Chapter 44

Bab 10: Kartu Trump Terbesar

Bagian 1

Bulan Kebakaran Bawah (Bulan ke-9), Hari ke-4, 22:31

Jauh di atas Ibukota Kerajaan, sekelompok orang terbang seperti bintang jatuh melalui langit malam. Dua dari mereka adalah kastor sihir yang menopang mantra (Terbang), dan dua lainnya adalah penumpang mereka.

Salah satu dari dua yang terakhir adalah seorang pria dalam setelan baju besi plat hitam legam yang membawa dua pedang besar di punggungnya, sementara yang lainnya adalah seorang wanita cantik yang dikuncir kuda. Tak perlu dikatakan bahwa mereka adalah Ainz dan Narberal.

Pagi itu, mereka berdua telah menerima quest dari E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild untuk jumlah uang yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya. Kliennya adalah Marquis Raeven. Di permukaan, tampak bahwa Marquis ingin merekrut petualang untuk meningkatkan keamanan tanah miliknya setelah gangguan baru-baru ini, yang penyebabnya tidak diketahui.

Ainz tahu bahwa itu bukan masalah keseluruhan, dan bahwa dia akan mencari tahu lebih banyak selama kemajuan pencarian.

Alasannya adalah karena mereka ingin menekan kelompok yang dikenal sebagai Eight Fingers, dan mereka berharap Momon akan bertarung bersama mereka, melawan anggota musuh terkuat, Six Arms.

Ainz tidak dapat menemukan alasan untuk menolak permintaan ini.

Biasanya, para petualang memiliki kebijakan tak terucapkan untuk tetap keluar dari masalah nasional. Agar tidak mengusir Ainz – atau lebih tepatnya, Momon the Black – mereka telah bersusah payah mempersiapkan permintaan yang tepat untuk menjadi penutup, dan bertujuan untuk menariknya dengan hadiah mewah.

Setelah beberapa pemikiran, Ainz menerima pencarian dengan alasan keengganan, agar tidak membuat dirinya tampak seperti seorang penawar yang kasar. Tangkapannya adalah dia harus pergi ke ibukota dengan tergesa-gesa.

Di YGGDRASIL, ada titik arah yang dapat digunakan untuk berteleportasi dari kota ke kota, tetapi di dunia baru ini, tidak ada hal seperti itu. Sihir teleportasi adalah mantra tingkat 5, yang seharusnya tidak bisa digunakan Momon dan Nabe, dan perjalanan darat dengan menunggang kuda akan memakan waktu sepanjang hari.

Apa yang harus dilakukan? Jawabannya sederhana, disediakan oleh para kastor ajaib Marquis Raeven.

Mereka menggunakan mantra penerbangan yang dipercepat dalam kombinasi dengan mantra (Papan Apung), dan bersama-sama mereka membawa Ainz dan Nabe ke ibukota dengan kecepatan tinggi. bagaimana bisa mereka melakukan hal ini? Jawabannya sangat sederhana. Ainz dan Nabe duduk di disk mengambang, yang mengurangi berat efektif mereka, jadi membawa mereka berdua tidak akan memperlambat mereka. Dengan cara ini, mereka bergegas ke ibukota sepanjang hari sampai sekarang. Namun, waktu masih sangat ketat bahkan dengan penggunaan trik ini, dan mereka sudah ketinggalan jadwal. Karena ini, Ainz sedikit khawatir. Jika dia datang dan diberi tahu dia tidak lagi diperlukan, hadiah apa, jika ada, yang bisa dia kumpulkan?

Meskipun Ainz ditarik oleh hadiah yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya, diragukan bahwa pemohon akan bersedia membayar kepada seseorang yang tidak melakukan apa-apa.

Ainz mendesah pelan. Dia terdengar seperti sedang berdoa, seperti seorang karyawan dengan ulasan kinerja yang buruk dengan harapan terhadap semacam bonus.

Tidak peduli apa, dia harus mendapatkan hadiah ini. Dia sudah memutuskan bagaimana dia akan menghabiskannya.

Ketika pikiran-pikiran ini mengalir di kepalanya, Ainz melihat ibukota untuk pertama kalinya dari langit di malam hari. Dia menyesal tidak bisa meluangkan waktu untuk menikmati pemandangan. Ibukotanya gelap, dan sama sekali tidak tampak seperti kota yang ramai. Meski begitu, itu adalah pengalaman yang menarik bagi Ainz, yang matanya bisa melihat dengan jelas dalam kegelapan.

Menonton dengan tenang dari atas, mata Ainz melihat pemandangan yang menarik; sebuah cahaya di kejauhan.

Meskipun tidak banyak yang terjadi pada awalnya, ketika dia melihat api hitam yang meninggi, dia menyadari bahwa ini adalah situasi darurat.

"Tunggu! Melihat! Ada cahaya ejaan, di sana! "

"Memang … itu memang terlihat seperti … semacam sihir …"

Magic caster yang mengikuti ujung jari Ainz sepertinya tidak terlalu memikirkannya. Orang normal akan kesulitan melihat cahaya melalui kegelapan dan jarak, apalagi menganalisisnya.

"Apa yang salah? Apakah ini hal yang lumrah di ibukota? Atau kembang api ini untuk menyambut saya? "

Magic caster tidak menertawakan lelucon itu. Memang, ekspresi wajahnya sangat serius.

"Itu adalah salah satu dari delapan lokasi yang seharusnya kita serang—"

"Saya melihat. Saya pikir kami sudah terlambat, tapi sepertinya kami akan melakukan beberapa pekerjaan. "

"Dimengerti, kita akan menuju ke lokasi itu."

"Berhenti. Sepertinya ada hadiah magic caster tingkat tinggi yang cukup. Jika Anda tertarik dengan hal ini, apakah Anda pikir Anda tidak akan kehilangan nyawa? "

Lalu apa yang harus kita lakukan? Ainz memalingkan muka dari ekspresi yang bertentangan dari magic caster dan menoleh ke Narberal.

“Nabe, gunakan (Terbang) dan bawa aku mendekat. Sesuai kemampuanku, jatuhkan aku tepat di atas mereka. ”

"Pasti."

♦ ♦ ♦

Bulan Kebakaran Bawah (Bulan ke-9), Hari ke-4, 22:33

Bagi Evileye, yang berada di ambang kehidupan dan kematian, pertanyaan prajurit kulit hitam itu tampak sangat menggelikan. Namun, dia segera berubah pikiran. Ketika seseorang memikirkannya, mereka berdua tampak sangat curiga. Bagaimanapun, itu adalah konfrontasi antara dua tokoh bertopeng dan tidak terpikirkan bahwa mereka dapat dilihat sebagai konspirator yang bertarung di antara mereka.

Kemudian, berharap bahwa dia dengan benar menyimpulkan identitas prajurit kulit hitam, Evileye berteriak.

"Pahlawan kegelapan! Saya Evileye dari Blue Rose, dan saya memohon kepada Anda sebagai sesama petualang peringkat adamantite! Tolong, bantu saya! "

Saat dia mengajukan permohonan, Evileye menyadari bahwa dia telah membuat kesalahan.

Itulah perbedaan dalam kekuatan bertarung antara dirinya dan musuh. Bahkan dengan bantuan Momon the Black, seorang petualang sesama adamantite, apa yang bisa mereka lakukan? Iblis yang menghadap Evileye adalah iblis yang tidak bisa ia kalahkan, bahkan dengan bantuannya. Itu seperti pergi dari secarik kertas ke dua – yang mana pun, mereka berdua akan disebarkan oleh badai yang mengamuk di depan mereka.

Jika dia menerima permintaan Evileye, dia akan bertanggung jawab langsung atas kematiannya. Apa yang seharusnya dia lakukan adalah menyuruhnya melarikan diri, dan jika mungkin, bawa mayat rekan-rekannya.

Namun-

"-Saya mengerti".

Pria itu berdiri di depan iblis, menyembunyikan Evileye di belakang punggungnya.

Evileye menahan napas.

Pada saat dia berdiri di hadapannya, dia mengira dia untuk tembok besar, kokoh, jenis yang akan membela kota. Rasa aman dan lega memenuhi dirinya hingga ke lubuk hatinya.

Dan iblis yang berhadapan dengan mereka benar-benar menundukkan kepalanya, seolah-olah dia adalah orang biasa yang menunjukkan rasa hormat kepada seorang bangsawan. Itu tidak mungkin dihormati; dia pasti mengejeknya. Apakah iblis ini hanya bermain-main?

“Ya ampun, suatu kehormatan bagimu untuk membayar kami malam ini. Mungkinkah saya menanyakan nama bangsawan Anda? Yang ini dikenal sebagai Jaldabaoth. "

Jaldabaoth? Dia mendengar suara pria yang terkejut di bawah helm hitam pekat, diikuti dengan gumaman "Nama yang aneh".

Dia tidak berpikir itu aneh. Sebenarnya, Evileye tidak tahu harus memikirkan apa. Dia tahu sedikit tentang pengetahuan iblis dan makhluk rendah lainnya, tetapi tidak ada nama tentang ini.

"Jaldabaoth, bukan? Saya mengerti. Nama saya Momon, dan seperti yang dia katakan, saya adalah seorang petualang peringkat adamantite. ”

Meskipun bermandikan ketidaksetujuan Jaldabaoth, prajurit kegelapan – Momon – melanjutkan seolah-olah dia tidak memperhatikannya sama sekali.

Jadi itulah yang dia lakukan, pikir Evileye dengan persetujuan. Untuk menarik lawannya keluar dan belajar darinya, Momon menerapkan disiplin besinya dan menjaga emosinya agar tidak terlihat. Jelas mengapa pria bernama Momon itu diakui sebagai petualang kelas satu.

Evileye, yang malu dengan betapa mudah emosinya mengendalikannya, pindah ke bayangan jubah merah Momon agar tidak mengalihkan perhatian mereka berdua dari pertukaran kata-kata.

