This was truly a lot worse than what I had imagined it to be.
Although this carriage was comfortable as it was an item from Yggdrasil, that didn't mean the ride was any more exciting or stimulating. It would take several more hours before we reached our destination and until now, we had encountered no one on the road.
Not even bandits that were trying to rob us. I would even accept some demi-humans from popping out of the forest wanting to eat us. There should be a couple of them running around here since we were riding through the Abelion Hills but until now, nothing...
At least the view was magnificent. Untouched land always had a certain charm for me. I used to be a nature boy when I was younger and had time to enjoy life.
To be fair, for the first hour, even with nothing happening and just enjoying the ride, it was more than enough to entertain me. The sights were great, and the air was unbelievably fresh. Just driving along this trail through the forest was relaxing. I didn't think about the future and the struggles that would await me, and just enjoyed the moment. It was great to relax that way.
However, even such magnificent views and experiences would get dull after a certain period. I had already seen my fill and lost my interest in observing my surroundings any longer. At least, for today, as there were currently greater temptations that I would probably never have enough of. I closed the curtain and looked at Sueko and Fubuki, who were accompanying me inside the carriage.
Edan, my tiger mount, was laying down in the middle of the carriage. He had been sleeping all the time, and it didn't seem like he would get up anytime soon. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring him along since he certainly would attract attention, especially since he didn't have any magical abilities.
So I would have to cast [Perfect Unknowable] or any other invisibility spell on him. Of course, he had some stealth skills to stalk his prey, so he should be well on his own for most things. He was quite a high level, after all. So anything in this nation shouldn't be able to detect or threaten him. A named summon of level 85. Nothing easily killable by this world's standards.
Either way, I couldn't let him stay inside the tomb. I thought he would appreciate some time outside since you know, he was a cat. A big murderous one, but a cat still. I told him he could go outside and explore if he wanted to. He just had to return and not attract too much attention.
At first, he was excited, but when it was time for him to exercise his freedom, he just stared out of the window before laying down again, saying 'he was good'. Damn lazy kitty! Well, he would go outside when he wanted to. It was a bit cramped with him inside the carriage, but fortunately, he could shrink himself to the size of a normal cat. Not something he liked to do.
As for who were the coachmen of this carriage? Well, Aneko and Yuri Alpha were guiding the carriage. Here I thought we would attract some attention with these two beautiful women as coachmen, but nothing happened yet. Perhaps it was because the two were clad in normal-looking maids' outfits and it was too obviously a trap?
"Edan, how about you explore the surroundings and let me know if there are some bandits trying to ambush us?" He was roused from his sleep and looked at me for a moment before standing up, stretching exaggeratedly while yawning.
"As you wish." His baritone voice seemed to resonate with the surroundings before he disappeared like a ghost. I then glanced at Fubuki, who sat next to me and placed a hand on her thigh, rubbing it.
"Your maj-... lordship. I don't think it's appropriate, right now." Fubuki whispered to me as she remained elegantly seated with her one leg crossed over the other. However, her face was blushing, and she kept throwing glances at Sueko, who was sticking her face out of the window to observe the surroundings.
The only reason Sueko wasn't a coachman, even though she would probably love to be outside the entire time, was that she would get distracted by it. Perhaps she would stop the carriage every few minutes, so she could walk into the thicket to spend some time observing something like it was a side quest. I probably would have let her as well.
I ignored Fubuki's words and picked her up to place her on my lap. She yelped out before covering her mouth while watching whether Sueko had caught onto what I was doing. I then caressed her body, fondling her breasts, and pinching her nipples. She got exceedingly aroused quickly. My hands slid down her sides and to her crotch before Edan's voice sounded out again.
"Bandits have set up an ambush in about 2km of our travel direction." I couldn't help but groan. Just as I was about to make this covert infiltration a bit more pleasant for me, I was interrupted. However, I wasn't too bummed about it. After all, I could have this woman whenever I wanted and now, on the 7th day, some change was welcome. "15 bandits comprising different demi-humans. A mage appears to lead them. There is one human bait sitting against a 'broken down' carriage."
"Saved by the clock." I clapped her thigh, prompting her to get off me before she sat down next to me again. Despite how reluctant her words had been, she certainly looked saddened now. "How high is the chance that it is bait or an actual victim?" I asked as I stared at the blurry outline of shrunk Edan. Why could I see him? I was certain he must be using some skill to be undetectable, yet here I was, easily being able to perceive him without using a spell.
"It's not likely that she is an actual victim. On her is the scent of most males of this bandit group, while being covered in some animal's blood to appear like wounds on her." I nodded my head at the report. I leaned forward and gave him some scratches on his chin. He purred for a moment before I sent him out to inform Yuri and Aneko to take the bait.
2km at our speed wouldn't take too long, even though the road was basically just a hiking path. If it was a normal carriage of our size carried by normal horses, they would take 15 to 20 minutes.
We would arrive in about half that time. Of course, we could have summoned some beast that could carry us that distance in a couple of minutes or even just a few seconds, but that wasn't really blending in with the normal folks of this world.
