A/N: Hello there! I hope all of you and your families are all doing well.
As for me, I'm doing rather wonderfully: my work hours have recently been cut back, and my school year is officially DONE. (and I know what you're thinking: "Bruh, we don't care if you're doing well or not, just give us your usual lame excuse for a criminally long gap between chapters and then shut up so we can read your [insert profanity] chapter already!")
okay, okay, yeesh... I'll have you know, exams and final assignments have been keeping me very occupied these last three weeks.
But now that that's all out of the way, it means I now have a lot more free time to dedicate towards writing this story!
Rejoice! Never again will there be a month-long break between updates! (And by 'never' I mean the next four months or so, before the next academic year begins: but this story should be over by then, so that's rather irrelevant).
(oh and on another note, I love all the comments I've received saying "this story's tags are all wrong, this isn't 'humour' at all :O!"
I'll have you know I considered changing it after the last two chapters, but now, out of spite, I won't :devilface: humour is subjective anyway, you know?)
On with the chapter!
Chapter 20
"Calm Before the Storm"
POV Ainz
.
.
.
No.
No, no, no, no, no—nothing is working.
I tap an index finger against my skull as I toss yet another book into the discouragingly mountainous discard pile.
Is there really nothing—amongst all that Nazarick's library has to offer—that can guide me in the right direction?
I've been poring over text after text for nearly three days now, ceaselessly scouring every possibly useful document: even books whose relevance to my quest was dubious at best but had even the slightest chance of providing me with the information I seek—I've read them all.
Theology of questionable foundation, mind-numbing philosophy, arcane tomes written by rigid-minded spellcasters with nauseating pomposity, frustratingly jargon-riddled research papers, tedious lore-bits, fictions, diaries, EVERYTHING!
and what do I have to show for it?!
Nothing!
I'm no closer to resurrecting Jade than I was the day she died!
I slam my fist into the desk in front of me.
And an instant later—
Ta-ting!
[Emotion Suppressor has activated]
I sigh hollowly for the umpteenth time today and relax back into my seat, unclenching my skeletal hand so that it may hang limply at my side.
… at least I have the comforting insurance of undeath to help me through this.
The day I learned Jade had died, I just went numb and secluded myself within my chamber for the rest of the evening.
The second day, however…
I was a complete mess. I had overcome my shock, and all that remained was a heart-wrenching sense of loss. I set out immediately to begin my research in the library, frantically tearing books off the shelves in search of a way to revive Jade.
But I couldn't focus, couldn't think straight. Nothing I read was registering in my head: nothing made it through the veil of blurry vision. Within three hours of waking up, I was completely exhausted and emotionally drained.
It became clear very quickly that I would make no progress that way.
Flesh, and all its inherent fragilities, were hardly conducive to conducting magical research—no, it was nothing but a burden.
And so I did what needed to be done: that which I never thought I would ever even consider.
I forsook my humanity.
And yet, even after going so far as to devise a spell to undo [Greater Elicit Emotion], I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
'Nothing'
You mean nothing to me, Suzuki. And you never will.
… is that how our relationship will end after all? Is there really nothing I can do? Is her class restriction really an infallible obstacle, even for the great Ainz Ooal Gown?
…
[Emotion Suppressor has activated].
"Ah good evening, Mare. I assume your being here means that you've successfully completed all of your tasks for today?" I hear Librarian J greet.
I lean back in my chair to peer beyond the bookshelf obstructing my line of sight—there stands the dark-elf druid, standing timidly, as usual, just barely tall enough for his eyes to peek above the admittedly-gigantic front desk.
"U-um, y-yes, that's right!" the druid squeaks.
J nods his head contentedly: "Wonderful. As luck would have it, I have just finished sorting out an old collection of books I had been reading, and in so doing I discovered a book I thought you might be interested in— it's one of Titus' favourites, and you two seem to have similar tastes. I'm quite positive you haven't read it yet," J reveals, producing a rather thick-spined book and sliding it across the desk.
The druid's eyes widen hungrily.
