Chapter 36: Conspiracies and Truths
Ainz Ooal Gown. Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Master of Death. The Eclipse. The Goal of All Life. The Sorcerer King. The last Supreme Being. The Supreme One. The King of Darkness.
Or, Suzuki Saturo.
He was not sure who he truly was. For all his power and might, his mind fought for an identity. Was he the ultimate being destined to rule the world? Or a man with extreme luck?
"No, power does not come freely. There is a reason I am here. That is I." His noble voice pierced the silence in his room. His soul-piercing orbs ignited with new-found fire.
He would make his own destiny. His purpose would not be chosen by whatever gods remained in this world but by his choices alone.
Still, the undead ruler sighed after letting himself into his bed's soft fabric. Numb to the touch, he felt something, but it was limited.
"Enough of this." Reaching for his staff, the moment he made contact with it, his fingers became enveloped by muscles, then skin. His whole body followed, now a pale Original Vampire remaining where once an Overlord lay.
"Much better." He felt more sensation, yet still not as much as when alive. But he could not allow himself to turn into a living being. He did not know the consequences of such an action. Going from living to undead was possible, but the reverse did not come without problems.
"How will they react? If I turn to my human form, I'm unsure if I could keep up my persona." He detested his old form. Weak and fragile. Even if it was his original self, he would never return to it.
"This is what I am now. An Overlord. Or, because of the staff, an Original Vampire. The One." He looked at his hands, big and soft, yet not without a meaning of strength behind them.
"I should make use of this avatar." His voice sounded more vocal, his emotions hearable. Yet not much. But for Ainz, it sufficed.
As his divine robes disappeared, a new pair of garments clothed his body. While not as majestic, they would still stick out in a crowd of peasants. It was a light fit made for mostly vampires who wanted high mobility while possessing some sort of protection, in the form of metal gauntlets, shoulder, and knee pads. The leather was toned slightly red, yet mostly black. It accompanied a long cape, hiding his clothes completely under it. The outfit reminded him of what the boss Cainabel wore in his early stages. While not the same, it was still impressive.
'I should get myself some pause after I had guests come over.' Ainz thought, and with a flick of his fingers, he found himself above Nazarick, staring into the night sky.
"Beautiful." He said before disappearing once more. His gaze turned to the lands of the former kingdom of Re-Estize.
The skies were red, storms plaguing the landscape with unnatural lightning bolts, setting forests and villages ablaze.
Abominations flew above the ground, searching for any survivor left. The cities were now ruins. And while not all citizens of Re-Estize died, it was still a large number to consider it a genocide. Most fled to the Holy Roble Kingdom, Slane, the Argland Council State, or the hills occupied by Demi-Humans. The latter were probably eaten by them.
Even if it was unjust in the eyes of humans, he thought it a necessary step.
"Making an example is important. The rulers of Re-Estize were corrupt and selfish. Keeping them alive would be the equivalent of letting a rat alive out of pity, a rat that nurtured itself of one's crops while sleeping in one's house. I do not have such weaknesses." He clenched his fists, actual hate flowing through his veins. His eyes turned blood-red for a moment before they died down.
"But not all deserve such fate." He remembered Carne. The villagers had no sin; rather, they were victims themselves. And he and his armies just killed thousands of such villagers. But he felt nothing. Yet he still knew reason from madness.
"Their deaths are justifiable. They could have turned on their lords every second..." Ainz said to himself. However, there was a parallel between their lives and his. He was somewhat of a slave as well. Yet, did he and his fellow workers ever rebel against their bosses? No. Their lives would have turned out even worse. The same could be applied here. Yet comparing two so different scenarios wasn't helping in this case.
Letting such thoughts aside, Ainz turned his vision toward the south.
'The Holy Roble Kingdom. Mmh, Demiurge told me something about a plan he had in mind. Speaking of the devil.' Glancing to his right, he noticed a familiar figure floating beside him.
"What a surprise meeting you here, Demiurge. I see you have done well with Re-Estize." Ainz commented nonchalantly, at which the demon smiled.
"I am pleased that it is to your liking, Lord Ainz." Demiurge bowed, then noticed the direction his lord was looking at. "The Holy Kingdom. Not as fanatic as the Slane Theocracy, yet still bound by their strong religion toward their gods."
"True. Your plan involves the Demi-Human tribes, I remember." Ainz stated.
'At least I think I do. I kinda spaced out when he explained his master plan to me.' Ainz thought. His new abilities from the [Master Tactician(Genius)] class gave him an ability like [Critical Thinking], which boosted his mind somewhat. He noticed quite the difference when activating it. He could grasp things much faster and solve puzzles that took the most intelligent people of his time hours, where he did it in seconds.
