[Chapter 5: Responsibilities]
Ainz was the first to cross the boundary of reality and emerge from the gate, idly summoning Beatrice to his side.
"What is it now, in fact?" the spirit asked, "It is something with the seal, I suppose?"
"Hopefully not." Ainz answered, "But Ram called for assistance, and she is not one to do that unless it is serious."
After a few seconds he was joined by Emilia, Crusch, Wilhelm, and, surprisingly enough, Felix. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to let them play a great part this time around, as he had no plan that was able to surely provide some level of safety.
He turned to them and cast several wide area buffs, "[Widen Magic: Draconic Power], [Widen Magic: Greater Magic Shield], [Widen Magic: Greater Resistance]."
It wasn't quite as effective as tripling the magic, but given that there were six targets including himself and Beatrice, and time was of the essence, this was the best he could do.
"Stay behind me and do not engage unless it is completely mandatory. Whatever it is that we are here to hunt, chances are it is worse than the whale."
"Could it be another one of the three legendary demon beasts?" Crusch questioned, "And if so, which one?"
The sound of branches cracking could be heard as someone rushed through the frozen forest, prompting the group to turn towards.
"Seems we are about to find out." Wilhelm muttered, unsheathing his sword.
But it was no beast that emerged from beyond the snowy treeline, but instead it was Ram, her horn active and with the maid running faster than humanly possible thanks to her wind magic.
"What's our adversary?" Ainz asked, silently preparing a few spells in advance.
"It's the White Rabbit!" the maid yelled, "It must've been attracted due to my mana usage. I… might've used a little too much."
"Attracted to mana, you say?" Ainz mumbled, putting a hand to his chin while everyone's faces around him paled.
"Ainz, with all due respect, perhaps we should retreat? The legends say this beast is practically immortal, and facing it without a plan may not be wise." Crusch advised.
"I've slain plenty of immortals in my heyday, and I believe I have just conjured a plan as well. If you'd kindly all move away a bit." Ainz advised, walking towards the treeline as even Beatrice moved backwards.
The Overlord looked over his shoulder, vaguely judging the distance between himself and the others. Deeming it to be sufficient, he put his plan into action.
A wave of darkness momentarily blanketed the snowy field, as if the very sun had suddenly gone out. The Overlord seemed to grow to titanic proportions, his very figure twisting into a malevolent and wretched thing. Evil seemed to ooze from the figure on the horizon, and the normally serene expression of the undead's skull twisted into a horrible grin.
The very air seemed to be still as the God of Death descended upon the land.
Ainz glanced at his entourage and saw their expressions, twisted in fear and frozen in place.
"Oh, my apologies!" he called out, taking a step further away.
Suddenly it was just regular, old Ainz again. There was an ever so slight haze over his figure, but besides that it was just Ainz.
"It seems you were caught in the effect of my aura! Sorry about that!" he called out to the group once again before turning to the treeline.
'Hopefully they don't hold that against me.'
The matter of unintentionally scaring his companions aside, Ainz focused on the matter at hand. Unfortunately, his party lacked a tank at the moment, and the rare tank builds that relied on mana were a whole separate ordeal to tackle.
So, for better or worse, this was Ainz's mess to clean up, since chances are that this rabbit couldn't use fire or holy magic. At best it could probably ram itself into him for bludgeoning damage, but he was ready for it.
But what snuck through the snow caused Ainz's non-existent eyes to pop out of his skull like in a cartoon. This dreaded beast, agitated by both Ainz's mana and probably its fight or flight response choosing the former, was just a rabbit.
Sure, it had a horn, but besides that it looked just like the albino rabbits Ainz used to see on the internet. Well, there was also a small other difference, namely, there were like a thousand of these things swarming him.
Some tried to bite at his robes, at his ankles, pauldrons, anything they could really. Still, their teeth dealt absolutely no damage to Ainz. It was a little odd seeing all these balls of fur desperately try to kill him, but it was also kind of endearing, in the same way that a bear is cute.
He picked up one of the thrashing rabbits by the ears, quickly adjusting his grip to something that would be more comfortable for the beast; it just felt cruel to pick it up otherwise.
The rabbit latched onto his finger, trying to bite into it, and Ainz chuckled as he brought it up to his face. "You're such a cute and murderous critter." he muttered, petting it with his free hand. Its hair was perfectly soft and if not for its attitude, Ainz would've tried to keep the thing alive.
Sadly, that wasn't an option.
But a little mercy could go a long way, and thus Ainz pointed at the rabbit and uttered a single word, "[Death]."
It fell limp from his hand and dropped down to the hundreds of rabbits that were actively circling Ainz and looking for a chance to get a bite in. They all lunged at the dead rabbit, leaping it to shreds and dying their fur red.
A phantom grimace fell over Ainz's skeletal face. "Perhaps mercy isn't what you deserve after all." he muttered, "[Triple Maximise Magic: Chain Dragon Lightning]."
Three brilliant arcs of blue light shot out from Ainz's hand, devouring dozens of rabbits each and frying them. Burnt meat didn't seem to bother the other rabbits, who quickly jumped at the occasion and devoured the bodies as well.
Quickly enough, the gap was filled as well.
"Wait a minute…" Ainz said as he looked around. The amount of rabbits didn't seem to be decreasing for some reason. He thought back to the conversation with Echidna and Daphne. It had been a while, but he distinctly remembered asking about the powers of the beasts.
"The whale could erase things. The snake had poison. The rabbit…" He looked around once more, finding the rabbits' numbers to be the same as before his attack, "could multiply infinitely, was it? I planned to fry them all with a nuclear blast, if I recall correctly, but if they leave behind corpses…"
He grabbed one of the rabbits, now not caring at all for its comfort, and cast [Death] upon, instantly targeting its corpse with a [Summon Middle Tier Undead: Soul Eater].
Untold joy rushed through Ainz, to the point where it was momentarily suppressed, as the skeletal horse took shape. Naturally, he instantly commanded it to turn off its instant death aura.
Sending the Soul Eater away, he laughed.
"I will have to again thank Daphne for making you, little rabbit." he muttered, grabbing one of the rabbits and casting [Fly].
