Chapter 41, Reactions of Countries (Part 2)
Silian Theocracy, Supreme Priests' Assembly Hall
The air in this residence of the highest authority of the Slian Theocracy was dull.
This spacious and magnificent palace was originally quite magnificent. Sunlight passes through the delicately carved petal-shaped window lattice and through the colorful stained glass picture windows, slanting into the interior, filling the ground with a colorful halo. The smoke formed by the burning of various precious spices curls up in the gilt copper stove, exuding an exciting smell. Coupled with the countless religious murals on the walls and ceilings, the various exquisite statues and ritual vessels displayed indoors, and the faint sound of music coming from the distance, it creates a solemn and holy atmosphere.
However, the six high priests standing in the center of the hall all had gloomy expressions, and their eyes were terrifying as if they wanted to kill someone. Their expressions always gave people the illusion that they owed them millions of gold coins. The whole atmosphere became a little cold.
However, the elderly woman who was kneeling before them at this moment knew very well that the failure of her recent operation had caused more losses to the Silian Theocracy than just a few million gold coins!
"...Are you the only one left among the twelve members of [Dark Scripture] dispatched this time? Kyle?"
A hoarse old male voice called out the name of the old lady kneeling at the foot of the stairs, "...the two priceless artifacts lent to you were also destroyed. Then, because the artifact of the Witch Princess was stolen, and Ordered to track down the thief The [Wind Flower Sacred Scripture] troops were inexplicably wiped out with you on the outskirts of the fortress city Lantier... What exactly is going on? What kind of enemy are you fighting?"
"...Unfortunately, we met [Wind Flower Sacred Scripture] by chance. The thief they were chasing seemed to have hid in the city. And in the subsequent attack, we were not sure who the enemy was. , I only know that the fortress city of Ye-Rantel has been occupied by undead creatures, and those who attacked us on the outskirts of Ye-Rantel may or may not be colluding with each other. ”
The old lady Kyle replied in a deep voice, "...but some of the orc priests have very powerful magic powers and can actually use eighth-level magic!"
"...orcs?! Can use eighth level magic?! You read that right, right? Kyle!" The great priests were suddenly startled.
"...Yes, those tiger men possess amazing power. Although we don't want to admit it, we [Dark Scripture] are as helpless as babies in front of them. All kinds of attack magic that seems to only exist in legends, They all hit like a heavy rain..."
Kyle, the sole survivor of the [Dark Scripture] Special Forces, sighed helplessly with a haggard and tired look, "...when the battle suddenly broke out, they even used magic to seal the space, making it impossible for us to Use the teleportation spell to escape! So, except for me who managed to break out of their encirclement and then used the teleportation item to successfully return to the country, no one else could escape. I’m afraid the odds are against me.”
"... Damn it, that's a magic caster of legendary hero level! And there seems to be more than one such strong person? Damn it!"
A middle-aged female priest complained angrily, "...where did these golems come from? And how did the Khajiit who appeared there cross the border of the Bajas Empire or our country from the east and arrive? That city? What does they have to do with the undead outbreak in the city?"
"...Furthermore, the [Sunshine Scripture] led by Captain Negan was also destroyed there. According to divination and speculation, it seems that it was the destruction of the Dragon King. You [Dark Scripture] were originally planning to seal or expel it. Yes, but now that the artifacts have been used, where is the Dragon King?”
Another male priest also asked, "...We can no longer produce two artifacts of the same level!"
"...and the thief who stole the secret treasure from the miko princess has now lost all traces with the destruction of the [Wind Flower Sacred Scripture] troops! Damn it, almost no tasks have been completed, and the Six Color Sacred Scripture has Half of them were lost in just half a month! But the orcs’ offensive this year is more fierce than ever! The Dragon Kingdom is almost at the end of its rope, and has been calling for reinforcements all day long!” br>
"...Then, are you too confused in this battle? You have lost so many people, but you don't know who your opponent is, or where they came from, or even where they are currently! This situation How should we consider countermeasures if we don’t know the answer? ”
……
"...I am truly sorry, my lords, for this tragic failure, I am willing to accept any punishment."
Listening to the high priests scolding each other, Kyle, the only one who escaped from the battlefield, lowered his head deeply, with a look of shame on his face.
"...Forget it, you have done your best after all, we won't punish you anymore, just go back and join the team. At the same time, train and select new people as soon as possible, and start the reconstruction of [Dark Holy Code]!" The six great priests After some discussion, he announced this.
