Just as Renner had said, the guards on-duty were sloppy.
Under the cover of night, we managed to slink out of the residence with relative ease. We'd be able to evade their notice without killing them, but Clementine took it upon herself to do the deed anyway.
While I was a little annoyed, it wasn't anything to get worked up over.
Renner said these ones drank on the job, and everyone knew it. At worst, the guardhouse would write their absence off as another repeat offence. By the time a serious search and investigation were launched, we'd be long gone.
All things considered, leaving their corpses was just an obvious way of declaring our hostility. Maybe the wrinkly fools at the top would finally get the message that we weren't messing around.
"How much further down is this place, anyway?" Clementine complained. She was being unmindful of the situation we were in, but her carelessness was excusable.
Defence-wise, they only needed Zesshi; additional footmen would be an unnecessary expense. Many of the traps were deactivated, implying they didn't have access to the guild's management menu. As such, spawned mobs were also a non-issue.
After navigating the streets of Kami Miyako and locating the obscure entrance, what followed was just a long, boring walk.
It was scenic, I'll give it that. The six players who designed the base seemed to mix archaic and ornate—engraved granite tiles patterned the floor. Massive, Greek-inspired columns spanned the height of the corridor, with a renaissance oil-painted tapestry running along the ceiling.
In a word?
Tasteful.
Honestly, I was expecting some catacomb-like dungeon falling into disrepair after years of neglect. It looks like the Theocracy took it upon themselves to keep the place presentable.
Apparently, all Yggdrasil players enjoyed basking in the elaborate structures of a virtual world. If they were given more than a single floor, I wondered whether they'd continue using the same designs or adopt a thematic approach as Nazarick has.
Oh well.
The guild base only having one floor was advantageous to us. I didn't want to spend too long crawling in the middle of the Theocracy's best-kept secret. If this looked to be a labyrinth akin to the floors of Great Tomb, I'd have to call the expedition off.
"We should almost be there," Renner answered. "It shouldn't take long." She had the maps memorised, both out of convenience and practicality; we couldn't haul everything along with us. The documents we did bring… we prioritised accordingly.
My feet stopped.
True to Renner's word, I could sense something up ahead. While I couldn't see it, I felt it.
A presence lurking.
Not overwhelming to the point of fear, but it was as though I were treading on thin ice.
If I could sense Zesshi, it meant that she could do the same. She must've known we've been trawling these halls for a while now.
Noticing my slight pause, Renner made a sidelong glance toward me. Recognising the cause of my hesitation immediately, her lips formed an encouraging smile.
"We've done all we can, Climb; I'm confident in your information, I'm confident in my abilities, and I'm confident in our plan."
And with that, we continued onward.
Her words were realistic but optimistic.
This was two years' worth of meticulous effort. Many sleepless nights were had thinking of all possible outcomes, creating contingency after contingency.
My story wouldn't end here because of simple greed – no – not even greed. This was a practical step, a logical advancement, not an overextension of ambition or pride. I had Renner, and I had knowledge… but time was running out.
Nazarick was coming.
Ainz was ripe for manipulation.
And I'd-
"Are you seeking the treasure of the Six?"
I tensed.
We had arrived.
The voice of a young teenage girl. With hair half an abyssal black, the other, a perfect white. She was there, leaning against the wall, partially hidden by a shadow cast by a nearby pillar.
An imposing war scythe rested beside her, twice the height of me. While her words reverberated with power, she regarded us disinterestedly. Her heterochromatic eyes did not leave the small, colourful object in her hands.
This, most definitely, was the most dangerous being I had encountered before.
To the Theocracy's inner circles, referred to as Humanity's Trump Card. And in rumours, known as Certain Death.
Zesshi Zetsumei.
Both Clementine and Renner looked at me, silently urging me to begin. I gulped, swallowing the small lump of panic that had formed in my throat.
I grit my teeth.
I inclined my head to show respect; dialogue can only be had when both parties reach a mutual understanding.
"We are here seeking both treasure, and a new ally."
…
The girl didn't look up from the Rubik's Cube, continuing to shuffle its faces seemingly without method.
