15 Chp-15 A Grand Procession
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3rdPov-Gemmera, Throne Room.
After 3 days of meeting Bael in his throne room, Carlos Finally returned to Gemmera and immediately requested an audience with the King.
With the revelation that the Continent they believed to be unoccupied was the Domain of a Powerful Overlord, whom none has any knowledge or understanding of who he is or his origins spead an air of Anxiety and Doubtfulness in the throne room.
This news certainly warranted a National Level Emergency Meeting. The simple fact that a powerful being, who most probably was a Demon Lord ruled that place and they had unknowingly intruded in his territory was a grave news for even a Large City like Falmus, let alone their small nation.
They choose not to deny this fact was because it came from the mouth of Carlos, who was a respected and powerful mage.
King George V, the ruling king of Gemmera, sat on his golden throne, Gilded with the precious gems that was a speciality of their Country.
His head hung low, thinking of possible ways to overcome this situation his country has found itself in.
While the court was embroiled in a heated argument of how to deal with it, none came up with a relative solution.
As tensions rise within the royal court, whispers of unrest echoed through the halls.
"Sir Carlos, please excuse my scepticism, but I find this hard to swallow that all these years there was no sign of any movement from the continent. Now we have seemingly contacted a being what we could guess to be A Demon Lord. This matter doesn't sit right with me."
Since the court reached a non-conclusive point, A high ranked noble of the Royal Faction turned towards Carlos and spoke up.
"I understand that some if not most of you will be doubtful of what I had said. But, please believe in this that I have nothing to gain from deceiving any of you."
Carlos, a tone of seriousness laced in his words answered.
"No Sir Carlos, what I meant was not to say that you are trying to deceive us but the thing is...it is very strange that A 'demon Lord' that none of us are informed about resided there."
Clarifying his question, the Noble said.
"It is as you say. We are not informed of who he might be. But I assure you..that whoever he is, our Kingdom is no match for him."
Carlos stated, causing an uproar in the court.
"Silence!", Gowlard, the Commander In Chief exclaimed. Which perfectly calmed the crowd.
"We cannot afford to let our guard down, Your Majesty. Whoever this Bael is, he must have some ulterior motives"
He said to the king.
"Father, I must agree with Sir Gowlard. I don't feel that a Demon Lord would have
any kindness to help a small kingdom like us. As a matter of fact, he must have some other plans."
The Princess of the Kingdom, Rubia who sat beside the King turned towards him and agreed with Gowlard.
"Your Majesty, your highness Princess Rubia, with due respect,Bael's assistance could bolster our defenses and provide much-needed relief to our beleaguered kingdom. We must seize this opportunity to strengthen Gemmera's position and safeguard our people."
One of the Councilmen of the nation who manages the administration of the kingdom voiced his opinion. His name was Councillor A
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, we must consider the long-term ramifications of aligning ourselves with Bael. We must be careful of this Bael. It won't do good for us if this outsider interferes in any of our Internal Issues." Another Councilman, Councillor B debated.
"What do you suggest we do, Councillor B? With the crystals I have somehow brought, it will barely be enough to put a sizable dent on the increasing monsters. And the First Ones to get effected by the Chaos of the monster outbreak would be you, whose Territory is close to the mines." Carlos stated his thoughts on the matter.
This statement effectively stopped what ever B was going to spout.
George asked, "Then Carlos, should we accept 'his' help?"
"Indeed. Your Majesty, Princess and Prince, esteemed councilors. Bael's offer of assistance is fraught with uncertainty. While we don't know what his true intentions are, we should know that his help could save many lives. This Crystal given by him, has the power to Put a barrier on the mines for a limited time until his Arrival." Revealing a Green Crystal, that had intricate magic circles inside its core, everyone were in awe of the magic power that it was releaseing.
" Are you sure Sir Carlos? That this crystal doesn't contain any other spell that may be disastrous for us?", Concerned of any malicious attempts, Gowlard asked Carlos.
" No, Commander. I have thoroughly checked this during my return journey and I have not found any enchantments other than a very powerful Barrier spell."
King George V, his voice firm announced , "Very well Carlos. I shall accept His help, as I put my trust in your words. But We must proceed with caution and weigh the risks carefully. Our kingdom's future hangs in the balance, and we cannot afford to make hasty decisions in the face of uncertainty."
