Overlord (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter SS

Syosetu Special: The Current Situation of Various People

Prologue

Somewhere in the Baharuth Empire

“I’m terribly sorry, but please wait here for a moment. His Majesty is currently engaged in a conversation.”

He was told so by the secretary on stand-by in front of the doors to the Emperor’s office, flanked by several talented members of the Imperial Guard.

He was one of the Four Imperial Knights, the one known as the “Violent Gale,” Nimble Arc Dale Anoch.

As a confidant of the one who wields absolute authority in the Empire, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, he was one of the few allowed to enter this office. For the secretary to have stopped a man such as Nimble without consulting the Emperor must’ve meant that the office was guest to someone significant.

So who could this visitor be?

Perhaps, could it be an emissary from the Sorcerer Kingdom— that’s not possible.

If they were an emissary from the Sorcerer Kingdom, Nimble would have been requested to attend the meeting too. Even if the Sorcerer Kingdom forbade Nimble’s attendance, he should have at least received intel that an emissary was here, yet he did not.

Then, is it possible that his favorite concubine was— that’s not possible.

Nothing the concubine could ever say would persuade the Emperor to bar Nimble from entering the office. After all, Jircniv was the kind of man to put his duty as Emperor before any feminine wiles.

So, who in the world entered this room before Nimble?

Actually, Nimble could already guess this person’s identity. His prediction shouldn’t be wrong, because something like this had already happened numerous times.

The one who was in there was: The Bloody Emperor’s only friend.

The King of the Quagoas, Pe Riyuro. It must have been him.

The Emperor would not allow anyone to interrupt their meetings. Supposedly, those were the few moments during which the Emperor’s heart would be at ease. His colleague once asked, “…So does he not experience the same kind of tranquility when he’s with his wife and children?” Well, this friend must have been capable of eliciting emotions from the Emperor that were simply different on many levels.

Nimble’s gaze fell upon the parchment scroll in his hand for just a brief moment.

This was an incredibly important document, one he wished to deliver to the Emperor as soon as possible, but since Nimble had profound sympathy for his liege, his heart wavered only briefly before he nodded.

“—Understood. Then I shall wait here.”

“Much appreciated. If you do not mind, please make use of the adjacent room. I will call you as soon as the Emperor is free.”

Nimble thanked her and entered the room next to Jircniv’s office, a waiting room reserved for distinguished guests. He figured that he might as well knock first, given that there probably were people inside who arrived before him.

From within the room came a soft “oh” in response — the voice of the man he expected to be here.

Nimble opened the door to the room. Sat upon a chaise lounge in this extravagant room was an armored man, who turned his face towards him.

Nimble’s colleague, one of the Four Imperial Knights, the one known as “Lightning Bolt,” Baziwood Peshmel.

Under normal circumstances, either Nimble or Baziwood would always be standing guard in the same room as the Emperor, not leaving his side unless he was attending to his harem. Nevertheless, it was precisely because the Emperor wished for absolutely no interruptions during a meeting with Pe Riyuro that these two had been instructed to stay in this room.

“Yo, Nimble. Looks like you’ve been in high spirits since yesterday.”

“Long time no see… well it hasn’t really been that long. Nevertheless, long time no see, Baziwood-…”

Not too long ago Nimble would have addressed him with honorifics, but he was told, “we’ve been colleagues for such a long time, so please, drop the honorifics.” Since he had said that much, Nimble went along with it. However, he could never get used to it. The words felt awkward as they left his mouth.

A massive grin cracked across Baziwood’s face. Perhaps he had found this predicament entertaining.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Sit down, my neck’s tired from having to tilt up to speak with you.”

“Don’t mind if I do then.”

Nimble sat opposite Baziwood, upon a similar chaise lounge.

“It’ll be fine. He’s been here before so if nothing is out of the ordinary, their conversation should be ending soon. You won’t have to wait for long.”

“Is that so? That’s great then. This parchment scroll must be given to him as soon as possible.”

“Hoh? So, where is it from and who sent it?”

Nimble revealed the wax seal on the document to Baziwood.

It was a national seal.

Baziwood’s expression turned somber and sour.

“—Oy oy, it’s from that den of monsters.”

Correct, the document bore the national seal of the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown.

“I heard that it was from Prime Minister Albedo, but also that it wasn’t urgent, just some notices and such.”

