Volume 1 Chapter 5

Qrow flew through the sky, hoping to spot the camp.

He was hoping to get there before whatever caused that phenomenon left.

There were no guarantees that whatever caused this phenomenon was at the camp, but Qrow's instinct told him he would find something important in the camp. And a huntsman's instinct is one of their most important assets.

He hoped he would get there before the battle was over. The last thing he wants is for one of the combatants to run away or die.

He knew how powerful Raven was, but he didn't think she could beat one of those summons. Not without help, anyway.

He wasn't worried about the possibility of his sister dying—not out of hatred for his sister—well, not completely; it was just the fact that with her semblance, she could run away from any unfavorable encounter, so the chance of her being captured or dying is low.

However, that is only in cases where she is fighting someone away from the tribe camp, as Raven is a prideful person, especially when it comes to her dear tribe. It wouldn't be odd for her to fight something she wasn't confident in beating just to keep face.

Regardless, Qrow didn't believe she would throw her life away that easily.

'Then again, I didn't think she would leave us after giving birth to Yang either.'

The memory of that day is still fresh in Qrow's mind.

But he didn't want to be distracted by it right now, so he moved his thoughts to something else.

'How confident am I at beating one of those summoned creatures?'

The creatures in question were the death knights he saw back at the settlement, escorting Jade and the survivors.

When he saw them for the first time, he was occupied with de-escalating the situation, but now that he has time to think about it, they are powerful.

Someone listening to Qrow's thoughts would think Qrow couldn't have known that without fighting one of them. But as a veteran huntsman, he was confident in his ability to judge an opponent's strength. It is a skill that becomes mandatory for all huntsmen and huntresses after their first year of becoming official and licensed.

You wouldn't find a veteran huntsman without that sense, as those who didn't develop it would have already died.

Such were the dangers that come with being the defender of Remnant.

And with his senses developed after years of life-and-death encounters, he could tell without a doubt that his odds at beating one of those summoned creatures were not good, to say the least.

If he had to face one of them, he could clutch a win with his semblance, as they didn't look that fast in comparison to him, and they didn't seem to have a method for long-range attacks, so if he kept his distance, played it safe, and attacked only with one foot already in retreat, he could beat one of them.

Of course, all that is just his preconceived notions of a creature he didn't fight and has no information on their way of fighting; all he could know about them is that his senses are telling him that they are strong.

'It's hard to believe that such a monster can be created by a semblance, and more than one at that.'

Semblances that could summon a creature to fight for the summoner are not new for Qrow; he had seen some huntsmen and criminals incorporate them in their battles, so he shouldn't be shocked to see another one.

However, when compared to the summoned creatures Qrow is familiar with, the summoned creatures of Ainz's are just too powerful. Even the summons of the Schnee family's semblance can't get that powerful.

At least not without a cost.

Technically speaking, a semblance can't get that powerful, as there is always a limit to what a semblance can do and be. Be it the cost of the aura to activate the semblance, the range of the ability, or some damage inflicted on the user if overused.

So, in general, a semblance shouldn't be too powerful without any cost; that goes against the known facts on how auras and semblances work.

And yet Ainz's semblance allows him to do just that and obtain powerful forces as long as there is a corpse.

'In other words, there is a side effect to his semblance; we just didn't see it. Now that I think about it, Jade did say he had a mask on and that his clothes left no place exposed.'

With that in mind, it would be logical to assume that his semblance's side effect leaves him with either some physical deformity or an inability to fight on his own due to physical weakness.

Qrow felt that he was coming to the truth of the matter.

'It would make sense if his semblance leaves him with a weak physical body, even when enhanced with an aura. When taking that into consideration, his abilities become somewhat balanced.'

If he could reach that conclusion with the limited knowledge at his disposal, then Ozpin might have reached the same conclusion maybe that is why he wanted Qrow to make contact with him.

'Is it because I can relate to him?'

Qrow smiled bitterly at that thought. Someone with a semblance like his can understand the side effects a powerful semblance can have on their everyday life.

The more he thought about it, the more logical his conclusions became.

The memory of Jade's retelling of the events came to his mind.

