73

"Interesting ..." Da Vinci went over the several sheets of notes that she had filled with her handwriting, and then looked at Baal. "What happened after that?"

'Da Vinci, fighting skills... Below average…'

"Oh, well, after that they killed me," Baal did not deny himself the pleasure of grabbing one of the croissants that Da Vinci had provided him, after which, carefully biting off a piece, he looked at Da Vinci, smiling, "For the first time, I mean."

"Hm, how interesting," Da Vinci tapped the pen in her hands, then wrote a new line in her notes, "And how exactly did it happen that you were killed so many times?"

'The desire for knowledge with the erratic accumulation of information makes her relatively dangerous. She would become much stronger, the more time was given to her…'

"Oh, parallel realities," Baal waved his hand vaguely in the air, bringing a cup of coffee to his mouth, "It's all because of the World Eater. He greatly complicated the system of our world order."

"How so?" Da Vinci continued to write something on another piece of paper, writing while completely not looking at the paper itself, "I would be glad to hear the details."

'However, this same thirst for knowledge also makes her convenient enough for manipulation…'

"The Devourer of the Worlds," Baal breathed, "It really fits the name given to it. From the very beginning he had already devoured many worlds, after which he aimed at destroying the remaining nine leaves of Yggdrasil. I understand that the Yggdrasil is a well-known concept in this world?"

"Yes, of course," Da Vinci looked at Baal, "But our knowledge about it is still very lacking, so I want to find out how so many different worlds were connected to each other."

'Da Vinci's main strength is her intelligence, something that does not depend directly on strength. In other words, if I manage to direct this mind in the right direction…'

"Oh, I would also like to alleviate your ignorance," Baal smiled with that smile that could slay any girl on the spot. Anyone who would actually respond to his superior appearance of course. Da Vinci, as the owner of a perfect body and a person who casted aside the veil of secrecy over the very concept of beauty, was excluded from the list of those who could fall at the feet of Baal because of one of his careless smiles, - "But I admit, I have been very busy as of late... So far all my days are spent getting to know my new colleagues."

Da Vinci looked at Baal interested, - "I'm surprised... I admit, your colleague, Cainabel, was not at all interested in such things."

'Cainabel... Even while being summoned into such a wretched body, she still remains my main opponent…'

"Oh, Cainabel is quite... Hmm…" - Baal thought of a word that could describe his colleague, - "Very specific in her way of communication…"

"What kind words from a demon!" Da Vinci grunted as she poured tea into her own cup.

'Not just a demon, but an emperor of demons. Please, mind the title. And acting talent is the first thing that both a demon and an emperor should learn. You could say that I'm doubly talented here.'

"Oh, the demons have an undeservedly bad image," Baal shook his hand in the air, as if talking about something unpleasant, "Demons since ancient times have always made deals. We only asked those who have made deals with us the payment that they are willing to pay, never more. We are the oldest negotiators, but with a terribly bad reputation. Although, this is certainly just human stupidity and undeserved slander."

"Is that so...," Da Vinci arched one eyebrow. "What about when demons take the souls of their contractors and when demons would tempt the believers with worldly desires?"

'This wording suggests that after the worldly one, the Garden of Eden will be waiting for someone after they pass. What stupidity…'

"I admit, I don't see such issues when trading souls," Baal grunted. "We only conclude an agreement and honor it to the letter, we never lied. And, of course, we do try to use the terms that were agreed upon to our advantage. I do not understand why this is so disgusting to the humans. Any businessman or lawyer is also trying to do the same thing, concluding a deal then trying their best to profit following the terms that they had agreed upon. And I have never seen people being burned at the stake for daring to make a profitable deal with their client."

"The very sale of the soul and obtaining help from infernal forces are considered by most to be immoral acts," Da Vinci smiled.

'Ha, to consider the sale of the soul immoral... In the world, there are so many things that are much worse than this…'

"Could it be that angels should not be despised on a par with us then?" Baal shrugged, "As far as I know, the 'righteous' also exchange their souls for the benefits that are due to them. Of course these 'benefits' will only be availed to them after death, and in contrast we offer to give the benefits we offered right away."

"Angels on the other hand have a much better history when they deal with contracts," Da Vinci replied. "They play less with words."

