Writer: Henet
Editor: PervySageChuck
Overlord Ascendants Arc 2: Crescendus
Overlord Arc 2: Chapter 2 Thoughts in the Storm
The rain continued to pour down heavily on the town without any signs that it would stop. At this hour, the road should be busy with a mix of travelers going about their business or the local inhabitants who had just finished their work for the day, heading off to dinner at their local diners. The unexpected rain storm kept most of them indoors.
Only a few people braved the rain, running along the flooded roads as they tried to rush towards their own destination. Among them were two hooded figures, their bodies completely covered with rough hempen cloaks. Their cloaks were heavily soaked by the rain. As they ran quickly under the rain, each of their footsteps caused a heavy splash of muddy water as the cobblestone roads were covered by a layer of water that reached their ankles. The hems of their cloaks were stained by the muddy water.
They continued running for two blocks, passing by rows of brick buildings that lined the main street. Most of the shops they passed by had already closed their business early in anticipation of the storm. However, a few shops remained open, as yellow light filtered out from the main doors and windows of those buildings. Those shops were taverns and inns. Their interiors were bustling with boisterous commotion in contrast to the empty streets outside.
The two hooded people went off the main street and veered into one of the more narrow alleyways. They seemed to be familiar with the area as they never stopped to check their directions.
The one leading soon slowed down his pace, he raised his hand and pointed towards an old three-storey wooden building. There was a signboard hanging off the veranda with the picture of a pig biting into an apple with a little green beetle sitting on it.
The two people quickly ran towards the building and took cover underneath the wooden veranda. They promptly took off their soaked hempen cloaks before pushing open the bar door that led to the interior of the building. The bright lights illuminated the faces of both Leader and Marcus.
“Welcome to the Hungry Hog inn.” One of the serving maids greeted them loudly over the hustle and bustle of the main hall. She promptly moved towards them.
As the storm raged outside, the interior of the inn was packed with people. Every single table was occupied by people who were seeking shelter from the storm. The atmosphere within the dining hall of this inn was similar to other taverns and inns in the town. Groups of people were singing loudly as they toasted each other with large tankards of mead. It was a common sight to see men putting down bets on contenders engaging in arm wrestling. One man was given a slap to the face by one of the serving girls, apparently he sneaked a feel on the girl’s buttocks when she passed by him. The man's friends were laughing at him.
“Respected customers, welcome, how can we serve you on this rainy night?” The girl enquired of the both of them brightly.
“We would like to have a table for three. Our friends will be meeting us here later.” Leader put in his request.
“Would that spot be okay?” The serving girl was pointing towards a small table by the corner of the main hall, just next to the bar.
“The spot is fine, can you bring us two tankards of beer.” Leader placed his order.
“.......and a plate of sausages too.” Marcus quickly added before heading to their designated table with Leader.
After they sat down, Leader sent Marcus a meaningful look.
“The place seems clear, boss. I did not sense anyone following us either.” Marcus told Leader.
With those words, Leader let out a quiet breath of relief. He had been on alert for any assassins since afternoon when they encountered one while on the road earlier.
“I doubt anyone would be able to follow our movements through this storm.” Marcus added.
“Never underestimate our opponent’s tenacity, Marcus. You still have a lot to learn. I fought many such opponents before. They would not give up even in the face of death.” Leader warned him.
“All right, all right, I’ll be on alert, okay……...I really need to find a way to unwind. I just can’t stand being cooped up almost an entire day while staring at that brat.” Marcus complained grufly. His eyes were directed at the serving girls that were busy serving the customers. The uniforms that exposed their ample bosom and shoulders seemed to make this establishment a favourite haunt for the local men. Apparently, Marcus was not the only pair of eyes that were glued to the bounty of beautiful femininity on display.
The serving girl promptly returned with their orders, while Marcus was giving his full attention towards the serving girl’s melon sized breasts as she bent over to set their tankards and the plate of sausage on the table. A trickle of saliva appeared from the side of Marcus’s mouth. Leader promptly gave her ten copper coins from his waist pouch. The girl smiled innocently as she collected the pay.
“Thank you for your patronage.” She promptly walked away. Her breasts jiggled with every step.
“Don’t even think about it, Marcus.” Leader narrowed his eyes as he stared at Marcus.
“Come on boss. Just one hour, just give me one hour and I’ll be good as new.” Marcus pleaded.
“Lyra was right about you. You really are just a horn dog……You should find a nice girl and settle down.” Leader advised him.
“Hah, Leader, since when did you became an old crone. Now you’re beginning to sound just like my mom. I joined the ranger academy so that I could escape from her incessant nagging. Back then, she kept on setting me up with numerous girls and I was just sixteen back then.” Marcus began to complain as he took another swig from his tankard.
“You better make a move soon or Lyra’s gonna be taken by someone else……” Leader smirked as he responded.
Puuuffffttttt.
Leader’s face was drenched by beer as the beer exploded from Marcus’s mouth.
“What…..what the heck are you talking about?! ….cough cough… Who would fall in love with that washing board? ...cough cough…” Marcus spluttered.
