Chapter 1

Part 1

The distortion was just like the one which had first brought them to that unusual world. Unlike teleportation spells it was not an instantaneous flash, but closer to a gradual change without a noticeable turning point. Before Tanya noticed the change, she found herself in a massive room, lit by brilliant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, easily fifty meters above her head.

A grand throne rose up in front of the wall before her, next to which stood an elderly butler with a large frame, prepared to fight the intruders. As soon as he confirmed Ainz and the Guardians, however, he kneeled and lowered his head.

"Welcome back, Ainz-sama. I apologize if I have overstepped my authority, however after the disappearance of yourself, Albedo-sama, and Demiurge-sama, I ordered Nazarick to the highest security level. Our remaining forces have been watching out for potential intruders, however there has been no followup attack. Should I give the order to return to standard security levels?" (Sebas)

"Do not worry, Sebas, you acted exactly as I would have hoped. I apologize for our sudden disappearance, but am glad to see that our emergency response procedures are working as intended. Has anything else happened during our absence?" (Ainz)

"Absence? I apologize, Ainz-sama, but I do not understand the meaning of your question. You and the Guardians have only been gone for approximately 30 minutes. Aside from what I have just mentioned, Nazarick has had no interactions with the outside world." (Sebas)

"I do not believe that either of us are mistaken about how much time has passed. As such, we should instead consider that perhaps the discrepancy is a result of the world where we spent the last month being under the effects of a large-scale time control magic. If we assume an entity is capable of large-scale interdimensional teleportation, magic of that scale may well be within their capabilities." (Demiurge)

"Indeed, that is the conclusion I came to as well, upon hearing Sebas's report." (Ainz)

"I apologize for my meaningless remark, Ainz-sama" (Demiurge)

"No need, I am glad to hear that somebody of your wisdom agrees with what I think." (Ainz)

"I am unworthy of your praise, Ainz-sama." (Demiurge)

As Tanya watched this interaction between the three, Sebas's gaze turned towards her.

"Ainz-sama, if I may ask, who is that female devil? During your absence I asked the Area Guardians on each floor to figure out if anybody else was missing, but I had not heard that any of Demiurge-sama's subordinates had disappeared." (Sebas)

Tanya briefly considered introducing herself, but thought better of it. If Sebas had the authority to issue orders in the absence of Ainz and the Guardians, interrupting to answer the question directed at Ainz could easily be seen as disrespectful.

"Ah, you are correct, Sebas. She is Tanya, a former human who will henceforth be working directly under Demiurge. She is to be treated as every other member of Nazarick." (Ainz)

"Understood. My name is Sebas Tian, please call me Sebas. Please feel free to ask if you require any assistance." (Sebas)

"Nice to meet you, Sebas-sama, I am Tanya Degurechaff. As Ainz-sama explained, I was brought to this world to become Demiurge-sama's subordinate." (Tanya)

Having been spoken to directly, Tanya now gave her own introduction. Unlike in the classroom, she adjusted her speech to match Ainz's other members. After a few years in the military, this sort of acting wasn't too much of a change.

"Mmm. Now that introductions are complete, everybody is to return to their regular duties. Yuri Alpha, give Tanya a full tour of Nazarick's main floors, then return here two hours from now. Demiurge, return here at that time as well. Albedo and CZ Delta, remain here for further orders. The rest of you, return to your regular duties." (Ainz)

Ainz waited for everybody else to leave before turning his attention to the two who remained.

"Albedo, CZ Delta, I want you two to go to the armory and retrieve, let's see… Bring Lancer's Rifle, Curse Lord's Bracelets, Emerald Dragonscale Armor, and Ring of the Eldest Magi." (Ainz)

"… Ainz-sama, if that equipment is meant to be a gift for that girl, I believe those to be far too valuable for a mere newcomer. In particular, the Emerald Dragonscale Armor is a legendary-class artifact, equivalent to those worn by Aura and Mare. I must object to that selection." (Albedo)

"Treasured equipment is meaningless if there is nobody to use it, Albedo. Back when we were gathering materials to make Aura and Mare's equipment, ended up over-hunting, and so made a third piece for the set, but only Aura and Mare were created to wear them. Ever since then, the third one has been gathering dust in our armory. There is nobody else here who could make good use of light armor that size, so I'm sure Bukubuku Chagama-san would agree." (Ainz)

Lancer's Rifle was a relic-class weapon for gunners. It had originally been in the running for CZ's primary weapon, however unlike most gunner weapons, it used the wielder's magical attack instead of physical attack, which CZ was not designed for. In the end, it had been tossed aside in favor of CZ's current gun, which despite being a rank lower, was a much more effective weapon for CZ. Since none of Nazarick's main members had a use for it, the rifle had been left somewhere in the armory without having ever fired a single shot.