'Oh, you have not met with the Twelve Seraphim of Sephiroth... Once they found a loophole in their promise they destroyed half of the existing worlds and were destroyed in turn…'

"By the way, about the play on words," Da Vinci nodded, distracting Baal from his thoughts, "I think we were talking about how you were killed twelve thousand times?"

"Ah, my fault," Baal smiled, "In an interesting conversation it is so easy to lose your thought..."

Da Vinci just nodded at that.

'Hm, that means she's capable of concentrating on a single goal... That's problematic…'

"Hm, the parallel worlds..." - Baal thoughtfully bit another piece of the croissant, "The World Eater, which follows from his name, devoured the worlds except for nine. And then, which does not follow from his name, he was killed. Honestly, I still wonder how exactly he was killed, but it doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that killing a creature of such a caliber could not go quietly, and, in fact, it did not. After the death of a creature containing an infinite number of unreal worlds, the part of it that was the Root remained like all the worlds stored in it. And, to put it bluntly, they broke free."

"The infinite number of worlds that broke out during the destruction of the creature, multiplied by the death of this creature changed, collided, and then changed even more..." - Baal waved his hand in the air, as if to say "something like that", - "And, in the end, led to the situation that was already known to us, a world that is finite and yet not.

Strictly speaking, at the same time, an infinite number of parallel worlds were formed from the remains of the body of the being, which embodied this infinite number of worlds. As a result, an interesting situation was created in which an infinite number of worlds, changed from being close to the Root and the death of the creature who embodied them, created an infinite number of parallel lines, united solely by one constant - the death of the World Eater itself. Because it was the death of the World Eater that gave rise to the infinite number of these parallel worlds."

"And then, as expected, confusion begins," Baal sighed, as if engaging in a small talk during a meaningless conversation, "Yes, all these parallel worlds are united by the fact that the World Eater was killed in them - since it was his death that spawned all these worlds. And if there was a World Eater, it means that some other constants by themselves were implied to have appeared in these worlds. For example; the existence of a World Eater, its devouring of the Root, and many others. But many facts that should be concrete would change constantly."

"For example, despite the fact that in all these worlds the World Eater was supposed to die, it's almost impossible to establish who had killed him," Baal sighed, a little exasperated, "There are thousands of versions of thousands of parallel worlds about how the World Eater was destroyed. Whether he was killed by Momonga, or by someone else... And, the most interesting fact is that virtually all of these versions are correct. Because, in reality, in all these parallel worlds there was always someone who killed the World Eater."

"In these parallel worlds they also killed me…" - Baal rolled his eyes, - "Very, very many times."

"However, even if there are many versions of this event," Da Vinci glanced at Baal, "And existing in parallel realities is normal for people like you... Is there really no accepted version?"

"Formally, it is believed that the true and first version of the death of the World Eater is the world where the association of the Supreme Beings "Holy Trinity" killed him," Baal sipped more coffee.

"Not Ainz?" Da Vinci glanced interestedly at Baal.

"Formally, no," Baal nodded.

"Formally, hmm?" Da Vinci thoughtfully looked at Baal, "Should I then assume that everything was different in reality?"

Baal smiled - internally - and set the cup aside.

"Calculating the powers of a creature that could be called omnipotent is such a headache - I'm sure you understand me," - Baal got an understanding nod from Da Vinci, - "You can't just translate into figures the ability to "erase existence from reality". Therefore, all that remains for us is to clutch at comparisons. If one stone is twice as large as the other, then two large stones are four times larger than one small stone - a similar primitive calculation."

"It is kept in my memory..." Baal thought for a moment, but nevertheless decided not to disclose all the details in his memory, "There are a lot of options for the recollections of how the World Eater was defeated. At best, it took twenty Higher Beings to kill him - at worst, sixty-five. Of course, the range between these things is significant - and in any case it is difficult for me to imagine what power the sixty-five Higher Beings represent. At the very least when they are combined together - they are at least equal to the power of the World Eater."

"However..." Baal uncomfortably fidgeted on the spot from the memories — and it wasn't an act. "There is a reason - one event - which made many, including me, reconsider their views on who actually defeated the World Eater."

War of the Great Ones.

Not that it was an official name - but every nation, every world, every tribe, everyone who had more brains than a worm knew about this momentous event. All the people of the Worlds had their own names for this event and their own beliefs. But all of them - including the demons - were afraid to even mention out loud about what had happened.

