Gazef was strong, so they had to weaken him by stripping him of his equipment.
The Kingdom was split into two factions, the King and the Nobility, who were constantly competing for political power. As long as they were able to get rid of Gazef, the King’s pivotal piece, the nobles would be able to move easily. Even if this mission was issued due to the influence of foreign spies, it wouldn't be surprising for the higher-ups of the Kingdom to support this assassination mission.
Since Gazef was just a simple commoner who had raised through the ranks using his superior swordsmanship, he was hated by the nobles.
And that was how the situation ended up like this.
The kingdom’s champion, killed by his own people.
Nigan considered all this as really stupid behavior.
Although they─the people of the Slane Theocracy─ were divided into six different religious factions, they would cooperate readily whenever the need arose.
One reason was their collective respect for each other’s god. Another reason was their knowledge of other races and demonic beings in this world that weren’t human. It would be very dangerous if they weren’t united.
"…It’s important that everyone follows the same teachings and walks the same road. Humans shouldn’t fight with each other; we should work together to pave a road for the future."
Gazef will be sacrificed to achieve this goal.
"… Do we have the ability to get rid of him?"
Nigan didn’t laugh at his subordinate’s anxiety.
The target this time was the Knight-Captain of the Kingdom — The strongest warrior of the neighboring kingdoms, Gazef Strolonoff.
Compared to raiding a huge Goblin Village and killing everything, this mission was a lot more difficult. In order to soothe his subordinate’s anxiety, Nigan calmly said:
"There won’t be any problems. Right now, he doesn’t have the Kingdom’s treasures because he didn’t receive permission to use them. Without those treasures, killing him should take no effort at all… No, if it wasn’t for this great opportunity, there would be no way to defeat him."
Knight-Captain of the Kingdom, Gazef Strolonoff, was one of the strongest knights. His superior swordsmanship made him very fearsome, but there was another reason as well.
He had the right to wear the Kingdom’s five treasures. At the moment the Sunlight Scripture only had intel on four of them, but if Gazef were to obtain permission, he could equip all of them.
The [Gauntlet of Endurance] that granted his bearer endless stamina. The [Amulet of Immortality] that provided regeneration. Made of incredibly hard steel, the [Guardian Armor] prevented any instantly killing attack. And [Razor Edge], a magically sharpened sword with the ability to slice through armor like paper.
Even Nigan himself wouldn’t be able to win against Gazef if he was supported by the treasures’ blessings which improved both his offensive and defensive capabilities. No, among all the humans, there should be no one capable of defeating him. But right now he didn’t have those treasures, so victory was assured.
"Also… We still have a trump card. This is a battle that we cannot lose."
Nigan placed one of his hands on his chest.
In this world, there were three magical items that were unimaginably powerful.
One of these treasures was left behind by the Eight Kings of Desire who briefly ruled this world five hundred years ago.
Another one came from an age long before the Eight Kings of Desire was defeated, when Dragons still ruled over the world; a hidden tool created by the magic of the highest ranking Dragon Lord.
The last one was a treasure left behind six-hundred years ago by the Six Great Gods; it was the basis of the Slane Theocracy’s doctrine.
These were the three magical items.
And in Nigan’s possession was a treasure that only a selected few in the Slane Theocracy knew about, it was his sure-kill trump card.
Nigan looked at the steel wristband on his wrist. Several numerals floated up, displaying that the appointed time has come.
"Well then… Commence the attack."
Nigan and his subordinates started to cast their magic.
All of them used their high tier spells which summoned angels.
"Oh… There are indeed people."
Gazef, from a dimly lit room, peeked out at the silhouettes surrounding the village.
He perceived three people who were keeping their distance, slowly encroaching on the village.
They weren't armed and didn't wear any heavy equipment. But this didn't mean that they would be easily defeated. Lots of Magic Casters disliked heavy equipment, opting instead for lighter gear. This was probably the case for these people.
Floating next to them were Magical Beings that shone brilliantly and had wings, which made it obvious what kind of Magical Being they were.
Angels.
Angels were Magical Beings summoned from another realm and many people believed that they were God's envoys, especially the people of the Slane Theocracy.
Although there was no way to prove whether or not Angels were envoys of God, the Kingdom still claimed these Angels were merely Magical Beings.
And even though the debate regarding Angels was one of the biggest reasons for conflict between the Kingdom and the Theocracy, Gazef didn't really care whether Angels were envoys or not; all he cared about was their combat prowess.
To Gazef's knowledge, Angels were stronger in comparison to other Magical Beings summoned with the same tier of magic. They had special abilities and could even use magic themselves. All in all, he considered them to be troublesome opponents indeed.
But you had also to consider what kind of Angels they were; not all Angels were necessarily hard to deal with.
These Angels were equipped with shining breastplates and had blazing longswords in their hands. Gazef wasn't familiar with this kind of Angel.
Next to Gazef, who wasn't able to gauge the Angel's true strength, stood Ainz who was also observing the situation. Ainz asked:
"Where did the Angels come from? And what's their objective? This village isn't worth attacking, right?"
"Master Gown, I have no clue… If they're not after possessions, there can be only one reason for their presence."
The twos' gazes meet.
"Is it because they have a grudge against Sir Knight-Captain?"
"Since I assumed the position of Knight-Captain, dealing with grudges is something that can't be helped. But…..This is really troublesome. Since they have so many Magic Casters who’re able to summon Angels, it seems very likely that they belong to the Slane Theocracy….. And since they're carrying out this kind of shady activity it's pretty clear that they're from one of their special intelligence teams…..The so called Six Scriptures. From both the numerical and proficiency standpoints, they have the upper hand."
Gazef, who was analyzing this thorny situation, forcibly relaxed his shoulder muscles. Although he appeared calm and collected on the surface, in his heart he felt very anxious and wrathful.
They actually forced me to leave my sacred treasures behind by using the nobility faction; I must have troubled them too much. However, if that venomous man remains in the palace it would be an even bigger problem. This opportunity to find out why he wants to kill me should be a stroke of luck. In any case, I would've never thought the Slane Theocracy had set its sight on me as well.
Gazef let out another "Hmmph!"