"...Yes, thank you for your magnanimity! However, regarding the unknown enemies who destroyed the [Dark Sacred Scripture] and the [Wind Flower Sacred Scripture] this time, as well as the fortress city of E-Rantel occupied by the undead, we should How to deal with it?" Kyle asked.
"...Oh, we can only leave it alone for the time being! Let's strengthen the security on the northern border and be careful not to let the undead sneak into our country! In any case, the fortress city of Ye. Rantel is a foreign territory. We There is no obligation to sweep away the undead and regain lost ground for them.”
A short and fat priest replied, "...Now that half of the six-color holy book has been destroyed, the inside story of the tragic change in the fortress city of Ye-Rantel is still hidden in the fog, and you can't find it even if you want to. To the direction. However, in a short period of time, we really can't afford more losses this year. The situation on the eastern front against the incoming orcs is extremely critical. In order to send troops to rescue the crumbling Dragon Kingdom, our manpower is also very tight. There are no spare elites to waste in that bottomless pit... The undead of the Yestije Kingdom. Just let them handle it themselves!”
——Although the result was very frustrating and depressing, the ruler of the Silian Theocracy still cut the losses in time and made an objective and reasonable judgment.
But as the main victim and client this time, Li. The attitude of everyone in the royal court of Yestije Kingdom is like an idiot talking...
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inside. The royal capital of King Yestije, the city of Lorenti, the audience hall of the royal palace
Many luxuriously dressed nobles and important ministers were gathering inside to hold a court meeting. Among them was Gazef Stronov, the warrior captain of the kingdom who had just returned from the border. He was kneeling before his sworn master, King Rambusa III, who was sitting on the throne.
Even though it had only been more than half a month, Gazef still felt that His Majesty the King had obviously aged a lot.
——The pale hair is sparse and messy, the thin body cannot be said to be healthy no matter how flattering it is, and the complexion is also very poor, not even a little rosy. The hand holding the scepter was as thin as a dead branch, and the golden crown he wore seemed to be crumbling, looking overwhelmed.
The old man on the throne, Rambusa III, let out a weak sigh: "...Soldier Commander, it's great that you can return safely."
"...Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gazef responded with a deep bow.
"...Well, regarding today's topic, I have received some reports, but here, I would like to ask the warrior commander to explain in detail what happened in the fortress city of Ye-Rantel." The old king was a little sleepy. The ground commanded.
"...As you command." Then Gazef bowed again, stood up, and talked in detail about his stay in Karn Village and the fortress city after leaving the royal capital. What Lantier went through. I focused on it. The tragic situation after Lantel was captured by the undead, and the suspicion that the Silian Theocracy may have been involved behind the above-mentioned events. In addition, he introduced someone who called himself Ainz. Ur. Gong's mysterious magician, especially his heroic deeds when he saw injustice on the road in Kahn Village and drew his sword to help, fought through fire and water against enemy spies, and sacrificed his life to save the villagers. Still there. After the undead catastrophe broke out in Lantier, Archmage Ainz volunteered to protect the survivors, providing them with food and accommodation, and establishing a refugee camp as a benevolent act.
"...That's it. It's such a good story. He does sound like a good and kind person..."
King Rambusa III sighed and praised, but a group of courtiers immediately stared at the king with contempt and sang the opposite tune without courtesy.
"...Your Majesty, how stupid you are! How can you trust a stranger so easily?"
"...Weirdos like this who dare not show their true colors to the public are probably wanted fugitives, right?!"
"...It always makes people feel uncomfortable when a person like that appears in the kingdom. Wouldn't it be better to find some way to deal with him?"
"...How can the warrior captain entrust the subjects of the kingdom to such a guy of unknown origin? This is treason!"
"...Yes, a magician of unknown origin like that should be escorted over immediately for interrogation!"
"...But who should be arrested? This magician seems to be very powerful. He defeated a group of knights with just his followers!"
"...Of course, let the warrior commander atone for his sins! Who asked him to trust such a guy casually?"
In the end, some people even asked whether this guy could simply be a spy sent by the Silian Theocracy or the Bahas Empire in order to sneak into the kingdom and serve as a spy. And the attack on Karn Village and the fortress city. Lantier's tragedy was all directed and performed by him in order to promote himself...
Gazef could only helplessly roll his eyes at this, having completely despaired of the factional strife within the kingdom - although the various aristocratic factions in the country were constantly fighting among themselves, they were becoming more and more consistent in suppressing the royal power. Recently, they had It has developed to the point of exaggeration that "whatever the king approves of, they must oppose." It is estimated that even if the king said that the sun is round, they would insist on saying that the sun is square...
