26/09/2018
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest. I want you all to give yourselves a pat on the back too because you have out-reviewed some far bigger fandoms! Congrats to you!
Thank you to PervySageChuck for betaing.
The Cardinal of Sin
Chapter 6 Spoils of War Part 2
-cos-
Great Tomb of Nazarick, Tenth Floor, Throne Room
When the Cardinal of Earth, Raymond Zarg Lauransan surrendered to the undead, he did so in the knowledge that neither he nor the Clearwater Scripture could fight those who had been sent. He did it to save lives.
He also did it with the thought that Seraiah, Zetsumei or Yvon would succeed. Failing that, the hidden members of the Clearwater Scripture were the hope for the Theocracy.
He'd stepped through the portal to be confronted with a Vampire. She had been surprised that they were conscious but had listened to the undead explain. He had watched. He hadn't bothered to speak. He didn't know what the hierarchy of these creatures were, except he had examined the Vampire and a sinking feeling had taken his stomach. He had never seen the vampire that had essentially killed Lady Kaire but the one here matched the Black Scripture's description.
But it couldn't be the same one. Momon had killed it. He told himself that.
"Not in Nazarick!" The vampire had cried, gesturing wildly.
The undead nodded. It appeared the Vampire outranked a summon. He was concentrating too much on those two, to the point that the blow on the back of his head came as a surprise. Everything went black.
Until now. He came awake with an unnatural alertness that bespoke the use of magic. He took a few deep, calming breaths. He could feel that he was sitting but was restrained. The restraints were tight but were not uncomfortable. That meant whoever or whatever had secured him knew what they were doing. He opened his eyes and looked around. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.
The other Cardinals were with him. They were similarly restrained. He could see some of the members of the Black Scripture. They were restrained. But more importantly, he could see the Godkin. A spear of worry flashed through him. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't real.
"[Break Illusion,]" he murmured, activating the martial art.
"That was a martial art," a deep voice intoned.
Raymond looked towards it. It was the undead. It was looking at him carefully. One of the women looked horrified. "Restrain them!" She ordered desperately.
"Do not be concerned, Albedo," the undead reassured the woman, lifting his free hand. His other was holding a large golden staff. "The restraints will hold them, these humans are not that strong."
That made Raymond want to activate his strengthening martial arts to test what the Sorcerer King was saying but even if he got free, he knew there was nothing he could do. There were far too many creatures in the way.
"That was a martial art, wasn't it?" the undead asked, once again examining him.
The Cardinal of Earth didn't want to reply. He wasn't sure how he should respond. "It was," he nodded. The martial art had changed nothing with what he could see. The Godkin were still restrained.
"There are no illusions here," the undead told him.
For a creature which without a doubt had the Theocracy on their knees, the undead wasn't gloating. At least not yet. That gave Raymond some hope. He didn't want to rely on it.
No! They were not defeated yet. It was a dark time. The Theocracy was greatly weakened but there was still ways of fighting. The army was untouched. The undercover members of the Clearwater Scripture were still active. It would be difficult but they could prevail. He could not panic. The undead wanted that. Even if he was to die, he had to have faith, he had to remain calm.
"Yes, that is what I saw," he again agreed. He couldn't betray any hope. The undead couldn't know that they were not defeated yet.
There was a noise from his side. Raymond looked over. He could see Cardinal Dominic. The man was restrained and gagged. The noise was him attempting to speak.
"I got tired of his bleating," the undead explained. "You have been much more reasonable, so far," the undead continued. "But I expected that, given the details of your capture."
The Cardinal of Wind made more noises, his eyes strained and bulging. Raymond could well understand what Dominic would want to be saying. It was wrong, but he suddenly felt thankful that the man was gagged.
"I find dealing with fanatics bothersome, and this will go much faster if you continue to be reasonable."
"What will?" Raymond almost didn't want to ask.
The undead sat back in his throne. It was magnificent, almost a work of fantasy. It dominated the room, focusing the eye naturally upon the occupant. And the undead filled it well. It did not appear diminutive within it. It was as if the throne had been designed for him. It was on a raised dais and there were several beings standing on the dais with the undead.
