Chapter 3
Part 1
No longer rushing to chase down an imaginary threat, Tanya and Blue Rose traveled to E-Rantel at a leisurely pace. The mountains they had climbed were effectively neutral territory since no country cared enough to lay claim to them, but the plains immediately surrounding them were part of the Slane Theocracy. At Lakyus's suggestion, they followed the foot of the mountains back up north instead of immediately returning to the road, so as to avoid an international incident, unlikely as it might have been.
Although she didn't see the need to mention it to them at this point, Tanya had actually made some preparations for that, just in case. Since she was an officer of the Sorcerous Kingdom and had technically crossed the border into the Re-Estize Kingdom, one could say that she had invaded the Kingdom. Even if she hadn't expected Blue Rose to say anything about it, they might have later reported it so somebody far more hostile, who could then turn it into something bigger.
This could be said to be in direct violation of her orders not to do anything which might lead to war with the Kingdom, which is why she had prepared some additional insurance. While waiting for the Death Knights she had sent out to be discovered, she asked (read: threatened) Ainzach, the guildmaster in E-Rantel to register her and issue her a mithril plate. He cried about abuse of authority the whole time, but complied in the end.
With the plate in hand, Tanya would have at least some legitimacy crossing the border, being an adventurer chasing down a group of monsters. Now, it didn't seem likely that she would have a use for it anymore, so the plate which adventurers around the world might work towards their entire lives would instead gather dust in the corner of her Magic Bag. She held that over-preparing was better than cutting corners, especially when the work required could be pushed to somebody else.
After they had safely crossed the border into the Sorcerous Kingdom, Tanya took out one of her [Message] scrolls to report the mission's success, and to make sure Ainz would be available to meet with Evileye. She briefly questioned whether to contact Demiurge or to directly message Ainz, in the end deciding on the latter.
As a former soldier, she felt uneasy directly contacting the leader of the entire organization, the situation being as if a single major unilaterally ignored the chain of command to barge into the Field Marshal's office. However, Ainz was originally an ordinary civilian, definitely not the type to censure her for it. Furthermore, from what Yuri Alpha had told her, they were of similar rank, and the Pleiades were permitted to report directly to Ainz should the need arise. She was still jumping a rung in the ladder, but the gap wasn't nearly as wide as her analogy might imply.
Demiurge was a genius who could come up with a persuasive speech, which would then probably be handed off to Pandora's Actor to keep Ainz out of harm's way. The way Tanya saw it though, Evileye would be on guard for exactly that sort of persuasion. When your opponent is on guard against being manipulated, the correct response is usually to throw them off with sincerity, not to attack from the front.
Compared to Demiurge and Pandora's Actor who could give out all the correct responses, Ainz's honest approach should be much more effective at persuading Evileye, who was going into the conversation expecting to meet a manipulative evil genius. Much like the friend back in Japan who had happily tried bringing her into a pyramid scheme without even realizing it, she would have Ainz convert Evileye into an ally by not knowing that he's deceiving her. After all, an honest fool can lie just as naturally as a master con artist.
I've done my job. Demiurge asked for 2 weeks, I gave him that and some extra, plus Evileye as a bonus on top of that. This should more than make up for my loss against the Pleiades. I'm sure Demiurge recognizes how valuable she is as a symbol, second only to Momon for the purpose of peaceful occupation. As long as Ainz doesn't contradict what I told her too much, it should work out.
"Hearing the rumors about it is one thing, but even being here in person, it's hard to believe…" (Gagaran)
"Death Knights patrolling the streets, Soul Eaters in place of cart horses, Elder Liches to write in register books… Even when Evileye described it like that, it was just too absurd to believe. The entire city is a grand show of force, yet the citizens look happier than in the capital." (Lakyus)
The group had entered E-Rantel, and for all their reservation about coming, they had basically become tourists. Naturally, with how rare human visitors were, they attracted quite a lot of attention, all the more so because they were still carrying their weapons in the city. That wasn't to say Tanya herself didn't draw attention: Despite the diversity of species in E-Rantel, demons were still among the rarest, as most of Demiurge's subordinates never left Nazarick itself.
As part of Nazarick, Tanya could have just flown straight into the city, but for the sake of the others, she entered together with them the normal way. They got the full set of warnings upon entry, telling them not to draw weapons or worry about the Death Knights, lest they get killed for it.
The purpose of the rule wasn't to disarm visitors but to prevent them from reflexively drawing them in panic, primarily intended to protect those who normally carried weapons for self-defense, yet had never seen anything like a Death Knight. As Blue Rose had already seen Death Knights and even fought them, there should be no need for them to surrender their weapons.
Leaving them to wander the city, Tanya requested that Evileye follow her to the castle to speak with Ainz. With just the two of them, there was no need to wade through the traffic on the ground. Finding a less busy side street, they took flight from the middle of the road, heading directly towards the castle at the very center.
Practically speaking, there weren't really any laws about flying in cities, mostly due to how few people could actually do so. At the same time, this meant that doing so would inevitably make them the center of attention, if not suspicion depending on who saw them. More likely than not, doing so in a hostile country would just get them arrested as spies.
Normally, doing something like flying towards the castle at high speed would just be asking to get shot down, or at very least fired at. Unless the one flying was at least as recognizable as Ainz, the guards would usually choose to start shooting instead of trying to identify them in the few seconds it would take to reach the castle.
On this occasion, she had already reported ahead of time with a rough estimate of when to expect them. As they approached the castle, they were greeted not by arrows and magic, but by maids. Waiting in the front courtyard were Yuri Alpha and Solution Epsilon of the Pleiades.
Tanya landed normally in front of them, greeting them as she did. Evileye on the other hand took some distance immediately upon noticing them, preparing to fight.
"What the hell is going on here? Why are Jaldabaoth's maids here?" (Evileye)
Having previously fought them while they were playing the role of Jaldabaoth's demon maids, Evileye got on guard against an ambush. In response, the two simply bowed to welcome them to the castle.
"Welcome back to E-Rantel, Tanya-sama, as well as Evileye-sama. Ainz-sama is waiting for you inside. Please come this way." (Yuri)
Although her opponents were showing no signs of hostility, Evileye didn't let her guard down. Deciding that the conversation wouldn't progress at this rate, Tanya asked Yuri to explain the situation. She herself was familiar with the outline of the story, but it was better for them to give the full story Demiurge had written for them.
"Evileye-sama. We of the Pleiades are bound to serve Ainz-sama. When we previously encountered you and your companions in the capital, we had been bound by soul contracts to serve Jaldabaoth-sama, regardless of our will. During his fight against Jaldabaoth-sama, Ainz-sama seized control of that binding, placing us under his control. With Jaldabaoth-sama slain, we now serve Ainz-sama both by binding and by will, as the master who freed us from Jaldabaoth-sama's curse." (Yuri)
Before she noticed, the story had become something far more grandiose than what it started as. Instead of just being magically bound by Ainz, they had now been saved by him, so their unwavering loyalty wouldn't seem unusual. Jaldabaoth being a storybook villain, it wasn't hard to change his side of the story from simply being served by the maids to having enslaved them.
From what Tanya had heard, the Pleiades themselves held a considerable grudge against Blue Rose and especially Evileye for her mistreatment of Entoma. According to them, Blue Rose had attacked Entoma while she was in the middle of a meal, interrupting her work and forcing a fight after she had politely asked not to. After that, Evileye had personally tried to corner and kill Entoma, who had to be saved by Demiurge, then Jaldabaoth.
With that in mind, Yuri and Solution were probably the right choice. Lupusregina was already known in Carne Village, which could cause the whole story to fall apart depending on who she spoke to. Narberal had already met Evileye as Nabe, so she was obviously out of the question. CZ was a safe choice, but they would probably just stare at each other instead of explaining anything. Sending Entoma would be nothing short of provoking a fight. Solution was cruel and inhuman as well, but she knew how to act otherwise.
Rather than the best choice, aren't those two the only choice?
Tanya had gone through nearly the exact same chain of logic that Ainz had followed to select these two.
Leaving them to guide Evileye to Ainz's room, Tanya excused herself.
Entering the castle through a side entrance, Tanya headed over to the office she had occupied. The castle originally having been designed to house a dozen nobles with their families and retainers, it was far more spacious than was necessary for Ainz. With the exception of a few rooms reserved for occasions when the Guardians need to stay, they were nearly all empty, so nobody objected to her just claiming a bedroom and turning it into an office.
E-Rantel's close proximity to the Great Tomb of Nazarick meant that most of the core members would rather just return instead of remaining in the city. As one of the rare exceptions who found it comfortable to stay in a normal city, Tanya was basically free to do what she wanted, just as long as she didn't disturb Demiurge's or Albedo's plans.
Locking the door behind her and dropping into the bed as soon as her boots were off, Tanya took her long-awaited break. She had, after all, just spent the last two weeks climbing mountains, with no more time for breaks than Blue Rose. It was still a relatively regular schedule compared to the front lines, but that didn't make it less exhausting. Even now, she needed to be ready to respond to anything Evileye might do, so she couldn't afford to sleep just yet. Rolling over, she spread out on the bed and looked up the ceiling, falling deep into thought over the battle from a few days ago.
Even though their fight against the Dracolich was set up in such a way that it wasn't possible for her to die, there was still much to learn from a mock battle against a stronger opponent. Everything after the initial charge had mostly been a serious fight: She had ordered it to simply 'Fight', meaning it was injured, but not holding much back.
As Ainz had explained, the Dracolich was a level 66 undead, magic-focused with a specialization in necromancy. Having banned its use of instant-death spells, it was a much easier fight than it could have been, but didn't change the fact that it was 5 levels above any of the Pleiades. The only reason Ainz didn't use them more often was because their skillset was so similar to his own, meaning that anything they could do, he could do far better. Objectively speaking, it was by no means weak.
She didn't doubt Ainz's estimate of its strength. Blue Rose were considered to be among the strongest in the world, and even they would not have been able to win alone, not even with the legendary Landfall on their side. And yet, if she had not realized the power of the magic formula she was firing and adjusted her aim to get a near-miss at the last moment, it would probably have been vaporized without a chance to resist.
Thinking about it rationally, she was the irregular. Back in the Empire, there were very few cases in which that sort of single telegraphed shot would be useful on a battlefield. It was a waste of magic no matter what the target was. Aerial mages weren't intended to fight tanks or destroy bunkers, their greatest strength came from their mobility and versatility.
Floating in one place in the middle of the battlefield for long enough to use that would just be asking to get shot down. Not only that, but concentrating that much magic in one place would be like putting up a beacon for every hostile mage within twenty kilometers. Friendly spotters couldn't give artillery such a perfect stationary target. It would be beyond suicidal. Any mage who tried something like that would go the way of colonial British line infantry marching towards an entrenched machine gun nest.
Yet, in this world, that doctrine may actually be valid. Honestly, if I were to face off against the armies of this world, I could single-handedly slaughter them without a scratch on me. The equipment Ainz gave me is far too powerful for them to be a meaningful threat. The opposite also holds true: I can say with certainty that if Ainz or any of his Guardians wanted to kill me, I would be dead before I saw them move.
I have to assume that enemies exist of a similar level. The group with the mind-controlling World-Class item, the Platinum Dragon Lord, and of course, Being X itself. These are the sort of enemies I need to be preparing for fights against, not just ways to wipe out human armies. With them as my target, the fight against the Dracolich has shown me just how inadequate I am.
At his level, even a pure magic caster like Ainz had enough physical strength to be an unrivaled warrior. Likewise, that Dracolich was supposed to be magic-focused, but it could throw around the heavily armored, pure warrior Gagaran like a ragdoll. The difference in levels is absolute, yet my shell and formula were both effective against it. Clearly, there's some potential to it, but I can't go melting my gun or breaking my legs every time I have to fight something stronger than me.
Tanya reached for the Type-95 computation orb around her neck, holding it in up in front of her eyes, carefully examining it. It had started out as an unstable piece of junk created by Doctor Schugel, ready to explode at the slightest misalignment. Next, Being X had stabilized it for me, but put his curse on it in the process, so that the mere act of activating it would tear at my sanity. Finally, Ainz's gift had negated its curse, turning it into what it is now.
Without a doubt, this is the cause. The combined efforts of the best of multiple worlds, only one step away from perfection. Even Demiurge admitted that he wouldn't be able to recreate something with this level of precision, nor could Ainz perform that kind of enchantment. Hell, the only reason they haven't taken it away is because they know that nobody else can use it. Not that I blame them for it, I'd do the same in their position.
She crawled over to the side of the massive bed, where she had set down the Lancer's Rifle, which was leaning against the wall. She picked up the rifle before laying back down, similarly examining it. She had only received it barely a month ago, but it was already her beloved partner, the weapon to which she entrusted her life. Although it was fundamentally different from any other rifle she had ever used, the ease with which she learned to use it was a testament to its quality.
Then, there's this. I never liked rifles before, with how inconvenient this body made using them. The recoil would bruise my shoulder every time, and these short arms made just holding one a trial. With this, it's like a different class of weapon entirely. To begin with, it has no recoil to speak of. Sure, it's long, but it's so light that I don't mind. Unlike soldiers on the ground, a heavier weapon isn't more stable for an aerial mage: Swinging one around to aim makes keeping your balance in the air a nightmare, especially with a body this lightweight.
For normal soldiers, a rifle's bullet would be the tool for delivering the formula to the enemy, since mana had no physical form of its own. For me, the Type-95 could just create physical phenomena on its own, so that was an unnecessary step… or so I thought. Now that I'm using a magic weapon with this level of quality, the ease and speed with which I can construct a formula is astounding. Given five seconds, I can construct and fire an explosive formula with enough power to level this entire castle. Not only that, but I could just keep firing those continuously, but the gun wouldn't hold out.
Single-shot weapons should stay in the world of fantasy. The only ones who would ever suggest using something like that are idiots who don't understand the basics of logistics or cost-benefit analysis. With how many papers I've written detailing the importance of reliability for military equipment, I refuse to use something like that as a matter of principle.
I know I can't sacrifice power if I'm up against such powerful opponents, but neither is there a way to use the mana more efficiently. What I'm using now is already pure materialized mana, the peak for what is possible. No matter what I do, I won't be able to use less energy for the same result to save on heat generation.
Instead, what I need to figure out is how to prevent that heat from spreading to the frame of the gun itself. Even if it costs me more mana to fire, the efficiency I gain from continuing to use this rifle instead of switching to another weapon when it overheats would more than make up that difference.
Frankly, it's a ridiculous problem to even be thinking about. I'm no physicist, but I know what it's like trying to contain raw energy at temperatures normally only seen inside a star, but inside a gun's barrel, all without heating up the frame barely a milimeter away. This isn't just absurdly difficult, it might well be physically impossible.
Thankfully, I'm not a physicist, I'm a mage. The very basis of modern magic is to precisely apply a magical stimulus to interfere with the physical world. Using magic shells to protect against heat is already a solved problem, using isolation-type shells. They're pretty expensive to construct and maintain, but block all heat transfer between the inside and outside.
