NoahTheNoah: In response to a review, I mentioned that the arrival of Elvil would be a big problem for Ainz due to the dragon by itself, and its army, but also some Rahaguen's inhabitants. One of them is Angel Krang, a master assassin with a special connection with Miriel. His wife, Fiona Saphira, is a Changeling spy, a shapeshifter who can read a person's thoughts just by touching him.
Emanuel Castro: No need to worry about that. Miriel will summon Gilgamesh using the Actorios, a magical object created by the Cosmic Balance. Alaya is only a secondary power compared to the omniscient entity that ensures balance throughout the Multiverse.
Moreover, I would like to point out that you are confusing Alaya and Gaia. True Heroes are recognized by Gaia (the World) who 'imports' their souls into the Throne of Heroes. These Heroes are Gaia's elite force, tasked with defending the world against external threats, such as the 'Human Order Incineration' in FGO. Alaya is the Will of Humanity. It is she who would seek to supplant non-humans because she would consider them as a threat to humanity... except that the Heroes in the service of Alaya are the Counterforce or 'Alaya's dog' (a derogative term used by True Heroes). They are in the Throne of Heroes but they are not True Heroes, they made a pact with Alaya during their lifetime or at the time of their death in exchange for which they would serve Alaya eternally. A good example of Alaya's Dog is EMIYA/ Archer.
Note from the author: After finishing this chapter, I am certain that readers will once again argue that I do not understand Ainz. They may claim that Ainz is a nice guy and has many many many excuses for his actions.
However, whatever your opinion on Ainz, remember that Miriel has never seen the anime. Miriel's opinion is based on her own experiences. She doesn't know what's going on in Ainz's head. From her perspective, Ainz kidnapped a friend she never saw again after that, tortured people to gather information (including her friend Diolaine), and has been actively pursuing her for months. She also visited the human bone sculpture workshop of Demiurge/Jaldabaoth, and like all inhabitants of the New World, she is aware that the fall of Re-Estize led to several hundred thousand deaths and devastated entire cities. How could her opinion be positive?
The funny thing is that people who accuse me of not understanding Ainz are making the same mistake as Miriel. The main protagonist of this story hates and fears Ainz (as we have just seen), so she has no difficulty putting herself in the shoes of the victims of the wars caused by Gown. Her feelings towards them are empathic.
Sitting comfortably on your couch, eating popcorn in front of the screen you could say "Yeah, Ainz is so cool" *popcorn* "Wow there, he massacred a hundred thousand people in one shot... so strong," Me, during this massacre's scenes, I wanted to throw up... because I identify myself with the victims while you identify yourself with Gown. In both cases, it is an empathic trap.
I tried (in a previous chapter) to explain it to you, empathy is a trap. Empathy divides the world between them/us, empathy makes us feel positive things for those who are like us or those we aspire to be like and makes us hate or despise those who are different.
Racism = Empathy!
Reason tells us, on the contrary, that the different sides of a conflict may be both in their right. The world is not so simple that it can be divided into good guy /bad guy... except in an anime.
Have you heard of the optical phenomenon called "lenticular perception"? It refers to certain paintings that represent one thing, such as a young woman, from one angle, while from another angle they represent something else, like an old woman. The truth may seem different depending on the perspective from which it is observed.
That is why the author of this story presents the different points of view of characters from opposing sides, allowing the reader to understand the situation as a whole from their respective perspectives.
The Law of the Strongest
Somewhere near Silsuntecks, Theocracy of Slane.
Nervously, Miriel tried to forget the hundreds of eyes fixed on her.
She breathed in, and breathed out, clearing her mind of all parasite's thoughts.
Standing in the middle of the fields of medicinal herbs maintained by peasants who had stopped work to watch her, the half-elf faced a gigantic tree... which was only a few weeks old. The appearance of this tree was even more amazing than its size or age. The trunk looked like a woman's body covered with moss and garlands of flowers. The two main branches were arms that ended in five secondary branches like oversized fingers. Leaves and flowers formed her hair. A sun ray that fell conveniently on the huge tree illuminated it, allowing the Summoner to see the dancing butterflies while birds sang in the branches.
The sight of this monumental tree calmed the worries of hearths, as pure water calmed the thirsty.