"A-ah! Thank you so much, J-san!" Mare exclaims happily, going on his tip-toes for a moment to claim the gift. Though his back is now turned to me, I can vividly picture his enthused expression.
How adorable.
"So you haven't read it before?" J inquires for confirmation.
"N-no I haven't!"
"Excellent. Well, I'll leave you to it then: do tell me if you enjoy it".
"I-I will!" the dark-elf exclaims awkwardly before offering a quick bow and turning away, scurrying back out the entrance.
"Ah, you won't be reading it here?" J called out in surprise at the druid's receding back.
I cock my head to the side in confusion. That's strange… not even a hello? There's no way he didn't sense my presence… is he avoiding me for some reason? Ah, but maybe he's just excited to read his new book and wants to be left alone. Or perhaps he's just being considerate so as to not disturb me while I'm researching.
Ahhhh I should've just called out to him, I could really use a break… should I go and seek him out? No, no, that would be going too far—and unfair of me, after he's probably only just about to crack open his book. What kind of boss would I be to impose myself on a subordinate during their time off?
I shake my head.
Look at me, able to entertain such a vapid train of thought when the verdict of Jade's death is all but set in stone.
Haaa… I should get back to it, I suppose. Surely, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough: there is no magic-related problem the great Ainz Ooal Gown can't overcome!
Ta-ting!
[Emotion Suppressor has activated]
POV Neia
.
.
.
A warm tickle against my face—the polite yet persistent knocking of reality, filtering in through the window to elicit my consciousness.
My eyes flutter open, only to clamp shut in protest of the blinding light. I smack my lips together, unbearably dry and chapped, compelling me to languidly roll my coarse tongue against the grimy roof of my mouth, succeeding only at spreading a rancid taste around.
I grimace, and attempt to open my eyes again—thankfully, the light is suddenly blocked out as a shadowy face fills my vision.
I squint dopily:
"El..tric..?" I croak.
"Neia, you're finally awake!" he cries elatedly, cupping the side of my face with a hand.
"What..? Where..?" I stammer incoherently, trying to turn my head to look around the room. I feel terribly stiff, like my body's a machine that became crusty with rust from disuse.
"You're back at the outpost, captain, in your chamber," Eltric explains.
"I… is that so..? What happ—"
No. I remember now. Before I blacked out… I was in the temple with Ainz, and then…
!
I bolt upright in my bed, much to Eltric's surprise.
"What happened, are the people of Mellevitch okay?!" I demand, grabbing him by the shoulders.
The astonishment on his face quickly evaporates, revealing a foreboding grimace. He averts his gaze to the ground and purses his lips.
"Eltric..? What happened?" I press softly, a pit forming in my stomach.
"No," another voice, stern and bitter, cuts in. I whirl around to the source of the sound.
!
"R-remedios..?" I stutter incredulously as I finally notice the paladin leaning against my chamber's doorframe.
Her arms are crossed indignantly over her chest, and as though the sound of my voice had grated her nerves, her already-hard expression scrunches up dourly.
Her eyelids flash open—as they had been closed—unveiling a piercing gaze that very much reminds me of my days as a mere squire.
"No, they're not okay, Baraja," Remedios seethes, pushing off from the door to take a confrontational step towards my bedside.
"Hey, she just woke up for God's sa—" Eltric interjects, boldly standing up to intercept the paladin.
"Shut up," Remedios growls: "she's been sleeping for three days now, and my patience has worn thin. She's the only one who knows what's going on".
My eyes widen.
"T-three days..?" I repeat in disbelief.
"That's right," Remedios snarls back, pushing Eltric aside with unwarranted force, slamming his back against the wall.
"Eltric, I'm fine, really!" I insist imploringly upon seeing him begin to open his mouth again, cutting him off before he can say something both he and I would regret.
With a scowl, he reluctantly leans back against the wall. I let out a quiet sigh of relief as the bulging vein on his neck disappears from sight.
