Chương 31: Small Talk
A/N: Hey guys. I had been not quite accurate with my schedule of uploading at 6 pm and I won't be in the future as my current work won't allow for that. The chapters will be uploaded irregularly somewhen after 6 pm. Usually at 9 or 10 pm, maybe even later. Sorry, and thank you for understanding. See you around.
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I picked up the magically incoming call while sitting down on the chair again to completely focus on Albedo. Seeing me concentrate on something, Aneko, and Fubuki knew that I would be busy for a while and respectfully walked out of the room.
"Hello, my cum-bucket." Honestly, I would have called her something normal like honey, but I wanted to see how she reacted to derogatory sex-related nicknames. I imagined that as a Succubus it would get her going, especially if I prefaced it with her belonging to me. I could just call her slut and she would accept it neutrally, but the moment I implied she belonged to me she would probably be over the moon.
"!!! ~Hello, my dearest~!" Albedo replied in a delighted tone. Either by the nickname or that I picked up the 'phone' at all. Though with the husky tone, it almost sounded like she liked the nickname. She moved somewhere before I seemed to hear a door slamming shut. Didn't this spell only convey the user's thoughts? Why could I hear how she practically sprinted out of the room?
"Is there something important for you to call me, my dear sex slave?" I waited for a moment, though the only response I got was the mental equivalent of heavy breathing. It seemed like my hypothesis was correct. I was just feeding into her fantasies.
She was barely able to contain it. I could already imagine her overheating from my words, which made me want to tease her even more, but I also wanted to see what kind of compliments she liked more. "Let me hear your beautiful voice, my lovely wife."
She took in a sharp breath as I said that. "...I! Looooove! Yoooou~!" Her familiar moan sounded out as she climaxed and I was met with the intensity of her pleasure. The raw emotions that she sent over the telepathic connection made me blush before coughing loudly as I noticed that she kept moaning.
"Albedo, was there something you needed besides having a talk? Do you want to visit me?"
"Y-YES!" Oh, wow. One would think I would get used to her enthusiasm, but it was hard to get used to the sheer affection a being had for oneself. Before her mental voice faded away, I saw the gate appearing in front of me. A familiar succubus with fluttering black wings jumped out of it and I greeted her with open arms.
She knocked me over with the chair I was sitting in, causing Aneko and Fubuki to storm inside before stopping at the sight of us. I just gave them a thumbs-up to show I was fine. They looked at each other before looking at us with an intense gaze as if they wanted to commit the sight to memory. It looked like they had no intention of moving out of the room now.
I turned to the woman who was rubbing her cheeks into my chest as if to rub my scent onto her. "I really love seeing you happy, but was there something important why you called me out of the blue? Oh, and with important I also mean you missing me." Of course, I was somewhat anxious about whether it was anything related to me opening Pandora's box. It couldn't be because Ainz was notified, right?
Her arms tightened her hug for a moment before she spoke up by mumbling into my chest. "I really missed you..." I rubbed her back enjoying her touch as my gaze landed on her behind and the wings fluttered slowly in excitement. "... but that wasn't why I called. Naberal informed me that Ainz-sama would like to speak to you soon."
Shit.
"Hmm. Alright, I see. Tell her to inform Ainz I would be available in two days." I would need to be there for my rank up and I also needed to evaluate the information the maids had gathered and then arrange some new missions for them.
I also needed to go over my excuse and make sure it was fucking bulletproof. That was something I had wanted to avoid, him somehow being informed of what I had gained through Pandora's box.
Albedo rested her chin on my chest and looked at me with a curious expression, there was also a glint in her eyes when I told her of my delay. Probably because it was kind of disrespectful to keep the Supreme Ruler waiting, though if someone asked, I had some valid excuses. From the point of view of the NPCs, no matter which reasoning I had it would be a weak excuse, but Ainz would probably understand and approve of it.
"I will inform Ainz." She looked at me with bated breath as if she awaited me to say something. Should I explain myself now or should I wait until I was asked?
