After Momonga had announced his intention to meet with the Fallen Angels at the church – something Demiurge already knew about anyway. Something which made Momonga's announcement of such a thing sound awkward to Momonga, he was able to return to Miki's house. Only to be surprised to find that the house was completely empty… Except for Miki, of course.
Momonga tried his best to try to remember what his 'housemates' were up to.
Demiurge seemed to be fully immersed in organizing negotiations with the demons, the last thing Momonga had heard was that Demiurge was seriously negotiating with the Fallen Angels… Which was not a bad thing. If Demiurge could seriously discuss with the Fallen Angels the accidental capture of the church, it would make Ainz' life much easier. He might even be able to establish good relations with the Fallen Angels. The more good relations he has with the established factions of this world, the easier it would be for Momonga to navigate between them in the future.
Admittedly, the fact that Demiurge was also still essentially correcting Momonga's failings due to his capture of Raynare saddened Momonga.
Pandora's Actor had not yet returned home, choosing to devote his time, as per Demiurge's plan, to assessing the resident demons and studying them. A move Momonga could only approve of, information was the key to survival and the key to victory after all. What was, however, particularly surprising to Momonga was that Albedo and Shalltear also didn't immediately show up back at Miki's house when Momonga had returned.
Apparently, Albedo had taken over Demiurge's reins over the church's slowly growing business, probably trying to salvage what was left of the church's wealth after spending all their money to buy an unknown company. No! Think positively Momonga! It's the company that Demiurge had selected after all, and he's one of the smartest NPC in Nazarick, there's no way that he would pick wrong.
Well, he's a Demon, so he might be choosing companies that are just as evil as he is… Which meant that they would be very successful now that Momonga tried to remember the companies of his old world.
Shalltear, on the other hand, had set out to slowly take over the underground world of Japan, starting with Kyoto. A move Momonga wholeheartedly approved of. Not only was it important for him to have at least some presence in his supposed birthplace, but also to begin a gradual study of the abilities of the creatures of this world. For which the ideal thing to do would be to use criminals, whose absence could easily be blamed on internal struggles and lifestyle. If anyone even noticed they were missing in the first place, that is.
On one hand, this pleased Momonga, the fact that Nazarick's denizens were focusing themselves on their work was good for both Nazarick and Momonga's mental peace of mind, but it was also strangely frustrating for him.
Of course, fending off attempts by Shalltear and Albedo to find strange fetishized ways to get closer to Momonga one way or another was an exercise for his Emotion Suppression. Like Albedo's attempt to offer to be a chair for Momonga, to which Shalltear tried to respond by offering to massage Momonga's feet, to which Albedo had responded that he would clean it – by licking it. Before it would devolve into even more strange fetishes, Momonga had to lay the law to both girls. In that, he had ordered them not to.
The fact that they would heed his orders easily assured his paranoid mind. And yet, at the same time, the realization that they did heed Momonga's order and decided to back away from it, made Momonga feel strangely sad…
'It's all because both of them are kind of my girlfriends, and I actually don't have any idea how a girlfriend should behave… So, despite how much trouble they caused me with their attempts to woo me, I guess I took it all as signs of affection from the girls. So now, having lost those, I'm starting to miss it,' Momonga paused for a moment in front of the front door before shaking his head and taking a step inside, finding Miki with a glance.
Now, he was left alone with his foster mother… Momonga's relationship with Miki was… Strange, as much as it could even be described with such a mild word.
The woman whom Momonga had compared his mother with, and who had almost become one, albeit an adoptive one, had accidentally, through Momonga's own actions, lost her mind. She was effectively put into a coma, and Momonga had to kill her and resurrect her. And when Momonga had left Miki for just a few hours with Pandora's Actor, a grave mistake now that he had thought about it, she accidentally went from being a random passerby to his loyal follower.
