Overlord Ascendants Arc 1 Second Coming Chapter 5

Writer: Henet

Proofreader: PervySageChuck

Overlord Ascendants Arc 1 Second Coming

Overlord Book 1 Chapter 5 Table Negotiations.

Part 1

Hanna was walking through a veranda at the back of the mansion, escorted by Serene and the two Ushan maids. They were heading towards a group of six sitting at a long table at the end of the veranda.

One of them, an Elvish girl had seen her. She stood up and the others followed suit.

The emotions reflected on their faces were those of happiness and thankfulness.

Hanna was relieved to see everyone looking fine, except for Marcus. His arm was wrapped in a sling and he was nursing a bruised right eye. She quickened her pace.

As she arrived, everyone surrounded her. Rebecca and Sonya hugged her. Marcus, Wolfe and Lyra were smiling at the sides.

Leader was walking towards Serene.

“Serene-san, please convey our gratitude to Azrael-sama for the care he has given us. I would personally like to convey my apologies for the rude conduct of one of my subordinates as well.” Leader bowed to Serene.

“Understood. I will pass the message to Azrael-sama.” Serene replied calmly before she took her leave along with the Ushan maids.

“Leader, tell me about everything.” Hanna urged leader as she took her seat.

Leader told Hanna everything that happened in her absence. In short, the group was well taken care off by Azrael. They used the opportunity to rest up but continued to inquire about Hanna’s whereabouts. Nothing much happened through the two days except for Marcus’s attempts to sneak a feel on one of the maids. He was beaten to a pulp by the head maid when the maid screamed.

“A horny hound like you deserved that.” Lyra added.

“Hah? Elves like you shouldn’t act high and mighty. You aren’t even able to appreciate some good love making especially after surviving a life and death situation. After all, a good loving session is the best cure for tension after a battle.”

Marcus kept on talking while making a rather rude move with his pelvis.

“Hime-sama, please avert your eyes and ears from Marcus’s vulgar attitude.” Rebecca added coldly.

“Hey kid, I can’t help myself after seeing so many beauties. Three weeks of traveling with no women around. A man has his limits and I have reached mine after looking at those maids. Who could blame me when I wanted to sneak a feel?”

“What are you saying? Do you mean Sonya and myself do not possesse any charm as women?”

Rebecca added angrily.

“Women? Hah, the two of you are brats. I don’t do brats. I might be a horny bastard but I have not completely discarded my moral compass. Additionally, comparing Ms. flatchest-elf-chan over there with the maids here, it’s like the difference between a diamond and a piece of rock.”

Marcus snorted while taking a look at Lyra.

“What?! Don’t be absurd, many looks can only be appreciated by men with a refined taste. Vulgar hobgoblins like you do not know how to appreciate my aesthetics.” Lyra retorted.

Leader can only sigh. He first met Marcus when he joined up as a recruit in the royal military academy where he honed his talent as a ranger. Since Marcus was the third child of a noble family, he would have risen up through the ranks of the Royal Ranger Corp quickly with his talent and noble background, if not for his womanizing tendencies and sharp tongue, especially when it came to dealing with women. His shortcoming,s especially the latter, tended to get him into trouble with many high-born ladies.

At first, Hanna was not able to associate the Marcus now with the person that was calm and collected when dealing with their pursuers. However, she had become used to it now since Marcus and Lyra had tended to argue like this during the entire journey.

“Hah, don’t joke around. With a curveless body like that, I would be surprised if there was any idiot that would be physically attracted to you. If you find one, do tell me. I would like to send my condolences to his taste.”

“Spoken like a creature that only knows how to think by using that little limp twig between its legs.”

Lyra launched a salvo of insults in return. But it seemed like she was fast approaching her limits, Hanna could see the redness on her ears.

“Hah, you elves got the libido of a log. That’s why you folks have a population crisis.”

“Bollocks, to us elves, the ceremony of copulation is a sacred bonding time between men and women. We do not treat it like a barbaric recreation like you humans.”

“Hah, then why were you spying on me every time I was doing the deed from the other room? Are you trying to make up for your inadequacies by learning from others? Or are you just lonesome?”

“What?!......what….what…are you talking about?”

Lyra stammered, her anger disappearing almost instantly. Her face reddened.

“If you ask politely, maybe I will teach you a thing or two.” Marcus added shamelessly.

Everyone in the table went speechless. Even Marcus seemed to notice that his ramblings may have gone past Lyra’s threshold. He gulped. Everyone on the table was expecting Lyra to explode in fury.

