Chapter 2
Touring the neighborhood
In Nazarick's throne room the guardians were gathered by order of Momonga.
Aaaaaa, well, it's already been a week since we came to this world, the accumulated intelligence that we got must do to make a good decision on how to proceed ahead.
"Well my guardians, I have gathered you here today because I wish to hear an updated report on the status of your tasks directly from your mouth."
Because, to tell the truth, is too much trouble to read them all, they kept piling up, ¡there are simply too damn many reports!
"So let's get started, Shalltear."
"Yes∼❤, all transfers have gone smoothly, as Demiurge suggested, I have kept watch with my familiars in each place where I have opened a [Gate] for a couple of days, so far there has not been any kind of novelty Momonga-sama. "
"Mmhm, keep it up, but stay alert, that no one has shown up so far did not means that there will keep the same later, take it as if it only means that no one has noticed yet."
Shalltear bowed her head in acceptance
"¡Yes∼❤!"
"Now, Aura, Mare"
""Yes""
"The forests here are full of creatures, although there are many known there are also quite a few that are not, the vast majority of them are creatures without real combat strength, practically none exceed level 15, it can be assured without a doubt that the forests are already yours. "
"A-about the f-flora, only a small part is known, and all of the known ones do not have any special properties."
"Mmhm, I guess you've brought enough samples right? "
"O-of course Momonga-sama, I've brought quite a few."
"Ask the librarian for help and test the samples, we have to see if any can be used as a substitute for any of the materials for potions and others, meanwhile Aura will continue to investigate the fauna, the samples that you collect will also be delivered to Titus"
"" Understood Momonga-sama ""
"Cocytus"
"Ha, there has been. No. News. At the. Perimeter, all. Traps. Are. Set. And. On hold."
"Excellent, Demiurge."
"Yes, first, let me thank Momonga-sama for your generosity."
Haa? what you are talking about?
"I was frustrated at not being able to get more information from the prisoners, aside from the physics, but thanks to the items you have entrusted to me, I was able to advance in my task, for which I allow myself to report success in terms of the use of the translation items."
"Ooooh"
So that's what he meant, he had already scared me, for a moment I thought he was making fun of me.
"Mmhm, then bring Titus a necklace, instruct him to make enough copies of the necklace for all the Guardians and about 10 more as a backup, just in case."
"As Momonga-sama wills it, it's to be done; regarding the information collected, we roughly confirmed that there are multiple sentient species, however, the human species does not exist in this world, among the species with a conscience are included: Minotaurs, Griffin, Dragons and ponies like the most prominent ones, in addition to a multitude of others that are present to a lesser extent, I also found out that this world is inherently magical, and of all species, it's the ponies the ones that are the most prominent in magic proficiency, I am also sorry to inform you that our previous hypothesis has been confirmed. "
¿Hypothesis? what is he talking abo- ...oh, right I remember it now.
"Regarding the moon and the sun, ¿right?"
"It is correct, the three prisoners confirmed it, the government of the ponies is conformed by different bureaucracies, these respond to the ruling diarchy, which is very long-lived it seems."
"¿Long-lived? ¿how is that?"
"According to the prisoners, they have been in power for more than a thousand years."
A thousand years! Wow, they have to be excellent rulers or great tyrants to retain power for so long.
"All point to the fact that the diarchs are sisters, one is in charge of the moon and the stars, the other is in charge of the sun, according to the prisoners they are what are considered 'Alicorns', which have capacities of the other three races of ponies, the Pegasi are in charge of controlling the weather, the terrestrial ones are dedicated to the production of food or heavy work, while the Unicorns do delicate to jobs or that require precision, it seems that their culture is not scarce at all, they are quite civilized. "
Hummm, so, thy are not mere beasts after all.
"Regarding exploration, thanks to the fleet that you order to deploy we were able to verify that the island to the south is in fact, inhabited by dragons, although the vast majority are quite weak there are some that are something to consider, the explorers managed to capture some that entered to wooded areas. "
"Well done, we have to see if the dragons of this world will be useful as a replacement for the ingredients of high-end consumables; finally, Albedo."
"Yes, the exploration ships are doing their duty while they are hidden in the fog, so far they have found some coastal cities and populated islands, to the south of the continent what appears to be an abandoned island-city was located, we stationed a group of explorers temporarily in the same to corroborate if it is completely abandoned, also, confirmation is still missing but apparently, there is another kingdom further south on another continent, at the moment we are waiting for the reports of the units deployed yesterday to confirm it. "
An island-city? who knows, it can maybe turn into a foothold base in the future or something like that.
"That would be it all about the reports from the guardians Momonga-sama."
The ruler of death rose from his throne and said in a clear and powerful voice to all present.
"Excellent work my guardians, continue to fulfill your duty with the same zeal with which you have done so far, and remember, we cannot do less to the rulers of Equestria, they are capable of moving the moon and the sun, until we have no a clear idea of its level we must keep Equestria only in exploration, we must not reveal ourselves yet. "
With these words Momonga withdrew, teleporting to his room.
Meanwhile, in the throne room, the guardians had dismissed their master kneeling and with his head lowered, after a short time after he left, the supervisor of the guardians broke the moment by standing up, the rest followed suit after her.
"Aaha∼❤ Momonga-sama, we will work for you until death."
"Certainly" Demiurge replied.
"Well, everyone with tasks to attend to, please address them immediately, Demiurge, join me for a moment."
Once Everyone else has left the room, the archfiend got near the succubus.
"... What's wrong, Albedo?"
"¿Do you think the prisoners are keeping any information about Equestria and its rulers?"
"I don't think so, they are quite weak to pain, I doubt they have saved anything, but now we will not capture more ... hmm, ha, I think I already understood what you mean, well, let's talk."
Meanwhile, in the personal room of the supreme ruler of Nazarick, he is… tossing and turning like a nervous child.
Waaaah, what nonsense, I could hardly remain serious, Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasus, if it were not for the Alicorns that can move the moon and the sun I would have drowned in laughter ...well if it is still possible for me without a tongue or esophagus, aaha, but leaving that aside, apparently, this is the limit of the information that can be obtained without making contact...
"Mmmmh, then it can't be helped, I will have to go out personally, I think mingling will be an impossible task for the guardians, apart from standing out too much, they are like little children, they lack the experience necessary, they need to learn how to deal with creatures that inhabit outside of the great tomb first. "
Aaarrgh, this is a headache, how can I make contact, so far we have not encountered any kind of undead, to begin with, will the race even exist in this world?
"Hmm, I think there was an item that allowed to apply temporary skins, or something like that in the treasury, or was it not?"
¡It is true!, now that I remember about it, ¡I have not gone to the treasury yet!, ¿I wonder if Pandora's Actor has also come to life?
"I think it would be a good idea to take Shizu with me, but she has a practically permanent poker face, it would be a shame not to be able to see someone else's reaction when entering the treasury for the first time, also if something goes wrong I will need help to win against Pandora's Actor "
Considering the countermeasures from the treasury, it might be a good idea to bring Yuri and Albedo as well ... yes, that will be enough.
Having decided what he needed to do, he got up and walked to the private study of his room, where Sebas was already waiting for him, and took a seat behind the desk.
"Welcome back Momonga-sama."
"Thank you, Sebas, call Albedo and Demiurge tell them that I wish to see them in my study, also bring Shizu and Yuri from the Pleiades."
"As you wish my lord, with your permission."
