"Sir Gown. May I ask you what you intend with such strange magical effects?"
Ainz turned to See Amrita standing before him, with Hara lying on the ground by the riverside panting heavily. It seemed the two of them had finished their sparring and training for the morning. For the last three days they had been doing so with Amrita giving Hara pointers and suggestions to improve herself. And while they had been doing that, Ainz would practice different ideas on how to customize some of his own magic. Testing effects, feeling how much mana they used, how long they took to cast, how long their cooldown was and the like.
And now it seemed Amrita could no longer hold back her curiosity.
"Well, I am simply experimenting," Ainz answered simply.
"To what end?" Amrita asked as she looked at the boulder that Ainz had been experimenting on.
A rock that now looked like someone had fused a rock, a tree, and a pile of rotten flesh together and then twisted them into a horrid facsimile of a tree.
Ainz looked at it for a moment before letting out a sigh, realizing how ridiculous his experimentation must look to one not privy to his thoughts. "Disintegration!" He called while pointing a finger at the boulder. In answer to his words a beam of whitish light lanced from his finger and struck the boulder, turning the whole thing, horror and all, into a fine white dust. He then turned his gaze back to Amrita. "I am merely trying to ascertain a number of limitations that may exist in preparation for conceiving of a new magic. That is all."
"If you are a Deity Reborn as Lady Celestine is, why would you need to experiment when the only limitation would be your own power and desires?"
"You know that I do not believe such a thing," Ainz said with a light shake of his head. "I would have thought that had been made clear over these past few days. I am no god, simply a Magic caster thrust far away from his lands. That is all."
"With respect I must disagree with that statement, and I will look forward to when you think otherwise as it will mean the Goddess reborn may gain an ally, but I shall leave the conversation there," Amrita said as she looked to one of the hills that surrounded them and then glanced at Hara. "Sir Gown, may I ask a question about your magic?"
"I thought you were dropping that conversation?" Ainz asked in return with a chuckle. Before then realizing that Amrita was serious. "Such as?"
"Your magic is powerful, do you know a spell that can heal an improperly healed injury?" she asked calmly, and a bit quietly as she watched Hara sit up and take a drink from a canteen.
"You are speaking of Hara's leg injury," Ainz said quietly before letting out a sigh. "Sadly I do not. I know of many that could heal injuries like hers, but my race is one that makes them, difficult if not impossible to utilize."
"I understand, though I will admit it to be very unfortunate," Amrita said as she continued to look at Hara. "If her leg was not injured I believe that Hara could be comparable to a high ranked knight, or perhaps even one of the Princess Knights in skill. She may have no preference for any one style of combat or weapon, but she shows impressive versatility of skill and a willingness to use anything to her advantage. It is a rare thing to see these days."
"Is that smart?" Ainz asked, only realizing he needed to be more clear when Amrita turned to him. "A Lack of versatility I mean. Do you mean to say that there is little taught to those of the knighthoods in these lands?"
"That, is true for many, yes. Because knights fight nothing but monsters they are often taught only the skills to fight them and nothing more. Few in these lands learn how to fight with more than one weapon, but those in the knighthoods feel no need to learn more than the sword due to misplaced ideals of honor and pride."
"Ineffective at the very least," Ainz said with a sigh, then noting that he seemed to be sighing an awful lot recently. "Who are those few trained properly to fight any foe they might encounter then?"
"None," Amrita said simply. Mercenary bands sometimes fight bandits, but they tend to be ill equipped and skilled. Most train to fight the monsters from the north. Inquisitors are trained to fight anything, but we primarily train in fighting people, not monsters."
"So, if the monsters are ever defeated, or if another country decided to use it as a way to invade unimpeded, then these lands will be in dire straits it appears."
"Yes, however the ranges of mountains to the east and west do not allow neighboring nations to easily enter, and they know that if we fell the demons would surge toward their lands."
"Hmm, never underestimate the foolishness of governments that believe they have an edge over another," Ainz said grimly as he stepped up to the edge of the creek and spied a butterfly atop the half eaten carcass of a fish. "How much more do you feel you need to try to teach Hara?"
"I wish there was more I could, however her injury makes it difficult," Amrita said with a huff. "It is sad as she is showing great proficiency with that staff blade of hers."
"A Naginata."
"Pardon?"
"That is what that weapon is called. A naginata."
Amrita seemed taken aback for a mere second before she simply nodded and then turned and began walking to Hara. "Hara, are you ready to continue? There is still time left in this morning."
"Yes, one moment!" Hara exclaimed as she moved to get up off the ground.
Only for Ainz to take some steps forward. "Wait, I would like to test something out, so I would like one of you to duel myself."
Both Hara and Amrita's heads and gazes snapped in Ainz's direction.
"Um, I do not believe it would be a good idea for a mage to duel ones trained as we are," amrita said simply.
"I merely wish to test my physical abilities," Ainz said with a chuckle. "You know some healing magic, correct?"
"Well, some, yes,"
"Then it should be no issue," Ainz said as he held a hand up. "Create item!"
Hara gasped in surprise as a longsword seemed to simply appear above Ainz's hand. Made of dull grey steel with a dark cross guard and inlaid with gold filigree, it looked comparable to a knight's blade, but something about it felt strange, different. Unnatural.
Amrita controlled her initial reaction better, but was unable to stop herself as she turned around and walked up to Ainz, inspecting the blade that he now held tightly in his hand. "This, where were you hiding it?"
"I was not; I merely created it with magic."
"No," Amrita said as she took a few steps away from Ainz.
"No?"
"Hara, you are not dueling him," Amrita then clarified as she turned around and with a flourish took her weapon off of her belt, scabbard and all, and held it in front of her as she wrapped the belt around her wrist, as if to make sure the scabbard could not fly off. "I am."
As soon as the words left her lips Amrita was dashing across the ground and crossing the distance towards Ainz, thrusting her weapon at him. He moved to the side and dodged it, but she quickly shifted her handhold and swung the blade back upwards, forcing Ainz to block the blow with his own blade.
He felt the strike travel up his arm, and in that second he pushed back, swing the blade with a few wide arcs to make some room around him.
Only it seemed that Amrita had expected this. She stepped back to dodge the first swing, but then immediately stepped back towards Ainz as he wound up for the second, swinging her own blade sideways at his and deflecting it, before then using the momentum gained from his blade hitting her own to swing her blades pommel toward Ainz's chest. The strike itself did not hit, but Ainz did feel the energy behind it and had to step back slightly lest he be knocked over.
