Chapter 122

Ainz felt his collector's instinct rise up, tingling in his spine that led to chills and a hungry kind of avarice. 'Treasury… Who knows what might be in there… of course I will have to deal with the other dragons, and those were powerful beings in Yggdrasil. But this world seems very underpowered. Caution must be exercised, but still, this is worth it.' He thought, however, the temptation to summon the other guardians… 'No, I don't want to appear weak… especially not now, not before Demiurge.'

Demiurge's mind ran faster than it ever had before, the black abyss of his own singular fear, that he might fail the one who still remained, the one left to give their lives purpose, it seemed to speed his mind up. Like a rock in free fall.

He began to make endless calculations about his Master's designs and desires… 'Obviously he intends to rule the dwarves, they are valuable… but what of these quagoa…?'

His Master, predictably, was several steps ahead of him.

"Tell me everything I need to know." Ainz said, and the young dragon quickly proved himself by obliging.

"My father wants to overthrow the frost giants and rule the mountains. For that, he gathered wives to produce children… and I… unfortunately, am considered a disappointment. But he believes in time that he can create enough of us to drive out the frost giants and secure a home for ourselves."

Hejinmal explained that and one thought sprang quickly to Ainz' mind. 'An army of dragons might be a problem… one rat is bad but easy enough to deal with, but a whole nest is something else again.'

"My father dominated the quagoa people that united under Pe Riyuro, and they act as his will, dealing with the business of gathering treasure and driving out the dwarves. They are their most hated enemies." Hejinmal spoke without hesitation, he might have even been called 'indifferent' but for all that calm, he never once removed his eyes from either his new Master or the powerful servant who seethed with malice just buried beneath the surface.

"What is a quagoa?" Ainz asked, the race not existing in Yggdrasil was utterly unfamiliar.

"A short race about the size of a dwarf, a little taller maybe, slightly hunched with white fur, sharp claws and jaws. They're intelligent, but before Pe Riyuro, they didn't produce much. Their bodies get harder when they consume precious ores, so they used to fight each other… from what I learned from them though, their leader got rid of that old system and put ore distribution into his own hands when he forced their clans to unite." Hejinmal stopped when the white robed figure was holding out a hand palm up.

"How many are there?" Ainz asked.

"Perhaps eighty-thousand spread across the mountains, but they've been gathering here for a long while to attack the remaining dwarven cities, there are perhaps a hundred thousand dwarves remaining. Most of the quagoa are already here, in a few months they'll make the last push and the dwarves will die in their last stronghold." Hejinmal said, and that brought Ainz up short. His hand slowly lowered, and he asked gently.

"When you say… 'here'... just what do you mean?"

"They live just outside of this area, My Lord. They're not allowed into this inner place, only my father and family come this way, but they're not even a half hour's walk on two legs." Hejinmal said it offhandedly, and Ainz turned an eye toward Demiurge.

'Yes… of course… that's his plan… I have to show him I anticipated at 'least' this much or he might be displeased!' Demiurge's mind raced for a solution.

'Quagoa are less valuable than dwarves but… that ability… what if they ate prismatic ore… what if they were 'made' to be loyal…?' Demiurge asked himself and turned a thought toward the dragons, 'Frost giants and dragons might both have their uses, but they must be humbled… both are too arrogant… thrown into dire straits…'

His Master's plan became obvious, so obvious that Demiurge's heart ached with loathing that it took his tiny mind so long to apprehend his Master's profound and deep thinking.

"Of course… Yes. Master I understand your will, if you will go with Hejinmal, I will begin to settle matters here." Demiurge promised and turning toward Ainz he gave a half bow with a joyful smile on his face to disguise the pain that went with his pride.

Ainz felt panic seize his mind, 'Plan? Will?! What is he talking about?!'

But Demiurge was plowing full steam ahead. "You, worm." The archdevil pointed to the submissive dragon.

"I will put a delayed seal on your mind, when you leave this place, you will be forgetting I was with our Master. You will not resist it's placement." Demiurge gave the order and the dragon did not move at all as the palm of the archdevil went down to rest on the scales between the dragon's eyes.

[Aspect of the Devil], [Forgotten Sin], [Memory Alteration].

There was only the tiniest glow of magic, and it was done. 'That will hold just the 'knowledge' he needs to have. If only I could work with memory as well as my Lord did, to guide us to such a perfect place for his master plan!' The frustration ate at the inadequacy the archdevil felt, but he held his peace.

'I don't feel any different.' Hejinmal thought, but that was not nearly as concerning as the fact that the demon in front of him seemed utterly nonplussed by that fact.

The touch had been almost 'gentle', barely more than the weight of an eagle's feather on his scales, yet from just a touch he could feel the overwhelming power that lay within the being. A caress might become the precursor to a new meaning of pain.

Hejinmal knew it, and from the demon's crystalline expressionless eyes, somehow Hejinmal could sense that the demon knew that he knew it too.

'There are so many scary things in this world…' That was the uniform lesson that Hejinmal gleaned from the books he read. The Greed Kings, the Six Great Gods, and the others, all of them were vastly powerful and smacked around dragons the way adults slapped around children.

"You're going to see my father… aren't you, Lord Demiurge?" Hejinmal asked in a tiny, squeaky voice.

"Yes." Demiurge remarked.

"Then can I ask one very small thing, for which I will be eternally grateful?" Hejinmal held the plea on his tongue until the archdevil, more curious than anything, nodded his head without a promise.

Hejinmal brought one talon up to his own jaw, recalling the last of the many blows he'd taken there, the cracks and breaks, repeatedly having it healed, and asked, "Whether you kill him or not… can I ask you to break his jaw before you're finished with him?"

The request felt supremely 'right' to the archdevil, and in answer to the dragon's question he said a very polite, "That can be arranged."

"Thank you, My Lord." Hejinmal said with a semblance of serenity slowly coming over him at some small promise of revenge.

Then turning to Ainz, Demiurge said, "I suppose you will be taking your leave then, Master. I will be with you in a few weeks."

The panic in Ainz' mind hadn't diminished in the slightest, but it had shifted. 'How can I… no, I can't disappoint him… he doesn't know yet and this may make things easier…' For a moment, a supreme sense of self loathing overtook the man who once called himself Suzuki Satoru. 'If only I weren't such a coward where it counted most…'

He cursed himself, and stammered out, "Ah-yes, of course you understand, Demiurge. I will see you soon…"

Then with that, Ainz looked down at the still prostrated dragon and said, "Show me the way."

Hejinmal then rose up from the stone floor and led Ainz out of the room, leaving Demiurge to whatever his work would be.