Chapter 5, Part 6

After speaking the text on all six tablets, Demiurge lifted his head and scanned the room. Nothing happened, which was rather surprising. Turning to look at Shalltear, he saw her baffled expression, which mimicked his own.

“Perhaps we got the order wrong?” Shalltear offered.

“I suppose,” Demiurge replied, as he began to rearrange the metal plates so he could read them left to right.

Suddenly, the whole room shook and dust fell from the ceiling. After shaking for a few seconds, a circle of blue light emerged from the floor in front of the statues.

“Teleportation platform,” Demiurge nodded.

It was similar in function to the teleportation traps used in Nazarick. A few more seconds passed for the platform to activate and with a buzzing sound the two guardians disappeared. The first thing they did upon being teleported was to scan their new surroundings. However, there was little to look at. The two guardians found themselves in a small room, there were no doors or windows, and it was impossible to tell where this place was in relation to the room with the six statues.

The room was lit up by a magic light mounted into the ceiling, the only other notable feature was a stone pedestal placed against the opposite wall, on which rested an intricately decorated chest. With nothing else to draw their attention, the two stepped forward and carefully examined the chest. It was made out of a dark wood, the golden decoration on its sides depicting a human figure superimposed over bird-like spread-out wings and tail.

“Should we open it?” Shalltear asked with some uncertainty.

“It would be too dangerous to bring it to Ainz-sama as is,” Demiurge said with a nod, motioning for Shalltear to open it.

Shalltear reached out and cautiously opened the lid. Their worries were unfounded, as there was no explosion or anything else like that. Instead, the chest contained two items: an orb the size of a large apple laid on the red velvet insides of the chest, while a rolled up scroll was placed on top of the orb.

Demiurge reached out and picked up the scroll, before taking a closer look at the orb. Made out of some type of glass, the lower third was filled with some gray-colored substance, which acted as a surface, while the other two-thirds were empty. Upon closer inspection, Demiurge saw that the top of the gray, surface-like part was covered in gold.

Shrugging his shoulders, he was about to unfurl the scroll, when the golden flakes, which were covering the ground part, flew up and scattered to the sides, as if there was an explosion in the middle of the orb. The golden storm continued for a bit, covering the top two thirds. Finally, it seemed to settle down, with the orb’s appearance returning to normal.

“Was that because of us?” Shalltear asked.

“I am not sure,” Demiurge replied, once again taking a closer look at the orb.

However, he couldn’t discover anything new. He straightened up and shrugged his shoulders, before unfurling the scroll. Shalltear moved next to him to read it as well, when a new golden storm attracted her eyes to the orb.

“I guess that’s just how it is, and it has nothing to do with our presence,” she said.

Demiurge nodded, and opened the scroll with both hands. Standing beside him, Shalltear could read its contents as well.

“This item can be used to destroy all evil in the world.”

“But, no one is the villain of their own story. Then, who decides who is evil? Is it the judgment of the one who activated this item? Is it God? Is it something else? We do not know the answer, but one thing is certain – the probability of this item not working exactly as intended is very high.”

“Then, we ask you, the one who has sought to use this orb: Is the situation really so dire? Has the world become such a dreadful place that there is no hope for a natural recovery?”

“Are you willing to take responsibility for the innumerable deaths that will likely come from using this item?”

“We know not what circumstances you are facing, and cannot advise you on whether to use the orb or not. But the six of us hope that the choice you make is the right one.”

“Say “Triumphant Light,” in order to activate the teleportation platform to return to the Mausoleum.”

“Interesting. We should bring the orb to Ainz-sama at once,” Demiurge said after reading the scroll. “I’ll take the orb, you bring the chest,” he added.

Demiurge rolled up the scroll, and placed it back inside the chest, after he removed the orb. Shalltear then picked up the chest itself. Taking another glance around the room, to make sure there really was nothing else, the two nodded to each other and Demiurge said: “Triumphant Light.”

