Prince of Nazarick

Gazef sheathed his sword again, while I gave him a nod and returned to Ainz's side. A glance at Albedo made me realize she was practically beaming from excitement. It looked like she wanted to cheer and holler, but had restrained herself to not appear unsightly. I could even hear her mumble how hot she found my appearance just now.

While I observed her, there was some movement from Gazef's troops. They were quick to inform the warrior captain of the numerous mages that were approaching and surrounding the village. Was about time to get this arc done. Even though this trip had been enlightening, I would rather do something more productive.

I had already achieved my goal, though I should probably get more in contact with Enri. Oh, I wasn't into NTR, but was it truly NTR if they weren't a couple yet? Or did it matter that I knew they would end up together?

Hmm, no, I shouldn't treat everything I knew about the series as certainties. If I did, it might paralyze me in the future with indecision or perhaps falsely assume something because it had been different in the original series. I nodded to myself as I adjusted my perspective on things.

Right now, she was single, and it was the only time frame I could easily and openly head here to potentially seduce and introduce Enri into my harem. To be honest, there wasn't much I wanted to do here besides that and now that I had made first contact, though I hadn't captured her yet...

Captured her? What was this? Freaking Pokemon? What the fuck am I doing here? Chasing the skirt of a random farm girl because I knew her of a media I had once consumed. I could be doing something important right now, which would ensure the rest of my eternity. There were some plans I could be realizing right now to ensure my continued existence and instead, I was inside a village in bumfuck nowhere. I couldn't help but sigh, causing Albedo to look at me.

Ainz and the warrior captain went back to the village chief's house and talked about what would happen next. I was inside, off to the side with Albedo, waiting for them to finish their talk while continuing to bore me. There wasn't much happening that differed from the anime series, though I couldn't really say the same about the novel. My memories weren't that pristine anymore about the minor details.

Considering that the novel had a lot of details, nuances, and perspectives, I wasn't sure if I remembered it correctly. It had been 8 years since I had read the first novel, and that was only before I got reincarnated. It had been an additional 5 years since I had consumed any media, for that matter. What remained were the overarching themes plus some niche lore knowledge that I had taken an interest in back then.

Although I spent my time thinking about it to not forget something, there was just no way to know more than I already did. Of course, that was without mentioning the Yggdrasil game. I knew more of it than I had back then. More than necessary, really. It really didn't serve me much to know how much of dickheads the devs had been…

A glance at Ainz and Gazef revealed that the talk was coming to an end. They had to act quickly since the enemy mages had surrounded the village. After Gazef's troops had spotted them and were denied our help, they prepared for their 'escape' to give the villagers some time to escape.

I was a bit surprised when Ainz ordered me to let the support units capture any ambushers, which I swiftly did. There wasn't much else I could do, anyway. The thought of me heading off to Enri was also revolting, even though that had been my primary goal for coming here. Gazef and his troop headed out with gusto and were obviously prepared to fight to the death. Quite admirable, if I was being honest.

"... Haa… when I first saw the humans here, I couldn't have cared less about them… but after speaking with them, I have come to be fond of them, like small animals," Ainz commented.

"Is that why you swore on your glorious name to protect them?" Albedo asked as we watched them leave, while a yawn was threatening to break out of me. Fortunately, I quickly suppressed it.

"Perhaps… no, I should say that it was in response to how he bravely rode to his death..."

"Indeed," I said as I leaned against the house wall. My words attracted Ainz's attention, and I was wondering what exactly he was thinking. I knew he was curious, but what was he curious about? My words were clearly supporting his way of thinking... or was that the 'problem'?

I glanced at Albedo who stood ramrod straight with her axe and her world item in hand, ready for any attackers, while I... The moment I realized my lack of attention and posture were the problem I slowly adjusted it and tried to appear to be paying attention. I should have gone into 'work' mode.

"So, for how long are we going to wait?" I asked, trying to distract Ainz and Albedo.

"... We will see how much we can probe from their battle." He said, turning away from me before looking back at the warriors riding off into the distance. Just as we were about to head to some corner to observe their battle, we were interrupted by some villagers that were approaching us in haste. Probably to inquire about why the warriors were leaving, at least that was what happened in the series if I remembered correctly. I didn't pay much attention to the surroundings and let my thoughts wander as we waited for the umpteenth time this day.

