Sebas descended the steps.
He had to stuff the luggage he was carrying into the carriage parked on the street.
Sebas looked down at the huge piece of luggage he was carrying with both hands.
It appeared to be 20 maybe 30 kilogrammes. Sebas could have lifted that weight easily with just his little finger but one never knew who was watching. His unnaturally sharp senses did not detect any signs of detection magic but Sebas knew that his senses could be fooled.
Being wary of prying eyes, he pretended to be encumbered by the luggage like any ordinary human would be and walked quietly through the inn. As he quietly walked—-
Sebas walked quietly through the 9th floor of the Dungeons of Nazerick. Behind him followed his direct subordinates, the battle maids Naberal Gamma and Solution Epsilon.
The wide passage of the Dungeon was clean and beautiful and very well kept. Here and there along the path, the elite soldiers of Cocytus stood guard.
These were the bodyguards known as . With forms resembling horned beetles, the Guardian Knights wore their uniform crimson surcoat and held in each appendage, a crimson spear that gave off a pulsating aura. In addition, in place of armor, each knight possessed an incredibly tough exoskeleton.
These were the sturdy soldiers that patrolled the level with vigilance and in perfect formation.
Sebas admired the neat formations of the guards from the corner of his eyes as he twisted and turned along the countless passageways of the dungeon until he reached his master’s quarters.
On either side of the door, two anthropomorphic hercules beetles stood at attention. They were nearly two metres tall and possessed solidly built bodies. Each beetle wore a loose fitting surcoat of platinum. These were the . Even though the Knights’ levels were only in their 70s, their defensive capabilities were unparalleled. Taking into account their endurance, magic resistance and weapons-damage resistance, even level 100 players would find these knights troublesome.
The Royal Knights held a gigantic glaive in each appendage with a beautifully embellished long sword the size of a great sword hanging from their waists. Each glaive gave off a platinum aura of high class enchantments.
These guards stood as still and silent as a rock.
As beetles, they possessed compound eyes and had a wider field of vision than humans. They probably tracked Sebas’ every movement.
And in fact, Sebas could feel the guards’ questioning eyes on him. He could tell they were uncomfortable. Of course, a good part of their discomfort stood from being aware of a potential intruder, but there was also an element of discomfort stemming from having to treat Sebas specifically as a potential intruder.
Such was the high position that Sebas held as the Land Steward of Nazarick. Sebas was the civilian equivalent of the highest military leader leader in Nazarick. Even highly ranked subordinates of Cocytus felt uncomfortable having to challenge him.
Sebas accepted the guard’s challenge as a matter of course.
Anybody who acted suspiciously would be attacked no matter who that person might be. Even if that person is Sebas. Sebas acknowledged the guard’s right and duty to challenge him.
Sebas stood before the pair with a faint smile.
Then he straightened and knocked on the intricately decorated door three times.
Moments later, the door opened slowly and a maid appeared. It wasn’t one of Sebas’ battle maids, but a homunculus—-a maid without combat abilities.
“I wish to have an audience with Ainz-sama.”
“I understand. Please wait for a moment”
The maid closed the door in a slow respectful silence, her presence fading as she moved away from the door.
The maid had gone to inform the owner of the room of his request. Slowly, of course. For the owner of the room is the Supreme Master, the person with the highest authority in Nazarick. One should certainly be expected to wait.
After another few moments of waiting, the door opened once more and the same maid appeared.
“An audience is possible, please come this way”
The maid stepped away from the door and allowed to Sebas to enter.
“Please excuse us.”
The trio bowed their heads before entering the room.
The scene in the room was one which he was familiar with. All rooms of the supreme 41 shared identical layouts. Even their leader’s room was unchanged.
Sebas stepped into the room and onto a carpeted flooring so thick and soft he could swear that he sank slightly into the carpet with every step.
On the right side of the room was a king-sized canopied bed with a closet door next to it. On the left, a gigantic ironwood executive desk dominated that side of the room.
On one side of the wall a bookshelf that reached to the ceiling was packed with books.
In the centre of the room was a circular table with a few books from the bookshelf stacked neatly one on top of the other.
The room was setup in a such a way that depending on how one viewed the room, one could say that it was a simply furnished room or crammed with treasures.
However, each and every furnishing was a treasure in of itself of peerless value. Each work of art was protected with preservative magic to prevent deterioration.
And of course, works of art gain value with time, so one could say that the value of the items in the room was even higher than the face value.
Sebas was unable to see Ainz from where he was standing.
None the less, Sebas was still aware Ainz’s location in the room. In the middle of the room, there were two maids standing, one to the left and the other to the right side of a circular table. The maid whom welcomed them at the entrance, stood with an elegant posture.
