Overlord Ascendants Arc 2: Crescendus Chapter 5

Writer: Henet

Overlord Ascendants Arc 2: Crescendus

Overlord Arc 2: Chapter 5 Complications

The swirling storm clouds completely blocked out the sun and released its torrential rain upon the Kingdom of Grimvale.

Without the sun or the aid of a chronometer, it would be impossible for anyone to accurately tell the time of the day. Azrael estimated that it was already early evening by the time their wagon reached vicinity of the gates of Caldera, the captital of Grimvale. On normal days, the setting sun would dye the plains of Caldera with a deep orange hue. These past few days however, the skies of the capital were occupied by dense swirling storm clouds, drenching the land and its inhabitants with thick droplets of icy rain.

Surprisingly, the recent storm did not dent the number of horse-drawn carriages and wagons that formed a bee-line towards the Caldera’s main gate. The reason for the unusually high volume of traffic into the city was simple. This was due to the upcoming royal wedding between the King of Grimvale and the Princess of the True Empire.

The appearances of each carriage varied. One could tell the status and purpose of the occupants just by looking at it.

The more luxurious looking carriages belonged to that of the foreign dignitaries, nobles and influential merchants who were invited for the royal wedding. These carriages, particularly those that belonged to foreign dignitaries were given a wide berth by the rest.

The carriages that ferried the dignitaries from other nations stood out from the crowd as they were always under escort by squads of mounted knights. The design of those carriages were rather elaborate and luxurious. Some carriages were decorated with life-like brass statues of fearsome winged beast or ferocious lions, with the country’s coat of arms magnificently displayed on the side doors. The statues were not made from simple material like iron but molded from precious metals like platinum, mithril and adamantite. The sculptures were made the more life-like by the gem stones that adorned the eyes.  Such extravagance not only served as the dignitary’s status symbol but also to impress upon others, the might and wealth of the nation whom the dignitaries represented.  

Naturally, the dignitaries were allowed into the city after subjected to a brief inspection by Caldera’s city guards. Yet, it took longer for them to pass through the city gate on that day. The ambassadorial contingents were saluted by Grimvale’s ceremonial guards, who were dressed up to their finest. The ceremonial guards presented their arms with the arrival of every single dignitary contingent. Normally, such a formal display would impress any onlookers. However, most dignitaries took passing acknowledgements as they were eager to get away from the rain. The feeling was stronger among the ceremonial guards as they were forced to endure the cold soaking rain.

Of course, not every carriage on the road belonged to that of the rich and powerful. Mixed among the traffic were the owners of more crude-looking wagons that came from the surrounding town and farming villages. Most of these wagons were ferrying food crops, and livestock. The increasing number of visitors into the city increased the demand for foodstuff and manual laborers. Hence, it was not surprising to find younger villagers hitching a ride on these cargo wagons, hoping to carve out a living in the capital. Hence, these particular group of people were the perfect cover for Azrael and his travelling companions to blend into, in their attempt to enter Caldera undetected.

The heavy rain storm that drenched the country was not a natural phenomenon. Instead, it was conjured up by Camira through one of her special abilities, <Noah Tempest>. At maximum strength, <Noah Tempest IV> could change the nature of a landscape by burying an entire plain under six feet of water within seconds, with an added effect of numerous lightning pillars striking the flooded plain every second. But the main purpose for it to be conjured was due to its secondary effect. At the lowest setting, <Noah Tempest I >had the ability to impede most form of high-tier divination magic. Furthermore, this ability allowed Camira to perceive all forms of movement around her. The detection ability was so sensitive that even the gentle flutters from the flaps of a butterfly would not even escape her notice.

To their unsuspecting travelling companions, Camira was just an eccentric girl absorbed in playing her own melody. The others were clueless that the storm that covered a small country was solely her doing.

Still some of them were beginning to sense something was off, probably due to spending a portion of their lives on the battlefield. Azrael remembered something that his Uncle Cocytus once told him. The ability to sense danger, particularly those whom survived through many battles were honed like blade through a whetstone. Their senses were so sharp that a tiniest hint of spilled blood and blood-lust could trigger their alarm.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stealthily observed the subtle changes to the body language of some of their travelling companions since starting off from the town they rested the night before. Although their faces do not show it, their sense of unease was surfacing as indicated by their fidgeting.

Lyra the elf looked as if she was silently listening to the conversation between Arilde and Hanna. But her twitching ears told Azrael, that she was ready fly into action if she caught any hint of supposed treachery from Azrael’s side. On the other hand, the warrior, Wolfe was asleep but his hand was placed along the sheath of his dagger.

Their already frosty partnership experienced a further drop in temperature. Azrael felt it is best that he kept his distance for now. There was no point by acting overtly friendly with them. They would be more suspicious of his intentions if he acted too friendly to them. Other than Hanna, none of them held much importance to him. He will keep them alive for now as he seek Hanna’s cooperation. Letting them die would sour their working relation.

The silent atmosphere within the carriage was broken as soon as Leader stuck his head inside the confines of the wagon.

“We’re nearing the main gate.”

Hearing that, Hanna’s group tensed up as they expected the city guards would inspect their wagon. Currently, all their heavy weapons were stowed away, hidden in the baskets of spices tugged away to the back of their wagon. They do not have anyway of defending themselves should the city guards decided to arrest them.

Azrael’s group was not particularly worried. If the guards got wind of Hanna’s identity, they only have to resort to Plan B, by using their overwhelming strength to break into the city. Of course, they still prefer to enter the city without raising a ruckus.  

The city of Caldera was not solely protected by its walls and gates that acted as a physical barrier. Due to its history of being a guild base back in days of Yggdrasil, the gate itself was enchanted with several high-tier detection and anti-infiltration spells. The detection spells will cancel most forms of illusion magic, preventing anyone from entering the city in disguise. Moreover, the stats and ability of those who passed through the gate would be recorded. Whereas, the walls will alert the sentries if anyone was found scaling it. Only people that possessed high-tier assassin and thief abilities, or spirit magic practitioners that could cast top-tier illusion magic to fool the city’s magical defenses. Azrael discovered this particular details to his chagrin on his first visit to Caldera.

