The Queens New Hope

(A/N: It brings me great pleasure that everyone loves my fashion sense. On another note, from the last chapter's comments, I'll be keeping Rimuru and Elaina. I'm not sure if I did give any context for their appearance when I shoved them in as I forgot and I don't want to read my poor writing from months ago. So for now, assume that it's all because of Peroronchino!)

[Timeskip - 2 Days]

[Narrators POV]

Citrinitas gave a low hum as his arm dangled from the window sill of the carriage he was in. The sound of galloping horses filled the silent atmosphere of the moving vehicle before it was broken by a sigh. 'Ahhhhhh, what an uneventful day it has been…' The alchemist internally thought.

And an uneventful day it has been, at least for him. For the better part of half a day, Citrinitas sat in his carriage with nothing to do. Well, that may have been a slight exaggeration. There were occasional pit stops to feed the horses or to relieve yourself, along with talking to the driver. But that was the full extent of things. Citrinitas only had his thoughts and the view to mitigate some of his boredom.

'Well, things could be worse. If I can handle a decade worth of doing jackshit, I can handle this, no issues. Besides, we should be arriving at the Capital any moment now…' Citrinitas thought to himself, focusing on the more positive aspects of things.

It didn't take long for Citrinitas to arrive at the Dragon Kingdoms Capital. The grand stone walls made sure to emphasise the fact quite clearly. The carriage slowed down as it neared the iron gates that were guarded by some simple guards.

The driver briefly talked with one of the guards before showing some proper identification. With a simple nod and a shout saying "let them in," Citrinitas' carriage continued to move on before finally coming to a halt near the adventurers guild.

The diver hopped off his seat and over the polls that kept the horses in place before opening the alchemist's door. "You've arrived at your destination, Ordan Karris. I dropped you off not too far away from the adventurers guild as that place has all the information you'd need. It's basically the hub for everything in the Capital that isn't politics. You'd have to go to the royal castle for that, haha!"

The plague doctor reciprocated the man's laugh with a friendly chuckle. "Thank you, Desmos. You don't need to tell me where the guild is. Only a fool could miss a building like the guild. Anyways, enough rambling…" Citrinitas formed a small, black void in the air before putting his hand in it.

"I know I already paid you at the start. However, someone like you deserves a bit extra. Consider this a bonus for your hard work." Citrinitas lightly chucked the sack of coins to Desmos as he caught it. With confusion, the driver briefly opened the sac before his eyes went wide at examining its contents.

"What?" He said to himself, almost not believing what he saw. "This… this is easily twice what you paid me. And thrice THAT amount! There is no need to be this generous, good Sir!" Desmos argued with sincerity and honesty. "It's fine, really. I have plenty of wealth not even including my quest rewards. You probably deserve it more than I do. Your family won't go hungry for months."

The driver was doing his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. "Are you sure?" He asked, to which Citrinitas only nodded. "I'm sure." He stated. Desmos sucked up his emotions before wiping away a tear. "I can see why people already admire you. You're far better than Cerabrate, that's for certain!" Citrinitas only shrugged from the compliment.

"I get that plenty as of late. Anyways, I should be going. Don't want to waste the rest of the afternoon here, do I?" Desmos realized his mistake before needlessly bowing. "Very well, Sir Ordan Karris." "You can drop the Sir." "Very well, Ordan Karris. I'll take my leave now that my job is done."

The driver quickly got back on his carriage before galloping away, not before shouting praise to the adventurer, leaving Citrinitas to his own thoughts and devices. 'Eh, I could always make more gold. Besides, the guy needs it more than I do. No point in hoarding it all when I could improve my image by helping the people. Anyways, I should get going to the Capitals guild now…'

[Timeskip - 15 Minutes]

[Scene Change]

'Ahhhh, when will he come here?' To say that Draudillion Oriculus had a sense of nervousness would have underplayed how she actually felt. The feeling was similar to a young child waiting for their birthday. Except instead of a child and a birthday, it was a Queen eager to meet an adventurer. Perhaps a better comparison was a person meeting their idol in a meet-and-greet.

