Although the dark fog had prevented observation of Tempest proper, Clayman had set up three dozen different orbs in various areas, just in case even small glimpses of what was going on there could be caught.
Only one orb connected to Tear's vision showed anything besides darkness. Clayman moved it to the edge of the table, sat down, and handed Laplace a glass of wine.
Laplace accepted the glass and pulled his mask just enough to be able to drink, then leaned back on the sofa and put one leg over another, ankle-to-knee.
Clayman sat down with his own glass and took a sip in comfortable silence. There was no need for pointless chatter between them, as there was nothing to be said until the battle began. In a few moments, they would get to know just what kind of forces are hidden within Tempest.
Just as the battle was about to begin, one of the previously dark orbs suddenly lit up, showing an aerial view of the area where Gelmud's armies were preparing to advance.
"Huh, that's curious." Clayman remarked and pulled the orb closer to them.
"Uuh, they want us to watch. I smell a show." Laplace chipped in with a joyous laugh.
"Unsurprising. They are aware that there are a lot of interested parties observing. It's safe to assume that we will see only the bare minimum they have to deal with Gelmud's army, and not any possible trump cards." Clayman remarked dryly.
Having a new player in the world arena was a change of status quo, and since behind this player stood a true dragon it couldn't be taken lightly. 'I wonder just how much Tempest will show us today?'
Laplace slowly nodded in agreement and took a sip. If anything, having an unknown player popping up out of nowhere has made things interesting, even if it disrupted the original plan. 'Clayman surely doesn't look happy about this. But then again, it's not easy to just drop a decade-long plan on the fly and be cheerful. Maybe meeting the President will take him out of his foul mood?'
At first, there was nothing of interest to see. Sure, filling up the sky with dark clouds was a neat trick, but nothing too impressive. What was impressive was the mountain-sized earth elemental that appeared moments later.
"That's a new one. Yuuki's pawns didn't report anything like this." Clayman said in a calm voice. { Tear, what do you make of that elemental? } He asked his direct eyes on the field and let Laplace in on the communication as well.
{ Even from a distance it's giving me goosebumps. That thing is strong. I'm not sticking my neck in a noose and getting any closer. Oh, there was a voice coming from the sky, but it didn't sound like Veldora from what I remember; too dry and impartial for the big ol' meanie. It's likely some sort of trick, and someone is pretending to be him. } She replied.
{ The Client will not be happy if yer report lacks detail } Laplace added.
{ Then you come here and look at it yourself! } Tear shouted in his mind. { You warming your ass on Clayman's couch is not helping us either. }
{ There is no need to start a fight. Just gather information and avoid being seen by the shadow creatures. } Clayman said, interrupting the spat between his friends. 'Heh, they can't go a day without a jab at one another.' He internally chuckled. As the planner and schemer of the group, it also fell on his shoulder to be the mediator in all disagreements between his more fieldwork oriented friends.
{ I will see what I can do. Oh, Tempest's leader just showed up, riding a… what looks like a giant dire wolf. Besides him is a winged figure in black plate armor. I think that is one of his two demon advisors. The woman. Forgot her name. }
Clayman and Laplace leaned in to look through the orb. "So Momonga and Albedo are on the battlefield. A shame that there is little chance of seeing them fight directly. The elemental alone will be enough to crush Gelmud's army."
Just as he had uttered those words, a group of ogres charged Momonga from the trees. The speed at which they were disposed of was quite something.
Clayman nervously gulped at the scene but then twisted his face into a smirk, "Quite the performance, but I would've guessed the bodyguard would be enough of a match against ogres and kijin."
"That lady packs a punch. I sure would not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath." Laplace responded with a laugh of his own, before he added in a more serious tone, "Be careful with them. Remember you are the weakest among us."
"You don't have to worry about me. I know what I'm doing. A direct approach is clearly not an option." 'I wonder if I could get her to an isolated enough position to see if I could take control over her? I will have to explore the options once a more direct investigation inside Tempest is possible. Considering they are willing to talk with humans, a delegation on my behalf should be able to get inside easily and draw the suspicion away from our connection to Yuuki.' Clayman mused as he slowly took a sip, holding the wine in his mouth for a moment to savor the taste.
The battle itself went as predicted. Gelmud fled at the first sight of trouble. The elemental trampled the army like bugs virtually unimpeded, and the rest of Tempest's army turned the whole battle into a one-sided massacre.
"Looks like that's it. I'm off to report to Yuuki. Mind if I borrow the orbs?" Laplace asked, standing up. The only action that was still seen through the observation orbs was various monsters picking up corpses as the dark fog slowly engulfed the region yet again.
