Receiving correspondence from Draudillon wasn't a rare occurrence for him, they practically came regularly with its dedicated envoy just to receive them. The Queen of the neighboring Dragon Kingdom had begged Baharuth to help with the beastmen invasion for years. Jircniv thus far had ignored her requests as nothing would be gained by risking his forces to help a foreign nation with little to offer in return. Instead, there was little to no doubt that the nobles would use a weakened state to regain some of their lost power.
"What does she want this time?" He asked Loune as his trusty assistant presented the, fancily decorated letter. Jircniv sat hunched over in a wooden chair decorated with golden accents, a half-written governmental structure plan in front of him he had been working on for the past few hours.
The piles upon piles of documents needing to be reviewed sitting on his work desk indicated that he needed to prioritize what he put his attention to instead of yet another request for help. And the table wasn't the only surface covered with documents and books in his office. Pretty much all nearby surfaces were occupied with something demanding his attention, as running an empire did present numerous problems that perpetually made their way up the hierarchy.
"Her Majesty requests your cooperation to find means to contact Nazarick and its ruler Ainz Ooal Gown," Loune stated while putting the letter at the corner of the table, atop other correspondences with neighboring rulers.
'Nazarick? I haven't heard that term before. It's safe to assume it would be the alternate title of the Research Guild, or more likely the true name of the organization, or guild as players call it. How did she, out of all people, know something like this? Revealing such a piece of information was a clear bait to get my attention. I think the best approach is to entertain her request for now but avoid giving any concrete promises.'
"Is there a code to use for direct contact in the letter?" He questioned as he straightened out. The message spell was deemed an unreliable means of communication in most cases due to a wide variety of counters, but with the proper codewords, the risk could be minimized and for noncritical information, it was the fastest way to talk over long distances for anyone with access to it.
"There is. Should I get Fluder?" Loune inquired. His years of servitude had given him the benefit of knowing who or what the Emperor would want in many cases.
"Call him in. I'm sure the old man will be thrilled to know that a new piece of information was revealed." Jircniv nodded. Fluder's obsession with magic was sometimes problematic during day-to-day tasks, but at the same time, it was the easiest tool to manipulate him as well when push came to shove. And there supposedly was no better source of magical information than the race that introduced the tier magic, or as it was called the 'player magic' in old records, to the world.
He didn't have to wait for long. The moment Fluder received the invite, he teleported right to the castle and barged into his office.
"Is it true that Draudillon has found out the name of the player's guild!?" The old man shook with enthusiasm unbecoming for his advanced age, shrieking with excitement.
"Correct and that's why I need to contact her court mage and open communications," Jircniv ordered the ancient wizard.
"Wouldn't it be better to meet Queen Drauillon in person? The [Message] spell, for all the precautions we use, is not the safest means of communication," Fluder reminded him.
'Is meeting that crone in person worth the effort in this case? No doubt she will use the opportunity to try forming an alliance.' Considering Draudillon's growing desperation, she was bound to push the rather one-sided deal. "Do you think it's necessary? I doubt she will spill any secrets worth mine or your attention."
"While I doubt I would learn anything new about wild magic, she may hold information too valuable to risk transferring via message considering she discovered it before us. My Jircniv would not take such a risk lightly," The old man remarked in an odd but endearing manner.
Fluder thought of him as a grandson of sorts and such quirk often worked to his benefit, hence Jircniv never reprimanded the ancient court wizard for it. If it kept him friendly, so be it.
'That is a good point. I guess I can tolerate that crone's presence for a short while. An information leak may cause unforeseen problems, especially if someone from Re-Estize decides to use their brains and ally with these players somehow.' "Very well, Send a notification that I plan to attend in person soon," Jircniv ordered after short deliberation and rang a bell that would summon his secretaries.
Preparations needed to be made posthaste for this trip. He wouldn't take a large escort with him, only the four imperial knights, obviously Fluder as he would be the one teleporting them, and the final one would be Loune to deal with any paperwork, should the need arise at the occasion.
Teleportation as a means of transportation was both unsettling and nausea-inducing for anyone involved, hence Jircniv preferred utilizing more mundane means of travel when there was a need to leave his strongest and central seat of power. This time was an exception due to the danger a prolonged stay in the Dragon Nation would offer, and that alone was worth the side effects. He also preferred not to be long in the company of Draudillon, as any leader felt within another country's borders.
As the scene shifted, he found himself standing in front of the Dragon Kingdom's royal castle. Nimble, the royal guard standing closest to him, offered a shoulder to hold until the disorientation faded, which Jircniv accepted until the front door opened and Draudillion herself came to greet him, surrounded by her royal dragonblood guard.
These six men and women were direct descendants of the White Dragon Lord but, unlike their queen, were not considered part of the royal line since their great-grandmothers were of lesser upbringing and didn't rule beside the great dragon as the queen's ancestors did. They appeared almost human, with most only having reddish-orange eyes with distinct vertical slits. Only one had small horns and another had a patch of scales on his cheeks.
Draudillon herself was using her child disguise as he expected her to do. Looking at best eleven to twelve years old, her small petite frame contrasted with her tall and strongly built guards.
"Ah cousin, what an unexpected surprise to meet you in person," She greeted him with the usual greeting between monarchs. Since a lot of royals married only others of royal blood for political reasons, most were related to some degree. Technically they were second cousins, but such detail was unnecessary.
"The importance of the topic at hand demanded for us to meet face to face, Cousin. Though I am delighted to gaze upon you as well," Jircniv returned the greeting in a pleasant tone while doing his best to keep a smile on his face.