He floated up and above the remaining rabbits, casting [Paralysis] on the one in hand.
"And now the rest of you are useless. [Widen Magic: Napalm]."
A great pillar of fire burst from beneath the earth, consuming all the remaining rabbits.
Before they got a chance to respawn, Ainz took out a single red and white ball from his inventory, the rabbit disappearing from his hand and into it. It couldn't contain many of the strong beasts in YGGDRASIL, since it was just a gag item meant to reference some old TV show Ainz barely recalled, but it would serve its purpose of containing the rabbit. Thankfully, it was also reusable.
With the rabbit now added to his arsenal, he had an infinite amount of corpses at his disposal at any moment, and there was nothing else a true necromancer could ask for.
It's not like he was planning on creating an army or anything of the sort, of course. After all, he wasn't out to conquer the world or anything. Frankly, the more he thought about it, the more he realised it was just a slight convenience, as his daily limit was still in place.
He shrugged; a few extra Death Assassins and Soul Eaters never hurt, right?
Throwing the successfully contained rabbit into his inventory, he flew towards his companions, turning off his aura as he did so.
"Well, this beast turned out to be a much more convenient adversary." he commented, landing in front of them.
"I noticed as much." Crusch muttered, eyeing the Soul Eater Ainz had summoned, "And I suppose this wasn't much of a collective hunt after all."
The Overlord shrugged, "Perhaps not, but I do appreciate the fact that you were bold enough to rush in blind behind me."
"If I wouldn't do that, would I really be worthy of the sword you bestowed upon me? A wielder has to live up to their weapon."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I do not judge such things in particular when it comes to weapons such as yours." Ainz answered, "But I do have a small favour to ask still."
"Seeing as given our agreement I now am technically your subordinate, you should feel free to call it a command." Crusch said, "As humiliating as it would be…"
Ainz chuckled, "Yet you are still a noble, and so technically outrank me. Alas, I do not take great joy from bossing others around, and so I ask you as an equal to deliver the news of our deal and victory over the rabbit to Miklotov. I'm pretty sure the old man is getting tired of seeing my face… Er, skull, I suppose."
"In that case, I ask you as an equal to provide me with one of those portal's of yours." Crusch asked, "And I suppose I will oblige your request."
"Likewise. [Gate]. A pleasure, Crusch." Ainz said, gesturing to the portal, "Oh, and in our agreement, I don't think Emilia would refuse you some sort of fancy title if she wins… Something like Grand Duchess or Marshal, perhaps?"
He glanced over at Emilia, who appeared to be thinking really, really hard, for the moment only adding, "That would be no problem, Crusch, and I'll think of a suitable title later! Have fun!"
The duchess sighed, "I envy your enthusiasm in the matter of politics. Have fun as well, Lady Emilia."
With those parting words, she left the snowy landscape behind her.
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"At this rate I fear I will no longer be able to drive your carriage, my lady, for there will be no use for it." Wilhelm committed as he stepped through the portal, "Though I do concede that it is a marvellously convenient power."
"It is indeed, but it is not the reason you won't be driving me around anymore." Crusch answered, a noticeable tinge of excitement entering her voice.
"Oh? Then what will it be?"
"The skeletal dragon I will soon enough be flying on."
Felix stopped moving midstep, "Flying on a what?"
"Hmm? Didn't I tell you?" Crusch turned around and asked.
"No, you didn't. Shouldn't Ferris know about this?"
"Well, I know how you feel about the undead, but it has been years, Felix, since all that happened. And besides, Ainz isn't your typical undead, now is he?"
"N-No, but Ferris still thinks you should've told Ferris earlier!" the knight protested.
Crusch shook her head, "I know, I should've and I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again. Now, let's go tell Miklotov the good news, shall we?"
Having walked these halls many times before, it was not at all troublesome for Crusch to find the old man's office. She knocked once on the door and promptly entered. While she was no longer planning on being royalty and was entering the office of the de facto head of state, a little royal gravitas never hurt in her experience.
"What brings you here, Crusch?" immediately came the voice from within the room. It was quite an opulent place by a common man's standards, though by noble's Miklotov's office could be compared with that of a beggar, with only a few decorations of any sort remaining in the room.
"Guess." she said, sitting down opposite of him. Felix stood to her right, while Wilhelm took the left, though neither seemed keen on speaking, "Unless your tablet already told you." the duchess added.
Miklotov shook his head, "To my knowledge, nothing significant enough to warrant the tablet activating has occurred, though your presence suggests otherwise." He stroked his snowy beard for a moment, raising an eyebrow, "And if my senses are still sharp, something connected with a certain undead mage brings you here."
"Sharp as a razor's edge. As for the details, there are two. Do you want me to start with the one that will induce a smaller headache, or do you want to get the splitting migraine out the way?"
"Start with the smaller one today, if you'd be so kind. At my age it is risky to start off at the deep end."
"Ainz got rid of the White Rabbit."
Miklotov raised a single eyebrow, "This is the smaller headache? Please at least tell me you brought proof."
"All I have is my word, since the rest is ashes scattered on the wind." Crusch said, shrugging, "Though I'm sure we both know that Ainz has no need to lie about such things."
"I suppose so, and I do trust your word, Crusch. Nevertheless, for this to be the smaller headache, just what in the world could he have gotten you wrapped up in?"
"He got me wrapped up in quite a deal. In fact, I am withdrawing from the selection and joining Emilia's camp."
Miklotov's visage paled and his eyes widened, "What in the world did he offer you? You are… were favoured to win. Not to say that I oppose Ainz, but should you really give up like this?"
"Let us be honest, Ainz has accomplished more in the last month than most do in a lifetime, and he's showing no sign of stopping. What could I do to outmatch him? Play into Emilia's resemblance to the world's boogeyman? Try to demonise Ainz? Maybe, but he surely planned for such manoeuvres. As far as I'm concerned, he has already won."
The old man sighed, "I do not disagree with you, but still, I must ask, what did he offer you? Surely he wouldn't want to also break the pact with the divine dragon, would he?"
Crusch shook her head, "Sadly not."
"Then what? Did he make you some outrageous offer such as a purge of the administration you so hate? After all, the only thing you blame more than the dragon is us who rely on it."
