38

Chapter 38

The imperial academy wasn't the place an average Nazarick citizen would want to visit. From the toxic fumes in the alchemical department, to the monstrous, living experiments in the creation department, not to mention the eccentric crew that ran the place. Even the God overseeing the research was considered one of the more eccentric ones compared to the other four well known Gods.

Sophie, however, considered this place her home. Ever since she had the honor of becoming a follower of the God of Knowledge, she finally found her true purpose in life. She was one of the very few in the God's inner circle and thus had access to knowledge other mortals didn't know existed.

She may have been considered the most junior member of Lord Tabula's team, but she was still in it. After a quick breakfast that was mandatory for everyone by Lady Mariposa's order, she was ready to start her day. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who forgot to eat on a regular basis and Lord Tabula's wife had to step in and put down some basic rules to keep everyone in a healthy state.

Her first destination was the recently set magical residue test room. The warded-off test room was secured with many precautions. First, an appraisal check on her magical protection amulet. As usual, it was in perfect condition and she could proceed. Next was opening the warded door. If an unauthorized person tried to open it, the entire wing would be on lockdown within seconds.

There was a rotating magical device inside the rather spacious room, surrounded by plants and small animals. The purpose of these tests was not fully clear to her. It was some kind of test to see the long-term effects magic and magical devices have on life forms. She clearly understood what was tested, but did not know for what reason it was done. The device itself was charged once every three days with insane amounts of mana.

Sophie lifted the amulet that was on the chain around her neck and looked at it with one eye as she approached the device. If the gem in the amulet changed color, she needed to run out of the room, but luckily nothing of the sort happened. The strange magical engine just hummed a monotone tune with no sign of malfunction.

Visually, all the plants and small animals still looked the same, with no signs of mutation or deterioration. Sophie kneeled down before a leafy plant, one about half a meter tall, and cast an appraisal spell on it.

"No signs of change." She mumbled and then got up to inspect one of the rabbits hopping around. The little animal didn't show any signs of fear and happily accepted a snack from the human. While the rabbit ate, Sophie apprised it and, seeing no changes in its physiology, could leave the test chamber.

She performed another amulet test outside, then inspected the wards for any potential weaknesses, and, once every test and precaution was made, walked towards the central laboratory. The two eldritch monstrosities guarding the entrance stepped aside when they saw her approaching.

The laboratory came with the familiar daily chaos performed in an orderly manner. Lord Tabula and Nfirea both argued about their latest project. Some sort of small portable soul storing crystalline structure. Lord Sazrasas sat in the farthest corner of the lab and took notes while watching a small, spider-type creature consume one of the plants he had created. Her former master, Fluder, meanwhile, was performing transmutations on a low-tier zombie.

Sophie herself usually filled the role of an assistant and switched from one post to another, helping wherever she was needed and performing her own work in her free time. The limit increase and power training bumped her from a third-tier caster to a sixth-tier one and she could perform the transformation experiments more frequently.

Recently, besides her one vampire eye, she had grown dragon claws on her left hand's fingers and her own crowning achievement was an enchantment on her feet, making them transform into flippers when underwater.

As usual, she had to wait at least ten minutes before Lord Tabula and Nfirea stopped arguing and even noticed her.

"Ah, Sophie, my apologies for not noticing you. Any changes in the test room?" Tabula asked once he noticed the apprentice patiently waiting.

"Everything was in order, master. Even the increase in the magical residue is not causing any kind of changes in animals. Shouldn't we start testing it on humans?"

"We might, but the answer is still no."

"But master, I, as a researcher, could better notice the changes than some random criminal."

"The test is to see what long-term exposure does to life forms and, most likely, the effects will be negative, if they exist that is. Your talents are better used elsewhere than being a control animal."

"But why is it even needed? At very best, only a small part of the population can use magic and nowhere near the level of Nazarick's agents."

"Because I have seen what careless technological progression can do to the world. Besides, it is not about magical casting but to observe the side effects of magitech."

"I understand, master, but magictech mostly seems mildly useful trinkets and nothing more. Even if every home could have a magic fueled watch or a freezer, such as the ones the minotaur nation exports, it still would come close to only a single eight or nine tier spell."

