Time passed, and the discussion in Renner's room ultimately lasted about an hour.
Once the discussion was over, Lakyus and the other members of Blue Roses stood up one by one from their seats to bid Renner farewell.
"Alright, we'll head back to prepare. We'll let you know when the action begins."
Lakyus spoke to Renner as she and her adventurer companions prepared to leave.
"Um, I'll leave this in your hands." Renner nodded, replying seriously.
"Don't worry, we're doing this for the sake of the kingdom, right?" Lakyus said with a faint smile.
"Yes..." Renner replied, then made an apologetic look. "I'm sorry to trouble you. I know adventurers shouldn't get involved in national affairs, but I still handed you this commission."
"Don't worry about it. We're Adamantite Adventurers, after all. Even if we bend a few rules, the guild will turn a blind eye." Lakyus chuckled. "I heard Riezel Brynhart had the guts to take on the Warrior Captain's commission back when he was just a Copper. Even if we're not as strong as him, we won't lose in spirit."
"I'm glad you feel that way." Renner said with a beautiful smile. "I'll be waiting for your good news then."
Lakyus nodded confidently before leaving Renner's room with the others.
Now, only Renner and Climb remained in the room.
"I'll head out too, Princess." Climb said, bowing his head.
Evidently, he felt that, with everyone else gone, it would be problematic for him and a princess like Renner to be alone in the room together.
"Won't you stay for a cup of tea?" Renner asked, her eyes looking moist.
Seeing this, Climb's heart raced for a moment, but he summoned all his willpower to avoid looking her way, forcing himself to refuse.
"I... I want to go and train a bit, see if I can improve my strength."
It wasn't an excuse.
Climb genuinely felt the urge to work harder at training.
It couldn't be helped.
Today, he had seen Riezel, Gazef, Brain, and many of the Adamantite Adventurers from Blue Roses—powerful figures he rarely got the chance to meet.
Considering everything that had happened and all the heroic tales he had heard, he couldn't contain his desire to grow stronger, especially after watching the confrontation between Riezel and Brain, he wanted to become stronger and had thought about it all the time.
No choice.
Climb was, after all, Renner's personal bodyguard, a position that came with its share of controversy.
Why?
It was simply because Climb had been an orphan from a slum, someone who could have easily died at any moment, until Renner happened to pass by and took him in. Despite others' objections, she had decided to make him her personal bodyguard, entrusting him with her protection.
It was easy to imagine that, as the Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom, famously known as the Golden Princess with beauty and intellect that could make anyone gasp in admiration, she would cause a stir by taking an orphan from the slums as her personal bodyguard.
Even more so, this orphan was not only someone almost her own age and of the opposite sex, but she also always kept him close, letting him move freely around her at all times, which was bound to upset many people.
It wasn't just members of the royal family who resented this arrangement, as nobles who sought to harm Renner or those who coveted her beauty or royal bloodline looked at Climb with disdain, viewing him as a thorn in their side.
What made matters worse was that Climb didn't have much to offer.
Even though Climb wasn't exactly weak, he had no remarkable skills to make him stand out, nor did he possess any particular value that would make Renner, a princess, see him as someone deserving of special treatment.
As a result, Climb's situation in Ro-Lente Castle wasn't ideal, as even Renner had her reputation slightly tarnished because of him, receiving her fair share of criticism.
Having experienced this situation firsthand, Climb was determined to become stronger and wanted to be the kind of man worthy of his position and responsibilities to help ease his master's burdens.
With such a mindset, Climb worked exceptionally hard, to the point where even Gazef looked at him differently, praising him in front of Riezel as a hardworking warrior who could endure great hardships.
For someone like Climb, today's experience only intensified his desire to become stronger.
Whether it was Riezel's appearance, which made even the many Adamantite Adventurers of Blue Roses feel inferior despite Riezel being about the same age as him, or Riezel's battle with Brain, both had a huge impact on his desire to grow stronger.
Especially when he thought back to Riezel's breathtaking sword slash and the dazzling lightning bolt, his heart burned with passion, and he wished he could be as strong as Riezel, strong enough to unleash such a strike himself.
If he were that strong, he could help his master to the greatest extent, right?
With such loyalty in his heart, Climb was able to reject the temptation to spend time alone with the Re-Estize Kingdom's most popular princess, having tea and chatting together.
"Alright..." Renner looked a little disappointed, but she didn't press on. "You need to know when to stop. Don't rush things, or you'll end up ruining your health, okay?"
Her care warmed Climb's heart and further solidified his determination to get stronger.
"Yes! I'll be careful, Princess."
Climb could only say the words that didn't quite feel true to him before bowing to Renner and leaving the room.
Renner watched Climb leave with a warm gaze as if seeing her beloved off, but after he closed the door behind him, her expression instantly changed. Her eyes no longer held warmth, and her face was no longer innocent—it was as if she had become a completely different person, her entire demeanor turning cold and cruel.
Soon, Renner stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.
*Whoosh!*
A gust of wind immediately blew in, making the curtains flutter and sweeping into Renner's room.
Renner quickly knelt on one knee, facing the direction the wind had come from, and spoke with the respect of a vassal.
"Your Excellency."
Her voice was incredibly respectful as if she were on a pilgrimage.
At this moment, a figure of a man stood in her room, even though it was unclear when he had entered.
He was dressed in an unusual outfit that had never been seen in this kingdom, exuding an evil aura. He wore a mask, concealing his face, and a tail wrapped in metal plates hung from his waist, indicating that he was not human.
If Riezel were here, he would immediately recognize this man.
