"Your majesty, I cannot properly express my gratitude for all you have done for my country this day. I am forever in your debt."
With the beastmen scourge taken care of, Draudillon was able to return to the castle on the same day as her departure via a teleport spell.. The members of her court were unable to hide their shock at how soon it had been. Though they had heard rumors of the sorcerer kings incredible strength, they had expected this matter to be resolved in a week, or a few days at the earliest. So hearing the entire ordeal lasted all but a few minutes was too much for most of them to bear.
Though the initial response to hearing this was panic and wondering if they could trust such someone who could slaughter on such a scale, Draudillon quashed the dissent for him, as someone who saved her kingdom from total collapse was someone who she would trust. If he really was going to attack, then he would have done so.
Not to mention, she cared little for the arguments of how he could kill without batting a eye. If she was suddenly given his power to do with as she wished, more than likely she would have done far worse then he did. Debts must be repaid after all.
Though once the feeling of worry faded away, it was replaced with the joy of knowing there kingdom was finally free of the scourge who had plagued it for so long.
It was only natural that she would give her gratitude to the being who had given her such peace.
"Please Draudillon-dono, you need not worry with debts. This was merely a trade that would benefit us both, so nothing needs to be repaid for this except by honoring your side of the deal.
"While I feel what we are giving you pales in comparison to what you have given us, I will abide by your terms and speak of whatever your majesty wishes."
"Umu, but before that, could I have your aides leave the room. What we will be speaking of is something not meant for the ears of others, so I would only like for the four of us to occupy this room."
The info Ainz wanted could quite possibly delve into some very risky topics for commoners to ease drop on, such as the origin of the gods and greed kings. Thus, he could not allow anyone other than her to know this. It would be quite problematic if his identity was revealed to the masses.
"I'm sorry but..."
"That's fine."
Though her follower had given quite the wide eyed look in response to this, he could only bow his head in silence. Not only because it was a declaration his queen had made, but it would be impossible for one to speak against the wishes of one who had rescued their country from ruination. So he could only hold his tongue.
Though the rest of her Court gave her worried looks as they left, they had no choice but to listen. Once they had all exited the room, Ainz retrieved a small item from within his robed, and tossed it into the air, which caused the space around him to ripple, as if a pebble was thrown into a pond.
"That item is just something that prevents sound from escaping. Though I doubt we can be heard, because of the delicacy of these matters, I can't take any risk. A [Rabbits Ear] may be able to listen in on this."
"That seems a bit extreme for mere precaution doesn't it?"
"Really? I for one see this as par for the course when it comes to exchanging information." Ainz could not even understand this utter lack of caution from her. Back in YGGDRASIL, one would not even think of saying anything with even a iota of info without making sure the area around them was safe and free of any who may listen in. Divination magic of this level should be rather basic, so even someone with some talent in this world could learn it.
"That's right Momonga-san, you can never be too careful! Glad to see your instincts haven't deteriorated here!"
"Mmhm, anyone with a inkling of common sense would want to protect there secrets right?"
Hearing both his friends come to his side, she could only sigh in defeat as she was now outnumbered. "Well, if you say so then I guess it's true. Well no matter. Now that the area is properly secured, what was it that you wanted to ask of me."
"Yes... this may be a rather difficult question to ask, but what do you know of the six great gods and eight greed kings?"
"Huh?" the stupefaction on her face was plainly obvious. Practically everyone knew of the great god and greed kings. It seemed plainly obvious that a skeleton wouldn't be religious, so what was the purpose of this question?
"I have heard much of their existences, as well as rumors and reputation of their deeds, but I have yet to find someone who can answer anything definitively about them."
"Well alright, but I don't know if I can fully answer your question. After all, I only know slightly more than the average commoner, and most of there exploits are just stories..."
"That doesn't matter. Anything on them will be decidedly helpful. Even if it seems minuscule, I would like to hear what you know. Be it rumors, legends, or fact, it could all be of great use to me."
To many people in this world, magic of Ainz's level was completely unbelievable, so much of what they may have accomplished in the past may have been deemed to ridiculous, then passed along as stories. Therefore, if he was able to connect the dots, then maybe they would find the next step to helping Touch-Me.
"Very well. Well starting with the six great gods, the descended upon our world over 600 years ago. Humanity was on the brink of extinction when they appeared due to them being completely outmatched when it came to fighting prowess compared to other beings. With there power, they erased all in there path for the good of humanity. Due to this overwhelming disparity in strength, humanity was able to start anew, and worship around them began at this time."
"How exactly did they appear? Was there a ritual of some kind.?"
"That, your majesty is a answer that nobody in this world knows. One day they simply descended upon our world, and that was that."
"Hmm..."
Though this was not the answer he wanted to here, he was not disappointing. He had not expected anyone who had not been at the event themselves to answer this question. This world didn't even know the word YGGDRASIL for all he knew, so he would just have to work harder for that info.
