(Since notifications on this site STILL aren't working, this note is just to confirm that this chapter was uploaded as per schedule on 19th May 2024 despite illness trying its best efforts to keep me down!)
Edster: Welcome back everyone! Hope you are all doing well and are enjoying this stacked season of anime! I know I am with what I've been watching so far!
Just thought I'd mention that this chapter almost didn't happen on time, the reason being that I was down with a cold from last Saturday until Wednesday which meant I didn't do any writing during that time. At that point I'd only written about 2k words, so that left me with the rest to do in the span of a few days. I'm glad to say I got it done, but given how much I had to do in such a short time you'll have to mind me if it's not up to my usual standards.
daniel: My co-author is giving himself too little credit! I watched him work on this puppy and I can tell you it is up to his amazing standards! Hope that you're all enjoying this season's amazing anime and that you likewise enjoy this chapter, had fun writing it as always! Btw thanks for helping us reach another milestone with over 300 follows! You guys are the best!
Edster: I echo what my co-author said on our incredible milestone, you guys are all amazing and I'm thankful for all of you. With that all being said, let's get into why everyone's here: Chapter 29 of the Nazarick Triumvirate which marks the beginning of the Workers' Invasion Arc! As always, the usual disclaimer that neither I nor daniel own Overlord or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime, manga or Light Novels. The only things we own are our OCs, Henry and Fengxian. ENJOY!
Chapter 29 – The Trap Is Set
Whenever everyone important was gathered in Nazarick's Throne Room, you know that something major was about to go down, and that's just what the three Supreme Beings were intent on doing with this meeting. Now that Re-Estize was sufficiently placated, and with the Slane Theocracy still maintaining a waiting game while licking their wounds after the damage Fengxian and Shalltear had done to them, the time had come to focus on the other major human power within this New World:
The Baharuth Empire.
Originally this had been the nation they had known the least about. With Re-Estize, their original source of information on the Kingdon had come from the likes of Gazef, Ninya and other adventurers whom they had interacted with, and which had been bolstered by Sebas' information-gathering mission as well as the new collaborator they had operating within the Royal Palace itself. With the Theocracy, their source of information came from the prisoners they had captured and from Jemima Arneberg, the former Seventh Seat of their Black Scripture who had surrendered to them willingly and now worked as a secretary and scribe. But for the Empire, they had no direct link, no prisoners to interrogate or any reliable source of information even from the personages they had interacted with in the Kingdom. As a result, Ainz, Henry and Fengxian had had to get creative with how to get someone on the inside of the Empire, and thankfully for them, they had just the person to get the job done. As a doppelganger with enough levels to be able to change her appearance and outfit at will, Shinozaki, Fengxian's personal maid, who had been tasked to travel to the Empire, blend in with the public and gather as much information as she could for as long as she could which she had done to great success, even more so than the Supreme Beings had dared hoped for originally.
After being recalled from her deployment, Shinozaki was brought before the entire ensemble of Supreme Beings, Guardians, Pleaides maids and one or two others (i.e. Jemima and Ninya) to bring them up to speed with what she had discovered. With a crispness and attention to important details befitting not only a maid but the personal maid of one of the Supreme Beings, Shinozaki explained what she had found out from her mission of espionage, and as she talked the ones whose duty it was to process this information and figure out how best to use it, such as Ainz, Henry, Fengxian, Albedo and Demiurge were ever attentive, taking onboard her report and using what she told them to start formulating their plans.
From what they gathered when she first started talking about their culture, not only did the Empire sound like the most socially advanced of the three human nations, but parts of their culture and way of living reminded Henry of some of the more advanced European Empires to have existed in human history, including the Eastern Roman Empire, better known as Byzantium, under Justinian the Great, the man who not only retook Rome itself for the Empire thanks to his ever loyal commander Belisarius but could be said to be the second greatest ruler the East ever had, surpassed only by Basil II the Bulgar Slayer and, more recently, French Rulers including Louis XIV, the Sun King himself, who had presided over a boom period of classical architecture, art and other revolutionary ideas to symbolise the grandeur and majesty of both a country and its ruler. For example, the citizens of the Empire had a higher standard of living than the other nations due to numerous reforms made by the current Emperor, Jircniv, as well as a limited meritocracy that allowed commoners to advance on both the social ladder and rank, be it noble or military, through merit rather than money or heritage. This notion piqued the interest of the Supreme Ones given that this was how they intended for their future Empire to function.
Additionally, the Empire had slave reform, allowing human slaves to have rights. No one could be forced to be a slave, and they were often those who were in urgent need of money, thus selling themselves in exchange for an upfront payment. There were also laws dictating many conditions for a slave's contract, including a fixed lease as well as other terms and conditions relating to injuries, pay, conditions and other factors. Such laws were paying dividends as the slave trade was going down in the Empire due to their strictness, especially when Jircniv himself had deprived several houses of their noble status due to the way they had treated their slaves.
In terms of education, there was either self-study, private schooling or the use of tutors, but there was one institute that stood out above all others: The Imperial Magic Academy, which had gained a reputation throughout the world as the most advanced education institution related to magic on the entire continent due to it being so efficiently run given Baharuth's reliance on magic as one of its key pillars, producing a veritable who's who of notable arcanists, sorcerers and wizards. Once Shinozaki had finished talking about it at length, Ninya mentioned that it had been her goal to one day attend there once her adventuring days had ended before everything that had happened to her since.
In terms of their government, Baharuth used to be under the control of councils and nobility whose seats and titles were mostly hereditary, with the Emperor only serving as a figurehead in a similar format to how some of the 21st-century monarchies that were still around used to function, but that all changed when Jircniv came to the throne and purged the majority of the existing nobility from power. Now the Empire was run as a centralized bureaucracy divided into various departments each with its own specialization, all under the purview of the Emperor whose word was final when it came to all major and minor decisions for each department. This method of governing, along with the many social reforms Jircniv had passed which had been influenced by similar laws enacted by Princess Renner of Re-Estize, had allowed Baharuth to prosper under his rule.
When it came to their military, the Empire possessed a formidable armed force known as the Imperial Army, which was not only well-trained but also backed by the latest of the Empire's magical technology and militaristic advancements such as the use of imperial air guards mounted on flying beasts and high-level magic casters using flight magic.
As well as all of this information, Shinozaki was able to pass on information about the two key figures of the Empire, the aforementioned 'Bloody Emperor' and his court magus Fluder Paradyne. Aside from his rise to power and policies that had been touched upon and already investigated, Fengxian's personal maid dove more into his personality from her time observing him, noting that, as well as being charismatic and well-educated in both academics and courtly intrigue, he projects an air of calm confidence at all times and always maintained a cool head even in the direst of circumstances. He was also a master in controlling his expressions and body language, never showing an inch of weakness, and always putting on the air of a polite and friendly gentleman to lull his contemporaries and opponents into lowering their guard and divulging more than they intended to so that he can understand more about them and how best to manipulate them. He is also always surrounded by at least one or two members of his personal guard, the Four Imperial Knights, who are also the strongest warriors in the Empire. Shinozaki covered them in name only, although she did note that the only female member, a woman by the name of Leinas Rockbruise, always kept one side of her face covered by her blonde hair due to a curse that had left it in a disgusting state. This last titbit piqued Henry's interest, not only from sensing a potential asset for their plans of world domination but for another maiden to add to his harem in addition to Lakyus with whom he was making excellent progress as Alfred, as now he could make the capable leader of Blue Rose be reduced to a blushing mush on his hands with a wink and a flirt. He made a mental note to request Shinozaki to look into Leinas further.
