Writer: Henet
Editor: PervySageChuck
Overlord Ascendants Arc 2: Crescendus
Overlord Arc 2: Chapter 3 Memories
WARNING: This chapter contained scene depicting sexual violence that is not suited for readers below 18 years-old. To avoid reading it, please proceed to Part 2.
P.S. I apologise in advance for any grammatical errors that you may encounter when reading my work. PervySageChuck is currently busy with taking care of his family. He will proof read this chapter once his family recover from the sudden bout of sickness.
Part 1
The man was moving his hips forwards and backwards repetitively like a well-oiled piston. His naked body displayed a set of well toned muscles. In front of him was a young girl on her hand and knees. Every time the man thrust his hips forwards, the girl gasped loudly for air. The girl’s hand was grasping hard onto the bed sheet as the poster bed rocked with the man’s powerful movements.
“Hora, are you at your limits already? I’m not yet satisfied, you know. The night is still young and I only came twice into your dirty hole. You know what happens if you do not satisfy your king.”
The man teased her.
With those words, the girl slowly moved her hips to match his rhythm.
“Oh,..... that’s better. If you make me feel better. I might just consider releasing your boyfriend earlier and in one piece. As a bonus, I might also recompense you for your loyal service. Let me hear you moan a little, a girl’s moan always make my rod go harder.”
“Aaahhhh…….aaahhh…...aaahhh..”
The girl started moaning but not loud enough to drown out the noise of the storm blowing outside and the crack of the occasional lightning.
“Good girl. You should feel honored to be deflowered by royalty.”
The man laughed lewdly as he continued his thrust. He deeply enjoyed it as he pinned the girl down while he defiled the girl’s first time. The girl’s look of despair as he robbed her mark of purity simply delighted him. The girl’s look of despair earlier only made him harder.
His enjoyment was briefly interrupted when a voice called out to him behind the hangings of the poster bed. The owner of the voice sounded old and raspy.
“Your highness, an urgent message had just arrived.”
“Read it to me. Can’t you see I am... busy?”
“Understood,..... This is a message from our operatives in the town of Rarkas. Our operative reported that the Peerless Beauty of the Empire was captured. She will be delivered to the capital within two days.”
“Magnificent, looks like I am getting the full set. It’s perfect. I must thank Duke Staffon for his information. Since he fulfilled his end of the bargain, I must fulfill mine. Set up a meeting with his men later.”
“As ordered….”
Ah! The look of a girl as her first time was being forcefully taken away is always the best. What could possibly top that? The look of a girl as her sister is being violated in front of her. I cannot stop myself from getting harder with that thought…..
The man laughed as he increased the speed of his thrust ignoring the squeals of pain from the girl in front of him.
“I am feeling generous tonight. Release the girl’s boyfriend as promised…..Also prepare a bag of gold for her. After all, a king must be generous to his citizens. The money will be more than enough to cover your wedding expenses….I wish the both of you a happy marriage. Hahaha…..Woops, looks like I am reaching my end too. Don’t spill a single drop ok. Its royalty.”
Finally, the man grabbed the girl by the buttocks, holding her ass against his crotch. A satisfied sound came out from his mouth as he released more of his seed into the girl’s womb. As he grunted out in satisfaction, he released his hold over the girl, allowing her to flop down belly first onto the bed lifelessly. A stream of white sticky fluid came out from the girl’s lower body, seeping into the already soiled sheets. Her hands were used to cover her tear streaked face.
The man got out of the bed. With a quick motion, an elderly butler fluidly dressed the man in a red bathrobe.
“No need to clean up so soon. I might be in the mood for another round.”
The man ordered the elderly butler without looking at him and walked towards a large ornate three meter tall mirror. What was reflected in the mirror was a 20-year old well-built man with shoulder length blond locks and deep sapphire blue eyes. The man was smiling into the mirror, revealing his set of perfect pearl white teeth. If he walked on the streets, it would not be surprising that maidens would go weak in their knees.
His name was Alrus Novus Volbeck Grimvale III, the present King of Grimvale.
“Understood.”
The thin-looking elderly gentlemen bowed in response to his liege’s order. Judging from his voice, he was the one who delivered the message to his master. Without his liege lord noticing, the elderly man send a sympathetic in the direction of the poster bed.
