Chapter 14: Part 2

- Cid Kagenou -

He quickly arranged everything in his setup before those girls came here. The new furniture Ainz had given him looked really good in these types of settings. It even matched with all the other furniture he had collected with his pocket money.

As he did this, he wondered about the biggest change in his current life.

The Crossroads Restaurant.

Who could have thought that there was such an incredible place in the world... or worlds?

A place which connected to infinite worlds, infinite possibilities... and sold the most delicious food he had ever tasted in both of his lives.

The place helped him uncover so many mysteries and gave him a chance to do things he hadn't even imagined before.

So much to learn, so much to master.

Fighting against the world and breaking literal shackles of fate... that was a next level of cool he hadn't even thought about before.

He wasn't the only one of his kind who had been isekai'd. There were others too.

Many different versions of Earth and even more magical worlds.

Just going to one such world gave him his trusty weapons. The set of crowbars, Umbra and Penumbra.

The power of his Device was to open things. This was what he felt but… he didn't know the full extent of this power. Just what could be opened?

And powers were not all.

The people inside were also unique. Each a master of their art. He had talked to the masters of the Ryozanpaku Dojo and acknowledged their power and mastery of their respective fields.

He had often lamented over the fact that people gave up their childhood dreams, but here, he found people who pursued them even now, after being sent to another world, just like he had done.

Ainz was one such person.

That guy played the role of the Shadow of his own world and he did so amazingly. Even he had to commend him for his acting and mannerisms and even took some notes to improve his own Shadow role.

But not all things go as planned.

Yesterday, he was listening to Ainz's problems with his subordinates and how he had cooked up a story to convince them all about the Restaurant's existence. But who would have thought that the moment he opened the door of the cabin, he would be face to face with Alpha and Delta.

Did those girls follow him there?

If so then, they would obviously be here to ask him more about the Restaurant and that's why he needed to prepare in advance.

Just as he finished his preparations, he felt their presence approaching him and sat down on the throne with the limited edition red wine filled in a golden goblet in his hand.

"So you have come." He said, looking at their reflection on one of the jewels on the picture frame in front of him.

Alpha had come with Beta.

Was Beta here too?

He was expecting only Alpha and Delta.

"Yes." Alpha sat on the armrest of the chair while Beta stood behind him. "We figured out everything about the Restaurant."

Ah, figures. He had trained the girls too well.

"... just as you wanted us to."

Eh?

Wanted?

Oh, were they still playing around.

Since that was the case, he had to give his best performance.

He had some amazing ideas from observing Ainz and wanted to try them out and now he got the perfect opportunity.

"So now that you have glimpsed the true depths of the Abyss, do you have the courage to dive deeper? A warning though, when you stare at the abyss, it stares back at you. This decision of yours will be far greater than anything you have done or even thought until now, far more than just one world. Once you take this step, you will expose yourself to monsters beyond your imagination. Monsters which can make the Cult of Diabolus look like children playing in the park."

As expected, the two girls paused before replying with seriousness. "We are ready."

"Then tell me what you have found in the Restaurant?" He asked.

Who knows what they might have seen there? He was inside the room with Ainz, Rimuru and Saitama the entire time. He didn't even know they were there.

Alpha nodded and then started explaining.

So they had met Ainz's maid and she told them the story which Ainz had filled them with. That works.

"Indeed. Me and my comrades have fought against untold foes and lost a lot in the process. It was only by the sacrifice of Silas that we even have a chance to gather together once more."

The two nodded.

"We are all the Shadows of our own worlds, coordinating our subordinates while Silas is the one who coordinates us."

Damn, doesn't that make him the Shadow of Shadows?

That sounds cooler somehow.

"What are your orders?" Alpha asked while he was thinking all this.

"Cooperate with them. They will always be our allies. You can learn a lot, even grow stronger with the knowledge of the other worlds. The Cult of Diabolus has lots of advantages but it doesn't mean we don't have advantages of our own either. Use this advantage to its fullest. The magic of other worlds is far different from this world's. You can try learning. Even the technology of those worlds are beyond this world. With just bare basics, you can completely control the technological part of this world."

"Yes. It will be done."

After that they discussed several other things before the girls had enough of the roleplay and left.

- Beta -

They gathered with the rest of the Seven Shadows of Shadow Garden and Alpha explained everything to them all.

Other worlds.

Supreme Beings.

The true meaning of Shadows.

The Restaurant between all worlds.

And finally the one who coordinates all the Shadows, the Shadow of Shadows, Silas.

By the end of it, there was only silence in the whole room.

Everyone was still processing the information and Beta didn't blame them either. She still had a hard time believing everything even when everything was right in front of their eyes, clear as a day.

Eta was the one who spoke next, breaking the silence of the room.

"You said, there were people under other Shadows, with the same title as us. What kind of people were they?"

Alpha nodded at the question. "I was only able to meet one of them. She was called Yuri Alpha. It must be noted that she is someone actually created by the Supreme Beings of their world and the reincarnated Shadows might not use the same naming terminologies for their subordinates. Still, Yuri told me that they were a part of the Seven Pleiades, the combat maids who serve the Supreme Beings of Nazarick. Unfortunately, right now only Ainz-sama remains among them as their leader while they were all transferred to a new world. Apart from them there are also floor Guardians who guard different floors of Nazarick Fort. A unique thing about them is that most of them were from completely different races just like us. For example, Yuri Alpha is a Dullahan. They are a species of Undead beings."

"What kind of skills do they possess?" Zeta asked.

"They are all experts in different kinds of magic and martial arts. The System of Magic in their world is far more advanced than in our world. They can make many magical items and medicines which could only be called the stuff of legends in this world. Supreme Beings all had their own specialities and at full power they were capable of fighting Gods. They can cause Miracles to happen on a whim. For example, Zeref-sama, a friend of Silas-sama... selectively wiped out all the members of an organisation throughout the whole country, regardless of their strengths... in one spell when they had attacked the Restaurant."

"What!"

"But that's... "

The whole room was stunned into silence once again.

"There are also new technologies from other worlds which Shadow had taught us about. They are far more advanced than this world." She added.

"The Supreme Beings hold Silas-sama in great respect and are very protective of him. In fact, the reason Yuri was there was to help him set up a business in his world and help establish a base for him while he regains his memories. That world has Gods and monsters of great power and they could be a danger to Silas-sama's life while he is in a weakened state. Silas-sama himself doesn't have many subordinates right now and so she and Narberal Gamma were sent to serve him. Similarly Rimuru-sama also sent several people they had saved to serve under him. Shadow has also asked us to cooperate with them."

Over the next hour they planned about their future course of action.

The reveal of the true identity of the Shadow and the Restaurant has caused major changes in their future plans.

Finally it was decided that they will visit the Restaurant and get to know the Pleiades and then decide on whom to send there for assistance.

Beta had a feeling that Shadow Garden was about to change in the coming days.