The vendors in Re-Estize were packing their wares, most of them with considerably more luggage than they had owned when they had arrived in E-Rantel. It was a grim sign that the people in the city were eager to sell their goods, which usually foretold a shortage of food.

Between the loss of many people, especially farmers, at the massacre at the Katze Plains and the assault of Jaldabaoth on the capital, the citizens of E-Rantel were in a dire financial position. There was insufficient food, too little workers and a lack of money to hire people among the simple traders and guilds of the city. The conflict between the noble and the royal faction was inching towards a civil war and had turned the kingdom into a veritable powder keg.

In this environment, adventurers were becoming a luxury that neither of the factions wanted to hire or could the commoners afford. And although none of the factions wished to admit this, there was a grim logic behind their inaction: When monsters couldn't be payed to be defeated, the amount of hungry mouths would go down as well.

It was therefore the talk of the whole adventurer guild that the adventurers were offered the chance to work at the Sorcerous Kingdom for food, without binding them to the state. What was even more of a hot topic however, was the Sorcerer Kings ambition to hire „Blue Rose" for a project of his.

The guildmaster had thought if she should verify the offer for several days, but in the end she permitted it. When she was asked why she had done so by the other adventurers, her response was:

"The last time someone ever asked me to permit an adamantite request was over a decade ago, because they're always being hired from behind my back. If this isn't a sign of good will, I wouldn't know what is. Plus, as much as it disheartens me to see him agree with that undead monster, Ainzach had always put adventurers first, so his word is proof enough for me."

The crimson letter that hung on the guilds billboard read:

Dear adamantite adventurers of the team Blue Rose,

I, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, wish to hire you to travel to my kingdom for a unique job. The mission shall be one where you shall be competing against other adamantite teams from other nations. If you wish to discuss the details of this contract, a messenger of mine shall be waiting at a mansion in the upper district bearing my crest. There will be promises of great rewards if you brave this quest of mine. I shall await your answer.

Sincerely, Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown

Another letter, addressed to all adventurers in the guild, read:

Adventurers and those who wish to become them:

I have a special offer to the daring few who wish to taste true adventuring: come to my realm, and I shall offer you an adventure, free to you. To experience working for my nation, an expedition to the Azerlisia Mountains is planned and will accept up to ten adventurers who wish to join. Food, water and basic healing, all of this shall be provided at no expense. Cartographic skills and the ability to cook are of noteworthy attention to us, and individuals with those qualifications will recieve preference in the event that too many applicants arrive.

Completing a mission such as this may also serve as an evaluation. This means that the participants may immediately become full members of our adventurer's guild, provided they prove themselves worthy and befitting our vision. This offer shall only last as long as we deem it necessary, so there is no guarantee the offer will be honored if you arrive late. Seize this opportunity while it lasts!

Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown

„Will they go? Who knows if it's a trap or something?"

„Man, I wish them the best of luck if they take that offer. I heard that E-Rantel is a city of the undead by now."

„You get that from the temples? I heard that the people there are still living, even better than we are doing here."

„I heard that there are no more bounties on the goblins or even the undead there, since they count as people there as well."

„What the hell? How would that even work?"

„It's all just so bizarre, like a fable come to life."

„It gets better: Guess what kind of monsters manage the city? Elder liches, with death knights serving as their enforcers!"

„Given how our clercs look like, we might have had that idea first."

Some laughter spread through the room, but quickly died away.

„Our team is saving up for a trip and back. Don't want to be stuck somewhere we aren't free."

„We might as well, but if Blue Rose tells us not to go there or doesn't even come back, we're staying the hell away from that place."

"We're almost so desperate we'd go there anyways. It's not easy being an iron rank nowadays."

"It never was, grasshopper."

A murmur of agreement went through the hall. Everyone present was now awaiting Blue Roses reaction. It would determine whether they'd dare to travel to the Sorcerous kingdom as well or not.

"Greetings, Lady Alvein!" the royal guards called whilst saluting.

It was a friendly cheer, as one would greet a comrade. They had become a lot more companionable after she had fought side by side with them against the forces of Jaldabaoth. Lakyus smiled back, replying:

"Greetings to you too, I am here to meet with Princess Renner."

"Understood, good day to you then."

Lakyus was wearing a dress, as etiquette demanded from a Lady meeting with royalty. It didn't bother her, as she enjoyed dressing up occasionally, an interest her teammates didn't share.

At least I can talk with Renner-kun about these things. I do wish the others wouldn't be so uptight about their clothing, though.

When she arrived at the door to the Princess's chambers, she called out seemingly to no one: "You can come out of hiding now."

Two ninjas appeared in the corners of the ceiling and dropped down left and right next to her. They had concealed their presence whilst they had clambered along the top of the walls of the palace. Although it didn't make them invisible, they would remain unseen save for someone with keen eyesight looking straight at them. They had snuck in with Lakyus when she had taken the attention of the guards.

Lakyus knocked at the door, hearing the muffled voice of the princess call out: "You may enter!"

The three of them entered and were greeted by Renner with her beautiful smile. "Welcome! How are you today?"

"We're doing fine, thank you." Lakyus walked up to Renner, who embraced her with a friendly hug. Renner looked behind her, asking her in a puzzled way: "Didn't you say that your whole team will join us this time? Where are Evileye and Gargaran then?"

Tina replied: "About that..."

"We might want to arrange the room for their arrival." her twin sister continued.

"They'll be making their own entry soon enough." Tina and Tia walked up to the table that was in front of the window and moved it into the shadow along with the chairs.

