

"With you, Captain, I'm never sure," he said with a strained chuckle.

Remedios scoffed but smiled nonetheless. The two paladins exchanged nods and faced the evil laughing before them.

"So what's the plan?" Remedios asked.

"We try to earn time until Lord Ainz arrives," said Gustavo.

"What?" Remedios, in her disbelief, snapped her head away from her target and towards her Vice-Captain. "What kind of plan is that?"

"The only one we have," muttered Gustavo.

The demon spoke once again, spreading his arms wide. He had a smug look on his nasty face and his voice boomed with evil power. However, while her comrades all shuddered in fear, Remedios groaned.

"Urgh, I don't understand a bloody thing he's saying," muttered Remedios.

"I am not following either," Gustavo muttered, "but it can't possibly be anything good."

"He's mostly boasting, Captain!"

Gustavo and Remedios stared at each other. They blinked a couple of times, before snapping their heads behind them. The other warriors of the Holy Kingdom also stared at the source in utter disbelief.

"Neia?!" Remedios and Gustavo exclaimed in unison.

The little girl looked at them with wide scared eyes and a constipated look of surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Gustavo asked.

"…I am your squire?" The girl mumbled with uncertainty.

Remedios fought the urge to groan in exasperation. Before she could shout some sense to the foolish squire, the Chief Warrior shouted something.

"Captain, Sir Stronoff asks to coordinate a strike together and have the rest support us from a distance!" The squire quickly translated.

"Fine by me!" Replied Remedios.

She met Stronoff's gaze and nodded. They shared a look of grim determination and turned to the demon. Before anyone could utter another word (Gustavo was already opening his mouth), Remedios charged. Like before, she went straight for the demon's neck. This time, however, Gazef Stronoff, in his mighty red armor, rushed at one of the legs.

Remedios hacked and was parried by a claw, before the Demon stepped back, dodging the Chief Warrior. He then swiped a hand at Remedios and Stronoff. Both warriors jumped backwards, skidding side by side. Their comrades immediately threw projectiles at the demon. Arrows, magic bolts, javelins, the demon blocked it all with a wing, turning to cinders before they made contact.

The demon grumbled something and gave a lazy hand wave to the men supporting the elite warriors. From above, demons materialized from the night sky. Imps and Gazer Devils engaged against the humans.

Remedios and Stronoff charged once again, glowing with red auras of martial arts and rushing at inhuman speeds. They shot straight to the huge demon leader at the center of the plaza, all while swinging their blades. With each slash, a demon was slain, bursting into ashes. The fiends could only stare, gobsmacked, as two humans cut through their ranks like a hot knife to butter. It was perhaps too easy, as if they were holding back. In fact, Remedios felt her instincts niggling at her that something had changed, that these demons were different in some way from those she had already faced.

In an instant, Remedios and the Chief Warrior had reached the smug Evil Lord Wrath. They rushed at the demon's legs, one each, but the fiend hopped up in the air and descended on them, slamming both fists where they had hacked at the air. The two warriors dodged and fell back.

Remedios and Chief Warrior stood their ground, swords held ready, and quickly studied their surroundings. While there were still fighting going on between lesser demons and humans, it had subsided considerably. Thankfully, Prince Caspond was gone, alongside King Ramposa. The blond peasant-kicking knight had also vanished alongside his compatriots. Actually, a lot of men from the Re-Estize kingdom had fled.

Craven, thought Remedios.

To her surprise, Lord Boullope was amongst those still fighting, alongside the Warrior Troop, a handful of Royal Knights and the squad of the Nine Colors that had accompanied Remedios before. Each time Lord Boullope struck with his magical mace, Remedios heard a high-pitched squeal accompanied by a spectral boar smashing the target. Massive men clad in plate and chain mail from head to bottom fiercely fought side-by-side with their liege, baring the snarling boars of Lord Boullope on their chests. However, it was a certain girl that distracted Remedios from the massive demon.

"Neia!" Shouted Remedios.

The girl in question paused her slash against an imp and turned to her, looking like a rabbit about to be mauled by a wolf. The imp she had engaged with also turned to Remedios, baffled by the interruption. Even Gustavo, who was close to his squire engaging a Gazer Devil, turned to look at Remedios with a face that said one thing: "seriously?"

"What are you still doing here?!" Shouted Remedios.

In a very weird moment, Neia only stared at Remedios. The Imp next to her glanced at the squire, as if unsure whether to attack or watch Remedios berate the squire.

Then, a shadow descended over Neia. A black blade swung downwards. Neia gasped. The Imp screeched and turned to ashes. Smiling, Sir Aindra gave a nod to Neia before flying off, the legendary blade Kilineiram in hand, to stand between Stronoff and Remedios. Behind her, the other knights of the Blue Rose helped to wipe out the remaining demons.

Before long, the only demon remaining was the self-proclaimed Evil Lord Wrath.

Remedios, Stronoff and Sir Aindra exchanged looks and nodded. All around them, the humans who hadn't fled all readied themselves. This was it. The giant burning demon, on his part, glowered at the humans, visibly annoyed for some reason.

At once, the three elite swordsmen charged. Everyone else watched, unable to step in without getting in the way of such skilled fighters. Sir Aindra used her enchanted cape to soar up in the air and go straight to the demon's head. Remedios lunged at the torso, while Stronoff aimed his own legendary blade at the demon's legs, both of them glowing red with martial arts. For a beast as massive as the Evil Lord, he dodged and parried easily, lazily blocking Sir Aindra's attack with one claw, side-stepping Remedios and parrying Gazef with his tail. His attacks were just as sluggish and leisurely.

Again, Remedios' instincts told the Paladin that there was something off about the demon, almost as if he was purposely holding back.

Frustration bubbled amongst the three warriors. The trio didn't falter and tried a new attack from all side, but the demon only laughed and kept either parrying or dodging. After a few more tries, the skilled swordsmen fell back to catch their breath and allowed their comrades to send a volley of projectiles onto the massive fiend.

Arrows, stones, magic bolts and even a huge crystalline spear soared over Remedios' heads. They did nothing, though, swatted away with one powerful gust of wind produced by Evil Lord Wrath's wings.

Remedios saw Gustavo go to one knee, stabbing a gold-glowing sword onto the ground. The blade lost its aura as it struck the gravel. Over the demon, a translucent blade formed and descended on the fiend. The demon winced and bared his teeth, scratching his head as if he had felt a needle poking at him. Seeing their chance, the Chief Warrior, Sir Aindra and the Paladin Captain charged with renewed fervor…

…only for the demon to roar, a heat wave exploding outwards in all directions. Sir Aindra was thrown back in the air, Stronoff was sent straight to a building and Remedios skidded backwards, gritting her teeth as her feet screeched against the stone. The demon was pissed.

Sir Evil-Eye immediately threw huge crystal spears, but the Evil Lord, with a ferocious growl, swatted them aside. His burning gaze swept across the humans, only to land in one person in particular. He squinted angrily at Gustavo.

Remedios felt her heart jolt with adrenaline as the demon moved towards Gustavo. The Vice-Captain held his ground, even if his sword quivered ever so slightly and eyes shone with fear. The demon ignored everyone and everything else. Remedios didn't think twice. She jumped, shooting straight at the fiend.

The time had come. She felt Safarlisia respond to her will and the blade's power gathered. She had to end the fight.

However, just as Remedios was about to release her full might of her legendary weapon, the demon vanished. He simply blinked out of existence. Remedios went flying past where the beast had once stood, falling onto the ground and rolling to hamper her momentum. When she turned back to Gustavo, her blood chilled.

The demon, furious beyond comprehension, was standing over Gustavo, a clawed-hand reared back. Everyone else was stepping back and crying in pain, covering their faces under the unbearable heat of the pitch-black flames radiating off from every pore on the fiend.

"No!" Shouted Remedios.

But it was too late. The last thing Gustavo did was shove Neia with all his strength, throwing her back. The girl looked in horror, hands reaching towards the Vice-Captain. Gustavo gave one last tremulous smile and then-

SLAM

With a sickening crunch, Gustavo's body was hurled sideways. He crashed onto a wall and fell limp on the ground. Tiny black fires crawled on his unmoving body. The others who had stood near him were rolling in the ground, engulfed in flames. Their screams of agony pierced through Remedios' very soul. Not far from them, on the ground, a tearful Neia helplessly watched as her fellow countrymen breathed their last.

A sense of helplessness washed over Remedios. This was unlike anything she had ever seen or felt. All her life, she had been powerful enough to protect those dearest to her. She had succeeded in living up to her oaths. Now it all crumbled away before her very eyes.

