CHAPTER V: RESEARCH


I arrive at the 10th-floor throne room alone, leaving Aura and Mare to their own devices despite their protests. Lord Ainz is sitting in his throne and at a hand gesture from him, I approach the throne and bow my head to him when I get close. "Lord Ainz. I take it you've already defeated the adventurer hunters?" I ask politely, looking up to see his head nodding while his hand offers me a leather bag. I gingerly take the bag and open it, inspecting the contents with a grim expression before handing it back to Lord Ainz. "More black summoning stones, the same as the ones I keep finding. This is a lead that the adventurer hunters are the ones setting up the stones across the land."

"The Raven Black Hero Momon will take care of the investigation from here on out. You need not worry about it anymore and should now focus on your current assignment now that the threat is gone," he states but I smile at his words, nodding my head but having a brief chuckle anyways. "You let Pandora's Actor take your place as Momon again? Wouldn't you want to deal with this incident yourself?" I ask but Lord Ainz shakes his skull no and puts a hand on his chin in contemplation. "No, there is a more pressing issue that you are here to discuss. You normally don't approach me without great import." He tries to sound amused but his seriousness overwrites the tone, his voice coming out more commanding than comforting. I don't know how much he knows and I am afraid of revealing too much. "Lord Ainz...how much does Demiurge write in his report to you?"

A hand goes to his face as he shakes his head, my head bowing in deference at having raised an embarrassing point and when I look up, he rubs his hand across the front of his skull as if wiping something off his face. "Demiurge is very...thorough in his research. Besides your entire physical and mental fitness in the report, he also gives me recommendations that can be...difficult to ponder." He seems reluctant when he pulls up a menu of his own, one hand on his chin while the other starts to manipulate information. "Among his more obvious claims are that you and the two dark elves, Aura and Mare, are an exact match in genes. For all intents and purposes, you're their brother...which makes his other recommendations rather disturbing in this context."

I try not to look embarrassed since all three of us already had sex in Shalltear's mansion and now, his new implications start to weigh down on me. So we're all related...the levels of wrong has increased dramatically... I know that I have to tell him what happened and I exhale in preparation, shaking my head a few times before I start but before I can form words, a Gate opens on my left and Demiurge comes strolling out of the portal with a wide smile on his face. Lord Ainz and I both turn towards him with slight surprise. "Well, well. Look who decided to have a talk about personal matters with Lord Ainz without me. For shame, Basugul, for shame," he states with a chuckle as I turn towards him and bow my head, Demiurge waving my formality away with a dismissive hand gesture.

He doesn't waste any time, his right hand lifting up my left arm gently and exposing the Tracking Armguard that he starts intoning magic on to pull the data off it. Moments is all it takes to pull all he needs, his hand gently releasing my arm as he uses both hands to start manipulating the air with magic. I don't like the way his smile keeps getting more and more amused and soon, I find out why he's so cheerful. "I had a feeling you couldn't resist the combined efforts of three guardians working together for a single result. It's more surprising that you three didn't go further than a single orgasm. I'll put that down as being inexperienced as it was the first time for those involved."

Lord Ainz once again puts a hand to his face and shakes his head, my level of embarrassment at maximum now that Demiurge is casually retelling the events from the data he collected and omitting no details. That all stops when he reaches the end of the data, his smile falling from his face quickly and his fingers working faster as he starts to analyze. "So my theory was true. Magic alone won't bring the supreme beings from the avatara. They require a living sacrifice but...that wouldn't work if it's just a normal being from-"

He stops mid-sentence, his hands freezing in the air as something akin to surprise crosses his face and his eyes turn on me with new understanding. "It can't be..." he whispers but he's already busy manipulating data, Lord Ainz rising from his throne and moving to stand next to Demiurge as he frantically keeps manipulating information. Lord Ainz is paying close attention to Demiurge as he works, his hand going to his chin as Demiurge keeps working until he reaches his conclusion and his hands stop moving.

Lord Ainz starts manipulating the air as well, his fingers moving in gentle strokes as he nods his head in understanding of information that I can't see. "We appear to be wrong in our earlier theories. The magic bound to you by the Rosaries of Binding is not the only power you possess. I now approve of Demiurge's plan and you both will accompany me to the Mausoleum immediately," he commands, his left hand moving outwards to intone a Gate that he walks towards with purpose. Demiurge looks at me with something akin to pity as he gestures with his left hand to follow him, his form already moving after him as I stand there dumbfounded. He stops for a moment and intones a spell on me when I remain motionless, strange magic now flowing through me as he gestures again for me to follow.