"Oh, child, you have no idea." Tabula chuckled, remembering reading about scholars from his old world dismissing scientific innovation as mere trinkets and curiosities. "You will see soon enough. Pandora should arrive any minute with his blueprints."

Sophie couldn't argue with the God of Knowledge, but her curiosity had spiked to an unbearable level. The Emperor's son would arrive with new knowledge and she just had to see it. Minutes ticked by in a painfully slow manner, to the point where she wondered if her God didn't purposefully slow down time. She saw both Lord Tabula and Nfirea glancing at her from time to time. Oh, they were torturing her on purpose, bastards! She was not about to give them the satisfaction and, despite her impatience, put up a neutral face and assisted Fluder with the zombie.

Even when Pandora's Actor arrived, she still held herself together. But the moment Tabula waved at her to come look, she moved so fast one would think the overly eager assistant teleported. Looking over Nfirea's shoulder, she observed the strange magical devices Lord Pandora proposed. Even the very first one called artillery cannon was simply ludicrous. A magically propelled explosive charge meant for long-distance shock assault was a concept too outlandish even for her.

Sophie observed the specifications and couldn't believe her eyes. This weapon was more powerful than a fireball and pretty much everyone could use it with pre-charged ammunition.

She didn't particularly care for wars and assault magic, but the implications of weaponry replacing mages on the field was something she never could have imagined.

Lord Tabula, predictably, didn't seem too shocked and remarked.

"Hmm, so this is the cannon you tested already."

"Correct, Lord Tabula. By my father's orders, I didn't start production of more advanced weaponry until your blessing on the projects was given." Pandora said.

"I think you can safely produce prototypes for a test, but let me go through it first," Tabula said and started slowly flipping through the pages.

Sophie tried to absorb the information but quickly realized it was way over her head. The complexity of the devices provided was far too much for her. Devices called tanks, ships made of steel, strange flying devices with metallic wings. The concepts were too weird for anyone to believe them possible. But it was a son of a God who dreamed them up, not some overly creative mortal, so they likely could be made.

"I think most of these will not cause too much trouble if we just test them for now, but no mass production. Even though tests show no side effects, we must be careful with mass production."

"Of course, Lord Tabula. I assume you will take part in the initial testing?"

"Yes. Notify me when you are ready to start. One more thing, is this a copy, or do you need it back?" Tabula asked.

"It is a copy. I will leave it in your care, Lord Tabula."

Pandora's Actor saluted Lord Tabula and departed with him, turning his attention back to the book, slowly flipping the pages back and forth, thinking deeply about something.

"Master, are these things even possible? How can such devices possibly exist?" Sophie carefully asked.

The entire team had gathered around the book. Even the rather stoic dragon looked at it with open curiosity.

"They are possible and they can be even created without the use of magic. That's why we must be careful."

"If this falls into the hands of capable enemies then warfare would reach an unprecedented scale," Sazrasas said.

"You have no idea how bad it can get, my friend."

"You have seen it before, I assume?"

"Yes, my original world was much more technologically advanced than this one. Wars fought in my home were long and terrible. Weapons were built to end civilization."

"Then just how bad can it go?" Sazrasas asked.

"You observed Ulbert's Grand Catastrophe with a remote viewing mirror, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Tabula, you don't mean it can be recreated with technology?"

"It can, and it was. I have seen cities destroyed by weapons created without using magic. "

For the first time in her life, she had to think about the consequences of discoveries. All the careful tests with devices made sense now. It was possible to create weapons or magic that could end the world. The pursuit of knowledge was always the noblest of goals in her eyes, but maybe she was too careless with it.

There was wisdom in more careful and controlled research, and she had to reevaluate her own approach.

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"Is she still locked in her room?" Evileye sleepily asked her teammates who, as usual, were up way before her and sat around the table eating breakfast.

With the undead Emperor appearing in the sky and declaring the worship of the new Gods, the new official religion, Lakyus has been spending all her time in solitude. As a priest, she had taken it particularly badly. To her such display was a clear sign that Emperor Ainz was a real God, not just calling himself one.

