Chapter Four

  The tantalizing promise of one of his oldest, dearest friends being present in the same world as himself was so joy inducing that he didn’t wait even an hour after his subordinates returned from their work to summon them into his office. [Albedo, Demiurge, join me in my office at once!] The order went out by message spell and he killed the link before either could ask a thing, and it was for that reason that the pair stood briefly outside of his office, hesitating for perhaps the first time.

  “Could we have failed him in some way?” Albedo asked, she looked up at Demiurge, and he had a frown on his face, having clearly been wondering the same thing.

  “If we have, I cannot see how. He selected this ‘Neia Baraja’ as the next Holy Queen, and we will spend the next few years putting her into position to take the Holy King’s place. The pawn in Re-Estize has caused no trouble I know of, and the Emperor has been fully compliant with our master’s wishes. If we have a failure, I don’t see it, and I can only hope that our lives will be sufficient atonement for whatever we have done. It has been a pleasure serving the Supreme ones with you, Albedo.” He turned and bowed to her, his arm making a sweeping gesture across his waist as he bent forward.

  “And also with you. A finer supporter, I could not have asked for, even when we had our…differences.” She answered, recalling the time she ambushed him regarding Lord Ainz’s decision to face off against Shalltear by himself.

  “Then now that we’ve made our farewells…” they raised their hands and knocked on the double doors of Ainz’s office together.

  “Come in!” Ainz exclaimed, and they cast their eyes at one another again, his tone was overtly jovial, even less certain of what the matter might be about, they opened the doors together, entered, and knelt in his presence. He didn’t even wait for their heads to fully bow before he spoke.

  “We may have one!” He cried out, then calmed as once again his emotional suppressor activated and crushed his sense of happiness.

  “My Lord?” The two geniuses asked at once.

  “One of my friends!” Ainz shouted as his happiness returned, “Rumor has it that a powerful demon has been rampaging over the eastern half of the Draconic Kingdom, crushing the beastmen that have been tearing the country apart for the last year.”

  “My Lord, a demon… could you mean…” Demiurge felt his heart seize up in his chest, “My father? My creator… Lord Ulbert Alain Odle…?”

  “Yes! That’s why I’ve called you here, Demiurge. I thought you should be the first to know!” Ainz exclaimed, but no sooner than he’d clapped his hands together with glee, than his emotional suppressor stole his joy again.

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  “If it is any of them, it is him!” Ainz said at once.

  “Have you messaged him already, My Lord?” Albedo asked, her breath barely able to give life to her words, she kept her face neutral despite the racing pulse in her veins.

  “I tried, but it seems the laws of this world allow the message spell only with those you have met in person, at least here. Demiurge, I’m sending you to investigate, and Albedo, I’m sending you in support. I realize,” Ainz stood up behind his desk and leaned forward, placing both boney hands flat as he did so, “that this is exciting, if there is one, there may be more. Perhaps even with him that we simply haven’t heard about. But even so, do not approach him right away, go in disguise and make sure it is safe, first.” Ainz looked down at them both, “I want my friends back, but I won’t risk any of my friend’s children to have them. You all mean too much to me.”

  Demiurge bowed his head all the lower. “I am honored by the supreme one’s devotion to our unworthy selves.”

  Albedo by contrast, clasped her hands together and raised her head to her master, “My Lord. My Love. You know just what to say to bring me happiness! Don’t worry, we won’t die, and we won’t fail you!”

  “Of course you won’t. But even so… be careful.” Ainz insisted with a gentle voice and a lingering look at the two guardians.

  “We will, My Lord, we will.” Demiurge said as Albedo had clearly lost the power of speech. They rose to their feet and took a deep bow at the same moment before they departed.

  “My creator… here… I can hardly believe the luck.” Demiurge said, his tail lashing about behind his back as the door to their Lord’s office shut behind them.

  “Neither can I.” Albedo said with quiet determination. “Now, let’s go, we have a lot to do, and much to prepare before we meet another of our makers again, and welcome them back home properly.”

  “Agreed.” Demiurge said, and together they made all haste to gather what they would need.

  Ulbert looked down on the world with the feeling of godlike supremacy that he’d always craved. His wings flapped in the air, holding him aloft, down below lay the last remnants of the beastmen in the Draconic Kingdom. Every village he’d gone to, every town he’d purged of their ilk, he’d managed to find at least a few survivors who fed him more information about the country he was cleansing. Most had even offered him food, or sacrifices, or wine, or beer…

  But he took little, his demon body could enjoy food, but he didn’t have the same need for it that he once did. On this occasion however, there were no human survivors. This had clearly been a group of stragglers, maybe scouts, maybe rangers, maybe just warriors separated from their fellows who didn’t even know the world disaster had set his eyes on them.

  Now they were corpses, lumps of meat who laid on their backs with faces frozen in terror as they stared up at the bright blue sky, their final moments of fear would remain on their faces until they were devoured by worms, flies, maggots, and the many beasts that made this place their home.

  Their insides were faintly singed still from where he’d set their guts on fire, but even for his nose, it was fairly minor. However, that was of trivial importance, what was important was that he could smell oil. The oil of a sort he’d smelled on soldiers whose armor had been abandoned. And with that pungent smell was the smell of unwashed bodies. Living bodies. And they were coming his way.

  ‘That’s a first… humans actually approaching me hasn’t happened yet. But then again, I suppose I have done them a great favor, it was inevitable they’d look for me and have questions… or maybe a reward… I want to know more about this world, and I’d say at this point, it’s fair to say I’ve earned some good will.’ With that thought, Ulbert allowed himself to descend to the ground below and meet the human soldiers face to face.