Villagers and Knights

Accompanied by the strongest guardian, Momonga — now known as Ainz — stood motionless in the sky looking at the battle taking place below.

"Impressive."

The Supreme Overlord gave genuine praise. Even so, his voice failed to carry to the intended recipients. The reason for this was the 9th tier spell; [Perfect UnKnowable].

Ainz was truly impressed by the performance of the knights. His test prior hadn't really provided results corresponding to the true strength of the individuals and more his own power, his standing in this unknown world.

While he had been able to determine that the girl could be stronger if proper training was provided, that information was based on a magical ability and not a pure observation skill.

But after seeing the strength of these knights, he wondered if he should take it upon himself to nurture her.

Another knight dashed forward and performed a perfect diagonal slash. Ainz's intrigue once again grew. An impact of steel against steel resounded as the knight's sword shuttered upon impact with the Death Knight's enormous shield.

"They are strong."

And indeed they were strong, watching the fight take place, Ainz was able to determine that much. While the knights were obviously losing terribly to the Death Knight, the strength they displayed left him awed and with phantom goosebumps all over his body.

Compared to the people from Earth, the soldiers from Earth, these knights were inhumanly strong. The act of generating enough strength to shutter a sword wasn't normal.

— These people aren't humans, at least not the ones I'm used to.

He was sure of this, it was impossible for normal people to achieve this level of strength.

The Death Knight worked its sword, and the dumbstruck attacker was phenomenally severed from his torso, allowing the upper position to be sent into the sky with its entrails flailing about. The connection between him and the Death Knight allowed him to gauge some of its emotions to some extent.

— It's enjoying this.

Rather than worrying about the consciousness of the Death Knight, he was lost on why the thing would express this much joy in killing these knights. Ainz definitely didn't express hatred or anger towards them, thus it can't be doing so because of him.

"Kieeee!"

A terrified shriek resounded from one of the knights, one of the two variants among them. Unlike the others, his face was exposed, thus allowing people to see just how frightened he was. Out of all the knights present, this one expressed a severe lack of discipline.

"What do you think of their performance, Shalltear?"

The armored Valkyrie shifted her eyes from him and looked at the battle below. Although Ainz felt that she wasn't paying proper attention, he still needed a warrior's point of view. For all he knew, he might be making a wrong evaluation

— That seems to be the only thing I'm good at.

He let out an internal sigh as the figure of Albedo flashed through his mind. No matter how much time he spent around her, his heart failed to accept that she was actually strong. So like an overprotective lover, he left her where he knew she would be safe.

— Better not expose her to this kind of carnage.

No, he knew that the Guardian Overseer wasn't so weak to brutality, after all, she usually suggested different ways to experiment on the goblins. Even so, a part of him, a huge part of him refused to let her see this. That was why he didn't mention her to Sebas when discussing how to act on this venture.

— What a romantic!

He chastised, but still felt his conduct was proper. Ainz dispelled the thoughts and focused on the Valkyrie's answer.

"I don't seem to perceive the strength that mi'lord sees in them, but I have to admit that they have great valor."

Ainz once more looked at the knights, at their shaking legs. His fascination with the strength they wielded allowed him ignorance at their clear terror at an opponent that was obviously leagues above them.

"Hold on for a bit longer, at least until our brothers can blow the horn."

The other variant shouted with determination in his voice. The Eight Edge Assassins had already taken care of the individuals hidden in the outskirts. Exposure to Punitto Moe had allowed him great depth in the art of war, while the knights had proper teamwork, their tactics and strategies were rudimentary at best.

"I see what you mean..."

He agreed with the Valkyrie's evaluation, despite committing such vile acts, their performance against a powerful foe still demanded respect.

The shrieking knight decided to run away from the battle, the instinct to preserve his own life finally winning over him.

Ainz frowned, not at the knight but at the emotions from the Death Knight. It seemed it wanted to derive the most suffering and despair out of its victims.

'Do not kill that one nor the other with similar armor.'

He sent a mental command. Ainz had no intention of letting information slip right from his arms, especially after he saw the effects of [Control Amnesia]. The spell was more of a high tier stun back in YGGDRASIL, but now it allowed him the ability to roam and edit certain memories from individuals.

