Revelations

"I-I think I recognise that monster…."

Ainz shifted his gaze in the direction of the timid voice. The elven mage's eyes were locked in fright and disbelief upon the place where the Death Knight once stood.

"Oh? Is that why you merely stood watching by the side as the rest of us fought for our lives?" the mantis hissed, its mandibles clacking together to form words tinged with mockery.

The elven mage lowered his head in shame, but the blonde woman walked over to him and put a firm hand on his shoulder. She turned her head to look at the mantis before speaking in an admonishing tone:

"That is uncalled for, Se'zak. Hothris is only an aspirant. It is unreasonable to expect him to face off with an opponent of that caliber; we were not expecting to find something so strong when we came here."

Se'zak's beady obsidian eyes narrowed in contempt. "He is a mage. He need only stand aside and weave his incantations. If he cannot do that much, he will never be Chosen. He is not fit to represent the Brave Coalition."

Ainz cleared his throat before the argument could stretch on any further. He hungered to squeeze every drop of information from the elf named Hothris, but restrained himself to a single question as he addressed the young mage:

"You recognise the Death Knight?"

Hothris jolted in surprise as he heard the Dark Hero's sudden question. He kept his head lowered as he replied, unwilling to meet Ainz's gaze.

"I've read about this...Death Knight in the libraries of Veneria. I didn't remember the name of it at first; only the description of its appearance. That's part of why I couldn't move. It's one of his."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ainz saw the tiger beastman frown in confusion. "Vamir does not follow..."

"The Sorcerer Kingdom." the elf explained, clutching his staff even closer to his chest with his quivering hands. "The Death Knight made up the bulk of his ground forces. It is a legionnaire of death, a servant bound to the will of the Vanquished One."

The air went deathly still. The woman's face turned into a grim, ashen mask, whereas the beastman's fur visibly bristled at Hothris's words. Se'zak folded its long, insectoid body into a bizarre hunch, closing its eyes as if reciting a prayer.

A thousand thoughts raced through Ainz's mind as he finally heard the fateful name of his long lost Kingdom. However, he knew that pressing for answers now would only invite suspicion.

"While I have heard whispers about the so-called Sorcerer Kingdom, this particular Death Knight is not connected to their forces. Death Knights naturally spawn in this world every one hundred years, and roam the land spreading death and destruction in their wake. The one I just killed falls under this category; a notorious scourge on my homeland."

This was a lie, of course. But like with all powerful lies, it was wrapped within a thin veneer of truth. Based on the studies that his "apprentice" Fluder Paradyne had conducted, Death Knights were indeed found to have been recorded appearing throughout the ages-on an approximate cycle of once a century.

The prospect of such a phenomenon had fascinated Ainz, and he had initiated plans to expand the research of magical phenomena across the New World, with the operational headquarters in the Imperial Ministry of Magic. Like many other projects, however, Ainz never had the chance to see them through to the end.

Vanquished One. Behind the human illusion he was donning, the crimson lights of the Overlord's eyes flickered as he heard the unfamiliar title. He knew instinctively to whom it referred to. It was a strange feeling for him; to hear this small sliver of his past existence flickering into the fray of passing conversation.

"So the Black One says." the tiger beastman suddenly spoke, his slitted topaz eyes glinting with suspicion. "But how do we know Momon is telling the truth? How do we know Momon is not-"

"Enough."

The blonde woman interrupted with a tone of steel. The look of pale fear vanished from her face, replaced with a stern bearing that reminded Ainz of a certain Vice-Captain of the Pleiades.

"Sir Momon just saved our lives, and we have yet to utter a word of gratitude or to even introduce ourselves. Instead, we have bickered with one another, and now we are one step away from accusing our rescuer of unspeakable things."

She strode back towards Ainz and straightened herself before solemnly lowering her head as she spoke: "I hope you will forgive our embarrassing and disrespectful conduct. Thank you for saving my life just now; the monster's sword would have surely cleaved me in half if not for your intervention. My name is Solina Mathis of Oaknys, a Chosen of the Brave Coalition."

Ainz blinked his illusionary eyelids in surprise. The swift and firm manner in which the woman had come to his defense was quite uncanny.

She must think I'm safe because her talent isn't detecting anything…..

"Umu. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Mathis. The suspicions of your companions are understandable; I too have heard terrible things about this Sorcerer Kingdom you speak of. As destroying the Death Knight was my objective all along; there is no need for your gratitude. If anything, I should apologise for driving such a terrible fiend into your vicinity."

Ainz gave a respectful bow in return. Solina raised her head, her expression seeming to brighten at his display of understanding. She turned to shoot several glowering looks at the other members of her group.

The tiger beastman sighed before stepping forward. "This one may have said something unreasonable. This one's name is Vamir Shazua, from Oaknys. Vamir is a Chosen." He extended his paw-hand for Ainz to shake, to which the latter accepted.

Vamir nodded approvingly as they shook hands. "Mmm...a firm, powerful grip. Solina is correct. Momon-no, you have a warrior's heart."

