"What do you think Momon-san? Where is our little dragon heading?" Raidyn asked, as she turned her head towards her companion, while the two of them continued their fast sprint.
"I don't know. Maybe something drew its attention. The strangest thing is, it does not bother turn in our direction." Momon replied.
"Now that you mention it, you are right. It is strange to just ignore possible threats that are pursuing you. Only a fool does such thing." Commented Raidyn.
"Maybe our [Ring of Concealing] is more effective than we thought, and the dragon does not recognize us as a threat." Answered the black-clad warrior.
Raidyn sighed. "Such unfortunate event. When I hoped to get a good fight, the enemy just ran away."
"Or maybe, the dragon picked up a scent from that direction. Dragons usually have an excellent nose." Mused Momon.
Raidyn nodded and continued. "What do you think about those traces?"
Momon shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Seeing this world's technological level, it would be impossible for them to make cars. This Empire neither has the industry nor the technology to make them."
"Maybe it was a strange animal that left those tracks. However, I found the traces of galvanized rubber on them. Still, we met animals before that left rubber as an excrement." Explained Raidyn.
Momon nodded. "Yes, you are right. For example, the rubber worm that we found in the Forest of the Elves left rubber as a dung."
Raidyn chuckled. "Yeah, those are really weird animals."
Momon nodded. "Indeed… At least, Entoma found some use of them."
From the corner of her eyes, Raidyn spotted a caravan of carts. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Look there Momon-kun."
Momon looked forward. And what he saw stunned him for a moment. "Stop." He said, and the two of them halted for a moment with their wild charge.
"Are those vehicles really what I think they are? You see them, don't you? Or are my eyes deceiving me?" Raidyn asked. "I don't sense any illusions from that direction."
"I see them too. Your eyes do not deceive you." Momon assured.
Raidyn smirked. "Then let's kill some dragons, shall we?"
Momon nodded and lunged forward toward the caravan what was already under attack by the huge dragon.
"Don't forget. We are undercover. We can't raise any suspicion." Explained Momon.
"Oki-doki boss. I will keep my big mouth shut." Under her hood, a closed futuristic looking helmet slide over her face. It did not seem to have any eye holes,instead the full mask resembled made from the samegray material of the metallic exoskeleton that she wore. Lids brimmedin the two sides of the strange mask, and several tubes adorned the sides of it what led under the shadow of her hood.
Scene Change: Fortress Gown:
The Sorcerer Kingdom paid close attention to the safety of their troops. After all, the people of the Sorcerer Kingdom were the foundation and holders of the pillars of the government structure. Of course, the Sorcerer King and his vassals could easily rule over their lands without people. Still. Without them, the Kingdom would be utterly deserted. Without them, there would be no trades neither any advancement. Thus, the Sorcerer King kept them as his vassals. If his vassals shown their worth. The Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown showered them with miracles and good life.
In cases when an individual worth surpasses its price of losing. What meant death in a given situation. The Supreme Beings even blessed the person either transforming him or her into a heteromorphic being. Such as granting the individual eternal life or extended their life span and giving back their youth. Of course, the two remained Supreme Beings do not force such things. It was the individual choice if he, she or it accepted the gift. If not, the person could ask for another miracle. For example, resurrecting a deceased person or wealth beyond belief in some cases.
In another word, the Kingdom's policy was: Work hard for the Kingdom, respect others, and you will be rewarded with miracles beyond your imagination. But, slack off, act disrespectful towards others and betray the trust the Supreme Beings, and thousands of deaths will not save you from their wrath. This was a simple yet working policy in the Kingdom.
The Sorcerer Kingdom and the two Supreme Beings cared about their citizens. Thus, when they were deployed to foreign lands, a strong magically enchanted defensive base camp would first be built. With that base as their stronghold, they would have a refuge during an emergency, and they could withhold against superior forces easily while either one of the high-level vassals of Nazarick or even one of the Supreme Beings came to take care of the attacking force.
Contrary to the old military view which thought little of an individual life, they were now used to carrying out disaster relief missions to save people. Moreover, the Sorcerer Kingdom paid more attention to defending the Kingdom's citizens than its predecessors. They rather used summoned monsters, such as, for example, Death Knights or Nephalem Guards to go into the meat grinder than sending individuals towards their death. The summons was easily replaceable. However, replacing an individual was not that easy.
Of course, there were many cases when one asked to participate such dangerous missions. Most of the time the superiors granted their wish respecting the desire of theirs following the kingdom's policy.
Furthermore, on the other side of the Gate was their homeland and the realm that the two remaining Supreme Beings inhabited and ruled over. In other words, defending the Gate was the main reason why the Sorcerer Kingdom expedition army was here, and the other was punish the invaders for their sacrilegious act. In another name. 'SKEF' was the nickname as many soldiers called the expedition force.
By using both political and military methods, they were to conquer, secure the land surrounding the Gate and show the invading Empire to not mess with the Sorcerer Kingdom. This was the mission of the SKEF. Mapping the land surrounding the Gate by taking aerial pictures and deploying scouts was also part of their plan.
If the Empire will not bow before the Kingdom and compensate it for the act of treachery towards the Sorcerer King. Then Sorcerer Kingdom will either conquer it using either force or political methods. Or completely burn down the Empire to the ground leaving nothing but ashes then salting the Capital City ground with salt. Like the Romans did after they destroyed Carthage in BC 149.
Of course, the Sorcerer King rather used the resources then dispose of them this way. His vassals known him as a wise King who plans was uncomprehendingly complicated what simple mortal beings mind could not comprehend. After all, he was respected and mentioned in the books like the God of Foresight, Wisdom, and Death and the patron of the Magic casters in the New World. His companion. The other remained Supreme Being was called the Goddess of the Balance and War. Seeing Esdeath's nature, it was not surprising. After all, she was half demon and angel; equally dark and light.
The fort was not a hastily constructed field fortification of dirt or sandbags, but rather, it was built with reinforced enchanted stone blocks, with the intention of making it a permanent defensive structure. It had been two weeks since the SKEF took over the land around the Gate. After working tirelessly for several days and nights, Dalnus Hill had become an impregnable fortress. The uniformly-built hexagram-shaped fortress displayed the character of the aid that thought up this design. Most of the people who viewed the fort with a bird's-eye view said that it looked like the six-sided fortification at Hakodate.
Some deviants would giggle and say this was a magic formation. In fact, it was. The fortress was built this way and had reinforcing wards placed in the key points of the structure to enhance the defender's stats and abilities in the area.
The chapel of the Supreme Beings already built and numerous soldiers made their plea to their patron gods. Each of them of course, respected and worshiped all of them evenly. But they asked the blessing for their patron gods to protect them from harm or bring them good fortune. Each Supreme Beings had its day in the calendar where the practice of the religion of Supremist celebrated the given Supreme being.
Of course, the two remaining deities were worshiped by most of the people of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Due the two of them appearing and granted miracles to the people personally. The two of them promises were not empty ones that many religions offered to the people. The two of them appeared and fulfilled the people's wish if they are earned it.
In the Kingdom, one was freed to practice the religion of their choice. Everyone worshiped whoever they wanted, so long as it does not cause harm or forces other denizens of the Kingdom to change their life. Every religion that was said to have hurt or repress others were banned with an excellent efficiency. Destroying it by its roots, preventing it from blooming and corrupting others with its harmful effects.
Strangely, Ainz and Esdeath always refused that they are gods. And for this, the people worshiped them even more. Saying, 'Such a humble approach from the Supreme Beings!' After a while, it became quite an annoyance and the two of them simply let the people think what they want. Shutting their ears and saying. 'Lalala. I can't hear anything.'