"Over two hundred!" Remedios cries jarringly, grabbing me with both hands by the collar of my shirt and wrenching me up to her face, until we're mere inches apart.
"T-wo-hundred what..?" I stammer.
"Don't play dumb! Two hundred DEAD! Murdered in cold-blood by that despicable undead! I knew he couldn't be trusted!" she shouts furiously.
My head spins with nauseous recollection: that's right, on that day…
Images of writhing bodies, twisting limbs, desperate faces and bloodshot eyes flash through my eyes.
My throat lurches with bile. So that wasn't just a nightmare!
A shiver runs down my spine. Just what—that this 'Albedo' told him—could twist a kind man like the Sorcerer King to do something so heinous? That malicious, murderous intent he gave off… it really was like that of any other undead's. But his face! The immense pain and despair it reflected…!
"Oh good, you've finally come to your senses!" Remedios shouts sarcastically upon noticing the assured pallor of my face. With a forceful shove, she releases me.
"I'll only ask one more time," the paladin begins harshly, turning her back to me. I gulp as she clenches her fists shut, her whole body trembling erratically.
"...what the HELL happened?!"
...
And so I recounted every detail that I could remember. From the moment Ainz-sama touched down at the Northern Wall's outpost, to our stroll through the forest, to the overbearingly-gracious reception we received upon reaching Mellevitch… to the tragedy itself, in as much gruesome detail as my queasy stomach could handle, just as Remedios demanded.
When I finally finished, I could tell the paladin was, understandably, unsatisfied.
"So that's it? He suddenly snapped and killed everyone around him?!" She spits out after a moment of silence, her nose wrinkling as though she found his lack of incentive to be a personal attack against her:
"He was perfectly fine right up until that point, and then BAM, that's it?!"
I nod my head solemnly.
"I… I don't understand it myself," I confess lamely.
"I wonder if that is the case… truthfully, I find that hard to believe," she trails off contemptuously: "but anyway, I KNOW why the Sorcerer King did what he did. It's painfully obvious, isn't it?! He's an undead: end of discussion! I knew it all along—he doesn't care about the living at all! He's just like the rest of them! And quite frankly, I'm inclined to believe he's corrupted you as well: even now, I can see it in your eyes—you're not mourning our people's deaths at all, you're more concerned about the undead who killed them!" she accuses with a morbidly deranged expression.
!
She's right… I had only given our people a fleeting thought. Two hundred lives, eradicated... but even as I think about it now, I hardly feel anything.
When did I become so insensitive..?
I shake my head. Putting aside my questionable morality for now...
I purse my lips. I've made a mistake, talking to Remedios like this. Of course she would jump at the chance to condemn the Sorcerer King like this… she's probably been waiting all these weeks for such an occasion. Worst of all, I can't even challenge her this time, no matter how much it pains me to hear her badmouth Ainz-sama.
What can I say to convince her? I know in my heart that the magnanimous Sorcerer King must have had a good reason for his ostensibly indefensible... actions.
The word 'Slaughter' flashes through the back of my mind. I clench my eyes shut, pushing it away.
Much to my chagrin, Eltric takes a step forward before I can even leave my own headspace:
"That's not fair, Remedios. Not everyone needs to reduce themselves to a blubbering, hysterical mess in order to express grief!"
"What did you just say?!" Remedios bellows furiously, even going so far as to grip the hilt of her sword.
My heart skips a beat.
"Remedios-san, please overlook my sub-commander's unwarranted comment. Now, please tell me: what brings you, the Holy Kingdom's esteemed general, to the Northern outpost? Surely Eltric or anyone else could have told me what happened: such information did not need to come directly from your own lips. And I have a sneaking suspicion you didn't come all the way here from the capital and linger for three days out of concern for my well-being," I toss out quickly, drawing her attention away from Eltric, whom, unbeknownst to the man himself, was seconds away from being skewered.
Taking on a deep frown, Remedios lets out a heavy sigh.
"I've heard just about all I need to hear to confirm my suspicions. I came to put an end to your diabolical little game, Baraja," Remedios assures, turning back to face me with a disturbingly triumphant sneer.
