Following the disturbance in the dining area, Vahn and Lupusregina found themselves in the office of the Re-Estize Guildmaster, located on the third floor with windows facing the plaza preceding it.
"I doubt you'll listen, but I would appreciate it if the two of you didn't make a scene wherever you went..." remarked a buxom, rugged-looking woman with long, muted-blonde hair loosely fixed into a partially braided ponytail. Bands of grey streaked her hair, and faint wrinkles accented her face, but her vibrant, blue-green eyes exuded vitality. She was currently wearing a tailored red-and-black tunic with white sleeves. But despite her relatively plain garb, she was the top-ranking Guildmaster in the Re-Estize Kingdom and a former Orichalcum-ranked Adventurer, Ceres Van Aelsylva Sygwinde.
"All we were doing was sitting, minding our own business. The scene was caused by the members of your Guild..." Vahn countered calmly, his gaze shifting to a simple but well-maintained spear adorning the wall to his left. There were many other weapons and a female mannequin modeling half-plate armor, but they paled in comparison to the spear—which resembled a broad-bladed gladius strapped to a cobalt-blue shaft, capped by a worn but polished silver pommel.
"I'm certain you never deliberately cause trouble..." Ceres stated flatly, her expression and tone making it clear she didn't buy Vahn's excuse for a single moment as she added, "But as Head Guildmaster of the Re-Estize Kingdom's Adventurer's Guilds, I am compelled to remind you that we do not involve ourselves with the politics of the Kingdom and Temple. We will not shield you if you choose to pick a fight with them..."
"Do I strike the Guildmaster as someone who requires protection?" Vahn asked, adopting a faint, wholly unconcerned smile.
"Even if you and your companion are bona fide Adamantite—no, even if you're Hero-tier, you can't hope to oppose the Nobility or the Temple with just two people..." Ceres stated plainly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose as she revealed, "On a related note, I have been asked to defer you to the Royal Palace once you arrived. Rumors of your actions over the past week or so have reached His Majesty, King Ramposa's, ear. He is requesting to meet you..."
"It's on my to-do list," Vahn confirmed with a nod. The frown on Ceres's face made it clear she wasn't pleased by his dismissiveness, but instead of making a fuss, she closed her eyes, exhaled audibly from her nose, and expressed, "I have nothing else for you..."
"Then, until we meet again," Vahn responded calmly, rising to his feet and offering Ceres a slight nod before turning to depart.
"Be seeing you, Guildmaster~" Lupusregina hummed, smiling radiantly and waving her left hand at Ceres while following in Vahn's wake. As she did, Ceres's eyes opened to their limits, her body breaking out into a cold sweat, as, for a brief moment, she felt as though a sword had stabbed up through her belly due to Lupusregina's bloodlust...
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"Ugh! That woman doesn't know her place...!" Lupusregina complained, following Vahn out of the Guild's rear side entrance, where they had been asked to exit from to avoid those awaiting them in the front.
"On the contrary. Since my actions conflict with Guild policy and place them in a precarious position, she could have been much harsher to us. Her measured response and the warning she gave us about coming into conflict with the Nobility and Temple were her being considerate without rolling over..." Vahn explained calmly, simultaneously sweeping the area with his gaze.
"Mmn...if you say so..." Lupusregina conceded. If it were up to her, she would have forced Ceres's forehead to the ground for speaking in such a discourteous manner to a Supreme Being. But if Vahn wasn't bothered by it, it wasn't her place to be angry on his behalf. She did, however, place Ceres's name on the list of people she would like to kill if presented with the opportunity.
"For now, let's find an inn. After that, I imagine someone from the palace will arrive to escort us..." Vahn suggested, making direct eye contact with one of the many people spying on him and Lupusregina from the windows of various buildings. Adventurers were required to check in with the local Guild branch when arriving at a new city, so those hoping to make contact with or keep tabs on him and Lupusregina had simply needed to lie in wait for their arrival.
"I certainly wouldn't mind getting off my feet—especially if the end result is me being on my back~" Lupusregina hummed, linking her hands around Vahn's left arm and squishing her right breast against him.
"And here I thought you most enjoyed being on your knees and elbows..." Vahn teased, prompting Lupusregina to grin and playfully snap her teeth at him before they flagged down a stagecoach and asked it to take them to the most expensive inn in the city...
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Contrary to Vahn's expectations, no one from the Royal Palace came to visit him and Lupusregina at their open, crimson-carpeted, mostly marble hotel room. Instead, as the sky outside darkened, he received a meeting request from a very unexpected source.
"Lord Vahn, thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. And allow me to welcome you to the Royal Capital," Demiurge expressed, offering Vahn a steep bow with his black-gloved hand over his left breast.
"To be honest, I was surprised and a little taken aback when Lupusregina informed me you wanted to meet. It's no secret we're not the biggest fans of one another..." Vahn remarked, seated atop a red-cushioned sofa with a golden frame and a sloping, ornate back.