Soon after, though, an unparalleled fury rose in Remedios. She screamed and run at the demon. Such was her rage, she ignored the way the demon stood there, as if shocked by his own actions, nor the "oops" that escaped his lips. No, Remedios was focused on the beast's back. She wasn't the only one. She caught a glimpse of the Chief Warrior and the red blur of the flying Sir Aindra. Covering themselves in the auras of various martial arts, the Paladin, the Holy Templar and the Chief Warrior caught each other's gaze and an understanding crossed between them. It was the silent communication of warriors in the heat of battle.

Together, they reached the demon, jumped, and unleashed their full power in unison. From the corner of her eyes, Remedios saw a powerful green magical glow swallow Stronoff whole. She could have sworn it sprouted from his right hand. His sword, the famous Razor Edge, shone in a mystical blue light and the eyes of Stronoff burned with the power worthy of the Realm of Heroes.

Sir Aindra, on her part, was immersed in a pitch black miasma that radiated off Kilineiram. The white of her eyes became as dark as her sword and her once golden hair grew pale silver. Her skin was all of a sudden a deathly pearl white and an animalistic evil snarl crossed her face as she was shrouded in darkness of the void itself.

Last but not least, Remedios' body was engulfed in holy aura. Safarlisia looked as if made of solid blinding light, and extended to twice its normal size. For a moment, all of Remedios entire being shone in gold pure brightness.

The demon turned around just in time to be struck. Releasing mighty war cries, Remedios, Lakyus and Gazef Stronoff slashed. Their blades met flesh. There was an explosion of magical blue energy, alongside the combined glow of gold light and mesmerizing darkness. The demon roared in pain.

When the trio retreated, the Paladin Captain felt a sense of satisfaction bubbling in her gut. It was quickly dashed away when she saw the demon still standing. Worse, it was glaring at his arms. Three deep gashes run on its forearm, releasing sickly black blood onto the ground, where it sizzled and evaporated into plumes of evil miasma. The injuries looked painful. Sadly, they were already closing.

Remedios, Aindra and Stronoff could only watch with gritted teeth and mounting despair as the demon, in the span of seconds, had fully recovered and was baring down its hateful gaze on them. Stronoff swore something in his funny-sounding language and readied himself. Remedios followed suit. Sir Aindra, who was regaining the color of her hair and skin, panted heavily, but kept a furious look towards the demon.

"Come you evil bastard!" Snarled Remedios. "There's more where that came from!"

Unfortunately, the truth was that Remedios had expended Safarlisia's ultimate attack, one that could only be used once a day. Worse, she was starting to feel the exertion from the repeated use of Martial Arts. The demon, on the other hand, looked livid and unscathed.

How can such powerful evil exist in this world? Thought Remedios.

Oh, she recalled all the stories of the Evil Deities and the Eight Greed Kings. Yet, to experience the full power of such beings of legends really didn't make the tales any justice.

The demon angrily stomped over to them and Remedios braced herself. Even with the looming threat of this Evil Deity, her eyes wandered off. Behind the demon, she spotted Neia over Gustavo's body. The little girl had managed to push Gustavo to look upwards and was removing any burning pieces of armor. Remedios then looked at her fallen comrades. The few that had withstood the fire were pulling the bodies away from the fight, or the black scorched remains of once brave men.

The men of the Re-Estize Kingdom either stood, unable to believe what they had seen, or were in full retreat. Lord Boullope was gone, as were the last few brave royal knights. The Warrior Troops, much like the other knights of the Blue Knights, held their ground, if only to watch helplessly at their respective leaders.

The taste of failure made Remedios scowl but she remained steadfast. She felt the heat of the demon's fury and she shot the unholy beast a smirk. If he thought she'd waver, he'd be mistaken. She'd fight to the end, either smiting this evil or perish in the attempt.

The demon spread its wings and black flames grew tenfold in heat. Remedios winced as she felt the sting of the searing fire. It was nearly impossible to look straight at the demon or keep her guard up, not with the inferno baring down on her. She knew that she had even less of a chance to offer a proper fight.

In a moment like that, Remedios could only think about one thing:

Urgh, Kelart is going to be so pissed if I die…

Death. That was not how Remedios expected to die. Heck, she had no plans of dying, not until she had fully aided Calca make her dream for the Holy Kingdom come true. Then again, neither had her father, who had valiantly served at the Great Wall, or her mother, who wasted away in her grief straight to an early grave, leaving both their daughters to fend for themselves. Remedios dispelled such notions and tried glaring at the demon. She was a paladin! She fought for Justice and would not be deterred by evil! Not even in the face of death…

"Come on, demon!" Roared Remedios. "Bring it!"

Then, from out of nowhere, an angel came barreling down onto the demon and pushing him straight to a building to Remedios' right. The structure collapsed and burst into flames, burying the demon and angel beneath debris.

Remedios blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

Wait, had that been a [Principality of Observation]? Came the unbidden thought.

She wasn't sure what surprised her the most: the fact a fourth-tier angel had come to her rescue, or the fact she had been able to remember its name. Had the situation been any different, Remedios would have been smug enough to imagine her sister's reaction at such a feat. However, the shock left her thoughts elsewhere.

She slowly turned to Stronoff, who was in turn staring at her. Then they looked to Sir Aindra, who was actually already looking at them. Three heads slowly turned to the main road.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

A golden staff clicked against the hard stone of the ground as none other than Ainz Ooal Gown sauntered forth. Behind him, familiar odd females clad in weird foreign maid-like attires moved over to help the fallen men. Lord Ainz kept a steady watch on the burning ruins of the building where the demon had disappeared into before lazing casting a multitude of spells. The plaza shook as he made massive crystal obelisks rain down on the crashed structure.

Remedios stared at Lord Ainz, gobsmacked. Now that had been way more magical firepower she had ever witnessed, and she had seen her fair share of magic rituals from the Purples in action. Her eyes, though, moved to her angelic bodyguards.

His ever present metallic angel (Rubero or Rubardo or whatever she was called) stood vigilantly behind him. This time around, though, Lord Ainz had showed up with a black-clad unique angel wielding a magical bardiche.

Huh? Since when do angels have wings coming from their waists? And black feathers? Aren't they supposed to be pure white? Wondered Remedios. She felt like groaning, her head already hurting with so much use. Urgh, I'll just ask Kellart...

CRASH

Out of the burning debris and crystal pillars, the evil demon rose. He released a long holler of rage and rose high into the air, before descending to the middle of the plaza, much like he had done the first time he showed up. He looked absolutely livid.

Remedios, Stronoff, Aindra and others all formed a wide circle and braced for another fight. This time around, they were joined by the maid-like women. Lord Ainz, on his part, ignored the formation and stepped forward, walking straight to the angry demon and accompanied by his two strange angels.

To Remedios' chagrin, demon and dark lord started talking. At first it sounded like they were trading barbs. The demon relaxed soon enough and was back to smugly staring down at the dark lord, looking all too confident with his arms folded.

Lord Ainz turned to the humans and said something to the Chief Warrior. Stronoff smiled and nodded, before giving commands to his men. Sir Aindra too seemed to happily do as told.

"Captain," Neia said. Remedios nearly jumped in surprise. When had she sneaked to her side like that? Seriously, it was disconcerting how much the little squire took after his father. "Lord Ainz urges us to step back."

Remedios really didn't like the idea of following orders from the mage, but if Lord Ainz wanted to play around, then so be it. Who knew? Maybe the demon would prove too powerful and he'd need saving. However, whatever petulant irritation she had felt evaporated when Remedios saw Neia's hands. In her attempt to remove Gustavo's armor, she had burnt herself. Only blackened husks of fingers remained.

Gritting her teeth, Remedios did as told and had the warriors of the kingdom fall back. She didn't miss that the fallen men had been carried further back and had been lined up one next to the other. If Remedios ended up saving Lord Ainz, then she knew what she'd ask as repayment. At the moment, Remedios had another concern. At no point did she consider that until a few moments, she had been helpless against that very same demon.

Remedios unceremoniously picked Neia by the scruff of her surcoat and dragged her over to the leader of the Blue Roses.

"Hey, you are the famous Lakyus of the Black Blade?" Remedios called.

The woman in question only blinked.

"You – heal," Remedios said, pointing at Neia's hands. "Please." She added in an afterthought.

Thankfully, Remedios didn't need to say more as Sir Lakyus proceeded to cast a [Light Healing] spell on the Squire's hands. Meanwhile, all three women watched as the next fateful moments ensued.

Lord Ainz didn't waver and the demon gloated some. By the looks of it, the demon wanted to see what Lord Ainz would do next. So did the humans, Remedios included. Unfortunately, they were so far behind it was hard to tell what Lord Ainz was doing. A powerful light engulfed Ainz, blocking everything from view. Still, Remedios could have sworn she saw Lord Ainz raise a hand and lift something. Then…

There was only light.

