EeDechi had long suspected how Ainz Ooal Gown had learned of her plan to take him down. After thinking it through and ruling out the chance that her words or actions had been spied on, the most likely answer was that someone had betrayed her.
In Re-Estize, only a handful of people knew EeDechi intended to take down Ainz Ooal Gown.
EeDechi trusted her teammates. But when she thought back on Princess Renner's string of odd behaviors—like the way her Justice Value had swung wildly in such a short time—she realized the most probable traitor was Princess Renner herself. Of course, she should be called Queen Renner now.
Barrett lifted his head and met EeDechi's eyes. The two of them understood each other perfectly; they had reached the same conclusion. Yet unlike the less perceptive EeDechi, Barrett had suspected from the beginning that Princess Renner was the one who had sold her out.
True to an adventurer's nature, Barrett would have already marched straight to the palace with sword drawn, royal blood or noble title be damned. Any backstabbing whelp who betrayed him deserved to be cut down where he stood.
But he knew EeDechi's personality. She would be torn by the conflict, so he had never brought the matter up.
Now, however, EeDechi had overheard the tavern patrons' chatter, and old suspicions stirred again. This trip to Re-Estize had reached the point where the arrow was already on the string and had to be loosed.
"Hey, you three," she called, "we're adventurers who just got back from exploring the desert. We haven't kept up with everything happening out here. What's happened in Re-Estize? Tell us what you know."
EeDechi tapped her spoon against her wine cup, then turned to look at the three tavern patrons who had been chatting earlier. All three were dressed like small-time merchants, their clothes worn and shabby.
"Who are you? If you want to know that badly, go ask around in Re-Estize yourself," the three patrons said, clearly annoyed by EeDechi's slightly commanding tone.
"Friends," Barrett called, waving them over. Three gold coins appeared in his hand, which he tossed up and caught in his palm.
The three patrons' eyes locked onto the gleaming coins like cats fixated on a ball of yarn. Their heads bobbed along unconsciously with every toss.
Barrett flung the three gold coins to them. Their faces changed at once; oily, fawning smiles spread across them as they all started talking over one another, eager to spill everything they knew about recent events in Re-Estize.
It turned out that not long ago Re-Estize had been in complete chaos. The rising faction of new nobles and merchants led by Princess Renner had been locked in a brutal power struggle with the traditional great nobles represented by the second prince, Zanac. The two sides were at each other's throats.
In the capital, a noble was hanged every couple of days. Entire families dragged to the gallows or exiled to the borderlands had become routine—all of them casualties of the political bloodbath.
But then, for some unknown reason, the second prince suddenly died a violent death. Not even a trace of his body remained, leaving no chance to use resurrection magic. The great nobles were roaring for answers about Prince Zanac. They had begun mobilizing troops from their own territories across the kingdom, preparing to march on the capital and uncover the truth.
Then the Sorcerer Kingdom stepped in with a heavy hand, openly declaring its support for Princess Renner, and the whole affair was quietly dropped.
The great nobles tried a different tactic. They offered all kinds of wondrous magic potions and scoured the kingdom for the youngest, most beautiful women, hoping to spark a second spring in the aging king, to revive his flagging manhood.
For the sake of the realm, the old king gladly agreed. He raised his old, soft spear, and burned through the last of his strength in furious battles with the beauties, determined to father a prince who could inherit the throne. After all, Re-Estize had never once had a woman on the throne.
But not long afterward the old king too died a sudden, violent death. The cause was unclear, and resurrection magic failed completely.
Only then did the great nobles finally understand just how ruthless Princess Renner's heart truly was—and exactly what power stood behind her: the Sorcerer Kingdom.
There was nothing left to do. Every path had been sealed off. The only choice left was to let Princess Renner take the throne.
Princess Renner got exactly what she wanted. She sat upon the throne, was crowned queen, and became the first woman to rule Re-Estize in its entire history.
Afterward, Queen Renner ignored every voice of protest. She ordered Climb—the man with no power, no status, and no wealth—to become her husband and serve her for the rest of his life.
Climb was nothing more than a lowly royal bodyguard. His background was completely ordinary, his combat skills unremarkable, and his only distinctions were a handful of merit medals.
The decision sent shockwaves through Re-Estize. When the news spread abroad it drew countless gasps of disbelief. Only after Queen Renner had a few nobles and ministers publicly beheaded did the opposition finally fall silent.
Queen Renner and Climb's wedding ceremony was formally held in the capital one month later.
"Interesting," EeDechi said, resting her chin in her hand. "What's Renner's reputation like? I mean, her popularity among the ordinary people."
"It should be Queen Renner now. Her reputation is pretty good. You know, even before she became queen, she was called the 'Golden Princess'—she loved the people as if they were her own children.
"After she became queen, she introduced a lot of laws and measures that benefited commoners. A lot of nobles hate her guts, but plenty of people are secretly over the moon about it. Her methods with the nobles are vicious, but she's been kind to the common folk."
EeDechi crossed her arms and fell silent, lost in thought.
After dismissing the three tavern patrons, EeDechi nodded lightly and said to Barrett and Franco, "I have to go to the capital of Re-Estize to figure out if Princess Renner betrayed me. I can't miss this wedding ceremony."
"I'm with you, Captain! Let's kill that traitor!" Franco declared immediately.
Barrett nodded slightly as well. The three of them stacked their hands together, and Cheeko poked out his little cat paw.
Three hands and one small cat paw pressed down together.
"Let's go!"
...
Great Tomb of Nazarick, tenth underground floor, in a spacious pure-white room.
The floor was engraved with intricate magic circle patterns, the designs weaving together in a complex lattice. Surging mana flowed through them, rising and falling like a tide. Within the oval chamber, the power resonated in a deep rhythm, as though a colossal heart were beating.
Ainz and Mare stood to one side, each holding a thick stack of parchment notes. Their eyes remained fixed on what lay at the center of the magic circle, and they held their breath as they waited with tense anticipation.
At the very heart of the array rested two World Items side by side: World Item · Depiction of Nature and Society and World Item · Endless Death Prison. Beneath them spread countless twisting, root-like veins of blue crystal, mana condensed into solid form.
Suddenly the center of the magic circle blazed with light. Brilliant white radiance flooded the entire room. The glow lasted a full two hours before it slowly began to fade.
Where two World Items had once lain, only one now remained: a golden cylindrical scroll radiating dazzling brilliance.
"It worked!"
Mare cheered and hopped with joy, eyes sparkling with delight. Ainz gave a small, satisfied nod.
The recreation of the Eight Greed Kings' World Item Fusion had succeeded. Two unparalleled World Items had merged into one, birthing a new ultimate World Item whose power surpassed the sum of its parts.
World Item · [Super] Depiction of Nature and Society had been successfully forged.