She had mentioned that Ainz had an amazingly well-crafted staff with him. At first, he thought that it was his weapon, but now it seems more logical to assume that it is used as a cane—something to lean on due to his weak constitution.

The more Qrow thought about it, the more convinced he was of his ideas.

'I should tell Oz about it just in case.'

Qrow believed that if he could reach such conjurations, Ozpin would have done the same or simply deemed them to be incorrect. However, there was no reason not to tell him about it.

After he had reached those thoughts, Qrow saw the camp in the distance.

'Wait! That's!'

At least what had remained of it.

What Qrow saw were the remnants of the tribe camp; the destroyed tents, wooden barricades, and buildings were all that indicated that someone had lived here before, as well as the blood-soaked dirt that hinted at what happened here.

When he got closer, Qrow landed on a tree branch of a tall tree, which gave him a better view of the destroyed camp.

Oddly enough, Qrow could not see any corpses from where he stood, but after a bit, he realized why.

Grimm. They were circling the camp, and some had entered the camp and were planning to make a nest in it.

It was common behavior for Grimm to make territory within locations that were once inhabited by people. All that showed was that anyone who had survived whatever hit the camp had already succumbed to the Grimm.

Qrow didn't know what to feel.

Part of him felt cathartic about this situation, as if some unknown burden had finally lifted from his back; another felt that the whole thing was some ironic cosmic justice that had finally caught up to Raven and her tribe; the ones who were used to raiding villages and letting the Grimm destroy all that they left behind had their camp attacked and left for the Grimm to eat all that had survived.

In the past, if someone had told him this as a joke, he would have laughed it off and said that they had it coming.

But now that he sees it with his own eyes,.

'This is just... I don't… I… just….wow….'

Qrow transformed back into a human and stepped down from the tree.

'Should I be glad that Raven's reign has ended or be sad? That I lost a sister, that Tai lost a wife, and that Yang lost her mother? But she... We all lost her on the day she left; what makes this any different?'

Qrow leaned on a tree, disregarding the Grimm that had taken notice of his presence, or more accurately, his emotions.

An outsider would say that there was no guarantee that Raven died in the attack after all her semblance allowed her to run away from unfavorable battles, but Qrow knew better than most about Raven. She wouldn't let the fight go so far as to lose this many people, not unless she thought she could win, given the number of estimated deaths.

As to why he was sure she didn't run away, well, it was simple.

She didn't open a portal for him, and Qrow was sure he would have been her first pick for a quick getaway.

'For all her bravado, she was always a coward. She wouldn't want to face Tai... to face Yang.'

"You idiot. You could have just..."

Qrow wasn't even sure if it was his sister he was addressing with that statement.

Looking around him, he saw the Grimm slowly approaching him.

"Can't even give me a moment, huh? Well, I needed a distraction anyway; I'll tell Ozpin about this later."

With that said, Qrow pulled Harbinger from his back and lunged at the approaching Grimm, not noticing a shadow watching him from the darkness of the woods.

POV Change

"This incident will be catastrophic for my future free time."

A white-haired middle-aged man said this to his companion as he sighed.

He wore an unzipped black suit over a dark green button-up vest and a green shirt. He also wore a green scarf that complemented the overall look.

He had a pair of shade-glass spectacles on and supported himself with a cane that completed the look of an educated older gentleman.

The mug in his hands would have turned his look from that of an educated older gentleman to that of an overworked older gentleman. Had the liquid in the mug been coffee, however, an astute observer would have noticed that the content of the mug was not coffee but the sweet nectar of the gods, hot chocolate.

His companion looked at him with narrowed eyes, a look that would remind someone of a teacher about to scold a lazy but talented student. She didn't do it on purpose, but due to her line of work, such habits became inseparable from her daily life (and from her unsuccessful dating life, not that anyone would dare say that to her).

If one had to describe her in two words, they would be "elegant and strict," not in a pretentious way but in a natural and uncontrollable way, as if the person couldn't help but be so.

She wore white long-sleeved plated gloves with a wide keyhole-shaped neckline and gauntlet clothes that flared in plates at the wrist, a black high-waisted pencil skirt, and black fading into brown stockings.