We had summoned the most basic horses, so we could appear to be normal humans, after all. After a short 7 minutes of me fondling Fubuki's fun bags, we finally arrived at the bait. To be honest, I had long expected this kind of situation, but I was still somewhat surprised that I would encounter a group that comprised both humans and demi-humans.
Though considering that the only human was a female that was used as bait, was already hint enough that she probably hadn't chosen this life. Didn't matter to me though.
It was time to have fun.
...
Valthor watched as the carriage rapidly approached the bait. He stood hidden in the woods surrounding the trail with his subdued minions. His 4th tier spell [Mind Control] and his trusty magical branding iron had been of great use to convince these different demi-humans to gather underneath the banner of Valthor the Betrayer. Obviously, it wasn't perfect, but it certainly made coercion a lot easier on these banished fools.
He could have been a lord, ruling over his own patch in the Abelion Hills, but the competition was high. With Nasrene Belt Cure ruling over their tribe, it was almost impossible to crown himself, so back then he had tried his hand at assassination.
He had always been deeply ambitious and had long coveted the position of king of the Magelos people. His assassination had been a scheme smoldering for years. Who would have guessed that a small child at the wrong place at the wrong time had exposed him?
He had barely made it out alive, having lost one arm of his. Still, the thirst for power and authority remained and for it, he would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, which included robbing human nobles such as those that were blatantly riding along the main path the humans took.
He wasn't sure if it was pure arrogance or naivety in the security of the road, but this carriage didn't even have a single bodyguard. Just some female humans as coachmen. It was clear that despite his extravagant carriage, this noble lacked manpower. Perhaps he was a falling noble that was on the run with just a few trusted aids.
This was a low-hanging fruit and afterward, he would have to deal with some goblin tribes with human slaves to get the reward he was aiming for. Honestly, if they didn't have a shaman among them, he would have just crushed them and taken what he needed, but it was easier to get lucky and obtain some human slaves than it was to eliminate that tribe.
He crouched low behind some scrub, which hid his tall and slender stature. His pale skin in the green forest would easily expose him, so he wore a layer of cloth over him. It irked him to cover his skin.
After all, it was covered in intricate black tattoos that marked him as a master of the arcane arts, something remarkable for the Magelos, and even most other races would know what his marks represented. However, it was hardly a sacrifice if it meant an easier victory.
His eyes were cold, icy blue and his long, white hair, usually styled in elaborate braids was now bunched up to not get in the way during a possible fight. Valthor would go to great lengths, including turning against his own people if it meant coming out on top, so killing some humans was hardly weighing on his mind. In fact, it was something exceedingly rewarding to feel the rush of power against these mostly weak humans.
Despite this, the past mistake of a single moment of carelessness had shaped his approach to almost all the things he had done for the last 20 years. So, even when he saw the carriage take the bait, he only sent out the first wave of 8 demi-humans to surround the carriage.
He still had 3 archers, who would assist the others if the need arose and another to be his decoy in case everything else failed. The ground troop consisting of 2 powerful centaurs, 2 orcs, and 4 goblins jumped out of the thicket and instantly surrounded the carriage. These demi-humans were fools, imbeciles, but they were an overwhelming troop for a lone carriage like this.
Even without proper guidance, they could annihilate most human knights. The few bodyguards that were surely riding along inside were bound to meet their doom. One centaur reached for the maid that posed as a coachman when suddenly blood spurted into the sky.
The first thing that came to mind was that the centaur accidentally ripped off an arm or the head as it had done before, but when the centaur stumbled backward and screamed out as it clutched the bleeding stump where his arm should have been, he was momentarily stunned.
The maid had pulled out a thin and slightly curved sword before swinging it to get off the blood off it. In the next moment, she disappeared. Something Valthor had witnessed before, a skill of assassins, and he finally realized that this carriage wasn't as simple as it seemed. It might have seemed long, but it only took a few seconds before he realized this.
This would be troublesome, Valthor thought as he watched the goblins going crazy as they saw their allies being attacked. They were about to rush outside when the door of the carriage swung open. Although he held little opinion about the appearance of humans, he knew from his past interactions that all the women occupying this carriage were beautiful by human standards.
However, that wasn't what he cared for at the moment as he watched the woman in a thick white coat covering her body step outside. No, it was the fact that her coat gained an unnatural air flow as she raised her palm at his minions.
If the subtle change in her clothes wasn't enough indication that they were facing a mage of at least the 3rd tier, then the suddenly rising small rocks did the trick. Small rocks rose from the ground and shot at the spread-out goblins, completely obliterating them as a single rock caused their skulls to explode.
Another centaur moved, but its head was suddenly separated by the woman with the thin sword. Having appeared out of nowhere, making it difficult for the centaur to react, not to mention defend against the attack. Just as before, the woman disappeared again.
In three exchanges, Valthor had lost 5 of his minions, with 4 dead, one being incapacitated, while the rest were unable to do anything against the assassin and the mage. At this point, he knew that this carriage was too much trouble to deal with. He might even lose his life, so he decisively ordered the spread-out archers to attack, while telling his decoy to disappear in the opposite direction he wanted to take.
