There was so much stuff in the dressing room adjacent to Raazuka's private quarters that he had to admire the impossible neatness of it all—from things like robes that he could equip to full suits of armour he had bought but then threw in there after discovering he had no use for them. And it wasn't just protective gear. There were weapons from whips to great swords, entire closetfuls put in their proper places. In Yggdrasil, players could create infinite unique items by inlaying existing items with data-containing crystals that defeated monsters dropped. Players who preferred a certain style often stocked up on those type of items.
Which explained this room.
Raazuka casually chose a small straight staff, almost like an elegant walking stick, out of the stands and racks of countless weapons. Its black wood sucked in the light of the room like a black hole. The letter-like markings etched into the metal ball that topped the staff — runes, he was quite the expert — also caught the light and were clearly visible. He posed in front of a large mirror and tested how the staff felt in his hand. It was extremely light—like a feather. Of course, it wasn't because the cane was made out of light material (in fact most of the NPCs in Nazarick couldn't lift the thing). Raazuka was just that strong.
As both a magic user and a fighter, he had extremely high physical ability points, as well as magical ability points, which only increased when he hit level 100. Raazuka's form flowed into a fighting stance, and tapped the mirror with his staff. The runes that ran up the staff glowed slightly as he channeled a small amount of magic into them. The mirror cracked, but repaired itself to immaculate perfection not three seconds later. He stared at the magical tool in his hands.
This.
This was confusing.
The existence of NPCs who behaved as if they were alive made him think this world wasn't the game, but these little details made it feel like it had to be.
In Yggdrasil, Raazuka had been an arch battlemage, so he could have easily destroyed the mirror with a blink of an eye. But if this were a real world, common sense said that the mirror shouldn't have fixed itself. It was a little thing in Yggdrasil that unless mirrors and other household items like that were shattered or completely broken, they would auto repair themselves, to avoid serious breakages in fights and such. Raazuka shook his head and gave up thinking about it. He didn't have enough information, so no answer would come, no matter how hard he racked his brains now.
"Leave me," he ordered the maid and then focused on his reflection. There was no one in the mirror. If the body you were used to changed into some weird other thing, you'd think you'd be frightened. But Raazuka wasn't frightened at all. It didn't even feel unnatural. He felt like there must be some reason for that beyond the fact that he had logged so many hours in Yggdrasil with this body. He also felt that in addition to his looks, his mind had changed quite a bit, as well. First, there was that thing where he didn't feel emotions properly. And his desire had weakened. He didn't feel like he wanted to eat or sleep. He didn't not feel sexual desire, but it didn't build even when Albedo pressed her softness up against him.
Assailed by the feeling he'd lost something very important, his eyes unconsciously moved near his waist. "I lost the will to use it before I even got to use it, huh…?" The emotion went out of his extremely quiet utterance partway through. He had the awfully levelheaded thought that perhaps especially the mental changes could be the result of the game itself influencing him. The extensive lore said that since djinn were unholy beings created as the first demons of the smokeless flame, they had no souls or emotions and such things.
Right now, I'm a vaguely humanoid cloud of smoke with scraps of human clinging to them. That's why when my mood changes past a certain point, it gets suppressed. He wondered if there was any danger of going completely flat if he continued being...this. Of course, even if I have changed, it doesn't mean much. No matter what this world is like, or what kind of being I am, I still have my will.
Besides, there were beings like Shalltear. It might be too soon to blame everything on being undead.
"Funny, I never thought I'd be seeing a use for this thing." Out of his left coat pocket, he withdrew a black cloak. It was crafted from fabric so dark that it seemed to absorb the light in the room: Midnight Silk. It was long enough to cover his entire frame, and had a wide hood. This was the Cloak of Deep Darkness. It allowed a player to be essentially memory proof to all NPCs when they pulled the hood up over their face. It hid their face, distorted their voice, and forced all non-friendly NPCs to forget the player as soon as they were out of sight. It also buffed a Player's Stealth massively.
It had been pretty much useless to him because it didn't really work on other players, and if he needed to go somewhere undetected, he would hide as a wisp of smoke or a swirl of sand or dust floating on the breeze. He took off his overcoat and hung it inside his inventory before pulling the cloak over his shoulders and lifting up the hood to bathe his face in impenetrable shadow. He turned to the maid and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
"The guard is ready for you," the maid replied promptly, but…
"No guards. I will go alone."