Demiurge walked through the compound, inspecting the construction work that was still underway in some areas of the Fortress. The undead and the golems worked without stop, only slowing or pausing their job when either they waited for new command or for the mages and the Elder Liches to finish their other duties.
The working creatures did not have to stop because they were just tireless tools of the Supreme Beings' will. And because the mages of the Sorcerer King placed silencing wards around the working areas that filtered the noise of the moving forces.
Demiurge was satisfied with the results and smiled sinisterly. Everything went according to plan, and the impenetrable fortress was ready if the enemy tried to attack again. Not as if they would have a chance against the army of the Supreme Beings and their loyal vassals. His plan was to meet the crown prince in the gates and take office from him. He headed towards the newly constructed chapel to make his daily please towards the Supreme Beings then start his work.
As he inspected the construction from the corner of his perfectly cut diamond eyes, he spotted the approaching Beelzebub. He turned towards him and bowed deeply. "Beelzebub-sama." Demiurge bowed.
Beelzebub smiled and nodded while unmounted his mount. "Demiurge. It is good to see you. How do you like our fortress?"
Demiurge looked around. "It is magnificent. Worthy of the Supreme Beings. It seems the Supreme Beings smiled us this day. Seemingly, the constructions are going according to the plans." He said in a happy tone.
"How is my mother, father, and my sisters doing? The kingdom managing right in the other side of the structure?" Inquired the young heir.
"Last time when I saw Ainz-sama and Albedo they were fine. Your older sister is doing her usual political scheme to move you from the first place of inheritance as usual. It seems she vowed what your mother and I taught her." Demiurge explained
Beelzebub sighed. "I don't understand women…" mumbled the young heir.
Demiurge continued. "Furthermore, we are in the process of dealing with that nasty terrorist organization back in the Kingdom. According to the message what the Fleet Admiral sent, our forces almost conquered the other continent."
Beelzebub nodded in satisfaction. "It is good to hear such good news. Did father know aunt went missing again?"
Demiurge panicked for a moment, but he showed no sign of it to the outside world. Then, he calmed down remembering his master would surely have warned him if the other Supreme Being would be in danger. He nodded with his usual calm, smiling expression. "Is that so? I am sure Ainz-sama is as well aware of the situation and will make the necessary steps if he feels like it."
Beelzebub lowered his head. "Right, Father has always seen everything before it's happened in the past. And aunt always wandered off in the worst of the moments. What do you think she do such things?"
"The ways of the Supreme Beings are inscrutable. Only Ainz-sama could say surely know why. Or maybe her creations. If you ask me I advise you seek their wisdom in the theme." Said Demiurge.
Beelzebub smiled. "I will. By the way, as you already know. I am officially tasked to hand the administration duties to you while I will be away to negotiate in the first city." Beelzebub gave a scroll to Demiurge.
Demiurge nodded and accepted it.
"Please take care of the fortress and our forces until we return." Ordered Beelzebub. He then mounted his mount before looking back at Creon who just listened to the conversation all along while sat on his mount saddle. "Come Creon. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Creon the Captain of his honor guard bowed his head. "As you wish my prince." With a simple sign from Creon, the honor guard started their march.
The massive metal double gates of the Fortress opened. The walls were triple layered, so the enemy had to penetrate all three layers even to reach the courtyard where the Forces of the Kingdom awaited them.
Between the layers of the walls were littered with magical and standard traps that automatically activated when the triggering event happened. Releasing various strong creatures from the walls or showering the enemy with various magic.
Beelzebub, Creon, and the massive honor guard moved past the three gates. Some of them had mounts under them, but most of them not. The honor guard consisted various summoned creatures and the golden armored veteran guards of the Sorcerer King that he personally chose, then sent further service training the Sorcerer King private academy. There only the most talented allowed were to enter.
As the three massive metallic gates closed behind them, Demiurge turned around and headed towards the chapel. Later that day, inside Demiurge's office an Eight Edge Assassin appeared. It knocked the double door gently what slowly opened before it.
Demiurge looked up from the papers before him. "Do you have something to report?"
The creature kneeled. "Yes, Demiurge-sama. We have discovered another similar structure like ours. Approximately ten miles away from our location. Here is the report."
Demiurge thought for a moment than read the report. "Interesting. Anything else to report?"
"Yes. We found no trace of magic except their gate what was covered with a strange dome. Seemingly there were only a few individuals who were capable of magic, and they were weak and seemingly were not aware of their abilities. The strongest amongst them was no stronger than a tier three mage. The people were not even capable of sensing us. We just walked in the middle of their base without anyone even noticing us." Reported assassin.
"I see. What else?" Demiurge nodded.
The assassin continued. "Seemingly they use technology to balance out this disadvantage. Cautious actions advised if we attack them with brute force."
Demiurge nodded.
"Zero-sama awaiting your orders. How do we proceed? Do we annihilate them from inside? Or we simply keep them under surveillance." Asked the assassin.
"For the time being. Just keep them under strict observation, gather as much information as you can from them, place hidden remote traps in the key point of the base and on their devices. Occasionally try collect samples from this technology and bring it back for further investigation. But do not raise any suspicion in the process." Ordered Demiurge
The Assassin bowed. "I understand Demiurge-sama. We will do as you ordered. I will relay the message to Zero-sama."
"You can go now. I will call you if I need anything else." Said Demiurge.
The Eight Edged Assassin bowed deeply then disappeared. The double door closed after its left the chamber. The Archdevil started to inspect the magical photos what was taken in the scene. "Interesting architecture. I wonder who they are…"
Scene Change: Battle with the Dragon:
For now, let's change the scene.
The roaring sounds of the engines of an HMV, a Type 73 Truck and a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) made a cloud of dust on their trail. (The Komatsu Light armored vehicle (Japanese: 軽装甲機動車; (kei-sōkō-kidōsha?) is a Japanese military vehicle first produced in 2002. Currently used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), it has seen use in the Iraq War. Komatsu Ltd builds it. Defense Systems Division in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. Komatsu's factory designator for the vehicle is KU50W.
The exterior resembles the Panhard VBL, used by the French army, but the LAV has four doors and a large cabin for carrying soldiers. The LAV can also be transported by air in vehicles like the CH-47J and the C-130H.)
The elderly, women, and children in the vehicles had to endure the rocking of the car from sharp turns and changes in speed, causing their heads and bodies to collide with each other. Gritting their teeth, they endured the pain.
Looking out the window of the vehicle, the view was blocked by the escaping Coda villagers. And the black shadow falling on them from the sky.
The Flame Dragon had come.
Thanks to the prior knowledge of the Flame Dragon's appearance courtesy of the JSDF, Coda Village, and a few other nearby villages had all simultaneously fled from the beast. After the Flame Dragon couldn't find any humans or Elves to prey on, it followed its nose to a place filled with people. Since the preparation for escaping had taken some time, and they were weighed down by their luggage, the slow speed of the Coda Villagers had allowed the Flame Dragon to catch them.
It was the third day of the exodus from Coda Village, and the refugees thought they were out of the Flame Dragon's hunting grounds. However, the beast suddenly appeared and immediately began attacking its prey.
"Fighting with monsters is the JSDF's tradition! Who'd have thought that we would be doing it here!" An elderly soldier yelled.
They circled the dragon repeatedly and kept attacking to buy time for the villagers to escape. Thanks to them, many of the villagers survived.
