Eight Fingers had been controlled by an unknown, highly intelligent, powerful monster, and even the people in charge had been enslaved.
Clearly, this event had never happened in the original work.
At this point in the original work, the first conflict between Blue Roses and Eight Fingers had indeed occurred, triggering a series of subsequent events that ultimately involved the Great Tomb of Nazarick, causing even greater chaos.
However, the sudden invasion of a powerful monster taking over Eight Fingers was something that had never happened in the original work, though it wasn't exactly accurate to say such an event had never happened.
In the original work, by the end of the event, Eight Fingers, the organization controlling the kingdom's underground world, was ultimately taken over by the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but that only happened after the event had concluded and wasn't part of the initial event.
Yet now, it seemed like this had happened earlier, and the one leading the takeover wasn't the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but the unknown monster that had attacked the Slane Theocracy a week ago.
It was simply unbelievable.
'Wait... Could it be...?'
Riezel's eyes flickered slightly as an idea came to mind.
"What kind of monster took over Eight Fingers?"
Riezel's question was also the question Brain wanted to know the answer to.
Needless to say, to control the underground world's biggest organization without drawing attention from the public, the monster was clearly not just powerful, but highly intelligent.
It might even be a humanoid monster.
Surprisingly, it turned out to be true.
"While I haven't confronted or seen the monster directly, if nothing is wrong, it should be a vampire."
Lakyus's answer made Riezel narrow his eyes.
"A... vampire...?" Brain muttered, his expression grew somewhat unnatural.
It was unavoidable since the word 'vampire' brought up memories he would rather not recall—the memories of that night in the northern forest of E-Rantel when the monster that appeared there was actually a vampire, something he only found out after the fact.
Riezel had also mentioned yesterday that the monster he fought in the northern forest of E-Rantel during that earth-shattering battle was a vampire.
Even though he had heard that the vampire was defeated by Adamantite Adventurers known as Dark Hero Momon and Beautiful Princess Nabe, he still couldn't imagine anyone other than Riezel who could handle that vampire.
Now, upon hearing Lakyus mention that the powerful monster who snuck into the royal capital and controlled Eight Fingers was actually a vampire, Brain immediately had an intense reaction.
"Could it be that vampire, Lord Brynhart...?" Brain asked nervously.
"I don't know..." Riezel shook his head, not giving a clear answer.
"Huh? What's up?" Gagaran, seeing their reactions, immediately asked. "Do you two know that vampire?"
At this, the rest of Blue Roses immediately focused on Riezel and Brain.
"You haven't heard about it?"
Brain asked Gagaran while glancing at Riezel's expression, and seeing that Riezel didn't stop him, he continued.
"About two months ago, a particularly powerful female vampire appeared in the northern forest of E-Rantel. We're talking about her."
Brain's answer made Gagaran and Evileye remember the conversation between Riezel and Brain yesterday.
At that time, Brain had mentioned the terrifying battle between two monsters that had drained his spirit as a warrior, which had taken place in the northern forest of E-Rantel two months ago. One of the so-called monsters had been Riezel, while the other had been a vampire who came from who-knows-where.
Additionally, it seemed that news of the vampire had also spread widely and was known to many adventurers.
"Wasn't that vampire already defeated by those two new Adamantite Adventurers from Darkness?"
"I heard the same thing."
Tia and Tina both spoke up.
"Who knows if it's really true?"
Brain spoke with a doubtful tone, a frown adorning his face.
"I can't imagine that vampire being defeated by anyone other than Lord Brynhart. Whether or not that so-called Dark Hero really had that kind of strength, personally, I had my doubts."
"If that vampire's still alive, with her power, controlling Eight Fingers would be a piece of cake. I even think the legendary Landfall wouldn't stand a chance against that vampire. She's just that terrifying."
What Brain called 'Landfall' was a legendary monster.
It was said that this legendary monster's true form was a high-tier vampire known as 'Vampire Lord', a powerful and terrifying vampire who could wipe out an entire country alone.
