With a sudden flash of light, Ainz, Amrita, Hara and Flora a found themselves standing in front of the Grand gates of thorn. Like the four women standing guard at the gates, Flora was utterly baffled by where she was, and then disoriented by the teleportation itself; almost falling over if she was not suddenly steadied by Amrita.
"Careful, you would not wish your cloak to slip off now of all times," Amrita said seriously.
"Y-yes. I just," Flora stopped for a moment to try to steady herself some more. "This is, Thorn? How?"
"Teleportation," Ainz said with a chuckle at flora disorientation. "It will pass. Amrita, would you please calm those women who look ready to sound the alarm?" Amrita said nothing but nodded as she let go of Flora and walked away from the group and toward the gate, seeming to take out some proof of her rank as she went. "Hara, Flora, are you both feeling alright? No issues?"
"Nope, I feel better than fine!" Hara aid with a smile. "Though I do admit it feels kind of odd now to wear pants."
"I. . . . . feel strange, and this is awkward, but I chose it. So I will cope," flora stated in turn.
"I see," Ainz said as he looked to see Amrita still speaking to the guards who now looked rather terrified. "Just be aware of your bodies. If your forms are seen, I doubt many will react positively at first. Especially towards you, Hara."
"I am aware," Hara said with a nod as she slightly lifted up her Naginata and cracked it down on the cobbles at her feet. "I have control now; my form will not change unless I will it."
"Good," Ainz nodded as he turned to Flora. "I am aware your form does not so much change as expand. Will you have any issue?"
"I told you that I feel strange," Flora almost snapped before sighing. "But I can cope. It is worse than when I was turned into an Elf, but I am much older now and such an amount of control is no different."
"Very well, then I shall not pry further," Ainz said as he saw Amrita approaching, and the gate being opened. "I take it there was no issue then?"
"No, however it appears our exit from Thorn was well seen and has spread throughout the city and into rumor," Amrita said as she looked at Ainz with a bit of a judgmental gaze.
"Hmm, I suppose leaving in such a fashion would attract attention. I had not realized at the time it was a rarity," Ainz said simply before taking a step forward. "No matter, let us head in and report our success."
"Very well, Lady Flora, I suggest you stand between Sir Gown and Hara, just in case," Amrita suggested as the group headed under the gate, being given dirty looks by a couple of the women, though they did not dare have such looks anywhere close to Amrita.
Entering Thorn it seemed as it was before, but with the addition of gazes. Ainz himself had attracted a number before due to his size and looks, but now it seemed everyone was looking at them. He could see guards, knights, citizens, and even some who looked less than savory all watching him as his group moved.
"It seems those mercenaries from when we left are keeping an eye upon us," Ainz spoke up.
"They likely are curious about our success and aim to make us join them to take the success for their own," Amrita said as she noticed them and scowled. "I do not like them."
"Why is that?" Flora asked as she noticed a couple mercenaries ahead of their group, simply standing in the roadway.
"You're about to hear why in a moment I would wager," Amrita said with a sigh. "Sir Gown, are you prepared for what they are likely to try?"
"Yes, I believe it should be of no issue to brush them aside if it comes to it," Ainz said with a nod. "Just make sure all of you do not allow them close to you while I speak."
"They will not try anything violent, not on the streets of Thorn out in the open," Amrita suddenly said. "They will only try to twist your words and make you hand things over to them."
"Then I shall make this simple," Ainz said as the group was near enough to the mercenary that they began stepping forward as well.
"Well, it looks like your efforts and not in vain and-"
"Please excuse us sirs, we are not part of your company, not attempting to join your company, nor have we agreed to anything I regards to your company. We have no business with you. Step aside."
The trio of mercenary's were surprised silent by Ainz's abrupt words to them. One to the side however managed to pick himself up quickly and speak.
"Sir, there is no need to be strange about this, we were told you were undertaking a test to join our amazing company, and as you are here you must have been successful, no? So if you would just give us the proof of your quests completion we can put it in for you and induct you right away."
"We are not taking part in any such thing, and we are not giving you anything. Step aside," Ainz said again, his tone cold as he took another step toward the mercenaries.
