[Chapter 3: A Mage's Woe]
Roswaal awoke and immediately began his routine. First came the makeup, which was applied with a hand as skilled as that of any accomplished artist. Contrary to most nobles, Roswaal preferred to dress himself.
He slipped his lean but muscular physique into one of the various eccentric outfits he had, many of which were identical in order to further confuse those he dealt with; showing up in an identical but pristine soon repeatedly was a subtle yet powerful move to make.
As he made his way towards his office, his step was only slightly dulled by the thoughts following the encounter of last night. Alas, the resolution was promising. His plans would remain untouched and now he had tangible proof that Echidna could be revived, even if in a different form.
The door to his office slipped open and he made his way towards his Book of Wisdom, one created and gifted to him by his dear mentor. Yet sweat began pouring down his brow when he realised the magical lock he had put on it was gone.
How was this possible? He had been consistent for centuries at this point! And with his soul transferred to a fresh body, his age should have hardly affected his memory.
He opened the ornate, wooden chest, and his fears became reality.
"What?!" he called out, stumbling back a few steps, his back hitting the wall.
'There's no way I misplaced it!' he thought to himself, his mind in a frenzy. The chances of misplacing it were zero, losing it as well. He had followed every word that appeared in it to the letter, there was no way he wouldn't have known something like this would happen!
Then it struck him, as if a mystical thunderbolt that came down imbued with the wisdom of every deity. There was only one answer. During his long life and many times using a book, there was only a single time there appeared to be lines missing.
The day Ainz Ooal Gown appeared.
Perhaps he was wholly alien to this world, or maybe it was some devious magic of his that hid him from fate and the world itself, but it was he who could escape the pages of the book.
The tornado of thoughts calmed down and a smile appeared on Roswaal's face as he exited his office, 'Calm down, Roswaal. He said he won't interfere. Maybe this is just a test, yes, a test.'
He looked outside and saw that it was around time for Ram and, mostly Rem due to her superior skill with household tasks, to cook breakfast.
When he arrived, punctual as always, he saw Ainz sitting at the table as well, unmasked. Emilia was there as well, pleasantly chatting with the skeletal creature.
Adjusting his mask of politeness once again, and making sure that the cordial smile would remain on his face, he entered and greeted the two, "Good morniiing Ainz, Emilia."
"Good morning, Roswaal." answered Emilia, giving him a little wave.
"Hello, Roswaal. I hope your night was restful." answered Ainz. Roswaal observed closely as the being's jaw opened and closed, trying to figure out the way it spoke. No answer came to him, and he could only conclude that the being in front of him was mostly, if not entirely, magical in its structure.
'So he's dropped the title. Establishing dominance already? How cunning. I suppose I should retaliate in kind.' he thought to himself, "Of course, Ainz. Although I don't knooow if you require sleep, I hope that the rest of the niiight was peaceful as well."
Ainz waved the worry away, the motion looking majestic simply because of who performed it, "Please, last night was no issue. It'd be my pleasure to advise Rem further, her technique could use some work." the undead mage said, prompting the maid at the edge of the room to flinch.
"Wooonderful. And I am glaaad you feel comfortable enough to reveal yourseeelf. I assure you, your secret's safe with us." said Roswaal.
Ainz bowed his head slightly, yet his regal appearance made sure that the gesture didn't seem like one of submission, "Thank you, I'll be sure not to squander your kindness."
The noble sat down at the head of the table and Ram immediately put a plate filled with various foods in front of him, "And how has your stay beeen here?" probed Roswaal.
The overlord obviously didn't eat, simply sitting and chatting, "It has been great, I truly cannot thank you enough. The books one can find in this mansion are truly enlightening."
Roswaal's eyebrow twitched, but his persona remained intact, "Is that sooo? I'm glad to hear it." he said, but his soul was aflame with passion and anger.
'You dare taunt me!? So this is not a test after all! You dare to flaunt the fact that you have my book right in front of me?! I'll show you! I'll show just how far I will go! My will not falter, even in front of you, Death!'
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Ainz enjoyed the atmosphere of the dining room. Yes, the food was not something he could indulge in, but at least he had pleasant company. As he chatted with Emilia, Roswaal came in. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but something seemed to bother the noble.
He walked a little faster, his fingers twitched and his smile seemed even more exaggerated than usual. Well, it wasn't Ainz's problem anyway. If that Book of Wisdom was indeed as old as his appraisal spell told him, then Roswaal must have been of equal age, many times over the average age of death for a human.
Why would Ainz, a complete stranger, have to deal with his problem? Besides, there was no way he had found out about Ainz's borrowing of the book. What kind of obsessed mad man would look into something like that everyday? And why would he blame the newcomer to his mansion anyway?
As everyone was finishing up breakfast, Roswaal turned to Ram and said, "Ram, would be sooo kind and go shoppiiing at the village." The maid, as expected, quietly bowed and accepted the request.
The request itself however piqued Ainz's interest and raised his non-existent eyebrow. 'It'd be useful to get an idea of the land around here. Besides, I need to interact with some normal people, since the only sane one here seems to be Emilia.'
"Emilia, I'm thinking of tagging along with Ram, should she allow it. Care to come?" he asked the half-elf.
Unfortunately she shook her head, "I can't, sorry. I've got to study for the royal selection before we go to the capital."
Hearing her apologetic tone Ainz said, "I understand completely. A good friend of mine always said that preparation is key, and I've never seen that man lose a battle. Prepare well." he then turned to Ram, "So, may I come along?"
Ram gulped and glanced at Roswaal, who gave her an almost imperceptible nod, "Of course, Dear Guest. We shall be leaving in half an hour. Please meet me in the lobby.
Ainz nodded, ignoring the obvious discomfort of the maid. After last night it was unsurprising that the sister of the one he incapacitated would be scared of him. Hopefully he could assuage those fears during their short excursion…
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"How far is the village?" asked Ainz as he entered the lobby, once more donning his mask and black gloves. To most, this form would have been intimidating enough, but Ram breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it.
"It's not far, Dear Guest, but we shall take the carriage in order to carry the supplies." said Ram, carrying with her a small basket in which were the funds to purchase the goods from the villagers.
