Putting Albedo aside and covering her with the blanket of his bed, Momonga paused for a second, as he looked at the sight of the sleeping girl. Her chest was heaving gently and her face filled with a smile that broke through even her sleep.
'Well…' Momonga stared silently at the girl, carefully trying to shift so as not to pinch Albedo's wing, watching them carefully as they moved if possessing a mind of their own, rising up, trying to walk black feathers over his arms. 'That happened…'
Momonga had finally lost his virginity, casting aside his previous position of Grand Wizard.
The thought of it triggered some kind of response in Momonga's soul, but judging by the fact that he wasn't overwhelmed a moment later, that response wasn't too strong. Some happiness, some pride, and… even more lust?
'Is it just the hormones of this body, created as a teenager, or the endless stamina of the undead, that has this effect on me?' Momonga felt that the brief respite had made his body begin to show signs that it was ready to repeat the act, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.
'Albedo is asleep now, and I wouldn't want to wake her up, especially for a reason like this. And with Albedo turning out to be a virgin, though, I suppose, as do all the inhabitants of Nazarick? So she should be given time to rest, at least that's what all the magazine says? Though, what do I do with this, now? Back then, I would have managed this situation with my own hands, then again I could just let it go down on its own… Well, I should definitely go take a shower, though. Wasn't there a bathhouse in Nazarick?'
Checking his memory, Momonga concluded that indeed, there is indeed a bath in Nazarick, lots of them in fact.
After another moment, Momonga returned the [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] to his finger, and teleported to the Ninth Floor Baths. Choosing a room at random, he then headed for the shower, settling on a small chair and turning on the hot water.
"Okay… This should be a good enough time for an after action report, and see where I could improve." Momonga sighed contently as he dipped his head under the jets of hot water, relaxing his tired muscles, sore from his full-body exercise.
"Although I'm not sure how I've proven myself in bed, so maybe I can ask Albedo's opinion?" Imagining doing such an action, Momonga could only brace himself as the thought elicited a strong feeling of embarrassment.
"Okay, that's a no-go. I think I'll just burn with shame if I start asking Albedo if she liked it and how I can get better… Umu, maybe there are some practical manuals on this subject in this world? Potentially, some self-study would do me some good… But if I start looking for something 'study materials', I definitely need to take it up as a 'top-secret mission'! Or no amount of suppressing emotion will save me from my shame… Huh, more than that, I've lost my virginity!"
Momonga felt an inner satisfaction appearing from this thought a moment later, before it was immediately suppressed and Momonga could only sigh, feeling slightly disappointed and annoyed. "Even my joyful emotions are suppressed, really, is it a payback for being able to never panic? What a shame, but then again, I can't say that my world has completely flipped after what happened, besides, considering that even my orgasm was suppressed a little earlier!"
Momonga certainly felt the pleasant physiological feeling of releasing his pent-up desires, but the excessive pleasure and feelings of it were suppressed a moment later, causing Momonga to sigh. "A strange feeling, somewhat, but definitely rather unpleasant… Well, the feelings themselves are pleasant, but the fact that I cannot experience them fully makes me sad. On the other hand, what would happen if I actually experienced it fully?"
Momonga imagined himself suddenly dancing and jumping on the spot after his first sexual interaction, and could only shake his head. Better to do without such a thing, even if the price would be a certain displeasure with the act itself, rather than risk becoming stupid, or worse, a pervert.
"Besides, given that I'm gradually beginning to be able to control my own emotions, perhaps at some point the pleasure of sex will also become less for me due to habituation… In that case, I might consider my acclimatization to such things to be happening at this point!"