“I see… If it’s only notices then there really is no need to interrupt their conversation to deliver it. Well, if it was an emergency we’d have no choice but to break through the doors to deliver it… but…” Baziwood’s terrible expression took a turn for the worse. “…what kind of a notice could it hold?”

“That… is something that I also want to know as soon as possible… the messenger was an undead as usual so the person who received the document couldn’t tell anything from their expressions.”

“Hmmm, just as His Majesty’s mood was improving, this will surely demoralize him… that sort of mental impact… might make him more prone to anger. He might even hate you for delivering something so awful.”

Baziwood had an annoying smile on his face, to which Nimble grinned in response.

“No, His Majesty is not the kind of man who would do that. To be honest, I personally wish to have this cursed document off my hands immediately, yet I am still allowing His Majesty to retain as much of his fleeting moments of happiness as possible. I feel like he would thank me for that.”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Something of note was that all the missives from the Sorcerer Kingdom were investigated beforehand. Since there were no traces of magic on them at all, they shouldn’t bestow misfortunes to those who touch them… probably. There was a subset of people, Nimble included, who were always on guard against any strange, unknown magic on those missives, especially given how much more advanced the Sorcerer Kingdom’s magic was compared to the Empire’s.

“Well, we should know the answer to that soon enough. Say, it must be tiring to have to run all these errands. Give me a straight answer, do you believe that we’re short on hands?”

“Indeed, it is just as you’ve said. It does kind of make one wish for a long vacation.”

The current situation dictated that at least one of the two must always accompany Jircniv for his safety. At night when there were no other options, their duty would be transferred to the Imperial Guards to allow the two to sleep. Even then, they had to sleep close to the palace. If they were to embark on a long journey, they would definitely have to worry about being short on staff.

“Still, are we not the honorable Four Imperial Knights? Is it still the Four Imperial Knights? Please, I wish they’d hurry up and fill up the two vacancies.”

In that moment, Nimble was reminded of the two who were no longer there.

“…Not having enough people in our talent pool capable of standing to that title is the bigger issue at hand.”

“Too many of the Empire’s warriors end up going to the gladiatorial arenas and such. Speaking of strong folks… A while ago, I saw Palantynen in the Imperial Capital. It seems as though he had improved even more through some torturous training. It felt as though he was a monster that we could no longer win against no matter what we do.”

“Kullervo Palantynen huh? I haven’t seen him in the arena yet.” Nimble tilted his head, “He’s strong, from what I’ve heard. Is he as strong as our nation’s trump card?”

A shocked expression flashed across Baziwood’s face before he realized what Nimble meant by “trump card,” at which point he laughed.

“How would that fight go. With my expertise, it’s hard to tell exactly which one of them is stronger… Well, I guess you should be correct more or less.”

“That’s amazing!”

They had loaned a massive undead army from the terrifying nation that was the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown. If this man could hold his own against even one member of that army, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was at the peak of human strength.

If they utilized the undead soldiers from the Sorcerer Kingdom as bodyguards for Jircniv, Nimble and Baziwood could probably go on the long vacation they wished for. However, to rely on a foreign power’s soldiers to protect Jircniv was a hair-raising prospect. All things considered, they could not allow the undead to stand guard at the office, because who knows if the Sorcerer Kingdom would give them the order to take action on a dime. Oh, how Nimble wished they could just move all the undead within the city to someplace far away.

It was for those reasons that there were almost no undead soldiers within the Imperial Capital. Of course, a few of them were kept around in case of an emergency.

“Wait, if Palantynen is this strong, then how strong were his predecessors? The magic item hoarder aside, wasn’t that transvestite[1] a noble? Is even the nobility not answering our calls?”

“By ‘transvestite’ you meant the third son of Viscount Zesch? I think he should still be within the Empire…”

They had no more information to work off of.

Not only was Nimble’s intelligence network within the nobility limited, but even the Empire’s espionage department could not get their hands on more information either.

The espionage department did not investigate in detail the whereabouts of the few powerful individuals within the Empire. This was because, in the past, the Empire did not have the capabilities to deal with him should they have offended him by doing such and suffered retaliation. His strength was nothing to scoff at, being enough to confidently hold his ground even against the combined strength of the Four Imperial Knights.

So why did they not investigate him after they had borrowed the dreadful power that was the undead army from the Sorcerer Kingdom? The reason was simply that the costs outweighed the benefits.

