Albedo approached me again after having brought Enri and Nemu back from wherever we were in the forest. She glanced at me from time to time but was mostly keeping watch around the chief's house. There was little chance that something would happen, especially with the support unit watching out for anything entering our vicinity, but there was no such thing as being too safe.
Momonga had been in there for a while, getting information from the village chief, but I was sure he wouldn't take too much time. There was only so much he could gather from a guy in such a remote place. Besides, common sense and knowledge weren't that easily conveyed through a conversation, so the actual value of the information was highly specific.
We had little to do and were both just continuing to look around and even though I would rather hug Albedo's soft body, which would be impossible with her armor on, I didn't try to do that right now. We had a mission to fulfill and keeping Momonga safe was a top priority, especially now when we didn't know much about the world. For all we knew, there could be dangers lurking in the dark.
If I was being caught lacking, I wasn't sure what that would do to my reputation among the others. Perhaps from then forward they would treat every action of mine with suspicion. I truly had no mind for that kind of mistrust, especially this early on.
My armor was still supplying me with energy and I could feel myself growing stronger by the second, but I was nowhere strong enough to be incontestable. It would be best to be alone in the future, so I could let my armor supply me with energy at maximum capacity. I was taking in significantly less energy than I could have since absorbing that much energy seemed to be noticeable and it wasn't my eyes. I could suppress the glow that would appear in them, but others still seemed to be aware of something.
Just as usual, when I get bored, nervous, or otherwise agitated, I rubbed my index finger, letting the presence of my ring calm me. A one-time trump card that was so much more than just a fast travel tool inside the tomb… I would need to do what was best for Nazarick. Although I was still wary in order to not be exposed, I couldn't let that cloud my mind and perspective. I was still a member of Nazarick. The second most powerful existence in terms of authority and even popularity.
If I let my wariness go to my head, it would be a sure way to incite a civil war. In times when we haven't even established ourselves or even got any information about this world, we couldn't risk for such a huge issue to appear.
I was lucky that the New World appeared to be what I remembered it to be, but that didn't mean the entire world was the same. Not to mention that I probably have forgotten some details. I just needed to wait until I was powerful enough to be more brazen. Of course, the more time passed, the stronger Momonga's position with each ally in this New World became.
It would be concerning if I were an enemy. It was a good thing that I didn't truly have to oppose Momonga. I just wanted to change some decisions and his mindset. There was no point in betraying him since I gained only conflict and trouble with it.
I didn't want his position, and I didn't need to stop him from conquering the world. It might be more desirable if he didn't go around conquering, but I could work around it. The only thing I asked for was some safety through power, maybe seeing a bit of the world, but most importantly women warming my bed. That wasn't much to ask for, right? My musing was stopped when I was contacted via [Message].
"Your highness, a lot of humans are heading towards the village. What should we do?" Aura asked me, which made me pause for a moment.
"A lot of humans…? What do they look like, farmers, merchants? I need relevant information, Aura. How many are there? Are they soldiers, mages, clerics, or archers? How fast are they? When do they arrive? From where do they arrive? Do they belong to the previous group...?" I rattled off some questions that should be easily answered even though I knew what group was coming. The lack of details in her report would be fatal for any other group.
We could probably curb-stomp anything this world could throw at us, but that didn't mean I would allow poor practices to become bad habits and potentially ruin us.
"Eh? Ah- yes, your highness! About 50 human sword-wielding soldiers with some archers on horseback are riding towards the village. They are... around 20km away and will arrive in around 50ish minutes from the north. Ahem, they look like soldiers from another country."
"Acknowledged. Be on standby and keep them in sight... with that, I mean, watch them without getting noticed and wait for further instructions." I told her before cutting the connection after I got an enthusiastic 'Yes!' as a response.
They should have maintained that speed for a while since they were traveling from village to village, but surely they didn't want to exhaust their horses before they had to fight, so they ought to slow down, right? Or perhaps the horses here were built better than they were in my world?
"Enemies?" Albedo asked, and I shook my head.
"Probably not. Soldiers from a different country, perhaps hostile to the group we had chased off from this village. I will inform Momonga." I turned towards the door and was about to knock on it when it opened.
Ainz's large frame filled the view of the door, and I took a measured step backward and to the side to let him out. He glanced at me before stepping out. "Did anything happen?"
"A 50 men strong platoon cavalry heading towards us at around 24 km per hour. Arrival in 50 T-minus minutes from the north. Most likely affiliated with another organization or kingdom than the previous aggressors." I reported what Aura had told me to Momonga in a quiet voice to not alert the villagers.
Momonga nodded hesitantly at my report, "Hm... Perhaps soldiers of this kingdom?"
"That would be my guess as well, especially since the previous soldiers didn't seem to be out to rob or occupy this village. They just seemed out to destroy and kill." I glanced around at the villagers and found that they were already preparing to hold the funeral for the dead.
"Maybe the previous soldiers were disguised and tried to blame another country." Albedo made the guess, and she was right on the money, not that she knew for certain.
"Perhaps." I nodded in her direction, causing her to stand taller. I turned back to Momonga. "Should I order Aura to capture them?" I inquired, and I slowly figured that it might not have been the best option to tell Aura to report to me if she noticed something.
What would I do if Momonga annihilated Gazef and his troop? Although I was a bit anxious about the possible derailing of canon, I didn't feel like it was too much of a problem. I was confident in my and in Nazarick's abilities to shoulder everything this world could offer. A slight smile plastered on my face as I waited for Ainz's answer. Not that he could see that, but facial expressions were carried through the voice.
