"You figure out that mirror yet?" You pad over to Momonga, grin on your face. You'd been taking turns trying to get it to work for the past day, and you'd taken your break to go and change into clean clothes. Now, instead of wearing yesterday's clothes around, you were in loose and comfortable clothing. Hooray for Hoodies!

Of course, Momonga thought you'd been sleeping. 36 hours awake for the win!

"Zara, I swear to god—Oh, no, wait…" Momonga moved his hands, scene in the mirror shifting to where he'd directed it to go. "Got it. You owe me… God, what did we even bet?"

"Five bucks."

"Yeah, I owe you that."

"Awesome. Show me how you did it." You plop down on the arm of Momonga's chair, watching the scene on the mirror with interest. It was a green, lush forest; very pretty and perfect for hiking, in your personal opinion.

"Yeah, okay. You just… Move your hands like so," He demonstrated, moving his hand and having the mirror scroll through the landscape. "And when you bring it back in, it stops."

"Oh, cool! Let me try, scoot." You nudged his hands away from the mirror as you gave it a shot, scene in the mirror moving as you did. However, it moved slower for you; damn you and your tiny arms!

You scrolled over a rooftop—

"Momonga…"

"Yeah, there's a village there. Aura found it yesterday, it's a human village. It's… Oh, about a kilometer or two from here?"

"It is two and a half kilometers from here, Lord Momonga." Sebas corrected from his position at the edge of the room, tidying as he did so.

"Thanks, Sebas." You smiled warmly at him; he was, in your personal opinion, one of the most loyal NPC's of Nazarick. That, and he could keep a secret; lord knows you'd spoken of some deep shit around him when you'd built your Infirmary.

Momonga and you watched the village life for a bit, watching the people go to and fro like ants in a terrarium, before a panic arose.

"Momonga—"

"I see it, Zara."

The village was being attacked by men in blue. They were cutting down men, women, children, who had done nothing wrong; it made you sick to your stomach.

You watched as two children ran out of the village; you raised your paw, following their trek through the woods. Watched as the girls ran out of energy and could run no more.

"… My Lord, my Lady… will you go help them?" You jumped; how the hell had Sebas gotten behind the two of you so quickly?!

You looked to Momonga and nodded. He nodded back; good to see you were on the same wavelength.

"Yes, we will."

You stepped through the portal with Albedo in tow, your armor firmly in place. Your eyes softened at the sight of the two girls; based on the blood on the back of the elder girl, she'd been stabbed. A sword through the back had to hurt.

Instinctively, your healer's passive skill switched on. You could see the health and mana of everyone in its range, race replaced with a name if you knew it. It also told you the overall level of the person you were looking it.

A quick glance at Momonga confirmed that he was doing just fine; his mana had gone down a bit, but his HP was untouched. You turned your attention back to the children, assessing the damage. Absently, you heard Albedo and Momonga quietly speaking; about what, you didn't bother listening to.

The older girl, the one at about Level 5, had lost about 15 of her total 30 hit points of damage. The younger, a puny Level 2, had obtained no damage.

"Are you two alright?" The girls blinked, then looked at you. Your tails were hidden under the long coat you wore, but your ears were plainly visible for all to see.

"I—um—" The eldest stuttered, before shaking her head. She seemed rather sweet, even with a sword wound. "I mean… We aren't being attacked anymore, so…"

"What's up with your ears?" The youngest piped up, pointing and staring from over her sister's shoulder. "Are you gonna eat us?"

"Nemu, no! I'm so sorry—"

"Nah, I get that a lot." You spoke with a laugh, crouching down and fishing a healing potion out of your inventory. The girls flinched—Right, your mask. Oops. "I just got unlucky when someone tested a potion on me. Here, drink this; it's a healing potion." As you hold it out for her, you tilt the mask up, beak and all, to reveal your mostly humanoid face.

Hopefully, you excuse was plausible.

Message Start

Momonga: Really? Faulty potion?

Zara: You have a better excuse?

Momonga: … No, but what if they know better?

Zara: If they take my potion, they don't.

Momonga: Bullshit they wouldn't, it's a free health potion!

Zara: But stranger danger though, can't forget Stranger Danger.

Message End

"Oh, thank you!" The eldest spoke, taking the red potion with trembling hands. It was a rather weak potion, but it was more than enough to heal the damage she'd taken. She uncorked it, drinking it down as her face screwed up with disgust—guess medicine still tastes nasty, no matter where you are—and watched as her eyes widened and the pain went away.

"Can I touch your ears?" Nemu asked, eyes full of childish curiosity; now that the pain and danger were gone, she was far braver.

"No can do, kiddo; I've got to get a move on if I'm going to be much help with the others that've been hurt in your village. Maybe next time." Nemu's eyes shined, in a way that promised she'd remember that if you ever saw her again.

You stood, slipping your mask over your face.

"Before you go—can we know your name? I—I'd like to know who saved me."