Instead she just stood up and walked towards the mansion.

“Where are you going?” Marcus asked nervously.

“I am going to fetch the head-maid, seems like a certain someone has not repented yet.”

Marcus’s face paled instantly. With a movement quick as lightning, he did a perfect dogeza in front of Lyra.

“I am sorry. So sorry, please do not fetch the head-maid.”

“Huh, looks like Mr. Horn Dog here can actually be intimidated by woman.”

Lyra flashed a sadistic grin and she started stepping on Marcus’s head while cursing in elvish, venting her frustrations for his insults earlier.

Hanna’s elvish was rusty. But she caught words like ‘plague of all women,’ ‘fecal feeder,’ and ‘troll booger’ as she listened to Lyra’s insults.   

She thought of stopping them. But then again, this was considered as their usual banter. She hoped that the both of them would get it on with each other already, no matter how much they wanted to deny it.  She quietly wished them the best.

Then again, am I missing something here or is it that Marcus harbors a liking towards the beastmen…..certainly, the Ushan’s appearance is cute. But I don’t think that Marcus fancies their females unless I have not fully grasped his taste in women.

Hanna’s thoughts were interrupted by Leader.

“Lyra, if you beat him up any further, he won’t be fit enough to travel.” Leader reminded Lyra.

Lyra stopped stepping on Marcus any further and both of them resumed their seats.

Soon the faces of everyone on the table turned serious. The mood was different from the light hearted atmosphere earlier.

“Leader, do you have any idea as to the identity of our benefactor?” Hanna enquired.

“Apologies, Hanna-sama. I’ve never encountered nor heard of anything related to the house of R’lyeth before. The five of us had been pulling every single piece of information we have and cannot find anything related to our host.” Leader sighed.

“Well, the only thing that we can confirm is that they are not related to any countries that we know of.” Lyra added.

“How can you tell?” Hanna asked.

“Well……the thing is……we are currently within the Forbidden Continent.”

“Seriously!?” Hanna exclaimed. Everyone on the table looked uneasy with the thought of actually being in the Forbidden Continent.

“I am certain, judging by the position of the stellar constellations.” Lyra added seriously.

Hanna had no reason to doubt her. The wood elves were renowned for their sense of direction. As the saying goes, it would be more probable to have the sun rising from the west, than to have an elf getting lost.  

Their unease was understandable because all of them grew up with the lore and stories of the Forbidden Continent told by their parents. To Hanna, many of those stories sounded far-fetched if she was to listen to them again at her current age. To her, the story was likely used to scare children who misbehave. For example she remembered one that was told by her nursemaid when she was just a child. The nursemaid told her if children do not sleep early at night, their laughter will attract Fell Death, who would then swoop in and bring them to the Forbidden Continent to be feasted upon. Hanna remembered sleeping with the lights on for the next few months after that. There were many legends and folk stories attached to Fell Death, where the great demon and its minions plagued the world, causing death and untold misery to the people. The nursemaid also told her was how Fell Death destroyed the old imperial capital, where its ruins lay underneath the waves of the eastern sea. Luckily, many people were saved by the actions of Dawn Risers, the first heroes who many argued that they were the founders of the famed Hero’s Guild. Together, they broke the demon and banished it and its minions to the Forbidden Continent.

Hanna remembered her mother once walking into her room when the nursemaid was telling her horrifying stories of Fell Death. She forbade the maid from telling the stories of Fell Death. Probably to prevent her from sleeping with the lights on again.

After that, her bedtime stories was switched to the history of the Age of Heroes. Allegedly after the banishment of Fell Death by the heroes, humanity ushered in the Age of Heroes, where many more champions appeared from the realm of the gods, good and the bad, leading to the subsequent Guild Wars that reshaped the world. But that was a different story.  

The notoriety of the Forbidden Continent stemmed from more reliable historical records. The most famous one was that of the ‘Eternal Crusade’. About 200 years ago, after the end of the Guild Wars, a great crusade was launched, comprised of 500 renowned heroes and their companions. Every single one of them attained various achievements and feats so remarkable that they were unmatched to this day. Their mission was the taming of the Forbidden Continent so that humanity would be able to explore the many untapped resources there. Tragically, none returned from the crusade and no one had any idea as to what happened there.

There were many speculations by scholars and commoners alike. Some say that they perished in the hands of Fell Death. Some would say that they were defeated by the horrifying monsters that dwelled in that continent. Some surmised that they may be trapped by some sort of magical enchantment, imprisoned in the Forbidden Continent forever.