Momonga reached for his shampoo, then began lathering his head, more as a reflex than as a need for such, as his created body doesn't possess the necessary body function to make his hair dirty. "Hmm, should I now consider myself in a relationship with Albedo? Sex is usually part of it, but sex happens without those too. While I wouldn't want it, but if Albedo doesn't want to continue that kind of thing, or if my performance disappointed her…"
The thought of such a thing happening caused fear to bloom in Momonga's soul, which was suppressed a moment later. "Phew, that's what I'm talking about, if it weren't for emotion suppression, who knows what I would do with thoughts like that. But with my emotion suppressed I can now logically reason that, judging by the actions and facial expressions of Albedo, she most likely liked it, with the probability of the opposite is quite small… Unless she's just faking it…"
Another chill in his soul, unrelated to his wet state, and another bout of emotion suppression later, Momonga reasoned that there's nothing he could do about it.
"In any case, if Albedo does not want to continue the relationship with me, I will accept such a thing. If not, then I am now definitely in a relationship with her, at least unless she states otherwise. So, hmm… Maybe ask her out on a date? But where? Asking her for a date in the Tomb, it's like asking for a date to happen in her workplace… The outside world is still too unexplored and with this whole Demon situation… Forgive me, Albedo, I'll be sure to figure out how to repay you!"
"Besides, given the ending, I think there's something more important I need to think about… I should've better control of myself, or at least try to buy some condoms. It's just so hard to find one my size! Well, what's done is done, it's not like I planned for it in the first place, and condoms were not a drop item…" Momonga mumbled to himself as he rinsed off his shampoo and soap, and made his way to the small pool with a pleasantly medium temperature to the touch, before diving his strangely tired body into the warm waters.
"Huh, no, of course I've thought about having a family… But I'm not ready to be a father at all! Personally, and because I currently lack the stability to think about making a family. Well, I've certainly thought about that kind of thing in the past, at times, but I'm not ready for it at all yet, not to mention I don't know if I can be a father. This body is functional physically, but am I fertile? What about the fact that it's just a 'cosmetic object', or the fact that it was my human body and Albedo is a demon's? Are we even biologically compatible? I have a lot of questions, but there's absolutely no one I can ask about something like that… Huh, I just wanted to do an inventory of Nazarick - and the situation ended up changing in this way… Not that I didn't enjoy it immensely."
Momonga lowered himself in the warm waters a little more, half-lounging in the baths so that only his nose and eyes were above water level, before a sudden thought intruded into his thoughts. "Crap, did I have a change of clothes in my Inventory? I know I have some in the drawers, but right now Albedo is in my room, umu, well chambers, and I wouldn't want to wake her. And thinking of my next plans in the bathroom doesn't seem to be a good idea, well, It's not that I necessarily need to be in my room to think… But I found my chambers a suitable place where I could concentrate easier."
Nodding to himself, disturbing the calm waters, Momonga was suddenly struck by a realization.
"Wait. Why was Albedo in my chambers in the first place?"
Momonga, straining his memory a little, remembered the state he had left Albedo in. An image that he had unconsciously tried to forget, she was naked, hot, and bothered. The memory of Albedo, naked lying in his bed wriggling her body around, caused the heat of excitement to bloom again… Before, with a sigh, his previously calm body began to react again.
"It seems that there are drawbacks to having a flesh-and-blood body now, at least I found out when I'm in a safe place… Okay, the best way to calm down, at least when such bouts happened in the past, is to get busy, and best of all, in a calm and measured business… Yes, inventorying Nazarick will do just fine. "
***
Kalawarna tried her best to sleep, covering her eyes with her pillows and lying on her bed under a light blanket, she tried her best not to think about anything and allow her body to finally rest. Kalawarna could not, not think of anything, her head was filled with thoughts of the still-living Issei, the Leviathan, the reports she had given to Lord Azazel, and the untimely death of Raynare.
The numerous running thoughts causing her to toss and turn in an effort to have at least a few hours of blissful slumber.
Slumber was not coming any time soon.
Kalawarna's mind was filled with thoughts of the future, each sadder than the next.
As an example of the most realistic one, Serafall Leviathan might one day accidentally sneeze and then Kalawarna will scatter in the wind because Leviathan at that time will look approximately in the direction of the church.