"Huh? Are they teleporting into my chamber?"

Lakyus opened the window, letting out a sigh in a mildly frustrated manner.

"No, it's a bit different than that..."

A strange pair was flying over the garden of Ro Lente castle, a warrior clad in dark magenta armor who was dangling from the legs of what one could suppose to be a child wearing a strange mask. They were both adamantite adventurers, as one could see by their tags around their necks, and they were squabbling.

„You're too heavy, Gargaran! I can't believe I agreed to this!"

„You flew Momon over half our city without complaining, what's your deal?!"

„He was lighter than you and I had support!"

Besides, I got to hold tight onto Momon and see him fight Jaldabaoth! All I'll get to do now is chuck you through the window like a bag of meat!

Evileye was grateful she had her silencing relic, otherwise the both of them would have long since been spotted due to the commotion they were causing. The sight of her flying with Gargaran hanging onto her ankles would've been a comical one to any onlookers, but she knew she'd have died of shame if anyone saw her like this.

Well, at least the messenger was pretty friendly, but how are we supposed to grasp the entirety of that monstrously long contract? At least they made it easy to read, but it's still just over twenty pages long! How are we to know that two seemingly harmless paragraphs don't in fact bind our souls to the Sorcerer King's immortal will or something when combined?! Why is this contract so ridiculously complicated?

„We're almost at the window shorty, keep going!"

„I see it, meathead!"

Evileye flew higher, lining up Gargaran with the window of Renners room. Just before she'd crash into the wall, Evileye flew back, swinging Gargaran towards the window.

„Brace yourself!"

Evileye felt Gargaran let go of her ankles and heard a clang against the floor of Renner's room. The fact that she hadn't heard anything breaking meant that the room had been arranged in time for their unorthodox arrival. She then flew in as well, panting heavily as she landed on the floor. Evileye took off her mask to better catch her breath, exposing her vampiric face to the occupants of the room.

Meanwhile, Gargaran was laying on her back, still sweating from the ordeal she had dealt with.

„I... I think I'm gonna take the regular exit." Gargaran panted, sitting up on the floor before being helped up by Tia and Tina.

Evileye turned to face Renner, who was visibly amused by the things that had happened and asked the two of them: „Are you both well? Should I pour you some tea?"

Gargaran smiled back at her, still panting as she wheezed out: „Thanks, but I'd prefer some water, or something that hadn't been boiled."

„I'm not thirsty, so you don't need to offer me something."

Evileye hadn't thirsted in a long time, thanks to a ring she wore. It would be bad for everyone around her if she became... thirsty.

„Alright, I'll have a maid get a glass of water when she arrives. Would you two please take a seat?"

She gestured over to two empty tables that were placed across her side of the table.

„I requested a larger table to accommodate my guests, so you can sit as well."

„Did you also ask for a broader chair for Musclehead over here?"

„The hell you talking about?" Gargaran snapped back at Evileye."

The rest of the team was visibly annoyed as the both of them sat down. Renner clapped her hands before asking: „Now then, are you ready? I'd like to start discussing the contracts."

"Yes. We've read the contracts and the invitation, so we'd discuss what we analysed about it while you start reading." Lakyus answered.

"Tina and I were tasked with studying the writing style, but so far, we haven't found anything strange." Tia started, nodding to her sister.

"It's Ainzach's writing style, all right, and his hand was firm, not like they'd be when someone were uneasy. The grammar also doesn't seem muddled either, in the way that charmed or brainwashed people tend to have. In short, it seems like Ainzach believes what the Sorcerer King says to be true."

"The papers themselves also aren't magical, so the contract won't alter itself if we sign it." Evileye added.

They went back and forth for a bit more, running out of information to be presented long before Renner had gotten through with the reading. The nervous silence was making Evileye's mind race.

Why does this feel like an elaborate trap? All the signs point towards this being really as straight forward as it was, but it just feels so... artificial, deliberate. It's like a silence where there shouldn't be none, or a lake that's too still. Why do I feel like a fish on a hook? No, I can't let my fears rule my thoughts. I'm Evileye, a woman of legend! I shall not be intimidated, no matter how imposing the other side may be! But my gut instincts are screaming at me this is a bad idea. Ah, what would Momon do?

Renners smile faded back, replaced by a more serious face as she finally looked up from the pages and stated: "The contracts seem all to be without any hooks attached, with the exception of the 'non-disclosure' clause."

„Does it ask too much of us? Is it a way to lock us up at his lair?" Lakyus asked. If either were the case, the job was not even worth considering.

„No, it doesn't have an effect on you per-say, but it could lead to a disaster if you breach the terms. The contract states that if you tell anybody where the lair is and the Sorcerous Kingdom finds out about it, they are more or less granted to do as they please to counter the spread of information. If it leaks out to the King or a high noble, they'd even have a right to invade a country."

„So in short, we can't tell anybody about anything critical, unless we wish to be attacked?" Tina asked with a sour look on her face. The massacre at the Katze Plains illustrated that an attack from the Sorcerer King would be the kingdom's doom.

„Correct. However, there are some advantages to this job. For starters, the contract grants you the right to be resurrected in the case of death, as humans, by the Sorcerer Kings own magic. Another point is that you won't be forbidden to talk about E-Rantel or about the Sorcerer King himself. This may be one of the few chances we may get to legally infiltrate his Kingdom. Finally, seeing his lair may be an advantage if we have to fight him in the future."

