[Chapter 2: A Mansion of Madness]
The road underneath the carriage was of decent quality and the ride wasn't very bumpy. Of course, to someone used to the high-speed rail and cars of the 22nd century, this would quite literally be a form of torture and Ainz found himself thanking his undead constitution, else they surely would have been stopping several times in order to let him empty his stomach.
But with no such bodily distractions, he could focus on the environment. At the moment, they were nearing the end of their journey, which was rather short and filled with small talk between Emilia, Puck and Ainz. Yet much of the time was also spent on ruminating about the current events, as well as the nature around him.
He gazed at the forest that surrounded him, 'Blue Planet, you would have loved this. And… maybe you will.' he thought to himself, hoping that being dragged here wasn't a one and done phenomenon. Alas, no signs of other YGGDRASIL players were seen by the undead magic caster, and so he had to settle for speculation.
His mind turned to other matters, such as the being that pulled the carriage he was in. It was a brownish, bipedal reptile that resembled a few of the druid pets one could get back in the game. It certainly seemed to have decent strength, speed and endurance, but it could hardly compete with his [Fly] spell.
"Emilia," he said, turning to the half-elf who was also gazing at the treeline, "can you tell me of the being that is pulling this carriage? I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it."
The girl nodded and put her index finger in the air, the way a teacher might when calling attention to herself during a lecture, "These are called Earth Dragon's. They're pretty widespread when it comes to transportation, mostly because they're strong and intelligent. They've also got a divine protection that makes them free from the effects of the wind."
While this was all quite interesting, only two parts stuck out to Ainz. "Forgive me if I misunderstand, but is it a dragon? The ones I have encountered tend to be quadrupedal, with wings and some manner of breath attack."
'Of course a fantasy world has dragons! Why wouldn't it?! I just hope these are the main types, the ones in YGGDRASIL could be such a pain to fight.' he thought to himself, remembering the various bosses that were of draconic origin. Even the so-called final boss of the game, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a massive dragon. Thankfully, that being seemed to not be here, as the world would have perished long ago, even if it merely appeared.
"Well, the Divine Dragon Volcanica, who is kind of the patron of Lugnica, is like that. I think there used to be more of them, but they're mostly gone now. There's also Water Dragons, like the Earth Dragons." she said.
"I see, thank you for the information." he answered, nodding and turning his attention back to the scenery outside. However, his mind turned to much more important matters, 'Divine authorities, huh. Something like skills? That thief girl seemed to have something like that. I wonder if I can obtain any. If I get both those and a spirit… Hm. I really need to visit a library, although I doubt they just leave books on this out in public.'
To be fair, he was heading towards the mansion of a very influential noble, a patron to a possible king of the land, if he didn't have a library with this, then chances were slim for anyone to have it. He turned to Emilia once again, "Actually, what can you tell me of your patron, Lord Mathers? He must be quite well-known to be able to sponsor you."
"Well, um, let's just say he's a hard character to describe. You'll see what I mean when you meet him. I can tell you he's probably the strongest mage in the country, he can cast every single element." she quickly answered before turning back to the window.
'Ok, now that certainly does not bode well. But a mage, huh? Perhaps he could tell me more about this world's magic. I can't make it too obvious though…'
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Eventually they arrived at a huge mansion. The surface of it was of a beautiful white colour, with no blemishes at all, while the roof was black, contrasting nicely. Five towers erupted from it and reached towards the sky. It seemed to be divided into three distinct wings; there was a central one, and one on each side.
While this was all well and good, what Ainz was truly amazed by was the garden. He marvelled at the perfectly maintained grass, the rows of flowers, and the variety of bushes and trees. 'Is that what they call a gazebo? I think Touch Me talked about something like that once.' he recalled.
Gardens like this were privileges reserved for those in the various arcologies around the world, and it wouldn't be an understatement to say that there was more plant life in this garden, than the entirety of corporate Tokyo. If his mask was off then Emilia would have seen his jaw unhinge itself in amazement.
Quickly enough however, the carriage stopped and out of the main entrance came out two maids. Ainz instantly knew they were sisters, being almost identical, except for their hair and eye colours.
One had a light blue colour, while the other was pink. They wore rather risqué maid outfits, their shoulders exposed and their skirts short compared to the maid outfits Whitebrim always ranted about. In fact, he could have sworn he heard his friend call out somewhere in the distance.
He had to admit though, that the whole manner of dress, including the ribbon and hairband, really suited them. Each of them had one eye covered by their hair and he had to wonder whether they coordinated this many years ago and just stuck with it.
They walked towards the carriage and opened the door, the blue one holding out her hand for Emilia. Ainz let her go first, but was not offered a hand when he exited. He looked at the two maids, who wore professional, almost cold expressions, and couldn't help but notice that their heads only reached to about half his torso.
Yes, his stature was impressive, however they, even when compared to Emilia, were uncharacteristically short. They seemed to be human, so perhaps he was just unused to people being so short compared to him.
"Welcome back, Lady Emilia." they said unison. Their voices, to Ainz's surprise, were distinct from each other.
"It's good to be back." she answered before motioning towards Ainz, "Rem, Ram, this is Ainz Ooal Gown. He helped me find my insignia after it was stolen and then fought the bowel hunter."
Ainz took the initiative and spoke before the maids could, "A pleasure to meet you, I hope you won't mind my presence. As Emilia said, it was a pleasure to assist her."
His statement did nothing to alleviate the suspicion and borderline fear that was hidden in the cold eyes of the maids.
"Sister, Sister. Our Dear Guest is scary." said the one with blue hair.
"I understand, Rem. He is also very rude, not taking off his mask." said the one he deduced to be Ram.
Ainz cringed internally at the reaction. Was he really that scary? Sure, all his equipment was divine class and his stature was impressive, but he was sure that all his aura's were off. "I apologise, however I cannot take this mask off. My… condition can be rather frightening to people."
"Should we find you a healer? I'm sure Roswaal has some connections to the best ones." said Emilia, worry flooding her face.
It was a cute and honest reaction, one Ainz could appreciate, "Thank you, but this is not something that can be healed." Evidently she was about to protest, balling up her fists and straightening her back, but Ainz put his hand up to stop her, "I assure you it causes me no discomfort. I've had it since birth after all."
