Chapter 15
Unbelievably and without anyone knowing when he had appeared, someone stood in front of the insect maid.
He wore strange clothes which had never been seen before in Re-Estize. In Evileye's knowledge, this was a set of garments which was worn in the south, a full suit. He also wore a mask which made it impossible to see his face.
However he was not human. A shiny metallic tail sprouted from his waist.
"Hey, a relative of Evileye?", joked Gagaran.
'You idiot!'
Evileye hesitated. His dominating presence hit her as if her entire body had been struck by lightning. If she were to look at her right hand, she would discover that it was covered in sweat.
"—Are you alright, Entoma? Leave the rest to me. You go back first to recuperate."
He ignored the armed Blue Rose members standing in front of him and spoke in a kind tone to the insect maid. Although he was the enemy, he gave others a good impression of himself. However, Evileye knew that this wasn't the case. The tingling sense of fear reached the tip of her very toes, and this feeling was very real. With her survival instincts screaming at her, she held her breath and then spoke with a grim determination to Gagaran and Tia who were standing to one side.
"... Fly, you fools! ignore the fact that I am here and listen. That... is an overwhelmingly powerful existence. A monster amongst monsters. No matter what happens behind you, use your full strength to escape."
"...Then what about you?"
Gagaran asked with a bitter voice.
"Don't worry about that. I will drag this out until you escape, then immediately use [Teleport] to get out of here."
Not knowing what she had done, the injured insect maid which was not supposed to be able to move unsteadily stood up. She was not seen using any healing magic, nor did it seem like she had consumed any item. Out of nowhere, an insect appeared and it attached itself to the insect maid's back. While leaving behind a few 'yeeh yeeh' sounds, she flew away into the night.
Helplessly watching her escape, Evileye was unable to take any action because of the being now standing in front of her. The other two were the same, with their foreheads drenched in sweat and their bodies petrified, unable to move. After watching the maid depart, the creature turned toward Evileye.
Having lived for over 250 years, she had come across powerful beings of all sorts. Even so, the aura he gave out was exceptional. No, this was a nauseating and revolting maliciousness which, compared to others, was at an impossible level. As a powerful being, could he be at the same level as the Platinum Dragon Lord? Because he is far too powerful, it is unclear which is stronger.
"You've waited long enough. Now then, since time is tight, shall we begin right away?"
"Quick! Escape!" Evileye cried out.
The two turned around and fled like wild dogs. There was no way they did not feel guilty about leaving a companion behind. It was precisely because of this guilt that they had only chosen to escape immediately after Evileye had finished speaking. Trust! If it was Evileye, anything could be done. If Evileye covered them, escape should be possible!
However, this thought was immediately overturned.
"First of all, don't leave during introductions. It's not that painful, let me block your transfer. [Dimensional Lock]. Giving a greeting before departing is the proper etiquette, and delightful."
This was a spell which could only be used by powerful creatures. It was one of those used by no less than Oshikuru when he fought against the Black Scripture. It had the area effect of preventing anyone in the surroundings from using transfer magic. Evileye and her team's retreating strategy was rendered useless.
"Now then, ladies first. But if you plan to do nothing, allow me to make my attack."
A terrifying amount of murderous intent spewed out from between his words. Evileye mentally collected herself, expelling the sense of dread from inside of her. I'm Evileye. A woman of legends. No matter how strong the enemy is… I fight!
"Such kind intentions, I shall act preemptively! Eat this! [Maximize Magic: Shard Buck Shots]!"
She used the spell she was proud of from the outstart. Many crystals smaller than the size of a fist shot out in a scattered pattern. These were crystal fragments with sharp front ends. Originally it would be used in close-quarters combat to inflict enormous harm, but it was unclear how to get close to this archdevil in front of them. Although she hardened her resolve, she still held herself back a bit. Evileye mocked herself. The enemy's strength was unknown, so fighting cautiously was only natural.
The masked devil opened his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. The hail of crystal bullets arrived in front of him and the spell disappeared so fast that it was as if it had never existed.
"Is that the racial talent [Magic Invalidatio]!? Or is it because the difference in strength is actually this large!?"
If there was a significant gap in strength, magic would easily be rendered ineffective.
Ignoring Evileye who had made a mistake with her first move, the creature elegantly stretched his arms out sideways in a stance similar to that of a commander.
"[Hellfire Wall]."
The heat wave pounced in a direction behind her. The incredulous Evileye frantically looked backward. With a swishing noise, the night combusted and black flames which could not possibly exist burned.
They surrounded the fleeing Gagaran and Tia who struggled momentarily before gradually falling onto the ground like garbage. The flames disappeared as if they had been an illusion all along, and the two had already stopped moving and breathing.
She strongly suppressed her own desire to immediately rush over to check on their conditions. Evileye deeply understood the meaning behind the phrase 'not daring to believe, yet impossible to deny reality'. It was a fatal injury. With a single strike, her companions with whom she had gone through thick and thin, had been slaughtered. She gritted her teeth, not letting herself make any sorrowful sounds.
