Chapter 2, Part 4

Old original characters mentioned in this part
Kraus – a retired member of Black Scripture and the leader of the Theocracy’s group that operated in the Draconic Kingdom, mostly appearing in Volume 13.

The ninth floor of Nazarick

Alone in his bedroom, Ainz was rolling around on his bed, perhaps it was the remnants of Suzuki Satoru, but he found it to be very enjoyable and relaxing. Of course, he had to be careful not to let anyone see him like that, but his servants have already gotten used to him spending some time alone, so it wasn’t an issue.

Finally, he flipped on his back and laid there, staring into the ceiling, which was decorated with an intricate pattern. It was a pretty busy week, and I got to put into practice the mind magic knowledge I gained from that priest, he thought.

Because of the developments in the Re-Estize Kingdom, Ainz got to do quite a bit with mind magic, as Demiurge pulled the strings behind the scene. There was copying someone’s memories and implanting them into someone else. Deleting certain memories. And even obscuring certain memories until they were triggered by a key action. As a branch of magic that didn’t really exist in Yggdrasil, as using mind magic in the game resulted in simple statuses such as confuse, stun or other effects like that, Ainz found it quite fascinating. Granted, it took a lot of mana to use it, but in theory, he could completely wipe someone’s memories and then implant someone else’s. Turning the most fanatical of his enemies into most loyal servants. At least in theory.

I still need to do a lot of experiments in this field. I should find a new test subject, perhaps from the ones that will be invading Nazarick soon, Ainz thought while caressing his chin. Suddenly he felt like someone was trying to connect to his mind. He accepted the connection and heard a familiar voice.

“Ainz-sama?”

“What is it, Shalltear?” He replied mentally.

“CZ Delta has just contacted me. Apparently, there had been an assassination attempt on the girl she’s protecting.”

“Oh? Is anyone hurt?” Ainz asked, sitting up on his bed.

“CZ was able to thwart the attack, she has marked the assassin but chose to prioritize Neia’s safety. Once she takes her to a safe place she will pursue the assassin. I have sent her some of the guards stationed near me for such emergencies.”

“I see. Keep me posted if anything changes, and let me know when CZ comes back with the assassin,” Ainz replied before ending the [Message.]

He didn’t have to wait long, some quarter of an hour later he got another [Message] from Shalltear informing him that the culprit had been brought to Nazarick. He immediately used [Portal] to go to Shalltear’s residence on the third floor, curious to see just who it was that attacked Neia.

Upon stepping out of the [Portal] Ainz saw a small group of NPCs standing around someone. As he approached, the NPCs parted ways, and he could see that the figure laying on the floor was a woman, as he came closer for a better view, his entire body froze momentarily.

“Clementine?” He couldn’t help but let out.

“She is the one that attacked Neia,” Shalltear began her report before she was interrupted by Ainz. “Um, do you know her, Ainz-sama?”

“She was a member of Zuranon, I’ve killed her and used that incident to raise Momon’s name to fame. Later, her corpse was stolen by someone. Hm, I didn’t expect to run into her here,” Ainz said as he recalled their meeting.

“Then, what shall we do with her?” Shalltear asked.

“Send her to Neuronist Painkill. I want to know who stole her corpse and who resurrected her. As well as who sent her after Neia and why. Also, her background,” Ainz instructed.

“It will be done right away,” Shalltear replied before ordering some of the nearby NPCs to carry the order out.

Ainz turned his view towards CZ Delta, who stood nonchalantly near Shalltear.

“CZ Delta, tell me exactly what happened,” he commanded.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” CZ replied.

“I see. You did an excellent job in protecting Neia and prioritizing her security,” Ainz said after listening to her story. “Neia is very important to Nazarick and our goal of world conquest. Once your mission is over, I will grant you an appropriate reward. In the meantime, you’ll have to accompany Neia for a while,” Ainz said.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” CZ replied.

She then told Ainz about the failed assassination.