As for the court magus, Fluder was a polite individual who showed little interest in political or social matters, instead dedicating himself to the study of magic with almost manic obsession, focusing more on his studies in obtaining greater power rather than the development of the field as a whole, and had privately longed to find a magic-caster stronger than himself so that he could be a student once more.
Once Shinozaki had finished delivering her report, the three Supreme Ones thanked her for her efforts before dismissing everyone and retiring to Ainz's office to discuss what they had learnt.
"So, what do you two think?" Ainz asked once they were certain that they were alone.
"Given Shinozaki's report, we'll have a much harder time weakening them in the way we did Re-Estize," Henry spoke up. "They're strong militarily, socially and politically, and their ruler doesn't possess any of the weaknesses that mar the ruling powers of the Kingdom. We need to provoke or create an opportunity to allow us to approach them from a position of strength, something we can't do at the moment given their many advantages over us."
"Agreed…if we do anything against them directly, it'll only backfire on us," Fengxian observed. "As the Crown Prince said, we need to trick them into making the first move. If you two have any ideas as to how, I'd be eager to hear it."
"How about the Court Magus, Fluder?" Henry wondered, recalling Shinozaki's previous message to the Grand Marshal about how the Emperor had mandated the Court Magus to investigate Ainz Ooal Gown as well as Momon and Alfred of Darklight in conjunction with what they had learnt about him in the maid's full report. "Shinozaki did mention how he was longing to find a magic caster more powerful than himself to learn from, which we just so happen to have with Father. If we display such power to him, maybe we could ensure his co-operation?"
"That's a good start, but how about what comes after? How can we use him to create a favourable situation for ourselves?" Ainz's question caused all three to fall into silence as they each tried to think of methods or schemes that could work when Fengxian suddenly thought of something that had been almost forgotten about after they'd arrived in the New World.
"Shinozaki mentioned how the Emperor was wanting to know more about Ainz, did she not?" This got two nods from his colleagues. "What if we go one better? If our lord can get the cooperation of this Court Magus, he could 'leak' the location of the Tomb to the Emperor who would no doubt send people to investigate, perhaps an Adventurer's group or two if the Empire has a guild similar to Re-Estize."
"Why would you want to leak the location of the Tomb now after all we've done to keep it hidden?" Henry asked, unsure as to where his friend was going with this.
Naturally, Fengxian had an answer for his Crown Prince. "The Tomb's defence systems have yet to be properly tested, which I think is a necessity after all the hard work myself, Albedo and Demiurge did in putting it together to make sure it works properly. We leak the Tomb's location, thereby getting the Emperor to send men to investigate it as I stated earlier. Naturally, anyone they send won't stand a chance against anyone here or our defences, and after squeezing the information out of who sent them from any survivors we can hold the Empire to account for an unprovoked act of aggression on our home and demand an in-person meeting, where we can then wring out concessions that will aid us in the future."
"A very well-thought-out plan, Grand Marshal. Not only will the Empire appear as the unprovoked aggressors, it will be a good test of our Tomb's defences," Ainz answered with an approving nod. "We can also use the follow-up meeting to see for ourselves just what sort of person this 'Bloody Emperor' is which will prove handy when dealing with him in the future."
"As much as I am loath to divulge the Tomb's location on a gamble, I agree with Father's words," Henry conceded. "We could also use both events to try and discover more talented individuals along with Fluder to join our cause and weaken the Emperor's hand even further."
"Our course is decided then," Ainz said, getting to his feet. "Grand Marshal, you and Demiurge shall prepare the Tomb's defences for our 'guests', making sure to let everyone else know what their parts will be in the endeavour."
"As you wish, my lord," Fengxian answered with a dutiful bow.
"What do you wish of me, Father?" Henry asked.
"The Emperor also directed the Court Magus to investigate Momon and Alfred, so let's pay him a visit to see that request 'fulfilled'," Ainz answered. "It will also give us a chance to see for ourselves what sort of place the Empire is…"
~TNT~
If the apprentice mages and magic-caster of Baharuth had learnt one thing during their studies, it was not to be surprised at the depths of the skill and power that lay in the hands of their mentor. But even they had to be shocked when, after announcing that today's demonstrations would be taking place in the dungeons under the Imperial Magic Academy, Fluder had led them into a cell which contained a summoned Death Knight chained up against the wall, uttering dull screams in its attempt to break the chains that even at the distance they were standing caused a faint chill to pass through their bodies. Fluder, however, was unaffected by the Death Knight's aura and the guttural sounds it was making as he hobbled towards it on ageing legs, his wizened eyes alight with both eagerness and curiosity.
"Death Knight…an undead summon from the 6th-tier…" It had taken many weeks for Fluder to get to the level where he could cast the spell freely and without difficulty, having failed in many of his previous attempts before his first success. Rather than get frustrated however, Fluder had thrown himself into the challenge by first perfecting the summoning of lesser undead, those beneath the 5th-tier, before trying again, and everything he had learnt from those failed and successful attempts had borne fruit with this (in his eyes) marvellous specimen before him. "Submit to my will and obey me…" As he spoke, blue magic circles appeared in front of his raised palm as he focused all his energy, will and magic on forcing the uncooperative undead under his thumb. But after a few seconds of trying without success, he quickly understood that summoning it was the easy bit…control would be a far greater challenge.
Still, such a challenge excited the old man. "If I can make it bend to my will, I would reach heights even greater than those achieved by Rigrit Bers Caurau and become the greatest magic caster in this world…" he muttered, referring to one of the legendary Thirteen Heroes who had fought against the Evil Deities 2 centuries ago.
"I believe you have long surpassed any of the Thirteen Heroes by now, sir," one of his students tried to cheer him up as Fluder sullenly walked past them, only for the elder magic-caster to shake his head as he motioned for them to follow him. The young man meant well, but Fluder knew he had a long way to go yet until he was satisfied. Nothing less than the heights of magic, the Tenth Tier and what lay beyond, would satisfy him, and he knew time was against him as his elderly years continued to pass by year by year with progress on the levels he could attain becoming slower and slower with each Tier he reached.
"Though I try my best, and dedicate all my time to my ambitions, I fear I will not reach the levels I desire before I pass on," he mused forlornly as he led the students up a flight of stairs overlooking one of his previous experiments. Seeing skeletons sowing and ploughing a field of seeds as part of Fluder's tests to see if undead were capable of more advanced tasks caused many of his students to gasp in wonder. "Oh, how I wish there was one out there capable of the highest tiers of magic. If I could learn from them, even for just a short spell, and cast even one Tenth-Tier spell, I would die without regret…" "Any updates?" He asked the young man overseeing the project as he came within earshot.
"Nothing as of yet sir, sorry," the lad replied with a shake of his head.
"A shame…it would seem we are still unable to simulate a natural transformation then…"
"Correct sir," the robed figure carried on. Even though the thought of upsetting the revered magus wasn't ideal, hiding the truth was something Fluder never condoned. "With the corpses buried beneath their feet, we're currently testing whether proximity to any undead is enough to turn them into a zombie. But as you can see…there has been no success as of yet."