Knowing all his minions would be lost to this strange carriage made his heart ache, but he knew he could rebuild his troops. Nothing mattered as long as he remained alive to rebuild his manpower. It wasn't the first time he had lost his minions, and it wouldn't be the last. He turned around and was about to leave when he ran into something.
He was certain that nothing was behind him...
His view revealed a vibrant red color. He took a step back, only to reveal a human in noble attire and a sword on his hip. His mind drew a blank at first, but with his decades of experience, he instantly connected him to the carriage he had just targeted. A shiver went down his spine, but he couldn't believe it.
Without hesitation, he cast his only other 4th tier spell he knew [Burn Lance]. An elongated flame appeared in front of his hand before shooting at the noble. His opponent just 'smiled' and cast a spell. [Protection from Fire Energy]
His [Burn Lance] shattered on the man before dispersing in the wind. Valthor was about to cast another spell when he saw the red transparent scales covering the human vanish. It was clear the spell would only work temporarily. A sign of a lower-tiered spell, perhaps the 3rd or even 2nd tier, so he just needed another clear shot and he could overwhelm his opponent. However, in the end, he didn't get to cast any other spell.
A sword was at his throat. Its tip was already piercing through a layer of skin, drawing blood. A simple thrust by the human would be his end. The human showed his teeth again with his smile. "Relax. I just have some questions."
...
"Understood? Go on then." I cut off the connection to the demon that was given to me after I had requested it from Demiurge. He would be the one in charge until Demiurge had gathered enough information from the other areas as well. For now, we were just gathering information for the next foreseeable weeks, until we were prepared enough to set our plans into motion.
My plan was simple. I wanted to create a similar situation to what happened in the novel. An external enemy that would threaten the entire kingdom, so it would be forced to unite. The demi-humans certainly offered a fitting scapegoat to achieve this. It was also something that should be easy to implement since there already was war between this nation and the demi-humans.
Of course, that was further in the future as I had some other short-term plan that most would describe as cliche, but I wanted my fantasy isekai experience, god damnit!
After I disposed of the bandits, we continued our way through the Abelion Hills. Honestly, I could have used a Mirror of Remote Viewing to look for a spot inside the kingdom and just teleported there, but I wanted some witnesses of my entrance and have this feeling of traveling through almost untouched nature.
Hindsight was, of course, better. Although I probably could have taken a closer location to teleport to, something like this belonged to the experience of a normal life. I was already feeling slightly out of touch with my human self. I certainly didn't think of myself as human anymore. This had been incredibly clear when I had been spending the last 2 days entirely on fucking Fubuki and Albedo.
Of course, it felt great, but I was so immersed in my pleasure that I forgot to read my last magic book and the others I had prepared. It had been my plan for years to read them before I would set out, but here I was too immersed in otherworldly, delicious, incredible pussy... Obviously, I took the books with me, so I could read them on the way. Still, it was undoubtedly an important revelation to notice my seemingly endless stamina and willingness to continue to revel in carnal pleasure forever.
Even from the greatest pleasure, one should have enough after a while, but apparently not anymore. I was sure if I just let all my other thoughts go, I would have spent years in my chamber with my women before a thought would enter my mind to do something else.
Problem was, the pleasure just increased, and I didn't fatigue. That was a pit I wouldn't be able to climb out of if I let myself sink into it. Fortunately, I realized this early. Who knew what would have happened if I remained the entire time in the tomb?
My thoughts were silenced when I was greeted by a fresh sight emerging behind the mountains. A great wall of about 15 meters. A wall that was meant to keep the eastern borders of the Holy Kingdom safe from invasions of the demi-humans that were occupying the Abelion Hills. Certainly impressive considering what they had as resources to build it.
Though it wasn't really in their budget to maintain it. They were just lacking manpower, coupled with the fact that the kingdom was internally divided, which made it difficult to keep such a task under control. With the first look from the distance, I could see several people guarding it, enough to keep it safe and no sight of it being understaffed, but perhaps it was only because there was a gate there.
That's right, the Holy Kingdom was my target for my first visit to the new world and it would probably become the main nation I would be known from. I had certain plans to become renowned and influential through it while being independent of it. To be honest, I had mostly wagered between the Holy Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom.
Both had been in a similar spot, considering their need for aid against the demi-humans wanting to eat their inhabitants. The crisis in the Dragon Kingdom was already more advanced and wouldn't even need much of a push from Nazarick's side, but I just couldn't risk being there before I confirmed a few things.
The queen was able to use Wild Magic after all, and from my memories, I remembered it could only be countered by world items. So, despite being massively more powerful than their queen, they might have a way to take me out, and I wasn't really fond of the idea of dying.
It was a bummer that I didn't know too much about Wild Magic, but that was why I changed the book to fill that gap in knowledge. It was also why I was a bit frustrated I didn't get my dick under control earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made this hasty decision.
Fortunately, the beginning steps were the same no matter which nation I first traveled to. My first goal was to be an adamantite adventurer. A cliche for the isekai'd to become the highest-ranking adventurer, but it just gave me an easy leg-in to national political influence. Of course, it was somewhat limited because of its nature, but also less restricted because the position wasn't truly bound by a particular nation.