"That will protect you from the poisoned air now come along. We have a plan."


I walk through the Gate and find myself in a grand hallway of the Mausoleum, my head looking upwards to find alcoves filled with figures as large as Lord Ainz. My breath catches in my throat when I recognize some of them from the picture that Titus showed me, my stride slowing at the immensity of where I am. Demiurge stops next to me and adjusts his glasses before speaking with similar awe. "When the supreme beings started to depart Yggdrasil, they left behind their items and Lord Ainz created golems to represent them all in this hallway. Although they started as poor representations, the avatara were slowly perfected over time until they matched the beings they're based on."

"How is this possible..." I whisper in awe but Demiurge gestures for me to move, Lord Ainz still moving down the long hall ahead of us as we both rush to catch up to him. He's already stopped in front of one of the avatara when we reach him and I already know who it is, my head craning upwards and looking upon the representation of Lady Bukubukuchagama in all of her glory. "What I'm about to ask of you is unfair and you may die from it. I wouldn't ask this if you had a certainty of death and I will do everything I can to preserve your life given the small odds. Demiurge has informed me that another body can be made from the data he's collected but the soul is harder to replicate-" The sheer gravity of the situation makes me shake in fear but I continue to listen nonetheless, my throat becoming dry as Lord Ainz keeps speaking. "-I ask you if you are willing to give up your power over the divine to give life to this avatara and bring a supreme being back to this world-"

"So it just takes my divine power and not my soul?" I ask curiously, Lord Ainz turning his head slowly towards me as I look at him in confusion. He turns back and puts a hand on his chin in contemplation before answering. "This idea has never been done before. We are in the dark as to what will happen to you once the ritual occurs-"

"-and now that we're here, I'm against this plan. There's so much uncertainty with so much to lose that it seems poor judgement on my part," Demiurge states from my left, my head moving to him to see that he looks uneasy. I smile in the end and look up at the avatara, the figure of a slime creature waiting for me to revive it lit by orange lights from below. Valkyries run to where they're needed but know when to run... "Do what needs to be done but do me a favour. If you can't revive me and this spell is a one-way trip, tell Aura and Mare that I love them and that I'm sorry-"

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Basugul? There could be non-existent at the end of this road and you only just earned the trust of the guardians." Lord Ainz states but from his tone, he also sounds uncertain of this plan and that makes me afraid. I start to doubt if I should go forward but inhale and exhale once to calm myself, my mind already made up as I nod my head. "Do you remember the oath I gave you in the throne room, Lord Ainz?" I whisper as I hear Demiurge turn away from us, Lord Ainz moving to stand behind me as I feel magic start to build up around us. "I will be your shield when you are my sword and I will be your sword when you are my shield," I start to intone, the magic quickly building up around us to intense levels as circles of blue runes light up the area brighter than the magical lights. "Let my sacrifice mean that you will live but never will your sacrifice save my being," I continue as the magic starts to surge through my body, the pain intensifying as the Rosaries of Binding extend quickly towards the avatara and break from my neck. The holy magic follows the symbol and starts to drain from my body towards the avatara, my body growing cold and my eyes starting to lose focus as sudden exhaustion starts to rise in me. My eyes stay open long enough to see the lights of the spell fade and the avatara start to move in its alcove, a smile lightly crossing my face as I close my eyes and finish the oath. My mind struggles to remember the words but I stubbornly fight to the end.

"I walk...a path of pain and misery...so that you...will know bliss..."


I open my eyes to a familiar blackness, my body floating in nothing but empty space. I bring up my arms and am stunned to see them pale again, my hands reaching up but finding my ears no longer lengthened. I touch my hair and find it short again, a swift tug pulling out a hair and bringing the black strand in front of my eyes. "Am I dead?" I ask aloud, not sure what to expect given the blackness around me.

My heart lurches when balls of white light appear in the blackness, slowly growing and growing until they start to form figures. The two figures are definantly humans in heavy robes and one is holding a bundle in his arms that he offers to the other. "Keep him safe, Thamus. I won't let the Slane Theocracy have my son and he's better off in your hands than mine," the left figure states with conviction, the right figure looking down at the bundle and grimly nodding his hooded head as he takes it from him. "And what will you do? They have eyes everywhere. How will I hide the child of a hero among people who don't have his potential?"