The duchess sat silent for a moment, her amber eyes piercing Miklotov.
"No…" he muttered, "This is some twisted joke…"
"Do not worry, Miklotov." Crusch said, standing up from the table, "You're safe, as long that particular detail of our conversation remains between us. After all, both Ainz and I are quite fond of you."
The door to the wise man's office shut behind the noble, leaving him with his head in his arms.
Yes, perhaps some nobles… many nobles seemed to be out of their depth in the realm of politics, but a purge? Unheard of ever since the days of the lion kings.
"But perhaps this is the advent of another such age, a dragon's emblem burnt away by a skeletal mage's black fire."
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"That was fun." Ainz said as he reappeared in front of the mansion, "And useful."
"But I didn't get to do anything…" Emilia said, pouting. How was she supposed to become stronger if Ainz handled all the fighting?
The Overlord chuckled, "The best type of battle is one that is avoided entirely, you know? Besides, scarcity makes each fight more enjoyable."
"As if I'd ever want to fight that thing." Ram commented as she moved past Ainz and towards the mansion.
"Finding such an inconvenient adversary after gaining your power back must be frustrating, but surely you'll find a more suitable opponent soon enough." Ainz said.
"Hmph, no one but legends are suitable for me." Ram answered, "Maybe besides this stupid rabbit."
"I'm sure there will be other, more mortal legends down the line." Ainz said, spotting a connoisseur of such legends rushing towards them.
"Yo! Where were ya?! Why didn't ya take me if ya were goin' off to fight!" Garf yelled at the trio.
"The fights we engage in are too much for you, Garf." Ram said.
"Pft, and Hoshin's pockets were too small! Take me along with you and I'll show you how strong I am!"
Before Ram could fire off a snarky comment into the youth's ego, Ainz said, "I understand your yearning for adventure, so how about you accompany us to the Watergate City? Surely you will fight adversaries worth a duel or two there."
"S'not a bad idea. When are we goin'?" Garfiel asked, noticeably eager.
"I'll coordinate with Crusch later today, but we should set out in a few days at the longest. Emilia, do you know how long it'd take to travel there? Conventionally, I mean."
"Hmm, the better part of a week with some well-trained Earth Dragons, probably." the half-elf answered.
"Let us for now agree on setting out two days from now. Ram, please do help Rem with packing our stuff for the trip, though I can hold the essentials myself if they require too much space." he told the maid before looking up and towards Roswaal's office, "Meanwhile, I will take care of some housekeeping matters."
With the snap of a bony finger, Ainz found himself in the mage's room, the noble welcoming him with open arms.
"Aiiinz! How can I heeelp?" Roswaal asked, gesturing for Ainz to sit down.
The Overlord waved the offer away, cutting right to the chase instead, "Emilia, Ram, Rem, Garfiel, and I will be leaving soon to visit the Watergate City."
"So I've heaaard. I understand you wish for me to staaay behind?"
"I'd prefer that to be the case. While I am away, I'd like to collect information about any other potential… targets that may boost Emilia's standing in the selection. Do prioritise the Witch Cult."
Roswaal pointed to his favourite mirror with a theatrical flare, "I juuust so happen to have something that may be of iiinterest."
"Elaborate." Ainz said, one non-existent eyebrow raised.
"You do recaaall the Bowel Hunter, yeees?"
"I do, though last I checked she was buried beneath an old chimney." Ainz quipped, crossing his arms and leaning forward, "She was nothing special, after all."
"On the contraaary, I'm both happy and saaad to say." Roswaal said, "You seeeee, her divine protection has caused legends to sprout of her being a vampiiire."
"No, definitely not." Ainz instantly answered, "I can tell when someone is an undead, and she certainly wasn't. But… I suppose that only comes from her durability."
"Indeeeed, and as you so wisely foresaaaw, she went back to her handleeer." Roswaal said, "I maaay have been her employer, but this 'Mother' figuuure is her leader. Of course, you predicteeed that she would go back there and kept her aliiive, and now they are on the mooove."
'Of course I predicted it! It's not like I thought skewering her like one of those kebabs I saw that day would kill her! I didn't even know what a divine protection was! Well, maybe it'll work out.'
"Umu, of course. Do you know who this 'Mother' is?"
The noble shook his head, "Whoeveeer they are, they are gooood at what they do. I will attempt to traaaack them, but it may prooove difficult."
Ainz turned away from the noble and towards the door, "Do so then. If their handler is anything like their pets, they won't prove to be of consequence, though I'm sure the head of a bowel hunter would do us well in the court. Thank you for your work, Roswaal."
The door slammed behind the Overlord as he exited and made his way down the corridor.
Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and murmured to himself, "I keep forgetting Roswaal sent that woman… Man, what a crazy guy."
He walked a few more steps only to stop once more, putting a finger to his temple, "Oh yea, and I probably shouldn't just leave Crusch stranded in the palace."
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Miklotov lamented the weakness that overcame his arm as the second gavel of the meeting broke within his grasp.
'In the past I would have simply thrown these at them… That would've quieted them down much quicker.' he thought to himself as Marcos Gildark passed him a third one.
"Order! Do you wish me to strip you all of your titles!? Order I said!" he called out, the gathered nobles finally settling down into a bitter murmur rather than the obnoxious yells that filled the hall a moment ago.
Miklotov cleared his throat and ran his hand through his beard. The first was to calm himself, the second was to give the nobles a moment to breathe, and the third was to give them an opportunity to be loud again so that he could actually lob the gavel at one of their heads.
Sadly, no such opportunity arose.
'Well, there is always next time Ainz causes a storm.'
Silverlinings, he supposed.
"As I just stated moments ago, Duchess Crusch Karsten has joined forces with Lady Emilia and Sir Ainz Ooal Gown following their collective victory over the White Rabbit. From this moment on, Duchess Karsten is officially removed from the selection as a candidate and is siding with Lady Emilia."
Eyes darted between Miklotov and Crusch, who stood relaxed in the spot awarded to her by her title.
"How dare you betray your country for that thing." one noble spat, "A cursed thing and a monster."
"I would suggest you watch your tongue, baron." Crusch answered, "After all, I rarely forget a face."
