Chapter 11 - Back Home

Ulbert maniacally cackled, swinging a crude, clay figurine in front of Ainz's face as he spoke. "You're a bonafide God now! Look, they're even producing them en-masse in E-Rantel, especially those with your hand postures."

While Ainz just used his natural appearance to not give away his feelings, Tabula, who was sitting on a chair further away, was furiously assaulting one of his notebooks by filling it with notes in a manic frenzy.

Unlike most of their recent gatherings, this wasn't an official meeting and was more like hanging out with friends. This meant the brain eater could do more of what he enjoyed doing - taking new information and making stuff out of it.

Ainz took the statue into his hands and inspected it. 'How strange. Like looking at the handiwork of a child. This feeling… as if…'

"I can feel the adoration of whoever made this," Ainz muttered to himself.

"Fascinating. Any action we take seemingly makes mortals worship us, and it can be felt, unlike in the game," Tabula thought out loud.

"You should've seen the girl Pero dropped off at Neuronist's," Ulbert stated, a certain amount of nervousness in his tone. "She's nutty."

As Nazarick's special intelligence investigator, Neuronist's line of work obviously fell under Ulbert's jurisdiction, even if he didn't particularly enjoy it.

What Ulbert didn't know at the time of their first meeting was that, since Ainz was an officially taken man, the androgynous bloated mass that was Neuronist had set her eyes on the next most sought-after target: him.

To call their exchange awkward was the understatement of the century.

The poor demon had no idea if he should laugh or be horrified at the sight of his subordinate aggressively flirting with him, surpassing even the most eager succubi.

"What about her?" Tabula asked, looking up from his notes with an inquisitive expression, wrapping up his scribbling.

"She's worshiping Pero like he's her Lord and savior. I'm all for fanatical followers and devotees for our religion, but that chick is simply nuts, and I don't think torture's to blame for it," Ulbert chuckled.

"Does Pero know?" Ainz questioned, knowing that Ulbert could and would easily set up their friend for a nasty surprise whenever he came into contact with the prisoner again as a joke.

"I did tell him, but he seems to be okay with it so long as she remains where she is. I'm not always a dick, you know," Ulbert stated, mimicking an aggrieved tone as he picked up on what Ainz was thinking.

"If you don't mind, I would like to perform some experiments with this woman," Tabula replied, interjecting into the conversation.

"Ask the bird. Besides, wouldn't you get heat from your wife for playing around with other chicks?"

The brain eater gave him a weird look and wisely chose not to retort.

"By the way, do I have a green light on the Re-Estize operation?" Ulbert asked as he sat down and lit a cigar with hellfire conjured in his palm.

"You can, but be careful. There may be other players around," Ainz warned.

"If there are, they sure are laying low. From what I gathered, most that had arrived in the past have most likely died in one way or another. Not sure how it's possible, considering that game was online for twelve years, but people arrived centuries apart."

Ulbert leaned back on the sofa, placing his hooved feet on the small table between them.

"The Astral realm is flexible when it comes to time. You see, if-" Tabula perked up and started to speak enthusiastically, only to be hastily cut off by Ulbert.

"I didn't ask for a lecture on the topic!"

Tabula grumbled something under his breath in response to his friend's rude actions but shut up for the sake of their friendship.

"You could've let him talk. Tabula's expertise on such topics is a great help," Ainz intervened, trying to be the diplomat his guild master role demanded him to be. "The more we know, the more we can account for."

"He can write a book about it, if not multiple, later for your entertainment," Ulbert declared with a puff of smoke, continuing, "Speaking of which, did you learn anything from your experiments?"

Tabula pulled out a thick notebook, cast a copy item spell, and dropped it on the table, right in between Ulbert's legs.

"You can read for yourself. Body transformation, race change, and empowerment. Unfortunately, I've run out of test subjects, and there are flaws in the process that need to be further addressed with additional testing."

"Once the scouting is done, I'll send Shalltear on a hunt, but currently Aureole alone is doing remote reconnaissance," Ainz spoke, pulling up a small mirror to spectate Aureole.

"We'll have to work on that. If you don't have undead or angels in mind, I'll look for types of demons that are perfect for the job. My mana is back to full, so the next set can be summoned."

"I'll leave it to you then. Just make sure whatever you summon gets along with Aureole or at least won't disturb her work."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ulbert nodded. He wouldn't purposely sabotage Aureole, he wasn't that nasty.

Considering how little they still knew about the world, especially with the lackluster information available through local agents, a branch dedicated to world exploration was badly needed. A single entity, albeit a high-powered one, just wasn't and wouldn't be enough.

