In order to enhance her added value as much as possible, Renner had collected a lot of intelligence.
Of course, these intelligence had already been handed over to Albedo, but Albedo was not interested in occupying her subordinates' merits in this way, and Ainz also believed that the person who actually did the work should have the opportunity to report personally.
But wasting the time of a monarch is a serious crime. So after careful selection by Renner, the intelligence that was really worth Ainz's personal listening was only two.
Natural talent, and, "Blue Rose".
The first piece of intelligence is about the "identification of natural talent".
Because she noticed that Nazarick is very interested in natural talent, Renner once took the initiative to propose to Demiurge to conduct experiments to find a method that can quickly and accurately identify whether a person has natural talent.
Considering that this experiment requires multi-angle observation rather than violence, as an upper-class native of this world, Renner is indeed very suitable, so Demiurge granted her permission.
Thus, after the disastrous defeat on the plains of Kaz, Renner built a large orphanage and observed and experimented on the children (samples).
And, she got a very key piece of intelligence from Ijaniya.
According to Ijaniya, a third-tier spirit magic can be used to determine whether a person has supernatural abilities. However, if one wants to specifically determine the details of the supernatural abilities, higher-tier magic is required, and the specifics are unknown to Ijaniya.
Since Ijaniya herself had only heard of it, the existence of this magic could not be confirmed.
At the same time, Ijaniya's "suggestion" also provided a direction for Renner's subsequent experiments.
That is, to let the samples "try a variety of things," such as "standing under a waterfall to be drenched, smelling some hypnotic drugs," and so on.
Obviously, in this case, it would be more efficient to let Demiurge take the lead in the experiment.
His experimental field equipment is more comprehensive, and capturing samples and conducting experiments is more convenient.
However, when Renner proactively proposed to transfer the leadership of the experiment, Demiurge pushed his glasses and denied the proposal. He believed that since he had already allowed Renner to do it, it would be better to let her continue.
"Although it will be very inconvenient for her to do it, conducting operations in such an extremely restricted environment can also be regarded as an assessment of her initiative. If one wants to be a help to Ainz-sama, at least that level of initiative is required."
Demiurge exchanged opinions with Albedo in this way and reached a consensus with her.
Thus, as an assessment, the leadership of this experiment still remained in Renner's hands.
Renner, under the pretext of improving physical health, had Climb take the children to play under the waterfall, run in the forest, and even deliberately encounter some low-level monsters to put the children in danger, suffering from fractures, bites, impacts, and various types of injuries, experiencing asphyxiation, panic, unconsciousness, enchantment, and various abnormal states; she also used her privately stored "black powder" to put the children into different degrees of hypnotic states.
Then, while comforting them like a saint and making everything appear in the light without leaving any traces, she submitted detailed and accurate reports, earning the praise of Demiurge.
Renner's statement to her brother that "if there are talented and excellent children, she would take them to her manor" was not a lie.
Only "talented and excellent" here means that they are considered to have further experimental value, and "manor" refers to Demiurge's "advanced experimental field."
By the way, although Renner also provided conclusions such as "how to effectively discover children's magical talents," Renner knew that Demiurge was not interested in those at all, and it seemed that he just fetched them for a colleague named Yuri.
"Very interesting. Well done, Renner. This is a meaningful experiment. Even knowing that it cannot be done is an impressive achievement, as it can save a lot of detours."
（Ugh... third-tier spirit magic... huh. No clues, it seems to be a magic developed by the humans of this world. And then there was mention of higher-tier, although I don't think humans can develop tenth-tier magic, but blind confidence is really not good.）
Ainz felt a sense of urgency.
Indeed, Ainz, who mastered more than seven hundred types of magic, was a top-notch knowledge expert even among players.
However, Ainz's knowledge was static and unchangeable; he could not develop new magic.
But those weak ones could.
Ainz believed that the magic to judge natural talent should truly exist.
So, why couldn't there be more terrifying original magic? Especially the strange magic used by that mysterious strong enemy, Rick.
And the magic that Edoma encountered, which was effective against insectoids. If that existed, then magic that was effective against undead, demons, or any race with a negative alignment was definitely possible.
There might even be a general magic that could have a special effect on all evil beings or all non-humanoid races.
... One could not even dare to say that there was absolutely no magic that could forcibly destroy the undead in one hit.
A strong person's greatest enemy is their own complacency; one must never foolishly become arrogant because of current advantages.
At this moment, Ainz did not realize that Albedo was quietly admiring his profile... his side skull.
（Ufufu～Ainz-sama is the most handsome when he is thinking carefully～! I wonder how far into the future Ainz-sama has thought with just this small piece of intelligence.）
"Hmm, very good. As your first contribution to joining Nazarick, Renner, I am very satisfied with this result."
"Thank you, Ainz-sama."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, please allow me to take a little more of your time..."
The second piece of intelligence was about the Blue Rose, the steel-ranked adventurer team.