Meskipun Momon tampaknya cukup bersedia untuk membantu, dia merasa bahwa dia akan menghalangi.

Momon dan Jaldabaoth tidak repot-repot mengakui kehadiran Evileye. Pada saat dia pindah, mereka mulai berduel akal, masing-masing mencari rahasia yang lain.

“Ah, begitu. Bolehkah saya menanyakan alasan Anda mengharumkan kami dengan kehadiran Anda malam ini? ”

"Ini untuk permintaan. Seorang bangsawan tertentu mempekerjakan kami untuk mempertahankan tanah miliknya … tetapi ketika saya terbang melintasi langit di atas Ibukota Kerajaan, saya melihat pertempuran ini. Saya berasumsi bahwa itu adalah keadaan darurat, dan tentu saja saya melompat masuk. ”

Yang mulia itu adalah Marquis Raeven, yang telah meminta kehadiran para petualang peringkat adamantite di ibu kota, tidak peduli dengan risiko bertabrakan dengan kebijakan petualang tidak tertulis yang tidak terlibat dalam politik. Orang bisa mengatakan bahwa dia sangat membutuhkan tenaga untuk berurusan dengan Eight Fingers.

"Dan apa tujuanmu?"

“Benda yang kuat yang mampu memanggil kita ke pesawat ini dan memerintahkan kita untuk menemukan jalannya ke kota ini. Kami di sini untuk mengambilnya, tentu saja. "

"Dan bagaimana jika kami memberikannya padamu? Bukankah itu akan menyelesaikan masalah? "

“Sayangnya, itu tidak mungkin. Hanya ada permusuhan di antara kita. ”

“Kesimpulan macam apa itu? De-Jaldabaoth, haruskah kita menjadi musuh? "

"Tepatnya begitu."

Evileye memiringkan kepalanya ke pemandangan surealis di depannya. Mereka hanya bertukar informasi. Bagaimana itu masuk akal?

"Yah, aku mengerti, sebagian besar. Kalau begitu … kamu akan dikalahkan di sini, ada masalah dengan itu? "

Momon merentangkan kedua tangannya, dan pedang besar yang seperti perpanjangan tangannya tampak bersinar.

“Itu… akan merepotkan. Izinkan saya untuk memberikan sedikit perlawanan. "

"Lalu— aku datang."

Dia melangkah maju – tidak, itu tidak benar. Momon yang berdiri di depannya telah menghilang. Dia terlibat dalam huru-hara yang intens dengan Jaldabaoth.

Itu telah berkembang menjadi perjuangan yang Evileye tidak bisa gambarkan dengan kata-kata.

Gambar setelah pedang yang tak terhitung jumlahnya, menangkis dan membalas dengan cakar panjang Jaldabaoth.

"Luar biasa…"

Ada banyak cara untuk memberikan pujian, tetapi pada saat ini, Evileye, yang terpesona oleh permainan pedang yang mempesona di hadapannya, hanya bisa mempersembahkan satu kata itu. Itu melebihi pukulan semua pendekar pedang dalam ingatannya. Dia melihat bentuk seorang prajurit yang akan menembus kegelapan yang membungkus dunia dan semua kejahatannya dalam satu pukulan.

Dia merasa seperti putri di lagu-lagu para penyair. Dan prajurit gelap di depannya tampak seperti seorang kesatria datang untuk menyelamatkannya.

Arus listrik mengalir dari tulang belakangnya di antara kedua kakinya, dan tubuh mungil Evileye bergetar.

Jantungnya yang sudah lebih dari 150 tahun terasa berdetak kencang sekali lagi.

Menempatkan tangannya di payudaranya, dia menemukan bahwa tentu saja tidak ada gerakan di sana. Meski begitu, itu terasa cukup nyata baginya.

"… Tolong menang, Momon-sama."

Evileye menggenggam tangannya dalam doa yang sungguh-sungguh, berharap ksatria itu akan menang atas iblis yang menakutkan di hadapannya.

Dentang! Jaldabaoth terlempar jauh, dengan suara yang sepertinya bukan berasal dari tubuh yang terdiri dari darah dan daging. Meskipun dia tetap berdiri, dia masih tergelincir di atas lantai berbatu dengan kecepatan yang akan dengan cepat aus sol sol sepatunya. Setelah beberapa lusin meter, dia akhirnya berhenti, dan membersihkan dirinya sendiri.

“Benar-benar spektakuler. Menyeberangi pukulan dengan pejuang jenius seperti dirimu mungkin merupakan kesalahan di pihakku. ”

Dengan suara keras, Momon menusukkan pedangnya ke batu di bawahnya. Kemudian, dia menggunakan tangannya yang bebas untuk menyapu sebongkah batu dari lehernya sebelum dengan tenang menjawab:

“Cukup dengan basa-basi. Anda juga menyembunyikan kekuatan sejati Anda, bukan? "

Rasanya hampir tidak dapat dipercaya bahwa tidak ada pihak yang akan mati-matian terlepas dari lingkup pertempuran ini.

"Mungkinkah dia keluarga Dewa?"

Keturunan makhluk yang dikenal sebagai "Pemain" adalah orang-orang yang mungkin membangkitkan kekuatan luar biasa dari dalam diri mereka sendiri. The Slaine Theocracy menyebut orang-orang ini sebagai dewa. Atau, lebih tepatnya, mereka adalah orang-orang yang membawa garis keturunan Enam Dewa dalam pembuluh darah mereka. Jika mereka memiliki darah orang lain, mereka akan disebut berbeda.

Tampaknya sangat mungkin bahwa Momon ini adalah keturunan "pemain". Atau lebih tepatnya, akan lebih baik untuk mengatakan bahwa tidak ada manusia yang bisa memiliki kekuatan seperti itu.

“Ya ampun, sepertinya aku tidak bisa menyembunyikannya darimu. Kamu Momon-sa — bukan, bukan? ”

"Memang, Jaldabaoth, namaku adalah Momon."

"Baiklah kalau begitu. Aku datang. (Aspek Iblis: Sayap Tentakel). "

Sayap tumbuh dari punggung Jaldabaoth, tetapi bulu-bulu yang menutupi mereka memiliki panjang yang tidak normal, membangkitkan penampilan tentakel. Dia berbicara secara merata kepada Momon, yang tetap waspada.

"Kamu kuat. Tidak ada keraguan bahwa kekuatanmu melebihi milikku. Meskipun tidak sesuai dengan selera saya, izinkan saya untuk menggunakan metode ini. Sementara pertahanan Anda sendiri tangguh, bisakah yang sama dikatakan tentang anak ayam kecil di belakang Anda? Bagaimana Anda akan menghadapinya? Mungkin Anda harus fokus mempertahankannya, bukan? ”

Dengan itu, ia mengusir hujan bulu. Ujung mereka setajam silet, mampu mengiris dengan bersih melalui otot dan tulang.

Evileye tidak berdaya dalam menghadapi serangan gencar ini. Dia tidak punya mana lagi untuk melemparkan ‘Dinding Kristal’. Yang bisa ia lakukan hanyalah menunggu dan berharap akan keajaiban.

Tapi ternyata, Evileye telah meremehkan prajurit gelap itu.

Ketika suara logam terdengar, Evileye mendongak, dan melihat perisai kokoh berdiri di depannya.

Sisa-sisa bulu yang hancur berserakan di mana-mana. Meskipun mereka mampu mencabik-cabik manusia, itu masih pemandangan yang indah.

"Baik bahwa Anda baik-baik saja."

Itu suara laki-laki yang tenang. Lengannya, mengayunkan pedangnya dengan kecepatan luar biasa. Napasnya terukur dan nadanya tenang, bahkan saat ia dengan marah membelokkan bulu-bulu yang mendatanginya.

"Ah … ah … Ah! Bahu Anda! Apakah kamu baik-baik saja?"

Pauldron Momon memiliki bulu yang tersangkut di dalamnya. Bulu itu jatuh tanpa daya dari udara setelah ditebang. Itu tampak seperti hiasan di baju besinya.

"Tidak ada apa-apa. Serangan tingkat ini bahkan tidak layak dipertimbangkan. Sebaliknya, saya senang Anda baik-baik saja. "

Dia terkekeh.

Evileye merasakan hatinya berdetak keras. Wajahnya panas di bawah topengnya, yang terasa seperti akan melepuh padanya.

"Menakjubkan! Untuk membelanya tanpa membiarkannya bertahan seperti goresan, aku, Jaldabaoth, menawarkanmu ucapan selamat yang paling sedalam-dalamnya. Sungguh, tampilan yang luar biasa. "

"Seperti yang aku katakan, cukup dengan basa-basi. Katakan padaku, Jaldabaoth, mengapa kamu menarik diri? ”

Dengan itu, Momon mengambil Evileye dengan satu tangan dan memeluknya erat-erat.

"!"

Jantungnya yang tak bergerak terasa seperti akan meledak dari mulutnya. Dalam benaknya, kisah-kisah bodoh dari para penyair bodoh terus berdetak di otaknya, berulang-ulang. Terutama yang di mana ksatria membawa sang putri saat melakukan pertempuran. Setiap orang yang berakal akan menyadari bahwa membawa beban saat melawan musuh yang kuat tidak lain adalah kebodohan.

Tapi-

Bards di seluruh dunia, saya minta maaf! Seorang ksatria sejati memang membawa gadis lemah di tangannya, bertarung sambil melindunginya. Uwah, apa yang aku pikirkan! Sangat memalukan!

Dan kemudian, kegembiraan Evileye jatuh datar dalam sekejap. Dia membayangkan dirinya dalam posisi puteri. Namun, pada kenyataannya—

"Ini adalah…"

—Dia digendong bagaikan sepotong koper di bawah lengan kirinya. Tidak, itu sebenarnya cara terbaik untuk melakukannya. Dibandingkan dengan wanita dewasa yang matang, Evileye kecil dan ringan. Untuk mempertahankan pusat gravitasinya, sangat masuk akal bagi Momon untuk menggendongnya seperti ini.

