Chapter 4, Part 4

“Noooo! No, no, no. This can't be happening, he can't die!”

Jircniv looked at the madman next to him, who was hollering at the sky. Not that he didn't understand how Fluder felt, still, a look of annoyance showed on his face.

“Calm down Fluder!”

“How can I be calm?! If he dies, who will help me peer into the abyss of magic?” Fluder moaned.

“Your desire has clouded your mind, gramps. Do you honestly believe he would die just like that?” Asked Jircniv with a self-mocking smile on his face.

“But you saw it too, Jaldabaoth equaled his power, and now there is no trace of Teacher after that meteorite crushed.”

“Certainly his opponent was strong. But is that all it takes? If all it took to defeat the Sorcerer King was an equally strong opponent, then how could he become so powerful, to begin with?” Jircniv inquired.

“I have no doubt this is just a part of that being's scheme.”

“You really think Teacher isn't dead?” Fluder asked, a note of hope in his voice.

“I do. More so because he fought an opponent he knew, and he engaged willingly. How could a scheming monster like that miscalculate so much as to not just get defeated, but actually killed? That's not the kind of being I had admitted defeat to,” the former Emperor concluded.

“I hope you are right,” Fluder agreed. He looked a bit calmer now.

“You should contact Loune Vermillion and confirm my suspicion. Go, it will make you feel better,” Jircniv told him.

“Thank you, Jir,” Fluder replied, before he exited the room, leaving Jircniv and Bzaiwood alone.

“Your majesty?” Baziwood said in a questioning tone.

“Are you wondering if I lied to Fluder? I didn't mislead gramps, I am certain Ainz isn't dead. As for what I will do now – nothing. I will play a role of a loyal vassal. Whether Ainz is dead or alive makes no difference. If anything, now is our best chance to prove our loyalty. Besides, you saw their fight, it's absurd to claim that humans can oppose such monsters.”

There was a knock on the door and when permitted a guard entered.

“Your Majesty, your friend has arrived,” the guard reported.

“Oh, let him in,” said Jircniv excitedly, before he dismissed Baziwood.

As he left the room, Baziwood crossed path with a short, squat, mole-like demihuman. As he walked further away he could still hear Jircniv speak to the newcomer excitedly.

“Welcome my true friend. By the way, do I have something for you. Did you hear, the Sorcerer King had been killed.” This tirade was followed by an unbridled laughter, but Baziwood had moved too far to make out what was said.

***

“What do you mean Ainz-dono has died? What about Jaldabaoth?” Inquired Felvia, her voice a pitch higher than normal.

“You saw it yourself, Jaldabaoth had become too powerful. Ainz-sama was forced to use his trump card. By sacrificing his life energy he can cast a spell that will kill everyone near him,” Demiurge explained.

“But, in return, he dies too?” Felvia guessed.

“Such a powerful spell could not be without a downside.” Shook his head the frog-like demon. “Of course, Ainz-sama is a lich, as long as his phylactery isn't destroyed he will revive.”

“But so will Jaldabaoth,” Demiurge poured cold water on the excitement of those surrounding him.

“How long will that take?” Felvia asked worryingly. The way Demiurge said it, she realized what he was hinting at.

“Two and a half years for Ainz-sama. Two years for Jaldabaoth,” the demon confirmed her suspicion. “

“So, Jaldabaoth will revive first? What will happen to the world then?”

“We have two years to prepare. We must find a way to seal him, anything less is just stalling for time. That was Ainz-sama's goal here, unfortunately, he underestimated the speed Jaldabaoth's grows, and was forced to make this sacrifice.”

“I will be leaving for the Sorcerer Kingdom shortly, I must tell the others what happened here. But first I would like to talk to you privately,” continued Demiurge.

“Ah, yes, of course,” the Queen came to her senses. Surrounded by adventurers, guards, and citizens, the rampart was hardly a place to discuss such things.

Sometime later in the throne room of the palace

The Queen of the Holy Kingdom sat on the throne, while Potemur stood next to her. Both of them were listening to the demon's explanation.

“I've already explained what happened. Now we have two years to find a way to seal Jaldabaoth and to prepare for his appearance. I hope your Holy Kingdom, as well as other countries, will aid us in our search. Ainz-sama's sacrifice cannot be in vain,” Demiurge proclaimed.

“Of course we will provide any help we can to the savior of our kingdom,” assured him Felvia. “But, I am still unsure why Ainz-dono chose to use his trump card. From what I saw they were evenly matched.”

“They were. However, Jaldabaoth had yet to use his trump card. So, Ainz-sama was actually at a disadvantage, and chose to use his ability while he could.”

“And what is Jaldabaoth trump card?” Felvia inquired.

“A powerful weapon, called “The Holy Queen of Clubs.” It can drive enemies into madness, impair their decision making, and even stop them from attacking entirely,” the demon explained. He ignored Potemur's mumbling, “such a strange name.”

“I would like for Hejinmal, the dragon in your library, to be allowed to pursue the books therein. If we are lucky he might stumble upon a clue in how to seal Jaldabaoth.”