Fortunately, Landfall had been defeated by the Thirteen Heroes two hundred years ago, and that achievement was still widely talked about.
Regardless, if one were to name a famous vampire, one who was both powerful and highly intelligent, Landfall would immediately come to mind.
However, when Brain compared the mentioned vampire to the legendary Landfall, the members of Blue Roses showed odd expressions.
"Hmph! You've never even seen how strong Landfall really was! How do you know she's weaker than the vampire you mentioned?!"
Evileye suddenly snorted and then spoke with a somewhat angry tone—for some reason, she was really getting into an argument with Brain about this topic.
At Evileye's words, Brain replied bluntly.
"Because that vampire could go toe-to-toe with Lord Brynhart, and after seeing that battle, I can guarantee that even the Thirteen Heroes who defeated the Demon Gods wouldn't be able to beat her."
"However, since Landfall was defeated by the Thirteen Heroes, it shows she was definitely weaker than the vampire who fought Lord Brynhart."
"Or do you think Landfall could go toe-to-toe with Lord Brynhart? If that's the case, I'll take back what I said."
Brain's overly direct and honest reasoning left Evileye speechless.
In some ways, Brain's point was actually valid.
At least, Evileye knew very well that out of the Thirteen Heroes, only six of them had truly stepped into the Realm of Heroes, while the rest were more like someone of Brain's caliber.
With such Thirteen Heroes, besides the leader and that platinum-armored man, almost no one could have defeated Landfall, not even in a joint effort.
In other words, since Landfall was defeated by the Thirteen Heroes, it was clear that Landfall couldn't have been stronger than any of the beings the Thirteen Heroes hadn't been able to defeat.
Could the Thirteen Heroes defeat Riezel?
Could Landfall go toe-to-toe with Riezel?
Evileye couldn't help but glance at Riezel and recall the overwhelming presence he gave off when he drew his sword yesterday, the deadly feeling of danger, the heart-stopping sensation.
In the end, Evileye had to admit that Landfall could never go toe-to-toe with Riezel.
However, since the vampire that appeared in the northern forest of E-Rantel could go toe-to-toe with Riezel, didn't that mean Landfall was no match for that vampire?
Understanding this, Evileye felt speechless, which made her very upset, even a little embarrassed and angry.
"At the very least, someone of your level, I... Landfall can easily beat!" Evileye said, taunting Brain like a petulant child.
If this had happened before, Brain would have definitely been provoked by her words, but now he wasn't the same person he used to be.
"I know I'm still far from enough since there are plenty of monsters in this world that could easily beat someone like me. Even that Landfall probably has no problem killing me."
Seeing Brain respond so calmly, accepting his weakness and her taunt, Evileye felt like she had punched cotton—utterly unfulfilling.
"Ahem!"
Lakyus cleared her throat before changing the subject.
"Anyway, we get that the vampire is strong."
"Mr. Unglaus's suspicions also make sense. A vampire that powerful wouldn't just appear so easily, especially not in just two months with two showing up in quick succession—that's simply unrealistic."
"If we think carefully, the vampire who caused a stir in the Slane Theocracy and snuck into the royal capital, secretly taking control of Eight Fingers, might be the same one that showed up in the northern forest of E-Rantel."
Lakyus concluded with a serious expression, indicating that Brain's suspicions were reasonable.
At this, the members of Blue Roses agreed with her, and aside from Evileye, who was still a bit upset, the rest of them nodded thoughtfully.
"How can you be sure that the monster controlling Eight Fingers is a vampire?"
Riezel asked Lakyus, speaking up at just the right moment.
Lakyus had already said that she had neither confronted nor seen the monster herself, so how could she be sure it was a vampire?
Riezel was puzzled by this.
"Two reasons." Lakyus explained, holding up two fingers. "One is the intel from the fallen troops which said they encountered the members of Eight Fingers, Six Arms. Aside from Undead King Davernoch, all the others had been turned into vampires."
Six Arms was rumored to be as powerful as an Adamantite Adventurer Group and lived up to their name—they were made up of six people.
