"Thank you for saving this village, Gown-dono." Gazef bowed 90º in front of him.
Coming from a man of high status in his kingdom, this bow carried a lot of meaning, Ainz mused.
"There's no need for thanks, Stronoff-dono, I simply did what anyone in my position would do."
Gazef was a man in his early to mid-thirties who looked like the embodiment of the word warrior.
He was tall and muscular, having a healthy tan and rough features that did little to hide his presence.
The man exuded the aura of someone who was used to being the strongest person in the room, so he didn't doubt his claim of being the Warrior Captain.
More than that, Gazef also earned his recognition through his actions.
Standing in front of him with a sword in hand couldn't have been easy, and to do it to protect people whom he didn't know was admirable.
After learning that he had saved the village, Gazef promptly thanked him with a heartfelt bow, proving to him that this man was full of humility.
It was hard not to like him.
Gazef laughed at his reply and then continued.
"But, Gown-dono, I must ask, what is that?" Gazef pointed at the undead behind him.
"Oh, this? It's a Death Knight, but there's no need for concern, for it's under my control." He answered casually.
"To have such a powerful undead under your command only shows how formidable you are, Gown-dono."
"You think so? I don't feel like a Death Knight is all that impressive, but I can understand why you would feel this way," Ainz stopped to ponder for a minute before continuing.
"Stronoff-dono, I have heard that the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize kingdom is the strongest person in this region, and I must ask, is that true?"
If it was true, he could use Gazef to gauge the power levels of the humans in this region.
"Haha! These are just rumors, Gown-dono."
Just rumors? That's a shame.
"There are a few people who, if we fought, I couldn't be certain of victory, like Gagaran and Lakyus from Blue Rose, and maybe Brain Unglaus, whom I haven't seen in a long time."
So they are around your level? That's still good.
"And are there any people whom you couldn't hope to defeat?"
"Hum… There is the Imperial Mage of the Empire, Fluder Paradyne. That man has lived for a long time and is probably the strongest person around here. I heard that he can use 6th-tier spells, so while I could fight him if fully equipped, I would most likely lose, especially if he began to fly in the sky." Gazef said somberly.
Ainz had learned that the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire were enemies, and apparently fought annual wars in a region close to this location.
When that happened, the kingdom's troops would stay in E-Rantal before marching to the Katze Plains to fight with the empire's army.
It was for this reason that the Slane Theocracy thought of disguising their troops as knights from the Baharuth Empire to slaughter these villages.
For the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, the Imperial Mage from the Baharuth Empire should be something like a rival.
Both were symbols of power for their respective countries, so admitting that he had no chance of winning should be difficult for this man.
"Oh, he seems to be mighty indeed." Ainz concealed the disdain he was feeling.
If this Fluder was a pure mage of the 6th-tier, then in Yggdrasil, he would at most be level 42, which in Nazarick was considered a very low level.
"Indeed, but somehow I feel that you might be even stronger than him, Gown-dono." Ainz then felt Gazef's gaze on him.
Oh. Are you trying to gauge my strength? That's funny.
"Hum. I don't know about that…" He let his words trail off.
"Gown-dono, if I might ask, can you show me your face?"
So you're still suspicious. Well, I can't blame you for that. If I were responsible for the security of my kingdom, and a random, powerful masked man who I had never heard of suddenly appeared in a frontier village, I would also be suspicious of him.
"I don't feel inclined to do so, sorry. But you don't need to worry, for I don't hail from any of the countries in this region, and I certainly didn't pledge my allegiance to any of the powers you might be familiar with."
Seeing as Gazef still wanted to ask him more questions, he pointed at the Death Knight.
"Say, if seeing my face is all that important to you, then let me propose something to you."
"Spar with my Death Knight, and if you win, I will show you how I look. Is that agreeable with you?"
***
Ding!
Sparks flew off as Gazef and the Death Knight traded blows at high speed.
Ainz observed it from a distance, finding he could still keep up with their movements.
I think that I'm still physically stronger than him, but I could never replicate these fluid movements without using magic.
Gazef moved with practiced ease, his sword always searching for an opening in the Death Knight's defenses, but always failing to exploit them.
The Death Knight also tried to hurt Gazef, but its offensive was considerably weaker than its defensive abilities, so it failed by a small margin every time.
The Death Knight had the offensive capabilities of a level 25 monster and the defensive capabilities of a level 40 one, putting it roughly on level 35.
Seeing as how Gazef couldn't breach its defenses, he was below level 40 in offensive, and since he could barely escape the Death Knight's attacks, his defensive prowess should be close to level 25.