"Do you, perhaps, have a death wish?"
The slight lilt of her tone boded poorly for me. While her body hadn't moved to aggression, she didn't need to.
I was under no illusions; Zesshi's abilities eclipsed mine. She was confident that when she chose for me to die, I would die.
"I do not have a death wish."
Finally, her eyes flicked to look at me for just a moment in scrutiny. And after just an instant, she then returned to the puzzle.
"Then why? Nothing is waiting for you here except an unceremonious death by my hands."
I nodded at Zesshi's cynical observation. In some other timeline, if I was some unprepared, an unwitting thief, perhaps. Unfortunately for her, I was a little harder to kill than your regular intruder.
"May I prove myself?"
I extended my arm, gesturing toward the Rubik's Cube in her hand. She gazed at my open palm with a guileful smirk.
"Planning on dragging this out for days, are you? Sorry, even if you do end up solving even a single side, I'm not planning on letting your group leave alive."
I stifled a laugh at the ridiculous timescale.
"Don't worry, it won't take long."
The half-elf heeded me incredulously, doubting my lofty claim. She pushed off the wall, strolling leisurely toward me. As she loomed over me, plopping the cube into my hand, I finally understood her power.
It was crushing.
Every step she took with absolute confidence, every movement, no energy went to waste. She exuded certainty that whatever I tried, I was helpless against her. I had already accepted my slim chance of survival should combat come to pass, but the prospect was firmly hammered home this time.
Visions of an early death nagged the depths of my mind.
Oh, and trust me. There were manyvisions while experimenting with that particular power.
Zesshi took two steps back, goading for me to start. I could feel both Renner's and Clementine's eyes drilling into the back of my head.
I released the breath I didn't realise I was holding.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I held the object in my hands toward the light. Tossing it over, I inspected each side. One might think with me being from Earth, I'd have no trouble completing such a task. Unfortunately for me, this was all for show.
I've never learnt how to solve a Rubik's Cube in my life.
Honestly, he was too reckless at times. Once we're done with this, I'd need to teach him a thing or two about subtlety and risk management.
Hmm…
So, this was Zesshi Zetsumei?
She was precisely how Climb had described her being. Apathetic, rather pretty, and also quite monstrous. I could envision her being quite reliable given some time.
Climb held the puzzle box up to the light, in clear sight of everyone. Spinning it around, I got a good view of all six sides.
Six sides to represent each of the gods? Many had speculated so. It was why this was such a coveted item to fully solve. If finishing a side revealed your patron god, completing all six represented the combined God's blessings upon that individual.
Climb himself was a godless person. Funnily, he admitted that solving such a puzzle was beyond him, no matter my guidance.
I, on the other hand, managed to devise an algorithm in no time.
Climb had returned from his second mission when he handed me the toy, purchased from the nearby marketplace.
"Solve this," he said.
I was left without explanation, but I was done by the month—a six-sided solve, a declaration only a handful could ever claim.
He was on another assignment, so I awaited in barely contained excitement. Delightedly showing off my handiwork, he asked for the timeframe I used. Stating a mere month, he scoffed, scrambling it up without remorse.
"Solve it again," he said.
I was done by the following week—a breakthrough, unprecedented. Proudly presenting my hard work, he scrambled it up once more.
"Faster," he said.
And so, I was faster. I came back the following morning.
I solved it within the day.
An hour.
A minute.
And finally, only then, he was satisfied.
He never spoke of it, but his feelings toward the toy were an enigma. I couldn't tell if he was proud that of my speed or resentful that he was always too busy on missions to learn the method himself.
I've caught him staring at the object only once or twice, with eyes forlorn.
But now, a droplet of sweat ran down his neck. There was no sense of listless remembrance coming from the boy. He was nervous.
He was serious.
And so, the hidden scroll in my pocket disintegrated into ashes.
[Message]
'Back anticlockwise, quarter-turn.'
And according to my instructions, Climb's hands moved, and the cube's rear face was turned.
'Left anticlockwise, quarter-turn.'
'Front clockwise, half turn.'
…
I was done.
