Stars and Servants (Patreon)

Ainz took a few more steps before he was able to step out of the shadows cast by a huge column and looked into the night sky. Apparently, their journey and conversation took longer than Ainz originally thought. The first stars have already begun to appear in the evening sky, still faded under the rays of the evening sun.

“Senpai,” - Mashu who is lying in the arms of Ainz tried to pull herself together, to stand on her feet, but after one unstable step she still allowed herself to lean again against Ainz, - “Where-hic are we?”

“Outside,” the magician answered briefly, after which he looked at Mashu. Apparently, she really did not know her own limitations with alcohol.

‘When was the last time  I had to babysit drunk colleagues?’ - Ainz sighed. He rarely went to parties, even when his boss decided to arrange something like a corporate party, Ainz usually just apologized and disappeared from work, trying to return to Yggdrasil. And yet, maybe several times in his life he had to deal with people who got into alcohol, and then seriously overestimated their abilities in this regard - ‘It brings back memories…’

“Senpai,” Mashu blinked a couple of times before focusing her already slightly wobbly gaze on the man. Strange, the wine was watered down, so Ainz was sure that the alcohol content was low - and yet Mashu managed to get drunk even in this way. It seems that she really was a lightweight drinker, - “Why are we-hic outside?”

“Just to get a little fresh air,” Ainz smiled at Mashu, after which he took a couple more steps, stepping on the threshold of the palace. Fortunately, the guard was absent this time around - whether they had a change of guards or the guards simply realized that in the current situation they were practically useless - Ainz was not worried. On the other hand, Ainz was worried that there wasn’t any decent bench or other place where Ainz could sit down with Mashu.

“Senpai…” - as if Mashu had just understood an important detail, - “You... You-hic are... hug... hug-hic-ging me?”

Ainz really just supported Mashu at the moment with one hand, allowing the drunk girl to lean on the magician.

“I’m supporting you so that you don’t fall,” Ainz tried to explain to the girl, but apparently his words didn’t reach into the girl’s ears.

“Sen-hic-pai…” - however, Mashu was not angry with such a turn of events. On the contrary, noticing this detail, the girl threw her hand in an awkward gesture into Ainz's shoulder, clutching at that. Although it might seem that the girl tried to hug the magician herself in response, this was done more likely to stay on her feet.

“Every-hic-thing is good ...” - the girl’s face immediately broke into a smile, a blush began to appear on Mashu’s cheeks - although this was not from the romance of the situation, but rather from the alcohol she drank earlier.

‘Do not give Mashu alcohol’ - Ainz said to himself this important detail, after which he took a few more steps, reaching the huge staircase that connected  the city streets to the palace and, for lack of a more decent options, sat down on the top step, forcing Mashu to sit next to him, legs dangling to the bottom step. After that, Ainz tried to remove his hand, which was no longer necessary to keep the girl in a straight position - but he could not do this, as soon as Mashu felt the magician’s intentions, she, having wrung her unhappy face, grabbed the magician’s hand with her other hand and pulled it back with force. Moreover, Ainz was quite sure that Mashu had put in a little more power for this than was necessary. Simply put, Ainz was quite sure that if he himself were not a Servant, then Mashu could well have broken his arm - well, or at least dislocated it from his shoulder.

‘Servants and their strength’ - Ainz sighed to himself, after which he looked at Mashu, who, having achieved her goal, only blurred into a drunken smile, after which she looked away from the magician, staring off into the distance.

Ainz, reflecting on the situation for a couple of seconds, was forced to admit that apparently he couldn’t leave Mashu alone, so he looked away from the girl and looked at the city below.

The sun flickered its last rays, after which the light finally faded, allowing the stars to slowly appear in the sky, and to shine in full force.

Ainz looked up at the sky.

It's funny...

Slowly, as if from the abyss of the night itself, an ocean of shining stars appeared in front of him, and all Ainz could do was look at how the gradually small lights light up in the blackness of the night sky.

Really funny...

In the world of Ainz, seeing stars were a truly unattainable dream.