Well, even though I am going to tell them that it is to gather information, the truth is that I only want to get away from all the paperwork for a while, and be able to relax a little, since I have this body I do not need to eat or sleep, even physical fatigue no longer exists for me, but mental fatigue is a completely separate case, even though my emotions are forcibly calmed upon reaching a certain point, minor things like stress and annoyance are not nullified... well, now I must enter the mentality of a salesperson to get the guardians to 'buy' this 'vacation' idea.
There was a knock on the door and after receiving permission, Sebas entered the room, closely followed by the two guardians and the two Pleiades.
"Come in."
"With your permission, I have brought them as Momonga-sama requested."
"Well show them in."
Upon entering, all summoned knelt in front of the desk.
"We have heard your call and responded to it immediately." -voiced Albedo for everyone-
"You can get up." Could it be that at some point I will get used to so much adoration?
"I have called you here to announce some details of my next plans so that you can act accordingly, the information that we can obtain about Equestria without making contact is very limited, so it is necessary to carry out a covert incursion"
At that moment Albedo and Demiurge let out a tiny expression of astonishment that they ruled instantly.
"That said, it is necessary that whoever does it is someone with a great capacity to adapt and mix properly."
It's showtime, all or nothing, I just hope that the logic I just put together can convince them.
"For which there is no other in Nazarick more suitable for this than me."
Demiurge put on a face of open surprise, while Albedo's twisted in anguish.
"! Momonga-sama! I beg you to forgive my insolence, but that cannot be! We cannot allow the last of the supreme beings to expose themselves like that! You are the last one, the one who decided to stay with us until the end! If something happened to you, it would not only be a tragedy and shame for us, your guardians but also our downfall, without your leadership, we would not be able to advance a single step! I beg you to reconsider, if It is not possible for you to change your decision, at least allow me to accompany you to serve as your shield if the situation warrants it, I beg you to listen to my selfish request, I beg you, Momonga-sama! "
Eeeeeh? what is going on? why so much insistence? now, what can I do? how can I discourage her a little or make her give up? if they accompany me it will be impossible to mix ... mix? That's it!
"Albedo, tell me, are you capable of taking the form of any of the known intelligent species?"
"!Nngh!"
I knew beforehand that there would be opposition, but this exceeds my expectations, if so I cannot deny myself completely, but if I bring any of the guardians with me, ¡I will not be able to relax!
"No, but it would be possible for me to use items that allow me to use 'Invisibility' or 'Perfect Unknowable' and keep it active."
"Non-defensive items have the penalty of causing additional MP spending on you, if I remember it correctly, that would make it impossible for you to keep it that way, your MP's wouldn't be enough to keep it up all day."
"¡Even so!, Momonga-sama, ¡we would never forgive ourselves if we allow you to be alone and some kind of emergency arises!"
"Excuse me Momonga-sama."
"What's wrong, Demiurge."
"What you say is completely true, however, if I may object, wouldn't you have a similar problem?"
"Normally you would be correct Demiurge, however, you are overlooking something, why do you think I have ordered Sebas to bring Yuri and Shizu as well."
After his master dispelled his doubt, the light of understanding finally reached the archdemon's face.
"Yuri is a brawler and Shizu is not only able to give support from a distance, but she is also familiar with all the security mechanisms of Nazarick, that means... ¡!, you're preparing to go for the first time in this world to the Treasury, ¿am I correct? "
"Mmmh, but I will not only take the two of them I will also bring with me Albedo as a precaution, just in the absurd event that something does not work as it should, but I also intend to recover from the treasury an item that I intend to use, it is an ultra-rare item that it will allow me to be able to change my external appearance."
The demon seeing that his co-guardian was about to talk again, beg for a brief time out to his master.
"Excuse me, my lord, would you allow me to speak outside for a moment with the Overseer?"
"Umu, go ahead."
They left the room for a moment and when they entered again, Albedo looked calm and with a big smile on her beautiful face.
Heeeee, what does this mean, what kind of magic did Demiurge use to cause in her such a radical change?
"With your permission Momonga-sama, we have returned."
"Then let's continue."
"Yes, to tell the truth, I am of a similar opinion to Albedo, someone capable of buying some time must accompany you, just in case it is necessary to escape from some complicated situation, that also he or she must be able to change form to blend in, it's out of the question, considering these criteria, I think the most appropriate would be Solution Epsilon and Narberal Gamma."
Haaaa, it seems that in the end, I will not be able to go alone, well at least with them I will not have as many problems as with the guardians, but, even so, two would be too much, I should not give as much.
"I agree that the two of them would probably be the best option."
"Then if you'll allow me, I'll call them right away."
The victorious smile in the face of the demon froze after hearing his lord's next words.
"However, taking the two of them would be too conspicuous, I'll only take one, which of the two, we will decide later, for now, give the indication to the explorers, I want them to look for a small town or city that is close to the capital of Equestria, that will be our start point. "
"Excuse my daring, but wouldn't it be better to start from a big city or the capital itself?" -asked confused Albedo-
No! If I did that, I couldn't have my vacation.
Momonga blurted out the first credible reason that crossed his mind.
"Although it might seem like a better idea, it is not like that, starting from a big city would create more trust problems in the short and long term, we will lack a solid background, on the other hand, in a small town we will be able to establish bonds of trust, this way, if we got investigated for some reason when we move or spread ourselves to a big city, we'll have a solid background. "
"Ooooh, I see, now I understand, so that's the direction of your plans!, now your intent is pretty clear, it will be done as you order, Momonga-sama."
Mmmh? It seems that there has been some kind of misunderstanding, or is it my imagination? ...It does not matter I doubt that it will be a problem.
"Well, then, with this the topic ends, once we check the correct operation of the item that I will be using, I will decide who is the one that must accompany me, you can leave now Demiurge, to... arrange what you need."
"With your permission."
The seventh-floor guardian bowed and left to continue his work.
"Let's go to the treasury, Shizu will go with me, Albedo you will take Yuri."
With his instructions received, everyone nodded and complied with the orders and the four disappeared in a flash.
As he walked through the corridors of the ninth floor, Demiurge wore a bitter smile on his face.
"Momonga-sama is truly insurmountable, while Albedo and I were just discussing the issue he already had it completely resolved, I cannot even come close to my master's immeasurable intelligence, but I cannot allow myself to relax, I have to try harder, be more active, I must try to anticipate at least the problems that may arise in the way of his plans, he is the last of the supreme beings that we have left, I cannot dare to disappoint him. "
By activating the guild rings, the four of them were transported to the entrance of the treasure room, after teleporting, what received their vision was a bright light, as if all the stars in the sky had gathered, with a ceiling so high that one would have to look up to know that it was there, there were walls so large that it was almost impossible for them to enter the visual field of a person, the vastness of this room was full of brilliant treasures, items, works of art and more, in the center, jewels and gold were forming a mountain that crossed the immense space, it was enough to make one abandon the idea of wanting to count how much had accumulated.
It was, literally a mountain of treasures, Momonga heard a sigh of admiration from his companions, the ones who had made that noise was two people.
So it was two out of three...
Momonga looked at the three women standing behind him, Albedo was observing the surroundings with a sincere expression of admiration on her beautiful face, Yuri Alpha, had the same expression, however, one person had not reacted and was silently observing him.
Although her face had delicate features, her face looked as if it had been artificially crafted by hand, her reddish-gold hair glittered under the stars on the ceiling, her only visible emerald-colored eye shone with a cold light like a gemstone. , while the other one was covered by a patch, she belonged to the Automaton race, her name was CZ2128 Delta also known as Shizu.
