Hello Scrolls and Followers of Justice, Mr.Bones I bring you chapter 10 of my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
In this arc we will follow Sebas in the Draconic kingdom, what will Queen Draudelion think when she finds another dragonoid.
I hope you like it, comments are welcome, I blame translation errors entirely on Google Translate.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 10: A relaxing walk
After being dismissed by his master, Sebas immediately began to prepare for his departure, heading to the post where Tuare was on duty.
"Good evening, Tuare, how was your day?", asked the butler politely.
"Very well, Mr. Sebas, I just finished the daily tasks and was getting ready for dinner, will you accompany me?", replied the maid.
This was one of the few opportunities they had to be together. Because of the services in Nazarick and the mansion in E-Rantel, Tuare was quite busy, and even with the ring of sustenance, her obligations were still mentally exhausting. Unlike the other maids who would fight for an extra hour of service, Tuare had decided in her spare time to perfect herself in the myriad tasks required at the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Although her classes with Yuri Alpha were over, she was still far from possessing the efficiency of the homunculi maids, so she still spent hours practicing her duties. As head of the maids at E-Rantel, she was supposed to be the example of discipline and dedication.
Serving the Great Tomb of Nazarick was an act of love, love shared by all its inhabitants. Tuare knew that, just as she knew that if any fault was attributed to her, it would reflect directly on Sebas Tian, her savior. An unthinkable act for Tuare, for although she dedicated herself body and soul to the Sorcerer King and the Great Tomb, all of this was only relevant because it came after Sebas. To her, the austere butler was the most important thing in her life, and if it took endless hours of sacrifice to have some extra minutes with him, it would all be worth it.
During dinner, Sebas relayed his orders to Tuare, and in less than two hours they were both ready to go. The next day, they had one last meeting to pass on the instructions among all who received the mission and soon they were on their way.
Tuare was disappointed to learn that they wouldn't make it all the way to the Draconic Realm, such a trip would take weeks, weeks with Sebas. It was decided that they would use a portal within a day's travel distance, enough to be noticed by patrols who would carry the news that an emissary from the Sorcerer Kingdom was arriving.
Sebas sat regally in his seat and Tuare was in front of him trying not to show the excitement she felt, for despite her nervousness about being on official mission, she was ecstatic to be traveling to a foreign country. The maid has always lived in E-Rantel, her childhood was spent in a village no more than a day's travel away, so everything was an adventure, even more accompanied by Sebas.
A few kilometers after exiting the portal, Sebas and Tuare were approached by a patrol that appeared to have been on duty longer than it should have.
"H-hold! Who approaches?", shouted in a frightened way the man who seemed to be the head of the patrol.
The soldiers had never seen such a dazzling carriage. Its appearance said royalty in every way, made with an unknown black material and gold accents. The obvious Sorcerer Kingdom crest on its side, as well as the fact that it was pulled by Soul Eaters and guided by an Elder Lich made the patrol chief's question redundant.
A goblin-like being, but red, wearing a tailcoat with a top hat and sitting next to the undead coachman responded.
"This is the entourage taking the Emissary of the Sorcerer Kingdom as ambassador to the capital of the Draconic Kingdom. We request an audience with Her Majesty Queen Draudillon Oriculus, in order to deal with official business in establishing diplomatic contact".
The patrol chief was confused, after all the entourages representing kingdoms that came to the Draconic Kingdom were usually formed by several carriages with dignitaries and servants, escorted by dozens of knights. Meanwhile, there was a single carriage, without an escort, and even with the undead guiding it, the image of simplicity that passed by seemed involuntary.
"We have not been informed of your coming, but as dignitaries, you… gentlemen will receive an escort to the capital and we will send a messenger with your request. Welcome to the Draconic Realm", sputtered the patrol officer.
The imp next to the coachman only bowed without taking off his top hat, which would reveal his little horns, as he didn't want to frighten their hosts.
Inside the carriage, the butler was satisfied with how the first contact had gone. He imagined that it might be necessary to intervene in the conversation, but apparently the fame of the Sorcerer Kingdom preceded him.
"I think it went well, Mr. Sebas", remarked the maid.
