Overlord (WN) - Chapter 87

Chapter 87

　There was a giant surface of water in the room .

　No, it would not be accurate to call it a room . Surrounded by white circular alabaster pillars supporting entablature with finely detailed friezes, such a mysterious and solemn place was worthy to be called a temple .

　The floor was polished marble, its continuity broken by a set of steps heading down into the water located near the centre of the room . You could call it a pool inside the temple, even though it was just a square area ten metres in length .

　Moonlight shone right through the ceilingless construction, reflecting in the water and making it glow palely . Not only the water, the walls and floor were illuminated by the gentle radiance as well, making the whole place shine . Thus while there were no torches, everything was blindingly bright .

　A slight wind flowed between the round pillars in this mysterious room .

　Despite it being a mysterious and solemn place, certain inelegant people were destroying the atmosphere .

　Between the round stone pillars were people wearing full body armour, swords hanging from their waists . However, while the armour and swords were completely functional, there were features which seemed purely aesthetic in nature .

　While it was boorish, the design of the armour negated its effect on the mysteriousness of the place . Rather, it added to it .

　And the surprising thing is, that while there were three times as many people as there were pillars, all were women .

　Since men were usually physically stronger than women, women were rarely employed as guards . But the reason for their being here at this location, clearly of great importance just from its appearance? There was only one .

　They were the honour guards assigned to this mysterious place .

　This place—

　The Slane Theocracy . The sacred city that was their capitol contains six Great Temples . Amongst them, the Temple of the Water God was one of their largest sacred grounds .

[Tinu Al Rianes] . It was a location with the title of [The Eye of the Water God] .

　There was deathly silence .

　The guards standing in the surroundings— They were called Temple Guards in the Slane Theocracy— were so still one might think they were immobile . It was likely to mistake them for statues . Even their armour made no sounds; each piece did not shift and rub against one another . This extreme lack of movement was something that was praiseworthy .

　Time passed .

　It was not just silent, it was tranquil . And then a sound broke that tranquility .

　It was the sound of bare feet on stone .

　Petari petari .

   Petari petari .

   Petari petari .

　The guards’ helms turned slightly, facing the people that entered the area .

　At the lead was an old woman . White hair sprouted from above an extremely wrinkled face . However it was obvious that she was no ordinary old woman, for her eyes glimmered with wisdom, affection and power .

　Her pure white priest’s outfit was engraved with symbols, and on each hand she wore rings that gave her magical protection . A plain but powerful magical headband decorated her forehead . A mysterious holy accessory hung from her neck .

　Right behind that old woman .

　Walking there was a young girl . She was extremely young, and did not seem to have gone through puberty yet . Wearing a blindfold, she was led by two young women .

　The cloth covering her eyes hid most of her facial features as well . Even so, it was possible to tell that she had a sharp face . However, as if nervous, her expression was a frozen mask . Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and shone with a soft glow in the moonlight .

　On her forehead she wore a large circlet that covered her head with threads like a spider’s web . Decorating the string-like metal were countless gems, and a large blue crystal was embedded in the centre .

　She wore a cloth that was slightly open in the front .

　The cloth was thin, and with the moonlight shining brightly on her, her body underneath could be clearly seen . In addition, since the cloth was loosely fixed around her waist by a string, one could almost see her naked body each time the wind blew .

　That girl walked barefooted . No, not only the girl . Several women dressed similarly followed her closely .

　The main difference that their eyes were not covered, and that some were older . No, perhaps the first girl was the youngest .

　This was a scene that would leave most men drooling . For that reason, all the people here were women .

　The old woman reached the edge of the pool . The entire procession came to a synchronised stop .

“We shall now begin the ritual… . Water Miko-Hime, please enter . ”

　A woman pulled on the blindfolded girl and led her to the centre of the pool .

　The girl silently entered the water, showing no expression of surprise at the difference in temperature . Perhaps she knew that it was going to happen . Or perhaps it was for another reason altogether .

　As the Water Miko-Hime reached the centre with water up to her waist, the others behind her began to enter as well .

　With the Miko-Hime at the centre, a circle was formed around her .

　Absorbing the water, her clothes stuck to her skin . There was practically no difference from her being naked . However, all of them stayed silent . The Water Miko-Hime’s expressionless face, and their own, all hid a tinge of nervousness .

“Now focus your power on the Water Miko-Hime . ”

　Responding to the instruction of the old woman outside the pool, the people around the Water Miko-Hime began chanting simultaneously . These chants were part of their sacred book; prayers to the Water God .

　Waves formed in the water . These were not due to the wind . It was like the waves were conscious and formed waves . To be more precise, it seemed like they were caused by the Water Miko-Hime .