Of course, there was the worry that the nation would just force their adventurers to join them, but that was easily solved. It was also why I posed as a noble turned adventurer. A noble that became an iron-ranked adventurer would be a shame for his family and be looked down upon, but an adamantite adventurer? That was something even nobles couldn't say anything negative about without sounding jealous or fearful.
Perhaps adventurers didn't get much social standing, but that wasn't because they weren't important. Quite the opposite. Most nations were afraid of such a force inside their borders.
It was for a simple reason. Strength. In a medieval world like this where magic and beasts existed, nothing rang more true than someone's personal power. It allowed people to corrupt the capital city of a nation, and it gave political influence on a national level. Unstoppable power allowed people to ignore their kings and demanded respect from all.
As chance would have it, I had more than enough power to suppress all complaints and opposition. 'Being a noble' just would make it easier to enter high society if I desired to do so. Perhaps I would turn into the noble's representative. The one the nobles would point at to show their own 'inherent' superiority. It wouldn't surprise me if they did something stupid like that.
Either way, it would be a grind, but it also gave me some excuses for Demiurge why it took so long to make some progress. While I would be grinding to be an adamantite adventurer, I would take this time to make some truly important progress.
My thoughts went silent once again as we approached the gate into the Holy Kingdom. We were stopped by the patrols, wanting to hear our reasoning for entering. They had their suspicions as they heard our excuse of a noble that traveled the world. A lame excuse and an unbelievable at that, but that was fine.
Sometimes a more unbelievable story was easier accepted than something that looked too normal. With that in mind, I didn't get nervous when a guard asked to speak with the 'noble' to confirm this. I wasn't sure what the guard expected instead of a noble. Perhaps a bunch of slaves or weapons that we were trying to smuggle inside?
Either way, I couldn't care less and pushed the curtain open to look at the female guard that had asked to talk to me. There was no window, so I leaned slightly out to look down at her. She looked up, and we just stared at each other for a moment.
"Is there a problem?" I finally asked after I couldn't stand being scrutinized for this long. It was already getting awkward.
"A-eh? No, s-sir. I- We just want to confirm your intentions. There had been some criminals that wanted to enter the country." Although I couldn't see her face underneath that helmet, she was initially extremely flustered and now embarrassed.
"Right..." [Silent Magic - Silent Image] "Here is proof for my nobility, that ought to be enough, correct?" I showed her the papers I cast an illusion spell over.
"Yes, sir! Have a pleasant trip inside us- I mean inside me- our country!! Have a pleasant trip inside our country!" She had only glanced at the papers for a moment before quickly deciding to wave us through the gate. That was... an experience. She was way too flustered and didn't seem to want to insult me. Was it because I was too ugly?
Albedo and the others had insisted that I would turn myself uglier, but it couldn't be that bad, right? I had seen my face, but I didn't think it would be reason enough to make such a fuss. It wasn't as pleasing as before, but I would still consider myself very good-looking.
It was something I remembered Ainz had regretted, turning himself too ugly as this world's standard was much higher than back on earth. Though I wondered if it had something to do with Ainz's former earth being a dystopian future or because this world truly had high standards.
For now, I would agree with this world's standard being higher, even though I only had the girls in the tomb as a reference, which was a standard not reachable by this new world. The only other woman was Enri. She was certainly good-looking, but perhaps it was because she was a hidden gem of a country.
I shook my head. I would figure it out soon enough. We crossed the wall with little of a problem before the guard told me of the nearest fortress city, Kalinsha, after I asked where I could start an adventurer career.
My intentions to become an adventurer were met with some surprise, but they eagerly pointed out where I should travel across to reach our next halt without a problem. Although I should be wary of the occasional demi-humans, they told me that as long as the wall persisted, it would keep us reasonably safe. However, that didn't mean there were no demi-humans around. After that ordeal, we continued our journey.
There had been some people on the side that had watched the exchange between us and the guards with some interest, but I doubted they were connected with any bandits or the like to scout out a potential victim. Perhaps they were just enamored by Aneko and Yuri?
They looked like merchants, which was surprising since any merchant of another country would have to travel through the Abelion Hills, the territory of demi-humans.
Maybe that was why they had gathered that many adventurers - or perhaps workers -around them? I doubted that was a profitable enough journey to risk one's life, but it wasn't my place to question them about it.
...
It had taken almost an entire day's worth of journey from start to finish, without rest and through the night, until we arrived at the fortress city. It was sturdily built and was certainly impressively fitting for its function as the closest city near the major trade route leading to the south.
Considering that the country was divided into the north and south, its function was important to the entire country. It was also the first city that would have to bear the weight of an invasion if the wall fell. Perhaps it was chosen this way to give the south a reason to want to see this city thrive. After all, it would represent the health of the entire kingdom.
Of course, whether the inhabitants saw it this way was a different matter altogether. I was just hoping for a nice place to sleep in, though I wouldn't mind sleeping inside the carriage...