"What do you think, Sebas?" To make sure, he decided to ask a level 100 warrior for his assessment.
"Ainz-sama, I think the Warrior Captain should not be far from level 30, and if I had to put a number to it, I would say he is level 27 or 28." Sebas carefully answered, trying to be as precise as possible.
"But he also seems to possess some unusual skills." Sebas continued.
"Indeed, I have never seen these skills."
Every time Gazef seemed to fall at a disadvantage, he used some mysterious skills that reversed the situation, and Ainz couldn't understand what they were.
"But it's not a cause of concern. Sooner or later, we'll find everything that needs to be found about this man."
If someone of this level can be considered one of the strongest in the region, then it seems I grossly overestimated the strength of people in this world.
Then again, considering that a villager is around level 1, and a knight was somewhere between level 5 and 10, it isn't weird for someone close to level 30 to have renown as an incredible warrior.
Ainz decided to continue observing the battle for a while longer.
***
"Hah, hah, hah…" Gazef tried to regulate his breath, but the undead in front of him was not letting him rest.
Ding!
He felt a dull ache in his arms as he once again clashed swords with the Death Knight.
[Instant Counter]
His arms went back to their previous position, and he lunged at the undead with his sword, only to be blocked by its tower shield.
He retreated, but it followed with its own piercing move; he parried with his sword, and it bashed him with its shield.
[Flow Acceleration]
The world slowed down as his mind accelerated, allowing him to dodge the sword coming for his arm.
Without stopping, the Death Knight once again bashed him with his shield, and Gazef allowed himself to be moved back, rolling on the ground and getting back up without pause.
Sweat covered his face, and he felt his arms trembling under the strain of repeated clashes.
If this continued, he realized, he would lose.
His stamina was being quickly consumed in this intense fight, but as an undead, the Death Knight did not tire.
He would constantly get weaker, while the Death Knight would remain at full strength until it died.
Is it petty to say that I'm jealous of this undead?
He never thought about it while fighting the low level undeads that he encountered from time to time in his missions, but the undead were, in a way, the best warriors one could ask for.
No need for rest, rations, or sleep, and they could keep fighting in top shape regardless of how hurt they got.
Gazef prepared himself for another clash, but they were interrupted by a shout.
"That's enough, Death Knight!" He heard the voice of the Death Knight's master, and seeing the undead stop, he fell to the ground.
"How was the fight, Stronoff-dono? How does my Death Knight compare to the people you told me about?" Ainz asked him, while sending a golden ray in his direction that instantly healed his wounds.
He can even use healing magic?
The more he interacted with Ainz Ooal Gown, the more unfathomable the man appeared.
"Haha, Gown-dono, this undead of yours is extremely powerful. I think someone would need to be in the Realm of Heroes to even have a chance of defeating it." He gave his honest thoughts.
"Realm of Heroes? What is that?"
"You don't know?" This seemed unthinkable to anyone who grew up in this region, but maybe…
"Could it be that there are no legends about the 13 heroes in the place you are from?"
"Yes, I think you could say that. Can you tell me about them, and what does it have to do with this classification of power you were using?"
" Well, someone is said to be in the Realm of Heroes when they are capable of using the 5th-tier of magic or have a similar level of strength as a warrior."
He saw Ainz nodding, seemingly losing interest.
Why is he reacting like that?
"People who reach this level of power are called heroes because 200 years ago, after monsters known as the Demon Gods appeared and began destroying many kingdoms, a group of 13 powerful individuals who had this level of strength formed a party to kill these monsters. After saving the continent, they were dubbed the 13 Heroes."
Gazef had no problem recounting these events, for the legend of the 13 Heroes was the most popular story for children growing up in his kingdom.
Especially in his case, since he encountered one of the heroes personally.
He glanced at the ring on his left hand.
"Oh. Those guys."
Ainz's answer was an odd one; he seemed to recognize the group, but his tone was casual, and even a bit dismissive.
Could it be?
Gazef made a wild guess.
An extremely powerful magic caster who seems to recognize the 13 Heroes and is not in awe of them?
Could he be like Rigrit?
He remembered the old necromancer of the 13 Heroes, a woman who had lived for more than 200 years and someone who had entrusted this powerful ring to him.
Gazef felt like there was a strong possibility that Ainz Ooal Gown was a former member of the 13 heroes.
But just as he was about to ask him that, one of his subordinates appeared in front of him.
A group of people with angels was approaching the village.