"Your words are empty threats, you b-"
"Baron Montirati! This is not the time nor place for playground insults. Leave Duchess Karsten be or be escorted from the chamber." Miklotov intervened, silencing the overweight noble. "Now then," the old man said after a moment, "does anyone have anything constructive to say?"
Silence reigned over the room and Miklotov raised his gavel to adjourn the meeting, only to hear the door to the hall creak open. All eyes turned to it and then to Reinhard, who once more saw something they didn't.
"On repeat visits, I must ask you to dispel your stealth." he said, his hand still far from his sword.
"My apologies." came the hollow voice from beneath the dark armour that materialised.
'That mysterious messenger of Ainz's.' Miklotov recognised, 'Same as that night.'
"I have come here on the behalf of Lord Ainz, to escort the kind Lady Karsten. A carriage is waiting for you, my lady." the creature said, bowing low.
"How kind." Crusch commented with a genuine smile, "I was about to wonder how I would return to my domain. Please, lead the way."
Finding no more meaning in keeping all of them trapped in this place, Miklotov utilised his gavel for what would hopefully be the final time today, and yet that only seemed to be a signal for some nobles to unleash their true, utterly moronic potential. Granted, Miklotov could count perhaps five complete idiots in the room, but they shined a much brighter light than their contemporaries.
"You dare enter our hall as such without so much as an introduction!?" yelled another baron of little note, grabbing the Death Assassin by the shoulder, only to immediately fall on his backside and crawl away from the undead.
His jaw fell open and his soul seemed to leave his body alongside a chilling scream. The man paled as if to trick the undead into thinking he was one of its kin.
Some of the knights attempted to draw their weapons, but the Death Assassin only raised its hands, "Please do not blame me. I am a being toxic to you mortals; his reaction is only natural. Now then, Lady Karsten, if you would follow me."
The undead silently turned around, Crusch giving only a glance to the fallen noble as she followed. Truly, what interesting creatures Ainz could produce, and how foolish some men were to reach out to a being of what felt like pure malice.
As she walked the halls and made her way towards the exit, Wilhelm fell in behind her.
"My lady, if I may have a word." he said, leaning in and whispering.
"You may."
"Would you mind if I took a moment to-"
"To speak with your grandson? Not at all."
"I… Yes, thank you, my lady."
He stepped away and disappeared back into the winding halls of the palace, leaving Crusch to only be joined by Ainz's servant and Felix after he caught up with the duo.
They eventually made their way to the carriage and the Death Assassin offered its hand to Crusch as he opened the door. She gave the undead a questioning glance, only for the being to say, "It was a passive ability. I can also turn it off, my lady."
Deciding that if she was to ride an undead dragon she might as well be able to stomach the touch of another undead, she took its hand, finding no overwhelming malice to emanate from the figure.
She helped Felix from within and called out to the Death Assassin who was to act as the coachman of Ainz's magically-made carriage, "I must say, your ability is terribly convenient. You wouldn't mind if I were to ask for your help down the line, would you?"
"Not at all, my lady." came the hollow voice of the summon, "Not at all…"
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'The floors are always so polished, yet I've never spotted a servant. Curious.' Wilhelm idly thought to himself as he traversed the palace halls, 'If they do exist somewhere within this place, they must be masters of stealth.'
Alas, he wasn't here to find one of the mysterious servants of the palace.
He continued forth, finding Reinhard still lingering in the main meeting-hall. By now most of the nobles and knights had trickled out, and all that remained besides the Sword Saint was some of the odd lot that remained to chat.
"Grandfather." Reinhard said upon seeing the old swordsman, his voice a little warmer than Wilhelm was used to, "I must say, that was quite the stir Lady Karsten caused."
"I'm sure my lady made the right choice." Wilhelm answered, to which Reinhard offered a neutral shrug.
"So, what brings you back here after the meeting? Did you have anything to discuss?"
"I…" Wilhelm began, only to trail off and realise that no, he didn't in fact have a topic of discussion in mind.
'I suppose awkwards moments like this are my penance for neglecting him for all these years.'
And perhaps he deserved worse. After all, Heinkel, Reinhard's father, became a horrible father after his wife fell into a magical coma, leaving young Reinhard with no real family.
Suddenly an idea entered Wilhelm's mind. It most certainly wasn't the greatest idea he'd ever had given its possible consequences, but he was always of a rash temperament.
"I was going to ask whether you and Lady Felt would like to accompany myself and my lady to the Watergate City. I thought that perhaps a moment away from court would do you some good, and seeing as Sir Ainz will be accompanying us, I believe asking his instructor to come along as well was a sensible decision."
"Thanks to my lady's… disposition, I don't particularly spend a lot of time in the court." Reinhard said, "But I do appreciate the offer. If Lady Karsten does indeed agree to us accompanying you, I will propose the idea to my lady."
"Wonderful. In that case, I bid you good day, Reinhard, and I shall see you soon hopefully."
The old Sword Demon spun on his heel and retraced his steps to the exit, though his gait was hurried and far from his normally composed one.
'Brilliantly done, Wilhelm.' he told himself, 'You couldn't have gotten more pierced by the blade of awkwardness if you tried, with your own grandson of all people! I pray my lady at least agrees.'
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{Tell her that I don't see why not. The more the merrier, after all.} Ainz communicated to the undead that for now acted as his link to Crusch.
"I'm glad they're at least trying to get along." the Overlord told himself as he stood up and looked out the window in his room.
A small booklet appeared in his hand, and he quickly flipped through it to find today's agenda. It was only minor details that he would otherwise overlook, so the notebook wasn't exactly filled to the brim with a genius' plans.
"Hmm, pack things into my inventory… Well, if Ram has anything for me. What else?"
His gaze moved to the next point and he felt a small shiver down his spine, "Discuss Anastasia's businesses in the Watergate City with Otto… That can be done in the carriage, so I'll just move it down the list."
There remained just one more point on the list.
"Ah, Roswaal did mention getting some new maids at dinner. I suppose I should greet them, and tell Beatrice not to be too mean to them."
Speaking the spirit's name was enough to get her to appear next to him, nothing in the mansion now being out of her reach. It was a little weird at first, but then he always remembered that she still had the attention span of a child and didn't bother with listening in on mundane conversations.
