The next morning, Maylena and Momonga gathered in a spacious room decorated with banners and paintings depicting the triumphs of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild. Momonga sat in a soft chair, fiddling with the remote viewing mirror, his fingers moving along an invisible interface. His forehead wrinkled, and he frowned, which looked comical on a majestic man with long black hair flowing down to his shoulders and deep purple eyes radiating majesty. His black and purple robe, embroidered with silver runes, slightly clung to his muscular figure, making him irresistible to women's hearts.
Maylena, on the other hand, lazily crossed her legs, polishing her nails with the air of a regal beauty. Satisfied with her work, she leaned back in her chair, radiating sweet confidence. Momonga, having finally figured out the mirror, breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, there was a clapping sound, and he turned around, nervously twitching his lip.
Sebas, with an impassive face, applauded, and Maylena, with a stony expression, imitated him, clapping her hands.
Pranksters!
Momonga mentally resented, throwing a murderous glare at Maylena. She only waved him off, took out a lollipop and began to lick it, savoring the sweetness with a languid: "Mmm." Momonga narrowed his eyes, but decided to ignore her.
The mirror reflected a village where knights in silver armor were chopping up civilians. Blood covered the grass, staining it scarlet. Momonga frowned, his heart clenching in disgust. Maylena, noticing the scene, exclaimed:
"Ooh, a massacre!" "That's funny!" Her eyes sparkled and she clapped her hands comically. Clearly not feeling any sympathy for the suffering of others.
"Maylena, stop it!" Momonga barked, looking at her reproachfully. He felt uneasy about what was happening to the villagers. Feeling worried and worried for them, even though they were strangers to him, he thought that enjoying the suffering of others was clearly unnecessary.
She stuck her tongue out, "Buca he is!"
Sebas, interrupting their squabble, respectfully asked:
"My lord, are there any orders?"
Momonga noticed a hidden glint in Sebas's eyes - the desire to act, to protect the weak. While he was thinking, he heard Maylena's next comment:
"What orders? Let's watch the massacre and drink a cocktail!" She took out a strawberry cocktail, savoring it with a satisfied "Ahh, cool!"
Momonga looked at the carefree Maylena and the expectant Sebas. A memory suddenly flashed in his mind:
"The duty of the strong is to protect the weak!"
He mentally shuddered and gasped; involuntarily, a figure dressed in silver armor appeared in his mind, with a determined attitude and also in a majestic pose.
Touch Me, is that you?
Jumping up, he surprised Maylena, who spilled the cocktail and indignantly exclaimed:
"This is a new dress!"
Maylen was annoyed and began to wipe the damp spot on her dress with napkins. Momonga waved her away and ordered Sebas:
"Nazarick on high alert. I am moving out."
Sebas nodded:
"Everything will be done. I will prepare an escort."
Momonga took out a mage outfit from his inventory, reminiscent of Xianxia robes: a long black robe with gold and purple patterns, flowing like silk, with wide sleeves decorated with embroidered dragons. A belt of dark leather, inlaid with jade, emphasized his waist, and an amulet with a magic crystal shone on his chest. Tying his hair in a high bun, secured with a jade hairpin, he looked like a young master practicing the Dao. Opening the gate, he stepped inside.
Maylena, shouting: "Wait!", rushed after him. In the village, Momonga, calmly casting lightning, fried a knight, his body smoking. Saying, "Create mid-level undead," he summoned a warrior with a sword and shield from the corpse. Pointing at the enemies, he commanded,
"Destroy them!"
The undead charged into battle with a deafening roar, "Grrraaaa!" Maylena caught up with him and froze, impressed. Momonga noticed two girls huddled close to each other. The older one, a teenager with fair skin, light hair in a braid, and brown eyes, was wearing woolen clothes. The younger one, with reddish-brown pigtails and brown eyes, was trembling next to him. Their frightened gazes met his.
The older one fell to her knees and begged,
"Spare us, young master! Spare our lives!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. The frightened girls were clearly not prepared for today's events, that their home would be attacked by a group of knights today and a massacre would begin without any questions or demands.
The younger one followed her, trembling. Momonga, embarrassed, cleared his throat:
"Calm down, I will not harm you."
Noticing their wounds, he took out a red potion. The girls shrank, but the older one, trembling, drank it, afraid to disobey. She gasped: "Oh!" - her eyes widened as the wound on her back healed. In amazement, she exclaimed:
"Thank you!"
Momonga, rubbing the back of his head, muttered:
"It's... nothing special."
The younger one, with a glint in her eyes, asked:
"Who are you?"
Momonga thought for a moment, straightened up, and said majestically:
"I am Ainz Ooal Gown."
Their gazes were filled with admiration, ready to worship him. To eat from his hands. There was a clap, and Maylena, in a tight black dress that emphasized her curves and ample chest, mockingly sang:
"Bravo, Ainz! You did it!" She comically wiped away her "tears" with a handkerchief. Enjoying her friend's greatest moment, that he was clearly preparing to embrace the dark side of the force.
Ainz, twitching his lips twice, glared at her in annoyance. Maylena approached the girls, who shrank under her appraising gaze. After examining them, touching the chin of the older one, she chuckled:
"Not the most beautiful flowers," she snorted and walked on.
The girls and Ainz froze, not knowing how to react to her words. What do you mean, a flower? What did she mean?
Maylena grumbled discontentedly as she moved forward, adjusting her hair:
"What did I expect? This world is lacking in flowers, except for Nazarick and a few individuals. Everything else is thin and dull." Her voice was slightly upset, but her eyes still sparkled with mischief.
Ainz, slightly surprised by her words, quickly cast a protective barrier around the girls, causing them to gasp in admiration. He said softly:
"Stay here, you're safe."