The main course can’t arrive soon enough. That single thought made Alrus licked his lips hungrily.
He snapped his fingers. Two figures completely garbed in body fitting black suits came out from a corner of the room. Their arms were protected by a pair of shining, clawed gauntlets, while their legs were fitted with similar looking clawed greaves. From a single look, it was obvious their equipment was designed for ease of movement. Even their faces were completely covered in a smooth metal mask. The only thing that could be seen were a pair of red orbs located where the eyes were supposed to be.
“Find another girl for my pleasure tomorrow. Probably a holy sister would be great. Their fervent prayers for salvation as I mess up their insides are like music to my ears. Just provide the cardinal with our usual donation to silence him.”
To him, girls who are willing spread open their legs for him were boring. Willing prey was not fun at all. Those who were unwilling on the other hand were gourmet.
The man walked towards behind the bar located on one side of the room. On the glass shelf were rows of beautiful glass bottles with clear amber liquor. He unscrewed the cork and poured the liquid within into a glass cup. He finished in a gulp and poured himself another round. This time, he took a moment to enjoy the smell of the aged malt. Fine things were meant to be enjoyed slowly.
His mind wandered back towards the moment when the girl on the bed was desperately pleading and screaming as he pinned her down. Her moans and screams as he forcefully rammed inside over and over again was like a symphony to his ears. The man could feel himself hardening again at the mental recollection. He looked at the large ornate clock on the wall with jewel encrusted hands. After noting the time, he shifted his focus towards the bed, at the girl who was lying behind the curtains before smiling wickedly.
There’s still time for another round.
Part 2
Hanna was walking through the brightly lit stone hallway. She was familiar with the corridors, belonging to the Western Fortress where the imperial family turned into temporary refuge. As she stood in front of a large wooden door. She knocked a few times before the door was open from the insides. A maid bowed towards her at the door before resuming her position.
After entering the room, Hanna was greeted by the sight of frail sickly lady lying on the large poster bed in the middle of the room. Her greying hair spread out over the bed. Looking at her, most would find it hard to imagine that the person lying there was the once the enigmatic figure who raised the Empire into a superpower. Sensing Hanna’s presence, the women raised a hand, beckoning Hanna towards her.
Hanna immediately moved towards the resting lady. She gently enveloped the frail hand of the lady with both her own as she kneel beside the bed. The greying lady turned her head towards her and smile warmly.
“My sweet child.” The lady greeted her. Her hand moved towards Hanna, gently stroking her face.
“Good morning, mother.” Hanna greeted the lady with a smile. But in her heart, it pained her to see her mother once so full of vigour, looked so frail. The tragedies of the long civil war had sapped much of her strength.
“I would like to have private moment with my daughter.” The lady gesture towards the two maids who were in the room with them.
The maids bowed before walking out of the room gracefully.
“Dear child, my body, just like the monarchy is on death's door. Unless we act, I’m afraid yours and Prim’s future would be rather grim. Please forgive me, this old lady does not have much strength left to preserve the happiness that the both of you so cherish…*cough cough… if anything happens to me, Hanna, take Prim along with you… I do not wish her nor you be sacrificial pawns in the mens power play… *cough *cough… that foolish son of mine…even my grandsons were blinded by the same ego he had… fools, every single one of them… just like I was….like I was...”
Hanna heard those words of regret utter by her greying mother many times as if she was reminiscing some painful memories of distant past. Hanna never dared to ask much about it as she wanted to spare her mother from her bitter past.
“... Ah… my sins are mine to bear…*cough….Hanna, I afraid I will not be able to protect your future anymore. But I still wanted to light the way for you... The ring I gave to you...”
The Queen Mother gesture towards the ring on Hanna’s hand. Hanna received the ring from her mother when she was still young. It was a rather intricate wrought ring with a rather peculiar symbol engraved within the ruby located at the middle. Hanna could sense the unfathomable magic that dwelled within the ring, one that would rival the artefacts of the heroes of old, which they called it ‘Divine-Tier Item’. Her mother never told her how she came about with such an artifact. But the Queen Mother did constantly reminded Hanna to keep it safe with herself at all times.
