Текст книги "Overlord - The Invaders of the Large Tomb"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

"Amazing!"

"—Stronger than Hekkeran."

"Obviously, Arche. Don’t use me as a comparison. What you’re seeing there is the highest of the adventurers. The absolute peak of everything. The power of an adamantite-ranked adventurer."

"Well then, looks like it’s my turn to attack."

Momon slowly raised  his staff, entering a stance. In contrast, Parupatra rested his spear on his shoulder, relaxing his posture. He was giving up, having completely lost any will to fight.

"Magnificent. I give up, I resign. Forget about winning, this old man can’t even put a scratch on your armor."

"…Is that so."

Towards Parupatra who announced his loss, the majority of the audience gave off a "uooooh" sound as they sighed. It was without a doubt, an overwhelming victory by Momon, as if he was an adult who played around with a child.

Discussions such as “which martial-arts-school did the footwork technique used by Momon belong to?” started to appear as the overly excited audience began to share their thoughts with each other. Not caring about these things, Hekkeran and Greenham walked towards Parupatra who was busy wiping away his sweat while conversing with Momon.

"Already done, senior?"

It feels as if the atmosphere and speaking tone suddenly changed.

"…I thought you wanted to display your real ability."

"…hya hya hya. That would be too much for an old man like me. What I’ve shown is already my real ability, Momon-dono."

"—Ah, my apologies for being disrespectful."

"No need to apologize, but to be honest I am quite sad about it. Also, you don’t need to be so modest with your words. What we old timers respect is strength and not who has lived longer. To be treated with so much respect by someone as overwhelmingly strong as you just doesn’t make me feel good."

"…I see. So be it then. However, to just end it here like this without letting me even take a swing leaves a bad aftertaste for me. If there’s going to be a next time, I’ll be the one to start. Well then, I will have to get back to moving the luggage."

"There are other people already working on it. You shouldn’t need to be doing that right?"

"I do not think so. No matter what kind of status I have, when a task is assigned to me, I must still finish it properly."

Having said that, Momon turned around and headed back towards the carriages. Following him was the woman possessing peerless beauty. Hekkeran and Greenham whose path crossed by couldn’t stop their eyes from being glued to them once more.

Entranced by the silhouette of the larger than life’s back of Momon.

"Hya hya, you’re making the face of a man wanting to ask questions."

"—Elder, what was your thoughts on this?"

Parupatra’s wrinkled face started to distort, as if wanting to smile bitterly.

"Very strong. No, that should be as expected due to being adamantite ranked. However, I never imagined to what extent that was. The moment we clashed, I got the feeling that no matter how I attack, I would never be able to hit him."

Hekkeran had the exact same feeling. Every single attack of his would probably be evaded by the  man named Momon, and then the counterattack would come. Even if he was able to land a hit after using the best tricks he could think of, the image of his attack being repelled by that armor still appeared in Hekkeran’s mind. Parupatra, who experienced it firsthand, must have received an even stronger impression.

"So that’s… the adamantite rank huh?"

"That’s right. That’s the so called adamantite level. A realm where only few can ever reach. Aahh, truly magnificently stunning. A height that you cannot reach and touch… Well, are you guys satisfied from witnessing this?"

"Without a doubt! Thanks to being an observer, I was able to see the whole thing in detail. If I had been the one fighting, I would have never been able to calmly observe everything. Although I have to apologize for saying this to Elder, but personally, I really wanted to see the Momon-dono the moment he was about to attack."

"That wouldn’t have been possible. Momon-dono never had the intention to attack in the first place. He didn’t even show any fighting spirit. Most likely, it was just as he had said, that he wasn’t used to holding back. If he had really attacked, Elder most likely would have lost his life."

If it was said like that, it would indeed sound quite arrogant. Elder Parupatra was also a warrior of considerable strength, a veteran that should not be underestimated.

However, it was exactly because having achieved it showed just how strong adamantite rank adventurers truly are.

"That can’t be helped. There’s a huge difference in strength between this old man and that person. Even though I was quite unhappy about it, there is nothing I can say after he was able to evade all of these attacks like nothing

That was what it meant to be strong.