Ainz put a hand to his mask and uttered a dignified "Hmm." A carriage was a decent mode of transport, but he needed to make the girl indebted to him and increase his standing. Even if he had no immediate use for a good reputation, it never hurt to have one, so he came up with a plan, "I believe I have a better idea. We could instead fly, and I can store the goods when we get them with magic. And please, call me Ainz."
"Only master Roswaal can use flight magic." answered the maid, to which Ainz silently cast [Fly] on her. She began to float off of the ground and panic, scrambling to regain control of her movement.
"As you can see, I am more than capable of using that type of magic as well. Do not worry, the effect won't run out as long as you stay near me." he said, beginning to gently glide towards the exit to the garden.
It really wasn't that hard to control. The same way one doesn't often distinctly think of every single action of their hands, instead doing things on instinct or via muscle memory, so could Ainz fly.
For Ram the process appeared to be a bit more complicated and she desperately held onto her maid dress as she accidentally somersaulted through the air.
Ainz had the dignity to look away, rather than stare and give Ram actual grounds for accusing him of sexual harassment. Once she managed to get a hang of it, he coughed into his fist and said, "Perhaps we should fly low to the ground, for safety's sake of course."
"Hmph! Don't think yourself equal to master Roswaal simply because you can use flight magic!" she said, flying past him and into the garden.
"I suppose I should expect such treatment. I did paralyse her sister for a while." he mumbled, going after her.
Ram, naturally, took the lead and flew at a controlled speed towards the village. It was faster than a carriage would go, but far from the maximum speed of the spell, and, judging by how desperately Ram held onto various pieces of her clothing, they wouldn't be speeding up any time soon.
However the time wasn't wasted, as any time spent enjoying oneself was time well spent in Ainz's book; and should that book ever materialise, he would be sure to include many illustrations of the wonderful landscapes that surrounded him.
Trees, as plentiful as they were here, were still a novelty for Ainz, and he couldn't get enough of nature in general. Perhaps it was due to the existence of magic here, but there seemed to be no technology that he could "modern." And that was a blessing.
'If I ever find someone here trying to make a steam engine… Well, I haven't experimented with corpses yet, so that may be the time.' he thought to himself.
As the sun reached its zenith, the village appeared on the horizon and Ram slowed down, looking at Ainz when she fully stopped. Comprehending the meaning behind her gaze, he cancelled his spell and she fell onto the ground once again.
He did so for himself as well, thinking that a little walking never hurt anybody, particularly an undead with infinite stamina. The village got closer and closer, and Ainz kept glancing at Ram. She certainly didn't seem like the most sociable person, so he could only wonder what relationship she had with the village.
Thankfully, when they approached, the villagers greeted Ram with waves and smiles, to which she didn't respond, maintaining her professional expression. 'Man, she'd be a killer at poker.' Ainz thought to himself, remembering one of the real life guild gatherings and how Punitto Moe managed to rinse everyone with his emotionless glare.
"By the way," Ainz began, "why isn't Rem with us?" Reading Ram was borderline impossible, but he was confident he could tell if she lied and said it was because of a reason other than her being afraid of him.
"Sister is busy with household chores, they are her specialty after all." Ainz scrutinised her statement, expression and any movements of her body that could give away that she was lying. Smoke almost began leaving his skull from the effort, but eventually he came to the conclusion that she wasn't lying.
'Rem seems to be braver than I thought. Then again, I didn't do anything but summon a death knight and paralyse her for a while.' he thought to himself, 'Maybe my reputation hasn't gone down the drain yet.'
"Additionally, she is extremely scared of you." Ainz deflated like a balloon that was stabbed with a thousand pins and hung his head in shame.
'So much for that.'
At least the villagers seemed to be more open to him, gazing at him with various degrees of curiosity. When they arrived, an old woman, her face wrinkled from age and posture eroded by time, greeted them.
When she spoke, Ainz counted her teeth on one hand, stuck between surprise that she had any left at her ripe, old age, and a feeling of pity for these people, who most definitely didn't have any semblance of dental hygiene.
"Miss Ram, a pleasure to see you again." she told the maid before turning to Ainz, bowing and most likely eviscerating whatever was left of her spine in the process, "And we are glad our humble village can host your presence, Lord Roswaal."
Ainz chuckled at the woman's statement and her eyes lit up when she heard his voice, "I believe you have me confused for another eccentric mage. I've been taken in by Roswaal only recently, so I understand the confusion. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, it's a pleasure."
'I really need to read some more books with royal speeches, I sound like such a generic noble from a fantasy story! Wait, isn't this a cliché fantasy world?' he asked himself, gauging the women's reaction in order to make a decision about his behaviour.
A smile appeared on her face, but Ainz didn't take that as all the lights being green, 'So it's enough to impress a peasant… There's no way that'll work in the capital. I need to practice.' he told himself.
"Ah, my apologies, Lord Gown. I am Milde Irlam, headwoman of Irlam village." she said, attempting to bow but being stopped by Ainz's gloved hand.
"Please, Ainz is enough. I hold no noble title, despite what my appearance may lead you to believe." he said, helping her straighten herself.
The woman spied the basket in Ram's hand, the contents of which the maid skilfully managed to keep inside while flying, "I presume you are here for shopping then?"
Ram nodded and turned to Ainz, "I will do the shopping and then check the warding stones. Don't kill anyone." she said, the scorn in her voice quite obvious.
Milde leaned towards Ainz, "Miss Ram was like that with us as well in the beginning. She'll warm up to you eventually, don't worry." she said, before walking off alongside the maid.
"Everyone keeps telling me that, but I just don't see it." he mumbled, scratching the back of his skull via his hood, out of habit rather than due to an itch.
Yet soon enough he felt many curious gazes upon him and turned to spy 6 children looking at him. 'What is it that Yamaiko always said? "Childish innocence is a healing salve for the soul" or something like that? I just pray the weirdness doesn't expand past the mansion…'
One of the children, a boy with brown hair and a red scarf, proved to be bolder than the rest and walked towards Ainz. The others, perhaps invigorated by his behaviour, followed behind him.
There was a chubby boy with a buzz cut, a girl with twin blonde tails, two boys who Ainz immediately recognized as brothers, and a girl with reddish-brown hair and a red ribbon.