"But, my lord—"
"I will go. And I will do so alone. Am I understood?"
The maid bowed her head and retreated.
It was too much—walking around with an entourage, receiving deferential bows from everyone he met. If he could just let them follow him without thinking too hard, he might have been able to endure it, but that wasn't possible. He had to act the part of ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and never show even a hint of weakness. For a regular guy like Raazuka, it was mentally exhausting. Even if any large emotional fluctuations reversed to level out, it still felt like his brain was being simmered on low heat.
And then there were the beautiful women who waited on him constantly, practically never leaving his side. He would have thought that as a man that would make him happy, but he ended up feeling more like his personal space was being invaded. This mental fatigue must be another vestige of my failing humanity. In any case, it was no good for the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick to be so mentally burdened in this crisis. There was the danger he might commit an error in some critical situation. I need some TLC. Having reached that conclusion, Raazuka blinked slowly at the maid, who was still bowing in the corner of the room. "I'm going to go make some rounds on my own."
"P-please wait, my lord. If something should happen to you while you are out alone, we would not be able to die as your shields."
Faced with someone who had resolved to give up her life if she could protect her master, he felt slightly heartless for just trying to relax. Still, it had been a little over three days since they'd found themselves in this strange situation, about seventy-three hours. After presenting himself with the dignity of the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick for that long, his entire being was begging for a rest. So, although he felt bad, he racked his brains for an excuse.
"There is…something I must do in utmost secrecy. I will not allow any escorts."
A brief silence. After what felt like an awfully long time to Raazuka, the maid answered, "Understood. Be careful, Lord Raazuka."
Her buying his excuse felt like a stab in the chest, but he dismissed it. It's only a little white lie. I'll go see what it's like outside. Yes, it's crucial for me to see where we've been teleported to with my own eyes. The more he thought about it, the more excuses he came up with, probably because he was aware that what he was doing was wrong. Shaking off the nagging guilt (which manifested almost like someone was holding him back by his hair, not that he had a scalp), he used his guild ring.
He'd teleported to a large room. There were long, narrow stone platforms for laying out corpses (not that there were any now) on either side. The floor was made out of some kind of polished white stone. Behind him was a staircase that descended until it reached a large double door: the entrance to the Great Tomb of Nazarick's first level. The torches in the sconces built into the walls were unlit; the only light was the pale glow of the moon coming in through the main entrance. This was the part of the Tomb closest to the surface, the Central Mausoleum. Even though just walking across the spacious room would take him outside, Raazuka couldn't move his feet—he'd encountered something that unexpected.
Across the room he saw a crowd of grotesques. There were three types of monsters—four each for a total of twelve. One of these types had hideous demonic faces with fangs. Their bodies were covered in scales and their strong arms were equipped with sharp claws. They had long snakelike tails and blazing wings of flame. They fit the image of a demon very well. The second type of monster had female bodies sporting black leather bondage gear and crow heads. The final type was a demon that wore armour open wide in front to display their magnificent abs. If it weren't for their bat wings and the horns sprouting from either temple, they wouldn't even look like monsters. Although their faces were those of beautiful men, their eyes glimmered with a desire that could never be fulfilled.
Their names were Evil Lord Wrath, Evil Lord Envy, and Evil Lord Greed. All of them turned at once to focus on Raazuka, but none of the monsters made a move. It was a gaze worthy of the word—their eyes exerted an almost physical pressure. All these monsters were a level somewhere between 80 and 90 and had been positioned as guards around Demiurge's residence, the Red-Hot Shrine where the gate to the eighth level was. Normally, undead mobs under Shalltear's control would be stationed this close to the surface, so why were Demiurge's bodyguards here? With the appearance of a demon—who had probably been there behind them from the beginning, but difficult to make out in the shadows—that mystery was solved.
"Demiurge…"
When his name was spoken, a puzzled look appeared on his face. It could have been either that he wondered why his lord and master was in such a place or that he was surprised by the appearance of an unfamiliar monster. Raazuka bet on the smaller chance and continued walking. Even if his true identity hadn't been revealed by him standing there, it was too suspicious to remain. He decided to walk along the wall and try to slip past the demons without paying them any attention. He knew painfully well that their gaze was following him. He wanted to look at his feet, but he willed his weak spirit into submission and walked proudly, chest out.
