Chapter 479: Bridge

[January 25th DxD/September 17th DBT]

With preparations for his foray into the Roble Holy Kingdom nearing their completion, Vahn decided to invite all the pertinent parties to the Seven Lotus Spring to get acquainted with one another. To facilitate this, he had an especially large, circus-sized lotus tent set up. And to reinforce that everyone was assembling as equals, he had them seated in a large circle atop floor cushions.

"Queen Calca. Allow me to introduce the leaders of the four groups that will be assisting with the retaking of your Kingdom's capital city..." Vahn started, gesturing to the ebon-armored man seated atop a cushion to his left as he introduced, "As I'm sure you're aware, this gentleman is Momon, leader of the Adamantite-ranked Party, Darkness."

"I have heard tales of Sir Momon's greatness as a warrior. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and thank you for agreeing to help us..." Calca expressed, sporting a practiced smile and offering a slow, acknowledging nod.

"Ordinarily, I would not accept such a request, as my presence is needed to help the people of E-Rantel feel safe..." Momon stated, his voice deep and gruff as he added, "But Lord Vahn can be extraordinarily persuasive. He managed to convince the Sorcerer King that proactively rendering aid to the Roble Holy Kingdom would sooner assuage the citizenry's concerns than maintaining the stalemate that exists between us. And by accepting his request to deploy, I will be demonstrating to the peoples of E-Rantel that they do not need to be afraid—even if I am not here to protect them."

"I understand," Calca acknowledged, her expression and tone sincere as she added, "Once the misfortune plaguing my nation has been overcome, I pledge to return to E-Rantel to publicly express my gratitude toward you and His Majesty for your roles. And if there is any other reward you desire, you need only to make it known."

"Queen Calca..." Remedios muttered, unable to prevent her brows from creasing at Calca's side.

"That will not be necessary," Momon responded, raising his left hand and stating, "I have already entered into a contract with Lord Vahn. Accepting additional payment and gratuity would be unprofessional."

"I see. Then it would appear my nation is further indebted to Lord Vahn..." Calca hummed sonorously, earning herself curious looks and raised brows as she appeared pleased to be indebted to Vahn.

"Shall we continue?" Vahn asked, gesturing to Lakyus, seated three seats to his right, as he introduced, "This here is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra. She is the leader of Re-Estize's premier Adamantite-ranked Party, Blue Roses. Like Sir Momon, she is here as a representative of her Kingdom—or, more accurately, its Princess, Renner."

"I am familiar with Re-Estize's Golden Princess," Calca stated, her smile broadening as she met Lakyus's gaze and contended, "I am particularly interested in the many social reforms she has made possible. Once this incident has been resolved, please relay to her that I would like to meet and compare ideas directly."

"I cannot speak for her, but as her friend and confidant, I am confident that Princess Renner would be pleased to meet and correspond with Your Majesty..." Lakyus expressed, nodding. She was sweating a bit due to the informality of the situation, but she managed to disguise her discomfort behind a professional smile.

"I look forward to it..." Calca affirmed, reciprocating Lakyus's nod with a curt one of her own before shifting her gaze to the next person Vahn was set to introduce—an ostensibly blind, well-dressed, Maid-like woman with the head of a dog, a headband that covered her eyes, and a conspicuous scar running down the center of her face.

"Now, onto the support personnel that will serve as our escort on behalf of the Sorcerer Kingdom. This here is Pestonya Shortcake Wanko..." Vahn introduced, surprising nearly everyone present by casually revealing, "She possesses a unique ability that permits her to use the 9th Tier Magic, True Resurrection. She and her detachment will serve as Queen Calca's guards and Ladies-in-waiting for the duration of this operation."

"At our Master's, the Sorcerer King's command, we shall not permit any harm to befall Her Majesty, Queen Calca..." Pestonya expressed, offering a low, courteous bow.

"True Resurrection...there's just no way..." Remedios muttered, her jaw slack and her expression distorted in disbelief and offense. In her eyes, Pestonya very clearly wasn't human. True Resurrection was meant to be a spell that only Saintesses chosen by the Gods could utilize, specifically to aid human Heroes against otherwise impossible odds. Yet, here she was, being told that an inhuman beast could use it?

"Remedios..." Calca muttered, her eyes narrowed and her tone deep, full of warning as she glanced sideways at Remedios. She also found it hard to accept that Pestonya could utilize True Resurrection, but there was no merit in challenging the claim. They would have plenty of opportunities to confirm her capabilities in the near future. And if Pestonya could use 9th Tier Divine Magic—they couldn't afford to offend what might very well be the most capable healer on the continent...

"Even I wasn't aware that the Sorcerer Kingdom had someone who could utilize 9th Tier Divine Magic. His Majesty, the Sorcerer King, must place a great deal of stock in the success of this operation. Otherwise, he would never expose the existence of such a valuable asset..." Momon remarked, crossing his arms and resting the knuckles of his gauntleted hand against the chin of his helmet.

"I personally requested Lady Pestonya's inclusion in this operation," Vahn revealed, disclosing, "As useful as my healing abilities are for preventing death, I am incapable of resurrecting the dead without the assistance of an artifact. Lady Pestonya, on the other hand, can convert material goods such as gold or even grain into Divine Power. Having her join us cost me a great deal, but treasures have no value if they sit unused."