Ainz nodded in satisfaction. Neia’s existence was completely accidental, but she proved to be quite useful to Nazarick. Not only did she improve the stability of the area she preached in, but her followers developed an NPC-like devotion to Ainz. While a bit unnerving, she would become the key to peacefully taking over an equally zealous population of the Slane Theocracy.

A few days later in E-Rantel

Momon walked out of the Sorcerer King’s quarters in E-Rantel and made his way toward Shining Pavilion. Normally Ainz left playing Momon to Pandora’s Actor since he felt uncomfortable having to lavish praise on himself. However, this was a special occasion – he was informed that one Kraus from the Slane Theocracy had recently arrived at the city.

It wasn’t hard to guess what the man’s goal was. In fact, Ainz was beginning to wonder if the Slane Theocracy forgot that the agreement to help them, which he gave in the Draconic Kingdom, was conditioned on them finding a way to deal with Jaldabaoth. He didn’t think the Theocracy would wait until only three months were left before Jaldabaoth’s revival before approaching him.

Well, whatever. I guess they chose to gather their forces first, Ainz thought as he walked inside the Golden Pavilion. As expected, a receptionist called out to him and informed him that a man named Kraus wanted to speak to him.

“He said that he got a room in Howling Wolf, and could be found in the tavern across it,” the receptionist added.

Momon thanked the receptionist and went to the aforementioned tavern. As he walked through the city’s streets he would nod in response to people greeting him, and even stopped for a quick chat with a couple adventurers. They were of iron rank and initially, did not follow Ainz’s call to come to E-Rantel. However, when they heard that for the adventurers of Sorcerer Kingdom excellent equipment was easy to obtain, and especially that all the adventurers received a salary, it was too much to ignore. Now, a bit over a year later, they had achieved the gold rank.

“We’ve heard tales of your deeds in the Draconic Kingdom. It is an honor to have a legendary figure such as yourself acknowledge us,” one of the adventurers expressed his feelings.

“The people of the Draconic Kingdom fought heroically beside me. Their contribution should not be forgotten,” Ainz replied. “Besides, with the speed of your improvement, it won’t be too long that the city will be talking about your own accomplishments.”

“How could we accomplish something as great as what Momon-sama has done?”

“Actually, you have an advantage over me. As the enforcer of the Sorcerer King, I am mostly tied to this city. On the other hand, once you reach a rank of orichalcum, you can request a mission to explore the unknown. I am sure if you were the first to discover something new, your names would be written into history.”

“Then, we shall work hard and strive to meet your expectations,” one of the adventurers exclaimed, as he hit his chest with his fist.

“That’s a good attitude to have. I look forward to your accomplishments,” Ainz said, before excusing himself.

The number of new adventurers has ballooned recently. And there are quite a few promising ones. Though it remains to be seen how high they can go, Ainz thought. He was pleased with the way the new Adventurer’s Guild progressed. His head filled with such thoughts, Ainz arrived at his destination and entered the tavern.

He scanned the tavern but didn’t see Kraus. It was at this point that the bartender called out to him, and told Momon that Kraus was waiting for him in one of the private rooms. He followed the man upstairs and into one of the rooms there.

“Ah, Momon-san. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Kraus got up from his seat to grit him.

“Kraus-dono, it’s been a while,” Momon returned his greetings.

Kraus motioned for him to take a sit. The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, before Kraus spoke.

“The last time we spoke, you’ve agreed to my proposition, provided we could meet three of your conditions,” the man from the Theocracy began carefully.

“I did,” Momon said while nodding.

“One of the conditions was the safety of the residents of E-Rantel. It should not be an issue, after all, the fighting will take place elsewhere.” Kraus said. “The second was that we must be able to stop Jaldabaoth, when he revives. We will accomplish this via the following methods. The strongest warrior of the Slane Theocracy normally doesn’t leave the nation, as this person provides security for the capital. However, the Cardinals decided that this person would be sent to confront Jaldabaoth when he makes an appearance. I can assure you, this person is more than adequate to deal with the demon.”

