Chapter 49: King of Kings
Neia could not believe her eyes.
She had no idea how long she had been standing there, frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape. The world around her felt distant, her thoughts a tangled mess as she tried to process the sight before her.
"Are you alright?"
The voice snapped her out of her trance. The man—no, the being before her—regarded her with curiosity, tilting his head slightly.
'Oh dear, I think I broke her.'
Ainz was unsure why the girl in front of him acted so strangely. He had expected a reaction, but this level of shock was a little much.
After all, they had come here to meet him, hadn't they?
"Y-Y-Youre the S-Sorcerer King?" She finally managed to form a sentence. Neia could feel her knees weakening, her breathing growing unsteady, and her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow bursts.
Ainz nodded. "Pride did say he would bring you to me, didn't he?"
While his words made sense, she still couldn't believe it.
The Sorcerer King. Ruler of undead legions, the being feared across the land, whose very presence was enough to strike terror into the hearts of the living.
And yet…
The man before her was nothing like the monster she had imagined.
No skeletal frame. No eerie, glowing eyes. No overwhelming aura of death.
Instead, he was dignified, noble even. He carried himself with the poise of a true king.
But that made no sense. How could this be the Sorcerer King?
"B-But you're not—"
He interrupted her with an amused chuckle.
"Undead? Should I be?" Before she could answer, he did. "No, you're right. I am undead. You have not been mislead." His words were straightforward, yet they only deepened her confusion. The man standing before her moved like a human. Spoke like a human. There was no distorted voice she thought an undead would have.
"You… don't really look like an undead to me…" She admitted, her usual formalities slipping away in the face of sheer disbelief.
"Appearances can be deceiving, wouldn't you agree? Forgive me, but I have yet to ask your name."
It took a moment for Neia to realize what he said. She had been so caught up in her own shock that she had forgotten to introduce herself.
She quickly dropped to one knee.
"M-My name is Neia Baraja! I am a squire under the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army!"
Her voice wavered with nervousness. Still, she forced herself to remain composed.
"A pleasure to meet you, Neia." He inclined his head slightly. "As you already know, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King." While he did not need to introduce himself, he did, nevertheless, as if she could ever forget.
"Neia! Where have you been—" A familiar voice called out from behind. Neia turned to see two familiar figures approaching.
It was Remedios and Gustav. But even they faltered as they took in their surroundings, leaving both vulnerable to an attack.
Ainz watched them with quiet amusement. Their momentary distraction made it all too clear—they had been unprepared. Caught off guard.
When Remedios finally freed herself from the enchantment, her eyes landed on the man before them. Her expression darkened.
"Welcome. Seeing only your squire before me, I wondered where the rest of your entourage had gone." Remedios narrowed her gaze, studying him closely. She could not discern who he was but remembered the words of that demon that sent them here.
Something about him felt off.
And then, it clicked. Her eyes widened as she realized who the man was supposed to be.
"...Are you the Sorcerer King?" She inquired, her voice a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and curiosity.
She had long before pictured the dreaded undead in her mind. A skeletal figure clothed in dark robes, an insufferable aura surrounding him.
However, the man before her was none of that. He seemed like a respectable figure, something she could never associate with the Sorcerer King.
"Indeed. Your squire had asked the same question. And yes, I am an undead if that makes things clearer." He spoke in a relaxed tone. Remedios wanted to believe his words, but fought against the feeling, a flash of anger appearing on her face.
"Are you trying to deceive us? To make us believe the Sorcerer King is a humble and noble ruler? We won't fall for your tricks!" Remedios shouted as she glanced at their surroundings. "All of this here has been made to lure us into a sense of safety! The flowers, the sunshine, you! It stinks of deception!" She spat the accusation like venom, her glare burning with defiance.
Ainz, however, simply closed his eyes for a moment.
"I chose this place because of its soothing atmosphere. I know of how much you and your people lit under the invasion. I did not want to intimidate you with wealth and power. No, I simply wish to speak to you—king to grandmaster." His words held weight. Even Remedios, for all her distrust, could feel it but was still weary and kept her distance. Seeing her distrust, he continued.
