A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story

Chapter 63: Gold, Blood, and Other Riches

Arwintar Palace, the Baharuth Empire

Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix calmly observed the courtyard of his palace from the balcony. Very few people were out and about as of now. They had been scared off by the thunderous rainstorm that threatened his beautiful city for an entire week. Thankfully it was not raining now, but the booming flashes of lightning threatened another deluge.

The rain was so profuse that it was starting to flood the streets. The mages of the Imperial Academy did their best to dispel the excess water, coming in soaked to the bone after each attempt. Last the emperor had heard, all of Fluder's brightest were brainstorming to figure out the best way to eliminate the storm.

Most of the citizenry remained indoors to avoid the rain. The worst of it happened at midday when most people would be out and about conducting business. Save for the occasional guard, the roads were eerily quiet. The pristine make of the city's architecture gave it an unearthly timelessness to it all as if the entire population went to sleep one night and vanished straight out of their beds.

It sent a chill down the young emperor's spine to see his capital so... derelict.

"Have you had any luck yourself devising magic to dispel the storm?" Jircniv asked Fluder Paradyne, his court magician.

The old man shook his head regretfully. "I have not. [Control Weather] is a sixth-tier spell, and while that is within my abilities, all my efforts have failed. Whatever this storm is, it radiates power which far eclipses my own."

Jircniv carefully noted the hungry edge to Fluder's tone. "So either the storm itself is simply a mere superstorm created naturally by the forces of nature, which I doubt, or it is the result of another magician's skill. A level of skill never before seen."

"Quite so. I am sorry that more cannot be learned from this phenomenon."

"Don't be. You have done well considering the circumstances. Still, this is the strangest form of besiegement I've ever seen. There aren't even any armies waiting around our borders, nor has there been a demand other than the magic letter we received."

The letter in question had, amazingly enough, literally flown in through his bedroom window. Jircniv had long retired to his bedroom chambers after another meeting with his chief advisors regarding the situation with Re-Estize. Just when he'd prepared to slip under the covers and rest, a bird had insistently rapped its beak on his window.

Despite his better judgment, he'd thought it was some form of new magic that Fluder had developed at the time. He'd opened the window to let the bird in when it snapped its neck and transformed into a letter. His hands shook when he picked up the letter and opened it.

Enclosed within had been the following:

Your Highness Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix,

We hope this letter finds you in good health. Within a week, an envoy from the Elysian Council shall arrive for matters of diplomacy. We wish to speak at length about the benefits of a prosperous business relationship between our two kingdoms. We find we have much to offer you in these trying times.

Keep this letter as a sign of friendship. No matter what may happen next, know that our intentions are true. We look forward to meeting with you and your people.

And stamped at the bottom of the page was an intricate symbol he'd never seen before. There was no other kingdom he'd known of that had the same symbol, which indicated to him that he was dealing with an entirely new faction. A faction that had no problems employing magic to get their meaning across.