"Yes, I believe I have everything sorted out. You only have to say the word." Demiurge said, his gaze fixed on Ainz, his seeking of approval palpable.
"You intend to unite the Demi-Humans under your control and send them toward the Holy Kingdom, making their situation critical. The Theocracy is out of reach, so their only option remains us. Even then, I am not sure they would come to us for aid so willingly. We need another factor that guarantees they come to us. That is Momon." Ainz explained, the devil catching on.
"I had thought of that, but I was unsure how you would have reacted, my lord. Involving Momon in this situation solves our problem quite well." Demiurge commented.
'Nice of you to leave nothing for me to continue on, Demiurge.' Ainz mused.
"They would certainly not come to me for aid. But to Momon. I am sure he is popular, but not that they would regard seeking his strength to fight against you." Ainz said. Momon was certainly popular among the people, but since he had never publicly fought an opponent like Demiurge, Ainz was not sure they would consider Momon a strong enough hero to fight for their cause.
"I understand. We must make Momon more famous. Make him defeat such a strong enemy to make them think of him as a hero of legends." Demiurge caught on.
"Yes, the question is who and where." Ainz put a hand to his chin, contemplating his options. Re-Estize was hardly a place many people remained living to witness any grand spectacle. But the empire could fit that role.
'Now, how can I make this another vacation? Mmh.' Ainz thought deeply before coming up with an answer.
"Baharut will be our playground for this act. I will travel there as Momon. I'll leave the rest to you, Demiurge." Ainz said, making the devil grin.
"Of course, Lord Ainz."
A huge shadow enveloped the area, the chillness contrasting the surroundings, a desert filled with nothing but sand and death. Yet underneath a flying city, a town blossomed. Through huge waterfalls, the city received an unlimited supply of water, allowing them to plant crops to survive. If the floating city of Eryuentiu ever moved, the people below would starve to death.
The town was not gigantic, yet boasted of many small homes and regular towers. The main attraction was the abundance of skilled craftsmen that resided here and the protection provided by the Platinum Dragon Lord and his Dragon Knights, Lizardmen with sand-colored hide.
The strongest of their race were trained from birth as warriors and given items by the Platinum Dragon Lord himself to boost their strength even more. One of them could easily keep up with the Warrior Captain. They made for formidable knights, riding Wyverns into battle.
On the balcony of an inn, a figure gazed over the desert city, boasting golden hair and blue eyes. Once innocent and naive, their face seemed hardened over the last days.
Another figure appeared out of the shadows.
"How're you doing kiddo?" The man asked, relaxed but with a bit of sadness. The boy sighed.
"I'm not sure, Brain. We were fighting the Sorcerer King and suddenly ended up here. I don't know what to think of this anymore." Climb confessed, sitting down on a weaved chair. Brain joined, putting his shoulder over the boy.
"Look. These are hard times. But Gazef wouldn't want us to sit here and sob about his death. He knew he would die there." He paused. "When I saw those eyes, I was already looking into a dead man's face." Brain said. Even if he saw it only once, he knew when a man was prepared for his demise.
Climb could do nothing but stare into the distance. Hearing those words, he simply didn't want to believe it.
"But there had to be another way! He didn't have to-"
"He gave us a chance, Climb! Why do you think he sacrificed himself there? He wanted the world to know how dangerous the Sorcerer King is! His death wasn't meaningless!" Brain interrupted in a short rage. "Sorry, kiddo. Truth is, we're all suffering right now. I don't even want to know what the people in the kingdom are going through. These are tough times, Climb." Brain sighed.
"I…I just hope the Princess is alright. I feel so guilty leaving her alone. I have to go back. You have to understand." Climb said, feeling guilt on his shoulders, getting heavier by the day they stayed here.
"Climb, rescuing the Princess would probably be impossible now. We don't even know if she's alive. Better we stay here with our new allies. We'll find a way." Brain told Climb the truth, which he would need to accept now.
"You're right..." Climb said. Then, a silence enveloped the two. Climb drifted in his thoughts while Brain searched for something to cheer up the boy.
"Hey, you probably didn't know this, but my sword is actually from this place." Brain said, pulling out his katana as he held it before Climb, getting his attention. "The smiths of this place learned how to craft incredible weapons from the Eight Greed Kings and their servants. Most think they were bad, but they founded this place under their floating city." Brain explained, Climb giving him a suspicious look.
"Do you really believe that they did all these things, Brain? I mean, it just seems absurd that eight people could do all this." He questioned openly.
