A/N: Hello there! First off, I hope you are all doing well; that you and your loved ones are healthy and staying safe during this global crisis.

Secondly, I apologize for the late update. I would've liked to upload this chapter a week ago, but these hectic times of uncertainty and online classes have been very unaccommodating... and don't even get me started on how I'm still working, since my place of employment is considered an 'essential service' -_- . I hope you can understand: I am not so inherently evil as to have intentionally left you in the dark for ~3 and 1/2 weeks after last chapter's cliffhanger...

hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long to churn out.

Regardless, allow this chapter to provide you with some temporary distraction during these trying times :)

Chapter 19

"Pyrrhic"

12:15

Ainz Ooal Gown was in a rather uncomfortable predicament.

No sooner had he and Neia stepped through the front gate than seemingly every citizen of Mellevitch had taken to the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of their kingdom's saviour, the Sorcerer King.

They fervently bombarded him with praise and rhapsodic cheers: literally threw themselves at the Overlord's feet as he walked by, nearly causing him to trip several times.

"Ainz-samaaaaaaaaa!"

"Thank you for all that you've done for the Roble Kingdom, Ainz-sama!"

"We love you Ainz-sama!"

"Kami-samaaaaaaa!"

Gifts of gratitude were thrust emphatically into his face: food, alcohol, pouches of money, pelts—Ainz respectfully declined everything with an awkward wave and a polite nod of declination. Neia had her work cut out for her, leading him down the road, clearing a path through the throngs of bumping bodies and outstretched hands, all of which hoped to convey even just a mote of their gratitude.

Finally, they had made it through and reached the 'Temple of Ainz'—a name which the Sorcerer King had mixed feelings for, that he could not help but feel embarrassed about, and, feeling terribly pretentious while standing next to the monolithic statue built in his likeness, quickly urged Neia to lead him up the stairs and inside.

The place was packed, but everyone quickly made room for Ainz himself as he shuffled to the front and took a seat just before the podium. Internally, he had wanted to take a seat in the back, but that would hardly be a choice befitting of a Supreme Ruler and so he allowed himself to be ushered to the front.

The priest, in a nervous tizzy over the impromptu visit of the Sorcerer King, apologized profusely for the church's quaintness; he offered a pillow—the comfiest one in all of Mellevitch, he assured—for the Sorcerer King to sit upon, and ordered people to fetch some refreshments after noticing and misinterpreting Ainz's flushed expression.

And so now the Sorcerer King sat, feeling extremely awkward atop a plush pillow, with a large cup of wine in his hand. He was acutely aware of the weight of everyone's gaze boring into his back, their excited chatterings and curious remarks.

"I can't believe it, he's actually here! The great Ainz-sama is here!" he heard whispered in a tone that suggested the speaker was struggling to contain themselves.

"I heard he's come all this way just to check in on us!"

"Really? And he even went to the trouble of changing his appearance to that of a human's just for us?"

"He truly is a magnanimous ruler with a kind spirit! Far better than our own King, I say!" someone snorted boldly.

Nobody rebuked him.

"I wish I could live in the Sorcerer Kingdom… I'd never have to worry about my safety again if I lived under the Sorcerer King…" someone confessed wistfully.

The comments went on and on, each one making Ainz's face take on a slightly deeper shade of red. The statue, the constant praise and idolization, the fact that he was sitting in a church dedicated to his very existence—it was all a bit too much for Suzuki Satoru, a mere salaryman, to handle.

He tried to keep his focus forward on Neia, who, behind the podium, was passionately recounting the time Ainz had saved her from the Beast King Buser and defeated him with ease.

Every other second, she sneaked a glance over in his direction, as if seeking approval—to which Ainz would nod and offer a reassuring smile.

He wondered if this was what a parent must feel like when attending their child's school play, in which they played the main role. That's how he felt, watching Neia perform.

She is, admittedly, a very good public speaker. Good projection, eye-contact with the audience, attention-drawing gesticulation at just the right times. She'd make a great sales-pitcher, mhmm.

It was a random thought, forcibly induced, with the desire to keep his mind from dwelling on all the buzz that was around him.

He took a moment to wipe his clammy palms against his robe: it was almost time.

He had agreed, reluctantly, and only after a great deal of imploring on Neia's part, to give a speech: or sermon, as Neia had called it, but the Sorcerer King refused to call it so.

"Please, Ainz-sama! It would mean the world to everyone if you could retell the events of your battle against Jaldabaoth! It's everyone's favourite story; coming from you yourself, it will become an even greater treasure!" Neia had begged him outside.