His kindness touched them, and their eyes sparkled with gratitude. Ainz hurried to catch up with Maylena, who was walking with her chest pompously puffed out, as if she was owed a million gold. Her dress swayed in time with her steps, emphasizing her curves.
"Wait!" Ainz shouted.
Maylena turned around, raising an eyebrow in surprise:
"What happened?"
"What happened?!" he barked, glaring at her. "I don't care what you said about girls, but this…" He paused dramatically, then exploded. "Stop throwing things around, damn it!"
He frantically collected the world artifacts that Maylena had carelessly left behind. Clutching his heart, he metaphorically coughed up blood, like a Dao master whose practice had been interrupted. His eyes were blazing.
"I could forgive your absentmindedness, but now is not the time! What if there are enemies here? You can't be so careless!"
Momonga was angry, damn it, what if there were more enemies? How many hidden enemies are lurking in the world? Caution clearly hadn't abandoned him, but his friend was clearly not there!
Maylena, realizing, chuckled:
"This is trash. I can make a lot more of these."
Ainz stumbled on level ground, ran up to her, his eyes became wild. She involuntarily swallowed. Slowly, syllable by syllable, he growled:
"Don't. Do. This. Understood?" emphasizing the last word twice, he grabbed her shoulders, tilting his head with an eerie smile. The crows in the trees soared into the sky, and Maylena's lips twitched. She exhaled:
"Okay, okay, fine! I'll behave normally, are you satisfied?" She turned away, her lips pursed in resentment. Momonga clearly didn't know how to enjoy the moments of life. Why couldn't this stupid pig understand her?
Ainz smiled for the first time in a long time, his face lit up with warmth. The atmosphere warmed up, and he walked on with slight joy. Maylena, slightly upset, trudged along behind him. Deciding to test his strength, Ainz cast a flight spell. His black robe with gold and purple patterns embroidered with dragons fluttered in the wind, his wide belt with jade inserts shone, and the amulet with a crystal shimmered on his chest. His long hair, tied into a bun with a jade hairpin, flowed, making him look like the young master of Dao. He soared towards the village.
Maylena, calling him a fop, also took off. They landed in a village where chaos reigned after the massacre. Some knights dropped their weapons and knelt down. The villagers froze upon seeing them. Ainz spread his arms and said majestically:
"Death Knight, enough! Salvation has come to you!"
The villagers' eyes widened, many fell to the ground, exclaiming, "Gods!" The sun shone upon Ainz, his violet eyes and black robe shining with unearthly majesty. To the villagers, he looked like a deity descended from the heavens. Maylena, next to him, looked no less divine in a tight dress. Yes, the Dao practitioners had clearly decided to make their presence known to the eyes of the mortals, who were drooling and wiping away tears.
Ainz descended and asked:
"Who is in charge here?"
The elderly man raised his hand:
"I am, lord."
"We'll talk in person," Ainz nodded, turning to the knights. One of them, shaking but arrogant, shouted:
"This will not go unpunished! My line, House Reinhardt, will restore justice!"
Ainz slowly approached, his aura overwhelming. The knight backed away. Ainz grabbed him by the throat, and he was choking. He released him, watching as the knight greedily gulped in air. He began:
"You..."
Slap!
A slap. The knight froze, a red mark on his cheek. He opened his mouth, but received another:
Slap!
A series of resounding slaps turned his cheeks into blue, swollen pillows. The knight, barely able to move his tongue, muttered incoherently:
"S-stop… s-stop…"
Sobbing, he pitifully squeezed out:
"Stop… I beg you…"
Ainz nodded in satisfaction, adjusted his collar and turned around. Maylena, clutching her mouth and stomach, was shaking with silent laughter. Okay, you convinced me. The young master had clearly decided to figure out what was going on and show the arrogant guy his place.
Ainz's eye twitched, but he calmly returned to the villagers, pompously declaring:
"These knights will pay for what they did. The guilty will be punished, I promise this in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
The villagers, touched by his sincerity, cried with happiness. Ainz, feeling awkward, blushed. Maylena, unable to contain herself, fell to her knees, laughing and pounding the ground.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves could be heard. Warriors on horseback surrounded the village. Their leader, a sturdy man with short dark hair and a scar on his cheek, wearing steel armor and a cloak, jumped off his horse. His gaze was firm but calm.
"I am Gazef Stronoff, Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom," he introduced himself, his voice confident but respectful. "Introduce yourself, wanderer, and the purpose of your presence here."
Ainz straightened up and replied:
"I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the supreme overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. My companion and I are wanderers from a distant land. We could not pass by when we saw trouble.
Gazef, slightly surprised, was taken in by his majestic appearance. His gaze slid to Maylena, who was lying face down on the grass. Ainz, with a deathly pale expression, said:
"Don't pay attention. My friend is suffering from... a fatal illness that affects the mind."
Gazef, looking at Maylena with pity, shook his head:
"It's a pity that such a beautiful lady suffered." He frowned, adding: "Her beauty may attract unwanted attention in the kingdom. Be careful, keep an eye on her, lest something bad happen."
Ainz nodded calmly:
"Perhaps we should discuss this in a more private place? Share information?"
Gazef, with respect, replied:
"I agree, Lord Ainz. Your help to the village is worthy of respect. Please go with the village chief, let's discuss this calmly.
The village chief, who had been listening to them, invited them into his house. They set off, leaving Gazef's knights in confusion. Some went out on patrol, others glanced sideways at the Death Knight, who was looming over the captive knights, who were shaking in terror. Maylena, still lying in the grass, giggled quietly, her face buried in the ground.