'Who knew all of that RP would have come in handy. Still, I need to practice. Are there any books on royal etiquette?' he thought to himself as Emilia returned to her cheerful self.
Unbeknownst to him, his gait when he walked behind the maids leading him into the mansion, the wonderful robes, and his deep, majestic voice, made him already a match for any king. Perhaps it was the racial traits of an Overlord, or perhaps his cringe past had some merit to it.
"If I may ask, will I be able to meet Margrave Mathers today? It is only proper to greet my host." he said, looking around the lobby he was currently in. Elegant designs decorated the walls, and various vases with flowers and works of art could be seen around here.
The two maids made their way towards the staircase while saying, "Sister, Sister. Our Dear Guest is trying to appear courteous."
"I know, Rem. Be careful, he is only pretending."
Ainz coughed into his fist in order to bring the conversation back to his inquiry, "I would appreciate an answer. Besides, I have done nothing that warrants such attacks on my character."
Ram spoke up once more, "Master Roswaal is currently out on business and will return tomorrow." She turned to her sister once more, "Rem, our Dear Guest is very aggressive. He hides his lecherous gaze behind his mask, but he is staring at you."
Rem glanced at Ainz and said, "Please let Rem go and take Ram instead, Dear Guest." Both the girls trembled slightly as they walked in front of him and the undead caster could only sigh.
'Aren't maids supposed to be kind to guests? I'll have to take this matter up with the Margrave.' He didn't bother to argue any more, finding it to be a fruitless endeavour. They eventually led him to a long corridor, which he assumed was somewhere in the west wing.
"Please pick any room you like, Dear Guest." they said, speaking in unison once more, before walking away.
He didn't try to stop them, finding it rather calming to be away from those offensive maids. After making his way around halfway down the corridor, he turned towards a nearby door, grabbed the doorknob and opened it.
What greeted him was hardly a residential room, and it was one that seemed to be occupied. Before him stretched just what he had wished for, a massive library that seemed to have two stories with a spiral staircase in the centre. The place seemed to be filled to the brim with books and Ainz could not have been happier.
However this glorious moment of discovery soon caused his emotional suppression to kick in. With his excitement dampened to a neutral level, he finally noticed the person sitting in the centre of the library.
It appeared to be a girl, perhaps 11 years of age, with an appearance so cute that Ainz immediately knew she wasn't human. The butterflies that served as her pupils of course didn't help in concealing her identity. Given Puck's rather unique appearance, he guessed her identity almost immediately, "A spirit? I presume it was made to guard this area?"
He would have guessed that she might be a YGGDRASIL NPC, if not for her manner of dress. Her pink, frilly dress was par for the course, and her drill-shaped twin tails also weren't a dead giveaway. But… the thighhighs on a loli kind of were. Even Shalltear, the NPC created by Pero-"Eroge is my life"-roncino, had to wear modest clothing in order to get past the devs.
"Who are you calling "it?" I am more than just a spirit, in fact." the little girl said, her brows furrowing, "Betty is a greater spirit! But a weakling like you wouldn't know that, I suppose."
Realising this spirit was also sentient, Ainz slipped into his formal persona once more, "I apologise for the intrusion. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and I was attempting to find a room for myself, accidentally ending up here."
"Hmph! Then you can go back out, I suppose." The girl, apparently named Betty, lifted her hand and a gust of wind was sent at Ainz, one which he presumed to be the result of a Tier 2 spell.
His [High Tier Magic Immunity III] activated and the wind moved around him, unable to penetrate the barrier. The girl stared at him with emotionless eyes, although a hint of curiosity appeared in them as well.
Of course, the wind didn't stop and Ainz decided to speak up, "Quite rude to greet a visitor this way. Is this the norm for the denizens of this mansion? I can't say my experience with the maids was the greatest." he said, moving forwards as if there wasn't a spell directed at him.
Seeing that her spell had decidedly no effect, Beatrice stopped and spoke to the newcomer, "You are not so weak, I suppose."
She got off the little step ladder and walked towards him. Ainz eyed her curiously and didn't move, trying to discern if she had anything of interest to offer. 'Shouldn't she be the librarian type? Maybe she can direct me to some useful books.' he thought, ignoring the girl's approach.
Beatrice tried to drain a part of his mana in order to gauge his intentions, but the moment a sensation of the attempt impacting his immunity came to Ainz, he grabbed her hand and held the spirit tight by her wrist.
He lifted the tiny girl by her hand, surprised at how little she weighed, and stared into her eyes. Beatrice tried to pull away, but found herself unable to do so, Ainz's grip unyielding even in the face of the wind magic she unleashed.
Red orbs appeared behind the blue crystals of his mask, burning into her very being. Finally, he spoke, his voice was calm but deathly serious, "It is quite rude to attempt to drain the mana of a visitor, do you not agree? Especially when that visitor is a mage."
He let go and the girl quietly moved back to her seat. Despite her best attempts to keep a neutral expression, Ainz's eyes still caught a flicker of discomfort on her face.
Seeing that the spirit would not bother him at least for a while, he began perusing the library, immediately running into a major and obvious problem.
He looked at the spines of the books, 'As expected of a scenario like this, I can speak, but can't read or write. I hate to say this, but I guess I owe the shitty devs one.' he thought to himself, taking out a pair of translation glasses from his inventory.
They adjusted to his mask and held firm, letting him read in peace. After walking through the library for a while, he found a title that appeared to be a good starting point, "The Basics of Mana and Gates."
It seemed that his undead constitution came with superior mental processing and he was done with the piece in perhaps half an hour. The book was a medium length compendium of the basic laws of magic.
'So to use that magic, one has to have a gate, but those only appear in living beings. What a shame.' he thought to himself, putting the book back into place.
Beatrice then spoke up once more, apparently having gotten over the feeling of discomfort from before, "Why would someone who can deflect my spells read that book? That one is for beginners, in fact."
"The magic of this w-" he cut himself off from saying world and quickly corrected himself, "region is alien to me. I have to start from the basics, even if I am adept at my own schools of magic."
"Oh? Have you come from beyond the waterfall? Is that magic similar to the one here, I wonder?" she asked, curious as to what kind of magical knowledge may be hidden from the confines of her library.
