Chapter 2, Part 1

If someone could piece through the anti-scrying defenses of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and direct their view to a certain office on the ninth floor, they would see a most peculiar thing. The scene resembled a grandchild sitting on her grandfather’s lap, telling him something enthusiastically. Granted, while Mare could qualify as a young child the one on whose lap he was sitting was a skeletal being that looked like an avatar of death. Despite the unusual appearance of the “grandfather” the earlier assessment of this scene was most accurate.

It had been nearly a month since Ainz had seen the dark elf. It was also Mare’s first time going out on his own, making decisions and handling surprises by himself. And he did a splendid job. Ainz wanted to both hear about Mare’s adventures and reward him, which is how the young elf ended up sitting on Ainz’s bony knee.

“And then, she attacked me out of nowhere! But, I remember what my goal was and managed to play it cool,” Mare cheerfully told Ainz about his encounter with Zesshi, while the skeletal being rustled the elf’s hair.

Ainz already knew most of these through the reports and his communication with Mare. However, Suzuki Satoru was very happy and proud of the way Mare handled himself, and as such wanted to reward him. And judging by the happy expression on the dark elf’s face, he was very much enjoying this experience.

It went on for about two hours until Mare told the last of his adventure.

“You have done very well. Now, let’s join the other guardians in the throne room. There are a few things I want to address,” Ainz said, as he picked up the elf boy and placed him on the floor.

“Yes, A-Ainz-sama,” Mare replied with a bit of a stutter.

Ainz then cast [Gate] and the two of them went through it. They found themselves outside of the throne room, where all of the guardians had gathered.

“Welcome, Ainz-sama,” all of the present said in unison, while bowing.

“Thank you all for coming, let us proceed,” Ainz replied.

He motioned for them to follow him, as he entered the room and made his way to the throne. Once everyone assumed their usual positions, he began.

“I want to thank all of you for your hard work. Especially Mare, whose efforts produced the most outstanding results,” Ainz announced.

“Tha-thank you, Ainz-sama,” Mare bowed while basking in the admiring looks of the other guardians.

“He might look weak, but when it comes to serving Nazarick he is as strong as any of us,” Aura said.

“That. Is. Indeed. So. To. Think. Young. Mare. Would. Even. Outdo. Demiurge.” Cocytus said.

“That trap for the Elf King was truly glorious, it came about so naturally as if it was planned” Demiurge replied before a glint in his eyes made Ainz feel uneasy. “Wait, don’t tell me, could it be? Could Bukubukuchagama-sama had predicted this course of action back when she created Mare?!”

“No. No, Demiurge. Bukubukuchagama-sama most definitely did not have any such predictions!” Ainz quickly moved to stop the demon’s exaggerated expectations for the Supreme Beings.

“Ah, I understand, “ Demiurge replied a little disappointed. “But you used what you had to get the most out of the situation, after calculating all of the possible outcomes. As expected of our master,” he continued with a smile.

“Um, yes. Anyway, with the latest addition of the Draconic Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom as well as the Holy Kingdom becoming a full part of my nation, we are well on the way to our goal of conquering the world!” Ainz declared in a loud voice.

“Glory to the supreme one!” The guardians cheered, to Ainz surprise.

He looked at Albedo, whose wings were fluttering in excitement. It was probably she who told them to do so, he thought.

“First, I want to go over the land we already have, before talking about the few nations we still need to conquer,” Ainz said. “Demiurge, I want you to handle the Draconic Kingdom, they will need a lot of resources to rebuild, so there will be a lot of logistics. I trust you will be most suitable for the job.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Demiurge bowed.

“Also, I’d like for you to put the beastmen’s nation under our command too. Their army had been crushed and their leaders are gone, it should be simple to take control of them. You can use Pandora’s Actor as Momon to do so,” Ainz added.

Demiurge bowed once again.

“Aura and Mare will obviously handle the Elf Kingdom and the dealings with the Slane Theocracy. Also, once the situation there stabilizes I’d like for you to establish ties with the Dark Elves nation nearby,” Ainz said.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Aura replied.

“Y, yes, A-Ainz-sama,” Mare stuttered.