Nonetheless, the thought of the elusive and powerful Ordan Karris never left her mind since the first time she heard of his achievements. 'There's only 4 days in the week left. Ahhhh, keep it cool, Draudillion! There's still plenty of time for him to meet with me. 4 days is long enough for him to come here. But what if it isn't?!' If the Queen were in her bed, she'd be screaming in her pillow from anticipation.

While she was contemplating, a loud and echoey knock came from the Throne room door, making the Queen jolt from surprise and abrupting her train of thought. "E-Enter!" She shouted with a minor stutter, still slightly shocked by the sudden sound.

With a loud creak of the Throne room door came our favourite messenger boy, Bob. Who, was dressed in his simple butler outfit per usual. "Bob? What brings you here? I didn't call for you to come here, did I?" Draudillion asked with confusion.

"Uhm… no, your majesty. I do apologize for my sudden intrusion. However, I believe that it would be most beneficial to inform you about the knowledge I've acquired." The Queen quickly processed what the messenger said before speaking. "Go on…" Draudillion stated as she got into a more comfortable position atop her throne.

"Reports state that Ordan Karris has arrived in the Capi-" "WHAT?!" The Queen screamed in quite a comical outburst, making Bob flinch from how loud she was. "Uhm… I mean… what? Uhhh… please tell me more!" Draudillion said, this time not erupting like an active volcano.

"That's… about it, unfortunately. Ordan arrived in the Capital not even 15 minutes ago. The only piece of information I have is that he's without his team and in the Capitals adventurers guild."

The Queen gulped the forming saliva in her mouth. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get him here now!" She said frantically. The fantastic messenger boy furiously nodded at his Queens demand as he quickly rushed out of the Throne room, leaving Draudillion to her own devices.

It wasn't until Bob shut the Throne room door that the Queen realized something. 'Wait a fucking moment… Ordan Karris is coming HERE! TO THIS CASTLE! I HAVE NOTHING PREPARED!' "WAIT, BOB! COME BACK! I NEED YOU TO HELP ME GET THE SERVANTS READY!!!"

[Timeskip - ???]

[Scene Change]

Citrinitas sat in one of the more secluded areas of the guild, wanting some peace and quiet while he read the pamphlet in his hands. 'The Wonders of Entoross' the title read. To the dismay of some, the Dragon Kingdom did have a proper name for their Capital. It being Entoross. Whether it was a good name or not, you'd have to bring that conversation to Brightness Dragon Lord, who coined it.

'Ironic. It mentions 'wonders' but there are basically none. Well, that's expected as this country IS crumbling to pieces thanks to the Beastmen Nation.' The alchemist concluded, folding the pamphlet up before turning the thing to ash with a silent, fire-based spell.

'Well, the pamphlet did mention that there was a 'Grand Library' of sorts near the royal castle. Hopefully, the place is more loaded with textbooks compared to the simple and small ones back in Clebus or Igale. I kinda hoped they were big and had unique books. Eh, you can't get everything…'

As Citrinitas was deep in his thoughts, the alchemist noticed the clatter of footsteps getting closer to where he sat. Curious as to who was heading towards him, the plague doctor turned his head in the direction of the sound.

The man, who may have very well been 19 that was walking towards Citrinitas wore nothing but a simple and slightly fancy butler attire. 'This isn't an adventurer or a guild staff, the man's attire makes that for certain. Perhaps he's a servant of some rich noble that wants to talk? I heard plenty of the nobles here act like dirty dishwater…'

"Uhm… you must be Ordan Karris, right?" The butler hesitantly asked, slightly fidgeting with his fingers. "Yes, and who are you?" Citrinitas retorted. Though he didn't have any ill intent, his tone sounded more sarcastic than genuine and confused.