...

The surroundings changed as we were teleported, or rather swapped places with Gazef and his troop. The place they fought at was an open area, perfect for mages that could attack with summons or long-distance magic attacks against warriors whose arrows couldn't do jack shit to them. Certainly, a sure tactic to fell the strongest warrior of this region, especially if one knew he was without his gear.

Was it unlucky that they would find their end against the strongest force in this world in at least two realities now, or was it fate? The answer to that question was purely made from perspective and belief. How would the answer affect me, though? 

I pondered for a moment before I came to a conclusion. Even if fate was something that existed in this world, something that shaped the events of the world for a desirable outcome, it wouldn't affect me or how I acted. What else was there for me to do besides life without regret? I would do my best and choose to act accordingly, to the best of my knowledge. 

There was no more to life and no more I could do. Currently, I was starting to regret coming here for such an inane reason as some farm girl's pussy, but there was no changing it now. Retrospection was a dangerous tool that ought to be enjoyed in moderation, after all. Besides, I had joined the ranks of the Archangel of Sephira and with my strength increasing, something like fate wouldn't be able to bind me for long if it truly existed.

I was already excluding the possibility of fate being a thing, as I had already found myself unshackled. Perhaps it was only the shackles as a First Sphere Angel that were broken once I had become an Archangel of Sephira, but it also gave me more perspective. I could look down on the very angels I had once belonged to, and I found myself unbound by its nature.

Perhaps I had to grow even stronger to notice the strings that were moving me, but only time will tell. For now, I could only focus on how I could advance. Currently, I had only gained the dominion of Malkuth, Emanation of the Kingdom. The Earthly, the lowest of the ten levels of Sephira, the most grounded and, dare I say, rigid. It marked the foundation of reality and all that exists.

Now, I had made contact with it and was learning as I thought about it. Profound knowledge and instincts settled in as I remained unchanged but simultaneously became more. I didn't grow wiser, and yet I did. The changes and knowledge were almost illusionary. It was truly a strange feeling to gain this ethereal insight when I just let my thoughts wander.

Knowledge inherent to my being just flowed into my thoughts as I let my mind wander during our time of waiting. I knew I would know more as time passed and with every step, I took to the highest power an angel could grasp. The power inside me grew as my miracle armor supplied me with more energy. Even when I suppressed its full capacity for something less noticeable, I was still growing.

For now, the only shackles I could feel on myself were the responsibility that came with being the prince of Nazarick. 

"Who are you?" The voice of Nigun, captain of the Sunlight Scripture of the Slane Theocracy, sounded out, pulling me out of my thoughts about my ascension. The world that seemed to have been paused during my introspection returned to its normal speed. My gaze left the shackled angels summoned by the Sunlight Scripture. I looked at the human that spoke and at his platoon of mages that have gathered after Gazef took off in this direction.

They had pooled their forces at this spot to prevent Gazef from fleeing, but in future retrospection, they had been gathered to be tortured for more information. Of course, there were still scouts in case something went wrong, but they had already been dealt with after Ainz gave the order to capture them.

"Nice to meet you, people of the Slane Theocracy. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. Please call me Ainz," He began with the expected flare of dramatics. "I have a bit of a relationship with that village."

"Have you come to beg for the lives of the villagers?" Nigun spoke with the arrogance and amusement of a victor, despite not knowing who we were. Who and what he spoke to. I guessed there had to be some people who were arrogant enough to not fear the unknown beings that had swapped places with an entire troop but wasn't he the captain of one of the Six Scriptures, a military unit of a theocracy?

Shouldn't he be more on guard, especially with a group that openly prevented his primary mission? Was there no thought wasted on this maybe being a trap? How did he get to lead a military unit of a nation without a hint of cautiousness? Well, perhaps the crystal that allowed him to 'slay demons' with that lowly angel gave him enough reassurance to face anything in this world.

Perhaps even with knowledge of beings that could defeat the Sunlight Scripture even with his trump card - even inside his own nation -, he was still confident. After all, the likeliness for him to meet such a group that could go toe to toe against Dominion Authority must be non-existent in his mind.

