Long-awaited meeting (Patreon)

To be honest, Ainz had already managed to get used to it a little…  to the feeling of being sent to the Singularity, that is. Ainz doesn't think he’s going to get used to the other monumental thing that happened to him anytime soon. The moment of weightlessness, barely perceptible during his first transfer, but something he had gotten used to detecting after six such events. Before Ainz could ruminate on the cause of such a sensation, the feeling ended, and he was back on a solid surface.

Though, Ainz noted that the sensation of entering a Singularity could be compared with the sensation of a ride on an elevator. It feels like when an elevator quickly begins descending, the action counteracting gravity. For a second, one could feel a state as if one’s body weight was not being tethered by gravity. And then, as suddenly as it came, the feeling subsided.

And so just like an elevator, if perhaps not as sudden, the bare gray walls of Chaldea in a dark sparkle of something unknown, were replaced by a bright sunny sky. As Ainz's eyes slowly got used to the brightness of the sun, he began inspecting his surroundings.

A scorching desert.

Ainz blinked, but the surroundings did not change at all. As far as he could see, there was a scorched desert, charred and burned black. It was not the kind of desert that a person would imagine when they heard the word ‘desert’. It was not the land covered with endless yellow sand dunes.

No, it was a desert in a different sense.

It was a desert in the sense in which Ainz saw the desert outside the window of civilization.

It was black, charred, scorched, lifeless. There’s no trace of life, no vegetation or animals can be seen around. In fact, the land was abnormally flat, there were no hills or even a hint of any land that jut upwards. It was a strangely familiar vista for Ainz for some reason…

“Everyone! Be careful! There’s radiation in the air!” Tesla's alarmed voice made Ainz blink again.

Ah, that’s why it was familiar. It was a desert after someone bombed it with nuclear bombs.

This is how Ainz could describe the scene before him.

Before he could wonder on the scene further, Ainz immediately realized that not all people are immune to radiation like him. He quickly turned to the Servants he had brought with him. “Who here is affected by radiation?”

Radiation, in YGGDRASIL, was one of the many possible - albeit quite rare - sources of damage and debuffs, and quite an unpleasant one at that. The accumulation of radiation needed to reach a deadly effect was a long process, but the number of abilities capable of removing the persistent poison was very rare. Which, combined with the fact that Radiation was an unpleasant status effect as it accumulated, reducing maximum HP and even physical parameters, becoming worse and worse until it eventually killed the Player. Worse, its affliction would continually take effect until a complete cleansing of the body.

And therefore, before anything else, he should take care of the protection of his subordinates.

Ainz himself, being undead, was protected from such an unpleasant effect. However, his Servants were a different matter entirely.

In front of Ainz eyes, Nobunaga became a little more transparent, going into her immaterial form, in which such a status effect would not affect her. Tesla lightly waved his hand and his figure also changed, one glance at his parameters told Ainz that he had acquired one of many possible skills that dealt with status effects. Mashu just shook her head, her skills and perhaps her nature as a Shielder also protected her from such influences. As Ainz turned towards the last two Servants that might be affected, Several magical signs appeared near Medea and  Cú Chulainn. Ainz would guess that it was some kind of magical protection. Lastly, Angrboda… yeah, there’s no need to worry about her.

Ainz was not worried about Angrboda at all. To be honest, she has so many skills and abilities that if among them there are not at least three that overlap each other in terms of protecting her from negative status effects, Ainz will be seriously surprised.

Actually, doesn’t she have some kind of vulnerability to alcohol? Yes, that’s right, there was that one quest related to this…

“So, a radioactive scorched desert in America.” Tesla's curiosity-laced voice distracted Ainz from his thoughts. “I would not like to say this…  But Master, are you sure that we are in America in the period of the Wild West, and not in a world where the Cold War went hot?”

At Tesla’s question, Ainz could only blink in confusion. ‘A Cold War? I think I’ve heard about the conflict before, but I'm not sure what it’s all about…  And how can a war be cold?!’ Luckily, before Tesla could comment on Ainz’s silence, someone else interjected.

“Even if this is so, in the normal history of mankind, America was never destroyed by a nuclear strike. So, we are definitely in a Singularity, so our job remains the same.” Medea's voice replied to Tesla instead of Ainz. “If, of course, we really are in America in the first place…”

Ainz was quite surprised by the apt observation by the Witch. He then began looking at his surroundings again, this time taking close attention to anything that might hint at the location they were in. But, no matter how far Ainz looked, even using some of the scouting magic he knew, all he saw was just a scorched desert. With nothing else to go on, Ainz tried to remember the briefing he had with Roman about the Singularity. Luckily his memory was very sharp nowadays, if not he would definitely have forgotten it as he was blinded with relief as he had that briefing.