"You could say that. But yes, it is much different. The one here seems rather… limited." Ainz said. Indeed, there were only 6 elements and a few pieces of metamagic. Perhaps there were a few historical figures that could do impressive things, but nothing seemed to come close to the ridicule of Super Tier magic.
"Hmph! Don't think of yourself as better than Betty! I don't think you're that strong, in fact!" With that statement, she seemed to end the conversation and return to the book that was on her lap.
Deciding that the agreement should be mutual, he picked out another book and began reading…
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"Do you not sleep, eat, or drink, I wonder?" asked the spirit.
Ainz looked up from the book, one titled "The Royal Lineage of Lugnica", and looked at a nearby grandfather clock. Six hours had passed since his arrival here and it was now nearing 10 p.m.
"A by-product of my magic. But I believe you are right, I need to still find a room and get settled in. You wouldn't mind if I took a few of these books with me for the night?" he asked, grabbing the titles that were laying next to him.
There was a mix of politics, history, economy, magic and geography. During his short stay, this library proved to be exactly what a would-be dimension hopper would need.
Beatrice crossed her arms and looked away, not deigning to engage with him much, "As long as you return them, Betty says it's okay, I suppose."
After nodding and leaving the library behind, he found himself once again in the corridor, the books safely stashed away in his inventory. "Man, what's with the people living in this mansion? Shouldn't nobles be all about etiquette."
As he lamented his interactions with the maids and the librarian, he heard footsteps coming from the far end of the corridor. Getting ready to be accused of sexual harassment once more, he turned to look at whoever it was, instead being pleasantly surprised.
Emilia, so far the only normal person in this place, waved to him, although her purple eyes were once again tinged with worry. "Ainz!" she called out, "I've been looking all over for you! Where were you?! I was getting reeeeally worried!" she said.
Ainz bowed in apology, "I lost track of time in the library. Betty, I believe is her name, was the one to remind me of it. Quite a… unique character, same as the maids."
"Wait until you meet Roswaal. But I'm sorry about them, they'll warm up to you eventually!" she said, giving him an encouraging smile, "Anyway, come eat! I had Rem and Ram keep the food warm for when I found you."
"Oh." Ainz said, pleasantly surprised, "Unfortunately due to my condition I cannot eat in public. I'm sorry your efforts were in vain."
"Come on, I won't judge! You've helped so much, at least let me get you some food!" she said, reaching up towards his mask.
Ainz froze for a moment, but when her fingers were about to touch the mask, he hit her slender, pale hand away. In the empty corridor, where it was just the two of them, the impact resounded louder than a strike of lightning.
Obsidian gloves impacted the pale, like fresh snow, hands of the half-elf.
Emilia froze.
First appeared shock, her eyes widening, then pain, her hands reddening from the impact, but eventually acceptance blossomed as well.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so pushy." she said, taking a step back, looking at the floor in what appeared to be shame, and rubbing the part of her hand that Ainz hit.
The undead magic caster shook his head, "No, I must be the one to apologise. My behaviour was uncalled for. If you want me to leave the mansion, then I completely understand."
The girl looked back up at him and said, "Um! N-no, not at all." In her eyes Ainz could see that she desperately sought a change of topic, eventually finding one, "How about I show you around the mansion tomorrow morning? Before you meet Roswaal that is."
Ainz nodded, "I'd like that. Thank you, Emilia. And, once again, I'm sorry. Goodnight."
He chose a door at random, and entered. This time it didn't lead him to a library, but instead to a spacious suite that was larger than his whole apartment in the past.
But this massive space didn't calm the feeling in his chest.
The door closed behind him and he sighed, "I barely even know her, so why do I feel like such an asshole…?"
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Rem walked down the corridor, holding her morning star close. The new guest that came with Lady Emilia was a threat. She knew that. He smelled of the witch, the stench of blood and mud wafted off of him.
His faux politeness, his efforts to help Lady Emilia, it must have all been a trick. Anyone connected with the witch was a threat, a threat she was going to deal with.
But her steps betrayed her trepidation. In the dark, silent corridor, the sound of her footsteps mixed with the sound of the chain of her weapon rattling.
That person, if it even was a person and not a demon beast, smelled of the witch. Yet, besides that stench, they were a void. Nothing came from the one named Ainz. Rem could have looked into that abyss for all eternity, and it would have only swallowed her whole.
From every person, whether it be mana, natural smell, the blessings of spirits, something always wafted off of them. Here it was just the witch, which even then seemed to be suffocated by the all consuming void that surrounded Ainz.
It was as if he was an anomaly, a hole in reality that none could fix.
She walked down the corridor and all of a sudden felt eyes watching her. It wasn't a concrete feeling, but more so the one a startled animal might get, knowing that the spectre of death was behind them.
Her eyes darted around, trying to find some sort of sign that this wasn't only her imagination. The corridor seemed to become colder and colder as she made her way closer to Ainz's room.
When she was around 10 metres away from it, the door opened and he stepped out.
The majestic pauldrons made from some great beast, the cloth of his robe cut from the void itself. Roswaal's whole estate didn't seem to come close to even a part of the value of the golden and violet trims of the clothing of the being. Its obsidian gloves blended in with the darkness and appeared to almost melt into it.
And then there was the mask. A sneer was on it, mocking Rem for her fear. The green and reds of it garishly contrasted with the rest of the outfit. Inside the two sapphires that served as eyes and seemed to be worth entire kingdoms, shone two red dots.
Ainz turned to her and bowed.
She hated this the most. He was always either silent, polite, or both. However, he was always unreadable. His robe seemed to move on its own, as if wanting to encompass the world in the darkness it was made of.
"Hello, Rem." he said, his deep voices filling the corridor and surrounding the poor maid, "Did you need something?"
'Fight!' said her mind.
'Run' said her instincts.
Stuck between the two, she stood still, gazing at Lady Emilia's guest with both hatred and horror.
"N-no." she managed to squeak out, her voice cracking, "J-just going to t-train, Dear Guest." Despite the man not doing anything, she felt like a candle in the wind, one that could be snuffed out at any moment.
The creature masquerading as a man tilted its head, glancing at her weapon, "Combat training at this hour?" he chuckled, "But I do suppose your kind has little need for sleep."