As a Demon God, Ulbert already had a distinct feeling that he knew what sorts of demons would be perfect for the job. But since a few hours wouldn't likely make a difference in the grand scheme of things, there wasn't any need to drop everything and go perform the summonings. It would be better to plan them out first.

X

Sleep had done little to soothe her mind. Ninya woke up screaming, drenched in cold sweat, having relived her death through constant nightmares.

After moments of confusion, her mind cleared as she came back to her senses, remembering where she was despite her mirth. Sleep like this wouldn't do, even if her employers were supposedly pretty lax.

'I need to find Lukrut and then talk with… what's his name… Pero.'

She crawled out of bed, approaching the full-body mirror she had been given that probably cost more than her entire life's earnings. The sight wasn't exactly pretty; her short brown hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot beyond a point, and her face was eerily glistening due to the sweat and tears.

"I need to get myself together before I go out." Ninya gave her reflection a disappointed look. It had been so long since she attempted to properly appear like a girl, but even now there were standards she didn't want to fall below. Cleanliness and tidiness were a must, no matter if she was planning to sit alone in the room or go meet her new employer.

A short but deep inspection of her new living space revealed a large dresser full of clothing, not too different from what she wore as an adventurer, across the room from her bed. They, whoever handled it - likely the maids she remembered seeing earlier - had catered to her tastes, almost perfectly.

A couple minutes later, she discovered a small washroom with strange metal contraptions, consisting of two handles and a third … spout? A quick experiment proved that if she turned them, water would come out of the bent metal piece over her head.

Determined to master what she assumed was a magitech device, she undressed and pushed to turn one of the handles, picking the one with a blue top.

Instantly, cold water rained over her, as cold as the well water drawn from the oldest and deepest wells. It was clear as the purest water she had ever seen, if not purer, suggesting a direct connection to a not-yet discovered water spring.

More out of curiosity than necessity, she tried the other handle with a red top. The water instantly warmed up, becoming a lot warmer as it reminded her of those fancy bathhouses only the wealthiest people could afford them.

The deepest scrub-down she had ever given herself out of the way, she rummaged through the dresser, putting on a fresh set of clothing that hid her feminine body proportions. Baggy pants and a somewhat oversized shirt did wonders to deceive the untrained eye, not that she was trying to do so to her new employer - she just felt more comfortable wearing them.

She carefully opened the door leading outside and glanced around, immediately noticing Lukrut, who was walking by in his standard fare, if a bit cleaner than normal.

"I started to think you planned to be lazy and sleep for days! Ready to meet our new boss?" He teased Ninya with a cheerful laugh.

"I guess so," she quietly replied.

The walk through the monster-filled halls wasn't as hard as before, but Ninya still avoided looking at any of them.

In the office of their employer, they found an avian man drinking with an elven woman, both being served by a brown-skinned maid, who had seemingly joined the leisure activity as she poured both drinks.

The ridiculously good-looking elven woman was the first to address her. "Hey Ninya, It's good to see you back."

"Akari, or Lady Buku." Lukrut whispered in her ear.

"Right, she doesn't know our real forms." Buku picked up what Lukrut was whispering. "I'm Akari, or Buku Ooal Gown."

"Pero Ooal Gown, but you can call me Pero. You and Lukrut are in my care for now." The avian introduced himself next, a slight bow accentuating his introduction as the elf slapped him on the back.

"Lupusregina Beta. I was playing Lucy." The maid was last to speak, finishing her cup of booze and pouring herself a new one.

Unsure how to proceed, Ninya settled for asking the most obvious question, "What will happen now?"

"You should address the Lords properly, you know," Lupus stated, in a tone that left no room for arguing.

Although there was a carefree smile on the maid's face, her eyes told a far different story. She stared down the smaller girl like a bug that had dared to buzz by her beloved master and was barely being held back from turning the bug into unrecognizable mush by the birdman patting her on the shoulder.

"Sorry. Lord Pero, what will happen to us now?" Ninya timidly continued, peeking downward as she avoided the intense glare.

"My buddy Ulbert kinda wants to borrow you both as consultants for a mission in the capital of Re-Estize," Pero replied, pulling Lupus in his lap after a side glance.

The maid quickly dropped her threatening demeanor and assumed a more delighted expression, wiggling in Pero's lap.

"Boss, but aren't we too weak for it? I mean, look what happened." Lukrut stated nervously.

"You won't be doing any fighting. I'm sending one of Lupus' sisters as well with you two for protection. Besides, we can make you stronger in time, given our tomb's capabilities."

