Chapter 10 | The Most Powerful Trump Card

 

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4 Late Fire Moon (September) 10:31 PM

Around 1,300 feet above the royal capital… A party was flying across the sky, blending in with the stars. There were two casters who had used Fly, and directly behind them sat two others being pulled for a total of four.

One of the seated ones was a man wearing raven-black armor with large swords on his back. The other was a beautiful woman with a ponytail. It went without saying that it was Ainz and Narberal.

Early that morning, the two of them had been requested by name at the E-Rantel adventurers’ guild and taken on a job with the promise of an unprecedented reward. The client was Marquis Raeven. The official job was to guard the man’s house for a few days because it seemed like some kind of emergency was going to happen in the kingdom.

Ainz knew there was more to it than the “official” story because he’d heard the rest at the time of the request.

According to that discussion, the marquis was sending some soldiers to capture the facility of an underworld organization called the Eight Fingers, and he wanted Momon to fight as a member of that unit. In particular, he wanted him to handle the strongest enemies, known as the Six Arms.

Ainz couldn’t think of any reason to refuse the request.

In order to remain neutral, adventurers didn’t normally participate in country-level affairs. That was the unwritten rule. But Ainz appreciated that the man had prepared an official request so as to not cause trouble for the dark hero Momon despite the rule breaking, and more than anything, the compensation was droolworthy.

Ainz thought maybe he could take advantage of this windfall and relax a bit, so he negotiated up his fee while taking great care not to appear indecent, desperately hiding how attractive he found the job, and made a show of hesitancy but eventually accepted the request.

The only problem was that he had been asked to head for the royal capital with the utmost urgency.

In Yggdrasil, there had been teleportation stations here and there that would take players between different cities and countries, but in this world, there was nothing like that. On top of that, teleportation magic started at tier five, so according to the story Ainz had concocted for them, they couldn’t use it. They would never have made it within a day traveling by horse.

So how would they go? The ones who provided the answer to that question were casters who worked for Marquis Raeven.

They were able to bring Ainz and Narberal to the capital at high speed by combining a special flight spell that consumed more MP than usual with Floating Board.

How did they use that combination? It’s simple. Where the pair of adventurers was sitting tells the whole story.

They were atop the translucent platform created by Floating Board. Since the spell absorbed their weight, the casters could pull them without losing speed. That was how they’d come to the capital in a straight shot. The timing had still been unrealistic, though, and they arrived far later than planned.

So Ainz was a bit worried. Would they show up and learn their services were no longer necessary? Would they receive their compensation?

He’d been lured by the exceptionally huge reward, so of course the client wouldn’t want to pay such a sum to someone who hadn’t done any work. Ainz didn’t want to count his chickens before they’d hatched.

He sighed discreetly and prayed to something. He felt just like an employee of a company that wasn’t performing well would feel about their bonus.

May I please be paid my fee in full? I already know how I’m going to spend it.

Besides that, he was enjoying his first look at the capital, as well as the ride through the night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really possible to enjoy a lit-up night view. Most of the capital was shrouded in darkness; there was not a pocket of cheer to be seen. Still, for Ainz, who could see in the dark, the experience satisfied his curiosity to some extent.

Taking in the scene with bizarre earnestness, he happened to catch sight of an unusual sparkle in a certain area.

He didn’t understand what was happening at first, but when the black flames climbed into the air, he recognized it as an emergency.

“Wait! Look at that! There it is again. Something’s flashing over there. Seems like magic.”

“…That does…seem to be magic…” The caster didn’t seem very confident when he looked in the direction Ainz was pointing, probably due to the distance and the fact that it was nighttime. For a normal human, it was difficult to tell.

“Huh? Is this sort of thing a daily occurrence in the capital? Or are you guys setting off fireworks to welcome us?”

The caster replied to Ainz’s joke with a straight face. “That location is one of the Eight Fingers bases we’re supposed to be raiding.”

“I see… I didn’t think we’d make it in time, but it looks like I’ll be able to be of some use after all.”

“Understood. I’ll take you that way.”

“Stop. It seems like someone is using some high-tier magic down there. If you guys get caught in the cross fire, you’ll be killed.”

Ainz looked away from the caster, whose face said, Then what are we supposed to do? and turned to Narberal. “Nabe, use Fly and carry me. Once we get close, I’ll give you a signal and you can drop me.”

“Understood.”

4 Late Fire Moon (September) 10:33 PM

From where Evileye stood, at the limits of her life, the black warrior’s question seemed idiotic, but she quickly reevaluated the situation. Considering how they were dressed, both sides should have appeared equally suspicious. It was a confrontation between two people who wore masks to hide their faces.

If she were in his position, it wouldn’t have been strange to go against her.

Evileye had an idea who the black warrior was and called out. “Dark Hero! I’m Evileye of the Blue Roses! I ask you as a fellow adamantite-rank adventurer, please help me!”

She realized her mistake as soon as she had shouted—her opponent’s advantage. Even if the adamantite-rank adventurer Momon helped her, what good would that do? Even for Evileye, victory was doubtful against this unfathomably powerful demon. He could join her, but it would only be like two pieces of paper standing to fight instead of one. Surely the gale-force wind would mow them down.

All her request could do was rob the life of this man who’d come to rescue her. What she should have shouted was a warning to flee. If she was going to have the impudence to request something of him, it should have been to gather the bodies of her fallen comrades and run away.

However—

“Got it.”

The man gave Evileye cover and confronted the demon.

Evileye gasped.

The moment he moved to protect her, it felt like an enormous rampart had appeared before her. Her heart filled with relief and calm.

The opposing demon slowly lowered his head. It was the deep, respectful bow a manservant might use toward a noble. There was no way he honestly felt respect, so it must have been feigned politeness, a demon’s sarcasm.

“Well, well, how good of you to come. First, may I ask your name? I am Jaldabaoth.”

Evileye heard the man’s voice murmur dubiously, “Jaldabaoth?” from beneath his raven-black helmet. And then, “That’s a weird name.”

She didn’t think it was strange, but she sifted through her knowledge of demons, and she wasn’t sure she had ever heard it before.

“Jaldabaoth? Okay. I’m Momon. As she mentioned earlier, I’m an adamantite-rank adventurer.”

Though the demon Jaldabaoth’s demeanor was unpleasant, the dark warrior Momon carried on the conversation with no change in attitude.

Aha! It was a glimpse of what a first-rate adventurer this man Momon was, how he was broad-minded enough to swallow any open contempt for his opponent in the name of extracting intelligence from him. Evileye was impressed.

At the same time, embarrassed by her rising emotions, she hid behind the edge of Momon’s crimson cape so as not to disrupt the pair’s conversation.

She intended to help Momon fight, but she had a feeling she might get in his way.

The two of them didn’t appear to be paying attention to her at all, and their breathtaking battle of information continued while she changed positions.

“I see. And might I inquire as to what brings you here?”

“A request. I was summoned by a noble on the pretext of guarding his home, but…I noticed your fight here as I was flying over the capital. I realized there was some emergency and came down.”

The noble must have been Marquis Raeven. So he’s summoned an adamantite-rank adventurer to the capital now? She guessed that he meant to have Momon participate in the struggle against the Eight Fingers as much as he could without breaking the adventurers’ guild’s unwritten law of nonintervention in human matters.

“What’s your objective?”

“It seems a magic item with the power to summon and control our kind has ended up in this city. I’ve come to collect it.”

“So if we offer you the item, the problem will be solved?”

“No, that won’t be possible. I’m afraid that, as enemies, we must do battle.”

“That’s your conclusion, De— Jaldabaoth? There’s no path forward but as enemies?”

“No, as you say, we must be adversaries.”

Evileye felt like something was off and cocked her head.

Rather than waging an information battle, they seemed to be simply exchanging intelligence, but she decided that couldn’t be true.

“I think I’ve got the general picture. In that case, I’ll go ahead and defeat you. You don’t have a problem with that, right?” Momon slowly spread his arms. The huge swords, extensions of himself, gleamed.

“Oh, but I do. I’ll go ahead and resist.”

“Here I come!”

He charged. No, it was more correct to say that she had the feeling he charged. At some point, Momon, who had been standing in front of her, was clashing with Jaldabaoth.

