Hello again.

Glad that I still can manage to keep up with the schedule I have determined. Since I have nothing important to say, I'll just make a periodic reminder that in my profile I have links to galleries which can help in visualizing various things appearing in this story overall. Though unfortunately you will need to do some extra steps because this site hates links.

On with the show, and see you again in the afterword.


[X][X][X]


It was a fine afternoon over the fortress city of E-Rantel. The sun was shining as brightly as usual, and there were just a moderate amount of clouds in the sky. Most people had just had their lunch for the day, and they were about to resume their daily activities. Most of these people had no idea about what had happened the night before, and they wondered why there were apparently less people today. One small time merchant running a grocery stall had to do extra works today because his assistant didn't come to work today for some reason. He could also notice that there were less fellow merchants around this spot, and less potential customers walking about as well. It was as if part of the population had left the city because of something he didn't know yet.

"Hello there, working hard today?"

A voice greeted this merchant. It was a fairly old lady who often shopped for groceries at his stall. In other words, a regular customer. Her getup was simple, a standard for a commoner in the city.

"Yes, unfortunately. My assistant didn't show up today, don't know why"

"Oh, maybe he ran away like many others"

The lady examined the groceries displayed on the stall one by one as she said those words. The merchant's eyes went wide hearing that.

"Huh? Ran away? What happened?"

While still looking at the merchant's groceries, the lady began speaking.

"Oh, you don't know that last night there was a demon attack last night? There was an explosion in the sky, and for a second it was as bright as day. Many people evacuated from the city. I had nowhere to go, so I stayed. It might take a while until those who fled return"

"I really have no idea. But we're still fine here, so they managed to defeat the demon, right?"

"Well, I went to the Adventurer's Guild this morning to check if they have official news about that. It turns out there was no demon, according to the officer I asked. Everything was a misunderstanding"

"What kind of misunderstanding?"

The lady let out a little laugh before speaking.

"I'm in a little hurry, but if you can give me a discount..."

"Pfft, sly as always. Fine, one cabbage on the house"

The merchant laughed as well before the lady began speaking again.

"You know Ignite Maximus?"

"Yes, one of the two Adamantite Rank adventurer teams in this city. They shop around here sometimes, so I even know what they look like. What's with them?"

"The person people thought was a demon was actually the team leader's sister coming to look for him. The explosion was her trying to deter adventurers from attacking her"

"Huh? Why did adventurers want to attack her?"

The lady was about to speak to answer the question before her eyes glanced to a direction, followed by her head looking towards there.

"Speak of the devil. Look over there"

The merchant looked to the direction pointed by the lady, and there he saw at a distance a group of five people walking, all wearing the Adamantite Rank plate. He could recognize three of them as the members of Ignite Maximus, but what caught his attention the most was the girl walking next to the team leader. She had horns growing out of her head, and one of her eyes was unnaturally red. Anybody would think that she was a demon at first look, and the merchant was no exception. In fact, he was beginning to think that the team leader was a demon in disguise before the lady spoke again with one hand on her cheek and a facial expression showing pity.

"Poor thing. I heard from the guild officer that she was once kidnapped and forcefully turned into a demihuman"

The merchant quickly turned his head towards the old lady right after hearing what she just said, with shock and surprise clear in his voice.

"Forcefully turned into demihuman? Is such a thing even possible?"

"Perhaps some large cult or some underground organization? We will never know for sure, and the officer told me that the team leader didn't want to go into specifics"

The merchant folded his arms as he was hearing the lady out.

"Hmm, I guess it is understandable. Nobody wants to reopen old wounds. So, did the officer tell you what kind of demihuman she has become?"

"Yes, I was told that she is now part-dragon"

The merchant's eyes went wide as he heard the last part.

"Part-dragon? Like the ruler of Dragon Kingdom?"

"Hey, I'm not well-versed when it comes to other kingdoms. I'm just here trying to live the rest of my old life in peace, you know"

There was a brief silence before the merchant spoke again.

"Ah, right. Sorry"

"Anyway, I'm going to buy these"

The lady handed a basket filled with the groceries she had been picking up while talking. The merchant quickly began counting the total price while thinking how such a significant event could have happened overnight without him having any idea about it.