"Not at all. Send my regards to the client."
Laplace picked up both orbs and put them in his pockets, swiftly disappearing in a puff of smoke.
With a pact of information exchange in place, Clayman knew he would have to share it with the other demon lords, but that didn't mean he had to do it right away. For now, Yuuki and Kagali need to be brought up to speed, and the next steps need to be carefully considered.
'Let's see what the Client and the President think, then plan the next steps.'
‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›
Carrion sat at the end of a table filled to the brim with various dishes. He slowly ate pieces of fruit while waiting for an important guest, his closest ally, Frey. It would be a crime for him to not enjoy the labors of his people and consume just meat as his species would imply he should.
Once the plate was empty, a lion maid quickly replaced it with another one full of the succulent fruit, knowing his ravenous appetite could not be satiated with just one meal.
The large double-sided door that led to the room slowly opened, with Frey approaching the table at a casual pace. She sat down on the opposite end of the table with a graceful casual movement.
"Frey, it's a pleasure to see you again." Carrion said with a toothy smile.
"Likewise." Frey responded with a light smile of her own. "But let's not drag this out."
"Agreed, did your agents hear it as well?"
"No one actually saw Veldora the Storm Dragon, they just heard a voice from the sky. Why else would they cloud the sky if not for obvious deceit." Frey said, picking up a piece of raw, seasoned meat that was put in front of her.
"Veldora aside, my agents reported that the elemental alone was not something they would be able to handle, and guessed that only I would be able to destroy it."
"My agents shared the same sentiment." She said, 'Of course, he doesn't care that much about the flyers. Their numbers alone would force me to mobilize a sizable portion if not the entirety of my armies.'
"So, we unite our forces in case of unprovoked aggression?" Carrion asked and motioned for the maid to switch the fruit with meat, as Frey eating the meat tingled his carnivorous instincts.
"Our forces do complement one another, but I would prefer to avoid an open conflict altogether. What we saw was clearly meant for us to see. There is no telling what other monstrosities Veldora has created." Frey tore a piece of meat in half and slowly chewed it savoring its taste. "Velodra alone puts a pause on any sort of offensive action. If there is even a small chance that he is out of his prison, then provoking his confidants would be rather foolish."
"Diplomacy it is, then." Carrion said, and tore a large piece of the lamb leg he was holding, chewing on it aggressively. "Not that I'm not curious how I would fare against a true dragon, but I'd rather not risk my people over that." Maybe it was boastful of him, but Frey always brought that side of him out with her lovely presence.
"It is worth a try. If Tempest refuses to talk, I am calling for a Walpurgis." Frey remarked, "And I assume you would join in?" she asked him.
"You think all the demon lords should get involved? Most of the old ones will not care."
"Clayman doubtlessly will be just as interested in containing the threat of Veldora. As for Milim… If nothing else, she will be more than willing to fight."
Carrion fell silent for a moment. 'Four of us against the Storm Dragon's forces with a chance of facing him directly. I don't like those odds. Milim? If we involve her, that maniac will want nothing but to fight the biggest thing she can find in Tempest.' "Are you sure about getting Milim involved?"
"If diplomacy fails, then yes." Frey said, leaning forward. "Or maybe you prefer to rush in there first?"
"I prefer to not do anything stupid. And you should know me well enough by this point." He said with a calm, cold tone. 'I should have held my mouth shut. She likes to play around like this.'
"You are right. I apologize. That was uncalled for." Frey leaned back. 'There was no reason to call him out like that. Are my nerves acting up again?'
Carrion observed her for a moment. Frey was not one to openly show her emotions on her face, but if you know someone for more than a century, you learn to read her well enough. 'She is more nervous than she is letting on. There is something more.' He stood up and motioned for the maid to leave the dining hall. Once the maid closed the large doors behind her, Carrion slowly walked up to the window.
Frey quickly joined him, both of them solemnly looking outside at the sprawling city below.
"Are you planning to tell me what else is on your mind?" Carrion asked.
She let out a long, tired sigh. 'I should have known he would sense it. If he wants to be the big protector of 'fragile' me so be it. I have no reason to doubt his sincerity to not only be an ally but a friend as well.' "All signs show that Charybdis will awaken soon. Combined with what is already happening in Jura, it may be the worst possible time for him to reappear."