Even being much more pragmatic than her friend, Evileye couldn't deny that such a feat was not documented before, even the six great Gods have never done anything like this. The fact that Re-Estize was now part of the Empire of Nazarick also didn't make things any better.

It was rather clear that they were out of a job for now as the adventurers' guild was now putting its efforts into recruiting followers of new Gods, since there were no threats to handle within the Empire of Nazarick.

"Evil Boss is not responding. You can try to talk with her through the doors." Tina responded.

"I'll go talk with her. This has gone on long enough." Evileye said.

Like the other girls, she too was out of ideas about what to do. The rest of the team could move to Roble, but she couldn't go near that country. Paladins would sense her true nature and that would not end favorably for the Blue Roses. That was the reason she still wore her mask outside. If people knew that the legendary team hid a monster among their ranks, they could never go to a human-centric country like Roble or Slane.

She slowly approached Lakuys' bedroom door and listened in. No sound. With a knock, she asked, "Lakuys, how are you doing?"

No answer.

"Lakyus, it's been two days. If you don't answer, I'm breaking down the doors!"

Still no answer, but Evileye could hear movement inside. After a moment, Lakyus opened the door, looking like someone who had not slept for two days and had cried for a long time. She clutched the handle of her sword, Kilineiram, mumbling,

"I'm sorry I can't resist it anymore. The voices from the sword, I can't… Why don't the Gods help me? I believed in them… all my life I believed in the…"

"Voices!? You mean the sword is cursed? Lakyus, we need to get rid of it now."

"W-we can't. If I lose control over it, the wave of darkness can destroy… I must hold it…"

Evileye knew that sword once belonged to one of Thirteen Heroes, the Black Knight, and was rumored to hold dark power inside it. With almost no other priests of six God worship remaining in Re-Estize there was only one person who they could ask for help, Rigrit, but she had joined Nazarick and it was hard to tell if she could be trusted anymore but with no other options remaining Evileye decided to ask for her help.

{ Rigrit, we have a problem. Lakyus is losing control over Kilineiram. }

{ Are you sure? That sword wasn't that dangerous, if I remember correctly. }

{ Yes! Lakyus looks like she will lose the battle with it at any moment. }

{ Ok I'm opening the gate to my place. Bring her through and I will see how I can help. }

"Tina, Tia, Gagaran, come here."

"What's going on shorty?" Gagaran shouted from downstairs.

"Lakyus is losing control over her sword. We are going to Rigrit for help."

The trio from downstairs ran up the stairs as the gate appeared. With Lakuys clutching her sword going through first, the rest of the team followed her as well. Evileye noticed it wasn't Rigrit's mansion in Re-Estize, but an unfamiliar, lavish location. Rigrit herself was waiting for them and with outstretched hand told Lakuys,

"Girl, give me the sword. I will see what I can do."

"If I let it go… I can't…"

"Give it to me. If I can't remove the curse, there are beings in this castle who can."

Lakyus looked at her, still clutching the sword.

"Give it to me!" Rigrit said again, this time with a much harsher voice.

"Lakyus, give her the sword. You can't handle it anymore!" Evileye said.

Finally giving in, Lakyus slowly handed over the sword to Rigrit with trembling hands, who grabbed the sword, looked at it for a moment, and cast an appraisal spell on it silently. Her face suddenly lit up with surprise as she looked at the sword and then Lakyus and then back at the sword again.

"Girl, we need to talk in private."

"What is this about, old-timer? If you have something to say, tell us now." Gagaran said.

Rigrit could see the mistrust in her eyes, with the twins sharing her sentiment. With Evileye still wearing a mask, her face obviously was hidden, but her voice carried the same mistrust. It was rather expected with her joining Nazarick, but this was not the time to dwell on it.

"Things I need to say are for Lakyus' ears only. I promise it's for her own good."

Not that her words put the rest of Blue Roses' at ease, but at least she managed to get their distraught leader in the next room and close the door. The smaller, office-type space that went largely unused was the perfect spot for a more discreet conversation.

"Girl, this sword is not technically cursed. There isn't any demon inside it, either."

"But the voices?"

"Voices you hear in your head while holding it are nothing more than enchanting with pre-recorded lines. Lakyus, child, what is really bothering you?"

