Chapter 4, part 2

The next morning Ainz and Demiurge were strolling through the capital of the Holy Kingdom towards the main gates. Ainz wanted to familiarize himself with the surroundings of where the battle against Jaldabaoth was to take place.

Although they were accompanied by the Queen's brother, the citizens passing by had terrified, if somewhat curious looks on their faces, as they stared at the undead monster and the frog-like demon with a metal tail.

The news of the Sorcerer King, a mysterious undead magic caster, arriving in the Capital on a dragon had quickly circulated through the city. And curious onlookers have been gazing at the two dragons sleeping in the country yard all morning. The stories about a city where undead monsters served as guards and pull horses, told by the members of the “Young Blood” who had instantly become the most popular people in the city, only added to people's curiosity.

Disregarding the gawkers, Ainz talked to Baur about his experience as an adventurer. He was also showed interest in Baur's sword and armor.

“They are made of an unknown material and have been passed through generations as family heirlooms of immense power,” - replied Baur when Ainz asked about these items.

"Immense power? Aren't they made from the same trash metal I gave to that dwarf?" Ainz thought as he looked at the elegantly crafted armor with an intricate design.

"I suppose the sword is a bit more interesting, though nothing impressive either. Still, those items are better than adamantite, so I should look into where they came from in more detail,” he continued to think, adding another item to his mental “to do” list.

The other things on his list included talking to the Queen regarding her unusual appearance, checking with Hejinmal to see if the library contained any information regarding a powerful item capable of mind control and checking in with Demiurge to discuss plans for tomorrow's battle.

While he was distracted by his thoughts, they had made their way to the front gates and were now standing on top of the rampart, overlooking the area in front of the city.

“This is an excellent location. There are no trees within one kilometer of the walls, there is no way to launch a sneak attack or approach the walls unannounced,” said Demiurge as the three of them looked at the vast, grassy field in front of the walls.

“It is the same around the rest of the wall as well. It can be a challenge to maintain it, but cutting down all the trees near the wall provides us an excellent defensive advantage,” said Baur proudly.

After spending some time thinking of how exactly the battle will go, which spells will be cast etc. Ainz was satisfied with what he had seen. With this part done, he turned to Baur.

“Baur-dono, I would like to seek an audience with the Queen once more. There is something I wish to talk to her about, and I understand she has questions for me as well,” he addressed the paladin.

“I am happy to inform your Majesty that the Queen had also asked me to arrange such a meeting. She wasn't sure how long you would spend devising your battle plan, so she asked the meeting to be scheduled for one o'clock. If that's fine with you.”

“That's fine. In that case, since I still have a bit of time, I will visit Hejinmal, the dragon in the library, before meeting the Queen. Got to make sure he's behaving himself and the excitement at all the new books isn't getting the best of him,” Ainz said with a chuckle.

“I would like to check out the market and a few other places in the city,” added Demiurge.

“Very well. I shall accompany Demiurge-sama, and I'll have one of the guards lead the way back to the palace for your Majesty,” replied Baur while they descended from the rampart.

Ainz was led back to the palace and then the library, where he saw Hejinmal reading one of several books he had piled up nearby. After seeing Ainz, the dragon got up and pressed its head to the ground.

“Thank you, your Majesty, for allowing this humble servant to be of use to you."

“Have you found anything interesting? Anything regarding the matter we've discussed?”

“Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any information regarding that. However, there are quite a few books that deal with the history of the Slane Theocracy and the Six Great Gods,” the Dragon replied excitedly.

“I see, that might be useful too, well, continue with your work,” Ainz told the dragon before leaving.

A guard led Ainz to meet the queen. However, they did not go into the throne room like yesterday. Instead, they continued a bit further and when the guard opened a door, Ainz walked into a room that looked like an office or a small library.

There were bookcases along one of the walls. Several tables with maps and various documents and letters were placed along the other wall. And at the end of the room was a fireplace, surrounded by several chairs and a small table. The queen rose from one of the chairs and greeted him.

“Welcome, Ainz-sama. I thought this setting would be more conducive to our conversation than the throne room. Come, sit down,” she pointed at the chair next to hers.

After he sat down, Ainz looked at the Queen. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to start the conversation though, passing the time by sampling some wine from her cup. Ainz felt the pressure, not unlike that when closing a sale. Who will go first and reveal their hand?

Although he had several questions he wanted to ask the Queen, they were not that important. And so, he resolved to wait and let her speak first.