The Curse Lord's Bracelets were a legacy-class item which used the slot for gloves, but did not provide any armor, only magical effects. It carried a wide range of elemental resistances and granted some status effect immunities, but far more interesting was its property of negating the effects of all cursed items worn by the user, up to and including divine-class artifacts. Although he couldn't be certain whether the mental effects caused by Tanya's Type-95 would actually qualify as a cursed item, this seemed like a good place to start.

The Emerald Dragonscale Armor was, as Albedo had said, one of three pieces in a set, alongside Aura's Ruby and Mare's Sapphire. She was correct in saying that legendary-class artifacts like that would normally only be worn by Nazarick's level 100 NPCs, but Ainz thought it unlikely that another user would appear any time soon.

Even if she had her body strengthened upon gaining 10 levels in devil races, she didn't seem likely to have much HP. Better to over-equip than take the level sacrifice required for resurrection magic, especially when the item didn't have another user.

Finally, the Ring of the Eldest Magi was another legacy-class item, one of the rings Ainz wore until he was around level 60. Since the MP and Magic Defense boosts it provided were static boosts rather than percentage-based, it was almost useless to level 100 casters. To prevent such items from breaking the balance of low-level characters, static stat boosts were capped to at most double the relevant stat.

At Ainz's level, the ring would give him less than a 5% increase to his MP, which was hardly worth using one of his ring slots for. He had used [Mana Sense] to estimate Tanya's mana, and placed her at just under the level needed for the ring to double her mana, meaning she was at almost the exact level to get the most possible benefit out of the ring. The relative benefits would lessen over time, but should give her an incredible offensive and defensive boost.

Ah, speaking of equipment, there was also that, wasn't there… I almost forgot.

Ainz reached into his inventory and pulled out a rectangular metal case, a little over a meter in length. Before they had left, Demiurge had suggested that Ainz put Tanya's combat gear in his inventory for safe-keeping. The gear was far too cumbersome for her to wear all day, but somebody needed to keep in contact to avoid leaving it behind should they suddenly return, as Demiurge had correctly predicted. They had no proof that items could be carried out at all, but his inventory still had all his scrolls and potions, so they assumed the reverse would be true, and it had indeed worked.

"CZ Delta, I recalled a different task I have for you. Take this equipment to the Chief Librarian, and see if it would be possible to enchant using our methods. Your job classes appear similar to hers, so have them apply combat-related enchantments you choose for your own equipment. After that, repaint it with our Guild's emblem. If this is not possible for you to complete in two hours, you may take longer, but make sure this task is completed." (Ainz)

"… Understood." (CZ)

CZ accepted the case from Ainz, bowed, and left.

"Albedo. Do you still have objections about my choice of equipment?" (Ainz)

"I apologize. Of course, if you order it, I will immediately depart to gather those items, but I do not understand why you would go so far just for Demiurge's pet." (Albedo)

"You are underestimating humans too much, Albedo. While it is true that the vast majority of them are not worthy of our note, there are occasionally some who can be of great value to Nazarick. You will see in a few weeks' time, I am certain that she will prove worthy of these gifts." (Ainz)

"As you wish, Ainz-sama." (Albedo)

She really did seem trusted by her subordinates, plus Demiurge vouched for her ability… If he's wrong, I'll look like an idiot, but I just have to trust them.


Part 2

"Unbelievable…" (Albedo)

"I must admit this has exceeded even my expectations." (Demiurge)

"Are you satisfied with seeing this, Albedo?" (Ainz)

"Yes, I apologize for wasting your time with my foolish doubts." (Albedo)

"Do not worry, everybody makes mistakes. I always value your and Demiurge's opinions. Had he not suggested it, I wouldn't have even considered recruiting somebody from that world." (Ainz)

"No, no, even I had my doubts at times, but Ainz-sama's estimate of her ability was flawless. I had expected to pick up a tactician, but Ainz-sama was able to turn her into a combatant not inferior to the Pleiades using only spare equipment. You have once again shown me how far I still have to go." (Demiurge)

Both Albedo and Demiurge were kneeling in front of Ainz with expressions of adoration and utmost respect. Two weeks had passed since their return, and the three were currently in the 6th floor Colosseum, observing a demonstration, or rather a test of Tanya's combat ability.