'He knows I'm an Oni?!' Her mind went into overdrive and she forced herself to try and change the topic, while slowly backing away.
"Do you need anything taken care of, Dear Guest? Rem is sure your mask is very beautiful and needs to be cleaned." she said, hoping that he would say no.
"No, thank you. Especially this mask. The story behind how I obtained it is actually rather entertaining, would you like to hear it?" he asked, undoubtedly amused by tormenting her.
Rem nodded, afraid of the results should she have said no.
"Well, it is called the Mask of Envy, or jealousy, whichever one prefers. In my homeland, those who were alone at a romantic time were given these by a being that was near omnipotent. It was… quite humiliating for some of us." he said before stopping abruptly, turning away from his memories and to her instead, "You look unwell, Rem. I have some medicine, if you feel you need it."
"T-thank you for your kindness, Dear Guest, but I-I'm fine."
Ainz took a step towards her, the pressure that came with his presence intensifying, "Are you sure? You look rather pale."
Rem felt her knees threaten to give out and she took a step back. One, then another, and another, until Ainz himself stopped moving towards her.
"If you say so. Please take care of yourself." He looked out of the window, looking like death itself when illuminated by the moon, "We can continue this discussion another time, it is late after all. Goodnight, Rem.
He walked towards his room and entered. The maid immediately ran towards her own room, tripping over her weapon repeatedly, 'He got that mask from the Witch?!'
Horror, panic and, eventually, determination.
'Tomorrow I'll get you, and save everyone here.'
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The high wraith he had stationed to patrol the corridor alerted him to the arrival of one of the maids, Rem to be specific. Deciding that it was better to meet her before she entered and caught him without his mask, he left his room.
He greeted her politely, but the girl looked shook, afraid even. 'Is she on her way somewhere? With a weapon though?'
She told him she was going to train, 'But at this hour? Although, Whitebrim did always say that good maids don't need a lot of sleep.'
"Combat training at this hour?" he chuckled, "But I do suppose your kind has little need for sleep."
Ainz looked curiously at the girl as his sentence nearly knocked her cleanly off her feet. Was she surprised by the statement? Were maids generally lazy in this world?
"Do you need anything taken care of, Dear Guest? Rem is sure your mask is very beautiful and needs to be cleaned." Rem said. Ainz thought for a moment, 'She's certainly dutiful, but it's not like I sweat or anything, so no need I guess.'
The girl seemed to be afraid, most likely of the fact that he would have no work for her and that she would appear useless, so he instead decided to switch the topic, "No, thank you. Especially this mask. The story behind how I obtained it is actually rather entertaining, would you like to hear it?"
'Hopefully a nice tale will put her slightly at ease. Though… how do I explain this without giving away that I'm from a different world?' he asked himself, 'Well, random RP bullshit here we go.'
He told her the story of how the devs gave this out to the loners of YGGDRASIL on Christmas Eve, including him of course. Yet the girl only got paler and paler. 'Is she sick? If I cure her then maybe her attitude will ease up a bit.'
After offering her medicine, he took a step forward. The girl took one back. He took another, and so did she. This song and dance went on until half the corridor was already covered. 'Okay, this is pointless.' he thought to himself, 'And I just wanted to be nice.'
Once he got back to his room, bidding the maid farewell, he had only one thought on his mind, 'Why the hell is everyone here so weird?!'
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Ainz, deciding that the sun was already at a high enough point, exited his room. He made his way through the mansion and eventually found his way outside, his journey there uninterrupted by odd librarians and weird maids.
It seemed that Emilia was nowhere to be found yet, and so he made his way to the gazebo, sitting down and simply enjoying nature.
The chirping of birds, rustling of leaves, and the lack of industrial machinery. What a wonderful scene this was. 'I could get used to this.' he thought.
Time passed, although he wasn't concerned with that, what immortal would be? Soon enough however he heard a familiar, cheerful voice call out to him. "Ainz!" Emilia called out, turning the attention of the undead mage to herself.
"Good morning, Emilia. Good morning, Puck." he said, seeing that the spirit was also next to the half-elf.
She made her way to the gazebo and sat down opposite of him in the circular structure, "Ready for the tour?" she asked.
Ainz cringed internally, knowing full well that his high wraith had given him the full layout of the mansion, "Actually, I had some time to wander in the morning, so instead I'd like to ask you about something else."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Magic. You remember how my magic was a bit different compared to the one here?" She nodded and he continued, "Is there some sort of test to determine my compatibility with local magic?"
'Maybe the gate is more of a spiritual thing and I still have one. Can't hurt to try.'
"There is. Puck." she said, and the cat pointed at her open palm. A second later an opaque crystal appeared there. It was rigid and unpolished, but it would suffice for its purpose. Emilia then handed it to Ainz, "Here, channel some mana into it and the colour will tell you which type of magic you can use. If it's a combination then it means you can use multiple."
Ainz took the gem into his gloved hand and stepped outside of the gazebo, unleashing a tiny bit of his aura and directing it towards the gem. It began to glow black and Emilia spoke, "Ooh! It seems you can use yin magic! That's pretty rare!"
However the mage knew it wasn't over. The gem changed from a greyish-black, to a pitch black one. Then it began to crack, rumbling with energy. One line appeared on it, then another, until the gem exploded due to his power, a dark plume of smoke escaped it, as if it was a mass of anguished souls escaping from the underworld.
"Huma!" Emilia cried out, encompassing herself in a shield made of water and blocking the initial impact. "Ainz! Are you okay?!" she yelled into the cloud of magic.
"Hmm… Not a wholly unexpected result." Ainz said. Where once he stood amidst vibrant grass, now there was only death and desolation, a landscape of complete grey. The mage was seemingly uninjured from the impressive amount of mana that escaped the crystal.
"What was that?" Emilia asked, turning to Puck immediately after, "That crystal was supposed to be stable, right?!"
Puck chuckled nervously, "Of course, Lia. I had no clue this would happen." Her scrutinising gaze only increased his terror, but Ainz came to his rescue.
"It's not his fault. I'm guessing it has something to do with the nature of my magic. Perhaps my impressive supply of mana played a part in it as well." Ainz looked at the area surrounding him and nodded, "I doubt it could contain all of it."