"I merely tried to stop them, but they were weaker than I had imagined and died from flames of that degree. Please accept my remorse."
As if he was apologetic from the bottom of his heart, the man bowed deeply. Such an attitude made Evileye unable to suppress her own emotions. What could possibly be the reason for him to disregard Evileye, who was the opponent in front of him that launched an attack and instead strike at the two behind her? Escape was one of the reasons, but there was another. He knew clearly just how big the difference in strength between us was and knew I posed no threat to him whatsoever. But in reality.. .he did not even regard the person in front of him to be the enemy.
Since they were fleeing in front of him, he killed them first. The train of thought was just that simple.
"So sorry. Dying from such a degree of injury, I shouldn't have used you as a standard of measure. Why would you team up with those that are weaker, anyway? If you didn't do it, wouldn't you be able to challenge even higher-level opponents?"
"… You! You! You! You can't say that! Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
This was not a cry of sorrow but a howl of anger. Full of hatred and shouting loudly, Evileye ran forward. It would be more accurate to say that she used magic power to glide through the air. Injecting magic into her fist, she accumulated the [Invalidatio] and [Difficult Resistance] melee magic.
The devil raised his hand to receive the blow.
"[Aspect of the Devil: Archdemon's Wrist]."
The devil's wrist expanded multiple times and the enlarged arm hung down until it reached the ground. That cracking noise was not because it was inflated with air, but because it had turned into an extremely hard, lethal weapon. With that thing blocking the front, Evileye's advance was stopped. Her heart wavered for a moment, but immediately she hardened her resolve.
The enormous wrist closed in on Evileye. With a speed beyond imagination, it was like a huge wall stretching endlessly within sight. As it was unavoidable, Evileye made a split-second decision and activated her defensive magic.
"[Translocation Damage]!"
Darkness covered her sight at the same time as she was sent flying by a strong impact which disorientated Evileye. Her body was thrown onto the stone-paved road and bounced up like a ball before being sent flying by another impact. But there was no damage.
Evileye activated the magic [Flight] and flew up in an awkward and unnatural posture. She had not been injured, but if she had not used a spell that turned physical damage into mana loss, she would have already been dead.
"[Maximize Magic: Crystal Dagger]!"
A larger crystal dagger than the one before appeared in midair and shot out. This sword did purely physical damage and could not be resisted. On top of this, by further applying more special skills, it was able to easily break through defenses.
Without evading, the devil took the attack head-on. Although he had received magic with the greatest damage output, not the slightest effect could be seen on the devil. Damn, no injury, even when defense-shattering magic is applied? ... Is it a superior devil exceeding imagination?... No, even greater than the Demon King! Could it be the Demon Emperor?
Although an Emperor wasn't necessarily stronger than everything else, it was common sense in this world that having this as part of the name meant that it was the strongest of the entire race. Humans were basically the only ones where the weak could proclaim themselves as a king.
"[Aspect of the Devil: Razor-sharp Claws]" The devil's claws elongated, stretching beyond eighty centimeters. Evileye could not help feeling that these claws were unstoppable and could tear apart anything in the world.
I can't retrieve those two's corpses and get away. Even if others arrived, they would not be strong enough to face this person. I can at least move away from the battlefield and make it easier for others to discover their corpses...
The corners of Evileye's mouth curled upward.
She can revive us. The worst scenario would be allowing Lakyus, who is able to use revival magic, to meet this devil. That can never be allowed to happen.
"I'm coming!"
Just as Evileye was bracing herself to charge forward, a sharp sound rang out as something fell in between the two of them.
Unable to withstand it, cracks appeared on the stone-paved road and dust billowed about. There, with their bodies bent over because of the landing impact, stood a warrior.
The serene moonlight lit up a full body dark armor, causing it to flash with a dazzlingly beautiful radiance. A cloak, as red as a burning flame, billowed in the night air. Both hands were separately grasping gigantic swords which shone with an incredibly brilliant light. The warrior's body was tall, about the same height as the devil. He exuded the same strength and aura as the creature in front of him.
Slowly, the warriors stood up. However, that divine radiance made the devil retract his body and Evileye caught a glimpse of the powerful demon turn fearful at the moment his gaze landed on the newcomer. That expression was as if he had seen something beyond his imagination.
In the silence, Evileye heard the sound of saliva being gulped. This sound was from the devil. The devil which had exceeded Evileye's imagination was holding its breath in front of this warriors who had seemingly jumped down from the heavens. A God?
A cold, penetrating voice pierced through the darkness.
"Let's see... who is my enemy?"
High above the royal capital, a group of people flew like shooting stars through the night sky. Two of them were magic casters sustaining a flight spell, the two others were their passengers.
One of the latter two was in a suit of jet-black full plate armor, carrying two massive swords on his back, while the other did not have a single piece of armour on himself, though he bore two blades as well in his sheaths.