Her opponents were the six members of the Pleiades, excluding Aureole Omega, who was level 100 and thus far too powerful to perform a meaningful test. She was by no means expected to win. Ainz had estimated her total level at around 35, meaning that every single one of the Pleiades was no less than 10 levels above her. By all expectations, this should have just been a test of how long she could survive against six stronger opponents. And yet, those expectations had been proven utterly wrong.

She had lost. The fight ended only when Ainz interrupted it, with Tanya trying to continue fighting despite having lost her left leg and newly-gained tail during the fighting. They could be easily healed, but it was getting too dangerous to let the fight continue without risking her accidentally getting killed. She was expected to have lost, but the fight wasn't supposed to be close.

Admittedly, the Pleiades were fighting under several restrictions.

First, like the mock-combat above the Holy Kingdom, they were required to voluntarily drop out if their HP dropped below 50%. Unlike when they were fighting against Ainz, this was just to serve as a disadvantage, not because he had expected them to get killed.

Second, to prevent them from killing their opponent before the fight could be stopped, they were limited to using only 5th tier attack magic and below. For the same reason, instant death effects such as Solution's assassin skills were forbidden.

Finally, although not an explicit restriction, they were fighting blind. Whereas Tanya was given reports detailing the combat maids' abilities, there was no such information to provide them, so all they knew of her combat style was what they had seen during their time in the other world.

All these advantages had been intended to prolong the fight so it would be easier to analyze. Even one of the Pleiades being taken out would be equivalent to top marks, enough to satisfy Demiurge and quell Albedo's complaints.

They had underestimated how much of an advantage the open sky of the Colosseum would give Tanya. The fight had been expected to be primarily aerial, but misunderstood what it would mean for the Pleiades. They could fly freely using [Mass Fly], but against Tanya who could now continuously use the full power of the Type-95 without its curse, they were completely outclassed.

Narberal could use [Teleportation] to close the distance and strike, but unlike [Greater Teleportation], only the caster would teleport, which meant giving up all the advantages of their teamwork. Furthermore, the restriction on her attack magic prevented her from being able to get a decisive hit in.

She made several attempts to catch Tanya in a pincer attack using her teleportation, but this allowed Tanya to predict where she would teleport to, catching her with a full-power attack from point-blank range, nearly taking her out as well. Narberal dropping out would mean half of the Pleiades losing their ability to fly, which would be equivalent to losing the entire fight, so she had no choice but to remain defensive after that.

The primary ranged fighter of the Pleiades, CZ, was also the lowest level at only 46. She possessed the Sniper job and remarkably high attack for her level, but even an automaton could not reliably track Tanya with the difference in their flying speed. She did land a single direct hit, using a skill to pierce Tanya's magic shell and injure her, but had no means to block the return fire, getting taken out early in the fight.

After that, the fight began to drag on. Long-range attacks would either be avoided or blocked by Yuri and Lupusregina, but closing the distance would open her up to counterattacks. Tanya had to continuously use a large amount of her magic to keep up that speed, but the Pleiades only needed Narberal to maintain her spell. She could not sustain a prolonged fight, so had to close the distance.

When she tried to, however, Solution used her stealth to catch her leg, dissolving it entirely. They had expected that to be the end, but instead she was cut by Tanya's tail which similarly dissolved, but the unexpected counterattack broke Solution's balance and opened a bit of distance, after which she took several direct hits, taking her out.

Ainz had called the fight shortly after that, out of concern for the safety of the participants. Not only was Tanya clearly severely injured, but even Solution had her HP brought dangerously low when she took several consecutive attacks before being told to drop out.

"I suspect that her very system of using magic may be more efficient that ours. [Mana Sense] suggests that her limit should be 5th tier magic, yet she's using attacks closer to our 7th tier magic. Back when she attacked Aqua, the magic she momentarily released was nearly 9th tier. I had assumed that to be one of the effects of her artifact, but that was my mistake. I can't even begin to image what sort of power could be attainable if somebody with my level of MP were to gain her level of mastery in that system, or worse yet if such an entity were our enemy." (Ainz)

"Should we kill her now, after all? If she has that much power at such a low level, combined with the knowledge she gains of Nazarick's internal strucure, she may grow to be too dangerous to leave alive." (Albedo)

"Even still, I believe it is worth the risk. As Ainz-sama has always been saying, we must always proceed with the assumption that there are enemies who are stronger than us. In such a situation, discarding such a valuable piece out of fear that it may be taken from us would be a foolish move." (Demiurge)