"Come on, Climb. There's a damn floating city above us, and you don't believe what I said? True, history depends on who writes it, but there's clear evidence the Eight Greed Kings existed." Brain retorted, and Climb had to give the point to him. Never had he seen such a thing before. He couldn't believe his eyes the first time he saw it from afar. He thought the legends to be false, but he was proven wrong.
"You think I could get such a sword here as well?" Climb asked, surprising Brain with his request.
"I mean, sure. But this weapon is unlike any short or great sword you have ever held. The fighting style differs, so you'll need to learn that first. And I'll be blunt: you probably do not have the talent for it." Brain said. He thought of breaking the boy's dream before he could get his hopes high. "But, katanas aren't the only weapons made here. We could find you a replacement since the swords made in this place are miles better than what you can find in the kingdom." Brain offered.
"Really?" Climb asked, his mood suddenly lifted.
"Sure-" Before Brain could continue, a loud screech filled his ears, instilling pain in the two warriors. As he looked up, he saw a Wyvern being ridden by a Demi-Human, slowly approaching the two of them. Quickly, they made space for the creature to land. Yet his eyes remained fixated on any sudden moves.
"The Platinum Dragon Lord wants to see you two." The Demi-Human said in a deep voice, gesturing to the two empty seats on the Wyvern.
"We'll have to look for a new sword later, alright, Climb?" Brain said, slowly approaching the Wyvern.
"Yeah." The blonde-haired boy responded.
Never was or wanted he to climb on a Wyvern and fly through the air. The mere thought made Climb shiver with fear. He always liked the ground and never really wanted to depart from it.
"You coming?" Brain asked, ready to climb on the creature.
"Right behind you." He answered. With careful steps, he held his hand out toward the Wyvern. "You got this." He whispered, grasping the saddle as he lifted himself up.
"You good?" Brain asked Climb as he looked behind.
"I'm fine."
Flapping its wings rapidly, the wyvern took into the air, slowly gaining altitude. Climb could only watch as the ground distanced itself from them. One wrong move, and he would fall to his death.
'Get yourself together, Climb. This is not how it ends!' He looked into the air, hoping to find a distraction. And he did. Now that they went past the lower part of the floating city, Climb could finally witness the magnificent structures that made up Eryuentiu. It looked like a giant city with all buildings connected, forming a huge palace in the middle with towers reaching far into the sky. Never had Climb seen such a thing before. Even the Valencia Palace was nothing compared to this.
But he could not watch the scenery for long. Quickly, the wyvern went into a dive, aiming right for the center of the palace where a small opening lay. First, Climb thought they wouldn't fit in there, but the wyvern simply curled its wings in, passing through the hole without much problem.
"We are here." The Dragon Knight said, landing the wyvern in a huge hall. There were many guards stationed here, all wearing enchanted gear. "Go through there, and you will meet with our lord." The Lizardman said before leaving with his mount.
First admiring their surroundings, the two warriors slowly approached the gate.
"This place is like nothing I have ever seen before." Brain had only seen it from below so far. But walking in the Eight Greed King's lair was nothing he thought to accomplish in his life.
"Yeah…" Climb said, rather anxious about this place than excited.
They gasped at what they saw as they arrived in a grand room with an open roof. What looked at them was a creature out of legends, rarely seen by mortals like them. A living dragon, colossal in size as it stared directly at them.
"Welcome, Brain Unglaus, Climb." The Platinum Dragon Lord spoke with its deep voice, snapping the two warriors back to reality. As they put their eyes to the right, they saw Azuth waiting for them, leaning on his power suit.
"It is an honor to properly meet you, Lord Tsaindorcus Vaision." Brain said as he bowed, Climb following.
"You may raise your heads." The Dragon Lord said, and they obeyed. "You have my condolences for the Warrior Captain's death. A friend of mine once gave a ring imbued with Wild Magic to Gazef Stronoff, yet I have not found it on his body. I would wish not to talk about such things days after a man's death, but these are difficult times. Do you know the location of said ring?" Tsaindorcus asked, Climb raising his hand as he showed the missing ring to the dragon, having it all along.
"Gazef gave this to me so that I could get stronger. I didn't know it was from you." Climb said as if apologizing.
"I only wanted to see if it was in good hands. Now, I have put the Warrior Captain in a frozen state, hoping to keep his body in good shape for a resurrection. Do you know someone who could return him to life?" He asked. Even if he could, the Dragon Lord did not want to waste much power to return such a weak human to the living. Yet his strength is enough for him to consider Stronoff a good asset to utilize against the Sorcerer King.
"I think Blue Rose's leader can resurrect people. Lakyus is her name, but after the kingdom's collapse, I don't know what happened to them." Climb explained.
"Ah, yes, Blue Rose. I heard they reached the Argland Council State in good condition. I have already invited them here."
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