Chapter 14: Eyes and Ears Part 2
The Emperor sat in his palace, his face half-blinded by the sun's perfect angle. A servant quickly pulled a curtain to help him see, but he didn't thank the gesture since it was standard for a butler to do so.
"So this Ainz Ooal Gown seems to be even a bigger fish than I expected. Who is this man?" Jircniv was out of answers yet full of questions. He didn't know what to do, attack or wait until the confusion ended. But from the reports, he should do the latter. "He rained blood and corpses down on the capital, probably as an act of power. This should show the kingdom what he could do with their small army and how quickly he could access their capital. But this is inhumane, even if it puts the morale of every person in the kingdom down by a margin. Not even I would do this. He must have some tremendous backup to do such a thing. A wonder nobody reacted to his aggression. The kingdom, even when threatened, won't give up so easily. They might give the city of E-Rantel to Ainz Ooal Gown but nothing else. If that time comes, I will gladly send an envoy to the E-Rantel." A grin showed itself on the Emperor's face, and his thoughts made see-through for every man or woman in his vicinity. One could say the Emperor was pleased. "More wine, please."
A manservant swiftly gave him another cup full of wine. With elegant sips, he enjoyed the exquisite taste coming from the north of Baharut. "Always a fine place to visit, the north. It has a nice view of the ocean and prestigious wine." But his thoughts about a vacation to the north were disturbed by two doors opening.
"Your Highness. Forgive me for my late arrival. There were some complications on the way." The old man said. Jircniv waved towards him to discard his transgression, not caring about it as Fluder was a long lasting member of the Empire. "I have come as you asked, Your Highness."
"Take a seat, Fluder. I have something to show you." The mage took a seat opposite to Jircniv, a letter being brought to him by a servant immediately. Fluder carefully read the report, his eyes showing just how amazed the magic caster was by the information he just received.
"Your Highness, do you know what this means? He was able to summon enough undead, I don't recall their name, but they are powerful, all around the kingdom's capital! Not even I can control that many legendary undead! I cannot even control a single one! But this, Ainz Ooal Gown must have exceptional power over necromancy to achieve such a feat!" The Imperial Mage seemed thrown off by such information, almost scaring the Bloody Emperor.
"But what if someone else summoned or controlled these monsters? That could be the case as well." He responded. Fluder only nodded.
"That could be the case as well, Your Highness. But what about the reports from the Warrior Captain? If what he says and reports of the encounter with Ainz Ooal Gown are true, he was controlling at least one Death Knight." Fluder made his homework on Ainz Ooal Gown, something Jircniv had anticipated. He was a magic caster, after all.
"Ah, yes. That legendary undead you study. Don't you have one in the cellar?" He remembered that name from Fluder telling him about it. A towering undead with two demonic horns sprouting from its helmet, a tower shield in one hand and a sword in the other. And if Fluder can't control one, but this Ainz Ooal Gown can, then he might even be more powerful than the Imperial Mage.
"Precise. And he controlled one of them! Is that to be believed, hahaha…" The old man's sanity seemed to suffer under such a fact, which was almost frightening to watch as he laughed away like a madman.
"Yes, I know you are eager to meet such a person like him. And you might be happy to know that I plan to negotiate with Ainz Ooal Gown about a possible alliance. He seems to, lets say know how to deal with the kingdom." If Jircniv plays his cards well, he might gain a new ally by the end of the year. If not, he might loose a card.
"I would certainly look forward to such an alliance. Maybe he could even share some of his wisdom with mine." Fluder's thirst for knowledge made itself visible, the Emperor smirking at the sight. But to what extent would he go for such wisdom? Jircniv knew soon he would find out about Fluder's true loyalties.
"Another thing What about that scene at the capital? Do you know how he did it?" Jircniv was naturally curious about the abilities of this Ainz Ooal Gown, and Fluder might know a thing or two about it.
"I have no clue what it was, Your Highness. It could have been magic or not. I didn't see it personally so I cannot judge." The Triad Magic Caster responded.
"Mmh, fine. It seems some things are hidden even from your sight, old man. Kind of amuses me." The Emperor chuckled, knowing Fluder had no clue was something rare in his days as an Emperor and brought Jircniv some form of joy.
"Of course, there are things even I don't know about. But I strive to find those secrets of magic to be able to see beyond. It is what I must do. Yes, I must!"
"Sure, but don't do anything unreasonable to achieve said wisdom. Now, I believe that was all. You can go now." He said, the Triad Magic Caster bowing and leaving as fast as he arrived.
"Huh, what will I do with you, Fluder." He mumbled before him just as the old magic caster left the room. "His motives to leave the Empire because of magical knowledge are not unimaginable. In that case, I must prepare to stabilize Baharut without the need of Fluder."
"So, this Ainz Ooal Gown is now our enemy, huh."