"Indeed, this may be precisely the new source of power I have been hoping to find ever since Nazarick appeared in this world. As opposed to the physically-focused Martial Arts, that sort of magic-based power seems far more likely to help me to gain power. We must continue to be wary of enemies with World-Class items, but this incident has proven the possibility of entities which exist beyond the rules of YGGDRASIL's systems. I am glad that our first such meeting was an ally rather than an enemy." (Ainz)

"I beg your pardon, Ainz-sama, but would our first encounter not be with Aqua? For her to be able to harm somebody at level 100 with a 2nd tier [Turn Undead], would that not also qualify? Both Shalltear and Ainz-sama should be nearly immune to such low level magic regardless of the caster's level, after all." (Albedo)

"Ah… I had forgotten about her, but you are correct, Albedo. Although she cast a spell as we normally might, that outcome would only be possible if the caster were far above level 100, or otherwise possessed some ability unknown to us. Considering her frailty, I believe it unlikely that she has such a high level, as we would understand it. At such a level, even a magic caster would have sufficient defense to be immune to a human's attacks." (Ainz)

Unlike when YGGDRASIL was a game, there was no longer a need for him to log off early in preparation for the next day's work. And so, the discussion between Ainz, Demiurge, and Albedo continued uninterrupted until next morning.


Part 3

Moments before Yuri Alpha's fist struck Tanya in the chest, Ainz signaled the end of the fight, upon which Yuri stopped attacking and returned to the ground. Tanya followed after her, or at least tried, however she was barely conscious due to severe blood loss, so her 'landing' would better be described as 'crashing'.

The dragonscale had lived up to its reputation as legendary-class, and prevented any lethal wounds to her torso, but repeated strikes from the higher level opponents would still break bones. Internal bleeding aside, she had also gotten shot by CZ, whose bullets were small-caliber, yet easily pierced through her double-layered shell, which now wouldn't have budged to direct hits from 155mm shells.

Using magic to negate one's sense of pain could allow a mage to continue flying through injuries, but her body could only function for so long before it began to fail; fighting on willpower could only get her so far.

"Lupusregina, treat her immediately." (Yuri)

"Right~ [Heal]." (Lupusregina)

The 6th tier magic took effect immediately, Tanya's wounds glowing with a pale green light, which when dimmed left her completely unharmed, even replacing the lost limb and missing tip of her tail. Within a second, every wound she had suffered had vanished without a trace.

Feeling her strength returning, Tanya started to get up, but was interrupted by Yuri Alpha, who quietly grabbed her from behind and pulled her down to one knee, into a perfect row with the rest of the Pleiades, who were already kneeling in the direction of Ainz, Albedo, and Demiurge.

"Listen well! Pleiades, as well as Tanya. That was a brilliant demonstration of Nazarick's power. You have shown a magnificent battle, one I am glad to have watched. Now, you may go rest. As a reward, the 9th floor Spa Resort is open for your enjoyment!" (Ainz)

"Thank you very much, Ainz-sama!" (Pleiades+Tanya)

They stood up at the same time, Only Tanya lagging slightly behind, unused to their timing. None of them spoke as they walked out of the Colosseum in a neat line, heading down to Nazarick's 9th floor.

Tanya sat down into the hot water. The floors were cleaner and brighter than the whitest marble, while the bath itself was of a size where it wouldn't be wrong to think of it as a swimming pool. Statues were positioned at regular intervals around the perimeter of the bath, behind which each wall was covered with various murals, nearly two stories tall, flowing from one side of the entrance door, around the entire room and ending at the other side. The whole room was well-lit by a illuminant dome ceiling, filling the room with a gentle white light.

This was known as the Roman bath, but she was fairly certain that no Roman emperor had ever built a bath anywhere near this exquisite. She briefly wondered why Ainz and his companions had bothered to build such a resort while Nazarick was only part of a game, but gave it up and decided to just be glad that they had, enjoying it as much as she could.

The bath water went beyond simply 'warm' and while definitely too hot for humans to stay in comfortably, but with the passive resistance against fire damage that all devil-type races gave, she found it wonderfully relaxing. She stretched out her still sore body, then closed her eyes and let herself sink down into the water.

Back in the Empire, I was glad to have access to a warm bathtub while in the capital, and even that would have been cramped if not for this small body. Out on the front, forget baths, even finding the opportunity to wipe yourself down with a wet cloth wasn't always possible. Becoming a demon might have been worth it just for a chance to use this sort of bath.