The dark night receded entirely and the entire plaza, once a hellish landscape, was bathed in holy-white light. The smell of charred flesh and burning wood vanished, replaced by a slight fragrance. A sense of serenity invaded Remedios and the other humans. At the epicenter of the phenomena, one of the biggest angels Remedios' had ever seen hovered protectively over them.

"What the…?" Remedios mumbled.

Whatever Remedios wished to say died in her lips as the demon stared up in horror at the angel. It looked a bit too dramatic in her opinion, but Remedios decided to just ignore the despair on the demon's visage. The humans might have cheered at the moment, weren't they all struck in awe.

Lord Ainz gave a command, and the angel hovered forward. The demon started pleading, begging for mercy. Remedios smirked. She was actually enjoying this. Lord Ainz raised his hand and halted the holy being's advance. He appeared to request the demon his last words. By that point, the humongous unholy beast was on one knee.

Lord Ainz waved lazily at the angel. The divine being raised its scepter and struck. A blinding column of light crashed down from the heavens. Remedios and everyone else covered their eyes. The only thing they heard was the roar of the demon. When the light subsided, the demon was nowhere in sight and Lord Ainz stood triumphant near the blast zone. There were no ashes.

The dark lord turned around with a regal flick of his robes. Remedios could have sworn it was a practiced move, the sort that reminded her of all the poses and manner of speech Queen Calca often practiced in front of a mirror (and which Remedios and her sister usually teased Calca about). That being said, she had to admit, the dark lord looked kind of regal… not like her Holiness, of course, but it was hard not to look imperious with a legendary angel behind him.

The human burst into cheering. Remedios looked around rather surprised by the awe that filled the men around her. The members of the Warrior Troop were raising their weapons high. Even Sir Lakyus joined in with her demon blade and a glint of admiration (and something more) in her eyes. It was the men of the Holy Kingdom who cheered the most. Neia in particular watched with a gaping mouth.

Remedios sheathed her sword and sighed in exasperation, angrily scratching her head. She could already feel migraines forming in her head as she tried to figure out what to think about Lord Ainz. The dark lord had gone from fiendish dastardly evil to a rather human-looking powerful mage capable of casting divine magic (huge powerful angels at that). His appearance didn't help either. Lord Ainz looked too human for Remedios to place him anywhere near the level of undead and demons, who rightfully deserved only scorn and suspicion. That and the shape of his eyes reminded Remedios of Pabel Baraja, a man she greatly respected.

Her attention went over to the massive powerful angel Lord Ainz had summoned. Remedios knew her sister could only dream of ever summoning such a thing, and that was a pity. If the damned noblemen ever laid eyes on that angel backing Queen Calca, they would think twice about badmouthing her. Hell, Remedios wished they could use that angel against the blasted Abelar…

Suddenly, a thought struck Remedios.

Huh, maybe Calca could hire Lord Ainz to wipe the filthy demi-humans off the Abelion Hills, Remedios thought with a smirk.

The paladin nodded to herself. Yes, that was a good idea. After all, she was certain the Holy Kingdom could pay whatever price Lord Ainz asked in return. Kelart would figure something out.

Of course, that meant one thing: Remedios would give the go-ahead for Queen Calca to partake in the summit Princess Renner was organizing in E-Rantel.

Before that, however, Remedios had another concern. She scowled as she looked over at where Gustavo laid, no doubt dead. Her heart clenched in pain at the loss of her comrade and, dare she say, friend. Those feelings were replaced with shock as she saw Lord Ainz move to hover over the corpse. Remedios was about to run there and shout at the blasted fiend to step back, only for the dark lord to point at the man (she would later swear he hid something under his sleeve), and a blinding light to ensue.

What followed made Remedios to stare with a gaping mouth much like Neia. Lakyus too, who absent-mindedly kept healing the Squire, stared on with as much shock on her face.

Movement to the dark road to a side drew Remedios' gaze into the darkness. Unfortunately, she saw nothing. Her passive detections skills told her there was no evil fiend so she dismissed it as a human survivor. She could have sworn, though, that she caught a glimpse of the image of a boar with glowing eyes.

Remedios shook her head and looked around with a frown.

Better to wrap things up quickly and return to the prince right away, thought the Paladin Captain. I pray he's fine…

---

Part 2

Prince Caspond had never had such stressful night in his life. Much to his own shame, he wouldn't deny he had always been rather adverse to complicated situations, one of the main motivators to forgoing the crown. Of course, that didn't mean Caspond wouldn't offer help to his sister, reason why he agreed to serve as ambassador to the Re-Estize Kingdom. Caspond was seriously starting to regret that particular decision.

"Quiet down! His majesty wishes to address the hall!"

Unfortunately, no one in the throne room paid any mind to the shouting Captain of the Royal Knights. Caspond grimaced as he stood next to the Re-Estize throne, studying the flock of noblemen shouting or murmuring in groups all across the tightly packed Throne Room. To Caspond's annoyance, a majority of the nobility wasn't taking the situation seriously, with some going as far as joking around. The prince didn't miss the worried looks from his countrymen, from soldiers to accompanying noblemen of the delegation at the feet of the dais. Meanwhile, King Ramposa gave a weary sigh on his throne, seated to Caspond's right. On the other side of the monarch was none other than Princess Renner, baring a particularly happy disposition for such a dire situation. Behind her, the ever present Sir Climb was scowling with something akin to shame.

Caspond wished he could have fled from the city. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't be possible. Between the mayhem in the streets, the inefficiency of the Re-Esterith servants and his own countrymen reluctance to leave the alleged safety of the castle walls, Caspond felt trapped like a rat. Then again, it could have been worse. He could have been trying to organize an evacuation of the citizenry and mount a proper defense of the Ro-Lente castle in case Lord Ainz Ooal Gown failed to take down the powerful monstrous demon, only to be met with meandering noblemen that failed to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Needless to say, Caspond felt great sympathy for King Ramposa.

Eventually, a dark shadow crossed Ramposa's face and the old man stood up and slammed his scepter on the ground.

"SILENCE!"

Finally, the noblemen shut their mouths and snapped their heads to their king. Even the Royal Knights shrunk back with apprehension.

"Now is not the time to lose your wits!" Ramposa shouted.

Whatever vitality had graced the monarch evaporated and the man plopped down on his seat.

"But your grace," started a particularly pompous nobleman. "The threat is over, isn't it? The demons have been defeated, haven't they?"

Caspond stared at the idiot in disbelief. The king too was taken aback by such statement.

"It's true!"

The noblemen parted and all eyes set on a strutting figure. Escorted by knights of the Iron Fist, the crown prince Barbro sauntered as if he was some triumphant general coming from a long victorious campaign. Still clad in armor, he had forgone his helmet in order to pester everyone with that smirk of his. Although Caspond wasn't prone to violence, he wouldn't deny Prince Barbro had one of those puncheable faces that Caspond was familiar with back in his homeland.

"My countrymen, I've saved the city!" Proclaimed Barbro, dramatically spreading his arms wide. "Not only that, but I have captured the culprits behind this terrible tragedy!"

He stepped aside, only to reveal two Iron Fist knights dragging between them the same alleged cultist leader from before, albeit somewhat changed. Caspond winced at the new bruises on the poor woman's face. Someone had clearly received a horrible beating. Behind them, other alleged cultists were brought forth.

"Here! These are the ones who summoned the demons to destroy our beloved Re-Estize!" Barbro said.

"Barbro!" Shouted Ramposa. "What in the name of the Gods are you doing?"

"Giving answers!" Replied Barbro. "The people demand to know who was responsible for the bold attack on our beloved city, the very heart of our great country, and I – as rightful heir to the throne – must answer!"

"You had no authority to bring my prisoners here," growled Ramposa. "And do the Knights of the Iron Fist still ride? I made it clear your knights were meant to be disbanded!"

That was news to Caspond. He had suspected something had been amiss between the king and his first son, but he had never suspected matters were so strained between the two.

"Disbanded?" Harrumphed Barbro. "My men saved this city! Weren't for the Iron Fists – and my leadership, obviously – you'd never have reached the very center of this demon invasion! It was I who broke the magic ritual!"

He turned around and grabbed the beaten woman prisoner by the hair.

"Confess your crimes, filth!" Barbro demanded.

The prince shoved the woman forward, dropping on her knees beneath the gaze of Ramposa. She didn't say anything, only panting. Drool and blood trickled down her mouth and glazed off eyes remained downcast.

"Speak!" Barbro shouted.

The woman lips moved but Caspond only heard an incomprehensible mumble.

"Louder!"

"Enough Barbro!" Ramposa roared. "Take these people away and-"

"…I confess…"

Caspond was quite surprised he was able to hear the faint whispered words from the woman. She looked up and Caspond grimaced. The woman looked ready to drop dead, fresh tears treading across her broken face.

"I summoned the demons."