"Suspicions..?"
"The Kingdom is in upheaval," the paladin continues, ignoring my pursuit of clarification: "despite your best efforts to elevate that foul undead up on a golden pedestal, everyone's seen his true colours now. Nobody will believe your lies anymore, 'Death's Ranger'," she spits mockingly: "many are even demanding retribution".
Retribution..?
The word rolls playfully around in my head, along with all of its ludicrous implications.
"That's right, " Remedios says upon noticing my worried expression: "the Sorcerer King must be held accountable for his actions. And the people want blood".
!
"What? That's utterly insane! After all he's done for us—there has to be an explanation for what he did! There has to be! He saved our entire kingdom, for God's sake! And besides, we can't wage war against the Sorcerer Kingdom, that's suicide!" I seethe in frustration, knowing full well the insufferable paladin before me was likely the first person to advocate such a thing.
"Don't worry, Baraja. I understand those things very well," Remedios trails off in a surprisingly calm voice; a far more potent silencer than if she had simply raised her voice another octave.
"You… you do?" I stammer in astonishment. Eltric has a similarly bewildered expression.
"Yes, I understand perfectly well that we can't wage war against the Sorcerer King. I know you must think less of the Roble Kingdom after fawning over the Sorcerer King all this time, but our people are not so naive as to demand such a thing. The trauma Jaldabaoth inflicted is still a fresh wound for a great many people, and nobody, not even myself, can deny that the Sorcerer King played an intrinsic role in the demon emperor's demise," the paladin admits with a capitulating nod.
I can hardly believe my ears. She seems to have done a complete one-eighty all of sudden.
"So… so then…" I begin hopefully, still very much confused. I exchange a brief look with Eltric through the corner of my eye.
"But blood must still be paid, Neia," Remedios repeats, and the sound of my name rolling off her tongue sends a revolting shiver down my back.
"—and after a brief investigation, it became clear just who should be held accountable—some of the Sorcerer King's blood, still within the Roble Kingdom," she assures with a venomous ambiguity that makes my throat clench.
There's only one person she could be referring to.
"Now, hold on, surely you don't mean—!" Eltric begins to protest.
But no sooner had he stepped off from the wall than the edge of Remedios' blade found itself directly under his throat. She flashes me a disturbing grin.
"Neia Baraja, you are charged with high-treason against the holy state, for colluding with the undead, the natural and eternal enemy of this Kingdom's sanctity and all of its people," Remedios rattles off in a rhythm that suggests she had rehearsed the line many times.
A moment later, two more paladins enter the room and rush to either side of my bed.
"H-hey!" I cry in surprise as they both—each forcefully sliding an arm under my armpit—lift me up off the bed to my feet with a violent wrench.
"What's the meaning of this! Let her go! Neia!" Eltric cries out desperately, but Remedios' blade pressed firmly against his throat prevents him from intervening.
"Baraja-dono, in the name of His Majesty and the Holy Roble Kingdom, you are sentenced—" Remedios begins as the guards begin to drag me away.
"—To death".
I meet Eltric's eyes for a moment before the corridor's wall severs our connection. The look of panicked helplessness in his eyes twists my heart in half.
'I'll be fine, don't worry' I tried to convey with a weak smile.
The Sorcerer King will save me.
…
"CZ, have you seen Lupusregina anywhere?" Yuri Alpha asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
It was frustrating, after all: despite being one of the eldest sisters, Lupusregina was without a doubt the most problematic. Always running off without telling anyone, exacerbating one thing or another.
CZ stopped petting the penguin plush pressed lovingly against her chest.
No, wait…
Yuri took a moment to adjust her glasses, squinting over her younger sister's shoulder.
"P-please… m-mercy… mercy..!" Eclair choked out, wriggling frantically within the young girl's smothering grip.
"CZ," Yuri began in a stern, maternal voice: "how many times have I told you to leave Eclair alone during the day? You can't just hold him hostage whenever you want: he has important duties to complete".