Only Amrita continued to push, taking a step forward and swinging a leg into Ainz's ankle and then swinging her blade, now unimpeded, at his side. If he was a normal person it probably would have resulted in pretty bad injury and being knocked to the ground in an instant, but instead he just felt the force behind the strike and tried to rebalance himself, swinging his own blade back at her and missing as she ducked and leapt backwards out of range, causing his blade to strike and decimate a boulder in one blow.
Amrita stood just out of his range for a moment before she let out a sigh and visibly slackened. "That is enough."
"Oh?" Ainz spoke. "Tired already?"
"Of course not, however it is clear to me that dueling you is a waste of time for myself, and even for Hara."
"How so?" Ainz asked, honestly curious as to her reasoning. He was a magic caster, not a fighter, paladin or the like. He knew his physical abilities were likely subpar, but the way Amrita had uttered her words was strange.
"You are not aware of it?" Amrita asked before sighing. "Your strength and fortitude are great. Much greater than any man or woman or monster I have fought. However your skill and ability with a blade is less than that of a squire. You fought less like a person, and more like a troll, simply throwing your strength around with little ability to control it, or how you attacked. I would bet a kingdoms ransom that you have never had any form of proper training with a blade."
"Uh, isn't that a bit, rude?" Hara said worryingly to Amrita's words.
"The truth is only rude or insulting to those that do not, or cannot, accept it," Amrita stated as she continued to stare at Ainz, as if waiting for his response.
A response then turned out to be a full bodied laugh "Goodness, you do not sugarcoat things whatsoever, do you?" He asked as she tossed his blade uncaringly to the side while dismissing its magic, causing it to disappear a few seconds after it landed upon the pebbled and gravel. "It is true, I have always worked upon my mastery of magic, my physical abilities are simply a, secondary result of that, and it is true that I have never once had proper training with a blade or similar weapon."
"That is a considerable secondary result then being that you cleaved a boulder in half," Amrita said as she looked at the boulder and shook her head. "Your physical strength truly is strange; it could even be called incomprehensible for a mage."
Ainz inwardly scowled as he realized the direction Amrita was heading with her words. "I have told you, I am no god, simply a magic caster from a distant land."
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Amrita said as she tied her sheathed blade back onto her belt. "Do you know how it was discovered that Lady Celestine was the Goddess Reborn?"
"No, I was not aware there was one specific event in regards to that," Ainz said with a chuckle. "There is little about such a thing written in the tomes of these lands that I have managed to glance over."
Amrita looked at Hara, who simply shook her head. "I never heard anything about that."
"No, I suppose you would not have. The church long ago decided that removing the idea the Goddess Reborn had been born mortal would be best for the beliefs of the masses. The truth is known to only a sparse few, but she was discovered to be the Goddess reborn when she created something no one else could. During a sickness that was rampant in a village, she entered and in that moment crated a wide scale magic that healed everyone in the village completely. It also had the likely unintended side effect supposedly, of turning a number of the young in the village into elves, from being human."
"What?! That is possible?"
"Yes," Amrita replied to Hara's shocked, but understandable exclamation. "The church claims it was then that they knew for sure. Not due to the healing, but the ability to change a person race. The church claims that only the gods themselves could be capable of such a thing. Of changing someones very being."
"That is an interesting story I suppose, but it still sounds rather outlandish," Ainz state before huffing. "And it hardly proves anything."
"Of course it does," Amrita said with a strange slight smile at Ainz. "You created a blade out of nothing."
"Simple magic, nothing more."
"Such magic does not exist."
"It does in the lands I come from, it is simple summoning magic."
"Simple perhaps for a god of magic."
Ainz let out an annoyed groan. "No, we are not continuing this foolish line of thought. You were going to continue training Hara a bit more, were you not?"
"That was the intent, however as I said, her injury is making it difficult to teach her more."
Hara, having heard this, scowled as looked down at her leg. "It's not my fault that bitch saw a chance to ruin me."
"No one is saying it is your fault, it is simply an issue if there is little more she can properly teach you," Ainz said with a sigh. He understood her annoyance at this fact, but the additional fact that she still seemed unable to lean his magic was also a cause for annoyance. Her own use of Eostia's magic was improving as she continued her practice by the day, but it seemed the magic she knew amounted to small effect spells that could only be used against singular targets and the like. Useful, but ultimately not sufficient in most situations where more powerful magic would be more proper to end something before it began. "Perhaps, it is time we head to the town and continue with this mission."
"Are you sure?" Hara asked in a tone that was worried. "I think I could use a bit more practice. I don't want them to get away!"
"Practice can continue as we travel, and one can only learn so much from training in a controlled environment. Experience can be the best teacher," Ainz said simply.
"That is something I can agree with," Amrita nodded as she moved to begin packing their sparse campsite.
Hara looked conflicted but eventually nodded and turned to do the same, only to stop and notice Ainz staring into the distance. "Is something wrong?
"No, I simply thought I saw something," Ainz answered before deciding it would be bet to confirm his suspicions. "One moment, I will be back shortly."
Both Amrita and Hara gave responses of understanding, allowing Ainz to walk up the embankment away from the creek and out into the gently rolling plains. It only took him a few minutes of walking before he caught sight of his quarry, a bird of some form, no bigger than a small owl, sitting atop the tip of a distant tree, its eye glinting in his direction. He turned and began walking toward it, and in that instant the bird took to the sky.
"I think not," Ainz said as he raised a hand toward the bird and crunched his hand closed. "Sever Magic!"
The bird suddenly froze in midflight and fell to the earth with a thump far louder than its size would warrant. Ainz said nothing as he walked over to where the bird fell, and upon arriving found that it was not a bird, but a facsimile made of wood and feathers. Crouching down to it and pushing its broken parts around he then found the crumbled remains of a jewel with in the facsimile's head where its eyes would be and let out a sigh. "So, a Familiar, or perhaps some form of magical scout? There do not seem to be any symbols or markings upon it. The creator is capable of cleaning up their tracks it seems."
With nothing else of interest Ainz crashed his foot upon the facsimile's remains, crushing them to little more than splinters before turning and heading back, hoping that the one who controlled it would not try again.
It took a few minute to get back to the creek, but upon his arrival Ainz found that amrita and Hara had seemingly finished packing all their sparse camping gear. "Hmmm, I apologize for how long I took."
"What was it?" Amrita asked, her tone normal, but her eyes almost burrowing into Ainz as she looked at him.
"Just a strange bird, not what I thought it was, simply a false alarm," Ainz Said as he walked over and picked up one of the travel packs and sling it over a shoulder, using his shoulder pads to keep it there without needing to hold it.
"A bird?" Amrita asked carefully.
"Yes, simply a bird I had mistook for something else," Ainz reaffirmed, recognizing in Amrita's eyes that she did not believe for a second it was actually a bird he had went after. "So, are we ready to head to, what was the name of that town again?"
