04x03 - Baharuth Empire

[bunniefuu]

[ALBEDO]

I'm off, Lord Ains.

I will ensure that

the Re-Estize Kingdom

fully recognizes our

fledgling nation.

[AINS]

Good.

Judging by the size

of our delegation,

I have confidence that they'll

get the idea quickly enough.

Still, be mindful.

Whoever brainwashed Shalltear

is still out there

and we don't know where.

Of course.

I will be sure to keep

the Ginnungagap on my person

at all times.

[AINS] As long as you have that,

you shouldn't be affected

by the brainwashing

of another world item.

But I worry, since this is your

first time going out alone.

If you sense any danger,

retreat without

a second thought.

Do you have a teleportation

item for that?

Oh, but there might be

enemies that'll stop you

from teleporting

when they att*ck.

Have you thought

of countermeasures?

Hm, what else?

[clears throat] I suppose

that's enough nagging.

Oh, and as for Demiurge.

No, never mind.

Are you certain, My Lord?

[AINS]

Yes.

[MOMONGA] I want to know what

Demiurge is plotting right now,

but I'm supposed to be

the supreme leader here.

I have to look smart

in front of the others.

[AINS]

One last thing.

They say it's easier to get sick

during the change of seasons.

Even though you're immune

to all known illnesses,

there could be an unrecognized

ailment in this world

that catches you unaware.

So do be careful.

Not to worry!

I happen to know

the perfect little trick

to keep any sickness away!

[AINS]

What's that?

A kiss!

[AINS]

A what?

[ALBEDO] A kiss reduces

stress and revitalizes

the parasympathetic nervous

system, which in turn increases

the activity of

one's immune response!

In other words,

a kiss can prevent illness!

You must protect me, My Lord!

[AINS]

Ah--

[AINS] A kiss on the mouth

seemed too much,

so one on the cheek

will have to do.

You actually did it!

And here I thought you

would just ignore me!

[AINS]

Wait, is this because...

...I don't have any lips?

[AINS]

Albedo, please don't cry.

[ALBEDO sobbing]

[AINS]

I just want you to stay safe.

[AINS]

Are you all right now?

[ALBEDO]

Never been better.

Though I hope you can forgive me

for showing such an

embarrassing side of myself.

[AINS] It's fine,

but you should go now.

Yes, Lord Momonga.

I will return soon.

[AINS] Forget everything

you've seen today.

Of course, My Lord.

[ZINEDINE] We offer thanks

to you, o mighty gods,

for allowing us mere humans

to live another day

in the light of your grace.

[PRIESTS]

Thank you, mighty gods.

The first topic of discussion

is the newly established

"Sorcerer Kingdom."

This began with the

ReEsteeze Kingdom's loss

in the Kahtz Plains.

Aiding the Baharuth Empire,

Ains Ooal Gown

crushed the kingdom's army

with a terrifying offense.

Afterwards, he claimed their

fortress city of E-Rantel

as his own and

announced the founding

of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

Emperor Jircniv has announced

to neighboring countries

that the Empire

acknowledges this claim.

A kingdom ruled by

an undead monster...

Truly a living nightmare!

Perhaps we should

have intervened.

This can't be

allowed to continue.

We all agreed that it

would be too dangerous

to face Gown,

and even in hindsight,

that seems to be the case.

I can't fathom what

the Empire is thinking.

Could it be that Gown could be

manipulating them with magic?

Doubtful, since Paradyne would

protect them from such a thing.

Speaking of the battle once

more, the Black Scripture's

Thousand Leagues Astrologer

observed the event,

but due to some

personal complications

we weren't able to receive

the report until now.

At any rate, the document

in your hands

contains the Thousand Leagues

Astrologer's exact words

on the matter.

Raymond, are you

sure this is true?

As I mentioned, this is

a record of her account,

so as long as you trust

the Astrologer, it's true.

It's not that

she's untrustworthy,

it's just that these

numbers seem impossible.

It's sick!

All those Death Knights!

Hordes of undead with

frightful difficulty ratings.

So many over !

Perhaps it's illusion magic?