The space program was shut down many years ago, in preference of much more important things, things that are much closer than the faraway space - however, this was not what Ainz was referring to.

In a distant, future world, after the third world war, the skies were always covered in gray smoke, hiding the skies from wandering observers who took the time to look into the night sky. Dark, low clouds of ash from huge factories and from the evaporation of liquids that could no longer be called water flowing in rivers poisoned by industry. Indeed, it was a miracle if he managed to go outside without a metal umbrella, designed to protect against acid rain on the day when weather forecasters promised rainfall.

Just imagine, he really never saw the stars. Not those in the game - real stars.

Ainz looked at the stars, smiling softly.

‘Blue Planet’ - Ainz remembered his guildmate - ‘You would have definitely like this…’

In the past Singularity, he never managed to be relaxed enough to simply stare at the sky, however, here, in this place, Ainz felt calm.

Maybe even too calm.

Ainz indulged his paranoia for a second, who persistently whispered to him that this place was specially created to trap Ainz in an illusion of safety, after which he spent a few more seconds ruminating about this thought and nevertheless with a sigh to ignore it. He spent a few more seconds observing the star filled sky, after which he looked back at Mashu.

Mashu, however, continued to stare at the night sky. In her eyes, Ainz saw surprise and something that Ainz could see in himself. Admiration.

“This is the first time that I could see the stars,” the girl smiled, looking at the night sky, not taking her eyes off it even for a second, after which she blinked, “I never thought that something in this world could be so beauti-hic-ful…”

Although Mashu did well, in the end she still could not resist and hiccuped, making Ainz smile. Mashu, recognizing that Ainz was clearly smiling due to her small mistake, immediately pouted and turned away from the magician, nevertheless, without letting go of his hand - or her own for that matter.

Ainz thought for a second before he remembered, “Yes, Mashu...”

The girl immediately turned to the magician, as if her past resentment was just a farce. However, that was exactly what it was, “Senpai?”

“You know, I was thinking about something before,” Even without counting this time, Mashu also participated in the previous Singularity, - “Tell me... What do you want?”

“Hic?” The girl hiccuped with a questioning expression, however she might have done it.

“There is supposed to be a reward for every work, isn't it?” Ainz looked at the girl softly. Whether it’s a job with a salary or a quest with a bounty - in the end, a reward was supposed to be given for doing a job - “Tell me... Mashu, what do you want?”

Mashu frowned, trying to understand the question with her already pretty fuzzed out mind, and then broke into a smile, “Senpai ... really, really kind…”

“Hm,” Ainz smiled. This was not the answer that would line up with his question - besides “kind”? This was not the word that Ainz would describe himself with.

“I see stars, sen-hic-pai,” the girl smiled an awkward smile, after which she looked from Ainz to the stars, “Can I ask for anything-hic?”

“Hm,” Ainz looked at the stars. The night sky really looked for him as a beautiful precious piece of art, - “And?”

Mashu thought for a second before her clouded mind came up with the idea, - “Then that.”

Ainz looked at the girl and she slowly raised a staggering finger to the sky, pointing to a distant star - “Give me that.”

Ainz looked up at the sky again, glancing at the star that Mashu was pointing at. It was not the brightest and most notable of stars, just one of many.

In the end, it was the request of a child, asking for a star from the sky.

The stars were really huge fireballs, so even the smallest of them was just a bunch of plasma millions of times larger than the Earth. Of course, it was impossible to pack such a gift and give it to someone. It was simply impossible. It was a request that no adult would ask.

It was the request of a simple child who did not see a huge ball of fire millions of light years away, but a small star in the night sky.

And yet, looking at the sky, Ainz saw the same thing. Many shining diamonds scattered in the night sky.

There was no way to fulfill this request. In the end, it was impossible from the point of view of any normal, sane person.

However, Ainz looked at the sky and said quietly, “Perhaps one day...”

Turning to the side, he saw Mashu, whose eyes were no longer visible her eyelids closing under its own weight.