Ainz resisted the urge to scratch his head. The beastman's manner of speaking had a strange quality to it that Ainz found rather confusing. He wondered if it was a product of the New World's auto translation of the beastman's native tongue, or if it was simply how Vamir spoke.

The mantis was the next to come forward. "Se'zak of Oaknys. Chosen." it announced passionlessly before skittering away to a corner without another word.

Finally, the elf mage walked in front of him to speak: "I'm H-Hothris Theyron of Veneria. I'm just an Aspirant. Sorry for all that, I wasn't suspecting you or anything. It's just that...that monster…."

Ainz raised a gauntleted hand to stop him. "Think nothing of it. Perhaps you would be willing to share some more of your expertise regarding this..Sorcerer Kingdom at a later time? You seem quite knowledgeable, and there is precious little on that topic back home."

Hothris looked surprised at the oddly specific request, but nodded vigorously in response soon after.

"Oh, does that mean you are planning to stay around these parts for some time? We are heading back to the city after this; perhaps you would like to join us?"

Ainz nodded. The conversation had been steered back towards his desired direction.

There was just one problem: he was familiar with hardly any of the terms they were throwing out. The invisible gears in his mind whirred as he hurriedly considered how best to glean information from the four strangers without appearing like a complete dolt and raising suspicion.

The term Oaknys sounded familiar; Ainz could swear he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it…

"I shall take you up on that offer. There is one more thing, however. Pardon my ignorance, but I am unfamiliar with your titles. Chosen? Aspirant? Would these happen to be some sort of rank?" Ainz carefully asked.

"Ah, I suppose it wouldn't be too strange for a foreigner to be unfamiliar with these terms." Solina replied. "How much do you know about the City-State Alliance?"

So that's where I am….

The Sorcerer Kingdom and the City-State Alliance mostly dealt with one another by way of indirect contact through the Baharuth Empire. The absorption of the City-State Alliance was supposed to commence after the two remaining belligerent entities-the Argland Council State and Slane Theocracy-had been neutralised. Ultimately, that never came to pass.

As a result, Ainz had only a very rudimentary grasp of its sociopolitical structure. He tried not to let his hesitation show as he answered the question:

"The City-State Alliance is a union of independent city-states comprising many different races, no? I also remember hearing about some sort of massive tournament held between the cities every four years."

He silently examined the expressions of the four individuals, but none seemed to react irregularly to his mundane explanation.

"Hmm...your description is generally correct, albeit a bit antiquated. I suppose the lands of the far South would have received little news regarding the City-State Alliance's transformation over this past century. " It was Hothris who replied this time, eager to prove his wealth of knowledge to remedy his failure during the battle.

"In response to external pressure from the Equestrian King many decades ago, the former system of twelve independent cities of the City-State Alliance has been reconfigured. Now, the City-State Alliance is composed of three Coalitions, each consisting of four cities."

"There is our coalition, the Brave Coalition, which consists of Veneria, Greater Listaran, Oaknys and New Orcneas.

There is the Elothris coalition, which consists of Karnassus, Beppo Allo, East Gaith and West Gaith.

Finally, there is the Kabelia Coalition, which consists of Bebad, Grand Wythes, Franklin and Ris."

"The former quinquennial tournament has been trimmed down to only the Connelier, which is the highly important and popular battle event from the broader City-State tournament of the past. The Connelier is now held every four years between the three Coalitions rather than between all the cities. Ten representatives chosen from each Coalition do battle under a magic item, the Standard of Peace…"

Hothris stopped suddenly as he noticed the surging impatience on his comrades' faces.

"Oh-sorry! I'll get to the point."

No, keep going, I need more intel! Ainz silently protested, but he forced his frustration down to instead give a polite nod for the elf to continue.

"The title of Chosen is granted to those selected as one of the ten representatives of a Coalition in the Connelier. An Aspirant like me is someone who is a potential candidate to be Chosen."

Ainz mulled over the elf's words in his head. Based on Hothris's description of how the City-State Alliance had changed, at least several decades had passed while he was gone. He wondered whether donning the Dark Hero persona was an appropriate decision after all. He supposed it all depended on whether the name contained any lasting historical prominence.

Based on the reactions of the group before him, Momon did not seem to be a widely recognised name. Given that Darkness's sphere of activity was more or less confined to the Sorcerer Kingdom in the years preceding Ainz's banishment, it would make sense for the Raven Black Hero to remain an obscure figure in a place like the City-State Alliance after all these years.

But what about elsewhere? Would any neutral or hostile parties who remembered Momon still be alive? The vague memory of an individual surfaced in Ainz's mind, but the image dissipated in his head before it could fully take form.

"Vamir has an idea." mused the beastman as his tiger eyes sized up the Dark Hero's armored figure. "The numbers of the Chosen are not yet ten. With the strength of Momon, an opportunity presents itself..."

Solina cleared her throat to interrupt the beastman, shooting a look at Vamir to silence him: "Let's start heading back to Oaknys. We can talk more about this after we return."

