Chapter 263

Ainz enjoyed the comfort of his carriage, while there was a great deal to be said for instant teleportation or the gate spell, the truth was, 'They're for when you're in a hurry. What could be better than being able to take my time and see this marvelous world…?' The Allfather thought as he looked out the window to watch the rolling hills, the trees and the endless green pass by beneath the everblue sky.

In Yggdrasil there were players who eschewed leveling beyond just what they needed to do to play or go to some areas, they cared nothing about guilds except to cooperate for exploration, theirs were unique organizations that 'most' dismissed as just 'tourist guilds' and their members dismissed as mere 'sightseers' who didn't understand the game.

All they wanted to do was explore.

'I understand them now.' He thought with a pensive look outward. Even as a skeleton, one single look at the box of jewels he found himself in and he couldn't help but marvel at the pristine nature of this world.

"Is something on your mind, my love?" Albedo asked and put her deceptively delicate hand on his knee beside him.

"Not really." Ainz answered with a little half smile, "I was just enjoying the trip. I wonder how the Kingdom of Carne has changed since it began."

Albedo cocked her head, "Has my lord not seen my reports?"

"I have." Ainz replied, "Immigrant dark elves who wanted to be far from Baharuth, resettled refugees from the Draconic Kingdom who are afraid to return to their old homes, a handful of elves who wanted to be far from Roble, and some dwarf contractors. It's a bustling place."

"My friend Bukubukuchagama once told me about an ancient curse from a place called China, it said, "May you live in interesting times." I certainly couldn't argue about it then. But maybe it's not a curse, not if you're on the right side." Ainz said and watched a farmer exit a distant cottage with a hoe over his shoulder.

The man was fit, well fed, broad shouldered, and his clothing was free of patches. 'We're in Carne's territory now… 'my' territory too, or it will be once all the niceties are taken care of.' The proposed treaty did have one curious clause. 'That as long as a descendent of the Wolf King and Queen sits on the throne, their land will never be combined with Re-Estize again.' He recalled the condition, it oozed bitterness even to read it.

And it was something he understood, a curious government grew up quickly during and after the rebellion. While they had a King and Queen, a council made up of village elders handled the daily affairs and the role of the monarchy was to make decisions involving any two or more villages, towns, or cities. Their goblin army was unbeatable, but small, so the firstborn son of each house was expected to perform militia service and random conscription or volunteers provided forces for common enforcement of laws while those who chose to volunteer or were 'volunteered' were always stationed away from the bonds of home that corrupted the will to enforce laws.

'All in all, it's a fairly good system. It isn't without its weaknesses, but it works well for a local kingdom with a significant force to support it. The undead labor program is going slow though…' Ainz felt a tiny squeeze on his knee that would have shattered the bones of a normal person. He snapped out of his reverie and glanced over to the source.

Albedo was sliding next to him, pressing her side against his arm, "You're thinking about work, aren't you, My Lord?" She turned a smile upward, it was a knowing look, her vibrant, sunlike eyes gleamed in the light of the day which flowed into the carriage windows.

"What happened to enjoying the trip?" She asked with a tiny, silvery and perfect laugh.

It was strange to hear her speak like this still, even after all the time that had passed… At the beginning it was, even lustful, all about ensuring his wishes were fulfilled. She never questioned anything, never contradicted him. Now she could tease him about his wandering mind and bring him back from his flights of fancy. Often Ainz thought to ask the radiant demoness what brought about her change of view, but each time the question was on the cusp of being asked, he drew back. 'Better to let her just 'be' and to enjoy the change.'

Ainz put his hand on Albedo's knee and squeezed back, it was a quiet, small change, a nothing gesture, but just being able to do it had his heart quicken and grow in his chest. But even that quiet contentment whose only music was the steady sound of rolling carriage wheels was touched with another concern. 'Demiurge's efforts with polymorph and morphomancy spells have had very limited success… nothing sticks without killing the target. This all happened because I had a world item as part of my body… that much he could say for sure, but that makes anything else questionable at best. A world item to counter a world item, but I really don't want to use one of the ones we have…'

That was an ugly prospect, even if they were supposedly indestructible in Yggdrasil, the same might not hold true in the new world. 'What to become is the least of my worries if I can't change at all. The scripture item wasn't as useful as I hoped it would be.' His thoughts were again interrupted by another squeeze on his knee, and then he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He looked down again, Albedo was relaxed against his body, her eyes were closed and her breathing was regular. 'She squeezed my knee to bring me back before she fell asleep…' He sighed and put his arm around her so that she could sleep that much closer to himself, allowing her head to rest against his chest when he adjusted his position a little bit.

And Ainz smiled as she dreamed.