“Hee-hee,” - nevertheless, before finally falling asleep, Mashu quietly said, “Then... It’s a promise-hic, hee-hee...”

After a second, Mashu finally closed her eyes fully and fell asleep on Ainz’s shoulder, letting her hand slip down.

Only then did Ainz notice a third person close to them.

“Rider,” - Ainz turned to the girl. Although he knew her name, he still did not trust the Three Emperors enough to use it openly.

“Master,” Medusa stepped out from behind a column, after which she glanced at the magician.

For a second, Medusa gave Ainz a half smile before looking at Mashu, who had fallen asleep on the shoulder of the magician and covered her eyes with a sigh. After that, Medusa opened her eyes and looked at the magician again.

The girl took a few more steps, and then stopped a few meters away from the magician, leaning in on one of the statues in the stairs.

Ainz continued to stare at Medusa for a few more seconds before turning back.

The city below, despite the onset of darkness continued to be lively. Somewhere in the city lamps and candles are lit, somewhere else, a torch. People continued to roam the streets - soldiers marched, sometimes meeting with the passers-by who went over to the guards, drunkenly smiling to guards, or with girls invitingly showing off their bodies to the same drunken gaiters.

For several tens of seconds, Ainz watched the city, living its measured life, before looking again at the sky.

“The stars are beautiful,” the girl finally said, “I... I haven’t seen them for a long time.”

“Me too,” Ainz admitted. It's funny, but now, given Mashu, three people who hardly remember or even know what the stars looked like in the night sky, have come together.

Silence reigned for a second.

“Thank you,” came the voice of Medusa in the end.

Ainz blinked. “For what?”

To this, Medusa only smiled before her gaze tripped over Mashu, dozing on Ainz's shoulder.

‘What did you expect?’ - as if a mocking voice resounded in her head - ‘Do not know hope - and you will not know sorrow, huh…’

“Rider,” finally Ainz returned to the question, “Did you want something?”

“No,” the girl shook her head, “I just ran away from Cainabel. She knows how to play on the nerves of people.”

“Yes, perhaps.” Ainz sighed. Maybe she slowed down her trampling of others a little after talking with the magician, but another problem was added to this. “The master still loves you,” huh...

“All the same...” - Medusa thought for a second, not sure if she should raise this topic now, “Who exactly is she?”

“Someone I knew in the past,” Ainz sighed.

“I figured that much,” the girl sighed, “But still... How strong is she?”

Ainz thought about the answer.

“I once fought her,” smiled Ainz. This was not clear evidence in favor of her strength, but Medusa nodded anyway.

“I understand,” the girl sighed, “Although... I still don’t understand how she could be summoned as a Servant. The system... could not have summoned something so powerful into  Chaldea.”

“The circumstance of her summoning were not the most normal in any case,” Ainz sighed, after which he thought about the knowledge that came from the depths of his mind, “Although she must obviously be weaker than the original as a Servant...”

“Can't you tell clearly?” The girl looked at Ainz, “Even knowing her parameters?”

‘Knowing her parameters?’ - Ainz thought about what was just said. Ainz did not know her parameters, how could he even find it?

“Not that her parameters could be correlated with her past abilities,” Ainz smiled.

“Really?” Medusa blinked. “So... She was so strong that even with complete information about her as a Servant, it is impossible to determine how much she had changed?”

‘Full information?’ - Ainz looked at the girl, thoughtfully - ‘What is she talking about?’

“It's just hard to relate to what I knew about her,” Ainz smiled, trying to hide his misunderstanding with a bluff, “That's all.”

“Hmm, strange,” Medusa thought for a moment, after which she shook her head after a second, “However, it’s not as if she was normal from the very beginning.”

“Really,” Ainz smiled, feeling an imaginary sweat protrude from his forehead.

Information about a Servant’s strength? How can he acquire something like that?

Ainz measured the strength of the Servants through observation and similar methods this whole time. He was sure that in his mind that there was no other way to acquire knowledge of the abilities of his Servants. He even used the information that was provided to him about the current Singularity - however, after several attempts, he was absolutely sure that despite the fact that his level or skills should have allowed him to at least understand the magic of this world, he could not use magecraft, which means that, obviously, he could not use any magecraft to find out information about the Servants.

