Chapter 58: The Clash with the Demon King
EeDeChi tipped her head back and drained the last of her tea before setting the white porcelain cup on the table.
Now she understood that making a sudden move to deal with the Demon King Ainz Ooal Gown in this place would be quite difficult. It was better to bide her time and first locate Arche.
The adventurer captain's gaze fell as she began to ponder her strategy.
Arche was an adventurer who had ventured into the Great Tomb of Nazarick years ago and disappeared without a trace. Her twin sisters also ended up in a brothel for some unknown reason.
Later, EeDeChi stumbled upon the brothel, set it on fire, hacked a few people, and effortlessly rescued the twin sisters. Since then, her goal had been to reach the Great Tomb of Nazarick and save Arche, whose fate remained unknown.
A blonde maid approached her and started to clear the tea set. EeDeChi looked up and her eyes lit up.
The maid's golden hair was almost identical in color to that of the twin sisters Ureirika and Kuuderika. More importantly, EeDeChi had a vague sense that while the maid was attractive, she was not perfect.
You see, among the women EeDeChi had encountered in the Great Tomb of Nazarick—such as the Iron Fist Maid, Albedo, Shalltear, and other maids—they all had distinct qualities, ranging from mature and queenly to loli, tsundere, airheaded, spoiled, energetic, and more.
Yet, they all shared one common feature: their beauty and figures were flawless, as if crafted by a divine creator rather than being naturally born.
But the blonde maid before her was far from perfect. Her features, though refined, had a wider space between her eyebrows and larger lips, lacking the flawlessness she was used to.
She resembled an ordinary beautiful woman from the mortal world, possessing a mundane quality that seemed out of place in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
EeDeChi realized with a start that good fortune had come to her doorstep. She sprang from her seat, grabbed the maid's small hand, and pulled her into an embrace.
The adventurer captain gazed deeply at the maid, who was at a loss in her arms, and a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Little girl, you've had me searching for a while now. Come home with me now."
The blonde maid, suddenly caught in this situation, exclaimed, "Guest, what are you going to do?" Her eyes widened with panic as she twisted her body, trying to escape EeDeChi's grasp.
"Hey, don't run away, miss." EeDeChi said without thinking. She shook her head vigorously, cleared her throat, and stated seriously, "Ahem, Arche, cooperate a little. I'm here to save you."
"I... I'm not Arche. I'm Tuareninya. You've got the wrong person," the maid said in distress, her delicate hand feeling like it was trapped in an iron vice and she couldn't break free.
The adventurer captain claimed she was there to rescue the maid, but her actions were more like a horrible eagle protecting a chick.
"Hmph, they've brainwashed you too." EeDeChi's face darkened as she shouted, "Wake up! Arche, your twin sisters are waiting for you outside!"
The maid, Tuareninya, struggled fiercely. "You've got the wrong person. I'm really not Arche. I don't have twin sisters; I only had a sister named Nia…"
"Oh?" EeDeChi frowned and studied Tuareninya's face closely. She noticed that, apart from the golden hair, the maid's face seemed somewhat different from the twins' features…
A hand in a black suit sleeve grabbed EeDeChi's arm, making it hard for her to apply force. Looking up, she saw the tall and dignified gentleman Sebas. This usually kind and handsome old man was showing anger for the first time.
"Ms. EeDeChi, what are you doing to my subordinate?" Sebas's tone was extremely unfriendly.
Barrett, noticing his captain causing trouble, also approached. Unlike EeDeChi, Barrett wasn't an impulsive fool who can't distinguish people and could clearly see that the maid didn't resemble the twins aside from her golden hair.
"Captain, you've really got the wrong person. She is definitely not Arche." Barrett asserted.
"Are you sure?" EeDeChi asked, her expression serious.
"I swear on my eyes, she looks completely different from the twins," Barrett said helplessly.
EeDeChi released Tuareninya's elbow, and the struggling maid suddenly lost the strong grip holding her, causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall to the ground.
Sebas leaned forward, his steps steady, and wrapped his arms around Tuareninya's waist, helping her up.
Tuareninya wobbled on her feet, her hand pressing against Sebas's chest as she leaned into his embrace, her cheeks flushed with a delicate pink. Sebas gently stroked her head, soothing her with a tender gaze filled with affection.
"Wow," EeDeChi's eyes widened. Even a fool could see that the relationship between Sebas and Tuareninya was not simple. She chuckled and said, "Old bull eating young grass, huh."
At this comment, Sebas's previously calm face was once again overtaken by deep anger. Barrett quickly grabbed EeDeChi, pulling the foot-in-mouth troublemaker back to their guest seat.
The commotion had drawn considerable attention, and Ainz, who had witnessed most of the incident, cast a questioning look at EeDeChi, waiting for an explanation.
At this point, EeDeChi decided to be straightforward about her intentions. She asked, "Where is Arche?"
"Arche?" Ainz paused, confused. "Is that a person's name?"
"Arche Eebile Fort," EeDeChi said with solemnity, reciting Arche's full name from memory.
"Her name is Arche Eeb Rile Furt," Barrett whispered from the side.
