Chapter 5: Intensive Introductions
Peeling open his tired eyes, Diablo stared upwards at the blank ceiling of his new accommodations in E-Rantel.
I wonder what kind of people Nferia hired for this job… He didn't specify anyone besides Momon and his partner, so all I can do is hope they aren't too judgemental…
Diablo was still getting used to the quiet of his new sleeping arrangements. He had grown accustomed to the rambunctiousness of Shera, and Rem always serving as her foil, being the calm and collected member of the group.
Rose is good company, I can't deny that, however…
Sitting up from his bed and stretching, Diablo almost jumped out of the sheets in surprise when he saw Rose standing silently at the bedside.
"Ah, master! You're awake!"
I'll never get used to the fact that she doesn't sleep in a traditional sense, but I guess there's some comfort in knowing I've got someone as powerful as her watching over me while I sleep…
"Y-yes, I'm awake now, Rose…"
Sliding out of bed, Diablo pulled open the blinds and looked outside at the bustling city street that his inn was located on.
However, there was one detail that immediately jumped out at him as he took in the scenery.
"The sun! It's nearly at its highest point, I'm gonna be late!"
As he hurriedly began putting on his equipment, Rose simply looked at him with a blush.
"I was going to wake you earlier, master, but watching your sleeping form distracted me from the time, I apologize for my incompetence!"
Okay, maybe I was wrong about this whole arrangement being so comforting…
"It matters not, Rose. Nferia would be a fool to leave without us after expressing such interest in my knowledge on potion making. Besides, it's not as if I can't just fly to the gate before they leave. Although…"
"Rose is too heavy, right, master?"
It pained him to admit it, but Rose with her 《Magimatic Sol》equipped made her heavier than a mounted knight in full armor. His stats as a max level player, as well as his training as a warrior, made him quite strong, yet this was a task that likely exceeded the capacity of his equipment.
"You're correct, carrying you myself would likely be beyond the flight capabilities of the 《Empty Sky's Dance》boots, but fret not, a Demon Lord always has a workaround."
That is if this even works, but I don't have the time for trial and error, it's now or never!
Having equipped himself fully during their brief conversation, Diablo led Rose through the check-in room and out the front door.
It's a good thing they had an open room on the ground floor, I don't know how I would explain myself if Rose wound up falling through the second story floor…
He still received looks of wonder from the passersby of E-Rantel due to his powerful looking equipment, but what he was about to do next would garner more than a few stares.
"Rose, I'm going to cast the 《Adzet》 spell on you, and control your aerial movements myself as we fly to the northern gate."
It was risky to use a spell meant for inanimate objects on a person, but Rose was technically an automaton, and more than tough enough to absorb any fall damage should things go wrong.
"If it's your wish, I will offer myself to you in any way you please!"
Way to make this awkward, Rose! No, a Demon Lord doesn't feel awkwardness, remember to maintain your composure!
"Er- your loyalty is more than understood, Rose. Now, let's get going in case they're already waiting for us."
Diablo pulled his 《Tonnerre Empereur》from its fastening on his side, and pointed it towards his companion.
Please work!
"Change your position as my will demands, 《Adzet》!"
As the spell began to take effect, Rose became enveloped in a soft green glow which quickly faded away, after which she began to slowly float a few feet in the air.
Yes! It worked!
The curious passersby now let out gasps of astonishment, as they witnessed magic that they knew was only possible for the highest level of mages.
Diablo began to float alongside her as he poured MP into his 《Empty Sky's Dance》boots, relieved that his MP levels were holding steady while using it on two different things at once.
It's a little tricky to control my aerial movement while consciously having to move her alongside me, but not nearly as hard as I expected it to be… Thank god for my years of practice with multitasking!
"I knew such a task was nothing for my master, no, for a Demon Lord!"
"Of course, such a result was only to be expected. Now, let's fly!"