Her behavior, suspiciously similar in her words and attitude to Nazarick denizens' own…
Of course, there was a positive side to it. Now Momonga didn't have to worry about Miki revealing the truth about his true origins, he didn't have to disguise his connection to Nazarick and the presence of Nazarick NPCs in his life. But, at the same time, he had effectively broken her mind, driven her mad, the poor woman he had inadvertently chosen as a cover for his introduction into the world. The kind woman that had accepted the result of her husband's infidelity without any judgement or anger…
And a small part of Momonga regretted his actions toward Miki.
Only a small part, though, because Momonga had generally found that he viewed human life in a very detached way. Where he would judge them on the basis of costs and reward, a point of view that made it easier for him to believe that he had always been undead rather than once human.
The small regret was born solely out of the fact that Momonga himself could draw a parallel between Miki and his own past life, but he felt a slight regret for her nonetheless. Extremely mild, causing Momonga's emotion suppression to not even activate while he was thinking about Miki, but still…
So when he stepped inside the house and found Miki kneeling at his arrival, it was as if he had never left Nazarick at all, what's with all the kneeling. Momonga could only give a slightly embarrassed nod, not entirely sure how else he should have reacted to such actions. And then, when Miki got up and went back to her business of cooking dinner, Momonga made his way to the couch and sat down, thoughtfully trying to imagine how he could assuage his regret.
When he was human, Momonga could probably say that he wished he could compensate Miki for the horrors she had gone through, but gradually, day by day, Momonga realized that he didn't, strictly speaking, wish to help Miki. He wished to help himself first and foremost, by helping Miki… But in what way exactly?
"Miki…" Deciding not to think about the problem for too long, since he doubts he would get the answer by thinking on it anyway, his trouble at school shows just how un-academically gifted he is. So, Momonga decided to just cut to the chase and ask.
"What do you want?"
"To continue serving you, my Lord," Miki answered instantly, turning to him and dropping to one knee when she heard Momonga's voice, causing Momonga to cough, embarrassed.
"Miki, you don't need to stop and fall to your knees every time I address you. You can just go on about your business…" Momonga continued to hope, with a fool's hope since it hasn't ever worked before with the other NPCs, that it would be enough to convince Miki not to do such embarrassing actions anymore. Given just how she was acting like a Nazarick resident, however, his hope proved to be short-lived.
"With all due respect to you, Lord Momonga, such behavior would show my disrespect for you. There is no torture or execution in the world sufficient to punish an inferior being like me for such behavior," Miki said it so calmly that Momonga had to draw air into his lungs after a moment. The inhabitants of Nazarick behaved the same way, but at least they didn't call themselves 'inferior beings'… What was Pandora's Actor putting into her head?!
"Ahem, in that case, maybe-" - Momonga tried to strain his meanderings, trying to think of a way to convince Miki to behave normally, before an idea did slip into his head.
"Right, Miki, ahem," Momonga tried to cough trying to force his voice to sound more impressive, to make his made up speech sound a little more impressive.
"Your work for Nazarick is your main proof of loyalty to me, but when you take a break from that to kneel before me, you, um…"
Momonga stumbled over the wording of his command, trying to choose the most similar in his mind to what the great lord of Nazarick that all his followers saw him as, might have uttered before continuing. "You choose empty praise over faithful service, umu! That's right, that's why I'll be happier with you continuing to do your thing than I will be with you simply paying me homage."
Miki, who had been silently listening to his words until then, blinked in surprise at his words, before frowning and nodding in concentration, as if Momonga's hastily thought up speech had just revealed some secret of the universe to her. "Of course, Lord Momonga, how could I not have realized this on my own. Please forgive this inferior being."
After saying that, Miki rose from her knees and turned back to the stove, while Momonga himself thought for a moment about trying to wean her off this 'inferior being' spiel. After which, he decided to leave that for a slightly later date. The important thing is consistency.
If Momonga does things consistently, small steps will lead him to success.
However, after congratulating himself internally for taking a small step towards the distant goal of normal communication with his followers inside, and outside Nazarick, Momonga tried to ask his question again. "But still, Miki, mind you, what exactly would you like to get from me? I mean something tangible, as com… A reward for your service."
