[Chapter 5: Accumulating Wisdom]
Today was a busy day for Ainz. And what was it that could occupy the mind of the undead mage? Well, it was none other than preparation. Tomorrow would be the day he and Emilia would leave for the Royal Capital, and participate in the beginning of the Royal Selection. The arena of politics was a place of warfare in the same measure as the conventional battlefield.
Naturally, Ainz already had a decent idea about his strategy, as well as one of the candidates. For now he wouldn't resort to things such as assassination, on one hand because it would be rather suspicious should every candidate drop dead within a week, but also because they could be useful connections once Emilia won the throne. For now, the policy to go with was neutrality with the other candidates.
Another deterrent to the more violent strategies was the so-called Sword Saint, Reinhard Van Astrea. Starting a fight with someone liberally called "the strongest person in the world" was ill advised at the best of times, but the much more interesting part came from the fact that he was a rather simple, extremely loyal, 19 year old boy.
Now that was simply a useful connection in the making. Or, as Roswaal had put it when they discussed him, "a puppet so useful that one would have to be a fool to pass it up." While the way of putting it was a bit more radical in the noble's case, the sentiment was still the same.
Speaking of Roswaal, the clown was quite the adept politician and thus Ainz was heading towards his office. The only reason Felt was at all relevant in the selection was Reinhard but Ainz guessed that neither of them had a head for politics, so he needed to ask the noble about the other candidates, in detail this time.
In the worst case, he could always assassinate Felt one way or another and direct Reinhard at the other candidates, gaining a powerful ally. But… Even if he could do so and not feel any remorse or guilt, courtesy of being undead, that was simply a line he was not willing to cross.
Alas, none of the other candidates were free from the unscrupulous ways Ainz had learned from Punitto Moe, and his forced reading. 'And I thought Yamaiko was supposed to be the teacher.' the undead thought to himself, shivering slightly as he remembered the meetings with the guild's strategist.
He eventually made it to Roswaal's office, knocked, and went in without waiting for an answer. For some reason the noble had begun to refer to Ainz as "master" or "lord" and acted like a subordinate. It was… a bit awkward and uncomfortable, but if that was what it took to gain a powerful and knowledgeable ally, then he would stomach it.
As expected, the clown sat in his office chair, his face displaying a wide smile, "Aaah, Aiiinz, what can I do for you?" he asked, raising his hands in an inviting gesture.
Naturally, Ainz knew the noble was crafty and cruel, but his façade was convincing nonetheless. "You can drop the act. I'm here for important business concerning the other candidates. I need any information you have in order to be ready for tomorrow."
The smile disappeared from Roswaal's face, replaced by a neutral expression. His eyes shone with intelligence and the Overlord was sure he could provide what was needed. After all, he had enough connections to send 2 highly skilled, and highly wanted, assassins after his own candidate and get away with it.
'Those two could be useful… I should probably find a way to map out their organisation.' he thought to himself, before turning back to Roswaal. The noble was about to speak, but Ainz had something else that needed to be put on the table, quite literally in fact.
He brought a [Mirror of Remote Viewing] out of his inventory and put it in front of Roswaal, the view defaulting to being above the mansion. Ainz, in order to save face and appear as wise as people thought him to be, already practised with it at night and knew how to use it decently well.
"I presume you know where the candidates are staying? With a bit more magic, this will let us see inside. I'd like to learn about their retinue as well." Ainz said, sending the view of the mirror even further out and into the direction of the capital.
"Of course. Luckily, all three have already arrived at the capital, so I have an idea of where they are staying at the moment. Shall we start with Duchess Crusch Karsten, master?" Roswaal asked, fiddling with the mirror with unnatural aptitude.
Ainz nodded and said, "Yes. Also, you don't need to refer to me with a title. I believe our positions are clear." Roswaal inclined his head and then moved the view of the mirror further along.
'Does he have some kind of experience with this?' Ainz thought to himself as the hand of the noble motioned left and right, directing the mirror as a conductor might an orchestra. It had taken several hours for Ainz to gain a similar level of expertise with the mirror.
"Roswaal, I presume that your system of magic lacks anything like this?" Ainz asked, pointing at the magical object. While it was not terribly useful in YGGDRASIL, in this world it could be the ultimate tool for espionage.
"Over my many lifetimes I have not heard of such magic, and I doubt I would be able to compose a spell like this one imbued into the mirror. The sage council has something of this nature though, one that is used to record the feats of the candidates, but it only brings information rather than shows it. Why do you ask?"
"Should something like the mirror be suddenly used on me, a barrier of mine will send a spell capable of wiping a major city district directly at the user. I suppose I shall have to disable that." Ainz said, passively doing so. They still wouldn't be able to spy on him thanks to his ring, but at least he wouldn't accidentally fire off a [Nuclear Blast] somewhere.
After a while, the mirror came to a halt above a massive, white mansion. In the courtyard was a woman in what appeared to be a military outfit with dark, green hair, a man in a butler's outfit and white hair, as well as someone with at least partial demihuman blood, wearing a blue and white dress.
'That man looks similar to Sebas, although I doubt he compares in power.' Ainz thought as the mirror zoomed in on the trio, who were sitting outside and drinking tea. Really, the similarity was striking, although his hair was longer and tied back.
"The aforementioned Crusch Karsten, her knight and most likely the best healer in the country, Felix Argyle, as well as the Sword Devil, Wilhelm Van Astrea, grandfather of Reinhard." Roswaal said, pointing at each of them.
'I should have expected that to be a catboy. Thank the lord that Buku isn't here or she'd already have run off after him.' Ainz thought, his skull obviously not moving despite his surprise.
"The Sword Devil? But, if he is the grandfather of the Sword Saint, shouldn't they be on the same side?" Ainz asked, looking at the old man, who, despite having a more impressive physique than most, evidently was having his former power erased by age.
"They've had a bit of a falling out many years ago from what I hear. I do not know the exact details, but it has something to do with Reinhard's birth and the death of the then Sword Saint, Theresia, who was Wilhelm's wife. But you do not have to worry about him, he is no threat."