“... *cough… A powerful legendary being is now under the control of the Monarch of Grimvale… you need to unseal him... destroy the scepter… make him help you,...use the ring… make him understand...tell him… tell him the sin is mine to bear… Remember...remember the bedtime stories I told you? The key lies within the stories. *cough *cough...tell him the sin is mine to bear...they all died because of my foolishness...” A fitful of coughs assaulted the Queen Mother as she spoke.
Although, she had many question she wanted to ask. Hanna listened quietly. Even speaking seemed to be taking quite some toll on her mother. Hanna could see the immense regret hidden behind those wrinkled eyes.
“..Remember... show him the ring… remember…*cough…”
“I’ll remember the words you told me. You need your rest, mother. I won’t let them use Prim… Drink this.”
Hanna helped her mother sit up. Hanna let her frail mother took a sip of herbal tea that was prepared by the maids earlier. The tea was a herbal remedy to sooth the queens coughing. Seeing that her cough stopped, Hanna tucked the Queen Mother in.
“...Take Captain Arinthus with you. He is a capable man of the crown. Ask those that you trust to escort you to Grimvale. Do not let your brothers know….”
The Queen Mother muttered those last words before she fell asleep due to the side effects of the herbal tea. It is a strong remedy for heavy coughing but it would induce heavy drowsiness towards the drinker. Hanna stayed at the side until she was satisfied that her mother was resting peacefully. Then,... Hanna felt someone placed a hand on her shoulders.
Hanna sat bolt upright, narrowly avoided from colliding with someone’s face. It was Lyra’s. After one month travelling on the road, Hanna was used to waking up at a moment’s notice. She noticed Lyra’s tensed face as she raised a finger to her mouth. Her gesture was obvious at a glance. Keep quiet.
Hanna noticed that Leader, Wolfe, and Marcus were in her room. Looks like Leader and Marcus had just returned after meeting up with the informant as their body was still dripping wet. Hanna’s friend, Sonya and Rebecca were standing to their sides. Both of them chanted a common magic that generates warm air from their palms, they were attempting to dry both men.
As Hanna looked wanted to ask them about their mission, she stopped as she noticed their grim expression, which told Hanna that the meeting may not have gone so smoothly.
With a meaningful look from Leader, the group arranged themselves into a circle, facing each other. Most of them found a comfortable spot to sit on. While some like, Marcus choose to stand while leaning on the wall. They were used to this as they had many such meetings during their travels where they discussed about their next move.
Under official circumstances, Hanna as the princess should outranked Leader. But this was not an official occasion, they were all comrades travelling within enemy territory to fulfil a dangerous quest. The overall chain of command for the party was given to Leader as he was the most experience among them in terms of military matters. In the case where he was incapacitated, Lyra would take up the chain of command.
The small but close of people group maintained their silence, until Sonya took out an item in the shape of the bell from her pockets. She tapped the bell once with her index finger. A crisp chime sounded from the bell, followed by a sensation that a tent was placed over the top of their heads.
The item that Sonya used was known as the ‘Bell of Silence’. It was a magical item enchanted with a spell that prevents the transmission of sound within a ten meter radius.
“Hey boss, from your looks, is the situation that bad?” Lyra was the one to speak first.
Hanna had never saw Leader looked so grave even on occasions where they lost friends along the way. The man kept quiet for a moment after hearing Lyra’s query. He released a sigh as he finally made his decision on what to tell them.
“Because we’ve been sold out… by our own people.”
Leader proceeded to explained the conversation that occurred in the tavern earlier.
“... Gilbert had already resolved himself. I doubt he would let us off so easily now that hed had his quarry on sight.” As Leader said this, he glanced towards Hanna.
“...The situation is that bad..” Hanna mumbled to herself, vaguely aware that her hands were shaking.
She never expected their situation was this dire with in-faction fighting breaking out right in front of her. The nobles supporting her elder brother, who was the current Emperor, sold her out like a piece of meat to another kingdom in defiance of the Queen Mothers wishes.
Hanna could hardly blame them for their decision. Firstly, many nobles considered that the being in question was just a myth and their group was sent on the behest of a delirious women. They would think that it would be more practical to secure aid from another country. But at the cost of hers and Prim’s happiness.
Of course, they were also those who recognised the truth behind their efforts, particularly who descended from those noble families tied to the founding of the Empire like Sonya and Rebecca. Still, quite a number of the those families felt apprehensive about the Queen Mother’s decision to use the power of such a legendary being to safe the Empire from falling from the verbal stories passed down by their ancestors.