The Death Knight heeded his command as it opted for a shield bash. The knight was sent flying in the air with his right arm and leg clearly broken, before plummeting to the ground with a loud thud.

Ainz winced a bit at the brutality before wondering if the knight was dead or not. His answer came in the lack of connection between him and the unmoving body of the variant.

This just once again reinforced his hypothesis on these natives not being 'actual' humans. A person from earth would have died from an attack like that.

— Wonder what makes them so strong? That girl also remained conscious after receiving that gruesome wound.

His only exposure to the inhabitants of this New World until now had been the captured goblins, experiments showed that their resilience was pretty low, so Ainz expected the same for every one.

— Now I'm starting to wonder if the said 'battle' was even great at all.

He hadn't really taken their words at face value, but their presence still allowed him to come to a wrong conclusion.

"Captain Belius?!"

The shout came from the other variant, displeasure visible on his face. Ainz deduced that the knight was agonizing over something, he could see the strained expression on his face. Even so, the knight remained firm and kept his disarrayed comrades focused on the goal at hand.

Leadership, It was obvious that the man was born with a talent to lead men. It made Ainz wonder why someone like him would choose to ransack these villagers.

His gaze swept over the cowering villagers and a disappointed sigh escaped him. Truthfully, Ainz wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, their reactions were definitely in line with common sense given the current situation.

"These villagers would regard walk to their death than fight their attack, even now with their backs turned, they fail to fight back, truly pathetic."

Unfortunately Ainz could do nothing but agree with the Valkyrie's evaluation of the villagers, sight through the Death Knight had allowed him to discern that the knight intended to slaughter the villagers like executioners to prisoners.

— One should at least fight rather than accept their fates.

The girl had at least tried her best to protect her sister, even after receiving that wound she didn't stopped her defiance.

"Sadly bravery isn't that common among humans."

Ainz was sure that Satoru would have displayed this kind of reaction had he been in a similar situation. What about him? What about the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick? What about Ainz? He grimaced at the self-directed question.

As if sensing his turmoil, Shalltear spoke in a comforting manner.

"I and the guardians shan't displayed this kind of reaction should a similar situation befall mi'lord or Nazarick."

Of course they wouldn't, that's what made him worried in the first place. He knew for a fact that should that happen, Albedo would be the first to fall. Despite her high intellect, her actions and thinking became irrational whenever he suggested the possibility of such a scenario.

Intellect with conditions.

And to his displeasure, he felt like he would do the same thing.

— Ulbert did say that love makes people irrational.

Emotions over awareness, Demiurge would probably laugh at him if he heard him say such a statement.

"Just make sure to think things first before you act."

Shalltear genuflected with an understanding smile on her face. Ainz felt his worries alleviate when he saw that. He would impart that responsibility to those with rational mindsets.

— I guess I can count on her and Demiurge should such a situation come to fruition.

Even so, he felt that the denizens of the 8th Floor and 7th Floor needed a bit of re-education on what loyalty was. The devotion on him boarded on worship, especially the seraphim under Victim.

"Let's hope that day never comes—"

He turned and faced Shalltear, the spell unfortunately failed to hinder either of them. Ainz's [True Vision] and [Divine Attention] made the use of such spells null. Shalltear also had her [Mystic Eyes] to see through illusions and invisibility.

Still, the Supreme Overlord paid little attention to such things and asked the question that had been bugging him for a while.

"— does the sun have any negative effect on you?"

While he knew that the True Ancestor wasn't a vampire anymore, almost all her racial abilities were still vampiric in nature. In YGGDRASIL, vampires lost a lot of strength in the sun, in fact, the raid boss; Cainabel had been easy to defeat because of that weakness.

Shalltear cocked her head as if deliberating over something.

"Aside from bringing a bit of discomfort to my skin, I feel no side effects."

— I don't think your discomfort is due to your vampiric nature though.

He chose to keep that to himself, at least until he found a way to make her some sunscreen.

Ainz once again looked at the brutality taking place below him before letting out a soft chuckle.

