Grand Foreigner (Overlord\FGO Crossover)

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 92: Singularity IV : Londinium

If we exclude all the very creative curses, the self-professed desire to destroy the world, the barely held hatred and vitriol from Ainz's outburst, one could say that he was quite silent. Terribly silent, perhaps even to the point of suspecting that he's mute.

Ainz's silence continued for the next few minutes, before Ainz suddenly took a deep breath, slowly drawing in air, and then became silent again. The silence was almost deafening. Which is quite funny, since not 10 minutes before, the cacophony of Ainz's battle was quite literally deafening.

If Solomon was here, he would definitely be surprised at the ingenuity of the human mind as he became an audience to very creative curses and lingoes created by the minds of millions of frustrated gamers of the twenty-second century. He could even mistake them as some sort of very esoteric curses as Ainz almost started chanting curses in twenty-six different languages, mostly Japanese, English, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French…

Curses truly are the universal language.

In his long life as an avid net-gamer, Ainz had never even thought about just how many unique and distinct phrases expressing the emotions of sadness and anger he had remembered during his long life.

In the end, when his second tirade, second only to the one after Tesla's death, came to an end and his suppression of emotion, which had barely kept Ainz from going after Solomon, was finally able to tamp his raging emotions, Ainz was finally able to calm himself down. Still with anger coursing through him, Ainz rubbed his temples, the bridge of his nose, all to refrain from spitting viciously on the ground, he had to keep his image as a good team leader after all!

And so, with his mind sufficiently calm, Ainz headed back to his Servants.

---

The Servants, they didn't even dare to move when Ainz approached, watching their Master approach with bated breath... Who was their Master? Their mind simply caught in a rut when they watched the 'battle' between Solomon and their Master.

Is he God?

Of those present, the closest to understanding what divine nature, of course, was Da Vinci, and she knows that her Master was not a god, he is something more. However, whether their Master was God or some kind of Divine Spirit was neither here nor there. All the Servants present all agree about one thing on this matter.

They didn't understand a thing about their Master.

The Servants looked at Ainz with... an emotion completely unknown to them before.

Fear? Surprise? Adoration? Horror? Fascination?

Even Da Vinci could not parse what emotion exactly the other Servants were feeling at the moment.

What a strange peculiarity. As soon as everyone had come to a certain conclusion regarding Ainz, creating an outline in their minds of some frames and boundaries about his capabilities, each and every time Ainz broke them with ease and a perverse grace.

When he first appeared in this world, and participated in the very first Singularity, during Lev's betrayal and the destruction of Chaldea, he was perceived as the most ordinary, undistinguished, if not at all exemplary, magus in the service of Chaldea.

Then he killed Flauros in an instant, and that worldview was destroyed in a flash of unrestrained power.

The people present in Chaldea at that time remembered the experience quite vividly, as they felt and saw Ainz unrestrained might first hand.

And even then, they still unconsciously underestimated Ainz.

This was followed by their first true Singularity where Ainz actively started participating. There Ainz showed himself to be… a very pragmatic, if not completely indifferent Master, where he regarded his Servants as pawns on a game board, played and sacrificed as necessary to complete the goal. A line of thought that was reinforced by the summoned Cainabel.

A state of mind that was perhaps necessary when the survival of the whole world was in the balance, so it was dismissed by the people in Chaldea. And yet, in this again, they were wrong. Ainz was not a Master that didn't care about his Servants.

A fact shown quite strikingly in the next Singularity.

Stheno and Euryale still couldn't be left alone with Ainz without them breaking out into hysteria or catatonia. In the second Singularity, Ainz showed that he more than cared about his Servants, and was far from opposed to fighting a powerful enemy himself.

Baal, the Demon King not the Servant, was perhaps a taste of things to come.

The Third Singularity seemed to serve as a confirmation of these words. As if allowing Da Vinci and the other Servants a chance to finally concretely mark Ainz's status.

A distant, powerful, but not insensitive Master. Perhaps was even a Servant or even a Heroic Spirit of some kind, that had come to help Chaldea in their most difficult and challenging time.

Well, this harmonious and logical theory concocted in Da Vinci's head was destroyed yet again.

Ainz, whoever and whatever he is, did not fit into any framework Da Vinci could create in her head.

He was not a Servant, not a spirit, and not a magician. He was not alive, not dead. He was kind and terrifying in equal measure…

Which one is the real Ainz?

Da Vinci desperately tried to find an answer to this question. The only question that worried her so much at that moment. And… she could not.

Who is Ainz Ooal Gown? What goals does he pursue?

No answers to be found.

And all the vaunted knowledge of this world Da Vinci possessed collapsed in a single moment.

Da Vinci was not lying or boasting when she said that she possessed all the knowledge in the world. Unfortunately, her words were very literal.

She indeed knows all the knowledge in the 'world'. And whatever Ainz was, he was not from this world.

Up to this point, Da Vinci had always assumed that Ainz's name was either a pseudonym, or one of hundreds of thousands of names of ancient legendary heroes lost in time. Or else, it was worth taking into account the words of Cainabel and Baal. Their 'descriptive' stories made Ainz out to be some kind of hero from a parallel world. A distant and unknowable world, a world not intersecting in any way with Da Vinci's world.

Da Vinci hadn't truly understood what that had meant until now. Joining Ainz in his enthusiastic walk in the Singularity was truly her most brilliant idea!

In general, in the past, one way or another, Da Vinci considered Ainz a being, if not equal to her, then at least something that she can understand.

For example, although from the point of view of an ant a human looked like an incredible colossus, that is tens and hundreds of times more complex in structure. And although from the point of view of an ant a person's action could be incredibly strange, surprisingly unusual, or use principles that seemed incredible to the ant, if not impossible, in the end they all converged on a single base, giving rise to a common way of understanding both.

In the end, both a human and an ant existed according to the same principles. The laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry and logic applied to both beings even though they are radically different.

For the first time, Da Vinci understood the most unexpected, strange, but at the same time so liberating discovery for her.

That Ainz existed according to completely different principles. Principles that are entirely new and alien to Da Vinci.

Which means more exciting things for Da Vinci to discover!

Even before this revelation, Da Vinci believed that Ainz was an absolutely unique creature, just not to this extent.

Just as a computer in a binary number system is able to represent the whole world in an order of zeros and ones, Da Vinci had somehow attributed Ainz strange, previously unseen, but explainable, from her point of view, principles into something that while workable was wrong from the very beginning.

To explain using the analogy, Da Vinci had just suddenly realized that Ainz did not exist in a binary system, but... In a ternary system? Decimal? Hexadecimal? Something Other.

He existed in a system that Da Vinci did not even know existed about until this moment. In a system in which Da Vinci was blind, stupid and utterly helpless.

And…

Da Vinci slowly licked her lips.

She liked it.

She liked it so much that an unhealthy excitement is rising from the very depths of her soul, penetrating into her mind, forcing thoughts to be born and die at such a speed that for an outside observer, Da Vinci's mind would sound like white noise. Da Vinci was not paralyzed however and her mind did not go into an endless reboot. Instead, Da Vinci was simply deep in thought. Deeper than she ever did in the past.

With such speed and with such zeal that no thought, not a single question was left unsatisfied.

Da Vinci silently watched Ainz approach, looking ahead with barely hidden displeasure, slowly waving the grail in his hand with his every step and with a mockery of a smile on his face.

There was nothing in the world more terrifying and attractive for Da Vinci than a riddle.

And it seems that today she stumbled upon the greatest one of her life.

---

Solomon… Don't know what expression he should be making.

He didn't even know what emotion exactly he was experiencing at the moment in the first place.

From hatred to happiness, from confusion to admiration, from fear to complacency. For the first time in his existence, Solomon felt emotions literally overwhelming his mind.

All kinds of emotions, previously seemingly so alien and so despicable, now ran through the mind of Solomon.

How long had he waited for such an enemy? How great was his desire to savor the experience that he did not want to see him in battle against himself? And lastly, how delighted he was with his insolence.

How he did not understand him - how he despised him - and how he admired him.

Solomon took a languid step across his Temple, feeling a myriad of emotions as the dozens of his servants, the Demon Kings, feet his every rolling emotion.

In confusion, in bewilderment, in naïveté, they reached out to each other, as if whispering, gossiping children, trying to grasp from each other the paltry knowledge they have of what had happened. Like gossiping mothers, they discuss the unexpected, so very unusual state of their King, all the while hoping that Solomon would not see their actions.

A wasted effort, as Solomon could see right through them. Their thoughts and actions were always observed, and their whispers and their fear an open book.

This state of affairs must end. And so with a flicker of intent, he started speaking to all his servants.

A moment and all the Demon Kings fell silent, feeling their King's voice echoing in their minds.

"Today I met my enemy..." The coterie of Demon Kings froze as they listened to their master talk about what must be their hated adversary with such melancholy. "And I must inform you... That he is equal to me."

Shock. Horror. Confusion. Anger. Mistrust. Negation. All sorts of negative emotions ran through the Demon Kings.

"You are no match for him, any of you who enters into battle with him will die in an instant. "

Consent. Humility. Support. None of the Demon Kings objected.

"Therefore - none of you will fight with him anymore."

Interest. Confusion. Question. Denied a purpose, the Demon Kings questioned what they would do in the future.

"Instead, what you will do in the future will be to study my opponent."

Confusion. All the Demon Kings felt the same way at their King's instruction.

"You will be studying his Servants, his thoughts, his goals, his powers and his plans."

Question. What will the Demon King's do?

"All remaining Demon Kings will henceforth be sent to the remaining Singularities."

Shock. Thousands of questions. Incessant screams. No explanation is needed to explain the terror that the Demon Kings are feeling

Solomon pulled away from the Demon Kings' mind and smiled.

He wanted to look at his opponent again. He wanted to meet him in battle again.

Only this time, with all he has… How exciting!

---

"Solomon… " Olga-Marie blinked, first in confusion then in dawning horror as she heard Da Vinci's report. "Solomon!? Did I hear you correctly? That Solomon!?"

"Yes. The King of Israel. The Builder of the Temple." Da Vinci found it necessary to clarify. "Yes. That Solomon. "

Olga-Marie could only react with shock, slowly rolling the name over her tongue. "Solomon… "

If someone asked an ordinary magus to list the most powerful magi in history, they would list out many names.

Names like Lorelei, Zelretch, Paracelsus, Da Vinci, Merlin, Morgana, Medea, Aozaki, Darnic… but almost never Solomon.

Solomon's name would have never been listed among the entire list, for the same reason that Hecate or Zeus would not be on this list.

Yes, they each had awe-inspiring magical abilities, but you simply cannot call them magi.

They are simply more than that.

However, if the gods were somehow could still be called magi, even then Solomon couldn't be listed.

After all how do you categorize the strength in a system of the one that made the whole system in the first place? One cannot really be called a magus if he invented the magical system in the first place, no?

While Magic and mysteries existed as the highest law long before Humanity even entered the picture, it was not that 'magic' that was studied in the Clock Tower, and not even the magic that Paracelsus or Medea wielded.

The original form of magic was something beyond the reach of humans.

Humans were not originally capable of magic, and although the earliest people and civilizations could use the forces of nature to perform acts that are like magic, they are not. In the end all their 'magic' was just an imitation of divine abilities, a small copy of already existing miracles.

Until Solomon created the magical system that all magi, without exception, uses.

The first and only one, it was Solomon who created the thaumaturgical system as it was.

Magic not as pathetic imitations of divine miracles, not as a set of actions, but as a science, as a craft, as an art, as a miracle, and as a human tool. It was Solomon who created it.

Is it any wonder that the Age of Gods soon declined after his passing?

There has never been anyone in the world a more powerful magus than Solomon, there categorically couldn't be.

The creator of magic, it was he who determined all the laws, all the abilities, all the rules and conditions of magic, he did not 'discover' it, as great scientists discover the laws of nature around.

No he Created it. If there was anything like a God of the Magi, then it would be Solomon.

Solomon. The greatest magus of all time. The person whose death ended the Age of the Gods. A living beacon of a mystery. The Creator of Magic. The summoner of the seventy-two demons of Goetia. The King of Kings. The Grand Caster.

And he's the enemy that they need to defeat… And if they fail Humanity perishes.

Olga-Marie slowly lowered her head into her hands, blind to all but the table in front of her. All her thoughts, plans about the future had just suddenly scattered into dust before her eyes.

What kind of insurmountable trial is this? They have to defeat Solomon of all people!?

Although… If Da Vinci was now in front of her, that means that there's still hope.

"What happened in that Singularity?" Olga-Marie, not even bothering to raise her head, afraid to hear Caster's answer, asked. If they had survived by coming to some kind of agreement then…

She wouldn't want to see the horror in Da Vinci's expression as she loses all hope.

"Ainz kicked his ass, then Solomon ran away." Da Vinci said calmly.

Olga-Marie blinked, a little bit of heat entering her voice. "I have no time for jokes, Da Vinci."

"I would never joke with such things," Olga-Marie could literally feel the exasperated smile Da Vinci was expressing at this moment… So, it's true.

Ainz had somehow deflected the assault of the Greatest Magi.

Olga-Marie blinked, she literally couldn't believe what Da Vinci was implying. Then one more time, as she internalized the information. Then once again for good measure…

"I'm going to go to sleep, now." Having enough of her day going so strangely, she abruptly rose from her seat and started going to her bed. A nearby sofa in this case, if her ambling stays true.

"Let the 'me' in the morning deal with this shit!"

Da Vinci just grinned before speaking again. "Wait, there are some other things that need discussing."

"In the morning, Da Vinci! I'll deal with it tomorrow!" Olga-Marie did not even bother answering with anything else, walking past Da Vinci and immediately collapsing on the sofa.

Da Vinci, however, did not let something as simple as her boss' reluctance stifle her curiosity.

"I also need all the information Chaldea has about the Grand Order, about Roman, and finally about the origins of the Animusphere family…"

Olga-Marie did not even bother answering back, perhaps she couldn't even bother her brain enough to do so.

Da Vinci, looking at the collapsed Olga-Marie, only grinned.

She did have one last bombshell hidden in her sleeves. After all she hadn't even mentioned the fact that her Noble Phantasm had suggested some amazing things about the Solomon she met...

---

Ainz rinsed off the suds off of his face again and shook his head. The cold shower didn't improve his mood much.

He was still fuming, to say the least, by the fact that he had failed to get the drop item from Salavat - or whatever his name was. From Tesla too now that he thinks about it. Furthermore, the best find that he had found in the Singularity, Jack, was killed.

But with the very large exception to the fact that Ainz didn't get all the benefits and loot that he could in the Singularity, overall, the Singularity itself went pretty well. Ainz could even congratulate himself on yet another more or less successful ending to the Singularity…

He didn't even lose a single one of his Servants this time!

Coming out of the shower, still dripping wet, Ainz dried his hair and body with a towel before wrapping it around his waist.

As he took a step into his room, he was suddenly struck with a sense of melancholy.

His room was small… generally speaking. At least it doesn't quite fit the image of the kind of domicile that the supposed savior of the world was supposed to live in.

Still, it was five or six times larger than his apartment.

The bed in front of him… a double bed. A great luxury in his time, he didn't even have a bed in his apartment.

A lamp, turned on. An insane waste in his time, electricity was very expensive.

His bedside table was made of real wood. An incredible rarity that even the richest of his time would find hard to purchase.

As he looked over every item in his room, Ainz's sense of melancholy became more pronounced.

The singularities were slowly passing, being cleared one by one. He was already halfway done… How much longer can he enjoy these luxuries? A couple of months?

A couple of months later and it's over. A couple of months more and Ainz will be here in the new world with nothing to do.

Ainz had no plans to return to his past world, but... What lies in the future for him? A future where Humanity was saved and there's nothing else to do.

Prevent the third world war? Ensure that it happens? Sponsor the creation of YGGDRASIL? Start looking for his friends? Send all the Servants back home? Organize them all together? Take over the world? Or maybe even become a hermit?

Ainz didn't know. He didn't know the first thing he would do in the future…

Ainz closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He may not know anything about the future, but he definitely knew something about the present.

He knew about the Servants. Knew about people. Knew about battles. And he knew about Chaldea.

Only... What was he to do with this knowledge?

And if Da Vinci rejoiced in her ignorance, then Ainz could only sigh. Ironically acknowledging the truth of the phrase.

I only know that I know nothing.

---

Excerpt from scientific work: "The Rise of Boudica and the Collapse of the Roman Empire on the British Isles":

The legendary queen of the Britons, Boudica, is one of the infrequent examples of the existence of real historical heroes more suitable for legends. A historical fact that is somehow stranger than fiction.

Boudica was a warrior queen, a queen who always fought in the front among her soldiers. Soldiers that she had gathered among the people of Britain to stand against the mighty Roman Empire. Her vows to personally kill Nero and expel the Roman Empire from Britain was so famous that even after her death, many rebels would still carry on her cause. There were many a Roman rebels in the future that declared themselves to be her generals, her henchmen, or in the most surprising cases - even Boudica herself, who had arrived incognito to raise an uprising in the Roman Empire.

The most famous case of the previous happening during the uprising of the false Spartacus, which acted in concert with the false Boudica according to the surviving records of that time.

In particular, it is at least known that the pseudo-Boudica, continuing the tradition of the real Boudica, fought in the front and even tried to besiege Rome. A feat which, in particular, led to great chaos in Rome and the establishment of a temporary 'War Emperor' who tried to seize power among the chaos.

It is also known that, having accepted a doomed battle against the forces of Nero, Boudica still tried to break through to the Emperor to make true her vows, only to be defeated due to the intervention of an 'unknown magician'. Most likely serving as an allegorical description of Nero's reinforcement. Whatever form they might actually be the 'unknown magician' was credited as the main cause to Boudica's death.

According to a later historical record, Boudica herself was found during the siege under the walls of the besieged city, dead and 'drained dry, as if deprived of all her blood'. A fiction which most likely created as a reason not to show the body to the deceased public in the future.

A duplicity created most likely in order to conceal the fact that Boudica was not killed by the Romans in the end, but by her own conspirators, who realized the futility of resisting regular Roman troops.

Truly the history of Boudica sounds more like fiction.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 29: Summoning

As he woke up from his slumber, as close as he could get in his undead state anyway, Ainz rubbed his eyes. After which he got up from his bed, and started straightening the blanket.

Unfortunately, even when he's in the artificial body created by Da Vinci, sleep still remains an unattainable dream for him. Therefore, the most that Ainz could accomplish in the bed was to lie in place for several hours, covered with a blanket, closing his eyes, and slowly mentally moving away from the events of the day, restoring a little of his mental stamina as he 'relaxed'.

After wiping his eyes mechanically, although Ainz himself did not need it as this body does not produce any waste, he looked around his room.

It is still the same room, and the same bed he left hours ago, nothing special. Nothing has changed in the time that Ainz was lying motionless in his bed. Nothing has happened.

Hopefully it would stay that way in the foreseeable future.

Ainz reached for his clothes, the new ones that he had requested, instead of the torn and destroyed one in the Singularity. Not that anyone else would notice that it was new anyway, it's literally in the same style as the ones he previously wore.

Finishing making himself look presentable, he rose from his seat, examining himself on the mirror inside his room. On a whim, Ainz smiled at the mirror, waiting for a smile in return. He exhaled, what was he expecting to happen really?

One more day. Another Singularity. A few more new Servants. And a little bit closer to the end.

Ainz sighed. Although the nourishing effect of sleeping was beyond his reach, a few hours of motionless reflection on what had happened in the Singularity had helped him tamper down his anger towards Tesla, towards Saladin - or whatever his name was and to stop worrying about Jack and the other things.

The hours spent introspecting had helped him evaluate with a sober mind the ability of Sebastian - or something like that - to determine his future strategy in the event that he would fight against him again in the future…

Perhaps the only thing his rest did not help Ainz with, was determining what Ainz should do in the future.

No, of course, it is clear that his priority and goal should be solving the Singularities, they were the whole point he's helping Chaldea after all, and they were. But, what's next?

Ainz did not receive an answer to this question no matter how much he spent his time pondering the question. In fact, his worries about the future only became worse as time passed him by...

Ainz shook his head. Unfortunately, suppressing his emotions could not suppress Ainz's melancholic apathy.

And so, with the future heavy on his mind, Ainz took a step towards the exit to his room.

Next the summoning of new Servants… Perhaps, after that then maybe Ainz will be able to deal with what he was worried about.

Ainz turned the doorknob, opening the door after a moment of hesitation, subconsciously dreading that a moment later he would face an aroused - not in a sexual sense - although who knows? - Da Vinci, or maybe Olga-Marie…

With the Servants - with Cainabel, with Baal, and lately with Nobunaga, during his time spent with them, Ainz somehow got used to the fact that the door from his room only opened exclusively in the face of some random concerned Servant...

Or Da Vinci.

Da Vinci's regular ambush in front of his door was one of the main culprits of why such an idea blossomed in his head in the first place.

Therefore, Ainz was even somewhat surprised when, after opening his door, he did not hear any exclamations, no surprises, and no one flew into him at full throttle...

The hallway in front of his room was empty. A very unusual occurrence. Did something happen?

Ainz blinked, momentarily not believing his eyes as he takes a step forward into the hallway. He began looking around the corridor, trying to determine if anyone who wanted to talk to him was hiding around the corner, or was hiding somehow. But after a thorough investigation, he had to hold himself back from casting some spells, he did not find anyone nearby.

No Servants, no people… What a refreshing occurrence!

Ainz closed the door to his room behind him somewhat cheerily, and then slowly walked along the empty Chaldea corridor.

It was quiet as he walked the sterile corridors of Chaldea, sparkling with white-metallic light. Unusually quiet.

None of the Servants were chasing each other noisily through the corridors right now, there were no explosions, no sounds of battle, no loud arguments anywhere that he could hear. In fact, the only sound echoing through the empty corridors of Chaldea was the echo of Ainz's own footsteps, and perhaps the measured, barely audible hum of the electric lights.

Ainz was not very well oriented with the various passages of Chaldea, in fact one could say that the probability of him getting lost was quite high. However, one of the few routes, the route to the room where the Servant summoning was conducted, Ainz remembered it very well. So, with no other pending business, he walked along it.

In such an unusually quiet Chaldea, without the buzzing of Da Vinci excitedly talking about something that passes from his ear to another and without the Servants constantly flickering here and there, hurrying about their business, Ainz for the first time could afford to pay attention to the interior decoration of the building that he's ostensibly an employee in.

Something which until then only served as a background for his conversations at best.

A huge number of corridors ending in rooms, some empty and some not, all painted a sterile light gray… No wonder one could get easily lost in here, this whole place looked almost exactly uniform!

Ainz blinked when his gaze first stumbled upon a previously completely unnoticed interior detail - a large... Seal? Symbol? Coat of arms?

The symbol of the Chaldean organization is a crescent and... Leaves? Perhaps it was a symbolic image of a leaf? It was quite the unique symbol.

A large print of it was printed on the whole wall on the side of one of the myriad corridors of the building. He wondered what it meant?

Ainz remembered for a second the flags that were hanging in the throne room of Nazarick. He then grunted as he stifled a chuckle under his breath, remembering how he and his comrades had chosen their own emblems.

'Momonga, this one looks like a skull! Take it for yourself!'

'What, why?!'

'Well, you're an undead, and this is a skull see?… Oh, just take it!'

'Okay…'

The symbols on the flags in Nazarick that represented the guild members looked beautiful. But, in essence, they did not mean anything, or, at best, served as some kind of superficial references to some reference or some other meaningless things…

Except for Tabitha's flag! That guy had to have everything as something symbolic and meaningful. His guild symbol being some kind of reference to the Sephiroth tree...

Ainz blinked and frowned.

Tabitha? Tabitha… No, that sounded wrong somehow?

Tabula! Tabula Smaragdina! That's right!

Ainz blinked, then glanced at the sign on the wall, staring at it intently.

Why did he call Tabula the wrong name? Why Tabitha…? He didn't even know anyone with such a name… Is he starting to forget?

No, that's impossible! Maybe he heard the name a couple of times in the past, and he simply confused it for Tabula's name because it sounded similar… Yes, that must be it.

Ainz blinked once more at the sign on the wall before trying to remember Tabula's flag.

Wasn't there... There was some kind of head... And four tentacles? No, there's only two of them... And something more... Arrows? Or spears? Inside... Outside? No, both on the inside and the outside of the head! And inside the head there was also... Something... Like two eyes... Three? No, two eyes... And... Something... More...

Ainz blinked in surprise before his emotion suppression activated at full strength. An unpleasant emotion gripped him tightly. He could only handle the surging emotions by closing his eyes.

Is it sadness that he's feeling right now?

He is starting to forget...

---

Ainz did not know how long he stood still in that empty corridor, just looking blankly at a wall. It felt like a couple of hours, but in his overwhelmed state it could all be only a few minutes, if not seconds. He's not really in the state of mind to know the difference.

At some point, he blinked awake from his stupor. He then averted his gaze away from the sign of Chaldea and continued on his way again.

To an outside observer, it might seem that nothing has changed in Ainz's gait, not in his gaze, or even expression on his face.

Ainz walked just as slowly and calmly as before. His footsteps still echoed quietly through the empty corridors of Chaldea, His footsteps being the only thing interrupting the slow, barely audible hum of the lights.

If one were to be able to pierce the multitudes of defense Ainz have in his mental-scape, they would be able to hear the raging emotions bubbling beneath the calm exterior.

"What am I doing?"

Ainz moved slowly.

"What started it all?"

Ainz suddenly realized an unexpected thing that he had failed to notice before.

"It's so quiet in here..."

Ainz had been so unaccustomed to being so completely alone in his time in Chaldea. It is very rare for him to be without at least one Servant circling nearby, or without Da Vinci pursuing him for some reason, to be without an impending mission right in front of his face. He was so rarely alone lately, that he could not even realize a very simple thing.

"There is no one here at all."

It was surprisingly quiet in Chaldea. As soon as Ainz was left alone, he quite suddenly realized that Chaldea was huge... and pretty much deserted.

Without the Servants, and without the surviving staff around, there was nothing more than quiet deserted corridors. A grand empty place whose silence was only broken by the echo of his footsteps.

It brought up a very distressing memory for Ainz.

"It's just like in Nazarick."

When Ainz was left alone in Nazarick, in his last years when he was alone, such a deafening silence had been a constant companion.

Walking through luxurious, gigantic rooms... In which only his quiet steps were heard.

No one else was there, only the ever-silent NPCs. There was only silence when Ainz walked to the various rooms to keep their upkeep. It was a constant in those last lonely years, constantly hearing his echoing footsteps, forever echoing from the walls and high ceiling of an empty Nazarick.

It was quiet in Nazarick. It was deserted.

It was quiet in Chaldea. Almost like it was deserted.

Is this what he wants?

Chaldea, empty like Nazarick.

Nazarick, his home, his guild, his past...

Chaldea, his... What is it to him?

Ainz took another step, hearing the sound of footsteps echoing further and further.

A deserted Chaldea. A deserted house with no one in it.

Ainz was not sure...

"Ainz!" Olga's shout suddenly reached him. "I have so many questions for you!"

Ainz blinked, how long had he spent standing silently in the middle of the corridors? The silence of Chaldea was now broken… He must be so distracted that he couldn't hear the booming footsteps now coming towards him.

"I have even more questions!" Da Vinci's shouts followed shortly after Olga's. "And I also have a huge number of topics for discussion! And you Roman! Stop trying to run from me and show me your hands! You've never worn gloves before!"

"Chief, help! Take Da Vinci away from me, please!" Roman's voice echoed across the hall in front of him and slowly getting closer. "Ainz, please help me!"

Ainz blinked and... Smiled.

Ainz really didn't know what he should do next, what would happen… But as long as he's not alone, he'll probably be fine. And for now, it's time to meet the new member of his Servants.

---

"Daddy!" The familiar figure of the childish Jack flew out of the white light of summoning. She flew into Ainz with the determination of a Jack-to-Ainz missile. "We were so worried! Daddy, we tried to stop the bad uncle, but we failed, and you were hurt, it's our fault! Daddy, please don't be angry!"

"I'm not angry, Jack. Not angry at all." Ainz smiled as kindly as he could after a moment, it seems that his practice is going to come into use! Still looking at Jack's frightened and equally happy look, Ainz felt quite happy. "I'm glad you were summoned."

"Daddy, we rushed to you as soon as we could!" Jack started skipping as she settled down from hugging Ainz, looking at him with barely concealed happiness. "We did our best to get here as soon as you called, daddy!"

"Thank you, Jack." Ainz nodded. It seems that he still has a chance to discover some things about wraiths in this new world.

"Surprisingly, a Servant can independently rush to a summoning?" Da Vinci's voice unexpectedly rang out nearby, forcing Jack to turn around. "Is this a unique case for this summoning? Or is it related to Ainz? Or is it an undocumented feature of the system itself? What an exciting mystery!"

"Ah!" Jack, seemingly finally remembering Da Vinci, pointed her finger excitedly towards her. "You are that smart auntie!"

"Thanks for the compliment." Da Vinci, having heard Jack's childish exclamation, gave Jack a smile.

"So, talking is good, but it seems like we still have crystals that we can use?" Olga's voice cut into the conversation, causing Jack to turn towards her and frown.

"I don't remember you!" Jack pointed her finger at Olga, who was standing nearby. "Who are you!?"

"Of course you don't, I was not in the Singularity." Olga answered with a sigh before frowning. "And don't point your finger at other people, that's impolite!"

"Daddy, is that true?" Jack immediately turned towards Ainz, waiting for his answer.

"Well, it's really not very polite, and it's better not to point your finger at other people." Ainz replied calmly, causing Jack to nod seriously, making the most serious face a child was capable of.

"Then I won't!" Jack nodded seriously, and then, in demonstration of her seriousness, crossed her arms over her chest, done as if to demonstrate to everyone around her the seriousness of her intentions.

After a few more childish interactions that would warm the heart of anyone with a semblance of a heart, Jack stepped to the side so that Ainz could start summoning another Servant.

An instant later, a flash spreading through the air announced the arrival of the next Servant, as did an exclamation of surprise after a moment as someone familiar was summoned. Well more like someone whose armor was familiar, the face was very familiar though, only on someone that no one expected.

"I am Saber, name's Mordred." After her/ his? introduction the somewhat familiar Servant's identity was finally divulged, that helmet of hers really obfuscated her identity. Her next words were perhaps to be expected of the Knight of Treachery. "Is my father here?"

After another moment, Mordred took a step forward, carefully examining everyone present. Roman... Olga… Then her gaze came across Ainz, Jack and Da Vinci at the same time.

"You!" Stretching out her finger forward, Mordred pointed at everyone present. "Why the hell am I here?!"

"Pointing your finger at people is impolite!" Jack objected indignantly, being the first of those present to respond to Mordred's word, putting into practice the knowledge that was just told to her. After which, literally pouting with pride, she looked at Ainz, expecting recognition for her incredible merits.

"I didn't ask you brat!" Mordred immediately replied with a shout, before returning her attention towards Ainz, "You… Father's wife! Where's Father!?"

"What?" Ainz blinked at Mordred.

"So… am I missing something?!" Olga intervened in the conversation before Mordred could get going, causing the Knight to huff in irritation. "Da Vinci? Ainz?! Care to share with the group!? Why is the new Servant calling Ainz someone's wife!?"

"So you're a girl?" Da Vinci thought this was the perfect thing to comment on while looking at Ainz, ignoring the irate Olga and the fuming Mordred who's now walking towards him. "Or… Hmm, though if you are an undead, a being without primary sexual characteristics, does this mean that you are actually considered sexless?"

"What? No, no!" Ainz immediately tried to dismiss all the charges against him as Olga and Mordred was staring at him intently while Da Vinci was looming uncomfortably close. "I'm not anyone's wife! I am a man!"

"But don't you actually have no..." - Da Vinci did not continue the thought, allowing everyone present to think out the end of the phrase on their own. "Why am I, ahem... Maybe you want to try a woman's body? Who knows maybe you'll prefer it?"

Desperate for a distraction, Ainz commenced another summoning. The flash of light saved Ainz from answering questions that would not bode well for Ainz. The Servant that was summoned though elicited another kind of emotion from Ainz.

Rage.

"I am Nikola Tesla," The summoned Servant briefly announced. "Genius." Well let no one say that Nikola tesla was particularly humble.

"You!" Ainz attention was immediately grabbed by the unexpected familiar face, "You owe me a WCI!"

"First, let's figure out whether you are my father's wife or not!" Mordred, no longer able to abide being ignored, interrupted Ainz's holy war before it could properly start, "Then you can demand whatever you want from your other suitors!"

"Daddy, is that mommy?" - Jack looked at Tesla with an interested look. Though knowing her history, that interest might not exactly be something that anyone wants. "Her hair is so long…"

"Long hair is not a mark of womanhood, as it is traditionally suitable for both men and women of all ages." Tesla dismissed Jack's comment with a wave of his hand. His denial for being one of Ainz suitors though was conspicuously absent though.

"What a surprise, the main advocate for the progress of mankind used the word 'traditionally' as his excuse!" Da Vinci glanced at Tesla who had stepped off the summoning platform.

"Hmm!" Tesla looked indignantly at his brilliant colleague, who was also not very happy with his arrogant declaration of being a genius.

"Hey! Let's not leave the topic, who's a wife to whom?!" Olga tried to return the dialogue to the thing that first started the commotion... A dialogue, whose subject was extremely pertinent to her, but something that Ainz would do her best not to discuss.

"Nobody's anybody's wife!" Ainz shook his head furiously. "I am a free man!"

"Then when I grow up, I'll marry you, daddy!" Jack immediately inserted her five cents as the summoning room soon was consumed by the cacophony of arguing Servants.

"It's a madhouse in here." Roman sighed quietly to himself, but, as is usually the case, as if fate dictated it, it was at this moment that a second of silence was established. And therefore Roman's words echoed clearly among all those present, causing all the people present to look at the unfortunate doctor. "Oh…"

A moment later, the prolonged pause was interrupted by another flash of light, as Ainz took the lull in the chaos as a chance to summon another Servant. After the light dimmed, a quiet and high-pitched girl's voice resounded. "Greetings to the beautiful you. Let's create a wonderful dream."

As if on command, all the Servants present simultaneously looked at Alice, or maybe she should be called Nursery Rhyme? who took a step forward. With the uncomfortable silent, she looked around at all those present and froze.

"Oh… Did I arrive at the wrong time?" Alice shook her head, then, seeing Ainz, she smiled, "But at least to the right address."

"Daddy, is she another mommy or is she like me, your daughter?" Jack innocently asked Ainz the very explosive question.

"I am, technically, a child of my Master." Alice answered just as easily. "My form is created by the Master... Or, so it should be at least."

"Have you decided to create a Loli Servant now Ainz?" Da Vinci looked at Ainz with a smirk. "Should I get my other body in that case?"

"Pedophile!" Mordred instantly pointed her finger at Ainz indignantly, full of fire and anger. "You are not worthy to be Father's wife! Surrender peacefully you criminal scum!"

"Don't point your finger, you meanie! You were told it was impolite!" Jack instantly rushed forward, facing Mordred her daggers now unsheathed. "Stop disrespecting daddy!"

As the summoning room once again descended into a raucous chaos, Ainz sucked in air slowly… Before barking loudly in a commanding voice," EVERYONE, STAND IN PLACE!"

All the Servants present at the moment were shocked and frozen as they heard Ainz voice, feeling that Ainz was not joking at all at the moment.

"ALL NEWLY SUMMONED SERVANTS, TO THE RIGHT WALL! ALL THE REST TO THE LEFT!" After these words, even Olga and Roman decided to prudently obey Ainz's words, moving aside. Da Vinci looked like she was enjoying the spectacle though.

First Ainz's attention was directed to the Knight in heavy armor.

"Mordred, I have no relationship with Arthuria! None! I'm not her wife or husband!"

Finished with his explanation, Ainz then shifted his gaze towards the other diminutive Servant that was not Jack. "Alice, I'm not your father or creator, as I didn't take part in the creation of your body."

Next to the eccentric scientist who was looking all too pleased about all this chaos. "Da Vinci - stop adding fuel to the fire."

Then towards his diminutive maybe daughter. "Jack, pointing out the impoliteness of others like that is also impolite, and you should also not be so zealous to defend me."

Then to his two colleagues that really should have known better." Roman, keep all comments to yourself. And Olga - I have no relationship with anyone... Except those you know about."

And then lastly to the worst enemy that he had ever faced, who, if he was not his Servant would be facing the full brunt of his displeasure. "And Tesla! You still owe me a WCI!"

Tesla, more than anyone else, wanted to ask, what is a 'WCI', and why does Ainz think he has one or even why he should give it to Ainz. But at the moment he considered the best option to show not his ego, but his genius by remaining silent and not unnecessarily poke the angry dragon.

"And now I will summon the last Servant." Da Vinci wanted to ask Ainz a question, but looking at how he glanced at everyone present, she also showed solidarity with Tesla, preferring not to provoke Ainz once again.

Ainz, exhaling, took a couple of steps and after placing the Grail in the center of the circle, looked at Roman who was standing by the control panel. "Do it."

Roman, considering it best not to argue with Ainz, just pressed the button to start the summoning process. After which, for a long minute, the hall again plunged into silence, interrupted only by the hum of various mechanical parts.

Of those present, Olga, Roman and Da Vinci were familiar with the summoning procedure when using a far from ordinary catalyst, while the rest of the Servants looked at each other in confusion over the somewhat longer process when compared to their own summoning.

Tesla sincerely did not understand what was happening right now in front of his eyes, Mordred also responded in kind. Alice looked at what was happening with a very interested look on her face. While Jack just looked at the people around her and acted accordingly, copying their serious faces and staying silent. She doesn't really understand what's going on, but not wanting to anger her daddy, she just copied daddy's behavior.

For a moment, as usual, the hall fell into silence before the summoning, before exploding in a flash of light again only this time much more excitingly than usual.

For the third time, a monstrous flash of light flooded the hall. And although Tesla or Mordred were surprised at the surprising luminescence of the light, Olga, Roman, Da Vinci and, of course, Ainz himself, were already used to such effects that accompanied the summoning of some special Servants.

Da Vinci sincerely wanted to find out from Ainz who exactly he summoned this time, for what reasons and based on what considerations, but… Looking into Ainz's face, she prudently chose to remain silent, postponing the questions she wanted to ask, to a pile of other thousands and thousands of questions for the future.

A second later, when the light began to slowly fade, the Servants were able to see a figure slowly emerging from a flash of light.

Da Vinci blinked at the figure of the Servant.

Although the existence of Asterios, a huge Minotaur and a huge Servant in his own right, was supposed to desensitize the surrounding people to the existence of giants. Even so, the size of the Servant that was just summoned was quite impressive.

No, probably, even when compared to the towering size of the Minotaur, she was even more impressive. At least Da Vinci herself could conclude even with only a bare glance that the Servant, even when being a girl, was at least a cut taller than Asterios, and also possessed equally impressive horns at that.

The servant, a girl that was much taller than three meters, cut quite the dangerous figure with her muscles. Muscles that are not so pronounced as that of Asterios', but it made the already extremely distinct Servant seem only larger. Her short blonde hair, barely reaching to her shoulders, greatly contrasted her black dress, which reached down to her knees, ending with her high black lace-up boots.

On her face, as on all bare skin on the body that could be seen, numerous seal-like symbols were intertwined, rising along her arms and chest reaching her face. Though the tattoo that was applied to the girl's forehead, between her two large horns, was the most eye-catching.

The girl, having taken a step out of the summoning circle, instead of loudly announcing her arrival as did Baal or Cainabel, instead looked at her surroundings intently.

Da Vinci noted the indifference, if not disdain, in the Servant's gaze as her eyes passed over her or Tesla before stopping at Jack's childish figure. As soon as her eyes passed over Jack, they instantly became warm, the eyes of a mother looking at a child. After which, this gaze only intensified as it passed over Mordred, before finally ending as she saw Ainz's figure.

In an instant the Servant's face grew even kinder.

"Momonga!" The Servant, impressive in all its appearance, after seeing Ainz with a glance, waved to him. "It has been a very long time since I last saw you!"

"Angrboda." Ainz nodded, forcing Da Vinci to get close, as her curiosity got the best of her. Just from this one interaction she had gotten some juicy information. "And it's 'Ainz'. Call me 'Ainz'"

Angrboda, ha… Mother of Jormungand, Fenrir and Hel, the wife of Loki... who for some reason knew Ainz from what it seems a long time ago. And she also called him by another name… Interesting.

"Then you can call me Mommy!" Angrboda instantly replied, cheerily announcing what Ainz should call her.

"Mommy?" Jack leaned forward, looking at the giantess.

"Of course, little Jackie!" Angrboda broke into a radiant smile, easily ignoring such a pitiful thing as formality or the fact that she should not have actually known Jack's name. "I'm your mom!"

"No, no, stop!" Ainz understood what would happen should Jack start calling the new Servant Mommy and his Daddy correctly and took a step forward, putting a stop to the conversation before it could go in an even more worrying direction, "Jack, she's not your mommy! And not mine for that matter… "

"I am the mother of all monsters!" In response Angrboda simply brushed aside Ainz's complaints as something insignificant, - "Undead, dragons, beasts... Actual relationship in this case does not matter, I'm everyone's mother!."

"In this case, it really does… " Ainz shook his head, exasperatedly looking at the Servant that had made his social life all the more complicated. - "Still, Angrboda, I'm glad that…"

"No-no-no! Ainz!" Ainz's newly summoned Servant immediately interrupted, exaggeratedly swinging her body side to side. "You must call me Mommy!"

"I won't." Ainz replied in an instant, closing his eyes for a second as he rubbed a hand across his forehead.

Angrboda, hearing Ainz instant rejection, frowned, pursing her lips in what looked like a caricatured serious expression on her face before sighing. "Okay... I guess that's alright. You are still older than me…"

Da Vinci grasped this tidbit of fact and carefully preserved it in her memory.

"Then you're going to call me… Angri!" Angrboda immediately returned to her previous boisterous self and smiled at Ainz, "By the way, are you free now?"

"What?" Ainz blinked.

"In terms of personal relationship and in terms of time… " The Servant just shook her head, as if explaining something obvious. " You know… We've known each other for so long, and well after Loki, I didn't really have a normal husband and… Well, we know each other so well, so I thought… "

Should it be expected that Ainz's acquaintances to be so eccentric? She immediately went from childishly asking to be called by a nickname to suddenly propositioning someone.

"Full stop!" Olga immediately got into the conversation, overcoming even her possible fears about Ainz. "Who you are and what the hell is happening here?!" Love, do make fools of us all huh?

"Shut your mouth, man-rat, or I'll bite off your head, throw off the remains to feed the children, and make a cup out of your skull." Without changing her facial expression in any way, Angrboda easily spouted threats after deadly threats. After which, completely ignoring any reaction to her quite colorful retort towards Olga, she turned back to Ainz. "So, what about when we get married?"

"Who will marry whom?!" Mordred, finally no longer able to keep her silence after hearing her Father's wife getting proposed to, entangled herself in the somewhat nonsensical dialogue. "Who are you in the first place?! And what do you mean by marriage?!"

"Angrboda, I'm your mommy, you can call me that if you want." Angrboda smiled easily at the young girl. "And about marriage... Ahem, when two loving hearts love each other very much…"

"Are you threatening me?!" Olga overcoming her stupor after being threatened so vividly, joined in on the dialogue again. "You don't understand where you'll end up after threatening me?!"

"If you don't shut up, then you will find yourself on my table soon if you keep barking man-rat." Angrboda, without changing the expression on her face and tone of voice once again, delivered yet another threat, before continuing to talk to Mordred. "So where was I? Ah yes, when two loving hearts like your mommy and Ainz…"

Ainz took a slow breath, watching the chaos as Olga and the other Servants began shouting over each other...

He couldn't help but smile.

Ainz really didn't know what he should do next, or what would happen in the future...

But he knew that he didn't want to walk the empty corridors alone again.

Never again.

---

Historiographical Essay "The Influence of the Natural World on the Formation of Ancient Mythology Throughout the World":

... In the ninth chapter of this book we will consider the influence of the landscape of the Apennine peninsula on the formation of the mythology of the peoples of the Roman kingdom, and later the Roman Republic and eventually the Roman Empire.

Although, of course, some common threads and similar features of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon are seen in all the mythologies in societies throughout Europe and India, Roman culture was not an exception. Though as to be expected, the unique geographical and climatic conditions of the Apennines Peninsula had a significant impact on their mythology.

The most famous example of a geographical influence on mythology being the Etna volcano, which in mythology was supposed to serve as a place of imprisonment of giants and also was supposed to be the residence of the Smith god Hephaestus.

Another is the Italian cleft, the largest natural quarry in Europe near Rome. According to legend, the cleft was formed after the god of war, Mars, saw Romulus killing his brother Remus, and shocked at the cruelty displayed, dropped his blade, dividing the earth in two.

Future historian and geologist though credited the creation of the cleft to a major earthquake that happened in the distant past.

It is quite the notable thing though just how many early Roman superstitions used geographical features as an element for the formation of several myths.

In particular, some historians had even concluded that the myth of Attila's invincibility in Roman mythos was also based on the Mars myth. That a conqueror who conquered most of Europe, a feat that included besieging Rome, was only so successful and feared because they had possessed the fallen blade of Mars, Furthermore that the cause for their enmity with Rome and his war with the Roman Empire as the fulfillment of an 'unfinished mission from Mars' claiming that 'the god missed his first blow, but the second must destroy Rome'...

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 30: Tesla

Nikola Tesla took a look at his surroundings, examining his new home with an appraising glance, as if checking some new equipment before a new experiment.

Tesla was a man with a peculiar taste, but only on things that interested him. Although his understanding of himself, his mind and his intelligence did not allow him to call himself anything less than a genius, his requirements for his own domicile were close to none. As long as he could do his experiments, a bare cave would do.

Looking at his room furnished with a double bed, a small bedside table, a table, two chairs, and a wardrobe that is completely empty, Tesla didn't have any complaints. From the side of household living and comfort that is. But…

"Absolutely impermissible!" Tesla's body trembled in outrage "Where is the dynamo machine?! There's no space at all! Where will I put the alternator?! There is no room even for a radio for my experiments!" Sparks of electricity started flying as Tesla started raging at the atrocious nature of his domicile.

Tesla breathed in, he needed to calm down… But he really needed the space! And also, a lot of other things for his experiments! Mechanical parts, tools, wires, everything that is most vital in the life of a modern person! His genius demands it!

Tesla exhaled indignantly, looking at the infuriatingly empty room.

Ainz, his new Master, who had summoned him was an incredible human. If, of course, he was human at all.

Tesla remembered his battle against him, and how even his Magnum Opus, his Keuranos System, could not even hurt the mage. He then remembered his death, and his subsequent summoning, and then a deluge of information. Information that if the source of it were not Servants, he would have dismissed everything as tall tales, completely groundless rumors created by the myth-makers of the past.

So he was painfully aware just how outclassed he is against his own Master.

But did this give his Master any right to shield Tesla from his sacred mission? His important experiments that's going to help humanity advance into a new century, the century of the triumph of science? No, no, and one more time no!

Be his Master, an angel of Paradise, or a demon from the deepest level of Hell. Be he a thousand times stronger than Tesla or a thousand times weaker. The Creator himself will not be able to stop Tesla on his march for progress!

And therefore, after looking at his unsuitable abode again, he was now on a mission. Never mind the fact that the room was perfectly suitable from the point of view of life comforts. Never mind the fact that Servants don't even need any of it. As he concluded the absolute deficiencies of his future laboratory, Tesla intended to rectify this immediately.

He's going to find Ainz, who after being summoned disappeared somewhere along with Olga and Angrboda, and he's going to demand all the necessary lab equipment due to him. And if they did not have them, to take from Da Vinci at least half of her instruments! Genius or not, no one will stand in the way of Tesla's progress!

So with a furious cry and a flash of electricity, Tesla's going to stomp his way along the halls of Chaldea. Fortunately or not, Ainz found Tesla faster than Tesla was able to find Ainz, all before Tesla even exited his room.

Opening the door to his room, without knocking - somewhat impolite, but generally forgivable. The threshold to his room was violated first by one foot, then a hand, then a face, and finally his Master passed through.

Ainz, who a moment later looked at Tesla with interest and even with some pressure hidden in his gaze. The atmosphere was charged with electricity, and not all from Tesla.

Tesla responded in the same way, staring with unabashed hostility at the Master that he had planned to search all this time, but that had found him first.

There wasn't a long pause, because having closed the door behind him, Ainz looked at Tesla seriously, then stated his demand without moving on to any greetings or other formal signs of courtesy. "Give me your WCI."

Tesla sighed. He had heard this word, or rather, the abbreviation, before, but he never got an understanding of its meaning, - "First of all, good afternoon, Master. What brings you to my room?" Tesla started their war of words with a simple courtesy, no need to be impolite after all. Even though he wanted to start his demands, no need to needlessly anger someone that could give him what he wanted.

"Good afternoon, Tesla." Ainz replied woodenly, without taking his eyes off Tesla, and then immediately repeating his demand. "Give me the WCI."

Tesla sighed again. At least he was now sure that Ainz was as ancient and strong as he was talked about. After all, only ancient powerful kings possessed such non-gentlemanly manners. - "What is this 'WCI' you're talking about?" Nevertheless, he needs to get this conversation over with, so he can get his laboratory equipment.

"World-Class Item," After Ainz's clarification, Tesla's mind became a little clearer, but only slightly since he never heard such a thing in his life and un-life. - "The ability that you used against me in Singularity."

Tesla blinked, "My Noble Phantasm?"

"In a way," Ainz nodded before moving his gaze to Tesla's metal glove that he still had on his hand.

"Even if we assume that I would agree to simply obey that demand, I just can't imagine how I can give my Noble Phantasm. One, mind you, that does not even have its own physical manifestation, simply being a phenomenon born of my dream, sublimated into a legend at that?" Tesla sighed looking at Ainz completely unimpressed. "And this is without touching on the fact that I certainly do not feel the desire to give up my Noble Phantasm even if I could in the first place."

Ainz, hearing Tesla's explanation, only blinked confusedly at Tesla, - "Wait... Ah... How… having no physical manifestation?"

"But of course," Tesla breathed out, looking at Ainz like he's an idiot. But then again he's asking a Servant to give up his Noble Phantasm, so perhaps that sentiment is not that far from the truth. "My Noble Phantasm is just my legend, my dream which has taken on the tangible form of lightning. It is not a physical object that I can simply give away."

After Tesla finished explaining, there was a brief silence in the room again.

Tesla, not at all concerned with the awkward silence, satisfied that he has explained his side satisfactorily, bluntly asked what he searched Ainz for in the first place. "I need a laboratory, the necessary instruments and preferably a large room."

Ainz blinked, and instead of doing anything else, instead glanced intensely at Tesla's glove. "Ah… This is…" Ah, better cut off that thought before his Master did something unnecessary.

"Just a metal glove." Tesla lightly waved his gloved hand, as if waving away Ainz's thoughts, - "Useful in some of my experiments, but it is not a Noble Phantasm. And of course it's not, how did you call it… a World Class Item." Until a figurative lightbulb lit up in Tesla's head.

Thinking for a second, Tesla made a decision. "Though, I can give it up in exchange for a laboratory and a set of instruments."

Ainz, hearing Tesla's offer was shocked, figuratively speaking of course. With shaky steps, he walked to a nearby chair, sitting down with a thump, forcing Tesla to follow suit, sitting down on the bed. Tesla could almost see some of his Master's thoughts and memories flashing before his eyes.

"So… You… No… WCI?" Ainz blinked, "None at all?

"As we have already discussed," Tesla sighed. "My Noble Phantasm is not some kind of WCI that I can hand out, and I have no other powers or artifacts that would be equal to my Noble Phantasm."

"Oh..." Hearing these words, Ainz only lowered his head. Then he began eerily, noisily taking deep breaths.

Tesla was not an idiot, he understood what Ainz was doing, and perhaps he should have shown more tact. Seeing someone as powerful as Ainz and in whose hands his fate lays doing something like 'breathing slowly, and counting to ten to calm down' was quite the disturbing sight.

Ainz of course was simply doing the time-old tradition of a gamer, that just watched the cheat item he had just grinded tirelessly for, falling into the textures of the ground due to a bug and can't be recovered anymore. Or perhaps the despair from fighting an ultra-hard, ultra-rare boss and finding that the reward was not at all equivalent to the effort expended. If Cainabel was here, she would be quite familiar with Ainz's state of mind. After all it was the same emotion Ainz displayed after defeating her in YGGDRASIL.

Tesla, looking at such an eerie manifestation of emotions from Ainz, whose suppression of emotions saved him from the desire to destroy, but was not fully able to stop the waves of disappointment and anger rising from the depths of his soul, decided to wait a little before continuing the dialogue.

Ainz sat still for a few more minutes, slowly inhaling and exhaling air, before raising his hand in the air, clenching it into a fist and, after a forceful exhalation of air, let it fall to his knee helplessly.

"Damn it," Ainz murmured and, after massaging his temples a little, seemed to have calmed down. "Oh... Hah... Damn, that's not at all what I wanted to hear… What a big downer, huh..." As a pro of the almost torturous game that is YGGDRASIL, Suzuki Satoru is a master of handling disappointment.

Tesla, although he certainly did not consider himself to be guilty of any emotions that Ainz was currently feeling, nevertheless sympathized a little. Whatever feeling he might be experiencing and whatever the situation was, Ainz was clearly upset about its outcome.

"Oh," After a short while moping, Ainz finally looked up, as if just realizing that Tesla was still in the room with him. "Okay… It probably can't be helped, so... Um, yes, Tesla, you were talking about a laboratory and supplies?"

Tesla, although just a few minutes ago was eager to claim all the resources due to him, was somewhat surprised. He admits that, given how persistent and immersed in his own worries Ainz was, Tesla did not expect Ainz to actually hear his request at all, or even to be in a state of mind to actually address it. Hopefully, Ainz's previous mood won't actually affect the outcome of his request.

"Hmm, yes," Tesla, however, bullishly plodded ahead. The worst Ainz can do is say no after all. "I need a laboratory, preferably in a large room. Then I need at least two alternators, at least three hundred meters of excellent copper wire, a dynamo…"

Tesla then began to list all the supplies he needed, all the while part of his attention was taken by observing Ainz's looking at Ainz reaction, waiting for him, of course, to start fighting for every little thing on the list. He fully expected having to fight for every centimeter of wire, for every gram of coal and a meter of free space, but… just in case, he might as well add some things that he can discard later in negotiation.

Listening to Tesla's recitation of all the things he wanted, Ainz only nodded slowly to the beat of the words, as if his previous depression was no longer existent. So after Tesla finished listing the things he wanted with the '20-meter transformer that goes by my name', Ainz nodded one last time. "Okay, I'll see what can be found... I can't promise you that Chaldea will have all of this... But I may be able to find some."

Tesla, hearing the unexpected reply, for a second wondered if this was one of those 'polite refusals' to which he got used to during his life. Or worse another of those idiotic 'American joke'-things. But, Ainz did not look like an uninterested investor at the moment, listening to Tesla's explanation about his invention almost with a bored look on their face, all but yawning with boredom. No, Tesla saw Ainz sincerely noting the components.

Tesla was somewhat embarrassed by his duplicity for a second. That is before realizing his duty not only as a leader of mankind, but also as a gentleman, that he must right his mistakes. He notes that it was quite awkward to cough into his metal-encased fist. "Well... Perhaps a twenty-meter transformer is not needed per se... I can assemble one myself if the need arises."

"Okay," Ainz just nodded at Tesla's circumvent admittance of fault before exhaling. "I'll talk to Olga about this… But you need supplies right now, if I do understand you correctly?"

Tesla, once again faced with a somewhat unexpected reaction, only nodded with some hesitance.

"Then maybe you should share Da Vinci's laboratory for a while?" Ainz tried to smile, clearly imagining Da Vinci's reaction. "Two scientists working toget…"

"No chance," Tesla immediately expressed his disagreement with the idea, and then looked at his Master with a sharp look. "Absolutely out of the question."

"Hmm?" Ainz blinked in confusion, "Why?

"The absolute discrepancy between our personal views, it would make us working closely an… aggravating affair at best." Tesla nodded seriously.

"In what sense?" However, Ainz was not satisfied with Tesla's answer, seeking clarification.

Tesla thought about how he should answer for a second. His first impulse was, of course, to answer with the completely meaningless phrase that 'we are just different', but...

Hmm, Ainz had shown his willingness to help Tesla with his problems. And, although their relationship did not start on the best foot, Ainz had treated him with courtesy, and his actions had shown Tesla that he was sincere. Well that, or, he was an incomparable actor...

Tesla thought about his answer for a second more before exhaling and just going with the simplest explanation he could. "We simply strive for completely different goals."

Squirming a little more on his bed, Tesla glanced at Ainz's reaction to his answer. Seeing Ainz calm gaze, Tesla began expanding on his answer. "I have no doubt that together our genius would be unstoppable. But, sadly, our goals of experimentation and research are incompatible. My ultimate goal, no matter how some other manner of interesting experiments might distract me, is to improve the lives of mankind. Whether through the discovery of new laws of nature or the creation of wonderful devices matters not." Tesla can't help but puff his chest a bit at the declaration of his calling, no, mission.

"Da Vinci's goal on the other hand is the endless accumulation of knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself. Her goal is to reveal secrets and solve riddles, and more importantly the pleasure that she receives in the process. But, after she acquires this knowledge, this knowledge remains forever sealed in her head, as if it were her priceless treasure to be guarded behind sealed iron vaults. I regard knowledge as not a treasure in itself, but a free property of every person. She wants to solve all the riddles of this world for her own satisfaction, but I want to share my knowledge with this world. This is our difference. And that is why the two of us working together amicably would be impossible."

"Hmm," Whatever reaction Tesla expected Ainz to have to his impassioned speech, thoughtful silence was far down on his list.

Tesla studied Ainz carefully, trying to determine Ainz's reaction to his words.

Of course, a little earlier, Ainz seemed to Tesla to be a very accommodating man - or whoever he really was. But, Tesla was not lying when he said that for the sake of human progress he would not be afraid to stand in front of the Creator himself. If his Master wanted to stop Tesla and his march of progress, then Tesla had nothing more to talk about with Ainz. And given the more than impressive set of Servants that his Master had, Tesla himself was not a critical person for the salvation of humanity.

So were his Master to be a hindrance to his dreams, the first thing he'll do after this conversation, would be to go to the summoning system, remove himself from the local pseudo-Throne of Heroes, and de-summon himself. It will simply be that it is as if he was never summoned.

However, no such negative reaction showed in Ainz's expression. There were no pursed corners of lips indicating how he felt about the enlightenment of mankind. Or even disagreement or distaste in sharing knowledge. A position held by so many magi and even Servants, locked in their own stories with a gaze directed to the past rather than the future.

But neither was there a joyful smile. Something which would indicate that Tesla has just found a loyal ally in his never-ending struggle for the progress of all mankind. It seems that his Master has a very excellent poker face.

"I see," Ainz calmly concluded instead, he nodded before returning his attention to Tesla, "You speak as if you know Da Vinci well." He added with some suspicion in his voice.

After these words, Tesla almost bit his tongue out of annoyance. A genius mind or not, but Tesla was never distinguished by a special sense of cunning.

For a few seconds, two people, Servant and Master, glared at each other before Tesla reluctantly replied with the truth. "I used a skill."

Who could blame Tesla? Finding themselves in an unknown place, the first thing that any reasonable person wants to do is to assess the conditions in which he finds himself in, Tesla was simply more prepared for this than some other Servants. So, instead of communicating with other Servants or people to understand his situation, Tesla used his skill, Natural-born Genius, to acquire several relevant skills to 'know' his colleague.

Of the people present in his summoning, Da Vinci, Mordred, and even Jack could not escape his gaze, only Angrboda and Ainz could. And while not knowing how the previous' mind works is not so detrimental, not knowing the latter is definitely a disadvantage. What's worse, judging by the information he could gather, those two were not the only ones that could shield their mind from his gaze.

It is indeed a logical action, Tesla just wasn't sure that Ainz would feel the same way.

Even if Tesla tells the truth that he could not find out anything about Ainz, his Master could well decide that Tesla was lying. Or he could even be angered at the very attempt to find out something about him secretly. People like Ainz had many skeletons in their closet, ones that they guard quite dearly, not to mention the fact that it was a proof of distrust.

While indeed, what Tesla did is not an action that is rare, there are as many personalities as there are Masters after all, but it is still far from an action that is approved of. Servants are tools in the end.

And nobody used a hammer that questions the action of the carpenter.

However, instead of reacting in any negative way, outwardly at least, Ainz simply nodded. "I suppose you didn't get anything about me?"

"Yes," Tesla nodded, not particularly surprised that Ainz knew that Tesla couldn't see anything.

"I see," Ainz just nodded before silently exhaling. They were doing a great pantomime of a drinking bird as they nodded again and again.

Tesla silently turned his gaze to Ainz, feeling an awkward silence slowly suffusing his room, like a kraken entangling everything with its tentacles.

"Tesla, do tell me," Ainz spoke up, breaking the silence. "Have you ever wondered what you will do after all this?"

"Ha, it's too early for me to even think about such a thing," Tesla laughed lightly at the question. "I was just summoned only a couple of hours ago. Not to mention that it's a bit premature don't you think? Thinking of the future while Solomon is trying to destroy humanity?"

"Perhaps," Ainz also calmly admitted Tesla's point before taking a deep breath. "It's just that your speech earlier… It sounded like something that a person who has a purpose, a mission, something after this would say."

"Hmm," Tesla pondered before continuing on. "It is not a mission per se… Rather, it is more like a vocation for me. In the end, usually, after the crisis ends, either this Grand Order, or even a run-of-the-mill Holy Grail War, as paradoxical as that might sound, the Servants would return to the Throne of Heroes. They have no specific 'plans' for what they will do after - because that 'after' usually does not come for them. I also do not have specific 'plans' for what comes after, as in something like 'I will give this research to this person, and this car to that one'. Doing research is just my desire, a source of 'inspiration', so to speak. The thing that I do not because I have a plan - but because... Hmm, because I am that kind of person… well, Servant, in this case."

His last sentence sounded like a little joke, making Tesla himself chuckle.

"As far as I know, Chaldea is made in such a way that the Servants can stay indefinitely after being summoned," Ainz sighed, and then looked at Tesla, "And yet. If we imagine that after all this is over - when the crisis is over, and the problems are solved, with everything being corrected... What's next?" Ainz finished with a sigh.

"Hm,", - Tesla threw back his head, looking at the ceiling. When Tesla was planning to ask his Master for a lab, he definitely didn't expect an existential question thrown his way. He wondered what part triggered such a discussion on Ainz's part?

But, what's next, ha...

Reflections about the future, for almost everybody, are pretty much the same. A lot of doubts, few decisions. For the first time in his existence as a Servant, Tesla thought about his future.

If, when all this is resolved, when his services are no longer required, what will he do? If Tesla wanted to help humanity, it would be logical to do just that. He would probably...

"Probably, I would go to travel the world", - Tesla answered, narrowing his eyes, imagining that far off future. "I would like to see how the world has changed in this century, during the era of electricity. I would like to travel to Serbia, back to my birthplace... Although, I believe Smiljan is now part of Croatia? Hmm, these national boundaries always just complicate things…"

Tesla smiled at his contradiction. He wanted to help people - but the first thing he's going to do is travel the world… Though he supposes, if he wanted to help people, he first needs to understand them. So his plan was still in line with his ideals.

"Then Graz, I want to see how my alma mater has changed," Tesla chuckled again, - "Then London. In tribute to the Singularity... Prague, specifically Prague University, I would like to see how teaching has changed over the years. Paris… Visit the Continental Company, my old place of work. Besides, there was a wonderful World Exhibition there once. Strasbourg, to see the railway station there. And then - New York… How funny it would be to see your own laboratory as a visitor, to listen to what the guides talk about you as they tour museums filled with your stuff. Then, maybe, Colorado Springs, was it not for nothing that I worked there?"

Tesla inhaled slowly and exhaled… continuing on soon after.

"I would like to see the world. To see how modern electric lights light up, how people improve what I started... I would like to see what they have achieved... And what, no." Tesla suddenly stopped, nodded, - "And then I would start to research. I would like to take a look at how the world has changed - and how it can still change. I would enroll in absentia at some university in some part of the world. I would study what people have discovered after my passing, in full detail. I would start working then, maybe even send my works to universities and prominent, hmm, scientists. It would be funny at least." Tesla chuckled.

"Travel the world and then experiment." Tesla smiled at his imagined laboratory, filled to the brim with experiments and objects of wonder. "It sounds like a dream. To look at the wonders of science, at the triumph of reason. To marvel at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva - and the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze. To see the greatest work of man like the Palm Islands in the UAE and the Akashi Kaikyo bridge in Japan, maybe even take a train ride under the English Channel. And, who knows, the influence of Chaldea is great - take a visit to the ISS?"

Tesla smiled as his imagination ran wild, feeling his heartbeat run faster as he imagined what sights he would see.

"I would like to help people, but at the same time I would like to look at what they have achieved themselves, with their own hands." Tesla nodded slowly, - "Between a loving parent showing the way - and a monster suffocating in his arms - there is a line that cannot be crossed. It would be foolish to be so blind."

After his impassioned words, Tesla was finally able to emerge from his fantasies and look at Ainz, looking at him blankly. "What would you do?"

"Hm?" Ainz blinked as if he was lost in his own thoughts, "What do you mean?"

"What will you do after everything is resolved?" Tesla looked at Ainz, waiting for an answer.

"I…" Ainz looked down, "I don't know… Probably… Traveling… that sounds good."

"Of course," Tesla grinned, somewhat pleased that his Master somewhat shared his dreams. "I don't know where you came from - but in this world there are many wonders to see. You might not want to visit the places I wanted to, but there is something for everyone, Mankind has created too many amazing things to pass life by without appreciating them. The city of glamour Hollywood, the towering Eiffel Tower in the city of lights, even the antiquity of ancient Roman aqueducts, or perhaps the modernity of roller coasters. The world is too big and amazing to just ignore it."

"Ha..." Instead of being excited by Tesla's speech, Ainz looked down at his feet and then fell silent.

Tesla also fell silent, looking thoughtfully into the void, somewhere ahead, on a distant day, where he would pass along the horizon, looking at the distant lights of cities…

"Thanks," Ainz got up from his seat and then nodded at the daydreaming Tesla - "I will ask about the laboratory and the instruments."

"Okay, that would really help me." Tesla responded, looking at Ainz, who is making his way to the door, "And Master…"

Ainz stopped, turning his face to Tesla.

"Maybe you can even help with some of my experiments?" Tesla chuckled, forcing Ainz to chuckle weakly in return before leaving the room, leaving Tesla behind.

---

Walking along the empty Chaldea, Ainz doesn't really care where he was going, lost in his thoughts.

Travel the world… Ha…

Ainz chuckled.

It would be interesting to visit the cities, the metropolis, he only ever read about in history books...

Paris, with the Eiffel Tower still piercing the clouds proudly, before it fell as the city was turned into slag and ashes by a nuclear bomb.

New York, alive and bustling as the city that never sleeps, and not the ghost town it is in his time, devastated by pollution and nuclear fallout.

Moscow with those big red towers, without the hastily erected bunkers and giant settlements splotched across the city haphazardly like a demented maze.

Even Tokyo...

What did Tokyo look like before the mega-corporation took over what remains?

What did Barcelona look like, when it is still part of Spain, before the civil war?

How do the minarets of Hagia Sophia, whose in his time left only in the description on the pages of books, look like?

And the Egyptian pyramids. A wonder of the world that survived even a nuclear cataclysm...

So many cultures and wonders have disappeared during this time. So many vistas that he had only heard of, and how many more that he never even knew about?

Ainz chuckled again.

Or maybe he could visit a particular city... Probably, in this period it might only be a small town...

The Sakata town, in the Yamagata Prefecture, of the Tohoku Region...

He wonders if he will find the streets he once walked on?

Ainz smiled at the silly thought, feeling his double-edged skill rise from the depths of his soul.

His Suppression of emotions.

What saved him so many times… but he couldn't imagine having it activated at all times. He wonders what kind of existence that would be like.

Before that, Ainz too had once refused its function. When he wanted to feel anger, hatred… for various reasons.

Now, once more, he dismissed this skill.

He didn't want the only feeling he felt in full measure being rage. For the first time in such a long time, Ainz smiled sincerely, thinking about the big, big world that awaited him.

---

Name: Nikola Tesla

Race: Human

Title: Modern Prometheus

Occupation: Servant of Ainz Ooal Gown

Residence: Chaldea, Tesla's laboratory (temp.)

Karma: +200 (Good)

Racial Level: -

Class level: Electromancer (15)

Mage Hunter (5)

Godslayer (5)

Archer (1)

Others (20)

Total: 46 Class Levels = 46 Levels

HP: 40

Mana: 60

Physical Attack: 20

Physical Defense: 0

Agility: 40

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 40

Resistance: 20

Special Abilities: 100

Ability: Keuranos System

Level: Special

A special level ability, one of the few without a specific level. The strongest lightning and electricity attack available to players, capable of piercing through even a top tier player's defense equipped even with protective gear specialized against electrical damage. In all cases, only players with full immunity to electricity, or other owners of 'special' abilities, can be used to defend against this ability. In all other cases, the chance of successfully limiting its damage is slim.

Player comments:

-WHAT?! HOW DID YOU GET THE GODSLAYER CLASS, FUCKER?! !? ?! I FARMED FOR TWO YEARS AND DIDN'T GET IT?! ?! ?! !? PIECE OF SHITSCUM!

- [This user has been blocked for issuing threats. Moderator's comment: Not the most creative curses I've seen in my life, it's even a pity to ban you, it's that uninspired. But I'll do it, don't threaten other people.]

-Guys, I understand, here everyone is just going fucking crazy with all the godslayer thing, but no one wants to ask themselves - how is the build built? Well, hell knows why did he even bother getting the godslayer class?! HIS MAIN IS A FUCKING ARCHER! ARCHER, MOTHERFUCKING ARCHER! WHAT FOR? WHYYYYYYYYY?

-This post was left in support of NO_PHYS_DEF_GANG! Our stupidity is our greatest defense!

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 31: Angrboda

Ainz pensively moved around Chaldea, deep in thought. His mind not only preoccupied with the thoughts about the Singularities, but now also of an imaginary vista of a familiar city.

The question that had incapacitated his mind, something that had paralyzed him with inaction and doubt was just answered, and yet still, his mind is fully occupied. It was an existential doubt over what he should do after the end of his long - from a subjective point of view - journey. And yet, it had found an equally unexpected answer, from the mouth of someone like Nikola Tesla at that! His question being answered by a historical figure that his friends had even talked about. Okay only in passing... But, they did mention him!

Hah, if only his guild mates could know that Ainz had met Nikola Tesla. And not only meeting him offhand or through an accidental meeting, but had also received advice and had shared his dreams to go and see the world… Ainz could imagine their shocked faces.

Immersed in his own thoughts about the future, Ainz was not paying attention to where he was going. Not that he has any real idea where he needed to go to meet them, but his initial idea was to meet Da Vinci or perhaps Olga to inquire about Tesla's laboratory. However, distracted with his thoughts, Ainz himself did not notice that he was automatically heading to his room.

Though to be fair, the chance that he would actually meet either Olga or Da Vinci by going to his room was actually quite high.