The speculation that received the most credence were their defeat at the hands of unimaginably strong monsters there. On several occasions in history, monsters had come wandering in and wreaked havoc along the eastern border of the Empire. Many of these monsters were defeated by the combined efforts of heroes and the imperial army but usually at a heavy cost, in some of the more brutal cases, up to tens of thousands of lives were lost from the attack of a single monster, like that of an attack by a Death Wyrm, 30 years ago. That time, two cities were destroyed along with most of their inhabitants before the combined might of the Empire’s Heroes Guild and the Imperial Air Fleet were able to destroy it. Four of the nine heroes dispatched were killed along with thousands of Imperial soldiers during that fight.

What made the undead dragon, Death Wyrm so horrifying was its soul stealer breath that could suck out the life force of all living beings and turn its unfortunate victims into walking corpses. Furthermore, the Death Wyrm would strengthen itself with every death it caused and combined with its ability to fly, it was a deadly opponent that could rain death from the sky. Imagine having to deal with it while fighting a whole city full of zombies.

The hero guild estimated its strength level to be around Level 90 and required a national scale mobilization just to deal with a single Death Wyrm. The one that caused such a havoc 30 years ago was estimated to have reach level 95 before the heroes and the army engaged it. In contrast, the Skeletal Dragon is just like a pup when standing next to the Death Wyrm.

These reasons alone were why the Forbidden Continent was left alone. Many countries feared that they may awaken something terrible there.

Hanna remembered studying the maps leading to the Forbidden continent before starting her journey with Leader and her trusted companions.

The Empire eastern border and the Forbidden Continent were divided by the Altusia Mountains. The Forbidden Continent was only accessible by land through crossing Ravenhallow Pass in the south and the Thunderpeak Pass to the north of Altusia Mountains.  

Hanna’s group entered the territories of the Forbidden Continent in hopes of evading their pursuers who were searching for them along the eastern borders of the Empire. They had planned to hide themselves among the frontier villages within the western border of the Altusia Mountains, located within the fringes of the Forbidden Continent and head north to enter the Kingdom of Felnisha via the Thunderpeak Pass.  The frontier villages were established by refugees who fled the civil war in the Empire. Their desperation wiped out any pre-existing fear about the place.

Hanna’s current situation only proved how little people knew of the Forbidden Continent.

“To think that such a place existed within the Forbidden Continent….” Hanna murmured.

“Likely, it might be a country that adopts an isolationist stance. Some demi-human tribes had such tendencies.” Leader added.

“That could be why no one knew about their existence.” Lyra added.

“Considering what we have seen and experienced here, it would not be wrong to think that this is a rich country. Our cause could be bolstered with a new ally. ” Rebecca spoke.

“That is only if we are able to convince them to be our allies, I don’t think that we are the ones thinking along this line.” The usually quiet Wolfe reminded the others.

The others started to tense up. Percy and his gang was here with them as fellow guests. The outcome would be disastrous if Percy was able to convince Azrael to support his faction.

“No, for the House of Adlia and for those whom we have lost, we cannot afford to lose, not now.”

Just like that an opportunity presented itself, the head-maid, Serene, arrived with a message for Hanna and her company. There were all invited to have dinner tonight with their host.

Hanna hardened her resolve. The others’ faces became grim. The outcome of the negotiation during dinner would greatly impact the tide of the civil war in the Empire.

Part 2

Hanna hda been feeling tense since the start of the dinner session. The source of her tension was sitting directly in front of her sights.

Shortly after she was ushered into the dining hall, Percy himself took the table opposite her. His cold gaze pierced her and Hanna stared back unafraid.

The tables were arranged into a U-shaped formation with Hanna’s group taking one side while Percy’s group occupied the other leg. The center was to be occupied by their host. The tension between both groups was palpable. But none of them took any drastic action under the watchful eyes of their host…..for now.  

Hanna was so focused on the upcoming chance to get on the good side of her host that most of the details of the dining hall escaped her notice. Many of Percy’s knights stared wide eyed at the large crystal chandelier hanging above them. The wall was pristine white, decorated with intricate gold linings. On the table were sets of beautiful mithril forged cutleries. Many winced at the sight of such a rare metal being used for cutting steak and forking salad.

Their days spent under the presence of their host only served to reinforce their host’s tremendous wealth. If not for the distraction from such a breathtaking scenery, Hanna feared that the tension in the air would result in an all-out fight between both sides.