Leader used a napkin to wipe the beer from his face.
“Just a friendly piece of advice from a senpai. We are soldiers, we put our lives on the line for our country. Don’t forget that Lyra is a soldier too. With the dangers we face in every mission, any one of us could die at a moment’s notice. We’ve already lost many of our friends in this war already. Many of them died with regrets. Regrets about things that were left undone and unsaid. I just don’t want the both of you to have those regrets.” Leader was looking at Marcus seriously.
“Oi, Leader, you are breaking a taboo here. You are raising the unrequited love death flag.” Marcus quickly took out a chained cross and started praying to it.
“Dear heavenly saint mother, please protect me in this mission. Your humble son is still young and yet to have achieved his target of bedding 100 girls. Please do not let this lowly me be killed in this mission. As atonement for my prayers, I promise that I shall settle down with the 100th girl that I will bed…….” Marcus was praying fervently.
But his prayers was interrupted by a sudden thunderboom just outside the building. The lightning dyed everything within the room in a white glare for a second. Even the other patrons were temporarily shaken from their seats by the unexpected lightning strike so close to them.
“Hah, looks like the heavens are having some complaints about the way you pray……” Leader mused as he took a bite off a piece of sausage.
However, Leader’s relaxed expression changed after looking at the establishment’s newest arrival. Seeing that, Marcus also put on his game face.
Leader’s gaze was focused on a lanky mousy haired man sporting a thick moustache that was standing at the entrance to the inn. He was moving his head around as if looking for a familiar face among the crowd. It did not take long for him to find who he was looking for. The man promptly made his way towards the corner table that was beside the bar, where Leader was sitting.
“You are late. I was wondering when you lot were gonna show up.” The mousy haired man complained as he took a seat at the empty chair.
“You never stop your habitual grumbling, do you? If you would just brighten up a bit, you could have been happily married by now, Gilbert.” Leader retorted.
“It’s better for people in my field of work not to have any familial attachment…...Give me a mug of beer.” The mousey haired man, Gilbert placed his order with the approaching serving girl as he nonchalantly responded to Leader’s retort.
“Enough with the old man’s chit chat, who’s the newbie? Is he trustable?” Gilbert asked sarcastically as he took one look at Marcus.
Marcus’s face darkened as he felt like his loyalty was questioned after hearing Gilbert's’ words.
“Gilbert, this is Marcus. He’s a ranger. Marcus, meet our spy-chief in charge of intelligence gathering in Grimvale, Gilbert Vostrom. Him and I go way back. Don’t mind his words, he speaks like that to everyone he meets…..” Leader introduced the both of them quickly to defuse the tension.
“Enough with the chit-chat, Arin. What happened? I was keeping my eye out for you lot along the Eastal Highway for the past two-weeks. Now here you are, two weeks late for our designated rendezvous. I thought you lot had been captured along with Princess Hanna by those traitors to the crown. My contacts at the capital would have raised an alarm should you lot be killed or captured.” Gilbert addressed Leader by his actual name as he grumbled again.
“We were ambushed along the way, lost a lot of good people and almost got captured by Percy too…...” Leader answered gravely.
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened to your people. Still, how did you all manage to get away?” Gilbert asked.
“We received some unexpected help…. Sorry, I can’t say anything more than that.” Leader told Gilbert resolutely as he knew the spy-chief would habitually start prying details off him.
“If you feel that way, I won’t press you any further then.” Gilbert closed his eyes as he decided not to press on further. He knew Leader long enough to know that man would not tell him anything if he set his mind on it. Then again, who managed to seal Leader’s lip to this degree? Is it related to the information regarding the missing Empire’s Eastern Army?
Seeing his friend’s expression Leader knew that Gilbert would start digging from his end eventually. He had a rather tenacious personality.
“Don’t think too much into it, you’ve already got your hands full as it is.” Leader sighed.
“Hah, don’t we all? Anyway, here is are all the information that I have collected about the artefact in question.” Gilbert passed a scroll tube to Leader quietly under the table.
“Thanks.” Leader quickly hid the tube underneath his robes.
“You lot are still intending on going through with this folly?” Gilbert asked.
“The artefact is the one best chance for us to turn the tide of this civil war.” Leader answered unhesitantly.
“Do you seriously think that we can control an artefact that sealed a mythical demon? One that could easily destroy a country overnight. One that we are all too familiar with.” Gilbert’s eye narrowed as he stared at Leader.
“The queen said that she had a secret way of controlling that monster and she had passed on the secrets to Princess Hanna.” Leader responded to Gilbert’s doubts.
Leader had known Gilbert since their days at the Empire Military Academy. He was pragmatic to a fault and extremely detail oriented. Hence, it was unsurprising that he was appointed as one of the top intelligence officers within the Empire, in charge of intel gathering in Grimvale.
“Do you seriously believe the queen could do that? From what little information that my operatives gathered, the King of Grimvale could barely handle that monster as it is. Else, they would have started a global conquest with that amount of power at their hands. I don’t like it, Arin. Relying on that demonic entity to change the tide of war.” Gilbert added.