"Tralford, named after the noble family that governs it," Amrita answered.
"Not the other way around?" Ainz asked before merely shaking his head. "No, I suppose it doesn't matter. Let us depart for Tralford, and her head."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Tralford Barony was a small midsized one that specialized in the production of cloths and clothing, and subsisted off the trade of their produced goods. Cotton, linen, Hemp and Silk were all produced in varying quantities, and whether they were sold in bulk bolts of the cloth, woven into hybrid fabrics, or sold as finished clothing their quality was high.
Something that was abundantly, and almost painfully, clear as Ainz, Hara and Amrita entered the town itself and began walking down the main street after the last three days of travel. Every person in the town seemed to be dressed in finery. The women wore clothes that were more revealing than those of the women in other cities, the clothing itself also being of high quality with embroidery and even sewn filigree, while many of the men also had clothing that looked abstract and enhanced by additions and material upgrades.
"This feels, weird," Hara said as the trio moved down the street, keeping their eyes open for an inn first and foremost.
"And how does it feel weird," Ainz asked as he glanced to Hara who was upon his shoulder. "What do you see?"
Hara was silent for almost a full minute as her head moved side to side, her eyes glancing around even faster. "Everyone's clothes are a high quality, but the amount of silk in them is very low. Mostly used for embroidery or edging. The patterns are also, they feel arrogant and prideful, and everyone seems to be holding their heads high. Everyone is giving us glares and staring at us like we are lesser than them. The few guards I'm seeing are also finely dressed, they don't look like guards and . . . . . .I don't see any business besides bars and tailors. Actually, I don't see anything that looked like a high labor job that isn't artistic."
"Good catch," Amrita said as she glanced around slowly. "I do not see any such businesses either. Which is, strange at best and worrying at least."
"Yes, this town seems a bit too, artistic in an unnatural way" Ainz said before letting out a light chuckle. It seems we are garnering quite a bit of attention as well."
Amrita and Hara shifted and followed the direction of Ainz's helmet and saw a Guard walling toward them. Like the other guards of the town, he did not appear to visibly be wearing armor and was instead garbed in a brilliant Red Tabard with Silver inlay and edging, while underneath he had what looked like dark brown pants and a deep blue shirt. His belt was black and thick, and strapped to it was a sheathe for a short sword, as well as what looked like a Blackjack hanging from a strap. He stopped a few meters away from them and held up a hand, not in anger, but merely in an attempt to get attention before he spoke. "Hold there outsiders, what is your business in our beautiful and fair town?"
"We are Travelers, and our business is our own, unless, that is an issue?" Ainz responded instantly as the three of them stopped in front of the guard.
"No, it would not be an issue," the guard said as he looked them over. "However, your looks stand out on our fair home and could tarnish the beauty of it. If you are staying within the town for longer than a day, you will be expected to garb yourself in much finer clothing. Understood?"
"Wait, you are telling us that we would be required to dress in expensive clothing if we stay longer than overnight?" Amita asked in surprise.
"That is correct. Clothing the like that you are wearing, such plebian garments sully the beauty of our town," the guard said as he looked at Amrita's simple brown cloak, then at Hara's garb, and then finally at Ainz, his gaze lingering. "Especially yours. How can you wear such disgusting and unsophisticated garments is beyond me."
"We will be here for two days at most, but our business will make it difficult to indulge ourselves in pointless finery. We will be out of your hair in short order when our business is done."
The guard scowled but nodded. "Fine, as long as you leave and stop tainting our fair and beautiful town." The guard said as he turned to leave.
"Ah, can we ask you a question or two?" Hara spoke up, stopping the guard in his tracks.
"If you must. Speak."
"First then, is there an inn in this town of yours?" Amrita asked.
The guard nodded. "Down the main road, the Ladies respite in its name. You cannot miss it," the guard said curtly. "Is that all?"
"One other question," Ainz spoke up as his helmet looked side to side and then back at the guard. "May I ask where the fields for the textiles of this town are located?"
Both Hara and Amrita looked at him in surprise, while the guard simply looked confused. "Why would you want to know that?"
"I am simply curious as to how this village grows such, fine textiles," Ainz said.
His words seemed to have an odd effect as the guard looked pleased for a moment. "That so? Well, I guess that's a respectable curiosity. It's on the south and west side of town, though you would not be allowed in."
"Oh?"
"Yes, have to protect our pride after all the whole areas walled off for that reason," the guard explained as his tone began shifting back to annoyed. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, thank you for your time," Ainz answered with a nod.
The guard simply scoffed as he walked off, and when he was far enough away Amrita glance at Ainz. "Why are you interested in their Textile industry?"
"I will explain when we are not out in the open," Ainz stated as he began taking Hara with him, making Amrita merely shrug and follow.
It took only a few scant minutes to arrive at the inn the guard had recommended, and it like the rest of the town seemed a bit overdone. Thick red carpets across the floors, banners of across the walls, polished hardwood wherever a carpet or banner could not cover. And then there was the woman running the inn behind the counter, garbed in a dress of finery and excess she leaned on the counter with her breasts resting on the counter in a show of eroticism enhanced by the plunging neckline of her dress.
"Ah, some customers who do not look worth my time at all," the woman said in a tone that was dismissive and tinted with arrogance. "I take it you dirty travelers require rooms?"
"We do require a room, yes," Ainz spoke as he approached the counter. "How much."
The innkeeper seemed to smirk. "It'll be Twelve Gold coins for the three of you, for each room."
"That much!?" Amrita exclaimed in shock. "Inn's in Thorn for nobles are half that price?"
"As if an inn at thorn is as glorious as mine, the finery and the sheets alone are worth the price," the innkeeper gloated. "If you can't pay it though, then you can leave. The city I of course mean. Mine is the only inn in our glorious town, so if you can't at least pay the price, you don't belong here!"
"That price is fine, however we only require one room," Ainz stated.
Much to the innkeeper's surprise. "Oh? You fine ladies are with him that way then? What a waste."
"You-" Hara opened her mouth to condemn the innkeepers words, but was stopped as Ainz jostled her a bit as he raised a hand.
"It is fine, Here is the money for the three of us for one room. Six gold I presume, yes?"
The innkeeper nodded and took the coins from the counter where Ainz had placed them, counted them, and then took a key from underneath the counter. "Your key. Please do your best not to dirty the rooms to much with your filth. And get some better clothing while you are staying in our fair town."
"Thank you, we will not damage anything," Ainz said as he took the key and moved toward the stairs. Heading up Amrita followed behind, and Hara was forced to come down off his shoulder as they got to their room.
