Nabe stood frozen.
All she knew was that she was supposed to send a message when she received the signal.
She had no idea what the actual discussion was supposed to be about.
Lucien had no idea what was happening either.
He vaguely remembered reading the publicly available profiles of Nazarick’s various NPCs.
Demiurge’s description had emphasized qualities such as “calm,” “intelligent,” and “reliable.” Yet Lucien could not see where any of those traits were supposed to be right now.
Everything Demiurge said seemed inexplicable.
His voice had grown more impassioned with every sentence, and by the end, he had sounded less like a composed strategist and more like a fanatic.
And there was something else.
Lucien had always believed that appearances should not determine one’s judgment of a person, but Demiurge’s face made that principle unusually difficult to uphold.
No matter how Lucien looked at him, the demon had the appearance of a scheming grand vizier.
Ainz was the only person in the room who remained emotionally stable.
Mostly because the green light had already activated.
His dropped jaw slowly closed.
The red lights within his eye sockets shifted between Lucien and Demiurge before finally settling on his subordinate.
More than anything, Ainz simply had no idea how he was supposed to explain this situation to Lucien.
“Demiurge…” Ainz was immensely grateful that his passive ability allowed him to regain his composure regardless of the situation.
“Is this truly the solution you arrived at after careful consideration?” “Yes!” Demiurge raised his head.
The silver lenses of his glasses completely concealed his eyes, but his voice remained every bit as fervent as before.
Silence filled the room for several seconds.
Demiurge knew perfectly well that his own intelligence was insignificant compared with that of the Supreme Being and someone Lord Ainz had personally described as a peer and equal.
Explaining every detail of his thoughts too clearly might only expose flaws and imperfections in his reasoning.
He also understood who the true participants in this meeting were.
He was merely there to facilitate matters.
He absolutely could not overshadow them.
The finer details of the plan should naturally be discussed between the Supreme Being and the Supreme Being’s friend.
Unfortunately, that silence made Ainz increasingly uncomfortable as he stood before the skeletal throne.
He had no idea what to say to move the conversation forward.
He did not even know whether he was supposed to sit down.
In fact, he still had not noticed what the chair behind him actually looked like.
“You’re saying I’m supposed to become the ruler of humanity?” Lucien was the one who finally broke the silence.
“Yes!” “Isn’t it a little early to be talking about that?” If Lucien had never met Ainz today and had continued acting however he pleased in this world, perhaps such an ambition really would have emerged sooner or later.
But he had barely begun investigating what existed beyond the visible order of the city, and he had already stumbled across an organization whose true strength he could not estimate at all.
Where there was one cockroach in sight, there were usually countless more hiding out of view.
There was no telling how many monsters existed in distant lands.
More importantly, even if very few natives of this world could threaten him, there might still be other players who had been transported here as well.
If some of them were hiding while secretly harboring ambitions of their own, the dark forest principle was not something to dismiss lightly.
If Lucien grew increasingly reckless, arrogant, and lawless, then the day he encountered a coordinated group of players or one of this world’s true apex beings, his ever-expanding ambitions might carry him straight to his end.
“From the standpoint of timing, yes.
It is indeed too early,” Demiurge answered frankly.
Ainz released a long breath of relief.
So Demiurge really had considered this carefully before saying it.
Perhaps today’s meeting would not be impossible to salvage after all.
“It seems you’ve already developed your ideas quite thoroughly.” A glimmer appeared in Ainz’s eyes.
At last, he felt as though he had regained some control over the conversation.
“Indeed.
From the very first day we arrived in this world, Lord Ainz instructed us to develop our own judgment, to remain cautious in unfamiliar surroundings, and to think carefully whenever we encountered a problem.” “Ever since that meeting, I have been developing this plan.” “Then explain it.” Ainz finally displayed some of the decisiveness and authority expected of a ruler.
“Let both of us hear what you have in mind.
However, if we believe your reasoning is unsound, we may question it or reject the plan outright.
Do you understand?” At the same time, Ainz neatly turned the situation to his advantage.
If Demiurge explained the entire plan, then Ainz could finally learn what this supposed scheme involving him was actually about.
He could also hear the reasoning of Nazarick’s genuine strategist, discuss its feasibility together with Lucien, and observe Lucien’s own attitude toward the proposal.
Demiurge, however, looked overwhelmed by the honor of being asked.
His fervor did not diminish in the slightest.
If anything, he became so excited that his hands trembled.
Back in Nazarick’s Throne Room, Demiurge had already formed a fairly clear understanding of how Lord Ainz viewed Lucien.
Ainz had personally described Lucien as an apex-level combatant.
He had also spoken the names of several Supreme Beings while explaining the matter, including the exalted name of Demiurge’s own creator.
Even more importantly, Lord Ainz had shared a memory about the Supreme Beings themselves, something Demiurge had never heard before.
From that alone, Demiurge could reasonably infer that Lucien was unquestionably a being who stood on the same level as the Forty-One Supreme Beings.
For some reason, however, he had never become one of them.
Demiurge could even imagine that Lord Ainz wanted to invite Lucien into the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The only obstacle was that Ainz Ooal Gown had originally restricted membership to heteromorphic races.
Naturally, as Guildmaster, Lord Ainz should have possessed the authority to alter that rule or make a single exception for Lucien.
However, Lord Ainz clearly still cherished the Supreme Beings who had departed.
Perhaps, in his mind, such an exception could only be made if all forty-one members were present to vote on it, with unanimous approval.
Yet judging from Lord Ainz’s earlier words, he also did not want his relationship with Lucien to remain nothing more than a distant friendship.
They were meant to be allies.
Perhaps something even more important than that.
And in such a situation, Demiurge believed it was his duty as a subordinate to resolve his master’s difficulties.
Naturally, his thoughts turned toward Lord Ainz’s plan for world conquest.
Demiurge had only glimpsed the smallest fragment of that magnificent design, but the wisdom contained within even that tiny fragment had already been enough to inspire absolute admiration.
As Demiurge saw it, there had previously been nothing wrong with the plan.
It would have been a triumph belonging solely to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
A silent world belonging to the undead.
But after careful thought, such a world seemed somewhat too monotonous.
A supreme ruler ought to receive the worship of both the living and the dead.
And now, the appearance of a human whose strength was no less than Lord Ainz’s seemed to provide the final missing piece needed to perfect that vision.
Especially given the nature of Lucien’s abilities.
According to Lord Ainz, Lucien’s skillset resembled Lord Nishikienrai’s, perhaps even surpassing it.
An assassin of nearly limitless lethality would possess tremendous strategic value even if he rarely acted personally.
His mere existence could discourage potentially rebellious factions from making a move.
And if some hostile leader openly defied their rule, Lucien could simply remove that leader directly.
Such a capability could accelerate the process of conquest by an unimaginable degree.
Lucien could preside over the vibrant lands beyond Nazarick, taking responsibility for the human territories while joining Lord Ainz in bringing their grand design to completion.
“To think that both of you would be willing to hear the thoughts of a fool such as myself in detail.
This servant is truly overwhelmed by the honor!” Demiurge’s voice rose with renewed conviction.
“Then please allow me to explain the central reason why I already believe this plan cannot fail!” (To be continued.)