Thankfully this time round, Camira and Isolde was with him. Among the Bahamut Battle Sisters, the two were most proficient when it came interdiction, disruption and, counter magic. Caldera’s main gate would not be a problem to Camira, who possessed both the Storm Herald job class, and Storm Bahamut race level, as she activated her special skill, < Noah Tempest >. Hence, Azrael, Arilde, Isolde, and Camira remained relatively calm. They were confident that <Noah Tempest I> would effectively masked the extent of their abilities. That particular skill disrupts all forms of divination magic. Of course, if things took a turn for the worst, Camira could just invoke < Noah Tempest II>. At Level Two, the skill would have the additional effect of blinding everyone caught in the storm with torrents of heavy rain. The city guards would not be able to apprehend them if they cannot see them as they make a dash into the city.

To cement their disguise as simple villagers, Azrael had passed a piece of travelling permit to Leader earlier, a fabricated proof of the group’s origins from one of Grimvale’s many towns. At least, the city guards would not be suspicious of them if Azrael and his cohorts were able to provide written evidence that they were citizens of Grimvale.

Azrael poked his head out from the flaps of the wagon and looked at the arch of the main gate that was getting bigger in his view. He smiled wryly at the memory of his first visit here. His naivety of strolling into the city without caution led to a roundabout chased throughout the city by the city’s defenders. The owners whom he met afterwards left vastly different impressions to him. Some, Azrael recalled fondly. But there were also those whom he would un-hesitantly crush if he ever saw their face again. Regretfully, those belonging to the latter numbered more. Still, Azrael doubt any of them would still be alive after 200 years. Azrael mused quietly about his missed opportunity for revenge.

But revenge have to take a backseat now as he thought about his more pressing objectives. He looked at Arilde, Camira, and Isolde. Although the girls seemed absorbed in what they were doing. Arilde talking with Hanna, Camira playing her music and Isolde engrossed in her book. Yet, the girl were still paying close attention on him. Revenge seemed unimportant when he had more important things at stake here, the safety and wellbeing of those who were important to him.

To Azrael, the Great Tomb of Nazarick was his home and the denizens of Nazarick were family. Like his father, the Supreme Sorceress King Ainz Ooal Gown, Azrael shared the same ideal that everyone in Nazarick should be cherished and their welfare stood above all others. Azrael promptly returned to his seat while keeping on ear out for any possible trouble from the outside.

At their turn to enter the city, one of the guards motion them to a stop. A second guard walked towards Leader, who was driving the wagon, and extended his hand out. Casually, Leader passed over the piece of travelling permit that Azrael gave him while carefully shielding the piece of paper from the rain with his cloak.

The guard took a moment to look through the details written on the paper.

“From Prena Village is it? What is your business here? Coming all the way from the west?”

“West? That’s a funny joke. Prena is located to the east of the capital. Bordering the Forbidden Continent. Or you had too much to drink during break?” Leader laughed as he responded to the guards query.

The guard ignored the jibe from Leader and looked at the piece of paper again.

“My mistake then. Any cargo and passengers to declare?” The guard proceeded to ask again without wasting a moment as if he was trying to avoid dwelling on his own carelessness.

“Two drivers, eight passengers and half a wagon load of cayenne pepper, and wild mountain ginger. The taverns in the city are requesting for extra delivery.” Leader answered.

The guardsman glanced towards two of his cohorts who appeared from the back of the wagon. The two attempted to conduct a surprise check on the cargo. Both were coughing and spluttering and their eyes were watery. Their response was due to accidentally catching a strong whiff of the spices as they tried to peek through the back opening of the wagon.

“Could have asked about my cargo before sneaking a peak. I am not stupid enough to transport any contrabands into the city with you lot sniffing about.” Leader warned them gruffly.

As the guard was about to give the signal to inspect the passengers of the wagon. A raven haired boy poked his head out from the flaps just behind the drivers. His was wearing an expression of amazement. His bright yellow eye were darting left, right and center as if he was trying to catch everything within his sight. His left arm was extended towards his back as if he was pulling someone along.

“Aril, isn’t it amazing? Come have a look. The gate is so tall and wide too. The village entrance is nothing compare to this one. There are so many people here too. I heard on the road that the royal wedding will be held soon. I hope we can catch a glimpse of the princess from a different country.”

Moments later, another head emerged from the flaps of the wagon as well. This time, it belonged to that of a girl, a pulchritudinous village girl. Somehow, the blotches of dirt that painted her face did not marred her beauty at all. In contrast to the boy, the girl’s big round eyes darted about in apprehension. Her actions gave off the impression of a little mouse caught wandering in an unfamiliar environment. As she saw the guard looking at her, the girl made an ‘eeepp’ sound and darted inside the wagon.

The youth clasped his hands together to apologies on behalf of his friend.

The guard motioned curtly to show that no offence was taken. Inside his mind however, the guard fought the urge to sigh. It was the third time today that he frightened someone. One would not feel happy about themselves, especially after scaring off a beautiful girl.

Scenes like this were common for him as of late. As more people from villages were entering the city in anticipation for the increase demand for manual laborers. Youths with their lofty dreams were entering the city in droves, hoping to search for a better life here.

As a final measure, the guard look towards one of the mages in charge of the magical surveillance. The gates of Caldera were magical in nature. Anyone who passed through the gate will have their stats revealed. Details including name, job classes and overall stats of those entering the city would be recorded by the mage on duty.

The mage will alert the guards if anyone with combat job classes like Assassin, Thief, Warrior, or Warlock appeared. They would take the necessary precautions if someone like that was travelling without the proper permits.

Usually, they would allow people with basic job classes like Dancer, Musician, Brewer, and Farmer to enter the city easily. However, the data recorded by the gate could still be tricked by high level assassins, spies and thieves through the use of special skills like <False Data Stat>. Hence, a heavy security presence at the gates was vital, in case the gate was tricked by those who possessed job classes that excel in infiltration. As an added precaution, the sentries would inspect the travelling documents of any incoming travelers.

The mage gave the guard a thumbs up to show that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing that there latest arrival checks out. The guard waved the wagon through.