The level of combat was such that Evileye couldn’t even describe what was happening.

Momon’s blades flashed innumerable times, and Jaldabaoth deflected them with his long nails.

“Amazing…”

There were any number of words she could have chosen for an accolade, but seeing his glittering sword, she chose the one that was simplest and most honest.

His slices surpassed those of any warrior in her memory. He was like a warrior who slashed through evil and the darkness enveloping the world right along with it.

She even fancied that she had become one of the princesses from the songs of the bards. The image of a dashing knight coming to save her overlapped with the dark warrior before her.

Something like an electric shock passed through the muscles between her legs, and she trembled slightly.

She sensed that her heart, static these two hundred and fifty years, had leaped.

She put a hand to her small chest, but just as she thought, like that time before, there was no movement. Still, it couldn’t have been her imagination.

“…You can do it, Sir Momon.” She folded her hands to make a wish—that her knight would claim victory over the terrible demon.

With a ker-bang that sounded nothing like an impact on flesh, Jaldabaoth was knocked way back. He didn’t fall but slid over the cobblestones in a way that suggested the soles of his shoes were worn down. After retreating several yards, he brushed the dirt from his clothes.

“Magnificent. It may be that my one mistake was facing a genius warrior like you.”

Momon thrust the sword in one of his hands into the cobblestones with a ker-shing. He rotated his arm to work out the knots in his neck and replied in an even tone, “Spare me the flattery. You’re probably still concealing plenty of power.”

Evileye’s eyes bulged.

The idea that they hadn’t been fighting all out was far beyond common sense.

“Is he a…demigod?”

Now and then, one among those with blood of the beings known as Players awakened to immense power. In the theocracy, they were known as demigods. No, to be more accurate, someone recognized to have blood of one of the six great gods was a demigod, and there was another word for someone who had other Player blood. In any case, there was a chance Momon had Player blood—without it, there was no way a person could possess so much power.

“No, no, I can’t win against you, Lo— Mr. Momon, was it?”

“That’s right, Jaldabaoth. My name is Momon.”

“Understood. Then here I come! Demon Aspect: Tentacle Wings!”

Wings grew out of Jaldabaoth’s back. Instead of feathers covering them, however, there were flat, abnormally long tentacles. He spoke kindly to Momon, who was on guard in a fighting stance.

“You are strong. Truly strong. I have no doubt you are stronger than me. So although I’d rather not, I’m going to resort to this. I’m sure you can protect yourself if you switch to defense, but in that case, you had better give up on saving the small fry behind you. I suggest taking care of yourself.”

The moment he finished speaking, the flat, thin tentacles stretched forward with the force of projectiles. The tips were extremely sharp and could probably pierce human flesh and bone alike with no trouble.

Although Evileye saw the wings closing in around her at high speed, there was nothing she could do. She didn’t even have enough magical energy left to create a barrier with something like Crystal Wall. All she could do was duck and hope for a stroke of luck.

The next moment, however, she learned that she had still underestimated the dark warrior.

After hearing a hard clang, she looked up and saw a solid shield.

The feather tentacles, cut to ribbons, fell to the ground. They might have been able to slice up humans, but in this state, they were so beautiful.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

The man’s unconcerned voice… It sounded so normal, it was hard to believe he had just swung his one-handed sword fast enough to intercept all the approaching feather tentacles. He wasn’t even out of breath.

“A-ah! Ahhh! Your shoulder! Are you okay?!”

One of the ribbons was sticking to Momon’s shoulder. It had been severed afterward, so it hung limply, almost like a decoration on his armor.

“I’m fine. This is nothing to worry about. More importantly, I’m relieved that you seem all right.” He laughed a bit.

Evileye sensed her heart beat once more in her breast. Her face was awfully hot. It felt like her mask was heating up.

“Magnificent. That you were able to keep her perfectly safe from harm is simply… I, Jaldabaoth, offer you my humble praise. You are truly magnificent.”

“Cut out the brownnosing. More importantly, Jaldabaoth…why are you so far away?”

As Momon spoke, he reached out toward Evileye and scooped her up.

“!”

Her unbeating heart practically leaped out of her chest. The bards’ stories she’d always ridiculed were playing over and over in her head. She recalled in particular the scenes where the knights fought while carrying a princess in one arm. Common sense said that when facing a powerful enemy, taking along such a burden was idiotic. And yet—

I’m sorry, bards of the world! A real knight does carry a princess of a tender age while fighting to protect her! Omigosh! What’s going on? I’m so embarrassed!

But Evileye’s delight swiftly fizzled. Her dream was to be cradled. But in reality—

“This is…”

—he held her like a piece of luggage, tucked under his left arm. No, surely this was the correct way to do it. Evileye was a bit smaller than the average adult woman. From a balance standpoint, too, the core was the most stable part of the body, so this made the most sense.

She knew she was in no position to complain. In fact, she was still full of hatred that her friends had been killed. She knew full well she didn’t have time to think about these silly things. Still, she couldn’t completely suppress the discontent that rose in a corner of her mind.

Evileye wondered if it wouldn’t be easier on him if she clung to him as well, but she wasn’t confident that she could hang on if they got caught up in anther high-speed exchange like what she’d witnessed before, so she didn’t say anything.

Another bout seemed ready to begin, and she looked at Jaldabaoth and Momon. There was more space between them than before, but for a warrior at the limits of possibility and a super-high-level demon, it was probably only a step.

“I think it’s about time we got started?”

“No, I will take the liberty of withdrawing. As I mentioned before, our objective is not to defeat you. I shall soon wrap part of the royal capital in flames. If you insist on intruding, I guarantee the fires of purgatory will send you to the next world.”

With that, Jaldabaoth turned his back and ran away. Although he didn’t seem to be sprinting, the distance between them increased rapidly, and he melted into the night almost immediately.

“O-oh no, Sir Momon. Hurry, we have to slay him!” Evileye gasped in a panic before they lost sight of him, but Momon shook his head.

“We can’t. He chose retreat to execute his plan. If we chased him, he’d probably start to fight in earnest. And then…”

Momon went silent, but Evileye knew the rest. And then you’ll get caught up in the battle and die. That was probably what he was going to say. Even if he had left her here and gone after him, that nasty demon would have threatened her as well with his attacks.

Momon had protected her earlier, so her value as a hostage was clear.

Unable to be of any use to the man who had saved her life, she berated herself. I talked so high and mighty to Climb, but this is all I’m capable of? Despicable.

“Okay, Nabe. What do you think we should do now?”

As if in answer to his question, a woman floated slowly down out of the sky. Evileye knew he had a caster with the nickname Beautiful Princess on his team. In her head, she’d once laughed, Isn’t that name embarrassing? Upon seeing her, however, her breath caught.

She was so lovely. Evileye couldn’t help but stare—she must have had foreign blood from a southern country in her.

“Mas— Mr. Momon, how about going to the client’s house like we planned in the first place?”

“…And ignore Jaldabaoth? Don’t you think my role in the capital might be to stop his plan?”

“It might be, but I think it’s important that we confirm with the client first.”

“You’re right.”

“More importantly, I suggest dropping that crane fly onto the cobblestones.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I thought it would be dangerous if you got caught up in that fight.” Momon gently put Evileye down.

“Na— No, please don’t worry about me. I knew what your intentions were.” She bowed deeply. “Thank you very much for saving me. As I mentioned briefly before, I am Evileye of the adamantite-rank adventurer team the Blue Roses.”

“I appreciate your courtesy. I am Momon, also an adamantite-rank adventurer. And that caster is my teammate Nabe. So what are your plans now? Those two are your friends, aren’t they? If so, I don’t mind helping you transport them…” His finger pointed to Gagaran and Tia.

“I thank you for your kindness, but that won’t be necessary. My other comrades should arrive shortly. We might even use resurrection magic right here.”

Momon’s armor clanked loudly.

Evileye sharply perceived a streak of intense interest in the gaze coming from the slit in his helmet.

“Wait, you can— Er, I mean, so you can use resurrection magic, can you?”

“Uh, er, yes. Our leader Lakyus can resurrect the dead.”

“I see! Then I’d like to ask you something: Does resurrection magic work even if you cast it from very far away?”

