Chapter 2: Hail to the elementary school graduate!
Once the door closed behind her, Shalltear dropped her bag without a care at its base.
"God, that was insufferable." She groaned, her back flopping against the wall. Save for the school assembly this had to have been the most tedious day of her afterlife. And she had to do this five days a week every week?! Taking care of Kyouhukou's familiars would have been a more pleasant experience. At the very least they would have made for better conversation.
Making sure her bag wouldn't get in anyone's way were they to open the door, Shalltear left it behind as she went forward into the next hall and then through the double doors at its very end. On the inside was a very dimly lit office; six others present before a large mahogany desk.
"Shalltear." Albedo greeted her with a nod. "Good. The meeting is about to start soon. All we're waiting on now is Demiurge and Lord Ainz himself."
"Glad to hear it. I wouldn't want to be late again." She said to the succubus with some deliberate bitterness.
Though her small smirk showed she knew full well what the problem was, Albedo still decided to feign ignorance. "Oh? Is something the matter, Shalltear?"
"You're damn right there is! What was all that about this morning?! Calling me out in front of your entire class like that!" Shalltear ranted at her.
"I was merely acting in my role as your teacher to the best of my ability. If you wish to criticize my methods you'd have to take it up with Lady Yamaiko. She believed a strong, firm hand was needed to keep her students out of trouble."
Shalltear was stunned for a moment, such was the effect of hearing another invoke the name of one of the Supreme Beings. Indeed, all the Guardians knew that Yamaiko had been a teacher due to her conversations with the other creators (though admittedly they'd never met anyone outside of her younger sister, Akemi, whom she had taught) and Albedo was far from someone who would lie about aspects them, so it was undoubtedly true. Still, Shalltear could not bring herself to back down quite yet.
"She also believed children were a treasure to be educated, protected and looked after. Her own creation, Yuri Alpha, can confirm that much. What you did in there seemed to be fueled by nothing more than your own petty jealousy."
"Jealousy?" Albedo cocked her head at that statement.
Finally seeing her chance to get under her skin, Shalltear smirked mockingly. "You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's not like you can help how you've aged. This kind of undercover job required a far more youthful heroine, so it was only natural Lord Ainz would pass you over."
A very audible grind of Albedo's teeth could be heard, though her smile had yet to falter. "You volunteered for the part of a student, remember? And Lord Ainz didn't object because he knows just as well as everyone else does that there's no other role you could play. Who exactly in their right mind would believe you were a teacher? Especially when you need a little help to even look this age." She scoffed at the very idea, jabbing her finger at Shalltear's bust; it having quite a different feeling to it than true flesh would. "Be it in experience or in body you're a bit too lacking."
Like back in the classroom, such a comment struck a clear nerve but Shalltear pushed forward. "Lord Ainz certainly didn't have any complaints when I first showed him my uniform. Lord Peroroncino was an expert on this type of subject and he would say it's no surprise for men to prefer a youthful, energetic figure. All that milk does you little good when it's expired. Besides…who are you calling inexperienced, you…" She took her time to deliberately and joyously spell it out. "V-I-R-G-I-N."
"YOU LAMPREY!" Albedo's rage finally exploded forth so fiercely her smile could no longer hide it.
"Bring it, hag!"
From across the room, Aura gave a deep sigh. "I can't believe those two are at this again." The dark elf girl shook her head as she watched the women bear their claws and teeth at each other, only the slightest bit of restraint keeping them from going for the throat.
"Should… S-should we stop them?" Her twin brother Mare asked timidly from her side, partially hiding himself behind the wooden staff he carried that was nearly as tall as he was. He was as powerful as anyone else here but he wasn't the type to typically enjoy confrontation.
"IT. IS. A. DISGRACE. HOW. THEY. ARE. ACTING." Cocytus huffed indignantly, cloud of frost coming out between his tusks as his breath. "IF. LORD. AINZ. WERE. TO. SEE. SUCH. A. SIGHT-"
The heads of everyone in the room, even those of the warring Albedo and Shalltear, immediately turned in attention to the click of the door handles.
