Volume 10 - Epilogue
Demiurge walked happily through the 9th Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick .
The sensation of returning after a long time was probably an illusion of some sort . After all, he returned to this place from time to time, and the longest stretch of time he had been away from here was a fortnight at the most . Thus, the reason for his misperception was clearly due to the joy he felt at walking through this place .
His mood lifted the closer he got to his objective .
Demiurge paid no heed to the guards Cocytus had stationed on either side of the doors as he adjusted his tie and inspected his appearance . Naturally, he paid attention to it at all times, but he did not want his master to see a side of him which was less than immaculate .
After a very earnest inspection of his personal grooming, Demiurge knocked on the door of the room .
One of the maids opened the door, poking her head out to see who was calling .
Demiurge wanted to try and spy out a glimpse of his master through the gap, but he could not do anything that embarrassing .
“May I know if Ainz-sama is in his room?”
“My sincerest apologies, Demiurge-sama . Ainz-sama is not in . ”
His mood plummeted but he did not let it show on his face .
“Is that so . Then, where has Ainz-sama gone?”
“My sincerest apologies, I do not know… However, Albedo-sama might know something about it . ”
She was right .
“Really now . Then, where is Albedo now?”
“She is in this room . ”
Demiurge knew Albedo treated her master’s room as her workroom . Can’t you just use the room you’ve been assigned, he often thought, but after considering her personality, he ended up keeping quiet . The most important thing was his master’s approval . With that, there was nothing else for him to add .
“Is she working? . . . Could you help me check if this is a convenient time to visit?”
“Understood . ”
The door before him closed . A moment later, it opened again .
“Please come in, Demiurge-sama . ”
Demiurge thanked the maid and then entered . Before his eyes was the Guardian Overseer, seated on a chair in front of his master’s desk .
Her lowered line of sight moved, and caught hold of Demiurge
.
“It’s been a while, Albedo . ”
“Ah, Demiurge . You’ve worked hard abroad . What is it today?”
“Ah, it concerns the matter in the Holy Kingdom . I was planning to obtain permission for the final stages of the plan . I will need a Doppelganger… where is Ainz-sama?”
“He is somewhat far away . I doubt he will be able to return quickly…”
In other words, he is not in E-Rantel, Demiurge mused . Otherwise she would not describe it in such a strange way .
“That is somewhat of an inconvenience . Then, I shall perform preparation work on the 7th Floor until Ainz-sama returns . ”
“If it is urgent, could you not communicate with [Message]?”
Demiurge frowned, and observed Albedo’s expression .
She had her usual smile on, but the perceptive Demiurge detected some other emotion within her .
If she was just toying with him, it would be fine .
Demiurge attempted to quickly study her, but he could not read that deeply .
It ached at him, but then again, this was not a contest in the first place .
Among all the people of Nazarick, the only two people he could not read were his master and Albedo . He set them aside as rare exceptions for the sake of his inner peace .
Demiurge shrugged .
“It is not that urgent . If Ainz-sama returns the day after, I shall inform him myself . ”
“Ainz-sama did not mention how long he would be gone . He might take a very long time . ”
“Then, I shall go to Ainz-sama’s side, Albedo . It is not a matter which requires the use of [Message] . ”
“Ara? Why is that? If it is truly important, would it not be more loyal to inform him as soon as possible?”
The context of Albedo’s smile had changed . Earlier, it was her usual fake smile, but now it was a wicked, bullying smile . She must have some sort of ill intent in mind .
It would seem there was something she wanted to say, no matter what .
How tiresome, Demiurge thought as he stated his reasons .
“I desire to display my achievements to Ainz-sama, so I do not wish to use such methods to contact him . While I can receive his praise through a [Message], in the end, I would still prefer to hear his voice in person . That is all… Is that not the shared
shared dream for all in Nazarick?”
“Mm, indeed, Demiurge . It is as you say . Anyone would feel that way . ”
“Then, where has Ainz-sama gone?”
“He has gone to visit the Dwarf Kingdom, about which little is known and which has not made diplomatic contact until now . Thus, we do not know how much time it will take . ”
“Who accompanies him?”
“Shalltear and Aura . ”
That should be fine in terms of combat strength . However other aspects were more worrisome .
Aura was fine . All she needed to do was not inconvenience Ainz-sama . Yet, the face of the other person appeared in Demiurge’s mind .
“Still, by bringing Shalltear along, does he intend to destroy the Dwarf Kingdom?”
Mare would have been a much better choice for verbal negotiations . Thus, that choice was made for other reasons .
“—What are the other Guardians doing?”
“Cocytus is managing the lake . Mare is building a dungeon outside E-Rantel . Sebas is carrying out his duties in E-Rantel . Although I do not know what Ainz-sama intends, the fact that he did not bring an army along would suggest a peaceful visit, no?”
“ . . . There is insufficient information for that . Why did Ainz-sama want to go to the Dwarf Kingdom?”