Still, Ainz did not immediately discover the error in his travel route until he was pretty much in front of his room's door. And so with a loud sigh at his mistake, Ainz wondered if teleporting to Olga's room would be viable or not. Of course, even if he indeed could teleport inside Chaldea, his unexpected appearance in Olga's office unannounced, could be perceived as an invasion of personal space… No, definitely, it would definitely be considered that way...

And so, standing in the middle of the corridor, Ainz was deliberating whether he should risk getting lost or risk getting scolded. As he was frozen in indecision, Ainz was surprised when he heard a sudden scream coming out of one of the many supposedly empty rooms dotted around Chaldea's many corridors.

"WOOOOAH!" It would be easy for Ainz to identify the owner of this voice. Even if he did not have any ability to instinctively sense the presence of undead, few of Ainz's Servants had a voice as high and childlike as Jack's.

"...and after that they lived happily ever after!" It was a little more difficult to determine the identity of the second voice, though the fact that he had heard it not too long ago made it possible. If the dialogue's content was anything else, Ainz would have doubted the identity of the speaker. It was very unique to say the least. "And then all the people were cooked and eaten as a celebration on their wedding!"

"HOORAY!" In response to the very bleak ending that is very, very incongruous to the children's story tone of delivery, Jack reacted exactly as small children were supposed to react to fairy tales… Perhaps it is to be expected that Jack the Ripper to not be bothered by gore and viscera but cannibalism?

Ainz, having heard the end of Angrboda's tale, could only think whether or not there are actual cannibals in Chaldea. After a short while, Ainz concluded that he did not keep any cannibals in Chaldea… If Cainabel could not be called a cannibal, she only drinks blood after all… Can that be considered cannibalism? After all, if there were a monster that eats only the hands of people, then it would also be considered a cannibal. So what is the fundamental difference between hands and blood?

Ainz specially noted in his mind that as long as it didn't affect Chaldea, Ainz didn't really care about it.

So, it doesn't matter.

Ainz shook his head, trying to concentrate instead on more important things. For example, that Angrboda is now introducing Jack to an extremely dangerous and completely unsuitable for children - no, for any people! - thoughts of cannibalism!

Although, Ainz pondered, 'cannibalism' is defined as the eating of representatives of a species' own kind. So for Jack, eating people can't really be considered cannibalism in the true essence of the word, because she is undead, not a human... Will eating Servants in this case be considered cannibalism for Jack? For example if she were to eat Asterios...

Ugh, Tesla somehow managed to infect Ainz with his thoughts! Away with random theories and what ifs, let Da Vinci deal with those! Now, Ainz urgently needs to figure out why Jack is being taught to eat people!

Shaking his head again, brushing away all distant thoughts and inappropriate reflections, Ainz took hurried steps, quickly barging in on the chatting duo, preventing Angrboda from continuing the conversation.

As perhaps to be expected, there were no differences in the layout between Angrboda and Tesla's room. All the same furniture with the same arrangement, everything, right down to the absolutely identical light-colored wallpaper on the walls. Only the occupants couldn't be more different.

Tesla, as expected, was not in this room, there was only Angrboda. Angrboda who is right now sitting on a chair opposite the bed, sitting in a similar fashion as Ainz did just a few tens of minutes ago. She is looking affectionately at Jack, who is collapsed on the bed, with her arms outstretched, which right now, does not at all look like Tesla did.

It took a couple of seconds for Angrboda to notice Ainz's presence as she turned towards the door. Inevitably, Angrboda's reaction attracted Jack's attention, who jumped up from the bed in excitement. As she turned around, Ainz noted that she was throwing mouthfuls of candies from a previously unseen bowl filled with candies. The presence of the bowl is the only difference from Tesla's room at the moment, as far as he knows anyway.

"Daddy!" Instantly recognizing Ainz, Jack jumped in place, then smiled with all her thirty-two gleaming teeth while still chewing on the chocolate candy. "You're here!"

Ainz, despite his decision to meet with Angrboda and discuss certain aspects of raising children with her very seriously, seeing Jack's innocent beaming smile caused a smile to inadvertently appear on his face "Of course. Are you all right?"

"Of course, Daddy!" Jack, upon hearing the question, immediately nodded with such force that Ainz was even scared for a second that her head might fall off, "Mommy brought us some sweets! And she also promised that I could get inside her! But not now…" Jack ended with a sad look on her childish face.

"Hmm," Ainz paused for a second before shifting a suspicious gaze towards the only other person in the room. "Angrboda…"

"Angri, I do remember asking you to call me that, Momo… No, I guess it's Ainz now." Angrboda smiled at Ainz like a mother jokingly chiding their children. "By the way, do you want some sweets? Or maybe a little wine to celebrate our reunion…" An expression that naturally seamed into a flirtatious one, that Ainz almost broke his neck from the whiplash.

Ainz blinked before shaking his head, "No, I'm here on a completely different matter! I heard by chance that you were teaching Jack…" Ainz wasn't sure on how to breach a subject like how cannibalism is bad on someone like Angrboda… If Ainz was not mistaken, Angrboda being a Jotun, eating humans was not something taboo.

"Hmm?" As if completely not understanding what Ainz meant exactly, Angrboda blinked in confusion before nodding, as if receiving enlightenment. "Ah, exactly!"

Ainz blinked at how quickly his worry regarding Jack's training had been resolved. It lasted barely a second before Angrboda's next words had destroyed any hope of an easy resolution. "Ah, I was such an idiot! I didn't think at all that I should have called you! Raising children is best done by two parents after all, besides, you were also with me back then!" The giant shouted like she said something profound.

Ainz was shocked into silence before exhaling. "Angrboda…"

"A-ta-ta!" Angrboda, only hearing her name, immediately shook her finger in a feigned gesture of displeasure at Ainz. "Angri! I asked you to call me that!"

"Okay…" -Ainz inhaled slowly and shook his head. "Angri, what exactly are you teaching Jack?"

"Oh, is that it?" Angrboda raised her gaze up, waving her head and large horns around, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "So far, nothing special really. Well, that's not entirely accurate, but it's nothing more than a short overview of where our people and our tribe originally came from. Well, you know, the Eater of Worlds story and other little things…" Angrboda explained matter-of-factly, making a frown appear on Ainz's face. He remembered that story quite well, and it's not exactly something that is suitable for children.

"I have the best mommy and daddy in the world!" As if waiting for that exact moment for her childish compliment, Jack bounced up from the bed with a shout. After which, assessing with a childish glance the reaction of the silly adults who probably did not even know that they are the best mom and dad in the world, she was satisfied when Mommy and Daddy smiled. And so, with a sense of accomplished duty, she slumped onto the bed again, throwing some more candy into her mouth.

"Jack, my dear, don't eat too many sweets," Noticing the quickly diminishing candy bowl, Angrboda again distracted from Ainz, accompanied her request with a motherly smile. "Otherwise, your tummy will hurt - and you need to take care of your teeth too…"

"Okaaaaay." Jack huffed a little in frustration, after which, to give more weight to her words, she rolled away from the bowl of sweets a little further away. Not that it would slow her down any, she's an Assassin after all.

Ainz, looking at this warm sight, sighed as he was about to talk about something unpleasant. With a grimace on his face, he returned to the main thing that made him enter this room in the first place. "So, what is this I heard about eating people?"

At Ainz's question, Angrboda only glanced confusedly at Ainz, not quite understanding what might have seemed strange to him Still, she explained all the same for her Ainz. "When my progenitors, Ymir and Brunhild got married, they captured the most famous city of humans at their time, had a wedding in their castle and in the end ate all the inhabitants of the city. Haven't you heard this story before Ainz?"

"Mommy, which tastes better, candy or people?" Jack asked out loud with completely sincere childish curiosity, forcing Ainz to act quickly before something tragic happens.

"Candy is much tastier! And you can't eat people!" Ainz reacted quickly before grabbing hold of Angrboda's arm to lead her outside, which, given her very outstanding height and muscles when compared to Ainz, looked even comical. "Come on, we need to talk."

Angrboda released a sigh at Ainz's words, but she still followed after Ainz. Before she walked through the door though, she sent one last look to Jack as she slowly tried to get close again to the bowl of candy. "Jack, that's enough! No more sweets before dinner!"

"Okaaaaaaay!" With that last exclamation of Jack's, which Ainz managed to hear, before he passed through the door, letting it close behind him as he looked into Angrboda's eyes.

"Angrb…" Noticing Angrboda's raised eyebrow, Ainz had to correct himself. "Angri... I know that your people - and you - have a long and complicated history of eating people…"

"It's not really complicated at all", - Angri shrugged and continued. "We eat them, and that's the whole story really."

Ainz just blinked in surprise before exhaling and turning his eyes downwards as he rubbed his forehead. "Ha, yes, exactly... Well... um, Angri, I'm sorry, but you will have to give up this habit within the walls of Chaldea."

Angrboda, having heard such a ridiculous thing, to her, recoiled full-bodily, as if Ainz had struck her. "W-what?!"

"Yes, that's right, you are not allowed to eat people in Chaldea, whether they are humans or Servants." Ainz sighed before looking up at Angrboda...

And to face her shocked, if not practically crying face.

Ainz blinked, not expecting such a reaction. "Ha... I... I didn't mean to offend you Angri…"

'You are forbidding her from eating people! Something that is very, very normal and should be a very good thing!' Ainz's mind was immediately indignant. 'Why would you feel sorry for her about this?!'

But whether it was her completely motherly attitude towards Jack, her good-natured relation to Ainz, or something else, looking at the sad Angrboda, Ainz suddenly felt a slight prick of conscience.

"But…" Angrboda perked up before tears would have gushed from her eyes, as she spotted some leeway in Ainz's demand. "From Chaldea… That's right! Only people from Chaldea! I can still eat the people inside the Singularity right!?"

Ainz blinked and then looked up...

Angrboda looked at him almost pleadingly, almost crying...

"No," Ainz shook his head while looking at Angrboda.

The girl's eyes instantly filled with tears. And although she towered a meter over Ainz, Angrboda's expression so conveyed the girl's fragility and a complete lack of understanding of the cruelty of the world in her eyes that Ainz was stumped for a second.

Although - Ainz remembered Cainabel again - if drinking blood is also considered some form of cannibalism… Well, there's already quite the mountain of bodies… I guess as they say, 'If you're going to eat poison, might as well eat the whole plate.'

"Okay," Ainz surrendered under the pressure of Angrboda's puppy eyes. "Only enemies though, and don't tell anyone about it! Jack all the more! And don't show it to anyone!"

Hearing Ainz's compromise, Angrboda instantly stopped crying and broke into a smile. She then grabbed Ainz in her extremely tenacious grip and squeezing him in her hands like a soft toy. A large soft toy, although it was only slightly more than half the height of Angrboda, was still very decent. Ainz could hear his bones creaking.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Angrboda hugged Ainz even tighter as she started squealing in happiness. "You are the best man that I ever had!"

Ainz had the air squeezed out of his lungs. Thankfully, before he had to worry about passing out, Angrboda relented a bit. She was still hugging him quite tightly though. "Angr... Angri, to be honest, I have no idea what exactly I did to you before, or even why did you decide that we should be in a relationship at all. In general, I must say that my history with relationships is... Very confusing as it is."

Images of Olga kissing him and Medusa's smiling face flashed in his mind along with Kiyohime's shouts of love and Serenity's clingy self.

"Pft, what's confusing about concubines?" Angrboda just rolled her eyes, and then broke into a smile.

"I'm not against you having concubines, free love is good for people and society. Although if you take more than you can handle, it is possible that I'll also need to look for a couple of lovers… "

"Stop, stop, what!?" Ainz, feeling the conversation starting to turn in an extremely negative direction, shook his head. "You and I are not in a relationship Angri!"

Hearing such a harsh denial, Angrboda staggered backward, consequently releasing Ainz from her hold, and then looked at him incomprehensibly. "What?"

"I'm saying that I have a girlfriend… Or perhaps several." Ainz stopped, exhaling slowly. "Okay, it doesn't matter, my situation is complicated, and I'll leave it at that. But you definitely don't fit into this situation!"

Angrboda's expression was like stone after these words before looking at Ainz half surprised, half saddened. "Why?"

"Because I'm not looking for a new…" Ainz sighed. "I have too many problems on my plate already… And, to be honest, you are way too aggressive… "

"Aggressive?" Angrboda frowned. "In what sense am I being aggressive? We've known each other for at least three hundred and fifty years!"

"Yes, but…" - Ainz, suddenly realizing what Angrboda had just said, stopped before looking at Angrboda in surprise. "Wait, how long have we known each other?"

"If I'm counting from our first meeting… a little more than three centuries." Angrboda, in her opinion, answered exactly the unspoken question that Ainz wanted to ask. " But, if from the beginning of our personal relations, it's about three hundred and... Thirty years? Something like that."

Ainz blinked.

Never in his life had anyone spoken to him with such conviction that he had known them, very intimately at that, for three hundred years.

Yggdrasil had existed for only twelve years… No, even before taking that into account, the life expectancy of a person in his world - even the extremely rich one - rarely exceeded three hundred years, never mind someone as destitute as Ainz himself. At best, he might live to a hundred years old, and that only if by some miracle he can save up for artificial organs or mechanical prostheses… Of course if he somehow also remained healthy enough throughout that time.

Therefore, hearing that he had been familiar with someone for three hundred years from a game that had existed only for twelve years was…

Extremely unusual.

So unusual in fact, that any other thoughts, about Jack, about eating people and about his extremely confusing relationships with multiple girls, flew out of his head. His thoughts now completely focused on his completely unexpected longevity.

Ainz was perplexed, thinking about asking Angrboda if he heard what she said correctly, before closing his eyes, exhaling and coming up with an idea. "Speaking of which, Angri, can you remind me exactly how we met?"

After asking, realizing that such a question might sound strange, he quite easily figured out a justification for his question. "It's just, I'm interested to know how it looked from your perspective…" He definitely felt like a husband that just forgot an anniversary.

Hearing Ainz's strange question, Angrboda thought about it for a second before nodding. "The first time we met… Hmm, there was nothing special then, probably… Back then the Jotuns just had a failed raid on the Eternal Empire. It was quite the defeat as we were knocked out all the way to the outskirts. After that, I guessed they began gathering forces in order to get rid of us finally…"

Ainz blinked and then nodded slowly. He remembered Angrboda's story as one of the starting quests of Angrboda's quest line. It was a simple hunting mission, where several low-level players would kill the 'scouts' that were near the Jotun's camp. After killing enough, a 'message' would drop and the quest would be cleared by delivering the message to the Giant's leader, Angrboda.

Ainz remembered the quest-line quite vividly as it was one of the worst difficulty spikes in quest-lines he ever experienced. And in a game like YGGDRASIL that was saying something. The quest he was talking about earlier could be completed by a simple levelled ten four-man team with some semblance of understanding of the controls. So easy in fact that the quest could even be considered as a part of the tutorials of sorts.

The next chain of the quest would be a death-trap unless you bring in a full team of at least level sixty. It was a brutally challenging quest with a myriad of challenges including an ambush, an attack on a defensive position and then ending with a boss fight.

Needless to say, it was the first experience of many noobs of the Developers sadistic side.

Hmm, Ainz nodded to himself, with this it means that there was some similarity in understanding between Angrboda and Ainz's YGGDRASIL events. But... Three hundred years? Where did that come from?

"You then helped us to repulse the Empire's reconnaissance," This also coincided with Ainz's memories. Something that was broken however when Angrboda continued. "And then we hit Babylon! I quite vividly remembered when your friend... Hmm, what's his name again? He was from the Winged Folk… Pero…? Perron…?"

"Peroroncino," Ainz added with a blink. Ha… What Raid? They did not organize any raids back then… No retaliatory strikes even...

"Yup, that's him!" Angrboda nodded, grinning. "I remember him capturing two hundred concubines back then! What a man!"

Ainz was even more confused.

Even if we assume that in YGGDRASIL it was possible to capture concubines, which in YGGDRASIL could not be done, two hundred?

No, while Peroroncino would boast that he has that many wives, from his eroges and dating sims, but this could not… Be…

Ainz blinked. It could not be, just as three hundred years of acquaintance with Angrboda was impossible.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

"You then killed all the nobles of the city and then raised them all as undead!" Angrboda, as if remembering a funny moment, shook her finger, grinning at Ainz. "Then you made the liches raise the rest, gathered a horde of them, and then sent them all to devastate the villages near Babylon. Yes… Ha, such a sweet memory!"

Ainz blinked.

He? Raising Liches? Devastate villages?

In YGGDRASIL, there was indeed a city called Babylon. It was a huge settlement of the Eternal Empire with many important quest NPCs and many players using it as their base, including those at level one hundred, that were constantly there. But, there were no villages near it. Ainz simply had nothing to devastate.

And this, of course, ignoring the fact that Ainz very much doubted that Babylon could be captured at all. There were always at least a hundred level one hundred players there and at least two full-fledged raid bosses.

Something was incredibly out of place…

"Of course, we didn't hold the city for long, as the counter-attack came soon after." Angrboda exhaled in frustration, after which she smiled. "But with that devastating strike, we prevented any retaliatory strikes from their side for decades! Thanks to you guys, we will always be grateful to you for that! And for the fact that you later helped us finally get even with those Imperial bastards!" She huffed as if remembering something unpleasant. Ainz didn't really want to ask why she was drooling though.

Ainz blinked as another incongruous fact popped up again.

Decades! How… Calm down. Did the time they repulsed the scouting attack, and then until Ainz reached the sixtieth level… It was as if it all fell into one timeline?

Ainz blinked once more before looking at himself.

Decades? Plundered the city? Devastated villages?

The picture, vivid albeit incomplete, he had in his head concerning his adventures in Yggdrasil cracked. A huge crack that threatened to destroy all his understanding of himself.

Ainz slowly turned his gaze toward the giant. Could it be that she was mistaken?

She spoke confidently, as if simply recounting what had happened to her, something that Ainz had undergone with her. It was a terse recollection in the form of a short dry summary of the facts, with bio embellishments or any lies. Something which forced Ainz to slowly close his eyes.

Cainabel was also very much afraid of him. And Baal… why is that?

Ainz, of course, remembered just how many he had killed Baal to grind his drops. And furthermore, he remembered killing Cainabel, so he considered their reaction, maybe a little exaggerated, but justified. And therefore, he was never particularly interested in the reason as to why they treated Ainz with such reverence.

As it became clear to Ainz himself now, very much too late. It was a grave mistake for him not to ask them what exactly they remembered about their encounter with Ainz.

They destroyed the city, captured the concubines, massacred the nobles and devastated the villages...

Ainz blinked.

And this was all said by his supposed ally, who appeared to have extremely warm feelings for him. What would Cainabel and Baal, who feared him, say about him? How would King Arthur, who hated him react? Does he need to kill his own Servant?

Ainz slowly closed his eyes and then glanced at Angrboda, who was looking at him with interest, as if she was a little curious in what exactly made him ask the question.

"Yes…" Ainz breathed out. "Right… As I said before, about eating people, do keep it a secret… And also, when you're telling Jack something like a fairy tale, maybe use some of the more beautiful fairy tales or legends, and not something about eating people…" Ainz said with a tired tone of voice.

"Hmm, I don't really know many that are like that…" After some time contemplating, Angrboda nodded, glancing at Ainz with a smile. "But, I will try my best. And about the wedding, do think about it? We would be a truly beautiful pair!"

"Yeah," Ainz tiredly nodded, too tired to make any remarks about marrying Angrboda. "I'll think about it."

After some silence, and the impromptu goodbyes, Angrboda disappeared behind the door, leaving Ainz alone to his thoughts.

Concubines? Capturing cities? Desolation of villages?

Absurd! Complete absurdity!

But… Ainz blinked, maybe... No, it is completely absurd… He might be slowly forgetting his time in YGGDRASIL, but he would definitely remember something so… so… vivid!

Of course, none of the listed events existed in the game. And if there was an opportunity to implement what was said in reality, no one would have used it. The corporations might be amoral, but they definitely wouldn't allow something like that to be in a game… at least not publicly.

Peroroncino was a pervert, but he's not a rapist. Ainz loved to role-play as the cold lord of the undead, his entire build was even specifically made for that role. But still, inside, he was always just another office worker, lashing out with negativity in the game and enjoying his time with his friends.

Of course, in reality, Peroroncino would not have done something so reprehensible - and neither would Ainz. But...

If you imagine a game with similar backgrounds to Yggdrasil, but immeasurably more intricate and detailed - where there is complete freedom of action. Then…

Ainz could imagine Peroroncino capturing two hundred women solely to take a screenshot and send it to everyone in the guild with the caption in the style of 'LOLOLOL look what I did!'.

Or himself, who, so imbued with chunibyou and the spirit of his character, would give some pretentious and useless order, like 'kill them all' to a group of undead. They would do it not really caring about the NPCs or how many would suffer or die.

Just because it was a game, he could easily imagine himself acting in such a manner.

And so Ainz was frozen as he watched Angrboda return to her room, continuing to think.

She spoke confidently about the actions of the entire guild, as if she did not even allow the thought of a mistake to appear. As if she really did 'remember' such a thing happening.

And Ainz could easily imagine any of his guild-mates in the game doing something like that… But only in the game.

The question then remained...

Were Angrboda's 'memories' in this case just an unusual feature of the Grail, a consequence of her special summoning, seeking to rationalize her existence as a true legend.

Or… was it something more?

---

Servant: Angrboda

Class: Foreigner

Status: ? (Incorrect summoning)

Sex: Female

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Attribute: Beast

Strength: *

Dexterity: C

Endurance: *

Luck: *

Mana: *

Noble Phantasm: - (Locked by COUNTER_FORCE_NAME)

 

[snow eternal]

I demand that we get one of the after chapter entrees on the staff of ainz ooal gown, it is needed.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 32: First (only) wife

It would be wrong to say that Ainz had become confused by what he had just learned from Angrboda.

He was indeed confused about his own 'history', his abilities, and even the simple basic things like how this world 'works'. He didn't even want to begin to untangle the mess that is what had actually happened to him in the first place to bring him here. The Servants he could 'understand' enough. A super secret conspiracy that was running full steam in the background of the world? Ha! That was a simple fact of life!

The strange fact of his existence in its current state though? He didn't understand a single thing from the get-go, so it would be wrong to say that he was only completely confused only now...

So, Ainz simply treated it as a simple fact of life that he understood absolutely nothing about what was happening. So he simply gave up trying to understand, not even bothering to dream that he would one day somehow figure out all the intricacies of what had happened.

He was not that smart.

After all, from what he could tell from Angrboda's story, he had just played a game, which turned out to be not a game. And played it for twelve years, which was actually lasting at least several hundred years. Only to then end up in the past somehow after the first game was turned off, but in fact, the game he 'thought' he had played was not a game at all!

And now he is fighting a magician that travels through time and wants to destroy humanity, all the while fighting alongside legends that have returned to life…

As Ainz added more and more 'facts' to the pile, the more complex and paradoxical the pyramid became. Who summoned him? Was he even 'summoned' in the first place? Did he actually ever 'play' YGGDRASIL at all? Where did Cainabel, Baal and Angrboda come from? How did they know about him? Why did they know things about him that he did not know at all?

Therefore, as he had decided a long time ago when dealing with puzzles, Ainz, trying in futility to organize the dozens of paradoxical facts in his head that were ready to tear his mind apart, simply gave up. And so, instead of trying to build a single coherent through line from the thousands of facts piled up in a single heap that would only fall on him and crush him - he just left the pile of facts lying in their place, periodically pulling out one or two facts at a time when it was necessary.

Of course, Angrboda's words were a mountain of facts and conjectures that had added an uncomfortable amount of things into the 'pile'. An event that had suddenly collapsed the barely put together act of balancing that is his understanding of the world…

Though, is it really called 'understanding' if he actually understands nothing?

Still, Ainz was mature and even self-assured enough to be able to look himself in the eyes and admit his weaknesses.

Ainz did not possess the mental capability to understand these complex mysteries that seems to become more bizarre the more he thinks about it. In the past, he was very glad that Ainz Ooal Gown was a PK Guild that everyone basically hated. No need to trouble himself with the complex system of personal relationships between the heads of guilds, when everyone is a target or wants to kill them right?

So, how was he supposed to understand the almost quite literally, for him, eldritch mess that is the system of magic of this world that is based on such unprovable and unverifiable concepts such as 'legends' or 'mysteries'?

The moment he understood even an iota of the system, something new and radical that changes everything would suddenly be added to the mix!

Of course, Ainz was not an absolute idiot when it comes to something more difficult than waving a staff and pressing buttons. It is simply that he had just soberly assessed his abilities in building or god forbid understanding really complex schemes with dozens of variables and unknowns, and had found that he was complete shit at it. And so he preferred to give the opportunity to scheme and understand elaborate mysteries to someone, who really liked and was interested in doing it, rather than charging in himself and making a jumble of everything.

In the past he had managed Ainz Ooal Gown as a Guild Master through direct democracy, the simplest of all possible forms of government, without division into any strata. Something that is less of a consequence of their small size but more of a means of trying to wrangle so many conflicting personalities in his guild.

Furthermore, in the past, if he had encountered any complex system with many variables in front of him, he preferred to simply brute force the solution. Simply memorizing and training himself in as many possible answers to the most diverse options as much as he could, rather than really trying to puzzle out the hundred different factors affecting the final outcome…

'No plan survives enemy contact' is a truism that he believes in. And so, rather than having a 'master' plan, he prefers to have 'all' the plans. A preference which would also explain why his inventory is always so cluttered with stuff.

All this, of course, excluding Ainz's preferred fighting style. To any outside observer it was definitely an exception to Ainz's attitude towards anything else. And even then, his seemingly incredible adaptability in any combat situation, was not so much an indication of his ability of improvisation. It was simply 'experience'.

Ainz was a 'veteran' of many 'battles', he was simply prepared for any possibility in how a fight could go…

In any case, having once again spent precious time pondering and trying to fit the information that Angrboda had dumped on him, Ainz nodded to himself and came to a very important decision.

That he's going to let Da Vinci talk to Angrboda and sort things out on their own. After all you shouldn't trouble yourselves with things that you cannot fix or understand.

Da Vinci will probably even be ecstatic of such a chance.

Angrboda's issue though. Ainz breathed out, he had forbidden Angrboda from eating people in Chaldea, but regarding her attitude towards people…

Ha… At least Cainabel is showing marked improvement after she started teaching her 'kohai'.

For Angrboda though? Could Ainz do anything about her distaste of humans at all?

Hmm, probably in the future he might even somehow convince Angrboda to treat people better. Or, on the other hand, Da Vinci was a much better debater than him. Da Vinci herself will probably only be happy to deal with Angrboda's attitude problem as she plied the giantess with her favorite questions and prodding.

And then, when Da Vinci had puzzled out the mystery herself, Ainz could just learn about it from Da Vinci herself. Maybe even using something from the 'I'm wondering what you found out about me' series of stock phrases or a similar enough kind of line.

Ha, surprisingly, Ainz has been getting better and better at this kind of lying lately. Certainly not the best kind of thing to add to his resume, ha…

Ainz blinked and shook his head, shaking off the depressing thought.

Yes, he had once again become dumbfounded and stumped as shocking facts were dropped on him. Apparently, at least from Angrboda's point of view, his adventure in YGGDRASIL was somewhat more, for lack of a better word, Epic than Ainz remembered it.

But, can you really blame him for 'checking out'? When something like his own memory of events suddenly becomes something that he couldn't really trust being something that is the least shocking thing that he had experienced in quick succession? It was not even the top ten craziest things in the mess that is Ainz's current life.

Being transported to the past, getting press-ganged into some kind of superhero group responsible for saving the world. Discovering that magic is real after he is forced to travel in time, to fight legendary heroes in the body of his game avatar in order to save humanity. Humanity which was actually already destroyed and would stay extinct if he fails. And just recently, he discovered that the reason as to why Humanity was destroyed was because an ancient magician wanted to destroy Humanity… for some reason.

Oh, right… how could he forget? Gaining the affection of multiple really attractive women that are way out of his league.

Was his life actually an isekai story? No, that's impossible, he actually has a spine.

And so, after experiencing such a coterie of strange events, finding out that some of his Servants, people he needs to rely on to complete his mission, perceiving him as another person was no big deal.

Okay, heh, Ainz let out a small chuckle. Considering everything Ainz just listed out, it was difficult for him to even imagine anything in the future being shocking enough to top all of the above.

However, he could not help but feel worried. The pile of incomprehensible facts only grows and grows and Ainz was not getting any closer to an answer.

Ainz paused his steps for a second before shaking his head, slapping his cheeks several times, trying to fully let go of his worries.

Let his much more competent subordinates deal with such problems!

Ainz made another grin, it seems that he is beginning to resemble the bosses of his past world, ones that do nothing but receive paychecks while making all their subordinates do all the work. And then taking all the credit of course. Although, if Da Vinci herself is happy to take on the assignment, it could not be said that Ainz was in the wrong to benefit from her work. If she herself was more than happy and glad to receive the work, then Ainz was more than happy to provide!

Ainz's jaunt through the hallways came to a sudden halt, as the word 'Boss' triggered a particular memory.

Ah hell, he had completely forgotten what he was supposed to be doing! He was going to go to Olga-Marie and ask her about the things for Tesla's laboratory! But then he heard Angrboda talking to Jack about eating people and suddenly all thoughts about anything else seemed to fly away.

Ainz exhaled and rubbed his eyes, is his memory deteriorating because of his age? Can an undead even get older in the first place? His mind was definitely affected by his transformation into an undead, so did his personality change as well?

Still, even as a normal human Ainz couldn't be considered old, he was only thirty-five after all…

Thinking about his age, Ainz thought about something for a second before frowning. He hadn't seen a calendar for a long time, actually since he was dropped here, and he didn't know the current date. All his travels to the past also definitely did not help with his perception of time. Like everything that happens in this world…

He'll have to check today's date, maybe he was actually already thirty-six years old?

Or, according to Angrboda, three hundred something?

Ainz shook his head and exhaled. There is no point in worrying now about something that he cannot influence in any way - or even understand.

Better to deal with the problems of his subordinates right now. And so, onwards to find Olga-Marie it is!

---

Olga-Marie, slipping out of the towel she was wearing to preserve her modesty, plunged into the hot bath. The hot water soothes her sore muscles, causing her to let out a sigh of relaxation joyfully. As she felt the healing effect of the hot water on her tired muscles, Olga could literally feel her desire to live returning to her body.

Medea was an excellent teacher, there is no doubt to that. Any magus worth their Magic Crest would sell their soul, and a lot more than that if necessary, for the opportunity to learn from her Master that she was receiving for free. It was just… so tiring!

Perhaps it is shocking to learn, training as a magus was not only exhausting for the mind, but also for the body. Furthermore, training with the legendary mage from the Age of the Gods, was not only a matter of trying to understand complex, esoteric magic theories, but also of... But of...

Push ups!

Olga-Marie could hardly resist clutching her head as she remembered the terror.

Push ups! Squats!

What does a magus need muscles for?! No, of course, a magus must have a certain minimum level of physical fitness for them to function as a capable magus. Medea, on the other hand, definitely did not understand, or even accept such a concept as a 'minimum acceptable level'. Something that is especially vexing when Medea herself would probably not be able to complete the exercises she had assigned to Olga if she were not a Servant!

Why did her Master make an exercise routine that one could not complete without the strength and endurance of a Servant anyway?! And seeing the diminutive Medea, a person who looked like she couldn't carry a bag of groceries from the supermarket by herself, berating her over her lack of physical capability made her launch complaints after complaints!

But when it came to Olga-Marie, any objections were instantly rebutted by Medea's assurance that she was here to give the best possible training that she could give. And, apparently, the best training combined not only practice and theory about magecraft, but also physical fucking exercises!

What kind of Magus fights with physical strength anyway!?

Remembering the hell she had experienced, Olga-Marie slowly lowered herself deeper into the tub. As her nose submerged below the water line, Olga indignantly blew out air in a silent scream of frustration. Which, together with hot water and Olga-Marie's boiling inside, completed the image of a boiling kettle, a funny sight to any onlooker.

After releasing enough of her anger toward her Master overbearingness, Olga re-surfaced and leaned on the bath's wall.

That is, of course, Olga-Marie was not complaining about Medea's teachings, she was doing no such thing, and no one could prove it! Olga-Marie is the Chief of Chaldea, this position accepted only the best and unshakable people. A group to whom Olga-Marie, of course, belonged to.

It's just that… She had never expected to return to such a routine after she was han… she accepted the position as the Chief.

Slowly Olga-Maria relaxed her shoulders, as she felt her tired muscles ache in her tense state.

There were a lot of things in her life that were not at all anything she expected lately. And that was quite the understatement!

Her training… Ha, when was the last time Olga-Marie even attended classes at all? Or even actually have time to study Magecraft? It was quite a long time ago… Maybe when she was still a student back in the Clock Tower, a time before her father passed away.

When was the last time legendary teachers were available to her as personal tutors? Well, such legendary magi as Medea never did, so, strictly speaking, never. But, her teachers in the past were also… Okay, they were actually pretty bad, preferring instead to flaunt their talents rather than actually teaching anything. Though there is that one teacher… Velour? No, that sounded wrong.

Olga-Marie shifted a little before exhaling.

Lately, there was a lot going on in her life. Which was especially ironic, considering how, at the same time, there was so little going on in her life.

No parties, no momentous decisions, no meetings with heads of corporations. Nothing that she does now, as many as there are, are as incredible as she did in the past. Things like… Olga-Marie chuckled for a second remembering the time she had rented a yacht when she wanted to sail the Mediterranean Sea.

Actually, didn't she do that last year? She remembered being so disappointed when Lev rejected her invitation. And yet even when it happened not so long ago, with everything that has happened, it felt like a whole life-time ago.

And in a sense it did, didn't it? After all, it literally did happen a 'life-time' ago.

Olga-Marie scooped up some water and splashed it on her face, calming herself down before getting up to wash her hair.

It's strange what petty things she was doing right now. The Singularities were handled by Ainz, the Servants were mostly handled by Da Vinci and Roman, and all the equipment was monitored and also repaired by the surviving staff. People whom Olga did not even know by name, except perhaps a few, were the ones that were critical for its function. Were one of them to die… At least, they're more important to Chaldea's function than she did.

Yet, right now, in a strange way even when nothing she does really matter and for the first time in a long time, Olga felt that there was a purpose for her life. Something that she lacked in the past.

Although few people will have a different answer to the question 'which sounds more important, the head of a mega-corporation with multibillion-dollar funding or a chef determining the composition of the daily rations for several dozen people'. Most people that answer with the latter, are naive, and idealistic. Still, in a strange way, Olga felt that her actions as she figured out how to ration their supplies were a lot more... significant.

Not so much because of its scale, but because before, while performing seemingly such significant actions, Olga did practically nothing. All negotiations took place without her participation, at most - with the presence of her body, not her mind as she was only senselessly watching her former deputy, Lev, ha... Agreeing on something before nodding and putting her signature on the agreed upon contract that did not even require her to mutter a single word.

And therefore, in a strange way, finding herself in the current conditions, for the first time in a long time, Olga felt that she... was really doing something. She was doing something meaningful - even if it's small. She did something on her own, not just nodding to the dictation of her deputy. For the first time in a long while she actually thinks, decided - and did something out of her own will.

And this was just one of such significant changes…

Her current schedule of training and studying. For one, it has been a long time since she was following such a routine, and it was even longer since her training was not a meaningless pastime, she only did because it was expected of her. Even if not her favorite thing to do with her time, she chose to do it.

And… that was it, isn't it? She was free now.

Olga-Marie understood that her life had drastically changed. The things she had lost, and the things she had gained… She found that her current life was nothing like it was in the past. Perhaps even more than any other inhabitant of Chaldea. And that even when taking into account the fact that a large part of the current inhabitants of Chaldea was Servants. Even when compared to them, Olga could say that her life probably changed the most.

From her work to her hair care, from her study and to her habits, everything in Olga-Marie's life had turned upside down in such a short time.

And the reason for most... No, in truth, for all these changes….

Ainz Ooal Gown.

A man, could she call him that at all, who had managed to scare all the inhabitants of Chaldea several times till their stomach cramps as they were exposed to his might and evil presence. And yet, he was also the one to take the salvation of mankind into his own hands. A terrible unknowable creature that destroys dozens of Servants in a wave of his hand and had challenged Solomon himself and forced him to retreat.

But most importantly, the one who had saved Olga-Marie. The one who inspired her to take her life into her own hands again. The one who healed her of her greatest curse.

The one to whom Olga-Marie confessed her love to. And the one with whom her, albeit strange, but still relatively understandable, romantic relationship had taken the strangest and most unusual of turns.

Indeed, everything in Olga-Marie's life has changed - and the reason for this was Ainz.

Olga ran a hand through her hair, rinsing off the remaining shampoo before reaching for the towel.

And so, Olga-Marie is now changed and yet still the same in most ways.

Still the same inexperienced magus as before… But now trained by Medea and Mozart in the art of magic.

Still an incompetent in managing Chaldea… But able to cope now that she only has several dozen subordinates.

Still the one abandoned by her father and betrayed by Lev… But able to walk away from the sting of betrayal, letting go of her past.

Olga ran the towel through her hair before glancing at her naked figure in the mirror.

There were small circles under her eyes, the proof of her many sleepless nights. An accessory that most inhabitants of Chaldea, other than the Servants, now sported. In other conditions Olga probably would have felt horror from the perceived mar in her appearance. The circles under her eyes would be a mark of her incompetence that she cannot hide. But now, in a strange way, Olga felt even a little peculiar pride from this.

It was like her little personal confirmation that she was busy. That she couldn't afford to sleep until lunchtime because she had to work, to do something. Whether it was to listen to Medea's teachings, to resolve disputes, or even to check Chaldea's systems.

Olga-Marie was doing something. For the first time in a long time, she was not useless. Not cursed. And not...

Olga blinked when she heard a light knock outside the bathroom. She hurried to put on her clothes before rushing out of the bathroom - "Yes, yes, coming!"

After a few more seconds, still pulling on her clothes, Olga found herself inside her office, before quickly making her way to her desk and taking the pose of the most serious boss before uttering with an imperious tone for the guest to come in. "Come in!"

After a few more seconds, a face appeared behind the opening doors… One that she was quite ashamed to admit, also appeared quite often when her mind began to wander.

"Ainz!" Olga smiled. - "Come in, sit down…"

"Thank you, Olga" Ainz took a step inside, soon finding himself at the seat opposite of her. "I came here because of Tesla's request... Do we have some free laboratory equipment and space where Tesla can use as his laboratory?"

"Hmm?" Olga blinked before shrugging her shoulders, the request was not one she expected. "If you have a list of equipment that he asked for, I can check it later. And as for the room, there's no problem of course. Most of Chaldea is empty… At the moment."

"Um, okay, thanks." Ainz nodded, then began awkwardly staring at Olga's face as the silence began to hang, hesitantly saying. "Honestly… That's all I came in for."

"Oh…" - Olga blinked before slowly nodding, trying to hide her disappointment at the quick parting. "Okay, I understand... Are you busy?"

"Hm?" Ainz, distracted from some thoughts stared at Olga in surprise. "No, not really. Do you need me for something?"

"No, it's just…" Olga fell silent for a second, feeling that what she wanted to say would sound pretty… needy, but she unconsciously blurted out what she wanted anyway. "It's that, we just haven't talked for a long time…"

"No, no, never mind!" Finally catching on what she just divulged, Olga immediately tried to say anything to distract Ainz or to at least make her sound less desperate for his attention. "You were busy in the Singularity, with the trouble with our communication and all… Furthermore, with Solomon appearing out of the left field, and with your important mission and…"

"Olga," Sensing Olga's panic, Ainz looked commiseratingly at Olga, making her shut up. "I… I apologize if I make it seem as if I'm ignoring you. It's just… a lot has happened lately…" Ainz said haltingly as he rubbed his neck awkwardly.

Olga, hearing these words slowly nodded, smiling a little a bit sadly, "I understand…"

There was an awkward silence before Ainz spoke first, "Olga… I..."

After that, Ainz could no longer continue talking. In the past Olga would probably have been annoyed by the silence and staring. She would have probably started demanding something like 'You! Speak up already, and if you don't have anything to say, just shut up and keep out of my way!' But with Ainz, her previous short-temperedness and irritability seemed to evaporate.

No, maybe it was not only with Ainz… Olga could sense that she was gradually becoming more and more calm. More… balanced, if that was the right word.

Although, this was also due to Ainz's influence… And then without preamble, Ainz began speaking again.

"Hah, I'm sorry for ignoring you Olga. It's just that lately, some shocking facts were revealed to me, Revelations that troubled me somewhat. I just didn't want to burden you with them." Ainz smiled sardonically, his thoughts clearly still in disarray.

"Try me, I don't mind." However, instead of retreating from Ainz's admission, Olga only smiled as she looked at Ainz. And then, seeing the surprise on his face, added. "You know… I… once again I thought about what you had done for me, for all of Chaldea. And, even if only for a small bit, I want to help you… At least try telling me what had been bothering you. Even if all I can do is listen to you… Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't insist... Just…"

Olga suddenly smiled. "I'm always happy to help. And besides as the Chief, it's my job to make sure that important personnel are in their optimal state. So tell me, what's been bothering you?" Olga finished cheekily.

After Olga's offer, Ainz looked up at Olga before smiling a little. "Thank you for the offer Olga, but it's nothing special. Just some things… Minor stuff, I think, are somewhat bothering me. They're nothing to worry about."

"Okay", - Olga stepped back without putting pressure, after which the room again plunged into silence for a few seconds.

There was another awkward pause before Ainz suddenly looked up.

"You know…" Ainz suddenly smiled, "This awkward dialogue set the awkward tone of our entire conversation… Maybe we can talk about something else?"

"Talk about what exactly?" Olga calmly looked at Ainz, forcing him to think for a second before exhaling slowly.

"You know," Ainz nodded slowly. "I don't really know that much about you…"

---

"And I, sooooo I fucking fired him!" Olga thundered as she slapped the bottle of alcohol she was holding on to the desk, not paying attention to the splashes of expensive alcohol falling to the floor. "And I-hic!said to him! Like, "While I, Olga-hic-Marie Animusphere, retain at least the drop-hic! of influence, you're not gonna get any fu-hic-king work other than as a fucking janitor!"

"And his wife?" - Ainz, although he could not get intoxicated in the literal sense of the word, as if succumbing to the spell of alcohol and Olga-Marie's exuberance, also felt his mind become a little clouded. At least that's the excuse he would use if anything happened. "If I were on in your place, I would…"

"Ha, that's the best part!" Olga-Marie raised the bottle, then, disregarding all the rules of etiquette, gulped down the contents of the bottle. As she pulled the bottle away, tears started to flow. "Oh... Lev knew his stuff!"

"So it was Lev's stash?" Ainz's mind easily slipped from the previous story about a couple of Chaldea workers' unfaithful husband onto another topic.

"Who-hic-else can make a stash of alcohol in my own hic-abinet?!" - Olga leaned back in her chair. "Just me and Lev! It's good that I remembered about his stash!"

"Yeah, good thinking." Ainz smiled and then looked at the drunk Olga.

Their little conversation suddenly turned into a conversation about Ainz. Then about the past, about stories of the past. About his interests and hobbies, about their favorite genres of music and films.

Ainz was surprised at first that Olga preferred opera, and Olga was surprised that Ainz never listened to opera. Ainz was further surprised when Olga pulled out a stereo from her desk's many compartments. She then turned it on and made Ainz listen to… something.

Ainz assumed it was an opera judging by the bevy of strange words it has for a title.

He couldn't make out any of the words spoken by the singer, but their singing voice was beautiful, which Ainz could easily agree with.

Olga then forced Ainz to confess about one of his terrible secrets, that he once loved to watch shōnen anime. But only when he was a child! This is normal no!

Then the topic suddenly turned into their childhood...

And that's when Olga found Lev's stash, and she desperately needed not to be sober when talking about her past. Without the numbing help of alcohol, Olga would prefer not to remember a lot of things from her childhood.

Ainz also didn't want to talk about his past much, he didn't want to pick on the barely healed wounds. But the stories he could tell made Olga feel sad anyway.

It wasn't long before they moved to the sofa, with Ainz hugging the crying Olga.

He did not want to talk about his past - but some stories from his life still leaked out, forcing Olga to also hug him in return.

Then they talked about their family, then about work. And against the background of these two topics Olga remembered the story about the married couple in Chaldea. About an unfaithful husband who used his official position to get to young employees. While at the same time constantly sending his wife on business trips, arguing that she was the only one he could trust.

Ainz, thinking about the story, turned his gaze to Olga who was now sitting next to him. Although he was no longer hugging her, she still sat very close to him.

Her flushed cheeks betrayed the fact that she was very drunk. Her disheveled hair only made the picture even starker. And the whole ensemble was completed by the two unbuttoned buttons on her chest. Under which Ainz could see that Olga was wearing a white lace bra without any problem.

However, instead of indulging in the view, Ainz instead looked away before taking a deep breath. Their talk of family and loyalty made him think…

"Olga," After waiting for the girl to turn, Ainz exhaled. - "Why... Why did you agree to…"

Ainz was ashamed of talking about his… harem. So instead of talking about it outright, he preferred to circumvent the topic. "The other girls?"

Hearing Ainz's question, Olga fell silent before looking at Ainz with clear if drunk eyes. Ainz also raised his gaze to Olga, looking into her eyes.

For a few seconds, both of them were silent, before Olga smiled and answered the only way she could. "I love you."

"I know it sounds like a cheap cliché, but…" - Olga pulled back a little to turn her face completely towards Ainz, looking at him with a serious expression as she shrugged her shoulders. "But I just want you to be happy... No, of course, I would like you to only be mine… I… I also once dreamed of wearing a wedding dress too, you know."

"With Lev?" Ainz, perhaps due to the influence of the phantom alcohol in his blood, couldn't help but joke, forcing Olga to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, with that guy, now shut up!" Olga snorted before continuing. - "That is... I mean... I want-hic-ed a wedding… With a white dress and a white chapel… Two rings, then a cool vacation on an ocean-hic liner and…"

"I would be very happy if it happened that way." Olga exhaled and looked down. "Then together, we would have ruled Chaldea. There I would always know who I can trust, that wouldn't betray me…"

"But, I know that those girls are also dear to you," Olga suddenly grinned. "Or, ahem, at least some of them. Therefore, I know that if I forced you to choose between us, then... I could lose you."

"Olga, I…" Ainz tried to answer without hesitation that he would choose Olga, but she just shook her head instead. Perhaps she instinctively knew that it would be a lie.

"Even if I want to hear those words… Hic, I really, really want to…" Olga shook her head. " You don't have to tell me anything. I... I know that even without you saying it, that… I don't mind, so, it's okay. And... I just don't want you to be hic-urt. Even if for this I have to give you some space…"

"Oh…" - Ainz blinked in surprise, looking at Olga with a warm smile before slowly looking away, - "Thank you…"

"It's fine." Olga again kissed the lip of the bottle and suddenly broke into a sly grin. "Although, aren't you lucky? You-hic-know… If you think about it... You now have a whole-hic... Harem!"

"Well, that is indeed the word to use." Ainz's smile froze in his face as the taboo word leaked out of Olga's mouth, allowing Olga to continue.

"You know-hic…" - Olga suddenly reached for Ainz. And he, not smelling any malice, expecting, at most, another hug, unexpectedly discovered Olga suddenly grabbing the collar of his shirt. A shirt coincidentally, that was also unbuttoned by several buttons. Olga then pulled him towards her. "At least... Now you're only with me… "

"You know…" Olga broke into a smile. "I've never actually seen Da Vinci's creation… in full that is."

"What do you mean?" Ainz, still not completely sure where the conversation was going, looked at Olga with some small amount of caution.

"With no clothes on." Olga grinned now with a sense of perverseness to it as she let go of Ainz. Ainz whose mind was now running a mile a minute. Olga then sensually started stretching, causing Ainz's to involuntarily focus on one very specific part of Olga's body. And judging by the wide smile on her face, Olga had noticed. "And I quite noticed-hic that you were looking at my chest…"

"Hah!" Ainz hurriedly looked away.

"Come on now,", - Olga, seeing Ainz's face that is starting to blush, and not just from the non-existent alcohol content of his blood, just smiled a drunken smile, - "I li-hic-ed it... That you like it… I know I'm not a match-hic for Medusa in this… department… "

At Olga's self-deprecating words, Ainz only exhaled slowly before looking at Olga with seriousness. "But I am sitting here now with you… and to my eyes you're very beautiful."

At Ainz's assurance, Olga leaned back for a second before laughing at just how serious Ainz looked. "Hahaha… You are such a charmer!"

"I don't think so," Ainz breathed out. "I was never good with talking with girls, or complimenting them and all that… I'm just saying it as I see it"

"Oh stop it!" Olga just dismissed Ainz's compliments, before, unable to keep her body taut as she finally felt the full effect of the alcohol she had imbibed, falling on her back. She tried to push her elbows out, before failing and laughing again, - "So what about what we were talking before... Let me look at Da Vinci's work up close…"

"And so that it is fair," Olga spread into a drunken grin, - "I can let you see mine too. And from there… we can see where everything goes…"

Ainz, even if he was not the best negotiator in the world, could not help but understand such a clear hint, - "Olga, I'm…"

At Ainz's hesitance, Olga got up from her stupor, before putting a finger to Ainz's lips. While still wobbling a little under the influence of alcohol, she grinned again. "No, I am Olga! And I know what you're going to say now! Something about the first time and-hic all that. Know that I'm serious! We are both drunk, on my couch and in my office... Furthermore, outside the window, a fiery arma-hic-geddon! The End of the World! It's the most romantic and hot environment to lose your virginity!"

Ainz just blinked at that. "You're a… virgin?"

"What?" Olga just grinned even wider, playfully wagging her hair to the side. "Do I not look like one?"

Ainz remained silent at the obvious trap question. "If you are sure…"

"I'm completely sure!" Olga shook her head energetically. - "Totally drunk - but sure! So close off the door and take off your clothes!"

"Ha, on it, chief," Ainz just sighed before making sure that the door to the room was locked.

Even if Olga has become kinder, she definitely has not lost her chief-like manners… And hey! That's one more point to the fact that he was not an isekai hero, he's about to lose his virginity, again!

---

The next morning, Da Vinci received a strange order of the highest urgency from Olga-Marie.

She urgently needed laboratory tools for Tesla...

Although, what a cleaner for a leather sofa and a pregnancy test have to do in the list of equipment needed for Tesla, Da Vinci could only guess...

---

Olga Maria got (5) levels!

Magician ~ Ancient Greece (3); Mage ~ Hecate (1); Athlete (1)

HP: 10 (+5)

Mana: 33 (+13)

Physical Attack: 4 (+2)

Physical Defense: 1 (+1)

Dexterity: 10 (+3)

Magic Attack: 28 (+5)

Magic Defense: 4 (+3)

Resistance: 10 (+3)

Special Abilities: 0

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 33: Gorgon sisters

Ainz had just lost his virginity, and for the second time at that.

Although Ainz was not sure if he could actually lose his virginity a second time as a man. A woman had an anatomical indicator, and Ainz had…

Ainz took a step thoughtfully closer to the mirror, looking in the mirror with a scrutiny as if trying to find any marks on his face that would indicate what had just happened. But Ainz did not notice anything special, except for an unshaven chin. Though if it actually does leave a mark, Ainz couldn't really tell with his borrowed body, and the less said about his skeletal one the better.

Right now, Ainz was in his room, almost literally kicked out of Olga's room. Although he did spend the night with Olga, in the morning when she woke up, Olga, as if suddenly remembering everything that happened and with a reddened face pushed Ainz out of her office.

Of course, her excuse of the huge amount of work she had to do was undermined by just how badly she tried to hide her embarrassment over everything that happened that night. Not that Ainz, socially inept as he is, could see.

Ainz was not sure why Olga was behaving that way. But, as has been said many times before, when Ainz encountered oddities in other people's behavior, he usually just took notes for the future rather than trying to figure out what he didn't understand.

Perhaps Olga was just embarrassed by his presence, perhaps she really did have a lot of work to do, or the other dozens of reasons that Ainz understood too poorly to draw definite conclusions.

However, on the other hand...

"Well, I had sex," Ainz mentally breathed out. "Ten years after the last time… "

Ha, considering that there was a ten years gap, perhaps he could really say that he had lost his virginity a second time...

"At least I remembered how it's done." - Ainz breathed out. "I hope I'm not too rusty… I don't want Olga's first time to be… disappointing."

Unfortunately, even if we assume that Ainz could - and Ainz clearly could not - ask Olga a question like 'By the way, please rate on a ten-point scale how I performed in bed. Oh, and if you can also please note all my strengths and weaknesses for the future it would be appreciated'. Ainz know full well that he have a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, bet even so, he doubted that Olga would even be able to listen to the end of Ainz's question before falling into a stupor of embarrassment, then kicking Ainz out of her office… again.

Considering that she could not even look him in the eyes the morning after the night they spent, Ainz doubted that he would be able to get an easy answer. But, on the whole, of course, what happened last night was a positive event, without a doubt. Still, thinking about the adequacy of one's capability in bed was not the only question that occupied Ainz's mind. At the moment anyway.

"What do I do with the rest of the girls now?" Ainz was much more interested in this question, one that, without exaggerating, would decide his very future.

Although, perhaps more slowly than the girls would have liked, he had warmed up to the idea of a relationship with several girls at once. Girls that knew about each other he had to especially note in his head, lest he sounds like a scumbag in his own head. He had even begun to see the advantages in such an arrangement. Still Ainz was still especially troubled by a more practical issue.

How do you make such a relationship work?

Although cheating in an ordinary relationship, between two partners, was a disgusting act. At the very least it was clear what consequences such an act carries with it. If you cheated on your girlfriend, and had sex with someone else, then you can either confess, or hide this information.

But what if you had sex with a girl who is in a relationship with you - if you are also in a relationship with another girl with whom you have not had sex yet? Is that cheating? If so, what is he supposed to do to fix it?

This whole complex system seemed to have caught Ainz in its web, forcing him to think and think and think again without coming up with any meaningful answer.

Ainz looked at himself once more in the mirror, looking at his own reflection.

The ordinary person in the mirror looked at him wearily, forcing Ainz to nod in return. Exactly. A common person, an ordinary person like him doesn't engage in all these reflections.

Therefore… Ainz planned to do the same as he did before. Put the solving of his troubles on the shoulders of other people.

Only this time, of course, not Da Vinci's.

Although, if you think about it, Da Vinci was in a relationship with him too, so she might have a better answer… Or not? Ainz himself did not fully know who was in a relationship with him and who was not… What a nightmare!

Ainz shook his head from side to side before looking at the door leading out of the room and sighing slowly.

You know what!? To hell with thinking about this more! He's just going to tell the girls about his action, so that they themselves decide how they should react.

And that was exactly what Ainz planned to do now, starting with Medusa…

---

Ainz did not remember Medusa's room well enough to get there directly by teleportation. So, once again Ainz had to traverse the corridors of Chaldea to get to her room.

Ainz, once again finding himself roam blindly along the corridors of Chaldea, was ready for… in fact, everything.

Not that he was complaining, but in a strange way, Ainz had already started to get used to the fact that ridiculous coincidences and completely incredible events keeps happening to him. Whether he was in Chaldea or the Singularities.

Servants unexpectedly appearing out of nowhere, random encounters with people that are instrumental in solving mysteries. And it is perhaps almost an obligatory part of the program for him to get lost among the corridors of Chaldea, only to find himself meeting with some Servant, whose existence Ainz has already forgotten.

Therefore, having reached Medusa's room without any incident, Ainz was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but still surprised. And very suspicious.

Suddenly wary, expecting a trick, he first knocked on the door, after which, not hearing anything from beyond the door, he pulled it towards himself, taking a step inside the room.

Of course, the first thing that Ainz saw was the room itself, exactly the same as dozens of others like it all over Chaldea, except perhaps marked by Medusa's presence by the books lying on a table. That and the two girls lying on the bed who was reading magazines lazily, until Ainz entered the room. Now? Now they looked like they're about to piss their pants.

Something about this picture made Ainz blink in confusion.

Books? No, Medusa loved to read, so this detail was natural.

Magazines? A strange choice, but there must have been several in the Chaldea library.

The girls looking like they're about to lose control of their bladders… Yes, that one!

Ainz blinked at the girls before his Master's connection with them suggested that he was looking at two Servants, his two Servants. And suddenly his memory jolted, and it reminded him exactly who he was looking at.

Ha! His strange luck never fails to deliver.

Euryale and Stheno, the two Servants who were enjoying their free time a few seconds ago, was frozen, like deer in front of a headlight. Ainz responded in kind, freezing, as he looked at the two Servants that he had completely forgotten about.

For a second, the room was in a silence so absolute and all-consuming that it seemed that one could hear dust slowly settling on the table. The silence didn't last however, as the door opened by Ainz slowly closed behind him with a soft click. A sound which sounded like a gun shot in the absolute silence of the room.

And, almost as expected, the figuratively loud sound was followed by a flurry of activity, by the girls that is. Ainz was not even sure how the two Servants had managed to get out of bed, throw the magazines somewhere to the side in one movement, and then seemingly teleporting to the furthest possible point in the room from Ainz. The two of them stretched out their body out to be as far as possible from him. The serene and somewhat bored expression now exchanged with dismay.

Such an action made even Ainz himself blink in surprise, causing him to take a small step back. This widening of the distance between them, as could be understood by the girls that lost at least some of their nervousness by the action, was appreciated.

Silence settled again in the room. The awkward atmosphere making Ainz wonder for a second if it was better for him to just teleport away.

However, the thought that by suddenly appearing in the room, and then disappearing without words like a ghost, he would only be creating much more tension in the girls, made him second guess his decision.

Though why did the two sister still so wary of him? Yes, he did have some... problems with them in the past. Just how vengeful do they think he is? And, how bad a boss would he be if he couldn't even solve this problem?!

In addition, he once had learned that he could not leave interpersonal problems in the guild alone for too long if he didn't want the problem to get worse. But what to do?

Even that Cainabel, who have a mean streak a mile long, is now getting along with Altera, he thinks… So, if he planned to deal with Euryale and Stheno unwarranted fear of him and perhaps get along better, he is dating their sister after all, right now was the best moment to do this.

"Good afternoon," Ainz tried to start the dialogue politely.

"G-good! Day! Yes! Master!" On a thin line between a choked sob and a panicked exclamation, the discordant response of the two Servants reached Ainz. Each shout mixing with each other, forcing him to slowly exhale.

Well, at least they answered Ainz back at all, which was already a pretty good first step and a stark departure to how they first were with Ainz. When they first arrived in Chaldea, Ainz could not even approach them without provoking great panic and an irrational desire to escape somewhere. In this case, even such a tense response from the girls was small, but still an improvement in the situation.

"You don't have to be so afraid of me," Nevertheless, Ainz tried to improve their relations. "I just came in to…"

'Hmm' A thought suddenly appeared in his mind that Medusa might not appreciate her sisters knowing about their relationship. 'Maybe they shouldn't know specifically why I came here…'

"To see Medusa," Ainz nodded slowly.

"She is not here, Master, sir!" One of the sister immediately replied, Ainz, unfortunately, could not make out who exactly, the two sisters were too similar to each other, "Medusa, Master, sir, in the library, sir!"

Again, the same tone of voice, in the middle between panic and horror, sounded again, but this time clearly. It is as if the speaker wanted to convey this information to Ainz as clearly and quickly as possible, so that he would leave her presence as soon as possible.

This attitude, of course, hurt Ainz's feeling a little. But, it could not be said that he did not understand the reason for their action.

"Okay," Ainz nodded slowly, however, before the two sisters could relax, he continued, "But it's even better that I met you here. I think I need to talk to you…"

"O-Of course not, Master, sir! Medusa, my sister, misses you very much, sir, Master! You need to find her soon! Master!" Again, their voice mixing with each other, the two voices of the two Servants answered Ainz. And this time, their voice was laced with panic and horror.

Still, Ainz could congratulate himself for the fact that he was able to elicit a different reaction from the girls, not just horror. Of course, he was still somewhat offended by the fact that the girl's confidence was only shown when it came to Ainz leaving them. But, nonetheless, it was still somewhat of an improvement over Ainz's past interactions with them.

"I know," Ainz replied calmly, "But I think she will forgive me if I say that I was talking with her sisters…"

At these words, as if Ainz had just uttered some terrible threat, the two sisters exchanged panicked glances between themselves, forcing Ainz to sigh.

"I'm not going to harm you," Ainz said slowly, looking at the two panicking girls, "Indeed, I'm not going to repeat what I… what happened in the past."

To Ainz's referring to the past, and what Ainz did to them specifically, both girls reacted in the same way, grabbing hands and flinching, which made Ainz grimace a little.

'Ha, not the best words to use there, Ainz…' Ainz exhaled before looking at Stheno first, forcing her to squeeze her sister's hand harder, and then at Euryale, who could not look him in the eye, looking away.

"I did what I did, and I can only say that I'm not going to apologize for that," Ainz breathed out again, "I believe Medusa have already forgiven you. I may have also forgiven your actions too… but I do not forget. And I don't think I can ever forget what you two did…"

'Hah' - Ainz breathed out - 'Well, I did want to 'clear' off any misunderstandings…'

Perhaps, indeed, the best action that Ainz can take now is to express everything honestly and openly. So that the sisters at least know what Ainz really thinks and not simply be afraid of even his shadows.

Perhaps as to be expected, reminding them of his anger did not make the sisters react at all positively. If before, they were tense and fearful, now they are resigned as they closed their eyes, as if preparing for their inevitable execution. Such a reaction could only cause Ainz to sigh

"I won't be forgetting your sins anytime soon… But this does not mean that I would renege on my words about your protection."

Realizing that the inevitable execution would most likely not follow, the two Servants opened their eyes, glancing fearfully at Ainz.

Only silence remained for a few seconds. A silence broken when one of the girls gathered her courage and started speaking. "Master, sir, Ainz... did Cainabel... talked to you?"

'Cainabel?' - Ainz wondered about the sudden utterance of her name. 'What about her?'

Ainz thought for a second before comparing all the facts in his head.

'As I know, Cainabel is a tsundere' - Ainz concluded logically - 'And at this meeting, both Stheno and Euryale are waiting for my answer about talking to Cainabel for some reason. Maybe Cainabel should have talked to me about… talking to the sisters? Or even treating them better?'

Ainz allowed this thought to ruminate in his mind for a second before smiling. 'Cainabel is really a softy. But she hides it… that's actually pretty cute'

And so even though knowing that he, in fact, never talked with Cainabel about the sisters, Ainz still nodded slowly. "Yes, she did."

Besides, what's the worse that could possibly happen?

As it turned out, this decision was correct, because after hearing Ainz, the two sisters slowly exhaled and even relaxed a little, allowing Ainz to mentally count this as a victory in the field of diplomacy.

"She told me about how much you two regret the things you did and that you will never even think about doing such a thing again." Ainz doubled-down on his lie, to which the two sisters instantly nodded with such force and enthusiasm that Ainz for a second was scared that their heads would fall off from such rapid movements.

"Of course, Ainz, Master, sir! Absolutely never!" The two sisters immediately rushed to answer him, forcing Ainz to smile in response.

"Okay," Ainz nodded before, after waiting for the silence to reestablish, try again to start at least some semblance of dialogue, "So... How are you? In Chaldea?"

"Fine, Master, sir!" - One of the Sisters immediately answered, interrupting the second sister before she could open her mouth. "Every day in Chaldea is wonderful, and our affairs are fantastic, sir! We are very grateful for your kindness and mercy, sir, and would be absolutely delighted to repay you, Master, sir!"

"We would even start working for Chaldea, Master, sir!" The second Gorgon sister immediately hastened to finish the thought of the sister. "Of course, our fighting capabilities are extremely lacking, Master, sir! We would never think that we could fight side by side with you, Master!"

"Hmm, okay..." Ainz was a little surprised at such a fierce answer before exhaling, "Um... What... What are you doing in Chaldea?"

"We spend our time the best we could, Master, sir!" The two Gorgons immediately rushed to answer, vying with each other to the one to answer Ainz's question. "We read books, sir, Master! We are very grateful for the large library of Chaldea, sir…"

Ainz fell silent after their exclamations, before slowly drawing in air and exhaling, "Am I really scaring you that much?"

"Of course not, Master, sir!" One of the sisters immediately replied, after which she looked at the second, at the second sister, who silently stared at the floor.

"Isn't that so, Stheno?" Euryale, as Ainz was able to identify the one speaking, tried to force her sister to answer.

"No…" - Stheno said quietly, - "You are... Very scary…"

"Stheno!" Immediately shouted at her sister Euryale, glancing at Ainz in panic, trying to form some semblance of a nervous smile on her face, "She just didn't understand the question a little…"

"I'm scared of you!" But instead, Stheno only took a step forward, showing all the remnants of her courage by looking into Ainz's eyes, "Every day, every night! I can still feel every drop of it... Whatever it is! Every second! I wake up at night screaming and cursing your name! I hate you! I hate, I hate, I HATE YOU! And I'm afraid of you!"

After these words, it would seem that all the reserve of Stheno's strength and courage dried up, causing her to go limp like a wet noodle. After which Euryale instantly jumped to her side, hugging her tightly as she looked at Ainz in dread.

"Master, please, her mind is just clouded by… from your power, yes!" Not quite understanding what she was saying, Euryale rushed to say anything, trying her best to protect her sister, "She… She's just not herself! She needs a doctor! Da Vinci knows how to cure her for sure…"

"I understand," interrupting Euryale's excuses, Ainz replied, looking at the almost catatonic Stheno. "I expected something like this… It would be foolish to count on anything else in such conditions. I'm not angry. On the contrary, I am even, in a sense, glad that I received such an answer. It is better to get an honest answer than a false one that you would like to hear."

After these words, the two sisters fell silent - and even Stheno raised her gaze to Ainz, waiting for him to continue.

"I… Hmm…" Ainz exhaled slowly, "I will repeat, once again, that I will not forget what you did, and I will not apologize for my reprisal. Even if I apologized, it would not change anything that happened, therefore, I will say that I do not regret what I did."

At these words, Stheno looked at Ainz with a heated glance, as much as she could even as she trembled like a leaf in the wind, if not defiantly. But Ainz only nodded at her heated glare.

"But I understand your reaction…" - Ainz exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. "Still, I want to hear… why did you betray Medusa, your sister? Killed her even? I never heard this part of the story from you."

At Ainz's question, the two sisters looked at each other before Euryale reluctantly released Stheno and began to speak. "Baal... Our previous Master. He summoned us, and he promised that he would give us the island as our place of life. Me, Stheno and Medusa. Even if Medusa… died, he promised that he would resurrect her at the end. With the Grail… he said that the Grail is capable of it."

Ainz turned his gaze to Euryale, and then to Stheno, who, having lost the last remnants of her courage, just stared at the ground before nodding. "Yes, I heard from Nero… something like that. And you believed him?"

"We had no other choice even if we didn't." Euryale also stared at the floor. "With his Command Spells… If he used a Command Spell with the order 'follow my orders', we don't know what he would force us to do. But, if we obeyed him, then we could to control our actions. With free will, we could choose exactly how we would act… But if he subjugated our mind with command spells, then we…"

In the end, Euryale's voice faded, leaving Ainz to figure out the possible ending of the sentence himself, pondering...

Baal... Ha, the Baal of this world... He really was a bastard. Playing on the family's love for each other, making two sisters kill the third...

But even so, did this relieve Euryale and Stheno of responsibility?

Perhaps not. Ainz, even if he could assume that their action was only due to threats. He simply could not bring himself to accept such an excuse and remove any blame from the two Gorgon sisters. If they were instead mind-controlled to perform such an act, perhaps, in this case… Only then it was possible.

Even so, the threat of such a thing… was not a good enough excuse for Ainz. Even if he was wrong, and Ainz felt that he might be wrong in such a case, even so, his beliefs resisted any attempt to justify such behavior.

"I… I understand," Ainz was able to utter after a long moment of reflection, "I… I still cannot forgive this, but I understand…"

"What do you understand!?" - having regained a little strength, Stheno looked up, - "Do you think we did not ask for forgiveness from Medusa?! Do you think that we were not on our knees, begging her to forgive us?! Do you think that we did not cry when she assured us that it was okay?! Do you think it was easy for us?! Do you think you have the right to judge us?! Or do you think that we have suffered too little?! There were always three of us! We are three sisters! And we killed our little sister! The one we loved so much! The one we have always protected! We! Her own family!"

Stheno cried out the last words, before breaking out in tears. And this time, the tears have nothing to do with Ainz.

Ainz shifted his gaze to see Euryale, who also silently continued to stare at the floor - but even so, Ainz could see the tears slowly dripping from her eyes.

Ainz inhaled slowly and exhaled.

Ha, women's tears… Ainz did not like women's tears. Who would?

Ainz slowly shifted his gaze before exhaling, "I beg your pardon. For the tears. I did not want…"

Euryale took a step towards Stheno, hugging her, after which Stheno fell on her sister's shoulder, continuing to sob slowly, causing Ainz to be silent for a second.

Ha... Probably... He shouldn't have been here and now...

"I'll go," Ainz replied quietly, after which he used teleportation, instantly finding himself in his room.

Unfortunately, he didn't meet Medusa… But, probably, today… for today he did not want to meet with anyone else at all...

---

Name: Stheno

Race: Heteromorphic

Title: Smiling Assassin

Occupation: Servant of Ainz Ooal Gown

Residence: Chaldea, Medusa's room

Karma: +50 (Neutral ~ Neutral Good)

Racial level: Gorgon (5)

Vampire (1)

Class level: Assassin (10)

Rogue (10)

Bard (5)

Cleric (5)

Living Deity (5)

Others (19)

Total: 6 Racial Levels + 54 Class Levels = 60 Levels

HP: 10

Mana: 100

Physical Attack: 10

Physical Defense: 0

Dexterity: 60

Magical Attack: 0

Magical Defense: 80

Resistance: 100

Special Abilities: 60

Ability: Stheno's Smile

Level: 60

A Charm ability with an unpleasant side effect. Although this ability in itself does not deserve special mention, since it has an average chance of triggering, does not provide direct mind control and does not have the highest strength possible, this ability's additional feature, even if its primary effect does not trigger, temporarily reduces the stats of its target. Something which makes it a good support ability.

Player comments:

- Mana - 100. Magic attack - 0. Seems legit.

- I'm used to the fact that physical defense is a useless stat that no one uses... But HP 10... This... I don't know... I give up. Tell my mom I died from the cringe.

- Once Ernest Hemingway bet that he can make the saddest build in the world...

- Assassin with Mana 100... Cleric without magic attack... Vampire with HP 10... I don't know. I just do not know. I give up. Do what you want. We're all in hell and just suffering for our sins. Life is pain.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 34: Challenged Genius

After the meeting with the twins, if one could call the disaster that, Ainz returned to his room. A place where he spent almost a day trying to digest what he had just witnessed.

Did he regret what he had done?

No, no, and no matter how many times it takes for him to repeat it until it's etched into the world itself, no. Perhaps this was Ainz's main problem as a boss.

He felt that he had to empathize in one way or another with the two sisters who had done, to him, an almost unforgivable act. But, he did not empathize with them at all. Yes, perhaps he felt somewhat unpleasant, one way or another, from the fact that he caused two of his Servants to cry. Especially when he had already staked his name to protect them for the sake of Medusa when he accepted them as his own Servants.