"... No, let them come. If they are here to protect this village, we might get more information from them. If they are only on the level of the previous soldiers, then we have nothing to worry about... How many support units do we have?" Momonga asked as he walked through the village.
"I am not sure about the exact numbers, but Aura and Mare are in charge of the unit. I hope they have enough to cover the premise around us up to 10 kilometers. Ainz-sama, do you want to cover more ground? I can immediately call for more backup." I said the last bit a little more hurriedly, though as suspected, he denied it.
"N-no. I am sure Sebas had ordered enough manpower to cover this mission..." 'He probably had overdone it.' He surely thought, but I let it rest since I was under the same impression. Sebas, when organizing a support unit, would probably want to cover the entire ground and sky with no loopholes or blind spots. He wasn't the only one that would have done so if tasked to secure the area.
After all, how could the citizen of Nazarick bear to have their ruler in a possibly dangerous environment? ... Hm. Perhaps he might have sent out even more since I was out here as well. It was a miracle that we were even allowed to go to this village without bodyguards.
Of course, we had Albedo come in a moment later and the support unit as well, but there were a few precious seconds where the most important people of Nazarick were without protection, or did he watch us through the mirror, ready to jump through Ainz's portal that had only vanished after Albedo walked through.
This, in turn, would mean that there was an opening toward the inner sanctum of the tomb that another Player could have exploited. Since the gate was already allowed through Aureole, she wouldn't have been able to change it afterward. In the absolute worst-case scenario, this would have turned into a breach of the highest order.
Of course, it would only be a problem if Ainz couldn't react in time or let the portal open indefinitely. Though even if someone entered the 9th floor, it wouldn't mean they could combat their way through that floor. Besides, Ainz was probably more important than having a gap in security into the tomb- I shook my head. I was getting way off-topic. I shouldn't worry about things that would not happen.
Albedo and I followed Ainz as he watched the villagers hold their funerals. They were still unaware of the platoon of soldiers heading this way otherwise; I was sure they wouldn't be that calm.
"Do you hate humans?" Ainz-sama suddenly asked when Albedo watched another human cross our path as we walked toward the direction Gazef and his troop would appear in.
"I detest them. Humans are weak and inferior life forms. They would look so pretty if I squashed them like bugs... besides that girl." Albedo answered with that enchanting voice of hers. Her answer was predictable, but not something I could really change. It wasn't even something that was in her lore. Well, except for the fact that she saw outsiders as inferior.
The detest of almost everyone inside the tomb was ingrained and probably a result of their negative karma and probably the fact that most invaders of Nazarick were humans. Their viewpoint was kind of understandable if one thought about their perspective of humans. Hostile creatures that were trying to destroy their home. Even if they never succeeded, there were times when they were able to kill your friends, family, and peers.
If I hadn't seen Yggdrasil as the game it was, I would probably hate humans. Seeing a bunch of weak specimens of the same race would give me the urge to crush them as well. Resentment was a powerful thing even for someone that had a positive karma value or perhaps beings like me would just see those aggressors as evil to be exterminated? I didn't know how true that angle of resentment rang with the populace of Nazarick. It wasn't unlikely that they just hated all outsiders, considering their modus operandi.
"I see... I understand how you feel, but try to control yourself for the time being. They are currently valuable to me, so let's put on a show." Ainz responded, causing her to bow slightly before he turned toward me.
"What about you Azazel?" His eyes seemed to bore through the mask into my helmet and my head.
"I don't care too much about the race of outsiders." It wouldn't be fitting for me to hate humans and I couldn't really say that I loved humans or had too much sympathy for them. "Though I can see that these are in need of some… serious guidance. The only thing important is whether their existence is beneficial to Nazarick." I answered with apathy and a willingness to guide them rather than hate or love. After all, I was still an angel.
"I see. Not a bad stance to have." He said before continuing to stroll to the edge of the village.
"Thank you, Ainz-sama... should we inform the villagers of the soldiers' arrival? It wouldn't do well if they panicked. It might be a good idea to have the chief present in case the soldiers don't believe that we aren't hostile."
"Let's see if these soldiers are hostile first. It won't do well if there was a mishap, and he died because of it..." He rationalized and it would indeed be the better approach if one prepared for a large-scale battle. Of course, my approach would be easier and more efficient since they weren't hostile, to begin with, but that was something only I knew.
Though I was also pretty sure that the village chief had been present for Gazef in the series, right? Didn't really make a difference either way. I just wanted to finish this little episode and go back to fuck someone. Now that Albedo already took my 'first' time, it was time to give the other ladies some love, or should I deflower her back entrance first as well?
As I mused about that, I gave Ainz a distracted 'Understood' and continued with them to the edge of the village. My brief fantasy was unexpectedly interrupted again when Ainz turned to look at me again. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he seemed to grit his teeth and spoke up. "... Do you think it would be a better approach to have the chief nearby?"
I glanced at him and saw that he was waiting for my answer with awful curiosity and no small amount of panic. Was I behaving too out of line? "I think it might be beneficial to extinguish any misunderstandings that could arise. Frankly, I would rather avoid even the chance of misunderstandings from arising..."
As I said that, I looked over at Albedo, who caught me looking over and seemingly locked eyes with me, even though we both were wearing helmets. It was a comforting look she gave me. "... Of course, avoiding mistakes to happen would be a wise move as well. I don't believe it would make too much of a difference, but it would be my personal preference to avoid misunderstandings that might prevent trouble for Nazarick than care for the life of a single human. He would be a necessary sacrifice and offering for our continued glory..."