This deduction was the result of his reading overnight, but then again, for all he knew it could have been an assassination attempt by Puck, as unlikely as that seemed.
"Ainz, just what kind of magic do you use to cause this to happen?" Emilia asked, pointing at the dead grass that surrounded him, "Because I'm sure that just releasing mana wouldn't do this."
'No use in hiding it anymore.' he thought to himself, before preparing to use [Control Amnesia] should things go awry. "I mentioned before that I use magic of the darker variety, correct?"
Emilia nodded, "Yes, but I guessed that just meant yin magic, since that can use shadows."
Ainz shook his head, "No. I can use a variety of spells." he said, raising his hand. Lightning appeared on his palm, then a black flame, then a ball of acid, until he closed his palm, "But my specialisation lies in magic dealing with death. Necromancy, and the magic I use in particular, is a dead art. I am the only person who can use it, at least to my knowledge."
He prepared himself for her reaction. There would undoubtedly be shock, terror, disgust and rejection. This was a mistake, and he knew it. 'Why did I tell her? Now I have to waste my mana.'
Yet none of these things happened. Instead, Emilia's eyes widened with the glee of a child, "That's sooooo cool!" she said, looking up at him, "Can you teach me? Can you resurrect people? What kind of spells can you use?"
Ainz, already hit by the shock of not being outcast, was then pummelled with questions, and took a step back. Thankfully, this time it was Puck that rescued him.
"Lia! Give him some space! It's not everyday you reveal some secret magic to people!" he said, tugging on her sleeve.
When his words registered in her head, which took a solid minute, she calmed down, coughing into her fist and attempting to appear serious again. Still, her curiosity could not be suppressed and Ainz felt very much like a teacher indulging a student.
"W-Well. It's about what you would expect from it. The magic has a simple effect, it kills. I can also do this, [Create Low Tier Undead: Wraith]." he said, extending his hand next to him.
A figure appeared out of thin air, being partially see-through and clad in white rags. Its face was one of a tormented soul, expressing the pain of eternal agony.
'Maybe I should have picked something more attractive, like a vampire bride?' he asked himself, but it seemed that his worries were in vain again.
"Is that a ghost?!" Emilia asked, getting close to the floating being. She walked around it and seemed to study each part of it, trying to touch it and failing, since wraiths had ethereal bodies.
"It's a wraith to be more accurate. A major part of necromancy is summoning undead." he said, letting a hint of pride get into his voice, "But don't tell just anyone about this, alright? I doubt magic like this will be thought of well."
"Of course." the girl said, most likely ignoring the actual content of his request and prioritising the wraith.
However Ainz's exhibit of undead had to be closed down, as Ram soon arrived and informed Ainz of a certain Margrave's arrival.
He followed her and had only one thing on his mind, 'I hope he's normal, or at least less weird than the others.'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
'How is he even weirder?!' Ainz thought to himself, staring at the noble that sat at the head of the long table. To say that the man's taste in clothing and makeup was eccentric was to say that Ainz was a decent magician.
Blue hair? Ok, seems fair enough. The maids had odd hair colours as well. The long, black and red cloak, with the inside of it being blue? A bit colourful for Ainz's taste, but he could appreciate a good cloak. It certainly went well with the boots that matched it.
Then he came to the purple, white, yellow abomination that the man called his shirt and pants. Combined with the white, puffy endings on the sleeves, it just looked ridiculous.
At that point Ainz would have simply said that the man had eccentric, bordering on trash, taste. But then came the makeup, which made him as white as the wraith he had recently summoned.
The little streak of purple around his left, yellow eye, while his blue one was partially covered by his hair. Ainz also believed that the man wore white gloves, but there also existed a chance that he simply applied the makeup to his hands as well.
Finally, there was the cherry on top, or hat on top one might say. A tiny top hat was carefully balanced on the head of the mage. Ainz could come to only two conclusions.
Either the man was insane and his maids didn't make the effort to correct his dress, or this was some sort of elaborate satire of noble society. However, given the way Emilia had described before, he was leaning towards the former.
The clown spoke in between bites, the discussion taking place during brunch. A variety of foods were prepared and put on the table. Fresh bread, fruit, condiments and so on, making Ainz lament his bony body. Truly, it was a mixed bag.
"I am veeery thankful to you, Sir Ainz, for helping Emilia recover her insignia. Pleeease, name a reward and I shaaall grant it, if it is within my power of course." Roswaal said.
Ainz bowed his head towards the noble, as ridiculous as it seemed, "Please, Lord Mathers, I would not want to impose on you further. You allowing me to stay here for the night was already enough of a reward." he answered.
"Oh noooo, please. I insist, indeed, I insiiist." said Roswaal after shaking his head. To Ainz's surprise, the man didn't seem to savour the taste of food as he ate between bites, focusing entirely on the conversation.
'Then again, I suppose this is the norm for him.' Ainz thought, before moving back to the discussion, 'I guess all those stories about noble back and forths were true though. Thank you, Ancient One, for ranting about all that.'
He moved a finger to his mask and appeared to be in thought for a second, noticing during this time how Rem avoided him and always walked around him, "In that case I'd like to stay in the mansion as a guest. I hope that is alright?"
The polite smile on Roswaal's face turned into a proper, warm and inviting one, the same one Ainz saw CEOs use during meetings with shareholders, "Wonderfuuul! And if I maaay ask why? You could've asked for anything, why thiiis?" he asked.
As polite as Roswaal seemed, Ainz knew there was no such thing as free lunch, or brunch in this case, and saving Emilia would hardly give him a right to stay.
But that was fine, he had his own plans to further, "Emilia told me that she is participating in the royal selection. During my time with her, I've grown fond of her. I believe I can be of some assistance in her quest for the throne. As a noble, I'm sure you understand what it is to wish for the wellbeing of the realm."
Roswaal gave a polite chuckle as his answer and Ainz joined in, "Of couuurse, it'd be my pleasure to host you." said the Margrave.
Ainz bowed once more, "Thank you, Lord Mathers."
"Oh please, Roswaal is plenty." the clown interjected.
"In that case, Lord Roswaal, could you perhaps enlighten me further on the royal selection? I've come from afar you see, the rite is alien to me." said Ainz, then gesturing to Emilia who had been silently eating her meal, "I know it has something to do with the Draconic Insignia, but I would appreciate the details."