But, nothing more.

Ainz felt no remorse at the 'punishment' that he had bestowed upon them. No empathy for their motives, and he would not be making any attempt to 'put himself in their shoes' so to speak. He felt no forgiveness for their sin.

Not as Ainz Ooal Gown, but as Suzuki Satoru. He, truly, cannot forgive them.

Stheno and Euryale had committed an inexcusable sin, whatever their reason might be. And they were punished for it, by his own hands in fact. Some people would have called it justice, in a sense.

Ainz sighed, he needed to talk to someone, someone like Touch Me… Ha, he would really like to talk to Touch Me about this issue. What is 'justice' and how to properly administer it.

Alas, Ainz could not get an answer from his friend, no matter how he wished for it. And therefore, had to rely solely on his own judgment. And, Ainz, in all honesty, was forced to admit that, in the end, after everything that had happened, he considered his attitude to be the correct one.

It was possibly abnormal, Ainz did not take pleasure in seeing the twins cry and found the scene itself repulsive. He even found it to be 'just' even.

A suitable amount of penance for a horrid sin.

And if he were to boil down his lengthy reflections on the matter, which had lasted several hours, this is what Ainz's main idea boiled down to.

"My actions were correct, even if they and I did not like it."

In the end, after a long period of reflections lasting till midnight, Ainz was able to find his center once again, shake his head and add another detail to his understanding of himself, resolving another conflict in his soul.

Was the story of Ainz and the twins finally over? No, of course not. Unfortunately or fortunately, it was unlikely that Ainz could even imagine what the end of the relationship would look like when it came to what had happened. Of the two appropriate endings of this… conflict of theirs, perhaps that was how one could describe what is going on between them, none of the endings looked realistic.

Ainz was not going to admit his guilt no matter what happened, since he felt none, so this avenue to end the conflict was swept aside. The second possible ending, that the twins could forgive Ainz and admit that he was right - also looked extremely unrealistic.

As a result, in other words, Ainz was not sure that this conflict had any endpoint at all…

"I wish Genjiro was here… " Ainz sighed. "As a professor, he would surely be able to tell me what is the best thing to do in this case… Or… Genjiro was a professor right? Yes, it seems he was the one… "

Ainz sucked in a deep breath of air and leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the clock. As he looked at the hour and minute hands, it was already twenty past one in the morning… he was lost in his head again.

It was already very late, definitely, and he couldn't sleep. Although Ainz knew that Servants did not need sleep as much as normal people do, very few Servants choose to abstain from such an opportunity. Even Cu Chulainn or Drake, who preferred to get together at night for a drinking bout, still slept in the afternoon before continuing their libations.

Ainz was sure of it, except perhaps Cainabel and, maybe also now Jack, as they are Undead, most Servants are now sleeping. Either that or they are currently in a drinking binge that Ainz do not want to get into

Although, if even Ainz somehow could have something that is a semblance of sleep, then why not the two other representatives of the undead? Even if he wanted to talk about his worries, everyone is already asleep, and those that aren't, don't really make good conversationalists.

Ainz sighed and shook his head at the idea before once again checking the time. It was half past one.

Most likely, everyone had already gone to bed… Well, he's not going to get any sleep any time soon, so maybe a walk might clear his head? Ainz sighed, he had never walked the halls of Chaldea in the night before…

Ainz was not exactly the kind of guy to find late-night strolling romantic. And, frankly speaking, the empty halls of Chaldea were not exactly the most romantic place for a midnight stroll. But of all the ways to somehow clear his head, it was the only one available to Ainz at the moment.

Therefore, with a sigh and after giving his clothes a one over, to make sure he's presentable, he went on a walk. Mayhap, even an enthusiastic one.

As expected, even despite the changed time of day, the corridors of Chaldea were flooded with the same bright fluorescent white light as always. And even if Ainz had made his way to a window overlooking the outside, he would not have seen anything different that what he saw on the supposed day… Not that he's expecting the view outside to change anytime soon.

Ainz shook his head before slowly walking down the corridors again.

The hallways of Chaldea, if it was even somehow possible, feel even more empty than it is in the day. Still, his previous dislike of the silence was now forgotten. Now, he was even somewhat glad for this silence.

Slowly walking along the corridors, Ainz was no longer paying attention to the world around him. And, perhaps for the first time in a while, that restless part of his mind that kept thinking about whether or not his actions were correct, the part that worries about his plans for the future, his relations with the Servants and with the girls… was calm.

Gradually, as he walked through the empty corridors of Chaldea, Ainz began to feel the thoughts that were eating him slowly recede, leaving behind only a pleasant emptiness and a kind of relaxation that calms his mind. Then, as if by an unexpected whim of fate, he remembered that he had never drank coffee before.

The real thing, of course. Instant powder, identical to natural coffee, at least that's what they advertised, entered his usual life as an office worker. It has become part of the everyday morning routine of the millions of residents of the twenty-second century. But REAL coffee, beans and all, was the privilege of the rich in Ainz' world.

It was not even a drink that he liked, only something he takes as a necessity to complete his long work day. And so, having lost access to it in this new world, he simply stopped drinking it. And so as an act of simple random thought, and as if to replace his previous worries, he directed his feet to the cafeteria. Now that he has access to the real thing, he might as well indulge.

Besides, it's on the way. And, before long he's arrived.

First, he peeked from behind the door, to see if there's anyone inside. A quick peek to make sure that all the Servants and the attendants were sleeping at the moment - or at least they were busy with their own business far from the cafeteria. And, after finding the cafeteria empty of anyone suspicious, Ainz finally entered the cafeteria. As he entered the brightly lit hall, he immediately headed to the coffee machine. And as he stood in front of it, he froze in confusion.

"I didn't think about that… " Ainz sighed, looking at the machine in front of his eyes, trying to determine, at least by sight, how this or that button was related to a certain action.

After waiting a few minutes, as if hoping that an unexpected insight would suddenly come to his mind, he was forced to admit defeat. That, after a series of victories over terrifying monsters and great magicians, the end of his streak of victory was the eldritch machinery called a coffee machine. He was contemplating just creating a coffee machine and just 'borrow' a bag of beans before he was interrupted by the sound of an opening door right behind him.

Ainz was frozen in place as his mind ran a mile a minute to come up with escape plans. Right now he was feeling that teleportation is the best route of escape. That is, before he shakes his head reminding himself that such a reaction was just stupid. He did not do anything illegal or terrible, and, strictly speaking, after hours of reflection, thoughts about the fate of the Medusa sisters did not bother him so much that he had to refuse a casual conversation with someone.

Perhaps, under the current conditions, Ainz would have felt some awkwardness only if he had met the twins - or...

"Master?" Or with Medusa, really shouldn't have taunted Murphy there. "Oh, Ainz, I didn't know you were here."

"Medusa," Ainz exhaled at his luck. Though, he couldn't really say whether his luck was fantastic, or whether it was misfortune skillfully disguising itself as good luck. "Just going for the…"

Ainz blinked at the coffee machine, thinking about just how ridiculous he would look if he were to say that he was defeated at the hands of a fairly simple machine. His eyes immediately roamed his surroundings for something that is less embarrassing. "Snack."

"Late snacking is unhealthy, you know." Medusa smiled a little at the joke. "However, it's not like I need to be worried about your health, no. The facts speak for themselves."

Ainz glanced over at the smiling Medusa.

Perhaps… Ha, really, this unexpected meeting with Medusa was another event that he really didn't want to happen anytime soon. Never mind having to contemplate how to disclose his relationship with Olga. And, the less said about the awkwardness he felt after the 'meeting' with the twins was difficult to overestimate. Therefore, feeling a lot of nervousness even just from trying to make eye contact, Ainz averted his gaze, instead noting Medusa's clothes.

Instead of her very familiar costume, if the short dress with an almost scandalous cut could be called that way, at the moment Medusa was dressed in a turtleneck sweater. A way of dress that clearly highlighted her rather large bust, and jeans that fit her very prominent…

"Y-you're dressed differently," Ainz praised his emotion-suppression skill for failing and saving him in roughly equal proportions before continuing more confidently. "Decided to change your image?"

"For a while," Ignoring, and hopefully maybe even not really noticing the slight hitch in Ainz's voice, Medusa calmly continued on. She then went around Ainz before placing a mug, under what Ainz assumed is the nozzle, then pressing a button on the coffee machine. After which, with a little buzz, the machine slowly began to pour thick liquid into the mug. "These are not my clothes as a Servant, but sometimes I do want to change my image. Especially while we are here in Chaldea, between the Singularities…"

"Yes, perhaps it is as well," Ainz sighed before catching the sweet smell emanating from the contents of Medusa's mug. "Is that… is that hot chocolate?"

"Yes," Medusa smiled before turning to Ainz with a small smile, "Do you want some?"

"Yes, I would love some." Ainz replied with a smile before taking a look at Medusa again as she turned around. With nothing to do, and a little unsure of what he could do, Ainz decided to just take a seat as he watched Medusa control the coffee machine.

For a minute, while Medusa was busy with her work, there was silence. And although maybe for Medusa even if this silence was not comfortable, then it was at least not annoying. Ainz, on the other hand, felt very uncomfortable in this silence.

Did Medusa already talk to the sisters? What should he say to Medusa about Olga? How did she react to the last Singularity? If he was in… some kind of 'relationship' with Olga, should Ainz then should Ainz asked Medusa out too? And if so, what would a date with Medusa look like? What kind of music did she like? She was reading The Lord of the Rings, so she likes fantasy? Or…

Ainz flinched a little when a mug of hot chocolate was placed unceremoniously on the table in front of him. Before following the hand holding the mug towards Medusa. Who easily, as if it was something normal, settled down next to Ainz, sitting uncomfortably close next to him.

"Treat yourself," Medusa smiled warmly, as she held out a bowl of marshmallows towards Ainz. "Chaldea has a lot of sweets in their stores…"

"Thank you," Ainz answered before glancing into his own mug of hot chocolate, watching his reflection.

Yeah… In such conditions, an attempt to start some kind of serious dialogue would look strange. And if not, extremely uncomfortable.

Ainz lifted the mug to his lips, instantly appreciating the sweet taste of cocoa and milk spreading over his tongue before swallowing and setting the mug aside. It was delicious.

But, ignoring the elephant in the room would also not bring Ainz any satisfaction. Even the hot chocolate, something so sweet and tasty that his inner child was jumping with happiness, had a smidgen of bitterness. And all from the awkward situation he's in.

Ainz became silent, closing his eyes, and after taking deep breaths of air, he decided to take the plunge. Of course, the skill that is suppressing his excessive nervousness that had arisen in his mind, was also a great help." I slept with Olga-Marie."

Ainz calmly waited for the fallout, fully expecting that his words would have the effect of an exploding bomb. At the very least causing Medusa to at least choke on the chocolate. But instead she just took a sip slowly before turning to look at Ainz with the same smile on her face. "I know."

"You do?" Ainz was so surprised that his suppression of emotion immediately activated when he looked at the calm Medusa.

"Chaldea is not really well-known for the thickness of its walls. I think that's on purpose, actually." Medusa just shrugged her shoulders.

"So I and at least half of the inhabitants of Chaldea probably already know about it. And thanks to how much people like to gossip, all of Chaldea will probably know by tomorrow."

Ainz blinked in surprise once more at the news, then felt his face strive to match the color of Nero's dress in its redness, before praising his suppression of emotions once more.

"I see…" Ainz was forced to just calmly sigh before taking another sip of delicious cocoa. With his sip of poison already in his system anyway, he decided to just completely show off his cards, and simply express the rest of his worries. The part that concerns Medusa anyway. "And I met with your sisters…"

"Yes, I know," Medusa slowly nodded once more. And then, after seeing the surprised expression on Ainz's face that even his suppression of emotions could not control, started to laugh softly. "Both of them practically live in my room. It would be strange if I actually didn't know what happened."

After these revelations, Ainz could only avert his gaze before taking another sip of hot chocolate and taking another look at Medusa again. And with it all open in the air, he decided to just finally deal with all the thoughts and worries disturbing him. "And you… Are you okay? With all of this?"

At Ainz's question, Medusa was silent, causing Ainz to actually sigh in relief.

That's good, it was good that Medusa did not instantly give out some meaningless answer slash exclamation like 'I'm always glad to please my Master!'. But, the fact that Medusa was actually thinking about her answer made Ainz nervous on some primitive instinctive level so deep that even his suppression of emotions could not cope with this nervousness.

"I can't say that it doesn't bother me at all," After a couple of sips and a dozen of nerve-wracking seconds of reflection later, Medusa came up with her answer.

"I… It would be stupid if I, being the one that proposed this whole scheme in the first place, would now decide to be angry about the plan actually being initiated. And… I cannot say that I actually did not envy Olga and that I did not feel any jealousy when I heard the screams. But… I am not actually worried about what had happened. The love between you and Olga does not diminish the love between me and you. Therefore, I am not against what happened last night…" Ainz was not sure whether he should feel mortified that Medusa was re-telling something that private, or that the rest of Chaldea also knows.

"As for what happened with my sisters…" Medusa again thoughtfully took a sip of chocolate, before reaching out to the bowl of marshmallow and swallowing one, then started talking again. "I understand you, and perhaps… perhaps I also understand my sisters. They're… they are not bad people. I know that they did something bad, something that is unforgivable for most, but I don't blame them. I was never actually mad at their actions. And, in the end, it did not have any lasting consequences, so I cannot say that I can be angry with them at all. But I understand you too, so I accepted what had happened after as well."

After Medusa's candid confession, Ainz dropped his gaze into his mug, where there was only enough chocolate left for one sip. Deciding that he needed to return the gesture, he swallowed the rest and started talking.

"You know…" Ainz started slowly. "I… I had friends in the past… Many friends in fact, once… And one of them, well most of his friend circles considered him a pervert. And, in general, he was. He had so many fetishes and admired so many women that I would not have enough time in existence to list them out. So, one day I asked him if he actually loves them?" At Medusa's raised eyebrow, Ainz knows he had just asked a stupid question.

"I know, I know it was probably a stupid question to ask. But you'll be surprised by the number of stupid things that I have said in my entire life." Ainz chuckled a little. "And he told me that he admires all girls and his lust cannot be stopped… But the girl that he loved did not have a single characteristic that should have lured him. I asked him about this discrepancy, and he told me quite the answer then…"

Ainz thought for a second, remembering Perroroncino's words. He was a full-blown pervert and just a child at heart. But through all his stupid and perverted remarks, sometimes there's… amazingly beautiful things.

"A man will always desire a body but love a soul," Ainz smiled, as he recounted his friends' fiery declaration. Surely it was one of the lines in the hundreds of porn games that he had completed, he wouldn't tell Ainz the source though. "Lust is a fire, it burns brightly, but quickly, leaving nothing behind but emptiness. But Love, Love is an ocean, it is slow and all-consuming. There is an ebb and flow, but even if it recedes at the end, it leaves behind canyons that will stand the test of time longer than any of people's lives…"

At the end of his re-telling, Medusa smiled. She then turned to Ainz and, in a slightly playful gesture, brought her thumb and forefinger close together, squinting. "A tad over romantic I think."

"Khm-hm!'' Ainz, somewhat feeling uncomfortable by the teasing. And, as if only now realizing that he had just blurted out perhaps one of the most cheesy romantic lines at his perhaps significant other, started praising the fact that his suppression of emotions did not allow Ainz's cheeks to go red. And it was one from Perroroncino of all people! He immediately turned away, again

"No, no need to feel embarrassed, I liked it." Medusa, smiled and waved her hands. "It was just… too romantic, not exactly something that people say out loud."

'Curse you, Perroroncino!' Ainz complained in his head indignantly. 'Why did you make me remember that particular quote out of all of them?!'

"But, as I said before, I liked it." Medusa looked away as she lowered her arms, this time it's her turn to be embarrassed. "And… I am pleased that you told me about what happened. I knew about it, but… you're really dear to me, and I'm glad you told me about what happened."

Ainz turned his gaze to Medusa, wanting to start talking. But, catching something in her lowered gaze, or in the way her smile slowly faded, he chose to stay silent.

"And… " Medusa sighed slowly as the smile faded from her face. She then swallowed the last of her cup of hot chocolate and looked up at Ainz. "I have something to tell you too…"

Ainz didn't even have time to panic at the second most dreaded phrase in a man's relationship before Medusa continued. "I also killed my sisters…"

Ainz paused for a second at what he thought was Medusa breaking up with him, before actually realizing what she said.

"I… In the past, in my 'real' story, perhaps I should say it that way." Medusa paused for a second, and Ainz could see how difficult speaking these words were for Medusa. "When I was born, I was born as a goddess along with my sisters, we are actually triplets you know… But, in the end I died as a monster. The Gorgon Sisters were supposed to be immortal, unchanging things, but I was cursed and… my sisters tried to save me from the curse by staying on the Shapeless Island. They took care of me and protected me when I was weak… but I failed. They protected me, but gradually my curse grew in strength and I surrendered to it. Many heroes tried to kill me, and my sisters saved me time and time again… but one day I killed a hero, I killed him and…"

Medusa became silent and Ainz, who had realized where her story was leading, was frozen in indecision.

"And then, I killed the next hero that came to the island," After an uncomfortable minute of silence, Medusa was able to gather her courage and continued her story. "And the next and the next… In the end as I killed more and more, my strength and curse grew… my thirst for blood grew stronger and stronger. And then… my gaze turned to my sisters. It was a senseless cruelty, nothing more. And they, Stheno and Euryale, my dear sisters who protected me, who cared about me... surrendered. No, they accepted my cruelty…"

Medusa was once again silent. But Ainz knew that this was not the end of her story. Again he doesn't know what to do as he waits for Medusa's tale to finish. Should he put his hand on her shoulder as a gesture of support? Or perhaps he should tell her that he understands? He doesn't know what to do. How does one comfort someone that is currently hating themselves?

"One day, they just came to me and let me kill them." Medusa said quietly with unshed tears. "I, I… I regret it, even now. When they decided to kill me, I accepted it. I thought that it was simply what I deserved, of course they would hate the monster that had killed them. But, I was wrong, they were still the same sisters that I love... I had killed those I cared about so much, but… I… the Grail, your present. I… I was able to accept myself, but… Would you?"

As she finished her story, Medusa looked up again. She looked at Ainz with tears frozen in her eyes and with a smile. Not a joyful smile, but rather a desperate one, as if to say that she was expecting a rejection.

Ainz didn't even have to think of his answer. "Of course."

Medusa was frozen by the simple answer, making Ainz chuckle at how their roles had changed from the beginning of the conversation.

"I know that the 'right' answer must take account of justice and punishment, about equality and so on…" Ainz exhaled and shrugged his shoulders, "But, if I have learned anything in my entire life, it is that I'm a hypocrite."

"I know hypocrisy is considered a bad quality to have in a person, but there is probably nothing more useful in the world than hypocrisy," Ainz shrugged as he watched the tears dry in Medusa's eyes. "I'm a hypocrite, and I know it. I… Ha, I do believe in free will. A person has the right to commit actions that he considers acceptable and necessary, and to use the concepts of 'justice' and 'equality' only when he wants it. Today I am an incorruptible judge, and tomorrow I am a hypocrite. And that's okay. I… I'm not going to talk about how your actions differ and I do not think that I have the right to ease your guilt and convince you that what you did was justified, while the act of your sisters cannot be justified in any way. But…"

"If the question is only whether or not I accept you, then I have no problem with that." Ainz shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care, because I am a hypocrite. And because I love you."

Medusa lowered her eyes before looking up at Ainz again.

Tears, previously frozen in Medusa's eyes, slowly rolled down her cheeks, but in the end she smiled. This time, joyfully.

"Thank you," Medusa closed her eyes, as her eyes widened. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Ainz smiled. "Everything for you."

---

Archer glanced at the clock in his room.

Two and a half in the morning…

Archer rolled onto his side, then put a pillow on his ear and pressed his ear into the other pillow, trying to block out the outside world as he tried to sleep.

Olga's office was actually quite far from his room, so yesterday Archer could sleep. Although the screams and the louder groans still reached his room then.

But that was no match for tonight! One quite small fact, that anyone that knows him would see as only expected, is that his room was the closest one to the kitchen. And so as a consequence was also the closest one to the cafeteria.

Archer tried to squeeze his head harder into the pillow, trying to ignore the moans and screams coming from behind the wall.

What a mess Ainz and Medusa will leave in his kitchen at the end of this night…

---

Ability: Chrysaor

Level: Special

This ability allows one to summon a monster controlled by the caster with no level that can attack, move, use objects, and perform other simple actions. The monster does not have any active abilities, but cannot be destroyed by any attack or ability that is lower than a "special" level. The monster itself is capable of attacking and has relatively high parameters, but none of its attacks can reduce the HP of its target below one. In other words, this ability allows you to summon a 'training dummy'.

Ability: And the blood was spilled…

Level: Special

An ability that allows one to summon a monster with specified parameters.

In other words, the caster himself is able to determine the abilities of the monster summoned in this way. Its parameters, active and passive abilities, type of attack and other features can be specialized. In other words, it is an extremely unfair ability that can create the best counter for almost any opponent.

This ability however has several limitations. The most limiting being that only one monster with a somewhat limited number of abilities can be summoned at a time. Which is why this ability is not very effective against two or more opponents at a time.

Second, is that the monster's abilities cannot be changed after it has been summoned, except by dismissing the previous monster and summoning a new, changed one. Which is why the user of this ability needs to carefully study his opponent to be able to create the best counters.

Last of all was the standard weaknesses of summoning, a time delay between casting and the summoning, and a long recharge time.

However, as long as the user of this ability understands its limitations, it is extremely difficult to overestimate the power and usefulness of this ability.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 35: Medea

Ainz, like he had done many times before, was not sure if he should curse his bad luck, or praise his incredible luck.

That is, he had sex… again. For the second time in the last two days with a very beautiful woman who likes him. Although, technically speaking, maybe it should be in the last 'three' days, if you count by the time of day? Okay, that doesn't matter.

Anyway, he had sex twice in less than a week!

Even in the days of his far from exciting youth, Ainz couldn't even dream of being able to do something like that. And now, a little after thirty, all of his youthful dreams suddenly began to come true.

It's not like he was complaining, Ainz was happy, of course he was happy. Who wouldn't be happy in his place? Who could not like beautiful girls literally throwing themselves at him?

But at the same time, Ainz was worried. Whether it was providence or not, Ainz could not say, but he could definitely sense that up to this point all his luck had either a cause or even a consequence. And Ainz considered having such a relationship with the girls a great success for himself.

And therefore, inwardly, he could only shudder from thinking about what his reckoning would be for such great luck.

And so, due to the fact that Ainz was deprived of the opportunity to sleep, it was these thoughts that were spinning in his head in the early morning. Instead of sleepy and dreamy remembrance of his activity with Medusa, and before that with Olga, he was worrying about the future.

Hence rather than looking like he's walking on sunshine, he was looking thoughtfully at his feet, as he walked back to his room from Medusa's. Though strangely enough not because Medusa had reacted the same way as the last time he had sex with someone. Maybe the alcohol was to blame?

Unlike Olga, Medusa did not react to the morning after as excessively and did not try to kick him away from her room. On the contrary, Ainz was met with the wonderful morning look of a sleepy Medusa, where they had a little conversation, and ended with a great kiss. But at that point, alas, Ainz's actions were interrupted before it could move to the much more pleasant part as they had to hurriedly clean the cafeteria of their previous activities.

Luckily they had done it quickly enough, because no soon after they had finished, Archer entered the cafeteria. Though, judging by the side-eye Archer was giving them, they might have missed a spot.

"I'm definitely starting to sound like Perroroncino… " Ainz sighed, after which he took a sip of coffee and shook his head. More from his own thoughts than from the effect of the coffee, which was too weak to affect his high-level mind and body. It was very delicious though. "Archer knows how to make coffee!"

In any case, after a short conversation, Ainz and Medusa had quickly come to an agreement. That, although their relationship was never a big secret, and especially after what happened last night, Medusa's sisters were not ready to see them together. Who knows how they might react…

"I'm not sure, and imagination is not really my strong suit, but I know for sure that they'll never be able to survive such a picture." Ainz exhaled once more, then inhaled the aroma of coffee and smiled. "I never knew that quality coffee could smell so delicious! Archer definitely knows a lot about cooking. Actually hearing him tell it, he knows to make everything about that you can eat and drink. I wonder if he knows how to make alcoholic cocktails?"

In any case, in order not to force the Medusa's sisters to be forced to hide and wander the corridors of Chaldea, Ainz left Medusa's side. For now, he was going on a short hike through the corridors of Chaldea, eventually remembering that, strictly speaking, he wasn't able to make the coffee that he was planning to make yesterday.

Fortunately for Ainz, he didn't have to imitate Medusa's actions in the end to make his coffee, risking making an absolutely indigestible slurry instead of coffee. Instead, Ainz found Archer in the kitchen, an Archer that was not at all happy with Ainz's presence.

Although Servants doesn't strictly need to sleep, it doesn't mean they don't experience sleep problems if they were indeed try to sleep. At least that's what Ainz noticed when he saw the small circles under Archer's eyes and his scowl that is much more gloomy than usual. It seems that Servants still suffer when they're not sleeping enough. And Ainz was somehow the reason for Archer's lack of sleep. Probably, Medusa too…

In any case, Archer did not protest too much when Ainz was looking to make some coffee, instead giving Ainz an excellent quality coffee. After which, clearly hinting at his dissatisfaction, Archer quickly returned to the kitchen. And Ainz, who had first thought to spend the morning talking with Archer, rethought his idea, and decided not to annoy the sleep-deprived Servant in the morning.

As he walked out of the cafeteria though, Ainz noticed that there were some tables missing… Like the table on which, um… Ainz would have been morbidly embarrassed if it hadn't been for his suppression of emotions. A skill that he has liked more and more lately…

Plus, although it was not, strictly speaking, the most pleasant sensation, if Ainz could use his skills to suppress certain emotions and, ahem, sensations, to… last longer… Well he was not complaining.

Another suppression of emotions saved Ainz from embarrassing himself. Still, he forced himself to take a sip of coffee, feeling the bitter yet pleasant taste of the coffee spill over his tongue before sighing.

"I am definitely turning into Perroroncino… "Ainz sighed before letting an inappropriate joke in his head. "Well, at least I just killed people, and did not take hundreds of concubines."

The joke, which he had thought, if not funny, then at least suitable, turned out to be unexpectedly… dry, as soon as he spoke it out loud.

"That was a bad joke." Ainz sighed and shook his head. " That bad sense of humor… I'm definitely turning into Perroroncino."

Lately, Ainz felt that his life has been tumbling so fast that he didn't even have the time to determine whether he was looking up or down at the moment. Metaphorically speaking of course.

Worrying about girls and relationships, plans for the future, and the salvation of mankind. And lately, worst of all, whether he could trust his memories of the past…

"Too much has been happening lately," Ainz sighed once more and sipped his coffee before thinking for a second.

So now… What should he do now?

He had sex with Olga, and then with Medusa. And, apparently, both already know about each other… He was really glad that he dodged the bullet, when he talked about Olga with Medusa.

Ainz stopped walking when he felt his skill suppress the reflex urge to slap his own forehead at that stupid thought.

He had told Medusa about his relationship with Olga. And, apparently, it was the right option. Or, at least, the most correct out of the possible options. So in this case, after what happened with Medusa… perhaps he should also notify Olga about what happened?

Yes, that sounded logical.

Although, Ainz could only hope that he would not be stuck in this loop forever… But for now, he should visit Olga. Though, is it too early?

Ainz took a deep breath before taking a look at the time on the nearby clock on the wall. It was already nine o'clock.

Ainz would hardly have called nine o'clock, early. Especially from the perspective of a simple office worker of the twenty-second century like him. He had long become accustomed to the beginning of the work shift being at four in the morning. But Olga, most likely, should still be asleep.

Ainz thought about what he should do for a second before exhaling. In any case, one way or another, he had already seen Olga in her most… vulnerable form, so technically invading her personal space shouldn't be so problematic.

So, with one last sigh, Ainz teleported straight into Olga's office…

---

Only for him to find himself in Olga's unexpectedly empty office. To be on the safe side, Ainz also checked Olga's bedroom, after which he dubiously knocked on the bathroom door. But in the end, he could not find Olga anywhere.

Ainz wondered where Olga would have disappeared to this early in the morning…

"Where could she be?" Ainz racked his memories for an answer.

Remembering the conversation he had with Olga not so long ago, where their inhibition was damaged by alcohol, Olga divulged something that she was quite proud of. And because Ainz was not at all drunk, no matter how it seemed to him at that moment, he remembered it quite clearly.

In any case, Olga told him that she was taking lessons from Medea. At the time Ainz ignored this information, too busy ogling the intoxicated Olga, but it still stuck in his memory. Something which Ainz was very grateful for at the moment.

However, unlike Olga's office, Ainz has no idea where the training grounds in Chaldea are. At the very least, not enough where he could teleport there. Not to mention the fact that even if he did know enough to teleport there, Ainz did not want to interrupt Olga's lessons. Or worse, unexpectedly appearing in front of a spell.

So, trying to remember exactly in which room Olga was supposed to receive her lessons from Medea, he could only conclude that he didn't have this information in his memory. And so Ainz was forced to search each training room one by one.

And so, after an hour of getting lost, and having received a new mug of coffee from Archer, who still looked at Ainz with a suspicious look, Ainz was able to reach the part of Chaldea with the training halls. Seeing the long corridor dotted with doors to various training halls, Ainz was not sure where he could start looking.

With a shrug, he decided to open the first door he came across. And, thanking his lucky stars, the very first training hall he looked into, contained his target. Well, close enough.

When he opened the door, he was greeted not only with a decent-sized room, with one half lined with tables and several shelves of books and the other half lined with soft mats, like those one would expect to see in a training room, but also Medea. Sitting at one of the tables, she was methodically marking something in the notes laid out in front of her.

However, as soon as the front door creaked when Ainz opened, Medea instantly stopped before turning towards the door. Realizing who exactly was walking in, Medea put her notes down before nodding slightly.

"Master", - Medea greeted politely, perhaps even excessively so, as she put aside her notes. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, right, Medea" Ainz blinked as he suffered a momentary lapse in memory of his Servant's name.

Ainz sometimes forgot how many Servants he had. However, could anyone reproach him for that? Ainz was never a very social person, and his circle of acquaintances, although it may sound quite impressive at about fifty people, consisted mostly of his guild-mates. People whom Ainz interacted pretty much daily for twelve years… Though, without a constant presence, even that memory is starting to fade.

'My memory is not that good, huh." Ainz made another dry joke in his mind.

In any case, Medea was one of those Servants that Ainz didn't really think about. For a long time, after her Singularity was solved.

Even so, Ainz strained his memory so that he wouldn't say something wrong. He remembered that Medea was Baal's protégé? At the very least he had offloaded his responsibility of looking after her to another of his Servants. In that case, it was not that surprising that Ainz did not think about her for so long. And judging by the fact that Ainz had pretty much never heard any complaint, and in fact didn't think about it anymore, it was the correct decision. Reducing the load on himself even if only a little bit.

Still, a small prick of conscience still prickled him. Ainz felt an unpleasant feeling when he had, essentially, forgotten about one of his Servants. Maybe he should find some time to interact with Medea?

Medea, in any case, continued the dialogue with Ainz. "So, can I help you with something?"

"I was looking for Olga…" Ainz felt a slight twinge of his conscience again, before taking a step inside. In the end, Olga would not disappear anywhere even if Ainz had spent a couple of minutes talking with Medea. Not to mention the fact that, judging by the fact that her training hadn't started yet, Olga would come here anyway. So, all in all, there's nothing wrong in taking some time talking with one of his neglected Servants.

"But I don't mind talking a little too… I have some free time."

"Hmm, I see… " Medea was silent in thought for a second, casting a quick glance at Ainz before answering his question. "Yes, I met with Olga today. And, like yesterday, she was still unable to finish her physical training… Actually she was much worse than yesterday. Furthermore, she was for some reason too absent-minded to study the material. So after a little test that she failed to pass, I sent her back to rest. She won't be able to learn anything until she gets better…"

"Hmm," Ainz, who had easily guessed both the reason for her 'physical condition' and the reason for Olga's 'absent-mindedness' today, felt another little prick of conscience. "Is that so?"

"Exactly so." Medea slowly nodded before looking at Ainz again. "Do you have any more questions?"

After that, as if an unexpected light bulb lit up over Medea's head, she smiled and continued talking as if nothing had happened. "Perhaps you would like to discuss Olga's progress with me?"

Ainz was quite sure that even if he wanted to do such a thing, he would likely not be able to understand anything from Medea's words. But, on the other hand, he also wanted to try to start some dialogue with his Servant. So Ainz just nodded, "Yes, I guess."

"Okay," Medea nodded, distracted for a second by the final notes in the paper in front of her, which was apparently Olga's test, allowing Ainz to make her way to the chair opposite Medea.

Suddenly, Medea's gaze caught Ainz's mug, which he continued to carry in his hands, "Hmm, is that a magical artifact?"

"Hmm, you could say that," Ainz replied to Medea, looking at the mug that he had created with his magic a little earlier. And simply because he did not want to accidentally use someone else's mug from the kitchen. And, to be honest, he would clearly feel stupid if he asked Archer to pour coffee into the 'Cup of Great Wisdom of Mimir' or something similar that he could find in his inventory. "It's a Magical… Construct, I think that's what it is called?"

"Yes, that's right," Medea stared at Ainz's mug before nodding at some of her thoughts, putting aside the completed notes and looking at Ainz. "As I understand it, you are somehow aware of my lessons, Master…"

Ainz was not aware at all of Medea's lessons with Olga. But, not wanting to completely lose his face, he nodded his head in a vague manner. "A little bit."

"That's good," Medea nodded. "Then there's no need for explanations, and we can move on to the most important part."

Medea paused for a second before taking a breath and looking closely at Ainz. Her gaze then slipped down, to the mug Ainz was holding. Her attention was so severe that Ainz remembered his own primary school teacher, before she continued. "Slowly, but surely I am approaching the limit of what I can teach Olga."

Ainz blinked in surprise. While he was not that well versed in the principles of teaching, especially when it came to magic, he doubts that several weeks for such training were enough. Or was learning magic here something like an elective course? Only needing two weeks of work to reach understanding?

Before Ainz could think about it further, Medea continued.

"Her potential as a magus…" Medea pursed her lips for a second before looking at Ainz once more, almost making him break out in nervous sweets. "It's strange. I can't say that she is the most talented Magus I have ever seen, and certainly not the strongest. But…"

Medea sighed again before shaking her head and looking at Ainz seriously, "What exactly did you do to her, Master?"

Ainz's first impulse was to try to justify himself, like a schoolboy caught with a cigarette by a strict teacher. Thankfully his suppression of emotions allowed him to ask for clarification calmly rather than break out in some nervous mumbling. "In what sense?"

"Her Magical Crest and Magic Circuits," Medea nodded, looking at Ainz. " It was very… unusual. No, perhaps it's better to say that it was unique. Not to mention the extremely unusual seal… A Grand Order, it seems that it is called that?"

"Oh, I see, I understand what you are talking about." Ainz nodded.

Ainz didn't understand anything that she was talking about. He didn't understand anything at all.

'What is a Magical Crest?!' Ainz felt a surge of panic that was immediately suppressed by his skill before it could show on his face. 'What are magic Circuits, and a Grand Order?! What's that, I don't have a single idea about that!'

But either it was from some kind of primitive urge to just reply positively to the strict teacher or something else, Ainz just nodded confidently again. "Yes, I could see what you're talking about."

"It would be strange if you did not understand, Master." Medea nodded again, after which, as if coming to a certain conclusion and looking at Ainz's mug again, she relaxed a little, leaning back a little on the back of the chair. "I think, there's only about… seven or ten more lessons before there's nothing more I can teach her. After which, hmm… Olga, of course, will not immediately master the skills I taught her, she will need more experience and practice. But that relies more on her effort rather than any guidance I can offer."

"Okay," Ainz tried to say confidently. Olga's lessons were almost finished, that was a good thing, wasn't it?

"And I assume that you will not agree to reveal to me the reason for such changes in Olga?" Medea glanced at Ainz once more, forcing him to shake his head.

"I'm afraid that such a thing isn't possible" Ainz apologized, with full honesty. After all, he can't tell Medea the reason for Olga's changes if he doesn't know it in the first place, can he?

'If only I knew the reason myself…' Ainz sighed mentally as he glanced at Medea.

"Hmm, as I thought." Medea just nodded at Ainz's response, not at all upset. "I have my own ideas on this matter… But I, perhaps, will also save them for the moment."

"Okay," Ainz just nodded, sighing internally. "I understand."

Ainz, of course, did not understand anything. And therefore would like to hear from Medea that she clearly understood the situation much better than him, even her thoughts and guesses. But, fearing to get involved in a dialogue in which he clearly couldn't understand at all at his level of understanding, Ainz easily allowed Medea's silence on the matter.

"Okay," Ending their dialogue on Olga's training, Medea turned her gaze to Ainz before smiling a little. "In that case, I think it's worth talking about the reward?"

'What reward?!' Ainz wanted to shout in surprise for a second, before realizing what Medea was saying. "Yes, exactly, Olga's training..."

Ainz did not even need to think about it. That is, of course, Medea, one way or another, had coached Olga, which deserved compensation in return for her expanded efforts. But to be honest, Ainz is so used to the fact that Servants around him extremely rarely demanded something as a reward. So rare in fact, that he could not immediately understand and remember that he, as a good Boss, was supposed to reward his employee for their work.

'That is logical, any work should be equally compensated for.' Ainz just nodded at his conclusion before speaking up after a little thought. "I'm not sure what kind of reward I can provide, but I can try and do my best."

"That's good, in that case," Medea looked at Ainz's face once more before nodding to herself, coming to a decision, "I would like to receive information about demons. Either Grimoires or encyclopedias are fine… at least a reference book. History books are fine too."

Ainz was somewhat surprised by the request for a second.

As one might expect, Ainz didn't know Medea very well. At least not enough to guess what kind of things she might want. But even so, information about demons… It was a very specific topic. And although Ainz, being a hoarder, had amassed hundreds of various books in his inventory, only a few of them really dealt with demons in one form or another.

'I remembered giving one of those to Medusa, by the way.' Ainz recalled something that had happened quite a long time ago for a second. He shook his head to dispel what memories of thinking about Medusa had conjured, and returned his attention to Medea.

"That's doable," Ainz nodded, looking at Medea. "I can see what books I have discussing such topics. But, if it's not a secret, can you tell me why exactly you need such books?"

At Ainz's question, Medea froze in uncharacteristic panic, as if she was suddenly unsure of how she should answer before sighing, collecting her thoughts. And, looking at Ainz seriously, answers. "I want to know everything about Baal's weaknesses."

Ainz was, in turn, frozen after Medea's answer.

Baal's weakness, hmm… Weakness in combat?!

Ainz thought about it for a second before dismissing the thought as absurd.

For a long time, Ainz did not even think of Medea after she became Baal's protégé, so he doesn't really know how Medea views such a relationship. And in view of the fact that he did not observe any significant problems that arose because of their relationship, and looking at an extremely successful example of a similar action on his part regarding Altera and Cainabel. Ainz finds it unlikely that Medea would like to find any weaknesses of Baal to defeat him in battle.

And to be honest, Ainz would not have allowed such an event as a battle between Servants anyway.

In that case, what exactly did Medea mean?

Weaknesses of Baal…? Like, for example, his weaknesses as a… Man?

Ainz blinked before looking carefully again at Medea.

Ainz had never before looked at Medea from the point of view of her appearance, mainly because he had not met her for a long time, and because he had enough problems in his personal life even without Medea. But, if you evaluate only her appearance and little knowledge of psychology that Ainz had amassed at least because of his age and position as a guild master, Medea was beautiful… and lonely. She is a beautiful young woman.

Ainz was also not very well versed in the beauty of men, but even to his inexperienced gaze, Baal looked good, possessed a certain charisma, intelligence and was in a position of strength and power. They were a good match…

In general, it was not so difficult to imagine that some girl, Servant or not, fell under the influence of Baal's charms and decided to win, if not his love, then at least his attention.

In addition, Ainz, one way or another, had made Baal and Medea work together by his decision. Which, looking at the example of Altera and Cainabel, should have led to the formation of certain personal relationships.

So, imagining a situation in which Medea would have decided to conquer Baal's heart wasn't that hard.

Suddenly feeling a vague feeling of strangeness, Ainz suddenly noted that this was the first relationship that arose before his eyes within his group of Servants.

Except, of course, his own relationship with the Servants.

Ainz chuckled a little. For a second he suddenly felt like an old man, watching from the front rows as a romance between a young couple blooms. And some warm, nostalgic feeling made him smile.

"Of course. I understand." Ainz nodded, looking at Medea warmly, before asking a pertinent question. "But still, why books? Moreover, reference books…"

"Books lie much less often than people," Medea just answered calmly back. "Not to mention that I don't have so many options…"

Ainz blinked in surprise before sighing inwardly.

What a poor thing, trying to learn love from books!

Ainz, of course, was not the greatest psychologist, and his experience in relationships was very modest. But, even he understood that it was impossible to learn love from books. Even Perroroncino, with his hundreds of eroge under his belt, looked much better against this background.

In addition, saying that she had no one to turn to sounds… It would be very sad if Ainz were to give his opinion.

Having no friends… Was Medea so lonely?

Although, Ainz thought about it some more for a second. After all, he had never even seen Medea in the corridors, hurrying somewhere on her business, unlike many other Servants whom he noticed from time to time. So… was it any surprise that she didn't have many friends?

Ainz sighed thoughtfully and sadly before looking up at Medea, who was waiting for his answer. "This… I can do that, but would that be the best option?"

"Hm?" Medea was surprised, waiting for Ainz to answer.

"Books… " Ainz tried to answer, "Are not the best source for such a thing. Wouldn't it be better to turn to… someone more knowledgeable in this case?"

"Hmm," Medea just looked at Ainz attentively, "I don't know anyone except Baal who could…"

Medea suddenly stopped, before looking at Ainz intently and her pupils dilated, "Or do you mean…"

"Hmm," Ainz looked away, a little embarrassed. Of course, he was also not that privy to Baal's secrets. But perhaps of all those present here, discounting Cainabel, indeed, he was the second, after Baal himself, who understood his weaknesses best. At least, he had read interesting facts about Baal's lore once on the forum!

"And you… Are you ready to support me? Just like that?" Medea narrowed her eyes.

"This is not the best option, of course. And I know that most leaders looked at such a relationship… disapprovingly." Thinking about office romances, and the many scandals it caused, Ainz did not notice Medea narrowing her eyes. "But… Hmm, maybe I'm even a little happy about the opportunity to support such a thing. And in the current conditions… I can definitely support you in your actions."

"I see…" Medea only narrowed her eyes, and looked at Ainz strangely. "In that case, I appreciate your support in this, Master…"

"Excellent," Ainz smiled at the chance to help such a young love bloom. He could imagine his friends being excited that one of them was starting a relationship. Okay maybe not Peroroncino… and maybe even Ulbert. "In that case, perhaps, if you have some free time we can start now…"

---

Medea smiled as she looked at the notepad filled with notes in front of her face. Ainz really knew a lot about Baal… And Medea was genuinely surprised at how easily he agreed to share it with her.

No, of course, Medea suspected that her Master, Ainz, would support her desire, if not to kill, then at least to knock Baal off a peg. But, at the same time, Medea was somewhat surprised that it was Ainz who was the one who suggested this approach initially.

Perhaps even Ainz himself had no idea how disgusting Baal might be in his actions with Medea?

Nausea rose in Medea's throat at the memory of Baal's action.

No, he did not touch her in any way, and he did not physically injure her. For all his shortcomings, Baal did not stoop to such a level. Not because he was against it mind you, but because he did not need it. Baal could speak, and could show Medea things…

Things which she would never want to remember.

Nausea again rose to Medea's throat, and she wanted to plunge into the stream of a cold shower, trying to wash away the memories.

Or maybe Ainz just… liked it.

His words hinted to Medea that he had already known how all this would end. And that he… expected such an outcome. That Medea would hate Baal and come to Ainz for help, trying to win his favor in exchange for Olga's training. Did Ainz orchestrate such an event? Maybe he had planned to win Medea's favor in this way. To make her interact with one of the most disgusting people, no, demons, in the world, then to help her get rid of him, gaining her trust?

If this was so, then Medea could only applaud Ainz's idea. He had really played all his cards well. And now, even if Medea was able to unravel his plan, it practically did not mean anything. Because, one way or another, by helping her destroy Baal, Ainz would still deserve a favor from Medea…

Medea smiled, looking towards the door through which Ainz had left the room and grinned.

If that was the case… then Ainz was not at all as simple as anyone might think.

---

"Still, what is a 'Magical Crest'?" Ainz pondered, then shrugged his shoulders. "I'll ask Da Vinci."

Ainz prefers a simple solution for all these abstruse magic theories.

---

Name: Medea

Race: Human

Title: Witch of Colchis

Occupation: Servant of Ainz Ooal Gown

Residence: Chaldea, Medea's room

Karma: -150 (Neutral Evil ~ Evil)

Racial Level: -

Class Level: Mage ~ Ancient Greece (15)

Mage ~ Hecate (10)

Mage ~ Academic (10)

Archmage (5)

Others (9)

Total: 49 Class Levels = 49 Levels

HP: 20

Mana: 90

Physical Attack: 10

Physical Defense: 0

Dexterity: 40

Magic Attack: 80

Magic Defense: 0

Resistance: 60

Special Abilities: 40

Ability: Rule Breaker

Level: 40

An anti-magic ability that takes the form of a blade. Capable of breaking any spell or enchantment up to the eighth tier of magic but requiring contact with the spell itself. Despite the ample benefit of this ability, and the fact that this ability unlocks early, at level 40, the need for physical contact between the blade and the spell severely limits the effectiveness of this ability at high levels. In general, however, it is a fairly effective ability that is very useful in a lot of scenarios. The fact that it barely costs anything to use is just a cherry on top of the cake.

Player comments:

- Okay, let's leave the question of physical protection aside for a while… you know what? The build is starting to seem not so bad! Seriously, really! Zero magical defense is compensated by Rule Breaker, and given that we're talking about a level fifty - there is no need to fear spells of the ninth rank and higher. So, overall… Surprisingly, not so bad?

- Oh, the stereotypical 'squishy wizard', cast once and then get blown away. More precisely, at least the build got mana, so it's not going to be a one-trick pony… But eh, going to be dead long before it could cast a second spell.

- What's the point? Why with only 20 in HP you put 40 in DEX? As a mage build at that? Well, why? Why? No answer...

- Guys, I'm used to outright trash, but here, everything is not so bad… That is, of course, the build is outright not usable, better to rip out the hands of the maker of this build than risking another atrocity. But, against the background of literal self-kill builds we were exposed to in the past, it is much better. Next!

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 36: Rediscovering genius-ness

Leonardo Da Vinci was, is, and will always be an unparalleled genius. Whether a few seconds have passed since the last mention of this fact, or even a thousand years, Da Vinci never tired of repeating that she was a genius among geniuses and the greatest scientist that could and would ever be born on Earth.

There was no such topic in the world that would not be included in Da Vinci's circle of interests and in which she would not excel in at the level of at least the leading scientists of the world. All the sciences of the world, each of which Da Vinci understood and knew at the highest possible level, were ranked in her mind according to their 'interesting-ness' at the moment.

Ranging from subjects like astrophysics, sexopathology, and even linguistics, were for Da Vinci comparatively equal in terms of intellectual value and level of knowledge of subjects. All differing only in the level of their interest for Da Vinci by the moment.

And Da Vinci was not just satisfied, no, she was certainly pleased with such a reality. Truly, the 'God of the Gaps' served as an endless conveyor of new questions and riddles, the solving of which Da Vinci considered her meaning for life.

Da Vinci's passion was guided towards answering questions and scientific theory…

Therefore, the current situation that she had found herself in was so unusual for Da Vinci.

"What should I do next?"

It was unusual for Da Vinci to need to even think about something even remotely scientific in such a manner. Not from the position of 'which of these questions is more interesting for me to solve at the moment', but from the position of 'which of these questions can I even solve?'.

Da Vinci was simply unaccustomed to not knowing something. It was an alien feeling. Like a person that is blind from birth, would just be overwhelmed if their blindness was unexpectedly cured. There was simply no such concept in her picture of the world. She might be familiar with encountering something that she might not know. It was a pleasant experience even. More things to study!

Now she had actually encountered something that she didn't even have a possibility to understand.

That is why, the great mind of the genius of geniuses, is currently occupied with the question of a truly incredible scale. What to do next?

The things she had learned at the previous Singularity…

It was almost like a spiritual revelation, the kind of revelations that created religions and cults and ones that caused empires to collapse from the inside out.

"What should I do at the moment to achieve the desired result?"

It was a stark change in paradigm. Da Vinci was not used to such a strange phenomenon as 'not understanding' something. Worse, she fears that there's not even a place where she could start to unravel the mystery.

Even when she first met Ainz, his skeletal frame and the strength he exuded so strange and alien, Da Vinci was still confident in unraveling it. It was only a matter of time, she thought. She was confident that it was simply nothing more than one more question that she would solve in due time. Another theory that, while exotic, in the end ultimately grew out of the same principles that Da Vinci had learned in her life.

Just as any science about the physical world, in one way or another, comes down to physics, mathematics or even philosophy, Da Vinci was confident that she would be able to understand the mystery that is Ainz. And in the end, like the curious cat, she would receive satisfaction.

Never could she imagine then that she would face something so amazing, so new and strange that it made her really think… That there might be something that she couldn't understand.

"What should I do in this case?"

Da Vinci, a little eccentric and always having either an answer or a theory to any question, felt… lost. She had no idea how to react to the mystery that had arisen in front of her, but the feeling in the forefront of her mind was a sense of loss… and perhaps ecstasy.

"Can Baal tell me more about it maybe? How much does Angrboda know? What was the chance that Cainabel would accidentally drop any information on this matter? Will Ainz perhaps answer a direct question?"

Da Vinci was… Lost.

It was such a strange and unusual feeling. She felt as if the ground beneath her would fall under her. Such carefully constructed theories, such verifiable facts have led to…

Nothing.

Da Vinci, the genius among geniuses, doesn't know how she should feel about this fact.

She was lost.

Da Vinci felt herself hanging in a literal void, where not a single fact, which had seemed obvious to Da Vinci herself, was real. No, that was wrong, it was real, but not in the way Da Vinci herself had assumed. It was like learning that 2 + 2 really does equal 4, but not for the reason she had understood.

It was… strange and unusual. So unusual that Da Vinci's eternal passion for solving mysteries seems to have… disappeared.

Her almost morbid obsession with secrets did not motivate Da Vinci to explore this mystery. For that matter, Da Vinci could even say that this part of her personality was no less surprising than all the other parts of her.

Instead of the exuberant joy of a researcher, in place of Da Vinci's emotions there was only…

Confusion, a loss that is so strange and alien.

Da Vinci is used to being the foremost expert in most things, the greatest and the most brilliant.

'If you have a question, ask Da Vinci, she always knows the answer' is a simple truism. Now, that was no longer the case.

And so, for the first time in her life, Da Vinci herself had a question, a lot of questions, the answer to which she didn't even know where to start finding.

Who is Ainz? How does his magic work? What is Yggdrasil? Where did this Yggdrasil, Ainz and the other strange Servants come from?

The theories she had created that had previously interested her, and she had obsessed over, simply could not answer Da Vinci's questions.

And that was… strange. It was so strange and unusual that Da Vinci could not even say whether or not she liked this feeling. It was so strange for her… No, not just strange, but alien, completely foreign.

If before, the mysteries surrounding Ainz only pushed her forward with irrepressible curiosity, causing Da Vinci to happily seek answers and theorize, what she had just learned… broke her.

No, rather, it broke her will to explore and resolve the puzzle.

'Ainz is just is. Yggdrasil is just there. These strange Servants that seem to exist out of the Thorne of heroes are just there. It is just as it is, trying to find the reason why it is a fool's errand'. What a contrary point of view for a Scientist.

Da Vinci was not used to accepting any assumptions, she was driven to find the truth to anything. Even axiomatic statements could be verified and easily proven with Da Vinci's knowledge and understanding. And therefore to take on faith things that literally contradicted all the essence of Da Vinci as a scientist… She simply could not do it.

And yet, at the same time, Da Vinci simply did not see any other way of solving the puzzle.

How was it possible for her, a genius among geniuses, to describe something that literally had nothing to do with anything that Da Vinci knew?

How was it possible for her to even imagine something that was inherently unknowable?

Was it the famous existential horror of the unknowable that normal people were so afraid of? Was this the reason why people were afraid of the dark? Absolute unknowability, things that are impossible to understand. Things that Man are not meant to know… perhaps it is fitting that Da Vinci was the one confronting such things?

With that last question, Da Vinci finished drying herself off. Though, before she put on clothes, she took a look at her naked self in the mirror.

Da Vinci's appearance was the physical ideal, the most pleasing and perfect that her understanding of beauty could have created… But in the current conditions, this did not please the scientist very much.

For the first time since she had inhabited this body, she felt like was inhabiting an alien body. For the first time in her life and existence, Da Vinci had encountered a riddle, a mystery… and had retreated.

Perhaps this fact was the most frightening thing for Da Vinci. During her long existence, Da Vinci got used to the fact that any puzzle she stumbled on was nothing more than a means of entertainment, solving it as a simple hobby for the fun of the mind. Da Vinci was not used to… solving actual puzzles.

Any 'puzzles' she had encountered before, was like an adult solving the simplest math problems for first-graders. Nobody would actually call summing single-digit numbers a puzzle. Da Vinci had gotten used to looking at any tasks assigned to her like a simple addition, the solution of which she did not need teachers or textbooks.

And therefore, faced with the first real question that Da Vinci has no way to even start sussing out, she was confused. She was taken aback, perhaps even scared, as people were afraid of everything that did not fit much into their picture of the world.

For the first time in her existence, Da Vinci truly understood what it means to fear the unknown.

Magic, magic in which she knew so much, felt alien to her now.

Her assumptions and thoughts, so perfectly verified and cataloged, raised to the level of scientific law by the very fact that they were created by Da Vinci, had become non-existent.

The only thing she truly knows now, was that she knows nothing… A pithy saying, but how was she supposed to live with that?

Such incredible stupidity and strangeness. How should see herself now, when everything that she is now so violated. How could she be a scientist, when she did not understand anything?

It was… it was really like a religious revelation.

But, it was not a revelation that could make the believer cry with happiness or relief. It was a revelation that destroyed the familiar picture of a person's world, making them question everything that they know, literally driving them crazy from the realization of their own… insignificance.

When a person looked at the approaching tornado, they could only look on in powerless defeat, at their powerlessness to avert their approaching fate. Just like Da Vinci, who could only gaze in puzzlement at the riddle that is Ainz. A riddle she cannot solve… How mortifying.

It was a miracle and a curse at the same time.

Da Vinci had always smiled at the thought that one day she would face a great mystery which she would not be able to solve. She couldn't have ever imagined how finding one actually made her feel.

Was this her pride talking? Perhaps. But now she finds that it was nothing more than the naive pride of a child who believed in their invincibility. All to be so cruelly crushed by reality.

Da Vinci found herself walking towards her office, still filled with dozens of drawings and blackboards, books and odds and ends. Her target was none of these things, but a particular desk cluttered with books filled with the priceless knowledge that she had gathered.

A notebook covered end to end with her neat handwriting. Dozens of pages filled with blueprints and theories, reflections and hypotheses, something that all the magi of the world would sacrifice anything just for acquiring a page of.

Next to it was a metal glove, a mock-up of the Matter Analyzer that Da Vinci had used in the Singularity.

On another part of the desk there is a large reference book, each page's margins marked with supplementary materials for a clearer understanding of the subject therein.

Next is a sketchbook, each page filled with wondrous inventions, any of which could revolutionize any industry.

Below the reference book, was a small piece of paper marked with abbreviations, the meaning of which could only be understood by Da Vinci, something that marked her clear understanding on many subjects.

All these things were crowned by a small mug nestled on the very edge of the table. The mug's inside walls were blackened from being constantly filled with tea.

Da Vinci paused for a second, glancing pensively at the table stacked high with the sum total of everything she knew. Before moving her gaze to the chair next to it, then to the sofa, and to the shelves… All of which was cluttered with the same things.

Everywhere she could see, the picture that was painted was the same. Books filled with her scientific findings, artifacts she enjoyed playing with… All rubbish and a useless waste of paper, proof of her hubris.

Da Vinci was silent for a second, before closing her eyes, exhaling slowly…

And in one swift motion, she brushed everything on her desk aside with a crash.

It was a cacophony of sounds, a flutter of pages, the thumps of fallen books, and the sharp sound of a shattered mug. And then, silence.

A silence that greeted Da Vinci when she opened her eyes and gaze at the absolutely empty table in front of her.

"Good… " Da Vinci grinned. "A clear slate has been made."

The sound of a door opening made Da Vinci, always ready for any problems, never relaxing and forever perfect, shuddered from surprise. Worse, she knows who had just entered, the subject of her current state of mind. "It seems that I, apparently, came at the wrong time…"

Da Vinci was frozen for a moment before turning to the source of the voice.

Ainz Ooal Gown stood at the entrance to her office staring with eyes wide open at Da Vinci. Though why he looked so surprised, Da Vinci wasn't sure…

Da Vinci watched as Ainz's gaze, barely able to stay in place, slowly drifted downwards. At that moment, an errant breeze told Da Vinci the reason for Ainz's surprise.

"I forgot to get dressed again." Da Vinci rolled her eyes at the stunned Ainz before turning around. She knows that her body was perfectly beautiful, but she guessed it's nice to have some affirmation. "I'll be right back."

---

Ainz, left alone, just stood there uncomfortably at the entrance to Da Vinci's office before sighing, taking control of his emotions.

Huh, what is with his life lately? He just came to ask Da Vinci for the progress for the supplies Tesla needed. And instead of that he came across… a naked Da Vinci.

And she's likely emotional… Shock? Explosion? What term should Ainz use in this case?

Ainz's mind finally calmed down. Maybe he's become inured to a woman's naked body now? As the image of the naked Da Vinci flashed in Ainz's head and almost made him stumble on one of the books littered around, he had to conclude that he hadn't.

And so with careful steps, he tried to get around the things that had fallen on the floor, and towards one of the empty sofas he could see to wait for Da Vinci.

Luckily, before anything else could happen, Da Vinci entered the room. Thankfully, for Ainz's state of mind, she was dressed this time. Though she was dressed as she usually was, there was something different… A short red skirt ending well above her knees in front and turning into a kind of hem from the back, a blue-purple blouse, blue stockings and two long gloves of the same color, rising to the very shoulder.

However, contrary to Da Vinci's usual appearance, her expression was unusual. Was it expressing some kind of discomfort? Instead of the usual relaxed smile of an all-knowing genius, Da Vinci was practically emotionless, and her smiling face was almost gloomy.

Something monumentally wrong must have happened.

The suppression of his emotions made Ainz breathe out calmly, not succumbing to the outbreak of panic that had arisen. But, the atmosphere of the room still did not change. And therefore, instead of the seemingly inappropriate phrase of 'by the way, Olga told me to take a couple of coils of copper wire from you' Ainz asked another question instead.

"Did something happen?"

Da Vinci, hearing Ainz's question, slowly nodded before walking to a chair where a pile of papers lay. "Yes, something had happened."

Then without a word, Da Vinci abruptly struck the tower of papers, letting them fall to the floor, before throwing her hands down and throwing off everything that was still on the chair. "My theories are all meaningless, insignificant and useless."

"Huh… " Ainz, whose surprise was under control, if barely, just exhaled slowly, "Why is that?"

"Why, hmm!?" Da Vinci reacted to Ainz's question only by casting a heated glance at Ainz.

Ainz suddenly tensed a little, but Da Vinci, after glaring at him for a few seconds, only turned away. Instead of attacking Ainz or something else, she instead took a step towards a rack filled with various odds and ends that looked very complex. And just as abruptly as before, tore everything on the rack to the floor, crashing in a cacophony of sounds. "Indeed, why!? What is the reason for me asking this question?"

Ainz, upon hearing such a reaction, doesn't know what to do.

'What do I have to do with that?!' Ainz wanted to shout out, 'I didn't do anything, did I?! What am I to blame for again?'

"I don't understand, Leo," Ainz sighed, trying to look at Da Vinci as calmly as he could. But, as if fearing provoking her to react negatively, stayed seated.

"I suppose so," Da Vinci just nodded. "As I do not understand you, so you do not understand me. How can a creature of a one-dimensional world understand the existence of the one living in a dimension above it? How can beings of a higher dimension fit their perception of the world in a lower dimension? It's really impossible…"

Before continuing to speak, however, Da Vinci shoved another shelf full of books to the ground, then another and a third.

Ainz was now convinced that Da Vinci was suffering a nervous breakdown… he's seen it happen before with his colleagues at the black company he had worked in before. He needed to do something!

"Leo, do you need help with anything?" Ainz, not sure how to deal with people experiencing a nervous breakdown, did what he did best in such situations, kept a calm and serious expression on his face, hoping that the problem would go away by itself. "Your behavior… Are causing concern."

"Don't worry," Da Vinci, however, ignoring Ainz's thoughts and words, only continued to dump all the results of her life's work on the floor. "I'll just need to empty my office of the useless rubbish, and then I'll be fine. I have allowed myself… to be proud, hmm, and was forced to face reality."

Finally, having freed all her cabinets from records, books and artifacts, Da Vinci looked around again with a contemplative gaze. As she glanced at her office, now cluttered with dozens of things on the floor, but with completely empty tables, shelves and cabinets, nodded in satisfaction.

"Indeed, the slate is cleaned. Ok. Ainz, I beg your pardon, one second please."

Ainz didn't have time to ask her for anything before the papers lying on the floor, books and artifacts burst into a bright flame and immediately extinguished, leaving nothing behind.

Not even ash and metals survived the flames, nothing remained on the floor of Da Vinci's office, just an empty table and bare walls.

"Um, Leo," Ainz, instantly aware that he was just inches from a burning flame, looked at Da Vinci carefully. Not really sure on how to calm someone who suddenly decided to start burning the contents of their office. Slowly he rose from his seat, internally preparing to use one of his spells… Maybe he should get the 'Cure Madness' scroll?

"Hmm?" Da Vinci, noticing Ainz's actions, however, only smiled before making her way to the now vacant chair and sitting on it. "Don't worry, I didn't go mad. Perhaps even more, for the first time in a long time, I feel like my mind is free…"

"I see…" Ainz, not taking Da Vinci's words on faith, nevertheless sat down again, looking at the girl carefully. "Will you tell me about it?"

Da Vinci slowly drew in a breath, and then looked at Ainz with a look that Ainz himself could only regard as 'you yourself know'. But after a few seconds of silent gazing, Da Vinci still started speaking. "If you want to…"

After these words, Da Vinci slowly closed her eyes and looked at Ainz again attentively and even curiously, before smiling and looking away. "I have never met anything that was beyond my understanding. Any question and any task were always obvious to me, and… I guess I was overconfident in my capability. I'm… hmm, outdated, not in terms of my theories, but in my way of thinking. The longer one method works flawlessly, the more you rely on it. Instead of looking for new ways to solve a problem, you start looking for an opportunity to reduce each new question to fit the old answers. Even my Noble Phantasm…"

Da Vinci suddenly settled down before slowly nodding. "Yes, my Noble Phantasm fits such a flawed understanding to the highest degree. The ability not to find a new answer to a question, but to use any of the hundreds of ready-made answers to brute force a question's answer. Problem-solving… I have always considered it my main mission, entertainment… finding answers to new questions, a way of self-affirmation. But…" Da Vinci looked downwards, Ainz wasn't sure what expression she had on her face. Was it sadness or happiness?

"If you think about it, in a certain way, I have never actually found new answers." Da Vinci suddenly smiled. "Solving hundreds of mathematical problems, and then only compiled according to a single template. It is possible to find 'new' answers, but are the numbers themselves the purpose of the search? Is there a need to infinitely calculate different numbers according to a single pattern? Can this be called 'searching' for new answers? All my life, my whole mind was fascinated by this process. I have deceived myself," Da Vinci grinned.

"Perhaps I liked to think that it was these actions that were a demonstration of my genius. As if having learned to count the addition of hundreds of numbers, I suddenly became smarter, and had learned something new… But it's not so," Da Vinci suddenly shifted her gaze to Ainz and smiled… almost. Ainz could not even find words to describe her expression.

"And you helped me understand my folly. It was a cruel lesson, but I understand the need for cruel lessons in a way that no one else understands them." In Da Vinci's eyes, Ainz could see a storm of emotion. A little condemnation and adoration, love and resentment, interest and recognition.

"You showed me that my actions… they were not worthy of the genius of geniuses and I… I should not have taken on this title. I was simply a frog living in a well… and now… now I have seen the sky. A scientist, a genius, is someone who discovers new laws, new horizons, new facets of this world." Da Vinci suddenly looked away. "And if this is so, then I cannot call myself a scientist, let alone a genius…"

"But," before Ainz could say anything, Da Vinci continued again, literally jumping up from her seat. "This is how I will become the greatest genius of all time!"

Looking at Ainz, Da Vinci broke into a wide smile. "Thank you. It was thanks to you that I was able to realize my mistakes and my weakness, in order to surpass my vices and get… No, to actually deserve the title of genius of geniuses!" Da Vinci excitedly exclaimed.

"I know my words don't mean anything to you," Da Vinci continued to speak, and Ainz suddenly realized that Da Vinci's eyes… was not seeing him. Not in the sense of sight at least. Da Vinci was too immersed in her thoughts to let anything as mundane as sight distract her.

"But I also understand that this is exactly what you wanted all this time. All these conversations and theories, such 'random' meetings and riddles, omissions and hints. All of it was for my sake."

"Every Servant under your leadership becomes something more than they were before." Da Vinci nodded, looking at Ainz thoughtfully. "Servants, something that was supposed to be only parts of the whole, have become whole. They acquire names and friends, communicate and fight, perish and return again, the cycle of changes is, at the same time, an unchanging reality. As if a broken sword must be reforged, each Servant must search for the answer themselves in order to become something more than what they are. Be it death or the Grail, care or hatred - each of the Servants changes again and again… And all of it is thanks to you."

Da Vinci glanced at Ainz who was silent. Da Vinci's gaze saw confirmation in Ainz's silence - or even more like a silent affirmation, as if saying 'naturally, how could you think of anything else?'.

However, from Ainz's side, his silence was not a sign of confidence or a slightly dismissive patronizing tone… it was from pure confusion.

'I don't understand what she's talking about at all.' Ainz was lost, totally lost.

But Da Vinci saw what she wanted to see, and therefore continued talking again. "Every action has a meaning, every decision is justified - right? Tell me, Ainz Ooal Gown, how far have you been able to predict all this? How far do these plans go?"

'I didn't even know that this conversation would take place, what are you talking about?!' - Ainz screams internally.

But in reality, he just silently looked at Da Vinci, before making, seemingly, the only correct decision in the current situation and answering it. "Isn't that what you want? You just have to find it out."

"Huh?" Da Vinci smiled in euphoria, leaning back. "Is that so? Of course, of course… The desire to study you will serve as a guiding star for me, it is by trying to understand your plans that I will be able to move further. After all, simple logic is not able to study your actions. By trying to understand your plans, I will have to climb much further than anyone else could… As if testing me for compliance with the title, a genius of geniuses. Isn't that right, Ainz Ooal Gown? After all, you knew from the very beginning that it would be so?"

Hearing these strange words that he had trouble believing was actually a language of sorts, Ainz closed his eyes, exhaled, and then replied calmly. "Of course. Exactly. This is all part of my plan that I foresaw…"

"I knew it," Da Vinci smiled like a cat that had caught the canary. "Every movement, every action, every word has a meaning… Okay, of course, then I'm ready to tackle this riddle. For the first time, before me there was a real problem, a real mystery, the solution to which does not lie on the surface, an answer that cannot be found by a lazy enumeration of options. The greatest mystery of my life. One that I would solve, for I am Leonardo Da Vinci! The genius among geniuses!"

At her excited words, Ainz only looked away before sighing, almost defeated, "Exactly. Of course, Da Vinci. This is exactly how it is."

"I knew that," Da Vinci grinned, then turned around, "In that case, forgive me, Ainz, my workshop is too empty for my liking, and I hate emptiness. Therefore, I will start a new research right now. The kind of research that will make even you recognize me as a genius."

"I already consider you a genius anyway… " Ainz's words, however, sounded so quiet that Da Vinci did not hear them, as she walked away from the room… To look for fresh paper, he guessed.

Ainz, sitting silently on the sofa, only slowly raised his hands, putting them to his face… A facepalm if you will.

He exhaled forcibly, then clenched his head in his hands, perhaps hoping that if it burst now, he would never have to participate in such a confusing scene ever again in his life. Unfortunately, his head didn't burst, and after sitting like that for a few seconds, Ainz got up from his seat.

Did he understand anything from Da Vinci's monologue?

Nope.

Besides the fact that he was somehow again a great and omnipotent invincible genius… What a blunder. Why?

For some reason, everyone always decided to see him that way, and Ainz had no idea how they could mistake him as one. He didn't even have a college degree, for god's sake!

Now, he has to act like a genius, Machiavellian master of intrigue if he wants to keep his prestige as a boss. Ainz was not sure if he even had a chance of succeeding. And even if he somehow by a miracle did, Ainz was completely unsure of the consequences of such a subterfuge.

Therefore, with no comfort in sight, Ainz shakily got up from his seat before heading out of Da Vinci's workshop.

Tesla could do without his wire, after all.

---

Leonardo Da Vinci changed class!

New class received: "Grand Caster Candidate"!

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea 37: New Singularity

Ainz felt some irresistible urge to grin and, turning his head straight into a camera, utter something like 'Yeah, it's me. You probably want to ask me a question, how did I find myself in the current situation?'. Unfortunately, there was no camera anywhere near Ainz, but he was still having a headache. Unlike the non-existent camera, there are other things that confuse him even more than the possibility of the presence of a camera recording his life all the time.

The name of these 'things' was Kiyohime. And, as one might expect, Ainz was not exaggerating at all by saying that dealing with her embarrassed him even more than any camera placed next to him. And since he had just experienced two 'things' that he rather not have broadcasted to the general public, that was saying something.

Although, if right now any camera was placed next to Ainz, Ainz would obviously be so embarrassed that his suppression of emotions would have to do some heavy lifting several times over. Perhaps even several dozen times. Still, no matter how you look at it, Ainz would never let other people see the… special moments of his life.

Um, yes, of course, Ainz is revelling in the situation in which he had found himself in at the moment. But it was not at all as rosy as it might seem. After all, he practically was not responsible in creating the situation itself, so it might also end even without his intervention. Although, perhaps, Ainz could also say that this whole situation was also created exclusively by his actions.

Hmm, ha… What was he talking about again?

I mean, after getting rid of Da Vinci, Ainz made the strategically correct decision to visit Archer again in order to get another cup of coffee. Something which Archer did, even if somewhat reluctantly, and then just teleport back to his room.

Though, why did Archer look so irritable? He did look like he was lacking sleep. Do Servants even need sleep? Medusa did need some rest after their… 'activities', but it was a special case.

Hmm, this coffee is superb. Ah, that's right, Kiyohime.