Theoretically, I know the solution to this problem. My issue is that actually putting it into practice is like asking me to weave a cocoon around the sun without missing by more than a paper-thin gap, lest the whole thing explode, all while continuing to compress a small nuclear bomb's worth of energy into the form of a bullet. Really, that's not even an analogy, that is a literal description of what I am trying to accomplish here.
Wishful thinking is nice and all, but that's not something I can develop in just a few days, probably not even a few years. I'm not certain if I still have a finite lifespan as a demon, but there's no need to rush things and blow myself up in the process. For the time being, I should just focus on doing my job.
Part 2
Evileye had tentatively agreed to work for Ainz. There were several extra conditions added on which would prevent her from being used as a military power, but since they had no interest in doing so anyway, it wasn't much of a loss.
The role Tanya had envisioned for her was as a go-between to ease tensions between the Sorcerous Kingdom and the Re-Estize Kingdom. Just as she had suggested, Ainz kept his demands towards Evileye fairly minimal, only requiring her to reveal her identity and become a figure for reconciliation. Past that, she was free to travel to and from the Kingdom, and otherwise act as she wishes.
Her gamble having paid off, Tanya next contacted Demiurge to report the completion of her mission. She had been prepared for some retaliation for ignoring him to report directly to Ainz, an action tantamount to trampling on his pride as a general, but unexpectedly he had nothing but high praise. In his eyes, what she had done was only natural as one loyal to Ainz Ooal Gown, and something as trivial as his own pride meant nothing before the benefits Nazarick would achieve as a result.
After Tanya concluded her report, Demiurge proudly announced that they were now prepared to move to the final stage of their plan against the Kingdom. Having decided that she was capable of working independently to achieve results, he only told her to go with Blue Rose to the Kingdom and support whatever Renner was doing.
As he had seen no need to personally control Renner's plans, even Demiurge had only heard details when she had a request to make. Approximately one month ago, she had suddenly made contact, informing him that her brother was acting in the way she had intended, and now needed Blue Rose temporarily removed from the capital, then sent back after three weeks. With that target only a few days away, Tanya would have to get them to leave before the end of the next day to arrive on schedule.
Having received her orders, she cut off the [Message] from her end. Quickly confirming that she was alone in her room, she let out a prolonged sigh while falling face-first onto the bed.
Right. I should have know this would happen. Well, I knew it would happen, but I was hoping for a bit of a break at least, but not even a day? Ahhhh, Ainz did mention that he had to go out of his way to get them just to take breaks, just how much of a black company is this? I'm not the sort of workaholic who works unpaid overtime just for the fun of it!
Alright, the benefits are amazing. The value of this equipment is easily a few orders of magnitude above a lifetime's worth of Imperial mage officer wages. The employee residence is fit for a king, that is to say it was originally made for one. The potions and healing magic they provide beats out any health insurance policy our company ever could have offered back on Earth. Yes, they're amazing, but what good are they when the working hours would put the most invested of corporate slaves to shame?
Well, it still beats getting shelled. Or getting surrounded and shot at. Oh, and whatever it was the army cafeteria called 'food'. Now that I think of it that way, all I've had to do is climb mountains and playact fights against undead. If that's all it takes to get allies I can use against Being X, it's not all that bad.
Resolving her internal conflicts, Tanya got back up off the bed, then started pacing around the room, thinking about how to resolve the mission she had received.
Getting Lakyus and the others to leave shouldn't be hard. They clearly came here because they were worrying about Evileye, so once she leaves, they'll follow as well. Even if they have a few old friends to meet up with, I doubt it'd take them any longer than the end of today.
So then, how do I get Evileye to leave? Ainz just said he wouldn't be giving her direct orders, so I have no authority to ask her to return to the kingdom. Even if I did, there's no chance she would leave without first making contact with Momon. Ainz already made it clear that Momon must remain in the city for its stability, to the point where he personally went out to fight Jaldabaoth instead of sending Momon. Claiming he's out now wouldn't make any sense.
Is it safe to let them meet? The Momon in the city is currently Pandora's Actor, so she shouldn't notice any similarities between Momon and Ainz. If she just wanted to ask how he was doing, then Pandora's Actor would reassure her that Ainz kept his word, which would be to our advantage. She could then leave with her worries settled.
The problem, then, is what happens if she meets him and proclaims her love, then decides to stay by his side? I can't even begin to guess how either of them would respond after that. Dealing with romantic drama between an ancient vampire and a doppelganger definitely wasn't part of the job description. Any way that develops, it'll be a huge pain in the ass.
If I'm going to let them meet, I have to control the situation to some extent. As long as I get them to start the conversation from a fixed spot, Pandora's Actor should be able to get her to do what I want. I may not have the authority to give Evileye orders, but she wouldn't refuse him if he asked. I just need to give him a good excuse to send her back to the Kingdom. If I can just get her to start by telling him she's a vampire, that should be enough for him to 'understand' and agree with what we're sending her to do.
Putting together a solution, Tanya took out another [Message] scroll, contacting Pandora's Actor. Describing to him what she wanted him to do, he agreed that it would fit Momon's character and aid Nazarick's goals. Having received the confirmation, she set out for the inn where Blue Rose were staying. From here, she just had to improvise a way to get Evileye to the start line.
"… So, how did it end up like this?" (Tanya)
"Don't ask me… We got recognized as soon as we entered, then everybody started buying us drinks. Gagaran accepted every one, and before I knew it she had dragged Lakyus and the twins into a drinking contest with the locals…" (Evileye)
Tanya went to the inn looking for Blue Rose, but on the way she passed by an unusually rowdy bar considering it was still before dusk. Suddenly getting a really bad premonition, she checked inside, finding Gagaran laughing while surrounded by empty casks. Next to her, Lakyus, Tia, and Tina were in various stages of unconsciousness, while Evileye was sitting quietly in a corner, trying (unsuccessfully) to act like an unrelated party.
"You're not going to join them?" (Tanya)
"Drinking would mean having to take off my mask, which I'm not doing here. Besides, what would be the point? Undead are immune to poison, so I can't get drunk anyway." (Evileye)
"Speaking from experience?" (Tanya)
"…" (Evileye)
"I've always preferred wine over beer, but I've had to hold back for the sake of my growth, not that it matters anymore. I wouldn't really blame you for trying, if your original age is as it appears." (Tanya)
"Wait. You're definitely speaking from personal experience there. Just how old are you, anyway?" (Evileye)
"Hm… I'd lost count of the days, but I was supposed to be turning thirteen in a month or so, why?" (Tanya)
"…" (Evileye)
"…" (Tanya)
Without another word, they both dropped the topic. After an awkward delay, the first to break the silence was Evileye.
"What did you come here for? Don't you have anything else to be doing?" (Evileye)
"For once, I have some free time, so I came to check that you aren't getting into any trouble. As the one who invited you here, I'm the one who gets yelled at if you start anything, or get yourselves killed. Since those sorts of transcendent monsters shouldn't be too common, I don't expect to have any real work for a while." (Tanya)
"Not too common? First Honyopenyoko, then Jaldabaoth and his maids, the Dracolich… Not to mention the Sorcerer King or yourself…" (Evileye)
"Please don't say that… I just want a vacation… Maybe I should take that drink after all." (Tanya)
Tanya sank down onto the counter from Evileye's all-too-real comment with a deep sigh, but she was well aware that every single one of those threats had originated from Nazarick. Even so, knowing that they were self-inflicted didn't save her from having to work overtime whenever Demiurge wrote another one into his story.
"Can demons get drunk?" (Evileye)
"You'll never know if you don't try. Poison immunity doesn't stop you from enjoying the mood, either. You'll be revealing it publicly soon anyway, just take the mask off and drink. How about it?" (Tanya)
Thinking about the offer, Evileye took a glance over to her other companions, but Gagaran hadn't even noticed Tanya's entrance, the small mountain of unconscious competitors steadily growing in size. Deciding there was no harm to drinking without getting drunk, she accepted.
Drinking together is a business tradition in itself. Even somebody who goes unwillingly still gets dragged into the drinking before long. It's a common way to build the team's trust in each other, but more importantly for me, introducing alcohol to a situation is great for getting somebody to slip up and say something stupid. This'll go much smoother if she brings up Momon instead of me.
Well, I'm pretty sure that the relative abundance of real coffee and alcohol is affecting my reasoning. Compared to wartime rationing and imitation goods, even luxuries might as well be overflowing around here.
Fact: Unlike undead, demons do not possess an innate resistance to poison and can get drunk.
Addendum: The Curse Lord's Bracelets grant complete immunity to low and mid-level poisons.
Conclusion: Neither Tanya nor Evileye would get drunk no matter how much they drank.
Several hours later, the two had accumulated a collection of bottles which was rapidly approaching three digits. With both of them looking to be in the lower half of their teens, they drew an entirely different sort of attention from the surroundings. Before long, Gagaran noticed the two of them drinking together, bringing them over to her table where the other three members had long since fallen asleep.
Most troubled by this situation was the bar's owner, torn between the absurd number of drinks he had sold them, and the issue of whether he could actually charge anything for them. His customers were a demon who was openly wearing the Sorcerous Kingdom's emblem and the adamantite-ranked Blue Rose members, who were together with her for some reason. Holding back tears over the lost profits, he settled on just making the pile of Gagaran's challengers pay for the difference, since they didn't seem likely to remember how many drinks they had actually bought the night before.
By now, it was past midnight and the bar had quieted down. It wasn't as though everybody had gone home, there was simply no longer anybody still conscious except the three instigators themselves. He would have already closed the bar by now on most days, but closing would first require him to figure out how to get everybody home, which he had long since given up on. He would simply have to wait for their wives to excavate them from the pile and drag them out.
Those three were continuing to drink even now, though even they were starting to slow down. Two of them didn't seem to be aware of the chaos they were responsible for, or maybe they just didn't care. To the would-be competitors, being so easily outpaced by two tiny newcomers encouraged them to speed up their own drinking, but they couldn't keep up at all.
Briefly interrupting his cleaning, the reluctant barkeeper examined the three. Gagaran he could accept being such a heavy drinker, but he couldn't even begin to guess how the other two could, human or not. The pile of bottles they had gone through was easily several times the size of their own bodies, so where was all that liquid going?
For the sake of his sanity, he stopped thinking about it, ignoring their conversation to focus on cleaning up.
Tanya looked around idly, thinking to herself about the importance of a human body's natural response mechanisms, as well as the trouble one ran into once those were no longer available to them.
"What did you end up doing to get that chibi to start drinking like this?" (Gagaran)
"I don't recall doing anything particularly special, though. Taking the mask off in public aside, doesn't she normally join when it's just you?" (Tanya)
"No, she wouldn't no matter what I tried she never did. I guess she just needed a drinking buddy her own age?" (Gagaran)
"Musclehead, just shut up." (Evileye)
Evileye grabbed Gagaran from across the table, but without her mask on, the attempt at intimidation was ruined by her childish face. As Gagaran just laughed at her face, she gave up, sitting back down to take another drink.
"So, what is it then? One last drink together before quitting?" (Gagaran)
"Hm? Didn't Ainz-sama say you could travel freely in and out of the Sorcerous Kingdom any time you wanted? There's no reason for you to resign, is there?" (Tanya)
"Oi, oi, Evileye! You said you'd have to stay in E-Rantel for at least a while! What the hell do you mean you don't have to stay?" (Gagaran)
"Tch." (Evileye)
Evileye just clicked her tongue at Gagaran's realization, glaring at Tanya who had accidentally ruined her plan. Tanya herself had not know what Evileye had told the others, but was glad to have accidentally dodged a bullet. Had the rest of Blue Rose left without Evileye, Tanya would have had a much harder time getting her out.
"Why would you go out of your way to stay in this city any longer than you have… Wait, are you still trying to get with Momon?" (Gagaran)
Perfect.
Tanya smiled to herself internally now that the half-drunk Gagaran had brought up the topic, but forced her face into an expression of passive curiosity.
"Why bring up Momon-dono now? Actually, I recall reading that he saved you from Jaldabaoth, then that time you were fighting the Dracolich's Death Knights, you suddenly called out his name… So you really did-" (Tanya)
"You really can't keep that a secret from anyone, can you Evileye? She figured it out from the very beginning, didn't she? Why don't you just go tell Momon before he figures it out himself?" (Gagaran)
"As if I could do something like that! I'm satisfied with just watching his heroic form from behind. Surely he knows I'm not even human by now, I'd just be another disgusting monster to him…" (Evileye)
"Momon-dono wouldn't hold something like that against you. It's not like we've told him anything about you, either. If you want to go confess to him, go do it yourself." (Tanya)
"Even the demon girl is encouraging you, why don't you go do it? Profess your undying love to your Momon-sama before we all go back to the kingdom? Finally experience that first love after two centuries! With that much alcohol in you, go be a little daring, why don't you?" (Gagaran)
Gagaran's words were a mix of light mockery and serious encouragement. For all the usual banter between the two of them, she was still hoping for her friend's happiness. Evileye herself had already lived for centuries having given up on romance, but that was now rekindled with her obsessive love for Momon.
If what Tanya had said about Momon's character was true, Gagaran thought it would be better to go on the offensive and tell him the truth. If she was going to reveal her nature to everybody in the Re-Estize Kingdom after this anyway, it'd be better to share the secret with him first, rather than to let him find out through hearsay. At least this way, it wouldn't be as though she were trying to deceive him, and she would instead show that she trusted him.
"Really though, looking at her now, she's quite beautiful, isn't she? Seems like a waste to send her off wearing those robes heavy, so why don't we get her changed?" (Tanya)
"Oh, you think so too? She's always covered up to avoid being found out, but she doesn't fall far behind the Golden Princess, though she's a bit small. You could make her look like a real princess with the right outfit, but I doubt anybody here knows how to pick one out." (Gagaran)
"Then, should I call the maids? I think CZ-san knows how to coordinate an outfit, plus she should know where the cos-… extra clothes are." (Tanya)
"Yeah, let's do that, I'm sure your king has enough wealth to not miss a few dresses, for a good purpose." (Gagaran)
"Why are you two becoming best friends over something like this!?" (Evileye)
But her protest was ignored as Tanya and Gagaran continued planning in Evileye's place. Without wasting a moment, Tanya took out a [Message] scroll to contact CZ Delta, who was already waiting in the castle.
"… Nn, Perfect." (CZ)
As promised, Evileye had been invited (dragged) to the castle by Tanya and Gagaran, where CZ had already set up a room-sized wardrobe. She resisted at first, yelling that she hadn't worn such dresses in 250 years, but CZ continued her work without caring. From Tanya's viewpoint, Evileye's struggling was more forced than serious resistance, as she was neither exerting her full strength nor using magic to escape.
Perhaps despite what she says, she's glad to have support for going after Momon. I can't see that as anything but a humiliating punishment, though. Even what the Empire made me do for propaganda can't compare. Is that what love can turn a girl into? Romantic relations are one thing, but that's closer to the religious fanatics who've tried to kill me.
As Tanya and Gagaran watched from the side, CZ continued her work until morning. At least a few of the outfits Evileye had been changed into were obvoiusly just CZ playing around, but the end result was still an astonishing transformation.