To Hanna, the terms for victory tonight was securing an alliance between Azrael and the Empire loyalist. For once, Hanna noticed the presence of human maids. They had been conspicuously absent throughout her stay up to this point.  

She noticed Marcus’ expression turning stiff when he saw the maids with the head maid directing them. He was cradling his recently healed arm, courtesy of Hanna’s efforts. He was not alone however, as several of Percy’s knights tried hard to avert their gaze from the head-maid, as if trying to put as much distance between them and her. The head-maid took notice of their peculiarity.

Is her personality that terrifying?

Hanna wondered.

It did not take long before their host appeared.

“Honored guests, I am pleased to announce the arrival of the Lord of R’lyeth, Azrael-sama and his sisters, Anael-sama, and Akasha-sama.” The male butler that Hanna saw earlier during the day announced to the assembled guests.

Everyone at the table stood up as a mark of respect to their host.

The door to the dining hall opened and three figures emerged from the other side. This was the first time Hanna had seen the face of her host, Azrael. The first impression she got was….his hair is a little messy. But somehow, it accentuated his boyish charm while giving an air as a rebel. In contrast, the girl standing slightly behind him and to his left, radiated an aura of bewitching beauty. She moved gracefully like a swan. Her facial features were similar to that of Azrael’s especially the bright yellow pupils. Combined with their fashion style, him wearing a white tuxedo and her a pearl white dress, gave the unmistakable impression that they were twins.

To Azrael’s right was another girl. She had platinum colored hair. While her sister radiated an elegant beauty, hers was that of sensual beauty. She wore a red dress that matched her piercing crimson eyes similar to the one she saw during that fateful encounter.

Could she be the child from a different mother? Well, it is not uncommon for royalties to have concubines.

Hanna took notice that most of the males at the table were directing their attention at the two girls walking behind Azrael, with looks of dreamy infatuation. She could understand their sentiment, Hanna never saw anyone as beautiful as they are.

“Please be seated honored guests. Thank you for gracing me and my sisters with your presence in my humble abode.” Azrael addressed everyone at the table as he took his seat at the center while his sisters took positions to his left and right respectively.

“No, it is our honor to be invited here, Lord Azrael.” Percy and his entourage bowed in unison.

“Thank you for your wonderful hospitality and kind care, Lord Azrael.” Hanna and her band bowed, determined to show their best etiquette.

“We did start off our initial meeting at the most unfortunate circumstances. I hope to start everything anew during this dinner. Please enjoy yourself, honored guests.” Azrael announced to everyone.

“Certainly, Lord Azrael. Though I must insist on offering my sincerest apologies for my transgressions earlier.” Percy bowed while placing his hand to his right chest as salute.

“Let bygones be bygones, Prince Percy. Before our talks, let us proceed to wine and dine.” Azrael waved his hand as he smiled.

As if reading his master’s intention, the butler standing behind Azrael clapped his hands before a column of maids entered the dining hall, each of them carrying the entrée for the day.

Throughout dinner, Hanna barely touched her food. She had lost her appetite due to the stress from worrying about the upcoming talks.

“Princess Hanna, my apologies if the food does not match your taste.” Azrael spoke.

His words brought an abrupt halt to Hanna’s immersion in her own thoughts.

“Ah, no, certainly not at all….. I mean, the food is very good.” She replied hastily as she waved her hand repeatedly.

Many of the fellow guests seemed to be wolfing down the food in gusto as if they had never tasted anything better. A few of Percy’s knights seemed hopeful for seconds.

“I see.” Azrael nodded.

He caught on to her situation and chose not to pursue the matter further.

“Lord Azrael, pardon me for saying this. It would be a pity that beauties such as your sisters remained unknown here. I am sure that many would agree with me that there are many nobles that would start a war just to receive the hand of your dear sisters in marriage.” Percy praised.

Or more like you want them to yourself. Hanna thought.

“You flatter us, Prince Percy. But I have resolved myself to stand by my brother’s side.” Anael replied with a mesmerizing smile.

“Ah, such a pity that rare gems like you are hidden from the eyes of the world.” Percy answered as he tried to display his most charming smile.

Hilda looked slightly unhappy after hearing Percy’s words.

After dessert, everyone was served a glass of wine to mark the end of the dinner.

At that moment, Percy fired the first shot.

“Lord Azrael, about our discussion earlier. I am sure I can arrange a high level talk between our countries to help your country with your border problems.”

Jinxes, Percy had a head-start.

