This is my everything.
Ainz stared at the lowered heads of all present, for the first time in a while he felt that he had simultaneously shot himself in the foot yet was doing the right thing.
"Raise your heads," it was his usual regal voice but his tone was softer, less impartial, one would dare say kinder.
"I take it everyone present knows why I summoned you here?"
Was this truly the time to be stalling? There was obviously no way they would not know.
Earlier Demiurge had come to his room – this was an unofficial and sudden meeting so Ainz was caught off guard – doubly so when he noticed that Demiurge was acting slightly sheepish.
"My Lord, if it would not be too much trouble, I beg but a moment of your precious time."
"Anything at all for one of Nazarick's best minds."
"I wish to ask a question."
Ainz nodded slowly this could easily turn sour. Ainz was alone, save for the eight Edge Assassins and the maid on duty.
Should I run? Where to? The other side of the continent is not explored yet, not even Aura could easily find me if I keep-
Demiurge started talking again.
"My Lord often speaks of the Supreme Beings fondly, and of course, everyone in Nazarick appreciates whatever information of the Supreme Beings we get; however, it seems that they will not be returning to us, please forgive my insolence for asking but ... where did the Supreme Beings go?"
Eh?
Demiurge had no way of knowing this but Ainz immediately stopped mentally sorting his inventory half in shock and partly because he began berating himself. Though he could not be entirely sure he was now more than somewhat certain that the Guardians would not betray him for getting something wrong. He was speaking to the one person who was the quickest to rationalise Ainz's actions into serviceable plans, after all.
Demiurge was looking down at the floor as if afraid he had offended Ainz somehow.
"Demiurge, gather the Guardians, Area Guardians excluding Guren as well as the Pleiades and the regular staff in the Throne Room."
"At once!"
"Oh, and is Pandora's Actor in Nazarick at the moment?"
"I believe so."
Those were the people in front of him now. Expressions not differing much between one or the other, each mostly painted with anticipation.
Ainz moaned internally.
"Yes, Ainz-Sama." A reply from Albedo. Her voice sounded far too strained.
Why... oh, of course. She's already figured it out... no, it would be better to say she already knows. She was with me in the mausoleum after all.
"After all this time, the only thing I can confidently claim is that at least thirty-eight of my friends are not in this world."
He expected an uproar – those were easily silenced but to not even be questioned was more than a little disconcerting.
"You all seem well aware of this fact but those 38, no 37, left Yggdrasil. For most of them it was because their re-, ahem, they had other – more interesting – worlds to explore. There was nothing more that Yggdrasil could offer them. Others... yes, others got married, a few had children... so it was better to focus on what was well and truly theirs than some dying world.
Huh, quite poetic that this world could have saved him ...no, not just him, even those two."
He had unintentionally muttered the last part out loud but it seemed that only Albedo had heard him so it should be fine.
"A-... Momonga-Sama?" concern was written all over her face.
"Ahem!"
After clearing his non-existent throat and scolding himself for it, he continued.
"So, to answer your question, where did they go?" he looked at Demiurge who wore a neutral expression. "Home. They went back to the places they already belong."
Something I lost a long time ago.
"... Ainz-Sama? I know it is impudent of me to ask this question, but..."
"Speak, Narberal. No one here will hold your words against you."
"Hai, were we, the creations of the Supreme Beings - the ones we view and hold in esteem higher than any God - not enough? Of course, I understand that we are lacking, but were we so terribly lacking that even our own creators would not take us with them?"
That would have been impossible. They were just AI scripts back then.
"Narberal Gamma! You would dare spit in the face of the One Supreme Being who did stay with us until the end?! To the very end, at the risk of His own life! The world was dying and yet... if it had burned and we were somehow left powerless to save..."
"Albedo! I said, no one will hold her words against her!"
"Please, forgive me, but it is..."
"No. It is not." interrupting Albedo for a second time he ended the conversation.
It seems Albedo has misunderstood something; it is because of my inability to fully explain.
Ainz looked towards Demiurge who wore a bitter smile, no doubt in agreement with Albedo. He then scanned the room noticing Yuri giving Narberal a disapproving look.
I genuinely do wish I could explain everything...
"Narberal, like I said, not even I will hold your words against you – not that I ever could – because I perfectly understand, no I share in your sentiment. Your creators are your shining everything, after all, you don't need anything else if only they'd come back, right?"
Everyone except for Narberal, Shizu and Albedo nodded.
"I just need you to understand that no one intended to hurt anybody and that nobody was betrayed..."
"My Lord, if I may?"
"Mm? What is it, Albedo?"
"I believe that everyone may hold their creators in the highest regard, they are the ones that gave us life, however, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don't need anything else if only My Lord will stay by our side."