I paused slightly after saying that. Even though I blurted something out that I had thought about, I couldn't help but feel slightly disturbed about what I had said. Previously, it had been just a thought, an idea, but now, after saying it out loud, it was made real. The continuation of Nazarick was more important than those collateral lives lost.
It was the first time that the calmness and the critical weighing of the pros and cons of sacrificing entire kingdoms for my comfortable life and the continued existence of those around me made me uneasy.
Had I already changed so much that I was truly willing to step on lives to achieve my simplistic goals? How did that reconcile with me being an angel? Shouldn't my willingness for living sacrifices have been reduced because of my positive karma? Why was I so nonchalant about this?
Although I had made peace with the thought that some lives would be lost, I still thought that I would be hesitant, or at least feel some kind of way. Perhaps at this moment, I knew the village chief's life wasn't in danger, but it still didn't take away from the fact that I was willing to go to that length. I was confused and somewhat lost until I realized it wasn't a bad thing.
I just wanted a peaceful life with my harem and our safety secured. If I had to walk on bodies, then that was what I was going to do. Even if I felt a certain way about the innocent lives lost, it was currently an insurmountable objective to achieve my goals without sacrifice. Hell, I needed some people to die to achieve what I wanted.
With the realization that it was an impossibility to win without sacrifices in mind, I focused on the armor on my body, the sword at my hip, and the ring on my index finger, filling me with supreme power and confidence that I could at least achieve my goals and even reduce some suffering in the world.
Although there were people that would die because of my decision to lie low and my silence for certain actions Nazarick would take, this was how far I will go to not compromise my goals.
A few months away from Nazarick and I could use all my items to be untouchable. Only then, once I had the power, once I knew what I wanted, once I knew who I was, I might change my opinion about that, but today wasn't that day. I swiftly calmed down again.
"... Hm, indeed perhaps it is better to have him by our side just in case. Call the village chief over and have him stand with us as we greet the newcomers." Ainz said after he had looked at me for some time. One might think that he thought about the merits of my suggestion, but I could tell that wasn't on his mind.
Though I couldn't take back what I had said and just followed through with it. I quickly took a villager to the side and told him to get the chief to where we would be waiting. A glance at Albedo made me realize she was happy for me that my suggestion was accepted. She gave me a secret thumbs up and she honestly looked adorable, especially when she panicky returned her posture when Ainz glanced at her.
After the short 5-minute stroll, we arrived, and I found that there were still around 25 minutes until they arrived. That little tidbit almost made me yawn before I was once again contacted by Aura via [Message]. Did she already discover the Sunlight Scripture?
"Azazel-sama, there are 45 human mages coming towards the village through the forest. They are spread out like a fan and are arriving on foot. They are closer, but it will take about 30 minutes until they have surrounded the village, except for where the other group is coming from. They don't look like they belong to the same group as the cavalry."
I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me. "I see. Keep observing them and wait for further instructions."
"Is something wrong, Azazel?" Ainz asked after I cut the connection again.
"There is another platoon of mages, 45 men strong. Arrival in 30 minutes. Possibly not affiliated with the platoon of cavalry. They are trying to surround the village."
"Surround the village, huh?" Ainz pondered before looking at me again. "What do you think they want?"
I stared at his Jealousy Mask for a moment as I thought about how much I should reveal, but to be honest, I just wanted to return to the tomb and play around with my maids, Fubuki, and Albedo. It was best to finish this as quickly as possible. Maybe I could make him order the capture of the Sunlight Scripture with the support unit by revealing my 'conjunction'.
"I believe the soldiers were used to lure the cavalry out by destroying villages belonging to this kingdom before their second group, the mages, would annihilate the ones that are coming for rescue. Perhaps the cavalry that is approaching this village might have someone in their midst that is important enough to lie out this trap or they use the fact that the kingdom sends out soldiers to protect the villages to chip their forces away."
Albedo nodded at the conclusion when I laid it out like this, though without clear evidence, all this would be guessing, a good and correct guess, but that wasn't something they could know.
I continued, "In that case, it would make sense why the previous soldiers might have been disguised, so the blame for this trap would lie with another kingdom. It could also be that the three groups are independent, but that would only make sense if this village held great value that would interest such a response from multiple organizations or kingdoms."
He stared at me for a second before turning towards where Gazef and his platoon would come from. "A good guess... Let's see and wait for them to arrive. Tell Aura and Mare to not engage. I will see how the mages of this world fare against us."
Somewhat disappointing, but I guessed a taste of how strong I actually was with some human mages in comparison might give me an idea of how big of a gap I was dealing with. Of course, I intellectually and factually knew that I could annihilate this little platoon composed of mortal mages, hell even if I didn't go all out, I could decimate them without breaking a sweat. Still, it was a different thing to know something or even to have proof of it than it was to actually experience it.
Most modern humans would know what I was talking about. With all the information at one's fingertips, pictures of landscapes, animals, or something seemingly fantastical as polar lights just hit differently when seen in real life. When one stood in the snow and gazed at the sky as the natural light show unfolded above one's head, the pure awe one felt for something that could be dissected with facts and be witnessed through a screen. It was the same thing, but it was a different experience.
