Chapter 5, Part 11

A cloud of cold air rose up as Cocytus exhaled, his mandibles trembling with excitement. The two-handed sword he held in his right hands gleamed in the sun, forcing his opponent to squint her eyes. Cocytus chose to halt his attack for a brief moment, savoring the pure thrill of battle that he was experiencing.

This is what I live for as a warrior, he thought. Sure I spar with Ainz-sama, and I could spar with the other residents of Nazarick, but it’s just not the same. Now, this! I’ll have to thank Ainz-sama for this wonderful gift, he thought.

However, Zesshi didn’t care to savor this moment, she wanted more. When Cocytus failed to continue his attack, Zesshi refocused and went on the offensive. With a shout she rushed the insectoid monster, swinging her scythe at him. Her attack didn’t last long; after parrying several of her strikes, Cocytus went on the offensive, the blade seemingly coming alive in his hands. Under the relentless rain of thrusts and slashes, Zesshi could only stand her ground for a few seconds before she had to hop back.

She got a moment of respite, as Cocytus didn’t follow after her. But before she could heave a breath, the ground around Cocytus turned into ice, which quickly spread, covering the spot where she stood and even spread up her legs.

“That same trick won’t work on me again,” Zesshi said with a silly grin on her face, even as Cocytus advanced toward her.

It was a simple yet effective combination – with the opponents feet frozen to the ground, Cocytus could unleash his lightning-fast strikes. Without the ability to move away, it was extremely difficult to cope with his rush. It was certainly beyond Zesshi’s skill level. Yet, she showed no fear.

Zesshi crouched, as a slash swooshed over her head. Once she saw the trajectory of the next attack, Zesshi exploded upward, ripping her feet out of the ice. Once airborne, she used the shaft of her scythe to parry the incoming strike and borrow its momentum. Taking advantage of the recoil, she rolled further away as soon as her feet touched the ground.

“Impressive. But.” Cocytus grunted as he dashed towards her.

He was upon her in no time. The blade slashed through the air, Zesshi felt it was somewhat slower than the previous attacks, but she had no time to dwell on it, as she used her scythe to parry. However, as she moved the weapon to block the attack, Cocytus stepped forward and grabbed hold of her scythe with his left hands. Pushing the scythe to the side, Cocytus lifted his sword and slashed at Zesshi’s arms. Not wanting to get her arms cut off, Zesshi let go of her weapon and backed away.

“Having four arms just isn’t fair,” she complained half-jokingly.

“You. Are. Getting. Better.” Cocytus retorted as he tossed the scythe back to Zesshi, “But. You. Don’t. Pose. A. Serious. Challenge. Yet.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I can fight you and others on your level, I am happy,” Zesshi said with a wide smile on her face. “So, another round?”

“No. I. Need. To. Attend. The. Meeting. With. Ainz-sama.” Cocytus curbed her enthusiasm.

“Ah, alright. Do come by for another fight when you can. Aura and Mare won’t fight me anymore, so it’s a bit boring out here,” Zesshi said as she felt her excitement drain out of her body.

After Cocytus left the arena of the sixth floor, Zesshi was left wondering what she should do next. Aura and Mare are probably attending the meeting too, then… should I challenge one of the dragons again? Hm, it’s probably better to do it with the dark elves around. Ah, guess I’ll go to the village, see what Blue Rose members are up to.

By the time Cocytus made it to the throne room, most of the Guardians had already gathered. Demiurge turned quiet as Cocytus’s arrival drew everyone’s attention.

“Have you been sparring with Zesshi? How is she doing?” Ainz asked from the throne, he seemed to be in a good mood.

“She. Is. Getting. Better.” Cocytus said as he took his place in front of the throne.

“Thanks for taking Zesshi off our hands, Cocytus,” Aura said, while Mare nodded in agreement.

“Oh? What’s this? You two aren’t happy with her?” Ainz inquired curiously.

“No, no. She’s great. It’s just, she wants to fight all the time,” Aura said shaking her head.

“Y-yes, every time I see her, she wa-wants me to fight her. I can’t even re-read in peace,” Mare said, his usual panicky tone now contained a hint of anxiety.

“Well, she must be feeling like a kid in a candy store, with all the powerful beings in Nazarick for her to challenge. I am sure it will pass in time,” Ainz sought to reassure the two elves as he chuckled softly.