“What do you mean?”

“Umm, for example, if you wanted to bring these two back to life and you cast from some far-off place—say, the empire—where would they come back to life? In the empire or at the location of the corpses?”

Why is he so interested in resurrection magic? Is he just curious? Faith casters who could use tier-five spells weren’t terribly common, so it wasn’t strange for him to be curious.

Or did someone important to him die? In that case, her answer might be harsh. All she could do was hope that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t know the details, but I heard that for the spell Lakyus casts, it doesn’t really work unless the corpses to be revived are in the immediate vicinity. So to answer your question, Sir Momon, it wouldn’t be possible to cast it from the empire.”

“Hmm, hmm, then I have another question. After reviving those two, would they be able to head straight into combat?”

“That would be impossible,” Evileye declared simply.

The resurrection spell Lakyus could cast was the tier-five spell Raise Dead. The magic consumed a vast amount of life force, so iron-rank adventurers or below would definitely turn to ashes. The two adamantite-rank adventurers could be resurrected fine, but due to the loss of vitality, they wouldn’t be able to move very well, and it would take a while to recover.

If what Jaldabaoth had said was true, and they still weren’t out of danger, then their team had suffered quite a loss. No, as long as this man is the only one who can compete with that demon, nothing will change even if we resurrect them. It’d be smarter to have them recuperate…

“I see… I understand things for the most part. If it’s all right, I’d like to meet this woman Lakyus. Do you mind if I wait with you for a while?”

“What! Why do you want to meet her?!”

She realized she’d raised her voice, although she didn’t understand why herself. Something had prickled in her chest when Momon said he wanted to meet Lakyus.

Even she was surprised. Momon, on the receiving end of the shout, seemed equally disturbed.

She blushed with intense shame beneath her mask. At least she was wearing a hood so he couldn’t see her ears turn red.

“Uh, I might be able to ask her about resurrection magic, and although we’re both the same rank, she’s been a team leader longer than me, so I thought I’d offer a greeting… Also, there’s nothing to say that Jaldabaoth wasn’t only pretending to flee and won’t come back here. So those were my reasons. Is there a problem?”

“N-no, if that’s all, then… I’m sorry I shouted.”

When she learned he was also taking precautions against Jaldabaoth, the prickly feeling disappeared. Anyone could have guessed why from our previous conversation… And if he’s taking precautions against Jaldabaoth…does that mean he wants to protect me…? Hee-hee…

“So until then, do you mind telling me what happened here?”

“Before that, I can’t bear to leave my comrades’ bodies out there, so do you mind if we move over that way?”

Momon didn’t mind at all, so they walked over.

She had guessed they would have horrible burns, but the corpses were immaculate, as if the demon’s fire burned up only people’s souls.

After closing their eyes and crossing their hands over their chests, Evileye took Shrouds of Sleep out of her bag and wrapped Tia first.

“What are those?”

“If you wrap a corpse in one of these magic items, it keeps them from turning undead or rotting. Supposedly it has some beneficial effect when you cast a resurrection spell, too.”

“I see,” said Momon, and he gave her a hand, wrapping Gagaran’s large body when he noticed her struggling. He was so strong that lifting Gagaran looked easy.

Standing before the two bodies wrapped in white cloth, Evileye said a brief, silent prayer. The dead deserved respect, even if Lakyus was going to resurrect them later.

“Thanks for your help.”

“Don’t mention it. I’d rather continue our discussion from before. Can you tell me what happened here?”

Evileye readily consented and began to explain. Still, all she knew was why she had come and how Jaldabaoth had appeared partway through the battle with the bug maid.

Momon and Nabe had been listening quietly, but when she was saying how the Blue Roses had beaten the maid to within inches of her life, their mood changed dramatically.

“Did you kill her?” His tone was neutral, but she sensed an anger he wasn’t able to completely conceal.

That was confusing. She didn’t understand why Momon would be mad if they killed Jaldabaoth’s maid. For the time being, she decided to just explain the outcome as fast as she could. “No. Jaldabaoth showed up before we could kill her.”

“Oh. I see, I see…”

His anger dissipated until there was none left, as if Evileye had only misunderstood. Nabe was listening in silence, and the anger in her hard eyes had not disappeared, but her attitude had been negative from the start. Evileye wasn’t even sure the anger was directed at her.

Momon cleared his throat and asked, “Mm, do you think it’s possible that Jaldabaoth fought you seriously because you were trying to kill the bug maid?”

Evileye realized why he’d gotten angry. It must have been because he suspected that they’d picked a fight with a neutral maid, which might have sparked the whole situation. They’d stepped on a tiger’s tail when there had been no need to do such a thing.

An adventurer was always supposed to avoid unnecessary combat. If a member of the highest rank didn’t understand that, they risked making adamantite-rank adventurers, including Momon, look bad. That must be what he’s trying to say. But from Evileye’s perspective, that wasn’t how things were.

“Jaldabaoth said he was going to envelop part of the royal capital in flames. There’s no way any maid of his could be a decent person. I think my comrades were right to fight her.”

She would insist on that. That maid was stronger than Gagaran and Tia, so they wouldn’t have fought her without a reason. Their choice to engage had to have been the right one.

There was Evileye, unconsciously revealing her raw feelings in her argument, and silent Momon. Behind a mask, behind a closed helmet. They couldn’t see each other’s eyes, but Evileye was sure their gazes were clashing.

Momon was first to look away.

“Er, yeah. Hmm. I see what you’re saying. Sorry.” He bowed his head slightly.

This flustered Evileye. She couldn’t back down, so she had nearly started a fight, but it wasn’t right to have the man who’d saved her life bowing to her.

“Oh, please raise your head! You’re so wonderful, you don’t nee— Agh?!” Upon realizing what she was saying, she yelped in confusion.

Certainly, Momon was a wonderful person, but in this context wonderful wasn’t the right word to use.

Evileye shrieked in her head. Ahhh! How can I help it? He was so cool! Shouldn’t I be allowed to feel like a girl for the first time in a few hundred years? He’s so strong—yes, he’s a warrior who’s stronger and more wonderful than me, so of course!

Evileye watched him with girlish interest. If it seemed like he was blushing, she might still be able to hold out hope; if not, chances were slim.

Evileye’s body had stopped developing around the age of twelve. For that reason, she didn’t have most of the things men desired, and it was difficult to both arouse desire in them or get them to satisfy hers. Of course, a certain rare subset found her extremely appealing, but they really were rather uncommon, and judging by Nabe, the one next to Momon, she guessed he was not one of them.

Evileye mustered the courage to glance at him, but when she looked, Momon and Nabe were standing shoulder to shoulder looking up at the night sky.

At first, she had no idea what they were doing, but then she remembered her strange yelp from a moment ago, and it dawned on her.

Her shout had put them on guard.

That’s not what it was aboooout! She felt so pathetic she nearly started to cry.

“…Maybe it was just your imagination? I don’t see anything,” Momon said, having scanned the night sky.

“Y-yes, it must have been. My apologies.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’d rather have it be your imagination than have the enemy catch me unaware,” he answered nonchalantly. With Nabe’s help, he had sheathed one of his huge swords; the other he held to stay on guard.

Evileye didn’t have words for his kindness. Just then, something lit up at the edge of her vision. It wasn’t the white light of magic but the vermillion of a raging fire.

“Mr. Momon, look over there.”

Both of them saw the red glow as Nabe spoke. Evileye’s eyes widened under her mask—she knew where those flames were coming from.

“What is that?”

The curling crimson flames blazed up to the heavens. They had to have been easily over a hundred feet tall. How far they stretched was impossible to gauge, but it was definitely more than a few hundred yards.

The flames rose like a flickering veil and stretched like a sash to completely enclose one area of the capital.

In shock, Evileye observed this phenomenon for the first time in her life, and a quiet male voice reached her ears.

“…The Fire of Gehenna?”

Drawn by his question, she turned toward Momon. “Wh-what in the world is that? Do you know something about that huge wall of fire, Sir Momon?”

Momon jumped and answered with much less confidence than his murmur would have led one to expect. “Hmm? Oh…n-no, I don’t know for sure, so, er, can I tell you once I have confirmation?”