Draudillion seemingly caught on to his dislike towards her chosen form and winced, before returning to an equally pleasant expression. "Indeed. Let's not waste any time then."
She led him inside the castle, which clearly had seen better times. Very few guards or servant staff were present and signs of neglect were plain for all to see. It would be unthinkable to find dust covering a decorative armor or frame of a painting in the Baharuth imperial castle, as both he and his father had never seen such a thing.
'So it is that bad. I should plan to create two or three additional legions to guard the southern border once the Dragon Kingdom falls to the beastmen.' Jircniv held no illusions that his southern neighbor was doomed to fail and it was unlikely that a miracle in the form of direct player involvement would happen before that point. Her kingdom could only act as a buffer for so long, and if manpower had fallen to the point that her royal residence resembled a rarely-used noble's manor, her military was likely already teetering on extinction.
At least the guest room they settled in had kept up to the proper royal standards and he had no reason to believe the sofa would stain his clothing when he sat down. The servants and guards assumed their positions in a frenzy as the last of obligatory refreshments found their way to the table between him and the Dragon Queen.
"Would you agree to hold talks only between us with only Master Fluder present?" Draudillon asked once the commotion ceased, fidgeting.
'What could she know to request such ludicrous privacy? A possible assassination attempt? No, she wouldn't gain anything. Kidnapping to force my hand? Such a scenario is equally unlikely with Fluder present.' There was no reason to suspect malicious intent on her part, so he saw no reason to deny the request.
It took but a moment for everyone to vacate the room, giving the trio complete privacy.
"What have you found out?" Jircniv went straight for the main point.
"A few things," Drauddilon replied as she grabbed the bottle from the table and filled the glass. Her petite form grew in both size and maturity as she did so, settling on a woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties. Unlike her childlike form, this one was much more curvaceous, her dress also adapting to the changes. "I think you will find my natural form more suitable, and I hope you won't hide behind a mask either Jircniv."
Jircniv only gave a subtle nod in response, preferring to let her talk for now. He glanced at Fluder, who shook his head just enough to answer his silent question. Draudillon's current form wasn't an illusion. Despite being over forty years old, she didn't look her age, not at all. 'Probably it is the dragon blood that slows down aging. That begs the question, why use the child form then if she is a naturally beautiful woman who is still in her prime?' He internally mused. While being twice his age and older than his late mother, she surely didn't look the part.
"I performed a ritual to guide me through these hard times, and an answer came. The New Gods and their leader Ainz Ooal Gown are my nation's salvation. Knowing you, I expect you would have gathered enough information about them, cousin," She spoke while emptying the wine glass far too quickly for proper protocol.
"They supposedly live somewhere within the Forest of Tob, and I suspect are behind the Slane Theocracy's isolation. There isn't much relevant information as of now." He shared what he knew freely since there wasn't anything to gain from withholding such relatively easy-to-find titbits, only benefits.
It was interesting that she had declared them so quickly to be her saviors, considering they were players, a legendary type of existence. Fluder confirmed that he would investigate this ritual as the queen continued on.
"I see. I hoped you would know more, but alas it's at least something." Draudillon filled another glass with wine and drank the alcoholic beverage as if it were cold water in the hot midday sun, gulping it down in seconds.
"These players are elusive. Although not confirmed, it is likely that Ainz Ooal Gown might be the one who saved E-Rantel from a spiral of death. Their attention seems to be put on Re-Estize, which is the closest nation to their arrival location," Jircniv commented as he helped himself to the wine as well. There were rumors about Draudillon's growing alcoholism, but he couldn't have imagined it would be that bad.
"I have a proposal…" She paused to gauge his reaction. Jircniv slightly tilted his head and awaited for what she had in mind.
"A joint effort to find the location of the place of dwelling of the New Gods. I know it's called Nazarick, but couldn't discover more."
"You call them Gods? Have you confirmed they are ones, not beasts or demons? The track record of players is… varied." Jircniv decided to fish for more information, intentionally going for grim predictions that were rather unlikely to be true.
"If one saved a human city, I would presume they are Gods, as I have not heard of such malicious creatures performing such a miracle for the benefit of comparatively short-lived mortals. I think seeking out contact will benefit us both, as impossible as it seems to find a base within the vast forest."
"I believe a beacon signaling intent of peaceful talks could be utilized to lure out these beings, should finding them directly fail," Fluder spoke up.
"Can such devices be made?" Jircniv asked.
"Yes, I have many students that specialize in such projects," Fluder responded confidently.
"What would be required from me? Besides sending a few envoys, that is," Drauddilon questioned, latching onto the opportunity. Even getting Jircniv to cooperate was a massive victory for her, and she was ready to do whatever was necessary to find the Gods, knowing the price might make these new players near-impossible to stop should they decide to make the world their playground, like the Greed Kings once did in the past.
"Nothing. Consider all expenses covered by me to strengthen our cooperation, but I would appreciate it if you could find some time to answer a few of Fluder's questions." Jircniv flashed her a smile.
"Excellent. In that case, I will send two of my aides as envoys. Master Fluder, please ask away," She responded in kind.
There was no doubt in his mind that Draudillon would never give up the secrets of wild magic, but for a genius man like Fluder, even the smallest of things revealed by accident could be enough to grasp the well-guarded secrets of the dragons, hoarded over the centuries. While the fellow monarch and his court wizard chatted, he would enjoy the wine and listen along to their seemingly incoherent babbles.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by fvvck, aidan_lo, clagan, x4x, Mfkzrocker, and Stac.
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