"You good?" It seemed like that wasn't quite what she expected, but she seemed happy regardless. She rose her body so she could kiss me gently before standing up and pulling me up with my chair. She then dusted me off as I remained seated in it.
"Yes. I am perfectly fine. I will have to continue my sche- work. Can we... cuddle later?" She asked almost timidly, so I nodded and rubbed the back of her hand before giving her a goodbye kiss. Before she hopped into the gate, she gave me a cute handwave, which I returned a bit stunned.
This interaction was a bit stranger than usual, wasn't it? She left quite early this time and almost slipped up with something. I should ask her later. Though now I needed to come up with a good excuse, especially if Ainz didn't ask straight away. What if he asked me if something extraordinary happened, but didn't specify me getting something? Should I come out and say I opened it and gained something from it or hide it until he asked?
My barriers looked like they held strong until the end, so he shouldn't have noticed it, right? Of course, I had already thought about the off-event that I wasn't able to suppress the news of me opening the box. When I changed the lore of the box, I had already thought about an excuse, but now that the time came, I couldn't help but second-guess myself.
Just stick to the plan and I should be fine. As I was about to think things through more, I was once again interrupted in my train of thought. A fast knock and then a voice announced her arrival. Elise from the adventurer guild was at my door.
Aneko was already opening the door to peek outside before inviting the receptionist inside. Elise shyly walked inside clearly excited and nervous about the news she wanted to convey. It seemed like she already had the information about my new ranking, otherwise, she wouldn't have rushed here as soon as she could.
After all, she had just told me a few hours ago that she would deliver the news personally to me as soon as she got it. The more obvious clue was the sealed letter in her hands.
"Hello, lord Azazel. I am here to inform you about your rank advancement. I-I mean of your team, of course." She told me, nervously glancing at Fubuki, who looked at her without changing her expression. She had her arms crossed and would probably look quite intimidating to the other woman.
I took the letter from her hand and just opened it. After reading it, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Orichalcum? ...and they want to meet us?"
...
Ainz propped up his head on the armrest of the higher-quality chair. Although it wasn't approaching the quality of anything inside the tomb, it was certainly an upgrade compared to what he had to live with as a copper plate. Having the high status as a Mithril plate should be impressive enough for the time he had spent as an adventurer, right?
Given the reports of Azazel's group of them advancing to the Silver rank, his own achievement should at least be acceptable, right? Although he would have invited him sooner, Azazel had been a Silver plate adventurer while he was still a copper rank.
Obviously, it wasn't that bad since Azazel had already become an adventurer a few days before Ainz had left for E-Rantel with Naberal. However, he didn't really like the thought of being way worse than Azazel. Before this mission, he had been still a Copper rank when Azazel had ranked up twice from Copper to Silver in a matter of days, while he only ranked up now.
He would have several excuses as he had only undertaken one mission with the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea, which had stretched over a couple of days. Still, it didn't sit right with him to have nothing to show for his time. It made him feel like he was back at work, having worked tirelessly only to be overlooked just because his numbers weren't easily recognizable.
It would have been fine if he was just a normal employee like he used to be, but he was now the Ruler of Nazarick and Azazel was essentially his second in command. The one closest to having the same responsibilities and recognition among the other NPCs.
Additionally, the fact that Azazel was also an adventurer, he would know what the difficulties were and could directly compare his experiences, and achievement with Ainz's performance.
However, it was also because of this that he had invited Azazel to talk. From the previous interactions with the prince, he was ironically the most laid-back of the rest of the tomb, which made him the most comfortable to talk to.
He had also been a lifesaver with his revision of how the reports were to be written. There were a lot of things he could learn from the man, which made the exchange of their experience important. The moment he received the news that he could only talk in two days was a pleasant surprise as well.
Ainz didn't doubt that any other NPC would have dropped everything to meet with him. The idea of disturbing and stopping their work for trivial matters had made him hesitate to contact any of them except when it was truly needed or wouldn't disturb the other with their mission.
