Chapter 4, Part 1

Ainz had no time to turn around to look at the new arrival.

[Quick Death] the tier four spell hit him in the back.

Momon turned around and saw a goat-man demi-human. Dressed in a mage’s robe, he was holding a wooden staff with a skull on the end in his hand. Momon subconsciously picked up these details, as he hurled one of his swords at the mage.

“What? Why aren’t you dead?” The bafolk was mumbling when the sword Momon threw hit him in the chest.

However, the bafolk didn’t die, a shield like effect sprung up in front of him and deflected the sword.

[Lightning] Nabe wasn’t much slower than Ainz, her spell hit but was also deflected by the shield. Although, this time the shield seemed dimmer as if it was running out of energy to absorb attacks.

“Damn you,” the bafolk cursed as he watched Momon sprint toward him.

[Teleportation] the bafolk didn’t stick around, immediately using a spell to teleport some one hundred meters away. He then turned invisible.

“Hanzos, capture him!” Ainz issued an order.

Momon walked back to the minotaur, who was still sitting on the ground. An incredulous look on his face.

“Nabe, contact Shalltear and have her open [Gate] to us. We are taking this guy back with us,” Ainz motioned at the minotaur.

Nabe nodded and contacted the vampire.

“Why didn’t you die? You should’ve died. No human can resist a 4^th tier death spell,” Norum couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Is that so? Aren’t there items that can protect a user against such spells? Thinking I wouldn’t take countermeasures was your mistake,” Momon replied.

The minotaur didn’t respond, and so the three of them waited in silence. Sometime later a portal had come into existence and Shalltear stepped out of it, along with half a dozen powerful NPCs.

“Momon-san, is there anything you need me to do?” She asked, staying in character and addressing her master as Momon rather than Ainz.

“No, I am just waiting for the Hanzos to return with the other fool. Nabe, take this one back to Nazarick,” he commanded.

“Yes, Momon-sa-san,” Nabe replied.

She grabbed the minotaur by the collar and dragged him toward the portal, though Norum offered little resistance. Between their plan failing and seeing all those monsters, he had lost any will to fight back.

He continued to wait for the Hanzos, however, the ninjas didn’t return. Just as he began to worry a ninja had finally come back.

“My apologies, Momon-san, we were unable to locate him,” the ninja looked dejected.

How is that possible? Ainz thought. The ninjas obviously took their time to search for him, and the goat used just a 4^th tier spell. It should be impossible for someone of such a low level to avoid being detected by the Hanzos.

“We are going back to Nazarick,” Ainz made a decision after shaking his head.

He stepped into the portal, followed by Shalltear and all the other NPCs. Ainz found himself on the second floor of Nazarick, in front of Shalltear’s quarters. Norum was sitting on the ground with a dumbfounded expression. The minotaur was surrounded by high-level NPCs – the other half of Shalltear’s group.

“Who was that? Who had attacked us?” Ainz asked after he approached the minotaur.

“Uaha,” the minotaur screamed when Ainz touched him.

“Who was it that attacked us?” Ainz repeated his question – it was obvious that Norum didn’t hear him the first time.

“He, he calls himself Brolg,” Norum squeezed out. “He claimed to be part of Zuranon,” he added, casting frightened looks around.

“Zuranon? Interesting. Was it his idea to launch the invasion?” Ainz asked.

“Yes, he came to me and my brother and had us unite the beastmen tribes and then invade the nearby human kingdom,” Norum replied quickly.

“And why did you follow his orders?”

“What choice did we have? He can sneak up on us, and unlike you, I can’t resist that death spell,” Norum gritted his teeth.

“I see. Do you know how he is able to turn invisible?” Ainz asked that was something he was very curious about.

“I am not sure, he was a shaman before he got into death magic, neither specialization should have such spells. Maybe he found a powerful item?” Norum shrugged his shoulders, it wasn’t his concern at this point.

“A shaman? Then is he the one that gave you the potions which were used on the beastmen in Krozno?”

“Yes. He said such potions were commonly used by his tribe when they fought.”

“Interesting, now, tell me everything you know about this Brolg,” Ainz commanded.

“I only know what he mentioned while we were together. Apparently, he lived in the Abelion Hills, between the Slane Theocracy and some other human nation. One day when he was away, a group from the Theocracy wiped out his entire tribe. Not that it would change things if he was there, the fighters from the Theocracy are strong,” Norum had a look of disgust as he said the last line.

“He swore revenge and sought power, eventually joining Zuranon,” Norum finished and fell silent.

Zuranon, eh? They surface again, after all this time, Ainz thought.

“What did this Brolg want? Why did he launch the invasion?” Ainz asked.

“He said he had items which could absorb negative energy. In order to charge these items he needed the negative energy generated by deaths and suffering,” Norum explained.

“And the reason for the halt in the invasion?”

“Apparently he had fully charged the items he had and had to go back to Zuranon’s base to return them and get new ones.”

“What can these items do, once charged?”