It seems like his stutter had returned to normal once he was placed in the familiar surroundings. I wonder if keeping him in a new place for an extended period of time would cure it? Ainz mused.

“Cocytus, I want you to subjugate the various demi-human tribes that live in the Abelion Hills. Having them block the road to the Holy Kingdom is annoying.”

“It. Will. Be. Done.” Cocytus replied.

“Speaking of annoying things, the Re-Estize Kingdom blocks the road to both the Holy Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom. Demiurge, Albedo, how much longer do you need to take control over it?” Ainz asked.

“I am sorry Ainz-sama. My original plan would have the Kingdom fall three years after the Sorcerer Kingdom was established. We can, of course, make it happen faster if you so desire,” Demiurge explained with a frantic look on his face.

“Hmm, no. If that’s what your plan called for then that should be fine. Just remember, it’s not about the speed at which these nations fall, but how loyal their citizens will be to us afterward,” Ainz said sagely.

“Ainz-sama is most kind. We are most grateful for your wisdom,” Albedo replied, as both she and Demiurge bowed.

What’s with that trembling? Are they excited? Are they scared? I’ll have to ask Pandora’s Actor about this, Ainz thought as he observed his two smartest servants.

“Now, about the fools who still stand in our way,” Ainz words had been met my smiles. “There are only two that are most bothersome. The Argland Council and the Slane Theocracy. Luckily, the later had swallowed our bait, and should self-destruct soon enough.”

Ainz looked around, but no one seemed surprised by his words. He made a small pause, but Demiurge didn’t chime in with his usual “Do you think this is the extent of Ainz-sama’s plan?” With that worry out of the way, he continued.

“The Argland Council is the bigger problem. We still know very little about Wild Magic, and what we do know suggests we should try to avoid facing it,” Ainz said.

“If we are lucky, the Theocracy will pull the dragons along, allowing us to get rid of all of them in one fell swoop,” Albedo said.

“However, that seems unlikely. The Councilors appear to have adopted a wait and see approach. The Slane Theocracy, the Sorcerer Kingdom or Jaldabaoth, neither one is much of an ally in their view,” Demiurge shook his head.

“Then, what should we do, Ainz-sama?” Shalltear asked.

“We’ll sit back and observe. There is a lull in the action, which is good for us since we can establish control over our newly acquired lands. While we do that, the fools of the Slane Theocracy will gather up and deliver to us all of the garbage for us to dispose of,” Ainz said with a smile. “We’ll deal with whoever is left after the dust settles.”

“As expected of the Leader of the Supreme Beings. To use our enemies as a magnet for the others stupid enough to oppose us. Truly marvelous,” Demiurge praised.

“I am sure you could do it too, Demiurge,” Ainz replied with a wave of his hand. “Then, everyone knows what they need to do,” Ainz said, concluding the meeting.

***

Sometime later Demiurge was walking through the ninth floor. He made his way to a certain office and knocked on its doors. After a response, he entered. Inside, was a large desk filled with stacks of papers, behind it sat the Guardian Overseer.

“Well, what was it you wanted to talk about, Demiurge?” Albedo asked, placing a bunch of papers into one of the stacks.

“I am sure you’ve realized it too,” Demiurge replied with a self-mocking smile.

“Indeed, Ainz-sama is the most generous master. To allow us to play with it, no matter how incompetent we are,” Albedo smiled, however, her smile was that of a woman in love with an outstanding man.

“But, I want to avoid testing our master’s generosity. I’ve given up on matching his unfathomable intellect or trying to understand his web of schemes. However, we should be able to accomplish this much, no?”

“I am not saying I am satisfied with the results. We are still trying to seize control of the Kingdom, while Ainz-sama had already absorbed three nations and vassalized one,” Albedo replied.

“There must be something we can do. Even if it doesn’t speed up the fall of the Kingdom, it should at least make the citizens loyal to us.”

“Mmm, there is something I was thinking about. Renner still hasn’t been able to open the box I gave her,” Albedo said with a twisted smile.

“Hahahaha, so, that’s what you have in mind?” Demiurge laughed at the very thought of what Albedo suggested.

“It won’t speed up the Kingdom’s fall, but we’ll have their loyalty when it finally does happen.”