Carlos bowed, "Thankyou your majesty."
"Hear me O' subjects of my nation. We may not know who this Bael is, but what we do know is that we shall remain strong in this unknown future. We shall walk this path through and emerge victorious." George declared. Intending to raise the morales of the people.
As the King had decreed, the atmosphere of the throne room gradually became a Place of Patriotism and determination that they wouldn't crumble in the face of an unknown adversary.
"Gowlard, are you willing to protect this nation?" Smiling, George asked.
Grinning widely, Gowlard answered as he bowed before George.
"Indeed Your Majesty, my spear is always ready to protect and kill for the Kingdom."
Just then as if fate had a twisted sense of humour a messenger arrived with a concerning news.
"Your majesty!! This is terrible!"
"Calm down soldier! State your reason for entering this high level meeting," Duke Lucas spoke to the messenger.
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" What? Is this true?", George, now under an even more immense pressure spoke up.
" Yes Your Majesty.", still gasping for some air, the messenger said.
The messenger brought news of the new structure of the Demon Lord's Council. A Walpurgis was held where The Oldest Demon Lord Guy Crimson introduced the new Member. But 4 of the Demon Lords opposed him from joining their ranks.
That new member, in a display of his immense strength instantly wiped out the total army of those 4 DemonLords. The army numbered at almost 300k, mixed of some Majins, Monsters and Powerful Demons. Such a number was enough to become an international threat to any kingdom.
And the name of That member was....Bael Draconio Armenon. Tittled OverLord of The Dragons. Hearing the name everyone couldn't help but glance at Carlos.
And Carlos, as if unaware of the gazes chuckled in self depreciation.
'*chuckles* as i thought, he was really not a simple being '
As that, the fate of Gemmera became seemingly Bleek of what the future may hold for it.
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Next Day.
Carlos Pov
An atmosphere of anticipation and anxiety hung in the air as we awaited Bael's arrival. The barrier crystal he gave, provided a temporary reprieve from the monster infestation, but our kingdom remained on edge, wary of the looming power surrounding him.
In the day leading up to Bael's visit, the kingdom buzzed with activity. Preparations were made to welcome the powerful Overlord.
As the court mage, I oversaw the deployment of the barrier crystal, ensuring its proper activation and to also see it's effects first hand.
Surprised and awed, such mere simple words are not enough to describe what I and the rest of us felt when the Crystal was activated..
On activation, it sucked almost all of mine and the Mage corp's mana. Building a large translucent green dome over the whole mountain which housed the main entrance to the mines.
On inspection, the Monsters were unable to exit the field but we were able to enter unimpeded.
This further solidified my resolve to not make the Kingdom his enemy by any means.
---
Within the royal court, whispers of intrigue swirled like shadows in the night. Noble factions vied for influence, each seeking to capitalize on Bael's visit for their own gain. Seemingly forgetting who he was.
The Barrier spell sparked the greed and power hungry nature of some of the nobles, they started to scheme about how to make Bael turn to their sides. They are Truly ignorant guys, deep inside their illusions of fragile power they think they have.
I will never get used to this nauseating amount of Hypocrisy that these nobles seem to ooze out. Just mere days ago they opposed of idea of letting an "outsider" interfere with "our" internal matters. And now, after hearing about the miracles of the crystal, they decided to switch opinions as if it were clothes.
---
George V POV.
I have since ruled this Kingdom for 50 years now. My age and vigor has started to just decline from this point onwards. I had thought that I might die seeing my Kingdom prosper but it seems fate had other plans.
First the Monster Infestation occurred, which never once did in the history of Gemmera. And just when we thought that we had found a solution in the form of Death Lands. We hear that it is occupied by a Demon Lord.
"*Sigh* things can't get any worse than this."
I sighed in exhaustion. I was inside my chambers, away from the judging eyes of the noble society. As I sat at my office chair, my head on the head rest. A knock was heard.
"Father? It's me, Rubia. May I come in?"
My dear daughter Rubia's muffled voice was heard.
She was a genius in coming up with strategies that helped with the development of the nation. And her work on the orphanage would certainly bring some benefits...