Or the Leviathan will be in a bad mood, or she will decide that the fallen ones who attacked the inhabitant of the city were an unacceptable threat to her little sister. Or maybe she would simply want to hunt the Fallen, and unluckily for Kalawarna, the three Fallen closest to her at the moment were Kalawarna, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek.
In other words, Kalawarna existed at the moment at Leviathan's complete mercy, but even if for some miraculous reason Kalawarna managed to survive that, the situation was not getting much better. Kalawarna had sent a message to Lord Azazel a couple of hours ago and hoped with all her might that his secretary was busy. Or that tomorrow she had a day off, or that the day after tomorrow she was celebrating some holiday, or that she had just a month-long vacation.
Because if she wasn't, Lord Azazel would find out tomorrow morning, he might even have already found out, that Kalawarna hadn't been able to do his errand. Sure Raynare was their leader, and was supposed to be the one punished the most, but she's dead, and Kalawarna was the second-in-command, so it was her head now on the chopping block.
And Kalawarna, for all her desire, and desperation, to see only good in Lord Azazel, she was well aware that as a Fallen Angel that had participated in the Great War, Azazel's hands were dripping with blood. Never mind the fact that, as a leader of the very whimsical and prone to betrayal Fallen Angels, Azazel maintained his authority by strict discipline. Rewarding the excellent and punishing the inept.
The Fallen were, in one way or another, creatures of sin. The essence of the Fallen Angels was that of creatures that had placed their desires over their Creator's will, going against their parent and, quite literally, highest moral authority. Keeping in check those who had already once betrayed their leader, who had betrayed God, was only possible by combining rewards in equal measure with punishments. The leaders needed to demonstrate their authority even when it was not necessary, just so that the followers would not forget why exactly they followed one leader or another.
Some of the Fallen were, of course, capable of following certain rules, of respecting authority, some of the fallen, like herself, were 'natural-born' Fallen Angels, not unlike humans or modern Devils in their thinking. Their numbers however were minuscule compared to those who periodically needed to be reminded of exactly who guided them into the future.
Lord Azazel certainly wouldn't be a leader on the support of only such a small group of Fallen. In fact, more and more voices were beginning to be heard from different camps lately, that Azazel had become weak, losing his grip, becoming too immersed in his hobbies… In other words, Azazel would not be able to simply turn a blind eye to a failed mission.
'If either of my parents were still alive, I wouldn't have to go to Raynare's service and I wouldn't be in this situation.' At that depressing thought, Kalawarna lay in her bed, unmoving, for a few more seconds before she opened her eyes, resigned to the fact that she would not fall asleep now. Slowly, staggering like a zombie, stuck on the border between sleep and waking up and already tired from her musings, Kalawarna stood up from the bed. With a stagger and almost sleeping, she found her pair of slippers with her feet and then made her way out of her room, practically falling out into the hallway.
Kalawarna's eyes instantly protested as it was pierced by the bright lights of the hallway, before adjusting to the light that struck sharply and made her wince. Her eyes tried to find the source of the light, finding that the source of the light being the kitchen, where the lights were on even at this late hour, for some reason.
"At least I'm not the only one so worried by the future they can't sleep." Kalawarna, shuffling along, hunching over slightly to avoid accidentally crashing into a door as she staggered along or the ceiling of the building, made her way to the kitchen. "I am certainly no pipsqueak, but why do Japanese people have such low ceilings? I can't be the only one who has to walk this way all the time. And besides having to hump because of the ceilings, I also have this heavy chest… Even if I survive this whole mess with fallen and demons, I'll definitely get scoliosis in a couple of months. If I survive, that is, still not very sure on that happening."
As she got closer to the kitchen, Kalarwarna finally found the identity of her fellow insomnia sufferer, it was Mittelt. The diminutive Fallen Angel was sitting at the table, an open pack of cigarettes and an open bottle of wine in front of her. Judging by the ashtray already half filled with cigarette butts and ashes, along with the empty bottle lying next to it, Mittlet had been doing this for hours. Either that, or she was trying her best to speedrun getting lung and liver cancer.