The room was a gaudy nightmare with thick carpets, a large double size bed with drapes on posts, and far too much finery around the room itself. A noble would likely feel right at home, but both Amrita and Hara looked visibly disgusted by it.
"This, who would be comfortable with this?" Hara asked as she walked into the room. "I feel like I'm sinking into the carpet.
"Hmm, as an inquisitor I have had nice accommodations many times in the past, but this is excessive even for most nobles," Amrita said as she looked over a curtain draping from the beds posts, noting that they had silk inlay and bead embroidery.
"Yes, this just adds more to my worries for this place," Ainz state as he closed the door behind himself and spoke in a commanding tone. "Anti-information Magic Wall. Breath Ward. Lock of Sealing."
At his words a magic pulse wrapped around the room, the window and the doors, but otherwise left the room unchanged.
"What was that?" amrita asked as she turned to Ainz nervously.
"A Precaution to being listened in on. None will be able to hear what we now speak of, and we cannot be scryed upon by anyone weaken than I," Ainz said as he walked through the room and sat down on a chair by the small table in the rooms center. "Our mission is to simply confront the Baroness about what she has done, however some things in this town are not adding up, and I believe we should do some investigating in the town as well.
"Is this related to you asking about their textile industry?" Hara asked curiously as she took a seat on one side of the bed, sinking in further than she expected and almost falling backwards into it before getting her balance checked.
"It is. Both Cotton and Linen require large areas to grow and require large amounts of water. Silk conversely required large tree's or bushes for silkworms, if they use them here."
"I see," Amrita said with a nod. "Now that you mention it, that is true, yet all of the fields we passed by to arrive here were for wheat or ranching, not for textiles."
"Yes, I am curious about how they are producing such an amount that the whole village is garbed as if nobles," Ainz said with a nod. "I am also curious as to the reactions we have received and the, attitudes of those in this town."
"You mean how the few we have spoken to act like arrogant nobles and everyone else was glaring at us like we were common criminals?" Hara almost spat out.
"Yes. Something is strange here, and I am worried it is related to the Baroness," Ainz said with a nod. "I believe we should look into at least these things before we confront the Baroness."
Both amrita and Hara were silent for a moment, with Hara looking conflicted, while amrita looked thoughtful.
"I agree," Amrita then said after another moment. "Something is wrong here, and I would be remiss to not look into it.
Hara was silent, leading Amrita and Ainz to glance toward her. "Will, will it help bring her down?"
"If my worries are even a sliver correct, yes," Ainz said with a nod.
"Then where do we begin?"
"With gathering information," Ainz said simply as he looked at both Hara and amrita. "I believe the two of you should investigate the town, try to find what you can and get a, understanding of this places opinions and values."
"And what will you be doing?" Amrita asked curiously.
"I will look into their textile industry," Ainz said with a pause. "I have, concerns about both its creation and use."
"Alright, how long should we look around for then?" Amrita asked as she began tying parts of her cloak so it would not come undone unless she wanted it to.
"Look into what you can until this evening," Ainz said with a nod. "Regardless of what we do, or do not find, we shall deal with the Baroness tomorrow," Ainz then chucked to himself. "Amrita, you have a history of doing such things as investigation and subterfuge, correct?"
"I may have dabbled in them from time to time, yes," Amrita answered coyly.
"Good, then Hara, this is another thing to learn and add to your skills. Magic and martial prowess may be always useful, however there are times that such things will not get you what you want. Learn from Amrita what you can while going with her."
"I, understand," Hara said awkwardly, making it clear she had mixed feelings about the idea.
"Good, then I will see you both later this evening, Teleport!"
And with a flash, Ainz was gone, leaving Hara and Amrita alone in the gaudy room.
"Right, lets depart, if we are going to look into this place we'll need to start immediately," Amrita then declared after a moment of silence before she walked over to the door.
Only to simply stand there.
"Um, is something wrong?" Hara asked curiously as she watched Amrita yank on the door. Repeatedly.
"The door is not budging. At all," Amrita said as she stepped to the side so that Hara could see her flick the door, a greenish energy wall forming in front of the door as she did. "Sir Gown did not deactivate his spells to protect the room."
"Oh. . . . So, the window then?" Hara asked nervously.
"Yes, it appears we will have to go out the window."
"Damn."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With a subdued flash Ainz was in a small and dark alleyway of the town they had passed while heading to the inn. Without a word he left the alleyway and headed straight down the main road. As he did he could see their ultimate target ahead of him, a large manor on a modest hill at the edge of town, bright and elegant in its looks, but degenerate in what it likely represented.
"Hah, the most beautiful creations of humanity do tend to be the lairs of corruption after all," Ainz muttered to himself as he went to turn down away off the main road.
Only for a middle aged man to be standing in front of him with a short sword in hand and pointed at him. Though with their height difference it was rather comical. "What did you just say?"
Ainz looked at the man for a moment before he spoke. "I'm sorry?"
"What did you just say about our beautiful town?" The man aske, his tone angry and hateful.
"I am not sure what you are meaning sir," Ainz said simply. "And further, you are?"
"Who I am doesn't matter when I heard you insulting our glorious town!" The man stated clearly as he poked the end of his sword into Ainz's mask.
"I have said nothing directly to anyone, my opinion is my own, and most importantly, you are harassing me."
"Screw you outsider, if you have the gall to insult our town you can leave!" the man yelled angrily, his eyes looking rather red as he did.
Something that did not go unnoticed by Ainz. "Hmmm, that is curious. Detect magic. Now, kindly remove your blade and leave me to my business.
"No, were not done here!" the man declared angrily. "Take back what you said about our village or I will call the guards on you!"
"Haah, so it's not just anger it causes then," Ainz muttered to himself as he raised a hand and pointed a finger at the man. "Control amnesia."
"You are, are-" the man tried to say before his expression turned blank.
"Hmm, much better, let's see. You will return home and you will not recall seeing me. Ever."
The man said nothing as he turned and began walking away, allowing Ainz to watch him for a moment as reddish sparks of energy came from the man's fine shirt.
"Goodness, now I have to look into this seriously," Ainz mumbled as he began heading down the roads, keeping to himself as best he could. Nearing the edge of the town, now by the edge of the manors walls, Ainz then found that just outside of the town appeared to be a massive wall, far larger than a town would need, coming away from the hill that manor was on and curving out from the village and out of sight.
Walking out of the village Ainz began following the wall out and away, further and further, until he could no longer see the town itself, only the manor. After an hour, he found himself back at the village, with not a single gate in the wall.
"I suppose simply hoping to walk in would be too simple," Ainz said to himself with a sigh. "Greater Invisibility. Fly."