"Do you really believe I would harm you now? After bringing you here, making all the effort to meet with you? What do I gain from your deaths? Why would I even kill you myself? I have servants for that. I could've sent assassins to eliminate your whole group when they stepped on Nazarick soil. But did I do that? No, I did not." The Sorcerer King explained, sending a shiver down their spines as he spoke so easily of their deaths. But there was truth in his words.
Gustav quickly stepped in, sensing the tension. "Forgive her suspicion, your Majesty. The Grandmaster had endured much in the last weeks. I hope you do not hold her accountable for that."
The Sorcerer King waved his hand dismissively. "I understand completely. After all, you come from a nation that hates undead. Coming here surely wasn't easy."
'Truly!' Gustav thought, as if the Sorcerer King spoke directly from their hearts.
Remedios, however, remained silently.
"Now, about your request. It saddens me to see a neighboring kingdom be devastated in such a fashion as yours." Remedios raised a brow at that. The destruction she witnessed at the former capital of Re-Estize somewhat proved the opposite. "Thus, I have decided to aid you."
"You will give us Momon to fight that beast?" Remedios inquired.
"No." Ainz's reply was immediate.
Remedios bristled.
"But he was the one to defeat a similar creature. If not him, who would you send to help us?" Gustav was curious to know how the Sorcerer King meant to help them.
"Momon is strong, for a god-kin. But, the creature he fought at Arwintar was smaller than the one invading your kingdom. I have my suspicions, but it must be the mother of these worms. Momon couldn't possibly manage to defeat such a thing." His words confirmed the suspicions Remedios had from the start. The one Momon fought was not the same size as the one they saw. Meaning her chances against it just sunk to the ground.
It also surprised her that he called Momon a 'god-kin'. Normally, god-kins were descendants of gods the Theocracy utilized in their Scriptures. Perhaps Momon was one of the Eight Greed Kings, thus shunned from their society and recruited by the opposition.
He also spoke of the creature being the mother of these abominations. Perhaps if it was defeated, no more of these worms would be spawned.
But, of course, Ainz was lying to the teeth. It was simply a bigger Neothelid, which they nurtured longer to grow to an immense size.
"I will send someone else. Someone more powerful. He will be enough to defeat the Neothelid and his masters."
While the Sorcerer King's words did seem promising, something intrigued Gustav of what he said.
"You mentioned the worm is called a Neothelid. Is that right? Does your Majesty perhaps know more about the nature of these creatures?" It was a good question to ask, Remedios had to confess. How did he know the name of this creature and that it had masters?
"These creatures are Brain Eaters, Mind Flayers or, as they are generally called, Illithid. They come from beyond this world, space." He explained, giving them some valuable information.
"Space?"
"When you ascend high enough, you will leave this planet, this world, and be in a place without gravity. If you wish a more detailed description of that place, I can give it to you in writing later." The three of them tried to imagine what such a place could look like. It seemed very strange. How did the Sorcerer King know about that?
"You know of their species, your Majesty? Perhaps you can give us more details. It would help us fight them better since we lack information regarding our enemy." Gustav tried to convince him.
"Mmh, alright." The Sorcerer King agreed. "The Illithid come in many forms. Their underlings are called Intellect Devourers, the strange brain-like creatures that form their base troops. Then, there are the giant soldiers they utilize, Ettin Ceremorphs. Apart from their strength, they are not that strong. Then, the true perpetrators, Brain Eaters or Mind Flayers. As the name suggests, they feast on brains. They are humanoid-looking creatures with the head of an octopus. They are strong psychics that can easily charm and damage their enemies' minds."
'That must've been what happened to Calca…' Remedios thought. Whatever that thing did to the Holy Queen, it affected her mind. That is why healing spells probably failed.
"Is there a way to remove a long-lasting effect that puts the target into an unresponsive state?" Remedios asked. The previous malice seemed to vanish from her tone as she thought of the Holy Queen.
The Sorcerer King stroked his chin. "Mmh, I cannot say directly. I must see the afflicted person to see what kind of condition—"
"Never! I won't let you near her Majesty!" Remedios erupted suddenly, only later realizing what she had done. "F-Forgive me for my outburst…"
The three feared the Sorcerer King would react negatively to Remedios' disrespect. However, he did not show signs of anger.