"I'm glad we left this to a professional. There's no way either of us could have done something like that." (Tanya)
"Yeah. But still, to think her character could be changed so drastically… I wouldn't recognize her if I hadn't seen the change." (Gagaran)
"Do you not recognize whose fault this situation is? Why are you acting uninvolved now!?" (Evileye)
"No, sorry… it's not that it doesn't look good, but compared to your whole 'mysterious magic caster' appearance up until now, it's more like… a schoolgirl about to go on her first date?" (Tanya)
"Schoolgirl? What kind of world has schoolgirls who can afford that dress? I'd have thought she was some foreign princess about to get married." (Gagaran)
Tanya just shrugged, uninterested in arguing the point.
Evileye had been changed from her usual red-and-gray robes into a primarily white dress with light-pink details. It was visibly well-made, but more simple than grandiose, hence Tanya's description. It was something one could have seen on Earth if they looked around a public park on Valentine's Day.
The standards of their worlds were just too different. Even with Gagaran's untrained eye, she could tell the make and material were both of incredibly high quality, and the entire dress had even been lightly enchanted. Princess Renner would have had a hard time getting ahold of such a high-quality outfit, not to mention the added value of the enchantment, plain as it may be.
The simple yet beautiful dress, her lack of jewelry or other accessories, and her naturally beautiful appearance all came together to create an air of sincerity. It was only natural that Tanya and Gagaran would be surprised by the effect CZ was able to put together.
YGGDRASIL had been famous for its remarkable freedom in character creation, not only in terms of mechanical effects, but also from an aesthetic standpoint. Using the creator tools, one could create all sorts of equipment for themselves or their NPCs, with no less detail than professional tools used in the design industry. As a result, the game grew in popularity not only among gamers, but also among those interested primarily in the creative options. There were even some who started using the game for their work.
One of Ainz Ooal Gown's 41 core members was originally such a player. She worked as a costume designer specializing in fantasy films, purchasing the game and its full creator toolset intending to use it for work, before getting hooked on the rest of the game.
During her time playing the game, not a single member of Ainz Ooal Gown avoided getting dragged into a photoshoot wearing clothes she designed. Even Herohero and Bukubuku Chagama, both of whom played as amorphous slime races were not an exception. Back then, she had forcibly dressed him up in an emperor's finery and made him spout embarassing lines, making him complain while laughing with everybody else. It was the first time he had was made to role-play an undead emperor, but since he was now doing so daily, that day was now just a fond memory.
Although she had not personally designed any of Nazarick's NPCs, they had consulted with her about the outfit designs for well over half of them. Particularly for the male members who only knew enough about clothes to dress themselves in the morning, she was the savior who helped turn the visions they had of their characters into reality.
When Momonga was creating Pandora's Actor, he couldn't describe what he wanted him to wear in more detail than 'military uniform' and a few photos. Working off just that hint, she created his current outfit from scratch, sharing the approximate appearance of his reference photos, but far beyond a simple copy. She had even gone so far as to write an entire backstory describing the origin and meaning of each and every medal he wore. Her attention to detail was second only to Tabula Smaragdina, so when the two of them set out to design Albedo's outfit, the discussion took four days.
As a legacy of her time in YGGDRASIL, she had left behind thousands of outfits, which had been stored away upon her retirement. There were plain shirts, dresses, skirts, suits, tuxedoes, as well as exotic regal wear, wedding dresses, decorated armor, and even various joke outfits for cosplay use created upon request by the other members. It was a running joke that there were more outfits inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick than outside it, though they never took the time to actually count how many they had.
Ainz had been too busy to care about it, so he approved CZ's request for its use without noticing when it wound up in a pile of other paperwork brought to him. As a result, a pile of the dresses from that vault had made their way into this wardrobe room, and Evileye was cycled through half the collection CZ had picked out.
"By the way, how are we going to get our princess to Momon's inn? It's already morning, so if we go out now it'll definitely cause a commotion." (Gagaran)
"Already morning? CZ-san, what time is it now?" (Tanya)
"It is currently 7:58 A.M." (CZ)
"Ah, you don't need to worry about Momon-dono. I contacted him to come to the castle when we got here, saying that Evileye wanted to meet him. He should be here in two minutes or so." (Tanya)
"Two minutes?" (Gagaran)
Nobody in the room spoke for a few seconds. After finally processing what Tanya had said, Evileye covered her bright-red face with her hands while spouting an incomprehensible train of words, of which only the words "Momon-sama" could be recognized. Just as suddenly, she stopped and shot out of the chair she had been sitting in.
"CZ, block the door." (Tanya)
Without hesitation, Tanya ordered CZ to block Evileye's escape route.
"Dammit, [Invisibility]!" (Evileye)
"[Break Magic]." (Tanya)
Already prepared, Tanya used the scroll she had pulled out to cancel the spell. It was 3rd tier, the lowest of four countermagic spells, part of the same series as [Greater Break Magic] and [Magic Destruction], which were 5th and 7th tier, respectively. Each could cancel spells of equal or lower tier, the success rate depending on the difference in tiers and the relative spellcasting ability of the casters.
Evileye was certainly an experienced magic caster, but was nonetheless outclassed by Tanya, who had the aid of the divine-class Type-95. Flickering back into view after a single moment, Evileye considered her next move.
"I'm prepared for [Teleportation] as well, if that's what you're thinking of. Save me some effort and give up now." (Tanya)
Actually, while it was true that she had some [Greater Break Magic] scrolls, using them for this sort of playing around would definitely get her in trouble. A 3rd tier scroll could be used without much thought, but while 5th tier scrolls had begun being mass-produced, their supply was far from limitless.
Fortunately, Evileye hesitated long enough for her to be saved by a knock on the door. From the other side, Yuri's voice called out for them.
"Momon-sama has arrived. Please come out to see him." (Yuri)
Evileye was led to the audience hall. With Yuri Alpha in front of her and both Tanya and CZ Delta behind her, she felt more like a prisoner than an escorted princess. Gagaran was also joining up behind them, but she seemed far more interested in watching how this exchange would turn out than helping her escape.
The group arrived at a large door. Although it looked heavy enough to be operated by a pair of grown men, Yuri pulled it open with ease, then stepped aside with CZ, leading only the three of them through the door, closing it behind them once they passed through.
Immediately after she passed through the door, Evileye felt the full pressure of Momon's gaze crushing her, causing her to freeze in place with trembling legs. Once Tanya followed her through the door, the pressure lessened as his gaze shifted from herself to the demon, who looked annoyed but kept walking until they were only a couple meters away from Momon.
"So? You suddenly called me here saying Evileye-san needed something from me, where is she?" (Momon)
Could it be that he doesn't even recognize me? Well, it's not surprising, since he's never seen me looking like this, and you wouldn't normally think the vampire who suddenly appears in front of you is the adventurer you came to see. What do I do now? Tanya-san did say that I'd have to confess to him myself, does that start now? Ugh, I just have to say it!
"Yes. Thank you for coming, Momon-sama. I am Evileye. Before that, I was known as Landfall, and even before that, I was Keeno Fasrith Inberun. Please, call me Keeno." (Keeno)
Working up the courage to talk through the pressure Momon was giving off, Keeno gave her full introduction. For a few seconds, nobody spoke, until Momon cancelled the pressure to give his response.
"…I see. So this is what you wanted to show me, Tanya-dono… Thank you, both of you." (Momon)
"Huh?" (Keeno)
"I'm sorry for doubting you. Despite everything you had shown me up until now, I could not reconcile that the Sorcerer King truly did not wish for the destruction of all living beings. Yet, I was foolish. In your own way, you have been aiding your comrades and saving many innocent lives in the process. I was convinced that there could not be an undead who was not an enemy of humanity, yet you were before me the whole time. So I say, thank you, Keeno-san. Thank you for everything you have done." (Momon)
Hearing Momon's explanation and thanks, Keeno began to tear up. The tension of the situation lifted too suddenly, she collapsed to her knees and began to cry.
So it wasn't all for nothing. My life ended on that day when I lost my friends, my family, my country… Yet I continued to live, for all these years. I spent centuries simply living, until Rigrit and Lakyus beat me, then I finally made some friends again. Now, hearing Momon-sama recognizing what I had been doing… so this is what it's like to be accepted. Everything I had done, it wasn't for nothing.
Ahhh, I really love him. Just hearing those few words from him gives me joy like nothing else. It's not just his strength, or that he saved me, I love everything about him. Before I thought it would be enough to just watch over him, to just let him be, but I couldn't bear to be without him after hearing something like that. I have to tell him now, I have to get it out.
"I love you, Momon-sama. Ever since you fought Jaldabaoth to save me, I have always loved you!" (Keeno)
"If you are saying this because you think you owe me something for saving you-" (Momon)
"No! That's not it. It's not just your strength, but everything about you! Just hearing your words gave me fulfillment like nothing else in all these centuries. I can accept if a decade from now, you need to be with other women who could bear your children, I just want to be by your side, so please!" (Keeno)
"… Thank you. If you would have somebody like me, I would be glad to accept your love." (Momon)
"Huh!?" (Tanya)
This was not part of her plan, nor was she the only one shocked by Momon's affirmative response. Gagaran and even Keeno herself were similarly wide-eyed. He was supposed to delay answering until the matter with E-Rantel and the Kingdom was settled, making it her goal to pacify the people of the Kingdom herself so she might get her response even a day sooner. Why had he gone against that to accept?
Ignoring Tanya's bewilderment, Momon – Pandora's Actor – continued.
"Unfortunately, I am still busy with the people of this city, and I fear it will only grow worse once trade with the Kingdom reopens. The citizens of the Kingdom will no doubt provoke violence against the Sorcerer King, calling for revenge for the past. Until it is safe for the people of this city, I fear we will not have time to spend together. I apologize." (Momon)
"No, if it's just that, I'll personally convince them that the Sorcerer King means them no harm. I won't let them get in the way of your work, Momon-sama!" (Keeno)
"Keeno-san, thank you. I will be counting on your help, then. Also, there is no need for you to call me that. Please, just call me Momon." (Momon)
"Isn't that great, Keeno? Your first love really did get answered. Now you really don't need to worry about him getting taken away while you're in the Kingdom." (Gagaran)
As Momon took out a handkerchief and knelt down to wipe away Keeno's tears, Gagaran approached from behind, patting her on the back while giving her heartfelt congratulations. Meanwhile, Tanya was frozen, unable to comprehend where she had made a mistake.
What happened to get us to this sugar-coated atmosphere!? There was no reason he had to actually accept, he could have just pushed the answer off for a few years, with how obsessed she is, she'd probably be fine with waiting a full century! So why? Granted, she looks excited to get to work in the Kingdom now, but is that really enough to justify the risk?
If she ever finds out that Momon is Pandora's Actor, everything, EVERYTHING comes crashing down. Did I mistake what he said? He definitely told me it would be in Momon's character to prioritize the safety of E-Rantel's citizens over his personal feelings, hence delaying the answer… Hm? Wait, he didn't actually say THAT was in character, did he? Shit, did he misunderstand something Ainz told him and turn it into that? Was he told to accept the love of the people or something? Dammit, I underestimated just how stupidly loyal they are to his words!
Alright, so that's the worst case, is there any chance it doesn't get to that? Maybe since she lied about being a vampire this whole time, she'd accept that he lied about being a doppelganger serving Ainz? As if something that convenient would happen! No, he's a damn good actor, at this point I just have to hope he never lets it slip. If she really does pacify the Kingdom under Ainz's rule and he sleeps with her for it, that's their choice, not my problem.
Even if it might be Ainz's mistake for saying something stupid, there's no chance Demiurge or Albedo would accept that, in their mind he can't make a mistake no matter what the does. I hate subordinates who create problems then try to cover them up, but that's the only choice I have left at this point. I've put too much into this to just kill her now, besides Gagaran is here as a witness to all of it… Dammit!
Completely unaware of Tanya's suffering next to him, Momon continued with the script as if nothing was wrong with the situation.
"Will Blue Rose be returning to the Kingdom now, then? I heard about what happened after the Dracolich escaped from me, but I suppose you still have to report that to the Kingdom." (Momon)
"Yeah, that's the plan. We came here first because Evi- Keeno wanted to meet you again before going back, but we have to get going now. I'm sure the Princess is worrying about us being out of contact for so long, since we had to chase down the Dracolich without the chance to warn them about it first. Sorry to break you two up, though." (Gagaran)
With Keeno now clinging to Momon with no intention of letting go even to respond, Gagaran answered instead. After that, she had to literally peel Keeno off Momon, who was hugging him with inhuman strength.
"Un. Well then, I wish you luck from here on. Please do come visit again when you have the chance." (Momon)
"Of course, I'll teleport back whenever I have the chance, Momon-sa… Momon!" (Keeno)
"I will be looking forward to that as well, Keeno." (Momon)
Finally succeeding at pulling them apart, Gagaran carried Keeno out of the room as she covered her blushing face with her hands. Tanya didn't take a single step until a full minute had passed. Having accepted her mental self-destruction, she followed after them with her head down, without another word to Pandora's Actor or the maids.
Part 3
Lakyus and the twin assassins were awoken by a crushing hug from a squealing vampire. They had been carried back to the inn by Gagaran prior to heading off to the castle, but had still been asleep. Forcefully woken up with a severe headache, the twins prepared for an ambush, but Lakyus recognized the aggressor as Evileye, differences in appearance aside.
Ignoring the combined pain from her throbbing head and crushed body to the best of her ability, Lakyus tried to ask what was going on. Once Keeno was finally calmed down enough, she and Gagaran explained what had happened last night.
Having resolved everything they had to do in E-Rantel, they agreed to depart for the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital around noon. Instead of wearing the ordinary dress out, Keeno changed back to her personal robes for the defensive enchantments she had added to them decades ago. It didn't seem like the Sorcerer King would care enough to ask for the dress back, so she just packed it away for her memories. The mask she kept off, a symbol for her newfound resolve.
After replenishing their travel supplies, they began packing. Originally, they had gone to E-Rantel with only their equipment and armor, relying on the rations Tanya provided for them, but now they would need to properly bring their own. They could move faster than an ordinary group which had to constantly be on guard for monsters, but it would still take the better part of a week to get all the way back to the capital.
Shortly before they left, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Not the door to enter the room, but the door leading out to the balcony, on the third floor of the inn.
"Looks like I barely caught you… Sorry if this is sudden, but Ainz-sama requested I accompany you to the Kingdom." (Tanya)
Of course, the only one who could enter from a third floor balcony was Tanya. The timing was not coincidental, but reported to her by one of the Eight Edge Assassins watching over their preparations in the city.
"What do you mean?" (Keeno)
"Albedo-sama was withdrawn from the Re-Estize Kingdom since her supervision was required within Nazarick itself. In her stead, I have been temporarily assigned to the position. Suddenly showing up at the royal palace might cause problems even with a document from Ainz-sama. He suggested I travel with you so you could verify my identity." (Tanya)
This was half-true. Albedo had been recalled because Renner wanted her brother to think that Nazarick was too busy with internal problems to continue with diplomacy. Her power was well-known, so her withdrawing without warning would make him move more openly. When Blue Rose, the last combat-capable force not loyal to him moved out of the city, so he could finally act without resistance.