“Judging by the information from Roman, right now we should be in…” Ainz strained his memory to spell out the name correctly. “Somewhere in…  Colorado? And near a large city called Denver.”

Looking around again to make sure that he didn’t miss anything, Ainz was forced to conclude that he hadn't developed a particular blindness for large cities. He cast some curative magic just in case, but still, nothing. “But as I see it, there are no such cities in this area… there’s nothing really.”

“What an extremely observant observation.” Medea's reaction was almost dripping with sarcasm, only to turn into an exclamation of pain soon after. “Ouch!” Ainz immediately wheeled around to look at his Servant with no small amount of worry. Did her protection fail!?

“You, on the other hand, are extremely shortsighted to make such comments about my beloved where I can hear them, human.” Looming over Medea's shoulder, Angrboda was forced to bend so low to reach her hand out to Medea’s shoulder. Something that, from Ainz's point of view, made her look a little comical. Though Ainz doesn't think that Medea would appreciate the joke, whose shoulder Angrboda was squeezing with such force to make the stoic Witch grimace.

“Angrboda, release Medea.” Since Medea wasn’t a streak of blood and gore right now even with her low Endurance, Angrboda must not really be that mad. At least not enough to kill or not heed his order immediately, so the fact that she was still crushing Medea does not mean anything good. Before he could order Angrboda to release Medea more ‘forcefully’, Ainz noticed a particular look and raised an eyebrow on Angrboda’s face. And so, with a roll of his eyes, Ainz was forced to accept her rules of the game. “Angri, please.”

“Of course, dear.” Letting go of the Witch, with a light - for Angrboda - jab that almost made Medea lay flat on the ground, the Jotun relaxed her posture. “What are your instructions?” Angrboda asked sweetly, as if her previous wroth was nothing more than a mirage.

“It seems that, lacking a better option, we have no choice but to split up,” Ainz sighed at being forced to use such a cliché plan. Usually, after trying to split up, the most unpleasant moments of all raids and quests came. The newly established Ainz Ooal Gown’s raid on the Tomb of Nazarick came to the forefront of his mind. He just has to hope that the gods are not as sadistic as the Developers of YGGDRASIL.

Plan in mind, obeying Ainz's abilities, many small skeletons of huge birds, seemed to burst out of the ground, and began to take flight on their wingless wings. “I will scout the north-east, north, north-west and westerly directions. Angrboda, you’ll go to the southwest. Medea and Mashu, to the south. Nobunaga and Cu Chulainn, southeast. And lastly, Tesla, to the east. If any of you discover anything or anyone, contact me immediately. I’ll come to you as soon as I can”

Although some of the Servants had questions as to why the distribution was this way, no one asked Ainz any questions, taking his instructions for granted. Everyone was well aware that Ainz must definitely have a reason as to why some of them were paired while some were going alone.

However, even if someone did ask the question, Ainz was sure to think of an answer wildly different that his real one. Ainz was sure that saying something like ‘I distributed everyone so that the scouts were either someone smart, or someone strong enough that their stupidity did not become an obstacle’ would hardly please anyone. By the way, Ainz included himself, Nobunaga and Angrboda in the latter group. He has no illusion of his own intelligence, or more specifically his lack of it.

With a last nod to those around him, Ainz disappeared in a flash of teleportation. Seeing nothing else to discuss among them, the Servants began travelling in the directions given to them.

***

Travelling by teleportation was not particularly new for Ainz. In YGGDRASIL, he often traveled this way, of course after casting every manner of protection and scrying ward he knew. The limits of teleportation were widely known, after all, and it doesn’t really take a lot for PK’ers to ambush any unwary traveler. While he was intimately familiar with PKK tactics, simultaneously controlling summons so far away from him while trying to look around for any oddities was a somewhat new experience for Ainz.

Although, perhaps, the most odd thing for Ainz was still the blasted lands around him. It quite soured his experience of travelling through the Americas in the 18th century? Or some other period, Ainz did not ask Roman for the specific dates where exactly he was going. And he certainly did not know the dates of the beginning and end of the era of the Wild West. Although, most probably, with how many of them seem to know the strangest things, someone from his guild probably had mentioned it sometime in casual conversation. Tabula or Genjiro, for example.