The throne room broke into chaos as the noblemen all acted indignant and muttered their disapproval for such misbehavior.

"I said, enough!" Said Ramposa. "Take them away… NOW!"

This time, Prince Barbro had the dignity to keep his mouth shut and step back. The Royal Knights, finally mustering their wits, did as told, removing the prisoners. Unfortunately, the damage had been done.

"See, my countrymen? The crisis has been averted!" Barbro said.

The noblemen exchanged looks, unsure how to respond. They glanced at the disapproving king and at the smug crown prince.

"Long live Prince Barbro," Someone suspiciously shouted at the back.

"Yes, long live Barbro the great," Someone timidly added, again amidst the crowd and hidden away from view.

"Barbro the savior of Re-Estize!" Another person added.

And with that, the rest of the nobility joined in. Like a herd of fools, they soon acted in unison, cheering for their alleged savior. Barbro, on his part, smirked, basking in the attention. Caspond glanced at King Ramposa. The old man glared at his son, but by the looks of it, he was spent. Princess Renner, on her part, kept smiling, her eyes sharply boring into her half-brother's soul.

The cheering, though, was short-lived. Long before anyone got too excited, the door to the throne room and in rushed a royal knight, who squeezed through the crowd towards the king. The noblemen didn't right away quiet down, but rather one by one realized something was happening. The knight's exposed face had a very pale expression as he whispered something to the head of the Royal Knights, who in turn gained a shocked face. Eventually, everyone waited with abated breathed as the message was relayed to King Ramposa. A scowl crossed Barbro's face, no doubt furious that everyone had forgotten about him.

Rather than looking shocked or terrified, King Ramposa's eyes widened with surprise. His shoulders sagged with relief and a smile stretched on his wrinkled face. Caspond felt a weight lift from his own shoulders. Had the Evil Lord Wrath been defeat then? The king responded with his orders to the Royal Knight Captain who in turn gave his own whispered words to his underlings.

"My people," Ramposa said. "As much as I'd like to indulge my son's…" he paused for a brief moment, measuring his words "…bravery, I must inform you about what actually transpired. Once our brave men had reached the very center of this catastrophe, we were beset by a powerful demon lord. The Chief Warrior, courageous knights of our kingdom as well as friends from the Roble Kingdom remained to hold that despicable monster back. It was with the assistance of a foreign force that this demon incursion has finally been put down."

"A powerful demon, your grace?"

From one of the balconies that had women and children in attendance, Caspond spotted the one who had spoken. A shiver immediately went down his spine. With long golden hair and a pretty pale face, the speaker's eyes were an icy blue that chilled Caspond's blood. Whereas Evil Lord Wrath had been pure raging fire, that woman was the complete opposite. However, something about the shape of her face and eyes struck him as familiar.

To Caspond's surprise, a look of shame crossed Ramposa's face, if ever so temporary. Just who was this woman?

"Yes, daughter," said Ramposa. "One that called itself Evil Lord Wrath."

Daughter? Caspond mentally repeated the word in shock. Ah, yes, I remember. If I am not mistaken, other than Princess Renner there were two older royal princess…

To his shame, Caspond didn't remember their names. In fact, he was certain said women had been thrown to the background after they had been married off. Unfortunately, that was the role most women played in human societies with the exception of few unique cases. Caspond immediately thought about his sister. Hadn't he forgone the crown, would she have been married off to secure his reign and disappeared in the dark corners of history, her name to be but a mention in some obscure tome?

"Evil Lord? Is that truly the name used? I've never heard of such a demon before, your grace," replied the elder princess, her tone as wintry as her gaze. And yet, beneath that cold persona, Caspond spotted a tinge of curiosity.

"Oh, dear sister, I wasn't aware you had studied demonology," innocently countered Renner.

A sneer crossed the elder sister's face.

"Yes," interceded a very uncomfortable-looking Ramposa. "Evil Lord Wrath, that was its name and, let me assure you, it was no ordinary fiend either. Thankfully, it has been defeated."

"Ha! It was not that powerful," scoffed Barbro. "It was but a-"

"I shall not be interrupted."

Barbro scowled but cowered beneath the glower of King Ramposa.

"Let me remind you, my son, that I am still your king," Ramposa said, his voice as freezing as his eldest daughter. "Until such a time you are otherwise crowned, you are but a subject no different to any other. Is that understood?"

"I…" meekly said Barbro, only to once again cower under the glare of his father. "Yes, father. I apologize for…" the prince glowered petulantly at his feet "…my behavior."

Ramposa's glare turned fiercer.

"Your grace," begrudgingly added Barbro with a curt bow.

Far from respectful, the prince's response was enough to placate the monarch.

"Back to the topic at hand," Ramposa carried on as if he hadn't just admonished his petulant firstborn child, "I have been informed that Evil Lord Wrath has been defeated and by a certain individual no less, one you may have heard about already."

The king stretched a hand towards the throne room's doors and nodded at the knights there. They nodded back and opened the double doors.

"Please, allow me to introduce you to Lord Ainz Ooal Gown."

Caspond was quite surprised the king had decided to announce the lord himself. It was a unique honor, and in court it signified a remarkably high level of trust from the king. Moreover, at least in Roble Kingdom, it was an honor reserved to those welcomed into court after achieving an impressive feat worthy of recognition.

A corridor was formed by Royal Knights, who somehow were able to push back the crowd of tightly packed noblemen. With the doors opened, a small group of people marched in. Caspond didn't miss the way Prince Barbro tried to push his way to stand next to his father, only for the Royal Knight Captain to push him back. The shock on the prince's face was enough for the royal knight to shove him back with the others. No one else appeared to notice. Rather, the nobles all whispered in awe at the one leading the newcomers, a group made of remarkable well-known individuals.

Caspond was relieved to see Remedios proudly marching with her usual disposition, alongside Sir Lakyus and Chief Warrior Stronoff. It was the being at the lead, flanked by two peculiar females, who caught everyone's attention, though. Caspond was already familiar with Lady Rubedo, but the other angel, with pitch-black feathered wings that sprouted from behind her waist, was new. Her black armor was a sight to behold but there was something about her that was quite contrary to any angels Caspond had seen or witnessed.

Differently from everyone else, Prince Caspond was more concerned about Remedios and the others that accompanied her. The Captain looked worse for wear, but the Paladin Vice-Captain lacked his armor and looked quite beat. Neia, who took the rear of the group with visible anxiousness, stared at Ainz Ooal Gown's back with a mixture of emotions that were hard to read.

Once the group reached feet of the dais, they all greeted the king. Stronoff and Sir Aindra went to one knee, as expected of Re-Esterith subjects. Remedios and her fellow countrymen, as well as Ainz Ooal Gown and his servants, on their part, offered respectful bows. Soon after, Sir Aindra went to stand behind Renner, while Stronoff moved to replace Caspond to the King's right. Similarly, Remedios and the other members of the Paladin order went to join their prince.

"Are you alright?" Caspond asked the paladin trio in a whisper.

"Yes, your highness," said Remedios. "We were able to beat that wretched beast back from whence it came."

"More like Ainz Ooal Gown defeated it singlehandedly. All we could do was watch," corrected Gustavo, only to grimly add. "Other than dying, that is…"

"Die?" Gasped Caspond.

"I am alright, your highness," tiredly said Gustavo. "We'll give you the details in private, my prince."

"The others?" Asked Caspond, even if he did want to get more details about what the vice-captain had said.

"Resting, your highness," Remedios said. "We all made it back in one piece."

Caspond was about to ask further, only to realize that the throne room had remained awfully silent. Ainz Ooal Gown and King Ramposa were staring off. However, throughout it all, Caspond noticed that the young squire Baraja's eyes hadn't left Lord Ainz. Had the dark lord worked his charming magics on the impressionable girl? Caspond hoped not. Then again, he was still a bit surprised by what Gustavo had said.

"Lord Ainz Ooal Gown," said King Ramposa. "Once again you came to the aid of my people when we needed it the most. Had it not been for your intervention, all would have been lost."

Lord Ainz merely nodded.

"I've been told you assisted Marquis Pespea and Blumrush as well," carried on the king. "For that, you have my eternal gratitude."

"You helped my husband?"

Lord Ainz turned his head towards the balcony with the ice-glaring woman. To Caspond's befuddlement, the woman's icy demeanor had shifted and the curiosity he had once spotted in those wintry eyes of hers had transformed into intense bonfires.

"That would depend," said Lord Ainz. "Are you Marquis Blumrush's wife? I am afraid he was missing by the time I arrived there. Marquis Pespea, on the other hand, was being chased by a Scale Demon and heavily injured, but alive. We were able to save him just in time. His loyal knights were not so fortunate…"

"Oh, Pespea is my husband, your lordship," dismissively said the woman. "I suppose I should thank you for rescuing him."

