"All right, all right, let's not embarrass ourselves in public. That's an order from the party leader. If there's nothing else to discuss, why don't we go pay Tia and Gagaran a visit?"
"Sounds like a plan."
The two of them had died and been revived. Although he had not seen the resurrection itself, he had heard all about it from others.
"Speaking of which, is it possible to use the energy of darkness to attack demons and the like?"
"…The energy of darkness?"
Evileye’s uncertain question drew a surprised response from Lakyus. She seemed to find the concept unthinkable.
"Ah, I heard from Gagaran, if you released the full power of the Demonic Sword Kilineyram, it could be powerful enough to destroy the entire country."
Lakyus' eyes went wide.
"Th-that can wait till later! There's something else to discuss, right?""
A demonic sword? Hang on, I think I've heard of this weapon before… not in YGGDRASIL, but this world… got it! The Demonic Sword Kilineyram, said to be able to radiate the power of darkness. Although… destroying an entire country? It sounds like an exaggeration, but it might have a power that comes close enough.
Ainz concluded that her red face was caused by anger and panic that her own trump card had been suddenly revealed.
Just as everyone's attention turned to Lakyus, there was a knocking on the door, and two men entered shortly after.
"Onii-sama, and Marquis Raeven,"
At Renner's words, everyone bowed their heads in respect.
This was the second time Ainz had met these two men. The first time was not long ago, when they had entered the capital. They had changed the terms of the quest he had been hired for. Instead of the Eight Fingers, he would be fighting against Jaldabaoth, and he would be working together with the gathered adventurers of the capital.
After the simple greeting, Ainz and the others were about to step outside because the princess wanted to address the two nobles. Most of the details of the battle plan had already been decided. Searching for Sebas had been abandoned due to a lack of time and manpower. All that was left was to wait for on-site orders.
"Then, everyone, I beseech all the gods to allow everyone here to come back alive and victorious… our hopes rest on all of you, or rather, on Momon-san. May fortune favor you."
After listening to Renner pray with her head bowed low, Ainz and the others quietly exited the room. The only ones left were Raeven and the second prince — Zanack Valurean Igana ryle Vaiself — and Renner.
The moment Climb left the room, Renner's expression changed, her green eyes freezing over like a lake in winter. Zanack shivered as he watched the change in her.
"We overheard the details in the secret room…"
That room was designed for eavesdropping, and the two of them had been listening from in there.
"There's one question you didn't answer. Why did you have to form the guards up into a battle line. Are they sacrifices?"
Guards were very weak. Even the lowliest of adventurers was more than a match for them. If they were attacked, the only reasonable response for them was to be massacred.
"Bait."
That word was what they had expected.
"The adventurers said so too; Jaldabaoth's army of low-ranked demons cannot be allowed to run free in the capital. Then, if they gorge themselves on the guards staked out as bait for them, certainly they will eventually kill their fill and be sated on slaughter, no?" Renner smiled.
It was almost impossible to settle things with fancy words and high-sounding ideals in this world. Everything one did had a price. Nobody understood that more clearly than the ones in power, whose responsibility was to limit the necessary sacrifices as much as possible.
From that point of view, Renner was the ideal bureaucrat.
However, humans were creatures of emotion, and the emotion they would feel when hearing of this plan was revulsion.
"Surely there must be a better way? Some way that doesn't involve sacrificing all the guards?"
"If there were, surely Prince Zanack would have mentioned one by now, no?"
Zanack fell silent.
It was true, he did not have a better plan than Renner's. He had ideas, certainly, but they were either impractical or impossible with the resources available. At the moment, all he could do was acknowledge that Renner's plan was the best of a bad lot.
Raeven shifted his gaze from the prince when he quieted himself, and then he voiced his own objections.
"Then, permit me to seek clarification. Why give Climb such a dangerous task?"
"For the same reason why Onii-sama and Marquis Raeven's men are patrolling the city."
Zanack had been making his rounds in the capital, putting on the act of the prince who cared for his people. After that, he had also begun spreading the rumors that the crown prince had been hiding in the safety of the royal castle. This would make himself look good and diminish his brother— who was his rival.
Did that mean Renner was doing the same thing— sending her subordinate on a dangerous mission of mercy in order to make herself look good?
But then, when one thought about how Renner had revealed her obsession over Climb yesterday, something was definitely wrong here.
Sensing his doubt, Renner carried on.
"Of course, Climb has a chance of dying. In that event, Lakyus will use a resurrection spell on him. It won't be cheap, of course, but an expense like these won't be a problem. And after he's been resurrected, Climb will be weakened from a loss of life energy. During that time, I will take care of him. I'm sure nobody will object to me caring for a person who died and was resurrected for following my orders."
"I see. That is certainly reasonable. You plan to deepen his affection for you."
"— is there a chance Lakyus might die as well?"
"That is a valid concern," Renner said to Raeven, whose head was lowered. "But one that has been planned for. During the dangerous period of the sortie, there will be additional people in place to protect her. The guildmaster does not want a person who can resurrect the dead to be killed, so she agreed without hesitation.”
"It seems everything is within your calculations, little sister."
Yes, his radiant, laughing sister. Zanack trembled in his boots.
Beside him, Raeven also fought to suppress the chill that ran down his spine.
Chapter 11
The Final Battle of the Disturbance
Part 1
The flickering flames of the barrier had no heat at all, making it seem like an illusion. The adventurers standing at the front exchanged glances with their parties, and then they gathered their courage and plunged boldly through the firewall.
Even though the supporting priests from the temples had already cast spells of fire protection on them, they still held their breath, for fear that their lungs would be burned
…even though they already said the flames wouldn't cause any physical harm.
That thought ran through Lakyus' head as she watched the wall of fire from the rear of the formation.
Still, it was too soon to celebrate the fact that the flames were harmless. If they were not meant to cause injury, then there must have been another reason for Jaldabaoth to conjure them. That was what she had to puzzle out.
If I can't figure it out, there's no point wasting energy on it. Who was it who said that I should be using my head for better things… Evileye, or Uncle?
The barrier of magical flames was like an illusion, offering no resistance and bearing no heat, and just like that, she was through.