Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

For all the King knew, his daughter and her escort vanished from the E-Rantel, leaving her guards behind after meeting the Dragon halfway. The fact that the Dragon had known of her dispatch concerned him. Had there been a leak? Or had they been using magic to surveil them? Just how powerful could this Dragon be? Ramposa the III wasn't having a good time, not one iota.

He didn't know what to think, especially after learning his Head Warrior had been plotted against by his own Nobles. If he were to lose his daughter, the Golden Princess, he knew that his world would come crashing down upon him.

"Father, it's been two weeks since Renner vanished..." Zanac knew very well how his father felt, but there was nothing he could do about that. "I think we should get ready for..."

"We are not preparing for the worst," the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom shot down the second Prince's words before he could finish them.

The youngest son knew of his younger sister's brilliance when it came to politics. He doubted she was gone, but with her having been missing for two weeks, it felt as if there was a power vacuum forming.

Huffing slightly as his father dismissed his words though, he wasn't above taking his mind when the nobles were absent. He was incompetent to the other nobles, avoiding the target that may be set on his back by his older brother. It was the last thing he needed was to be looking over his shoulder every day of his life.

"At least brother won't be able to Marry her off to one of his supporters if she really is missing."

Ramposa nodded to these words that were spoken. He loved his sons dearly, he wouldn't want to put them on the front lines in case he'd lose them. Even if they thought he was holding them back. Yet he had sent his daughter, a politically apt person and the very person who was helping him improve the country he wished to protect.

"I cannot bring myself to abandon my family..."

Zanac nodded to his father's words, but he knew that his sister was nothing like what she showed people in public. She was a monster, a demon even. The young prince always knew something was off with her, but the way she wanted to keep that commoner as a pet... He almost pitted Climb and continuously warned of, and implied, her true nature to the boy.

"Do you think the Dragon has slain her? Or has is she his prisoner... Hostage?"

"I doubt that he would have any reason to slay her... If anything, he has all the reasons to keep her. At the same time, if he has minions even half the strength of himself, or ranged weapons like Gazef stated, it's likely he'd lead a direct assault." From the stories in which Gazef had shared, it was clear that the Dragon could win a war of attrition with them, or even an immediate decisive victory. "He could tear down the very walls protecting our cities."

"You're right... But if he isn't the type to flat out the attack, then he might try to leverage us into joining under him by holding her captive." Ramposa knew there were always alternatives to fighting, though many of which were underhanded and less honorable.

Holding the Princess captive would likely indeed cause Ramposa to surrender the Kingdom to the Dragon in fear for her life. He would for any of his children if there was no hope of rescuing them.

Though just as he was thinking of this, a high pitched pop sound echoed in the room. The King looked up from his son and narrowed his gaze on a portal that appeared in the center of the room ahead of him. "What is this magic...?"

"It appears to be a portal, like the guards from E-Rantel reported after the Princess's disappearance." Zanac c.a.r.e.s.sed his chin slightly at this.

"Then that is--"

"You never cease to impress with your entrances..." Zanac's mouth hung open slightly seeing his sister well and even better shape than she was when she left. Though he could see that she had been under stress. Were the negotiations that bad?

"My Daughter!" The King called out, unable to freely stand from his throne.

"Father," Renner graciously courtesied before approaching her father and older brother. "Brother," she liked Zanac quite a bit more than the Crowned Prince, but she wouldn't think twice to betray him without hesitation.

"What is the news!?" Hope had been brought to the King's eyes at the appearance of his daughter. Two weeks was far too long for her to be gone! He stopped himself from laughing with glee.

"The Dragon Emperor, Vertum, will join our cause."

"I was under his impress his name was Jack Graham...? That's brilliant nonethe--"

"He introduced himself as Vertum, it seems that was an alias as assumed before. However, he has attached conditions that must be fulfilled before he will do so."

The King stopped in mid-sentence because of her interruption and blinked a few times, "So be it... Conditions you say?" He shifted in the throne and looked up to his daughter, listening diligently he wasn't as ignorant as to brush that off.

"He wants joint governing over E-Rantel, or complete control over it if permitted," Renner gestured her hand towards him, "And to purge the Noble Factions so that only the Royal Faction remains..."

Zanac's lips pursed as his brows furrowed, the last condition only benefitted the King, but would his father allow a foreigner to do such a thing? His eyes traced over to his father from his sister.

"Purge the Noble Faction..."

"He also wishes to eliminate a particular noble within the Royal Faction, which has been selling information to the Empire," Renner continued to speak as she was free too until her father raised his hand at this.