"Hmmm…carry on. Perhaps more research might hold the answers we seek…" With a wave of his hand, Fluder motioned for him to continue as he and his students carried on up the stairs. But as they exited the dungeons and headed out of the entrance to the tower beneath which the testing ground was hidden, the group was confronted by a golden-armoured royal guard.
"My lord Fluder," the knight addressed him after a short bow. "I am sorry to interrupt, but I bring urgent news you may wish to hear. A trio of adamantite adventurers who have just recently arrived in the capital wish to speak with you at your earliest convenience."
"Is that so?" It was highly unusual for adventurers or workers to come speak with him. Most of their usual concerns could be handled by the guild or any of the city's administrators, so for a group to request him by name meant that they had encountered some significant magical anomaly or artefact that they felt only he could solve. "Are they from Siver Thread Bird? Or perhaps Eight Ripples?"
"No sir…they are a team that calls themselves Darklight." Hearing that name caused Fluder's eyes to widen. Out of all the names he had expected, the team consisting of the two adventurers that the Emperor had personally asked him to investigate wasn't one of them.
"Hmmm…how interesting…" he murmured before turning to his students who seemed just as awed or flabbergasted as he was. "Return to your studies for now. It seems I have an urgent appointment to keep." Without a word of protest they all went their separate ways, leaving Fluder alone with the guard. "Allow me a moment to make myself presentable, then I will meet with them. Did they say where they would be staying?" Upon hearing the name of the inn, he nodded thoughtfully. Not a very well-known locale and out of the way from the centre of the capital, which led Fluder to believe that whatever business they wanted to discuss was private which only served to heighten both his curiosity and excitement for their meeting
~TNT~
"So, what are your thoughts on what you have seen of Arwintar so far, my son?" Momon asked Alfred as the two, along with Nabe, waited for their guest in a private room of the inn they were staying at.
"I thought I knew what I was going to see after hearing Shinozaki's report, but hearing about it is one thing. Seeing it in person is quite the other," Alfred replied without delay. "The people here are all well and content which you could tell from looking into their eyes. They all had the look of belief that their futures would be bright and prosperous. And the architecture and the surrounding landscape…it's like seeing the empires of Rome, both East and West, in the flesh." Alfred was rambling now but Momon allowed it, remembering how passionate Ise had been about history in their old life.
"The buildings and scenery were very pleasing to the eye, more so than anywhere we've seen before," Nabe interjected. It was one thing to hear her beloved patiently explain how humans could be capable of such works, and another to see it in person to the point where she could grudgingly admit she was impressed.
"Even with the title of 'Bloody Emperor' that, by all accounts, he has earned, Emperor El Nix's reforms have done a great deal to improve the lives of the people here," Alfred continued, a notion that both Momon and Nabe both fully agreed with after contrasting what they just saw with the high gap in living between the commoners and the nobles in Re-Estize that was around every corner you looked. "It would appear replacing the nobles with people of talent has helped the country grow as Shinozaki described, and their focus on advanced magical research and military technology shows they are on a level beyond anything we have seen in this world so far."
"The knights we passed on our way here, while still weak when compared to us, were garbed in high-quality armour and had the bearing of professional soldiers," Momon then commented. "I would estimate any soldier of the Imperial Army would be worth ten, maybe fifteen, of the Kingdom's soldiers comprising of peasant levies and over-equipped nobles."
"Hmm…" Alfred's diversion was diverted as he spotted a small troop of well-equipped guards escorting a robed figure from his vantage point from the window. "It looks like our guest has arrived."
"Is that right? Well then, let's get ready to greet him," Momon stated as he began to pull out some chairs and placed them around the table. He and Alfred would be sitting opposite their guest with Nabe standing behind them.
"Forgive me for my bluntness, but I have to admit that I am surprised we were granted an audience with such a well-respected and prominent figure so easily," Nabe commented as she helped her 'comrades' set up.
"As was I, but it would appear our reputations have spread far and wide ever since the Demonic Disturbance, and probably even more so due to the King knighting us," Alfred replied. "A good thing too, for it would have taken us doing several high-level quests to gain his notice otherwise, and with the guild being less active here it would have taken us some time even to receive the required quests."
"Which explains why workers are more common around here than adventurers, since from what we've been hearing they can undertake work without going through the Adventurer's Guild," Nabe supplied.
"Indeed. Though the rewards for their work can be greater, the risk they have to undertake in the process means that only the most skilled can succeed and procure them," Momon explained as he and Alfred took their seats. "Workers do not receive informational or administrative support from the Adventurer's Guild and as such must not only investigate the difficulty of a quest but also analyse the risk and reward involved by themselves. As a result, most workers are motivated by money, although there are some cases where workers have brought benefits to people's welfare, including one example where a cheaper alternative medicine was discovered."
Before either Nabe or Alfred could speak further, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Sirs, Madam…Lord Fluder has arrived and is ready to meet with you," spoke a clear female voice on the other side.
"Send him in," Momon replied. (Okay everyone, focus. This is the first of many steps on our path to declaring Nazarick to the rest of the world as a dominant power, just as Demiurge described. Failure is not an option…are we clear?)
(You bet, Suzi) (As you command, my lord) came the replies just as the door opened, revealing the highly respected Court Magus dressed in the finest robes he possessed, his withered hands adorned by many rings and his face currently set in a curious yet expectant expression.
"Lord Fluder, thank you for meeting with us at short notice," Momon addressed him respectfully, getting up to shake his hand. "I am Momon of Darklight, and these are my comrades Alfred and Nabe. You honour us by granting us this audience."
"The honour is mine…it is not often I get to meet adventurers with reputations such as yours," Fluder replied kindly as he also shook Alfred's hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of Nabe's hand, as was befitting when greeting a lady with such standing as hers to which Nabe managed to suppress a shudder of disgust and the urge to fry him with her lightning magic for the sake of the Supreme Ones' plans. After all, the only one who had the right to press his lips on her person was her beloved "I must admit, I was curious when I heard that you requested me personally as I do not often meet with adventurers, but tales of your exploits have reached these ancient ears. If there is any way in which I can advise or assist heroes such as yourselves, please do let me know and I will do what I can to help." Though he was smiling on the outside, Fluder was internally disquieted when his light probe into their magical signatures was unable to discern the levels of their magic, not even the spellcaster's whose aura should have been plain to see.
"You flatter us, Lord Fluder. To be graced with the presence of the world's most pre-eminent spellcaster…there are very few honours that can compare" Alfred said with raised hands, even as he felt Fluder's probe wash over him. (You feel that one, Suzi?)
(I did. I was tempted to draw this out, but his audacity to think we wouldn't notice his trick has changed my mind. Let's get this over with) "Before we start, there is something we'd like to show you…if you don't mind, Lord Fluder?"
"Of course not," Fluder replied, his curiosity piqued. But instead of the magical artefact he was expecting, he was surprised to see the two knights, after getting to their feet, remove one of their gauntlets and, along with Lady Nabe, remove a ring each from their fingers. But before he could speak, he found himself almost bowled over as their magical auras flared into existence, revealing the true depths of their power that stunned the elderly wizard into momentary silence as he struggled to comprehend just what he was seeing. It would have been awe-inspiring enough to bear witness to Lady Nabe's Eight-Tier magic, but her aura was but a candle compared to the unending maelstrom that were Momon and Alfred's.