This was truly a lot worse than what I had imagined it to be.
Although this carriage was comfortable as it was an item from Yggdrasil, that didn't mean the ride was any more exciting or stimulating. It would take several more hours before we reached our destination and until now, we had encountered no one on the road.
Not even bandits that were trying to rob us. I would even accept some demi-humans from popping out of the forest wanting to eat us. There should be a couple of them running around here since we were riding through the Abelion Hills but until now, nothing...
At least the view was magnificent. Untouched land always had a certain charm for me. I used to be a nature boy when I was younger and had time to enjoy life.
To be fair, for the first hour, even with nothing happening and just enjoying the ride, it was more than enough to entertain me. The sights were great, and the air was unbelievably fresh. Just driving along this trail through the forest was relaxing. I didn't think about the future and the struggles that would await me, and just enjoyed the moment. It was great to relax that way.
However, even such magnificent views and experiences would get dull after a certain period. I had already seen my fill and lost my interest in observing my surroundings any longer. At least, for today, as there were currently greater temptations that I would probably never have enough of. I closed the curtain and looked at Sueko and Fubuki, who were accompanying me inside the carriage.
Edan, my tiger mount, was laying down in the middle of the carriage. He had been sleeping all the time, and it didn't seem like he would get up anytime soon. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring him along since he certainly would attract attention, especially since he didn't have any magical abilities.
So I would have to cast [Perfect Unknowable] or any other invisibility spell on him. Of course, he had some stealth skills to stalk his prey, so he should be well on his own for most things. He was quite a high level, after all. So anything in this nation shouldn't be able to detect or threaten him. A named summon of level 85. Nothing easily killable by this world's standards.
Either way, I couldn't let him stay inside the tomb. I thought he would appreciate some time outside since you know, he was a cat. A big murderous one, but a cat still. I told him he could go outside and explore if he wanted to. He just had to return and not attract too much attention.
At first, he was excited, but when it was time for him to exercise his freedom, he just stared out of the window before laying down again, saying 'he was good'. Damn lazy kitty! Well, he would go outside when he wanted to. It was a bit cramped with him inside the carriage, but fortunately, he could shrink himself to the size of a normal cat. Not something he liked to do.
As for who were the coachmen of this carriage? Well, Aneko and Yuri Alpha were guiding the carriage. Here I thought we would attract some attention with these two beautiful women as coachmen, but nothing happened yet. Perhaps it was because the two were clad in normal-looking maids' outfits and it was too obviously a trap?
"Edan, how about you explore the surroundings and let me know if there are some bandits trying to ambush us?" He was roused from his sleep and looked at me for a moment before standing up, stretching exaggeratedly while yawning.
"As you wish." His baritone voice seemed to resonate with the surroundings before he disappeared like a ghost. I then glanced at Fubuki, who sat next to me and placed a hand on her thigh, rubbing it.
"Your maj-... lordship. I don't think it's appropriate, right now." Fubuki whispered to me as she remained elegantly seated with her one leg crossed over the other. However, her face was blushing, and she kept throwing glances at Sueko, who was sticking her face out of the window to observe the surroundings.
The only reason Sueko wasn't a coachman, even though she would probably love to be outside the entire time, was that she would get distracted by it. Perhaps she would stop the carriage every few minutes, so she could walk into the thicket to spend some time observing something like it was a side quest. I probably would have let her as well.
I ignored Fubuki's words and picked her up to place her on my lap. She yelped out before covering her mouth while watching whether Sueko had caught onto what I was doing. I then caressed her body, fondling her breasts, and pinching her nipples. She got exceedingly aroused quickly. My hands slid down her sides and to her crotch before Edan's voice sounded out again.
"Bandits have set up an ambush in about 2km of our travel direction." I couldn't help but groan. Just as I was about to make this covert infiltration a bit more pleasant for me, I was interrupted. However, I wasn't too bummed about it. After all, I could have this woman whenever I wanted and now, on the 7th day, some change was welcome. "15 bandits comprising different demi-humans. A mage appears to lead them. There is one human bait sitting against a 'broken down' carriage."
"Saved by the clock." I clapped her thigh, prompting her to get off me before she sat down next to me again. Despite how reluctant her words had been, she certainly looked saddened now. "How high is the chance that it is bait or an actual victim?" I asked as I stared at the blurry outline of shrunk Edan. Why could I see him? I was certain he must be using some skill to be undetectable, yet here I was, easily being able to perceive him without using a spell.
"It's not likely that she is an actual victim. On her is the scent of most males of this bandit group, while being covered in some animal's blood to appear like wounds on her." I nodded my head at the report. I leaned forward and gave him some scratches on his chin. He purred for a moment before I sent him out to inform Yuri and Aneko to take the bait.
2km at our speed wouldn't take too long, even though the road was basically just a hiking path. If it was a normal carriage of our size carried by normal horses, they would take 15 to 20 minutes.
We would arrive in about half that time. Of course, we could have summoned some beast that could carry us that distance in a couple of minutes or even just a few seconds, but that wasn't really blending in with the normal folks of this world.