‘No,’ Ainz suddenly stopped. ‘Wait a minute…’

Ainz suddenly looked at his right hand. The hand on which three symbols rested.

In this world there was one kind of magic that was not of Yggdrasil and yet was available to him. Just once, long ago, he found this information unimportant and left it gathering dust among many other unimportant things.

‘Command spells’ - Ainz looked at his hand, which rested three red symbols and sighed - ‘So that's how it is…’

Medusa, having waited another second, sighed and smiled, - “Perhaps, I should go.”

“Yes, of course,” Ainz nodded his head automatically. He considered the command spells an ability not worth his time and therefore did not know what kind of ability it could give him. Therefore, it was quite natural that he could not evaluate the parameters of the Servants, the observation of which required the use of Command Spells. Not as an Absolute Order, however, but as a connection.

A second later, when Medusa nevertheless moved away from the magician and Mashu continued to sleep quietly on Ainz's shoulder, Ainz touched his hand.

After a second, information seemed to appear before his eyes.

For a second, Ainz was silent.

“And what?” The magician finally said calmly and quietly, after activating the suppression of emotions, “So could it be?”

Ainz looked at the parameters of the Servants. This time, information about Medusa was revealed to him.

For a few seconds, the magician studied the information on Medusa before closing his eyes.

The next second, Ainz tried to reach out to the information concerning himself, but could not do it.

“So,” Ainz nodded to himself, “You can only find out information about other Servants, and not about yourself...”

After that, Ainz looked at Mashu, who continued to doze on Ainz's shoulder and quietly touched the girl's head. She, having felt how she was lifted from a comfortable pillow, grimaced, but a second later, when Ainz put the girl on his lap, relaxedly smile again and sniffed.

For several minutes, Ainz continued to silently study the characteristics of the Servants revealed to him. And yet, this was of not much use for Ainz. Of course, he understood that an A rank in something was clearly a high rank, higher than D, but that was all. This was all the information that he could acquire. All further information that he could ascertain was only assumptions that Ainz could only base on the knowledge obtained through observing the Servants. And yet, at least comparatively, more information was not bad in itself.

The situation was a little better with the skills of the Servants. Although many descriptions were blurry, Ainz could get a little more information about them than with the characteristics. And Noble Phantasms...

Some of them sounded dangerous. Some... Not quite.

Ainz looked thoughtfully at the revealed characteristics of the Servants. Often it seemed to him that the characteristics or skills were assigned completely randomly - he already already witnessed Servants showcasing abilities not revealed in their characteristics and vice versa, that they did not demonstrate the skills that they supposedly possessed.

“In the end, it was still not very useful,” Ainz sighed. However, just in case, nevertheless, Cainabel’s abilities were looked over. Medusa raised this topic with him - so at least he should check it.

From the very first second, Ainz understood that the differences between his other Servants and Cainabel were enormous... Even this word could not show the whole gap between what Ainz could see from Cainabel’s info with the rest of the Servants.

Characteristics... Perhaps these were the highest characteristics that Ainz could manage to see among all the Servants. Skills...

Although the skill powers were still blurred - Ainz saw three skills on Cainabel’s stat page, looking at which Ainz could only say something like “hey, this is simply cheating!”

“Although she’s still a boss,” Ainz sighed. “Although weak, you could expect something like that from her.”

And Noble Phantasms.

Ainz had a chance to see that the Servants had one or two Phantasms, but Cainabel had three.

Ainz looked thoughtfully at the first.

Although this ability was strong in terms of direct damage or power, it was one of Cainabel’s abilities from Ygdrassil that Ainz already knew about. In the end - this ability will not be able to affect Ainz, but against the rest of the Servants...

Ainz frowned at the second phantasm. Cainabel also had this power in the game - although now, being out of the game... The ability appeared much more dangerous than what Ainz remembered it to be.