****

The conversation with the city guard was a tense moment for Leader. Leader knew that the guard did not made a mistake when he briefly enquired about the location to Prena village. Luckily, Azrael did not neglect to inform him of the more subtle details regarding the village including the location, terrain, trade and estimated number of households. One wrong answered and they could find themselves surrounded by city guards.

If the guard earlier was adamant on conducting a random security check on the passengers, there was a possibility that Hanna’s presence would be noted. Leader very much wanted to avoid that.

Luckily, Azrael and his companion, Arilde, were able to put up a show to diffuse the situation.

Although Leader did not fully trust his new travelling partners. Yet, he still appreciated their presence as it made entering Caldera much less risky. The girl, Camira casted <False Data Stat> on each and every single one of them. Hence, all of them entered Caldera under an alias and simple job classes like villager, farmer, chef (apprentice) and brewer (apprentice).

Leader looked towards Azrael.

Right now, he was surrounded by the other two companions or would it be more accurate to call them his fiancés? Both were tugging at him and puffing out their faces in jealousy.

"Azrael-dono, where should we head next?” Leader called out.

“Ah about that. I’ve got a friend who owns a place in Caldera. We could seek shelter there. I’ll lead you.”

Due to the rain, there were very little pedestrian traffic as most people opted to stay indoors. The roads were mainly occupied by horse-drawn wagons and carriages. The drivers were urging the horses to move faster as they intended to escape the storm.

Leader navigated the roads of Caldera smoothly, thanks to Azrael directions. Soon, they passed underneath a tall stone archway. The words, ‘Pound Town’ was written on a signboard hanging below the archway.  The archways partitioned the city of Caldera into different zones. The top of the archway acted like a highway for the troops of the city to move around the city without having the need to navigate through the winding streets of the city.

After passing through the archway, Leader noticed that the houses were denser in the next zone. The buildings looked simpler and were mostly constructed with wood. Whereas, the zone passed by earlier consisted of bricked buildings. Undoubtedly, Pound Town is the name for the poorer district of this city.

Then again, the environment here was an improvement in comparison to the pauper’s district of other major cities that Leader had visited. Usually, the roads in poorer parts of the major city were unpaved, turning into mud roads after a heavy deluge. Furthermore, such districts usually reeked with the smell of sewage and human waste. Yet, not-a-hint of foul smell was detected here. This speaks volumes of how-well the city of Caldera was managed.

Soon, the paved roads became narrower, barely allowing two wagons to squeeze by each other. Leader had to navigate the wagon through several twisted roads and several junctions. He had to reduce his speed when navigating through the narrow winding roads of Pound Town. He could only relaxed himself when they reach their shelter. The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Visibility was so bad that Leader could barely see four feet in front of him.

“How much further?” He asked Azrael.

“Not much further, it’s just located at the end of this road.” 

Half a minute later, Azrael motion to Leader to stop in front of a building. A lone wooden structure, about three stories in height, was sitting in the middle of a small square. A large signboard was swaying front and back due to the heavy winds that came with the rain. Leader could make out the carving in the shape of an apple on the sign itself. Leader almost missed the door as the single magic lamp hanging above it remained unlit. Without a doubt, the building was an inn. But Leader could not see the name of the establishment as the rain was getting heavier.

As Leader got down to take a closer at the door, he could make out the words, ‘Closed for Refurbishment’, written on a piece of notice that was pasted to the inn door.

 Wolfe took over the reins and drove the wagon passed the inn’s door, towards the next set of larger wooden double door, which was the entrance to the stable, where travelers could let their mounts rest for the night. Without wasting a moment, Leader who was following from the sides opened the door and Wolfe quickly drove the wagon into the stable.

Strangely, the city was expecting a lot of visitors. Yet, the entire stable appeared to be empty. There was not a single beast of burden nor carriage in sight. Leader waited a while for Azrael’s contact to greet them. Inns were usually run by a single family and they tend to stay within their own establishments. Still, no one came out to greet them.

As Marcus was about to callout for the stable boy. Azrael’s party set off towards the door that led to the reception hall. Leader and his group followed quiet from the back. Leader and Wolfe took the front. While, Lyra and Marcus took up the rearguard with Hanna, Rebecca, and Sonya sandwiched between them. Since entering the city, they maintained their vigilance. The quartet had been keeping an eye and an ear out for traps and ambushes.

The interior of the tavern was pitch black except for a single magical lamp sitting on a small table. Just like the stable, the tavern was eerily quiet, with not a single soul in sight. The only sound they could hear was the crack of the occasional thunder coming from the outside. The window shutters were sealed, but the flashes from the lightning managed to slip inside the tavern through the window gaps.

Leader saw Azrael approached the lamp and picked up a piece of letter and also a sealed envelope that was sitting just beside the lamp. After Azrael finished reading the letter, he pocketed the envelope before uttering a phrase.

<Illumination On>

With that, the chandeliers of the tavern came to life, bathing the interiors of the tavern in a warm welcoming glow. The eerie atmosphere earlier dissipated completely. Leader half expected someone to greet them from the sudden change of atmosphere.

The fireplace opposite the drinking bar roared to life, warming up the previously cold dreary air of the tavern.

Hanna, Sonya and Rebecca took seats at the table closest to the hearth to warm their shivering bodies. Lyra and Wolfe surveyed the interior of the tavern. Marcus was longingly eyeing the bottles of amber liquor that adorned the shelves just behind the bar.

Leader had plenty of experience with taverns located at poorer districts of the city. The tables would were usually covered with a layer of grime. While the walls would be painted black by soot from the fireplace. The deplorable state of hygiene of inns at such a locale would made one lose their appetite. Travelers that were lacking in funds would have no choice but to stay in such establishments.

Yet, the only word that Leader would use to describe the place was ‘spotless’. He could not even detect a speck of dust nor grease stains that usually adorned the halls of cheap inns. It looked as if someone cleaned the place from top to bottom before their arrival. Furthermore, the interior setup of the place reminded Leader of the Blue Beetle, the inn he visited the night before to meet up with his contact. 

“Everyone, please make yourselves at home. There’s food in the kitchen. I am afraid the caretaker and her crew had left the city. Feel free to use any of the rooms on the second floor. I will be using the rooms on the third floor.” Azrael announced.

He then departed for the third floor followed by Arilde, Camira and Isolde. Only Hanna’s group remained in the inn hall.