One Higher Being could have many different levels of powers, from a simple person to a monster of such strength that they could destroy the whole world with a careless blow. But, in any case, the average level of power of the Higher Being was... Indescribable. It was rather like an unstoppable force of nature, turning the balance of world power to its own advantage, destroying the gods and monsters with ease, boredom, or even with joy. Even if we take the lower bar - sixty-five of the Higher Beings could destroy the World Eater itself - a superior creature of absolute strength.

But the War of the Great Ones was an event that is much more terrifying.

Sixty-five Higher Beings killed the World Eater.

Fifteen hundred Higher Beings died in the assault on The Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Fifteen hundred Higher Beings could carve out all the existing worlds, burn them to complete sterility, and create great and incredible things. And yet they all died during the assault on Nazarick.

No one knew exactly what happened then - except for the echoes of what had happened. The War did not last long, but it left an incredible mark on the fabric of the universe. Reality itself would collapse every few seconds, the passage of time would turn on itself again and again, magic shouted to the heavens like the roar of a volcano, the heavens itself were shattered and the earth turned into an abyss devouring everything in its path. Fifteen hundred Higher Beings united for one war. A War against the small guild - Ainz Ooal Gown. Anyone in whose head had enough brain cells if only to understand what the number "1,500" means could easily indicate that the besieged Nazarick had no chance. And yet they were all proven wrong.

No one knew - and most likely, no one else never would know what exactly happened that day and what that war really looked like - except for Ainz himself, of course. However, the fact remained. Fifteen hundred creatures that destroyed the very logic of strength and weakness by their very existence had perished.

And if sixty-five Higher Beings were able to destroy the World Eater, a creature of absolute strength, and one and a half thousand could not defeat Ainz Ooal Gown - did this mean that Ainz Ooal Gown was at least twenty-three times stronger than the World Eater?

What did it even mean to be twenty-three times stronger than an almighty being?

Even if only Momonga was in this world - it would still mean, according to the most conservative estimates, that he possesses about half the power of the World Eater. Which would be enough to destroy not just this world, but personally erase all existing parallel worlds and create an infinite number of new ones for the sake of it. But if Momonga instead embodied the strength of the entire Ainz Ooal Gown...

Baal flinched when Da Vinci touched his hand.

"What exactly happened at that event?" Da Vinci glanced at Baal.

"Something that made me think that perhaps Ainz is the strongest of the Higher Beings," Baal smiled, and then looked at the clock hanging above Da Vinci's head, "Oh, well, what time is it! I've completely blabbed for such a long time here with you - I'm sorry, but I needed to go."

Da Vinci only nodded to Baal, after which he rose from his seat and cast a last look at Da Vinci.

'Probably a good thing will come out from her.'

After this, Baal took a step outside the door.

Olga-Marie, Roman, then Da Vinci... One can say that he has already drawn all the commanders to his side - except Ainz, of course. So, he only needed to work with the lessers - the Servants. Not that it was required at all - but it was better to play it safe than to lose. Especially if it was not difficult to do, given who his opponent was.

Of course, in this case a question arose - who was his opponent. In any other circumstances, Baal would definitely reply that it was his Master. In circumstances of course where Ainz was not his Master.

To fight Ainz for Baal would be like attempting to defeat a hurricane in battle. Of course, no one will forbid him to wave his sword around, but the final result will, of course, be zero. The hurricane will leave only when it wants to.

"Baal?" At this moment, Baal froze when he heard the voice of the Master.

'Interestingly, is this also one of his abilities, to appear when someone thinks of him?' - Baal thought for a second before turning around, putting a huge smile on his face, - "Oh, my lord, to whom I swore infinite loyalty! How can I help?"

"Ahem," Ainz coughed into his fist, however he did this while the missing throat, and then looked at him, "Nothing special. Just strolling through the hallways of Chaldea."

'Of course, I believe you,' Baal snorted internally. As if a Higher Being like Ainz had no more interesting and important thing to do than walking along the corridors of Chaldea now.

"I see," he smiled. "Are you heading somewhere?"

"No, just walking," Ainz nodded. "And you?"

'As if you don't know?' Baal sighed.

Even if Baal had decided to fight Ainz, he would have to surpass him in three aspects.

The first of these is in intellect. And in that aspect he has already lost.

"I talked a little with Da Vinci," Baal shook his head, a blur in a good-natured smile, "A beautiful woman and a great conversationalist. Honestly, I had a good conversation with someone like her."