"Uhh, I'm Bob." The simple phrase made the alchemist flabbergasted. Some would even say discombobulated. "Bob?" He asked as if he was making sure he was hearing things properly. "Indeed, Sir Ordan Karris. My name is Bob."

'Honestly, I didn't expect such a simple name in this world where parents call their children Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra or Arche Eeb Rile Furt. Now that I think about it, how the hell do I remember their long-ass names? Oh well…'

"Bob, huh? It's certainly a better name compared to something like Doyle…"

"What?"

"What?"

"Anyways, what brings you here, Bob? An autograph, perhaps?" Citrinitas questioned. "Well yes, but actually no. While I'm a big fan of your work and do want an autograph, I'm actually here on behalf of the Queen herself." The alchemist's eyes lit up from behind his amazing-looking mask.

"You had my curiosity. But now you have my attention."

Hearing Citrinitas' reply, Bob continued his explanation. "In simple terms, the Queen wants to meet her nation's recently ascended Adamantite ranked adventurer. I could only presume you already know this as you've come to Entoross. As far as I know, the meeting is going to be like a private lunch. Just you, her majesty, and Prime Minister Brythan."

The plague doctor gave a low hum, processing the information Bob said. 'Interesting… very interesting. I would've thought I'd have met the Queen in front of her entire political crew such as nobles and the likes. An unexpected but welcome surprise. And over lunch too… eh. That shouldn't cause too much of a hassle, would it?'

"Well, I have nothing to do for the day as the quests here are simple and not that important in the grand scheme of things. Considering that, I'll gladly accept the Queen's invitation to meet her over lunch." Citrinitas replied with an eager sincerity, to which Bob nodded in understanding.

"Very well," He started. "In that case, do you mind if I escort you to her majesty in the royal castle?" The alchemist nodded. "Then follow me, if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. You could sign my butler suit with your signature on the way to the royal castle!"

[Timeskip - ???]

[Scene Change]

Draudillion Oriculus sat on her throne as usual. This time, her arm rested on the armrest of the throne while her cheek lay on her opened palm. "Do you know when Ordan Karris is supposed to arrive, Brythan?" She questioned in the same way a child would ask: "Are we there yet" during a field trip.

"No, your majesty. Do I look like a psychic to you?" The Prime Minister replied in the most monotone yet sarcastic voice a human could possibly create. "No…" She trailed off, slightly embarrassed from the callout.

"Ahhhh, I'm just so… how do I describe this… a mix of anxiety and excitement? I'm not too sure how to describe it." "It's nothing really." Brythan was quick to rebuke as usual with his emotionless and tired voice. Draudillion only sighed at his usual stoic behaviour.

"It's just I've heard how nice and noble Ordan Karris is compared to the other powerful adventurers, mercenaries and workers within the Dragon Kingdom. He's generous, polite, not a pedophile, and powerful to boot. Like, 5th Tier Magic? I know such a feat is possible as Fluder Paradyne reached 6th. However, that's only due to him being 200 years old. And how old is Ordan Karris? Nobody knows! Furthermore, he and his team can slay Beastmen with ease! EASE! Not even that pervert could accomplish such a feat. Maybe a few Beastmen but not an entire RAID PARTY! With such power and his nice personality, he seems like a blessing from the 4 Great Gods!"

"Have you finished your chattering? God, you're so vexing…" Brythan covered a yawn from hearing the Queen's lengthy rambling session which could've put countless people to sleep. "Hmph," Draudillion only huffed with slight annoyance. "I'm not wrong, am I?" She muttered under her breath.

Brythan, who heard what the Queen said, didn't reply to her. Without notice, the duo sat in an oddly tense awkward silence. It wasn't until the Queen, as usual, broke it. "Are you sure don't know when Ordan Karris is supposed to arrive, Brythan?" The tired Prime Minister only rolled his eyes.