“That would be a wonderful notion, Prince Percy. I hope to get the issue about my country’s border settled as soon as possible. My apologies, Princess Hanna, I did not approach you before as I do not intend to meddle myself in the domestic issues of other countries. But my problem lies in the illegal settlement of Empire citizens within my territory. Considering the faction represented by Prince Percy holds sway over the territories bordering my lands. I naturally approached them first.” Azrael smiled sadly.

“Please do not apologise, Lord Azrael. I understand the position that you are in.” Hanna replied dejectedly. She felt appreciative of Azrael’s honesty.

Three quarters of the Empire’s territory was under the control of the rebels, the northern, southern and eastern lands. At the same time, the loyalists controlled the remaining quarter, the western lands. The Forbidden Continent shared a common boundary with the Empire’s eastern border. Naturally, Azrael would have approached Percy to initiate diplomacy.  

Hanna squeezed every single cell of her brain to come out with a beneficial proposal but none came. After hearing all of that, with her host’s intent of maintaining their neutrality, she prayed hard for the situation not to worsen with the rebels managing to secure a major alliance.

“No need to apologise to her, Lord Azrael. Your decision is logical and well thought-out. The doomed monarch will fall. It is just a matter of time.” Percy declared as he smirked.

A few of Percy’s knights started laughing. Some even whispered insults at Hanna’s cohort, especially Lyra. They did not even try to hide their contempt at non-humans.

“A country led by corrupt usurpers will not thrive.” Hanna rebutted. Leader and the others started returning well-chosen words at their opponents.

“Of course I do not deny that we are the usurpers. Yet, the cause for our fight stemmed from an inept and corrupted monarch. We fought for the people who cried for a just and merciful leader.” Percy smirked.

Hanna could only cringe. Try as she might, she cannot deny that her mother’s failure to address the issue of powerful abuse and corruption within the upper echelons of the Empire was one of the reasons that sparked the civil war. But,……..

“Still it did not change the fact that the conditions of the common folk did not improve significantly. Moreover, your lot did nothing to improve the condition of the Empire although you have seized power.” Hanna defended.

The usurpers controlled more than half the Empire now. However, they did exact the changes that they had promised the people. In other words, they were partially successful in eliminating the previous corrupted officials but only to replace them with their own people.

“Pardon my rudeness, Azrael-sama. I must rebuke my young counterpart here. Firstly, I do not deny that improvements have been slow. The country had gone through such a terrible civil war. Unfortunately, it will take time to right the wrongs of our predecessors and to repair the scars of the war. I am sure someone as intelligent as Azrael-sama would understand. Administrating a country is not an easy feat.” Percy replied calmly.  

“Of course, of course, I comprehend the situation, Prince Percy.” Azrael replied cheerfully.

Is he blinded by flattery? Hanna thought bitterly.

“Princess Hanna, I do not think that it is good to waste the time of our honorable host with our petty squabbling.” Percy chuckled.

“Petty! People are dying of hunger out there. Disease is wrecking the country side. And you people still intend on prolonging the war!” Hanna rebuked angrily as she stood from her seat. Tears glistened from her eyes.

In her journey, Hanna had seen the effects of the civil war. Entire villages and towns wiped out by disease or by hunger. Old people and young children begging for food in the streets of the major cities. Young people forcefully drafted for war. Officials confiscating the wealth of the people for their own ends.

Hanna’s mother would have sought for reconciliation if the rebellion achieved what they envisioned, a government that stood up for the people. But instead, the rot was worse than before. She remember on one particularly night she found her mother crying in her sleep. She still remembered those words that her mother mumbled during her sleep “It’s all my fault. Please forgive me. Please forgive me……”

Her mother urged her younger brother to take over as the figurehead of the loyalist faction to fight on, joined by some of the rebels who switched sides after seeing the true face of the leaders that they fought for…… But, the loyalist’s situation remained dire.

“Haah, I sympathize with the plight of your country, Princess Hanna. I still have no intention of interfering with the volatile domestic affairs of my neighbors.” Azrael added patiently.

Hanna bit on her lips in frustration.

“Looking at the situation objectively, my main goal is to secure the borders of my country. I cannot have vagrants, trespassers and refugees, disturbing the peace and tranquility that my country so cherishes.”

“Lord Azrael, I am sure that I can bring this matter quickly to my elder brother in the capital. I hope to resolve this unpleasant situation within Azrael-sama’s country quickly. My apologies on behalf of the Empire.” Percy bowed as if offering his sincerest apology.