[X][X][X]


Ryu's group was walking through the marketplace district of E-Rantel, having recently left from the Adventurer's Guild after registering Hikaru and Mel Rose into the team. Things had gone very smoothly and quickly, and Ryu felt displeased by it.

"Now you two see how the guild likes to lick the boots of Adamantite Rank adventurers"

Rose was then the one who spoke in response to Ryu's remark while gently holding the Adamantite Rank plate she was wearing.

"Yeah, I bet this thing normally takes some time to make, doesn't it?"

"Right, and now we know what Ainzach was doing in his all-nighter"

"Kinda obvious"

Hikaru let out a little laugh as she said that. Pluton Ainzach, the guildmaster, had pre-emptively taken care of all necessary procedures of officially putting both Rose and Hikaru into Ignite Maximus team as fellow Adamantite Rank adventurers. Something that shouldn't have taken only one night. That was a clear sign on how willing the guild was to go out of their way just to please an Adamantite Rank adventurer.

"You two should now have an easier time walking around, but I think we should still stick together for now."

Rose shrugged hearing Ryu's suggestion.

"Yeah, sure. But what are we going to do now?"

"Hmm... Let's go to a nearby open plain"

"Huh? For what?"

Rose asked with a confused tone. The others still didn't know what Ryu's intention was, which was natural since he still had not specified anything yet.

"I just thought that you two should learn how to fly"

"You mean like our Worker friend Arche? But how?"

"Well, let's just get there for now. Lily, pick Rose up. Liz, come and help me pick Hikaru up"

"Right away, Ryu-san!"

"Heh, alright"

Both Hikaru and Rose just looked confused as Lily positioned herself behind Rose and coiled her arms around Rose's torso right below the armpits, while Ryu and Alice each coiled one arm to Hikaru's. Just a second later the three of them flew up, carrying the other two with them.

"H-Hey! What the hell!?"

"Whoa..!"

Both Hikaru and Rose were startled by the sudden rise of altitude, but they both quickly regained their calm. The citizens around looked at the group in awe as they flew away from the place.

A few minutes later, the group landed upon an open plain near the edge of a forest. For Ryu, Lily, and Alice, this spot was familiar because it was where Ryu had bestowed Photon Arts and Photon Techs to Lily and Alice respectively. In fact, traces of damage to the environment from testing back then were still visible.

"Okay, I need some explanation. As far as I know, [Fly] is a magic spell. I can understand if Alice can cast it, but Lily is clearly not a magic caster. And you, how could you cast that spell?"

Before Ryu could answer to Rose's question, Hikaru spoke out.

"Ainz lent you something, didn't he?"

Ryu smiled, being impressed on how Hikaru could always make a correct guess this quickly when it comes to something involving him.

"That is correct"

Ryu then revealed the Flight Necklace he had been tucking underneath his suit, and then he took it off and gave it to Hikaru.

"Lily, please lend yours to Rose"

"Sure, Ryu-san!"

Lily then gave her Flight Necklace to Rose, who reluctantly accepted. Both Hikaru and Rose then put the necklace on while still looking fairly confused.

"So, what do we do with it?"

"Channel photon into it. But be careful not to-"

WHOOOSH!

Rose was suddenly launched vertically upwards at high speed. Everyone else on the ground could hear her scream, fading as she was getting more distant from the ground.

"...overcharge it"

Ryu sighed with his head down, then he looked at Lily.

"Go get her, Lily"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

Lily then activated the [Valkyrian Flight] spell from her armor set, making her grow angelic wings as she flew away to get Rose.

"To be exact, overcharging is fine since the necklace seems to just refuse to take in excess photon energy, but you might not be ready for the sudden flight speed, like her"

Right after Ryu finished speaking, Lily came back from the sky with Rose in her arms, princess-carry style. Rose looked quite shocked with what had just happened, seeing that her eyes had gone wide and she was breathing in short pulses. But as soon as she realized that everyone else were looking at her, her face became red and she wriggled her way out of Lily's arms.

"L-Let me down!"

Rose stood on her feet after Lily let her down. She took a deep breath before speaking to Ryu.

