Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

A day later, Gazef and his warrior troop entered the Capital City of Re-Estize, of the Re-Estize Kingdom. His eyes dead forward, resting on the Valencia Palace. People lined the street to see the Head Warrior as he had come home from his mysterious assignment off on the fringe of the Kingdom's territory.

His eyes shifted towards the crowd that eyed him. A small smile across his lips as he turned to his Adjunct who was giving light waves to a handful of people who were watching them.

"Gazef-dono, How are we going to explain to the King about a man who can turn into a dragon?" His second in command asked as he hardly moved his mouth before returning the gaze the Head Warrior gave him.

Gazef huffed slightly at this question. "I will tell him as it is. A Dragon's descendant protected the Village of Carne against members of the Slane Theocracy, disguised as Imperial Knights, and has the power to transform into a man."

The Vice-Captain let out a light chuckle, a nervous one at that. The King might accept this, even believe it was a young descendant of a Dragon Lord who favored the villagers in their time of need. The question was, just whose descendant was it?

Could it be the Catastrophe Dragon Lord's child? The possibilities were endless.

That and how he had said he was underground for the past six hundred years since the Greed King's reign. It was possible that he was one of the few surviving dragons of that time as well.

On top of that he seemed to have people under his command, so he wasn't just some random Dragon Lord's child.

At the same time, the threat that the Dragon would pose to the power of the Six Nobles, was a problem. It was living in their Kingdom's territory, between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire, and could side with either one. If that Dragon decided to side with the Empire, they'd surely lose E-Rantel if not the entire Kingdom itself.

Another thought that could cross their minds, was that it was an agent from the Dragon Kingdom even though their armed forces were considerably low. Their was little to no motive to this as well, considering the fact that the Dragon Kingdom was focused primarily on holding its own against the Hordes of Beasts trying to take their human population as food.

Gazef's mind went back to the description Jack had given him of the girl he was looking for. It sounded like it was a girl from the that Country in the South, but the race he had used, the Sylph. Why would a wind elemental look like a human being?

His eyes washed over the people he crossed as he made his way to the front palace gates. The men manning it stood aside as the entrance greeted up with open doors.

The Warrior Troop continued on into the Palace, returning to their Garrison as Gazef himself prepared to face the King and his counsel with his news.

About thirty minutes after his return to the Palace, he found himself summoned to the king's meeting chamber. A long room furnished in brilliant stained wood, an elongated table situated in the center and a large throne-fashioned seat at the end closest to the door.

The King sat in it, looking to his friend companion and protector with a sheepish gaze.

"What do you have to report? Is the threat dealt with?"

Gazef's eyes narrowed on the nobles before him, wondering if one of them were behind the orc.h.e.s.trated act itself. "Yes... It appears to have been the Slane Theocracy attacking our villages on the fringe of our territories. A Dragon protected the village."

"Huh!? This is absurd... A Dragon has taken to the Village?"

Gazef glanced towards one of the nobles who spoke under their breath before returning his gaze forward objectively. "We entered the fray whilst knowing they had us outnumbered, we knew we were on the brink of defeat before the battle even began... Yet when we reached Carne Village, we were met by an extraordinary sight..."

The King, grey and with only one good leg, leaned on his cane as his gaze narrowed on his protector who seemed amazed by his own words that were to come.

"A Dragon in human form, propped up against a sleekly forged magic staff of black metal, sleeping, dead Theocracy soldiers sewing the ground at his feet..."

The Head Warrior, the King's friend, continued his story without leaving out a single detail that he remembered. Painting a vivid and colorful, yet believable story for them to believe and think hard upon, but he knew he was no poet or storyteller, they may not get the moral of his story.

The King was indeed surprised by the bounty of information that had been fed to him. "A Dragon in the underground for six hundred years..." He began to wonder if he could bring the Dragon onto his side, to his Kingdom. Not only would it greatly improve public relations to have such a powerful being on his side, but it'd grant their kingdom an indispensable asset.

"This Dragon," Marquis Raeven began to speak. He was a tall, thin man with slicked-back blonde hair and narrow blue eyes, his skin pale white. "Did he lay claim to that area?"

"Not directly, but from my understanding, the Forest is likely to be his Raeven-dono." Gazef reported in response to the question which was brought to his attention.