“But it, too, could not affect me” - Ainz nodded - “The third one...”

For a minute Ainz froze.

For another minute he tried to make out what was written in the description.

For another minute he was trying to ascertain whether he could understand what was written correctly. Of course, the game has something like this ability... No, more precisely, if someone put together several features when battling Cainabel, it would be somewhat similar to the effect of this ability ... In the end, it was an amount of force comparable to Supertier magic... However, now, reading about it, Ainz felt his suppression of emotions activate. Then a second time. Then the third.

Ainz was silent for several minutes before exhaling and uttering just one word.

"Heck"

***

Cainabel did not like the wine, did not like the company and did not like the atmosphere... But Ainz's orders were orders.

The wine was diluted with water. Not that she was bothered about it - the wine did not lose any of its quality, it is still the lowest quality wine that she ever drank - but the very fact that she was served diluted wine almost made her frown.

The atmosphere around her was too... relaxed. Not the kind of atmosphere that Cainabel wanted. Of course, she was not a true lover of battles, but she definitely liked the periodic opportunity to smear someone’s head on the ground.

And the company around her...

Cainabel sighed, glancing at those around her.

Jeanne d’Arc, Saint of Orleans. Brains like a chicken - even less uses.

Witch, destroyer of France. Strength of a worm - conceit like a lion.

Cu Chulainn, the sage of the Celts. You can get a barbarian out of his stink - but you can’t get the stink out of a barbarian.

Medusa, the monster of Greece. She would gladly have thrown this “monster” to one of her minions and watched how they cut her to pieces.

Mashu, the nameless shield. She saw cardboard boxes stronger than her shield.

After that, Cainabel turned her gaze to the other side of the table.

Caligula, the mad emperor. Although he was supposed to get stronger after losing his mind — Cainabel couldn't tell the difference between a weak and a strong ant — not that she even tried to do even that.

Nero, the Golden Swordswoman. Her idiotic verbal tic got on her nerves like an emery cloth ~ umu.

And Caesar, the first emperor. Pig.

Cainabel smiled when Caesar smiled at her. His eyes, however, no matter how hard the man tried to appear relaxed before her, were wary.

Interesting pig.

“I don’t think you told my master why Nero even fought in the first place,” Cainabel looked pointedly at the fat man.

In the end, it seemed as if his belly would now completely stretch his camisole and tear it, firing a button at Jeanne sitting opposite. It was a really funny image.

But Cainabel did not laugh.

“Oh, isn't it obvious?” Caesar smiled, trying to show a self-confident smile, which caused his thick cheeks to mesh into two lumps of fat, so taking his self-confident pose seriously was almost impossible. Almost, - “Although we really cannot go on a full-scale offensive - it is natural that small skirmishes around our territory are still ongoing. I thought it is quite obvious even for someone like you?”

‘Self-confident pig’ - Cainabel scoffed to herself. However, the eyes of this funny fat man were cold.

In only an hour of acquaintance, Caesar could determine that Cainabel was smart - Cainabel did not refuse this compliment - and that she had great conceit - Cainabel did not consider this a vice and thereforeignored any mention of it. To provoke her into conflict in order to reduce her desire to question the Triumvirate further, to be satisfied with half-truths. Perhaps it would even work if she had not been summoned by Ainz, damn it, Ooal Gown.

‘But I admit - it might be even more interesting this way,’ Cainabel grinned when she drank her  next goblet of wine.

“Oh, I didn’t think that your Divine Ancestor,” Cainabel grimaced at using that title when referring to someone else. She was the Divine Ancestor, not someone else - “Is so loved by the people.”

“Hm?” Nero glanced at the girl, paying attention to the change of subject, to that of the Divine Ancestor and a mention of his popularity.

“Well then,” Cainabel allowed herself to grin, “He is so popular that so few people have gathered behind the banner of three emperors that the leader of such an alliance is forced to go on a regular patrol...”

Caesar smiled, but his eyes only got colder.