"Sorry about that. I should've heard you out until you finished"

"Ehh... what?"

Ryu was pretty confused with what Rose had just said. He had been expecting Rose to pout or lash out for what had just happened to her. Rose sighed seeing the confusion, folded her arms, and began speaking with her eyes looking upwards.

"See what I mean, Meru? Apologizing right away like that is so not me. Now they are confused"

Rose transitioned into laughing as she said that. All the others took a few seconds to get what was happening and they finally followed suit.

"Though, Lily. How were you able to fly? You gave me your necklace, right?"

"It was thanks to this armor suit from Papa!"

Lily gave her answer cheerfully while her angelic wings were flapping, even though she was currently standing on the ground. Ryu wondered if the wings were responding to Lily's mood somewhat.

Nevertheless, the lesson had to go on, so Ryu cleared his throat as a sign for Hikaru and Rose to pay attention, and then the crash course for flying resumed.


[X][X][X]


Ainz was once again back in his office, sitting on his grand seat with the work desk right in his front. Albedo was right beside him, and Demiurge was standing on the opposite side of the desk. Right now, Ainz was reviewing a number of written reports about various things, either ongoing or already past, which might be important.

"Albedo, Demiurge..."

"Yes, Ainz-sama. How can I serve you?"

"What is your command, Ainz-sama?"

Both Demiurge and Albedo responded promptly to his call. Ainz sighed a bit before he began speaking once more.

"Do you have suggestions on how I should reward the Kashin Koji for his well done work?"

Both Albedo and Demiurge only needed less than one second to come up with an answer. Both of them began speaking simultaneously, but Ainz quickly raised his hand.

"One by one. Albedo, you first"

"Right, Ainz-sama. I believe on his behalf that there is no greater reward than knowing that he has been of great use to you, Ainz-sama"

Ainz was not pleased with Albedo's answer. He then turned to Demiurge.

"What about you, Demiurge?"

"My opinion is the same as Albedo, Ainz-sama. Knowing that we have served you well is the greatest reward we could ever have"

Ainz wanted to scream in his mind, but in reality he just made a little sigh.

"...Are you two sure about that?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Both Albedo and Demiurge answered at the same time.

"Even though he has exceeded my expectations?"

Hearing Ainz's followup question, Demiurge adjusted his glasses and began speaking.

"Exceeding your supreme expectations is what every single denizen of Nazarick strives for, Ainz-sama. To be painfully honest, right now I cannot help feeling envy towards the Kashin Koji, knowing that he had managed to achieve what I have been perceiving as an impossible dream"

Do they even actually learn?

"I will keep that in mind, though I still believe that I should reward him with something more tangible. Nevertheless..."

Ainz picked up a single piece of paper, one of the many pieces of paper stacked like a mountain on the work desk. Most of them were the written report made by the Kashin Koji spy about everything which had happened around Ryu's group just like before. This particular piece of paper contained a pencil illustration of the alleged Falz Angel which Ryu's group had seen over the western ocean.

This illustration is... very good. Did he just draw this from memory?

"Tell everyone in Nazarick to keep an eye for this creature, but do not engage even if it is openly hostile. Retreat on sight and report to me. That is my order regarding this matter"

Ainz handed the piece of paper to Albedo as he said that.

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Albedo received the piece of paper, bowed to Ainz, and walked away leaving the office. After the door closed, now Ainz was left with only Demiurge in the room.

"Take a seat and help me with all these reports. Inform me immediately if you find something you consider interesting"

"Of course, Ainz-sama. I would relish the chance to assist you"

"Ah. Right... Well, let's get started"

Both Ainz and Demiurge then went through all the reports stacked on the work table. The report was written into excruciating detail which was very impressive for Ainz since the Kashin Koji should have not been able to take notes while being inside Lily, so everything had to be written from memory. Add to the fact that the spy was able to produce such an illustration of Falz Angel, Ainz couldn't help feeling even more impressed and wondered if the others had such level of dedication too.

After about half an hour of scouring through the reports, Demiurge's eyebrows suddenly rose.

"Hmm? Ainz-sama, you may wish to see this"

"Oh? What is it?"