As I thought about these trivial things, 20 minutes passed in what felt like a blink of an eye. Gazef and his warrior troop finally arrived on horseback. Of course, Ainz hadn't been too idle and had told the villagers to assemble in the village chief's house while the chief arrived and waited with us.
Ainz said some calming words to the nervous man and ordered the Death Knight to guard the village chief's house, while we would meet the... warrior captain, was it?
Gazef rode at the front before stopping with his troop of around 30 men several meters away after seeing us. Unlike the anime, each soldier had a different armor on and looked generally not that well organized or uniform.
Gazef was obviously the leader of the bunch, especially with his stature and demeanor. His gaze and aura told volumes of his mindset and fierceness, at least for a human. To me, it was hardly intimidating, especially after being surrounded by the powerful beings Nazarick offered. Not to mention all the dangerous women that want to have their backs blown out by me. I might have felt apprehensive if I had met such a man in my past life, but to me, he was like the others that had fallen through the Death Knight's sword.
After stopping, he was eyeing us, especially me. He had glanced at the Death Knight in the distance with some concern and at Albedo with wariness, but he seemed to be especially on guard or curious about me. Perhaps because I looked like a noble knight in my armor?
Of course, after eyeing us up, the bulk of attention took Ainz since he was positioned in the middle, making him out to be the leader at first glance. Also, him being a step in front of the rest of us made that position in our group even clearer.
"—I am the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. By order of the King, I have been visiting each of the frontier villages to exterminate knights from enemy countries who have been making trouble here."
I ignored the minor exchange between Ainz and the chief about who Gazef was and just continued to size up the man in front of me. This was supposed to be the strongest warrior of an entire kingdom? Of course, I knew that his strength was hardly at its peak without the right equipment, or maybe because I knew that, made me disappointed? Sad? for him.
Someone that I actually liked as a character and what loyalty and morals he had shown in the series. It left me somewhat... I wasn't sure how to describe it... I wasn't sure what I expected, especially since I knew we might stand on opposing sides in the future. It was just tragic that his strength was bound by the corruption that infested this kingdom.
The conversation between Ainz and Gazef continued without our input as they talked about what had happened and who we were. When he heard we saved the village, Gazef's gratitude could be clearly seen. Gazef had jumped off his horse at that point and let another soldier take the rein before he bowed to us.
His thanks were genuine and if one knew his background as a commoner of a village not unlike this one, one could understand how much gratitude such an upstanding warrior would hold for our actions. Unfortunately, his good words wouldn't do much among the nobles of this pathetic kingdom.
There was a bit of back and forth, getting somewhat boring until Gazef challenged me to a duel. Gazef had turned to me and asked to experience my swordsmanship. To me, it came a bit out of the blue, but changes were something I had expected to happen.
I looked over at Ainz, who had a neutral stance as if he didn't care about whether I accepted, so I didn't reject him outright. It might be the only time I could have such an exchange with him. After all, in the future for him to challenge the prince of another country, especially a hostile one, might as well be an impossibility.
"Is there a specific reason for you to challenge me?" I asked the warrior captain, who seemed to be stunned at my question before he pulled him back together swiftly.
"Because I felt you wanted the same. The stance you have, the gaze as you observed my every move. To be honest, it made my blood boil, making me feel young and hot-blooded again. Seeing that you too are a swordsman, I figured I would give it a shot. Hahaha." His baritone voice responded before laughing lightly. His answer wasn't complete, even if his words rang true. Obviously, this was also to see how strong we were in a roundabout way.
He was probing what he thought would be the second strongest and, with me carrying a sword and having the look of a knight, he would have a perfect excuse while getting to know how strong we approximately were.
"Very well," I said, before walking a bit to the side. A little open space where we could exchange a move or two. I was about to pull out a lesser sword, one of the most ordinary crap I had stored in my inventory, but I decided against it and instead unsheathed the sword at my hip.
The divine sword should be world-class because of its description, something that needed to be tested, but still something no sword could contend against in the New World. I pointed the tip at Gazef, who had pulled out his sword. As soon as he did, his jaw tensely clenched as did his hands around his handle.
I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion and focused on whether I still had a passive skill active. In the end, I even reduced the output of my armor's augmentation to zero and waited for him as he slowly relaxed into a less tense stance. "Thank you." He uttered before taking a deep breath and taking the first step forward. The muscles in his legs contracted before he pushed himself off the ground with a mighty leap forward, swiftly closing the few meters' distance between us.
A diagonal overhead swing, making me rotate and lean to the side, avoiding the strike. His sword cut through the air at impressive speed but was still harmless if it didn't connect.
It would be detrimental to his stamina to stop and strike in the other direction, so he continued the momentum of his swing. He moved the sword in a circle and came up with another overhead strike again after a full rotation.
I raised my sword to meet his and used his pressure to let his sword glide along mine. His sword cut downward, guided by my sword, while I still had my sword's handle high above my shoulder. I rotated slightly, creating a minute opening as Gazef already adjusted to the little overreach. The sword in my hand swirled around and swiftly cut at his neck before stopping just as I was about to behead him.
He had already leaned to the side, but I, in turn, had already taken a step in the same direction, cutting off his escape route. He gulped as he looked at the sword at his neck before I retracted it.
Of course, he could have used martial arts, and perhaps in his eyes, he would have had a better chance at beating me, but it still was clear as day that if this was an actual fight, he would have died. The only supernatural stats I had shown were my reaction speed. In the end, he was just beaten by pure skill in two exchanges. He understood that as well, which was why he thanked me instead of asking for a rematch. That was something I respected.