"Now hold on," the middle mercenary said as he held a hand up. "We were told to wait for you, and I doubt our bosses would-"
"Hara," Ainz said simply, and in that second Hara was a step more forward, and her Naginata was at the throat of the middlemost mercenary, its cold metal edge pressed against his throat, though not hard enough to part skin. Ainz then took a step closer, his large form looming over the men who were now frozen in place by their emotions. "I gave you the answer. We are not joining your company. Do not make me say it again, and leave."
The mercenaries took steps back, the one with a blade to his throat much slower, and then promptly ran off without a word.
"Are such things common in Thorn?" Flora asked after a few seconds as the group began moving once more.
"Not that I am aware," Amrita replied. "The Black dogs often hang out at the city of their last job, so they must be here waiting on their next one, and being nuisances all the while."
"They are not of issue to us," Ainz said with a wave of a hand. After a few seconds he then tilted his head toward Hara and Flora. "Will you have an issue with being in the same room as Celestine?"
"No, I . . . should be fine," Flora said with a sigh. "It happened a long time ago, and it was not her intention. I doubt she would even recognize me as it is anyway."
"Very well," Ainz said as he suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, his helmeted head turning to the sides for a second or so back and forth.
"Something wrong?" flora asked, only for Hara to responds instead.
"We are, being watched I think, yeah?"
"We are," Ainz said with a nod. "I cannot however discern by who from this distance, or stop them without attracting unwanted attention."
Ainz's words made the ladies quiet for a moment before Amrita let out a noise of understanding. "A bird, is it?"
Ainz merely nodded and began walking once more.
The rest of the walk through Thorn was a trivial affair. No one came up to them, no words were spoken, and nothing truly problematic occurred. A number of citizens would point and talk, or whisper and hide away out of sight.
As they approached the Grand Cathedral and palace however, that changed. Outside of both was an array of priests, church workers, and city knights. All of them stood at attention, and at the top of the stairs was the Archbishop, who had a small but noticeable smirk on her old lips.
"These are all the old and elite of the knights of thorn and the church do not slow and move up the stairs toward the Archbishop, we three shall be a step behind you," Amrita said; her tone serious and commanding to Hara and flora.
"I have not done anything enough to warrant such a serious welcome," Ainz said quietly as he began ascending the stairs.
"Either the Archbishop has spread the belief of what she and Lady Celestine believe you to be, or she is trying to use such a greeting to quell some of the rumors surrounding our exit. The rest of us should not speak for now, simply follow," Amrita said in a whisper just as they were about to reach the top.
"Sir Ainz Ooal Gown, it is good you return with nary an injury it would appear," the Archbishop said, her voice loud and commanding and friendly. Clearly made to sound as such to match the setup around them. As Ainz stepped up the last step and seemed to be about to speak she then added. "The Goddess Reborn would like to speak with you and yours. Please follow me."
Ainz was silent for a moment before realizing the Archbishop was waiting for a verbal response. "Of course, please lead the way."
"Good," she said before waving a hand, causing all of those gathered around them to drop out of their stances and begin to disperse. She then turned around and headed toward the door to the Goddess's sanctuary.
The group followed, as all of them approached the door to the sanctuary it opened on its own, and they went in without a word. The halls of the sanctuary were as they were before, clean, bright, and basically empty. Amrita did notice that as they passed the lamps lining the hall that the flames in each of them flickered from whitish golden in color to almost blood red just for a second as Ainz passed them, but aside from that there was nothing of note in the halls.
What was of note was the great open doors that Hara recognized ahead of them. Doors that appeared to be open.
As the group arrived at the doors and turned into them they found the room empty aside for the Goddess Reborn Celestine herself sitting at the head of the table, a warm smile on her lips. "Sir Gown, it is good to see you again, please take a seat, all of you."
Flora and Hara were visibly surprised at being told to sit as well, but Ainz either did not notice, or did not react to their surprise as he simply strode into the room as if he owned the place, taking a seat directly opposite Celestine. "Thank you," He said before glancing side to side to the extent that his helmet made it clear what he was doing. "I must say, this room feels much more welcoming as it is right now."
"The Princess Knights left to return to their cities the day after you yourself left," Celestine replied, seemingly not insulted by Ainz's words. "Such meetings can only occur so often due to the distance to some of the cities, though I am working on a way of making such meetings more common and easier to have so that we might better work together."