Demiurge handed the paper he was holding to Ainz, who then glanced through it to see what this particular piece of report was about.

"That is the report about an Adamantite Rank job taken by Ryu's group some time ago, but the interesting part is at the end"

After hearing Demiurge's remark, Ainz focused his attention on the last section of the report. It took him less than a minute to notice what Demiurge wanted him to see.

"Ryu could copy Martial Arts just by having one performed near him... Interesting indeed"

Ainz thought about this newest detail. As far as evidence suggested, none of the residents of Nazarick could learn Martial Arts through normal means, while Hamsuke, a local of this world, had managed to learn one through training.

Come to think of it, his sister used a Martial Art once back then. Perhaps Rose also used one to break out of the crystal...

Ainz made an assumption from his recent experiences that the ability to copy Martial Arts was likely a common trait among all ARKS members. If this was true, ARKS could become significantly more dangerous than Ainz had previously been thinking. Locals capable of using Martial Arts were not that rare, so ARKS members could obtain a large variety of Martial Arts without too much difficulty.

In addition, there had been a few pieces of evidence which suggested that Martial Arts scaled in power according to the user's strength and level. That meant an ARKS member who had learned something like a magic resistance Martial Art might become highly resistant to magic. Rose's feat of freeing herself from the [Crystal Prison] spell was proof enough of that.

Is this the way this world compensates ARKS for the fact that players, NPCs, and the world's locals can learn their Photon Arts and Photon Techs easily? Come on, that's a little unfair! We need to get our hands on their consumable item to learn one, while they can copy Martial Arts just like that! Hell, this report clearly implies that Ryu has copied that kidnapper girl's Martial Art, so now he can be fucking fast if he wants to!

Just as Ainz was mentally venting in anger, frustration, and envy that he would have normally reserved for the "shitty-devs" back in his original world, his emotion suppressor kicked in, calming him down as he then spoke up in a matching tone.

"...We may need to reevaluate our thinking on how dangerous ARKS members can be"

"As expected of Ainz-sama, to immediately be cautious of the potential danger of a whole faction from a single part of a report about one of their members"

Ainz was slightly confused from Demiurge's remark, until he remembered that Demiurge had not yet been properly informed about the finer details of what had recently happened within Nazarick. This was thanks to Ainz himself being too focused on Rose's return, along with Ryu's sister now being in the picture.

"Ah, yes. There is a little detail I haven't informed you yet. Both Rose and Hikaru used Martial Arts back then in the Amphitheater, so we can assume that all ARKS are capable of learning Martial Arts easily like that"

Demiurge put one finger on his chin with serious expression on his face.

"I see. That means all ARKS members get more dangerous the longer they stay on this world"

"And they have to stay because there are Darkers. Therefore we need to be cautious and not make them an enemy, unless there are no other options. For now, I will wait and see how the ones in charge of ARKS would act upon learning about our presence. Further course of action will be decided once we find that out"

Demiurge nodded with a slight smile.

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

"Speaking of which, I should try seeing if I can get Ryu's group here to answer some questions"

Ainz then raised his hand towards his ear to cast the Message spell to Lily.

[Message]

"Lily"

"Oh, Papa! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Are you with everyone else now?"

"Yes, Papa! We're having Hikaru-san and Rose-san learning how to fly!"

Wait, what?

It took Ainz a few seconds to understand that the group was lending their Flight Necklace to Rose and Hikaru and having them learn how to control it. Ainz thought that it was a smart move since Lily already had her own flight spell from her armor set, and Alice could cast the spell herself. If Lily and Alice gave their necklace to Hikaru and Rose, the whole group would be able to fly without having to acquire another Flight Necklace.

"I see. In any case, I want all of you to be here as soon as possible, so-"

"Got it, Papa! We will be on the usual spot within five minutes!"

Eh, what? What usual spot?

Ainz had no idea what Lily had meant by that, but he was too embarrassed to ask. At this point Lily was already like a daughter to him, and a good father would never fail to understand their daughter. At least, that was how he felt about it.

"Ah, right. See you soon"

"See you soon, Papa!"