“He said they could be used to summon powerful undead. It was probably used to block your attack as well,” Norum looked at the dark warrior.

“What makes you think that?”

“Brolg claimed that as long as he had one of these orbs fully charged he would not know defeat.”

“Orbs? So, these items were orbs? Describe them,” Ainz ordered.

“Just normal orbs I guess, slightly larger than a fist in size. The color is between purple and gray,” Norum recalled what the item looked like.

Why does this seem familiar? Ainz thought.

“Take him to Neuronist Painkill, have her confirm he is telling the truth,” Ainz ordered. “I’ll be in my quarters,” he added.

Afterward, Ainz teleported to his bedroom on the 9^th floor. He then dismissed the homunculus maid and the Eight Edge Assassins from his room. He wanted to focus and to do that he needed to be alone. Although he had gotten much better at ignoring the maids who watched his every move, it still took up some of his mental capacity. And right now he needed all of his wit.

Ainz threw his body on the bed and rolled around for a bit. He couldn’t enjoy the softness of the bed, though he could still feel that it was soft. Rolling around like this had become a sort of ritual for Suzuki Satoru, it helped him relax and focus. He laid on his back, staring into the ceiling and breathing in the familiar scent of the sheets.

This Brolg could only use 4^th tier spell. Even if his levels are split between a shaman and necromancer, he should still be low level enough that evading the Hanzos would be impossible. Then, it’s either an item or a talent native to this world. Ainz thought. Then, how do I catch him? Nazarick doesn’t have anyone specialized in stealth detection, and the goat probably won’t attack me again. Ah, what a headache.

After hitting a dead end Suzuki rolled around the bed some more. He chose to focus on something else.

Then there are these orbs, why do they sound so familiar? I know I’ve heard of something like that before, but where? He tried to recall this bit of information, but it just wouldn’t come to him. Ainz felt annoyed, he was certain he had encountered these orbs before, but he drew a complete blank as to the circumstances.

When could I have encountered it? It probably wasn’t when I acted as the Sorcerer King. I had only started doing so recently and would remember such an item. Then, it must have been when I was acting as Momon. Suzuki tries to approach this problem from a different angle. Suddenly, he was struck with a brilliant idea.

[Message Narberal Gamma] he contacted the Battle Maid.

“Yes, Ainz-sama?”

“Nabe, I wanted to talk to you about the orb the bafolk necromancer used…” Ainz began.

“Yes, it sounds exactly like the one that click beetle used,” Nabe replied.

“Click beetle?” Ainz wasn’t sure who she was talking about. For Narberal, anyone outside of Nazarick was a flea or an earthworm or some other such thing.

“The amoeba from Zuranon which we killed back when we first became adventurers.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Ainz tried to play it off, as the memories of that event flooded into his mind. “What did we do with the orb?” He asked nonchalantly.

“Um, you gave it to Hamsuke to carry, I am unsure if you had taken it from the beast after,” Nabe replied.

“Right, Hamsuke. That will be all, Narberal,” Ainz told her before ending the [Message].

Hamuske, huh? Has she really been carrying that orb all this time? Why didn’t she say anything? Well, she’s just a hamster, after all, Ainz thought as he recalled the image of the Wise King of the Forest.

Ainz stepped outside his bedroom, where the maid and the Eight Edge Assassins awaited him.

“I am going to the 6^th floor,” he announced and opened a portal.

He stepped into the whirling darkness and emerged on the 6^th floor in front of the Gigantic Tree – Mare’s and Aura’s residence. A few moments later Aura jumped down.

“Welcome, Ainz-sama,” she greeted her master.

“Aura, I want to talk to Hamsuke, where is she?” Ainz asked after greeting the elf.

“Hamsuke?” Aura’s eyes lit up as she recalled the soft fur of the beast. “I think she’s still training with the Death Knight,” she scratched her ear while trying to remember.

“Could I bother you to fetch her for me,” Ainz said.

“It’s not a bother, serving you is what we had been created for,” Aura replied, brightly smiling.

Ainz nodded and watched the dark elf disappear into a distance, followed by several of her familiars. He waited patiently, and soon Aura returned with the hamster in tow.

“This one greets her master,” Hamsuke bowed.

“I wanted to ask you about the item I gave you, the orb,” Ainz said after returning her greetings.

“Yes, master. I am still carrying it, even though it’s loud and annoying.”

“I want to look at it again,” Ainz said, extending his hand.

“So loud,” Hamsuke complained again, as she took out an orb from her mouth and placed it into Ainz’s outstretched hand.

“Your humble servant greets you, oh Great King of Death. Finally, I can once again bask in your presence,” Ainz heard a voice in his mind.

Right, it is a sentient item capable of using telepathy to communicate with the one holding it, Ainz recalled. He cast an identifying spell on the item to refresh his memories.

“There are a few things I want to ask you,” Ainz tried to send this thought into the orb, unsure if that’s how he should communicate with it or if he should just talk normally.

“I will answer to my best knowledge,” the Orb of Death replied.

“Are there more of your kind? How did you come into existence?” Ainz began.