The Astrologer would have seen

through any deceptions easily.

Also, she's confirmed a large

number of Death Knights

are patrolling the

Sorcerer Kingdom, even now.

It is our sworn duty

to protect humanity.

What can we do for the people

trapped in that city?

The Black Scripture is our

most powerful resource.

Are they capable of

winning this or not?

They're not enough.

As their former Third Chair,

I can assure you,

they would suffer

a devastating defeat.

Humans cannot stand up

to Death Knights,

especially not that many.

But, that said, God-kin

are a different story.

[ALL gasp]

[RAYMOND]

Our two God-kin could triumph

against an army of Death

Knights, or any other undead.

However, that doesn't mean

that we shouldn't

think of alternatives.

You had me scared for a while.

[sighs] Tell us already.

You're hiding

something, Raymond.

What do you mean? I've been

honest from the start.

In that case, I have a question.

That battle, why did it affect

the Astrologer so much?

She felt something more

than fear of the undead

when she locked herself away.

She felt despair, didn't she?

She witnessed a power that

even God-kin cannot defeat.

This report may be true, but I

doubt it's the whole truth.

I was going to wait until I

could offer everyone a solution,

but you may share this

burden with me, if you like.

[MAXIMILIAN]

I see.

I admit, if you'd

shown this first,

I would've had a tough

time believing it.

Frankly,

I don't want to believe

this nightmare.

A single spell that can

k*ll over , people?

This magic's in the

realm of the divine.

An Eleventh-Tier spell

here in this age.

The time has come.

The descent of a new god?

It has been quite a while.

Two hundred years.

That does match the legends.

And yet, our plan is

so far behind schedule.

If the Re-Estize Kingdom

hadn't failed us,

our forces would be stronger.

Fools. Useless fools.

They were given all our support,

and a safe, fertile home.

We thought their children

would be strong,

that they would

cultivate heroes.

Ones fierce enough to fight

against the nonhuman races.

But affluence invited

corruption instead,

rotting the entire nation

from the inside out.

Not to mention the dr*gs

they sold to the Empire,

dragging them down as well.

They've proven themselves to be

unsalvageable at this point.

All we can do is

change our approach.

We'll have the Empire

take over the Kingdom

and start from there.

I worry that it's too late,

but we can try at least.

Let's get back to that later.

I wonder about the

Sunlit Scripture members

we sent to the Kingdom.

Perhaps it was the Sorcerer

King who k*lled them.

That leads me to believe that he

may be allies with Honyopnyoko,

the vampire that the

Black Scripture encountered.

They're both powerful undead.

In that case, do you think

they have a connection

to Jaldabaoth, since

he's another monster

who appeared around

the same time?

Sorcerer King, Hanyopenyoko,

and Yalldabayoath.

It's hardly a relief,

but if they all came

from the same place, that would

certainly explain a few things.

It would be quite the

coincidence, otherwise.

So many fearsome monsters

attacking the Kingdom at once.

The adventurer Momon

possesses similar power,

but his motives

are a mystery to us.

When he first appeared,

he defeated the vampire

and fought against Jaldabaoth,

but recently he's become

the Sorcerer King's ally.

Then perhaps we're

dealing with two groups.

The Sorcerer King may not

work with other monsters.

Let's hope that's the case.

The four of them together would

an unprecedented disaster.

That scenario is

extremely unlikely.

Momon fought and vanquished

the vampire, if you recall.

Uncertainties aside,

if we're sure Momon

is with the Sorcerer King,

shouldn't we try to turn them

against each other?

We shouldn't involve

ourselves directly,

especially when

we know so little.

Yes, I agree.

We've suffered too many losses

to take unnecessary risks.

We didn't just lose the Sunlit

Scripture to the Sorcerer King.

When Windstrider betrayed us,

we also lost the Crown of Wisdom

and the Shaman Princess.

And though we've resurrected

most of the Black Scripture,

Kaire's death has weakened them.

It will take years to recover.

We shouldn't grill meat

under a sleeping dragon's

nose in the meantime.

[MAXIMILIAN] For the time being,

we should get in contact

with the Empire and

gather some information.

