Watching the exchange happen from the rooftops, Clementine watched Zesshi lead the two strangers into the village.
Sighing quietly to herself, Clementine considered the battle she had just watched. It was more disappointing than anything else. Both held back their true prowess, and neither really tried to kill the other. She already knew Zesshi bore monstrous strength, able to reshape the very landscape she fought in. None of the fear-inspiring techniques she had hoped to see were showcased.
"Tsk. Not fun."
Zesshi let her opponent off unscathed.
What was their intention? Were they merely gauging each other's strength?
But how could they have done so? There was barely anything to judge. It was as if two unknown players sat down at a game board, played just a single move each, only to then agree to a draw.
"…"
Shelving the thought, Clementine hopped off the rooftop, carelessly knocking a few tiles along the way. Making her way towards the nearby barn where the villagers gathered, she slammed the doors open and entered the building.
She scanned the scene.
Ignoring the enticing, vulnerable masses, she focused on her current priority. There he was, attending to an injured villager. Finally spotting the head of blonde hair amongst the crowd, Clementine marched through the sea of peasants, uncaring whether they were in her way.
Leaning over Climb's shoulder, she whispered in his ear.
"Did you ask her to hold back?"
Climb blinked several times before turning around to face her. His expression was muted at first, but quickly faded into one of annoyance.
"Did Zesshi let a couple of knights escape?"
A knowing expression crossed Clementine's features.
"Don't avoid the question. Two suspicious types appeared on the outskirts of the village; A paladin and a caster. You anticipated this, didn't you? And before we arrived, I'm sure you told Zesshi something."
He stared at his accuser with a blank expression.
"I'm not quite sure what you're talking about, Clementine. But whatever Zesshi did to those two was of her own volition, and what I said before was just a suggestion."
The girl scoffed at his remark.
"Well, that half-and-half must've been in quite the merciful mood," she caressed her throat slowly. "She was so merciful, in fact, that she's giving the two a grand tour of this poor excuse of a village as we speak!"
Climb frowned at his companion, but decided to stay on topic.
"Zesshi is showing them around?"
Clementine shrugged her shoulders as she turned away from Climb.
"Who knows? Maybe they'll get lucky and find some hidden treasure or something!"
"…"
She spun around once again to glare at Climb.
"You know what I'm talking about, don'tcha~?"
Climb understood perfectly what she meant by 'hidden treasure'. He'd already told Zesshi to bring the two to meet him. There was no need for him to say anything out loud with so many within earshot.
"I'll go set up the meeting spot. I've already used my authority as marquis to commandeer the village chief's residency. I leave the villagers here in your care…"
Climb immediately realised his mistake when something devious sparked in Clementine's eyes. But before he could amend his statement, the woman had already jumped on the newly-granted opportunity.
"You're putting me in charge of the villagers? Ah, Climb. You truly know the way into a lady's heart~" Spinning Climb around, she began nudging him toward the open doors.
"Wait, Clementine. I didn't mean it like that."
Still, it seemed that his pleas fell on deaf ears. The villagers watched in confusion as the madwoman continually shoved their saviour closer toward the exit.
"Clementine, if you touch even one of them—!"
"You've got a lot of work ahead of you, but I'll help you out. You have an important meeting that requires your attention; Leave the villagers to big sis Clementine, okay~?"
Digging his heels into the dirt, Climb soon found himself back on the street with barn doors firmly locked behind him.
"…"
She was just joking about the villagers, right?
"I think he said… Mm. This house here."
Zesshi stood before the village chief's house, situated near the centre of the village. The place was empty, save for the rare corpse lying here and there. She glanced back at the two figures who had followed her. To the untrained eye, they seemed relaxed and gave the impression that they had no intention of harming anyone. Despite appearances, Zesshi was confident that the two had been on high alert all the way to the house. They were poised and ready for an attack, even if such a thing was near-impossible.
"Wait here."
A distant clattering of tableware and jumbled footsteps could be heard within the house. Walking up to the door and knocking twice, an almost immediate response came from inside.
"Come in!"
The response felt almost too immediate, but Zesshi elected to ignore the intrusive thought and began leading the two inside. Stepping through the doorway, the trio was met with a simple corridor. It was furnished sparsely, with a single hallway stand to the side and a lonely chair opposite.
"I'll be with you in a moment! The guests can make themselves at home; The sitting room is the first door on the right!"
