Frostfire10 here, sorry for the late upload, I am currently in the middle of exams which will last until the end of November and so this is the last chapter I can upload until then. I’m really sorry about my schedule this year but RL is really crappy for me and I hope I can get your understanding.
Maruyama: I managed to finish this in time for the last upload for the year. Whee. Two days of effort…. I'm sleepy….
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Evil God Part 1
"Ahhhhhhhhhh."
Ainz let out a huge sigh like an old man. It was a sigh of relief, one that released all of his mental, not physical, fatigue.
He then collapsed into the sofa, which gently supported his weight and comfortingly enveloped him.
Tight leather sofas were not bad, but this soft and fluffy one was difficult to throw away.
While thinking such thoughts, Ainz rested his head on the sofa, looked at the ceiling, and spoke to himself.
"Gooooood wooork."
It was an extremely slovenly look and was certainly not befitting of the ruler of Nazarick. However, this was Ainz's private room in his residence in the Empire, and the maids who were working there were ordered into another room.
Then isn't this fine? He thought to himself.
If he could not even relax in his own private room, then it was not private.
Of course, there was a reason why Ainz was this exhausted.
To put it simply, the two days since he had shown his true face had been filled with visits from other nobles.
As he was finally released from his busy schedule, he could finally empty his mind. He had overcome his hellish work and could relax in bed.
Of course, as an undead who could not be mentally damaged, this exhaustion was brought on my the remnants of humanity surviving within him.
While having conflicting feelings about the human element within him, he thought about the next part of his plan.
As he did so, the unrest that he had suppressed for about two days was bubbling upwards.
"….Hmm. I wonder if they will stop coming."
He was worried that it was a bit too early to reveal his face. However, the infinitely wiser Demiurge had strongly suggested it. There should be no problems.
Chanting it in his mind, he forced the uncertainty in his mind to dissipate.
"Anyway, I should have Shalltear return to Nazarick, if the nobles are no longer coming then there is no reason for her to stay here."
He wished for Shalltear to return and shore up Nazarick's defenses. Certainly, there were suggestions that Shalltear remain with Ainz to protect him as a Guardian. Even Demiurge agreed with this.
Amongst the Guardians, only one person could fulfill this role.
As elves were sometimes slaves in the Empire, he could not let a dark elf like Aura protect him. And an anthropomorph like Cocytus was out of the question. And Demiurge was busy with other responsibilities. Gargantua was impossible.
Thus Shalltear.
Appearance-wise she was not much different from a human – excluding her personality – and she was well-known by the nobles. No one would be suspicious of her presence. And thus she was the perfect guard.
However, Ainz believed that the security of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick took precedence over his safety.
He could certainly understand the various concerns of the Guardians, but Sebas was here too, and if the situation became unfavourable all he had to do was teleport away. And he did not mind even if enemies took over the capital and he lost his mansion. Then placing a large force here would be meaningless.
And as he followed his chain of thought, he recalled Aura, and thus the existence of slaves.
"Slaves…. If possible I would like men with strong muscles. Having a strong man wielding weapons would give off quite the presence…. I don't need women, and I'm not Sebas."
While it seemed that using Nazarick's forces was acceptable, it in fact was not.
While he had revealed his face, it was only amongst the high-ranking nobles. He could not do so in front of the peasantry. This was a result of information disparity.
Since the nobles knew not to attack the Archduke, this was fine. However, the common folk knew next to nothing of the Archduke, and they would be shocked to learn of his true face. This much was obvious.
Thus Ainz had no intention to release information that would cause the masses to fear him. Of course, it was possible for the Great Nobles to leak it, but he had contingency plans.
And so while he could certainly draw attention, it was best that he be thought off as human.
And there was a reason why he needed slaves with impact.
Ainz and Sebas were strong. The Battlemaids were also stationed here, so excluding any unknown players, they could easily repel most enemies
However, they looked like an old man and beautiful women, and so many would underestimate them.