"Unfortunately. And I don't know what got into me. Believing him to be a good man. But what he did that day, raining the streets with… I just, I am out of words with how I put my king's trust into shame. Now all the nobles are even more hostile towards the crown then usual." The man's eyes were clear to see that he was desperate for a solution, a need to redeem himself in his eyes and the ones of his king, especially his king.
"Mmh, I wouldn't fall into despair now, Gazef." Brain spoke, yet Gazef could only sigh. Brain wasn't the best man to get him back to his feet, that was rather his job.
"You're right, Brain. It's just gonna get me out of focus." He said, sipping on his beer for the fifth time by now. Unglaus could only watch how his rival fell from the spot he put him on; to a drunken man who thought he had lost the trust of his king.
"Hey, Gazef! Let us do a sparring match! This will get you right on your feet! What do you say?" Brain proposed. Gazef could only look at him and think, why not. Practice is always good.
"That would be a pretty good mood lifter. Let's head out then before the sun goes down." With no more words given, the two warriors left for the training grounds. Nobody was around this late, meaning they could spar without any spies watching.
"Here, we're going to fight with training swords." Gazef passed one sword to Brain, who carefully adjusted himself to the weight of the blade. It wasn't as good as his usual katana, but that was to be expected.
"A bit different from my usual one, but it will suffice." Brain said while striking a stance, ready for a fight. He discarded any opening he could do from the head start, meaning he had to await for a possible gap in Gazefs defense or offense.
"Are you ready?" Gazef asked, but he knew the answer just from looking at Unglaus.
"As if you had to ask. Ready!"
Both warriors awaited each other's movement. But for the first twenty seconds, nobody decided to move. As this was a training match, they had to test their skills without martial arts aiding them.
Suddenly, Brain made the first move and tried to thrust his sword into Gazef's stomach, who parried the attempt and followed with a slash towards Brain's sword hand. Brain dodged and tried again, but Gazef saw through that. He took two steps back, leaving the range of Brain's lunge attack.
Without wasting words, Gazef decided to go on the offensive and took three steps forward. Brain tried to hold his sword to parry any incoming attacks, but Gazef didn't let him and swept Brain's sword to the side, leaving him open. Unexpected, Gazef tried to use his foot to push Brain back, but the blue-haired Warrior dodged the kick at the last moment. But Gazef didn't give him any time to prepare and lunged at him with a slash attack. Brain tried to block and took some steps back, getting back into a defensive position.
This would go on and on. The two heroic warriors would test each other for minutes until Gazef found a particular opening in Brain's defence. It was the same move Gazef did with the kick, he swept Brain's sword away and now Unglaus awaited Gazefs kick, but his muscle memory didn't help him in that manner. Gazef saw that mistake and followed up with another slash attack from the right, taking Brain off guard. Unglaus saw his error and tried to dodge successfully, but was a quick subject to Gazefs foot, kicking him to the ground.
"That was a good match. I didn't think I could ever find a better partner to spar with, except maybe Climb." Gazef laughed, covered in sweat from head to toe. Even if he won, he used up quite some stamina from fighting Unglaus.
"Yeah, that was something else." Just months before this, he would be furious with losing to the Warrior Captain a second time. But now he knew better. He was actually unbiased about this loss, but it still hurt his ego.
"C'mon up." Gazef lent Brain a hand. "So, what do you think will happen next?"
"What do you mean?" Brain was confused by the sudden question. Gazef hit him with a query he could answer in many ways, and that just when he was about to catch his breath.
"I mean, what will the future hold for us? Things seem to change. I am still the Warrior Captain of Re-Estize. But that won't be forever. And you, you know what? If something happens to me, I would like you to be the next Warrior Captain."
"Don't say that. I can't name a man stronger than you, Gazef." Brain said, patting Gazef on the shoulder.
"Maybe not a man, but a monster."
"Don't start to be like me now, Gazef. That's my thing. And I promise, I'll tell you when you meet a monster. I surely for once, met one. She just held my full-on attack with two fingers like it was nothing! But I managed to escape, and now I'm telling you what you told me. Get up and go further!" Gazef recalled his words which he told Unglaus, something he needed to enforce himself before telling others. That was the basic principle of an advice.
Gazef looked at Brain and started to chuckle, then began to laugh full-on, letting Brain make a confused face.
"I see you learned something from me. And yes, you're right. But I wasn't about to fall into despair, you know." Gazef laughed again. Unglaus could only watch him and sigh.
"It's just you were my rival for a long time. I can't see you turn out like I was. Destroys the picture, you know." Brain grinned at saying that, seeing how the Warrior Captain stopped laughing.
"Well, no man is invincible, Brain. Not even I. But let's not talk sentimental anymore. Do you think we defeated the 8 Fingers for good?" Gazef asked, changing the subject with a quick turn.
"Mmh, we sure made a number on them. Even if they still exist, Momon and Blue Rose made certain to take as much of them out as possible." Brain still saw the heroic adventurer before him, declaring victory over 8 Fingers. He had to confess, Momon was quite a warrior.