Perhaps a certain subset of the male observers would conjure certain ungentlemanly thoughts and preconceived notions when seeing such attire; however, for a huntress, this choice of style was not uncommon. The freedom to express oneself through multiple avenues was an integral part of Vale's culture.

Of course, the look on her face would make any smart individual hesitate to comment on her choice of clothing.

Her identity is Glynda Goodwitch. She is the right hand of the headmaster of Beacon Academy, a teacher at said academy, a huntress, and many more things that would have many impressed by the achievements she had detained and her relatively short time on the planet.

"Are you sure this is for the best Ozpin? Leaving Vale right now when everyone is looking for your answers regarding what happened?"

She asked her companion, who simply shrugged with an easygoing smile on his face.

"Not much can be done on that front; the situation at hand is rather complicated; we don't really have much information on what caused that incident, and stinging in Vale attempting to theorize on the cause of it wouldn't help us; besides, there are much more pressing matters to attend to, and who knows, maybe the cause of that incident lies with our new acquaintance."

Ozpin answered her with the same easy tone he usually takes. This was something that always bothered Glynda; she trusted him, but sometimes it bothered her that he didn't show any change of expression when dealing with serious matters. The only time he takes a different tone is when speaking of the queen.

In a way, such a quirk is important for a leader to not show their emotions on their face and always have an easygoing expression that will lead others to drop their guard around him. However, that can sometimes leave those who interact with him to consider him to be somewhat unnatural or inhumane in his conduct.

One could see it was a bit uncanny.

Of course, that wasn't what bothered her the most in this instance; what really irked her was that nagging feeling that Ozpin was only taking this trip to avoid doing the necessary duties of a headmaster, especially after that incident.

She could understand that paperwork isn't really a very exciting pastime for anyone, yet as the headmaster, Ozpin should know better than to just run away from his duties.

Perhaps she's being a bit disrespectful to him given his position, but she's used to his antics at this point, and her instincts are rarely wrong regarding such matters.

"Don't worry, Glynda. I assure you things will be fine; Vale certainly wouldn't blow up if I left it for a day or two."

Ozpin said before taking a sip of his mug.

'The way you said it makes it sound like you are tempting fate to make it so'

Glynda's eye twitched at that thought.

"Headmaster, I understand that the situation in Mistral might be related to this incident. However, is there a reason for you to be present there? Qrow and Leo are there; I'm sure they can handle the situation and report back to you if worse comes to shove; it won't be too late for us to go there."

Glynda tried to reason with him; she had her reasons.

After the incident had occurred, many of the councilmen and high-ranking hunters wanted answers. And the person they tended to go to in such situations was Ozpin. And the way to get to contact Ozpin is to contact her, as she is one of the only routes someone can take to contact him; otherwise, he'd have to deal with every big and small matter that happens in Vale.

However, when everyone was expecting him to present some answers or reassure everyone about the situation, Ozpin decided to leave for Mistral to meet some unknown element that had somehow made contact with him.

At first, Glynda thought Ozpin was just trying to weasel out of his duties as usual and attempted to squash his hopes of leaving immediately, but Ozpin assured her that this situation was serious and that his presence in Mistral was crucial.

The serious tone he took with her back then led her to understand that the situation was related to the war they were fighting.

But that was it. Ozpin didn't elaborate on the matter further than telling her that someone in the know regarding their war had appeared in Mistral and that he may have important information regarding the incident and the queen.

Glynda still had her doubts on the matter, not out of distrust of Ozpin but simply out of a need for self-reassurance. The queen hadn't made a move in a long time, and they had believed that she went into hiding after what happened six years ago.

So, they hoped that the stalemate would last for longer, at least enough for them to train the next generation of huntsmen and huntresses to be more prepared for the upcoming tribulations.

'I should know better than to think that she would just stay hidden until we die off.'

One can't blame her for that thought process; after all, the level of stress and loss they had suffered would make peace, even if temporary, a blessing for them. An analogy for this would be presenting a cold glass of water to a lost traveler in the middle of the desert. The traveler would see this glass of water as the most precious gift in the world, worth more than a sea of gold. Now imagine telling that traveler to give you back that glass of water when they only drank half of it. The traveler being dissatisfied with the situation would be an understatement.