As part of the battle maids, its uniform was alike to the one of Narberal and Yuri, bot with some differences, the greatest one was the camo colored accessories and the merry sticker barely visible near the hem of her skirt with the phrase '1 Yen' in it, and the metallic pieces that folded around her waist as a half skirt, the next big difference was her weapon holstered at her waist like a sword, it was a magical weapon that was exclusive of the Automata race and Shizu's job, 'Gunner', all of which were add on's for the Yggdrasil expansion pack 'Fall of the Valkyrie'.
Yuri fixed her black-rimmed glasses, and pushed ahead by the maid's sense of duty, she was unable to let go all the mess before her eyes, so, she asked:
"Momonga-sama, why are these treasures in such disarray? even with protection magic, this cannot be considered a proper preservation state, if you give the order, we will immediately start cleaning..."
"Look carefully."
Taking in a breath, Yuri studied the surroundings and then apologized.
"I have been rude, please forgive my superficial observation."
"Don't worry though, that's the way it is, what's buried under this mountain of gold is of little value."
Yuri followed Momonga's gaze, who was resting on what had caused her to apologize; Placed on the walls were numerous huge cabinets, tall enough to reach the ceiling, within these cabinets were treasures that shone even brighter than the mountain of gold.
A wand with an encrusted bloodstone, scarlet gauntlets with precious crystals encrusted, black diamond lenses encrusted with silver on the ring-shaped bridge, a statue of a dog made of obsidian, a dagger made entirely of amethyst, an altar encrusted with countless white pearls, crystal lilies emanating rainbow-like light, delicately carved star-ruby roses, tapestries embroidered with the pattern of black dragons, a wreath made of platinum adorned with gigantic diamonds, a gold-plated incense bowl of precious gems, a pair of male and female lions made of sapphires and rubies, cufflinks inlaid with fire opals that looked as if they were on fire, a coat made from the skin of a golden beast, twelve plates made of Apoitakara *,silver anklets inlaid with four jewels of different colors, a magic book with a green andradite cover, a life-size statue of a woman made of gold, a belt with different pieces made of imperial topaz sewn to it, a chessboard with each piece made from a different type of precious gem, a figure of a fairy carved from a single piece of emerald, a black cloak with countless small gemstones sewn into it, a cup carved from a unicorn's horn, a gold inlaid tabletop of glass spheres, and more.
(* Apoitakara - Precious metal, kind of prismatic ore)
And this was only a small portion.
These countless treasures made it clear to Yuri the correct answer, that there was simply no room to store them all.
"It is time to continue."
Two people said yes to Momonga orders, Shizu simply remained silent and nodded, after he invoked the [Mass Fly] spell, the four people in unison rose into the air, only then was it visible that there was a type of gas, a semi-transparent purple color, floating in the air.
As they flew over, Yuri looked around to find the origin of the gas, however, she was unable to find an origin, at the same time as a confused expression formed on his face, a monotonous voice spoke.
"… Yuri-nee, there is a toxic gas in the air."
"¿What?"
Yuri felt a cold gaze on her, the origin was Shizu's calm green pupil, an eye that did not show any emotion, although it would be better to say that in a sense, her facial features were like a mask because she had been created as an automaton, Shizu couldn't show any emotion, those were her settings.
"… Blood of Jormungand."
After Shizu revealed the name of the object capable of creating such a toxic mist, Momonga replied:
"Ah, you were right, although I had not told you, this treasure turns the surrounding air into a highly toxic one, if you did not possess the skills or items to resist this toxicity, you would have fallen dead with just taking three steps."
"So, is that why I… my apologies… Is that why the three of us were selected?"
"Correct."
Both the Dullahan * Yuri, who fixed her glasses, and the emotionless automaton Shizu, were immune to toxins due to their racial abilities, (* Dullahan - Headless Horseman, usually mounted on horseback carrying his head under one arm. ), being of the demon race, Albedo was not immune to toxins, but she had another method to neutralize them.
"Right, that's why I have brought all of you here Yuri, but… it's not only that, I also wanted to confirm something else."
So Momonga and the others using [Mass Flight] avoided the effort required to cross the golden mountain, and they arrived in front of a door on the other side, no, it really couldn't be called a door, it was shaped like a door, but it seemed more like a bottomless abyss placed on the wall, arriving before this peculiar door, Momonga was absorbed in his thoughts.
This place is the armory, ¿what was the password again?
"Momonga-sama, if there is an armory, does that mean there are also hidden treasures in other places?"
…Huh? Albedo does not know all the relevant information about the contents of the Treasury Room?
Momonga was surprised that Albedo asked him such a thing, however, it made sense, the treasures were not kept inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it was necessary to have an Ainz Ooal Gown ring to be able to transport to this place, it was designed in this way, to make an invasion extremely difficult, so it was normal that Albedo did not know, she had not received her ring until only 5 days ago, although Momonga wondered how much knowledge the NPCs possessed, he felt it was something trivial and answered the question.
"Haha, I had a partner named Genjiro, he delighted in keeping things organized and orderly, therefore he should have separated the objects according to their function."
"Wasn't he the Supreme Being who created our partner Entoma?"
"Yes, Yuri, you are correct, although the fact, whether he truly liked the cleanliness, could be questioned, if it had been so, the treasures in the mountain of gold would be arranged in a more orderly fashion, and he would never have been able to describe his room as a mess, anyway... he should have organized the items into categories: armor, weapons, jewelry, auxiliary tools, consumables, manufactured items, etc ... additionally, in Nazarick, too there's a maintenance room… as well as a data crystal storage room. "
During his long speech, Momonga pointed his finger at the wall, which showed a flat shadow instead of the door.
"In reality, both rooms are connected, and it could be said that it is a single room ... Oh, excuse me, I digress too much."
"You have nothing to apologize for, we are grateful to Momonga-sama for answering our questions so passionately."
After Albedo said this, the two servants bowed simultaneously to express their gratitude.
What am I doing, I can't waste time, *shigh* every time I brag about Nazarick, I can't stop...
Momonga shrugged, then turned to the shadow in front of him, the door could only be opened using a predetermined password, perhaps with magic or a Rogue-class ability, one could have opened the door, but Momonga had never learned such a thing, therefore, it was necessary to repeat the password ...
Ack... I forgot.
This was understandable, in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this type of mechanism was very common, it was impossible to remember the passwords for the places that one did not visit frequently, Momonga only came to this place to withdraw funds to pay for the maintenance of Nazarick, as fact, it had been several years since he had last set foot in this place.
Having failed to remember the password, Momonga said the universal password:
"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown."
The door responded to this phrase, and some words appeared as images floating on the surface of the water, the words that had appeared were: 'Ascendit a terra in coelum iterumque descendit in terram et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum' *.
(* It is part of one of the passages of the text recorded in the 'Tabula Smaragdina', the Emerald Tablet, an object related to alchemy, the text says: Use your mind completely and go up from Earth to Heaven, and, then again he descends to Earth and combines the powers of what is above and what is below.)
"… Tabula Smaragdina was truly a perfectionist."
Momonga could not prevent himself from letting escaping these words, getting a slight reaction from Albedo; of all the mechanisms in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, two had been designed by him, abundantly sophisticated designs like this one consumed a lot of data available in the Great Nazarick's Tomb, causing other players to be unable to freely design and thus provoking their protests, he accepted responsibility, purchasing paid items to expand the amount of data available.
This must be a clue, but what did it mean?
Momonga spent some time searching endlessly for the answer hidden deep within his mind, soon after, he finally found the code in his deepest memories.
"It should be 'This way you will gain glory in the whole world, and the darkness will come out of you at once.' * Right?"