Ainz decided to take the lead, hoping that the children would follow the pattern of being overly forward rather than withdrawn, "Hello, children." he simply stated, trying to add a noticeable note of kindness to his voice.
Judging by the fact that the children all flinched back at once, his effort proved to bear no fruit, but at least they didn't try to run away. "E-excuse me, mister." the boy who took the lead said, "Are you maybe a knight?" he asked.
It was a foolish question for anyone even partially knowledgeable about melee battle, but Ainz doubted these children got the chance to see a knight very often, if at all. "No. I am, however, a mage. In fact, where I come from, nobody didn't know the name of Ainz Ooal Gown."
The boy, picking up on his friendly attitude, answered with a comment that could very well get a commoner executed in some parts of the world, "But mages are lame! The moment you walk up to them the fight ends!"
"Yea! And swords are so cool!" added one of the brothers, mimicking the moves a knight would typically make, very clumsily of course.
Ainz sighed internally, but his spirit was restored when he heard one voice of reason among the group, the girl with the ribbon and cyan blue eyes, "I think magic is cool." she mumbled.
The undead mage pointed towards her and nodded, "You are correct, magic is very cool indeed. All of you should really listen to your friend here. With magic comes versatility. Yes, a mage is weaker in hand to hand combat, but the question is whether you can make it to him."
"Can you show us some magic?" asked the girl once again, looking up at him this time. Yamaiko really was right, because the simple request did help his soul settle after the turbulent events of the last two days.
'I shouldn't reveal anything above Tier 2 but below that it should be fine. Although… maybe not [Firebolt].' he thought to himself before nodding to the group, "Fine, follow me."
He turned and walked towards the treeline, away from the village in case something went wrong.
"Lucas, did you see Meilli or did she run off again?" spoke one of the brothers, looking around.
"How am I supposed to know? She probably just went off on her own." the one who had led the group up until that point answered.
"This is Roswaal's territory, is it not? Your friend, wherever she may be, should be fine, right?" asked Ainz, confused about the worry he detected in the children's voices.
From what he knew, primarily from some of his guildmates' ramblings, feudal lords, which Roswaal seemed to be, provided some modicum of protection to their lands.
Of course, most often it was done for the benefit of the lord himself, but it was protection nonetheless. Roswaal was an odd character, but his reputation seemed immaculate, so Ainz couldn't imagine him slacking on his duties.
However the words that escaped the chubby boy's mouth made Ainz question that, "N-no. There's plenty of demon beasts in the forest, but Mister Mathers put up some stones to protect us."
'I suppose that is what Ram went to check on. Still, I am sure he could exterminate these beasts. Or maybe they breed too fast? I'll have to ask, I guess.'
Once they were sufficiently far from the village, Ainz turned to the children once more, "So, what kind of magic would you like to see." Before the group could assault him with requests of [Nuclear Blasts] he clarified, "But nothing with fire. I wouldn't want to burn the forest down, since I'm not a druid."
The children fell into deep thought for a second, evidently unfamiliar with the things a mage could do. Seeing their hesitation, Ainz took the initiative, "[Dancing Lights]."
Several colourful lights appeared and floated several metres off the ground, surrounding the children who tried to grab them.
The "oohs" and "aahs" that came from the group warmed his non-existent heart, although not to the point it was suppressed, similarly as with the feeling of annoyance he had felt due to the maids. Still, he could entirely understand why Yamaiko loved her job as much as she did.
Naturally, the primary motivation was to get a good reputation, and kindness to kids was one of the easiest ways to achieve that.
Ainz pointed at the ground in front of him and silently cast a [Create Item]. A medium sized statue appeared in front of the children, portraying his own majestic visage, albeit still in disguise. It seemed to be made of an obsidian-like material and, when combined with the floating lights which now turned to an ominous red, it looked amazing.
Even Punitto Moe wouldn't scold him for showing off such harmless skills, since practically every mage and spellsword under the sun knew them, but mages in this world seemed to be rarer. Of course, just due to his manner of dress, his specification as a caster was not a mystery to anyone versed in combat.
'No harm in a bit of tomfoolery. Besides, I'm sure Roswaal will tell everyone he has a new mage on his side.' Ainz thought.
The children cheered him on. "Can you use ice like that silver lady and her cat?" asked the girl with the ribbon.
'Ah, so they're familiar with Emilia. Intriguing.'
Ainz nodded and pointed into the treeline once more, "[Icebolt]." he said.
He briefly remembered that time he started a forest fire in YGGDRASIL in one of the starting zones and summoned a dire bear miniboss that was immune to fire damage, but thankfully this spell was the opposite of [Firebolt] and wouldn't have such an effect.
The spell sent a sharp icicle forward and ice covered the area. The impact caused the icicle to shatter, sending icy shrapnel everywhere, and a yelp reached Ainz's ears.
All of a sudden, brown and black figures similar to that of dogs jumped out of the treeline and attempted to surround the group. There were perhaps 15 of them, a rather intimidating number for even those accustomed to combat. One of them had a shard of ice lodged in its thigh.
The children gathered around Ainz, the girl with the ribbon grabbing his magnificent cloak and hiding behind it, "W-why are there demon beasts here?" she yelped.
"D-don't worry, Petra. M-mister mage will protect us, r-right?" asked Lucas, seemingly even more scared than Petra.
Ainz meanwhile gazed at the beasts, the fires that served as his eyes dancing wildly with curiosity, 'They resemble the cyber-Dobermans of my old world. But these have horns. Don't those have special importance for demon beasts?' Ainz asked himself as he recalled the books he read.
'Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a barrier here? If it's down then… Ram may be in trouble. Or rather, I suppose I should wait until she is. After all, there's no better way to get someone to like you than to save their life.'
"[Magic Arrow]." he said. Three massive, blue arrows of mana manifested themselves around Ainz and were sent flying at the demon beasts. They hit their mark almost instantly, closing the twenty or so metres that were in between combatants in an instant. Typically a Tier 10 caster such as Ainz could send out 10 arrows at once, but he decided to keep such cards in his sleeve.