Dia tahu dia tidak punya alasan untuk mengeluh, dan hatinya masih menyala karena marah melihat teman-temannya dibunuh. Dia tahu betul ini bukan waktu untuk kebodohan seperti itu. Meski begitu, tidak ada cara untuk sepenuhnya memadamkan ketidakbahagiaan di dalam hatinya.

Mungkin jika dia memeluknya atas kemauannya sendiri, itu mungkin membuat segalanya lebih mudah baginya. Tapi dia tidak yakin bisa bertahan padanya jika dia memilih untuk bertarung dengan kecepatan sangat tinggi itu lagi, jadi dia tetap diam.

Evileye sekali lagi menyaksikan pertempuran yang terjadi antara Momon dan Jaldabaoth. Jarak antara mereka berdua telah melebar lebih jauh dari sebelumnya, tetapi untuk prajurit kelas atas dan iblis kelas super, sepertinya sedikit lebih dari satu langkah ekstra untuk mereka berdua.

"Lalu, akankah kita mulai?"

“Tidak, aku percaya itu saja untuk saat ini. Seperti yang saya katakan sebelumnya, tujuan saya bukan untuk mengalahkan Anda. Kami telah menelan sebagian ibukota dengan nyala api. Begitu kami berhasil menembus pelanggaran, yakinlah bahwa kami pasti akan mengirimmu ke neraka di bawah tumpukan api penyucian. ”

Dengan itu, Jaldabaoth berbalik dan menghilang. Gerakannya sepertinya tidak tergesa-gesa, tetapi pada saat-saat jarak di antara mereka telah memanjang, dan dia memudar menjadi malam.

"Tidak. Tidak, ini tidak baik, Momon-sama, jika kita tidak mengejarnya— "

Ketika Jaldabaoth menghilang dari pandangan, Evileye mulai panik, tetapi Momon menggelengkan kepalanya.

"Aku tidak bisa melakukan itu. Dia mundur untuk menjalankan rencananya. Jika aku mengejarnya, dia akan bertarung dengan kekuatan penuhnya. Dan jika dia melakukan itu … "

Momon tidak harus menyelesaikan kalimat agar Evileye mengerti.

Jika dia serius, Anda akan terjebak dalam serangannya dan mati. Sesuatu untuk efek itu. Tetapi bahkan jika mereka tetap bertahan, musuh jahat itu pasti akan menggunakan serangan yang akan menghantam Evileye.

Fakta bahwa Momon membela Evileye membuktikan bahwa Evileye memiliki nilai sebagai sandera.

Momon telah mempertaruhkan dirinya untuk menyelamatkan hidupnya, dan dia tidak bisa melakukan apa pun untuk membantunya. Dia benci itu. Untuk berpikir dia telah mengatakan hal-hal yang terdengar sangat tinggi kepada Climb.

“Nah, Nabe. Menurutmu apa yang harus kita lakukan? "

Sebagai tanggapan, seorang wanita turun perlahan dari langit. Tim Dark Hero Momon termasuk magic caster yang dikenal sebagai Putri Cantik. Saat itu, Evileye menertawakan kesombongan dengan nama panggilan seperti itu, tetapi sekarang, dengan orang sungguhan di depannya, dia mendapati dirinya menahan napas.

Dia terlalu cantik. Orang asing … dengan penampilan seperti itu, dia pasti datang dari selatan. Evileye terus mengawasinya, tidak bisa memalingkan muka.

"Momon-sa — n. Mengapa kita tidak pergi ke kediaman bangsawan yang mempekerjakan kita, sesuai rencana semula? "

“Haruskah kita mengabaikan Jaldabaoth? Bukankah menghentikan orang itu merencanakan seluruh alasan mengapa saya di sini? "

"Mungkin, tapi kita harus tetap mendapatkan izin dari klien. Itu sepertinya paling penting. ”

"-Itu benar."

"Mengingat hal itu, aku menyarankan untuk menyingkirkan nyamuk yang terlalu besar itu."

"Hm? Ah, maafkan aku, aku khawatir kamu mungkin terkena serangan itu tadi. ”

Momon perlahan menurunkan Evileye ke tanah.

"Tidak — tolong, jangan pikirkan aku. Saya mengerti niat Anda. "

Evileye membungkuk dalam-dalam pada Momon.

“Terima kasih banyak atas semua bantuanmu. Izinkan saya untuk memperkenalkan kembali diri saya. Saya Evileye, dari kelompok petualangan adamantite Blue Rose. ”

“Tidak perlu formal, aku Momon, seorang petualang dengan peringkat adamantite sepertimu. Magic caster di sini adalah teman saya, Nabe. Jadi apa yang akan kamu lakukan setelah ini? Apakah kedua temanmu itu? Jika Anda membutuhkan seseorang untuk membawanya untuk Anda, itu seharusnya tidak menjadi masalah. "

Dia menunjuk ke Gagaran dan Tia.

“Saya sangat berterima kasih atas tawaran Anda, tetapi tidak perlu. Rekan-rekan kami akan segera tiba. Mungkin mereka bisa melemparkan mantra kebangkitan ke atas mereka di sini. ”

"Mantra kebangkitan … kamu bisa menggunakannya?"

"Ah … ah, ya. Pemimpin tim kami, Lakyus, dapat menghidupkan orang mati. ”

"Saya melihat! Lalu … jika saya boleh bertanya, dari seberapa jauh seseorang dapat merapalkan mantra kebangkitan? "

"Maksud kamu apa?"

“Maksudnya, katakanlah Anda ingin menghidupkan kembali keduanya. Jika Anda melemparkan mantra Anda dari jauh … di Kekaisaran, misalnya, di mana mereka akan bangkit? Di Kekaisaran, atau di mana tubuh mereka berbaring? "

Mengapa dia begitu tertarik pada sihir kebangkitan?

Keingintahuan, mungkin? Orang-orang yang bisa menggunakan tingkat 5 sihir ilahi sangat jarang, jadi itu tidak biasa untuk tertarik dengan topik ini.

Mungkin seseorang yang penting baginya telah meninggal. Dalam hal itu, balasan Evileye akan menjadi kejam baginya. Dia hanya bisa berdoa bukan itu masalahnya.

"Aku tidak terlalu jelas tentang perinciannya, tapi aku mendengar Lakyus harus sangat dekat untuk melemparkan mantra kebangkitan. Jadi, sehubungan dengan pertanyaanmu, itu tidak mungkin untuk melemparkan mantra dari Kekaisaran, Momon-sama. "

"Mmm. Lalu, pertanyaan lain; setelah kebangkitan, apakah mereka berdua bisa bertarung dengan segera? ”

"Itu tidak mungkin," jawab Evileye.

Mantra yang dilemparkan Lakyus adalah mantra tingkat ke-5 (Raise Dead). Proses kebangkitan menghabiskan banyak sekali tenaga hidup. Petualang dengan peringkat besi dan di bawahnya akan direduksi menjadi abu tanpa gagal jika dilemparkan pada mereka. Petualang peringkat Adamantite dapat dihidupkan kembali tanpa masalah, tetapi kebangkitan akan menguras begitu banyak energi kehidupan dari mereka sehingga mereka tidak akan bisa bergerak, dan memulihkan energi kehidupan ini akan memakan waktu lama.

Jika Jaldabaoth benar, bukan saja mereka masih dalam bahaya, tetapi mereka juga akan kehilangan sejumlah besar kekuatan tempur.

… Tidak, dalam kondisi ini, tidak ada yang bisa melawan Jaldabaoth selain pria hebat di depanku. Membangkitkan mereka berdua tidak akan mengubah keadaan. Akan lebih bijaksana bagi mereka untuk fokus pada pemulihan setelah kebangunan rohani mereka.

"Aku mengerti … Kurasa aku punya ide umum sekarang. Jika memungkinkan, saya pikir saya ingin bertemu wanita Lakyus ini. Apakah mungkin bagi saya untuk menunggu di sini bersama Anda? "

"Wha! Ke-ke-ke-kenapa kau ingin melihat Lakyus ?! ”

Kata-kata Evileye sudah meninggalkan mulutnya sebelum dia bisa memulihkan ketenangannya. Dia tidak mengerti alasan mengapa dia juga berbicara dengan mereka. Seketika dia mendengar Momon mengatakan bahwa dia ingin melihat Lakyus, hatinya dipenuhi dengan kebencian. Itu bahkan mengejutkan dirinya sendiri, dan ledakannya juga mengejutkan Momon.

Di bawah topengnya, wajahnya mulai memerah karena malu, dan dia senang jubah itu menutupi ujung telinganya yang juga memerah.

"Aku … aku berharap untuk bertanya tentang sihir kebangkitan, dan juga untuk bertemu dengan pemimpin Blue Rose, yang adalah sesama petualang dengan peringkat yang sama dengan diriku, dan yang merupakan senior saya selain itu. Itu, dan Jaldabaoth mungkin hilang, tetapi tidak ada jaminan dia tidak akan kembali. Apakah itu sangat tidak menyenangkan? "

"T-tidak, tidak seperti itu … ah, maafkan aku telah berteriak kepadamu."

Kebencian di dadanya lenyap begitu dia mendengar nama Jaldabaoth; dia tahu mereka harus berjaga-jaga terhadapnya.

Memikirkan dengan cermat apa yang telah dikatakan … Aku seharusnya melihat itu akan terjadi. Adapun untuk mencari kembali Jaldabaoth … Itu berarti dia ingin melindungi saya? Fufu …

"Lalu, sementara kita menunggu, apakah kamu keberatan jika aku bertanya tentang apa yang terjadi sebelumnya?"