Tanya opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, running her fingers across her palms to feel the smooth texture. The years she had spent with her rifle had turned her hands rough and calloused, yet she could no longer feel a single bump. Pressing her fingers into the skin, she could tell that it was much harder than usual, more durable than before. It wouldn't stop a knife, but she doubted she could pierce it with a sewing needing anymore.

Next, she ran her hands up her arms to her left shoulder, then down to the right side of her chest, just above the hip. The two spots had held mementos of her earliest combat, from the first time she had been shot. Too much time had passed between when she received the wounds and when they were treated, so while they could prevent infection, Imperial medical officers had told her that the scars would remain. She couldn't even find where either wound was supposed to have been.

She tucked her left leg in, holding the foot between both hands, then slowly began to extend it outwards. Wrapping her fingers around the thin limb, she gently pulled them towards herself, around the knee and over her thigh. No more than an hour ago, the entire limb had been roughly severed and dissolved, yet there was not a single bump along the entire length to remind her of the gruesome spectacle.

"Ah, Tanya-chan is playing with herself in the bath! They really grow up so fast… Ouch!" (Lupusregina)

"Stop saying ridiculous things, Lupusregina. Could it be that this is your first time experiencing healing magic, Tanya-san?" (Yuri)

Tanya jumped at the sudden accusation, nearly slipping off the ledge into the center of the bath. She caught the edge and turned around to look at the entrance, where Lupusregina was rubbing her head with a smile after getting hit by Yuri. After taking a moment to recover and process what she had just heard, Tanya was able to respond.

"While it wouldn't be accurate to call it the very first time, the medical magic from then can't be called the same as the healing you provided. Thank you very much, Yuri-sama, Lupusregina-sama" (Tanya)

"Please, there is no need for such formality. If you are a direct subordinate of Demiurge, then our ranks should be fairly similar. Even if you are originally an outsider, Ainz-sama has made it clear that you are to be treated just as any other member of Nazarick. Nobody here would do something as disgraceful as to disobey." (Yuri)

"Then once again, thank you, Yuri-san, Lupusregina-san. Not only were my injuries from our battle healed, but even scars from years ago have vanished." (Tanya)

Tanya gave her sincere thanks to the two while they got into the bath and sat down to her left.

"But really, that was some amazing exercise! I hadn't had somebody to play around with like that for a really long time. Are you sure you used to be a human?" (Lupusregina)

Lupusregina squeezed close to Tanya and started playing with the tip of her tail. It was admittedly somewhat ticklish, but Tanya was gradually getting the impression that there would be no point to saying anything, so she just gave up and let her do so.

"You really got Shi-chan and So-chan good! If there were more humans like that, even Na-chan would have to give in and stop calling them insects, what with how you beat her up." (Lupusregina)

"I hardly think it's fair to associate an individual personally recognized by Ainz-sama and Demiurge-sama with the rest of those lower lifeforms, even if she is a former human." (Narberal)

"Tte, you were here, Na-chan, and Shi-chan too. Are So-chan and En-chan coming?" (Lupusregina)

"Why do you sound disappointed by that? Entoma is off playing with some white spiders she found, Solution wanted to bathe alone." (Narberal)

"Did we have those around here?" (Lupusregina)

"Who knows where it came from… but if Entoma is happy with it, there's no problem." (Narberal)

"…" (CZ)

While explaining, Narberal entered the bath next to Yuri, relaxing in the water. Meanwhile, CZ got in next to Tanya, on the opposite side from Lupusregina. Without a word, she just continued to stare unblinking at Tanya.

"… Jiiiiii~" (CZ)

"No, you don't have to narrate that…" (Tanya)

The automaton girl's first word (?) made Tanya unconsciously retort.

"… You're a little cute, so this is for you." (CZ)

CZ poked Tanya's forehead with two fingers, then pulled them back and nodded, satisfied with the result.

"Eh?" (Tanya)

She touched the same spot on her forehead, feeling a rounded bump the size of a quarter.

"Did you just stick something to my head?" (Tanya)

"… Nn. It looks good." (CZ)

"Just what is… Hm? Eh?" (Tanya)

She pinched the edges of the bump, trying to peel it off. Surprisingly though, it did not budge. She tried again, wedging the tip of her fingernails underneath it, putting her full strength into removing it. Still, it resisted, clearly not intending to be removed unless torn off together with the skin underneath it.

