“That’s correct~ I saw a cute girl wearing this strange crown, but since it didn’t suit her I took it~ But then I got a shock! She immediately went berserk~ letting her bowels go~”
The woman kept laughing.
If one snatched 「Crown of Wisdom」 away, its current bearer — which was a central figure of the Slane Theocracy’s magic ceremonies, the Miko Princess — would end up in a terrible state. There was no way that this woman, who was a former member of the Black Scripture, didn't know exactly what would happen if she did so.
After all, it was the task of the Black Scripture to send the mad Miko Princess to the gods after the crown was removed, in order to allow the next Miko Princess to ascend.
“But it can’t be helped. It was the only way to obtain this~ it wasn’t my fault, it was the fault of the crown’s creator~.”
There was no way to safely remove the crown, except for destroying it.
The crown sealed the wearer’s self, turning the human itself into a high-level magic item, there shouldn’t be anyone who’d be so wasteful and destroy someone like that.
But there was this unhinged person.
“Hmmph, the thing I had to steal at the expense of betraying the Black Scripture is trash. I should have taken the divine artifact left behind by the Six Gods.”
“Calling it trash is a bit—”
The man called out the woman who was posing and puffing her cheek out:
“But it is trash, right? Only one in 10,000 women can wear this item. It will be hard to find someone suitable outside a nation like the Slane Theocracy."
The Slane Theocracy was the only nation in the region with a population register. Using the register, they were able to easily find somebody suitable to wear the crown — a sacrifice.
If it wasn’t for this, it would be hard to find suitable candidates even with Zuranon’s influence.
"It’s impossible to steal that divine artifact anyway~ It’s protected by the strongest monster in the Black Scripture who went beyond the physical limits of humans. The blood of the 6 Gods runs in its veins, an atavistic bastard~"
"Demigods… Are those guys that strong? I’ve only heard about them from you."
"Those guys are beyond the realm of being strong. You didn't know because the information is classified~ if those who knew were interrogated using mind control, it would be disastrous. It was said that if news leaked out, it would start a war with the remaining forces of the true Dragon King. The Theocracy will be affected and might even be destroyed, so I hope you can pretend you didn't hear anything~"
"Sounds unbelievable."
"You only think so because you haven’t witnessed that power~ back on topic: Kajit-Dale Badantel, as one of the 12 core members, will you be willing to lend me a hand?"
The woman finally changed her tone.
"Oh, showing your true colors in the end? The body double of the Empress of Tears… and don't call me Dale, I don't use that name anymore."
"…Don't call me the body double of the Empress of Tears either okay? Call me Clementine."
"… Clementine, what do you want me to help you with?"
"Isn't there an outstanding person with an innate talent in this city? That guy might be able to wear this item~"
"… I see, it’s that rumored guy. But can't you kidnap one human by yourself?"
"Yes, you are right, but I want to create havoc when I take action too~"
"I see… And escape in the chaos…"
"I can help you with the ritual, what do you think? It's a great deal right~?"
The man — Kajit squinted his eyes, smiling sinisterly:
"That's wonderful, Clementine. If you are willing to assist, the festival of death will be finished ahead of schedule. No problem, I will do everything I can to aid you."
Chapter 2 — Journey
Part 1
There were two routes from Re-Lantier to Carne Village if you travel by horse-drawn carriage.
After going north, keep right by hugging the edge of the forest. Or go east then turn north.
This time the former route was chosen.
Since there was a higher chance of encountering monsters along the edge of the forest, taking this path was the wrong choice from a bodyguard’s perspective.
Even so, everyone still chose this route. This was done in order for Ainz to fulfill his promise to Peter and hunt monsters. Although there was a lot more to lose than to gain, they were still able to choose this path without worries because Momon and Nabel were there. In addition, Narberal demonstrating her ability to cast tier 3 magic ‘Lightning’ when they left the city was a big factor
And technically they were not entering the forest. Rather, they were traveling along the border between the forest and the plains, so the monsters they might encounter wouldn't be too strong. With the ability of the group, they should be able to manage. In addition, by taking this route, the monster encounters would allow the members to verify each other’s combat prowess. With these points in mind, they decided on this route.
The sun reached its zenith after they left Re-Lantier; they could see a dense, primitive forest in the distance. The giant trees’ luscious branches and leaves were dense to the extent that sunlight could not penetrate the forest. This reduced visibility produced the illusion of being swallowed by darkness. The gaps between the trees looked like gaping maws, waiting for prey to enter; the eeriness made the party uneasy.
The group adopted a formation that surrounded the carriage as they advanced. The driver is of course Nfirea, the ranger Lukeluther was in front of the carriage, the warrior Peter on the left, the druid Darwin and Magic Caster Ninya on the right, while Ainz and Narberal were at the back.
Because the field of vision was wide, no one was on guard. However, Peter became more serious at this point:
“Momon-san, from here on will be dangerous grounds. We won’t encounter monsters we can’t handle, but to be safe, we need to careful.”
"Understood."
Ainz nodded and thought of something.
If this was a game, what monster that we will encounter is dependent on the place, but reality is different. God knows what kind of difficult enemy might pop up.
Based on the battle of Carne from a few days prior, and according to the intelligence revealed by the interrogated Sunlight Scripture prisoners, Ainz was confident that he was strong. But that was his power as a Magic Caster; Ainz was currently wearing armor forged by magic, and thus was unable to chant most of his spells.
With his suppressed strength, could he still play the role of a competent vanguard? Not only that, but an escort’s victory condition was not to defeat the enemy; rather, his job was to thoroughly protect his charge, in this case, Nfirea. Pondering this, Ainz felt uneasy.
He planned to dispel his armor if a crisis arose, but in doing so, he would have to kill his traveling companions or alter their memories. Ainz didn't wish to do such a thing.
That's too much of a hassle.
Ainz turned his head and looked at Narberal, who nodded upon sensing his gaze.
They had discussed beforehand and Narberal was to use higher tier magic in a pinch, up to tier 5 and hope to resolve the problem. If this weren't enough, Ainz would dispel his armor and fight seriously.