After a brief thought, Momonga did not dare to talk about compensation, given that there was a significant chance that Miki would refuse compensation. However, that didn't stop Miki from refusing the reward provided as well. "Labor in your name, Lord Momonga, is in itself the highest honor"
'Indeed, the same response as those in Nazarick,' Momonga exhaled mirthlessly, after another brief thought decided to still be a bit more persistent with Miki. After all, she was not a creature of Nazarick, so Momonga could be a little less careful or gentle in her case. "But gifts and rewards are necessary to motivate subordinates, aren't they? In this case, your emotional state is also important in order for you to… Umu, to continue to labor for my glory."
Momonga inwardly raised his fist once more in a victorious gesture the moment Miki actually started thinking about his words. Indeed, Miki was unexpectedly useful, as a being of this world who was close in his mind to the inhabitants of Nazarick, couldn't Momonga use Miki to test ideas on her regarding his communication with the inhabitants of Nazarick?
This was extremely important, and if Momonga did decide to give her such a role, Miki's value would increase many times over…
Miki, however, upon hearing Momonga's words, only thoughtfully returned to the stove again, though he had indeed ordered her to continue working. Still, the aroma caused Momonga to look away for a moment to concentrate on it, trying to appreciate each ingredient being cooked. Meat, spices, vegetables… All real and not substitutes or grown proteins!
This kind of lunch or dinner in his previous world, if we weren't talking about YGGDRASIL, was only available to the truly rich. The top 1%! However, in this world, not only he, the lord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, had access to such a meal, but even the common man,
And Miki was cooking him a meal made from such precious ingredients… Such a realization made Momonga both happy about the situation in the world at the moment, and sad that a hundred years later, these people would start to consider it a luxury. Sad that the people of this world didn't even realize how good their current situation really was.
"Lord Momonga, please forgive me, but I see the main problem with my service to you in my age." Miki said tonelessly, as if the very thought of asking something from Momonga was anathema to her being.
"I'm much older than my prime and only growing older. In due time, age would've robbed me of the skills I still possess, not to mention my likely death in the next few decades. Forgive me if my inferior mind is incapable of grasping the secret meaning behind your test. But, in my mind, it is my age and impending death that are the main factors that present themselves to me as possible problems associated with my service that I wish to be rid of…"
"Umu," Momonga only nodded gravely at these words and then thought for a moment.
Indeed, from the dawn of history, and probably ever since humans could think, they have sought to prolong their lives and preserve the best years of their lives. Given just how short the human lifespan was compared to the legendary creatures like thousand-year-old elves or even more eternally living demons, it has even been part of many quest-lines in YGGDRASIL.
However, when it comes to solving this problem…
The wealthiest people of his past world could live for a little over two hundred years with medical technology of the time. As for preserving youth, given the advances in cosmetology, plastic surgery, cybernetic and bio-modification, preserving the appearance and capabilities of the body at the peak of human youth has been possible for over a hundred years.
However, naturally, Momonga knew of such modifications only in their effects, appearance and astronomical prices, not that he could replicate such technologies. At best, he could assemble a rudimentary complex to integrate the human nervous system into communication with a computer, simply because that was something any human should be able to do and know.
Knowledge of such processes was commonplace seeing that no work doesn't require such abilities. Given that he could not afford to have nor the know-how to professionally install ports to connect to a network, that would have the opposite effect, rather than prolonging life.
In YGGDRASIL, of course, there was also no direct ability to extend a character's life. YGGDRASIL didn't keep the story flowing in real time, and while periodically certain NPCs could disappear due to 'death by old age', there was no such system for this. The Developers just did it periodically as part of the story progression, determining such things at their own discretion, so since YGGDRASIL didn't have such a system, neither did Momonga.
Well, there's always [Raise Undead], but that would be putting the cart before the horse.
Literally.
Momonga had three clear solutions to this problem. World Class Items like [Ouroboros], which allowed him to directly ask the Developers of YGGDRASIL to change the entire world of the game, to an extent of course. This option was immediately dismissed by Momonga as criminally wasteful. He would probably have to use [Downfall of Castle and Country] to force himself to do such a thing.