"A smart thing to consider," Ainz said with a nod of his head, noting that Hara and Flora finally deigned to sit to his left, while Amrita took a seat to his right, the same side of the table where the Archbishop had taken a seat. "I can only imagine the amount of meetings and paperwork you must contend with to keep such a, spread out alliance of cities and peoples unified."
"It can be difficult at times," Celestine admitted with a soft smile. "But I would much prefer people be able to live their lives, and if it means I must contend with such things, I freely shall do so."
Ainz let out a chuckle, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. "I see. It seems it is not just this room that feels more welcoming."
Celestine let out a smile. "And why would I not be welcoming to one like myself?" she said before holding up a hand and a finger. "And yes, I know what you have said when last we spoke, but I also am aware of what you have done," she added as she shifted her gaze to Hara and Flora. "You have taken away the humanity of your apprentice, and of one who I had foolishly once down the same to in the past."
Flora looked shocked at the fact that Celestine remembered her somehow, though it was not easy to see through the hood she was wearing.
"So you can sense the change, or the spell itself?" Ainz asked as he leaned forward, placing his hands together in front of him.
"The casting of the spell itself," Celestine nodded. "Many people did, as such a spell is one that alters existence, and as such reverberates through the world.
"Then I am sure you are aware that it was not merely cast twice," Ainz said as he enjoyed such a straight forward conversation, even if it was probably confusing the Archbishop of the others.
Expect no one showed confusion. Hara and Flora were privy to it in more ways than one, and Amrita saw the effects firsthand herself, so it was not surprising that they did not react. The Archbishop however was not reacting either.
"Yes, and as the Inquisitor with you is unchanged, I can only assume you did it to another who is not here," Celestine stated as she seemed to prepare herself for something. "I would like to hear why you would do such a thing.
"You disapprove," Ainz stated as he leaned back in his chair, putting his hands on the table.
"I . . . . . made the mistake of doing such a thing once," Celestine said as she glanced in Flora's direction. "While it was not my intention, I changed people in a way that could not be undone, made their lives different without them having a say in the matter."
"Then I fail to see what the issue is, as I turned no one against their will."
"But why do it in the first place?!" Celestine asked, her tone going loud and almost becoming a scream. She then sunk in her chair. "I am sorry, I just, I would like to know your reasoning and what occurred to lead you to such reasoning."
"That is simple to give," Ainz said as he began to explain starting from teleporting away from Thorn.
The few days of training, their arrival at the Tralford Barony, what they all saw, What Ainz saw in the Baronies hidden fields, his freeing of those held captive therein, and ultimately, what they did as a group, and what occurred with the Baroness and her lackey. And finally, his casting of the spell upon, Hara and the end of the Baroness. Neither Celestine nor the Archbishop reacted at all as he regaled them of the events, but as he finished Celestine looked like he was about to have a heart attack, while the Archbishop looked exceedingly grim.
"To think such an operation could be occurring so close to Thorn," the Archbishop said angrily as he clenched her fist so tightly together her nails seemed to draw blood that dripped onto the table. "Lady Celestine, with your permission I would like to mobilize every Combat capable clergyman and woman to scour the Tralford Barony of all records. I will find any connected to their dealings, and bring them to justice in the name of those lost."
"Ah, that will not be necessary," Ainz spoke up ad he lifted a hand toward the wall to his right side. With a snap of his fingers a glowing circle appeared on the floor, and a moment later a number of stacks of paper lifted out of the circle before it disappeared. "I took the liberty in preparing all such things I could find already. I may have missed some, but this will likely give you a solid starting point I would believe."
The Archbishop looked from the stack of paperwork now in the floor to Celestine.
"When we are done here you may," Celestine said with a nod, before then turning her gaze back to Ainz. "You have my thanks for what you have done. I had figured, perhaps hoped, the situation could be simply solved with politics and understanding one another, but if the Tralford's were doing such things," she shook her head. "Thank you."
"It is fine. It was of use to myself as well, and Hara got the revenge she so sought,"
Celestine's expression soured at those words. "Sir Gown, I understand why you choose to do such a thing but . . . may I ask what your spell precisely did?" She asked as she looked at Hara and Flora. " I can feel that they both have changed to a degree I feel should be startling, but I can see no difference.