We had summoned the most basic horses, so we could appear to be normal humans, after all. After a short 7 minutes of me fondling Fubuki's fun bags, we finally arrived at the bait. To be honest, I had long expected this kind of situation, but I was still somewhat surprised that I would encounter a group that comprised both humans and demi-humans.
Though considering that the only human was a female that was used as bait, was already hint enough that she probably hadn't chosen this life. Didn't matter to me though.
It was time to have fun.
...
Valthor watched as the carriage rapidly approached the bait. He stood hidden in the woods surrounding the trail with his subdued minions. His 4th tier spell [Mind Control] and his trusty magical branding iron had been of great use to convince these different demi-humans to gather underneath the banner of Valthor the Betrayer. Obviously, it wasn't perfect, but it certainly made coercion a lot easier on these banished fools.
He could have been a lord, ruling over his own patch in the Abelion Hills, but the competition was high. With Nasrene Belt Cure ruling over their tribe, it was almost impossible to crown himself, so back then he had tried his hand at assassination.
He had always been deeply ambitious and had long coveted the position of king of the Magelos people. His assassination had been a scheme smoldering for years. Who would have guessed that a small child at the wrong place at the wrong time had exposed him?
He had barely made it out alive, having lost one arm of his. Still, the thirst for power and authority remained and for it, he would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, which included robbing human nobles such as those that were blatantly riding along the main path the humans took.
He wasn't sure if it was pure arrogance or naivety in the security of the road, but this carriage didn't even have a single bodyguard. Just some female humans as coachmen. It was clear that despite his extravagant carriage, this noble lacked manpower. Perhaps he was a falling noble that was on the run with just a few trusted aids.
This was a low-hanging fruit and afterward, he would have to deal with some goblin tribes with human slaves to get the reward he was aiming for. Honestly, if they didn't have a shaman among them, he would have just crushed them and taken what he needed, but it was easier to get lucky and obtain some human slaves than it was to eliminate that tribe.
He crouched low behind some scrub, which hid his tall and slender stature. His pale skin in the green forest would easily expose him, so he wore a layer of cloth over him. It irked him to cover his skin.
After all, it was covered in intricate black tattoos that marked him as a master of the arcane arts, something remarkable for the Magelos, and even most other races would know what his marks represented. However, it was hardly a sacrifice if it meant an easier victory.
His eyes were cold, icy blue and his long, white hair, usually styled in elaborate braids was now bunched up to not get in the way during a possible fight. Valthor would go to great lengths, including turning against his own people if it meant coming out on top, so killing some humans was hardly weighing on his mind. In fact, it was something exceedingly rewarding to feel the rush of power against these mostly weak humans.
Despite this, the past mistake of a single moment of carelessness had shaped his approach to almost all the things he had done for the last 20 years. So, even when he saw the carriage take the bait, he only sent out the first wave of 8 demi-humans to surround the carriage.
He still had 3 archers, who would assist the others if the need arose and another to be his decoy in case everything else failed. The ground troop consisting of 2 powerful centaurs, 2 orcs, and 4 goblins jumped out of the thicket and instantly surrounded the carriage. These demi-humans were fools, imbeciles, but they were an overwhelming troop for a lone carriage like this.
Even without proper guidance, they could annihilate most human knights. The few bodyguards that were surely riding along inside were bound to meet their doom. One centaur reached for the maid that posed as a coachman when suddenly blood spurted into the sky.
The first thing that came to mind was that the centaur accidentally ripped off an arm or the head as it had done before, but when the centaur stumbled backward and screamed out as it clutched the bleeding stump where his arm should have been, he was momentarily stunned.
The maid had pulled out a thin and slightly curved sword before swinging it to get off the blood off it. In the next moment, she disappeared. Something Valthor had witnessed before, a skill of assassins, and he finally realized that this carriage wasn't as simple as it seemed. It might have seemed long, but it only took a few seconds before he realized this.
This would be troublesome, Valthor thought as he watched the goblins going crazy as they saw their allies being attacked. They were about to rush outside when the door of the carriage swung open. Although he held little opinion about the appearance of humans, he knew from his past interactions that all the women occupying this carriage were beautiful by human standards.
However, that wasn't what he cared for at the moment as he watched the woman in a thick white coat covering her body step outside. No, it was the fact that her coat gained an unnatural air flow as she raised her palm at his minions.
If the subtle change in her clothes wasn't enough indication that they were facing a mage of at least the 3rd tier, then the suddenly rising small rocks did the trick. Small rocks rose from the ground and shot at the spread-out goblins, completely obliterating them as a single rock caused their skulls to explode.
Another centaur moved, but its head was suddenly separated by the woman with the thin sword. Having appeared out of nowhere, making it difficult for the centaur to react, not to mention defend against the attack. Just as before, the woman disappeared again.
In three exchanges, Valthor had lost 5 of his minions, with 4 dead, one being incapacitated, while the rest were unable to do anything against the assassin and the mage. At this point, he knew that this carriage was too much trouble to deal with. He might even lose his life, so he decisively ordered the spread-out archers to attack, while telling his decoy to disappear in the opposite direction he wanted to take.