　No— it was not like she was causing it . The Water Miko-Hime was indeed causing it .

　Fatigue started showing on faces of the surrounding women as their magic was drained .

　The old woman, sensing the flow of magic, decided that it was enough . She gave her next order .

“Now, activate . 8th Tier Magic [Planar Eye] . ”

　A large ritual .

　It was a method to temporarily increase one’s magic power by concentrating the magic power of a group into one person .

　A large volume of magic power was sent to her by the surrounding high priests .

　A drop of blood dripped from the Water Miko’s nose . She was trying to contain the large volume of magic power provided by the surrounding priests . This was an act that harmed her body .

　However the Water Miko-Hime showed no anguish .

　And then the Water Miko-Hime activated the magic that was far beyond her limits .

“<Overmagic Planar Eye>”

　A divination magic of the 8th Tier .

　The divination target was in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick . Their goal was an investigation of the god-like being who resided there .

　The Water Miko-Hime activated the magic .

　Nothing happened . The moonlight filtered down in the unchanged silence .

　Then a metallic sound was heard . Each sound was small, but a large number of it mixed together into a louder sound . It came from the movement of the surrounding guards .

　The old woman directed an unhappy gaze at them . However she could not hide her unease at the fact that nothing was happening .

　Supposedly, an image should have been formed .

　A projected image should have formed in front of the Water Miko-Hime . That was the effect of the magic .

　But nothing happened .

　In all of the countless rituals, such a thing had never happened before . It was true that if they were blocked by magic, nothing but darkness would be shown . However this was the first time nothing had occured .

　Why is it that this time?…

　As that question reached a climax in their heads, words appeared in the air . No one present could read it . Japanese was not a common language in this world . But there was something more pressing .

　The priests in the water slowly began to fall .

　Losing consciousness due to lack of magic power was possible . However, large rituals did not cause such a loss of magic . This was as the members assembled were calculated to have ample magic power . And at worst, they were people that understood the point where they should stop . It was impossible for so many of them to lose consciousness .

“Lend me your strength! We are pulling out!”

　Reacting to the old woman’s voice, several guards moved forward . They all simultaneously entered the water . Most of the guards stayed behind, drew their swords and looked around in caution .

“You three, call the priests from outside!”

“Yes!”

　The selected three guards ran out . At that period the guards parted the water to try and save the Water Miko whose body was spread out like a flower in the water .

　After the old woman gave her orders, she gazed at the words in the air . If she were a deviant magic caster she could cast a magic that allowed them to read the unknown words . However, the old woman was a priest and could not read it .

　However she could tell when the words changed .

　The old woman’s eyes narrowed .

　The words that first appeared were [—Confirming an attack to the 2nd Defensive Layer . Resulting from the effects of divination, this location has been confirmed as the one to have activated a divination spell targeting Nazarick . From this point forth the people of this location are taken to be hostile to Nazarick, and Ainz Ooal Gown shall begin the counterattack . ]

　The words had changed to [Initiating the 1st Attack . Summoning a group of low-ranked demons . Activate [Runesmith] skill . Activating <Summon Abyssal Lesser Army> from Rune creation skill . ]

　Suddenly— Something unfathomable appeared in the sky .

　A black hole that seemed to suck in everything . While it looked like a circle, it was actually a sphere .

　Sensing the empty hole, the guards aimed their swords at it . This was not a normal occurrence, but until all the priests were recovered retreat was impossible .

　Shielding the priests that were slowly being recovered from the water, they surrounded the hole and prepared for anything that would happen .

“Vice-Head Priest of the Water God, please step back . ”

“I’m fine . More importantly, get the unconscious priests to safety . ”

“Yes . ”

　One of the guards picked up a Water Miko and ran outside as quickly as she could . In her peripheral vision, she saw the old woman, the Vice-Head Priest of Water, sigh in relief . Even if the worst case scenario occurred, the crown of wisdom was still protected .

　As if waiting for this moment, the sphere began to change .

　As if born from the sphere, several marbles fell to the floor . Some fell into the water, making splashes .

“What!”

　Someone made a sound that was a mix between a scream and a shout of surprise . Reacting to it, the ‘marbles’ also made some sounds .

“Gyagyagyagya!”

　The strange voices belonged to demons that were slightly larger than children .

　They had large heads of varying size, crimson eyes without eyelids, and a mouth baring a row of sharp teeth . Their bodies were also had varying narrowness . Their two long arms almost reached the floor and had sharp claws growing out of them .

　Their skin was pale like corpses, and under the moonlight, they did look like corpses that died of disease .

