Princess Renner was silent for a moment, her face as calm as a still pond, her expression unchanged.
"No," she replied.
"Is that so?" Albedo asked lightly. She seemed a bit skeptical, but didn't care about Renner's answer.
She stretched her mature and elegant body, directly skipping over the topic. "Can that Brain of yours win the Warrior Captain position? If he loses, I'll lose a bet with someone else."
Who would have the qualifications to bet with you? Renner was a bit nervous, but still answered truthfully:
"A strong competitor has appeared, named Schroeve Dahlsen. He's employed by the Waverly family, a subordinate of Odys Malcon Waverly. They... seem to have also received help from some big shot in the Sorcerer Kingdom."
What Princess Renner couldn't understand was that the Sorcerer Kingdom's representative—Albedo—was already on her side, so why would the Sorcerer Kingdom still make a deal with her opponent?
"My colleagues are just bored, that's all. Plus, that Waverly whatever family paid a pretty convincing price." Albedo shrugged. "If you can pay a big enough price, you can get anything you want from us too."
She continued, "But the Sorcerer Kingdom lacks for nothing, so keep your wealth and power for yourself. Don't worry, you're the one I have my eye on."
As she spoke, she handed Renner an agate vial, the liquid inside the transparent walls glowing with a crimson light.
"This potion can boost Brain's abilities for a short time—just have him take it during the final match. For you humans, there might be some side effects, but grit your teeth and it'll pass."
"Thank you for the Sorcerer Kingdom's gift." Princess Renner took the agate vial.
In Re-Estize, only she had the closest relationship with Albedo, or rather, the arrogant Albedo only thought highly of her alone.
Albedo had given her quite a few potions and pieces of equipment from the Great Tomb of Nazarick. When she took them to the court potion masters and forging craftsmen for appraisal, they all said these were rare treasures that even dwarves and elves couldn't make.
All these pieces of equipment were gifted to Brain to help him win the Warrior Captain position.
"Let me think," Albedo's golden eyes lingered on Renner for a moment, "Nothing more, you may leave."
"Very well, Lady Envoy." With the potion clutched in her hand, Princess Renner left as told.
Renner departed, but Albedo remained half-reclining in the armchair.
She extended her pale finger and lightly tapped; the firelight in the magical hearth suddenly went out, and the red-hot glowing magic crystals dimmed. A powerful command had drained their magic.
The light in the reception room grew dimmer, and a tall, slender figure emerged from the shadows. He had been standing in the reception room the whole time—only Princess Renner couldn't see him.
The newly appeared figure had an otherworldly presence, just like Albedo. He was tall, lean, and upright, dressed in a crisply pressed reddish-brown striped suit, his hair combed back and jet black, with ears sharper than an elf's, edged with two small gold rings.
Round-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, giving him the air of a sharp gentleman. But even in gentleman's attire, he couldn't hide his evil vibe. Behind him swayed a tail encased in silver metal plates, its tip sprouting six spikes, surrounded by flickering dim black flames.
Demiurge, highest-tier demon, Justice Value -500, extremely evil.
The demon adjusted his glasses and said in a deep voice, "I sense that Renner wasn't telling the truth."
"She is a smart person; she'll tell the truth when she should." Albedo looked at Demiurge. "Is it fun to sabotage the one I have my eye on?"
Her words seemed like an accusation, but her tone was calm, without a hint of blame.
"A match with some suspense is more interesting, isn't it?" Demiurge smiled evilly. "From my observations, humans have an entertainment called 'dogfighting.'
"The way it works is to pit dogs against each other in pairs to tear one another apart. The winning dog that bites all its opponents to death gets a big chunk of meat from its master for dinner. Don't you think we're watching a dogfight show right now?"
"The way you put it, it really does seem like that." Albedo admired his clever metaphor.
"Humans make dogfights more fun and watchable by fitting metal teeth into the dogs' mouths or feeding them stimulants. The Waverly family is wagging its tail, pouring out their entire family fortune to curry favor with us, so in the name of Supreme Overlord Ainz, I've given them even sharper teeth."
"It seems my gifting equipment and potions to Princess Renner is no different in essence from what you've done." Albedo laughed. "How much wealth did the Waverly family give us?"
"Fifty tons of gold," Demiurge said flatly.
"So much." Albedo clicked her tongue. "But what do we need gold for? There's nothing in the world we have to buy."
"We can use the gold to forge a manor for Lord Ainz," Demiurge smiled.
"Wow!" Albedo's eyes sparkled. "Then it can be our love nest when I marry Lord Ainz!" Her face flushed red as she wriggled, her ever-maintained arrogant and cold demeanor vanishing completely.
"Ahem," Demiurge steered the topic back on track. "Watching humans rack their brains fighting over benefits we can get without lifting a finger is truly entertaining. Among humans, there's also the custom of betting—wagering on which dog will claim final victory. I'm betting on the Waverly family to win."
"I already said so," Albedo said. "I'm betting on Princess Renner."
"I'm heading to the sheep farm in the Roble Holy Kingdom now. There are a few wild goats trying to ram through the fence with their horns; I need to discipline them, or it'll affect the sheepskin yield." Demiurge turned to leave. "Whoever wins the Warrior Captain position, please let me know then."