[BERNICE]

Agreed.

Let's hope the Emperor is just

pretending to wag his tail

for the Sorcerer King.

[JIRCNIV growls]

You bastard! I hope you die!

Die and rot!

Wait. He's already dead.

If you're cursing an undead,

do you tell them to live?

I've heard from a priest that

you can wipe them from existence

with holy magic.

Wouldn't that be nice?

[JIRCNIV]

I'm losing it.

It's all the

Sorcerer King's fault.

[sighs]

[knocking]

[JIRCNIV]

Come in.

[SECRETARY A]

Your Highness.

You have quite a lot

of paperwork there.

Is all of it from the knights?

It is. They're letters

of resignation,

many of them submitted

by our elite forces.

They've lost their will to fight

after the w*r in

the Katze Plains,

spending their sleepless

nights in terror.

If you would like,

the secretaries

could handle this work

until things calm down.

It's fine. I told the knights

that they could voice their

opinions to me directly.

I can't afford to lose any more

support at a time like this.

That aside, do you

have news for me?

I do. The merchants you

were hoping to hear from

have contacted us today.

I'm thrilled to hear it!

They have some highly

valuable merchandise

to show off and would like to

have a private audience with you

at your earliest convenience.

Valuable merchandise, you say?

[JIRCNIV] If the "merchants"

from the Slane Theocracy

want to meet with me,

I assume they're wary

of the Sorcerer Kingdom

and are hoping

to cooperate with the Empire.

If I want to stand a chance

against Ains Ooal Gown,

then allying with the

Theocracy is my only hope.

But I can't even speak

their name out loud.

It would be too dangerous to

invite their messenger here.

We need protection.

[BAZIWOOD] We're headed

straight to the colosseum?

Are you going to meet

the adventurers

from the Silver Thread

Bird out front?

[JIRCNIV] Yes. They'll be

guarding our perimeter

while I speak with

the "merchants,"

but I don't want them in my box.

They'll shut down

any eavesdropping,

whether it be physical

or magical in nature.

[NIMBLE] As far as humans go,

adamantine adventurers

are the best bet that we've got.

That said, they still can't

surpass mankind's limits.

And yet look at what

Momon has done!

I heard he stood up to

the Sorcerer King himself!

The people that we're employing

are in the same class as him.

They have to do this

or we're all dead.

Please, Your Highness,

you can't get caught

saying things like that.

Or looking like that.

You can't seem desperate.

You'll make people worry

if you're not as

confident as usual.

A fine point, but since

it's just the three of us

here right now, might I

speak off the cuff a bit?

This stinks! What am I

s'posed to do?

Why did this monster

show up to ruin my life?

Fluder was my Tr*mp

card in this mess,

but he defected to the enemy!

Now the knights are

too scared to protect me!

And was it so wrong to ask Ains

for his strongest spell?

How else was I supposed to find

out what he was capable of?

Who could've guessed it

would turn out like that?

I was doing what

I had to as a leader,

now all of a sudden

everything is my fault?

No one will help me!

But don't worry,

I'm not giving up yet.

There must be something

we can do to win this.

Your Highness.

I stood next to

the Sorcerer King.

I saw him myself,

during that battle.

That creature cannot

be defeated by humanity.

Making enemies of

the Sorcerer Kingdom

is more than just foolish,

it may be suicidal.

How frank of you.

Though you're absolutely right.

But let's think of it this way.

The Sorcerer King

has the strength

to destroy the Empire at will.

Even if we surrender, there's no

guarantee he'll show mercy.

Yes, that's true.

So, I'll keep fighting.

[JIRCNIV] The Slane Theocracy

must have an answer.

They've been around much

longer than our Empire.

Surely, they have some w*apon,

some knowledge that can aid us!

I won't roll over so easily!

It is an honor to meet

you, Your Highness.

We're known as

Silver Thread Bird.

An adamantite adventurer

team, as requested.

I've heard you're the strongest

team in the Empire.

I'm sure you'll live up

to your sterling reputation.

We do try not to disappoint.

My name is Freivalds,

by the way.