“The loyalists are on the ropes now. The civil war is swinging in the favor of the rebels. If they win, do you think they will let our families live a peaceful life?” Leader narrowed his eyes as he responded. He did not like where this conversation was heading towards.
“Do you think they are gonna be safe if we lose control of that demon and it decides to unleash its fury on us?” Gilbert retorted.
“You would have those traitors slowly wrap their hands around our necks, and choke the life out of us? Is that what you are saying, Gilbert?” Leader snarled.
“There are alternatives, Arin. You could stand with Duke Staffon’s faction. They want to cement an alliance with Grimvale. Would you consider turning in Princess Hanna as a consort to the King of Grimvale? The Duke had just delivered his youngest to Grimvale to secure the country’s cooperation. Giving him the Peerless Beauty of the Empire will have us securing the military aid that we sorely need.”
“Gilbert, have you gone utterly mad? You would treat the princess as a bartering tool?! Do you have any idea what the King of Grimvale does to girls?!!!!”
Leader tried hard to suppress his urge to lash out at his old friend. At his side, even Marcus was trembling with rage. Thankfully, everyone else was too immersed in their own merry-making to take note of them.
“Royalty and commoners, we should share the same burden on reviving the monarchy. How many lives do you think were shed in this civil war for the revival of the royal family? The marriage would help our cause, if we lose, all those sacrifices would have been in vain…….. I’ve done all I could from my end. At least, all I’m asking is for you not to interfere with Duke Staffon’s attempts for an alliance with Grimvale.” Gilbert sighed. He was disappointed for not able to bring his friend around from this folly.
“Fine, I won’t interfere with Duke Staffon’s affair within the Empire. But, I will not hesitate to point my sword at you if you interfere with ours, my old friend.”
With that, Leader and Marcus took their leave. They exited the inn and braved the storm again.
After they left, the inn’s serving girl placed Gilbert’s order on the table. He chugged the beer in one go, trying to wash off the unpleasantness of the earlier conversation.
Gilbert knew his friend was not joking. He knew that it had been Arinthus’ dream to serve the Royal Family of the Empire, to carry on the family tradition. He would not have hesitated to cut down anyone whom he deemed as enemies of the Royal Family. That was why he found it suspicious that Leader agreed not to intervene with Duke Staffon’s attempts to marry the youngest princess, Prim to the king of Grimvale.
What is he hiding? Is it something related to the disappearance of the entire Empire’s Eastern army?
Gilbert could feel his gut tingling. His instinct as a veteran spy told him that both were related. With that, he gave a silent signal to two of his men hidden within the crowd. They silently exited the inn, and followed after Leader and Marcus.
The reason that Gilbert chose this inn as a meeting spot was due to the usual large evening crowd. Nobody would be able to eavesdrop on them in this din. Still he took no chances in such meetings, usually two of his men scout out the place before him. They would casually blend in the crowd, while silently checking for any suspicious visitors before signaling the all clear to Gilbert.
Is this really the best? It is too late to turn back now. Please forgive me, my friend.
Gilbert thought as he silently activated [Message].
“Duke Staffon, I have just received some new information.”
Part 2
Arilde could sense all the distinct vibrations surrounding her. This particularly ability of her was particularly useful for detection of any approaching enemies. She was sensitively enough to differentiate the ungainly gaits of drunkards returning to their homes, the brisk steps of the serving girls bringing their guests orders, and also the tired steps of travellers retiring to their rooms for sleep.
The footsteps that caught her attention were twenty sets of metallic heavy running footsteps, that formed a perimeter around the inn. Other than those twenty, there were another five sets of light stealthy footsteps, where one group consisted of three people while the other had two members. They were concealed at two different vantage points where they could observe the inn where Arilde and the others were staying clearly.
Arilde looked at Camira, who nodded to confirm their findings. Arilde was an expert when it came to detecting land bound enemies. However, her senses were not as sensitive when it comes to detecting airborne enemies. This is where Camira comes in, she could naturally detect all forms of air vibrations up to a range of 100 meters. In other words, nothing could approach them without her knowing within those 100 meters.
“Isolde, are there any forms of divination magic surveying the area?” Arilde turned towards her other sister.
Isolde shook her head. “Negative, none detected. Warding barrier raised.”
Other than checking for sources of divination magic directed here, Isolde raised a magic barrier that would ward off any source of divination magic, used to observe the entire area.
“All right, Camira and I will take out those hidden observers first. We shall try to ascertain their intentions. Isolde, I shall leave the security of Azrael-sama and the others to you.”
Both her sisters nodded in acknowledgement of the battle plan.
“Now then, let’s deal with foolish enough to disturb Azrael-sama’s peaceful sleep. We shall let those fools have a taste of the Bahamut Battle Sister’s wrath.” Arilde declared to her sisters.
Even in the brightly lit room, the glint within the eyes of the sisters were discernible.
