Chapter Fifty-Five

  Cenna’s head pounded like a wardrum, right away he knew what he’d consumed, and more or less ‘how much’. ‘But that vixen kept offering me more… and it was sooo good.’ He rubbed his temple and licked his lips at the same time, thinking of both the she-wolf and the wine alike, a smile spread out over his face as he found himself awake again and staring up at the stone ceiling.

  More and more of the night came back to him, and for the first time on his journey with Cardinal Dominic, he was glad he’d come along. ‘No… no that’s not right, it’s the ‘second’ time.’ That wild blonde prostitute definitely counted. ‘I wonder if she made it to Kami Miyako?’ Part of him doubted he would ever see her again, ten of the gold pieces he’d given to her would have bought a sizable home and a fair bit of land, particularly if she bought something close to the elven border where it was still dangerous and so land was cheap. ‘She earned it, though.’ He admitted, and realized he was wrong again.

  ‘Third time, this is the third time I’m glad I came along.’ He thought of the twisted scene that would have been the ‘feast of lambs’ involving Cerebrate and an intended ‘orgy’ with young boys and girls. Killing that one had been a pleasure.

  Cenna never counted himself a weak or sentimental sort of man, given his profession, how could he? But he had also been raised in the harshest of environments, while also being coddled and praised by those who looked to him for leadership. This might have led him to be more arrogant, but he knew all too well that someone superior to himself was not treated so.

  He couldn’t look at their lost, hopeless faces and not think of Zesshi. ‘Hidden away like they’re ashamed over, barely anyone to call a companion aside from a few of us, and scorned so badly that she has to hide her features. She pretends she doesn’t care, but I know the truth.’ He’d seen the dejection on failed recruits who had to be sent home or sent to weaker scriptures.

  And her face made that expression when she wasn’t careful to hide it. It looked far, far too much like those small ones he’d rescued. For all the seriousness of his thoughts in that direction, he could picture Raymond’s confused face when that half dozen showed up at his door. ‘I’m getting scolded when I go back.’ Cenna thought, and actively looked forward to the old man’s false outrage and real indignation.

  So it was with these pleasant contemplations that he woke up to check and see if the redhead was still there. She was not. Cenna wore a little half smile, sometimes they stayed, sometimes they left, if they left happy, that was good enough for him one way or the other.

  He got out of bed and rang for assistance, and when a young maid met him at the door, he settled down to the business of starting his day. ‘Please, for the love of all the gods, do not… do not let Dominic do anything stupid.’ He stretched out, listened for an answer, and the gods said not a word.

  Dominic leaned over slightly when Cenna finally took position at his left hand. “It took you long enough.” He whispered.

  “Are you in a hurry to wait?” Cenna whispered back, “Perhaps we’ll have a stroke of luck and they’ll invite us to have more Anarian white, more women, and more song to pass the time? How’s your head?” He asked as a follow up, and Dominic grunted before unconsciously rubbing his throbbing temple.

  “Cenna?” Dominic asked.

  “Yes?” Cenna replied, that same boyish smile fixed in place.

  “Shut up and wait.” Dominic groaned.

  Cenna laughed low a few times and settled into silence while they waited for the doors of the day to begin, and as it turned out, there was little waiting left to be had.

  The double doors finally groaned open, and Cenna was gladder than ever that it was he who came with Dominic and not someone else.

  He was glad, because at the far end of the room, standing directly to the right of the Queen, was a full fledged goat headed demon, goat hooves, humanish arms, the fingers of which had a multitude of wicked looking knives at the tip. A fine formal cloak, top hat, and a curious timepiece…

  And Dominic was reflexively moving into attack posture to strike at the creature. Cenna thought two things simultaneously. ‘That is the most amazing outfit I have ever seen!’ It appealed completely to his ‘its ease to be amazing’ aesthetic, right down to the monocle the demon wore over one eye.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The second and simultaneous thought he had was, ‘I have to stop this idiot.’ And switching his spear from his right hand to his left, he brought the butt of it down hard just behind Dominic’s knee, driving the man into the red carpet which overlaid the stone floor. The stone cracked from the impact, but Cenna covered it by descending to one knee in a nearly identical posture to Dominic and shouting…

  “Your Majesty, Queen Draudillon, and Royal Court Members of the Draconic Kingdom, I, Lord Cenna Tachoni and Cardinal Dominic Irhe Partouche of the Slane Theocracy, bear greetings and wish to approach the throne as we come in peace!”