"Such power…it's unlike anything I have seen before!" He marvelled as he fell to his knees from both the shock and awe of what he was seeing, tears of the purest joy streaming down his eyes and getting lost in his long beard. "They are surely capable of casting Tenth-Tier magic, perhaps even Super-Tier!" "You are…Gods, entities of the Tenth Tier of Magic and beyond!" He found himself exclaiming as he prostrated himself before the three. "To know that there are those who wield such power in this world…perhaps my dreams and ambitions are not as out-of-reach as I believed!" "Though I am underserving, I beg of you oh Great Ones…make me your pupil. I wish to see and wield the chasms of magic that could unravel the very threads of creation itself!"
(Hmm…easier than expected) Momon mused, both unnerved and pleased at the old man's instant capitulation.
(Indeed, it would appear that his reputation as an ambitious man who would do anything to witness and wield the kind of magic we possess was correct) "If we grant you this boon," Alfred answered in his usual tone that befitted power and glory. "What will you give us in return?"
"Everything! All that I have will be at your disposal, my lords!" Fluder shouted, his eyes alight with crazed desire and ambition, their moist state due to the endless stream of tears only highlighting this fact. "I prostrate myself before you, oh glorious beings and masters of the chasm! You need only ask it of me and it will be carried out!"
The two knights looked at each other and nodded, convinced by the naked sincerity of his request. "Very well then, we shall accept you as our disciple. In exchange, you must do exactly as we tell you. Listen carefully." Momon then proceeded to explain what they had in mind and how they wanted Fluder to carry it out.
~TNT~
If he was around 50 years younger, Fluder would surely have had a spring in his step as he left the inn on his way back to the Imperial Palace. In the course of one conversation and display, his deepest desires and ambitions had been granted, all in exchange for a few simple acts that his new gods had asked him to carry out. Given the power that was being promised to him in exchange, Fluder had zero qualms about accepting their terms even if it meant going behind the back of his patron, the 'Bloody Emperor' himself. While the Emperor was a smart, powerful and ambitious man who for sure could rise to even greater heights if he so wished, he couldn't grant the one thing that his new masters could which was the one thing Fluder had desired all of his life: complete and total mastery over the highest tiers of magic.
"If the power that the gods of the chasm displayed back there was only the faintest glimpse of their true might, then I cannot wait to see their full capabilities when the time comes!" the elderly magus thought giddily as he continued on his way. "And when the day comes that they sit astride this world as is their intent, I will have been honoured to play even the smallest part in their rise to the top. Compared to that marvellous sight, the task they have so graciously bestowed upon me is trivial. Such generosity from such god-like beings!" So caught up was he in his thoughts that Fluder barely noticed another golden-armoured guard rushing towards him from out of the palace doors.
"My Lord Fluder, it is fortuitous that you are headed this way. The Emperor has requested your presence," the guard said as he approached.
"Fortuitous? Nay, this is indeed a blessing that my new gods have seen fit to bestow upon my unworthy self!" Fluder had been intending to seek an audience with the young Emperor upon his return to discuss what he had just learnt, so for Jircniv to summon him instead? The timing could not have been more perfect! "The gods' schemes are truly divine and omniscient, and now it falls to me to not only prove worthy of their trust but also to set in motion their grand designs that will bring about an age of talent and prosperity!" Keeping his expression carefully schooled, the Court Magus motioned instead for the guard to lead the way to the Emperor's private quarters where he knocked on the elaborately carved doors upon their arrival.
"Your Majesty, Fluder Paradyne has arrived as per your request. Shall I send him in?" The guard asked in a carrying voice.
"At once," the Emperor's clear voice came from the other side of the door, and as the guard pushed them wide Fluder saw that it would not just be him meeting with the Emperor. Already gathered was the Emperor's scribe and secretary Loune Vermillion who sat on a sofa to the Emperor's left and who, upon seeing Fluder, gave him a deep nod of respect. The sofa on the right-hand side of Jircniv was currently vacant, which Fluder presumed was for him, and standing ever-present behind the Emperor as was their duty were his Four Imperial Knights: Their leader, 'Lightning Bolt' Baziwood Peshmel, a mountain of a man of pure muscle who bore light skin, a handsome heavy face that sported no eyebrows, vibrant blue eyes, a cocky smirk and a blond goatee that matched his likewise long blond hair that he tied back in a long ponytail with a single lock falling upon his forehead.
Beside him stood the ever-grim female knight Leinas Rockbruise. Better known as "Heavy Explosion", the right side of her face covered as always by her long blonde hair, but even as her self-confidence was basically non-existent due to her affliction she could still be considered one of the most beautiful women in the Empire and possibly the entire New World, with flawless fair skin on the rest of her body, green grass eyes, a beauty mark below the left side of her mouth, plus a mouth-watering body underneath her armour that possessed a perfect hourglass figure with wide child bearing hips, an ample and sexy ass, a thin waistline and finally very big breasts that even the armour she was wearing revealed the extent of their very ample size, even though she wore an ample amount of bandages on her chest to fit into her armour better.
The handsome Nimble Arc Dale Anoch, who bore the epithet 'Fierce Gale', was next in line. He possessed an athletic body, light skin, straw-coloured ear-length hair in addition to very pretty azure eyes plus a confident smile.
Last came the stoic and composed Nazami Enec better known as "The Unassailable" who unlike his fellow Imperial knights bore tanned skin, short cropped grey hair, intense brown eyes, and a serious face lined with some wrinkles as befitting his status as the eldest of his peers, plus on his chin he sported an X shaped scar, the result of him being cockier than he should have been in one of their previous annual wars with the kingdom. All four soldiers were resplendent in their dark plate armour and dark cloaks.
"Welcome, old man. Please, have a seat. We're just about to get started," Jircniv called out smoothly as the wizened magus stopped to bow in his presence, indicating the sofa to his right as Fluder had predicted. "We're honoured to have been able to drag you away from your tower even for just the briefest moments." Despite the tease that was so apparent in his patron's voice, Fluder was well used to it and thus didn't react to the Emperor's slight dig at his pursuits.
"I will always come when you call, young Master," Fluder answered respectfully as he lowered himself onto the sofa. "How might I be of service to you today?"
"No need for that at the moment Gramps. I merely called you and the others here to discuss the current goings-on in Re-Estize," Jircniv said with a casual wave of his hand before turning to look at his scribe. "Loune, please update them on what you have been told so far."
"Of course, Your Majesty," the scribe answered, his light-brown bowl cut, pale skin and grey eyes making him look all the more obedient as he got to his feet and produced a scroll from which he then proceeded to read. "The recent 'incident' in the Re-Estize Kingdom caused significant damage and casualties there, and the reports from our spies indicate that the one responsible, a demon by the name of 'Jaldabaoth', was defeated by a pair of adamantite-class adventurers called Momon and Alfred of Darklight."
"I see…and were they able to slay this demon?" Jircniv asked as Fluder once again had to struggle to keep his true thoughts hidden when he heard the now-familiar names.