Ozpin understood that. That's why he simply let Glynda talk, deny, and try to present him with a more logical solution to the situation; she understood where he was coming from and what must be done, and she was better than to just simply let her emotions take hold of her. Eventually, she'll understand and get back to thinking that this is business as usual; he had faith in her and her abilities.

And before long, Glynda sighed.

"So, do I take it that she made her move?"

She asked him while staring at the window next to her. They were currently riding a bullhead heading for the capital of Mistral.

Ozpin took that question as a sign that Glenda dealt with her denial of the resurgence of the queen and is now ready to take the situation head-on.

'Seriously, a normal person would have wanted to stay in denial for much longer, especially after everything they've been through, but I guess that's what makes her special, huh?'

A small hint of pride found its way into his heart. He was really glad to have such people supporting him; gods knew he needed them.

Now that he has her mentally prepared for what is to come, maybe it is time to give her the carrot.

"Well, I'm not sure that this is her handiwork, not the incident, to be precise. I'm talking about our new acquaintance; there is a high chance that he's unrelated to the queen, or, to be more precise, is not on her side."

Ozpin decided to give her up hope that the situation might not be a full-scale operation done by Salem; he certainly didn't believe it to be so. In all likelihood, this is something that she didn't want to let loose—more precisely, not now.

Perhaps the involvement of Ainz led to that incident occurring; it is quite possible that he somehow influenced the situation, forcing Salem to release whatever that was. And the fact that no casualties have been reported so far presents a possibility that maybe whatever that was wasn't meant to be destructive.

Perhaps something Salem conjured in order to spread mass hysteria and panic—certainly, that would have been devastating if it had been released at the right time. However, right now, there would be no reason to release it. After all, nothing major has happened lately.

Had that darkness enveloped the whole planet in the midst of a large-scale Grimm attack, the amount of panic and negative emotions going around would have led to an unprecedented number of casualties. So, if his theory is correct and this truly was the work of Salem, then the fact that this was released now would mean that they had avoided a possible tragedy in the future.

That would make Ainz Ooal Gown their ally. However, he wasn't sure. He could be wrong regarding this incident, but he really cannot think of any other person on Remnant who can release such a phenomenon.

Ozpin believed Salem has the capacity to conjure such a phenomenon, of course, not without preparation and not without years of study, storing magical power, and practice. After all, magic was not omnipotent, and although creating such a phenomenon was theoretically possible, the amount of magical power that would be consumed would render it improbable.

To be more precise, if Salem had gathered this much magical power, then there were certainly much more effective methods to employ it than to simply use it as a scare tactic.

Of course, if she had found a different source of power that could cause such a phenomenon, then it would be possible. Salem was always quite creative, which would also explain how Ainz had somehow forced that phenomenon to occur.

'I'm lacking a lot of information on the current circumstances; I should contact Qrow and see if he finds anything.'

As he is right now, Ozpin could only create theory after theory to somehow explain what caused the incident.

"You think someone else is capable of uncovering the secret war without having come into contact with your Salem?"

Glynda's voice brought Ozpin out of his mental labor.

"It's actually quite possible; you'd be surprised just how intelligent some people can be, and if my hunch regarding our new accountants turns out to be true, then he knows more than he lets on; if we come to meet him, you will come to understand this. Of course, I have yet to confirm my thoughts regarding the matter, but for now, meeting him would not be a wrong move."

Ozpin tried to reassure his right-hand women in regard to the possibility of meeting Ainz, which seemed to work to some extent but not as he had intended.

Glynda seems to be on edge after the phenomenon occurred, and he can venture a guess as to why. But he wasn't insensitive enough to try and comfort her on that matter. Glynda was an adult woman, a capable huntress, and an accomplished teacher. The last thing she would approve of is someone trying to comfort her on one of her insecurities; that was something she wouldn't approve of; her pride wouldn't let her.

However, Ozpin can still ease the stress she was feeling by making her focus on something she was used to, like their mission, and there was something he needed her opinion on.