“Of course, that’s fine, but…”

“I—I need to talk to Nabe for a moment. Please excuse me.”

“Huh? I can’t go with you?”

“Er, no, it’s just a quick consultation between teammates, so I’d rather you didn’t…”

Of course. Embarrassed to have asked a question with such an obvious answer, her eyes roved around until they found the woman called Beautiful Princess.

The grin on her pretty face appeared to be a triumphant one.

Maybe it was just her imagination. But maybe it wasn’t. Any woman given special treatment by an ultra-first-class man would feel superior to members of the same sex.

Evileye couldn’t suppress the strange emotion that appeared in her heart.

The flame of an uncomfortable anger—jealousy.

Not only is he strong, he possesses knowledge I don’t… I’m never going to meet another man like this.

Some say that human women had a tendency to be attracted to power. Because they’d been continuously exposed to powerful external threats, their racial preservation instincts kicked in, and they desired to marry a strong man, bear children, and live under his protection. Of course, that wasn’t to say that was how all women chose their men. Personality, appearance—all sorts of things fostered love. Still, there were signs that this tendency was pronounced.

Evileye had always scorned women like that. You’re weak, so you’ll get someone to protect you? How incredibly foolish. All you have to do is get strong enough that you don’t need protection… At least that’s what I thought I believed…

If she let this man get away, would she ever find one who could fulfill her?

Evileye was immortal, so there was no doubt that Momon would grow old and die before her. And no matter how hard she tried, she probably wouldn’t be able to have his children. She couldn’t avoid being alone again in a few decades, but she thought for once in her life, she’d like to try living as a woman.

It wouldn’t be so bad if someone else had his kids. I wouldn’t grumble about a lover or two if he gave me the most affection.

“…Then please wait just a minute. Apologies…Miss Evileye?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I may have been overthinking it. I’m sure there are some things you need to decide as a team. I’ll wait here.”

In truth, she didn’t want to put the slightest distance between herself and Momon. She didn’t want to leave him alone with that beautiful woman, against whom she didn’t stand a chance. But there was no way she could say those things.

Nobody liked an overly persistent woman. A man who felt like someone was trying to tie him down would flee.

She recalled conversations she’d heard in bars. At the time, she’d thought they had nothing to do with her and gotten up from her seat with a scoff. Dang… So I guess any tidbit of knowledge can be put to some use… If only I had been paying proper attention back then… I wonder if I have time to learn a woman’s ways, Evileye thought as she followed the withdrawing pair with her eyes. She knew it wasn’t what she should be thinking about under these circumstances, but even if she tried to consider the issue at hand, she didn’t have enough information, so she only went in circles. Either way, in a few hours she’d be plunging into a battle where she might die, so she could probably afford to relax a bit and seriously consider this nonsense.

Is this a fait accompli?

She wasn’t sure how enticing she could be with a body that couldn’t bear children, but it was worth a shot.

She sighed. “Shall we beat Jaldabaoth…and build a future?”

Evileye declared war on Jaldabaoth, who was surely behind that blazing wall of fire, in her head. Sir Momon is probably the only one who can defeat you. So I’ll be beside him. And if that maid shows up again, I’ll slay her! I may not look it, but I’m the cursed one they called Nation Breaker! Don’t underestimate me, Jaldabaoth!

“She probably can’t hear us here, right?”

“I think it would be nearly impossible to listen in at this distance.”

“Still, I guess we should take precautions.”

Ainz activated an item he’d bought. It would prevent them from being overheard. He’d been saving it because it was single-use, but now he had no choice.

“So, Nabe. I have a fairly good idea of what his plan is; however, the more precise a machine is, the more danger there is of the whole thing breaking if one gear gets messed up. That goes for plans as well. I want to avoid misinterpreting something and ruining everything by assuming I know what’s going on and acting without confirmation. You understand, right?”

“I see. I’d expect nothing less from you, Supreme One.”

Ainz returned Narberal’s heartfelt praise with a confident nod befitting a ruler, as if to say he had everything in the palm of his hand.

—I wish.

In his head, he was practically drowning in a waterfall of cold sweat.

How was he supposed to know what Demiurge was up to? The only reason he had appeared earlier was because he noticed combat breaking out in the capital and thought, It’s my first battle in the royal capital, so I’ll make a cool entrance. The shock upon realizing he was fighting Demiurge was so great that he nearly lost his cool—to the point where he had to be automatically evened out by the special psychological affinity the undead naturally possessed.

Then, when he’d figured they were fighting the Eight Fingers as ordered, it was actually some adamantite-rank adventurers. He really couldn’t understand and had half given up trying to think about it.

In his position, his comments just now were a bad move. Ainz was well aware that pretending to know things was dangerous. Sometimes it was safer to just reveal one’s ignorance. But Ainz was a respected ruler. He needed to display wisdom befitting the Supreme Beings, demonstrating they were worthy of reverence.

If a superior, even at company president level, was too ignorant, it was natural they would lose the trust of subordinates.

And so, after frantically spinning his nonexistent brain’s gears until they’d nearly melted, what he’d come up with was that tired excuse.

It was unclear if Narberal was just obedient or his logic was more convincing than he’d thought, but she had respect in her eyes. Ainz pretended to give her an order, though it was really asking her a favor. “Yes. So in order to make Demiurge’s plan a success, get in touch with him. The reason I’m not is because people are watching—by which I mean that woman. And also because I can’t use magic in this form. Hmm…Evileye is observing us so closely. I don’t know for sure, but she must be suspicious of me.”

“Really? I think not. I’m pretty sure it’s something else she’s feeling.”

At this remark, Ainz glanced at her out of the corner of his eye so as not to appear suspicious.

“Do you really think so? I know her thoughts inside out. I knew it was a fatal error to get angry back there… Maybe I should have just killed her?”

There was no answer.

All Ainz had felt when he heard that they’d beaten Entoma to within inches of her life was rage. As always, the intense emotion was immediately suppressed. Even so, for a moment, he was consumed by seething anger—it was a miracle he hadn’t smashed the sword he’d been carrying into the top of Evileye’s head.

The reason he’d been able to hold back his fury and urge to kill her was that, based on the conversation they’d had, he had judged that the drawbacks of killing her would be just too great. He had a chance to become connected with someone who could use resurrection magic—a very good person to know; it would have been a waste to throw that away.

I’ve grown a bit, learned some patience, he reflected. If he hadn’t had the experience of flying off the handle when Shalltear was brainwashed, he probably would have killed Evileye without even considering the drawbacks. The inhabitants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the NPCs created by the Supreme Beings, were treasures Ainz had to protect. It would be unforgivable if they were tarnished. His ability to think and prioritize had to have been due to his maturation.

Ainz sensed that he was becoming more capable as he built up experience, and his illusion face grinned between his closed helmet and the rubber mask he was wearing for extra insurance. If he kept improving at this rate, he would definitely become a ruler worthy of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. At least, that’s what he hoped.

Until then, I have to avoid disappointing them or making any big mistakes… This is so intense.

“Oh? I’d expect nothing less from you, Lord Ainz. So you can see through that lady completely? Truly, you have eyes befitting the enthroned.”

“Cut the flattery, Narberal. I’ve only put in the natural amount of thought considering the mistakes I’ve made.” He waved an embarrassed hand and then, in a booming—at least, he hoped it was booming—voice, he gave her orders. “Time for action, Narberal. Find out all the plans without delay and inform me. Also, please tell him that I’m guessing, but there is a good chance I will be the one to handle the incident Jaldabaoth causes.”

Narberal bowed and cast a spell.

Ainz did a fist pump in his head. What he’d said to Narberal earlier wasn’t a lie. Right now he couldn’t use magic due to Perfect Warrior, so it was only natural that she Message Demiurge, but he had one other unstated reason.

Now that he’d pretended he understood Demiurge’s entire plan, he needed to avoid contact with the intelligent Demiurge as much as possible so his comprehension couldn’t be doubted.

There was a risk that due to turning everything into a game of telephone with Narberal, some of the information he received would be distorted. But that was a small risk to take—compared to Ainz being deemed unfit to rule the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Ainz slowly approached Evileye.

He figured he needed to distract her while Narberal was talking to Demiurge.