"Dohnaseek?" Kalawarna asked, and if she saw Mitelt jumping a bit from surprise, with the hand holding the cigarette shaking slightly, she wouldn't comment on it.
"Sleeping," Mittelt answered tersely, as her shoulder slightly relaxed as she found out that it was Kalawarna approaching her and not the Leviathan for a surprise visit. She then took another cigarette out of the pack, lighting it, as her previous lit cigarette was cleaned out.
"I envy that." Kalawarna settled down next to Mittelt, pulling out a cigarette from Mittelt's pack. Mittelt, in any other occasion, would have reacted with a scream, a threat, or maybe a [Spear of Light], she would complain about it at least. Right now, she was too busy trying to calm her nerves to care.
Kalawarna, getting her comfortable, silently nodded at the lighter in Mittelt's hands, Mittelt lighting the cigarette alight without even looking.
The two then just started drawing in the bitter smoke in silence, feeling their worries recede just a bit.
For a moment there was only companionable silence, before Mittelt, taking another sip from the bottle, suddenly held it out to Kalawarna with quite a simple hint. Kalawarna did not refuse the offer and took a sip, chuckling faintly inwardly. 'I supposed it's true what people say, trouble does bring people closer together.'
The silence settled back into place as each of the Fallen was in their own thoughts, although it wasn't hard to predict what each of the girls was thinking.
"We're going to die." Mittelt broke the silence, Kalawarna would like to say that she was wrong, but in fact, Kalawarna had come to exactly the same conclusion as her… friend? Perhaps, at this point, faced with this life or death problem, Mittelt and Kalawarna had indeed become friends, if only for the short time they have to live.
"Yeah, most likely." Kalawarna didn't try to lie, to back up Mittelt's confidence, only nodding briefly before taking another puff of cigarette and a gulp of wine, before returning the bottle to Mittelt who took a deep gulp.
"I should have just stayed in Heaven," Mittelt sighed as she put the bottle down, "Why did I ever decide that I need this stupid alcohol and cigarettes?"
Mittelt was from a similar origin to Raynare, originally being angels, and Falling due to some sin. She had fallen not long after the Three-Sided War concluded, tempted by pleasures not made available to the ordinary angels in Heaven. But unlike Raynare, who couldn't remember the reason for her fall, if you were stupid enough to trust her words, who fell when God died, Mittelt fell after Michael had taken control of the [Heaven System].
"Not very convincing, considering what you're doing right now." Kalawarna smiled weakly at her attempt at a joke, causing Mittelt to smile back just as sourly.
'I should have gotten a job in an office, there's always an opening there. Sure it's not exciting when compared to doing missions, fighting and getting more wings, but is it worth it?'
Kalawarna sighed, cursing her past naive self. 'Sure Kalawarna, why not get into field work? You'll get stronger, grow yourself a bunch of wings, influence the fate of the world… Yeah, right, cross the wrong person, and you get cut up and left for dead in the nearest ditch. So much for the happy ever after.'
There was another bout of silence again, before Mittelt raised her slightly tired and somewhat drunk gaze to Kalawarna. "Tell me… Do you still believe in anything, in a higher power?"
Kalawarna cringed at the sudden question before she looked at Mittelt. "What?"
"I'm asking you, are you a religious person?" Mittelt smiled slightly. "I know it's a bit of a strange question, being Fallen Angels and all. But you were born like normal, just like humans, so I thought you might believe in something… Well, you know, not the way people believe, I mean, you know that Gods and such exist. But still, do you believe that it's all part of some kind of divine plan, and there's a paradise waiting for you at the end? Well, not the one in Heaven, with Michael. I don't think the guys in Heaven would accept, but something, somewhere else. There must be one, right? Even for Fallen Angels like us? Even the Gods can't tell for sure where the soul goes at the very end…"
"Huh, interesting question. I suppose it's true that there are no atheists in foxholes." Kalawarna took another puff before she thought about Mittelt's question, before laughing lightly at the stupidity of the answer she found.