But now, of course, Ainz couldn't remember it, something which saddened him greatly.

Another teleportation, and Ainz couldn’t help but slump in indignation as he was struck with melancholy. As he traveled the black, charred wasteland, Ainz couldn’t help but feel so alone.

It was almost like yesterday that it seemed to him that he would never, ever forget a single detail, not a single phrase uttered by his friends…  And now, he can no longer remember it…

Perhaps it was to be expected? The day the last person left the guild, and when even those who did not leave, stopped appearing has been Years ago. Many, many lonely years ago.

The last time Ainz Ooal Gown was gathered in full, when was it? It has already been, seven years? Eight years, considering the time that Ainz had spent in this new world. The last time Ainz saw anyone from Ainz Ooal Gown online was six months ago, when Herohero visited him on the day of the Server’s end, and even then he didn’t even stay for 10 minutes. But before him? It has been four years since Ulbert left and didn’t return.

It was perhaps not that long a span of time in the grand scheme of things, but for some reason, it seemed to Ainz, as if it was a lifetime ago.

Really…  his life in this strange New World was really different. Loathe as he is to admit it… he might even be happier than when…

No, in no way that he was happier than his carefree days with his friends. His adventures with his friends, the joy he had felt as they conquered challenges, those emotions that he felt then were forever in his heart. A bulwark against the doldrums of his life, his friends would always remain his greatest treasure and his memories of them the fondest…

But the years he had spent waiting…

Ainz had spent years alone in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

It was even somewhat exciting at first, for the first couple of weeks at least. It was a new experience for Ainz, so used to the constant presence of his friends, their chatter and heated discussions. But then…  then he got bored and then quickly became lonely when it became apparent that his friends won’t be returning soon.

Yes, the quests and adventures did not get worse even when he’s alone. And Ainz sometimes continued to wonder at YGGDRASIL's intricate plot and world-building, encountering more and more of the lore. And it might have been his loneliness speaking, but he even started empathizing with the characters, and the battles became more and more interesting as he had to think of more and more novel tactics to deal with being a Solo Player. But…  What was the point if he could not share his excitement with anyone? No one to argue with for quest selection, and no one to excitedly show off a rare Legendary item that he had grinded for hours for… It all seemed so pointless.

Then the dread sets in. It took a long time, but at some point, Ainz suddenly realized that no one from his friend list had appeared online for several months. They did not write any message to him or communicate with him in any other way. He knows that sharing real life information was taboo, but he would have done it just to have his friends to talk with him in any way. There was no one that he could talk to, no one to share his experiences with.

After a year or two, Ainz resigned himself that his friends would not come back. Probably…  by then, he had died inside. Huh, how fitting, a dead person being inside a tomb, grand as it is.

And yet, without fail, each and every day, he would return to YGGDRASIL, looking forlornly, perhaps hopefully at his friends list, specifically, at their status…

"Was online last 760 days ago."

"Was online last 761 days ago."

"Was online last 762 days ago…"

"Was online last 1240 days ago… " He would read the list of friends, short as it was, and die a little more inside.

He completed many quests. Cleaned out dungeons and fields. Fought many bosses. Sometimes he died, either out of carelessness or of experiments, it was still a game after all. Collected items, traded at the auctions, and collected money and treasures to fill the Treasury…

And all of it was pointless.

Battle after battle. Quest by quest. At some point, Ainz realized that he had started to do it mechanically. He doesn't enjoy fighting, he enjoys working out tactics, but he has already worked out his grinding strategy, so there was nothing new. He now completes quests without even reading the lore and background, he just looks at the victory conditions. No longer did he marvel at the beautiful vistas of YGGDRASIL, all of it nothing more than snapshots and blurs, as he just teleports to locations…

It was almost as if he was becoming the Undead that he was playing as.

Here…  Everything was different here.

Ainz suddenly couldn’t help but smile.

It was quite the strange sight to smile at a scorched wasteland, but Ainz could not help smiling.

He could easily imagine that in Chaldea, Roman was probably now watching some video on his computer. Olga would probably be training with Medea and…

Ainz blinked suddenly, as a realization suddenly struck him.

Olga usually trains with Medea…  Ainz stopped flying for a second, looked around him to determine that no one was watching him, he then slapped his forehead in frustration.