"But…" Lakyus said and slumped down against the wall, hugging her knees.

Rigrit put the sword aside and sat on the small table facing the priestess. The sword was nothing more than an excuse for something else. She had caught on to Lakyus' tendency to dramatize things long ago and knowing that even someone like Black Knight wouldn't have dragged a cursed sword around; she didn't need to worry about any curse affecting the girl.

"Talk to me, girl. Everything you say here will remain between us, and maybe I can help you."

"Why don't they answer my prayers? Why don't I sense them? Don't I believe strongly enough? Do the Gods even care?"

There it was. Her first guess was the right one. After witnessing Ainz's declaration, Lakuys had a crisis of faith. Now the question was if she should push the young priestess over the edge and let her cast aside the old beliefs. The moment was perfect for that. She can save face afterward by blaming everything on the 'curse'. There, however, existed a risk of it backfiring with Lakuys not being able to take it and having a complete breakdown.

Lakyus sensed Rigrit's hesitation and looked up with puffy eyes. After two days of crying, there were no tears left.

"Rigrit, please… were they real? Were the Gods real? It's not just made up?"

"Yes, six players arrived six hundred years ago."

A non-answer. Rigrit was still hesitating.

"Am I wrong in believing in them?"

"Child I… I can't…"

Lakyus looked down again. Her friend's hesitation was enough for an answer. Ever since she first stepped into a church, she was a devout follower. It was her faith that guided her life. It was her faith that let her become what she was now, and that faith was false.

"Lakyus I'm sorry…"

"Are there any Gods? Or is all of it just lies?"

"I don't know. The Emperor and his friends had performed some kind of ritual and claimed their titles, but I don't know if they really are Gods."

Rigrit sighed. Every day the members of Ainz Ooal Gown believed in their godhood more and more and knowing some details of their latest ritual, it might actually be the case, at least in some sense.

"What should I do now?"

Lakyus felt lost. There was no sense of direction. The last few months had taken almost everything from her. Her friend Renner was turned into a demon and all but forgot about her. Not to mention the rumors that Renner was working for Nazarick even before her transformation, and that's why she was one of the apostles. Her job as an adventurer had no meaning in her homeland anymore.

The final straw was her faith. It was first shaken when she found out Rigrit was a player, making her realize that even those from the race of Gods aged. Then Rigrit joined the monster nation willingly. Finally, the Emperor appeared in the sky and declared himself and his close allies Gods. As a faithful servant of the six great Gods, she had read all the scriptures many times and never had the Gods she believed in done anything like it.

The discovery that she wasn't fighting a curse all this time, but it was just whispers and her own imagination, was a minor discovery compared to everything else.

The last thing she still had was her team, but with no work, how long would they stay together? Gagaran had suggested moving to Roble as they would have plenty of work there, but Evileye could not go to such a human-centric country and the first cracks in their unity showed.

She didn't expect Rigrit to give any answers to her, she just vocalized her own uncertainties in a question.

"You should get some sleep. How about you all stay as my guests for a few days and together we figure something out?"

"I don't need to…"

"Don't argue with an old woman. You need to rest, child."

"You are not old anymore."

"Still older than you. Come, let's go tell the rest of the girls I removed the curse from your sword." Rigrit said, helping Lakyus stand up.

"But you said there is no curse."

"But they don't know it." Rigrit winked and handed her back the sword with the enchant removed.

Lakyus could only return a weak smile as she grabbed the 'cursed' sword. Maybe Rigrit was a better friend than she thought and really looked out for her and the rest of the Blue Roses, despite her new allegiances.

"Is the curse gone?" Evileye was first to ask with a worried expression once both returned to the rest of the girls.

"Yes, Rigrit removed it." Lakyus answered, lifting the sword.

"I will lead Lakyus to the guest room to rest, so you girls will be my guests for a while."

"Can we stay here like that? Aren't we in Nazarick?" Gagaran asked. To her, being in the heart of the monster empire felt like looking for trouble.

"As far as I know, you all are Nazarick's citizens either way, and I can have guests. Just don't cause too much trouble and everything will be fine."

