Word count: 2400 words
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It was a beautiful morning in the foreign empire as the golden morning sun filtered gently through the tall windows of the guest mansion in Arwintar.
Plates of eggs, warm bread, fresh fruit, and cured meats lined the surface, alongside steaming pots of tea and coffee.
At the head of the table sat Meliodas, fork in hand, a relaxed grin on his face as he casually picked through his breakfast. Around him sat several members of the Obsidian Chains, each helping themselves in their own style.
The tension of travel had faded, replaced by the comfort of real food and real chairs.
"You know," Meliodas said as he popped a slice of meat and egg into his mouth, "this might be the first meal in three days that didn't shake with every bump in the road."
Shoko gave a small laugh. "I still feel like I'm vibrating."
She sipped her tea, her posture calm and her tone smooth. "At least none of us had to cook. That's a victory in itself."
Hisoka, seated a few chairs down, rested his elbow on the table, lazily twirling a spoon between his fingers as he watched the group with quiet amusement. His eyes sparkled with something unreadable, maybe boredom, maybe interest.
It was quiet. Peaceful. Too peaceful.
*POP*
A subtle shift in the air—and Makima appeared directly behind Meliodas without a sound.
"…"
"GAHHHH—!" Meliodas jolted so hard his fork clattered onto his plate. "M-Makima?! What the helly?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
Makima stood calmly, hands folded behind her back, her usual tranquil expression on display.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you." Some heads turned, but no one overreacted. They were getting used to her style.
Meliodas let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Next time, I'd appreciate a little footstep or shadow or anything that warns me."
"I'll consider it, please forgive this sudden intrusion," Makima replied gently.
"What are you even doing here? Did something happen?" Makima stepped forward as Meliodas gestured to the open seat beside Shoko.
He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Not that I'm complaining, but I figured you'd be too busy with everything back in Re-Estize."
Makima set her cup down gently, her eyes serene as always. "I came to deliver a message, Meliodas-sama. I require your instructions on how to proceed with it."
Meliodas tilted his head, interested, but before he could ask about the message, Makima continued in her usual calm and respectful tone. "I also completed my current duties within the Obsidian Chains. In your absence, I judged the organization to be functioning with sufficient stability." Her voice softened just slightly. "And so, I've returned to your side. My rightful place is here, to protect you."
Meliodas blinked, caught slightly off guard by her directness. He scratched the back of his head, a small grin creeping onto his face. "You make it sound dramatic."
Makima didn't smile, but there was a faint softness to her gaze. "You're the only one I serve."
Just as Meliodas opened his mouth to ask the obvious next question, about who was handling things back home, Makima answered without missing a beat, as if plucking the thought right from his head.
"I've entrusted leadership and management of our Re-Estize operations to Ayanokoji."
Meliodas raised his brows a little. That made sense. "Smart pick," he muttered. "If anyone can run things without losing sleep, it's him."
Makima gave a small nod. "His intellect and foresight are more than sufficient."
Meliodas leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Alright then. So… what's this message about?"
Makima straightened slightly. "Just as you predicted, Meliodas-sama… the demon calling himself Jaldabaoth has begun his attack on Re-Estize."
The room quieted for a second. Meliodas didn't look surprised. In fact, he looked tired, not physically, but mentally. It was as if someone had just confirmed the outcome of a test he already knew he passed.
"Yeah… of course he did."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then exhaled through his nose. "I don't want us getting involved."
Makima didn't reply. She didn't need to. She understood.
"It's nothing more than a show. A setup." Meliodas glanced at the others around the table, speaking casually but with clear intent. "All of it… is staged by Ainz. That whole Jaldabaoth nonsense is just another play in his theater, designed to make Adventurer Momon look like a hero."
Shoko's brow furrowed slightly. "You're saying he's attacking his own people?"
"Not exactly," Meliodas replied. "He's attacking with one hand and saving with the other. Either way, he wins. The people love Momon, and Ainz gains more power from the shadows."
Meliodas leaned slightly to the side, looking at Yoriichi, who was eating in silence, as always disciplined, precise, and focused.
"Well, with Makima back, there's no need for you to stick around here anymore. Wouldn't hurt to send you back to Re-Estize, reinforce things over there."