That morning, the two of them had accepted a quest from the E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild for an incredible amount of money. The client was Marquis Raeven. On the surface, it appeared that the Marquis wished to hire adventurers to enhance his estate's security in the wake of a disturbance the causes of which were unknown.
Momon and Oshiku knew that wasn't the whole of the matter. The reason was because he wanted to suppress the group known as the Eight Fingers and thus he hoped Thunder & Lightning would fight alongside the people gathered to fight against the strongest members of the enemy, the Six Arms.
Oshiku was enthusiastic about it and Momon as well. Even as Ainz, he could not find any reason to reject this quest besides a "lt'll mess up Demiurge's plans, which I'm unaware of", and he was not completely sure about it either. After all, the bright demon could adjust the plan if need arose.
Normally, adventurers had an unspoken policy of staying out of national matters. In order not to drive off Momon the Dark Hero and Oshiku the Bard Samurai, they had gone to the trouble of preparing a proper quest to serve as a cover and aimed to attract him with a truly lavish reward.
After some thought, Momon accepted the quest under a pretense of reluctance, in order not to make himself seem like a crass bargainer. The problem was that they had to make way to the capital with all due haste.
In YGGDRASIL, there were waypoints that could be used to teleport from city to city, but in this new world, there were no such things. Teleportation magic was a 5th tier spell, which Momon and Oshiku should not be able to use, while traveling overland by horseback would take an entire day.
What was to be done, then?
The answer was simple, which was provided by the magic casters of Marquis Raeven. They used accelerated flight spells combinaed with the [Floating Board] spell and together they took Oshiku and Momon with them to the capital at great speeds. How did they do this? The answer was very simple. Momon and Nabe sat on the floating disk, which reduced the effective weight, so carrying the two of them would not slow them down appreciably. In this way, they had rushed straight to the capital all day long until now. However, even with this trick, time was still very tight and they had already fallen behind schedule.
Oshiku was upset. I haven't had any alcohol since last night!
And Ainz was slightly worried. If I arrived and was told I was no longer needed, what reward, if any, could I collect?
Though Ainz had been drawn by the unprecedented reward, it was doubtful that the requester would be willing to pay out to someone who had done nothing. Ainz sighed quietly. He sounded like he was praying, like an employee with a poor performance review hoping against hope for some kind of bonus.
No matter what, he had to earn this bounty. He had already decided how he would spend it.
As these thoughts ran through his head, Ainz saw the capital for the first time from the sky at night. He regretted that he could not take his time to enjoy the view. The capital was dark and it didn't seem like a bustling city at all. Even so, it was a fascinating experience for Ainz, whose eyes could see clearly in the darkness, just like Oshiku who started looking for still open bars.
Watching quietly from above, Ainz's eyes spotted an interesting sight; a light suddenly flashing in the distance. Though nothing much happened at first, when he saw black flames, he realized that was an emergency situation.
"Wait! Look! There's a glow of spell casting, over there!"
"Indeed... it does look like some kind of magic..."
The magic caster that had followed the pointing of Ainz's finger didn't seem to think much of it. A normal person would have had trouble making out the glow through the dark and the distance, much less analyze it.
"What's wrong? Is this sort of thing commonplace in the capital? Or are these fireworks to welcome us?"
Oshiku chuckled, while the magic caster didn't laugh at the joke. Indeed, the expression on his face was very serious.
"That's one of the eight locations we were supposed to attack—"
"—I see. I thought we'd arrived too late, but it looks like we'll be doing some work after all. Then, let's head towards that location."
"Hey, hey. It looks like there's a pretty high-level magic caster present. If we're pulled into this, don't you think we might lose our lives?"
Then what are we supposed to do, you coward?
"… Fine, you two go to our original destination and tell Marquis Raeven we'll be there as soon as possible."
Ainz looked away from the magic caster's conflicted expression and turned to his friend.
"Oshiku-san, fly us closer to there. On my mark, drop me right on top of them. Then, just watch out from above until the fight is over, jump in only if necessary."
"Sure, boss. It's showtime!"
"Let's see… who is my enemy?"
To Evileye, who was on the brink of life and death, the black warrior's question seemed utterly ridiculous. However, she immediately changed her mind. When you thought about it, both of them seemed very suspicious. After all, it was a confrontation between two masked figures, it wasn't unthinkable that they might be seen as conspirators fighting amongst themselves or who knows what.
Then, hoping she'd correctly deduced the identity of the black armoured warrior, Evileye cried out: "Dark Hero! I'm Evileye of Blue Rose, I appeal to you as a fellow adamantium-ranked adventurer! Please, aid me!"
The moment she made her plea, Evileye realized that she had made a mistake. It was due to the difference in the fighting strength between herself and the enemy. Even with the help of Momon the Black, a fellow adamantium-ranked adventurer, what could they possibly do? The demon facing Evileye was one she could not hope to defeat, even with his help. It would be like going from a scrap of paper to two. Either way, they would both be scattered by the raging storm before them.