Did my mother foresaw this? Is this why she was willing to risk everything to seek the power of that legendary being?
Hanna recalled the details of that particular memory with her mother earlier. She did pondered the words of the Queen Mother since then, particularly the phrase ‘The key lies within the stories’. The Queen Mother told her many stories when she was but a child. But the stories she could relate to with regards of a legendary being were the stories about Fell Death, a feared demonic being who wiped out several ancient kingdoms 200 years ago before it was sealed away by the heroes of old. Even Hanna was felt apprehensive that the ring that was given to her was the key to eliciting the help of such a being. Hanna could not help but feel that some of the finer details were missing. Back then, Hanna had many things that she wanted to ask her mother. But after seeing the state she was in, so sickly and frail, Hanna decided to let her rest.
“The question now was whether we should stay with our course.” Leader asked everyone.
“What do you mean, Leader?” Lyra began to ask.
“Let’s put things into perspective. Firstly, how confident are we when it comes to unsealing and gaining control of such a powerful being? If we fail, we risked letting loose a being that was known to destroy countries in a matter of hours into this world...”
Leader raised one of his hands in response to the looks of the baffled look of the others, to indicate that he was not done talking yet.
“...Secondly, assuming we are able to fulfil our primary objective, what would happen afterwards? Firstly, I doubt the current emperor would allow Hanna-sama to have all that power to herself. Likely him and the other nobles would do everything in their power to keep Hanna under their control. If they intent to continue with such folly, civil war within our faction would be unavoidable between the supporters of the Queen Mother and the Emperor.”
“Then, are you suggesting we abandon our current mission?” Rebecca asked incredulously.
“... Not really, I am just putting things into perspective…”
“In other words, our situation is damned if we do damned if we don’t…” Hanna lamented.
Hanna could not help but feel thankful that Leader was selected to lead this mission. Other than his martial prowess, he had a good grasp on the political aspects of their situation and where it will lead them, and they had came so far under his leadership. Still, Hanna tried hard to suppress the growing sense of despair that was welling up within her as they were stucked in a quandary.
The group went silent was they let the reality of their situation sink in. Then, it was broken by Marcus’s sudden outburst.
“To hell with those traitors. Let’s just sneak inside Grimvale. Take control of that ancient evil god, burn every single traitors we find and place Hanna at the throne!”
“Easier said than done.” Lyra commented offhandedly.
Hanna knew that the half-elven Lyra was known to have a straight laced personality. She was chosen as second-in-command due to her strongly practical personality.
Before Marcus could retort, Leader stepped in.
“Here is where the third option comes in.”
“Third option?” Hanna asked hopefully.
“Yes, the third option is to drag our new travelling companions into the equation.”
“Leader, do you think that it is a good idea to trust them? Did you forget what they did to us back in their mansion?” Markus voiced his opposition.
“No, I am not saying that we should trust them. Then again we did caused a ruckus in defiance of their wishes, furthermore they could have treated us worst. Yet, they did not. Why?”
“Errr….”
“The prison food was not bad.” the normally quiet Wolfe commented.
“Leader, what makes you think that they will continue to play nice with us?” Lyra asked.
“The key to that answer lies with the contract in Hanna’s possession. Looks like our friends next door had a vested interest in Hanna.” Leader answered calmly.
“Isn’t that no different than selling off Hanna to a different party?” Sonya refuted Leader.
“If they truly intend on taking possession of the princess, they could just have to kill all of us then and imprison the princess in their mansion. For whatever reasons, they have so far refrain from taking such a drastic measure.” Leader addressed them.
“What makes you think that they can stand up against the rebel faction? If they partake in our country’s civil war, that would serve as a casus belli for the rebels to invade them.” Rebecca asked.
The civil war in the Empire lasted for almost one decade. By common sense, such a prolonged conflict would have greatly weaken the country. Neighboring nations could have use this opportunity to jointly annex the Empire’s territories. Nonetheless, why was it that none of the surrounding nation did so?
The reason was simple. The Empire’s national strength was leagues above the combined might of its neighbors. Such a huge gap was brought by introduction of magitech like magitanks and airships by the ‘Mad Mage’ which revolutionised how the Empire fought its wars. The neighboring countries had little success in replicating the technological advantage of the Empire.