The Flame Dragon turned around to attack the Men in Green. But, the beast could not catch up with their frightening speed. By moving around, they kept themselves safe from the scorching flames of the dragon. But soon, the dragon got used to their tactics. The people in green who could only cast magic from afar were at a disadvantage.
Sergeant Major Kuwabara shouted furiously at Kurata, "RUN! RUN!". Maybe it was due to the over-secretion of adrenaline by the brain, but a hint of joy could be heard in his voice.
The Flame Dragon swooped down at the villagers who had stood frozen in place. Seeing this, Itami shouted in the direction of the speeding LAV. "Suppressing fire! LAV! Shoot him with the machine gun!" He ordered.
Private Sasagawa mustered all the strength in his body to hold on to the handle of the .50 caliber machine gun while it made sounds like a jackhammer in a construction site. The thick cartridges fell messily to the ground amidst gouts of black smoke as 12.7mm bullets created sparks on the Flame Dragon's back However, the tough dragon scales deflected the bullets.
"It's useless!" He gritted his teeth as he continued firing with .50 caliber machine gun what was mounted on the top of the LAV.
Hearing Sasagawa's words, Itami shouted in reply, "Don't worry about that! Just keep firing! Fire! Fire! Fire!"
Although airsoft guns shooting BBs could not kill people, being hit by them was annoying. As such, even though the dragon's body was covered in tough scales which could not be penetrated by bullets, it was still a living thing and possessed the sense of touch. Itami ordered his subordinates to keep firing.
Blossoms of fire erupted from the flash suppressors of the Type 64 Howa rifles. The Flame Dragon could not bear the rain of bullets. Its attack slowed down, which allowed the farmer who was already in its mouth to escape.
The horrifying dragon turned his head towards the men. An arrow protruded from its blind eye, but nobody could look directly at its terrifying visage. It was like a scar on a Yakuza's face. The Flame Dragon breathed fire at them like a flamethrower but was unable to reach the wildly evasive JSDF vehicles.
"Ono! Yuniryu! Ono!" A female teenage voice came from behind them.
As he turned around, golden hair entered Itami's line of sight. The pale Elf pointed her slender fingers at her eyes while shouting "Ono!" revealingly.
At that moment, although there was a language barrier between them, Itami somehow understood what she meant. "Go for the eyes!"
The JSDF troopers trained their sights on the face of the dragon and opened fire. The Flame Dragon looked visibly annoyed as it turned its face away and stopped its movements.
"Katsumoto! Use the Panzerfaust!"
From the LAV, he hauled out a 100mm man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher that had an RHA (rolled homogenous armor) penetration factor of 700mm. It was an infantry weapon that possessed tremendous power.
Exchanging places with Sasagawa who was operating the .50 caliber machine gun, Sergeant Katsumoto clambered up with the Panzerfaust.
However, this weapon was front-heavy and hard to turn. In addition, the safety-conscious JSDF did not have the habit of shooting from an unbraced position.
"Backblast clear!" He shouted.
"Idiot! Just shoots already"—someone scolded under their breath. But after remembering about their training, all they could think was "Heh. It's the JSDF after all…"
While he was aiming, the Flame Dragon attempted to escape into the sky.
The LAV sped up suddenly, causing Katsumoto's body to thrash around and the dragon to shift out of the rocket launcher's sight picture.
"Damn it! Keep it steady, Azuma!"
"Don't ask the impossible!"
Because of that, the rocket launcher did not have a computer guidance system. Thus, shooting while moving was impossible. With that in mind, Katsumoto aimed the rocket launcher at the Dragon again. Due to the LAV suddenly braking and the recoil from firing the rocket, as the trigger was pulled, the Panzerfaust seemed like it would miss.
The rocket accelerated towards the Dragon with flames sprouting from its tail. The dragon which had lost its balance spread its wings to regain its balance while stepping back to evade the warhead. However, it's footing suddenly slipped. Looking closely, there was a halberd stuck straight into the ground.
On the HMV, the goth Lolita girl had cut a hole in the canvas covering the luggage and thrown the halberd from there. Its handle hit the leg of the animal.
The Flame Dragon fell in the direction of the rocket, which should have missed. Due to the Neumann Effect, even the tough dragon scales were unable to resist the blast. It exceeded the Hugoniotic elasticity limit of its armor and broke through, blasting a hole clean through it.
If one compared the anatomy of the Flame Dragon to that of a human, the whole left arm was blown off. The air vibrated with the wail of the Dragon. Its roar was like its eyes, which could shake the spirit and shatter a warrior's courage. All the people present had their souls frozen.
The dragon started to fall towards the ground for a moment because it's unbearable pain what it felt after its loosed one of its arm. The Flame Dragon's piercing roar caused a brief lapse in the JSDF's fire. The animal seized this opportunity and flew into the sky. However, suddenly several blue spectral blades flew towards the dragon penetrating its skin in the process.
The JSDF and the refugees watched with a stunned expression what just happened. The seemingly impenetrable armor was penetrated by some kind strange energy blades. Everyone looked in the direction where it came from.
From the direction where the blades came from, they saw two figures charging towards the dragon. One of them was looked like a knight who wore a fully jet-black body armor with purple and golden markings on it. He wore a red cape and along with two giant swords on his back while carrying it behind him.
He dwarfed the other figure besides him who wore a strange red leather long coat with a hood. With a metallic looking exoskeleton and futuristic closed helmet underneath it. On the figure side. Seemingly a katana sheath hung lazily while she held her katana unsheathed in her left hand. The small figure exoskeleton looked like Raiden's cybernetic armor from the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance game.
The two characters speed reached fifty-five Km/h easily. The two of them looked like they are high leveled characters who just stepped out from some kind of light novel or RPG. Itami and Kurata, the two Otakus, eyes glittered despite the danger seeing the two magnificently armored figures.
As said before It was like they stepped out from the light novels or some kind of RPG. The two of them reached the dragon with a high speed. The dragon turned in their direction and took a deep breath to release its flames. The two figures started to evade the flames with their fast movement. Itami was realizing this is their chance gave the command. "Herd the refugees to a safe area!" His subordinates being a professional immediately took action. "Katsumoto! Use another Panzerfaust!"
Kazumoto immediately took out an another of his armor piercing weapon and started to aim. The JSDF continued to shoot the Flame Dragon. Tuka and Lelei just watched in awe as the two figures used their incredibly fast movements to outmaneuvers the dragon.
Rory was biting her lower lip in excitement charged into the battle after she recovered her huge Halberd.
The Dragon despite its injuries became faster. It lunged towards the long coated futuristic armor wearing figure, but before the massive tail could squeeze her into a paste, she disappeared. Of course, seemingly she has been killed by the tail.
Rory joined to the black clad warrior against the dragon.
"Who are you stranger?" she asked in an excited tone as the dark knight blocked the dragons strike with the two of his massive two-handed swords.
The dark knight repelled the attack by using his brute strength only, and the dragon stepped back. "We will introduce each other after the battle is over." He replied simply with his deep voice.
Rory smiled, as she felt a dark presence from him that reminded Rory of her master.
"Kazumoto! What are you doing? Shoot down that damned thing!"
Kazumoto just wanted to pull the trigger of his weapon when suddenly the gray armored figure appeared above the dragon. Around her left arm seemingly dancing electrons played the lightning dance of death. She pulled back her fist, and with a sharp motion, she hit the dragon's head with a massive strike. Everything happened in mere moments.
'Crash.' Itami hearing the tremendous noise turned back to the battlefield. The field covered by dust, but he could clearly see a 160 cm tall figure who stood on the top of the dragon's head that had crashed to the ground. The dragon was blacked out. The figure with female proportions turned her head towards the arriving black-clad warrior and a Lolita in goth clothing.