"What is all this noise?" A grumpy voice suddenly asked as a very sleepy-looking Tsar showed up from one of the doors dressed in loose pants and a partly buttoned shirt.

"Oh, the old-timer had gotten herself a man, and a nice looking one at that," Gagaran said with a laugh, openly eyeing the half-awaken dragon in a human form.

"That's Tsar!" Rigrit said.

"Wait granny, you mean the Platinum Dragon Lord?" Evileye asked in disbelief.

"The same," Tsar grumbled as he picked up a glass of water that a maid handed to him.

"Would you look at that? So you two are a thing?" Gagaran couldn't help but ask.

"No!" Both Tsar and Rigrit denied the accusation in unison, earning a burst of loud laughter from Gagaran. As insensitive as the giant woman was, she was not about to poke her nose deeper into it, as clearly there was some tension between the two.

The future was uncertain, but at least Rigrit helped her friend and leader of the Blue Roses.

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Two dragons flew over the southern desert, each carrying a passenger. Tsar had his master Emperor Ainz on his neck while Sazrasas carried Tabula. Their destination was almost forgotten by time, the once magnificent capital of the old Dragon Empire.

Although once he would never have admitted it, there was a certain bond between him and his master. Both simply enjoyed the calming desert sands and the chilly wind, while the other pair debated about something, not particularly paying attention to their surroundings.

The whole reason for the trip was for Ainz and Tabula to see the consequences of the ritual that brought them to this world. Both dragons had only vague knowledge about the details before. The only thing he knew was that the former Dragon Emperor consumed his own soul in a rushed ritual.

Slowly, but distinctly, Ainz felt dread, a feeling he usually gave to others. Something very wrong was at their destination. Even though the desert by itself wasn't the liveliest of places, the surrounding area just felt dead, abandoned by hope. Even Tsar tensed up.

If before there were at least some patches of vegetation here and there, then now it was all but gone. Just lifeless sand and rock as far as the eye could see.

{ We are getting close. I will fly up to a distance where it is still safe to observe. } Tsar sent a message to Ainz.

{ What is ahead of us? }

{ My father's parting gift. } Tsar said. It was the legacy of his bloodline. For centuries he had searched for a solution to stop the out-of-control ritual but found nothing. All he could ever find, even in long-forgotten books, was a warning to not do such a thing in the first place.

After a certain point, some kind of background noise started. At first, it was hard to distinguish, but the closer they got the more distant the sound became. Millions of shattered soul fragments wailed in agony, begged, screamed, and raged. There weren't even any coherent words, just this feeling of wrongness.

Ainz's emotion suppression activated to stop his growing panic. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The ritual Tabula performed to spend gathered souls was clean and efficient, but this was so wrong.

Tsar and Saz landed on the soft desert dunes, letting off their passengers and turning into human forms.

"This shouldn't exist. What sort of madness caused all this?" Tabula asked.

"Saz, I think you can better explain it," Tsar said.

"This is a consequence of the Dragon Emperor's ritual spiraling out of control. In his impatience, he tried to summon artifacts that would speed up the Great Old One's return. I tried to warn him back then, but he wouldn't listen. The artifacts, or what you know as world items, were always connected to powerful beings and couldn't be brought to this world on their own. The Emperor tried to go around it and summon just the artifact, but it backfired and consumed his soul. With his own power not being enough, the ritual started to consume nearby souls, fueling the transportation of the first players to our world. The resulting soul vortex caused a chain reaction, absorbing more and more souls until there were none left in the capital. It still rages on, bringing more and more lost souls to fuel itself, causing a wider and wider rift."

"How many souls did it consume initially?" Tabula asked.

"To my knowledge, there were close to seven million denizens living in the old capital at the time," Sazrasas answered.

There it was, a practical example of what happens if over four million souls are used in swift succession. Once again, one careless action could have led them to make a similar mistake, but, luckily, they found out about it before it was too late. Not even in the Al Azif was this critical limit mentioned. If they were a little more eager in their desire to summon more of their friends and gather souls from Slane, it would have ended the same way.

"Is there any way to end this ritual?" Ainz asked.