“I sure hope so. Every time she sees me with one of my pets she begs me to let her fight them. If it continues like this, I am afraid my pets will start to avoid me,” Aura said as she wrung her hands anxiously.

“It’s that bad, huh? I’ll try to think of something,” Ainz said as he caressed his bony chin.

“Thank you, Ainz-sama,” both twins said in unison, happy expressions playing on their faces.

The doors to the throne room opened once more and Shalltear entered. Walking gracefully, she took her place in front of the throne before apologizing.

“Please forgive my tardiness, Ainz-sama,” she said with a bow, “I got caught up having fun with the Black Scripture members”

“I should be the one apologizing to you. Your role in the takeover of the Slane Theocracy meant you couldn’t immediately exact revenge on the Black Scripture,” Ainz said, he had felt quite guilty about this point, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Please don’t say that, Ainz-sama. Serving you supersedes any personal desires I might have,” Shalltear objected as she waved her hands.

“You’ve started torturing them?” Albedo asked with some curiosity.

“Not yet. After consulting Neuronist, I’ve decided to take my time. I have only been mentally tormenting them with the anticipation of the terrors to come,” Shalltear replied as her lips spread in a wicked grin.

“Let me know if you need any help and I’ll try to make time for you. Thanks to a foolish human I now have quite a bit of experience in keeping a human alive, far beyond what you would think is possible,” Albedo offered casually.

“Oh, you mean that guy, what was his name… Philip? He’s still alive?” Demiurge asked surprised.

“I should thank Ainz-sama for such a wonderful gift, it had provided me many hours of amusement,” Albedo cooed.

“Um, there is no need to thank me, Albedo. Philip’s transgression was against you, letting you handle his punishment was the obvious choice,” Ainz said, even as Albedo’s soft, loving voice and the horrifying meaning of her words made for an unnerving combination.

“Him still being alive exceeds my expectations. We should compare notes, perhaps I can use your information in my own experiments,” Demiurge said excitedly.

“Ahem, you can do that after the meeting,” Ainz put a quick stop to this gruesome topic, “Let us begin. Albedo, you are the one who asked for this meeting. What news do you have for me?”

“A most exciting news. The scheme Demiurge and I had for the Re-Estize Kingdom has run its course, the Kingdom is about to become a part of your territory, without any bloodshed.” Albedo shared the joyous news.

“Excellent work, Demiurge, Albedo,” Ainz said delighted.

“However, directly becoming a part of the Sorcerer Kingdom, rather than a vassal state or being governed by a puppet king, might result in revolts,” Demiurge cautioned.

“They would dare to revolt against Ainz-sama?” Shalltear interjected, her voice filled with anger and scorn.

“Perhaps not openly. But with the territories under Ainz-sama’s control ever growing, a sabotage of the government from within could be rather annoying to deal with,” Demiurge addressed her solemnly.

“Indeed, the nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom just don’t know when to quit,” Albedo agreed nodding, ”But no worries, I am sure that any future insurrection will be quelled once Ainz-sama gives his speech.”

“Ainz-sama will give a speech?” Aura’s ears perked up.

“It was the first country Ainz-sama visited upon arriving to this world. What better way to commemorate this occasion then a speech that will inspire the commoners while dissuading the nobles?” Albedo said cheerfully.

How am I going to do that? Those expectations are far too unrealistic. Ainz could already feel a headache coming. And I was having such a worry-free time while pretending to be dead.

“Albedo, tell me the exact situation in the Re-Estize Kingdom,” Ainz ordered.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Albedo said before describing the latest events that transpired in the Kingdom.

After she was done, all the Guardians looked at Ainz. After nodding to acknowledge Albedo’s report, Ainz was absentmindedly caressing his chin.

This really is a headache. Why did they rush to absorb the Kingdom instead of letting it be a vassal state for a while? Ah, it must be because they think I can fix everything with a speech. Renner is just as bad, why did she have to turn into a succubus at this time? We could’ve used her as a puppet Queen. Now that option is gone too. Ainz felt dejected as he thought about Albedo’s report.

“Ahem,” Ainz cleared his throat when he noticed the expectant looks of the Guardians. “Then… it hasn’t yet been made known that I will be giving a speech, correct?”