When the distance between them had closed, the demons, as if by previous arrangement, all got down on one knee and bowed their heads. Bowing at the front of the line, naturally, was Demiurge. His movements were so smooth and refined he reminded Raazuka of a nobleman out of a story.
"Lord Raazuka, what in the world are you doing here without your guards? And what are you wearing?"
They'd seen through him instantly. He figured there was no helping the fact that he got caught by the one said to be most intelligent in all of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but he realised it might have been obvious, anyway, because he had teleported. Only someone with a guild ring could teleport freely within the Tomb, so it was a dead giveaway.
"…I have my reasons. And as for why I'm dressed like this… well, I'm sure you can figure that out."
There were various shades of emotion crossing Demiurge's graceful features. Several breaths later, he answered, "My apologies, Lord Raazuka, but I am unable to fathom the depths of your profound—"
"Call me Nightmare."
"Lord Nightmare…?" Demiurge looked like he wanted to say more, but Raazuka endeavoured to ignore it. He knew it was an embarrassingly generic name, but it fit right in with the other monster names. There wasn't any deep reason for the name change. Now the only ones present were Demiurge's underlings, but they were all right near the entrance. There would probably be lots of minions coming through and he didn't want them all calling him "Raazuka, Raazuka."
A light of understanding had gone on in Demiurge's expression. What had he decided Raazuka was feeling? "I see… So that's why!"
Huh? You see what? Raazuka stopped himself from asking. He was just an ordinary guy. He couldn't imagine what line of reason Demiurge had used or what kind of conclusion he had reached. He just stood there, in a nonexistent cold sweat hoping his true intentions wouldn't be found out.
"Lord Ra— Nightmare, I have grasped one part of your profound intentions. It is certainly a show of consideration befitting our ruler, however, it would not do for me to overlook you being out without an escort. I deeply understand what a bother this must be, but I beg that you will pity me with your mercy."
"I suppose I have no choice. I will allow one guard to accompany me."
An elegant smile spread across Demiurge's face.
"I appreciate you granting my selfish request, Lord Nightmare."
"You don't need the 'Lord' with 'Nightmare'…"
"Surely you can't be serious! Such a thing would be unforgivable. Of course, if it were for an infiltration mission or I was on a special mission and had orders from you to that effect, I would obey them, but do you think there is anyone in all of Nazarick who could refer to you, Lord Raazuka—I mean, Lord Nightmare—without 'Lord'?"
Raazuka was overwhelmed by Demiurge's ardent speech and nodded several times. That said, inside, he had the feeling that this repeated emphasis on "Nightmare" was meant to poke fun at the absurdity of it, and he began to regret choosing the name so hastily.
"How rude of me. I am taking up your precious time, Lord Ra— Nightmare… Then, you all stand by here and explain where I've gone."
"Understood, Master Demiurge."
"Well, it seems like your minions have agreed. Shall we, Demiurge?"
Demiurge bowed as a token of his subordination, and Raazuka slipped past him to head out. Demiurge straightened up a moment later and accompanied him.
"Why was Lord Ra— Ahem, Nightmare dressed like that?"
"I don't know, but there must be some reason."
The evil lords who had remained quietly voiced their questions. They hadn't known it was him just because he'd teleported—there was another way. Raazuka could not perceive them, but all the minions in the Great Tomb of Nazarick—or rather, all the minions that belonged to Ainz Ooal Gown—gave off a wavering signal. They used this signal mainly to determine if someone was an ally or not. And the Forty-One Supreme Beings—currently just Raazuka—"felt" to the minions like absolute rulers. It was such a bright signal that it could be sensed even at a distance.
That was why even though he was covered up completely, there was no mistaking him. They would have known it was him instantly, even if he'd strolled in instead of teleported. And it was easy to distinguish that signal from any others. The double door leading to Nazarick's first level opened, and someone walked up the stairs. The signal that seemed to emanate to them was that of a floor guardian. Reaching the top of the stairs, captain of the floor guardians, the beautiful Albedo, came into view. Registering the arrival of the person their direct master had been waiting for, the evil lords got down on one knee. Albedo took their obedience in stride. She looked around the room without even stopping to notice them.