‘This game can also be played by two people- Cainabel smiled at the fat man. Now Nero was forced to talk about the real reason for their actions to prove that she was not sent to a simple patrol to prove that the people around her loved her and not all of them are supporting Romulus. Cainabel also managed to study her new acquaintances a little more.

“Well, why so rude,” Caesar managed to reply ahead of Nero, supporting his silly grin he used a joking tone, casting off his provocative way of speaking after he discovered that it did not affect Cainabel , “Nero knows how to make people love her. Ah, it reminds me of the days of my life…”

“Caesar!” Nero puffed out her cheeks, looking at the man.

‘Not bad,’ Cainabel reached for the next goblet, allowing a servant from among the rabble to replace one of the jugs, ‘Calm Nero and capture her attention knowing her airheaded nature. But there is still a miscalculation - that means Nero was doing something important, something you don’t want to tell me about... Besides…’

“And, as I can see, there are servants around,” Cainabel noticed how the boy disappeared into the inside of the palace with the empty jug, “Who are not at all surprised or bothered when we kept referring to you as Caesar, nor when you introduce yourself as Caesar...”

Caesar laughed, because of which his huge belly almost rippled. What a pitiful look, what an effective tactic - “It was not difficult. Magecraft, after all, is now not as secret as it might become thousands of years in the future. It is enough to only say that we are the spirits of dead Emperors who came to the aid of our descendants, and this should not be talked about with outsiders. Moreover, this is the truth, after all.”

“Is that so,” Cainabel smiled. Even though he was a worm - he was a very interesting worm, - “How to effectively rule a rabble so uneducated, superstitious and duped that they are ready to swallow any tales without proof. I really admire your efforts to build a state populated by such mindless idiots.”

Emperors loved their people. One of them would respond to such an insult. Cainabel simply did her job, shaking their emotions in order to acquire information from any reaction - if not in conversation, then in the heat of a quarrel. One way or another, her job was to concentrate all the negativity on herself. And shouldn’t she enjoys her work?

“How dare you say that!?” Nero instantly jumped out of her seat, clenching her fists. Caesar was much more restrained, clearly catching the intent of Cainabel. But Nero did not have Caesar's temperament, - “They are my people! They are my empire! Take your words back!”

Cainabel wanted to grin at how easy it was. - “Your people? I’m not surprised that…”

‘Cainabel,’ resounded a voice in the girl’s head, and she instantly bowed her head.

‘My Lord’ - although he could not see her supplication, Cainabel bowed anyway, and if she is not sitting right now, would have kneeled down. It was never possible to know unambiguously what Ainz could see and what he could not, ‘How can I serve?’

‘I checked the characteristics of the Servants’ - Ainz's voice sounded calm, but it didn’t matter. Ainz always sounded calm - even so, Cainabel felt a chill roll through her body.

‘Is there something that displeases you, my lord?’ Cainabel froze. Don’t say that he just noticed how weak she was! This will be a death sentence!

‘No, everything is in order’ - Cainabel froze for a second. It was good, very good... ‘I'm talking about your third Phantasm…’

Cainabel paused for a second to think about which of her phantasms was the third before she sighed. It was her strongest one. The one thanks to which she could at least temporarily bring herself closer to her true form, to her true strength...

‘I forbid you to use it’ - Ainz's voice sounded clear.

Cainabel sighed. She already understood that. After all, what's the point of playing a game if at the end she could just burn the game itself? It really would have been too easy.

‘I forbid you to use it before meeting an enemy stronger than you,’ Ainz warned and Cainabel sighed. Stronger than her? For this, you still have to try - ‘And after the meeting, too.’

‘I forbid you to use it even in case of mortal danger, even if necessary, in the case of my or someone else’s protection.’ - Ainz sounded firm and calm. Cainabel was a little surprised by such a clear prohibition, but the Higher Being probably had his own plan on such an occasion, which she could only guess about - ‘I forbid you to use it, until I directly and unequivocally say the phrase “use the third phantasm.” That is all.’

‘Of course, my lord,’ Cainabel answered seriously, after which the connection with Ainz was cut.