"I see. Then please continue."
"Very well. Overtime humanity was able to come out of hiding and form settlements that eventually gave rise to new nations that sprung up all over the world. Though humans were weak, with the protection of the gods, they soon became the most numerous species on the continent. However, even the gods were not immune to the passing of time. And soon enough, they had passed away, leaving only the god of death, Suranasha to carry out their stead. Though their were people who feared him due to him being a undead, they still abided by his rule, as he was still a god who had saved them in their time of need. A feeling I'm sure you know." she finished that last remark with a smirk, which drew chuckles from his friends.
"Though things were peaceful for a time, 100 years after they had appeared, the eight greed kings appeared. Beings that supposedly stole the powers of the gods and used them to rule the world. When they appeared, they instantly proclaimed that the world was now theirs, slaying any who got in their way. Though they seemed to spare humans and said they would fall under there rule. And while Suranasha fought valiantly to defend them, he ultimately fell in battle. This sacrifice was what garnered him the trust of humans.
Ainz after hearing this began to think of who these beings could be. From the sound of it, they group was comprised of 5 humans and 1 undead, but they had all been killed, as humans naturally had finite lifespans. With these, he could at the very least, take peace in the fact that these players were no longer in this world.
Still...
If these players really were level 100, wouldn't spells like [Wish Upon A Shooting Star] be able to prolong their life? He found it hard to imagine that a mage would not have learned that spell, as it was quite a popular one back in YGGDRASIL.
I have heard people refer to them with titles like the god of water, fire, and the like. Could it be they were role playing with dream builds to cover elemental weaknesses?
When he thought about it, that theory wasn't completely impossible. Having a group of six that could cover all the elements would be very useful, as no one enemy was immune to all elements, so they could cover a lot of situations, but this would naturally make a individual weak, and no one person could have the right weapon for any given situation.
Well that's YGGDRASIL for you. No one advantage without matching disadvantages.
As Ainz continued his thoughts the queen continued her speech.
"Most of what is know about the eight greed kings is mere story, but I have heard some accounts of the actual proceedings from my great-grandfather the Brightness Dragon Lord."
"Ho? And do you happen to know his current whereabouts?"
"Regretfully I do not. Its rare for him to shows himself nowadays."
"I see. Then please, tell me what you know."
"Though humanity was now under the rule of these tyrants, in some ways it was a blessing. They still protected humans to some extent. But they made a sport of other races and hunted them to near extinction. The dragon lords, who were the reigning species back then, were no exception and though they all joined forces to face them, it took the work of ten dragon lords to fight on equal ground with just one of them. And even when they were killed, they would revive themselves, though they grew weaker with each one. In the end, the dragons were almost wiped out.
They revived? Though that line interested Ainz quite a bit, he could analyze that info later.
"Though it seemed like the world would fall into there hands forever, they eventually perished due to infighting. There are many legends that explain this. Most simply say they lusted after each others power, some say their greed literally manifested and killed them, and one even says they died from forming a harem. Though that last one is mostly treated as a joke..."
Though the room was stunned with that last line, with the exception of Peroroncino, who seemed to be giving a understanding nod, she continued.
"Ahem... either way, they left there mark on this world for good or for bad. And though this legend is quite infamous, all there deeds pale in comparison to their greatest act. It is said that the eight greed kings spread the existence of tier magic throughout the world, which naturally was helpful for humans, as this is one of the only reason they survived without their help."
The red lights that served as Ainz's eyes flared at this news. This revelation finally answered a question that he had been asking for so long. It would seem the reason that this world had YGGDRASIL spells, was because players spread them here in the first place.
But the question remained, how could this possibly be done? As someone in the same position as them, he knew his knowledge of magic was simply the games mechanics, and not something that required actual magical knowledge. So how could they possibly have created something so fundamentally tied to YGGDRASIL? To effect the entire new world would require nothing shy of...
Suddenly, his eyes dimmed to tiny points of light, as the name of the item in question quietly passed through his lips.
"[Five Elements Overcoming...]"
His companions faces shifted after hearing this, but who could blame them?
As one of the twenty, it possessed unrivaled power, and was said to be able to change the magic system of YGGDRASIL. If it was brought into this world, then such power may be able to allow the inhabitants to use the abilities of tier magic.
However, this also brought a fear that Ainz had worried about.
It would be one thing if the item simply disappeared after use. But what if it instead was transported to another location in the world? How would they fair if another person found such a treasure?
I may have to make searching unknown areas higher priority...
"Is something wrong, your majesty?"
"No, its nothing. You were saying that tier magic was created by them correct?"
"Indeed. It became extremely popular due to its ease of access, that the ancient wild magic of the past became obsolete in its use, and those fell into obscurity."
