Chapter 111: Volume 2 – Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Mudro stood beside his master's throne while Gelmud watched the battle through the observation orb. The former meeting hall of ogre clan leaders now looked more and more like a proper throne room suited for a king. As simple as Gelmud's subjects were, they could create works of art just fine.

Four statues, depicting Gelmud in various poses, decorated the vast room with many more on the way, and the formerly plain walls were now clad with colorful wall rugs.

"What?!" A sudden shout from his master almost made Mudro break his composure.

Gelmund's hand shook as he held the observation orb and watched the battle. 'This was not how it was supposed to happen. I should have known that something was off when the dwelling of the dryads was engulfed in the same darkness as the Tempest territories. Dammit, why did nobody warn me about this!?'

Whatever ability the leader of the enemy used was a devastating one. 'This must be the work of the one they call Momonga. No doubt he has found a way to siphon the power of the imprisoned storm dragon. You snake, I will kill you and take that power for myself!'

At that moment, the vision in the orb started to dim rapidly. The last thing he managed to see was the rise of the burned corpses and the orb was then engulfed by the darkness.

'This must be some sort of unique skill!' Gelmud tried to force the vision to become clear once again but nothing worked. "Dammit!" He shouted and threw the orb against the wall. The crystalline object shattered into a thousand pieces, littering the throne room with glittering shards.

Mundro observed his master's tantrum without changing his expression and asked. "Master, did something go against your plan?"

"Those… argh… my army was wiped out!" Gelmud shouted, his small frame shaking with pure rage.

"But the dryads couldn't…"

'Not the dryads! Tempest! Why did no one inform me that they were waiting for us there? All my scouts are useless!' Gelmud jumped up from the throne and pointed his cane at Mundro. "I want their heads. I want to know which ones didn't report Tempest's involvement."

Mundro took a step back and said in a calm voice with only a single drop of sweat on his forehead betraying his nervousness. "There was no one else present besides the dryads and the treants just a few hours before the attack. They must have arrived at the last moment."

"This is war!" Glemud swung his cane around "Those bastards made a mistake by meddling with my affairs."

"My Lord, if they wiped out an army of ten thousand, we must be careful." Mundro leaned back so as to not get hit by the cane.

Gelmud looked up at his right-hand man and said in a cold tone "Do you think that I am stupid?"

Mudro gulped nervously. 'Master has never been so angry before. This defeat likely hurt his pride badly, but he was not this reckless before. I must be very careful with my words.' "No, my Lord, but as your advisor, I just urge you to have utmost caution."

"Of course, I will be cautious. We will build up our forces to their absolute limit and then we will kill them all." Gelmud let out a chuckle. "They will all pay for crossing me!"

"What about the Storm Dragon Veldora?" Mudro asked, taking another step back just in case.

"He is still in prison. No doubt they found a way to draw out his power somehow. Once I kill those troublesome majins, I will find out how they did it and get the dragon's power for myself." Gelmud announced and sat back on the throne. "Gather the next set of ogres for me to name. I need a lot more power and I will acquire it as fast as possible."

Mundro bowed and walked out of the throne room. 'Master has lost his mind! Even he would not be able to claim the dragon's power, but if I deny him, he would just replace me.'

The situation had grown concerning. What's worse is that there was no way out of it. Maybe the shogun's son made the right choice by running away. Even if Gelmud comes out victorious, a lot of his people will likely die in the conflict and if Gelmud loses there is little doubt his race, save for those few who followed the runaway prince, would be wiped out.

'I will just have to trust that my master will make the right decisions when the time comes.' Mudro tried to convince himself.

For now, he needed to gather the ogres that would be named next. After all, a lot of named ones perished in the attempt of subjugating the dryads.

The forges worked day and night crafting armaments. Most of the over one hundred thousand-strong force was not yet equipped. 'Would such a force be enough to go against Tempest? What if my master is wrong in his assessment of their power? What if we are all sent against an unbeatable enemy? Could my master truly have gone mad and think only of his pride and not care about the consequences of his decisions?' No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop the dread slowly creeping into his heart.

'Lord Gelmud has changed and not for the better. His ambition had grown beyond reason.' Mudro stopped for a moment. Such thoughts served no purpose. He had sworn loyalty and with that, he needed to trust his master would be wise enough to lead his people to a better future.

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'So, Benimaru is as capable of a leader as Demiurge predicted.' Momonga mused as he took a sip of coffee while reading the report that Demiurge had presented. There was always some sort of beverage on his table now that he could eat and drink. He put down the cup on the saucer and casually picked up a single cherry from the white bowl beside it, and tossed it in his mouth.