"The spell I created is one that can turn someone into one of the multitude of races from my own lands known as Heteromorphics," Ainz explained. "Many Heteromorphics have the ability to hide parts of themselves or make themselves more able to hide amongst humans. A holdover from when they were hunted in the past."
"We can understand such a thing, but I believe Lady Celestine is asking them both to remove such hidden forms," The Archbishop said as she then looked at Ainz. "You should as well."
Ainz looked at the Archbishop, not liking the way she knowingly spoke, and then turned his helmet toward Lady Celestine who nodded.
"There are only two people I would trust right now with the truth of your form. My Dear friend Luu-Luu, and the Archbishop here."
"Yes, so unless you have been hiding such a thing from those whose lives you have infinitely altered, there is no point in hiding it," the Archbishop said with an odd grin, as if she had just won something.
Ainz was silent for a moment. At first it was expected. Then it started to become strange as he did not move whatsoever, then awkward as the silence dragged on.
"Um, Sir Gown, I do not believe the Archbishop meant to-" Celestine began to say, only to stop as she noticed Ainz's body shaking. For a half a second he was worried something was wrong with him, right up until she could hear him.
"Haaaaaaaaa," Ainz let out a long, drawn out sigh as his head looked to the side, and seeing the door to the room closed, reached up and gripped his mask before pulling it off and setting it down on the table. The Archbishops breath hitched as Ainz's glowing red orb eyes stared at her as if burrowing into her body as he spoke. "Making ultimatums when you do not hold the cards, and when you want someone to be an ally, does not go far to making it happen. In fact, if that entire request to deal with the Baroness was simply some long winded way to try to convince me of your opinions, I can think of many reasons why I should simply leave, and never return."
"Sir Gown, that was not what she is intending," Celestine quickly spoke up. "She was merely wanting to confirm my words to her. And we truly had no idea what was going on at the Barony, we-"
"I know you did not plan as such, that much is obvious by your shock when I told you of what occurred," Ainz said as he held up a hand, and then in grabbed his gauntlet and slipped it off, revealing his bony hand before removing the other. "I am merely making it clear that using such information as blackmail is not the way to make friend's. I understand where and when it may be needed, but this was not the place to do it by any means and gives me no reason to associate or cooperate with your church from this point on."
"That would be impossible as we are the only Church in Eostia, and if you are to rise to your position you will need help to-"
"And who is deciding such a thing?" Ainz interrupted as he began shifting his fingers on his right hand for a moment before turning his hand so his palm was facing up. A ball of fire appearing in it a second later. "I do not recall being asked my opinion on such a thing. Perhaps I would prefer to be known as the one who killed a god, rather than one myself?"
The Archbishop instantly stood up from her seat, hands planted on the table with a wild and terrified expression on her face. 'You would dare to-"
"Anti-information Magic Wall. Breath Ward. Lock of Sealing." Ainz said in that same instant, surrounding the room with energy for a second before he smiled, literally smiled as his bony jaw seemed to bend to allow it. "And now, none can enter of leave this room till I say, and none can hear what occurs within."
Dead silence gripped the room. Hara looked oddly pleased, Flora looked confused, or what small amount of her face could be seen looked confused, the Archbishop looked terrified, Celestine looked calm, and Amrita was split due to the Archbishop and Lady Celestine's expressions.
After a few more moments of silence, it was broken, but not by Ainz or the Archbishop but by Celestine herself. "I told you trying to strong-arm him into this would not work."
"Hmm, I take it this was not something you planned then?" Ainz asked as he looked at Celestine, the flame in his hand going away.
"No. I did wish for you to understand you were the same as myself, but I felt no need to force it to occur at any speed after I gave it some thought, and while I admit when I felt your spells I was scandalized, hearing you gave them choice in the matter does make it easier to deal with," Celestine rambled for a moment before sighing again. "The Archbishop believed that, if you were willing to do such a thing you must have accepted what you are, and believed that plans needed to be drafted to have you take up a position similar to mine. I believed that if such a thing was to occur it needed to happen over time, and by your own actions, not those of the church."
"I see, so it was a difference in opinions that has now led to a split of intent where unity would be the norm," Ainz said with a light chuckle. "I may be, somewhat agreeing with the possibility of what I may be considered in these lands, but that does not mean anything else, nor have I even once given any confirmation of my intention in regards to such an idea.