She turned to the evil lords only after not managing to find whom she was looking for. Then she walked in front of them and asked no one in particular, "I don't seem to see Demiurge around. Do you know where he is?"
"Well… Actually, someone by the name of Lord Nightmare came here alone a little while ago, so Master Demiurge left to accompany him."
"Lord…Nightmare? I don't know any minions by that name. And Demiurge—a guardian—accompanied him? Isn't that a bit absurd?"
The evil lords glanced at one another, unsure what to do. Seeing this, Albedo smiled gently. "Might a bunch of minions be daring to hide something from me?"
Though there was kindness in her words, the evil lords sensed the iciness of a final warning and concluded this was not something they should hide.
"Master Demiurge judged that this Lord Nightmare was the one whom we serve."
"Lord Raazuka was here?!" Her voice was a bit frantic.
An evil lord replied calmly, "Well, his name was Lord Nightmare, but…"
"What about his guard? Did they know he was coming here? If Demiurge agreed to meet me here, he must have known Lord Raazuka was coming! Ah, but more importantly, I need clothes! Draw me a bath!" She fingered her dress.
Since she had been working in various places without rest, her clothes were dirty and the ends of her hair were tangled. Even her wings were a bit of a mess. But for such a peerless beauty as Albedo, that amount of grit was hardly a minus at all; in the same way that one subtracted from a hundred million meant practically nothing, her beauty was hardly detracted from. But from Albedo's point of view, she was not fit to present herself to the one she loved above all others.
"The nearest bath is in…Shalltear's room? She'll be suspicious, but I have no other choice. You guys bring me some clothes from my room! On the double!"
Albedo was about to race off, but one of the evil lords called out to her. It was an envy. "Mistress Albedo, if you'll excuse me, would it not perhaps be better to go as you are?"
"…What are you talking about?" She stopped, and the reason she bristled was that she felt she was being asked to show herself to him filthy.
"Ah, I meant that the fact that such a beautiful woman as yourself has been working so hard for him might make a good impression and be advantageous for you in the end."
"Not only that," another evil lord continued, "if you take a whole bath and make all the preparations to go before Lord Raazuka—Dark Warrior—that would take quite some time. If you missed him…it would be such a waste."
Albedo moaned. It annoyed her, but they were right. "That makes sense… It seems it's been so long since I've seen Lord Raazuka that I'm not thinking quite straight. It's been…eighteen hours. Don't you think eighteen hours is just too long?"
"I do. It's too long."
"I need to get the groundwork of our operations laid so I can guard him personally! Now, then, grumbles aside, first I must see Lord Raazuka. Where did he go?"
"He went outside just a moment ago."
"I see." Her reply was curt, but she was smiling in anticipation of seeing Raazuka and her wings fluttered adorably. Her footsteps were quick as she bustled by the evil lords.
Then she stopped and addressed them once more. "I just want to ask one more thing: Do you really think Lord Raazuka will take it as a plus if I show up all dirty?"
The scenery that stretched out before Raazuka after he left the mausoleum was breathtaking. The part of the Great Tomb of Nazarick that was aboveground took up more than two thousand square feet. It was protected by a thick wall twenty feet high, which had two entrances: the main and rear gates. The graveyard's undergrowth was trimmed short, creating a refreshing atmosphere. On the other hand, however, a large tree cast gloomy shadows here and there with its drooping branches. Countless white gravestones formed disorderly rows. The neatly trimmed undergrowth and disorderly gravestones combined to create severe discord. Statues of angels and goddesses made with notable artistic merit were scattered about, warping the chaotic design to brow-furrowing levels.
There were fairly large mausoleums in each of the cardinal directions and then a huge one in the centre of the graveyard. The Central Mausoleum was surrounded by armed warrior statues about twenty feet tall. This Central Mausoleum was the entrance to the Great Tomb of Nazarick and the place from which Raazuka had just come. Standing at the top of the broad white staircase, he silently looked out at the world. Helheim, the world the Great Tomb of Nazarick was from, was eternally dark and cold. Perpetual night made for dismal scenery, and the heavens were covered by thick, dark clouds. But here was different.
Here there was a stunning night sky.
Gazing up at the stars, he sighed in amazement and shook his head several times as if he couldn't believe it.