Climb's voice came from the far end of the hallway, accompanied by the sound of clinking ceramic mugs. The half-elf continued with the overlord and his follower, proceeding down the hall. A quick peek through the open door revealed a modestly sized room containing only the bare minimum: A table and four chairs. Truly, a space worthy of the title 'sitting room'.
Zesshi watched as Momonga made his way to the table and thanked her for the hospitality. As if some unknown force was going to steal the spot away from her, Albedo spent no time at all seating herself beside her master. The succubus not-so-subtly leaned against the undead.
The next few minutes passed in silence, only coming to an end with Climb rounding the corner, looking more than a little dishevelled. His hair was ruffled, armour half-dismantled, and skin smudged with dirt and blood.
"First time making coffee; Not the greatest, but I think I'd call it a success," he spoke to nobody in particular.
Looking up, he finally regarded the two guests sitting at the table. He stared for a moment, but his eyes didn't linger for too long. Instead, he lifted up the tray in his hands and proudly displayed the four ceramic mugs resting on it.
"Could I interest you in some coffee?"
Momonga's first impression of Climb was one of dilemma.
He did not know what kind of plot Climb was scheming. From what he could gather about the boy from Zesshi's comments, Climb seemed to be a knowledgeable, secretive, and cautious fellow. His overly-friendly and laid-back attitude was an immediate strike against his preconceptions.
"Erm, I'm afraid I must decline the offer. If it is no trouble—"
"—Is that because you're undead? Or you aren't fond of the taste?" Climb stopped him mid-sentence.
Momonga's mind went blank for a moment. Undead? Climb knew he was undead? The overlord grew quiet.
He'd made sure to hide every identifiable trait of his race, and even cast a human face illusion beneath the mask. He hadn't detected Climb use any magic.
Was this what Zesshi meant by masks being useless? Perhaps, Climb somehow possessed something similar to the [Eye of Truth] passive, able to see through disguises and illusions?
Too many questions whirled around in his head for him to keep up with them all at once. Turning to Albedo sat beside him, Momonga noted that the succubus was also silent, presumably wrapped up deep in contemplation too.
Climb shrugged and pulled out a chair, confidently sitting opposite Momonga and Albedo. As he did so, Momonga noticed his demeanour change. Gone was the jovial, carefree boy of before, with something more serious taking its place.
"Well then, before we begin, how about an introduction?" Climb clasped his hands over the table, leaning forward slightly as he spoke. "I'm Climb, human. By Yggdrasilian standards, I'm perhaps level fifty at best. Very poor melee build. No guild affiliation."
Was Climb a player too? His wording felt off. While he did introduce himself by his level, there was something distant about his tone. Additionally, admitting that he was at such a low level felt suspicious.
Beneath his mask, Momonga raised a non-existent brow. Casting a silent [Discern Enemy], he confirmed Climb's claims. He was a high level 40 if [False Data] trickery hadn't been employed. Although Momonga was relieved when he saw the boy's statistics, he remained wary. Climb's apparent weakness could easily be a decoy to lure him into a false sense of security.
"It seems you are telling the truth. Since you've already seen through this guise, it is only appropriate we talk face-to-face," Momonga removed his mask, revealing the skeletal face underneath.
Climb nodded at Momonga's words, but said nothing further.
"I am Momonga, leader of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. A magic caster," the overlord gestured to the succubus beside him. "This is Albedo, the guardian overseer of Nazarick."
Climb didn't comment on the lack of specifics he had provided. Despite Momonga being the one needing help, after seeing the low levels of the ones he was negotiating with, the overlord held the advantage. There was no need to divulge information that could be used as bargaining chips.
"A level one-hundred and his NPC appear before me without warning. One could wipe all my memories with nothing but a spell, and the other could turn me into paste without even needing to use their weapon. This is beginning to feel like a rather one-sided discussion."
"Rest assured, we are no brutes, Climb," Momonga raised a hand. "Although I may be a heteromorph, I would prefer to reach a mutual understanding diplomatically."
Climb swirled the mug in his hands and stared at the liquid inside quietly. While Momonga could see him thinking about what he should say next, the truth was that Climb already knew how to respond.
"If that's the case, you don't mind if I made things more equitable for myself?"
"Hm? It depends on what you are planning."
"You came here in search of information, correct? Just think of me as a merchant. I have a warehouse full of the commodity you want. I merely want to give my dear, potential customers a sample of my product. May I?"
Momonga clasped his chin in thought. As a former salaryman, he knew what Climb was up to. It was a simple marketing strategy to elevate his position in the negotiation. Offering a free sample was an easy way of attracting a potential customer. And if his product was good enough, he could be thrust from being the one desperately searching for business, to the one playing 'hard-to-get'. That was ifhis product was good enough.
