In the reception hall of a manor on the distant outskirts of the Re-Estize capital.
On one side of the mahogany square table sat a blue-haired swordsman with a straight-backed posture, sitting upright and on edge. His right hand rested constantly on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his face full of wariness.
The target of his vigilance was an old man with a gaunt face. The man's white hair was combed neatly, his face crisscrossed with wrinkles—the god of time had mercilessly etched deep marks upon him.
His aged eyelids drooped, but the gaze they revealed was sharp and sinister, paired with a long, hooked nose that made him look even more like an aging vulture. Though his body sagged loosely, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind that might snuff out at any moment, anyone who met his eyes would fear that this decrepit vulture might suddenly lash out and tear two chunks of flesh from their body.
"Duke Odys Malcon Waverly, hadn't you already retired? Why come to the capital? Summoning me for a meeting—what's this about?" the blue-haired swordsman Brain Unglaus asked in a low voice.
The white-haired old man before him was the head of the northern Waverly family. Ten years ago, he had served as the leader of the Re-Estize's mage legion, with a combat style that was insidious and cunning. He treated subordinates and colleagues with cold ruthlessness, earning him the private nickname "Vulture General."
His family's influence was deeply entrenched in the Re-Estize's military. Of course, that was just a few years ago.
"I'd prefer if you called me General—after all, the young ones are all dead, so it's up to this old man to step in." Odys tugged at his withered lips, as if revealing a smile.
Brain knew full well that in the terrifying war against the Sorcerer Kingdom a few years back, the Re-Estize's main forces had been nearly wiped out. Odys's sons and grandsons held key positions in the army, so naturally, they had fallen in battle too.
It was almost laughable—at the war's outset, plenty of nobles saw the conflict with the Sorcerer Kingdom as a prime chance to rack up military honors. They pulled every string to get their relatives and heirs into the army, scrambling for spots on the battlefield, never imagining they were sending them on a one-way trip to the grave.
"General, what do you want with me?" Brain asked again. The family Odys represented undoubtedly stood on the side of the Second Prince, while Brain belonged to Princess Renner's faction. Between them, there was no basis for negotiation.
Odys lifted his eyelids and countered, "I want to know, why are you running for the Warrior Captain? Is it to inherit the will of the former Warrior Captain Gazef?"
"Gazef was my close friend; I must take up the power he held and protect the Re-Estize's people."
Brain knew that there was nothing left to discuss between the two sides. The martial tournament to select the Warrior Captain was nearing its end. In the tournament, there were only two major favorites. He was one, and the other was Schroeve Dahlsen, under Odys.
But there could only be one Warrior Captain.
"I've heard that you two were rivals who respected each other and friends who could talk about anything. If... Gazef could be revived, would you still run for Warrior Captain and compete for your close friend's position?"
Brain was startled, then stared coldly at Odys. "When Gazef sacrificed himself in the duel with Ainz Ooal Gown, I was there on the scene. Our Re-Estize's top Divine Magic caster used 5th Tier magic and still couldn't revive Gazef. Are you trying to interfere with my match?"
Odys smiled. "Since I've said it, I have the ability to do it. Because I've already borrowed the power of the gods from Supreme Overlord Ainz Ooal Gown!"
He placed a gorgeous golden emblem on the table and pushed it toward Brain. The emblem had intricate gold inlay patterns; it was the insignia of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The insignia couldn't be faked. One or two years ago, some craftsmen and mages had carved the Sorcerer Kingdom's emblem onto their own creations to pass them off as genuine products from the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Without exception, they were all killed by unknown assailants, dying in horrific ways, and even their families, relatives, and friends met violent ends. From then on, no one dared to counterfeit Sorcerer Kingdom goods.
"You actually made a deal with Ainz Ooal Gown." Brain furrowed his brows. "Bargaining with the reaper only gets you death in return. Don't forget how your sons and grandsons died!"
Brain's words were brutally blunt, but Odys brushed them off.
"My kids had eyes but couldn't see straight—they failed to recognize a god's majesty and got what was coming to them. They sacrificed their lives to prove a demon god walks the earth, and that's not without value. If the god aims to rule the world, we've got no choice but to roll with it. Besides, don't point fingers at me—isn't that ring on your right hand and the belt at your waist from Lady Albedo, the Sorcerer Kingdom's envoy?"
"It was a gift from Princess Renner." Brain's voice dropped, lacking conviction.
"Princess Renner and Lady Albedo are thick as thieves—who doesn't know that? You folks can cut deals with the Sorcerer Kingdom, so why the hell can't we?"
Odys laid his cards on the table; "you folks" clearly meant Princess Renner and the up-and-coming noble crowd, while "we" referred to Second Prince Zanac and the old-guard noble elite.
"That said," Odys shifted gears, "you're no lapdog swordsman for Princess Renner. If I bring back Gazef Stronoff, he's the obvious pick for Warrior Captain. Plus, he's loyal to the king, so he won't mess with Princess Renner's influence."
The Warrior Captain could command the Royal Knights, which was exactly the military power Princess Renner desperately needed. If neither Princess Renner nor the Second Prince could seize control of the Royal Knights, the Second Prince would still hold the upper hand with the backing of traditional military and political forces, leaving Princess Renner forever at a disadvantage.
Odys finally revealed his purpose. "If you agree to step down from the Warrior Captain tournament, I promise to use the great divine power of Supreme Overlord Ainz Ooal Gown to revive Gazef Stronoff!"
Brain asked coldly, "Can you actually do it? You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." He knew Odys was sly as a fox and couldn't be trusted with this pie-in-the-sky deal.
Odys waved his hand, and a corpse lying on a wooden board floated through the air toward them, coming to a stop beside them.
Brain furrowed his brows. From the livor mortis on the body, the deceased had been dead for several days already, preserved in such good condition only thanks to some kind of magic.
The corpse's death was gruesome; most striking was how half the skull's face was twisted to one side, mouth and eyes askew, nose bridge shattered, purplish lips parted and unable to close, one eyeball bulging out of its socket—like it'd been slapped across the face by a titan bear.
Brain stared at the deformed face, scrutinizing it, "He... looks like Clovis Daguerre, a killer from Baharuth who calls himself the 'Lord of Despair.'"
Brain's reputation as a swordsman was widespread; plenty of folks from Baharuth had crossed the border just to duel him, so he knew a bit about some of their warriors' names.
Odys nodded. "I'll revive him to prove it to you."
"Then please cast the spell already." Brain sneered. "I'm all ears—or eyes, rather."
"It'll take some time still. Right now, I'm just showing you the corpse to confirm he's truly dead."
"Come find me when you've actually done it, General; otherwise, this is just wasting both our time." Brain gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, rose from his seat, and left without looking back.