"What of the aptitude of the Duchess?" The problem wasn't combat, as he was pretty sure it wouldn't come down to it. What mattered here was her character. If she was impulsive then he could bait her in, if she was reserved then he could push his boundaries, and so on.
"She is smart, and driven. Sadly, she is level-headed and serious. But, she doesn't have much of a mind for deception. She does, however, have the home advantage, as the people of her domain think rather highly of her."
"So she is the main threat?" Ainz asked, to which Roswaal nodded, "I see. I'll keep an eye on her. Go to the next one."
'Why does it have to be someone competent!? If they were at least rash then I could do something! I guess I'll play it by ear. At least her retinue isn't impressive. Although if that Wilhelm guy has a problem with Reinhard… I could use that.'
The view rapidly transitioned and moved towards the centre of the city. There it came to a massive chain of buildings and Roswaal frowned. Realising what this meant, Ainz pulled out several scrolls and unleashed the magic within them.
With this additional help, the mirror travelled inside and went from room to room. They were all empty, except for one which housed a girl dressed in white furs and with purple hair, as well as several demihumans and a single knight whose hair matched his liege's.
'Did she buy out the entire hotel? Someone sure likes privacy. Or showing off.'
"Anastasia Hoshin, head of the Hoshin Trade Company. It seems that she brought her demihuman mercenaries as well, but they are too weak to matter. Her knight is Julius Juukulius, the finest of knights."
'And I thought I was bad with names. Poor guy, must have been bullied a lot for that.' Ainz thought before speaking up, "Finest? So he is stronger than even Reinhard?"
Roswaal shook his head, "He is strong, perhaps more so than Wilhelm, but he is still no threat, as is the case with everyone but Reinhard. He simply embodies the virtues of a knight even more so than the Sword Saint."
'Hmm, he could be rather easy to provoke if he really is so high and mighty, presuming this Anastasia girl doesn't interfere. And why is another teenager running for king!? Or is she a woman and just looks really young? Well, there goes another assassination target.'
The noble continued, "She is a shrewd business woman, very greedy and probably the most cunning out of all the candidates. I presume you could make deals with her, but no one can drop their guard down around her."
Ainz nodded and the mirror began speeding off towards the area of residence of the last candidate.
'Great, so my one area of real life experience is out the window! I could use some of my trash YGGDRASIL items to barter but that could expose vital information… I'll rely on her knight to do something stupid and tip the scales in my favour. What's something that could piss him off though…?'
The magic scroll on the mirror had not yet worn off and it soon enough entered a massive mansion, the insides of it all in the colours of red and gold. On what seemed to be a throne, sat a woman in a form fitting, red outfit.
The woman, who Ainz presumed to be the final candidate, hit the man in the helmet next to her with a fan, and Ainz could only lament the knight's fate. Scars littered the man's exposed body, and he seemed to lack an arm. His face was covered by a black helmet that Ainz found to be rather stylish.
Roswaal pointed at the duo, "Priscilla Barielle, a child of the former Vollachian Emperor. The one being abused is her knight, Aldebaran. Although I know very little of him, I doubt he can pose a threat."
"She seems a bit…" Ainz began as Priscilla hit Aldebaran once again, "unhinged." A slight fire was lit in his soul as he remembered the multiple abusive bosses he had had throughout his lifetime, but he extinguished it before he got too excited and killed the woman.
The noble nodded, "She is entitled and arrogant. There is really not much more to mention, except perhaps her extraordinary luck."
Ainz nodded, "I see. So overall there are no threats. I presume you will be accompanying us, Roswaal?" he said, bluffing.
'All of these are threats! Well, maybe not that Priscilla woman, but that's 1 out of 3! Maybe I could get her knight to betray her though…'
"Naturally." Roswaal said. It of course made sense that the nobles would gather for the Royal Selection, and since the clown was one of the most notable of them, Ainz would have to rely on his influence rather heavily.
"In that case, forge connections with Anastasia and Crusch. They will be useful in the future. Leave the knights to me; I believe my plan will work out well." he said, "Is there anything else I should know?"
Roswaal seemed to think for a moment before saying, "It seems the Witch Cult is also gathering in the capital, or at least some of them. Word has reached me of a small enclave, headed by some amateur fire caster as well, but I do not know if he prefers fire or ice. No doubt they are planning something."
'Ah, right. Fire is all temperatures. Water is just healing.' Ainz thought, before a much more important detail was processed, "Why do you know of the Witch Cult's activities?"
Roswaal shrugged, "When you have lived as long as I have, you amass plenty of useful connections, including many in the capital's guard. They are planning a raid on them soon, so I wouldn't worry. Of course, my information network is at your disposal."
"Thank you, Roswaal. I'm sure it will be very useful, particularly for my plans, both current and future." Ainz said, "Oh, and keep the mirror with you. I want you to scout with it for the position of the White Whale and any Witch Cultists, particularly in your territory." The undead mage then turned to leave, his mind in turmoil.
'Except I have no goddamn plan! I can provoke that Julius guy and Priscilla, but the rest actually know what they are doing! I guess Wilhelm is another card I can play?'
This Royal Selection would undoubtedly be a royal headache…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
In front of Ainz was a pile of bodies, stacked on top of one another. Beside it stood several wraiths. Despite their ghastly appearance, one would have sworn that in their glassy eyes you could see anticipation, similar to that of a child waiting for a compliment.
'So undead made using corpses don't disappear unless dismissed. Very useful, but I don't need an undead army yet. Hmm.'
He took a step towards one of the dead wolgarms, which consisted of the majority of bodies, alongside some other demon beasts, and touched it. Negative energy poured into and soon enough the beast was on its feet again, despite missing half of its abdomen.
"A beast like any other, no stronger than a zombie dog. That other demonic beast would have made a far more impressive undead." He dismissed the wraiths and the zombie wolgarm, the former disappearing into thin air and the latter becoming just a corpse once again.
