Bab 226: Chapter 18
It was eerie to receive nearly identical messages from both of his supposed sisters along the lines of 'What the hell did you do?' All the True Dragons had noticed his disappearance and the unusual circumstances surrounding it. Even Milim was upset and distraught, despite her only having a vague sense of unease from his disappearance. Buku had wisely forbidden Nazarick and Veldora from speaking out, thankful that at least there hadn't been any mass panic among the public.
As a consolation, he was now hosting a full family gathering, the first in a millennia, and that wasn't counting Milim, who hadn't seen Velgrynd since she was three and until recently had forgotten the connection she shared with the True Dragons.
Together they sat in one of the Tempest castle guest rooms, with a swarm of maids performing last-minute preparations, performing one last polish and puffing light perfume. There was a valid reason that things could get heated quickly due to Velzard and Milim not seeing eye to eye, so he had taken all the precautions he could to ensure that he would catch all souls should any of the maids get killed, furthermore having picked ten among the original forty-one homunculus maids, as they were considered the most skilled, to prevent such a situation from occurring.
The table was covered with all kinds of delicacies from across Tempest, carefully curated by Pero and Shuna. The music box, a recent creation of the science department, played soft and calming music, and the large windows let in enough light to create a bright and uplifting atmosphere.
He had allowed for all attendees to just teleport in, as currently everyone operated on mutual trust and Guy had extended the same courtesy towards Tempest's elite. Velgrynd had informed him that she would arrive in disguise for reasons unknown, but he saw no reason to deny her request, she likely wasn't coming to cause harm.
"Dad, are you sure we don't need to put the capital on high alert?" Milim asked as she fidgeted around and stress-ate a small mountain of chocolate chip cookies.
"This is a friendly meeting, and should things go south, Buku, Albedo, and Pandora are ready to isolate the castle. In the worst-case scenario, Ramiris can teleport the entire city into her dungeon," Momonga replied. He hadn't asked Milim to try to keep peace at any cost so she was free to speak her mind, which could lead to her fighting at least one of two dragonesses.
"Still, I wouldn't want to destroy the castle if that ice bitch runs her mouth again, but I will punch her if she disrespects me or uncle," Milim growled.
"She promised to be cordial." Momonga reminded her.
"I know. I will try my best too. But if she starts bullying Uncle I will cave her face in." She sighed and pushed an entire cookie into her mouth, chewing loudly as she spilled numerous crumbs.
"That's all I ask."
The conversation died down for a short while, and soon, both he and Milim sensed the magical field shift in preparation as a gate opened in a room beside them. Maids hastily assumed their places, assuming rigid positions. Rubedo perked up just enough for Momonga to notice, though then again she had gotten more animated over time as she shifted her caloric blade.
To his surprise, Guy was first to step through, only then followed by Velzard in her adult form.
"Hey Milim, Momonga, I hope you don't mind me joining in." Guy greeted them with a grin and plopped down in the seat next to Milim without a care in the world, throwing an arm around her.
"Hey, Guy!" Milim was first to greet the demon lord as she pretended that Velzard didn't even exist.
"Not at all, welcome to our home, Guy. It is nice to meet you again, sister." Momonga replied, emphasizing their connection, carefully glancing at Velzard. After a more thorough investigation of the world system and True Dragons as a species, he had concluded that all dragons and him were siblings in a more direct sense. Unlike everyone else in the world, they had inherited divinity that made them all entities beyond the system itself - to a certain extent. If Veldora hadn't been lazy and actually learned to wield his power properly since birth, Chloe wouldn't have been able to imprison him in the first place, and he would've been able to potentially rival Velgrynd in battle.
Whether he could fight Velzard at his peak capabilities was a different story, since her abilities were even more unknown than Velgrynd's, but he was slowly growing with time and experience from dueling Milim and others.
"We'll explain everything. It is nice to see you again, brother." Velzard sat down next to Guy and chose not to acknowledge Milim at all.
'I guess it's better than them exchanging insults or starting a fight.' Momonga thought about the matter. He would take Milim's side without hesitation if push came to shove, but it was better to avoid a fight altogether and perhaps find a way to understand why Velzard was so hostile towards her niece.