“Sheesh. How do I explain this…? And…why is this kid so powerful? I wonder what she looks like underneath that mask…”

2

5 Late Fire Moon (September) 12:47 AM

In one corner of the castle, in a room that wasn’t so big, brightly lit despite it being the middle of the night, a large number of men and women had gathered. They were each equipped, but there was no standard gear set.

They’d been urgently assembled here—all the adventurers of the kingdom. Some were high-ranking, with orichalcum and mythril plates, and some were low-ranking, with iron and copper plates—a true sweeping mobilization.

The high-ranking adventurers had already deduced that they’d been convened to handle the ongoing situation in the capital, since they’d been summoned to an inner part of the castle where people of indefinite status were usually not allowed to go.

And from the boy wearing white full plate armor standing at attention in the corner, they could guess who the client was; a tiny minority of them had a vague idea of who the man standing next to him was from his adventurer-like vibes and katana.

When the door opened and a group of women—with only one man among them—appeared, a murmur went through the crowd.

They were all big names, recognizable by every adventurer in the kingdom.

At the head of the line stood the leader of the adamantite-rank team the Blue Roses, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra. Next was the Golden Princess, Renner. Then the head of the capital’s adventurers’ guild. Then from the Blue Roses, Evileye and one of the twins. Bringing up the rear was the kingdom’s strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff.

The group stood before the crowd. The boy in white armor unrolled a large piece of paper and hung it on the wall behind them. It was a detailed map of the capital.

The first to speak was a woman around forty years old, but she was a former mythril-rank adventurer, and her eyes were filled with vigor. “First, I’d like to thank you all for gathering here to confront this crisis.” She scanned the room full of quiet, serious-looking adventurers and then spoke again. “Under normal circumstances, the adventurers’ guild does not permit intervening in matters of the state.” Her gaze rested momentarily on the members of the Blue Roses, but she didn’t say anything—her eyes imparted just as much as her mouth could have. “But this case is an exception. We’ve decided the adventurers’ guild will offer its full support to the kingdom in order to resolve the incident as quickly as possible. The princess will explain the details of the operation. Please listen carefully.”

The princess stepped slowly forward, accompanied by the members of the Blue Roses and Gazef Stronoff on either side. “My name is Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself. Thank you for gathering here to confront this crisis.” She bobbed her head.

Several adventurers sighed in admiration of her dainty elegance.

“Usually, I would express my gratitude at greater length, but there’s no time, so I’ll head straight into the explanation. Today in the early dawn, a fiery barrier enclosed a part of the capital”—she gestured with a finger to circle a large area in the northeast on the map—“in this area. I believe everyone here has already seen the wall of flames, which is over a hundred feet tall.”

Most of the adventurers nodded, and a few looked out the windows. The flames weren’t visible from inside the castle walls, but a red glow had been cast on part of the sky.

“The fire is similar to an illusion in some ways; for instance, it doesn’t seem to harm those who come into contact with it. According to someone who actually touched it, it doesn’t feel hot, nor does it prevent intrusions like a barrier. Apparently there aren’t any obstacles to operating inside it, either.”

At those words, some of the adventurers, mainly low-ranking ones, voiced relief.

“The culprit behind this incident is called Jaldabaoth. We’ve received reports that he is an immensely powerful, extremely cruel demon. And the leader of the Blue Roses has confirmed that there are low-level demons roaming inside the wall of flames. She reported sensing a discipline to their actions that would indicate orders from a superior.”

Lakyus nodded in confirmation.

“Bashing in the heads of our enemies is standard. Do we just have to beat this Jaldabaoth guy?” an adventurer wearing a mythril plate asked, and Renner gave a single nod.

“Ultimately, we’re hoping that will resolve the incident, but what we’d like to ask you to do is thwart the demons in their objective. According to the information we’ve gathered, their goal is to steal a particular item that has been transported into the city.”

A murmur went through the adventurers. They mainly did jobs around the city and had realized that the zone within the wall of flames was the main economic district, where all the warehouses and company headquarters were located.

“…How did you acquire that information?”

“Jaldabaoth told us.”

“Doesn’t that mean there’s a good chance it could be false?”

“The chance is certainly nonzero. This entire incident could be a huge feint to draw our attention. But I think we can believe him. He hasn’t made a move since creating the wall of fire. And if what he said is true, sitting back and doing nothing could result in a worst-case scenario. We need to charge in there.”

“So how strong is this demon Jaldabaoth you’ve been talking about? I don’t remember ever reading about a demon by that name, so if you have an idea of his difficulty rating, even just a rough estimate, please tell us.”

Lakyus frowned and stepped forward. “My teammate Evileye has witnessed his strength, but we can’t decide what to rate him right now, so we’ll alert you at a later time.”

A difficulty rating was a value given to monsters encountered by adventurers that indicated their strength. The higher the value, the more powerful the monster, but among adventurers it was generally believed that judging solely by rating would land most people in trouble—the reason being that difficulty varied widely among individuals, so the ratings could act only as reference points.

For that reason, the numbers weren’t used terribly often, but the adventurer who asked must have figured it would be most helpful in a situation like this one, where the idea was to let everyone know how strong the monster was in a simple way.

“Instead, I’ll explain what happened. Right as my teammates defeated a bug maid, whom we believe was a servant of Jaldabaoth, he appeared, and in the ensuing battle… You’ve probably already noticed that Gagaran and Tia are not with us…” Lakyus scanned the faces of the adventurers in the room. “He killed them.”

“In one hit.”

The crowd was thrown into an uproar by this additional comment from Evileye.

Adamantite-rank adventurers… They were the greatest elites, living legends. That they’d been slain with a single blow was too impossible to believe.

However—

“Don’t panic!” Evileye’s earsplitting yell was enough to dispel the heavy atmosphere. “Yes, Jaldabaoth is strong. Having faced him and been helplessly defeated, I can testify to that. He’s the kind of monster people can’t beat. Even if everyone gathered here went up against him, you’d probably all meet a miserable end. However! We haven’t been truly defeated yet! I’m proof of that, since I faced him and lived. Don’t worry, there’s someone among us who can fight this demon on equal footing!”

With a murmur, some of the more informed adventurers turned to look toward a certain point in the room, at the adventurers there.

“I think some of you may know that a third adamantite-rank adventurer appeared in E-Rantel. Yes, him—” She gestured to two adventurers, and almost everyone’s eyes gathered on them. “—the leader of Raven Black, Sir Momon, the Dark Hero!”

The imposing figure standing at attention in one corner of the room and his peerlessly beautiful partner had already been attracting a lot of attention—he was clad in armor black as a crow and wearing his closed helmet despite being inside the castle. Upon learning that his status was high enough for his rudeness to be overlooked, the room filled with murmurs of admiration.

Momon took the plate that proved he was adamantite rank out from under his crimson cape so that everyone could see it.

“Okay, Sir Momon. Please come forward!”

Evileye seemed delighted to welcome Momon to the front, but he waved her off. Then he leaned over and whispered something in Nabe’s ear.

“Mr. Momon says there is no need to spend time on him. He says we should launch into the operation to stop Jaldabaoth as soon as possible.”

“That’s too bad. But he’s right. Okay, Miss Evileye, may I continue with the explanation?”

“O-oh… Sorry, Princess Renner, please continue.” Her mask may have kept her face hidden, but her gloomy tone spoke volumes about her mood.

“As Miss Evileye pointed out, we have someone on our side who is comparable to the enemy mastermind Jaldabaoth. I hope you’ll remember you’re not heading into an unwinnable fight. Now, I’ll explain the details of our plan.”

Renner drew a line in an arc across the map.

“First off, I’d like you all to take on an offensive role.”

“Offensive?” A doubtful voice spoke up. “Not defensive?”

“We cannot win with defense. First, we’ll have all of you adventurers form a battle line. Behind that, the guards will form a second line. At the back will be a rearguard of support troops from the shrines and wizards’ guild. We’ll have you advance into the enemy’s territory in this formation. If no enemies intercept you at that point, your line will steadily press farther into their territory behind the fire wall. Should you be intercepted, please attempt to break through. If you can, advance. If not, we’ll have the front line retreat to draw in the enemy. Meanwhile, the reserves will have built a barricade as far up as possible. When you retreat, please fall back to these fortifications.”