　They were monsters known as Light Fingered Demons

“The intrusion of evil into this sacred place cannot be forgiven . ”

“Attack!”

　The guards ran and swung their swords at the Light Fingered Demons . The demons skillfully dodged and made their counterattack .

“What!”

“No way!”

　The guards facing the demons simultaneously became rowdy . It was not from pain, but due to some confusion .

“My armour!”

　The armour she was wearing had disappeared .

“—My sword’s gone!”

“No way! My holy symbol’s gone!”

　The shouts of the guards losing their possessions could be heard . Under these circumstances, it was obvious what had happened . The demons in front of them had taken it . Thinking about it, the demons should have retaliated, but none of the guards were injured . Then these demons had to be that class of monsters .

　Light Fingered Demon . Their name meant [Bad demons with sticky fingers] .

　They had the setting of being able to steal any item in Nazarick, and could even steal World Items . However since the development company had received many complaints, they patched them such that they could only steal equivalent level items .

　But given they could steal potions, there were still many unhappy low level players .

“Shit! Give it back!”

“My ring! My fiance gave me that!”

“They are really stealing everything!”

　The guards attacked the demons with swords— The ones that were not stolen .

　They were the lowest level demons in Yggdrasil and were monsters that did not have powerful abilities, but to the guards, these were strong enemies .

　Not to look down on the guards . They had all undergone strict training, and were stronger than the guards of Roble Kingdom . All of them had well-defined six-packs, (ED: puts me to shame) that was how much they had trained .

　However, their swords did not reach the demons .

　While making their high-pitched strange noises, the demons dodged the swords . However they stayed within the reach of the swords . The guards then immediately noticed something .

　They were being made fun of .

“Shit!”

“Damn it!”

“Please give it back! What good will it do to take it!”

　Even if their swords hit the demons, no major damage was dealt . Fortunately, the demons did not try to kill the guards . Understanding that, the Vice-Head Priest of Water heaved a sigh of relief . Now even if she could not protect the priests, their lives would not be in danger .

　The Vice-Head Priest of Water, protected by guards, began to attack .

“<Holy Aura>!”

　As the Vice-Head Priest of Water activated the magic, waves of virtue were released into the surroundings . It was a 4th Tier magic that had an effect against beings of evil . As the waves of virtue wrapped around the bodies of the demons, their movements slowed .

“We can do this!”

“Eat this!”

“Seriously, give it back!”

　Their swords hit, and the air slowly filled with the smell of blood . However, while they were the lowest ranked demons, they were part of a strong race of monsters, and were not that easily defeated .

　In the end, the demons turned and ran .

“Wait!”

“Shit!”

“Please! Wait! Seriously, wait!”

　The demons showed surprising adroitness and jumped into the sphere of emptiness . The moment they did, their figures disappeared like they were disintegrated . While the guards chased them as close as possible, none of them had the courage to jump into that ball .

　The guards’ gazes fell on the Vice-Head Priest of Water . The old woman shook her head .

“It’s fine . We should be happy that no one was killed . ”

　The Vice-Head Priest of Water looked at the words floating in the air . They were indeed different from the ones in her memories .

　Written there was, [Confirming that the amount of time has elapsed . Shifting to the 2nd Attack . Summoning of a group of middle ranked demons . Activate [Blood Magus] skill . From the skill Sacrifice Blood—- Failure . Unable to detect the necessary number of dead allies . ]

　While ordering a withdrawal, the Vice-Head Priest of Water was troubled .

“… . Did they not attack seriously? Or could they only do that much?”

　She then refuted herself immediately . It was definitely not the latter .

　It was a being that could block a spell of the 8th Tier, that was the highest rank humans could cast, and there was no way that this was the best counter they could give . Then it was best that they interpret this as a warning .

“Basically the master of Nazarick has the ability to block an 8th Tier spell and send demons as a counter . ”

　The Vice-Head Priest of Water said that and laughed from her heart .

　This wasn’t a joke . How did something like that possibly exist? However, the truth in front of her eyes could not be glossed over .

　Looking at the guards retreating in a panic, and confirming that there was no one that could hear her, she spoke her thoughts .

“… . Could it be that he is a god?”

　When she first heard it she thought it was a joke .

　That the master of Nazarick looked similar to the God of Death [Surshana] .

“This will be trouble . At worst it could cause a theological split . ”

　The Slane Theocracy believed in the Six Great Gods, worked together as an organisation, and built a country . Thus while they had different gods, they had the same goal could work together on them . Then what would happen if only one of the gods descended?