Arilde and Camira activated their special ability [Elemental Transfer]. Within seconds, their initial surroundings of the room turned into a back alleyway. Using this ability, Arilde could easily transfer herself to a targeted position within a 100 meter radius as long as soil was present. Camira could use the same ability with the condition that air was present within the target area.
The girls transported themselves just below the four storey building where the first trio of assassins were hiding. Without wasting a movement, both of them effortlessly jumped on top of the roof.
On the roof, there were three black-clad ninjas laying prone on the roof, silently observing the inn. They were here because their higher ups just received word that a high profile target had just snuck into the town. Their job was to make sure their target did not escape from the encirclement and to assist in coordinating the movement of the twenty warriors.
At that moment, the three ninjas were unaware of the two figures that joined them on the roof and the spell that was already cast on them.
They only noticed that something was wrong when they realised that they were not able to move their bodies at all, try as they might.
Soon, they noticed that their ankles were strongly grip. Their rigid prone bodies were flipped over with their backs now lying against the roof. At first, they thought whomever that flipped their bodies were physically strong as they effortless flip it like a piece of paper.
However, they realised their thoughts were way off the mark as in front of them stood two beautiful young girls. One with luscious braided amber hair while the other possessed silky blond hair. The three of them had abducted many beautiful girls especially those belonging to noble houses, to be given to the King of Grimvale as tools to fulfill his carnal pleasure. But, the appearance of the two girls before them stood leagues above those they had kidnapped so far. Their beauty could only be described as akin to goddesses incarnate.
The blond girl raised her hands in front of them and chanted [Mass Hypnosis].
With the invocation of the spell, the three men felt their consciousness slipping away and any form of mental resistance was completely wiped away. Their frozen shocked expressions were replaced with blank dreamy looks. Seeing that, Arilde began her questioning.
“Who is the ranking officer?”
“I am.”
The assassin in the middle answered in a monotone. He looked like he was the oldest among the three. Arilde raised the question in order to find out who was in charge of overseeing the operations. Naturally, he would be the one that could answer all her questions.
“What are your objectives?”
“We’re to assist in the apprehension of Princess Hanna and the elimination of her co-conspirators.”
“How many men are involved in this operation?”
“Twenty warriors and three assassins.”
“Three assassins? Not five?”
“Negative, three assassins.”
“Who informed you of the princess’ current whereabouts?”
“We don’t know. The orders were given by the king himself.”
“What does the king intend to do with Princess Hanna?”
“Princess Hanna is to become the king’s favourite toy.”
“After one hour, you are to report to the king that you have successfully captured the Princess as per your standard protocol. Report back to me once you have completed this task.”
“Understood.”
“Camira, help me capture the other two.”
“Roger.”
With that Camira, silently sped off towards the location of the other two assassins.
By planting this false information, Arilde was hoping to buy some time for them to infiltrate the capital while the King of Grimvale was under the impression that his men had successfully captured the princess and were on the way to deliver her to him.
Judging from what the black-clad figure told her, Arilde surmised that someone in Hanna’s group sold them out rather than them having being found out. But, the most interesting part was the possible involvement of a third party.
Still, there’s no point speculating too much on it. I’ll leave it to Camira…………... Now then, time to tie up twenty loose ends.
*******
Twenty warriors surrounded the perimeter of the two storey-inn. The warriors worked in squads of five men. With one squad guarding the front and another watching the back of the inn. The other two squads were assigned to the assault of the inn.
In terms of armaments, the warriors were not armed with the standard issue magic rifle. Instead, they equipped themselves with short swords and shields. A few also armed themselves with a crossbow. They would be at a disadvantage when fighting in the narrow corridors of the inn. In such a tight space, they would not have enough space to swing their long rifles around. It would be safer for the warriors to storm their targets while protected with a shield. All the warriors were wearing light metallic chest plates and metal helms to guard against any slashing attacks.
The captain leading the men was about to sound the order to charge in when his sight was focused on a lone hooded girl standing behind his men. Normally, he would have brushed her off as an innocent bystander, scared by the presence of so many armed men.
But the girl in question was just standing calmly in the middle of the rain swept roads, looking at them. Her face was not discernible as it was hidden by a thick hempen hood. Furthermore, her right hand was holding onto a large and heavy looking battleaxe. Traces of blood were dripping from the blade and into the flooded road, dyeing the water red.
Seeing that, the captain’s danger sense kicked in. His danger sense was honed through many years of combat. That particular instinct helped him to survive numerous engagements in the face of stronger enemies.
The other soldiers began to notice the presence of that strange girl. They immediately sprung into action. The soldiers equipped with shields responded rapidly by forming a shield wall, protecting the crossbow men at the back.
Even though the one standing in front of them was just a girl, the captain had no intention of underestimating her. In this age, body size and age did not determine one's capabilities. For example, the Empire’s strongest wizard was just a teenager, no older than 17-years old. The elite of the Church’s armed forces, the Knights Holy Templar was led by a 22-year old girl. One of the most notorious assassins for the Empire was just a 15-year old brat that could give Valamere Shadowstroke a run for his money. It was said that their individual strength was equivalent to a force of 3,000 men.