"Now the question remains, what the hell do I do with these bodies?" There were dozens of corpses of demon beasts in front of him. He had no need for any undead right now, he didn't want to summon any that would be sentient for now, such as another Overlord, and he had no way to store the corpses.
Well, there was one experiment he still had to do, one involving his [Dark Wisdom] passive. Apparently the big, boss wolgarms could use earth magic, and if he had a corpse, he could learn a spell from it.
In this case he didn't know if he'd learn how to use the element itself or something else, but it was worth a try. He grabbed the massive corpse of the beast and said "[Dark Wisdom]."
As expected, the corpse quickly turned into ashes. Disappointment filled his soul but, after a moment, something clicked within him. The sadness brought on by the seeming failure of the experiment was then turned into pure ecstasy as he analysed the information that now entered his mind.
He seemingly now could use this world's earth magic. To test this theory he said, "Dona!" The feeling of his mana coalescing was there but then a problem arose, as if it was stuck and couldn't be released.
"No luck. I have the magical power, but not the gate to shape into this world's form… Hm, there must be some other way." he thought, putting two fingers to the side of his head and burning the corpses of the remaining demon beasts.
{Oh? Ainz?} came the voice of Roswaal from the other side.
{Yes. I need you to tell me if there is a way for someone without a gate to use the local magic. I believe I have found a way to adapt to the regional form of magic, although it requires corpses of casters or people proficient in the element.}
{There exist things called metias. Typically they allow people to perform certain functions; for instance there exists one that is akin to the spell we are currently using and also displays whoever is using it. It is similar to the mirror you showed me, but it has to connect to another copy of itself.}
{So there are none that can act as an artificial gate for me?}
{Hmm. You possess a teleportation spell called [Gate], yes?}
Ainz, a little bit confused, still deigned to answer, {Yes. It's the highest level teleportation spell I know of. What of it?}
{My teacher created several metias, including one that can have a spell imbued into it. Perhaps if you imbue that with a [Gate] spell it could simulate the function of one?}
Given how Roswaal was a centuries old magician and the best one in the land, Ainz went with the suggestion, {Might as well. Meet me in your office.}
Instead of simply using [Greater Teleportation] as he typically would have, he used [Gate], to warm up his magical muscle so to speak. He went through and found himself in Roswaal's office for the second time that day.
After a few minutes, the clown arrived and handed Ainz what seemed to be a hollow orb made of crystal and decorated with intricate designs.
"What is this made of? It may not be able to hold my spell if it is too weak." Ainz said, rotating the orb and trying to decipher the writing on it, if it even had any meaning and wasn't simply a quirky decision of the Witch of Greed.
"It is made of pyroxene. If this won't be able to hold it, then I'm afraid nothing will." Roswaal answered, the pride concerning his mentor's work filling his voice.
"Hmm, I would rather be safe." Ainz said, reaching into his inventory and taking out a sealing crystal. He took out an empty one that could hold spells of up to the 10th tier.
Roswaal's eyes widened as he looked upon the magnificent, clear crystal. "[Merge Greater Item]." Ainz said, pointing at the two. The spell could combine low to mid level items. It wasn't very useful unless someone was simply playing around, but Ainz saw potential for the spell back in YGGDRASIL in combining consumables, so he learned it anyway.
The already beautiful metia was combined with the crystal and the pyroxene seemed to be replaced by a new material, one that was undoubtedly a reinforced version.
"This should do the trick. [Gate]." The mana flowed in and the crystal trembled, but in the end it held firm. "Thank you once again for your help, Roswaal. You wouldn't mind if I were to come to you for magical knowledge every once in a while?"
Roswaal bowed low, "By all means, feel free to. Oh, and since you wish to get corpses of casters, that cultist I mentioned should be residing in the basement of the Draconic Inn. It is quite high end, but I presume you will be fine?"
"Of course. A little bit stereotypical of them to hide in the basement, but I appreciate fresh corpses where I can get them."
With those parting ways, Ainz teleported away, although the glint that appeared in Roswaal's eyes was a bit unnerving.
He appeared next to the charred patch of ground that once held the demon beast bodies and put the artificial gate in his inventory, 'If there's any place that's connected to my soul or whatever, it'd be that.' he thought as he got ready to test out the spell once more.
"Dona!" he called out, hoping to create a modest wall of stone, and successfully doing so. He then remembered the bonus incantations mentioned in the various magical tomes of the Forbidden Library that he had consumed. "El Dona!"
Unfortunately, nothing seemed to happen this time around. "Tch, so I need to either [Dark Wisdom] more casters, or ones of higher quality. Or maybe Roswaal or someone else could teach me; I sincerely doubt I'm using my gate as efficiently as I could."
He took out his mask and gloves, putting them on and smoothing out his clothing, "Now then, for a visit to the Royal Capital ahead of schedule."
"[Greater Teleportation]." While it wasn't the most inconspicuous of magics, it was certainly less obvious than [Gate]. He visualised himself in front of the stand of the fruit seller that had helped him during his first day, and then he was there.
He turned to see that Kadomon was staring at him with wide eyes. Ainz raised his hand, partially in greeting and mostly to stop the inevitable question of how he appeared, "Hello, Mister Risch. It was magic, since I know you are wondering. I am looking for a certain inn. Do you mind if I ask for your assistance in the matter?"
To the man's credit, he regained his composure remarkably quickly and cleared his throat, "Of course. Anything for the one who brought my daughter home. What inn are you looking for, Sir Gown?"
"One called the Draconic Inn. Given the name of the kingdom, I presume it is rather well known. I have some… business associates waiting for me there, so I would appreciate any directions you could give me." Ainz said, the smile on his mask as intimidating as ever.
However it seemed that the merchant didn't take it as such and he answered while showing no discomfort about his acquaintance's peculiar manner of dressing, "You're in luck. It's the most popular inn in the capital. Follow this street and turn right once you reach the big Time Tower. Can't miss it."