“I am famish. The sandwiches during lunch was not enough at all.” Marcus complained as he dragged himself towards the bar counter.

“I’ll prepare dinner. It’s the least I can do. Rebecca, Sonya can you lend me a hand?” Hanna rolled up her sleeves as she stood up from her seat.

“Eh, you are cooking for them too?” Marcus queried.

“I wanted to improve the relation between us. We could not have made it this far without their help. I believe we should see each other as comrades.”

“I doubt they see as allies. More than likely, they are using us for some unknown objective. Your efforts would be wasted, Hanna-sama.” Marcus replied.

Many within Hanna’s group quietly agreed with Marcus’s opinion. This was evident as nobody verbally objected his words.

“Marcus…..” Leader interjected.

Leader have to admit that part of him agreed with Marcus’s sentiment.  His warrior’s instinct were screaming to him that the four should not be underestimated. Although, he had no way to accurately gauge their strength. Leader’s conjecture on Azrael’s relative strength was estimated based on the people under him, like his head-maid, who single handedly defeated his group within seconds. The chasm that was the difference between her and their fighting strength was no laughing matter. The fighters within his own group like Marcus, Lyra and Wolfe were considered as the elite within the Imperial army. Thus, Leader found it strange when Azrael proposed that they travel together to Caldera.

What did he said before? It would be safer to travel in a bigger group, was it? Hah, where is the punchline for his jest?

Leader put his hand over his hair in frustration.

Sensing his leader’s frustration, Marcus gave in.

“Fine, fine. I will behave myself during dinner. Excuse me, while I numb my dissatisfaction with alchohol.” Marcus vaulted over the bar and uncorked one of the bottles. He took a whiff of the liquor inside before he poured a glass of it for himself. 

“Don’t worry about him, hime-sama. He’ll behave once he had his liquor. Let me help with dinner preparation.” Lyra tried to cheer up Hanna.

Both Rebecca and Sonya stood up from their seats as well and the four girls headed towards the kitchen.

“Jealous? Yeah right…. As if I am jealous of a little kid….pfftt..” Marcus muttered unhappily to himself as he started drinking from the bottle instead from the drinking glass.

Leader did not rebuked Marcus further. He knew that Marcus was rather blunt with his emotion. Plus, this was his way of blowing off some steam. From here on out, things will get dangerous for them. Marcus was similarly well aware of the risk.

Leader had led many soldiers through battle. On the eve of many big battles, it was not uncommon for some of the rank and file to indulge in physical pleasures, in order to numb their fears of dying on the battlefield.

Some of us may not make it out of this alive. As long as we improved the odds of victory for the Empire, the sacrifice is worth it.

Leader briefly thought about those who died along their journey. He stood up and went to look for a place to pray. He wanted to pray for the success of their mission so that the sacrifice of their fallen comrades would not be in vain.

****

In the kitchen, Hanna was browsing through the kitchen stock. She was trying to figure out what to cook with the ingredients at hand. The kitchen was well stocked with vegetables and fruits. Lyra went to retrieve the wild pheasants, sausages, and hunks of lamb and beef stored within the cold enchanted chamber. While, Rebecca and Sonya went to prepare the table.

Hanna wanted to prepare a decent meal for everyone. At least a meal that would make them forget the dread of death for the night. Partially, she was doing this because she also felt guilty. Within the group, she was not much of a fighter and could only help out with recovery spells. At times when someone died, she blamed herself for not being to do more.

Leader and others did try to convince her that her recovery spells did manage to keep them away from deaths door many times.  But, Hanna found it harder to believe their words with the mounting deaths within their party since the start of their journey. Hanna thought bitterly as she started to peel the potatoes with a kitchen knife.

There was another reason that she wanted to prepare dinner. Other than Arilde, Azrael’s party so far had minimal interaction with hers. Even during meal times, they tend to keep to themselves. Hanna wanted to use this opportunity to convince him to aid her in her cause. Her thoughts shifted towards the magical contract that Azrael made with her, which she kept a secret from the others. The contract explicitly stated that Azrael was willing to rescue her sister from a lifetime of misery. In exchange, Hanna had to remain at his domain for an indefinite period.

He definitely sees me as someone of value.

But, here lies the next question. What does he sees me in me? Does he have an inkling of my true nature, about the power I wield?

Hanna looked at her hands.

Her power was something that her mother had kept hidden for years. Only a handful of people knew about it. During the days when she stayed in the palace, Hanna was kept close under guard. Her mother also gave her several protective magical items and she was instructed to wear it at all times. Hanna looked the ring that was on her right hand.

Hanna could not think of a better explanation. In the Empire, she herself holds no political power. All the nobles and even her man that she called brother sees her as nothing more than a political tool. Because of her looks, his brother would be more than happy to marry her off if not for the intervention of her mother. She also doubts that Azrael was interested in marrying her, especially with so many other beauties surrounding him.

Yet, Azrael was willing to forge a contract with her, someone he barely knew for more than a week. She thought that if she was able to find out what was Azrael intended plans for her, she would be able to forge a new contract with him, asking him to support the loyalist by paying the appropriate price.

To gleam more information on that matter, she tried to build up a friendly relation with the three girls that surrounded Azrael. It was a slim chance, but Hanna was hoping to find out more about Azrael’s motivation herself.

But so far, only Arilde responded warmly towards her questions. In contrast, Camira and Isolde seemed more incline to listen than to talk. Although it was strange, Hanna felt relax when interacting with Arilde, like someone she had knew all her life although she just recently met her. Her long hours of chatting during the journey with Arilde did not yield any useful information. Instead, Arilde seemed more interested in getting to know her better. Her warm smile seemed to always put Hanna at ease. 

Then suddenly, Hanna felt someone grasping onto her hand that was holding the knife. Hanna noticed that she was about the cut into her finger.

“You should not lose your focus when handling something sharp.” A melodious voice warned her. Hanna recognized the owner. It was Arildes.

“Arilde-san, what are you doing here?” Hanna queried.

“Oh, I am here to prepare Azrael-sama’s dinner.” Arilde smiled warmly as she answered.

“Arilde-san. Thanks for earlier…..Erm, would you like to prepare dinner together? I was hoping that our respective groups could dine together tonight.” Hanna asked hopefully.