"Did you not he-" Brythan's talking was quickly interrupted when he and the Queen heard quick-paced footsteps come closer towards the Throne room. Without warning, the Throne room's door burst open only to reveal our favourite messenger boy, Bob.

"Bob!" The Queen exclaimed with excitement. "Is-" She was quickly interrupted when the messenger boy confirmed her question. "Yes, your majesty. Ordan Karris has arrived and is waiting where you've assigned me to place him." Bob said diligently, making the Queen's heart race.

The Queen quickly hopped out of her throne before tugging on Brythan's arm. "You heard Bob! Hurry up! I don't want Ordan Karris to think I'm tardy! It'll leave a bad impression on me!" The Prime Minister only sighed with frustration. "Yes, yes, yes. Let's go…"

[Timeskip - 2 Minutes]

[Scene Change]

Citrinitas sat alone in a rather small dining hall with only his thoughts to accompany him. Why? He had been instructed by the messenger boy Bob to wait patiently while the Queen and the Prime Minister got ready. While waiting may seem like a chore for some people, the alchemist didn't mind waiting at all. In fact, he quite enjoyed the quiet space provided to him so he could think.

'I need to make a report for Demiurge and Ainz once I arrive back in Nazarick. What I should mainly focus on is slipping parts of what I know about the plot into the report. Something like how World Items make you immune to Wild Magic. If I could do that by 'learning' what Wild Magic is from the Queen, Nazarick would be better off in the future. Of course, I'll add in all the stuff about the Dragon Kingdom, Sea City and whatnot. I'll figure out the logistics of things once all this stuff is over…'

It didn't take long before the Queen and the Prime Minister entered the room that held the dining hall. The creaking of the door and loud footsteps made sure to signify to Citrinitas that the wait was over. 'So that's what Queen Draudillion and the Prime Minister look like…' The alchemist concluded.

Queen Draudillion Oriculus was dressed as per usual. With her cute facial features such as her eyes, height equivalent to that of a child, and almost elf-like ears, her revealing clothes only boosted her visual appeal. 'The must be her child form. It sickens me that disgusting people such as Cerabrate find THIS of all things sexually attractive. Demiurge would seem like a saint to what I have in store for the pedophile in the Happy Farm. In time he will get what he deserves…'

In contrast, Prime Minister Brythan was the polar opposite. To some women, he could be considered handsome if it weren't for the emotionless and tired face. His messy, short black hair oddly complemented his tuxedo. Other than that, there wasn't really anything else that stood out from him. 'Heh, the Prime Minister looks like an edgy and depressed teen. Except take away the edgy teen part.'

[Image of Prime Minister]

"You must be Prime Minister Brythan and her majesty, Queen Draudillion Oriculus. It is an honour to meet you both." Citrinitas opened up as the pair got seated down. "Likewise, Ordan Karris," Draudillion rebuked.

"I've heard plenty about your achievements and wanted to meet you in person for a while. Words cannot express how grateful I am for you to be here!" The petite Queen said with absolute sincerity and gave a warm smile that could melt any person's heart.

"It's nothing, really…" Citrinitas said, doing his best to act modestly. "I'm just doing my job as an adventurer, which is to help the people of this nation by keeping it safe." The Queen smiled at the response while the Prime Minister didn't say anything.

"Fantastic! I'm assuming that you haven't had anything to eat as of yet. The journey from Igale to Entoross must have taken at least half the day, right?" The alchemist only nodded to her question. Not that he was hungry. No, Citrinitas ate some food from his inventory during the trip to the Capital. He only nodded out of respect and politeness. Furthermore, Citrinitas wasn't one to refuse free food.

The Queen only clapped twice before the doors she previously entered opened again. This time, a handful of servants brought multiple, freshly made dishes on carts toward the table the trio sat at. The servants did their servant's things, setting up the dishes for each person before quietly leaving.