Ainz inclined his head and tossed a gold coin towards the man, one that he had borrowed from Roswaal during his search for the Book of Wisdom. "Thank you. Till we meet again."
'Time Tower? I guess it's that big tower over there with the elemental divisions on it. Why not just use 24 hour time? Ah, is it because the world here appears to be flat and follows a different day and night cycle? It seems the same. Then again, I don't sleep so my behaviour isn't affected.' Ainz thought as he made his way down the street.
He followed the direction he was told of and was soon enough faced with a building depicting a blue dragon above it. Evidently the owner of the inn didn't appreciate subtlety, though Ainz had to wonder whether the depiction was in any way accurate compared to the real Divine Dragon.
"[Perfect Unknowable]." All traces of Ainz disappeared from the world and he made his way inside. Just like the outside of the inn, blue and black dominated the interior. Ainz would have called it rather garish, but the people inside seemed to not mind it at all.
It didn't take long for him to find the stairs to the basement, while deftly dodging the patrons of the inn in his invisible form. The area, to his surprise, was meticulously maintained.
"How the hell does nobody realise they're here? Although I don't see anyone… [Life Essence]. [Mana Essence]." If the cultists really did hang out around here then someone was sure to catch them while cleaning or restocking the place.
But the signature of life came from behind a wall rather than being gone entirely. "Ah, a fake wall of some sort. Very cliché, but I suppose it must be at least somewhat effective." he said to himself, knowing that the sound was erased from the outside world by his spell.
"Whelp, only one thing to do." he said, cancelling [Perfect Unknowable] and pointing at the wall in front of him. It wasn't an illusion, since he would have seen through that, but it instead seemed to be some sort of secret entrance.
Naturally, Ainz couldn't be bothered, so he cast [Silence] on the area, followed by a [Shockwave]. The wood shattered and flew towards the eight or so cultists that were on the other side. No sound accompanied the commotion and evidently the wall wasn't a massive part of the structural integrity of the building, as the foundations only shook a little bit.
The cultists, for some reason dressed in ominous black robes despite the fact that they were inside and presumably among friends, were bewildered and could barely react as Ainz continued his assault.
"[Chain Dragon Lightning]." A dragon made of lightning burst forth from Ainz's palm and jumped from cultist to cultist, leaving behind only charred corpses, their organs liquified and leaking out of their orifices.
Of course, Ainz stopped the spell before it could reach the one from whom he detected the most mana, simply casting [Death] on him instead. He didn't know whether the condition of the body impacted the effect of [Dark Wisdom], but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.
The man, who appeared to be totally unremarkable, fell on the floor. Ainz picked up the lifeless corpse from the floor and activated the passive ability once more. Flesh became ash and the knowledge of the arcane that the man had once possessed became Ainz's.
Whoever was going to raid this place later would find a rather horrid scene of charred corpses, but it wasn't the undead mage's concern as he focused on the effects of his passive.
This time around he felt the knowledge of fire magic take root inside of his mind, and he knew just the right person to train him in it…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
He knocked on the door and a sonorous voice responded from within, "Come in!"
The door opened and Ainz was greeted by a view which resembled his own room in part. Emilia sat at a table at the edge of the room, one next to a window that overlooked the courtyard, and she was surrounded by thick books. He himself sat like this in the gazebo for most of the nights he was in this world, but he had a much grander purpose in his visit than just literary recommendations.
"Oh, Ainz! What can I do for you?" Emilia asked, standing up and smoothing out her dress.
"Well, it seems you have been studying quite a lot, so I thought you might like a change of pace."
She tilted her head to the side, "A change of pace?"
"Yes. I'm sure you are an adept mage, but how confident are you in your close combat skills?" The silence that followed was enough of an answer for Ainz and he teleported both of them to the courtyard with just a quick movement of his hand.
"[Create Low Tier Undead: Skeleton Warrior]." Ainz said, summoning Emilia's sparring partner. He himself wasn't a warrior and thus wouldn't be able to teach her swordsmanship, but there was no better teacher than experience.
The undead he summoned was a simple, mid level skeleton, armed with a kite shield and a shortsword. Naturally, it was buffed by Ainz's many passives and thus the equivalent of a level 25 to 30, meaning it would provide quite a challenge for Emilia in melee combat. And since the undead were immune to ice magic, it was the only option for her.
"This is a simple opponent, but I assure you he will prove challenging given his immunity to ice magic." Ainz said, nodding sagely.
"Um, Ainz?" Emilia asked, looking at the summoned undead, "How am I supposed to fight it if I can't use ice magic? I could make a weapon out of it but… You know."
Ainz, playing off his forgetfulness, reached into his inventory and searched for a suitable weapon. After a few seconds his hand emerged holding a beautiful katana. The blade of it was a pristine silver, and the pommel was snow white. It was by no means a divine tier item, but it was a decent mid tier legendary blade meant for ice-focused spellblades.
"This should both amplify your magic and give you decent offensive capabilities. One of my friend's creations was similar to you in a way, although he was much more melee focused. I do not remember its name, so go ahead and give it your own." Ainz said, handing the blade over to Emilia.
It seemed that his habit of hoarding every item he got his hands on paid off once more, as Emilia stared at with her eyes wide open. Before the inevitable protest came, Ainz said, "Keep it. No arguing this time. And feel free to test it out."
Emilia lunged at the skeleton, but her strike was easily deflected by her adversary. As the striking of metal resounded throughout the courtyard, Ainz noticed Puck materialising next to him.
"You're giving Lia a lot of nice things." he simply said, watching the spar closely. The worry was for nothing, as Ainz wouldn't have the skeleton wound Emilia beyond what would happen in a conventional spar.
"Don't worry, it won't seriously wound her. It's fighting to disarm rather than kill." Ainz said, recognising the worry in the spirit's voice, "And to answer your question, I noticed she was rather undergeared. In all honesty, I'd like to give her a full set of robes that actually provide some protection, but I suppose I'll just have to settle for enchanting her current dress."