“Sebelum itu, aku harus merawat tubuh temanku. Saya tidak bisa meninggalkan mereka di sini. Tidak ada masalah dengan memindahkan mereka, kan? "

Tentu saja tidak ada masalah. Dengan itu, Evileye pergi ke mayat.

Dia pikir mereka akan dibakar tanpa bisa dikenali, tetapi tampaknya api iblis hanya membakar jiwa daripada daging. Mayat-mayat itu tak bernoda. Setelah menutup mata mereka dan menyilangkan tangan di dada mereka, Evileye menarik Kafan Tidur dari ranselnya, dan mulai dengan membungkus Tia.

"Apa ini?"

"Ini adalah benda ajaib yang menghentikan pembusukan dan kekakuan tubuh ketika melilitnya. Ini sangat berguna bagi mereka yang menggunakan mantra kebangkitan. "

Sementara ini terjadi, Momon memperhatikan selama jawaban Evileye bahwa dia sedang berjuang untuk membungkus tubuh Gagaran yang besar, jadi dia memutuskan untuk mengulurkan tangan dengan mengangkat tubuhnya dengan kekuatan lengannya yang luar biasa. Ketika mayat-mayat itu dibungkus, Evileye dengan sungguh-sungguh menggenggam kedua telapak tangannya, berdoa untuk jiwa-jiwa orang mati dan agar Lakyus membangkitkan mereka.

"Terima kasih untuk bantuannya."

“Jangan pikirkan itu. Seperti yang saya tanyakan sebelumnya, bisakah Anda memberi tahu saya apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di sini? ”

Evileye mengangguk, dan mulai menceritakan peristiwa yang terjadi. Apa yang dia tahu, apa yang mereka rencanakan untuk lakukan, dan kisah pertemuan mereka dengan pelayan serangga dan pertempuran di mana Jaldabaoth masuk.

Ketika dia berbicara tentang bagaimana dia hampir menghabisi pelayan serangga, perubahan terjadi pada Momon dan Nabe, yang telah diam-diam mendengarkan ceritanya sampai sekarang.

"Lalu, apakah kamu membunuhnya?"

Kata-katanya netral, tetapi amarah di belakang mereka tidak salah lagi.

Evileye khawatir. Mengapa dia kesal karena membunuh pelayan Jaldabaoth? Tapi dia memutuskan untuk selesai menceritakan kisahnya.

"Tidak, kami tidak membunuhnya. Jaldabaoth muncul sebelum kita bisa melakukan itu. "

"…Apakah begitu? Saya mengerti, saya mengerti. ”

Kemarahannya lenyap, dan Evileye bertanya-tanya apakah dia bahkan pernah marah. Tapi, mata keras Nabe yang sunyi masih dipenuhi dengan amarah yang membara. Sulit untuk mengatakan apakah dia meremehkan semua orang dengan cara ini.

Momon terbatuk, dan bertanya, "Kalau begitu … jika Anda tidak mencoba membunuh pelayan serangga, apakah Anda pikir Jaldabaoth akan menyerang Anda?"

Evileye langsung menyadari mengapa Momon marah. Pelayan serangga itu bersikap netral, dan yang dia tahu, mereka berdua yang menyerangnya mungkin menjadi pemicu kejadian saat ini. Mereka menginjak ekor harimau yang seharusnya tidak mereka miliki.

Itu wajar bagi para petualang untuk menghindari pertempuran yang tidak perlu. Jika sekelompok petualang tingkat tinggi tidak mengetahui hal ini, itu akan mempermalukan nama petualang peringkat adamantite, dan bahkan Momon sendiri. Itu seharusnya menjadi alasan mengapa dia kesal. Meski begitu, Evileye tidak bisa sepenuhnya setuju dengan alur pemikiran itu.

“Jaldabaoth mengatakan bahwa dia telah menghabiskan sebagian Ibukota dalam api neraka. Seorang pelayan yang mengikuti seseorang seperti itu tidak mungkin menjadi orang normal. Saya percaya keputusan kolega saya untuk melawannya adalah tindakan yang benar. ”

Itulah satu hal yang tidak bisa dia kompromikan. Pelayan itu lebih kuat dari Gagaran dan Tia. Mengetahui hal ini, mereka masih berjuang – pasti ada alasan untuk itu. Dia harus percaya bahwa rekan-rekannya punya alasan bagus untuk apa yang mereka lakukan.

Evileye yang defensif dan Momon yang pendiam menatap satu sama lain, seolah mengintip melalui topengnya dan helmnya yang tertutup. Meskipun tidak ada yang bisa melihat wajah satu sama lain, Evileye yakin bahwa dia sedang menatap mata Momon.

Pada akhirnya, Momon adalah orang pertama yang membuang muka.

"Mmm. Ah. Saya melihat. Kamu benar. Saya minta maaf."

Dia menundukkan kepalanya padanya. Evileye itu mengejutkan. Meskipun keyakinannya pada rekan-rekannya tegas, dia masih tidak bisa membuat penyelamatnya merendahkan dirinya seperti itu.

"Ah! Tolong, angkat kepalamu! Orang yang luar biasa sepertimu harus … Ueeeeee? ”

Ketika dia menyadari apa yang baru saja dia katakan, Evileye mengeluarkan teriakan menyedihkan.

Meskipun benar bahwa Momon adalah individu yang luar biasa, ketika Anda memikirkannya, menggunakan kata "luar biasa" untuk menggambarkannya adalah …

Evileye menjerit dalam hatinya.

Aaaaah! Saya tidak bisa menahannya, dia terlalu keren! Apakah salah bagi saya untuk merasa seperti seorang gadis lagi, hanya sekali dalam ratusan tahun? Lagipula, dia adalah pejuang perkasa yang lebih kuat dariku …

Mengingat cara Evileye memandang Momon seperti anak sekolah yang dicintai, jika dia merasa malu dan berkata begitu, itu berarti dia masih memiliki kesempatan. Jika tidak, peluangnya akan sangat kecil.

Tubuh Evileye telah berhenti berkembang pada usia dua belas. Karena itu, dia tidak memiliki bagian yang ingin dilihat pria. Entah itu untuk membangkitkan api nafsu pada orang lain, atau memuaskan nafsu birahi itu, akan sangat sulit baginya. Tentu saja, sekelompok pria tertentu akan sangat tertarik padanya, tetapi mereka adalah minoritas. Dengan kecantikan seperti Nabe di dekatnya, peluangnya tampak lebih ramping.

Ketika Evileye mengumpulkan keberaniannya untuk menatapnya, dia mendapati bahwa Momon dan Nabe sedang menatap langit malam sebagai gantinya.

Dia tidak tahu apa yang mereka lakukan pada awalnya, tetapi ketika dia ingat bagaimana dia menangis sekarang, itu datang padanya. Mereka berdua menganggapnya sebagai peringatan.

Tidak, tidak ~

Tanpa mengatakan apa pun, perasaan itu mendorongnya ke tepi air mata.

"… Mungkin kamu salah? Tidak ada apa-apa di sana, "kata Momon sambil mengamati langit di sekitarnya.

"… J-jangan khawatir tentang itu. Saya benar-benar minta maaf. "

“Ah, jangan pikirkan itu. Lebih baik salah daripada disergap. "

Nabe mengembalikan pedangnya ke punggungnya, saat Momon membalas Evileye dengan satu pedang di tangan.

Kelemahlembutannya membuat Evileye terdiam. Pada saat itu, ujung penglihatannya menyala. Warnanya bukan sihir putih murni, tetapi merah jahat, warna nyala api yang meraung.

"Momon-san, lihat ke sana."

Ketika Nabe mengatakan ini, mereka berdua berbalik untuk melihat cahaya merah tua. Mata Evileye melebar, karena dia tahu apa yang menyebabkan kebakaran itu.

"Apa? Itu … "

Api merah memuntahkan lidah api ke langit, seolah-olah itu bertujuan untuk membakar langit. Tingginya lebih dari tiga puluh meter, dan dia tidak bisa membayangkan selebar itu — beberapa ratus meter, mungkin lebih.

Dinding api berayun seperti kerudung, dan mengelilingi kota seperti korset.

Evileye, yang dikejutkan oleh pemandangan itu, mendengar suara lelaki lembut di telinganya.

"… Api Gehenna?"

Seolah lehernya berada di mata air, dia menjentikkan kepalanya ke samping untuk menghadapi Momon.

“Itu, itu, apa, apa itu? Momon, tahukah kamu apa itu tembok api yang besar itu? ”

Bahu Momon sedikit gemetar ketika dia menjawab, dengan kurangnya kepercayaan diri yang tidak biasa.

"Eh? Ah … tidak, tidak, saya tidak yakin tentang itu. Bisakah aku memberitahumu lagi setelah aku mengkonfirmasi detailnya? ”

"Itu … tidak apa-apa …"

"Aku perlu mendiskusikan sesuatu dengan Nabe, maafkan kami."

"Eh, tidak bisakah aku ikut juga?"

"Ah, tidak, ini masalah pribadi. Tolong, maafkan kami. ”

Itu sangat mendasar, begitu jelas sehingga Evileye merasa malu bahkan untuk bertanya sejak awal. Matanya yang mengembara tertuju pada wanita yang dikenal sebagai Putri Cantik.

Di wajahnya ada senyum kemenangan.

Dia mungkin salah, tapi sekali lagi, dia mungkin tidak. Wajar bagi seorang wanita untuk merasa lebih unggul dari semua wanita lain ketika seorang pria hebat memberikan perhatian khusus padanya.

Evileye tidak mampu menekan perasaan aneh yang mendidih di dalam dirinya. Itu adalah kemarahan yang membuatnya jijik; api kecemburuan.

Dia tidak hanya kuat, dia juga tahu banyak hal bahkan aku tidak … Aku tidak akan pernah bertemu pria seperti dia lagi.