During the kingdom's war of destruction, when Ijaniya and the others made it clear to her that they were going to take Lakyus and flee, Renner was extremely delighted.
Because she could provide another valuable piece of intelligence.
Of course, this piece of intelligence was not perfect.
Ijaniya's natural talent was still unknown, the details of Lakyus's magic sword were uncertain, and in the end, she couldn't even find out where they were fleeing to.
At that time, if she had pressed for answers, it would have been too unnatural, and in the end, she only found out that they were going to a forgotten city of destruction, and because the distance was so far, even using teleportation magic would require several stops along the way.
And then the most critical point was that the direction was to the southeast.
"Southeast? Since teleportation magic still requires several stops, then their destination must be outside the map."
"Ainz-sama."
"What is it, Albedo."
"Yes. Those humans are the foolish ones who once offended Nazarick, and they are also a highly uncertain combat group. I believe we should not allow these humans to escape beyond our line of sight. ... Should we immediately form a search team to capture them?"
"Hmm..."
Knowing only that the target is fleeing in the southeast direction, and that a skill or magic similar to "Dimensional Lock" can at most seal a village or town, it is simply a drop in the bucket.
（But, searching... wanting to search for a target that keeps using teleportation magic to move is just too troublesome. It's like looking for a needle in the ocean...）
（If only I had thought of asking them for a token to exchange at that time, then Nikured could have exerted her abilities... Ugh, no, wait a minute, this... this is my mistake! Ah... I'm sweating cold sweat, and even feel that Albedo's gaze towards me contains silent reproach, because it was my mistake that led her to have to use a low-efficiency plan.
I must, I must make up for something!
"...No, Albedo, unfortunately, I think it is not appropriate to do so."
"Ah—! I am incompetent! Please forgive me for not considering Ainz-sama's thoughts!"
Facing the deeply bowing Albedo, Ainz was very embarrassed and quickly raised his hand to stop her from apologizing further. And Renner, on the side, quietly learned Albedo's way of apologizing, in case of any need.
"Well! Albedo. Overall, you are not wrong. I do indeed think that we should settle the score with them... Since they have gone to such lengths to retreat to beyond the map, there must be some stronghold there that allows them to recuperate and regroup. Their uncertainty is too great; we can no longer let them run free."
As a PVP expert, Ainz fully understood the importance of "preparation for war." Even seemingly very weak enemies, after careful preparation, could catch strong opponents off guard.
Giving opponents time to prepare is the worst of the worst strategies.
（If they had just gone to a theocracy or something, I originally planned to ignore them for now. But now it seems that, after all, it is safest to deal with them. And that magic sword... whether it can destroy a city or not is unknown, we can no longer let people with unknown cards run around and have the opportunity to recuperate.）
"Well..."
Albedo looked somewhat puzzled, probably racking her brains to think about what her master would do next.
However, Ainz was also very puzzled.
（Ah! Although I just denied Albedo's proposal for the sake of face, what plan of mine am I going to come up with to replace it? Ahh... just now I should have made up an excuse to let those women run away... No, how could I do that! As the supreme ruler of Nazarick, how could I allow myself to deliberately make such a mistake! But what should I do to catch them...）
"... Hmm... Momon..."
Ainz, in his (confused) high-speed thinking, intuitively muttered the name "Momon."
"Momon... is it?"
Captured by Albedo.
"... Hmm? Ah... yes... yes! It's... it's Momon!"
There's no other way! I have to go with my intuition.
"... Right, it's Momon. Yes, then... notify Pandora Actor!... Have Naberal send a 'message' to Iburiel in the name of Momon, first greet her safety, and then... claim that Momon is extremely displeased with what the Overlord did, and seek a meeting to discuss."
"... Understood, then I will pass the order to Pandora Actor later."
"Hmm, and they will definitely distrust the 'message' magic extremely, and will try every means to verify it, so tell Naberal not to be impatient."
Iburiel will surely scrutinize Naberal from all angles to verify whether she is real or not, and even if she finally believes it, she will be extremely suspicious of the request to meet.
To be honest, it is a highly uncertain plan, which would make anyone frown. So Ainz felt a little lacking in confidence, and he continued:
"...Although it is a highly uncertain plan, the advantage is that if it succeeds, it can achieve the greatest results with the least consumption. But to be on the safe side, Albedo, you still have to form a search team. If my plan fails..."
"Ainz-sama's plan will never fail! But I will prepare the appropriate servants to be ready to depart at any time, just in case."
Seeing Albedo show a smile that was not like a demon at all, but rather as pure as an angel towards him, this instead increased Ainz's pressure, making him even regret proposing such a risky plan. It would have been more comfortable to just admit his mistake honestly.
At this time, he saw Renner, who had been listening in, staring at him.
Although he mistook her gaze for "doubt" for a moment and was startled, he quickly realized that it was actually a look asking for permission to speak.
"What is it, Renner, do you have something to say?"
"Yes, Ainz-sama. I also agree with Albedo's opinion. Your plan cannot fail."
