Chapter 10
After the duel, and with the Guardians ordered to return to their posts, Lexicon and Ainz had some time alone. The two men sat within the guild master's office. They discussed Lexicon's duties and position while he lived in Nazarick. Needless to say both were eager to speak, but for varying reasons between them both. Ainz began the conversation with,
"So, onto business then: let us talk more about ourselves, shall we?"
"Oh? Well, a bit casual if I may say so, Lord Ainz. If that is what you wish, then let's. I know the real purpose of our one-on-one talk, so what would you like to know about me first?"
"Hmmm, let's start with the important one. You said that you're not a Player, but what do you mean by that?"
"Well, by that I mean I am not from the realm you came from, which is Yggdrasil. Over the years, with help from my research and studies, I discovered that "Player" and "Yggdrasil" were mentioned within the same context, multiple times, and both of which become frequent during 100 year-long cycles. My conclusion was that Players are beings from a place called Yggdrasil, and that a random number of Players arrive here, in this world. There was very little detail on the realm of Yggdrasil itself, I regret to say. Other than its name and references to it, no in-depth or concrete details exist. Strange, really."
"But where and how did you get this knowledge of them from? No one in this New World knows what a 'Player' is."
"True. No one but another Player, or at least someone with history with them. You see, my master told me of Players and Yggdrasil after hard days of training. At first, I thought them to be fairy-tales, but the more I thought about them the more I suspected to be more than myth. His staff, Ruyi Jingu Bang, was what he gave to me after I completed my training. No item like it exists in this world, my Lord, so I am confident in his words now - more than ever!"
"Fascinating…" Ainz was intrigued, but then thought, 'What kind of being was his master then? Wait, does this mean his master was a Player, too? From how he talks about him, he doesn't appear to suspect the possibility. I should ask more about this master of Lexicon's.'
"But tell me of your master then, Scholar-san. What was his name, for one?"
"Of course. His name was Sunn-E Kong!"
"... Eh? H-How do you spell that actually?"
"Like this my liege…" Lexicon grabbed a loose sheet of paper from his backpack, a quill, and an ink well, and wrote down the name. As he wrote, Ainz was then surprised at a crucial fact of Lexicon's hand writing: he wrote in kanji. Albeit very sloppy kanji, but kanji nevertheless. The nonexistent breath in Ainz's absent lungs would have left him by now.
"What the-?"
"Here! I present to you the Language of the Gods!" He flipped the paper over to Ainz to read it. It was… basic, to say the least. It looked like a child tried to write in cursive Kanji. Strange as it seemed it was easy enough to read. Ainz's jaw almost fell from his head. "Sunn-E Kong" was how the Kanji pronounced the name.
'His… His master was a Player! Worse, he's one of those types that make bad puns, I'm sure! This is so awful and dumb! Did this guy really name his avatar after the Monkey King from "The Journey to the West"?!.'
"Uhhh… Can I guess that… your master wasn't human?"
"Huh? Amazing! Your forethought is impeccable, Lord Ainz! Yes, Master Kong was not human himself. He was a beast-man and a type of simian. Monkey if I am correct. The tail would give him away if it wasn't wrapped around his waist at times."
'Unbelievable. That explains so much about Lexicon's personality. But despite the abundance of corniness he comes with, this Kong character taught Lexicon well enough.'
"But then what is your master doing now?" Ainz asked. But when Lexicon heard his question, his smile disappeared. His gaze looked away, all of a sudden sad.
"I'm sorry, my Lord. Master Kong is, well, no longer among the living. He passed away some time ago."
"Oh. I see. I am sorry for your loss. Let us move on to something else. What have you gathered in your search for Players?"
"Yes, certainly!" He was quick to change the subject back to the original topic, "I have gathered information and written documents of and by Players from the past. I was even fortunate enough to find a 200-year-old letter, written from one Player to another of that time period." Lexicon pulled out a parchment letter that looked like it was about to crumble to dust. Yet it remained intact, likely due to magical preservation.
"Ooh…" Ainz gasped under his breath as he gazed upon the ancient message,
"May I?"
"With pleasure. Take a read!" Lexicon passed the letter to Ainz.
