Following his curious interaction with the group of Maids, the Pleiades, Vahn was guided to a pair of ornate stone doors adorned with demonic motifs. The doors stood nearly ten meters tall, and as they were pulled open by an unseen force or mechanism, they ground loudly against the ground, producing vibrations that radiated through his feet.
"Welcome, Vahn Mason, to the Great Dining Hall of Nazarick...!" shouted Ainz, standing on the opposite side of the spacious chamber at the head of a long, feast-lined banquet table with surprisingly few guests present. Excluding Ainz, there were only six others standing around the table, their gazes focused on Vahn as he entered.
Scanning the six figures, which included Albedo, Vahn immediately took note of the fact that none of them were human. One was a tall, insectoid figure with four arms, samurai-esque armor, and a body that appeared to be composed entirely of ice—with four icy pillars protruding from its back. Two appeared to be twin Elves with pale brown skin, heterochromic green and blue eyes, and blonde hair. One had spiky, windswept hair and boyish features, but Vahn could tell they were a girl, even in their red, scale-lined undershirt and white suit. The other looked demure, had a short hime cut, and ears that drooped, but Vahn could similarly tell they were male—even though they were wearing a short, white, pleated skirt.
Shifting his gaze to the opposite side of the banquet table, Vahn briefly met the blood-red eyes of a petite woman with pale lavender hair fixed into a long, winding ponytail. Her bangs were similarly winding and framed a doll-like face, currently set in a narrow-eyed, predatory smile. Her outfit consisted of a dark purple, gothic-style bell dress with lavender frills, and her head was adorned with a dark purple and red bonnet that formed into a large bow at the back. Beside her was a tall and lanky, spiky-haired man adorned in a burnt-orange business suit with thin, mustard-yellow stripes. His hair was purple-black and swept back like sleek flames, his ears were long and tapered, and behind his back was a long, multi-segmented silver tail with six barbs near the end.
'Frieren would raze this place to the ground...' thought Vahn, meeting the man's gaze behind his circular, obfuscating glasses. The man was clearly a Demon of some sort, and though his angular eyes were narrowed to the point of appearing closed, Vahn could make out a gem-like gleam peering and trying to probe at him.
"Please, come forth and make yourself comfortable. Then I would like to introduce you to my most trusted and loyal servants," expressed Ainz, his tone cordial but suffused with effortless authority.
"I'm looking forward to it," responded Vahn, approaching and positioning himself before the seat that had been prepared for him on the nearer end of the table, directly opposite Ainz. Everyone else was standing, so he did the same.
"You've already met Albedo, but allow me to introduce her formally. She serves Nazarick as Overseer of my Floor Guardians. Her loyalty is without question, and I would trust her with my life," expressed Ainz, gesturing to his right, where Albedo stared witheringly at Vahn with her gloved hands folded neatly over her lap.
"Lord Vahn...welcome to Nazarick..." Albedo appended, her expression flat and her words thick with venom—making it clear she was only welcoming Vahn because she had been ordered to.
"Hmm..."
Though he took note of Albedo's contempt, Ainz didn't press the matter, fearing it would only exacerbate her hatred toward Vahn. Instead, after a brief flash of his eyes, he continued the introductions.
"Standing next to her is one of my Floor Guardians, as well as Nazarick's current Strategist and Defense Commander—Demiurge," stated Ainz, his voice deeper and less jovial than when Vahn had first arrived.
"It is my sincere pleasure to make the acquaintance and be in the service of another Supreme Being..." expressed Demiurge, his long and somewhat narrow face affixed in what Vahn imagined to be a perpetually sinister grin as he covered his left breast with a black-gloved hand and offered a slight bow. Tellingly, his segmented tail flicked behind him. And though he might have missed it if he were less perceptive, Vahn noticed the faint outline of a vein bulging at Demiurge's temple.
'These two clearly aren't fans of my being here...' Vahn noted, reacting to Demiurge's forced bow with a slight, acknowledging nod.
Continuing where he left off, Ainz introduced, "Next to him is another of my Floor Guardians, Shalltear Bloodfallen."
"It's a pleasure, Lord Vahn..." appended Shalltear, her predatory smile becoming more prominent as she pulled up the sides of her dress and offered a refined curtsy. Her smile was markedly more natural than the one serving as Demiurge's mask, but, as with Lupusregina, Vahn could tell her appreciation for him was the consideration one might afford a piece of high-quality meat.
Contrasting the malevolence adorning the left side of the table, Ainz's right, those gathered on the right gave Vahn a markedly more favorable impression. The icy insectoid was observing him with caution, but there was no animosity behind his eyes, just vigilance. As for the Elves, which he presumed were Dark Elves, the suit-adorned tomboy was eyeing him with a genuine, curious smile. Her crossdressing brother exhibited similar intrigue, but the way he held up his hands and squeezed his thighs gave him a timid, reticent appearance.
Gesturing to his left, specifically at the icy insectoid, Ainz introduced, "This man is another of Nazarick's Floor Guardians, as well as one of our greatest warriors. Cocytus, greet our guest. And make sure to show him the proper respect."
"As you will, Lord Ainz," responded the insectoid, Cocytus. Immediately after, he turned to face Vahn directly and used his two right hands, one of which was markedly larger than the other, to thump his chest and state, "I am Cocytus, Guardian of the 5th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and an ever thankful creation of the Supreme Being, Warrior Takemikazuchi. It is a great honor and privilege for someone as lowly as myself to welcome a Supreme Being such as your Lordship into our storied halls."