Those would be the line of support from the wizards’ guild, among others.

“At these strongpoints, the wounded will be healed, and then we may ask you to sortie again.”

“Wait a minute! Doesn’t that mean…that the guards will be fighting in our place?”

The guards had next to no potential in such a battle. It would be virtually impossible for them to fight like adventurers.

Renner was about to answer the question when another adventurer spoke. “There’s a critical flaw in that plan. Isn’t it possible that while the line spreads out and defense weakens during the retreat, demons will seize that chance and surge into the city? A low-level demon is still stronger than your average citizen. There’ll be a ton of casualties! It would be safer to use Fly and try to break into their territory in one go.”

“We considered that method, but lots of monsters classified as demons can fly, yes?”

Many of the adventurers recalled demons they had faced and nodded in agreement with Renner. Even plenty of low-level demons had flight-capable wings.

“Casting Fly in the usual manner would attract too much attention. So we thought of dropping in from a high altitude or using buildings to obstruct the enemy’s view during a low-altitude charge, but there’s something else we have to do first. You mentioned that as our line spreads out, defense will weaken, but that goes for the enemy line as well. That’s why this is an offensive operation and not a defensive one.”

Murmurs of approval could be heard here and there.

“You adventurers will be the bow. It will be like drawing back the string and loosing an arrow into enemy territory.”

Just like the adventurers spreading out, the enemy would spread to react. That meant their defense would also be weakened.

Ranks or files… The easiest to break through in a head-on charge would be the ranks.

In a nutshell, the line the adventurers would be forming was all a ploy to weaken the enemy line.

“And our arrowhead will be Sir Momon. Once we’ve judged that the enemy camp has weakened sufficiently, we’ll have him make a decisive charge at low altitude.”

“What happened to the Drops of Red? These two may be adamantite-rank adventurers, but I can’t imagine they’ll be able to break through on their own. To make doubly sure we win, I think we need a protective squad to send after Jaldabaoth with them. Don’t you?”

At this question from an adventurer, everyone up front exchanged glances, and the head of the guild answered as representative. “They’re currently out near the border of the council state on a job. We used Message to relay the situation, but it would take at least half a day for them to arrive. It seems like it would be too dangerous to wait that long, so we cannot count on them for help this time.”

“So what will the Blue Roses be doing? Are they going with Mr. Momon?”

“Having lost two of our members, our combat capability has taken a huge hit. Tia and I will assist in the battle to form the line. Evileye will play a different role an—”

“I’m currently recovering magical energy in order to accompany M— Sir Momon.”

“Then I have a different question—for the captain, there. What are the nobles’ private forces doing? What about the Select? The Blue Roses have lost Gagaran. If you substituted for one of them, couldn’t they clear the way for Mr. Momon?”

“I’ll answer that.” Gazef took a step forward. “The nobles’ private forces are guarding their masters’ houses, and the soldiers are guarding the castle. My direct subordinates are protecting the royal family.”

A murmur went through the crowd, and the same adventurer asked another question.

“Does that mean you’re not going to the front lines, either, Sir Stronoff?!”

“That’s right. My role is to remain at the castle to protect the royals.”

The mood shifted. There was agitation in the air. Even though they understood logically that what he was saying made sense, emotionally they refused to accept it. Receiving money in exchange for shedding blood—that was the adventuring life, and they were prepared to launch themselves into this deadly battle. But if they were going to risk their lives for money, the nobles and royal family should, too—they collected taxes. The crowd believed the elites should not have been holing up in the castle where it was supposed to be safest but out in the field, spearheading efforts to save the people.

And what’s the big idea, using the best forces only to protect themselves?

As discontent with the nobles, and especially the royal family, mounted, Gazef stepped back. No matter what he said now, the adventurers would take it as an excuse. That was why she—Lakyus—spoke instead.

“I understand your dissatisfaction. But please remember this: The money to gather you all here is being paid not by the royal family but out of Renner’s private assets. And we were able to bring Sir Momon here thanks to the noble Marquis Raeven. The reason his soldiers aren’t joining us is that he wants them as defense in case demons spread into the rest of the city. I feel the same way as all of you toward the nobles and the royal family, but I want you to know that they aren’t all like that.”

Lakyus’s words calmed the crowd a little—because the adventurers had all decided to at least try not to show their resentment in front of Renner.

“Oh, that reminds me… There was something I was going to ask you to do while we’re loosing the arrow. Climb!”

“Your Highness!” A spirited shout rang out. Everyone’s attention turned to the boy in the white full plate armor.

“I realize it’s dangerous, but I’m going to ask you to go on a mission for us. Enter the enemy’s territory and bring out any survivors you find.”

From the adventurers came cries of “Don’t be stupid!” and “That’s insane!” Entering the area under enemy control to save people went beyond dangerous—it was more like an order to die. Escorting helpless civilians out of there was an absurdity among absurdities.

But Climb answered immediately, “Understood! I’ll perform this duty if it’s the last thing I do!”

It was no wonder people looked at him like he was crazy.

“…Princess. Sending Climb alone is too risky. Could I go with him?”

“Is that all right with you, Sir Brain Unglaus?”

A commotion went through the crowd at the mention of that name. For people who valued strength, “Brain Unglaus” was an unforgettable one.

“Sure, I’m fine with it.”

“Then please do. Now, could I ask just the leaders of each team to please come forward?”

As he watched the adventurers assemble at the front, Ainz applied himself to a different task—networking.

People who seemed like subleaders kept coming up to him. They offered their team name, praised his gear, said they’d like to see him again sometime to hear tales of his adventures, and so on. The purpose of this was analogous to the Japanese custom of exchanging business cards, but there was one difference. When exchanging business cards, one was left with documentation of who was who, but when meeting someone on a verbal basis, the only record that could be relied upon was memory.

I guess you need to have good recall to be a top dog, Ainz thought to himself privately as he frantically drilled the information into his brain.

He figured it was important to remember team names and what rank they were. Of course, he allocated his attention and memory to only higher-ranking adventurers. There were also iron ranks and copper ranks who came up to say hello, but they lived in a different world, so he considered them safe to forget. The CEO of a large company would never treasure the business card of a small- to midsize company’s salesman—it was the natural order of things.

Still, Momon paid close attention to each adventurer so no one would know his attitude was changing depending on whom he was talking to. He’d shake their hand, pat them familiarly on the back, respond to their dull flattery with a jolly laugh, and they’d praise each other.

They probably figured the reason he kept his gauntlets on while they all sought a handshake after taking off their gloves was due to their difference in rank. Other than that, he greeted everyone on equal terms.

He stared after a person he’d just greeted who was walking away. What a crazy color… He wasn’t used to hair being hot pink.

He knew that some adventurers dyed their gear and whatnot gaudy colors, but this was the first time he’d seen someone with such loud hair. I guess there are just more adventurers in the capital than in E-Rantel.

There were a lot of adventurers in the capital, so they had to work harder to stand out. Well, it doesn’t seem anyone avoids you or thinks badly of you for dyeing your hair here…

With Ainz’s Japanese salaryman sensibilities, he wondered if pink hair was really appropriate, but it didn’t seem like this world was very strict about those types of things. There were even children with dyed hair.

Ainz cleared his mind of hairstyle thoughts and, as he noticed a Japanese-like queue-forming spirit in the adventurers lined up in front of him, focused a bit of his attention on Narberal behind him.

Though he had never used the team name or nicknames himself, his team, known as Raven Black, had another member besides him. The peerless beauty stood at attention behind him; the reason no one went to greet her had to be due to her prickly, even hostile presence. And from a networking perspective, it was more advantageous to meet Ainz, since he was the leader.

Adventurer culture is just like corporate culture… They were both social constructs built by people, so it was no wonder they resembled each other.

After Ainz had shaken so many hands his own would have been sore if he were human, and once the number of adventurers waiting had dwindled, Evileye came over.

The people waiting their turn to meet him didn’t say anything when she cut in. The only ones left were the lowest-ranking adventurers. He’d already finished greeting the highest-, high-, middle-, and lower-ranking ones. These were the little grasshoppers who had just barely begun adventuring, waiting for a chance to meet someone who in comparison was practically divine.