Of course, as much as Suzuki wanted to refuse, Ainz could not—what kind of a Supreme Ruler refused to address his subjects? He would seem like a coward or a snob, neither of which was a title he wanted to be tied to the name Ainz-Ooal Gown.

Finally, Neia came to the conclusion of her tale, describing how Buser's mangled body had been knocked back after a single blow.

She's definitely embellished the story a bit to make it more dramatic, Ainz thought to himself.

As the crowd erupted in cheer, Neia stepped down from the podium and kneeled at the Sorcerer King's feet, inviting him on stage.

The Sorcerer King's heart fluttered.

Ahhhh it's now or never… how did I wind up in this situation? This was supposed to just be a routine tour of sorts, I didn't want to get sucked into my own cult!

I can't wait to get back to Nazarick. Maybe Jade will get a kick out of hearing about my suffering today.

As he stood up from the bench, the crowd behind him exploded in 'Oooooh!'s' and 'Ahhhhh!'s'.

The Sorcerer King approached the stage with a dignified stride, his chin held high, and his chest puffed out. When he reached the podium, he thrust both arms out as if with the intent to embrace the audience.

Foom!

A ball of lightning and fire manifested in each of his palms.

Everyone in the crowd recoiled in surprise, gasping incredulously—a sound which began startled, but gradually became more and more excited.

They all clapped exuberantly, including Neia.

Ahh to be so startled and impressed by a mere [Fireball] and [Orb of Lightning]... everyone here would've fainted before my duel with Jaldabaoth even began if they had been around us! the overlord thought to himself humorously.

And maybe I'm being a little over-dramatic but… I can't let myself be outdone by Neia!

He lowered his hands, extinguishing the low-tier spells as he firmly clasped either side of the podium.

He stared out at the crowd with narrowed eyes, ignoring his heart's jackhammer beat; he took the time to meet each and everyone's eyes, one by one. The townspeople sobered up immediately under his piercing glare, their throats lurching in anxious anticipation.

In the corner of his eye, Ainz saw Neia watching him intently, eyes wide and mouth open, like a child waking up on Christmas morning and admiring all the gifts under the tree.

Great, now that they're all on the edge of their seats, I'll-!

But just as he opened his mouth, a sudden, familiar sound went off in his head.

Ta-ting!

The overlord clicked his tongue in annoyance.

A [Message]..?

The crowd watched in confusion as the Sorcerer King raised a finger to his temple and looked to the ceiling.

"[Albedo? What's the matter]?" Ainz declared, ostensibly to nobody.

...

The townspeople all exchanged dumbfounded looks.

A few moments of silence passed.

Neia cocked her head to the side as the Sorcerer King wordlessly lowered his hand back to the side of the podium with a perplexingly blank expression.

"Ainz-sama..?" the ranger ventured, a pit forming in her stomach.

For some reason, staring into the Sorcerer King's stoic visage, she couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong.

"No…" Ainz suddenly whispered, hollowly.

Neia's heart did a somersault in her chest.

"No, no, no, no, no no no…" Ainz prattled on, trailing off into inaudibility as he leaned against the podium, white-knuckling its sides. His face had suddenly become extremely pale.

Neia took a worried step forward, thinking he must have succumbed to a sudden illness—the priest had a similarly distressed expression, wondering if the food and wine he had offered was to blame.

Neia forced her mouth open:

"A-ainz-sama! Are you-?!"

Without warning, the wooden podium crumbled to splinters within the Overlord's grasp.

The congregants gasped, and Neia raised her arms to shield her face from the ensuing barrage of wooden shrapnel that shot out in all directions.

When she lowered her arms, her heart stopped.

"No… no… no… this is-! This can't-!" The Sorcerer King bellowed, his voice somehow echoing upon itself, shaking the foundations of the entire temple.

While running a trembling hand through his hair, ominous black wisps, tendrils of smoke, began to ooze out from the Sorcerer King.

A moment later, Neia felt a comforting warmth over her chest; she looked down, surprised to see her pendant, [Heart of the Lion], pulsing to life. She didn't understand.

Why now? Why would an item which bolsters my resistance to [Fear] effects be activating right n-

"Bleeeeghehk!"

Neia got her answer, as suddenly everybody in the front rows keeled forward, falling unceremoniously to the ground, emptying their stomachs onto the ground. A moment later, the people in the row behind them dropped to the floor, retching as well. And then like a cruel set of dominoes, row by row, before anyone could understand what was happening, everyone dropped to the floor like flies, spewing and sobbing grotesquely.

