1.7 In Which the Dark Lord Takes a Walk in the Woods

1.7 In Which the Dark Lord Takes a Walk in the Woods

So that was how my first day as the Dark Lord ended. Id left Akihabara in the afternoon and apparently arrived on Ephemera in what was the early evening local time, but given how much of that had been spent running around in various states of stress I was more than ready to collapse by the time I felt safe to do so. I took over Roccos room, since it was the biggest and he had the best stuff, barricaded the door in case one of the barbarians Id conquered got any funny ideas, and to my own surprise managed to sleep for a few hours despite my ongoing worry aboutwell, everything.

Worry, and anger. To hell with conquering Ephemera, and screw going to war with Yoshi. I was gunning for Virya. Obviously I had no idea where to even start with that, and would have to play along until I came up with something, but it was fantasies of vengeance against the goddess that turned into troubled dreams as I drifted off.

First thing the next morning I was on the road with a small escort. My brief discussion with Aster the night before had given me a general outline of my immediate predicament. Sitting in a broken-down fortress in the middle of the terrifying alien wilderness wasnt going to get me anywhere, so I set out to investigate what was apparently the only city on this island.

Gwyllthean, I said very carefully, for the eighth time.

Very good! Aster replied with an approving nod. Wellclose enough. Anyone would know what you meant.

Thanks, I said, even more sourly than usual. So, Gwyllthean, on the island of Dount.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Dount, she corrected.

Thats what I said.

You keep saying Dounto, Donon added in what Im sure he thought was a helpful tone. Its just Dount, one syllable.

Biribo buzzed in a complete circle around my head, making Donon shy back. Heh, the boss has a bit of a

Silence, minion.

This had been an exercise in wishing Id kept my English a bit more current, but in my defense I havent been back to California since middle school. Not that they spoke English here, but the local language was more similar to that than Japanese. They loved jamming a bunch of consonants together to make messy sounds that my own tongue, trained on a nice neat syllabary, kept stumbling over.

So, Dount, I continued after a loaded pause in which I was not sassed any further, which is the northernmost island in the kingdom of

I turned to Aster in defeat.

Fflyr Dlemathlys, she reminded me.

What the hell is that obscene pile of noises?! I complained. Its like if Polish cheated on Swahili with Welsh and their bastard came out harelipped! Anyway, were on the outskirts of the tiny, disorganized kingdom ofwhateverwhich itself is on the northern border of the Empire of Lancor?

Lancor, yes, Aster said with a smile.

You remembered one! Donon added encouragingly, and I very generously did not set him on fire.

Right. And Lancor is considered the bastion of civilization in this part of the world.

Yup, he said, nodding. I lived there for a couple years. Great place, very clean and orderly. I, uh, wasnt a bandit then.

So, basically, this island is the ass end of nowhere.

Wellbasically, Aster agreed, sighing.

Thanks, Virya, I muttered.

Yeah, you should thank her, said Biribo. Whaddaya think would happen to a brand spankin new Dark Lord who got his start in a big, well-organized country teeming with temple knights and Blessed clerics of Sanora, huh? You landed in a fortified base, far from any power thatd oppose you, with pretty much the biggest and most potent concentration of forces one guy can take over with a handful of basic spells.

Ngf, I grunted, unwilling to give Virya (or Biribo) credit for anything.

Also you got proximity to monster races thatre culturally Viryan, Biribo continued. Fflyr Dlemathlys is an explicitly Sanorite country run by elves and with a mostly human population. Elves and humans are followers of Sanora more often than not. North Watch is out on the border of Viryan country.

Its true, Lord Seiji, Donon added. You can see the lizardfolk swamp from the battlements when the weathers clear; theyre Viryan.

Biribo picked up immediately; I was getting the impression he felt protective of his role as my personal source of exposition. The local lizardfolk tribe are basically a vassal state of the naga colony in the lake past the swamp, and the naga serve the same role for the dark elf nation beyond. Each protecting the borders of the next.

Matryoshka dolls of monster people, I muttered, pausing in the road and turning to look back. We had only just set out from the gates, and I could see the overgrown remains of the road extending past the fortress in the other direction, toward a mountain which rose out of the coral-like foliage beyond. So, wait, if these people worship Virya and Im the Dark Lord, maybe I should go visit them first.

Biribo darted directly in front of my face, waving his arms frantically. Bad idea, boss! Trust me, Viryans respect strength. You wanna be more established before you approach them. Theyll follow a powerful Dark Lord, yeah, but some jackass showing up claiming to be the Dark Lord with nothing to back him up but a couple spells and a handful of bandits is likely to end up dead. No offense.

Im not a bandit, Aster protested.

He flicked out his tongue at her. Sorry, doll, but you humans all look alike to them.