Ainz had been considering the convenience of having several strong-looking men around him in order to visibly show that he was not scared of a fight.
"And there is work that requires physical labour…. Even though it's Sebas, it would be bad to let him carry several tons of items…. And borrowing the guards they stationed around me would reveal that I lack manpower."
Ainz's residence was being protected by several of General Ray's subordinates. Their loyalty was indeed great, and some of them were in fact willing to die for him.
The reason for this was that they desired the rewards that Ainz offered them.
He had rewarded them with some small favours. Giving them items would be a waste, and so he Pestonya come over and heal them if they were ill.
The injured and ill who could not be healed by low class healing magic were suddenly in tip top shape after spending a day with Ainz. This caused their enthusiasm and loyalty to shoot through the roof.
Some of them probably desired wealth. While it was true that he could not fully trust those who wished for rewards, if Ainz had to pick between one of the two groups, he would prefer the latter. As long as they stood to gain, they would not betray you. In that sense Ainz was very happy to be able to use rational and logical people, instead of trusting the loyalty of capricious women.
According to Demiurge, "When you grasp their hearts, you can trust them", and while Ainz could understand the level of loyalty from the women Sebas brought, he himself did not understand women and so their trust was something to be avoided.
The only people Ainz trusted who asked for no recompense were those who belonged to Nazarick.
But anyhow those knights would probably obey Ainz's orders and perform any grunt work necessary, but it was still embarrassing.
Ainz was an Archduke. And as such he needed power and authority befitting such a position.
If a Great Noble were to appear in a lackluster attire, he would become a laughing stock. Similarly, if Ainz were to reveal he needed manpower, he would likely be mocked.
"And if they're slaves, I don't need to do in-depth background checks…. As long as I investigate the merchant beforehand…. It might be good to buy the gladiators who appear in the arena…."
Images of strong warriors flashed through Ainz's mind. They were all macho foreign actors who appeared in a film he watched long ago.
Of course, compared to the denizens of Nazarick they were nothing but trash. However, in terms of appearing strong, they fit the bill perfectly.
As worries about their lodging were being picked through by Ainz's mind, several knocks came from the door.
Jumping back in surprise, Ainz dusted down his clothes.
"This is Sebas, Ainz-sama."
"….Enter."
Responding to the voice beyond the wooden oak, the door silently slid open.
There, Sebas entered and took a deep bow. Ainz took a quick glance at him and calmly spoke.
"What is it Sebas. Did something happen?"
"Yes. Ainz-sama. A small problem has occurred."
"What? Did a noble arrive? Wait, you wouldn't call that a trouble."
At Ainz's sarcastic question, Sebas scrunched his brows and replied.
"Yes. Something like that…."
"What is it? You're being vague. What happened?"
"Yes. A carriage has arrived, and they wish for the Archduke-sama – Ainz-sama to ride it."
"They attached a suffix to my rank? So they are not nobles?"
"Yes. He seems to be an envoy of sorts. Have you made any arrangements or promises with any nobles?"
"No, I did not…. From what you have said, the envoy did not have any introductions from any nobles yes? And…. This is why you called it a problem? Then that should not be the end of it? Continue."
"Understood. In fact, the problem is with the carriage. It is a splendid carriage, but not a single emblem is engraved on it. I have asked the envoy about it, but even the destination is unclear…. What should we do? I believe it is extremely suspicious."
"Hmm…. It's impossible for it to be a trap."
"I concur. For anyone to come up with a trap that involves strutting up to your residence and asking you to ride an unmarked carriage…. What about if they request for a secret meeting and spring a trap upon arrival? But then they would entice you with attractive lies …"
"Indeed…. Strange. It does not seem to be a trap …"
"Anyhow they were extremely respectful in their invitation. It seems that they are treating Ainz-sama as a special guest…. Just how should I treat them …"
What the fuck, the confusion of the situation caused Ainz to rack his brain for answers.
But nothing sprung to mind.