They weren’t about to complain about someone at the top.

“It seems like you’re about done with your meetings. Do you mind coming over here?”

Ainz glanced through the thin slit in his closed helmet at Gazef. If he was still over there, there was only one answer.

“Nabe. Please greet those people on my behalf. I’ll come once I’ve finished over here.”

The eyes of everyone who heard him grew wide.

“Sorry. The people here have been waiting their turn, so I need to meet them first,” he told Evileye and went back to greeting the shrinking line of adventurers.

Ainz wouldn’t hesitate to go if the CEO of a large company called even if small- to midsize-company CEOs were waiting to meet him. That wasn’t favoritism or discrimination; it was just the way things generally worked. On the contrary, if he stubbornly continued greeting, people would think he was oblivious. This held true for salesmen as well, but sometimes it was necessary to prioritize profit over one’s personal policies. That was a mandatory skill for a cog in the company wheel.

But this case was different.

I can’t talk to Gazef. We didn’t talk much before, and I doubt he’d remember my voice from two months ago, but…I’d be screwed if he did. Still, I have no doubt he wants to talk with me. I’m a bit nervous about handing him off to Nabe, but I’ll do that and lower my voice a bit. Up until now he was talking to so many people I’m confident he couldn’t hear me, but now I should be careful.

“Okay, Nabe, get going.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shifting his gaze from Nabe as she walked toward the princess and the others, Ainz removed his helmet.

He felt everyone looking at him. He shook his head back and forth and then put the helmet back on. Really, he would have liked to act out wiping sweat from his brow, but although he was wearing a rubber mask, his face was an illusion, so he had to perform flawlessly when he touched it or he risked his hand apparently sinking into it. That was why he had only shaken his head.

His objective had been to show Momon’s face to Gazef to satisfy one part of his curiosity. It would be great if that and Nabe’s saying hello will stop him from trying to talk to me… Ainz prayed and concentrated on greeting the adventurers.

“You seem pretty comfortable doing this.”

It was Evileye’s voice. She was still there. He took care to hide the fact that he wished she would escort Narberal over to the others and instead replied in a kind voice. She might have still been suspicious of him, so he wanted her to think he was being friendly.

“I don’t really think I’m comfortable per se.”

Anyone who had ever worked in sales could handle this level of conversation.

“No, you are. Your wonderful attitude is truly worthy of a team leader.”

How obnoxious. I’m in the middle of greeting these people! Don’t stand there babbling, he thought, but he bottled it up. If he was rude to her now, it would defeat the purpose of holding himself back from killing her earlier. With the detachment of a factory worker throwing himself into his assembly line task, he switched to saying just brief hellos. Since everyone knew Momon’s presence was being requested, they were efficient with their greetings.

After getting through the line, he shifted his gaze to where Gazef had been, but the captain was nowhere to be seen. Ainz put a monumental effort into suppressing his urge to do a little dance and intentionally asked Evileye next to him, “Did I take too long? Seems like the captain of the Royal Select left… I’m sorry about that.”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, he’s gone. He’s a busy guy, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to stay here long, but it’s rude of him not to express his gratitude to our last resort in protecting the kingdom. I’ll call for him.”

“Wait! Hold on!” Surprised by how much louder than intended his shout was, he abruptly lowered his voice. “I mean, this is fine. You really don’t have to worry about it. After all, I’m here because Marquis Raeven made the request. I’m protecting the kingdom for the reward, so the captain’s thanks isn’t necessary.”

“Are you sure…? It’s not the first time I’ve noticed it, but you’re quite a generous person, aren’t you?”

Ainz glanced at her, wondering if she was being sarcastic, but since her face was behind her mask, he couldn’t guess at her true feelings.

I can’t trust people who wear masks…dang it. But I wonder why she wears it, anyway. It must be some sort of magic item, but still.

Then he realized his own mistake and scanned the area.

The atmosphere hadn’t changed. He didn’t catch sight of anyone who seemed to be frightened of or hostile toward Momon the adamantite-rank adventurer.

Back in my Yggdrasil days, illusions were so-so spells that changed your external appearance or messed up menu functionality, but in this world, they’re true illusions. In that case, it wouldn’t be strange if there exists a magic item that lets you see through them… No one in E-Rantel could figure out mine, and the head of the wizards’ guild said that the only way to see through them was with experience, so I got complacent. There are orichalcum-rank adventurers here, though… I screwed up.

Ainz looked around again.

It doesn’t seem like anyone is on guard against me, so I think my secret is safe…but from now on I shouldn’t take my helmet off in the capital. Nothing is certain. I have to keep that in mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one of those talent abilities for deciphering illusions…

“…Miss Evileye.”

“Please just call me Evileye. You saved my life, Sir Momon. I can’t have someone like that being so formal with me.”

To Ainz, it was just ordinary politeness, but if she didn’t want it, he didn’t have any reason to object to dropping it.

“Okay then, Evileye. Shall we go over there now?”

“Let’s!”

Her reply was cheerful. Unsure what had set her heartstrings singing, Ainz allowed himself to be led over to where the princess was.

After the group—Renner, her attendant, and the two adamantite-rank adventurer teams—withdrew into a different room, the remaining adventurers began chatting as if they’d been waiting for the opportunity. Naturally, the topic of conversation was the elite adventurer Momon.

“I’d heard about him in the news from E-Rantel, but he’s so polite you’d never assume he was adamantite rank.”

“It’s not only him. I know the Drops of Red, and they’re the same way. So generous as people—they remind you that strength isn’t all there is to being at the top.”

An adventurer wearing a platinum plate chimed in on the conversation between two wearing mythril plates. “Hmm, do you really believe that? And who prioritizes greeting rookie adventurers over a summons from the princess?”

“That was a surprise.”

The surrounding adventurers all nodded in agreement.

For missions like this one, where it was necessary to cooperate across teams, it made sense to lay the groundwork for getting help easier by introducing oneself. It was only human nature to be more inclined to save a familiar face than a stranger. But the only people adamantite-rank adventurers would turn to for help would be at least mythril. It could be said with confidence that there was no reason for them to greet and befriend the greenhorns.

But Momon did. In other words, he must have been trying to deepen friendships without the ulterior motive of seeking assistance later.

“Normally you would go talk to the princess and leave your teammate to handle the rookies.”

“Yeah, that’s what most people would do. It’s definitely what I would have done. You, too, right?”

“Yeah… To put it harshly, the guy seems a bit oblivious. He seems like he might be the type to mess up judgment calls.”

It was not a compliment, but there was no malice in the speaker’s expression.

“And if you put it kindly?”

As if he’d been waiting to be asked, the same man spoke twice as fast as before. “He’s the best. Even though he’s an elite adamantite, he respects his fellow adventurers—even the ones just starting out. Look! Just look at the rookies’ faces!”

“Yeah, they’re totally in love with him.”

The low-rank adventurers resembled baseball fanboys who had just shaken hands with a top player from the big leagues.

“I’d fall for him, too. He can take my ass anytime.”

“No way. Plus, he wouldn’t go for your dirty ass anyhow. He’s a duo with that pretty lady!”

“You think they’re an item?”

“They gotta be! Why risk the danger of a two-person team otherwise?”

“I heard differently,” a fourth man cut in. The plate around his neck was orichalcum. “You seem to know, since you have the news from E-Rantel, but supposedly those two are on a whole different level—they’re a two-person team because no one else can keep up with them!”

“…Were you eavesdropping on us this whole time?”

“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t be like that. It’s not like you were trying to talk in secret anyhow.”

“Well, whatever,” said the other adventurer who had started the chat.

Right about then the head of the guild, who had remained behind, clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, we’re moving out starting now. We’ll meet up one hour from when we leave the castle. We don’t have much time, so please tell any teammates who aren’t here ASAP. For now, please follow me outside.”

5 Late Fire Moon (September) 1:12 AM

The reason they’d gathered in a different room was to confirm final plans for the “arrow.” When would they charge? How would they handle it if the enemy’s position was heavily guarded? They considered all the potential dangers and their strategies for them. In the end, though, they weren’t well enough informed, so the only answer was to play things by ear.