“Please forgive us, Ainz-sama. We figured more commoners would attend the announcement of Zanac’s abdication and the new order,” Albedo said.

“No, no, that’s good,” Ainz said excitedly as he almost blurted out “because it means I don’t have to give the speech,” before catching himself.

No, it’s not something I can escape from doing. Come on, think! The issue is two-fold, the nobles and their agenda, as well as the commoners with their own hopes. Hmm, there is also Renner and Raeven, whom I haven’t even met yet as the Sorcerer King. The gears began to turn in his mind.

“Can you arrange for me to meet all of the nobles prior to the speech?” Ainz looked at Albedo inquisitively.

“Of course.”

“Good. I will address the nobles first, before giving a speech that will reassure the commoners.” Ainz nodded in satisfaction. “I also want to meet Renner and Raeven after addressing the nobles.”

“It shall be arranged,” Albedo replied with a bow.

Ainz nodded, satisfied with this arrangement. “I guess we can now release Blue Rose,” he said after remembering the adventurers were still living in the village on the sixth floor.

“It feels like a waste to release them. That Evileye girl is especially interesting,” Demiurge’s voice was filled with regret.

“Her being a vampire was a surprise,” Ainz agreed, “However, Blue Rose is more beneficial to us alive. As for Evileye, I’ll find out her story eventually.”

Ainz was about to call the end of the meeting when he thought of something else.

“Speaking of vampires, how is that guy…” Ainz struggled to recall the name, “Um, Brain, was it? How is he doing, Shalltear?”

“Physically he’s fine, however he seems to have suffered a mental problem. He’s wavering between being ecstatic at becoming a vampire and serving you and the pain and suffering his human self is experiencing. He is completely loyal though and is unable to refuse my orders.” Shalltear explained before adding, “He still hasn’t gained any levels, but he has retained the Martial Arts he knew previously.”

“I see. This could be a promising direction to research,” Ainz said thoughtfully, his bony fingers tapping a rhythm on the arm of the throne. That’s in the future though, he thought as the meeting came to an end.

With the meeting over, it was time for Ainz to release Blue Rose from Nazarick. Changing into Momon, he teleported to the sixth floor and made his way to the village. He could hear the faint sound of fighting even before the building came into view. Lizardmen were taking their training very seriously, as did Go Gin and Hamsuke.

Feeling happy that even those outsiders were working hard for the benefit of Nazarick, Ainz entered the village and moved to where the sound of fighting was coming from. Soon the training arena came into his view: the lizardmen were training in pairs, as was Go Gin and Hamsuke, however, most of the Blue Rose members were sitting on a log at the edge of the grounds, watching Gagaran fight Brain. There was also another person, and Momon sighed internally when he saw her. Zesshi, who was also watching the fight with a rather bored expression stirred and came running towards him as soon as his presence was noticed.

“Fight me, Momon!” Zesshi hollered excitedly as she ran toward the warrior in dark plate armor.

“I don’t have the time for such things,” Ainz replied without stopping.

“That’s what you always say,” Zesshi pouted, but didn’t give up. “Come on, you are like the only one I haven’t fought yet. It will only take a few minutes.”

Ainz turned a deaf ear to her pleas, moving forward without pause.

“Gah, I should just make you. You would defend yourself if attacked, no?” Zesshi said.

Unable to resist the urge to fight, she readied her scythe for an attack, when suddenly Momon stopped and turned to face her.

“Attacking an agent of the Sorcerer King, while he’s carrying out his duties?” He said, his voice completely flat and emotionless. “You should rethink your actions.”

Helpless, Zesshi watched Momon turn around and walk away. With a sigh, she lowered her weapon and having nothing better to do, followed him.

“Momon-sama, it’s nice to see you again,” Evileye rose to greet him.

“I would have come more often if I could,” Momon replied gesturing for her to sit.

Taking a seat next to Evileye, Momon exchanged greetings with the rest of Blue Rose, before turning his attention to the match the ladies were watching – Gagaran vs Brain.

Gagaran’s hair was wet with sweat as her chest visibly moved up and down from ragged, heavy breathing. Brain, being a vampire, had no such issues, and was constantly pressing his attack.

“Heeya,” with a shout Gagaran swung her weapon in an arc.