Just brilliant! Brilliant! Remind him again why he thought that it was a good idea to bring Medea along from Chaldea when she was supposed to train Olga?!

Ainz slapped his forehead for good measure once more as he began working his mind to the fullest as to how he would explain his reasoning to his subordinates. There’s nothing worse than a Boss that does things without reason.

Okay, think Ainz! Think! Use that brain of yours!

Okay! Got one! So far, all his seemingly random decisions in the past were justified by his supposed brilliant plans. So this time, too, Ainz should just put on a serious expression and pretend that everything was for some machinations he had made. That should work, right?

Although, exactly how barring Olga's training with Medea could become part of his ingenious plan, Ainz could only guess… He really should have put more intelligence in his character creation.

***

Mashu swallowed down her nervousness as she tried to think of a suitable subject for a dialogue with Medea.

It would be really uncomfortable to stay silent as they moved through the scorched desert…  More precisely, Mashu suspected that, perhaps, some professionals could do such a thing, but Mashu herself clearly could endure the silence, least of all when with another Servant at her side.

But, at the same time, the prospect of possibly pissing off her companion was equally daunting.

‘Try something from the classics, ask about the weather, or maybe even about the magic she had cast back then, the one she did to protect her from Radiation. Or, if all else fails, maybe about what she does in Chaldea…’ - Galahad's voice in Mashu's head began to list suitable topics for a dialogue. ‘Or about Ainz. I know you want to hear about him…’

‘I wanted no such thing!!’ - Mashu internally shouted at Galahad, blushing involuntarily - ‘I don't want to at all!’

‘Mashu’ - Galahad's voice sounded so tired, that anyone who heard him would instantly understand that the topic of this dialogue was not at all new. ‘How long are we going to beat around the bush? Do not forget, I am inside your head, you literally cannot hide your thoughts from me!’

‘I don't want to interfere with Ainz and his relationship!’ - Mashu immediately tried to justify herself - ‘I don't want to be the third wheel! In the literal sense of the word…  If not the sixth…  Or… Actually, how many girls was he romantically involved with!?’

‘Okay, sure, a sound argument.’ Galahad sighed. ‘How about telling him something else, then? What about the little detail, that you're dying? Well, you know, this minor fact that I think Ainz might be very interested to hear…’

Mashu just sighed out at this tired topic - ‘There... There wasn’t just the right time…’

‘Oh, really!?’ - Galahad rolled his eyes internally, his tone of voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘Seriously! Think about it! At what point in time can such a thing become a suitable topic?!’

Then Galahad began hitching up his voice in an imitation of Mashu’s own. ‘Oh, Ainz, it's good that we killed this Demon King and saved the world. Oh, by the way, if you don’t do anything, I’ll die in six months.’ Mashu could only cringe at the bad imitation and the scolding implied.

‘How about that? Does that sound good?’ Galahad finished impatiently.

‘How should I know how Ainz would take such news!?’ Mashu sighed slowly, calming down, before shaking her head and returning her attention to the surroundings. Medea’s unexpected voice threw her off the ennui that she was returning to. “By the way…”

“As far as I understand, you have not yet told Master that you are dying?” What Medea uttered next, while not even turning towards Mashu, struck her like a rushing freight train. “Apparently not…”

‘Not what I imagined how this situation would solve itself. But eh, as long as it works’ - Galahad sighed. ‘But look, a topic for you two to talk about has just revealed itself!’

“H-how…” - Mashu stumbled with her words, her shock at her secret being revealed so easily, shaking her to the core. “How did you know that?”

“Practice, knowledge, and observation of how Olga acts whenever she even sees you. The guilty expression she sports made it quite transparent. Really, that woman. As a magus, and a head of her house no less, she should really work on her poker face more.”

Medea took a couple more steps before stopping and turning to Mashu. “I confess that I am not particularly interested in the reasons why you do not want to talk about this with Master. But walking along a desert in full silence is very far from my concept of ‘interesting pastime’ - so I'm willing to lend an ear, so to speak. Or don’t, either way, it would at least also satisfy some of my boredom even if you don’t want to share.”

Mashu blinked to Medea’s blunt reply, before exhaling as she thought of how to express her troubles succinctly. - “I…  I'm not sure how exactly I should tell him about this…”

“Just tell him.” Medea shrugged her shoulders lightly and turned around. “Ainz definitely already knows about your impending death. A magus of his strength, caliber and experience would have been able to determine your deteriorating state at a glance. And the only reason why he just hasn’t done something about it, with a spell which is closer to true magic in its essence, but is definitely not absolutely impossible for him, I would imagine, is his expectation for you to raise this topic on your own.” Medea finished before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face and she began muttering.