Now back in his room, a cup of delicious coffee in hand and no difficult thoughts or plans in mind, Ainz was the most relaxed he had ever been. Only for all of it to crash down when he ran into a girl which he did not expect to see in his room at all. He could physically feel his stress levels rising.

Although, probably, he should have really expected her presence. Of course, it might even be worth saying that her presence in Ainz's room was the only logical event that Ainz should have expected when he returned to his room.

Either way, Ainz ran into Kiyohime in his room. More specifically, she was lounging on his bed.

"Good… " Ainz glanced somewhat uncertainly at Kiyohime. "Day, Kiyohime. Is there something I can help you with?"

Okay, he has to be honest with himself here, he had practically forgotten about Kiyohime's existence altogether. And who could blame him for that? Ainz had so many Servants already, so there's no way for him to interact with them all in any major way…

Although, if he had used Create a Copy… An idea for the future, perhaps.

Hmm, anyway, Ainz had forgotten about Kiyohime's existence almost completely.

Kiyohime, however, did not forget about Ainz at all.

"Master," She smiled with unvarnished happiness, not at all embarrassed or even a hint of regret that she had intruded into his room without permission, ignoring all kinds of ethics and rules of decency. "Anchin, Ainz…"

"Yes?" Ainz, trying to hide the nervousness rising inside him, took another sip from his mug. "Is there something wrong?

Kiyohime was… Ainz doesn't really know what she wants. Ainz's interaction with her was practically non-existent, that he was not even sure how exactly he should act around her.

Kiyohime was an unknown to him. That makes the situation he's in, even somewhat frightening.

"My Master," However, either ignorant or not caring of Ainz nervousness, Kiyohime only smiled at Ainz before getting out of his bed, taking a step towards Ainz. "My Anchin…"

And now, with her fevered gaze so focused on him, Ainz knows with his gut that he needs to do something.

A second later, Kiyohime's parameters appeared before his eyes, revealing Kiyohime's Stats to Ainz's inner gaze. What he sees causes an outbreak of cold sweat on his clammy skin.

A Berserker… with Madness Enhancement Rank EX no less…

Kiyohime's intimidation factor had just increased several folds.

Ainz was somewhat accustomed to a certain level of madness from the Servants. Whether it was Angrboda and her predilection for cannibalism, Jack and her murderous ways below her childish naivety, and Nobunaga and her desperate arrogance.

But, he had never actually interacted with a Berserkers' brand of madness before.

There were not so many berserkers in Chaldea itself… Actually, there's only Kiyohime and Asterios, only two of them. And even if Ainz was not particularly afraid of Asterios, the fluffy guy looked like he couldn't hurt a fly, for Ainz, Kiyohime seemed to be something scary.

At the very least, because of her unpredictability.

"Yes, Kiyohime?" Such a small figure approaching Ainz shouldn't have elicited such a reaction out of him. A figure that didn't even reach Ainz's shoulder with the top of her head, shouldn't be making him feel that he was being cornered.

However, some strange feeling of impending doom made Ainz reconsider his decision to just teleport himself out of his own room.

It was not a sense of an impending threat as if from an impending battle, but rather a strange sensation of an impending inevitable event that Ainz should have foreseen earlier… Something inevitable was going to happen.

"My Master, my Anchin." Kiyohime's languid steps had brought her almost chest to chest with Ainz. Now, making him feel his inner siren howling, warning of danger. Ainz could feel the hand holding his mug of coffee tremble slightly. "I've been waiting for this for so long…"

"I… I." Ainz stuttered, feeling his last chance to resolve the situation in a way he would prefer to disappear. He was cornered, it was too late to escape now. "Can't… can't we just talk?"

Kiyohime smiled, letting some sense of hope to bloom in Ainz's chest. All before, her cheerful reply caused it to die an ugly death. "Of course not!"

Ainz felt his heart sink into his stomach… And he was looking forward to finishing his coffee too.

---

Seven hours and forty-two minutes of strenuous 'exercise' later, Ainz found himself sitting silently in the cafeteria, sipping on the third cup of coffee that Archer had given him. When Archer saw his slumped figure, he had an expression of extreme understanding and even sympathy.

It seems that whatever it is that he did to accrue Archer's ire, has been forgiven…

Ainz looked around at the empty cafeteria blankly before diving deep into his thoughts again.

What Kiyohime did… He liked it, didn't he?

Besides, even in his most hormonally saturated years, he had never gotten the opportunity to indulge himself, didn't he? That is, there was no reason for Ainz not to be happy about his position at the moment, right?

And the events that happened were also pleasurable…

The first two times were a little scary, Kiyohime was so aggressive. But after the third round, he had begun turning things around. And, after the seventh, Ainz was sure that Kiyohime was no longer in charge. And after the thirteenth…

Ainz sipped his coffee, looking into the distance thoughtfully before exhaling again. "So… That happened."

That is, he liked it, didn't he? In that case, Ainz had nothing to complain about, did he? Ainz bumped his head on the table, trying to shake off the memory of what he did with Kiyohime.

I mean… This was okay, right? Medusa and Olga had agreed to this and… It's not like he didn't enjoy it.

Ainz took another sip of his coffee, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

If Perroroncino were in his place, he would definitely be happy about his situation. Of course, he would be happy, it was Ainz who was strange to be troubled about such an outcome, right?

Ainz took another sip of coffee before closing his eyes to relax… Only to open them immediately after in fear, hearing the sound of a door being opened.

Of course, there was nothing suspicious or threatening in the very sound of a door being opened. Chaldea was a safe place, no enemy could sneak in here. But Ainz's ears, trained by the events that had recently happened to him, caught something in that sound that made him fear for his safety, looking at the door warily.

What he saw only confirmed his fears.

To be honest, Ainz expected something like this to happen. After Medusa and Olga, Ainz knows that some boundary has been crossed. His suspicion has been confirmed after Kiyohime. And now, the dominoes are continuing to fall.

He was not against such events. If he was to be honest? He really enjoyed it.

But, his activities with Kiyohime was… a little excessive perhaps? That is, twenty-six times is… That's a lot.

And, probably for the first time in his life, Ainz thought about the fact that sometimes there can be something as too much sex in his life.

Words for which Perroroncino would surely kill him if he dared utter such things.

In any case, Ainz already had a suspicion of who would 'visit' him next. It was like a sixth sense, telling him that right now he should complete the incompleteness of his strange relationship with so many girls.

Therefore, Ainz could determine that it was Serenity that had entered the cafeteria even before he saw her. And, as you might expect of the great mind of the great genius that is Ainz Ooal Gown, he turned out to be right.

With his peripheral vision, Ainz noticed Archer giving him one last sympathetic look before leaving from the side exit of the kitchen, leaving Ainz to his fate.

It seems that he really could not hide from his fate.

Ainz exhaled, looking at the approaching Serenity with grim determination…

---

"I…" Ainz stuttered at the worried Roman, whose working place he was hiding in. "I'm not sure, I want to talk about it."

At these words, Roman only shrugged his shoulders. He was about to open his mouth before he saw a black shadow behind Ainz's back, glancing at Roman for a second. The threat of death, implied in the shadow's eyes, made Roman shut his mouth with a click.

For some reason, the eyes of this shadow were those of Kiyohime - or maybe Serenity - but the phantom passed as quickly as it had appeared.

"If you are sure that you can handle it yourself, then…" Roman looked at Ainz's haggard posture with no small amount of pity. "Remember, if you need someone to talk to, I'm always ready to listen."

"Thanks, Roman, I appreciate the offer." Ainz smiled a worn smile before looking away. "I… I'll figure it out somehow. Later, by myself…"

Ainz paused for a second before sighing and shaking his head.

Roman only nodded before looking at Ainz's pale face and closing his eyes. "I understand that this is not what you want to hear right now… But, we managed to establish contact with another Singularity… "

"No! No." Ainz suddenly interrupted Roman, now looking much more lively. "That is exactly what I want to hear right now! A change of scenery and a bunch of bloody battles is exactly what I would rather do right now."

"Of course," Roman just nodded before continuing. "Now, you would probably like to know why I'm briefing you alone. You see Olga…"

"No," Ainz immediately shook his head. "Whatever the reason, I'm not interested in it right now… Actually, I would even prefer it to remain a secret forever."

"Okay," Roman nodded reluctantly, somewhat confused by Ainz's strange behavior. "In that case, I'll get right to the point. We had managed to establish contact with the Singularity and this…" Roman sighed before pointing at the holographic image that had appeared in front of him. "This is America, and while we couldn't determine it for sure, the time period is close to the times of the Wild West."

"Okay," Ainz nodded, he's somewhat familiar with the Americas. But the Wild West? Like from the movies? Is it possible for a Singularity to arise from fiction?

Well, it didn't matter, Ainz would prefer to be anywhere else right now…

Somewhere calm where he could ponder about his life…

Maybe cry a little…

His Emotional Suppression activated once more before he could break out in nervous giggling. The rush of cold allowed Ainz to breathe out, shaking off the numbness that had ruled his mind after his 'interaction' with Serenity.

He… He knows that he was trying to escape the inevitable, and that the girls didn't do anything wrong. It was just that… He got a little more than he wanted.

Much, much more. He thought that Kiyohime was insatiable, Serenity was just…

And so, a chance to be somewhere else at the moment, even if only for a few days, was like a breath of fresh air for a drowning man.

"Furthermore, the number of Servants that we detected in the Singularity is enormous, as well as the level of the Servants themselves. I would even go so far to say that, so far, the number and quality of Servants in this Singularity is the greatest so far."

"Hah," Ainz exhaled. Servants, Servants, and yet even more Servants again. Okay, the Servants weren't such a problem, actually… He's really hoping that it's all male Servants.

"But that's not all," Roman continued. "We've found something else…"

"What exactly?" Ainz looked at Roman curiously.

"A Distortion, a large one." Before Ainz could ask for clarification, Roman continued. "The Distortions in the previous Singularities was… Significant, Okeanos being the largest one so far. But never so huge."

"In other words…" Not in the mood for word-games to display his 'genius' Ainz just waved his hands for Roman to continue.

"Someone has incredibly disfigured the natural history of mankind in this Singularity," Roman sighed.

"How much," Ainz looked up at Roman, wanting to hear a little more of the specifics.

"More than the existence of Poseidon in Okeanos did." Roman added sourly.

"So, there's something pretty strong in the Singularity." Ainz summed up.

Ha, the mutilated history of the world… Ainz wondered how it happened this time?

"And that's not all, either," Roman, however, continued, making Ainz sigh.

"What else is there?" Ainz prepared himself to hear more negative news from Roman.

"It's…" - Roman paused for a second before sighing, - "Solomon."

Ainz was immediately preparing for the worst.

Solomon, the so-called Grand Caster.

He was the first opponent who could not only put up a fight against Ainz, but had even retreated without suffering any permanent losses. The first opponent that Ainz was not able to defeat with a crushing victory. Someone whom he would have a real battle with…

"What about him? Is he also in this Singularity?"

"We don't know for sure," Roman sighed. "In retrospect, we can determine that he was in Londinium because he blocked all possible ways of observing the Singularity. And, now our observation of the Singularity is happening without any problems, so it should follow that he's not there… But this does not mean anything. Solomon is a magus beyond the capabilities of our imagining. So, if he wanted to remain hidden…"

"There is no way to determine whether or not he's present, I understand." Ainz sighed, - "Any other problems with this Singularity?"

"Yes," Roman's response caused Ainz to frown, what else could it be? "The findings of our observation suggests that the incredible level of historical disturbance in this Singularity is due to the sheer number of Demon Kings present…"

Ainz sighed. Demon Kings, then…

They were not so dangerous opponents for Ainz, but at the same time they were quite smart, making them a troublesome enemy to face… Smart enough to trick Ainz several times already.

"So… this is troubling." Ainz sighed.

"The situation is indeed difficult," Roman nodded, looking at Ainz before smiling. "But I believe in you. All of Chaldea believes in you, Ainz."

"Thank you," Ainz sighed and closed his eyes.

So, the situation was not perfect. He would be facing a lot of Servants, as an ally or enemy, either way his head hurts from imagining just meeting them. Then the Demon Kings, their plots a source of unending paranoia. A highly twisted history of mankind, and, potentially, Grand Caster Solomon…

Exactly what Ainz needed to get a little distraction from his love life!

"Okay," Ainz nodded happily. "In that case, I'll be bringing…" He needed a good detox from the girls in his life, so definitely no Medusa, Kiyohime, and he shudders, Serenity.

"Cú Chulainn," Ainz raised his hand, counting on his fingers, "Tesla…"

Although… all of Ainz's female Servants probably shouldn't have been ruled out, it was best to take those girls who definitely didn't have any romantic feelings for him.

"Mashu," Ainz was absolutely and definitely sure that Mashu only felt respect and loyalty to him at best, but absolutely nothing romantic. "Nobunaga…" Ainz was pretty sure that Nobunaga hated him.

After that, who else? Hmm, he seems to have picked up a good team, but in this team, he lacked someone who was able to uncover traps, physical or figuratively speaking. Baal? No, not Baal. Although Baal was smart, for some reason, Ainz felt like he shouldn't let him interact with so many Demon Kings. Oh wait, speaking of Baal.

"Medea…" Yeah, the Witch of Treachery was sure to be able to spot any traps.

After that, who else? What if, for example, he had to fight against Solomon again in this Singularity? Likelier than not, Ainz would be able to deal with him. But, as his past encounter with the Caster had shown, few others than Ainz himself could compete with him.

He needed someone really strong to at least be able to defend the other Servants against him.

Baa… no, for the above reasons. Cainabel?

Cainabel was a good option, but at the same time, Ainz had heard little from Cainabel lately. Besides, as the meeting with the twins had shown him, she was slowly settling down in Chaldea at the moment, even making new friends. So Ainz shouldn't cut such a positive action short right now…

What about Angrboda? She's strong enough, and if her interaction with Jack were to go by, letting her stay in Chaldea could be extremely destructive.

And of course, Ainz did not plan to take Jack with him, he would prefer not to bring children with him to the Singularity!

As for decreasing his interactions with the female Servants in the future… He really doesn't see any way for him to do so. He… He just needed more time to get used to it.

That's right! Just like the gradual introduction of increasing doses of poison to one's body in order to train your resistance to them, he would also slowly get used to the female attention! He hoped.

"Angrboda, yeah, that's the last one." Ainz nodded.

"Six Servants, hmm?" Roman looked at Ainz before nodding. "Of course, if you're sure it's for the best."

Ainz was absolutely not sure which option was the best, but too tired to even think of engaging in the usual verbal dances, he just nodded. With his imminent vacation in sight, Ainz taut shoulders slowly relaxed. Before he detected a presence that made his spine shivers.

"I have to go somewhere!" Ainz shouted at the confused Roman, before disappearing in a flash of teleportation.

Roman didn't even have the time to respond to such a sharp change in Ainz's behavior before the door to the meeting room swung open with a bang. On the threshold of the door, a small figure of a girl, Berserker, Kiyohime who immediately started looking around the room with manic energy before spotting the frozen Roman. "Who? Roman?! Roman, where is my Anchin?!"

Roman felt a herd of goosebumps run down his spine before looking away. "He had already left…"

"Damn it!" Kiyohime swore before immediately turning around, running full tilt to whatever it was her destination. "Anchin! My dear Master! Your Kiyohime will find you wherever you are!"

After another moment, Roman blinked at the Servant's strange behavior before exhaling and looking up to the ceiling. He was frozen in fear when his eyes met someone else's.

His eyes met the soft eyes of Serenity's, whose face could be seen through the ventilation grill installed on the ceiling.

Roman blinked before speaking, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Serenity?"

"Master has already left," She concluded after a moment, ignoring Roman's question, easily disappearing into the darkness of the ventilation.

At the passing of the tornadoes that are Servants, Roman only blinked before closing his eyes and exhaling.

Indeed… Roman only have sympathies for Ainz. Perhaps, indeed, under the current circumstances, the Singularities were the least of his problems…

---

Excerpt from the book: The Mythology of Madness: Artemis, Diana and Selena

… Although the mention of 'lunar madness' is recorded in the historical literature, quite often in fact. And at other times could even serve as an argument in defense, proving the defendant's mental illness. The history of the development of such a thing is connected more with mythology than with any real science.

Still, stories and myths about such madness caused by the moon are numerous and widely known.

In particular, the story that Caligula was driven insane by the moon goddess is quite popular. However, what is less well known about the story, is that the moon goddess herself is also considered insane. At least no less than that madness that Caligula possesses.

Although Diana - or Artemis, if we take the Greek way of calling the moon goddess - is more often presented as the patroness of the hunt - it is also in this telling of the myth that the Moon Goddess was driven mad by the influence of other gods. In particular, Vaal, a creature whose existence was taken by the Greeks from the Phoenicians - and which, later, would be transformed by the Christians into the demon Baal.

The madness of which, in particular, led to the birth of the legend of Orion. The great hunter, whom Artemis drove crazy, before turning into a wild beast. Ending with the maddened beast being encased in ice, as a personal exhibit for the mad goddess' own amusement…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 93: American soil

To be honest, Ainz had already managed to get used to it a little… to the feeling of being sent to the Singularity, that is. Ainz doesn't think he's going to get used to the other monumental thing that happened to him anytime soon. The moment of weightlessness, barely perceptible during his first transfer, but something he had gotten used to detecting after six such events. Before Ainz could ruminate on the cause of such a sensation, the feeling ended, and he was back on a solid surface.

Though, Ainz noted that the sensation of entering a Singularity could be compared with the sensation of a ride on an elevator. It feels like when an elevator quickly begins descending, the action counteracting gravity. For a second, one could feel a state as if one's body weight was not being tethered by gravity. And then, as suddenly as it came, the feeling subsided.

And so just like an elevator, if perhaps not as sudden, the bare gray walls of Chaldea in a dark sparkle of something unknown, were replaced by a bright sunny sky. As Ainz's eyes slowly got used to the brightness of the sun, he began inspecting his surroundings.

A scorching desert.

Ainz blinked, but the surroundings did not change at all. As far as he could see, there was a scorched desert, charred and burned black. It was not the kind of desert that a person would imagine when they heard the word 'desert'. It was not the land covered with endless yellow sand dunes.

No, it was a desert in a different sense.

It was a desert in the sense in which Ainz saw the desert outside the window of civilization.

It was black, charred, scorched, lifeless. There's no trace of life, no vegetation or animals can be seen around. In fact, the land was abnormally flat, there were no hills or even a hint of any land that jut upwards. It was a strangely familiar vista for Ainz for some reason…

"Everyone! Be careful! There's radiation in the air!" Tesla's alarmed voice made Ainz blink again.

Ah, that's why it was familiar. It was a desert after someone bombed it with nuclear bombs.

This is how Ainz could describe the scene before him.

Before he could wonder on the scene further, Ainz immediately realized that not all people are immune to radiation like him. He quickly turned to the Servants he had brought with him. "Who here is affected by radiation?"

Radiation, in YGGDRASIL, was one of the many possible - albeit quite rare - sources of damage and debuffs, and quite an unpleasant one at that. The accumulation of radiation needed to reach a deadly effect was a long process, but the number of abilities capable of removing the persistent poison was very rare. Which, combined with the fact that Radiation was an unpleasant status effect as it accumulated, reducing maximum HP and even physical parameters, becoming worse and worse until it eventually killed the Player. Worse, its affliction would continually take effect until a complete cleansing of the body.

And therefore, before anything else, he should take care of the protection of his subordinates.

Ainz himself, being undead, was protected from such an unpleasant effect. However, his Servants were a different matter entirely.

In front of Ainz eyes, Nobunaga became a little more transparent, going into her immaterial form, in which such a status effect would not affect her. Tesla lightly waved his hand and his figure also changed, one glance at his parameters told Ainz that he had acquired one of many possible skills that dealt with status effects. Mashu just shook her head, her skills and perhaps her nature as a Shielder also protected her from such influences. As Ainz turned towards the last two Servants that might be affected, Several magical signs appeared near Medea and Cú Chulainn. Ainz would guess that it was some kind of magical protection. Lastly, Angrboda… yeah, there's no need to worry about her.

Ainz was not worried about Angrboda at all. To be honest, she has so many skills and abilities that if among them there are not at least three that overlap each other in terms of protecting her from negative status effects, Ainz will be seriously surprised.

Actually, doesn't she have some kind of vulnerability to alcohol? Yes, that's right, there was that one quest related to this…

"So, a radioactive scorched desert in America." Tesla's curiosity-laced voice distracted Ainz from his thoughts. "I would not like to say this… But Master, are you sure that we are in America in the period of the Wild West, and not in a world where the Cold War went hot?"

At Tesla's question, Ainz could only blink in confusion. 'A Cold War? I think I've heard about the conflict before, but I'm not sure what it's all about… And how can a war be cold?!' Luckily, before Tesla could comment on Ainz's silence, someone else interjected.

"Even if this is so, in the normal history of mankind, America was never destroyed by a nuclear strike. So, we are definitely in a Singularity, so our job remains the same." Medea's voice replied to Tesla instead of Ainz. "If, of course, we really are in America in the first place…"

Ainz was quite surprised by the apt observation by the Witch. He then began looking at his surroundings again, this time taking close attention to anything that might hint at the location they were in. But, no matter how far Ainz looked, even using some of the scouting magic he knew, all he saw was just a scorched desert. With nothing else to go on, Ainz tried to remember the briefing he had with Roman about the Singularity. Luckily his memory was very sharp nowadays, if not he would definitely have forgotten it as he was blinded with relief as he had that briefing.

"Judging by the information from Roman, right now we should be in…" Ainz strained his memory to spell out the name correctly. "Somewhere in… Colorado? And near a large city called Denver."

Looking around again to make sure that he didn't miss anything, Ainz was forced to conclude that he hadn't developed a particular blindness for large cities. He cast some curative magic just in case, but still, nothing. "But as I see it, there are no such cities in this area… there's nothing really."

"What an extremely observant observation." Medea's reaction was almost dripping with sarcasm, only to turn into an exclamation of pain soon after. "Ouch!" Ainz immediately wheeled around to look at his Servant with no small amount of worry. Did her protection fail!?

"You, on the other hand, are extremely shortsighted to make such comments about my beloved where I can hear them, human." Looming over Medea's shoulder, Angrboda was forced to bend so low to reach her hand out to Medea's shoulder. Something that, from Ainz's point of view, made her look a little comical. Though Ainz doesn't think that Medea would appreciate the joke, whose shoulder Angrboda was squeezing with such force to make the stoic Witch grimace.

"Angrboda, release Medea." Since Medea wasn't a streak of blood and gore right now even with her low Endurance, Angrboda must not really be that mad. At least not enough to kill or not heed his order immediately, so the fact that she was still crushing Medea does not mean anything good. Before he could order Angrboda to release Medea more 'forcefully', Ainz noticed a particular look and raised an eyebrow on Angrboda's face. And so, with a roll of his eyes, Ainz was forced to accept her rules of the game. "Angri, please."

"Of course, dear." Letting go of the Witch, with a light - for Angrboda - jab that almost made Medea lay flat on the ground, the Jotun relaxed her posture. "What are your instructions?" Angrboda asked sweetly, as if her previous wroth was nothing more than a mirage.

"It seems that, lacking a better option, we have no choice but to split up," Ainz sighed at being forced to use such a cliché plan. Usually, after trying to split up, the most unpleasant moments of all raids and quests came. The newly established Ainz Ooal Gown's raid on the Tomb of Nazarick came to the forefront of his mind. He just has to hope that the gods are not as sadistic as the Developers of YGGDRASIL.

Plan in mind, obeying Ainz's abilities, many small skeletons of huge birds, seemed to burst out of the ground, and began to take flight on their wingless wings. "I will scout the north-east, north, north-west and westerly directions. Angrboda, you'll go to the southwest. Medea and Mashu, to the south. Nobunaga and Cu Chulainn, southeast. And lastly, Tesla, to the east. If any of you discover anything or anyone, contact me immediately. I'll come to you as soon as I can"

Although some of the Servants had questions as to why the distribution was this way, no one asked Ainz any questions, taking his instructions for granted. Everyone was well aware that Ainz must definitely have a reason as to why some of them were paired while some were going alone.

However, even if someone did ask the question, Ainz was sure to think of an answer wildly different that his real one. Ainz was sure that saying something like 'I distributed everyone so that the scouts were either someone smart, or someone strong enough that their stupidity did not become an obstacle' would hardly please anyone. By the way, Ainz included himself, Nobunaga and Angrboda in the latter group. He has no illusion of his own intelligence, or more specifically his lack of it.

With a last nod to those around him, Ainz disappeared in a flash of teleportation. Seeing nothing else to discuss among them, the Servants began travelling in the directions given to them.

---

Travelling by teleportation was not particularly new for Ainz. In YGGDRASIL, he often traveled this way, of course after casting every manner of protection and scrying ward he knew. The limits of teleportation were widely known, after all, and it doesn't really take a lot for PK'ers to ambush any unwary traveler. While he was intimately familiar with PKK tactics, simultaneously controlling summons so far away from him while trying to look around for any oddities was a somewhat new experience for Ainz.

Although, perhaps, the most odd thing for Ainz was still the blasted lands around him. It quite soured his experience of travelling through the Americas in the 18th century? Or some other period, Ainz did not ask Roman for the specific dates where exactly he was going. And he certainly did not know the dates of the beginning and end of the era of the Wild West. Although, most probably, with how many of them seem to know the strangest things, someone from his guild probably had mentioned it sometime in casual conversation. Tabula or Genjiro, for example.

But now, of course, Ainz couldn't remember it, something which saddened him greatly.

Another teleportation, and Ainz couldn't help but slump in indignation as he was struck with melancholy. As he traveled the black, charred wasteland, Ainz couldn't help but feel so alone.

It was almost like yesterday that it seemed to him that he would never, ever forget a single detail, not a single phrase uttered by his friends… And now, he can no longer remember it…

Perhaps it was to be expected? The day the last person left the guild, and when even those who did not leave, stopped appearing has been Years ago. Many, many lonely years ago.

The last time Ainz Ooal Gown was gathered in full, when was it? It has already been, seven years? Eight years, considering the time that Ainz had spent in this new world. The last time Ainz saw anyone from Ainz Ooal Gown online was six months ago, when Herohero visited him on the day of the Server's end, and even then he didn't even stay for 10 minutes. But before him? It has been four years since Ulbert left and didn't return.

It was perhaps not that long a span of time in the grand scheme of things, but for some reason, it seemed to Ainz, as if it was a lifetime ago.

Really… his life in this strange New World was really different. Loathe as he is to admit it… he might even be happier than when…

No, in no way that he was happier than his carefree days with his friends. His adventures with his friends, the joy he had felt as they conquered challenges, those emotions that he felt then were forever in his heart. A bulwark against the doldrums of his life, his friends would always remain his greatest treasure and his memories of them the fondest…

But the years he had spent waiting…

Ainz had spent years alone in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

It was even somewhat exciting at first, for the first couple of weeks at least. It was a new experience for Ainz, so used to the constant presence of his friends, their chatter and heated discussions. But then… then he got bored and then quickly became lonely when it became apparent that his friends won't be returning soon.

Yes, the quests and adventures did not get worse even when he's alone. And Ainz sometimes continued to wonder at YGGDRASIL's intricate plot and world-building, encountering more and more of the lore. And it might have been his loneliness speaking, but he even started empathizing with the characters, and the battles became more and more interesting as he had to think of more and more novel tactics to deal with being a Solo Player. But… What was the point if he could not share his excitement with anyone? No one to argue with for quest selection, and no one to excitedly show off a rare Legendary item that he had grinded for hours for… It all seemed so pointless.

Then the dread sets in. It took a long time, but at some point, Ainz suddenly realized that no one from his friend list had appeared online for several months. They did not write any message to him or communicate with him in any other way. He knows that sharing real life information was taboo, but he would have done it just to have his friends to talk with him in any way. There was no one that he could talk to, no one to share his experiences with.

After a year or two, Ainz resigned himself that his friends would not come back. Probably… by then, he had died inside. Huh, how fitting, a dead person being inside a tomb, grand as it is.

And yet, without fail, each and every day, he would return to YGGDRASIL, looking forlornly, perhaps hopefully at his friends list, specifically, at their status…

"Was online last 1 days ago."

"Was online last 150 days ago."

"Was online last 365 days ago…"

"Was online last 1240 days ago… "

He would read the list of friends, short as it was, and die a little more inside.

He completed many quests. Cleaned out dungeons and fields. Fought many bosses. Sometimes he died, either out of carelessness or of experiments, it was still a game after all. Collected items, traded at the auctions, and collected money and treasures to fill the Treasury…

And all of it was pointless.

Battle after battle. Quest by quest. At some point, Ainz realized that he had started to do it mechanically. He doesn't enjoy fighting, he enjoys working out tactics, but he has already worked out his grinding strategy, so there was nothing new. He now completes quests without even reading the lore and background, he just looks at the victory conditions. No longer did he marvel at the beautiful vistas of YGGDRASIL, all of it nothing more than snapshots and blurs, as he just teleports to locations…

It was almost as if he was becoming the Undead that he was playing as.

Here… Everything was different here.

Ainz suddenly couldn't help but smile.

It was quite the strange sight to smile at a scorched wasteland, but Ainz could not help smiling.

He could easily imagine that in Chaldea, Roman was probably now watching some video on his computer. Olga would probably be training with Medea and…

Ainz blinked suddenly, as a realization suddenly struck him.

Olga usually trains with Medea… Ainz stopped flying for a second, looked around him to determine that no one was watching him, he then slapped his forehead in frustration.

Just brilliant! Brilliant! Remind him again why he thought that it was a good idea to bring Medea along from Chaldea when she was supposed to train Olga?!

Ainz slapped his forehead for good measure once more as he began working his mind to the fullest as to how he would explain his reasoning to his subordinates. There's nothing worse than a Boss that does things without reason.

Okay, think Ainz! Think! Use that brain of yours!

Okay! Got one! So far, all his seemingly random decisions in the past were justified by his supposed brilliant plans. So this time, too, Ainz should just put on a serious expression and pretend that everything was for some machinations he had made. That should work, right?

Although, exactly how barring Olga's training with Medea could become part of his ingenious plan, Ainz could only guess… He really should have put more intelligence in his character creation.

---

Mashu swallowed down her nervousness as she tried to think of a suitable subject for a dialogue with Medea.

It would be really uncomfortable to stay silent as they moved through the scorched desert… More precisely, Mashu suspected that, perhaps, some professionals could do such a thing, but Mashu herself clearly could endure the silence, least of all when with another Servant at her side.

But, at the same time, the prospect of possibly pissing off her companion was equally daunting.

'Try something from the classics, ask about the weather, or maybe even about the magic she had cast back then, the one she did to protect her from Radiation. Or, if all else fails, maybe about what she does in Chaldea…' - Galahad's voice in Mashu's head began to list suitable topics for a dialogue. 'Or about Ainz. I know you want to hear about him…'

'I wanted no such thing!' - Mashu internally shouted at Galahad, blushing involuntarily - 'I don't want to at all!'

'Mashu' - Galahad's voice sounded so tired, that anyone who heard him would instantly understand that the topic of this dialogue was not at all new. 'How long are we going to beat around the bush? Do not forget, I am inside your head, you literally cannot hide your thoughts from me!'

'I don't want to interfere with Ainz and his relationship!' - Mashu immediately tried to justify herself - 'I don't want to be the third wheel! In the literal sense of the word… If not the sixth… Or… Actually, how many girls was he romantically involved with!?'

'Okay, sure, a sound argument.' Galahad sighed. 'How about telling him something else, then? What about the little detail, that you're dying? Well, you know, this minor fact that I think Ainz might be very interested to hear…'

Mashu just sighed out at this tired topic - 'There... There wasn't just the right time…'

'Oh, really!?' - Galahad rolled his eyes internally, his tone of voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Seriously! Think about it! At what point in time can such a thing become a suitable topic?!'

Then Galahad began hitching up his voice in an imitation of Mashu's own. 'Oh, Ainz, it's good that we killed this Demon King and saved the world. Oh, by the way, if you don't do anything, I'll die in six months.' Mashu could only cringe at the bad imitation and the scolding implied.

'How about that? Does that sound good?' Galahad finished impatiently.

'How should I know how Ainz would take such news!?' Mashu sighed slowly, calming down, before shaking her head and returning her attention to the surroundings. Medea's unexpected voice threw her off the ennui that she was returning to. "By the way…"

"As far as I understand, you have not yet told Master that you are dying?" What Medea uttered next, while not even turning towards Mashu, struck her like a rushing freight train. "Apparently not…"

'Not what I imagined how this situation would solve itself. But eh, as long as it works' - Galahad sighed. 'But look, a topic for you two to talk about has just revealed itself!'

"H-how…" - Mashu stumbled with her words, her shock at her secret being revealed so easily, shaking her to the core. "How did you know that?"

"Practice, knowledge, and observation of how Olga acts whenever she even sees you. The guilty expression she sports made it quite transparent. Really, that woman. As a magus, and a head of her house no less, she should really work on her poker face more."

Medea took a couple more steps before stopping and turning to Mashu. "I confess that I am not particularly interested in the reasons why you do not want to talk about this with Master. But walking along a desert in full silence is very far from my concept of 'interesting pastime' - so I'm willing to lend an ear, so to speak. Or don't, either way, it would at least also satisfy some of my boredom even if you don't want to share."

Mashu blinked to Medea's blunt reply, before exhaling as she thought of how to express her troubles succinctly. - "I… I'm not sure how exactly I should tell him about this…"

"Just tell him." Medea shrugged her shoulders lightly and turned around. "Ainz definitely already knows about your impending death. A magus of his strength, caliber and experience would have been able to determine your deteriorating state at a glance. And the only reason why he just hasn't done something about it, with a spell which is closer to true magic in its essence, but is definitely not absolutely impossible for him, I would imagine, is his expectation for you to raise this topic on your own." Medea finished before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face and she began muttering.

"Perhaps, he wants to use such a gift as payment for your service? It does quite logically fit into his pattern of behavior…" Medea muttered under her breath, barely audible to Mashu's ears.

Hearing Medea's words, Mashu blinked, before closing the distance to the Servant, a nervous excitement blooming inside her heart. "Do you really think… that he knows?"

"Really child? I would be extremely surprised if he had made such a basic mistake." Medea rolled her eyes. "Just as, I would be very surprised if he did not pair us up so that I could express this idea to you…"

"You…" Mashu blinked. "Do you really think that he did such a thing on purpose?"

'Hey, Mashu!' Galahad's shout in her head reminded the girl of his existence. 'Remember who we are talking about here! Of course, he did it all on purpose!'

The memory of Ainz's previous battles, and the ease in which he handled each enemy, made Mashu shudder internally. Something which Medea ignored as she replied. "Absolutely."

After finishing her last remark, Medea turned away, and started walking again. "And now, with rapport has been established between us… I don't know, tell me something meaningless, it should at least create a distracting background for our searches."

'To be honest, she annoys me a little,' Galahad added with a sigh inside Mashu's head. But Mashu, With practiced ease, ignored his words, and hurried after Medea, eager to talk with the Servant "I… Well, in the last Singularity…"

---

"Truly, I have earned the ire of the heavens to have to put up with your company." Nobunaga sighed, trying with all her might not to even look in the direction of Cu Chulainn.

"Such is the order from the Master." Cu Chulainn just shrugged his shoulders, and then threw his hands behind his head in reply to Nobunaga's acerbic words. "Although, I do not mind all that much. I've been out of the game for a long time so to speak, and haven't talked with such beautiful girls for a long time too…"

"If 'that' was your attempt at flirting, it failed miserably." Nobunaga found the attempt at a compliment from Cu Chulainn so pathetic that she did not even get angry. "Are the girls of your time really fooled by such a pathetic attempt at flirting?"

"Simple ones - yes,", - Cu Chulainn grinned, exuding a certain charm. Something that Nobunaga rebuffed with practiced ease. "But you are clearly better at this game than they are."

At the bare attempt at a compliment, Nobunaga just rolled her eyes. After which she measured Cu Chulainn with a slightly contemptuous look and sighed with disappointment. "I can't imagine how you could get a reputation as a ladies' man if all your attempts at flirting are all this… mediocre."

"Perseverance, mostly." Cu Chulainn shrugged, though he was still smiling. "Well, that and my looks of course. You know, even as a Caster, I still look pretty good under my robe, too."

"Clearly that this is your only saving grace, since becoming a Caster you obviously did not acquire any measure of wiseness." Nobunaga rolled her eyes, continuing to ignore Cu Chulainn's attempt of flirting with her like water off a duck's back.

"What's wrong with the Servants Master summoned?" Cu Chulainn slumped as he complained indignantly, "First Medusa, then Drake, then you… Seriously, when did appearance and perseverance cease to be appreciated in this world?!"

"Your presence has greatly devalued them." Nobunaga replied with no small amount of irritation, stopping her planned diatribe as she spotted something in the distance. "It seems… I see something."

"Got it," Cu Chulainn instantly nodded, then reached for his ear. Nobunaga did not need to look at him to know what he was doing, he was probably contacting Ainz now. She was pleasantly surprised that the Caster actually does something sensible, rather than advancing stupidly to see what she saw for himself more steps.

Although Nobunaga did not possess Archer's incredible vision in this incarnation, being a Servant whose senses were greatly enhanced compared to a human, her eyesight was still something to marvel at. And so after a few more moments of observation, she was able to discern what exactly she saw.

Though what a group of robots, that was somewhat similar to those she had seen in London before, tearing through the black desert, she has no idea. The robots either ignored Nobunaga and Cú Chulainn's presence or, which was also very likely, just hadn't spotted them.

Curious, Nobunaga focused more on the passing by automaton, trying to determine if there was a Servant among the robots or if someone with a strong magical signature was controlling them. She barely stopped herself from exclaiming in surprise when her senses told her that the robots felt like Servants.

A pretty weak Servant, and only 'like' Servants. Nobunaga could easily determine that the robots were not Servants in fact. But the very fact that they registered as Servants at all was amazing. She understood very well that there is a certain quality to quantity, after all.

Perhaps Nobunaga herself would have had no difficulty in dealing with such a detachment, countering great numbers is no trouble to her. A massed charge against a pitched volley of musket fire is nothing more than mismatched.

But for a lesser Servant, say, Cu Chulainn, then the situation here was much less straightforward. In her own opinion at least.

As she was about to comment about her findings, a signal entered her detection range. And this time, it was without mistake a Servant's signature.

And what a presence it was!

Nobunaga was quite shocked as she parsed what she felt for a second. The signature she felt was… incredibly strong and distinct. It felt as if a haze shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow was covering the sky, something that could not be forgotten or confused in any way. For a second, Nobunaga felt the signature move closer and closer, the owner of the signature was approaching at great speed.

"It can't be…" Focused as she was, Nobunaga was shocked when she heard a voice behind her. Turning to Cu Chulainn, she sees his mouth open wide in shock, and it almost seems as if his eyes would fall out of their sockets they opened so wide. It seems that the Caster knows who is coming. "No fucking way…"

As she returned her attention forward, Nobunaga noticed how the detachment of several dozen robots seemed to have lost half of its numbers in a second. Straining her eyes, she could see moving at incredible speed, a dark shadow flashing among the robots. Each pass, dealing with their opponents with real grace and ease, the new Servant handled the robots with contemptuous ease. Before even one of the robots raised their limb into a semblance of a combat mode, the battle was already over.

The dark figure dealt with their opponent in a span of time so insignificant that even to call it a 'second' would be a great exaggeration.

As the metallic contraptions finished crumbling down, it was with great surprise for Nobunaga to find that the figure was staring at them. As the figure turned fully towards her, Nobunaga was able to determine that the Servant was a girl wielding a red spear. She doesn't have more time to ponder about it more as the figure almost disappeared from her senses as it charged towards her, red spear gleaming.

With a well honed reflex, at the request of Nobunaga, countless guns appeared on the path of the figure, all cocked and ready to fire. But, before Nobunaga could press the trigger, Cu Chulainn was the first to react. "Stop!"

Nobunaga, although she had her own thoughts about such a decision, nevertheless chose to follow the advice of his fellow Servant. Luckily, the figure of the moving Servant, although it did not slow down, lost some of the hostility in its movements.

In almost a blink of the eye, the figure had already appeared in front of Nobunaga to her no small amount of shock. Still, at this close a distance, Nobunaga was able to examine the Servant fully.

The servant was indeed a woman, and a very beautiful woman at that. Perhaps one that is a little older than Nobunaga herself, but still young enough to excite the minds and loins of men. Her figure exudes the real charm of an experienced woman, and if that was not enough to drive a man wild, then her manner of dress definitely would.

Dressed in a tight black suit that covers her entire body to the tips of her fingers and to her neck, rising in the form of a mask covering the lower part of the face, her style of dress screamed femme fatale. Her long black hair and red eyes completed the ensemble of a woman whose beauty brings ruin to nations and whose attention men does monumentally stupid things to acquire.

Her attention, however, was turned not to Nobunaga, but to her companion. And in her eyes, Nobunaga could see, albeit rather faint, unmistakable surprise.

"Cu Chulainn?" Her voice was rather low and even a little rough, but unmistakably heroic.

Cu Chulainn, rather than react in his usual way, that is immediately flirting, was almost breaking out in cold sweats. Nobunaga couldn't help but be shocked when he acted like a nervous wreck rather than the confident gentleman he usually portrays himself to be. Though, the way Cu Chulainn nervously scratched his neck as if a child expecting to be reprimanded was quite the funny sight to see. "Hello, good afternoon… Teacher."

And pretty much instantly, Nobunaga understood not only who exactly stood in front of her, but also why the Servant was so strong, and, of course, how exactly the Servant related to Cu Chulainn.

The legendary Scáthach, Witch of Dun Scaith, Queen of the Land of Shadows.

One of the strongest and most legendary Servants that could be inscribed in the Throne of Heroes, not in any way inferior to any of the greatest heroes. The teacher of Cu Chulainn, unable to die and therefore guarding the gates to the Land of Shadows for thousands of years. The killer of gods, heroes and monsters alike, who spent eternity in constant battle and therefore has acquired the status of almost a deity. The lord of the spear and the magus who has no equal. Scáthach.

For a second, Nobunaga even felt something like relief, realizing that she had avoided a battle with such a person. Although the question that arose for a second about who would be the winner in this battle definitely intrigued her.

"Cu Chulainn…" Scáthach said again, looking at her student with scrutiny. Her question though was definitely something anyone who knows Cu Chulainn would ask. "Where is your spear?"

"Um, that's a… long story. I was summoned as a Caster, you see…" Cu Chulainn ruffled his scruff in nervousness once more before continuing. "I mean… Teacher, you taught me so well that I ended up qualifying for the Caster class…"

"That is…" Scáthach examined him again, to no small amount of nervousness on Cu's part. "Good, I suppose…"

A moment later, however, the moment when Nobunaga saw the rippling space signifying Ainz's appearance, the situation changed drastically.

Scáthach instantly darted towards the ripples, without asking questions or trying to warn the other Servants, her intent was murderous. Her spear flashed, before instantly slamming into the emerging figure of Ainz.

Scáthach's spear had enough time to smack into a dead stop in the center of Ainz's chest, incapable of piercing it, before she had to dodge dozens of shots from Nobunaga's rifles. Ainz himself, the one that was just attacked, did not seem to be too upset about it.

"That was…" - Ainz looked at the Scáthach, who had instantly retreated. "Quite rude."

"Teacher, calm down!" Cu Chulainn tried to calm down the woman, who was once again readying herself to kill their master. "This is my Master, he is on our side!"

"Master?" Scáthach glared at her student, before twirling her spear to a more advantageous position to cover the three of them. "So you've really changed, Cu Chulainn."

After she finished speaking, Scáthach's gaze shifted to Ainz again, carefully examining the Undead in front of her, not bothering to pay attention to the guns that filled the sky. "I've seen the likes of you countless times. I've killed all of them where they stand. I've protected the gate from the Land of Shadows from the likes of you. And I will do it again."

"That is…" Ainz blinked. "Quite the discriminatory position towards the undead… not that I don't understand I suppose. Though, just in case, I will clarify that I do not want to fight with you."

"Teacher, calm down!" Once again, and not even hoping for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Cu Chulainn tried to calm Scáthach down. "We just want to talk!"

"A conversation with the likes of a Balor's Spawn is impossible, Cu. You really should've known better than to ask that." However, Scáthach was clearly not going to listen to reason. "Here I come!"

"This Singularity definitely started on the wrong note," Ainz sighed forlornly as he stared at the beautiful figure of Scáthach barrelling towards him, murderous intent clear as day. "Definitely on the wrong one…"

---

Excerpt from the diary of *name unreadable*, "Archaeological excavations at the alleged site of Troy", page six, found in an abandoned camp:

… Like the previous days, we continue to dig. Nothing particularly interesting is happening, but our expedition leader insists that this is where Troy should be located. If it really existed at all…

… We found something that on closer inspection turned out to be a whole chariot, if not a bit dinged here and there. Our leader is absolutely sure that this is Achilles' war chariot… which is absolutely ridiculous. Even assuming that Troy and even Achilles himself existed, to just assume that some random chariot discovered by chance belongs to the legendary figure was just… absolute nonsense. But our excavation leader is absolutely sure of this. Well, it is not for us to challenge his decisions…

… Today, they dug up the skeleton of a man, still in armor, apparently made of bronze… It's quite difficult to judge what he was saying through the excited screams, but the leader again claims that this is Achilles himself, more specifically his body… I mean, of course, the body just has to have a wound in the heel, what are the chances? This is just a funny coincidence, nothing more…

… The leader said that his acquaintances would soon arrive for us, took the exhibits and left… What a Twat. But at least he pays well. It is strange though that he only took the skeleton of the unknown warrior and the chariot. We did find many other precious artifacts that could fetch a good price. Though he did continue to exclaim that it was Achilles and his chariot, so maybe he was simply too excited to care about the other stuff? Still, what difference does it make to me? In any case, tomorrow we are returning home…

… WE DIDN'T DISAPPEAR! TO ANYONE WHO WOULD READ THIS - OUR EXPEDITION DIDN'T DISAPPEAR! THEY KILLED US! WE HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE CLOCK TOWER IS MA… *the next page is stained with dried blood*

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 94: American situation

Looking at the approaching Valkyrie, one that is aiming her spear square at Ainz's heart, Ainz could only sigh at his bad luck. Really, what were the chances of a meeting with a Valkyrie with a bone to pick against the undead in the middle of nowhere? And one that can see through his human shell at that?

Although, technically speaking, this was not a new record. His battle with Nobunaga, and, a little earlier than that, with the robots happened half an hour after he was in London? In that case, this hostile encounter with… whoever this Servant was, was not the fastest that Ainz have ever experienced. Though not by much, it took him almost an hour.

But on the other hand, excluding the situation with Nobunaga, it was still the fastest contact with an enemy Servant ever. Just an hour in the Singularity, and before he found anyone peaceful.

Indeed, it was a kind of record! Though not one that he was very pleased in breaking.

Still, Ainz wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to an attempt of killing him at the moment. That is, of course, Ainz understood that, most likely, he should fight back - Ainz was not that stupid. But how? Should he try to grab, disarm and interrogate the Servant? He doesn't really know where to touch her!? She was wearing so little! Should this idea be given up before it was attempted?

Ainz was sure that the Servant in front of him was not strong enough to break through his passive defense, at least this opening attack of hers. Of course, if she starts using her Noble Phantasms, or some esoteric skills… Who knows how the situation might turn?

Ainz sighed the sigh of the damned once more before teleporting away from the Servant's blow, the Servant's quite slow attack. Reappearing a distance away, Ainz immediately cast a spell that almost became second nature to him at this point. "Greater Hold Species."

Usually this was enough, the magical seal would rise around the girl, and stop her in her tracks so that they could have a civil discussion… No such thing happened.

Ainz's spell suddenly ceased to work as soon as it appeared, some kind of magic flashed around the Servant cancelling his spell. The appearance of the spell that the Valkyrie had cast looked quite familiar to his insignificant knowledge of runes that Ainz kept in his memory before disappearing.

"Your foul magic will not help you, spawn of Balor." Before she could do or say anything else, she had to retreat. As where she was standing, seem to be consumed by seemingly hundreds of shots and explosions, turning the almost completely flat ground into a string of small craters.

Clearing his head of the stunned state he was in, Cu Chulainn, apparently just now realizing that the possibility of a peaceful resolution to the conflict was melting before his eyes, made a last desperate attempt to stop the rampaging Servants. "Master, Teacher, stop! You'll kill each other!"

"I'm not the one attacking," Ainz calmly replied to Cu Chulainn, all the while not taking his eyes off of the Servant. After all, who knows of the strange skill that she has.

The enemy Servant did not deign to reply, also not taking her eyes off of Ainz and Nobunaga, whose guns covered more and more of the sunny sky over the desert. Satisfied that the two of them were not attacking anytime soon, she turned to Cu Chulainn. Strangely enough, she had a sad look on her face. "I had heard rumors, Cu Chulainn, but it seems that I was only refusing to accept the truth, it is obvious now. Indeed, there is nothing heroic left in you, a spawn of Balor has no place in the lands of the living."

"That, by the way, is a very offensive thing to say. I'm no such thing's spawn." Ainz only sighed at the Valkyrie's strange words before taking a closer look at the Servant's appearance. Really, him being a Balor's spawn? What part of him looks like an underwater demon? Is she a Servant from Ireland?

'I have no idea who she is… But she reminds me a little of the 'Witch of Shadows'. Just a little, though. Although, she also did use magic that uses runes…' Before Ainz could think about it further, he was distracted by Cu Chulainn.

"Teacher, I know what this looks like," Deciding to ignore Ainz's words, Cu Chulainn tried to lessen the severity of the situation as much as possible. "But Master… I can fully vouch for his good character! Master has already destroyed four Singularities, fought with the Demon Kings and with Solomon himself! He came here only to help humanity! This is not the kind of undead that you are used to fighting in the Lands of Shadows!"

The female Servant barely reacted to Cu Chulainn's impassioned speech. In fact, her posture, brimming with hostility, barely changed. Nevertheless, she did react in some manner to Cu's words, so Ainz perhaps could still hope that this battle could be resolved peacefully.

"Cu… Whatever their motivation, Balor's spawn cannot be trusted." Or not. And it seems that the situation had grounded on Nobunaga's patience, as the sound of fuses being lit was heard.

"Your disregard to reason begins to annoy me," Nobunaga called out chillingly to the Servant, who is apparently the teacher of Cu Chulainn, whoever she was. "My Master had entreated you with respect and shown you every kindness possible. If you keep talking so disrespectfully, there will be nothing more for me more enjoyable in this world than crushing you in battle, Scáthach."

'Scáthach!' The apparent identity of the Servant in front of him stalled Ainz's mind for a second in shock. Or more likely confusion as he tried to rack his brain if he remembered someone with her name.

'Who is she again? Tabula seems to have mentioned her name before… But not as much as say, for example, Cu Chulainn or Arthur. So she must have hardly been anyone significant.'

"Your word means nothing to me, child." Scáthach's answer was so biting and mocking, that if Ainz was not standing next to her, pressing on Nobunaga with his presence, she would most likely start spitting fire. Literally and figuratively. "Cu… In respect for our past, if you can give me at least one reason to trust you and your… Master. I'll stay my spear. For now at least."

"How about a Geas that if I lie about your next three questions, I'll be forever cursed and cast down from the Throne of Heroes." After another moment of silence, some kind of aura seemed to have Cu Chulainn slightly changed… Though to what end, Ainz couldn't really tell.

'Ha, what happened?' Ainz blinked before glancing at Cu Chulainn's parameters and seeing nothing. 'Is this… Something like a status change? Some kind of special magic? I'm not seeing anything though?'

"Okay, Cu Chulainn," However, whatever it was, it was significant enough for Scáthach to take what Cu did seriously. She didn't let go of her spear, however, nor did she seem to be in any relaxed state. Still, it was enough for Nobunaga to reluctantly stop covering the sky with hundreds of guns, letting only tens of them to hang in the air. With the situation seemingly defused, Scáthach began asking her questions.

"Is what you said about your Master and your situation true?" And starting with something that is very straightforward. Ainz could see how with such a teacher, Cu would be just as frank.

"Yes," Cu Chulainn answered easily and nodded slightly, Ainz could see a smile appear in his face as Cu could feel the situation had begun to slowly improve.

"Are you not affiliated with the Servants and Demon Kings of this Singularity?" Scáthach looked at Ainz pointedly, causing a sigh to force itself out of him. At least it's nice to have a confirmation that the Demon Pillars are in this Singularity, as obvious as it might have been. Though, does she really need to compare him to those guys? "That is really quite rude… what part of me looks like a meaty pillar?" Cu ignored his Master grumbling with practiced ease as he answered Scáthach's question.

"Only so far that we want to deal with the situation in this Singularity and fix it, no matter what method is presented to us. And that would probably lead to us having to interact with them." Cu Chulainn explained, his answer causing Scáthach to relax a little more.

"And for my third question…" Scáthach glanced over at Ainz one more time before returning to Cu Chulainn and frowning greatly as she took a close look at the Druid. "You really did not lose, nor did you give your Gáe Bolg betting on cards, and now are just trying to impersonate a Caster?"

"What?!" Cu Chulainn staggered back as if he was struck by the question. As he tried looking at the others for support, only to be greeted by the depressed figure of his Master and a smirking one of Nobunaga, he once again cursed his luck. Still, bound by a geas, he was forced to answer the question. "No, Teacher I… I really was summoned as Caster."

Judging by the put upon look on Cu's face, and the seriousness that Scáthach asked the question with, Ainz could only think that Cu Chulainn definitely had a… certain reputation that Scáthach was familiar with. A realization that was instantly pushed to the figurative far shelf of his mind, classified as completely unimportant at the moment.

Still it must be important enough that Scáthach, having heard all three answers, at the end, reluctantly, slowly lowered her spear and looked at Ainz before nodding resolutely. "Our battle will be postponed indefinitely, for now. But know this, Master of Cu Chulainn - whatever your name could be - any of your offenses will be noticed by me, and I wouldn't hesitate to strike you down."

"As soon as I left two stalkers behind, one soon joined me even here too." - Ainz sighed, before perking up. "I'm sorry, that was unneeded. It was very rude and unpleasant for me… Actually, seriously, you're also very rude, you can at least show a little modicum of respect for a person!"

Ainz was not one of the Servants, like Nobunaga next to him, who valued their image and title so much that they demanded till the point of battle… But still! He has already cleaned up four Singularities. Hear that! Four apocalypses that his hand had averted! Four! He had won dozens of battles, and participated in, no, more than that! He is the one linchpin for the salvation of mankind at the moment! Was it that hard to show a little respect for the Hero of Humanity?!

Of course, none of these was said out loud. It would be too embarrassing! He might have well started speaking German, it was that cringy.

"The day of my death will come sooner before I gain any kind of respect for the spawn of Balor." Scáthach raised the corner of her lips in a crooked smile of some kind at her own joke.

"Teacher, please!" Cu Chulainn, noticing how Nobunaga, whose Master was just insulted in direct, and therefore herself being mocked in a sense, thanked all the gods he knew for the fact that Angrboda was not here at the moment. "Please. Teacher! If not respect, then at least stop with the insults!" Cu knows for sure that there would be no escape if he lets Scáthach off of mocking Ainz. He could easily imagine himself being poisoned, burned or even eaten alive if the girls heard such a thing!

Grimacing a little, like she had a toothache, Scáthach sighed, before slowly shifting her gaze to Cu Chulainn, and then to Ainz before responding like she was pulling a tooth. "I will try…"

Ainz, frankly, even wanted to, perhaps, continue the squabble, if for a chance to insult her back. He was really hurt by such blatant hatred of him, reminding him of his early days in YGGDRASIL and how the human Player races humiliated and mocked him as they hunted him down. Actually, remembering those dark days before he met his friends, made him really want to give Scáthach a piece of his mind, more specifically a Fireball.

But luckily for her, before Ainz could convince himself that a little Fireball between allies of convenience is nothing serious, he was distracted by a message from his other Servants.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Ainz quickly issued directions to act on his newly gained information. "Cu, Nobunaga, please ask Scáthach about anything she knows about the current Singularity and tell us about our mission while you're at it. I have somewhere else to be."

Without a preamble, Ainz teleported away, leaving the tense if not apprehensive atmosphere behind. Ainz could only hope that they would not kill each other while he resolved other matters.

The fact that the last thing he saw was Scáthach glaring at Nobunaga and she returning it in kind, with Cu Chulainn just standing there nervously, did not give him any confidence on the matter.

---

Once he arrived next to Angrboda, Ainz exhaled, calming down a bit after the fiasco with Scáthach.

Really, Ainz didn't ask for much! Just a little respect! You don't have to bow down and thank him for all the work he has done so far, just not mocking him to his face would be enough!

After standing there, next to the giantess in silence for a few seconds, taking deep, slow breaths to center his mind, Ainz finally calmed down. Really, the fact that he could actually feel the emotion, and was not forcefully calmed down, meant that he actually wasn't all that mad. It was just so vexing!

Still, determining that he had walked away with enough positives from meeting this… Scáthach - whoever she was, Ainz finally turned his attention to Angrboda, who was carefully assessing him with her gaze. Angrboda, a person that is not really someone who would react in any way that is proportional if Ainz complained to her about anything.

And so, while the idea of Angrboda rampaging at someone who had insulted him might seem funny and cathartic, it would be the wrong thing to do. Ainz decided to just get into the gist of the matter before he could convince himself otherwise. "So? What exactly did you find?"

"Hmm… " Angrboda thought about what to say for a second, before slowly answering with a nod. "I met a group of enemies? A detachment of them… Or more precisely, there was a detachment of them…"

"Was? What do you mean 'was'? There was nothing around… oh." Ainz stopped looking for the remains of the enemy group, quickly realizing the importance of the past tense in Angrboda's speech. Shaking his head, guessing exactly what she was getting at, Ainz couldn't help but sigh. Though, he didn't spot any remnants of flames or a place of cooking, as morbid as the sight would be. And before he had realized it, his mouth moved to ask Angrboda before his conscious mind could warn him that he really wouldn't like the answer.

"Though, I don't know, it always seemed to me that you would be against raw meat…" Ainz immediately realized his error, that that knowledge is something that he really doesn't want to know.

"NO! NO, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" Forcefully waving his hand before Angrboda could even form a response, Ainz relaxed when he actually didn't register anything that Angrboda would have said. "Furthermore, don't tell anyone about this. Actually, maybe don't talk with anyone that you do… that." Should an undead even be having headaches? He's definitely having one right now.

A headache that soon got worse, remembering Scáthach, their strained ally. Ainz felt something stirring unpleasantly inside him as a certain possibility formed in his mind. Ainz has no illusion on the scale of carnage that would ensue should Scáthach and Angrboda meet.

Ok! Now to focus on a more cheery topic. Cannibalism!

"You…" Ainz swallowed his nausea while looking at the girl. "You at least questioned them, didn't you?"

"Of course," Angrboda feigned indignation at these words, as if expressing 'how could you think that I would forget something so basic!'. An indignation that soon turned into a smile as she reminisced on the experience. "At first they did not want to answer, it's expected of course. Even if they did talk, I probably won't believe them. They quickly changed their tunes, though, when I started to eat…"

"I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" Ainz shook his head again as his stomach felt like escaping through his mouth. After which a wave of calm passed through his body, causing him to breathe out. Finally! That was very uncomfortable. "Okay, well… Um… Anyway, what did you manage to find out?"

"Clothes practically do not spoil the taste - unlike armor. Though more experiment is needed before I can single out the parts that spoil the taste…" Angrboda sighed as if she was talking about some great injustice, either willfully or just not noticing Ainz's distressed face. She then continued on, on the particulars of meatiness and taste that is.

"Although, with the beginning of the massive use of gunpowder weapons, there's less need to be physically fit, meaning less meat overall. Though, the addition of more fat does make it more tasteful, and there are generally more of them, therefore it's less filling to just eat one, but… Hmm, pros and cons of progress, I suppose."

"About the situation, Angrboda." Ainz sighed again as he heard more information that he didn't want to know about. At least, it was he who gave Angrboda permission to commit… such actions - therefore, Ainz could not blame anyone but himself for this. The fact that he intentionally sent her alone in preparation for such things happening is cold comfort.

"About the Singularity specifically, or if nothing else, at least tell me what the 'group' actually was."

"Hmm," Angrboda breathed out, "They were, at least from what I could gather from their sobbing screams, that they were an airborne squad acting on the direct orders of the Eternal President Thomas Alva Edison. They were apparently conducting a reconnaissance mission in Sector Twenty-Eight, wherever that is, and also to ready the area for the counteroffensive by the Third Liberation Army… Again, I have no idea what the 'Third Liberation Army' is."

"I see." Ainz nodded understandingly, - "I understand." Ainz did not understand. But being completely accustomed to this state of incomprehension, Ainz continued his questioning. At the very least, he's gaining important information that he needed to feign understanding. "And? Who were they fighting against?"

"To the illegitimate government of the Gaelic Kingdom as declared by the Eternal President… Not that I know what the 'Gaelic Kingdom' is, or why they're illegitimate." Angrboda thought about explaining more for a second before shaking her head. "I was about to ask more, but then they started shouting or crying more than they spoke. They were not doing anything else, and they were starting to annoy me, so I had to deal with them."

"I see…" - Ainz sighed.

So, 'Edison', huh? Strange, but that name was actually quite familiar. He seems to remember that name being repeatedly uttered in his years of adventures in Ainz Ooal Gown… Usually paired with another name, Tesla. Maybe Tesla knows something?

As for the president? Well, it was a quite familiar title to Ainz from his past life. The 'Eternal President'… indeed, it sounded very familiar. After the Third World War, many people awarded themselves with similar titles and positions. There might actually be an 'Eternal President' still ruling a small country or two.

Ahem, anyway, this 'Gaelic Kingdom'… Such a kingdom was really something that Ainz could not remember. Neither from the short history course he had received during his studies, nor from the various conversations he had with his friends.

'Has such a kingdom ever existed at all?' - Ainz could not find the answer to this question and was forced to shrug his shoulders. "Okay… So, did you find anything about the Nuclear bombing?"

"The newest weapon developed by the Eternal President." Angrboda shrugged her shoulders, before continuing. Though Ainz could understand her nonchalance, a direct strike from a nuclear blast wouldn't do anything to her.

"According to the paratrooper, during this month, the United States had used ten or was it fifteen of them? All in trying to destroy either an army or even their main camp… With varying levels of success. Although, as one of them was quite gleeful to share, it was enough to kill several Servants. Surprisingly weak creatures these Servants…"

"So they are using nuclear weapons freely." Ainz looked up into the air, as if trying to spot a lone bomber circling above his head. Ainz, of course, would highly rate his survivability against most things. But, as an Undead, still did not want to test himself against his two main weaknesses. Fire and blunt damage, and a Nuclear Blast, was both of them at the same time.

"And that's it. That's all I've managed to find out before they were too annoying to me." Angrboda shrugged her shoulders, before perking up as she remembered something else. "Ah! That's right, it seems that they managed to stop an attack on the USA, but their counter-attack on the enemy Servants was unsuccessful. That's why they were here, actually, to scout the place as they stopped the bombing raid, at least until they prepared the army for a massive attack."

"That is good news… if they're actually friendly and not an enemy." Ainz exhaled and thought about what he wanted to ask for a second. "Did you manage to find out the location of their… camp? Or maybe even these soldiers' capital?"

"Approximately," Angrboda waved her hand in the air. "But I had a good snack, that's why I didn't know about it in detail."

"A relatively good news?" Ainz blinked, - "Wait, had a 'snack'? How many people were there?"

"Sixty, or was it seventy… I didn't count." Angrboda smiled, remembering the meal that she just had. "So for an hour or two, I'm satiated. After that, it might be necessary to organize an attack on their camp for me to become full."

"No, an attack right now would be disadvantageous. You'll just have to do without it," Ainz shook his head from side to side, and then took another look at the pouting Angrboda.

Was this the effect of becoming a Servant? Or was Angrboda's real appearance and size somehow related to her appetite? The Angrboda in YGGDRASIL was… much, much larger than the current Angrboda, and very far from being so pretty. Although, would even YGGDRASIL's not be satisfied even after… eating seventy people? As a Heteromorphic Player only guild, Ainz Ooal Gown has no one that knows about the quest where they fought Angrboda, but the players who did fight Angrboda said that her real size is much larger… As much as one can trust the forum, anyway.

Though in the lore of the game, something like that was indeed mentioned… Okay, it didn't matter at the moment.

"Anyway, Angrboda, Cu and Nobunaga have met a friendly Servant and…" Ainz racked his brain on a way for the two to never meet. And failing miserably. "And you definitely shouldn't meet her. And furthermore… please refrain from indulging your gastronomic… desires for a while. I'll tell you when you can, return to them." Preferably never, but beggars are not choosers.

"The sacrifices I make for love," Angrboda sighed and before perking up as an idea popped into her head, Ainz didn't like the look on her face. "A kiss for my efforts?"

"My love life is already difficult and stressful enough without your participation. So regrettably, I will have to refuse." Ainz shook his head with faux regret at Angrboda's pout. "Well, in case you meet with this… Scáthach, you shoul… "

"Scáthach ?" Angrboda asked, interrupting Ainz, "Who is that?"

"I'm not sure, but she's hardly anyone significant. Anyway, if you meet her, try to get along at least? She's our ally for now." Ainz tried his best to dismiss the image of Angrboda eating Scáthach out of his mind, and then pondered on what information Angrboda had told him.

Angrboda, one way or another, had brought very significant news, very important information that he could act upon. Now, though, leaving her to wander in the desert was pointless when they now have a concrete target to focus on. But Angrboda could not be left alone, and Ainz doubted that many Servants would be able to handle her 'personality'.

Hmmm, she seems to have come to an understanding with Nobunaga, and Cu seems to be able to get along with anybody, so making Angrboda act with them seems to be a good idea. But, no, he should be curbing any chance of her having any interaction with Scáthach, and there's no way that Cu would not be travelling with his Teacher. Really, judging by her hostility even to Ainz who had not even had time to do anything bad, he couldn't imagine how she would react to Angrboda. Not after she ate dozens of people, least of all.

But Ainz could not just send her to the local version of the United States alone. The very need for Angrboda to be among people was already a sufficient danger factor. Not to mention the tendency of how people themselves could behave when confronted with something unknown… Ainz doesn't really want to make enemies for no reason. And about the eaten people… well, they don't really need to tell anyone else about that, no?

In that case, the only one left for Ainz could trust to accompany Angrboda to perform some useful action was…

"Tesla!" Ainz smiled as he had come up with a brilliant idea, "That's right! Angrboda, you and Tesla will go to this… Eternal President and find out what you can about this Singularity!"

After all, Ainz remembered that Edison and Tesla were often mentioned together, so, most likely, they will have a common language. They might even be best friends! Indeed, it was much easier to find a common language with someone that you knew during your lifetime!

Ainz was absolutely sure that nothing could go wrong with this plan.

---

'I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.' Galahad dropped a somewhat familiar phrase in Mashu's head with full seriousness. 'I fear something terrible has happened.'

'If it was a joke, I didn't understand what it was for,' Mashu complained as she was distracted for a second from her conversation with Medea.

'I don't know, I just had a feeling that something really, incredibly, terrible had just happened…' Galahad sighed, and then turned Mashu's attention toward the Witch walking beside her. 'By the way, Medea sensed something too.'

Mashu, expecting some kind of prank, turned her gaze to Medea to see if she really did feel something, stopping and taking a step a little closer to make extra sure, "Medea?"

Medea did not react to this, only continuing to examine the desert that had not changed in any way shape or form in front of her. What she said next, raised Mashu's hackles, and she was immediately focused on their surroundings. "Shielder, get ready."

"Okay," Mashu, instantly realizing that the situation, for some unknown reason, had become very tense, immediately picked up her shield at the ready, - "What do you see?"

"Hey, if you can see me - you've got a great eye for a great man!" The unexpected voice surprised Mashu, who immediately started covering the more vulnerable Medea.

"I didn't want to sneak up, honestly! That is not my style at all! I just wanted to watch, you don't see such beauties in this desert every day!" The voice spoke out joyfully before a Servant slowly appeared from the periphery.

The one who approached Mashu was a Servant, there was no doubt about that, and a very powerful Servant at that. But, that was not the first thing that could be noticed about the Servant.

The first thing that one would notice when looking at the Servant was that he was huge.

Not the size of Angrboda, Heracles or Asterios huge, but he was still pretty damn big. The man sported huge muscles, displayed proudly without any shirt covering his scarred chest, and on his face, an expression like a bear suddenly had a desire to smile.

With his short blue hair, he looked a bit like Cú Chulainn - a very large and pumped up Cú Chulainn, who preferred to go shirtless, showing off his torso.

"Hi, beauties!" Smiling a smile as wide as possible, the man approached a little closer, still not showing any hint of aggression, "Did you get lost, by chance? If so, then I can take you to all the hot spots around here! I can promise that you won't get bored with me!"

"Saber," Medea calmly uttered, as she was able to define the identity of the Servant in front of them in a way unknown to Mashu, "But I don't see your sword?"

"Cause, I didn't come here to fight!" Saber just grinned at Medea's calm words. "I tell you without a hint of lies, that I came in peace to see beautiful girls! Why do I need a sword if I have everything I need with me?!" And with that, the resemblance to Cu Chulainn just became uncanny.

Mashu could practically hear the sound of Galahad slapping his hand to his face. 'Now I want to find out exactly how he is connected with Cu Chulainn. I am absolutely sure that he is somehow connected with him, only a friend of Cú Chulainn could come up with such bad pick-up lines.'

"Which of Cu Chulainn's friends could it be? Laeg maybe?" Apparently, having come to the same conclusion as Galahad, Medea muttered guesses of the Servant's identity to herself. She was still paying close attention to the Servant's every action, however, "Stop. Not a step further."

"Okay, okay, as I said, I'm not here for a fight." Saber grinned even from Medea's implied threats, raising his hands in a reassuring gesture. "You are clearly not from the army of that psychopath, so we don't have any enmity between us… Although, yes, I guess it is ironic that I'm calling someone a psychopath when our king is a Berserker. But on the other hand - why not? At least he was not the one to start bombing people with nuclear weapons… On his own supposed country's soil at that."

Medea, easily pushing Mashu out of the dialogue, not that she really wanted to participate - continued. - "So… The theory was correct. These charred landscapes really were the results of a nuclear bombing? My guess was correct, it seems."

"Guess?" Saber raised one eyebrow in incredulity at how one would miss a nuclear explosion of all things, before a realization appeared in his eyes. "So you're new here? Ah, then it's clear... It's been a long time since we had newcomers here!"

A moment later, Medea fell silent, after which Saber, sensing something strange, immediately turned his attention towards the haze of teleportation that had begun to appear.

After another moment, Ainz appeared next to Medea, and Mashu squashed the squeal of happiness bubbling inside her as she saw a sword appear in Saber's hands.

Although, to call it a sword, perhaps, would be wrong. It would be more correct to call it… probably a huge drill on a handle.

Mashu wondered for a second how anyone could effectively fight with such a weapon - after which, remembering what she was holding in her hands, she ceased questioning it.

'Hey!' Galahad was indignant - 'I have a perfectly normal, usable shield! What do you not like about it?!' Mashu ignored it with practiced ease.

"Just in case, I'll tell you that I'm not going to fight." Ainz, as soon as he appeared and saw the drawn sword?, uttered these words instantly, looking at Saber's face. He then sighed, expecting that it would have no effect whatsoever, and began preparing to cast teleportation to dodge an attack.