One was a superlatively beautiful woman. At least, that was the impression you got with a cursory glance. But when you looked further you could clearly see she wasn't human. Horns adorned her head like a crown and black wings sprouted from her waist, to wrap their way around her body. Her yellow eyes were split like a cat's. She stood in close attendance to the Sorcerer King.
Another was a dark elf. She was dressed relatively simply in a short skirt and a vest over some sort of mail shirt. She had on two gauntlets that did not match and was clutching a staff. She had one blue eye and one green and they were both wide as they looked down at those gathered in the room. Raymond thought she was related to the other elf.
His eyes widened when he saw the third woman, girl… he wasn't sure. It was the vampire he'd seen earlier but that wasn't what caught his attention. She was wearing the [Downfall of Castle and Country]. The gleaming white of the artefact highlighted the white of her skin and her pale hair. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the dress did not suit her. That wasn't the point. She had the artefact. The undead must have raided the Treasury and trusted her enough to allow her to wear it.
"Momon never killed you," he murmured. He wasn't sure of her identity but given her garb it was almost certain.
"Again?" she murmured, looking to the undead.
It flicked its free hand in a motion of dismissal. "As the Captain of the Black Scripture has already determined, Momon did indeed kill Shalltear Bloodfallen," the undead told him. "I, however, resurrected her, as she is one of my precious Guardians."
The undead couldn't mean Guardian in the sense Raymond thought he did. He could not imagine the undead allowing anyone control over it, so guardian had to mean something else here.
"The Adventurer knows?" He asked.
"The Adventurer is one of the undead's servants!"
Raymond recognised Seraiah's voice. It was confirmation of one of the theories the Theocracy had about the Adamantite Adventurer. It was one they hoped wasn't true.
"It might be easier if you explain, my Lord," the beautiful winged woman suggested.
"Shalltear?" the undead asked. Raymond had no idea why it deferred to her.
"Let them know the depth of their defeat," the vampire said.
"Very well," the undead nodded. He released the staff he had been holding. It bobbed in the air before the throne.
The undead didn't stand but there was a pulse of magic. For an instant Raymond didn't know what he was seeing, then he felt his eyes widen. Sitting in the throne was the Adamantite Adventurer Momon.
"That's not possible!" Seraiah yelled. "It is an illusion! You ordered Momon to E-Rantel earlier!" The Captain of the Black Scripture growled.
"I did," the undead said, though his voice was coming from behind the Dark Adventurer's helm. "But I am Momon."
Raymond didn't doubt Momon had been here earlier but there were ways to avoid detection. "[Break Illusion,]" he activated his martial art again, staring at the throne. Nothing changed. Whatever the magic had been it wasn't an illusion.
"There are no illusions here," the undead told him again. "Shalltear will explain fully to the Black Scripture, and for now, this is a mere diversion," it continued and there was another flash of magic. The undead was again sitting in its throne. It once again took up the golden staff that had been hovering there.
Dominic sounded like he was choking but the others were just staring. Raymond knew what they were thinking. Was this real? Could they trust it? Or was it somehow an illusion? Something the undead was doing to worry them. After all, there were ways of blocking his martial art.
"I brought you here, because I have a question," the undead said. "When you attacked my servant, you had to know there would be consequences. What were you thinking?"
Raymond didn't want to reply that the strike against the elf had been the unilateral action from the Cardinal of Wind. It wouldn't reflect well on the Theocracy.
"I know it was ordered by the Cardinal of Wind," the undead seemed to read his thought, "and I gave you the opportunity to release him to me. You did not take it. What did you think would happen?"
They hadn't thought the undead was this strong.
"It is the will of the Six Gods that the Theocracy protects Humanity."
"By raping a child!?" The undead yelled, slamming one hand down on its throne. The sudden noise was a surprise. There was a wave of anger from the undead. It seemed to tremble. "I find it hard to believe that Humanity is protected by the rape of a child," it said.