The archdemon stood in front of his table waiting for the master's judgment on his underling's performance. Momonga glanced at Demiurge who wore a professional smile but subtle hints in his body language showed how satisfied he was.

The next few lines took him by surprise. 'What is this? Benimaru's spell has not only killed nine hundred soldiers with a single blow, but also created a new type of undead that killed an additional two thousand four hundred enemy soldiers turning them into the same type of undead.'

"I see the defense of dryads was an astounding success."

"Indeed it was, Lord Momonga. Benimaru exceeded my expectations."

"Could you find out what sort of reward he would like to get for exemplary work?" Momonga asked, already knowing what Demiurge's answer would be.

"A Chance to be of use to you is the highest reward." Demiurge said with pride in his voice.

'Sure it is, this is all I hear from them. How can I get into their heads that accomplishments should be rewarded?' "I insist that Benimaru receives at least some sort of additional reward. And that goes for you too. As his superior, you share a part of his success." 'I hope that does the trick.'

"Then I would like permission to work on a long-term plan for the rest of the forest of Jura." Demiurge said with a smirk as his professional demeanor all but melted away.

Momonga sighed internally; so much for giving Demiurge more free time. The whole point of appointing Benimaru as general was to give Demiurge time for leisure activities. 'I guess there is no helping it. I just hope he doesn't plan to invade the rest of the forest the moment we have dealt with the Gelmud situation.'

"I approve, but go on with a conservative approach. There are far too many unknowns as of now."

"Of course, Lord Momonga. I will be cautious." 'I must not fail Lord Momonga's expectations. If I could even guess one tenth of the intricate plans he has already developed, that would be an astounding success.'

'He is overthinking it already, but I guess it is inevitable.' Momonga made a tactical cough and said. "Onto the next topic. What was Gelmud's reaction to the defeat?"

"We are still gathering intel, but currently he is arming the rest of his armies. To my estimate, we will be facing one hundred thousand soldiers. Most are weak and pose no threat but some minor logistic adjustments that could be needed during the battle."

"I see. Are our defenses ready?"

"I am preparing a defensive line but there are still a few readjustments needed. I will present a full report once they are done." Demiurge straightened out and then asked with a certain amount of uncertainty. "I took the liberty of preparing a plan for a preemptive strike on Gelmud's forces."

Momonga took the folder that the archdemon was handing to him and quickly skimmed through it. "Looks good, but are you certain that Gelmud is acting on his own? Our attack could be interpreted as a declaration of war on whoever stands behind him as well."

"Such possibility exists of course, but his attack on dryads should be reason enough for us to retaliate." Demiurge shifted around nervously. "However, considering that our alliance with them was not public knowledge it might be interpreted as aggression on our part."

'He expects me to make a decision. Better be cautious about this.' "Since there are still too many unknowns, I prefer to be on the defensive for now."

"As you command, Lord Momonga, I'll make sure nothing gets past our defensive line."

"I have complete trust in you." Momonga remarked and drank the last of the coffee. 'Huh, empty. I should order another one before the maids have another meltdown about me having no drink on the table.'

Ever since he started eating and drinking, someone had managed to install a small panel on his table. There were buttons for tea, coffee, snacks, and even one if he wanted to order a full meal. Of course, he could just ask a maid that was always present, but apparently, it was deemed less distracting for him to have the buttons to press.

'I should go with tea this time.' he decided and pressed the appropriate button.

As Demiurge left his office Shion hurried in with a tea cup. She put it down in front of him and stared expectantly.

Momonga looked down at the cup. There was something off about it. He quickly noticed a small purple patch floating above the water and a big tea leaf left at the bottom of the cup.

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'Am I supposed to drink this? Why is she looking at me like this? Did she make this tea? Eh, I better drink it to make her happy. It's not like anything bad could happen.' he quickly lifted the cup and took a sip.

The tea had a strange bitter flavor with some sort of spicy aftertaste. Not particularly pleasant, but drinkable. 'I have had worse. She must be new at this. Did Albedo order her to make tea? If I criticize it too much she might get hurt again.'

"Not bad. Shion, did you make it?" He asked to probe the situation.

"Yes, Lord Momonga!" She beamed with pride.

'Shit, how do I get out of drinking this on a regular basis. She is not supposed to make tea anyway, it's the maid's job. Yes, I will go with that.'

"I appreciate your efforts, but please leave tea making to the maids. They might get upset if you took away their job."

"But… mine is better than what they make, right?" Shion asked with a shaky voice.

'Better? Seriously?' Momonga could see the maid at the door shaking red with anger. 'Why do I have a feeling this will end badly.'