"Oh, I see," Ainz nodded understandingly, "Of course, it's always interesting to talk with Da Vinci. True sometimes a conversation with her can go on a completely different topic…"

'He is clearly hinting at my plans,' Baal grimaced internally. However, it is not that his plans were so difficult to unravel.

'What should I do in this case?' - Baal asked himself a question. If Ainz had already unraveled Baal's plans, then any further attempts to deny all this would have been extremely suspicious and Ainz could have easily unraveled Baal's further execution of his plans - not to mention just getting rid of a potential conspirator.

"Well, you yourself understand how such a thing would happen," Baal shrugged, "A beautiful girl, an intimate atmosphere, and a wonderful conversation..."

"Ahem, definitely," Ainz cleared his throat once more, playing innocent, "Honestly, I didn't plan on doing it now, but seeing as... Baal, can you take me to your room?"

"Ha?" - Baal looked at Ainz, after which he dismissed the first thought about why Ainz might need to do such a thing. Rather, if he wanted to have a conversation with him, rather than do... Other strange things.

"Of course," Baal smiled. "It's not far away."

Baal moved through the corridor, moving calmly and confidently even when knowing that he was turning his back on Death itself.

The Demon Emperor, Baal, always had a plan. More precisely, he always had a lot of plans - for himself, for battles, for breakfast, for managing his empire. Basic plans, the spare, and backup plans for the spare ones. This was the essence of Baal - and even the fact that he was summoned to another world by Ainz, albeit with a scratch, but these strange circumstances still fit into one of the plans prepared by Baal. The one where he falls into slavery.

In this case, his plan was simple. With excellent work and rigorous fidelity he would earn the authority of the Master, achieve his trust, and then to kill and take his place - it's a very short and simple plan. True, completing the last step in his current situation was quite difficult.

Having reached the door of his room, Baal went inside, after which, after taking a couple of steps, he stopped, looking back at Ainz.

The menacing figure of the Highest Undead took a step inside, after which, looking around, sat down on a chair.

Yeah, a figure exuding menace and great power... on a chair...

"Baal," Ainz looked at the demon, forcing him to pay close attention. "What do you want?"

"Only to serve you, my lord, how can I dream of something else?" Baal smiled.

However, instead of displaying a reaction, Ainz only slowly inhaled and exhaled, "I doubt it."

Baal wondered for a second whether Cainabel had experienced something like this.

"My lord," Baal smiled, deciding on a half-truth, "I am your Servant... In more than one sense of the word. Your well-being is my well-being. So, I want to serve you - because that's how I can achieve all that I myself want."

"But what exactly do you want?" Ainz looked at Baal carefully.

'Hmm, there seems to be no way out.' Baal sighed. Apparently, he will not be allowed to play with words for a long time in any case.

"I would like to receive the Earth as a reward," Baal nodded, after which, seeing how Ainz began to speak, he hastened to speak out, "Not all of it. Maybe a continent or two…"

Ainz froze, then slowly asked the question, "Why?"

Baal shook his head, "As the Demon Emperor, the only survivor, I must take care of my people. And so I want to bring them to this world."

Yes, it was strange to talk about it, but in the phrase "Demon Emperor" it was not the word "demon" that is more important, but the word "emperor".

Baal, being a demon - while being very cruel and evil in nature, nevertheless considered himself not just the small leader of a gang who climbed to the top, but the emperor of all demons and reasoned in his deeds not only from the standpoint of his own profit, but also the benefit of all demons. After all, he was an emperor - and what kind of emperor would he be without his empire? Therefore, his final plan was to revive his empire of demons in this world.

Frankly, for the sake of this, he initially began to communicate with other Servants. After all, Baal did not doubt for a second that after Ainz saved the world he would immediately conquer it. What was the point of saving the world if you didn't conquer it later?

After taking over the world, of course, Ainz will not rule the world himself. Rather, Baal saw Ainz as an unattainably high figure of the supreme ruler determining the general policy of the state, waging war and endless conquests that increased his strength, while the management of the occupied lands would fall on the shoulders of his loyal generals. And Baal was glad of such an occupation.

Of course, ruling by himself was more attractive to Baal, but given that in the current conditions it was impossible - for Baal it was not such a burden to kneel down and swear allegiance. In the end, the survival of the entire demon race depended on it.