Ainz took the paper away from Lexicon with care, and opened it to see the familiar writing of his home country once more. It was hand-written in traditional Japanese language, and in better hand writing; kanji and hiragana filled the page in neat and tight fashion.
… Low on gold from our guild treasury, so losing anymore of our Guardians is a no-go. It feels like years since I've had any real Japanese food. Funny that I think about it, since it's been almost 2 years since we came to this New World. But this place may have more to it than we thought, let alone seen already. It's definitely clear: the New World uses magic and items from Yggdrasil. Can you believe it? It's like one of those sci-fi anime or mangas, like .Jack Online! I'm kind of scared, despite the fact that I'm a Half-Elf Knight now, but I'm also excited! The Guardians seem loyal enough. Hell, even my NPC girlfriend seems to love me as I made her to… But, I'm happy I'm not alone. Orihime… No, Fabulana, her player name I mean, has been the most stable out of us. I mean, it makes sense: She's the guild master after all. I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, in case anyone finds this letter after, well, whatever may happen to us, know that I'm Hiro Tokaida, aka Herindal the Bright, and this is the Adventures of the High Light Guild! The 48th ranked guild in Yggdrasil!
Ainz had heard of this guild, or at least rumors about it, which were spread around through the forums. Some posts read that the guild had disappeared, while others claimed the guild was in trouble with the YGGDRASIL creators, and so were banned for their illegal acts. But now the truth was right in front of Ainz. This letter, along with the context of his own situation made more sense. Almost frighteningly so if he could still feel fear..
"The letter I found came from the same continent I mentioned prior. Again, the castle was long abandoned and empty… But I do have other shreds of evidence. Here!"
Lexicon pulled from his backpack a green bauble. He held it tightly in his hand, and then his skin turned green, his ears pointed, and his nose larger in size.
"Tada! It's called a "vanity item". It allows a person to take on the appearance of another race, depending on the race that held it first. Some goblin tried to steal it from my possession. Needless to say I found out the hard way of what it could do. Fortunately, it lasted for about an hour. Oh, but I can't tell you the number of times I was attacked for being confused for a very tall, and oddly handsome, big-nosed goblin, hahaha!"
"I've never seen this before…" Ainz wondered as he studied the item in Lexicon's hand, "so there's a chance that this item may have been a guild's handmade item…"
Now that he thought back to it, he remembered hearing some guilds' tactic of changing into different races and P.K.-ing other players for loot.
"It's possible that this item was made by a Player. Even the most profound alchemists can only create similar changes for less than five minutes, but this item allows me to appear like the last creature that touched it for an hour. One more thing I have to share with you, too. It is some kind of party favor item, I think, though its effects are not known to me, yet…" Lexicon pulled out was looked like a party crack, colored red with white polka-dots, and a pull string at the bottom.
Ainz saw what Lexicon pulled out and with a swift swipe of his hand, grabbed the scholar by the wrist.
"Don't pull that one…!"
"Wh-What!? Lord Ainz, what's the matter?"
"This… item, is… well, a very dangerous item to use, and could harm everyone…"
"Oh? Well, how dangerous of an item could it be, if I may inquire? I would like to know how serious it is, so that I will be more careful, after all."
Ainz hesitated for a bit, but answered, "If you use this item, then it will change an individual into a dangerous opposite version of themselves. For example, do you remember how he Demiurge is, correct?"
"Ah, you mean the demon in the red suit and glasses? Well, I can't say we spoke a lot during our bout, but I can remember his disposition: calm, collected, and calculative."
"Yes. You see, normally he is very calm and collected, but if you used that item, he'll become a very violent character that we may be unable to control."
"Oh dear! That would pose a dangerous scenario indeed! Then perhaps it is best in your possession, Lord Ainz. I would not wish to risk the wellbeing of anyone here, in Nazarick."
Lexicon put the item on top of Ainz's desk. He then took a step back, away from the potential harm it could bring, or so he was lead to believe.
Ainz accepted the item and placed it into his inventory space where he was sure that the said offensive item wouldn't be touched. He felt a small tinge of guilt for the white lie, but he had to lie in order to protect himself and the other guardians. Also, he didn't want to get caught-up in the same mess like last time.