“It would also tie up all the loose ends as well,” Demiurge nodded. “Not to mention result in quite a bit of suffering,” he mumbled in a less audible voice.

“Then, I will give Renner her orders,” Albedo smiled at the Demon.

***

Climb was walking down the street, trying not to attract attention. He wasn’t hiding or anything, he just didn’t like people staring at him. Unfortunately, it was hard for him to remain unnoticed. His shiny, white armor was rather eye-catching. On top of that, as Princess Renner had begun to play a slightly more public role, Climb’s persona was made more public as well. A young commoner who had become both the princesses’ personal bodyguard and one of the strongest warriors in the army, it would be strange if he didn’t get noticed.

Brushing aside the stares he got as he walked, Climd had finally made it to his destination – a tavern, popular with a certain group of admanatite adventurers.

“Hey, cherry boy!” A mountain of muscle that was Gagaran called out to him once he entered.

“I really wish you’d stop calling me that,” he replied after greeting the other members of Blue Rose.

“That’s simple enough, spend a night with me,” Gagaran laughed.

“So, anyway, they say he fought alone against an entire army of beastmen,” Evileye was eager to continue with her conversation.

“Mm, still, the Draconic Kingdom asking to become a part of the Sorcerer Kingdom, isn’t that a bit drastic?” Tia asked.

“They were obviously impressed with Momon-sama’s display of prowess,” Evileye declared happily.

“You do realize that Momon had just delivered another nation into the undead’s hands, right?”

“That couldn’t be helped. I am sure if there was a way to escape from the grasp of the undead king, Momon would take it,” the masked magic caster replied dejectedly.

Tia rolled her eyes at the love-stricken girl and decided to change the subject.

“What do you think about the recent raid on the Magician’s Guild’s headquarters?”

“That was a brazen and unprecedented attack. Still, it’s hard to say who did it, especially since they aren’t revealing what if anything had been stolen,” Lakyus replied.

“Didn’t they find some shattered bones and tattered clothes near where the guards were slain?” Garagan interjected.

“Does that mean it was the Sorcerer Kingdom? What could the Magician’s Guild possibly have that would interest them?” Tina asked.

“Well, they are searching for a way to seal Jaldabaoth, perhaps it was something related?” Evileye ventured a guess.

“Jaldabaoth,” Gagaran groaned. “Hey, cherry boy! What’s with that look? Do you know something?”

“Ahh, no, I, uh,” Climb, whose name was suddenly called out struggled to respond.

“Come on, Climb-kun, how many times have we helped you? Besides, we are all friends and can keep a secret,” Lakyus tried to coax him into talking.

“Except that one,” Evileye pointed at Tina. “That blabbermouth will say anything she knows.”

“I never said otherwise,” Tina chuckled as she took a sip from her drink.

“Come on, cherry boy, tell mama what’s on your mind,” Gagaran teased him.

“Ugh, fine. I’ve overheard king Zanac talking to princess Renner. Apparently, only one item had been stolen, the one that Jaldabaoth was after when he invaded the capital,” Climb said.

“What?!” Shouted Evileye.

“I thought that demon was supposed to be dead for two years?” Tina asked.

“We should inform Momon-sama about this at once,” Evileye said once she recovered from her shock.

“We can’t, he’s still fighting beastmen in the Draconic Kingdom. Not to mention, the Sorcerer Kingdom might be behind this raid” Lakyus shook her head. “Besides, we don’t actually know what the item does.”

“Ah, that’s right, the head magician went mad after casting an identifying spell on it, according to the rumors,” Gagaran recalled.

“Regardless, it’s a powerful item, which could spell disaster if it fell in the wrong hands,” Tia said.

“Hmm, Climb, is this what Renner wanted to talk about to me and Evileye?” Lakyus asked.

“I, I apologize, I don’t know,” Climb replied.

“I wonder,” Evileye said. “Still, I want to report this to Momon-sama as soon as he returns to E-Rantel.”

“I guess there isn’t much else we can do,” Tina shrugged.

For a while, everyone stayed silent while processing this news. There was however, something else Climb wanted to talk to Blue Rose members about. So, his voice was the one to break the silence.

“By the way, have you heard about the new adamantite group from E-Rantel?”

 

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