After a few seconds of admiring the taste of her wine, and seeing how Ainz did not speak, the Queen began.

“I wanted to thank you once again for agreeing to offer us your help in dealing with Jaldabaoth.”

“Oh, think nothing of it. As his former master, it is my responsibility to remove him from this world.”

“Jaldabaoth is very powerful, to go against him requires a lot of power, especially given his ability to become stronger with time spent in this world. I have heard of your tremendous might, but are you certain you can handle him one on one?” The Queen asked.

“Well, there is the issue that defeating him will simply delay him. Ideally, we would need to find a way to seal him away. Unfortunately, the seal I had used previously won't work again, now that Jaldabaoth had broken it,” Ainz explained, “With that said, there is no question that I will defeat him tomorrow.”

“I see, your confidence is highly reassuring. By the way, about your tremendous power... are you a player?” The Queen asked in a casual tone.

“P-player?” - Ainz mumbled in astonishment. He hadn't found anyone who knew about the existence of the players so far, to be asked if he's a player like that, point blank... Ainz was once again thankful for his undead character.

“Yes, players are unimaginably strong, God-like beings. Your power certainly fits such a level.”

"Hmm, what should I say? Should I reveal that I am a player? No, that would be too dangerous, I don't know what her angle is. It would be safer to play it off, but how?" Ainz agonized about what to do. This turn of events was entirely unexpected.

“I should try to learn more about the source of her knowledge, before deciding what to do. That's what Punito Moe would say,” he decided.

“This is quite a surprise, you are the first to mention players to me. How do you know about them?” Ainz asked, hoping to buy more time and gain a better understanding.

“It shouldn't be that surprising. I am a God-kin after all.”

"What?! Is that supposed to tell me something? What the hell is a God-kin anyway?!" Ainz bemoaned under the watchful eyes of the Queen.

“I, I see,” he said.

“Then, is your majesty a player?” The Queen repeated her question.

“I... know about them,” Suzuki Satoru's mind was a mess. He wasn't prepared for such a conversation. If she pushed more, it's possible he would get caught in his lies. He had to prevent that from happening at all costs. And then, a light bulb went off in his head.

"Wait, Players have the power of the Gods. God-kin... are descendants of the players... yes, this should be right. I see, so she is descendant of some players from the past," Ainz mind was firing on all cylinders.

“And from which bloodline are you a descendant from?” Ainz asked the Queen before she could ask him.

“I am of the bloodline of Alah Alaf”

“The God of Life, one of the Six Great Gods of the Slane Theocracy?”

“Your Majesty is well versed in the history of this world.”

"Excellent! I now have confirmation that the Six Great Gods really were players. This is a rare chance to learn the hidden history of this world," Ainz thought.

“But why is the descendant of one of the Six great Gods leading the Holy Kingdom? I would expect you to be in the Slane Theocracy.”

“Indeed, my ancestors stayed there for centuries. However, during the rampage of the Demon Gods, the Theocracy took up an especially harsh stance against none humans. It was determined that the rampaging Demon Gods would cause more damage to the other beings than to humans. As such Theocracy did not join the call of the group of adventurers who became known as the thirteen heroes. After the Demon Gods were defeated, my ancestors decided to leave Theocracy and founded the Holy Kingdom, around two hundred years ago,” she explained.

“I see, that would explain the quality of equipment you and Baur-dono posses.”

“Yes, my ancestors were allowed to take some of the items of Alah Alaf when they left the Theocracy.”

"Wait, some? That means..." Ainz thought.

“It sounds like Theocracy kept the best items for themselves,” he probed, with a chuckle intended to make it sound casual.

“Haha, indeed, that probably is the case,” the Queen replied with a laugh.

“Although your ancestors left Theocracy on friendly terms, the relations have been dormant for a while, as far as I understand?”

Ainz asked, deciding to change the subject.

“We are a self-sufficient nation and do not require anyone's support. Well, until now,” she replied with a weary smile.

“I see. By the way, I was curious, how come you have the wings but not your brother, if you are both descendants of the same bloodline?" Ainz asked, having been satisfied with the information he had obtained.

“Oh, that's simple, Alah Alaf was a female, as such the traits are more pronounced in females than in males. Females are also more powerful.”

“That is quite interesting.”

“Your Majesty mentioned that you know about players, may I ask how?”

"Damn, and I thought that conversation was over. She won't let me get away without an answer, will she?" Ainz cursed silently.

“I have had lived for a very long time. Long ago there were players with whom I have interacted. Though it seems their names have been forgotten by the history,” Ainz replied, his voice sounded distant as if he was recalling memories from long ago.