The adventurer duo flew high above the city, trying not to attract too much attention. However, despite Diablo's best efforts, rumors of a two person adventurer team capable of flight magic quickly began to spread amongst E-Rantel's citizenry.
Let's just hope this doesn't cause too much of a disturbance… Flight magic can't be that rare among adventurers, right?
…
At the northern gate of E-Rantel, a group of adventurers were almost finished loading supplies into their horse drawn wagon. Such a sight was commonplace, as adventurers were always coming and going through this gate, due to its proximity to the roads that lead towards the Forest of Tob.
What stood out as unusual though, was the man in illustrious full plate armor helping load the aforementioned supplies.
"That should be about everything, are we ready to get going, Nferia?"
The young man with hair that nearly covered both his eyes quickly shook his head in response.
"They must be running a little late, but we're waiting on those two new adventurers that I mentioned earlier. I hope I can ask you all to be patient, there's a lot I wish to learn from them, especially the one who has knowledge on potions."
A limber looking blonde man amongst the group spoke up with playful annoyance, trying to prod at the mysterious identity of the two last minute editions to their adventuring party.
"Ah come on, Nferia. We've got pretty much every role in the book covered with this team! I understand wanting to expand your knowledge on potions, but how much could an adventurer know that someone from the famous Bareare family doesn't?"
Some of the others present expressed their agreement, but ultimately it was Nferia's decision as the one who requested all of them.
"Especially with someone like Momon here, I don't think you're gonna find too many adventurers that look more impressive than him."
Momon, or more accurately, Ainz, waved off the compliment in a nonchalant manner.
"There's no such thing as too much help when dealing with monsters, Lukrut. I believe you said that yourself the other day, right Dyne?"
"You have a keen memory, Momon. Truer words can't be spoken, and I don't think anyone here would be against more party members when it comes to traveling the highway between E-Rantel and Carne village."
"So, where are these two then? You told them to meet here around midday right? You don't think they might've overslept, right?"
The one called Lukrut continued his speculation, although his questions would quickly be answered as his keen senses made him turn his eyes to the sky.
"Look everyone! Up there!"
Hearing Lukrut's words, the rest of the party turned their heads to look upwards, as shocked looks spread across their faces.
Nferia was the first to speak up.
"Th-that's them! I never could have imagined they both knew flight magic!"
"Hey, Ninya, shouldn't only a high level mage be capable of such a thing? Nferia told us earlier that one of them was a warrior, how are they both flying?"
The resident magic caster of their group was in disbelief as well, not knowing exactly how such a feat could be achieved without a personal mastery of the third tier spell [Fly].
"I… I'm not sure. Maybe she has a unique talent like myself, although it could be something else entirely."
The most surprised of them all, unbeknownst to the rest of the group due to his helmeted face, was Momon.
Of all the people… It's that damned demon sorcerer and his warrior companion! Do they have no idea of what restraint is?! Flying across all of E-Rantel in broad daylight, what could they possibly be thinking?!
Narberal, standing beside Ainz, shot him an annoyed look that matched his internal monologue, no doubt holding back the intensity of her negative emotions.
Before any more questions could be raised, the duo had begun their descent, and landed right in front of the stunned group.
"Everyone, this is Diablo and Rose. After meeting them in my grandmother's shop yesterday, I offered them the same deal that I did for all of you. We can save the introductions for the road, we've only got so much daylight to travel by!"
The one they assumed was Diablo was adorned with a flowing black mantle that had a high collar and gold accents. It was contrasted greatly by his silver-white hair, from which two curled horns appeared to sprout out of. His horns, along with the strange, glyphic bluish-black tattoos that ran down the side of his face and neck, accompanied by his sharp silver eyes, gave him a menacing aura compared to the other adventurers. The long, staff-like weapon he had fastened on his side was unlike anything they had seen, with a bluish-white blade shaped crystal at its top that seemed to give off a faint glow.