Yoriichi looked up, meeting his gaze calmly.
"Understood. I shall keep everyone safe back there."
Meliodas nodded. "Exactly. Handle any threats that pop up, and support Ayanokoji however necessary."
Yoriichi nodded his head and Meliodas smiled and turned back to his plate.
"Good. Eat up first though. No one's going anywhere on an empty stomach."
After breakfast, with everyone slowly finishing, Meliodas stood up and stretched, cracking his neck.
"Alright. Kurogiri." From Meliodas' shadow, Kurogiri emerged, and within seconds, the dark figure stepped forth with a bow.
"You called, Lord Meliodas?"
"I need a portal to our headquarters in Re-Estize. Yoriichi's heading back."
"Very well."
The mist spiraled outward into a black oval, humming softly. Yoriichi stood, placing his napkin neatly on the table before bowing his head slightly.
"I will ensure everything is secured on my end."
Makima nodded faintly. Shoko gave a subtle wave. Hisoka offered a half-lidded stare, amused.
Meliodas gave a casual wave. "Safe trip."
With that, Yoriichi Tsugikuni stepped into the portal, vanishing into the swirling void. The shadows closed behind him in silence.
Meliodas turned back toward the group, stretching again with a yawn. "Makima, since we're here, you'll handle setting up the Obsidian Chains branch in the empire. Get the usual operations running, casino, information network, the works."
Makima's lips curved slightly. "Of course. I'll ensure everything proceeds smoothly." Her tone was calm, but her mind was already mapping out the empire's weaknesses, the nobles most susceptible to corruption, and the veins of power she could tap into.
Before she could continue, a knock echoed from the entrance. Rem, ever attentive, rose gracefully and moved to answer it.
The door creaked open, and the sharp click of Rem's heels echoed through the hallway before she stepped again into the dining room.
"There is a messenger from the Emperor," she said calmly, her voice clear yet respectful.
Meliodas raised an eyebrow, only half-interested. "Already? Man doesn't waste time."
He didn't move from his seat, didn't even straighten his posture. Instead, he kept his gaze on his cup, swirling the liquid absentmindedly as if it held more intrigue than imperial affairs.
The footsteps of the messenger grew louder as he was guided in. He was a young man, perhaps in his early thirties, dressed in the formal red and gold uniform of the Baharuth Empire's diplomatic envoys. His boots were polished to a shine, and his black gloves contrasted with the white scroll in his left hand.
His eyes flicked around the room, registering the strange individuals seated at the table before they settled on Meliodas, and then slightly upward, locking onto the calm, overwhelming presence of Makima standing behind him.
The man bowed deeply.
"I greet you, honored guest of His Majesty Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix. My name is Seron Vantelle, a messenger in service of the imperial court. I come bearing a direct letter from the Emperor himself."
Meliodas didn't respond immediately. He looked up from his cup with a slow, amused grin. "Huh. He's got good timing. Go ahead."
Seron stepped forward, lifting the sealed letter with both hands.
But before Meliodas made a move, Makima stepped forward without a word. Her heels clicked with perfect rhythm, her eyes locked onto Seron's with an unreadable calm. The pressure of her presence made his breath hitch for a fraction of a second.
She took the letter smoothly from his hands and opened it before walking back and offering it silently to her master.
Meliodas accepted it with a yawn, unfolding it in a casual, lazy manner, yet his eyes immediately sharpened the moment they scanned the first line.
He read aloud, his voice slow yet crystal clear.
"'To Meliodas, esteemed guest of the Baharuth Empire…'" His smirk grew faintly wider as he continued. "'We extend a formal request for the Obsidian Chains. The Empire seeks to claim the Angelia Mountains and requests that you exterminate the monsters that reside within them. The payment for successful completion will be 150,000 gold coins.' Signed and sealed by His Majesty."
A heavy silence followed. The room seemed to be still.
Meliodas tapped the edge of the letter against his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing as his mind began to turn.
The Angelia Mountains. He recognized this place.