"Why are you doing all this?" Puck asked, his eyes still following Emilia's movements.
"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? It increases her chances of survival and success." he answered, confused by the question. If Ainz's experience told him anything, it was that a single piece of gear could be the difference between life and death.
The floating cat shook his head, "Not just this. All of this. Why help her?"
"Would you believe me if I told you it was because I'm very selfish?"
"Selfish? Helping her and giving away items like that doesn't seem very selfish to me."
"Then let us just call my help repaying a debt from the past, even if it's not to the same person. Besides, am I not allowed to help someone I like?"
"Forgive me for not trusting Death with the life of my daughter."
'His daughter? Interesting.'
"Your worries are unnecessary. After all, is there anything more straightforward than death? I cut no cunning deals nor do I make false promises. My help is simply that, my help."
Neither of them spoke a word for a while, instead observing the duel. It was around even. Emilia had a very slight advantage in terms of speed and appeared to be of lower physical power, and her moves seemed to be based on instinct rather than technique, which allowed the skeleton to hold its ground.
Most likely a large part of the physical gap was closed by the sword she had received. Of course, were she to realise that she could use the teleportation ring in combat, then this battle would have been over.
After several minutes of simply watching the fight, Puck spoke up once again, "Something's different about you." he said, his tone now warmer. Given how the skeleton mostly defended and didn't go for lethal attacks, the spirit seemed to deem the spar as safe as a spar could be, relaxing a bit.
"I presume it's you detecting my ability to now use the regional magic. Echidna proved to not only be a source of valuable information when I last spoke to her, but it appears her magical engineering was, with a bit of modification, able to provide me with an artificial gate."
"You spoke with her? I'm not surprised you two would get along. But wait, you can use local magic now?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"Yes. Forgive me if I don't disclose the method, but I am now capable of using both fire and earth magic. In fact, I came to Emilia in part to offer her this opportunity and in part to ask her to train me in fire magic. I can use the basic spells of both, yet I seem to lack the capability of using the higher level spells."
Puck's demeanour slowly began to shift, from the cold and more reserved attitude to the more cheerful one Ainz initially saw, which was a welcome change, "Well, you're in luck! I am actually the Great Spirit of Fire!"
Ainz bowed low, the way a student may before his master in the dojo, "It'd be an honour to have part of your great wisdom imparted upon me." he said, causing the cat to brighten up immediately.
'Does being a Great Spirit come with a great ego as well? I'm glad he'll help me though. Maybe I could make some really powerful spells combining this and YGGDRASIL magic.'
The spirit crossed his arms and said, "Alright, but just a bit! Show me what you can do. Start off with a simple Huma and I'll see if it's strong enough to block one of my attacks. Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya!"
'So this magic is based off of skill more so than the level of it, right? With my stats… This might be even better than I thought!' Ainz thought to himself, the excitement of both a collector and someone seeking strength.
"Huma!" Ainz called out, simultaneously stopping his passive protections in order to actually let Puck's spell reach him. The thin barrier of water certainly didn't seem too impressive, but perhaps it would be convenient in some cases, even if it was weak.
"El Huma." Puck said. Both the skeleton and Emilia turned to see Puck magically throwing dozens of icy spears directly at Ainz's chest. It certainly didn't match with the spirit's statement of "going easy." Or maybe this was going easy on Ainz?
But in the end, it didn't matter. For the flaws of Ainz's build, given that it was built more so for fun than for practicality, it didn't mean it was bad by any means. Even discounting his trump card, his stats weren't half bad. On a scale of 0 to 100, his magical resistance was at a 95, his magical attack, which was surpassed only by Ulbert and a few others back in the day, was at an 90.
When combined with his ludicrous amounts of divine tier gear, it made the spell he had cast more than a worthy barrier. In general, unless the magic cast against him was holy in nature, something which this world seemed to lack, it would be woefully ineffective against him or any barriers he casted.
The spears impacted it, but they quickly snapped upon impact. The spell kept pushing and continued its assault, but alas it was not enough. Ainz dispelled his barrier and looked around the snowflakes that were left from the spears, "It worked better than expected."
Puck looked at him, slightly shocked, "Y-yes. Very impressive, my apprentice." However, internally the spirit was more than a little concerned, 'I am weakened because of the pact but to block it entirely? Maybe Roswaal could do that, but he's the strongest mage alive.'
Ainz's thought process meanwhile was much different, 'So it does scale with my stats, or it wouldn't have blocked that. It's been a while since I could learn new spells. Question is, how do I do that? And does metamagic still apply?'
"That was very nice for a first try. Did you practise that before you came to me? I doubt even Roswaal could pull off a trick like that with just a Huma when he was starting out, although he did once block my attack with just his fists." Puck said.
The undead caster shook his head, "No, but you don't master my form of magic without gaining substantial power. It seems that part of it translates over to this as well. And I do wonder whether Roswaal is partially a monk; his physical prowess is a bit much for a typical mage. There is however one thing I'd like to ask."
"What is it, apprentice?" Puck asked floating towards him as Emilia resumed her spar, or rather was forced to by a mental command sent to the skeleton by Ainz, causing it to resume its assault.
"The magic of my homeland was very… rigid. There were spells and you could learn them, no tinkering with custom ones. So I'd like to ask, how should I learn new incantations?"
Puck waved his paw from side to side, "Well, my dear student, the only way is to practise. The more experience you get with it, the more likely you'll be able to use more powerful spells. That is, if you have the mana."
"I see. Thank you for the information." Ainz said, bowing once more in an attempt to appease the cat while focusing on a different matter internally, 'I don't think I can level up so that avenue is closed… I guess I'll just have to use [Dark Wisdom] on more casters, ones who can actually use that. That'll have to wait though, at least until I find any. Though maybe if Roswaal is no longer useful… Thoughts for another time.'
He turned his attention back to the spar between the skeleton warrior and Emilia. The half-elf went in for a lunge with her katana, but her exhaustion had mounted and her opponent flicked her blade away, knocking it out of her hand.