"I want to be stronger. Lord Pero, I'll do anything I need to do to become stronger." Ninya declared, determined.

"That's great, but you can take it easy. I got the bitch who hurt you, and believe me, she's getting punished harder than you can imagine. I'll make sure you're not put in harm's way," Pero assured her.

"I don't want to be weak anymore. Lord, I…I have failed twice. I can't do it for the third time!" Ninya shouted, her eyes tearing up.

"I need to be strong enough to stand up to monsters like that woman, or I will never find my…" she suddenly stopped.

Pero, picking up on her worries, quickly replied. "We will search for your sister as your payment. Ulbert promised to utilize his spy network to find her, so do your best to assist his people, OK?"

"You, you would do that for me? For my sister?" she expressed, blinking her tears away in surprise.

"Of course. You work for me, and I, like my friends, like to keep our subordinates happy."

Pero motioned for Lupus to leave his lap and stood up, walking around his table. Approaching both of his new subordinates, he talked the talk like an enthusiastic CEO giving a pep talk.

"Both of you don't have to worry about tiny details like finances and living situations, we'll handle those with minor input from you. All that matters is that you do your best. I'll ensure you two get proper, formal training, and who knows, perhaps even obtain a chance to grow beyond mortal human limits."

"I need to be strong. I can't go on like this. Boss, can I face that monster? I need to get over her," Ninya asked, voice shaking as her body quivered.

Pero nervously shifted around. "About that… Trust me you don't want to see her."

"Lord Pero, I must. If I don't, I will see her in my nightmares for the rest of my life," Ninya barely got the sentence out, tearing up even more as she choked on emotion. Lupus frowned but left no comment. She understood that weaker humans had mental barriers to overcome in order to serve the Gods the best they could.

"Just let them see her," Buku sighed to her brother after downing another glass Lupus poured her.

"Are you sure? The sight won't be pretty, and she kinda snapped a while ago," Pero asked, hoping the girl would change her mind.

"Yes," Ninya nodded, mustering her determination.

Pero awkwardly scratched his beak, sending a request to Aureole to make a gate to the Neuronist's area.

As they stepped through the gate, the first thing assaulting them was a loud, off-tune singing of some sort of hymn, followed by an overwhelming stench of blood and gore. Pero was only immune thanks to having seen the scene before.

Hung on chains upon a slanted table, suspended upright and spread-eagled naked, was a half-skinned blonde woman singing at the top of her lungs. Her exposed muscles across her body twitched in agony, but it seemed she paid no mind to it, bleeding out onto the floor as she sang.

The moment her gaze fell to Pero, her face twisted into an expression of pure ecstasy despite half her face peeling off. "My Lord, my God, look how much I have paid for my sins! I will pay for them all! I will be pure for you!"

Ninya clenched her mouth shut and jammed her nose, trying to stop herself from gagging; beyond shocked at the scene she had witnessed.

The scene was so horribly surreal, it defied everything she believed possible. There were piles of teeth, skin, and nails nearly a meter high scattered across the room. The floor was covered in layers of clumped-up blood, thick enough to be a marsh around the culprit, with remains of internal organs left splattering the already-caked grounds with even more gore and grime.

Yet she gulped and stared down the tormented monster with determination. Clementine recognized her, and she somehow recognized her back.

"My last sin. Come, make me atone… Tear my flesh, make me pure!" she spoke to the girl in between the moans, humming all the meanwhile.

"This is wrong… what the hell is wrong with her!" Ninya took a step back and hid behind Lukrut, who was very close to losing his dinner as well.

"No! Come. Make me atone!" she declared, her expression twisting in a panic. "My Lord, let me atone! Take my sin away!"

"You are not getting out of this, no matter what sort of bullshit you are spewing!" He all but roared in response, ushering his subordinates back through the gate.

"Wait! No! My Lord, don't abandon me. Look, I am paying for my sins. My Lord, please!" Her screams faded the moment they returned to his office.

Ninya stood in silence. The saying "Be careful what you wish for, it might come true," couldn't be more accurate after what she had just witnessed. She had wished terrible things upon that monster, but that didn't come close to what she saw. Even she didn't want to wish that upon her greatest enemies.

'I work for absolute monsters. To them, this is normal.' She shuddered at the revelation.

'Maybe being a monster is the only way to not be a victim. Maybe I have to become like him. That bitch deserves what is done to her.' Ninya came to a strange conclusion. Her naivety had brought nothing but death to her and pain to those she cared for. If discarding humanity was necessary to prevent becoming a victim yet again, then she would become a monster, a strong one at that.