He considered casting magic on the envoy to learn information, but magic was not perfect. If the envoy were to be switched out halfway through, the information gained would then be useless. Ainz had recently learned that this was a common countermeasure against charm or other such mental manipulation spells.
His curiosity to see what would happen if he refused bubbled up within him. However, he could not load and save like in role-playing games. It was possible for his refusal to completely end the scenario.
He fell into thought for only a brief moment. Since the only way to learn anything was to dive into this unknown manipulator's plans, and the mysterious carriage stimulated Ainz's curiosity.
Then there was only one possible answer.
"Ask the envoy if they will not accept another person to attend. If they do then have Solution do so. If they do not, I shall go alone. Of course, have the spies follow the carriage. I give you permission to deploy the Eight-edge Assassins."
"Understood, Ainz-sama."
"And so…. Which mask should I choose? I believe something calming would be better? It seems the other party wishes to be discreet?"
"No, I believe that something suitable of the Archduke would be better."
"….Is that so. But I refuse to wear the one with bird feathers."
◆
Several times throughout the journey, the carriage and the envoy was swapped out, and a long time passed before they had reached their destination. Running about from one edge of the enormous capitol to another was not to disorient Ainz and prevent him from learning of the location, but to throw off any pursuers.
Ainz moved closer to the gorgeous girl and whispered in her ear.
"….Solution. Our tail?"
"Yes, Ainz-sama. There are six beings. Two in the sky and four on the ground. All of them are of Nazarick."
"What is the possibility of them being spotted?"
"I believe it is extremely low. Each of them is separated by three hundred metres. The ones in the sky are acting as commander towers for the ones on the ground."
"I see…. Then shall we enter the lion's den?"
"Understood. Then I shall head in first."
"No need. I do not want to be thought of as a cowardly Archduke who needs his maid to go in first."
As the two discussed, footsteps could be heard from outside and a voice of a man came from the other side of the door.
"Archduke-sama. We have arrived at the destination. Will it be possible for you to alight?"
"Yes. I shall come out now."
As the door opened, the outside air rushed in, smelling of earth.
Ainz bathed his body in the moonlight and took a look at his surroundings.
There were no warriors surrounding them, only the new envoy. And in fact, they were at a cemetery."
"Hmm…. This place gets a failing grade as a location for a night date, but is this part of Imperial customs?"
The envoy replied with a wry smile.
"Sorry. It was a bad joke."
"No, it was extremely funny. Archduke-sama."
"Is that so? Now…. Where is the person who wishes to meet with me?"
"Yes. My apologies, but we need to walk a bit further …"
"Ah, it is fine. Walking is good for one's health. And walking in a cemetery at night is quite the chic choice."
A crack appeared in the smile of the envoy. This was not from rage, but from fear. Ainz had merely spoken his mind, but it seemed that it was believed to be sarcasm born from unhappiness.
(In fact, cemeteries aren't bad.)
The clouds in the night sky blocked some of the moonlight from touching the ground, but thanks to the magical lighting the cemetery was not dark. Additionally, the graves were arranged in a neat pattern and the dead seemed to be calmly asleep within them.
Looking around, everything was dead silent. Well, Ainz noticed a moving figure up high in the sky, but he immediately averted his gaze.
"….Narberal eh?"
"Yes?"
"No, it's nothing, it's nothing. Just talking to myself. More importantly please guide me in."
"Yes. This way. Archduke, will your feet not be dirtied? My sincere apologies but I am not permitted to light a torch."
"There are no problems. My eyes see surprisingly well in the dark. And if that does not work I can cast a spell."
As he spoke, Ainz pondered over the envoy's words.
Since they had ridden a carriage in and were not speaking in particularly quiet voices, it should not be a problem to create some light.
Additionally, his reception was extremely irregular.
(….They have enough influence to keep this man's mouth shut, and since there are other nobles of equivalent rank they cannot make any large moves. Is it a house in charge of managing cemeteries?)