"I'll keep working for them for now to hide myself. In that bundle is a note with the ritual you'll need to perform to keep him hidden but you'll have to do some horrible things to make it work," the left figure states grimly, the other figure sharing his grimness with a slow nod. The right figure opens the bundle and reveals the face of the child, a gasp of surprise escaping me when I recognize the features on the man's hand. A blade wound across his right hand from a dagger...this is Thamus Lowarm...and that's me! "Promise me something, will ya?" Thamus says to the man opposite of him, the man nodding his head as he begins to listen and Thamus starts rubbing the childs head gently. "History won't see me as a good man after what I'm about to do...your son will hate me in the end...promise me you'll set it right."

"You know I can't change what he sees in his future but if I ever see him in the afterlife, I'll let him know," the man on the left jokes, Thamus laughing darkly before nodding again grimly and rewrapping the child. He sighs to himself before saying more. "I guess this is goodbye, Markus. We'll probably never see each other again but I'll make sure your son is safe as long as I can...but we both know I can't protect him forever-" The other figure holds up his hand to stop him, a dry chuckle escaping the figure as he shakes his head. "The ritual will hide his potential from the Theocracy. For all they know, he'll be just another nobody among nobodies and of no interest to them."

"I sure hope you're right, Markus...for both of our sakes," Thamus states as he turns away, his pace slow as he carries the bundled boy away with him. When I turn back to the other figure, his hood is gone and I see with a lurch that the man has my face but one worn down by age, jagged scars along his chin from claws and some grey hair mixed in with his black hair. The figure is staring directly at me with a wide grin on his face. "It's about time you showed up. I knew that binding ritual wouldn't last forever."

"Who...who are you?" I stutter in surprise, the figure shaking his head before he chuckles to himself. "Markus Finley, the Magic Swordsman. I'm your father," the figure explains casually but I don't share his mirth, the shock of the moment stealing my words. His face shifts to seriousness and his green eyes sharpen as he nods his head and comes closer to me with purpose. "We don't have a lot of time so I'll keep this brief. Your mother and I conceived you inside the Slane Theocracy but they wanted to use you as my replacement. Fearing reprisal, we fled north to E-Rantel but not before losing your mother to their soldiers."

He says these things sadly but places his hands on my shoulders and shakes me a few times when I try to fall into shock again. "I can't let you be dumbstruck so stay with me," he states, my head nodding quickly as he continues his story. "I couldn't protect your mother despite me being a so-called hero and doubting my abilities, I let Thamus Lowarm take you with him. It's one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made and I had no idea what he planned in the end. When I finally saw what he did with that ritual-"

The world around us crumbles, Markus looking around feverishly as he shakes me by the shoulders again to get my attention. Tears are forming in his eyes that run down his face and I follow his example. He's just like me... "Time is running out! I just want you to know that I love you, son! I wish I could've been there for you but I wasn't strong enough! Take care of the ones who love you and learn from my mistakes!" His hands start to turn into light that floats away and I start to cry harder as we embrace, Markus holding my back desperately but slowly fading into nothing. His voice is choked with tears as he sobs, "I'm so sorry...for everything that's happened to you...can you ever forgive me?"

"How can I not...?" I gasp as I hold onto him desperately but feel my hands start to grasp at nothing, my voice crying out in agony when his form finally shifts into a small orb of light and floats upwards. The orb hovers for a moment, seeming to want my attention before zipping away and flying in circles for me to follow. Fearing the world crumbling around me and having nowhere else to go, I dash after the light as the world around me starts to crack and reveal blinding lights that are painful to gaze upon. "Where are we going!?" I shout at the ball of light as I run after it but it continues its rapid course, my feet running as fast as I can while the world starts to crumble beneath my feet.

The goal appears ahead of us soon enough, a small throne with a dead warrior on it holding a sword and shield. The light hovers rapidly between the sword and shield as I reach the throne and pick up the items from the skeletal hands, feeling their weight and turning around to see the world still crumbling behind me. A strange warmth flows from me into the items, my equipment moving in front of my eyes as the sword blackens and lengthens into a gladius shape. The shield, in contrast, explodes into a blinding radiance that gives the light breaking through the world pause, my arm immediately brandishing the bulwark and forcing the light back. Despite my defiance, the light continues to grow until it blinds me, my mind intoning the litany of the weapons I now wield even as the light swallows me whole.

The Black Blade calls, the White Shield guides, and the Gemini Angel rises.