Was it Caspond or did he heard disappointment in the woman's voice? The king grimaced at his eldest daughter, looking rather regretful. Lord Ainz said nothing. He merely nodded in the woman's direction.

"This catastrophe took a heavy toll on my people, but it could have been much, much worse," Ramposa carried on. "You have proven to be an invaluable ally to my kingdom, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown. Your actions today shall not be forgotten, and neither shall that of our other friends."

The king sent a smile towards Caspond and Remedios.

I suppose this wasn't a complete disaster for us, thought the foreign prince. Relations between our kingdoms has improved, hasn't it?

However, it took one glance at the glowing Prince Barbro for Caspond to reconsider such a possibility.

"Bravery must be rewarded and victories need to be celebrated, and they shall," the king promised. "But not tonight. Tonight, we tend to the dead, count our losses and prepare for the days to come. Rest assured, my lord, your actions tonight shall not go without their dues."

"As expected of friends," remarked Lord Ainz.

"Of course, your lordship," heavily said Ramposa.

There was an awkward moment of silence in which neither dark lord nor king spoke.

"If that is all, your grace," said Lord Ainz. "I'll take my leave. It has been a long night, after all…"

The king nodded and, without further ado, the dark lord strolled out. Composed, steely yet not unfriendly, Lord Ainz exuded an imperious and commanding aura that left the gossiping noblemen speechless and attentive. It was only once the dark lord and his bodyguards had left that the nobility broke into whispers.

Unbeknownst to Caspond, one Suzuki Satoru had not expected such a crowd and he found it too intimidating, more so than an army of demi-humans.

Back in the Throne Room, a few announcements were delivered before the crowd dispersed. The noblemen all chatted and laughed as they departed. With Caspond's approval, the prince's countrymen also went back to their room, probably to try and catch some sleep, leaving Caspond with Remedios, Custavo and Neia. In turn, Stronoff remained steadfast next to his king much like Sir Climb and Sir Aindra stayed behind with Princess Renner. The balconies emptied and so did the hall. One certain Prince, though, insisted on staying back.

"How could you father?" Barbro growled at his tired father.

Caspond and his entourage awkwardly stood there, watching king and prince looked ready to come to blows.

"You side with some no-name inhuman peasant rather than your own son?" Barbro spat.

Ramposa looked too tired to reply, but his glare appeared to be answer enough for his son.

"I shall not forgive this betrayal to our country," muttered the crown prince before hurrying away, followed by his lackeys.

Thankfully, with the departure of Prince Barbro, the near entirety of the throne room was left deserted. King Ramposa exhaled and seemingly deflated on his throne.

"Father," worriedly called Renner.

"I am fine, dear," said Ramposa, offering an exhausted smile.

"No you're not," pouted Renner. "You should be in bed, father."

"That I should," chuckled Ramposa. He pushed himself up, struggling for a moment, before he turned to Caspond. "I apologize for my son's behavior. Unfortunately, he is still in that rebellious youthful phase that affects so many young men…"

Sadly, Ramposa's hollow tone gave away even he didn't believe Barbro's immaturity was temporary.

"Shall we finally rest, my friends?" Ramposa asked.

"Yes, your grace," Caspond nodded.

As one, the group marched out of the throne room and into the dark hallways of the Valencia Palace. Across corridors they went, watching the stars high in the dark heavens. To think there had been a demon invasion not so long ago…

"Father, there is something we should discuss," Renner softly said.

"Can't it wait, my child?" Ramposa said, sending a glance towards Caspond.

The foreign prince didn't begrude the king's desire for privacy. However, the Princess didn't appear to notice.

"Father, we may not have the means to pay Lord Ainz," Renner said.

"What do you mean, child? Our coffers should-"

"E-Rantel will not provide the same amount of taxes as before, father. My dear brother Zanac has lowered the taxes and you did allow tax reliefs for the city and all villages providing warriors and militias," explained Renner. "The damage on Re-Estize will take a heavy cost to repair, father, and we lost multiple warehouses. That is not all…"

Renner turned towards a window, keeping her expression from the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Re-Esterith and Roble people all halted on their march, intrigued by the princess' words.

"I estimate we lost over a hundred thousand innocent lives."

The number left both Ramposa and Caspond numbly staring at the princess. Renner wasn't done, though.

"Between the dead army in E-Rantel and this demon incursion, your standing has greatly diminished father. We haven't lost funds; we have also lost people, between warriors and loyal vassals who stand behind you, father. Worse, the other lords will use tonight's tragedy to damage your reputation further as well, father, and none other than my dear brother Barbro will spearhead awful rumors to garner political power. It has already started. I do not know how, but whispers are already coursing through the hallways that it was he who saved the city…"

Perhaps it was his little performance at the throne room, thought Caspond. However, something told him that Princess was hinting at something else going on.

"I… I am sure my sister will offer assistance, your grace," Caspond said instead.

He knew, however, that no matter how much his sister cared for the plight of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Queen Calca would never put the interests of other nations over that of her people, and the Roble Kingdom was far from lacking its own problems. That and the Roble nobility would never allow it, not with a heavy interest rate involved.

"There is another way," murmured Renner.

She turned towards her father, a look of determination in place. By the looks of it, the King was well ahead of his daughter.

"No," said the monarch. "This may be exactly what he has been planning all along!"

"Either we seek his support to keep the balance of power you have maintained all these decades father, or the country will fall into civil war, one it will not recover from," stated Renner.

"I am… ehm… lost here," interceded Sir Aindra. "Who are we talking about?"

Caspond, on his part, wondered if he really was supposed to be there. Had Renner purposely chosen that moment? No, that wouldn't make sense…

"Lord Ainz," said Renner. "If we were to tie his support to the crown, we could have enough political power to keep Marquis Pespea and my foolish brother from doing anything…" she tilted her head rather innocently, as if they weren't talking about a devastating war that could rupture her homeland into pieces "…rush."

"Tie his support? And how do you…" trailed off Sir Aindra, only for her eyes to promise to jump out their sockets. "You want to marry him?!"

"Oh dear, no," said Renner, blushing and looking away. Caspond may have imagined it, but he was certain he saw a rather disturbing smile on her face. "That would be too hasty, but we could offer the second best thing."

"A wardship," chorused Caspond and Ramposa.

"I would serve as a guarantee of payment, a sign of support AND it would keep me away from the capital, lest we tempt my foolish brother from doing anything brash again," said Renner. "Besides, my knights are already going to be guests at Lord Ainz's domain, so it is not like I won't be protected."

All eyes turned to a red-faced Lakyus.

"I- it – it's not what you think!" Spluttered the female knight. "It is not like I like him or anything…"

Caspond, Ramposa and Stronoff all raised one eyebrow.

"It's only to keep an eye on the Baharith!" frantically explained a flustered Lakyus. "They tried to get some of their people to stay at Lord Ainz's domain so- so we obviously had to follow!"

"It would be an ideal situation to learn more about Lord Ainz," added Renner with a nod of approval. "We could gain his trust, find some of his secrets and, perhaps, discover a weakness…"

Caspond saw the benefits, but the rumors of the so-called Charming Evil and his rather seductive nature didn't sit well on him. If Renner had been his daughter, Caspond would never have allowed her to even consider the notion. But, better for foreigners to risk their necks rather than his countrymen.

Thankfully, Caspond wasn't about to offer his own people and neither would anyone else.

"Perhaps you could get some of your own people to assist in this endeavor, your highness," Renner said, speaking in the Roble tongue.

Caspond was left reeling at those words.

"There is so much we don't know about Lord Ainz…" she trailed off, shaking her head in dismissal "…but no, we couldn't ask for your people to risk themselves in such a manner. It is true that only someone as strong, competent and powerful as Lady White herself could draw Lord Ainz's attention. He does have an interest in incredible women, after all… but no, I could never ask such a thing."

To Caspond's chagrin, Remedios was puffing her chest and looking all happy of herself at all the praise. Thankfully, Caspond truly doubted that there was anything anyone could say that would convince Remedios of all people to accompany the Knights of the Blue Rose into Lord Ainz's domain.

"Oh well, I suppose if I am his ward that will help distract Lord Ainz from trying to charm Queen Calca when she comes to the summit…" innocently added Renner.

Caspond's blood chilled in his veins and he snapped his head to Remedios. To his horror, the Paladin Captain suddenly had a firm look of determination.

"Lady White could be a much better distraction, and I am sure her feminine wiles could put her in a position to strike at Lord Ainz if need be… but no, that would be too risky," sighed Renner.

Before anyone could say anything else, Renner turned to her father.

"But that is a conversation for later, isn't it, father? There is much to do and, like our esteemed Lord Ainz said, it has been a long night."

"Yes, let us allow our guests to rest, shall we?" grimly said Ramposa.