If he accepted Evileye's request, she would be directly responsible for his death. What she should have done was to tell him to flee, and if possible, take the bodies of her comrades with him. But—
"—I understand."
The man immediately took a stance before the demon, hiding Evileye behind his back. She held her breath. In the moment that he stood before her, she mistook him for a massive, sturdy wall, the kind that would defend a city. A sense of security and relief filled her to the depths of her heart.
The demon confronting them actually bowed his head, as though he were a commoner showing due deference to a nobleman. It couldn't possibly be respect, he must have been mocking him. Damn you demon, stop playing games already!
"My, my, such an honor you pay us this night. Might I inquire as to your noble name? This one is known as Jaldabaoth."
"Jaldabaoth?" She heard the surprised voice of the man underneath the jet-black helm, followed by the mumbled "Weird name!" She didn't think it was weird. In fact, Evileye had no idea what to think of it. She knew quite a bit about the lore of demons and other infernal beings, but next to nothing about this name.
"Jaldabaoth, is it? I understand. My name's Momon and, like she said, I'm an adamantium-ranked adventurer."
Though bathed in Jaldabaoth's overwhelming presence, Momon carried on as if he hadn't noticed it at all.
So that's what he's doing, Evileye thought with approval. In order to draw his opponent out and learn from him, Momon exercized his iron discipline and kept his emotions from showing. It was clear why the man called Momon was recognized as a first-rate adventurer. Evileye, ashamed of how easily her emotions had taken control of her, moved into the shadow of Momon's crimson cape in order not to distract the two of them from their exchange of words. Even though Momon seemed willing enough to assist, she had the feeling she would only be getting in the way.
Momon and Jaldabaoth didn't bother acknowledging Evileye's presence. In the moment that she moved, they began a duel of wits, each seeking the secrets of the other.
"Ah, I see. May I inquire as to the reason you have graced us with your presence this evening?"
"It's for a quest. A certain noble hired us to defend his estate... but when I passed by and saw this battle, I thought it was an emergency, and naturally I jumped in. What's your reason to be here?"
"A mighty item capable of beckoning me to this plane has found its way to this city. I am here in order to retrieve it, of course."
"And what if we gave it to you? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"Unfortunately, that would be impossible. There can only ever be hostility between us."
"What kind of conclusion is that? De-Jaldabaoth, must we be enemies?"
"That is precisely so."
Evileye tilted her head at the surreal sight before her. Rather than a battle of wits, they were just sharing information. How did that even make sense?
"Well, I understand, for the most part. In that case... you do realize that I will defeat you here?"
Momon spread both hands and the greatswords which were like an extension of his arms seemed to shine.
"That...would be inconvenient. Do permit me to put up a bit of resistance."
"Very well, then. Jaldabaoth, here I come!"
He stepped, no, that wasn't right. The warrior standing in front of her had vanished. Before she could notice it, he was engaged in an intense melee with Jaldabaoth. It developed into a struggle that Evileye could not describe with words. The after-images of countless swords, parried and countered by the extended claws of Jaldabaoth.
"Incredible..."
There were many ways to render praise, but at this moment, Evileye, who was entranced by the dazzling swordplay before her, could only offer up that single word. It exceeded the blows of all the swordsmen in her memory. It seemed as though he would slice through the night and evil in one blow.
She felt like the princess in the songs of the bards and the dark warrior before her seemed like a knight come to her rescue. An electric current ran up through her spine from between her legs and Evileye's petite frame shuddered. The heart of hers that had been still for over 150 years seemed to beat quickly once more. Placing her hands on her breast, she found that of course there was no movement there. Even so, it felt real enough to her.
"...Please win, Momon!" Evileye clasped her hands together in fervent prayer, hoping that her knight would triumph over the fearsome devil before her.
With a whoosh, Jaldabaoth was blown a good distance away, with a sound that didn't seem like it could have come from a body of flesh and blood. Though still on his feet, he was skidding all over the cobble-stoned ground. After several meters, he finally came to a halt and dusted himself off.
"Truly spectacular. Exchanging blows with a genius warrior like yourself might have been a mistake on my part."
With a great wham, Momon stabbed his sword deep into the stone beneath him and used his free hand to pluck a chunk of stone from his head, before answering plainly.
"Enough with the pleasantries. You're hiding your power too, aren't you?"
It seemed almost unbelievable that neither party was going all-out despite the scope of this battle. Could he be a God-kin?
The offspring of the beings known as Players were people who might awaken an incredible power from within themselves. The Slane Theocracy called these people demigods. Or, more precisely, they were the ones who carried the bloodline of the Six Gods within their veins. If they had the blood of others, they were considered as enemies.
It seemed very likely that this Momon was of the bloodline of a Player. Or rather, it would be better to say that no human could have possessed such power.