A putrid stench quickly filled the room, and Neia brought a hand over her mouth as the odour triggered her gag reflex.

Then without warning, her legs gave out beneath her and she crumpled to her knees. Her whole body was quaking.

Her cheeks puffed out and the back of her throat clenched, foretelling the imminence of vomiting.

She gagged dryly, clutched at her gut, just barely able to choke back the bile in her throat.

Her chest felt knotted, it was hard to breathe; she looked out to the crowd in horror as everyone had begun writhing on the floor, rolling around in their own vomit, desperately clawing at their throats as though they were being strangled by some invisible attacker.

Their eyes were turning bloodshot-red, veins bulged sickeningly from their necks and their faces —masks of pure fear.

Redder, redder, redder, they grew.

They were suffocating, Neia realized, horrified. She should've realized it sooner, but it happened so quickly that it had registered in her brain until now. She tried to stand, but her legs would not obey.

Get up! she screamed internally, but it was no use; her bones felt like jelly, and her muscles, like overstretched rubber.

Immobilized, Neia could do nothing but watch in terror as everyone around her, slowly but steadily asphyxiated—their movements slowed, the light of life drained from their eyes, one by one, as their frantically spasming bodies came to a telling stop.

First the elderly.

And then the children.

Then the women.

Then the men.

And then silence.

Not a single body remained moving. Some twitched, the final and futile efforts of obstinate neurons.

It was like time had frozen; Neia could not bring herself to breathe, completely stupefied.

She clenched her eyes shut.

G-get up! Everyone, please! The Sorcerer King is here, he'll protect us!

She turned her head shakily towards the Sorcerer King—her guardian deity, the saviour of the entire Roble Kingdom, a veritable hero of legend!

And her breath hitched. Her well of tears ran dry in an instant, taking in the Sorcerer King's expression.

A mask of anguish, she could hardly recognize it.

"A-ah… ah..! I'm sorry… I'm so sorry—!" the Sorcerer King stammered from her side, clutching at his skull:

"I… I have to go!" he wailed harrowingly, and Neia's heart felt as though it had been torn in half.

W-what? A-ainz-sama, what… why..?

Her train of thought had long since derailed into incoherency, a jumbled mess of incomprehension and sorrow.

But she could not protest; her throat had long since constricted enough to choke any words back.

She was losing consciousness rapidly. Her amulet of courage throbbed desperately, like a waning candle, around her neck, straining to mitigate the unadulterated despair which radiated from the Sorcerer King.

Through her darkened vision and deafened ears, the last thing 'Death's Ranger' registered before slipping away was the conjuring of a [Gate].

N-no… please, Ainz-sama, don't leave..! Save us, please!

But it was all for naught: he did not hear her silent plea.

And so she drifted out of consciousness, cursing for the first time—and perhaps the last—the Sorcerer King's name.

...

Ainz Ooal Gown-sama had returned to Nazarick.

They all felt it.

A thunderous tidal wave of emotions that inundated all of Nazarick, swept over every denizen, seeped into their entire being, pervaded their minds.

Made them twitch, shiver, and weep: made their minds spin, their hearts sink, their spirits break.

But none were affected as strongly as the guardians, in whom, catalyzed by their lord's emotions, there sparked a nauseating mix of guilt and panic.

Yes, the Supreme Ruler was back—and he was not happy.

And they were to blame.

...

POV Ainz

.

.

.

I fling open the throne room doors.

"Ainz-sa—!" Albedo begins to cry out, dropping to one knee.

"Where," I seethe, cutting her off.

The guardian overseer looks up at me, her eyes wide and trembling within their sockets as she takes in my presence, the undulating wisps of coal-black smoke curling off my body.

Is it wrong for me to expose her to such emotions? Perhaps, especially after I had promised to keep my temperament in check ever since my outburst on Cocytus' floor.

But I don't care. I can hardly think straight, much less suppress what I'm feeling.

"Where?!" I snap again, louder this time, after Albedo fails to reply immediately.

"I-in her chamber, Ainz-sama… I have not moved her since we found her this morning…" the succubus explains in a tremulous voice.

Without a word I step past the kneeling overseer, nearly breaking into a sprint towards the living quarters.

"A-Ainz-sama!" Albedo calls out, scrambling after me.

With each step I take, the numbing buzz in my head grows louder and louder, drowning out any intelligent thought.