Albedo approached me again after having brought Enri and Nemu back from wherever we were in the forest. She glanced at me from time to time but was mostly keeping watch around the chief's house. There was little chance that something would happen, especially with the support unit watching out for anything entering our vicinity, but there was no such thing as being too safe.
Momonga had been in there for a while, getting information from the village chief, but I was sure he wouldn't take too much time. There was only so much he could gather from a guy in such a remote place. Besides, common sense and knowledge weren't that easily conveyed through a conversation, so the actual value of the information was highly specific.
We had little to do and were both just continuing to look around and even though I would rather hug Albedo's soft body, which would be impossible with her armor on, I didn't try to do that right now. We had a mission to fulfill and keeping Momonga safe was a top priority, especially now when we didn't know much about the world. For all we knew, there could be dangers lurking in the dark.
If I was being caught lacking, I wasn't sure what that would do to my reputation among the others. Perhaps from then forward they would treat every action of mine with suspicion. I truly had no mind for that kind of mistrust, especially this early on.
My armor was still supplying me with energy and I could feel myself growing stronger by the second, but I was nowhere strong enough to be incontestable. It would be best to be alone in the future, so I could let my armor supply me with energy at maximum capacity. I was taking in significantly less energy than I could have since absorbing that much energy seemed to be noticeable and it wasn't my eyes. I could suppress the glow that would appear in them, but others still seemed to be aware of something.
Just as usual, when I get bored, nervous, or otherwise agitated, I rubbed my index finger, letting the presence of my ring calm me. A one-time trump card that was so much more than just a fast travel tool inside the tomb… I would need to do what was best for Nazarick. Although I was still wary in order to not be exposed, I couldn't let that cloud my mind and perspective. I was still a member of Nazarick. The second most powerful existence in terms of authority and even popularity.
If I let my wariness go to my head, it would be a sure way to incite a civil war. In times when we haven't even established ourselves or even got any information about this world, we couldn't risk for such a huge issue to appear.
I was lucky that the New World appeared to be what I remembered it to be, but that didn't mean the entire world was the same. Not to mention that I probably have forgotten some details. I just needed to wait until I was powerful enough to be more brazen. Of course, the more time passed, the stronger Momonga's position with each ally in this New World became.
It would be concerning if I were an enemy. It was a good thing that I didn't truly have to oppose Momonga. I just wanted to change some decisions and his mindset. There was no point in betraying him since I gained only conflict and trouble with it.
I didn't want his position, and I didn't need to stop him from conquering the world. It might be more desirable if he didn't go around conquering, but I could work around it. The only thing I asked for was some safety through power, maybe seeing a bit of the world, but most importantly women warming my bed. That wasn't much to ask for, right? My musing was stopped when I was contacted via [Message].
"Your highness, a lot of humans are heading towards the village. What should we do?" Aura asked me, which made me pause for a moment.
"A lot of humans…? What do they look like, farmers, merchants? I need relevant information, Aura. How many are there? Are they soldiers, mages, clerics, or archers? How fast are they? When do they arrive? From where do they arrive? Do they belong to the previous group...?" I rattled off some questions that should be easily answered even though I knew what group was coming. The lack of details in her report would be fatal for any other group.
We could probably curb-stomp anything this world could throw at us, but that didn't mean I would allow poor practices to become bad habits and potentially ruin us.
"Eh? Ah- yes, your highness! About 50 human sword-wielding soldiers with some archers on horseback are riding towards the village. They are... around 20km away and will arrive in around 50ish minutes from the north. Ahem, they look like soldiers from another country."
"Acknowledged. Be on standby and keep them in sight... with that, I mean, watch them without getting noticed and wait for further instructions." I told her before cutting the connection after I got an enthusiastic 'Yes!' as a response.
They should have maintained that speed for a while since they were traveling from village to village, but surely they didn't want to exhaust their horses before they had to fight, so they ought to slow down, right? Or perhaps the horses here were built better than they were in my world?
"Enemies?" Albedo asked, and I shook my head.
"Probably not. Soldiers from a different country, perhaps hostile to the group we had chased off from this village. I will inform Momonga." I turned towards the door and was about to knock on it when it opened.
Ainz's large frame filled the view of the door, and I took a measured step backward and to the side to let him out. He glanced at me before stepping out. "Did anything happen?"
"A 50 men strong platoon cavalry heading towards us at around 24 km per hour. Arrival in 50 T-minus minutes from the north. Most likely affiliated with another organization or kingdom than the previous aggressors." I reported what Aura had told me to Momonga in a quiet voice to not alert the villagers.
Momonga nodded hesitantly at my report, "Hm... Perhaps soldiers of this kingdom?"
"That would be my guess as well, especially since the previous soldiers didn't seem to be out to rob or occupy this village. They just seemed out to destroy and kill." I glanced around at the villagers and found that they were already preparing to hold the funeral for the dead.
"Maybe the previous soldiers were disguised and tried to blame another country." Albedo made the guess, and she was right on the money, not that she knew for certain.
"Perhaps." I nodded in her direction, causing her to stand taller. I turned back to Momonga. "Should I order Aura to capture them?" I inquired, and I slowly figured that it might not have been the best option to tell Aura to report to me if she noticed something.
What would I do if Momonga annihilated Gazef and his troop? Although I was a bit anxious about the possible derailing of canon, I didn't feel like it was too much of a problem. I was confident in my and in Nazarick's abilities to shoulder everything this world could offer. A slight smile plastered on my face as I waited for Ainz's answer. Not that he could see that, but facial expressions were carried through the voice.