Guessing that was the case, he gestured to Solution to stick closer to him.
Their destination was a mausoleum. The envoy forced open the stone door in a familiar manner, like he had done it thousands of times before.
A sweet smell floated out from inside.
The envoy gestured to Ainz and Solution to invite them inside, and then closed the door. As Ainz considered what was about to happen, he noticed Solution looking downwards.
Following her example, he did so as well but only noticed the normal stone floor. Solution reported her findings.
"There is a large open space down below. It is probably a hidden room."
Ainz nodded in understanding.
As Ainz did not have any rogue-type skills and thus found it difficult to detect such rooms. Especially in this world. It was the same logic as having one's cooked food turn to ash if one did not have the relevant skills to cook it.
Hearing Solution's words, the envoy seemed slightly surprised, but quickly moved to a nearby stone table and pressed a surprisingly delicately carved symbol located beneath.
Instead of breaking, it moved with a loud mechanical sound. After a click, metal chains began to move and the stone table was slowly pushed aside, displaying a set of stone stairs hidden underneath.
"Now, shall we proceed?"
Following the envoy, Ainz proceeded downwards.
Passing through the winding staircase, the path opened up into a wide empty space. The walls and floors were bare stone, but since it was spruced up by human hands it did not seem that it would crumble easily.
Even the air was not stale. While it was not clear where it was entering and leaving from, it was undoubtedly fresh.
However, this was certainly no part of the cemetery. It was something far more evil.
A strange tapestry hung from the wall, beneath which stood several blood red candles casting a dark and flickering light onto the walls. The flames danced in the wind, casting countless looming shadows. There was also a faint scent of blood floating about in the air.
And standing there were three human figures. The envoy spoke to one of them.
"Duke-sama. I have brought the Archduke."
This man was one of the faces he had seen during his small party, one of the first ones to approach him after he had revealed his true face.
(I believe it was Duke Winberg?)
"Thank you for coming, Archduke—-sama."
At those words, Ainz's face crumbled beneath his mask. He had no idea why a Duke would address him with honourifics. However, Ainz suspected that he was simply being cautious after realising Ainz's true identity and thus let it slide.
"You have piqued my curiosity. Being called to a secret meeting, I hope a fun party will begin, Duke?"
"Hahahaha, indeed."
The Duke laughed heartily, and turned to face the man wearing pitch black priest-like robe.
"Let us go, everyone is waiting."
"Understood, Cleman-dono. The Duke and I have prepared everything, and now we await only the Archduke."
"Understood. Then Archduke-sama, I shall guide you to my room so please follow me."
The one who spoke was a cat-like girl, her purple eyes affixed to Ainz's every movement.
"Ah, please do."
"Then until later, Archduke-sama."
"….Yes."
Separating from the strangely respectful Duke, Ainz followed the woman called Cleman to a different room.
It seemed to be a waiting room of sorts, and a stone chair was placed in the very centre. As Cleman moved to the centre, she spoke to Ainz.
"Could you take a seat there?"
Her tone was polite, but it demonstrated a distinct lack of respect. It seemed her earlier attitude was only for the Duke.
And her gaze was clearly evaluating him, as if she were estimating his true power.
This made Ainz quite unhappy. She might be the Duke's guard, but she had to right to treat him that way. Sensing that the best method would be to face her directly, Ainz made his decision. He could certainly not acquiesce to Cleman's request.
"No need."
"Yes?"
Ignoring the stunned Cleman, Ainz moved closer to the giant stone throne.
"A filthy chair."
He placed his hand on the chair, and move it slightly. Fortunately, the bottom was not affixed to the floor.
"Are you perhaps, telling me to sit on this filthy lump of stone?"
Staring straight at Cleman, Ainz grabbed the chair – it probably weighed about two tons – and lifted it with one arm.
Cleman took a step back in shock and lowered her centre of gravity. It was a battle position that would allow her to react immediately.