His adventurer partner Rose left much more to be seen, with most of her form covered by a plain-looking long brown cloak. A glimpse of bright pink hair leaked out from the corner of her hood, which framed her face that everyone present couldn't describe as anything less than divine. Her immaculate skin and emerald green eyes betrayed the harsh look that sat on her face, as she scanned the other adventurers present with what looked like boredom. Upon her back was a massive double sided blade that was nearly as long as Rose was tall, with the bladed ends wrapped in white cloth.
There was a brief silence as the two newcomers stared down their new party members, before everyone started loading up into the wagon, a general sense of wariness hanging over the group.
Once the whole adventuring party was settled, and the horses began their trot, the inevitable introductions from each member began.
"It's a pleasure to be working with you two! I'm the leader of the Swords of Darkness, Peter Mauk!"
Diablo was managing a calm exterior, but on the inside, he was roiling in turmoil.
I hate group introductions… Hell, I hate any kind of introduction, but now I've gotta leave a good impression on all these different people!
He responded with an "Umu" as Peter continued his team's introductions.
"That right there is the team's eyes and ears, the ranger Lukrut Volve."
Lukrut responded with a cheeky "Hi" while obviously having his attention turned towards Rose, immediately alerting Diablo to his incompatible personality type.
"This guy deals with healing magic and manipulation of nature, the druid Dyne Woodwonder."
"Nice to meet you two."
Their leader Peter seems pleasant enough, but I already know that ranger is going to be pushing my buttons the whole trip if I'm not careful, let alone if he tries to make a move on Rose and gets cut in half before I can stop her!
"And lastly, our magic caster and brains of the team, Ninya the Spell Caster!"
"Nice to meet you! And Peter, I told you to stop with that embarrassing nickname…"
So this is the sorcerer of their group…
Having learned how to sense magic power during his attempt to remove the enslavement collars from Rem and Shera many months ago, Diablo could assess most magic casters on the fly.
He's not that impressive…
A moment of silence loomed over the group as everyone turned their eyes towards Momon and his partner Nabe.
"It may surprise you all, but Diablo and I have already been acquainted. We're actually working on a longer term private request together."
There was a chorus of ahhs as everyone was made aware of their prior connection, with Nferia chiming in first.
"I guess it makes sense that adventurers of your caliber have already crossed paths before, but the fact you guys are currently working together, what are the odds?"
Truly… What are the odds that I've got to work with this guy again!? It'll let me do some more information gathering on him in the meantime, but this is just too much for my psyche to handle…
As Diablo and Momon awkwardly stared each other down, Lukrut seemed to be in a state of pure joy as his head cocked from side to side, no doubt trying to ascertain which female party member he found more attractive.
"Ahh, Diablo, Momon, you two are incredibly lucky men! To be able to travel around with such otherworldly beauties, I envy you!"
Naberal and Rose shot disgusted looks towards the ranger of the Swords of Darkness, with both of them being immediately reigned in by their respective partners before they could cause a scene.
"May I remind you Lukrut, Nabe's skill as a magic caster is what drew me to recruit her in the first place. I imagine the same can be said for Rose in terms of her warrior skills."
Diablo let out an internal sigh, thanking Momon for bailing both of them out, as he had seen his partner Nabe share a similar personality to Rose during their brief interactions.
"Quite insightful of you, Momon. I'd even go as far to say that Rose is a mightier warrior than yourself."
This comment elicited a smirk from Rose, but the reaction of the other adventurers was a chorus of playful laughter.
The leader of the Swords of Darkness, Peter Mauk, spoke for the rest of his team.
"I'd believe in the power of anyone who got a direct recommendation from someone like Nferia, but Diablo, surely you don't actually believe Rose to be stronger than the likes of Momon?"
"Yeah! I mean come on, just look at the size difference, and the weapons and armor that Momon has, it's night and day!"
Lukrut had chimed in as well, pointing out another factor that seemed to distance Rose and Momon at first glance.
Shit! I let my Demon Lord ego get the best of me, there's no way that Rose doesn't blow up over this!