"You don't have to be so formal with me in here, Tuare. Even though it is not a leisure trip, we can enjoy the tour", soothed Sebas.
The level of embarrassment reached the unbearable for Tuare while she blushed until she looked like a tomato, as the situation began to remind her more and more of a romantic trip.
In between conversations and everyday matters, Tuare noticed that the windows had gone dark and the sound from outside had disappeared. If it hadn't been for the slight jolt of the carriage, she might have thought they had stopped moving. Something had happened, but as Sebas didn't show a negative reaction or bother to explain what was going on, the maid just enjoyed the moment in her company. Outside, chaos reigns.
A few hours after the encounter with the patrol, what all the knights who performed the improvised escort function feared happened, an ambush.
Despite being far from the battle zones, the demi-humans often sent groups to test the security of the realm, looking for weaknesses in their surveillance, attacking small, less-protected villages, and having an occasional snack.
This particular group consisted of Gnolls and a Hobgoblin, around fifteen attackers, enough to take down any patrol at the edge of the realm. The closer to the capital, the stronger the horsemen, and this small group of five protecting a chariot drawn by animals they had never seen before seemed to be asking to be attacked.
The Imp sitting next to the coachman had already noticed the approach of the attackers from hundreds of meters away, even inside the forest, thinking it would be rude to warn that they would be attacked. He waited until they were only a few dozen meters away to report that the escort service was lacking.
"Formation, stand in formation, damn it! Don't let those demi-humans get to the wagon!", shouted the patrol chief.
"Gentlemen, I do not wish to intrude on your service or cause a diplomatic incident, but as we are in a hurry, I ask that you let me handle this obstacle", instructed the imp after silencing the interior of the carriage.
Without slowing down, the little demon used a whip to slash the leash of the two Devourers at the front of the carriage, releasing them. These then separated and went against the attacking group.
What followed was a series of screams from the forest, at first in attack and fury, then in despair and fear. Only one gnoll took off running towards the road, missing part of its head and an arm, trying to flee rather than attack. Seeing this scene, the nearest knight struck the creature, more to end its suffering than to protect itself.
It didn't take more than a few minutes. The Devourers returned to their positions in front of the carriage and magically hitched up again. Knights could only think "what are we escorting?".
A few hours later, a messenger arrived at the capital's castle with his nearly exhausted horse, bringing the news that the ambassador of the Sorcerer Kingdom was near.
In the throne room, the nervousness was palpable.
"How could this happen? Are we so insignificant as to send only one carriage? No messengers, no large entourage… unless that single carriage is magical and bigger inside than outside, containing a battalion of officials", the Queen fretted, pacing back and forth, craving a glass of wine.
"I don't think so, Your Majesty", replied a small old man.
"Explain yourself, Prime Minister!", exclaimed the queen with obvious mocking disdain. Despite their positions, the Queen and the Prime Minister maintained a very liberal coexistence in their conversations.
"I believe the exact opposite of what your Majesty thinks. The Sorcerer Kingdom sent a single carriage containing only a private entourage with the ambassador and no escort to primarily demonstrate their strength".
"I don't understand your point", groaned the Queen.
"With a small entourage, they demonstrate that they don't need several nobles to open negotiations of treaties or friendly relations. In Re-Estize, I learned that Prime Minister Albedo was still unaccompanied on her visit, with a minimal entourage. They seem to believe that only weak countries try to impress with quantity. About security, they don't need an escort because they're not in danger, if the messenger's description is correct, then the creatures pulling the chariot are Soul Eaters, only one would destroy an army and it looks like there are four pulling, so they do the two functions. Not having messengers indicates the intention of a direct conversation, because if we were warned before, we would prepare receptions and balls to please the guests, nobles would try to impose their influence even before the Queen could talk to the ambassador. So, all these nuances actually indicate that the Sorcerer King holds the lady and the kingdom in high esteem".
"Oooh! The Sorcerer King must be incredibly smart to plan something like this!", exclaimed the queen with an slightly improved mood and a certain relief.
Inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, The Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown had the slightest feeling of wanting to sneeze, which was impossible for a skeleton, as he had no nose, or lungs, or even breathed at all.