"Ainz." Momonga spoke, placing a skeletal hand on your shoulder. "The name of the person who saved you is Ainz Ool Gown."

He cast two spells in quick succession—protection spells for the girls—before explaining what they were to the girls.

"As long as you remain inside the range of the spell, you will be safe."

And with that, the three of you made your way towards the village.

"Zara—"

Momonga was salty. So incredibly salty. You were supposed to stay while he went out, and yet here you were. Not doing that.

"No, I'm going with you. Nazarick will be fine, and I want to help them." Your speech was slightly muffled behind your plague doctor mask, yet your stance was firm. He could feel the glare coming from the eye holes; it was a fierce one at that, based on how your ears were damn near flat against your skull. "Besides, what if you get hurt?"

"What if you get hurt?! Your HP is far lower than mine—"

"And I can immediately heal myself. I'll be fine, Momonga, really." He didn't believe that, not for one second.

"If you're coming, then Albedo is guarding you and not me." Albedo twitched, but he pretended to not have seen it. Better for everyone if Albedo was going after Zara and not him, right?

"I don't need babysitting, I'll be fine!"

"Are you coming?"

"Yes—"

"Then Albedo is staying with you. And that is final." He pretended not to hear your muttering, and instead proceeded through the village towards his Death Knight.

When Momonga went off with the village chief, you clapped your gloved paws together to gather the attention of the village's residents.

"Alright, everyone: I'm a healer, and a damn good one at that. The faster I get to the folks that might not be dead, the more people won't die. If you guys can help me do that, that'd be great."

The huddled group rose to their feet, looking uneasy. Sure, Momonga had saved them; how much more would it cost them for your assistance.

You sighed softly; you needed to get your hands on a better mask or something.

"Ainz is sorting out the details with your leader; right now, I just want to help as many of you as I can. Sound good?"

You received nods; that was… a start.

"Alright. Worst wounded first, then the least wounded. Albedo?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

"See if you can't help them bring the worst injured here."

"Of course."

You rolled your shoulders, making your way to where you were sure the fighting had happened. Your passive skill let you take note of the injured—there were many, but most had lost barely 5 hit points—and made a beeline towards the handful whose hit points were dropping rapidly as time passed.

You stepped into a small house, easing around the kicked-down door. It was barely a house, more like a hut than anything else; the thatched roof had holes, letting the light in to reveal its occupants.

The first was an older woman. Her hair appeared a dull grey in the dim lighting, poorly masking the stains of what you knew was blood on her skirt. This woman had most of her hit points intact. Hiding behind the woman was a young boy, no older than three. However, your attention was taken by the younger woman who had her head in the elder's lap. This woman, not much older than Enri, had been stabbed through the stomach. Her original 30 hit points had dwindled down to 5. And were still dropping, likely due to blood loss.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm a healer; I'm here to help." You murmured quietly. The older woman—the younger's mother, most likely—looked to be a deer in the headlights. She was probably in shock, if you had to guess.

Was shock a status affect in this world? Or was it proper physical damage?

A quick glance to the woman's health bar revealed the truth; under her name was a small note: {Status Effect: Shock}.

Interesting.

You took a step towards the two women, making the mother her blink. The younger, however, panicked; she tried to squirm away from you, as if you were the executioner and she were the damned.

"Easy there, kiddo." You spoke softly, gently, careful to not step on the intestines and gore that littered the area around her. It was a horrifying sight, yet you weren't horrified. Just mildly disgusted due to blood on your shoes. It was… something to think about, later on. Probably something to think about when not sleeping got hard.

"I'm here to help. Yeah, that's right, just settle down there. I'm going to put my hand on your head, okay?" You placed your gloved paw on the girl's head, silently casting a sleep spell. As she lost consciousness, you cast a 4th tier healing spell: [Healer's Blessing]. If any of the townspeople asked, you'd just say you learnt it in a book.

The girl's wounds shrank, her intestines curling up and re-entering her body with a sound like slurping spaghetti. Once all internal organs were back in place, her skin healed back over itself with little fanfair. Based on the damage, you suspected the spell would leave some sort of mark, some sort of scar; yet, when you checked, there was no such mark.

Interesting.

The mother looked at you in shock, tears beginning to streak down her chin.

"It's no problem, ma'am. She'll be asleep for a day to kick-start the body doing the last of the healing. She'll be sore, but she'll be alright." You offered her a smile in these trying times, before remembering that your mask was still in place.

Oops.

"My Lady," Albedo poked her armored head into the home you'd entered, head tilted at an angle that shone the sunlight into the room and saving you from having to handle a weeping mother thank you for saving her child. Which wasn't a bad thing, just something you couldn't handle due to the attention on you. "The villagers have gathered the rest of the mostly injured in the square. There is, however, one man that they refuse to move."

"Take me to him, Albedo."

"Of course, my Lady." Albedo entered the home, picking her way carefully though the blood splotches, and—

And scooped you into her arms, bridal style.

"Albedo! Put me down!"