To the surprise of everyone, it was Momon who motioned for everyone to quiet down.
"Peter, Lukrut, while I'll always hold my ability as a warrior to the highest standard, it is entirely misguided to judge someone's strength on appearance alone."
The laughter had abruptly turned to silence as Momon managed to turn a chide at his own strength into a teaching moment for the group.
"Take for example, someone like Gazef Stronoff, a man heralded as possibly the greatest warrior of the Kingdom. Would you compare someone like him to that of an ogre? A monster who far surpasses him in physical size?"
The seemingly obvious conclusion struck the members of the Swords of Darkness immediately.
"I mean, obviously not, but that's because he's such a renowned warrior!"
"On the battlefield, you almost never have the grace of knowing the ability level of your opponent. To dismiss someone on physical characteristics alone can prove to be a fatal error, especially in the context of adventuring."
Peter was left slightly stunned at the wisdom Momon had just shared. It went to show just how great the experience gap between the two of them truly was.
Everyone else shared the sentiment, rethinking the metrics by which they evaluated other adventurers, or even monsters they may encounter in the future.
A small chuckle broke the contemplative silence, everyone turning their heads towards the source, which was Diablo, a sly grin on his face.
"To respond to what many would see as an insult with such insight, I guess it goes to show what separates those with experience from those who lack it."
While the other present adventurers believed that they had accrued plenty of experience during their time together, none of them felt they could hold a candle to the battles that the two powerful adventurer groups before them had been through.
Rose had a smug look on her face, with her master's claim of her superior skill going mostly uncontested. Narberal looked displeased, but couldn't protest given the words that her master had just shared on the topic.
"Speaking of strength, I was curious how you two were able to fly together in tandem. Only Diablo is capable of magic out of the two of you, right?"
The one to speak up this time was the timid spellcaster of the Swords of Darkness, Ninya.
"You're correct in that I'm a sorcerer, and that Rose is unable to fly by her own abilities. My own flight ability is thanks to my boots, the 《Empty Sky's Dance》. I cast the spell 《Adzet》 on Rose in order to make her weightless, which allowed me to guide her alongside myself as I flew of my own accord. It's quite simple really, as the magic caster of your group I'd expect you to know such things."
Ignoring the dig at his own knowledge of magic, Ninya was in awe at learning of a new spell, as well as the fact that Diablo had such powerful equipment.
"I've never heard of such a spell, and I had always assumed the only way to achieve flight was to master the [Fly] spell."
The rest of Ninya's team took his word on all matters magical, so they shared his astonishment.
"Boots that can make you fly? Does that mean if any of us wore them we'd be able to fly too?"
Peter cut in after learning of the rare gear within Diablo's possession, curious as to how such handy magical equipment worked.
"Unfortunately for you laymen, it's not that simple. The 《Empty Sky's Dance》 relies on my own mana- erm, MP reserves. While its usage is miniscule for me, I can't imagine any of you non-magic users being able to even leave the ground. Someone like Ninya may be able to find some use in them depending on the size of his reserves."
As many of them had expected, something as magnificent as the ability of flight came with some minimum requirements.
"Still, to not only be able to fly without the [Fly] spell, but also to be able to convey the ability to someone else, you must be a really knowledgeable magic caster, Diablo."
It was hard for Diablo to not lean into the praise of his skills in the realm of magic too much, but he offered a minute gesture of thanks for the compliment.
Ainz on the other hand, kept his intrigue to himself, merely nodding along with the rest of the group.
Magical gear that could bestow flight wasn't uncommon in Yggdrasil, but it seems to be a rarity in this new world… And his mention of yet another spell I'm unfamiliar with makes this man even more intriguing…
With a greater understanding and rapport among the group, some more lighthearted conversation broke out as the horses continued their trot.
"Alright, I feel like someones gotta address the elephant in the room."
Lukrut spoke up to break the silence, his gaze focused on Diablo this time.