The reluctance on his entire being told Caspond that he would fight teeth and nails to keep the Princess from leaving his side, but something told Caspond the princess would inevitably get her way. He had experience on that front. Still, he had more pressing matters to deal with. The two groups bid their farewells and the robles set off to the guest wing.

It was only when they were far enough that Caspond spun around and looked straight at Remedios.

"No, you will not run away to Gods-know-where," ordered Caspond.

"I apologize, your highness, but Queen Calca's virtue is in danger," harrumphed Remedios. "I will not allow some evil lord to try to get his way with her holiness."

A smirk crossed her face, the same that Caspond had seen many times bring endless tides of migraines to many people, sometimes his sister.

"It should be easy. With my strength and power and that skill the princess mentioned… what was it again? Feminine what?"

"Eh… feminine wiles?" Said Neia.

Gustavo choked back a laugh, one which he hid behind a fist as a cough. Caspond was too desperate to avoid an incoming political disaster to laugh at the ludicrous thought of Remedios trying to use her less than charming personality on anyone.

"Yes, that! It sounds like a powerful Martial Art, but one I will no doubt master," proclaimed Remedios, oblivious to the Vice-Captain's snickering. "With that, I could lure this fiend and then smite him when he isn't looking like any righteous holy warrior would."

"No, no, no," Caspond insisted, growing desperate. "My sister doesn't need you doing anything so crazy. Think for once in your life, Remedios. You'd be throwing yourself into his realm and expose himself to his evil influence!"

"I am Captain of the most holy Paladin Order!" Boasted Remedios. "His moderately handsome appearance shall not charm me!"

"His… wait, what?"

"You do not have to fret, my prince," a smug Remedios pressed on. "Gustavo can take over for me as leader of your escort and my inability to speak the language is already covered!"

"It is?" Chorused Gustavo and Caspond.

"Yes!" Remedios boasted, slapping a hand on a horrified Neia. "She's coming with me. You both said I should trust her skills, and so I shall!"

Why is it that any time she finally follows anyone's advice it is to get people into trouble? Mentally whined Caspond.

"That… that's a bad idea, Captain," softly said Gustavo.

Yes, a voice of reason, sighed Caspond.

"However…" added Gustavo.

"There is no however in this matter," snapped Caspond. "Remedios isn't going anywhere."

"My prince," slowly started Gustavo. "You do not understand, this Lord Ainz…" he sighed, shaking his head "…he is incredibly powerful, beyond anything we could hope to defeat. You weren't there. He singlehandedly defeated the demon, the very same the Captain and others barely managed to wound, and with an angel at that. We need to learn more of him, maybe even garner his good will somehow…"

"He used an angel?" Repeated Caspond, dumbfounded.

"Yes, my prince, one far superior to any my sister could ever dream to summon," gravely said Remedios.

Gustavo and Neia both eagerly nodded. Caspond, on his part, frowned, unsure what any of it meant.

"So Lord Ainz doesn't just command undead and demons, but also angels?" The prince summarized.

"Not just any angel, your highness," Neia said, wide-eyed. Caspond wasn't sure if it was due to awe or shock. "It was [Dominion Authority]!"

"Dominion?" Repeated Caspond. "Is that…?"

"Yes! The highest tier of angels!" Neia exclaimed.

"But that's impossible. The tier of such magic is fabled to be…"

Caspond froze and his jaw went slack. The paladins, on their part, only nodded with grave faces. Even Remedios appeared to grasp the true gravity of what it all meant.

"Yes, your highness," Neia said. "The legendary [Dominion Authority] is rumored to be a magic summon of-"

---

"-Seventh tier?!"

The room fell dead silent. Around a long square table, deep within the entrails of Imperial Palace's, the Baharuth Empire's ministers all shared looks of shock and surprise. At the head of said table, young Jircniv was able to conceal his concern behind a worried forced smile. Fluder Paradyne, on his part, merely kept stroking his long silver beard on the Emperor's right.

"How accurate is this information?" grunted the Minister of War, his square scarred face marred with a stern frown.

"As accurate as usual," mused Fluder Paradyne.

"And did this information come from gossiping savages?" Asked the Minister of Peace, a thin effeminate man whose skin was a deathly pale white.

"The spies gathered the information right from out of the Warrior Troop's mouths," replied Fluder.

"The Warrior Troop? They aren't exactly a reliable source, are they?" Wheezed the fat Minister of Trade, struggling to not look like a fat swine in his expensive tunics. "I say we-"

Jircniv raised his hand, almost leisurely, and all Ministers stiffened. Fluder could see more than one man swallow hard lumps of saliva and warily staring at their Emperor, much like the fearsome Minister of War. Others, though, looked at the young man with glowing adoration, like the feeble Minister of Peace.

"My good men, I sincerely doubt my Minister of Magic would have shared this information if he did not have confidence about its veracity," Jircniv said with a dashing and polite smile. "Isn't that right, gramps?"

"That is right, your majesty," mused Fluder with a grandfatherly smile. "I suppose you are all aware about how seriously I take anything regarding magic."

The Ministers shared a round of laughter, most of which sounded rather hollow.

"Impressive feats of magic aside, these are worrying news, Gramps," hummed Jircniv. "Armies of demons assaulted the very capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom and destroyed a considerable portion of the city, one filled with warehouses. That alone is no small feat…" the Emperor trailed off, thought for a while, before he spoke again. "Do we know who's behind this?"

"Apparently, it was Zurrerorn yet again, your majesty," said Fluder. "The culprits have been apprehended and are being interrogated as we speak. There is some suspicion the ones captured were framed for the summoning and the real culprits have evaded capture."

"Ha! We should be thanking those crazy bastards," chuckled the Minister of Peace. "Your majesty, this is the perfect time to finally get rid of those Re-Esterith savages. This catastrophe must have wrecked what little remained of their economy. Our superior knights will crush them! And if this time deploy our esteemed Grand Mage to the field…"

"Only a fool thinks raw strength decides battles," Growled the Minister of War. "We are-"

Once again, the Emperor raised a hand and all Ministers shut their mouths.

"Easy, my friends," softly said Jircniv. "Let us not get ourselves worked up. There are still spies that need to corroborate these news. That said," he turned to his minister of Peace, "now is a bad time to start conflicts, especially with the Summit fast approaching. Now, Gramps, do you have anything else we should discuss today?"

"Actually, your majesty, there is a matter that the Minister of Peace should have mentioned," hummed Fluder. "There has been a few concerning reports in regards to the sewers of Arwintar. It has come to-"

"Your majesty!" Interrupted the Minister of Peace. "This is but a small matter and…"

All it took was one raised delicate eyebrow from the Emperor and the Minister of Peace was shutting his mouth and bowing his head in shame. The young man then gestured at Fluder to continue.

"As I was saying, it has come to my attention that some manner of creature has infiltrated the sewers," Fluder said.

"The situation is under control," insisted the Minister of Peace. "Your majesty, I did not wish to worry you with something as insignificant as a pathetic beast causing trouble beneath our feet. I assure you the matter shall be solved in no time."

But the Emperor was only looking at Fluder, ignoring the minister.

"A creature?" Jircniv wondered.

"Yes, your majesty, some manner of fiend that leaves no track, scent or print yet has scattered the vermin. It is no slime either, at least not an ordinary one. More importantly, divination spells have all failed to find even a clue of the creature's nature."

It went to show how meticulous the Emperor was that he wasn't about to dismiss such titbit of information without some modicum of thought. Jircniv eventually gave Fluder a knowing look. Sometimes, the old wizard felt annoyed by the way the young man could read him so easily, but for the most part, pride swelled Fluder's chest. Of all the people he taught, the current Emperor was one of Fluder's best students by far, even if not magically inclined.

"Is it safe to assume you want to have it captured, Gramps?" Jircniv wondered.

"If it isn't too much asking, your majesty," Fluder said.

"Your majesty, last time Lord Fluder requested for-" started complaining the Minister of War.

"I'll allow it. I'll expect for you to take every necessary precaution," decided the Emperor. "Does anyone have anything to add?"

As expected, no one dared defy their emperor.

"With that over, let us move on with the situation in the Dragon Kingdom…"

And so, the meeting went on as boringly as those before. Fluder Paradyne didn't mind that much. He was accustomed to the dull droll of politics, and the Dragon Kingdom had always held a special place of interest in his pursuit of magic. In fact, Fluder monitored the situation carefully, hoping that that Kingdom came so indebted to the Baharuth Empire that their queen could be forced to pay back her debts by teaching Fluder all she knew about Wild Magic, the fabled magic of the Dragon Lords.