"Worse happens every time humans are captured by demihumans," Raymond pointed out reasonably. "Worse will happen to the human nations now," he added.
"Why?" the undead seemed interested in his statement. The anger from a moment earlier was gone.
"If the Theocracy falls, all the other Human nations will fall. The demihumans will rip them apart," he explained. The other Cardinals nodded at his words. It would take a while for the Theocracy to fall. The army was capable. The demihumans knew that. It bought them time for the Clearwater Scripture to find some weakness.
The undead shook his head. "No, they won't. I will not let them," it said. "Within my kingdom, species is not important. So long as you do not attack another citizen, all are welcome."
"The demihumans will attack your kingdom," Raymond said.
"Then I will crush them," the undead replied. There was no doubt in its voice and for a moment Raymond could see the battle. The Sorcerer King would slaughter millions.
"Then you will kill them," the Cardinal of Earth said softly. "You are undead, your hatred towards the living will eventually drive you to kill them. Human or demihuman."
The undead looked at him. Raymond saw the tiny fires that hovered in its eyes become smaller. He didn't know what that meant. "You have an odd understanding of undead. Lesser undead hate the living, I do not deny that but those of us who are educated, who have strength see no reason to hate the living.
"If anything, I pity them. You require so many resources. You have so many weaknesses. I am far more efficient," the undead said.
From a certain point of view that was correct.
"You are undead," Raymond pointed out.
"Yes, which means I do not hate without reason. I do not understand why you believe I will kill humans. I have no reason to." The undead released the staff again.
Raymond looked at it. It was golden, and appeared to be several rods twined around each other. He realised they were snakes. In each of the snake's mouths was a gem. Each was a different colour. They formed the length of staff before they flared out, almost like a cauldron. He'd never seen anything like it and he could tell the workmanship was exquisite. The staff also seemed to radiate its own energy.
The undead held up its hand. He tapped one skeletal finger against another. "I have no reason to kill humans to display my strength. I already know I am far stronger than any human could ever hope to be. Gazef Stronoff was not the strongest warrior of Humanity but he was representative, was he not?"
Raymond was forced to nod. Gazef's stalwart support of the Re-Estize Crown was one of the reasons he had to be eliminated. He was not particularly proud of the Theocracy's actions in that incident but it was meant to be part of a wider plan, one this undead had upturned.
"He knew he was going to die when he faced me. He knew there was no other outcome of that battle and while I still do not understand why he chose to die, I can respect his sacrifice.
"So I do not need to kill humans to display my strength. Nor do I need to kill them to gather energy for spells. Your lives are weak. They are not efficient for that." The undead ticked off another point with its skeletal hands.
"Killing for domination does not make sense," the undead almost sighed the statement. Raymond felt sick at the words. He was agreeing with the undead's logic. "There is no domination over the dead." It touched another finger to make the point, as if counting the reasons to a child.
"So, would I kill humans then to increase my experience? No. You are too weak for that. And truthfully, when fighting humans, it is only interesting if I hold back, such as I did with Clementine. But deliberately handicapping yourself loses its appeal rather quickly." The undead shook its head. "There is no reason for me to kill humans, not when you can help me." The undead splayed its hands briefly before resting both on the arm rests of the throne.
"We can help you?" Raymond was sceptical. The undead might be logical but that seemed to be too much. How could humans help a creature of this strength? Beyond being food for its loyal monsters. That could not be allowed. It wouldn't matter if the Theocracy was doomed, all of humanity should fight that.
"Of course!" The undead seemed to think it was obvious. "Humans are just another species. Now I appreciate that there are differences between species, just as there are differences between undead, but humans can help me."
Raymond noticed that there were several monsters listening with interest. It was obvious they had never heard their master speak like this. Somehow he could tell they were surprised and not necessarily trusting. The winged woman looked outraged at the thought that humans could help. He could tell she was barely holding back her rage by the way her wings quivered.
"Despite thoughts to the contrary, humans are generally logical and they are not controlled by pure strength. They rely on brains as well as what little brawn they have. That means they can have differing ideas from demihumans, and sometimes that is needed.