"Umu. I will be in your care then." agreed Ainz. He sheathed the twin greatswords back upon his back and followed as the group began to make their way back towards the city.

The trek through the forest proved relatively uneventful; the collective strength of the group a powerful deterrent against any would-be predator or monster. Soon, the eastern gate of Oaknys loomed into sight.

Solina pressed forward to mutter a few words into the ears of the human sentry stationed by the entry point. The two of them glanced back at Ainz, and the latter seemed to nod his head briefly before signaling for the portcullis to be raised. Solina entered through the now open archway, beckoning for the rest to follow.

As Ainz stepped into the city of Oaknys, his first impression was that it was on the smaller side, around half the size of the former Re-Estize Capital. The interior, however, had a lively ambience that reminded Ainz of the Imperial Capital of Arwintar.

Unlike the Empire, however, its streets bustled with the activity of a wide assortment of races. He could see demi-humans and humanoids mingling and interacting in all sorts of daily functions. A giant figure with the head of an elephant and the body of a giant passed through his line of sight, hauling a massive crate with ease upon its mighty tusks. A naga with a clipboard barked out stern orders to a ground of red-skinned lizardmen as they lugged a giant net packed with fish through the central road. Guards of all shapes and sizes patrolled the streets, occasionally stopping to defuse the odd commotion.

The natural co-existence of so many races elicited complicated thoughts in the Overlord's mind. While he had made great efforts to encourage the unity of races within his own kingdom, it would perhaps have taken another decade before such an organic harmony could have been achieved.

The sight before him reminded him of the Argland Council State-a nation his own forces had razed to the ground. In a way, the Council State was a parallel to his own vision for the Sorcerer Kingdom, a place where many races could live in prosperity under a single banner.

He did not regret the destruction of Argland; the Platinum Dragon Lord's machinations forced his hand. However, after finding himself sprung into a new beginning so many years into the future of the New World, he could not help but wonder about the path he had chosen to tread.

Ainz's brooding thoughts were interrupted as Solina turned to address him, her taut composure finally relaxing now that she was within the safety of city walls: " As you can see, Oaknys is currently very busy. Our city is responsible for hosting this year's Connelier, and everyone's been pushed to their limits to ensure that the preparations are impeccable. We only have two days left until the commencement of events."

The Overlord suppressed a chuckle as he realised that the woman had mistaken his heavy silence for speechlessness towards the diverse, booming productivity of the city. While the thriving heterogeneous population was a sentimental sight for Ainz, the scale of its operations was hardly impressive compared to the likes of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

"Ah, I was not aware that the famous tournament was so close at hand. The vibrance of the city is certainly a sight to behold. If I may ask: where are we headed now?" Ainz replied in what he hoped sounded like a sincere tone.

"We're heading towards the Martial Quarter," she explained, "a special area in which the Chosen reside and train in preparation for the tournament. It is also the place in which Aspirants test their mettle against one another in hopes to distinguish themselves and be selected."

Ainz tilted his head in curiosity as he listened to the human's words. "Do you all undergo training year-round? That sounds like quite a lot of time investment for a single tournament.."

Solina shook her head before patiently explaining. "While the quinquennial tournament of the past was created primarily as a means of easing inter-city tensions, the Connelier has evolved since then to encompass the handling of territory and resource distribution between the three Coalitions. The relative status of a city-state within a Coalition is also dependent on the quality and quantity of the representatives they send. I'm sure you understand the magnitude of such an event given the stakes involved."

Ainz gave a meaningful nod. If success in the Connelier was tied to both the political, economic standing of a Coalition and the individual prestige of a city, the cultivation of powerful individuals capable of securing favorable results would certainly be a top priority for each city-state.

It would also explain the lack of an adventurer's guild, as the presence of many representatives-in-training would ensure a sufficient bulk of available combatants to pit against any local threats that could emerge.

The five of them continued onwards into the city. Soon, they stopped before a gated fence, where a large crocodilian demi-human clad in a suit of plate stood guard. He raised a scale-studded brow as the group approached.

"Hm, back so soon? Who's the new fella?" he rumbled, his toothy maw snapping open and shut in an intimidating manner as he spoke.

"We had some undead trouble in the forest, he helped us out." explained Solina on the group's behalf, "Where's the chief? We need to see him for an...accommodation request."

The guard shrugged, his thick leathery skin sagging up to his huge neck as he replied: "Quartermaster Randell is at the Brave Council Hall right now. He probably won't be back for another hour or so."

Solina sighed and turned apologetically towards Ainz: "Sorry, Momon, but it seems we will have to get you settled in at a later hour. Would you mind coming with us to see the Oracle in the meantime? Your expertise on the Death Knight may be necessary for our report."

Ainz quickly agreed to the new change of plans. In truth, he had been interested in this "Oracle" ever since the individual was mentioned in passing.

Someone capable of sensing my arrival….

His four new acquaintances pressed on towards their destination. Ainz followed, his thoughts and expressions hidden beneath his black helm.