Arilde paused to think for a moment, “That would be a good idea. I am sure Azrael-sama would be happy to join you for dinner tonight.”

Hanna felt happy that her invitation was accepted.

“Are you planning to make lamb stew? Let me help with cutting the meat.” Arilde proceeded to pick up a cleaver nearby and gave it a twirl. She was getting a feel of the cleaver. Then, she cut the hunk of lamb into nice little bite size cubes without wasting a moment. Less than a minute, she reduced the mass of lamb into a small mountain of meat cubes.

Hanna marveled Arilde handiwork silently from the side. Hanna thought she was an eccentric aristocrat for developing an interest in reading and the culinary arts. Young aristocrat girls around her age were more inclined towards things like gossiping and looking pretty to attract the best suitor.

“I may not be as good a cook as Azrael-sama’s younger sister. But I’m quite confidant with my knife work.” Arilde winked at Hanna.

She did not even break a sweat.

Physical appearance alone, Arilde and her sisters would have pass with flying colors as fine noble ladies in the Imperial Capital. Young nobleman would have openly dueled each other in order to gain their favor in marriage. Yet Arilde’s appearance belie her skills and knowledge. The way she handled the knife was at a professional level. When Hanna was conversing with Arilde during travel, she came to understood that Arilde was well-read. She acted as Azrael’s right hand in addition to being his fiance.

“Ho, you are quite good with a blade.”

“Uhwah…Lyra, you scared me.” Hanna was shocked by Lyra, who silently crept up behind her and Arilde. The half-elven ranger had a habit of slipping in and out without anyone noticing. Hanna did asked the Lyra to make her presence more easily noticeable. The elven ranger always responded by saying that it was part of her training.

Yet, Arilde who was beside Hanna was not perturbed at all, as if she had been aware of Lyra’s presence since the beginning.

“Thank you for your compliment, Lyra-san. I rarely got the chance to demonstrate my skills with a blade. My teacher once told me that a kitchen is a woman’s battlefield and the knife is her trusted tool. Fu fu fu.” Arilde smiled happily at Lyra.

Hanna was holding her breath. Although Lyra was not showing it, Hanna could sense her friend was guarded against Arilde. Hanna was hoping that the rift between both groups would be shorten after tonight.

“So you are one of those girls that were brought up to believe that they should be homemakers?” Lyra retorted.

“Not exactly, I was brought up to devote my heart to the person I loved the most. While I am still lacking at certain aspects. But I believe certain parts of me were more developed compared to others.” Arilde smiled warmly as she looked at Lyra who return her gaze with a steely conviction.

Then, Hanna saw that Arilde’s eyes shifted southwards, towards Lyra’s unimpressive chest and gave a shy giggle.

In return, Lyra gritted her teeth as she looked at the impressive looking bosom of her younger opponent. A single glance told Lyra that she had already lost the battle, without the chance to fire a return salvo. A lone drop of sadness escaped the right eye of the battle-harden elven ranger. The topic of her chest was Lyra’s Achilles heel. Hanna saw men thrice of Lyra’s size that were put to ground at the mere passing comment of her flat chest. But, this was the first time that she saw the half-elf dashed out of the kitchen in tears.

“My my, I have not even thanked Ms. Lyra yet for dropping off the meat. Do you think the amount would be enough for everyone?” Arilde was still smilling gently.

Hanna took a look. “I think this should be enough.” Quickly, she snuck a glance at Arilde’s bountiful chest as well. The verdict was that hers was also one size smaller than Arildes.

 Does mine have more room for growth? Hanna asked herself quietly.

The rest of the cook out was rather uneventful. Rather, it went on rather smoothly with the teamwork between Hanna and Arilde. Arilde was slicing and dicing the meat and vegetables, while Hanna turned the raw ingredients into sumptuous cuisines.

****

Two hours later, in the dining hall.

“Tonight’s dinner, courtesy of mine and Ms. Arildes.” Hanna gestured towards the table filled with dishes.

“Wow, princess. You sure didn’t pull your stops on this one.” Marcus exclaimed as his looked at the numerous dishes that were being taken out from the kitchens.

Sitting in the center of the long wooden bench was a large pot of steaming meat stew. Next to it was a large stuffed turkey. Besides that, there were bowls of mouth-watering Caesar salad garnished with cheese, baskets of freshly baked bread, several platters of roasted ham, a small mountain of golden omelet, and flagons of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Although, this was nothing compared to what Hanna group ate during their stay at the Tomb of Rl’yeth. But it was still a feast for them as they had subsided on dried rations for weeks while on the run.

“Where’s Lyra?” Hanna asked as she took note of the absence of her half-elven friend.

“Over there.” Marcus gestured over his shoulder, pointing towards a slumped figure at the bar.

Several empty bottles surrounded the half-elven ranger. Lyra was exceptional as a ranger but a very poor drinker.

“Hime-sama, what happened in the kitchen? Once the half-elf came out from the kitchen, she started drowning herself in mead. Did Lyra finally realized that she was totally worthless as a….”

Marcus was not able to finish the sentence as a bottle struck him dead center on the back of his head. He clutched his head and rolled on the floor in pain. Yet, his agony would not end there as the Lyra started stepping on him over and over again in haze of alcohol induced violence.

“Die! Die! Die! You scum of all woman.”

The people in the hall, mainly Hanna’s group, knew better than stopping the storm from running its course. Hanna had seen Marcus survived worse injuries before. At least, she would apply some healing spells on him after Lyra was done with him. This was Hanna’s way of thanking Marcus for being such a good outlet for Lyra to release her pent-up stress and frustration.

Once Lyra had settled her rage, everyone took their seats. Leader and Wolfe propped Marcus on one of the chairs while Hanna was applying a healing spell on him.

“Hick. Princess, you are wasting your mana. Hick! Hick! Let this be a lesson to him. Hick” The half-elf spoke in a drunken manner.

“With a temper like yours, I doubt anyone would take you as wife. I’ll proudly show him all the battle scars ….” Marcus promptly kept quiet as Lyra had started to sharpen the carving knife menacingly.

“Lyra, let’s wait for a longer moment. Azrael-sama have not arrive yet.” Hanna pleaded.