No one from Blue Rose could refute that. They will obviously be studied during their mission, but it was a good opportunity to study the other side as well. The reward was also absurdly large, more than some lower nobles would possessed even with all their assets and landholdings. This could tip the tides in the favor of the royal faction if they secure the rewards.

„Then, we'll vote now: Who is opposed to us accepting the job?", Lakyus asked her team.

No one answered. They all were uneasy about the job, but they couldn't afford to not accept it.

„Then, who wants us to accept the job?"

There was a pregnant pause as no one replied again. Evileye looked around the table, seeing that all her teammates had serious expressions on their faces. No one was willing to start with their answers, as this was a weighty choice to make. She breathed in deeply before replying:

„For the sake of Momon, who stayed behind to shield E-Rantel, I have to go there. I need to know what had happend when he became his vassal."

For a short while, Evileye feared that her argument hadn't been enough to push them, but then Gargaran responded:

„If we don't take this job, we'll be missing out on a chance to get stronger gear. Who knows if we'll get another opportunity to get weapons like that, we don't have the luxury anymore of just being able to buy better gear anymore."

„We both think that infiltrating E-Rantel might be a difficult task. This is a chance for us in that regard too." Tia continued. Tina simply nodded at what her sister said.

Lakyus smiled gently to the princess: „We could also use the monetary reward to finance you're project, the orphanage you wished to build."

„I couldn't accept that offer on your end. I'd have no way to repay you."

„Then it shall be a donation on my end, not as a adventurer, but as a noblewoman patron. Is that fine, Renner?"

Renner tried to hold her composure as best as she could, but she still shed a small tear. With her voice cracking up she replied: „Thank you. Thank you so much..."

Lakyus bent over and hugged her, then wiped her tear away with a handkerchief with a gentle, almost motherly smile. However, the very next second she dropped all of her gentleness, replacing it with a determination in her voice as hard as stone.

„Everyone, prepare to move out. We're going to E-Rantel!"

Cocytus was currently advancing towards the throne room, having been summoned by Ainz Ooal Gown. He had been ordered to conclude the matters at hand with the Lizardmen, in order to make sure that issues don't arise in his absence. He had delegated the supervision of the works on the new fish farm to Zaryushu Shasha for the meantime, as preparations for a harvest and penning of new fries were coming to a close. This, however, resulted in him arriving far later than the other Guardians.

"Cocytus, where were you all this time?", a cheerful young voice called out. While it sounded mocking, he had learned from the Lizardmen he had trained what banter was all about, so instead of feeling attacked, he just turned back and replied:

"Aura. I. Had. Work. To. Finish. Outside. Of. Nazarick. Unlike. You."

Aura giggled, as she skittered to a halt in front of him. "Hehe! I hoped to see you before the meeting."

"It. Is. Nice. To. See. You. Too. But. Where. Is. Your. Brother?"

Aura's smile stayed, but it shifted to something more apologetic, as she pointed around the corner of the hall. As if on cue, Cocytus heard a low moan.

"He's not in a good state."

Around the corner, they saw Mare cowering in the corner of the room. His breathing was ragged, his eyes wide with panic and he trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"He's been like that ever since we were summoned. I can't get to him, neither by scolding or by comforting him. It's a bit of a pain, but I really feel bad for him as well."

"Why. Is. He. Like. This?"

"He couldn't fully fulfill his orders that he received, to lower and prepare Nazaricks defenses."

Cocytus nodded, clicking with his mandibles. He too had once failed an order, and he had felt similarly at that time as well. He wasn't sure how to approach him, but he felt morally obligated to give him some comfort - to the best of his abilities, at any rate.

"Mare."

Cocytus knelt down to look him in the eye, or at least as close to that as he could get.

"Your. Failure. Is. Not. An. Irredeemable. Tragedy. If. You. Learn. From. It. I. Too. have. Failed. An. Order. Given. To. Me. Once. And. Rose. Above."

Slowly, Mares breathing calmed down a little, but his trembling remained. He swallowed several time before he mustered an answer."Bu- But how will I- I face A-... A- Ainz-sama?"

Cocytus exhaled deeply, then answered: "You. Shall. Present. Yourself. Like. All. Other. Guardians. Would. Do. And. Trust. Ainz-sama. To. Make. The. Right. Call. After. All. What. He. Says. Is. Law."

He moved closer, then gave Mare a pat on his head, as he had seen Ainz do. The small gesture finally made Mare's bloodshot eyes relax, allowing a tear to streak down his cheek. Aura knelt down next to her brother as well and give him a hug. She smiled at him as she picked him up in comfort.

"There, there. You didn't have to make that big of a fuss out of this, now did you?"

"If you say so...", he replied meekly, but without stuttering.

"Are the three of you ready? It wouldn't be wise to keep our supreme leader waiting", Albedo called out, in a rather strict tone. The other Guardians had assembled behind them in formation during their pep talk, without the others noticing.

"Yes!" They replied together, taking their respective places in the entourage.

On Albedo's signal, the Guardians strode in the Throne room in sync, as did the Area Guardians present, Nautelle and Aminya. Once they arrived at their stations, they bowed down all at once.

"We gather here, summoned by Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King, the last Supreme Being of the 41!" Albedo decreed.

"All hail Ainz Ooal Gown!" They responded.

Ainz looked over his kneeling subjects for a while, then made a lifting motion with his arm, declaring in a regal fashion: „You may rise."

They stood up in unison, awaiting what he had to say.

