Rental Isekai Chapter 25 (Patreon)

My party of Irabel, Drakia, Rose, and myself made an uneventful trip back to Queen Iyana's castle in the center of Lundhaven to attend Queen Iyana's party.

And as we reached the castle, I raised an eyebrow as I could feel Jing being repulsed as the castle's wards and magical protection were at full effect. 'Hmm? The wards are at their highest level, as though an army was sieging the castle itself.' I mused as I realized that this party wasn't going to be so simple.

It was clear that Iyana had plan's that she didn't want other people scrying into the castle to see at all.

Now it just remained to be decided if said plans were a detriment or would affect me at all.

After checking our adventurer tags to confirm our identities as we were foreign from Lundhaven. We were swiftly escorted to the table of honor with Irabel all but bouncing with excitement as she spoke.

"Oooh, I've been here a couple of times before with my father. I hope they still have the Lundhaven pudding. It is made from Holstaur breast milk!"

My lips twitched as I asked quietly. "What do you mean breast milk? Isn't it just milk?" 

Irabel looked at me and then she shook her head before she put her hands to her waist and said with a voice of authority on the subject. "No! Milk is from an animal or even a monster and although it can be good. Breast milk is from a sentient creature on the side of Order. Holstaur's are cousins to the Chaos Aligned Minotaurs and their breast milk can be used in healing and mana potions to form their base!"

I looked around and the nobles who heard Irabel's words gave a solemn nod to the noblewoman's explanation to the truth and then a series of measured drumming noises went off.

Looking down the grand long hall we were in with a singular large double-seating long table in the middle with a couple dozen circular tables a good couple of meters on the sides of the long table.

And at the end was an announcer who put their drumsticks down on their drum hanging on their chest as they announced. "Ladies and Gentlemen please seat yourself according to your ranks. Jake Barris the summoned hero. You have been granted this table to the right of Queen Iyana, she may join your table should she wish to speak with you privately." 

And then the announcer went onto assign certain generals and their families to the other tables and I realized how the seating in this place worked.

Queen Iyana sat at the end of the table that had a slightly raised section to put her above others and when she so desired. She could step out and join the tables to her retainers and people she considered to have the status to earn her personal attention and time. 

While the further down the table you went, the lower ranked or unfavored you were.

And more towards the front of the table I nodded to meet the sharp nod of the merchant who brought us to Lundhaven and into Queen Iyana's influence's nod to get my attention.

Then a couple of waiters came by and asked what we would like to drink and what meals we would like prepared and I asked for spaghetti while the rest of the girls asked for their own food before the announcer came back a couple of minutes later.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Queen Iyana. The fist of New Atha's militant arm keeping the endless hordes of demons and undead from the soft capital of our beloved motherland!"

Guards opened the large door leading into the castle and I raised an eyebrow as I took in Queen Iyana's appearance. 

She had long blond hair that fell past her waist in a wavy curtain, and her very voluptuous form was clad in a tightly fitting leotard with her bottom covered in an armored skirt that went just past her thighs.

But the most drawing thing was her almost painfully vivid green eyes that seemed almost poisonous in their intensity she took in the people who instinctively submissively lowered their gaze from their ruler.

Unlike even my companions however, I did not lower my gaze from Iyana's casual inspection of the masses... And when she finished looking from the left and center, her eyes landed on my form.

And I could feel the magic in her gaze as my draconic magic resistance pushed the passive weight of dominance in her gaze aside.

There was a brief pause as she met my gaze then a small smile crossed her face before she gave an almost invisible nod that could have been confused for her adjusting herself as she looked away from me and turned towards the center to speak.

"Lundhaven... I Queen Iyana have come with important news. Important tidings that will shake the landscape for the next few years if not decades." 

She took a deep breath and spoke. "I have learned the Orc Necromancer Queen is being supported by the Magical Coalition of Ecesh who is supplying powerful flesh golems and has gifted a dozen full-grown Sand Leviathan corpses to the Necromancer Queen to enslave.  And she is currently using them to tunnel through the mountains separating New Atha from Ecesh." 

"How big are Sand Leviathans?" I asked Drakia quietly as the room was engulfed in tense whispers.

There was a moment of silence from Drakia before she grimaced and said. "They are the biggest land creature in the world... They are a good five hundred meters long, and like two hundred meters wide."

'Ah shit... So they are literally like Dune, sandworm-sized. And with them being made into undead, they will be strengthened to be able to tunnel through actual rock even if it is slow.' I thought with a frown as that was troubling news.

And then Queen Iyana snapped her fingers loudly which silenced everyone and after her imperious gaze was almost met by everyone she spoke. "Now... Ecesh will pay for supporting such an evil entity of Chaos. But for now, the Necromancer Queen has assigned each Sand Leviathan to tunnel in different directions under the control of her top generals. Our goal now is for our own generals to assassinate and kill her generals that are no out of hiding out of the mountains." 

The military nodded as even I was aware that Lundhaven had magical sensors to help collect information on large scale monster invasions and the Sand Leviathans were never going to be a subtle thing.

But then Queen Iyana waved her hand and I blinked as two guards came out of the back carrying a devil's body that had its limbs removed along with its horns atop its head brutally shattered and other forms of torture clear on their forms.

"The demon armies plans of destabilization is also being well looked into as well. So do not think I am mono-focused on merely the Necromancer Queen." Queen Iyana spoke and I couldn't help but feel like it was a dig towards me even if she didn't look at me.