"It's hard to remember such long foreign names. Anyway, it's Arche," EeDeChi said, somewhat exasperated.
Ainz, still sitting on his throne, looked puzzled. "I don't quite understand who this Arche is. It sounds like a girl's name."
"Do you know who Arche is?" Ainz asked his subordinates, and the guardians began to whisper among themselves.
Soon, their discussion reached a conclusion.
Albedo leaned forward and said, "Report to Lord Ainz, among the adventurers who invaded the Great Tomb a few years ago, there was a girl named Arche."
"Adventurers who invaded the Great Tomb..." Ainz pondered for a moment before recalling a bit of past history. "Oh, that incident. Hasn't that been a long time ago? Back then, the Baharuth Empire hadn't even submitted to us yet."
He looked at EeDeChi with a strange expression, unable to understand why she would bring up a nearly forgotten old event.
Many major events had since transpired—nations had fallen, and the world had been thrown into chaos. Compared to these, a few ants invading one's territory seemed insignificant, hardly worth remembering.
"Remember now?" EeDeChi asked sharply, "How is Arche doing?"
"She is fine."
"That's good. Hand her over to me." EeDeChi sighed in relief.
"Her soft vocal cords went to Entoma, her head to the demon. Her arms went to the undead, her skin to Demiurge, and the remaining parts were used for food storage. Her body has been thoroughly utilized with no waste."
"What are you saying?!" EeDeChi's eyes widened with fury, her hair almost standing on end.
"She's dead beyond redemption. How am I supposed to give her to you?" Ainz's voice was calm and detached, as if narrating a mundane, unrelated story.
"You… you tortured her so much that you don't even remember her name?" EeDeChi's voice trembled with suppressed rage.
"If I had to remember the names of every person I've killed, my brain capacity wouldn't be enough," the Demon King Ainz remarked indifferently from his throne.
"Moreover," Ainz continued, "They entered the Great Tomb of Nazarick without my permission, so naturally, they had to face the consequences."
"To be a strong person and brutally kill the weak—such lofty reasons!" EeDeChi stood up, gripping her giant sword, her black eyes blazing with uncontainable fury.
The Demon King Ainz remained seated, unmoving, but the Floor Guardians around him began to act.
Albedo, Shalltear, the towering Cocytus, and Sebas slowly surrounded EeDeChi, while several maid-like figures blocked the doors of the grand hall.
"Captain, calm down and assess the situation. This is their stronghold!" Barrett anxiously tugged at EeDeChi's arm, trying to advise caution.
EeDeChi looked around and, for once, heeded Barrett's advice. With a cold smile, she released her grip on the giant sword and sat back down in her seat.
Unexpectedly, this level 100 adventurer turned out to be a righteous friend. Ainz sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat disappointed.
He had originally considered persuading EeDeChi to join the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but now that thought was almost gone.
"No need to be so serious," Ainz smiled, "You want Arche? If I can send her to hell, I can also bring her back."
"Really?" EeDeChi said coldly, "You talk big."
"Don't believe me?" Ainz chuckled, calling over a black-haired maid from afar, "Go to the 5th Tier ‘Frost Prison' and bring a human here."
The black-haired maid complied and soon returned with a ragged, disheveled woman.
The woman was trembling with fear, crawling on the ground, not daring to utter a word.
"What is your name? What did you eat this morning?" Ainz asked the woman in front of the throne. His voice carried an undeniable authority that the poor woman couldn't withstand.
The woman looked up and said, "My name is Gunivelle Virella. I ate... soup with teeth... and rye bread this morning." For some reason, she shuddered violently when she mentioned "teeth."
Ainz nodded, "Good." Before his words finished, a red flame erupted from his skeletal hand and engulfed the woman's body. She didn't even have time to scream before being reduced to ashes.
As the flames subsided, a faint dust of ash lingered in the air.
Seeing Ainz kill at will in front of her, EeDeChi was furious, "What does this mean?"
"Don't rush," Ainz said, conjuring a small, golden-rimmed copper can out of thin air.
EeDeChi's eyes were fixed on the ancient-patterned copper can, "What's this can for?"
"You don't recognize it?" Ainz was surprised, "This is a magic item from YGGDRASIL, obtainable only with real money. It can resurrect any Low-level character from your memory."
Ainz used magic to twist the can, causing it to radiate a golden glow. The light then floated away from Ainz's hand, forming a glowing orb on the ground. The golden orb twisted and took the shape of a human figure. The light quickly faded, revealing the body of the woman who had just been burned!
The woman fell to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, "Please, sir, don't burn me, please! I will do anything you want!"
"I ask you," Ainz's tone remained authoritative, "What is your name? What did you eat this morning?"
"My name is Gunivelle Virella. I ate... soup and rye bread this morning." The woman's answers were exactly the same as before she was turned to ash.
"See? This resurrection item is quite useful, but it's only a one-time use. I believe you don't have this item, do you?" Ainz looked at EeDeChi.
EeDeChi bit her lip and remained silent.
"However, I have many of these magic items," Ainz continued, producing another ancient-patterned gilded copper can from his hand.
"As long as you're willing to spar with my subordinates twice, I will use it to resurrect Arche."