The twin frames swung open. Demiurge was the first to enter, a proud smile displayed across his face as he quickly took his place amongst the rest of the servants, making way for the arrival of true importance.
Despite the room's carpeting, Ainz's boots still made heavy footfalls as he walked his way forward. The doors shut behind him on their own, almost seeming pushed by invisible hands, as one by one the Guardians dropped to their knees to bow as he passed.
Ainz walked to the chair of the desk, taking a moment to stare out the large window draped behind it. This was the former headmaster's office, so it was of little surprise how much of the campus could be seen from this single high angle alone. And the glass itself was special. One-way, to ensure no spies looking in from the other side.
That said, Ainz wished to be a bit more certain of their privacy.
"Is the area secure?" He asked his subordinates, seeing their reflections in the window just as clearly as they could see the stare of his unmoving mask.
"Yes, my lord." Sebas answered, having been in the room the longest before this meeting. "We've gone through all the checks you requested. The room is sealed. No one is looking or listening in."
Ainz turned to face them, pleased with what he had been told. As he took his seat at the desk, he raised his hand up to slide off the mask.
However, the face underneath it was not that of the man he'd showed those two students earlier this day.
Rather, this was the true image of the Supreme Being known as Ainz Ooal Gown; a skull with glowing red eyes that burned like fire.
As if to further confirm the truth of his nature to an audience that was not there, a small twitch of his fingers and the gauntlets around Ainz's hands vanished into the air, leaving behind phalanges and joints completely devoid of any flesh, and that moved just as easily without it.
The face revealed to them would have been the cause of nightmares for any others. But for all those present, its image served only as a source of comfort and ease.
"Present yourselves." Albedo gave the order to her fellows, all of them to stay knelling until directed otherwise.
They went in the order they'd practiced many times over, long before this day, hand over heart as they spoke.
"Shalltear Bloodfallen. Guardian of the first, second, and third floors."
"COCYTUS. GUARDIAN. OF. THE. FIFTH. FLOOR."
"The Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Aura Bella Fiora!"
"Al-Also Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Mare Bello Fiore."
"Demiurge. Guardian of the Seventh Floor."
"Sebas Tian. Head butler and leader of the Pleiades Six Stars."
"Pandora's Actor! Area Guardian of the Great Treasury!"
"Please get off the table…"
With everyone else finished, Albedo raised her head. "Albedo. Overseer of the Guardians. As requested, master, all your servants have arrived as you ordered, ready to do your bidding."
With introductions finally out of the way, Ainz gave a single nod of his head in approval of their devotion. "Rise."
As per his command, all before him rose to their feet as one, so synchronized one might wonder if they practiced that too.
"Have there been any difficulties in being integrated into the school?"
Demiurge shook his head. "Nothing major thus far, my lord. Some of the existing faculty did find the sudden influx of new teachers a bit peculiar, but from those I've spoken with most had been expecting at least some kind of shake up ever since a former teacher, Hitomi Ishigami, was fired for petrifying her art students."
The lights that were Ainz's eyes gave a few quick flashes into darkness, as if he were rapidly blinking. "…Petrifying?"
"Indeed, lord. Ms. Ishigami it seems was a Gorgon, or Medusa, as this world prefers to title. Literally turning female students who captured her interest to stone."
"I…see…" Ainz trailed off slowly. "I'm surprised being fired was all her actions resulted in, though I suppose the laws and rules of this world might work differently. Please, continue."
As his subordinates continued on talking and sharing the information they'd learned, Ainz stayed seated, elbows resting on the desk with his hands thoughtfully intertwined before his face, giving the appearance that he was listening intently to every word.
In his head however…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The pained screams inside his own mind were so loud and forceful it was amazing they didn't manage to push themselves out of his actual mouth. The intense panic he felt sharply plummeted, indicating his undead body had just suppressed his massive surge of emotion, as it'd done many times before. However, the underlying stress still remained, seeming ever immune to the ability.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?!"
It happened again. That one in a trillion impossibility that could only ever happen in one of those old Isekai animes Bukubukuchagama would tell him about? A plot premise that's really popular because it could never actually happen in real life? It happened to him again!
