EeDechi had once broken into the Baharuth Empire's palace, and she'd also been invited into the Re-Estize Kingdom's palace.
She figured she'd seen the most luxurious side of noble life in this world, but now that she'd arrived at the Great Tomb of Nazarick, she had to admit that even if you added up the empire's palace and the kingdom's palace, they still couldn't hold a candle to the grandeur of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick had who-knows-how-many levels, and as they descended layer by layer, the architectural styles and decorations grew more and more opulent. Everywhere you looked was gleaming gold and splendor, with soaring vaulted ceilings that made it hard to believe this was an underground structure.
Finally, they reached a magnificent grand hall and sat down on chairs covered in silver fox fur, laid out for guests.
On the lavish throne before them, a skeletal undead radiating a powerful aura sat upright, dignified and solemn.
This was the demon king EeDechi had sworn to take down—Ainz Ooal Gown.
Around the undead, a squad of subordinates with varied appearances and from different races stood scattered on either side, along with a group of beautiful maids with exquisite features circling nearby.
EeDechi gave them a quick scan and spotted several she'd met before. The insect maid and iron fist maid from the Peyton manor encounter were there, along with the gothic girl in the black skirt.
With Ainz at the center, they fanned out like his spread wings, totaling over a dozen in all—either level 100 peak powerhouses or ones above level 50.
Their gazes were proud and imposing, locked firmly on EeDechi and Barrett like sunlight focused through a magnifying glass at noon.
Barrett hung his head, dodging those heat-ray stares. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and back as he forced himself to stay calm, willing his legs not to shake.
EeDechi, on the other hand, didn't give a damn. Her eyes met Ainz's, her face showing no trace of fear.
No one said a word—not even a breath could be heard. The place was as silent as a graveyard, the atmosphere thick with tension and oppression.
EeDechi stared at Ainz, feeling like she'd seen this top-tier undead somewhere before.
She thought for a moment, then slapped her thigh with a smack and exclaimed in realization, "I saw you before in the Baharuth Empire's palace! You were holding a little notebook, looked like you were jotting down the emperor's words and actions."
"WHAT? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, I was just keeping an eye on Emperor Jircniv back then. I suspected he wasn't loyal to the Sorcerer Kingdom, so I went to observe him." Ainz quickly shot down EeDechi's words.
During that time, with nothing better to do, he often sneaked into the Baharuth Empire's palace to spy—er, no, to observe and study Emperor Jircniv's speech and behavior, imitating them to practice and boost his own air of superiority.
He'd done this stuff in secret, hiding it from his subordinates—it was basically his embarrassing past. He never expected that the moment he met EeDechi, this girl would spill it all out. He'd meant to give her a show of force, but now his own momentum had taken a hit first.
"I remember you didn't say it like that back then, you said..." EeDechi trusted her memory wasn't off, and she wouldn't let it go.
Albedo stood at Ainz's right side, really not liking EeDechi's carefree attitude. Eager to protect her master, she snapped, "HOW DARE YOU! How could you presume to fathom Lord Ainz's supreme wisdom? Before the ultimate Supreme Overlord, why aren't you kneeling and paying your respects?"
"No need, Albedo. After all, she's our invited guest." Ainz waved his hand magnanimously, showing he didn't mind, while secretly glad that Albedo could shut EeDechi's blabbermouth.
EeDechi shrugged, too lazy to tangle over this unimportant issue.
Deep down, she felt a bit awkward too. Ainz was the big bad demon king she'd been obsessing over taking down. But the first time she ran into him, not only did she fail to recognize him, she even chatted with him like buddies—she was basically a disgrace to the hero world.
The two then started chatting, and the atmosphere was surprisingly chill.
Ainz kept subtly probing about where EeDechi came from, and EeDechi finally showed a bit of the smarts a level 100 powerhouse should have—she was vague, dodging questions like a pro.
Both were cautious, seemingly trying to size each other up.
Ainz realized that EeDechi was really good at spouting proper-sounding nonsense. In simple terms, it was a long string of serious-sounding words that, upon closer thought, had zero real substance.
For example, when Ainz asked EeDechi, "What's the highest level monster you've slain?"
EeDechi replied, "Your esteemed side's interest in our team's monster-slaying efforts fully shows your respect and admiration for heroic feats and pushing one's limits. Our adventuring party has always stood for cooperation and mutual gain in our explorations and quests, living in harmony with the natural world, avoiding needless slaughter or overhunting, and doing everything we can to preserve the balance of nature."
Another example: Ainz asked EeDechi, "Besides Barrett and the other two, are there any other companions who left a strong impression on you?"
EeDechi said, "This is a complex topic touching on emotional ties, shared experiences, and mutual support. First, we should define what 'strong impression' means. To me, anyone who's friendly toward me leaves a strong impression. This morning, when I went to buy bread, the shopkeeper lady spread an extra scoop of butter for me—that left a really strong impression. The coachman who drove our carriage last time was polite and courteous; he's another companion who impressed me deeply."