Jade… there's no way! It just doesn't make any sense!

I come to a stop in front of her chamber's door.

Surely, when I open the door, she'll just be sitting at her bedside… she'll look to me incredulously and wonder why I've barged into her room with such a deluded expression.

Surely-!

I grab the door handle with a trembling hand.

"Ainz-sama, wait, perhaps you should— !" Albedo cries out desperately, tentatively grasping for my sleeve.

No sooner had a single finger curled around my arm than I wrench away from her.

A tear drops from my chin, unbeknownst to the overseer, upon my handle-gripping hand.

With a quick tug, I yank the door open.

Jade—!

Silence.

My eyes fall immediately upon the homunculus maid, Leah, standing at the bed's side.

Under my sharp and wild gaze, she flinches, clenches her eyes shut.

With a slow shake of her head, her throat lurches ruefully:

"A-ainz-sama…" is all she chokes out.

My eyes dart to her side, at what lays on top of the bed.

And my heart plummets, from its nest of ribs, down into my stomach.

Burns, dissolves, and melts away in a pool of gastric acid.

On autopilot, I stagger forward on buckling knees; my eyes locked unblinkingly, morbidly, on Jade.

With a trembling hand I reach out, grabbing a fistful of damp-gold bedsheet.

Blood… there's so much… blood..!

H-how… why..?

Frantically, fumbling, I reach into my robe and withdraw a wand:

"[Greater Re-raise!]!" I chant.

The blue crystal embedded at the end of the rod glows brightly with the promise of activation.

Nothing happens.

Badump! Badump! Badump!

My heart is beating fast, faster than it ever has before. Faster, faster, and faster—!

I bring a hand to my chest, white-knuckling a fistful of my robe.

My head is spinning. Why didn't that work? I'm certain this rod has charges in it! The incantation went through, so why—!

Ta-ting!

A sudden ring cuts through my heart's thunderous reverberations.

A message window fills my vision.

[Resurrection is not possible for the selected target]

-!

Not possible?! What, why?! I've never seen this message before, that's impossible! There must be a mistake!

"Menu!" I shout, scrolling frantically to the list of Nazarick's denizens. I don't care how much gold it takes to revive her: just please, work!

[Lenora]

My eyes widen. Why... is her name grayed out?

I tap the screen with unnecessary force.

Ta-ting!

-!

[Warning: resurrection is not possible for the selected target].

Again?! What the fuck is the matter?!

"Bullshit!" I screech, swiping the menu out of existence with a vicious wave of my hand.

Why won't it work?!

Without wasting another moment, I reach into my pocket-space and withdraw a ring.

[Wish Upon A Star].

After several uncoordinated attempts, I jam it hastily onto my finger.

"A-Ainz-sama!" the overseer exclaims in astonishment.

I ignore her.

"[Wish Upon A Star]!" I bellow in a cracking voice: "[I wish] for Lenora to be revived!" I cry out.

The ring surges with power, conjuring an extravagant mosaic of glyphs beneath my feet.

With my other hand, I reach into my inventory again and withdraw an hour-glass shaped cash-shop item. With a ruthless twist, I snap it in two.

The white glyphs enveloping me swell with white-hot radiance; brighter, brighter, brighter, forming a dome of light around me.

I look to Jade—I can't even breathe.

Please… please!

Whiiiiirrrrrr...

My eyes widen hopefully as a light of untraceable origin shines a spotlight on Jade's body.

The… the spell is activating!

Jade! Y-you're coming back! I don't know what happened, what pushed you to do this, but whatever it is… I'll help you! We, all of Nazarick, will help you! I'll never leave your side again, I swear! So… so just open your eyes!

The air in the room crackles shrilly as the incantation reaches its activation threshold.

I shield my eyes from the ensuing flash of light.

I allow a premature smile to crack my face. This has to work!

Jade—!

A moment later, the light dies out.

My eyes flash open.

Time slows to a crawl.

All around me, filling my vision, are the jagged and shattered fragments that composed the spell's glyph a moment prior: floating ethereally, surreally, like pieces of glass suspended in the air—one by one, they melt away into nothingness.

Huh? It… failed?

I can't blink, can't move a muscle—can't wipe the smile off my face.

This is...just like when I had tried to save Shalltear from mind control!

A lump forms in my throat, obstructing my windpipe.

I turn to Jade—her eyes are still closed. Did… did it really not work?

steadying myself against the side of the bed, feeling sick, I peer down at Jade, directly above her.