　At worst, there was the possibility that the power balance within the temples would crumble . However she could not erase what had happened . It was not because sealing everyone’s lips was difficult, but because of the worry of what would happen in the future should she hide this .

　No, her heart might only be filled with fear .

　Should a god truly appear, she would fall on her knees . In front of a being that she should obey .

　However what was scary was that the being looked like [Surshana] . The god that granted eternal peace to those with life, and the god that granted eternal despair . And the god that was stronger than the other five .

　If it was true—

　The Vice-Head Priest of the Water God’s body shook . She then prayed . Not to her god, but to the God of Death [Surshana] . As if saying, please do not punish us .

　■

　The white sparkling mass slowly got up .

　It was a huge being .

　It was a dragon .

　This race was once known as the strongest in the world, and were the previous rulers of it .

　One may think of a dragon bearing traits of a reptilian animal . However, that was a mistake . Dragons had characteristics that were extremely similar to that of felines .

　Their muscular system, the movement of their eyes, the similarities were countless .

　Most important was the fact that the combination of several thousand muscles allowed its giant body to move in perpetual silence . If one did not train, one would not be able to detect a dragon’s motion .

　The scales that completely covered their bodies were harder than steel, and could break any normal metal blade . Even if their scales were pierced, their muscles could prevent the blade from going in too deeply . It was the same for blunt weapons . They would bounce off the thick layer of muscles .

　Any being would turn to ash in front of their blaze and their wisdom was far beyond any great sage .

　To top it off, dragons were extremely beautiful . Their body gave off a silver glow and had an air of elegance about it . It was to the point where one could call it a work of art as much as the strongest species .

　The dragon looked into the distance .

　It had a bad feeling . Like the world was being shaken .

“Did something happen? Platinum Dragonlord-sama?”

　The one who spoke was the dragon’s knight . The dragon knew from its dragon sense that he was there, but turned to look nonetheless, feeling that a lack of eye contact during a conversation would be rude .

　This was a knight that the dragon had chose .

　A silver scale mail armour similar to dragon scales covered his body and he held a platinum spear . The armour’s dragon motif made it look like an upright dragon .

　And who would know, that this armour was worn by the person known as one of the 13 Heros nicknamed [Platinum] .

“No, it’s nothing . ”

　The dragon looked once again, eyes glazed with emptiness .

　The knight looked in the same direction, but could not see anything . No, even the dragon was not looking at anything either . In response to the knight’s confusion, the dragon explained .

“I just felt that the world was screaming . ”

“Screaming you say?”

　The senses of a dragon was on a different scale . The knight knew that he could not feel anything and did not enquire further .

　The dragon said nothing . However, his senses told him that he had felt this feeling long ago .

　It was simple to recall that feeling .

　It was because it was impossible to pour those memories into the drain of oblivion .

　—The Eight Greed Kings . The beings who had fought with his race in the past . And the beings that had hunted and killed most of the dragons . The magic released felt similar to its past dangerous enemies .

　The dragon recalled the history of the world .

　By those beings, the dragons that were harkened as the strongest were hunted down . The current beings called Dragonlords, were in the past— More than 500 years ago, nothing more than children to the past Dragonlords .

　And Wild Magic .

　No one but the dragons knew the primordial magics, the secrets of the world .

　If they had banded together earlier to fight they would have won . This dragon had thought the same thing over the past five hundred years .

　In the end they won . This was because the past dragon lords defeated the Eight Greed Kings .

　They attacked one King with many dragons . Even against just 1 King, the dragons had multiple casualties . And the Eight Greed Kings had magic that allowed them to revive after death .

　However, the Eight Greed Kings grew weaker every time they revived . If they banded together they might have won . But that did not happen .

　In the end the world was violated and defiled .

　Wild Magic was lost and the world was filled with the magic the Eight Greed Kings had spread .

　The dragon twisted its long neck and looked at the weapon behind it . At the weapon that ever since placed here, was never touched . It was a resplendent sword, with a blade of crystal . It was the weapon that the Eight Greed Kings swung to kill his brethren . And the sword that the leader of the 13 Heroes wielded .

　In the base of the Eight Greed Kings, he had lent out the item as a symbol of his blessings .

　Its name was—

　The dragon then blinked its eyes .

“What did he call it?” Thinking for some time, the dragon forced out some words . “… . A Guilti Weapon?” (TL: Two options: Guild Weapon or Guilty Weapon . )

　Of course, there was no way to check if that answer was right or wrong . The dragon made an annoyed sigh, and again, looked in a certain direction . There— far beyond the range of a dragon’s senses .

　The Southern End of the Azerlisia Mountain Range, at a certain giant lake .