“State your intentions or we will attack!!!”
The captain shouted. He activated his ability, [Battlecry], that boosted the morale of his men, while at the same time, trying to intimidate the girl in front of him. Yet, the girl before them remained silent, unaffected by his ability.
“Squad 2, capture her for interrogation!! Be wary of any sudden movements from her.”
The five man team from Squad 2 surrounded her. But what happened next completely annihilated the captain’s common sense. With a simple swing of her axe, the five men were instantly cut in half cleanly across the torso without them having the chance to react. Their metal shields and armor were easily cut through like a hot knife through butter. The blow was so strong that even the heavy rain was momentarily blown away, drenching the remaining men in rainwater and the blood of their fallen comrades.
“What the hell are you?” The captain mumbled in fear.
Moving at a speed that the captain could not even perceived, the figure of the girl was already standing directly in front of him.
“Your reaper.” The girl responded in a whisper.
Those were the last words that the captain heard before his head was separated from his neck along with the heads of his remaining men. Those men were cut down before their screams ever left their throats. Their lives were snuffed out in an instant, the blow was so quick that those men did not even feel the sensation of the axe as it severed their muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels.
Everything ended in less than ten seconds. For the guests staying in the inn, the night passed on peacefully. None were aware of the event that transpired outside nor would they even find out about the slaughter that just happened outside this little inn.
“Ah, this is quite a mess.”
Arilde was standing alone among the remains of the slain soldiers. With the barrier in place, no one was able to observe the massacre. If anyone were to witness those events, she would have to eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Thankfully, everything went on without a hitch due to the collective efforts of her sisters. Isolde created an illusion field around the area. Anyone looking outside their windows would only see an empty street. Meanwhile, Camira erected a barrier that prevented any screams from waking up the entire neighborhood. All that the nearby residents could hear was the falling of the rain and the occasional crack of thunder.
Suddenly, the ground where the corpses lay caved in. As if the ground had swallowed them, Arilde was not at all alarmed by the phenomenon as this was the work of [Giant Earthworms] which she summoned earlier. The worms had already swallowed up the five dead soldiers that Arilde killed at the back of the inn. Now, they were proceeding to swallow up the remaining bodies. The creatures were ordered to transport the bodies back to the salvage team shadowing them.
At a glance, Arilde could tell that the soldiers’ weapons and armour did not possess any special properties and would be of no use to them. If she were to grade the those items using the Yggdrasil grading system, she would place rate those equipment as Middle-Class. Based on the Yggdrasil grading system starting from lowest to highest, were Low-Class, Middle-Class, High-class, Top-Class, Legacy-class, Relic-class, Legendary-class and Divine-Class.
Between herself and her sisters in full-battle mode, they would equip themselves with Legendary and Divine-Class items, tailored for them by Azrael. The Legendary Class axe she was holding was a backup weapon in place of her usual Divine-Class warhammer. Even now, Azrael was in the process of upgrading all the Legendary-Class equipment to Divine-Class. But progress had been slow due to the lack of data crystals and prism ores.
Although Arilde had the special ability to passively generate a small amount of prismatic ores every 24 hours, the demand for those ores had outstripped the supply at the moment due to the need to strengthen the tomb’s defences. Furthermore, a large portion of the accumulated ores within the Tomb’s of R’lyeth treasury were reserved for the production of a second Caloric Stone.
Naturally, the treasury vaults within the Tomb of R’lyeth contained magic weapons that were far more superior than what the knights held. The items that were displayed to trick the foolish Prince Percy was just a tiny fraction of what was stored within the treasury. Many were collected by Azrael during his previous stay here. Azrael had no intention of recycling those powerful items as it would be a terrible waste.
But Middle-Class equipment like those of the warriors would be tossed into the Item Exchange Box within the treasury, to be converted into Yggdrasil gold. The Yggdrasil gold served as a currency to be used in mercenary summonings, resurrection rituals, and activation of R’lyeth’s automated defences. Even though Arilde was not expecting a huge sum here, gold was still gold. The soldiers bodies’ would be used for Azrael’s undead summoning. It would be a waste to simply throw them away.
“I should assist Azrael-sama to set up a plan to raid some of the known guild bases in this world. He has enough to handle on his plate already. Speaking of which, the capital of Grimvale, Caldera was once a guild base. This might present a perfect chance for us to reconnoiter the defences of Caldera.”
Arilde smiled happily at the thought of being able to help her husband-to-be in his work.
Arilde was essentially practising Albedo’s Third Principle of the Perfect Wife, that a wife must strive to improve her husband’s financial standings. She vividly remembered the first lesson that Albedo taught her and her sisters during Albedo's Perfect Wife Spartan Course.
“Girls, it is perfectly okay to indulge yourself once in awhile after a hard day’s work. But remember that being the perfect wife means you have to assist your husband in managing the household’s finances, to ensure that it is always in the black and growing. It is natural to spend money if you are able to reap more profits in the future. Remember not to pass up on any opportunities to grow the household fortune, no matter how small the amount might be. In the future, I will elaborate more on the finer details of the third principles and its importance in related to resource dynamics of Nazarick. Are there any questions?.................No?.. Now let’s move on to the Fourth Principle of the Perfect Wife……..”
