Among them, she had the greatest offensive ability. Her name was Leinas Rockbluth, also known as
“Heavy Explosion”.
After transferring to the carriage, Leinas quietly closed the door behind her and took a seat beside Baziwood. The last thing they saw as the outside world was shut out, were the reins of Leinas’ horse being taken by one of the knights riding beside her.
Since the carriage’s magic would only warm the air that entered it, anything cold that came inside would remain that way. Considering Leinas was wearing a suit of full plate armor that had been chilled by the wind shear outside, she was like a block of ice when she took a seat next to Baziwood, who could not help but shiver.
“The people we sent ahead have sent a ‘Message’ to us.”
One of the defenses offered by this carriage was interference against information-type magic cast from the outside. Although it would prevent the enemy from finding them with spells, it also meant spells like ‘Message’ would be blocked, so it was her duty to receive ‘Messages’ on Jircniv’s behalf.
“The outrider element has reached the Great Tomb of Nazarick. There appears to be a log house at that location, and after they informed the waiting maids of Your Majesty’s time of arrival, the maids replied that there would be a welcome waiting for Your Majesty.”
“Maids? I thought it was a… Maids? Maids… could it be? I’ve heard that some countries buried maids with their dead kings to serve them in the afterlife. Is that what happened here? Or does this mean that the dark elves who left the forest made this tomb their new home?
“Regretfully, the ‘Message’ did not contain any further details, Your Majesty.”
“…I can’t figure it out at all. The forest is not a human realm, so there’s no history on it either….…
well, I’d like to hope that the maids won’t be monsters like the ones that came to the capital. Tell our people to be careful.”
“It is as Your Majesty says. Judging by the strength of those emissaries, we are most likely heading into a completely unknown situation. We would be best served by caution. In addition, I hope Your Majesty will swiftly come to my side should anything unexpected come to pass.”
“By which you mean we will teleport away in case of an emergency?”
Fluder’s slight smile was an answer in the affirmative.
“If that comes to pass, then we will fight a delaying action. No matter how many enemies come at us, at the very least we will be able to buy Your Majesty some time to escape.”
Baziwood said this with a smile, but his comrade Leinas did not reply at all. Rather than an agreement which needed no words, it was a form of disapproval that was immediately visible on her face. Yet the others around her said nothing.
In the end, she had never officially sworn her loyalty to Jircniv despite her position in the Four Knights. The truth was that serving Jircniv was the most profitable course of action for her. If someone else appeared who could give her what she wanted, she would immediately abandon her current position.
In other words, her loyalty to Jircniv was the lowest among the Four Knights.
The Four Knights were selected solely on the basis of their fighting ability and not their personality or loyalty. Even so, there was nobody else whose motives were as mercenary as hers.
The only reason she was here was because one of the Four Knights had to be in the Imperial capital at all times. The one selected for that duty was “Fierce Gale”, Nimble Ark dale Anock, which was unavoidable. If “The Immovable” was still around, Nimble would be the one here instead.
“Forgive my rudeness.”
Leinas withdrew a handkerchief from a breast pocket and shifted it to the right side of her face. As it turned out, the golden cloth was actually her hair. She stuffed the handkerchief under that hair and wiped lightly.
After the brief procedure, the handkerchief turned yellow with the amount of pus it had absorbed.
“Please allow me to make my own life my top priority. I apologize if I get in your way.”
“Ahh, that’s fine, after all, that’s what we agreed to when you became one of the Four Knights ― or rather, what you contracted to.”
“I see, so everyone knows what I plan to do. Then, I will do my best to squat in a corner over there and not get in your way.”
The mood in the carriage was due for a change, so everyone laughed heartily as Roune spoke.
“Then, judging by our current speed, how long until we reach Nazarick?”
Roune, whom Jircniv was addressing, withdrew a pocket watch from his breast pocket. After he confirmed the time, he turned to Leinas, watched as she nodded, and replied.
“If everything goes according to plan, in about an hour.”
“Is that so? I look forward to it. We’ll see what Ainz Ooal Gown is trying to sell us.”
Jircniv’s carriage slowly reduced its speed, until it finally ground to a halt. However, he still could not disembark immediately. It was troublesome, but Jircniv had to attend to his own preparations for the sake of style and security.
Normally, this task would have been performed by underlings, such as the maids in the other carriages. However, they did not have the luxury of waiting for those carriages to arrive. After all, they had come to apologize, and keeping the wronged party waiting too long was a foolish move.
After Jircniv adjusted his clothes, he fastened his cape over them. This was an extremely valuable item made from a magical beast’s skin and further treated with magic. With it on, not even the coldest temperatures outside would inconvenience him.
Then, he slid the Imperial Scepter into his belt, which completed the minimum preparations for the Emperor to appear in public.
Jircniv looked himself over one more time, to make sure that his appearance would not shame himself or the Empire.
What would follow was a negotiation with Ainz Ooal Gown, though in truth it would be closer to a war of words. In other words, his formal wear was the social equivalent of a warrior’s sword and shield. The consequences of any flaws or deficiencies in his bearing would not be limited to simple embarrassment. Although it would be good if his opponent was not observant enough to pick those flaws out, he could not count on the details of his attire being overlooked.
Jircniv nodded in satisfaction, and just at that moment, a knock rang out from the door.
“Then, I shall disembark first, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll leave that to you.”
After that short answer, Baziwood opened the carriage’s door.
It was a stately, proper exit that befitted the carriage which bore the highest authority in the Baharuth Empire. Just in case, Roune interposed himself between the Emperor and the outside as the door opened, serving as a shield for Jircniv.
They could see what lay outside, beyond Baziwood.
The first thing that came into view was the grass of the plains. After that were the royal guards, lined up opposite the carriage. Beyond them lay a hill that swelled up from the plains, and what looked like a huge lattice door that seemed to have been half-buried.