If he showed up voluntarily and stated that he wished to serve the Empire then of course he would be welcomed in with open arms. Otherwise, even if they investigated him regardless of his feelings on the matter and forced him to serve by abusing their authority, it would still be a pointless endeavor. To use such heavy-handed methods to bolster their ranks would undoubtedly arouse the suspicions of the Sorcerer Kingdom, a risk they were not willing to take.

But of course…

…Against that Sorcerer Kingdom, the addition of another puny human warrior to our ranks wouldn’t even matter.

“Why? Why aren’t they willing to serve the Empire? The fact that even someone like me could land this job shows that the Empire doesn’t care much for dogma.”

“Everybody’s different, isn’t that right? Look at me, I am of noble birth and I take pride in the fact that I can serve the Imperial family.”

“For me, it was because I realized that I will sooner or later work myself to death down at the damned docks. Then my first wife… wait, was she my wife back then? Well, in any case, I felt like I had to get a more stable job for that lass’ sake… I just wanted to ensure that the little buggers I sire will have a comfortable life, and there’s still more to do on that end.”

“…You’re a good husband and father.”

“I can never figure out if I’m actually doing things right,” Baziwood shrugged, “according to my wives I’m barely passing by their standards.”

“…You truly are a good husband, as well as an exemplary father.”

Nimble had heard that he had married two more wives just recently.

Prim and proper noblewomen who unfortunately fell victim to Jircniv’s purge, doomed to live the life of miserable prostitutes. As one of the Four Imperial Knights, he took quite a risk to marry such women, thus it was necessary for them to cut off their past connections.

Nimble’s father was a good father too, yet there exists another type of human in this world, deplorable to their core: parents who could only be described as sub-human. It would be incredibly disrespectful to speak of Baziwood and those people in the same breath, but compared to them he was undeniably a good father and husband. Of course, Nimble had never observed Baziwood in a domestic setting so he could not make a judgement there, but he felt from his presence that he had at least done as much as he could in the things that matter the most as parents.

“Really? Hearing that does make me happy. What about you though? Want to father a child… wait, are you still unmarried?”

“I am but the second son of a Baron…”

“…Oy oy, you know that even plebs like me get approached about patrician marriages, right? I think I remember something about you receiving so many letters of introduction that you don’t even have space left on your desk to keep them anymore? Don’t you hold the title of Count in the first place anyway?”

“Your memory is pretty good.”

“Of course I remember, my wives speak of my colleagues a lot. Plus, I’m also a Count. So, tell me why, why won’t you get hitched?”

Stop sticking your nose in my business, Nimble thought.

“I’m actually kind of scared of women, chalk it up to my horrible sisters. Thanks to them, I can’t be myself around women.”

For all that he had said, he had to marry at some point. As a noble, the concept of preserving one’s bloodline was of paramount importance according to the nobility’s education system, which in turn drilled that concept into Nimble’s mind from youth.

“…That’s quite a pickle you’ve found yourself in. But, I don’t remember you ever acting weird around her…”

Baziwood squinted. Nimble should probably clear things up to prevent a misunderstanding.

“That’s because I see her as a colleague, not as a woman. Baziwood.”

“Indeed,” Baziwood nodded empathically, “yeah yeah, that makes sense.”

That was the truth. Nimble never even had a smidge of romantic feelings for her. As her colleague though, he did wish for her to find her own happiness.

“Then—”

Baziwood was about to say something else before he was cut off by the sound of knocking. Before they could respond, the doors swung open. There stood the secretary who had directed Nimble here, the reason as to why he was here was obvious.

“I apologize for the delay, please come over to this side.”

The two responded accordingly, stood up to leave the room, and entered the Emperor’s office.

They could see that Jircniv was unusually relaxed. There was no sign of the Quagoa King anywhere, he had probably been led to another room. As was usual, he would spend a few days here every time he visited.

“Nimble, you must’ve waited for quite a while.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

Nimble gently lowered his head to pay respects and handed over the parchment scroll.

“This was from the Sorcerer Kingdom, please take a look at it.”

Jircniv’s smile froze up, followed soon by a listless sigh.

Nimble deeply empathized with his liege, because he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders just by handing over the document. At the same time, Jircniv seemed as though he was handling a volatile magic item. He picked up the scroll carefully and placed it gently upon his desk, at which point he stared at it cautiously.

