Invaders: Chapter 6

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 4th

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

3rd 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 3rd 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 6th 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.

But the dark flames of jealousy couldn't be extinguished so easily. He was not jealous

of their power, talent or strength, but of their chance to peek into the abyss of magic

before him.

Fluder was the best magic caster. This was a fact acknowledged by everybody, and the

only ones that could be compared to him were the Thirteen Heroes of the past.

However, he couldn't dominate the Death Knight, and could only use—according to

rumours —six of the ten tiers of magic.

He was far from reaching the abyss of magic.

And he was old.

Fluder was a mental spell magic caster using one of the system of the Wizardry-based

class— Forbidden Arts. By using spells that were taboo, he stopped his aging. Of

course, it was a complicated spell considering Fluder's level of training, but he forced

it through by using a combination of ritual and spells.

However, his method of making the impossible possible had a flaw. Fluder, who

shouldn't be aging anymore after casting the spell perfectly, could still feel himself

aging slowly.

It was still manageable for now, but with the passage of time, his end would come one

day.

That's right. Fluder would die before seeing the abyss of magic.

If someone else had done so before him, he might be able to arrive at this stage earlier,

but with his lack of predecessors, he had to pave his own path.

Fluder looked at the disciples around him.

The ones walking on the path paved by the figure known as Fluder.

With fuel added to the flames of jealousy, the fire burned brighter.

He, the most talented one of everyone present, how much time had he taken to reach

the stage his disciples were at? No, without even thinking about it, he was definitely

older than those disciples of his. Someone who was taught and the pioneer who paved

the way, that was how wide the difference was.

Why didn't he have a master?

Fluder tried changing his way of thinking.

—That was fine too. Leaving his name in the history books as a pioneer. The magic

casters who reached new heights after Fluder would need to thank Fluder for their

achievements. His disciples were his treasures. If there was just one person who

become greater than I am, it would be attributed to my power—

As he thought about that, Fluder remembered a disciple he once had. If it was that

girl, how far could she go?

"—Arche Eeb Rile Furt."

An excellent child. Learning 2nd tier magic at such a tender age and so close to 3rd tier.

If she had continued, it was possible that she would eventually reach Fluder's realm

one day. But in the end, she gave up being a disciple…

Back then, he had only thought how foolish and disappointing it was.

"Such a pity."

Maybe he allowed a big catch to get away.

Where is that child now? He thought about searching for her. If she could use 3rd tier

spells, it was possible to guarantee a certain level of status for her.

That might be so, but he had a job to do right now.

Fluder uttered the code word and the heavy door opened.

After coming out, the disciples around him took deep breaths with the same

frequency. The air where the aura of the Death Knight lingered was too heavy. If they

did not do this, it would be unbearable.

"Master!"

A low, rough voice sounded out. That was one of his disciples, a renowned adventurer.

Due to his experience, he had been appointed the deputy director of the security

within the Magic Ministry.

"...What is the matter? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong, just that some adamantite-ranked adventurers were

requesting an audience with Master."

Fluder looked at that man strangely.

They hadn't made any appointments. As the finest magic caster in the Empire, Fluder

had all sorts of duties on top of his research, and was a very busy man. If someone

sought an audience out of the blue, he could only shake his head. Only the Emperor

could see Fluder as he pleased.

That might be so, but it was too early to reject them. Adamantite level adventurers

were heroes, not people that could simply be ignored. That was the same for Fluder.

They were one of the few sources he could obtain rare artifacts from, so he couldn't

treat them lightly.

"Is it an honoured visit from the 'Silver Canaries'? Or esteemed guests from 'Eight

Ripples'?"

He stated the name of the two adamantite ranked adventuring partiers within the

Empire.

But the disciple shook his head.

"No, it is a two man team known as 'Darkness'. They showed their adamantite plate

as proof."

"What!?"

The famous adventurers team 'Darkness' from the Kingdom. With just the two of

them, they had accomplished numerous hero level tasks. They had even taken on

Jaldabaoth during the Royal Capital's crisis and defeated him.

Why were such figures visiting him? He had several questions, but the idea of

discussing magic with the high-tier magic caster 'Beautiful Princess' made him threw

his doubts away.

However, as a vassal of the Emperor, he still remembered the task assigned to him by

his liege Jircniv.

He would ask about that after his meeting with them. As he thought about that, Fluder

said to his disciple:

"Please show our guests in. I will be right there after tidying up."