"It's not that different, and besides, shouldn't you be assisting Albedo with paperwork?" Momonga went for a diplomatic answer

"Yes of course. But if you ever want my tea please don't hesitate to ask Lord Momonga. I am ready to make you a cup anytime."

"I'll keep that in mind." Momonga said and picked up the cup again. The maid at the door was ready to explode with anger but refrained from ushering a single word.

'Why does this thing just keep happening? What should I do?' Maybe he should ask the maid what the problem was and resolve it right now. As a boss, it was his duty to resolve any potential conflict between staff. "Fith, is there a problem?"

"With all due respect Lord Momonga, but you should not even entertain the notion of drinking whatever atrocity she is calling tea." Fith practically growled, still shaking, as she walked over to the table.

"I can make better tea than you!" Shion proclaimed loudly as she got in maid's face.

"That garbage is not tea!" Fith hissed back.

"You are just jealous!" Shion shouted and picked up the cup and took a sip. "Here, taste it yourself and you will know what real tea is!"

'Did her right eye just twitch?' Momonga watched the two about to have a fight. Of course, he could not let it happen, but the sheer level of delusion Shion had about her tea making skills took him by surprise.

"Fine, I will drink that filth so Lord Momonga doesn't have to." Fith snatched the cup out of Shion's hand and took a sip as well. The moment the strange beverage touched her lips her eyes glazed over and she fell to the ground with her mouth foaming.

'The tea was poisonous?!' Momonga jumped to his feet and ran around the table as Shion just watched confused and then let out a quiet "Whoops."

Momonga quickly fished out a high-tier healing potion out of his inventory and poured it into Fith's mouth without hesitation. The maid coughed and opened her eyes once again.

"Shion! What did you put in that tea?" Momonga asked sternly as he stood up and faced Shion.

"Just some leaves. That's how tea is made, right?" She said quietly, while not meeting the Overlord's burning gaze.

'Some leaves? She is asking me? Is she really that dumb? If she tried to kill me she would have known I have poison immunity.'

"Shion, do not make any food or drinks without additional training! Someone might have died because of your carelessness." Momonga scolded her.

"I will do better." Shion said with a sniff. " I promise."

Momonga helped Fith to her feet "Fith how are you feeling?" he asked with concern.

"I am fine Lord Momonga. She didn't manage to kill me." Fith pointed at Shion with a death glare.

Momonga glanced at Shion who was tearing up with her lip quivering. "I'm sure it was just an honest mistake." 'She is just a clutz, not some double agent. Wait, what could have happened if I didn't have poison immunity?'

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Benimaru, Shuna, and Hakurou sat on the floor around the low table with tea cups in their hands, while Souei stood in the corner of the room with his own cup.

It was becoming a tradition for all six to gather in the communal room of the mansion and enjoy a quiet evening at least twice a week. With the rather hectic events of recent times, tranquil moments like these were a godsend.

Unlike the last few times, Shion was missing.

When Benimuaru inquired about her whereabouts, Shuna said. "I heard from Lord Peroronchino that Shion had made tea for Lord Momonga."

Beniumaru's hands started to shake as the color slowly left his face. "She made tea for Lord Momonga?" He asked with his voice breaking.

"Yes. Lord Momonga was fine, but his maid almost died." Shuna casually said while taking a sip.

"Our Lord's power truly has no bounds if he could take Shion's cooking." Hakorou said with a humorless chuckle.

"Truly a God among us mortals." Benimaru added grimly.

"Did Lord Momonga punish her?" Souei asked.

"I don't know. But I think Lady Albedo gave her a talking to." Shuna said with a somber tone.

"Lady Albedo? We are not seeing Shion again." Souei remarked.

The doors flung open, hitting the wall with a thud. "I am fine!" Shion announced as she limped into the room and sat down with a painful moan.

"You don't look fine." Shuna remarked and then asked with a confused expression. "Wait a minute, didn't you have Regeneration, same as us?"

"I do." Shion replied.

"Then why are you limping?" Benimaru asked.

"Lady Albedo hits really really hard." Shion said, as if that explained her behavior.

"Shion, are you still injured?" Shuna asked with concern.

"I am fine, just not allowed to make tea or cook ever again." Shion said with barely hidden anger and picked up an empty cup, putting far too many tea leaves in it. Benimaru raised his finger to say something, but a subtle shake of the head from Hakurou stopped him.

'She never learns.' Was all the thought that Benimaru could give on the matter.

Proofreading by I AM THE STRING CUTTER, placid_void and Somnium Hypnos.

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