Seeing that, Ainz laughed haughtily, and fired the chair. He threw the chair with his strong arm-strength, like he was throwing a strong fast ball.
The throne collided with the wall with an impossibly loud explosion of dust, the force of which seemed to shake the earth itself.
The stone fragments scattered into the surroundings and cracks, resembling a spider's web, formed on the wall. Dust and dirt fell in splotches onto the ground, but the ceiling seemed to hold.
Ending the spell he had prepared should the ceiling give way, Ainz turned to look at Cleman.
He saw a simple girl.
She had screamed in shock when the throne hit the wall, and the dust from the ceiling had fallen onto her.
Quivering like a small and terrified animal, she stared at the broken stone fragments. Her shallow and panicked breathing betrayed her tumultuous mental state.
If she had lowered her centre of balance to prepare for battle, her current stance was to make herself as small as possible to avoid entering Ainz's line of sight.
Seeing her fragile state, Ainz lowered his earlier evaluation of her.
(I see…. So she was not a guard, but a normal girl. It seems that she guessed that I was important from how the Duke treated me. Oh dear, jumping onto a girl's simple provocation…. Should I have shown the maturity of an adult? Well, it would be troubling if I were underestimated, so this was probably the appropriate response.)
"….The filthy chair has disappeared. Now, where shall I sit?"
"Then shall I be your chair?"
Hearing the silent Solution finally speak, Ainz lost some of his enthusiasm.
"That's not bad but—"
"—Then, then I shall."
Cleman asked, terrified out of her wits. Her eyes were filled with fear, and Ainz could only think of her as a normal girl.
(Do people think that I like to sit on women? …. Well I don't mind if people suffer, I wish that they don't think that I actually like it…. Is this the normal reaction? It might have been better to not remove the mask.)
"No need."
Recalling the past figure of Shalltear, Ainz spat out his reply, causing Cleman's shoulders to tremble.
While muttering that it was fine not to fear him under his breath, Ainz pointed his finger towards the original location of the stone throne.
As the magic activated, a throne of solid obsidian began to take shape in front of them. Reflecting the light of the flickering candles, the dark throne glistened ominously within the chamber.
"Impossible…. He's really a magic caster…. Even though he's that strong …? Haha…. What a joke. That's impossible …"
Ignoring the shocked voice of the woman, Ainz slammed down onto the obsidian throne. Slowly crossing his legs, he rested his right arm on the armrest and set his chin on the ridges of his knuckles. He then slowly turned to look at Cleman.
"Did you say something? What is it?"
"N, nooo, it, it's nothing!!"
Forcing on a broken smile, the woman shrieked in response, causing Ainz to chuckle. He did not actually find it funny, but he had to act the part of a ruler.
And it worked perfectly. Cleman shivered. And as if waiting for that exact moment, the wooden door was busted open and behind it appeared the panicked face of the Duke.
"What was that! I heard a loud sound!"
"Ah, nothing much, Duke. As there were no appropriate chairs for me to sit on, I simply prepared one."
The Duke looked around and his gaze was affixed to the remnants of the stone throne. He seemed to want to say something, but shook his head instead.
"Then it cannot be helped. Please wait a moment, Archduke-sama."
At that, the Duke left, causing Ainz to be surprised at how quick on the uptake he was. Normally with the state of the wall and throne the way it was, it would be fine to be more surprised. However, thinking about it rationally, considering how Ainz was extremely powerful, it was understandable.
If it were the man who decimated a hundred thousand men of the Kingdom's army, putting a large crack in the wall was possible. In addition, Ainz displayed to the nobles at his party his level of wealth and power.
With all of that, he might be thinking that such a thing was easy for Ainz.
Happy at how everything was going according to plan, Ainz made a satisfied smile under his mask.
With this, the name of Ainz Ooal Gown was remain great. He could happily face his past comrades as the head of the guild.
As he bathed in self satisfaction, Solution lined up next to him and whispered into his ear.
"Ainz-sama. Shall I take care of her?"
