Chapter 332: 331 Unveiled Disguise
The next day, early morning.
Reiger walked along a street that could hardly be described as in good condition, listening to the lively conversations around him as he headed in the direction of the adventurer guild.
Faintly, he could hear phrases like "Golden Shining Pavilion burnt down," "a mysterious Magic Singer controlling the undead appeared in the cemetery," and "an anomaly in the northern forest" which made him appear indifferent on the surface, but internally, he was somewhat muttering to himself.
"I was involved in all these incidents."
To cause an uproar in the entire city of Yelantil overnight, stirring up several incidents, he was, to some extent, the source of all these evils.
As Reiger thought about such matters, he arrived at the adventurer guild, only to find the adventurers there discussing those very incidents so much that the bulletin board for job postings was desolately empty, with no one seeming to plan on accepting any jobs.
The arrival of Reiger caused the surrounding murmurs to quiet down slightly.
This was both because Reiger was a recognized Mithril-grade adventurer, the highest-ranking one in the fortress city of Yelantil, and because, according to rumors, the burning of the Golden Shining Pavilion had quite a bit to do with him.
Reiger ignored such scenes as though he saw nothing and approached the counter.
He wasn’t here to take on jobs, but to gather information.
The aftermath of the Golden Shining Pavilion burning down hadn’t been addressed by the guild yet.
He also wanted to know how the city had dealt with the cemetery since he left last night.
And about the northern forest, he heard that the city officials, having detected the anomaly, had asked the guild to send adventurers to investigate.
Reiger couldn’t possibly know the follow-up handling of these events by himself; he could only come to the guild like this and inquire.
However, on Reiger’s way to the counter, a figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking him.
Reiger stopped and looked at the person.
"Isn’t this the Dark Warrior himself?"
He spoke calmly and indifferently, announcing the person’s identity.
The person was none other than Ainz who had just returned to Yelantil, along with his Combat Maid Narberal.
"What does he want?"
The surrounding adventurers noticed the commotion here and immediately started to whisper amongst themselves.
Especially when they saw Ainz, dressed in his splendid black armor, hanging a copper plate around his neck, yet daring to block the path of a Mithril-grade adventurer, many displayed a schadenfreude expression.
If it were another day, Ainz might have been mindful of the venue and the reactions around him.
But today, he exuded a pressure detectable only by Reiger, and a subtle sense of urgency.
"...I have something to ask you," Ainz said, suppressing the emotion in his voice, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Sure."
Reiger looked at Ainz’s eyes as if seeing a fish caught on the hook and couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile.
"Let’s talk in one of the rooms prepared by the guild."
Several rooms were prepared upstairs in the guild to provide a place for adventurers and clients to engage in various discussions.
Reiger told the receptionist that he needed a room, instructing her to prepare it.
"Let’s go."
"...Right."
Reiger and Ainz headed upstairs together, urging Narberal to quickly follow.
Before long, the two arrived at a room resembling a conference room, with a wooden table in the center and similar wooden chairs arranged around it. The setup was extremely simple, but adequate for temporary discussions.
"..."
Reiger, upon stepping into the room, seemed to sense something and paused slightly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued advancing, taking a seat.
Ainz sat opposite Reiger.
Narberal stood silently behind Ainz, not uttering a word, her eyes flickering with obscure malicious intent towards Reiger.
"Speak," Reiger said, as if he didn’t see Narberal at all, dropping even those superficial courtesies, for the first time using an unapologetic tone towards Ainz, "What do you want to talk about?"
This shift in attitude or perhaps the revelation of his true nature not only intensified the malicious intent in Narberal’s eyes but also caused Ainz to frown, though he had no eyebrows.
Actually, if possible, Ainz would not have wanted to confront Reiger like this.
He didn’t want to reveal too much in front of Reiger or let Reiger detect too much, so maintaining a superficial friendly appearance was his true wish if possible.
But this time, Ainz couldn’t hold back.
No choice.
"Regarding the strange disturbances in the northern forest last night, I would like to consult you about this matter," Ainz said, making his tone sound as non-hostile as possible.
"Oh?" Reiger raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Does this mean you already know about the vampire being mind-controlled?"
Upon hearing this, Ainz couldn’t hold back any longer and stood up.