"But, why?" the Archbishop asked, her voice more like a hiss through her teeth. "If you accept that you are a God reborn, work with us to tell the masses, we could solidify peopled beliefs, make them feel safer, push further against the Demons!"
"And why should I care?"
The Archbishop merely stared at Ainz in shock at his words, allowing him to continue.
"Corrupt knighthoods, corrupt nobility, mercenary bands that strong-arm people into them, a culture of drastic inequality, a religion that appears to care more about spreading itself than the actual protection of its people. What is there for me to care about in these lands when I have met so few people that are deserving of respect?"
"But-"
"Do not misinterpret my words however, I have met some who are worthy of such respect, and until I can confirm whether I can return to my own land or not, I will do what I believe is necessary to assist them in their lives, but when I encounter people like that Baron, those Princess knights, or you, I find myself wondering if it would not be simply to simply cull this land of the cancers within it to-"
"Shut your mouth! Without the church the people would have devolved into rabble years ago!" The Archbishop screamed in a rage. "Without my people and their efforts, we would not have the healers to keep the knights strong, we would not have the means to fight against the Dark Queen, and we would not be able to stand as strong as we do! It is only due to the Princess Knights, the church, and the people belief in Lady Celestine that we have lasted so long against the Forces of the north!"
"Despite the fact that you are not winning in any form?" Ainz asked, causing everyone eyes to turn to him. He chuckled. "Please, does no one else see it? I have read your histories, and seen how you military works in its most basic. Yes, there may be things I have missed, but it is clear from reading the histories that you will not win this war as things are. An army that rapes and pillages, and grows more of their own wretched spawn from those they kidnap and constantly rape. And if your texts are accurate, the demons grow faster than humans. This entire war of yours is not something that can be continued indefinitely. Even if you manage to hold out and have until now, it will not stay that way. Ultimately, you will lose by attrition, by the demons constantly attacking and sapping your strength, your resources, and your people, over time."
"You, you think you can just-"
"Archbishop," Celestine suddenly spoke up, still surprisingly calm considering the way the conversation had turned. "As loathe as I am to say this, I think it would be best if you began looking into the Tralford Barony and anyone that was connected to them. I will deal with Sir Gown, as one of my own."
The Archbishop looked horrified for a moment before finding her voice. "L- My Lady that is, I do not believe he can-"
"Archbishop, please see to your duties," Celestine said calmly. "I will deal with his eventual induction to our culture."
The archbishop paused for a moment and let out a resigned sigh that sounded also like a growl. "Very well. Amrita come along, we need to-"
"Actually, I believe I would like the inquisitor to continue to accompany Sir Gown," Celestine said. "As a way of making it easier for him to learn what he must for his future position.
The Archbishop stared at Celestine for a moment before getting up and moving away from her chair without a word. She grabbed the piles of paper, already wrapped in twine, and walked over to the doorway. "I will need to leave."
"Ah, yes," Ainz said as he snapped his bony fingers. In that instant a feeling of magic dissipating filled the room and the Archbishop opened the door, left, and slammed the door closed behind her. "Hmmm, Lock of Sealing."
" . . . . . . . I am sorry you had to be a part of such a thing," Celestine said after a few moment of silence.
"It was a good plan, and it did work for the most part," Ainz replied.
"Yes, I just hoped it could have been done a bit, gentler, I suppose."
"Gentle does not always work, and while it was effective I wish you had not told her of my, visage."
"I needed something to make her act toward you, and your visage made her worry and fear you even if she did not realize it, and that was why this managed to work. Thank you."
"Wait, was that, fake?" Amrita spoke up in disbelief.
"No," Ainz said in a pleased sort of tone. "It was however planned."
"When would-"
"When we were last here," Hara spoke up in realization. "When you and the Goddess reborn spoke in private."
"Yes," Lady Celestine said with a nod. "Time can, move slightly differently within my quarters if I wish it, so we had time to discuss many things," she said before looking up at Ainz. "Am I to believe that you have, as you said, partly come around to my idea?"
"To an extent, but I will require more time, and more information." Ainz said with a nod. "I would like to look into that other curiosity of mine."
"I have asked Luu-Luu to begin looking into it herself, as no other would even consider such an idea. If you head to her city of Rad, she will no doubt meet you to speak of it."