Draudillion looked at the non-eating adventurer before she came to a small realization. 'Is he waiting for my approval to start eating? How distinguished of him! Virtually nobody does this, especially those pig-like nobles and Cerabrate! Ordan Karris, my view of you only goes up higher and higher…'

"It's ok to start eating, Ordan Karris. Someone such as yourself doesn't need my approval for something as trivial as lunch. Please, help yourself!" The Queen spoke with sweetness. 'Oh shit, I zoned out for a moment. Does the Queen think improper of me now? Nah, that shouldn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I should start eating this food now…'

"Ahh, very well, your majest-" The plague doctor was briefly interrupted from speaking. "You can drop the 'your majesty' but. In private occasions like this, you can refer to me as Draudillion and the Prime Minister as Brythan." The Prime Minister gave a slow nod at Draudillion's statement.

"Very well, Draudillion." Said Citrinitas, slightly putting some emphasis on the Queen's name. The alchemist then picked up his cutlery and retracted his mask halfway up his face so that only his mouth was revealed. Afterwards, Citrinitas started to slowly eat the food on his plate, processing its taste.

Seeing that Citrinitas started to eat, Draudillion and Brythan followed suit. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Ordan Karris. If it isn't too personal, that is. I just want to get to know my nation's recent saviour and hero." The Queen asked between bites of her lunch.

"Well," Citrinitas took a slight pause, taking a quick moment to gather his thoughts. "What DO you want to know about me? It's such a broad question I don't even know where to begin." Draudillion slightly blushed from embarrassment. "How about this: I'll briefly run you down on my life and vice versa. That way we can get disregard the rumours we have about each other. Fair?" The Queen nodded.

"Well, my team and I came from an isolationist nation in the far east. We wanted to leave our country and… explore the world… so to speak. That's at least ONE of the reasons why we left. I won't bore you with all the reasons as that's a multi-layered answer which would take too long to explain. So, that should be the full gist of things on that front. Anyways, fast-forward a bit and here we are in the Dragon Kingdom."

Citrinitas did his best to keep things rather ambiguous while trying to satisfy the Queen's curiosity. Pretty much everything minus one statement was already public knowledge to the Dragon Kingdoms' populace. However, Draudillion seemed fine with the response, nodding with what he said.

"Now, tell me about yourself," Citrinitas replied back. "I heard that you could use Wild Magic. Is that true?" The Queen finished swallowing the food in her mouth before responding back. "Well… technically I can. That's because I have True Dragon Lord blood flowing through my veins. However, that only accounts for 1/8th of my blood. For that reason, I cannot control my Wild Magic very well and I'm both a True and False Dragon Lord."

'This is going to end up more like an interview rather than a simple lunch. Eh, it doesn't matter to me' Citrinitas thought to himself as he continued to listen to Draudillion. "Anyhow, the whole magic system is rather useless. The cost of casting a spell with Wild Magic isn't worth the result, at least for me. The weaker the descendent, the greater amount of souls needed for sacrifice. Utterly useless."

The Queen's eyes slightly widened after realizing she went on a slight rant. "My bad for talki-" Citrinitas stopped her dead in her tracks. "No need to apologize. In fact, I'm quite intrigued about Wild Magic as a whole. The idea of a lost art captivates me greatly."

"My goodness… just fucking kiss already. Stop it with this stupid ass, sexual tension…" Brythan muttered under his breath, making Draudillion blush from embarrassment again. "Don't… mind Brythan. He's always like this." The Queen meekly replied. Citrinitas ignored the Prime Minister's remark entirely, focusing on greater topics in his mind.

'I already know all this. Thank god my memories aren't failing me yet. However, I would prefer some info on Wild Magic that wasn't said in the Overlord wiki to provide to Ainz or Demiurge. I wonder if Draudillion has a book or some items related to Wild Magic. Meh, I'm here for 4 more days. I could always ask her later…'

"Now to answer your question, I think my great-grandfather gave me some old texts on the subject. I haven't used them in ages so, I don't mind passing them to you for a while. As for items? Sadly, I have no clue." The alchemist flashed a smile. "Perfect." He stated. 'Textbooks should be fine. I remember reading that Wild Magic items were extremely hard to produce due to the magics' corruption. I could always steal the Wild Magic ring off by Gazef, which was held by Rigrit and later passed onto Climb.'