"As you wiiiish. You seee, several candidates are chosen by the insignia, as says the prophecy of the Dragon Tablet. With aaall five priestesses now found, the Sage Council will soon proceed with the official event." Roswaal explained.
"I know Emilia is one candidate, and she told me that Felt girl is another, but who are the other three? As a good friend of mine always said, one must know their enemy." Ainz responded.
"Your friend was veeery wise, Sir Aiiinz. One is Duchess Karsten, she has a thiiing for the military. Then there is the shrewd merchant, Anastasia Hoshin. Finally, there is a royaaal from Vollachia, Priscilla Barielle. The competition is steeep for our dear Emilia."
Had Ainz had eyebrows, he would have lifted one, "Why so? With your support she should have equal standing. Your influence is rather expansive, at least to my knowledge."
Roswaal's calm expression didn't falter, but his odd manner of speech disappeared, "Oh dear, you don't know?" he asked, to which Ainz shook his head. "Emilia resembles the Witch of Envy, both in heritage and appearance. Remarkably so in fact."
Emilia, still quietly seated at the table, looked down at the floor in shame, evidently uncomfortable, until Ainz spoke and her face was lit up by surprise.
"Why care about some resemblance? She is her own person, is she not?" he asked, truly baffled.
'That's it?! Just the appearance? And here I thought it'd be something reasonable! This does make things harder though. With her on the throne I could research how to summon Nazarick and my friends with no care about resources, but irrational fears are the hardest to fight.'
Roswaal's speech pattern returned once more, "There is wiiisdom in your words, but the public may not see that, nor will the counciiil. And because of that Emilia has no kniiight."
Ainz turned to the still silent half-elf, who was seemingly unwilling to intervene in a discussion that concerned her so, and spoke, "Emilia, you mentioned that knights also use magic, not only martial prowess, correct?"
The girl looked up at the mage, "Yes, most use spirits, not purely melee." she answered, slightly confused at the point of the question.
"In that case I believe there will be no issue." he said, turning back to Roswaal, "Being a knight is a title, so I presume nothing will stop me becoming Emilia's knight?"
"I suuupose so." the noble said before continuing, "But are you strong enough to be one?"
Ainz grinned internally, "As a fellow mage I'm sure you understand that our types like to keep our cards close to our chest. I assure you, however, that I am." He turned to the half-elf once more, "And besides that, what platform are you running on, Emilia?"
Both determination and shame appeared on her face, "I want to melt the ice in the Elior Forest. It's a selfish thing, I know, but I have to do it."
'Elior Forest? I'll have to ask about that later.' he thought to himself before elaborating, "A selfish goal is not always bad. But that is only one thing to do, what will you do afterwards? What of the citizens?"
"Oh." A hint of red appeared on her pale cheeks, "I want to create a country where everyone is equal, human, beastman or otherwise. It's a bit childish, isn't it?"
Ainz shook his head and his voice contained a will harder than scarletite, "No. That is as noble as goals get. In fact it reminds me of someone I used to know…"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
After the discussion, Ainz was pulled by a tremendous force to the courtyard. Of course, this force consisted of Emilia pulling him by his robe. Perhaps her physical power was far below his, but the curiosity on her face had more behind it than his 8th Tier [Black Hole] spell.
As they made their way towards the courtyard, Ainz asked a very important question, "Emilia, if I may ask, what is the status of undead in this world?"
"Hmm? You mean skeletons and ghosts, like the ones you can summon?" she asked, to which he nodded, "Well, I've never heard of them. I thought they were just legends, until you appeared."
"And how do these stories portray the undead?" he asked, praying that it wasn't just as horrible monsters. It was a matter of time until his identity was revealed and if the world saw him as a monster, then it was best to delay that time until he was ready.
"Well, they're mostly monsters. There's not a lot of those stories though. I'm guessing people would have the same reaction to them as to typical demonic beasts. Why do you ask?" she asked, her head tilted and her index finger pressed to her lower lip.
"I just wonder how my magic will be received should I ever use it in public." he lied. One bonus of this body was the ease with which lies and half truths came out, with no fluctuations in his voice or changes in expression to give him away.
"The ones you summoned seemed docile." she noted.
"As most summons tend to be, they were absolutely loyal to their summoner." he answered.
"With spirits like Puck you have to make contracts, so I'm sure many people would kill to have absolute control like that."
Ainz channelled his inner Yamaiko and continued talking about his specialisation, "There are also spells that summon untamed beings that run wild as well, mostly with demons."
"Demons? Do you mean demon beasts?"
"No. Proper demons, hellfire included. Do you not have those or angels here?"
"Besides the demon beasts created by the Witch, I don't think so."
"I see." Ainz said, ending the discussion for now.
'Again, a witch, I presume that Envy one. Tabula mentioned 7 deadly sins I think, or was it 9? Pride, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Lust and… I swear there were more. I suppose I'll go check the library later.'
Yet the chance for such a trip didn't come for a while yet, Emilia wanting to train against his undead instead. Due to their immunity to ice damage, they proved to be more than a match and the training session took quite a while…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Day turned to night and the moon was high in the sky. Ainz, deciding that the inside of his room was already an environment he was too familiar with, went out to read in the gazebo, which thankfully wasn't damaged by the earlier, magical incident. He'd have to keep his mask on, but that was a small price to pay for some fresh air.
Around half-way through his reading of "The Witches and the Witch Cult", he heard footsteps coming towards him. Turning around and seeing that it was just Rem with her morning star, presumably going out for another training session, he offered her a quick wave and turned back to his book.
However, he soon felt something impact his back and activate his [High Tier Physical Immunity III]. He turned once more to see Rem bring back her morning star to her side.
"Please, be more careful. Were it to be Emilia who got hit by that then she would be seriously hurt. Besides, I am reading right now. Would you be so kind as to train elsewhere? Or is it that Emilia has told you of my undead as training partners?"
Rem offered him no response, instead sending another strike at him, one he neatly dodged by moving his head out of the way. "Fine, fine. Here, [Create Medium Tier Undead: Death Knight]."