"Beako would never be mean, in fact. And to whom would Beako hypothetically even be mean to, in fact?"
"Apparently Roswaal is hiring some extra help for when we are away. I suppose undead do need someone to direct them, and the only one currently proficient at that is Ram…" Ainz told the spirit, "Though a single day for instructions may be, uh, difficult to grasp for the… uninitiated."
"It'll be fine, since he probably hired Frederica again, I suppose."
"Frederica?"
"She used to work here a few months ago, in fact. She's remarkably similar to Garf as well, in fact."
Ainz uttered a silent prayer for this girl to not be too similar to the young guardian of the Sanctuary, and said, "Either way, it's best to welcome her. I hope she's been informed of my… condition."
He grabbed Beako's hand and teleported both to the front of the mansion, spying that his intuition was just a bit off, as the new hires were just stepping foot into the garden rather than already waiting in front of the door.
Nevertheless, Ainz's sight was still quite sharp and he could mostly make out the figures. One of them was a tall, blonde young lady, though he didn't see much else of note about her. The other…
"[Message]." he intoned, connecting to Roswaal.
{Roswaal, you do realise hiring Petra is child labour, right?}
{Yeees…?} Roswaal asked, his voice filled with more confusion than his usual, overt optimism, {Tiiis quite a normal thing for nobleees. Would you prefer I get rid of heeeer?}
{No. Forget I said anything then. Old habits and all.} Ainz quickly said before disconnecting.
'I suppose it does make sense for nobles but still… I have to make sure her pay is fair.' he told himself. Normal or not, there would be no exploitative child labour in his mansion! Well, it was Roswaal's mansion, but he worked for Ainz anyway, so that's how it was gonna be!
One silver lining at least is that Petra was familiar with Ainz's appearance after that little haunted house he organised. 'Wait, shouldn't she be trained by Ram in magic?'
{Ram…} Ainz began, {Aren't you supposed to be training Petra?}
{You're the one who sent me out on a hunt.} the maid immediately retaliated, {Besides, she wants to be like me, so let her.}
{Because you're such a great maid.}
{What was that?}
{Nothing in particular. Do tell if you need help with packing.} he said before cutting off the connection.
He attempted to sigh as the new hires approached him, though it hopefully didn't look like he was sighing due to their presence. It probably didn't look like anything, but the ghost of salaryman insecurity was still far from being banished.
"Ainz!" Petra called out as they got closer.
"Hello, Petra. Good to see you again." Ainz answered, quickly turning to the blonde woman who stood beside her, "And good to meet you, Miss…?"
"Frederica, Lord Gown." she said, seemingly unperturbed by the idea of bowing to an undead, "I have heard much about you, including the fact that you managed to drag my brother out of Sanctuary. Thank you for that. Perhaps he'll grow a little when he sees the world."
"Brother? I presume you mean Garfiel. He's… quite the character." Ainz said before tentatively switching to a topic which was of much more interest to him, "If I may ask, how did you leave the Sanctuary given you are his sister. Given the barrier and all."
"I am only his half-sister, and do forgive me if I keep the details to myself." she said, her face betraying none of the feelings that lurked beneath her pleasant smile.
"Of course. Please forget I asked." Ainz answered, knowing full well how weird it was to be grilled by your boss on the first day of work. A little guilt ran through him, but curiosity overpowered it still, and he filed the question away for later.
"Forgiven and forgotten." Frederica said, "If I may swap the topic to my renewed employment, I heard Ram has used some, uh, unconventional helpers?"
"She has, though their use is pretty self-explanatory. Wraiths, as they are called, are not the brightest creatures, thus you must be specific with your directions, as they will follow most to the letter." Ainz explained.
Unfortunately, he had yet to find a spell in his arsenal that imbued the less sentient undead with the idea of nuance when it comes to speech rather than mental commands from him, so he hoped Frederica took his words to heart.
"And how exactly may I find these wraiths?"
"Just call out for them and they should appear." the Overlord said, "And as for your brother, he should be… somewhere."
"Then I shall go find him, and Ram, seeing as Petra told me all about how she's been slacking on her teaching duties."
Ainz nodded as the two walked past him, swiftly moving onto the next task. Whatever one could say of the former salaryman, none would say he wasn't industrious!
He checked his list of tasks to refresh his memory, finding that the only point left involved Otto and business.
'Isn't it time for a well-deserved break? I think so. Keeping up appearances in front of those two was so exhausting.' he told himself, 'I will… do… something else.'
Before any merchants could catch sight of him, the undead mage disappeared.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Emilia looked over everything she had packed.
"Sword? Check. Rings? Check. Clothes? Also check." she recounted, "Oooh, maybe they'll have some cute clothes to buy? I need to go shopping there."
The Watergate City, also known as Priestella, bordered Karagi, and so it had by far the vastest array of goods available in Lugnica. Even with the country being mostly closed for the selection, crafty merchants still found their way through the border and into Lugnica.
"I'll have to see the famous gates as well! Can you believe that they are massive metias, Aeternia? Probably the biggest in the world!" Emilia cheerfully said as she packed a few more outfits into her luggage.
Her undead bodyguard manifested as if from thin air, her tone serious as always, "Metias? Magical devices?" the undead recognised, having gleaned that bit of information from Ainz's mind upon being summoned, "Did a powerful mage create them?"
Emilia shook her head, "It was Hoshin of the Wilderness! I don't think there are any stories about him being a powerful mage, but he was really clever! He built both Priestella and Karagi, after all!"
"A troublesome foe." Aeternia commented, causing Emilia to shrug,
"Well, we won't have to worry about him. He's said to have lived years and years ago, before the cataclysm even."
Hoshin's time was a time of myth and legends, one in which Emilia thought Ainz would have felt at home in. Perhaps Reinhard was the strongest Sword Saint to ever live, but where were any worthy opponents?
There was no war with Vollachia, no witches to battle, the Mad Prince was locked away, Halibel of the Karagi City-States… simply was out there living a normal life, and the archbishops hid away in the shadows. It was lonely at the peak, the era of legends long gone.