"It's fine. I don't have to tend to her myself. I have some servants who can do the task on their own. If that is acceptable."
Remedios nodded.
"Good. I will send her to you tomorrow. Until then, you may stay as guests at the Valencia Palace." The Sorcerer King finished as if there was nothing else to say.
"And…the person that is supposed to help us? When will they be available?" Gustav inquired, and it seemed the Sorcerer King had genuinely forgotten about that. Before he answered, he reached for a nearby flower, picking it up by its stem.
"I will lend you one of my most trusted enforcers. His strength will be enough to defeat the Neothelid, maybe even the invasion altogether."
"And… may we know of his name?"
"Alucard Ooal Gown."
The name meant nothing to them. Yet… it felt significant.
It carried weight.
However, it was recognizable. It shared the same last two names with the Sorcerer King, perhaps a relative.
But how could that be? How could an undead have relatives? That was what Remedios, Gustav, and Neia thought of at the moment.
"He will arrive with the one to aid whoever was targeted by the Brain Eaters psychic attack." He informed, disregarding any further information they could have appreciated about who was to save their nation.
It was a thought that still disturbed the Grandmaster. After all, they were practically beggars without anything to offer. Ainz Ooal Gown could demand their whole nation if he could rescue it from the invaders.
But she restrained herself from lashing out again. Instead, she stared at the Sorcerer King, full of hatred and disgust. Even if he appeared human, her opinion of him only worsened as he tried to deceive them.
If not for her nation's peril, she would immediately strike him down and feel satisfaction from it. The imagination alone brought joy to her, and a faint smile almost escaped her.
"One thing has bothered me, your Majesty. You have yet to tell us your demands for aiding us." Gustav knew nothing was given freely, especially not from a being as powerful as the Sorcerer King.
He could still not believe the man in front of them to be that powerful figure. A specter of death who now appeared as a wise king.
"I do not ask much. Only for the Nautiloids, which are captured, to be put into my possession. I seek to expand my fleet with their ships."
At first, they were confused about the new word he used: Nautiloids. But as he mentioned ships and fleets, they knew he was talking about the flying vessels the enemy used to travel and attack.
The thought of flying undead was horrifying. And then in the hands of a person like the Sorcerer King, known as a conqueror.
"You mentioned you would expand your fleet. Do you mean to say you have such flying ships already in your possession, your Majesty?" It was not his position to ask, but Gustav did so nonetheless. He wanted to know, needed to know. What were the limits to the Sorcerer King's powers?
"I would like to answer, but I shouldn't expose the military capability of my nation so easily. I would be a bad ruler if I did so."
Still, the Sorcerer King's answer was not denying the possibility he possessed such ships.
"If that is all, you may return to your men, Grandmaster Custodio." Behind them, another portal opened. Their cue to leave.
"We thank you for your generosity, your Majesty. We are eternally in your debt." Gustav answered. He got a mean side-eye from his captain. He probably should not have mentioned the "eternal" part, which could have given the Sorcerer King some ideas. He was an undead and, as such, immortal. He could demand taxes from them for 200 years and still be 'alive.'
The Sorcerer King only nodded, signaling their departure back to the castle.
And the instant they stepped through, their surroundings changed drastically, from a warm and pleasant environment to a cold and silent stone court.
"A bizarre encounter. I believe this was the most mesmerizing experience I have ever had. I'm still at a loss for words who we just met." Gustav confessed.
"We were caught off guard, thats all." Remedios assured her vice-captain. They would not be so discontent if they had known they would meet the Sorcerer King today.
"Still, that place he brought us to. What did he do there? Where were we even? There were no hills in the distance, nothing. It felt almost surreal…" Neia could only approve of Gustav's description.
"Don't let yourself be taken into the illusion. Tomorrow, we'll finally cure Her Majesty's state and travel back to our country. Be ready."
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If you are wondering what Ainz is wearing, it's the New Year's Eve outfit from Mass of the Dead, where he wears a kimono. I thought it would be cool to portray him a little differently than usual.