The spell ended, and now Ainz was in great distress. If he failed to figure out what the so-called "usual spot" actually was within the next five minutes, he would become a laughing stock to Lily. He didn't want to ask Demiurge either, because this matter should be a simple thing which even a child could figure out. Having to ask one of Nazarick's greatest thinkers for this trivial matter would not be appropriate to him.

Aaaaah! And here I thought I was done with this sort of thing!

"Is there something wrong, Ainz-sama?"

Demiurge, seemingly noticing Ainz's restlessness, spoke out. Ainz didn't want to tell him, but he didn't want to shrug the concern off either.

"Lily gave me a... an interesting puzzle question. I wish to figure this out myself for now"

"Understood, Ainz-sama. I shall leave the room if you need to be alone"

"Stay here. This should only take five minutes, but I want you to keep silent until then"

Demiurge nodded without saying anything, and now Ainz's mind went into overdrive. The so-called "usual spot" shouldn't be a place unfamiliar to him, so he definitely would figure it out if he kept his mind calm. Ainz put his skeletal hand on his skeletal chin and leaned slightly forward as he fell into deep thought.

Let's see... from how Lily said it, she probably expected me to cast Gate on the 'usual spot' for the group to come here...

But where is this 'usual spot'...?

Their room in Golden Pavilion? Nah, she would have said 'in our room' or something to that effect instead.

The Adventurer's Guild? No way, people will freak out seeing the portal and cause unnecessary panic.

While Ainz was thinking, four minutes had passed. He only had less than one minute left to cast [Gate] or he would become Lily's laughing stock.

Is this what is feels like to be an anxious parent!? Think, Suzuki! Think!

Only less than ten seconds remaining, and Ainz's physically-nonexistent brain felt like overheating. But suddenly...

...Oh! That must be it!

Ainz stood up from his seat, raised his hand forward, and casted a spell on the open space a few meters behind Demiurge's seat.

[Gate]

A dark portal was materialized there as Demiurge turned around to look. Ainz then hoped with all his heart that his guess was true and Ryu's group would come in through that portal. The next five seconds felt like the longest five seconds ever in his unlife.

Whoosh!

"Hello, Papa!"

With the familiar sound, someone came out from the portal. It was Lily, jumping in cheerfully, followed by Rose, then Alice, and...

Where are Ryu and Hikaru?

It took another five seconds of silence until finally Ryu came out from the portal, with Hikaru clinging to his arm and sporting a worried facial expression. Not paying much heed to that, Ainz dispelled the portal after making sure everyone was here. Ainz was glad he had guessed correctly that the "usual spot" was the one in the forest near E-Rantel, where he usually teleported Ryu's group to from Nazarick.

"Welcome back to Nazarick"

Ainz spoke with his usual calm tone to Ryu's group, while Demiurge moved aside and bowed slightly, treating the group as respected guests.

"Demiurge, you are dismissed for now. I will call you back later"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge bowed and walked away from the room. After the door gently closed, Ainz made a gesture towards the small conference table nearby.

"Let us take a seat over there. I have a number of things to talk about"

"U-Umm... A-Ainz-dono..."

Hikaru spoke with great hesitation before everyone could take a seat. Ainz looked at her and noticed how her face was quite flushed.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

Hikaru didn't respond to Ainz's question for several seconds, but then she released her arms from Ryu, approached Ainz, and suddenly bowed to him.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

Ainz was surprised from the sudden apology. He had no idea why Hikaru suddenly apologized like that, as if she had made a big mistake.

"Now, now. I fail to understand what the apology is about. I need some explanation, if you or any others could provide one"

Hikaru raised her head, hesitated briefly, and began speaking again.

"I-I'm sorry for... killing your Doppelgangers..."

"Huh? Oh..."

Ainz looked at Rose as he realized what this was all about.

"So you have told her, Rose"

Rose, still looking unfazed, began speaking in response.

"I kinda had to. Otherwise there would have been misunderstandings"

Ainz put his hand on his chin, fully understanding what Rose meant.

"Hmm, indeed. That is to be expected"

He then looked towards Hikaru, who was looking at him with worried, full of guilt face. The dissonance between the attitude she had showed back then and now made Ainz question whether this was really the same person. Nevertheless, Ainz began speaking to her.