"I have no knowledge of how to stop it, if it's even possible. It may run out of souls one day or just tear reality apart as it continues to grow. It is hard to tell what is going on in its center but a fair guess is the ritual is drawing souls in from other realms to fuel itself."

"Shouldn't we at least look into ways to stop it? What will happen when it runs out of world items to summon? There were only two hundred of them, after all." Ainz said with growing concern.

If he was to rule an Empire for what likely would span many millennia, then this problem needed to be resolved before it got any worse.

"I think Sazrasas and I can look into it when other projects slow down, but honestly? I have no idea what to do about this situation," Tabula said, staring at the remains of buildings in the distance.

"Agreed, but I'm not giving promises of any kind of solution," Sazrasas said.

"As long as you both do your best to find a solution, it will be enough. I think we should go now. My emotion suppression is activating more frequently."

Although another ride on the dragon's back would have been nice, Ainz decided to use the gate to leave the accursed place as fast as possible.

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The moment Ainz returned to Nazarick, he received a message from Ulbert requesting to speak in private. No doubt he, too, wanted to know what Ainz saw in the desert.

Seeing no reason to deny his request, Ainz teleported to the intelligence wing of the castle and approached Ulbert's office. Before he could knock, Melibourius opened the door and with a bow greeted the Emperor.

"Greetings, your imperial majesty. Lord Ulbert is already waiting for you."

"Melibourius was it? How is Ulbert treating you?"

"Master is everything I strive to be. It is a tremendous honor to serve directly under him." The demon said with a toothy smile.

"That is good to hear," Ainz said and walked in. Ulbert was already waiting on the sofa with various notes piled up on the table beside the food and drinks. Ulbert looked like he was thinking deeply about something and scribbling on the paper,

"Hey Ainz. Come, sit down, just a second. I need to finish writing this."

"I assume you want to hear what Tabula and I saw."

"Yes, that too, but I have some concerns I wish to share with you, just you for now."

Being concerned about something wasn't what Ulbert was known for. He was always the one who made it look like he knew and controlled everything. Ainz sat down on the sofa opposite of Ulbert, who in the last month had partly managed the Empire with him. Only in the last few days was Albedo slowly picking up her own duties again and letting Splendora be watched over by Rubedo and three Pleiades at a time.

The princess, after being punished for teleporting around without permission, was tamer once again and was spending her time with various Nazarick denizens inside the Great Tomb. Even the usually rather stoic Cocytus wished to spend time with the princess and asked permission to teach her the basics of close combat.

Ainz was against it at first, but Albedo convinced him that their child must be prepared to defend herself despite being constantly guarded by one of the most powerful bodyguards imaginable.

With Ainz and Albedo working again, Ulbert could ease off from the administrative work and return to his own scheming once again. No doubt he already had something planned, and that was what he wished to discuss.

Ulbert finally put down the pen and asked Ainz to retell what he saw. With the memory fresh in mind, he could tell in great detail just how bad the situation was as Ulbert listened with a concerned expression. When Ainz finished speaking, Ulbert said.

"Another thing that is worse than we imagined. Ainz, I looked over some recent events and I think something is seriously off."

"What do you mean?"

"We have escaped making serious mistakes more than once purely by luck or by the right event happening at the right time, as if someone is planning them out."

"I thought I was the paranoid one," Ainz said with humor in his voice. There sure have been a few strange coincidences.

"I'm serious. First, we don't openly attack Slane by sheer luck and my idea of making them suffer. But the thing is when Pero suggested destroying that country I wanted it too, but some voice, some inner feeling, gave me another idea. Then we find out about the souls going to the Great Old One before our first major battle. Rigrit allies with us despite fearing us more than everything else in this world. A sole dragon goes against his own master and joins us. And now we know about the soul limit and on top of that Slane is organized in a way that we cannot attack them without major negative consequences."

"You have put a lot of thought into it. But there is not a lot to go on at this point."

"We may have someone who could know a thing or two more if you put some pressure on her."

"You mean Eleleth? But we agreed to not pressure her to tell us about her past."

"She may know something that might help us and she told herself that she has your best interests in mind."

"Ok, let's call her in, but I don't think we should force her too much at this point."

"It's up to you, but I would like to know more."

