"Talking"
(Thoughts)
{message spell}
[author notes]
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E-Rantel Countryside: 6 hours after Momonga and Alucard left the tomb for air
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Third Person POV
A small army of knights traversed the lands between the capital E-Rantel and the small village of Carne, their horses' hooves thundering across the countryside. The Royal Head Warrior led the formation as his Vice Chief approached at a gallop.
"The village is burning!" the Vice Chief called out.
The Royal Head Warrior gasped, looking ahead to see a plume of smoke rising in the distance. He whipped his horse for more speed.
Gazef Stronoff's POV
I surveyed the village of Naporia with my knights, searching for survivors. We found a few injured, but far more dead than alive. The houses had been completely burned to the ground, and I looked on in grief at the devastation.
"Vice Chief! These people need help—make sure they get back to E-Rantel safely."
"General!" My Vice Chief's voice carried urgency.
I turned to him. "What is it?"
"Something's wrong here... The King ordered us to track down and terminate the bandits that have been attacking the villages, right?"
"That's correct."
"Okay... then why did they send us out here with only fifty soldiers? Especially when Baharuth might be responsible?"
"It's a top-secret operation."
"You know who's behind this..." He fixed me with a knowing look.
I grunted in understanding as he continued.
"The noblemen want you to fail! If they could remove the King's most trusted general, then they would have a clear path to the throne. It's so transparent!"
"That's enough, Vice Chief."
His voice rose slightly. "But Sir! You know we're walking straight into a trap! Our forces should head back to E-Rantel as fast as possible. If we split up now, it will only weaken us! A few villages may be lost—that is a small price to pay to keep the most powerful swordsman in the country alive!"
I turned away from him, facing the devastation of the village.
"I was born a commoner..."
"So was I..."
"I know what it's like to live in these villages... to fear monsters at every turn, always waiting for death..."
The Vice Chief looked down somberly. "Me too..."
I stepped in front of him, my back turned. "Then you know what it's like to have hope! Praying that someone out there would show up to protect you..."
"Of course... I wished every single day a hero would arrive... But in the end, not one person ever came..."
I looked back at him with determination and resolve blazing in my eyes.
"Then let US be the ones who DO show up!"
The Vice Chief flinched at my words.
"We'll let these people know that it's okay to have hope. That prayers are answered. That heroes EXIST."
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Timeskip: 2 hours later
Office Room
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Alucard's POV
I watched Momonga fiddle with the Mirror of Remote Viewing, trying to figure out how to control it with some guidance from me and Sebas at his side as always.
"Now open your hands outward, then close them. After that, move your right hand to the right, then left hand to the left—much like you would a touchscreen."
Momonga hummed in confirmation as he manipulated the device. A beeping noise indicated full control of the mirror. Sebas clapped, and both Momonga and I looked at him.
"Congratulations, my Lord. I knew you could do it," Sebas said.
"Thanks, Sebas. I appreciate your support," Momonga replied.
"Of course. That is my duty as your personal butler. The sole reason I was created by Lord Touch Me was to carry out your orders, no matter how tedious they might seem."
Momonga's voice carried genuine thankfulness. "Very well. Let's see what's happening in this new world of ours."
Alucard's POV
I watched as Momonga scouted around the tomb, then found a village with considerable commotion.
"Hmm, a town festival?" Momonga wondered.
Both Sebas and I examined the mirror.
"No... definitely not," Sebas observed.
"Momonga, zoom in," I instructed.
As he did so, I noticed knights in armor killing innocents.
"Those men don't appear to be bandits," Momonga noted.
My vampiric aura flared as dark energy crackled around me, rage boiling within me.
"WHAT?! What are they doing?!"
Momonga swiped through the screens, showing more and more knights killing innocent people. With each scene, my rage grew. The mirror zoomed in on a man holding a knight at bay, and it looked as though he was speaking directly to us. I could take it no longer.
"Sebas!"
He looked at me, slightly shocked by my raised tone but not showing it.
"Yes, my Lord?"
I extended my right hand straight out. The Alucard Sword materialized from the shadows, its blade gleaming with dark power.
"I'm going to save them. This will give us a chance to gain information on this world while also making a name for ourselves. Raise the security level of Nazarick to maximum while Momonga and I are away. Tell Albedo to meet us there, armed and ready for battle. Then tell Demiurge to prepare my Shadow Familiars and send Alpha Griffin to scout around the village. I will not stand idly by while innocents are dying!"
I looked at Momonga, who had already risen from his seat.
"You ready?"
He hummed at me as I turned, and Momonga cast his spell.
"Gate!"
A wormhole in spacetime opened. We traversed through as reality warped around us, transporting us to the village.
Third Person POV
One of the knights laughed as he prepared to deliver the final blow to a wounded village girl named Enri Emmot.
"Hahaha!" the knight cackled.
Enri shielded her little sister Nemu. "Don't look!"
Flashback
Enri's father: "Run, Enri! Quickly! Take Nemu!" He grunted in pain. "NOW GET AWAY FROM HERE!"
End of flashback
Enri's POV
I breathed heavily from blood loss, thinking desperately: (I have to find a way to save my little sister...)
As the knights prepared to kill me, I thought it was all over. But I didn't feel them finish me off. When I opened my eyes to look at them, they gasped, and I wondered why.
"What is that?" one knight stammered.