Nero, who did not hear the exchange of information between Cainabel and Ainz, saw only that after her emotional outburst, Cainabel suddenly bowed her head in apology.

“Oh ~ umu,” the girl looked at Cainabel. During the time that they talked, she came to the conclusion that Cainabel was not one who could just apologize.

“I beg your pardon,” Cainabel did not dissuade her. Let this pig think about this unexpected change of behavior. “I really crossed the line.”

“So your head still bends at such an angle,” Cainabel got the Witch’s mockery at the moment when she straightened up, “I was worried that you had to lick Ainz’s ass without bending.”

“Me?” Cainabel grinned. “You know, I heard that witches get their powers after kissing the Devil’s ass. So I defer on your expertise onass licking - you obviously have more experience with this.”

“Stop-stop-stop!” Jeanne tried to intervene, looking almost imploringly alternately at the Witch, then at Cainabel, “Please, why can't you just stop these fights?!”

“Did you also tell this to your enemies?” Cainabel grinned in response, “Oh, no, wait, you grind them with horses' hooves and put the soldiers on swords. I completely forgot, because this is the way to holiness, huh?”

Jeanne, having heard this, only settled back down on her chair, causing Cainabel to grin at the easy victory.

“I feel sick of you,” Cainabel thought for a second that the Witch decided to continue throwing insults, but it was surprising that instead the Witch turned to Jeanne. “You will continue to interfere with your “do not fight” every time, and then, after receiving a simple retort, run away and cry? What a pitiful and useless fuck you are then!”

Jeanne could not answer anything, only to dig herself into her chair, turning into a puddle, barely supporting the shape of a person.

‘Really?’ - Cainabel grinned. ‘Are my eyes failing me, or our evil, unwavering Witch is trying... to somehow help someone? Oh, it's a cold day in hell!’

“Enough, enough insults and quarrels for today!” This time Nero intervened in the conversation, glancing at all those present, not even forgetting Caesar, who was continuing to eat peacefully another piece of steak.

‘A pig is a pig’ - Cainabel grimaced.

“It was a hard day for all of us,” Nero sighed, then looked back. “Come on, I’ll better show you the guest rooms.”

“If you are so kind,” it was hard not to notice the sarcasm in Cainabel’s voice, but Nero managed to do it.

“Of course ~ umu!” - instantly, as if forgetting the previous conflict, Nero rose from her chair, “You are all still guests of the Emperor of Rome herself! You can expect the most cordial of welcome ~ umu!”

Cainabel sighed. Apparently, she really could not achieve anything more today, so she got up from the table.

“Thank you for the banquet,” Cainabel smirked for the last time, casting a glance at Caesar, “Although the next time I would prefer real wine, rather than diluted leftovers from the farmer’s water.”

“I see?” Caesar only smiled a charmingly good-natured smile, “Then I will do everything in my power for you, my lady. And I will find something for Jeanne d’Arc too.”

In the end, Cainabel also made a mistake in her conversation.

***

Higher Being

Life and death. Strength and powerlessness. A Miracle and gray reality. Nothing is significant before the Higher Being.

Some might call it divinity, but in the end they are wrong. How can one compare man and God? How can one compare God and a Higher Being?

In the world there are those who fell under the domain of the gods - humans. In the world there are those who have touched the domain of the gods - magi. In the world there are those who entered the domain of the gods - heroes. In the world there are those who created the domain of the gods - the gods themselves. In the world there are those who surpassed the gods - magicians. Moreover, nothing else exists in this world.

But in a distant time that cannot be touched even by True Magic or the Root... In a distant world that cannot be imagined even by the Moon Cell... There exist others.

Those who abandoned the gods. Those who walked next to the gods. Those who looked at the gods not as a source of strength, not as parents, not as rivals, not as reflections. Those who saw them all - gods, demons, magicians, World Enemies - as just entertainment. Only an endless game created for their pleasure.

In the end, they were right.

And maybe not.

Those who are beyond divinity as it is mortality.

Higher Beings.