"I should be fine saying that, right? That doesn't bind me to anything," Suzuki agonized.

“Oh, to think there had been players before the Six great Gods. I suppose if they were not human it would make sense that human history doesn't contain much knowledge about them,” the Queen mused.

“Indeed that is the case,” Ainz jumped at the lifesaver which was thrown to him. “The players I knew were heteromorphs.”

“I see. I'd love for you to tell me more about these players of the past, but sadly we both have other matters that require our attention.”

“We do.”

“Well, as long as you are confident in your ability to defeat Jaldabaoth it's fine.”

“I am, even in the worst case scenario, I have a trump card which guarantees his loss. Then, I shall return to my room and discuss the plan for tomorrow with my subordinate,” - Ainz nodded to the queen and left the room.

A guard accompanied him to his quarters.

"I guess Pandora's Actor is still looking around the city," - Ainz thought after he entered the room and didn't see Demiurge.

"I guess I might as well do it now."

After deciding that Ainz cast several anti surveillance spells which guaranteed no one could see or listen in on him. Before he settled into a chair and reached into his inventory...

In a cave somewhere

The Dragon lifted its head and looked in the direction of the newcomer.

“Your visits are becoming more frequent, old friend. Do you bring the news about the powerful items I've asked you to find?”

“These are interesting times,” responded Rigrit with a smile. “My visit is due to a different reason.”

The dragon moved a little, as it took a more comfortable position.

"You know of the powerful undead magic caster who recently took control of E-Rantel," Rigrit begun.

"Yes, Evileye came to me asking about the spell he used. According to the Nameless Book, it's the so-called Super Tier spell. I am certain he is a player, new to this world."

"You also know about the demon Jaldabaoth, who had devastated that crybaby's group and was fought off by Momon."

The dragon nodded its head. "Momon is an interesting character, but it's hard to say if he's also a player."

“According to her, his performance is quite impressive, so much so that the crybaby now has a crush on him,” Rigrit laughed.

"Recently Jaldabaoth had attacked the Holy Kingdom. After defeating a group of adamantite adventurers, he had declared that he will lay waste to its capital in two weeks. An envoy of the Holy Kingdom thought help from the Sorcerer Kingdom. I am unclear on the details, but apparently, Ainz had agreed to help against Jaldabaoth.”

“Oh? An undead helping humans to fight against a demon? Although, the newcomers were never bound by the characteristics of their race.”

“Yes. The confrontation is supposed to be tomorrow. I thought you would like to join me in observing this fight.” - Rigrit said a mischievous smile on her face.

Tsar showed his teeth, thanks to Rigrit he'll have a chance to observe the power of two newcomers.

In the palace in the Capital of the Holy Kingdom

Pandora's Actor opened a door and walked into the room, where he and Ainz were staying. After closing the door he saw Ainz sitting in a chair, in his skeletal hands he was holding a gold coin, which he would flip, again and again.

“Ainz-sama,” he addressed his creator after a brief silence.

In response Ainz held up a hand, indicating that Pandora's Actor should be quiet. He continued to flip the coin for another minute.

“Hmm, this is fascinating,” Ainz mumbled staring at the coin in his hand.

“Ainz-sama, may I ask what were you doing?” Asked Pandora's Actor.

“I was conducting an experiment, give me a minute and I will explain what's going on,” Ainz told him.

He placed his hand to his temple and [message Demiurge]

“Yes, Ainz-sama?” He heard the demon's voice.

“Demiurge, I am changing the plan for our battle tomorrow. Listen closely, you'll need to explain it to Shalltear and the Pleiades. I will bring Pandora's Actor up to speed myself.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama,” Demiurge replied.

Ainz explained the changes he wanted to make to their fight tomorrow.

“Truly, I could never hope to compete with you, Ainz-sama. As expected, your plan exceeds mine in every way. I will alert Shalltear and the Pleiades to the changes,” Demiurge praised his master before closing the message.

[message Albedo]

“Albedo?”

“Yes, Ainz-sama!” Albedo responded excitedly.

“Have there been any new information regarding an item capable of mind-controlling Shalltear, from Eight Fingers?”

“No, Ainz-sama. The item is proving to be especially difficult to locate.”

“I see. I have obtained some new information here. I want you to direct Eight Fingers to use all of their contacts to search for this item in the Slane Theocracy.”

“As expected of the leader of the Supreme Beings. I will carry out your orders immediately.”