Even with the ability to use that World Class Item, that is, in this world's classification, a [Longinus], Momonga would never spend such a useful, and extremely rare, item on Miki.
Then there's Super-Tier Magic. Momonga could assume that a few Super-Tier Magic spells could lead him to the desired result, such as [Wish Upon A Star]. But, using this magic requires the expenditure of experience points, the more experience points he would spend when using this spell, the more powerful the final effect would be. Given the fact that Momonga had found no way to gain new experience points for himself or the people of Nazarick at the moment, perhaps because it didn't exist at all, this option was also eliminated.
Lastly, there's the direct option – race change. If Human frailty was the issue, then simply discarding your Humanity should fix the problem in a jiffy.
All of YGGDRASIL's heteromorphic races had unlimited life reserves, as in they could never die of old age, at least according to their lore. But, still, changing races required the use of World Class Items – [Longinus], certain types of Super-Tier Magic, or consumable items.
And the supply of consumable items for race change in Nazarick, though huge with just how members of the Guild love using the Gacha, was finite. And at this moment, Momonga didn't imagine it would be possible to restore it in the future. On the other hand, of the three options, the third seemed to be the most suitable, at least because Momonga needed to experiment with the use of the race-change items in this world.
For the future, in order to know exactly how they would react when Momonga actually needed them. If it could also be combined with rewarding Miki? Well, Miki had already participated in one important experiment, about the possibilities of resurrection in this world, why wouldn't she be up for one more?
So, thoughtfully, Momonga nodded at Miki's implied request, before returning to reality, in which the empty table in front of him managed to be populated by a few dishes. Momonga could feel his anticipation building, an appropriate amount so that his Emotion Suppression doesn't activate, and could feel himself salivate slightly at the appetizing smells coming to him from the dishes in front of him.
"Thank you, Miki," Momonga nodded before proceeding with his dinner.
***
Kyoto was a peaceful city, both for the normal inhabitants of the city and those of the paranormal bent. Especially so for the paranormal inhabitants of the city, as the seat of power of all the youkai of Japan could not exist otherwise.
It was impossible to call the Youkai a monolithic faction as it is a faction made of hundreds of monsters, mages, old families, and legendary creatures, most being long-lived enough that grudges could span centuries. No. they were bound together only by the fact that they had all been born on the territory of one small island nation. They had gathered together in a common association with some semblance of a central authority, solely under the threat of other factions.
Factions that could deal with the disparate clans of magical creatures before they had a chance to come to their senses.
Yet the Youkai maintained, if not a full-fledged peace, then at least a peaceful relationship with each other. As long as everyone kept to their side of the bargain, of their agreement, that is. The Tengu controlled the media, the Exorcists were the contact point with the human world, and the Kitsune resolved disputes and supplied magic potions for delivery to the outside world, with conflicts within the faction kept to a minimum.
If conflicts did arise and no measure of dialogue could stop it, the most powerful youkai of Japan and the whole Youkai faction, Yasaka-no-Kyubi, the nine-tailed kitsune, would forcibly separate the disputing youkais. If they did not want to disperse even after her intervention, they were still dispersed, though this time thinned by a significant part of their clans.
Diplomats and charismatic words might stop small fights, but it is personal power that could control tribes, nations, and entire clans. It is also the means in which the Youkai kept their independence and standing, by showing the world that it costs too much to take them on.
Therefore, things were quiet among the Kyoto youkai, and especially in that small niche of what could be called the 'dark side' of Kyoto's magical world.
Yasaka could tolerate a small stream of criminal dealings, as long as she could keep a hand on the pulse of life. She could convince arrogant criminals that certain actions were not only bad for business, but also for their personal health. By doing so, she could skillfully manipulate the secret side of Kyoto's world to her advantage.
Long-standing areas of responsibility and areas of control were divided between one clan or another and so conflict is kept to the minimum. And after several failed attempts to test Yasaka's mettle back in the early years of her reign, attempts that she had withstood with honor, and made them pay dearly for their audacity, Kyoto had effectively calmed down.