— To think I would think about Shalltear's skin care while people are literally getting severed in half by a psychopathic undead knight.

Out of the many knights, 10 of them were behind the Death Knight, moving unnaturally. This was the special ability of Death Knights, those who fall by their blade end up as their undead minions.

Ainz was actually able to perceive the faint negative energy that cloaked the crude sword of the undead knight.

He touched his face with his gloved hand and a mask appeared around it. He had also advised Shalltear to change the color of her eyes, while he still wasn't sure about the common sense of this world, he opted to appear more suspicious than terrifying, especially since he needed information from the already cowering villagers.

Coming to a decision, his authoritative and noble voice vibrated:

"Contact the Eight Edge Assassins and remove your battle equipment, these knights don't warrant our caution."

Shalltear knew exactly what he meant and quickly contacted the waiting Assassins. Ainz dismissed the Death Knight and opened a [Gate] that took them from the sky to the ground.

— Time to impress upon them the might of Ainz Ooal Gown.

—————————

Ainz calmly stepped out of the [Gate], his attention immediately taken by the corpses of the minion zombies who reverted to their normal state after he dismissed the Death Knight's existence.

His attention traveled around the people, gauging their reaction to his sudden appearance. The plan was actually simple, no, it would be appropriate to say it never changed.

— Act heroic, gain their favor and collect as much information as possible.

The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown followed behind him, floating beautifully by his right side. And Shalltear, now in her normal attire followed on his left, but an umbrella with the same aesthetic as her outfit was held in her hand.

The violent aura that loomed around her in her combat equipment was nowhere to be felt. It was as if the Valkyrie was a figment of one's imagination. Out of the three of them, she was the one that drew the attention of many, no doubt due to her incredible noble beauty.

Ainz felt that this reaction was adequate for his intended purposes. The Supreme Overlord cleared his throat, an act that meant nothing for his current self. Even so, he performed the act to draw the attention of the stunned people.

"Do pardon the carnage that took place here, but I couldn't simply ignore the massacre of innocent villagers, especially at the hands of knights."

Ainz was once again impressed with his newly found confidence, prior to the transmigration, he would have stuttered something fierce when addressing this many people.

The silence still lingered so he decided to continue.

"Even so, I find no amusement in taking lives, thus I'll allow you an opportunity to leave here with your lives still intact."

The clinging of metal against ground resounded as the knights registered the meaning behind his words.

Ainz looked at them and frowned, considering that he was letting them go after the massacre they committed, he expected them to express proper gratitude.

But before he could exert his power and force them to their knees, the voice of the noble beauty resounded.

"Do try to show proper gratitude to the master for sparing your pitiful lives, you worms."

He was impressed at how she was able to sprout such insults in a sweet and gentle tone. The knights quickly fell to their knees and started to bow. Even so, the sight didn't look like one of people expressing gratitude for being spared but the opposite.

Ainz wasn't deterred by this reaction, after all, he was using the knights' embarrassment to gain favor with the villagers. Seeing their attackers reduced to a bunch of fools was sure to score him a few points.

"Good... As I was saying, I will allow you to leave here with your lives, but should I hear that you are killing innocents again, I'll bring death to your entire nation."

— A pompous declaration for someone who doesn't even know anything about this world.

He snorted in his mind.

Fortunately, the knights didn't think that he was joking.

"Now leave before I change my mind!"

With the assistance of a gesture seen from many series and movies, he was able to increase the impact of his words.

The knights wasted no time as they began to run, leaving their fallen comrades behind. The absence of the knight with excellent leadership allowed them to act like a bunch of amateurs.

Looking at the scene, Ainz couldn't help but shake his head.

"Shalltear, can you handle the littered bodies?"

He didn't think that a person like her should be doing such menial tasks, but the absence of other servants nearby left him no choice.

"It would be my honor, Lord Ainz."

— What happened to mi'lord?

The thought was a rogue but he couldn't help but question. Even so, he didn't let it linger as he turned to the villagers who were still on the ground.

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, Ruler of Nazarick. And this is Shalltear Bloodfallen... You needn't cower anymore, your village is safe. Those knights won't be coming back."