He was getting used to the worship the entire tomb had for him, but he still had a long way to go, so hearing someone delay contact with him was rather refreshing. Of course, the fact that he reminded Naberal to mention that it wasn't urgent should have caused this delay. This meant that he didn't disrupt him, which made him that much more approachable.
Now he was just waiting for him to arrive. He should be coming any second now. Naberal was standing guard next to the door. He would send her out as soon as Azazel would arrive. He mentally went through the notion of a casual wave with his hand. Just as he was contemplating it, a [Gate] opened in front of him.
Stepping out first was Azazel with Fubuki at his side and the Royal Maids following them. The sight of them made him realize that he should have clarified that he only wanted to talk with Azazel.
"Hello, I hope you are all well." He greeted them, making them bow slightly. Although their behavior was identical to the other NPCs, he had the feeling that the inhabitants of the Royal Backyard area were still a bit different compared to the others.
"It is always a pleasure to speak to you, Ainz-sama," Azazel said still bowing slightly with a hand over his chest. Even this simple action seemed charming, though perhaps it was just because he was an Ikemen. Still just to be sure to not miss something useful he burned his actions into his mind.
"I had wanted to talk with you about your activities in the Holy Kingdom." Azazel seemed to tense up at his inquiry and he couldn't blame him. He also got extremely anxious and tense when his boss asked him about the progress of ongoing projects, especially when a lot of time was already invested and not much turnover could be seen.
"Our plan had been progressing quite nicely. We have now ranked up to Orichalcum and are preparing to move to the upper echelon of the kingdom's society. Aneko here has also made moves to overtake the underworld of Kalinsha and we are making moves to spread our influence to the rest of the kingdom. Our hastening of the civil war is also moving along nicely. I cannot complain about the performance of my team. They are doing great work, exceeding my expectations."
"...That's great news. So, you have already ranked up to Orichalcum..." When did that happen?? Wouldn't he look incompetent as a Mithril plate in comparison??
"Oh, right. I thought I would just hand over the reports personally, so I didn't bother Fubuki with doing yesterday." He then handed over a few pages. Ainz accepted them and placed them on his table to read them afterward.
"It wouldn't have been a bother." Fubuki objected, though it only seemed to amuse Azazel, who just rubbed her back. When he saw that, it reminded him of the conversation he had with him on the day they had arrived. From the last time he had seen Albedo and Azazel together, they looked like they had resolved their issues, though seeing Azazel so close to Fubuki... He shouldn't be having an affair, right?
He knew some of the angel's lore, especially the part about him being lustful. However, he would have to remind him, so there wouldn't be any hurt feelings between him and Albedo in the future. His friend's children being hurt because of what they had written into their lore as a way to get back at Hermorah wasn't something he wanted to see.
Ainz raised his hand to interrupt their little interaction before it continued. "Azazel could I talk with you in private for a moment?"
Azazel glanced at his group and conveyed them to leave with a small nod. At least, the others seemed to know that it meant this as they directly bowed and then excused themselves from the room as did Naberal after he had dismissed her after waving at her.
Ainz couldn't help but feel inferior in terms of elegance. It was strange to see how such a simple gesture of his nodding could give off such a commanding charm. Like he was authority itself, though there was something else. Something new in the way he looked at him.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me about?" Ainz asked. Of course, Ainz wanted the best for them, but if Azazel truly didn't have any affair with Fubuki, he would just make a fool out of himself if he asked directly.
So, something he figured out after the moments of interacting with Demiurge over the reports before he had left to be an adventurer. It was to be as vague as possible, while also guiding the conversation by hinting at some things. By being vague, he could make the other party interpret his words accordingly, so even if his guess was wrong, the other person might interpret his words in a different way.
It was great that he now understood most reports almost effortlessly and could guide the conversation to get information about something he wanted to know. Of course, Demiurge had made that task exceedingly difficult, which was the breaking point, and made him leave the tomb for a little adventurer.