I turned and resumed course, studying the path as we went. The forest itself wasnt much less alarming by daylight, but Donon and Aster didnt seem particularly uneasy so I refrained from showing any outward nerves to save face. My years of practice at projecting a stage presence were really coming in handy here. The actual road beneath us looked like it had been extremely well-constructed, once, being made of large, closely-fitted stones and remarkably smooth. There wasnt even anything growing out of the cracks between them, that was how expert the masonry had been when it was laid. At this point it had been left untended for so long I couldnt even tell how wide the road was, thanks to underbrush creeping across it from both sides. And creeping was definitely the word; it consisted of webs of crimson tendrils, or swollen protruberances from the giant coral-like structures nearby. No visible plant life as I understood it.

Here in the khora forest is beastfolk territory, Biribo continued to lecture as we walked. Theyre kind of a buffer zone, both cos theyre comfortable among the khora, and because the tribes arent Sanorite or Viryan. So even though the Fflyr tend to scuffle with them, theres never been a serious push to clear them out. Its too useful to not have a border with Viryans, whod be openly hostile.

North Watch is in the catfolk tribes territory, Donon added. Rocco used to buy em off with a share of our loot so theyd leave us alone.

A catfolk tribe, Biribo corrected. Beastfolk social units are usually of one race, but none of the races are so organized that they all form their own nations. Just small tribal units in wilderness areas, mostly.

Hm. That sounded like it could be useful. From what I knew of Earths history, societies like that tended to exist because bigger, more well-organized cultures denied them access to the necessary resources to advanceand then, adding insult to injury, usually acted as if there was some inherent defect in the lesser race that made them more savage. Such treatment stoked resentment, and resentment could be leveraged Wait, so given all that I get why North Watch was abandoned by the kingdom, but why was it built in the first place? Just as a border fort to keep an eye on the lizardfolk?

Fflyr Dlemathlis doesnt really secure the Viryan border these days, thats what the beastfolk in the khora forest are for, Aster chimed in. No, they only bother fortifying the land bridges to other islands. And there used to be one up here, just a few limns beyond the fortress. But over a hundred years ago, the bridge collapsed, sothered be no point in keeping the fortress manned even if the kingdom had troops to spare for it, which it doesnt.

I narrowed my eyes. Limns? That word didnt automatically translate in my head.

Aster gave me a sidelong look. Youdont know what limns are?

Its a unit of measurement, Biribo explained. The Dark Lord is from a long way away, folks. Were gonna have to explain a lot of stuff you take for granted.

How far? Donon asked. Ive never seen a human who looked like you, Lord Seiji. Uh, you are human, right?

Great, so the locals had no frame of reference for Asians. That could be potentially useful, or extremely hazardous, depending on how the racism happened to manifest here. I was taking it as given that there would be racism, because I know what humans are like. With luck, I could parlay my exotic appearance for notoriety; without luck I might have to Immolate somebody.

Goblins, Biribo said with malicious relish.

Ah. So, he

Hes a monsterfucker, Aster explained.

Theyre not monsters! Both of us stopped and turned around in surprise; Donons timid demeanor had abruptly vanished and he looked like he was about to start preaching fire and brimstone. Goblins are as much people as you or me!

Thats the opposite of an endorsement, I said, openly skeptical. By and large, people are shit. I havent actually seen a goblin, are they small green critters on this world like in the fiction where Im from?

Thats a basically solid description, Aster agreed.

Hah. Well, Donny boy, I guess its better youd go after goblins than actual children, since I assume thats the

Oh, dont even start with that! Donon shouted, clearly forgetting who he was talking to in his sudden and inexplicable passion. That is a slanderous rumor made up by bigots and fools! Goblins dont look even slightly like human childrenespecially the women! Theyre not just shrunk down people, you know, the proportions are just different enough to be perfect, dont you see? Smaller features look bigger on a smaller body; even the most modest set of curves makes a voluptuous goddess of a little green woman! And those adorable ears, the cute little button noses The fact that their pretty little faces are conveniently right at waist height, why If there was a goblin brothel in every city on Ephemera, there would be peace and happiness all across the land!

Total silence descended; even the nearby animal noises had ceased in response to his yelling. All three of us just stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

Then Biribo burst out laughing so hard he actually fell out of the air and began rolling around on the ground.

Wow, said Aster.

All right, then. I turned back around and resumed walking. That wasinteresting. Donon, we need to get along without creating a ruckus when we reach I hesitated, concentrating on my pronunciation. Gwyllthean. So, no yelling, and you are not to discuss goblins under any circumstances.

Yes, Lord Seiji, he mumbled, trailing along behind again.

Waist height, Aster muttered, shaking her head. Have you seen the teeth on them? If I had a dick, I would not stick it in

Okay, we can talk about something else now, I interjected. How much trouble is my appearance going to cause in town? Is this one of those places where foreigners arent welcome in the shops?

