章 49: Chapter 26
The scenery the large windows provided was a tranquil one, compared to her mind at least. Queen Calca peered outside with her brows arched and lips pressed tightly, holding her delicate hands together. Already twenty-five years old, she was still unmarried, highly unusual for a woman in her position.
The nobles opposing her rule called her the old maiden. How she loathed to be called in such an unflattering way. In a world where most royalty were married before the age of twenty, she was an outlier. It became harder and harder to keep the youthful appearance as she slowly, inevitably matured, her face became less round and youthful and no amount of cosmetic magic could hide that.
'With all this uncertainty, how can I think of such trivial things as marriage? My people are my priority.' Luckily, she wasn't alone and two close friends were sharing her burdens, friends she was so thankful to have. The Custodio sisters had been with her all her life, and both of them excelled at their chosen fields, providing not only trusted ears but also powerful allies no noble dared to cross openly.
Remedios Custodio, the Grandmaster of the Paladin Order, was an unrivaled paladin bordering the realm of heroes. Though stubborn and rather simple-minded, she was also dutiful and loyal, considering the needs of the nation above her own desires. As the oldest of two, she had the tendency to pin her blunders on her younger sister, which always led to petty yet entertaining squabbles.
As a stunningly beautiful woman, she had enticed many men, but a rare few had dared to attempt to court her. Clad in the Grandmaster's armor, she stood behind the Queen silently, only moving to fix the hair band that kept her short brown hair away from her face.
Kelart Custodio was the High Priestess of the Roble Holy Kingdom, one of the highest-ranking people in the world. Dressed in the high priestess robes, she stood just as silently. Unlike her sister, Kelart had grown her hair to her waist, and a gentle expression adorned her face, opposite to Remedios' usually stony expression.
The news they received was so unbelievable that Calca at first refused to believe them. The Slane Theocracy had been attacked with overwhelming force, and the attacker had been an angel of all beings. As a consequence, the nation that had been a close ally for centuries had withdrawn from the outside world and stopped applying pressure to the beastmen territories separating both nations.
"How long would we be able to withstand a full attack from the beastmen?" Calca finally spoke up.
"Without the Theocracy's aid, a month, maybe. The soldiers stationed at the wall are not capable of fighting beastmen on equal terms, even with the high ground." Remedios stated.
"How many paladins can you send to the border without leaving cities undefended?" The queen asked.
"At least half. We are about half a year away from another batch of squires being initiated into the order."
"We could also train local militia to keep cities safe with minimal paladin oversight," Kelart suggested as she took a place right beside her queen. "But it's not just the safety of our people that worries you."
"We can't deny it anymore." Calca turned her head to glance at Remedios. "The players have arrived once again."
The existence of these world-changing entities was no secret to any monarch worth their salt. She had considered the possibility of these godlike creatures appearing during her reign as Queen of the Roble Holy Kingdom, but that didn't mean she was prepared for what was about to come. Nobody was prepared for what the unknown could bring to them, only react accordingly.
"But why attack Slane? What sort of heresy could they have performed to have an angel attacking them?" Remedios asked with genuine curiosity.
"I don't know. Maybe the new players have some personal dislike against the Great Six Gods. We mortals can only guess on the dealings of such beings." Kelart said her voice was growing quieter.
"Then they are monsters and must be destroyed!" Remedios shouted, raising her plate-covered fist.
"Sister, for once think." Kelart scolded her hot-headed sibling. "That angel alone almost destroyed the entire city. Even if all three of us faced it together, we would have no hope of victory."
"But we must fight evil!" The stubborn paladin didn't back down from her confrontational stance, refusing to compromise.
"Remedios… I have entrusted you to guard this kingdom and me… and there is a chance you will have to face impossible odds. And for that I am sorry. But I cannot permit you to take an aggressive stance against beings we have no hope of defeating. Do you understand what I am asking of you?" Calca turned to face the taller woman, all signs of gentleness fading from her face.
"My Queen, I must-"
"What you must do is to keep the needs of our people above all else. We cannot fight them. Slane enticed their wrath and then abandoned the rest of the world, and is currently useless for information or power. We have no allies left, and it is a when, not an if, that the hordes of beastmen will come to ravage our homeland. I need you to put aside your convictions. Do you understand me?" Calca raised her voice, spooking both sisters.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I just…" She turned around once again as her gaze fell on the cityscape behind the clear glass window. "I fear I might not be strong enough to make all the necessary decisions to keep our people safe."
Kelart approached the queen, making no sound, her foot barely touching the polished stone tiles. Gently touching Calca's shoulder, she proclaimed. "You have us to support you. Nothing will stop the three of us."
'I want to believe her. But I feel… why do I feel such deep fear for the future?' What if the players decide to target her nation next? What could she possibly do if a monstrously powerful angel appeared and devastated the capital just like it had done in the Slane Theocracy? Or multiple of them? After all, the people of Roble worshiped four out of the Six Great Gods, with conviction just as unshakable as that of citizens of the Theocracy. The internal chaos that would be caused alone could be enough to destabilize her reign.
<X>
Her head was spinning, threatening to push out the contents of her stomach in its nausea. The nightgown covering her petite child body had wrinkled up far beyond any sense of decency, and the mascara covering her way too young face was all smeared. The white bedsheets were covered with spilled alcohol and corks from the previous bottles, and the bottles themselves were all over the floor.
In one short hour, she had made the royal bedroom a complete mess, and couldn't care less about it.
In truth, her youthful form was just a lie pushed upon her people, and the strongest adventurers, to control them. A young queen garnered more sympathy after all, and offered the stability of a long reign that older royalty could not. And then there was the not-so-hidden fact of Cerebrate, the leader of the only Adamantite-level adventurer team in the whole kingdom, being a pedophile who preferred prepubescent girls.