"If I may ask you a question now, Lord Ainz: how exactly do Players, like you, arrive in the New World?"
Ainz thought for a moment, "I… don't really remember how, but I do know that everything in my life had changed when at the stroke of midnight."
"Midnight, eh? Always midnight, even in another realm. So then, what was the world of Yggdrasil like: the history, culture, and even the mundane things. Please, do not hold back anything, even if it is terrifying! Information is important, no matter the context or content." The scholar's face was alight with excitement, what with it being his first conversation with an otherworldly person.
Ainz chuckled at that; oh where could he start? There's many things he wanted to share about the great times he had with his friends in Yggdrasil. But… it was difficult, as he was quite stingy with sharing personal things to a very new, very eager, and very strange person.
"Yggdrasil… well, was created twelve- I mean, a very long time ago." He caught himself; he had almost forgotten that he wasn't in his old world anymore, but the new world, "It has nine realms of different environments, cultures, monsters, and… well, I guess, Players."
"Fascinating!" Lexicon was tempted to ask about how Ainz and other Players created Yggdrasil. Were Players so powerful that they could forge realities within another reality? Instead, he decided to ask a different question,
"Well, and I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but were there other Players that accompanied you? Who were they?"
Ainz froze when he heard Lexicon ask about the other members., "Oh. Well it has been a while but I can remember some of my old friends well enough. There was a Player named Ulbert. He is… well, he was a powerful magic caster like myself."
"I can imagine. But who were they as people? Were there others like Ulbert, and yourself? This Tomb City appears to be more like a palace for grand royals than just for monsters and traps, what with the 9th and 10th floors being so well furnished."
Now Ainz was stuck. Should he tell him the whole truth, or give out more bread crumbs in hopes to satisfy this scholar? In truth, he never really met Ulbert in real life, but he had known his childhood past and his ambitious dreams that seemed so far-fetched. Ulbert was also an interesting person for being so fascinated with the idea of 'evil', and had searched and collected anything that was considered "evil".
Of course, Touch-Me had been the polar opposite of Ulbert, and their arguments were legendary verbal duels among Ainz Ooal Gown. Momonga was sure that they were just best friends with different opinions and views, despite how heated they got.
"You could say he was… a very ambitious person." Ainz concluded, "He may have looked intimidating or crazy, but he was a good person."
That is, until that fateful day when both Ulbert and Touch-Me didn't come on the last day, which they had promised to attend. He was unable to solve the mystery of their absence, and could only hope that they're alive somewhere in Old World Japan, living their lives in peace.
Lexicon was somewhat disappointed, however. He had hoped to learn more about another Player, but perhaps Ainz still didn't trust him yet. It couldn't be helped. He put aside his dissatisfaction and moved on to the next question.
"I see. May I know a little more about yourself, Lord Ainz? Not the "Lord of Nazarick" but the man who wears the title. I've spoken with kings and rulers in private before, believe it or not. You'd be surprised how very similar one could be, say, to a simple farming hand. But, that isn't to insinuate that they, or gods forbid you, are anything less than important. It is more like they were more down-to-earth, but social norms and expectations always put a wall between themselves and their subjects. A shame, really."
Ainz hummed a bit, his thoughts worked out the answer and said, "Well, I'm just a humble man… or rather a lich as you can see."
He gestured to himself as if to make an emphasis, "However, I care very much for my guardians and everyone in this Tomb. You see, they're like my children… and well, they're also the creations of my old friends who're long gone…"
"Old friends…" Lexicon grew quiet at the mention of it. His smile fell down into a frown, deep in thought of something else. The scholar forced himself back to reality and asked another question,
"Well, do tell me about your Guardians then, such as Demiurge and… Well, Lady Albedo, I suppose."
"Hmmm, I guess we can go through the basics of the floor guardians that you have met. The First to Third Floors are guarded by Shalltear Bloodfallen, one of my top front-line warriors, created by one of my old friends, named Peroroncino. The fourth floor is guarded by Gargantua. He's not exactly alive, but Lucifer created him with his own tears and blood."