For the second time in Suzuki Satoru's life, he'd been sent into another world with no idea how he got there!
For the hundredth time Ainz went over it all in his head and more than likely he was going to do it a hundred more. Not that it revealed any sort of helpful answers.
All he'd been doing before arriving in this world was walking out of his room on the ninth floor. Out the doors and down the hallway, it'd become unusually dark all of a sudden, especially for a being of his race which possessed nocturnal vision. A few steps later and the next thing he knew he was walking out of a long tunnel, one designed for buses. All the NPCs before him, whom had not been anywhere near him before, now right at his side, just as confused as he was.
"When Nazarick got sent from YGGDRASIL into that other world, it seemed to happen when the clock struck zero on the server shutdown. In that case, that could at least be seen as the cause of what happened, or at least a noticeable connection to it." Ainz remarked to himself, his thoughts swimming wildly within his skull. "But this? Nothing's jumping out at me. Some of the NPCs told me that they weren't even moving around like I was. Mare said he was just reading in the library when everything went dark. And we were all so scattered around. Could this really have been just a freak accident?"
"-though it's no surprise that Lord Ainz already suspects such a thing."
"Huh?" Ainz's head perked up at the mention of his name.
Looking around and all eyes in the room were on him. Though Pandora's Actor and Cocytus could naturally hide their true feelings due to their races, most of the NPCs before Ainz seemed confused about something, while Demiurge and Albedo just looked upon them with pitying scoffs, apparently quite proud of knowing something the rest didn't.
"Shit! I lost track of the conversation!"
Taking a moment to recover, Ainz casually cleared his throat (only seconds later realizing that was quite the odd thing for a skeleton with no throat to do). "Demiurge, please, elaborate further. It would seem some present are a bit lost to your meaning."
"Of course, my lord." Demiurge said with a quick bow before turning to the rest of them. "Laying out all the facts and information thus far, it's undeniably clear that our arrival in this new world is anything but random. One need look no further than those present in this very room in order to see that."
He held up his gloved hand, counting off on his fingers each of his points as he went through them.
"One: If this was an environmental trap, a dimension shift, or even a Mass Teleportation [Gate] spell, why were only select individuals sent here? Why not the entire Great Tomb of Nazarick, such was the case with the previous world? Such precision would require significantly more MP and an accident would have been more likely to kill us than bring us here unharmed.
"Two: All present here are very significant figures within the Great tomb. However, we are not all significant in the same way. If the teleportation affected a common factor between all the Floor Guardians, of whom make up the majority of this group, then why are Gargantua and Victim not present with us? Why are Sebas and Pandora's Actor? If the common factor was those with the highest stats or more important positions within Nazarick, why are Rubedo and Aureole Omega not here? We were all sent here at the same time, which suggests there is indeed a pattern but one which we've yet to uncover.
"Three: The timing is most suspicious, in regards to both here and there. Only just a short time ago we completed a siege of the capital city of the Re-Estize Kingdom under the guise of Jaldabaoth, the Demon Emperor, and were soon to put into motion the plans to take Nazarick public using the Baharuth Empire and its workers. We were sent here before we could give them the location. And as for this world, we arrived at this school during the summer break; a time in which the majority of students would be away from the campus, thus if we were to cause any trouble they would not be in any danger. If it is all a coincidence, then it is quite a miraculous one."
The faces of the other NPCs started to clear as they began to quickly comprehend Demiurge's words.
"Okay, I see." Ainz noted to himself with his own nod of understanding. "Those are really good points. And Demiurge is right. Just because I don't know the exact cause doesn't mean I should just assume it was nothing. I can just see his creator Ulbert scolding me for being so lax like that." He chuckled quietly at the memory of his goat-faced old friend.
"Of course, Lord Ainz already put all this together when we arrived here." Demiurge said, gesturing his outstretched hand back to his master in praise of him.
"I did?"
Albedo smirked knowingly, taking the floor next. "This goes along with why we are complying with that foolish headmaster's request of us. Our lord plans to use this school and its connections to get to the bottom of this mystery and punish those responsible for bringing us here."