In his frequent rants, Nimble had picked up on Jircniv’s feelings about the Sorcerer Kingdom.

Indeed, the Sorcerer Kingdom had never done the Empire any harm, nor had the Empire experienced loss from this alliance. To put it simply, everything they had received from the Sorcerer Kingdom was good. That was exactly what was so terrifying about that nation.

It was as though they were being propped up higher and higher; what if the purpose of doing so was to maximize the damage when it inevitably all comes tumbling down? Those were Jircniv’s deepest fears. Only an idiot would trust a country ruled by the undead and other monstrosities… right?

Perhaps he had finally found his courage, as Jircniv picked up the scroll once more… only for the courage he had found to instantly disappear.

He could not open the scroll.

“Sorry, could you do it instead of—”

“—Woah?! Your Majesty, what is that?”

Baziwood stared upon an item on the desk. Atop an indigo base sat some kind of case made out of glass. Upon closer inspection, one would see a ring inside.

“A ring I received, apparently it was enchanted with magic to suppress stomach aches.”

Jircniv had just recovered from his chronic stomach aches, yet they flared up once more upon receiving news of the Kingdom’s tragic ending.

It proved to him that Ainz Ooal Gown was no amicable and candid undead demon lord, but instead one who believed that he could just casually take as many lives as he saw fit when necessary. If they were to be unfortunate, what befell the Kingdom may repeat itself with the Empire. This was something they had all realized.

They had an inkling based on Pe Riyuro’s retellings, yet they were still in shock when they learned of the inconceivable number of casualties.

Nimble began to have recurring nightmares of the massacre he had witnessed upon hearing the news, so it was not hard for him to imagine how much more of a toll it had on the leader of the nation, Jircniv.

“So there exist rings with magic this specialized?!”

Baziwood was shocked and so was Nimble. They had never considered that the silver ring on the desk would contain such power. Or rather, they were more surprised at the fact that it had such a specific power.

“Using the Ring of Unicorn to cure my stomach aches was too much of a waste. This ring was the result of a comprehensive search of the market.”

Nimble looked upon Jircniv with mixed emotions in his eyes. Baziwood, though he could not see his eyes from this angle, probably had the same look.

“…Will Your Majesty not peruse the scroll?”

Their feelings must have reached Jircniv somewhat. Perhaps to change the topic of conversation, or perhaps what they had said reinvigorated his courage, he unfurled the scroll. Jircniv scanned the scroll from top to bottom and then back up again. After reading through it a second time, Jircniv breathed out heavily to signify that he was done.

Of course, as the Emperor, Jircniv had no obligation to reveal the contents of the letter to subordinates like Nimble and Baziwood, but it was extremely rare for him to not do so.

Nimble’s errand had officially been concluded so it was fine for him to just leave the office right now. However, was it truly fine for him to just leave like this?

“So, Your Majesty, what was written on that parchment? If it’s not something that we should know of, we’ll stop asking about it.”

“…No, it is nothing too major. Do you all know about the Faceless One of the Holy Kingdom? It seems like because they are going to visit the Sorcerer Kingdom soon, a welcome ceremony will be held. This was an invitation to the ceremony, stamped with the Sorcerer King’s seal.”

The two of them squeezed together to read the scroll that had been passed to them and confirmed that that was exactly what it said.

“I see. We do not have much time left, so it would be best to prepare as soon as possible.”

Upon hearing such a reply from Nimble, Jircniv’s expression turned to disgust.

“If I said that I did not wish to go, would you be willing to attend as my representative? Oooof! My stomach!”

“…Umm, let’s put the teasing on hold for now. I must say, Your Majesty, do you feel like you’ve changed much since the Empire became a vassal state to the Sorcerer Kingdom? I felt as though you were more motivated in the past.”

Jircniv showed a similar expression of disgust at Baziwood’s remark. He must have more or less been self-conscious of this fact.

“I’m afraid I must trouble my friend who had travelled far with something irritating…”

Jircniv took a few large breaths, causing Nimble and Baziwood to look at each other.

Though it was regrettable, they had no options. A vassal absolutely cannot refuse a direct invitation from their liege.

“It was not your servants’ intention to see you so troubled… Now then, please allow me to begin preparations for this excursion.”

“Hahah. I will not bear hate against you for this Nimble, so begin your work in peace.”

1. オカマ (Okama), Japanese slang for an effeminate gay man or a cross-dresser.