[Chapter 4.5: Not Even Death Is Certain]
Emilia awoke at 9 AM, courtesy of the cat that was currently floating around her. Puck, as always, forced the drowsy Emilia to go get ready for the day, though sleeping in often was a much more tempting proposal. Alas, such things were meaningless to Puck, who had a very rigid sleep schedule, no doubt thanks to their pact.
The great spirit forced her to correct her posture once she was on her feet and chose her hairstyle for the day. Today he didn't seem too creative and so he just went with the one she traditionally wore. To complement this, she wore her white and purple dress in which she could most often be seen.
Hey, it matched and was comfortable. What more could one ask of their clothing?
A certain skeleton could certainly name a few things, such as actually offering any protection or combat bonuses, but the silver half-elf was not so battle oriented, if anyone aside from Ainz even was.
As she stepped outside and Puck dematerialized, undoubtedly to laze around more. Ever since the arrival of Ainz, he seemed to have become more distant. It was odd, concerning even, but she pushed that trail of thought to the back of her mind.
She went on to commune with the minor spirits which lent their aid to her. It was both beneficial, as the help of spirits tended to be, but it was also relaxing.
Nothing interesting came of it this time, and so she decided to take a small walk around the garden before breakfast. While communing with spirits was undoubtedly calming, it didn't allow her much time to clear her own mind and dwell on her thoughts.
And this time these thoughts turned to only one figure, a newcomer in the mansion, one as mysterious as he seemed to be wise. The being may have been called Death, God, or Lord by others, but to Emilia he was simply Ainz.
It was certainly a curious name, but the sense of pride when the man – if a skeleton could even be classified as such – introduced himself was very easy to notice.
He certainly appeared intimidating when she first saw him, standing among corpses as one may a field of flowers, and combined with his overwhelming calmness, it made for a very frightening image.
Yet when he spoke, divinity and power almost seemed to radiate from his voice. And, in the end, accepting his help certainly turned out to be the correct decision, as even with Puck's assistance, she didn't know if the infamous bowel hunter wouldn't have gutted her.
Of course, the most curious thing about Ainz was yet to be revealed to her. His magnificent robes that radiated magical power beyond anything she'd ever seen pointed to a past as much more than a mere travelling mage.
So when he revealed his skeletal appearance, she wasn't exactly surprised. After all, she herself bore a cursed appearance. Many would have ran, or attacked and been slain, but, despite his frightening appearance, he had been kind to her.
She remembered the red flames that served as his eyes burning brightly within that moonlit corridor. Truly, there she thought her soul was forfeit, until the same jovial, near heroic voice reached her.
In the end, Ainz was Ainz, whether skeletal or not. Still, she had to wonder if he ever had flesh to begin with. His massive skeletal frame and odd structure, that seemed to be more sculpted by the magic of a creator deity rather than naturally formed, pointed at the idea that this was simply how he was.
The innocent half-elf decided not to pry, for now, since that would have been very rude. Instead, she thought about what else she knew of him, coming up blank. He was like an enigma, appearing out of the ether.
His past was a complete mystery, though he did mention that friend of his, someone he evidently held in very high regard, but that told her nothing. Even his power was shrouded in a layer of darkness. She overheard Roswaal telling Ram that Ainz was more powerful than he could ever hope to be, however that was about it. And as impressive as just that statement was, it did not give a concrete measure in the slightest.
But, more so than the depths of his power or his past, a single recent development worried her the most, Ainz's meeting with the Witch of Envy.
'Is she free or…? Did he have something to do with it?' Such thoughts created a whirlpool in her mind, one that was much darker than the outward behaviour of the girl.
She put up a brave front when she heard the news, trying to hide her discomfort, but the situation didn't help her with calming her mind before the royal selection.
Her hands formed fists as she walked around the garden, her nails digging into them but thankfully not managing to break skin.
The Witch that caused so much death and destruction, erasing half the world, not only seemed to be loose, but she had also taken an interest in the one person that looked at Emilia without seeing the walking catastrophe that she resembled, as if the Witch of Envy didn't exist for Ainz before their meeting.
'She… Of all the Witches, it had to be her.' Her eyebrow twitched. Was it anger she felt? And if so, was it at the Witch for interacting with Ainz or at Ainz for interacting with the Witch?
Or was it not anger at all? Was it simply the pain of being reminded of the years of hardships her appearance had caused her? Alas, the heart and soul are both mysteries which not even their owner can decipher.
However, the final question was whether Ainz would see the resemblance? Would she now become "the cursed child with the appearance of the Witch" to him, rather than remaining as Emilia?