I'm the bard and leader

of our proud team.

As for the others, please

allow me to introduce you.

[SODER] Let's not do

the whole song thing.

It's just too much

for me, all right?

Perhaps I should

make this brief.

This fellow is the eyes

and ears of our team.

Soder.

[FAN]

I'm Fan Long.

Our warrior, as you might guess.

And this man here is our

irreplaceable healer.

Greetings, Your Highness.

I am Unkei.

And the last one, you must be

terribly cold in those clothes.

His name is Powapon.

All our talents are

at your disposal.

No harm will come to you

on our watch.

It seems I'm in capable hands!

[CROWD cheers]

[SODER]

All right, all clear.

No magic items here,

Your Highness.

[UNKEI] I do not sense

any active magic, either.

Do you have any

countermeasures in place

if someone tries

to listen in on me?

[SODER]

Honestly, you've got us

and a ton of protection

spells guarding you.

I think you're good.

Very well. Now listen.

I'll be having a very important

discussion momentarily.

I would like all of you to go

outside and stand guard.

I fear if something

bad were to happen,

that would render us

incapable of assisting you.

I understand your concern.

But no, as the ruler

of the Empire,

I must not yield on this.

That's fair enough, then!

We'll stand right outside the

door, just as you requested.

But might you tell us who

your guests will be today?

The head priests of

the fire and wind temples

will be coming soon.

And they will have four

of their attendants with them.

All right, then.

As a tiny safety precaution,

are we allowed to break

the lock on the door?

If you deem it necessary,

then I won't stop you,

as long as you remain outside.

[FAN growls]

Wait! Don't break the whole

door--just break the lock.

[FAN]

But why?

Normally I'll just smash the

door and say "oops, sorry, boss,

I guess I missed the lock!"

Then we get to stay in here.

"No point in having

us wait outside

when there's no

door, after all!"

This time, things are different.

There's no need for us

to wade into the muddy

waters of politics.

I'm with you on that.

You'll be drowning in politics

if you don't get out

of this room right now.

They can get away with that

behavior because they're strong.

[CROWD cheers]

[JIRCNIV]

Thanks to Fluder's betrayal,

I no longer have

anyone highly skilled

or highly knowledgeable

by my side.

Help from powerful adventurers

will continue to be

an absolute necessity.

[BAZIWOOD]

The crowd is getting excited.

The Warrior King is up soon.

He hasn't had a match in ages.

[JIRCNIV]

This is what peace looks like.

[BAZIWOOD]

You think so?

They can enjoy v*olence

because they don't fear it,

because they have no idea

that there's a monster

breathing down the

neck of the Empire.

[knocking]

[NIMBLE]

What is it?

[FREIVALDS]

The priests have arrived.

They all check out.

[gasps]

It's a pleasure, Your Highness.

We thank you for

your warm invitation.

The pleasure's all mine.

Please, take a seat.

You arrived just in time

for the main event.

[JIRCNIV] They're grilling me

right out the gate, are they?

The fact that they handed me

the letter personally

shows how cautious

they are about this.

Or perhaps they don't trust

the Empire very much.

[CROWD cheers]

[ANNOUNCER A] Even

His Imperial Highness El Nix

is in attendance for

this grand event!

Everyone, please turn your

attention to the box seat above!

One moment, please.

[ANNOUNCER A] An honor to see

you here today, Your Highness!

Now, ladies and gentlemen,

are you ready

for the Warrior King to make

his triumphant return?

Who is this "Warrior King"?

Our champion. It's a title

given to the strongest

fighter in the country.

This one is the eighth king.

The strongest this

arena's ever seen.

So, it can be difficult to find

a suitable challenger for him.

I take it today you've

found one of them?

Apparently, the matchup was

decided at the last minute.

Even I don't know who it is.

They've likely kept it a secret

to garner even more excitement.

I've heard of this great

"king" of yours,

so I know that he's

actually a w*r troll.

He might be a useful ally,

assuming he would heed

your command in battle.

But The Theocracy

believes that mankind

is the chosen race of the gods.

You wouldn't mind

working with a troll?

