Nabe’s brows drew together sharply, and one hand had already settled on the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“You damned…” Lucien showed no reaction whatsoever to either her disrespect or her obvious preparation to attack.
Before arriving in this world, he had seen publicly available information concerning Nazarick.
The maid currently disguised as an adventurer was only around level forty or fifty.
She possessed some combat ability, but at best, she was little more than expendable muscle.
“Calm down, Nabe!” Ainz suddenly thrust an arm out, blocking her path.
His eyes remained fixed on Lucien’s calm demeanor while the flames beneath his helmet flickered as he thought rapidly.
Someone capable of identifying Nabe’s true identity at a glance had to be a player.
What Ainz did not know was where this man stood, how he had arrived in this world, what identity he currently held here, or how Nazarick should handle its relationship with him.
Was he an enemy or an ally?
“Indeed.” Ainz gave a thoughtful nod.
“To recognize Nabe’s identity at a glance, you must be someone worth becoming acquainted with.
Perhaps we could speak somewhere more private?
We could have some tea, or coffee, if you prefer.” “No problem.” Lucien rose from the bench and began walking alongside the towering armored warrior.
Their destination was a rather respectable-looking tavern.
It did not look like the sort of place where powerful combatants would be lying in ambush.
Even if it was a trap, however, Lucien did not particularly care.
Back in the game, he had once been one of the most well-known mercenary raiders for hire, and his entire build had been specialized around the Assassin class.
He had a fair amount of confidence when it came to sudden encounters.
After entering the establishment, Ainz asked Nabe for the coin purse.
He emptied almost all the money he had earned over the past several days as an adventurer and rented a small private room on the third floor, along with a pot of tea and a bottle of the establishment’s house liquor.
As they went upstairs, Ainz continued thinking carefully.
Fortunately, he had prepared his disguise thoroughly before leaving Nazarick.
The conjured armor concealed his skeletal body, so there was no reason this man should be able to see through his true identity at a glance.
For now, Ainz could simply claim to be an ordinary combatant assigned to Nazarick and use the conversation to probe how much Lucien knew.
This man might know Nazarick’s internal structure in extraordinary detail.
As for the guild members themselves, he might even know everything from their greatest strengths to their weaknesses.
If Ainz’s identity were exposed while he still knew absolutely nothing about the other party, Nazarick would immediately be placed at a severe disadvantage.
After all, during YGGDRASIL’s operation, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had been a dungeon that other players could challenge.
The private room was small, containing only four chairs.
With Ainz’s current massive armored frame, the seat looked rather cramped.
A maid brought in the tea and liquor.
Her service was exceedingly rough.
There was none of the proper preparation or presentation one would expect from decent hospitality, and she even spilled several drops of tea near the edge of the table while pouring.
Watching her nearly made Ainz’s nonexistent heart pound.
There was absolutely no sense of ceremony.
If he had treated a client this carelessly back when he was working, he would not even have known how to chase after them and apologize if they simply turned around and left.
It showed no respect for the other party at all.
Ainz inwardly sighed.
He was simply too poor.
He had only recently registered as an adventurer, and his rank was still too low.
Even after nearly half a month, he had accumulated only this pitiful amount of money.
He could only hope that this particular player was not the type to care about such details.
But if he did care…
Ainz carefully glanced sideways, trying to gather some information from Lucien’s expression.
Unfortunately, Lucien still had not removed his hood.
And because Ainz’s viewpoint was so high, almost everything beneath it was obscured by the brim.
He could not see anything.
Once the maid left, Ainz personally pulled out the chair on the left for Lucien, then walked around to the opposite side and sat down.
Nabe instinctively moved closer, but before she could take her place behind Ainz, he suddenly raised a hand to stop her.
“Stand over there, Nabe.
Do not interrupt.” Nabe obediently walked to the side of the door and stood there perfectly straight, her expression cold.
“I assume you already possess some understanding of the organization I belong to, so I will spare you any unnecessary explanation.
Allow me to introduce myself first.” With everything prepared, Ainz lowered his voice and began speaking with deliberate composure.
“I am a permanent Area Guardian assigned to the Fifth Floor.
Due to an unexpected change in our surroundings, I was dispatched alongside Narberal Gamma.
We are currently posing as adventurers while gathering information about this world.
Today marks the thirteenth day of our mission.” “In E-Rantel, I operate as a dual-wielding warrior under the name Momon.
And you are…?” “Hmm…” Lucien remained silent for several seconds.
He stared at Ainz’s helmet, which still had not been removed, for long enough that Ainz felt a moment of discomfort.
“Are you lying?” Ainz’s perfectly straight posture involuntarily jerked backward.
His emotions surged violently.
A burst of green light appeared beneath his armor, suppressing the disturbance, and only then did he readjust his posture and return to his previous composure.
Before he could offer an explanation, however, Lucien had already begun laying out his reasoning.
“You called yourself a permanent Area Guardian.
That means you aren’t a Floor Guardian.” “Judging from that position alone, you should be an ordinary NPC without much status.
Your direct superior should be Cocytus, the Guardian of the Fifth Floor.” “But the Fifth Floor is a frozen realm, and its notable combat personnel should include the Frost Virgins.” “Of course, it’s possible there was a gap in the information I saw.
Maybe I somehow overlooked an armored warrior who should have been extremely conspicuous.” “Perhaps your level is slightly lower than the Frost Virgins, so your existence simply wasn’t important enough to stand out?” “But even then, something still doesn’t add up.” “As far as I know, Nabe is a member of Nazarick’s Pleiades Battle Maids.
Her combat strength may only be at the lower end by Nazarick’s standards, but she was personally created and named by a guild member.” “Because of that, her actual standing within Nazarick should be comparable to that of the Guardians.
It should certainly be far above mass-produced servants like the Frost Virgins, and even further above someone in the position you’re claiming to hold.” As he spoke, Lucien turned his head and glanced toward Nabe.
At some point, she had begun gritting her teeth, clearly furious with his attitude.
That reaction only reinforced Lucien’s conclusion.
“So why can you order her to stand aside, and why does she obey every word you say?” Ainz was momentarily speechless.
He had never imagined that the other man could uncover the truth so quickly from such tiny and seemingly insignificant details.
Anxiety crept into his thoughts, and for a moment, he had no idea how to continue the lie.
That reaction completely confirmed Lucien’s suspicions.
He immediately exposed Ainz’s true identity.
“You’re a player, just like me.” Ainz’s body tensed.
Nabe immediately disregarded his previous order.
She hurried forward and positioned herself beside Ainz, her expression intensely wary.
She was already prepared to use her own body as a shield and fight to the death if necessary.
Lucien merely glanced at her from the corner of his eye and ignored her completely.
His attention remained fixed on Ainz himself.
“Finding yourself unexpectedly thrown into another world would naturally make anyone cautious around people who seem familiar yet are still strangers.” “But since we’re both players, I think we can afford to be open with each other and exchange what we know about this world.” “What do you think?” (To be continued.)