The worries were like an allconsuming typhoon, bringing with it desolation and fear. If he had met the Witch, Satella, or whatever the walking disaster was, would Ainz run and return from whence he came? No sane being would want to face a horror like that, or interact with someone who resembled it.
And speaking of Ainz running, she hadn't seen him all day! She knew he could fly and teleport, so was he already gone? Had his brave façade and heartfelt promise upon his return been nought but lies?!
Her footsteps sped up and she moved along the same path over and over again, not even processing her surroundings. 'Again… Again someone left me because of how I look.' She touched her pointed ears, wishing she could simply cut them off, and she internally cursed her purple eyes, wishing she could gouge them out.
The insecurities ate at her like starving vultures upon carrion. 'All it took for my knight to leave was for them to know about me…' She could feel the tears well up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.
As she started another lap around the garden, she heard a deep voice call out to her, "Ah, good morning, Emilia." With preternatural speed, she composed herself once it reached her. This was the moment of truth, to prove whether her thoughts were grounded in reality or merely the overwhelmingly anxiety of loneliness.
She turned to see Ainz, his skeletal appearance on full display, including the menacing orb in his now exposed chest. "Good morning, Ainz." she answered, although she wondered if such a greeting even mattered to an undead being. After all, a lack of flesh most likely came with a lack of sleep as well.
"I'd like to actually conduct a few tests concerning our trip to the Royal Capital soon. Would you mind helping me?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
Undoubtedly, reading a being with no facial expressions was hard, but Emilia had already begun recognising different quirks of his. A slight tilt of the head, or a change in the aura of majesty he seemingly emitted, all of these had different meanings. And in all his gestures, she could find no hint of trepidation, just like before.
"Sure! What do you need me to do?" she asked, walking up to him and looking up at his skull. Maybe she would finally learn some of what he could do and gain confirmation that he was willing to stay?
"I simply need to see if you can use some of my items. My magic is most certainly off limits to you, so we will have to rely on these." he said, his skeletal hand slipping into the void.
'Is this his version of Yin magic?' Given enough time, Roswaal or Beatrice might have been able to recreate a spell with a similar effect, but it was still a very curious phenomenon, particularly the lack of incantation which was a sign of mastery.
His hand returned from the storage space and on his palm laid three magnificent rings. One of them was a dark blue, made of an unknown item and fitted with a sizable diamond. The second appeared to be made out of obsidian or another pitch black volcanic rock, and decorated with silver engravings. Last was one that seemed to be made of a clear crystal, almost like ice.
Ainz pointed to each of them and said, "This one is fitted with the [Message] spell, with which you are familiar. The second one has [Teleport] fitted into it, although it has a cooldown, and the last is a simple ring for enhancing cryomancy."
Emilia looked at the rings with her eyes wide open. Each of them, while not nearly as impressive as the ones that Ainz wore, were masterful pieces that few, if any, living artisans could hope to replicate. "U-um, are you sure I can use these? They seem pretty precious… What if I lose them?" she asked.
The mage's hand returned to the void once more and returned with a handful of identical rings filling it; there must have been dozens there!
"As you can see, I have quite a few of those. But do not lose them; it'd be very bad if our adversaries got a hold of them. Now, please put them on. The way to use them should come naturally, or I hope so at least." Ainz said, shoving the spare rings back into his inventory.
She did as she was instructed, the rings magically adjusting to fit her fingers, and Ainz seemed to be right. Innate knowledge of how to use the rings flooded her mind, and she silently used the first one.
{Hello? Does it work?} The sensation was very odd, like reaching out into a murky abyss, but it seemed to connect, only to be abruptly cut off as Ainz nodded.
"It does work, wonderful. If you ever need a way to reach me then that's the way to do it. Alternatively, the [Teleportation] ring has a long range, although it isn't infinite. Try it."
She used the ring on instinct and instantly appeared several metres away from where she had been. There was no feeling of confusion or disorientation, it was like taking one long step. "Wow." she muttered. Teleportation magic was available only to a select few in history, and not even Roswaal could use it.
"So we have a convenient manner of escape, great. Lastly, use some ice magic against me. This is the one I'm curious about. That ring wasn't made for your system of magic, so it could very well not work." he said.
"Are you sure about this? What if you get hurt?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
'Will he leave if I hurt him? Is this a test to see if I'm like the Witch?'
But Ainz waved her worries away with his hand and chuckled, "If your attacks will be strong enough to damage me then I will be both proud and thoroughly confused."