"… The same reaction as Neia. Cute." (CZ)

"Iiiyaaaaaah! This time I'm the one who got stolen from! Shi-chan, how could you do such a thing!" (Lupusregina)

Lupusregina fell backwards in an exaggerated display, falling onto Yuri who was sitting behind her. In response, Yuri hit her on the head and told her to be quiet, pushing her into the center of the bath. Undeterred, she laughed while spreading her arms and laying down to float on the surface of the water.

"CZ-san, is there nowhere else you could have put it? Having it on my head really is distracting, so…" (Tanya)

Having failed at solving the problem with force, Tanya instead turned towards persuasion as a means to save herself.

"… Neia said it would be better to stick it to clothes, but you weren't wearing clothes, so there was no choice." (CZ)

"Right… I apologize for not wearing clothes… Would you mind removing it temporarily so I can put it on my armor once we leave the bath?" (Tanya)

Negotiations had failed. She gave up on trying to argue and just conceded. CZ took a small bottle out of… somewhere, pressed it to Tanya's forehead, then pulled the sticker off while patting Tanya on the head.

"… Nn. Good girl." (CZ)

Just do what you want. I don't even care anymore.


Part 4

The fake Nazarick which Aura had constructed was now primarily used as a base to store supplies, and a sort of teleportation hub. The real Nazarick had anti-teleportation defenses which prevented teleportation into or out of the tomb, and unlike YGGDRASIL, this now even affected Nazarick's members, as a result of the possibility of friendly fire which had not been present during the game.

When a Floor Guardian needed to enter Nazarick, they would usually coordinate with those inside to temporarily lower Nazarick's defenses. For most of the ordinary forces, however, they would first teleport into this fort then travel to Nazarick the normal way. Those who could not use teleportation magic but were still sent on missions outside Nazarick would be paired up with somebody who could use high-level teleportation magic, or otherwise have to travel by their own strength.

If somebody was to be deployed at distant cities in the Holy Kingdom, they would generally have to be grouped together with others who share the same destination, then be sent over using [Gate]. For a shorter trip such as one to E-Rantel, it would almost always be faster to just travel the normal way, unless one happened to be lucky and be deployed while a [Gate] was being used to mass-transport resources.

Tanya was performing her final equipment check before departing. Ainz had provided her with a Magic Bag containing healing potions (several Nfirea-made purple potions, plus two YGGDRASIL true potions), scrolls ([Teleport] and [Invisibility] for emergencies, with a large amount of mass-produced [Message] scrolls), and rations (Nazarick's portable rations tasted better than restaurant food back in the Empire, so she wasn't complaining).

As Ainz had explained, the Magic Bag was a mid-tier storage bag with about half the capacity of his many Infinite Backpacks. However, as she did not have access to a game-like inventory like Ainz and many of the Guardians, the smaller bag was a less burdensome choice than the full-size backpack, which nearly as big as the bags she was made to carry during training exercises.

Her new gun, the Lancer's Rifle, was different from most other spell guns since rather than using mana to fire physical bullets like CZ, hers would directly fire the mana to deal damage, negating the need to carry around ammunition. Normally she would have also packed a combat knife to serve as a backup weapon and utility tool, but her razor-tipped tail already accomplished that.

Magic Bags had the incredibly useful property of weighing only as much as the leather they were made of, no matter how much mass they actually contained. Her old Imperial aerial mage combat kit could easily total seventy kilograms and required constantly maintaining a support formula to so much as walk around with. Now, the only part of that kit remaining was the flight gear, which according to Ainz had a large amount of 'spare data', and had been filled up with enchantments to reduce its weight, increase agility, and passively boost accuracy. Besides that, she only had to wear the Dragonscale Armor and carry the rifle, both of which were far lighter than they appeared.

Moving around was easier without the extra weight, aiming was faster with the lighter gun, and its lack of physical bullets meant absolutely no recoil to hurt her shoulder like standard-issue rifles had. The lack of weight made her uneasy, as if she had forgotten something, but she had already gone through the full list in her head three times, verifying that everything was accounted for. Finally satisfied, she closed the Magic Bag.

Exactly on schedule, Tanya activated her flight gear, gained some altitude, and accelerated to full speed, heading in the direction of E-Rantel.

Six months had passed since Jaldabaoth's first appearance in the outskirts of the capital, and much had changed. The two factions of the castle, the Royal Faction and Noble Faction, had both been severely weakened, but the damage to the Royal faction was clearly worse. With the disappearance and presumed death of Prince Barbro, the king had fallen into a deep depression, secluding himself in his bedroom. Only recently had he started coming out again, but he was a pale shadow of his former self.