Any second now—they'll open! I'm sure of it!

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

One eternity, two eternity, three eternity, four.

I clench the bedsheet's fabric harder with each unfathomably long second that passes.

"W-why… didn't it work. It… it should've worked! There's no conceivable reason for it not to have worked!" I whisper shakily, staring directly into Jade's sealed eyes.

Drip, drip.

Tears, torn from my ducts by gravity, fall down, splatter damply against the angel's pale cheeks.

"Why… why won't you wake up? Why won't you WAKE UP!" I shout furiously, ripping [Wish Upon a Star] from my finger and tossing it violently to the side.

Tink, tink tink…

The silver band ricochets off the closed door, bounces to the ground, and rolls—as if to mock—back to my feet. I stare down at the wobbling ring with blank contempt, unable to tear my eyes from it.

What an eyesore. A useless...stupid… fucking item!

"A-Ainz-sama…" Albedo whispers trepidatiously.

"What?!" I seethe, still keeping my eyes glued to the piece-of-junk trinket.

Without a word, she silently extends a hand out towards me.

Within her grasp is a folded piece of paper.

I look languidly between her and the note.

"Albedo, if this is some sort of love letter I'm going to—!" I begin, snatching the note out of her grasp.

The overseer flinches as the sheet is ripped from her fingers and offers a bow of her head with a solemn shiver.

I hastily flip the note open: I can barely read it in my trembling clutches.

My heart stops.

Dear Suzuki,

I collapse onto the bed, staring vacantly at the note.

"This is…" I trail off in disbelief, bringing a hand to cup over my mouth.

Dear Suzuki,

If you're reading this note... then it means I'm dead.

I'm sorry, but this is how it had to be; please don't blame yourself, it's not your fault. Ever since I came to this world, I figured it would come to this.

I tried looking into a way back to Earth. I spent all night and all morning in the library…

But it became clear very quickly that such a thing is impossible, Suzuki. There's no way back. There never will be. We're stuck here forever. I was hoping for so long that I'd be able to find a way back home, Suzuki… it was the only thing keeping my going.

The thought of being able to see my family again, my parents, my sister Liz… to be back in England again. I had decided long ago that I would kill myself if I couldn't find a way back home. I just… can't take living in this world. I know I'll never belong here—not like you do. You have a family here, Suzuki, but I'm just an outsider… I realize that, and truth be told, I don't even want to try and fit in here. It's all meaningless to me.

You mean nothing to me.

Nazarick means nothing to me.

And I know that no matter how much time I spent here, it never would never come to mean anything.

You would never mean anything.

I tried my best to be happy yesterday, pretending that I liked you: I only could because I was clinging to the hope of returning to Earth. I would use you while I could and then leave you behind as soon as I found a way back to Earth, out of this ersatz of a world: that was my plan. But now I realize that'll never happen, so why bother maintaining some hollow facade?

Don't bother trying to revive me—it's not possible. My class [Sovereign of Light] prevents such a thing. Nothing short of a World Class Item would work… and that's for the best. So don't bother wasting any of your time or precious resources trying… I've wasted enough of your kindness already.

Goodbye, Suzuki.

Forever

Jade Willows

"No…" I squeeze out, trying my best to keep my voice from cracking.

I crush the note in my hand—squeezing, squeezing, harder, and harder, until it feels like my fingers might dig right through my palm.

And then, as if struck by a [Lifesteal], all the strength in my body leaves.

My arms fall limply to my side: the destroyed note flutters from my faltering grasp with jeering daintiness to the floor below, into a sticky puddle of half-dried blood.

"Th-there's no w-way... " I stammer, my mind racing.

How… how could any of what she said in the note be true..? That she was pretending?

You don't mean anything to me.

The words cut sharper than any knife could, rending my heart. I raise a hand to clutch at my hollow chest.

Is that… how she truly felt? I meant nothing to her? From the very beginning, she was just planning to abandon me in the end?

I clench my eyes shut as images of Jade flash through my mind.

Her chipper indignance, her bright smiles, her unabashed excitement. Her blushes, laughs, tears—her breakdown when she realized I was a player like her.

"How… how was that all an act, Jade?!" I cry out, clenching my fists angrily.

I grab hold of the sin-stained sword—rip it from its limp-handed owner's grasp—and toss it away.

It clatters against the ground behind me with a discordant clang, an echoing ring that lingers pervasively in my head, drowning all rational thought.

I grab hold of Jade's now-free hand.

So, so cold…

You'll never mean anything. Goodbye Suzuki, Forever.