Moreover, the Empire boosted the largest population of descendants of the heroes of the past. Although the strength they inherited was only a fraction of their ancestors, nonetheless it was leagues above what normal people could achieve. Hence, there were many engagements which were fought with less than thirty combatants only. The presence of normal soldiers would only result in a large scale wastage of lives. Needless to say, such people were given the utmost care as they would only be deployed as their presence would easily change the tide of battle.
A few years back, one of the neighboring country was made an example when it tried to intervene while they were still in the midst of their civil war. The country instead was annexed by both factions of the Empire and its leaders were executed.The incident spoke volumes about the military capacity of the Empire. Hence till present, none of the neighboring dared to intervene directly in the country’s civil conflict.
Some countries like Grimvale would appear neutral on the surface but would conduct business under the table with both sides to reap the most profit as the Empire carried on with their civil war.
“Marcus, did you remember what Gilbert mentioned about the Eastern Army?” Leader asked Marcus.
“Hang on...Yeah, he said something about the Eastern Army... disappearing after crossing into the Forbidden Continent.” Marcus trailed off with those last few words as if an epiphany dawn on him.
“Wo, Leader, are you saying that they have a hand in the disappearance of the entire Eastern Army?”
“Just my hunch, I doubt our friends would cooperate with Percy. I believe they were handed their casus belli to launch their own invasion instead. Percy happily played right into their hands, by playing the role as the invader.”
“Still, why do they want Hanna?” Lyra mumbled to herself.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Leader shrugged but he quietly slipped Hanna a meaningful look.
From that, Hanna could guess that she and Leader had the same idea. Their new friends were interested in her ability. There was no other better explanation than that. Still Hanna had the nagging feeling that something else was missing.
Hanna sat there, feeling apprehensive about the decision that she had to make.
Unnoticed by the people in the room, several pairs of glowing eyes peeked out from underneath the bed. The owners of those eyes had been listening intently to the conversation that was happening in this room. The contents was transmitted word by word to their mistresses next door.
Part 3
Azrael opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a tangled mass of blue hair. Then, he began to note of the owner was lying on his chest. He felt a pair soft, round masses pressing on his stomach. The similar sensation was felt on his left and right arms, as if both his arms were being sandwiched between two fluffy mountains. While both his legs were separately pincered by two pairs of smooth shapely legs. He could hear and feel the puffs of hot exhalations coming from two beautiful faces to his left and right. He felt strangely relaxed and content even though he was currently immobilized by his three companions.
Azrael remained still as to not disrupt their sleep. His eyes briefly wandered towards three tiny little spirits, earth, air and ice spirits that were sitting on the window sill. The elemental spirits were Level-30 summons. Each elemental spirit measured approximately 15cm in height with figures that resembled a child’s. Their figures were rounded and smooth, made up from condensed form of their respective elements. They have prominent black beady eyes with a pair of long pointed ears like that from a cat’s. The spirit elementals were weak when it comes to physical combat. But their strength lay with their ability to create elemental magic that disrupts their enemies movement. There were also used for scouting purposes due to their ability to blend in with the environment easily.
The three of them saluted him crisply as they saw him gazing towards them. Azrael knew those three must have taken charge of security while they slept.
“Good morning, Azrael-sama.”
“Good morning, Azrael-sama.”
“Good morning, Azrael-sama.”
“Good morning, Arilde, Camira and Isolde.”
Azrael was facing Arilde when he woke up, he could not help but feel himself getting warm. Lately, he realised that his body was easily heated up every time when the Bahamut Battle Sisters or his own sisters snuck onto his bed. The changes were highly unusual for him as his robes were magical in nature. The wearer should not be subjected to the effects of extreme external temperature fluctuations.
Seeing his flushed face, Arilde inched herself closer to Azrael’s body as she lay her head on his shoulder. Seeing her sister’s action, Isolde inched herself closer towards Azrael’s neck for not wanting to lose to her.
“I’ve really missed those times where me and my sisters could sleep like this by your side, Azrael-sama.”
“Azrael-sama’s body...very warm….”
“I can’t help it. You and your sisters were much smaller back then and looked very different too. Your current forms would have taken too much of the bed space. I remember the day, when you girls first changed form. Father was practically speechless when he saw us yet mother was strangely delighted. I wonder why though…….”
