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[LFTAW] Chapter 338: Next Move
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 01:39:41 +0000 UTCShalltear was defeated.
When this result came in, Ainz and Shalltear had already been fighting for nearly half a day, the battle continuing until the sun was almost setting.
Even though the battle was full of twists and turns, with several unexpected moments, Ainz still had the last laugh, successfully killing Shalltear, thanks to his cash items and the equipment left to him by his past guild companions.
"Hahh, I'm tired..."
Completely drained, Ainz made his way to reunite with Albedo, Demiurge, and Cocytus, unable to resist letting out this remark in front of them.
"Congratulations, Lord Ainz."
"You're amazing as always."
"Truly worthy of a Supreme Being."
Albedo, Demiurge, and Cocytus all stepped forward to greet Ainz, their faces reflecting a sense of relief.
Ainz's victory was, naturally, the best outcome for them, so while they felt relieved, they also cast admiring glances at him, which made him feel a slight itch down his spine.
"Don't look at me like that since this was just the expected outcome." Ainz said with certainty, whether in modesty or exaggeration. "So, what about Riezel Brynhart? Where did he go?"
"He left—in fact, he left quite early." Demiurge replied respectfully.
"Hou? He didn't stick around to see the end?" Ainz asked with a bit of surprise, the red glows in his eyes flickering slightly.
"No... he said he already knew the outcome, then left on his own." Cocytus replied in a heavy voice.
"Is that so?"
Ainz nodded and decided to drop the subject of Riezel.
However, while Ainz didn't want to bring it up again, Albedo was eager to do so.
"If I may speak frankly, Lord Ainz, why do you keep letting that human wander around us so freely?"
Albedo asked straightforwardly, seemingly unable to hold it in.
"I know Lord Ainz didn't want to act until we understood his background, but just from his attitude, it's clear he has no respect for us or Nazarick."
"At this rate, I don't think he will ever coexist peacefully with us."
"I believe that human... that man... will eventually become our enemy..."
Albedo's words earned Demiurge's approval.
"Actually, I feel the same way, Lord Ainz. He is clearly not one of us. Sooner or later, there will be a conflict between us." Demiurge adjusted his glasses and recalled Riezel's behavior so far. "No, from his actions, it almost seems like he's itching for a fight with us."
From Riezel, both Albedo and Demiurge sensed a hint of danger.
Because of this, the ones who harbored the most hostility toward Riezel in the Great Tomb of Nazarick were these two, to the point that they truly wanted him dead.
"I think we should send out the Floor Guardians to surround that human and deal with him. We need to get rid of this ticking time bomb as soon as possible."
"He might be strong, but if we send at least three Floor Guardians, a group like today's, we should be able to handle him without a problem."
"As long as Lord Ainz permits, I can go back right now and mobilize everyone, setting up an ambush."
"Aura and Mare are nearby too, so why not just send all five of us? We'll make sure it's a perfect success."
Albedo and Demiurge spoke one after another, offering their advice to Ainz, who was thoughtfully rubbing his chin.
"Cocytus, what do you think?" Ainz asked, turning to the silent Cocytus.
"Me?" Cocytus was momentarily stunned before responding. "I will follow Lord Ainz's decision."
"No, that's not what I asked." Ainz waved his hand. "I'm asking you, from your perspective, what kind of person do you think Riezel Brynhart is?"
Evidently, this question really caught Cocytus off guard.
Unlike Albedo and Demiurge, who were exceptionally intelligent, Cocytus didn't have the same level of strategic thinking.
Within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo and Demiurge were always the ones making decisions and offering plans, so they were the scheming types and often presented Ainz with a variety of suggestions and advice.
Cocytus, on the other hand, was a pure warrior, a combat specialist, so he wasn't as adept at handling complex matters.
In this situation, as Ainz threw the question at Cocytus, he was unable to come up with a satisfactory answer right away.
In the end, Cocytus could only reply from his own perspective.
"I don't know if that human will harm Nazarick, but I do agree with the statement that he is dangerous..." Cocytus said in a heavy voice. "I can feel it... he is strong, incredibly strong. Even though he somehow sealed off his aura, my instincts are still shouting at me not to approach him."
"...I see." Ainz muttered after a brief silence before asking another question. "You think so highly of him?"
"It's just a feeling, but I trust it." Cocytus replied truthfully.