"Ainz-sama…" Albedo whispers soothingly, taking hold of my hand, pulling it gently away from Jade.

I don't even have the strength to push her away.

With my other hand, rigid and shaking, I reach out to Jade's face, brush her hair—sticky, ostensibly bloody, plastered to her forehead—aside, and run my knuckles against the side of her cheek.

Her face looks so calm, so serene, like her eyes could flutter open at any moment.

But they don't.

Down, down, down her face, at a snail's pace, my hand travels to her chin, stopping just above her neck; peculiarly and indistinctly gold and black in my blurry vision.

I dare not blink to clear my vision.

I move my hand back up to delicately cup her cheek, the contour of her peaceful expression.

"Come on, Jade… w-wake up, already…" I whisper with a smile, my vision having long-since gone out of focus from my not blinking:

"There's… so much we still need to talk about. How am I supposed to tell you anything if you won't wake up?" I berate, lightly tapping her soft flesh.

Before I realize it, I'm on the ground. When did my legs give out?

"Ainz-sama, I think we should—" Albedo ventures cautiously.

I cut her off with a chuckle.

"Ahaha... Albedo, would you kindly wake Jade up for me? I do believe she's had plenty of time to sleep and I—"

"Ainz-sama!" the overseer shouts more forcefully, shaking my shoulder.

SNAP.

I blink my eyes; the world becomes clear once again.

Reality becomes clear.

The blood.

The sickening slash in her neck; a hideous gash of charred flesh caked with gold blood.

!

I shake my head, feel my eyes burn with the threat of tears. That's right… how many times do I need to reaffirm the situation to know she's dead?

Dead, dead, dead…

I repeat the word over and over, forcing reality to sink in out of self-loathing frustration.

Dead, dead, dead, she's DEAD!

But even as I think it: It just doesn't make sense! There's no way she would do...this!

It takes all of my effort to keep the word 'suicide' from entering my conscious stream of thought.

Why didn't she tell me anything?! I… I could've… I should've helped..! Surely the two of us could've figured something out, prevented THIS from happening!

So why..?

"Ainz-sama…" Albedo coos, dropping to the ground at my side and wrapping her arms around my neck.

Her wings furl gently around me, protectively, smothering me in a warm blanket of black feathers.

I capitulate.

"Albedo… she was just a child. Did you know that? Only sixteen…" I whisper incoherently, burying my face into her sable wings. The harsh, sinister aura I had been radiating all this time finally dies out.

Albedo says nothing, only squeezes me harder. I feel her, with her chin resting atop my head, begin to shiver. Beyond the veil of her feathers, I hear Leah whimpering as well.

And for a few minutes we remain like that. No movement, no words, no thoughts.

Just the callous words of a suicide note, a soft cacophony whirling softly within my head, evoking all sorts of unkind emotions and guilt.

Empty.

I feel sick.

"Albedo…" I finally whisper.

I can hardly recognize the inflection-less voice that trickles from my own mouth.

"Yes, Ainz-sama?"

"Does anyone else know about what's happened to Jade?"

"... No, Ainz-sama. Leah is the one who found her. She told only myself, and I immediately [messaged] you. I thought it would be best for you to find out first because I honestly did not know what to do…" she explains forlornly.

"I see…"

Slowly pushing Albedo's wings away, I stand up. The shakiness of my limbs has subsided.

I press a hand to my chest: feel the beat of my heart, steadfast, unhysterical.

Empty.

Am I so broken that I've stopped feeling altogether? Am I so broken, so dissociated, that I can even step back from myself and acknowledge how broken I am, without feeling anything?

A cruel, self-deprecating chuckle rings out in my head, in appreciation of how fucked everything is right now.

"Ainz...sama..?" Albedo trails off in bewilderment, looking up at me from the ground.

I turn away from her to conceal my face, which is undoubtedly a strange mask of both nothing and everything.

I… I still have an image to maintain in front of the guardians—assuming such a superfluous thing is even intact. Who knows what Albedo thinks of me right now?

Picking up Suzuki's slack, Ainz forces my mouth open:

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that, Albedo. I'll be retiring to my chambers for the day. Please forgive me. I'd appreciate it if you could forget about having witnessed that pitiful display of emotion—both of you," I pause, shooting a piercing look towards Leah, "—I lost control of my human body's impulses," I explain: "choosing this form, these emotions, was…" I trail off, shooting an apathetic glare back to Jade.

"...a mistake".