The demon beasts were ripped to shreds. One of them had its head explode into a fine mist from the spell, which normally would have been weak, if it was not Ainz casting it. The second had a hole ripped through its torso and died instantly, while the third was almost bisected by the spell.
Still, this left Ainz with 12 demon beasts left, "I'd rather not waste time, [Anti-Life Cocoon]." he said, pointing at the children. A green dome surrounded them and prevented any intruders of the organic variety from going in, and judging by the blood and guts that Ainz's victims had left behind, the demon beasts were counted in that category.
Before they could ask about this and most likely protest, he said "Stay here until I finish killing them. After that, run to the village. I'll deal with any others that crept through. He walked towards the beasts, which growled at him furiously. Apparently they either couldn't detect his power, or were beyond fear. Ainz's personal bet was on the former.
He walked towards the slain beasts and into a wooded area where the children wouldn't be able to see him. Luckily, the twelve demon beats, ones Ainz recalled to be named wolgarms, followed him as well. They seemed to keep their distance, wary of him but not intimidated.
Once the children were far out of view, he turned to the beast and said, "It seems you are not as stupid as you seem. I'll be glad to experiment on your corpses. I doubt living specimens are hard to find around here for further research anyway." As the beasts prepared to lunge at him, Ainz decided their fates, "[Chain Dragon Lightning]."
There was no need for metamagic as the Tier 7 spell tore through the air, jumping from one wolgarm to another, frying all of them with just this single cast. Ainz walked up to smoking corpses and finally got to use his specialisation on the appropriate medium, "[Create Low Tier Undead: Wraith]."
He immediately noticed the difference when the typical, magical sludge that created undead overtook one of the wolgarm bodies and changed it into the familiar shape of a wraith.
"Hmm, I wonder what's the difference." he said, creating four more wraiths and giving them their orders, "Hunt any wolgarms in the area and find Ram, but do not intervene in her fight." The five ghostly figures bowed and flew off, hiding their presence.
The other corpses were useless for now and Ainz decided to leave them where they were. If they were to be eaten by their own kind then so be it, or let them rot.
Stepping out of the clearing, he noticed that the kids obeyed his instructions and didn't run after him, staying in the area of the spell. He walked towards them and their eyes lit up, but quickly turned to horror as they yelled, "Behind you!"
Unfortunately for the wolgarm that was currently lunging at him, Ainz's level gave him impressive strength and speed. Combined with his new body's much quicker reflexes, he could snatch the beast out of the air with relative ease.
As the beast was about to plunge its jaws into him, he turned and grabbed it by the neck, "So you really do have some sort of intelligence. You didn't think I wouldn't notice you sneaking about? Foolish." His grip on the trachea of the demon beast tightened and it struggled to escape.
Yet there was nothing to be done once death had you in its grasp, and a crack rang out through the forest.
The corpse of the beast spasmed a few times, before going limp entirely. "But I admit, you were a clever beast." Ainz noted. If not for his superior senses, he surely would have been attacked by this beast that hid in the bushes. However, even if it could have tried to elude his senses, the wraith that flew by it informed Ainz of the beast all the same.
He could have sworn he heard the children collectively say "How cool." but he ignored that. "Alright, go to the village, I'll take care of the rest that are prowling here." The green dome disappeared and the children did as he ordered.
Just in case, he sent one of his wraiths to follow the group and keep them safe; after all, he couldn't squander all the good will he built up with them, and saving children was typically perceived as heroic. So far this trip proved to be a blessing.
However Ainz had a plan to get even more out of this. After a few minutes of wandering around the forest while waiting for his summons to find Ram, he instead noticed a stone with a particular marking on it.
He picked it up and cast [All Appraisal Magic Item] on it, but it came back as a non-magical item. "I'm guessing this was one of those warding stones. But did they stop working just now? Roswaal must have something to do with this! How could he neglect his territory like this? Ah, it seems I'll have to teach him a bit when I get back."
As he put the stone back in place, the mental connection between him and one of his summons, a feeling akin to a phantom string being pulled, alerted him to the fact that Ram had been discovered.
Under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable], he made his way towards Ram. Tracking his wraith proved beneficial for only a while, as afterwards he could find the area of the battle thanks to the sound of trees falling and the yelling of Ram.
When he arrived, the maid seemed to be in poor condition. Her outfit was bloodied and shredded in many areas; she seemed to be out of breath and blood poured down her face.
In her hand was a wand that Ainz would expect a level one or two player to use. Perhaps it was more effective than it looked, but looking fancy and intimidating in combat was half the battle. After all, mental warfare was as vital a part of it as the physical combat.
"Fura!" she called out, sending a blade of wind at a wolgarm that was charging her. It seemed, however, that the mounting injuries caused her aim to be off and it only grazed the beast.
Ainz counted the corpses that littered the area, which seemed to have been ravaged by Ram's wind magic. He counted nineteen bodies, along with some demon beasts he didn't recognize, but that were of much less impressive size, similar to rats.
The beast sunk its jaws into Ram's arm and retreated, the maid collapsing to her knees and just barely keeping herself together.
Ainz, deciding that this was the time to improve his reputation, cancelled the spell and appeared next to her.
Ram looked up at him, barely able to lift her head, and collapsed after giving him a small nod. Judging by her still struggling to get up, she remained conscious, even if her body wished for it to be otherwise.
"I'll take care of them." Ainz said, looking at the remaining five or so wolgarms. But the beasts seemed to have other plans, retreating into the woods and running off.
Yet the battle was far from over, and the medium sized, canine beasts were replaced by a much larger version. The beast stood at over four metres tall and was overall massive. Its claws seemed ready to rip him apart. The earth shook when the beast roared and Ram seemed to accept her fate.
Ainz, however, remained unimpressed, "That's it? A bigger one as the boss? The creator of these had to be pretty lazy." He pointed his finger at the monster and invoked a terrible power, "[Death]."
No flash of lightning followed, nor did a great blaze of fire appear. The massive beast simply fell, dead. As much as some enjoyed grand spectacles of power, the lack of it didn't detract from the effectiveness of the spell. In fact, the eerie silence that followed a power that many would call godlike was more unsettling than any explosion ever could be.
The soul left the beast's body and all that remained was a corpse.