„The matter of my summon today is my plans for a mock excursion to take place, here in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. To start with, I'd like to see the developments for the modifications needed for this exercise. Mare, would you present your results so far?"

„Y-yes! As you had or-ordered, two of our mages had b-.. been deployed to the fake Nazarick in the Forest of Tob: A weathermancer a-and a [Message] caster. The tr... traps with „per-use-expenses" have been deactivated. A-All NPCs and mercenary monsters were told of the adventurer party, but..." Mare paused at this point, not being sure how to address such a delicate issue.

„If you have a problem, just say so. There is something or someone who is causing you issues, am I right?"

Mare looked down, his eyes watering up.

„I-... I couldn't enter the eighth floor, so I sent a [Message] spell to all the guardians there. But!..."

At this point, Mare looked like he was about to break down again. He started sobbing the tears he had tried so hard to contain.

The awkward scene would have been stopped by Albedo, had Ainz not stepped forward to embrace Mare. He produced a handkerchief out of thin air to wipe his tears away. The onlooking Guardians almost shed a tear themselves, as they all, with the exception of Shalltear, remembered a similar scene.

„It is fine, Mare. Tell me what you couldn't do."

Ainz's voice no longer held the authority of a god or king, but the compassion of a father.

Mare began anew: "I... I couldn't enter the eighth f-floor, so I sent a [Message] to Victim, to have him re-relay the order. But!..."

he sniffed in deeply before continuing. "Some of the... Some of the Area guardians wouldn't obey. They... they refused t-to stand down. I couldn't do anything after that! I just couldn't. I couldn't, I couldn't..."

"Mare, stop."

Ainz's voice cut in through the muttering. "You failed at ordering all the Area Guardians to stand down, but there is no fault in that. No, if there is any fault to be had, it is mine, for I may as well have ordered you to stop the rising of the sun. Those Guardians that didn't stand down were designed that way. Their purpose is to counter intruders who would try to order the Tomb to stand down using World Class Items to conceal their identity. Unless I issue an order while bearing the guild staff, those Guardians won't stand down. Therefore, I shall deal with them after this summon."

„Bu-But.. Ainz-shama..."

He placed a bony finger under Mares chin, gently nudging it up. Looking him in the eye, he stated. „I have ordered you to prepare Nazarick, and you did your best. I wouldn't expect any more, nor any less of you."

Turning to the Guardians, he then declared: „This is an order! No one shall chastise Mare for failing to command all the Area Guardians of the eighth floor to stand down. Anyone who believes that his actions were insufficient may address that to me in person only!"

„We understood, oh Ainz-sama!" they replied, bowing down again.

Ainz returned to his throne before addressing his next subject:

"You may rise. Now, it is time to view the results of the messengers. Albedo, wold you care to present a full report?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama! I have prepared the report as you requested!

The team "Red Drop" were currently on a mission, so they had declined our offer. The messenger we had sent to them, Dovahkin, had an encounter with a group of highwaymen on the way back, so her return is delayed by about a week.

On the plus side, she managed to restrain those bandits, resulting in her becoming informed of a fifth adamantite team by the local authorities, known as "Crystal Tear", who reside currently in the Draconic Kingdom.

Varsyl, who was sent to recruit Eight Ripples, was too late to meet with the adventurers, as they were intercepted by a messenger of Emperor Jircniv Rune Farvin El-Nix. It appears that the Empire had countered our "trial offer" with a subvention of his own."

"Mmh. I seems he's countering our head-hunting attempts. Perhaps we should send a messenger to him to explain our intentions to him?"

"Who should we send to him? One of us?", Demiurge asked. His grin seemed to be filled with anticipation for their masters answer.

"No, it would be better to have someone stationed there who could be left there for an indeterminable while. In which case, I'll have Varsyl study the Emperor. Albedo, your task will be to monitor and teach Varsyl as our first prototype for a state diplomat. He may make use of whatever resources or skills he possesses and deems necessary for this mission. In addition, it may be a good idea to have the rulers that are under us meet each other. Therefore, have Riyuro travel to the Emperor's court. Tell him to speak freely about his experiences with us."

"What a great plan indeed, Ainz-sama! I shall do as you desire! Then, may I finish the report?"

Meanwhile, Cocytus felt that some master plan had just been set in motion, but he didn't know what it could be. He felt like his intellect was worlds apart from the one Demiurge, Albedo and especially Ainz had. Thus, he could do nothing but shrug it off.

I must sharpen my mind as I would my blades to be a better Guardian, he concluded.

"Certainly Albedo, continue.", Ainz concurred to Albedo, who nodded in return.

"The recruitment of Blue Rose and Silver Canary was a success, and they should both arrive within the next two days in E-Rantel. Finally, I deemed the performance of both our messengers to be fitting of a future diplomat. Additionally, the performance of our spy in Re-Estize was loyal to our intentions as well."

"Then, I would like to reward the two of you." Ainz replied, turning his attention to the Area Guardians present.

He beckoned them to step forward, leaning forward in his seat.

"You have done well, so you have both deserve a reward. State your wish, whatever it may be, and I'll try my best to fulfill it. Nautelle, you go first."

The nymph nervously stepped forward through the ranks, having become the center of attention everyone present. She looked around a bit, but calmed when she reminded herself that everyone looking was harboring any ill will towards her.

"Uhm, I'd like to have a bed in my chambers. A nice and big one, to relax in after work."

"It shall be done. The bed will need to be custom crafted, of course, to be able to be submerged without deteriorating. You may discuss any details you desire in your bed with the Chief Blacksmith. Then, Aminya, it's your turn."