"My my, it seems I couldn't hide it from you after all. Very well, then. Here I come. [Aspect of the Devil: Tentacle Wings]."
Wings sprouted from Jaldabaoth's back, but the feathers covering them were abnormally long, evoking the appearance of tentacles. He spoke evenly to Momon, who remained on his guard.
"You're strong. There is no doubt that your might exceeds my own for the time being. Though it is not exactly to my tastes, permit me the use of this method. While your own defense is formidable, can the same be said of the small fry behind you? How will you deal with that, then? Perhaps you should focus on defending her, no?"
With that, he cast forth a hail of feathers. Their tips were razor-sharp, capable of slicing cleanly through muscle and bone. Evileye was defenseless in the face of this onslaught. She had no more mana to cast [Crystal Wall] or another defensive spell and the incoming projectiles were just too many to dodge. All she could do was die.
But as it turned out, Evileye had been underestimating the dark warrior.
As the sound of metal rang out, Evileye looked up, and saw a stout human shield standing before her. Shattered remains of the feathers were being scattered everywhere like falling stars. Even if they were capable of shredding her to pieces, it was still a beautiful sight.
"It's good that you're all right."
His arms kept swinging the swords at an incredible speed. His breathing was measured and his tone was calm even as he furiously deflected the feathers coming at them until there were no more.
"Ah...ah... Ah! Your shoulder! Are you okay?"
Momon's pauldron had a feather stuck in it. Because it had been cleaved in half mid-flight, it had lost its penetrating power. It looked like a decoration on his armor.
"It's nothing. Attacks of this level against me aren't even worthy of consideration. Rather, I am glad that you're all right." He chuckled.
Evileye felt her heart lurch with a badump. Her face was hot under her mask, which felt like it was going to scald her.
"Marvelous! For defending her without letting her sustain so much as a scratch, I, Jaldabaoth, offer you my heartiest congratulations. Truly, a marvelous display."
"Like I said, enough with the pleasantries. Tell me, Jaldabaoth, why are you pulling away?"
With that, Momon scooped up Evileye in one arm and hugged her close to him.
"!" Her unmoving heart felt like it was going to burst from her mouth. In her mind, all the stupid stories of the stupid bards kept pounding through her brain, over and over again. Especially the ones where the knight carried the princess while doing battle. Any sensible person would realize that carrying a burden while fighting a strong enemy was nothing but foolishness. But—
Evileye's heart fell. She had imagined she was a princess being carried aloft, but the truth was she was being carried like a sack of potatoes under his arm. Although, that was actually the best way to do it. Compared to a mature adult woman, Evileye was thin and light. In order to maintain his center of gravity, it made perfect sense for Momon to carry her like this.
She knew she had no grounds to complain and her heart still burned with the anger of seeing her companions murdered. She knew full well this wasn't the time for such foolishness. Even so, there was no way to fully quell the unhappiness inside her heart. Maybe if she had hugged him of her own accord, it might have made things easier for him. But she wasn't confident she could hang on to him by herself if he chose to fight at those breakneck speeds again, so she kept quiet.
"Then, shall we continue, Jaldabaouth?"
"No, I believe that will be all for now. Like I said earlier, my objective is not to defeat you. Now, we will turn part of the capital into hell. Once we have established the breach, rest assured that I shall certainly send you to the underworld atop a pyre of infernal flame, if you dare to interfere once again."
With that, Jaldabaoth turned and vanished. His movements didn't seem hurried, but in moments the distance between them had lengthened and he faded into the night.
"No, No! this is not good, Momon, if we don't pursue him—"
As Jaldabaoth vanished from sight, Evileye was starting to panic, but Momon shook his head.
"We can't do that. He was retreating in order to carry out his plan, or worse, to lead us into a trap. I can't risk to…"
Momon didn't have to finish the sentence for Evileye to understand. If he gets serious or receives support, you'll get caught in his attacks and die.
The fact that Momon was defending Evileye proved that she now was like a hostage. She hated herself, who couldn't assist Momon, who was protecting her, and the fact that she was nothing but a burden to him. To think she'd said such high-sounding things to Climb.
Momon looked upwards. "Then, Oshiku-san, get down here. What do you think we should do?"
In response, a man slowly descended from the sky. Only then did Evileye remember Momon was in a team with another fighter known as the Bard Samurai. She thought he would be similar to the Dark Hero, but with the real person in front of her, she was shocked.
The green-haired lean man seemed to be a foreigner, but that was not why she kept staring at him, unable to look away. It was because, while Momon was covered from head to toe in dark armour, his associate had not a piece of it. He only wore trousers with a strange belt and an open coat which showed an impressively defined physique. That eight pack won't stop a sword! why the hell have you no armour? she wanted to shout at him.
"Yo, Momon-san, that was… unexpected. But I guess we should head to the residence of the nobleman who hired us, as originally planned."
"… Should we really ignore Jaldabaoth?"