How she would grow stronger wasn't clear, but Ninya knew for sure that she would grow stronger, and if possible, cast aside her limits and humanity to not only find but protect her older sister.

X

The research work, for now, was once again limited to alchemy since there were no more living test subjects to experiment on. But that didn't mean research in Nazarick paused or slowed down; if anything, it kept accelerating.

Nigun, as diligent as he was, turned out to be a poor assistant when it came to handling unstable or small alchemical concoctions. His constantly shaking hands was a side effect of a somewhat botched race change, making careful measurements difficult at best, and impossible at worst. He could handle durable equipment and broad instructions, but anything fragile or detailed had to be done by Tabula himself.

Through carefully applied nerve damage and subsequent healing, the dragonoid was being cured of the ailment, but the process was slow and painful. It would take a few days, if not weeks, to cure the deficiencies in muscle and tendon.

Tabula's newly acquired human assistant, Nfirea, was also absent due to mourning the death of his sole grandmother while simultaneously dealing with the trauma and guilt caused by becoming a conduit for the usage of the Crown of Wisdom, killing hundreds and injuring thousands.

Today's plan, and for the near future, was to continue the effort of recreating the Yggdrasil healing potions by using only locally harvested materials.

As he was about to start, Tabula received a frantic message from his wife.

{ The Traveler just requested an audience! }

{ What do you mean by 'requested'? Does he expect me to summon him? }

From what little Mariposa had explained, a Traveler likely wouldn't need to be summoned, so the request didn't make much sense.

{ Let's just get this over with. If you've not started anything, I'll tell him to arrive in five minutes. }

{ That would be for the best. } Tabula replied and left the laboratory, hastily leaving it to the maids to clean up.

His wife paced back and forth in the guest area, nervously playing with her hands. She didn't enjoy meeting the Traveler one bit, she'd even prefer meeting Ainz or Ulbert.

"It will be fine," He tried to reassure her, hugging her closely.

"You don't know that. I don't know what he will ask of me or you for that matter." Mariposa said through her teeth.

"So nervous. What have I done to warrant such hostility?" a familiar voice asked.

Both turned their attention to the owner of the voice, who now sat on the sofa.

"You would be Regoz, I presume," Mariposa addressed the man.

"I have been called by that name. Let's talk, shall we? I have not come to cash in a favor quite yet," Regoz said, flashing her a polite smile.

At that moment, the door swung open as one of the homunculus maids came in with three cups of tea and a large platter of pastries.

She placed them on the table between the sofas and quickly departed, her duties calling her elsewhere. While the two hosts looked on at the bizarre scene in confusion, Regoz picked up a cup and motioned for them to sit down as if he owned the place.

Reluctantly, both the brain eater and succubus sat down.

"I want you to free Mariposa from the debt she owes you," Tabula spoke, trying to sound authoritative.

"And why would I do that?" Regoz countered, not even attempting to hide his amusement.

"Because you tricked her. I am certain it was you who made me forget her," Tabula raised his voice even more, now borderline shouting. This entity reminded him of those sleazy door-to-door salesmen who peddled subpar products at overly high prices.

The man smiled and took a sip of tea, picking up a small cupcake from the platter. He took a careful bite, ensuring no crumbs fell.

"The deal was for me to assure she gets to you, and as far as I see, Mariposa sits next to you, so my part of the deal was fulfilled. Besides, what proof do you have of me using any foul play? The dear mother could have clouded your memory just as easily."

"How dare you! Great Mother Lilith would never…!" Mariposa jumped to her feet practically shouting in his face, but stopped mid-sentence, 'She wouldn't have done it. Lilith would not take my husband away from me.'

Still believing that this Traveler was lying to her, Mariposa straightened out and crossed her arms.

"No, she would not have done it. Your lies are transparent."

"Believe whatever you want. The point still stands. I fulfilled my part. You owe me a favor, and I plan to collect it in due time."

The man's tone was as calm as ever but there was a slight sinister undertone. Attempting to get out of the debt surely would not get in their favor.

"I will take upon my wife's debt," Tabula announced, just like he had planned to do all along.

"Very well. You will perform the same God ritual you did to uplift yourself and your friends precisely when I require, to whom I desire, as payment for helping Mariposa reach this world."

"So this was your plan all along? To get my husband to do your dirty work." Mariposa said with disdain in her tone.

"How clever of you to figure out that part. It's so much easier to work with smart people. I can skip explaining things," Regoz smirked.

"Who will I have to make into a God?" Tabula asked, shooting a side glance at his wife.