"No, no. Actually, I overheard your conversation with the warrior captain. You really have a lot of balls."

"Huh?" Nigun answered intelligently.

"You announced that you'll massacre the villagers that I bothered saving. I can not imagine anything more offensive." Ainz said with absolute confidence. I had to give it to him. Either he was already an exceptional role player or he was really feeling this right now. It was a shame I hadn't seen him act as the villain in the game.

"Offensive?! Big words, magic caster. So, what will you do about it?"

"Offer your life to me without resistance. If you do so, there will be no pain. However, if you refuse, you will die painfully and in despair for your foolishness." To be honest, I wanted to applaud Ainz for his speech. It was certainly impressive. It could be seen how heavily his words were conveyed when Nigun, that arrogant captain with his nation's trump card, was unnerved by his words.

Nigun stretched out his hand toward us, wanting to quickly deal with us to disperse the signals his instincts were sending him. "Have the angels attack!" The other mages of this platoon had a bright bluish light floating between their hands, certainly their way of controlling their summons.

"Huh?" "W-why is it not obeying?" "Come on, attack!" Several shouts could be heard from the mages as they fidgeted and strained themselves to command their summons. The light they were holding, glowed intensely, but the angels remained stationary, unmoved, and unbothered by the commands their master was giving them.

Even though their inaction was caused by fear, they were certainly more free than they had ever been. They almost seemed happy even as I saw the unwillingness and fear of these low-level angels as they were told to attack us... attack me, their superior. It dawned on me. They were angels of the Third Sphere and well inside my authority. Not to mention attacking me, I could probably usurp the commands of their master and obtain their obedience.

It wasn't even something new, I remembered. It should be those passives that gave me dominion over almost all angels. Me being the lord of any angels I came across was almost a certainty as one of the highest angels. It was probably more exaggerated that I had joined the ranks of a higher angel than I had been as a level 100.

"Eh?" Ainz seemed to be surprised as well before he came to the same conclusion and looked at me. "Azazel, could you not stop them?" I nodded my head and quickly found the passive skill that kept these summons placate. I retracted my aura, and the angels moved as if the pause button was released.

They moved quickly and directly headed for Ainz to attack him. Ainz was skewered by the light swords of these angels and Nigun already started to trash talk, unperturbed by the strange sight just a moment ago as he regained his confidence at seeing Ainz's current state. This didn't last for long, though. His words were quickly interrupted by the Angels squirming and then Ainz's nonchalant voice.

"Didn't I tell you 'Offer your life to me without resistance.'? Don't you know it's important to listen to the warnings of others?" Honestly, that was one cold line, which understandably made the mages opposite of us uneasy, especially after seeing a magic caster hold their summons in place with physical might.

"Impossible! It must be some kind of trick!"

"High Tiered Physical Nullification..." Ainz explained his passive before he made quick work of the two that attacked him, decimating them by slamming them into the ground.

After seeing that the fight was going according to what I expected it to be, I didn't observe it any closer than I had to. Just dodging the negative burst before approaching again as they shot their low-tiered spells at Ainz until Albedo saw it necessary to defend Ainz against the pebble that a mage shot at them with their arm slingshot. Despite her love for me, as an NPC loyal to the tomb, she was still concerned for Ainz, the ruler of Nazarick.

I ignored it and let the fight happen as it should without stepping in to change something, as I saw no need of interfering. This fight was insignificant to me. There was no way I would let the Slane Theocracy off the hook, especially since they were probably the only thing that was of a threat in the New World. Letting seeds of opposition grow between them and Nazarick was something I could only approve of.

I was unbothered as the battle continued until Nigun became desperate after seeing his low-level angel, Principality Observation, being one-shot. After seeing no way out, he finally pulled out his trump card to summon the 'highest-ranked angel' to smite us.

To be honest, the angel inside was hardly worth the effort by itself, but I still moved as he pulled out the crystal from underneath his cloak. Nigun was confused for a moment as his body didn't realize yet what had happened before he screamed out and fell to the dirt, clutching his severed stump. I held the arm that I sliced off at the elbow with the crystal being desperately grasped in his hand. His agony-filled screams were silenced as I pointed my hand at him before healing him with a spell.