...
Re-Estize, in a courtyard on the outskirts of the capital.
Few people knew that in this spot near the slums, the Waverly family—entrenched in the Re-Estize's north—owned a property.
Still unaware that he was viewed as a fighting dog, Brain sat upright in the leather chair, facing the other fighting dog, Odys Malcon Waverly. Between them stood only a square wooden table with simple carvings, topped by an extinguished copper candlestick.
Odys carefully toyed with an exquisite short sword in his hand and said, "As a swordsman under Princess Renner, you're coming to meet me in secret for the second time. Does Princess Renner know about your actions?"
"It was you who invited me." Brain watched the old man warily. His right hand rested on the hilt at his waist, his legs positioned for easy leverage to spring up, like a fully drawn bow ready to release.
"But you could choose not to accept the invitation," Odys said flatly. "As your master's capable right-hand man, secretly contacting your master's archenemy is a huge taboo for a warrior. But you still came, because I gave you hope—the hope to bring Gazef Stronoff back from the dead."
"Hmph." Brain sneered. "You're overthinking it; I'm just not used to turning down invitations."
Odys looked up, his vulture-like gaze fixing on him for a moment, and smiled, "What a lame excuse."
Brain still talked tough, but his slightly trembling hand under the table betrayed his true inner thoughts. He knew in his heart that when it came to reading people, he was no match for this old vulture.
A few days ago, Odys had invited him to meet, promising that if Brain withdrew from the Warrior Captain selection tournament, he would borrow the power of the Great Tomb of Nazarick to resurrect Gazef Stronoff.
At the time, Odys swore up and down that he could do what the court Divine Magic mages couldn't, and even presented the body of "Lord of Despair" Clovis, saying he'd first demonstrate the resurrection magic on this corpse.
Brain had to admit that the reason he was meeting Odys again today was indeed because he clung to that slim, elusive hope—the hope that his close friend, who had fallen in battle, could return from the dead.
And this hope was indeed given by Odys. The old vulture had already seized his heart.
Brain stayed silent, waiting for Odys to speak first, so he wouldn't seem too eager and end up totally on the back foot in the negotiation.
"You are the Re-Estize's strongest swordsman; I heard your sword comes from the Eight Greed Kings' desert—is that true?" Odys tossed out a totally unrelated question.
"Yes." Brain looked at Odys, suspecting this old vulture was starting to beat around the bush in the negotiation.
"Supreme Overlord Ainz bestowed upon me an incredibly sharp blade." Odys examined the beautifully patterned short sword in his hand.
The hilt featured intricate and elaborate gold inlay designs, while the scabbard was embedded with precious ivory and diamonds, together forming the emblem of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
He slowly drew the short sword, its cold gleam spilling out like flowing water. In an instant, the air temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Odys lightly swung the short sword, its edge brushing over the copper candlestick on the table. The brass candlestick was like a wax rod meeting a red-hot wire, easily sliced in two, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
Odys satisfiedly sheathed the shortsword and said, "May I borrow your sword for a moment to test it against this one? Let's see if the shortsword granted by Lord Ainz is sharper, or if the weapon unearthed from the desert by the Eight Greed Kings is truly indestructible."
Brain looked at the copper candlestick sliced in half on the table, shook his head, and said, "Sorry, I can't lend it to you. A swordsman should cherish his blade and not waste it on pointless contests. Besides, you're not a swordsman, so how about... we talk some real business?"
Odys's wrinkled face broke into a smile, as if he held all the cards. "No rush. Let's have some tea first."
He shook a small silver bell in his hand. "Serve the tea."
A servant hurried over and placed a tea set in front of Brain.
Brain looked up and caught a clear glimpse of the servant's face, freezing in shock.
The servant was none other than Clovis, the "Lord of Despair," who just days ago had been a cold corpse!
Clovis's once-twisted cheeks looked as if they had been forcibly straightened, his bulging eyes and crooked nose bone now back in place. A close inspection might reveal some unnatural traces, but overall, he appeared no different from a normal person.
Most striking was the circular emblem of the Sorcerer Kingdom on his forehead, like a dark gold tattoo.
After setting down the tea set, Clovis gave Brain a gentle smile. It seemed Brain's staring at his face had made him feel slightly offended.
Brain kicked back his chair and suddenly stood up.
He gripped the scabbard of the longsword at his waist and slashed twice at Clovis in rapid succession. Clovis shifted his feet with agile, swift movements, easily dodging the sudden attack.
"You suspect Clovis is an undead puppet made from a corpse?" Odys laughed. "Young folks are even more suspicious than us old timers."
Clovis gave Brain a slight bow and strolled back to stand behind Odys.
Brain sat back down, his expression shifting unpredictably. He did indeed suspect the Clovis before him was an undead puppet crafted with dark magic.
Undead puppets were controlled by their master's commands, lacking their own will or higher intelligence, clumsy like marionettes on strings. But no puppet had ever moved with such fluidity, dodging his surprise assault twice.
If that was the case, could Clovis have truly been brought back from the dead as a living person?
"I'll give you a few more days to think it over. For the sake of your dear friend, and for Re-Estize, I hope you make a choice you won't regret for the rest of your life."
With those words, Odys rose from his seat and left, leading Clovis away.