"It was you!"
Narberal was even more direct, fiercely drawing her sword from her waist and lunging towards Reiger.
"Stop!"
Ainz shouted at Narberal.
"But..."
Narberal wanted to make a move, but was coldly stared down by Ainz.
"I said stop, this is an order."
Upon hearing this, Narberal bit her lip, visibly reluctant as she sheathed her sword.
Ainz then took a deep breath. Even though his skeletal body had no need to breathe and was incapable of breathing, he still made the gesture to calm himself.
Of course, the enforced calm unique to the undead also allowed Ainz to suppress any overly strong emotions immediately whenever they arose.
Therefore, Ainz could maintain his composure and sit down again in front of Reiger.
"So, were you really involved in this matter?"
Ainz spoke with an unnaturally composed tone.
In response, Reiger simply said,
"Aren’t you confronting me like this because you suspect me?"
Reiger continued to smile as if nothing had happened.
"Just a suspicion," Ainz replied calmly. "At least, among the people I know, only you give me the impression that you could pull off something like this. Besides, I have reliable information that proves you were not in Yellantil last night."
"I see, so that’s why you suspected me," Reiger responded unflinchingly. "Well, since you put it that way, there’s no need for me to hide anything."
"Last night, I indeed was in the forest and even had a fight with that vampire."
"But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not the one who mentally dominated her."
Not only Narberal, but even Ainz himself did not believe Reiger’s words.
But his demeanor was so candid that Narberal set her doubts aside, while Ainz began to feel hesitant all of a sudden.
Amidst his hesitation, Ainz chose not to discuss this matter further, but instead asked a question that concerned him deeply.
"Are you a player?"
Ainz’s inquiry surprised Reiger momentarily before he laughed.
"You’re the second person to ask me that question," Reiger responded smoothly. "But unfortunately, I am not a player from ’YGGDRASIL’."
You’re lying.
Ainz desperately wanted to shout.
After having mentioned the name ’YGGDRASIL’, how could he not be a player?
However, before Ainz could scream out those words, Reiger coldly threw out a statement,
"You don’t think that in this world, only you are a player from ’YGGDRASIL’, do you?"
Such a statement made Ainz’s non-existent face under his helmet feel as if it had imperceptibly stiffened.
The information Reiger’s statement imparted was still substantial.
At the very least, Ainz had to admit that his own origins had been seen through by the other party.
"Don’t think you’re special, and don’t think you can hide well," Reiger said indifferently. "Over these hundreds of years, quite a few players from ’YGGDRASIL’ have come to this world; you are just one of them."
"So, don’t be surprised because your origins have been seen through. Anyone who knows of ’YGGDRASIL’’s existence, who knows of the existence of players, can generally recognize your origins after meeting you."
"After all, the natives of this world are truly not strong; your strength alone, in the eyes of those in the know, is simply the most conspicuous proof of being a player."
These words caused a significant stir in Ainz’s heart.
He had considered the possibility of other players from his world being in this one, and even had a few candidates in mind; however, according to Reiger, the connection between this world and ’YGGDRASIL’ seemed to be deeper than he had imagined.
"What exactly is the connection between this world and ’YGGDRASIL’?"
"Apart from me, who else is a player from ’YGGDRASIL’?"
"Why were we suddenly transported to this world?"
Ainz threw these fundamental questions at Reiger.
This, perhaps, is the greatest puzzlement for any player from ’YGGDRASIL’?
Unfortunately...
"These are all secrets of the world, aren’t they?"
Reiger’s pointed statement made Ainz understand his implication.
"...What do I need to provide?"
Ainz asked solemnly.
He knew this might be his only chance to touch upon the secrets of this world.
If the connection between this world and ’YGGDRASIL’ was truly as deep and if there were quite a few people in this world who knew of the players’ existence, then he had to significantly alter his plans for the future.
This mattered greatly for how Nasalik Underground Tomb would establish itself in this world, it was so important that Ainz temporarily set aside the matter concerning Shalltear.
In such a situation, Reiger spoke up,
"Did I not mention it? I have a side business as an information merchant!"
Reiger extended a hand towards Ainz.
"Detailed information about magic."
"Rare and unique magical items."
"Rare treasures."
"These are what I want, it all depends on whether you can pay the price."