"Yes!" he shouted out, before stepping back a bit, reddening in shame. "My apologies, I got a little to excited."

"I accept your apology, so continue."

Aminya sighed out in relief and replied: "I would like to have a summon of yours, Ainz-sama, to function as a test dummy for my traps."

"Granted. I shall summon a Death Knight that shall be at your disposal. In case you need the knight to heal, simply casting dark energy spells should suffice. The two of you may return."

As the Area Guardians went back, he turned his attention back to the Guardians. He asked:

"Now, are there any questions or suggestions from you for this experiment? If so, now is the time to ask them."

Cocytus swallowed down the question he wanted to ask, knowing well that his request would be unreasonable. He clicked his mandibles out of tension, which unfortunately earned him the attention of everyone present.

It seems everyone is expecting me to speak up now. How can I react?

In the end, his warrior instincts overrode his fears, so he stated boldly:

"I. Would. Like. Do Duel. Against. The. Adventurers. If. Possible."

A moment of silence filled the room, as every muscle in Cocytus' body was clenched in nervous anticipation of the answer.

"Cocytus, I can't permit that, as your strength exceeds theirs by far. You would overpower them in an instant."

Cocytus looked down, clenching his fist in frustration at his own foolishness.

I knew that, but I had to ask anyways. Why?...

His thoughts were interrupted by Demiurge, who asked: "Ainz-sama, if I may?"

"But of course. What do you have to add to that?"

"Thank you very much. I believe that the reason Cocytus asked for this is because he has the desire to prove himself as a Guardian, in the truest sense of the word, isn't that so?"

"You. Understood. Well."

A grin spread over Demiurge's face, practically brimming with excitement.

"While Cocytus would surely be too strong of an opponent, it would be a different matter entirely for the Lizardmen he had trained, now would it?"

It had been half a day since Blue Rose had entered the Sorcerous Kingdom, and so far, their expectations had been shattered left and right in the city of E-Rantel itself. Somehow, against everything they believed to be true, undead powerful enough to take on legions of soldiers were coexisting with, even helping the human and non-human residents of the city.

They were currently incognito in E-Rantel, with Evileye, Tina and Gargaran currently sitting in a pub. Meanwhile, Tia and Lakyus were questioning the residents of the city on how things had developed since the day the city had been seceded to the Sorcerer King. Gargaran just downed a large beer mug, then slammed the empty mug down on their table, wiping her mouth with her free hand.

"So, I saw you were getting some weird looks from those scary skeletons. Did they sense your fangs or something?" Gargaran asked, with a big grin on her face.

"Impossible, I have several items protecting my secret. It might have been you who they're eyeing at." Evileye responded, her voice flat and measured.

"Ugh, no thanks. I'd rather not have their attention."

"What kind of attention would you even want in this place?", Tina asked.

"Some sweet guy, shooting some nervous glances at me, with some cherries to pop." she replied smugly, already anticipating Evileye's response.

Evileye groaned, exclaiming: "You really had to ask-"

She cut herself off mid sentence when she saw the door swing open, with Lakyus and Tia entering. Gargaran waved over to them, beckoning them to join their table. Once they were seated, Evileye asked: "So, what did you find out?"

"Well...", Lakyus began, "For starters, the moral of the city is surprisingly high, considering the circumstances. Of course, the temples are devastated, but they are currently being ignored by the Sorcerer King, while they're not plotting any uprising any time soon."

"Guess those undead we saw patrolling might have been a reason why." Gargaran interjected.

"Furthermore, I saw a few orphanages, financed by the Sorcerous Kingdom. I visited one of them, and it was in surprisingly good shape, with no signs that the children were being treated poorly."

Lakyus paused, glancing off to a man and a dwarf having a conversation with each other on a table next to them.

"It's strange. Before we came here, I thought that nothing but Momon's presence here was keeping the people here safe, that the Sorcerer King would use brutality and despair to keep the population quiet. But now..."

"I know.", said Evileye, "This undead king may be far more capable at governing than we gave him credit for."

"Mm-hm." Tia cleared her throat to get the attention of her teammates. "I don't have too much to add, but there's still one thing that's suspicious. The slums were more or less all torn down, and the people that use to live there are no longer in the city. Residents say they were relocated to the abandoned frontier villages, along with some of the undead forces, but I'd keep an eye out for that."

"I agree." Tina followed up. "Things are looking a little too perfect here in E-Rantel. If there's no reliable contact, besides what the Sorcerer King controls, we may want to investigate those villages later on. Worst case scenario, they could have been sent away to be killed instead of becoming pioneers."

"Alright then, we'll add that to the list of things to do once the jobs done. Anything else, Tia?"

"No, just more of what you said earlier."

"Then let's get going. Would be rude to keep the guild waiting."

The party headed out together, towards the adventurer guild hall. The tavern they just left hadn't been too far from their destination, but along the way, Evileye could have sworn that the mutterings increased as they progressed along.

"They do look familiar, but from where?"

"Isn't that Blue Rose?"

"But that's a guy right? Shouldn't they be all girls?"

"Maybe that's Gargaran, she's a top tier warrior after all."

Luckily, they reached the guild before anyone had dared to call them out in public. Lakyus paused in front of the door and looked over the main building.

"Well, it looks like it did a few years back, but let's not make that call too quickly", Lakyus remarked as she opened the door and marched into the guildhall, tense with anticipation.