It might seem strange for Demiurge to continue listening to the requests of Princess Renner like this, but it was a sign of his trust towards her ability. He did have his own backup plan to take over the Kingdom should she betray them, but even in the best case it would take half a decade. With Ainz having vassalized the Empire in a mere three days, him continuing to delay the Kingdom's destruction would be an insult to the trust Ainz had placed in him.
Placing his trust in the ability and desires of the princess, he gave her ready access to Nazarick's resources, within reason. From her position, it would only take her no more than two years to get the Kingdom under her control before handing it off to Ainz in exchange for help fulfilling her wish. Both would benefit from the trade, and Nazarick's goals would be furthered.
Now, that plan was proceeding steadily. In addition to delaying Blue Rose, she had also added on the request to have Tanya accompany them back. Having heard about her from Demiurge, Renner confirmed that she was at least as strong as Evileye, then asked for her to be sent along as well. Using the now vacant position of emissary, he sent Tanya with Blue Rose, though doing so was truthfully slower than her flying alone.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? The Kingdom's citizens still remember Jaldabaoth's attack, many of them having lost family to his minions. If you were to go now, in the worst case you may be attacked in the streets." (Lakyus)
"Even with that being the case, I think it is necessary, or nothing will change. The fastest way to get rid of their preconceptions about undead and demons would be to interact with them. We do not intend to hold the actions of individuals against your country." (Tanya)
Lakyus and Keeno thought about the offer. It was true that with Tanya there, Keeno would draw relatively less attention. To the citizens of the capital, demons had invaded their homes, while vampires were simply creatures of legend. A month ago, they would have suspected this to be a plot to have their own ambassador attacked then declare war, but she herself was promising not to retaliate against harmless attacks.
Provocation or not, the Sorcerer King assigning her as an ambassador meant they didn't have any say in the matter. Her going along with them was likely his way of helping them out, as her being accompanied by adamantite-ranked adventurers might at least give the people a sense of safety. Rather than another unknown monster, the Sorcerer King was sending somebody they knew and could somewhat trust.
"I understand. If you are prepared to accept the risk, we will accompany you to the capital." (Lakyus)
The return trip to the capital was relatively uneventful. This was a series of roads between major cities, frequently used by merchants, or at least had been up until E-Rantel was surrendered to the Sorcerous Kingdom. The Re-Estize Kingdom's half of the road to E-Rantel was no longer actively patrolled, but the monsters which might appear were only at the level of ogres and goblins. Bandits and highwaymen were apparently becoming more frequent, but none were stupid enough to try attacking a group of adamantite-ranked adventurers.
They passed by the city of E-Pespel on the way, but they had no reason to stop, and kept going. There was the option to stop by the castle and request a messenger to be sent ahead to the princess, but the delay required to do so wasn't likely to be worth it. If they were desperate, Keeno would have teleported back to the castle first, but with the long since threat resolved, there was no need to do so.
Princess Renner had her own information network, so she would have already heard that the Death Knights were defeated. While she might be worried about Blue Rose suddenly rushing off in the direction of E-Rantel, she also trusted them to return no matter the threat they faced.
In the end, they arrived at the city of Re-Estize just before sunset a day earlier than planned, due to the good weather. As they approached the gates, they found the entrance unusually busy, a long line of wagons trying to get in, overwhelming the understaffed sentinels.
Fortunately, being adamantite-ranked adventurers led by the noble Lakyus, they could skip past the line to enter the city without being searched or paying an entrance fee. Such would be the normal procedure, but as expected, trying to enter the city with a demon in tow got them held up in the guardhouse by the panicked guards. To his credit, their captain managed to get a cohesive question out.
"Lakyus-sama, what is the meaning of this? Why are you trying to sneak a demon into our capital!?" (Captain)
"… Does this count as sneaking?" (Tia)
"By the order of the Sorcerer King, Ainz-sama, I have been sent here in place of Albedo-sama, who has been transferred elsewhere. Effectively immediately, I am taking over the position of envoy to the Re-Estize Kingdom." (Tanya)
The response was direct and unapologetic. She took out the letter Demiurge had provided, which officially appointed her to the position. Against the guard who just had to follow orders, it was much faster to just throw around her authority than try to explain things. Regardless of her appearance, it would be guaranteed to show results.
As intended, the guards froze the moment she used Ainz's name. Once she finished her explanation, the captain took the letter from her, confirming its contents.
"I understand, however…" (Captain)
"Do you still intend to refuse, captain?" (Tanya)
"No, I apologize, but…" (Captain)
"Is there something happening today which would make it a problem?" (Lakyus)
Lakyus sensed that the captain's unease wasn't due to hostility but worry. Suspecting there might be something they didn't know about, she asked him to confirm.
"That is correct, Lakyus-sama. Since we received word of Jaldabaoth's defeat from the Holy Kingdom, the capital is preparing for a celebration in two days. Most of the Kingdom's nobles have been called to the castle, and a great many merchants are visiting." (Captain)
"That explains the line of wagons in front of the gate, then. So you're concerned that we might cause a panic by walking through the streets?" (Keeno)
"I believe that to be likely, Evileye-sama- Hm?" (Captain)
The captain, whose attention had been drawn to Tanya up until now noticed Keeno's red eyes. He almost missed it, but now understood why she had used the plural 'we'. The captain and his men may not have had much combat training, but they was used to dealing with all sorts of troublesome nobles. They understood the value of keeping their mouths shut, so nobody commented on it.
"What do you want to do, Lakyus? Should we get the Princess to send a carriage for us? Or are the roads too crowded to use now?" (Keeno)
"If I may, we do keep a carriage here for visitors to the castle. While it is somewhat small, it would be much faster than waiting for a carriage to get here from the castle." (Captain)
"I don't mind, but…" (Lakyus)
Lakyus glanced over at the reactions of the others. Keeno nodded to her, while Tanya just shrugged. Gagaran and the twins weren't planning on going anyway, so they didn't respond.
"Then, we'll do that. Can you prepare that carriage for us?" (Lakyus)
"Please wait a few minutes while we prepare it for you." (Captain)
The captain gave a brief bow, then nodded to the men, who rushed off to do so, leaving only the captain himself.
"Still, Albedo-sama is a devil as well, how did she get a royal welcome while we get held up here?" (Tanya)
"You know that you'd have to actually tell them ahead of time for that, right? All things considered, I think this went better than expected." (Gagaran)
"I know, but it was a pretty sudden request on our end as well, and sitting through that sounds like it'd be pointlessly exhausting. The guards here seem pretty well trained, surprisingly so." (Tanya)
The captain continued to watch this exchange, the demon envoy joking around with Blue Rose as if they were old friends.
"What is it?" (Tanya)
Noticing the gaze, Tanya again addressed the captain.
"No, I apologize, but… You aren't at all what I expected a demon to be, Tanya-sama." (Captain)
"Were you expecting another Jaldabaoth, or one of his brainless minions?" (Tanya)
"No, well…" (Captain)
"Lower-ranked demons are probably the ones you're thinking of, they're by far the most common, the sort Jaldabaoth summoned. They just follow their desires and the orders of their summoner, rampaging for the fun of it. High-ranked demons like Albedo-sama are entirely different. Extremely intelligent and rational, in my experience they're even easier to reason with than most humans.
If I had to say, Jaldabaoth is the irregularity, being high-ranked but rampaging without a master. Even other demon lords hated him, but he was always too powerful for them to do anything about it. Though, now that Ainz-sama killed him, he'll be humiliated into submission for a few centuries at least." (Tanya)
This was the story Demiurge had provided for her. Not only would Jaldabaoth be the demon lord to all humanity, but even the enemy of other demons. They would never meet enough other high-ranked demons to disprove the story, and it would allow Demiurge, Albedo, and herself to avoid at least some of the fallout from Jaldabaoth.
Everybody else in the room was listening to Tanya intently, not just the captain. With luck, they would save her some work by spreading the story to others, but looking back it might have been better to explain it while the other soldiers were present. Hopefully, the captain would repeat it to his men just after they left for the castle, then they'd all go drinking to spread the story of the strange visitors. This celebration may be the perfect occasion, though she wasn't sure whether this was something intentionally planned by Renner, or a simple coincidence.
Not long after she finished, the other soldiers came back to report that the carriage was ready for them.
"Well, that's how it is." (Tanya)
While heading for the door, she threw out one last bit of conversation bait for the soldiers, to make sure they would ask the captain what happened.
Lakyus, Keeno, and Tanya got into the carriage, where the driver had apparently already been warned what to expect, as his shock upon seeing them only lasted a moment. Returning his view to the road ahead, he drove them to the castle.
"Still, what did he mean when he said that most of the Kingdom's nobles were in the capital?" (Keeno)
When the wagon started to move, Keeno activated some kind of magic item, then started talking openly. She didn't question Tanya's story, but instead caught on a small comment the guard captain had made.
"Do the nobles here not normally celebrate when a great demon is defeated?" (Tanya)
"It doesn't happen often enough for there to be a standard, but it's still unusual. With how bad the relations between the royalty and nobility are, I can't imagine them just going to a party together." (Lakyus)
Tanya's sarcastic comment got a serious response from Lakyus, who had similarly noticed the irregularity.
"Well, whether it's the Prince planning something or the Princess, it'd be faster to just ask her. I also need to tell her everything that's happened, after all she's done for us." (Keeno)
"How about changing into that dress again, then? I missed out on seeing the honest Keeno-chan that Gagaran was bragging about." (Lakyus)
"Wh-what was she saying? That-" (Keeno)
Keeno started stammering from Lakyus's teasing, recalling how she had acted in front of Momon while wearing that dress. It hadn't just been her appearance, but even her personality had changed with it.
"CZ-san did say that dress had a quick-change effect on it. You could probably just change into it in the carriage, if you wanted. See if the princess will even recognize you." (Tanya)
"Why do you always start working together when it comes to this!?" (Keeno)
In the end, Keeno lost, and was made to change into the dress she had hidden away. The driver was once again surprised when one of the individuals who got out of the carriage was different to the ones who had gone in, but he had been warned by the captain in no uncertain terms not to say anything stupid.
Part 4
Prince Zanack read the report he had received from the former orichalcum-ranked scouts he had hired. As his eyes reached the bottom of the page, he went back to the top, reading through it once again. Then, to make sure he didn't mistake a single word, he read it all a third time.
For the past two days, they had been following a large group of Death Knights which had appeared from the mountains south of E-Rantel. Their origin and goal were unconfirmed, but there was no doubt those eleven Death Knights possessed at least as much force as the entire Kingdom's army. Assuming the worst, he had gathered what army he could in E-Pespel, preparing the city for a siege.
He already knew that his sister was planning something with them, the gate guards had reported that Blue Rose had arrived in full gear under her summons, then left less than an hour later. The issue he faced was planning for the possibility of their failure, as well as how to handle their success. He had spent the last two days without sleep, waiting for any report from the front, and at last he had received a letter from his scouts.
After a prolonged fight between Blue Rose and the Death Knights, the Death Knights were quickly destroyed by an unknown demon. The demon's armor bore the emblem of the Sorcerous Kingdom, but could not be identified as any previously witnessed individual. Following a brief discussion (contents unknown), Blue Rose followed the demon east, in the direction of E-Rantel. The speed of all members made them impossible to track, so we have discontinued pursuit. Uncertain whether we were spotted by the demon.
How was he supposed to interpret this event? Assuming the demon really was a minion of the Sorcerer King, does that mean the Death Knights weren't? Does that demon have any relation to Jaldabaoth? What had it said to Blue Rose, and why had they followed it afterwards? Were they headed to E-Rantel, or somewhere else entirely? Most importantly, what should he do next?
The only confirmed facts of the situation were that the Death Knights were destroyed, and that both the demon and Blue Rose had left the country. The destruction of the Death Knights could definitely be counted as a success for the Royal Faction, even if he was not the one who accomplished it. Where the nobles had failed to perform any meaningful resistance, Renner's plan had more or less worked. Even if the one to actually win the fight was that demon, his scouts confirmed that there were no other witnesses, so Blue Rose could be given that credit.
Not even Renner should have been able to guess at the arrival of that demon. In other words, he currently had more information than her, and would continue to hold that advantage over her until they returned. Perhaps now, with this advantage against the most powerful unknown, he really could move forward with his plan. If it were now when the core of her information gathering ability was missing from the capital, he might be able to secure the throne.
In order to claim the throne, he would either need the king himself to abdicate willingly, or to gather the six great nobles and have half of them support him over the king. His father was even now holding out hope that Prince Barbro was still alive somewhere, so expecting him to change his mind now was incredibly unlikely, at least not without evidence proving his brother's death. His only remaining choice was to turn to the nobles, who could declare the king incapable of rule due to his age, thereby demanding his abdication.
Most of the preparation were complete, but he continued to wait for a perfect opportunity. He already knew that he had the support of at least half the great nobles, but he still needed the other half to come to the capital to vote against him. If they were to just stay in their territory while he proceeded to claim the throne, they could use that as an excuse to gather their armies in rebellion against him, pushing the already fragmented country into civil war.
His two main opponents were the children of Marquis Bowlrob and Count Ritton who had inherited their titles. Having sent spies into their estates, he now knew that neither of them knew enough about diplomacy to understand that technicality. As long as he had a decent pretense, they would answer an invitation to come to the capital.
Compared to them, he had to pay much more attention to his sister's actions. Renner was a genius capable of doing many things with limited resources, as evident by her extensive network of connections. She may be his ally in name, but as long as she had so much strength behind her personally, he couldn't let his guard down. Were he to rush ahead with his plans, she might seize some weakness of his and take everything for herself.
But now, as the report in front of him had confirmed, Blue Rose had left the capital. The adamantite-ranked party was easily the majority of her strength, as well as her primary source of information. Between Brain Unglaus and Climb she still had more than enough protection to be safe to assassination, but her ability to take actions of her own was significantly hampered without them.
There was only one piece of the puzzle missing before he could put everything into motion: The excuse with which to call the great nobles to the capital. Declaring his intent to force his father's abdication before the nobles were already gathered would be admitting to treason, or could freely be interpreted that way by his enemies.
To his amazement, this last piece fell into his hands the very next day. From the south, messengers stationed at the border with the Holy Kingdom rushed into the castle. Fearing news that the fort had been overrun in a demihuman invasion, he met them with a grim mood, but instead received word that Jaldabaoth was dead, slain by the Sorcerer King.
At last, the enemy who had ravaged the capital was no more. Though the one who had defeated him was the same monster who had annihilated their army, this was some good news at last. The Sorcerer King had largely left them alone after taking E-Rantel, but Jaldabaoth could never be reasoned with, making him the bigger threat in Zanack's eyes.
Reaching for a stack of letters and a pen, he quickly got to work writing a series of invitations, calling nobles and merchants alike to the capital. He took care not to make it sound too hurried, so gave them two weeks to travel to the capital, where they would participate in a grand celebration of the Kingdom's recovery. The great nobles would all be invited to stay at the royal palace for a week, so that all might see the resilience of the Re-Estize Kingdom, the week ending with a city-wide festival.
It had once again turned to night the time he finished writing the letters, sending out messengers to deliver them, and having the news spread throughout the capital. Satisfied with having finally gotten a step ahead of both the nobles who mocked him and his monster of a sister, Prince Zanack dropped into his bed for some well-earned rest.