Ainz then turned to Ram and picked her up, putting her over his shoulder. Despite the girl being a bloody mess, his clothes possessed magic far beyond mortal comprehension and thus were not dirtied. It did help that Ram was very small compared to Ainz, letting him carry her easier.
"Alright, I'll get you home and heal you there. I've got some summons patrolling the forest, so don't worry about that. [Greater Teleportation]." This was the Tier 7 version of [Teleportation], with a much larger range and practically guaranteed chances of success without outside interference.
In an instant, the two found themselves in Ainz's room in the mansion. He put Rem on the bed, her blood soaking into the mattress and bed sheet, before casting [Life Essence]. Surprisingly, she had quite a bit of health left, so Ainz didn't worry about her bleeding out before he could heal her in front of the others.
'Hmm, it seems her body simply gave out. Is it because she doesn't seem to have a horn? If she used it then she should have been fine.' he thought to himself, before reaching out to Emilia. Healing Ram alone was pointless. How was he to increase his reputation in the mansion if he didn't do the commendable deeds in front of other people?
He cast [Message] with her as the target. It was as if he was reaching out into the darkness, suddenly grasping at the point that was Emilia and beginning to speak, {Hello? What and who is this?} came the timid voice of the half-elf.
{Hello, Emilia. It's me. This is a spell that I use for long-range communication. I'm sorry to interrupt your studies, but could you bring everyone over to my room? Ram was attacked by wolgarms and is badly injured.}
He practically heard the book slam shut and the chair fall over from across the mansion as the girl jumped away from the table. {On it!} was all she said before cutting the connection.
"It appears [Message] is rather instinctive for everyone. Curious." he noted. Judging by Emilia's reaction, such magic didn't exist here, or at least wasn't widespread. He wasn't entirely surprised, since this world's magic system focused much more on the six elements it had, but to have no long range method of communication was still odd.
After a minute or so, Emilia burst into the room alongside Roswaal and Beatrice. "Ainz! Where's Ram?!" she called out. The second Ainz pointed to the bleeding girl, Emilia lunged towards the bed and began using healing magic.
"Can you use one of those potions you had?" she asked as her hands hovered over Ram. The bleeding seemed to be slowing down, but healing her instantly was obviously the preferred scenario.
Ainz reached into his inventory and took out a minor healing potion, "Indeed I do. This one took a while to find, my apologies." Ainz bluffed, walking up to Ram and pouring the red contents of the bottle onto her.
As before, a green light enveloped the maid, fixing all her wounds in an instant. Unfortunately, the potion didn't have the miraculous power to put Ram's blood back into her body, so the mess remained.
Ram looked over herself, patting different parts of her body and checking if this wasn't simply an illusion. Once she determined this was in fact reality, she turned to Ainz and said "Thank you."
If Ainz possessed facial muscles, they would have formed a frown of cataclysmic proportions. There was no emotion in her expression of gratitude; it was the same, cold response that he would have gotten for handing her a saltshaker during dinner.
'What the hell?! I just saved your life! Show some gratitude for God's sake!' he thought to himself, but instead turned to another matter, "By the way, where is Rem? Shouldn't she be here?"
Indeed, the blue haired maid was the only one missing from the denizens of the mansion. Beatrice decided to shed some light on the situation, saying, "Betty saw her run towards the forest. She is going after the wolgarms, I suppose."
Ainz tilted his head to the side, "But why so? I got Ram out of there and she seems to be fine." he said, pointing to the girl that was almost dozing off on his bed.
The fight seemed to have taken a lot out of her, and her mana was almost depleted. Undoubtedly Roswaal would soon remedy that, but besides that fact, she was alright. Her durability was in fact very commendable, as her maid outfit provided near to no protection.
'With her horn intact she could be pretty strong, but it seems a regular potion won't cut it. I'd need to use some sort of higher Tier scroll. Or maybe I could kill her and resurrect her.' Ainz shook his head slightly in order to get rid of the dark thoughts, 'Okay, maybe not that. I'll keep it in the back of my mind though.'
"Wolgarms inflict a curse on someone when they bite them. Judging by Ram's wounds, there are too many to easily dispel, so the only option is to kill the demon beasts and untie that knot, so to speak." said Emilia.
"Really?" Ainz asked, turning to Ram, "[Detect Curse]." he said. Information was sent directly into his mind and he found that, yes, there were in fact quite a few curses on Ram. However, they were rather low-level, only a simple mana drain.
"[Cleanse Curse]." As a necromancer, Ainz was the perfect person to deal with things like curses, so this wasn't a problem, "Alright, I dealt with the curses."
Emilia's jaw dropped, Roswaal's eyebrow twitched, Beatrice crossed her arms, and Ram seemed to pass out from mana deficiency.
"That easily?" Emilia asked, looking at the now sleeping Ram. Such a mess of curses would have been challenging for even the duo of Beatrice and Roswaal, but Ainz seemed to outmatch them both by a frightening margin.
"Well, with necromancy and dark magic comes knowledge of curses. These weren't anything special, so it wasn't a problem." he said, shrugging.
"Veeery impressive, Ainz. Do you waaant me to join you in rescuiiing Rem?" asked Roswaal. Surely having the strongest mage in the country alongside him would be a tempting offer.
But Ainz shook his head, and then stared into the eyes of the noble, albeit through his mask that he hadn't bothered to take off, "No, I'll be fine. However, you and I, Roswaal, will have to have a long talk. You've been a bit irresponsible."
"I understaaand. I'll awaiiit your arrival." Roswaal answered, a small shiver going down his spine.
The undead mage teleported back to the forest and those in the room quickly dispersed.
Roswaal gave Ram a quick injection of mana and began planning once more. His initial move was countered with expert precision. Fortunately, he always had a back up plan. Unfortunately, his adversary was very skilled.
As the noble walked back to his office, his mind was ablaze deciphering the meaning of Ainz's words, 'So he knows I'm behind this!? That must be what he meant by irresponsibility. But then… this means he will start interfering. I have to get my book back, no matter what!'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
It didn't take long for Ainz to find Rem, his wraiths locating her within minutes of his arrival. The moment he entered the clearing in which she was, one that was littered with dozens of corpses of wolgarms and other, various demon beasts, Rem's ball and chain was launched at him.