"You know, I've probably never thought about something like that before? But if I had to answer… I guess I want to believe that there is something out there? That there will be something else after death, maybe a rebirth, or some blissful non-existence… That it won't end the moment they pound four nails into my coffin. Or at least for the bits that would be left of me."
"I understand," Mittelt looked up for a few seconds, puffing smoke like a chimney, before answering frankness with frankness. "Me too, I suppose I also like to believe that there's an afterlife for us. Sometimes I hope that Father is not dead, but that he is hiding somewhere, looking intently at us all, that he has risen above our world, but still looking after His children. He is unknowable, omnipotent, and all-knowing. That he really is…"
"He is indeed." Kalawarna chuckled, a bit surprised at Mittelt's answer, as the moment passed, and the both of them stewed in the cigarette smoke.
Before the silence was suddenly broken, not by Mittelt or Kalawarna, but by a third party that had suddenly appeared in the kitchen without the two of them knowing. "He's back you know… No, perhaps he never really left."
It was not Donahseek either, the voice sounding too feminine to be the gruff man.
Kalawarna looked at the source of the voice, finding Raynare standing in the kitchen aisle, before she blinked and examined the bottle of wine in her hands more closely. "Mittelt, are you sure that hallucinogenic additives are exactly what we need to take our minds off imminent death?"
"What are you talking-" Mittelt couldn't even finish her cursing, as she also was surprised by Raynare's appearance. As expected, really, the two of them had thought that the Fallen Angel was already dead. The last time the two of them saw her was when they saw her disappear with the Sacred Gear holder they were supposed to be watching.
Mittlet and Kalawarna both paled considerably at the sight, after all, seeing the dead when they were also about to die, doesn't seem to be that great of an omen.
"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Raynare stepped forward, with an almost smirk on her face. No, not the usual cruel smirk Raynare usually shows after her bouts of sadism were satisfied, but an almost kind smirk that didn't fit at all with Kalawarna's memory of her 'boss' and her ever-disdainful attitude toward her subordinates.
"Raynare… You're alive?" Kalawarna froze, contemplating all the things she wanted to know from Raynare at this moment.
"I am somewhat sad to interrupt such a heartwarming reunion, but I suppose I need to call attention to myself." A man's pleasant, velvety voice reached Kalawarna's ears, almost causing her to trip over her own feet, as she rapidly turned toward the new voice to see a man in an expensive suit and glasses just behind her. The surprising sight of the dead rising had caused her to miss the red-dressed men, as impossible as that might sound.
"Raynare?" With an authoritative voice, and an unspoken command, the newcomer ordered Kalawarna and Mittelt's past boss.
"Yes, I beg your pardon, Lord Demiurge." Raynare, to both of her past colleague's surprise, meekly followed the order, moving to the side to put the suited man in front, adopting a more subordinate posture. The strangeness of Raynare's behavior causing Kalawarna to take another look at the suited man and noticing the blue-silver tail he possessed, the name Raynare addressed him as pinging an old memory. 'Demiurge? It's the name of kind of like a creator, as I recall…?'
"Allow me to introduce you to Lord Demiurge." Raynare bowed respectfully toward the man, causing Kalawarna to blink, trying to comprehend the unexpected information. "And he, like me, is on a mission entrusted to me by the Father… I mean, the Biblical God."
Kalawarna blinked once, twice, then a third time, trying to absorb in her head all the new information, desperately trying to understand it, before asking the only question she could at the moment. "What?"
"Father's back?!" Mittelt, however, had pulled herself much more quickly than Kalawarna, picking up the most important of Raynare's words.
"Yes, and He's much stronger than before…" Raynare thought for a moment before she slightly corrected her sentence. "Or we never really knew how great his power is."
Kalawarna tried to tamp down the new fact in her head, only able to flap her mouth uselessly as her world was breaking down right before her eyes.