Uh oh… There's no way this is gonna be good…
"Are those horns on your head real, Diablo? And what about those tattoos, what's the meaning behind those?"
Everyone else nodded in agreement with Lukrut's lines of questioning. While most of them didn't want to be rude to someone brought in by Nferia, it was a question that had been eating away at them from when they first saw Diablo.
Well… I've made it this far while maintaining my persona, no point in dropping it now…
"Real? Of course they're real! I wouldn't be able to call myself the Demon Lord from another world without them!"
Everyone but Nferia seemed to cock their heads in confusion, having never heard of someone proclaiming themselves as a "Demon Lord", yet alone one from another world.
"Demon… Lord? I don't think I've ever heard a title like that before…"
Dyne, who had remained silent for most of the trip so far, was the first to respond to Diablo's provocation.
"The closest thing to it that I know of were the so-called Demon Gods that nearly destroyed the world two hundred years ago, yet you don't strike me as anything like the descriptions of them."
The rest of his group shared his sentiment, not seeing Diablo as some mythical evil being, given his human-looking appearance.
"I know nothing of these "Demon Gods" you speak of, but I promise you my title is entirely real. I've defeated two lesser demon lords who sought to make light of my claim as the one true Demon Lord."
The outlandish claims of the peculiar man working with them only gave rise to more questions among the other adventures.
Speaking for the rest of his team, Peter Mauk continued the line of questioning.
"Demon Lord or not, does that mean you're not human, Diablo? You certainly look like a human, minus the horns."
I knew this would get out of hand… Do I tell them the truth? Or do I dig myself deeper in this hole I've made for myself?!
"I am a man of the races, yes. However my power transcends the boundaries associated with the races, to the extent that to align myself with them makes sense only due to my appearance."
Once again, Diablo used some terminology that didn't make sense to the people native of this world.
"You used the phrase "of the races", what races besides humans would fall under that categorization?"
There shouldn't be any problem divulging this information, it was common knowledge of my old world anyways… Surely their own classifications can't be much different…
"This is all common information. The races include humans, elves, pantherians, grasswalkers, dwarves, and those like myself, demons."
Glossing over the inclusion of races that they had never heard of, like pantherians or grasswalkers, everyone showed great surprise at Diablo identifying himself as an actual demon.
"Surely you can't be serious, Diablo. While none of us have ever encountered a demon, they're described in stories as inhuman monsters, certainly nothing like yourself."
The culture clash between the world Diablo found himself in, and that of which he had come from was becoming increasingly obvious.
Momon decided to speak up, in order to offer clarification on the situation.
"I have first hand experience fighting demons, and even among all their varying ranks, none look relatively human. Are you sure you're being honest with us, Diablo?"
Unbeknownst to everyone else, Ainz felt like he'd be smiling if it was physically possible for him to do so.
While it's true that within the character customization system of Yggdrasil, it was possible to have massive creative freedom over the appearance of one's avatar, if I assume Diablo here isn't actually a player, his claim of being a demon would be easily falsified…
What a great opportunity to learn more about his origins…
"Your understanding of the term 'demon' seems to be far different from my own. Where I come from, those who have the blood of true demonic beings, called the fallen, are referred to as demons. The markings on my face that you pointed out earlier are proof of my lineage, they are not tattoos."
This revelation left everyone puzzled for a moment, including Ainz.
Is there some kind of issue with the universal translation of this world? Perhaps what he's referring to as a "demon" is another word entirely, and what we're all hearing is the closest thing available to us in our languages…
"I'm not sure where you hail from, Diablo, but with the way you describe it, would that not make you a demi-human of some kind?"
Diablo was hesitant with his answer, knowing that the treatment of demi-humans among human nations was notoriously negative. Yet he was confident that his human appearance would carry him throughout the rest of this conversation.
"In practical terms, us demons are a race of demihumans, although I'd preface that with the fact that our definition of 'demihuman' may also be different. All of the races I named previously would be classified as demihuman, besides humans, obviously."