"Shed your worry and guilt, as you are not at fault at all. Back then, in your eyes you were faced with the imminent death of your friends, so your reaction of unleashing what I assume was a dangerous, last resort power, was natural. I would have done the same in your shoes"

Hikaru's eyes went wider slightly after hearing what Ainz had just said.

"While the death of the Doppelgangers were not planned, it was still well within the risk I have expected. If I had to blame someone, it would have been myself for making the scheme too extreme. Therefore, let us put that matter aside and take seats"

Without waiting for response, Ainz walked away from the spot he was standing on and sat down on one of the available seats around the small conference table. One by one, the others followed, until finally everyone was seated around the table.

"To begin, I wish to ask a question"

Ainz turned his head to Rose, who was seated further from him but not the furthest.

"Why did you not tell me that Sheep, or Hikaru, whichever she is addressed with now, is also a member of ARKS? I believe you should have already known that when we met again back then"

Rose showed a slight reaction, then she averted her eyes, which was slightly narrowed, to the side while scratching her cheek with one finger. Her cheeks seemed to blush slightly.

"I... I didn't fully trust you yet back then"

"I see. That is to be expected with this ominous physical nature of mine. In any case, now that all ARKS operatives I know are in one place, I believe it is a good time to exchange information"

The group then had a conversation, mainly about informing each other about various things. Thanks to this conference, Ainz now has learned about more details regarding various things such as Rose's life after separating from Ryu, how she had encountered Hikaru by chance, and all other events leading to their expedition into Nazarick with the Workers. From Hikaru, he also learned about how this world was for some reason located in a peculiar spot in the universe which made warping in risky, as shown by three separate cases of crashed spaceships, which they called as Gate Ship.

"So we can expect them to arrive within a month or two?"

"I can't make any promises, unfortunately"

"Hmm... that is troubling"

Ainz was not pleased with Hikaru's answer, which didn't give much to begin with on how long he had to wait until the fleet arrived.

"...Pardon me, but..."

Alice suddenly spoke out, albeit hesitantly.

"I couldn't follow some part of the conversation, but are you all telling me that this realm is just one of many so-called 'planets', with others out there beyond the skies, and the culture of ARKS has advanced enough to easily travel between planets?"

From what Alice had just said, Ainz realized that all the things which had been talked about might have involved a concept too bizzare for this world's local to grasp. The culture level of this world could be assumed as similar to medieval ages of Earth, which Ainz believed still embraced the Geocentric Theorem, Flat Earth belief, or both at once. The conversation might have overwhelmingly strained Alice's mind, and Ainz felt that he had to do something about it.

"That is correct. I know it is hard to believe, but-"

Alice quickly shook her head before Ainz could finish.

"No, I mean, that is amazing! Everything matches with the ancient book I once read!"

Alice spoke with excited tone, and her eyes were wide with that excitement. It was the very first time Ainz, and probably everyone else, saw Alice behaving like that. Ainz himself was quite intrigued hearing the words "Ancient Book" which could possibly be something left by players in the past, if its contents was really about such modern knowledge.

"Ancient book? Do you have it with you now?"

Alice shook her head again.

"No, it was not mine to begin with. It belonged to someone I met by chance when I was still a wanderer, before I settled down on E-Rantel and became an Adventurer there. He wore full plate white armor so I never got to know how he looked. His name was... Tsar, I think. It was already a couple years ago"

Hmm, this 'Tsar' guy might be a player, or someone related to one in some way. I wonder if I can find him anytime soon...

"I see, but I think I need to tell you all about a concerning matter"

Ainz then pulled the world map he had from his inventory and spread it over the table. After the map was neatly settled down on the table, Ainz put one finger on one spot of the map.

"This is E-Rantel, the city you all know"

Ainz moved his finger to a different spot.

"This is Carne Village, which was once under attack by Darkers"

Ainz moved his finger again to another spot.