"Speaking of which, there is something I have yet to tell you regarding the situation and our new acquaintance."

Ozpin waited for a bit so Glynda's attention would be fully focused on what he was about to say. It wasn't really necessary, as she was already focused on him when he talked about the subject, but he needed her to understand how important what he was about to say was.

"Ainz Ooal Gown believes that Leo can't be trusted."

Ozpin said it in a flat tone, but Glynda would have discovered from years of dealing with the headmaster a certain level of discomfort in the way he said it.

She would have if she had been focused on his tone and not surprised by the context of what Ozpin said.

Ozpin waited for the words to sink in before he turned his eyes to see the expression on his subordinate's face.

Glynda had changed her posture and was now staring directly at Ozpin as if waiting for him to say something, but when he didn't say anything, she addressed him with a question.

"And I'm sure you don't share his view on the matter, do you?"

"Personally, I don't. However, I can't let that be the end of it; if the chance exists that he is a traitor, then we stand to lose too much by just ignoring it. Of course, the odds of that being true are quite low."

Glynda thought a bit about the answer and addressed something she didn't like about it.

"You say all that, but did he show any proof of Leo's supposed treachery?"

"No, not really. That is why I want to confirm all of this before making any accusations. This is a serious claim, and on the off chance that it is true, it would be devastating. So far, you, I, and Qrow are the only ones who know of this, and I plan to keep it that way until we find more information on our new friend and anything that would make him doubt Leo, I have to do at least this much."

Glynda contemplated what to say before presenting her opinion on the matter.

"For future reference, I want you to know that I don't believe for a second that Leo is capable of this, but I support your decision to investigate, as it will show that Ainz's claims are unfounded. However, when we find no concrete evidence of Leo's supposed treachery, I think it would be fair to inform Leo of the situation; he has the right to know."

Ozpin smiled bitterly at her words. An outsider listening to her words would think that she had already made up her mind on the outcome and that this bias would affect her ability to investigate the matter, but Ozpin knew that although she had her mind set, it would not affect her work ethic. Glynda knew not to put personal feelings over objective facts, especially in their mission.

Silence reigned between the two of them for a while, with the only sound that could be heard being the sound of the engine of the craft and the air hitting the outer shell of the bullhead.

Seeing the atmosphere that took over, a mischievous smile found itself on Ozpin's face as he addressed Glynda in a questioning tone.

"By the way, I heard something happened with the new freshmen team called CFVY; can you elaborate on that?"

Glynda didn't even let him finish his sentence, as she commanded with a red face.

"Don't even finish that sentence!"

And just like that, the heavy air seemed to dissipate somewhat.

POV Change

{Hmm…I see. Keep monitoring him and inform me of any changes to his movement or anything he says.}

{Yes, my lord!}

With that, Ainz terminated the message and thought about what he had just heard.

One of the Hanzos he had ordered to monitor the destroyed camp just informed him that a man had just appeared and engaged the Grimm that came after he left the camp.

'So, the Hanzo saw him transform from a bird to a man. This must be his semblance.'

Ainz concluded.

'He also mentioned Ozpin, who should be the headmaster of that academy.'

Ainz didn't think that they would be moving that fast.

He expected his message to reach the headmaster after a day or so—maybe enough time for him to hide any traces of his involvement in this operation and disappear under the radar.

'I underestimated them. This could mean that they are aware of my involvement in this, so this could mean that they are fully prepared to deal with me, but I didn't leak any information! Could it be? Are you used to dealing with players? I miscalculated; I should hurry up!'

Before I made any moves, a calming effect enveloped him, forcing him to calm down and think carefully about the situation.

'No, that wouldn't make sense from Raven's memory, and from what I got from questioning that Leonardo guy, they shouldn't have anything or anyone on that level. Then again, I didn't get much, so I should move forward with the assumption that facing them would be a losing battle. Until I get enough information to prove otherwise,

After reaching that conclusion, Ainz decided to continue with his plan.

Right now, in front of him lies the gate to the relic of knowledge; from what he has gathered, only a maiden can open the gates in front of him. However, anyone can enter the gate to get the relic.