However, in order to guarantee his place as one of the ruling generals, Baal needed to deal with the other applicants for this position. And the main opponents in his case were Cainabel.

Apparently, over the past Singularity she managed to strengthen her position and became something like a field commander among the Servants, Ainz's right hand. And this meant that she had to be removed from her place.

"Ahem, that's why..." - Ainz thought about Baal's proposal. And really, it was something to think about.

In Yggdrasil, Baal was one of hundreds of NPCs, one that has the title as the Demon Emperor. And in accordance with this title, Baal himself was in his palace almost all the time and some lore indicated that it was during the reign of Baal that the Muspelheim demons were able to achieve their current heights - of course, in the game his motivation, thoughts and desires were not explained at all, so to hear a similar request from Baal for Ainz was... Unexpected.

"And what, then, will you do with the land given to you?" Ains looked at Baal.

"For starters, it will be necessary to depopulate the lands inhabited by people," replied Baal, "then bring a stable Muspelheim's ecosystem to the world..."

Of course, Baal concealed the fact that if he manages to bring the Muspelheim's ecosystem to Earth, then within a couple of weeks the entire planet will be completely infected and assimilated, turned into a likeness of Muspelheim.

"Hmm, that's how…" - Ainz thought.

On the one hand, of course, he, as a Master, had to support his Servant... However, in addition to the ethical issues that would arise from pretty much bringing Hell into a part of the world inhabited by other people, many other problems arose. Not least is the reaction of the other Servants to such an act and, of course, the consequences for all of the Earth and the changes that would happen to it in the future, what will happen as a result of what happened...

Ainz thought for a couple more seconds, after which he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I cannot allow this."

"Oh…" - Baal nodded, - "I understand."

It looks like I have to do it behind Ainz back...

Not that Baal believed that Ainz would actually believe that he decided to abandon his plans, but if he succeeds in at least bringing Muspelheim to the world, then in the worst case, Ainz will erase him completely. But, at the very least by the moment this happened the demonic hordes of Baal will most likely have time to capture enough land in order to continue the assimilation of the Earth… Hopefully.

"But," Ainz interrupted Baal's thought, "I think we can come up with something else..."

Baal froze and looked at Ainz.

"It's not necessary for you to use the lands inhabited by people, is it?" Ainz looked at Baal.

"M, strictly speaking, no," Baal shook his head. Of course, it would be much more fun to watch the various human civilizations collapse and the people dying in torment, watching their world burn in agony, but he was not so stubborn as to refuse any other option.

"In that case…" - Ainz pondered, - "How about instead of destroying the Earth, instead do... Colonization?"

Baal blinked.

It sounded... Not so crazy.

"Well, that is, if you are talking about creating the ecosystem that you need," Ainz nodded. "As far as I understand, this means that you can colonize previously uninhabited lands..."

Baal blinked.

It sounded... attractive even.

"Let's say by using the Gate," - Ainz thought for a moment, - "You can move to another territory... Mars, for example?"

Demons living on Mars...

Baal's mind stuttered for a second from the fact that his mind seemed to have stumbled upon some long-forgotten joke, but in the end he managed to regain his calm.

"That sounds…" - Baal blinked, - "Interesting."

"Yes, but it will be possible to carry out only after the resolution of the Singularities," Ainz hastened to make an important clarification to Baal.

"Yes, of course... Of course…" - Baal blinked.

The plan sounded... More than seductive...

"Ahem, in that case, if that's all you wanted to tell me," Ainz rose from his seat, "Then I will probably go."

"Yes, of course," the Baal nodded to Ainz.

It was easy. Even more so than doing it on Earth. Too easy even.

Baal planned to prepare a long and convoluted plan, with a dozen betrayals and a hundred seemingly random events in order to achieve the desired goal...

Instead, Ainz simply allowed him to do it.

Baal blinked.

It was... Unpleasant, to some extent. For such mental labors to disappear in vain...

After that, Baal blinked again and nodded.

He will not let his plan to all be discarded and still plot to remove Cainabel from her position! But not for the sake of the now saved demon race.

But simply because Cainabel was a bitch.

Servant: Baal

Class: Foreigner

Status: ? (Incorrect Summoning)

Gender: Male

Alignment: Lawful-Evil

Attribute: Beast

Strength: C

Agility: B

Endurance: B

Luck: EX

Mana: EX

Noble Phantasm: EX