Albedo slowly rises from the floor, wiping at the corner of her moist eyes: a dainty, relieved smile blossoming on her face.

"Of course, Ainz-sama. We understand. I can't claim I understand your relationship with Lenora, but it's clear you considered her to be a valuable and trustworthy associate… to find her in this state, and discover she had been scheming behind your back from the very beginning… I can't imagine what that feels like, Ainz-sama," she cries sympathetically, "is there anything I can do to help? To relieve your pain?" she questions, her voice nuanced with subdued hope.

I shake my head slowly.

"Just… tell the guardians what has happened in the meantime. Tell them…"

… 'that Jade is dead' I finish in my head, unable to get the words out.

I walk towards the chamber exit, brushing past the bowing overseer, unable to meet her eyes.

"Understood, Ainz-sama. If there's anything you need—anything at all—don't hesitate to call upon me," she assures unequivocally.

I pause at the doorway, squeezing the door handle tightly, relishing in the momentary comfort the overseer's words had instilled within my embittered heart—Ainz's heart.

I smile wistfully, though I still don't risk looking back.

That's right, no matter what happens… I'll always have Albedo and the guardians.

No matter what, I can trust them. They'd never betray me.

"... Thank you, Albedo…" I whisper hoarsely as I stagger through the doorway.

I just… need to be alone right now.

...

As soon as the overlord had left the chamber, the overseer's face twisted into a depraved expression of malevolent glee.

She hugged herself, wrapping her wings—which had been wrapped around Ainz-sama's glorious body for 3 minutes and 46 seconds straight (yes, she counted)—around herself, she twisted back and forth in place.

Although a large part of her, admittedly, detested the fact that she had to lie so audaciously to her Supreme Ruler—everything had gone as she had hoped, and she couldn't be happier.

She could not help but allow a soft trickle of laughter to leak out from her trembling lips, until it grew exponentially, inevitably, into uncontrolled squeals of joy.

Tears of jubilance flowed down her cheeks of rose-tinged ivory, and she leaned down to plant a soft kiss of condescending triumph on Jade's forehead.

Ainz-sama was hers! And soon, he would TRULY be hers. It was only a matter of time, she figured. The sex will be amazing, she knew it in her heart: rough, perhaps even violent, for hours and hours on end until both of their minds went sublimely blank with ecstasy, and all memories of the damned angel were erased from her lord's mind for good.

Yes, she would fill the void in her overlord's heart in no time.

Now, like Ainz—though for a very different reason—Albedo, too, felt that she needed to be alone in order to… 'relieve' herself.

She bit her lower lip to keep a moan from leaking out, and shot an impatient glare towards Leah.

"I'll be heading to my chambers as well. Clean up this mess, but don't worry about the body. I'll attend to that myself later and bring her belongings to Pandora's Actor".

Or maybe, she thought with a sadistic sneer, she would give the corpse to Kyouhuko for a while.

"Understood, Albedo-san" Leah replied stoically.

"And remember: not a word of this to anyone else. Not any of your sisters, not even the members of the Pleiades. Let me handle everything. Understood?" Albedo added threateningly.

The homunculus maid bowed dutifully.

...

POV Albedo

.

.

.

Cocytus' abode finally comes into view.

I take a moment to brush the frosted hair out of my face. Even though I have high resistance to [Frostbite] and [Slow] effects, reaching here was quite troublesome.

It's been three days now since we killed Lenora. Three days since the fifth floor's guardian started pouting, wallowing in guilt.

Needless to say, the fifth floor's climate has been volatile, sensitive to its ruler's whims as it is. The floors can, after all, be considered an extension of its respective guardian's body.

Still, I didn't know Cocytus was capable of such poetic petulance.

I sigh with a smile and a slight shake of my head.

And I could've warped right to his home using the ring of AOG, but, well… I don't think Coctyus would take kindly to that.

There's no doubt he knows I'm here, and has known since the moment I stepped into his domain. The fact that an emissary has not been sent to escort me—or that he himself has not come to intercept me—is tantamount to an explicit rejection.

Regardless, he needs to stop sulking. It's only a matter of time before Ainz-sama notices his peculiar demeanour and gets suspicious. I don't have faith that, if confronted by Ainz-sama as he is, Cocytus would be able to keep everything a secret.

Suddenly, just as I pass under a crescent-shaped block of ice arching out from the ground, a syrupy and feminine voice suddenly calls out from above:

"Lady Albedo".