"I know he must be eliminated, but we need to know what's going on here. Hopefully this Marquis Raeven will let us go kill the demon as soon as possible, but who knows what else might be happening."
"… That is true."
"… Anyway, that's not the way a woman should be carried, Momon-san."
"Hm? Ah, forgive me, I was worried you might have been hit by that attack just now." And Momon slowly lowered Evileye to the ground.
"No—please, don't mind me. I understood your intentions."
Evileye bowed deeply to Momon. "Thank you very much for your help. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Evileye of the adamantium-ranked adventuring party Blue Rose."
"No need to be so formal, I am Momon, an adamantium-ranked adventurer like yourself. The man here is my companion Oshiku."
The green-haired man turned at the magic caster. "I wished we had met in better circumstances, Evileye of Blue Rose… I'm sorry about your companions, if you need a hand to carry them away, it won't be a problem."
He pointed to Gagaran and Tia.
"I am deeply grateful for your offer, but there is no need. Our colleagues should be arriving soon. The resurrection spell can be cast upon them here.
"Resurrection spells... you can use them?"
"… Ah, yes. Our team leader Lakyus can bring the dead back to life."
"Is that so? Then... if I may ask, could one cast a resurrection spell from afar?"
"What do you mean?"
"That is to say, let's say you wanted to resurrect these two. Assuming your leader was far away, like another country, could she do it? And where would they resurrect? In the place where she is, or where their bodies lay?"
Why is he so interested in resurrection magic? Curiosity, perhaps. People who can use the 5th tier of divine magic are very rare, so it isn't unusual to be interested in the topic. Or maybe someone important to him has died. In that case, Evileye's reply would be cruel to him. She could only pray that that was not the case.
"I'm not too clear on the details, but I heard Lakyus needs to be very close by in order to cast the resurrection spell. So, with regard to Momon-sama's question, it would be impossible to cast the spell from another nation."
"Mmm. Then, another question; after resurrection, would they be able to fight immediately?"
"It would be impossible. The spell Lakyus can cast is the 5th tier magic [Raise Dead]. The revival would drain tremendous amounts of life force. Without exception, normal people and even those adventurers ranked iron and lower would be reduced to ash if it was cast on them. Adamantium-ranked adventurers can be revived without a problem, but the resurrection makes them so weak they would not be able to move, and recovering takes a long time".
If Jaldabaoth had not been lying, a great danger would come soon. And they would be deprived of a great amount of fighting strength. ... No, nobody can fight Jaldabaoth besides the great man in front of me. Not even his partner can, at least not without armour. Resurrecting Tia and Gagaran would do nothing to alter the circumstances. It would be wiser for them to focus on recovery after their revival.
"I see... I think I have the general idea now. If possible, I think I would like to meet Lady Lakyus. Would it be possible for us to wait here with you?"
"What! W-W-W-Why do you want to see Lakyus?!"
Before she could recover her composure, Evileye's words had already left her mouth. She didn't understand the reason why herself. In the instant she heard Momon saying that he wanted to see Lakyus, her heart filled with jealousy. It even shocked herself and her sudden outburst alarmed Momon too. Within her mask, her face began reddening with shame and she was glad that the cloak covered up the tips of her ears which were also turning red.
"I... I was hoping to ask about revival magic and also to meet with the leader of Blue Rose, who are fellow adventurers of the same rank as myself, and who are my seniors besides. That, and Jaldabaoth might be gone, but there's no guarantee he will not return. Is that so displeasing?"
"N-No, it's not like that...ah, I'm sorry I shouted at you."
The resentment in her chest vanished the moment she heard Jaldabaoth's name; she knew they had to be on guard against him. Thinking carefully on what had already been said... I should have seen that coming. As for looking out for Jaldabaoth's return... That implies he wants to protect me? Fufu...
"Then, while we wait, do you mind if I ask about what happened here earlier?"
"Before that, I need to take care of my comrades' bodies. I can't just leave them here. There's no problem with moving them, is there?"
"Sure. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings," said Oshiku.
With that, Evileye went over to the bodies. She thought they had been burned beyond recognition, but it seemed that the devil's flames had only burned the soul rather than the flesh. The corpses were almost immaculate. After closing their eyes and crossing their arms over their chests, Evileye withdrew a Shroud of Sleep from her pack and began to wrap Tia up in it.
"What's that?"
"This is a magic item that stops the decay and rigor mortis of a body when wrapped around it. It's very useful for those who use resurrection spells."
While Evileye replied, Momon noticed she was struggling to wrap up Gagaran's bulky frame, so he decided to lend a hand by lifting up the corpse with his incredible arm strength. When the bodies were both wrapped up, Evileye solemnly clasped her palms together, praying for the souls of the dead and for Lakyus to revive them.
"Thank you for your help."
"Think nothing of it. As I was asking earlier, could you tell me what exactly happened here?"