Everyone knew who and to whom they had to go to bow, from whom they could find certain favors, and what boundaries were best not crossed for the sake of their own peace of mind.
That was what Vis was thinking as he huddled in the farthest corner of the room where the smuggled weapons had been kept not so long ago.
Kamaitachis were not overly famous or popular youkais, but of all their qualities and capabilities, the only thing that stood out was their flair for commerce and their ability to always toe the party line and not overdo it. A quality that had made the Kamaitachis flourish in the underbelly of Kyoto. But all Vis had learned today was that you shouldn't confuse the ability to toe the line with the gift of divination.
Because no amount of understanding of when it was best to hold onto your greed and refuse to work could save Vis. Being understanding had saved him when his family's warehouse in Kyoto was breached and with his compatriots all dying.
Vis, especially, couldn't have guessed that mocking a short young girl who had appeared on the threshold of the warehouse, barely old enough to be a high school student, would turn into a bloodbath.
How could he not, the girl, whom Vis would otherwise consider dangerous only to her parents, dressed in a gothic-lolita dress of all things. Entering the gathering of dangerous men, the girl had simply said 'Hurry, inferior beings, I wish to return to my master' and then demanded their supplication. He really should have known better.
Vis had mocked her, and she had pulled a huge spear out of nowhere, and in a few moments turned the cultural gathering of honest arms dealers into a flesh-splattered mess
But worst of all was the blood.
After the first kill, when the girl stopped to offer the others the chance to surrender and kneel, the other merchants rushed at her, and were then turned into a bloody haze a moment later. However, contrary to the macabre scene of organs, limbs and heads, there was no blood around the girl. No, all the blood from the bodies of the slain, disobeying the laws of nature, gathered into a single pulsating blob above the girl's head, levitating, growing larger as it absorbed more blood in streams.
And it didn't make any sense at all! What the hell was a vampire doing in Kyoto in the first place, and why had she decided to kill people under Yasaka's nose?!
But the thought of Yasaka stomping the cocky vampire in the future couldn't save Vis in the present. What had saved him in the end, was the numbness, and his desperate attempt to press himself into the wall, hard enough to become one with the bricks.
"How… I want… More…!" In other situations, the girl's moans might have made Vis feel sexually interested, but seeing his friends and acquaintances turn into gizzards in front of him killed his libido dead. The sight of the girl, almost wriggling in delight as she bathed in a waterfall of blood after she had killed the last of the most prominent arms dealers in Kyoto. It seemed to Vis more out of a nightmare than an erotic fantasy.
Vis practically stopped breathing, looking at the girl talking to herself after she had finished her massacre, hoping that she would not notice his heart beating so loudly.
But his hope was short-lived.
"You!" Having come to some kind of conclusion, the girl pointed her spear at Vis, stopping with the tip of the spear only a few centimeters from the center of his chest, making Vis freeze in a paralyzed stupor.
"Do you know people in this city?"
Vis froze at that moment, most of the people he knew in Kyoto had gathered today to close a major deal, and they're all dead. But, his life hanging in the balance at the moment, meant that he simply couldn't say otherwise. "Yes, of course!"
"Mages? Merchants? Maybe someone who can create scrolls, potions, or any other consumable magical items?" The girl slightly moved the spear away from Vis's chest, allowing him to breathe a little easier and then answer, a little more confidently… As confident as one could be under the current circumstances, where their death seemed imminent.
"Yes, of course! "
"Hmm, maybe a gift for that big-horned gorilla… Never mind, the main thing is to tell Master that it was me who found them." The girl was distracted from Vis as if he wasn't worthy of her attention… Although, again, under the current circumstances, Vis didn't mind being ignored at all.
"I'll be praised… I'll be praised for sure! Maybe even in the bedroom…! Something like 'Shalltear is a good girl', hmm, I could hear it now…!"
With a groan, the girl moved the spear away from Vis a little more, lowering it, then exhaled and suddenly broke out into a lustful smile as she looked at Vis.