Tanya's carriage arrived at the castle gates after a short but bumpy ride. Most of the merchant traffic was concentrated around the storehouses in the reconstructed financial district of the capital, while nobles had all arrived at the start of the week. As bad as the traffic looked from outside, the main street was fairly clear, so they only had to stop to let other carriages pass once.
When the carriage stopped, the driver quickly jumped off to say a few words to the castle's gatekeeper. He was obviously surprised, but just rushed off to open the gate and let them through. The carriage again began to move, parking in the courtyard a short distance ahead, right in front of the gate.
Their entrance to the city had been rough, but for everything after that, they were doing everything in their power to avoid causing them any inconvenience. Tanya assumed that they had received strict orders to avoid any possible insult to everybody related to the Sorcerous Kingdom. The fact that these policies were still being enforced weeks after Albedo had left was a clear sign of just how much Prince Zanack feared Ainz Ooal Gown's wrath.
On the way, Lakyus had wrapped up Kilineyram together with its sheath, then gathered most of her armor into a bag. As Keeno had already been changed out of her robes and didn't carry any obvious weapons on her, she had nothing to do. Tanya considered whether she should do the same, but decided against it. She had already stored the rifle away before they approached the city, but there was nothing she could do about the armor.
Despite being covered in dragon scales having the hardness of modern tank armor, the inside of her armor was fine leather as soft as pajamas, so she wore it directly over her bare skin, with nothing underneath it. While she still could have taken the rest of her military equipment off, that would involve removing the piece with Nazarick's emblem, which had saved her a lot of needless trouble. The Type-95 she refused to remove for obvious reasons, not that it would have been recognized as a weapon anyway.
Even if she were to enter the castle naked, her tail was still a functional bladed weapon which could bisect an armored knight. No matter how much she tried to disarm herself there would be no point, so she stopped after putting away the rifle. From the guards' reaction, she didn't expect anybody to say anything to her even she were to carry it openly, so just wearing her armor shouldn't cause an incident.
Since Tanya did not know the way around the castle, she let Lakyus and Keeno get out before her, then followed behind them. There were surprisingly few guards inside the castle, though they did pass by a pair of maids.
Unlike the guards who had been warned about their arrival, these maids were rather shocked to come face-to-face with a demon and vampire just after turning the corner. Both their faces paled, but before either could scream, Keeno cast [Silence] on both of them. She expected it to be easier to calm them down than deal with the commotion after they ran away screaming, but both maids had already fainted.
Unwilling to just leave them there but uncertain of what else to do, Lakyus ended handing her bag of equipment off to Keeno, then carrying the maids to the servants' quarters, only slightly out of their way. After that detour, they arrived at the princess's room. Lakyus knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" (Renner)
"It's me, Renner." (Lakyus)
"Lakyus? Climb, go get the door." (Renner)
After that exchange and a brief pause, the latch on the door clattered before being pulled open from inside, revealing the boy in white armor. He began letting Lakyus in, but froze the moment he saw the two behind her. By reflex, he jumped back while reaching for the sword at his waist.
"Renner-sama, please escape! They're-" (Climb)
"Climb, stand down." (Renner)
"But-" (Climb)
"That's an order. Stand down, now." (Renner)
Confirming the identities of her guests herself, Renner's tone turned uncharacteristically serious. Climb hesitated, but removed his hand from the hilt and let the visitors into the room. Renner's next action shocked him further, however, as she stood up to bow in front of the guests.
"I apologize for the disrespectful actions of my subordinate, Sorcerous Kingdom's Envoy-sama. Please allow me to accept any punishment you wish on his behalf." (Renner)
Upon hearing the identity of the demon he had threatened, Climb realized the severity of his actions. He lowered his head to join his master's apology, fearing not his own punishment, but that Renner might have to take the fault for his mistake.
"Do not worry about it, no harm was done. Please raise your head, Princess." (Tanya)
The two of them followed this formality to resolve the incident quietly. Even if what happened were to leak to somebody outside the room, they had closed the issue in a way that nobody would be able to shift blame. Afterwards, both continued as if nothing had happened, exchanging brief introductions for the sake of appearances. It was their first time meeting in person, though each had already heard about the other from Demiurge.
Keeno tried to speak up now that the conversation was over, but before she could, Renner came up and embraced her. Without waiting for Keeno to respond, Renner started talking.
"I can see you've finally made your decision, Evileye-san… no, Inberun-sama?" (Renner)
Renner's casual statement startled everybody in the room, with the exception of Climb, to whom the name was unfamiliar. Keeno herself had only told her original name to the rest of Blue Rose a few days ago. Even Demiurge had only known that she had been Landfall, but not who Landfall had been.
"Unbelievable." (Tanya)
Renner smiled at the praise (?), giving a brief explanation for Climb's sake.
"Nearly three centuries ago, a certain kingdom was destroyed overnight. At the same time, the vampire known as Landfall first appeared in that same kingdom's palace. From there, the story usually says that Landfall destroyed that country, but with that timing I think it makes more sense to say that Landfall appeared alongside the kingdom's destruction, rather than having caused it. Between her apparent age, her beauty, and her place of residence, it's a simple guess, right? That king's sole daughter, Keeno Fasrith Inberun." (Renner)
She had introduced her own interpretation of legends, speaking of ancient myths with no living witnesses as if they were common truths. She had laid out a path of logic which only she could invent or follow, yet in the end her conclusion was correct. With just a single guess, she had confirmed Landfall's origin.
"No wonder Lakyus is always calling you a genius, you're mostly correct. But, there's a granny who keeps calling me by that name, so just Keeno is fine." (Keeno)
"Then, Keeno-san. Since you're all here, why don't we catch up on everything that's been happening? Ah, Climb, could you get us some tea?" (Renner)
"Are you fine with that, Princess? Having the envoy from a formerly hostile nation here while you exchange military information?" (Tanya)
Tanya threw a provocative question at Renner, trying to gauge her reaction. Even if they were both supposed to be working towards the same goals, it was not simple to suddenly start trusting somebody who even Demiurge admitted was extraordinary.
"Well, I also want to hear about what happened to Albedo-sama after she had to leave so suddenly. We used to have talks over tea just like this." (Renner)
The response was feigned ignorance, delivered with a light smile and gently tilted head. As far as Tanya could tell, Renner had guessed the meaning behind the question, and so gave an answer mocking her for trying. Having made her point, she next gave an answer for the others.
"Just because our countries were once at war, that doesn't mean we cannot become allies in the future. Don't we all look forward to the day the people of the Kingdom can forget their grudges against the Sorcerer King? Showing our trust for each other like this is the first step towards reconciliation." (Renner)
Depending on who was listening, her comments could be described as idealistic, insane, or outright treasonous. The majority of the Kingdom would only recognize Ainz Ooal Gown as the monster who had slaughtered their friends and family like insects. Pragmatic as it may be, they would not even begin to consider forgiveness, let alone alliance. Even hearing that he had defeated Jaldabaoth in some distant land would not change their minds about that. Without personally witnessing it, most would not believe that undead or demons could be anything except enemies.
Few even among the nobility and royalty had understood how dire the Kingdom's situation had become as a result of the Empire's annual wars. By timing their invasions to overlap the harvest season, the Kingdom would be forced to conscript much of the manpower which farming villages desperately needed.
Year after year, the Kingdom's power waned, to the point where the Empire might have been able to conquer E-Rantel without the aid of Ainz Ooal Gown. Objectively speaking, those most responsible for the Kingdom's downfall were not the Sorcerer King and his minions, but the Kingdom's own nobility, who were continuing to drive the Kingdom into the ground to this very day with their infighting and general incompetence.
In Renner's mind, an upheaval was necessary, one which would show the people the failure of their own nobility, as well as the grace of the Sorcerer King. In the Holy Kingdom, even those undead-hating extremists had been converted into his loyal followers. Their own nobility had been overrun by Jaldabaoth's invasion, meanwhile they had been saved by the being which was supposed to be their hated enemy. After that, a single squire had converted them into devout believers who no longer saw Ainz Ooal Gown as a monster, but as an immortal god.
Recreating that exact result was probably impossible, but she may be able to do something similar to at least build a foundation. If she could wipe out her opposition with the same action, all the better. Certainly, it would require some sacrifices, many of whom held no fault of their own, but something like that hardly mattered. The important thing was that the end result would bring her closer to granting her wish.
Now that her brother had assembled all the pieces she needed, Demiurge had lent her all the cards she would use, and the grand stage that is the capital city was set, she just had to wait a bit longer.
Climb briefly stepped out into a side room, searching for the Princess's favorite tea set. Normally this task would fall onto the maids assigned to serve her, but she instead asked him to do so. Whether this was because she was worried about them saying something inappropriate, or because she did not want anybody else to hear the contents of the conversation, he could not tell.
It was not his place to question her orders. More importantly, she had told him to do it, so he would do it to the best of his ability. Without hesitation, he picked out the most expensive tea she kept, setting it on a tray along with a small jar of sugar, a gift from foreign merchants from south of the kingdom. Returning to the room, he set the tray on the table in front of Renner before taking his place behind her again. Thanking him for bringing the tea, Renner poured a cup for everybody present.
Renner was listening to Lakyus and Keeno, who were in the process of retelling the story of the Death Knights and Dracolich. Unexpectedly, despite Keeno's confidence prior to leaving, the first fight had been their complete defeat. As they found out at the start of the battle, the Death Knights had been under the effect of high-tier enhancement magic, while also being coordinated by some unknown means.
"There exists a spell known as [Undeath Slave Sight]. While I am not aware of the details, it allows one undead to see through the eyes of other undead under its control. With that, the Dracolich could control them while hiding in the mountains." (Tanya)
Tanya gave a hint as to how the Death Knights could be coordinated from such a distance, though it was really more of an excuse. They were her undead, not the Dracolich's, so naturally she had been the one giving them orders from above. She had simply hovered 100 meters above the scene of the fight, using magic to make herself invisible while doing so.
Since Tanya was not sure whether Evileye would have the ability to see through simple invisibility, she opted for the 5th tier [Greater Invisibility] instead, expecting she would not have learned countermeasures for a spell no normal human could ever use. Once the battle started, it was clear that Evileye would not have the spare magic to search for invisible opponents who may not be there, thus she switched back to 3rd tier [Invisibility] after the first scroll's effect duration ran out.
Like this, they continued to describe the few weeks after fighting the Death Knights. Lakyus would outline the story, while Keeno and Tanya would occasionally step in with specialized details. Renner was enjoying the story as if it were another heroic tale, but to Climb it was a chance to get a glance at Tanya's power.
During the war, Gazef Stronoff had sacrificed himself to give Climb and Brain the chance to see Ainz Ooal Gown's power, yet before either of them could see any change, Gazef was already dead. The battle had ended, and they had lost their only chance to look for any sort of weakness. Now, perhaps he might have gotten that chance again, but the only conclusion he reached is that he could never beat her, perhaps not even with the entire Kingdom behind him.
Just how many monsters capable of wiping out armies served the Sorcerous Kingdom? Even this young girl drinking tea together with them was on the level of a legendary undead, one who the infamous Landfall admitted she couldn't hope to match.
Climb knew he wouldn't be able to beat either of them, but it was his responsibility to defend Princess Renner against her enemies, no matter who they might be. Her kindness and willingness to trust anybody were part of her brilliance, but they were also why she needed to be protected. Perhaps she might be able to build trust with these monsters, but should she fail, it would fall onto him to make sure she alone can escape, even at the cost of his own life.
The story went on about the night they arrived in E-Rantel. Before she could get to the incident at the bar, Keeno and Tanya simultaneously and suddenly stood up, facing off against the section of wall just to the right of the door.
"What's wrong?" (Lakyus)
Lakyus recognized their reaction as a sign that she should also get on guard, though she was uncertain what she should be on guard against.
"Something just activated an absurd amount of magic power. Might be 9th or 10th tier, I can't guess at-" (Keeno)
The warning came too late, as before Keeno could finish the entire castle shook with a percussive blast. She and Tanya were already prepared for it, while Climb staggered but barely stayed on his feet, Lakyus nearly thrown from her chair. Renner was not as lucky, getting thrown backwards into Tanya, who happened to be standing behind her.
Marquis Raeven, nobody else.
As the Princess was knocked into her arms, Tanya heard a whispered voice, just loud enough to reach her own ears. There was no need to ask who had spoken, nor for her to give a response. She set back Renner on her feet, then began to act.
"What is there in the castle in that direction?" (Tanya)
"… The audience chamber. That's where Onii-sama's meeting was supposed to be taking place." (Renner)
"Get away from the castle as fast as you can. Keeno, you know the way around the castle, lead the way to the audience chamber. The rest of you, get out with the Princess." (Tanya)
Tanya may not have had any official authority over those here, but she naturally took command of the situation. Lakyus grabbed her bag of equipment while Keeno pulled her robe over the dress. Quick-change effects only worked in one direction, so that was the best she could do without stopping to change. She and Tanya led the way up to the corridor where they would split off from the others, when Renner spoke pleadingly once more.
"Tanya-sama, please… Onii-sama-" (Renner)
The last words were mouthed rather than spoken, but there was only one ending which wouldn't contradict her last order. What a monster, thought Tanya while running in the opposite direction after Keeno.
Part 5
Marquis Raeven raced on his horse, its steps becoming increasingly ragged as it grew exhausted.
In his desperation to escape, he had already thrown away his sword and stripped off his prized armor, tossing it aside to lose a bit more weight.
The orichalcum-ranked adventurers whom he had come to think of as friends had gone to slow it down, but to no avail.
He had been clinging to the horse's back for minutes, hours, he could no longer tell.
No matter how much time passed, it was not stopping, only getting closer with every quaking step.
"MEEEEEEHHHH!"
Raeven woke up covered in sweat.
Every night, it was the same dream of that horrid day. Half a year had passed since then, but he still saw them every night. He had long since given up trying to sleep next to his wife or son, lest they become unable to sleep properly like him.
At least the nightmares were now only a thing of the night, so he could once again do his job during the day. On that day, he fled from the Katze Plains as far as his horse would take him, then continued to flee on his own feet once his horse collapsed underneath him.
The next time he woke up, he was sleeping in his territory. After being missing for two weeks, his own border guard found him while patrolling near the edges of his territory, starved and disheveled. He had miraculously survived, but it was not for another month that he could get out of bed, then two more months before he could take on his duties.
He knew that they should have listened to Gazef's warnings. No matter how much their pride yelled at them, no matter how difficult it might be for the Royal Faction to surrender E-Rantel, they should have listened. Even if he had demanded half the country, that undead magic caster was not somebody they should have antagonized.
Long ago, his sole goal had been improving his own status and fortune. There was a time he tried to take the throne for himself, though he never got far enough in his plotting to seriously take action. His marriage had been purely political, at least at first, but his ambition broke down the first time his infant son grabbed on to his finger. After that, his only desire was leaving the domain to his son.
If the kingdom collapsed to external threats, there would be no territory to hand down. If the factional struggles plunged the country into war, he could not proudly let his son inherit the ruined territory which would come out. In this most dire time for the kingdom, he could not continue to sit around crying to himself about the past.