"Cocytus, of course, rules over the icy Fifth floor. He's an honorable insectoid, who was created by our best katana wielder, Warrior Takemaikazuchi. Aura and Mare guard over the sixth floor, and they are twin elves. I think it would be best to note that Aura is the older sister and Mare is the younger brother-"
"Wait, what?!" Lexicon appeared flabbergasted, unable to register what Ainz had just revealed to him the truth about the twin sibling guardians. Ainz expected this reaction, and continued, "Yes, both Aura and Mare may look a bit different than you think, but that's how Bukubuku-chagama created them."
"Huh… Well, I suppose that… Happens? It's just, I'm used to seeing nobles cross-dressing, or male actors during open-roof theaters. I would have never guessed children of their age, even more so Dark Elves, did the same. But I will not judge, for it's not my place - and to each their own. It's surprising to say the least!" He struggled to recover from his outburst, but felt that he failed and laughed awkwardly.
Ainz waved it off, "It's no surprise, Lexicon. That's how my enemies underestimate them." He snickered at that as he remembered when he took control of the Eight Fingers.
"Now, where was I… oh yes, of course, onto the Seventh Floor: it is overseen by Demiurge, commander of Nazarick's defenses. He's similar to Ulbert, so I'll leave that to your imagination to put together. Victim patrols around the Eighth Floor. He is actually the last resort that Nazarick would have to use, just in case. I created him myself and along with another."
"The Ninth room has no guards, but we have Eight-Legged Assassins keeping their eyes on everything, in case things go awry. Albedo, of course, oversees all the Floor Guardians and watches over the throne room. I hope my answers have satisfied your questions about them."
"For now they do. Thank you. But I think it'll be up to me to converse with them, and to really get to know them personally. I hope the feeling will be mutual anyway. But forgive me Lord Ainz, for I fear Lady Albedo does not see me as, well, trustworthy. She did lead me into a cell, for one. Were it not for Nigredo I would have spent most of my time there."
"Ah, I apologize for that. She was punished for such actions."
"Well, I hope it won't be a recurring issue… I've asked a lot of questions about you. Is there anything you wish to know about myself?"
"Yes. Answer me this, Scholar-san. If you're not a Player… Then what are you?"
"Well, to put it simply: I am a denizen of the world you find yourself in, Lord Ainz. I was born and raised here in these lands. As I explained, my master told me about Players as heroes and champions in stories. Well, I admit that my favorite ones involved Players whom were knights. You wouldn't happen to be one yourself, would you? Your armor from the arena appeared to be of a similar design as those before."
"I'm not much of a real knight, but my old friend was, and he was one of the top knights in Yggdrasil. But above all, he was the World Champion; no one could defeat him in a fight. I dare say not even I."
Lexicon's eyes sparkled from the word "knight". He was fascinated with the chivalrous faction of honorable warriors. The fact that the title "World Champion" was synonymous with being undefeated fueled his fascination further. "Please, may I know your old friend's name, Lord Ainz?"
"His name was...Touch-Me…"
The entire room went dead silent. A look of horror and confusion replaced the look of awe and anticipation of the scholar. His mouth slowly opens, but words had yet to develop.
"W-wha… Excuse me?"
"That was his name, 'Touch-Me'. I apologize if the name sounds odd to you…"
"I… I see…" Lexicon cleared his throat and continued, "Well, I can only imagine the skills and fighting prowess of Sir… Sir "Touch-Me", then. His armor would be the envy of all knights, if I may speak frankly. But that does make me wonder on where you keep such equipment to use at a moment's notice? I know magic can do much, but the conservation of mass would argue that it'd have to come and go from somewhere, yes?"
"It's a secret that I'd rather keep to myself. You understand." Ainz replied
"Aye, I understand Lord Ainz. I can only hope to see such a suit of armor and weapons again, one day. I thank you for the privilege of allowing me to see it at all."
If Ainz was human right now, he would have smiled secretly, but because he was undead he could only nod at Lexicon's praise.
"Is there anything else that you would like to know about me, before you assign me to my duties?"
"... No, I do not." Ainz replied
"Then what would you have me do, my Lord?"
"For now, rest. I'll give you some duties after today."
"I will take my leave then. Good evening, Lord Ainz." Lexicon bowed to his new master, and then exited his office.