"Issei turned out to be the bearer of the [Boosted Gear]," Raynare said again, once more giving out information that caused Kalawarna's mind, already weakened extensively, to buckle. "Of course not that information matters anymore as the [Longinus] is destroyed and Ddraig is dead. So is the Great Red. Father is now residing in the Interdimensional Gap as its Supreme Ruler."
The new facts crashed into Kalawarna's mind, already barely able to balance on the edge of the world, causing her to manically try to grasp the knowledge rapidly violating her mind.
"Father had given me the permission to take the path of redemption, and now, under the command of Lord Demiurge, I, and I suppose you two as well, are to begin preparations for the Apocalypse." Raynare said with little regard for the reactions of the other two Fallen.
Kalawarna heard a crash, but whether the sound was Mittelt fainting or her sanity finally gave up and decided to just crack at the seams, Kalawarna wasn't sure.
***
Ajuka Beelzebub-Astaroth, one of the four Satans of Hell, responsible for the technological development and provision of the Underworld and their entire faction. As well as one of the two strongest demons and one of a couple dozen strongest beings in the entire world, rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. He proceeded to do that for some moments, before reaching out for a cup of coffee and taking a sip, enjoying the way it warmed his tired body.
Not that he really needed to do so, of course, he was perfectly capable of going several days without sleep. But for the past dozen years Ajuka had rarely worked excessively, giving himself ample time to his personal projects, sleep or rest, a tired mind is only detrimental after all. So, he was not so bullheaded, as not to admit that the unexpected important assignment that had fallen on his lap, had drained him of his strength far more than Ajuka himself was willing to admit.
It could not be said unequivocally that there was peace among the various mythologies staking its claim of Earth. Small conflicts occasionally erupted, and the thin stream of wounded and dead to which the ruling upper classes turned a blind eye did not dry up completely. But, with the tacit approval of all factions, such small excesses were swept under the carpet of big politics, allowing the rulers to speak of 'peace'.
It had been hundreds of years since the pantheons and paranormal forces had actually intervened in human affairs, with humans finding themselves fully capable of making their own wars and decisions. And so, gradually the pantheons' activity waned to almost nothing, allowing old enemies to calm their resentments and old friends to build new bridges for communication.
Ajuka, one of the strongest persons in the world, found himself with his time mostly spent relaxing, slowly forgetting what it was really like to urgently conduct analysis. Or the act of devoting all his energies to doing so, realizing that every second of delay could have cost the lives of thousands of people. Not since the Underworld's Civil War had Ajuka engaged in anything so urgent and important.
Maybe when the first rumors reached his ears, of the Khaos Brigade? Though maybe even then, he should have shaken off his relaxation and gone back to the Ajuka he had once been, hundreds of years ago? But no, the Beelzebub had not heeded the warning from the world then, and for that, he was forced to pay the price right now.
An unknown god had appeared in Kuoh, in the midst of Devil's territory, one that housed two heroes to very influential Pillar Clans, sisters of two of the Maous – and the Devils knew next to nothing about him. Not his power level, not his abilities, not his plans, absolutely nothing.
No, perhaps not absolutely nothing, they have learned something, if only because of the way the unknown god had conducted himself. The unknown god was arrogant, calm, mocking, experienced, powerful, and capable of hiding from Serafall's surveillance and magic, which indicated that he was either incredibly powerful or specialized in concealment. Though, Ajuka wouldn't bet on the latter.
Ajuka could probably hide from Serafall's magic using [Kankara Formula], but Ajuka was tens, hundreds of times stronger than ordinary gods, each of which was tens of times stronger than Serafall. So for the god to be so easily capable of hiding himself?
Such information was… frightening.
Alternatively, it could have been a god of deception and illusion specializing in such things, there were many such gods, Loki, Hermes, San Wukong, Drudge, Morok, to name a few. A host of them really, but gods being gods, their identity is easily found. Not his one, however, and therein lies the issue.
"Just why the hell would any of these gods found interesting to risk going to Kuoh?" Ajuka took another sip before reflecting for a moment.