Of course, he wasn't going to risk it; he had Raven do the job for him, and just in case he had cast an anti-divination, anti-magic, an object locating magic on her clothing, and a sealed use of [death] in case the mind control was broken, he would make sure that no information on him was leaked.

Once Ainz got the relic, he planned to learn more about it and then hide it immediately. He didn't want to take any chances in case there was a hidden magic trap on the relic, which was part of the reason he sent Raven alone to retrieve the relic.

While waiting for the relic, Ainz decided to think about the series of events that led him here, in case there was something he had missed.

'First, I found myself in a strange world, then I saved a village from a bandit attack, decided to gather more information on this world from the bandits, and realized the existence of gods and a secret war going on between an immortal witch and some academy headmasters and teachers. After that, I had Raven unlock my aura, which led to my level going beyond the level cap, and finally, I decided to steal the relic in order to avoid any possible confrontation with the gods of this world. Did I miss anything?'

Ainz thought for a while, thinking about anything that might have led someone to his trail.

Then it clicked in his head when he had his aura unlocked.

'At that time, I remember everything going black for a couple of moments before everything went back to normal. I remember the word [world] appearing in front of me, indicating the activation of my world-class item. At the time, I didn't give it much thought, but what if that darkness covered more than my immediate surroundings? After all, a world-class item was involved. Maybe that's how they found out the location of the camp, so maybe I'm not fully exposed yet. However, that's only speculation on my part; I can't let my guard down just yet. This isn't a game anymore until I am sure that I can revive. I should take death to be the end of it all.'

With his determination renewed, Ainz looked up just to see Raven coming back while holding a huge lamp. The handles and the pedestal were shining gold, while the bowl had an ethereal blue color to it.

'So, this is the relic of knowledge.'

Ainz approached Raven, ordering her to stop and hold the lamp closer to him.

"[All Appraisal Magic Item]"

Ainz cast his spell; he wasn't worried about any countermeasures to the spell, as he had already taken precautions against it.

After casting the spell, a lot of information entered his mind: a brief history of the relic, information about its uses, how to use it, its limitations, and even some information about the maker.

"This is interesting."

Ainz said that after digesting the information, he could see many uses for it, but before he could celebrate his find, a final piece of information made him curse his luck.

"This isn't a relic; this is a cursed item!"

Ainz's annoyed voice echoed in the surrounding cavern; he truly was annoyed by the final piece of information he got from the spell.

To put it in simple terms, the relic acts as a magnet for Grimm and would keep on attracting any nearby Grimm to the holder of the relic. It does that by sending a magical radio wave-like signal covering a huge distance.

This is the last thing Ainz needed. When he learned about the ability of the relic, he thought about taking the relic with him and using it to learn more about the history of Remnant, but now he can't do it; otherwise, he would attract a lot of unwanted attention.

The Grimm were one thing, but if that magical wave were to be spotted by that immortal witch or that headmaster, then he would have to deal with two unknown forces, and he wasn't confident about beating either of them without gathering enough intelligence on them.

This wasn't Ainz underestimating his own abilities, if anything, from the memories of Raven; both of them shouldn't be a problem to deal with. However, he wasn't sure that the information he got from Raven was accurate; for all he knows, both of them had been hiding their true power, and he knows for certain that hiding his power is what he would have done.

'Maybe I should have used [Control Amnesia] and that guy's memories, but I didn't want to expand more mana, and that spell practically burns through mana, so I had to settle for using it only to wipe his memories of the mind control.'

Ainz figured that there is no point in crying over spilled milk; he can't really go back there and search for the memory of the headmaster of Haven Academy. Well, technically, he can; he just knows that he shouldn't. After all, he just got the relic, and he can't guarantee that he won't have to fight someone after this, so just in case, you should avoid staying here any longer.

'Better safe than sorry if I need to search his memories again; I can do that in the future when my mana reserves are fully restored.'

With that thought in his mind, he decided to deal with the immediate problem of their Grimm magnet in front of him.

"[Mana-Essence]"

Ainz cast a spell to see how to deal with this situation.

What he saw were weak waves of mana gushing out of the relic at intervals.

'Hmm... if it's just a matter of a magical wave attracting Grimm, then maybe this will work.'