The boy in the white full plate armor, Climb, had been listening intently, but now he spoke up. “Excuse me, Princess.”

“What is it?”

“Regarding the arrowhead, I know of someone else who has overwhelming ability in battle. What about finding him and asking for help? Two arrows would surely give us a better chance than one, and if they teamed up, I would think they could slay this demon, even if it is immensely powerful.”

“What gives, Climb? You don’t think my recommendation, Sir Momon, will be enough?”

Evileye didn’t even try to soften her sharp tone, and Climb flinched. “No, it’s not like that. Please don’t think that was my intention…”

“No warriors are stronger than Sir Momon, not a chance. I guarantee that there’s a risk that whoever you nominate will just get in his way.”

The warrior holding a katana, Brain, wondered about that. “Mm, I don’t think we can say that for sure. I’ve seen the guy Climb is talking about, and he was crazy strong. He killed Zero, the strongest member of the Six Arms, in one blow!”

“You’re Brain Unglaus? You got hired as an aide to the princess on the recommendations of Gazef Stronoff and Climb, right?”

“Hired as one of Gazef’s men, that is. I’m just attached to the princess until I get my official appointment.”

“I know you’re much stronger than Climb, but I don’t get how that makes you capable of speaking for this other guy’s strength. Didn’t you lose to that old hag?”

“…Speaking of which, didn’t you, too, Evileye? Apologies, Mr. Unglaus.”

“Ugh,” Evileye groaned in response to Lakyus’s quip. “Th-that was because it wasn’t just her—you guys were there, too!”

“…Right after you lost you said you’d lost to Ligritte, not to us.”

“You really remember it well, Tina!”

“Heh-heh.” Tina laughed triumphantly. Evileye gave an almost humorous “urrrrgh.” Their comedy duo–esque exchange swept away the souring mood and actually helped everyone relax.

That was when Ainz said, “Very interesting. Who is this fellow?”

Climb gave the man’s name with a face full of confidence. “His name is Sebas.”

“…Huh? Sebas?” I’ve heard that name somewhere before, thought Ainz. Is it just the same by coincidence? “…What’s he like?”

Ainz listened to Climb’s explanation and nodded emphatically. It’s Sebas! Why—how—does this boy know him? What’s their relationship? Is he one of the connections Sebas made in the capital? He’d only glanced at Sebas’s reports and didn’t really remember who was mentioned. Well, I couldn’t help it. I have too much stuff to do…, he thought in a hurry, making excuses for himself.

All he knew was if this boy was a connection that Sebas made independently, mistakenly eliminating him would undo all of Sebas’s hard work. A superior should avoid nullifying his subordinates’ labors; therefore, it was safer to respect this boy in indirect praise of Sebas’s efforts.

More than anything, he didn’t want Sebas to think, But I wrote about him in my report!

“We won’t know who is stronger until this Sebas and I actually fight each other…”

“Mas— Mr. Momon, you’re stronger.”

Evileye nodded at Narberal’s assertion.

Ainz brought a fist down on Narberal’s head without thinking.

“My teammate has her opinion, but you two say differently… I imagine we must be about equal strength.”

“That’s the mature thing to say. Meanwhile our teammate, well…she hasn’t grown physically—or mentally.”

“You keep on—!”

“Okay, that’s enough. Do you mind not shaming our colleague? That’s an order from your leader. I doubt there will be any big changes to our strategy, so why don’t you go visit Tia and Gagaran, Tina?”

“Will do.”

The two dead members had already been brought back to life. Ainz regretted not being able to witness the resurrection, but he was satisfied with the information he learned about the process.

“By the way, can you use dark energy on the demon we’re up against?”

“…Dark energy?”

Confused, Evileye answered Lakyus, who was also perplexed, “Yeah, I heard from Gagaran. That Demonic Sword Killineiram you have radiates enough energy at full power to swallow up a whole kingdom, right?”

Lakyus’s eyes popped wide open. “L-let’s talk about that later! We have more important things to discuss right now!”

Demonic Sword? Wait a minute… I’ve heard that name somewhere before—not in Yggdrasil but here in this world… Oh yeah! Ninya! She said something about how it gave off dark energy. But could it really…? A whole country?! That might be an exaggeration, but even if it came close…

Ainz gathered that she was blushing out of anger, and that her panic was probably caution after having had her ace move revealed.

As all eyes were on Lakyus, there came a knock at the door, and two men entered without waiting for an answer.

“Brother! And Marquis Raeven.”

Reacting to Renner’s voice, everyone bowed slightly.

It was Ainz’s second time meeting this pair.

The first time had been just a little while ago, when he’d entered the castle. That was when the request got changed from guarding against the Eight Fingers to subduing Jaldabaoth. He was also asked to cooperate with the adventurers who Renner had gathered for that purpose.

After a brief hello, they said they needed to talk to the princess, so Ainz and the others were going to leave the room. They’d already decided on a rough plan, and the idea to look for Sebas had been shot down, since they had neither the time nor means to find him. Lakyus would take charge of everything else on the ground.

“Well then, everyone. I shall pray to the gods that each and every one of you makes it back… Everything depends on you all… Actually, it’s more correct to say it depends on Sir Momon. I hope for good luck during your fight.” Renner bowed her head, and Ainz and the others acknowledged her on their way out.

Remaining were Marquis Raeven, the second prince Zanac Valléon Igana Ryle Vaiself, and Renner.

The moment Climb left the room, Renner’s face fell slack, and her blue eyes took on the hue of a frozen lake in winter.

The change, intense enough to be called dramatic, gave Zanac the chills. He said, “I heard the details from the back…” The room they were in was built with an eavesdropping room adjacent to it. The two of them had been listening from there. “But there was one question that didn’t get answered. Why are you forming a line with the guards? …You’re just sacrificing them?”

Guards were weak. They were most likely no hardier than the lowest-rank adventurers. If they were attacked, they’d be completely crushed, no doubt about it.

“They’re food.”

That was the answer the pair had expected.

“One of the adventurers mentioned this, but it will be dangerous if the lower-level demons under Jaldabaoth’s command spread into the town; we’ll prepare a place for them to eat nearby so they concentrate there.” She laughed, adding that full stomachs should dampen their urge to kill.

Surprisingly few things in the world finish neat and clean. There would always be victims; statesmen had to act in ways that created as few as possible. Renner was a paragon of that viewpoint.

But the creatures called humans always had emotional objections.

“There’s no better way? Something that wouldn’t put the guards in harm’s way?”

“If there is, what do you propose then, brother?”

He clammed up.

He didn’t have any ideas better than Renner’s. He had ideas, but none of them cut it. All he could do was acknowledge that her plan was the best one they had for the moment.

The marquis averted his eyes from the prince who had fallen silent. Then he asked a question. “May I also ask something? Why did you give Climb such a dangerous mission?”

“The same reason my brother is going to patrol the city with your personal troops.”

Zanac was planning to make rounds in the capital to give people the sense that someone from the royal family cared about the commoners. Then later, they would spread gossip that the elder prince had hidden in the castle to stay safe. The goal was to build up Zanac’s reputation while tearing down his brother’s.

So if her reasoning was the same, perhaps Renner wanted to better her renown by sending her right-hand man on a dangerous mission to rescue people? But considering how she said she felt about Climb, the marquis still didn’t understand.

She must have realized Raeven still had questions. She continued, “Climb might die, but in that case, Lakyus can simply cast a resurrection spell on him for me, don’t you think? It takes more than a little gold to perform a resurrection, but I have that much, so it’s no problem. And then who will look after Climb, all weakened after having his life force sapped by the spell? Who would complain if I nursed the boy who fell in battle after following my orders and was brought back to life?”

“I see. That makes sense. Thank you. But what if—”

“—Lakyus dies, right?”

The marquis bowed his head to communicate, As you so wisely perceive, and Renner explained.

“During the more dangerous second sortie, I’ve arranged for an issue to come up. The head of the adventurers’ guild said she doesn’t want to lose someone who can use resurrection magic, either, so she readily promised to cooperate.”

“You planned everything out, huh, sis?”

“Yes.” She beamed, and Zanac shivered. Even Marquis Raeven could barely suppress the chill that went up his spine.