Choosing a weapon that he wasn’t familiar with, where the weight and balance was completely different, showed just how much confidence he had in his own abilities. The difference between the two was just that big.

With a final sentence of "so tiring, so tiring", Parupatra turned and walked away towards the carriages.

As Parupatra’s figure gradually got further and further away, Hekkeran heard him utter the following words.

"Even during my prime I was unable to reach that level, so that is the adamantite rank huh… too distant to ever reach."

Parupatra’s figure seemed much smaller when compared to that of Momon’s, which gave off an overwhelming pressure.

"So that’s the highest rank… adamantite."

"Yeah. Truly amazing."

Only the sound of agreement could be heard from those two.

 

Part 2

On a stone-paved road in Arwintar, a carriage sped by like the wind.

The creature pulling the luxurious carriage was an eight-legged beast, a Sleipnir. Two skilled-looking warriors were seated on the front platform, on the roof of the carriage. The area where the luggage was usually stored had been modified to seat a group of four magic casters and archers, who were watching the surrounding with wary eyes.

It could be described as a mobile stronghold traveling under high security in broad daylight. And of course, the one riding inside was of a fittingly high status.

Just by looking at the emblem on the side of the carriage, which consisted of three overlapping staffs, everyone with a certain level of knowledge/culture would be able to tell who was sitting inside and who the owner of this carriage was. As such, the knights standing guard did not make any sound.

There were three men inside the carriage. All of them wore robes and were dressed like magic casters.

Although all three were famous figures within the Empire, even among them there was a clear difference in their attitude and status. The white haired elderly man clearly had the highest status among them.

Similar to how Gazef Stronoff was renowned as a warrior, there was no magic caster who was  more famous than this man. This elderly man was the most powerful magic caster in the Empire, ‘Tri Arts’ Fluder Paradyne.

Opposite Fluder were two of his disciples, both of whom could use magic up to the 4^th tier.

As though he could no longer endure the heavy atmosphere after setting off from the Imperial capital, one of the disciple sheepishly said:

“Master, what should we do about his Imperial Majesty’s orders?”

Silence took over the carriage once again. The moment they thought that was the case, Fluder answered in a deep and calm voice.

“If his Imperial Majesty wishes it, we as his vassals can only carry out his orders and begin our investigation. However, it is too risky to investigate using magical means. Should we start by studying the archives or conducting a demon summoning? In the end, we still need to gather information.”

“Are you saying that even you do not know, Master?”

Fluder closed his eyes and opened them several seconds later.

“My knowledge is lacking. I don’t know anything about the powerful demon Jaldabaoth.”

About one month ago, a group of demons assaulted the Kingdom’s capital. According to the intelligence they gathered, the commander Jaldabaoth and his maid servants were horrifying beings from another plane of existence.

Because of the demon crisis, the annual invasion against the Kingdom hadn’t been launched this year. Thinking normally, the Empire should have taken advantage of the situation and attacked the Kingdom while they were still exhausted from the demon invasion.

However, there were two reasons why the Empire waged war against the Kingdom.

The first reason was to exhaust the resources of the Kingdom. Unlike the Empire that formed standing armies, the Kingdom conscripted their soldiers. Hence, the Kingdom would lose in terms of quality every time the Empire mobilized its forces, so they had to make it up with the quantity of their troops. That was the reason why they picked the harvesting seasons to wage war. The farmers would be conscripted and unable to harvest their crops, which was a long term plan to sap the resources of the Kingdom.

The other reason was to weaken the power of the nobles within the Empire. During the war, they imposed special taxes on nobles who opposed the Emperor and drained them of their money. If they refused, they would be would be charged with treason. In the end, the only difference was tightening the noose on their necks or killing them for expressing a wrong idea.

As those were the reasons, the Kingdom which was already spent from the battle could be left alone– that was the conclusion of Emperor Jircniv. He had pulled the fangs of most of the nobles anyway.

However, there was still one problem.

Where was Jaldabaoth now, the one who committed atrocities befitting the title of a demon? And what kind of existence was this being that created such calamity?

It was only natural for the order to investigate Jaldabaoth to fall on Fluder, the most outstanding magic caster in the Empire.

