Hi, author here! I have a question to ask.
Chronologically, according to wiki there is a two weeks time gap between Ainz's battle with Shalltear and the day Cocytus send a warning message to the lizardman tribes. Would you prefer me to write filler original stories to fill the gap or just timeskip to the lizardman arc? I'm fine with either, so feel free to let me know about your preference. If there's a tie in the'vote' I will flip a coin.
In any case, here is the next chapter.
[X][X][X]
"Good morning, Ryu-san!"
Ryu woke up hearing Lily's greetings, but his body stayed lying down on the bed and covered in blanket. He really wanted to stay asleep.
"Good morning, Lily..."
He yawned saying that. Then he took a glance at the nearby clock hanged on the wall.
Six in the morning.
Ryu tried to get himself up slowly and steadily. It took a few minutes, but he finally got into sitting position, and soon enough he managed to stand up. He then instantly changed into his battle suit like how he always did every morning.
Soon enough, breakfast came like how it had been when Ryu was still staying at Nazarick back then. Though this time the one bringing it was not Narberal.
It was a maid with the head of a dog which seemed to have been vertically split in half and then sewn back together. The first sight of her was really unsettling.
"Enjoy your meal, woof"
She was about to leave when Ryu finally snapped out of his bewilderment and asked her a question.
"Excuse me, may I know your name?"
"My name is Pestonya Shortcake Wanko. If you need anything feel free to call me, woof"
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your service"
Pestonya then left the room.
It was a given that Lily got astonished by the dish that had been delivered to the bedroom. It was something that only a luxurious restaurant would serve in town.
"Where did Ainz-dono got all these?!"
"Don't ask me"
Later, when they finished eating, Ryu told Lily about his plan for today.
"I'm going to see Ainz-dono and ask if he would let us go back to town"
"Huh? That sounds... weird. I mean, why wouldn't he?"
"Let's just say that I owe him a lot"
In truth, Ryu felt really bad for committing genocide on the foxmen. If Aura had been there to investigate them, it might meant that Ainz had wanted to make use of them in some way, most likely to learn new information about this world. However, Ryu had totally crushed his plan because of Julius Nifta disintegrating them all into nothing. Moreover, he had lost the entirety of Lily's equipment except the one gauntlet he still had with him.
Ahh, I might have lost some of his respect on me, if he had any to begin with.
With that worry in mind, Ryu went to the throne room with Lily going alongside him. When he arrived, Ainz as usual was sitting on the throne, though this time Albedo was not with him. He was alone.
"Ah, Ryu. I have been expecting you"
Ryu kneeled with one knee and Lily followed.
"I would like to thank you for your patronage once again"
"Just stand up. I have told you before that you don't need to kneel, no?"
"I just believe that I need to do this because I have failed you and now my debt on you has stacked even higher"
"Debt, huh? Raise your head"
Ryu raised his head as commanded.
"You believe that you have debt on me. Now tell me, what things which made you believe so"
Is this a test?Or a trap?
Ainz's ambiguity made Ryu hesitate on what to tell. Telling too many might made him ended up being taken advantage of, while telling too few might make him sound shameless and ungrateful even though he would not mean so. So far, Ainz gave impressions on Ryu that he was not a bad man, but he was not a good man either. He would do both good deeds and bad deeds as long as they gave him benefits.
Ryu's mind went into overdrive thinking on what things he should mention to Ainz. In the end he decided to tell everything which he believed had come from Ainz's 'generosity'
"I failed to protect the companion you entrusted to me"
Lily intervened.
"It was not his fault, Ainz-dono! I carelessly let my guard down back then!"
"Lily, I'm still hearing your master's answers. Let him finish"
Lily lowered her head, though her eyes kept glancing at Ryu with worried looks.
"I lost all her equipment as well. Only one gauntlet remained"
"Uh-huh"
Ainz leaned on his throne with his right hand rubbing his chin.
"I made Aura-dono, whom I met by chance, help me even though it was not her job"
"Hmm..."
"My Photon Blast have put Aura-dono and Mare-dono in great danger"
There was a silence for a few seconds.
"Anything else, Ryu?"
There was one more thing in Ryu's mind, which was about accidentally thwarting Ainz's plan to make use of the foxmen thanks to the genocide caused by Photon Blast. But should he tell Ainz? To begin with, Ainz may or may not have a plan on the foxmen. Telling this one might make him getting taken advantage of like he had been worrying about.
"I'm still waiting"
"I... I might have accidentally thwarted your plan to make use of the foxmen"
[X][X][X]
Plan? What plan? I never had any plan on them to begin with.