“Demiurge . We cannot predict Ainz-sama’s thoughts . ”
It was as Albedo said .
His master, Ainz Ooal Gown, was the supreme ruler of Nazarick, who concealed countless stratagems within a single move of a chess piece . Demiurge — who had been created with outstanding talents — could not even hope to graze the soles of his brilliance with his outstretched hands . Attempting to read his master’s motivations was a mistake .
That said, sensing his master’s will and preparing for it was a mark of true loyalty .
If I don’t work hard enough . . .
As Demiurge rebuilt his conviction once more, Albedo picked up a piece of parchment from the table .
“This came from the Empire yesterday . I opened it after receiving Ainz-sama’s permission via [Message] . It contains an offer of vassalage from the Empire . The exact details of the vassalization are to be finalized later . ”
Demiurge was shocked . This was much earlier than he had anticipated .
“What’s this? According to my predictions, the Empire should only have offered to be vassals after the Kingdom was destroyed…”
“That is the
is the result of Ainz-sama’s visit to the Empire . ”
“This is… As expected of Ainz-sama…”
“Say, Demiurge . Did you really think the Empire would only become a vassal after the Kingdom would?”
“Of course . That was how I planned it . ”
“Regardless of what methods you used?”
“ . . . What are you trying to say?“
“Ainz-sama often mentioned your name . It came up in the context of ‘Did you hear from Demiurge? Then it should be all right . ’ In other words, there was something about you — about your plan which he could not accept . ”
“What are you saying . . Albedo, why didn’t you tell me earlier? If that’s the case—”
“If what is the case?”
Demiurge could not speak .
“ . . . Let me ask you again . Was there no way to make the Empire a vassal before the Kingdom?”
“ . . . There was . However, it would have required Ainz-sama himself to act . It would be a shameful course of action for a subordinate to advise . In addition, I felt that it would require the execution of several methods — requiring at least a month — in order to cause a violent upheaval within a large city . That being the case, I believed that it would have been better to begin by subjugating the Kingdom and then applying pressure on other areas… how long did Ainz-sama take?”
“I was in the Kingdom, so I am not sure, but I think it was three days at the most . ”
Demiurge’s eyes went wide .
That was too fast .
How had he demonstrated his subjugating might? How had he broken the will of the Emperor, who sought to ally with other nations?
Although Demiurge had prepared a perfect plan that would render the Emperor unable to take action, his master seemed to have crafted a scheme which surpassed even that .
“Three days? How did he do that…”
“Incidentally, there were almost no casualties . ”
His gaping mouth felt like it had been stoppered . All he felt was an unstoppable flow of admiration and respect for that absolute ruler . He was like Death itself, quietly standing behind the Emperor and then crushing his heart .
The trembling he felt just now spread from the top of his head to his entire body . Savage delight, admiration, fear and respect mixed within him, and this complex blend of emotions made Demiurge emotions made Demiurge shudder without end .
“As, as expected of Ainz-sama . Someone like me could not hope to even approach him . He is truly a peerless and perfect master . Nobody else could have led the Supreme Beings . I cannot help but envy Pandora’s Actor, even if just a little . ”
Albedo went kuku, her smile full of superiority .
It must have been the sense of superiority a woman felt when she was ordered to love such a marvelous man .
“In addition, Ainz-sama has ordered us to decide how to handle the vassalage of the Kingdom . ”
“Ordered us? Why?”
“Is that not obvious? Much of the developments in this field have been due to the use of your plan, Demiurge . Even so, Ainz-sama said nothing to you and pushed the vassalization of the Empire forward with his own plan . Thus, his heart ached . ”
He could not understand that . Perhaps if he was displeased at his own incompetence, he could understand that . But not this .
“ . . . Why? I do not understand . ”
Hah~ Albedo sighed tiredly .
“It is because he trusts you . In other words… how shall I put this . You should be able to understand it with that mind of yours, but this is probably how it is . Not following your plan is equivalent to doubting your abilities . Ainz-sama awaited your communication because he did not want to do that . However, Ainz-sama felt you were too concerned about him . Thus, his independent action was meant to tell you, ‘don’t worry about me’, I believe . ”
It was an answer he could accept . No, it would be better to say there could be no other answer but that .
“This truly is…”
Demiurge lowered his face in shame . At the same time, he was filled with delight after he realised how his master had thought of him .
“Demiurge . We must work to repay Ainz-sama’s kindness . ”
“Of course, Albedo . ”
Demiurge was excited .
“In order to fulfil Ainz-sama’s expectations, let us finish a vassalage plan for the Kingdom for him to see before he returns!”
“Indeed . Ainz-sama has gone in person, so there must be many schemes in store . He will surely be busy once he returns from the Dwarven Kingdom . ”
Demiurge grinned .
“Indeed, Albedo . Indeed . ”
Chapter end
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