"Welcome, Lady Fiore. It's a pleasure meeting you again."

"Hello." The dark elf girl sat there quietly. She looked vulnerable to the point that Jircniv almost felt guilty about his plans for her. That was, until he saw the wicked staff on her lap, and remembered that she could take out hundreds with one strike.

"My apologies, I know now that the refreshments we have can never compare to Nazarick's, but I hope that you will be able to enjoy them regardless." Maids entered the room and began to arrange a variety of small dishes in front of the dark elf. He had asked the cooks to make their best meals this time, but it appeared that it was still not enough.

Once the table was set, the maids bowed and left the room.

Still not perfect, Jircniv thought as he watched them go.

He turned back to the dark elf girl. "Now then, I'm sure you are curious as to why I asked for you. The Empire is under a dilemma as of late. It is with−"

Suddenly a guard burst into the room, arms waving frantically, his face an exaggerated portrait of shock. "Your Majesty! Elf slaves! There are elf slaves near the eastern border!"

Jircniv froze. You are way too early! Damn you! And what kind of second−rate acting was that? Not even a fool would believe it!

He dared a glance at Mare, whose features remained expressionless. "A−ah. Elves, you say? Then undoubtedly action must be taken to ensure their safety. How about we form a party to rescue them?"

He paused. This would be the part where Mare would eagerly offer her assistance, but the dark elf girl simply sat there.

Perhaps she isn't interested? No, that can't be. She seemed much too honest to not care for the fellow members of her race. She must have not been convinced by this idiot of a guard. Damn it. I need to have him removed.

Sweat beaded on the back of his neck as he opened his mouth to speak again, but the guard beat him to it, nodding fervently. "An excellent idea, Your Majesty! Who knows what horrible things could be happening to them right now! For instance! Murder! Rape! Being bred against their will! Starvation!"

You idiot! Jircniv wanted to scream. If there was a god in this world, then please, please−

Mare was muttering quietly to herself. "Ah, that's right. Demiurge wanted…" She turned her attention towards him, startling heterochromatic eyes distracting him from his internal dilemma. "I will take care of it."

Jircniv breathed loose a sigh of relief as he sent a silent prayer to whatever god had saved him. "We thank you for joining us in this noble cause then, Lady Fiore. However, a rescue operation is no easy feat, and so certain, ah, conditions must be fulfilled beforehand. Would you care to assist us in meeting them?"

"Ah…no problem." The dark elf girl seemed a bit confused, but Jircniv smiled.

Wonderful! For the first time after meeting that wretched monster, things are finally moving to plan!

Jircniv had learned from experience that, when asking a question, the best way to gain answers was to give the wrong answer in the first place. Thus, the unsuspecting target would feel obligated to correct you. "Then, could you clarify something for me? I've heard rumors that out of all the personals within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama ranks only fifth in terms of power. Of course, it was impossible for me to believe that such a magnificent figure could−"

"That's not true!" For a brief second, Jircniv thought that the guard had interrupted him again, but it was the dark elf girl that was shaking her head vigorously. "Ainz-sama is the strongest of us all! Even among all the Supreme Beings, he stood at their head!"

Ho…that was a relief then. If he could just figure out how to defeat that monster, then he could take them all down. But…"Supreme Beings?"

The dark elf nodded. "Our creators."

Hah? Creators? So not only could the Sorcerer King make death knights, but this dark elf was his doing too?

"D-did His Majesty make you?" He asked tentatively, praying to the mysterious god from before that he was wrong.

"No…it was Bukubukuchagama-sama…but she left us." Mare seemed a little subdued at the fact.

They must have been close. But…if that's the case wouldn't this dark elf girl follow her to wherever she went? Or was she ordered to stay behind? Or…perhaps by "left," she meant that this Buku person died? She also called them "Supreme Beings." Plural. Did they all die too? Ahh…damn it. I want to ask how but she might destroy this room if I pushed too hard on such a sensitive topic.

A strange smile flitted on his lips as Jircniv asked the next question. "My condolences, Lady Fiore, but for the sake of those elves, could you tell me exactly how many of those 'Supreme Beings' there were?"

"Ah…there were 41."

"And, ah, would you refer to yourself as a Supreme Being?"

"H-how could I?" Mare's voice was uncharacteristically loud.

Jircniv's mood was now in heights unknown. For one nicknamed the "Blood Emperor," death was nothing more than an insurance that his enemies would not rise again. When he purged the Empire of those worthless nobles, he took many factors into consideration− their wealth, their influence, their military might− and found within them weaknesses he exploited with ease. It did not take a genius to understand that dying meant there existed an Achilles heel of sorts. Furthermore, seeing how nervous the dark elf girl became when she spoke of them, it would not be wrong to assume that these Supreme Beings were stronger than the subordinates he had seen in that throne room. Given also the fact that 40 of them had perished…that meant the possibility for victory still existed.

Ainz Ooal Gown! I will bring you to your knees!

Mare did not understand why this human was asking such obvious questions. Perhaps it was because he was not made by the Supreme Beings, and was thus inferior. Mare nodded inwardly at that conclusion as he watched Jircniv, who had a somewhat dazed expression on his face. "I−if that's all, then, I will be leaving."

"Ah, my apologies for holding you, Lady Fiore. As promised and in gratitude for your cooperation, I will allow one of the best knights in the empire to assist you on this mission. I'm sure you are familiar with him already." He gestured towards a knight standing behind him. "This is−"

"−Nimble Dale Arc Anoch, right?"

Nimble blinked in surprise at the acknowledgement. "That's right, Lady Fiore."

Mare studied him. They had met twice before: once during Mare's first emissary mission, and the second time on the Katze plains. Each meeting had only dropped his thoughts on Nimble's capabilities− or lack thereof− by another notch. He turned back to Jircniv. "Ah, um, I can go by myself."

"So mutig!" The strange guard from before lifted a hand to his forehead dramatically.

Jircniv's eyes focused on the source of the outburst. "Are you sure? At least let someone guide you. The roads of the Empire can be a bit daunting for a newcomer, after all."

"I-is that so. Very well, then."