Indeed, he was none other than Demiurge, the Floor Guardian of the 7th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
"I've heard everything."
Demiurge, wearing a mask, did not show his true face and stood with his back to Renner, hands folded behind his back, speaking in the tone of someone in a higher position.
"I didn't expect that man would come to this city at such a time... Is this a coincidence? Or does he know something?"
Demiurge spoke as though to himself, yet it also seemed like he was talking to Renner.
"Riezel Brynhart, the man you instructed me to pay special attention to and investigate thoroughly, is it him?"
Renner, who lowered her head and maintained a respectful posture, spoke in a tone as if reporting to her superior.
From Renner's tone, it was clear that she had already submitted to the Great Tomb of Nazarick and had become one of their people.
If Lakyus and the others found out about this, they would surely be shocked senseless.
"Indeed..."
Demiurge replied calmly, still not turning around.
"He's a man who needs to be approached with extra caution. Our investigation into him has never stopped, but the results have been slim as if he just appeared out of thin air... Very suspicious..."
"Could he really be a player?"
"Even though he himself denies it, his claim isn't 100% trustworthy. We can't just take it at face value..."
Demiurge launched into a mental brainstorming session, reflecting on various aspects of Riezel's situation as he talked to himself.
It had become a recent habit of his.
As one of the few NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick known for his intellect, Demiurge was not only the Floor Guardian of the 7th Floor but also the strategist assisting Albedo.
Demiurge had been putting all his efforts into investigating Riezel, trying to use his wisdom to uncover Riezel's origins and figure out his true nature, helping the Great Tomb of Nazarick come up with a strategy to deal with him, but unfortunately, no matter how much he investigated, he couldn't find much relevant information about Riezel.
In fact, more than two months ago, it was as if 'Riezel Brynhart' had never existed in this world, and all they could find were traces of him from the past two months.
It was almost as if Riezel, just like the Great Tomb of Nazarick, had only suddenly appeared in this unknown world two months ago, with no prior existence here.
As a result, many in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, including Demiurge, had begun to suspect that, like Ainz, Riezel might be a player.
As for why they couldn't make a final judgment yet, it was because they couldn't explain how Riezel knew so many secrets about this world.
A human so mysterious, who had had several questionable interactions with the Great Tomb of Nazarick, made Demiurge increasingly wary and focused on Riezel. Just like Albedo, he believed that sooner or later, Riezel would become their enemy and a threat to his lord.
For this reason, Demiurge couldn't ignore the fact that Riezel had appeared in the royal capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
"Nonetheless, the most important thing is that we can't let him interfere with our plan."
Demiurge thought about the rare large-scale operation within the Great Tomb of Nazarick lately and the recent arrangements in the royal capital, causing his face, hidden beneath his mask, to grow serious.
"Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself..."
Demiurge finally turned around to face Renner.
"How are the tasks I assigned to you going?"
At this question, Renner lowered her head even further.
"Yes, everything is going smoothly according to the plan." Renner replied respectfully. "Our prey is almost here, and I've already commissioned Blue Roses to take care of the decoy who's been luring them in. I believe this will help stir up the situation in the royal capital, making it easier for Your Excellency's actions."
"Good..." Demiurge nodded in approval. "You've done well, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself. As expected from the Golden Princess, you truly are one of the few intelligent humans."
"You're too kind. It's simply what I should do." Renner replied with a humble tone.
"Indeed..." Demiurge seemed to reach for his glasses but then remembered he was wearing a mask, so he lowered his hand and spoke with a hint of meaning. "Well, this is also for the sake of your wish, right?"
"...Yes." Renner didn't hide her feelings and gave a hollow smile. "It's a rare opportunity to fulfill the wish I've always dreamed of, so naturally, I'll do my best."
"If Albedo hears what you said, she'll be very happy. She's quite fond of you, after all." Demiurge chuckled softly.
"It's an honor. To earn Lady Albedo's favor makes all my efforts feel worthwhile." Renner responded sincerely.
"In that case, you can go tell her yourself." Demiurge turned his back. "Hmm, since the preparations are ready, it's time for me to take action."
"Yes, I will cooperate fully." Renner nodded humbly. "What about Riezel Brynhart? His presence isn't part of our plan, is it?"
"Right, he's an unknown factor... We can't let him ruin our plan." Demiurge muttered, his eyes flashed with cold light.
Even though he said this, he knew he couldn't just move against Riezel.
While he truly wanted to eliminate Riezel, the only unstable factor to have existed since the Great Tomb of Nazarick arrived in this world, Riezel was different from the natives of this world.
Not only was he mysterious, but he was also incredibly powerful, making him not so easy to deal with. Acting rashly against him wouldn't just be bad for the Great Tomb of Nazarick but would also be a setback for Ainz's plans.
Ainz was, after all, particularly cautious around Riezel, so he might have some sort of plan prepared against him.
Understanding this, Demiurge couldn't let his own actions ruin Ainz's plans.
"Speaking of which..."
As if remembering something, Demiurge spoke again.
"Didn't those tools you control really want to get close to him? If that's the case, just secretly arrange for them to entangle him a bit. By the time our plan begins, anything he tries to do will have limited influence."
"Understood." Renner obeyed the order without question.
Demiurge smiled faintly, gazing at the sky.
"Let the royal capital be the first stage to welcome Nazarick."
"Whether it's the Slane Theocracy or the Re-Estize Kingdom, they are all just gifts for the Supreme Being."
"No one can stop us. Not even you, Riezel Brynhart..."
"Haha... Hahaha—"
In the air, a devilish laugh echoed, making the sky darken.