“Perhaps, he wants to use such a gift as payment for your service? It does quite logically fit into his pattern of behavior…” Medea muttered under her breath, barely audible to Mashu’s ears.

Hearing Medea's words, Mashu blinked, before closing the distance to the Servant, a nervous excitement blooming inside her heart. "Do you really think… that he knows?”

“Really child? I would be extremely surprised if he had made such a basic mistake.” Medea rolled her eyes. “Just as, I would be very surprised if he did not pair us up so that I could express this idea to you…”

“You…” Mashu blinked. “Do you really think that he did such a thing on purpose?”

‘Hey, Mashu!’  Galahad’s shout in her head reminded the girl of his existence. ‘Remember who we are talking about here! Of course, he did it all on purpose!’

The memory of Ainz's previous battles, and the ease in which he handled each enemy, made Mashu shudder internally. Something which Medea ignored as she replied. “Absolutely.”

After finishing her last remark, Medea turned away, and started walking again. “And now, with rapport has been established between us…  I don’t know, tell me something meaningless, it should at least create a distracting background for our searches.”

‘To be honest, she annoys me a little,’ Galahad added with a sigh inside Mashu’s head. But Mashu, With practiced ease, ignored his words, and hurried after Medea, eager to talk with the Servant “I…  Well, in the last Singularity…”

***

“Truly, I have earned the ire of the heavens to have to put up with your company.” Nobunaga sighed, trying with all her might not to even look in the direction of Cu Chulainn.

“Such is the order from the Master.” Cu Chulainn just shrugged his shoulders, and then threw his hands behind his head in reply to Nobunaga’s acerbic words. “Although, I do not mind all that much. I’ve been out of the game for a long time so to speak, and haven't talked with such beautiful girls for a long time too…”

“If ‘that’ was your attempt at flirting, it failed miserably.” Nobunaga found the attempt at a compliment from Cu Chulainn so pathetic that she did not even get angry. “Are the girls of your time really fooled by such a pathetic attempt at flirting?”

“Simple ones - yes,”, - Cu Chulainn grinned, exuding a certain charm. Something that Nobunaga rebuffed with practiced ease. “But you are clearly better at this game than they are.”

At the bare attempt at a compliment, Nobunaga just rolled her eyes. After which she measured Cu Chulainn with a slightly contemptuous look and sighed with disappointment. “I can't imagine how you could get a reputation as a ladies' man if all your attempts at flirting are all this… mediocre.”

“Perseverance, mostly.” Cu Chulainn shrugged, though he was still smiling. “Well, that and my looks of course. You know, even as a Caster, I still look pretty good under my robe, too.”

“Clearly that this is your only saving grace, since becoming a Caster you obviously did not acquire any measure of wiseness.” Nobunaga rolled her eyes, continuing to ignore Cu Chulainn’s attempt of flirting with her like water off a duck’s back.

“What's wrong with the Servants Master summoned?” Cu Chulainn slumped as he complained indignantly, “First Medusa, then Drake, then you… Seriously, when did appearance and perseverance cease to be appreciated in this world?!”

“Your presence has greatly devalued them.” Nobunaga replied with no small amount of irritation, stopping her planned diatribe as she spotted something in the distance. “It seems… I see something.”

“Got it,” Cu Chulainn instantly nodded, then reached for his ear. Nobunaga did not need to look at him to know what he was doing, he was probably contacting Ainz now. She was pleasantly surprised that the Caster actually does something sensible, rather than advancing stupidly to see what she saw for himself more steps.

Although Nobunaga did not possess Archer's incredible vision in this incarnation, being a Servant whose senses were greatly enhanced compared to a human, her eyesight was still something to marvel at. And so after a few more moments of observation, she was able to discern what exactly she saw.

Though what a group of robots, that was somewhat similar to those she had seen in London before, tearing through the black desert, she has no idea. The robots either ignored Nobunaga and Cú Chulainn’s presence or, which was also very likely, just hadn't spotted them.

Curious, Nobunaga focused more on the passing by automaton, trying to determine if there was a Servant among the robots or if someone with a strong magical signature was controlling them. She barely stopped herself from exclaiming in surprise when her senses told her that the robots felt like Servants.