"Umu..." Ainz nodded, thought for a moment, and then made his decision. "For now, let's stick with the original plan. It's better not to move against Riezel Brynhart for now."
Upon hearing this, Albedo and Demiurge looked like they wanted to say something but were stopped by Ainz.
"I understand your concerns, and I'm glad to see you're thinking ahead, but right now, we don't know enough about him. Acting rashly might trigger some unnecessary chain reactions."
"Not to mention, in PvP, the most important factor is always information, meaning the side with better information has a higher chance of winning. Just consider the fact that he knows so many secrets about this world and, strangely, about us."
"We have no idea whether he has a large organization supporting him from behind, providing him with information. If we act rashly against him, it could very well bring out unknown forces in this world, and that might put Nazarick in a vulnerable position."
Ainz explained his thoughts to everyone.
"Now is not the time to take action against him, understand?"
Ainz's words left everyone silent for a moment before they reluctantly nodded in agreement, especially Albedo and Demiurge, who knew they couldn't make a move on Riezel yet and had visible dissatisfaction on their faces.
"How about this..."
Seeing their dissatisfied expressions, Ainz's tone shifted as he spoke again.
"Albedo, Demiurge, when you return, start putting together a special unit and send them out to gather information on Riezel Brynhart."
"We can't monitor him directly since his senses are too sharp, and it wouldn't be a good idea to send someone to provoke him, but we can investigate him from other angles."
"Maybe we'll get some unexpected results, finding clues on how to deal with him."
"At that point..."
Ainz didn't say more, but the meaning behind his words was clear to everyone present.
"Yes, Lord Ainz."
"We'll start preparing immediately after we return."
Albedo and Demiurge accepted Ainz's order without hesitation, and the dissatisfaction on their faces faded a bit.
"Let's go, we're heading back." Ainz turned around and then glanced at Albedo. "Is the preparation for Shalltear's resurrection ready?"
"Yes." Albedo immediately replied. "All the necessary resources have been gathered and are now placed in the throne room. We can initiate the resurrection process at any time."
Normally, resurrection didn't require any resources.
No matter what type of resurrection magic was used, the only cost involved was a noticeable drop in level, with no other significant expense.
However, Shalltear wasn't just anyone but a Floor Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, an NPC created using guild privileges.
For NPCs like Shalltear, if resurrected using a certain amount of in-game currency at the guild base, there would be no level loss, and her strength would remain as it had been when she was alive.
Before preparing to fight Shalltear, Ainz had ordered Albedo to gather the in-game currency needed for her resurrection.
"Good..." Ainz's tone lightened a little. "Let's head back and resurrect Shalltear right away."
""Yes.""
Albedo, Cocytus, and Demiurge nodded and followed Ainz, leaving the forest.
===
Meanwhile, in E-Rantel.
After having a brief rest in the Shining Golden Pavilion, which was still under repair, Riezel stepped out of his room.
He first went to the inn staff to check out, and then, empty-handed, made his way to the Adventurer's Guild.
At the Adventurer's Guild, Riezel not only met with the guild master but also got some important information.
According to the guild master, Riezel's fight at the Shining Golden Pavilion had already been cleared of any wrongdoing, so there was no need to worry about being wanted by the city.
As for the incident at the cemetery, it was still under investigation, and word was that Khajiit's corpse had been moved for further examination.
Regarding the northern forest, the guild master said that they had already sent out several adventurer groups multiple times to investigate, but all of them had gone without coming back.
Because of this, the guild master had decided to gather a group of adventurers to fortify the northern defense line within E-Rantel and seek help from Orichalcum or Adamantite Adventurers to deal with the northern forest situation.
Naturally, the guild master also invited Riezel to join, but he didn't hesitate for a second to decline immediately.
It wasn't for any particular reason but simply because Riezel had already made up his mind to leave E-Rantel.
'Well then, where should I go next?'
After leaving the Adventurer's Guild and stepping out of E-Rantel, Riezel walked down the road, thinking about his next move.
Eventually, Riezel turned his gaze toward the direction of the mountains.
'Guess I'll check out the mountains first. I remember there are some pretty powerful monsters there.'
'Once I'm done with the mountains, maybe I could head over to the Baharuth Empire to have a look...'
'As for the Slane Theocracy... might as well stop by there if I have the time.'
With his decision made, Riezel smiled and immediately cast magic.
"Fly."
A ghostly blue magical energy glowed around Riezel's body, lifting him into the air and sending him off into the distance.