It was easy to see how furious she was at the Traveler's suggestion that Lilith might be behind his memory loss. While Mariposa openly denounced such a possibility, he was more suspicious. Maybe she was behind his rather convenient memory loss; he just didn't have enough information to verify or deny either claim.

That begged the question: why? For what reason would she keep his wife away from him? 'I needed to get to the bottom of this.'

"Patience. That would ruin the surprise," Regoz replied, hands folded.

"I see you are not willing to show any goodwill. It seems my wife is right and you are behind my memory loss."

"And what good will do you expect?"

"The truth. What are you doing here? What are your motives?"

"Truth? Truth is nothing more than interpretation. I didn't stifle your memory. I didn't have to. Lilith was adamant on not letting her children come here and play."

"Lies!" Mariposa raised her voice as stood up, pacing behind the sofa as her tail swung in agitation.

"She would never do this to me. It's not like this is forbidden… This is your playground! She feared me getting involved in your games! She fears you!"

"Oh, do not look down on the dear mother. She doesn't fear me. But she is aware of what happens when someone messes with a business that isn't theirs. She never told you what I did as retaliation, am I correct?"

Regoz took another sip of tea with a smile and picked up the next cupcake. Anyone could see he was enjoying himself immensely at the moment.

"She told us you took away something precious from her," Mariposa stated, stopping her pacing.

"It's ironic how she twists what really happened. I just convinced one of her direct daughters to take a new path beyond her mother's overbearing control. Imagine a succubus becoming celibate. Must have riled Lilith up to no end!" Regoz let out a dry chuckle.

"We do not play any part in your games!" Tabula raised his voice as well.

"Let's calm down for a moment. Stress is not good for the heart. As long as you exist, you are part of the game. You, me, her, we all are. A lot of good things have happened because you followed my advice, yet you act like I ruined your lives."

"How do we get out of it?" Tabula asked.

"You can't."

Regoz took the last sip of tea, placing his cup back on the table. Without hurry, he stood, fixing the wrinkles in his suit.

"It's not the thing you should worry about. I'm not the reason why Lilith had forbidden her children to come to this world."

"Then why would she forbid me to seek Tabula?" Mariposa asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. No matter how deep the secrets are, they will awaken soon."

Regoz performed a light bow, and just before fading into particles, added, "The one who holds the black book will reveal the secrets of this world to you."

The moment the Traveler was gone, Mariposa joined her husband back on the sofa, leaning against his side with a worried expression.

"Do you think he told the truth?" Tabula asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know. But at least he told you what you must do," she replied.

At the moment it was impossible to tell who he would have to uplift, but the likely candidate was someone from Nazarick. With all players being ruled out, the likely target was one of the top NPCs, likely those with immense power.

'They have been alive for such a short time. What if the ritual does something irreparable to one Regoz targets?'

But there was no way of denying what he had already agreed to. The only hope was that the targeted NPC could withstand the change and that upon enlightenment, would continue to serve properly.

Bonus Story - Watcher.

The angel's near-boundless form gently floated within the immaterial realms. There was no need to restrict herself to a three-dimensional body at the moment, spreading her wings into realms thought impossible and spaces thought infinitely small and large.

The countless wings flapped in a synchronized manner as her countless eyes stared in all possible directions, peering into worlds beyond count.

Yet most of her attention was on one particular world and a specific newborn God. This skeletal figure that was completely opposite to her, would be the one to have her as a loyal servant.

The excitement of following her new path was growing hand in hand with her impatience and anxiousness ever since the others had started making moves. There was a chance it would take many years for this God to reach out and light the beacon, giving the opening to the material realm by supplying her an entryway into realms beyond mere peering.

Besides the young God, her attention was on another figure: a young mortal human girl. This girl had no idea of the grand plan she was part of.

But soon enough she would know.

The angel shifted around, reacting to a newcomer. Another lost angel of lesser stature had approached her, eager for purpose. Another blade to her growing legions, legions which could make worlds tremble before their might. Many thrones had been lost or abandoned by their creators over the endless span of time, and she would accept them all.

The mid and high-tier angels who flocked to her were a fine addition to the thousands of the low-tier ones she had created herself, and to the thousands more of every type who would join in the future.

They would be the tools at her master's disposal. The countless holy warriors floated around her, basking in her soothing light, ready to execute any order she would give.

A gentle chorus of voices rang through the aether as she spoke, "Soon, our purpose will be manifested. Soon we will join our master!"

Editing by aidan_lo

Proofreading by aidan_lo, Aurodium, Miracle of Gods, Saphire_Drake, LightFlan, and Sad_Smiles.