Chapter Epilogue

Volume 10 - Epilogue

Demiurge walked happily through the 9th Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick .

The sensation of returning after a long time was probably an illusion of some sort . After all, he returned to this place from time to time, and the longest stretch of time he had been away from here was a fortnight at the most . Thus, the reason for his misperception was clearly due to the joy he felt at walking through this place .

His mood lifted the closer he got to his objective .

Demiurge paid no heed to the guards Cocytus had stationed on either side of the doors as he adjusted his tie and inspected his appearance . Naturally, he paid attention to it at all times, but he did not want his master to see a side of him which was less than immaculate .

After a very earnest inspection of his personal grooming, Demiurge knocked on the door of the room .

One of the maids opened the door, poking her head out to see who was calling .

Demiurge wanted to try and spy out a glimpse of his master through the gap, but he could not do anything that embarrassing .

May I know if Ainz-sama is in his room?

My sincerest apologies, Demiurge-sama . Ainz-sama is not in .

His mood plummeted but he did not let it show on his face .

Is that so . Then, where has Ainz-sama gone?

My sincerest apologies, I do not know However, Albedo-sama might know something about it .

She was right .

Really now . Then, where is Albedo now?

She is in this room .

Demiurge knew Albedo treated her masters room as her workroom . Cant you just use the room youve been assigned, he often thought, but after considering her personality, he ended up keeping quiet . The most important thing was his masters approval . With that, there was nothing else for him to add .

Is she working? . . . Could you help me check if this is a convenient time to visit?

Understood .

The door before him closed . A moment later, it opened again .

Please come in, Demiurge-sama .

Demiurge thanked the maid and then entered . Before his eyes was the Guardian Overseer, seated on a chair in front of his masters desk .

Her lowered line of sight moved, and caught hold of Demiurge

.

Its been a while, Albedo .

Ah, Demiurge . Youve worked hard abroad . What is it today?

Ah, it concerns the matter in the Holy Kingdom . I was planning to obtain permission for the final stages of the plan . I will need a Doppelganger where is Ainz-sama?

He is somewhat far away . I doubt he will be able to return quickly

In other words, he is not in E-Rantel, Demiurge mused . Otherwise she would not describe it in such a strange way .

That is somewhat of an inconvenience . Then, I shall perform preparation work on the 7th Floor until Ainz-sama returns .

If it is urgent, could you not communicate with [Message]?

Demiurge frowned, and observed Albedos expression .

She had her usual smile on, but the perceptive Demiurge detected some other emotion within her .

If she was just toying with him, it would be fine .

Demiurge attempted to quickly study her, but he could not read that deeply .

It ached at him, but then again, this was not a contest in the first place .

Among all the people of Nazarick, the only two people he could not read were his master and Albedo . He set them aside as rare exceptions for the sake of his inner peace .

Demiurge shrugged .

It is not that urgent . If Ainz-sama returns the day after, I shall inform him myself .

Ainz-sama did not mention how long he would be gone . He might take a very long time .

Then, I shall go to Ainz-samas side, Albedo . It is not a matter which requires the use of [Message] .

Ara? Why is that? If it is truly important, would it not be more loyal to inform him as soon as possible?

The context of Albedos smile had changed . Earlier, it was her usual fake smile, but now it was a wicked, bullying smile . She must have some sort of ill intent in mind .

It would seem there was something she wanted to say, no matter what .

How tiresome, Demiurge thought as he stated his reasons .

I desire to display my achievements to Ainz-sama, so I do not wish to use such methods to contact him . While I can receive his praise through a [Message], in the end, I would still prefer to hear his voice in person . That is all Is that not the shared

shared dream for all in Nazarick?

Mm, indeed, Demiurge . It is as you say . Anyone would feel that way .

Then, where has Ainz-sama gone?

He has gone to visit the Dwarf Kingdom, about which little is known and which has not made diplomatic contact until now . Thus, we do not know how much time it will take .

Who accompanies him?

Shalltear and Aura .

That should be fine in terms of combat strength . However other aspects were more worrisome .

Aura was fine . All she needed to do was not inconvenience Ainz-sama . Yet, the face of the other person appeared in Demiurges mind .

Still, by bringing Shalltear along, does he intend to destroy the Dwarf Kingdom?

Mare would have been a much better choice for verbal negotiations . Thus, that choice was made for other reasons .

What are the other Guardians doing?

Cocytus is managing the lake . Mare is building a dungeon outside E-Rantel . Sebas is carrying out his duties in E-Rantel . Although I do not know what Ainz-sama intends, the fact that he did not bring an army along would suggest a peaceful visit, no?