“Ah princess, let’s begin. I doubt they are going…….”

“…. to come anyway? My apologies for the wait. Thank you for having us for dinner.” Azrael apologized as he descended from the stairs.

Azrael took the side of the table opposite to Hanna’s group. While, Arilde took the seat to Azrael’s left, whereas Camira and Isolde was seated to Azrael’s right.

"There’s no need to apologise. We should be thanking you instead. After all, you have been kind enough to provide a safe house for us to stay in. Preparing dinner was the least that we can do.”

“Shall we have a toast before we feast?” Azrael raised his goblet. “To victory and to home.”

The rest followed his lead, raising their goblets or glasses, and chorused “To victory and to home.”

Most people like Marcus and Lyra took a polite sip. While others like Leader and Hanna emptied their glasses.

“Everyone dig in.” Many chorused as the quiet atmosphere was broken by the clatter of cutlery.

“About time. I am dead hungry.” Marcus exclaimed. He took a spoonful of stew. “This is great stuff, princess. I could eat this the whole day.” Marcus then took a second helping.

“Thank you. I did not made the stew alone. Arilde-san gave me plenty of pointers.”

“Hanna-san, you gave me too much credit. The stew was the result of your hard work. I only offered a few advices.” Arilde beamed happily.

“Then Arilde-san, please bestow your salvation upon that half-elf.” Marcus clapped his hands together in prayer. “She literally churns out dishes that I would only offer to my worst enemies. I was quite worried that something strange might come out of the kitchen when she offered to help with the cooking. Hahaha. Ouch! Ouch!”

Marcus was held in a headlock by Lyra.

“Lyra, I usually do not support most of the things that Marcus’s said. But this time, he does have a point. Do I have to remind you about the Ghost of Taebeina incident?”

“The Ghost of Taebeina?” Hanna asked curiously.

“Hah, it was a rather infamous incident, one that led to an overhaul of army logistics standard protocol. It happened when Lyra was still a cadet. On a training exercise at the outskirts of Taebeina, Lyra was put in charge of dinner duty. That night, the entire regiment was practically down and moaning due to stomach pain, myself included. The moaning was so loud that the townsfolk of Taebeina thought that a particularly violent haunting was occurring just outside the town. I could still remember the mad scramble for the….” Leader stopped talking after noticing Lyra’s expression.

Lyra had stopped what she was doing earlier to Marcus and plastered her face to the table. Whereas, Marcus’s face developed a greenish hue as if he was recalling a rather noxious memory.  

“Uhwah, hick. Mom was right. I am totally lack the qualities of a lady. Uhwah. Hick Hick.” Lyra cried.

Looking at Marcus, Leader recalled something.

Ah, Marcus was there too. If I remembered correctly, he accidentally fell into one of the latrine pits. When he climbed out of the pit, he was covered head to toe in……

Leader shuddered at that memory. He decided not to speak up any further, least he destroy everyone’s appetite.

Everyone on the table started to laugh at the antics of Lyra. Hanna noticed that even Azrael gave a brief smile. She cannot help herself too and laughed happily with everyone. She was happy that her efforts tonight was not wasted.

****

The winds of the storm were howling into the room at the upmost floor of the inn.

Azrael was standing by the ledge of the window at the third floor with Isolde following closely behind him. The both of them were preparing to exit via the windows. Currently, the room was pitch black, but it did not present a problem for the four occupants within as they possessed dark vision.

“We will be back within a few hours. Arilde, Camira, I will leave things here to you.”

“Understood, please have a safe trip.” Arilde bowed as she saw Azrael and her sister off.

Azrael and Isolde then drifted off quietly into the night sky. The heavy rain acted like a veil to shield them from sight.  For this excursion, the two donned black cloaks that allowed them to blend in with the darkness and their face was obscure by white animal masks, giving them the appearance like a pair of harbingers of death.

It did not take long for them to reach their destination, The Great Caldera Castle. The castle stood out like a shining beacon in a sea of darkness. The numerous magical lights within the structure, grounds and the towers lid up the entire complex, even bathing the buildings on its outskirts in a warm glow.  

From what Azrael was told, the entire city of Caldera itself was a guild base. But the heart of the base itself was the Great Caldera Castle. Unless the raiders took down the main castle, the guild base would not fall.

Unsurprisingly, the castle’s defenses were more formidable than the outer wall of the city. Like the outer walls of the city, the castle walls were also protected by magical batteries and defensive enchantments. Squads of armored knights patrolled the castle perimeters. Additionally, the castle itself was surrounded by a barrier that would shield it against magical bombardment and infiltration by air.

Azrael objective tonight was a quick in and out of the castle without raising an alarm. He did not intend to stay long within the castle. He was wary of the one that was imprisoned in the middle of the castle. Azrael had already decided that he would confront him once all his preparations were completed.

In order to neutralize the protective barrier that surrounded the castle, he brought Isolde along for the night. As they arrived within the vicinity of the castle, Isolde invoked her unique ability, <Freeze Enchantment>, which temporarily stopped the activation of all forms of security enchantments that protected the castle. While, Azrael casted <Perfect Unknowable> on the both of them, erasing any traces of their presence. With this, the both of them successfully entered the castle airspace without being detected.

Azrael focused his field of perception on the tallest towers of the castle, searching for his quarry. As Azrael found his target, he reduced his altitude with Isolde following closely from behind. They descended towards the balcony of the tallest towerson the east wing of the castle.

The inside of the tower was almost pitch black. The only source of light came from a single small magical lamp by the side of a poster bed. On the bed was a sleeping girl. Azrael mused wryly about a similarly scene in the past. But it was moments like this that bits of theatrics was required.

With a flick of his finger, the glass door separating the balcony from the room burst open. Azrael and Isolde then slipped quietly inside the room with <Perfect Unknowable> still in effect.

                                                                        ****

The sudden loud bang shook the girl in the bed from her slumber. She sat bolt upright from the noise. Then, the bedroom door opened, as a maid and two guards hurried inside the room. The crash from the balcony door must have alarmed them.

“Your highness, my apologies. Is everything all right?” The maid enquired.

“I am fine. It’s the balcony door.” The girl pointed towards the opened balcony door.