"... No, let them come. If they are here to protect this village, we might get more information from them. If they are only on the level of the previous soldiers, then we have nothing to worry about... How many support units do we have?" Momonga asked as he walked through the village.
"I am not sure about the exact numbers, but Aura and Mare are in charge of the unit. I hope they have enough to cover the premise around us up to 10 kilometers. Ainz-sama, do you want to cover more ground? I can immediately call for more backup." I said the last bit a little more hurriedly, though as suspected, he denied it.
"N-no. I am sure Sebas had ordered enough manpower to cover this mission..." 'He probably had overdone it.' He surely thought, but I let it rest since I was under the same impression. Sebas, when organizing a support unit, would probably want to cover the entire ground and sky with no loopholes or blind spots. He wasn't the only one that would have done so if tasked to secure the area.
After all, how could the citizen of Nazarick bear to have their ruler in a possibly dangerous environment? ... Hm. Perhaps he might have sent out even more since I was out here as well. It was a miracle that we were even allowed to go to this village without bodyguards.
Of course, we had Albedo come in a moment later and the support unit as well, but there were a few precious seconds where the most important people of Nazarick were without protection, or did he watch us through the mirror, ready to jump through Ainz's portal that had only vanished after Albedo walked through.
This, in turn, would mean that there was an opening toward the inner sanctum of the tomb that another Player could have exploited. Since the gate was already allowed through Aureole, she wouldn't have been able to change it afterward. In the absolute worst-case scenario, this would have turned into a breach of the highest order.
Of course, it would only be a problem if Ainz couldn't react in time or let the portal open indefinitely. Though even if someone entered the 9th floor, it wouldn't mean they could combat their way through that floor. Besides, Ainz was probably more important than having a gap in security into the tomb- I shook my head. I was getting way off-topic. I shouldn't worry about things that would not happen.
Albedo and I followed Ainz as he watched the villagers hold their funerals. They were still unaware of the platoon of soldiers heading this way otherwise; I was sure they wouldn't be that calm.
"Do you hate humans?" Ainz-sama suddenly asked when Albedo watched another human cross our path as we walked toward the direction Gazef and his troop would appear in.
"I detest them. Humans are weak and inferior life forms. They would look so pretty if I squashed them like bugs... besides that girl." Albedo answered with that enchanting voice of hers. Her answer was predictable, but not something I could really change. It wasn't even something that was in her lore. Well, except for the fact that she saw outsiders as inferior.
The detest of almost everyone inside the tomb was ingrained and probably a result of their negative karma and probably the fact that most invaders of Nazarick were humans. Their viewpoint was kind of understandable if one thought about their perspective of humans. Hostile creatures that were trying to destroy their home. Even if they never succeeded, there were times when they were able to kill your friends, family, and peers.
If I hadn't seen Yggdrasil as the game it was, I would probably hate humans. Seeing a bunch of weak specimens of the same race would give me the urge to crush them as well. Resentment was a powerful thing even for someone that had a positive karma value or perhaps beings like me would just see those aggressors as evil to be exterminated? I didn't know how true that angle of resentment rang with the populace of Nazarick. It wasn't unlikely that they just hated all outsiders, considering their modus operandi.
"I see... I understand how you feel, but try to control yourself for the time being. They are currently valuable to me, so let's put on a show." Ainz responded, causing her to bow slightly before he turned toward me.
"What about you Azazel?" His eyes seemed to bore through the mask into my helmet and my head.
"I don't care too much about the race of outsiders." It wouldn't be fitting for me to hate humans and I couldn't really say that I loved humans or had too much sympathy for them. "Though I can see that these are in need of some… serious guidance. The only thing important is whether their existence is beneficial to Nazarick." I answered with apathy and a willingness to guide them rather than hate or love. After all, I was still an angel.
"I see. Not a bad stance to have." He said before continuing to stroll to the edge of the village.
"Thank you, Ainz-sama... should we inform the villagers of the soldiers' arrival? It wouldn't do well if they panicked. It might be a good idea to have the chief present in case the soldiers don't believe that we aren't hostile."
"Let's see if these soldiers are hostile first. It won't do well if there was a mishap, and he died because of it..." He rationalized and it would indeed be the better approach if one prepared for a large-scale battle. Of course, my approach would be easier and more efficient since they weren't hostile, to begin with, but that was something only I knew.
Though I was also pretty sure that the village chief had been present for Gazef in the series, right? Didn't really make a difference either way. I just wanted to finish this little episode and go back to fuck someone. Now that Albedo already took my 'first' time, it was time to give the other ladies some love, or should I deflower her back entrance first as well?
As I mused about that, I gave Ainz a distracted 'Understood' and continued with them to the edge of the village. My brief fantasy was unexpectedly interrupted again when Ainz turned to look at me again. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he seemed to grit his teeth and spoke up. "... Do you think it would be a better approach to have the chief nearby?"
I glanced at him and saw that he was waiting for my answer with awful curiosity and no small amount of panic. Was I behaving too out of line? "I think it might be beneficial to extinguish any misunderstandings that could arise. Frankly, I would rather avoid even the chance of misunderstandings from arising..."
As I said that, I looked over at Albedo, who caught me looking over and seemingly locked eyes with me, even though we both were wearing helmets. It was a comforting look she gave me. "... Of course, avoiding mistakes to happen would be a wise move as well. I don't believe it would make too much of a difference, but it would be my personal preference to avoid misunderstandings that might prevent trouble for Nazarick than care for the life of a single human. He would be a necessary sacrifice and offering for our continued glory..."