After repairing all of the battle damage, Arilde rejoined Camira above the roof where the first three assassins were captured. Instead of three, five assassins were sitting there. Camira was waving at her sister.
“Found anything interesting?”
“Yep, these two were spies belonging to loyalist faction of the Empire. Apparently, they were to assist in the capture of Hanna-chan.”
“It means there’s a snitch on Hanna-chan’s side?”
“Not really. Apparently, their spy-chief was the one that sold them out.”
“In-faction conflict, is it?”
“Very likely. Do we have a name and face?”
“Gilbert Vostrom, Eastern Spy-Master for the Empire Loyalists.”
Camira used magic to conjure up Gilbert’s face.
“We’ll use the two here to lure him out and capture him. He is a treasure trove of information. Let’s send the three here to Pumpkin Jack. Let him squeeze out every single ounce of intel from them. He could do well with some fresh brains…….[Message].”
“Pumpkin Jack, I’m sending over some prisoners to the designated teleportation point behind the mansion. Extract all the information you can get from them. We’ll be sending over another three later, prioritise on the one named Gilbert.”
“It will be done. Milady. The servants are ready to receive them.” Arilde heard the reply from the other end and nodded to Camira.
With that, Camira created a portal and ordered the three hypnotised prisoners to enter it.
******
Gilbert was sitting in his hidden study room located beneath in simple stone cottage within the confines of the town. The place was used as a temporary hideout and meeting place for his associates. While waiting for the progress report of his two subordinates, he was pouring over the recent information he received over the week. Most of them were details related to the recent increase in military industrial output of Grimvale and the shipment schedule for its delivery to Ambat, the headquarters of the Empire’s Eastern Army. If the opportunity presented itself, Gilbert would arrange for some of the usual shipment to disappear en route to Ambart. The pillaged military hardware shipments would be used to arm loyalist militants that hid themselves among the general populace.
But the most disturbing piece of news was the complete disappearance of the Empire’s Eastern Army. The last communication Gilbert received from his insider was that the entire army had entered the Forbidden Continent under the command of Prince Percy. As to what drove the prince to embark on such lunacy and to what ends, Gilbert could only speculate. The loss of contact meant that it was likely that the military campaign resulted in a catastrophic failure.
If the entire Eastern Army was annihilated, it would be a godsend for the loyalists, The rebels would be sure to divert their reserves from the Northern, Western and Southern sectors towards the East. This meant that the loyalists entrenched at the west would have some of the pressure lifted off them, hopefully this would buy them a few more years.
Losing the East was not an option for the rebels as those lands served as the breadbasket of the Empire. That was why during the Civil War, the East was relatively untouched. The destruction of fertile farmlands would surely cause the Empire to crumble on itself. Famine would cause widespread rioting. The nobles would have to send soldiers to maintain social order. Meanwhile, soldiers themselves cannot fight on an empty stomach. Chances are high that some would even join the rioters.
Currently, the Empire’s Northern Army had just began their campaign of conquest to subjugate the Demihuman Kingdom to the north of the Empire. The Western Army was in charge of besieging the remnants of the loyalists entrenched to the West. The Southern Army was large but the bulk of its military forces were from the Navy. They were unsuited for land warfare. A large navy was essential for the protection of the trade convoy and fishing fleet that moved around the Southern Coast of the Empire. The oceans in this world were teeming with gigantic sea monsters. Also, pirates lurked among the many islands that served as refuge for the ships seeking safety in shallow water from storms and sea monster attacks.
Gilbert thought that the bulk of the reinforcements to the East would come from the central army supported by any personnel that the North, South and Western armies could spare. Diverting too many personnel away would severely affect the progress of the military campaigns to the north and west.
Gilbert were well aware of Duke Staffon’s intentions. Forming a political marriage with Grimvale would allow the Empire’s loyalists to pressure Grimvale to reduce arms supplies to the East, slowing the reorganisation of the Eastern Army. Still, such an arrangement would not benefit Grimvale at all. Firstly, the country’s revenue would drop if that country did enact a limited arms export to the East of the Empire. Although the loyalist faction was interested in securing a constant supply of weapons from Grimvale, transporting the goods would be a big logistical issue as there was no secure route between the Loyalist Western Territories and Grimvale itself as the entire area between the two were occupied by the rebel faction.
A slow reformation of the Eastern Army would risk the safety of the eastern territories. Furthermore, the drop in agricultural yield due to the potential destruction of farmland and the local populace by monsters would push up food prices, increasing the outflow of money from Grimvale as the country would have to pay more for food. The economy of Grimvale was centered around magic weapon production with the Empire serving as one of its biggest clientele. Moreover, the abundant mithril mines in Grimvale churned out precious mithril, an essential component for the production of Airships and Magic Tanks in the Empire. Grimvale and the Empire formed a tightly wound interdependent economic relationship.
