Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Are dragons really that powerful?

Ainz's fingers unconsciously tightened around the armrest of the throne.

Super-tier magic is the ultimate power that even a magic-type spellcaster of level 100 like him can only use four times a day, and there are many restrictions on its use.

He had just used [Falling from the Sky] to completely wipe hundreds of Dragontooth Lizardmen off the map, employing a super-tier magic spell—a destructive force capable of altering the landscape.

Now, Sebastian tells him that a dragon's roar can achieve the same effect.

Shalltear's defeat was not unjust.

If the dragon that controlled Shalltear truly possessed such power, then Shalltear's defeat in the skirmish would be entirely understandable.

No, it should be said that Shalltear's ability to leave behind that piece of armor in a battle of that level proves her strength in itself.

As for the veracity of the uncertain intelligence Sebastian mentioned, Ainz does not believe so.

Ainz sighed softly to himself.

The fact that the usually composed Sebastian was so dejected suggests that he has likely already confirmed the authenticity of this intelligence.

Sebastian's statement of "uncertainty" was probably only out of consideration for the Supreme Being, who did not want the ruler to be overwhelmed by such heavy news.

Sebastian's intentions were indeed very good.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Ainz's heart.

These guardians are the children he and his companions created, and they are always caring for him in their own ways.

So, as a father and superior, the ruler of Nazarick, and the one who bears the name of Ainz Ooal Gown.

He absolutely cannot show any lack of confidence in front of his children.

No matter how strong the enemy is, he must stand at the forefront and become a pillar that the guardians can rely on.

This is the duty of the supreme ruler.

"Don't worry, Sebastian." Ainz's voice sounded unusually calm, as if he had expected what Sebastian said. "I understand everything you've said. Well done. I'll need you to continue gathering information about the dragons."

Ainz paused, his tone softening slightly, revealing genuine concern: "If you encounter danger, immediately seek help and evacuate. Do not act rashly."

[Message] Sebastian's voice rang out, his emotion for Lord Ainz barely contained: "Yes, Lord Ainz, I will remember."

Ainz nodded slightly, ending the message.

The throne room fell silent once more.

Ainz sat alone at the boundary between light and shadow, his finger bones pressed against his chin.

A roar can destroy a mountain; it possesses power beyond the level of magic.

Ainz silently processed this information in his mind.

If this intelligence is accurate, then his previous assessment of the enemy's strength needs to be readjusted.

Demiurge's analysis may be too optimistic; the opponent is not avoiding war, but may simply be waiting for a more suitable opportunity.

However, it is too early to draw conclusions.

Sebastian also said that more intelligence was needed to corroborate the findings. The immediate priority was for Sebastian to continue his in-depth investigation in the Dragon Kingdom, while vigilance in Nazarick could not be relaxed.

Ainz raised his head and looked at the intricate reliefs on the dome of the throne room, each line carrying the memories of him and his companions.

No matter how strong the enemy is, he will not admit defeat.

"Bring it on! I will protect everything in Nazarick."

This was a realization he had already made after changing his name to Ainz Ooal Gown.

Chapter 34 Ainz's Mistake

The Great Tomb of Nazarick, Throne Room.

Ainz Ooal Gown sat enthroned on his throne, the dark red light in his eye sockets sweeping over the gathered guardians below.

He has already shared the information Sebastian sent back with everyone.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the throne room became as heavy as solidified ice.

"A single roar... can destroy a mountain?" Yau's ears drooped slightly, and a rare serious expression appeared on his usually boyish face. "Isn't that even more exaggerated than super-tier magic?"

Mare huddled behind her sister, covering her face with her staff, her voice barely audible: "So...so scary..."

Albedo stood below the throne, her brow furrowed.

She looked at Ainz, about to ask for stronger defenses.

"Congratulations, Lord Ainz."

A calm voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.

Demiurge stepped forward, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed deeply.

After straightening up, an elegant smile appeared on his cunning face, and a confident light shone from behind his round glasses.

Ainz nearly dislocated his jaw.

What are you congratulating me on?

A flash of green light, forcibly calming Ainz, quickly suppressed his confusion and panic.

"Ahem." Ainz cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound as if he had everything under control. "Demiurge, have you figured it out already?"

Using a declarative sentence to pose a rhetorical question is the best way to deal with Demiurge.

Ainz is already quite experienced in this area.

Demiurge smiled slightly, his face full of heartfelt admiration: "Of course, Lord Ainz, your arrangement is truly ingenious."