"No, he was able to escape them…but not before suffering significant casualties among his lieutenants and the rest of his forces," Loune answered. "The Kingdom has tightened security and is searching for him, but despite their efforts no sightings of the demon have been recorded since. In addition, the two responsible for his defeat were made honorary knights of the Kingdom by the King himself."
This news prompted stunned murmurings from those assembled, with the consensus among them being that if these adventurers had garnered the favour of the King of Re-Estize himself, and for their deeds, and even knighted in a land where that honour was reserved strictly for those of noble birth, then they must truly be skilled and fierce warriors. As for the Emperor, he kept his thoughts on this matter to himself as he pondered the ramifications of the report so far. "Then the Re-Estize Kingdom is already in a state of exhaustion," he murmured pensively. "If so, then there may be no need for us to wage our annual war this year." His pensive expression morphed into a predatory grin as he got to his feet, the eyes of everyone in the room upon him. "Through their incompetent nobles and others in our pocket, we've learnt useful information that will only further aid in its downfall. The Great Baharuth Empire will never follow in the footsteps of that kingdom of fools."
This prompted grunts and other noises of approval from the Imperial Knights as the young ruler cast his gaze on Fluder. "I, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, have an order for you, Imperial Court Magus Fluder Paradyne. Are you prepared to serve me?"
"Of course, my Emperor. I live to serve." The lie came almost effortlessly out of Fluder's lips.
"I want you to start investigations into this 'Jaldabaoth' with all haste. In addition, my interest has also been piqued by the deeds and sudden rise of these two adventurers, Momon and Alfred of Darklight, along with the one known as Ainz Ooal Gown who saved the Kingdom's chief warrior Gazef Stronoff." His expression went pensive once more. "Powerful figures are starting to emerge, heroes and demons alike. It makes me wonder…it has been two hundred years since the war against the Evil Deities was fought. Perhaps we're overdue for another war like it…" He then turned his head to look at the armoured figures behind him, his gaze landing first on Baziwood. "How do you suppose the Four Imperial Knights would perform in such a battle?"
"I dunno…could get a bit dicey." Despite his esteemed position, Baziwood spoke with informality and blunt honesty that was refreshing for the young ruler. "But with the four of us standing together, I'd bet we could make a good account of ourselves!"
"If there's a chance of victory I'll fight, but if defeat is guaranteed I'll retreat." Leinas' self-serving answer was unsurprising to the Emperor having gotten used to such attitude from her.
"The Emperor is here…do try and show a bit more respect," Nimble admonished his fellow knight while Nazami remained silent.
"Worry not…you can be as you are here," Jircniv chuckled as he waved off Nimble's words before focusing his gaze once more on Fluder. "Now listen carefully, old man…I want you to continue your investigations on Momon, Alfred and Ainz Ooal Gown while at the same time gathering as much information as you can on the potential origins and power of this demon Jaldaboath..."
"Actually, my young Master…my investigations into the matters you just described have already borne fruit," Fluder interrupted. "I have recently come across some information that you may find…interesting if you'll permit me to share it with you."
"Have you now?" Jircniv's expression was one of carefully composed neutrality, even if his tone belied his curiosity. "Then please, why don't you share it with us?"
~TNT~
At the same time, in the Royal Palace of the Re-Estize Kingdom…
"Unfortunately it will be some time before the streets and buildings are fully repaired," Second Prince Zanac reported to his father King Ramposa whom he was hosting in his private chambers, along with Chief Warrior Gazef who was dutifully attending his King as always and his sister Princess Renner who was sat off to the side away from the table which the King and his middle child were currently sat around. "Jaldabaoth and the battle that resulted did cause quite a bit of damage…"
"Given what transpired, I suppose it cannot be helped…" The King sighed. "How are the common folk faring, Renner?"
"Very well, which is surprising given what they went through. They are also extremely grateful for the aid we of the royal family are personally providing to the reconstruction and aid efforts," Renner answered with a soft yet sad smile. "But there are those who are still anxiously awaiting news of their relatives who were kidnapped by the demons. Tell me, brother…do we have any idea what happened to them yet?"
"Marquis Raeven and I are looking into the matter, but we've not gotten as far as I would have hoped," Zanac answered with genuine dismay. Despite the front he put on, he did deeply value the lives of his countrymen. "The only thing we are certain of is that nearly 100,000 people were taken off our streets seemingly without a trace."
"How terrible…" Renner sighed with what appeared to be genuine concern while the King grunted unhappily at this news.
"Try not to worry yourself overmuch, Father," Zanac tried to appease the elderly monarch upon seeing his crestfallen reaction. "For the most part people across the land are praising you for your leadership and your efforts in aiding the restoration. I must also admit that your move in knighting the brave adventurers who beat back the demons was an inspired choice, as it has further endeared you to those who already saw them as the real saviours of the day."
"All thanks to the plans created and implemented by you and your sister," Ramposa said, waving off his son's praise. "As for knighting Sir Momon and Alfred…it only seemed fitting after their heroic and selfless actions in keeping our people safe."
"You are too kind, father," Zanac replied with a small incline of his head, a gesture that Renner copied straight away. "Speaking of the demon who perpetuated the crisis, he was heard saying that he was after a magic item located somewhere within the bowels of the city. The Magician's Guild is looking into it. Finding what he wants may help us find him…" his voice trailed off as he and the rest overheard the sounds of loud footsteps approaching them, along with the desperate pleas of the serving staff to not interrupt. "Oh joy…I know of only one who walks with such deliberately heavy footfalls…this is going to be a headache…" And sure enough…
"Father! It's good to see you!" The doors to Zanac's quarters were blown open, heralding the arrival of Zanac and Renner's older brother Crown Prince Barbro as he strode imperiously into the room seemingly without a care in the world, clad in a richly embroidered black, blue and red military garb, his short tuft of blonde hair, chin curtain beard and small moustache immaculately groomed as always, as were his arrogant blue eyes and perfectly treated skin and muscular frame. At his side was his closest ally among the nobility, the heavily facially-scarred and stout leader of the Nobility Faction Marquis Boullope, his horseshoe moustache that always accompanied his haughty sneer, darker skin and short, curly brown hair were untouched as were his judgemental grey eyes, who was far and away the greediest and most selfishly ambitious member of all the nobility of the kingdom which was really saying something.
"Prince Barbro! You cannot enter the King's presence unannounced, especially when he is in the middle of discussions regarding the Kingdom's affairs!" Gazef rebuked Barbro sharply, his distaste for the young man clearly evident on his face. Despite knowing he was addressing the Crown Prince himself, Gazef's loyalty and devotion to his king and friend wouldn't allow him to tolerate such disrespect to his Majesty, especially not from someone who should carry himself with more grace and dignity as befitting a child of the royal family.
"Be silent, you upstart commoner!" Boullope sneered as he and Barbro approached the table where the King and Zanac were sitting. Much like Gazef, the Second Prince's disdain for his elder brother was clear to see while the elderly Ramposa sighed in exasperation at his heir's behaviour.
"Cheeky peasant! I ought to have you thrown in the dungeon for daring to address me in such a manner!" Barbro snapped haughtily, looking as if he was a moment's away from outright spitting on Gazef's face.
"You shall do no such thing!" Ramposa's patience with his son's antics had already worn thin, but the insults Barbro had thrown were the last straw. "Sir Gazef is my chief warrior and trusted bodyguard and has earned my trust. He spoke only at his duty and honour required of him."