Disarmed, Emilia raised her hands in surrender and the skeleton sheathed its weapons, before melting away into mana once more. She picked up her blade as Ainz walked towards her, "Not bad for someone with no formal training. In a few weeks time, I'm sure you will be an adept swordswoman. Though I still do believe you should get formal education, as useful as raw experience is."
"Thank you. But, why was Puck casting at you? And was that Huma you used?" Emilia asked, cleaning the blade of the dirt it had landed in.
"Indeed. I was testing the limitations of the spell against his own. I've already told Puck all the details, so I'm sure he will be able to tell you. Now then, you must be tired. Go rest and then I suppose you should ask Rem to pack you up for tomorrow."
Emilia nodded, "Can you tell me some more stories maybe?" she asked, glancing at the katana.
Ainz handed her the sheath for the blade and said, "Unfortunately, not today. I have some reading I would like to catch up on in the library. There will be plenty of time to tell you stories in the carriage tomorrow."
She pouted but didn't protest. After putting away her blade, she walked off towards the mansion, while Ainz teleported to the library.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
He appeared in the centre of the library once more, and spied Beatrice in the same spot she always was, on her little stepladder in the centre of the room. Her apathetic expression was also the same as always, and she once more had a book on her lap.
Ainz hadn't interacted with the spirit a lot, being put off by her borderline hostile demeanour. But curiosity killed the cat, and it seemed that it would persist in such a cat's undead body, as Ainz just had to ask, "Beatrice, have you read every book in this library?"
The child-like spirit looked up from her book, "Yes, in fact. Multiple times, I suppose." Even though her voice was neutral, distant, and perhaps even cold, Ainz detected a hint of curiosity concerning his question.
"Are you not… bored?" Ainz asked, tilting his head. Yes, surely the library was huge, but to read every single thing here multiple times? It would have bored even the undead to their final rest. Not to mention that, while huge, the library was dwarfed by the Grand Library of Ashurbanipal, which had enough content for several human lifetimes.
"Maybe, in fact. But there is not much else to do, I suppose. There is nothing much to do here besides read, especially since Puckie doesn't come to visit a lot, I suppose." she said, a hint of melancholy sneaking in at the end.
The words of Beatrice struck a chord with Ainz's now non-existent heart, reminding of his own solitary days in Nazarick, and so he decided to help out, even if the gesture was just a small one. He thought of giving her a magical grimoire or skill book of some sort, since those should have turned into actual books, but he suddenly got a much better idea.
His hand was swallowed by the void that led to his inventory. 'Where is that? I swear I had a copy on me, even if my signed version was in Ashurbanipal. Aha!'
Soon enough he pulled out a decently thick tome, one that appeared to be easily over a thousand pages. It was bound in pristine, black, draconic leather. The centre of it depicted the symbol of Nazarick in gold, blood pooling beneath it.
The title read, "The Great Raid."
During the raid of Nazarick where 1500 players and mercenary NPCs besieged the tomb, the devs took careful note of the event. On the anniversary of the biggest raid on a guild base in YGGDRASIL history, the devs released this full scale novel about it.
Of course, none of the guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown got any compensation from the best seller that the book became, even outside of the YGGDRASIL community, and had to be content with just getting signed copies from the author that the company had hired.
Naturally, Ainz had quite a few of these public copies, simply from low-level heteromorphs that came to him for a signature, one from the infamous leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, only to never again pick up their book.
He walked over to the girl and handed it over to her, saying, "Here. It's a record of a battle my friends and our creations took part in; maybe it'll be a nice change of pace. I do hope you'll find it entertaining, even if it is a bit overly descriptive at times. Oh, before I forget." he handed her the immaculately carved, blue crystal glasses, "These will allow you to read it."
She looked at both of the items warily, before picking them up. The book landed on her lap with a thud. After putting on the glasses, she opened the book and appeared to tune the outside world out. She was like a master craftswomen, focusing on their next masterpiece.
Ainz shrugged, glad that he could alleviate at least a part of her boredom, and picked out several books for himself. He periodically glanced at the spirit and his jaw dropped each time. She consumed page after page with a speed that easily outpaced even the most experienced of scholars.
'Is she even reading any of it?!' he asked himself, before noticing her constantly shifting expression. From awe to shock to horror and then back to awe once more. Her eyes flew from line to line and Ainz frankly became more interested in watching her react to the contents of the book rather than reading his own dull text on the relationship between Lugnica and Vollachia.
Sure, that was important knowledge, but it wasn't everyday that he got to see someone react to such a bombastic story, one in which he was a character.
Within a few hours, Ainz managed to get through around 70% of his own, 200 something page book, being way too preoccupied with watching Beatrice devour the tome he gave her, which she finished in the few hours that had passed.
The book took some creative liberties about the raid, but Ainz had to admit that the book itself was a fun read. It stuck to what was actually possible in YGGDRASIL, but had the guild members be a bit more active.
Beatrice closed the book with another satisfying thud and she turned to Ainz, who sat on a summoned bean bag in the corner. "Ainz." she began, her face still not fully composed after reading the book.
"Yes?" he asked. The book, of course, demonstrated some of his capabilities, but thankfully it gave away none of his most powerful ones. It mostly showed him as the omniscient Overlord behind the scenes, pulling and cutting strings left, right and centre; it was a stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere he now exuded.
"What was that, in fact?" she asked, pointing at the book, her eyes wide and displaying the butterfly-like irises fully. It was a very broad question, but Ainz knew that was the kind of reaction he should have expected. YGGDRASIL was outlandish, and the retelling of the raid was even more so.
Ainz chuckled, his deep voice filling the silent library, "Just a little record of how my friends and I fought. Those days seem so far away now, but I still remember them. Good times. Though that was quite a stressful time for us, you know? Well, it was fun as well."
"Were you and your friends Gods, in fact? Even the Witch was not capable of destruction like that one called Ulbert, I suppose." she said, flipping to a page around 35% through the book, one that displayed Ulbert in all his evil glory. Runes floated around his body and his beautiful cape fluttered in an unseen, magical wind.