Knowing all his minions would be lost to this strange carriage made his heart ache, but he knew he could rebuild his troops. Nothing mattered as long as he remained alive to rebuild his manpower. It wasn't the first time he had lost his minions, and it wouldn't be the last. He turned around and was about to leave when he ran into something.
He was certain that nothing was behind him...
His view revealed a vibrant red color. He took a step back, only to reveal a human in noble attire and a sword on his hip. His mind drew a blank at first, but with his decades of experience, he instantly connected him to the carriage he had just targeted. A shiver went down his spine, but he couldn't believe it.
Without hesitation, he cast his only other 4th tier spell he knew [Burn Lance]. An elongated flame appeared in front of his hand before shooting at the noble. His opponent just 'smiled' and cast a spell. [Protection from Fire Energy]
His [Burn Lance] shattered on the man before dispersing in the wind. Valthor was about to cast another spell when he saw the red transparent scales covering the human vanish. It was clear the spell would only work temporarily. A sign of a lower-tiered spell, perhaps the 3rd or even 2nd tier, so he just needed another clear shot and he could overwhelm his opponent. However, in the end, he didn't get to cast any other spell.
A sword was at his throat. Its tip was already piercing through a layer of skin, drawing blood. A simple thrust by the human would be his end. The human showed his teeth again with his smile. "Relax. I just have some questions."
...
"Understood? Go on then." I cut off the connection to the demon that was given to me after I had requested it from Demiurge. He would be the one in charge until Demiurge had gathered enough information from the other areas as well. For now, we were just gathering information for the next foreseeable weeks, until we were prepared enough to set our plans into motion.
My plan was simple. I wanted to create a similar situation to what happened in the novel. An external enemy that would threaten the entire kingdom, so it would be forced to unite. The demi-humans certainly offered a fitting scapegoat to achieve this. It was also something that should be easy to implement since there already was war between this nation and the demi-humans.
Of course, that was further in the future as I had some other short-term plan that most would describe as cliche, but I wanted my fantasy isekai experience, god damnit!
After I disposed of the bandits, we continued our way through the Abelion Hills. Honestly, I could have used a Mirror of Remote Viewing to look for a spot inside the kingdom and just teleported there, but I wanted some witnesses of my entrance and have this feeling of traveling through almost untouched nature.
Hindsight was, of course, better. Although I probably could have taken a closer location to teleport to, something like this belonged to the experience of a normal life. I was already feeling slightly out of touch with my human self. I certainly didn't think of myself as human anymore. This had been incredibly clear when I had been spending the last 2 days entirely on fucking Fubuki and Albedo.
Of course, it felt great, but I was so immersed in my pleasure that I forgot to read my last magic book and the others I had prepared. It had been my plan for years to read them before I would set out, but here I was too immersed in otherworldly, delicious, incredible pussy... Obviously, I took the books with me, so I could read them on the way. Still, it was undoubtedly an important revelation to notice my seemingly endless stamina and willingness to continue to revel in carnal pleasure forever.
Even from the greatest pleasure, one should have enough after a while, but apparently not anymore. I was sure if I just let all my other thoughts go, I would have spent years in my chamber with my women before a thought would enter my mind to do something else.
Problem was, the pleasure just increased, and I didn't fatigue. That was a pit I wouldn't be able to climb out of if I let myself sink into it. Fortunately, I realized this early. Who knew what would have happened if I remained the entire time in the tomb?
My thoughts were silenced when I was greeted by a fresh sight emerging behind the mountains. A great wall of about 15 meters. A wall that was meant to keep the eastern borders of the Holy Kingdom safe from invasions of the demi-humans that were occupying the Abelion Hills. Certainly impressive considering what they had as resources to build it.
Though it wasn't really in their budget to maintain it. They were just lacking manpower, coupled with the fact that the kingdom was internally divided, which made it difficult to keep such a task under control. With the first look from the distance, I could see several people guarding it, enough to keep it safe and no sight of it being understaffed, but perhaps it was only because there was a gate there.
That's right, the Holy Kingdom was my target for my first visit to the new world and it would probably become the main nation I would be known from. I had certain plans to become renowned and influential through it while being independent of it. To be honest, I had mostly wagered between the Holy Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom.
Both had been in a similar spot, considering their need for aid against the demi-humans wanting to eat their inhabitants. The crisis in the Dragon Kingdom was already more advanced and wouldn't even need much of a push from Nazarick's side, but I just couldn't risk being there before I confirmed a few things.
The queen was able to use Wild Magic after all, and from my memories, I remembered it could only be countered by world items. So, despite being massively more powerful than their queen, they might have a way to take me out, and I wasn't really fond of the idea of dying.
It was a bummer that I didn't know too much about Wild Magic, but that was why I changed the book to fill that gap in knowledge. It was also why I was a bit frustrated I didn't get my dick under control earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made this hasty decision.
Fortunately, the beginning steps were the same no matter which nation I first traveled to. My first goal was to be an adamantite adventurer. A cliche for the isekai'd to become the highest-ranking adventurer, but it just gave me an easy leg-in to national political influence. Of course, it was somewhat limited because of its nature, but also less restricted because the position wasn't truly bound by a particular nation.