Gazef's assumption was likely Jack's intention, especially after subjecting the Wise King of the Forest, a feat which had yet to reach outside of Carne Village. Just like the wall which was under construction and the mineral deposits the Blue Citadel Guild acquired.

Raeven was essentially thinking the same. If the Dragon had claimed that territory as his own, then they could use that claim to their own advantage. He had the look of a snake, as he schemed in his mind what they could possibly do with a Dragon at the King's beck and call.

Marquis Blumrush was another man with blond hair and blue eyes, he had a thin mustache and symmetrical features. He was in his fifty, but one could hardly tell. This man was well known for his corruption, and yet because of his great influence, he couldn't be removed from his unreliable post without great struggle.

"It could've been a mere illusion! You said yourself he used magic, didn't you?" The Marquis Blumrush scoffed at this, shaking his head lightly. "I fear that this mere Head Warrior, not even a Knight, has been deceived by a mere magician!"

Gazef swallowed the intended insult as if it were nothing, watching as the cowardly man remained seated in a wooden chair across the table while he himself stood in uniform.

"Bah... This Jack Graham, it doesn't sound like a dragon's name, it could be an alias..." Another Marquis, named Boullope, spoke up as he was leaning back in his chair. Using the Dragon's name rather than its species to reference it. "Or perhaps he was raised by the humans you saw that accompanied him? It'd make sense. However, haha... I could just very well entertain the idea of it all being a ruse. A Magic Caster having the constitution capable of creating such an illusion isn't unheard of."

Boullope was a man who was in his late fifties, and he looked it, with toned skin. At the same time he had a heavily scarred face, that gave him the look of a warlord, as he had seen war and met with it first hand.

All of their tones were clearly arrogant, but at the some time, they weren't being ignorant. A Dragon, none of them wanted to be wrong about a Dragon. Especially if it was as strong as Gazef was portraying.

Margrave Urovana, the oldest member of the Six Great Nobles sat there in his seat. Letting out a slow drawn out sigh as he listened to the group talk on and on.

Immediately all of the people at the table who were bickering, turned their heads and attention to this one man alone. Unlike the younger and more militant men at the table, he was dressed in lush and vibrant robes, similar to that of the King himself.

"A Dragon and a Magic Caster, or just a Magic Caster masquerading as a Dragon, it cannot be ignored or taken lightly." The Old man took a stern looking at the younger members before looking to the King and his companion, the Head Warrior. "We must be the first to propose a settlement with this individual, find out who and what he is, and then look to the next objective whatever that may be at that time..."

The other nobles at the table nodded to the man. Though Blumrush didn't seem so interested, it seemed he was more interested in bum rushing his way out of the meeting and going home... So he didn't not agree with the old man, especially since he was part of the same political Party.

The King looked to the man for a moment, then he himself nodded at the wisdom one of his own long standing followers had given him. Now he was thinking of who he could use.

The Crown Prince was useless, it was unlikely he'd be of any use in this situation. If anything, he would be likely he'd cause a breakdown of negotiations. He wasn't the brightest tool in the shed. However he wanted to have faith in the supposed future ruler of the country.

Then there was the second prince, he was seen as a slacker and an incompetent by those around him. However it had been made clear to not only the King, but also the Marquis Raeven that he was far more competent than he let on.

At the end of the line was his daughter, in which he adored. She was a political powerhouse as she attributed a lot of changes to the country for its well-being in attempt to revive its l.u.s.ter.

The question was though, did the Dragon have anything against women in negotiations? The King's eyes drifted alone the nobles for a moment before looking to Gazef.

From the story that Gazef had shared, this Jack individual didn't seem at all interested in the typical standards of s.e.x or gender. He didn't use honorifics often, and he liked to play with words.

Based on the things that he shared, it was likely his daughter was the best match to deal with the Dragon. At the same time, he didn't want to send her, he didn't want to lose her.

The King sat there uncomfortably, "You are... Dismissed," the old man pushed himself from the imitation throne he was situated in, and leaned on his jeweled cane as he made his way towards the door. He was sure he could hear the pattering of feet heading in his direction as Gazef held open the door for him to leave the reception chamber.