Indeed, the main hall room looked exactly as ever - but not the occupants. A single, nervous looking woman was at the reception, and only two groups of adventurers were currently present. One of them looked rather average, but the other seemed as out of place as Blue Rose. An ape Beastman, a bard, a bald man in a strange tunic, a strangely dressed black-skinned man and a seasoned assassin. It was beyond a doubt who this team was.

"Silver Canary, how nice to meet you in person.", Lakyus said, stretching her hand out to the bard, who was currently sitting at a table in the corner.

"Oh, so you knew I was the leader? You're rather well informed. You must be Lakyus, and that must be your team. Name's Freivalds, It's an honor to meet you."

"It's an honor for us as well."

"Ah, I see your already making introductions! Welcome to the adventurer guild of E-Rantel!" An imposing voice called out from behind Lakyus.

She turned around to see a muscular looking man, with graying hair and mustache come down the stairs. Before anyone could reply, he continued: "The name is Pluton Ainzach, Guildmaster here in E-Rantel, at your service."

He looked rather joyous, accomplished even.

"So, what is going to happen now?" Evileye asked.

Although it wasn't visible to outsiders, her team knew that Evileye was currently eyeing Ainzach suspiciously. Tia and Tina weren't exactly warming up to his company either.

"Straight to business with you, huh? Well, I guess I do owe you all a briefing at this point. Follow me, we'll need a bigger table." Ainzach replied, gesturing for them to follow him up the stairs.

Warily, Blue Rose went ahead, with Silver Canary tagging behind. They were lead into a small meeting room, where two tables had been set up with six chairs each.

"Wait, who's joining us?", Tina asked, eyeing at the two extra chairs.

She had one hand in her back pocket, visibly ready to strike at whatever came her way.

Ainzach looked rather startled, but quickly figured out why she was so apprehensive.

"Ah, there's no need to worry. His Majesty had informed me that he will send two of his servants here, so I prepared two chairs for them as well. They should be arriving soon as well. In the meantime, I would commence with the briefing on this topic."

As the two adventurer parties got seated, Ainzach began explaining the mission ahead of them.

"As you've already been made aware, the objective of this mission is to breach the defenses of His Majesty's lair. Your goal is to find any flaws in the design of the his fortress as well as any weaknesses his guards. Your findings will then be used to seal any breaches and re-train his forces so they may avoid failures of a similar nature in the future.

However, this is not as simple as breaking into a single castle, due to the very nature of his keep. It is guarded by eight layers of protection. By the estimates of the Sorcerer Kings aides, your assault on it will take several days to complete."

"Wait... several days?! How are we going to keep attacking it for several days?"

"I haven't been told the exact details, but I was told that this will be accounted for. Most likely, you'll need to head into the fortress several times and make camp outside it in the evening."

"So it will be closer to a siege than an extraction mission?"

"Well, yes, that's a good way to put it. To this extent, you'll receive some funds now to buy any equipment or provisions you deem necessary for the task-"

He paused, as a heavy pair of footsteps was heard walking up the stairs. Everyone turned to face the door, in anticipation of who or what the Sorcerer King had sent their way.

However, their tense faces turned first to confusion, then to surprised delight when they saw who came through the door.

The first figure was a foxy-looking dark elf with green and blue eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved red-scaled leather shirt, coupled with a white gold-lined vest that went well along with her pair of white trousers and her gold capped shoes. All in all, by what they could see, this elf was some important figure.

Behind that elf though was a far more imposing figure and was well known to all the people present. Suited in jet-black armor with golden linings and a red cape, with two great swords strapped to his back, he was immediately recognizable to any adventurer.

Since he had appeared on the world stage, he had carved out a name for himself as mythical as it was inspiring.

The dark hero.

The blade that cuts through the night.

Momon of team Darkness.

Alright, better prepare myself, Aura should be here any minute now.

Ainz had been sitting in his office in Nazarick for some time now, practicing his appearance as a ruler while sitting at a desk. It had recently occurred to him that he had to appear regally even when doing the paperwork, a difficult feat to say the least. Keeping a straight back was important and so to was "looking like a tactician observing a map" - although he was still practicing the latter.

Although, shouldn't Albedo have noticed by now how I usually sit? Uwah, can I still change it without cluing her in on the fact that I'm acting half the time?

A knock on the door brought his attention back to the matter at hand. Before he could say anything, his maid already went ahead and opened the door.

"Ainz-sama, Aura would like to enter."

"Tell her to come in."

Aura nearly skipped for joy as she entered the room. She called out: "Ainz-sama, I'm here!"

Ainz rose from his chair, carefully maintaining his dignified appearance before answering.

"Good. I've got a small job for you in E-Rantel."

Her ears perked up with her interest.

"What do you need me for? Do I get to tame a beast?"

Ainz chuckled at her question, replying: "It would be bad if there were a beast in the city, but I'm sure that the Death knights I stationed there could hold it off for a while. No, I'll need you for your skills that allow you to assess enemies. More specifically, I want you to give me a first judgement of the adamantite adventurers there."

"Huh? But didn't you want to judge them by their performance in attacking Nazarick?" Aura asked, puzzled by Ainz's request.

"That's true. However, it's equally important to know how many levels they, or those like them have, to gauge their threat and of those like them more accurately. For example, it is far more concerning if they succeed at defeating one of our pop-monsters if they have a low level than if they have a high one."

"Why? Doesn't that just mean that they'll be easier to kill?"

"Hmm. Let me put it like this: If someone could theoretically make a blade powerful enough to kill me using priasmatic ores, or if someone else could do the same with only adamantite, who'd be more dangerous?"