. . . There is insufficient information for that . Why did Ainz-sama want to go to the Dwarf Kingdom?

Demiurge . We cannot predict Ainz-samas thoughts .

It was as Albedo said .

His master, Ainz Ooal Gown, was the supreme ruler of Nazarick, who concealed countless stratagems within a single move of a chess piece . Demiurge who had been created with outstanding talents could not even hope to graze the soles of his brilliance with his outstretched hands . Attempting to read his masters motivations was a mistake .

That said, sensing his masters will and preparing for it was a mark of true loyalty .

If I dont work hard enough . . .

As Demiurge rebuilt his conviction once more, Albedo picked up a piece of parchment from the table .

This came from the Empire yesterday . I opened it after receiving Ainz-samas permission via [Message] . It contains an offer of vassalage from the Empire . The exact details of the vassalization are to be finalized later .

Demiurge was shocked . This was much earlier than he had anticipated .

Whats this? According to my predictions, the Empire should only have offered to be vassals after the Kingdom was destroyed

That is the

is the result of Ainz-samas visit to the Empire .

This is As expected of Ainz-sama

Say, Demiurge . Did you really think the Empire would only become a vassal after the Kingdom would?

Of course . That was how I planned it .

Regardless of what methods you used?

. . . What are you trying to say?

Ainz-sama often mentioned your name . It came up in the context of Did you hear from Demiurge? Then it should be all right . In other words, there was something about you about your plan which he could not accept .

What are you saying . . Albedo, why didnt you tell me earlier? If thats the case

If what is the case?

Demiurge could not speak .

. . . Let me ask you again . Was there no way to make the Empire a vassal before the Kingdom?

. . . There was . However, it would have required Ainz-sama himself to act . It would be a shameful course of action for a subordinate to advise . In addition, I felt that it would require the execution of several methods requiring at least a month in order to cause a violent upheaval within a large city . That being the case, I believed that it would have been better to begin by subjugating the Kingdom and then applying pressure on other areas how long did Ainz-sama take?

I was in the Kingdom, so I am not sure, but I think it was three days at the most .

Demiurges eyes went wide .

That was too fast .

How had he demonstrated his subjugating might? How had he broken the will of the Emperor, who sought to ally with other nations?

Although Demiurge had prepared a perfect plan that would render the Emperor unable to take action, his master seemed to have crafted a scheme which surpassed even that .

Three days? How did he do that

Incidentally, there were almost no casualties .

His gaping mouth felt like it had been stoppered . All he felt was an unstoppable flow of admiration and respect for that absolute ruler . He was like Death itself, quietly standing behind the Emperor and then crushing his heart .

The trembling he felt just now spread from the top of his head to his entire body . Savage delight, admiration, fear and respect mixed within him, and this complex blend of emotions made Demiurge emotions made Demiurge shudder without end .

As, as expected of Ainz-sama . Someone like me could not hope to even approach him . He is truly a peerless and perfect master . Nobody else could have led the Supreme Beings . I cannot help but envy Pandoras Actor, even if just a little .

Albedo went kuku, her smile full of superiority .

It must have been the sense of superiority a woman felt when she was ordered to love such a marvelous man .

In addition, Ainz-sama has ordered us to decide how to handle the vassalage of the Kingdom .

Ordered us? Why?

Is that not obvious? Much of the developments in this field have been due to the use of your plan, Demiurge . Even so, Ainz-sama said nothing to you and pushed the vassalization of the Empire forward with his own plan . Thus, his heart ached .

He could not understand that . Perhaps if he was displeased at his own incompetence, he could understand that . But not this .

. . . Why? I do not understand .

Hah~ Albedo sighed tiredly .

It is because he trusts you . In other words how shall I put this . You should be able to understand it with that mind of yours, but this is probably how it is . Not following your plan is equivalent to doubting your abilities . Ainz-sama awaited your communication because he did not want to do that . However, Ainz-sama felt you were too concerned about him . Thus, his independent action was meant to tell you, dont worry about me, I believe .

It was an answer he could accept . No, it would be better to say there could be no other answer but that .

This truly is

Demiurge lowered his face in shame . At the same time, he was filled with delight after he realised how his master had thought of him .

Demiurge . We must work to repay Ainz-samas kindness .

Of course, Albedo .

Demiurge was excited .

In order to fulfil Ainz-samas expectations, let us finish a vassalage plan for the Kingdom for him to see before he returns!

Indeed . Ainz-sama has gone in person, so there must be many schemes in store . He will surely be busy once he returns from the Dwarven Kingdom .

Demiurge grinned .

Indeed, Albedo . Indeed .