Chapter 36

When dealing with mages or a demon beast, there are a few things you need to do to ensure your survival .

First of all, you will need an item that has resistance against your opponent . You'll be dead if you make the first move . If you are unarmed against a mage, you are as good as dead from the start . This is why taking on a magic knight is especially tricky .

And never look them in the eye, even if you have a resistance item in your possession .

One last thing . If you feel somewhat attracted to their voices, hurt yourself . You may already be enchanted .

―――That was the guidelines for training new knights, in the Unified Nation of Ishtalica .

「Haah . . . . Haah . . . . . Excuse me for disrupting your meeting, this is an emergency! Is Lloyd-sama here?」

At the sound of this voice, the members in the main conference room looked at the door that had opened with a loud bang .

There was a knight who was looking for Lloyd while trying to catch his breath, which had become disordered due to his haste .

「I'm here . What happened!」

「A, Ainz-sama has . . . . break the seal on Kadyma-sama's lab and escaped! He's now heading for the main gates!」

「Kadyma, did she lend him a hand huh」

「 . . . . No, Your Majesty . Even Kadyma-sama won't be able to break the seal of that room from the inside」

「We can ask her about it later . Your Majesty, I will now go to stop Ainz-sama」

Even though it was an unforeseen situation, Lloyd, as the marshal, was able to respond calmly .

The only thing on his mind was to do everything in his power to protect the crown prince .

Sylvird was a little relieved because Olivia had returned to her room a short while ago . If it hadn't been for that, she would have been even more restless if she had received such a report .

「Hurry up, I don't mind if you use the King's guard too . Stop him at all costs」

「As you will」

It would be difficult for even Lloyd to stop the current Ainz in a head-on melee . Knowing this, Lloyd picked up the bladeless sword displayed in the conference room .

「I'm borrowing this」

「 . . . . Very well . A little injury is inevitable, so do whatever you can to stop him」

「Ha!」

＊＊＊

「Umm Kadyma-san . Why are you following me」

Ainz has escaped from the lab, and somehow Kadyma was walking alongside him .

「I've done all the work they asked me to do nya . I'm tired and I'm going to rest in my room nya . Good grief, I've never seen Ainz like this」

「You're not gonna stop me?」

「You've crossed the line where I can still stop you, I also hate to deal with troublesome matter nya」

「Are you feeling sorry for me?」

「I'm sure father will going to ask me a lot of things that have happened nya . . . . . You're going to tell him about it later too nya . Good grief, this nephew of mine is a real piece of trouble nya . . . . . . Well then, bye-bye nya」

Kadyma suddenly started running with a light jump .

Although it was still a long way to go, she realized something and left Ainz to go to her room .

「Why so sudden . . . . Aah, I see . Thank you very much Kadyma-san」

Ainz also understood why Kadyma had left so suddenly . A little further on, halfway along the path that led out of the basement and into the hall, she was there .

「Good day, Ainz . I haven't seen you since yesterday, have I?」

「Aah Claune, Good to see you again today」

「Well, it's an honor to hear such a thing from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince . What do you say? Let's have a cup of tea in my room」

Claune has grown even more beautiful over the past few years . This year, Ainz will turn eleven, making Claune fifteen years old .

Even at the Liebe Girls' Academy, where many young ladies gather, she is so popular that she is said to be the second coming of Olivia, and she has been asked countless times for an arranged marriage with the families of her fellow female students .

The mere sight of her walking from the station to the school was enough to attract many admirers, and there were even a few instances of them confessing their love on the street .

Many men wanted to have a relationship with this beautiful and highly educated girl, but their wishes were never fulfilled .

「I'm really nervous about having tea with a woman as beautiful as Claune」

「What was that, it's embarrassing, Your Royal Highness . . . . . Shall we go to my room then?」

「I'm sorry to say something like this a beautiful person like you, but I have a prior appointment today」

「 . . . . That's mean of you . Even though I've mustered up my courage to ask you out . I've never invited anyone other than the Crown Prince to my room, you know?」

This was their playful conversation that is different from their usual . This was a way for both Ainz and Claune to keep their feelings out of each other .

「Well, sorry . I have to get rid of some big fish out there . I'll bring you some delicious seafood from Magna on the way home, and we'll all have a feast in the evening」

「 . . . . You're really still going out there」

「Yeah」

「Even after I tried to stop you?」

「Yeah」

「What if I told you that from now on you could have all of me at all times?」

「 . . . . My heart almost skips a beat right there . But I'm still going」

Claune does not want to let him go at all costs . However, Claune also understands Ainz’s firm determination, and she has her own pride as well .

「 . . . . . Is it impertinent for a woman to ask a man not to go when he has made up his mind to go?」

「I don't think it's impertinent . It's nice to know that Claune cares about me, so could you just welcome me back when I get back?」

「Haaah . . . . . You've always been so stubborn huh」

Claune then stepped aside and opened his way .

「Thank you . That's what I like about Claune」

「Oh my? Are you telling me you like me?」

「 . . . . Well, let's talk about it later」

Although he had feelings for her, he was not yet able to be honest with her . Because they both know how they feel about each other, they feel frustrated, and this has been going on for the past few years .

「Girls like it when you say things like that, you know? But I wonder will you remember it?」

「Aah, I'll remember it . . . . . I'll be going then」

Claune opened the way so that Ainz could pass through .

A moment later, Claune came close to Ainz .

「Nn . . . . Take care, may the goddess blessing be with you」

「Is that a good luck charm for me . It's not on the mouth though?」

「Fufu . Maybe another time」

「I see, so this is your way to get even huh . I've learned a lot . Thank you, Claune . Here I'll go then!」

The goddess' blessing was bestowed upon Ainz's cheek . He was a little disappointed that he didn't get on his mouth though, so he decided to save it for later .