An unforgiving wasteland of jagged rock, sheer cliffs, and bitter wind. Long had it served as a natural barrier between Baharuth and Re-Estize, impossible to conquer, filled with eldritch creatures and ancient beasts, yet rich in minerals and resources. Neither kingdom had managed to tame it.
'A national border affair from the beginning huh? So the Emperor's finally making a move… and he wants test me hmmm...'
Meliodas didn't look up right away, even as some of his summons watched him with curiosity.
He considered his options.
Sending Mahito or someone weaker? They'd be slaughtered.
Sending Makima or Yoriichi? That would mean losing his strongest bodyguards for months at least. That place was too dangerous, monsters upon monsters no one dared to come even close to for centuries, their numbers must be... A lot...
Despite the protection provided by his contract with Re-Estize's queen, he knew better than to leave himself exposed. The wrong move could undo everything.
Then, Meliodas' mind drifted into a thought, he just remembered something that would help him greatly, he opened his missions list and looked at a specific one.
[Become king]
[Reward: SS rank summon]
If he got the right SS rank summon he might be able to complete the commission in time without risking his safety.
'The best way to do that is by... Yeah... Renner.' He made up his mind.
His decision was ready now all he had to do was to gain time until he completed the system mission and got the SS rank summon.
The silence in the room stretched just a little too long after Meliodas finished reading the Emperor's request aloud. Everyone present instinctively knew something was turning in his mind.
The messenger could only patiently wait.
With a quiet, deliberate motion, Meliodas folded the imperial letter once, then again, his fingers moving with an almost childlike nonchalance. He folded it into a tiny paper boat and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the marble floor, where it landed with a soft tap.
Seron, the imperial messenger, blinked in disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, stunned not just by the irreverence of the gesture but by the casual audacity behind it. No one, no one treated a letter from the Emperor like that. Much less one offering gold and the chance to gain fame by aiding the empire.
But the weight of the room, the silent stares of the strange and dangerous people surrounding him, kept him from speaking his mind, frozen in his throat.
Meliodas, meanwhile, leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table as he looked directly at the messenger. His tone was calm, almost cheerful, but there was a steel edge beneath it that made it clear this was no suggestion.
"Tell your Emperor," Meliodas said, "that I don't deal with messengers." A small, confident smile curled his lips.
"If he wants my help, he can come to me. Face to face. I like to see the eyes of the people I'm working with. If he can't even manage that, there's no deal."
Seron's heart skipped a beat. His brain screamed at him to respond but something in the room shifted. A tension that hadn't been there before.
The air felt heavy now. His throat dried up as he noticed the way Makima, still behind Meliodas, tilted her head slightly, not in confusion, but in cold interest.
As if she was deciding whether or not he was still useful.
He could feel other stares too, unblinking, intense.
Rem's polite expression hadn't changed, but there was a sharpness behind her eyes. A certain readiness.
Seron swallowed hard. His pride as a messenger for the Empire told him to stand tall, but survival whispered something else.
He bowed low, his voice slightly tight. "Understood… I-I will deliver your message as requested. I… apologize for the interruption."
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out, hiding the beads of sweat gathering at his temples. As he passed Rem, she gave him a shallow nod and silently led him out of the mansion.
Meliodas watched him go, his eyes still half-lidded with amusement, tapping a finger lightly against the wooden table. He waited until the door closed, then turned his head slightly, gaze flicking to Makima.
"Change of plans, we have to conquer Re-Estize" he said without missing a beat, his voice low but clear.
Makima met his gaze immediately. "Understood."
There was no question asked. No clarification is needed. She simply accepted that the game had shifted.
Meliodas leaned back again in his chair, now visibly relaxed, but the faint smirk lingering on his lips told a different story.
'Jircniv is strong, and smart, but not arrogant and does not have an ego. He will come.'
TO BE CONTINUED --->
Hey everyone! Author here.
If you've got an anime character you'd love to see summoned into the story, feel free to drop your suggestions, including which character you'd like to see and what rank you think they deserve. Your input might just shape the next events in the story!
Also, If you enjoyed the story (or even if you didn't), I'd love to hear your thoughts. Constructive criticism helps me grow as a writer, and your feedback means a lot. Plus, once this story hits 10 reviews, it gets an official rating, so dont forget to drop a review for the book!