That was the first thing coming to Ainz's mind when Ryu said about thwarting his plan. Well, he indeed thought of it but they were just mere quick plan in his head instead of an official plan he had announced to his subordinates. The loss of the foxmen instead provided him a new information about the capabilities of Ryu and the space army, and it was quite valuable to prepare for countermeasures in case they would become hostile to him.
Should I make use of this?
Ainz pondered on his options. If he made use of Ryu's conscience too much he might appear as someone bad to the space army when they find out. However, he also didn't want to be too lenient or otherwise he would be taken advantage of.
Ainz actually had prepared a plan for Ryu, although the unknown factor was whether Ryu would cooperate or not. Ryu's personality was pretty much generic as far as Ainz could see until now, and helping in an invasion was likely not on his list of acceptable actions.
Still, like he had said himself before, sometimes a risk must be taken to go forward.
"Anything else to say, Ryu?"
"I'm sorry, but that was all I could think of at the moment"
"Well, your answer was... Let's say, sufficient. So, what are you going to do to repay your debt?"
"I have some amount of this world's currency, but I think Ainz-dono won't need such thing"
I might welcome that, actually. Momon could use some additional money.
"Indeed. Therefore, I have a proposal for you. Raise up"
Ainz stood up from his throne. Ryu and Lily followed.
"I'm going to assign you a mission. Your performance and result will determine whether your debt is going to be repaid fully, partially, or not at all. Will you do it?"
"Yes, I will accomplish the mission to repay the debt"
He didn't even ask me any questions? Come on! Heh, guess I need to lecture him a bit.
"Are you sure about that statement? You're not even asking what kind of mission I'm going to give you"
"Whether I know or not, I don't have any choice, do I?"
"What would you do if the mission is to commit another genocide?"
Ryu got speechless hearing that.
"Listen, Ryu. You are fortunate that I am not someone who would squeeze you dry without hesitation"
I actually would if not for the space army out there.
"You should learn to think about what is presented before you instead of accepting it just like that. You have known me not for long, but you should already be able to answer this question: Do you think I will kill you on the spot if you refuse the mission I am going to assign you?"
"...No"
"So?"
"Alright... Ainz-dono, may I know what kind of mission you're going to assign to me?"
"I want you to meet one of my guardians and give him advice for an oncoming battle"
"I apologize for questioning, but what advice can I possibly offer if all of your guardians are stronger than me?"
"You should ask him for details when you meet him later. In any case, there are still preparations to be made. You are free until then"
"Thank you for your generosity"
Ryu bowed in gratitude.
"If you wish to go back to the human city, E-Rantel wasn't it, you should tell me now. I will be out from this tomb for a while. Don't worry, I will call you back when it's time"
"Thank you again. And yes, I think we would like to go back. I need to find new equipment for Lily"
"Don't bother doing that. I will give you another"
"W-What?"
"And I expect you to take care of them properly this time"
"I will! Thank you very much"
"Ryu, you wait here. Lily, come with me"
Lily followed Ainz to the armory. In there he picked up a set of armor and weapons which was exactly the same as the one that had been lost. At least in shape.
The actual content within the set was much more than that.
The old set were just plain equipments made with metal material commonly found in level 40-50 dungeons back in Yggdrasil. This new set was the same to keep the item level below Lily's limit of 50, but some rather low level enchantments had been added into them. In total, the set gave the following effects: Increased max HP, passive HP regeneration, reduce incoming stab damage, reduce incoming fire damage, increased resistance to poison and paralysis, and low chance to survive with 1 HP upon taking fatal damage. Also, the swords were enchanted with magical damage, enabling them to deal damage to ethereal monsters.
All of them were enchantments to augment Lily's survivability, and this was done because of the thing Ainz was about to do.
[Time Stop]
With a cast of the spell, Lily was frozen in time.
"Come out here"
After saying that, a nearby weapon shelf transformed into something else. When the thing came into shape, it could be seen that it was a humanoid monster wearing a ninja outfit. It had been hiding there using its illusion skill.
"Kashin Koji. I believe you know what to do"
The ninja nodded, and it took out a scroll. Upon using the scroll, it became a wisp of light and was absorbed into Lily's body.
Ainz had done the same thing as when he first created Lily back then. He put a spy inside her body using Reverse Assimilation scroll to keep Ryu under surveillance and also to address her low default level. The enchantments were to reduce the risk of losing the spy like how it happened to the Eight Edge Assassin.
"Level 32 this time, huh?"
Ainz said that while appraising Lily's increased level. Thanks to Demiurge managing to secure a good supply of materials for scrolls, this time he had provided the spy five Message scrolls instead of just one.
Ainz then ended the effect of Time Stop, and Lily went back into motion without realizing anything.
"Put them on"
"Uhh... right here...?"