“As long as the Empire prevents any further intrusion into my territory. I have no reason to pursue this matter any further. Of course, I would like to have a formal memorandum on this matter between our countries. I hope that the Empire would also support my country in objecting to any territorial intrusions by other neighboring nations.” Azrael added happily.

“I’ll be happy to arrange bilateral talks from my country on this matter. But, I do hope that we can arrange for a more mutually beneficial agreement between our countries.” Percy smiled before briefly directing his gaze towards Hanna.   

Azrael, as if catching on to Percy intention, added firmly.  

“Prince Hanna and her entourage shall receive protection as long as they remain within the territory of R’lyeth. My country shall not interfere in the domestic policies of our neighbors.” Azrael insisted.

“Of course, it is the tradition of the Empire to respect the wishes of our neighbors. I am sure there are other things we can benefit together in the future.” Percy smiled heartily as if fully understanding Azrael’s position.

That snake. Hanna thought.

Hanna felt conflicting emotion as she followed the conversation between Azrael and Percy. She felt relieved that her host seemed adamant on maintaining his neutrality. Her disappointment stemmed from the fact that she was not able to secure any alliance here. At least the situation could not get any worse………. But she was wrong.

“As a token of appreciation, to mark the occasion of our formal cooperation. I present to you this gift, a sealing crystal. Within it is a powerful spell. Sigmund, bring out the gift.” Azrael clapped his hands once.

The butler, Sigmund returned promptly with a large piece of crystal, carried on a magnificent tray. Hanna had seen a picture of the artifact in one of the books she read. It was a legendary item that appeared many times in the Age of Heroes and the Guild Wars.  

“My lord, is it wise to entrust such a powerful artifact to our guest? It is a legacy left to you by your late father.” Sigmund questioned Azrael.

Hanna sent a silent thanks to Sigmund. That item was too dangerous to be given out so simply.

“Silence, you dare to question your master’s decision. I must show the generosity of House R'lyeth to our new found neighbors. The gift is a sign of trust between us.”  Azrael rebuked Sigmund.

“Understood. My apologies, Azrael-sama.” Sigmund bowed apologetically.

“May I examine the artifact, Lord Azrael?” Hilda enquired.

“Please proceed.” Azrael replied cheerfully.

Sigmund delivered the sealing crystal to Hilda.

<<Detect Magic Enchantment>>.

What happened next shocked everyone. Hilda shouted as she almost fell out of her chair. Her eyes were bulging and she was breathing heavily.

“Impossible that such a spell could exist. This is the power of the gods.” She mumbled.

“What is it, Hilda? What did you see?” Percy grasped Hilda’s shoulder as she was trembling from shock.

She took her cup of wine and emptied everything in one go before talking. Everyone at the table, including Hanna remained silent, they were waiting for her answer with baited breath.

“Within the crystal is a summoning spell. Although I can’t catch all the details, it is a spell that could summon twenty Death Wyrms…..”

With that almost everyone at the table exclaimed loudly. All of them grew up with stories about the wrath of the Death Wyrm. One was enough to cause a national level catastrophe. But to have a spell that summons twenty in a single go. It was too much power to be wielded by any country, much less a person.

Many would have doubted Hilda’s words. But, she does not have any reason to lie.  

Hilda passed the sealing crystal to Percy, who feigned his calmness as he received it. Hanna could see him trembling from the excitement of holding such power in his own hands.  

“Prince Percy, a toast to mark the beginning of our countries’ cooperation.” Azrael raised his cup.

“Thank you, Lord Azrael. May you reign for eternity.” Percy returned the toast with an ill-concealed gleeful smile.

His entourage followed suit and raised their glasses. Hanna and her friends could only grit their teeth in frustration and watch the scene in horror. Hanna dared not to rebuke her host openly for fear of starting any hostility. She sent a silent look to Leader and the others on her right, signifying that they would have to start their contingency plan later.

Part 3

A gloomy air hovered around Hanna’s group. The outcome of the dinner talk was the worst possible scenario. Azrael giving Percy something so powerful. Knowing Percy, he would use his newfound power to further his own ambition.

We cannot sit idle while he holds the power to conquer the world.

Hanna thought as she weighed the options at hand.

They had only two choices. Option One was to attack Percy’s group and obtain the crystal. The problem was that they would have to start their operation within the mansion as the chances of success would be higher. Another problem was that they risked making an enemy out of their host.  To choose to assault Percy’s group while they are on the road would be foolhardy as their enemy had strength in numbers. The chances of success were miniscule.