Despite the absurdity of some of his earlier claims, Diablo's logic was beginning to click with the rest of his adventuring party.
"I guess that makes sense. For all intents and purposes, you're essentially a human that has a distant ancestor that we would call a demon. You used the term 'fallen', I assume that's what you meant by it."
Peter's rationalization of Diablo's explanation was shared by everyone else listening, as they all nodded along with the leader of the Swords of Darkness.
"Perhaps the beings you called 'Demon Gods' are the same beings that Rose and I would know as 'Demon Lords'. Their direct descendants are the fallen, otherwise known as demonic beings. I should say, however, that I am no mere demon, but the one true Demon Lord who stands above all others who falsely claim the title."
While his claim of being a Demon Lord seemed to be little more than showmanship to the other adventurers, the rest of his explanation seemed consistent with their understanding of the world.
"Well, I guess that explains the horns and facial markings. Demon or not, I think everyone here is willing to treat you as their fellow man, especially if you managed to earn the trust of Nferia here."
The boy who had hired all the present adventurers had allowed the members of the Swords of Darkness to take the lead with questions regarding Diablo. While he was definitely intrigued by his lineage and past, what Nferia was truly interested in was his knowledge of potions, and he wasn't going to take the chance of offending Diablo when he still had much to learn from him.
"Of course! Diablo left quite the impression on my grandmother, and if any of you know, she's quite a hard person to please. I won't reveal anything he doesn't wish me to, but Diablo has extensive skills in potion making, great enough that we both have things we hope to learn from one another."
Everyone had heard Nferia speak about learning new potion techniques from one of their incoming party members, but hearing him praise Diablo in such a direct way gave them a newfound respect for the demonic adventurer.
"The world I come from, mastering a variety of skills was necessary for survival. Learning to create my own potions and eventually becoming a 《Master Compounder》were just as important as honing my skills as a sorcerer."
Just as Nferia had assumed during their first conversation, everyone was operating under the idea that Diablo's reference to "another world" was merely hyperbolic. It made sense for someone with such a different understanding of the world to be from somewhere extremely far away from where they all called home.
Even Ainz had to acknowledge the proclaimed ingenuity of Diablo, knowing that the allocation of job and racial levels were what could make or break the viability of a person's level build.
That's assuming that he operates on the same system as Yggdrasil, which is currently only an assumption… It's possible he was able to spec into a crafting job class without it being a detriment to his magic casting abilities…
He would require more observation of Diablo's abilities before being able to formulate a hypothetical level build of the demon sorcerer.
"I think we can all agree we're happy to have both you and Rose on the team for this request. Like Momon mentioned earlier, you can never have too much help on a mission like this. Although I never imagined I'd be working alongside a Demon Lord!"
A chorus of jovial laughter and shouts of agreement arose from the other adventurers in response to Peter's claim, all of them excited to get a chance to see Diablo put his bold words into action.
In the meantime, the unlikely group continued onwards towards the Great Forest of Tob.
…
Deep within the slums of E-Rantel, a sickly woman made her way through one of the many dark alleyways of the city.
Her ragged clothing did little to protect her from the cold of night, but more importantly, it left her upper thigh exposed, showing the cause of her deadly affliction.
Eight red x's were neatly aligned in two rows of four, showing all who knew of this new disease that she had little time left.
It had been mere days since the outbreak of this disease, which many had begun to call a curse given its peculiar and incurable nature.
Once you were infected, new red x's would begin to appear on the thigh area over the course of a few days. When the ninth and final one appeared, your life was at its end.
Given that the disease had only begun to spread among the poorest residents of E-Rantel, none of them had the funds to seek out proper medical care, let alone provide a substantial enough offering to receive aid from one of the temples of Re-Estize.