Perempuan manusia secara alami tertarik pada yang kuat. Ketika diancam oleh kekuatan luar yang kuat, itu memicu naluri reproduksi untuk bergabung dengan laki-laki yang kuat dan melahirkan anak-anaknya, menerima perlindungan untuk dirinya sendiri dan keturunannya. Tentu saja, tidak semua wanita akan memilih pria dengan cara ini. Kepribadian, penampilan, banyak faktor yang bisa mengarah pada cinta. Meski begitu, ada kecenderungan yang sangat kuat untuk mencari kekuatan pada pasangan.

Evileye memandang rendah wanita-wanita seperti itu.

Adalah bodoh untuk ingin dilindungi karena Anda lemah. Alih-alih, yang perlu Anda lakukan adalah menjadi kuat, dan Anda tidak akan membutuhkan siapa pun untuk melindungi Anda. Seharusnya begitu.

Tetapi jika dia membiarkan seorang pria seperti ini pergi, akankah dia bertemu orang lain yang bisa memuaskannya seperti dia?

Evileye tidak akan menua, tetapi Momon pasti akan menjadi tua dan mati di hadapannya. Dan sekeras apa pun dia berusaha, Evileye tidak akan pernah bisa mengandung anak Momon. 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 did not want to part with him. But she also did not want to hang around the woman to whom she had wholeheartedly admitted her defeat.

Of course, she could not say such a thing.

Nobody wanted a woman who was too clingy. Men were creatures who wanted to flee the more you tried to tie them down.

She recalled the idle chatter in the tavern. She had laughed it off at that time because she thought it had nothing to do with her.

What a waste. Even trivia like that has its uses. I should have listened closely… but would it be too late to start now? Will I have 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 was not the time for idle fantasies, but she knew too little about what was going on, let alone how to proceed, and so she didn’t do anything. Even so, Evileye would be going into a battle in which she might perish. In that event, she might as well sigh and earnestly consider something else to prevent her dwelling on it.

…it’s a fact.

She did not know what her body was good for if it could not 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’s wall of fire.

The only one who can beat you is Momon-sama. Then, I will dispose of the trash around you. This time, if the maid shows herself, I will kill her. I was once the cursed being known as Landfall! Don’t look down on me, Jaldabaoth!

♦ ♦ ♦

“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, we should still be prepared.”

Ainz 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, he had no choice.

“Then, Nabe, I think I’ve seen through Demiurge’s plan for the most part. However, the more complex the machine, the more easily it goes out of control when a single gear goes loose. The same applies to schemes. We must avoid acting like we’ve won and not confirming the facts just because we seem to have the upper hand. Apakah kamu mengerti?"

“I see… as expected of our supreme liege.”

Narberal’s praise came from the bottom of her heart, and Ainz acknowledged it with a regal nod of his head. It was as though he were saying that everything was going according to plan.

This was not the case.

He felt as though he was going to drown in the lake formed from his non-existent cold sweat.

He could not even grasp the meaning behind Demiurge’s scheme. Ainz had simply gone into the battle with the idea of showing off his fighting skills in a debut battle at the Royal Capital.

The shock of learning that his opponent was Demiurge had shattered his composure utterly. Only the emotion override unique to undead beings had kept him calm.

After that he thought he would just be fighting the Eight Fingers just going by his orders, but then he learned that he would be doing battle with adamantite-ranked adventurers. Because he didn’t know what was going on at all, Ainz had nearly given up on thinking things through.

Speaking thoughtlessly under these conditions would sound entirely unnatural. Ainz knew that it was extremely dangerous to pretend understanding when one was actually ignorant. Perhaps it might have been wiser to reveal his lack of knowledge, but under the circumstances, it was ill-advised. A Supreme Being worthy of loyalty would have to demonstrate a fitting amount of foreknowledge.

If a superior—especially one of a CEO’s level—proved himself too incompetent, his subordinates would lose their trust in him.

Therefore, he had frantically racked his non-existent brain cells to produce the aphorism he had just spouted.

Perhaps Narberal was too honest, or the words he spoke had been unexpectedly meaningful. Narberal’s eyes were filled with respect. As such, Ainz made a request of her under the pretense of ordering her.

"Umu. Then, in order to ensure the success of Demiurge’s operation, make contact with him. I will not do it personally because that woman might still be watching. And right now, I cannot use magic. Hm… that Evileye hadn’t let her guard down for a single moment. I don’t have proof, but I’m sure she’s already suspecting me.”

"Bagaimana bisa? There’s no such thing. Perhaps there’s another reason she’s looking so closely at you.”

Ainz looked at Narberal while trying not to make it obvious that he was staring at her.

“That has to be the reason. I roughly understand how that woman thinks. I believe revealing my anger when we discussed Entoma was a fatal mistake. Perhaps I should have just killed her off without hesitation?”

There was no answer to his words.

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 had not 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 who could use resurrection magic—and they were in a position to benefit from it. Ruining this would be too much of a waste.

Perhaps I’ve grown, and learned to control myself.

If it had not been for Shalltear’s brainwashing, it was possible that he would have ignored the potential gains to Nazarick and killed Evileye. The Great Tomb of Nazarick and the NPCs created by his former friends were treasures that Ainz wanted to protect. He would not forgive any attempt to stain them.  To that end, he also had to consider what was most important and which choices to make to attain it. That was maturity.

Ainz reflected that his capacity had grown to match his experience, and the illusion of the face underneath his closed helm smiled to itself. At this rate, there was no doubt that he would be able to become a true ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Or rather, he hoped to reach that stage.

Before that, I have to avoid disappointing people or suffering great setbacks… it’ll be very hard on me…

"Apakah begitu? As expected of Ainz-sama, you completely saw through that woman. Such vision could only belong to one destined to sit upon the throne.”

“Enough with the pleasantries, Narberal. More accurately, it was my gaffe which led to her suspicion.”

Ainz waved Narberal off in a gesture that also hid his embarrassment. Then, in a steely voice, he issued his command.

“Let’s go, Narberal. Go and discover all the details of this scheme, and then tell me about them. Also, tell Albedo that if this drags on, we will have to join in clearing up Jaldabaoth’s mess.”

Narberal bowed and cast a spell.

Inside his heart, Ainz rejoiced. He had not lied to Narberal. Ainz’s current use of the (Perfect Warrior) spell meant that he could not use magic. Thus, using Narberal to cast a (Message) to Demiurge was only logical. But there was another reason, one that he could not say out loud.

In order to better pretend that he had already seen through Demiurge’s plans, and not let Albedo and Demiurge suspect anything, he had to minimize contact with them.

If he assigned Narberal to do it, it would be like playing a game of telephone, and some of the information might end up distorted. However, it was a small risk.

It was nothing compared to damaging his image as the supreme ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

Ainz slowly made his way back to Evileye.

While Narberal was talking to Demiurge, it would be up to him to draw her attention.

“Good grief.. it’d be good if I could bluff my way through this somehow. Speaking of which, I wonder what the face of a child with such power looks like under the mask…”

Bagian 2

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 5th Day 00:47

Though it was in the middle of the night, a corner of the Royal Capital was lit up by torches as though it were broad daylight. A somewhat cramped room was packed full of men and women. They were all dressed in battle gear, but there was no unifying theme among them.

They were all adventurers within the Royal Capital who had responded to a hasty summons. Orichalcum and mithril-ranked adventurers notwithstanding, even lowly iron and copper-ranked adventurers were present for this.

The more senior adventurers had already realized that the why reason outsiders like themselves had been permitted into the Royal Palace was in order to take care of the problems plaguing the Royal Capital. Some of these adventurers had already begun guessing at their employer upon seeing the youth in white armor standing at attention in the corner. Even fewer of these adventurers had any idea of the true identity of the katana-bearing man who stood beside the youth.

The great door to the chamber suddenly opened, and what appeared was a group of women—and one man—causing a stir.

Every one of them was known to the adventurers within the Kingdom.

At their head was the leader of the adamantite ranked adventuring party “Blue Rose”, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.

Close behind her was the Golden Princess Renner, along with the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild in the capital. Then there was Evileye of Blue Rose and one of the twins. And at the back was the strongest warrior of the Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff.

As the group stood before the gathered adventurers, the youth in white armor unrolled the scroll in his hands, and pasted it onto the wall behind him.

It was a detailed map of the Royal Capital.

The first to speak was a woman in her forties, a former member of a mithril ranked adventuring party whose eyes were still filled with vitality.

“Ladies and gentlemen, to begin with, I’d like to thank you for being able to be present for this emergency meeting.”

After the room had quietened down, she continued to address the adventurers with an earnest expression on her face.

“Normally, the Adventurer’s Guild would never interfere in national affairs.”

Every eye turned to the members of Blue Rose, but they remained silent. After all, eyes could not speak like the mouth could.

“However, this is an exceptional case. The Adventurer’s Guild has decided to cooperate fully with the Kingdom, in order to quickly resolve the problems facing us. The princess will relate the details to us, so I pray you will be quiet and listen.”

The Princess slowly advanced, flanked by the members of Blue Rose and Gazef Stronoff.

“I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, and I am deeply grateful that everyone here was able to respond to the extraordinary summons issued tonight.”

She bowed demurely to them, and several sighs of affection rose from the adventurers as they saw the delicate sight before them.

“Normally, I would render duly deserved praise upon all of you, but as time is of the essence, let us get straight to the point. Tonight, a portion of the capital—”

Here the princess raised a finger to a part of the map —the northeast corner— and drew a circle around it.

“—Has been surrounded by a wall of fire. The flames are more than thirty meters in height, and I am certain you have all seen them.”

Most of the adventurers nodded in agreement, while some went to the palace windows to look outside. The high walls surrounding the palace meant that they could not see the wall of fire directly, but the reflected light from the flames stained the sky red, and that they could see.

“This flame ought to be an illusion of some sort, because touching it does not cause harm. According to those who have contacted it, the fire does not have heat, or impede movement. Moving past the firewall should not pose a problem either.”

