Portraying outward confidence was the only thing Draudillon could do while awaiting the arrival of two Gods. Clad in a frilly dress, she sat on her throne, dangling her legs, which didn't reach the floor, in an adorable display of cuteness. She was using her child form as usual because, while there were some assurances that the players would help, she could not discard the adamantite level team Crystal Tear and their leader Cerebrate just yet. Security was needed at almost any cost.
The man was a disgusting pedophile who lusted after her youthful, barely teen form, but he also was the one and only hope her failing nation had grasped onto for the past year. If not for the arrival of players, she likely would have given in and lay with the man who had ruined multiple commoner children at this point, just to ensure the safety of her people.
She glanced over at the adventurer team. They were on the edge, the same as everyone else. Cerebrate stood before his team, encased in polished plate armor, helmet in his right hand, and a massive claymore on his back. The man was well-built with shoulder-length brown hair and a handsome face. His piercing, grey eyes practically undressed her, scanning across her with rapid delight. If not for him being a pedophile, Draudillon would have found him attractive.
Behind him stood Silvo, the team's defensive warrior. The man was twice as wide as Cerebrate and about the same height, also encased in plate armor. Unlike Cerebrate, he had a tower shield on his back and a hammer strapped to his belt. The man wasn't particularly good-looking, with a round face, a potato nose, and small beady eyes. He also wasn't the brightest and, if not for his team, would likely be taken advantage of; hence, he was following Cerebrate's orders and not questioning anything his team did. Though, unlike his team leader, the man preferred adult women, and from what Draudillon had heard, he was quite generous to his lovers.
To Silvo's right stood an older man with graying hair, his frail frame covered with a priest's robes. Efriem was the team's healer, a shrewd and greedy man with massive gold rings on his spindly fingers and a thick golden chain on his neck. He had massively benefited from the people needing his healing services during this exhausting war and was often found in temples exchanging his mana for immense amounts of gold while the rest of his team rested.
The last was a young-looking man dressed in a lavish robe. Antean was a talented caster and the third son of a count, Demma, an influential southern noble advocating for Cerebrate to wed Draudillon, as the hero was a distant relative of his and a close family friend, which would increase their connections and thus giving them even more power. Antean was an enigmatic and soft-spoken man, but there were a multitude of rumors that he was sadistic and cruel, albeit without concrete proof. After all, no one would investigate the murders of a prostitute seen in the young man's company due to his status.
Then again, those with high status could get away with pretty much anything. Although the Dragon Kingdom didn't have a level of corruption comparable to Re-Estize, the elite weren't the most upstanding citizens by any metric. Considering everything else, Draudillon didn't consider it a problem.
Next, she glanced to her right at Prime Minister Eligo Cutria, a man in his late fifties with short white hair and a white three-day beard dressed in a traditional three-piece noble outfit. The man looked like he was on the verge of collapse. Draudillon couldn't blame him; Eligo had shared her burden of rule since before her coronation, serving even under her late father.
To her left stood General Orste Pulla, the head of the Dragon Kingdom's gradually dwindling military forces. If not for the god's arrival, the man would have never left the war room, for that was how busy he was. Orste was in his late thirties with slicked pitch-black hair, a thin mustache, a clean-shaven square chin, and piercing brown eyes that shifted from target to target, assessing danger. Clad in a military uniform with a rapier to his belt, the man was the embodiment of a warrior and lived for the military.
From his position within the nobles, the court mage signaled to her that the gods were about to arrive. His warning was spot on as, not five seconds later, a dark void opened directly in the middle of the throne room. Draudillon tensed and assumed a cute smile, bringing dimples to her face. The others tensed up, some remaining tense and others forcibly half-relaxing themselves.
The first to step through was a dark elf woman whose beauty was breathtaking to all who saw. She had perfect skin, large almond-shaped eyes - one blue, one green - and a tall, curvy build not hidden by her decorative armor. She wore knee-high plate boots with knee guards, a mid-thigh long skirt with a slight split, fine hip guards, a chest plate accentuating her figure, and plate gauntlets with arm and shoulder guards, making the suit appear elegant and practical. Her golden hair was tied in a knot, and she wore a confident smile bordering a smirk.
Two dark elven children followed her, whom Draudillon recognized from the reports, both being split images of their mother. She noted that Cerebrate was leering at the boy wearing a skirt with an unashamed and hungry gaze.
'The sick bastard has found a new object of adoration. This might end badly if that moron decides to touch the kids.' It wasn't that she worried about the safety of the children, as reports indicated they were impossibly strong, but instead that Cerebrate might cause an incident that would spell doom for her and her nation. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do aside from denouncing him and begging for the god's mercy and protection if that happened.
After them came several horned figures in three-piece suits. One of them announced: "Lady Buku Ooal Gown, the Goddess of War, with her children Lady Aura and Lord Mare."
The inhuman creatures caused some commotion, but overall, the nobles barely behaved themselves. They had been thoroughly warned that Nazarick was a monster empire and the new Gods weren't humans.