But, to his great surprise, with a shrug from the man's shoulder, the sword disappeared from Saber's hands, who then grinned happily. "What great news! I didn't come here to fight either! Considering our King and his subordinates, I generally do not have such a desire."

"Hmm?" Ainz looked at his hands, "Wow, that worked… Surprising."

"So, you are all…" Saber sucked in a breath like a dog before frowning and looking at Ainz a little hesitantly before continuing. Ainz wasn't sure what that reaction was about, but was too happy about meeting a reasonable Servant to bother questioning it. "Servants? And one of you even knows how to teleport… Ha, amazing!"

"Yes, that's right." Ainz, however, finding a suitable excuse on why he was here without divulging any other information, immediately rushed to grab onto it. "Could you tell us about the Si… Situation?"

"Yes, of course, no need to ask." Saber grinned, "But, you know, we probably should talk about it in our capital… Anywhere is better than standing under the scorching sun right!. Plus - if you can just teleport us all back home - that will be great!"

"Hmm?" Ainz blinked, "Which capital?"

"The capital of the Gaelic Kingdom, of course. There's no way I would be caught dead hanging around the 'Eternal President'." Saber grinned, "I will show you the direction, if necessary!"

"Okay," Ainz nodded at that, after which he frowned and Mashu could hear his quiet muttering as Fergus boisterously started walking. "It turns out… All three sides… Suspicious…"

"Well, then let's go!" Saber spread his arms to the sides, - "If you need to hug me for teleportation, then I don't mind! By the way, you look good too!"

"I… I'm not really sure how exactly I should react to these words," Ainz sighed before shaking his head. "Well, going to the Gaelic Kingdom, huh… I wonder what kind of place it is…"

Moments later, a third team was dispatched to the third camp of the third side of the Singularity.

The situation seemed eerily familiar to Ainz… and far from positive.

---

Historical study. "Religion of Ancient Greece and Its Relationship to the Gods.":

… Although modern people perceive - those who study and know the subject, of course, that the overthrowing of the Titans and the ascendancy of the Gods of Ancient Greece as a kind of 'positive' event of the religion of that time, it is far from being that black and white. It is no coincidence after all that one of the most important points in the list of conditions for prototypes of 'paradise' in Ancient Greece was a remoteness from all the Gods, with the condition of their complete impossibility of interfering in the lives of ordinary people being paramount.

Indeed, it is enough for one just to look at the myths of Ancient Greece, and many can easily conclude that almost every God of Ancient Greece was perceived very negatively. Most gods were perceived as a cruel and evil tyrant, primarily more concerned about their whims than the state of people their actions affected.

Nothing illustrates this fact more than the legend of Heracles. Born from one of many incidences of rape perpetrated by Zeus, Heracles, although he was blessed with incredible strength and endurance by the fact of his birth, the Hero was also cursed because of it. Earning the ire of the goddess Hera, he was cursed with madness, resulting in him killing his family.

And then, in an act of atonement for an action that he was not responsible for, he was forced to perform ten feats of incredibly laborious Labors. Even then, the pettiness of the gods was shown clearly, when two of such labors were disqualified because he had received some form of help in accomplishing these feats. And therefore the total number of these feats reached twelve from the original ten.

But even after passing all these trials and becoming a truly legendary hero for the whole of Ancient Greece, after his deification, Heracles acquired not only greater strength, many times exceeding one in his lifetime, but also great anger and madness. Some say it was because of the malice of Hera, which she felt towards Heracles all his life, that turned the great Heracles into the monstrous god Megalos.

In other words, the very fact of divinity was interpreted by many Greeks as, if not a sin, then in the best of cases - as a factor of corruption. In a way, their anathema to absolute power that leads the Greek to embrace democracy as a way to prevent any king from retaining any form of divine power on earth…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea and Staff: Gorgon sisters

Medusa was sure that it must have been a strange sight if anyone were to see her right now. Standing in front of her own room, hand raised for a knock, her hesitation caused her to be in the same position for the last five minutes. Why, though? It's her own room after all, why should she hesitate? She knows full well why.

Her sisters were definitely inside.

Her relationship with her sisters has always been somewhat… unusual. At the very least, Medusa had never met any siblings whose relationship was as complicated as hers and her sisters'.

For starters, take her own self for example. While she doesn't really have a hobby of comparing her looks to anyone else, she knows that she definitely looked like a young, but still fully formed woman. While her sisters looked like teenagers at best, barely eighteen even - and that was with a very generous assessment of their age. If someone were to say that they were only fourteen years old, it is unlikely that an ordinary person would be greatly surprised by such information.

However, in reality, Stheno and Euryale were both her older sisters - and they were much older than her in fact. And they always acted from the superior position as older sisters. For example, her sisters have always treated her not just in a patronizing way, but in a literally dominant way, treating her more like a slave. In the past, they could tell her to do almost anything they wanted. At least they did… in the past, that is.

After what had transpired with Ainz in the Singularity, the dynamics of the relationship between Medusa and her sisters had changed dramatically. And now, it was Medusa who was the one calming and protecting them from the 'scary world outside' by taking on the role of older sister. Considering the Grail, which also changed Medusa's perception of herself and her newfound relationship… The situation has only become much more confusing.

And this was only the beginning of the oddities and confusion in the story of the three Gorgon sisters.

And at this moment, due to the changes in the relationship between them… Well, it was complicated.

In any case, her sisters, although they could sometimes seem to act really cruel towards Medusa, really loved her, there is no count in that. Medusa also loved them very much.

Although she had killed them once. Just like her sisters had killed her.

And, of course, the main elephant in this china shop was the presence of Ainz. A man - or rather, even a creature, who the mere mention of which could make any of her sisters jump in place and look around in panic. Such a person was her… Lover, maybe.

A lover was probably the most appropriate term to use at the moment. Ainz is a person whom she, as the name implies, loved. He was also the same person that had done terrible things to her sisters, all because he wanted to avenge her murder and betrayal…

In general, how complex and confusing the relationship between the three Gorgon sisters was difficult to even overestimate or imagine. And therefore, to be honest, it was probably even easier for Medusa when her sisters were just intimidated and snuggled up to her at night, trying to find support and protection in her presence. Perhaps it is to be expected for a Monster like Medusa to feel relieved that her sisters were in such a deplorable mental state.

But she really couldn't help herself.

While her sisters were looking for her protection and support, there was no need to think about the difficult things. Things like their relationship and the situation around their past and future… She could just ignore the problem, hoping that it will remain in the background forever, until it is eventually forgotten.

Medusa knows that such a thing was just a dream.

Her sisters were Goddesses, and even if Ainz's actions had inflicted a deep trauma that will forever remain with them both in their lives and in their reincarnations - one way or another, even if slowly, they will eventually recover. And, furthermore, after their conversation with Ainz, Medusa has no doubt that this process would accelerate.

Sooner or later, and, unfortunately for Medusa, rather too early - a serious, but most importantly - unwanted but necessary conversation will have to take place between the Sisters. Conversations about what had happened, about their future, about Ainz and… And a lot more things that Medusa would probably not want to discuss.

That is why Medusa was stuck in front of the door to her room, knowing that her sisters at the moment, just like all the days before, were occupying her room.

No, she did not know how to look into the future, and therefore could not guess exactly how and when such a mortifying conversation would take place. And that is why, she was always a little nervous every time before meeting with her sisters, fearing that such a conversation would happen today.

Therefore, after standing in front of the door to her own room in indecision for a few more seconds, time spent gathering her thoughts and calming her slightly nervous psyche - Medusa slowly stretched out her hand and opened the door, walking inside.

As expected, her sisters, Stheno and Euryale were inside.

And if in their early days in Chaldea Stheno and Euryale, when not with Medusa, usually simply lay on her bed within each other's arms, trying to find protection from each other, nowadays, as of the last few days at least, they were much more relaxed.

As Medusa opened the door, she saw Stheno lazily lounging on the bed, reading through a magazine of sorts. Euryale was sitting on a chair, one of her legs raised as she tried to gently apply nail polish to one of her nails. Where did the nail polish come from in a Chaldea shut off from the rest of the world, and why Euryale was doing it at the moment? Medusa was not at all interested. Rather, it bothered her that what they were doing was so… normal.

No matter how you look at it, what they're doing was literally something out of a living illustration of an 'activities one does when idle'. Such a sight, in turn, hinted that the situation was already so close to 'normal' that there was very little left before the 'conversation' happened.

"Medusa?" Stheno's unexpected voice knocked Medusa out of her thoughts. "Come in already, why are you just standing there?"

With wooden steps, Medusa robotically entered the room, closing the door behind her. With an exaggerated gait, Medusa confidently walked towards the bed before settling down and almost immediately, she started shuffling around as she's not quite sure what exactly she was expecting to happen and what she should be doing at the moment. And what to do with her hands. And what topic was worth talking about now…

After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Euryale looked up from her nails, satisfied with the luster, before noticing the fidgeting Medusa. The older sister watched her younger sister acting strangely for a few moments before chirping in. "Medusa, stop being so nervous, please. Even we would get uncomfortable watching you."

At her words, Medusa almost bit her tongue in annoyance at her failure. It seems that her desire to look not nervous, only made her look even more nervous than usual. Ha…

For a second, Medusa's thoughts were focused on her Master, Ainz, and how smoothly he handled his various Servants. Medusa could never imagine Ainz being nervous in any kind of situations, though seeing her Master being flustered might actually be quite a treat to see.

Such a thought slipped through her head before she brushed it off. It was Ainz, the all-knowing and all-seeing. Naturally, he probably never had anything to be nervous over in his life, he was too strong and smart for such a foible. But Medusa, unfortunately, did not possess her Master's sterling qualities. And therefore she had to admit that she was still vulnerable to being nervous, so no point in thinking about it more.

However, while Medusa was silently pondering these thoughts, Stheno closed up the magazine she was reading, the cover of which Medusa had not even paid attention to. Euryale, after a couple of seconds blowing at her nails, had placed the nail polish aside. Then, with a coordination that only twins could pull off, the Sisters made their way to sit opposite Medusa.

Medusa, finally finishing her deliberations and emerging from her thoughts, immediately stumbled upon the studying gaze of her sisters. But before she could panic even more, her Sisters managed to take the conversation into their own hands.

"You know, we appreciate the fact that you respect our privacy," Stheno spoke first, but as if thanks to some telepathic connection, Euryale finished her thought. "But we are very interested in something, you see? Is the door to your room really such an interesting sight, that you spend in front of it just staring, for ten minutes each time, before entering your own room?"

Medusa was silenced for a second by the unexpected question, before quickly catching on to what was said and instantly panicking inwardly a thousand times stronger than she had before. Almost immediately, her mind was paralyzed.

The Gorgon sisters, after waiting a couple of seconds and making sure that Medusa was actually unable to answer what they asked, continued. "Medusa, I think you yourself understand that we need to talk. If not for your sake, then at least for our own satisfaction."

Medusa, hearing the words that she was most afraid to hear, felt as if some part of her mind had burned out and had short-circuited everything else. Her mind had stopped working completely, leaving only a feeling of emptiness and some sense of dread in her head.

The Gorgon Sisters, paying close attention to Medusa's reaction, concluded something to themselves. "Yes, it seems that we really need to do it…"

Her sisters were looking at each other, wordlessly exchanging information that Medusa, even strengthened as she was, had no chance of comprehending. The twins spent some time staring at each other, before shifting their gaze to Medusa and nodding synchronously. "Yes, we have to…"

And then, there was only silence. Medusa, and her sisters too, fell silent.

For several seconds, Medusa silently waited with closed eyes for her Sisters to start questioning her on things that she didn't want to talk about. Time passed in silence before Medusa opened her eyes back, as no questions seemed to be coming. Opening her eyes, Medusa stared with no small amount of confusion at the situation, and looked up to see… that her sisters were silently looking anywhere else but at Medusa.

For a second, Medusa couldn't think of anything as to the reason for their strange behavior, before suddenly realizing that… that her sisters were also nervous. Not less than herself did, and possibly… Possibly even more.

Medusa blinked owlishly once, pondering on her hypothesis, before realizing that it sounded… logical. Even, perhaps, it is too logical.

During her life, Medusa got used to the fact that her sisters were her… Elders in everything. Always. They were the ones that took care of her, the ones that protected her from the outside world and the ones that supported her. The image was so ingrained that even after their collision with Ainz, when they literally hid behind her shaking in fear, Medusa could not change her perception of Stheno and Euryale as her older sisters. Until now there was definitely not an inkling of doubt in herself that they're much more composed than her and think about the fact that they, just like her, might actually feel nervous from such a conversation.

And it was this realization, probably, that made Medusa suddenly realize that her nervousness was… not justified. Or rather, greatly exaggerated, and that now it was she who was to start a conversation.

And so, after a deep breath, Medusa started talking.

"Between us…" - Medusa sighed, finally calming her nerves and looking at her sisters, who immediately focused their attention on Medusa herself. After making sure that her Sisters were fully concentrated on her, Medusa continued. "I know that much has happened between us, I… I killed you and you also killed me…"

At Medusa's words, there was no answer from Euryale or Stheno - they only looked away. Medusa could feel the discomfort wafting off of her Sisters, their unconscious recognition that the words of Medusa were the truth. These were the words that the Sisters wanted to avoid saying at all costs, something they wished to avoid with all their beings. But, it was the truth, a fait accompli, so there was nothing more they could do about it, yet they still wanted to avoid it, so they turned their faces away.

"And," Medusa paused for a second, collecting her thoughts before continuing to speak. "I know that this fact cannot be simply forgotten or ignored, but I propose to just accept it, no matter how much it hurts. We… We've made mistakes that we regret - but we cannot correct them… all we can do is, accept it, and continue to live on."

With these words, her sisters finally looked back at Medusa before eyeing her over carefully. Medusa froze at their attention, expecting some kind of adverse reaction from her words. But, what she received in response was not at all what she expected.

"You've really grown up", - Stheno smiled, looking at Medusa… with love. True familial love, Storge, which is demonstrated by family members who love each other.

"Not at all like the little one that we used to chase around the Island," Euryale smiled as beatifically as her sister did, the both of them staring warmly at Medusa.

"I…" Hearing these words, Medusa blinked before looking at her sisters.

Medusa had no doubt that if anyone else were to see her Sisters right now, they would fall madly in love at their beauty.

Stheno and Euryale looked at her with expressions full of love, yes… but also with pride. It was some kind of hidden pride, as her parents would look at their daughter - if Medusa had such a thing they would no doubt be expressing the same emotion. At least Medusa considered such an analogy the most appropriate of things to compare what she's seeing right now.

And yet, even lost in thought, Medusa could only smile and react in the only way she could. "Thank you."

And, with just one word, Medusa had radically changed the atmosphere in the room. The uncomfortable silence of nervous people, about to discuss something embarrassing that they would probably prefer never to remember at all, was replaced by the atmosphere of adults discussing important issues that may have been unpleasant to them - but had to be done. And the family understood that it can only be a good thing, because, no matter how their discussion turned, they knew that in the end they would still remain a family that loves each other.

Medusa suddenly felt as if a heavy load had been removed from her soul, a weight that she did not even suspect existed. And so, with a much lighter heart, she nodded, indicating that she was ready to continue the conversation. And this time her sisters were able to answer her.

"I'll be honest," Stheno exhaled, preparing to speak her words, "We really would like you to forget about Ainz altogether… But we are not blind."

"And not so evil as to blackmail you with our relationship." Euryale smiled at her words, laughing at her own joke, relaxed enough to know that Medusa would understand that it was just a joke and nothing more. "And… We will not forget what had happened, but we won't hinder your relationship with him either. Just…"

"You really should mind your surroundings more, we really don't need to know about how well you're getting along… At least not that much", - Stheno added, then sighed. "Really, Medusa, I think the whole of Chaldea heard what happened last night."

Medusa, instantly realizing what her Sister was talking about, immediately blushed to the very tips of her ears and choked on air, trying in vain to hide her embarrassment. Something in which she, as could be understood from the teasing smiles on the faces of the Sisters, failed miserably in.

"Someone's embarrassed…" Stheno added onto the pile, now much more relaxed, with a weight off of her shoulders, returned to a much more familiar state of mind with Medusa.

While it might seem that Ainz's presence was the only reason for the stress the two Gorgon sisters were in, this was not actually the case. The main one, probably, but still not the only one. The one thing that had stressed the Sisters more, was their inability to talk with, and the complex jumbles of emotions with Medusa. Something that hung over their heads like a sword of Damocles, something that was slowly dispersing as this conversation turned. Perhaps even more than Medusa herself, the Sisters feared the conversation more. Yet, they really loved their sister, even if sometimes their love took on unusual forms, so they kept talking.

"Children grow up so quickly," Following her sister's joke and perhaps as a way to release her nervousness, Euryale exaggeratedly brushed an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye. The duo's actions caused Medusa to sigh and roll her eyes good-naturedly, which in turn caused a fit of laughter to burst from the sisters.

"I'm not much younger than you two." Medusa pursed her lips, before a smile broke on her face, causing Medusa to look down to hide just how happy she is. As the laughter died down, Medusa started talking again.

"Still I… I'm glad that we managed to talk."

"Medusa," To Medusa's unexpectedly somber words, the two sisters spoke at the same time, repeating each other's words as if they really had one mind. "You are our sister, our family, and we will always accept you. We just hope that you do too…"

"Of course I will," Not allowing the two sisters to finish their thought, Medusa immediately hurried to answer them with a smile, "We are family after all."

A comfortable silence was established for a second, after which, in a coordinated gesture, the three sisters embraced each other at the same time.

In the end, they all did stupid and terrible things. All of them, one way or another, were guilty of each other's misfortunes.

But, probably, this was the essence of the family - not only to do good to each other, but also to forgive the bad.

And therefore, when Medusa pulled away from her sisters, there was no more nervousness, no fear, no indignation inside her. Although, perhaps, there was a little of the latter when she noticed the 'prank' that her sisters had played on her.

"Euryale", - Medusa looked at her sister, then turned her gaze towards her soiled jacket, It was marked with a somewhat gaudy color, exactly the size of a finger. "Your nail polish is not dry."

"Yes, I see it, you know. I'm not blind." Without even trying to offer any excuse or feel any embarrassment, Euryale looked at Medusa's clothes, and apologized insincerely. "I'm very, very sorry."

At these obvious lies, Medusa only rolled her eyes, but still with a smile on her face. "You have always been the meanest of us all."

"What?!" - With an air of offended innocence, Euryale pulled away from their embrace, bringing her hand to her heart in a gesture of mock offense. "How dare you say such a thing! I am a small and innocent girl! See this innocent face, and see the face of magnanimity!"

"Who also just stained her dress with nail polish," Medusa noticed something as she saw her sister's bad acting with some slight vengeful pleasure. She had noticed that her sister had unknowingly left a mark of nail polish on herself. Her exaggerated movements had left a small and obviously very hard to erase mark on her own clothes.

Euryale, realizing her blunder, immediately lifted her hand away from her dress in a panic. Gawping with shock at the stained marks, she sighed and raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm only a hundred years old, I'm still so young!"

"Actually, aren't you… " Stheno, sensing blood in the water, hurried to speak about Euryale's real age, before Euryale rushed to shut her mouth. Though if Stheno realized that, being twins, they would have the same age and her joke would only result in an own goal, is up in the air.

Looking at this soul-warming scene in front of her, Medusa smiled once more before nodding slowly to herself.

Really. Family.

It was the family that she always thought about and, probably, dreamed of.

It must have been funny, but not only terrible things had happened to her in the past. And, in what might seem like a strange dream from a past life, she remembered her life with her sisters on the Shapeless Island. And while it might sound strange - but for her, accepting the good that happened to her in the past was perhaps even harder than the bad.

Medusa eventually embraced the unsightly sides of her life, but until that time, she had concentrated too much on the bad parts of her life and never actually even thought about the good things that happened to her in the past. About her happy life surrounded by her sisters and the love she had received from them.

It's funny, but Medusa quickly and easily accepted the fact that her life was terrible, that her life was nothing more than a tragedy, ignoring the fact that she, too, had her own bright moments.

It probably spoke of something about her - but Medusa was not sure about what it was.

And this scene in front of her… for Medusa it was the last push she needed, to fully take in, not only all the bad things that had happened to her, but also all the good that has ever happened to her - and to accept it as a part of her life.

And only after realizing all this, Medusa could truly say that…

She was probably happy.

Even if bad things happened to her, in the past or in the future, there was still good in her life. And it was also not just from a beautiful dream created exclusively from beautiful moments that she would wake up from. It was real. And, even the bad things that happened to her, in the end, served to make her life real and her emotions real.

And it was at the junction of such things that Medusa could say that, probably, right now…

She was indeed happy.

Medusa's thoughts, however, were interrupted in a very unexpected way - from the contact of something soft, cold and wet with her cheek. The strange sensation made Medusa turn to the side to look into the eyes of a grinning Euryale, holding a bottle of nail polish in her hands, the brush of which was the reason for the wet sensation on her cheek.

When Medusa noticed the offending item, Euryale immediately pretended to pout. "Why did you turn around! Now the mustache will not be pretty at all!"

Medusa blinked at the nonsensical words, before realizing what Euryale was trying to do to her right now, and why exactly Stheno was trying to keep her unrestrained laughter from bursting out.

"Very adult-like, Nee-san." Medusa stressed just how childish her older sisters' actions were, before getting up from her seat and, with a sigh, walked out of her room towards the nearest sink, hoping to wash off the nail polish from her cheek before it had a time to dry.

Euryale and Stheno stayed silent as they watched Medusa leave, before exchanging glances and smiling.

Sometimes even the oldest of people need a little childishness in their life.

Then, as if their smiles were never there, the two sisters embraced each other with trembling hands.

Indeed, the two Sisters were more worried about this conversation than even Medusa did. After all, the situation they're in was more complicated. What happened once, many centuries ago, with Medusa and the sisters was just a part of the legend that is the 'Gorgon sisters', nothing more. And they've never blamed Medusa for what had happened anyway, so there was no need for Medusa to apologize in the first place.

What the sisters had done to Medusa, on the other hand, was unforgivable. The two Sisters had hurt Medusa in the worst way possible. They had betrayed her.

They were afraid, they were really afraid of losing Medusa.

Ainz alone could destroy them, yes - and the memories of what he did alone was enough to make the sisters tremble in fear. But, the thought of losing Medusa scared them even more.

There were three of them, always three. Three sisters, three Gorgons, three goddesses. There were always the three of them. When they had nothing but the three of them, this was the only eternal constant of their life. How could they live if Medusa, their beloved little sister, hated them? If she decided that she would never like to see them again?

Even spending an eternity in the stomach of the Gorgon was better than that.

And these were the thoughts that stewed in the Sisters' head as they started the conversation. Such nervousness naturally led to their exaggerated actions to delay the dreaded conversation. They were almost catatonic in worry and fear, just like Medusa did - the Sisters were just much more experienced in hiding their feelings.

And yet, in the end, the cat was out of the bag, and with it, a huge load fell from their backs. They were family. They were still a family. And they will continue to be a family.

The two sisters smiled at each other… Before Stheno felt something small, soft, cold and wet on her cheek.

Moving away from Euryale in shock, the sister stroked her cheek with her finger, only to find a trace of nail polish on it. Stheno immediately returned her attention back to her twin, who was grinning the most malicious of all possible smiles, and the open bottle of nail polish clutched in her hands.

In other conditions, Stheno would probably have been outraged by such behavior from her twin, but in the current mood she could only breathe a feigned sigh and stick out her tongue. "Medusa was right."

"About what?" Euryale, pleased with the success of her prank, closed her bottle of nail polish just in case, before looking at Stheno with an interested look.

"You really are the meanest of us all," Stheno grinned before jumping off of the bed and running after Medusa, hearing Euryale throwing curses at her from behind.

Really…

Stheno rubbed her hand against her cheek, feeling the wet nail polish on it, and grinned.

They were really family.

---

Name: Euryale

Race: Heteromorphic

Title: The Meanest of Us All (The other two Gorgon Sisters) \ Cupid of the Shapeless Isle

Occupation: Servant of Ainz Ooal Gown

Residence: Chaldea, Medusa's room

Karma: +50 (Neutral ~ Neutral Good)

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 95: American servants

Ainz, the beloved Master of Angrboda, of course, had done his best to help her and the (emergency food) human to get to what passes as a fortress to the people of this Singularity. But, as befits her beloved Master and his great wisdom, he had not teleported them directly to the city, taking care to be mindful of the reaction of the Servants there or to preclude the springing of any traps. Not that Angrboda herself would be in any danger from such things, but it just shows how much her dearest cared for her.

And so, after a flash, Angrboda and the human were now at some distance away from their destination, with a clear and strict order in case of anything happening, even the smallest or just suspected danger, to inform Ainz. The thought of just how much her beloved cared for her made Angrboda feel a sense of warmth spreading in her chest.

However, this bright feeling of love and joy was almost overshadowed by the annoyance of being entrusted with the task of watching and protecting a (bug) human.

If one were to compare Angrboda's way of thinking with that of an ordinary human, then for her, this current assignment was for her an occupation as strange and even as repulsive as a request from her lover to follow and protect his beloved cockroach, freely running around his house. In other words - Angrboda was barely holding herself from just squishing the disgusting human. But… Oh, what great sacrifices she makes for the sake of love!

Of course, it was difficult for Angrboda to even endure a human being next to her, she can barely imagine how she would feel when, out of her own free will, she would be entering into the nest of these creatures. She could feel her skin crawling with goosebumps imagining such a scenario! But, for the sake of her beloved Ainz, she will endure even much worse things! And so, overcoming all of her disgust, having have to wait for the (waste of air) human to do whatever it is it's doing, Angrboda, with all the fake cheer and kindness she could dredge up, addressed the bug. "Okay, Medea, what did you see?"

"Medea?" Hearing himself being called by the name of another Servant, Tesla was confused. It definitely grabbed his attention, so props to that, but then, he looked at himself and looked confusedly at Angrboda. "What part of me could be confused with that of Medea's? Or are you talking to Medea right now?"

"Um," Angrboda was surprised, this bug was not Medea? Hmm, is this one Nobu… something, no Nobu has black hair, and it is with Ainz right now. Ah! That's right, this one's Tesla! Her perception of people was so bad that she could hardly distinguish them from each other, never mind remembering their names. Who would be bothered to name ants, never mind actually remember it! "Exactly, Tesla. What have you seen?"

Tesla thought for a second whether he should ask more about Angrboda's perception and this unknown similarity to Medea that he even didn't know about. That is of course before, once again, demonstrating his ingenious intellect, he instead chose the most correct solution, to not anger the incomprehensible and strong being. A being that is already trying, very unsuccessfully, to hide her disregard and hatred of the situation they're in and him in particular. And one that, just to be safe, he should try his best to limit his interaction with.

In addition, he could foresee an unavoidable battle in the future where he needs all his strength to survive, much less prevail in. And he could not expect anything else when it involved his arch nemesis, so he would be taking the option that preserves the most good will from this creature in front of him. And that evidently involves not needlessly provoking the beast by indulging his curiosity. "It's a City and one that is, for this era at least, is huge. But, still, given the general technological level of this time, I noticed that, by indirect signs, it is one that is not so big for the modern world. I would say that the city would have a population of one and a half or two million people…"

At Tesla's explanation, Angrboda grimaced in disgust as if she was just splashed by rotting garbage, she then nodded gloomily in reluctance, taking control of her emotions. Angrboda almost lost her meal at the prospect of having to walk amongst so many crawling insects. Especially since she can't just start stomping the disgusting things. No, she has to tolerate them - at least for now - but it took all her will and self-control to carry out Ainz's orders.

"And, according to my estimates, at least half a million robots, perhaps more." Tesla concluded his findings, grimacing a little at what he had seen, though for a radically different reason from Angrboda. That damn Edison! That damned thief! While he, Tesla, the father of a new era, had created miracles and lauded as a visionary, society had rebuffed him. While Edison, that charlatan, was welcomed with open arms by the people for his works. But none of 'his' works are his! He stole inventions from others, appropriated others' works as his, and then made an industry out of it! That thief, getting rich on other people's labors without shame! That stupid, pathetic, insignificant worm, unworthy to be called a scientist, is in that City!

"They did not notice our presence?" Angrboda asked all the same to the silently fuming scientist, to which Tesla shook his head. Grimacing at the prospect of entering the city full of bughuman, the two Servants started walking towards the city. "Well… In that case, we need to go there…"

Judging by the information the two of them had received from Ainz, who in turn had received the information from another source, their supposed background was extremely simple if anyone were to confront them. Apparently, in this Singularity, Servants periodically appear in the blasted desert for some reason. These newly Servants then would wander for a time through the desert scorched by nuclear fire, until they eventually would wander onto the strongholds of the two warring factions. And so with some simple subterfuge, Tesla and Angrboda appearing out of nowhere in Edison's capital was nothing unusual.

Of course, there might be some problem with the fact that no Servant would be able to recognize Angrboda. But, seeing that Servants hide pretty much any information about them on principle, barring some peculiar exception that is, it was no issue at all. In addition, Tesla's presence would instantly divert people's attention from Angrboda to his person. Tesla's identity was pretty much impossible not to identify, especially in this city controlled by that empty-headed idiot Edison. So, from the point of view of hiding information about Angrboda as their strongest trump card, Tesla could only reluctantly admit that Ainz had made the right decision.

The knowledge of which, of course, did not calm Tesla himself at all!

He and that brainless blockhead! If it does not turn into a battle in the first minute of their meeting, Tesla might even consider converting to a religion at the sight of such a real miracle!

Gradually, the usual sight of a bustling city, people scurrying about their business, and the patrols could be seen on the horizon, the sight becoming clearer as the two Servants walked. The blotches that could only be seen by an Archer's eyes, now jutted upward into buildings, crisscrossed with many streets and houses. The city was lit with electric lights on the sides of the roads, and one could even see very modern cars hurrying about their business.

Tesla almost spat in anger, disregarding his gentlemanly disposition at such a disgusting sight. That charlatan even dared to steal the designs of Henry Ford and even have the temerity to call the cars an 'Edison' ! What a pathetic action from a nonentity!

Tesla and Angrboda had barely entered the city limits when one of the many robotic patrols noticed their presence and surrounded them.

Tesla could hardly refrain from rolling his eyes. That scoundrel even blatantly used Babbage's robot design, before sticking his ugly emblem to each and one of them. Acting as if he were the inventor! How impudent!

To the mechanical guards, the two of them made for a very colorful sight, that is if the robots have the capacity to appreciate it. Angrboda, who was simultaneously frowning and disgusted at the sight of the multitudes of people who were rushing about their business close to the pair. And Tesla, who was glaring at the various mechanical inventions that he could see, seemingly ready to explode with a force no less equivalent to the recently invented, and, of course, appropriated by Edison as his personal invention, the nuclear bomb.

However, to the emotionless robots, having approached their pre-programmed suitable distance of several tens of meters, the new visitors' murderous intent was not something they could detect. After the mechanical guards attracted the attention of Angrboda and Tesla with a loud beep, they began speaking with a mechanical voice. "You were identified by this robot, a masterpiece manufactured by Edison Inc. the best technology not only in the world, but even in America… "

At the robots' unintended mockery of everything Tesla stands for, Tesla gritted his teeth so hard that if he were not a Servant, it would have broken to pieces. At that moment, it became a coin-toss whether it was he or Angrboda that would be the one to snap first and start destroying everything.

"As you're Servants, the amount - two - with an unknown signature," Disregarding the palpable malice the two Servants in front of them were emanating as they're but robots, they only continued to speak. "Please stay here as the information about your arrival has already been transmitted to the Eternal President, Thomas Alva Edison, and he would like to meet you…"

"Oh yes…" Tesla's expression changed from a grimace to a grin brimming with teeth, watching as a Servant, who most likely would be playing the role of a messenger or a guide, moves towards him from the distance. "I literally can't wait to meet him…"

---

On the other side of the continent, approaching the place that from what she read from her books was called Washington, Mashu could only wonder at how the city would look. Of course, now, instead of the name of the first President of the country that they were in, the city was now named a word from the Gaelic language that Mashu couldn't even pronounce, never mind understand the meaning of. That is, of course, if she had not immediately forgotten the name as soon as the Saber that was leading the way had said it.

Strangely enough, even when she was heading towards the stronghold of a possible enemy, Mashu was not feeling nervous at all.

First of all, it was because Mashu was confident in her abilities, as arrogant as it might sound. And if not that, then in Medea's capabilities, which would be a terrible force to reckon with in a battle, especially with Mashu's protection. Secondly, because the Saber next to her had shown her nothing but friendliness, not even bothering to ready his blade as they walked and calmly showing his back to his possible opponents. But thirdly and perhaps most importantly, because next to Mashu was Ainz, her Master and Senpai, a person capable of fighting on equal terms even with the legendary Solomon. So, whoever they meet or fight in the future, Mashu doubts that anything they could bring would be able to make Ainz pause, let alone pose any real danger to him or her.

"Ah, we're almost there, look!" Saber pointed ahead, all the while maintaining his grin, which somehow looked like an animal that strangely enough looks familiar to Mashu. At Saber's exuberant display, Ainz nodded and in a flash, the group was teleported closer, exactly where Saber was pointing at. "Fuck, teleportation is definitely fucking convenient!"

"How, how did he do it…" A voice came to Mashu from the direction of Medea, who was frowning as she attempted to understand the workings of Ainz's magic now that she could watch it up close. Not to say anything bad about Medea, but Mashu held little hope that Medea would be able to do such a feat. Medea, of course, was a great magus and, for sure, an incredible scientist. But, if even the great Da Vinci in the end fails to even make an iota of progress in understanding Ainz's magic, the theory of idols be damned. So watching Medea watching Ainz's every action with great focus, Mashu could only offer her sympathies to Medea in this endeavor, before shifting her gaze and looking around at the city that was now in front of her.

Mashu, of course, has never been a great connoisseur of architecture and couldn't really tell what she's looking at. Something which was not unusual, given the conditions of her life before her adventures in the Singularities. But, when she heard the words 'Gaelic Kingdom' she had imagined something much more… Medieval. Peasants, knights, horse riders and maybe something like she saw in the Rome Singularity.

And so, to her undisguised shock, instead of seeing a quaint medieval city straight out of storybooks, what she sees is a modern city. One that is from the 1900s, that is perhaps a few decades ahead of the London Singularity. In front of her, she could see primitive puffing cars slowly riding along the cobbled streets, people in clothes from the times of the wild west walking along the side roads that were lit with archaic lampposts.

Perhaps the only thing that stands out to Mashu that she could see was the many varied banners flying all around the city as far as the eyes can see. And on each of the banners was adorned the image of… huh?

"Is, is that…" Ainz blinked in surprise, noticing the same that Mashu did, and apparently coming to the same conclusion. "Cu Chulainn?

Each banner flown around the city featured a man very reminiscent of Cú Chulainn, but with some very significant differences. The first thing that anyone that knew Caster would see was that the skin of the Cu on the banner was not Cu Chulainn's slightly pale skin color, but somehow darkened with various red symbols adorning his body.

It is as if someone had decided to draw Cu as a demon in the most cliché way possible. With his torso that was practically naked, teeth that were drawn with sharpened edges like small fangs, and the gloves covering his arms and legs in the manner that suggested some kind of paws or the bones of a monster, they were definitely successful in depicting Cu as such. Only to fail in the last detail, as Cu Chulainn was drawn with the expression of incredible boredom, looking somewhere into the distance uninterested, ruining the entire aesthetic.

"Something like that!" Saber burst out laughing at the group's bafflement. "Our King!"

Furthermore, on many of such banners, he was drawn accompanied by a short girl with long pink hair, the cutest expression on her face. An expression which would usually be accompanied by the words 'innocent', if the girl was not exposing her body so openly that the thought that the girl was clearly someone that is well-versed in the bedroom arts came up by itself. And this was from Mashu of all people, someone who never looked at girls in that way before, so what can we say about other people! What will people think if…

Mashu's gaze then came across a beautiful flag, it's contents expressing all the beauty of the girl in question, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Mashu could feel her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as she saw it hanging almost in the form of a flag over the entrance to a large building, with a large sign expressing what it's used for. "A Brothel?".

"And that is our queen," Not at all embarrassed by the sight of his queen almost naked for all to see, Saber shrugged his shoulders, as he pointed his finger at the banner with undisguised pride. "She's one hot piece of ass, I'll tell you! And I speak from personal experience!"

"In that case, the Servants' identities are established," Medea sighed at the display in front of her, at least there's not much mystery as to the identity of the Servants anymore. With a long-suffering sigh, she used her connection with Ainz, giving him information that Mashu was not privy to, to which Ainz only nodded.

"Okay,", - Ainz nodded again, - "I would like to meet them…"

"Everyone would like to!" Misunderstanding Ainz's words and his intention in wanting to meet them, at least Mashu hoped so, in regard to the pink haired harlot, Saber just laughed louder. "But they aren't so easy to meet! For the Queen, you need to prove that you are a worthy hero before you meet her and be 'rewarded'. And it's impossible to meet the King as he does not care about anything at all, he is more busy with battles and war…"

"I'm not talking about that," Interrupting Saber's spiel, Ainz corrected him to Mashu's delight. "It is necessary for me to meet them to discuss the situation with them…"

"Oh, I see," Saber, not at all embarrassed by his misunderstanding, just shrugged his shoulders before nodding. "If you want to do that, then it's easy to arrange."

Ainz nodded at the news before heading forward, not even paying any attention to the numerous risqué portraits of the girl. Something that Mashu greatly approves of, thinking that Ainz was really loyal to his lovers to not even be tempted by the sight… Something that Mashu failed at, as she openly gawked at the many, many bold images of the very open Queen strewn around the streets and buildings…

'Or, as his relationship with Medusa shows, he doesn't particularly like short girls.' Galahad openly wondered in Mashu's head, making her jump in surprise at the unexpected voice, once again forgetting that he was able to read her mind.

'Come on, experimenting with such things at your age is normal, especially mental ones!' - Galahad laughed, but Mashu chose the best possible tactic - silence and ignorance, hurrying after Ainz. Though, her burning cheeks clearly showed that Galahad's words had gotten to her.

Medea, pausing as she looked at the two portraits on the banners, sighed and looked up to the sky. - "I'm surprised that she hadn't created a whole harem of Cú Chulainns for herself… We really shouldn't allow her to meet our Cu Chulainn."

With one last look at the supposed 'Lover and Lord of all men' she hurried after the others.

---

Cu Chulainn felt uncomfortable walking next to his teacher, Scáthach. But he felt especially uncomfortable standing in between her and Nobunaga, not sure whether from caution of any attacks or to provoke Scáthach with these actions. Yet, although she agreed to behave herself, this did not mean that she couldn't be provoked into a fight. After all, if she was not the one that swung first it's not her fault, right? Is what Cu could guess she's thinking.

Cu Chulainn swallowed a nervous lump at the realization of just how fragile the peace was at the moment. Nobunaga… Cu could tell that she was not bloodthirsty, excited about any possible conflict, but she also does not shy away from battle. And Scáthach? Scáthach was so familiar to the very concept of battle, as natural a desire as that it was to breathe. She loved to fight, simply because it was an integral part of her essence.

Cu could definitely see where his love of fighting comes from.

Cu Chulainn swallowed his saliva, after which he steeled his resolve. If the both of them did not want a peaceful resolution, then all that was left for him to do was to try to change the atmosphere. At the very least, change into some kind of armed neutrality rather than the 'ready to explode' it is right now.

Haha, what an irony, Cu Chulainn, the hero of Ulster, the hound of Chulainn is trying to resolve something peacefully!

"So," As he broke the charged silence, he instantly felt the eyes of the two Servants beside him crossed on himself. Cú Chulainn had to fight his ingrained reflex of conflict resolution, that is, to stab till it disappears, and nevertheless tried his best to continue talking. "In this Singularity, we have three camps? One under the control of another Cu Chulainn, as strange as that sounds, the other under the control of this Edison and, lastly, yours, teacher?"

Scáthach frowned a little at Cu's words, but, after casting a glance at Nobunaga, who was refraining from hasty actions, still answered. "Yes. Moreover, both of the other camps are using the Demon Kings for their own purposes. Or the Demon Kings are using them? No matter, it is the same thing in the end. As for the Grail… It is not known who exactly owns the Grail, but this is not so important, after cooperating with the Demon Kings, none of them can be trusted and each of them is an enemy. After they are destroyed, the Grail would be found anyway."

Cú Chulainn once again thanked all the gods, even those in whom he did not believe in, for the fact that Scáthach had made an important distinction when he was questioned under geas. After all, he has no connection at all with the Demon Kings in 'this Singularity' except as enemies. It would be very, very unfortunate if he had to tell her that there was actually a Demon King that they were working with, or at least are working under Ainz. Of course, one that Ainz had stolen and subdued, but Cu didn't think that his Teacher would appreciate the distinction.

And Cú Chulainn could only thank his lucky star, as much as his luck like to screw him over, for the fact that he did not interact with Focalor much. Something as a result of which there was no distinct mark left on him about her nature that his teacher could sense. As for Ainz…

Well, there's nothing about him that he understood in any way whatsoever. No one has yet been able to fully understand his nature in any way. Never mind the fact that the only thing one could tell by examining him was their own death, it wouldn't be a mystery that is solved any time soon. The fact that Scáthach mistook him for a Balor's offspring for some reason also indicated that she would not raise this topic in the near future.

Although if one day his lies are revealed…

Cú Chulainn could only hope that his second death would be more pleasant, but not eternal, as the first did.

"And they have been warring between themselves for two months now, and all without a clear winner." Cu Chulainn summed up the information that his Teacher had revealed. - "And at the moment, you and your side are planning your next step and are waiting for them to commit to a big offensive before decapitating both sides with one blow."

"At least I was able to teach you to repeat the things that you were told," Scáthach exhaled with some sense of mocking disappointment, "I will consider it a satisfactory result that it penetrated your thick head."

"Thank you, Teacher," Cu Chulainn exhaled at the backhanded compliment. Of course, her response came out a little colder than usual, but in the current tense environment, it is probably to be expected. Perhaps he even should be glad that all he received from Scáthach was a slight coolness in the tone of her voice, and not the suspicious 'expecting an attack' look that Nobunaga receives from Scáthach. "Is there anything you can tell about the other Servants and if there were any fights?"

"Yes," Scáthach nodded, then glanced at Nobunaga, "I'll tell you about it a little later when we're somewhere safer."

At Scáthach's words and suspicious glare, Nobunaga grinned a little, and Cu Chulainn immediately hurried to change the subject. "How about the mood in your camp? How many Servants have you managed to attract to your side?"

"Only a few," Unexpectedly, the answer to Cú Chulainn's question did not come from Scáthach nor from Nobunaga, but from someone else entirely. "But trying to grasp victory depending on one's number was never our plan from the beginning."

Scáthach did not even react to the appearance of the new person, continuing to move nonchalantly towards the small camp that could now be seen with the naked eye, for a Servant anyway, while Nobunaga and Cu Chulainn, who was completely taken by surprise, stopped in place. In concert, the both of them immediately took a defensive posture towards the source of the voice.

The speaker turned out to be a short man, the most prominent feature of which was his dark and slightly reddish skin and his face, on which a white line was drawn. The mark on his face and his skin color told Cu Chulainn that the speaker was a Servant, which was a very rare sight, even in these strange Singularities. It was one of the American Indian Servants, a sight that even a hero like Cu Chulainn had never seen before.

A deep, calm voice, an eye-catching hairstyle in the form of several long braids, eagle feathers fastened on his belt and arms wrapped in bandages, to be honest, Cu Chulainn did not know who he was meeting with right now. Though perhaps that was to be expected with Servants and their need for secrecy. Of course, if he was given a name, he would probably be able to remember this Servant from what he could remember from the Throne of Heroes. But without it, Cu Chulainn unfortunately was not that knowledgeable about the legendary heroes from the New World, especially those that were American Indians. Of course, there's no need to ask Nobunaga if she knew the Servant. The Japan of her times was famously not the most open country.

But, if there was one thing he knew, it was that he was very familiar with the other Servant that was overshadowed by the strange appearance of the Servant. At the very least, he was very familiar with her voice. "It's new guests ~ umu!"

Cu Chulainn blinked in shock and surprise.

No, they had left Nero in Chaldea! This is absurd, there's no way Nero could have found herself here! Definitely not! No way! Not a single chance!

Cu Chulainn, with a kind of inner dismay and perhaps resignation, turned his gaze to stare at the approaching Servant…

And it was definitely Nero. Or maybe it was her twin sister? Or maybe it was like his situation, where he was summoned as a Caster? The Nero in front of him might be simply another reflection of the same Servant… the possibility of which gives little comfort to Cú Chulainn.

Looking at the color of her eyes, at her blond hair and stupid ahoge, even her strange manner of behavior and voice, one could only conclude that the speaker was indeed Nero. The only other difference between this Nero and the one in Chaldea was her outfit. And what an outfit it was, Nero's already outrageous red dress was replaced by a white laced dress… That is somehow even more suggestive.

Cu Chulainn was frozen, as he saw the manner of dress this Nero was wearing.

Ahem, what is the most correct way he could call it, a wedding dress? Well it is indeed white, brimming with lace, it was definitely beautiful. On the other hand, it was not voluminous like a traditional wedding dress, but instead so skin-tight that it showed off the beautiful curves of Nero's body. The sight of which added at least ten points to Nero's appearance, at least according to Cu's internal scoring board.

Looking a little closer, Cu Chulainn then noticed that a small translucent piece of white cloth was also hanging behind Nero's head… Is that?

Yes, it was indeed a wedding veil. Nero was indeed wearing a wedding dress, at least her interpretation of it, while in America during the time of the Wild West, somehow. Hanging around a desert where nuclear bombs had exploded nearby.

Well, um… Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary, just another day in the life of the saviors of mankind.

Nobunaga, just now noticing the approaching Nero, did not come to the same realization that Cu Chulainn had received. At least she didn't if judging from her shocked exclamation. "Nero!? What the hell!?"

"Hmm, do we know each other?" At Nobunaga's question, Nero turned towards her with a puzzled look on her face. "I don't think we have met before…"

Cu Chulainn could only share a commiserating look with the other Servant as Nero and Nobunaga started arguing, hoping to perhaps acquire a comrade that understood the strangeness that is their life. But, rather than any positive answer, he only closed his eyes and shook his head. "Fate sometimes goes in strange ways…"

"Truly," Cu Chulainn could only sigh as an answer to that very true statement before returning his attention back to Nero. "So, ahem… Your Imperial Majesty, why are you here too? In this Singularity?"

"I am where victory, glory and my honey awaits me!" Nero shook her head at her declaration, as if it answered anything. "Umu! You know how to address my imperial personage!"

"I had practice…" Cu Chulainn muttered almost to himself, before finally realizing that Scáthach had left him and Nobunaga with the strange pair, continuing on her way having already retreated a decent distance away. "I'm sorry, Your Imperial Majesty, but duty calls!"

"What the hell, Cu?" Nobunaga complained as Cu tried to drag her along.

"We need to hurry," He said with pressure, looking into Nobunaga's eyes with desperation, forcing her to roll her eyes and nod.

"Later, you will explain to me everything you know." Nobunaga muttered under her breath as she hurried along after Scáthach and Cu Chulainn.

Nero and the unknown Servant, left without the newcomers, only exchanged glances.

"They are pretty cute," Nero smiled harmlessly, and then with childish exuberance, declared excitedly to the world. "What if they can lead me to my darling ~ umu!?"

"Fate sometimes goes in strange ways…" - The other Servant nodded meaningfully.

"You answer all of my questions like that, umu!" - Nero stamped her foot in indignation at their non-answer.

"I have no other answers for you," The Servant smiled a little, - "If you want to hear another answer - ask your question to another Servant."

"Yes, yes, I know," To these words Nero turned away, waving her hand, - "Good luck to you."

"Good luck to all of us," The Servant just nodded gravely at the not-so-serious phrase from Nero, before exhaling and looking up at the sky.

In the sky, among the cloudless blue, the black halo continued to hang.

---

Comments on the story of the Argonauts in six parts, scientific monograph:

… Among the many tellings of the story about the legendary Argonauts, there are many contradictions, as expected as there are as many authors as there are stories about the Argonauts. Sometimes, a telling would include heroes others would exclude, or even exclude heroes that others would include, making the members of the Argonauts vary wildly from each telling. Sometimes the path the Argo took would change radically, either adding more places they visited or the route their adventure took. And sometimes, even the outcome of the voyage itself.

Of course, there are elements that remain unchanged even from the many tellings of the same story by different story tellers. First is the ship 'Argo', next is Jason's goal to recover his kingdom and his leadership over all the Argonauts. That of his journey to acquire the Golden Fleece and the help he had acquired from the princess of Colchis, Medea. As well as his marriage to the princess.

But everything other than that is extremely hazy, information that easily changes from one author to another.

In particular, in some versions of the tale, the legendary Jason himself is described as a coward who never entered any battle of his own free will and only survived the fights he could not escape by the help of his much more capable teammates. And that he once even betrayed the Argonauts for the sake of saving his own skin, turning against them to serve the 'dark forces'.

Something which is especially ironic considering the fact that the ancient Greeks themselves did not divide the world into the unambiguously evil or good. And therefore, the fact that Jason supposedly served something that is 'evil' in his cowardice serves only to highlight how much the mythological Jason was not loved. A telling that was possibly created as to serve as an insult to the real king of Thessaly, Jason.

However, according to the other tellings, the one that is more widely accepted, Jason, on the contrary, was a brave navigator, a loyal friend and a selfless hero who once had even defeated a Heracles maddened by his grief in battle. Something so rare that, perhaps, in ancient Greek myths, this is the only story in which Heracles was defeated in battle. Of course, even in the legend where Jason fought against the distraught Heracles, he was not alone and obtained his victory due to their help.

The source of the story itself might have been born as an allegory and not as an actual event. One must keep in mind that the very lineage of Jason himself was destined to fight with the gods, at least according to legends that is. It might even be prudent to say that the genealogy of Jason is not at all inferior to Heracles himself. While Heracles was related to the Divine Zeus, Jason was descended from the line of his grandfather, Krefei who is in turn the grandson of Ellin - the legendary founder of the Hellenic people themselves. The legendary Ellin who himself was the great-grandson of the legendary Titan Prometheus.

In other words, literally fate itself was pushing Jason for this confrontation…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 96: Fated meeting

As they walked along the city streets following the supposed 'guide', the two, Tesla and Angrboda's thoughts, were worlds apart. But, on the whole, they surprisingly agreed on some things.

For example, the fact that they were barely holding in their annoyance and murderous impulses at the sights they see in the city, albeit for very different reasons. Angrboda, for instance, was annoyed by the people surrounding her. Being surrounded on all sides by humans made her feel like countless bugs were crawling all over her body, but had to fight the impulse to squish them like the bugs they are. On the other hand, she really doesn't care about the mechanical contraptions around her, though this Edison guy really loves to put his name on every thing.

Tesla on the other hand, as a person who lived in the 19th Century, the mass of human bodies was nothing unusual. But, seeing every building on both sides of the street, every lamppost on the road, and displayed almost garishly on every tag on clothes not yet sold visible through the windows of boutiques marked with Edison's name almost made him unleash System Keraunos damn all subtlety and the casualties it may cause. The fact that doing so would make Angrboda go on a killing spree, thus making them fail Ainz's objectives, was the only thing keeping his anger at bay.

Tesla knows that Edison has a bloated ego, but how is he not sick of this much vanity!?

Also, both Tesla and Angrboda agreed that their… 'guide' was someone that is not at all suitable for their role. He was very strong, so strong in fact that, for a second, Tesla even felt sick at the thought that Edison had managed to get himself a Servant such as this! Angrboda, however, was just as sickened as Tesla, though again for a wildly different reason. No, she was upset by the fact that the Servant, this wonderful child, that was just in her arms' reach, was forced to reside in this city full of (parasites) people, forced to spend his time in this disgusting place.

Tesla knew which Servant's back he was following behind right now, Angrboda too, although for her, her knowledge of his identity came from a different source than Tesla's. Tesla, as an enlightened man, knew the history of the Servant before him, and nothing as base as hiding his name could hide his radiance. Angrboda on the other hand knew of the Servant's essence, and the both of them were not happy to see this Servant in his current role.

Albeit, again, for different reasons.

Tesla understood that in the event where he had to fight the Servant, it would not be easy, even for him, to secure victory. But, if he also had to fight him along with Edison at the same time, then he would have no choice but to retreat.

Angrboda, her reason for being upset as she watched the figure in front of her, was simply saddened by the fact that her dear wonderful child was forced to be among, she dreads to imagine how her child had suffered, humans!

Angrboda wanted to brush her teeth at the thought that she had uttered that disgusting word, even in her own head… Which just makes it worse, now that she thought about it.

However, the guide, even if he somehow became aware of the thoughts of the two Servants behind him, did not betray his thoughts in any way. With a measured gait, he simply continued to obey the order given to him, that is to escort the two Servants to meet his master. Following orders, as he always did in his life.

Then as they reached the largest and most ornate building of the city named most originally - Edison City - Tesla gritted his teeth when he first heard about the name - the Servant that had guided them stopped before turning around. As the Servant turned, Tesla and Angrboda could see his beautiful, aristocratic, sharp featured pale face, framed by white hair, a polite neutral expression on his face, before he started speaking. "The Eternal President, Thomas Alva Edison, will receive you now."

"I'm just trembling in anticipation…" Tesla grunted through gritted teeth, as he looked at the tall and thin figure in a black suit, whose arms and legs were covered with golden armor.

Karna.

Of all the people and heroes that that insignificant worm, Edison, could have acquired, he got Karna, the Hero of Charity, Hero of the Poor, and Child of the Sun.

Perhaps one of the greatest heroes of India and one of the greatest heroes of humanity, Karna. The son of the Sun God, Surya, the invincible Karna, endowed with all gifts, all abilities and who have received a spear capable of killing the gods themselves from Indra. A weapon that was too strong even for Indra himself to use. The invincible, powerful and, what was most disgusting for Tesla - loyal Karna. He is a Servant that would obey all his orders and would never even consider the concept of betraying his Master, whoever he was.

Of all the Heroes that Edison could meet or summon - of course he got Karna… It wasn't as if Tesla was hoping for something good to happen in this life!

Angrboda, too, was somewhat embittered and saddened by the Servant's visage. Although not because of a particular hatred of Edison or anything like that. The reason for this was simply because she literally could not bear watching her little child, the lesser deity of the Sun, being forced to walk among humans!

It was hard for her and almost sickening for Angrboda to bear looking at how some unreasonable squalor that calls himself the 'eternal president' was making fun of her dear child by making him do such a menial job!

Well, yes, he's not his child by blood. But in essence, the Servant in front of her was still her child!

Angrboda barely suppressed the urge to growl in anger, calming down at the last second. For the sake of her beloved, She will make any sacrifices! Even if such sacrifice took the form of having to bear watching how these… these lowly creatures mock her child, forcing him to be in this pigsty!

Still, it doesn't mean that she wants to prolong her stay in this god-forsaken place!

And so with a huff, Angrboda barreled forward, after gently pushing Karna aside of course, then with one push that almost broke the ornate doors, she walked inside the large building that was apparently the headquarters of the local government. After which, without listening to the words and warnings of the various (bugs) guards trying to accost her, she quickly walked forward, forcing Tesla and Karna to hurry after her. Though whether or not Tesla was dragging his feet, no one could tell.

Without the help of a map, and with no one to guide her, Angrboda simply headed to the largest and most ornate door, assuming that a person that would name a city after himself would definitely do that. She didn't have to travel far before she encountered a huge double door made of mahogany, it was so needlessly large that even she could pass through it without having to bend her head. She had found her goal. And so with barely a pause she opened them, bursting into the office with the desire and intention to express her displeasure to this 'president', to share what exactly she thought of him and his personnel decisions. They could still have an amicable relationship if he left him only half dead, right?

However, for a second, after she passed through the doors and finally saw the 'President', even in her fit of righteous anger, she still paused her steps at the sight she saw.

Tesla, who had followed closely behind her, as soon as he saw the Servant in front of him through the opened door, froze in shock with his mouth flapping uselessly at the sight.

Karna, however, lingered a little behind the duo, having to calm the people and the guards that Angrboda had passed by. As the two Servants were too shocked by what they saw, Karna had enough time to close the doors behind them and, apparently, to sweep off any traces of dust and debris on the marble floor. As he joined the two Servants in the President's office, he was also exposed to the President's strange appearance, which he took without even a raised eyebrow, apparently already familiar to him, joining his Master's side.

It was a Lion, an Anthropomorphic lion at that, Half-human with a head of a Lion. It was a very bizarre appearance. But still, even with his bizarre appearance, Tesla would never fail to identify his most hated supposed 'rival'.

"Edison…" Tesla could barely believe his eyes, as he saw the man take off his glasses from his maned face, putting them on the table well away from the documents he was reading before they entered the office. "You're a… Furry. I need something strong to delete this memory."

The man in front of them was a man of immense height, but he was a human only starting from the neck down. It was an appearance that was definitely human, two arms and legs, a fully human chest and belly… And the head of a lion. A real lion, with a mane, fangs, whiskers and all. A real, live, animal, a lion.

Speaking only those two halted sentences, Tesla couldn't string any more coherent words as he stared at Edison's form.

The man, slowly rising from the table, looked at Tesla with an inscrutable gaze at Tesla. "Nikola… How surprising that we have another chance to meet and yet even this time it is you again who comes to me asking…"

"You are a furry!" Tesla, not giving a damn about all the rules of etiquette, pointed his finger at Edison. "You are actually a furry!"

"Hmm…" - Edison, a little surprised by the lack of decorum, still tried to answer the accusation. "I prefer to call myself a…"

"Crave the intimate company of animals? Very intimate company at that?" Tesla blinked. - "I have always known that you were a purveyor of many a sins and perversions, Edison, but bestiality…"

"I'm not a furry, nor am I in any way a sexual deviant." Edison answered slowly but with intent, and then tried to start his introduction again. "I am the eternal president…"

"Is it some kind of fur suit? Edison, do you welcome new visitors in a fur suit to satisfy your fetishistic fantasies?" Tesla continued to speak with incredulity, ignoring Edison's words entirely. "Did you become President solely in order to normalize and indulge in your addictions?"

"I'm NOT A FURRY!" Edison, no longer able to bear Tesla's accusations, erupted in fury. And in an action as befitting as the man who can sell dreams, he immediately wheeled around for a dialogue with Angrboda, hoping that she could somehow interrupt Tesla's diatribe. "Hmm, madam, what a…"

"Stop!" Angrboda shouted before raising a finger up to her lips. "You look like a person from a demi-human race, but I don't feel a single iota of kinship from you. In fact, you feel unmistakably human… What kind of creature are you!?"

"He is a furry." Tesla replied immediately as he turned to Angrboda. "And I, in fact, would be reluctant to call furries, people…"

"I AM NOT A FURRY!" - Edison slammed his fists on the table, then glanced at Karna, - "Karna, confirm it!"

"I can confirm that my Master is not a furry…" After that, Karna was silent in thought for a second. "I, however, do not know what this term means…"

"It would be much better for you not to pollute your mind with such filth." Tesla responded with full seriousness, before turning back to Edison. This time, Tesla smiled, as if he had come to terms with everything that happened at the behest of Edison and even stopped reproaching him for his irrepressible ego, which had made him leave his personal symbol on every centimeter of the city, which he also named after himself. No, rather, it is as if he had received just compensation for the suffering that Edison had caused. "This secret was worth all the moral torment in my life! Who would ever imagine such a thing, for you to turn out to be…"

"I AM NOT FURRY!" Edison grabbed his head in frustration. Something made incredibly funny by his lion head. "TESLA, GET OUT! OUT, I SAY!"

"The truth will always sound in your ears, Edison!" - Tesla laughed devilishly, - "A liar, an impostor, and now a furry!"

"GET OOOOOOUT!" Edison grabbed the table, and in his frustration flipped it over, forcing the things that were previously on it to scatter all around the room. "GET OUT OF HERE, TESLA, OR I'LL KILL YOU! GET OUT!"

"No furries are allowed to order me around!" Tesla burst out laughing at Edison's actions. "No! Instead, I shall insult them until they cry!"

"TEEEEESLA!" Unable to bear the insults anymore, and disregarding all the rules of decency and banal prudence, Edison rushed toward Tesla with his fists upraised.

Karna, unsure of what to do since he was not ordered to do anything, could only watch the 'fight' happening in the presidential office. Though if the two scientists trying to fight each other in a fist fight counts as a fight is anyone's guess. Puzzled on what he should do, Karna instead looked towards Angrboda, hoping to get some kind of answer from her. This attempt, however, from the very beginning was doomed to failure, since Angrboda, seeing Karna's attention, simply smiled back at him without professing any answers.

For a second, it seemed to Karna that in this smile he could see the most real of motherly love, a strange feeling that he had never seen nor experienced. As Karna tried to puzzle out what the feeling he's feeling was, Angrboda approached him and started speaking. "Hello, my child, Karna."

Karna blinked owlishly at Angrboda's words, as far as he knows, they've never met before. "I beg your pardon, my lady, do we know each other?"

"Now, yes child", - Angrboda smiled, a smile so kind that for a second it seemed to Karna that a new Sun had risen in the room… Which was especially strange, considering that Karna was the son of the Sun. So does it mean that they're now three Suns?

"I…" - Karna could only look down, a little embarrassed, at the way the female seems to want to baby him. "I'm not sure what you mean by that. You know my name, but you haven't told me yours. Although, of course, I do not insist on this, I understand how important a name is for a Servant. But… I am sure that you are not Kunti, my mother."

"Of course not, I am not your birth mother," Angrboda smiled an understanding smile. "I am a universal mother, all children are my children!"

"Hmm?" Karna, now a little confused, could only cast his gaze down at the perceived failure. "I'm not sure if I understand…"

"You don't need to understand it, child." Angrboda put her hand on Karna's shoulder, and then pulled him into a strong embrace. So strong, in fact, that Karna could only realize with no small amount of incredulity that his golden armor was starting to crack from the pressure. If he didn't have his armor, he would have become nothing more than a splotch of blood from Angrboda's embrace. "You have to feel it, Karna! Tell me, do you want some homemade cookies? Are you not hungry? Have you eaten yet?"

"Hmm," Karna, as befitting his nature, did not take the embrace as an attack, and instead began to speak politely to Angrboda. All without expressing any discomfort from Angrboda's embrace. "I beg your pardon, my lady, you are squeezing me too tightly…"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Angrboda, seeing Karna's pained appearance, as faint as it is on Karna's unchanged appearance, released Karna instantly. The forceful release, causing Karna to sway slightly in place. Taking no heed to any discomfort that she may have caused Karna, Angrboda continued her tirade of questions. "Won't you tell me about your life? What are you doing now? Have you found a girl that you would like? And what about lunch? Did you already have lunch today? You are very thin, you need to eat more!"

"Hmm…" - Karna, not quite sure how he should react to the mothering, tried to find Edison with his eyes...

To find him rolling on the floor, trying to rip out a lock of Tesla's hair. Tesla, however, did not lag behind, continuing to drag Edison by the whiskers.

"You were always close to Ford!" - Tesla laughed, not paying attention to Edison's actions, - "Was he also one of your!?"

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Edison replied to Tesla mocking words by redoubling his efforts to tear off Tesla's head.

Seeing no help coming anytime soon, Karna slowly shifted his gaze to Angrboda's expecting gaze, and he could only sigh. "Okay… I haven't had lunch yet, so perhaps… We can go…"

"Excellent!" Not allowing Karna to finish, Angrboda broke into a smile and grabbed Karna's arm before leading him out of the room. "By the way, how do you feel about human flesh?"

"What?!" Karna almost stumbled on his own leg at the strangeness of the question as he looked at Angrboda in complete bewilderment.

"Just an innocent question!" Angrboda smiled, innocently. "Let's go, we need to find a good place to eat! You are so thin, if you don't eat more, soon your armor will begin to fall off you!"

Karna just glanced back in the room, where two scientists were still floundering on the floor, and exhaled. It seems that he had a couple of hours to spare before having to return to his duty…

---

Ainz sigh the sigh of the damned as he marched towards the approaching doors of something that, under these conditions, was most likely a palace. Hmm, if this country was ruled by a King and Queen, then of course the building in front of him should be a palace, it doesn't look like that at all though. Ainz is used to palaces in the European or Japanese style in the first place, and what he's seeing looked more like a huge white mansion of a rich person rather than a palace. Hmm, maybe it's just the house they use while in the city, and their seat of power is somewhere else entirely?

Though, why does it look so familiar?

Deciding not to burden his memory once again, for something so unimportant at that, Ainz simply followed after Saber who had entered the building. Passing through the doors opened by Saber, Ainz found himself in a long hall that ended on a pedestal, on which there were placed two thrones of unequal sizes. One of them, the larger one that is, was occupied by a man that Ainz had already seen on the many posters - Cu Chulainn… If Cu Chulainn was somehow descended from a demon.

On the second throne, placed next to the larger one nearby, was a short girl, whose appearance he was also familiar with thanks to the many posters outside. Although, if the many artists had managed to convey the bestial essence of Cu Chulainn's appearance quite succinctly, then they had definitely faced some difficulty trying to fully reflect the beauty of the girl.

The girl sitting on the throne, who even when Ainz had arrived continued to look at Cú Chulainn with love and adoration that could almost be palpably felt in the air, was short, with long pink hair, thin facial features, piercing eyes and a figure that would make many men involuntarily stick their gaze to her… Especially when her already sinful figure was emphasized by her clothes, which could only be called clothing at a stretch. Even in the porn that Ainz once saw a long, long time ago, they often wore more decent underwear than what was apparently the girl's top and skirt! It was probably more correct to say that both were more like two belts - and very small ones - with which the girl barely covered the most feminine parts of her body. And, of course, as if the image of the girl was not complete without it - she was wearing stockings that somehow made her appearance even more lewd.

As Ainz looked upon the girl lounging on the throne, Ainz involuntarily rejoiced that his Emotion Suppression could cope with his libido as well. He definitely wouldn't want to be aroused right now.

However, after suppressing his emotions, Ainz finally noticed that the girl was definitely not someone that he would describe as 'perfect'. He preferred taller girls, for instance, and her breasts were more on the modest side. Ainz preferred big…

Ahem, it doesn't matter!

Ainz shook his head, taking his eyes off the girl before looking once again at the seated Cu Chulainn, who was looking at Ainz's approach with laziness and even a kind of longing, for what however he couldn't tell. However, due to his appearance - demonic-red skin and armor that wrapped around his body like the bones or paws of a monster and his sharp teeth, even with his lazy posture, he looked more like a lazy monster, resting after eating an unlucky traveler and therefore was too full to contemplate chasing potential prey passing by.

"Hey, guess who I brought here!" To demonstrate all sorts of disregard for the royal persons, however, Saber shouted.

"I see." With these words, brimming with disregard, Cu Chulainn sighed and waved his hand to the side. "Then go, annoy someone else."

"Sure thing, my King." Grinning at the equally dismissive response from his king, Saber turned on a dime and walked out to the exit, passing by Ainz and his Servants. However, passing Medea and Mashu, Saber could not resist winking at them. "Bye, beauties! Hope to see you again!"

After that, Saber paused for a second next to Ainz and winked at him, "By the way, you are also cute. Come in for a round of drinks with me, if the desire arises!"

Ainz blinked, feeling some mixed feelings being flirted at by a man. That is, ahem… Well, what Saber had said could be regarded as a compliment. It is kind of strange… But it is a compliment all the same! And who knows, in this very 'open' country, such a compliment might just be nothing more than normal!

"And now you…" Even before Saber had left the building, Cu Chulainn examined the three new visitors and, with a voice, low, lazy, and with a little hoarseness and even anguish inside, started introducing himself. "I am Cu Chulainn. Well, Cu Chulainn Alter to be more precise, you can call me that if you want, I don't care."

After these words, the girl, the Queen, finally roused herself into a posture that was just barely more formal than before, nevertheless honoring the visitors with her attention, then introduced herself. "I am the Queen, Rider…" Never mind, it seems that she has enough common sense not to divulge her identity to potential enemies.

"Girl, are you kidding me?" At the Queen's paltry performance, Cu Chulainn just rolled his eyes and started speaking again. "This is Medb, she considers herself my queen - and I'm too lazy to tell her she is not."

"Cu Chulainn, my dear, do not say such cruel words…" Medb, ignoring that she was not alone in the room, coquettishly leaned over to the larger throne to drape herself on Cu Chulainn's shoulders. It seems that she's ignoring the words to the tone of voice and to the indifference with which Cu Chulainn looked at her. "Your words struck me straight in the heart!"

For a second, Ainz felt a sense of déjà vu, vividly imagining Angrboda in the place of Medb, and himself in Cu Chulainn's place. Before quickly dispelling these thoughts, trying to remember what he knew about these legendary figures.

Cu Chulainn, Ainz knew everything there is to know about him, well the normal form of his any way. A dark version of Cú Chulainn, huh? Ainz remembered that in YGGDRASIL there was a small chance to force Cú Chulainn into the form of an insane monster for a while if a number of conditions were met. Still his capabilities should be much the same as his Lancer form, so this didn't really interest him, Ainz did not see anything too interesting in the blackened version of Cú Chulainn. Except, of course, for his rarity value as a part of a collection.

Um, he has Cu Chulainn as Caster, if he were to summon Cu Chulainn as Lancer and this alternate version of Cu Chulainn - will he be able to say that he got a full set of possible Cu Chulainns? Hmm, the collector in him just had its interest tingled.

Anyway, Medb was a little more interesting to Ainz. In Yggdrasil, Medb also existed and was even an ally for Ainz and other players of the heteromorphic race… Well, somewhat.

In Yggdrasil, Medb existed as an extremely powerful faerie, a Queen of the Winter Court, and was one of the secret bosses for the 'good' side, comparable in strength to Angrboda, albeit with a slightly different focus. Instead of Angrboda who fights on her own when encountered as a boss, Medb was a very powerful witch and summoner. Fighting her has her constantly summoning many servants to her aid, strengthening them and debuffing the players. Something which earned her the nickname of the Bitch-Queen.

However, she received this nickname not only for her battle tactics, but also for the way she interacts with Players. Medb was an NPC with a neutral disposition, and all races in the game were able to interact with her, giving Players various quests. Not that many veteran Players do her quests, at least not after the first ones.

Each and every one of her quests always come with some kind of trap hidden inside. Either that, after a fierce battle with a dragon, the chest that the dragon had defended turned out to be empty. Or, after completing a small assignment from her about the delivery of a letter, one of the affinity-aligned NPCs for the Player, chosen at random, had a chance to disappear for the player forever. You see, with the letter that you had personally delivered, Medb had transmitted information about their significant other's infidelity, and they had committed suicide out of grief. Never mind the myriad other ways she could drag an unsuspecting player into a trap.

Truly, the Developers of YGGDRASIL are sadistic monsters.

To complete the shit fest trifecta is the excellent work of the voice actress, who excellently conveyed in her voice the disdain, irritation and arrogance of the Bitch Queen. And the work of the character designers and animators who made her every move and pose filled with the same sentiments, and no one would question why Medb was unloved by all the Players. It wasn't a very rare occurrence for a heteromorph party to kill her, even with her status as one of the very rare Neutral NPCs.

Ainz was not such a player.