The gods he had listed out were powerful, as were all gods even now, having lost their power centuries after their religions had died out. Many of them were capable of escaping Serafall's gaze, but why would they appear in this particular city and at this particular time?
No, something wasn't adding up, Ajuka was still missing something, the key to understanding all this.
"The only interesting thing about Kuoh is that it used to be Youkai territory, which has been completely bought off by the Underworld, and in that the younger sisters of the two ruling Satans ruled there." Ajuka frowned slightly.
"If he needed to abduct Rias or Sona for some reason, perhaps to threaten Serafall or Sirzechs, wouldn't it be much easier to abduct them before he attracted the Underworld's attention to himself? Is he planning to kill them or perhaps take control… No, to do either, it would still be much better to remain under notice before he could accomplish his goals. No, he clearly wasn't planning such a thing, so what is he planning?"
Shaking his head to break through the circular logic he had found himself in, Ajuka decided to start from the beginning, building his argument from the things he knows for sure.
"The only thing we know for sure, was that he had actually approached the Devils first. What, then, did he want to get out of it? To draw the attention of the Underworld to himself? Or was it all one big coincidence, and he didn't even know exactly where he was going? Some of the old religions might not have known such a thing. The kind that hadn't even been in contact outside their little worlds for the past millennium, that is. But, entertaining such an absurd supposition, if so, what would have moved such an isolated being to move? And would a god of such a religion still be strong enough to hide from Serafall's gaze?"
Ajuka rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking thoughtfully at the dry lines of the report. Diplomacy was not his business at all, it was Serafall who was in charge of communicating with the outside world, Ajuka was simply a scientist and technician immersed in his own inventions and personal projects.
But at the same time Ajuka was also the main analyst of potential threats for the Devils, not in terms of a battle, that was Falbium's job, but in terms of personal analysis of powerful potential adversaries. His [Kankara Formula] allowed him to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of even gods, easily selecting strategies and tactics to defeat them. But at the same time, [Kankara Formula] was not completely all-powerful, the engine needed fuel, his abilities needed at least some information about the enemy to function.
Scarce information gained only from short meeting, such as measuring personalities, can only go so far. He required more information. Perhaps it's good enough for an emergency plan, since not having one when an accident happens was far more dangerous than wasting time creating one that would not be useful later on. But relying on such a patchwork of plans when a better one can be made is just the height of foolishness.
And Ajuka had not become so powerful by being foolish.
Ajuka was weaker than Sirzechs in direct combat, significantly weaker – but even so, he was far superior to the regular gods, even if, for some reason, he had to fight without using [Kankara Formula]. With Sirzechs beside him, Ajuka was confident that the two of them could defeat any god one-on-one, even the gods of the Indian Pantheon… If only one of the Trimurti showed up for battle, he was not so brazen to fight all three at the same time.
In other words, there was always a last and most desperate plan for the Underworld, brute force. With Ajuka and Sirzechs, they could simply suppress a potential threat, but in that case, no one could guess exactly how the fight would turn out. Nor, worse, how many outsiders would die in their fight, and how the other pantheons would react to such an event.
A battle between the gods on Earth, in the territory of Japan, bought from the Youkai or not, would cause waves. And with the Khaos Brigade looming as a formidable threat on the horizon, it could provoke a tsunami of unprecedented proportions.
"Gods and their divine problems… From antiquities till the time humans build space colonies, they seem to just cause troubles whenever one appears. If only I had a time machine, then I would try to figure out exactly which tribe came up with the idea of this God a thousand years ago. And nip that trouble in the bud." Ajuka exhaled irritably as he took another sip of coffee.
"Hopefully Serafall will buy me some more time, and it will end with some quiet agreement… I hate working with so little information! And if any of those two siscons decided to bother my happy experiment time, I'll build some kind of machine to turn their sisters into brothers!"
Ajuka took another sip of coffee from his mug, emptying it with one last sip, and returned to his report, picking up his pen with a tormented sigh.