Prince Zanack was doing his best to keep the faction together, but his single most capable ally, Marquis Raeven, had not left his domain since the war. The Noble Faction was intending to push the blame for the defeat entirely onto the king, who wouldn't even hold court to defend his position. In the worst case, some slightly-strong fool convinced of his own invincibility might even call for retaliation against the Sorcerous Kingdom. That alone must be avoided at all costs.

Aside from threats out of the Noble Faction, he could not even let his guard down around his sister, Princess Renner. The nobles had lost their leaders and their armies. The king had lost his strongest warrior and friend, Gazef Stronoff, and most of his supporters. He himself had all but inherited the throne, but gained only enemies as a result. Only Renner had retained all her forces, retaining both the loyalty of Brain Unglaus and personal friendship of Blue Rose.

If she wanted to, she alone had more than enough military power behind her to seize the throne from him. Still, he didn't expect her to do anything likely to plunge the country into civil war with the threat of the Sorcerous Kingdom looming over them. After all, even if she were to crush both the Noble Faction and the remnants of the Royal Faction, too little would remain for her to even offer tribute. Most of the nobles might not forgive their lifelong grudges just to fight a common enemy, but Renner knew better than to die together with him out of spite.

Renner had little interest in ruling: if she were told to pick between the throne and Climb, she would pick the latter without a moment's delay. Even with the option to take both, she would probably still let somebody else take the throne to take more time along with Climb, so long as her own place next to Climb was guaranteed. So long as he was useful to her, so long as he promised to fulfill her desires, she would happily let him take the throne.

All this was contingent on him being able to unite the kingdom and take the throne. While some among the Royal Faction might be willing to support him, many of the remaining nobles were taking advantage of the fact that Prince Barbro's body hadn't been recovered to declare him missing rather than dead, and thus refusing to let the succession officially proceed.

Still, it wasn't as though everything was against him. When Ainz Ooal Gown annihilated the Kingdom's army, he had also killed the heads of three of the six great noble houses, Marquis Bowlrob and Count Ritton, both of whom had been core members of the Noble Faction, as well as Marquis Volumlash, who had been selling information to the Empire. Margrave Urovana, understanding the desperate situation the Kingdom was in, accepted that Prince Barbro was dead and moved his support to Prince Zanack. Finally, though Marquis Raeven had retired to his estate to be with his young son, he would not refuse a summons to court, if he desperately needed the support.

What spurred him to action was a peculiar bit of news he heard from merchants traveling from the Holy Kingdom: The Sorcerer King had personally gone to fight Jaldabaoth, and lost. Normally he would think this far too convenient to be true, however this was not the first he had heard of this. Several weeks before, Renner had told him that paladins from the Holy Kingdom had come to ask for help from Blue Rose, who had refused, and directed them to Momon in E-Rantel.

Could it really be true? Had they gone to ask help from the Sorcerous Kingdom, but instead of Momon they had earned the support of the kingdom itself? Thinking back, the timing coincided almost perfectly with Albedo, their envoy, leaving without warning earlier than scheduled. Even if that monster had not died, could he perhaps be injured and unable to move? If that were the case, perhaps if it was now, he could…

By numbers alone, Zanack had the support he needed to take the throne. If he were to officially call for his father to resign, the six great nobles would be called to the capital to debate the matter, as well as to select a successor. Urovana, and Raeven should support him; Bowlrob and Ritton were both dead, and while their children would definitely oppose him, neither was capable or experienced enough to give a solid argument against it. Volumlash had died with no successor, so his land had tentatively reverted to the King until somebody else could be given the title. Last, there was Marquis Pespeya.

Pespeya was married to the First Princess, giving him a claim to the throne of his own. However, his supporters had primarily been unaffiliated minor nobles, a great many of whom had also been caught up in Ainz Ooal Gown's attack. Although Zanack couldn't be sure, he didn't think that Pespeya would try to press his claim even in these circumstances. He had heard good things about Pespeya's character and ability, so it'd be 3-2 in Zanack's favor.

Zanack sighed. He was not like Renner: Betraying his father like this tore at his heart. Even if he knew it had to be done, for the survival of his country, he could not simply discard everything to accomplish his objective without a shred of guilt or regret, not the way she could. Still, it did have to be done. For the sake of his country, for the sake of his people, he must take the mantle onto his own shoulders. No matter the cost.

