Chapter 480: Departure

[January 27th DxD/September 19th DBT]

Two days after the banquet, preparations for Calca's return to the Roble Holy Kingdom had been completed. To mark the event and demonstrate his Kingdom's support for their cause, Ainz had his golden-armored army line the city's southern promenade—alternatingly hoisting the banners of the Sorcerer and Roble Holy Kingdoms.

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"The Sorcerer Kingdom's capabilities are truly awe-inspiring..." Calca remarked, her voice low as she observed the lineup of Nazarick Master Guarders through the window of her carriage. Each was fitted with high-quality magical armor and weapons. And while she couldn't see magical power, she could sense that their strength wasn't much weaker than the strongest Paladin in her nation's history, Remedios.

"You needn't worry. Unless the Roble Holy Kingdom joins or launches an invasion against them, you will never have to face or fend off the Sorcerer Kingdom's army," Vahn assured calmly, seated across from Calca, flanked by Blanche and Keno.

"Indeed. Though he may be Undead, His Majesty's foremost desire is to reduce the amount of suffering in the world," Pestonya attested, seated to Calca's left. Remedios had been opposed to her riding in the carriage, but Calca had dismissed the Grandmaster's concerns and ordered her to lead the procession from the front.

"Nn...I'm still not fully convinced, but in the month or so that Blue Roses has been here in E-Rantel, we haven't witnessed a single thing to suggest that the Sorcerer King harbors hatred toward the living..." Keno confirmed. "If anything, he seems to harbor deep resentment toward those who take advantage of others."

"Could I trouble you to elaborate...?" Calca questioned, her brows raised in curiosity.

Making a slit across her throat with her right thumb, Keno revealed, "The Sorcerer Kingdom has a minimal tolerance policy toward criminals. There is a review process for non-violent offenders. But if you've been found guilty of a crime like rape, murder, or mugging, you're almost guaranteed to be sentenced to death. Because of that, there are practically no violent crimes committed in the city."

"Ah...I suppose the Sorcerer Kingdom has no need for a slave or criminal labor force when they can transform violent offenders into indefatigable Undead..." Calca noted, her expression scrunching slightly. She believed that even the most despicable of criminals were deserving of last rites and absolution, but she couldn't deny that the Sorcerer Kingdom's system was effective...

"I believe you're misunderstanding something," Vahn interjected, earning Calca's attention and surprising her as he revealed, "Most of the Undead in the service of the Sorcerer King are amalgamations of negative energy, not repurposed corpses. He gathers the negative energy from the nearby Katze Plains and uses an artifact of his own making to produce Undead of many kinds. Those sentenced to death for their crimes and those who die of natural causes are purified, cremated, and buried accordingly."

"It's true," Keno confirmed, revealing, "The local priests abandoned the Temple when the Sorcerer Kingdom moved into the city. In their absence, a group called the Burial Agency was formed. Their members are capable of summoning medium and even high-ranking Angels, and they conduct funerary rites and cremations, completely free of charge."

"High-ranking Angels? Are you aware of their Rank and Title...?" Calca questioned, her body filling with tension, but her expression a mask of calm.

Though she was able to summon Angels of an even higher rank and Level, Pestonya chimed in to reveal, "As Commander of the Burial Agency, I am capable of calling forth the 7th Tier, Second Sphere Angel, Dominion Authority."

Hearing Pestonya casually reveal she was capable of summoning a class of Angel that was considered beyond the realm of mortals, Calca's pupils contracted to the size of pinholes. Even the Theocracy would struggle to summon a Dominion Authority, mandating tremendous sacrifice or special, single-use artifacts to achieve the feat. If she hadn't been made aware of Pestonya's unique Talent, she wouldn't have believed her...

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Interrupting the conversation, a wall of swirling black and purple phased through the carriage's interior before disappearing. As it did, the scenery outside changed. Moments before, they had been on the cusp of exiting E-Rantel's southern gate. Now, the view outside the window portrayed a slow-moving river and a forest beyond.

Confirming Calca's suspicions, Vahn affirmed, "We just passed through one of the Sorcerer Kingdom's Transportation Gates. We should be just outside the hidden mountain pass where your men have been stationed, awaiting your return."

"Then, we have traveled nearly two hundred kilometers in an instant...how dreadful..." Calca muttered to herself, her expression hardening into a look of serious introspection. She had never doubted that the Gate spell would function as advertised. But now that she had personally experienced how effortlessly it could move an army from one point to another, she couldn't help but imagine a Gate manifesting in her capital and an army of Undead pouring out, completely bypassing the city's defenses.

"Opening and maintaining a Gate at this distance requires a tremendous amount of Mana and resources," Vahn stated. "That's why the Sorcerer King still uses wagons and military escorts to transport goods between its towns and villages."

"Yes...that makes sense..." Calca conceded with a nod. She knew how costly Magic like Teleportation was, and that required the user to set a series of points to move to in advance. Even then, they could only move a small number of people, often at the expense of their entire mana pool. To move an army—it would presumably require mana and power on par with a Dragon Lord...

With Calca glancing out of the carriage's window in deep thought, Vahn and the rest of the cabin's occupants afforded her silence. Fortunately, their destination was just a few hundred meters into the mountain, an old Dwarven settlement that had been converted into a military encampment. The artificial cavern there was large enough to accommodate hundreds of Paladins, horses, and support personnel, and there were thick stone walls at both entrances, outfitted with special, two-pronged ballistae that fired Lightning Magic in place of metal bolts...