The wizard improvised a short poem where she asked for help from the Entangled Woman. At the index of her right hand, the Actorios awoke. The garnet was inserted into an old ring of tarnished silver engraved with multiple runes of power. The Ring of Kings was the focal point of many pacts linking the Menilboneans to the Lords of Animals, the Lords of Plants, and the Four Lords of Elementals: Lassa the queen of Sylphs, Grome the king of Gnomes, Kakatal the king of the Salamanders, and Straasha the king of the Undines.
In the wood face of the tree, two eyes opened on abysses of green light.
"I heard your voice... You pulled me out of my sleep, my child... your singing was... tolerable."
Why did the poems that Elric improvised seem to please the Entangled Woman when her own was just 'tolerated'?
A little offended, Miriel tried to hide her bad mood.
"Oh mother, forgive me for disturbing your sleep. But I need you. Look!" The Summoner pointed to baskets of potted plants and mushrooms. "I would like you to help me grow, and multiply these plants (1)."
The Entangled Woman was the plant spirit of growth and reproduction. She nodded quite willingly and immediately set to work.
Exhausted by the invocation, Miriel sat down on a bench at the edge of the field area. Surrounded by a guard of 'fire-hydrant' Knights, the members of the Supreme Council advanced towards her. Despite her fatigue, the half-elf stood up and bowed down.
"Hail, noble Cardinals of the Slane Theocracy."
"Your greetings touch me so much that they leave me short of an answer, Miriel" mocked Berenice Nagua Santini. The fat man did not hide his contempt about the 'hero' he had helped to invoke.
A second cardinal spoke in a more neutral voice.
"You are exhausted. Please sit down," said Dominic Ihre Partouche. After a brief pause, he leaned over to the half-elf now sitting. "Must you exhaust yourself like that? We have read the reports Diolaine Gisle Kure sends us and we know you don't care of yourself."
If nothing less, the Cardinals now admitted that they had placed Diolaine by her side to spy on her... probably because the maid had explained that Miriel had never been duped. This led to a great philosophical question... can honesty be retroactive?
Amused, Miriel opened her mouth to say that she alone could summon the Entangled Woman but changed her mind. Rubbing her chin with a creased forehead, the Summoner was thinking. Was she really the only one? After a few seconds, the wizard finally spoke.
"Now that you ask the question, there is probably something you can do. The Entangled Woman is a Lord of the Plants... a spirit of the vegetation. Allow druids to come to this land and worship her for what she is... an incarnation of Mother Nature... The Entangled Woman will feed on their faith and can stay awake even in my absence."
... and I wouldn't be woken up every time Gown attacked the medicinal plant fields that the Lord of the Plants protects.
Miriel stood up.
"Now, I must show your alchemists the three potions you can make with the plants I have brought you."
"And what are these potions?" asked Yvon Jasna Delacroix, the Cardinal of Light.
"Two are for domestic trade as well as export," explained Miriel. "It is a potion of healing diseases and a potion of healing poisons."
"But the third must not be sold out of the Slane Theocracy" deduced Zinedine Delan Guelfi.
"Exactly... I offer you the secret of the potion of MP... in other words, a potion that restores the magic points a spellcaster used."
A shocked silence greeted her words. In the New World there were methods to increase a person's MP (level-up for example), and there were even magical objects that artificially increased the MP of a being... However, there was only one method to regenerate the MP: sleep. Even the undead and demons had to sleep to regenerate their MP. There was no free pass.
"It's impossible," said Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the first cardinal to recover from his surprise.
Miriel nodded.
"And yet, this potion regenerates the MP spent by a spellcaster. All that is needed is a wizard (or another user of magic) to concentrate his magical energy in a crystal placed in the potion..."
"A crystal" interrupted Guelfi.
"Uh... yes... a special crystal that I can provide. Oh, I see, you're worried that I won't give you enough to produce these potions in bulk? Don't worry; these crystals are... uh, what is the term for an object essential for a chemical reaction but not consumed during it? Sorry, I don't remember.
"A catalyst" proposed Lauransan.
"Yes, thank you, a catalyst. So through the action of the catalyst crystal, the magic energy spent by the spellcaster is stored in the potion. When the potion is drunk, the recipient receives the MP that was kept in the potion. Simple, isn't it?"