Lily seemed shy saying that. Ainz then realized it.
Oh right, she's now a conscious girl after all.
The new armor set also included the shirt, shorts, and socks. Putting them on meant she had to put off the ones she was currently wearing.
"I will stand right outside the door"
After saying that, Ainz left the armory and stood outside the door. It only took less than five minutes until he heard someone knocking from the inside.
"Are you done, Lily?"
"Yes, Ainz-dono"
Ainz opened the door and he immediately saw Lily, fully equipped with the armor and weapon set like she had used to be. On the table behind her was the old shirt, shorts, and socks. They were neatly folded, though the damages were still very noticeable.
"You look good in it"
"Thank you, Ainz-dono"
"Let's go back to your master"
Ainz and Lily went back to the throne room. Ryu was walking around in circles, looking as if his mind was somewhere else. He eventually noticed them coming.
"Ah, Lily! Glad to see you back in those suits again!"
"Me too, Ryu-san!"
Lily ran ahead from Ainz to approach Ryu. Ainz kept walking normally until he was close enough to the two of them.
"Despite the same appearance, the new equipments are better than before because I have applied some enchantments on them. Use them well"
Ryu seemed to be in slight disbelief hearing what Ainz had just said.
"Do I even deserve such patronage?"
"I did it not for you, but for her"
"Huh? Me?"
"Lily, you are my creation. So in a sense, you are one of my children. Therefore I will see to it that you are well prepared to face whatever awaits out there"
Not really, though. I didn't take my time to handcraft her, so my attachment to her, while not completely void, isn't high.
All of a sudden, Lily jumped to Ainz and hugged him.
"W-what are you doing?"
"I don't know. I just... feel so happy to have you as my creator"
After a bit of a sigh, Ainz gave Lily a gentle caressing on her back. She probably couldn't feel it because of the armor, but he did it anyway.
Glad that Albedo and Shalltear aren't here to see this. Can't imagine their reaction if they are.
Lily released her hug after one minute, and she went back to Ryu.
"Alright, so, you still want to go back to E-Rantel?"
"Yes, there are a few things I would like to do"
[Gate]
"This will take you to the woods near the city. Be well until we meet again"
"You too, Ainz-dono. Thank you, and be well"
Ryu and Lily entered the dark portal, and after they were gone Ainz dispelled it.
Alright, now...
[X][X][X]
The other end of the portal was indeed in the middle of a forest like Ainz had said. It wasn't hard to find the way out, and when they got out E-Rantel was within sight.
Once they were in the city, Ryu immediately went to the Adventurer's Guild and then he approached the receptionist lady.
"Good morning. How may I help you?"
"Is it possible to send a message to a group of adventurers in another city through here?"
"Yes, we regularly send and receive messengers to and from other Adventurer's Guild headquarters. You can go over there if you need to write a letter, or if the message is short you can tell me directly and I will take care of the rest"
The lady pointed towards a corner of the room. There were several vacant desks there placed against the wall, each desk had a thin stack of papers, a small vial of ink, and a quill pen.
"I just need to send a short message"
"Alright. Please specify your name and the receiver"
"My name is Ryu. Receiver is Swords of Darkness team in Re-Estize capital, namely Peter, Lukrut, Dyne, and Ninya"
"Please speak the message"
"Lily and I are back in E-Rantel safe and sound. Good luck and be well"
The lady wrote down everything Ryu had specified.
"The cost will be three coppers"
Ryu took out a small pouch from his coat's inner pocket and took three copper coins from it. He gave the coins to the lady.
"I have received the payment. Your message will be delivered by the next messenger going to Re-Estize"
"Thank you. By the way, I can't use this service to send a message to a village, can I?"
"Unfortunately we can't help you there. In that case you should either pay a messenger or a merchant who will be going there. Or you can post a delivery job quest"
The last option is probably going to be too expensive just for telling Frohd that I'm all right.
"Alright then, thank you for the help"
Ryu then sat down on a vacant seat and Lily sat next to him. Other adventurers in the room just went on their own business like they normally would.
"Any ideas for what to do next, Ryu-san?"
"Well, there's something I would like to investigate, but I still don't know where to start"
Ryu was speaking about how he had ended up on this planet. He couldn't remember much about the incident in which the ARKS spaceship he had been on got destroyed. He remembered the deafening noise of the alarm telling that the ship's hull were failing. He also remembered the chaos of both operatives and citizens running to evacuation ships.
It was at such time the true nature of each person was in full display. Ryu had seen people who selflessly let their friends and family board the evacuation ships even though that had meant there would be no more room for them. He also had seen the other side of the coin where some people pushed their way. Ryu himself was somewhere inbetween. He had not pushed his way out, but he had not prioritized anyone else over himself either.