The arm in my hand disappeared and Nigun was back at full strength with both of his arms. Even though his face remained pale as he watched me in shock and despair. I caught the crystal that fell out of his disappearing arm before casting another spell.

[Mass Hold Person] a 7th-tier spell paralyzed the entire Sunlight Scripture, rendering them unable to move. Even making sounds was difficult for them. I walked through them and returned to Ainz and Albedo's side. Ainz looked at me blankly, causing me to come up with my explanation.

"I didn't want to take any risks, so I acted before they could use it. From the look and feel of it, it ought to be a middle-rank angel of the Second Sphere." I turned the sealing crystal in my hand as I observed it before showing it to him. He looked it over and inspected it as well, confirming my words before he coughed awkwardly.

He turned back to the human mages. Seeing that they were still turned to where I had appeared next to their leader, I realized I hadn't released them. I waved my hand and released my hold on them, causing them to breathe and shout hysterically as they anxiously looked back and stared at me.

Ainz was about to say something when the sky seemed to crack. The scrying by the Slane Theocracy was prevented by Ainz's skill. He then picked up the atmosphere quite well as he gave them the despair speech, even though I had made it somewhat awkward a moment ago. Without their trump card and without the visual impact of having the 'highest' angel killed with a single spell, there were even some that made a run for it.

Of course, some were smarter and directly knelt and begged for forgiveness and mercy. After all, I had shown capable of teleporting. There was no way they could realistically escape. Nigun was one of the smarter ones, though his expectations weren't met as he was told to offer his life like the lower life form he was. They were swiftly restrained after Ainz realized they didn't have another trump card.

I had already called Aura and let her know to capture the fleeing mages. Afterward, they were tasked with bringing them to the Frozen Prison. I told them they shouldn't let them die just in case we couldn't revive them for whatever reason. I explained with this being another world, we might not be able to revive someone. Of course, it was because I remembered their bodies would disappear once they died.

With a salute, Aura and Mare acknowledged the order before going about it. I returned to the waiting Ainz and Albedo before we took a stroll. "Why did you interfere at the end, Azazel?" Ainz asked as he looked at me. He had been staring at me from the moment I greeted Aura and Mare and tasked them with bringing back the humans as prisoners. It was slowly making me uncomfortable. Besides, didn't I already answer that question?

"Because you said that you used Gazef to probe this group of mages' strength. I figured you were trying to make us act like they were a potential threat and be cautious about our approach, so when I saw that sealing crystal, I figured it would be best to prevent them from using whatever was sealed inside to flee or perhaps summoning something that might be a threat. Of course, considering that it was only a mid-tier angel, my cautiousness was a bit of an overreaction. Was I wrong for doing this?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"I see. Umu. No. Your decisive reaction was excellent and necessary. Good work." He said with a nod before he fell quiet again as we walked towards the village. As we walked by his side I took note of Albedo, who had been thrilled for a while now. I could feel her gaze burn through her helmet as she looked at me with stars in her eyes. Her look had intensified when she heard Ainz's praise for me as if she was the one being praised.

Once we reached the village, the villagers and Gazef with his troop were led to meet us by the Death Knight. They sang praises and thanks, though they were polite with it. Seemingly not wanting to bother us too much by being pushy.

The only one who approached us was Gazef, after being addressed by Ainz. They exchanged some pleasantries and Gazef invited Ainz to search for him if he ever reached the capital. Knowing what the future might hold, Ainz's visit would probably not be that welcome. Ainz announced our departure, and we swiftly left with the Death Knight following us.

He created a portal further away from the village and we stepped through it. The surroundings changed to the already mostly covered the surface entrance of the tomb. He teleported us into the throne room with his ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, saying that he would be in his room, waiting for the reports of the support unit.

After he retreated to his room with the Death Knight running towards his room, Albedo pulled off her helmet. Before she could completely unequip her armor, I teleported us back to our house.

"Welcome Home," I said, which stunned her for a moment before she looked at me with a beaming smile.