I tilt my head up—about twenty feet above my head, perched upon the ice crystal's peak, is a [Winter Phoenix]. A refined looking bird with fluffy, snow-white plumage, an impossibly sharp and durable beak, and a wingspan of five to seven metres. It's a level 60 monster, with low HP but high magic. Quite intelligent too, relative to most floor-spawned also have an innate ability, like most variants of the phoenix species, to revive themselves once a day after taking lethal damage. That, coupled with the fact that they can fly at high speeds and cast 7th-tier ice magic, makes them extremely effective at harassing enemies invading the 5th-floor. In an area where the environment is enough of a detriment on its own, the phoenixes can be a real nuisance. If the invaders don't have enough ranged combat potential to deal with a large swarm of winter phoenixes—all of which must be killed twice—then a large chunk of their forces' health will inevitably be attrited without any loss on Nazarick's part.

"Speak, bird," I command.

"Forgive me, but I must—with all due respect, Albedo-san—request that you turn back at once. Lord Coctyus does not wish to be disturbed right now and has tasked me with informing any visitors that—".

I raise a hand, silencing the bird's trite explanation.

"Spare me, I've heard it several times already. An [Ice Drake], a [Cryolax], and a [Tundra Mole] have already intercepted me on my way here," I spit out dismissively.

The phoenix takes a moment to anxiously readjust its wings against the sides of its body.

"I-is that so..?"

"It is".

"Then I'm sure that they also informed you of Cocytus-dono's… er, sour mood?" the phoenix ventures euphemistically.

"Yes, they did".

"I… I see. Well, I am not so ignorant or foolish as to insist on impeding the guardian overseer's business. I hope you understand, though, that I had to at least try…" the bird explains, dipping its head respectfully.

"No, I understand you were only doing your duty. Now, I really must speak with Coctyus," I declare before continuing onwards.

It's so quiet all of a sudden. Perhaps the floor has gone silent within Cocytus' vicinity out of respect for his palpable irritability? Even the wind itself is waning with each step I take towards the palace of ice.

The only thing disturbing the silence is me, the crunch of snow under my boots.

Crunch crunch.

I come to a stop just in front of Cocytus' door and wait a few moments.

Silence.

I purse my lips. Is he really still that distraught? I open my mouth tentatively, letting it hang open uselessly for a moment.

"Cocyt—"

"Leave. Me. Alone" comes the gruff—even gruffer than usual—response.

"Cocytus, would you just open the door? I must speak with you, it's urgent".

"I. Do. Not. Wish. To. Talk" he reiterates curtly.

I clench my fist. Is he a child?! He 'doesn't want to'?!

"Cocytus, as the guardian overseer of Nazarick I order you to open the door right now!" I order, slamming my fist into the door.

Silence.

Enough of this! I don't have time for this!

I reach out to my side, brandishing my axe from the void. I wind back, preparing to cleave the icy wall open.

"... Albedo," comes a gravely quiet voice just as I flex my muscles in preparation to swing.

I pause in surprise.

"...Can. You. Feel. It. Albedo?" Cocytus continues quietly.

I cock my head to the side, a peculiar chill running down my spine that I can't fully attribute to the fifth floor's frigidity.

I hear movement beyond the other side of the ice.

"Ainz-sama… He. Is. Suffering. Albedo," the voice concludes sorrowfully: sounding so vulnerable, so hollow—not at all like the proud certainty the icy warrior's voice usually exudes.

My heart skips a beat. I lower my axe.

"Of… of course I know that…" I mutter.

Even now, from this distance, I can feel it. Ainz-sama's heart…

I press a hand against my own chest and close my eyes, attuning to the Supreme One's presence.

I feel my eyes grow moist behind my eyelids: they flutter open, and the icy wind quickly whisks the tears away.

Day in, day out, Ainz-sama has secluded himself within Nazarick's library and refused to see anyone. Researching, researching, researching… all so he can… so she can..!

I place my other hand over the one I had placed over my chest to keep it from trembling and draw in a deep breath.

Silence.

Kcch...

I startle slightly as the icy wall in front of me suddenly slides open, revealing Cocytus.

A solemn blast of cool air surges from his mouth, numbing my cheeks and desiccating my eyes.

I keep them open, though, and offer a grim smile.

Cocytus' mandibles clatter anxiously.

"Tell. Me. Albedo… Do. You. Still. Think. We. Did. The. Right. Thing?" he asks soberly, looking searchingly into my eyes.

I look away, off into the direction Nazarick's library.

My mouth opens subconsciously.

"I… I don't know…"