"You honor me, Cocytus. And, in turn, you bring honor to both your Master and The Great Tomb of Nazarick..." responded Vahn, causing the jaws of Albedo and Demiurge to clench. Vahn didn't call them out directly, but by asserting that Cocytus's comparably earnest greeting had brought honor to their Master and The Great Tomb, he was indirectly implying that theirs hadn't.
"That is the goal I strive toward with my every action," affirmed Cocytus, exhaling plumes of frigid steam from the ports beneath his oversized pair of mandibles.
"Indeed. And for that, I am eternally grateful," appended Ainz, sounding audibly pleased. This really hammered home Vahn's insinuation, causing Albedo's and Demiurge's expressions to pale at the realization that their disdain for him, even if kept internal, directly contradicted their Master's will.
Gesturing to the twins with a skeletal left hand, Ainz tacitly completed the introductions by stating, "And lastly, though it has nothing to do with their strength, these two are Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore. As you can see, they are Dark Elves, as well as twins. And like the rest of those here, ourselves excluded, they serve as reliable protectors and Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."
"Niceta meetcha~!" greeted the tomboy, Aura, presenting a toothy grin and waving her right hand without a shred of reticence. Her brother, on the other hand, visibly shrank, his words barely audible as he sheepishly tacked on, "I-It's a pleasure to meet another Supreme Being...please let me know if there is anything I can do to be of service..."
"I appreciate your candor, Aura," expressed Vahn, nodding approvingly. "As for you, Mare—you need not concern yourself with such things. I'm grateful for your consideration, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
Demonstrating his point, Vahn casually produced a golden chalice full of wine from his Inventory and raised it toward Ainz with an acknowledging nod.
"Ah, a splendid idea. Everyone, raise your glasses. We will commemorate this meeting with a toast," asserted Ainz, waiting for a blonde-haired Maid to pour him a wide, crystalline glass full of glowing red wine before raising it with his right hand. He was unable to consume conventional liquids, but the wine within the glass was given substance by Magical Power, allowing it to evaporate and soak into his bones rather than coursing through them and wetting his seat and robes.
"To the glory of Nazarick! May the Great Tomb persist eternally, and the bonds we form in that time endure just as long...!" bellowed Ainz, his voice powerful, carrying across the room and spreading Magical Power infused with a hint of Authority through the dining hall. Vahn noticed this, causing his brows to rise at the implications. He suspected it had something to do with Ainz's fate within his narrative, but he wasn't going to draw attention to it—at least for the time being. Instead, as everyone repeated the first half of Ainz's toast, he offered a slight nod before joining them in downing his wine in a single go...
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Following the toast, despite his informing Ainz that he didn't need to eat, Vahn was served dishes ranging from A5 Wagyu steak to a surprisingly tasty foie gras, truffle, and gold leaf pizza. At the same time, he engaged mostly Shalltear and Aura in casual conversation, mainly answering their questions rather than asking his own.
"Is it true you're a Dragon God...?" asked Aura, causing a subtle shift in tension as Vahn nodded and confirmed, "That's right. Due to the limits of this vessel, I can't show you my complete transformation, but something like this isn't too taxing."
Holding up his right hand, Vahn's palm lightened and became scaly like the underside of a snake. At the same time, golden claws extruded from the tips of his fingers, and ivory-white, tightly compacted scales sprouted across the length of his forearm.
"Awesome! Can I try touching it...!?" exclaimed Aura, rising to her feet and slapping the table in her excitement.
Instead of responding to Aura's outburst, Vahn shifted his gaze to Ainz, reinforcing the man's position and authority by leaving the decision in his hands.
"I apologize for my companion's rudeness," expressed Ainz, glancing at Aura as he added, "Aura here happens to be a Beast Tamer, as well as a Ranger. I would not dare to suggest that Lord Vahn is a beast, but back in YGGDRASIL, Dragons were the most powerful monster species. As such, Aura has a keen interest in them."
Following Ainz's explanation, Aura rubbed the back of her head, exhaled an awkward chuckle, and appended, "I apologize if my request offended you..."
"There are few things that truly offend me, and curiosity and passion toward one's interests are not among them," countered Vahn, shaking his head before submitting, "If your Lord permits it, you have my permission to inspect and verify that my transformation is genuine."
Seeing Aura glance at him with large, expectant eyes, Ainz exhaled a soft sigh before conceding, "Very well. But you must keep in mind that Vahn is my guest. Take care not to harm or offend him."
"Awesome! You're the best, Lord Ainz...!" chimed Aura, nearly knocking over her chair in her rush to run over and inspect Vahn's hand. Having a young-looking girl examining his hand while breathing excitedly through her nose was a little awkward, but Vahn had been in far more discomfiting positions.
"Can I pluck one of your scales...?" Aura asked plainly, gazing at Vahn with unfettered excitement and curiosity.
"You may. But I'm afraid it will vanish within twenty-four hours of being disconnected from my body," answered Vahn, saving Aura the effort of having to remove them herself by shedding several scales. Each had an iridescence similar to that of a pearl, and though they were as thin as the average fingernail, they were simultaneously harder than pure carbon and more flexible than the silica of a contact lens.
"Mmn...they're not as sharp as I was expecting..." Aura noted, holding up one of the scales to the chandelier light above. At the same time, causing Vahn's right brow to rise slightly, she abruptly sat down on his right thigh as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He didn't especially mind, but it subtly reinforced the notion that he had an inordinately high affinity with Elves and Spirits...
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