"Wow, even for a fantasy world, this is… This beautiful sky is proof that the air isn't polluted here. Probably no need for heart-lung machines in this world…"
He'd never in his life seen such a clear night sky. Raazuka raised his hand above his hood and began to chant.
"Fly!"
Freed from the yoke of gravity, Raazuka glided lightly into the air. He went to ascend all at once, increasing his speed as he flew. Demiurge rushed to follow, but Raazuka didn't pay him any mind. He just kept flying straight up.
Raazuka's body slowed to a halt. He slowly removed his hood, his head reforming to visibility at once, and simply looked down at the world below. He said nothing—no, he was unable to say anything.
The night sky banished the earth's darkness with its pale light. Each time the wind made the grass sway, it was like the world was sparkling. The stars and a great celestial body reminiscent of the moon shone in the heavens.
Raazuka sighed as he spoke. "It's just stun— No, a clichéd word like stunning doesn't even begin to capture it. I wonder what Blue Planet would say if he could see this…"
Raazuka remembered his old friend, the one who had smiled self-consciously when he got called a romanticist at an off-line gathering of guildmates, who was so kind—a man who loved the night sky. No, what he loved was nature, with its vistas that were mostly lost now due to pollution. He'd started playing Yggdrasil to experience scenery it was impossible to see anymore in the real world. And the thing he'd worked hardest on was the sixth level. The night sky there, in particular, was a realisation of his ideal world. He'd always get so excited when he was talking about nature—really, a bit too excited. How nuts would he have gone seeing this world? How passionately would he have gushed to me, that low voice of his getting higher and higher? Craving a dose of Blue Planet's wisdom for the first time in a while, Raazuka looked to his side.
Of course, no one was there. There was no way anyone would be there. Dimly feeling something akin to loneliness, Raazuka heard the sound of flapping wings—Demiurge had transformed. Black wings made of some kind of moist-looking membrane had sprouted from his back, and his face had turned from a human one into something vaguely frog-like. This was his half-demon form. Some grotesques had multiple forms. In Nazarick, for example, Sebas and Albedo had other forms, too. Those types of grotesques took some trouble to make, but they were consistently popular because people enjoyed having multiple forms like a final boss. Many of them were set up so they took penalties in human or half form but received bonuses in their full grotesque form.
Looking away from Demiurge, who now had an appearance quite befitting a demon, Raazuka turned once again to the twinkling stars, sighed in wonder, and uttered some words as if speaking to his friend who wasn't there. "Being able to see just by the light of the moon and the stars—this definitely can't be the real world, huh, Blue Planet? Everything sparkles like a box of jewels."
"Perhaps it is a box of jewels. This world must be beautiful because it contains jewels you are meant to adorn yourself with, Lord Momo—Dark Warrior," Demiurge answered with what seemed like flattery.
The sudden interruption made it feel like his memories of his friend were being trampled upon, and he grew irritated for a moment. But looking at such a beautiful world made all his anger fade away. Actually, looking down at the world like this made it seem so puny; he felt like maybe acting like the ruler of some league of evil wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"It truly is beautiful. Perhaps this untouched box of jewels exists to be mine for the taking." Raazuka held his hand up near his face and made a fist. Almost all the stars in the heavens fit inside. Of course, they were only hidden from view by his hand. He shrugged at what a childish thing he'd done and murmured to Demiurge, "No, I shouldn't monopolize it. The Great Tomb of Nazarick, my friends in Ainz Ooal Gown—they should be adorned as well."
"That's a very attractive idea, my lord. If you so wish it, and if I might get your permission, I would mobilize Nazarick's entire army and take this whole box of jewels for you. Nothing would make me happier than to do that and offer it up to you, whom I respect most highly."
Raazuka chuckled softly at the melodrama. Demiurge must also be a bit drunk on this ambiance…
"But that sentiment is nothing but foolish when we don't even know what kind of beings inhabit this world. It's possible that we're nothings here. But…hmm… Taking over the world does sound kind of fun."
'Taking over the world'—I sound like the villain from a kids' TV show.