"At least we'll hopefully get to see Miss Masquerade perform! I've heard she's amazing!" she thought out loud.
"Bards too may be potent combatants." Aeternia commented.
"Is everything about combat for you?" Emilia asked, frowning slightly.
"My priority is your safety, my lady."
"Come on, nobody is crazy enough to attack our group anymore, right?" She could practically feel the undead's measured gaze tear through her, and so she corrected herself, "Okay, fine, maybe there are some people like that, but" Her hands tightened into fists as her nails dug into her pale skin, "they'll get what's coming to them if they do."
"That is true, my lady."
Emilia took a deep breath and turned her attention back to packing for the trip. After a few more minutes, she was all done, with her few bags neatly packed and ready to be put into either the carriage itself or Ainz's weird dimensional pocket.
Suddenly an odd thought overcame her, forcing her to turn to her bodyguard, "Say, Aeternia, you don't… have anything, do you?" she asked.
"I possess the appropriate equipment for my kind, my lady. It is all I need to protect you." the Eternal Death responded.
"But… don't you want something? Like, I don't know, something nice to wear? You rarely appear, but when you do, you always have the same things on."
"This is how I simply look, my lady."
"Oh!" Emilia said, putting her hand to her face in embarrassment, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"
"No offence taken, my lady."
"But, um, if you can't get new clothes then how about some jewellery? I'm sure we can find something that suits you! Please, let me pick something out for you! You've been tirelessly protecting me, so let me do this for you!"
"I… have only contributed during the battle against the White Whale, my lady. I haven't accomplished anything else of note."
"But I'm sure you would've if you had the opportunity. Please let me get you something! Pretty please?" Emilia negotiated.
Deciphering that her liege would not take no for an answer and most likely wanted an excuse to do some more shopping, the Eternal Death sighed, saying, "As long as it doesn't put you in danger, I see no reason to go against your decision, my lady."
"Yay! Trust me, it'll be great!" Emilia exclaimed, throwing her hands up in celebration.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz appeared in the middle of the square of the capital, which just so happened to be conveniently far from Otto. Now, he wasn't here to escape his duties, by no means should one make such an inference! He was here on important business!
'What was it that was written in that dusty book? The people need to see their leader or something? I guess Emilia is the ruler, but I'll have to do.'
See? Frighteningly important business.
The Overlord straightened his back, put his chin up, and began to wander the streets. Given the pleasant weather, the streets were bustling with activity, though the crowds parted in front of Ainz as if by divine decree.
Thankfully, the expressions colouring the faces of the people were not ones of fear, but rather awe.
'Seems the announcements had the desired effect.'
He offered small waves or nods at random to those who greeted him. Perhaps if he was still human his hand would have gotten tired, but now there was no cause for such a concern.
Looking off to the side, he saw quite an impressive carriage barreling down the street, pulled by two excellent Earth Dragon specimens, or at least Ainz guessed they were pretty good since they looked quite nice, their black scales reflecting the light in a beautiful pattern.
But it seemed that someone was too caught up in their beauty, the carriage suddenly coming to a halt amidst panicked screams.
"[Fly]." Ainz muttered to himself, going above the crowd to get a better look at what happened.
In front of the carriage was a bloodied body of a young man. The undead mage landed right next to the body, kneeling down in an attempt to check his pulse.
The crowd gathered around him, silently waiting for the verdict of the knight they heard so much about.
Ainz shook his head, "Dead on impact." he said, "Does anyone know him or his family?"
A few hands rose in the crowd, and Ainz pointed to a random woman.
"His name is Jurius. A boy from the pauper district, my lord. Is there nothing that can be done for him?"
Ainz pondered for a moment. The loss of a young man like this was regrettable, and resurrection could certainly help skyrocket his reputation into space and beyond, but last he checked, resurrection was unheard of in this world. He glanced once more at the body.
'I'm sorry, but revealing a trump card like that is unwise.'
"Unfortunately not. At the moment, I am powerless to help." Ainz said, picking his words carefully.
With a dramatic flourish, he drew a low-level – though still beautiful – cloth from his inventory, covering the body.
"Give him a proper burial." he said, taking out a few gems and putting them next to the corpse, "And give those to any who were close to him."
He rose into the air once more, leaving the tragic scene behind. Sad as it was, at least the boy didn't have to live the rest of his life in squalor any more, and it seemed to have been quick at least.
The Overlord looked over his shoulder and to the driver who was now gently picking up the body, 'And it just seems to be an accident indeed. Poor boy.'
A single pseudo-sigh escaped his ribcage.
'It's times like this I wish I had [Resurrection] as a base spell…'
Alas, accidents happen. Powerful though he may be, he couldn't hope to save everyone. Besides, resurrecting one person would lead to everyone expecting such a thing, and he simply didn't have infinite wands.
'So far the only people who know I can resurrect others are those I can trust, and it's best to keep it that way, or the Witch Cult may get some funny ideas.'
With his mood soured by moral conflict, he quickened his pace upon landing back on the ground.
'Maybe I should've just talked to Otto. Would've probably been less troublesome.'
If not for the willingness of the people to move out of his way, he would've worried about gouging someone's eye out with his pauldrons by accident, but thankfully he could navigate the street freely.
His hand no longer rose in greeting, and the faces moving past seemed more like blurs than actual people.
Before he could get caught up too far in his own thoughts, he was brought back to reality by bumping into a well-dressed gentleman.
"Oh, my apologies." Ainz said, catching the man before he could hit the pavement. Undead reflexes really were quite good when he wasn't distracted.
As the man got back to his feet, the Overlord glanced around. 'Isn't this the noble area? Did I really get so caught up in my thoughts to just wander here?'
"Lord Ainz? Did you come here to listen to Baron Montirati's, erm, speech?" the noble asked, sweat pouring down his face.
"Speech?" Ainz mumbled, "Ah, yes. I, uh, just caught wind of it and came to observe. I fear I've missed too many court meetings while going off to battle."
'This is just like that one time I stumbled into a corporate meeting with upper management. But hey, that got me a 2% raise, so maybe this'll end well as well.'
"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get a better view." Ainz said, squeezing past the comparatively tiny man and making his way further to the elevated, wooden platform.