Ainz put his hand over the relic and cast a spell.

"[Anti-Information Field]"

After checking the relic again using [Mana Essence], he determined that the waves had stopped spreading outside of the barrier.

'Great! it worked!'

He stopped himself from celebrating just yet; he wasted enough time. He better move on with the plan and erase any traces of him being here. Technically speaking, someone must have known that the relic was stolen, but he was hoping that they wouldn't trace it back to him, and in the off chance they accused him of stealing it, he just said that he didn't know what they're talking about; after all, magic wasn't a thing here, and those who do know of it are only familiar with the system of this world, which is technically a foreign one.

'Technically speaking, I haven't confirmed that I'm the only player here, so there is still a chance that someone could trace this back to me. I shouldn't move, believing that I'm special. That would be a quick way to meet an untimely end.'

With those thoughts in mind, Ainz decided to move on with the plan while keeping the possibility of another player finding him on his mind and planning for it in the future.

He moved his hand to take the relic from Raven and addressed her.

"Now all that is left is to get rid of you."

That being said, he was troubled when it came to dealing with her; it would be safer to just kill her; that way, he would be sure that any information on him would leak. However, in the case of resurrection magic being a thing here, a possible enemy could gather information on him. He could wipe her memory and kill her, but honestly speaking, Ainz would like to avoid doing so, not out of a kind-hearted reason but simply because he would stand to gain more if he let her live.

This woman was content with leaving the fact that she was a maiden unknown to the outside world, at least as far as he knew. Assuming that no one else knows her identity as a maiden, he would be sure that no one would be able to open this vault again and confirm the theft of the relic.

'The memories of this woman do recall her having a family; she seemed to be missing them, although her memories had her somewhat reluctant to go back to them'

Ainz wasn't sure about the details of her family, as he didn't dive too deep into her memories; he was mostly focused on the important parts regarding the new world he found himself in.

'I could use that I could change her memories of anything regarding me using magic on her and send her to her family; her semblance should allow for the ability to run away from a losing fight. If I manipulate her memories to make her defeat look devastating and despair-inducing, then I can guarantee that she won't come back for revenge later on. Yeah, that could actually work!'

Although he was reluctant about expanding too much mana, it can't be helped, as this is the best course of action. And technically speaking, the amount of mana he expanded would be restored in a short amount of time with the help of his natural mana regeneration, the increase from his equipment, and the bonus from the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. But he just didn't want to take the chance of being caught off guard.

With everything set up, he proceeded to implement his plan. He was oblivious to the effects his actions today would have on the future of Remnant and, on a smaller scale, the teenage life of a certain blonde girl.

POV Change

It had felt it, beyond the ethereal spaces, beyond the separating void, in a distant world nestling within the far reaches of the branches. A new one was born.

That should be possible. It was its job to stop such a process from occurring in case someone didn't follow the predetermined method. So, it tried to do so—to destroy that creature and stop it from ascending to the status of a

01001000 01100101 01101001 01101101 01110011 11000011 10110011 01110110 01101001 01101110 01110101 01110010 00001010.

And it failed that one had a world item with him. It prevented its influence from stopping him.

In cases such as these, it would fall to the hands of the creators to fix such a violation of the rules.

However, the creators were silent. All it could do was reluctantly present him with the power to ascend.

His ascension took an odd path, and yet it could only do what it was made to do. Regardless of what odd form the ascension took, it had to present that one with the power to defy laws.

It didn't care for what was to become of that world; it has its functions, and it will do them regardless of the consequences. That is its job, its purpose, and the reason why it was created.

The birth of a new one in a far-distant world will have many consequences within this tree.

However, that is not a concern for it.

End of the chapter.

AN: Well, you reached the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading it. I really appreciate it, and I appreciate all the support everyone has shown. Thanks for the feedback. The pacing was something on my mind for a while, but I think I can continue writing with confidence.

I was planning on releasing this chapter yesterday, but unfortunately, real life had other plans.

I started this fanfiction in order to improve my writing and as a hobby. So I always appreciate any feedback from the readers. Anything that would go to improve the quality of the story would be appreciated.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.