“My sisters and I sure created quite a bit of ruckus that time. After all, Ainz-sama did not know of our existence till that day. Although, Albedo-sama and the other Floor Guardians may have suspected something amiss when you were consuming food sufficient for six adults. With us changing our forms, Yuri-nee might have thought it was best not to keep our presence a secret from your father anymore.”
“Thankfully father did not punish me. After that, I remembered he asked you girls to do something rather peculiar on that day.”
“Was it when Ainz-sama asked us to touch Albedo-sama’s bicorn? Poor creature practically toppled to his side when I touched him. ”
“Yeah, yeah, I remembered him heaving every time one of us stroke his manes. He looked like he had trouble breathing. So I massaged his chest to ease his breathing. But somehow it got worse as poor bicorn-san’s mouth started to foam.”
“Bicorn-san... pity him.”
“I heard after that, Bicorn-san was left to recuperate under the care of Shalltear-sama’s Vampire Brides. Though after each of you had your turns touching him, I noticed that father seemed oddly relieved. Whereas mother looked mildly disappointed. Till now, they still refused to explain the purpose of the test. Then again, I wonder why father did not allow Aura-nee to look after Bicorn-san.” Azrael mused to himself.
“After that, Ainz-sama was kind enough to offer each of us a personal room. But we sisters wanted to sleep together instead in the closest room to yours. We wanted to stay as close as possible to Azrael-sama, right? Arilde-nee.”
Camira began to pull her face closer towards Azrael’s neck as well, unwilling to lose to her sisters. Azrael’s body began to heat up further as the three girls were breathing on him. The comforting and peaceful atmosphere he experienced earlier was gone, replaced by a sensation as if he was a tiny prey, being stared down by three large predators.
Since the girls completed Albedo’s Perfect Wife Spartan Course, Azrael noticed the subtle changes in his interactions with the Bahamut Battle Sisters, not to mention his own sisters as well. The girls tended to cling more to him lately and he noticed their faces were getting flushed more often. He did not think that the changes were due to the effects of his passive ability [Scorch Aura]. Afterall, he had been trained since birth on how to control his powers.
What exactly had mom taught them?
To change the atmosphere, Azrael quickly shifted to another topic.
“Sh-Shouldn’t we check up on Hanna and the others?”
“Please do not worry, Azrael-sama. We’ve already dispatched summoned some elemental spirits to keep an eye on them and to ensure the safety of Hanna. It seems like the other side schemed to draw us into their conflict.”
Arilde’s face shifted to a more serious expression as she began to explain the situation that transpired while Azrael was asleep.
“In this case, you made the right judgement call, Arilde. Looks like their captain has quite the insight. But as long as they do not grasp our end game. They will still be puppets dancing to our strings.”
“I understood. From what I learned so far, it seems that their intention was to release the seal of a powerful being under the possession of Grimvale. Should we intervene in their operation and rescue the princess at the same time?” Arilde asked .
“.........About that one… I..kinda... familiar with the existence of that being…...However, he is very powerful. His strength is comparable to mine. If I fight him head on, the chances of victory are fifty-fifty.” Azrael said that nervously.
“Is he that powerful? It’s rather rare to meet a being of such calibre.”
Arilde’s eyes narrowed. She feltthat Azrael was keeping something from her. Azrael had always been honest with them. If he was keeping it as a secret. Then, she thought that he might have a good reason for it. Although she understood Azrael’s motivation, Arilde still could not stop herself from feeling anxious.
“I prefer to avoid a direct fight with him. But if the situation is moving like this, then I have no choice but to confront him. There’s no point postponing the inevitable.”
“Isolde help Azrael-sama. Winning chances improve.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, Isolde. But, I cannot allow you girls to help me in this fight.”
“Why, Azrael-sama? Why won’t you allow us to join you in that fight?” Arilde began to feel anxious.
“....It’s…..It’s something that I have to do by myself. Please understand.” Azrael pleaded to the girls.
“Azrael-sama, two-years ago. We were not by your side and because of that you were taken away from us. Please do not ask us to stay idle at the sides as you risk yourself once more.”