'Almost looks like the gallows from here.' the Overlord thought to himself as he meandered through the crowd.
"And this damned devil summoned that accursed corpse with her powers! The powers of a witch!" came the voice of the noble from atop the platform.
'Ah, it's one of these speeches. No wonder that noble was sweating bullets. He's probably worried I'll massacre everyone here.'
He scanned the area with his flaming eyes.
'I'll leave that to Crusch down the line.' he decided after a moment, 'And I suppose I best make a grand entrance.'
Disappearing from the crowd with [Perfect Unknowable], he listened to the noble's speech.
"And now that pile of bones has enthralled one of our own! Duchess Karsten, once so noble and proud, has fallen prey to the filthy magics of that monster and its summoner! Will you allow such an outrageous affair to continue within our country?!" he yelled, his voice blazing with passion.
But, to their credit, most of the nobles seemed quite disinterested, talking with each other or simply staring at the noble as if to say 'Okay, and?'
"Listen to me!" he called out, "That monster will bring nothing but ruin to our country! He will let that death-loving empire of Vollachia spill over our borders, he will incite unrest, and it'll be the war with the beastmen all over again!"
"Then could you explain his feats of killing an archbishop of the Witch Cult and two legendary demon beasts? These hardly line up with your talking points." said a tall, snake-eyed noble in the crowd.
"You see, he is luring us into a false sense of security! He's a monster! And that bitch of a half-elf is no different!"
The floorboards creaked as something appeared behind the noble, towering over him.
"I can accept insults against me, but going after my lady is a little much." came the regal voice of Ainz, "Do try to restrain yourself."
"Aha! Come to silence the truth, have you?!" said the noble, taking a step back from the undead mage.
"Not at all, as there is no truth to silence here. I simply heard that the circus was in town and wished to visit, but it seems that they've only got one clown performing at the moment."
A series of chuckles spread through the audience as the nobleman turned a bright shade of red.
"You dare make a fool of me!?"
"You've been making a fool of yourself this whole time, so I took it as an invitation." Ainz answered, "Now, if I may help the audience out a tiny bit, [Silence]."
All of a sudden the noble turned mute, and Ainz walked past him, now directly in front of the crowd.
"Apologies for the unannounced visit, but I simply had to see the kingdom's greatest clown for myself." Ainz said, once more met with a few laughs as the man behind him attempted to make a sound.
"I'm sure you already know that what this man was saying is false, but if you are still not convinced, I would like to offer you an opportunity."
Eyebrows peaked, interested smirks blossomed, and curiosity glimmered in many an eye.
And then the world lost its colour.
"Okay, what the hell do I actually offer?"
He thought all his remarks through so thoroughly beforehand! Why did he have to add that into it at the last minute!?
Money? Pointless, all these people were nobles.
Magic items? Too risky, and scarcity always made such things more valuable?
A favour? Too abstract and would most definitely bite him in the ass later down the line.
Just what in the world could he put on the line? And more importantly, how could he pawn this responsibility off on someone else?
Roswaal was an obvious choice, but all of these people had most likely dealt with him before, so that was nothing novel…
Then it clicked!
The whole reason behind his fiasco, which of course wasn't his procrastination, could also be the way to fix this!
He repositioned himself, so as to not randomly reappear in a different place, and resumed time.
"Recently, I have gotten a skilled merchant in my employ, who not only trades on my behalf but also has an exclusivity contract with the famed blacksmith of the Dragon's Anvil. I will let you all schedule a one on one meeting with him once I return from my business trip in a few weeks."
The nobles murmured in approval at the offer, but they all knew that there was an inevitable 'but' coming up.
"But in exchange for such a boon, I ask that you disregard any such foul rumours spread about my person and my lady. It is in the kingdom's interest that the people know the truth, after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I have a few meetings to schedule."
"If I may inquire about just one thing, Sir Gown!" called out the snake-eyed noble from earlier, "When precisely can we expect such meetings to begin? I hope you understand that we too are all busy people."
"Of course, of course. It slipped my mind. Unfortunately, it will only be in a month or so, as I am travelling soon to conduct some important business." He raised his hand before anyone could speak up, "Strictly confidential, I fear."
"Understandable, Sir Gown. Safe travels, wherever they may bring you." the noble replied, giving Ainz a low bow as the Overlord teleported away.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The small, blue-haired figure shook in the corner of the room as the door opened. Thankfully it wasn't the terrifying figure of 'Mother' that entered, but rather that of her big sister, Elsa.
"M-Meili… Close your – khuh – eyes for a moment." the Bowel Hunter said, her voice guttural and raspy.
Droplets of something hit the dingy floor of the room, at first in a constant stream, but slowly that turned into a trickle and then finally stopped.
"Much better." Elsa said, entering the room with her usual grace, though her clothes resembled ribbons more so than her elegant – though highly revealing – robe.
The single candle in the room let Meili get a glimpse at her big sister. Where normally was a confident smile and pale skin, now the latter was tainted by black, almost pulsating veins.
Meili gulped as Elsa sat down next to her. "D-Did Mother do this again?" she tentatively asked, knowing the answer already.
Still, this was all unusual, wrong even. She failed when she unleashed her Guiltylowe in that Roswaal guy's estate, and Elsa failed to take out the target initially, so why were they still alive?
Mother did not tolerate failure.
Maiming Elsa on a daily basis was hardly a punishment compared to what she expected, so what was happening?
"Turns out we get a second chance." Elsa cheerfully said, "Mother will be coming with me to Priestella, and you will get to go with us and cause a little havoc. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"
"M-Mother is coming!?" Meili called out.
Elsa calmly nodded, "Yes, so there's nothing to worry about. We'll get rid of that mean skeleton and get things back to normal, alright? Don't you worry." the assassin gently reassured her younger, equally deadly counterpart.
A small smile appeared on Meili's face as she leaned against Elsa, "O~kay! I'll bring all my favourites along!"
"Good." Elsa said, running her hand through her adopted little sister's hair, "We'll need them."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Well, that was more trouble than it was worth." Ainz said as he reappeared in the mansion, dusting off his robes despite no actual dust being stuck to them. "And I guess now it's time to find Otto."