"Only nobles may become knights of this kingdom! It's dangerous to keep a lowborn fighter like him at your side!" Boullope argued.
"Exactly! Low-born scum like him and those adventurers you saw fit to make honorary knights are undeserving of such a privilege!" Barbro added petulantly in agreement with his ally, drawing the ire of everyone else in the room who had personally witnessed the heroics of the aforementioned Sir Momon and Sir Alfred.
"Brave of you to speak so ill of them when they are not present," Zanac snarked. "Surely you are not questioning the King's decision to reward those who risked their lives to defend the kingdom? If you wanted such glory and accolades for yourself, maybe you should have joined us in the battle, brother, rather than engaging in your… 'leisurely' pursuits." Barbro was poised to erupt at his younger brother for his (in his eyes) blatant disrespect, only for the King, who was now thoroughly exhausted and done with his children's squabbling, to put his foot down both physically and literally.
"Enough! My decision is final, and I will not hear another word about it!" The ferocity of the King's rebuke caught even Zanac and Renner off guard as the monarch turned his steely gaze from the now-cowed Marquis to his still-seething eldest son. "Now, what business do you have here that is so urgent that you have to rudely interrupt this private meeting, or did you come here just to spout ill-born insults?"
"We've come to ask why you've left E-Rantel undefended!" Barbro shouted as he smacked his hands against the surface of the table, causing the tea in the King's and Zanac's cups to overspill slightly.
"Because the Empire is not attacking us, brother." Zanac stated with deliberate slowness, somehow being able to make the word 'brother' sound like the vilest of insults. As for Renner, she was simply observing the conversation with amused curiosity while stirring her own tea knowing that her involvement would be about as welcome as Gazef's when it came to her eldest brother
"All we know is that the Empire doesn't plan to attack us in the harvest as they have in the past," Boullope argued, referring to the usual time of the year when Baharuth launched their annual invasion. "They must be shifting the time of their attack to catch us off guard. As such we can ill-afford to leave any of our territories unmanned, especially one as crucial to us as E-Rantel."
"Right! Send me there to crush the Empire's forces, along with the demon Jaldabaoth! Put your faith in me instead of my younger brother who can barely swing his sword!" Barbro brashly declared, very much resembling a petulant toddler instead of a fully grown man causing the King, Gazef, Zanac and Renner to all sigh in exasperation.
~TNT~
Later that same day, at the Singing Apple Pavilion in Arwintar
"It's as I told you, Rober…they were both in full plate armour. The guy at the front's was black as midnight and he had these two massive greatswords on his back, while the other guy had shining silver armour and bore a sword and shield just like all those gallant knights you hear about," Hekkeran Termite, the blonde-haired leader of the worker group known as Foresight, waxed to his drinking partner and comrade Roberdyck Goltron as they both took long sips out of their respective tankard. Despite the casualness of their surroundings, the 'Pillar' of the group was clad in his usual get-up of brown chainmail armour and leggings with his two swords hanging off the belt around his waist. He was reasonably handsome, with light skin, dark blue eyes, prominent cheekbones and messy blond hair that had a tuff of crimson on the left side of his head in addition to a muscular and toned body. "They were the real deal, I'm telling you!"
"Think he was a mercenary?" His stockier comrade wondered, giving him a side glance with his crystal-clear blue eyes. Whilst his hair was a similar shade to his leader's, that was where their similarities in appearance ended since his was neater and more cared for than Hekkeran's untidy mop, in addition to being a darker shade of blonde with no crimson in sight plus unlike Hekkeran who was clean-shaven Roberdyck sported a perfectly trimmed chin curtain beard that matched his hair colour and slightly tanner skin. And unlike their leader who resembled more of a dashing rogue, Roberdyck's look and demeanour was that of a caring and sensible fellow with good intentions. He was also clad in his usual silver body armour with an outer garment embroidered with the symbol of a crest which could also be seen hanging from the necklace hanging from his neck, and a wicked-looking morning star hung from his waist.
"Either that or he was a foreign adventurer," Hekkeran answered seriously, taking another big swig from his tankard. "I know all the famous ones that work in the Empire, but I've never seen or heard of anyone like them.
"So not a worker then?" His comrade ventured
"No way, not in that garb and with those weapons. They also had a completely different air to them." His expression then turned slightly lecherous as he leaned in close to Roberdyck who sighed as though he could sense what he was about to say. "Oh yeah…did I mention they had a beautiful dame by their side? She had gorgeous black hair, and don't even get me started on her eyes!"
"I had a feeling that's what you wanted to talk about," the armoured cleric sighed. He'd been hoping and praying for what felt like years now that Hekkeran would lose some of his flirting tendencies now that he was in a relationship of his own, but sadly that didn't seem to have deterred the leader of Foresight one jot. "Surely you don't think she's as good-looking as Miss Imina, do you?"
"Honestly? She was even more beautiful…" Despite the threat to his manhood that was sure to occur if word of this conversation got to his partner, Hekkeran wasn't a believer in withholding the truth from anyone. Besides, he knew he could trust Roberdyck to keep these conversations a secret."
"And to think it was only yesterday that you loudly proclaimed that you had eyes for no one else but your beloved Imina…" Roberdyck teased lightly while sighing again. "He's so fortunate that Imina's not here right now and that I'm willing to keep his secrets." Years of adventuring together and being the young man's close confidante when he was unsure of matters had created a strong bond of trust between them that Roberdyck, ever the faithful and compassionate soul, would not dare dream of breaking.
"I know it goes without saying but please don't tell her about this…I'll even buy you another round. Hey barkeep!" Hekkeran raised his hand to grab someone's attention. "Can you get this guy another round of-"
"Water, please," the cleric interrupted, motioning to the small cup he had been sipping from as soon as he'd arrived.
"Oh fine…" Hekkeran frowned when he saw no one coming to serve them. "Must have gone out back…oh well, another round can wait I suppose…" He was just about to take another long chug from his tankard when the door of the inn swung open. In anticipation of the bartender returning, Hekkeran turned his head to call out to them only to discover the familiar form of his partner Imina entering the premises. "Oh…hello there Imina…"
"What's up?" She asked casually. Despite her human-like appearance, Imina was a half-elf, the result of a union between a male elf and a human woman and possessed bright green eyes and dark purple hair that flowed down behind her back in a twin ponytail, plus immaculate snow-white skin and pointy ears that showcased her elven heritage. She was clad in a muddy-coloured ranger's attire with a bow strapped to her back along with a pair of knives strapped to her belt that fitted her body type perfectly as, much to her slight irritation, she was particularly lacking in the… 'womanly assets' department, as if it were not for the obvious signs of her gender she could have easily passed off as a man.
"Nothing…it's just you're a little early that's all…" The nervousness behind her partner's reply caused Imina's eyes to narrow, but before she could say anything the last member of their party walked straight into her side having not anticipated her comrade stopping dead in her tracks.
"Oh, sorry about that Arche…" The half-elf apologised quickly.