"But beyond that, there is a more practical reason." The undead seemed pleased to announce that. "You may not be aware, but it does not matter if the body used to raise an undead is a babe or a gaffer. There is no difference in the strength of the undead created when using human corpses."
Raymond swallowed. He felt sick thinking about it. Such desecration should not be the topic of casual conversation but he was dealing with an undead. It would not think anything of this.
The beautiful winged woman's expression cleared. She seemed almost relaxed now. He didn't like what that meant. What did she see in the undead's words?
"As such, I can create undead from a corpse of any age. Therefore, why would I want to kill off the living humans, when they are my source of corpses? I want them to live, and breed. I want lots of humans because lots of humans means many corpses, which in turn means many undead may be created. Armies," the undead said the single word to finish.
Raymond understood what it was saying. From the way Dominic was struggling again, so did he.
"While I am certain I, or my servants, can overpower any foe, defeating them one by one is inefficient when I could make them face an army of the undead. I, or my servants, can take out the commanders, while the army deals with those who still want to fight. It is, after all, about using the right tool for the job and the humans can provide me with an ever replenishing army of undead that I can use to swarm any enemy. So no, I will not be killing them and I will not allow the human nations to collapse, not when they can be so useful to me in providing a never ending army, one I can throw at any problem. One I do not have to pay or feed. One that never tires, and most importantly, one that can never betray me."
Raymond didn't want to think about that. He felt sick. It was so diabolically logical he didn't know what to think about it. He convulsed. There was nothing to come up. That didn't stop him from gagging.
The undead ignored that. "There will be changes, of course. Those in the Theocracy will have to lose their delusion that they are the strongest species and so I am sure some will die during that process, but on the whole, I will not be causing humanity's extinction.
"I want your nations to be happy, productive and multiplying. I want them to be useful members of my kingdom, so that when they die, their bodies may continue to serve."
The Cardinal of Earth could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He continued to dry retch. This creature was the most diabolical thing he had ever encountered. It was… there were no words to describe it.
"Now, I have other duties to attend to," the undead rose, taking up its staff. "I wanted to speak to you to find out your reasons, but also as a courtesy, to reassure you that humanity will not die under my command."
"No," Raymond managed to say, swallowing the bile that had risen in his throat. "No, it will be worse. We won't even be human."
The undead looked down at him. "In my life, and in all the worlds I have travelled through, I have learnt that there are many definitions of the word human. You will just have to embrace a new definition," it said before it walked away.
Raymond could do nothing but stare. He moaned as he looked around. He should never have surrendered. It wasn't about saving lives, not when this was the outcome. He knew it now, dying was the better choice because it would have denied the undead this satisfaction. It would have inspired the Theocracy to fight.
He could only pray the Clearwater Scripture could find some weakness. At the very least, they had to take the undead with them. Otherwise the Theocracy was doomed, and Humanity with them.
Raymond felt sick. He tried to hold on to his faith but he doubted. It was such a slender thread to rest the hope of Humanity on and with the Godkin captured…
Had the Gods abandoned them?
-cos-
Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ninth Floor
After meeting with the Supreme Being, it was becoming a tradition for the Guardians to gather in their own little meeting. Usually it was to marvel at their Master's foresight and sheer cunning and greatness. This time, it was no different, though it was not much of a meeting.
Gargantua never attended. The Golem was one of the few powerful members of Nazarick who was not created by the Supreme Beings, and it never attended these meetings, both due to size, and a lack of intelligence. Cocytus was with his charges. Sebas, while technically not a guardian, was included, but he was still on assignment in the Elf Kingdom. Mare was taking care of his sister, which partially involved guarding her as well as attempting to prepare her for the ceremony. Shalltear was… Albedo wasn't sure where Shalltear was but held no doubt that the vampire was preparing to receive and "entertain" her guests. Victim seldom attended. The angelic foetus was more passive than many of the Guardians and was focused on the continued defence of Nazarick. And Pandora was usually occupied. Today was no different.