"I see you survived Momon-san. And you gained a new friend. Kukuku" She chuckled. It sounded like her voice went through some kind of voice filter what was built in her mask.
Momon only nodded.
"What do you say? Do we kill it?" The female asked with a metallic voice.
Everyone looked stunned at the two figures' conversation. The members of the JSDF were even more confused hearing the strange warriors speaking the Japanese language. They never meet anyone in the Special Region who spoke the language of the country of the rising sun.
Momon inspected a dragon for a moment. "Kill it. It is too dangerous to live."
"Oki-Doki. Do you want the honor?" Offered the woman who wore gray exoskeleton.
Momon nodded. Equipping his two huge swords and slowly started to stroll towards the dragon.
The creature suddenly regained its consciousness and shook the figure from its head. The female jumped up with a fast motion and stopped the dragon who wanted to swallow her whole. She grabbed its upper and lower jaws.
"Now! Momon!" she shouted, but the Flame Dragon lunged its head backward and showered the figure in its mouth with its hot flames. Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa placed her hands before her mouth in horror. Knowing the one who saved them will surely not survive this.
Katsumoto aimed and released the rocket. When it collided with the dragon's tail. It completely blew it off. But the dragon just continued to vomit its fire to the stranger. He hastily started to recharge his weapon with another rocket.
Momon knowing his partner endurance lunged forward. Rory Mercury, the apostle of Emroy, followed him close behind. He jumped high in the air and with a pirouette what empowered his momentum he sliced through the dragon's sturdy scales. As his sword collided with the scales. They held back Mormon's weapon for a moment. His weapons were created by the create item spell as well as his armors.
"Arrrrh!" the warrior increased the pressure under the edge of his blades.
In the end. The scales of the Fire Dragon were not sturdy enough to withstand the power of the adamantine ranked adventurer who was in reality, a mage.
Ainz used his [Perfect Warrior] transformation to gain temporary the stats and abilities of an equal level warrior. In exchange, he was unable to use his spells. He could only use items and his race skills.
Everyone looked stunned as they saw the black clad warrior sliced through seemingly without resistance first the sturdy scales. Then the flesh, and in the end, the strong bones of the dragon. After he completely sliced through of its neck. The body stood up due to the muscles still following the last command that they got from the brain. Then it collapsed to the ground lifelessly. Only the nerve movement remained.
The fire from the dragon's mouth stopped vomiting liquid death, and everyone gasped as they saw the steaming long-coated figure who withheld the dragon only with her hands.
She dismissed the head with a lazy move and the carcass landed on the ground.
'Thud...'
"Huh. This was spicy! What are you eating girl?"
Momon walked beside her. He was followed by Rory smiling form. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. I am fine. I just nodded off for a moment."
Back in the JSDF convoy. "Uwaaa. That was so cool! What do you think First Lieutenant? Who are these guys?" said Kurata as he pointed to the two warriors.
Itami collected his thoughts. "I don't know. But the two of them just saved the villagers and us."
"They look like they stepped out some kind of RPG! Don't you think Itami!?" Kurata exclaimed
Itami nodded while smiled. "Yeah, it seems they are in high level. Seeing their armor and skills."
The two Otaku started to laugh. Shino mumbled from the side of the LAV hearing the Itami and Kurata conversation. "After seeing all of this they are still able to speak such thing. Idiot nerds." She scoffed.
Shino was a cute petite girl with a small frame and chestnut brown hair, with her left side made into a ponytail jutting out from the side. She also had huge breast with a slim waist.
"Sergeant Major Katsumoto! Keep your guns to the dragon. Maybe it will stand up." Itami ordered his subordinate.
Katsumoto was thinking it will stand up again after it had been decapitated gulped nervously. Then saluted. "Yes, sir!"
Itami looked to Mari and Shino. "Sergeant First Class Mari. Sergeant First Class Shino. Come, let's introduce us."
The two of them nodded and headed towards the newly appeared strangers. Lelei the petite blue haired mage followed them, wanting to investigate the case. "Humph. Youth…" mumbled her master.
People who could slay Dragons single handed would only appear in myths and legends. Triumphing over bears and buffaloes barehanded was still possible if one trained hard enough. But to fight an Ancient Dragon was suicidal. Even if an entire order of knights, equipped with magic armor and weapons, magicians, priests, and Elven archers and Spirit users were sent against an Ancient Dragon, it would still be futile. This was common sense in this world. As such, Ancient Dragons meant disaster.
However, the news of the flame dragon defeat did not come from a single source, but from many people. Thus, many people believed it. On the other hand, some people said: "It may be the truth but are you sure it was a Flame Dragon?".
The Flame Dragon's actively occurred every 50 years, as mentioned earlier. Also, it was hard to imagine that anything could defeat an Ancient Dragon. With that in mind, it would be more convincing to say that the Ancient Flame Dragon was actually a large Dragonewt or a Slither Wyrm.
That said, a very old Dragonewt could grow to the size of an Ancient Dragon. Slither Wyrms were also more dangerous than Wyverns. With that, even killing one of those lesser dragons could qualify a person as a Dragon Slayer. With more than half of the villagers still alive, they had more of a reason to believe that "It's only at that level." As the two strangers and the JSDF actually killed a Flame Dragon.
Rory just spoke with the black-clad warrior near the dragon's corpse. "So, who are you, mighty warrior?"
"I am Momon adamantine class adventurer." He introduced himself. "And she is Raidyn my partner also an adamantine class adventurer." The strange armored female stepped beside Momon. Her armor still steamed and glowed because of the heat of the flames.
"Yo!" She welcomed Rory with a strange motion. "I am Raidyn! Nice to meet ya!"
Momon shook his head. "What?" asked Raidyn.
The black clad warrior sighed. "We are the Adamantine Ranked Adventurer team called Darkness."
Rory inspected the two warriors thoroughly. "I feel endless darkness emitting from the two of you. You bathed in the blood of thousands."
"That's true." Nodded Momon. "We are experienced adventurers after all."
"I feel Emroy himself blesses the two of you. I feel insanity emitting from you." She pointed to Raidyn.
"Thanks, I guess…" replied the female with a nervous tone. "You know you need a little bit of insanity if you stood in the mouth of a dragon." she chuckled.
Rory laughed whole heartedly. "I am Rory Mercury! The Apostle of Emroy!" she bowed elegantly."
"Excuse us. But who is Emroy? How do you get this conclusion about us?" inquired Momon.
"You don't know? But you two are blessed by Emroy himself, are you not?" Rory asked, surprised.
"Still no clue. Sorry." Replied Raidyn.
"He is the God of Darkness, War, Death, Violence, and Insanity. And I am his apostate. Rory Mercury at your service." She bowed elegantly. "Answering your other question. I can see the soul of the people. And yours is bathed in the blood of your foes. So magnificent. So huge!" she bit her lower lip in excitement.
[Message]: "Shit! Are the rings working properly? Did you set the rings, right?"
[Message]: "Last time I checked they worked properly. I don't think she realized who we are real. She just feels the stats what I set in the rings."
[Message]: "That's a relief. Still, be cautious. I feel she is not an average girl."
[Message]: "Don't worry." Said Raidyn in the [Message]:
"And what is the task an apostate. Sorry, we are new in this area." Asked Momon.
Rory smiled but before she could answer Itami interrupted her. "Yo." He raised his hand.
He was accompanied by a tall black-haired beauty in JSDF uniform. A short woman in military uniform and a petite girl with blue hair who wore a green dress, with a blue tabard on top. And blue boots. She seemingly carried a staff with a blue wing on it.