"Ryu-san? Your face looks... serious. What's going on?"
"Ah, sorry. I was remembering about my past"
"The place you were from?"
"Yes. I can't seem to remember how I ended up here when the great disaster struck"
"Ryu-san. You have said it a few times, but what is this 'great disaster'?"
"It's hard to describe in detail. Let's just say it wiped out everything without mercy"
"Oh..."
"Give me a few more minutes to recollect my memory. After that we will check out the job board"
"Alright"
Ryu then resumed his effort of memory recollection. At this point his memory was quite blurry, but he vaguely remembered that despite his efforts he didn't get any vacant spot in any evacuation ships that had not been rendered broken by the Dark Falz attack. He was simply one of the unfortunate people who didn't make it in time.
But I survived right here. Why?
Ryu had no idea how he had survived the disaster and ended up on this unknown planet. However, the fact that he woke up in this world lying on a grassland provided him with a clue.
The ships used to evacuate were programmed to fly to another ARKS ship and land at its port. However, a different type of ship, namely a Gate Ship, worked differently. When it arrived at a relatively close distance to its destination, it would activate a portal inside to teleport operatives to the ground.
Judging from that, it was very likely that Ryu had somehow evacuated himself using a Gate Ship. Thinking about that, it had been quite a feat because he remembered hearing that the section where Gate Ships were docked had been the one struck first, so the chance of finding an operational one had been slim.
Well, it was a literal do or die situation. But wait, that means...
If it was true, then it meant the Gate Ship which Ryu had used should be still flying in the vicinity of the planet. But why didn't his communication device pick it up? The only answer he could think of was that the Gate Ship had fallen somewhere on this planet. Or worst case scenario, it blew up into pieces.
The memory recollection had turned out to bring a good result. With the conclusion he had drawn, Ryu knew that his first step was to look for the remains of the Gate Ship somewhere on this planet, and with luck he might be able to salvage it. It would definitely be a very long term goal with low chance of success, but there was still hope to get back to his duty.
With the recollection concluded, Ryu stood up from the seat.
"Let's check the board"
"Alright, Ryu-san!"
Lily followed with excitement, and the two of them went to the board. However, before they could check any of the papers, a commotion occured. Ryu turned around to see what had started it, and what he saw was indeed quite commotion-worthy.
It was Momon and Nabe, all worn out and beat up as if they had been in a very tough fight.
All the adventurers whispered to each other, questioning on what could have done such damage to them. Ryu himself questioned the same because he had just met Ainz this morning and he was as healthy as ever. The two of them still walked nonchalantly to the guild counter anyway.
"I have defeated the vampire"
Momon said that with a straight tone, and the receptionist lady was startled.
"P-please share the details if possible!"
"The vampire was too strong for our fighting skills alone, so I had to use my magic crystal trump card. Unfortunately, Kralga team perished during the fight"
"A-Alright. We will send an investigation team to the battlefield. Did it change location?"
"No, still the same place it was last spotted"
"Are you hurt? Do you need healing?"
"We only need some rest, so we will head back to the inn. I would like to have my armor repaired, however"
"U-Understood! We will arrange that!"
The two adventurers then went back out and disappeared from sight behind the entrance door. Immediately, all the adventurers talked to each other about what had just happened. Ryu could hear some of them.
"If Kralga perished that must mean the vampire is very strong"
"How strong those two can be?"
"Could this be the birth of a new Adamantite team?"
Ryu, being curious, approached the lady and asked a question.
"Excuse me, I think I was late into the news. What has happened to Momon?"
The lady then directed Ryu and Lily to a different staff member. From the other lady Ryu learned about the emergence of an incredibly powerful vampire in a place not too far from the city. Momon happened to know the vampire very well for personal reasons, and he had wished to engage the vampire alone. Kralga, a Mithril rank team, ignored the wish and went with him anyway. This had happened the day before today.
"I see. Thank you"
Hearing the information, Ryu couldn't help thinking that something was off. Momon himself had confirmed that he was Ainz. He met Ainz this morning and he was as fine as ever. Then just now suddenly he saw Momon all beat up from a battle which was supposed to happen yesterday.
Is this a trick for gaining fame?
While it was pretty likely that his guess was true, Ryu decided to keep it to himself.
"Let's check out the board for real this time"
"Alright, Ryu-san"
Ryu and Lily then went back to the job board to see if there were any interesting job to take. His hope was to eventually reach the highest rank to gain easier access to informations which might lead to the remains of the Gate Ship, if it existed. He also hoped that whatever mission Ainz was going to assign him would not be too hard for him.
Whatever will happen, time will tell.