The maid promptly shut the balcony door to prevent more rain from entering the room.

“I will send someone to clean up the mess, your highness.”

“Please leave it until morning. I would like to return to bed.” The girl replied hastily.

“As you wish, your highness.” The maid and the guards bowed before exiting the room.

The girl flopped down, with her back perpendicular to the head of the bed, her eyes appeared listless as if she was dreading tomorrow. Although the girl was still wallowing in her sadness, she could not help herself but shivered as the temperature in the room dropped by a notch. As she was about to pull the cover over her body, the girl heard a voice calling out her name. The voice came the darkened corner of the room. The girl immediately stood up, alarmed by the presence of the mysterious voice.  

“Primeriia Nobel Adlia, I presume?”

The girl, Primeriia, skipped a beat as a cloaked figure emerged from the darkness. The manner in which the masked figure appeared was rather disconcerting to Primeriia. It was as if he was part embodiment of night itself. The situation was made the more ominous as Primeriia took note of the figures icy gaze. The gaze caused Primerriia to tremble from head to toe and she took a few steps back, fearful of her unexpected guest. Strangely, she found herself unable to muster the will to scream for help.

Primeriia was half-expecting something like this to happen. She thought that this figure, an assassin sent by the rebel faction of the Empire was here to end her existence, in order to stop the marriage between the Kingdom of Grimvale and the royal faction of the Empire.

However, the cloaked figure only stretched out his left hand. The hand was holding onto a string of necklace.

The necklace’s design seemed unremarkable. Yet, there was no way that Primeriia’s would not recognize to whom it belonged to. Her heart froze at its implication.

“My sister’s necklace…..where did you..?”

“I trust that you recognize the person whom I represent.”

“Is my sister alive? Is she hurt?” Primeriia asked hurriedly.

Primeriia wariness vanished only to be replaced by the urgency to obtain any news about her sister. She was naturally worried as she had not received any word from her for weeks, fearing for the worst.

“She is safe for the moment. But more importantly, I came here to bring you to safety at her behest. Would you come with me?”

The hooded figure extended his right hand to her.

Primeriia hesitantly reached out her hand to take Azrael’s hand. But halfway through, she stopped and withdrew her hand slowly.

“I’m sorry. I can’t follow you. Please tell my sister that I cannot forsake my duty as a princess.”

***

Primeriia’s eyes told Azrael that she was someone resigned to her tragic fate, no matter how fearful she was of her future, she won’t abandon her duty as a princess.

It was rather admirable of her. 

“Understood, then do take this. If you ever change your mind, just trace your name into the bracelet and I’ll shall respond to your summons.”

Azrael handed Primeriia a bracelet and she took it.  

“Thank you. Please tell my sister, Hanna that I shall pray for her safety, good sir…eh.” Primeriia stammered as she realized that she does not know the name of the person before her.

“It’s fine. I’m just the master of a humble estate. Until we meet again, farewell.”

In a fashion similar to how he appeared in front of Primeriia, Azrael dissolved into the darkness.  

           

Azrael in rendezvous with Isolde who was hovering high above the castle, beyond the range of its magical enchantment. The vantage point gave them a perfect 360 degree view of the entire city.

“She is not coming?”

Isolde asked as she did see the presence of their target. She then fell silent as if in thought.

“Contractual rebound?”

“Yes, we cannot forcibly bring her with us. Hanna’s condition to me was to rescue her sister, Primeriia. However, Primeriia did not perceived that she was in any immediate danger although she was dragged into a situation that she hated and feared. If I forcibly brought Primeriia against her own will, the contract will perceived that Hanna set an unfulfillable condition. The penalty from the contract will rebound on Hanna.”

Azrael appreciated Isolde’s keen insight. Although she was a girl of few words, but amongst her sisters, she had the sharpest mind with even Arilde being second to her. His uncle, Demiurge did praise her intellect from time to time.

Azrael’s subclass as a scribe had the ability two forge a binding magical contract between two or more parties. In essence, failure to abide by the rules set by the contract with result in penalty for the party involved. For example, when Party A set a condition such as gathering a particular herb at a specific village in order for Party B to fulfill. When Party B was able to fulfill the contract, then Party A would have to payout the agreed payment. But if Party B failed the quest, then a penalty would be imposed upon Party B.

The contract had in-build mechanism to stop the contracted parties to force either side into a penalty. For example, if Party A set a condition that could not be fulfilled under any circumstance, in order to force Party B to payout the penalty. For example, setting Party B to gather a non-existing herb or a herb that could not be found at the specific village would stop Party B from fulfilling the request under any circumstances. If such a situation were to happen, a contractual rebound will occur where the penalty will be imposed on the requestor. The mechanism itself served as a deterrent to prevent any forms of scamming from either party

As for the contact between Azrael and Hanna, the penalty was –

“The penalty is death isn’t it?”

“Yes. Although this will be slightly troublesome. We’ll need to devise a situation to change Primeriia’s mind. It would be preferential to avoid the death of my contractor. I do not wish indirectly sully the name of my father’s name through my inability fulfill a simple request.”

Isolde silently nodded to Azrael’s words. She had already anticipated what was in his mind. If Hanna were ever to die to the effects of the rebound, Azrael could just simply resurrect her with a high-tier resurrection spell. Of course such an outcome was not desirable to Azrael. Firstly, he did not intend to reveal the cards that he on his hand easily. Secondly, he believed that promises made must be kept.

Isolde leaned closer to Azrael as the two of them looked over the city the sleeping city before them. Azrael felt a tinge of regret that the peaceful lives of the city’s citizens would soon come to an end. However, those feelings dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

Azrael strongly opposed the concept of altruism. In the past, he was more than open to such moral ideals. Yet, his mercy backfired on him during that one incident and he deeply regretted his decision. From then onwards, he vowed that he would always prioritized the wellbeing of the ones he cherished the most, and those whom served him loyally, even if his decision will lead to the deaths of millions of innocents in the process. However, this did not meant that he would indulge in senseless massacre. Rather, his decisions would be mainly driven by the necessity of it and the need to reach the desired outcomes.

Azrael stretched out one his raven feathered wings that was hidden throughout the journey and gently enveloped Isolde with it, shielding her from the storm. More importantly, he wants to reassure Isolde, who was looking at him worriedly.