He, as a rule, preferred not to wipe out the few allies he had in the game. And besides, Medb's quests were not so bad, they were something that he appreciated in small doses even. Such trap laden quests allowed Ainz to hone his discernment and ability to quickly navigate the changing conditions he could find in the game. And indeed, even when her quests' material rewards were almost non-existent, at least her quests rewarded generous amounts of experience after completion. Something which is incredibly useful in quickly regaining lost levels. But even so, Ainz did not carry any particularly friendly feelings for that Medb.

Although, it seems, he was almost the only Player that actually agreed to regularly complete her quests. Something that, if another Player knew, would accuse him of receiving some sort of abnormal perverse pleasure in doing them. Something which he would vehemently disagree with, since he's not a pervert who derives pleasure from beautiful women hurling abusive words at him. Though, he did read rumors on the forum that completing the last quest in her quest chain would drastically change Medb's attitude towards the Player.

But Ainz, who went through her entire quest line, did not remember anything special happening with Medb. However, he did only finish her quest line when he was already alone in Nazarick and did all the quests in a robotic fashion, without reading or listening to anything from the NPC, so he was not sure - maybe he just missed this moment by accident.

Hmm, anyway, it didn't matter now.

Emerging from his thoughts once again, Ainz looked at the pair of Servants flirting in front of him, after which he nevertheless stepped forward, interrupting their little dialogue. "We have come here…"

"How dare you talk to your king so dismissively, servant?!" Medb reacted instantly to Ainz interrupting her time with Cu Chulainn. But, almost as immediately, she was interrupted from whatever it was she was about to do by Cu Chulainn's finger, which he almost drove into her skull trying to put it to Medb's lips to silence her.

"Shut up," Cu Chulainn sighed at his 'supposed' queen's actions and looked at Ainz. "Well? Tell me why you arrived."

"Hmm," Ainz looked at Medb who was previously fuming but who is now almost purring in delight as she rubbed her cheek to Cu Chulainn's finger… She clearly has a few screws loose. But, it didn't matter to Ainz anyway, so he pressed on. "I came here to find the Grail and resolve this Singularity…"

"Grail? The Holy Grail? You want that thing?" At Ainz's reply, Cu Chulainn just shrugged his shoulders. "Medb, where did you shove the Grail?"

"Need I to show it to you, my dear?" Medb replied amorously, while moving her body in such a way to emphasize her bust.

"Stupid whore," Cu Chulainn rolled his eyes, used to her antics by now. " I'll ask you again, where is the Grail?"

"In my room," Medb pouted at Cu's disinterest, before pouting as she saw something in Cu's bland expression. - "Dear, do not do so, please!"

"Go to her room, take it if you want, I don't need it." After delivering his verdict, Cu Chulainn just sat back on his throne, and then looked at Ainz with the same bored gaze as before. "Anything else?"

"Hmm?" Ainz blinked in surprise at the resolution of the conflict, if it could be called that.

It was easy. Very, very easy. Too easy, in fact, that Ainz immediately felt that it was some kind of trap. In addition, he was dealing with Medb, there was definitely some kind of setup here, it was something that was said by the entire community of YGGDRASIL!

"Hmm, maybe the respected Medb could… Bring the Grail here on her own?" Ainz immediately rushed to add an excuse before the mercurial Queen could blow her top, figuratively speaking, that is. "It would be indecent for me to rummage around in a lady's room…"

"Medb," Cu Chulainn almost yawned at Ainz's request, before once again turning towards his queen. "Go, bring the Grail."

"Okay, dear," After Cu Chulainn's command, Medb, almost jumping out of her throne, got up and quickly went somewhere to the sides, presumably to her room. She was doing this with the obvious intention to deal with the assignment given to her as quickly as possible, in order to return to her 'dear' Cu Chulainn as soon as possible.

Ainz, looking at this procession of events, could only watch with frozen indecision. No, of course, he was familiar with all sorts of relationships, but he could hardly even substitute himself and Angrboda for these two Servants. Even he wasn't so… disdainful of the girl that is so in love with him. And that is with Angrboda of all people, and she eats people!

"Hmm," Ainz, feeling some awkwardness in the atmosphere, finally decided to focus his attention elsewhere. As he averted his gaze, it landed on Mashu, who was standing next to him - but she just kept looking after Medb's back, who had gone away. Her expression was one of whom is clearly pondering something deeply.

'Hm?' - Ainz noticed a slight blush on Mashu's cheeks - 'I hope she hasn't cached something…'

As his gaze continued roaming, it then landed on Medea. Who, on the other hand, although she showed more signs of life than Cu Chulainn, was one that was almost as equally bored. Instead, it seems as if she was deep in thought about something, periodically though she would throw glances in Ainz's direction. However, the glances were of a completely different nature than those that Medb threw at Cú Chulainn. Rather, it was something pensive and incomprehensible, as if she was trying to solve some great mystery by staring at him.

Ainz wondered for a second what Medea might be thinking about. But nothing other than 'something that is too difficult for me anyway' came to his mind, and therefore, shrugging his shoulders, he averted his gaze, stumbling into a quickly hurrying back Medb, in whose hands there was a golden cup, which was already familiar to Ainz by appearance.

Though, the appearance and subsequent retrieval of the object of his mission did not bring any joy or clarity in Ainz's mind. Instead, it caused some chaos instead.

'No, it's too simple!' Ainz let out a slow breath to calm his overworked and shocked brain. 'I sent her to collect the Grail to check if there was a trap on the Grail. But, the insidious trap is clearly there, just not on the Grail itself!'

Medb, quickly approaching Ainz, ignoring whatever hangups Ainz might have, simply shoved the Grail in his direction. After which, she hurried back to Cu Chulainn's side, whose visage seemed to only darken as she approached, clearly not wanting to meet and conduct any dialogues with Medb. She, however, did not start any dialogues, simply seating herself on her throne, and again gazed at Cu Chulainn with a loving look.

Ainz, having weighed the Grail in his hands, used a spell just in case, determining whether it was the real Grail or not. Just in case, Ainz looked around at his surroundings once again, checking if a chain reaction had started along the surrounding Singularity. But, even with all his current repertoire of detecting spells, nothing like that happened. Despite the fact that the Grail in Ainz's hands was real, the Singularity was in no hurry to collapse.

While, he felt some strange happiness at the fact that the Singularity hadn't just been solved that simply. It also means that his mission just got a lot more complicated.

"So, either there are two Holy Grails, or that the Singularity was not caused by the Grail in the first place…" - Medea briefly and quietly summarized the situation before looking at Ainz, expecting his reaction.

Ainz had no particular reaction to Medea's ideas. The Second Grail… Judging Cú Chulainn's personality, the second Grail, if he had it, Cu Chulainn would have also given it, or at the very least said something about it. So the Demon Kings had it, maybe? Ainz already had information that Cu Chulainn was using their powers in some way, so there was no point in asking him about it now.

In addition, it was not clear what, in this case, was the most important, the root cause of the creation of the Singularity. The Demon Kings' machinations? Cu Chulainn, who announced the creation of a Kingdom that didn't originally exist? Edison and his nuclear bombing? All of them? Or was it something else?

Ainz, however, was not allowed to think about it for long, as Cu Chulainn unceremoniously interrupted his train of thought. "Do you need anything else?"

Hearing these words, Ainz looked around him, glancing at Mashu, who continued to follow Medb's figure with her eyes, and at Medea, who would simply follow Ainz's lead, before exhaling. "No, but we wanted to stay in this city for a while…"

"Then stay," Cu Chulainn brushed aside Ainz hesitance at his request, before finally settling on his throne once again, listlessly waving aside Medb's attempts to touch him and do anything to him, gazing with boredom towards the distance.

Ainz, looking at the Grail in his hand, could only sigh, refraining from scratching the back of his head at this progression of events. And so, like so many times before, he did not know at all what he should be doing…

---

Comments on the story of the Argonauts in six parts, a scientific monograph:

… No fewer inaccuracies and questions arise in the study of the Argo itself and the individuals involved in the story of the Argonauts exist in the legends. In particular, any information about Medea one can gleam in her stories is very contradictory in nature. Some authors would say that 'she was too young to marry' once again emphasizing Jason's moral poverty. That he would lead astray such a young and naive girl. And that she was not a witch, but instead a priestess who had mastered the art of healing. A person who had used her abilities, saving Jason from a mortal wound when Atalanta accidentally loosed an arrow that had mistakenly struck Jason during their battle with the 'monsters' of the islands.

Other authors, however, almost as to spite the previous story-teller, would tell the story of Medea as a mature and experienced woman, who used Jason for her purposes and one that would subject him to torture. She would use her prowess in healing to prolong his agony until the time Jason used his cunning and ran away. That, rather than an innocent youth, Medea was an experienced and cunning witch. That she had previously entered into an alliance with a dark monster in the service of Death (in this case, however, it is not completely clear what exactly is meant by Death in the telling, since the name of Thanatos or Hades is not used to denote Death), in her quest to kill Jason with her own hands...

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea and Staff: Mordred Pendragon

If there's one word that Mordred Pendragon could use to describe her life, then it could only be 'unfortunate'.

From her birth, then her education and upbringing, leading to what can only be called a disaster of a relationship with her father, which led to, in the end, nothing but betrayal, rebellion, and death.

In other words, Mordred could only say that her life was nothing more than a series of escalating failures. Truly, her moniker should have been the 'Knight of Failures'.

Moreover, this was also true of her second 'life'. In that new 'life', she once again betrayed her father for the sake of her 'father'. And then, to follow it up, she betrayed her father yet again, the other one, for the sake of whom she had betrayed her first father for. After finishing that debacle, she then killed her father, all done without even receiving any recognition of her merits from her father… She's getting confused now…

Um, Mordred's life was not only unlucky, but also very complicated… Why are there so many versions of her father, anyway!?

If Mordred's mind was more predisposed to joking around, then she could even joke about how her title — the 'knight of betrayal' — was very fitting if one were to judge her actions alone. But, at the moment, actually she was not a person disposed to joking at all, Mordred had no desire to think about such a topic.

To be honest, Mordred had no desire to do anything at all at the moment.

No, she was not upset by the fact that centuries after her death, she was called to fight for the sake of humanity, saving the whole of them by dealing with the Singularities. Mordred at least understood what it meant to be a Servant, and she was never one to shy away from a good fight. The main problem, the cause of her ennui, perhaps, was that she was not actually doing any of that. In fact, her battle in the name of salvation of mankind was currently postponed indefinitely.

Mordred was not worried about the fact that her skills and abilities were neglected over other Servants. Over the years, in her service to her father, Mordred had accepted the fact that there were people in the world stronger than her. And even people that were weaker still who possess skills that were much more suitable for fulfilling their duties, in which Mordred did not fit. If her Master had reason to suspect that, in solving the current Singularity, it was not fighting strength that was important, but intelligence, magic, or something else — well, Mordred could only shrug and go about her business.

The source of her anxiety was nothing so simple.

The problem was that Mordred was left at the base — and far from alone. There were many staff members walking about the place, Servants doing their own things, including… Her father.

It was because of the last fact that Mordred was currently locking herself in her room, isolating herself from the rest of Chaldea for probably a week, not even daring to leave the room.

Behind the door, in the corridors, her father walks… And Mordred, should probably, at the very least, greet her… Ahh, if it were that simple!

"Hello father! It is me, your son, the person who caused your death in a rebellion of my own making. Oh! And one that then betrayed you again, the last time we were summoned at the same time! Well, yes, the one who loves and hates you at the same time, who accidentally destroyed your Kingdom. And by the way, do you remember Merlin? Hmm, an interesting story there, I'm also part of the reason your oldest friend, teacher and adoptive father was forever sealed in his tower… So, how are you?"

Mordred wasn't even sure if she should be meeting or even interacting in any way with her father at all? Wasn't it easier to just leave their relationship alone and… What?

Should she try to interact with her father, all the while ignoring the past baggage? Or, on the contrary, Mordred should, with all his might, try to avoid interacting with Father ever again?

Mordred grabbed her head, as if hoping that by doing such a thing, it would help her keep all the thoughts rushing out of her head in order and come to a definite decision.

Unfortunately, and, as one would expect, Mordred did not receive any answer to her problem this way. The situation didn't get any easier after she stopped looking in the mirror in front of her. In fact, it also didn't get easier when she turned away from it, making her way to the bed before collapsing on top of it.

Damn her Master and this whole situation! Well, was it really that difficult for him to just take Mordred to the front line, so she doesn't have to deal with this shit! Or maybe bring Father along! That would be even better! Then, Mordred would at least be able to find out exactly how Father is living in this world after her summoning, what she is striving for, does she ever think about her? Then she would at least have some grounding in how to interact with Father, if at all!

No, no, the easiest option for Mordred would be if she hadn't been summoned at all! That's right! Aren't dead people supposed to rest eternally!? Did she not suffer enough in her past life?! In all of her past lives, in fact!

Mordred, issuing a low roar of aggravation, rolled over the bed. Then back and forth, again and again, as if trying to throw out all the energy and all the negativity that she had managed to accumulate these past few days. But, as one would expect for a Saber class Servant of her capabilities, the effectiveness of such a method was too low. The best way to get rid of the thoughts and emotions overwhelming Mordred at the moment would be to go to the training ground or maybe even find a suitable sparring partner to vent her frustrations on!

But there's one problem! To do this, Mordred will have to leave the room. Which means risking meeting — face to face, with Father!

Mordred slammed her head into the pillow, making the bed creak pitifully as a Servant's full strength was transferred to the bedposts.

And what's worse? Mordred couldn't stay forever in her room either! She's stuck here, unable to do anything! As soon as she took a step outside her room, she would surely get herself into something! Her actual skill, Instinct, literally told her that whichever solution she chose, one way or another, it would turn out to be wrong!

Mordred would have been glad to pull her Master by his shirt and tell him what she thought of him, leaving her behind stewing in this conundrum! But, unfortunately for her growing annoyance, her Master was not in Chaldea! But her Father was!

After having spent her almost endless vexation, she lied still for a few seconds. Even though she's unused to such an action, Mordred tried to collect herself, listing out all the options available to her at the moment. She can do it if she tries!

But before she could even start, a short knock to the door of her room, made her jump in place.

Who and why would be visiting her?! Didn't they understand that if Mordred was locking herself in her room, it means that she didn't want to go out, didn't want to communicate with anyone, and in general — shouldn't they go fuck themselves?!

Rising from her bed in irritation, Mordred stomped her way to the door. If nothing else, she had just found a target to vent her annoyance at!

After a short walk, Mordred opened the door with much more force than was required. Luckily for Mordred, the person on the other side of the door was a Servant, an acceptable target whom she could wail on. Indeed, taken from another point of view, it was the perfect Servant for her to let out her frustrations on. "And who the…" — Mordred's words suddenly got stuck in her throat, coming out instead like a half-choked sob. "Father?"

Unluckily for Mordred, it was the person she wanted to avoid the most.

Of course, as expected from someone with Mordred's luck, who else would be knocking on her door other than her Father, the main reason for her spiritual and physical problems… Haha, there must be a mistake in her Parameters somewhere, her Luck stat must have been a glitch or something.

Outside of Mordred's room, standing completely unruffled by Mordred's actions, movements and words, stood her Father, Arthuria Pendragon. Her cold eyes, black clothes, detached expression and aura of icy calmness and confidence, was almost alien to Mordred… Although, perhaps it should be said that, for Mordred, Arthuria herself was alien.

"Mordred", — Arthuria, seemingly completely unconcerned by Mordred, who almost recoiled from the sight of her Father, continued speaking. "The Chief was worried. You've locked yourself in your room for too long, and she had decided to find out if everything was alright with you."

"Yes, I…" — Mordred, who just a moment ago was blazing with a dozen different emotions running amok, instantly cooled down, uncomfortably shifting her gaze like a chastised child, unable to withstand Arthuria's gaze, "I'm all right…"

"Okay," Arthuria's voice was cold, but Mordred couldn't really tell what emotion she was expressing as she looked away.

Mordred paused for a second, expecting Arthuria to say something more, or do anything at all, but…

Instead, Mordred, who never looked up, heard only the sound of footsteps of her Father moving away from her.

For a second, Mordred couldn't believe what was happening. No, it can't be?! Did Arthuria just… Did she just come all the way to her room, all to ask if she was okay? She… Was that all her Father had to say to her!?

Was she not curious as to why Mordred had locked herself away? Did she not warrant a greeting at least? Was that all… She must have something else… Right?

In the end, long after the last sound of footsteps was slowly fading, Mordred was finally able to lift her head and look up at the corridor… That was empty.

Arthuria's footsteps continued to echo in the distance, and with a Servant's speed she could return in an instant, but Mordred had no shadow of a doubt that right now Arthuria didn't care about Mordred as… Just as always, she guessed.

Having completed her mission — having learned from Mordred about her condition, she no longer had anything to do with Mordred.

Arthuria absolutely did not care about other trifles, like Mordred's feelings, or to entertain any thought of idle talk… She was simply given a command — and she had carried it out, all without giving the task any thought.

Mordred could only stare off into the distance in silence, where she could hear the last quiet echo of her father's footsteps, before clenching her hand into a fist.

It was an involuntary action, a reflex generated by a dozen warring emotions in Mordred's head. Something which, Mordred, had a hard time controlling. Her emotions raged and raged, until, unable to contain it anymore, with a bestial growl of a beast, she struck the wall of the corridor with her fist.

Mordred's not insignificant strength, caused the metallic wall to creak from the blow of the Servant. But, in the end, all she had managed to do was cause a small dent on its surface.

Mordred pulled her hand back, looking ahead.

Here she is, Mordred. Unloved child of Arthuria.

She had spent not a small amount of time obsessing about her father and how they should interact with each other… She is trying to think it over, she is worried… But Arthuria doesn't care! Father doesn't care!

And why the hell did she only realize it now, that Father didn't care about her at all!? How could she still be so surprised!?

Why does it still hurt so much?

Unable to bear her overflowing emotions, Mordred raised her clenched fist and struck the wall again, and again, and again, making the corridor screech with the sound of bending metal. Spent, Mordred could only bonelessly stare at the multi-dented steel plate emblazoned with Chaldea's emblem.

Fuck it all!

Mordred pushed herself off of the dented wall with the intention of going… Somewhere! It doesn't matter where or what she does, she could go hitting the walls with her forehead if she wants to!

Turning around, instead of an empty corridor, Mordred's gaze came across a Servant instead.

"Did you go insane from locking yourself in your room? Huh, sucks to be you," Mordred definitely did not expect to hear the voice of Jalter at the moment, but it was clearly not one of the pleasant surprises that life could give her.

Seeing Jalter was not Mordred's goal at all, especially at the moment, when all Mordred wanted to do was to slash the nearest Servant with a sword. Considering Jalter's comment - and the suspicion that she was standing there all this time and saw Mordred's reaction - and possibly her meeting with Arthuria…

Mordred's eyes were soon covered with a crimson-red haze…

---

To be fair to her herself, Mordred couldn't really remember what she did after she had noticed Jalter's presence. She remembered the roar, the screams, and the summoned blades, but the rest? It was all blank.

It was just that, at some point, she had suddenly found herself parrying Jalter's black blade. With the sudden bout of clarity came the realization that she was just in a pitched battle against a Servant without any consideration to her stamina. Mordred took a step back and found herself barely holding on, swaying slightly on her feet.

Jalter opposite her also took a step back, looking at her with some confusion, before she grinned a little in response and spat some blood from her split lip, - "What, finally calmed down?"

Finding her feet suddenly in danger of collapsing, Mordred could only try to grab her blade for balance. Something that her broken fingers made impossible. With a grunt of pain, Mordred thrust her sword to the ground before leaning on it, fearing that her limping legs would betray her at the last second. "Yes."

Struck suddenly with overwhelming fatigue, Mordred's answer came out more like a wheeze. But at these words, Jalter just laughed, just as hoarsely. "Good. If you want to drink, there is a bottle of water that Jeanne brought."

"Jeanne?" Mordred was surprised, she did not notice the presence of anyone else during her fight, never mind Jeanne. Although, okay, Mordred did not notice much about what she was doing in the past… Actually, how much time had passed in general? And, where is she anyway?

Mordred craned her head, still leaning on her sword, to see if she could find where she was.

The room she was in… Was it like a small gladiatorial arena? Or for Servants' training - either or, really, anyway - and the room's walls were considerably dented.

The walls, covered with shields sheathed with what looked like steel plates, were broken in many places, acquiring new dents and even cuts. There were dents on the concrete floor, some scorched marks - and Mordred could only be glad that there was nothing else in this room. Otherwise, during the fight, all the contents of the room would have been definitely smashed into bits.

Although that wasn't quite right, Mordred noticed a small table nestled in the corner with two bottles of water on it, a table which Jalter herself was headed towards. Mordred, feeling her parched throat, followed behind, limping slightly on one leg.

With each step, Mordred hisses as she looked at Jalter, who was much more confident on her feet, - "You fucked up my leg."

"And you broke at least three of my ribs," Jalter answered easily back, causing some note of surprise on Mordred's face, she hadn't noticed that at all. Though, she definitely noticed the small wince of pain on Jalter's face as soon as she started drinking the water.

Mordred, having made the short journey to the table, quickly grabbed the bottle of water and followed after Jalter. After emptying the bottle, Mordred could sigh a little more calmly and looked around at her surroundings once again, - "How did we end up here?"

"I brought you here," Jalter looked up from the bottle of water at Mordred, - "Or, more precisely, lured you in. You obviously weren't listening to any arguments from me at that point."

Hearing the proof of her mental distress, Mordred was embarrassed for a second.

Ha, she got into a rage for no good reason whatsoever… No, actually, Jalter was to blame for her snapping! First she got in her way, then even stock her on with her comments! But… at the very least, Mordred should have been mindful about the possibility of their fight breaking the walls of Chaldea… If that had happened, she would more than likely have been scolded by Master… Or worse, by Father.

The memory that Mordred had actually done so to the wall in front of her room made it even more embarrassing.

I mean… Well, maybe, just maybe, she had gone a little too far with her reaction… But on the other hand, who even puts walls in front of her room?! That is just stupid! They are stupid!

Mordred let out an exasperated breath at her immaturity, before stumbling upon Jalter's mocking gaze, likely suspecting something from Mordred's continued silence. However, her aching hands and her breathing that was just beginning to recover, dissuaded her from continuing to swing her blade. So instead, Mordred just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

At this, Jalter just grinned and then wiped off the blood from her bruised lip, which was slowly recovering, and grinned, - "It's good when we have so much mana to spare. Two seconds after the battle, and everything is already restored to its original level. Wait half an hour, and you'll be as good as new."

"Yeah," Mordred nodded dryly at those words.

Jalter, watching her actions, continued, - "Do you want to go for a second round?"

Mordred, hearing this, just shook her head from side to side. "No."

Jalter was suddenly stopped in her tracks, surprise on her face. She began thinking on what to do, after which she sighed, - "Well, how can I start a dialogue with you if you refuse to speak?"

"We have nothing to talk about," Mordred winced a little, leaning on her injured leg, before standing up and looking Jalter in the eyes, - "We had a fight and that's all."

"Pf, we'll see about that," Jalter grinned, - "It never ends with one fight. Perhaps I just need to wait for the next time you see Arthuria - then we repeat this dance all over again?"

"Oh, look, we have a psychologist-wannabe here!" - snapped Mordred instantly, - "I said we have nothing to talk about!"

"Yes, I honestly don't care what problems you have," Jalter just snapped back, "If you want a heart-to-heart talk, go to Jeanne… Or to Roman. Or Da Vinci. Well, or to the Master - in my opinion, he's a generally understanding person, and has an answer to all sorts of problems, including personal ones… Not that I care if you want to sulk again in your room! You understand!? I absolutely don't care about your problems, and I'm not going to discuss them with you at all."

"Then what do you want from me?" Mordred frowned at Jalter.

"I'm just bored," Jalter admitted easily, - "I'm… getting along well with Jeanne, maybe. But, there is a finite number of topics that can be discussed with the alternate version of yourself. Also, Jeanne… is not really someone I can have a spar with."

"What, did you manage to lose even to yourself in a fight?" - Mordred answered back with a joke, causing Jalter to snort at the image of her losing to the goody-two-shoes.

"Jeanne does not like to fight. At all." Jalter replied, still swaying slightly on her feet, before putting her hand to her chest, holding her broken ribs in place. "I, to be honest, do not find it particularly enjoyable either. But it's still far better than suffering from idleness."

"And the things you said about Father and me?" Mordred scowled at Jalter.

"Well, I had to somehow attract your attention, since you seem to be stuck inside your head at the time." Jalter grinned. "And believe me, that was just a slight nudge, if Cainabel had found you instead…"

At these words, Mordred only sighed, then shook her head. Then there was silence and Mordred considered Jalter's words.

Well, she had spent all the past few days in her room, stewing in her own emotions, and it didn't lead to anything good. She had caused the Chief some worry, which directly led to the meeting with Arthuria… Yes, definitely, her original plan to just sit in her own room until Master brought her out to fight, was a failure from the very beginning.

So, other than doing that, what should she do?

Mordred, discounting the Servants she had met in London, did not really know anyone in Chaldea. Well, she has met Ainz, the Chief and Roman. Ainz was in the Singularity, so he's out, and both Olga and Roman were usually busy, and she didn't really want to meet the other Servants… She will not go to other Servants just like that, right?!

This means that Mordred did not have anything to do right now, so the offer to chat a little with Jalter was, in fact, the only thing Mordred had at the moment.

"Okay, fine if you want to talk with me that badly… " Mordred sighed, at least she had already let out some steam, so for a while at least, she didn't have the desire to continue fighting. She also did not need to take care of her horses, armor and swords, and she lacked the required horse nor place to go hunting. So talking it is!

"Is there beer in Chaldea?" There's no way she's doing this sober, though.

"If you want a noisy alcohol binge, then Drake will be more than happy to provide the libation to your drunken confessions." Jalter grinned. "If not from her, well, I'm sure that you can take a couple of cans from Archer."

"Beer from cans are not beer, just watered down piss," Mordred grimaced. "Beer should be from barrels."

"There is no such thing in Chaldea," Jalter just shook her head. "So just enjoy what they have."

For a second, Mordred thought about the words, then sighed, - "I hope it will be a good beer."

"Then I'll grab a bottle of wine," Jalter exclaimed, only to stumble upon the mocking glance of Mordred, - "What?"

"Wine is a woman's drink, real men drink beer!" Mordred crossed her arms over her chest.

Hearing such a remark, Jalter just glanced at Mordred's very 'modest' chest with a smirk. Mordred, noticing where Jalter was looking at, frowned. - "What? Do you want to say something?!"

"Do you want a second round?" Jalter responded to Mordred's challenging glare, not wanting to back down.

Mordred, whose thirst for a fight was curbed for a while, felt a new impulse flare up and straightened her back, once again curling her grip on her sword. "Well, let's see, shall we!"

Fortunately, before the conversation could disintegrate into a battle, the door to the training hall opened. And behind it a short girl in a white dress, with blue eyes and a long braid of wheat-colored hair, and eyes like two drops of water similar to Jalter.

"Jeanne," Jalter squinted at her twin, - "It seems that we will be starting the second round, so you should move away."

"Enough, you have already fought enough for today!" At Jalter's words, Jeanne just threw up her hands, and then hurried forward with an expression of a put upon teacher disciplining her two rowdy kids. "Enough is enough, and you Jalter! I know you haven't eaten yet, you should go eat!"

Mordred, hearing the two sisters bickering, only frowned even more, slightly losing her grip on her blade, "What do you mean, 'go eat'?"

Of course, strictly speaking, Servants could eat normal food, but that was not necessary. The thing maintaining the existence of Servants was provided primarily through the mana of their Master. And, although Servants could consume food, the negligible effect of such an action in relation to direct transfer of mana from the Master, meant that it was practically useless in any case barring some exceptional cases.

Considering that Ainz was a top-class Master, even the theoretical need for food, disappeared. Which means that there was no point in eating food. Except, of course, the taste of the food - but Mordred hadn't even thought about this possibility until this moment, since she had previously considered food to be completely unnecessary for Servants.

Jalter, hearing Mordred's confusion, just nodded. "Ah, that's right, you're new here, and have spent most of your time sitting in your room… Wait, does that mean… you haven't eaten Archer's cooking?!"

"What?!" - Jeanne's voice even sounded guilty for some reason, - "We urgently need to fix it!"

"At the same time, you will have a beer! Moreover, today, they just promised to bake a whole wild boar!" Jalter grinned, - "Jeanne, we are planning a small banquet! You are invited!"

"Hey, what about my opinion?!" Mordred frowned at Jalter, causing the monochrome Servant to just shrug.

"Well, I don't care a bit about your opinion", Jalter shrugged her shoulders.

"Jalter, you don't have to speak with people like that!" Continuing to play the role of a teacher, Jeanne hastened to chastise her dark half, before turning to Mordred with a worried look. "If you are against it…"

"No, I don't mind", - Mordred shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Jalter, - "I just didn't sign up for someone to decide something for me!"

"So you didn't become a knight in the service of a King?" Jalter crossed her arms across her chest, never ceasing to grin.

Mordred, hearing Jalter, got a little lost at what she's implying, before coming up with a worthy answer. "I do not remember swearing allegiance to you!"

"Girls, please do not quarrel!" - Jeanne tried to intervene again, but...

"What! Who are you calling a girl?!" Mordred turned towards Jeanne, but Jalter just raised her thumbs up, showing approval at Jeanne's inadvertent trash-talk.

"I… I didn't want to say anything…" - Jeanne, probably, should have stopped at this, but... - "But your body… It's a woman's…"

"THIS IS MY FATHER'S BODY!" Mordred reacted instantly at the perceived insult at her Father, grabbing her blade again with the hand that was just beginning to heal.

"Well, your father is also not the most… Manly of all people…" Jalter added fuel to the fire, causing Mordred to turn in her direction with a very specific purpose.

"YOU WANT A SECOND ROUND?! WELL, LET'S GO FOR THE FUCKING SECOND ROUND!" Mordred raised her blade, summoning her armor, "I'M GONNA BREAK ALL OF YOUR BONES!"

"Try it, hysterical woman!" Jalter just grinned, intercepting the swung blade, - "Jeanne, it is better for you to take your spear in your hands too!"

"Forgive me, Lord…" - Jeanne sighed, and then a second later a spear appeared in her hands.

Mordred, determining that she had waited long enough for her opponents to be ready, rushed into battle with a battle cry.

In the end, Jalter and Jeanne did not help with the resolution of her problems… But they turned out to be a good way of emotional release.

---

Name: Mordred Pendragon

Race: Heteromorphic

Title: Knight of Betrayal

Occupation: Servant of Ainz \ Knight of King Arthur (questionable)

Residence: Chaldea, Mordred's Room in the Residential Wing

Karma: +75 (Neutral Good)

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 97: More Servants

Cu Chulainn realized he was in trouble when the very moment he had met Scáthach, his teacher and mentor, at the very beginning of the Singularity. That the matter somehow became even worse when he was then confronted by Nero, was par over the course of his luck. And it was not just the usual Nero, someone that is already a headache and a half, but some new, special version of Nero, that dresses just as scandalously.

He shuddered to imagine what would happen if the two Nero would meet…

But as bad as the situation was, Cu Chulainn was met with the sudden realization that it could get much, much worse. A realization he had when he crossed paths with the short, fragile girl in a red military jacket and with white hair gathered in a long braid. They had met coincidentally when they had crossed paths, and she froze in front of him with the look of a berserker ready to kill and, as expected, barked the most appropriate of phrases. "DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS?!"

And by that he meant something appropriate for a Berserker to say…

Cu Chulainn blinked at the girl. "What?"

"YOUR HANDS! YOU JUST WALKED THROUGH A RADIOACTIVE WASTELAND! YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS IMMEDIATELY! THEN GO SHOWER! WASH YOUR CLOTHES! MOVE! MOVE!" The girl's voice was not only loud, but also abrupt, clear and extremely commanding.

"Huh?" Cu Chulainn didn't have the time to even answer her, when he suddenly realized that what he thought were girlish hands that seemed to him so fragile, was right now raising him in the air. "Wait a second, I understood, understood! Please unhand me! I'll wash my hands! Honest!"

Fortunately, this was enough for the unknown entity with a cute girl's face to put him down to the ground, but it was not enough for him to let him go completely. And so he found his hand gripped by an iron vice. "FULL DISINFECTION! FOLLOW ME!"

"Sure, I'll follow you!" Surrendering under the pressure and raising his hands in a symbolic attempt to defend himself, Cu Chulainn took a step back. Luckily, that was enough for the girl to let go of her tight grip.

Oh, he should have known that following after Teacher was a bad idea! He should have believed his gut when he noticed the smirk on Scáthach's face and booked it! Curiosity killed the cat as they say it, Cu Chulainn remembered the saying too late, when he decided to visit an unremarkable tent, proudly named as the infirmary in search of new Servants.

Damn it, if Scáthach herself didn't want to come here — of course, he should have guessed that this place was somewhere he shouldn't go to!

"Where did you go?!" The girl pulled at him with bone rending force. "The shower is on this side!"

"Um, yeah?" Cu Chulainn looked at the small place to the side the girl pointed towards and could only wince. The 'shower', if it could be called that, was more like a watering can, placed on a dais. He was about to object before he noticed that the girl wouldn't take no for an answer, and so he could only hang his shoulders. "I… I can do it myself, right?"

For a second, the Servant seems to be pondering these words, clearly weighing the pros and cons of such a decision, forcing Cú Chulainn to mentally pray to all the gods in which he did not believe…

What a pity that Jeanne was not in this Singularity with him! She clearly would not have missed such a sharp leap in Cu Chulainn's interest in higher powers!

It is impossible to establish for sure whether or not the higher powers helped Cú Chulainn, but after several unforgivably long minutes of reflection, the Servant nevertheless slowly and seriously nodded, looking at Cú Chulainn with an appraising glance. And not at all with an appraising look of a girl that Cu Chulainn would have liked to see, no. If he were to describe it, it was more like how an experienced butcher would examine a juicy beef tenderloin for defects. "Yes, good… If the patient is healthy enough, then there is no reason to limit his independence. You can go to the shower, patient."

Cu Chulainn didn't even care about the fact that he had suddenly turned into a patient, instead he just nodded. After which, at the exact moment the Servant turned away from him, going somewhere on her own business perhaps, he, using all his knowledge of Celtic magic and all his abilities as a Servant, ran away.

In an instant, the infirmary was buffeted by the wind as Cu ran, causing the Servant to turn to the escaped Servant and freeze.

"The patient refuses to disinfect himself? Since any healthy person understands the need for disinfection, the patient must be absolutely sick. A sick person who escapes from the place of care for the sick must be pacified and returned to the infirmary to continue their treatment." The simple logic chain lined up in the Servant's head, caused her to frown, ending with an absolutely logical conclusion. For a normal Servant, this would cause no issue.

Sadly, for Cu that is, she was a Berserker.

"In this case, to save the most of the patient, I need to amputate his leg in order to limit his mobility and the possibility of further escape from treatment."

"PATIENT!" The loud shout of the Servant spread across the camp. "RETURN IMMEDIATELY TO CONTINUE YOUR TREATMENT!"

After another moment, showing all her speed as a Servant, the Berserker rushed after Cu Chulainn.

---

Nobunaga, suppressing her grin, watched as her Servant-in-arms, Cu Chulainn, who had been annoying her all this time, shamefully fled from a small girl who shouted various threats after him with some satisfaction.

Of course, Cu Chulainn was not the worst of all theoretically possible acquaintances with whom she could be acquainted with. But still in the list of 'those with whom Nobunaga would like to talk longer with', his position was quite low.

And at the same time, as much as she was saddened by the fact, she has to intervene. As much as she would like the silence, nevertheless, Nobunaga is on a mission under Ainz's command and the loss of Cu Chulainn was undesirable in any case. That is, if she still cherished the hope of proving to Ainz… she meant, to prove to herself, and not to the Master at all, do not think any stupid ideas! That she was more than a hyped legend, but a legendary conqueror king.

In any case, the loss of Cu Chulainn in a camp of friendly, relatively speaking, Servants was unacceptable. And therefore, after enjoying the sight of Cu Chulainn fleeing from the Servant for some time, Nobunaga shifted her gaze to stumble upon Scáthach, silently observing the same scene.

"Hey!" Nobunaga, of course, knew that Scáthach was one of those Servants who stood at the pinnacle of power, but Nobunaga was not going to humiliate herself in addressing her respectfully. "What about saving your student? I would not like him to be sawed to pieces, and you are his teacher…"

At Nobunaga's question, Scáthach, who was standing not far from Nobunaga, nevertheless tore her gaze from Cu Chulainn and shifted it to Nobunaga, as if evaluating her. Nobunaga, not backing down by such a look, just pushed her chest forward, propping it up with her hands. "So, what are you going to do?"

Scáthach thought of her answer for another second, after which she exhaled and looked away from Nobunaga. "Florence will not kill him, these are just threats to force him to return to the infirmary. I think. She didn't actually go berserk, so all that awaits Cú Chulainn is immobilization, followed then by a medical examination. He might be somewhat uncomfortable, but it doesn't mean that I cannot enjoy his discomfort."

After these words, Scáthach, as if to make it clear that the conversation was over, turned around. "Although, I confess, I expected something much funnier. This Cu Chulainn is not as fun to watch as I expected."

With these words, Scáthach walked away with a slow pace, causing Nobunaga to stare at her back for a few seconds before snorting and rolling her eyes.

Seriously, Scáthach is a strong Servant, so she was forgiven for some level of coldness and detachment. But, that woman was beginning to annoy Nobunaga, and if it were not for her whole situation with Ainz, she would put her chips that their relationship would devolve into a duel sooner or later.

A duel in which Nobunaga rated her chances of victory as very high.

However, the situation was such that a duel was inherently impossible, and therefore Nobunaga was forced only to look away, looking around for something else to occupy her time.

In her opinion, it was a little strange to see a full-fledged field camp inhabited solely by Servants. As far as her eyes can see, large tents were strewn around the place, even a kind of infirmary tent. And yet, on the other hand, it was perhaps to be expected.

Yes, Servants, strictly speaking, did not need to sleep or any forms of comfort, but it was impossible to imagine Nero for instance abandoning the huge field camp in red and gold tones with stone lions at its entrance.

For a second, Nobunaga was struck by curiosity of how exactly Nero was able to drag the stone lions to this place, never mind the tents. Did she keep in touch with any kingdoms around? And how is she planning to move all this later? The essence of a field camp was that it was a 'field' camp, that is, it can be quickly moved if the need arises.

Nobunaga doubts that moving this encampment can be described with any words resembling 'quick'.

Although on the other hand, she could also imagine how exactly Nero would answer her questions, with something very crazy and extravagant, in her own 'special' style. Deciding that she didn't need that headache, Nobunaga decided not to ask those questions.

In any case, enjoying the views the field camp offered was not on Nobunaga's list of activities. And frankly speaking, there wasn't anything special to see in the Servant field camp that Nobunaga could enjoy. Except for Nero's tent, everything looked the same, not much different from what one would see in any army in the world.

After looking around again and finding nothing of interest at the moment, Nobunaga shrugged her shoulders and walked away, looking for someone who could help her allay her boredom.

The screams of Cu Chulainn and the Servant pursuing him served as a pleasant accompaniment to her wanderings.

---

Ainz weighed the Grail in his hand while deep in thought.

Maybe he should start using some search spells? But what to look for?

He can, for example, use 'Blessing of Titania', this magic should tell him the way to what he's searching for in this Singularity. Although, if he wanted to use the spell, he would have to discard his body and return to his true appearance… Hah, considering just how Scáthach reacted violently to his presence, he doubts that discarding his cover at any moment would be a good idea.

In any case, after shoving the Grail into his inventory, Ainz got up from his seat and teleported down from the roof of the building where he had been sitting all this time. After which, on the ground, he moved through the streets of the local city.

Maybe he could use other search spells? But, um… To even decide which correct search spell to use, he must first have to decide what exactly he is looking for… Another Grail? Or is it the Demon Kings? Actually, what is his actual goal in this Singularity?

And given that the Demon Kings were somehow connected to the local Cú Chulainn, what then? Just come and kill them? It was easy to do, but it was… Kind of stupid, he guessed.

That is, of course, in YGGDRASIL, most of the quests, in the end, usually boiled down to the fact that he had to kill something… But at the same time, a considerable part of these quests could 'please' his sense of adventure with some unexpected twist, so he needs to be careful.

Especially considering that we are talking about Medb, right now!

Yes, formally speaking, it was not Medb that had put him on his path to clear the Singularity, but if Medb was even tangentially connected with anything, then it already made him think about traps!

Maybe the easiest thing to do right now was just to go back to that throne room and kill Medb? It was not difficult to organize.

Unless, of course, it was just another trap!

It is imperative for him to consider all possibilities! Even if the Medb here was not the one from YGGDRASIL, she's still Medb!

Which means it had to be some kind of trap!

Well, there is the option of just completely destroying and clearing the Singularity of all lives… No, such a course of action was definitely out of question. Ainz dreads to imagine what kind of change he would make to the Human Order if he completely destroys all the currently existing cities in America…

Although, on the other hand, if the history of mankind has already been so disfigured by a nuclear war in the wild west — should Ainz even worry about this?

Ainz inhaled and exhaled slowly, feeling his brain slowly boil before stopping and shaking his head.

No, definitely, an endless cycle of doubt will get him nowhere! Enough! It's time to do at least something and not leave the initiative in the hands of the enemy!

And although Ainz did not know exactly what he was supposed to do at the moment, a certain idea still existed in his head.

And although Ainz himself considered such an action stupid — well, it had saved him all the previous times, so…

---

"Medea," A familiar voice rang out in Medea's head. "I have figured out everything that is happening in this Singularity."

Hearing such words, Medea could only blink in stupefaction, then looked around.

From the moment of the audience with the King, if it could be called that, no more than an hour passed. Medea didn't even have the time to really think about what exactly was happening in this strange Singularity, spending that time mostly wondering about Ainz's magic and the nature of Cu Chulainn Alter.

Although, on the other hand, Medea had fully guessed and accepted the fact that the difference between her and Ainz was colossal. And the information he had just heard served solely simply to confirm her findings.

Well, at least Medea could comfort herself by the fact that this troublesome Singularity will be over soon. Although, on the other hand, Medea still wanted to hear an explanation from Ainz. "And? How exactly are we going to solve this Singularity, Master?"

At her question, there was a silence on the other end of her connection. For some strange reason, Medea suddenly saw an image of a person choking with surprise in her mind… Something which, however, was instantly dispelled as soon as Ainz spoke up.

"I think it would be better if you find out for yourself."

Medea blinked.

It was… a somewhat strange proposal from Ainz. But, on the other hand, after studying the situation in Chaldea and establishing contact with several people, Medea had received a lot of information about Ainz and his somewhat specific method of communicating and revealing secrets. So, Medea was not particularly surprised by his actions.

In the end, if Ainz chose to even warn humanity about the impending third world war solely with hints and 'accidental' slips, it was quite logical to assume that this time was simply such an occasion.

"I understand, Master." Medea replied to the implied challenge. "Still, do you need me to do something?"

"No, simply keep doing what you were doing before," Ainz replied quickly, after which a moment later the connection between Ainz and Medea was cut off.

Medea was silent for a long while, deep in thought about Ainz's order and its implications.

"'Keep doing what you did before'? What exactly did he mean by these words?"

Medea was simply spending her time on a mental discourse on the nature of Cu Chulainn Alter. Hmm… was that it?

No, that's not right… Ainz had sent Mashu and Medea together for a reason, it would make no sense for Ainz to forget about Mashu. Meaning, his hint was concerning Mashu and Medea at the same time. But the last thing they did together last time, outside of Ainz's presence, was just talking to each other?

Medea pondered about it for some more before shaking her head.

Did Ainz want them to continue their conversation for some reason? Or… what is it? What did the Master want from her at all? What was Ainz able to figure out during this short time!?

Medea shook her head harder, none of these things fit into any frame at all! Yes, perhaps Ainz was a powerful and incredibly intelligent and wise magus, but… how was he capable of coming to such a clear conclusion about the Singularity with such disparate information!?

Medea sighed, firmly convinced of the need after returning from the Singularity to still ask Ainz about his thinking, as well as how he could spy on his Servants without any of them knowing — and many other things…

Still, it seems that at the moment Medea could not expect any more hints from Ainz and all that remained for her to do at the moment was… do what she can.

"Mashu," Turning towards Mashu, who was walking behind her and gawking to whatever catches her eye, Medea sighed. After their audience with the King, the both of them have been exploring the city. "It seems that the Master has already figured out everything about this Singularity."

Passing close by the two Servants under the guise of an ordinary person while preparing for the execution of his part of the plan, the Demon King Gaap, hearing Medea's words, choked.

---

The Hero of Charity, Karna, has always stoically endured everything that happened to him. Resentment, betrayal, requests and orders, were all endured stoically, never letting his attitude get in the way of fulfilling his duty as a hero and as a Servant. However, that did not mean that he did not form his own opinion to whatever it is that he's facing.

And that's why Karna could, while looking at the huge Servant in front of him, say that he found the entire situation he had found himself in to be… Strange.

Not bad, just weird.

The Servant in front of him, who had called herself his mother, was certainly not Kunti. Something she herself had agreed with, so Karna can discount the possibility that she was a Berserker that simply saw everyone as her child. Though, Karna could not think or even remember ever having other mothers…

And his other thoughts, regarding some Servant-Assassin pretending to be his mother to kill him, also did not agree with reality. What kind of Assassin, that was supposed to be pretending to be his mother, would admit that he is not his mother?

And the attitude of this Servant…

Karna did not even have time to parse the situation he's in before he had found himself at a restaurant, seated and almost tied with napkins as Angrboda seated herself next to him. It was exactly like how a mother could take care of her child… her very, very young child, who has not yet learned to eat with a spoon.

Considering that Karna was very much an adult, ancient even from the point of view of his legend — and had never experienced such emotions in his childhood — for him this experience seemed… very new.

And, to some very strange extent, even pleasant.

In regard to the dinner itself, Karna would prefer a portion of rice, maybe with lentil stew. But before he even had time to react and started ordering, the Servant in front of him had already finished listing two dozen dishes.

He didn't need to eat that much!

In addition, having to prepare so many dishes meant that the cooks would have to cook only for the two of them. Karna definitely did not want to take so much of the cooks' time and their energy, and he had no money to pay for so much food!

Actually, Karna had no money at all, but he had to pay for lunch… Maybe he could give his gold earring to the restaurant as payment?

But, if he pays with too expensive an item, the restaurant may not accept it. Or maybe he will make the cooks and waiters worry too much, and Karna would not want to force these kind people, working for him as well, to be burdened b…

"Karna!" However, before he could reflect further on what he needs to do to compensate the servants, the voice of his fellow Servant pulled Karna from further reflections. Its abruptness forced him to look up and meet the gaze of the girl of such size that she had to use a large sofa brought from somewhere else as a chair.

Karna hoped that the workers of the restaurant didn't have to carry furniture from the manager's office or anything like that. "Tell me how you are doing! Ah, you are so thin, are they treating you well at work? You are not forced to do anything dangerous, are you!?"

"Hmm," Karna felt a little uncomfortable at the unexpected questions. But, as he did not find any reason not to answer, he could only speak truthfully. "No, they are treating me well, miss…"

"Miss!?" Suddenly, Angrboda spoke loudly and with slight irritation, making Karna panic. Did he say something wrong!?

"Karna, call me 'mom', calling me 'miss' will hurt me in the very heart! Very badly!"

Hearing her request, Karna shifted a little in his seat uncomfortably even though he was almost ensconced with napkins, and tried to look away. He was hoping to find his Master there, so that he could give him a clear order on how he needed to behave in such… unusual circumstances.

However, the last time he saw his Master, Edison, he was trying to rip out Tesla's hair, so it was unlikely that Karna would be meeting him right now.

Slowly, Karna turned his gaze to the Servant in front of him and sighed, as he came to a decision. "I beg your pardon, but I cannot acknowledge your request. I understand that your feelings may be sincere, but how can I call you my mother when my mother is Kunti? I'm sorry, but that's all I can say."

After these words, Karna was silent, expecting that the Servant opposite him would get angry, or at least take offense at his inability to answer positively.

"Oh, what nobility!" Instead, the Servant opposite him looked at him with the same tenderness with which a mother would look at her child, who had just proudly stood on his feet for the first time without any help.

'Or a particularly stupid rabbit who just did something thoughtless but cute, like a senselessly jumping into a wall.' Karna pushed the inappropriate thought away, then sighed.

Well, he had expressed his opinion, and whatever he would do in the future would probably not affect how the Servant would treat him in the future, so there was no point in worrying about the subject further.

"Tell me, Karna, did you find a good girl?" Easily changing the subject with the grace of an angry elephant in a china shop, the Servant opposite him continued to speak. "With you being so handsome and popular, there must be a throng of girls falling at your feet!"

Karna, hearing these words, looked down a little. Ha, was this that famous feeling of embarrassment that parents aroused in their children by asking them inappropriate questions?

"I hope she comes from a decent family," The Servant, ignoring any discomfort on Karna's part, however, continued to speak, "Tell me!"

"I have neither a wife nor a girlfriend." Karna sighed, considering the conversation over.

He was sorely mistaken. He should have known that embarrassing their children is a Mother's prerogative.

"This does not mean that there isn't a girl that has caught your attention!" The Servant gushed, "Tell me, what is she like?"

"Hmm, I…" Karna sighed, giving up on any ideas about preserving his privacy. "I have this one friend…"

After his admission, Angrboda grinned, feeling like a shark smelling blood in the water, — "Tell me all about it!"

---

Tesla tried his best to catch his breath as he wiped the blood off his broken lip with the sleeve of his outfit. All this was done without ceasing to glare at Edison, who looked like he was struck by lightning.

Considering Tesla's abilities, it is quite possible that there was more truth in this idea than it initially seemed.

Edison, despite the way he looked, was not worse off than Tesla. And although his lion's head significantly reduced the range of emotions that he could show with his facial expressions, just looking at him was enough to see that this man had no special love for Tesla either. An expression more suitable for an angry lion than a man.

Straightening his back, Edison patted down his mane, which had lost a decent tuft of fur, Edison looked at Tesla, almost spitting out some curse. Tesla did not hesitate to answer him in kind, stretching out to his full height opposite to Edison.

Edison's entire office was a very picturesque illustration of the word 'mayhem'. All around the room were broken tables and chairs, scattered documents, torn papers. If not for the tufts of fur and drips of blood scattered around, the room looked as if a hurricane had gone through it.

And although, on this occasion, Tesla and Edison still did not use all their abilities as Servants, the likelihood that something like that would happen in the near future was still not zero.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off of Tesla, Edison took a step backwards, finding himself next to the partially broken door that led outside. Not turning away from his stare down as if he was facing some wild beast, Edison shouted an order down the hall.

"Cleaner!"

Tesla could not resist, however, from quipping. "Oh, what a surprise! Once again, the 'great' Edison is making others clean up his mess! Actually, I'm not surprised, I will actually be surprised if it turns out that you are actually paying the people who clean your problems for you!"

Edison did not fall for such a provocation, although he really wanted to. Instead, he stood in place, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. "Tesla. Make no mistake, I would like to rip your head off. But, for just one minute, I invite us to forget about our differences."

"One minute is exactly the amount of time that I can stomach you speaking." Apparently, having also come to a certain decision, Tesla nodded slowly, closing his eyes as he sighed.

"Edison, I hate you, and you hate me. So I propose to do without all this formal nonsense and officialdom, what do you want and what are you proposing?"

"As I understand it, I don't need to explain the situation here to you?" After a confident nod from Tesla in response, Edison nodded gloomily.

"Then here's a riddle for you for your learned brains. We have a mad Berserker whose main desire is to kill all the Servants that come his way so that he could die, taking the enemy with him to the next world." Before Tesla could respond, Edison continued further

"What's worse is that he also has an army of psychos with similar thoughts, from simple fight lovers to Berserker maniacs. And also, he has a nutty queen who just wants to be the evil queen with this psychopath, who will also go to any lengths to get his attention. So now, we have a whole bunch of Servants who just attack everyone and everything." Tesla opened his mouth to interject, only to be silenced again as Edison continued speaking.

"And finally there is my side. Yes, I resort to using the Demon Kings' powers, and yes, they are the main reason for this Singularity, and yes I have them under my captivity. But, their existence is needed at the moment. Without the use of their powers, there is no chance of winning against Cu Chulainn Alter. Yes, I've bombed all of America, but that is only because otherwise everything will end up even worse. And because otherwise, Medb would have captured the Demon Kings, perhaps the only living creatures that can fight on an equal footing with Cu Chulainn Alter." Finally, sensing an end to the explanation, Tesla was about to talk before he was interrupted yet once again.

"And I don't think I need to tell what will happen if Medb, in her quest to participate in the fantasies of his nutty lover, unleashes all the Demon Kings I have captured and imprisoned, do you?"

Tesla sighed, Edison was really in love with his own voice, but at least he was disclosing important information. He could only shake his head at the long explanation, allowing Edison to continue his conversation.

"What I'm proposing is for you to help me with the development of weapons against these psychos." Edison shrugged his shoulders, before continuing. "With them gone, we will dispose of the Demon Kings in short order and the Singularity will end."

For a second, Tesla stopped, pondering Edison's proposal, noting with a glance how some inconspicuous guy in the clothes of an employee had slipped inside the office.

Edison's words sounded… it was logical, but something about it sounded strange, but what exactly…

A second later, a short message from Ainz made Tesla chuckle, expounding aloud the news that he had just received. "It seems that the Master understood what the problem is with this Singularity…"

Disguised as a janitor, the Demon King Glasia-Labolas, upon hearing these words, choked on air.

---

Transcript of the entry from 10/22/2018:

K: …(inaudible)… Who thought to store the records here?! Idiots, they are all idiots… What year is this from?

N: Thirteenth.

K: …(inaudible)… The Clock Tower is a bunch of idiots trying to find the remains of Poseidon in the Bermuda Triangle.

N: We are just paid for our actions, not for thinking.

K: We are paid for results, not for actions. And there are no search results for the body of Poseidon in the Bermuda Triangle, and there cannot be!

N: This is the information that we were given.

K: This is simple idiocy, not information… I refuse to accept these guessworks as anything close to concrete 'information'! Did you know how they came to these 'findings? It was obtained by taking the interpretations of some of Da Vinci's old books about the almighty God of Death, as something concrete! How am I supposed to…! Ugh, just get me a cup of tea.

Silence for several minutes, periodically interrupted by the rustle of pages and the sounds of liquid being slurped.

K: …(inaudible)…

N: What?

K: It can't be…

N: Did you find something?

K: ...(inaudible)...

N: Let me see...

Silence for several minutes, periodically interrupted by the rustle of pages...

K: ...(inaudible)... I won't give this in their hands.

N: What about the payment?

K: I thought we were going to find information or a piece of cloth, something like that... This... (inaudible)...

H: The Clock Tower wants this exhibit.

K: EXHIBIT?! THIS IS THE BODY OF POSEIDON! WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE GIVE IT TO THESE PSYCHOPATHES?!

N: Just give them the information. With this money, it will be possible to move to the other side of the world.

K: The other side of the world?! You don't understand what we're talking about now, do you?! This is Poseidon's body, with a seal of ...(inaudible)...

N: Ah, that's how it is ...

The sound of a shot is heard. The recording ends at this point, later professor of archeology and history, a member of the Clock Tower K was found dead in the archive, a bullet wound in the skull. Some of the books, including archival records of the Bermuda Triangle, have disappeared.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 98: Plans

If an ordinary person could get into the minds and communication networks of the Demon Kings at this moment, they would probably go crazy as they become inundated with the screams and the general commotion going on at the moment.

Panic, overwhelming panic, the kind that only the masters of worldly destinies who seemed like kings yesterday, were suddenly faced with the real and brutal world that shattered their self-image. That was what was going on among the Demon Kings at the moment.

Perhaps no supercomputer, except for the one amusing exception on the moon, could handle the swarm of thoughts, cries, and speculation that had consumed the Demon Kings.

However, comparing what's going on right now to a supercomputer would not be correct, far from it, in fact. The machine's actions, no matter how chaotic they might seem to an outside observer, were aimed at a goal. The Demon Kings' thoughts, on the other hand, bore little resemblance to anything purposeful, although you couldn't say that there was nothing coherent in their panic.

Just one, one single thought prevailed in the hurricane of panic that is the minds and thoughts of the Demon Kings.

"How?!"

One question, to be more precise.

"HOW DID HE FOUND OUT WHAT WE'RE PLANNING?!"

The Demon Kings have only one thing that they feared, Solomon, their lord. How can you fear something when you are immortal? And how can you not fear the one person who can take away your immortality?

Well, with what they've learned, now there were two of them.

Everything began to change the moment they first encountered something so… strange. Unknowable, even.

It came as a great shock to them. A creature capable of fighting their Lord!? A mysterious enemy capable of killing immortals?! A Machiavellian genius waging war on their invincible, their all-powerful and all-knowing King!?

And they were the poor pawns standing in the front lines.

It was a sharp blow to their psyche. It was as if their confidence, their strength, and knowledge, their whole being had all been shattered in an instant. For the first time in their immortal lives, the Demon Kings were facing not with a 'problem' to be solved, but with a 'danger' directly pointed to their necks.

And yet it was not a fatal blow to them.

Even if their enemy was indeed as powerful, as dangerous as their King, it still couldn't destroy their faith in the power of their King. Indeed, it was a grievous blow to their very worldview, a blow to the very heart of their reality. And yet, by restraining their minds from contemplating the madness, from the collapse of their worldview, they were able to survive such a shock.

And to these Pillars, barely holding on to their foundation, they returned to the King, and found that he was going through the same thing they were going through.

Their powerful, invincible King had found their match. The sole pillar of their existence had retreated.

Perhaps, ironically, it was even more of a shocking experience for their King than it was for the Demon Kings.

The Demon Kings always had before them the example of the invincible, all-powerful, and all-knowing leader. But Solomon could never look at himself that way, through the eyes of his followers.

For him, to face something like Ainz was perhaps an even more unbelievable event than for the Demon Kings.

An equal, possessing a strength equal to him, an intelligence equal to him…

And Solomon, the invincible King, facing such an adversary… Retreated.

Centuries of planning and hundreds and thousands of plans later, Solomon, on his first participation in his great plan… Retreated.

He returned to his temple and, for the first time in perhaps ever, sank into a deep reflection.

For the first time in his life, he faced someone that was his equal, and Solomon could not afford his usual tactics.

He was not feeling melancholy as he waited and watched the uninteresting performance called 'the destruction of the Singularities'. No, that 'plan' has already failed, so Solomon went back to where he first started.

Plans. Reflections. Preparation.

And for the first time in a very, very long time, Solomon… wasn't sure of anything.

He couldn't find anything about his enemy. Without it, he couldn't reflect on his own capabilities And, lost in the darkness of doubt and uncertainty, he couldn't prepare anything.

And with nothing in hand, Solomon returned to the most basic of steps. As every creator reviews their creation, Solomon inspected his plan. Repeated each of its steps from the beginning, studying each step, analyzing it to see where it had faltered, to achieve victory.

Not a snap of the fingers that solves all problems by the power of the King, but the so unusual method for Solomon, the method called 'trial and error'.

The entire Singularity of America was to be used for such an endeavor.

And if the question had been 'what is the trap in the Singularity', the answer would have been that 'there is no trap'. And that was the trap.

The trap that he had devised for his equal, was that there was no 'trap'.

The Singularity was not designed for the purpose of fooling and then destroying Ainz, no. If even Solomon had retreated, what chance does anything weaker than him could accomplish? No, the rules of the game have changed.

The Singularity was created with the sole purpose to study Ainz.

No Servants were under the control of the Demon Kings. No plans were laid by the Demon Kings. The entire Singularity was created out of that calculation.

To see how Ainz operates under such conditions. Which side would he support? How would he have reacted to such a drastic change in the paradigm? How would he look for the trails of the Demon Kings when there's none?

A few dozen Demon Kings were brought into the Singularity as a kind of sacrifice, given away as tribute. Though, of course, it isn't as if they were going to simply wash their neck and wait for their execution, no, the stage has to be set after all.

They did it with the lightest of touches, a bare whisper in the wind to create the stand-off. All without affecting the minds and actions of the Servants, then when the stage is set, they retreat to the background keeping themselves as quiet as possible.

The entire Singularity was created as a place to study Ainz, his Servants, his actions, anything that would give any, even the most ghostly chance to understand him, and finally how to defeat him.

That was why the Demon Kings were panicking out of their mind.

Each Demon King had concealed his power to such an extent that it was virtually impossible to distinguish them from ordinary humans. Even the King himself could glance at them without noticing anything remarkable.

And, even after doing such a thing, they were so easily found!? And so quickly!? How?!

How could their identity have been so easily uncovered!? They left no trails, so how have they been discovered?!

There was no time for the King's temple to lend their assistance, and so the preparations, the plan, the setting up of the nets that had taken so long to create, were all done by the Demon Kings. And now, to see all that effort wasted, one could understand why the Demon Kings were in such a frenzy… It took less than a day!

It was impossible, but at the same time, it did show the truth of the matter. That their King did not call this enemy his equal for nothing.

A prospect that had brought such chaos to the minds of the normally unflappable beings. Questions and accusations alike were shouted at the aether.

How did he break through their web?! How could it have been done in just the few hours that Ainz had been in Singularity?!

Horror, fear, panic gripped the minds of the Demon Kings, their minds were in turmoil.

What were they supposed to do now?! Attack?! Run?! Just hand over the Singularity, hoping that it would save them from retaliation?

And when there was only a fraction left until the Demon Kings fall into the abyss of madness, their King, Solomon's voice, resounded.

"Do nothing."

And for the first time, the Demon Kings became afraid.

"Your mission has not changed. Continue your observation."

Had madness… had madness consumed their King?

Were they now doomed, sacrificed to Ainz?!

But before, for the first time, in the mind of the Demon Kings allowed a thought so alien and insane as 'disobedience', the King's second remark dispelled it.

"If you are still alive, then that means that he has decided not to kill you."

What their King had concluded reached every mind of the Demon Kings, making them freeze.

"The speed of his understanding is amazing, perhaps, I shouldn't have expected anything less from a worthy enemy. And yet, if he not only doesn't kill you, but even informs you of such critical information as that he knows of your presence, well, that leaves only one realistic reason…"

The Demon Kings were silent, awaiting Solomon's verdict.

"He's playing with us… No, with me. He is showing that he is not afraid of my actions, nor of my understanding, nor of my knowledge. Should I take this as a challenge?"

After these words, a thought flashed through the multitude of Demon Kings that did not belong to them. But at the same time, it was so strange that it could in no way belong to Solomon either.

It couldn't have been…

A sneer. Why would their King have such an emotion?

"I should have expected nothing less from my enemy."

The Demon Kings had nothing to say, each of them waiting for their new order.

"Go back to what you were doing before, continue your observation of him and his Servants. Though…"

Solomon paused, pondering his words before uttering his last thought.

"Still, be polite and keep your observation secret. Even if he already knows about you, no need to be impolite and ruin the game."

---

Ainz was gripped by a strange feeling as he finished talking to the Servants, as if he was expecting that his words to Medea and Tesla would suddenly trigger something. Some kind of result, some kind of change in the world.

But there was no such thing.

Continuing to walk through the streets of the city, Ainz encountered nothing unusual in his path, his main adversaries in this Singularity did not suddenly descend upon him. It seemed as if nothing had happened…

Although, what was he expecting! Of course, nothing happened!

The suppression of emotion saved Ainz from punching himself in the face as he was faced with great embarrassment.

What was he thinking, telling Medea and Tesla that he had figured out this Singularity! What was he thinking!

Of course nothing would happen, all the previous times that it had worked, it wasn't because his words suddenly solved all the problems. No, even worse than that! He simply appropriated the fruits of other people's work, other people's plans for himself! Of course, how could he ever think that his words would have any effect on the situation in this Singularity!

Ainz felt like banging his head against something hard, but the suppression of emotion and the realization that his suppression of damage would prevent him from damaging himself anyway, made him sigh. With nothing else to do, Ainz decided to take a look at where he had found himself

It was just an unremarkable street, ha… What did he expect? That he'd accidentally run into the Demon King!?

Some guy next to Ainz, when he ran his gaze over him, gulped nervously and took a step to the side, giving him way…

Great, he also started scaring normal people with his behavior!

Ainz sighed mournfully as he hurried forward, trying to get away from this street as quickly as possible.

In this endeavor, the Demon King Aamon, who almost pissed his pants in fear as someone that even his King regards carefully stared at him, could only support him.

---

Medea sincerely tried to figure out exactly what was going on in Singularity at the moment, analyze any secret signs or hints that could be picked up in the few hours she had spent in this world and… She couldn't find even the slightest hint of what Ainz might have figured out.

Cu Chulainn Alter and Medb? One of their Servants? Was it about the obscure Kingdom that emerged in the midst of a nuclear war-ravaged United States?

No, it was all certainly strange, as the altered history of the unreal world was supposed to be, but it didn't add up in any way into a coherent finding.

Or, more accurately, one conclusion does, but more in the sense that the Servants simply appeared by chance and began trying to solve their own problems, created by the Singularity. Edison was simply trying to destroy the Servants opposing him. Cu Chulainn was just sluggishly fighting back, preserving his strength and excitement for a final battle. And the third side of the conflict, the free Servants, just wanted to end this madness in any way possible.

One could argue that this particular lack of suspicious activities was proof that the Demon Kings were involved somehow. But such a conclusion didn't fit into the picture the Singularity painted, either!

The Demon Kings were definitely here, the Servants in the Singularity were able to confirm that fact at least. Furthermore, having two sides of Servants fighting was almost standard procedure now. And the fact that they're fighting openly, to destroy the enemy, and yet are still in a stalemate and that was suspicious, because it should have indicated Demon Kings' interference…

And in that case, what was the point of revealing the presence of Demon Kings in the founding of the faction if their very presence prevented Ainz and the Servants from joining one of the camps?

Or was that just to make sure that Ainz joins a third party, and the Demon Kings' secret plan was to do just that? To force Ainz into a certain location to enact some kind of special trap that was supposed to work against Ainz?

In that case, Scáthach's attack didn't really fit with the idea of 'inducing Ainz to cooperate' with her faction. Or was that just a ruse? To lull Ainz into a false sense of safety, making him focus on Scáthach's suspicion against him that was supposed to make the situation more plausible and less suspicious?!

Medea had always prided herself on her intelligence, able to work with the most complex magic and understand even divine intrigue. But, such theory crafting of who is the enemy and who she can trust, bordering on paranoia, was not her area of expertise.

And so there was no way she could solve the mystery in this Singularity…

Something which apparently Ainz had not only grasped, but unraveled in less time than it took Medea to figure out that the Singularity was strange!

And so, if before, Medea's interest had been primarily due to the strange magic and enormous power Ainz possessed, this time, Medea was shocked at Ainz's wisdom, with experience in intrigue probably greater than Medea herself had experience in magic… And Medea had a hell of a lot of experience in magic!

"Caster?" Trying to at least keep Medea's name a secret for decency, Mashu turned towards the silent Medea, "Are you sure you won't be ordering anything?"

Medea blinked, and then looked around her. It seems that while she was deep in thought, she had completely stopped paying attention to her surroundings, forgetting where she was.

The place she was in could only loosely be called a 'restaurant', with the mild aesthetics of a medieval tavern as it might be imagined by modern people. Some flags were flying near the ceiling, and some swords were hanging on the wall. Only as a decoration, as even to Medea's lack of experience in the matter of swords, it looked more like a ceremonial sword of some officer from the modern, relative to this Singularity at least, army.

Oh, that's right, in her stupor she seemed to have agreed to stop somewhere for a bite to eat.

She doesn't know exactly where she is, she had lost all attention to her surroundings when she was immersed in her thoughts.

However, Medea cared little about ordering food, except, perhaps, for one thing: wine. And at least two bottles of them as she gave the order to Mashu.

Mashu blinked at what Medea was asking, before simply shrugging and nodding. "Speaking of how to pay for the order…"

Medea grimaced for a moment, she had forgotten that they don't have any. She'd probably have to charm the local tavern keeper and muddle their minds a little to make them think the two Servants had paid them. Mashu cut that line of thought abruptly, "Don't worry, Master had given us some."

Medea blinked, had she missed Ainz's appearance during her contemplation? Before she could think about it some more she remembered something. Teleportation, of course.

Though, where did Ainz find some local currency? Where could Ainz get that from? One could only hope that he hadn't killed a few dozen local rich people for money.

And if he had, at least that he hadn't raised the dead as undead, lest her forget what necromancers were capable of.

And while Medea had some knowledge in the field of Necromancy, appropriate for her status, she even considered herself a pretty decent Necromancer. The dark rituals in general were not worth mentioning, let alone performing on humans.

Back to Ainz's enigmatic self, though. Who knows what he did and the reasons he did them? After all that had transpired, Medea was getting tired of wondering. So, if Ainz had said that the money was from the deposit of old Wild West money he had simply because he had once been the designer of it, Medea would have accepted that explanation.

As she waited for her order to arrive, Medea took another look around the place where she had found herself. The tavern had a few tables strewn around, empty, there were chefs and waiters bustling somewhere in the distance, and… there was someone approaching them?

"Two distinguished misses, may I ask for a little of your time on this pleasant day?" A middle-aged man with a pleasant smile approached the table where Medea and Mashu were sitting.

Mashu, of course, did not have time to say anything before Medea answered for the both of them. "We are not looking for company."

"Oh, I'm not approaching with ill intent, it won't even take long," The man with the unremarkable appearance sighed, "You see, I am but a simple journalist covering the events happening in our Kingdom. And, looking at the both of you, I could not help but notice that your clothes looked nothing like the locals. You have come from afar, haven't you? Could you help me with my article?"

Hearing the unremarkable man's words, Medea sighed. Sure, her cloak, like Mashu's armor, definitely stands out against the everyday clothing of the locals, not to mention the peculiarities of the two Servants. But, that didn't mean she wanted to communicate with some local journalists in any way.

Hmm, it is strange though. Did the newspaper of the Wild West have such kinds of articles? Still, given the presence of Servants' from more modern times and their influence, such incongruence was the least strange thing that was happening in this Singularity.

However, since Medea was silent, it gave Mashu the opportunity to interject, "I think I might be able to answer a few questions…"

Medea glanced at the excited Mashu, the poor girl was curious about the strangest things. But, reasoning that if Mashu does distract the journalist's attention, Medea will be given the opportunity to sink back into her thoughts.

Seeing no harm done, Medea was once again immersed in her thoughts, waiting for her wine.

Demon King Agares only smiled pleasantly, as he took a seat next to the strangely nervous Servant, "Well, in that case, could you tell me your name, young girl?"

---

Tesla sincerely wanted to know from Ainz how he should have reacted to Edison's proposal. The most logical thing to do, especially considering that Ainz had already figured out the trap of this Singularity. But, instead of a clear answer, he just gave him a somewhat strange order. For him to 'do as you see fit', before cutting off the connection.

For a moment Tesla was interested in dissecting the words and decisions of the Master, but the presence of Edison, still awaiting his answer, forced him to halt such thoughts to make a decision. "Well, fine, I'll try to help you. My genius should be enough to counter your idiocy."

Edison, refraining from even jabbing Tesla for his words, nodded slowly, then quickly shook Tesla's hand.