To his pleasant surprise, Prince Zanack had been hard at work during his recovery. Even without his help, Zanack had slowly but gradually been working closer to the throne, building allies with Princess Renner's help.
Prior to the start of the war, Prince Barbro was sent to Carne Village in an effort to keep him in a safe place, but neither the Prince nor his army had been heard from since. Five thousand men had accompanied him, and every single one of them had vanished from the surface of the planet. To Raeven, only confirmation of his death could have made for better news. This should have marked the end of the succession conflict, but still the King wouldn't accept his son's death, and refused to let Prince Zanack succeed the throne until Prince Barbro was found, dead or alive.
Unlike Prince Barbro, both Prince Zanack and Princess Renner had remained under guard in the castle, so they had not personally witnessed the monstrosities that Ainz Ooal Gown had called forth by sacrificing the Kingdom's army. Princess Renner was one thing, but if Prince Zanack had been on those plains, his sanity might never have recovered. He could at least be glad for these small mercies.
After Raeven managed to regain his determination, he began digging through the piles of paperwork which had gathered. He had some capable subordinates working for him who could handle domestic affairs in his absence, but there was little they could do outside the territory while he was incapable. Now, with several days work behind him, he could finally count the number of piles remaining.
The next morning, he once again woke up drenched in sweat, well before the first light of the sun. Washing himself off, he set off for his office to get back to work. On the way, he was stopped by one of the night watchmen, who had received two letters bearing the prince's seal. Thanking the soldier for his work, Raeven took the letters and returned to his office, which was carefully protected against magical eavesdropping.
Opening the first letter and scanning the contents, he inadvertently scoffed at the contents. Lathering praise, promises of gifts, and fine wine, a week-long party for the nobility in the royal capital. He barely made it halfway through the letter before tossing it aside, tearing open the second letter in search of the reason the Prince would send him this joke of a letter. His annoyance turned to serious contemplation. The Prince was making his move.
The first letter had been sent out primarily to minor nobles, second and third sons who suddenly got the wealth their older brothers had monopolized placed before them. They were backups at best, lacking even the most primitive knowledge of diplomacy. Many among them would consider a prince who would pander to them like this to be a good friend, never stopping to consider why he might choose to do so.
The second letter was likely sent only to a few individuals, personally selected by the Prince. This letter requested their attendance at a debate to determine the future of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was not an outright confession, but anybody who read between the lines would recognize what he really meant. No doubt, he was going to call for the abdication of his father, the King.
Marquis Raeven was the only noble who had been sent both letters, not by mistake but to show him the full picture, so he might better prepare. Though they had not spoken in months, Prince Zanack evidently still trusted Raeven to support his play for the throne.
Indeed, he had no time to spare. His territory did not border the capital, so the messenger had taken some time to arrive. The real meeting was not even two weeks away, and by his estimates, this would just barely be enough time for him to prepare everything he needed. Penning a brief letter for his wife and son, he slipped it under her door. It was truly unfortunate that he had to leave without a word like this, but right now he could not spare even the few hours it would be until they woke up, nor could he bear to disturb their peaceful sleep.
Together with the few retired adventurers he had remaining in his employ, he set off for the capital.
The news had already spread throughout the entire capital by the time he arrived. Curiously, though the Prince's letter hadn't mentioned it, it was common knowledge in the capital that the one who had defeated Jaldabaoth was the Sorcerer King himself, who had gone to save the Holy Kingdom at the request of their paladins.
Raeven wasn't sure if there was much meaning to the difference, though he had a hunch that it was something the Princess had spread. In the end, he decided not to think much of it, since the Princess was already working with them to get Prince Zanack onto the throne. She was probably trying to lessen the people's hate for Sorcerer King, so that they might avoid any possibility of future hostilities. Even without witnessing Ainz Ooal Gown's power personally, she should understand well enough the difference in power between the two kingdoms.
There was no real way for the Re-Estize Kingdom to claim any sort of credit for Jaldabaoth's demise. Prince Zanack had gained popularity by personally acting during the defense of the capital, and while this may have saved some people, trying to argue that this had any effect on Jaldabaoth himself would just be seen as mocking those who died or were taken. Princess Renner's choice to take what little benefit they could get was the correct one.
He had unfortunately lost many of his ex-adventurers, both guards and spies. Only a few remained, and he had not had a chance to search for more retired adventurers given his state up until now. Those few had been scattered around the capital to gather as much information as he could, but there was surprisingly little to hear.
Hearing that Jaldabaoth was dead would not bring back the loved ones his demon hordes had killed or kidnapped, but they could at least know that nobody else would be attacked like they had been. So, the people celebrated. The Kingdom may not be truly safe, but at least there was one less invincible monster threatening their homes.
As for the nobles, Marquis Raeven went to the castle on the first day of celebration to greet Prince Zanack, but did not stay for long after that. That part of the week was just bait to get their opponents to come to the capital, there was little to gain from attending every day of it.
During his visit, Raeven had tried to visit the King, but had been turned away. He couldn't be sure whether or not the King had caught on to what they were planning, but they wouldn't see him until the King's planned appearance on the fourth day, when Prince Zanack would ask his father to retire. If the King just accepted it would end there, otherwise the Prince would have to call for his abdication.
Princess Renner was also notably absent from the celebration, not even appearing alongside the Prince on the first day. When Raeven later asked the Prince where she was, he was told that she had was apparently worried about her friends from Blue Rose and hadn't left her room for the past few days.
This was news that Raeven hadn't even heard prior to his arrival in the capital. He once again lamented the loss of his ex-adventurer subordinates, who would normally have reported that sort of thing. His own network had been stretched too thin because of those losses, so Prince Zanack preventing the news from spreading to avoid an international incident had been enough to keep it from Marquis Raeven's ears as well.
Raeven was confused as to why Prince Zanack would still move forward like this without her support, but couldn't openly ask during the party without the risk of needlessly leaking information. The few words exchanged between Marquis Raeven and Prince Zanack before he left were just the Prince congratulating him on his recovery.
When the fourth day came, everything went according to plan. The King arrived to give his greetings, and all the remaining great nobles were in attendance. Prince Zanack suggested that with the immediate threat resolved, now would be a good chance for the King to retire from ruling.
The King praised Prince Zanack for everything he had done for the Kingdom, but continued to insist that such a decision shouldn't be made until they learned what happened to his elder brother, Prince Barbro. This much was still within expectations, so Prince Zanack continued, and called for the nobles present to decide whether the King should abdicate.
Many of the minor nobles present were obviously shocked, but the King himself only looked at his son with a somber expression. He accepted that the discussion would take place the next day, then retired to his bedroom.
Raeven looked around to get an idea of how the other nobles were responding. The new heads of house Bowlrob and Ritton were both blindsided by the announcement, which was to be expected given their inexperience.
Far more surprising were Marquis Pespeya and his wife, the First Princess. He had been prepared for some opposition from them, but both acted as if expecting it. Even Margrave Urovana stayed silent, despite being an old friend and loyal supporter of the King, who had always supported Prince Barbro for the throne.
If it were like this, the Prince would succeed, thought Raeven. Those who opposed him had little in the way of means to do so, while those who he had to watch out for saw the necessity of these actions. Then came the fifth day, when everything would fall to pieces.
There was no set format for this event, even though the requirements for calling it were well-defined. In the Re-Estize Kingdom's centuries of history, it has only ever been used as a threat, never actually put into motion. They only knew that those present – the King excluded – would decide together whether the King should abdicate in favor of Prince Zanack.
Marquis Raeven and Zanack both knew their first play should be to decide on a voting method which would be to their advantage. The ambiguity originating from the lack of precedent meant that this too was up for debate, and so they needed to make sure their opponents couldn't call for a unanimous decision.
When everybody gathered at noon to begin the debate, Bowlrob was notably absent. They were initially worried that Bowlrob and Ritton were boycotting the meeting to discredit Zanack's claim to the throne, but even Ritton seemed to be clueless as to Bowlrob's whereabouts. After confirming that he was missing from his room and giving him an extra twenty minutes just in case, they started without him.
The debate itself continued as they had hoped. Without even Bowlrob to support him, Ritton was alone and utterly unprepared. There were a couple capable individuals in the Noble Faction, but so many had been killed during the war that it really was only one or two.
As a result of the war, the Royal Faction was undeniably worse off politically, having raised and lost such a large army before having to cede E-Rantel anyway. However, most of the key figures among the royalty were still alive, while the same could not be said about the nobles. When it came to this sort of debate, they were quickly being cornered by Zanack and his supporters.
Since even the members of the Royal Faction who were expected to continue supporting the King instead agreed that Zanack should inherit, the goal for them instead became winning without harming the rest of the Royal Faction. Considering that the four of them were now putting this into motion without any communication ahead of time, it was going exceptionally well.
By the time the sun began to set, Ritton and the Noble Faction were running out of options. The King was all but set to retire due to his advanced age, and Prince Zanack was the only contender for his successor. Having wound up as the effective representative of the Noble Faction, Ritton was pressed to either come up with another counterargument or to concede defeat.
Before he had the chance to do either, the front door crashed open, revealing Bowlrob's figure. Unlike yesterday's Bowlrob, who had been neatly dressed and well-groomed, he looked ragged enough to have been running around the capital for all these hours. Even if he was also one of the great nobles, this sort of disrespect was unforgivable. The first to call him on this was Margrave Urovana.
"What is the meaning of this, Marquis Bowlrob? You abandon this meeting without warning, then barge in at its conclusion? Have you gone mad?" (Urovana)
"Shut up!" (Bowlrob)
In response to Urovana's legitimate complaint, Bowlrob yelled his defiance. Even Ritton was drawing away from him at this point, his vassals watching him with pale faces.
Had he gone mad? From the look in his eyes, they thought he might have.
"Hey, Zanack. I have just one question for you. How will you defeat Ainz Ooal Gown?" (Bowlrob)
Zanack hesitated, but answered the question. Bowlrob's attitude thus far was already enough to have him thrown out of the meeting, but letting him stay might do the Noble Faction more harm than good. Letting him keep talking would mean him digging himself into a hole and dragging all his supporters down into it.
"… I believe it foolish to even attempt doing so. The Sorcerous Kingdom's envoy has made it clear that they have no further interest in invading our Kingdom. Trying to attack a dragon just because it is resting would be a mistake." (Zanack)
He had made this policy very clear ever since Albedo first arrived. Even the slightest disrespect against the Sorcerer King would not be forgiven, lest they draw his wrath back to the Re-Estize Kingdom. He would gladly pay tribute if it could buy the Kingdom's safety from not only the Sorcerous Kingdom itself but also the Empire, its vassal state.
"I knew it, you really are spineless. You'd kneel before that monster after it killed my father, it slaughtered our armies and trampled over our very kingdom's pride. Even though we had the solution sitting in the capital this entire time, you never used it. Don't pretend you don't know about it now, one of my friends in the Eight Fingers told me about it, so we went and stole it this morning!" (Bowlrob)
By this point, Zanack was struggling to avoid breaking out into a grin. Bowlrob's rambling had passed beyond simply rude into an outright admission of treason. This wouldn't end with just humiliation, it was enough to see him executed.
On the other hand, Raeven's nervousness was growing in the pit of his stomach. Even Bowlrob would know what it would mean to say all of this, this couldn't possibly end with just words. Whatever hand he had yet to play, it would be something he thought could get him out of this.
For the duration of the meeting, guards had intentionally been kept away from the entrance to the audience hall to avoid information spreading, but the commotion caused by Bowlrob had been enough to draw a concerned patrol back to the room.
"Guards, seize Marquis Bowlrob immediately!" (Raeven)
He called out to the patrol, but they were too confused by the sudden order to act on it without hesitation. It was already too late.
Bowlrob pulled out a small statue of a four-armed demon. Each pair of arms held a small jewel between them, one purple and the other orange.
Zanack briefly recalled reading a report of a certain statue of a three-armed demon holding three jewels found in one of the Eight Fingers' hideouts. There were some small differences, but there was far too much of a resemblance for it to be a mere coincidence.
Before anybody could reach him, Bowlrob lifted the statue above his head and activated it. The purple jewel pulsed once before shattering into powder. A violet tear in space appeared between Bowlrob and the rest of the nobles.
From that tear, a thick crimson arm rose up to grab the ground, then another next to it. Pulling itself up through the tear, it rose to its full height of nearly five meters, spreading a pair of flaming wings behind it.
All across its body, scars of various sizes were clearly visible, revealing the magma-like blood beneath its dark skin. One of its horns had been cleanly broken off, while the other had a large crack running up its length. It appeared severely injured, but nobody in the room thought such a thing would make a difference. A weak flame coated its body, but it could be felt across the room.
From the gate into the netherworld that Bowlrob had apparently opened, an archdevil rose. It slowly ran its gaze across the members of the room, the various royals and nobles who were trembling from its glance. At last, its vision settled on Bowlrob, who was trembling behind it while wearing a victorious smirk.
"Now, I-" (Bowlrob)
Before he could get more than a couple words out, the demon swung its massive arm out, crushing Bowlrob into the ground. The entire building shook as the demon's arm left a sizeable red crater in the ground where Bowlrob had been standing. The demon then bent down to pick up the statue next to it, delicately holding it between two fingers before setting it on its other palm and standing back up.
"To think the escape route I left behind would be opened so quickly… Perhaps I should spare you fools for helping me to get away from the Undead King… No, I still need you to be sacrifices for my revival."
Although the demon was examining the statuette in its hand rather than sparing them any attention, none attempted to flee. Most were entirely unable to move in front of the demon, crushed by the aura of pressure it was letting off. Even for those who could, there was nowhere for them to escape to: The demon was standing where Bowlrob had entered, in front of the only door into the room.
"This item is not for the likes of humans to possess. The last time I was here Momon's presence forced me to leave without much gain, but he is no longer here. Similarly, the Undead King is not in this country to drive me out. Now, there is nothing left to save your capital from my hordes. Rejoice, humans. I will allow you to witness the power of this item as it turns your kingdom into a flaming ruin."
The demon slowly took step after step until it was in the center of the room. As if the nobles had all been gathered here to hear it speak, it continued its monologue. With its declaration of ruin, the demon dramatically raised the statuette to the level of its own eyes, staring into the remaining orange jewel.
"Trample them, my demon army! [Armageddon Evil]!"
As before, the orange jewel shattered when the demon announced its spell. Unlike before, a vortex of darkness formed around the demon, from which black bubbles fell onto the ground. These bubbles took the form of deformed inferior demons, flooding the room with over a hundred demons.
Individually, they were weak enough to be beaten back by a few of the castle guard, but their opponents were unarmed nobles, and their numbers would not allow for such hope. Under the archdevil's orders, these demons did not actively attack, only seeking to crush their defenseless opponents with their weight. Yet, the nobles could only tremble as the demons shambled towards them.
Before the demons could reach their targets, a section of the wall was blasted apart, from which a pale shot struck the huge demon. Although it did not appear particularly injured, it turned its attention to the broken wall, stopping its demons in the process. From the hole in the wall, another demon walked into the room, this one notably smaller than the one standing in the center.