The latest reports of the Dragon Kingdom were rather promising, at least for Queen Draudillon's people. The scorched earth tactics had finally started to bare fruits, even if at a heavy price. While entire cities had been taken and their populace were not little better than livestock for the invading beastmen, it seemed the invasion was reaching a tipping point. The beastmen were no longer advancing, the Dragon Army had finally had the much needed victories and winter was fast approaching. The war was slowing down to a standstill. The Dragon Queen could finally have a chance to recuperate and seek out aid…

It didn't escape Fluder's notice the timing of the fortuitous change of events. A part of him didn't want to overthink matters, but could all of this be but a miniscule part of a grander scheme? World events appeared to be aligning perfectly in favor of one individual, one that had started to plague Fluder's mind: Ainz Ooal Gown.

Could Fluder have finally found a mage far superior to him? All evidence appeared to be pointed in that direction, yet Fluder remained apprehensive. That didn't mean excitement hadn't started crawling up his bones. It seemed that after so long, miracles of magic were starting to become common place. Perhaps Fluder would manage to be alive for a reawakening of magic, to witness the same level of magic that he had seen during the age of the Thirteen Heroes and had only died down ever since.

Fluder could easily remember the other powerful mages that had appeared through his long life. There had once been an alleged Seventh Tier geomancer in the Great Minotaur Nation, who had sadly died from a dagger to the back, courtesy of some political rival or jealous mate. More recently, there had been whispers of a Sixth Tier arcane mage from the Karnassus City-State Alliance. Unfortunately, she apparently died from a crossbow bolt to the eye. It was always so unfortunate when that happened… or had it been poison? No, perhaps she was the powerful mage that had slipped down a flight of stairs and died from a broken neck? Fluder wasn't sure, but it was a pattern he had been witness to in the last two centuries.

What irony for such powerful individuals to be killed by such simple means, thought Fluder with a smile as he ignored one of the Ministers long monologues.

No, Fluder would make sure to meet with Lord Ainz Ooal Gown before anything could happen to the mystical being. He had already taken steps to get in contact with the powerful lord. Hopefully, the Emperor would be none the wiser. Maybe the current affairs plus the one in the sewers would be enough to distract young Jircniv.

Eventually, the meeting ended and Fluder found himself left alone in the meeting room with the Emperor and his two remaining bodyguards. Once the last minister had filed out, a long exhausted sigh escaped Jircniv's lips.

"What a day," sourly said the Emperor. "I am afraid that if current events are anything to go by, I can only expect stressful days ahead of me."

"You do not have to worry, your majesty," chuckled Fluder. "You can rely on your loyal subjects."

"Can I?" Scoffed the Emperor. "Half of my ministers can barely be called loyal. They are simply too afraid to even think of defying me. The other half are dead-set on believing I am the savior of the common people, who fights for equality and that nonsense that keeps seeping in from the Theocracy…"

Fluder chuckled. This was not the first time Jircniv had ranted about this administrative staff. As the young man had discovered after the purges: competence didn't always translate to loyalty and vice versa. Many decent and capable noblemen had been killed during the first purge, many of who Fluder Paradyne had called friends and even taught at the Academy of Magic himself. Their mistake had been to oppose Jircniv's coronation… even if it had been on legal and moral grounds. The second purge hadn't been that bad. It had helped to weed out the incompetent noblemen and reinforce the loyalty of the remaining ones.

"They are still your most capable servants, at least in their current roles," remarked Fluder. "You made sure of it."

"Yes, I did," said Jircniv with a smirk. "But let us talk about something I am sure you're dying to address."

Fluder was confused when Jircniv gestured at Sir Nazami. The stoic man nodded and went to the door. The mage wasn't worried. Perhaps the Emperor was merely asking for refreshments. And yet, something about the situation troubled Fluder.

"So it would appear our good friend Lord Ainz Ooal Gown can cast Seventh Tier Magic," Jircniv commented offhandedly. Behind him, Sir Nimble regained the same look of shock he had when he had first heard about it. "He may as well be even stronger…"

"It would seem so, yes," slowly nodded Fluder.

He immediately got a bad feeling as Jircniv smirked.

"You look awfully relaxed!" Commented the Emperor with a knowing look. "I would have expected you to be far more excited and insistent to meet Lord Gown. In fact, I had been expecting for you to insist I call back the mercenaries we sent…"

Fluder mentally swore, closing his eyes, while the Emperor's smirk stretched even wider. Still, Fluder wasn't a stranger to politics, so he quickly forced a grandfatherly smile and chuckle.

"You are right, your majesty," said the old man. "But I won't claim I do not have my own concerns. I am quite baffled by the displays of magic performed by Zurrernorn. The magic to need to summon armies of undead was impressive enough but also demons? They are probably on a level equal or above seventh tier!"

That wasn't necessarily a lie but definitively not the full truth. Sadly, the Emperor saw right through him.

"Oh, Gramps, you always lose your self-control when it comes to such powerful magic," taunted Jircniv. "It makes you a bit…"

Jircniv paused, as if considering his words. At the same time, the doors to the meeting room opened and two golden-clad knight stepped in, flanking a maid. However, it was the two accompanying children that made Fluder apprehensive of his current situation.

"…predictable," finished Jircniv. He stood up and greeted the little girls with a kind and amiable smile. "Children! Come closer! Gramps, have you met my newest guests? Please, girls, introduce yourselves."

The little girls, no older than five, were undeniably a pair made of pure cuteness. However, Fluder Paradyne felt his heart clench painfully. He knew right away who they were, even if he didn't know their names. They resembled one of Fluder's hopeful apprentices too much for the old man's liking.

"I'm Ureirika!" Chirpily said one.

"And I'm Kuuderika!" Happily added the other one.

"Children! That's not the way to greet the Emperor!" chided the maid behind the two girls.

"Sorry!" The two bundles of youth chorused, before looking at Jircniv and giving identical clumsy curtsies. "Your majesty."

Jircniv laughed, earning happy smiles from the two girls.

"Ah, you are so adorable," mused Jircniv. He approached the children and leaned to them, much like an older brother to his younger sisters. "Have you been having fun?"

"Yay!" The girls said.

Jircniv allowed himself a gracious laugh, as if he actually enjoyed the company of children. Fluder knew that wasn't the case, and part of it was evident on Jircniv's tense posture.

"When is our sister coming back?" One of them asked.

"Yeah, when's Arche coming back?" Said the other one.

"Oh, dear me, she is still too busy running an errand for me," sighed Jircniv, acting despondent. "Don't worry, I gave her my solemn word I'd take care of you while she was gone and that's what I shall do. I am certain she will work better knowing that I, the Emperor himself, is looking after her young sisters."

A long pregnant silence stretched across the room. The maid behind the children paled and struggled to keep a smile on her face. Even the two golden clad guards shuffled uncomfortably at the Emperor's words.

"Now, off you go," Jircniv said. "And behave! You don't want me to tell your sister you have been naughty, do you?"

The young girls, oblivious to the threat looming over them, giggled and nodded, giving their word to behave. Then, just as they came, the group left. Even so, Fluder remained tense.

"You know, they remind me of my younger half-sisters," commented Jircniv with genuine sorrow. "A pity what happened to them…"

Fluder actually believed the sadness in the Emperor's voice. The boy was never the same after he had all of his kin executed. However, the sharp edge on the Emperor's gaze remained trained straight on Fluder.

"It is a good thing that young Miss Furt knows her duty. It would have been a real pity if, say, one of your apprentices were to contact Miss Furt before she left Arwintar and had been told to arrange a meeting between her former teacher and Lord Ainz Ooal Gown," remarked Jircniv. "It's a good thing that didn't happen, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Fluder said, managing to conceal his grimace.

So I was found out, summarized Fluder. He berated himself. Of course he had. As Jircniv had said, Fluder wouldn't deny he did lose some of his self-control when it came to powerful mages.

"Don't worry. If Miss Furt does as asked, you will meet Lord Ainz eventually and maybe Miss Furt will have valuable information to share with us," mused Jircniv. It was left unsaid that such a meeting would be on the Emperor's terms rather than Fluders. "It shouldn't be so difficult. I've been told that Lord Ainz has already shown an interest in Miss Furt. All that she needs to do is reciprocate…"

Of course, neither Emperor nor mage knew that Suzuki Satoru was far more intrigued about Arche's staff, but that was something they would learn far later.

"And won't the mercenaries you sent complicate things?" Asked Fluder. "Perhaps you should recall them."

"On the contrary, Gramps," said Jircniv. "Word must have already spread around Arwintar about a mysterious tomb that appeared near the Forest of Tob. The last thing we need is to tempt an actual fool to hire mercenaries to go explore it, or worse for the mercenaries themselves to hear about that tomb and go exploring for themselves. No, the plans will stay the same: they will patrol the forest, since there's been quite a lot of activity at the edge recently, and, perhaps, they will be told to patrol further south, near E-Rantel once our envoy returns. Or should I say Lord Femel will? Those mercenaries weren't hired by me, after all."