At this, the lower-ranked adventurers breathed sighs of relief.

“The mastermind behind this incident is known as Jaldabaoth, an extremely powerful and vicious demon. Blue Rose has already confirmed that there are low-ranking demons on the other side of the firewall. They seem to be acting entirely on orders from their superiors.”

Lakyus nodded to Renner as she said that.

“…Strike at the head and the body will die… a basic tactic. Does that mean all we have to do is defeat Jaldabaoth?”

Renner turned to acknowledge the speaker, an adventurer with a mithril plate upon his neck.

“That might be an oversimplification, but fundamentally, that is true. However, what I wish to ask of all of you is to defeat this devil’s plot. We have information that suggests that he is here to seize a certain magic item which is on its way to the capital.”

That news sparked a disturbance among the adventurers. They had finally realized that the region encircled by the firewall included the warehouses and shophouses that made up the capital’s economic heart.

“…How did you come by this information?”

“It was stated by Jaldabaoth himself.”

“Then don’t you think there’s a high chance this information could be false?”

“Certainly, it is not out of the question. It might end up being a massive feint. However, I believe it to be accurate. The enemy has not made any movements ever since they set up the wall of fire. More importantly, if what Jaldabaoth says is true, then inaction will mean that all we can do is watch the worst-case scenario unfolding before our eyes. Therefore, we must seize the initiative.”

“How strong is that Jaldabaoth you mentioned? I don’t remember hearing or reading about him. It would help us if you could tell us his difficulty level.”

Lakyus stepped forward with a stern expression on her face.

“My colleague Evileye is the one who is most familiar with Jaldabaoth’s strength, but we do not know the specifics yet. We will update you later.”

Adventurers rated the strength of the monsters which they encountered by their difficulty ranking. The higher the number, the stronger the opponent. However, it was an unspoken rule that one should not rely too heavily on difficulty rankings, because it would lead to nasty surprises. The strength of monsters varied even within their own species and at best, a difficulty ranking was an educated guess. Thus, it was not a value that was frequently used. However, it was a simple way to explain things to a group like this.

“I shall speak of what I know as my group’s representative. My comrades encountered an insect maid —believed to be one of Jaldabaoth’s followers— and defeated her, only for Jaldabaoth to appear and engage us in battle…”

The absence of Gagaran the warrior and Tia the rogue had already been noticed by the adventurers present. Lakyus looked around at the adventurers in the room.

“They were killed by Jaldabaoth.”

“With a single blow.”

Chaos broke out with Evileye’s statement. Adamantite-ranked adventurers were the pinnacle of humanity, living legends. It was unthinkable that they could be killed, let alone in a single blow.

“Do not be afraid!”

Evileye shouted as though she would disperse the fear in the air with her voice.

“Certainly, Jaldabaoth is powerful. I can vouch for this, having faced him with nothing to show for it but defeat. That is a monster that no ordinary human can defeat. Even if every person here gathered to fight him, we would simply be defeated as a group. But there is no need to worry. There is a man who can do battle evenly with Jaldabaoth!”

Amidst the commotion, some of the brighter adventurers looked to a certain place— to a certain adventurer.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you know this man. From the third adamantite-ranked adventuring team that was recently founded in E-Rantel of the Kingdom— indeed, it is him—”

Evileye pointed her finger at the pair of adventurers, and the eyes of the entire room went with her.

“The leader of Darkness, the Dark Hero Momon-dono!”

One was encased in night-black plate armor and wearing a helmet that he refused to remove even indoors, while the other was a world-class beauty. The two of them instantly became the center of everyone’s attention. Exclamations of awe and wonder filled the room as they realised the celebrities they had in their midst.

Momon shifted his adamantite plate from within the folds of his crimson cape to where everyone could see it.

“Quickly, Momon-san, please come to the front of the room.”

In contrast to Evileye’s excitement, Momon simply raised a hand in reply, and whispered a few words in Narberal’s ear.

“Momon-san says there is no need for a lengthy introduction. We should begin the briefing quickly.”

“Well, that is a shame. Then, let us make haste, as Momon-sama suggests. Evileye, may I continue the briefing?”

“Cough, uh, apologies, Princess Renner, please, continue.”

Even though her mask concealed her face, one could tell how Evileye felt from the disappointed tone of her voice.

“As Evileye said, we have a warrior who can stand against Jaldabaoth. Everyone, please rest assured that we are not picking a fight we cannot win. Then, I shall explain the details of the operation.”

Renner sketched a line on the map.

“To begin with, I would like you to act as our bow.”

“A bow?” came a doubtful voice, “Not a shield?”

“A shield will not help us win. To begin with, I wish to form the adventurers up into a battle line, followed closely by a line of guards. Behind them will be the support line of priests and magic casters. In this way, we will advance into the enemy stronghold. At this point, if the enemy does not engage us, then we will have the adventurers advance into the enemy headquarters and suppress the area. If we are attacked, we will first determine if we can repel the attack. If possible, we will advance. If not, then I must ask the adventurers to retreat while drawing off the enemy. In the meantime the guards will hold off the enemy as long as possible. If the adventurers must retreat, then they will head here.”

She pointed to the support line of the magic casters.

“You will heal here, and from there we will see about mounting another attack.”

“Hang on! Does this mean… the guards will be fighting on our behalf?”

The guards had very low fighting strength. It seemed impossible for them to substitute for an adventurer in combat.

Just as Renner was about to reply, another adventurer spoke up.

“Another thing, there’s a fatal flaw in this plan. While retreating, our formation will stretch out, and our defensive power will weaken as a result. What if the demons attack the capital in the meantime? Even a low-ranking demon is far more powerful than an average human. We’ll end up taking a lot of casualties, won’t we? Instead, why don’t we use (Fly) to penetrate the enemy formation in one movement?”

“I have considered this method as well, but is it not true that demons count many flyers among their numbers?”

The gathered adventurers recalled tales of flying demons and nodded to Renner. Even low-ranking demons had wings, and many could fly.

“The usual application of (Fly) will only serve to draw the eyes of the enemy to ourselves. I had considered starting at a high altitude, then suddenly plunging to the ground and using the buildings of the city to block the enemy’s vision while we assaulted them at high speed from cover… but there is another matter to discuss before this. You mentioned earlier that when retreating, the battle lines would spread, and the defense would weaken. The same applies to our enemy. So for this battle, we are not a shield, but a bow.”

Shouts of approval came up from the adventurers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you will be the bow of our Kingdom, drawn and loosed, to pierce our foe straight through the heart.”

As the adventurers spread out, the enemy would follow them. This would also thin out the enemy’s defenses. It would be easier to attack from the flanks than from the front.

Forming the adventurers up into a line was a feint intended to thin out the enemy.

“Our arrow will be Momon-sama here. When he sees the enemy lines open up, he will make a low-altitude flying assault to break through them.”

“…how about Red Drop? Even if they are adamantite-ranked adventurers, I don’t see how two people can break through by themselves. To be safe, don’t we need someone to screen them before they reach Jaldabaoth?”

One of the adventurers asked that question, and the guildmaster, standing at the head of the crowd, answered on Renner’s behalf.

“At the moment, they are performing a task within the borders of the Republic. We have already used (Message) to inform them of the situation, but returning will still them take half a day. By that time, it would be too late. So this time round, we are not counting their strength into our plans.”

“Then how about Blue Rose? Will they be going in with Momon-san?”

“…Our battle strength has been greatly depleted with the loss of two of our members. Tina and I will join the battle line and fight. Evileye will be doing something else.”

“…I will be accompanying Momon-san… Momon-dono as he makes his entry, so I have been focusing on restoring my mana up until now.”

“Then let me ask another question. I’d like to ask the Warrior Captain something. What about the nobles’ house troops and warriors? Blue Rose has already lost two members. You should be taking their place in battle. Couldn’t you lead those troops into battle, and let Blue Rose handle the task of clearing the path for Momon-san?”

“Answer us!”

Gazef stepped forward.

“The house troops are responsible for protecting their masters’ estates, and the soldiers look to the defense of the capital. And the warriors I lead are tasked with defending the royal family.”

There was a hubbub among the adventurers, and the same person spoke up again.

“So you’re saying you won’t be setting foot on the battlefield, Stronoff-sama?”

“Indeed, that is so. My duty is to stay in the Royal Palace and protect the members of the Royal Family.”

The air had changed. It had turned harsh. Gazef’s words were could not be faulted, but even if one could understand them on an intellectual level, it was still unacceptable on an emotional level. The ones who earned their coin in blood were the adventurers, and they were already prepared to sell their lives dearly in the coming battle. The nobles and royalty should have been the same way. Having taken the money of the masses, they should be rushing to their rescue instead of holing up safe in their castles.

This was especially since they were taking the Kingdom’s strongest man as their bodyguard.

Hostility against the nobles and particularly the royals filled the air. Gazef took a step back. He understood that at this point, anything he said would only sound like an excuse.

Therefore, the one who spoke for him was Lakyus.

“Everyone, I understand you are not happy with his arrangement. But before that, I would advise you to keep one thing in mind. The one paying to gather you all here is not the Royal Family, but Princess Renner herself, out of her own private finances. The one who brought Momon-san here was Marquis Raeven. He is not here tonight because he is on guard against any demons which might be dispersed in the capital. Certainly, I am as unhappy with the nobles and royals as you are, but I would like you to consider that not all of them are cut from the same cloth.”

The room calmed down somewhat as Lakyus finished her piece. Everyone was trying to control the anger they did not want to show to Renner.

“…and there is one more thing. Before we fire the arrow, we must perform one more task. Climb!”

“Yes, Princess!”

His energetic voice drew everyone’s attention to the boy in the white armor.

“Although it is a very dangerous task, I must still entrust you with it. When we enter the enemy stronghold, there might be survivors. Please rescue them.”