  Cenna kept the butt of his spear there long enough to remind the Cardinal not to misbehave, then slipped the butt of it off of Dominic’s calf and down to the floor as if it had been a simple ‘accident’.

  Brought back to reality by the blow and the unstated warning to himself, Dominic went with the flow and bowed his head in turn, adjusting himself slightly so that his kneeling posture was proper.

  Cenna held his breath, his mind was going into overdrive as he evaluated the demon. ‘Archdevil at least, from what the reports said of Jaldabaoth, and those knives on his fingers, shaped like his claws. But he oozes power like slimes ooze… ooze…’ It had been a very long time since Cenna had encountered a being like this one, but on every level it felt worse.

  ‘This being is not meant to be defeated.’ The more he sensed, the more he realized that what stood beside the throne of the Queen was beyond his ability to defeat, even if he had Zesshi’s aid. ‘Oh by the gods don’t let her learn about this one or she’ll come running…’ He did his best to kill that thought and when the Queen extended her hand to the position on the carpet where petitioners stopped, Cenna and Dominic stood up and approached.

  “Your Majesty, perhaps… their weapons?” Vermillion suggested, and she looked up toward Ulbert.

  “It’s fine. There is no danger here.” He said, it was a withering criticism that Cenna accepted as simple fact, while Dominic already had cracks forming on his grim expression.

  “Then it’s fine.” The Queen stated and curled her fingers toward herself to call the pair forward.

  “Welcome to my home.” The Queen said, a sweet smile on her round face, her golden blonde hair tumbled freely around her shoulders, she leaned back against her throne and asked, “What brings a representative of the Theocracy here?”

  “A rumor that isn’t a rumor, Draconic Queen.” Dominic turned his eyes toward the demon. “We have heard that you had engaged in demonism, and called forth a creature to assist in defending your country… I see the rumors are true.”

  Ulbert raised one eyebrow, ‘I shouldn’t be surprised that he doesn’t like demons, but even so, how rude!’

  Draudillon didn’t care for his words either, and quickly answered them, “I have summoned nothing. True, Lord Ulbert appeared here in my country, but he was not summoned. More importantly, he has already saved my country. The beastmen are defeated.” The Queen’s reply caused both Cenna and Dominic to raise their eyebrows at the same moment in an almost comical fashion.

  “Not only is my country mine again, but he and his companions have pushed one hundred and eighty miles beyond Yellow Rock. My borders are restored, with interest.” The Queen proclaimed the news, and the entire court let up a cheer of delight that filled the hall while Cenna and Dominic traded looks of rare mutual understanding.

  “By himself?” Cenna asked when the noise died down at the Queen’s raised hands calling for silence.

  “No, though I could have. One of my oldest friends, his son, and my son went out to do it, and we did call in his servants for a single battle… but again there was no need, it was a simple exercise for us.” Ulbert’s goat head couldn’t smile at all, but his enthusiasm was impossible to miss.

  “Friend? Sons?” Dominic lost his eloquence, but Ulbert paid it no mind, answering the dumbfounded Cardinal anyway.

  “Ainz Ooal Gown. Pandora’s Actor, myself, and Demiurge, mostly.”

  “The Sorcerer King?” Cenna asked as the implications began to hit home and Dominic’s brain seemed to have died in his head. The name ‘Pandora’s Actor’ meant nothing, but if the relationships were right then… ‘The Sorcerer King has a son?!’ It was an unexpected revelation and an absurdly casual piece of intelligence to drop…unless they didn’t think it mattered whether anyone else knew or not.

  “Yes. I didn’t ever think I’d see my old friend again, but it turns out he was here in this world all along.” Ulbert’s goat tail wiggled a little with delight.

  “Do you… by chance, have another son? Other than Demiurge?” Cenna asked.

  Ulbert was prepared for this from the time he figured out that Demiurge had played the role of a Demon Emperor, disavowing all knowledge would likely not be believed, and so he went the other way with it.

  “I did. He rebelled against me a very long time ago… he too, came to this world, and I learned of his death recently… foolish boy, foolish, foolish, Jaldabaoth.” Ulbert shook his head, and Cenna could hear the Cardinal’s heart pounding in his chest.