The platform on this end worked much better, as they were immediately engulfed by a blue light. A few seconds passed, and they once again stood in front of the six statues. While Demiurge sent a [Message] to Ainz, Shalltear opened a [Gate] and the two quickly arrived at Nazarick. Given the importance of their discovery, they were told to come to the throne room. The other Guardians that were still inside Nazarick began to gather as well.

By the time Demiurge and Shalltear arrived at the throne room, Ainz was already seated on the throne, Albedo stood by his side and Pandora’s Actor was visibly excited at the sight of the orb in Demiurge’s hands. They approached the throne and bowed.

“This orb is the item the Cardinals planned to use. There is also a scroll, likely written by the so-called Six Great Gods, which mostly contains their doubts about using this item,” Demiurge began.

Ainz wanted to jump out of his throne and rush toward Demiurge, taking the orb and examining it immediately. It was a rare occasion to encounter a new World Class Item, even if he had an idea of what it was. However, he had to play the part of an Overlord, such unseemly behavior wouldn’t do. As Ainz struggled to contain his excitement, his undead emotion dampener activated, instantly calming him down.

“Let me see the scroll,” Ainz said.

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Shalltear said, placing the chest at her feet she walked forward and, with both hands, presented the scroll to Ainz.

Unfurling the scroll, Ainz quickly read its contents.

“I see, the concept of Evil was much more clearly defined in Yggdrasil, their caution was quite understandable,” Ainz said as he rolled the scroll back. “Now, show me the orb.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Demiurge replied with a bow. Like Shalltear, he walked forward and knelt in front of the throne, as he presented the orb with both hands.

Ainz took the orb and quickly cast [All Appraisal Magic Item] on it.

“As I thought,” he nodded as the item’s information appeared in his mind.

[Ahura Mazda] – upon activation, a wave of golden energy will be sent out, destroying all Evil beings in the world. This really was a much simpler item back in Yggdrasil, Ainz thought, as he recalled the past. ‘Evil’ was defined by one’s Karma Value, while ‘World’ meant a particular realm.

Despite being one of the twenty and immensely powerful, this item was nonetheless considered a troll item. The effect was simply too wide and too unfocused. Even among the good-aligned guilds there were members with negative karma. Some did it for roleplaying purposes, others to get access to certain classes, spells or items. But the fact of the matter was, that there was no shortage of players with negative karma in any of the realms. And the ire of these players and affected guild members would be directed at anyone dumb enough to activate [Ahura Mazda].

While reminiscing about the past, Ainz recalled that to his knowledge, [Ahura Mazda] had only been used once, in order to counter the effect of an even bigger troll item. Even then, all of the guilds on that particular realm agreed to its use, and the time of the activation was made public allowing the players with negative Karma to leave the realm.

“Excellent work, Demiurge and Shalltear. Allowing the Cardinals to use this item would have caused us quite a bit of trouble,” Ainz said as he gathered his thoughts. “Pandora’s Actor, store it in the treasury, along with the scroll and the chest,” he continued.

“By your will,” Pandora’s Actor replied excitedly as he clicked his heels together and gave Ainz a salute, before proceeding to collect the items.

At this time, the doors leading to the throne room opened, and Aura with Cocytus entered.

“Please accept our apologies for being late,” Aura said as she and Cocytus bowed to Ainz. “Did we miss it? What did you find?” She asked excitedly her gaze moving between Demiurge and Shalltear.

“It’s quite alright,” Ainz said. “The two of them have found another World-Class Item, which will no longer pose any danger to Nazarick.”

“Oh, it looks pretty,” Aura said as she stared at the orb in Pandora’s Actor’s hand.

“IMPRESSIVE.” Cocytus let out, as a cloud of cold air drifted up from his mouth.

“It was a simple matter due to all the intelligence we had. It is really Neuronist Painkill that should be praised for this finding,” Demiurge said. He lived for Ainz’s praise, but he wouldn’t go so far as to steal someone else’s credit.