The cardinals remained silent, probably because they were still struggling to accept the half-elf's explanations. The first to speak was Maximillian Oreio Lagier.
"Do you realize that you have just shaken the very foundation of magic, its functioning... its laws?"
It was Miriel's turn to not know what to say. She blushed and looked away, the Summoner she was on the verge of waddling nervously.
"I'm not a theorist... I never really cared why things were like that, all that ever interested me was the 'how'. How do you use magic? How do you cast a spell? How do you make a potion? But in fact, this potion does not change the laws of the world."
"What do you mean?"
"The world around us, and even our bodies, are laboratories where chemical reactions occur. All these chemical reactions obey the law of Lavoisier: 'Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed'. The number of elements constituting the world never changes. The only thing that changes is how they are assembled. Think of water. Whether it is in the form of ice or the form of steam, water is always water. The amount of water around us never changes; only its state changes: solid, liquid, or gas. It's the same for magic. Stored in our bodies, in a potion, cast in a spell, or present in nature, the amount of magic does not change."
For once, Miriel was happy to have been forced to learn chemistry at school. Without it, she would never have remembered the law of Lavoisier.
Like the alchemy lab where Miriel had done her demonstrations, the small mansion was a recent construction. As Cardinal Lauransan explained, the two buildings were built in the perimeter defended by the Entangled Woman... that is to say in the safest place in all the Theocracy, and perhaps even the whole New World.
While they were walking, Miriel had explained her last idea to the Cardinal of Earth. And once again, he looked at her as if she were crazy.
"You want to requisition a wheat field? I don't understand... why are you asking me that? Especially if it is to infect wheat with diseases."
"I need several fields actually, each one must be contaminated with a different disease. I want to select the most effective strains of diseases and cultivate them."
"I still don't understand."
The half-elf sighed.
"My maternal grandparents were farmers... my memories of them are quite vague, they died when I was eight."
The only family members who loved Haruko.
"During school holidays, I stayed two weeks at their home, and their fields were invaded by a mold that infected the rice fields. Fortunately, the other plantations were spared because they grew vegetables in these fields."
Diolaine and Aymerick Amand Noirfond (the leader of Aymerick's Ranger) were walking behind Miriel. They exchanged a glance with the same expression of perplexity as Raymond Zarg Laurasan... because they also did not understand anything she said.
This annoyed the Player.
"Well, think about it! What is the country that produces the most wheat in the New World?"
"The Sorcerer Kingdom... oh?! Do you want to infect Gown's fields?"
"Of course, all war is first of all economic. And where does the wealth of Gown come from? From his fields! Huge wheat fields stretching out to the horizon... monoculture is not only harmful to the environment because it depletes the soil, but it is also very vulnerable to disease."
Miriel/Haruko remembered the news flashes on television with these rallies of thousands of environmentalists condemning the destruction of the rainforest to create huge palm oil plantations. Moreover, all the NGOs denounced the dangers of monoculture.
"Sell in bulk the potions I have taught you to make," she insisted "Import Gown's wheat... always more wheat, since Gown forces you to do so under threat of war! Your import-export balance will remain balanced as you produce consumer goods that sell well in the Sorcerer Kingdom... But what will happen when Gown has no more wheat to export because his fields become ill? The Sorcerer Kingdom's trade balance will collapse... even though they are dependent on your exports."
Behind them, Noirfond intervened in the conversation.
"Gown will invade this country long before that happens. If you think he will allow you to sell your potions on his territory, you are mistaken. You only showed him that you possess a source of wealth he lacks. His greed knows no bounds—like the Eight Greedy Kings before him. He desires everything: countries, people, and wealth. He wants it all."
"Gown is a pure product of my home world" answered Miriel. "The whole planet is run by arrogant kleptocrats who are only interested in getting richer... and whatever method."
Somewhat surprised by the bitterness of the young woman Aymerick Amand Noirfond remained silent, unable to imagine a response. However, Diolaine spoke in his place.
"I think Lord Noirfond meant that this was going to cause war."