In other words, within the room, there were only three maids.
From his current position, Sebas deduced that Ainz’s would be sitting on the chair, flanked by two of the maids. His figure was hidden behind a pile of books.
None the less, a puzzling thought came into Sebas’s mind—-
—-Was the number of maids too little?
This was Sebas’ thought.
The place belonged to the supreme beings, hence it was required that they maintained a proper level of cleanliness that befit its status. To have only three maids present in the room of the Supreme of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick, was highly inappropriate.
It seems that there is a need to discuss this matter further with the head maid. Sebas kept a reminder in his heart.
“—-Good, you all have arrived.”
The pile of books moved slightly. Ainz figure was discernible among it. Sebas and the rest put a step forward on the carpet and bowed towards Ainz. At the same time, his gaze was directed towards the ceiling.
There were several presences detected on the ceiling—-
Although his gaze was directed there, he was not able to determine the exact identity of those mysterious beings. He was slightly disturbed by their presences.
This might have been the work of magic or special skills similar to that of .
Sebas did not have the ability to see through invisibility. But he sense of detection was exceptional. He sensed a total of seven figures with no hostile intentions, but instead were observing the situation here carefully.
To be able to enter this room, their level must be considerably high.
“Don’t mind them, Sebas.”
Ainz spoke to Sebas who was observing the ceiling with his hawk like gaze.
“Above the ceiling are Cocytus’s underlings, placed there to be on alert for potentials assassins, the Eight Legged Assassins? I believe. Although their presence is slightly distracting, you do not have to pay them much heed……But still, I still think that there is no need to place 15 of them here, which equal to half the population of his underlings. Their presence is a bit restrictive. ”
To Ainz who had the ability to see through invisibility, it was depressing to see the numerous presence of those posted here appearing and disappearing at will, to the point that he had to speak sublimely. He resigned to tolerate it as their presence were for his own safety.
The master was having a hard time.
Sebas murmured to himself, then redirected his focus from the ceiling towards Ainz who was sitting at the round table.
“I have kept you waiting, Ainz-sama.”
“No, don’t mind it, have a seat.”
Ainz gestured briefly, for the three of them to take a seat. The action was not deliberate but more of an subconscious gesture, but it caused Sebas and the rest to developed a sense of worry. Narberal and the others tried hard to hide their stunned expression while suppressing scream that tried to escape their mouths.
Undoubtedly, there were several chairs beside the table, and there were no indications that those spot were exclusive to the masters. To them, sitting in equal position to their master was something that was not allowed. However, obeying the master’s order was absolute.
Sebas himself was unsure of what to do next.
Seeing the strange action of the three, Ainz’s expression stiffened.
“If it’s like this, it shouldn’t be a problem over there.”
Ainz raised himself while silently berated his own error. The maids that were stationed here followed from behind. They were headed towards the heavy set of office desk. As Ainz sat on the soft leather chair, a sound was heard.
“Now, come.”
“Yes”
With Sebas leading Narberal and Solution, they assembled in front of the desk in a triangle.
“I thought to inform you of the details of the order I gave you in the throne room—-”
Ainz looked at their three faces, confirming that they had nothing to say, continued.
“Firstly is Narberal. You will infiltrate the town as an adventurer. As for the reason why I selected you for your illusion magic, is because I do not want you to stand out. I would like you to stealthily gather information. Firstly I will explain why I want you to collect information related to adventurers.”
“Yes!”
“I understand that the current Kingdom’s Warrior Captain war potential is not high. However, there is a chance that there is a person that holds high abilities but is not affiliated with the Kingdom. And the highest possibility of that is found within the adventurers.”
While it was unclear how the system of adventurers worked, if one infiltrated lots of information could be gained. At worst one could gain an understanding of the abilities of the general adventurer.
“Next is the reason why I want you to not stand out.”
Ainz stared at Narberal’s face while continuing.
“We know too little about the Adventurer’s Guild, about its combat effectiveness, its organization. If the guild becomes aware of our spying activities or capture our spy, they may use that as a bargaining chip during negotiations in the event we come to hostilities. In addition, we do not know how close a relationship the guild has with the Kingdom.”
“And this simple matter. With a strange magic caster known as Ainz appearing nearby, and a curious adventurer arriving, would it not be strange of people to see a relationship? If so then there is a chance we would be suspected.”
“I’ve said this before countless times and I’ll say it again. At this point of time we have no clear knowledge of our opponent’s power. As such, without a good reason, we must not become involved with the Kingdom’s affairs. Is that clear?”