A blob of shadow fell from his hand and onto the ground, the shape of it twisting and changing. From the little globule grew a behemoth of violence and hatred. The being was more than 2 metres tall, clad in armour as dark as night, holding a tower shield and a flamberge.
Its decaying body, despite looking borderline skeletal with decaying skin, radiated power. Spikes covered its armour and two demonic horns sprouted from its helmet. Two red eyes, that seemed to hold all life in contempt, gazed at Rem.
"Enjoy." Ainz said, turning back to his book once more. He tried his hardest to ignore the clanging of metal and the roars of both combatants, but the training session seemed to be a long one. After a few minutes he mentally commended his death knight to stop and said, "Rem, could you please train somewhere else? I really do wish to relax."
"Shut up, cultist!" the maid yelled, sending a strike at him that was blocked by the death knight's sword.
He waved his hand and the death knight disappeared, "There, the death knight is gone, the training session is over. Now be so kind as to leave me be." he said, his tone becoming harsher.
"The others may be blind, but I'm not! You act so proper, yet you stink of the Witch! And you parade in an artefact you got from her!" Rem yelled, sending strike after strike at him.
Ainz tilted his head as his passive did all the blocking, "I believe there is a misunderstanding. You are referring to the Witch of Envy and her cult, correct?"
"Cultist! I'll kill you before you hurt anyone!" she yelled, seemingly ignoring his question.
"I will take that as a yes. And if you are referring to the Mask of Envy that I wear, I assure you that it wasn't granted to me by any witch. The beings that gave me this were far more than just witches and warlocks, although their personalities were probably equally sadistic. God, I still remember that fucking Atlantis dungeon. If I ever see one of these shitty devs here I swear…"
His explanation did nothing to stop the tirade of attacks that was sent at him, "Your attacks will not hurt me. Your weapon is neither enchanted, nor are your attacks strong enough."
"Not strong enough?" Rem seemingly asked herself, beginning to pant from the exertion. However, as if new life was breathed into her, her movements sped up and her force increased.
"Hmm, interesting. A temporary power up?" he asked himself, only to spy a single horn appear on Rem's head. It was of a pink colour, glowing to the point where the centre of it was white.
Ainz stood calmly as he analysed the situation, Rem's attacks still not being strong enough to breach his barrier, "Hmm, a single horn that gives a buff? Are you perhaps an Oni? But didn't they have two horns?"
Oni existed in YGGDRASIL and were a decent enough race for people going for a berserker class, but Ainz never knew anyone personally who played one, 'Although Tabula did say something about Oni twins in mythology…'
Rem kept up her assault as Ainz ruminated on the past, but eventually the undead mage had enough, "[Hold Person]." he said, and Rem froze immediately, falling on the grass, paralyzed.
"I suppose I should bring this up with Roswaal. It'd be hard to live here if I had to deal with this everyday…"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Roswaal sat in his chair, pouring his mana into Ram's forehead, who laid on his lap. Given that the Oni had her horn sliced off in the past, he had to pour his own mana into her in order to sustain her powers. This happened every night and was a kind of ritual by now.
As he thought of his various plans, the door to his office opened wide and in came his newest guest and pawn, one named Ainz Ooal Gown. However, his book seemed to have failed him yet again and he gritted his teeth behind his polite smile.
On the shoulder of the man was Rem, seemingly paralyzed. "Roswaal." Ainz said, his voice calm.
"Aiiinz, what brings you here tonight?" the noble answered, his voice as cheerful as always.
"You can drop the attitude, Roswaal, I know everything." Ainz said, prompting his adversary to grimace.
Roswaal closed his blue eye and stared at the unflinching man with his yellow one.
As the silent exchange went on, Ram jumped in front of Roswaal, seemingly ready to fight, but calmed down when the noble put his hand on her shoulder.
"Wise decision." Ainz said, putting Rem down gently on a nearby coach, still not dispelling the paralysis, "Once I leave then I will dispel it." he said.
Suddenly, a magnificent, obsidian throne materialised behind Ainz, and he sat down. "You employ demons, dear Margrave?" asked the mage, staring at the maid next to Roswaal.
"Are you not a demon yourself? To figure out my plans so easily is an impressive feat, certainly not one any normal mortal could pull off." answered Roswaal.
"I am no demon." Ainz said, lifting his right hand to his mask and taking it off. Where one might have expected to be a horrid visage, a terrible wound or curse, there instead was a pristine skull.
As white as fresh snow and completely blemishless, the skull of Ainz was inhuman in its perfection. Evidently it wasn't human at all, its proportions off. In his two eye sockets burnt two crimson flames that Roswaal felt could consume him whole. He gulped as the monster took off his gloves and threw them into some kind of void.
The structure of Ainz's hands were inhuman as well, and the rings on each finger radiated power comparable and beyond even that of the most impressive of artefacts Roswaal had seen over his many lives.
"You see, Roswaal, I am undead. I trust this won't be an issue?" Ainz asked, the threat in the sentence obvious to even the most dull of individuals.
The noble momentarily lost his cool, stuttering, "N-no, of course not, Lord Ainz. What is it you plan to do now that you know my plans?" Roswaal asked.
"As long as they do not conflict with my own, I won't interfere." he said, standing up, "Now then, I believe you know what to tell Rem. I will be on my way. Goodnight, Roswaal."
The undead mage walked out of the office and seemed to disappear.
Rem began moving and, before she could apologise or do anything of the sort, Roswaal told her one thing, "Leave us." The girl obeyed, walking out of the office and moving towards her quarters.
Ram returned to her position on Roswaal's lap as he muttered, "So he knows about my plan to kill the divine dragon… But what does a creature like that want?" he sat silent, eventually sighing and mumbling one crucial detail, "No wonder my book couldn't predict him, even Teacher didn't know of a being like that. But… if something like that exists, then that means she can also return."
Meanwhile, Ainz, who was standing next to Roswaal after teleporting into the room while under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable], was having the undead equivalent of a heart attack.
'What goddamn plans?! To kill a divine dragon?! This clown of all people?! I just meant that I know he has demons here!' Ainz facepalmed, which would have alerted the entire mansion due to the force behind it, but thankfully [Perfect Unknowable] cancelled out that effect.
'Great, now I'm wrapped up in all this. Guess I'll run with it, but did he mention some book that predicts the future?'