He decided to walk through the mansion, lest he become too reliant on teleportation. Then again, he had no muscles to atrophy, so was that really such a bad habit?
More questions for a philosopher or proper sage should he ever meet one, he figured.
Carefully making his way down the spiral staircase, he reached the main exit, only for the doors to be flung past his face and for a blonde, young man to crash into him.
"Hello to you too, Garfiel." Ainz said as he helped the boy get back to his feet, "Picking another fight with Ram? You do remember how well that went, right?"
"Shut up! Stay outta family things!" Garfiel yelled as he dashed off back into the courtyard.
Ainz slowly stepped outside as well, finding Beatrice off to the sidelines, and Garfiel and Frederica duking it out right in the middle of the gravel path.
"Just in time, I suppose." the spirit said, "Betty thinks they are just about to get serious, in fact."
The Overlord walked over to her and patted her head as a greeting, "You surely could've stopped them, no?"
"Of course Betty could have! I am much stronger than them, in fact."
"I'm glad you didn't though. Like Garfiel said, I'd rather stay out of their family business. Besides, it's best to let them get this out of their system."
Garfiel landed a punch centre mass of Frederica, sending her flying backwards, though she managed to land without so much as stumbling. Dashing back into the fight, Ainz saw her form become slightly more feline.
Her brother showed no signs of transforming and yet still he remained in the lead, dodging her return assault with ease.
"Yer rustier than Reid's sword!" Garfiel called out.
"Or maybe you've just gotten better!"
The maid's movements seemed downright sluggish compared to her brother's, and she was struck in the solar plexus.
She fell face first onto the dirt a dozen metres away from Garfiel, who cracked his knuckles and slowly made his way towards her.
"Tables turned since we did this last time, eh?" he said.
One of his hands transformed into its larger, bestial counterpart, striking at Frederica.
The ground shook as the paw impacted something, though it wasn't exactly what Garfiel anticipated.
"I wasn't going to interfere, but this is a little far, don't you think?" Ainz said, holding down Garfiel's arm with his skeletal hand, "You should learn to be a little nicer to your sister."
"No, it's – khah – fine, Ainz. Let us continue." Frederica said as she got back to her feet behind Ainz.
The Overlord shook his head, "Beatrice, heal her please." he said, casually throwing Garfiel aside by his arm, though the youth landed on all fours the way a cat might.
"In truth, while I am interested to see the outcome of your battle, I am quite worried about the garden." Ainz said, "At least take the proper precautions to reinforce the ground with magic." He quickly glanced around and added, "Not that I would ever try to cover up for myself that way."
'And it seems like Garfiel was completely in the lead, even without his shields. Wait a minute, where the hell are they?'
"Garfiel, why were you fighting without your shields? You should get used to wielding them." Ainz said as he walked up to the boy.
"Ah, eh, Ram already packed 'em up an' all. Ya think I'll need 'em in Prie-, Prise… in that water city?"
"I doubt we'll be in much danger there, but if you insist on it, perhaps we could organise you some sort of showmatch with a prominent fighter or two there."
"Alright! Now we're talkin' like Vollachians at the emperor's dinner table!" he said, briefly looking over at Frederica, "Sorry, sis, gotta go get ready an' all!"
He sped off with such force that he upturned the very ground, causing Ainz to frown.
"What an energetic and troublesome boy…" he muttered, mentally directing one of the wraiths to fix up the garden, "And you seem to indulge him a little too much."
"It's just karma for when we sparred as children." Frederica said, silently enjoying the soothing effect of Beatrice's healing magic.
"Then I'll make sure he'll get his fair share of fighting in the Watergate City, so that at least the garden remains intact." Ainz said, beginning to walk away and towards Veronica's forge, where he hoped to find Otto.
He did indeed have such luck, finding the merchant shirtless and fanning himself just outside of the forge,
"If I knew you were assisting in the making of the product itself, I would've offered you a ring like Veronica's." Ainz commented as he entered the young man's field of vision.
"A little – phew – late for that." Otto answered, "I'm – sigh – just getting used to it."
Ainz shrugged, "If you say so. Either way, I come bearing good news. I found you a few potential clients within the borders, since I'm sure you would be nervous smuggling across the border."
"How many? And who?" Otto asked, somehow his breath becoming perfectly regulated the moment money became involved.
"Er, how many nobles are there in the kingdom? Because I'm quite sure it will be approximately 90% of those, or maybe more. One on one meetings once we come back, of course."
Otto blinked once, then once more, and a third time for good measure as he looked at Ainz. "Thank you, I suppose. I was going to set up such a thing on my own later… You didn't read my mind, did you?"
The Overlord chuckled, "Let's just say I've a little mercantile experience myself. I do, however, have a small favour to ask in return."
"You most definitely weren't lying about the experience part, dealing the way you do. Please, what do you need?"
"Once we arrive in Priestella, I want as much information as possible on any security threats. Shady characters, mercenaries, cultists, the whole thing. I expect it to be a safe place, but it shouldn't be too troublesome for you to ask a few rats for help, right?"
"Rats are quite shrewd actually, but I can probably figure something out. Is there anything else?" Otto asked, standing up and reaching towards the entrance to the forge, "Because otherwise I am going to go back to studying the merchandise."
"Not at all. Please, go on."
The young merchant nodded and entered, prompting Ainz to reach into his inventory.
He waited a minute, idly counting down the seconds.
Another minute passed.
'Maybe he really was getting used to it.'
As his internal clock hit three minutes, he began to turn around, only to hear the door creak and for a thud to echo out as Otto fell on the ground.
Ainz tossed the ring behind himself and towards the merchant, "Try not to be so forgetful when you deal with the nobles." the Overlord said, chuckling as he made his way back to the mansion, where Ram was surely getting done with the final preparations…
Discord . gg / Wg4gkrgW
Edited by Korak324
Betaread by: HackSlashBash, WhoStoleMyTea?, SIB
(AN: Another chapter! Hopefully it didn't take too long! Anyway, after this we have the epilogue and the volume is over! After we finish up this volume, I'm planning to finish up [Supreme Fear]'s volume and I'll have a few announcements there, so stay tuned! Anyway, join the discord and all that! As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)