Option Two was that they do nothing and proceed with their mission. But they cannot overlook the fact that Percy’s newly obtained sealing crystal alone would seal the end of their struggle. Moreover, considering his personality, he would not satiate himself with just controlling the Empire, with the newfound power he obtained. He would start a campaign of global conquest and take over the world.

The item that they were seeking in their mission was a powerful artifact as well. But, they did not know whether it had the strength to challenge 20 Death Wyrms. And by the time they reach it, it might already be too late for them to change anything as well. Hence, they are left with no other choice. They need to attack and take the sealing crystal away from Percy.

They were caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Argghh, why is the head of the house giving out something so powerful so easily?! Moreover, that little brat gave it to the wrong people!”

Marcus screamed in frustration. Lyra shushed him.

“There is no point crying over spilled milk.” Hanna sighed as she looked at Leader and he nodded back.

“We have to act now…tonight.” Hanna declared.

The others looked at Leader and Hanna before nodding grimly.

Luckily, they had been allowed to keep their weapons. In a way, it may be a sign that their host trusted them to maintain their peace during the duration of their stay here.

Hanna’s stomach hurt from the thought of betraying that trust. Somehow, she felt that it would be the biggest mistake that anyone could make.

Undoubtedly, Percy’s group had their weapons with them as well. But thanks to Lyra and Wolfe, their men would have trouble swinging their swords straight tonight. The two managed to trick Percy’s entourage into a drinking match and outlasted all of them.  

“Since, we are all going to be the bad guys anyway. Let’s put our backs to it.” Hanna declared.

The group did the planning earlier for every single possible outcome before dinner. They quickly finalized their raid plan and prepared to set it into motion.

****

Hanna stuck her head out of the room. Standing at both sides of the door were two Ushan maids. She was not sure whether they were the same ones that served her earlier. But, that was not important now.

“Maid, my friend is sick can you please have a look at her.”

“Of course, honored guest. We shall ascertain the situation before bringing help. ” The maids promptly stepped inside the room after a quick bow.

Lyra was lying on one of the beds with a pained expression.

The little maids began to examine Lyra expertly. Halfway through the process, Marcus pricked the two maids with poisoned darts. The darts were laced with a quick acting toxin that induced paralysis on its targets.

The maids slumped forward face first on the bed.

Rebecca and Hanna quickly turned them around before Leader and Wolfe began to tie them up as a precaution.

“I am sorry that we have to do this.” Hanna muttered to the maids as she looked at them.

She hoped to avoid any deaths if possible. Leader and Wolfe allowed the maids to lie on the bed.

Lyra went down from the bed to fetch her trusty bow and quiver.

There was no turning back now. The dice had been cast. They could only go forward and hope for the best.

Then, the group of seven snuck out of their room and headed down the corridor.

Unnoticed by them once the door closed, the figures of the two tied up maids dissolved into light. The rope that was used to tie them dropped on the bed with nothing to hang on to.

*******

Hanna’s group was sneaking through the empty corridor with Lyra leading from the front and Marcus bringing up the rear. The entire corridor was immersed in darkness, except for the beams of moonlight filtering in from the large windows, creating an eerie atmosphere.

They moved within the shadows to avoid being seen. But the corridor seemed strangely deserted. Not a single maid or butler could be found other than the two maids they left tied up inside their room.

Suddenly, Lyra stopped and raised one of her hands. The group stopped as she checked the corners of the corridor for any guards. They were reaching Percy’s room that was situated around the corner of this corridor. As Lyra was about to give the all clear, a lone voice came out of the dark from behind.  

“Honored guests, please return to your rooms.”

A lone figure in a maid’s uniform emerged from the dark corridor like a spectre, just ten feet away from them. Her figure was illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the windows. It was unmistakably Serene.

Leader moved to the back to shield the party. He tensed up as he got the feeling that Serene had willingly exposed herself.

Damn, to be able to sneak up on us like that, she could have easily assassinated us even with Lyra and Marcus around.

“My apologies, Ms. Serene. For the sake of our country’s future, we cannot back down. Not even under the request of our benefactor.” Hanna stood beside Leader.

“Please be warned that if you do not comply, I will have no choice but to use force.”

Serene sighed with disappointment. Then, the expression in her eyes shifted into that of a predator.

The group shivered from the killing intent emitted by the maid. Leader could feel the sweat accumulating on his sword hand.  

He took a deep breath to steady himself. Then,…..

“Lyra, do it.”