"I am back." She answered with a wide smile and slightly wet eyes as if she wanted to cry at this moment. Honestly, she was just too stunning, causing the sight to capture me at that instance. She looked beautiful, but it also saddened me slightly, knowing why her reaction was so strong to a few words of mine. She was almost brought to tears because I welcomed her. It was truly tragic, but also endearing.

After getting out of the stun, I pulled off my helmet before running my hand through my hair to remove the few strands in my face. As I did that, I heard a gasp from Albedo as she stared at me with wide, bright eyes that held so much love and desire in them. I couldn't help but grab her hand and gently pull her into an embrace before kissing her.

She squeezed my hand slightly as the other snaked around my neck, while simultaneously tiptoeing to kiss me more strongly. She sighed contentedly as if she finally got her fix. It almost made me feel like a drug, especially when I pulled away, causing her to whine, but unfortunately, we didn't have time for it.

...

He wanted to announce something.

Albedo and Demiurge had quickly messaged the other floor guardians to deliver his message and to gather the NPCs specifically created by the Supreme Beings in the throne room.

It didn't take long for all the NPCs to gather under Momonga-sama's call for their presence. They heeded his call with the utmost respect and urgency, as they should. To be called by the ruler of the tomb wasn't something that would happen to them, NPCs, often. Not to mention an announcement that concerned the entire tomb of Nazarick.

Of course, Demiurge had already an idea from the retelling of Albedo. Now as they knelt in front of the throne, waiting for the ruler of the Supreme Beings, he was sure that at least one topic of his announcement was his name change. He was kneeling at the front to the very right and could see the other floor guardians from the corner of his eyes.

This announcement had also given him the opportunity to see Fubuki, the Royal Secretary, and Sueko and Aneko, the Royal Maids. This had been the first time he had seen them, though not the first time he had heard of them. Still, they were an enigma to Demiurge. There were few NPCs he didn't know.

They knelt right behind Azazel-sama and from the brief interaction he had seen between them, he could tell that they held great affection for their prince and, unlike the many other female citizens of the tomb, it didn't look one-sided. Surprising but not shocking to him. 

The rest of the female populace of Nazarick were eyeing the group, but no one dared to approach. At least, not at this time. If it had been a less formal event, they might have built up the courage to interact with them, but with the entire royal entourage, the only one that would dare talk to them would be the Floor Guardians.

As his thoughts circled around the royal prince, he remembered the brief talk Azazel-sama and he had just a few dozen minutes before this announcement. Azazel-sama had approached him and inquired him about what Momonga-sama had told him when they were flying in the sky looking at the stars.

Demiurge had nothing to hide from him and it was something he would announce to the others anyway, as Albedo had told him that this announcement and the gathering of the NPC was the perfect opportunity to reveal Momonga-sama's plan for this world to the others.

Azazel-sama seemed to have something to say about him wanting to announce it after Momonga-sama had officially changed his name, but he seemed to have changed his mind at the last moment. He had left after asking him to deliver him news about the neighboring nations.

Demiurge's mind already churned when he heard that request. Considering their previous exchange, it seemed that Azazel-sama would try to lessen his presence in the local affairs to reduce the possibility of being found out if he reduced his competence of conquering a part of the world. Perhaps it was because of their trip to that village that he wanted to minimize his direct contact with Momonga-sama.

He had heard Azazel-sama had received several praises from Momonga-sama. It truly saddened him to know that his prince couldn't enjoy the fruition of his labor to the full extent. To force himself to distance himself from Momonga-sama had to have been a difficult choice to make. Demiurge suppressed the sigh and thought about how to make the prince's future departure as pleasant as possible.

He would need to consult Albedo about this. She was probably the only that could actively help him with this. Hopefully, revealing the prince's tough decisions to her had been the right move. She was his wife, after all. He doubted anyone would know more about him than she does. She may be the only one that could help or even prevent the prince from becoming depressed because of this. 

He would need to prepare an entourage for the prince's expedition in another kingdom, though he would hardly have to worry about finding volunteers. Just the fawning maids that were currently sneaking in a peek at his back would follow him to the end of the world, despite knowing that they would part ways with the tomb and with Momonga-sama for the time being. Though who should he choose?

Demiurge's mind went quiet as he focused his hearing on the steps Momonga-sama made as he walked to his throne until he sat down.