"I am?!"
The face of each NPCs lit up as they looked upon their brilliant master. Their basking admiration of him was as bright as the sun and Ainz could stand looking directly at them just as much.
Soooo badly did he wish to tell them that they had the wrong idea of him. That the majority of them were far more brilliant and competent than he could ever hope to be and that he had no clue what they were talking about. But…just a few seconds of imagining that look of crushing disappointment on their faces and…
"Well done, Demiurge. You as well, Albedo. Once again you both have seen straight to the heart of my intentions." Ainz praised them. "I am truly blessed to have such gifted individuals in service to me."
Albedo's hands clasped themselves over her heart. "You honor us beyond words, my lord!"
Demiurge gave another controlled bow, though his iron tail gave a few wild twitches behind him to betray his thrill. "I endeavor for my mind to work even half as flawlessly as your own."
"If you had half of my mind I don't think you'd even be able to function." Ainz's brain bullied itself.
Comments from the others started to join into the background.
"Holy crap, Lord Ainz is so cool!" Aura squeed.
"TRULY. A. STRATEGIST. WITHOUT. RIVAL."
"As expected of my creator. His brilliance outshines the stars themselves!"
"My goodness…I think I'm starting to get a few hot flashes." Shalltear fanned herself.
"Please stop…" Ainz silently begged them, resisting the urge to push his face down into his desk, cover his head with hands, and never come back up.
In order to try and distract himself, he thought back to their first encounter in this world, barely just a few minutes after his group had exited that tunnel.
"And who might you fine folks be?" The stranger had greeted them friendly enough upon their encounter, Ainz later finding out that he had sensed them as they passed through the barrier that encompassed the entire campus.
The players in YGGDRASIL whom specialized in Holy and protection-type magics were few and far between in comparison to the other categories, and those who did often built their avatars for roleplay over combat. The headmaster, Tenmei Mikogami, reminded Ainz very much of them, looking the part of the stereotypical exorcist and devote holy man. Ainz nearly attacked him on the spot out of reflex, as when it came to PKing such players were the bane of undead heteromorphs like himself. But he now was thankful he held himself back and that in turn the NPCs didn't attack either.
When it was clear no one wanted to start a fight, the headmaster had invited them all to this very office to speak with them and hear their story.
"And then made this offer to us. A complete group of strangers… And he's gone off to…where?"
Working up as much nerve as his body had, Ainz lifted his head straightly, causing all the NPCs to instantly fall silent, as if they could feel the sheer determination behind his glare.
"Powerful as we may be, it is imperative we exercise the upmost caution. We are significantly lacking in resources in comparison to the last time we were all transported against our will. We cannot afford to go around making enemies haphazardly. As such, we'll play the exorcist's little game for now. Whatever his goal or that of the unknown power that brought us here, it matters not, so long as we are the ones who win in the end."
Smirks began appearing around the room, those with the most negative karma bearing the most devious ones. All were getting fired up from their master's words, causing Ainz's non-existent stomach to only hurt more. Still, he had to go on with it.
"First and foremost, we are to gather intel, both on this world and on Tenmei Mikogami himself. The latter is to be subtly. We do not wish to seem like we are biting the hand that feeds us, at least not when so much still remains unknown about his capabilities. As for the former, we have a bit more breathing room on how to proceed. As travel to the human world is not restricted, I will likely send at least two of you further out than the tunnel's exit once we've gained a significant amount of data here at the school. Albedo, Shalltear, Pandora's Actor." He called on each of them, getting a straighter stand in each of their backs. "As those with currently the most secure positions within this school, that shall be your responsibility. In particular, it would to our benefit to know how this world's governments and dominant cultures function, as well as differences between our two worlds in regards to magic and monster species. In particular, the seemingly natural ability they have to disguise themselves as humans. Such a skill could prove highly valuable to us in future stealth operations."
"Yes, lord." Albedo and Shalltear said in union to him with a bow.
"Ja, mein Gebieter." Pandora's Actor did the same, causing Ainz to slightly look away in shame.