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"Your Majesty! Thank the Gods...!" exclaimed a woman with similar but softer features than Remedios. Where the latter wore pants and a cloth-covered breastplate that disguised her contours, the woman who rushed over to Calca wore a full-length, soot-black, blue-trimmed battle dress with a breastplate that emphasized her bust and the slenderness of her waist. Like Remedios, she had bangs that framed her face. But instead of short, barely shoulder-length hair, she had long brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and cut even across the bottom.

Despite there being many other people present, the woman rushed over to Calca, who had just disembarked from her carriage, and threw herself at the wide-eyed Queen, embracing her tightly. She was clearly someone who held Calca in high esteem, so Vahn wasn't surprised when Remedios approached with a disapproving glower and said, "Kelart, control yourself. I understand that you're relieved to see that Her Majesty is safe, but this is neither the time nor the place..."

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Sweeping her left arm in a cutting gesture, Remedios commanded, "And you all! Pull yourselves together and return to your posts! The Queen will address you when she's ready!"

Hearing Remedios's shout, the Paladins and support personnel who had begun to congregate around the carriages exchanged glances with one another before reluctantly dispersing. Calca adopted a slight frown when she witnessed this. However, as she knew she had much to discuss with her commanders, she didn't countermand Remedios's order. Instead, she nodded decisively and instructed a middle-aged Paladin named Gustav, "Vice-Commander Montagnés—spread the word that I want everyone above the rank of Adjutant present in the Command Tent in approximately twenty minutes. Remedios, Kelart. The two of you shall accompany Lady Pestonya and me to my tent..."

"As Your Majesty wills," Gustav responded, thumping his breastplate and offering Calca a respectful bow. Immediately after, he and the other high-ranking Paladins dispersed, moving with purpose.

"Lady Pestonya...?" Kelart repeated, relaxing her hold but not releasing Calca as she took stock of those who remained. Her gaze initially settled on Vahn's angular, vibrant, and piercing eyes—causing her own to widen slightly. After him, the next most prominent figure present was the ebon-armored Momon, filling her body with a tension she only ever experienced when standing before someone she couldn't hope to defeat.

"It is a pleasure to make your esteemed acquaintance, Lady Kelart. I am the Pestonya whom your Queen is referring to..." Pestonya stated politely, offering a slight bow with her hands folded neatly over her lap.

Pivoting her head toward Pestonya as she introduced herself, Kelart's expression morphed from confusion to a cold glower. She didn't explode the same way Remedios, her sister, did. But her gaze was as icy, full of venomous contempt.

Preempting Kelart's saying or doing anything that might offend Pestonya, or, more importantly, Vahn and Momon, Calca's expression hardened, her tone firm as she asserted, "Kelart...Lady Pestonya is a representative from our newly acquired allies, the Sorcerer Kingdom. She is here at the behest of the Sorcerer King and is presently serving as my Lady-in-waiting..."

Demonstrating significantly more restraint and political acumen than her elder sister, Kelart's expression instantaneously softened into the neutral, professional look as she separated from Calca, placed her right hand over her left breast, and offered those gathered a steep bow, expressing, "Our Kingdom owes you a great debt for coming to aid us in these trying times. May the Gods grace you in all that you do..."

"That is the proper tone and posture to take toward those offering us their aid..." Calca affirmed, nodding. Then, glancing back at Vahn, in particular, she adopted a smile and expressed, "I must away to my tent to prepare for the forthcoming discussion. The leaders of your respective groups are welcome to join us. We would be foolish to ignore the counsel of a Dragon Lord and the leaders of Adamantite-ranked Parties..."

Hearing Calca mention the counsel of a Dragon Lord, Kelart, who knew they were working with the Great Dragon Lord of Salvation but had yet to interact with him, raised her head to see who her Queen was addressing. She wasn't surprised to see that Calca was looking at Vahn, but his lack of presence left her perplexed. He didn't give her the impression that he was particularly strong, but the more she tried to make sense of his aura, the more distant he felt—like she was attempting to grasp the magnitude of a star in the night sky without any way to measure it.

"I'm not certain I have any counsel to offer, but since Your Majesty has invited me, it is only natural that I attend..." Vahn affirmed calmly, offering a slight nod and a relaxed smile. Lupusregina, who had been a part of the escort, frowned deeply when she saw him being overly polite. But as the Momon present was Ainz, who had been interested in seeing the state of Calca's forces for himself, she didn't act out.

"Your presence, alone, is deeply reassuring..." Calca hummed, causing both Kelart and Remedios to frown deeply as she folded her hands over her lap and offered Vahn a slight bow. It was clear to everyone present that she was doing more than being polite, but as he was receiving half-lidded stares from Lupusregina and Keno, Vahn feigned oblivion, offering a curt, "Then, until the meeting, I bid you farewell..." before departing with his Party and the members of Blue Roses following after him. They hadn't discussed camping together, but as they had been living together for well over a month, the all-female Party naturally presumed they were welcome to accompany his Party and partake of his food and resources...

Fortunately for the members of Blue Roses, less so for his own Party and Calca, Vahn had become accustomed to the presence of the five golden-haired women. Had they not chosen to accompany him, he would have been considerably more confused...

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