I paused slightly after saying that. Even though I blurted something out that I had thought about, I couldn't help but feel slightly disturbed about what I had said. Previously, it had been just a thought, an idea, but now, after saying it out loud, it was made real. The continuation of Nazarick was more important than those collateral lives lost.
It was the first time that the calmness and the critical weighing of the pros and cons of sacrificing entire kingdoms for my comfortable life and the continued existence of those around me made me uneasy.
Had I already changed so much that I was truly willing to step on lives to achieve my simplistic goals? How did that reconcile with me being an angel? Shouldn't my willingness for living sacrifices have been reduced because of my positive karma? Why was I so nonchalant about this?
Although I had made peace with the thought that some lives would be lost, I still thought that I would be hesitant, or at least feel some kind of way. Perhaps at this moment, I knew the village chief's life wasn't in danger, but it still didn't take away from the fact that I was willing to go to that length. I was confused and somewhat lost until I realized it wasn't a bad thing.
I just wanted a peaceful life with my harem and our safety secured. If I had to walk on bodies, then that was what I was going to do. Even if I felt a certain way about the innocent lives lost, it was currently an insurmountable objective to achieve my goals without sacrifice. Hell, I needed some people to die to achieve what I wanted.
With the realization that it was an impossibility to win without sacrifices in mind, I focused on the armor on my body, the sword at my hip, and the ring on my index finger, filling me with supreme power and confidence that I could at least achieve my goals and even reduce some suffering in the world.
Although there were people that would die because of my decision to lie low and my silence for certain actions Nazarick would take, this was how far I will go to not compromise my goals.
A few months away from Nazarick and I could use all my items to be untouchable. Only then, once I had the power, once I knew what I wanted, once I knew who I was, I might change my opinion about that, but today wasn't that day. I swiftly calmed down again.
"... Hm, indeed perhaps it is better to have him by our side just in case. Call the village chief over and have him stand with us as we greet the newcomers." Ainz said after he had looked at me for some time. One might think that he thought about the merits of my suggestion, but I could tell that wasn't on his mind.
Though I couldn't take back what I had said and just followed through with it. I quickly took a villager to the side and told him to get the chief to where we would be waiting. A glance at Albedo made me realize she was happy for me that my suggestion was accepted. She gave me a secret thumbs up and she honestly looked adorable, especially when she panicky returned her posture when Ainz glanced at her.
After the short 5-minute stroll, we arrived, and I found that there were still around 25 minutes until they arrived. That little tidbit almost made me yawn before I was once again contacted by Aura via [Message]. Did she already discover the Sunlight Scripture?
"Azazel-sama, there are 45 human mages coming towards the village through the forest. They are spread out like a fan and are arriving on foot. They are closer, but it will take about 30 minutes until they have surrounded the village, except for where the other group is coming from. They don't look like they belong to the same group as the cavalry."
I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me. "I see. Keep observing them and wait for further instructions."
"Is something wrong, Azazel?" Ainz asked after I cut the connection again.
"There is another platoon of mages, 45 men strong. Arrival in 30 minutes. Possibly not affiliated with the platoon of cavalry. They are trying to surround the village."
"Surround the village, huh?" Ainz pondered before looking at me again. "What do you think they want?"
I stared at his Jealousy Mask for a moment as I thought about how much I should reveal, but to be honest, I just wanted to return to the tomb and play around with my maids, Fubuki, and Albedo. It was best to finish this as quickly as possible. Maybe I could make him order the capture of the Sunlight Scripture with the support unit by revealing my 'conjunction'.
"I believe the soldiers were used to lure the cavalry out by destroying villages belonging to this kingdom before their second group, the mages, would annihilate the ones that are coming for rescue. Perhaps the cavalry that is approaching this village might have someone in their midst that is important enough to lie out this trap or they use the fact that the kingdom sends out soldiers to protect the villages to chip their forces away."
Albedo nodded at the conclusion when I laid it out like this, though without clear evidence, all this would be guessing, a good and correct guess, but that wasn't something they could know.
I continued, "In that case, it would make sense why the previous soldiers might have been disguised, so the blame for this trap would lie with another kingdom. It could also be that the three groups are independent, but that would only make sense if this village held great value that would interest such a response from multiple organizations or kingdoms."
He stared at me for a second before turning towards where Gazef and his platoon would come from. "A good guess... Let's see and wait for them to arrive. Tell Aura and Mare to not engage. I will see how the mages of this world fare against us."
Somewhat disappointing, but I guessed a taste of how strong I actually was with some human mages in comparison might give me an idea of how big of a gap I was dealing with. Of course, I intellectually and factually knew that I could annihilate this little platoon composed of mortal mages, hell even if I didn't go all out, I could decimate them without breaking a sweat. Still, it was a different thing to know something or even to have proof of it than it was to actually experience it.
Most modern humans would know what I was talking about. With all the information at one's fingertips, pictures of landscapes, animals, or something seemingly fantastical as polar lights just hit differently when seen in real life. When one stood in the snow and gazed at the sky as the natural light show unfolded above one's head, the pure awe one felt for something that could be dissected with facts and be witnessed through a screen. It was the same thing, but it was a different experience.