"Fortunately for me, Lord Vahn is a God of reason and order. Our natures might be diametrically opposed, but we're able to meet and converse like this because we're ultimately working toward the same goal—making this world a better, more equitable place for all..." Demiurge stated, raising his head to meet Vahn's gaze with his near-perpetual, distinctly devilish grin.
"Rather than flattery, I would prefer to hear the reason you've requested this meeting. Raise your head and speak," Vahn instructed, his expression and tone flat.
"As you will, Lord Vahn," Demiurge responded, rising to his full height and lowering his hand before revealing, "My reasons for being here are two-fold. Firstly, I wished to ask what Lord Vahn's plans were for your stay in the Royal Capital. We are presently in the midst of a two-month operation, so, depending on your answer, we may need to alter or apprise you of our plans to avoid needless friction and misunderstandings."
"Hmmn..."
Closing his eyes, Vahn briefly deliberated his response before meeting Demiurge's gaze and explaining, "It might sound odd, but my reason for being here is precisely that—to be here. There are some matters I intend to look into, but my course ultimately depends on how those here react to my presence. If, for example, the Temple continues to take action against me, I will more than likely end up deposing their leadership."
"Would Lord Vahn install himself in their place? Or would you reveal your status as a Dragon God and rule over them from an even higher position?" Demiurge questioned, sounding intrigued.
Shaking his head, Vahn surprised Demiurge by revealing, "It's not out of the question, but despite my status as a God, I've never been particularly fond of organized religion. As I've explained to Ainz, subjecting yourself to people's worship also binds you to their views. My personal opinion is that people should live freely and think for themselves..."
Producing the seven-winged symbol that represented people's faith in him, Vahn thoughtfully appended, "There is nothing wrong with pursuing spirituality to be closer to oneself, one's community, and the world. But in all but a handful of instances I've observed, organized religion frequently morphs into a tool for control, inhibiting independent thought and stalling progress to the point of societal decay..."
"Then, should the Temples continue foolishly interfering with Lord Vahn, how would you feel about us dismantling or restructuring the organization to promote awareness of oneself and the consequences of one's actions, be they individual or as part of a collective?" Demiurge posed.
"It would be better to replace the Temples with a structured education system," Vahn countered, contending, "In the absence of physical Gods, faith in external powers is generally a byproduct of a lack of knowledge and insight into natural phenomena. The better educated a populace is, the less susceptible they are to such influences. Inversely, they end up placing their faith in the systems that govern them, particularly those that reward effort with societal elevation or opportunity..."
"Magnificent! As expected of a Supreme Being recognized by Lord Ainz! Lord Vahn's wisdom is truly God-like!" Demiurge asserted, spreading his hands out to his sides.
"More to the point..." Vahn interjected flatly, waiting for Demiurge to lower his arms before stating, "I have no intention of interfering in whatever you have planned—so long as atrocities and acts of cruelty don't take place in front of me. If they do, I will intervene and later hold those responsible to account. And I would prefer not to have to kill someone both Ainz and the entirety of Nazarick rely on..."
"I will be sure to keep that in mind..." Demiurge responded, his usual smile replaced by furrowed brows and a slight frown. He would have laughed if any other Level 15 had threatened him, but Vahn had demonstrated the ability to recover from all wounds. His attacks also ignored conventional defense to inflict True Damage. And while the amount of damage he could inflict was low, it didn't matter if he could tank infinite damage and pile his own on endlessly...
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Following his warning to Demiurge, Vahn listened attentively as the man revealed the details of a plan he called Operation Gehenna. Nazarick was evidently working with a member of the Royal Family to weaken and seize control of Re-Estize's criminal underworld. To distract from that and unify the Kingdom against external threats, they were to stage an attack on the Royal Capital. Tens of thousands were projected to die, but when the dust settled, the Nobles that had been eating away at the Kingdom by working with organizations like The Eight Fingers would be severely weakened. As an added side-effect, production of a drug called Black Dust, which killed hundreds of thousands of people across the Central Continent each year, would be indefinitely suspended.
While he wasn't particularly fond of the prospect of tens of thousands of people being killed, Vahn couldn't deny the merits of Demiurge's plan—at least as it was described. If he were in their position, he would target the corrupt Nobles directly, but that would require Nazarick or a proxy to take credit. In Demiurge's plan, the Royalists would gain the upper hand within the Court and eventually depose the Nobles who were contributing to the Kingdom's decline. There was the possibility of a civil war, but due to the Kingdom's annual war with the Empire and the general mismanagement of many Noble domains—contributing to mass famine, illness, and supply shortages—there wouldn't be nearly enough public support to maintain a meaningful resistance.
To make things more palatable, Demiurge reassured Vahn that he was more than welcome to take any action he deemed necessary during the operation. This included defending the citizenry, treating the injured, and even engaging the forces they had prepared directly. In essence, so long as he didn't interfere with their raiding of The Eight Fingers' bases, he was free to play hero and spread his name as much as he pleased. In fact, the slick-haired Demon encouraged it, contending that it would help Nazarick prepare for similar resistance in other nations...
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