Murmured whispers rose up from the adventurers. “Impossible”, “it’s too much”, that sort of thing. Entering the heart of the enemy formation and looking for survivors was not so much dangerous as outright suicidal. And escorting powerless civilians back out through a war zone was practically impossible.

Still, Climb answered immediately.

“Yes, Your Majesty! I will stake my life to accomplish any task you ask of me!”

Everyone looked at Climb as though he were mad.

“…Hime-san, Climb is just one man, and there might be some risk. Will you permit me to accompany him?”

“Will that be all right, Brain Unglaus-sama?”

That name raised another commotion from the adventurers. The name of Brain Unglaus was one which nobody who valued strength would ever forget.

“Ah, it’s no problem for me.”

“Then I will be counting on you. May I now ask the various party leaders to step forward?”

♦ ♦ ♦

As he watched the adventurers at the head of the room, Ainz was doing some work of his own.

In other words, making introductions.

People who looked like they were second-in-command for their adventuring parties were coming up to Ainz in twos and threes to speak to him.

Their lines followed similar patterns from announcing their party names, admiring his equipment, hoping to meet him again and sharing stories of their adventures. It was similar to how one might exchange business cards at work, but while business cards had physical forms, verbal introductions would only linger as memories.

A good memory was an important skill for a leader. Ainz let his mind wander as he committed every person he met to memory.

The important thing was to remember the party name and what rank they were. And of course, he would only pay attention to the higher-ranking adventurers. Iron and copper-ranked adventurers came to greet him too, but they lived in different worlds, and so forgetting them was not an issue. It was like how a department head would not bother remembering the salarymen of a small company he visited.

Even so, Momon did not make it obvious that he was taking them lightly. He shook hands with all comers, gave them reassuring pats on the shoulder, laughed at their stupid jokes, and returned the praise he received.

Someone had even taken their gloves off to shake hands with him, with him in gauntlets and all. It must be a matter of rank, Momon thought as he looked at the back of the person who had just said hello.

What a crazy color…

His hair was a shocking pink.

It was not uncommon for adventurers to paint their gear in garish colors, but this was the first time he had seen someone dye their hair in such a lurid shade.

Adventurers in the capital really were a different thing altogether. Just because there were so many people in the capital did not mean that one had to go so far just to stand out.

Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s any taboos or stigma associated with dying your hair…

During Ainz’ life as a salaryman, pink hair would have been considered strange, but in this world, even kids could dye their hair.

He forced himself to depart the topic of hair, and instead looked at the line of adventurers in front of him. It reminded him of the queuing instinct of the Japanese. Then, he turned his focus to Narberal who stood behind him.

Ainz had never once registered a party name, but the party called Darkness had one more member, the slim beauty who now stood behind him.

The massed adventurers did not dare speak to her because the sheer hostility which she radiated was pricking at their skin. That, and they had come to meet and greet Ainz, which would be more beneficial to them.

In the end, adventuring society is just like working life…

After all, they were all social constructs of humanity. It only made sense that there would be similarities between them.

Around the time where Ainz’s hand would have started getting sore from shaking if he had been a human, the stream of adventurers approaching began dwindling down. Sensing an opportunity, Evileye approached, cutting in front of the person who was going to shake Ainz’s hand. They couldn’t complain, though. The adventurers had made their introductions in order of rank, from highest to lowest. Being at the tail end of the line, the ones remaining were the novices, and they certainly could not speak out against the adamantite-ranked Evileye.

“The introductions should be pretty much over, could you come over here for a bit?”

Ainz glanced at her through the slit of his closed helm, and then he spied Gazef from the corner of his vision. If he was still there, that could only mean one thing.

“Nabe, take my place and meet them. I’ll come over after I finish up here.”

The nearby listeners’ eyes went wide.

“I’m very sorry, but the ones who queued up came first.”

Ainz turned from Evileye and continued speaking to the adventurers who had come to see him.

If Ainz were speaking to the boss of a small company and was called over by the boss of an international corporation, he would naturally go over to the latter. It was not favoritism or discrimination, but rather, common sense. If he stuck to his guns and ignored the call, he would be seen as a selfish leader who couldn’t see the big picture. As a salaryman, sometimes one had to put aside one’s personal opinions and act for the greater benefit of the company.

That was what it meant to be a cog in a machine.

However, this time was different.

I shouldn’t speak to Gazef. Even if it’s just for a moment, and even if it’s been two months ago so he shouldn’t remember… but if he does remember, I won’t be able to do anything about it. However, there’s no getting around it. Although I feel uneasy, I should probably let Nabe take it on first, and then lower my voice a little before speaking to him…I’ve been speaking for quite a while, so if he hasn’t heard it by now he probably never will. Still, I’d better be careful.

“Quick, Nabe. Go over to them.”

"Dimengerti."

Taking his eyes off Nabe, who was walking over to the princess, Ainz took his helmet off as well. He felt the eyes of the entire room focusing on him. He cricked his neck, and then put the helmet back on. Originally, he had planned to spice up the act by wiping his sweat off, but Ainz’s “face” was an illusion, and if he didn’t do it right, his hand would end up passing through it instead. So, he decided to end it with the neck-crick instead.

That was the plan, to satisfy Gazef’s curiosity by letting him see Momon’s face.

Hopefully after Narberal goes over, they’ll forget about coming over to talk to me…

Ainz prayed so in his heart while he turned back to the adventurers who were seeking him.

“What a surprise, are you used to this already?”

It was Evileye’s voice. She was still hanging around. Why couldn’t she have been a good girl and gone over with Narberal? Of course, he didn’t reveal his irritation. In fact, to avoid suspicion, he replied to her in a gentle voice.

“Oh, it wasn’t anything special.”

This was nothing for anyone who had worked in a company before.

“Hardly. I think it’s the best attitude to have for leading a party.”

How annoying. Stop cutting in when I’m making introductions.

The words burned in Ainz’ heart, but he had to swallow them. If he lashed out at her now, the effort he had put into not killing her would be wasted. He split his attention as though he were performing a simple task, and made the appropriate noises to someone who had come to see him. The other party also knew that Momon was being called away, so they wrapped things up in two or three sentences.

After the line of adventurers had dispersed, a quick look revealed that Gazef was gone. He suppressed the urge to burst into dance, and instead spoke calmly to Evileye.

“The legendary Warrior Captain seems to have left… oh dear. I think I spent too much time with the others. My apologies.”

"Mmm? What do you know, he’s gone. He’s a busy person, it makes sense that he couldn’t stay. Although, it does seem quite rude that he didn’t even say a word of thanks to our ace, Momon-sama, who’s going to protect the capital. How rude. Let me get him for you.”

"Tunggu. Tunggu!"

He had accidentally raised his voice. Ainz continued in a more even tone.

“No, it won’t be a problem. Really, don’t worry about it. I’m only here because Marquis Raeven hired me, anyway. Protecting the capital is simply business. Nothing that the Warrior Captain should praise me for.”

“Is that so… Since just now, I’ve been thinking that you were a generous man, Momon-sama.”

Ainz thought he was being mocked, and he looked closely at Evileye. But he could not read her face, covered by her mask as it was.

I can’t trust anyone who wears a mask after all… what a pain. Still, why does she wear the mask? It must be some kind of magic item…

It was at this moment that Ainz realized his mistake, and he scrambled to examine his surroundings. The mood of the room had not changed, and nobody had reacted with fear and hostility toward the adamantite adventurer Momon.

In YGGDRASIL, illusions were simply another set of item skins over that could be activated through the spellcasting console, but in this world, illusion magic was real. That ebing the case, it would make sense for items that pierced illusions to exist… In E-Rantel, nobody saw through it, and after I heard from the Magician’s Guildmaster that one needed experience to see through them, I got careless… there are also quite a few orichalcum ranked adventurers here, what a blunder…

Ainz surveyed the room again.

Nobody’s on their guard, I guess my secret’s still safe… from now on, I won’t remove my helmet in the capital unless I have to. Someone might have a talent for seeing through illusions.

“…Evileye-san,”

“Please, call me Evileye. You are my savior, Momon-sama, you need not be so formal with me.”

Ainz was only being polite. But if that was how she wanted it, he had no reason to refuse.

“Then, Evileye, let’s go over there…”

"Tentu saja!"

It was an extremely delighted reply. Not knowing what he had done to please her so, Ainz allowed himself to be dragged by Evileye towards the princess.

The adventurers started talking again as they saw the group heading towards the other room— Renner and her underlings, along with the two adamantite ranked adventurers.

Naturally, the central topic was Momon, the top-ranked adventurer.

“I heard the rumors from E-Rantel, but the real thing was beyond my expectations.”

“Not just him, right? I’ve seen Red Drop too, and I got the same feeling from them. He seems perfect in just about every way. I guess being adamantite-ranked isn’t just about strength.”

The person addressing the two mithril-ranked adventurers had a platinum plate on his chain.

"Apakah begitu? Still, he was summoned by the princess and still took his time to say hello to novice adventurers. Someone like that can’t possibly exist, right?”

“It certainly surprised me.”

Murmurs of approval came from the adventurers around them.

During a mission like this where parties had to work with each other, it was only sensible to make introductions, in order to secure assistance and support for each other. One would certainly prefer to aid someone they knew rather than a stranger. However, the only ones who could even begin to help an adamantite-ranked adventurer were all ranked mithril and above. As such, greeting a fresh adventurer could be said to be a waste of time. Which meant that Momon was not thinking of benefit for himself, but just wanted to deepen his friendship with others.

“Normally, you’d expect him to go over to the princess while his partner attended to the novices, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s what most people would normally do. It’s what I’d do. You guys too, right?”

“Same here… this may sound kind of bad, but maybe he doesn’t understand this sort of thing. Does he have his priorities straight?”

Those words could certainly be seen as an insult, but the man speaking them did not have a single iota of malice on his face.

“Maybe he does. Maybe his priorities are just different.”

As though waiting for this, the man who had spoken earlier replied quickly.