(* These are the words that complete the passage shown above.)
After saying this, Momonga looked at Shizu as if he wanted to confirm it, Shizu nodded in response, apart from Tabula Smaragdina, one of the comrades responsible for designing the mechanisms, was the creator of NPC Shizu, his character settings included being familiar with the methods for unlocking mechanisms in Nazarick, because of this, previously Shizu should have been able to easily crack the password hint.
Despite that, he had not asked her for help, simply because he stubbornly wanted to open the door using his effort, having come to this world had made the Great Tomb of Nazarick come alive, that was why he wanted to be the first to leave his mark on this ground, similar to how a person wishes to set foot in a fresh and pristine layer of snow, Momonga wishes to open the door himself.
As if responding to his wishes, the shadow was sucked into a single point, and in no time it had disappeared as if it had never been there, only a black sphere the size of a fist was floating in the air.
Since the shadow covering the door had disappeared, it was possible to see inside. Before his eyes a well-managed and ordered world was presented, totally different from the previous places, if an analogy were necessary, the most accurate would be to compare it to a museum exhibition, the dimly lit room was quite long, continually extending inwards, there was a space of around five meters between the floor and the ceiling, it had not been designed with the height of a human in mind, but to allow the entry of non-humans, the width of the room was approximately ten meters, the floor was covered with slabs emitting a black light, which seemed to be a huge single piece of stone, reflecting the dim light from the ceiling creating an atmosphere of silent solemnity, the walls on either side of the room were lined with numerous weapons, which was a sight to behold.
"Let's goo."
Without waiting for an answer, Momonga walked straight to the armory, inside there was a great variety of weapons, including broadswords, greatswords, rapiers, flaming swords, scimitars, legs, shotels, kukris, claymores, short swords, sword breakers. …Of course, there were not only swords on display, there were also one-handed axes, two-handed axes, blunt weapons, lassoes, bows, crossbows… so many types that trying to classify the weapons would only make one lose count.
Apart from these, there were other very striking weapons, that could even lead one to wonder if they could truly be classified as weapons, some seemed impossible to fit inside their sheaths and their design was only focused on their appearance, these types of weapons were the most and almost none were made of base metals such as iron.
There were bladed weapons made of blue crystal, pure white blades with gold patterns, black blades engraved with purple runes, even a bow with a string that seemed to be made of light, furthermore, there were weapons that had the appearance of being visually dangerous just by glancing at them, a double ax with blood spilling from its edge, a large black metal mallet with faces of agony that were occasionally shown on one of its faces, a spear that appeared to be formed of countless clenched human hands, like these, were numerous, although it was easy to guess that they were magical weapons, one could not even begin to imagine their effects, a sword with a blade covered in flames was quite obvious, but the magical effects of a whip-shaped sword with the appearance of a writhing centipede was simply impossible to predict.
The group looked at these weapons from the side and silently walked towards the center of the armory, after about a hundred meters, they reached their destination, a rectangular-shaped room, this room, apart from sofas and tables, was empty, looking at one side, you could see an entrance similar to the one Momonga and the others had used to enter the armory, there was only one path in the opposite direction from where they had entered, and it had a different atmosphere if up until now it had been the of a museum, from this point on it was that of a tomb, although it was difficult to discern due to the angle of vision they had, it was possible to observe large depressions carved in the walls inside which it seemed that something had been placed.
Hearing the alarmed voices from behind him, Momonga replied:
"Before us lies the Mausoleum."
"The mausoleum?"
¿Hmm?, Albedo ...¿Do doesn't she know the name of the next room?, even though I chose the name... seeing her react in this way, ¿could it be that she doesn't know who is in charge of the Treasure Room neither?
"Then, ¿did you do know about Pandora's Actor?"
"Yes, as part of my management responsibilities, I know about his name and appearance... Pandora's Actor is the Area Guardian of the Treasure Room, with a strength and intelligence comparable to that of Demiurge and myself, apart from taking care of this place, he was also in charge of preparing the gold consumed when the Nazarick safety net was activated and other responsibilities, in short, he is in charge of our finances. "
"That description is more or less accurate, but not quite, he-"
Momonga's words were cut down before he can finish, the sight of all his companioning NPC zeroed over the figure that had abruptly appeared in their way.
It had a strange appearance, although its body was humanoid, its head was similar to that of a distorted octopus, the right part of its head was almost completely covered in tattoos with twisted words, similar to those that had appeared in the shadow gate earlier; the color of his skin was like that of a corpse -a dead white mixed with some purple- and emitting a glow as if it were covered in a layer of mucus; Each hand had four slender webbed fingers, their garments were completely black and decorated with silver accessories that went quite well with the shiny leather that held tightly to their body, they wore many belts hanging almost loosely and they wore a black cloak folded as if they had been about to put it on, six tentacles twisted from the sides of its mouth and reached almost to its thighs, its two pupilless eyes of a cloudy whitish-blue stared back at the group.
Albedo let out with a surprised voice:
"¡Tabula Smaragdina-sama!"
This was one of the 41 Supreme Beings, in terms of destructive power, he was a stronger magic caster than Momonga.
"No, ¡It's a lie!" Albedo exclaimed immediately.
Following her reaction, the two battle maids got into position, Shizu took her weapon, resting the butt of the rifle against her shoulder and pointing towards the figure, Yuri clashed her fists in front of her chest, the metal gauntlets colliding releasing a loud sound like the thunder of a bell, immediately after, moved to Albedo's side, in front of Momonga and Shizu, this was the best formation to protect those unsuited for close combat.
"Identify yourself! Even if you disguise yourself as a Supreme Being, I am not that foolish to not recognize my creator!"
Faced with Albedo's question, the person with the appearance of Tabula Smaragdina, silently, simply tilted his head.
"... So that's it, ¡kill him!"
Hearing the order, the two maids briefly hesitated, even if they didn't know who it was, they still hesitated to attack someone with the appearance of one of the creators, plus Albedo was simply too good at making calm decisions without any hesitation, this order had Momonga's protection as a top priority, the supervisor clicked her tongue at the two who did not act, and just as she was about to attack herself, Momonga spoke:
"That's enough, Pandora Actor, show your true form."
Tabula Smaragdina's body twisted, a moment later, in the place where Albedo's creator had been, there was a strange-looking being, but it was different, it had a fairly flat face, with a nose and other parts, which normally would protrude, flattened, instead of eyes and mouth it had three holes without eyes, teeth or tongue, Only three holes that looked like those drawn by a child using a pencil, the egg-shaped pink head was smooth, without a single strand of hair in it.
This strange character, like Narberal, was a Doppelgänger, this was Pandora's Actor, a level 100 NPC, designed by Momonga to take care of the Treasure Room, he specialized in transformations, being able to copy 45 appearances and also their abilities, but only at 80% of its original power.
The insignia on his head had the emblem of Ainz Ooal Gown, but what he was wearing was a uniform from the European Ecological Infrastructure War of twenty years ago, which had caused quite a stir for its appearance quite similar to the uniforms dressed by the Neo-Nazi Schutzstaffel.
He forced his feet together with a click and brought his right hand to his cap in a dramatic salute.
"Welcome, mein creator Momonga-sama!"
"… You look quite animated."
"¡Affirmative!, ¡I'm full of energy every day!, speaking of which, ¿what brings your esteemed self here today?, you even brought the Overseer of the Guardians and these lovely maidservants with you."