That meant that today there was only Albedo and Demiurge discussing their Master's plans and revelations. The Arch-Devil's usual pleased smile graced his features, but Albedo was familiar enough with Demiurge that she could see his awe. "Did you know?" she asked. The question was akin to admitting ignorance but in the face of their Master's foresight, all the Guardians were left in awe.
"About the humans?" Demiurge returned his own question to her.
The succubus nodded.
"I surmised that Lord Ainz must have had a plan," the Arch-Devil said. "But I admit I had not conceived its sheer scope." Demiurge shook his head, his admiration for the Supreme Being evident in the motion.
Demiurge's smile changed, becoming slightly self-deprecating. "Every time," he murmured. "Every time I think I can perceive our Master's plans, he displays another aspect. He lifts his game another step." The Arch-Devil shook his head. Far from being disappointed with the way Lord Ainz always rose above him, he was excited. It meant he was always learning, always racing to catch up but it was another aspect of the Supreme Being's sheer respect and dedication to them. He was so far above them that Demiurge was sometimes almost afraid to look at Lord Ainz, but their Master ensured that they understood his plans and at times, even lowered himself so that they may learn. That knowledge almost hurt. He had to do better.
Albedo nodded. She was feeling chastised with the knowledge they had learned today. "I have always known that Lord Ainz has been tolerant of humans," she said.
Demiurge gave her a look. Lord Ainz had also encouraged her to be tolerant of humans, something the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick struggled with.
"I thought it was-" she hesitated. She couldn't say weak because Lord Ainz was not weak. "An affectation," Albedo eventually said. "He was tolerant because he thought of them as pets. Though why he would want such weak pets, I could never work out. I feel so ashamed!" Albedo almost wailed. "I should have known that he was thinking deeper than that, that he was planning further ahead, and that there was a reason for his tolerance."
"Lord Ainz has always been beyond us," the Arch-Devil remarked with pride in his voice.
Albedo nodded. "I understand his tolerance, but I can only wonder how he plans on converting that many corpses into undead."
It was no secret, in Nazarick that is, that the Supreme Being could raise 20 lesser undead, 12 middle tier undead and 4 upper tier undead a day. Allowing all the human nations to come under the protection of the Sorcerous Kingdom meant the number of corpses would far outstrip Lord Ainz' ability to raise undead. Even with Pandora's Actor helping.
The Arch-Devil nodded his agreement with Albedo's assessment. "He will have a plan," Demiurge said, though he was trying to think of what it would be.
"Lord Tabula Smaragdina always said that racial restrictions could be circumvented by the correct ceremony," Albedo murmured, as if she was remembering something she had not thought of for a long time.
That seemed enough to satisfy Demiurge. "I imagine that our Lord will have the appropriate ceremonies prepared, or he may even use Nazarick itself," he mused. Theoretically, he supposed, it was possible to use the bodies to fuel Nazarick's ability to create undead. It was something he would have to look into. "Though speaking of ceremonies," he said the last with a sigh.
Albedo did not look pleased. "It should not be necessary," she said.
"I agree," Demiurge replied placatingly, "but since it is, I find it is yet another example of our Master's foresight."
The succubus tilted her head slightly, indicating her question. She had not been involved in many of the raids and war as she had been ensuring that everything else was proceeding as it should. And Lord Ainz had acknowledged that and thanked for her it. She blushed but quickly brought that reaction under control.
"Initially," the Arch-Devil began explaining, "Lord Ainz allowed Shalltear to capture those the animals cared for under the pretence that the dogs should know our pain. However, given the timing, I must conclude that while Lord Ainz was hoping that the ceremony would not be necessary, he was already planning for the possibility."
"What do you mean?" Albedo demanded.
"The human Fluder did not approach Lord Ainz about the possibility of the ceremony until after Shalltear's mission had gone ahead."
"Ah," the Guardian Overseer sighed, indicating her understanding. "It merely confirms what we have always known, Lord Ainz plans for every outcome."
Demiurge nodded. "I am almost ashamed that the human was the one who approached him about the ceremony," he said. "But I know that our Lord did not want Aura abused in that manner."