“Yes! Narberal Gamma will carry out her mission even if it costs her life!”
“……Ah, there’s no need to get so dramatic”
Ignoring Naberal’s blushing face, Ainz gestured at Sebas with a sweep of his hand. Having read his master’s intentions, Sebas reassured the maid with a tilt of his chin.
“That’s right Naberal. Nothing good will come out of such dramatic gestures. Don’t talk about things which are impossible. If you carry out the mission with a cool-head, there will be no problems.”
“I understand!”
Already unsettled by the importance of the mission entrusted to her, Ains and Sebas’s words caused Narberal’s shoulders to stiffen with tension. Seeing his plan to calm Naberal backfire caused Ainz to become a little flustered himself.
“Relax. It will be ok Narberal. You can do it”
Ains stood up slowly and rounded the desk to stand in front Naberal, gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“I have faith in you. You are the creation of my friend Nishikienrai. As a half golem, he had incredible strength. Among the 41, the damage caused by a single sweep of his great sword was without peer—-”
For a moment, Ainz’s gaze drifted off into the distance, lost in the fond memories of an old comrade, his mind seeing what no others can see. Then he turned towards Naberal, his eyes fixed onto hers with burning intensity.
“—-If I cannot trust his creation, then who can I trust? Well, avoid using magic, don’t do anything to stand out and you’ll be fine. You can do it.”
Nodding his head, Ains chuckled reassuringly. Naberal’s gaze steadied, reflecting the strength of her master’s faith in her.
“Without fail. I will live up to Ains-sama’s expectations!”
“I’ll depend on you Naberal. One last thing, we have no information on the kind of powers the adventurers possess. It is possible that someone could be strong enough to see past the illusion. In that event, make something up to obscure your true identity as an agent of Nazerick. If necessary, you are authorized to use some of your power. Do as you see fit.”
“……What should I do if my true form becomes exposed?”
“Hmm? Right, you are a Doppelganger are you not?”
“Yes”
“……It could be troublesome if they get that far. In that event, you have permission to retreat. If things get difficult, retreat. It’s better to be safe than be sorry. However, if you feel you can handle the situation properly, use your judgement.”
“Understood”
“Alright. Now Sebas, tell me why you have brought Solution along.”
Ains walked away from Naberal and returned to his seat. He leant back into his chair.
“Narberal will investigate their individual combat capabilities. Sebas, your task will be collecting information from the matters we discussed about earlier, all the weapons of a country, and their related information. The strength of man as a living being is not high, but this is compensated by the relevant techniques they possessed. In this world, there are multiple races existing, henceforth, it would not be surprising that different countries have their unique techniques. The difference in their techniques and ours, that is what I would like to find out.”
Man’s body was fragile, but still possessed weapons which were much more terrifying than other creatures, that was man-made tools. Although their core strength revolves around magic. Weapons with strength that rivaled nuclear weapons, or missiles that can penetrate underground, weapons like this cannot be missed out.
When it comes to scientific knowledge, it would be easy to estimate their combat abilities. Whereas, magic contained many unfamiliar aspects to Ainz, and he had to pay more attention to it.
In contrast, a completely different idea popped out in Ainz’s head, which was the conclusion he obtained after meeting the Warrior-Captain in Carne Village. Nonetheless, to maintain the guild’s undefeated status, it was vital to do things step by step, and tread carefully as if on thin ice.
“What is their level of scientific and magical knowledge? Where is the limit of their strength? Prioritise the usage of information gathering skills. Act and respond accordingly to the different scenarios.”
“I see, understood…… If such why is she summoned along with me?”
Ainz nodded. His unrestricted gaze moved towards inspecting Solution. As if confirming his thoughts were not wrong, he nodded a few times.
“Solution will masquerade as a rich merchant’s daughter. Sebas, you will act as her butler. This is the plan.”
Solution displayed a puzzled expression, to this Ainz gave out an apologetic laugh.
“If Sebas is alone, it will be weird for him to masquerade as a villager, not to mention, as an adventurer too. These disguises will not work. Hence, being the butler is the most suited choice.”
As Ainz spoke, he observed the changes in expression of both Sebas and Solution.
“Solution shall infiltrate the royal capital as a rich merchant’s daughter. As the young lady, you will not invite any suspicion if you acted as a tad too generous with the money. The best disguise is that of a noble, but it is unlikely to work. Use the disguise well, your work will be using money to obtain the necessary information. It will not be a problem to gather some attention. I’ll look forward to your performance in the future.”
“Shall we head directly to the capital?”
“No, there is another task waiting before this.”
Ainz shifted his gaze and placed crossed his hands on the table.