After the handshake, and confirming Tesla's cooperation, the mask of politeness was soon dropped, "Now get out. You can go and take care of the pigeons or whatever you do, I'll summon you if I need something."

"Fine, I could see that you could no longer hold on to your perversions, just, don't ask me to wear any fur suits, I don't swing that way." Tesla sniped one last time before taking a step out of the office, saving himself from further interacting with Edison and, perhaps, of his strange fetishes.

However, no sooner had Tesla exited the room and thought about what he needed to do when a voice caught his attention. It was quite high-pitched and loud, clearly belonging to a girl, a rather young one at that, which meant little among Servants.

Turning around, Tesla saw only the top of the girl's head before he shifted his gaze down to find the short Servant in front of him.

The speaker was a girl of short stature, with very, very youthful features. She has short pink hair that ends above her shoulders, and clothes so scandalous that Tesla could hear the police sirens for even looking at such a thing.

What was she wearing!? It couldn't even be called a dress! And not only that! The girl, even with a gracious estimate, could not be older than sixteen at best. Though if one were honest, then no one would say that she was older than thirteen.

Her dress bared her shoulders, that made Tesla wary he might see a cleavage that he really did not want to see, but it also was paired with a very modest skirt, that barely even covered her waist! And the skirt itself didn't hide the things it was supposed to hide at all! In fact, is that her pan… Gah, abort, abort!

Considering that she was wearing boots, with what seemed to be made of leather, and stockings that rose well above her knees, Tesla really felt like he just shouldn't have been looking at something like that!

Thank all the gods, in which Tesla certainly did not believe in, that on the shoulders of the girl, rested a large cape, clearly much larger than necessary, quite complementary to the peculiar cap on her head.

Curses to his mind's capability to categorize things! He really didn't want anyone to think that he's a pervert if anyone was reading his mind!

Instantly averting his gaze, Tesla coughed awkwardly to himself, before addressing the very dangerously dressed Servant. "Madam, could you… could you please put your cloak over yourself, please?"

At Tesla's request, the servant, the very young-looking girl, only sighed, "I hate this body…"

After another second, hearing the rustling of clothes, Tesla still didn't look back to see the Servant covering herself with her cloak. Tesla only turned around when the Servant started talking again. "Well, I already put on the stupid cloak. Anything else?"

"Ahem, probably not," Tesla sighed, then, bringing his spirits and thoughts back to order, remembered that right now he was still a Servant, and held out his hand to her, as politeness demands of him. "Nikola Tesla, Archer."

The girl reacted to the introduction calmly, accepted Tesla's hand, and then slowly nodded, "Helena. Helena Blavatsky, Caster."

Tesla blinked.

Of course, the occult mystics of the nineteenth century were not part of his academic interests, but he still had some information about the Servant opposite him.

Helena Blavatsky, occult scholar, powerful magician, and supposedly half-mad in her theories even by the standards of Magus. The creator of golems, the founder of Theosophy, the seeker of Mahatma, and perhaps one of the rare mages who had come into contact with the Root. Or perhaps not. As one could understand from the fact that even among mages, a society not particularly known for their prudence, Elena still stood out as insane. So, it was impossible to determine the truth about whether she had really come into contact with the Root.

And the peculiarities of Helena's body in no way make that any clearer.

Tesla slowly shifted his gaze to Caster's face, causing her to raise one eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's just that, if you're not offended, I have a question… Madam," Tesla added the last part with some doubt as he looked at the very youthful Helena's face. Calling someone 'madam' when they looked no older than a schoolgirl, and not even from high school, was really difficult.

"I don't want to talk about why I got this body," Blavatsky answered instantly, then gave Tesla a look that made it clear that she did not want further discussion, "Anything else?"

"No, nothing," Tesla sighed, then shook his head "In any case, madam, how can I help you?"

"For me personally, maybe only as an interlocutor," Caster glanced over at Tesla, "Edison wanted me to do the introductions, especially since you wouldn't have agreed to the little "field trip" from him yourself."

Tesla shuddered for a moment as he pictured himself walking around with Edison and enduring his presence for another hour or two, then nodded quickly.

"Well, in that case I suggest not to be distracted," Helena added, and then turned around on the spot and quickly walked away, "Hurry up, so we will have more time."

At these words Tesla only nodded, walking away from the administration building to somewhere in the direction of, apparently, the local laboratory, asking a question that interested him on the way. "More time for what?"

Blavatsky paused for the first time in their interaction and before showing considerable emotion in her voice, "You know nothing of the greatness of the Mahatma and the Hierarchy! All the time that would not be spent wasted studying Edison's experiments could be spent studying the mystery of Shambhala!"

It was only at this point that Tesla realized that perhaps spending time with Helena might not be much better than spending time with Edison…

---

Geographic Handbook, Volume 4, page 312:

The perhaps strangely named Skull Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean. With 84 kilometers of coastline and a stable climate, it was strange that the island never sports human habitation. Named after the natives' belief that the island was created by the power of a Bone God from an unstable world, it was perhaps one of the reasons as to why the tribe treats the island as somewhere dangerous.

Famous as the site of Soviet missiles emplacement prior to their redeployment to Cuba, and as the first place to prove the failure of the previous method of radioisotope dating. The island was made famous due to the fact that the island was dated as having been formed around the year 1650, which is virtually impossible for obvious reasons.

Currently, the island is in the possession of Spain, though it has no permanent population, except for the staff of the island's research laboratory of twelve people.

The previously mentioned Island's erroneous dating strangeness and the presence of the laboratory has made the island a part of a minor conspiracy theory. The claims range from the occult to the macabre of human experimentation…

Handwritten note in the margins of the book:

And where else would they be conducted but in a place where the power of the God of Death is concentrated?

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea and Staff: Child's Play

Nursery Rhyme, the Nameless Book God, was essentially a monster with no semblance of normal form, no single body, and perhaps not even a definite mind. Certainly, if one ventured to look at the 'true' form of Nursery Rhyme, one could not bring oneself to look at the form that 'it' otherwise took with anything other than horror. Their minds would buckle and break as they behold the insane and completely alien mind and being that existed as the true form of a Servant with such an innocuous name.

Such was the true form of the Servant, a form that, should a Master summoned it, they could not have survived. And therefore, Nursery Rhyme did not exist in its true form.

Such was the Servant's peculiarity, this creature, though it had something that could be called a 'true form', was not something that can be used to interact with its Master should the latter take its true form. And so, every time it was summoned, instead of some kind of mad and alien creature, Nursery Rhyme, the Servant, would take form.

Why they normally appear as a little girl dressed in gothic lolita fashion, though, is something that no one can answer.

Her 'outer' form was created for two purposes at once. First, to enable the Master to interact with something comprehensible to his mind and consciousness, and second, to give the alien creature a grounding for understanding moral norms, and consciousness that can correlate with its Master's.

If the Master summoning this Servant were one who wished to see an invincible warrior descended from the pages of dusty books of legend, it was in the power of the Nursery Rhyme to create just that. It would create a facade of a creature equal to a wise knight, a great hero, a noble and invincible warrior.

In other words, if one wished to see a noir detective hero, cynical and embittered by the world, Nursery Rhyme could provide that as well.

It was not the creation of a puppet, where the true mind of Nursery Rhyme would control. No, it was not just 'a body' created according to the Master's preference, it was the entire character of the Servant itself. The Servant changed itself entirely, taking from the Master's thoughts the image, the thinking, the knowledge, the understanding of how it was to think, to behave, and then changing itself to suit this image.

At the same time, although technically speaking a Master could control this process, realistically speaking, it was impossible. Not many Masters could independently determine that Nursery Rhyme was the Servant they would receive at their summoning, what sort of catalyst even summon such a Servant?

Even with their summoning certain, not many Masters could fully compose their demand or request to such a Servant to matter, forming its personality and thinking in one go. And therefore, Nursery Rhyme had a sort of 'standard form' or rather, a certain body and consciousness, a Servant that existed in most conditions in the absence of other instructions, a convenient form capable of interacting with its Master.

That form was named Alice.

A little girl dressed in a puffy black and purple dress that belonged more to a doll than to a person, with large eyes and a face frozen like a porcelain mask, staring unemotionally at her surroundings. Her white hair was braided into two long braids down the front of her dress reaching below the waist, with a beret pushed down to the back of her head.

In other words, Alice's appearance was that of a girl, not just young, but small and vulnerable.

The name itself, 'Alice', was taken from a distant, alien memory… But why it chose that name didn't matter.

More important, however, was that, in contrast to Alice's appearance, her mind was not the young and naïve mind of a young girl, but that of a Servant. Not so much an adult mind, as a fully formed one. It was not the mind of a child incapable of perceiving pain or loss, instead a mind fully aware of concepts like 'death' or 'suffering'. Perhaps, even better than by humans themselves.

Underestimating Alice's intelligence due to her appearance as a young girl would be a grave mistake.

At the same time, however, there was still a certain quirk. Neither could it be said that Alice was fully 'mature'. Rather, it was a case where the two parts of the personality, the 'child' and the 'adult' existed simultaneously. Enabling one to comprehend heavy concepts, and yet at the same time able to interact with the world with the eyes of an innocent child, eager to engage in various games.

In other words, it was the perfect match for Nursery Rhyme itself, a being capable of finding common ground with both the young and the adult, the serious and the carefree, Altera and Jack, Asterios and Cainabel.

Ahem, the last two remarks were a bit surprising to anyone. Perhaps for a full explanation, a bit about how Alice found herself in her current situation is worth telling…

---

It all started when Alice found herself summoned. And, because Nursery Rhyme could not reach the mind of her summoner, her future Master, or rather, could not even touch it, she took on her 'standard' form. And so, Alice appeared in front of the other Servants in a moment of general chaos and confusion.

Alice, as an independent Servant, would not have minded participating in this chaos.

After all, chaos is nothing more than a ladder.

And with Ainz, the Master, busy with his own problems such as his romantic relationship, or Da Vinci's madness, it was the perfect opportunity for Alice to gain information about the world around her. Yes, of course, she could act aloof, but Alice's personality was not that of a recluse. Even more, as an actual child she was excited to meet new Servants, nor would she have been unhappy to interact with her Master. But if, for whatever reason, her Master was unable to meet her, that was not something bad either, for many other acquaintances awaited Alice in Chaldea.

Alice's first target initially, of course, was Jack. Not only did they already know each other from the Singularity, their age, in a sense, would also serve as a good starting point to begin their interactions. But, seeing a giant, Angrboda, monopolizing Jack's time foiled that plan for a while.

But what could a child do if they were unlucky enough to not meet another child of Chaldea? Look for other children to play with, of course.

And in Chaldea, anyway, there were two Servants that could be called children. The first was Jack, and the second, of course, was no one else's than Asterios.

Of course, he wasn't much of a child, physically speaking at least. His huge, towering figure and bulging muscles made it hard to see him as a child. But, if anyone even just had a conversation with Asterios for even a few minutes, any doubt would be gone. Asterios was a child, and, in Alice's case, was probably much younger than she was.

And since there was no way for Alice to play with Jack while Angrboda was in Chaldea, the most logical of all options for her was to meet with Asterios instead.

Sadly, when she finally found the giant, he was already with Altera. Alice might not be the most logical being, rather a Servant that tried to find the most logical solutions, and if it was impossible, was content with the given one. But even she knows that adding variables to an already unknown situation is silly.

That was why she decided to bide her time instead.

Luckily, soon enough, Angrboda had left Chaldea, giving Alice a chance to finally interact with Jack alone. And, as one would expect, where Altera was, sooner or later Cainabel would also show up, which eventually led to the current situation.

Well no matter the circumstances of her actions in Chaldea, she finally ended up sitting along with Jack and Asterios leafing through a thick book. The figure of Alice sitting in a chair designed to accommodate Asterios' size makes for a funny picture.

"You have to run with all your might just to stay in place, and to get somewhere, you have to run at least twice as fast…"

Another page leafed through, she looked away and passed her gaze over Asterios and Jack. Who had already closed their eyes and, judging by their calm breathing, were already sound asleep. Seeing that her audience was already fast asleep, she slowly closed the book, with its title emblazoned proudly on the cover.

'The Most Basic of Basics of Quantum Physics', the title read, not that it matters to Alice, who had already memorized the book and could recite its contents from memory. And so, with nary a sound, the book disappeared from her hands.

It seems that her experience with children was indeed correct. Children do indeed like it when you tell them stories. Something which is somewhat of a specialty of Alice's, if she says so herself. Plus, she does like to add some oomph to her presence, and a nice, very voluminous book was just the thing. Of course, why a child like her was holding a treatise on Quantum physics, or why she was reading its contents to children, was neither here nor there.

Maybe it's because the two Servants in question have a somewhat tangible relationship to the subject. Or maybe it's just because they just liked hearing Alice's way of reading the text, like she was reading a fairy tale. The answer was perhaps not really something anyone would bother to ask.

With 'story time' over, Alice carefully climbed down the large chair to return to the ground, a quite challenging task for someone of her size. After the somewhat arduous climb, Alice could finally take a closer look at the two children that she had just tried to befriend.

Asterios, though he looked more like a huge pile of muscles in his appearance, looked peaceful in his sleep. With his face relaxed, and his whole body seemingly shrinking on itself, no one would mistake him for anything else than a child. It still made it difficult for Alice to cover him with a blanket, in view of the fact that even standing up on her toes, Alice could hardly reach the blanket on his shoulders. So massive was he, and so diminutive was Alice.

Jack, sleeping on the other side of Asterios, instead of shrinking into a lump, on the contrary, only seems to collapse in all directions, spreading her arms. In this case, Alice was nothing but thankful that she managed to convince Jack not to take her knives to bed. No, Alice didn't mind people having their little attachments, whether it was a favorite book or a teddy bear, but when it came to knives, sleeping with them in her arms was… Unsafe, to say the least.

Alice glanced at Jack, snoozing peacefully, and exhaled.

In fact, she herself wouldn't mind snuggling up among the children. She'd probably find it easy to fall asleep hearing someone else's story as well. Preferably not a written tale, but someone else's legends or stories of their adventures, ones that weren't written down. Whether it was an account of Paracelsus' magical experiments or even just Hector's story of Troy, she wouldn't mind. Though, if she had it her way, it would have been preferable to hear Ainz's story.

His was a story Alice knew nothing about, and it was a story not recorded in any book, and therefore a subject most interesting to her.

In the end, it was impossible even to say definitively whether or not Alice was an adult. Rather, she existed as both at the same time. But, unfortunately, the current conditions were more predisposed to her displaying her more adult persona.

Looking around at Asterios and Jack in their sleep, she sighed, then shifted her gaze to Altera, silently observing all three. She had been here from the beginning of the story to its conclusion, silently listening to Alice's words. Though, whether she was actually interested in the story, or was just keeping an eye on her, she couldn't tell.

With the story-telling over, Altera rose from her seat, then turned off the small bedside lamp, the only light source in the room that had worked until then, before walking out the door. Alice follows close behind her into the corridors of Chaldea.

"Thank you for putting them to sleep," Altera spoke in an unemotional tone. At least that's what someone less versed in reading human emotions would say. Alice, on the other hand, was well versed in reading the personalities of any reader. And thus any person willing to speak, and so she was aware that what mattered was not the tone with which Altera communicated, but what she said as a fact. For Altera, whose original personality consisted of blindly and silently following orders, completely ignoring anything else, the fact that she spoke at all was something massive. The fact that she even expressed gratitude for something as insignificant as providing Asterios and Jack with a pleasant sleep, meant that her original personality had indeed changed.

And while Alice understood that she might not have fully understood her Master's plans and the complex network of relationships in Chaldea, she still finds that the decision to assign Altera as Cainabel's protégé was not the best decision… But at the same time, as she watched the latter's personality change from what was recorded, she was forced to admit that the many epithets Ainz had been awarded with were well deserved.

"You're welcome, I was only here to share my favorite story." Alice responded to Altera's words with a smile. Responding to her display of emotion with one of her own. Well, after that spot of happiness, she finds herself somewhat wary of returning to the not so joyful event awaiting her.

Walking a short way through the corridors to her next destination, Alice let Altera lead the way, knocking on the door. After a short pause, for some kind of approval from inside the room, Altera opened the door, letting Alice to momentarily meet the gaze of the room's occupant. Altera's mistress and one of the potential movers of Chaldea, Cainabel.

Cainabel looked annoyed and strangely squeamish, but Alice thought this was a normal expression on Cainabel's face, and so she paid it no mind, just as Altera was used to the mood of her… Commander? Mistress? One could pick different names for how Altera sees Cainabel, but they all meant little.

"That took an unnecessarily long time… " Cainabel sighed as she looked at Alice's emotionless face, implying that her desire to put the two to bed was what had irritated the vampire, before returning her attention to Altera. "Well, in any case, since we have dealt with the least important part of this evening…"

Alice, as well as Altera, silently only continued to stare at Cainabel, waiting for her to continue, allowing her to sigh, before slowly returning to her previous mood.

"It's time for us to solve some problems," Cainabel grouched as she glanced at the two Servants across from her, before continuing. "Baal is overstepping his bounds."

Of course, that was what was going on, Alice sighed mentally. The underhanded struggle between two of the three Servants of Yggdrasil for influence over the Master, Ainz, what else could occupy Cainabel's mind?

As far as Alice knew, this fight had lasted a long time, perhaps even unjustifiably long. But, essentially, at the moment, the 'fight' consisted only of lengthy preparations, attempts to gather the largest number of supporters, and mutual attempts by the two peculiar lieutenants of Ainz's forces, to smear each other. Well, self-proclaimed lieutenants at least.

Something which was, from Alice's own point of view, a rather useless endeavor.

Even in the short time she had been in Chaldea, barely in contact with the other Servants, she had managed to get enough information about Baal and Cainabel. She understood, even with minimal information, that one should avoid Baal and Cainabel's company, never mind the rest of the Servants.

So how could both of the almost pariahs even try to gather 'support'?

However, since Alice was now in Cainabel's company at the moment, it was perhaps not that impossible.

In any case, the confrontation between Cainabel and Baal at the moment consisted of nothing more than preparing their 'base'. With the most likely end goal of using that base of support when the Singularities crisis was resolved. Ideally by ousting the enemy, and winning Ainz's support in every way possible… At least she hopes that Cainabel was smart enough to know that Ainz wouldn't allow overt actions.

Baal, at least, judging by how many 'conversations' he was having here and there while remaining on the periphery of perception. And judging by the fact that through his influence of Medea he clearly had a reach to Olga-Marie, was banking to create pressure, if one could call it that, the further 'demotion' of Cainabel in a relatively diplomatic way.

Cainabel was clearly less talented in intrigue, so decided to simply use quantity to counter Baal's influence. And for this she did not shy away from any opportunity, whether it was someone as naive and innocent as Asterios, or someone as desperate as the Gorgon sisters. Or, perhaps more pertinent to the situation she had found herself in, Alice herself.

"And if I don't like it, then you don't like it." Cainabel exhaled slowly through her nose, and then glared at the two people in her room.

Altera, already accustomed to her mistress' logic, did not react at all to such words, while Alice simply remained silent, allowing her to continue speaking.

"And though I doubt that an obsolete tin-can, and a moth-eaten old book, which preferred as its appearance the wet-dream of a pedophile, can come to an idea that I have not had time to consider… And reject as absolutely idiotic…" Cainabel sighed slowly, as if swallowing something bitter.

"I am, however, perhaps with a foolish hope, willing to listen to your ideas, suggestions, questions? Feel free to ask the most idiotic ideas or questions you can devise. It's not like you can come up with anything more clever than complete idiocy. So I'm at least mentally ready to listen to the dumbest of your suggestions."

Alice was sure it would have been easy for her to come up with some caustic response to Cainabel's barbs. But she knew that it would just make her answer with something even more caustic. And in the end it would have come down to violence, probably involving injury and destruction to Chaldea.

But she wanted none of that in the first place. And secondly, even speaking loudly would have awakened the sleeping Jack and Asterios, who were sleeping peacefully nearby.

And so, with a sigh, she decided to ask the most important question of all. "So, what is the reason you're fighting with Baal, anyway?"

At Alice's question, Cainabel was frozen for a moment, as if she had just witnessed something incredible. After a second, she then turned her gaze to Alice, her expression barely containing her disgust. "I certainly expected idiocy from such a useless waste of paper, but such phenomenal stupidity… I… I… I have no words to describe it…"

"No, I do understand that this is a power struggle for a place as, in fact, the right hand of the Master," Alice shook her head from side to side, quickly clarifying her position.

"But… What exactly is the advantage of being the "right hand" of the Master in this sense? The Master is not a ruler or a tycoon or anything like that, and has no power, some of which could be taken if you become his 'right hand', for whatever reason. What is the point of fighting your adversary for the office, if money or prestige is insignificant to both of you?"

After Alice finished, Cainabel silently looked at Alice, then blinked a few times as if trying to comprehend the words coming out of her mouth, before slowly inhaling and exhaling.

"Hah, this is what I get for allowing retards to join my side… It's just problem after problem with every newcomer. Take a deep breath Cainabel, they are all idiots, they just can't help themselves, none of them can look beyond a few months into the future, ha…" Talking to herself as if the other two Servants were not in the room, Cainabel finally designs to address Alice.

"Well, I realize that I brought this curse on myself when I let you speak your stupidest thoughts, surely." Cainabel rolled her eyes, before looking at Alice like an idiot. "Do you know about Ainz's plans after the Singularity crisis ends?"

Alice blinked, but answered briefly and truthfully. "I don't think so."

"In that case, let me ask you something so simple that even your lacking brain can answer," Cainabel held up one finger, "Where are we?"

"Chaldea", Alice answered.

"What is Chaldea?" Cainabel asked again, raising a second finger.

"It was originally a research organization established under the auspices of Marisburi Animusphere, the chief's father," Alice answered obediently.

"And who are the Animuspheres?" Cainabel asked with some pressure, raising a third finger.

"One of the powerful families of the Clock Tower…"- Alice answered obediently, before blinking in realization and Cainabel lowered her fingers. "I mean…"

"Exactly," Cainabel rolled her eyes, as Alice came to the 'obvious' conclusion. "Chaldea is a research institute that the Clock Tower knows about if not thoroughly, then enough. Now let's think about what happens after the Singularity crisis is solved. There are two possibilities."

"In the first" Cainabel raised her right hand to articulate. "The mages in the Association know what happened, even if without full details, they know enough about the incredible crisis and the immense power that Chaldea now possesses."

"The second," Cainabel raised her left hand. "None of the mages can establish anything about what happened. But they do know that, overnight, Chaldea, the research institute, has gained an army of dozens of Servants. And worse, now possesses power capable of not just destroying the balance between the magic cliques of this world, but, quite realistically, the world itself in case of conflict."

"It doesn't matter which of the two is going to happen," Cainabel folded her two hands together in front of her chest.

"What matters is the fact that after the crisis is over, Chaldea will suddenly be strong enough to equal or perhaps surpass the power of entire states and ancient conspiracies. Do you feel where this is going?"

Alice blinked, "War?"

"Well, yes, but not an open war. Even a doll with a head full of paper and ink should understand why that is." Cainabel exhaled irritably.

"But even a secret war would fuck up the entire status quo, with no way to restore it. It would have many consequences, but the fact that Chaldea would be no one's friend is absolutely certain. It will be a cold war, perhaps some skirmish, assassination attempts or even a few sabotages here and there, any method to get rid of a threatening force of Chaldea. Be it bribery, assurances of eternal friendship or an attempt to drop a nuclear bomb… Ha, the latter is not likely, but it is still on the list of possibilities." Cainabel mirthfully laughed at her own joke before continuing.

"In other words, although a crisis similar to the Singularities will be resolved, there will only be a succession of next crises. A situation where Chaldea suddenly becomes a new pole of power and one of the priority targets for the enemies. One can even expect an early strike, before Chaldea can fully turn around and get into the game." After that, Cainabel sighed.

"I don't think that I need to explain to you why I desire a position of power in that future, do I?."

"Okay, I understand that," Alice sighed, "But why wouldn't Ainz intervene on his own in that case?"

Cainabel tried to answer these words, but, unexpectedly for Alice herself, she suddenly fell silent before slowly speaking out her reasoning. "Ainz has other goals."

Alice blinked.

What Cainabel had said sounded… True and false at the same time. Why would she lie? Is she planning something nefarious against the Master? No, even just a short conversation with Cainabel on the matter, as difficult to withstand as that is, was enough for Alice to understand that such a thing was impossible. No matter how ambitious she might be, or how she dreams to be at the top, nothing could mask that wild, almost animalistic fear Alice could hear whenever Cainabel speaks of the Master.

And so, there was no question of any insubordination.

And yet, at the same time, her words hinted at something else that Cainabel knew about the Master's next steps… Something that she did not want to share.

But there was no way for Alice to find that out, so she chose to simply nod.

After all the explanations, Cainabel glanced at Alice, then shifted her gaze to Altera, who had been silent throughout the meeting, and sighed. "I can tell by your slowness, which is somehow even more than usual, your tin-head is trying to process some thought. And if I have doomed myself to suffer your stupidity, then go ahead, speak, you can deal another blow to my intellect with your idiocy."

Alice blinked, was that? Really? As far as possible, disguised under a whole layer of swear words and insults, but was that a very, very weak attempt to encourage Altera to ask the question she was interested in? And was Cainabel really so familiar with Altera that she could tell her desire to ask a question by her, well, pretty much wooden face?

"I have a question," Altera said slowly, confirming Cainabel's words. "Why is this fight between the two of you? What about others?"

"Oh no, a rebellion of machines, an artificial puppet trying to get into control…" Cainabel said disinterestedly, rolling her eyes. "Angrboda does not seek anything like this. And besides her, there is no one equal to me and Baal. Servants are nothing against the three of us. And, even if by some miraculous coincidence they were in the Master's favor, there are too many ways in which I or Baal could…"

Cainabel stopped suddenly, before speaking slowly as if the commands from her brain were encountering obstacles in their path to her mouth. "Capture… Over them… Control…"

Cainabel suddenly stopped speaking, before jumping to her feet. "Medea!"

Medea. Of course, fucking Medea!

Baal suddenly dropped off the radar, not because he was planning anything, but because he was already acting! Medea, she was the last piece of the puzzle!

Why did Baal make Medea hate himself so much, then let her go to Olga-Marie's side as a teacher, even pushed her to join the Master into the Singularity… He set it up on purpose! To make Medea seek protection from Ainz, to appeal to Ainz, making her seem more reliable instead of Baal or Cainabel! If Cainabel was lucky, Ainz would just take Medea as a favored slave or perhaps a mistress at best. But what if Ainz decides to make Medea his favored Lieutenant! His Right hand!

What a vicious plan!

After all, Medea's mind had already been broken by Baal. Devil only knows what commands Baal had put in her mind! Something that Baal would take advantage of at the most opportune moment!

There's no way that Ainz doesn't know of Baal's plan, he was probably chuckling at her lapse!

Ultimately, in his quest to reach the Throne of Heroes, Ainz did not care whether one Servant or even a hundred were lost. As long as the one hundred-first one could be found who could open to him the way to the Throne of Heroes, what does he care! He does not care about the inner struggles of the two Lieutenants as long as they do not interfere with his ultimate goal, the absorption of the Throne of Heroes!

Cainabel clenched her hand into a fist, then rose from her seat, immediately dashing away.

Alice, a little stunned by the sudden turn of events, only had time to cast a glance at Cainabel's retreating back who disappeared outside the door, before turning her gaze to Altera.

Altera answered her unspoken question with philosophical calmness, "Don't worry. Cainabel apparently decided right now to attack Baal and defeat him in a sparring match to restore her calm and inner conviction."

Alice only raised an eyebrow at these words, causing Altera to nod slowly. "It happens more often than not."

And though Alice had always considered herself almost perfect at reading emotions, even she couldn't be sure if the ghost of a smile on Altera's face hadn't been imagined at that moment.

---

Name: Nursery Rhyme \ Alice

Race: Heteromorphic

Title: Nameless Book God \ Alice

Occupation: Servant of Ainz \ Caretaker of the Chaldean Children (debatable)

Residence: Chaldea, where there are children

Karma: 0 (True Neutral)

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 99: Ainz' plan

The conversation with the journalist went on a little longer than Medea herself had planned. After discussing and answering fairly standard questions, like life in the place where the two Servants came from, the reporter, who apparently took a favorable view of Mashu, continued to chat with her about minor things. He kept asking her about her private life and her relationship with Ainz, whose name happened to pop up in the previous questions.

Though, why is he asking those kinds of private questions? Ah, is that? Well, if the reporter was really fascinated by Mashu and hoped for something more than this solitary interview, then Medea could only empathize with the poor charmed fool, seduced by the girl's beautiful figure and exotic appearance. Still, she guesses that love blinds people.

After all, the only one who could not see Mashu's painfully obvious crush on Ainz was Mashu herself, though she never had the motivation or courage to admit it. However, not that Medea herself could blame her for that. Confessing one's love to anyone requires considerable moral strength. And, if you take into account Ainz's very, very unusual relationship with girls from the point of view of a modern man, it also probably even required physical strength to do so.

Of course, Medea did not think that any of the Servants already in a relationship with Ainz would actually dare to harm Mashu, but caution, demonstrated in advance, saves a lot of problems afterwards.

However, although Mashu's conversation dragged on longer than Medea expected, in the end, it didn't bother Medea overly much. Because the reporter, having correctly assessed Medea's mood, didn't bother her herself, settling in to interview Mashu instead, which gave Medea the time and peace for an opportunity for reflection and analysis of the current situation.

So, Ainz found out the essence of this Singularity, but he refused to say what exactly he found out. And in the same way, he did not plan to change or influence the other Servants' plan of action after receiving the information necessary to understand this Singularity. Why is that?

The first of the possible reasons was that Ainz's plan of action relied on the Servants' ignorance of his plan. Presumably, Ainz had grasped all the Servants' personalities enough that he could confidently predict the Servants' behavior if they did not know his plan, though they knew it existed. Furthermore, were he to share his information, he could also predict that the information would only cause the Servants to act incongruently, perhaps even disturbed his carefully laid plan. That's… quite scary actually, huh.

To be able to understand the Servant's personalities so perfectly that he can predict with certainty their behavior in various situations, depending on exactly what they knew and didn't. For ordinary people, such a thing was impossible even after many years of communication, like with family members or close friends. What's even more incredible, is that Medea could say with confidence that Ainz had not interacted with any of the Servants around him for longer than a few months. Even Medea herself was unspeakably far from the definition of 'close friend' for Ainz. All of their interaction consisted entirely of a few casual conversations at best and the two meetings they had, once in the Singularity and the other regarding Olga-Maria's training.

So the fact that he had already grasped Medea's whole personality and could predict her actions with certainty is quite chilling.

Although, perhaps comparing Ainz with anything ordinary could perhaps be taken as an insult. Even discounting his non-human intelligence and experience clearly beyond imagination that Ainz possessed, Ainz was so far outside the norm that Medea wasn't sure that this reason could be dismissed so easily.

A second possible reason was that the Servants were simply not necessary for Ainz to carry out his plan, that he planned to handle the Singularity on his own. No, that can't be the case, there would be a question as to the need for the Servants in this Singularity if that were the case. Maybe for a backup plan? If Ainz's original plan didn't work, and if the Servants didn't know about his plan, then it was unlikely that they could help in any way… Especially if Ainz himself had somehow been prevented from acting.

Though, there was also a third possible reason, an unlikely one, but a possible one nonetheless. That the Servants might somehow reveal the details of the plan to someone they shouldn't have.

And though Medea was known as the 'Witch of Betrayal', it was only a title derived from her ancient legend, not a description of her identity. Unlike, say, Mephistopheles, she did not seek to deliberately interfere with her Master and his mission. And unlike Asterios she could not accidentally reveal information through ignorance, and unlike Cainabel she would not reveal them in the heat of battle because of her heightened emotion.

However, it is… Medea blinked, she did just do something in that avenue!

She revealed this information to Mashu, and she did it not in such a secretive manner, but quite openly, practically in the middle of the street! The information that Ainz had a plan.

Had that been her miscalculation!? After all, it is possible that Mashu wasn't supposed to know.

No, no, if Ainz didn't want her to reveal this information, he clearly would have warned Medea of the consequences of such a decision.

So even if he hadn't planned it, he had at least anticipated it, and therefore, even if Ainz didn't want Medea to share it, at least that wouldn't adversely affect his plan. No, given his capabilities it would be more logical to assume that Ainz was expecting Medea would share what Ainz had told her with Mashu, which means Ainz had planned for someone else to overhear her.

No, even more than that! Ainz wished that she would inform the unknown observer that he had a plan, but that Medea herself could not know about the plan. So now, the observer could not find out about the plan, only knowing that such a thing existed.

Medea suddenly blinked and shifted her gaze to Mashu, who was now alone, before asking the most important question that worried her the most at the moment. "Mashu, where is the journalist?"

"Oh, him? He left a few minutes ago," Mashu then blinked owlishly, before looking a little apologetically at Medea. "Ahem, if you wanted to talk to him, I'm sorry, I just thought that…"

"What did you tell him?" Medea shook her head, cutting through whatever apology Mashu had concocted, as she asked another question. "About yourself? About Ainz? Or anything about our current operation?"

"Hmm?" Mashu blinked perplexedly, "Nothing in particular really… Just about us being travelers, maybe a bit about our identities, but we mostly talked about Ainz…"

At this point, Mashu was silent for a moment, as her cheeks turned red, but Medea cared little about Chaldea's love affairs to react to that, that wasn't what was important. What was important was that Mashu had clearly told the 'journalist' about Ainz far more than she should have. No, before all of that, how could they have been caught in such an obvious trap!?

So Ainz was unwilling to inform Medea of his plan, because he knew that someone was watching his Servants. But then, why, at the same time, say that they were to do the same as before?

Ah, I see.

Ainz was using them as bait, deliberately making the unknown enemy distracted by their actions, like they know Ainz's plan, while not actually knowing Ainz's plan.

Medea was finally able to unravel a part of Ainz's plan. To be exact, only a small part of it, the part which concerned themselves.

And even after knowing that, all Medea had to do was act according to Ainz's plan, playing her part.

Medea nodded to herself slowly as she looked into the eyes of the uncomprehending Mashu.

A picture of Ainz's plan is beginning to emerge in her mind.

---

Nikola Tesla, was a keen and enthusiastic man, in his own humble opinion. His main passion was experiments and dissecting scientific theories, and if he could do that in the current environment, it would be nothing unusual for him to spend hours and even days without a break in the laboratory.

But, even a man of Science as himself, understood that there was a line between scientific obsession, and being possessed with one's work and own scientific research.

And in his opinion, Helena Blavatsky belonged more to those who were so obsessed with their ideas and theories that it was even more frightening than inspiring.

Tesla, however, could live with that. Even if someone was more obsessed with their research than they should have been, who was he, after all, to judge the burning heart and passion of the seekers of truth? Even if their research did not concern his field of scientific interest at all, but something as barbaric and primitive as occult mysteries, Tesla could accept their passion, even if he did not plan to understand it.

He could even, if not appreciate, then at least ignore the fact that the theory before him was self-contradictory in every sentence and almost entirely composed of white spots and obvious holes. Accommodating gods, magic, aliens, the mysterious ancestral home of humanity, and mentions of Tibetan monks and occult Kabbalah scattered all around.

After all, there was so much delusion in the world that Tesla could live another day quietly without pointing out another egregious case of the like.

But what he really could neither understand nor accept was the insistence with which Blavatsky tried to pester him with more and more information. Something which Tesla vehemently did not want to accept.

It seemed to him that he had found himself in some nightmarish dream. The kind where you are chased by a monster, and you try to run. Only to discover that your arms and feet were like cotton and no matter how much you tried to move them, there was no hope of escape.

Here, however, instead of a monster chasing him, Tesla was met with Blavatsky's literally all-consuming voice and deluge of nonsense forcibly pouring into his head through his ears. And even now it's still continuing.

"…but if the idea of the Platonic form itself is flawed, then in the end we must turn to an idea of a similar kind, the Abhidhamma-pitaka. Something which analyzes an idea, so similar to the Platonic form. So, for example, the Dhatukatha speaks of…"

It was almost impossible to even turn away from Blavatsky's speaking self, who only went on and on not talking but gibbering, periodically swallowing endings. Sounds, whole words, and ideas jumping from thought to thought, which coupled with an already totally unsystematic narrative made any understanding of Blavatsky's thought impossible, even if Tesla had tried his best to do so.

Blavatsky was like a strict teacher, trying with all her might to impart to a negligent student information that he had to memorize at least in order to function normally in society. At the same time, she was also like a small child, struck with mania to the core, gushing to her parents about the new information about the world that she had just learned.

Too bad, that the combination of both just means that the incessant stream of words is made even more impossible to parse.

In other words, interrupting Blavatsky's endlessly pouring tirade was not only difficult and almost impossible, but also dangerous. In the sense that Tesla could practically see, if he tried to say something like 'I don't want to hear your fabrications', she might just suddenly burst into tears, like a little child resenting an adult. He does not need the reputation of an adult making a child cry! Thank you very much!

"…and if the Hierarchy does exist as the body of the inhabitants of Alpha Centauri, then!" Blavatsky suddenly paused, then turned to Tesla with an expression of so much happiness and expectation that it was even a little creepy.

"Do you know what that means?!"

Tesla had lost the thread of the conversation… No, he hadn't even caught the thread of the conversation in the first place, if one existed at all. No, more than that, parsing through his excellent memory, which is now also filled with nonsense, the whole conversation had nothing resembling a central point or thought to begin with!

Tesla had simply been thrown into a whirlpool of thoughts and words that tried to drag the Servant's mind into an unbroken darkness. Wait, is this the work of a Servant's skill!?

"No, I don't know," Tesla could only squeeze sparse words out of himself as he looked into the Servant's eyes, shining with pure untainted joy and probably not a small amount of madness.

"Of course, of course, of course!" But without paying any attention to him, and seemingly not even seeming to hear his words, Blavatsky almost waltzed around the frozen Tesla, before rushing out of the room they were in. "Excuse me, I will be back, I only need to note a few important details!"

Tesla, as he watched the girl's back disappear behind the door, could only hope that whatever it is she needs to do would take her much longer… Maybe a year or so. Though ideally, it would be so complex that she would completely forget about Tesla's existence.

To think that he was so proud of his status and title as a great scientist, only to regret it when confronted by another scientist so fiercely passionate about her ideas!

If Tesla had not been himself, it is unlikely that Blavatsky would have begun to draw him into her own fabrications and so passionately explain to him the specifics of her theories and reflections. If he were not the brilliant scientist that he is, she would say something to the effect of 'it's too complicated for you anyway' and not subject him to such torture!

But no, just his luck, the first time a fellow scientist acknowledged his great genius in such high terms, it brought him so much trouble!

As a result, instead of the relatively sane tour of Edison's base, with an account of his condition, plans and actions he expected, Blavatsky just ran past various buildings. What kind of information could he acquire from remarks like 'this is the bunker where Edison's secret weapons are kept' or 'this is where Edison develops new cars'? If that were all, he would just rub his head, and endeavor to look for another Servant to lead another tour, but no, that was when the nightmare started. At the end of the 'tour', she literally forced Tesla into a small house and into a room that was clearly her office, before beginning to explain to him… something.

Surely, according to what he had caught, in its essence it must have been some kind of magical theory. But as much as he didn't like to admit, he was somewhat less familiar with magical theories than one would expect from a great genius. Even less was he willing to navigate them. So, given what passes for Blavatsky's 'explanations', any, even the most theoretical possibility of understanding her words, was doomed to failure.

It also doesn't help that she sucks at teaching. Well, now that she's gone, Tesla was finally able to rest his overworked brain.

After several minutes of silence and attempts to recover his mind, Tesla was able to slowly raise his hands to rub his throbbing temples, before looking around the room he's in.

The room he's in, which he had not been able to actually see until that moment, distracted by Blavatsky, indeed appeared to be her workshop, or study, which was actually the same thing to the magi. It actually looked somewhat similar to Da Vinci's workshop. However, while Da Vinci's studio was chaotic, filled with all sorts of things reflecting her chaotic nature as an inventor, a collector of knowledge, Blavatsky's was filled with things that could hardly be used in any way for anything scientific. Tesla would not strictly judge a collection of strange crystals or an almost decayed sheet of parchment badly though, who knows what was on the minds of these magi pursuing their own, occult goals.

Still, books with titles such as 'One Hundred Courses of Ancient Egyptian Food' and 'Secrets Architecture of the Tibetan Monks' would raise questions even for him.

At least the books might have a congruent thesis behind their writings, in contrast to Blavatsky herself and her theory, or, at least, the few passages that he did manage to catch from her story. Although, judging by those same passages, even if he had listened to the entire lecture from Blavatsky, it would clearly not have made much more sense to him.

Tesla was wondering about what he should be doing at the moment, before the creaking of the door leading into the room made him flinch as he turned to the new visitor, afraid that Helena had returned.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," Luckily for Tesla's barely recovered sanity, it was not Helena who appeared on the doorstep, eager to tell Tesla some new theory, but an unassuming middle-aged man instead who looked confused at Tesla's presence. "I delivered Madam her lunch…"

Tesla thought about what he should say for a moment, before, with a shrug, decided that if Helena's food got cold, it's not really something he would mourn. "Leave it in this office, I'm sure the Madame will remember about her food… One day."

A second later, an idea was born in Tesla's head. "Speaking of which, do you know where Edison's laboratory is located here? I'd be very grateful if you could escort me there…"

"Absolutely, Mr. Tesla," Apparently, having already been made aware of the new addition to Edison's team, the man only nodded, before he uttered something that made his skin crawl. "Though maybe I should call for the Madame, she…"

"…about the Madame!" Tesla interrupted the man's thoughts at once, turning round as if he feared that Blavatsky would appear over his shoulder at the mention of her name. "I suggest you do not worry, she told me that she would be back soon! Moreover, I suggest we both hurry up!"

Then Tesla heard something that made him pale, the sound of a door opening somewhere further in the house-which could also mean that Blavatsky returning, having dispensed with her burst of inspiration. Maybe it was something else, or maybe Helena was now planning to return to Tesla to finish her story, if it could ever end. With a sweet smile so saccharine everyone could tell it was fake, Tesla returned his attention to the unassuming man.

"Speaking of which, how about a jog? Running toughens the body! And sharpens the mind, believe me!"

Then Tesla dashed forward passed the door, leaving the perplexed Demon King behind.

---

"This is the friend I mentioned," Karna looked first at the girl who introduced herself as his mother, and then turned her gaze to his friend.

"Hello!" her voice was phenomenally loud and resounding, but this was to be expected from a figure of her size.

"Oh, Karna, she's just the sweetest little thing," Karna's self-appointed mother immediately turned to him with a smile. "But, don't you think she's a little… small for you?"

"I'm not small!" Her loud voice, though it sounded deep because of the size of the speaker, was also paradoxically high enough that no one would mistake it except for a child's voice. "I'm totally the biggest!"

"She really isn't small, since she is more than twenty meters in size at this point. Technically speaking, she really is the biggest in the current circumstances." Karna replied calmly.

Angrboda turned her gaze from Karna back to his friend.

That she was about twenty meters tall and probably several hundred tons in weight was the first thing that caught her eye when she looked at the Servant. The rest of her features were difficult for the average person to see due to her excessive height, to look at her fully one needs to crane their neck or to look from a decent distance. But, thanks to the fact that right now Karna and Angrboda were also at a great height, they're practically looking right into the girl's eyes, so Angrboda could see the person who was speaking completely.

Short golden hair that didn't even reach the girl's shoulders, honey-gold eyes, and a large warm coat that came down to just below her waist pants. Wearing two thick leather boots on her feet and leather gloves on her hands with a beret on her head to match her size, and a huge double-bladed red axe, the girl fit perfectly into the idea of a logger… She would have fit it perfectly, had it not been for the frown on her face, with the puffed cheeks that gave her away as a child. That and the fact that she was about five stories tall, that gave her identity away as anything but a human being.

"Oh no, I don't mean her height," Angrboda smiled slightly at the young girl's tantrum before she took a closer look at the huge Servant before her. Yep, totally still a child. "I mean her, um… age. As far as I can tell in the present circumstances she 's still really young."

Indeed, though the Servant before Angrboda and Karna was enormous, not just taller than Asterios, but the size of, say, a kaiju, her face, her expression, even the tone of her voice, adjusted for her size, she was a child.

"I'm not a child!" In her indignation at Angrboda's words, the titanic Servant merely stomped her foot. An action which seemed perfectly childlike, confirming what Angrboda had said about her age. Though her 'childish' behavior made the solid concrete bunker shake like an earthquake.

"Well, well, of course not." Angrboda wasn't frightened at all by this fact. As a mother of monsters who could see the cutest, most childlike features in a litter of hydras or dragons, she merely smiled at the Servant before her. She then turned her gaze to Karna and sighed.

"Hmm?" Karna just looked at Angrboda's disappointed expression with some confusion in his eyes, answering the unasked question. "But I told you I don't have a… girlfriend. There's only a friend I'm in touch with."

"Oh, Karna, my dear." Angrboda smiled at her child's innocent words, looking at him again like an adorable but inexpressibly stupid rabbit. "That's not what I meant… But don't worry, you had no upbringing from your mother, so I will have to teach you everything, but later."

Burning with some strange emotion, Karna could only nod at Angrboda's determination. Content to fix her child's bad upbringing in another date, Angrboda turned to the monumentally large Servant before her and smiled. Quite the feat considering that Bunyan's considerable size would make any hardened warrior quake in their boots, never mind smile. Then again, Mother of Monsters etc, etc. "My dear child, I am so glad to meet you!"

"I'm not a child!" With her cheeks puffed up adorably, making her look involuntarily like a titanic-sized hamster, the Servant folded her arms across her chest. "I'm Edison's super secret super weapon, Paul Bunyan!"

"How cute." Angrboda couldn't hold back a motherly smile, looking at such an adorable scene. "And I'm your mother."

Bunyan, with a blink of her huge eye, slowly descended to her knees to take a full look at Angrboda up close. Seeing that it's not enough, she then lets her face down, causing the difference in size between the two Servants to appear even starker. Angrboda, not small in the least by human standards, was no bigger than a finger to Bunyan. Something which Bunyan herself not failed to immediately notice.- "But you are so small!"

"Only as I am, for now." Angrboda merely smiled at the perfectly logical remark, "In my true form, I would be even much larger than you…"

Karna, who had been silently observing the conversation of the two, suddenly heard a snippet of the Servant's supposed 'true form', causing him to frown.

The Servant opposite him had given no hint of her real name or abilities until this moment, except that she somehow knew of Karna's name, which wasn't too difficult given his fame, really. That, and her introduction as his mother, which also made little sense. So Karna immediately hastened to ask a question. "Do you have another form?"

"Yes." Angrboda immediately answered, before looking away from Bunyan with a complex emotion on her face for a moment. "Hmm… no, I had one, but not anymore. It was… necessary to discard it, in order to appear here, but… Hmm, never mind that."

After these cryptic words, Angrboda turned her attention back to Bunyan, who was still staring at Angrboda with interest as she knelt. Seeing the curious look on Bunyan's face, Angrboda immediately broke out into a smile, as if she had figured out something. "My dear, I see that you are capable of changing your size…"

Karna blinked.

Bunyan did indeed have the ability to change her size, not at will, however. She does so rather by adjusting to her surroundings so that her head would always rest against the ceiling if she was in a room, whether the ceiling was three meters or thirty. It was adjusted in the sense so that she could be 'seen by all' if she was not indoors, but guessing about these abilities of Bunyan without knowing about them beforehand was problematic. It was much more logical simply to assume that Bunyan was just that big, especially since she was not the only giant. Even in her current form, she was actually not the biggest of the Servants.

"Why are you staying down here, then?" Angrboda looked at the girl with a soft smile. "Don't you want to go out and walk in the street?"

"I do," Bunyan answered immediately with enthusiasm, before she suddenly became embarrassed as she remembered something. "But Edison forbids me to go out…"

"Edison, huh… I see." Angrboda's face was frozen with an unknown emotion as she muttered something under her breath, before nodding as she came to some kind of conclusion. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. Come on, I'll let you go out."

"Ho?" Bunyan blinked in surprise, before holding up her fists in the air, much bigger than the average adult's. She was about to jump, before she realized that she was going to hit the ceiling if she did, so she just swung her hands around, childishly exuberant. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Madam, I beg your pardon, but Edison…" Karna tried to object, before a sense of danger gripped him, and his words died in his throat

For a moment it seemed to Karna that he really was a rabbit. A small and defenseless animal, cornered by a huge and ferocious hunter, about to deliver the killing shot. It was as if he had been immobilized, caught in a snare, and had already seen the hunter reach for his skin to skin him alive.

A moment later, the sensation vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"Karna, did you mean to make your sweet mother mad by objecting?" Angrboda turned slowly, a sweet smile on her face, making Karna freeze like a deer.

Her appearance had not changed in any way whatsoever, but somehow, it seemed to Karna that this was not the Servant he had been seeing all this time. It was as if the kind, joyful, and loving mother had never really existed.

"I think that it's necessary to consult with Edison as to the reasonableness of such a move." And yet, even so, Karna's loyalty was absolute, enough to make him ignore the second of confusion and the wave of sheer fear that passed through him, allowing him to utter the necessary words.

Angrboda, after listening to Karna's objection, only smiled lightly at Karna, as if she were once again the joyful and kind mother that he had first encountered. "Oh, don't worry, my dear Karna…" Angrboda paused ominously, before continuing.

"I will definitely talk with him," Angrboda smiled even wider, and Karna shuddered.

For a moment, a lonely thought flashed through his mind. The thought that perhaps Edison had been wary of the wrong adversary all along.

---

Excerpt from "Numbers and Letters: The Connection between Mathematics and Literature".

… To give an example of the previously mentioned theory, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, or as he's better known 'Lewis Carroll'. His monumental work ''Alice in Wonderland' perhaps overshadowed his capabilities as a mathematician, but he's still an accomplished mathematician of his era. In fact, even in the same era, he was not the only famous mathematician that was also a famous writer. Charles Babbage, a no less famous English mathematician, was also a distinguished writer.

In particular, his hit fictional series 'Attack on London', a series of books that tells a very futuristic, for his time, picture of a three-way battle of the undead, demons and steam-driven robots. It was not even a stretch to say that his work is quite likely the ancestor of several currently famous genres. In particular, his series can be considered the earliest representation of the genre of 'urban fantasy', 'mecha' and, quite amusingly, the same series of books can also be called as having all the classic features of a 'self-insert'.

This writer doesn't think that anyone would miss the implication of a story about a young mathematician fighting in the author's world against foreign invaders using the so-called 'steam armor'…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 100: Servants camp

Fortunately for Cu Chulainn, the Berserker of a Nurse couldn't chase him indefinitely, hopefully. Unfortunately for Cu Chulainn, the chase lasted long enough for him, lacking the stamina reserves of his alternate versions, to be completely exhausted. Enough so, in fact, that he almost mentally promised to himself, to never again go into lonely, suspicious places alone with girls. Almost, that is, taking that promise back immediately before instantly making another. That, before going anywhere with them, to always ask them about their class. Even if they were offended, it would probably still be much better than having to hide from them for hours later.

He was almost tempted to even make a geas out of it.

However, after finally making sure that the insane Berserker had left him alone — Cu Chulainn was finally able to breathe easily as he took a look at his surroundings. Though, an 'insane' Berserker is quite the tautology, isn't it? Given that being in the Berserker class, the insanity is already implied.

Anyway, as he looked at his surroundings, it didn't take long for him to realize that he had run so far as to leave the entire encampment entirely. In fact, there was nothing but the scorched desert all around him.

With a shrug, Cu started jogging his way back to the camp. A camp that he had distanced himself quite a bit, fleeing in the most noble gentlemanly way from the girl. Indeed, he could not pick a fight with a girl, no? It just wasn't done. Really! Cu Chulainn's reason for fleeing was definitely his nobility and nothing else.

In the end, though, after a few hours, yes, it seems that in his haste he had managed to get quite a distance from the camp, he had managed to return.

Not without some difficulty, though.

By the time that he had started his journey back to the camp, the sun was already starting to set, fully setting when he had reached the location where the camp was. If he hadn't seen a flickering of light illuminating the small camp of tents in harsh shadows, he would probably get lost in the pitch-black desert.

It literally screamed 'trap', or some sort of start to a horror story.

The sight made Cu Chulainn hesitate for a moment, before he could see the figures around the fire.

Even with only her silhouette, Nero was still very distinct, even some alternate form of her. She was sitting by the fire on chairs alongside two other figures that Cu would guess were also Servants, though not ones that he had seen before.

Hmm, actually, come to think of it, Cu Chulainn wondered what he would do if he were to meet an alternate version of him. Say for example meeting his Lancer self, how would he react to that? How would the 'Lancer' him, react? Hmm, didn't Scáthach mention something about that?

Then again, they'll probably just pick a fight against each other. If the Nero in Chaldea were to meet this one though… Jeez, he was shivering just thinking about it, and it's not all because of the cold desert.

Cu Chulainn was afraid of the madness that might result from two Nero being in the same place at the same time.

Shaking his head to put the scary image out of his head, Cu Chulainn approached the fire, making two of the three Servants around the fire to tense for a second at his approach. Evidently, Nero must have said or done something as they calmed down when she noticed that it was him. Something which is just great, a battle-lover he might be, but after being chased by that crazy nurse, he was just not in the mood.

Walking closer, Cu could finally see the figure of the newcomers… Although, from the perspective of the Servants of the camp, it would be Cu Chulainn himself that falls under the umbrella of 'newcomers'.

Regardless, as he moved a little closer to the fire he still took a careful look at the new Servants, and Nero again as well, Cu Chulainn tried to determine the identities of the Servants in front of him.

Nero… Well, yeah, there was no need to guess there. Her snow-white dress/leotard combo was still unchanged and still shed no light on her class. At least he was somewhat familiar with the 'Saber' Nero, so he could at least put her class to the back of his mind.

Though, what Nero was doing in the middle of a tent camp, in front of a bonfire, sitting next to the other two Servants around the fire, Cu Chulainn could not imagine.

Although, given that it was Nero, most likely her reason was something stupid like 'Sitting in front of a big campfire is so beautiful and romantic, I want to umu~!' and that would be it.

The other Servants, on the other hand…

The first to catch Cu Chulainn's eye was a young, handsome boy, with short blond hair and a slight half-smile that did not disappear even as he reached for his gun. That, and he was dressed in what was virtually impossible to call anything other than cowboy clothes, leather boots, a cowboy hat, a light jacket and a scarf wrapped around his neck, easily transformed into a mask if necessary. Ha, to complete the ensemble even more, he was sporting quite an ordinary revolver on his belt! If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed that he was just a local, recruited by the Servants.

If it weren't for the identifiable, though not strong, sense of a Servant emanating from the guy, he basically blends into the background! Maybe not so much with the nuclear-fallout laden wasteland… though for some reason, it still actually fits?

The second, unlike the first guy, looked alien to the current place, no more alien than Nero in a white dress or Cu Chulainn himself in fur robes though. He's a short guy, actually pretty much a boy, with his androgynous appearance and long red hair gathered in a long ponytail, at least he's wearing armor, wait… hell, no, that is clearly a corset! Seriously, it was a corset, with bare shoulders and even a chest cutout! Shallow and covered by something that could only be called an 'embellished piece of fabric' he's even wearing a skirt!

I mean, of course, there were men's skirts in various cultures, his own Celtic roots as an example. Well, he was wearing pants with it… but given his androgynous appearance… Maybe it wasn't a 'him' after all, but a 'her'?

Still Cu Chulainn shouldn't stare at the Servants for too long, they might think he's some kind of pervert or something, forcing himself to approach them and interact with Nero as the only Servant he knew of the three.

"It's been a long time since Florence started chasing you! Where have you been?" Nero smiled at him, "You even missed out on our scouts returning from their mission!"

"Thank you, Saber, that's very thoughtful of you to tell a stranger about our secret mission. It's not like it's supposed to be a secret or anything." The androgynous boy said in a high-pitched voice, and then glanced at Cu Chulainn. Damn, even his voice was confusing too!

"Meh, no need to worry much, Saber," The young guy in a cowboy outfit smiled at his colleague's complaint. "Any man Florence chased but didn't kill, automatically becomes our faithful comrade!"

After these words, without rising from his seat, the guy in the cowboy hat held out his hand to Cu Chulainn, which the latter shook. "Henry Antrim."

"Cu Chulainn," Deciding not to make any secret of his identity, Cu Chulainn held out his hand in response. All the more so, considering Nero's here, they clearly already knew his identity.

Cu Chulainn also thought for a moment, trying to remember where he might have heard the name 'Henry Antrim' before, and it didn't ring any bells. He's still a Servant, though not the strongest, and judging by his appearance, his legend is very recent by Servant standards, but he still could not remember such a name.

"Saber," The other lad replied, or was it a girl? Also held out his hand.

Huh, apparently he had decided to keep his name a secret after all. Of course, Cu Chulainn wouldn't have wanted such a thing, but on the other hand, some distrust on the part of new acquaintances was also logical.

"And I'm Nero! The Most Beautiful, Emperor of All Rome, All People On Earth, All Stars In The Sky, All Wishes In The World and, and… " Then Nero, apparently having decided to introduce herself to Cu Chulainn for some reason, started listing out titles, struggling to add more and more ostentatious titles. Seeing the girl struggling to think of one, Cu decided to cut through the chase and just introduced himself. "Cu Chulainn."

"Umu!" Seeing the actions as it is, saving her from her own confusion, Nero nodded graciously at his action, accepting his handshake, then gestured to an empty seat opposite her at the fire.

Cu Chulainn, with nothing else to do, shrugged his shoulders and decided to take the offer. Without Nobunaga or Scáthach around… also that crazy nurse, Florence, he supposed that he can relax for a few minutes.

There was a slight awkwardness for a moment, as whatever the other Servants were discussing, the appearance of Cu Chulainn, virtually out of nowhere, obviously interrupted the discussion. Still, the guy that had introduced himself as 'Henry', took the initiative to start a conversation. "So, you're our second ally? Or, uh, third, considering your Master?"

He was clearly referring to Nobunaga and him, and it was only logical from the Servant's point of view to have doubts about a Master's fighting ability. Masters normally don't join in on a Servant's battle. Normally that is, Ainz is the furthest thing from 'normal'. Still, he's not going to give out any unnecessary information. "Honestly, we're just trying to figure out what's going on in this world and see if we can put an end to it. So, if our goals align, then I guess yes, we're allies."

"To answer your first question, isn't it obvious what's going on in the world? Everything is clear enough as it is." The red-haired Saber cut into the conversation with an expression that combined the rolling of eyes of a tired adult and the disgruntled grimace of a schoolboy. "An egomaniac and a simple maniac did not agree in their views on state management, which led to a nuclear apocalypse. The solution to the problem is also very simple in its essence. We just have to deal with both of them. Of course, easier said than done."

For a second, Cu Chulainn wondered if he should tell a joke. Something like 'no need to worry! Why? Because I'm here now!'. But, judging by the expression on his face and the tone of Saber's voice, that joke might not be taken well at all.

However, before the situation could become awkward as Cu tried his best to choose the best response, the situation was saved by Nero's intervention. "Well, those things don't really matter! Cause now we have allies ~ umu!"

At Nero's words, Saber could only sigh before shaking his head. "I suppose so."

"Well, well, Saber, what's with that pessimism in your voice?" Henry shot a friendly glance at Saber before looking at Cu Chulainn. "It's Cu Chulainn himself! With him on our side, you might say that the situation is already improving drastically!"

Cu Chulainn, hearing the unbridled praise, let the remark pass his ears, focused on something that is much more important. That is, Saber's actual gender.

Ha, judging by his somewhat prickly attitude, asking him something as direct as 'speaking of which, are you a man or a woman?' is likely going to incur a very negative reaction.

"Ah, that's right!" Nero then drew her attention to herself, as usual, perhaps. "Cu! Apparently you guys have met me before ~ umu! So, the other me! Tell me about me!"

Huh, 'tell me about me'? It would have sounded strange coming out of any other Servant's mouth, but somehow, with Nero, it sounded natural and right. Ha, Cu Chulainn could even imagine the Nero in Chaldea asking exactly the same thing if she were to know about them encountering another version of her.

"Well, in Chaldea… Uh, that's the name of the place where we're from. There's another Nero, She's a Saber." Cu Chulainn smiled, remembering the exuberant Servant. "And you look just like her."

"Of course, I'm a Saber too ~ umu! The best Class!" Nero frowned. "Wait, if we're both Sabers, then what's the difference between us?!"

'That's what I'd like to know too,' Cu Chulainn thought in his own head, before saying something else entirely aloud. "You're more… beautiful, yes."

"Whatever my version is the best, it's only natural, I'm the Emperor of Rome! Of course, we're just perfect!" Nero, absolutely satisfied with Cu's answer, literally puffed up with pride. "But it's only natural that I will be the most best!"

Ignoring the grammar butchery, Cu Chulainn immediately found Henry and Saber looking at him disapprovingly… Though, of course, it was to be expected, given Nero's personality, it was just like he had just fed a child a rather cheap flattery, but… Hmm, a little flattery to a beautiful girl, what bad thing ever came of that?

"So 'Chaldea' huh?" Henry, though, after a few seconds of silence, asked Cu Chulainn a question. "What is it exactly?"

"It's, uh, supposed to be a scientific institute, I think?" Cu Chulainn shrugged, seeing nothing special in revealing this information. "Though nowadays it has been turned into a humanity-saving base. It's a nice place, if you weigh the pros and cons. It's also a place for a Servant to rest and relax, but there's really nothing much else to do, so some people get stressed because of it. Well, for me personally, it's the perfect place, since you can drink and sleep all day."

He was about to share some tales about the drinks and parties he had, before realizing that his teacher was somewhere around, shutting up immediately. The Witch of Dun Scaith regarded laziness with great prejudice, so Cu Chulainn reflexively started looking around, checking to see if she was near, "Though, don't tell Scáthach about that."

"Absolutely." Henry grinned in agreement, leaning back in his folding chair for a moment before he lowered his gaze to stare into the fire. "Ha, spending the day sleeping and drinking… Sounds like a posh life."

"Sounds like a fast way to become a slovenly slob." The pick-haired Saber rolled his eyes at these words. "There's nothing wrong with rest, but only when it's moderate…"

"And about this Nero in Chaldea, does she look like me? Is there something that is distinct between the two of us?" Ignoring the new topic of conversation, Nero asked the only thing she was interested in, things about her.

"She wears a red dress." After a few seconds of thinking, and finding nothing really marking the two apart, Cu Chulainn decided to go for something simple.

"Umu!?" As it turned out, this detail was a very important distinction for Nero. "What, she doesn't want to get married?!"

Cu Chulainn blinked at the strange reaction before something clicked in his head.

Of course, the white dress! Ha, yes, it certainly seemed even somewhat logical for Nero to be that eccentric. Trying to find her love being a Servant, what else could one expect from her?

For a second, Cu Chulainn even considered making another attempt to flirt, before he was cut off by Henry.

"But Nero, if you fend off all attempts at flirting, how will you know who exactly is your destined one?" Henry asked a question that instantly interested Cu Chulainn as well.

"I will feel it!" Nero replied in the same confident and impenetrable manner as she always does, before glancing at Saber. "You, Saber, how did you find your wife?"

"It was, um…" Saber thought for a moment, then an expression of surprise appeared on his face. "Huh, I guess you're right. In a way, it was really fate…"

After that, Nero clearly wanted to ask another question, but Saber suddenly rose from his seat, shaking his head. "Well, whatever it is, I know that it's already late, and it's time for bed."

With that last parting shot, Saber headed off somewhere, probably toward his tent. So Cu Chulainn, who remained with the other two Servants, turned his attention to them.

Nero, after a second, tried to rise from her seat, with the obvious intention of following after Saber, but was stopped by Henry's hand placed on her shoulder. Nero then turned around towards Henry, only to see him shake his head slightly from side to side. "Leave him for a time."

Looking at Henry's expression and glancing after Saber's back, Nero only exhaled and slowly sat back in her seat, staring silently into the burning fire in front of her.

Cu Chulainn was confused by the strange interaction, but with nothing to go on, he simply remained silent. Whatever it is, Cu could see that Nero's usually sparkling smile had faded.

---

Together with Tesla and Medea, Oda Nobunaga also received information that Ainz had already figured out the current situation and that she shouldn't have changed her plan of action in any way. But unlike the other Servants, she didn't bother to dig deeper into Ainz's secret plan or try to analyze it. After all, if there is already a plan, Nobunaga should just carry out her current mission and there's no need to change anything… Well, she's just going to enjoy herself!

Huh, that's weird… In the past, if Nobunaga had found herself in the same situation as she's in right now, she would clearly have demanded that her Master tell her all the details of the plan. After which, she would very likely have tried to interfere or even tried to change the plan to suit her needs. But now… Huh, Ainz really has a knack for convincing people to change their minds.

Besides, if Nobunaga wanted to one day prove her independence and worthiness as a commander, King and conqueror, then she should understand not only what it was like to give orders, but also what it was like to follow orders.

That's why after Cu Chulainn fled to escape Florence, and Nobunaga had received that information from Ainz, she was quite confused on what to do. It's not like she had a definite plan of action even before Ainz had contacted her. I mean, she was probably just supposed to join Scáthach's faction as an ally… Huh.

Could this be considered another training, another test? After all, Ainz had given her orders to 'act on the situation' according to her own will. Meaning, that at the same time he was also testing what plan she could create on the fly and how exactly would she behave in the circumstances she's in, where she's left to her own devices? Examined whether she had changed since the last, um, 'conversation' he had with her?

In any case, it couldn't be said that the Servants' temporary camp offered much in the way of services or things to occupy her time. What's more, Scáthach was clearly not eager to attack immediately after Nobunaga and Cu Chulainn had just joined her forces. So, after spending about half an hour studying the local situation, Nobunaga had to admit that she had no idea what she was supposed to do… Not in terms of strategic decisions, but in terms of what to do with her free time.

Her attempts to start a conversation with Nero, who did not make a very favorable impression on Nobunaga during her brief acquaintance, also remained without any progress. To be exact, Nero tried many times to start some kind of dialogue with her, but Nobunaga sincerely could not think of a suitable topic of conversation. They could not talk about singing and dresses, could they?

If it weren't for the appearance of new faces on the doorstep of the camp, new to Nobunaga at least, who had just returned from reconnaissance, Nobunaga would not even know what to do with her time.

Of course not that she cared really, what's more important is that Scáthach is back, and so Nobunaga had found something to spend her time on.

"Not bad," Nobunaga wiped the blood from her shattered lip with the back of her hand and grinned as she watched Scáthach breathe heavily, resting her red spear in the ground.

"It's just a warm-up," Scáthach herself, however, only shook her head and looked into Nobunaga's eyes, clearly planning another attack through the hundreds and hundreds of guns created by Nobunaga's magic.

How were the scouts and Nobunaga and Scáthach's current battle connected? Simple, Scáthach was busy sorting out the information from the scouts. Nobunaga, who spotted her, started a dialogue that quickly turned into passive-aggressive sniping between them. So Nobunaga, who had nothing to do, and Scáthach, who was stressed from desk work, inflamed the tension into an actual battle.

Not to the death, but it was still hard to call it a spar either.

And, regarding the question of how Nobunaga could keep fighting for hours? The answer was simple, Ainz. Scáthach, who had withstood more than one or even ten rounds of battle with Nobunaga who effectively had infinite Mana, deserved at least recognition for her abilities in Nobunaga's eyes.

"The sun is already setting." A third voice, however, intervened in the ongoing battle. "I think that's enough fighting for today."

Nobunaga, on the one hand, did not want to give up, admitting defeat. But on the other hand, even with Ainz's support easily removing any physical fatigue and mana depletion, a certain mental fatigue had managed to accumulate. And so, ending the battle at this point without any definite result suited her.

Scáthach was probably thinking along similar lines as well, nodding at the newcomer's words before glaring at Nobunaga, who shifted her gaze to the other Servant beside them.

The newcomer, Caster, was a Native American wearing battle paint on his face, wearing a headband adorned with eagle feathers with his hair in intertwined braids. He was bare chested, dressed only in pants, with a good combat knife in a sheath resting on his belt. Apparently the dagger was something that was entirely inappropriate for his class of Caster, according to the Servant at least.

Nobunaga had noticed his presence much earlier, of course, as he was present in the scouts' debriefing. Not that she was able to communicate with him either before or after the meeting as Caster seemed to have evaporated after the Servants' appearance, reappearing only as Scáthach and Nobunaga to fight, acting as a sort of silent observer of Nobunaga and Scáthach's impromptu battle.

For a second, Nobunaga thought that he could have been the referee of their match. But instead of that, he simply settled down on the nearest large rock, warmed by the sun, showing off his lack of shoes, before continuing to quietly watch the battle between the two Servants. Nobunaga thought that he, even if attracted by the battle between the two powerful Servants, would leave them after a while, realizing that it won't be ending anytime soon, or simply fall asleep in place.

But Caster calmly watched the entire long hours of the battle, talking only a couple of times, letting off rather detached comments.

However, this particular time, Caster's comment was something that the both of them accepted and even supported, who paused for a moment to assess the situation before coming to a conclusion and dematerializing their weapons.

There was a pause for a second before Scáthach took the first step toward Nobunaga, nodding slightly. "You're not bad at fighting."

Nobunaga only grinned wryly at those words. "Thanks, same for you."

"Hmm, sometimes it's amazing to see how people find understanding through conflict." Caster, who had apparently been deliberately silent during the battle, merely spoke softly, practically to himself. "I would offer you my pipe, but I'm afraid that would be premature."

After an exchange of brief, almost complimentary remarks, the two Servants found that there's nothing else that they want to say to each other. Scáthach took the first action, simply turning and headed for the rock that Caster had already taken a fancy to. She calmly climbed on top of it, sitting down by the edge, her feet hanging over the edge of the rock, several meters above the ground.

Nobunaga eventually decided to follow her example, sitting down on the same rock, but on the other side of Caster, also with her legs hanging by the edge.

One would assume that an awkward or uncomfortable silence would ensue. But due to the fact that neither Nobunaga nor Scáthach wanted to talk and were considerably tired, mentally or physically, nothing physical happened. And, due to the way the stone had warmed in the sun during the day, the silence that occurred at that moment was rather cozy given that all the Servants present wanted it.

Caster, after waiting a few seconds, reached behind his back and then pulled out a long pipe. Nobunaga doesn't really know what it's called, only able to draw a parallel to a kiseru, but a very mediocre one. With a practiced flourish, Caster poured some tobacco in, lighting it with some magic of his own, confirming Caster's class before taking a long drag.

Nobunaga, in her life, and the myriad lifetimes that made herself, had tried smoking once or twice. In fact, it might even be said that she was an accomplished 'smoker', heh. Well she never really indulged in smoking tobacco, she does it socially and enjoyed it of course, but she never really does it a lot. Still, with it being dangled in front of her…

Hmm, should she demand Caster hand over his pipe or…

"If you want it, take it." Caster, however, apparently sensing and understanding her intention, lightly handed over the pipe to her. "But be careful and do it slowly…"

Before she could take Caster's words in, Nobunaga inhaled deeply, and then immediately started coughing, almost dropping the pipe, making Caster look at her sympathetically. "This is a special kind of tobacco, strong one, you should be much more careful with it…"

Nobunaga, coughing her lungs out, didn't have the presence of mind to really listen to what he's saying. Regardless, when he turned to see Caster continuing to smoke his pipe smoothly, and Scáthach looking at her with mockery, it immediately pissed her off. "Try it yourself, then! In a normal kiseru, there is never so much tobacco!"