In any case, Momonga was about to receive a 'freebie' from the boy. He was expecting to learn some crucial piece of information, seeing as some mundane factoid about today's weather would defeat the purpose entirely. What was Climb going to tell him? Something about this world's culture? Its language? Its currency?
Zesshi watched on with interest, her eyes glimmering in the dim light.
"I don't mind," Momonga readily accepted the proposal.
"Excellent!" A bright smile crossed Climb's features. It was a smile that didn't suit him. "I promise you won't be disappointed with its quality."
"Umu."
Climb raised his right index finger, guiding everyone's eyes in the room to bring their focus onto the lone point. Slowly, he lowered it, ever so slightly, a millimetre at a time, until they realised what he was doing.
Climb pointed at Momonga and spoke:
"A level one-hundred overlord. Collector and hoarder of items regardless of rarity. Through the use of [Dark Wisdom], you have surpassed the limitation of three hundred spells, and currently, able to cast upwards of seven hundred. Creator of Pandora's Actor, an NPC who can take the form and abilities of the Supreme Forty-One. The doppelganger is the caretaker of Nazarick's treasury."
As if listing off items on a grocery list, Climb spoke each sentence emotionlessly. The words were simple, yet to Momonga, they were laced with poison. It wasn't just a single fact or two; It was as if Climb had clawed his way into Momonga's mind and dredged up every preference and thought he possessed.
A display of ruthless psychological warfare. Both to demonstrate his 'product's quality', but also a thinly veiled warning in disguise. Indeed, Climb had made things more equitable for himself. They painted a vivid picture of who Momonga was dealing with.
The overlord immediately checked his anti-divination barrier. It was untouched.
Was he put under some charm spell and hadn't realised? But the undead were immune to such status effects!
How did he get such information? Where did he get that information?
Did he use a World Item? No, holders of World Items couldn't be affected by another.
Then? A level fifty could not pull off such a feat.
"This should be more than enough. Or shall I continue… Suzuki Satoru?"
Zesshi found it hard to breathe. The pressure emanating from the undead caster flooded the room like water, seeping into every crevice. As though some invisible force had gripped and caressed her heart, she was left frozen, unable to move.
Was this the power of a player?
She now understood Climb's warning before they arrived at Carne Village. Her eyes flicked over to the boy sitting at the table, his expression unchanged by Momonga's killing intent—if that indeed what it was. How did the human boy stay unfazed in the face of such overwhelming pressure? Even the fully-plated Albedo appeared rooted to the spot.
"From your reaction, I see I have proved my worth adequately," Climb took a sip from his mug. Zesshi felt a band of sweat forming on her forehead. Why was the boy still playing with such a monster?
Momonga stood up.
"Who are you?!"
The force pushing down grew stronger with each word. It invaded her mind, her muscles screaming at her to flee. Her limbs would not move, and she could only watch as Momonga's murderous aura enveloped Climb's body like a thick blanket of thorns.
"As I said, I'm Climb. Right now, nothing more than an information broker."
"Then explain how you know that name! There must be another player behind this; Members of a rival guild! Admit it!"
Momonga swept his arm across the room. To Zesshi, it felt as if the monster had split the world in two. The wooden table unceremoniously collapsed onto the ground in two, perfectly separated down the middle.
Climb tilted his head in curiosity.
"Oh, [Reality Slash] is really impressive in person."
Momonga couldn't stand it any longer. Climb just kept giving him more reasons to count him as a danger. Not only did he know his real name, but an outsider with knowledge of Nazarick was too great of a threat to ignore.
Momonga raised the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and pointed it at Climb.
"[Greater Teleportation]."
Zesshi could only watch as the boy disappeared from his seat at the monster's command.
"Hm. No hostile teleportation countermeasures." He turned to Albedo. "I have teleported him to the mausoleum entrance. Inform the Pleiades to collect him immediately, and ensure Shalltear accompanies them in the event he is hiding something up his sleeve. Have Cocytus prepare a room on the fifth floor and keep him isolated. I must return to ready the tomb's defences immediately."
Recovering from the exposure to [Despair Aura V], Albedo bowed to her master.
"At once, Momonga-sama! And what should I do with the other cretin who dared provoke the might of Nazarick?"
Zesshi felt Momonga's glowing red eyes lock with hers.
"[Greater Teleportation]."
AN: Keikaku means plan.
As to whatever that plan may be… you'll have to ask the Golden Princess herself.