His instincts, that of a collector, were lit with a fire that even a heavenly flood wouldn't be able to extinguish, 'I've gotta get my hands on that.'
After waiting around for an hour as Roswaal sat silently with Ram, the two finally decided to go to sleep. The moment Roswaal left his office, Ainz began rummaging in a way so quick and efficient that it would have put every kobold to shame.
Eventually he found a magically locked chest behind a fake wall hidden behind clothes in a closet. It was a rather elaborate setup, but still not enough to stop a hoarder like Ainz.
After quickly dispelling the magical lock, he grabbed the book and studied it. It appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, a simple, black leather-bound book. Just to be safe, Ainz cast an [All Appraisal Magic Item].
'Created by the Witch of Greed? Is that who his teacher was? But that was centuries ago? Is he using some magic to keep his youth?'
He opened it and took out his translation glasses, immediately sighing, defeated, 'So the description didn't lie, it only works for Roswaal… Well, that guy doesn't seem to like me very much, so I'll keep it.'
After putting the book into his inventory, he teleported to the corridor where his room was, still wanting to gaze at the garden on his way there.
Yet an unforeseen sight greeted him. In the corridor, just a few metres away from him, stood a figure, one illuminated by the moon and almost shining a divine, white light.
"Ainz!" she said, "I heard a commotion outside and I-" She stopped for some reason, cutting herself off.
"Hmm? Oh, that was nothing, simply some late night sparring with Rem." he answered. However, Emilia didn't speak, her face showing utter bewilderment with her purple eyes as wide as can be. "Is something on my face?" jested Ainz, touching his face and suddenly realising that his mask was off.
He had been so caught up in his looting that he completely forgot to put it back on! Hundreds of possibilities and plans raced through his mind, [Time Stop], [Control Amnesia] and so on, but before he could implement any of them into reality, the girl spoke.
"Is this your… condition?" she asked, slowly closing the distance between them.
Ainz took a step back, fearful of the inevitable reaction that was to come, "Y-yes." was all he managed to say.
Emilia kept walking towards him and he kept backing up, until his back hit the wall and there was no more place to retreat to.
She walked up to him, but instead of fear, terror and disgust in her eyes, Ainz saw in them curiosity, perhaps even… acceptance?
"Ainz?" she inquired, her voice as calm as the waters of a lake on a windless night.
"Yes?" Ainz's voice, though majestic as it was, seemed to betray his worry, as tumultuous as the tides.
"What are you?" she simply asked. There was no malice in her voice, no ill will or harmful intent. It was just an innocent question.
"I am an Overlord, the highest order of undead." he answered, his voice levelled thanks to his emotional suppression.
"I see. May I?" Ainz nodded and she put her hands up to his skull as she did when trying to take off his mask before, gently running her fingers across it, "How smooth." she simply said.
"Are you not afraid of me? Do I not resemble the monsters you have read about?" he asked, confused.
"Who cares about resemblance? You are your own person, are you not?" she asked, prompting both to chuckle.
"Wise words." he said, "But I don't think everyone is as open minded as you."
She moved back, giving the undead mage some much needed space, "Y-yes, you may have to wear your mask for a while longer."
"You remind me somewhat of an old friend of mine." The girl tilted her head and signalled for him to continue, "Back when there were 41 of us, we were all like me. Inhuman. Heteromorphs. Slimes, undead, insectoids, eldritch monstrosities. We tried to protect our own and fought with the races who hunted our kind."
He remembered the great purges organised by the devs, when they started events that gave double xp for killing heteromorphic players, "But the strongest one of us, a paladin in shining, silver armour, always hoped we could come to at least a semblance of an agreement. Wherever he found himself, he always tried to make a change for the better."
"Who was he?" she asked, captivated by the tale.
"He was many things, a paladin, a champion, a husband and a father. But to me he was one thing first and foremost, a friend. It feels like an eternity ago since I last saw him, but I'm sure he'd be glad to see you run in the selection. He's cheering you on, wherever he is, so do well for him, alright?" he said, making sure his [Negative Touch] passive was off and ruffling her hair.
"Alas, it's late. You need to be well-rested if you want to become the king. I can tell you all about him another time." he said, getting rid of the melancholy that had crept into his voice.
"Yes, I'd like that. Goodnight, Ainz." Emilia said, moving away from him and towards the other wing of the house.
"Goodnight, Emilia." Ainz said, before thinking to himself, 'Perhaps she really should be king. Isn't that right, Touch Me?'
He glanced at the back of Emilia, and he could have sworn an outline of the World Champion was there, giving him a thumbs up…
(AN from Aterro: Hello good readers from far and wide. I am thankful and quite ecstatic to be honest. This crossover has surpassed all expectations. To surpass a hundred follows in a little over a day ? I could be humble and say I have never expected to see those numbers but to be honest I knew we could do it. My good friend and dear co-author Edgy and I came up with this idea and with his masterful writing and a little bit of input from me we managed to create a fanfic I am quite proud of. It brings me joy to see so many people are enjoying it and I can promise you, there will be many more chapters to come, so just keep feeding us reviews and we won't go anywhere.)
(AN from Edgy: Because of the response, which dare I say was rather shocking, I sat down and wrote this brand new chapter in 2 days. Perhaps it isn't the most action-filled piece I've written in my life, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. As Aterro said, thank you so much for the follows, favourites and reviews. Although I'd like more reviews, they are a high quality fuel for a writer. Also, saying Emilia wants to become the king is not a mistake, since they are competing to become king, rather than queen. Council semantics or something. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)
Now to answer some reviews.
Mortis2313
The wall was the effect of the Throne of Kings since it is a world item that blocks all teleportation. - Aterro
As Aterro said, the Throne of Kings blocks teleportation and what Satella was trying to do was to effectively teleport Ainz, so yes, it was that passive of it activating. - Edgy.
Zipher
Since most of you aren't familiar with the way I structure my writing, given that it is I that does the writing of the chapter, I will tell you how it looks. Each Volume will have 5 chapters, each 10k, a prologue, an epilogue, and a 4.5 intermission, each of which will be around 3k. The first volume is an exception as the prologue is shortened and combined with chapter 1. So yes, chapters will be long. - Edgy