'Ah, do I have any arrangements?' Ainz's mind started racing, but his face remained expressionless.

"You left Narberal in Yerantir specifically for this moment, didn't you, Lord Ainz?"

'Simata.'

A groan escaped Ainz's heart.

He forgot about Nabellar in Yelantil.

These days he has been on guard and investigating matters related to dragons, mobilizing guardians, setting up defenses, and probing the enemy, completely forgetting about the battle maid who was left in Yelantil.

At the time, I just casually told her to stay there and keep an eye out for intelligence, and then I never contacted her again.

“Narberal?” Cocytus spoke in a muffled voice. He heard this unexpected name from Demiurge, and his insect-like compound eyes turned to the demon. “What does this have to do with Narberal?”

In fact, Naberal, who habitually refers to humans as various lowly insects, is unexpectedly a close friend of Cocytus, who is also an insectoid.

The two would have a great time chatting when they were alone, and Cocytus, who is usually not very talkative, would ask questions first at these times.

Demiurge pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a confident gleam: "Of course, this is Lord Ainz's ingenious design. It wasn't until Narberal asked me about the funding that I understood everything."

Ainz covered his face with his hands. 'Damn it, I forgot to give Nabella money. That basically left her to fend for herself in Yerantir.'

“Lord Ainz deliberately withheld funds from Narberal’s activities,” Demiurge’s voice echoed calmly in the throne room.

"The idea is to let her continue operating as an adventurer, earning funds by completing quests, thereby keeping the Dark Squad active."

He turned to look at the throne, his eyes filled with reverence: "Now is the time when the Dark Squad is needed."

'No, I simply forgot.'

The green light around Ainz surged continuously, and he barely managed to suppress the overwhelming guilt that was about to spill over by forcing himself to calm down.

He remained seated, nodding slightly, as if affirming Demiurge's analysis.

"Ahem. Demiurge, it's quite impressive that you can see it now." Ainz's tone carried a hint of encouragement.

"Thank you for your affirmation, Lord Ainz."

Demiurge bowed deeply, then straightened up and turned to the remaining guardians who were still puzzled.

He adjusted his tie and began to explain further.

"In fact, I've been wondering before why Dragon has never fallen into Lord Ainz's carefully designed trap."

Yau blinked, Mare peeked out from behind his sister, Cocytus' compound eyes flickered slightly, and Albedo turned her head to wait for Demiurge to reveal the answer.

“Leaving aside defensive attributes for now,” Demiurge held up a finger, “since the dragon’s attack power has reached this level, it has absolutely no reason to fear us when attacking the lizardmen, who cannot rely on Nazarick for defense.”

His gaze swept over the guardians present: "I previously speculated that the dragons learned most of Nazarick's information from Shalltear, and therefore were wary of us. But subsequent tests have shown that the dragons have moved far away from Nazarick's sphere of influence and are likely no longer within the kingdom's borders."

"But if the dragons, while controlling Shalltear, cannot obtain the information Shalltear knows from her..."

Demiurge's lips curled up even more: "Then everything makes sense. The reason the dragon didn't fall into Lord Ainz's trap is most likely because it didn't know about Nazarick's existence from the beginning, and it didn't obtain the information that Shalltear possessed."

'Ah, I see.'

Ainz, sitting on the throne, finally understood.

Demiurge's bait plan has not worked.

He had always thought that Long was too cunning and had seen through everything, and had been worried about it for so long.

Is the truth really that simple?

It's highly likely that the dragon was unaware of Nazarick's existence, and after suddenly encountering Shalltear, it subdued her and left.

Moreover, although it can control Shalltear, it cannot read Shalltear's memories.

So no matter how many layers of bait Demiurge sets up, the dragon will not take the bait.

All his worries these past few days, and the defense plans he had repeatedly refined... were in vain.

The green light, which forced a sense of calm, flashed again.

“Lord Ainz,” Demiurge turned to face the throne, adjusting his glasses, “your foresight is truly beyond my reach.”

“From the very beginning, you didn’t place all your hopes on the decoy plan. You kept Nabella and the Dark Squad as a backup plan, so that if the decoy failed, you would have another intelligence channel.”

"Now, since it's inconvenient to expose Nazarick and attract the dragons' attention, the adventurer party you created is the best way to learn about the outside world."

After saying that, Demiurge looked at Lord Ainz with admiration.

Chapter 35 Pandora's Crete