"Sir Momon, you say. I never spoke to the man personally. But what I hear is that he is a hero in all aspects. Maybe even stronger than me." He said, getting a slight laugh from Unglaus.
"C'mon, Gazef. Are you sure Momon could beat you? You know, they say he killed a Giant Basilisk with one slash, decapitating it instantly. With the right technique, timing and strength, it could be pos-" Before he could continue, Gazef intercepted his sentence with his own.
"Better not to compare oneself to another warrior. Suppose I will find out how strong he is, only if he opposes the king that is. Until then, I will not call out any duels. That would be unbecoming of me." Gazef responded, of course, he was curious about the Raven Black Hero's strength, but he had other duties to attend to.
"Well, were lucky that he is on our side then."
In a dim space, way beneath the earth, twelve beings met in the secret of the world, hidden behind all eyes and ears. In the mid of the great chamber was a round table with twelve seats reserved for exactly twelve executives.
"Then let us begin." A raspy, dark and warped voice said. One could think this person was way beyond 100 years.
"Is this meeting about this Ainz Ooal Gown?" Another elderly voice called out, its dark alignment audible just from its tone.
"Not just about him. We have other things to discuss as well. But yes, that is the main subject." Another man spoke. This time his voice was more of a middle-aged man, who spoke in a more noble manner, still wicked and twisted beyond repair.
"He managed to pull an impressive feat, summoning so many of them. He must be extremely powerful. But how did we not know of him until now? A man, no, a being with such power, couldn't possibly hide from the world for such a long time." Another one said. His words held truth. They would know if he was around a little longer.
"That is correct. Maybe he just arrived in these lands, and he is quite known somewhere else. But to search for such lands would be foolish. Who knows how far we have to search? Better we wait until more reveals itself." Spoken like a true economist, he rested his hand back on the table after finishing his sentence.
"He seems to be a more than capable Necromancer. Why not invite him, offer him a seat at our table?" A fleshless voice said, getting the attention of many executives. There were already 12, so one needed to leave for Ainz Ooal Gown to enter. So for one to leave meant nothing good for any of them. They quite liked their position.
"We do not know his motives or location to even send such an invitation. Even if he accepts, we know nothing of him." A deep voice spoke out, getting the approval of many of his fellow executives.
"What about what he did to the kingdom's capital? Is there any mention of such a spell?" A more high-pitched voice asked, filled with curiosity.
"Nothing could be found. It is another mystery behind the already unknown visage of Ainz Ooal Gown." Bored and unmotivated, one answered the question.
"This must mean the Theocracy is probably already investigating his presence. If they find us anywhere near him, wherever Ainz Ooal Gown is, they could think of a connection between him and us. If we want that or not is still questionable." One assessed.
"There are no true benefits, but great risks. Better keep ourselves hidden. Doesn't draw as much attention as to act. Just as this Ainz Ooal Gown is doing." He was right, even if some disagreed, they knew they wouldn't lose any resources with that method.
"Well, then, we should move to our next topic. About the investigation. It seems none have returned." Suddenly, the room was filled with confused faces and tones from every corner.
"What do you mean? We send 50 of our scouts in there, and you tell me none came back?" One asked, not believing what the head executive just said.
"Exactly. None. There must be some activity in there or a sort of trap. Even if it is the Elder Coffin Dragon Lords' lair, it is important that everybody keeps its location a secret. The dragon could still be alive." The head executive said, knowing none in this circle would dare to tell anything that happened here. Or they would face consequences worse than death.
"Of that we are sure. But how do you think we should react? Send more in? We will just lose more."
"We should shield it from the outside world and wait until it shows more activity. It is a no-risk, no-reward situation. So better to risk nothing at the moment." The economist spoke, getting disapproval from the opposite side of the table.
"We can't wait around! You know the stories about the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord! He is probably the most powerful undead there ever is! Even if he is dead, we can study him and discover new things! The wisdom and treasury of a dragon are not to be underestimated." The opportunist spoke, seeing the hidden scrolls of magic before his eyes. The lost knowledge that the dragon hoarded could be very helpful for their own cause.
"Yes, but would you sacrifice yourself for that wisdom? For the moment, we can do nothing. I hope everyone sees it the same way. We should just wait out until the right moment reveals itself."
"Then, if no one has anything else to say..." The head executive asked, but none answered his call. "Then we shall end this meeting with no true conclusion." Without saying a thing, all twelve executives left, leaving through twelve separate tunnels and leaving the room, in which the lanterns went off just seconds later. Back they went to wear their masks as ordinary members of their respective communities, leaving no clue of their affiliation to Zurrenorn.
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Heres another one because I didn't upload for a long time. But be ready for the next chapter, it's going to be a little longer. And finally Ainz will make an appearance again! Don't forget to leave a feedback, as usual. I always try to improve, but without knowing what to improve I might stay at my level longar than expected. So feel free to speak your truth!