"Thank you for your help." Said Itami in broken special region language.
"No problem. We just did our duty." Replied Momon.
Everyone gasped. "D-Do you speak Japanese!?" he asked hesitantly. "You heard him right?" Itami pointed to Momon. The two women, Mari and Shino nodded uneasily.
"When I first heard you speak our language I thought I imagine things. But damn? Where are you from guys? How can you speak Japanese?" he inquired.
Momon and Raidyn looked at each other. Then Momon nodded to his masked companion. The woman turned back to Itami. "We actually do not speak your language. We just wear items enchanted by translator enchantments. So, we understand every possible language. It is quite handy in our work area."
"Whaaaat!" The three JSDF officer gasped. Lelei eyes widened due she never heard about such magic.
"So, it is like in the game! You enchant items with various proportions! That's so cool!" Itami said excitedly.
Shino frowned and almost hit her First Lieutenant. "First Lieutenant! This is not the time!" she warned him.
Itami calmed down. "Oh, right. I am sorry. I am First Lieutenant Yōji Itami. She is Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi." She motioned to the short woman who nodded. "And she is Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa." Kurokawa nodded.
"We are from the JSDF." Continued the First Lieutenant.
[Message]: "JSDF? What the hell! They do not resemble the JSDF from our time! Their uniform and the vehicles resembling mostly what the Self Defense Force used early in the 21st century." Raidyn used her [Message] spell to speak with Momon through a mental link.
[Message] worked like the Whisper in every MMORPGS. With it. The user could chat with the chosen individual from a great distance.
[Message]: "What!? Do you mean they are from the past Earth? That can't be right! Right?" Momonga's emotion suppression activated hearing his partner explanation.
[Message]: "I don't know. But if we consider the fact the Gate connect two places through time and space. It is possible. At least this is the results what I got when I examine structure."
[Message]: "Go say something for them. Our communication goes with light speed. But still, if we remain silent that will be strange." Said Raidyn through the mental link.
[Message]: "Right." Said Momon through the mental link.
He stepped forward. "I am Momon, and she is Raidyn. We are the adamantine ranked adventurer team Darkness. It is nice to meet you all."
Itami inner Otaku screamed in joy. "So, cool armors and a cool team name! It is like I am in an RPG. Gothic Lolita's, Dragons, elves and now adventurers! This world is the dream of every OTAKU!"
"What does entail being an adventurer?" Itami asked innocently. Of course, as every gamer and Otaku, he knew what it roughly entails.
"Well, we explore unknown regions and ruins. Occasionally slaying dangerous monsters." Explained Raidyn.
"It is true! The job adventurer actually exists! Yass!" Screamed inside Itami.
"You guys are adventurers. Do you want to come with us in our base?" asked Itami innocently.
"What!? With all due of respect, sir, we have enough refugees already! We can't take them back! What will Lieutenant General Hazama say?" said Shino in an angered tone.
"We already have a whole village under our wings. Two more people will not change anything." Itami smiled at her.
Shino scowled and looked away. "Fine."
"We don't want cause trouble. We just leave after we collected the ingredients from the dragon." Said the Black Clad Warrior.
"No, no. You do not cause us trouble. You just saved a whole bunch of people." Explained Itami.
"Please come with us… I know with you two the place will be more exciting." Pleaded Rory as she looked the two of them with her adorable innocent, shining puppy eyes. Ordinary people could immediately melt from this look.
Momon and Raidyn saw Rory adorable look sweat dropped and stepped one step back.
"Do we accept it Momon-san?" Raidyn looked to the tall warrior.
Momon nodded and bowed his head. "Please take care of us."
Itami smiled. Rory hugged the two of them. "I know the two of you will come! The blessing of Emroy is protecting you!"
[Message]: "This girl is scary Momonga!"
[Message]: "Indeed…" Momon sweat dropped internally.
The little group started to head back to the team where the villagers cheered to the Dragon Slayer heroes who just saved their hides.
Mari slowed her pace and started to walk beside Raidyn. "We need to make a quick examination after we returned to the cars. It seemed that dragon's breath hit you directly. Considering you wear that metal armor. I would be surprised if you would not have at least third-degree burns under that armor. I wonder how you can still walk."
"T-That's not necessary…. Really. I am fine. This armor enchanted to be resistant to fire."
"I insist! As the group Field Medic. My task is to verify my patient's well-being!"
"I am fine really…" Raidyn wanted to break free from Mari's grasp. Even though she could easily do it, she did not want to hurt the medic by accident.
"I insist!"
Raidyn sighed and looked to Momon. The armored warrior chuckled. "Just get it over with."
Mari turned to him. "You come too."
Momon panicked for a moment then he remembered what Esdeath said. The illusion completely covers physical contact and senses. He sighed. "So be it."
The petite mage. Lelei meanwhile followed them with silence.
"I assume it is some sort of transportation, right?" Asked Momon as he pointed to the LAV.
"Yes, they are LAVs. You two are not surprised seeing our vehicles?" asked Itami seeing the two adventurers neutral attitude towards their cars. Every villager was dumbfounded seeing their cars at first. But the two adventurers were completely fine with them.
The two of them looked at each other. "We see weird things on a daily base. This is not a new thing to us." Explained Raidyn. Momon nodded in agreement.
"Right I understand." Itami nodded.
The group reached the LAV's Itami introduced them. "They are Momon and Raidyn, adventurers. They will come back with us to our base."
"But first the medical investigation." Interjected Mari. The two adventurers sighed.
From the car, Tuka gazed them suspiciously. "They were able to defeat the Fire Dragon?" she murmured. She still could not actually want to believe it.
The two of them sit down on a stool. "Could you two remove your helmet?"
Momon removed his helmet. His face seemingly was in the middle of his thirties. He had black eye and hair. His face resembled the older Guts from the Berserk Manga. Kuribayashi face reddened seeing Momon handsome face and suddenly looked away.
Raidyn poked a few times her mask left side, and with a hissing sound it slid down from her face. Then she takes off her hood. Revealing her long white hair heterochromatic eyes, long elf ears, and her face what belonged to a tanned skinned exotic beauty.
Itami's eyes widened. "What is that armor? Are you an elf? And he looks like Guts from the Berserk!"
The two adventurers looked each other with a dumbfounded expression. "Just don't listen to the First Lieutenant. He is just lost his mind." Said Kuribayashi uneasily.
"Where did you get that armor?" asked Itami from Raidyn in an excited manner. He was like a child who is just opening his gifts on Christmas Eve.
Raidyn opened her mouth to answer, but Momon interrupted her. "She found it. It is an artifact armor. Very rare where we came from." Explained Momon.
Itami nodded. "I see…"
[Message]: "Why do you have to wear such flashy armor!? You'll bust us!"
[Message]: "Yeah, right Mister Black Knight. Because your flashy armor will not bust us…" she rolled her eyes inwardly under the examination.
"Hmm…. I found nothing. But you have to see the doctor in our base. Am I understood?"
The two of them nodded. "Understood Ma'am." Replied Raidyn.
Mari smiled and nodded.
Itami went back to his car and started to speak to Kurata about his meeting the two RPG-like characters.
Kurata yelled. "That is so cool!" Every villager looked in the direction of their cars with a frightened expression. The members of the JSDF just sweat dropped.
The group continued its way towards the base.
There were two types of survivors from Coda Village. The first were villagers who could seek out their family or friends nearby. Those were the lucky ones, as their family and friends guaranteed their safety while providing them with accommodation and job opportunities.