The loyalists were hoping to unwind the ropes that bound the two and tip it in their own favour. Hence, one saving grace was that the lust of Grimvale’s current king knew no bounds. He would risk putting his country at war just to lay his hand on the beauties he set his eyes on. By dangling Hanna Nobel Adlia, the ‘Peerless Beauty’ of the Empire in front of him, the negotiation would swing the negotiation in favor of the loyalists. That was why Princess Hanna was a crucial piece for the loyalist faction.
Gilbert could only expressed his sympathy towards the princess’ fate. The princesses were meant to be used as tools in diplomacy by forging familial ties with the monarchs of other countries. Strangely, the Queen Mother had been overly protective of Princess Hanna, vetoing any attempts of the current emperor, the figurehead of the loyalist faction to place the princess into an arranged marriage.
How would the Queen Mother act if she found out that the current emperor was desperate enough to trade the princess in exchange for support in their war efforts to retake the rest of the country?
Gilbert was massaging his temples at the thought of such a predicament. Although the Queen Mother had retired herself from the political scene, she still retained considerable support from many of the loyalist nobles. Gilbert even got wind that some nobles were considering more extreme measures to deal with the Queen Mother.
“Hah, this matter is really troublesome.”
Gilbert stretched out his body to relieve the tension that he had been building since evening. However, he stopped his stretching as he noticed the secret entrance to the room started to open. Gilbert did not go into full alert as he was expecting his subordinates to come over to brief him about the progress in apprehending Princess Hanna.
However the two persons that stepped out from the shadows of the entrance were not his subordinates. The uninvited visitors were wearing rough hempen cloaks that villagers wore. Gilbert could not discern their identities as both their figures were almost completely covered. Judging from their height, he estimated them to be around 14-15 years old. He increased his wariness by a notch seeing the two intruders barged in incautiously into his room.
One of the intruders stepped forward.
“Gilbert Vostrom?”
A girl’s voice?
Gilbert did not bother to answer the question as he quietly slipped his hand towards the button underneath his table. Opposing them was out of the question. The intruders might not be limited to these two. His only option was to escape after activating the failsafe mechanism underneath the hideout.
As Gilbert’s finger was centimeters away from touching the trigger, he vaguely felt a strong gust of wind that blew through on his right. With that, he felt a sudden loss of any sensation to his right arm. As he slowly looked to his right, he saw that the entire right arm was missing below the shoulder. The missing arm was lying on the floor a few feet away from him in a trail of blood. As Gilbert’s mind began to comprehend what had happened, an excruciating sharp pain began to overwhelm his senses. He screamed so loudly to the point that it was as if his lungs were about to burst.
Unable to withstand the pain, he dropped on the floor, gasping for air. Blood began to pour out from his opened shoulder, soaking into his simple cotton shirt. As he lay on the floor, Gilbert could vaguely sense the approaching footsteps.
“Kindly refrain from any rash actions. If you cooperate with us, we’ll make it less painful for you.”
Gilbert could vaguely heard those words as he felt his consciousness slipping from the loss of blood.
“...Sc...rew…….yo…..u.”
Gilbert mustered up a defiant curse with his remaining ounce of strength.
“If that’s your choice….. Camira, time to work your magic.”
“With pleasure……La La La….. before that, let me use this. We can’t have you dying in front of us…….La La La..”
Gilbert had no idea what were they up to nor did he cared. Later, he felt a warm sensation enveloping his entire body. He felt some of his strength returned.
“Now then mister, we have some work for you….. I don’t think you are the type of person that would easily betray his comrades. But we would not like to waste too much of our precious time convincing you otherwise. Afterall, Azrael-sama is waiting for us…... [Pied Piper]”
At that moment, the feeble mental wall that Gilbert erected around his mind crumbled. He could vaguely sense the Ring of Mental Protection that he wore on his right hand turning to dust. On several occasions, the ring had protected him from sudden enemy mind attacks.
The last thought on Gilbert’s conscious mind was that his opponent used an ability that had overwhelmed the protection granted by the ring. But now his thoughts were overridden by an overwhelming urge which was to listen to and obey the words of that angelic voice.
********
Arilde and Camira was standing in front of the door leading to their rooms. They had just finished cleaning up all traces of their involvement in tonight's affair. No one would ever find out what happened tonight. They sent the man, Gilbert back to the tomb for processing. While members from the salvage team arrived at the underground hideout to pick up all valuables and important documents. Before they left, a few monsters specialised in stealth were left to observe the place for the appearance of any stragglers.
Arilde could not stop herself from feeling elated at the thought of a job well done. She was looking forward to the moment when Azrael would spoil her with Camira sharing a similar sentiment.
As she open the door to the room, she was greeted with the sight of her other sister, Isolde lying chest forward on top of Azrael’s sleeping body with her hands pressing against his chest. The normally expressionless Isolde was developed a flushed face as she gently grinded her body against Azrael’s as if hoping for her scent to seep into his body, ignoring the arrival of her sisters.