Vis, for his part, looked at the girl, who was apparently called Shalltear, and felt how he would otherwise have given anything for that smile in any other circumstance. It was only when Vis looked at the girl a little more closely that her incredible beauty caught his eye. However, the body parts scattered around him did not contribute at all to his admiration for the appearance of the girl who had attacked him.
After another moment, the spear in Shalltear's hand disappeared as if she had never held such a thing, but Vis cared little for the metaphysical underpinnings of the ability of powerful beings. Especially when his life hung in the balance.
"It's decided then! You'll be working for me now, but what to do next?" The ball of blood hovering above Shaltear's head descended after her, forming a chair, ignoring the remains of the bodies of Kyoto's past major criminals scattered around her. She assumed a regal pose on the chair and glanced at Vis.
"Hmm…?"
After a moment, Shalltear seemed to descend into thought, and Vis was very curious on what is to be his next lot in life. But as much as Vis was interested to know what his apparently new boss was thinking, the bodies of his past bosses and acquaintances lying around him discouraged Vis from taking an interest in the girl's thoughts. Fortunately for him, frowning her eyebrows Shalltear began to speak, addressing, however, not Vis, but to herself.
"So, is this it? No, of course, I was told only to conduct the first raid, but the big-mouthed gorilla will surely be only too happy to take my success and turn it into her own. Hmm, as Lord Peroroncino used to say, 'In battle, the burst wins the battle, the first strike is the most important…!'. Hmm, yes, it's decided!"
She slammed her fist into his open palm, causing Vis to flinch. He reflexively clamped his mouth shut to avoid making a sound that might attract the attention of the unknown but powerful vampire who had arrived in Kyoto with no friendly intentions.
"Hey you!" Without even bothering to ask Vis's name, Shalltear smirked,
"Tell me about Kyoto's other criminals!"
Vis, who had realized a few seconds ago that his life had just changed drastically, swallowed nervously. He realized that he was not the only one who seemed to be caught in the middle of this change - and that Kyoto was about to go through some really hard times.
***
Tannin didn't fly that often - not just over his estate, but at all. Although his huge and powerful body could soar through the air as well as many other dragons, relying on the innate magic of his race. But in the air, Tannin felt rather insecure, clumsy, slow, and most importantly, exposed.
Of course, considering his gigantic stature and size, Tannin was very exposed even standing on his own feet - it would take a small mountain for him to completely hide from a possible opponent. However, in the air, this feeling was amplified many times over…
Or at least, Tannin wanted to think that it was just the fact that he was flying at the moment that this strange feeling of fear and nervousness was creeping up on him. Feelings which Tannin had thought he had long since forgotten. Thinking that these feelings were just part of his normal dislike of flying, and not something else, something far more sinister and dangerous.
It had been nearly a week since some unknown person had tried to sneak into his estate, but Tannin was still no closer to figuring out exactly who might have wanted to do so. What could they possibly want there?
Tannin's landholding wasn't the poorest, but it was far from the richest either. The only possible items of interest in it were the dragons that lived in the mountains and the dragon apples he cultivated to help the endangered dragon species.
But who would think of sneaking into his territory? Who in their right mind would want to sneak into the place most saturated with dragons in all of the Underworld?!
The logical answer to that question would be 'another dragon', but Tannin did not keep in regular contact with the dragons from the outside world. He interacted with the Great Red more than he did with the other 'Dragon Kings'! Which is to say, he could count it on his talons, with some left over.
This mystery provoked him, making him feel the nerves in his body slowly twist into a knot. But, because no other breaches had taken place, all Tannin could do in the current situation was thought that whatever was happening to his territory was over.
But no matter how much Tannin tried to calm himself with that thought, something inside his mind told him that he was wrong about that, that he was being wishful thinking.
Even when, overcoming his reluctance to turn to the Devils for help, turning to the Satans, injuring his draconic pride, they only brushed aside his paranoia, busy with the problem of a god who appeared out of nowhere.
And even though logically Tannin understood that the possibility of a hostile, unknown god was really more important than the question of a failed breach from an unknown something, Tannin's stomach still continued to clench into a single lump…
And Tannin could only hope that it was because he simply disliked flying so much.