A pretty weak Servant, and only ‘like’ Servants. Nobunaga could easily determine that the robots were not Servants in fact. But the very fact that they registered as Servants at all was amazing. She understood very well that there is a certain quality to quantity, after all.

Perhaps Nobunaga herself would have had no difficulty in dealing with such a detachment, countering great numbers is no trouble to her. A massed charge against a pitched volley of musket fire is nothing more than mismatched.

But for a lesser Servant, say, Cu Chulainn, then the situation here was much less straightforward. In her own opinion at least.

As she was about to comment about her findings, a signal entered her detection range. And this time, it was without mistake a Servant's signature.

And what a presence it was!

Nobunaga was quite shocked as she parsed what she felt for a second. The signature she felt was… incredibly strong and distinct. It felt as if a haze shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow was covering the sky, something that could not be forgotten or confused in any way. For a second, Nobunaga felt the signature move closer and closer, the owner of the signature was approaching at great speed.

“It can't be…” Focused as she was, Nobunaga was shocked when she heard a voice behind her. Turning to Cu Chulainn, she sees his mouth open wide in shock, and it almost seems as if his eyes would fall out of their sockets they opened so wide. It seems that the Caster knows who is coming. “No fucking way…”

As she returned her attention forward, Nobunaga noticed how the detachment of several dozen robots seemed to have lost half of its numbers in a second. Straining her eyes, she could see moving at incredible speed, a dark shadow flashing among the robots. Each pass, dealing with their opponents with real grace and ease, the new Servant handled the robots with contemptuous ease. Before even one of the robots raised their limb into a semblance of a combat mode, the battle was already over.

The dark figure dealt with their opponent in a span of time so insignificant that even to call it a ‘second’ would be a great exaggeration.

As the metallic contraptions finished crumbling down, it was with great surprise for Nobunaga to find that the figure was staring at them. As the figure turned fully towards her, Nobunaga was able to determine that the Servant was a girl wielding a red spear. She doesn’t have more time to ponder about it more as the figure almost disappeared from her senses as it charged towards her, red spear gleaming.

With a well honed reflex, at the request of Nobunaga, countless guns appeared on the path of the figure, all cocked and ready to fire. But, before Nobunaga could press the trigger, Cu Chulainn was the first to react. “Stop!”

Nobunaga, although she had her own thoughts about such a decision, nevertheless chose to follow the advice of his fellow Servant. Luckily, the figure of the moving Servant, although it did not slow down, lost some of the hostility in its movements.

In almost a blink of the eye, the figure had already appeared in front of Nobunaga to her no small amount of shock. Still, at this close a distance, Nobunaga was able to examine the Servant fully.

The servant was indeed a woman, and a very beautiful woman at that. Perhaps one that is a little older than Nobunaga herself, but still young enough to excite the minds and loins of men. Her figure exudes the real charm of an experienced woman, and if that was not enough to drive a man wild, then her manner of dress definitely would.

Dressed in a tight black suit that covers her entire body to the tips of her fingers and to her neck, rising in the form of a mask covering the lower part of the face, her style of dress screamed femme fatale. Her long black hair and red eyes completed the ensemble of a woman whose beauty brings ruin to nations and whose attention men does monumentally stupid things to acquire.

Her attention, however, was turned not to Nobunaga, but to her companion. And in her eyes, Nobunaga could see, albeit rather faint, unmistakable surprise.

“Cu Chulainn?” Her voice was rather low and even a little rough, but unmistakably heroic.

Cu Chulainn, rather than react in his usual way, that is immediately flirting, was almost breaking out in cold sweats. Nobunaga couldn’t help but be shocked when he acted like a nervous wreck rather than the confident gentleman he usually portrays himself to be. Though, the way Cu Chulainn nervously scratched his neck as if a child expecting to be reprimanded was quite the funny sight to see. “Hello, good afternoon…  Teacher.”

And pretty much instantly, Nobunaga understood not only who exactly stood in front of her, but also why the Servant was so strong, and, of course, how exactly the Servant related to Cu Chulainn.

The legendary Scáthach, Witch of Dun Scaith, Queen of the Land of Shadows.

One of the strongest and most legendary Servants that could be inscribed in the Throne of Heroes, not in any way inferior to any of the greatest heroes. The teacher of Cu Chulainn, unable to die and therefore guarding the gates to the Land of Shadows for thousands of years. The killer of gods, heroes and monsters alike, who spent eternity in constant battle and therefore has acquired the status of almost a deity. The lord of the spear and the magus who has no equal. Scáthach.