By dangling this carrot of having her body before his perverted eyes, Queen Draudillon Oriculus ensured he continued to fight against beast-men hordes that slowly pushed deeper into her failing nation.
The Dragon Kingdom, the nation she ruled over, had been on a downward slope for a while now. Multiple cities had been conquered by beastmen, and all their people were eaten by those beasts. The Slane Theocracy did send some token of help from time to time, but it was not enough to hold back the enemy. Not by far.
The Emperor of Baharuth Empire who bordered her nation in the north had done nothing to help, and even enforced his borders should the beasts decide to target his nation next, refusing to send help.
Today came the breaking point. The Slane Theocracy recalled all their personnel from the Dragon Kingdom, and declared a complete isolationist policy, effectively plummeting her kingdom to its doom.
Draudillon emptied another wine bottle and angrily threw it at the wall with a sneer. A belch almost made her throw up as she clasped her mouth to stop herself. 'Dammit. Why did those assholes need to take everything away? There's NOTHING left!'
After taking a long breath and assuring herself that she won't vomit, she leaned to the side to grab another bottle from the nightstand, almost falling out of the bed.
"Bastards, you all are damn bastards. I would pay any price to save my people." She hugged the bottle and cried out. "But I have nothing else to offer anymore. The treasury is empty, my armies are dwindling… All I have is my own body and mind. If that damn sicko would be able to drive back the beastmen armies, I would crawl in his bed."
Draudillon wiped her tears and closed her eyes, pulling out the cork with two fingers and taking a large gulp of the sweet beverage. "I am a failure of a queen. Great-grandfather, why are you not coming back!?"
It was thanks to her Great-Grandfather, who was one of the dragon lords, that she had dragon blood in her veins. But the enigmatic dragon had not shown up for decades, seemingly indifferent to the suffering of the nation he once founded with glory and honor.
{ Tell me o' Great Queen, are you truly ready to give everything to save your people? } A mysterious voice invaded her mind.
'What? Who are you? Of course, I will give everything to save them. Whoever you are, if you can truly help me, you can ask whatever price you deem necessary of me.' She offered, despite not particularly believing it wasn't her delusions she was talking to.
Her alcohol-dulled mind could've made a voice out of sheer desperation for all she knew, and she was finally falling into the hallucinations of her self-indulgence.
"In that case, I have a deal in mind." A man in a simple gray business suit appeared in front of her bed, sitting on a wooden chair.
"Have you no tact? Just showing up in a woman's bedroom like this? Is my body the price? Are you one of those who prefers kids?" Draudillon leaned back on a pillow, not even bothering to cover herself. It was always the price to pay for a woman like her.
"Nothing of the sort. Let's get you sober first before we continue. It would be unfair of me to make a deal with an intoxicated person." The mysterious man stated in a pleasant voice with a merchant's smile on his rather plain face.
Draudillon felt herself grow as her mind cleared up. Her bare legs now had patches of silvery scales and the delicate nails on her feet were replaced with sharp claws. Body parts she hadn't seen in quite a while.
"Who are you, a magic user?" She asked cautiously. Whatever this entity was, the man was surely very powerful, which meant he could help her.
"I am no one special. Just a man with an offer." The man crossed his legs, firmly peering into her eyes.
Draudillon spread her legs just enough to give the view of her womanhood so she would see how the man would react. 'He didn't even look. So it's not my body he is after. Then what?'
"As lovely as you are, Your Majesty, I do not require you to degrade yourself."
"I see. Then what do you require and what do you offer in return?" She crossed both legs and arms, knowing it was time to get serious.
"To save your nation, you must find the New Gods who already walk this world. Seek out a player called Ainz Ooal Gown, the ruler of Nazarick, and ask for his help. In return, you will show him that little black book you are hiding from everyone." The man explained.
"You want me to give players the knowledge on the origins of wild magic? They will consume the entire world! That knowledge is too dangerous." Draudillon blurted. "No, that is not an option. Anything but that."
The man stood up, fixed his suit without hurry, and looked her up and down like one would a piece of art. "You are free to reject the path to your salvation. But for each day you hesitate, your people are being served as meals to the beastmen, and some of the more fervent among them first entertain themselves with their victims before the feast. Would you like to hear their bone-chilling screams? It's soul rending, I must say."
"Do you have any idea what is in that book… wait if you already know… Who are you? I feel you are not a dragon." Draudillon closed her eyes and pushed away the mental image that tried to overwhelm her.
The absolute lack of aura or any other characteristics meant that this being was something beyond her understanding, and the black book was full of descriptions of beings mortals shouldn't know about. For all she knew, she was interacting with some eldritch monster that was eating away at her mind and soul with his mere presence, causing her to lose her mind by the second.
"It won't benefit you to know. But know this, O' Queen, your copy is not the only one. Delay for too long, and all you will be able to offer to them is a kingdom overrun by beasts, and a lone queen who fears her own shadow. Make your decision." The man chuckled and faded away, leaving her behind once more in an empty room.
She slumped down on the pillow and growled. The answer was in front of her, but the price for this decision was the uncertainty of how devastating the effects of her giving away this dark and sacred information would be. Pick the lesser poison, they say, and you will still end up consuming poison. And it was the consequences of consuming the wrong poison that she feared, for the two options she had were equally frightening to her now-clear mind.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Lightflan, aidan_lo, NuggetLover, nate051499j6, LionLoverFabian, Saphire_Drake, clagan, Cay, x4x, Sluethen, fvvck and Milk.
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