“And the one who defeated Jaldabaoth, ‘Dark Hero’ Momon and his team mate ‘Beautiful Princess’ Nabe. How fascinating. And the mysterious magic caster Ainz Ooal Gown. Are all the hidden heroes starting to make their move? Maybe a fierce battle similar to the fight against the demon god two hundred years ago will happen once again.”

“...Will that really happen?”

“I have no idea, but only a fool would make preparations after the fact. Being ready before it happens is the action of a wise man.”

The carriage finally reached its destination.

The vast territory was surrounded by thick, high walls with several watchtowers overlooking it, guarding against dangers coming from both outside and inside. Multiple chosen knights —from the elite 1st Knight Order that was the best out of the eight Knight Orders of the Empire– formed teams with magic casters and made regular patrols.

Up in the sky were the personal guards under the direct jurisdiction of the Emperor, imperial air guards mounted on flying beasts, and even high-level magic casters using flight magic.

This was the symbol of the Empire’s might, and the place where past emperors had invested the most efforts in, the Magic Ministry.

Production of magic equipment for the knights, development of new spells, raising the standard of living through magic experiments, the essence of the Empire’s magic knowledge was all here. And the man who was overall in charge—although someone else was the minister of magic—was Fluder.

The carriage moved through the territory, and finally stopped before the innermost tower.

One common thing about the various buildings they passed by was the large number of people entering and exiting. However, there was hardly anyone going in and out of this tower. In contrast, the security at the entrance was beyond that of the other buildings.

First was how the security knights looked. They were not from the 1st Knight Order that could be seen everywhere in the vicinity.

They wore full plate armor imbued with magic, holding magic shields and had magic weapons hanging at their waist. Their crimson capes, sewn with the emblem of the Empire, were magical as well.

The imbued magic might not be that powerful, but such equipment was not something normal knights were outfitted with, even in the Empire.

These elite knights were the Imperial Earth Guards under the direct command of the Emperor.

The magic casters beside them were equally formidable. They were veterans and proficient in battles, emitting an aura that could rival veteran warriors.

And there was more. Four 2.5m tall stone golems guarded the entrance. With no need for food nor rest and never lazing off, they were most suited for security.

This place, which had a security system that was on par with the one protecting the emperor, only allowed entry to magic casters who had reached the latter half of their 3^rd tier magic studies, those with special circumstances and magic casters proficient in research.

After responding to the most respectful salutes of the knights and magic casters with a gentle wave, he entered the tower. He reached the top of a bowl shaped space after going through a straight passage. Many magic casters were working hastily. The highest ranking magic caster rushed hurriedly to Fluder.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing to report, Master.”

After gulping, the disciple squeezed out an answer that bore both good and bad tidings.

Fluder nodded with a complicated expression as he looked at the thirty disciples he had personally trained– known as the chosen thirty disciples. The most renowned one was his deputy in charge of this place.

“Is that so, we couldn’t link it to natural occurrence?”

“Yes master. We couldn’t link it to the existence of the lowest tier of undead, the skeleton. Right now we are conducting experiments by placing it next to corpses to see if zombies will be raised naturally.”

“Hmmm...”

Fluder stroked his long beard as he watched the scene developing before him.

There were dozens of skeletons performing farm work.

Raising hoes and swinging it down. The movements of all the skeletons were perfectly in sync. If one were to look from the side, they would only see one skeleton moving.

The movement was synchronized so perfectly that it looked just like a tactical RPG. This was the true nature of the grand project the Empire was conducting in secret. ‘Using undead as labourers'.

The undead had no need for nourishment or rest, and would not become tired. Low tier undead weren’t sentient, so they could only perform tasks as ordered and couldn’t do anything complicated. However, if there was someone giving instructions from the side, the problem would be solved.

Deploying the undead to the farms would yield great benefits, such as reducing the manpower required and a price drop for farm produce.. Farmlands could be expanded, and injuries and death to humans could be prevented. It wasn’t too much to say this was a grandiose project.

There were similar proposals that used summoned monsters or created Golems as manpower, but after considering the cost, efficiency and optimization, the use of undead was considered to be the best choice.