"Despite the presence of monsters, this definitely isn't a fantasy world. In fact, at first glance, it almost seems like it could be the past of my own original world." Ainz thought it over to himself. "The year here is 2004. My present was 2138. Not only can I read the language but so can the NPCs. It really is Japanese, and the human world on the other end of the tunnel sounds just like how Blue Planet told me Japan used to be like before it became overrun by pollution. I have basic knowledge that can maybe be applied to at least give the illusion I'm not completely ignorant of this world. It might even give me a shot of pulling off this damn role!" He whined to himself.
Having to act the part of an all-knowing ruler caused Ainz stress beyond measure. Yet, somehow, the idea of being a headmaster was making him feel worse. The most probably reason for this was likely that being a king was a vague enough topic that most wouldn't be experts on it and would go along with whatever they saw. Whereas in a teaching position, Ainz knew EXACTLY how unqualifed he was.
He couldn't…SHOULDN'T…be a high school headmaster. Because he himself had never even been to high school.
In the world of Suzuki Satoru, tuition was required to attend even elementary school, making it a luxury very few could afford and any higher levels of education a complete impossibility to anyone who wasn't connected to the top brass of the mega corporations; the obscenely wealthy, in other words. Ainz would say it was a miracle he was one of the few lucky enough to have been an elementary school graduate… But given that the overwork and finances required to put him there cost him the lives of both his parents, it certainly never felt that way.
True, he was from a more advanced age than this current year, so it'd be somewhat reasonable to believe the curriculum they taught Ainz was far further ahead than anything they'd teach in the elementary schools here. But given what Ulbert often liked to bitterly rant to him, about the conglomerates seeing people as nothing more than expendable worker bees who existed only to make the rich richer, that seemed very unlikely.
The sad truth was, it was Demiurge and Albedo whom the headmaster had been so impressed by, and as they were Ainz's underlings he naturally just assumed his intellect was on par with theirs.
"I take it I do not need to say this more than once, but though this is a different world we are to make certain we do not fall into any of the same pitfalls we did in the previous world. Most especially, my arrogance in overlooking the possibility of World Items appearing." It was only a small bit of motion but Ainz saw Shalltear turn her head slightly to the side and do her best to avoiding looking at him. The clear shame on her features did give him some guilt over bringing it up. "At the moment, there's no reason to believe they will not pop up here, or even that this world might not containing its own items that far surpass their power. While such discoveries could prove greatly useful to us, given our own significant lack of World Items to shield us, beyond the few we happened to have carried over, constant communication and withdrawal are my immediate default orders to you all should you encounter such things. No one is to go charging in foolishly.
"However," He then added on. "We must not overlook this: our most immediate priority is still to find a way to return to Nazarick. Whatever treasures this world may hold, those back in the Great Tomb are our comrades and we shall not simply abandon them for greener pastures. We would be foolish to allow greed to blind us to what we already possess. Consider even a single one of Nazarick's bricks to be worth more than every last bit of value in this world has to offer."
Ainz's words brought comforted smiles to all those present, and from Albedo a small, almost unnoticeable breath of relief. While they were never ones to complain about anything, he supposed they missed their home just as much as he did.
Demiurge took a careful step forward. "Since we are on the subject, I do believe I may have discovered something that could give us a small bit of insight into Tenmei Mikogami. If nothing else, a place to start in deciphering his plan."
"Oh?" Ainz said with interest. "Please, continue."
Demiurge gave a nod in thanks. Reaching into the jacket of his suit, he pulled out a small beige folder and placed it on Ainz's desk, sliding it over so that he may read it.
Ainz flipped open the cover, discovering the inside to be the school record of a student. "Tsukune Aono?" He read the name across the top.
Upon hearing that, Albedo took a curious step forward. "If I recall correctly, that boy is a student in the homeroom class I'm teaching. He sits next to where I placed Shalltear." She said, confirming to herself that she was remembering correctly as she recognized his picture in the file.
"That name does sound somewhat familiar." Ainz remarked to himself as he eyed the same photo, not having as quick a memory as Albedo's. "I think he might have been one of those two students I met this morning. I'm pretty sure anyway. His pink haired friend certainly left a greater impression. He's kind of plain looking."