The second type were villagers who had no family or friends and had to live the life of a refugee. These people, who made up most of the villagers, had no accommodation or job opportunities. Although they worried about how to live through the next day, they still prayed in gratitude that they had survived this disaster and hoped that Lady Luck would help them as they scattered throughout the land.
Each of the surviving villagers grasped the hands of Itami, his subordinates, and the two adventurers under their travel and thanked them profusely. The children's ran around them and asked them numerous questions while their parents remained in the background watching the younglings.
To the refugees, the JSDF and the two strangers who explained their job with the word 'Adventurer' were mysterious beings. They had helped them escape and even defeated the Flame Dragon, although they had no obligation to do so, and asked for nothing in return.
Given that the soldiers of the JSDF could not speak the language; they did not seem like knights or priests of this country. If they were the army of a foreign nation, the villagers would have been slaughtered and pillaged. Of course, they were not bandits. The only two who could speak with the soldiers of the JSDF were the armored figures who appeared seemingly from the nowhere and helped the JSDF defeat the Flame Dragon.
The villagers don't know them. Yet, they were glad for the two heroes to saved them and defeated the Flame Dragon. Under their travel, the strangers explained to them they are adventurers from a foreign country and came to explore the region. The villagers accepted it because it was sensible to send adventurers to explore the area instead of a big force.
But they do not know what to think about the JSDF. The most reasonable explanation for them was that the JSDF was a group of foreign mercenaries that was traveling to look for an employer. Recently, it seemed like the country, and its nobles were recruiting troops. The only thing out of the ordinary was that if they were a mercenary group, they would not aid them without seeking profits. Thus, the villagers were scared about what sort of recompense the JSDF would demand in return for their power.
They asked Raidyn and Momon for help if suddenly the men in green turned against them. The two of them promised nothing, just to try to negotiate with them if the case turns that way. Due the two of them spoke perfectly both language.
Not only that, despite their praiseworthy accomplishment of defeating a Flame Dragon, the troops of the JSDF had gloomy looks on their faces and sunken shoulders that made people think that they were on the losing side. But when they saw Momon inspiring stature every face brightened. They even helped to bury the dead (a priest happened to be nearby and performed simple funeral rites).
As they were parting ways, the JSDF even held their hands tightly and cried. Momon and Raidyn just bowed their head in respect stood in silence in the background. Gazing at the JSDF and the two adventurers who were waving their hands at them even after the villagers were out of their sight, the villagers of Coda Village could only smile bitterly.
The villagers were grateful for their sacrifice and the way they gave aid without asking for compensation, but thoughts of "Can they survive like this?" entered their minds.
"No matter what. Weren't they too kind? If this goes on, how are they going to earn a living?"
"Now's not the time to worry about others. We are also in dire straits, what are we going to do from now on…?"
"Yeah."
"Humph. No matter how idiotic the lords or nobles are, they won't let go of these skilled people. No matter how you look at it, that was a Flame Dragon! They fought on equal ground with that monster and defeated it."
"Yup. But, their hiring price won't be low for sure."
No matter what, they would not be such idiots, right? Although they thought this, the villagers were genuinely concerned; the nobles had a common trait of unquenchable greed.
Anyway, the villagers prayed to their god that this mercenary group(JSDF) and the two strange warriors with their unusual armor and values would be hired by a good-hearted employer.
Incidentally, the luck of the villagers of Coda Village had not yet run out.
On their journey, they met a lot of people who asked for confirmation. In other words, "Was the Flame Dragon actually defeated?"
Of course, most of them recovered some token from the corpse as evidence the Flame Dragon is dead. But the people do not believe such thing that easily and just dismissed them with the quote. 'This is some kind of very good forgery. Nothing else…'
Scene Change: Inn. Unknown location:
"It was really a Flame Dragon, I saw it with my own eyes. It looked at me with eyes that said, 'pitiful humans'...huh? Who, you ask? They were the people who wore mottled green clothes. They were humans, for sure. Not Elves or Dwarves. Maybe it's the Eastern tribe's attire. Although they could not speak our language, they were smart, and they kept trying to learn our language. "
"Yes! And there was two another warrior. One of them wore a magnificent black-clad armor with a long crimson cloak and held two huge swords each of his hand. He looked like a hero from a tale. He accompanied with a short woman who wore an equally strange but no less exquisite armor. She was beautiful so beautiful only her magic surpassed her beauty. She shot strange magical blades towards the Flame Dragon with her magic what simply penetrated its diamond-hard skin without resistance."
"Yes! I saw it! Those two was incredible! The woman seemingly used her magic to knock out the Dragon with a single strike. Then the dragon tried to burn her alive, but it was without avail. She held it back until the Black Knight Decapitated the Dragon with not more than a single strike. It was like heroes stepped out from legends and tales!"
"Humph. You speak nonsense. No matter how strong you are. You can't kill a flame dragon with a single strike not mentioning to hold it back." Said indignantly the third.
"They were good people; they helped us to escape without asking anything in return. For free, I tell you! It's true!"
Unlike the Bards, they did not have a wide vocabulary, and their description of the events was quite rough. But what they had seen with their own eyes needed no exaggeration.
The listeners' imaginations were easily stirred when they heard the survivor's words, leaving a significant impression on them. Because the witnesses had seen it with their own eyes when they were asked "So what was it like?", they could answer their audience's questions.
When the scene was described where the dragon's arm got blasted off and its head has been cut off by the black clad warrior massive blades. The listeners gulped and quietly said, "How, how powerful."
They parted ways with smiles on their faces and without asking for anything in return.
Even the JSDF troopers themselves would have asked: "Who are you talking about?" After all, a tale of heroes that would not even be found in anime was currently spreading among the people.
In the bars or even on the street, the refugees would be stopped and asked: "Are you from Coda Village?" And because the villagers saw different things from different points of view, what came out of each of their mouths were naturally different. With this, their words painted a surprisingly realistic scene.
The mages of Rondel even sent out mages to the location of the scene to investigate the magical energies what remained after the battle and when they heard about the unknown source of magic in Fortress Gown. Even more aspiring mages headed in its direction to investigate it and learn more about the magic what the invaders using.
Just by telling their story, the people of Coda Village did not have to worry about food or lodging before returning to their village.
Based on these words, it seemed to fit the bill with the Coda villagers' descriptions. The Coalition Army's defeat at Arnus hill and the Second Expedition army defeat in Dalnus Hill must be related to the magic weapons what the invaders used.
Piña called the waitress to ask her a question.
"Woman, have you seen the weapons of those people. What do they look like?"
Melissa tilted her head as she told her what she had seen. Although being addressed as 'woman' made her unhappy, because of the presence of the young female knight who gave her tips, she decided to tell her the truth.
"In other words, those people used staffs that looked like steel. They made an exploding sound, as well as spitting fire?"
"In my opinion, it is a magic weapon. As well as the two appeared knight used magical arms and magic to defeat the dragon."
"Then, the staff they used to repel the Slither Wyrm…it's called the Divine Rod of Steel, right? What does it look like? And what kind of magic employed by those two knights? Try to the best of your abilities to describe it."
"Didn't I say that it was a Flame Dragon, not a Slither Wyrm?" the waitress insisted. With a wicked smile, she glanced at the men around her.
"You're rhetorical. The Divine Rod is good stuff…...Well, I can't blame you, seeing that you were born in an overprotective environment. But, why don't you ask the girls who have husbands? It's the same as a man's thing. Of course, it's so large that you can hug it. I don't think any man here has a thing that's as big or as black as it…"
"And those two knights. One of them wore jet black armor, and I see his face under the helmet. He was handsome! No doubt about it!" she blushed as she thought back to Momon's new handsome illusionary face.