"This man doesn't have much time, my Lady; you would not make it to him if you walked."

"Fine—" As Albedo whisked you away towards your next patient, you couldn't help but to hide your head in your hands. Thank god for your mask; you didn't doubt for a second that if your blush was visible, she'd never stop carrying you places.

You'd really need to think about why you were being embarrassed right now, after seeing so much gore.

The second man was…

Well, he wasn't all in one piece.

You'd guess he was alive by sheer determination. He was a middle-aged man, one who had just started balding. He was, however, in three pieces.

The sadistic son of a bitch that did this to him was, you hope, dead.

This poor man not only had his intestines strewn about the dusty ground, but had both an arm and a leg removed. Hacked off, most likely. Had this man fought back, perhaps?

Albedo set you on the ground, and you immediately got to work.

"Albedo, place his arm and leg back where they need to be." Your 4th tier go-to would heal the hit points; would it also reattach limbs, or just heal the stumps?

"Of course, my lady."

You were thankful you hadn't brought your staff; it made all of your spells flashy and take more time, which you didn't have.

The man was unconscious, which you counted as a blessing. You could pretend to be a far weaker magic castor than you were.

"[Healer's Blessing]."

The man's intestines pulled themselves back into him, dragging dust back with them; however, the dust was spat out of the hole once it was all inside again. You looked at the limbs, curiosity taking over.

What was once a bloody leg stump with flies already circling about turned into a seamless stump, with flesh healed over it. The arm stump was in the same condition.

Then, the new limbs sprouted out.

First looking like children's limbs, the new limbs began fattening up and elongating. It was as if you were watching the years pass through this man's life through his new limbs, watching them go from skinny bean pole limbs to properly thick and strong muscles.

It was fascinating.

"Albedo—"

"I understand, my lady. What shall I do about it?"

None of the villagers had been around to witness the magic. They didn't need to know you'd accidentally regrown an man's limbs; they could just assume you'd reattached them.

Which, of course, wasn't something you could do if the extra limbs were still here when they arrived.

You picked up the limbs, tucking them away in your inventory. For now, that was the best place for them. Perhaps one of Nazarick's NPC's would like them?

"When we leave, let me know who would get the most use out of these. I'd rather not keep them in my inventory for much longer."

"Of course, my Lady."

You stretched, flicking some blood off your gloved paw as you did so.

"The rest of the villagers that need healing are in the town center, correct?"

"Yes, my Lady." You could feel the smile in her voice; it was met with a smile of your own.

"Lovely. Let's make them owe us, shall we?"

You spotted Momonga leaving the Chieftan's home from your circle of Villagers; were he any shorter, though, you'd have missed him.

"—and I can't thank you enough!" The mother of the young woman you'd saved wept, tears of happiness streaking unabashedly down her cheeks.

"It's no problem, ma'am, really—"

Albedo's hand gently clapped your shoulder, drawing your and the villager's attention to Momonga's approach.

"All is well, I assume?" He asked, face hidden behind his mask.

"Of course. Unless there's others I haven't found, everyone is healed."

"I see. As much as I hate to burst the bubble for this… There has been a group of armed military men approaching this village."

"I see…"

The villagers huddled around you, faces firm.

Apparently, healing people from the brink of death made people protective over you. Who knew!

"It'll be alright, Lord Ainz; we won't let anyone touch a hair on her head." One of the villagers spoke up, the father of the girl you'd saved. You flicked your ear twice; as much as you liked helping, you really loathed the attention that came afterwards. This was too much, even for you.

"I'm not worried about that. However… Albedo?"

"Yes, my lord?" Her hand tightened ever so slightly on your shoulder.

You could already guess what was coming next.

"Could you bring Zara back to our, ah, our camp? As much as I don't doubt your ability to protect her, I'd feel better knowing she was out of harm's way."

"Of course, my Lord. I shall return as quickly as possible."

You'd given your signal and he got you out.

And yet…

Why did you feel so guilty for leaving? For needing to leave?

"Let me know if anyone gets hurt; I'll return as quickly as possible." You piped up, standing firm.

It was more for the villagers than for you, but still.

"Of course, Zara." And with that, Albedo whisked you out from the group of villagers and away from the village.

By being carried bridal-style again, of course.

You stepped through the Gate, removing your mask as it snapped shut behind you. Albedo had stayed behind in order to assist Ainz; he'd be fine, truly. Based on what you'd seen, it was likely that nobody was a very high level at all.

"Hello, Lady Zara." Sebas spoke, offering a kind smile from his position in front of the mirror. You could see Momonga speaking to one of the new armed men; hopefully, they were there to protect the village. "Did you do what you wished to?"

"I did. Let me know if anyone else gets hurt, please."

"Of course, my Lady. Is there anything I can assist you with?"

A pause.

There was, but…

You weren't brave enough for that yet.

"No, but thank you."

And with that, you left the room. To stay awake by being busy, or by overthinking, you didn't know.