"As a survivor of the Re-Estize nobility, Lord Noirfond should know that if robbers from Slane decide to attack a convoy of wheat from the Sorcerer Kingdom, It will cause more than a mere diplomatic incident. All the inhabitants of Slane would be regarded as complicit in this heinous crime against Gown's self-esteem. Gown will therefore be 'forced' to invade the Theocracy in a genocidal war which will lead to the extermination of half of the inhabitants 'to make an example'. Unless the Sorcerer King decides tomorrow that in fact, Slane is his 'true' homeland and that the inhabitants are 'occupying' a country which has always belonged to him since the beginning of time. Then Gown will invade the land, summoning the kids of Shub-Niggurath to make a great slaughter of the Theocracy's army."
Miriel paused briefly and breathed out to drive away the miasmas of anger that clouded her mind. Stopping in the corridor, the Summoner looked out of a window at the fields.
"The war between the Theocracy of Slane and the Sorcerer Kingdom is inevitable. For the leaders of Slane, the choices are limited to one alternative. They can be compliant sheep led to the slaughterhouse without protest or foxes that slip into the henhouse while the guard dog sleeps."
A servant opened a door guarded by the knights of the Ashendust Scripture. Always guided by Cardinal Raymond Zarg Lauransan, Miriel, Diolaine, and Lord Noirfond entered a room decorated like a boudoir. The walls were adorned with stucco moldings, and a crystal chandelier hung overhead. Two large sofas faced each other on either side of a coffee table, while several consoles of precious wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl lined the walls. A fire burned in a marble fireplace.
Two characters awaited them in the room and stood up upon their entrance—a rare sign of respect given the rank of the mansion's tenants. The newcomers bowed to the tall, old man with a long beard and snow-colored hair.
Ramposa III made a calming gesture with his hand. "Please, there is no need for such exaggerated marks of respect. I am no longer king." The last sovereign of the Fallen Kingdom smiled sorrowfully at his son. "And Zanac is no longer a prince."
Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself, a short and portly young man with blond hair, shook his head with a sinister expression but said nothing, leaving his father to lead the discussion as servants served tea to the visitors.
"Lady Miriel," Ramposa III began, "according to Cardinal Lauransan, you requested to see me. May I ask why?"
"Your Majesty, there are two reasons for my request. The first is that I would like to introduce you to one of your most loyal subjects, Aymerick Amand Noirfond."
In summary, the Summoner recounted the Battle of the Wall and the role played by Aymerick's Ranger in that conflict. "As you can see, not all the inhabitants of Re-Estize have fallen into despair; some continue to fight against Gown. I am confident that they represent the embryo of your kingdom's future liberation army."
Ramposa III smiled.
"I hope so, but I probably wouldn't see the liberation of my fallen kingdom. My son might get that chance."
But Miriel shook her head.
"I too assume that the conflict will be long, but I can assure you that you have a good chance of being alive at its end."
The Summoner opened her inventory and took out a vial filled with liquid from which emanated a faint white light.
"This is a Philter of Youth. I give it to you as a gift!"
In the carriage that was taking them back to Silksuntecks, Diolaine grabbed Miriel by the arm, shaking her violently.
"Why did you give this Philter of Youth, it's a waste!"
The thief's tone, both angry and stunned, amused the half-elf.
"I don't need it. I still have 500 years of life expectancy."
"But you could have sold it!"
"Diolaine, how much do you estimate the price of a Philter of Youth?"
The question caught the spy of the Theocracy off guard. She thought for a few seconds.
"I don't know. But very costly..."
"Much more than you think, one of the necessary ingredients is a divine blessing... All the gold of the world cannot buy the favor of God."
Well, it was a somewhat oriented version of the events that had taken place in the Roble Holy Kingdom but she had an excellent reason to tell the story in the way that was most favorable to her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lauransan coughing in his chair; it went down the wrong way. The half-elf repressed a smile. Yes, I do not only invoke demons, I can also obtain divine favor, you did not expect this isn't it?
"But why give it to the former king of Re-Estize?"
She turned to Diolaine who continued to harass her.
"Because of Gown, Ramposa III has become something that is now just as hard to find as a Philter of Youth... a legitimate king of Re-Estize. If Ramposa III dies in exile, only pretenders will remain. Even Prince Zanac, a descendant of the royal line, was never crowned king. Don't you understand? If Rampossa III dies in exile, the kingdom of Re-Estize may never be rebuilt."