Then continued. "He decapitated the dragon with a single strike. I say you! With a single strike! The other seemingly was a mage who used some kind of summoned swords to penetrate the dragon scales. With a single stroke she knocked down the dragon from the sky, and her armor withstood even the flames of the beast. I see her face when she removed that strange helmet of hers. She was a dark elf."
Pina's knights gulped hearing about the strange weapons and the two knights.
The waitress laughed crudely as she went to the other table to take orders.
Confused, Piña looked to the male knights for an explanation.
As if on cue, all of them averted their faces from Piña's gaze. She finally set her sights on Hamilton.
"You...you have a fiancée, right?"
She must have thought that she was safe from the line of fire.
The prim and proper Knight, Hamilton Uno Ro, who was drinking soup, sprayed it out in surprise. Her messy short hair shook her head as she protested, "I-I do…...but I am still a maiden! How would I know about such a thing?"
The men's eyes landed on Hamilton. "Hmm, that kind of thing, eh?"
Piña's suspicious gaze pierced her. Hamilton could only blush furiously as she cowered down in her seat.
Scene Change: Arnus Hill: JSDF Base: Hazama's office:
"General… the reports from the recon platoons we dispatched have come in."
"Oh!" The man who responded was Lieutenant-General Hazama.
He had been a student of philosophy at Tokyo University, a graduate of that school which only accepted the best of the best. However, the truly inspiring part of his life story was how he enlisted as a private with the JSDF and climbed the ranks until he became the mighty Lieutenant-General he was now. One could say that, although he could have taken the fast-track, he chose to go a long way instead. His catchphrase was "No pain, no gain."
Hazama took off his glasses and looked at the pile of documents on his desk to 1LT Yanagida.
1LT Yanagida had graduated from the National Defense Academy of Japan (NDA) with flying colors, and under normal circumstances, he would have been considered an elite thinker. However, in front of Hazama, he never seemed to be able to raise his head. The reason for that was apparently because he failed to get into Tokyo University.
People compare themselves to others by many metrics; academic records, resumes, performance records, and, for members of the JSDF, their ability as warriors. They would always look for fields in which they could surpass others. Then what would happen if an individual who was excellent in all areas appeared before them? Most people would unconditionally accept their inferiority and think, "That guy's amazing," but Yanagida was far too proud for that. Perhaps he had an unfortunate encounter as a child, or his parents had raised him that way, but in the face of a superior individual, he did not feel respect, but rather resentment from the bottom of his heart.
"What's the matter? Did you realize something?"
Hazama raised his crew-cut head and leaned back against his chair. The cheap office furniture creaked under his weight. He didn't think too much about Yanagida's resentment, though he did think, "I need to keep an eye on this fellow."
"Several reconnaissance reports have arrived, but I didn't believe that they were that important because they're just raw data…"
"That's true, make sure they do a good job."
"However, we got a strange report from our early flight survey."
"What strange report?" asked Lieutenant-General Hazama as he leaned forward.
"The two pilots reported they were chased off by black armored angels when they want to investigate newly built fortress ten miles away from our location. According to their reports the fortress built around the same type structure what appeared in Japan. And surrounded by some sort of force field."
"What? You say, angels? I assume they are managed to escape." Asked Hazama in a surprised tone.
"Yes, however. They just barely managed to escape. According to them. Those angels almost overtook them and used energy-based weapons. The Jets were full of holes when they returned."
Hazama listened his subordinate uneasily.
"The pilots only managed to escape due they changed into the maximum throttle to reach Mach two. Only after that, they managed to leave the area. After the pilots were approximately two miles away from that fortress only then those creatures stopped chasing them. If you ask me General. Those creatures only wanted to scare our pilots off. They protected the area from invaders."
Hazama nodded while he thought what he heard. "Did they managed to make any photos?" asked Hazama.
Yanagida nodded. "Yes. But only from the angels. Strangely when they tried to make infra cameras from the inside of the fortress, all of the captured photos became corrupted."
Hazama thought for a moment. "Hm. Maybe, they are using a jamming equipment of some kind?"
Yanagida replied. "Most likely. If the other forces are like us, they are just protecting their own home."
Hazama nodded. "You are right. Until further notice, that area is a restricted flying zone. No one flights in or out without permission. Dismissed." He commanded his subordinate.
Yanagida concluded his briefing by placing a sheet of photocopied A4 paper on Hazama's desk. He excelled in this field of work and rarely made mistakes. Then, he saluted and left.
Hazama leaned back in his cheap chair and started to massage his nose temple with an exhausted motion. "Just what we needed. A civilization who can use energy-based weapons. We may have to send envoys to them discuss the situation before they consider attacking us."
Hazama did not feel that a simple reconnaissance would give him a full picture of the situation. However, he was looking forward to understanding the inclinations of the locals. But after he heard about those strange angels who used energy-based weapons and they almost hunted down the F-2 jets. He was a little frightened.
Their relationship with the locals, the safety of the JSDF units, and the opinions of the Special Region with respect to Japan and governmental influence were all closely interlinked. Ignoring the locals' feelings would breed contempt, or worse, active insurgency and that would outweigh any benefits of such callousness. As such, it was critical to understanding what the locals meant by righteousness, evil and so on. For instance, Islamic cultures hated dogs and preferred men to have beards.
The only common point between the teams was that, despite the difficulty, they all made the first contact. The locals, which superficially resemble human beings, primarily make their living through agriculture, with forestry being a close second.
Their population is distributed into settlements and is generally low. The 6th Recon Platoon has only found mercantile installations in villages with populations of over 500 people. They mainly sell clothes, tools, farming equipment, oil lamps and other miscellaneous living essentials... This is the stock list and the price catalog. Several photos are also enclosed."
Hazama went through the materials as if he were reading a table of figures. However, this information was critical for understanding the economic situation of the Special Region, so he had to send it back through the Gate for study by government experts.
Then he started to read the reports of the two pilots and inspecting the photos what they take from the creatures. The black armored creatures reminded him the angels from his son's video game. The angels almost looked exactly like them except their armors were black, and one of their wings were black as well the halo above their heads what was outlined with brimming white light.
He sighed. "I hope our little air space violation does not cause war. I don't really want figure out how strong these creatures and what kind of surprise held us the other civilization"
Scene Change: Arnus Hill: JSDF Base entrance:
There were three ways of evacuating the refugees. Two had already been touched on.
The method Itami and the others picked was the third. They chose this approach of evacuation because there were only about 20 to 30 people they had to worry about.
Following an armed group of unknown affiliation was just as risky as jumping into a ravine for the people of this world. They might as well have been stripped naked and sold into slavery. However, they had no choice. They were children who had lost their parents when the Flame Dragon attacked or elderly people who had lost their children, and some were even wounded. Under normal circumstances, the outcome for them would be a long and slow death anyway.
Of course, some of them were different. For instance, there was the Magician Kato and his pupil, who were very interested in the JSDF, as well as the priestess of Emroy and the two adventurers.
However, many of the refugees were asked questions that could not be answered, such as "Where do you want to go after this? We'll take you to wherever you want to go."
Itami decided to ask the village chief about what to do with the remaining 20 to 30 people. The reply he got was "Leave it to God."
Itami tilted his head and asked again. After Momon and Raidyn had helped him with the translation, the replies he got were along the lines of "Where nobody needs to take care of them," "Anywhere," "Wherever you want."
He sighed deeply.