"Oh, chocolate chip cookies." Guy grabbed one from the bowl and started munching on it as if unaware of the tense atmosphere. "Mizeri still can't make them just right so I only get them when she shops in that bakery in Ingrassia. I wanted to 'hire' the human who makes them but apparently all hell would break loose if I did."
"I know right? These are my favorites. The chefs use a special kind of chocolate that doesn't melt in their hands to sprinkle them in which leaves these pockets of gooey chocolate when baked." Milim shared a moment with her fellow demon lord, taking a bite.
"I can see why." Guy chuckled and took a few more, handing one to Velzard who graciously accepted the treat and took small bites, unlike Milim and Guy who devoured mouthfuls within seconds.
"I'll notify the cooks to pack a few on the road," Momonga said, noting that both guests showed interest in the baked goods. Such a small gesture could help keep good relations and he surely wanted to keep things peaceful, especially since it cost very little.
"That would be great. Speaking of which, I want to send two of my chefs, Rain and Mizeri, to study under your best cook. I'm sure there won't be any problems with such an arrangement." Guy leaned closer to Momonga with a sly grin. He knew he couldn't really intimidate the death dragon but he still had enough weight to throw around thanks to his connection to Velzard.
"Guy, what are you playing at? Why send the two primordials?" Milim raised her brow.
"They are my best servants and it's not like they would cause any trouble. I promise that they won't stick their noses where they aren't supposed to, and if they do, Momonga can punish them however he sees fit, and I'll even give him some coinage up front since I know he's dealing with mortal money." Guy stated as he grabbed another cookie from the rapidly dwindling supply.
"Those terms are acceptable. I will arrange for them to study under Nazarick's head chef. But for their sake, warn your servants that they will deal with Rubedo if they step out of line." Momonga nodded.
"Sounds good I-." Guy was interrupted by Veldora and Ramiris teleporting in and taking their seats.
"Hey Guy… sis. N-nice to see you..." Veldora trailed off with a stutter and instantly directed his attention to the cookie bowl, grabbing the last cookie over the table.
"Hey Guy, Velzard. Let's have a nice peaceful meeting alright?" Ramiris flashed the pair a smile, her eyes fixated on the last cookie disappearing in Veldora's mouth.
{ Bring in a few more bowls of chocolate chip cookies. } Momonga sent an order to the kitchen, noticing a possible point of contention. It would be twistingly comical to have an all-out dragon and demon lord fight over some treats, and he, for one, wasn't looking forward to such a possibility.
Even before one of the stand-in maids managed to remove the empty bowl from the table, a group of maids came in with the valuable substance and spread out five bowls evenly among the table, with one of them surprisingly taking the last seat.
Velgrynd transformed into her regular form as she explained, "My husband didn't want me to attend, so I had to sneak out."
"And why are you letting him control you like this? Do you not realize how ridiculous that is?" Velzard scoffed.
"I… no… I mean, the game is still going on." Velgrynd looked confused for a moment and then switched her attention to Milim, giving her a warm smile. "It is so nice to see you and I am happy Momonga adopted you. I hope you are doing well."
"I am, auntie. No thanks to you for that…" Milim grumbled in return, giving her a passive glance before grabbing another cookie.
"I am sorry things turned out like this. I hope we can catch up." Velgrynd, unlike her more cold sister, seemed to be happy to be addressed as auntie.
"I don't want to imply anything, but I think I should at least mention it while everyone is present." Ramiris cleared her throat, waiting for everyone to pay attention. Once all eyes were on her she continued, "Michael, the Lord of Justice, the ultimate skill Rudra has, lets him control all other angelic series owners."
"Are you implying my husband manipulates me!?" Velgrynd jumped to her feet, her aura flaring with Momonga barely setting up shields in time around the room.
"Hmm, come to think of it, my skill did attempt to influence me. Ramiris, you as the arbiter should have disclosed this information at the beginning of the game," Velzard commented.
"I had forgotten since my fall, and only recently regained all my memories thanks to Lord Momonga," The fairy Queen responded defensively.
"I see. That explains why you took his side so eagerly. I guess this is another thing we should thank our brother for." Velzard tilted her head at Momonga, lightly nodding.
"Rudra wouldn't influence me…" Velgrynd sat down, lost in thought.