With a pair of dull pulses he became unseen and floated up and over the wall. And landing upon its top found his breath hitch unexpectedly. For behind the wall the round was the same level as it was outside, but almost a full fifteen meters deeper. The ground far below appeared to be filled with a strange mix of Various plants, Cotton among them, and strange almost monolithic nodes of metal with odd flanged pipes that came off of them.
There was also a veritable throng of what were obviously slaves working the fields. Humans, dwarves, and even a small number of dark elves among their number. All of them even from a distance looked emaciated, malnourished, and perhaps most importantly, like their eyes were already dead.
Without a word Ainz floated downward until he touched upon the fields and stood unseen among the masses. Now closer he could tell that all of them were wearing leather collars with markings carved into them that faintly glowed. They clearly were some kind of slavery or restraining collar, but what truly grabbed his attention were the perfectly circular markings upon each of these peoples necks below the collars. They were almost black they were so dark and looked like a mix between a scab, a scar, and a mosquito bite.
Not daring to touch one of the people Ainz silently moved over to one of the Monolithic pipe covered structures and looked it over. The pipes where arrayed at different angles, and the flanging on their ends looked to be intended to spread the pipes contents in a wide area, making them certainly a form of sprinkler system.
"So, they water the plants with these, but why use slaves like this?" Ainz asked as he began walking down the fields, avoiding the slaves themselves by wide margins. "What am I missing from this?"
In the next second a small, but very noticeable bell was rung, and if powered by clockwork every slave moved away from the plants and stopped what they were doing, standing like they were mere robots. Then the monolithic sprinkler system set to work, spraying large volumes of strange brown water across all of the plants, but not in the areas where the slaves were standing. Still invisible Ainz removed one of his gauntlets and let the water touch his bare bone hand.
"It is, warm. No, magical," He said as he looked at the plants, only to find many of them seeming to grow at such an accelerated pace that he could visibly watch it. "Full of vitality to speed up the growth of the plants themselves,"
Within ten minutes the water stopped and the plants, mostly cotton near him, had gone from healthy but not ready for harvest, to ready to harvest with the largest amounts he had ever seen. Then shortly after another bell, different than the previous, rang, and the slaves immediately began moving to harvest what was around them.
Taking to the sky Ainz began flying over the fields all over the entire walled area, finding the same scene everywhere he looked except for one place. A single building in the middle of the sunken fields made of dark dull mortared stone with a smocking stack upon its top, and pipes coming out of it. There was only one door upon the building, a large, almost garage style set of double doors, and So Ainz simply pushed it open and stepped in.
And promptly had to hold himself back from casting high tier magic upon reflex at the scene he found before him. The entire building appeared to be an alchemical workshop of some kind. To his left was an area where slaves were chained to walls in fear and sadness, while upon the other side of the building were massive cauldrons of water, both clear and brown, while beside then were a number of contraptions that looked like massive syringes attached to small pipes. Dozens of them.
"This is-"
"Nooooo, let go of me!" Came a shriek from deeper in the facility, making Ainz immediately fly down until he found the source of the shriek.
There, near the back of a line of slaves with no collars, was a young looking Dark elf wearing nothing and bearing both the marks of physical, mental, and sexual abuse. She was chained by her arms and legs to the wall was being held down against the floor by two collared slaves, while a man in a long grey robe stood before her with a collar in hand, and his hands right around the girls neck about to clasp it shut.
With a click it was closed around her neck, and with a gasp of air she looked to be in extreme pain before suddenly her body went limp.
"Hmm, good. Release her," the man commanded, the two collared slaves obeying without pause of word. Once the dark elf was no longer chained her smirked to herself. "Get up."
The dark elf girl slowly got to her feet, her eyes as dead as the other slaves as he simply stood there.
"Hmm, good. You are part of group seventy three. Head there and join the lines."
The dark elf said nothing as she walked toward a nearby box and took a rag, more or less a potato sack with holes in it, donned it, and then began walking toward the buildings exit.
"Now then, it is your turn!" the robed man said as he turned his gaze to the next chained slave down the line. A regular elf while pale blonde hair, and skin that looked unmarred.
"Do you think you will get away with this?" the elf demanded angrily. "This is inhumane!"
"Oh I wouldn't worry about your fate," he man said as he licked his lips. "I think I'll make you my personal slave. You are far too pretty to have merely tending the fields and offering your blood to the tank after all!"
"That, that is dark magic!" The elf stated in horror. "The Goddess will never allow such a thing to continue!"
"Hah, the old Hag has no idea what we are doing here," the man said with a smirk as he took a collar out of his robes and held it between both of his hands. "We are not at the edge of the frontline, so neither the church, your goddess, or your vaunted Princess knights care what happens here. And as long as no one ever finds out, they never will. Don't worry, once this goes on, your mind will be broken utterly, and you won't care anymore what I do to your lovely body in my-"
"I have heard enough of this. Grasp Heart!"
The robed man stopped speaking, his hands dropping the collar to the floor and gripping at his chest as he turned to turned to the source of the voice. Only to drop to the ground a second later, his body unmoving. The elf looked at him in confusion, then looked up right at Ainz willed his invisibility to go away, rivaling his daunting form to be standing there holding a freshly claimed heart in an metal gauntlet.
He then dropped it on the man's backside and turned his helmet to the elf. "What is your name?"
"F-flora," the elf said, her voice weak with fear and uncertainty.
"I see. Then Flora, I am going to ask you a few simple questions. The first being, is slavery legal in these lands?"
"It, it is, but slavery is only used in the southern lands, and the only ones who are enslaved are criminals, to work mines."
"And are you?"
"No! Never! I am just a Peddler, I travel around and make simple herbal concoctions and potions and sell them!" Flora spat in reply. "Some mercenaries on the road kidnapped me and brought me here, taking payment from that man!"
"And what of the rest in this building, do you believe any of them to be criminals?"
"No, most of them, just seem to be the poor, or orphans. Some are slaves from other lands. You can tell by the slave marks on their backs."
"I see," Ainz said as he knelt down and grabbed the manacles around Flora's wrists and then crushed them into dust in his grips. "Are you aware of where we are?"
"Yes, the Tralford Barony, right?"
"Yes, that is correct," Ainz said as he broke the manacles around her ankles, allowing her to stand up. Would you be willing to testify to a member of Eostia's church about what you have seen here, and what they are doing?"
"Of course!" she responded instantly as she stood shakily upon her feet, naked as the day she was born. "Everything here, it is an affront to everything the Goddess reborn, to anyone with morals, would stand for!"
"Good," Ainz said as he raised a finger and touched the collar of one of the slaves that was just standing there. "Destroy magic item."