If these nobles and courtiers were just talking nonsense like this, Gazef would probably hold his nose and endure it. But the problem is, after these guys accused Ainz of a bunch of crimes, they actually started talking to themselves and drafting a document to convict Ainz. So he finally couldn't hold it any longer: "...Please wait a moment. That magician has a very friendly attitude towards the kingdom. How can he arrest such a friendly person indiscriminately..."
He tried hard to correct the increasingly absurd court discussion, but he immediately received disgusted looks from the civil and military officials of the court.
——In the kingdom’s official circles, which all depend on blood, Warrior Captain Gazef, who was born as a commoner, has always been an alternative among the alternative.
Gazef only relied on his swordsmanship to reach his current position. In the eyes of nobles with a long history, he was like a nouveau riche who got rich overnight. In particular, his swordsmanship was unparalleled in the country, which greatly deepened the hostility of the nobles. Because the most intolerable thing for noble but useless nobles like them is that people with status are actually more capable than themselves.
As a result, the nobles, both royalists and anti-royalists, all attacked Warrior Captain Gazef:
"...Nonsense! It is very necessary to summon such a suspicious guy to the royal capital for torture!"
"...Perhaps it was because the Warrior Commander easily believed in that strange magician that the fortress city was captured by the undead!"
"...Absolutely right! We have never heard of the powerful magician named Ainz. Isn't he just making this up?"
"...How could the warrior commander trust that strange guy who hides his face? From this point of view, it makes people feel very suspicious!"
"...From this point of view, the warrior commander must shoulder all the responsibilities!"
Seeing the noble ministers below chattering around the warrior captain, the king sitting on the throne finally became angry. He raised his scepter tremblingly and knocked it hard on the ground: "...Okay, be quiet! I think The warrior commander's decision was not wrong! Moreover, the topic of today's discussion is how to deal with the undead changes in the fortress city! Don't let me digress anymore! br>
"...Well...if His Majesty says so...let's stay here for now."
In response to the king's fierce anger, the nobles in the palace looked at each other and temporarily put away their sarcastic smiles.
But the ensuing discussion was still not smooth, because the king believed that the royal family was directly under the jurisdiction of the royal family. Lantel's undead changes cannot be ignored, and a large army should be dispatched as soon as possible to attack them. As a result, these nobles who were accustomed to singing against the king actually became pacifists.
On the one hand, they are all happy to hear about anything that can attack the royal power; on the other hand, they are not willing to engage in national mobilization and assembly of armies, consuming the human and financial resources of their own territories, just to help the king regain a piece of his own territory.
"...Your Majesty, although the fall of the fortress city Ye-Rantel is sad, since it has happened and the dead cannot be resurrected, we can only look forward. In fact, in the long run, this is actually a This is a good thing. After all, as long as the undead creatures are entrenched in that city and block the border transportation routes, the Bahas Empire will no longer be able to invade our country and the subjects of the kingdom can enjoy peace from now on..."
"... To say the least, even if the blood emperor of the empire is still ambitious and opens a passage from E-Rantel to invade our country, then the losses caused by the extermination of the undead will be passed on to them. For those who have suffered from the scourge of war for years. It is still a happy event for our country..."
——This is the sophistry of the intellectuals.
"...Conquering monsters should be the job of adventurers! How can a noble knight be allowed to do such a lowly job?"
"...Who pays for hiring adventurers? Of course, they are recruited for free! Since adventurers living in the kingdom are subjects of the kingdom, it is their natural duty to help fight off the monsters that appear in the kingdom. Why? Can I ask for more money?”
——This is the rhetoric of the idiots.
What follows next is that I’m talking to myself and completely digressing from the topic:
"...To be honest, an organization like the Adventurer's Guild, which has so many powerful warriors and magic casters and operates without permission within the borders of the country, is the scourge of the country. We must find a way to solve it as soon as possible. For example, ban them all.”
"...and the money paid to the Adventurer's Guild is not a small amount every year. It is reasonable to change it to unpaid labor in the future..."
All kinds of unbelievable and bizarre theories came out one after another, making the king and warriors choke and roll their eyes, but they were helpless.
It wasn't until a piece of earth-shattering bad news came that the group of people who were pretending to sleep woke up from their sleep: "...This is incredible! Your Majesty! My lords! An army composed of undead creatures is approaching the royal capital! ”