For a second, Nobunaga even felt something like relief, realizing that she had avoided a battle with such a person. Although the question that arose for a second about who would be the winner in this battle definitely intrigued her.

“Cu Chulainn…” Scáthach said again, looking at her student with scrutiny. Her question though was definitely something anyone who knows Cu Chulainn would ask. “Where is your spear?”

“Um, that's a… long story. I was summoned as a Caster, you see…” Cu Chulainn ruffled his scruff in nervousness once more before continuing.  “I mean… Teacher, you taught me so well that I ended up qualifying for the Caster class…”

“That is…” Scáthach examined him again, to no small amount of nervousness on Cu’s part. “Good, I suppose…”

A moment later, however, the moment when Nobunaga saw the rippling space signifying Ainz's appearance, the situation changed drastically.

Scáthach instantly darted towards the ripples, without asking questions or trying to warn the other Servants, her intent was murderous. Her spear flashed, before instantly slamming into the emerging figure of Ainz.

Scáthach’s spear had enough time to smack into a dead stop in the center of Ainz's chest, incapable of piercing it, before she had to dodge dozens of shots from Nobunaga's rifles. Ainz himself, the one that was just attacked, did not seem to be too upset about it.

“That was…” - Ainz looked at the Scáthach, who had instantly retreated. “Quite rude.”

“Teacher, calm down!” Cu Chulainn tried to calm down the woman, who was once again readying herself to kill their master. “This is my Master, he is on our side!”

“Master?” Scáthach glared at her student, before twirling her spear to a more advantageous position to cover the three of them. “So you've really changed, Cu Chulainn.”

After she finished speaking, Scáthach’s gaze shifted to Ainz again, carefully examining the Undead in front of her, not bothering to pay attention to the guns that filled the sky. “I’ve seen the likes of you countless times. I've killed all of them where they stand. I’ve protected the gate from the Land of Shadows from the likes of you. And I will do it again.”

“That is…” Ainz blinked. “Quite the discriminatory position towards the undead… not that I don’t understand I suppose. Though, just in case, I will clarify that I do not want to fight with you.”

“Teacher, calm down!” Once again, and not even hoping for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Cu Chulainn tried to calm Scáthach down. “We just want to talk!”

“A conversation with the likes of a Balor’s Spawn is impossible, Cu. You really should've known better than to ask that.” However, Scáthach was clearly not going to listen to reason. “Here I come!”

“This Singularity definitely started on the wrong note,” Ainz sighed forlornly as he stared at the beautiful figure of Scáthach barrelling towards him, murderous intent clear as day. “Definitely on the wrong one…”

***

Excerpt from the diary of *name unreadable*, “Archaeological excavations at the alleged site of Troy”, page six, found in an abandoned camp:

… Like the previous days, we continue to dig. Nothing particularly interesting is happening, but our expedition leader insists that this is where Troy should be located. If it really existed at all…

… We found something that on closer inspection turned out to be a whole chariot, if not a bit dinged here and there. Our leader is absolutely sure that this is Achilles' war chariot…  which is absolutely ridiculous. Even assuming that Troy and even Achilles himself existed, to just assume that some random chariot discovered by chance belongs to the legendary figure was just…  absolute nonsense. But our excavation leader is absolutely sure of this. Well, it is not for us to challenge his decisions…

… Today, they dug up the skeleton of a man, still in armor, apparently made of bronze…  It's quite difficult to judge what he was saying through the excited screams, but the leader again claims that this is Achilles himself, more specifically his body…  I mean, of course, the body just has to have a wound in the heel, what are the chances? This is just a funny coincidence, nothing more…

… The leader said that his acquaintances would soon arrive for us, took the exhibits and left…  What a Twat. But at least he pays well. It is strange though that he only took the skeleton of the unknown warrior and the chariot. We did find many other precious artifacts that could fetch a good price. Though he did continue to exclaim that it was Achilles and his chariot, so maybe he was simply too excited to care about the other stuff? Still, what difference does it make to me? In any case, tomorrow we are returning home…

… WE DIDN'T DISAPPEAR! TO ANYONE WHO WOULD READ THIS - OUR EXPEDITION DIDN'T DISAPPEAR! THEY KILLED US! WE HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE CLOCK TOWER IS MA…  *the next page is stained with dried blood*