"I see. Yes, I can imagine the others being unwilling to look into such a thing, just as the archbishop would be."
"They all have their skills," Celestine said warmly. "Some, just have a very singular way they see things is all."
"Yes, which is dangerous," Ainz said as he began getting up, only to stop when Celestine raised a hand.
"A Moment. I would still like to know, why you decided to change these girls. Why not simply, resurrect them if you could not heal them?
Ainz let out a chuckle as he rolled his shoulder, the center of his robes coming apart and showing off his large rib, and the glowing sphere of energy within them as he raised a hand and tapped his skull. "If only I could. As an Overlord, such things are impossible for me. To create life normally, to heal, to bring back the dead to life, as anything but the dead. Turning them into Heteromorphics was the only sensible idea I could come up."
Celestine gave a nod of understanding before looking at Hara and Flora. "If you girls are fine with it, may I know what you have become?"
"No," Hara said instantly, her tone angry and her eyed glaring at Celestine. "You and the Princess knights, you used me as bait to try to catch the Baroness. Made me out as a sacrificial lamb to be executed as a child for committing the crime of just wanting to see my family one last time."
"I do regret it," Celestine said solemnly. "We needed proof and at the time it seemed best to-."
"Sure, but then it failed," Hara said angrily as she stood up from her chair. "And instead of changing the plan, you almost killed me!"
"You became a knight and-"
"A Greyed knight! And only because my only friend begged you in public!" Hara snapped. "I've had to live through years of being beaten, abused, tormented and hated upon, being made to be a rearguard, and being expected to die the whole time! Years of it to the point the until Sir Gown appeared, I was ready to just give up and die at any given time, I was ready to just let myself die, because I didn't care anymore. Not about my life, not about our country, its people, or even you! The only thing I cared about was making sure my friend lived, or died beside me!"
The room was silent for a few seconds. Flora, who had never hear the story, looked horrified, her hood slipping off her head an revealing that her skin was now a bright pale green in color, while her hair was dark green. Amrita looked neutrally, but also conflicted as she stared at the table. Ainz and Celestine however both looked utterly neutral, or at least Celestine did until she let out a sigh. "You are right, we should have lessened your sentence; however the church insisted they show what would happen to those who used dark magic, and Claudia agreed. I could not-"
"Bullshit!" Hara sad as she kicked her chair behind her and picked up her Naginata. "You are the Goddess reborn, if you wanted to you could make any command and who would argue against it? You just did not care. Why would you? I was just one person, one of the many, not worth your attention!" Hara spat angrily as she stormed over to the door and stopped just shy of it. "Sir Gown, could you please."
"Very well," Ainz said as he again snapped his fingers, removing the magic over the door, allowing Hara to go out and slam it shut behind her. Ainz looked to Celestine. "Did you truly envision anything else happening? No matter how much you may regret what occurred, it did, for years."
"Yes, I know that," Celestine said with a heavy sigh. "for far too long I have grown so used to the archbishop and the Princess knights doing what they needed to, that I was content simply being here. Only your arrival made me realize how lazy I have become. How without an equal, I had become disgustingly content to simply accept the situation and status quo as it was."
"My Lady," Amrita spoke up cautiously. "I understand it may be beyond my rights, but understanding why something happened, does not change the fact that it did. As an Inquisitor, that entire event was an insult when it occurred too many of us, and was a sign of many of the Princess Knights abusing their power. And I do understand what saying that means as an inquisitor myself."
"You have seen much of such a thing, haven't you inquisitor?" Celestine asked carefully.
"Yes, as an inquisitor my job was to root out sedition and corruption among the populace. I have fought worshippers of evil gods, corrupt nobility, bandits, monsters and many in between, including, once, another corrupt inquisitor."
"And . . . . How many of you are there?" Celestine asked before sighing. "I believe, it has been to long that I have been in the dark about your order."
"Less than there were in the past," Amrita answered, and while it was a simple and vague answer, it sufficed to tell what she wanted.
"I see. Thank you for telling me what the Archbishop would not. I should not keep you any longer."
"Then I shall thank you for your time," Ainz said as he stood up from his chair, the front of his cloak inexplicably closing up on its own without a touch as he put his gauntlets on. "We hall head for Rad then and speak with the nearly naked child."