CZ stuck out her bottom lip.
"But he's cute…"
In petulant defiance of her sister's scolding, CZ only squeezed the penguin-butler tighter to her chest.
"Noooooooo…" Eclair squeaked desperately, sounding very much like a dog's chew toy—his final breath, it would seem, as the last bit of oxygen he had desperately been clinging to was forcefully evicted from his lungs.
Now he lay limp in the maid's grasp, dangling and unmoving.
"Ah… I broke him again…" CZ lamented in a dry tone—but still gave no impression that she intended to release him.
'Again'?!
Raising a hand to massage her temples, Yuri sighed exasperatedly.
"Putting that aside for now, please answer my previous question, CZ," she asked again.
The orange-haired maid let out a thoughtful hum, tilting her head back far enough so that her eyes could meet Yuri's.
"She left about ten minutes ago. Said she had something important to do".
"Something important..?"
CZ nodded her head before quickly turning her attention back to the penguin in her arms—whose puckered face was taking on a perturbing shade of purple.
Yuri pursed her lips. As meticulous as she was, she always made an effort to keep tabs on all of her sisters' tasks.
She couldn't think of anything 'important' that Lupusregina had to do today—at least nothing that the redhead herself would deem as such by her inarguably skewed standards.
"Did she give any more details than that?" Yuri pressed.
CZ shook her head.
"... She did seem… anxious, though," she added quietly a moment later.
Yuri brought a finger to her chin, clicking her tongue nervously.
And with that, the pit in her stomach had officially solidified. She had a feeling—no, she KNEW, that Lupusregina was interfering with something she probably shouldn't be involved in.
Call it an elder sister's 'sixth sense', a remarkably unerring (or 'annoying', depending on who you asked) intuition when it came to her sisters.
She looked up to the ceiling with a wrinkled nose, preemptively considering a multitude of potential punishments for her sister when she finally did return—regardless of how severe a mistake Lupusregina made, she would have something appropriate ready.
…
Lupusregina's heart was beating faster than it possibly ever had before, as she bolted down the ninth floor's corridors at a fear-induced velocity.
Badump! Badump! Badump!
The deed was done. It was out of her hands now—literally.
'It', the thing she had anonymously deposited outside the Supreme One's chamber: a veritable bomb that could very well yield catastrophic repercussions for all of Nazarick.
But it was the right thing to do, surely. The aching pain she sensed emanating from beyond the closed door told her as much.
But that didn't mean she was any less afraid of what may come in the imminent future: she was scared shitless, waiting for the time-bomb she planted to explode.
She came to a screeching halt, a mere hop, skip, and jump away from the Pleiades' room.
She whirled around to face the direction she had just come from with beads of sweat—not from physical exertion, of course—trickling down her tanned face.
Maybe she should go and retrieve it. Maybe… maybe she had made a mistake after all! She had been too afraid to knock, so it was possible the Overlord had not even noticed yet!
But her legs would not move. She could not decide.
Backwards or forwards? Perhaps there was still time. Perhaps there wasn't. Either way, she would need to decide quickly, or she would have no choice at a—
"Hmm? And where were you headed to in such a hurry?" a chilling voice suddenly cut through the air:
"Or rather, where were you headed from..?"
Lupusregina's back stiffened for only a moment before she turned around to face the voice with a grin.
"Wah! A-A-Albedo-san..! You really startled me, pupupu~" she cried with a put-put of laughter.
But she knew, from the warm smile etched onto the overseer's face, that her hastily-erected facade had failed.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you… but for you to be such a clammy mess! Is something troubling you?" Albedo asked with portent emphasis, pushing off from the corner of the hallway's bend she had been leaning against.
Lupusregina's mask crumpled instantly in response to the overseer's vicious sincerity.
"N-no, I-I'm fine, I was just…" the Pleiades sister trailed off quietly, choking on her words as the succubus strutted towards her. The muscles in her legs had stiffened into inoperability.