"It's fine…" muttered the small magic-caster, a young girl by the name of Arche Eeb Rile Furt who possessed a petite build, short bob cut blonde hair with straight bangs held together by a black headband and blue eyes, features that were much akin to a delicate porcelain doll (though woe betide anyone who treated her as such). She was clad in a red shirt, a brown cloak that hung all the way to the floor, an orange skirt and large mustard-coloured boots, and on her back was stowed a plain-looking brown staff.
"Come on in, take a seat…we've got business to discuss," Hekkeran quickly spoke up, eager to divert the conversation away from what Roberdyck and he had been discussing earlier as he motioned for the girls to join him and the cleric in a private corner of the pavilion. Once they had set up a physical barrier to keep prying eyes away, he began to outline the reason he'd called them all here in the first place. "I've just got our next job. We're heading to the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom where they're looking for volunteers to explore an ancient tomb they just recently discovered there."
"So in short, we're being asked to sneak into an ancient tomb in another country and rob an ancient gravesite," Imina snarked.
"Pretty much," Hekkeran confirmed, having gotten used to this sort of attitude from Imina over the years. While others may have found it rude and off-putting, he found it endearing and really appreciated the boldness with which his partner would speak her mind. "It's a dirty job which makes it suited for us workers." He then turned to look at the smallest member of the group. "Arche…did you find out the name of the client?"
"I did," the small blonde replied with thinly-veiled disgust. "The client's well-known…his name is Count Femel. He's a noble who is losing favour with the Bloody Emperor, however he's yet to have any of his privileges stripped from him so he's still wealthy."
"So we know he can pay then…that's good because he's offering 200 gold upfront and 150 afterwards." This got everyone's attention as Hekkeran elaborated further. "It's one of those contracts that pays highly both immediately and on completion. These don't come up too often and on top of that, we'll get bonus pay depending on what we find. You see…the word is we're not the only team he's hiring." His expression then changed into an eager smirk. "But here's the really exciting part…this ruin's apparently never been explored before."
"Well that's a surprise…I didn't think such a place could still exist as most have already been found and plundered by now," Imina commented, her eyes narrowing at her partner. "Is your source on this reliable?"
By way of an answer, Hekkeran motioned for Arche to pull out a map and left the further explanation in her hands. "It's true that there's no evidence of any ruins being there on any maps we have of the area, nor could I find any historical references of there being an ancient tomb or city," she explained. "But there's a village close to it…we could ask there for confirmation if needed."
"Wish we could…but judging by reward, the client probably wants us to be as discreet as possible," Hekkeran pointed out grimly, causing the tiny blonde to sigh.
"Of course…if we're too careless, we'll surely invoke the wrath of the Re-Estize Kingdom," she reasoned reluctantly.
"It's a dirty kind of job then," Hekkeran said, looking around at each of his party members one by one. "It's up to the rest of you…do we take the money and job or turn it down? Let's start with you, Roberdyck."
"I'm willing to try it…and should we find anything unholy within its depths my skills as a cleric can keep you all safe," the muscular blonde answered with a small nod.
"Sure, let's try it," Imina spoke up next. "It's been a while since we last had a proper job."
"At least it's not hunting undead in the Katze Plains this time," Hekkeran quipped before turning to Arche. "How about you?"
"If you're doing all this to help me, I'd much rather you stopped." The biting words behind her response caught them all off-guard. "We can turn this job down…I'll be okay, and it means the rest of you won't end up in danger on my account."
"It's not just for you, it's for all of us…we'll each be getting 350 gold even if we find nothing down there," Imina tried to reassure her teammate, looking at Roberdyck for support. "It's good money…right, Rober?"
"My thoughts exactly, and an undiscovered tomb's bound to have treasure. Don't you agree, Hekkeran?" the cleric said with a side glance to their leader who smirked in response before looking back at the small magic-caster.
"Well, what do you say, Arche?" In the face of her comrades' gentle encouragement and sincerity, a grateful smile appeared on the young girl's face.
"Thank you all," was all she said, which the rest took as her agreement. Now that their business was concluded, the four got up and left the inn just as the sun was setting overhead.
"You know…it is too bad, but I doubt this reward will be enough to pay off your parents' debt," Hekkeran commented to Arche as they walked out onto the streets of the capital, only for the small blonde to shake her head.
"It's alright. As long as I can pay some of it, the debtors will wait," she reassured them, but even with her assurances the rest of them weren't convinced by her answer.
"Let us know if you want us to talk with your father," the blonde-haired leader offered.
"I'll be happy to offer the word of God to him, although he'll need to learn God's anger first," Roberdyck added.
"We might have to poke a few holes in his ears first before he can hear us," Imina quipped, causing the rest of them, even Arche, to giggle before the small blonde's face soured once more.
"It's not right…it's their debt, they should be the ones having to pay it. I'll just take my sisters and wash my hands off them," was all she said before taking her leave, not noticing three pairs of worried eyes watching her as she went. With such a close bond between the four, the others all knew of the financial trouble Arche's parents had fallen into after losing their nobility status as a result of Emperor Jircniv's purges and constantly feared for Arche's health, well-being and state of mind due to the lengths she was going to in order to clear it. Neither her mother nor her father had accepted the reality of their new status and had continued to spend their money recklessly, placing them at the mercy of debtors and other shady characters which in turn had forced Arche to go out of her way to take on the responsibility of reimbursing the debt herself, not for their sake but for the sake of herself and her sisters who she cared for deeply, even tossing aside a VERY promising future that had been within her grasp as Fluder Paradyne's student before her parents had ruined everything with their arrogance, pride, greed and denial. All for her beloved little sisters.
"If Miss Arche takes in her sisters, she won't be able to take dangerous jobs with us anymore," Roberdyck commented sadly as the three made their way to a restaurant with an outdoor establishment where they ordered themselves some water. "She'll certainly have to retire as a worker to look after them full-time."
"What will she do for cash then?" Hekkeran wondered concernedly.
"I'm sure she'll be fine…she's a third-tier magic caster after all," Imina commented dismissively. "There's plenty of work in the city for someone of her level, especially with her Talent." Arche's talent was known as 'All-Seeing Eyes' which allowed her to see the tier of any magic caster she laid eyes on
"That's a good point, but then we'll be the ones out of luck," Hekkeran pointed out. "Third-tier magic casters are rare enough as it is, and I doubt we'll find another one with a talent as useful as Arche's. Only Fluder Paradyne has that particular gift as well." He let out a weary sigh before continuing. "I guess we'll just have to recruit and train up a 2nd-tier magic caster in her place…"
"That sounds like it should be our last resort," Roberdyck said.
"Yeah, but working as a team of three would be risky…unless you two want to rejoin the guild?" Both of them shook their heads at this answer since Roberdyck was tired of all the bureaucratic red tape that prevented him from helping those in need while Imina refused to be parted from either of them, claiming no one else would accept her due to her heritage. The discussion then turned to what they might all get up to if they also decided to retire, which Roberdyck suspected he wouldn't mind if he could find a job that would help people before teasing that it would give Hekkeran and Imina more time to explore the finer details of a relationship, causing the pair of lovebirds to blush and protest at his implications. The laughter and joviality of such an exchange temporarily lifted the grim mood that had hung around them during their discussion regarding Arche's grim circumstances, and after a few rounds the three went their separate ways to get their rest (Roberdyck smiled as his teammates walked away together…no doubt to less than holy activities later in the night) and prepare for the start of their job in the morning, which they all privately suspected would be the last job they'd ever undertake as a team.