The village chief got onto the wagon his family was riding, and spoke to Itami,
"I fully understand that you are noble and compassionate folk and that we must seem cruel and heartless in your eyes. However, it's already very hard for us just to take care of ourselves… forgive our selfishness in this matter." The village chief left without looking back.
Itami and the others had been struck dumb by the sheer callousness of that statement. They knew that everyone left behind had been abandoned.
The HMV was loaded with the orphaned children, the wounded, the Elven girl… all their eyes were on Itami and the two adventurers. They were very uneasy about the decision he was going to make here. Because they could not understand his language, they studied the minute changes on his face. Among them, the black-clad Goth Loli looked at him with a keen interest in her eyes. But after a while, she got bored and went to the two adventurers to speak with them.
While they walked, the adventurers told the children a few stories about their adventures. Every child listened to their stories with wide ears. About demons, angels, dragons and other mythical creatures. The two of them even spoke a little bit with Kato and Lelei about the magic of the Special Region.
Itami did not feel the great weight of the responsibility everyone was placing on him. "Well, who cares… Never mind, we'll take care of it." He said and continued his work. His innocent smile removed the tension in the air.
Itami's duty was to investigate the inhabitants of this world. Communicating with them, building good relations with them, and collecting the knowledge of this world was a critical part of that mission. Wouldn't it be great if he could bring natives back of their own free will and improve their understanding of this world's language and culture? At least, that was what he thought. In truth, a civil servant who thought like this would be nearly impossible to find. Anyone who didn't realize the problem with that sort of thinking would never have become a public servant. What public servants hated the most were people who increased their workload.
"You, you, you…" Major Higaki grabbed his head, in front of his subordinate who didn't know what he had done.
The officers from the other Advance Reconnaissance Teams remained silent, while the refugees who had been left outside the camp looked around in curiosity.
"Who, who said you could bring them here?!"
"Eh? Was that a bad thing?"
Itami idly scratched his head. Higaki paced around a little, before saying "Follow me" and walking out of his office.
Scene Change: The Capital of the Sorcerer Kingdom:
The Capital of the Sorcerer Kingdom. In its old name Carne Village. In its new name simply Carne.
Under the last two hundred years, it grew itself out from a poor village to the Kingdom's capital. According to the historians, this was the first place where the Sorcerer King and his enforcer first appeared and started their crusade against the corruption of the New World Kingdoms and governments. To show the people the right way.
The capital stretched miles across the field. The Great Forest of Tob beside the capital greatly diminished due to the rapid expansion of the Capital. Carne littered with gold and magnificent buildings which could not have been constructed without the help of the Supreme Beings and their vassals. Even when you looked at the sky, you could see several floating buildings what usually served as the home of the higher ranked mages and nobles whose could allow themselves to buy such house.
The biggest amongst the buildings was a floating castle what designed to resemble the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter books. It was the prestigious Magic Academy of the Sorcerer Kingdom where Fluder Paradyne himself continued his research and taught the brightest of the new generation of mages to the mysteries of the arcane here.
Below the floating castle located the main square of the capital where the huge statuses of all the Forty-One Supreme Beings stood proclaiming their greatness. Of course, the statuses were high-level enchanted golems what attack the invading forces if they manage to capture the capital and their activation conditions fulfilled.
In the north section of the capital stretched the mansion of the Sorcerer King. It used mostly by his children to relieve some stress. The King rarely visited the place. The estate littered with luxury. Numerous bathing and relaxing chambers waited for the exhausted nobles and heirs to relieve their stress and retreat from the everyday political and other kind pressure. It was a reserved middle ground where only a few invited could step in. In its chambers, there were no enemies just chatting people who wanted enjoyment in their life.
In the mansion's private guest room two female sat before a laid table. On the table various delicious looking cakes, coffee, tea, and alcohol placed. One of the females was short shiny pale skinned. Barely 160 cm. Her silver hair is tied in a ponytail, allowing others full view of her beautiful face. Her seductive crimson eyes seemingly burned a hole into your soul when you looked at her.
She wore her usual red, royal dress what she used to wear in her everyday activities. Despite her mother flat chested syndrome, she had a modest proportion. What most likely she inherited from her father's side. She was Eleanor Ooal Gown. One of the daughters of the Sorcerer King. As you surmise, she is Shalltear, daughter. She inherited her mother sadistic nature as well her father foresight and tactical thinking.
Before her. Sat a woman with a great figure and beautiful face. She inherited her mother heteromorphic black and white eyes and hair. Like her mom. She was always ready to battle. Despite that she loved good fights and training, she does not despise the balls like her brother. She loved to embarrass other men and woman by flirting them. Often leading misunderstandings and the disapproval of her father. She was in her teens after all. She rebelled against control. She was the third child of Ainz Ooal Gown. Serene Ooal Gown.
In the current scene, the two of them just enjoyed their breakfast cakes and drinks. Discussing the topics what happened in the kingdom and of course just to chat with each other about insignificant things. Girl talk, in another word.
"Did you heard father appointed Beelzebub to lead the expedition?" asked Eleanor.
"I heard. I just don't understand why…." Serene said in a disappointed tone.
"What why?" said Eleanor while sipped a sip from her tea elegantly.
"I don't understand why my father chose my foolish brother? Why he doesn't choose me!? I am as good as him! No, even better in military tactics!"
Eleanor answered in a calm tone. "He is the first in the line of succession. I think father just wants to give him some experience."
Serene gritted her teeth. "That stupid oaf does not distinguish win or lose from each other. Either in the battlefield or in a political situation."
"This is why we could easily take care of him then inherit the throne after father retire."
"What do you mean by that? Is Father stepping down? I don't understand." asked Serene.
"Don't say to anyone but… My little birds whispered me a secret." She leaned closer to her sister.
"What secret?" inquired Serene.
"Father considered his retirement from the politic and the country. If we make our move now. We may have a chance to disposition our brother from his place or even more kill him without our father 'notice'." Eleanor explained showing quotation marks.
"Do you really think we could kill Beelzebub without our father knowledge? You speak nonsense. You know he know everything. He is everywhere. His spies are everywhere. And what do you think Aunt will do with us if she realizes what we had done!"
Eleanor smiled sinisterly. "Of course, he will know it. After all, He is the god of the death and knowledge. He knows about everything what happened, what happens and what will happen in the future in his realm."
Serene looked uneasily to her older sister. She does not want to kill her brother. She still remembered how he cared about her. How the two of them played in the castle gardens when no one wanted to play with her.
He and her aunt were the ones whose taught her how to be strong. How to protect herself. How to be unfaltering. They made her the person who she is now.
"If you ask me. Our father wants us to be stronger. He wants us to fight for his throne. He wants only to strongest to rule. This is not your desire? The rule of the strong?"
Serene looked downward thinking about what her sister said. "Yes… But…"
"But?" Eleanor tilted her head in a confused look.
"Can't we just disposition him? I don't want to kill big brother. And what will Aunt do with us after she hears about what we have done…."
Eleanor smiled. "Aunt is on the short leash of our father. He will not allow her to touch us even with a single finger. She knows where her place is. And she is too loyal to father to contradict with him. And I am sure. Sooner or later she will manage to remove herself with one of her stupid experiments."
Serene looked away from her sister's gaze. "Still, I don't like the idea."
"Take your time sister to consider it. Think about what we could achieve if the two of us made the alliance? Reflect on the future of the Kingdom." Eleanor dropped her honeyed words in her younger sister's ear.
The massive double door opened, and a butler came in it. He bowed deeply. "Lady Albedo, Lady Shalltear and Lady Zesshi had arrived."