Magic Caster of Destroy

In addition, he had also heard that the fey creatures called Lorelei had an ability similar to his.

However, that man was nothing like the beautiful beings that were the fey. He was absolutely certain of that.

“Ah, I see. A bard, then? That does sound quite similar. And there was a gigantic insect as well, I believe. What was that?”

“Although I think it could be some sort of insect-type species… I don’t know much about ant-men, so I think you would be better served asking Master about it.”

The world was huge. There were many species that were not widely known, and some of them could spontaneously mutate. Also, according to the legends, monster kings were known to be more developed than normal. It was similar to how ant queens were different from normal ants. Jircniv thought that it was a possibility.

“In that case, the remaining ones are the silver-haired girl and those two dark elves. Leaving the latter two aside, who’s the former? Judging from her ample bosom ― could she be a concubine?”

Laughter filled the carriage at Baziwood’s comment.

“Ah, well, if she was just a concubine, then she wouldn’t be brought out like that, no?”

“She’s probably as strong as that dark elf.”

“Hey, hey, hey… That might just be a ruse.”

Baziwood’s words were infused with seriousness.

“It’s true, in all likelihood the ones closest to that monster Ainz were probably his aides. However, that doesn’t mean they’re all strong. Think about it. If the only criterion to be His Majesty’s follower was strength, and he surrounded himself with a hundred copies of me, don’t you think the government would crumble in short order? Simply put, she was chosen to be his follower for reasons other than strength. Perhaps she’s a very intelligent concubine? Maybe she singlehandedly manages the affairs of that fortress which calls itself a tomb.”

“I see,” came the scattered replies.

Jircniv could confidently agree with that.

Since their attention had been stolen by Ainz Ooal Gown’s might, they could only look at how she was lined up with the dark elves and conclude that the silver-haired girl was a strong being. Of course, it would be scary if another person had the same power as that dark elf. However, being led into a false conclusion by prior prejudice was also a bad thing.

“That’s a good point,” Jircniv said as he looked at his subordinates. “I share your opinions. Come to think of it, if all his followers were undead, that would be easy to explain… but from the looks of things, he’s gathered all sorts of monsters under him.”

“Well, rather than call it a monster gallery, you could say it’s a wealth of talent…”

Jircniv could not help but smile at Baziwood’s blunt words.

“Indeed. We should probably try and learn more about these fellows. Apart from that… there’s the matter of that fortress. Is there anything in the records about a place like that? There should be something written about it, right?”

“Regretfully, I know nothing about it. When we return to the capital, I will immediately begin looking into it. I will begin with myths and legends.”

Jircniv graciously accepted the acolyte’s apology.

“Ahh, I’ll leave that to you. Is there anything else we’ve missed? I honestly can’t believe such a wicked monster could create such a wondrous domain. Did you find anything which could be a clue? Speaking of which, is there really a tomb based in this area?”

There was no answer.

Which meant that this was a question they all had.

It felt like they had teleported, the way they had gone from one place ― possibly another plane of existence called the Demon World ― to the base of the tomb. It was hard to discount that fact, or rather, maybe that explanation would be easier to stomach.

“We won’t get an answer. As I thought, we just don’t have enough information. All we can do is squeeze out as much as we can from Roune, who’s stationed over there, and from the fellow who’s coming over to the Empire. Do you understand?”

“Of course. We will try not to arouse hostility in the opposition, or make them suspicious.”

“There is no try here. The enemy’s strength is overwhelmingly superior to our own. You need to move carefully so you don’t break the false alliance we have.”

As the scribe lowered his head, Jircniv suddenly felt the weight sliding off his shoulders.

“…We’ve done a bad thing to the people we brought along, haven’t we?”

That was why he had only just now started to mention the girls who had not been released ever since they had been packed into the carriages.

Originally, the girls were to be offered to Ainz Ooal Gown in order to tie him to the Empire.

Sex was a universal weapon in any place or era. Perhaps the Imperial intelligence agencies should have prepared professional honeytraps, but since the use of magic could potentially complicate things, they had instead selected pure, innocent girls instead.

“Although I think this is disrespectful to the courage they gathered up to bid farewell to their family, don’t you think they should be happy now?”