“Solution will act as a spoiled young lady, to attempt to reel in some prey, hook, line and sinker.”
“What would the prey be?
“……Prey that will not be missed, especially those that possess knowledge about the world and military affairs. In other words, bandits. There will not be a lack of such people near the fortress city.”
During the Empire’s war, only the knights were professional soldiers. The Kingdom hired a large number of mercenaries to fight against the Empire. Once they disband, most would revert back to being bandits.
In reality, the area around the border fortress-city El-Rantel was not what you could call safe.
More than half of the merchants that travel the roads take some kind of security precaution.
Incidentally, the reason why the villages around E-Rantel were never attacked was because food was plentiful in the region. Most of the bandits in the area were looking for money not food and thus ignored the villages. Food wasn’t worth much especially once you split it up. In addition, the villages around El-Rantel were important food suppliers to the city. If one was unlucky, an attack on the villages might provoke the formation of an anti-bandit force lead by the local merchants.
In addition, many of the mercenaries guarding the villages may have themselves been bandits. In order to avoid a fight among former comrades, you could say that there was an unwritten understanding to avoid the villages.
And of course, even in the Kingdom, slavery as an institution never really existed. So raiding a village for slaves was not profitable as one could not resell the slaves around the Kingdom.
“Bandits?”
“Yes, they must surely have some information on the military situation in the area. And maybe some information on E-Rantel’s underworld of organized crime. Either types of information would be good. What’s more important is that the disappearance of some bandits would not provoke a hostile response from the Kingdom. Surely nobody in the Kingdom would be curious enough to investigate the reason behind the disappearance of bandits?”
“In that case would it not be better to look for information outside the city?”
“The bandits would come running to you if you acted like a rich fool on the streets”
“I see”
Having accepted the explanation, Sebas’s brows furrowed as he considered the situation.
Even if one was talking about bandits, Sebas didn’t like randomly attacking people.
In that case, they should watch the streets to hunt bandits. There was a high possibility that some kind of intelligence network was present.
Act as bait by playing the fool and wait for the network to bite was what Ains was basically saying.
Now what should be done then?
“I’ll leave that up to you. Now, I’ll give you some healing potions. We’ll also have to think about preparations to handle diseases and poisons. Then precautionary measures against binding effects and psychic attacks. Then other little details—-”
The memories poured out, as he returned to his current thoughts, he had already arrived at the inn’s entrance.
Sebas let out a wry smile, before pushing the door open while carrying the luggage.
The reddish evening sky began to dim.
If it gots darker, the bright magical light installed around the compound of the inn will light up. Hence, it will not be an issue even to walk around at night.
Sebas was heading towards the stables that was within the confines of the inn.
His destination was a horse drawn carriage.
He stopped near the carriage—-Or the coach as it was called as a magnificently crafted carriage.
Sounds of clothing rubbing on each other was heard from the carriage. Sebas’s sensitive hearing caught the stirring sound of a viscous fluid, mixed with feminine passionated breathing and moaning. The sound was able to escaped the layers of wooden and metal plates.
Sebas let out a single breath of sigh.
He took several loud deliberate steps forward as if to announce his presence. As he neared the door, he tapped a few times on the door gently but in a crisp and clear fashion, before announcing his presence.
“Shalltear-sama, please conduct yourself with dignity while outside your quarters.
The sound of tongue clicking was heard, the figure was slowly readjusting her dishevelled robes.
A unknown amount of time passed, it was unsure whether such a duration could be considered long or short to average females. The door then slowly opened, revealing a stunning figure.
The skin was white as wax and looked bloodless, the wet deep red irises showed lustful expression. A pair of fangs were part revealed from the side red moist lips. Their white ceremonial gowns was of a brave design, that showcased their well endowed breast.
Those two were Shalltear’s subordinate vampires. Both of them radiated a unique stink as they stepped out. Following them at the back, was the figure of a .
The light from the magical illumination was reflected by the silvery hair.
Wearing a pitch black blouse with matching cardigan shawl and long sleeve glove of the same color. Almost no skin was shown at all.
About 14 years of age, the figure possessed a perfect blend of innocent and mature-like attractiveness. As if this was the crystallization of the most beautiful being in existence. In front of such a beauty, the brightness of the precious stone that decorated her fingers and chest paled in comparison.
“Thou art late.”
A pair of slender beautiful eyes looked upon Sebas.
As if intentional, the lips parted, a bright red tongue came out from the honey jar like mouth. The tongue moved like leeches across the lip.
It was a figure possessing a sensual beauty that did not match her age, one of the guardians of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Shalltear Bloodfallen.