Azrael could feel Arilde’s grip tightened around his hand as she pleaded. Her sisters also strengthened their hold on him as if trying to stop him from running away. They may really try to stop me from going to Caldera.
“Please tell us why is it so important that you would not have us aid you?” Arilde pleaded. The tears soften that welled on the corners of her eyes softened Azrael’s resolve.
“.....Hah...I get it. There’s no point in hiding it as well since you girls would figure it out when you meet him. I might as well reveal it. Please don’t bring this matter to my sisters’ attention. If they found out about it, I have no idea what they might do. The truth is……….”
So Azrael revealed the reason behind his action.
At the end of Azrael’s explanation, a myriad of unexplained disturbances happened simultaneously around the outskirts of Grimvale. Farmers reported that all their livestocks suddenly went mad with fear as many struggled against their restraints. Many residents in towns suddenly saw a large scale migration of birds as if they sensed an impending calamity. Even hunters reported that their game were fleeing the forest en masse. Eventually all of these strange phenomena would remained an interesting dinner time discussion topic for those who had witnessed it.
As expected, the girls were extremely outraged, not at Azrael, but at the ones who forced him to take such a risk. Azrael felt thankful that the three did not blindly jump into action.
“The reason I am asking you all not to fight with me is because I need your support from behind the scenes. I will have to go all out in this one. During the fight, I want you girls to erect a barrier in order to minimise the scope of destruction within Caldera.”
“Understood, in this case. Would it be better to evacuate our operatives from the capital first? Even with us there, there’s a risk that those staying there would still be caught up in the fight.” Arilde suggested.
“We’ll definitely have to move them away. Losing them would be too much of a waste. Scarab Queen did spend quite an effort to gather such talents. Afterall, a promise is still a promise. Isolde, please inform the Scarab Queen of our intention to transfer out all our personnel and associates from Grimvale to our stronghold in the Forbidden Continent, have her coordinate the evacuation process with Serene and Sigmund. Our actions this time will certainly gain the attention of the other countries. Since the outcome of my eventual confrontation in Caldera was inevitable, I might as well shift this plan forward. The key for this operation is to take control of the capital of Grimvale while at the same time keeping our existence a secret to the outside world.”
The usefulness for humans was more flexible when they were alive. Hence, Azrael did not see the need to indulge in needless massacre. The remaining prisoners from the Empire’s Eastern army that he captured previously were kept alive, especially those who were proficient in operating and handling the airship and Magitanks. However, those people lacked the knowledge and the ability to mass produce them.
It would greatly benefit Nazarick if they were able to manufacture their own airships. The Sorcerous Kingdom possessed a vast territory. Hence, transportation within the country remained a pressing logistic issue as people and goods had to be transported by land-based wagons pulled by the undead. Although undeads like Soul Eaters could pull those wagons continuously without eat and sleep, it still took considerable time to move large quantities of goods around by land due to difficult terrains.
Furthermore, air transportation in the Sorcerous Kingdom was limited by the number of Frost Dragons available and they were mainly reserved for the usage of Nazarick’s denizens. If Azrael could bring the airship technology back, he could create an air transportation network spanning the entire Sorcerous Kingdom. This would greatly improve the movement of people and goods between all the major cities within and outside the Sorcerous Kingdom. With the Sorcerous Kingdom monopolising air transportation, the other nations would have to pay a royalty in order to utilize the airship services. The additional income would boost the treasury of the Sorcerous Kingdom.
In order to achieve his objectives, Azrael needed a combination of talents, those who were proficient in the production and design of airships and those who were familiar with their operation. He needed talents to run his future airship production facility and to train new crews to man those ships.
By taking over the capital of Grimvale, Caldera, Azrael was hoping to take control of the airship factories there. This was more efficient as he would not have to waste time building new facilities within the Forbidden Kingdom. He could simply uproot everything and transport it to the vicinity of his stronghold at the Forbidden Continent.
The airship revolutionized how war was fought in this world. But to Azrael, the military application of those ships within the Sorcerous Kingdom was severely limited. The current airship was nothing but a floating tinderbox. The forces of Nazarick could easily counter them. An Eight-Tier spell like the Chain Dragon Lightning by his Aunt Narberal could easily smash an entirely fleet within seconds. Nazarick does not require those ships to transport the troops. Azrael’s aunt Shalltear could just create a portal that could instantly move their forces around. The entire design of the airship would need an overhaul if it is to meet Azrael’s standards for military applications.