But those who opposed it —especially the group led by priests– were of the opinion that using the undead which were the manifestation of the hatred of life, was corrupting the souls of the dead.

It was different when you looked at it from the viewpoint of the religious.

Even if the undead were risen from the corpses of criminals, according to religious teachings, the sins of the criminal were absolved the moment they were executed, and turning them into undead was desecration. It would be hard to convince those who thought that way.

If they were facing troubles with food, with many dying from famine, it would be easier to persuade them. However, the food supply of the Empire was ample and there were no problems in terms of labourers as well.

And that was the reason why the priests opposed this project.

However, the goal of this project was the strengthening of the Empire’s military might. By leaving the production lines to the undead and freeing up the manpower for other areas, it would eventually lead to a larger pool of people from which excellent knights could be drawn.

What was left was the unease of the human labourers over job security, and the doubts over the obedience of the undead. Also, in places with a large number of undead, the balance between the dead and the living might crumble, leading to the creation of even more powerful undead. It was an obvious source of unease for people who listened to the sermons of the priests.

This facility existed in order to conduct experiments and dispel such unease.

“The underlying reason is still not clear, huh?”

“Yes, my humble apologies, Master.”

Why do the undead rise naturally. Finding out the underlying reason was important for the future.

The place said to be covered in fog throughout the year and only cleared up when the Kingdom and Empire clash in battle, the cursed place known as Kattse plains. Where some of the strongest undead, like the Skeletal Dragon which was immune to all magic, appeared with incredibly high probability.

Although the Empire had plans of annexing the region around E-Rantel under its rule, it was reluctant in taking the place where the undead rises at such a high rate. Hence, they needed to figure out how long it took for an undead to rise, which would definitely help in controlling them. It might even be possible to stop the emergence of the undead once and for all.

“Is that so, I understand.”

Leaving his relieved deputy in charge aside, Fluder started walking around the bowl shaped room.

When he reached the door on the opposite side, the number of disciples following behind Fluder increased.

In front of the door opened by the knight guarding it, the line of people continued advancing. It was a passage like before, but the presence of humans was gradually draining away. The air smelled like dust and the light seemed to be losing the fight against the darkness.

The passage with the disturbing aura extended straight ahead and connected to a staircase that spiraled down. As they passed through the doors along the way, the time between the clatter of boots which echoed in the tower was rather short. They only went five levels below ground. However, the heavy atmosphere made it seem longer.

The reason wasn’t simply because they were underground. This was evidenced by the tense expressions of everyone, including Fluder, due to their nervousness.

At the lowest level, everyone’s faces were twisted, the tension was so high it was no surprise to say that they were ready for battle.

Everyone was focusing on a set of heavy doors. It was a door that seemed to be separating another world. To keep it from being destroyed or opened easily, it was fortified with several physical and magical defenses. It was a door that must never be breached.

The numerous sets of heavy doors they passed on their way here was telling of the danger in this place. Those doors were meant to buy time if something dangerous were to happen here, and also had the underlying meaning of segregating this area.

Fluder warned his disciples with a stiff voice.

“Do not be careless.”

The warning was short and simple, which was telling of how terrifying it was.

The magic caster who followed him nodded deeply. Fluder repeated his warning every time he came here. Even though they knew what was in there, their expression didn’t ease.

Sealed in here was the ultimate undead. If it was unleashed, there was no question a horrible tragedy would befall the Empire.

Several people started casting protection spells. It wasn’t just physical defense spells, they cast mental protection magic too. After ample preparation time, Fluder looked at his disciples once again to gauge their resolve.

After nodding, he chanted the unsealing spell.

With the power of the spell, the heavy door opened slowly with a ‘gong’.

Something akin to cold air spilled out from the dark interior, and several of the disciples tightened their shoulders due to the cold. Even with magic items to protect against the environment, the hatred for life from the thing inside was enough to send a chill down their spine.

The sound of someone gulping was exceptionally loud.

“Let’s go.”

In response to Fluder’s voice, the disciples made multiple magic illumination lights, driving away the darkness within the room. The receding darkness seemed to be hiding outside the light, making the surrounding even darker– that’s how it felt.