She tried not to show any tears as she wanted to see him off without showing her weak figure so that he would be able to face it with firm determination .

But that was only for a short time . As soon as Ainz was out of her sight, a tear ran down on Claune's cheeks .

Ainz ran the rest of the way through . He ran up the stairs to the hall, one step at a time, and finally arrived at the hall .

「Hello, Ainz-sama . Good day to you . The weather is great today! Do you want to go for a walk?」

He knew this would happen . It can't be helped . Now it's time for the real thing, Ainz thought, bracing himself .

The other side is the grand marshal, one of the strongest persons in the unified nation of Ishtalica .

「Hello, Lloyd-san . It's a beautiful day today, so I thought I'd go outside and relax . Do you want to come with me?」

「Thank you for the invitation . But I haven't finished my work yet . . . . . 」

「That's too bad . Well, I'll take the chance to go by myself then」

「I'm afraid, that's not going to happen . You will need an escort . Also . . . . . . I wonder, how far you'll go?」

With those words, the air around him changed . Even windows around us seemed to tremble .

The air that Grand Marshal Lloyd emitted was a pressure that Ainz had never experienced before, a pressure that nothing can rival it .

「I was thinking of a gift for my mother, so I will be going to the port city of Magna . . . . . So, please step aside, everyone」

Ainz emitted the same thing that stopped Kadyma's movement . Ainz did not understand the principle, or even what he was using in his head . However, in the depths of his mind, in a place like his soul that he could not put into words, he somehow understood .

One more moment of delay and Ainz would have been in Lloyd's reach . He managed to get a head start on the last moment .

The members of the Kings guard who had come with Lloyd didn't seem to understand what had happened to them, but they can feel something strange with their body .

「The matter of destroying the seal, and an ability to stop our movement . It seems that Ainz-sama has suddenly become stronger」

「 . . . . . Lloyd-san seems to be able to resist it a little huh . Even Kadyma-san looked like she was having a hard time trying to talk」

「Even though I look like this, I'm still a Grand Marshal you know . But . . . . hmm, it's even "though" for me to move huh」

Lloyd's forehead was covered with sweat as he said so . I wonder if he's still trying desperately to move his body .

「That's good then . I wonder, will Lloyd-san let me go when he's still stuck in here」

「The winner has the right to do what they want, there's no mistaking it . The loser has no right to complain . Ainz-sama, you can do whatever you want . But, please don't forget that it will come with a lot of responsibility」

Lloyd backed off more easily than Ainz had thought .

Ainz was surprised that his movements were so easily stopped, but now was not the time to be thinking about that, he had to get to the station first .

Ainz, who was quick on his feet again, went outside . He ran as fast as he could to get to the White Rose and catch the train .

＊＊＊

「Good grief, you're really an interesting person」

In the hall after Ainz had left, the King's Guard were still unable to move . Warren, who had finally arrived, saw them . Lloyd muttered so to himself . He was wondering what to do now .

「I don't know what had happened here . But I do understand that Ainz-sama has gone . It seems that our Crown Prince is even more mischievous than Olivia-sama huh」

「It's as Warren-dono says huh . . . . Well then, Fhuoh!」

Lloyd gathered momentum with his body and shouted . There was a sound like something bursting, and Lloyd's body regained its freedom .

「Oya? Was that a farce?」

「I wish I could really say it was a farce, but unfortunately I was completely unprepared earlier . It seems, since Ainz-sama had gained some distance from me, I was able to disarm it now」

「Fumu . . . . . . Then, Lloyd-dono, what do you think about it?」

「It's probably binding magic . I never expect him to be able to use such a high level of magic . Binding magic is easy to counter with defensive measures, but the problem was that I didn't prepare that defense measures back then」

「Certainly, I've heard that binding magic was highly effective against human . By simply wearing a piece of equipment from a monster material will gain your resistance to it」

「Exactly . Good grief . . . . . Not only was I in a hurry, but I also regretted that I didn't send someone to get that defensive measures」

The only thing Lloyd said was that it was hard to move, it was hard enough to make his forehead sweat . But was he still able to move in that situation or not? Only Lloyd himself knew for sure .

＊＊＊

Ainz has safely left the hall and is running to the castle gate . He couldn't take out a carriage, he wouldn't be able to use it as expected, and it would take a long time to prepare a horse .

Then, he thought, he would have to run as fast as he could to get there .

「Shit . . . Seriously . This castle was ridiculously large . I'm even amazed at my own house!」

The castle of Ishtalica, the White Night, was so large that he had to walk a reasonable distance to get out .

It was really a disadvantage for Ainz at the moment .

After a long run, Ainz finally arrived near the castle gate . A person was waiting for Ainz .

「Ainz-sama . No way, I never expect you to reach here」

「Dill . . . . !」

Dill is now working as a knight in the castle . Even after graduating from the academy, he has had many opportunities to become Ainz's escort, and now they are much closer than ever before .

Unlike his father, Lloyd, he swings his sword beautifully as if it were dancing .

He was still young as a member of the new knights, but as an apprentice to Ainz's bodyguard, his ability was recognized by the knights in the castle .

「It's no use to try to stop me . I will still head straight to Magna」

Before Dill could say anything, Ainz told him that there was no point in stopping him .

The result, however, turned out to be quite different from what Ainz had imagined .

「 . . . . I will accompany you . Well then, please use this horse」

Dill said he would go with him . He called another horse from the shadows and told Ainz to use this one .

「Dill?! You're not here to stop me?」

「It is true that I served Ishtalica, but