It was a personal remark,

not an official stance.

But enough talk. Please

answer our questions.

That will decide

what comes next.

Of course, just a moment.

[ANNOUNCER A] But before

our champion takes the stage,

I'd like to introduce today's

challenger to all of you!

[CROWD cheers]

[ANNOUNCER A] This is a name

I'm sure you all remember!

King of the Sorcerer Kingdom,

His Majesty Ains Ooal Gown!

[gasps]

[JIRCNIV]

Ains Ooal Gown?

Why? It can't be.

How did he know?

It's a setup! Everyone, wait!

We came in good faith

and you treat us like this?

It's not me!

But you were the one who

decided on this meeting place.

That's beside the point.

Listen, I'm as

scared as you are.

What do you think

I have to gain from this?

There's no reason

for us to trust you.

Were you offering our lives

to the Sorcerer King?

Or perhaps you're telling us

to join you or die?

Neither! You've got

this all wrong!

[JIRCNIV] How did the

information leak?

Or maybe it didn't and he knew

everything from the start!

He just watched and waited

as I ran straight into his trap!

Hurry! Run away!

[AINS]

Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix.

[AINS]

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Indeed, it has!

What a pleasant surprise!

It just seems so unlikely that

we would meet here like this!

[AINS]

Yes, and yet, here we are.

The power of coincidence

can be quite frightful!

[JIRCNIV]

If this information leaked,

what else does he know?

I was so cautious!

Nothing is safe!

In one move, he's crushed

my alliance with the Theocracy

and sent both of our

countries spiraling!

[AINS] Are these associates

of yours, Your Highness?

[JIRCNIV]

I see. It's a test of loyalty!

He's forcing me to either

protect the Theocracy

or sell them out and ally

with the Sorcerer Kingdom!

Forgive me.

I cannot offer a

proper introduction.

I'm afraid that an

urgent matter came up,

requiring my

immediate attention.

I'm sure that His Highness

would be happy

to fill you in on the details.

[AINS]

How unfortunate.

Don't let me keep you.

I'm certain we'll

meet again soon enough.

Until then, please

stay in good health.

What's wrong, El Nix?

Or may I call you

Master Jircniv?

You seem a bit pale.

Are you feeling unwell?

Uh, no. I'm doing fine.

[AINS]

I see. The body is a treasure.

You have to take care of it.

Well, better get to that match.

We'll speak later!

You thought to ensnare us.

I'm the victim, here!

How can we trust what you say?

This is an act

of pure cowardice.

I shudder to think what you

told him to just save yourself.

I didn't say a word!

It was all a trick!

What can do to

make you believe me?

[FIRE HEAD PRIEST] You've

lost all credibility with us.

[JIRCNIV]

Wait!

Before you go, please give

me your temple's opinion.

I need to know your position

on the Sorcerer King!

He's an evil undead.

There's nothing to say.

We refuse to acknowledge him

as a king, no matter what.

That is why we are

currently looking

for a means to destroy him.

If you question such a thing,

then you've fallen

for his trickery.

Do what you will, but we will

never play a part in it.

I'm sure this is just

what he planned for.

He's cunning, after all.

Far more than me, I fear.

Even though I'm sure you'll

find it hard to believe,

there's something you should

know before you make plans.

The Sorcerer King has proven

to be a benevolent ruler.

The people of E-Rantel

seem to be living in peace.

[WIND HEAD PRIEST]

Even if that's the case,

we don't know how long

his mercy will continue.

But they're safe right now.

So please avoid

any hasty actions

that might harm our country!

And one last thing.

I want you to watch

this next battle

from somewhere

in the colosseum.

If you find that he has any

weakness, please tell me!

Perhaps there will be

more to discuss later.

[ANNOUNCER A]

And here he is at last,

making his dramatic return!

It's the hero of the colosseum,

the most powerful fighter

in all the land!

Let's hear it for

the Warrior King!

[JIRCNIV] I can't win against

the Sorcerer King's cunning.

I can only place my bets on

the power of the human heart.

[WARRIOR KING yells]

Warrior King,

give him your worst!