Re-Estize, the royal palace in the capital, within a remote banquet hall.
The Re-Estize's most noble third princess, renowned as the "Golden Princess," Princess Renner, stood silently by the wall. The lighting in the banquet hall wasn't great, with slanted sunlight falling across her upper body. Princess Renner's expression was somewhat reserved, her small hands clasped in front, like a maid ready to heed her master's summons at any moment.
The one who could make her strike this pose wasn't King Ramposa III, nor the second prince Zanac, but an existence in the shadows of this banquet hall that no human could hope to match.
A stunningly beautiful woman stood in a spot untouched by sunlight. Her figure was slender and upright, clad in a pure white long gown that complemented her flawless, exquisite face, as if an angel had descended to the mortal realm. Yet behind her spread two black wings, and from her forehead grew a pair of horns with strange, twisted curves, like a demon stepped straight out of hell.
Angel and demon—these clashing styles and natures blended perfectly on her, without a hint of discord. It was as if the great creator had brought her into being just to prove that demons could possess the beauty of angels.
Albedo, Overseer of the Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, envoy of the Sorcerer Kingdom, stood in this banquet hall now, her golden pupils focused intently as she read from a small red book with a gold-embossed cover in her hand, looking quite at ease.
Princess Renner stood to one side, quietly waiting for her to speak.
After flipping past the last page of the red book, Albedo closed it and turned to Princess Renner, as if only now noticing the noble third princess of the Re-Estize. "I've kept you waiting."
"May I ask, Lady Envoy, what matter brings you to seek me out?" Princess Renner replied evenly, though her gaze remained lowered.
"I've heard that you've been getting quite close to an adventurer named 'EeDechi' lately. Is that true?"
"Yes, I've hired her, along with her adventurer team." Princess Renner's heart surged with turmoil, but her face still held a reserved and cautious expression.
The Sorcerer Kingdom knowing about her didn't surprise Princess Renner at all, because in her eyes, the Sorcerer Kingdom was practically an all-powerful force.
But why would a big shot like Albedo, who looked down her nose at everything, bother asking about EeDechi's name? Sure, EeDechi had easily beaten the strongest swordsman, Brain, but she wasn't powerful enough to catch the eye of the Great Tomb of Nazarick yet, was she?
"Hehe, you hired her?" Albedo let out a scornful chuckle. To her, this claim was as ridiculous as if Princess Renner had hired the butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Sebas Tian.
EeDechi, as a level 100 powerhouse who could go toe-to-toe in two straight fights against Sebas and Cocytus without showing any signs of losing, had already earned the respect of every member in the Great Tomb of Nazarick purely on her fighting skills.
Since Ainz didn't know EeDechi's position yet, and she hadn't shown any real hostility toward the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the great demon king Ainz still had ideas about recruiting her.
Faced with the disdain in Albedo's laughter, Princess Renner stayed silent. She stood there obediently, her pretty little face still showing tension and confusion, but her mind was already spinning with rapid thoughts.
"Since you've hired EeDechi, make sure to spend more time around her from now on. If she says anything about the Great Tomb of Nazarick—especially regarding Supreme Overlord Ainz—tell me every single detail!"
Albedo's proud face showed a serious expression for the first time, and she deliberately put extra emphasis on "regarding Supreme Overlord Ainz."
"I will relay her words to you exactly as they are." Princess Renner nodded in promise, but she still had some confusion in her heart. "Pardon my boldness in asking, but why does the Great Tomb of Nazarick value this orichalcum-level adventurer EeDechi so highly?"
"Your curiosity is too much; this is an internal affair of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and you don't need to pry." Albedo flashed Princess Renner a slight grin, like a succubus from the hells parting her crimson lips, softly letting out a few syllables, "Meddle in the grown-ups' world, and you might just lose your life, you know."
Princess Renner's body shuddered, a chill shooting from her tailbone straight up her spine. A terrifying guess popped into her mind: that adventurer with the stiff and quirky personality, hired for just 3 gold coins a day—could she really be on the same level as Albedo and her crew? But that adventurer had never shown any killing intent; was Albedo harboring murderous thoughts toward her?
Albedo watched Princess Renner's frightened look, a gentle smile rising on her face, and in an instant, she softened again. "Don't be scared. In this world, you're the only human who catches my eye. As long as you stay forever loyal and devoted to the Sorcerer Kingdom, we'll keep supporting you."
With that said, she spread her palm open, dark blue light swirling, and a ring with simple designs appeared in her hand. The ring was solid gold, just like Albedo's eyes.
"Come take it; this is your reward."
Princess Renner took a deep breath, her heartbeat steadying, stepped forward, and reached out to take the ring. "May I ask what this ring is?"
"The ring is naturally just a ring; what else could it be?" Albedo replied lazily. "It's just a ring made by the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Have Brain wear it, and it can boost his strength by 10 levels. That way, your subordinate's odds of snagging the Warrior Captain position will be a bit better."
"Thank you for the Supreme Overlord's gracious gift." Princess Renner bowed respectfully.
She then cautiously added, "I've vaguely heard that my royal brother seems to have also received an item from a high-ranking figure in the Sorcerer Kingdom."
Princess Renner had set up her own independent intelligence department, and the bits of info it uncovered showed that the nobles around the second prince had also cut a deal with someone from the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Is that so? Maybe because someone, like me, is bored and likes watching lowly creatures rip each other apart in battles." Albedo shrugged indifferently. "Goodbye."
A flash of white light, and Albedo's slender form abruptly vanished from the shadows; she was gone.
Princess Renner held the ring, standing there in a daze, her eyes filled with shock.
In the moment Albedo departed, the magical glow lit up the book in Albedo's hand. It was the book she had been intently reading in the dimness before speaking to Princess Renner.
By that magical light, Princess Renner barely made out the words on the cover. The red leather binding featured a line of gold-embossed cursive script: The Extraordinary Demon Lord's Exclusive Love for the Proud Princess.
As a child, Princess Renner had secretly read this book, hiding it from her royal court tutor; she'd begged a little maid her own age to sneak it to her. The story mainly followed a young girl shattering worldly chains to fall in love with a terrifying demon god who had a skeletal body.
This... seems like a romance novel... Princess Renner stared at the golden ring in her palm, her mind thrown into chaos for a moment.