"Luu-Luu is a Halfling, she is not a child," Celestine said in a slightly insulted tone.
"That does not change how I feel about these lands ideas of what constitutes armor or clothing," Ainz said with a sigh as he donned his helm once more.
"I suppose it would," Celestine agreed as she looked to Flora. "I know I said this in the past when it occurred, but I am truly sorry about what happened. I had never intended to do anything but cure the sickness in your village."
"I know that, as did many," flora said grimly. "But, you know what happened, right?"
"What, do you mean?"
"We were humans originally. Most could not deal with being eves. The feeling of magic, of long life. Most went insane."
"I see. And yet you are fine," Celestine pointed out in a solemn tone. "And have become even more in tune with nature it would appear."
It was with those words that Flora realized that her hood had fallen, instantly pulling it back up over her head.
"Flora here, like you, did not agree with how I saved Hara and another villager in that town, and spoke out against many of them wishing the same to be done to them," Ainz said, his tone level, but sounding like he was likely smirking behind his mask. "We came to a deal, to prove, or disprove a number of worries, and she volunteered to be the one to take part."
"And, you are, happy with this?" Celestine asked carefully.
"We will see," Was Flora's response.
"Very well, then I wish you good luck," Celestine said with a nod. "Oh, and Sir Gown?'
"Yes?"
"Can you please leave the city normally, to not provoke more rumors than necessary?"
"I suppose that I can consider the idea," Ainz said as he turned toward the door and snapped his fingers, removing all magic rom the room and leaving, Flora and Amrita following him after bowing to Lady Celestine.
After a few moments of silence," Celestine let out a relieved sigh. "I suppose I should go and speak to the Archbishop and quell her worries now. It is time to get busy."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside of Celestine's meeting chamber Ainz found the Hara simply standing there, and once the door closed behind Flora and Amrita the four of them went down the hall in silence that was only broken when they left the Sanctuary building itself.
"I apologize. My outburst probably made things awkward," Hara said with an annoyed scowl on her face.
"There are no apologies necessary," Ainz said simply as the group began to walk down the stairs. "It was something that needed to be said. Just one of many."
This seemed to calm Hara, but allowed amrita to speed her step and walk beside Ainz for a moment. "Were your words about losing this war part of your plan with the Goddess Reborn, or your actual feelings?"
"Not so much feelings, as observations, why?" Ainz asked curiously.
"Because, it has been something that many of us inquisitors have been making clear to the church for years, only for such an idea to be ignored or told to, worry about the now. So I am relieved that someone else has finally seen the same."
"Hmmm, I see," Ainz simply said. In truth his words had been part opinion, and part observation. He did not yet know enough about Eostia, and had not witnessed a true battle play out without his involvement, and as such any thoughts on the matter were skewed or straight up inaccurate. So hearing the same again made him feel rather grim.
How many people in these lands were smiling and ignoring their situations? Or perhaps, how often was the church and the Princess knights hiding the situation from their people? They could hide such a thing to keep panic from spreading. It was once said people fell victims to big lies over smaller ones after all, but constantly lying even when the situation was clearly otherwise would do nothing in the long run but cause grief and true chaos while destroying the peopled respect and trust in the ones leading them.
He would need to confirm such things with his own eyes before speaking of such an idea again.
"We have incoming," Hara spoke up suddenly as the group was heading down the main road of Thorn. They were out in the open and visible to many, and so were the visitors, a group of thugs and mercenary looking men who were clearly walking right towards them.
"Damn," amrita swore as eh cinches her cloak tighter around her body as he gaze was directed at the group. "The Black Dogs leader."
"Oh? Which one is-" Ainz began to ask, before he was answered as the biggest of the mercenaries group stepped toward them with a loud call.
"Hello there Mage! I hear you pushed around some of my boys earlier?"
Ainz looked at the man with a discerning eye as the two groups stopped just a sparse half dozen meters away from each other, before smirking, knowing the best way to start the conversation from his side of things. "I am sorry; I do not believe we have met. You are?"
Surprisingly the big man did not seem insulted as he showed a smile full of teeth at Ainz. "I am Vault, Leader of the Black Dogs Mercenary company. Let's have a little chat, shall we, Ainz Ooal Gown?"