Eleleth arrived the moment Ainz called for her and kneeled before her master. It was easy to notice she had fear on her face.

"My Emperor, you called?"

"Yes, sit down. We have a few questions to ask."

Reluctantly, Eleleth followed the order and sat down on the sofa next to Ainz with Melibourius glaring at her from a distance.

"I know I told you I would not demand answers from you, but you will have to tell what you know about happenings in this world."

"Master… I… I shouldn't talk about these things."

"And you call yourself devoted to Ainz? Yet when you have answers that may be critical to his future survival, you keep silent. Some servant you are." Ulbert said with a sneer.

"Ulbert, please, let me handle it."

"Fine, fine, but if you won't get answers, I will. You wanted for me to be more honest so I will demand it from her too."

Eleleth looked down and said quietly, "Master, I will tell you what I know, but it is dangerous to know about them."

"Ulbert, please retell what we already know, and then we will hear Eleleth's input."

Ulbert quickly repeated all the coincidences and then turned to look at the angel.

"Those are not coincidences. Things simply don't work that way. I know little, but there are rumors about games played by beings who we should not trifle with. Me being your servant master is not a coincidence, either."

"Then tell me what you know."

"I wasn't originally an angel. This was the path he offered me after I made a deal to gain power. I am loyal to you because it is in my best interest to be so. If you grow in power, then so do I."

"We already know that," Ulbert interjected.

"Ulbert is right. Your words mean nothing if you are not willing to tell me what is going on, and if I can't trust you, I can't keep you as my servant."

"Master, please… I will tell everything…" Eleleth said with a long sigh. "I will tell you everything."

"It should be rather clear now that originally I was a demon, and I had reached the highest level someone in my position could gain, but the Infernal Lord I served didn't want for me to grow anymore. I was stuck, so I made a deal with someone I shouldn't and was remade into an angel. My part of the deal was to come and serve you, Emperor Ainz. This being that made me is likely behind everything that is going on."

"How do you know that?" Ainz asked.

"Because I was remade by a traveler and those beings are known to play with destinies of others for their own amusement."

"You made a deal with a traveler? Please tell me we don't hail from the same infernal lord, otherwise I will have to kill myself out of shame." Melibourius exclaimed.

"Mel, you know about them too?" Ulbert asked.

"Yes, my master. I will tell what I know after the lightbulb has explained her part, but I doubt I know more than her. I at least had the common sense to stay away from them."

"So this traveler, for what reason could he do all this?" Ainz asked

"I don't know. I assume he plays against someone who wants to awaken the Great Old One and his goal is to build up forces that could oppose that abomination." Eleleth said.

"Anything else you know about this traveler?"

"Not much. I know he calls himself Regoz and making deals with him is not the smartest thing to do, but I had no other options if I wanted to grow."

"Once again, why didn't you tell this earlier?" Ulbert asked.

"Because he may turn his attention here. We do not talk about travelers because even mentioning him may invite their attention and once they decide to do something, neither I, nor you, or even an infernal lord, could do anything to stop them." Eleleth said with a voice showing a lot more emotion than usual. Either she was that good of an actress or she genuinely was afraid.

"Is there anything we can do to protect against it?" Ainz asked.

"There isn't anything anyone can do."

"Mel, you have something to add?" Ulbert asked.

"No, she already told everything I knew. If a traveler is using this world for its games, there isn't much we can do."

"Demons have a tendency to dramatize things, you know." An unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone's attention turned to an unassuming man standing nearby. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was as the being had just appeared within the imperial castle despite the teleportation blockers.

"Regoz, I presume?" Ainz asked.

"Yes Emperor Ainz, I call myself Regoz." The man said with a deep bow and continued to speak

"So before both of your servants soil their panties, even more, let me assure you I am not here to harm any of you. The pretty ,little angel Lelethe broke her promise to keep silent about our little deal. But I will not hold it against her. After all, you are her master and she should hold loyalty to you over me."

"Why are you here, then?" Ulbert asked.

"To explain a thing or two. I must compliment you, Ulbert, the Demon God of Trickery. Most don't notice my touches on events."