"Straying away from the personal questions, I would like to ask you if you had any information on the Beastmen Nation. With their recent attacks, I fear that another city would be taken from my country. Kleset, Voit and Vripolis were already hard blows. However, it would be the nail in the coffin for my people if a city like Clebus fell. Baharuth is hesitant to aid us and the Theocracy recently pulled out their forces. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Draudillion gave a heavy sigh, dampening the atmosphere severely.

'Damn, the Queen really has a lot on her plate, huh?' The alchemist thought to himself. "No need to brood, Draudillion. I can guarantee you that Beastmen won't be an issue in the coming months." 'But, there may or may not be another, scarier threat near the Demonic Incursion for Ordan to fight…'

The Queen slightly bowed her head in appreciation. "As for any relevant information mentioned by some Beastmen I fought, they did mention that the nation has its own issues." The sentence caught the petite Queen's attention.

"Apparently, the Sea City is making a move onto Beastmen territory, breaking their non-aggression pact. Then there's also the matter with the Great Minotaur Nation. However, tensions between the two have always been high, so that's probably information you already know." Citrinitas summed up.

"Sea City, huh?" The Queen said to herself in a tone similar to an old person reminiscing on the past. "That place is quite mysterious. So many ridiculous rumours surrounding it. I don't know much about that area. However, I do know that there's some fanatic dolphin claiming to be the 'Hand of Yahweh' and uses a 'machine gun' via my great-grandfather. Whatever that means. So, there's that."

'If that isn't the description of a fucking NPC, then I don't know what is. That is probably one of the most outlandish things I've heard of to date. What's this dolphin going to wear? A fucking pope outfit? Please, give me a break…'

"Interesting, very interesting…" Citrinitas faked processing the information before continuing. "Other than that, I have no more relevant information regarding the Beastmen Nation. If you want, I could always sneak into the country to gather inf-"

"THERE IS NO NEED FOR THAT! I mean… no need to get yourself hurt like that… I mean… I have no need for such a thing…" The Queen fumbled on her words as Brythan rolled his eyes. Citrinitas only slightly scoffed playfully before finishing his food.

"Well, I'm stuffed. Thank you for providing me with this meal. And don't forget to send my regards to the chef. The meal was nothing short but a delight to eat." 'It was pretty shit compared to the food in Nazarick, being completely honest.'

As Citrinitas got up to leave, the Queen grabbed his arm tightly. "WAIT! You're not leaving so soon, right? A-And you're also not staying in an Inn, right? You could just stay in o-one of the guest suits! That's right! Stay in one of the guest suits, please?" Draudillion begged, making Citrinitas pause.

'Well, doing such is certainly convenient. There should be a library grander than the grand library outside. Furthermore, I can virtually ask any question to the Queen at any moment. I see this as an absolute win!' "It would be my pleasure to stay in your castle, Draudillion," Citrinitas replied.

"Perfect, I'll talk with the servants to get your room set up for your stay. You can ask me anything while you're here. Take care, Ordan Karris." Draudillion said earnestly. Citrinitas gave his thanks to the Queen right after, leaving the Prime Minister and Draudillion by themselves.

"You have a crush on the Adamantite adventurer, am I correct?" The Queen's cheeks lit up to a light shade of red. "No…" She trailed off. "Maybe. It's just… he makes my heart flutter, that's all…"

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(A/N: How was the chapter? Good? Bad? Has my writing/storytelling improved since the early chapters? Tbh it probably worsened due to how long I haven't written anything. Anywho, school is over! So there's that. Please, drop a comment and a review!)