"Hmm, we haven't even seen priasmatic ores since we came here, so that means that only the one who made do with adamantite could even be considered a threat, right?"

"Well, yes, for now, but I meant this a bit differently. If someone of a lower level can somehow overcome the odds against objectively better enemies, then that means he's using the levels he has better than our pop-monsters. It's then a far bigger concern, because people with the less resources than us could potentially be a threat. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Aura pondered a bit about what he had said for a while, then replied:"So it's not so much about who has the higher level, but more about who has the better builds or tactics in a fight, right?"

"Oh, if only Punitto-Moe could hear this, he'd be so proud right now."

"Really?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it. But back to the topic at hand. I'll be present as Momon, so you won't need to do any introductions or such. Pandora's Actor was told to return to Momon's house, then to retreat back to the treasury, so we'll be teleporting there for the sake of consistency. Are you ready to go?"

He stretched his hand out to Aura. She nodded back and took his hand.

"Then let us get going. [Perfect Unknowable], [Gate]."

Ainz, now concealed from most eyes, stepped through the portal he had created, leading Aura after him.

Once he confirmed his surroundings to indeed be the house that he had designated for Momon, he turned to Aura, who had closed her eyes and was listening intently, before giving him a thumbs up.

"Alright, there is nobody here besides us, Ainz-sama!"

"Mmh. Good work. [Greater Create Item]."

He appeared again, now as Momon of Darkness. Of course, Aura was able to sense him beforehand, but only now was he visible to any onlookers.

"Now follow my lead and let me handle the situation if something unexpected happens if it's necessary.

He lead her forward through the main entrance, where a carriage awaited them. Specifically, it was his personal carriage, but no one would be able to tell if the hadn't seen the interior: Velvet seats, several accessories and golden embroidery all dignified the coach well beyond than the simple, yet elegant, exterior would have suggested.

Once he got seated inside, he signaled to the driver to get going and leaned back. He then turned to Aura, who was sitting next to him, asking: "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please!"

She smiled at him brightly as he reached into his pocket space, retrieving a bottle of sparkling juice and a glass.

As he poured her the juice, he asked her: "So, how goes the training of the dragons? Are there any difficulties?"

She reached for the glass as she answered: "No, not really. Some of them were rather lazy, but now they're all in top shape. Deliveries from and to the villages are pouring in nicely, but I don't remember the exact amount, I let the Elder Lich do the counting. But I do send a report to you every day, so why would you need to ask?"

Ah crap, of course I should have known! How do I explain this?

"Well, I meant to ask how you're feeling about it, if it was tiring or too boring."

"No, nothing of the sort! Its a joy to work for you, no matter..."

Suddenly, the cart hit a bump, resulting in the juice spilling out over the opposite-facing seats.

"Ahh! How ungraceful from me, I'm so sorry, Ainz-, I mean Momon-sama!"

"Now, now, no need to be so worried. The maids will gladly clean up this mess." Ainz replied, patting her head to calm her down.

"Honestly, it's this stupid road. Can't humans build anything properly?"

"Hmm, that just might have given me an idea..."

Before long, they reached the guild, where Momon stepped out, observing the scenery.

The eight edge assassins told me that they saw Blue Rose enter just before I teleported here, so right now should be the ideal time to enter.

"You go first, Aura, I'll follow."

As they entered the building, Momon quietly reminded himself of the necessary changes to his mannerisms.

I don't like authority; I'll do what I perceive to be most just; I'm relaxed around adventurers...

"Good day, are the others already present?" he asked the receptionist, feeling himself into his character.

"Y-yes, just up the stairs and in the first room on the right."

Her response sounded nervous, but not as wary as when he had come as Ainz. He nodded back as he went after Aura, who'd already ran up the stairs with barely a sound. As he got closer to the room, the muttering he heard coming from there stopped. Behind Aura, he whispered: "Let's go."

As the door opened, he quickly went through all the names in his head. Everyone's faces turned to them and he heard several gasps of awe from the adventurers present.

"Momon-san..."

"Who is that elf boy?"

"Can't you tell that's a girl?"

"How do you know?"

"Woman instincts."

Cutting through the chatter, Momon said: "Good day to you all, ladies and gentlemen. You must be Silver Canary, right? It's an honor to meet you in person." He stretched out his hand to the group.

"The honor is all ours, Momon-san." Freivalds replied, taking his hand.

"Momon will do, thank you. And Blue Rose, it seems we couldn't quite keep our promise to meet under less hectic circumstances."

"What are you talking about?", Gargaran quipped, "We're just taking on an inspection, that's hardly as big as defending a city from a demon invasion."

"Haha! It's good to see you all again!"

With the ice broken, he moved on to the next subject.

"Now, before I continue, I believe some introductions are in order. This is Aura Belle Fiora, a Floor Guardian of Nazarick." he stated, gesturing to Aura.

"Hi!" she said, waving at them. Several people started backing off when they saw her. feeling her power just by standing close. Evileye was chief among them.

"Wait, what does that title mean?", Söderstein, the rogue in the back asked.

"Hmm...", Momon thought how to best answer that. "The floor guardians are the second highest authority in the Sorcerous Kingdom, so I guess you could liken them to the Great Nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom. But they also serve as the Sorcerer King's most elite guards, as well as his generals."

The whole room shuddered at the thought of how much sway over the King such an entity must hold, as well as at the surprising deploying of one of them. Thus, everyone was staring at Aura, their faces wide with shock.