Of course, there was the worry that the nation would just force their adventurers to join them, but that was easily solved. It was also why I posed as a noble turned adventurer. A noble that became an iron-ranked adventurer would be a shame for his family and be looked down upon, but an adamantite adventurer? That was something even nobles couldn't say anything negative about without sounding jealous or fearful.
Perhaps adventurers didn't get much social standing, but that wasn't because they weren't important. Quite the opposite. Most nations were afraid of such a force inside their borders.
It was for a simple reason. Strength. In a medieval world like this where magic and beasts existed, nothing rang more true than someone's personal power. It allowed people to corrupt the capital city of a nation, and it gave political influence on a national level. Unstoppable power allowed people to ignore their kings and demanded respect from all.
As chance would have it, I had more than enough power to suppress all complaints and opposition. 'Being a noble' just would make it easier to enter high society if I desired to do so. Perhaps I would turn into the noble's representative. The one the nobles would point at to show their own 'inherent' superiority. It wouldn't surprise me if they did something stupid like that.
Either way, it would be a grind, but it also gave me some excuses for Demiurge why it took so long to make some progress. While I would be grinding to be an adamantite adventurer, I would take this time to make some truly important progress.
My thoughts went silent once again as we approached the gate into the Holy Kingdom. We were stopped by the patrols, wanting to hear our reasoning for entering. They had their suspicions as they heard our excuse of a noble that traveled the world. A lame excuse and an unbelievable at that, but that was fine.
Sometimes a more unbelievable story was easier accepted than something that looked too normal. With that in mind, I didn't get nervous when a guard asked to speak with the 'noble' to confirm this. I wasn't sure what the guard expected instead of a noble. Perhaps a bunch of slaves or weapons that we were trying to smuggle inside?
Either way, I couldn't care less and pushed the curtain open to look at the female guard that had asked to talk to me. There was no window, so I leaned slightly out to look down at her. She looked up, and we just stared at each other for a moment.
"Is there a problem?" I finally asked after I couldn't stand being scrutinized for this long. It was already getting awkward.
"A-eh? No, s-sir. I- We just want to confirm your intentions. There had been some criminals that wanted to enter the country." Although I couldn't see her face underneath that helmet, she was initially extremely flustered and now embarrassed.
"Right..." [Silent Magic - Silent Image] "Here is proof for my nobility, that ought to be enough, correct?" I showed her the papers I cast an illusion spell over.
"Yes, sir! Have a pleasant trip inside us- I mean inside me- our country!! Have a pleasant trip inside our country!" She had only glanced at the papers for a moment before quickly deciding to wave us through the gate. That was... an experience. She was way too flustered and didn't seem to want to insult me. Was it because I was too ugly?
Albedo and the others had insisted that I would turn myself uglier, but it couldn't be that bad, right? I had seen my face, but I didn't think it would be reason enough to make such a fuss. It wasn't as pleasing as before, but I would still consider myself very good-looking.
It was something I remembered Ainz had regretted, turning himself too ugly as this world's standard was much higher than back on earth. Though I wondered if it had something to do with Ainz's former earth being a dystopian future or because this world truly had high standards.
For now, I would agree with this world's standard being higher, even though I only had the girls in the tomb as a reference, which was a standard not reachable by this new world. The only other woman was Enri. She was certainly good-looking, but perhaps it was because she was a hidden gem of a country.
I shook my head. I would figure it out soon enough. We crossed the wall with little of a problem before the guard told me of the nearest fortress city, Kalinsha, after I asked where I could start an adventurer career.
My intentions to become an adventurer were met with some surprise, but they eagerly pointed out where I should travel across to reach our next halt without a problem. Although I should be wary of the occasional demi-humans, they told me that as long as the wall persisted, it would keep us reasonably safe. However, that didn't mean there were no demi-humans around. After that ordeal, we continued our journey.
There had been some people on the side that had watched the exchange between us and the guards with some interest, but I doubted they were connected with any bandits or the like to scout out a potential victim. Perhaps they were just enamored by Aneko and Yuri?
They looked like merchants, which was surprising since any merchant of another country would have to travel through the Abelion Hills, the territory of demi-humans.
Maybe that was why they had gathered that many adventurers - or perhaps workers -around them? I doubted that was a profitable enough journey to risk one's life, but it wasn't my place to question them about it.
...
It had taken almost an entire day's worth of journey from start to finish, without rest and through the night, until we arrived at the fortress city. It was sturdily built and was certainly impressively fitting for its function as the closest city near the major trade route leading to the south.
Considering that the country was divided into the north and south, its function was important to the entire country. It was also the first city that would have to bear the weight of an invasion if the wall fell. Perhaps it was chosen this way to give the south a reason to want to see this city thrive. After all, it would represent the health of the entire kingdom.
Of course, whether the inhabitants saw it this way was a different matter altogether. I was just hoping for a nice place to sleep in, though I wouldn't mind sleeping inside the carriage...