"Vahn/Lord Vahn..." Keno and Calca muttered in unison, their respective ears straining at the other's utterance. At the same time, Remedios felt a wave of relief wash over her at Vahn's clarification that Pestonya's ability to utilize True Resurrection wasn't the result of her being some paragon of virtue or faith. Her possession of a Talent that allowed her to convert raw materials into Divine Power was irrefutably extraordinary, but it was much easier to accept than a nonhuman being anointed by the Gods to perform miracles not even her Order's combined faith could execute...

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After introducing other pertinent members of the operation, including Lupusregina, Lupica, and Blanche as members of his Party, Retinue of the Dragon, Vahn had everyone break bread and feast together as a matter of course. To ensure the meal's quality, he had Kiba and several others from his palace prepare food using ingredients predominantly sourced from the world of Toriko. The presence of people from his world naturally intrigued Ainz, disguised as Momon. So, once the banquet was over, he agreed to a meeting with the skeletal man in his tent.

"That was quite the surprise..." Ainz remarked, removing his helmet to reveal his skeletal visage as he appended, "I wasn't expecting to meet your subordinates from the Dragon's Pavilion. Should I interpret this to mean you have become more invested in this world?"

"To an extent," Vahn affirmed. "But you, Demiurge, and Albedo can rest assured that I have no intention of inviting my personal military force to this world. I just wanted to ensure the quality of tonight's banquet, so I requested the aid of a friend."

"You're referring to that Kiba fellow, correct? His appearance was rather exceptional. And his skill as a Chef...Nazarick would benefit greatly from his guidance..." Ainz remarked, raising his gaze and cupping his bony chin in reflection.

"If you're interested, I can make arrangements for Nazarick's Chefs to travel abroad to study otherworldly cuisines," Vahn proposed, pouring himself and Ainz two glasses of amber whiskey before approaching the man and admitting, "Though, I'm not sure how that would work with them being tethered to Nazarick. There are systems in place that permit those bound by contracts to travel between worlds. But that might be crossing a line that subverts the efforts you're making here."

"Hmmn...since you've revealed it to be possible, I would like to send at least one or two people over to your side—if for no other reason than to see what happens..." Ainz stated, accepting the glass Vahn had proffered to him before...

clnk

After bringing their glasses together, Vahn and Ainz tilted their heads back and downed their contents in a single go. When they were finished, they exhaled nearly identical sighs before Ainz presented his glass for a second pour, appending, "But that can wait until this situation involving the Roble Holy Kingdom has been resolved. In the meantime, I will send Pandora's Actor to play the part of Momon in my stead."

"Would it not be better to send a Greater Doppelganger...?" Vahn asked, pointing out, "I noticed that you had mentioned Momon's importance to maintaining peace and stability here in E-Rantel. If you dispatch a Greater Doppelganger, you can keep Pandora's Actor here to continue playing the part of Momon. There will be those who will question how he was able to be in two places at once, but this is a world with Teleportation Magic and spells like Gate."

"Hooo...in other words, you're suggesting that I can have my cake and eat it too. A fine suggestion..." Ainz noted, his red, flame-like eyes flashing like malevolent stars.

"With the measures your forces have taken behind the scenes, this should be a fairly straightforward operation," Vahn stated, contending, "The more difficult endeavor will be stabilizing the nation and rebuilding. The nobles of the southern territories have used this incident to consolidate power in their private domains. When it comes to light that Queen Calca sought the aid of a nation governed by an Undead, they will likely use it as a pretense to depose her and install one of their own as Holy King."

"Shall I dispatch Demiurge and a group of Hanzo to remove them...?" Ainz proposed.

Shaking his head, Vahn explained, "If you did that and it later came to light that Demiurge is your right-hand man, it would back the notion that the Sorcerer Kingdom is the culprit behind the demihumans' invasion into the Roble Holy Kingdom."

Before Ainz could suggest having Demiurge and the Hanzo mask their identities, Vahn preempted him, stating, "The better course would be to champion Calca as the rightful ruler of her Kingdom. She, Remedios, and the latter's sister, Kelart, are important symbols to the people of the Holy Kingdom. As long as they're able to mount a meaningful defense against the private armies of the south, the masses will side with what they know over the claims of any noble attempting to usurp her."

"Hmmn...I see..." Ainz muttered, lowering his gaze and cupping his chin introspectively. The truth of the matter was that Demiurge had come to him with a plan to bend Calca to their will by making her aware that they would be clearing the way for her return to power. That would effectively make her their puppet, ensuring she couldn't turn against or betray them. What Vahn was proposing was morally correct, but it also left open room for Calca and any potential successors she might have to renege on their alliance and stab them in the back...

Seeing through Ainz's concerns, Vahn placed his hand on the skeletal man's shoulder, exhaled from his nose, and stated, "You need to learn how to trust others, Ainz. Does that leave you open to being betrayed? Sure. But if you completely close your heart and refuse to let others in, you will never be able to give your all in turn—just as you once did with Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Indeed..." Ainz responded, his eyes dimming to the point their flames were nearly extinguished. As an Undead Overlord, it was easy for him to forget how normal people felt and thought. Fortunately, though Demiurge and Albedo might not agree with him, he had someone nearby who never forgot to consider others' feelings, preventing him from departing from his humanity. For that, he owed it to Vahn to carefully consider his counsel...

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