"Wild magic? I don't believe I have heard of such a thing before. What is it?"
"Before the existence of tier spells, the only magic that existed in the world was wild magic, or the magic of the dragons. Though only they could use it, it was quite potent, and it is said that it can accomplish things that even tier magic could not do."
"And does it require MP like other magic?" if Ainz could possibly allow some of Nazaricks inhabitants to gain this for themselves, it would greatly increase their power.
"Unfortunately no. Wild magic and tier magic are diametrically opposed to each other. One cannot learn tier magic if they know wild magic, vice versa. Wild magic is said to be derived from the soul, and that is where its power stems from. That is to say, life force. Though I may be able to use wild magic, as I share the bloodline of the dragonlords, it requires human sacrifices to be able to use. The only thing I can use it for on my own is changing my appearance."
"You can cast wild magic? May I ask what kinds of spells it can cast?"
"I do not know much of them since I have never had the chance to use them myself, but I have heard of the more famous ones. There is [World Teleportation], which can have one traverse to any point in the world, whether they have been their or not, there is [Born Of Earth], which allows one to create earthly items and form them to their will, which is how this city was built, and I remember being told about the Platinum Dragon Lords supposed Ultimate attack, which is a great explosion of light, though for me to use that would require probably millions of souls."
Ainz suddenly had a epiphany after hearing this. If wild magic truly required such a sacrifice, then how could the dragon lords use it so casually in the past? "Do the dragon lords also require the lives of others to cast these spells?"
"That only applies to me. Since dragons are such powerful creatures, there bodies are the only ones capable of using such power without needing the life force of others. From what I hear, it is powered by there own life force, and as such, they can't use them to often, or it may kill them from the accumulation."
After analyzing this priceless information he had just obtained, he began to connect the dots to his previous adversary.
Can only be used by dragons...
Can do things tier magic can't...
Is powered by life force...
He now had concrete proof.
Riku Aganeia = Platinum Dragon Lord.
Though this revaluation brought many more question than it solved. Why had he attacked him? What was the armor he had used? Was it a golem or was it himself, and he was only a dragonlord in name like the queen?
Questions kept piling on, and only the man himself could answer it for him. Yet besides this, another thing had begun to gnaw on his mind.
Items and abilities in YGGDRASIL with the word "World" in them, were the toppest of the top items. Only a chosen few were able to wield such might. Therefore it was quite lucky that two of them occupied his guild. And given what he knew, and the names of the spells he had heard, a shocking discovery was made.
A power that can rival world items... could I finally have found Shalltear's assailant?
When he thought about it calmly, it made sense to some extent. If he could use divination magic that could not be detected through normal means, then that meant he may have witness the battle with Shalltear, and that meant he knew they were connected, so attacking him would now have a clear motive.
Though nothing was set in stone, he now had a very likely candidate, which gave rise to both hatred towards him, and joy that his revenge may now finally be able to take place.
While he wouldn't attack unless he knew for sure, this was not something to simply brush off.
Lost in his own thoughts, he forgot the presentation was still ongoing.
"Unfortunately that is all I know of them your majesty. I am sorry that I don't know more about them, but the only people who know of those events would be the dragon lords."
"No. what you have said is more than enough. I have understood quite a few things I was confused about, and now have some info that is invaluable to me. Truthfully that was all I wished to ask, so Draudillon-dono, I shall now take my leave."
"Your majesty, before you leave, what would you say to becoming a vassal state? With your protection, my people would be able to live in safety for the rest of your days. I do not know what we could offer in exchange, but whatever you desire, I will do all in my power to obtain it for you. It is the least I could do."
Uwah... why did this have to be brought up now... I can't handle these political things... Demiurge and Albedo, where are you?!
Though he desperately wanted to cry out, taking her as a vassal would allow the force know as wild magic under his control, which was something he deeply wanted. He just had to make a excuse to not do it right now.
"Hm, I suppose I could agree to that. But I have some urgent business to take care of elsewhere at the moment, so I will send a diplomat in a few days to work out the finer details of this union. Its been a pleasure, Draudillon-dono."
"You as well, your majesty."
"Umu, [Gate.]"
As the magical doorway appeared before him, he prepared to step threw with his friends in tow. But before he managed to step in, he heard her crying out to him once more.
"Your majesty!"
though he was partway through the door, he turned to hear her parting words.
"If I may be so bold, why did you wish to learn about these legends?"
He paused for a moment, thinking of the best way to respond to the question. After a moments contemplation, he gave her his answer.
"Let's just say I'm searching for a way back home."
And with that, Ainz's group left the room, leaving only a dumbfounded queen in its walls.
A/N Believe it or not, the eight greed kings actually died because of infighting due to their numbers having 1 female and 7 males which formed a harem like relationship, which is what caused the infighting. I personally believe they were young teens due to the way that acted. Hope you enjoyed!