'Where does that confidence come from? Is it from facing the Witch and walking away whole?' she asked herself. Pride after a successful experiment was natural but confusion? Was he so strong that getting hurt was a foreign feeling?
She took a deep breath before putting her faith in Ainz once more, "El Huma!" Spears of ice materialised around her, but this time they seemed to be clearer, larger and sharper.
They flew at Ainz with unprecedented speed, surprising even Emilia with their power, but the undead mage only gazed at them with interest.
Seeing how much more powerful the attack was, she tried to yell for Ainz to move out the way, but it was already too late.
One spear after another, for a total of 7, were about to hit Ainz. However, as if there existed an infinite barrier between him and Emilia's magic, the spear disappeared after hitting a thin, transparent barrier.
"Very impressive. That seemed to be a rather significant increase in power." he said, clapping his hands together.
Emilia blinked, once, twice, but she still couldn't figure out how the mage had defended himself. "Ainz? How did those not hit you?" she asked, "Not that I wanted them to!" she quickly clarified.
Ainz put a skeletal hand to his chin, apparently weighing something in his mind until he came to a conclusion and said, "Attacks that aren't sufficiently strong can't penetrate my magical barrier. Call it a divine protection of my own making."
'He can make divine protections? Or was that some other magic?' she asked herself, her eyes still wide open and staring at the unharmed Overlord.
"Ah, I almost forgot." He took out yet another ring, this one seemed to be a simple silver band, with a small emerald socketed in it.
"And what does this one do? Aren't the ones you gave me plenty?" Emilia asked, staring at it yet again. At this rate, she would have more rings than fingers to wear them on! Besides, was she really worth all this, even if he had plenty of them?
Ainz shook his finger, like a wiseman correcting his student, "As my good friend once said, "You can never be overprepared because there is no perfect plan, so prepare until you can no more." We are heading into the most deadly arena, one of politics. It does not take a genius to realise that the easiest way to get rid of a rival is most often poison. This will protect you from that."
His voice was stern, full of experience, but Emilia still shook her head, "Are you sure they would do that? I'm sure the Royal Selection will stay civil, at least for a while. And I can't just take all of this!"
The flames in the skull of the undead mage burnt brighter, "Emilia, I say this with full sincerity, you do not know how ruthless the world can get when it comes to battle. Back where I come from, subterfuge, wit, and power were all that mattered. Negotiations were excuses for battle and diplomacy was only used when trying to fight another. And these aren't anything special, small trinkets from the good, old days."
Emilia tilted her head and asked, "Ainz, if I can ask, where do you come from? You're strong, and you know all this battle stuff. What did you do before you came here?" She was still young, a little curiosity could be excused, particularly when faced with such a mysterious person, right?
"I'll tell you if you put on the ring, and keep it on." he said, chuckling.
Cornered, Emilia had no choice but to accept, propelled by her curiosity, but first she said, "But you'll stay until I can give these back, right?".
"Hmm? Of course, although I'd much rather you keep them, so that you can stay safe. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon, don't worry."
He sounded genuinely confused, as if he truly didn't know what reason lay behind her question, which was impossible for him. In just the short time she knew him, he was able to negotiate successfully with Roswaal and display mastery of complex magic. Someone so intelligent surely saw through her with ease.
She smiled slightly, happy to hear his answer; the reassurance of the undead magic caster easing the tide of anxiety in her mind just a bit. After taking the ring from Ainz's palm and putting it on, no immediate sensation came to her, most likely due to the fact that the ring had no effect requiring activation but instead just a passive one.
Ainz motioned for her to follow and they sat down next to each other in the shade of a tree on the edge of the forest that surrounded the mansion. Their backs were against the old tree, and the moss provided a soft place to sit.
"What I've told you is only the basics, which I learned from one of my friends. Ah, he was a brilliant strategist. Even against impossible odds, he always found a way to win, sooner or later."
Nostalgia seemed to radiate from the skeleton as he looked at something only he could see, but he returned to reality soon enough, coughing into his fist, as weird as the gesture was for someone with no throat, "Well, I came from beyond the waterfall."
The half-elves eyes' widened as the tale was told from a font of knowledge that only few could ever hope to match. "And would you believe me if I told you I was a God hunter?"
"Reeeaaally?" she asked, leaning forward, her face being painted over with both wonder and excitement. 'Is that why he's not scared of the Witch? Because he's faced worse?' her worried mind thought.
"Really. Do you want to hear a story of when my friends and I fought a great battle?" he asked, to which she enthusiastically nodded, "See, there were 41 of us, most of whom specialised in battle, rather than crafting." he began.