Among her sisters, Isolde would not display her emotion casually. However, she was particularly sharp when it came to sensing somebody else’s feelings.

Azrael knew that he failed to fully conceal this unnatural sense of wrathfulness that was plaguing him since entering the city. The surge was particularly strong when he first laid eyes on Primerria. He was not particularly worried as it was something to be expected, given his condition.

Then, like a mirage, the image of Azrael’s human-like golden eyes dissolved, returning into its original form, the beast-like golden vertical slits that he inherited from his mother. Yet, there was one particular trait of his and his sister’s eyes that was different from their mothers. Under the darkness of night, the presence of a tiny red orb twinkled within each of his golden pupils.

His eyes were like that of a predator stalking its prey. It lingered over the foundries of Caldera Even at night, the smokestacks of the foundries were puffing out their sooty emission into the sky. The workers within the factories were busy producing magical weapons that formed the bulk of Grimvale’s export.

Azrael then shifted his focus towards the Great Cathedral of the city. The cathedral was located in the center of the noble’s district, situated in the middle of a large stone paved plaza. To the city’s inhabitants, the huge gothic-like structure was second in only to the castle in terms of its magnificence. It looked as if it the entire building was carved out from a hill-size white marble. The spires of the cathedral were adorned with twinkling golden statues of angels and goddesses that seemed to sanctify the grounds around the cathedral itself.

Finally, Azrael’s gaze rested upon the Grimvale’s military barracks. Several platoons of foot soldiers crossed each other as the platoons entered and exited the barracks in neat formations, signaling the change in guard duty shift.

Azrael wondered does the current citizens of this city knew how crucial these three landmarks were to the defense of the city. In-truth, the three structures conferred defensive benefits to the guild members who owned the base. The Grand Cathedral increased recovery speed and grant its defenders resistance against dark, demonic and necromancy type attacks. Furthermore, it reduces the effects of death penalties on the guild owners after their revival upon death. Furthermore, the cathedral would also blessed its POP defenders with a percentage chance to auto-revive if they fell during battle without cost.

On the other hand, the foundries ensured that the defenders would be continuous supplied with magic-based weapons, improving attack and defense stats of its POP defenders and guild members in the event of an assault on the guild base. By expending the appropriate amount of Yggdrasil coins, the guild owner could add bonus attack and defensive attributes to its NPC defenders, increasing their overall effectiveness.

The final building, which is the barracks in turn would increase the spawning rate of POP defenders, using their ever increasing numbers to delay the attackers. Similar to the foundries, the owners can spawn additional stronger POP defenders with levels averaging Level 70, by paying the appropriate amount of gold as well. The barracks would spawn units like the Holy Guardian Paladin Champion, Veteran Night’s Eye Rangers, and Midgard High Arcane Spell Casters.

When he was young, Azrael learned about the details to all the different type of guild bases that originated from his father’s world, Yggdrasil. There were a myriad of guild bases in Yggdrasil such as dungeons, dark fortresses, mountainous towers and floating cities. City-type guild bases were the most common and were mostly found in the realms of Vanaheim, Alfheim, and Midgard. Yet, the creators were given a lot of creative liberty in imparting the distinctive characteristic to each city based on the realms in which they were located.

Naturally, the guild bases in Alfheim were favored by most elf players.  The city-type bases were found within the depths Alfheim’s vast ancient forest. The elfish buildings were mostly made of wood and blended in harmoniously with the gigantic towering Sequoia-like trees. Alfheim typed city bases were mostly protected by layers of illusionary spells and there were many ambush points traps outside the city. Players with beast tamer class could even create monster nest outside the guild base to distract the invaders. Elven players themselves would receive passive bonuses within this world such as increased concealment and movement speed.

If there was one word to describe the city guild bases in Vanaheim, it would be atypical. Unlike the city-type guild bases in Alfheim and Midgard, the city-type bases in Vanaheim had unique quirks of their own. There was one city that would randomly teleport itself to a different location every month. While another had a tall magical spire, sitting in the middle of the city. The tower will release bolts of devastating arcane annihilation upon its attackers. Some like the Floating City Temple of Njord was located in the middle of the ocean, protected by its four mighty Elder Guardian Sea Serpents.

The cities within the realm of Midgard, resembled the traditional human walled fortress cities. The size of those cities were denoted by the number of defensive walls that surround it. The largest city could have up to four layers of defensive stone walls and the smallest was only protected by a single layer of wall. Each city had its own unique cultural themes as well such as Victorian, Ancient Greek, Nordic, and Ancient Kyoto. Among the city-type guild bases, those located in the realm of Midgard generated the largest amount of gold coins from taxation and possessed the most formidable defense. The drawback however was that it has the highest rate of upkeep among all city-type guild bases. Any financial misadventure would result in the guild finances going dangerously into the red zone.

Azrael was told that the usual tactic for a successful raid on a city-type guild base was through a diversionary tactic. First, they would have all the attackers group together in an attempt to breach the defensive walls of the city. This would force the defending forces to focus on the invading army. While, NPC or players who excel in assassination class would try to infiltrate the city and try to disable those structures from within by killing off the defenders stationed there and occupying the building for a predetermined time, like a capture-the-flag play style.

The method of using AOE type spells to perform a surgical strike upon the city was not as effective. All city-type guild bases were protected by a magical barrier, maintained by the central castle. Nothing short of a super-tier spell would be able to penetrate its defenses, with the exception of a handful of tenth-tier spells which could only be used by players that possessed ultra-rare job classes. The standard defensive tactic would have the defenders immediately sniped off anyone trying to invoke a super-tier magic.

Father had told me much on how he once raided city-type guild bases with the other supreme beings. This will be an excellent opportunity to put my siege tactic plan into play.

“The launch of the next generation airship and a royal wedding. The city had much to look forward to. But I will be there to make sure it all ends with a bang.”

Azrael formed a frame with both his thumb and index fingers and he placed the castle within the center of his makeshift frame. 

Author's note

Dear Readers, sorry for the extremely late delay. I have been focusing on my job past these few months and writing time were sparse. I hope the new chapter will keep you entertained until Overlord Volume 13 comes out.