These responses came one after another in neat little packages, and Barrett felt a bit dizzy just listening to them. He eavesdropped on the conversation between these two powerhouses for a while and realized his captain was finally showing some qualities of an elite adventurer—no longer killing the topic dead in just two or three sentences, or spilling all her secrets right out in the open.
He let out a reluctant sigh of relief in his heart and started eyeing the exquisite decorations on the four walls of this luxurious great hall.
A tall figure in black and white, holding a silver tray, glided up like a gentle breeze. Barrett blinked, realizing it was the iron fist maid he'd once met and fought fiercely against in the Peyton manor.
In that battle at the Peyton manor, the captain had traded dozens of blows with this maid wearing wolf tooth gloves, and it was a dead heat. Then an insect maid showed up, the captain ditched the iron fist maid to chase after the insect maid, and the iron fist maid turned to attack Stella and Sean, shattering Sean's shoulder blade.
In that critical moment when EeDechi had abandoned her teammates, with Stella and Sean about to meet their end under those steel fists, Barrett gritted his teeth and leaped in. He knew he was outmatched, but he still charged the iron fist maid head-on, trying to save Stella and Sean's lives.
This was the most perilous fight in Barrett's twenty years as an adventurer—he was basically dancing on a knife's edge against a dragon, barely holding out against the iron fist maid's storm-like barrage of vicious attacks. That's why he had such a deep impression of this beautiful maid with her soft figure but razor-sharp fist techniques.
The silver tray extended before him, the red tea in the white porcelain cup rippling faintly, snapping Barrett out of his thoughts.
He looked up and met a pair of gentle black eyes, involuntarily straightening his posture—chest out, gut in—while bits of noble etiquette he'd only heard secondhand clashed chaotically in his mind. For a moment, he had no idea what pose to strike in front of this elegant woman.
The iron fist maid wasn't wearing her wolf tooth steel gauntlets now. She still wore a black-and-white maid dress, cinched at the waist with a light gray belt, white embroidery on the collar and cuffs, her smooth black hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head, a pair of narrow-rimmed glasses perched on her high-bridged nose—looking poised and graceful.
The only difference from the other beautiful maids was the black steel collar about three fingers wide clamped tight around her pale, slender neck, adorned with a string of sparkling diamond shards. Who knew what this neck-constricting, breath-hindering collar was meant to bind.
The maid flashed Barrett a charming smile, and Barrett felt his adventurer's heart—which had been as still as a dead pond for nearly a decade—suddenly churn like a raging storm.
His face flushed a bit as he reached out and took a white porcelain cup from the silver tray, doing his best to act all polite and proper. He thanked the iron fist maid in front of him, bowed his head for a deep sip of tea, but his eyes sneaked glances at her.
The iron fist maid then offered the tray to EeDechi, who didn't even glance at it, casually grabbing a cup of red tea while she kept chatting and shooting the breeze with Ainz Ooal Gown on the throne, seemingly oblivious that her opponent from those dozens of clashes was serving her tea.
The iron fist maid collected the tray and left the hall with light, graceful steps. As she went, she seemed to glance sideways at Barrett—maybe on purpose, maybe not—making his heart skip a few extra beats against his will.
She turned past the hall's side door into the corridor leading toward the kitchen, when a girl with red-brown hair tied in two braids and a bright, cheerful smile on her face suddenly jumped out.
The braided girl was also dressed in a maid outfit, her skin not as pale as the iron fist maid's but a light tan, paired with those sunny, outgoing eyes that gave her a wild, untamed beauty.
The braided girl snatched the silver tray from the iron fist maid's hands, teasing with a grin: "No wonder our big sister Yuri went out of her way to serve tea—you've been staring at that human adventurer. Don't tell me you've got a crush on him."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Yuri Alpha faked anger. "I just admire him, that's all. I fought him once before—he knew he might get himself killed, but he still chose to take me on to protect his teammates. Way better than that EeDechi, who's got all the power but nothing else."
The braided maid poked Yuri's elbow. "Really? I don't buy it."
Yuri sighed helplessly: "Cut the pointless chatter and go check the storeroom for some ingredients suitable for humans. You're way too laid-back—that's why Lord Ainz keeps assigning you to Carne Village."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just ask Tuareninya?" The braided maid pouted in dissatisfaction. "Besides protecting those villagers, I've done tons of stuff! I killed the kingdom's crown prince—and it was a total slaughter!"
"Alright, alright." Yuri pushed the braided maid forward. "No need to paint the picture all over again. Solution is tired of hearing about it."
"Sigh, if only Lord Ainz would let me lay a hand on the villagers, life wouldn't be so boring..."
The braided maid let out a sigh, then playfully shoved Yuri back in a friendly way, and the two headed toward the storeroom, laughing and messing around.