Looking where they were staring, I saw a strange hole open in front of me. Then I saw something that made me start shaking—golden eyes looking straight at me from within pale features framed by long white hair. When I blinked, the figure was gone, but then I heard what sounded like metal being cut to pieces.
"AAAAHHH! MY AR—" The knight's scream turned to choking sounds.
I turned around to see one knight headless, while what looked like a pale man in a dark coat held another in the air by the throat.
"You DARE harm two innocent little girls!" The man's grip tightened as the knight flailed, trying to pry the hand from his throat. "I will make you SUFFER!"
Dark energy swirled around his free hand before he drained the knight's life force, reducing him to dust. Red orbs of energy floated toward him, which he absorbed. Then he looked at me.
"Are you alright, miss?"
As I stared at him, I heard a loud metallic thud behind me. Looking again, I saw a giant skeleton appear.
"Impressive, Alucard. You defeated them before I even arrived," the skeleton said.
The pale man—Alucard, which sounded like a noble name—replied in a soothing tone that made me blush.
"They were no challenge, but it did allow me to see if Yggdrasil's abilities work. They do, but they were defeated by a weak fourth-tier spell. Not impressive at all, but good information for us."
Hearing all this, I had so many questions, but my thoughts were interrupted when they began walking toward me. Fear gripped me as I heard the pale man speak.
Alucard's POV
As I approached Enri, I noticed she looked scared. I stopped for a second, then slowly made my way toward her. Kneeling to her height, I asked gently:
"Does this visage of mine frighten you, human child?"
I glanced over to see Momonga create a Death Knight and send it after the knights in the village, just as I'd expected. Turning back to Enri, I saw her blush and simply nod.
"Forgive me..." I allowed my vampiric features to soften, appearing more human. "I may be a creature of darkness, but I am not without compassion. When I saw your village being raided, I could not stand by and watch innocent people die. In the lands I once protected, I served as guardian over humanity—not as their ruler, but as their shield against the darkness they could not face alone."
As I finished, I noticed both Enri and Nemu looking at me in amazement. Then I noticed Enri's wound. I placed my palm in front of her face. At first, she was scared, but that changed when she heard:
"Heal"
Her wound closed, and I patted her on the head. She thanked me by hugging me along with her little sister. As they finished, Albedo exited the gate.
"It took longer than expected to get here. I'm sorry you had to wait, my Lords," Albedo said.
"Don't apologize. You arrived right on time, Albedo," Momonga replied.
"Thank you for saying so. Now then! How would you like me to deal with these pathetic lower life forms?"
I addressed her in an angered tone: "Albedo if you harm them in any way, shape, or form... YOU WILL FACE THE WRATH OF DRACULA'S SON."
Albedo flinched. "F-forgive me, my love. I just—"
I cut her off mid-sentence. "We will speak LATER about this..."
She gulped and nodded as Momonga addressed Enri.
"Tell me, have you ever heard of magic before?"
"Uh, yes. I have a friend who frequents our village—he's a pharmacist who also practices magic."
(Time to use my knowledge of this world to make things easier for us,) I thought.
Third Person POV
As Alucard finished his thoughts, he said: "Ah, I believe I know who you speak of. Since I arrived in this realm several months ago, I have been studying the Re-Estize Kingdom to understand its people and perhaps establish peaceful relations. If I'm not mistaken, you speak of Mr. Barea?"
Enri responded quickly, in shock: "Yes! That's him! But how...?"
"He IS a well-known pharmacist in E-Rantel. So asking around about potion makers isn't difficult."
Enri nodded as Alucard and she chatted about what Nfirea does while visiting Carne. Meanwhile, Momonga's jaw dropped.
(WHAT?!) Momonga thought, a green aura surrounding him. (Since when did he do that? I know the whole 'several months' thing was a plan we agreed upon beforehand as a cover, but how did Alucard find out about this?! Wait... is that why he was always leaving the tomb every night since we got here? I will need to ask how much he knows... wait...) He mentally facepalmed. (Of course! The ONE report I chose not to read before learning how to use the Mirror of Remote Viewing was the one with the intel... I really should have listened to Alucard beforehand.)
As Momonga finished his line of thought, he heard Alucard say:
"Dark Infusion! Hellfire Wall! Soul Steal! There—I have cast protective enchantments around you. You'll both be safe as long as you stay within this barrier. But... just in case..." He materialized a small white horn and a black war horn, placing them within the barrier. "Take these as well. If you blow the first horn, an army of goblins will appear to do your bidding. But the black horn you should only use in a dire emergency."
"What does it do?" Enri asked.
"The second will summon forth an army of shadow knights to serve you, bound by ancient Belmont magic. Use it only when all hope seems lost."
As Alucard and Momonga walked away from them, Enri called out:
"Wait! I know... I know your name, Lord Alucard, and I'm forever grateful!"
"Thank you very much, mister!" Nemu added.
"There's no need to thank me. As one who has sworn to protect humanity, my duty is to the innocent."
"Even so, kind sir, may you tell me your name? So I know the names of the men who saved me?"
Alucard and Momonga turned to her.
(My name... yes...) Momonga thought, gripping the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown harder. (They should ALL know.)
"You shall remember it well, and tell everyone about our power!"
Momonga turned in a regal manner, speaking with pride:
"I AM AINZ OOAL GOWN!"
As Momonga declared his name, the scene faded to silhouettes of the group, creating a metaphor of a king's return and rise to fame as everything faded to black.