Azazel glanced at him for a moment before he opened his mouth. "I don't want to waste your time with trivial details. Is there anything specific you want to know about?"
Critical hit! His plan to be vague with his question had failed miserably!
"*Cough* I wanted to ask you about your relationship with Albedo. From what I have seen you two have grown closer." That should be specific enough, right??
Azazel furrowed his brows for just a moment before nodding slowly as if he didn't expect that line of questioning. Was he feeling guilty about his affair with Fubuki? Wait, Ainz still hadn't confirmed his guess. He shouldn't judge without evidence!
"Every day we grow closer and our relationship has been better than ever. If our work hadn't driven us to different places, we would probably be glued together by now." His answer made Ainz wince slightly. Was he responsible for Azazel's affair? Did he feel so lonely that he grew closer to his assistant? Was he already ruining his friend's children's relationship??
As Azazel's boss, Ainz was indirectly if not directly responsible for this arrangement. Of course, Azazel had asked for his mission and picked the ones to travel with him into another country, so he couldn't be said to be completely at fault here. It was just unfortunate that Albedo had to stay in the tomb for most of her work.
Still, if he had considered Azazel's lustful description, he could have prevented this issue by giving him just male helpers. However, he didn't know which people would be best for their mission, so he just left them to their own devices.
"I see. That sounds good. Do you talk a lot with her? I heard it's important to communicate as often as you can."
"Of course. She calls me at least once every evening before I go to bed or even visits me afterward."
"Right. So, you have communication that's good, good... With honesty at that, right? Honest communication without holding anything back or hiding things from another. That's healthy." Although he was never in a relationship, his teammates did share their experiences. Azazel narrowed his eyes at his line of questioning. Was he already figuring out what he was hinting at?!
"Right... Honesty is important. To hold something back because one feared the consequences would be bad and unhealthy for all individuals involved."
"Indeed. I am sure if there was something you were keeping from Albedo then it would be best to tell her. You have her trust, so don't abuse it. I know she would understand if you explained it openly to her."
"I would never betray her trust."
"That's good to hear."
"..."
"..."
"What are we talking about exactly?" Azazel seemed thoroughly confused, which made Ainz confused as he thought they had gotten to the same page. Ainz closed his eyes and took a metaphorical breath before he took his courage and just said it.
"About your affair with Fubuki."
"My... affair with Fubuki? What about it?"
"You are not denying it?!"
"Why would I deny it?"
"...I... does Albedo know?"
"Yes, I think pretty much everyone knows about it by now."
"Oh, I was not aware." Ainz blurted out after being mentally stunned by what the angel had said. Though he couldn't help but glance at the prince, whose expression didn't change a bit even after the admittance of his ignorance.
The prince suddenly hit his open palm with his fist in an aha moment. "I see. It's probably because you are an undead and an old virgin."
"!!!"
"Although I don't see why a few decades would turn a virgin into a wizard, I heard from Hermorah that you were a virgin that would never understand true romance. Is that why our relationship is confusing to you? Considering that you are a skeleton and probably the most powerful wizard I know, you have to be a virgin for a very long time."
"..." Several motion dampers later, Ainz regained his composure. He nodded. "If she is fine then I have nothing to worry about." Although he knew that Azazel, a dignified angelic prince, would never tease him, he felt like he was mocking him with that little grin on his face.
"Oh, she is more than fine with it. She actually worries if I didn't fuck anyone."
"*Cough* R-right! Good for you! Anyway, how had it been? You've been an adventurer for a few more days. Tell me a bit about your experience. You know your thoughts would be invaluable for me because I can't relate to living as well as you can..." Ainz hurriedly changed topics.
"It had been insightful. Most humans were very friendly and helpful for our mission and I feel like it won't take long until the kingdom will be under Nazarick's guiding hand. I just hope to minimize the losses of lives as much as possible. If it is possible to do the same in this kingdom as well, please don't hesitate to ask me to assist you."