Evileye nodded and began recounting the events that had come to pass. What she knew, what they'd planned to do and the story of their encounter with the insect maid and the battle where Jaldabaoth had made his entrance.
As she spoke of how thay had nearly finished off that evil insect maid, a change came over Momon, who had been quietly listening to her story up until now. "Then, did you kill her?"
His words were neutral, but the anger behind them was unmistakable. Evileye was alarmed. Why would he be upset about killing Jaldabaoth's maid? But she decided to finish telling the story.
"No, we couldn't manage. Jaldabaoth appeared right before we could do that."
"... Is that so? I see, just as I thought…"
The anger vanished and Evileye wondered if he had even been angry in the first place.
Momon coughed and asked, "Then...if you hadn't tried to kill the insect maid, do you think Jaldabaoth would have attacked you?"
Evileye instantly realized why he had been angry. The insect maid had been attacked by her companions and, for all they knew, that might have been the trigger for the current events. It was only natural for adventurers to avoid unnecessary battles. If a high-level adventurers didn't know this, it would disgrace the name of adamantium-ranked adventurers. That should be the reason why he was upset. Even so, Evileye couldn't fully agree with that line of reasoning.
"Jaldabaoth said that he would turn the capital into an inferno. A "maid" following someone like that couldn't possibly be a normal person. I believe the decision my colleagues made to fight her was the correct course of action."
That was the one thing she couldn't compromise on. That maid had been stronger than Gagaran and Tia. Knowing this, since they had still fought on, there had to be a reason for that. She had to believe that her comrades had had a good reason for what they did.
The defensive Evileye and the silent Momon looked at each other, as though peering through her mask and his helmet. Although neither could see each other's face, Evileye was certain that she was staring into Momon's eyes.
"Oi, Momon-san, she's right. Besides, they couldn't have known there was a worse monster around."
At his friend's words, he immediately gave in. "Mmm. Ah. I see. You are correct, Evileye. I apologize." And he lowered his head to her.
That shocked Evileye. Even though her belief in her comrades was firm, she still couldn't make her savior humble himself like that. "Ah! Please, raise your head! Such a wonderful person like you should... Ueeeeee!"
As she realized what she had just said, Evileye let out a pathetic yelp.
While it was true that Momon was an outstanding individual, when she thought about it, using the word 'wonderful' to describe him was a bit too much. Evileye squealed in her heart. Aaaaah! I can't help it, he's too damn cool! Is it wrong for me to feel like a girl again, just once in hundreds of years? After all, he's a mighty warrior who's stronger than me...
Given the way Evileye was looking at Momon like a love-struck schoolgirl, if he felt embarrassed and said so, that meant she still had a chance. If not, her chances would be miniscule. Evileye's body had stopped developing at the age of twelve. As such, she possessed none of the parts that most men wanted to see. Whether it came to inducing the fires of lust in others, or satisfying said lust, it would have been very difficult for her. Of course, a certain subset of men would have been very attracted to her, but they were a minority.
As Evileye gathered her courage to look up from the ground, she found that Momon and Oshiku were looking carefully around and at the night sky instead. She didn't quite know what they were doing at first, but when she remembered how she had wailed just now, it came to her. The two of them had taken her cry as a warning. No, it's not… With nothing to say, the feeling of drove her to the brink of tears.
"...Maybe you were mistaken? There's nothing around here," Oshiku said as he scanned the nearby area.
"M-Mistake, it was a mistake. I'm truly sorry."
"Ah, think nothing of it. Better to be mistaken than to be ambushed."
Momon returned his swords to his back as he replied to Evileye. His gentleness left Evileye speechless. In that moment, the edge of her vision lit up. The color wasn't the pure white of magic, but a malevolent red, the color of a roaring blaze.
"Hey, actually… look over there." They all turned to stare at the crimson radiance.
Her eyes widened, for she had no idea what it was. "The hell is that?..."
The fire spat tongues of flame toward the sky, as though it aimed to burn down the heavens. It was easily more than thirty meters high and she could hardly imagine how wide it was, several hundred meters, maybe more. The burning wall swayed and encircled the city like a girdle.
Evileye, who had been shocked senseless by the sight, heard a low male voice.
" Is that the—"
"—Ahem, we need to talk, Momon-san."
"Uh? Ah, sure… I need to discuss something with Oshiku, so please excuse us, Evileye."
"Eh, can't I come along too?"
"Ah, no, it's personal. Please excuse us."
It was so so obvious that Evileye felt ashamed for even asking in the first place. Her wandering eyes passed on the green-haired man, seeing nothing on his face besides seriousness, before settling on Momon's armoured figure. She wondered about how strong Momon was.
Females were naturally attracted to strong males. When threatened by a powerful outside force, it triggered their natural instinct to join with a strong male and bear his children, receiving protection for herself and her offspring. Of course, not all women would select a man in this manner. Looks, personality, many factors could lead to love. Even so, there was a very strong inclination to look for strength in a partner.