They were Spacial Slash Peshurian, who could slay enemies from a distance; Dancing Scimitar Edstrom, who skillfully wielded special magic weapons; Thousand Kills Malmvist, a poison swordmaster who specialized in thrusting; Phantom Devil Succulent, a master of illusions; Undead King Davernoch, who wasn't even a human but an undead lich; and Battle Demon Zero, a hand-to-hand combat expert and the leader of the group.
Among the six, only Undead King Davernoch wasn't a human, while the rest were all humans.
As everyone knew, when humans were bitten and had their blood sucked by a vampire, there was a chance they could be turned into the same kind of vampire, coming under the vampire's control and domination.
Considering this, since all the humans in Six Arms had been turned into vampires, it was enough to prove that the monster secretly controlling Eight Fingers was, in fact, a vampire.
Needless to say, this was the key reason Lakyus could confidently proclaim that the monster's true form was a vampire.
"Another reason is because of the big uproar caused by the monster in the Slane Theocracy." Lakyus continued her explanation. "According to the intel gathered by the third princess, the monster that attacked the theocracy has vampire characteristics, which is why we're all sure it's definitely a vampire."
Riezel nodded, signaling that he understood, but at the same time, his mind started to churn.
'Now that she said it, the vampire who attacked the Slane Theocracy, snuck into the royal capital, and took control of Eight Fingers could actually be Shalltear Bloodfallen...'
Clearly, this wasn't something that had happened in the original work.
It was only natural.
In the original work, Shalltear and the Great Tomb of Nazarick didn't know that the one who used a World Item to mind-control her in the northern forest of E-Rantel was the Black Scripture.
However, since Riezel had already sold this information to Ainz, the Great Tomb of Nazarick now knew that the one who used a World Item to mind-control Shalltear was from the Slane Theocracy.
In such a situation, given Ainz's obsession with and affection for the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it was easy to imagine that he would hold a grudge against the Slane Theocracy and take action against them.
Even though Riezel had warned Ainz not to recklessly attack the Slane Theocracy, it didn't mean Ainz would just stay silent.
Ainz would definitely be scheming against the Slane Theocracy in secret, taking action against the theocracy for daring to harm an NPC created by his former guild companion. Even if he wasn't daring enough to openly attack the theocracy for now, he would surely move slowly, testing the theocracy's bottom line, doing things in secret if necessary, and gradually eroding the theocracy.
If the vampire was really Shalltear, the reason she attacked the Slane Theocracy was probably because of Ainz's orders.
With both old and new grudges, Shalltear would likely be more than happy to do so.
However—
'From what Lakyus had said, the Slane Theocracy had forced that vampire back? If that vampire is really Shalltear Bloodfallen, that's totally impossible.'
'In the first place, why would that vampire, after attacking the Slane Theocracy, sneak into the royal capital and take control of Eight Fingers?'
'If it was done secretly and without anyone noticing, that'd make sense since it's just like Ainz's sneaky style, but causing such a ruckus that the kingdom's higher-ups are all aware of it doesn't seem like something that cautious guy would do.'
A sense of doubt began to rise in Riezel's heart.
'Did something unexpected happen?'
'Or maybe this has nothing to do with Ainz or Nazarick at all?'
'Of course, the bigger possibility is that there's some deeper scheme behind this...'
Riezel made several guesses in his mind, thinking about the storyline of the original work.
Meanwhile, noticing that Riezel had fallen into deep thought and sensing his interest in the matter, Lakyus suddenly realized that this might be a good opportunity.
"Sir Brynhart, if you're interested, would you like to come with us?"
Lakyus took the chance to extend an invitation.
As soon as the members of Blue Roses heard Lakyus's words, their spirits lifted, and they all looked at Riezel with anticipation.
Riezel snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Lakyus and the others in silence.
'Come with you, huh...'
He pondered for a moment before suddenly smiling.
'Well, if I don't go see it myself, how will I know what actually happened?'
With a curious heart, Riezel decided to go take a look to see if this was something Ainz had cooked up.