"So, just what is going on here?" (Tanya)
Part 6
Tanya raced through the labyrinthian hallways of the royal castle, following behind Keeno. From what Renner had said, it was safe to assume that both Zanack and Raeven would be in the audience hall, also the center of the magic.
In her mind, detecting these sorts of pulses of magic was a far simpler task than identifying other aerial mages, who might be trying to hide their signals. When mages were another part of a military organization, it was necessary for them to encrypt their communications, minimize their signal output, and only emit the bare minimum magic needed to fight. Anybody without at least that much discipline would just be a flying beacon for enemy snipers and artillery.
There was no need to apply the same standards to magic casters in this world. They would almost never be integrated directly into the rest of an army, and even the Slane Theocracy supposedly preferred using dedicated units made up of magic casters. If she put in the effort to look for signals, locating even a 2nd tier spell in the same city wouldn't be too difficult a task for Tanya.
With that as her standard, there was of course no way she would miss a second 10th tier spell in the same building. Even through a few walls, its source would glow in her view like a second sun. Getting to the entrance would take a while longer, but speaking in absolute terms, they were already close enough.
Deciding that the situation warranted taking a shortcut, she raised her rifle to open one. Taking aim at the origin of the magic, she fired a blast through the remaining obstacles. A far more direct path now available to them, Tanya went straight towards the source, with Keeno now being the one to follow behind. Stepping through the series of holes and into the audience hall, she looked around to assess the situation.
Demiurge told me this plan was left to Renner, but any way you look at it that's one of his demons. An Evil Lord? Not exactly the same as his Evil Lord of Wrath on the 7th floor, but perhaps a slightly weaker variant of it. If something like that were to seriously try to kill me, I'd definitely have to run away, but it's probably here to act the part of the enemy. It went and stopped its attack when we arrived, so I should let it tell its story first.
"So, just what is going on here?" (Tanya)
As intended, the full attention of everybody in the room had turned to her. The Evil Lord examined the two of them, but did not immediately prepare to fight despite having already been attacked once. This alone confirmed her theory that it was not a random demon, but one summoned by Demiurge or another demon in Nazarick.
"Hm… One of the Undead King's minions, and… the unintelligent woman without a mask? Yet, neither your master nor Momon-san are here with you." (Evil Lord)
"Impossible… Jaldabaoth?" (Keeno)
Keeno gave the demon's identity, or more precisely, the role it was playing.
"I had thought this city would only be useful as fodder for my hordes, but it looks like there are worthwhile prizes here after all. The Undead King took away the maids I had bound over the centuries, so I shall respond in kind by seizing his servants." (Evil Lord)
While letting the Evil Lord continue its monologue, Tanya glanced over to the waiting nobles. The Evil Lord would not start fighting without any warning, but she had to be in position to shield Marquis Raeven before then. Renner wanted only him to survive, so she couldn't just take the fight elsewhere, but she also had to be discreet so Renner's role wasn't revealed to Keeno, who would be the witness to what happened afterwards.
She had only gotten a description without a picture, but he stood out enough to identify at a glance. Having overcome his fear of death enough to flee the Dark Young, he was now the only one among the nobles not paralyzed by the Evil Lord's presence. While the demons all had their attention turned away, he alone was desperately looking for a way out.
"I'd heard about you from Ainz-sama, but the way he described it, you were supposed to be nearly his equal. Looking at you now, I find that hard to believe." (Tanya)
"You are correct. Without a doubt, the Undead King was my superior when he was at his full power. His planning in the Holy Kingdom was perfect, and I should have been destroyed there. Yet, it appears even he could not predict how foolish the nobles of this country would be. I had to regress to this form to recover from those wounds, but this much strength should still be sufficient to subdue this country." (Evil Lord)
Raeven took the chance to run along the side of the room, where the deformed demons were relatively few. Not one of them paid attention to him until he ran past them and fell to his knees next to Keeno, at which point the Evil Lord waved his hand, commanding the demons to form a full wall behind him. Tanya wasn't sure whether it knew that part of the plan, but his self-saving action saved her some effort. Now, she would just have to let the rest get caught up in the collateral damage. With a mocking glance at Raeven, Tanya continued her provocation.
"The nobles of this kingdom, huh… Well, that hardly matters now. I cannot begin to guess what Ainz-sama was planning, but is his sending me here not because he was aware that you had escaped? I simply need to kill you here and everything will be resolved." (Tanya)
"You? A fledgling devil would kill the Demon Emperor? Even if I am weakened, do you believe I would fall so easily?" (Evil Lord)
"Not easily, but I would not say it if I didn't mean it. Well, I would prefer a more open area than this room. Would you mind starting this above the city instead? I believe Ainz-sama asked the same thing of you in the Holy Kingdom." (Tanya)
"A wide-open space? Very well, I do not mind. However, rather than changing locations, would it not be faster to create one here?" (Evil Lord)
"Create one?" (Tanya)
"[Crystal-" (Keeno)
"[Field of Unclean]!" (Evil Lord)
Infernal flames exploded from the Evil Lord's body, engulfing not just the entire room, but spreading through to the rest of the castle. Keeno's attempt to put a wall between him and the others came too late, only rising out of the ground after their view was already filled with a blinding conflagration. The wall which came out could only melt helplessly from the flames of hell coating it.
When the flames died down a few seconds later, neither the room nor its contents remained. Only the Evil Lord stood unharmed at the center of a scorched crater, standing opposite to a small circle centered around Tanya. Keeno and Raeven had been included in the volume of her heat-isolation shell, but behind them not even the frame of the door they had entered or the hallways behind it could be found.
Beyond the immediate range of the crater, the rest of the castle was similarly draped in flames. Besides the explosive force of the 10th tier spell [Field of Unclean] which erased the room they were in, everything within the area of a small field had combusted. Anything that could burn was burning, while the explosion itself had thrown around flaming debris from the central audience hall, which fell back down to spread destruction over a wider area still. In the game, the spell had only ever been a simple wide-range area-of-effect attack which couldn't affect the environment, but when applied in reality, a castle built with human sieges in mind stood no chance against its power.
The demons summoned by the Evil Lord were no exception, as low-level demons only possessed resistance against fire, rather than immunity. In their place, a new vortex formed up around the Evil Lord, now dropping into the form of humanoid mantis-like demons.
"How about this? Much more open, is it not? Now, I will allow these children to rampage through the capital, so shall we take to the sky and begin to kill each other?" (Evil Lord)
"Keeno. Take him and fly away from the castle. Lakyus should have already gotten out of the castle and gathered some defenses. Join up with them, and don't let those demons into the city." (Tanya)
As Tanya took a step forward towards the Evil Lord, Keeno could only watch from behind. It was obvious to her that just as Jaldabaoth had said, she was no match for him no matter how weakened he had become. Just like the first time she had encountered him, she was powerless against him. They may not look anything alike, but for a moment Keeno imagined Momon's stalwart figure standing in front of her rather than the small demon.
"Can you defeat him?" (Keeno)
"It's my job, after all. I can do this much." (Tanya)
Keeno nodded, then pulled Raeven's trembling body over her shoulder. He wasn't difficult to lift with her strength, but still a considerable burden. Without another word, she flew off towards the castle town.
With a wave of its hand, the Evil Lord sent the mantis demons running after her. They could have flown instead, but he intentionally had them run instead to give her a head start. The wave of 64 Hell Scythes perfectly split in two, running past either side of Tanya without disturbing her.
Once the clicking of their limbs could no longer be heard over the roaring of the flames around them, Tanya prepared herself as well. She wasn't sure whether this Evil Lord really was weaker than a normal one. It appeared to be wounded, but those might be purely cosmetic rather than functional.
At its full strength, it was level 84, over twice her level. Normal attacks wouldn't even leave a scratch, no matter how good her equipment was. The bare minimum duration to set up a formula which could harm the Evil Lord was five seconds. As a physical attacker which could continuously fly and teleport after her, it could simply continue interrupting her attacks while beating her into submission. In a real fight, she could only try to run away without any hope of defeating it.
An Evil Lord's magic attacks were based around fire, negative energy, and mental attacks, all of which were largely ineffective against demons. On the other hand, her attacks would use pure mana, which did not exist in the game and as such was largely irresistible. She had the advantage in everything aside from level, but the gap was simply too large for a fair fight.
Thankfully, this was not a real fight, but another theater production. Rather than trying to win the fight, the Evil Lord was likely intended to lose after an impressive-looking fight over the capital. Though the enemy wasn't under her control this time, the nature of the fight was not much different from the Dracolich.
Driving the Type-95 to its full output, she began to stack every support formula she could to close the immeasurable physical gap between them slightly. With this strong an opponent, she still had to take the utmost caution to avoid accidentally being killed by mistake.
"Shall we begin then? It's time to show the power of the subordinates of Ainz-sama." (Tanya)
"Then, allow me to make the first move." (Evil Lord)
All her enchantments and support formulae only allowed her to see the Evil Lord moving for a fragment of a second before its titanic fist struck against her shell.
A part of her was still afraid that Demiurge was setting her up to die by sending in such an opponent, then use her to justify a war afterwards, but the Evil Lord's first attack cleared those worries.
Weak. Way too weak for how heavy its attack should have been. Even if I can't evade these attacks, if it holds back this much it won't break through my shell. Alright, now I know it won't hurt me much. Time to get to work.
Instead of resisting, she rode the strike into the sky, flying back several hundred meters until she was over the center of the capital. Activating her own flight to take over from the momentum, she returned fire towards the Evil Lord which had risen into the sky on its flaming wings.
As the citizens of the capital stood in the streets watching their castle burn, the fight between two demons began to unfold in the skies above them. With the last light of the setting sun, the people gazed up to witness the last of Jaldabaoth's legendary battles.
Without taking a single look back, Keeno flew towards the front gate as fast as she could manage, all the while trying to keep Raeven from slipping out of her grip. At the front gate, a mix of civilians and adventurers were gathered, being kept away from the castle by a vastly outnumbered group of guards just past the gate. Among their number she spotted Lakyus, Renner, and Climb, who had reached the gate but could not leave due to the gathered crowd outside.
Deciding to start by clearing away the civilians and guards who would be overrun by the mantis demons, she amplified her voice with magic to give a warning.
"I am Evileye from Blue Rose. Due to actions by one of the nobles, the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth has been summoned to the castle. A group of mantis-like demons are currently headed this way. All non-combatants and adventurers below mithril rank should immediately get away from this area. Everybody else, prepare to defend at this gate!" (Keeno)
The warning naturally caused some confusion amongst the crowd, but Jaldabaoth's name was enough to get them to start running away. It was true that some would get trampled, but getting them out quickly was still better than letting them get in the way once the demons reached the gate.
The crowd quickly thinned out, leaving only four people on the opposite side of the gate. The rest of Blue Rose were still on their way, but she immediately recognized one man. Wearing the Kingdom's treasure sword Razor Edge at his waist, Brain Unglaus remained at the gate without hesitation.
Though she had never seen him seriously fight, he was said to be Gazef Stronoff's equal as a warrior. The sword which was supposed to be returned after the Kingdom's surrender instead stayed with him at Renner's suggestion, at least until he could find somebody else qualified to take over the position of Warrior Captain.
Renner had insisted that so long as the Kingdom had enemies like Jaldabaoth, it was better for the weapon to stay in the hands of one who could use it. The nobles would not bend on the other treasures, but Razor Edge was given to Brain for the time being. Now, it appeared that her judgment was indeed spot-on.
Aside from him, there was one guard who rushed up to see Marquis Raeven, who Keeno had dropped on the ground next to the gate. Figuring him to be one of Raeven's guards, she left him alone. The other two were adventurers she did not immediately recognize, but both wore orichalcum plates, so they should be capable enough.
"Keeno-san, what happened in the audience hall? Where is everybody else?" (Renner)
The princess wrapped her hands around Keeno's, asking the question with a pleading voice. Even in such a situation, she didn't forget to adjust the tone of her voice to the perfect mix of fear and worry. To Keeno, it could only be seen as a girl concerned for her brother's safety.
"There is nobody else. Jaldabaoth leveled the entire castle, only that one was close enough to get protected. Sorry." (Keeno)
The answer was intended to be private, but they were nonetheless overheard by the guards on the same side of the gate as them. Unfortunately, they did not have time to console the princess, so Keeno continued to call out her orders.
"Get the gate open. We need to give them a path to concentrate them here instead of climbing over the walls to get into the castle town itself. After that, get out of here, you'll just get in the way." (Keeno)
Her words towards the officials were far from respectful, but in such an emergency, the judgment of an adamantite-ranked adventurer outweighed their standing orders. They rushed to lift the portcullis before themselves fleeing the area.
Raeven's ex-adventurer guard went over to confirm his safety. The two active adventurers went over to Lakyus to confirm their plans with the leader of Blue Rose. Only Brain did not move from his place a few meters ahead of Keeno, his hand on Razor Edge's hilt, ready to attack.
"Hey. I'll confirm this just in case, but with how you are, you wouldn't have any relation to Shalltear Bloodfallen, would you?" (Brain)
The sun had already set too far for anybody else to clearly identify her features, but it was a simple task for Brain. It was not the first time they had interacted, and yet he did not let his guard down against somebody who might still become his enemy.
"If I'd known anything, I would have told you the first time you asked. At very least, I can say that I had never heard her name before you mentioned it." (Keeno)
"I see. That's unfortunate, when I thought I'd finally found a lead." (Brain)
Brain sighed and gave up his stance. As he started towards her, another blast shook the castle, throwing a cloud of dust and a rain of debris into the sky. The figure which was thrown out with it was too distant to identify, but it returned returned fire with its own magic.
Yet more explosions shook the castle, from the flames of which a demon on blazing wings flew out to meet it, again illuminating the sky with an immense fireball.
"That's Jaldabaoth? How are we supposed to even fight that?" (Brain)
"We don't have to. The Sorcerous Kingdom's envoy came to the city with us, and she engaged Jaldabaoth in single combat." (Keeno)
"Envoy? That Albedo woman is back?" (Brain)
"Not her, a small demon by the name of Tanya. She's easily stronger than me, probably stronger than Jaldabaoth's maids as well. He still has his injuries from the Sorcerer King, so she said she might be able to beat him. There's nothing we can do, so we have to count on her to win." (Keeno)
Brain kept watching the crimson flames and pale rays of magic exchanged between the two demons. Like the adventurers around him and many others throughout the capital, he was mesmerized by the mythical dance in the sky.
"I knew the Sorcerer King had powerful subordinates, but to think that even they would be so far outside reason…" (Brain)
"Save your amazement for later. We still have our own job to do. Jaldabaoth used some kind of magic to summon a swarm of demons. There are already at least fifty mid-ranked demons coming this way, likely with more being summoned afterward." (Keeno)
"What do you mean by that, Keeno?" (Lakyus)
"When we found him, he had over a hundred lesser demons around him. When they were burned together with the castle, the current group of mid-ranked demons came out. In the worst case, we should assume that yet another smaller wave of high-ranked demons would come out once these are defeated, or perhaps after some amount of time has passed." (Keeno)
Keeno's centuries of experience and decades studying various magic was not just for show, as she was able to guess at the growing effects of [Armageddon Evil]. However, her worst case estimate was far too lenient.