"I suppose I should expect nothing less." Ainz mumbled as he ignored the attack, walking forward. The clanging of metal continued as he walked towards Rem, who desperately tried to get through his defences.
The girl was covered in blood, but it certainly didn't seem like it was her own. Her maid outfit was dirty, but otherwise barely damaged. In comparison to the demon beasts, she was a force to be reckoned with. Unless it was Ainz who was dealing with her.
She launched yet another assault at him, her eyes displaying nothing but the madness of bloodlust. "It seems you have entered a berserking state." Once more the attacks proved to be useless as her weapon simply bounced off of Ainz, the mage being protected by an invisible barrier created by his passive.
"This is remarkably similar to the YGGDRASIL race. Whatever multiversal God there is, he certainly likes repeating designs." Ainz said, putting his hand to his mask's chin and thinking back to the "Strategies Against Every Race: Punitto Moe's Encyclopaedia" that his guild considered an essential read.
"Maybe I have a copy of that somewhere." There definitely was one in the Library of Ashurbanipal, but sadly Nazarick wasn't with him. Thankfully, it seemed he did have a copy with him. Given the book's low in-game value, it would never drop when he would get killed by players, and having a handy guide like that on you never hurt.
It was an ornate book bound in human skin, the title written in what seemed to be blood. Needless to say, the one who designed that happened to be Ulbert. Ainz flipped through the book as Rem's assault kept up, the horn on her head extending her endurance greatly.
"Aha!" he exclaimed as his finger landed on the Oni category. "In the event of fighting an Oni, aim for the horns. This will provide a guaranteed critical hit, or knock them out of their berserk mode; it may also stun them depending on the damage caused." Ainz read aloud.
Putting the book back into his inventory, he turned to Rem. "[Teleportation]." he said, appearing in front of the girl. It was a truly amazing spell, one that spellswords abused to no end before players got [Dimensional Lock] to counter it.
Before she could react, Ainz struck her horn with controlled force. He was no warrior, but these things seemed delicate and his strength was by no means miniscule. Better safe than sorry.
The girl recoiled back and the light of reason returned to her eyes, "W-what?" she asked, looking around, before jumping away and pointing at Ainz, "You!"
"Yes, me. The man who you brutally assaulted, twice, and who saved your sister. I already dealt with her curses and my undead should clear out the rest of demon beasts. We can go back to the mansion." he explained. His wraiths already had quite the body count, and since they were ethereal, the wolgarms were helpless against them.
As Ainz was about to teleport them both, he instead cast a different spell, "[Wall of Skeleton]." A wall, that was more than five metres tall and seven wide, appeared behind Rem. It was made entirely of skeleton that swung rusted swords in all directions.
A loud thud echoed out as something impacted it, shaking it and drawing the attention of Rem. Ainz dispelled the wall and what he saw was rather surprising, "A chimaera demon beast? Interesting."
The creature that had jumped at Rem, and attempted to rip her head off, had the head and fur of a lion, the body of a horse, and a snake-like tail. Finally, it was big, not as big as the boss wolgarm, but still big.
Rem jumped towards Ainz and took up an offensive stance against the beast, "A Guiltylowe?! Here!?" she yelled. The surprise and fear in her voice were not very subtle.
The undead mage kept staring at the creature, which seemed to have a spark of intelligence in its eyes, one even more prominent than in the ones he previously encountered. 'This one is very smart for a beast.' he thought to himself.
Ainz turned to her, "Anything I should know?" The beast certainly seemed intimidating, but it didn't appear to be very strong compared to him. It was probably still weaker than the assassin he had dealt with soon after his arrival.
Rem gulped, "They're strong. Very strong. We should run. I can't use my horn for a while. Can you get us out of here?" she asked. Fighting a Guiltylowe without her horn was effectively a death sentence, one she'd rather avoid.
'Ah, what is it that Mekongawa always said? "Nothing like a good hunt to make friends" or something along those lines? This may yet be an opportunity.'
He shook his head, "We can't just let this thing run around and rampage! It'll kill everyone in the village." he said, although it wasn't like he cared. He only just met everyone there.
"You're right." Rem said, determination appearing on her face and her resolve becoming harder than steel, "Any ideas for the battle plan?"
Ainz recalled his days as a wildcard that could do a little bit of everything in a fight. Of course, ending this one instantly was off the table, but ensuring his ally didn't get injured was cooperation 101. "I have a few spells that could help get you into shape."
He pointed at her, "[Body of Effulgent Aquamarine], [Greater Luck], [Greater Resistance], [Greater Magic Shield], [Resistance From Natural Weapons], [Haste]. That should be plenty. Go."
Rem did as she was told and launched at the beast with speeds that she would have never dreamt of before, and sent her ball and chain at the beast that had been circling around them.
The beast, despite the intelligence Ainz had initially seen in its eyes, made a rookie mistake, which was letting him buff Rem. Warriors could use all their buffs in the middle of combat without worry, so they had a leg up on mages. But, when given even just a bit of time, the buffs of a mage could turn the tide of battle.
'I may have however overdid it. Just a bit.' he thought to himself as the maid outmanoeuvred the beast and landed attack after attack. She was a blur on the battlefield, his buffs making her much faster than even that Elsa woman he fought.
The impact of her weapon broke the beast's bones and threw it to the side, the spikes on the ball itself penetrating deep into the creature and spilling blood onto the soil.
It tried to retaliate, but the girl either dodged with moves that even most knights would have considered crazy, jumping over the claw at the last second or sliding beneath it, or reality seemed to bend around her to make sure she didn't get hit.
Luck and speed truly were the defining factors of this battle. Unfortunately for the beast, these defining factors also bent to Ainz's will and magical prowess.
The Guiltylowe whimpered, falling on the ground after a particularly brutal hit to its torso, and Rem went to finish it off. Yet it proved to be a fatal mistake, and the beast lunged at her with renewed ferocity, intelligent enough to feign dying.
Of course, it would have only been a fatal mistake if Ainz hadn't been there. The paw of the beast fell to the ground before it could reach its target, the sizzling of acid eating through flesh accompanied the thud of the limb falling onto the ground.