"What is the significance of this boy, Demiurge?"
The archdevil adjusted his glasses, pushing them up his nose with a single finger. "There is a strong possibility that Tsukune Aono may be a human."
His words hung in the air for an incredibly long minute, with some thinking they may have misheard him.
"A human?" Mare spoke up. "I thought this school was only for het-heteromorphs and demi-humans. Isn't that what the other headmaster told us?"
"Indeed, that is the case. Which is why young Mr. Aono had a run in with this school's Public Safety Commission, also known as the Student Police." Demiurge explained. "After being informed by a very credible witness, they arrested him under suspicion of being human. What happened after that is unknown, save for the rest of the student body eventually finding the commission's president, Kuyō, beaten unconscious and Mr. Aono's friends claiming he was the one who defeated him. As there's no way a mere human could defeat an S-Class monster, which Kuyō was, that was all the proof needed to clear Mr. Aono of suspicion."
"But you have your doubts?" Ainz commented.
"My doubts are circumstantial at best, but so is the evidence in his defense." Demiurge admitted. "According to reports, Mr. Aono has never once revealed his true nature, even when in life-threatening danger, while multiple students have admitted to seeing the true nature of the girl he's always with, Ms. Moka Akashiya, and being soundly defeated by her. The only witnesses to Mr. Aono's battle with Kuyō were her and his other friends, whom have every reason to lie in his defense."
"Forgive my interruption." Sebas spoke up. "But what issue is there if the boy is human? What does this have to do with the headmaster?"
Demiurge seemed completely unsurprised by the butler's questions. Of everyone here, Sebas had the least issue with humans and was his exact opposite when it came to enjoying their torment. Little doubt he was concerned that Demiurge was singling Tsukune out so that he could have a new toy to play with, now that access to his "farm" was gone.
"Despite our many concealment and anti-observation abilities, we were detected the moment we stepped foot out of that tunnel." Demiurge explained himself. "From what we now understand, that is because a function of the barrier is to detect the types of beings passing through it. Nothing to do with power or levels. That's how Tenmei Mikogami stays informed on the many creatures enrolled at his school. That also means that from the very moment he arrived, he has known Tsunune Aono's true nature. If Mr. Aono is a monster, the headmaster deliberately made no effort to defend him from the accusations of the Student Police, and if he is human, then the headmaster knowingly allowed a human to stay here in secret amongst the monsters. Either way, the reasonings behind his actions are unknown.
"Again, nothing about my theories is concrete. But the circumstances are suspicious enough that I believed they should be brought to your attention." Demiurge said, somewhat apologetically, as he did not wish to waste his master's time with something he had no interest in.
Ainz continued to silently look over the file. It was awkward to have everyone else staring at him in wait but he did need a moment to think about this.
"A human hiding among the monsters…" He pondered to himself. "He's had every chance to leave, yet he hasn't... The headmaster had every chance to expose him, but didn't… Is there something special about him or are we thinking too deeply into this? Hmm…"
Finally, Ainz looked back up from the file. "I trust in your instincts, Demiurge. Even if the boy turns out to be a dead end, it at least would have been a possibility we exhausted, as opposed to allowing ourselves to remain ignorant. As such, I do believe it's a matter worth looking into."
Demiurge gave a bow. "You have my gratitude for humoring me, lord."
"Albedo," Ainz turned to her. "You said he is in your homeroom class, yes? I afraid I must ask you to take the lead in investigating the boy, as you are the one with the best opportunities before you. Forgive me for adding onto your work pile."
"It is no trouble at all." She assured him, also with a bow. "To be in service to you is my greatest delight."
Ainz gave a nod in satisfaction. "I shall leave it to you then to assign the remaining roles. Go forth, my faithful Guardians. Show them all that the power of Ainz Ooal Gown is not limited to any single world."
"Lord!" They hailed him in unison.
As the NPCs filed out of his office one by one, Ainz gave one last glance through the student record before he would hand it off to Albedo.
"Tsukune Aono… What is your story?"