“Hmm,” Ainz made a noise that combined with him shaking his head indicated that he wasn’t quite satisfied with such information.

“In addition to that, the Theocracy will deploy an item which is capable of mind-controlling practically anyone. Combined, these two methods guarantee that Jaldabaoth will be… Momon-san, is everything alright?” Kraus interrupted his own speech to ask, as he felt a wave of killing intent flow out from Momon.

“Yes, it’s fine,” Momon replied, as the wave of killing intent dissipated. “It’s just, my ancestral estate was devastated by the vampire Honyopenyoko. Who was searching for my family’s heirloom – an item which could be used to influence a person via the power of suggestion. I guess, hearing about an item capable of mind-control has reminded me of the suffering I experienced back then.”

“I understand. As I was saying, between this item and our strongest fighter, Jaldabaoth’s defeat is a certainty,” Kraus said after a short pause.

“The Slane Theocracy lives up to its reputations as the strongest human nation,” Momon said.

“Indeed. Your last condition was that we must have a good chance of being victorious. A very reasonable condition. As you know, we spent the last nearly two years gathering allies. I think you’ll be pleased with the results.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it then,” Momon replied as he leaned forward.

“The Theocracy will send two Scriptures, in addition to both the strongest warrior and the user of the mind-control item. We have secured the help of two of the original thirteen heroes. I think you already know about Blue Rose agreeing to join us, as well as one Brain Unglaus. Last, but not least, we have secured the full power of Zuranon. Combined with your Darkness, I think the chance of victory is significant,” Kraus said with a smile.

“Quite a formidable force. But, Zuranon? Given their activities, aren’t they a terrorist organization?” Momon asked surprised.

“Yes, however, it appears they see the undead king as a personal enemy. Given the circumstances, the Theocracy decided to take advantage of that hatred,” Kraus explained.

“Mm. Also, two of the thirteen heroes? Shouldn’t they be over two hundred years by now?” Momon was even more interested in this question.

“If you are questioning their power, then there is nothing to worry about. One is the Black Knight, also known as the Cursed Knight. As a side effect of his curse, he doesn’t age, well, not in human terms at least. The other one is a less known character, one Sir Armoreth. We tried to recruit the necromancer Rigrit, but she declined due to age, but she told Armoreth about the offer, and he decided to join. According to Rigrit age is not an issue for him,” Kraus shrugged.

“I see,” Momon said slowly. “You were able to meet all of my conditions. I reaffirm my commitment to join your cause.”

“Then, what is our next step, Momon-san?”

“Gather everyone in a place called Carne village, it’s located North-East of E-Rantel. I will arrange with the Sorcerer King’s servants to transport us to Nazarick, once everyone has gathered. Once inside, we will familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, and pick an appropriate time,” Momon explained.

“Very well. Then, I will notify the Slane Theocracy and we will begin gathering our forces at this Carne village,” Kraus replied.

“I will leave you to it then,” Momon said as he got up. “There are still some things I need to do.”

With that, they said their goodbyes, and Momon left the tavern.

Cursed Knight? Sir Armoreth? I guess things are about to get interesting, Ainz thought about the information he learned, as he returned to the Sorcerer King quarters of E-Rantel.

Some time later in the secret underground room of Kami Miyako

All of the Slane Theocracy’s top brass has gathered for the meeting. As has become their new custom, the meeting did not take place in the room with the statues of the Six great Gods, but rather in the room next to it. The main benefit of holding the meeting there was that they could skip the process of manually cleaning the room and get right to what was weighing on their minds.

The other benefit was that the room with the statues had been reinforced with all sorts of anti-spying spells by the Six Great Gods themselves, while the room nearby only had a few basic spells protecting it. However, this was only a benefit to the Hanzos that would listen in on the meetings.

After everyone took their seats, Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the Cardinal of Earth and the commander of all the Scriptures opened the meeting.

“Kraus contacted us two days ago. Momon was satisfied with our efforts to meet his conditions and has reaffirmed his decision to join our strike force. Therefore, the operation is a go. We’ll be sending our warriors in about a month,” Raymond explained.