It limped, struggling to keep balance without one of its front paws, and tried to swipe at Rem with its tail. The girl skilfully jumped away and a fireball hit the beast's natural weapon instead. Ainz's aim was impeccable, thanks in no small part to the instinctive nature of his magic, and the tail was turned to ash at the moment of impact.
With one final strike, Rem launched her weapon at the beast's head, hitting its forehead directly. As expected, the skull couldn't handle the applied force, the spike on the morning star piercing through it and into the brain.
The Guiltylowe collapsed, dead. It truly was a horrid day for a demon beast user somewhere out there.
Rem practically skipped towards Ainz and jumped up, throwing her hands in the air, "We did it!" she said, a big smile now firmly on her face. The blood that covered her made for a rather intimidating visual, but Ainz could appreciate the friendly smile.
'She really is much nicer when not trying to kill you. Who would've guessed?' he thought to himself, 'And she certainly seems kinder than Ram.'
"But… Why did you help me?" she asked, her enthusiasm suddenly dampened, "I tried to kill you."
"Twice." Ainz added, the detail rather crucial.
The girl looked down at the floor, the shame for her actions apparently kicking in now, "I'm sorry. Though in my defence, you did and still do smell like the Witch."
Ainz responded with a good natured chuckle, "It's fine. I'm fully aware of how frightening I may seem. Although I do wonder about the smell of the Witch. Some of my magic should cover that along with my undead nature, but it doesn't. However, I assure you that I have never met this Witch, nor anyone connected with her."
Rem nodded and spoke once more, "Weird. But thank you for saving my sister, and for the help in this fight. Although, it was quite easy. Just what kind of magic did you use?"
"Oh, just a few buffs here and there. Nothing special." he said, dismissing her question and skilfully changing the topic, "Do you want me to teleport you back to the mansion? I'll deal with any lingering demon beasts, while you can find a way to get the barrier around the village back up." The girl nodded and he silently casted [Greater Teleportation] on her.
"Man, what a convenient spell." he mumbled, before looking up at the sky and sighing, "But what a mess this domain is; isn't that right, Roswaal?" he said to no one in particular.
Out of the treeline however appeared the devil, or rather noble, of whom he just spoke, "As expected, you knew I was here." he said, his manner of speech having no hint of his usual tone or mannerism.
'What the hell is he doing here?!' Ainz thought to himself, but the surprise quickly became only a vague feeling at the back of his mind as his emotional suppression kicked in, replacing it with cold calculation, 'Let's see what he has to say. Judging by that tone, he isn't here to help.'
"I also know why you are here, but I'd like to hear it from your own mouth. Go on, speak." Ainz said, trying to project the air of someone in control.
"Ohoho. I'm sure you know. Seeing how easily you shrugged off my assassin's pets, I decided to step in myself. Even when I put my pawns in the perfect places to bait you, you still survived." Roswaal said, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth.
Ainz laughed, as a king might at the complaints of a peasant, "Haha! You believe you were pulling the strings? Please, you are far too young to outwit me. After all, you are just where I want you." the undead mage bluffed.
"Me, too young? I suppose that is what I would expect to hear from a skeleton. But that doesn't matter." Brilliant orbs of light appeared around Roswaal, seemingly different elemental variations of the [Fireball] type spell, "Now hand over the book."
"Which book? This one?" Ainz asked, pulling the so-called Book of Wisdom out of his inventory, "I wouldn't recommend you test me, Roswaal. It would be a shame if it got caught in the crossfire."
"You think I would be so careless? I assure you my magic is precise." He shot a fireball at Ainz, but it simply dissipated, being only the equivalent of Tier 3 spell and thus not surpassing his [High Tier Magic Immunity III]. "Wha-!?" was all Roswaal managed to say before he fell to the ground, clutching his chest.
The undead mage walked slowly towards him, the Book of Wisdom in his left hand and the phantom image of Roswaal's heart in the right. "I warned you, didn't I?" Ainz said.
Roswaal tried to get on all fours and slowly raise himself up, but Ainz's gentle grip on his heart tightened slightly. The noble fell to the ground, gasping for air and grunting due to the pain.
"All it requires for me to kill you, dear Roswaal, is me squeezing a bit harder. What would your mentor think? So caught up at looking into the future that you disregarded the present." Ainz said, grasping at the few straws that consisted of his knowledge about the book and Roswaal.
'Okay, he seems pretty obsessed. How didn't I see this coming? Welp, I'm too deep in.' he thought to himself, making sure to control his strength and not accidentally crush Roswaal's heart.
"Don't you –ugh– dare to speak about her!" he managed to call out in between grunts of pain. Frankly, Ainz was impressed by his willpower.
'He seems to have a thing for her. But… isn't she gone? Echidna was the Witch of Greed according to my spell so… she's dead, isn't she? Beatrice mentioned that all the witches are gone, and I doubt she was lying. They sound kind of like walking disasters to me.'
"Come now, Roswaal. Your teacher is long gone, dead and buried. I'm sure she would have wanted you to move on." Ainz said, toying with the book while trying to sound cool and intimidating.
"Not if I can do anything about it!" Roswaal answered, trying and failing to get up. Truly, his constitution for a mage was impressive, not impressive enough to resist Ainz's spell, but impressive enough.
'So he wants to resurrect her? Can't he use a Tier 5 spell as the greatest mage in the land? Or he should at least have some connections as a noble to a priest who can. Unless…' Ainz's skull seemed to warp into a wicked grin behind his mask, one that would have made every devil in hell shiver, 'That magic might not exist here. This I can use.'
"Ah, resurrection, a coveted dream I presume? Still, it's so far out of reach for you; you who are just a lowly mage. I, on the other hand, am the ruler of death. Resurrection is a parlour trick." Ainz loosened his grip on Roswaal's heart, but the mage remained laying down.
As humiliating as negotiating from the dirt was, the forbidden fruit that the Overlord in front of him offered was tempting indeed, "What is it you want? We both know you won't do it out of the goodness of your heart." he said, before coughing from the lighter but ever present pressure that encompassed his chest.
Ainz put a gloved finger to his mask's chin and thought for a second, 'I am not telling him about Nazarick… Having Emilia on the throne is simple enough, I guess.'