A solved Rubik's Cube in my hands, all nine squares on each side with matching colours. Even if I hadn't made the moves, the feeling of triumph didn't fade.
Did I cheat? Yes.
Do I care? Not one bit.
Both Zesshi and Clementine were left awestruck by the performance. I supposed they were expecting maybe one face done in an hour at best. Finishing the entire cube in two minutes would have been a shock to their system.
'I hope you treat me for this,' a cheery voice echoed in my head.
When using scrolls, [Message] was a one-way spell. I couldn't respond telepathically, but I looked back at Renner knowingly.
"You…"
The half-elf was speechless, her previously impassive demeanour now completely gone, and replacing it, one of weariness. Her eyes looked alert, now focused entirely on me.
"Do not think that this absolves you of any crimes, trespasser. Your group has violated the sacred sanctum of the Six Great Gods. You are guilty."
…
Although her words carried a death sentence, her body language suggested otherwise. She hadn't moved. The first hints of defiance toward the Theocracy had been shown. Now, to pry it open…
And the true reason I came here.
For her.
"This country is not your ally, Zesshi Zetsumei. They are working directly against your greatest wish."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Kill the Elf King? They'd never allow it. The conflict is too lucrative to end; free combat experience for recruits, greater unity amongst the population, a stimulated war economy free from the threat of invasion. It is the perfect situation."
She grabbed the scythe and held it firmly between two hands.
"That is a lie. They wish to avenge mother; it is why we declared war in the first place."
Like breaking the illusion of Santa to a young child, I shook my head morosely.
"Why do you think they let you sit rotting away in these halls? Surely, sending you to the frontlines would end it in a week! You'd be back with your father's head on a pike in no time. What's stopping them?!"
"…My duty is to guard the sacred treasures…"
"No, you don't. Nobody comes down here except the Captain. Not the Eight Fingers, not the Dragon Lords, not even the God of Death himself knows about this place!"
I decided to continue beating reality across the head of this girl until she understood.
"Tell me, Zesshi. Please, I'm begging you to tell me; what stops you from leaving these halls and killing your father yourself. What is binding you to this godforsaken country?! Pride? Ignorance?! Some absurd sense of responsibility?"
She had quietened.
I waited for an answer.
And waited.
And then, I found a scythe resting against the edge of my neck, drawing a trickle of crimson liquid. I strained my throat, wide-eyed, trying not to breathe suddenly, lest the cut grows deeper.
I could hear the concerned shouting of Renner from behind, but it was drowned out by the sheer dread that the crazy half-elf in front of me induced.
"Proof. Now."
She didn't leave any room for bargaining. No matter how much truth was shoved into a person's face, ripping up the foundations of their identity so quickly and harshly would be met by pushback.
I just wasn't expecting this muchpushback.
"…R-Renner has the -grk- documents…" I wheezed.
Zesshi pushed the blade deeper, forcing me onto tiptoes. Shit, this was really uncomfortable. From my erratic gasping to her insane eyes, the situation was making me doubt my continued existence.
The redeeming sound of shuffling of papers reached my ears.
"Here," Renner's light footsteps grew closer. "All petitions detailing the continuation of the war against the elves. Enough strength to offer a façade of endeavour, but not enough to turn the tides in either direction. Along with that, a ledger with all the funds and investments of the current Cardinals; you may notice they are very militarily-oriented."
Although I felt blood slowly trickling down the front of my neck, I couldn't help but smile at Renner's voice. Her clinical analysis of the situation was a wake-up call for Zesshi. We weren't spinning some fantastical story to woo her to our side; this was happening right under her nose.
The pressure released, and I fell to one knee, coughing. Renner quickly swooped in to check for lethal wounds. Finding none, she murmured gentle words of comfort, stroking my back for a job well done.
Ah, for this? It was worth it.
I looked at the angel through blurry eyes.
Fuck.
That was terrifying.
AN: People have always wanted Ainz to solve the Rubik's Cube right in front of Zesshi. Unfortunately for Climb, he's never learnt how and had to improvise. Zesshi is a fun character to write! Not much info on her, but I've attempted to extrapolate from what little we've seen