As I thought about these trivial things, 20 minutes passed in what felt like a blink of an eye. Gazef and his warrior troop finally arrived on horseback. Of course, Ainz hadn't been too idle and had told the villagers to assemble in the village chief's house while the chief arrived and waited with us.
Ainz said some calming words to the nervous man and ordered the Death Knight to guard the village chief's house, while we would meet the... warrior captain, was it?
Gazef rode at the front before stopping with his troop of around 30 men several meters away after seeing us. Unlike the anime, each soldier had a different armor on and looked generally not that well organized or uniform.
Gazef was obviously the leader of the bunch, especially with his stature and demeanor. His gaze and aura told volumes of his mindset and fierceness, at least for a human. To me, it was hardly intimidating, especially after being surrounded by the powerful beings Nazarick offered. Not to mention all the dangerous women that want to have their backs blown out by me. I might have felt apprehensive if I had met such a man in my past life, but to me, he was like the others that had fallen through the Death Knight's sword.
After stopping, he was eyeing us, especially me. He had glanced at the Death Knight in the distance with some concern and at Albedo with wariness, but he seemed to be especially on guard or curious about me. Perhaps because I looked like a noble knight in my armor?
Of course, after eyeing us up, the bulk of attention took Ainz since he was positioned in the middle, making him out to be the leader at first glance. Also, him being a step in front of the rest of us made that position in our group even clearer.
"—I am the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. By order of the King, I have been visiting each of the frontier villages to exterminate knights from enemy countries who have been making trouble here."
I ignored the minor exchange between Ainz and the chief about who Gazef was and just continued to size up the man in front of me. This was supposed to be the strongest warrior of an entire kingdom? Of course, I knew that his strength was hardly at its peak without the right equipment, or maybe because I knew that, made me disappointed? Sad? for him.
Someone that I actually liked as a character and what loyalty and morals he had shown in the series. It left me somewhat... I wasn't sure how to describe it... I wasn't sure what I expected, especially since I knew we might stand on opposing sides in the future. It was just tragic that his strength was bound by the corruption that infested this kingdom.
The conversation between Ainz and Gazef continued without our input as they talked about what had happened and who we were. When he heard we saved the village, Gazef's gratitude could be clearly seen. Gazef had jumped off his horse at that point and let another soldier take the rein before he bowed to us.
His thanks were genuine and if one knew his background as a commoner of a village not unlike this one, one could understand how much gratitude such an upstanding warrior would hold for our actions. Unfortunately, his good words wouldn't do much among the nobles of this pathetic kingdom.
There was a bit of back and forth, getting somewhat boring until Gazef challenged me to a duel. Gazef had turned to me and asked to experience my swordsmanship. To me, it came a bit out of the blue, but changes were something I had expected to happen.
I looked over at Ainz, who had a neutral stance as if he didn't care about whether I accepted, so I didn't reject him outright. It might be the only time I could have such an exchange with him. After all, in the future for him to challenge the prince of another country, especially a hostile one, might as well be an impossibility.
"Is there a specific reason for you to challenge me?" I asked the warrior captain, who seemed to be stunned at my question before he pulled him back together swiftly.
"Because I felt you wanted the same. The stance you have, the gaze as you observed my every move. To be honest, it made my blood boil, making me feel young and hot-blooded again. Seeing that you too are a swordsman, I figured I would give it a shot. Hahaha." His baritone voice responded before laughing lightly. His answer wasn't complete, even if his words rang true. Obviously, this was also to see how strong we were in a roundabout way.
He was probing what he thought would be the second strongest and, with me carrying a sword and having the look of a knight, he would have a perfect excuse while getting to know how strong we approximately were.
"Very well," I said, before walking a bit to the side. A little open space where we could exchange a move or two. I was about to pull out a lesser sword, one of the most ordinary crap I had stored in my inventory, but I decided against it and instead unsheathed the sword at my hip.
The divine sword should be world-class because of its description, something that needed to be tested, but still something no sword could contend against in the New World. I pointed the tip at Gazef, who had pulled out his sword. As soon as he did, his jaw tensely clenched as did his hands around his handle.
I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion and focused on whether I still had a passive skill active. In the end, I even reduced the output of my armor's augmentation to zero and waited for him as he slowly relaxed into a less tense stance. "Thank you." He uttered before taking a deep breath and taking the first step forward. The muscles in his legs contracted before he pushed himself off the ground with a mighty leap forward, swiftly closing the few meters' distance between us.
A diagonal overhead swing, making me rotate and lean to the side, avoiding the strike. His sword cut through the air at impressive speed but was still harmless if it didn't connect.
It would be detrimental to his stamina to stop and strike in the other direction, so he continued the momentum of his swing. He moved the sword in a circle and came up with another overhead strike again after a full rotation.
I raised my sword to meet his and used his pressure to let his sword glide along mine. His sword cut downward, guided by my sword, while I still had my sword's handle high above my shoulder. I rotated slightly, creating a minute opening as Gazef already adjusted to the little overreach. The sword in my hand swirled around and swiftly cut at his neck before stopping just as I was about to behead him.
He had already leaned to the side, but I, in turn, had already taken a step in the same direction, cutting off his escape route. He gulped as he looked at the sword at his neck before I retracted it.
Of course, he could have used martial arts, and perhaps in his eyes, he would have had a better chance at beating me, but it still was clear as day that if this was an actual fight, he would have died. The only supernatural stats I had shown were my reaction speed. In the end, he was just beaten by pure skill in two exchanges. He understood that as well, which was why he thanked me instead of asking for a rematch. That was something I respected.