"Well, some would call us that, but we tended to hunt Gods instead. Back then I went by Momonga, and we weren't exactly beloved by humanity, elves, or anyone like that really. And yes, Ulbert was rather destructive. Did you enjoy that part of him casting [Grand Catastrophe]?"
That part was taken directly from the raid. The evil caster decided that it would have been really funny to teleport to a group of a hundred or so raiders that were corralled in the Colosseum on the 6th floor and instantly cast his beyond Super Tier spell with the help of a cash item.
"You have stepped onto the sacred sands of this blessed tomb, the sands where blood is spilled! But there will be no blood left of you pathetic fools! Know horror and lament your fates! [Grand Catastrophe]!"
'I still can't believe that they put that word for word in the book.' Ainz thought. Naturally, Ulbert was right and seeing over a hundred people be instantly evaporated was very funny. Of course, only Ulbert's side thought of that as such, and the complaints the devs got about the archdemon's ability were plentiful in number.
"Was your tomb made of different worlds, in fact? There were so many different descriptions that it must be so, I suppose." she said.
Ainz scratched his skeletal chin, "It is an apt description, though the floors weren't the size of entire worlds. Is there anything in particular you would like to know about Nazarick?"
"Where is it, in fact? You are here, but it is not. The things described here could threaten the world, I suppose."
If Ainz had a tongue, he would have bitten it, or if he had a lip, or flesh at all, but he didn't. Instead, he sighed and said, "I do not know. Perhaps one day it shall arrive here as well, but there are things even I do not know. Is there anything else?"
"Who made that scary woman on the fifth floor? Betty was scared out of her wits, in fact." she said, shivering slightly as the memory of Nigredo returned to her.
'Ah, that part. Yea, the author really went overboard with the description, and so did the illustrator.'
"That would be our alchemist, Tabula Smaragdina. He always enjoyed the macabre, and I assure you that we all paid the price for that when we initially met Nigredo. I still remember how everyone was screaming when she lunged at us." he said, the happiness from the memories radiating off of him like warmth from a campfire. "Is there anyone else you would like to know about?"
She thought for a little, before turning the book to the end, where a compendium of Ainz Ooal Gown members was, "You could tell me about your right hand, Punitto Moe, I suppose." she said, pointing at the illustration of the plant monster.
"Ah, my right hand, yes."
'Why did I have to get the credit for all those crazy plans?! Even Punitto didn't do anything like that!'
Ainz cleared his nonexistent throat and continued, "He was the one who bribed several of our rivals into selling out their own with counterfeit items."
'Not like that was possible! Sure, you could give a weapon a skin, but everyone would notice!'
"From there, he and I gathered the information on them and teleported our enemies to areas where they would be at their weakest. He was truly a genius, the only one who could rival my own mind."
"Then why did Warrior Takemikazuchi fight two at once, in fact? Wouldn't his death be extremely detrimental?" she asked, flipping to a page where the battle of the mighty katana wielder was portrayed.
"He was always obsessed with honour and having a proper melee battle, and so he insisted we send him two worthy enemies to battle. In the worst case we could always intervene." Ainz chuckled, "But it was a mighty fine battle to watch."
Of course, Warrior Takemikazuchi didn't actually fight such a battle, though his request was real. Yet no amount of verbal warfare from the warrior could beat Punitto Moe's and Ancient One's strategic dual assault.
Instead, Takemikazuchi was sated by duelling Touch Me after the raid was over, losing to the World Champion once again. Still, there was nothing that lifted the man's spirit more than a proper duel, even if it was one he lost, and so he was just fine afterwards.
"And what about this Pereroncino?" Betty asked, turning to an illustration of the avian archer. Ainz heard sirens go off in the background, and quickly used the forbidden technique of switching the topic entirely.
"If you want to know more about our exploits, then take this." Ainz said, taking out yet another heavy tome, "This time around, we took the battle to the enemy. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
The girl grabbed at the book like a starving man did at food and quickly retreated to her seat, not even thanking Ainz. However, he knew the thanks would come eventually, although it wasn't like he particularly needed it. Helping Beatrice overcome her boredom cost him nothing.
Frankly, he was even kind of glad to have that book be useful, as the pain of having the exploits of Ainz Ooal Gown be turned into a miniseries by the shitty devs, while not letting the actual players profit, was still there.
He looked over at Beatrice one more time, before deciding that the girl needed to focus on her book and deciding to teleport away…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Night came once more, the moon peeking out from behind the clouds, and demons were prowling. In particular, there was one demon stalking the halls of the mansion.
Rem turned the corner and continued her journey to the kitchen. Despite the poor reputation one would associate with demons, she wasn't out for souls. No, she was being tempted by something much sweeter. And that was the idea of some cookies she had stashed away earlier today.
How ironic it was that the sin of gluttony would be indulged in one who's race stemmed from the progenitor of it all, but the oni had a bit of a sweet tooth.
Thankfully, she had the ability to sate it herself, as her ability to bake was excellent. She eventually reached the kitchen, clad in her nightgown and with her hair a complete mess.
When she opened the door, it stood there.
Death.
Clad in robes cut from the midnight sky, surrounded by an unfathomable aura of power, it sat in the centre of a room. In its hand lay a grimoire of knowledge that would have undoubtedly broken any mortal mind. The red flames of Death scanned across the pages.
But Death appeared to be too busy to notice her. It stood up to its full, impressive height, seeming larger than life itself, appearing like a divine king about to declare his heavenly decree.
It moved towards the counter, grabbing various things from the dark abyss that only it had access to. Out of it appeared various things, things such as… eggs? And flour?
Was Ainz, death incarnate, cooking?
He glanced at the book that he put next to the ingredients, only to shake his head and sigh, the ingredients in the bowl quickly going up in flames and being incinerated.
"I messed up the proportions again…" Rem heard him mumble.