"True," Albedo agreed. That was one thing their Lord would not have planned for because no Guardian was meant to be that weak. "We still have the Theocracy to deal with," she said, pulling her thoughts away from Aura.
Demiurge's smug smile returned. "They still have some of their leaders. We focused on those responsible, and those with the most visibility, but their ultimate leader, the Pontifex Maximus remains, as do their military leaders."
The succubus chuckled at that. It went unsaid that she hoped the Theocracy gathered their army and pitted it against Nazarick. Lord Ainz wouldn't hesitate in the face of such threat. The humans would be slaughtered, as was right. "Lord Ainz is merciful," she said unnecessarily. "I imagine he will offer a chance to surrender."
"Most likely," Demiurge agreed. While it might be gratifying to kill more of the Theocracy, that was wasteful. Though… these were religious fanatics. He remembered Lord Ulbert Alain Odle had definite views on religion, along the lines of how it should be outlawed. "We will need to be ready for issues to arise."
Albedo sighed. "Yes. They will abuse our Master's mercy." She was certain of it. So far, the subjugation of nations had gone well. It was predominantly because they had either kept the existing power structures or manipulated events so that the citizens were begging for the protection of the Sorcerous Kingdom. The Theocracy would be the first nation truly conquered. There would be issues.
"We will be ready for them," Demiurge acknowledged.
"Jaldabaoth?" Albedo suggested with the sadistic grin of an Arch-Demon on her face.
The Arch-Devil chuckled evilly. "I think I can come up with something else," he said.
"Oh? One of the Ambassadors, perhaps?"
Demiurge had been overseeing much of the work to bring the surrounding nations under Nazarick's control. Jaldabaoth was his most well-known persona but there were others, who were less flashy but no less effective. It all rested on the fact that Demiurge was a shapeshifter. He could assume almost any form. His ability was different from a doppelganger. They could assume the form and to a certain degree, the abilities of the form they took. Demiurge never got any other abilities, he simply had different shapes.
"Perhaps," he nodded. "I do not want to fix on something when other options may prove more suitable." Demiurge looked at her. While Albedo was the Guardian Overseer, which meant she out ranked him, in terms of intelligence, they were always competing to discern the mind of their Lord. Pandora's Actor, being Lord Ainz Ooal Gown's personal creation, had the edge on them there but that did not stop their competition. "I think we are overlooking the more important point."
She gave him a chill little smile. "We have always known that there are other worlds." The statement dismissed his suggestion. Albedo already knew what he was talking about.
"True," Demiurge replied, though his tone said he did not agree with her assessment of the situation. "There were many worlds attached to Yggdrasil that the Supreme Beings travelled to." A part of him would have liked to have seen those worlds, but he was loyal to Nazarick. His duty, as now, was its defence. "And those worlds all operated on the same rules as Yggdrasil. They were a part of Yggdrasil," he said.
"Yes," Albedo agreed. They all knew about the Seven Hidden Mines Ainz Ooal Gown had lost control of, but only after the use of a World Item, which just reinforced the strength of Ainz Ooal Gown, that other, lesser Supreme Beings had to resort to the use of World Items to block their power.
"This world is similar," Demiurge continued his exposition, gesturing vaguely as if to encompass the world outside Nazarick. "The rules are similar to Yggdrasil but also slightly different. A pathetic human had ninja classes," he told her. In Yggdrasil, you could only obtain ninja classes once you reached level 60. None of the humans here were even close to that. It was unlikely they were even capable of it. He had measured the supposed Godkin of the Theocracy and even they were not at that level. It was one of his abilities to be able to see the level and classes of his opponents. He couldn't see all the details of their skills but he knew how any opponent was likely to attack.
It was what made fighting Lord Ainz Ooal Gown so stimulating. As a Magic Caster, the Supreme Being had hundreds of spells that could be utilised and was adept at selecting the right spell for the right situation.
"I know this." Albedo was getting impatient. "I did read your report."
"Have you considered what it means?" Demiurge asked intently.