Watching the presentation of the Area Guardian, Yuri and Albedo retreated behind Momonga back to their positions, the three of them showed a different emotion, Yuri, who was proud to be a battle maid, adjusted her glasses and was annoyed at being called a mere maidservant, Albedo, standing behind Momonga, felt jealous after hearing that Pandora's Actor was his creation, she stood out of his sight and pressed her lips on a thin line, Shizu didn't show any reaction, she just holstered the gun in his hands.
"I have come in search of a specific ultra-rare item, at this moment I am not completely clear about the exact name, it is a ring, its effect allows the wearer to disguise its appearance without changing the attributes or classes of the user, it reinforces the magic illusion casting and weakens the physical attack. "
"Mmmhm, yes!, I think Momonga-sama refers to the item known as Loki's ring!"
"Yes indeed, bring it for me."
"Right away, Mmmm∼ Momonga-sama!"
Immediately and with a redoubled step, Actor of Pandora left for the mausoleum.
Arrgggh, I can't believe something like that triggered my emotion suppressor.
Suzuki Satoru was frowning his nonexistent brow.
Why did I make his actions so exaggerated? …No, he knew why very well.
Momonga was the creator of Pandora's Actor, which was the same as saying that each of the movements that he performed had been considered 'great' by him and that he had been happy and proud at the moment he had given him those settings.
...Ugh, this is so...
In the past, he had thought that those who wore uniforms were very cool, and since he was an actor, his actions must be more exaggerated but seeing him come to life and actually, do these things...
"Wow... how grievous..."
Momonga couldn't help but let out a whisper of his true opinion, a small whisper, so low that no one else could hear him, it was a really grim story, Pandora's Actor, a living relic of his dark past, if the other members of the Great Nazarick's Tomb were here right now, now that the NPCs had come to life, they would surely be dying of laughter.
...Ignore it, I need to recover, my undead self does not have time to suffer from psychological trauma.
A moment later the guardian of the treasury returned with two small boxes in his hands, which made him curious.
"As I order it 'mein got' here is Loki's ring, as this item reduces the attack, I allowed myself the freedom to bring the bracelet [Hand of Gilfaethwe] (AN: a Celtic deity), an extremely rare item that reinforces the abilities of transformation and the attack, also reduces the resistance to elemental attacks, it is probably more convenient for you to maintain your attack before your resistance "
"Hooo, I didn't remember this item, who brought it to the treasury."
"Yes, if I remember correctly, it was Talisman Variable-sama, it seems to me that he said he obtained it from a 'cursed Gacha', although I must admit that I do not know what kind of monster he was referring to."
Eeehe, Variable talisman must have spent a fortune trying to hunt something big and that was all he got, surely he felt ashamed and that is why he does not talk about it with anyone ... wait a moment! Does it reinforce the transformation ability?
"Mmh, it's a good suggestion, I'll take both of them, even though I didn't have known about the bracelet beforehand, it will serve my purposes. "
"Excuse me for interrupting Momonga-sama, but will that be enough?"
"I understand your doubts Albedo, but this will suffice, the ring grants the abilities of a Therianthrope, without making a dent in the rest of the user's abilities, ah, right, before I forget, Pandora Actor, has something unusual happened around here? "
"Nothing at all, since everything here belongs to Momonga-sama and the Supreme Beings, ¿how could anything happen?"
He said this in a dramatic tone and pointed towards his surroundings.
"Have you checked the status of the world items?"
"!Yes! ¡It was the first thing I checked when I received from the supervisor the instruction to report any news!, [Greed and Generosity], [The Chalice of Hygieia], [Billion of Swords] and [Image of Nature and Society], all world items are safe and in place, including the two of 'the twenty'."
"Those two are the highest priority when ensuring the treasury always, since they can only be used once, due to their power we must keep them hidden until the exact and appropriate moment to use them is presented, or until we know how to obtain them again. after using them. "
"It's true, those weapons are so powerful that they could be called killer trump cards, they make the impossible possible, they even possess the power to destroy the world."
"Pandora's Actor, I want to put you to the test, in total there are two hundred World-Class items, how many are you aware of?"
"My apologies 'mein got', I only know eleven."
Momonga nodded, that was the number of World-Class items that Ainz Ooal Gown possessed, he did not know that the World Class item [Atlas] had been stolen from them in the past, there were things that he was not completely sure about, but the knowledge of the NPCs was affected by their settings and if there was any contradiction they would simply ignore it.
Regarding the adjustments of the NPCs, Momonga had noticed certain things after several days of observation, when there was no specific adjustment for some part of the personality of the NPCs, they seemed to take on the personality traits of their creators, even The relationships between NPCs seemed to mirror those of their creators, in a sense, it was as if he was reliving the times he had spent with his companions, an example of this was the relationship between Shalltear and Aura, and in between Demiurge and Sebas Tian.
In other words, they were like everyone's children, feeling that an aspect of his companions accompanied him, Suzuki Satoru felt happy but lonely at the same time, he shook his head to get rid of these sad emotions.
"Ah, this… Pandora Actor, I asked you a pointless question."
"Not in any way, my knowledge is limited, my sincere apologies."
After this, he bowed, each movement exaggerated as if he were doing a great deed.
...Leave it already.
"However, grief distresses me, since Momonga-sama came, I thought he had some kind of assignment for me."
Right, I have thought about using it before, Pandora's Actor settings, either regarding his intellect or strategic thinking, were of the highest level in Nazarick, although he normally put his intelligence to a dark use, in a pinch it would be difficult to give up to the use of his intellect.
What's more, Pandora's Actor ability had a wide range of applications, and depending on the situation, it could be as useful as all the Floor Guardians put together, however, the reason Momonga had created it was not even for battles or for him to take care of business, it was with the intent of preserving the identity of 'Ainz Ooal Gown', leaving behind the images of his companions.
"…You are our trump card, I wouldn't want to send you to do routine chores."
"…Your words are too kind."
With an expression as if he wanted to say something —probably— Pandora's Actor exaggeratedly lowered his head in a bow.
"I hear and obey, so from now on, I will continue to guard the Treasure Room."
"Ah, good work."
However, seeing NPC Momonga's dull posture felt guilty for always keeping him locked in the treasure room.
"But if it becomes necessary, to fulfill a temporary or short-term role, I will take you into account."
With this, the guardian visibly perked up.
"!Yes! Understood, mein creator Momonga-sama!"
He couldn't just keep him locked up, although Pandora's Actor was a treasure, it would be foolish to leave him idly if he was the best option for some delicate task.
Having made up his mind, Momonga turned around just in time to see Pandora's Actor leaning down putting a hand on his chest, and he also heard the expressionless Shizu softly let out a surprised 'uwah' sound.
This sound hit him hard but managed to calm his spirit, Pandora's Actor's movements were truly too exaggerated, from the perspective of his creator, both his posture and his behavior seemed to radiate a feeling of 'I'm great, if it had been treated by a handsome man, those gestures might look good, however, since the person was a literal egghead, they were simply too incompatible, what's more, they made their creator feel ashamed.
Momonga silently watched Pandora's Actor for a moment before taking a ring from his item box and throwing it at him, the ring arcing in the air, landing perfectly in Pandora's Actor's hand.
"This is… a ring from Ainz Ooal Gown, and the ability of this item is…"
As Pandora's Actor prepared to continue with his explanation, Momonga raised his hand and made him stop, although he showed him a sad expression, this was not the time to worry about such things.
"This is a preparation, Albedo, inform the battle maids of Nazarick about the existence of the guardian of the treasury, before that, Actor of Pandora, you are only allowed to move between the Throne Room and the Treasure Room."
"I hear and obey."