After Azrael finished his explanation about the importance of his plans. The girls nodded with resignation. They understood that in order to fulfill their objectives, the biggest obstacle was the entity that was under the control of Grimvale’s King. If they made a move on that country, that man would foolishly unleash that being’s power. Although they preferred Azrael confronting that entity alone, but now they knew that he had his own personal stake in it.
“If we can not fight alongside you, then we shall give it our all to assist you from the back, Azrael-sama. However, please don’t go somewhere we can not follow.”
“I promise….. I’ll win this fight.”
Azrael wrapped his hand around all three girls and hugged them tightly. The girls pressed closer to him as they lay their heads on his shoulders. When they were small, Azrael used to hug them as they slept. It made the girls happy when he did that. The warmth and the scent of their bodies soothed his mind.
At that moment, Azrael recalled a talk that his father had with him when he was about ten years old. That particular father and son chat happened sometime after the girls appeared in their new forms. His father, the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick visited Azrael in his room one day and sat down in front of him.
“Azrael, what do you think of the girls?”
“I like them.” Azrael responded brightly.
“Urm,...is that so? In this case, you have to be responsible for them.”
“Be responsible for them?”
“You, you know... To take good care of them and make them happy….”
“It makes them happy when I give them belly or tail rubs. They love it when I hug them as I sleep….”
“Erm, I think it’s better that you try a different approach as they appear different now. Their preference may change as well. Did they say anything else you could do that would make them happy?”
“Now that I thought about it. Recently, they said it would make them happy if I make babies with them in the future. But I don’t know how babies are made…...”
A few minutes of silence lasted between father and son. Azrael peered into his father’s face, wondering why he stopped talking. The little Azrael put a finger on the side of his mouth in thinking posture.
What was all this about? Is father testing me?
“Do you need a spell to make babies?” Azrael enquired further.
“Umm…… Yes…. you...you are right….there is a spell that would help you make babies….”
“Papa, then can you teach me that spell that could help me make babies with the girls?...”
“... ABSOLUTELY NOT! No….. ummm… what I meant, Azrael, is….that I would teach you when you are older…….say when you are eighteen-years old…..okay…...Don’t think about making babies for now, you are still too young……”
“Is it a complicated spell?”
“No….. I mean yes… It is a very very complicated spell, okay? It is very dangerous for you to do it at this time. You are not ready yet. I will teach it to you when you are older, say when you reach 18-years old?... Yes, another thing is, don’t attempt to learn it by yourself, ok? I’ll have a talk with your mother on this matter… Promise?”
“Okay, I promise.”
After that, his father quickly left the room.
Now, by Nazarick’s count, he should be about fifteen years old. It means he had three years to go before he could use that spell. Until now, he had not encountered a spell that could help him make babies.
Although he knew that lesser beings made babies in a different way, he was not sure of the particulars. Once when he asked his uncle Sebas, the father of both Sigmund and Serene, his face turned red and he seemed unsure about what to say.
Later that day, his father visited him, once again telling him that everything would be revealed to him when he came of age. Azrael also asked his father the meaning of some words that he learned from Lupusregina Beta during his quest for answers. His curiosity got the better of him. After listening, Azrael noticed that his father seemed flustered and avoided answering him altogether. Later he found out from Yuri Alpha that Lupusregina Beta was confined to her quarters for one week and was told to reflect on her actions. Since then, he never asked the people of Nazarick on any matter related to making babies for not wanting to trouble them.
On a side note, when his sisters found out that he had been asking questions related to baby making, they got curious about the process and asked father as well. Later, they told Azrael that their father was practically slumping on the throne and told them that mother would teach them when they reached thirty-years of age.
Authors Note
Funfact 1: Henet imagined Arilde to resemble Tohka Todo from Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry. Isolde looks like Kanzashi Sarashiki of Infinity Stratos. Whereas, Camira’s look was similar to Sylphy from Amagi Brilliant Park.
Funfact 2: Henet can’t draw to save his own life. Nor does he have the funds to pay someone to illustrate the characters to appear with their respective stats and job classes like those in the Overlord Light Novels. He is praying that one day So-bin-sama would sketch something for free or at a very very very very very cheap price. =(