It wouldn't be such an easy thing to do, either. There'd be the issue of how to rule the world after it was taken over, how to maintain public order and stop rebellions before they started—so many problems crop up when various countries get brought under unified rule. If you think about all that even a little bit, it makes it seem like there are no benefits to world conquest. Even Raazuka knew all that. He'd said it out of a childish desire: The world was pretty, so he wanted to have it. Also, it seemed like something the infamous guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown would do. And the last reason…was that his tongue slipped.
No, there was one more.
"Ulbert, Luci Fer, Variable Talisman, and Belliver…?" He'd just recalled the former guild members who had joked that they should conquer at least one of Yggdrasil's worlds. He felt safe in the knowledge that Demiurge was the smartest guy in Nazarick and would therefore probably get that he was about as serious as a kid making a joke. If Raazuka had seen the look that played across the froggy face behind him, he wouldn't have let the conversation end there.
Instead of looking at Demiurge like he should have been, he gazed at the boundary line of the heavens that embraced both the earth and the stars, the horizon.
"An unknown world… But am I really the only one here? Couldn't some of the other guild members be here, too?"
It wasn't possible to make alts in Yggdrasil, but he could imagine a scenario where someone who had once quit made a new character and came back for the last day. HeroHero was logged out, but there was even still the possibility that he was here. Raazuka being in this world was strange enough. If he considered the fact that the entire situation was an unknown, he couldn't completely deny the possibility that guildmates who quit the game had been sucked in, too. Message hadn't worked, but there were any number of potential explanations for that, like that the geography was different or the effect of the spell had changed.
"In that case, I should spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown throughout the world…" If someone from his guild were here, they would hear of it, and once they did, they would surely come to find him. He was confident that their bonds of friendship were at least that strong.
Tossed on the ocean of his thoughts, Raazuka looked at Nazarick—a huge spectacle was just beginning. A span of dirt more than one hundred yards wide began to undulate like the sea. The little swells rising one after the other out of the plain slowly moved in one direction; swallowing each other up, they gradually began to form one mass, and eventually it grew to the size of a hill and swept toward Nazarick. The attacking dirt broke on the solid walls and scattered. It was just like the spray of a tsunami.
"Earth Surge… Not only did he use a skill to expand its area of effect, he's using a class skill as well?" Raazuka whispered, impressed. There was only one person in Nazarick who could use magic like that. "I'd expect nothing less of Mare. Seems like leaving the camouflage work up to him was the right choice."
"Indeed. Besides Mare's efforts, we are utilising undead, golems, and other minions who do not experience fatigue to do some of the work, but unfortunately they are making little progress. When they move some earth, the land is left bald—we'll need to grow some plants in order to conceal it, which only makes more work for Mare…"
"The walls of our castle are so vast—it makes sense it would take some time to cover them. The problem will be if we are discovered partway through. What precautions have we taken?"
"An early warning network is already in place. We can now detect any sentient being that comes within about three miles instantly without their knowledge. "
"Splendid. But are there minions in that network?" Hearing Demiurge's affirmative, Raazuka thought they should create another warning network without minions, just in case. "I have an idea for that warning network—please use it."
"Understood. I'll include it after consulting with Albedo. By the way, Lord Nightmare—"
"Ah, that's enough, Demiurge. You can just call me Raazuka."
"I see. Lord Raazuka, may I inquire what your plans are?"
"I'm thinking to go check up on Mare, since he's carrying out my order so perfectly. I'd like to give him a reward, but I wonder what would be appropriate…"
A smile played across Demiurge's face, a kindhearted one unbecoming to a demon. "I think your talking to him will be plenty reward enough… Ah, my apologies. Something has come up. I won't be able to—"
"You're forgiven. Go, Demiurge."
"Thank you, Lord Raazuka!"
At the same time Demiurge flapped his wings, Raazuka began his descent. On the way, he put his hood back on. The dark elf situated at Raazuka's landing spot looked up as if he sensed something. Surprise broke out across his face when he laid eyes on the armoured figure. When Raazuka alighted softly on the ground, Mare came scampering over, skirt fluttering. Argh, I can almost see underneath. Not that Raazuka had any interest in seeing, but he did wonder what was going on under there.
"L-Lord Raazuka, w-welcome! I m-most humbly th-thank you for coming!"
"Mmm… Mare, you don't have to be so scared and don't feel like you have to rush around. If it's hard for you, I don't even mind if you drop the formalities…when it's just the two of us, at least."