The war hammer, [Fel Iron], cut through the air and smashed into the ground. Having crouched down to the very ground in order to dodge, Brain lunged forward with a counter. The blade of his katana split into four blades of light which promptly found their target, hitting Gagaran in the chest. Her chest armor,[Gaze Bane], absorbed the blow, but she was knocked off balance and took several steps backwards.

Taking advantage of her compromised stance, Brain followed up with another strike. Gagaran ground her teeth and activated her martial arts. [Reposition] to regain her balance and [Fortress] to block the oncoming attack. The exertion required to do this had her seeing stars, but Gagaran was a fighter.

Before Brain could retreat, she dashed forward and put all of her remaining strength into a swing. [Fel Iron] swished through the air, singing promises of pain to anyone who gets hit by it. Brain remained calm. Rather than trying to dodge, he jumped backwards while placing his katana in [Fel Iron]’s trajectory. He even placed his other hand on the blade to support it.

Still airborne when the polearm smashed into the katana, the impact propelled Brain backwards and out of melee range. Exhausted, Gagaran crumbled to the floor, only able to send incredulous looks after Brain, as she gasped for air.

“He learned that from me,” Zesshi said proudly when she saw the technique Brain used.

Momon turned to look at her before turning back to the two combatants without saying a word.

“What? It’s true!” Zesshi cried out after. “Look, I’ll prove it to you. Attack me just like Gagaran did and I’ll retreat the same way.” She added jumping to her feet and gesticulating wildly.

“You won’t trick me that easily,” Momon replied with a soft chuckle. “Lakyus-dono, I came to deliver a message from the Sorcerer King,” he addressed the leader of Blue Rose.

“Yes, of course. Just give me a moment,” Lakyus replied as she approached Gagaran and cast a healing spell on the exhausted fighter. “What news do you bring from the Sorcerer King,” Lakyus asked after she returned with Gagaran.

“Certain events have taken place in the Re-Estize Kingdom, and the Sorcerer King feels that Blue Rose can be released now,” Momon declared.

Happy expressions emerged on the ladies’ faces as they exchanged glances.

“What kind of events?” Lakyus didn’t let the good news cloud her mind.

“I am not privy to the full details. However, I will say this: As a friend and supporter of Princess Renner, I hope you will remain such despite the new developments,” Momon delivered his cryptic message.

“What happened to Princess Renner?” Lakyus’s voice was filled with worry and concern.

“You can find out as soon as you step through the [Gate]. Then, do you want to say good-byes before leaving this place?” Momon asked, seemingly ignoring her question.

“Um, yes, we can do so while you arrange for the [Gate] to be opened,” Lakyus nodded.

She and the other ladies went to say goodbye to the Lizardmen, Brain, Hamsuke and Go Gin, leaving Evileye and Momon alone.

“Thank you again for saving us, Momon-sama. It’s only thanks to you that we can leave this place alive,” Evileye said full of gratitude.

“It was the right thing to do. You bore no ill intent towards the Sorcerer King, and had only joined the strike force to accompany me,” Momon shook his head.

“Still, we are in your debt,” Evileye insisted.

“Alright,” Momon said lifting his arms in defeat.

Evileye wanted to say something else, but she lacked the courage to express her feelings. While the two stood in silence, a black disk came into existence behind Momon, it expanded and soon turned into a [Gate]. The other members of Blue Rose had returned by then, leaving Evileye feeling quite sad and dejected.

“This [Gate] will transport you straight to the Valencia Palace in Re-Estize,” Momon said.

“Then, we shall take our leave. Thank you again for all you’ve done for us. I want you to know, we are in your debt,” Lakyus said as all of Blue Rose bowed to Momon.

“There is no need for that, besides, Evileye had already said it several times,” Momon waved his hands helplessly.

“You are a generous man, Momon-san,” Lakyus said as she nodded. “Truly one of a kind,” she added as she stole a glance at Evileye.

One by one Blue Rose members went through the [Gate]. The last one to leave was Evileye. She turned to look at Momon one last time before she stepped through the gate.

“No need to feel so sad, I am sure we’ll see each other more often in the coming years,” Momon offered to cheer her up.

“I, I hope so,” Evileye replied, a smile hidden under her mask.

Even if I don’t say anything, he can feel my mood. A man after my heart… if only I had the courage to express my feelings. She thought as she took a step through the [Gate].

*****

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