With Fluder taking the lead, the group walked towards the room where the aura of death lingered.

Part of the reason was its narrowness, and the room was illuminated immediately by the magical lights.

What lay within was a giant pillar that reached the ceiling. That tombstone-like object was very prominent. However, there was something bound by chains that drew even more attention.

It was completely bound by chains that were thicker than a thumb. The ends of the chains were secured by boulders, and large cast iron balls were tied to each of its limbs.

It was impossible for any being to move in such a situation. These excessive restraints reflected how wary they were of this opponent. That was why some of the group were still uneasy despite seeing the thick chains. They were certain that this being could shatter its bonds and gain freedom easily.

It had the appearance of a knight wearing a black full plate armour, but the armor was very different compared to the equipment of humans.

The first prominent feature was its massive body. Its height was easily over two meters.

Next would be its black full plate armour. On it were engravings that reminded people of blood vessels, and spikes that symbolized violence were everywhere. Demon-like horns sprouted from its helmet, and the face could be clearly seen. Inside the helmet was a rotten face. The hollow eye sockets glowed bright red from its hatred of the living and its thirst for carnage.

That was not a living being, but something dead. That was the only way it was possible for it to radiate such hatred for the living.

“Death… Knight.”

One of the disciples who had come here for the first time mumbled the name of the legendary undead. Having been relegated to the realm of legends, the name of this undead was not well known.

The red glow in the eyes of the Death Knight glimmered, its gaze seemed to be licking the magic casters before it. No, the instantaneous action shouldn’t be noticeable at all. However, the aura that made them tremble gave the magic casters the illusion it was looking at them.

The ones accompanying them could at least use 3^rd tier magic, a group of elites, but right now, they couldn’t stop their teeth from rattling.

Even with the mental protection spells in place, the fear didn’t stop welling up. The fact that no one had attempted to run away showed that the magic was still effective.

“—Control your will. A weak soul will be greeted with death.”

Fluder warned as he approached the Death Knight. In response, the Death Knight unleashed its bloodlust and exerted strength through its limbs.

The chain creaked as if they were moaning, but its body only moved slightly.

Fluder reached out towards the Death Knight.

Magical light drove back the darkness, and the sound of Fluder chanting magic echoed. A modified version of ‘Summon Undead 6^th Tier’, Fluder’s original magic.

“—Obey.”

The magic was cast—As though it was melting into the surroundings, Fluder’s soft voice withered away.

In contrast, the eyes of the Death Knight were still filled with the hatred of the living. Anyone could tell the spell was a failure.

“...We still can’t control it, huh.”

Fluder’s voice was filled with regret. Even after five years, he could not establish control over this undead.

This monster had been discovered in the Kattse Plains, where the undead roamed.

A squad of the Empire’s knights encountered and engaged it as part of their purging mission, even though they had never seen this type of undead before. Seconds later, they realized this was out of their league. The faces of the Empire Knights, known for their discipline and strength, were filled with terror and despair.

An overwhelmingly one sided fight—the opponent was too strong.

After mowing down dozens of knights like grass, the knights realized the limit of their abilities and started to retreat.

And of course, they couldn’t leave a monster like that alone. Especially after they witnessed the killed knights turning into undead ghouls, it was easy to imagine the spreading damage if they gave their opponent time.

After a series of debate, the top leaders of the Empire decided to send in their ace– the greatest combat unit of the Empire, Fluder and his disciples.

And the result was the capture of the Death Knight, with Fluder and his team obtaining victory. However, Fluder only won because the Death Knight did not have any way of countering flight magic. By utilizing carpet bombing—repeatedly throwing ‘Fire Ball’ from above– to weaken the Death Knight’s movement and defeated it. Captivated by its power, Fluder captured and transported it to this place.

Right now, it was bound by multiple spells, magic items and methods– They invested in all sorts of ways to dominate the undead just because Fluder wanted to control this Death Knight.

“What a pity… If I can control it, I will surpass that magic caster and become the greatest ever in history.”