He took the time while Azazel answered to get his mind focused again. Azazel's last sentence caught him off-guard though. "Do you think that I won't be capable of doing it on my own?" Ainz asked as he propped his bony chin on the back of his hand and leaned to the side.
"I think that your prioritization in conquering this kingdom isn't quite the same as mine and I would like to give my input on things where our views differ. Of course, I can create a comprehensive list, so you could adjust your plans accordingly, but I didn't want to impose more work on you than necessary."
Finally, some fresh wind in the conversation with the NPCs. Someone that actually had his own ideals and even thought about the fact that he might not share them. "And how do you think my plans would change if we considered your input?"
"Fewer deaths for the innocent of the kingdom and more initial goodwill from the peasants. You wanted to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown to the rest of the world. I had assumed that it would be more desirable if the name was used with praise instead of fear or disdain. After all, most living things would point out unnecessary deaths with a lot of apprehensions no matter how positive the consequences are."
Ainz stroked his chin as he thought about his words. Besides the fact that he didn't truly have the plan to conquer the country, he wasn't even sure why Azazel assumed it and why he was trying to conquer the Holy Kingdom. Was that his purpose for going there? Was that what every other guardian thought he was doing in this kingdom, trying to conquer it?
"I-" Wait, should he reveal that he wasn't out to conquer this country or even the Holy Kingdom? No, even the prince, an angel, seemed to be on board with the idea to conquer these countries instead of voicing his concern about it. Though wasn't he voicing his concern, right now? "-see. I will rely on you in the future." He didn't dare to deny it without a lot of consideration.
Azazel placed his hand on his chest and slightly bowed. "You can rely on me." Ainz couldn't help but relax in his chair as he looked at the prince. The highest-ranking guardian, an existence that oozed charisma with every word he spoke and every action he took. Despite this, his demeanor and words eased him as no other guardian had until now.
"Do you wear makeup?"
Azazel touched his cheek as if to reconfirm that was the case. "Indeed. Albedo and Fubuki said I was too handsome and put something on to discourage the women to fall to my feet. Though it is hardly working." Even words like this that made Ainz want to punch him were refreshing. In a slightly less good way, though! "What about you? What do you do if you need to remove your helmet?"
This was actually the main reason Ainz wanted to talk to him. It made him feel like he was talking to one of his friends or multiple even. Possibly a side-effect of being edited by more than one of them. "I have this illusion." He recast the illusion spell, which made the prince's eyebrow twitch.
"...It kinda looks like me."
"Ahem. It must be your imagination."
"No, you kinda look like an ugly cousin of mine."
"..."
"How is your adventuring going? Made any notable allies?" Azazel asked as he glanced at the helmet on the desk next to Ainz.
"I did indeed make some allies. A group called Swords of Darkness. They are only silver-ranked adventurers now, but they have some potential. We went on a journey for a few days, which coincidentally led us to the village we had protected. Oh, right. There was this girl Enri, she said she had received your grace."
"Ah, yes. Albedo had visited me and brought her to meet me as a gift. Did she already make some progress with your plan of building a community with coexisting species?"
"...How did you figure out that was what I intended?" Ainz bullshited.
"From the goblin horns, which were obviously going to introduce a larger number of tame goblins that would help the village which had just gone through a traumatic event. Knowing that this would make them more receptive to the help of these demi-humans, it was easy to piece the rest together."
"Good deduction." Ainz nodded sagely. "Though are you sure it was a good idea to expose yourself to her already or did you mind-wipe her?" Ainz didn't want to be a hypocrite, but from the sound of it, Albedo and Ainz seemed to have revealed more than necessary to this village girl.
"You don't have to worry about her. She is already smitten by me and knows not to reveal anything."
"...Right." Ainz changed the subject as the topic of another woman falling for Azazel inexplicably angered him. However, he hadn't quite expected that his tales of being an adventurer would continuously bring him back to it.
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