In his despair, he turned around and seemed to actually notice the maid who stood in the doorway. "Oh, hello Rem. Do you need something?" he asked, putting his book on the counter.
"I, ah, just came here for a snack." she said, moving around the outskirts of the kitchen and towards her secret stash.
"Then don't let me stop you." he said, turning back to his baking efforts, which seemed to, up until this point, be entirely fruitless.
As Rem was about to grab her cookies and go, she stopped for a moment to observe Ainz. He once again began putting the ingredients together, getting further into the process together. But as he began to whisk the ingredients together, he abruptly stopped.
"It's the completely wrong consistency… Again." he said to himself, banishing the ingredients via flame once more.
Although the undead mage was scary, he did also save her life, and so Rem walked up to him, "Do you need help?" she asked, her voice soft and her mannerisms timid.
Few would have the audacity to ask if the majestic King of Undeath required help with something, but the disappointment and anguish in his voice every time he failed propelled her forward.
Contrary to the response many would expect of a Godslayer, he said, "Yes. I never had a talent for cooking, especially with fresh ingredients. I, ah, never had much use for it."
'I guess so.' Rem thought to herself, looking at his skeletal frame. An existence like that must have been enjoyable on one hand, with the lack of need for air or sleep, but how miserable would it make one to be deprived of all physical joys?
"So what are you trying to make?" she asked, looking at the variety of ingredients he had on the counter. There was a bag of flour that was for some reason embroidered with gold, what appeared to be a dragon's egg, some milk, oil, sugar, and baking powder.
"Well, I do not know if you ever heard of this, so perhaps it'd be easier for you to read it for yourself." He handed her the book, one which was of a pristine white colour, with something indecipherable written on the cover in blue crystal. After that, he gave her a pair of glasses.
She put them on and suddenly the text became legible. "Steamed Cake" was the title of the page, and the recipe was simple overall, like something a child could make. The fact that Ainz seemed unable to do so was… enlightening.
"I think I can help you with this." she said, giving back the glasses and book, "First, put the egg, milk, sugar and oil into the bowl. Then whisk."
She directed him step by step, carefully measuring the amounts he used, her eye more watchful than that of any investigator. Piece by piece, the ingredients took form and soon enough, they were being heated by Ainz's magic, shaping up to look quite delicious.
Rem smiled and clapped her hands together, although not so loud that it would wake anyone in the mansion, as she looked at the cakes. She then turned to Ainz, who looked at the product of their collective efforts and was stunned.
"Good job, Ainz!" Rem said, finding the skeletal mage to be much more enjoyable to work with than his terrifying appearance would imply, "But, why are you doing this? You can't eat, can you?" she asked, hoping that the question wouldn't offend him.
Ainz instead sighed, "No, I cannot. It's one of the few limitations of my form. As for why, well, you will be joining Emilia and I on our trip to the capital, will you not?" he asked, his flaming eyes still directed at the cakes.
Rem nodded and tilted her head, "Yes, I will. Does it have something to do with that?"
"Yes and no." Ainz answered, "You see, once upon a time, during a time when I still had flesh, someone very dear to me would make these for me. She always said they were a sort of lucky charm that would help me get through a tough day."
The skull of the mage was illuminated only by the dancing flames in front of the two, and Rem could have sworn that it twisted into a melancholic smirk when the shadows shifted.
"And they always did. Given Emilia's… resemblance to the Witch, I'm sure the Royal Selection won't be easy for her, and for those around her. As much as you would expect me to simply spell doom on the capital for the slightest offence," he chuckled, "I'm not just a destructive brute."
"Sure, I could give her more items that can kill or defend, but those only do so much. I guess it comes down to the fact that I just wanted to do something nice." he said, turning to Rem, "And I thank you for helping me."
Rem stood motionless for a moment, questions upon questions rushing through her mind. 'He had a body? Who was that?' and so on, but she remained quiet, simply offering Ainz a kind smile before turning back to the pastries in front of them.
They stood there in silence until Rem decided that they were done. Ainz cut off the flame and plunged most of the room into darkness once more, before snapping his fingers and causing a few motes of light to illuminate the area.
Rem grabbed one of the cakes and, seeing Ainz nod, took a bite. It was by no means a complex desert fit for a nobleman; it was a simple, chocolate cake, but something about that made it seem even better.
"Delicious." she simply said, finishing the small cake off.
Ainz offered no such words, simply reaching out and ruffling the already disorganised hair of the maid.
'He really isn't scary…'
(AN from Edgy: Another chapter done. All that awaits us now is the Epilogue of Volume 1 and then we go onto the Royal Selection. I sure hope you are all as excited as I am! Now hand over the reviews. Also, massive thanks to I Am The String Cutter, the author of [The Ascendance of the Overlord and the Shield]. Check him out if you haven't already. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)
Review Answer Time:
Ainz materialised something and it wasn't mentioned again?: It means it was probably a [Create Greater Item] and disappeared soon after. - Edgy
What is Ram's view of Ainz?: You'll see. - Edgy
Lemons?: No. Although I am open to commission requests. For those you can find me on discord. - Edgy
Same here, we plan to keep lemons out of this lovely and wholesome piece of crossover fanfiction, but I may be open to commissions. - Aterro
Will Ainz train Emilia in politics?: You'll see. - Edgy
Will Al be a player?: No. He has his own lore that will remain unchanged. - Edgy
Is Volcanica stronger than the True Dragon Lords of the New World?: Depends on the Dragon Lord in question. - Edgy
(AN from Aterro: Greetings dear readers from near and far, as usual we are grateful for all the positive feedback we have received via reviews, favs and follows. I hope you will enjoy this chapter, and I assure you, you should look forward to the next volume. Since Edgy already replied to most of the reviews I shall now bid you adieu. More reviews are always welcome and till next time !
Also, I come with a suggestion of a wonderful piece of fan fiction you should all read. The Art of War by CritKhagan is a wonderfully original and refreshing fanfic which offers a great new point of view from the standing point of an original character NPC.)