"This is the capital of Re-Estize Kingdom. Dark Falz Elder appeared here and went on a rampage. Thankfully the city survived without too much damage thanks to the effort of Ryu's team and m-"

Ainz's speech was cut short because he realized he was about to say 'mine', which would eventually reveal to Rose and Hikaru that he was Momon. It might be pointless to keep that secret since the rest of their group already knew and likely would tell them sooner or later, accidentally or not. But at least Ainz didn't want to reveal the fact himself right here and now.

"...Momon's team"

Not looking if anyone noticed his stuttering, Ainz moved his finger again.

"This is the ocean to the west, where Ryu's group fought a giant Kraken infected by Darker, and then saw a mysterious figure which might have been a Falz Angel. As you can see, it is apparent that Darkers have spread their influence wide throughout the land"

After saying that, Ainz moved his finger to the spot he was currently most concerned with.

"This is a region named Abelion Hills. There is no human civilization here, but there is a variety of demihuman civilization. My subordinate Demiurge, the one you all saw when you came, encountered Elder's Darkers there. In addition, just recently a portion of this area was devastated by a huge explosion, which was possibly Elder's doing"

The others seemed to listen to Ainz seriously so far.

"I would like you all to go there and investigate. See if you can find out whatever was behind the explosion, and return to me with any information you can find. Think of it as an Adventurer job from me, since I will properly reward you once you return depending on what you find. I would have liked to assist you by lending some strong escorts, but since there is a risk of them getting infected and attack you, I unfortunately will have you go by yourselves"

Ryu then looked around to the others before speaking.

"What do you think?"

Rose was the one to immediately respond, followed by the others.

"Of course we should. This is about a Dark Falz, and we are the only ARKS on this planet now"

"Yes, we should, oniichan"

"I will follow you wherever you go, Ryu-san!"

"I don't know if I will be of any help, but alright"

Looking at the approval, Ainz pulled a Flight Necklace from his inventory and put it on the table.

"Here is one extra Flight Necklace so that everyone in your group can use [Fly], since now Lily doesn't need it, no?"

Everyone else except Alice had their eyes going wide seeing what Ainz had just given them seemingly on a whim. Ainz decided to pay it no further heed and continued speaking.

"If you are ready, I shall use the same portal spell to send you there, but not exactly there since I do not want to risk Elder noticing the portal by chance and coming here through it. The place you will be investigating will be a couple kilometers to the south from where you will come out. Also, take the necklace already, will you?"

After showing a slight reaction, Ryu took the necklace and put it on, which made Ainz wonder why it was Ryu who had lent his necklace away instead of Alice. But since it was a trivial matter Ainz didn't bother to inquire.

"So, are you ready?"

Ryu looked at the others, who nodded as their eyes met, and then he looked at Ainz.

"Yes, we are"

Ainz nodded and raised his hand to the side.

[Gate]

"Good luck. I will be expecting valuable information from you later"

Everyone in Ryu's group then walked into the portal which just appeared, and Ainz immediately dispelled the portal after making sure everybody was through. Right after that, Ainz remembered something he had neglected.

Oh crap! How will they get back here if there's no telling when and where they will be ready to get back? Oh well, I guess I will have to call Nigredo over again.


[X][X][X]


Blam.

The large door behind him closed with a gentle sound, and he let out a sigh. This man, the First Seat of the Black Scripture, couldn't help wondering why this day had been a very strange one. Still, he believed that he should not show this weak side of him, thus he straightened his body up and walked away from the meeting room behind him.

Just a few steps later, he noticed that someone was standing in the middle of the hallway. Someone familiar to him in the form of the Extra Seat of the Black Scripture. She stood straight with her arms folded, as if she was waiting for him. Somehow, he felt that the situation was familiar, as a feeling of deja vu crept over him. A strange term passed down to them by the Six Great Gods.

"What was the decision?"

"They are still discussing about it"

She rolled her eyes with her head slightly tilted up, a clear sign that she was not pleased with the answer.

"Figures. Those old farts just like to talk all day until their tongues fall off"

The man just responded with a slight laugh and bitter smile to the disrespectful words. She could easily get away with it because she was what she was. Not wanting to continue on the topic, the man quickly spoke out to change the subject.

"You seem interested this time, unlike before"

The girl began walking to the wall on the side of the hallway with her hands behind her head.