Ajuka did not possess the ability to see into the future, but he could predict with the confidence of a scientist that the next twenty-four hours of his life would pass without any rest.
***
Climbing out of the baths after an hour-long bath, Momonga stretched his very relaxed body.
His body was clean and completely fresh, while his brain finished rearranging the bricks of his memory with satisfaction, going over the full information about Nazarick's NPCs. Not that he remembered completely all the minute details, like all the types of equipment available to them or all of their abilities, but he remembered everything important about the former NPCs enough to say that he was satisfied.
"But that's just the NPCs, I still need to do an inventory of Nazarick itself, especially the Treasury, especially with Pandora's Actor out and about. Sorting out Nazarick's defense system and doing a full test of all abilities, mine and the NPCs', would also be nice… Perhaps, after that, it's worth it to start formulating the tactics to protect Nazarick, maybe even start a proper infiltration of this world. My to-do list just keeps growing and growing…"
Momonga slumped his shoulders slightly before shaking it, feeling sufficiently rested and in a favorable enough frame of mind not to be saddened by the ample work before him. "As Punitto Moe said, the journey of a thousand li begins with a single step, so no need to worry, let's deal with the demon problem first."
As Momonga began cataloging about the things he knows about the demons, he realized that he actually didn't know much about them. It seems that his thousand-mile journey had just struck a snag on its first steps.
"I don't know what exactly they're thinking about me, now that they have time to organize their response, but I can't demand anything from the demons that I need. At least, because I don't even know what they have." Momonga made his way to the locker room, starting to wipe himself with a towel. Sure [Create Body] could completely change his body, drying him out in the process, but for the moment Momonga preferred to devote a few extra minutes to do it manually.
"But if I knew exactly what they had, I could demand something back, maybe even leave the school without paying the tuition that way. Maybe even some good will where I could stay on their good side, along with fixing the misunderstanding about my trespassing on their territory… But it wouldn't be that easy to do, I had already promised Raynare that I would provide her with protection, and the Demons might have some trouble with her. Do I need to give something in recompense or something like that?"
Remembering the Fallen Angel he had let Demiurge handle, Momonga began wondering on what exactly they are doing right now.
"Wait, aren't I forgetting something? Ah, right! Miki and Pandora's Actor, well Issei, I had after all introduced myself as Issei's older brother… Umu, my infiltration plan suddenly showed its downsides. "
After drying his hair sufficiently, Momonga began to wipe his body. "Besides, I've already, quite accidentally, took a strong opposition to the demons. If I suddenly apologize now and start behaving differently, it's going to cause confusion and questions from the demons, questions that I cannot answer. And if I show weakness after a strong position, it'll probably end badly enough, with them trying to bargain for more, and I don't think my salaryman negotiation skills would compare to literal pact-making for a millennium, Demons. My 'I was attacked in your territory' card is too weak, considering that their territory was the whole city, which I had invaded… Negotiations are hard."
Shaking his dry head, a funny thought occurred to Momonga.
"Huh, I think I found what I'll be doing at school?" Momonga almost smiled at the thought before using [Create Body], drying fully, just in case he missed a spot, and styling his hair at the same time.
"Still, this is a surprisingly useful ability, even outside the confines of combat… If you think about it, are there any other YGGDRASIL abilities that can be used like this, not for combat, but as a daily convenience? Umu, one more item on the list."
Dressing up in a flash as he mentally picked an outfit from his inventory, Momonga made his way over back to his room before glancing at his watch. "Umu, my bath had run for quite a time, I should be off to school soon. Okay, the brief rest break is over, time to head back to Earth. Speaking of which…" Momonga had already created the [Gate] as a thought struck him as he took a step into the gateway leading to Miki's house.
"I wonder how Pandora's Actor and Miki are doing? I hope he didn't put anything weird into her head while I was distracted…"
Shaking the chill that had run on his back as a response to taking a hot bath, Momonga found his steps quickening for no reason at all.