"He seems very controlling of you lately. Rudra wasn't like that a few centuries ago. I think since the last time he sent the angels." Velzard stated as she distracted herself with fried cheese sticks.
"Speaking of which, darling, I think you should announce our decision." She continued.
"We are canceling the game and putting all our attention on stabilizing the physical reality." Guy nodded as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, scarfing down the rest of a cookie.
"Stopping the game? But… but he's so invested in it. It's all Rudra cares about these days, and he's ready to unleash the angels." Velgrynd mumbled.
"You know Momonga alone will kill all of them. Sister, what is really going on?" Velzards tone grew softer, more caring.
"I… there is so little left of him. Sometimes I fear his soul will shatter completely any day." Velgrynd bit her lip as she stared at her lap.
"His ultimate skill should keep his soul together, although it was never meant to be housed by a non-dragon. Even Guy and I would struggle to house it. Perhaps you should remove the skill from Rudra's soul and keep Michael for yourself," Ramiris suggested.
"Wouldn't that instantly shatter his soul?" Velgrynd's gaze shot up, landing at Ramiris with a burning glare.
"It is likely, but you should know how to repair souls. It's also not a good idea for Rudra to unleash the angels again, once more manipulating the boundary between the material and spiritual realms. As Velzard stated, Lord Momonga can kill them all anyway so it would be nothing but waste." Ramiris reminded her. To her knowledge, all dragons had instinctive knowledge on how to repair and manipulate souls, and Velgrynd shouldn't be an exception.
"Of course I know how!" The dragoness snapped back, her aura flaring again, making all the food on the table so saturated with magicules that it was pretty much lethal for most people. Thanks to the shield Momonga kept around the table, the maids in the room were protected from her mood swings.
Thanks to him now being able to train in the outer void, Momonga could make shields that didn't let any magicules and even spiritrons through, sending everything that passes the first membrane of the shield directly to the void to be retrieved later.
"Sister, the Arbiter is trying to help you!" Velzard spoke up, her expression soured. The cheese sticks she was munching on had begun to taste slightly burnt. She unleashed her own energies and her freezing aura nullified Velgrynd's fiery energies instantly, encasing the table with frost.
"I know, l just…" Velgrynd hastily sat down with a shudder, a thin layer of ice covering her face.
"It would be for the best if we avoided physical altercations, it gets us nowhere considering our goal," Momonga stated, his voice calm as ever while he absorbed the lingering energies in the air and food, showing just how much mastery he had of the magic and hopefully making his siblings think twice before acting up again.
"I apologize for my outburst." Velgrynd hastily mumbled, wiping the melting ice off her face with a napkin. Facing Velzard's wrath wasn't something she ever wanted to experience, and the quick display of power by her youngest brother made it clear that she shouldn't test Momonga's patience either. Even if she could defeat him, her youngest sibling's void-infused abilities were bound to cause her pain she wasn't ready to endure.
"Make sure your husband doesn't do anything unreasonable. The last thing we need is Rudra snapping and wiping out most of the mortal population before we remove him." Velzard warned her.
"Remove!?" Velgrynd stood up again, her expression growing hostile. "What exactly are you implying?"
"I am implying that I will prioritize the world's stability, that is all, and I am convinced my brothers will do the same. Make sure Rudra knows it or I will personally execute what remains of him." Velzard showed no indication of backing down.
"Understood. Any other orders you want to give?" Velgrynd said through grated teeth as she crossed her arms.
Velzard looked up at her sister and let out a tired sigh, "You know what I mean. It would be for the best if you calm down."
"I am calm," Velgrynd growled in response.
Momonga, seeing that the sisters were one step away from coming to blows, suggested, "Let's take a short break before continuing. We should use this meeting to find common ground. I am sure Rudra wouldn't want to threaten the integrity of the world he lives in. As I understand, the game was meant to avoid harming the world in the first place, he would understand."
"Fine. I'll go take a stroll around the castle to calm down." Velgrynd announced, changing her appearance and outfit to resemble one of the castle's maids, and left the room.
The meeting had just started and tensions were already rising faster than his stress levels whenever Ker was mentioned at a meeting.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by fvvck, Sluethen, mfkz_rocker, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, Omnax, CakeEight, Alassandro, clagan, and aidan_lo.
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