"Of course! But even with Lord Ainz referring to those worlds he has seen, it means nothing!"
"It does! Our Master was surprised when we came here. Combined with the fact that the rules of this world are different from Yggdrasil, I can conclude that this is not a world connected to Yggdrasil. It could be one of the worlds the Supreme Beings moved into. You know there was at least one world they all went to. Lord Ainz has given us an insight."
Albedo glared at him. Her yellow eyes were pinched. "I know there is at least one other world, the world the Supreme Beings went to when they weren't in Yggdrasil. I also know that this is not that world! And I know that the others are not here! Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is."
"Yes! Which is why he changed his name. If the other Supreme Beings were to come to this world, he wants them to know they are welcomed," Demiurge said.
The Guardian Overseer took a deep breath. Albedo knew that what the Arch-Devil was saying was true but it didn't matter. She had long thought this. Her hands formed into fists, and she felt her nails dig into her palms. "The other Supreme Beings left," she said stiffly.
"But what if they didn't mean to?"
Albedo shook her head. "I thought you were more mature than this, Demiurge. They packed up their artefacts, put them in the Treasury and left." She swallowed hard. It wasn't a pleasant thought and she hated the Arch-Devil for making her think them.
"I do not deny Lord Ainz' greatness. He chose our world. He stayed with us until we were allowed to gain true life. And he continues to guide us now. All the Supreme Beings of Nazarick are great but Lord Ainz is the only one who could have led them. I am honoured that he leads us now. But, one day, maybe, we may find one of the other Supreme Beings. They may be in this world, bereft of their artefacts, and if we do find them, you know that Lord Ainz will forgive them."
Albedo's fists shook. She knew that. She knew he wanted to find them. "They are not here. It is the one thing we cannot give to Lord Ainz. They are not here because they did not stay until the end."
"Maybe not in this world," Demiurge admitted. "Even with the differences this world has from Yggdrasil, I can't help but wonder if it is linked to others. And if it is, then there is a chance that they could be the worlds our Master has walked."
She looked to the side. "We won't find them," Albedo said firmly. "All we can do is make sure this world bows to our Lord and Master as is right and proper. All we can do is support him, in whatever decisions he makes. We serve him, as we have served Nazarick."
"We will always serve," Demiurge agreed. "And for the moment this world presents challenges, but when it belongs to our Master, what then?"
"No! Don't even suggest that!" Albedo yelled. "He will not leave us! He will not-" She broke off. To say such a thing against the Supreme Beings was wrong but… She had thought it more than once. She was sure the other Guardians had as well. "Lord Ainz will not leave us," Albedo said softly.
Demiurge said nothing. He certainly shared that hope but he could not be blind to possibilities. He sighed, pushing up his glasses. "There is time yet," he murmured, eventually. "And for now, the Theocracy will be the latest country to fall." He smiled. "We should probably decide who is next."
Albedo glared at him a few moments more before her expression softened. "It will be the Re-Estize Kingdom," she said with certainty. "They cannot last much longer, and if the Cardinals are correct, then the demihumans will hasten their fall."
"That is a likely outcome," Demiurge agreed. Especially with him controlling many of the demihuman populations. "Though I believe the Dragon Kingdom may offer a worthy challenge. Their Queen is said to be able to use wild magic."
The only information they had been able to find on wild magic was that it was powerful, but unpredictable. It was possible it was the natural magic of this world.
The succubus waved one perfectly manicured hand. "It will not be a challenge to our Master."
"Perhaps not, but it may provide interest," the Arch-Devil agreed.
Albedo acknowledged that with a smile. Anything that kept their Master interested and with them was to be lauded, even if it was a pathetic nation of humans. "Lord Ainz will decide."
"As is right, for this world belongs to him."
-cos-
There you go, I slipped in a reason for Albedo to stop hating humans. They are just the raw, unprocessed ingredients for Ainz to make undead! To put it another way, you might prefer cake, but you don't hate the flour that goes into it, thus Albedo shouldn't hate humans… Of course, if she actually follows through on that… who knows?
Review please!