Ulbert's face lit up in surprise as he figured out where he heard that tone of voice before. It was the same that spoke through Tabula when the roles of Gods were assigned.

"You are the one who spoke through Tabula and gave us the titles!?"

"I did. I was not wrong about any of you, was I not?"

"Why are you helping us?" Ainz asked. If everything had happened because of this being, then at this point, it would be better to assume Regoz didn't have malicious intent towards Nazarick.

"Because you will remove the Great Old One for me."

"But if you can't do it yourself, how can we stop it?"

"Who said I can't do it myself?"

"Then why not do it?"

"Now you sound like a peasant waiting for God to solve its problems. This is your world now. It is you who wants to rule over it and it is you who wants to claim godhood. What my goals are is not your concern."

"It is our concern since we are all involved in it!" Ainz said.

"You may be on top of the food chain here, but the wider reality doesn't bend to your will. If you want to make a deal with me and make me ignore this world just say so." Regoz said with a smile.

This being was right. He had no way of controlling or threatening it. His goal too was to oppose the Great Old One and everything this traveler has done was to his and Nazarick's benefit.

"I have no reason to do so."

"Good, then we are on the same page. Oh, and your daughter's path is her own, don't worry about her title, for now, just give her the best care a father can." Regoz said and then turned to the angel, "As for you, our deal is over. You are on your own from now on."

Before anyone else could say anything, Regoz bowed and disappeared.

"Certainly didn't expect my day to go this way," Ulbert said.

"Just blindly trusting this traveler or whatever he was doesn't sit right with me, but I don't think we have much of a choice either way," Ainz said.

Each day brought new surprises and revelations, and he wasn't the type who blindly put his trust in higher beings, but there wasn't anything else he could do for now. With Eleleth in tow, he departed from Ulbert's part of the castle.

"Master, will you trust me now?" Eleleth asked in an uncharacteristically timid voice.

"You broke a deal with that thing to tell me the truth. I guess that is a reason enough not to doubt you anymore."

"Thank you, master. I will continue serving you with all my devotion."

Bonus Chapter - Newcomers.

The sixth floor of the Great Tomb provided much-needed solitude. Being in the constant presence of servants and guards was tiring for Ankoro. The gentle wind swaying the trees and the grass soothed her agitated mind.

As an artist herself, she had to admit that the floor was a masterpiece. With slow steps, she walked nowhere in particular. Buku had ordered her children to not follow Ankoro, so no one was interrupting her walk.

After wandering around for a while, she stumbled upon a small lake but realized that she was not alone anymore. Only when she walked closer to the shore did she realize Blue Planet was present, blending in so well that she mistook him for some random boulder at the lake's side.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." Ankoro quietly said and turned to leave.

"You are not intruding, Ankoro. It is nice to have company from time to time."

Blue Planet wasn't someone who she communicated regularly, even back in the game, but the elemental was always doing his own thing and didn't particularly bother with the social circles within the guild.

She approached the elemental and sat down on the grass beside him, with both sitting in silence for a while.

"I can't wait for the spring outside. Everything will be so green and lively." Planet finally said.

"Yes, having a blue sky and green fields will be wonderful," Ankoro replied. She wasn't sure what to say, but leaving also would be impolite.

"You came to this world around the same time as me, right?"

"Yes."

"How are you settling in?"

"Fine, I guess. Everyone is so nice but overbearing. I know they mean well..."

"That's good to hear."

The silence fell again as both just sat and watched the gentle waves of the lake swinging back and forth. Sensing Ankoro's unease, Blue Planet decided to not ask her any more questions. She always was a shy girl and he didn't want her to feel pressured to talk.

After a while, it was Ankoro who spoke up.

"Did you leave behind anyone? You know, by coming here."

"I had a son, but he is already grown up and he will have a family on his own. I would wish for him to live in this world, but everything is so uncertain now. How about you?"

"No, there wasn't anyone anymore," Ankoro said solemnly.

She was all alone back on earth. Here she had friends once again and a family. That family was a dog-headed maid and a penguin with an ambition to rule the Great Tomb, but they were her family, nonetheless.

A faint smile appeared on her face. She couldn't have wished for a better life than the one she had now.

Edited by Edgy and Aterro