"Lupusregina-san…" Albedo continued sweetly, curling her fingers around the maid's chin.
the red-headed maid clenched her eyes shut in response to the overseer's icy grip, forcing a single tear out from her eyes.
The overseer leaned in close: gold eyes boring into gold eyes.
"What's with that expression?" Albedo asked curiously, the hot air of her breath tickling the wolf's sensitive ear.
!
Opening her mouth, the succubus flicked her tongue across the caramel cheek, intercepting a tear, lapping it up.
"Mmm… how bitter. So tell me… what have you done to burden yourself with such bitterness?" she inquired gently, extending an open hand out to her side.
Schhhing!
An instant later, Lupusregina felt the sharp edge of the just-materialized axe prickle her throat, compelling her to lift her chin up.
"N-nothing, A-Albedo, I was just—!"
Her words caught in her throat, however, as Albedo's axe suddenly vanished into thin air.
A moment later—
"Ahem, if I may intrude upon your conversation," a calm voice rang out.
Both Lupusregina and Albedo whirled around in unison—one in surprise, one in annoyance.
"Ah, Sebas!" Albedo cried—her icy tone from a moment ago having completely thawed, a transformation that made even the 'smiling-mask sadist' Lupusregina shiver with fright: "is there something you need?"
The butler took a moment to cough into his hand.
"Ah, no, nothing like that... I merely thought I could shed some light on the situation," he continued, his arms folded neatly—stiffly—behind his back as he stood, statue-still.
"Is that so..?" Albedo asked dubiously with a perplexingly curious sneer.
"Yes, it is. You see, Lupusregina-san was just on her way to assist me with something," Sebas explained, shifting his stoic gaze to meet Lupusregina's eyes for the briefest of moments.
The wolf was, admittedly, not the most perceptive: but even she could plainly discern the butler's intentions, conveyed expressly through hard yet empathetic eyes.
'I'm here to save you'.
It made her eyes begin to water with relief, and it took all of her effort to stifle a sniffle.
"I see… 'something', you say," Albedo reiterated with an inscrutable expression.
"Yes. I am having a meeting with all the Pleiades and a handful of other maids in order to discuss possible ways by which we might help alleviate Ainz-sama's burden during these difficult times," he elaborated.
The overseer flashed a delighted grin—fake or not, Lupusregina could no longer tell anymore.
"Oh, what a wonderful idea, Sebas! I've been trying to think of ideas regarding that very matter: perhaps you would benefit from my input?" she suggested.
The butler narrowed his eyes.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary".
"Hoh?" the overseer hummed: "it's unlike you to reject my aid so bluntly, Sebas. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were hiding something from me," she pressed, reciprocating with an equally narrow gaze.
The ensuing silence, although only seconds long, charged the air with a palpable tension, an indistinct yet overwhelming passive-aggressive pressure. Lupusregina felt her knees liquify, turn to jelly, and she wobbled in place.
Finally, Sebas offered a couth smile.
"Albedo-san, you know I would never dream of doing such a thing. Forgive me, I did not mean to offend: I simply believe that the matters we will likely be discussing shall pertain strictly to duties that only the maids are qualified to perform. I suspect you have enough on your plate as is, Albedo, and so there is no need to concern yourself with such things," he explained thoughtfully.
More unbearable silence. Lupusregina felt like her heart might burst through her eardrums at any moment.
"...I see. I suppose you have a point," Albedo conceded after an agonizingly long time.
"I'm glad you understand. Now then, Lupusregina, the others are waiting," Sebas called, extending a gloved hand out towards her with a warm smile.
Slowly, perhaps a bit reluctantly, the overseer released her hostage.
"R-right!" Lupusregina replied, forcing herself to take measured steps so as not to seem too eager.
She reached her shaking hand out to accept Sebas', squeezing it tightly for comfort. It was pitiful, she knew, but she couldn't help it. The butler nodded his head in understanding.
"Then… sorry for the misunderstanding, Albedo-san!" Lupusregina apologized meekly after regaining a bit of her composure, turning back around to offer a respectful bow. It took all of her concentration to keep her upper body from trembling.