At the end of the conversation, Pandora's Actor brought his legs together so tightly that a * cluck * sound was heard when he hit his heels, his fingers were so straight that even his nails could not be stretched any further, this sincere greeting, it was simply too striking.
Momonga shook his head slightly while looking at the egg-shaped head, his personality design was not bad, in fact, his skill and efficiency were impressive, it was more a shame that...
"Uwah..."
Why did I have to give him that kind of personality? my former me certainly thought it was cool, well, I still think that at least the uniform is still cool...
If he could still blush, his face would be red as a tomato.
"Hey, Pandora Actor, come here for a moment."
Momonga took the NPC's shoulder and led him aside, he had also ordered the battle maids and Albedo to wait in their places.
"Let me ask you something important, I am your creator, the person you are most loyal to, right?"
"You're completely correct, Momonga-sama, I am your creation, even if you ordered me to fight the other Supreme Beings, I would not hesitate to do my best!"
"Is that so?… Well, as a person, no, as a man… as your master, take it as an order or a request, it doesn't matter, but please stop making more salutations, okay?"
Pandora's Actor's empty sockets stared straight at Momonga, voicing volumes about the confusion he felt.
"Ah, that, how can I put it... is not something strange to do so all the time? so let's cut it off; the military uniform... it looks good on you, so there's no need to change it, but you truly don't have to salute anymore, seriously, stop doing it. "
"Wenn is meines Gottes Wille ist.*"
(* German: "If that is the wish of my God.")
"… Was that German? Stop that too, though actually, it's okay, but please, not in front of me, please."
"I-it's okay."
As if this was the first time that he had been overwhelmed by someone else, Pandora's Actor gave a weak reply, before he knew it, the distance between their faces had shortened so much that they were practically kissing, Momonga pulled his face away and told him, don't, he implored weakly:
"Seriously, I beg you, I truly didn't think that something like this could affect me due to my mental suppression… what the hell, I would like to have a calm conversation with you, but at the moment I have other things to do, later we will fix a time for it."
The Overlord straightened his posture and talked with a commanding tone again.
"For now, Albedo, Shizu, Yuri, let's go back to the throne room."
They all re-paired with the person they arrived and were dismissed with a deep bow by Pandora's Actor, as the world around them was reestablished after using the rings, they all headed towards the throne of the kings with the inhabitants of Nazarick walking behind the guild master, upon reaching the throne, the Pleiades and the Overseer stopped, while their master ascended the throne and took a seat, then they knelt.
"Well then, Yuri Alpha, CZ2128 Delta, you can retire and go back to your normal duties, Albedo."
"Yes, Momonga-sama."
"Summon Narberal Gamma and Solution Epsilon."
"As you order."
Momonga made a gesture with his hand indicating that they could retreat, the battle maids and Albedo rose in unison, bowed, took a few steps back, then turned towards the exit of the room, and once alone, the Overlord sank into thought.
Mmmh, I wonder which of the two will be the best option, having Solution's skills at hand could be very useful, mmmh, but Narberal is a 'War Wizard', so it complements me quite well, both are good options, hhhuuuu ¿how can I decide? Aargh, it is a fact that I do not want to take both, to tell the truth, I would prefer not to take neither, but the guardians will not allow it... I know! I will select depending on the transformation, yes! that will be absolutely the best way.
A moment after Momonga finished his internal deliberation, the doors of the throne room opened, Albedo followed by Solution and Narberal, they advanced until they reached the throne foot, as they walked Suzuki remembered what he had read about them in their descriptions when he discovered that he could still access the 'Master Source' while seated on the throne of kings.
Solution Epsilon, an [Slime] of the predator type, specializes in detecting traps, assassinations, stealth, and surveillance, his specialization allows him to use different types of magic items, even when they have work prohibitions, that would be a rough summary of its qualities.
This is what Momonga thought as he fixed his gaze on the blonde, she had the appearance of a beauty with large breasts, her maid outfit looked more like something out of a fetish magazine, her colors were black and white, she wore high boots that They reached above her knee, but they were not made of leather, they were covered with a plate armor in silver color, under them she wore mesh stockings that were kept in place by a garter belt that disappeared under the miniskirt, wich had some side openings that reached the hips, in the front she was covered by a small apron slightly shorter than the skirt itself, with a metallic ornament that looked more like a flower of throwing weapons, at the waist a belt of buckles that looked more like a chain, she was wearing a puffy-shouldered jacket that was closed at the front by the bottom with a huge zipper, under it was a corset with white lace, her arms were covered up to the elbow by black gloves, her mild-skinned face adorned by a seductive pair blue-eyed, it was framed by her hairstyle, which ended in curls and on her head was a maid's headdress.
The second wore a more modest and casual style, she was not wearing her battle uniform, she was wearing a one-piece black maid dress trimmed with white lace, this had a long skirt that covered almost to her ankles, she wore leather ankle boots, and a white apron, her hair was gathered in a ponytail by a white ribbon, on her head, there was a maid's headdress in white, her skin almost as white as snow-covered her beautiful face that was adorned from disinterested eyes as black as her hair, in a nutshell, she reflected pure beauty.
Narberal Gamma, a War Wizard, and a Doppelgänger, specializes in fast-cast electric elemental magic up to the eighth level, and is also capable of close combat, favors the spear and staff, medium-range weapons and has no limits with medium or low-level weapons, but from enchanted weapons, she can only use up to relic level.
"I have brought them, as ordered, Momonga-sama."
"Mmhm, good job, you guys can get up."
Albedo got up and bowed, then took her place to the left of the throne.
"Solution, Narberal, I have called you because I plan to go out and mix with the inhabitants of this world to obtain a more direct intelligence, for which I will select one of you to accompany me on this journey."
A look of surprise and joy momentarily covered the Pleiade's face, but they quickly recovered and ruled their expressions.
"To select which of the two will be the one to accompany me, both will transform into one of the most common residents of this world."
The maids were about to expose their inability to properly carry out the mission, Momonga continued speaking.
"And before you object to the fact that your levels do not allow you to take any further form."
The Overlord extended his hand and out of the void took out a bracelet.
"This item is called [Hand of Gilfaethwe], broadly speaking, it is a bracelet that reinforces transformation skills, increases attack and decreases resistance to elemental damage, you will equip it to transform, the first will be Solution."
Albedo took the bracelet offered by Momonga and making a small bow, went down the stairs to give it to the predator slime, like the supervisor, she made a small bow before receiving it and equipping it, once the Maid had the bracelet on, Momonga continued.
"If I remember correctly, neither of you has seen any of the inhabitants of this world, right?"
They both nodded respectfully in silence to confirm to their master that it was correct.
"Then, you need to see someone to be able to transform correctly."
Momonga waved his bony hands and summoned the [Remote Viewing Mirror], and directed his gaze towards a small island located to the south-west of the tomb.
On the island closest to the Griffin territory was the historic city of Trottingham, the night was beginning to fall on the ponies that were strolling quietly, among those ponies was Fancy Pants, a unicorn that had the grace of a gentleman, its fur was of a white tone that contrasted very well with the blue color of his mane and eyes, he wore a white shirt with gold buttons, with a navy blue vest and a lilac bow, especially he wore a black long-tail coat and a monocle over his right eye that had a golden frame, and it was secured with a gold chain to the first visible button of his shirt, he wore a casanova mustache that was as well-groomed as his mane and tail, his cutie mark consisted of three small Amethyst-encrusted crowns.