"I was just bored, and I didn't feel like playing with that toy. So I read the copy of the report given to me about what you did this time"

She leaned to the wall, right next to the cross-shaped scythe of hers which was leaning against the wall. The Captain of the Black Scripture ignored what would have been a shock to him at the revelation that Zesshi Zetsumei actually read a report for once. Due to the most recent string of events, he could no longer be surprised easily anymore.

Indeed, recently the Black Scripture had been sent over to the Abelion Hills to investigate unnatural disturbances happening there, which had somehow culminated into a massive explosion by the time they had gotten fairly close, which had prompted them to increase their pace. Soon after, they had found nothing at ground zero, other than a single thing: A girl sleeping on the ground leaning to a fallen tree without any traces of injuries, burns, or such.

Suspecting that the girl might have been the one who had caused the disturbances and the massive explosion, the squad had decided to capture her by putting her into a deeper sleep with a magic spell. After that, the squad had returned to the Theocracy with teleportation spell to report what they had found. In the mean time while the higher ups were deciding on what to do, the suspected girl was taken prisoner.

"So, how's the prisoner now?"

"Last time I checked, still fast asleep. But the sleep spell should wear out sometime later today"

"What if she wakes up sooner and then rampages?"

"She is currently secured in the special magic-sealing confinement chamber, so she should not be able to cause any harm even if that's the case"

The girl smirked, and then she put her hand on her forehead and laughed. The man couldn't help wondering why she seemed so excited.

"I can break out of that chamber without effort. Do you seriously think it can hold her down there?"

The man didn't say anything in response. Indeed, it was true that Zesshi could easily break out of the restraints and other security measures of the chamber. However, Zesshi was a special case. She was without any doubt the Theocracy's strongest trump card, and nothing besides the sacred artifacts of The Six Gods could have enough power to hold her down.

Moreover, as its name implied, the magic-sealing confinement chamber was designed to hold down magic users by containing the flow of their mana, forcing them to rely on pure physical strength to break out of the restraints, which would be impossible because the restraints were made from the strongest metal available. Zesshi's physical strength was something which broke any common sense contrasting her physical appearance as a relatively small girl, so it was natural that she could break out of the chamber, or any other confinement facility within the Theocracy, without exerting much effort.

"But if she really can break out of it, maybe I can hope for an exciting fight. I wonder if she will be the one to finally make me taste defeat..."

Zesshi spoke those words while staring at both her hands and her facial expression going back to smirking.

"Please don't get your hopes up. The odds are impossible for that to happen"

Still smirking, Zesshi talked back in response of what he had just said.

"Are you really sure about that? Sometimes I feel that the Gods are playing with us, you see"

He couldn't help agreeing to some extent. The Theocracy had suffered substantial losses within the span of just half a year. The Crown of Wisdom had been lost, a Black Scripture member had defected, the Miko Princess of Earth had died, two other Black Scripture members had been killed by a vampire, with one other severely injured.

With all those bad things happening, he couldn't shake off the possibility, however slim, that the girl taken prisoner would bring another significant loss to the Theocracy, or worse, total annihilation. But he had to keep a positive attitude and not let such doubts make him waver.

"If you are really concerned, I'm going to check on her now"

"...I will go with you. I have nothing else to do after all"

Zesshi grabbed her scythe and began walking along with the Black Scripture Captain. With her alongside him, he felt relieved, and he believed that things would turn out all right.


[X][X][X]


Afterword:

Welp, it seems Guardian got kidnapped in her sleep by Slane Theocracy. Though they were indeed correct on one point that she was the one who had blown up a portion of Abelion Hills. How will she get out of this predicament? Well, that will be for the next chapter.


Pre-emptive Q&A:


Q: So Guardian is a girl?

A: Yes.


Q: Why another girl?

A: There's a plot-critical reason for Guardian being a girl.


Q: Will you show us (the audience) what she looks like?

A: Yes, once she manages to rendezvous with Ryu's group later. I already have dropped a hint a couple chapters ago, though.


Q: Will there be a fight between ARKS and Nazarick? (From UndeadLord22)

A: Very unlikely, since both sides should know better than destroying each other and letting Darkers roam free.


See you again later.