The mindless monstrosity was another of Veldora's spawns. The flying whale was enough of a threat even to a demon lord, and likely would take their joint effort to deal with it. That is, if Veldora and his majins could not control it directly and use it as an additional weapon. No one knew if controlling the monster was even possible, but maybe its creator was able to do it and just hadn't cared enough about it before.
"With any luck, he will move towards Tempest this time." Carrion remarked, crossing his hands. "The monster would have to make a rather strange loop to reach our territories directly."
"I prefer to not leave anything to luck." Frey said. "If that monster as much as get's near my borders, I'm taking it down. With or without the help of others."
"You have my support." He said with a toothy smile.
"I will keep that in mind." She said and then turned to leave.
Carrion grabbed her shoulder gently and added. "Be careful."
She touched his arm, but didn't push it away. "I can take care of myself." She said softly.
"I know you can." He said, gently squeezing her delicate shoulder.
"I should go."
Carrion let go of her shoulder and watched as she departed. Before Frey walked out of the dining room, she turned her head towards him and gave him a small smile.
‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›
A single house stood on a small rocky island in the middle of the endless sea. A woman with azure blue hair kept in twin buns with black ribbons and deep gold eyes walked the stony surface with grace, her dark-colored china dress with a golden dragon pattern seemed to be unaffected by the rough winds.
The scorch dragon, Velgrynd, had enough of a reason to meet her sister in this place that only two of them knew about.
She entered the house to find a teenage girl with silver hair and piercing blue eyes dressed in a white and blue dress, sitting by the table. The moment Velzard saw her sister entering the house, she spoke with a smile. "Dear sister, it has been so long."
"Indeed it has." Velgrynd asked as she sat down on the chair opposite her.
"How have you been? I hope your beloved is in good health?" Velzard asked with genuine care behind the question.
Velgrynd hesitated for a moment. "He is doing fine."
"You don't have to lie to me, you know." Velzard reached over the table to hold her sister's hand
"I know. It's just… we are doing fine for now. He's getting weaker with each reincarnation.
"Have you found the reason for his increasing weakness?"
"I have, but there's no easy solution while he is alive."
"Let's just hope for the best, sister." Velzard offered a reassuring smile.
Velgrynd offered a weak smile back.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Velzard asked to change the topic.
Velgrynd took out an observation orb and put it in front of her sister. "Looks like our dear brother has learned some new tricks."
Velzard watched the unfolding battle with mild interest, "That's interesting. Are you sure this is his doing?" she asked her sister.
"I can't find any other explanation for a nation suddenly appearing around his prison."
"So that brat has finally started to use his head. What does your beloved think of this?"
"That we should let the events unfold and see where it leads. I share his sentiment. If there is a chance that Veldora is doing anything more than acting like a spoiled child, I, for one, don't want to ruin it." Velgrynd said as she tapped on the orb. "Even if he is just playing around, this looks well organized, so his pawns are at least mildly competent."
"I see." Velzard said and handed the orb back to her. "I will convince Guy to not get involved with him. We cannot miss the chance for our brother to mature." She picked up and smiled. "So he has learned to work through others. Maybe this could be the go-to method if he acts up again."
"That, we cannot. I, for one, have grown tired of dealing with his tantrums."
"You were the one who treated him too softly in the first place." Velzard remarked with a sneer.
"Do we need to have that conversation again?" Velgrynd asked with a tired sigh.
"I guess not. I just hope he doesn't revert back to being an immature brat any time soon."
"Not killing him would probably be the best idea in that case."
"Then, for now we consider him a neutral party, and leave his nation alone?" Velzard asked.
"That would be the best option. If worse comes to worst, we can deal with him when any sort of problems arise. Nothing on that battlefield seems too bothersome."
"Indeed, but we should follow the development of his nation. Depending on the circumstances maybe even used to make him obedient." Velzard put the orb down and added. "If both sides agree to this method of course."
"I think that can be agreed upon. But let's not rush things." Velgrynd said.
"Looks like we will have to make our meetings more regular from now on."
"I'm looking forward to it. We spend so little time together." Velgrynd said with a smile.
"Next month at the same time?" Velzard asked, standing up.
"Looking forward to it." Velgrynd said and stood up as well.
To see her youngest brother finally doing something more sophisticated was such a pleasant surprise. The game her beloved Rudra and her sister's partner, Guy, played mattered only in the short term. One of them would be victorious sooner or later. Veldora could be left alone to play with his kingdom, and who knows, maybe even step in as a third player to make things more interesting.
Proofreading by I AM THE STRING CUTTER, kamijazz, Somnium Hypnos, Sad_Smiles and CreamY.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available.