However, the woman had one last glimmer of hope. She had heard of someone capable of curing people afflicted with the disease, even in its latest stages. It was said she ran a makeshift clinic within the slums themselves, yet its exact location eluded most who sought her aid.
With barely any energy remaining, she dragged herself further into the heart of the slums, praying to the Four Great Gods for mercy.
As her vision began to blur, and her legs gave out from underneath herself, she caught a glimpse of someone in a pristine white and red dress running towards her, before fading into unconsciousness.
The last thing she had expected was to wake up once again in the land of the living. Looking around, she was surrounded by at least a dozen other disheveled people, most of them in varying states of the disease.
She was in a makeshift cot, housed underneath what appeared to be no more than a glorified tarp.
Immediately, she was hit with the realization of where she was.
"Am I… going to be ok?"
Tears began streaming down her face as the same woman who had rescued her approached her from the side of her cot.
"Of course. By the grace of God, I promise you will be cured of your suffering. The Death Knell disease is a terrible affliction, and while I had never expected to see it again, I'm always prepared to do my part in the service of the Almighty."
The woman's usage of a singular God had confused her, but it was the farthest thing from her mind in the moment.
"You already have eight marks, it's a miracle that you managed to find me in time. Please, hold still while I prepare the blessing."
She had no clue as to what her benefactor meant by "blessing". While she had heard of divine magic casters before, the way they conducted their healing was beyond her knowledge.
The woman who she now realized had beautiful, long platinum blonde hair, with an equally stunning face to match, clasped her hands around a cross shaped artifact of some kind, and closed her eyes.
"Oh God who art in heaven, please hear the voices of those who seek your salvation."
A faint breeze began to sweep through the makeshift hospital, with small motes of golden light carried by its current.
"Please heal this woman stricken with this foul disease."
She placed one of her hands on her head, continuing her prayer as the golden light surrounding them continued to grow.
"Please grant your generous mercy to this woman for her sins, and forgive her."
"Grant her mercy."
"Forgive her."
Her own body began to take on the golden glow that had begun to encapsulate the entire room, with her afflicted thigh shining brightest of all.
"Grant her mercy."
"Forgive her."
As the golden light reached its peak, it began to fade, revealing her thigh to be completely bare of the eight marks which previously covered it.
It was nothing short of a miracle, something that she couldn't have dreamed to be possible from what seemed like an ordinary plea to the heavens. Not only had the marks disappeared, but she felt entirely healthy, as if the plethora of long term afflictions she had acquired from living in the slums had been cured as well.
"Th-thank you so much, miss! How can I ever repay you?"
The woman who had turned out to be her savior merely showed her a soft, caring smile.
"All I can ask is that you turn towards God and his everlasting love. Spread the word so others can be cured of this horrible disease, and so that they can one day be reunited with their creator when they pass on to the next world."
It was clear to her that this woman was not a part of the temple that represented the Four Great Gods. She had never heard of a religion that worshiped only one God, but after seeing the miracle that had saved her life, she knew what to believe going forward.
"Of course! If any more people can be saved from the fate of this disease, it's the least I can do."
Her benefactor nodded, before beginning to walk towards another one of the afflicted individuals.
"Wait, miss!"
Turning her head as she stared into the forgiving hazel eyes of the woman who had saved her life, she had but one more question.
"Can you please tell who you are?"
With the same benevolent smile as before, she spoke to her.
"Lumachina Wesalia. I am but one of God's many humble servants."
…
Whew, it's been a long time since you guys have seen an update for this story, right? I won't make any excuses, but I lost a lot of the creative inspiration that I used to have when writing my stories, and only recently have I been able to get back into the swing of things. Starting a fresh story in the form of Hunter X Zero made me realize that I needed to do right by this story and give it the love it deserves. I still have so many great plot ideas for this, with so many characters to still introduce. I hope I can bring them all to reality, and one day give this story the satisfying conclusion that it deserves. To all of you who held out for an update, here it is, and there's more to come. The rivalry of Ainz and Diablo has only just begun!