Starting with 128 demons around level 10, followed by 64 around level 20, the summons would continue to scale with each coming wave. Normally, the very last wave would consist of a single Evil Lord or Primal Archdevil above level 80, but doing so would go against the story which had established Jaldabaoth as a unique demon lord of immense power.
Since the main purpose of the spell was to occupy the adventurers' time rather than actually destroying the capital, bringing out demons higher level than the Pleiades would be counterproductive. Instead, the Evil Lord had opted for repeating earlier waves rather than letting the spell continue to summon stronger demons.
"Do you know the species of those demons, or at least an estimate of their difficulty?" (Adventurer)
"Long ago I read a similar description of demons called Hell Scythes, though I cannot confirm they are the same. I would estimate their individual difficulty to be near 60, primarily physical fighters with poisonous attacks." (Keeno)
"If we fought them individually, we wouldn't have much difficult, but with those numbers, it won't be so easy… We need to draw them into the gateway to avoid being surrounded." (Lakyus)
"I'll restrict their movements with my magic before we start. After that, Brain Unglaus will take the front to cut them down. This is going to be a long fight, so I'd like Lakyus to focus on healing. Any objections?" (Keeno)
"All right." (Brain)
"Understood, we'll go with that. Princess Renner and Marquis Raeven, it's too late to try running away now, so stay behind us. Climb, stay with the two of them in case some get through." (Lakyus)
"We're buying time for the rest of our members to arrive, and for Tanya-sama to defeat Jaldabaoth. In the event that she loses, all hope is lost. I will abandon all of you and teleport to E-Rantel, then beg for the Sorcerer King's aid. Please be prepared for this possibility." (Keeno)
With those words, Keeno walked out past the front of the group before stopping at the very center of the courtyard, halfway between the gate and the main entrance. She continued to stand in place as the door to the castle was cut apart, Hell Scythes swarming out like locusts.
It was not simply the 64 she had seen at first, more continued to flood out until there were nearly 200. Even as the army of demons charged towards the lone girl, she did not move.
"With just a few more of you, nothing will change. You lot are nothing compared to those maid demons or Jaldabaoth himself, no matter how many there may be. [Widen Magic: Sand Field – All]!" (Keeno)
The raging sandstorm marked the start of their battle.
As day turned to night, the royal castle of the Re-Estize capital suddenly burst into flames with a thunderous roar. Although some guards and adventurers approached for a closer look, most of the common citizens were frozen in place. Whether they had been directly involved or not, every single one of them remembered the night that Jaldabaoth's flames had encircled the financial district.
From the ruins of the castle, two figures engaged in combat. The first to fly out would probably have been difficult to recognize at this distance even in broad daylight, but against the night sky, the blue trail of light it left behind made it simple to track. The other figure to fly out was much easier to recognize. Blazing wings, a muscular body wrapped in flames, even children would recognize it to be a demon, and an incredibly powerful one at that.
Very few had ever seen the masked demon in a suit who had actually invaded the capital, so to everybody else this was a far more natural appearance. It was only reasonable then that the name they had been hearing for the past five days now came to mind.
"Jaldabaoth…"
"That's him!? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"
"Look at that, what else could that be if not the Demon Emperor?"
"What do we do now? There's nowhere to go if he's already at the capital."
"Who's that fighting him, though? There's no way that's the 'Dark Hero' Momon or the Sorcerer King, but who else could fight that?"
Despair spread throughout the capital. It was well known that Jaldabaoth was strong enough to easily kill adamantite-ranked adventurers who were themselves legends. Before, hearing that he had been fighting against the Sorcerer King over in the Holy Kingdom could be dismissed as infighting between monsters, none of their concern.
With such a threat literally looming above them, anybody who could save them would be a hero, even if it had been the same Ainz Ooal Gown who had slaughtered their army. The citizens of the capital could only hope that whatever was standing up to Jaldabaoth could actually defeat him.
Not a single cloud in the sky. If the opponents were ordinary aerial mages, I would have preferred some clouds for cover, but the other demon has enough firepower to blow away the clouds together with anything hiding inside them. Perfect visibility is a much safer choice when every shot coming at you is practically nuclear.
There's a consistent two-second delay between when I can detect the Evil Lord's magic and when it actually attacks. The magic itself is much slower than a rifle bullet, but even adding those delays together, dodging fifty-meter walls of hellfire leaves me with a tight window for counterattacks.
It's following my lead for the pacing of the fight. When I slow down to build a complex formula and attack, it takes the hit and responds with large-scale magic of its own. On the other hand, if I fire harmless shots at it, it starts using magic weak enough that it can't even burn me.
Still, even when it's doing all this to help me survive, we're still playing around with real magic. Live-fire exercise are safer still, at least those bullets can be stopped with a magic shell. Resistance or not, I'd definitely get some severe burns from that magic, so I can't let myself get caught by even one of those unprepared.
Tanya thought about the situation while evading incoming fireballs, which would explode behind her. Though her opponent was truly strong, the fact that it wasn't trying to kill her meant that she still had plenty of leeway. The attacks which she could dodge were all aimed at her, but any with an instant effect would barely miss her instead.
Perhaps Cocytus might have been able to notice the difference, but to the humans watching from the ground, the distinction was far too minuscule. The Evil Lord's attacks were expertly planned to make the battle look as tense as possible without actually killing her.
They could continue this kind of fight for a while without any real progress, but sooner or later one of them would run out of magic. The Evil Lord obviously had a larger pool of magic than her, but it was throwing out high-tier spells despite not being specialized in magic. It could throw around fire with just its skills, but those weren't unlimited either. Letting the fight end with her opponent running out of magic would ruin the whole performance.
After ten minutes of these exchanges, Tanya started to intensify her attacks. As she had hoped, the Evil Lord took the hint and changed its attack pattern in response. Giving up on the barrage of magic, it drew back its fist and rushed towards her.
The vast difference between their flight speeds meant that if she wanted to, she could maintain her distance indefinitely, but she instead responded by raising her shell and hovering in place.
Like the very first attack, it tapped her shell, which she manually broke while flying off in the opposite direction. She would fire back while the Evil Lord closed the distance again, thus repeating the process.
A few rounds later, she skipped her counterattack after taking a hit. When the Evil Lord closed the gap again, it grabbed her instead of striking. Raising a roaring shell of fire around them to drown out any other sound, it carefully brought her close enough to its head for them to speak.
"Will this much be sufficient, Tanya-sama?" (Evil Lord)
"It's perfect, thank you. Do you have an attack to target the city itself which I could block?" (Tanya)
"Of course. I will use such an attack after releasing you, then." (Evil Lord)
"Very good. Sorry about this." (Tanya)
"Please do not worry about it. Unlike manifest demons, physical death has little meaning to summoned demons. Demiurge-sama need only call for my aid again whenever you require my services." (Evil Lord)
"Alright, then. Let's get back to work." (Tanya)
"Then, please raise your defenses and receive this next attack. [Widen Magic: Vermilion Nova]." (Evil Lord)
The Evil Lord threw Tanya towards the ground while sending a large mass of intense flames after her. Accepting that she would have to take some degree of burns, she built a defensive shell while covering her face with her armored sleeves. Moments later, she struck the ground while simultaneously getting coated with the inferno.
The damage was bad, but not so severe that she wouldn't be able to move afterwards, so she activated a pain-numbing formula and proceeded to ignore it. She had landed in the center of a plaza full of witnesses, and having fought Jaldabaoth without injury would have looked unnatural, so accepting this much of an injury was necessary.
Digging her rifle into the scorched crater she was now standing in, Tanya braced herself against it and staggered back to her feet, locking eyes with the Evil Lord flying above.
"Your speed and agility are indeed exceptional, little demon, but you have taken up enough of my time. Realize that fighting while protecting this city will be your defeat. I previously used this to destroy the Holy Kingdom's prided border wall, but as there was no opportunity against your Sorcerer King, this will be the first time and only time I will use it against an individual like this. [Meteor Fall]." (Evil Lord)
As its words implied, a mass of light appeared in the sky above, clearly visible to everybody watching. With an unimaginable speed, the gigantic meteor fell towards the center of the capital, its trajectory perfectly aligned to pass by the Evil Lord and end at Tanya's location.
"Certainly, I won't be able to dodge that. But, if that is all you have…" (Tanya)
Calling out in a voice far too loud to simply be talking to herself, she slowly raised her rifle towards the meteor. An array of parallel rings of varying sizes spread out above her, each spinning at its own speed around the rifle's barrel.
They were not unlike ordinary magic circles they knew, but the sheer scale of the assembly was unlike anything they had seen. The only exceptions to this were the few living witnesses of Ainz Ooal Gown's Super-tier magic, who would give it second place.
"In the past I would have been forced to call for the aid of another, but my lord has freed me from that curse. Under my own power, I will manifest my own miracles as I wish." (Tanya)
Drawing the gathered rings together into one spot, they rotated around to cover a sphere, which collapsed in on itself until it was only a few centimeters in diameter, hovering at the tip of the gun's barrel. It was a pebble compared to the mountain of a boulder tumbling towards the earth, but its blue glow was no less intense than that of the flaming rock.
Lightly pulling the trigger, Tanya fired the ball towards the meteor. Flying off with the speed of a modern rifle, it soundlessly struck the meteor just as it was passing the waiting Evil Lord.
For a single instant, the entire world was silent.
Overlapping the falling meteor, a white sun momentarily appeared in the night sky, lighting up the city as if it were midday. Several seconds later, the pressure from the blast struck the ground, shaking the foundation of the city itself.
The citizens of the capital, Blue Rose in the middle of their battle, the soldiers on patrol outside the city, everybody within dozens of kilometers looked towards the center of the city where a second sun had appeared.
The light gradually faded, returning the city to darkness. In its wake, not a single trace remained of the meteor which had been threatening them.
One the rumbling subsided, all attention gathered towards the center of the crater, where the demon who was the cause of the phenomenon stood calmly, rifle still aimed upwards.
With a blue flash, the hulking figure of the Evil Lord appeared in the air next to her, swinging its massive fists down like a hammer. The shell they struck barely held against the unstoppable force, shattering the outer layer and cracking the inner one, but they ran out of momentum before reaching their target.
Not missing the chance, Tanya covered the blade on her tail with magic and swung it across the Evil Lord's stuck fists. The natural weapon struck its skin with a metallic thud and was partially deflected, but still left a deep gash on each finger. The Evil Lord staggered from the attack, magmatic blood scattering into the air. Jumping back to the edge of the crater, Tanya stopped and examined the Evil Lord.
Since her attack was an explosion of pure mana rather than a fireball, its fire immunity could not protect it at all. Parts of its body had been all but erased in the process, stripping not only skin but even the blood and muscle beneath it, revealing the thick black bones underneath. The flames which previously ran across its entire body had nearly vanished, leaving only a few tracks spreading from its heart.
It had survived the attack, but its current appearance could only be described as "at death's door." This state was not a simple act, but a real result of having barely escaped annihilation.
As Tanya saw it, magic of this degree was hardly worth reporting. It was certainly impressive compared to before she had started using her current set of equipment, but even now it could not be compared to what Ainz was capable of. Though she had only seen his Super-tier magic once, a cursory examination was enough to conclude that it was leagues above anything she could use.
No matter what techniques she might try, his magic would kill her. She did not have a single doubt about this fact. Conversely, her own magic which was only at the level of killing a Dracolich would be of no interest to Ainz or Demiurge. As such, she had never bothered to report the details of that fight.
Without that information, the Evil Lord had only been told of her mock battle against the Pleiades, but knew nothing about her capacity for instantaneously dealing damage. Taking the hit which shot down the meteor was intentional, that was why it had stood directly between her and the meteor.
Instead of receiving the expected attack, the Evil Lord felt an instinctive warning and used [Time Stop] only a few milliseconds after the explosion. This reaction let it survive, but that moment of contact had been enough to drain over 90% of its remaining HP.
The sudden damage had triggered one of its innate skills, [Wrath Counter]. Without holding anything back, it teleported in to launch an attack with its full power, capable of dealing the same amount of damage that the Evil Lord of Wrath had received.
Since this skill allowed it to ignore the party's tanks and immediately strike at the defenseless attackers with a powerful physical attack, it was a considerably dangerous ability. Normally, one would spread high-power attacks over a longer time to avoid dealing too much damage at once to prevent the ability from triggering, or preemptively use skills which would forcibly redirect the attack to one of the tanks.
Tanya could notice the sings of teleportation magic and its destination ahead of time, but the full-force attack was an unexpected followup. Such an attack gave her a moment of panic, but she still managed to take advantage of her multilayered shell to spread the attack over a few points and barely stop it from critically injuring her.
After the effects of the skill ended, the Evil Lord regained control and retreated, thankfully having failed to accidentally kill its opponent. Death might not be a problem for it, but disobeying Demiurge's orders was unacceptable.
Taking care not to show its relief on what remained of its face, the Evil Lord began to speak.
"I thought my ambush was perfectly timed, but to think you would be prepared even for that… I must offer my heartfelt praise." (Evil Lord)
"To you as well, I'm amazed you survived even that. I had to burn out my precious rifle for that last attack." (Tanya)
"I was only barely able to teleport out. For a moment, I forgot that I wasn't fighting the Sorcerer King himself. With that kind of power, are you truly content with being a subject of the Sorcerous Kingdom? You could have stood by my side as an empress." (Evil Lord)
"Don't be ridiculous. A title like that is meaningless before a supreme being such as Ainz-sama. I am a soldier, not a ruler, and Ainz-sama is generous to those who serve him." (Tanya)
"I see. Please allow me to apologize for the words I spoke to you when we first met, your ability transcends your age as a demon. It is truly unfortunate that I would have to kill one such as yourself." (Evil Lord)
Tanya pushed the overheated rifle back into her bag, in its place taking out a pitch-black, cursed-looking combat knife. She drew the knife from its scabbard, covering it with a magic blade while tossing the scabbard back into the bag. The cursed blade took on a crimson glow, befitting a demonic weapon.
"Are your preparations finished?" (Evil Lord)
"Yeah. Melee combat isn't my specialty, but I have my share of experience in it. With our injuries, it'll be down to who gets the first hit in." (Tanya)
"Then, as I was the one who began our battle, I will allow you the first strike this time. Come any time." (Evil Lord)
Both of them stood ready, the Evil Lord relocating the remaining fire on its body towards its fists, while Tanya crouched down, knife at the ready.
In an instant, she accelerated forward, flying along the ground at an incredible speed towards the Evil Lord. The momentum would easily let the knife pierce its heart, but it was far too obvious an approach.
Thrusting its mace-like fist forward, it struck her. Except, the figure just phased through its fist and kept moving.
Wide-eyed, it froze from the unexpected lack of response, and that moment proved fatal.
The cursed knife was driven into its back, piercing through its molten heart.
"Since the start of our conversation, the one you were talking about was a decoy. The dust cloud from your attack made for the perfect cover to send it out." (Tanya)
"… Splendid…" (Evil Lord)
What was left of the Evil Lord's face fell into a satisfied smile as the last fire in its chest disappeared. Starting from its chest, its massive body gradually turned to black particles and blew away with the wind.
Tanya stood alone in the crater-shaped arena.