"I-I can't do that, not toward a Supreme Being. Sis ought to do better, too. W-we can't be so impolite."
He didn't really want to make children stand on ceremony, but… "Is that so? If that's what you've decided, then I have nothing further to say. Just know that I don't mean to force you, Mare."
"Y-yes, sir! B-by the way, what brings you here, Lord Raazuka? D-did I do something wrong?"
"No, Mare, I came to praise you."
Mare had been looking a little twitchy because he thought he was about to be scolded, but his expression flipped to surprise.
"The work you're doing is extremely important. We may have a warning network, but it's entirely possible that regular people in this world are over level 100. If that's the case, the most important thing we can do is prevent them from discovering us."
Mare nodded.
"So I want you to know how satisfied I am with your flawless work and how much peace of mind I get by entrusting this to you."
One of Raazuka's ironclad rules from his days as a working adult: Good bosses praise their subordinates' work as appropriate.
The guardians had a much higher opinion of Raazuka than he warranted. In order to not lose their loyalty, he had to act the part. He'd maintained their golden legacy all this time, but to disappoint and be betrayed by the guardians and other NPCs made by the guild members would brand him as unfit to be guild master. That's why he had to try to be a great ruler.
"Do you understand, Mare?"
"Yes, Lord Raazuka!" He may have been dressed like a girl, but the firm resolve on his face marked him clearly as a boy.
"Okay, then, I'd like to give you a reward for your good work."
"B-but! It's only natural that I should do this work!"
"It's also natural to give a reward for a job well done."
"N-no, it's not! We exist to serve the Supreme Beings! It's a matter of course that we should get things done well!"
They repeated this exchange several times, but their opinions continued to run parallel to one another. Beginning to sense futility, Raazuka decided to offer a compromise.
"Then let's say this. There's no problem if it also rewards you for continuing your loyal work in the future, right?"
"I-if you're sure it's okay…"
Raazuka compelled him to be calm and took out the reward. It was a ring.
"L-Lord Raazuka, I think you t-took out the wrong…th-thing!"
"It's no—"
"You're mistaken, my lord! That's a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown—a treasure only Supreme Beings may possess! There's no way I can accept such a gift!"
Raazuka was taken aback by how hard Mare was trembling. It was true that the ring was a one-in-a-hundred item made exclusively for members of Ainz Ooal Gown. Since forty-one of them had been passed out, there were fifty-nine that had no designated user—no, fifty-eight. In that sense, they were quite rare. But part of why he wanted to give it as a reward was how useful it would be. Mare seemed like he was ready to bolt, so in order to calm him down, Raazuka reached out carefully. "Relax, Mare."
"I-I-I can't! Y-you just said that a ring of the Supreme Ones was going to be my reward!"
"Mare, just think about it. Transportation by teleportation is prevented within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but isn't that inconvenient sometimes?"
Hearing this, it seemed Mare was able to begin to calm down.
"In the event we are attacked, I want each floor guardian to act as commander on their level. If they can't teleport, if they can't escape easily, that won't work very well. That's why I want you to have the ring." The ring resting on Raazuka's upheld palm gleamed in the moonlight. "Mare, having your loyalty pleases me greatly. I understand quite well that as our subject you feel you can't accept a ring that is our sign, but I think you grasp my intentions now—take it as an order."
"B-but why m-me? Could it be that you're giving them to all the guardians…?"
"I plan to, but you're the first because I think highly of your work. If I gave them to people who hadn't done anything yet, the rings' significance as a reward would be diminished. Or are you saying I should lower their value?"
"N-n-not at all, my lord!"
"Then take it, Mare. Take it and continue serving Nazarick and myself."
Trembling, Mare slowly bowed and accepted the ring. Seeing him like this, Raazuka felt a bit guilty. His other aim in giving away the ring was to make it so it wouldn't be immediately apparent who it was anytime someone teleported. When Mare slipped the ring on, it changed size to fit his slender finger. He looked at it on his hand a few times and sighed in amazement. Then, he turned directly toward Raazuka and bowed deeply. "L-Lord Raazuka! Th-thank you so much for giving me such a valuable reward! I'll do my best to be word—worthy of such a treasure!"
"I'm counting on you, Mare."
"Yes, my lord!" Mare finished with a boy's valiance on his face.