The Collar around the slaves neck crumbled to dust, but them much to his surprise, the slaves simply stood there for a second before falling forward onto his face, unmoving.
Ainz looked at Flora, who simply shook her head, and then knelt down beside the slave, rolling his body over to find that his nose was broken, and he wasn't breathing. "So, these collars destroy the mind, and simply puppet the body then."
"That seems to be the case. Some of the slaves I saw out there when I was brought in, they looked very old."
Ainz stood up and turned his gaze down the wall where dozens upon dozens of others were chained up, awaiting their fates. The few closest were looking at him expectantly. It seemed the situation was about to take a turn for the complicated. "Alright. Have you seen anyone else doing the collaring, and do you know where the keys are?"
"I don't know."
Ainz was silent for many moments before he let out a sigh and raised a hand to the nearest chained person, a young Halfling by looks. "Then we will have to do this the long way."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"He is late," Amrita said as she and Hara sat in their inn room awaiting Ainz's return. At first they had waited patiently, but now the evening had long since started, the sun dipping below the horizon. It was now night, many hours past when he had said for them to return and share what they had discovered
And did the two of them have much to share.
"I am sure he is fine," Hara said simply, though it was clear by the way she was fidgeting that she was just as impatient as Amrita was.
"I do not doubt he is fine, what I worry is that he has gone and dealt with the situation without us."
"He wouldn't," Hara said with a shake of her head.
Amrita opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as a glow formed tight in the middle of the room, and a second later Ainz simply appeared there. Appeared, with an unknown elven woman standing weakly beside him wearing little more than sackcloth. "Ah, good you are here, apologies for being late, but the situation has, escalated substantially," Ainz said as he walked over to the door and grabbed the handle. He seemed to forget about his own spell, but it seemed to not matter as he pulled, and took the whole door, frame and all, out of the wall. "Ah, no helping it. Come, both of you. We are going to the Baroness's manor now."
"What? Now?" Hara asked in shock as she and Amrita followed Behind Ainz and the elven women who looked two steps from the grave.
"Sir Gown, who is this, and what is going on?" amrita asked tensely.
Ainz was utterly silent until they left the inn. "Tell me, what you both found in the town first."
"Well, everyone in the town is utterly mad. They cannot seem to think ill of themselves, the town, or the baroness, and do not let anyone say anything negative about any of these, or their clothing," Amrita said as she glanced at Hara. "She believes that either an article of clothing or something similar likely has magic cast upon it perhaps, as the opinions on all of these are far to universal."
"That is indeed the case," Ainz stated as they walked. "I encountered a man who heard my mutterings and instantly moved to argue my opinion, going so far as to call the guards. All of his clothing was bathed in magical energy, the kind that effects the mind."
"Damn," Hara swore under her breath before speaking up. "We also could not find any workshops that actually made the fabric all of the tailors used; only the tailor shops themselves and bars and the like."
"Indeed. There appear to be no hard labor jobs within the town itself," amrita commented, noticing the elf woman seemed to miss a step and falter at her words.
"That is because the labor jobs are in the walled area outside of town, connected to the Manor" Ainz said grimly. "I found massive fields, slaves working them, and all the slaves were being controlled by magical collars that sapped them of their minds, leaving them as little more than husks being controlled as if puppets. Their blood appeared to also be used to magically enhance the vitality of the fields. Flora here was one who was illegally captured and was about to be made into a slave, just like almost four dozen others whom I, may have broken out."
"Goddess, that is horrific!" Amrita exclaimed in horror. "Where are they now?"
"Here," Ainz said as they came around a corner to the road in front of the Baroness's manor, finding dozens of people of many races standing around in little or no clothing, looking beat and emaciated in some cases. And all of them looked ready for blood.
"These, all these people?" Hara exclaimed in shock, causing many to look over and see their approach.
"Yes. Amrita, I will be requiring you to utilize your connections to the church once we are within," Ainz stated as he slowed his pace as he moved towards the gate, the many people moving aside for him.
Amrita seemed to understand and simply nodded, her eyes then moving toward the gate as she, and many others, saw movement.
"What is going on here?" A man called as he approached the gate from the other side, his tabard marking him as a guard. "Gatherings in front of the Baroness's manor are forbidden!"
"We are here to speak to the Baroness, as Agents of the church," Ainz spoke in a commanding tone.
"The, the Baroness is not seeing guests at this time, you should come back in the morning and-" the guard began to say, only for Ainz to reach forward to grab the gate, and then rip it off its hinges and toss it to the side.
"Perhaps I did not make myself clear. We are here as agents of the church, by direct orders of the Goddess Reborn. You will tell the Baroness of our arrival, and we will be entering her manor, and expecting her to be there as soon as we enter. Is that understood?"
The guard looked confused, as if he did not know what to do, but then after a few moments of looking at Ainz, Amrita and Hara, simply nodded turned around and began running at full sprint toward the Manor.
Ainz let out a huff and turned around to face everyone, Amrita, Hara, and the mass of people who had been saved from the fate of slavery. "Alright, come along and we shall watch the Baroness get what is coming to her. Follow my lead, but do not act unless I say so."
Everyone gave their agreements before Ainz began walking toward the manor. Hara and amrita flanking his sides, while Flora and all of the other almost slaves trailed behind like a school of fish. As the group approached the manor its excessiveness became all too clear. In the distance during the day it had looked mostly normal, but close up it could be seen that the pillars around the manor were smoother marble, the wood was polished, and the walking areas were utterly devoid of anything that could be considered dirty. There were not even any plants near the manor, the grass at its edge turning out to be pieces of painted wood chips and the like that were simply carefully placed overtop stone. The door to the manor appeared to be some kind of high quality hardwood, and had a guard standing by the door. He moved to get in front of Ainz as soon as they approached, but instead of sign anything, Ainz held a hand out to the man.
"Grasp heart."
And was very suddenly holding a fresh heart as the man fell to the ground. Before anyone could speak Ainz then stepped up to the door threw an arm back and swung it forearm, punching the center of the two doors with so much force that they both flew open, broke off their hinged, and clattered to the sides of the main foyer.
Which appeared more like a cross between a foyer and a throne room.
The room was long with stairs to the second floor on its sides, and at the end of the hall was a throne. The floors were covered in thick carpets, while silken tapestries hung from the second floor bannisters as well as the stairs so completely it hid the second floor. The room was lit by oil lamps on stands that appeared built into the floor, as well as a number of chandeliers with lamps within them. Two guards stood in the middle of the room on opposite walls with spears in hand, and at the end of the hall by the throne stood a young man in a mix of leather and scale armor with a pair of sheathes on his belt and a scar upon his face.