Caster just handed the pipe to Scáthach silently, "You should also be careful, and…"

Scáthach, however, did not heed this warning either, immediately inhaling the smoke deeply, before then silently handing the pipe back to Caster. At first glance, she might have seemed fine, but smoke seemed to be leaking out of her mouth.

"Ahem…" Scáthach coughed softly into her fist, letting some smoke out of her mouth, and then again, coughing out more and more smoke. "Ahem-hem!"

Nobunaga, looking satisfied at the reaction, wiped away her tears and turned away, trying to hide the smirk on her face.

Caster, on the other hand, just took another slow drag before letting the smoke evenly ring out, looking at the sunset. "It seems that my pipe has served its purpose after all…"

Scáthach coughed a few more times in her fist, her immortal status did not make her invulnerable, before glaring at Nobunaga. Seeing that Nobunaga was not saying anything, she took a deep breath, before turning away, calmly exhaling and, like Caster, started gazing at the setting sun.

Nobunaga, content with the silence, joined in, sinking into her own thoughts.

And though, in the slowly darkening sky of Singularity, still continued to hang a dark blot of unknown power, the beauty of the setting Sun, the warmth of the stone and the calm atmosphere of the passing evening did not diminish in the least.

---

Excerpt from "Letter from Hell: The Phenomenon of Jack the Ripper":

… The number of the maniac's victims, however, is also in doubt. Although the five canonical victims attributed to the murderer were most likely indeed his victims, some scholars attribute six more to the group, bringing the number of victims to eleven. While some scholars, not the most serious of them, dare I say, are even inclined to attribute it to the maniac, participation in the Whitehall, the British Admiralty building, bombing.

However, the veracity of these claims is little better than those attributing Jack the Ripper's kinship with demons and his work alongside them. Despite the so-called 'letter from hell', numerous letters to newspapers, created for profit or under the influence of mass hysteria, although the image has been romanticized and popularized in popular culture, there's nothing 'mystical' about Jack the Ripper.

Likewise, there is no reason to prescribe to Jack the Ripper all other sorts of mystical properties. Abilities such as the ability to disappear in the light and appear in the dark, the ability to walk through walls or to tear the organs out of victims with his bare hands, while leaving them alive. All these things were nothing more than tabloid fodder spread by money-hungry publishers and sensation-hungry journalists.

On the other hand, the strong association of Dr. Faustus as the real face of Jack the Ripper deserves a far more detailed examination…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chaldea and Staff: YGGDRASIL

Designed, at most, to house several thousand people at a time in one gigantic complex, Chaldea was furnished with various facilities ranging from training grounds to experimental laboratories and from spas to internal production shops. Not one that is able to rival industries, mind you, but rather to produce small parts and repairs. Of course, even with all its facilities, Chaldea was not intended to be completely cut off from the world for too long.

Still, the warehouses were suitable for at least several months of autonomous existence for all the supposed several thousand employees. After all, given the remoteness of Chaldea, it would be the height of foolishness to call in a helicopter delivery of furniture every time some desk or door broke down in another office for random reasons.

And yet, despite the general, seemingly almost inexhaustible supply of all sorts of activities to be found in Chaldea, somehow or other it was very boring to stay in it.

Or, to be more precise, it was boring for the common man or Servant, unaccustomed to staying in the same confined space for long periods of time and, in fact, without being able to see any new faces around him. If for some instance there existed a human or Servant that enjoys such a thing, then Chaldea would instead be paradise.

And while many humans and Servants were coping in one way or another, some by fighting, some by drinking, and some trying to get to know the Servants around them by generously sharing stories of their lives.

Baal, the demon emperor, was not enthralled by such pastimes.

He played no console games, drank no alcohol, didn't have exciting chats with Servants, and few were willing to have idle chats with him anyway. Nor does he have the time to waste.

After all, from when he first appeared in Chaldea, he was fully occupied by a single objective. Saving his demonic kin.

That is, of course, he was not doing it out of any sense of kindness. Saving the demonic race was more akin to necessity for him. I mean, how could he call himself a demon emperor if there were no demons around to rule over? He viewed himself primarily in terms of ambition, relative to which how great he was could be judged by how effectively he ruled over the other demons. How high a position they held in the world, how strong their armies were, and so on.

So, if there were no more demons, then there would be no point in it, no. In this case, Baal himself therefore aimed to save his entire demon empire.

Even… even if he had to go against Ainz to do so… I mean, of course he did not want to die, but if there was even a tiny chance that his plan would succeed, he had to try. After which, if his plan failed? He would beg for mercy and try his best to appease Ainz, only to later create a new, more perfect plan to betray him and try to set it in motion again.

But in the end, none of that was necessary, Ainz had known of Baal's plan and even decided to show off by talking about it in front of him. To be expected of the great evil that is Ainz, but it was still not that good for his heart! And, while he was steeling himself for a life or death struggle, Ainz simply shrugged, as if the conversation were about something minor, all the while offering Baal a different way to accomplish his goal.

Of course, the implied 'or else' need not be spoken out loud. It was loud and clear for Baal, anyway.

But really? A whole planet for demons? He would be a fool to gainsay Ainz. Still, colonization of an uninhabited planet was a more labor-intensive undertaking than assimilating Earth and enslaving humanity. But again, a choice between death or perhaps a less comfortable completion of his goal, was a no-brainer.

As in, only a person lacking brains would even bother thinking about it. Well, in this case Baal's life was still important enough, not to be discarded so easily, risking the wrath of Ainz with his machinations for no reason.

However, while the resolution of such an important problem for Baal was a purely positive development, it also meant that Baal's primary occupation in Chaldea, the careful creation of plans to achieve his goal, was also no longer necessary. Which, in turn, meant that Baal was beginning to get bored.

This problem was in turn solved by Medea. At least her reactions and desire to create a plan against Baal himself, so similar to his own thoughts and reactions, were amusing in themselves. But, as one would expect from a resident of this dull world, hero or no hero, they also bored Baal rather quickly.

So he had to invent new ways of entertaining himself, unless he wanted to find himself one day drinking cheap beer in the company of, he dreaded to think, Servants.

One of the distractions he found, hmm… In a way he could even thank Ainz for it, otherwise Da Vinci would not have agreed to any decent dialogue with him. But what had happened to her to make her come to him? Baal was not aware of the specifics, but something had clearly shifted her paradigm, broadening her perception of the horizon, including her willingness to heed the words of the demon emperor.

Which was why, at the current moment, Baal was, um… He'd like to say that he was 'enjoying' his hostess' hospitality in her lab, he wasn't. Even if she had cleaned out her workspace, transforming it from cluttered chaos into something that could be perceived as a private office for some time, it didn't make the tea served any better or the cookies any tastier.

Although, hmm, okay, the cookies were tasty enough on their own, Baal even made a small note to invite Archer as his personal chef in the future. If not his fighting abilities, at least his culinary talent deserved recognition.

In any case, a conversation with Da Vinci, someone who was at least intelligent enough to maintain a minimal dialogue, was preferable to complete inactivity in anticipation of other means of entertainment that might come up by chance to Baal. So, taking a small bite from a cookie, he looked at Da Vinci carefully, and began their 'conversation'. "So what exactly did you want me to tell you today, my dear?"

At his question, Da Vinci, whose hands flickered over the tape lying on the table, paused for a moment before raising her gaze to Baal,- "Everything."

"That's… quite the broad subject, isn't it?" Baal smiled a half-smile, sensing no particular emotion from Da Vinci's words. "I can tell you both how my day went, and the identity of my parents, at least according to those who knew them in the past. But I don't think that's what…"

"That would also do," Da Vinci shook her head vaguely, cutting Baal off. "But still… I am more interested in the history of Yggdrasil."

"Hmm?" Baal raised one eyebrow, "I think I've already told you about that…?"

"Yes, about the Creators, the World Eater, their battle, the Creators' revenge, and how it all ended in the death of the World Eater." Da Vinci paused, then looked at Baal carefully, before continuing. "I need all the information about what came after that."

"'All' the information, hmm?" Baal thought for a moment on how he should handle this, before answering. "There's a great deal of information about what happened after that, the history of Yggdrasil is vast indeed. I could tell you about the fall of the Eternal Empire, about the crisis that that dreck Cainabel caused. Though it was a small crisis compared to others, it was still an event that affected all Nine Worlds in one way or another, at least she likes to say it is, though my opinion differs. Then there's about the internal wars of the Higher Beings, about the creation of great Guilds, like the Triple Alliance, the discovery of World-Class Items…"

At the mention of the last item, Da Vinci suddenly perked up for a second. "World-Class Items?"

"Perfect artifacts, each one embodying an entire world," Baal said calmly, "As far as I know, Ainz Ooal Gown possesses at least a few of them… More than any other of Yggdrasil ever did, in fact."

Da Vinci, hearing this information, pondered for a moment, then exhaled, clearly coming to terms with the fact that she needed more basic information than the one she was clearly interested in, before shaking her head,- "No… From Cainabel I've heard that…"

Baal grimaced, what is it that Cainabel could have said in her stupidity?

"That the World Eater was destroyed, and it ended in a cataclysm." Da Vinci thought for a moment before she nodded slowly. "I need information about the World Enemies and the events in which they were involved in."

Baal felt a sudden urge to find Cainabel and kick her in the head for revealing such information, but outwardly neither his posture nor his voice, mannerisms, or expression changed. So, he only calmly took another bite from the cookie. "Hmm, so… Well, in that case, I guess, hmm… I can satisfy your curiosity, and I won't even take anything in return!"

After that, Baal smiled an insincere smile,- "Astonishing, isn't it? A demon agrees to grant the favor for free, no need even to draw pentagrams and mutter ancient spells! Hmm, if all demonology were so simple…"

Da Vinci, even though she'd agreed to dialog with Baal, didn't let him sidetrack her topic to demonology, which also interested her greatly but not now, by focusing on the question. "So, regarding the World Enemies…"

"The World Enemies…" Baal pondered for a moment where he should begin his answer, before he came to the most definite answer. " To put it simply, they are strong."

"How strong?" Da Vinci glanced intently at Baal, waiting for an answer, to which he was suddenly staying silent for a few dozen seconds, clearly pondering exactly how he should answer before sighing and shaking his head. "So strong that I cannot find a more appropriate word than 'too' strong."

In Yggdrasil, a creature's perception of power depended on its own level of strength. The weakest, say, simple peasants or goblins, were able to differentiate their own strength level by simple metrics. For example, if a peasant picked up a sword and wore armor, he would be stronger than a peasant without armor or weapons. If one peasant can lift fifty kilograms of weight and the other sixty, they will conclude that one is stronger than the other.

However, the larger the magnitudes we are talking about, the more difficult it is to determine the difference between them. Not from the perspective of the numbers, but from the perspective of the observer.

After all, it's not like that the higher-tier demons had any numerical indicators like their 'physical strength' and 'mana volume'. So, their comparison would sound like 'one of them can destroy all life in the world' and the other 'can destroy all the continents at once'. How do you even compare their strength at that point?

Simple. By comparing on whom they can take on of course.

This trend was apparent with everyone. A peasant 'knew' that the Empire's battle mage was a terrifying power, the Empire's battle mage sees the high dragon as a cataclysmic danger, and the high dragons fled in fear from someone like Baal, the demon emperor.

This chain did not end with Baal. He was powerful indeed… for his level at least. But the problem of trying to determine a 'power level' with Yggdrasil was that the levels of power did not stop at relatively certain values, like 'capable of destroying the world'. Even Baal himself was capable of doing so, albeit with difficulty. And on and on it went. Above Baal, on a qualitatively different level, were the Higher Beings. And among them were the World Champions, equal in power to, um… What was the term? Ah yes, Bosses.

The Bosses and World Champions were inferior in strength by an order of magnitude to the Realm Lords. And the Realm Lords themselves were, in the end, no more than fodder for the World Enemies.

"There were thirty-four in total," Baal sighed, wading out of his thoughts, reminiscing on those absolute existences, which Da Vinci was careful not to destroy. "The World Eater, Eight Primordial Dragons, Twelve Virtues, Seven Sins, Five Rainbow Buddhas, and the Lord of the Six Heavens. That makes thirty-four." Baal finished his recounting by taking a sip of the subpar tea.

"And, in powers, they are all similar, except for one, the World Eater. The first and true World Enemy," Baal grinned, "Though, how strong? Well, he was a being who had devoured the Root, an infinite number of worlds and the Creators, so perhaps the 'strongest' was not a hyperbole." Baal grinned.

"Still, no need to talk about the World Eater much. I assume that you know about the story?" And then, waiting for a confident nod, Baal sighed. At least he would not have to tell the whole story first, before thinking for a moment, on where to continue. "In that case, I think you also know about the cataclysm that happened after and because of his death…?"

At his question, Da Vinci only crossed her arms in front of her. "I would like to know more about that actually…"

Baal, at Da Vinci's request, thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Hmm, to be honest, it's not really my area of expertise, but to put it simply… Ah, right, I thought of an example. Time in this world is linear, there are things that have already happened and are known as fact, things that are happening at this moment and can be changed, and things that may or may not happen. The movement of time goes from the past to the future, and space exists, for every object there is a certain coordinate that places it on the time stream, because it is a given…"

After these words, Baal took a sip of tea, grimacing at the cheap taste, and continued speaking. "But the World Eater, the true World Enemy, he had devoured the Root, and in doing so also devoured space or time. When he existed, by his very existence, he kept these things working, creating a living linear time, certain space, and separated worlds. But his death… a cataclysm." Hmm, nothing like having a captive audience. Too bad he can't use his Noble Phantasm at this moment.

"Oh no, I'm not saying he shouldn't have been killed! If not for his death, he would have destroyed everything in this world and, at the very least, I definitely wouldn't exist." Baal smiled slightly as he took a bite from a cookie, watching Da Vinci's hands literally flicker over her notebook, writing down hundreds of new details, as if free from Da Vinci's own control, before continuing.

"The death of a being who embodies, literally, everything, including all the world's laws, is a very catastrophic event as you can imagine. And, unfortunately, although Root, the Heart of the World Eater, had been restored, the terrible damage had already been done, and it was impossible to restore certain… World constants. Factually speaking, time is no longer linear." Baal simply shrugged at such a ridiculous claim.

"Space, time, worlds… the things that are 'defined' in this world, were not so in Yggdrasil. Rather, one could say that everything existed in superposition, where all events, time and space, are simultaneously true and false."

"The death of the World Eater himself is defined as a kind of starting point, an anchor, so to speak, around which everything else is built." Baal sighed. "But everything else? Like, who killed the World Eater, really? When? Where? Under what circumstances? To these questions there is no unequivocal answer, because all answers are true in one way or another."

"What an existence…" Da Vinci was shocked speechless for a second. "It was, like… the Primordial chaos. All concepts are simultaneously true and false."

"Approximately so." Baal smiled, feeling nothing from his simple narration, only a slight feeling of incomprehension at Da Vinci. Even he, a very powerful inhabitant of his world, had little knowledge of how exactly this worked in practice.

"But, hmm… Anyway, some world constants were damaged, even I, retain at least knowledge that there were countless copies of me. The vast majority of them were destroyed by Ainz Ooal Gown, in fact. The others existed almost indefinitely, some died by my successor's 'machinations', while some were killed by the others. Hmm, I can't say that there are many versions of me that have lived happy lives. Though I think several versions of me that were able to find contact with the other Higher Beings, eventually renounced the throne quite peacefully and withdrew into voluntary exile. Which, in my situation, might be considered a happy ending… But I got distracted."

Baal paused, taking a sip of tea, before he sighed. "World constants like time and place… Some of them were damaged forever, but some of them were restored, and therefore I can state about some events with certainty nevertheless. At least about the fact that after the destruction of World Eater, the Root was actually impossible to clear completely from its influence. The only possibility to clear it and restore all world constants to one definite form was to destroy it forever, but…" Baal shrugged.

"I see." Da Vinci merely nodded.

The death of the Root meant the death of everything, plain and simple.

"So the Root, what was left of the Root that could not be repaired, was intermixed with the World Eater and became the Heart." Baal suddenly realized that the thought of the great artifact made him want to lick his lips. No, unlike many of his fellows, he did not react to the word 'heart', for he was not a fan of eating the body parts of sentient beings. But the very thought of such an artifact fueled his desire. "'The Heart of Yggdrasil'. One might even say that it was Yggdrasil itself."

"Factually speaking, it was an artifact of infinite power, but…" Baal breathed slowly and exhaled. "Its use was forbidden. On the one hand I am disappointed that an artifact of infinite power, the Heart, was lost to all who longed for that power. But at the same time, I would still say that sealing it without the possibility of taking it back was the best decision that could be made in those conditions… Though, doing so had disastrous consequences."

"An artifact of infinite power, you can't just throw it away in the middle of the forest and hope no one will ever find it." Baal grimaced. "It was sealed, apparently forever, and the twelve greatest angels were supposed to watch over it. The Twelve Virtues."

"The Twelve Virtues?" Da Vinci caught on to what he was saying, "You've listed them as the World's Enemies…"

"Yes",- Baal nodded and smiled. "Like I said, never trust angels. The Twelve Virtues, the twelve greatest angels of Yggdrasil, were summoned as the strongest guardians of the Heart. They were incorruptible, powerful, the greatest of their kind, and… they failed. Catastrophically so."

"The Heart is an artifact of infinite power, everyone wishes to use it, one way or another." Baal smiled. "I suppose, in this world where Servants fight for the Grail, an infinitesimal part of the infinitesimal counterfeit of the Heart, I need not explain that even the most honest and incorruptible will one day find reason to be corrupted."

"The Heart did not possess a mind of its own, but it was something that was once part of the World Eater." Baal shook his head. "And the World Eater was once a being that 'defined' good and evil. He was strong, he was clever, but above all, he was without doubt that he was righteous. The Heart possessed only an echo of his personality, but that was enough for the greatest angels to be corrupted, and simply became puppets under his influence. And, in the end, they broke their oaths and broke the seals themselves in order to use Heart. Maybe they wanted to use it for good? As they saw it, at least. But, the Heart is an artifact that cannot be used for good. Not because it is evil in and of itself, but only because it is too powerful. An artifact whose mere presence distorts reality, time, and space, it cannot be controlled or used. It is not evil in itself, it is just, all-powerful."

"I'll say it again," Baal smiled, "Don't trust angels."

"And in the end, too much power applied to too little a world turned the Twelve Virtues into World Enemies, and they were destroyed." Baal sighed, reminiscing on his kind greatest enemy's fall. "And the Heart was sealed again, outside all the worlds, so that no one could ever use its power again…"

"But…" Baal shrugged. "As to be expected, perhaps, the death of such existences and the appearance of the Heart in the world would lead to another cataclysm again."

"The Twelve Virtues were angels, but they also represent virtues, direct goodness." Baal grinned at the angels' failure once again. "The very spawn of light. And if you destroy, in fact, the light itself, the very good, the twelve virtues, the balance will be broken. The twelve virtues, destroyed, meant that the balance of power was no longer balanced. And where the light lost, the darkness took. If the greatest spawn of good disappeared? Well, it was only logical that evil responded with its own…"

Suddenly, Baal was deep in thought for a moment. "Though, hmm… Regarding the Twelve and their destruction? Never mind, these are just minor distractions."

Baal shook his head, and went on speaking as if nothing had happened. "The Twelve Virtues were occupying a niche, and the niche was now vacant. So the Seven Sins were then born." Baal shrugged. After all, if the light had been destroyed, where could men turn but to the darkness?

"The Seven Sins were born through the death of the Twelve, having received no power from the Heart, but unlike the Twelve, they possessed a different power instead. The Twelve existed in a world where light and darkness were in balance, and therefore their death was possible. But the Seven had appeared in a world where there was no light. It was impossible to kill them because there was no opposing element. If all humans, stripped of their Virtues, were plunged into darkness, the Seven could be reborn again and again after their death." Baal nodded slowly. "My distant ancestor… in the sense of my title, not my actual ancestor, the First Demon Emperor, Lucifer, was one of the Seven."

"The Seven could not be destroyed, and so the Heart, which was supposed to be sealed forever, was used by the Higher Beings to achieve victory." Baal smiled. "First, the Heart was used to create the Virtues again. Not in the form of angels, though that would make for quite the spectacle, but in the form of the concept itself. And so with balance restored, the Seven were defeated then sealed within the Heart, destroying light and darkness, sealing them forever in the Heart and solving the problem forever…"

"But…" Da Vinci, realizing what the story was leading to, nodded.

"But if you destroy, in fact, all the Virtue and Sins all at once, what's left?" Baal gave a little chuckle. "If people are rid of sin, each of them is holy, if rid of virtue, each of them is sinful, but if they are rid of both? Well, that's how the Five Buddhas came into being, free from all evil and from all good… I think you could say in your terms that they…"

"Have reached Nirvana." Da Vinci added slowly.

"I suppose so," Baal sighed. "They became a new barrier, another calamity that cannot be destroyed. And so, once again the Heart was used, and the World Enemy was sealed. But it was simply a vicious cycle. Yes, perhaps it could continue on forever, the World Enemies were eventually to be destroyed by the Heart, but each new appearance of the Heart led only to new and new cataclysms, generating new World Enemies. This time was no exception."

"Judging by the number of devastating crises, Yggdrasil was not a very peaceful place, isn't it?" Da Vinci shook her head. "Was there a new adversary?"

"Yes, the Lord of the Six Heavens." Baal sighed, "The Five Buddhas, sealed for good, represented not light or darkness, but the origin, the power of all beings, the combined strength of existence. And so, when the world was deprived of that as well, the end of all was inevitable. And the Lord of the Six Heavens was that end. The Heart… the Heart was an artifact of infinite power, and it was worth realizing that even the world in which it was located was changed by its power. And if good and evil and the power of all things were destroyed, at the end there would be nothing but a void. Something which also fell under the sway of the Heart."

"So the next World Enemies were…" Da Vinci thought for a moment. "Emptiness?"

"In the original sense, yes." Baal smiled. "But it was emptiness in the sense of 'non-existence,' not as lack of something material, as 'emptiness as unoccupied space'. The World Enemies had crept into the world through a hundred of its followers, now exhausted and devoid of good and evil. Gods, humans, demons, all of them eventually under its sway, creating it, an avatar of everything. The gods were the only ones who still possessed power in the empty world of Yggdrasil, but they were nothing compared to it and in the end became a part of the amalgam, creating the final World Enemy. The one who was to finally end the cycle of destruction, the one who was to complete the will of the World Eater after so long after its death. Though perhaps it was a short time instead, for time is not linear… As previously, has already been mentioned."

"It, too, could eventually be sealed in the Heart, but what was the point in doing so if, in effect, the world would be permanently destroyed?" Baal asked rhetorically, "It was a pathetic remnant of existence, merged with a warped non-existence. From its point of view, it was probably even righteous in a sense, for it was a last desperate attempt of everything to fight against the Higher Beings, who were destroying all existence, light, darkness, and even power. In the end, it led to a stalemate, either the Higher Beings would lose and be destroyed, or they would have destroyed all that exists, what's left anyway, for the sake of victory…"

"But," Baal smiled, "They found another way."

"Instead of sealing the only remaining living part of the world, they connected it to the Heart instead. A crazy idea… which worked in the end."

"Evil, good and the primordial spark, instead of sealing all existence inside, they bound that creature to what was inside the Heart, bringing the Heart back into the world." Baal hummed under his breath, "And it worked… The insane world met its insane end, and the Heart was permanently bound to Yggdrasil again. I suppose you could even call it a happy ending to the story."

After the long story, Baal finally exhaled slowly, and then drained his mug of tea in a gulp.

Da Vinci froze for a second.

Does she have questions? Ha! That was an understatement.

"The Heart…" Da Vinci asked the first question she had. "It was connected to the world, but… It wasn't destroyed? It didn't dissolve, it didn't cease to exist, it just happened to be connected, didn't it?"

"As far as I know, yes",- Baal smiled.

"In that case…" Da Vinci asked her ultimate question. A question to which none of the others meant anything if it was not answered. "Where is it now?"

"The answer to that question…" Baal grimaced as if he had a toothache, unwilling to admit weakness. "I'm afraid I don't know…"

Da Vinci wanted to ask another question, but before she could, the door to her workshop opened with a crash. In fact the door actually crashed into the wall, before Da Vinci could see the white hair, and then its owner, on the threshold, the voice reached her first. "Baal!"

"Cainabel," He answered her calmly, knowing at a glance exactly why his 'friend' had come here, "What a surprise…"

Most likely, she has just 'found' his secret terrible plan to gain control over Medea, in order to then exert control over everyone else… A plan which did not exist.

As said before, Baal had achieved his main goal, the preservation of his demonic empire, and therefore was very bored… And one of his main amusements was to mock Cainabel. All because Cainabel irritated him, and it was interesting to see her go crazy with his non-existent plans, constantly terrified that Baal was about to overtake her in the game of 'who will be the right hand of Ainz'. In this case, adding some oil to her fire of paranoia, tracing her thinking and creating conditions in which she would reach the conclusions he needed was too easy.

However, this was actually quite inconvenient.

"BAAL!" Cainabel grasped his shirt with the gorilla-like strength she has, yanking him from his chair.

Unfortunately, his plan of entertainment worked in such a way as to interfere with his other amusement, a conversation with Da Vinci.

Baal's cunning plan had unexpectedly presented him with unintended consequences, hmm.

For a second, Baal even wanted to ask Ainz if he had ever encountered such problems. How he dealt when his secret plans backfired, before shrugging his shoulders and answering that question for Ainz, himself.

Of course, such a thing never happened. After all, it was Ainz.

---

Noble Phantasm: A Contract For Your Soul ~ An Offer You Cannot Refuse

Possessor: Baal

Classification: Anti-Soul

Range: 0-99

Rank: E ~ EX

The second of Baal's three Noble Phantasm, created from the classic idea of demons contracting people's souls in exchange for performing a service, and ending up screwing the other party through shenanigans or word games. In fact, this Noble Phantasm in essence functions in a similar way to a contract.

The Noble Phantasm itself is a spear, which originally was always in the form of a cane, with Baal himself transforming into the form of a spear after saying the name of the Noble Phantasm. As a combat weapon this Noble Phantasm does not provide any special abilities and is nothing but a simple spear.

When this Noble Phantasm is activated, however, Baal is able to make a 'soul contract' with his target. Or, more specifically, the spear's ability itself consists in the ability to seal the target's soul within his spear in a single hit, subsequently giving Baal himself full control over the sealed creature.

However, the power of this Noble Phantasm is highly variable from case to case, since, like any contract, Baal's Noble Phantasm relies on careful drafting and considerable precision to make a contract. Something which translates into Baal's need to know exactly all possible information about his target. Any information in this case is appropriate, appearance, age, name, class, favorite food, first love, but unique information unique to only one particular target, or that which is known to as few people as possible, is more valuable.

After receiving all the necessary information, Baal's attack must reach the target and spill at least one drop of blood, according to the idea of signing a contract with the Devil for a soul with blood. Then, and only then, will the contract be considered concluded and the target's soul sealed in the spear.

This Noble Phantasm is only capable of unleashing its full power when combined with 'Speak of the Devil', obliging the target to keep talking, and thus giving more chances to reveal any information about himself.

However, even such a powerful ability also has a number of serious limitations:

1) The Soul Contract will only work if the target possesses a soul, or its other equivalent, like the pseudo-soul of Demon Kings and other familiars, and will not work on, for example, a robot or magic doll controlled from afar.

2) The contract will only be made after the target's blood has been shed, so a target without blood is automatically invulnerable to such a contract. Although blood-substitutes fluids, such as machine oil for Babbage, are a valid equivalent.

3) Due to stories of how humans have managed to fool demons and outplay them in their own field, this Noble Phantasm will not work against a target if the information gathered is insufficient to absorb the target's soul. Either due to the target's excessive strength, their high Luck parameter, or false information used by Baal in preparing the contract could result in failure. It also cannot be used repeatedly against the same target, so Baal should only use this Noble Phantasm when fully confident of his strength and the information gathered.

4) The contract cannot be made with a creature significantly stronger than Baal. Although creatures somewhat stronger than him, such as Cainabel, are still suitable targets, but creatures superior by an order of magnitude, such as Angrboda or Ainz, will not be susceptible to this Noble Phantasm.

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 101: Situation

Even realizing that she had somehow stepped into the enemy's trap, there was little Medea could do about it.

For all her magical prowess, unfortunately, she could not travel through time. And so, there was little she could do in her current situation other than try to instantly jump up and run after the unknown adversary who had introduced themselves as a reporter.

On the other hand however, judging by Ainz's plan, the part of the plan that she was able to grasp at least, she was not required to do more.

Indeed, if her Master had given her important information, but had not warned her of anything more, for example, that Mashu and Medea should not communicate with anyone around them, he was clearly planning for something like this to happen. Anyone, even the dumbest person, could not make such a slip-up as 'just forgetting to give instructions'. And Ainz' actions had given Medea no reason to doubt his intelligence.

And so, whether or not to chase the 'reporter', Medea could only shrug. Either way, she was following Ainz' plan. And if no further instructions came from him, well, then all Medea had to do was act according to her own reasoning.

And that in turn meant that…

"Mashu," Medea turned to the other Servant, who was in a slump for some reason unknown to her. Apparently, Mashu thought that she had done something wrong in her decision to communicate with the reporter. Which was true. But at the same time, all according to plan, so, completely irrelevant to the situation. "It seems that we have done all we could in this situation, there's no point in staying here any longer."

"Hmm?" Mashu looked up, her expression still unsure. "What should we do next, then?"

The answer to that question was difficult to say, in view of the fact that Medea was not privy to Ainz's plan. But on the other hand, if she was left to her own devices, Medea could easily formulate a suitable plan for herself. "It is obvious, isn't it?"

Medea, rising from her chair, glanced at the few people still occupying seats in the café where Medea and Mashu had chosen to take a little break after receiving the unexpected information from Ainz. After that, she nodded and, without trying to reveal any additional information to her colleague, moved towards the exit.

Mashu, not prepared for such a quick action, tossed the small amount of money given by Ainz, matching her opinion of the price of the small snack received they had ordered, and hurried after Medea. "Caster, wait!"

Unlike Medea, Mashu's name was not associated with any legendary hero. And even if guessing, at a glance, that Galahad's spirit was inside her was pretty much impossible, there's still a need to keep Medea's name a secret.

However, Mashu's exclamation did not cause Medea to pause her stride, and so Mashu, almost losing sight of her colleague, rushed after her.

Medea herself, clearly focused on something and having some kind of plan of action in her mind's eye, almost escaped Mashu's gaze. Medea was moving quickly to the landmark she had identified. It took a few minutes for Mashu to manage to catch up with her, making Medea stop in some dark alley by grabbing her hand. "Caster!"

Medea, feeling the grip on her hand, seemed to flinch, then turned to Mashu, looking at her with an incomprehensible frown, before a dawning realization appeared on her face. "Oh, right… Of course, sometimes I forget that I need to voice my plans in order for someone to understand them…"

'I think just now our combined intelligence has been insulted, but I'm not sure how…' Galahad's voice whispered in Mashu's mind, but she was too distracted by trying to talk to Medea to respond to Galahad "Caster, where were you going in such a hurry? And what is the plan or what we're supposed to be doing? I don't understand!"

"Of course you don't." Medea sighed at Mashu's confusion, before turning fully to face Mashu, all the while her appearance expressing her disappointment at Mashu's inability to read minds. Rally, is that so hard? "If you have not managed to understand such a simple thing, or the fact that the journalist sent to us, or more specifically to you, was in fact a spy collecting information, I'm perhaps a bit disappointed." Mashu flinched at the terse reply, but before she could reply in any way, Medea continued.

"The information that you gave him… No, it doesn't matter. But no need to fret, I will say that it is not your fault. Or to be more precise, it was the expected outcome, one that Ainz had foreseen. He had to reveal through us the fact that he has a plan, while not revealing what this plan is. In fact, my and your particular actions up to this point were all fitted into this plan… somehow. I'm still not clear precisely on how."

Mashu could only blink at the strange explanation.

Definitely, the information just dumped on her was important, and definitely not something that she would figure out naturally. It even took her a few seconds to fully digest what Medea had just told her. Fortunately for Mashu, and Galahad, for all Medea's standoffishness and straightforwardness bordering on rudeness, at least she gave those few seconds before continuing.

"And if Ainz had purposefully revealed information to the enemy that he had a plan, without revealing what it is to us… Moreover, making a point for us to 'keep acting as normal', then it must mean that his plan relies on our not knowing much of his plan. So, in that case, all we need to do is behave as we would normally behave. And that 'action' is for us to gather information." Medea finished with a flourish, ignoring Mashu's troubled look.

"Apparently, Ainz has ordered the other Servant to infiltrate the opposing sides fighting against this… Kingdom. It means that the only thing we can do in this situation, as we would have done without further order from Ainz, is to give the maximum advantage possible to the two sides fighting against Cu Chulainn Alter and Medb. In that case, gathering information about their forces and plans should be the first priority."

'That… sure, it sounds logical in general. But I'm not quite sure how we were supposed to figure it out on our own without any input from Ainz,' Galahad vented in Mashu's mind at the mental gymnastics needed to get that conclusion! And for once, Mashu was even in agreement with him.

I mean, yes, gathering information to help her allies was a logical enough action, but… How was she supposed to figure that out on her own?!

"I mean, in that case…" Mashu sighed, looking at Medea, "We have to… how are we going to do that?"

Mashu was silent for a second, trying to ignore the smug expression on Medea's face.

How… how exactly are they going to gather the necessary information? I mean, she couldn't just walk the streets, then ask passersby who the Servants in Cu Chulainn's service were. Even if the normal person walking through the streets knew about the concept of Servants, it was unlikely anyone would dare to just tell her about such information. Mashu wouldn't be surprised if she would end up in jail in short order if she did such a thing!

"Hm, it's simple, Mashu," Medea smugly intoned, "We just need to ask Cu Chulainn Alter about the composition of his army and the Servants that make up his army."

Mashu blinked.

Galahad inside Mashu couldn't blink for lack of eyelids, but his stunned silence was definitely transmitted to Mashu.

Hmm, you could tell that they were gradually getting closer and closer in personality. Even their reactions to events were becoming similar!

Medea, quite adequately assessing Mashu's confusion with her words, only sighed and started explaining. "The local King, Cu Chulainn Alter, in fact, has no initiative or even a will to do anything. He handed over the Grail, which was lying dormant in Medb's chambers, without even asking us to reveal who we were and why we wanted the Grail. He's not even bothering to hide his name, and he doesn't care about Medb's actions in decorating the city with his portraits. In that case, the information about the composition of his army is also invaluable to him, in the sense of having zero value. In fact, I think it would be harder just to get him to talk that long than to convince him to give up secret information. All he cares about is a good battle, which he also has no plans to start on his own." Medea paused with a grimace, as if tasting something sour.

"When the full-fledged fighting begins, and he goes to the front, his view and stance might change, but at the moment he doesn't care about anyone or anything. I don't think he even cares about the outcome of the battle itself. It's illogical, but Berserkers, which he is one of, are not prone to logical actions, anyway." Medea finished explaining her plan.

Mashu only blinked in surprise, trying to understand what Medea just said in her head. "So we just… go to the Commander of the army? And ask him the composition of the army? That's what you're saying, right?"

At Mashu's question, Medea only nodded slowly. "Yes."

Mashu blinked again, then slowly exhaled as she heard the strangest plan she has ever heard.

'I'm not sure if I can completely follow Medea's logic, but… if we're talking about a berserker,' Galahad's sounded as confused and unsure as Mashu felt herself. 'Then… maybe she's right? I mean, it sounds crazy enough to work…'

Mashu at Galahad's words just slowly nodded.

"Okay," Seeing nothing wrong with the plan, Mashu shrugged. " Okay, then, let's just go and ask the enemy commander what his forces consist of…"

"Irony is inappropriate with Berserkers, the insane logic of their behavior requires an insane logic of communication if one is trying to interact with them." Medea didn't even smile at Mashu's words. "But speaking of dealing with Berserkers. Yes, that's exactly what I planned to do."

After some pauses as Mashu tried to come to grips with the insanity of their plan, Mashu and Medea went directly to the King of an enemy nation in order to find out about the composition of their forces.

And, as one would expect from a Berserker…

---

'Master, we have received information on the forces of Cu Chulainn Alter and Medb,' Medea's voice echoed in Ainz's head, making him gasp for air.

'Good…' Ainz once again gave praise to his suppression of emotion, which prevented him from accidentally going into a falsetto from surprise, before continuing more confidently- 'In that case, pass this information on…'

Ainz hesitated, then slowly exhaled with a sense of defeat. 'To whomever you see fit.'

With silence restored once again, he slowly raised his hands and put them to his face.

"Hmm, a hard day, I suppose?" Came the bartender's voice, causing Ainz to look up and sigh. "Oh, yes… Whiskey, please."

Oh, what an ingenious plan of Ainz's! So magnificent in fact that he was able to, all according to his plan, find out all the servants on Cu Chulainn's side, Scáthach, and even Edison! A plan so secret and complicated, that even Ainz himself knew nothing of it!

I mean, of course, Ainz knew that he was not particularly equipped to create complex strategic plans or to resolve political intrigue. But, up to this point, it has seemed to him that at least his presence added something to his Servants' capabilities. At the very least, combat power or the ability to accomplish any missions through the use of his many spells. But…

Amazingly, as soon as Ainz was finally out of the picture, his Servants began to solve the Singularity quite independently, and without a single action on his part!

Ainz had only needed to tell his Servants that he had come up with some kind of miraculous plan, for the Singularity to be solved. In fact he had just walked the streets for a while, and settled down in some unremarkable bar, contemplating his next move, for him to be immediately bombarded with reports.

Some of his Servants had infiltrated the top of Edison's forces, some had obtained full information on the composition of Cu Chulainn's army, and some had established links with a huge number of local Servants… Which was good, no two ways about it, but it's the fact that they did it without any help from him that troubled him!

When Ainz commanded his Servants himself, they ended up solving the Singularity in a few days, or even a week. But, as soon as he left the Servants to themselves, they solved the Singularity in less than 24 hours!

I mean, sure, it was all good, the mission was accomplished, but it was accomplished without Ainz's involvement. Something which plunged him into the abyss of depression.

So the Servants without his command were more effective than the Servants under his command… I mean, Ainz knew that he couldn't command the Servants in any significant way, he had neither the skills nor the intelligence to do that, but it appeared that he was negatively influencing the Servants' actions, making them worse!

'Am I a bad boss?! What am I talking about? Of course, I'm a bad boss!' Ainz felt the urge to bang his head on the bar counter he was behind before he waved to the bartender for his order. "Whiskey."

"In a second," the bartender, the Demon King Vassago, answered instantly, pouring the whiskey carefully, doing his best to calm his trembling hand, trying not to offend the enemy King sitting in front of him in any way,- "Your whiskey…"

Then, after waiting a second as Ainz drained the glass in one gulp, the Demon King still tried to start a dialogue as he refilled the cup. "Heh, there's nothing better than a glass of whiskey after a hard day's work, huh?"

Hearing the bartender, Ainz snapped out of his musings and glanced around the bar he found himself in.

Huh, from the looks of it, he had been here long enough that the bar had had time to fill up with customers.

"Might as well say so," Ainz mumbled, sighing, as he drank the glass of whiskey in one gulp.

Ha, what a disgusting taste… Well, what else could he expect from alcohol?

Worse, he couldn't even get drunk from something like this! His passive abilities prevented the effects of alcohol on him, considered poison by internal mechanics, except maybe something like Mead of Medb. Though that, while it was alcoholic based, was because it was considered a potion rather than an alcoholic drink. Damn the developers' screwed up Yggdrasil's infernal logic again!

Under any other conditions he could at least 'virtually' get drunk. That is, by succumbing to the atmosphere and surroundings on purpose. It might even feel the same! But, despite the fact that he was in a bar, even that was unavailable to him now.

"Trouble at work?" The Demon King tried to smile in such a way that the creature across from him wouldn't notice his slightly twitching face.

"I guess you could say that…" Ainz sighed, then looked at the bartender carefully, almost making the Demon King's false heart stand on end. "Did it ever occur to you that your… Boss might be restricting you? I mean, that without his meddling your work was actually much better?"

Vassago froze, almost as if his breath were sucked out of him. He never even dreamt of being asked such a question. And even less from such an interlocutor, for sure.

Ainz, his King's opponent, had just asked him a question about whether he had ever had any desire to rebel against the King.

Such a question's purpose could be seen from several perspectives. For example, Ainz could have been suggesting that he betray his King, which is an impossibility. It could even be said as an insult. But, an answer that would not please Ainz could end Vassago's life. Or was he just playing with him now? He does know that the King would have destroyed him instantly if he even had an inkling of disloyalty. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Vassago could only slowly try to answer, choosing his words like nuclear bombs. "Sometimes such thoughts come as idle thoughts, but… I cannot even assess the truth of these thoughts, or if it is even possible."

"Hmm?" Ainz was puzzled by such a strange answer. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that…" Vassago chose his words very carefully and spoke his thoughts clearly. "I'm not sure if I could do better… on my own…"

"I mean," Seeing Ainz's raised eyebrow, he hurried to explain himself. "Everything I have is thanks to my, uh, Boss. I couldn't have achieved these results by myself…"

"Why?" Ainz sighed, "There are bad bosses that only inhibit their employees… I mean, if someone does their job better without a boss than with a boss, then that boss is a bad boss, isn't he?"

"Ahem…" Clearly remembering all the times the Demon Kings have acted on their own without Solomon's direct orders, Vassago hurriedly answered, trying not to provoke his interlocutor with silence. "It's not so. I mean, sure, individual people can sometimes act on their own better than under strict supervision…"

Vassago, remembering the Singularity of London, when Solomon appeared for personal command, gulped. "But without a ki… without a boss, all plans would simply be a confused mess, and the employees, aimless…"

'Please don't kill me'. Not quite understanding exactly what Ainz was talking about, Vassago simply pleaded internally. 'I'm only four hundred years old, I'm still too young to die now!'

"Hmm?" Ainz thought for a second, "I mean, that makes sense. Although I certainly am…"

'Wait a second!' Ainz suddenly blinked. 'Suppose all the Servants worked effectively without your intervention… but only because you told them that you have already done your job? I mean, you told them that you had a plan, and that's why they started working so effectively, isn't it?'

"You mean, that even if the boss isn't very efficient in management… he's still needed at least to give a starting point to get things started?" Ainz blinked at the strange realization.

"Yes. Of course. That's exactly what I mean." Vassago was absolutely not sure what exactly they were talking about at all, having already lost the thread of the conversation. But it was also expected, given Ainz's eldritch-like intelligence, this dialogue of theirs most likely had at least three double meanings and right now Ainz was inwardly laughing at Vassago's befuddlement.

"However, is that right? Indeed, that is indeed possible." Ainz was silent in thought for a moment.

I mean, yes, apparently he really wasn't needed as a commander right now… But it was his comment that set off this sort of excellent course of action by the Servants, wasn't it? And, after all, it wasn't like his intervention was required on the front lines, was it? And wasn't it 'the main job of superiors is to find competent deputies'? That is how the saying goes, isn't it?

And, I mean… sure, without his command, the Servants had dealt with the problems pretty well, but what would they do next? I mean, without Ainz' plan, however unsuccessful it might have been, at the end of the day, they didn't have a clue what exactly they needed to do either! I mean, yes, they were able to get information and infiltrate the enemies' camps, but they had no plan before his intervention anyway, did they? Anyway, it was up to Ainz to determine what their mission was in the end, wasn't it?

Ainz thought about it for a moment, nodded, then rose from his seat and smiled at Vassago before checking his pockets for the money to pay for his drink.

"On the house," Vassago was barely able to stop his face from trembling, to which Ainz only smiled. "Thank you for your patronage!"

Then, with restored faith in himself, Ainz headed for the exit, leaving Vassago alone, shivering in the wind. Vassago, on cotton legs, decided that this is all he could take for the day, heading to the employee lounge. "Lancel! Take over for me!"

Then, as he stepped inside, Vassago nearly fainted from the rush of instant relief that rushed over him.

And Lancel, replacing Vassago's place, only glanced at Ainz now fading back.

Even he didn't want to face Ainz.

Especially him. Especially now.

---

Eternal President Thomas Alva Edison, who is NOT A FURRY, but a Servant with a somewhat peculiar body, is wading through the report given to him, then glancing at the two Servants sitting across from him. "So… what information did you get?"

"Tesla is the real deal, so no need to worry about infiltration there. But, there is no information about the identity of the other Servant." Almost yawning, the man with an unremarkable appearance in a dirty green coat, comfortably seated on a sofa in the reception area of the local residence of Edison, replied. "Cu Chulainn, as usual, is not doing anything. Anything else?"

Edison only growled, something which was extremely appropriate for his appearance, at the man's disrespect and laziness, before he sighed and turned his gaze to the second Servant, "Well, what about the missing army?" Edison asked the other Servant in the room.

The second Servant, a girl of outstanding beauty, with red hair gathered into two large ponytails on the sides of her head and dressed in what could only very charitably be called a dress, only shook her head. "I found nothing near the site where they had last checked in, not even traces of battle. Even if any Servant had destroyed them, they would have left at least traces of blood or scraps of clothing or a battle site, but…"

"So we have nothing, hmm," Edison sighed.

Unfortunately for Edison, he had no information to realize that the missing 'army' was actually closer to him than he might have thought. Fortunately for him, at least he didn't know that the missing army was entirely in Angrboda's stomach at the moment, including their equipment, which Angrboda was too lazy to remove.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't devote more time and effort to finding them." Edison caught the saddened look of the Servant across from him at this point and tried to cheer her up. "At least we can continue their fight and hope that one day at least we will know their fate."

"I understand," The Servant nodded, but the man in the dirty green cloak did not react to these words in any particular way. "So… how about the offensive? You know, that thing we were doing all these scouting for?"

"It's…" Edison sighed, "It's not particularly delayed. I think I'll be able to make the latest improvements in robot design as soon as today…"

"You?" The cloaked Servant raised an eyebrow, "But wasn't it Tesla the one designing them now? Besides, did you really set him up with Blavatsky to convince him to start working on your designs? You do know the kind of things the girl does, right?"

"Blavatsky's eccentricities are irrelevant", Edison easily dismissed the accusation. "As for the first… Tesla works for me, so it makes sense that I'm the main reason why the robots are improved in the first place, doesn't it?"

"You're the boss," The man shrugged, not interested in such a thing, just resting his head on the sofa, after which Edison sighed.

"Mr. President, excuse me, but don't you think that you…" The girl across from Edison tried to find the right word to describe Edison's actions, causing him only to wave it off. "No, I don't. In any case, in just a couple of days, the entire army will be fully improved, and we'll be able to launch a full-scale attack on the enemy forces!"

The Servants opposite Edison didn't react much to Edison's proclamation, though. One didn't care, and the other still wasn't sure exactly if she supported Edison's decisions.

On the other hand, however, Thomas Edison could at least unequivocally guarantee that their chance of victory, thanks to Tesla's intervention, not that he would ever admit it, had been greatly enhanced.

Edison didn't have time to exclaim his greatness further however, as he was crushed by his front door, flying off its hinges and into his face, destroying his desk in the process. The silence that followed was soon broken by a familiar voice, somewhat distorted by the volume that they're spoken in. "SO WHO ARE THE ONES THAT LOCKED MY CHILD IN THAT CONCRETE BUNKER?!"

The Servants in Edison's office, seeing Angrboda's appearance, only pointed a finger at Edison, who had been knocked off his seat by the door and was struggling urgently to get up from the floor.

"I HAVE A THING TO DISCUSS WITH YOU!" As he rose from his seat, Edison only managed to see Angrboda's furious face, behind which he managed to discern the figure of Karna and the flushed face of the considerably shrunken Bunyan, before sighing.

He should have launched the attack right away.

If he had done so, at least he could escape from this hell by going to the battlefront.

---

Excerpt from "Letter from Hell: The Jack the Ripper Phenomenon"

… Indeed, there is an almost mystical connection between the novel Faust and the Jack the Ripper phenomenon. In fact, it was so strongly associated, that to explain its occurrence, was a mystery in and of itself.

Despite the fact that the legend of Dr. Faustus and Mephistopheles itself has been known since at least the sixteenth century, and the first edition of Goethe's classic work 'Faust. Tragedy.' was published more than eighty years before Jack the Ripper committed his murders, nobody had ever connected the two such events together before. Perhaps it was the magnificent book by Henry Jekyll, a very famous English doctor, writer and scientist, which had first linked the two events together and served as the starting point of such a connection.

In it, the two stories are linked together, where it is Dr. Faustus who was the real identity of Jack the Ripper. Who, in pursuit of a new life, makes a deal with Mephistopheles, the demon of Hell, which in return for the powers granted, similar to those described during the hysteria by all kinds of newspapers, to commit murder. Eventually, turning him into a being like the demon himself.

And, as if in mockery of this book, or perhaps in a vengeful response to the writing of Henry Jekyll, who linked the two stories together, a little later, the book about Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published. A story in where the noble gentleman and his evil alter ego, something that the creation of another writer to mock Henry Jekyll, attributed the identity of Jack the Ripper to Mr. Hyde. That is, that the real identity of Jack the Ripper was in fact the alter ego of Jekyll himself…

 

[Russian Reversal]

Chapter 102: Sasuga, Ainz-sama

Ainz was happy that he had been able to, at least for himself, affirm the importance of his title and position as leader and boss. But the confidence that that realization had given him, which had even made him get up and leave the bar, was not accompanied by an unexpected prophetic revelation, or even a clear understanding of the situation. So, after being inspired to reach new heights, having left the bar and stepped into the street, Ainz breathed the night air, looked up at the sky and asked himself. "And so… what now?"

Unlike in fiction or stories, while Ainz's sudden newfound confidence in himself and the mental impulse that came from it were great things, it doesn't actually give him any answer to his problems. The problem was that even though he was sure he was needed as a boss, he still didn't know exactly what he needed to do in this Singularity. Nor does he know what he requires to strive for and what was the necessary outcome of his actions.

That is, of course, he had to destroy the Singularity and restore the course of normal history with as little personal interference in it as possible. But what in the end was he supposed to do in that case?

In fact, once he had gone outside the bar, Ainz simply stood still.

"Ah? What do I do now?'

The thought that his Servants had obviously already come up with some kind of plan came to Ainz' mind, but…

"Their plan relies on me having a plan, doesn't it?"

Ainz's plan originally relied on his Servants coming up with some kind of plan on their own to solve the Singularity. And the Servants' plan relied on the fact that Ainz himself had a plan to solve this Singularity.

In other words, in fact, there was no plan to solve the Singularity, Ainz was back at the starting point of the Singularity itself.

He needed to do something, but no one knew what it was, even himself.

In this case… In this case, there were only a few possible solutions to the problem.

The first option was for Ainz to come clean to his Servants, but the problem was that from the Servants' point of view, he already had a plan. If he revealed the fact that he actually didn't have a plan… It would definitely destroy any reputation he had as a leader and boss.

Not only would he show himself as an incompetent leader without a plan to solve the problem, but also as a liar.

And secondly, it could disrupt the plans already made by the Servants, since the plan already created by them was created with Ainz's so-called 'plan' in mind.

Umm… What was he talking about again?

"This all just too complicated for me," Ainz shook his head slightly from side to side as he tried to wrangle the various 'plans' in action.

The next solution to this problem was that Ainz could do nothing. Something which comes with all sorts of difficulties. After all, no matter what his Servants had accomplished, it was just collecting information, very important information sure, but not really actualized gain that would bring the Singularity to a close.

Yes, if he didn't act in any way, he wouldn't disrupt the Servants' plans, but neither would the Singularity likely be resolved until he made some significant decision on the information gathered. Right or wrong, they might be.

And there was one last option, the crux of the issue, Ainz could actually just 'do' something personally…

Yeah, that's right, he should just 'do' something… Too bad he has no idea whatsoever on what to 'do'.

Ainz knew that he has no talent whatsoever in governing people, in fact, back when he was still just a Guild Master, it had always caused Ainz a headache. Perhaps, it's not exactly something that is a good quality in a leader, but he has trouble actually taking a decision in anything. He had made the guild govern in the form of direct democracy for a reason, after all.

Why did this Singularity have to be such a puzzle!? Why can't the Demon Kings just appear in front of him? You know, like in the past Singularities!?

Ainz sighed mournfully, and realized that he would have to actually think on how to solve this Singularity. And he even has to make actual plans! And not the fun kind either! Like for battles and traps, but an actual plan of action!

How do people even do that in the first place!?

Still, whatever Ainz decided to do, just standing here, in front of the entrance to a bar, would make him look ridiculous.

Ainz could have decided to go back to the bar, of course, but the thought of how stupid it would look from the bartender's side, prevented him from doing so.

Ainz looked around him, trying to find some suitable place for him to think about what to do. He was in the Kingdom of Cu Chulainn, there must be such a place… At the very least, in the form of another bar that he had not been in before.

The thought that because Cu Chulainn was related to the Celts, there must be a tavern somewhere, was perhaps something that is influenced by his experience in YGGDRASIL, flashed through Ainz's mind, but he pushed it away. He was planning on doing something more serious than looking for taverns in this world.

In this case, finding the nearest place where he could sit down without drawing much attention from passersby. Besides, maybe he could just find time to take in the surroundings? The opportunity to be outside without a mask or even a protective suit was always a pleasant occurrence to him in any case. He never really has that back home, the destroyed Earth had deprived him of that possibility, after all.

Hmm, if nothing else, other than giving him crises of faith, this Singularity was the first one where he could actually relax.

Whether or not that was a good thing remains to be seen.

---

After wandering through a few streets later, Ainz had found a suitable place for himself. Though it was not a tavern or any other establishment, but just a bench set up in the nearby park, on which Ainz took his seat.

Huh, sitting on a bench in the street pondering grand plans… Maybe it was just his over-sensitive sense of image, or was he slowly approaching the point where he could be called mentally ill?

Well, surely his plans for solving the world crisis were real… But isn't that what all the mentally ill said in the end?

Hmm, the difference between himself and the mentally ill was rapidly disappearing…

But anyway, putting aside thoughts of whether he was sick or not, Ainz still needed to think about what exactly he needed to do in the current situation.

First of all, he needs to list out things that he knows and go from there.

One, the Grail is already in Ainz's hands, this variable, perhaps the most important, judging by past Singularities, was already taken out of the equation.

In the previous Singularities, things usually ended there. But, here, it was critical not to confuse cause and effect. In those Singularities, he typically got his hands on the Grail after killing all the other opponents, like the Demon Kings and other assorted Servants in their employ.

So solving the Singularities wasn't necessarily about the Grail. It was just a happy coincidence that in the end it always boils down to it.

Perhaps there was a second Grail in this Singularity?

No, the last time such a thing happened, like in Okeanos, the collision between the two Grails produced a noticeable effect in the fabric of reality. And Ainz had not observed such a distortion in the current Singularity… Other than the typically expected of a Singularity, at least.

More accurately, was that the change in reality was, while significant, still within the range expected of a Singularity.

In Okeanos, the very geography of places around him was in question.

And here, in America, Ainz could… the other Servants could identify the geography just fine. Then again, maybe that's not something that could be relied on? Could he rely on the fact that the Servants have a good grasp on geography? It's not like he could actually tell if the surrounding geography was, in fact, scrambled… The geography of other places across the ocean was never his strong suit.

If it had been Yggdrasil, Ainz could have navigated the place even in some locations he had never been to by memorizing a map of the game worlds. But, when it came to reality, his skills were far more limited in that regard.

In any case, by all appearances, the likelihood of a second Grail existing in this Singularity, was unlikely. Until a mountain starts flying or something, this theory can be put aside.

Second, were the presence of Demon Kings in this Singularity.

That they were the reason for the continued existence of this Singularity was the most logical. Their presence was already a confirmed fact. And, judging by the fact that both warring sides, Edison and Cu Chulainn, are using them for their own purposes, it was also possible to assume that there were quite a few more Demon Kings in this Singularity.

And so the probability that they were the reason for the Singularity's existence was quite high.

There was, of course, also a third possibility, that this Singularity's existence was not connected to either the Grail or the Demon Kings at all. But if that was the case, there was no point in thinking about it yet, since it could mean many things. The actions of Servants, mages, people or any other reasons could have caused the Singularity, which meant that Ainz should only entertain such possibility only if the other two, more likely, options turned out to be wrong.

So, the most likely reason for the Singularity's continued existence, in that case, were the Demon Kings.

And so the most logical option going forward seemed to be killing the Demon Kings.

Still, before that, maybe some precaution needed to be taken. Such a conclusion could actually be a trap. In Okeanos, killing the Demon Kings almost led to a disaster, as the Singularity began to fall apart and only through the use of Super-Tier magic did Ainz manage to repair the normal course of human history.

Even so, Ainz's intervention on such a scale had resulted in, for lack of a better word, a twisting of human history, the creation of an unknown island in the middle of the ocean that had not existed before.

This very intervention was already highly questionable, but at least an island in the middle of the ocean was not so dangerous to the general course of human history. But, at the same time, if Ainz had made such an oversight in the middle of the United States, a country important to modern human history, entire cities might disappear solely through his ignorance. Or, at worst, the landscape might change and a variety of different deviations of history might have occurred that Ainz could not have predicted at all.

But still, would the Demon Kings really repeat a trap that is already shown not to work? Maybe if the so-called 'King' is desperate enough, but it seems unlikely.

So, while Ainz was somewhat assured knowing that he could probably just kill the Demon Kings and at most use his bare power to stop the destruction of Singularity, in terms of priorities, capturing the Demon King was more critical. When done, Ainz could interrogate, solving the mystery of this Singularity once and for all. And judging from the information Focalor gave, many Demon Kings were afraid of him, which meant he could theoretically make them talk, at least by promising them protection from Solomon like he had done for Focalor.

Okay, so Ainz needed to capture at least one Demon King, ideally two, so that he can determine whether they are lying.

Okay, so what he needed to 'do' was to capture some Demon Kings. Now, where to find them…

Hmm, both Edison and Cu Chulainn seem to be having imprisoned one of them each, but neither Edison nor Cu Chulainn seems to be possessing information that only the Demon Kings would have? Well, Cu Chulainn probably didn't say anything because Ainz didn't ask him, it would be quite possible that if Ainz had just asked him, he would have revealed the information to him.

But even if Cu Chulainn did, would he trust such information given by someone that has Medb on their side?

Yes, the Medb of this world wasn't the Medb of YGGDRASIL, but her character was already permanently imprinted on Ainz's mind. So, if Cu Chulainn had revealed such information to him, Ainz would clearly have suspected a trap of some sort.

Come to think of it, in case the reason for the Singularity wasn't the Demon Kings, or the Grail, the first thing that would have come to Ainz's mind would have been that it was Medb's fault somehow. Anyway, that fact wasn't that important for this reflection.

So, Cu Chulainn's information, or more likely, Medb's, could perhaps be trusted with some grains of salt. But was about Edison? He had been in contact with Tesla and Angrboda for some time, but he had never revealed information about the Demon Kings. It can only mean that he didn't plan to trust them with that information so easily.

What a conundrum, the only two ways of easy access to the Demon Kings, each comes with its own problems.

There are various ways that Ainz could collect the information that he needed, but most of them relied on chance or duration.

For example, he could send various disguised undead with orders to spy on Edison. But in that case, Ainz himself would only get the information if Edison didn't notice Ainz' minions following him, which was easy enough to arrange, but for Edison to openly talk about something he wants to keep secret. Which, again, didn't preclude the possibility of Edison leading Ainz into a trap, so this option was definitely not feasible.

Maybe Ainz could simply send his undead capable of summoning minions with the most advanced scouting abilities? They could scour the waste for any place where the Demon Kings could be hiding or even hidden… But that could turn out to be a colossal waste of time and effort. If the Demon Kings were kept in some distant wasteland hideout, then it would take either an unimaginable amount of time or even colossal luck for it to be found. But again, doing this didn't mean that whatever they found couldn't be a trap, like in the Rome Singularity.

He could use search magic? Ainz, while his class specialization shouldn't logically possess a breadth of scouting spells, through PKs had enough of the various tracking spells in his arsenal. But, still, most of them could only function when the searched object is inside a certain range, only functions when some sort of material part of the target is available, or by having reliable information about the target itself. Besides being mages, them being called Demon Kings, and usually looking like columns of flesh, sometimes, there are little information that Ainz possessed about the Demon Kings.

Huh, if he'd chatted with Focalor more, he might have gotten some useful information about the group that she had belonged to, like whether they were actually demons. But Ainz hadn't done that, and there was no point in crying over spilled milk anyway.

Of course, there was still another option, to go to the people who were supposed to know the exact location of the Demon Kings and get information from them, either by talking, or by force. Which in this case actually meant 'beating Edison down so that he would answer'. But, even excluding the fact that this plan might not work with a hundred percent probability, for example, if Edison didn't really know where the Demon Kings were. Or if he had actually entrusted the care of them to another Servant, such a course of action was still fraught with problems.

In any case, this option was already somewhat part of the Servants' plan already. Apparently, his Servants had already infiltrated Edison's forces. And, judging by the fact that they had received information about Cu Chulainn's forces and probably planned to pass that to Edison, they were at least determined to work together with Edison against Cu Chulainn, at least for now…

"Then… should I just attack Cu Chulainn?" Ainz pondered.

Up to this point, apart from Solomon, Ainz had encountered no one even roughly fitting the definition of a threat. It was highly unlikely that Cu Chulainn and his allies could actually pose a threat to him.

But, even excluding Medb and her manipulations, which may not have existed in this world after all, though Ainz did not want to test it on himself. There is still an instinctual fear of any connection that existed between the two Medb.

In any case, Ainz, excluding even his fears of Medb, was not sure that he should just attack Cu Chulainn.

Wouldn't destroying the local kingdom only cause more history to change?

Or, given the nuclear war and whatnot, was there anything Ainz could do to make things worse at this point at all? Ainz thought about his capabilities for a second, and concluded that there's nothing wrong with caution.

He could only curse his past decision to bluff, it would have been so much easier for him if he could just approach Tesla or Medea about their plans, but Ainz had trapped himself. And while sometimes his reputation as a 'genius' worked to his advantage, in a situation like this, he sincerely wished he could just turn to some Servant and ask them for advice without risking being called a charlatan.

Even so, Ainz thought that it would be good to order the Servant to reveal 'his' plan now, no matter how strange it might sound. Maybe he could make some excuse like 'tell your plan to this man who doesn't understand it'? But if he just teleported to, say, Medea now and stayed to listen to her explanation and plan, would things actually be solved?

After all, Medea were still relying on Ainz to actually solve the Singularity. Ainz actually asking for their plan just might even confuse him even more!

Ainz sighed, defeated, the stream of inspiration and confidence that had arisen in him dried up, bringing nothing much in return. Yes, maybe he wasn't a bad leader after all, but his position as an 'all-knowing genius' had brought him nothing but trouble. Well, okay, not having to explain his great 'plan' to the Servants had saved him from some embarrassment, but it's just a boulder on his back on this occasion.

"What do I do now? There's no way I can help the Servants, at least I don't see a way to do it successfully… In that case, all that remains for me to do, at least until I need to do something drastic or until I fully understand the Servants' plan, is to do something that at least won't hurt them." Ainz sighed.

It was a little sad for Ainz to realize that his usefulness in the current situation was close to zero, but at least he could still summon various invisible undead for reconnaissance.

Besides, Ainz sighed, if there was no way he could interfere with what was going on here in the United States… then maybe he could interfere with what was going on elsewhere?

After all, even if the oddities ended up happening only in the local version of the United States, maybe he could look around in places where the oddities shouldn't be? Say, check other countries for other anomalies or…

Ainz suddenly froze.

An ingenious idea struck him.

Wasn't there? There was supposed to be… an Association of Mages in London, right?

And he even remembered the location of its secret vaults…

---

"HE'S GONE! GONE!" Howls of panic were broadcasted through the minds of the Demon Kings. "AINZ IS GONE!"

The wave of outraged screams and terror passed through the minds of the Demon Kings like wildfire, but this time, Solomon responded quickly. "Silence."

Obeying Solomon's commanding voice, there was complete silence, which allowed him to ask for clarification. "What do you mean?"

"My King," A Demon King's voice, Solomon wasn't sure which one as he had sent all available Demon Kings into this world. And a personal check, even if it required Solomon an effort comparable to trying to shift his gaze to determine which Demon King was speaking, the demon Kings did not merit such an effort.

"We, in accordance with your instructions, have watched Ainz and his Servants, incessantly, periodically changing disguises so as to not give away our presence in any way in the magical sense."

Solomon nodded graciously, or did the mental equivalent of such, allowing the Demon King to continue their story. "Right now we're watching his six Servants, along with all the other Servants in this Singularity. But… Ainz had just disappeared from our perception."

Solomon's reaction to these words was quite significant for the Demon Kings. And the Demon Kings could net read his reaction in any way. "Hmm…"

The Demon Kings wanted to ask Solomon questions, but unlike with their other 'colleagues', none of them could look into his mind. Solomon could read the minds of his subordinates like an open book, as the other Demon Kings could read each other's mind, the other way around? It was impossible at its very core.

All the Demon Kings could do, in this case, was to wait until Solomon conveyed his thoughts to them himself, either by putting information into their heads or by dialogue.

Sometimes, although no Demon Kings would dare to even think it openly, just as people could feel a subconscious distrust of others, the Demon Kings sometimes felt restless by such an imbalance.

But on the other hand, if you take into account not the human side of Demon Kings, but other additional features of their existence, it worked in Solomon's favor.

If there was an immeasurably more powerful and all-seeing, all-knowing great magus, whose mind the Demon Kings could not understand, giving confident orders. The first and most logical reaction would be to assume that 'he has a secret and cunning plan'.

Normally this was true, and therefore it would not have been a particularly big plus on Solomon's part.

What was the point of assuming Solomon's secret cunning plan without confirming this information, if the Demon Kings could know it for sure, if they had access to Solomon's mind?

But it was at this very second, for the first time in a long time, that Solomon was glad that the Demon Kings assumed that this was all part of Ainz and Solomon's great game, because…

'It wasn't in the plan,' was the thought that flashed through Solomon's mind. A thought that must be kept secret at all costs to the Demon Kings.

Essentially, Solomon's plan was to give his opponent, in fact, a full sandbox, where he's free to act in whatever way he wants, and then study exactly how his opponent would act. Studying his Servants was of course useful as well, but the information concerning them was not even of secondary importance, but something on the level of 'trivia'. Interesting, but in no way affects anything he would do in the future.

Ordinary Servants, no matter how many or powerful they may be, pose no threat to Solomon's plan.

If Ainz had simply attacked and destroyed all the squabbling Servants, Solomon would have found out Ainz's favorite spells, and his tendency to solve everything by brute force. If he had tried to negotiate instead, he would have been able to trace exactly how he had plotted his intrigues and what he had stressed in his speeches. Whether he believed what he said or not.

Then, after gradually studying Ainz's actions and habits, Solomon would slowly get an answer to the most important question he had.

How could he counteract Ainz. How he would win.

What elemental defense was needed, how he needed to frame a dialogue, what he needed to emphasize in his arsenal, attack, or defense. Any information that might help Solomon in their next encounter. There would be one final battle between them. Solomon believed that with all his might.

Against any other opponent, Solomon needed to simply glanced at them with his gaze, and that would have been the end of it. The Demon Kings' praise, that he was omniscient, were not unfounded.

Clairvoyance EX, a skill that could be called 'cheat-like' without hyperbole. The ability, just with one look, to instantly find out all the information about whatever it is he's seeing, their past and even the most likely paths of their future.

Of course, a more accurate divination, more distant dates, and stronger targets with differing paths of the future, required a greater expenditure of Solomon's resources, a greater strain on his powers, but this had never been a problem… Until his meeting with Ainz that is.

Looking at Ainz, Solomon could see neither his past nor his future, no matter how hard he tried to focus on it. As if he was trying with all his might to discern something in absolute darkness, or to find a black cat in a dark room.

Solomon's eyes could not see even the surface of the being that is Ainz, never mind anything deeper than that.

That is why he wished to study Ainz in such a simple and plebeian way as 'practical observation' and why Solomon's plans for Ainz were not at all ideal.

Solomon had foreseen the fact that Ainz would easily notice the presence of the Demon Kings, even if it was difficult for even Solomon himself to do so. But it was supposed to be impossible to guess that their function in this Singularity was… to perform no function at all.

Solomon was even willing to sacrifice a dozen of his Demon Kings, even to their permanent death, in order to learn how Ainz had disposed of them. Which is why he did not require the Demon Kings to maintain a strict need to be disguised, but once again, Ainz had surpassed his expectations.

'That's something I hadn't considered' Solomon frowned mentally.

Solomon wanted to observe Ainz's actions, even his inaction would have given Solomon some information. How could he have foreseen that Ainz would choose the one action that did not give him any information at all?

For Ainz to simply not be observed.

While Ainz's servants went about their business, all of which were ultimately insignificant things to Solomon, overwhelmingly focusing his attention on Ainz instead. And so, if Ainz simply disappeared? Then it meant that Solomon's efforts were wasted.

But what did Solomon need to do in this case to fix it?

If his Demon Kings couldn't find Ainz on their own, that meant that either he was using some powerful concealment magic, which was an important information in itself. Or that he had left the surveillance area that the Demon Kings covered.

And that meant that Ainz was not on the continent of North America, as he had full surveillance over the continent.

But where was he, then? Hiding right in front of the Demon Kings' noses? Did he go away from the entire continent? Or maybe even outside the whole Singularity?

'He's playing with me' Solomon exhaled through his nose - 'taunting me.

Indeed, it was hard to see this as anything other than provocation.

If Ainz had already figured out the Demon Kings' plan, after all he even had a conversation with a few of them, and now had disappeared, it only meant that Ainz was provoking Solomon himself. No, it was even more than that.

'While I study him,' Solomon concluded, 'he's studying me.'

Ainz was provoking Solomon in order to study his reaction. What orders would he give to the Demon Kings? Will he appear himself? How would the Demon Kings themselves act?

Solomon froze for a second, and then he chuckled.

It was a game that could be played by two.

There was only one order he could give. "Start slowly bringing the Demon Kings back from the Singularity. We won't get any more information out of it."

Well played, Ainz.

---

Excerpt from "The History of Books, Part 4:

… The nineteenth century was the heyday of children's and fairy-tale literature. Blending not only children motifs, but also adult ones. A prime example of such a phenomenon was Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

A classic story familiar to the vast majority of the world's population, written, according to the author himself, inspired by childhood fantasies and stories told by an orphaned girl he met by chance during one of his acts of philanthropy.

According to Carroll himself, the entire book was written almost word-for-word from the words of the girl's, Alice, stories.

A note in his diary states that the girl, at the end of telling her story, uttered several phrases that troubled him greatly. Phrases such as 'solving paradoxes begets more paradoxes' and 'I only tell you about stories that you already made'. Carroll himself had been at one time troubled by these words. But the mystery was a more strange coincidence rather than a mystical fact.

Still, according to Carroll's own notes, when he returned a few weeks later to the orphanage once again, none of the orphanage keepers could recall anything about the girl who had frightened him so with her words alone…