“I see, I guess Neuronist deserves a reward for all the work she’s been doing,” Ainz nodded. I wonder what she would choose for a reward, he thought, when a cold chill suddenly ran through his bones.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat before continuing. “Regardless, the two of you deserve a reward as well. Unfortunately, it will have to wait, as you two are still needed to oversee the takeover of the Slane Theocracy.”

“It’s no trouble, Ainz-sama,” Shalltear assured him, while Demiurge nodded in agreement.

“Still, I am keeping you away from having your revenge on the Black Scripture members,” Ainz said. “By the way, Aura, how is Zesshi doing?” He asked while looking at the dark elf.

“She’s beginning to understand the greatness of the Supreme Beings,” Aura replied with a wide smile on her face.

“That’s good to hear,” Ainz nodded. Having a friend for Aura and Mare to play with will be great, he thought as he ended the meeting.

Inside the castle in Re-Restize

There were only two people present in Princess Renner’s room – the owner of them room herself, and her brother King Zanac. Renner was calmly sitting at the table, playing with the spoon in her tea cup, while Zanac was walking back and forth as he raged.

“First those insane rumors that just wouldn’t stop. And now, Marquis Raeven has shown his true face! This is all your fault, sister! You were the one who suggested the plan to get rid of the Greenhorns and the Nobles factions,” Zanac shouted as he turned to face his sister.

“Didn’t my plan work perfectly? Both factions were decimated and you even garnered the good will of some of the Greenhorns nobles, not to mention the general population. As for Marquis Raeven’s actions, that was a surprise. Perhaps he is the one behind the spreading rumors as well,” Renner replied before sipping on her cup.

“But what am I supposed to do now? He’s calling for me to abdicate!” Zanar roared as he clenched his fists. Damn it, everything was going so well, why is this happening to me, Zanac couldn’t help thinking.

After successfully blaming Philip’s death on the two Great Nobles, the Nobles faction they led lost its leadership and was almost completely decimated when many of the lower nobles jumped ship, joining the Royal faction. With no one standing in his way, King Zanac thought he could finally rule the Kingdom as he wished. Unfortunately, various rumors began to spread almost immediately. At first, they were questions about the behavior of the two Great Nobles, why did they so willingly agree to a public trial under [Minor Compulsion] spell, which forced them to tell the truth, if they were guilty?

The Sorcerer Kingdom looked like a prime suspect, but there was nothing for the Sorcerer Kingdom to gain from eliminating Philip, who, along with his faction were arguing for closer ties with the undead’s nation. Eliminating the Noble faction also didn’t gain the Sorcerer King anything. On the flip side, the one who clearly benefited from these events was King Zanac.

Once the rumors turned in this direction, they went completely wild with all sorts of accusations. Supposedly, Zanac worked with the Slane Theocracy to place the two Great Nobles under mind magic. That he was the one behind Philip’s assassination. And that the reason he so brazenly defied the demand of the Sorcerer Kingdom to bring Philip’s murderer to justice was due to assurances he got from the Theocracy that they will deal with the undead.

This last rumor got a boost in trustworthiness when the Sorcerer Kingdom used the Baharuth Empire’s legions to invade the Theocracy, supposedly in retaliation for the latter’s attempt to use the strike force, which was supposed to fight Jaldabaoth, to attack the Sorcerer King’s servants. While the revelation that Ainz was alive, and that his revival period was much shorter than was claimed, triggered many negative rumors about Ainz and his kingdom, it did little to calm the poeple of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

With rumors and unrest spreading throughout the Kingdom, the common opinion was divided into two main camps. One was that King Zanac was behind Philip’s assassination and that he worked with the Slane Theocracy to manipulate the Great Nobles during public trial. The other was that the Sorcerer King was behind everything and that he was looking for a casus belli to attack the Re-Estize Kingdom. Either way, the citizens of the Kingdom would have to face the wrath of that terrible undead magic caster.