Not that any mercenaries would have accepted a job from the Emperor, at least none of the smart ones.

All in all, it was a good plan. As much as Fluder wished otherwise, the Ministry of Magic had leaks of information that reached the information brokers of Arwintar, all of whom frequently dealt with mercenaries. A magical tomb would lure in too many people for Fluder's liking.

"If they run into a mysterious tomb while our envoys are on their way back… well… that won't be my fault, will it?"

"Quite right, your majesty," humbly nodded Fluder.

"Focus on this sewer monster of yours, Gramps," said Jircniv. "And please, do try to keep your composure about this Lord Ainz Ooal Gown. I know about your excitement to… eh… witness that thing you wanted (the Abyss of Magic, was it?), but you must understand we need to be cautious. We do not know what this Lord Ainz Ooal Gown wants, Gramps, and I can see him using you to achieve his goals."

Here, Jircniv sent Fluder a warning look.

"You have built a lot these last few decades. Neither of us want all that you have achieved to be… accidentally… destroyed all in a rush of excitement," dryly stated Jircniv.

"Of course not, your majesty," added Fluder, thoroughly humbled.

"Well then, you can go," Jircniv said.

Fluder didn't need to be told twice. He stood up, bowed to the Emperor and trudged to the door. He suddenly felt his age. Once again, he had allowed his extreme desire to find a more powerful mage than him blind him. However, Fluder didn't feel all that bad, partly because the Emperor was right. Even if Lord Ainz Ooal Gown was much more powerful than Fluder, there was no guarantee the lord would share any of his knowledge. Fluder was well aware about the general reluctance to part with their knowledge for most magic-weavers.

The old man stopped by the door and glanced at Jircniv. The Emperor hadn't risen. In fact, he had pulled out a handheld mirror, a very familiar one to Fluder, and had started to make sure his appearance remained impeccable. It was in moments like those, when Jircniv held that mirror, that Fluder was reminded of Jircniv's mother. Suddenly, Fluder could understand why powerful mages in other countries all suffered weird accidents or assassinations.

No, Fluder didn't feel bad at all. Perhaps disappointed. In that moment, though, he felt rather proud of the young Emperor.

And yet, Fluder Paradyne pondered about Lord Ainz Ooal Gown once he walked out of the meeting room. He wandered down the hallways, wondering if, perhaps, Fluder would get the chance to meet him or if, maybe, a weird accident or assassination awaited him in the near future. It all depended on what Ainz Ooal Gown had in store for the Baharuth Empire. Fluder had hoped that positioning himself as a viable contact within the Empire would grant him the chance to negotiate for magic lessons, but the Emperor had removed that opportunity.

Still, the question remained: what was Lord Ainz Ooal Gown planning?

---

Holidays. That's what Suzuki craved. Unfortunately, it seemed that his duties were about to get more complicated and more stressful.

Suzuki fought the urge to groan as he sat on the [Throne of Kings] once again. Instead, he held himself as the Overlord the many NPCs kneeling before him deserved. No, it wouldn't to do to whine. However…

Urgh, why can't I get a break? Thought Suzuki.

"Is something the matter, my love?"

Suzuki turned to Albedo, who worriedly stood next to him in her usual place. On Suzuki's other side, Pandora's Actor watched his creator with keen interest.

"No, just pondering about important matters… yes, important matters," mumbled Suzuki. Holidays were important, after all.

"Are you sure you want to spend valuable coin like this, Mein Schöpfer? You were very distraught last time," asked Pandora.

"It is necessary. It is high time we took this blasted Zurrernorn organization more seriously, even if it means giving the Midas' Touch to zombified cultists," replied Suzuki. "But no, I don't like wasting Yggdrassil gold like this, Pandora, much less time in some bothersome cult. There's too much to prepare, like Sir Rockbruise's little visit or that of the Knights of the Blue Rose…"

Not that Suzuki minded spending time with that Leinas woman and Lakyus. Besides, Sir Rockbruise would be accompanied by that mage with runes in her staff. Suzuki couldn't wait to get some more information on the famed Runecraft that had eluded him and Pandora for so long.

"…but it is necessary. Besides, the potential head cultist of E-Rantel's failed undead ritual and the sole warrior in that group probably know something of use other than Zurrernorn," finished Suzuki.

And if said Head Cultist and female warrior could serve as teachers for Suzuki, better yet. He had been meaning to find a teacher in Necromancy, after all, and the female probably had some good rogue skills Suzuki looked forward to.

"There is also the Summit, my love," added Albedo.

"Ah, yes, the Summit," grumbled Suzuki with a wry smile. "How could he have forgotten about that?"

I am definitively getting a long well-deserve holiday after this! Maybe at some beach, like in the movies…

Suzuki glanced at Albedo, and immediately the image of the voluptuous succubus in a bikini invaded his mind. Suzuki looked away, flustered, and struggling to contain a goofy giggle. His eyes, though, quickly scanned the assembled NPCs, wandering over the Pleiades sisters.

Yep, I will find myself a nice warm beach for my holidays, snickered Suzuki.

Suzuki shook his head.

"It matters not!" He said, dispelling his summer fantasies. "This shouldn't take long. Once they bring the zombies, everything should go smoothly…"

But until then, Suzuki had to awkwardly wait there, with Albedo and Pandora on each side while the NPCs patiently waited on their knees. Maybe he could start a conversation, ask about what was going on, but Suzuki feared it would only mean more issues and obligations. The Floor Guardians in particular had a tendency of piling tasks and questions on their overlord, or worse, try to work on some elusive alleged plan of Suzuki's and give one too many headaches to their lord and master. Besides, Suzuki could do with some time doing nothing other than sitting around, even if it was boring. Sadly, Pandora didn't quite catch the memo…

The doppelganger made a sound, hesitant about something, only to regain a firm composure.

"Is something the matter, Pandora?"

"Ehm… ja, Mein Schöpfer, it's… no, I apologize, Supreme One. It's nothing worth troubling you about."

Now that got Suzuki's interest.

"You can tell me anything," Suzuki said. "Does something bother you?"

"Well, not really," mumbled Pandora, twiddling his thumbs like a naughty child. "It's just… something that came up when I took your glorious form and talked with the Princess last night."

"Ah yes, Princess Renner," said Suzuki.

While Suzuki sounded amused, deep down Suzuki was very apprehensive of the Princess. After all, he wasn't entirely sure what manner of human could get Demiurge and Albedo's approval. Yes, he had been informed about the Princess questionable allegiances and less than stable mental health, but even so, she couldn't possibly be that bad, could she? Then again, Demiurge did gush a bit about her, so yes, Renner could be that bad…

She's cute, though, dismissively thought Suzuki with a shrug.

He froze and then frowned.

Since when do I dismiss psychopathic behavior only because they are attractive? Wondered Suzuki. A glance towards Albedo and other female NPCs gave him the answer.

"So what happened during that meeting with the princess?"

"Ah, nothing much, Mein Schöpfer. She tried to so cleverly fish for information but I did not give one sniff of your glorious plans!" Exclaimed Pandora with his usual antics, which included arm flailing and dramatic flair.

There's a plan? Thought Suzuki in confusion.

"I… may have slipped on something else, though," Pandora said apologetically, bowing his head in shame.

"Area Guardian Pandora," Albedo said with a harsh tone. "You dare reveal the Supreme One's secrets?"

"Nein! Not secrets! I…" spluttered Pandora.

"What was it, Pandora?" Suzuki wondered. "I sincerely doubt it was such a big-"

"My German," stated Pandora. "The Princess asked about it."

Suzuki stared at the doppelganger. The doppelganger in turn stared back. Seconds passed by and Pandora grew increasingly agitated, all while Suzuki didn't outwardly react.

"Ehm… Mein Schöpfer?"

"How could you allow such a thing to happen?" Angrily chimed in Albedo.

"I could not help myself. I was created with a deep rooted need to speak it! I can't control myself!" Pandora said, sounding thoroughly distraught by his inability to control his weirdness.

"Are you blaming the Supreme One?"

"Nein! It was mein fault!"

Their argument was cut short by Suzuki facepalming, a slap that echoed across the Throne Room.

"Supreme One!" Chorused all the gathered NPCs, worried about their master.

Holidays, thought Suzuki, I seriously going to need them...

And that was without considering that the situation in the Forest of Tob was about to get truly complicated for the Overlord.

---

Author Notes: So I'm back guys! I apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, work piled up as well as other stuff. So... well... sorry guys.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to get the next one for New Year or maybe even Christmas... but no promises!

I added a few tags.

*: taken from the wiki.

**: Flesh-Eaters, a term used by humans for other humans that consume demi-human meat, generally a derisive term in most human nations. The practice was discouraged by the Six Great Gods but never disappeared, especially between those that follow the Old Ways.

Cheers, the Emerald Commander