Without wasting a moment, Lyra fired an arrow imbued by wind magic, ‘Wind Piercer’, which doubled the arrow’s travelling speed, and increased its piercing strength. At its peak, such a shot could easily pierce up to four armored knights. Combined with the breakneck speed that the arrow was able to travel, no one would be able to dodge it.

The arrow was aimed to kill. They viewed the head-maid as a strong opponent, too dangerous to be taken lightly. The arrow generated a shock waved as it left the bow, the air around the arrow swirled like a razor, anything that contacted the surrounding air would be minced.

In Lyra’s mind, the arrow should have left a gaping hole in the heart of the maid. She prefered not to kill if possible. But time was of the essence, she had no choice but to go for the kill.

However, the next scene blew away all she had known.

The arrow fired at Serene was caught firmly between her index finger and thumb.

Serene did not dodge. No, she did not need to dodge.

The group was left dumbstruck.

“How in the world?”

Lyra lamented as she was looking at Serene throwing away the arrow and swiftly drawing something out from thin air. At a glance, It was a rifle and Serene was aiming it at them.

Leader readied his shield and stepped in front of Lyra. Shielding her from Serene. The group had fought riflemen before.

They knew that the main disadvantage of the rifle is that it took considerable effort to reload after firing the first shot. The previous generation of rifle that the Imperial army employed used alchemical powder and a metal bullet. The current model of rifle used a magic crystal embedded within to propel the metal bullet in place of alchemical powder, increasing its stopping power and firing range. Hence, the new name ‘Magic Rifle’.  None the less, a similar shortfall remained, which was the long reloading time needed to inject mana into the magical crystal that propelled the bullet.

In this fight, they knew that the chances were high that one of them would be hit. In Leader’s mind, he could already picture Serene firing a single shot before they overcame the few feet between them and her, forcing her into a melee. In a melee battle, they would have the advantage.

But considering the way she just picked off Lyra’s arrow from thin air like plucking daisies. Do we stand a chance? No, this is not the time and place for doubts.

With a mighty roar, Leader charged towards Serene, hoping to intimidate the head-maid with his battle cry. He vaguely sensed the presence of Lyra, Marcus and Wolfe beside him, trying to exert pressure on Serene.

Leader looked into the face of the maid, trying to see if there is any hesitation in the eyes of his opponent.

What he saw was a look, calm as a pristine lake. She was unperturbed by them in any way.

Crap.

Before Leader could think of another strategy. The sound of seven continuous cracks, like that of a firecracker erupted.

Something hard struck him in the middle of his forehead, snapping his head backwards, lifting his body into the air before he crashed onto the ground hard on his back.

His senses were overwhelmed by pain, in an intensity that he had never experienced before, as if a million blades just pierced his body. Throughout his life, he had his fair share of painful experiences from broken bones, slash wounds, fire and acid burns. But this trumped everything he had ever experienced. The pain radiated from his head and spread all over his body.

Writhing in agony, he saw Marcus lying to his left just like him and tried to reach him.

Damn it all. Everyone is down for the count.

He wanted to scream badly but realized that he could not even move his vocal cords, much less any part of his body.

A shadow loomed over him…..it was Serene.  She was raising her rifle. Her cold gaze was direct at him.

“You all should feel grateful for my lord’s benevolence.”

Thankful, what is there to be thankful for?

That was Leader’s last thought before the rifle butt came smashing down on his face.

Serene was observing seven crumpled figures on the marble floor. Each of them received a stun round fired from her personal Divine Class-rifle, ‘The Equalizer’. Although she dialed down the strength of the stuns rounds to the weakest intensity, it looked like it still caused them a considerable amount of pain.

“Both of you did well. Bring them to the dungeons……to the more pleasant ones.”

Serene ordered the two bowing Ushan maids. The Ushan maids had been forewarned by Serene. The ones that was tied up by Hanna cohort were actually their clones, created using the maid’s special skill, ‘Shadow Clone’. The clones were indistinguishable from the real person and can only be sensed by assassins with strong detection abilities.

Earlier, the maids had been maintaining a barrier that prevented any sounds from the scuffle to reach their other guests. They promptly guided the shadow demons that were carrying their prisoners to the dungeons.

They all are quite lucky. If they tried a similar stunt like that in Nazarick. Albedo-sama would have immediately sent them to Kyouhukou to reflect on their transgressions.

Serene involuntarily shuddered at the thought. So far, their guest’s actions were going according to what Azrael-sama had predicted. Hence, they would not be treated harshly. But, it would be a different matter if they were not needed in her lord’s scheme. Serene smiled gently at the thought of the finale that is going to happen.