“Then there’s nobody better than him. I mean, look at him, he’s adamantite-ranked and yet he treats the freshest copper-plates like they were battle buddies. Look at their faces.”

“They totally worship him now.”

True enough, the novice adventurers had a look on their faces like a kid who had just met their idol.

“Heh, yeah, if he treated me like that, I’d be his. I’d even give him my ass.”

“Get lost, who the hell would want your nasty ass? He’s got a beauty on his team.”

“Yeah, he does. You think they’ve done it?”

“Of course they have, if not why would they form a team by themselves?”

“I heard it’s not like that…”

The fourth man to interrupt had an orichalcum plate on his neck.

“You seem to be quite well-informed, with your rumors from E-Rantel. The strength of those two is unreal. Maybe it’s because nobody else can keep up with them?”

“…Have you been spying on us all this time?”

"Ha ha ha! Don’t say that, you didn’t care who was listening, did you?”

“Heh, well, I guess,” the first adventurer said.

The Adventurer’s Guildmaster clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“The operation starts in one hour, so we’ll be moving out shortly. Because we don’t have much time, please relay the message to any of your party members who aren’t here. In any event, once we leave the palace, just stick with me.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 5th Day 01:12

They were gathered in the other room to make the final preparations for the operation. They considered when to break through, what to do when the enemy showed up in force, and how to deal with the possible complications which might arise. But in the end, they simply had too little information to make any concrete plans and the final conclusion was that they had to go with the flow.

The youth in white armor who had been listening quietly thus far suddenly broke his silence.

“Forgive me, Princess,”

"Apa itu?"

“I know another person who could become an arrow for this formation. He is a man with overwhelming fighting power. Would it be all right to ask for his aid? One arrow is good, but two would be better, and if they helped each other, I am sure they could defeat any demon that showed itself, no matter how powerful it was.”

“What’s this, Climb? Are you saying the Momon-sama I recommended isn’t enough?”

Evileye’s words had a razor-sharp edge to them. Climb’s eyes trembled with fear.

“No, no, of course not. That was never my intention—”

“Momon-sama is the strongest warrior in existence. I daresay that rather than helping him, the man you recommended would be nothing more than a handicap.”

The katana-wielding warrior, Brain, stepped in to defend Climb.

“That might not be so. I too have seen the person Climb speaks of. His strength is extraordinary. He felled Zero, strongest of the Six Arms, in one blow.”

“You are Brain Unglaus? The one who serves her Highness on the recommendation of Gazef Stronoff and Climb?”

“I’m Gazef’s subordinate, but before I am officially sworn in, I stay by the Princess’ side.”

“I know you’re much stronger than Climb, but even that isn’t a guarantee of the man’s strength. And besides, didn’t you lose to that old hag?”

“…Ara, didn’t you lose to her too? My apologies, Unglaus-san.”

“Uuuu…” Evileye whimpered as Lakyus scolded her.

“It, it wasn’t just her, you all were there too,”

“After you lost, you said you lost to Rigrit, not the rest of us.”

“You still remember that, Tina?”

Between the laughing Tina and the crying Evileye, the mood in the room had lightened up considerably.

At this point, Ainz asked a question.

“He sounds very interesting. What kind of person is he?”

Climb proudly stated the man’s name.

“His name is Sebas.”

“…Hm? Seibath?” The name sounded familiar to Ainz. Was it merely a coincidence?

“…What kind of person is he?”

After Climb’s explanation, Ainz nodded.

Isn’t that Sebas himself?!

How had he come into contact with Climb? What kind of relationship did they have? Was Climb one of Sebas’ contacts? Ainz had only skimmed the reports Sebas submitted, and he had not bothered to remember any of the people he mentioned.

It couldn’t be helped, I was too busy…

Ainz’ anxiety only grew as he made that flimsy excuse to himself.

In any case, this boy was a valuable contact that Sebas had made. If he were disposed of too early, it would be a waste of Sebas’ hard work. And carelessly casting away the work of one’s underlings was something a superior should avoid at all costs.

It would be better to aid this boy here, and indirectly praise Sebas.

More importantly, I don’t think he was mentioned in the report, was he? I hope that wasn’t the case.

“I have not done battle with this Sebas before, so I cannot say which of us would be stronger.”

“Of course Momon-sa—n is stronger than him.” Narberal stated in a voice brimming with confidence. Evileye quietly nodded in agreement.

Ainz could not help but knuckle Narberal on the head.

“Well, if my companion says so, then there must be some truth to the observations of both sides. I believe he should be able to stand on equal footing with me.”

“That was a surprisingly mature response. Unlike my companion… not only is her height weird, but her personality’s weird too.”

“From just now…”

“All right, all right, let’s not embarrass our friends in public. That’s an order from the party leader. If there’s nothing else to discuss, why don’t we go pay Tia and Gagaran a visit?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two of them had died and been revived. Regretfully, he had not seen the resurrection itself, he had heard all about it from others.

“Speaking of which, is it possible to use the dark energy to attack demons and the like?”

“…Dark energy?”

Evileye’s unexpected question drew a surprised response from Lakyus. She seemed to find the concept unthinkable.

“Ah, I heard from Gagaran that if you released the full power of the Demonic Sword Kilineyram, it could swallow up the entire country.”

Lakyus’ eyes went wide.

“Th-that can wait till later! We’ve got other things to discuss, right?”

A demonic sword? Hang on, I think I’ve heard of this weapon before… not in YGGDRASIL, but this world… got it! From Ninya! The Demonic Sword Kilineyram, said to be able to release dark energy. Although… an entire country? It sounds like an exaggeration, but it might have a power that comes close enough.

Ainz concluded that her red face was caused by anger and panic that her own trump card had been suddenly revealed.

Just as everyone’s attention turned to Lakyus, there was a knocking on the door, and two men entered shortly after.

“Onii-sama, and Marquis Raeven.”

Everyone bowed their heads in respect upon hearing Renner’s words.

This was the second time Ainz had met these two men. The first time was not long ago, when they had entered the capital. They had changed the terms of the quest he had been hired for. Instead of the Eight Fingers, he would be fighting against Jaldabaoth, and he would be working together with the gathered adventurers of the capital.

After the simple greeting, Ainz and the others were about to step outside because the princess wanted to address the two nobles. Most of the details of the battle plan had already been decided. Searching for Sebas had been abandoned due to a lack of time and manpower. All that was left was to wait for on-site orders.

“Then, everyone, I beseech all the gods to allow everyone here to come back alive and victorious… our hopes rest on all of you, or rather, on Momon-san. May fortune favor you.”

After listening to Renner pray with her head bowed low, Ainz and the others quietly exited the room.

♦ ♦ ♦

The only ones left were Raeven and the second prince — Zanack Valurean Igana Ryle Vaiself — and Renner.

The moment Climb left the room, Renner’s expression changed, her blue eyes freezing over like a lake in winter. Zanack shivered as he watched the change in her.

“We overheard the details in the secret room…”

That room was designed for eavesdropping, and the two of them had been listening from in there.

“There’s one question you didn’t answer. Why did you have to form the guards up into a battle line. Are they stepping stones?”

Guards were very weak. Even the lowliest of adventurers was more than a match for them. If they were attacked, they would certainly be massacred.

“Bait.”

That word was what they had expected.

“The adventurers said so too; Jaldabaoth’s army of low-ranked demons cannot be allowed to run free in the capital. Therefore, we have prepared a feeding ground for them where they will gather to feast. If they gorge themselves on the guards staked out as bait for them, their bloodlust will be dulled, no?” Renner smiled.

It was almost impossible to settle things with fancy words and high-sounding ideals in this world. Everything one did had a price. Nobody understood that more clearly than the ones in power, whose responsibility was to limit the necessary sacrifices as much as possible. From that point of view, Renner was the ideal bureaucrat.

However, humans were creatures of emotion, and the emotion they would feel when hearing of this plan was revulsion.

“Surely there must be a better way? Some way that doesn’t involve sacrificing all the guards?”

“If there were, surely you would have mentioned it by now, would you not, onii-sama?”

Zanack fell silent.

It was true, he did not have a better plan than Renner’s. He had ideas, certainly, but they were either impractical or impossible with the resources available. At the moment, all he could do was acknowledge that Renner’s plan was the best of a bad lot.

Raeven shifted his gaze from the prince when he quieted himself, and then he voiced his own objections.

“Then, permit me to seek clarification. Why give Climb such a dangerous task?”

“For the same reason why Onii-sama and Marquis Raeven’s men are patrolling the city.”

Zanack had been making his rounds in the Royal Capital, putting on the act of the prince who cared for his people. After that, he had also begun spreading the rumors that the crown prince had been hiding in the safety of the Royal Palace. This would make himself look good and diminish his brother— who was his rival.

Did that mean Renner was doing the same thing— sending her subordinate on a dangerous mission of mercy in order to make herself look good?

But then, when one thought about how Renner had revealed her obsession over Climb yesterday, something was definitely wrong here.

Sensing his doubt, Renner carried on.

“Of course, Climb has a chance of dying. In that event, Lakyus will use a resurrection spell on him. It won’t be cheap, of course, but an expense like that won’t be a problem. And after he’s been resurrected, Climb will be weakened from a loss of life energy. During that time, I will take care of him. I’m sure nobody will object to me caring for a person who died and was resurrected for following my orders.”

"Saya melihat. Thank you for saying so. However”

“—Isn’t there a chance Lakyus might die as well?”

“That is a valid concern,” Renner said to Raeven, whose head was lowered. “But one that has been planned for. During the dangerous period of the sortie, there will be additional people in place to protect her. The guildmaster does not want a person who can resurrect the dead to be killed, so she agreed without hesitation.”

“It seems everything is within your calculations, little sister.”

“Yes,” his sister answered, with a smile as beautiful as a blossoming flower. Zanack shivered all over, and beside him, Raeven also fought to suppress the chill which ran down his spine.