“I see no issues with that. You haven't talked about what impact this will have on the Sorcerer Kingdom.”

“You don't have to worry, we have already prepared for such a possibility. Albedo-sama will act as a temporary leader, everyone else's tasks remain unchanged,” Demiurge explained.

“If there is nothing else, then I would like to talk to Hejinmal, to explain what happened. After that, I will return to the Sorcerer Kingdom.”

The conversation over, Potemur called for a guard to escort Demiurge to the library. After he left, the two of them looked at each other.

“Interesting, he did not make any demands,” gave his thoughts Potemur.

“Could it be he couldn't? The Sorcerer King already agreed to help us with no compensation, his subordinate couldn't just alter the conditions of their aid, based on the outcome of the battle.”

“It is as you say. Still, we'll need to carefully consider our position,” her adviser concluded.

In the library of the palace

Hejinmal was so shocked he forgot where he was.

“That being died?! There is actually someone who can oppose him?" As a dragon, he grew up believing dragons to be the rulers of this world. That illusion was thoroughly shattered when he met Ainz and his subordinates. He hasn't known them for long, but he came to see them as Gods. Now he was confronted with the truth – even Gods had enemies who could kill them.

“Hey, are you listening?”

A voice had brought Hejinmal out of his support. He quickly pressed his head against the ground to show his compliance. Even if Gods could be killed, he wasn't the one with such power, upsetting the being in front of him would only bring disaster.

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“Do you remember what your task was when we came here? Good. You are to go through all the books here to find it. Additionally, you need to look for a way to seal powerful beings. Report to your mistress immediately if you find anything,” Demiurge detailed the dragon his tasks.

“Yes, Demiurge-sama. I have already discovered a few promising volumes. I will work hard for the glory of Nazarick,” Hejinmal replied. A smile on the demon's face showed him his expression of loyalty was approved.

Inside the throne room of Nazarick

All of the guardians including Pandora's Actor had gathered in front of their master. Ainz was in a jovial mood. If it wasn't for his skeletal face devoid of flesh and skin, he would no doubt be smiling. The reason for his mood wasn't how things went in the Holy Kingdom. No, the reason for his joy was that for the first time he actually knew what plans the ever-mysterious “Ainz” had.

“That's right, now I don't need to guess what Demiurge and Albedo are scheming. I already know!” He wanted to dance with joy. Unfortunately, his elation was short-lived, as his excitement bubbled it was suppressed by his undead mood dampener. With his excitement gone, he became paranoid again.

“Although I did talk this over with Pandora's Actor, his intellect is a bit inferior to the other two. So it's plausible that they see something in my actions that he doesn't. I should still be careful,” reaching this conclusion Suzuki decided to play it safe.

“How did things go after I left?” Ainz asked.

“Everything went as planned. I have revealed the key details to the Queen of the Holy Kingdom with many witnesses, even if no one used scrying magic to listen in, it will still leak out quickly. Also, Hejinmal had been given permission to pursue the books in the library,” Pandora's Actor reported.

“Excellent. Then everything is proceeding as planned,” Ainz concluded. “And speaking of the Queen, I had an interesting conversation with her, the key points of which I will share with you now.”

Ainz proceeded to tell the guardians about his conversation with the winged woman. Afterwards, the guardians were silent for a bit, processing this information. Demiurge spoke first.

“Then it's confirmed, the Six Great Gods were players, the Eight Greed Kings were almost certainly players too. Then there are these powerful God-kins.”

“But Ainz-sama, why didn't you capture this woman? We could extract all of the information out of her,” Albedo asked.

“If I did that then Demiurge's hard work would be for naught. Besides, what information can she possibly be privy to? The Holy Kingdom and Theocracy aren't close allies nowadays. Would they share the fact that they have Downfall of Castle and Country with her? Unlikely. What else is there? She already told us the most important things.”

“According to this information, the chances of the party who attacked Shalltear being

the Slane Theocracy are extremely high. There are two possibilities: Shalltear was mind controlled by the Theocracy, or it was another entity, possibly other players, whom we have not found yet. The former is much more likely, but we'll pursue both theories.”

“For the Slane Theocracy, four of their six Gods were human, they should be dead by now. The other two were an angel and an undead. Also, they should not die of old age, the angel must've died, otherwise the Holy Kingdom wouldn't be founded by her descendants,” Ainz explained.

“As for the undead, Surshana, we will operate under the assumption that he is still alive. Then there are God-kins. It's hard to say if the descendants of human players would be more numerous than those of an angel. But we should assume that the Theocracy has up to a hundred of them, let's say level forty to eighty. Oh, they also have the equipment from those players, so we can assume they are armed similarly to us.”

“Mare, as our envoy to the Theocracy you will need to verify my assumptions and gather as much information as possible,” Ainz said.

“Yes, Ainz-sama, I, I will do my, best”

“But they pose quite a threat, a hundred level 80 God-kins, plus a player, all with powerful equipment,” Aura said.

“That's only a theory of mine Aura and the worst case scenario at that. The fact they have not made a move against us, and are seeking Momon's cooperation suggests they aren't as powerful,” Ainz explained.