~TNT~
The next morning, outside the Singing Apple Pavilion
As the four members of Foresight assembled outside the inn where they had been told to meet the other workers who were undertaking the job alongside them, the others couldn't help but notice that Arche seemed to be in a particularly foul mood this morning and suspected that it wasn't due to a lack of sleep. "That bad, huh?" Hekkeran asked as the young magic-caster approached.
"I don't want to talk about it," Arche snapped, glaring at her leader. She'd done enough shouting last night and the last thing she wanted was to take out her bad mood on her friends.
"We could've helped if you'd asked…" Though Roberdyck's words were meant well, it was the wrong thing to say as Arche's fierce glare snapped to him instead. Perhaps sensing the tension that was building, Imina got between the men and Arche and gave all of them a stern look that roughly translated as 'drop it'. Taking his partner's unspoken advice, Hekkeran instead turned to look at all of the workers' groups that were currently assembling.
"Well I'll be damned…never seen so many famous workers in the same place at once," he commented with awe upon noticing the quality of the arms and armour surrounding them. "This client really does have deep pockets."
"Stop running your mouth and get in there," Imina told him with a small glare. "The leaders of each group are assembling, so you should probably introduce yourself so we can this job started sooner."
"Fine…" Hekkeran sighed as he went over and introduced himself. He was already acquainted with Gringham, the heavily-armoured leader of Heavy Masher, who bore light skin, blue eyes and a light brown Van dyke beard, having worked alongside him on a few other jobs, but he had never met the other two before even though he had of them by reputation.
He was glad to see Parpatra Ogrion, the elder leader of Dragon Hunt who had very wrinkled tanned skin, almost always closed eyes, Balding white hair that he held back at the back of his head, a long chin beard that he likewise held by a hair band and a long Chinese moustache and possessed quite a fearsome reputation as a skilled leader and competent warrior, and while he greeted the other leader politely, Hekkeran's skin crawled as he remembered everything he had heard about Erya Uzruth. The man, who had light skin, pale blond hair held back by a bun on the back of his head and slimy and depraved grey eyes, was the definition of an arrogant slime and carried himself like it too, and even though he exchanged kind words with them Hekkeran could see in his eyes that the man was already looking at him and the others as though they were but dirt on his boots. He also didn't miss how Erya's eyes jumped to Imina for a moment, and the blink-and-you'll-miss-it sneer that resulted almost caused the normally mild-mannered adventurer to deck the arrogant ponce in the face, having also heard rumours that Erya enjoyed abusing and berating women especially if they were non-human. If the condition and ragged look of his party members/slaves were anything to go by, then those rumours certainly had some truth to them.
After greetings had been exchanged, along with bearing witness to Erya's depravities as he struck one of his slaves in the face upon returning to them which made everyone else's skin crawl, they were all called together by a bespectacled butler who had some words for them on behalf of their client.
"First, please allow me to thank each and every one of you for accepting the Count's request," he began with a small bow before leading them over to where their caravans were currently being loaded with all the supplies that they would need and which, to everyone's amazement, would be pulled by black-skinned Sleipnir horses which were much larger compared to normal horses and who possessed eight legs instead of the usual four.
"Even grand nobles rarely have those steeds…the Count's really going all out for us," Arche couldn't help but marvel.
"In addition, we've also hired guild adventurers to protect your convoy until the mission is complete," the butler added, unsurprisingly drawing a sneer from Erya.
"I'm willing to entrust gold-plated adventurers with the task of carrying my belongings for me, but when it comes to the protection of them I'm a little less confident in their abilities." Everyone else sighed at the leader of Tenmu's arrogant words, but the butler seemed unperturbed as though he had expected such a complaint.
"Then I'm pleased to be able to dispel your worries when I say that the Count has also hired a little extra protection," he replied while motioning to a pair of hidden individuals to reveal themselves, and as they stepped forward audible gasps could be heard from among the assembled workers as they realised who was standing in their midst. "May I introduce to you the adamantite adventurer and honorary knight of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Sir Momon of Darklight, as well as his team-mate Lady Nabe?" Upon seeing the workers' reactions, the butler couldn't help but chuckle. "I take it you find this arrangement…satisfactory?"
"We're honoured but…aren't there meant to be four members of Darklight? Where are the others?" Roberdyck asked.
"A fair question, and one I can easily answer. Sir Alfred and Lady Eleanor had business to attend to back in their homeland, so they won't be joining us for this mission," Momon said as he stepped forward. Having taken the time to observe the assembled workers from the shadows of the assembled caravans, he already had a favourable impression of this man and his comrades but had a further question to ask both him and the rest. "Before we begin…why have you all taken this job to explore these ruins?"
The unexpected question caught everyone off-guard, allowing Momon to elaborate further. "For most adventurers, there's a moral imperative for each job request they receive. I'd like to understand why you workers would take such a request knowing the risks involved. What drives you?"
"The amount of money, obviously," Erya drawled as though it was common sense.
"I see…so you've been offered enough money to put your lives on the line?" Truthfully Momon had expected such a response from this slimeball, but he hoped it wouldn't be the case with the rest of them. Unfortunately, the resulting answer left him disappointed.
"That's correct. We've been offered a sum of money we'd risk death to collect," Gringham confirmed, accompanied by nods from the rest of Heavy Masher as well as the members of Dragon Hunt. And while Hekkeran and the rest of Foresight didn't counter their claim, their uncomfortable expressions at Gringham's words confirmed to Momon at least there was more to their reasons for coming along rather than just pure greed which gave him hope that Foresight might be swayed to their cause… if they survived the surprises that waited in store for all the workers that is.
"Very well…it's your right to make that choice," Momon said with a sigh that caused Nabe to look at him with concern even though she shared his disgust with their answers. "I see now…I asked a truly worthless question. Forgive me." With those words Momon and Nabe turned around and walked a short distance away, leaving behind a group of bemused/confused workers who wondered just what that question had been in aid of.
Edster: And there we have another chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as we did writing it. Several key meetings took place and we got introduced to some more notable characters including Foresight (whom we have plans for) and Barbro (who trust me we are REALLY going to make suffer in this story!) Aside from that not much else to comment on since this mainly is just a rehash of episode 6, with some dialogues changed to reflect certain events resolving differently as well as moving up the scene with Fluder from episode 9 in order to accurately move the timeline along.
daniel: Another chapter done! Really happy to have started the arc! One of my favourites! As my co-author said we have BIG plans for Foresight and can't wait to make Barbro suffer for all his arrogance and selfishness that was poised to ruin his kingdom! And boy are the rest of the workers in for a nasty surprise, the fact that they will help test Nazarick's defences is an added bonus but NO ONE enters the Great Tomb of Nazarick with the intent of stealing from it and comes out unscathed… if they come out at all
Edster: Thank you all again for all the support and love you have shown this story, we both really appreciate it. Next time up is the landmark thirtieth chapter of this tale where the workers enter Nazarick and begin to experience all the horrific surprises that await them within. On behalf of myself and my co-author daniel, whose support, tireless efforts and encouragement have helped make this story the success it has been so far, we appreciate you sticking by us for all this time and we shall see you in the next instalment of the Nazarick Triumvirate!
Also remember to keep updating our TV Tropes page!