Why did BubblingTeapot dress him like this? To be the opposite of Aura? Or was there actually a reason?
As Raazuka wondered about this, it ended up being Mare who asked him about his getup.
"U-umm, Lord Raazuka… Wh-why are you dressed like that?"
"O-oh, uh…because…"
Because I wanted to run away. There was no way he could say that.
Mare looked up at him full of expectation, eyes sparkling. If he messed up here, his performance to date as a great boss would all have been for nothing. There was probably no world where a subordinate would accept a superior who wanted to run away. If only I were more confused, then I would be levelled out automatically, thought Raazuka, who now had a new predicament to escape from—when a helping hand came from behind.
"It's simple, Mare."
Upon turning around, Raazuka was captivated. Standing in the moonlight was a woman who could have been called beauty incarnate. Illuminated head to toe by the pale light streaming down from the heavens as she was, if she had said she were a goddess, he would have been convinced. She shifted her black wings. It was Albedo. Right behind her was Demiurge, but she was so beautiful, it took a moment to notice him.
"The reason Lord Raazuka is wearing armour and the reason he was hiding his name until a little while ago was that he didn't want to disturb our work. If Lord Raazuka were to show up, everyone would naturally stop what they were doing and demonstrate their submission to him. But that is not what Lord Raazuka wishes. So he created the persona of Dark Warrior, to say that it was unnecessary to stop our work to pay him respect."
Raazuka nodded vigorously to her.
"Right, Lord Raazuka?"
"How very like you to perceive my every intention, Albedo."
"As captain of the floor guardians, it's only natural. No, I'm confidant that even if I weren't captain, I would still know your heart, Lord Raazuka."
The less-than-thrilled look on Demiurge's face after she bobbed her head with a smile made him wonder a bit, but Raazuka couldn't really say anything, since Albedo had gotten him out of a jam.
"I-I see…," said Mare, seeming impressed.
Raazuka looked over at them and saw something that made him do a double take. For one moment, Albedo had opened her eyes so wide it looked like they would fall right out of her head and rolled them, like a chameleon or something might do, to look at Mare's finger. Her face returned to normal before Raazuka could even think anything of it. She was back to her beautiful self, like her previous expression had been a hallucination.
"…Did you need something?"
"Ah no, nothing. Okay, well then, Mare, sorry to bother you. Take a break and then keep working on the camouflage."
"I will! Then, if you'll excuse me, Lord Raazuka."
Raazuka nodded gently, and Mare scampered off, stroking his ring.
"And what in the world brings you here, Albedo?"
"I heard from Demiurge that you were here and thought I would come pay my respects. I apologise for appearing before you in such a filthy state."
She said she was "filthy," but it didn't really seem that way to Raazuka. Certainly there was some dust on her clothing, but it didn't mar her beauty.
"You needn't apologize for that, Albedo. Your radiance could not be dimmed by a little dust. I do feel bad for running around such a flawless beauty like you, but this is an emergency. Sorry, but I'm going to need you to keep bustling about Nazarick a bit longer."
"For you, Lord Raazuka, I would run any distance."
"I'm grateful for your loyalty… Oh, Albedo. I should give you one of these, too."
"One of…what? I wonder…" As Raazuka took out a ring, she lowered her eyes a bit and tried to keep her features neutral. Of course, it was a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.
"You need one of these, too, since you're the captain of the floor guardians."
"…Thank you, my lord."
After Mare's reaction, the lukewarm reception was a bit of a letdown, but he soon realised he'd misread her. Albedo's lips were twitching as if she were desperately trying to hold her expression together. The jerking of her wings was probably also the result of her trying not to flap them. The hand she'd taken the ring with (at some point her fist had opened) was shaking. With all those signs, he'd have to be stupid to not understand how she really felt.
"Strive to be loyal. Demiurge…I'll have one for you another time."
"Understood, Lord Raazuka. I shall endeavor to be worthy of such a great ring."
"Ah. Well, I finished what I came to do. I guess I'll head back to the ninth level before I get scolded."
Albedo and Demiurge saw him off with a bow as he teleported away with his ring. He had the feeling that right as the view before his eyes was changing, he heard a woman's voice shout, "Sweet!" but he figured he had misheard, since Albedo would never use such an inelegant expression.