"Where is the Baroness?" Ainz called out as he walked down the hall, seemingly unworried about whatever could be awaiting their presence.
"I am here you inpatient cur," Came a females voice as a figure walked out from under a shadowed section of the balcony on the second floor. A second later the Baroness showed herself. She was a very thick lady. Large breast that could challenge many of the Princess Knights held in her dress by thread and hope, and her dress while simple in design was covered in ornate needle and beadwork. strangely her hair was an utter mess, and her eyes even from a distance were red all around them, making it clear that he was perhaps crying before her arrival. "Why are you here, dogs of the church?" she then asked as she rested her hands upon the railing and scowled own at them. "You don't look like church wench's, and why have you brought such dirty people into my beautiful home?"
"We are agents of the church in this matter at hand," Ainz stated as he took a few steps forward. "I Am Ainz Ooal Gown, and by the request of the Goddess Reborn we are here in regard to crimes you have committed against the people of these lands. Crimes that we now have discovered are far greater than at first was thought!"
Most expected the Baroness would look shocked or worried, but instead she looked only exasperated. "Enough, I do not have the energy to listen to such baseless lies. The only crime committed here is that my dear brother has been murdered, unless you are looking into his death, begone and do not bother me with your stupidity."
"Your brother was a mage," Ainz spoke as the Baroness tried to turn around, stopping her.
"Yes, do you know something of his death?" she asked hopefully. "was this foolish attempt at testing me to simply make your presence known then?"
"Hardly," Ainz stated as he reached into his robes and pulled something out, throwing it to the floor in front of him, blood spattering away from it as everyone recognized it as a man's head. "Baroness Tralford, you stand accused of committing the crimes of consorting with monsters, causing the destruction of a village for personal gain. And now it is also clear you and your brother have committed crimes of enchanting clothing without people's knowledge, conducting unlawful slavery, and the practice of dark magic's that kill and robs person body of their mind. Will you come to Thorn to stand before the Goddess for the crimes you have committed?"
"You, you killed my brother?" the Baroness asked in horror.
"Yes," Ainz answered simply. " I found him in the act of attempting to enslave the body and destroy the mind of many of the ones you see behind me, people you and he ordered be captured and enslaved to work your disgusting bloodletting textile industry. I can allow many things, but forced enslavement and the destruction of people's minds, is not one of them."
"You, caught him doing so, you claim?" She slowly asked.
"Yes. As part of my investigation I snuck into your textile pit and saw him in the act. just as all of these people did. I also saw your horrid blood soakers, and the masses of slaves working your fields."
For many moments there was tense silence. The people behind Ainz, Hara and Amrita were all nervous about the outcome, while Amrita and Hara herself where hopeful for her to surrender, and to resist respectively. The Baroness's guard by the throne, likely a mercenary, seemed uneffaced at all, while she herself looked on the verge of falling to her knees in tears.
"I see. So that is it then," she said with a sigh as she turned and disappeared, only to appear coming down an almost hidden stairway and walk over to the throne. When she arrived at it her hands slid across its side before sitting down in it and resting her forehead on a hand. "Kill them, Telrys."
The man beside the Baroness's throne smiled, His teeth as black as coal, and stepped forward as he pulled his swords from their sheathes. The swords were then covered in cark red and purple flames that made amrita Gasp. "That man is marked by an Evil God!"
"Hmmm, that would explain where the idea and spells for the collars they put on their slaves came from perhaps," Ainz Said whimsically, seemingly unworried about Amrita's words. Her then gestured to the Baroness, even as her attack dog of guard approached them, his hair billowing and seeming to float as he walked. "I take it you will not surrender?"
The Baroness said nothing, in fact she barely even moved.
"Well, there we have it. If you wish to kill her, we must get past her guard dog," Ainz stated simply.
It took a couple seconds until Hara realized he was talking to her, and without a word she walked forward, standing between Ainz and the Evil God enhanced man, whose swords appeared to be bending in a hook like fashion at their tips.
"I will slay you, and then your master!" Hara declared as she hefted her naginata and then took a step forward just as he man got within range. Her blade flashed forward only to be blocked by one flaming blade, the other already in motion towards her body. A quick shift of her body and of her arms swung her naginata back, the haft catching the oncoming blade and knocking it away, only for the other blade that had blocked her first strike to be aiming towards her throat in a thrust intent on becoming fatal. She shifted and dodged the blow by twisting her body, and then spat in the man's eye as she swung her naginata to the side, hitting his side with the shaft and pushing him away from her.
And then they advanced and clashed again.
And again.
And again.
"Amrita, what are your thoughts," Ainz said calmly and slightly quietly as Hara and the bodyguard clashed once more in front of them.
". . . This pairing of blades is not good. Dual blade styles have more flexibility and mobility, and excel in closer engagements. Hara's staff weapon is at a disadvantage, though she is holding the man back admirably."
"You sound like you do not believe she can come out on top," Ainz said.
"As I said, the pairing is bad. It also appears that that man's disgusting gift from an Evil God is making him have seemingly bottomless stamina, and the flames on his blades cannot be good for Hara's health," Amrita said as she watched the conflict ahead of them shift for the worse as Hara moved back to avoid a blow and stepped funny, her leg slipping and dropping her to a knee. "I'm going!"
"No, watch!" Ainz said as he threw an arm out with an inward smirk as he noticed the leg that slipped had not been Hara's lame one.
The bodyguard, seeing a perceived opening shifted his stance and brought both of his blades up into the air on either side of him, clearly intent on decapitating Hara, and swung.
Only for Hara to bend to the side and roll across the floor out of his way, his blades crashing together harmlessly in the air with one of them braking, and leaving him completely open from the side. He seemed to realize this and tried to turn, but Hara quickly brought up her Naginata and thrust it upwards, right into his throat.
The man let out a gurgle and dropped his broken sword handle to grab the Naginata's shaft, raising his remaining blade as if intent to kill Hara even as he died.
Only for Hara to make the first, and final move. "Arc the distance between - jolt!" She called out, forming a small and painful but normally far from fatal jolt of electricity in her hands. Hands that were griping the metal shaft of her naginata.
The effect was instantaneous as the bodyguards seemed to shiver for a second, then was utterly still as blood seeped out of his eyes while steam came from his palms.
Hara swung her Naginata to the side, taking a chunk of the man's throat out and sending his body lifelessly to the floor with a proud, dominant look on her face as she got up to her feet ad began to turn to face the Baroness. "Baroness Tralford, for what you have done in the past to my family, and now to this town and it's people i-"
Thunk.
Amrita let out a gasp of shock, whoile Hara simply stared wide eyed at the Baroness.