After bringing Ramposa III back to life, Miriel recalled a well-known classic of Japanese-Chinese literature, "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which has been adapted into films, manga, and anime. In many ways, Ramposa III resembled Xiandi, the last emperor of the Han dynasty. Although he lacked real power and was effectively a prisoner in his palace, while successively Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and finally Cao Pi exercised actual control, Xiandi remained the legitimate emperor.
Throughout his ghostly reign, revolts erupted among the loyalists of the Han dynasty who sought to free Han Xiandi. It was necessary for Cao Pi to depose the emperor and proclaim himself king of Wei, marking the end of the Han empire.
Just as Xiandi was a tool for those who held him captive and a rallying point for those opposing the usurpers, Ramposa III would become the figurehead for all the revolts that would shake the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Silksuntecks, Theocracy of Slane.
As soon as she stayed more than a few hours in the capital of Slane, Miriel was at the center of events that always gave her 'immense' pleasure: her trial!
Standing behind a polished wooden bar, the Summoner faced the gathering of the Cardinals gathered around the Pontifex Maximus. All these old men dressed in robes and wearing priestly miters were seated in high cathedra. They looked at her with a mixture of contempt, fear, envy, and... respect.
Behind Miriel, sitting on wooden benches, priests of the Six Great Gods as well as knights from different Scriptures were present at the trial. Along the walls lined clerks surrounded by books, some noted down the proceedings of the debates while others dug through law books or archive texts.
The Pontifex Maximus conducted the inquisitorial session.
Nevertheless, Miriel was calm and confident; she was not in danger... for the moment at least. They needed her to risk her life on the front line to keep their sweet little holy city safe from danger. They certainly weren't going to burn her at the stake... not today anyway. But the Summoner was certain that the clerks would use what is said today to draft the indictment.
"Miriel, we have invited you to give us an explanation of the latest events."
Dressed in the robe of Eraingui, which now resembled her favorite dress—a satin cotardia of very dark red, with long drooping sleeves and a long belt that accentuated the narrowness of her hips—Miriel replied in a firm voice, her words dictated by the ghost.
"I am your faithful servant, Your Holiness, and I am ready to answer all your questions."
"We are concerned that you have summoned the dragon Elvil and its army. We fear that your actions have brought additional danger to the New World and that you have failed in the mission we entrusted to you."
Miriel felt a cold sweat trickle down her neck. It was certainly a possibility; it would be better if she was far away from Slane—perhaps even on another continent—if Elvil started to ravage the region.
"May Your Holiness ease his anxieties. I assure you, Elvil is only trying to return to his home world. Once Jadalbaoth and Ainz Ooal Gown are defeated, I will give him the Usha Orb, and he will go."
... Perhaps she should accompany Elvil, at least to ensure she wouldn't end up on a stake. (2)
"Miriel, we know about the Usha Orb and its role in your plans. But what makes you sure that Elvil will keep its end of the bargain? Why wouldn't he take the Orb from you and leave without fulfilling his part of the contract? Or worse, decide to stay in the New World and found its own kingdom?"
"May Your Holiness be assured that Elvil is bound to keep his word."
"Miriel, are you suggesting that you can impose your will on this dragon?"
Excited whispers spread through the audience.
"Your Holiness, I am a humble servant of the dragon Elvil. I would not dare to give him orders. It is he who ensures my safety, not the other way around."
Secretly amused, the half-elf saw that the cardinals were bleaching and that the whispers in her back were fearful. It was always helpful to remind potential threats that someone powerful was backing you. This avoided... let's say 'communication errors'. Miriel would have liked to boast about her diplomatic talent... except that, of course, everything was suggested by Mathise d'Eraingui.
The Pontifex Maximus hesitated for a moment and then resumed his interrogation.
"So, who can guarantee that this dragon will keep his promise?"
"My guarantors are the Alkanes, the army in Elvil's service. They have only one word. If Elvil steals the Usha Orb... they will turn against the dragon and it knows it."
About to add something, she was interrupted by an anxious voice resounding in her head.
"Lady Mirel, this is Calca Bessarez Holy Queen of Roble. I'm calling you using 'Message'. Please come back immediately!"