The strongest group of adamantite-ranked adventurers residing in the Re-Estize Kingdom, Blue Rose, had undoubtedly fallen on hard times. After Gagaran and Tia had been killed by Jaldabaoth, Lakyus had planned to pull back for some time to let them recover, but the two didn't like the idea of just sitting around waiting to recover. They knew that continuously fighting monsters as training would speed up their recovery. They argued about it for a while, gaining the advantage when they won Evileye to their side by promising to relocate to E-Rantel and fight the undead of the Katze Plains.

As they were preparing for the trip from the capital to E-Rantel, the Baharuth Empire sent its ultimatum, declaring the area around E-Rantel to be the lawful property of the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown, ready to declare their annual war against the Re-Estize Kingdom. E-Rantel naturally became the staging ground, all but closing it to non-military purposes. Being a party of adamantite-ranked adventurers, Blue Rose could have gotten in regardless, but were warned against doing so by Princess Renner.

Considering how rare it was for Renner to give a warning like that, Lakyus decided to trust her judgment, thereby avoiding getting stuck in E-Rantel when the Kingdom surrendered. Unfortunately, this also meant that their recovery was only just finishing up now, having missed out on two months of practice before the war, and after that none of them liked the idea of leaving Renner with the kingdom in such a dire position, so they continued to remain in the capital.

At the heart of the Kingdom, the capital had relatively few high-level tasks fit for adamantite-ranked adventures. Monsters could occasionally be found in the hills and forests around the kingdom, but these were rarely stronger than what iron or gold-ranked adventurers could defeat. Well, more precisely, it wasn't as though there were no strong monsters, but that the strong monsters had come under the rule of Ainz Ooal Gown. Having experienced their crushing defeat against Jaldabaoth and his fight against Momon, they knew better than to try touching the sort of monster who could threaten Momon into submission.

Besides, the Adventurer's Guild had forbidden it. Shortly after the end of the war, some nobles who had lost their sons to Ainz Ooal Gown's attack had tried to issue requests to the guild for the subjugation of the monsters occupying E-Rantel. In response, the guild declared that the Sorcerous Kingdom of Nazarick, being recognized by the Baharuth Empire's alliance and the Re-Estize Kingdom's peace treaty, was a legitimate nation. No member of the Adventurer's Guild was to participate in international conflicts involving this nation.

To those nobles it had been a betrayal by their own citizens, but the adventurers themselves almost unanimously backed the guildmaster. A few who had based themselves in the north had mocked the decision, but anybody who had seen the shattered remains of the Kingdom's army realized that the stories were no exaggeration. Between taking the insults of some nobles and becoming enemies of the Sorcerer King, the choice was obvious.

With no battles to fight in the capital, the only job that Blue Rose accepted in months had been to exchange information on Jaldabaoth with the visiting paladins from the Holy Kingdom, where the demon had been rampaging. The paladins had tried to use the meeting as a pretense to request Blue Rose join the fight against Jaldabaoth, but they had promptly refused, instead directing them to Momon, who Evileye knew to be much stronger than themselves.

After they left, Evileye pressed Tia and Tina into focusing their information gathering on Momon and the Holy Kingdom. Shockingly, the news they received was neither of Momon's victory nor the paladins returning empty-handed, but that the Sorcerer King himself had personally gone to fight Jaldabaoth, and had been killed in the process. The news came from a merchant who had fled the Holy Kingdom when the invasion began, but lost everything to demihuman attacks along the road, only making it to the city of Re-Lobell with the tattered clothes on his back.

Tia and Tina tried to find further news or evidence, but there was nothing else, neither from the Sorcerous Kingdom nor from the Holy Kingdom. Furthermore, some of the demihuman armies who reportedly invaded the Holy Kingdom alongside Jaldabaoth now blockaded the road, staring down Re-Estize Kingdom's border fort between Re-Lobell and the Holy Kingdom.

Thankfully, they had not attacked the kingdom, so the Kingdom's response was to reinforce the fort, but not to attack, lest they poke a sleeping dragon. Like this, a further two months had passed under extreme tension, the entire kingdom hanging off a cliff by a single thread. Whether from the south or the east, an invasion could come at any moment, but Blue Rose could not act without first knowing which.

Then, they got the news: Not from their own information gathering, but instead from Climb, who Renner had sent to request their aid. From the mountains south of E-Rantel, several wandering Death Knights had crossed from the Katze Plains. Scouts confirmed they had been moving west while avoiding E-Rantel, but dared not fight the monsters. A single Death Knight was at least an even match for most adamantite-ranked adventurers in combat, if not superior.

Now, eleven of them marched on E-Pespel.