“Oi, Isolde! What are you doing there?! It is still my turn to receive rights to choose the best spot around Azrael-sama!” Arilde pouted her face as she directed her killing glare at her sister.
“That’s not fair, Camira also want to greet Azrael-sama with her scent when he wakes up.”
“Nee-san absent, Isolde must keep Azrael-sama warm and comfortable. Optimum position acquired…..will not move until Azrael-sama awakens. ” Isolde was making a face that told Arilde she would not budge from this spot.
Due to Isolde’s warding, the inn’s guests were able to sleep soundly. They were not affected by the miasma of fighting intent that was swirling between all three girls. As for Azrael, he continued sleeping like a log.
Part 3
A lone girl was sitting by the window sill. She was wearing a white sleeping gown that covered her slim body. The room she was in was mostly covered in darkness. The only source of light was from the window, where light from the other castle towers and searchlights filtered inside the windows with the occasional cracks of lightning. The light illuminated her fair skin and her shoulder length blonde hair. Her emerald green eyes were focused listlessly on the scenery outside.
The girl observed the storm that was raging behind the glass window. As she rested her face on the glass window, listening to the pitter patter of the rain, she silently prayed to let the storm last as long as possible.
The sudden appearance of the storm had put a hold on the grand wedding preparations that was being carried out in this castle within five days. The heavy storm had soaked the entire castle grounds, blowing away the meticulous decorations that were placed around the castle.
The girl’s mood was in contrast to the festive mood that was going around the castle. Most girls of her age would dream of being married into royalty. Where they would imagine themselves garbed in the finest wedding dress in the kingdom as they walked down the aisle of a magnificently decorated royal cathedral, attended by nobles of all strata. The bride would imagine herself being the receiving end of the many jealous looks, both from her friends and other onlooking girls as she attained the life they yearned for.
But all those were meaningless to the girl, she would rather be garbed in rags and married to someone of her own choosing. She dreamt of leaving the life of a princess and wanted to sally forth into the life of an adventurer.
The girl resented the restrictions placed on her as a royal princess. She recognised the duties that were placed on her since her birth. As a princess, she was born into a life of luxury and privilege, and in exchange she would be used as a sacrificial pawn for the country in times of dire need. Her own mother reminded her more than a few times that her body was nothing but a vessel that will bear the offspring of the king or prince from one of the neighboring countries chosen for her just as her mother once did. Such was the fate of a princess in this world.
Please let my daughter find happiness in marriage.
The girls once heard this prayer from her mother in the royal altar.
Now, the man that she was about to be married to was the king of this country, Grimvale. It was said that the suave looking young king with his long golden hair and deep piercing blue eyes would melt the heart of many maidens. If he proposed to any girls, ninety-nine out of a hundred would agree take to his hand in marriage unhesitantly. But, .......
The girl remembered the time when she was brought before the king under escorts by Duke Staffon and several other nobles. They travelled north and arrived in the Kingdom of Grimvale after a weeks gruelling trip via airship.
When the girl first met the king, she felt that his looks were certainly captivating. But physical appearance meant very little to her. As the girl looked into the king’s eyes, she instantly recognised the ugliness that was hidden underneath his charming facade.
The king had the same kind of eyes, that befell her many times. Those eyes told her that the man who would be married to her was scum of the highest degree, one that aspired to ravage her body. She would be treated like another one of his collections to satisfy his carnal urges. On that day, she mused quietly that her mother’s prayer was not answered.
To her father and her brothers, she was nothing but a political tool for them to gain the favor of Grimvale. Trying to quell her own rising feeling of despair, the girl recalled the happiest time back home was when she was with her ‘elder’ sister, Hanna, and her grandmother, the Queen Mother. In actual fact, it was a known secret within the royal family that Hanna was actually her aunt. As far as the girl knew, the circumstance behind Hanna’s birth was a closely guarded secret by the Queen Mother. She decreed that no one should question it nor discuss anything about it under any circumstances. The girl did not care for the background of Hanna. No matter what, she would still cherish Hanna as her beloved elder sister.
Due to the girl’s mutual facial resemblance with Hanna and with Hanna appearing slightly older than her, it was quite common for them to be mistaken as sisters. The girl formed a deeper bond with Hanna than to her own blood brothers whom she hated. She longed for those days when she would read with Hanna by the bed of the Queen Mother. Sometimes, the Queen Mother would humor them by regaling the tales of her youth, where she helped the First Heroes to seal a great evil from another world.
The girl loved those moments when Hanna would read with her. Her favourite books were those adventuring stories, written by retired adventurers. Some books even contained detailed illustrations of those places. She admired the intricate details of those drawings. As she read the book with Hanna, the girl would imagine herself seeing the world through the eyes of the adventurers, sailing through high seas fighting pirates, scaling the tallest peaks to subjugate dragons, and diving into dungeons in search of lost treasures. She dreamed that one day she would be able to witness those places with her own eyes.
Author's Note
Sorry for the wait, dear readers. Hope you enjoy the newest chapter of my fanfic.