" Father, there's something unsettling about Bael's generosity. I fear that we might get trapped in his Schemes..", She voiced her concerns to me about...Bael.
Till now, I am completely unaware of who he is, but my lifelong experience and judgement has led me to believe in my instincts.
"I share your concerns, Dear Rubia .But I feel that Accepting his help might do us more good than harm. I hope that we form a diplomatic relations between us such that it may benifit Gemmera."
"I understand father. I also had a request.."
"Speak my child.."
"The Bandits seem to have gotten active once more. I need your assistance in securing the orphanage.", she brought up the matter of the Bandits.
A very Infamous one at that...they are getting more and more courageous now that half of the military is busy dealing with the monsters.
"I saw the reports. Rest assured my child, I will certainly send a squad of knights to guard the orphanage." Thinking of how to deal with the bandits, i answered.
"Thank you father", happy with the end result, Rubia Smiled and bid farewell exiting the Office.
---
3rd Pov..
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting Gemmera in its rays of sunset, the sky erupted with the beating of mighty wings and the roar of dragons from the distance.
From the depths of the heavens descended Bael, astride a colossal dragon of obsidian scales, its eyes gleaming with ancient wisdom and boundless power. Behind him, a legion of dragons, their forms silhouetted against the fading light, soared in a majestic procession.
Beside his Collosal Dragon were 4 more dragons half the size of his dragons but still larger that the 20 or so Medium Dragons trailing them.
On each sat, Adrigal, Gaia, Rombus and Aria.
The people of Gemmera watched in awe and trepidation as Bael's entourage descended upon the kingdom, the ground trembling beneath the weight of their arrival.
As the entourage came closer, the scales of the dragons glinting in the fading light landed.
Having dropped off the dignitaries, soared through the heavens with majestic grace. The dragon's roars echoed across the land, a symphony of power and dominance.
From amidst the throng of dragons, Bael descended, his presence commanding the attention of all who beheld him. His form, cloaked in a air of mystery, radiated an aura of otherworldly power, his eyes gleaming with the wisdom of ages.
Seeing him, George could not help but wisper to Carlos standing beside him along with his council of Nobles to welcome Bael.
"Is he?..."
" Yes, Your highness, he's the Overlord of the Dragons, Demon Lord Bael.", Carlos, still gazing at the approaching entourage answered.
" *Chuckles* Seeing this display, I believe the title truly suits him perfectly.", George stated.
" *chuckles* Indeed."
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"We meet at last, Overlord of the Dragons, Lord Bael."
As Bael and his guardians Approached the King and his Group. George decided to greet him first.
"Indeed..King George The Fifth, Ruler of Gemmera."
Bael giving a toothy grin showcasing his sharp fang? Or teeths, in his Cold and Imposing voice that seems to drip with the wisdom of eras, spoke.
In the shadow of Bael's grandeur, Gemmera stood poised on the precipice of destiny, its future intertwined with the whims of the enigmatic Overlord. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the land into darkness, the stage was set for a confrontation of epic proportions, where the shadows of allegiance would clash with the light of truth, and the fate of the kingdom would hang in the balance
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Aaaand that's all for this chapter.
{A/n: Evolution Requirements:
I received some valid questions about why Bael's killing of 300k army didn't warrent an Evolution or Harvest Festival for him.
Here is the Explanation I gave to the first comment who asked about this. I'll just copy paste what I said to him, avoiding the repetition of replies I will inevitably have to give.
It's different for every souls that come from the races. The most potent and easy way for evolution is gathering Human souls.
Monster souls are relatively less potent and needs to be gathered in larger numbers (this is canon i think) so following this, i changed his requirements to meet like 100k human souls or 1 million souls of monsters ie a 1:10 ratio.
Also, this is totally canon btw, Souls have to have egos or i think grudges to count as evolution material. So that's that.
Remember, these souls are from common Humans or monsters, more stronger ones will affect the numbers.
Since those demon lord's Armies make up for almost 60% Demons which they summoned, whose souls Bael willing let go to be sent back to the Demon Realm, the number of collected souls is less.
So according to all these, the numbers Bael killed is very small. And didn't start off the Harvest Festival Event.
Hope this fixes whatever loopholes was gonna get created.
See ya in the next chapter.