"Anyways, her job will be to perform an inspection on all of you before we journey to the King's fortress." Momon continued.

If their mouths hadn't already been aghast, their jaws would have dropped right then. Momon was just now realizing how much the other adventurers were reeling from the information they received and cursed himself internally.

Of course, that's such a mouthful! What was I even thinking?

"Ahem.", Momon said, turning their attention back to him.

"The reason why he sent one of his closest aides to do the inspection are two-fold: First, he has absolute faith in any judgement she makes, so try to be as representative as possible. Secondly, she possesses a set of skills like no other when it comes to judging ones potential, so she was chosen for the task by him."

Even though Aura was knew well why she had been chosen for this task beforehand, hearing the reasons said aloud made her practically brim with joy and confidence. A flustered blush appeared on her face, as she turned away for a second.

Momon continued:"My task will be to escort you to Ainz Ooal Gown's fortress, but I was told to not enter the fortress itself. You'll be on your own once inside, so be careful. Nevertheless, if you don't come back in two weeks time, I'll do my best to storm after you."

Hearing his reassurance made them sit back down, but they remained tense around Aura.

Well, that's about as relaxed I'll get them.

"So...", Ainzach said, swallowing his fear for the moment, "I guess I better finish this briefing. Where was I... Ah, yes, funding. You'll be allowed a sum of ten Re-Estize gold coins each, as well as access to the guild shop of weapons and armor usually exclusive to the adventurers of this guild. However, you'll only have this right today, so if you want to buy something there, now's the time. Finally, the departure tomorrow will happen at the marketplace in the morning, so be sure to be there on time.

I'll be handing the forms out now, please fill them out and return them at the reception. If there are any additional questions, feel free to ask me or Momon later on."

Ainzach gave each adventurer a sheet of paper, then left the room in a hurry.

"So, um...", mumbled Powapon, the totem shaman of Silver Canary, "what happens now?"

"Well, I guess its my turn to do my job." Aura stated, approaching the adamantite adventurers. "Just line up, this should be quick."

However, none of the adventurers dared to go first, distraught due to the strange nature of Aura.

"Ugh, this is going nowhere. Aura, please demonstrate your ability on me."

"Really? If you say so."

She turned her gaze to Ainz and stretched her arms out in front of her. A screen appeared in front of her, as Albedo would when checking on the status of the NPCs in Nazarick. His approximated data started appearing on her holographic display, although it was unreadable for the adventurers present. However, he suddenly felt the ring that concealed his level start to act up, so he signaled to Aura subtly to end the analysis.

"Wait, there is one detail you forgot about. If any of you have concealing magic items, taking them off is necessary before the examination." Momon explained to the groups. Most of the adventurers looked puzzled, but he saw Evileye freeze up a little at the mention of concealing magic.

Ah, so she was hiding her levels. No wonder Entoma pressed the attack, she was confident she could beat them.

"Can I have a word with you alone, Momon?", Evileye asked, obviously distressed.

Even if he had some measure of malice facing Evileye for badly wounding Entoma, he was willing to overlook that if she proved herself to be useful to him. It was after all somewhat of a misunderstanding that had lead to that mistake.

"I'll be making an exception. Is this alright, Aura?"

Sensing the tone of hierarchy he was trying to establish with his "superior", Aura replied with an annoyed voice: "Don't take too long, got it?"

"Then follow me."

Momon lead Evileye outside of the meeting room and into the hallway outside. Once outside, he asked: "Will this be fine?"

"Just one moment." she replied, taking out a strange device and activating it. Immediately, a sphere of silencing magic spread around them.

"Ah, so we won't have anyone eavesdropping on us. What did you want to tell me?"

So what kind of device do you have?

"Umm, before I continue, I'd have a question for you, Momon-san."

She paused and took a deep breath before asking:"Do you hate the undead?"

"Oh?" he was rather surprised by the question, so he stopped to contemplate the answer.

Now what would Momon answer to that kind of a question? Let me think back how I showed myself so far.

"Well, I guess I did rather hate them. I tracked down a vampiress that came here, Honyopenyonko, and I didn't hesitate to kill any undead during the Zuranon incident either.

However, ever since Ainz Ooal Gown took over, I've gotten to see another side of the undead. They can be civil, if lead by an intelligent mind; one that can see worth in human life. But this is a strange question, isn't it?"

Evileye paused, not responding for a while. Just as he was going to ask her again, she replied: "The reason I'm asking you this... is because I was worried what you may think of me if I did this."

She slipped a ring off her finger, as an undead presence suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Wait, what?! Are you serious? She was an undead this entire time?

She took off her mask as well, clearly presenting her face to him.

"I have a secret, one that would be disastrous if it got out. I am a vampire princess."

Yet again, he wasn't sure how to react.

Okay, keep calm, don't let her see your distress... What can I possibly even say now?

"Do you drink blood?"

"Not since a hundred years!"

"Alright then, no issues. Let's go back, I'll tell Aura to examine you last and alone."

That wasn't natural at all!

"Wait, that's it? No laments of disbelief, no questions?"

"This may seem strange, but I don't care about what you are as much as I care about what you do. Now, I wouldn't want to keep Aura or our fellow adventurers waiting, understood?"

"Ye-yes." she replied, following him back to the room. However, only one thought was going through his mind at the moment:

I'm such a failure of an actor.

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm finally back! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you so much Nameless Grave for Beta reading my story! Next chapter, we'll finally get to the action, I promise. And as always, All hail Ainz Ooal Gown!