Putting a hand on her temple, as if answering the phone, Miriel responded awkwardly, aware that everyone was looking at her.
"Your Majesty? What's going on?"
"Jadalbaoth has crossed the Great Wall; his armies are devastating everything in their path!"
Holy Kingdom of Roble, somewhere west of the Great Wall
A landscape of autumn countryside unfolded endlessly under a sky streaked with white clouds. It was still mild, the season was not very advanced even if the trees already had beautiful yellow or red hues and the undergrowth was strewn with dead leaves.
It could have been an ideal time for a walk... under other circumstances.
Demiurge... or rather Jadalbaoth... had partially transformed. Large bat wings appeared in his back. Escorted by a flock of winged demons, he was heading west, looking with satisfaction at the columns of smoke that appeared everywhere.
Below him, a road led to Kalinsha, a large fortified city in the northern part of the Roble Peninsula. It was a city of great strategic value, nestled in a plain between three mountain ranges. This made it a must-see crossing point between the Great Wall and Hoburns, the capital of Roble.
The Army of the Demi-Human Alliance was pouring down this road, advancing as fast as possible. All around, groups of lesser importance followed secondary roads, and every time they encountered dwellings, new smoke columns appeared in the sky. The demi-humans were unbridled.
Seeing that a group had just arrived at a small charcoal burners' village, Jadalbaoth went down to the ground, still followed by his escort.
Seeing that the villagers had been gathered in the central square by the invaders, he landed near the centaur-like creatures that held the humans prisoner.
"Who's the leader here?"
One of the demi-humans came forward. Like all Zoastias, he had a humanoid torso on the body of a tiger and a sabertooth head.
"I am Vijar Rajandala, I lead this tribe. What do you do for Your Excellency the Demonic Emperor?"
"I just want to know what you'll do with these humans."
Vijar Rajandala shuddered... it was obviously a trick question. Jadalbaoth gave very clear orders and warned that those who did not follow them would incur his wrath. He answered with caution.
"I intend to obey your orders, Your Excellency. Able-bodied men, women, and all children will have to follow us to Kalinsha."
"And what will you do with the elderly and the disabled?"
Another trick question, but Rajandala had not forgotten the demon's orders.
"They will be executed, Your Excellency."
The worried crowd surrounded by half-man half-tiger guards had heard the whole conversation. The children, who were already crying, clutching at their mothers, began to scream at full lungs while the adults begged desperately for their lives.
The behavior of this crowd of cockroaches sickened Jadalbaoth.
"Be quiet!"
Waves of power spread around the Archdevil and all were silent because Jadalbaoth had resorted to Command Mantra, one of his skills.
In the now absolute silence, even the Zoastias had ceased to speak, the Demonic Emperor bowed in ironic reverence. His masked face seemed to laugh mockingly.
"But I'm showing great mercy, don't you think? I could have killed all of you! I spare the lives of all useful animals. I will remove only the weak, the sick, and all other human waste. I even gave the order that these useless be killed painlessly. Do you not understand that I am taking this measure to spare them great suffering? Can you imagine those old men and disabled people forced to follow our army at a fast pace? I am disgusted by your ingratitude; inferior animals like you should learn their place in the order of things."
Without saying another word, he took off to join his escort.
Under his mask, Demiurge sighed.
Being around these pathetic creatures was repulsive. In moments like this, he understood his own inferiority when compared to a Supreme Being. Ainz-sama was not only capable of scheming with a talent that even surpasses that of an archdevil, but he could also show compassion for such inferior beings. The Sorcerer King had ordered Demiurge to come to this country to conquer the Abelion Hills and the Holy Kingdom, to end the incessant conflicts that plagued the region. He even intended to bring prosperity to these lands once they were integrated into the Sorcerer Kingdom. However, Demiurge had to act under the guise of 'Jadalbaoth' because these lower beings were too foolish to understand how fortunate they were.
(1) Technically, mushrooms are not plants. They are mycelia belonging to a different order than plants and do not belong to the animal order either. This was a relatively recent discovery. In the 1960s, when Michael Moorcock wrote the Elric cycle, it was still believed that mushrooms were plants.
(2) It could also be a good idea for a sequel. Imagine that Elvil and Miriel appear in another anime after using the Orb of Usha.