“As expected of Ainz-sama. Then the story we told about Momon works perfectly. He is a God-kin from the Eight Greed Kings. It explains his power without raising suspicion,” said Demiurge excitedly.

“Now we can use the need to seal Jaldabaoth as a pretense to ask Theocracy to share their hidden power. We can further use Ainz-sama's death to force them into action against us. As befitting of the Supreme-one,” Albedo said.

“That about wraps things up. We will now use my death as a motive to aggressively seek out information regarding powerful items, skills, and beings in this world,” Ainz said. “And avoid all of that paperwork,” he thought. His plan to simulate his death was truly a brilliant move.

“But why didn't we demand the Holy Kingdom to become our vassal, or at least ally with us, in exchange for our help? Given their circumstances they would no doubt accept our terms,” inquired Shalltear.

“Because that would look too suspicious,” Ainz thought, “besides, this way we look like the good guys who came to help with nothing to gain.” But before he could respond, Albedo laughed mockingly, and Demiurge revealed a smile. A smile which terrified Ainz, for he knew what was to come next.

“There is no need to do something that had already been accomplished long ago,” Demiurge said, throwing Suzuki's mind into a panic.

“Ainz-sama's brilliance is without limit,” added Albedo excitedly. “To think our master could use such a small opportunity so skillfully. No, he must have predicted this course of action long ago.”

“Truly the Leader of the Supreme Beings, his act is like that of a magician – he shows you one thing, while a myriad of others happens behind it. To be able to glimpse even a fraction of this brilliance is a great honor,” Demiurge lavished his praise.

“I. Don't. Understand.” Cocytus said, cold air discharged from his exoskeleton demonstrating his frustration.

“What is Demiurge talking about? Pandora's Actor didn't mention anything like this,” Ainz felt his none existent stomach churn.

“Demiurge, can you explain?” Shalltear asked annoyed at her inability to grasp what the two were talking about. Her natural question had earned her a deep gratitude from Suzuki.

The one to respond to her was Albedo.

“Ainz's sama had allowed the humans from the Holy Kingdom to adventure in the dungeon Mare built.” She explained, a note of superiority in her voice. “I was opposed to this initially, but then I understood the brilliance of our master.”

“Indeed, that human will do the work for us. The Holy Kingdom will submit to Ainz-sama shortly,” Demiurge exclaimed.

“Ah, this is a nightmare. I can't understand any of it. I let them adventure through the dungeon to test the difficulty. Didn't I tell Albedo as much? And what does it have to do with the Holy Kingdom submitting to us?” Ainz wanted to cry. Why did these two always imagine some unbelievable scheme behind even the simplest of his actions?

“I. Still. Don't. Understand.” Cocytus's frustration could be plainly heard.

“Do you remember when Ainz-sama visited Baharuth Empire and dueled the Martial Lord? The Empire had submitted to us as a result of that visit. But could that be the only goal our master was pursuing? Of course not! He had also promoted the new adventurer's guild of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Which means that at that time he had already...” Demiurge stopped his explanation suddenly.

As Ainz looked at the demon the later shuddered and a mix of fear and admiration appeared on his face before he knelt - “to serve under such an unfathomable leader, I am truly blessed.”

Although Demiurge was one of the weaker guardians, he was powerful enough that he never felt fear. But standing in front of the undead being he called master, he couldn't help it. It wasn't the being's power, but his intellect that made the demon shudder.

He was about to explain how the promotion of the new adventurer's guild was a set up for taking over the Holy Kingdom. But then it hit him – was that the beginning of this trap? Or was it set up earlier? Much earlier? As his thoughts raced, Demiurge realized the terrifying truth.

The first step of this scheme wasn't executed in the Baharuth Empire, nor earlier when Ainz spoke to the guild master of E-Rantel about the new adventurer's guild. It was prior. Was it when Momon became an adamantite adventurer? Or earlier, still, when he joined the adventurer's guild? No, it was even before that, it was when Ainz created Momon!

But that would mean that within hours of being transported into an unknown world, his master had already foreseen into this future and begun to implement his plans. How truly terrifying his master was.

As he saw the demon's expression Ainz couldn't help but shiver, “What now? What is he imagining?” He thought.

“Albedo, please explain my designs to the other guardians,” he quickly commanded, not daring to let Demiurge speak.

In the office room of the Holy Kingdom

“We can let things stay as they are, and maintain a sort of friendly relation with the Sorcerer Kingdom. Or we could officially ally with them. Both lead to mostly the same outcome, but allying would offer us better protection,” Potemur summarized their options.

“I agree, if we leave things as is, we might be perceived as ungrateful. Ainz sacrificed his life for us, but we won't even ally with them in their struggle against Jaldabaoth,” Baur added.

“Is that why Demiurge didn't make any demands? He already knew we would propose an alliance?” Felvia wondered.

There was a knock on the door and a guard entered.

“Your Highness, Marv of “The Young Blood” is seeking an audience with you,” he reported.

“Oh, please let him in,” responded Potemur.

The guard left and soon Marv was standing in front of the three.