"And once we were told of a horrible beast with nine heads that was killing Gods and devouring them. Imagine a demon beast, the size of the mansion, and akin to a land-bound dragon, but with nine heads. I can't exactly recall its specific name, but it was something called a hydra."
"The thing with this species, and one that was this powerful in particular, was that it could heal from any wound. No curse or attack could stop that. But we, you see, had a plan. We simply had to kill it in one hit." he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, "As it rampaged through the world, destroying continents by the hour, we gathered together."
"One of my friends, the greatest defender you'd have ever met, held the line against the horrible creature. Its different breath attacks and devastating slashes were blocked by her and several others. Our melee fighters were deflecting its claws and chopping off its heads, using power that shook the very world. But each time one was cut off, three more appeared."
"How did you defeat it?" Emilia asked, enraptured by the tale.
"Our little group had a particularly destructive member, and a very good friend of mine, the Demon of Great Disaster, Ulbert Alain Odle. He was evil incarnate, and like a brother to me. He also was the one with the strongest attack."
"You worked alongside someone that evil?"
"Evil and good are two sides of the same coin. Ulbert was an extreme case, but he had a good heart. One man's devil is another's angel as another one of my friends used to say. A few other magic casters and I cast every strengthening spell we could on Ulbert. Once that was done, we all cast our strongest spells, with him as the centrepiece." he said, pausing for dramatic effect.
"And?"
"The very world crashed, and the beast was incinerated. Dare I say, a few of those in power were a bit disgruntled by what we did, but we never had good relations with them anyway. However, that was neither our last nor our hardest battle. I can tell you about another one another time."
"Do you think I could ever meet them?" she asked, looking up at him.
Ainz shook his head and simply said, "No, they're gone." A twinge of melancholy was evident in the response and Emilia flinched, afraid that she hurt him.
The two sat in silence for a while. Whether it was because of nostalgia for Ainz and shock for Emilia, or something else for both, neither of them knew.
'He's alone as well…' she thought to herself, remembering the Elior forest and her own isolation.
Emilia scooted over close to Ainz and put her head against his shoulder, leaning onto him; the robe he wore was unbelievably soft. Ainz looked at her briefly but only adjusted his massive pauldrons as to not disturb her.
After a few more minutes of silence, Emilia spoke up, "You weren't afraid of the Witch when you met her?" she said softly, trying to change the topic and gain some peace of mind.
"I've faced monsters that have consumed worlds, spread death and misery on an unimaginable scale, and yet I always stood against them. Ainz Ooal Gown never knew defeat, as long as my friends were with me. When I met the Witch, they may not have been here," he said, motioning to the broad area around them, "but the experience of it all is still with me."
"So no matter who I face, I know I will emerge victorious, somehow. Besides," he turned to face her, "I made a promise, didn't I? I would hardly be able to fulfil it if a single Witch was all it took to scare me."
The amicable silence returned and stretched on, until it was interrupted by the yelling of a certain maid concerning breakfast…
(AN from Edgy: Firstly, thank you for the massive amount of support! Secondly, if you paid attention to a previous AN, you knew that this chapter would be a shorter intermission, one you hopefully found at least slightly entertaining. Next chapter will be the usual length, followed by an epilogue to V1 and prologue to V2 that will each be around this length. I once more hunger for reviews. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)
(AN from Aterro: Hello dear readers from far and wide. I hope you enjoyed this short intermission. We tried to do something a bit cuter than usual. Thank you for all the follows, it truly does motivate us. I am looking forward to your reviews.)
Reviews:
Authorities should be treated like World Items!: No. Just no. - Edgy
Will Nazarick or any of its denizens appear?: There are no such plans as of yet - Edgy
The people of the world know about Od Laguna, right?: Yes, but the knowledge isn't extremely detailed. - Edgy
Did Ainz forget to resurrect Echidna?: No, the deal is her resurrection for when Emilia gets the throne. - Edgy
Why did Felt grab the insignia after the battle settled? - She wanted to show to Emilia that it also glowed for her. - Edgy
Can Gate travel through worlds? - Think of the game of YGGDRASIL Gate as jumping from leaf to leaf, on the same branch. The world of ReZero is not connected to the worlds where the game took place, or at least isn't close enough for it to work. I may elaborate on this further in the future. - Edgy
Human body for Ainz?: Certainly not for now and the future remains uncertain. - Edgy
Relationship with Satella?: Read on and see. - Edgy
Does Satella know he is an Overlord or about him being a former human? - She knows he is an Overlord, his past as a human however isn't entirely clear. - Edgy
Will Puck talk more about Ainz?: Yes, in later chapters. - Edgy