"My goals are… complex, child." he said, playing into the "being more ancient than time" persona, "But the price you must pay is simple. Once Emilia wins the throne, you shall get your book and your precious mentor. All I require is your support in that endeavour."
"So you want a puppet." said Roswaal, scowling.
"Aren't you already a clownish puppet in the circus act that is life?" Ainz said, channelling his cringe past to the fullest, "Besides, the ends justify the means. It was you who sent an assassin after your servants just for this book, after all. I am offering more for less."
The salary man named Satoru Suzuki, and the cringe RPer named Momonga, blazed brightly inside the core of Ainz Ooal Gown. Judging by the flurry of emotions appearing on Roswaal's face, the negotiation was going in his favour, even if it required some magical coercion in the form of the lingering [Grasp Heart].
"Fine." Roswaal spat out, "I'll serve you, master. Just keep your part of the deal." he said.
Ainz cancelled the spell and nodded magnanimously before the words actually registered in his mind, 'Wait! Master?! I just wanted his support and resources!' he thought, panicking on the inside until a subtle green light appeared around him, returning his calm demeanour with it.
"I'm glad we see eye to eye, Roswaal. Let us keep up our appearances in front of the others however." Ainz said, to which the noble nodded. "Now then, if you want me to resurrect your teacher, the Witch of Greed Echidna, I presume, then I hope there still is a body somewhere."
"Are you not powerful enough to bring her back without one?" Roswaal asked, his curious mannerism of extending words still gone, most likely due to the stress of the situation.
"I am, but it would require a more powerful spell. I'd rather avoid such trouble. Given that your mentor was a rather powerful mage, at least to my limited knowledge, there should be no problem. With a body it would be a swift and simple process." Ainz said.
"In that case, her body is located in a place called Sanctuary. I could show it to you on the map at the mansion, master." Roswaal said, adopting a much more subservient attitude compared to his previous one.
"No need to call me master. And yes, that would be nice. Anything else I need to know about her?"
"Her soul is also there, in a place called the Castle of Dreams. The barrier around Sanctuary locks demihumans in, and one needs to pass the three trials of my teacher to lift it, and those take place in the aforementioned Castle. Is that of any help?" he asked, bowing his head slightly.
Ainz noticed that the most impressive feat the mage had performed during this encounter was managing to keep his tiny top hat on his head, but he quickly returned to reality and answered the question, "Hmm. Her soul is there? In that case, I'd like to speak with her. It's easier to resurrect someone if I know more about them." he said, the lie coming out with no issue.
Roswaal bowed, "Of course, I will reveal its location to you when we return to the mansion." The noble truly was a talented speaker, hiding the anger that he undoubtedly still held against Ainz perfectly.
"I'm glad we can work towards a mutually beneficial agreement. But, if I may ask, why did you sponsor Emilia anyway?" Ainz asked, tilting his head and looking at the mage.
"Were she to win, I could find a way to the Divine Dragon, and kill it. With its blood I could resurrect my teacher." Roswaal answered, speaking the truth to his benefactor, afraid that if he didn't then the deal would be off.
'Why did I have to come up against a being like this? He seems to be nearly omniscient anyway!' the noble thought to himself.
"I see…" Ainz mumbled, reaching into his inventory and putting away the book, causing Roswaal to grimace slightly. His hand however returned with several ornate bottles, filled with liquids ranging from neon green to pitch black.
Each of them radiated power, as did seemingly everything that Ainz had, "As you can see, I have divine dragon blood in no short supply." He put the crafting materials back into his inventory as Roswaal's polite mask cracked and his jaw dropped, "But they aren't the key to resurrection."
Dragon's blood tended to be a common crafting material in games, and Ainz had killed plenty of dragons considered divine, Gods, world ending, or anything of the sort. Only rarely was the blood ever used for staffs or wands of any resurrection spell.
Of course, this world's Divine Dragon could have been different. Alas, a dragon was a dragon, and those tended to be troublesome opponents. If he could discourage Roswaal from picking a fight with an unnecessary and most likely powerful enemy, he was sure to do so.
Then again, Roswaal was supposed to be the strongest mage in Lugnica, but neither his magic reserves nor his abilities seemed very impressive. Granted, Ainz hadn't seen very much, but he sincerely doubted the noble could ever stand against him.
"Roswaal, could you fix the barrier around the village? I'd hardly want your good name tarnished when we are competing for the throne." Ainz said.
Roswaal bowed and said, "Naturallyyy." slipping back into his typical speech pattern.
As the mage walked off, Ainz thought to himself, 'So I'll get to meet one of the big, bad witches. How very exciting.'
It seemed that yet another part of this quest chain awaited him, and he had to say, it had proved rather entertaining so far…
(AN from Edgy: Please everyone! Not all at the same time! Reviews to the left, follows and favourites to the right, and for further interaction please head down to the Grand Library of Ashurbanipal Discord! Jokes aside, I am floored by the response to this story and I thank you all so much! Also, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to Ainz meeting Echidna! Additionally, I do apologise for how long some of these chapters take to put out, but they are long and I am a rather busy student. But the fuel from these reviews motivated me to no end, so I once more beseech you for more reviews! As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)
Answering Questions:
Upload schedule?: Non-existent. I just write and upload when it's done, but I'm hoping for one chapter every 10 days or so. - Edgy
Is Satella fuelling his abilities?: No. It's all Ainz. - Edgy
How do you write 10k chapters? - I write the plot I want in the chapter and then add details to hit the 10k mark. Also, lots of practice, even though English isn't my first language. - Edgy
How did Satella grab Ainz if the Throne of Kings was blocking her? - There was a tiny instant in between the Throne of Kings shutting down alongside the game and the moment Ainz returned to his human body. She grabbed him then, which resulted in his soul being in his in-game avatar - Edgy.
If you want your questions answered directly or before the next chapter is released, come ask Aterro or myself in our channels on the aforementioned Library of Ashurbanipal Discord! - Edgy
(AN from Aterro: Hello dear readers, I am beyond overjoyed to see all the positive feedback. I am glad you are enjoying this story. I hope you will enjoy many more chapters to come. If you have any questions feel free to PM us or ask questions in reviews. Since Edgy already answered all the questions, I shall bid you goodbye.)