“Yes, King of Death, there are other Orbs of Death. We had been created by the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord long ago.”

“Elder Coffin Dragon Lord? Who is that?” Ainz asked curiously, it was the first time he heard this name.

“He is a powerful undead Dragon Lord. However, despite his preparation by creating us, he was slain after confronting the Eight Greed Kings,” the orb replied.

“What did he create you for?” Ainz was always looking for ways to increase Nazarick’s power.

“By allowing us to absorb negative energy, we could then use it to augment his abilities. Allowing him to summon stronger undead, control more undead and of course, to heal him.”

“Oh, you can use your negative energy to heal undead?” Ainz interest went up quite a bit.

“Yes, King of Death. That was the primary reason the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord had created us.”

“You don’t have any negative energy right now, right?” Ainz asked.

“Yes, I hold very little right now, since I hadn’t had a chance to absorb any since coming into your service.”

“Then, let me try something,” Ainz said.

Ainz turned on his ability [Negative Energy Touch] which allowed him to deal negative-energy damage to an object he was touching.

Would this really work? He wondered.

“Ooooohhh,” he heard the orb moan in his mind.

Repulsed and disgusted, Ainz almost flung the orb away, but he managed to resist such temptation.

“Oh, thank you, King of Death,” the orb replied as if shuddering. “That, that feels sooo good,” it added.

Ainz wanted to throw up, but he held on. If it was to strengthen Nazarick, he couldn’t dismiss just because of this.

Ainz broke away from his mental conversation with the orb and looked around. Aura and Hamsuke stood in front of him, with curious looks on their faces.

“Ahem, I want to test this orb’s ability to heal the undead. Hamsuke, bring one of the Death Knights here,” he instructed.

“This one will do as she’s commanded and bring the fellow I’ve been training with” the hamster replied before it ran off.

While they waited he continued to communicate with the orb.

“Can you create a shield like effect that would block attacks?” He asked.

“Ye-yes, though healing the damage after is much more efficient,” the orb replied, though it seemed to have difficulty focusing on his questions.

“Can you make the user invisible?”

“That, that oh, I can’t do that,” the orb moaned.

I am never talking to this thing again while infusing it with energy, Ainz made a promise.

He wanted to remain silent, but he thought of something interesting and couldn’t resist asking.

“Can you sense living beings? Even if they are invisible?” He asked.

“That, yes, I believe I can do that. However, my ability to do so would increase if I had absorbed more negative energy. ”

Somehow Ainz wasn’t sure if he should believe that last line.

“What about sensing other orbs like you? Can you do that?” He asked.

“Yes, we can sense each other. It’s much easier for me to sense another of my kind than the energy of a living being,” the orb replied.

Alright, now I can find that goat, I just need to give him a reason to come near me, Ainz thought.

Satisfied with this information, Ainz talked to Aura about Mare, as well as what was happening on the 6^th floor, while they waited for Hamsuke to return.

Sometime later the hamster came back with a Death Knight in tow.

“I want you to damage the Death Knight,” Ainz said.

“Umm, I had been training with this fellow for so long, it seems unfair that I get to damage him without him defending,” Hamsuke said.

“Don’t worry about it, I will heal him afterward,” Ainz said. He recalled that Hamsuke had been spending a lot of time with this particular Death Knight and had apparently formed an attachment to him.

“Then this one will commence the attacks,” Hamsuke replied, and launched a series of slashing attacks with her paws.

The Death Knight getting damaged, Ainz turned his [Negative Energy Touch] off and spoke to the orb.

“How much of your capacity had been charged?” He asked.

“About five percent,” the orb sounded quite disappointed.

“Let’s proceed with the test. I want to see how much damage you are able to heal before running out of energy,” Ainz ignored the orb’s disappointment.

“Heal Death Knight,” he ordered, and a ray of negative energy shot out of the orb and into the undead warrior.

“Hamsuke, damage him again,” Ainz ordered after seeing that all of the previous damage had been healed.

The same sequence was repeated.

“I am sorry King of Death, my energy has been almost exhausted,” the orb’s voice reverberated in his mind.

Hmm, twice with only five percent capacity? That’s not bad, though, I need to do more tests. As a sentient item, it should be able to heal me,” Ainz thought. He was quite pleased with this discovery. Being undead meant he couldn’t be healed by normal methods and had to use an item to cast [Greater Lethal] to heal himself. But using that item had a lot of drawbacks. If he could use this orb instead, even if the effect wasn’t as strong, it would still be worth pursuing.

And there are more such orbs, Ainz’s mused. Capturing this goat had become even more important.

“Hamsuke, I will take this Orb of Death from you, for the time being,” Ainz said.

“Thank you, master. Although, I had gotten used to its incessant talking,” the hamster somehow looked sad.

“I am going back to my quarters. Once Neuronist Painkill confirms that the minotaur was telling the truth, Nabe and I will return to the Draconic Kingdom,” Ainz said.

“Thank you for visiting me, Ainz-sama,” Aura said.

 

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