The unicorn that accompanied him, had a pearl white coat contrasted with a curly tail and mane of soft pink tips with pale pink strips, her eyes were purple and she wore an eyelid shadow that matched them, the cutie mark that adorned his flanks were three fleurs-de-lis, two in purple on the top and one in golden yellow between the two slightly below, it was his wife Fleur dis Lee.
They had been taking a walk through the picturesque streets, enjoying the views afforded by the classic buildings of the city while shopping.
"Mmmhaaa, you can always enjoy Trottingham, don't you think so dear?" -told the mare after a deep breath-
"Certainly, its atmosphere is relaxing, pleasant enough after a busy business schedule in Canterlot." -answered the stallion-
"Oh look, isn't that your favorite restaurant?"
"You're right, it is."
"I think it's a good time to have the afternoon aperitif, tell me, do you feel like it dear?"
"Only if we accompany the tea with a dessert."
"Of course darling, whatever you wish for is fine with me."
They took a seat at one of the outside tables and a waiter approached to take their order, they enjoyed their snack calmly, without realizing that they were being observed.
"Momonga-sama, I have to assume that I am going to take the form of the female, am I correct?"
"That's how it is."
Eeeee, I did not know that Solution could take a male form too! ...¿it's because being a slime make her, basically asexual?, well, although it is better that she take a female form, it would be very strange if two guys lived alone in a society with many more female than male, no, no, wait I'm digressing a lot… Mmh, what happens? ho, I think they are expecting something from me, what will it be? ...¡shit, right!
"You can start Solution."
The battle maid concentrated on the shape she wanted to take and the bracelet began to glow up stronger and stronger, then her body began to take a jelly-like consistency when the transfiguration began, she bent her knees and placed her hands on the ground, his proportions changed, his legs shortened, his neck was stretched and his face elongated slightly forming a snout, finally a tail sprouted just above where his hip had been in which he could see the lower corner of the mark on his flanks, during the process his combat suit adapted to his new form without problems, since they are enchanted items
As a final result, a soft almond-colored earth pony, with a golden mane and tail ending in curls, gazed at him with eyes as blue as the sea on a calm day.
"Well done Solution."
"Thank you very much Momonga-sama."
"It could help indeed, tell me, how are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?"
"No one my lord, although it is surely due to the fact that I am a Slime, the changes in my center of gravity do not affect me."
Well this should work, as long as the bracelet is not lost I think there will be no problems ... but what if something unexpected happens and she loses it? Will that cause a problem? Maybe it is best to find out right here and not by accident.
"Well, now without returning to your original form, un-equip the bracelet."
"Yes"
Solution removed the bracelet with some difficulty, and when she took it off she immediately felt a jerk that made her lose balance and almost control of the transformation too, she bent her four limbs under her and her face almost hit the floor.
"Nnnghh"
"!Solution!" -Momonga yelled as he saw her collapse-
"I'm fine Momonga-sama, don't worry about me."
"What is happening to you?"
"It seems my MP's are quickly being consumed by the transformation." -said Solution with a face of pain-
"!Return to your original form immediately!"
"Yes"
What does this mean? Is it that how equipment works have also changed? If I remember correctly, it is assumed that by removing a piece of equipment its effects should simply dissipate, Solution should have simply returned to its original form, but instead, something completely different happened, which means that then I need to continue testing the items that are possible to verify if their operation has changed, aaaaah, damned inconsistencies, they just keep stacking and stacking.
"¿How much your MP's were drained Solution?" -asked the supervisor of the guardians-
"Yes, Albedo-sama, from the feeling of wear and tear I think approximately eighty percent of my total was consumed."
Eeeh, so much?, well, to begin with, she doesn't have that many, ¡but it's still a lot for that short time!, hmm, I don't like the idea of causing them pain but there is no other option, I must be fair.
"Now it is Narberal's turn" -said Momonga-
Solution nodded and passed the bracelet respectfully to the Doppelgänger, who received it with a small bow before equipping it.
"So now Narberal will repeat Solution's actions, and for a good reference, Albedo."
"Yes"
"Keep track of the time after the bracelet is removed so that it is identical to the one that Solution lasted."
"It will be done, Momonga-sama."
"You can start Narberal Gamma"
Again the bracelet shone and the body the Doppelgänger took the consistency of a flesh-colored paste, twisting while slowly taking the shape of a quadruped, at the end of the transformation, in the place that the pléyade had previously been occupying, now was a unicorn with a Pearl-colored fur, she had a mane tied in a black ponytail, under the edge of the skirt you could see the tip of a tail of the same color, as with the previous one, her clothes had also changed to fit At his new figure, his dark eyes looked up at the throne and she spoke.
"With your permission, I will now proceed to remove the bracelet."
Narberal squeezed his eyes together, preparing to receive the tug from his MPs, and removed the bracelet using his snout.
And then... nothing happened, she did not feel pain or discomfort, when she opened her eyes she noticed that she had not returned to her original form, the supervisor and the Overlord had their gaze fixed on her with interest, while she tried to think what her master should do.
"Narberal, do you feel a difference?"
"No Momonga-sama, beyond the change in my center of gravity… and the... rearrangement of some parts I don't feel anything strange." -She said the second part with a slight pinkish tone on her cheeks-
It could be that... no, that would be strange, right? although everything seems to indicate that it is so, truly a happy surprise!
"Mmmh, apparently the bracelet has a race preference ... you will continue with that shape, if after 24 hours there have been no strange symptoms, you can return to your original shape, but if pain or discomfort occurs you should change and equally and report it. "
"As Momonga-sama ordered."
"Then with this, it is decided, who will accompany me will be Narberal Gamma."
In addition, with this it will be possible for me to see if the NPC's can gain experience or level up.
"The bracelet will become part of your regular equipment until you are instructed otherwise, and something else, after you return to your original form, un-equip the bracelet and try to resume the pony shape, you will repeat this action every time you stop the transformation or you are free of your activities, also, after having been out of Nazarick, you will test it again to see if you are able to obtain a new form with the experience of being in it."
Narberal bowed slightly to indicate his understanding.
"Well then now it's my turn."
Suzuki Satoru rose from the throne and activated the [Loki's Ring]
Here we go it's showtime, all or nothing!
The Overlord was covered in a glow that spread from his hand to the rest of his body, and once completely covered he began to change shape, reducing his size to approximately just over half his original height.
When the brightness faded, in the place of the Overlord was a pony with a robust and imposing appearance, despite being covered with the divine-class tunic, it could be assured that it was a unicorn by the shape that the hood had taken, it had His head lowered, so the shadow projected by it covered almost his entire face, his tunic reached the ground, and his hoofs were barely visible when he lifted one to examine it, the first thing those present noticed was that it wasn't a skeletal one, it had beautiful bone-colored fur.
The three women present gulped, they would be the first to see their master's pony appearance, Albedo couldn't help the slight spasms of her wings with excitement, and then the transformed face was revealed.
He had a strong and defined jaw, his eyes were as red as blood and his mane was a real purple color, seeing his eyes Albedo thought that he had transformed into a vampire, which drove a stake into his heart (figuratively) but the pain disappeared as soon as her lover smiled satisfied.
¡There are no fangs! So that means his eyes are just red, ¡he's not a vampire!
"Excellent, apparently there has been no problem with the transformation."
Hearing the transformed voice of her master Albedo finally came out of her ecstasy.
"Excuse me Momonga-sama, you will personally do the test to remove the ring, if you will allow me to equip it for the test, or if you prefer, we could use a high-level undead as well."
Momonga raised the hoof where the ring was previously.