Evileye usually looked down on such women and say it's foolish to want to be protected because you're weak. Instead, all one need to do is become strong, and you won't need anyone to protect you. That should be the way. But if she let a man like this go, would she ever meet anyone else who could make her feel safe?
Also, Evileye would not age, but Momon would surely grow old and die before her. And no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to bear children. Decades later, she would be lonely again. Still, she thought it might be good to live as a woman for once in her life. Another woman can have the child. The most important thing is love. I certainly won't begrudge him a mistress or two.
"Then, please wait here for a while. I apologize for... Evileye?"
"Hm? Ahh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something myself, things to discuss with my party. I'll wait here, then."
Truth to be told, she didn't want to part with him. But of course she wouldn't refuse to give them some privacy.
Also, nobody wanted a woman who was too clingy. Most men want to flee the more you try to tie them down. Evileye recalled the idle chatter about relationships in the tavern. At that time, she'd laughed it off, because she had thought it had nothing to do with her. What a waste, I should have listened closely… but, would it be too late to start now? Will I have the time to learn how to be a woman?
As she watched the receding shapes of the two adventurers, Evileye's head started filling with wild thoughts.
She knew now wasn't the time for idle fantasies, but she knew too little about what was going on, let alone how to proceed, and so she could do nothing. Even so, Evileye would be going into a battle in which she might perish. So, she might as well sigh and earnestly consider something else to prevent her dwelling on it.
She didn't know what her body was good for, if it couldn't bear children, but it was an avenue that was still worth thinking about. ...Haaa! Defeating Jaldabaoth and making a future... The blaze in Evileye's heart roared up, as though challenging Jaldabaoth within the wall of fire.
The only one who can beat the demon is Sir Momon. Then, I will dispose of the trash around you. This time, if the maid shows herself, I will kill her for good. I was once the cursed being known as Landfall!
"I don't think she'll be able to hear us here."
"It would be very difficult to listen in on us from so far away. Even so..."
Momon activated a cash item. It had the power to prevent eavesdropping, but it felt like a waste because it was a one-use item. However, it was just one of his countless trinkets.
"Then… I fucking told you we shouldn't have come here! What am I supposed to say to Demiurge now?"
"Well, it's you who decided to join a fight. If it were for me, I'd have gone to that noble's mansion and listened to what he wanted from us while sipping a glass of—"
"I'm not kidding, man. Please help me out."
"… Chill, boss, I think I have seen through Demiurge's plan for the most part. However, since he's smarter, probably there's something I haven't thought of..." Matter of fact, I don't know shit too, but he doesn't want to hear that! "… How to get to know that plan, though… well, let's ask him to adjust it to our… yes, our "interference" which is nothing but a test to see if he is clever enough to quickly change the course of action. Yes, and ask him to tell us precisely about the part we should play now that we're here, since we trust him completely. What about that?"
"Nice thinking!… thanks, my friend! You do that, though. Right now, I cannot use magic. Also, that woman keeps staring at me. She hasn't let her guard down for a single moment. I don't have proof, but I'm sure she's already suspecting me."
"Why would she? Perhaps there's another reason she's looking so closely at you, heartbreaker..."
"What? Are you being serious?"
"For once in a while, yeah. Go get he, tig—ouch!"
After bonking on his friend's head, he looked at Evileye while trying not to make it obvious that he was staring at her.
When he had heard Entoma had nearly been killed, Ainz's anger had flared up. Although it had been suppressed in an instant like all intense emotions, in that instant that he had been filled with murderous rage. It was a miracle that he hadn't promptly chopped off Evileye's head with his sword. He had suppressed his killing intent and not acted on his anger because earlier, he had concluded that killing Evileye would have been counterproductive. At long last he had found an introduction to someone else who could use resurrection magic and they were in a position to benefit from it. Ruining this would be too much of a waste.
On the other hand, if he's right, that means I acted so cool she's fallen for me! At this rate, there is no doubt that I will be able to act as a true ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. But, to have yet another woman trying to get her hands on me…
Momon waved at Oshiku in a gesture that hid his embarrassment.
Then he said, "Let's do this, my friend. Go and discover all the details of Demiurge's schemes, then tell me about them."
With a thumbs up, the green-haired samurai nodded and casted a [Message].
Rejoicing for having found a way not to lose face, Momon slowly made his way back to Evileye.
While Oshikuru was talking to Demiurge, it would be up to him to draw her attention.
Really now... it'd be good if we could somehow become friends with Blue Rose, at least for now. But I won't forget Speaking of which, I wonder what the face of a woman with such power looks like under the mask... Of course I shouldn't ask her, but I should have asked Oshikuru. Hold on a monment, he probably knows it already… why didn't he say anything?
In the meantime, Oshikuru was thinking, Hehehe! I wonder how you'll react when you find out your new girlfriend is a vampire!… And I hope for everyone's sake that Albedo won't get to know there is another woman who fancies you…