Among the panic of the general population and the nobles alike, the previously silent Marquis Raeven made a surprising move. He declared that for the well being of the Kingdom, King Zanac must abdicate. This move would allow the new ruler, whoever it was, to shift the blame for everything that had happened, and to seek good relations with the Sorcerer Kingdom. But it was more than empty demands, Marquis Raeven had gathered his men into an army and had brought it before the Re-Estize capital, to substantiate his demands. Seen as the only viable option to avoid a catastrophic encounter with the Sorcerer King’s army of undead, commoners and nobles joined Marquis in his demands.

“Damn it all!” Zanac groaned as he looked outside the window. The castle was located on high ground and in the distance he could see the waving flags of Marquis Raeven and the smoke rising from the fires, behind the city walls.

“What do you suggest I do, dear sister?” He asked with a twisted expression that did not match his polite words. “You better have something, because if I go down, I’ll take you with me!” He spat out unable to contain his anger.

“That’s quite unreasonable, you were the one seeking my advice, not to mention the final decision was always yours,” Renner replied. However, seeing her brother’s twisted face, she quickly continued. “There is a simple solution to your problem, at least the immediate one.”

“Oh? And what would it be?” Zanac asked.

“Ask Marquis Raeven to talk to you, then when you meet, demand his allegiance. When he refuses, declare him a traitor and take him prisoner. Then use him to force the army he has brought to disperse,” Renner explained.

“He might agree to meet me, but he won’t come alone,” Zanac shook his head.

“He’ll bring guards for sure. But, don’t you have one of the strongest warriors under your command? The new Warrior Captain? Marquis Raeven lost the former orichalcum adventurers he used as bodyguards at the Katze Plains. While he has likely found new ones, they shouldn’t be as highly ranked and should pose no difficulty for the Warrior Captain to dispatch,” Renner explained before pouring herself another cup.

“Even so, such an act would paint me as a coward. Is there really no other way?” Zanac asked reluctantly.

“It’s certainly not ideal. But there is nothing else you can do. The rumors have undermined the people’s trust in your ability to lead, and Raeven seized this opportunity to strike. You have to deal with one issue at a time. Removing Raeven is your first priority, regaining the populace’s trust comes after,” Renner said. “Unless you are considering abdication,” she added.

“I haven’t fought this hard to obtain the throne just to give it away,” Zanac shook his head. “What about your involvement in the strike force against Jaldabaoth? You aren’t afraid the Sorcerer King will seek revenge against you?” He added changing topics.

“I am sure Climb will take all the blame. Besides, Climb’s power is no where close to the other participants, so his presence had little influence on the outcome,” Renner replied with a shrug.

“Why did you send him there in the first place? I thought you loved him,” Zanac asked curiously.

“I did it for love,” Renner replied.

Love? Isn’t he going to die now or at least get imprisoned? She truly is a monster whose thoughts are too unnatural for a human to comprehend, Zanac thought. Looking at Renner’s smiling face, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

“Well, time is running short, I am off,” he said, as he was suddenly overcome with an intense desire to get away from his younger sister.

“Thank you for visiting me, brother,” Renner said as she got up and bowed to the king.

After Zanac left, Renner locked the door and walked over to a cupboard, opening one of its parts she retrieved a certain box. The front of the box had a multi-layered lock, however, all four layers were now unlocked.

Renner smiled after noticing her hands shaking from excitement. After taking a deep breath, she finally opened the box she had obtained from Albedo when the Guardian Overseer visited the Princess. After looking at the contents of the box, she lifted her hand and stretched it as if to pick something up from the box. She forced herself to stop mid way, her hand clenching several times as she struggled to control her desire. Finally, she regained her usual self-control, she closed the lid and placed the box back into the cupboard.

“Come out, Shadow Demon-san,” she called out.

A few moments later, two eyes appeared in her shadow and a Shadow Demon slithered out of it. It stared at Princess Renner in a questioning manner.

“Please inform Albedo-sama that I have successfully unlocked the [Myriad Betrayals Chest] and am ready for the final part of the plan.”

*****

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