Surpassing one of the Thirteen Heroes, the necromancer Rigrit Bers Coural. Surpass her by leaps and bounds.

Actually, Fluder wasn’t obsessed with the pursuit of power. What he was after was to peer into the abyss of magic. This was just a process towards his ultimate goal.

However, his disciples didn’t know and consoled him.

“I think Master has already surpassed that hero.”

“That’s right. The Thirteen Heroes are a relic of the past. They couldn’t win against Master who is at the cutting edge of new magic techniques.”

“I also feel that Master had already surpassed the Thirteen Heroes. If Master could control the Death Knight, the Empire would gain the greatest fighting power.”

“They say the power of one could not defeat the power of many, but that is just because the power of that individual is still too weak. This Death Knight is truly the strongest being.”

No one could see Fluder’s wry smile since he was standing at the very front. Only the eyes of the Death Knight saw it.

“Even Master couldn’t dominate… this Death Knight. Just how powerful is he?”

“That… remains unknown. Theoretically, it could be dominated. Does anyone have any idea what are we lacking?”

After some time, the answer was still silence.

The undead could be dominated through magic, but the only one who succeeded in doing so was one of the Thirteen Heroes. Fluder was powerful enough to dominate undead that had a rather high level and he was powerful enough that he might just be able to dominate the Death Knight before him.

However, that was just in theory, dominating the undead requires a rather complicated process. Basically, the control and destruction of undead should be done by priests using the power of god. By using magic in place of the power of god, it was natural for all sorts of problems to arise.

“...I don’t mean to offend Master…”

One of the disciples spoke in a heavy manner, and Fluder gestured for him to continue.

“Maybe Master isn’t powerful enough? This Death Knight might exist because it had been summoned by magic of the 7th tier...”

“That is a good observation.”

“I heard the adventurers use numbers to gauge the difficulty level of monsters. How about using that?”

“But their gauge is very vague, I heard that the age and size of the monsters will render the numbers meaningless.”

Another disciple spoke.

“Apart from unknown monsters, there is nothing clearer and simpler than that. And since they represent the accumulated experiences of the adventurers, they shouldn’t be too far off.”

“Wouldn’t that be meaningless to a legendary monster like the Death Knight?”

“By the way Master, does the secret book chronicling countless monsters mention such a monster?”

“No.” Fluder stroked his beard. “Leaving the complete Eryuentiu aside, the version open to the public is useless.”

One disciple asked another a question. Their voices were soft, but it seemed loud in the quiet room.

“What is Eryuentiu?”

“Isn’t that the name of a city?”

“I heard about that. But what a queer name.”

“Ahh… I looked it up once, it means ‘the tree in the center of the world’ in an ancient tongue.”

Warning the disciples who were speaking casually, Fluder knocked his staff on the ground. This was a place imprisoning a legendary level undead, not some place where you could let down your guard.

Obeying the warning of the master of the room, ‘silence’ returned. The only sound was the squirming of the Death Knight as it tried to break its bonds.

“Regrettably, there is nothing else we can do here. At least for today. Let’s go.”

“Yes Master.”

After receiving several relieved replies, Fluder started moving away from the Death Knight..

Even Fluder had a different pace comparing his arrival and departure. With the pressure of the Death Knight’s gaze on his back, he unconsciously sped up. It was the same for the disciples.

Walking ahead, Fluder remembered the name one of his disciples had mentioned.

“Eryuentiu.”

The capital of the nation founded by the Eight Greed Kings, and also the last city that remained. At the same time, it was a city guarded by thirty guards equipped with overpowered magic weapons.

If he had a magic item from the Eight Greed Kings, Fluder was sure his magic skills would rise another level. It would never fall into the hands of others, the only exception being the few items the Thirteen Heroes had been allowed to take with them.

A dark flame flickered in Fluder’s heart.

The Thirteen Heroes. Heroes of the past. Fluder was someone who could rival them, but they received permission while he didn’t. He didn’t understand what he was lacking.

Fluder waved away the flickering flame and consoled himself. His current status and what he had achieved was on par with the accomplishments of the Thirteen Heroes. No, in the hearts of the Empire’s magic casters, Fluder had already surpassed them in status.