Albedo silently nodded her head in acknowledgement, eyes closed with an inexplicably off-putting smile.
"Do not worry. I hope you'll forgive me for delaying your meeting," she finally said.
No sooner had Lupusregina righted herself than Sebas placed a reassuring hand on her back.
Placing his other hand over his heart, he dipped his own head politely:
"Then, if you'll excuse us".
He announced their departure before promptly turning Lupusregina around, ushering her towards the bend in the corridor.
Just a few more steps—!
"Oh, and Sebas," Albedo called out.
Click-click.
Sebas' dress shoes clicked loudly against the marble floor as he came to an abrupt halt. He lifted his head but did not turn around. Lupusregina looked up from his side, surprised to see an uncharacteristically cold expression.
The maid held her breath as she felt his fingers tense against her back, daring not to turn around herself.
"... Lupusregina-san seems to be feeling ill today, try not to push her too hard," the succubus finally said.
The butler's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"...I appreciate the concern, I will keep that in mind," he replied stiffly before continuing on.
Finally, they rounded the corner, out of Albedo's sight.
Lupusregina let out a long breath, the stale air held captive by the overseer's excruciating pressure. She drew in a shaky breath, pressing herself against Sebas' side for support like a frightened child.
"T-thank you…" she stammered.
"Do not mention it. Let's keep walking a while longer though: I'll escort you back to your chamber," he replied in a soothing, fruity tone.
Lupusregina's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, dipping her head to hide her face but nodding emphatically nonetheless.
Silence.
They rounded another corner, and then another: finally, the door to the Pleiades' room came into view.
"... So am I to assume he knows?" Sebas finally asked in a sober—perhaps wistful—tone, shattering the silence.
!
Lupusregina stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in surprise.
That's right. Because of what she did, in all likelihood, Sebas will be..!
He knew what she had just done, and yet he still helped her...
The merciless sting of tears assaulted her eyes yet again, blurred her vision with guilt. Perhaps she had made the wrong decision after all!
"Sebas, I'm—!" she began to apologize in a crackling voice, but stopped as she felt a silky cloth dab at the corner of her left eye.
Wordlessly, Sebas retracted his hand and returned his now-damp handkerchief to his suit pocket. Then, he offered a warmly-melancholic smile that threatened to tear the distraught maid's heart asunder.
"There is nothing to apologize for. I do not know—or care to know—how you learned the truth, but…"
He paused for a moment to stare longingly down the adjacent hallway, which fed directly to the throne room. Perhaps it was her own compromised vision playing tricks on her, or just the way the hallway's dim lighting reflected off his face: but Lupusregina could've sworn she saw the butler's own eyes begin to glisten moistly.
"... thank you, Lupusregina. For doing that which I could not," he whispered softly, turning away from her, feeling very ashamed.
Lupusregina clenched her eyes shut, unable to look at him any longer.
"There is no need to cry. 'Just punishment befalls those who act unjustly': that is the way things should be," Sebas added with a resolute nod: "come what may: my only hope is that the collateral damage will be kept to a minimum… but as merciful as Ainz-sama is—"
Kra-koom!
"—I fear we may have gone too far".
Lupusregina's eyes widened as the floor beneath them—all of Nazarick, in fact—rumbled harrowingly, resonating with the horrifying explosion of raw emotion that rippled through the air.
The source was unquestionable. It was the third time that week that this had happened, after all, and no denizen of Nazarick could forget this feeling.
But this was, without a doubt, the worst one yet. Cruel, unrestrained, and targeted: weak words like 'anger', 'frustration', or 'sadness'—words that could've labelled the other two outbursts, could no longer be applied.
No, this time, all that could be felt was pure Hatred.
A/N: I know, another cliffhanger. Boooooooooooooo! :p but you can at least take solace in knowing shit WILL go down next chapter. And like I said, next chapter shouldn't take more than a week. Thanks for reading and sticking with this story!