That wont be a problem, Aster assured me. Dount still has two land bridges aside from the one that leads to the Kingdoms mainland, and the roads from both pass right through Gwyllthean. Its a stop on several big trade routes, the last one before the capital where prices are higher. So, lots of merchant activity, and adventurers passing through. Ive never seen anyone who looks quite like you, Lord Seiji, but the Gwyll are used to seeing foreigners. Theyll probably like you, in fact, because youre rich.

I frowned; Kasser had said the same, now that I thought about it. Why is it you think Im rich?

She gave me a perplexed look, as if this should be obvious. Your clothes.

My what? I looked down at myself; though it was now partially hidden by the mail artifact, I was wearing my game store uniform, hardly upper-class attire.

But then I looked at what Aster and Donon were wearing, and it clicked. Not only were their clothes scruffy from overuse, I suddenly noted they were made of coarse fabrics in drab colors, pieces of leather that didnt look properly cured, and held together with thick, equally rough-looking thread.

My outfit, by contrast, featured smooth synthetic fabrics, vivid artificial dyes, and precise machine stitching. The fact that it marked me as a low-wage shop clerk was a social perception, and one that didnt exist here. Even the katakana of the store logo embroidered on my polo shirt was just a meaningless decoration to anyone who didnt recognize Japanese. In fact, a decoration of such quality that a working-class person in Fflyr Dlemathlys would never dream of having it on their clothes. Where I was from, these were cheap garments, but in a medieval country I did look rich.

And that gave me another idea.

Hold up, I ordered, coming to a stop and pulling at the mail tunic. Like the ribbons on the spell scrolls, it responded to intent, obligingly loosening as soon as I was attempting to take it off. I tugged it over my head, straightened my shirt, and handed the artifact to Aster. Here, put this on.

She blinked, looking from my eyes to the armor before hesitantly reaching to take it. Areyou sure, my lord?

Congratulations, youre my bodyguard now, I informed her. If anyone asks, Im a foreign nobleman, you dont know from where. You are in my employ on account of being Blessed with Might and possessing these valuable artifacts.

Wellthat has the advantage of being true, she agreed.

Which means, Aster, youre going to have to be my bodyguard; this is not just a ruse. I dont have the chain mail, so if anybody comes at me with violent intent, Ill need you to deal with it.

I can do that, she said, propping the sword against a nearby sprawl of hard khora that protruded over half the road. She shrugged out of the harness for the greatsword and then her coat and pulled the mail over her head. If youre that worried about it, though, you could just wear the artifact.

And in the future I may, if Im expecting to be attacked. But for the time being, this is not that kind of game. I wont be able to avoid drawing a certain amount of attention just in the course of figuring out how things stand in Gwyllthean and Dount, but I dont want to advertise who and what I am yet. That means both of you need to be discreet, understand?

Of course.

Ahyes, Lord Seiji, not a word, Donon said, distracted. I followed the direction of his gaze, which led me to Asters chest.

Once it was on a person, the artifact molded itself to fit them snugly. And it was really snug.

So its not just goblins for you then, I take it? I asked sweetly.

Aster turned a scowl on him, and quickly shrugged back into her jacket while he stammered and averted his eyes. I thought the finished effect was pretty impressive: the edges of the chainmail showed, and thats where the fancy trim was that revealed its quality, but the coat obscured the shape of her body enough not to look risque.

That was to my advantage, as one of the benefits of an impressive bodyguard was to discourage people from starting shit, rather than having to finish it every time. Sexist as Fflyr Dlemathlys might be, hopefully Aster being a woman would be less of a concern than her being Blessed and carrying two potent artifacts. If people thought Id picked my bodyguard because she looked good (even though, in a sense, I literally had) they might be more willing to try taking her on. And for now, I wanted discretion and a minimum of drama, at least until I got more settled in.

So, uh Whats my role then, Lord Seiji? Donon asked nervously. By this point I couldnt tell if he was actually nervous, or that was just his personality. The guy seemed to have two settings: afraid of everything, and worked up about how much he loved goblin women.

This was the caliber of talent I was working with. Some Dark Lord.

In the rear with the gear, I said, grinning at him. A nobleman needs a servant, after all.

Ah! Thank you, my lord. Donon visibly brightened up, which I admit puzzled me. Id been ribbing him, but apparently this was an esteemed position here? Little moments like this made me painfully aware I had no common sense in this country, or this world. If I could make it through a one-day trip to the city to get a sense of what was going on and how I could turn it to my advantage without embarrassing myself in public, I was going to call that a win.

Speaking of which

How far from here is Gwyllthean? I asked as we resumed walking.

Hard to judge as theres no straight path but its a good fewlimns, said Aster.

My left eyelid began to twitch.