Who was holding a very large crossbow in her hands. "Fuck you, all of you! I am the Baroness of the Tralford Barony! My textiles will bring unity, power, and riches to all of Eostia in my lords name, and I will not allow any of you to get in my way!" she screamed as her clothing seemed to melt off, showing her Nubile body covered in dozens of horrid looking tattoo's and markings that made Amrita gasp.
"They both serve an Evil God!" Amrita declared as she ran forward and drew her blade out of its sheathe for the first time, revealing it to be nothing more than a very intriguing looking many sided metal rod covered in sigils.
And in that same moment horrid black and green flames began erupting from beneath the Barroness, searing skin and bonne alike as he body began to shift, mutate, and become horrid.
"Amrita, hold her back for just a moment," Ainz said as all of the people behind them looked terrified, but seemed unable to run as a strange barrier formed over the main doorway. While Ainz himself glanced at Hara, who had fallen to her knees and was gripping her chest. Amrita said nothing, but if the chanting was anything to go by she was attempting to cast some sort of spell of holy rite. Ainz did not care to look as he stepped up beside Hara knelt down. "How bad?"
Hara slowly looked up at him, allowing him to see that the solid metal Bolt had struck her right between her breasts and had went deep, barely a scant few inches sticking out as blood soaked her clothes and armor. The bolt was also an odd shape, squashed like a cat's eye down its length instead of a simply cylindrical rod. Likely how it had punched though so far.
"I will remove it, and-" Ainz began to say; only to stop as he saw that Hara was trying to say something, but words would not come out. Her hands now hung limply to her sides, twitching every few seconds, and tears were coming out of her eyes. And in that moment it all somehow clicked in what had occurred. The bolt had punched through her sternum and managed to go deep enough to hit her spine, she was partially paralyzed.
Ainz stared for a bare second as his mind went into a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas, each mingling and mixing at possibilities tried to find an answer. He could not use healing magic, that included regeneration too of course, and while he could simply raise her from the dead, he couldn't be certain what form she would take if he did. A simple death knight would have no sense of self, in fact only a lich or similar undead would, but her magic was not up to snuff for a lich probably. No, raising her from the dead would be the worst option really, but what could he do?
A Crash interrupted his train of thought and made him glance back to Amrita and the baroness who were now in combat. Amrita was fighting valiantly, but the Baroness who now looked like some kind of Demented mix between a Christian Hellspawn and a Harionago* was clearly causing her grieve, her tendril of spear like hair giving her far greater reach and a multitude of attacks. Though it was interesting to see Amrita using a weapon that did nothing but blunt damage and looked so heavy to be swung around so proficiently and quickly.
"Church bitch, you cannot defeat me now that I hold my lords power at its fullest!" The baroness roared, her voice twisted as her body and hair now looked.
"Be silent you heretic, you have given up your humanity to an Evil God, you will lose even if I must give my life away to do it!" Amrita exclaimed as she batted away a spear of hair, her 'blade' suddenly beginning to glow a second later.
"I think not," the Baroness stated as she snapped a finger.
And in that second a banner on the wall disconnected and flew toward Amrita's back, wrapping around her so tightly she suddenly was akin to a very tight burrito.
Or a punching bag if the way the baroness was clenching her first was any indicator.
"Enough," Ainz said suddenly, his voice traveling oddly far throughout the hall and making the Baroness stop and look to him.
"Or what? Is the pitiful crying mage going to-"
"Reality Slash!" Ainz called as he swung his arm up towards the Baroness, cutting her body in half at the waist and making her upper half tumble to the ground screaming and crying out even as her body began to regenerate.
"Fool, I do not know what that was but,-"
"I SAID ENOUGH!" Ainz commanded as he stood up, the very foundations of the building seeming to shake and shudder. "It seems I have been taking these lands issues, and my own actions, a little too lightly," He then said as he held up an armored hand and looked it over. Amrita and Hara, and even that shard of Tamamo, had been certain he was supposed to a God reborn into the world like Celestine was. They claimed that only a God could create new magic, or create things from nothing like he did with some of his spells. And then he recalled how Celestine was discovered to be the Goddess Reborn. "The idea is foolish, fanciful, and absurd even. But perhaps . . . perhaps that is fine considering the state of this land and myself?"
"What, what are you on about?" The Baroness demanded to know as her legs finished regenerating , allowing her to stand tall at the head of the hall where reality slash had sent her upper half flying.
Ainz let out a heavy sigh and looked down at Hara, who seemed to be now ever closer to death in the moments he had wasted with his thinking. "Hara. Would you accept any boon to achieve your revenge, even one that might intrinsically change who, and what, you are?"
Hara tried to look up but seemingly could not. Instead her head merely tilted down and up a bit, ever so slightly and painfully.
Ainz felt resistance to his own idea form in his mind. Could he do this? Could he just - . . . . . "I need you to say it. Show me your drive, let your zeal cry out and speak the words!"
"What, what are you-"Amrita tried to say, only for Ainz to raise a hand, stopping her, and the baroness surprisingly, from moving or saying anything.
Because for them it was as if his mere presence was becoming something far greater as power welled up in and around him, pulsing out like some unknown magic that make the body tense and the skin shiver.
"I- I, . . . .anything," Hara tried to say, blood suddenly squirting from beside the crossbow as she tried to force air through her likely impaled windpipe in her chest. "I'll, do, anything. . . .Accept anything. . . . . . From you . . . . . . Sir."
Ainz was silent as he nodded, and then lifted a hand toward Hara. "Then, I suppose I should show proper respect to your willingness. Heterom-"
Ainz was stopped mid-word as suddenly the Baroness's hair spears lanced across the room, a dozen piercing into Ainz's chest.
"No!" amrita yelled, while the Baroness Simply smiled.
And then promptly stopped as Ainz simply turned, his helmeted head to face her. "Interrupting is rude."
"What, impossible!" the Baroness declared as she sent another Hair spear at Ainz, right at his head.
He did not move, he did not even twitch as the spear struck his metal mask. The spear surprisingly did nothing to the mask in regards to damage. But it did cause the mask to be sent flying to the side.
"Well, those seem to have some force to them, but they are hardly deadly to me," Ainz said as he spoke, the Baroness, Amrita, and the civilians behind looking on in shock. He then pointed a single finger toward the Baroness. "Dragon lightning!"
The Baroness barely had time to scream as lightning coursed across her whole body, making her, and all of her hair spears, go limp and fall to the floor.
"Now then," Ainz said as he turned to Hara and held both hands out to her. "I do not believe with your ideas that I am a god, but perhaps ignoring my worries on that will make a truly original spell work as I intend it to. Perhaps your Goddess's and the magic of these lands can have a use in this matter. Rebirth" Heteromorphosis!"