Then came the other god. The whole room froze when the four-winged avian stepped through the gate. Clad in open-chested gold armor, he appeared like a beastman noble. A young vampire woman came with him, followed by a human in glasses and a decorative outfit. Then came a blond human woman in a rather provocative outfit and a man with distinctly wolf ears. Lastly, a group of scantily clad vampire women came through before one of them announced the god: "Presenting Lord Pero Ooal Gown, the God of Murder, and his daughter Lady Shalltear."
"Welcome to the dragon kingdom. I hope our nations have a long and prosperous cooperation." Drauddilon spoke, raising the pitch of her voice.
"Thank you for inviting us-" Buku couldn't finish her sentence before a messenger barged into the throne room and beelined for General Pulla, ignoring all decorum. Draudillon gripped the throne's armrests but didn't say anything; she trusted that the General wouldn't let messengers just barge in without a serious reason.
"I apologize for this intrusion, but as you know, our nation is under the siege of Beastmen country," She excused the rude intrusion.
"We understand, but let's see what the fuss is about, shall we? We came to assess the situation after all," Buku replied.
The messenger meanwhile handed the note to the General, sealed with the wax crest of communication spellcasters, who sent vital information between cities and strongholds. Though the message spell was only partly reliable, the proper safety and encryption methods made it all but irreplaceable.
Pulla broke the seal and pulled out the note, paling instantly. "A full beastman army is marching towards Rodissa."
"Give our guests a tactical rundown," Draudillon ordered without hesitation.
"My queen, are-"
"Give them the tactical rundown. The gods have come to help our people; do not get in their way." Draudillon interrupted the man, her natural voice surfacing for a moment. The Goddess of War gave her an amused, knowing look.
"As you command. Rodissa is a critically important transit hub and the last remaining connection between the Southern and Northern lands of the kingdom. The city has about thirty thousand residents and an additional fifteen hundred soldiers. The city has high reinforced stone walls built to withstand a siege. Unfortunately, the incoming six thousand beastmen are enough to decimate the city defenses. How they got past our scouts and deep into our lands will be investigated. I recommend sending Crystal Tear and diverting forces from neighboring cities. If Rodissa falls, we may lose the entirety of the southern population." The general spoke at a fast pace.
"We cannot just drop there on the spot and save the city by ourselves. At best, we can help to rescue notable people." Cerebrate shut down the request. He then glanced at Buku and smiled, "Your guests now have the opportunity to show their might and go there themselves. I'm sure we can keep their people safe."
"What a small pathetic man you are. A rat, nothing more." Buku sneered in disdain.
"Isn't that the creep Ulbert warned us about? You know, the pedo?" Pero added in.
"Right. You hoped we'd go away and leave our children on their own." Buku approached the adventurer.
"Those are baseless accusations. You monsters are nothing more than-"
"Enough! Cerebrate, you will apologize to my guests and excuse yourself from the throne room!" Draudillon shouted with full force.
"So our services are not needed any longer. I guess we can relocate to an-hghnnn." He didn't finish the sentence as Buku appeared before him and grabbed his crotch in a crushing grip, the rest of Crystal Tear thrown away like ragdolls by her two children.
"Pathetic little shit. So that's why the queen here is pretending to be a child." Buku tightened the grip as the man whimpered and reached to remove her hand from his private area, grimacing in pain.
"Y-you, you'll pay-" Cerebreate tried to get out a coherent sentence despite the agonizing pain he was in.
"Is that so? Well, the next time you get in our way, you won't be allowed to die!" Buku growled as she crushed the man's genitals.
'She was looking for a reason from the get-go, and the fool gave her the perfect one. So it is safe to assume at least one of the gods doesn't like pedophiles.' Draudillon mused as she passively observed the exchange.
Cerebrate fell to the ground, his eyes glazing over as he went into shock due to pain.
"Remove this trash from my presence," Buku ordered before turning to face Darudillion. "Now then, let's get down to business."
"What do you require to assist us?" Draudillon asked, ignoring the minor commotion as Crystal Tear hastily dragged away their crippled leader, cursing all the way. She was sure they would try to heal him somewhere else once their arrogance assured them they were far enough away to avoid drawing the ire of her godly guests.
"Nothing. Give me ten minutes, and I'll set up my force. Pero, you'll send yours to have fun?" Buku replied.
"Sure. I can let them warm up." Pero nodded in response.
"With your permission, I will notify the local guard captain that help is coming and not to be afraid." The general leaned in closer to Daudillon, awaiting an answer.
"Order full cooperation with the forces of Nazarick. Offer assistance if they require it," Draudilon ordered in response.
Help had finally come, and even if the gods just saved a city or two before deciding that their effort wasn't worth the reward, it would be better than nothing. In that case, she wouldn't show the black book to the players. She would not risk their kind learning wild magic unless her kingdom was safe, or else it could doom the world.
In the best-case scenario, however, Draudillon hoped they would crush the Beastmen nation completely, and she would gain powerful allies and protectors in return. Although more likely, it would end up somewhere in between, although where she wasn't sure.
Editing by Nich L and aidan_lo.
Proofreading by mfkz_rocker, fvvck, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, and Omnax, Stac
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