What? Has she caught it so quickly too? Or is she just flattering?
Ainz's eyes flickered with flames.
NPCs could be understood; they sincerely and completely trusted him, regarding him as an infallible deity.
But if this newcomer also wanted to flatter from the beginning, then it seemed that a little admonition was needed... No, maybe she had some reason, so he would ask first.
"Oh, is that so? Why do you say that, Renner? What is your basis?"
Then, Renner dropped a bombshell in the room.
"The reason is simple. The magic chanter of Blue Rose, Iburiel, is deeply in love with Ainz-sama's avatar, that is, the black hero, Momon-sama."
—Huh?
—Eh?!
Then, Renner extracted the key points of Iburiel's behavior and reported them.
Renner, who had a career as an actress, portrayed Iburiel's feelings very vividly, so much so that Ainz, although skeptical, could not even find words to refute it.
（Love... me? I'm a skeleton! Although Momon is wrapped in full armor, the face I created with an illusion should have no charm at all... right?）
Because he was so shocked, Ainz couldn't help but open his mouth, although he quickly tried to cover it up by leaning back, but he didn't escape Renner's eyes.
Not good at love, probably an inevitable thing for being an undead.
Not good at acting. Probably because being the only ruler with absolute power, he has never practiced acting.
Renner recorded these two "precious pieces of information" in the notebook in her heart for Ainz.
Unlike the guardians, Renner very objectively believed that every existence must have the fields of "good at" and "not good at," so she prepared such a notebook for Ainz.
In fact, Renner had long discovered that Ainz did not know Iburiel's feelings for him, and the reason she emphasized the word "crush" when speaking was to give Ainz a way out.
At this time, it seemed as if a stove had appeared out of nowhere in the room.
That was Albedo, almost visible anger burning around her, her waist wings trembling uneasily, her deep smile almost like a curse, and her tightly clenched fists creaking.
Regarding this, Renner could completely understand.
If someone tried to get close to her Climb, she would definitely try every means to kill that person.
In fact, during the demon chaos in the royal capital, Renner had hesitated whether to take the opportunity to harm Lakyus.
She knew that Lakyus's gaze towards Climb contained "appreciation," and her gaze towards herself contained "envy."
Appreciating Climb's pure, crystal-like character, and envying Renner for having such a crystal-like knight.
She also knew that Lakyus did not care about status. If she had not hinted at her admiration for Climb in advance, there would be no restraint on Lakyus's feelings. It would be very difficult to say whether appreciation would turn into love.
And once truly in love, she would probably confess to Climb without hesitation. Climb's humble origin would not make Lakyus uncomfortable at all, but would make her feel more romantic - a humble and striving knight, a noble but dissolute lady, just like the legend sung by wandering poets.
And the reason why she did not harm her was mainly because she thought that as the core of Blue Rose, her utilitarian value was extremely high, and she had no signs of crossing the line.
Now, it seems that the demise of Blue Rose is already destined, and Renner... is in a very good mood.
However, the development of things was unexpected.
Before the order was conveyed to Pandora Actor, an unexpected situation came from him instead.
—Iburiel took the initiative to contact Naberal, requesting a meeting with "Momon-sama."
"Truly, Ainz-sama...!! I didn't expect you to have completely seen through the opponent's actions! He even said something like if the plan failed... Ahh～! No wonder he is the person I deeply love, the wisest peak of Nazarick! Ah..."
"Uh, well... well! That's right! Albedo, let's start the operation plan we discussed. Shalltear, the Envious Demon General, Edoma... and the one she requested, Grant, let them get ready."
"Yes... But, Ainz-sama, is this really okay? Just to satisfy Edoma's personal desires, to mobilize Grant..."
Albedo showed a look that she would immediately rush out to scold the willful Edoma as long as Ainz approved.
Ainz could also understand her. After all, when he heard Edoma's request, Ainz himself hesitated for a long time.
Deploying a combat force that was not needed in the operation, and moreover, one of the most special floor guardians of the Great Tomb, this behavior would definitely be scolded by Punittomoe.
But it had to be admitted that it was almost impossible for Edoma to complete the "revenge" by herself, and it would be meaningless for others to beat Blue Rose half to death and then hand it over to Edoma.
"Is it a revenge battle, then it doesn't have to be too rigorous, right, Momonga? After all, the venting of emotions is also very important. The most important thing in a revenge battle is not to win beautifully, but to fight comfortably!"
It was Punittomoe who also said this. It was because of this that Ainz allowed Grant to go out.
"No, Albedo, don't worry about it, let them have their way."
Isn't it natural for the "mother" to help the "daughter" take revenge?
...
To be continued
cut-off
PS:
Regarding "Grant," he... it is an NPC mentioned in the original short story "A Day in the Life of Cancer." There is no detailed information on his abilities and appearance, only knowing that he is a very special floor guardian, and the area he guards spans multiple floors.
In terms of settings, he has a very special relationship with the bug sister Edoma: Edoma regards him as her "mother."