“Two scriptures and Zesshi, not to mention Downfall of Castle and Country. If we lose, the Slane Theocracy might never recover,” the Pontifex Maximus said in a grave tone.

“We all agreed that launching a surprise attack on the undead’s base was our best bet to destroy the Sorcerer Kingdom. Plus, we actually have some pretty strong allies now. If we didn’t grasp this opportunity and wait for the enemy to strike, no one would have come to our aid,” Raymond said.

“And it’s not like biding our time is a choice. You all know how our citizens feel about the recent developments pertaining to the Elf Kingdom,” the head of the Executive branch added.

“Indeed. We were able to suppress any riots for now, but the embers of unrest are definitely smoldering beneath the surface. We need to demonstrate our conviction to the ideals the Theocracy preaches in order to quell the unhappiness in people’s hearts,” the head of the Judiciary agreed.

“Raymond, what can you tell us about this Sir Armoreth, whom Rigrit recommended?” Dominic, the Cardinal of Wind asked.

“According to our information, there was indeed such a character among the thirteen heroes. He was a tall man in a knight-like armor. However, there is no other information,” Raymond replied.

“Then, could he be a spy for the Sorcerer Kingdom? Or the Argland Council State?” Ginedine, the Cardinal of Water asked.

“He was recommended by Rigrit. So, that would mean that she’s in on it as well. But, she cares too much for Blue Rose, I don’t think she would send them to their death by helping a spy for the Sorcerer Kingdom to join us,” Raymond shook his head. “As for being a spy for the Dragon Councilors, I suppose that’s more plausible. Still, as long as he pulls his weight in a fight, it doesn’t matter if he’s a spy for the dragons.”

“I guess we’d have to see how he interacts with the Black Knight, to know if he’s a genuine member of thirteen heroes or a fake. Of course, by then it would be too late to change anything, even if he is a fake,” Ginedine nodded.

“Then, if there is nothing else, I’d like to move on to another topic,” Dominic said. “What’s going on in the Re-Estize? First, that upshot Philip gets killed, then the King and Count Lytton visit the Sorcerer Kingdom to renegotiate their grain deal. And now it looks like Zanac plans to purge the nobles who oppose him,” he continued after no one objected.

“That does seem to be the case. Zanac is trying to make the best of his circumstances,” Raymond smiled.

“He’s exploiting the love that the commoners had for Philip as well as the threat of the Sorcerer Kingdom to cut off their supplies if Philip’s killer isn’t found. Smart move on Zanac’s part, almost too smart,” Ginedine said in a low voice.

“What are you saying? It’s a conspiracy to get rid of the noble faction?” The Pontifex Maximus asked curiously.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to see how their investigation goes. But it’s not beyond a possibility,” Ginedine chuckled.

“Regardless, I think we should reconsider our policy regarding other human nations,” Raymond said. “We tried to manipulate them from the shadows for the last two centuries, but what did it get us? The fractured Re-Estize Kingdom, the nearly destroyed Draconic Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom which had to call on an undead monster to save them from Jaldabaoth. And the Baharuth Empire, whose emperor was so weak-willed that they surrendered without so much as a fight.”

“Then, what are you suggesting?” The Pontifex Maximus asked.

“After we destroy the Sorcerer Kingdom, we should take over the other human nations, to unite our strength,” Raymon replied.

“By conquest? That might not go well, some of these countries view the Slane Theocracy as an enemy,” the head of the Executive branch said.

“It doesn’t need to happen right away, we can take our time. But we should unite the human nations. Only then can we ensure that we won’t fall into the same spot we are in right now,” Raymond replied.

“I see. You are suggesting that if all of the human nations were one nation, the Sorcerer King wouldn’t be able to conquer them so easily,” the Pontifex Maximus said.

“Exactly. And with increased resources, our power would be greater too,” Raymond nodded.

“A sensible suggestion,” the Pontifex said. “Then, we shall vote on it later. After the Sorcerer Kingdom is destroyed.”

 

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