Ramposa lowered his hand as she went silent, his eyes narrowing on his daughter, "Who is it?"

Almost all of these conditions helped his cause, it helped the Kingdom and its people. The only thing that seemed to be in favor of the self-proclaimed Dragon Emperor was E-Rantel.

Joint governing seemed to be tricky, it would be easier to hand it over. Though at the same time, thinking about the repercussions about handing over an entire city to an unknown... He could only imagine the backlash he'd get in return from the nobles, even the ones under his wing.

"Marquis Blumrush," Renner when she had learned this before leaving, wasn't very surprised.

Zanac, nor the King, were very surprised either. The man was known to act like a patriot, but he'd sell his ilk for a mere gold coin. Even though he had a massive amount of influence.

"And after he is eliminated... Who will lay claim to his estate?"

"Vertum suggests the Royal Family liquidate his estate, as a means to unify the nation under our influence." Renner bowed her head to her father.

"Raise your head! Raise your head! You needn't bow your head at this instant!" He insisted she raise her head and she did, looking up at her father with the sweetest of smiles.

Zanac was looking over the Blue Roses, "Weren't there usually five of your posse?"

"EvilEye decided to stay behind, your highness," the leader of the group, Laykus, spoke up as the Princess blatantly ignored his inquiry following the observation.

"Ah... Is that so?" The Second Prince was rather curious about this.

Entering the Palace Throne Chamber, the Crowned Prince came to a halt seeing his sister standing there. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked with a brow raised, a straight and erect posture as he marched into the center of the chambers.

"Good news, the Dragon has accepted our proposal to join us against the Empire." Renner turned to the man with a wide, but normal, smile across her lips. Zanac though could see right through it, she was throwing it in his face.

The Crowned Prince had been left out of the loop, he had thought her lost and yet as the pest and tool he believed her to be, she has returned! "Proposal!?"

With the aid of his cane, the King stood on his feet to look at his oldest son. "In return for joining us he, the Dragon Emperor, wishes to exterminate those who pose a threat to the Kingdom's stability."

A bead of sweat appeared on the Crown Prince's forehead, thinking about who exactly would be a threat. Even as the dullard he was, he was able to clearly understand he meant the Noble Faction.

"You can't be serious father! Allowing a foreign power to take our internal affairs into their own hands!?" It was clear most of his supporters were within the Noble Faction.

"I will do what all the past Kings have failed to do, my son." Ramposa shook his head at his son's eagerness to go against or turnover his decisions.

"If we do get him to join us..." Renner spoke up in the middle of both of them, "He will join the Empire and that will mean he will still get what he wants, E-Rantel. Except... He'll leave the Kingdom in shambles, he'll take our Cities one by one, slaughter our armies... Take our people as his own" Renner descended from the elevated platform of the throne until she was on the main flooring of the room.

Sheer panic was rushing through his mind. He had plans to eliminate his father at some point so he himself could take the throne. Yet, if he did this now, there was no way the Kingdom would stay under him. Though he doubted the power of the Dragon, he couldn't ignore this.

Now he knew, however, that he needed to garner support within the Royal Faction. The question was, would they bother following him? Evidence pointed towards an unlikely as they disagreed with his policies and demeanor.

This was going to ruin him, he needed to divert the situation. "Father allow me to scout out Carne Village to see if they are truly a threa--"

"There no need," Renner cut him off, taking out what appeared to be an aerial view image from a bag that Climb had been wearing over his shoulder. It was an Infinite Backpack, gifted by Vertum. "This is what Carne Village has become."

Marching over to his sister, Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself snatched what appeared to be a sheet of parchment from her hands. Yet as she looked over the image, he paled. It was as if he was looking at a much less populated version of E-Rantel. Another Fortress City, but this one had a strange green magic shield doming over it and had much more impressive darkened walls.

"By the Gods... What kind of fortifications are these!?" Not even the Slane Theocracy had such defenses for their cities. He looked to his father, to his sister, and to his brother. If they stood against a being who could create something this grand... They were doomed.

Even then, he prided himself, he didn't want to surrender any territory to a nobody. "Who is this man?"

"He's the new Self-Proclaimed Dragon Emperor," Zanac said with a calm demeanor.

Barbro tried to crush the image, but he couldn't even damage it or crumple it up. After failing for about five minutes, he tossed it aside to Climb's feet. "Pick it up, common blood," he hissed.

Renner frowned as she watched the Crowned Prince go angrily storming from the room.