There was a bit of relief when he said that so he decided to proceed with the act.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to arrive here in time, and thus many had to die."

There was a flash of sorrow on their faces when he said that.

"Still, I will need compensation for my services but seeing what you've been through, I will take it in the form of information."

Their expressions brightened when they heard that, especially one of the older looking man at the head of them.

The conversation with the village chief had proved to be incredibly fruitful, while he still had questions about the magic of this world — which he was now sure existed — he could now see the possibility of his and Nazarick's future moving forward.

Inquiry about the surrounding nations had proved that this was indeed a world outside YGGDRASIL. He had also managed to determine the location in which Nazarick was situated; they fell under the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was a feudal kingdom of some sort, and according to the information provided, it was the very definition of a dying kingdom.

Realization about this fact unconsciously caused him to ask about the plans of the village moving forward. The condition of the villagers weren't really admirable. Constantly working at the fields all day with no exact plan for tomorrow didn't sound like a plan, it sounded like surviving. Unfortunately, the chief failed to see what he was getting at.

Ainz could only hope that they don't just return to their previous lives of constant routine. In a way, they reminded him of Satoru, to be content with a trash life, that was no way for a person to live.

He had also learned that there were two other nations neighboring the Re-Estize Kingdom; the Baharuth Empire, which frequently had skirmishes with the Kingdom, and the Slane Theocracy which unfortunately the village chief knew next to nothing about.

Even so, Ainz was able to deduce that the Theocracy was the one that sent knights disguised as knights of the Baharuth. The Theocracy probably did so to fuel flames of tension between the Kingdom and Empire. Even so, he felt like a crucial piece was missing, and if he was being honest, it smelled like a conspiracy.

Coming to this conclusion, Ainz had paused as he once again noticed how his intellect had grown somewhat, his previous self would have failed to notice the connection.

Even so, that wasn't the greatest surprise he had come across, that title belonged to the Adventurer's Guild. Inquiry about it allowed memories from the books Peroroncino forced upon him to flash uncontrollably. Previously, he had expected it to be similar to the Adventurer's Guilds from YGGDRASIL, but after being told what they actually did, Ainz realized the similarities only ended in name.

While he had suspected the possibility of not being alone in this world, the existence of the Adventurer's Guild made it apparent. Only a person from his world could introduce such a stupid idea.

Ainz might not be a politician, but even he understood the blunder of allowing such an unaffiliated organization into one's nation. Honestly, he was a bit taken aback the such a stupid idea somehow came to fruition. Worst part was that it was in the Re-Estize Kingdom, initial goals were to ally himself with the nation, but after what he had heard, he seriously doubted the capacity of the upper echelon of the kingdom.

This made him wonder if the other two nations were an option, but based on the information, he doubted that would be possible. Not to mention the idea of shackling himself just didn't sit well with him.

Ainz broke off his contemplation by letting out a tired sigh. Minus the thought-inducing information, he had actually learned a lot, and if it came to it, he could possibly pass himself as a villager.

Ainz looked at the now energetic villagers work on their destroyed homes and gathered the deceased for a burial. His eyes darted around before he found Shalltear sitting down on a summoned chair.

His heart settled somewhat as the realization that he didn't have to bear this weight alone registered.

While he found the idea of the Adventurer's Guild laughable, the fact that it provided him advantages wasn't lost on him. Should he need information in the future, a global organization like it would be a good place to go.

Of course he still needed to think about countries without the Adventurer's Guild within their borders. He seriously doubted that everyone in this world was ignorant.

— I do hope those knights provide much better information.

At present, his aim was to gather information about the existence of other players. Unlike him who saw the denizens of Nazarick as his closest kindreds, the other players might just band together. This meant that he had to be less subtle with his actions, lest he incur the wrath of other players.

"No, I'm sure if it came to it, I would come out victorious."

Even so, it would be tiring and stressful to consciously look for a fight.

He also doubted that players would treat the world as a game and act like idiots. While YGGDRASIL was a cesspool of discrimination, that was just part of the experience of the game. It was ultimately just fictional behavior, especially after the wars that happened in his world due to such views.

Ainz started to walk towards the Sanguine to share the information he learned from the village chief.