"That will not be necessary, unlike the bracelet, [Loki's ring] can only be unequipped in the original form, since when using the transformation the ring does merge with the body making them one and the same, with this is clear that the infiltration will not pose any problem."
There was a slight feeling of tension on Suzuki Satoru's new face, which he paid no attention to, at least until he noticed the stares of his subordinates, then the realization fell on him like a bucket of ice water, and when he was about to break into a nervous mess, his emotional suppressor activated.
"Mmmhm?…!"
Shit, shit, shit, I forgot that I have transformed myself into something with meat on my bones, I was smiling without restraining myself! Shit ... (Suppressor), well now we just have to control the damage.
"Hehem, well, now we just have to wait for the results delivered by the Narberal experiment and the information gathered by the explorers, as soon as we receive this information we will move, that's all for today."
With these words, Momonga pony said goodbye and immediately teleported to his room.
While in the throne room, Albedo, Solution, and Narberal all had faces of utter surprise, eyes wide and mouths ajar, it was the overseer who brought the others out of their trance.
"!His smile!, Momonga-sama's evil and beautiful smile, Aaahaan∼❤, I can't believe it, ¡ I witnessed his beautiful smile! yeah! take that lamprey! hahahahahahahaha."
"" A-Albedo-sama. ""
"Mmh? Ha, right, you can retire again to your work;… ha, right, wait a moment Narberal, I want to talk something to you."
In the room of the supreme ruler of Nazarick
The night before almost made a disaster, so as soon as the Over-pony was transported to his room, he returned to his original form, to avoid more gaffes, he was rolling on his bed until he calmed down, today he was remembering all this while checking some reports superficially.
¿But how big of a stupid I was?, how I was able to completely forget about facial expressions, I hope that at least I didn't make a ridiculous face, well, at least it seems that my 'vacation' can go smoothly.
Momonga wanted to keep going over things in his head, but a sound interrupted his train of thought, it was the sound of a [Message] trying to connect.
*Piri piri piri pirip*
"Momonga-sama?"
"What's wrong, Demiurge?"
"The scouts have brought in new information, do you want to take some time to receive the report?"
"Umu, I am in the office of my room, I can receive you, at this moment I am not doing anything that requires my full attention."
"Understood, I'll go right away." (end of Message)
Well I'll worry about it later when I have some extra time to verify the range of expressions on my pony face, for now, we have to keep working.
Momonga was sitting behind his desk, he was giving a quick read to some of the reports when someone called at the door, and Sebas went to answer.
"Momonga-sama, is Demiurge-sama, pleading audience."
"Show him in."
Upon entering, Demiurge stood in front of the desk and bowed.
"Raise your head, on your call you mentioned some recent discoveries, didn't you?"
"You are correct Momonga-sama, first of all, we have already defined the level of the dragons on the southern island."
"Ohooo, great, what is the result?"
About 87% are minor dragons, their level varies between one and forty, 5% are mature dragons, they vary between level 42 and 50, the remaining 8% are ancient dragons of an approximate level between 50 and 57, and there are quite a few 'Dragon Lord' above level 65. "
"I see then dragons are quite weak in this world, no ancestral dragons were located?"
"I'm sorry my lord, but so far nothing superior to a lord has been found.
"They will still serve as raw materials, continue."
"Yes, Aura and Mare have found a wild forest, near the center of the continent of Equestria, the results of the samples obtained have provided substitutes for almost all the low and mid-range consumables, as well as unknown ingredients that are being investigated."
This is great! So I no longer have to worry about running out of minor item stocks.
"Tell Aura and Mare to keep an eye on that forest, you have to check how often and deeply the locals enter, you have to see if it is feasible to install a collection center."
"How long should vigilance be maintained, Momonga-sama? Would one week be enough?"
"No, they keep watch until further notice or a maximum period of one month."
"I will deliver their orders to the twins, continuing through the same area, the explorers have verified a town that lies next to the said forest and it meets your requirements for infiltration, there is even a minor noble who lives in it, and as the icing on the cake, the guards are rare and low-level. "
"As for sapient species that present usefulness, a race that calls itself 'Diamondogs' has been located, they are excavators of minerals, mainly gems"
"Ohoo, that would be a good way to replenish the expenses of the Tomb."
"It's like you say it, I'm glad I was able to serve you."
"Is that all you have to report?"
"No, there is something else, apparently in this world there is a race capable of shapeshifting, but it is something we are still investigating."
"Is it Doppelgänger's?"
"It looks like that is not the case, the description does not match, the same as the name, the race is called 'Changeling', it is a race that we have not yet located, but we have spies looking for information about it, that would be all in my report for now Momonga-sama. "
"Tell me, the dogs, are they in Equestrian territory or outside of it?"
"From the information, we obtained in this regard when questioning the prisoners on the subject, there are multiple packs, each one under the control of an Alpha, they live in groups of unknown numbers within burrows, there is at least one within Equestria, and the explorers have located another to the south, outside their borders. "
"Do not lose sight of them, we must wait for the perfect opportunity to get hold of them, they will be useful in the future."
Although I still don't know what plans I'm talking about, I wish the 'unfathomable ruler of the tomb' could share his great plans with me.
"As ordered, then I will post units to guard the pack."
"I count on you."
"As for your intelligence gathering project, I have to assume that you plan to use the prisoners' items as funds, am I correct?"
Ah ... indeed, I hadn't even thought about the money problem! I'm a fool!, it's good that I have someone like Demiurge close by.
"Mhm, that's right, but we will also use part of the funds obtained from the dragon that was captured yesterday, we will use the most common currency of the obtained if I remember correctly it was one belonging to the minotaur nation after all a merchant who comes from abroad can't be poor right? "
"I see, so that was it, so that's what it's about, I'll coordinate with Albedo and we'll make the necessary preparations."
Hey, what are you talking about?
"By the way, is the additional equipment I ordered prepared already?"
"You mean the infinite bags turned into saddlebags?"
Momonga nodded to indicate confirmation.
"I have been informed that there have been some complications, but they will be ready by dawn tomorrow."
"Has there been any progress with the spells imbued in the unicorn gadgets?"
"Yes, everything seems to indicate that what they have are magic formulas and not spells, more similar to what an arithmancer does, as such, so it is enough to transfer MP to the object to make it work, almost all the formulas are in the pieces, however, the control ones are absent, the unicorns were directly gestating them, from this it can be defined that they were not sellers, but rather..."
"Scammers" Momonga interrupted.
Now I no longer feel so bad that they are with Neuronist or Demiurge.
"That is correct Momonga-sama, also according to the data collected with the help of Narberal, apparently the most basic levels of unicorn magic work autonomously with the will of the user, in short, this magic is quite efficient, it is capable of achieving maximum output with a minimum contribution, according to the data collected, constant use of the basic levels generates a maximum expenditure of 7 MP's per day. "
Oh that's good, if it works with the will of the user I will have no problem using the most basic levels.
"So I want to request your authorization to obtain more samples and to be able to do joint experiments with the librarian, I want to see if it is possible to apply this efficiency to our system."
"Hooo, you took the words out of my mouth."
"Momonga-sama flatters me, but I'm sure you've already thought of something like that."
No, not at all, I was just thinking that it would be very dangerous not to know more about the magic of this world.
"Mmh, still, it's nice to know that you're in tune with my plans."
"I am not deserving of such gracious words, I am just trying to be of use to Momonga-sama."
"Well, if that's all, you can return to your duties"
"Then with your permission."
Great, it seems that tomorrow I will finally be able to finalize the necessary preparations for my 'vacation' and if nothing goes wrong I could even leave the same day.