Ainz's gaze fell on a corner of the room, where Clemen was trying to make herself as small as possible. He then scanned the entirety of the room—
"She's here to guard us right? Ignore her."
"Understood."
Solution bowed and stood aside.
Time slowly ticked by. Ainz considered talking to Cleman, but it would be strange to talk to someone extremely far away, and so he decided to wait in silence.
Solution seemed extremely unhappy to see Ainz being forced to wait, but Ainz himself restrained him.
After all, they should make their decision based on what would happen.
After a while, a knock came from the door and it soon opened.
Sensing something was finally about to happen, Ainz was filled with excitement to see what would happen, but suddenly, stopped dead in his tracks.
A group of men and women entered the room, numbering twenty in total.
Their faces were covered in skeletal masks, hiding their identities. But that was not the problem. Instead, it lay with what was beneath. Their entire bodies were completely nude.
If they were young, then he only take five steps back, and if they were only men he could bear with it. If they were strong and trained bodies he could suffice with three.
However— that was not the case.
Most of them were elderly covered in wrinkles, with flaps of skin hanging loosely off their bodies. Excluding the elderly, the middle aged had bodies filled with fat.
The men were like this, and the women were like this. Ainz's first thought was that they were like dried plums.
He closed his eyes.
He did not want to see this. His mind had already crashed and needed rebooting.
(W, what is this…. A, a nudist…. Beach? In a graveyard? A nudist graveyard? ….Why was I called here? Wait or this is not a nudist party…. But one of those rumoured orgies? Or maybe it's a convention of nobles who love masks. What should I do?!)
Despite being undead, Ainz was extremely shaken. The man leading the group, who was also nude, spoke.
"Archduke-sama! Please take off your mask! Please show us your true face!"
It was the voice of the Duke.
While thinking that he was indeed insane, Ainz was at a loss for what to do. Honestly he had no clue if it was better to remove his mask in front of these fanatics or to keep it on.
Ainz's true face was no different from the undead the Duke knew. However, he felt that if he revealed his true face, something terrifying would happen.
"Archduke-sama! Please, remove your mask!"
Hearing it again, Ainz steeled himself.
It was an unfathomable situation, and he had no clue if removing or keeping his mask would be better.
"….Then I shall show you. My true face."
Ainz reached for his mask, and pulled.
Shock ran through the crowd.
However, contrary to what Ainz imagined, the atmosphere actually become jovial.
All of these strange people prostrated themselves. And in unison, they cried.
"Evil God-sama! The Evil God-sama has descended!"
Ooh, murmurs of praise began to rise out of the crowd.
Ainz felt a sense of forboding, and looked around the room.
There was no one.
The Evil God was nowhere to be found.
No matter where he looked, he did not see any terrifying being.
No matter where he looked, he did not see any such powerful being.
It was not Solution either. Then there was only one answer.
No matter how he looked at it, this was the only possibility.
Basically—
(—I'm the Evil God!!?)
Ainz shouted in his heart.
Even though he was an undead, Ainz was extremely confused.
Strange.
This was too strange.
Why was this happening.
He was a powerful magic caster who destroyed the Royal Army with one attack, and was someone with noble grace. He was an undead, but he was not an immediate threat.
He had done everything he could to be perceived as such.
And so why did this happen? And was this Evil God … a benevolent god?
However, Ainz's shock only lasted for a moment.
While certainly, Ainz's personal plan failed at this moment. However, a plan supported by both Demiurge and Fluder would not be derailed by just this.
His possible answers here were limited.
(These people here are a part of the Empire that have made a huge misunderstanding.)
Reaching his conclusion, Ainz chuckled.
Now, how should I use these misunderstanding fools?
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Cleman-san "Thank god, I learnt about his true power before I opposed him!"
I shall next aim to release in another one and a half months. Ah, the Evil God arc will end in the next chapter.
Now, time to return to my work on the third book! I have to finish everything by the new year!
(Next Chapter)