That statement had the other two nodding as well.
Ainz chuckled.
"You don't need to flatter me; I am not so petty that I would be hurt by someone's true feelings."
"It's not flattery! ... f-forgive me, I was merely stating the truth."
"Pandora's Actor, may I bother you for some of your time later?"
He was not surprised that she had stopped him before he could head back to the Treasury. What was decidedly odd was that she had waited for Demiurge to leave before approaching him which made her request all the more predictable.
"What for mademoiselle?"
"I need your opinion on several matters. I take it you're heading back to your office?"
She was fuming under her mask. She would probably head back to her room to blow off steam first. He understood her perspective, yet at the same time did not. If she was truly upset at the Supreme Beings for leaving Momonga-Sama why wish to kill them? Surely, bringing them back would make everyone happier? Truth be told, it was treason he too was too invested in to call her out on. If they went down, would they go down together? What logic did she operate on that made her think their Lord would be grateful for this?
Up until now, Pandora's Actor acted on the assumption that their Lord already knew everything about that squad, but after today that did not make any sense. The only propriety that was left was that either their Lord put her up to this knowing full well she would fail, that there was nothing to be found any way or she had lied about its true purpose.
Knowing Albedo, she would lie to protect the very nature of the One that she worshipped, but would his creator be so easily fooled?
Momonga-Sama is not averse to using such tactics. If we were to look at Cocytus as a test then ...Kuku, sasuga Ainz-Sama. He who is not afraid to lay deadly traps by appearing vulnerable to your enemies... we are all but tools in your wake. Should I tell her? Is that my role in this father? Mm... something to think about I suppose, as it is still a mere conjecture.
Wait... he already knew 37 were not here? Considering the contents of the Treasury and its mausoleum it is obvious in hindsight. Did he want us chasing shadows for some or the other reason? As I thought, the mind of my creator is far too incomprehensible for even me.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about."
Due to his meandering thoughts, he got back to his office after Albedo, effectively making him a bad host.
Sitting down after offering her tea and a seat Pandora's Actor decided that he would tug on some strings, not because he was being mean but because that ever-steady mask of the woman across from him was cracking, so instead of trying to repair it, he would replace it for her.
"You are already well aware. After our operation in the Slane Theocracy, I want to start searching the other side of the continent."
"Albedo, do you believe yourself higher than the rest of the Supreme Beings?"
Her face – though only slightly – contorted into a look of ... pity. Something that spoke of understanding yet there was an unmistakable superiority to her posture. This was ever so slightly akin to a look an adult would give a child that knew of a concept but misunderstood the fundamentals of why it was, so less an adult and more a not completely mature older sibling perhaps? Her look did after all hold sympathy.
I'll take that as a no.
"I see. You believe yourself more loyal than any in Nazarick?"
Albedo knitted her eyebrows. This question was more for his own sake than hers and she gave the answer he was looking for.
"More loyal to Nazarick than the other forty?"
Her face returned to a slight deadpan; she had caught onto his game.
Not quite right, though I personally don't care either way.
"Of course, you don't, you believe yourself more loyal than them to Momonga-Sama."
There was no dramatic irony in his words or his actions, mainly because he felt slightly offended on a personal level when she responded to his question with a smile. This was saying a lot considering he tended to have a very low sense of self-preservation.
Pandora's Actor was in no way petty or easily affected by the emotions of others but he did feel the sting of that slight jab at his own loyalty. He knew it was not calculated but he felt it nonetheless.
I have no number two, if asked, not even ordered, I would happily kill another Supreme Being for Him.
The NPC loyalty system ensured this, but he did not consider anything of his to be above any other in any shape or form.
"My theory being that the other Supreme Beings may have arrived before we did, much like the Six Great Gods of that country."
Albedo continued as if no derailments to their earlier conversation had transpired.
This hatred of hers was something of a mystery even to him. The last meeting made clear that Momonga-Sama well and truly treasured everything that was Ainz Ooal Gown and would be heartbroken at its destruction.
So much so that if ... and only if they came back and ... asked him to cast aside Nazarick and go to whatever place it is that they call home now ... then He too... may abandon us.
A low defeated and a slightly mournful self-deprecating chuckle escaped Pandora's Actors' throat.
He stood up. Dramatic tragedy and pain laced his words and actions.
"You and I – we're not so different after all, are we?"
Albedo offered out a gloved hand in which he placed his.
"If we go down, we go down together," she said
You could say we're now "comrades in arms".
He laughed at his own joke confusing Albedo in the process. A part of him was laughing at the fact that he may be the one that his creator would choose to use as an example over her as he knew he was ranked quite low on the surface to his creator.
"True despair grants peace when misery has company, was it?"
"Yes, I'll make sure any who shamelessly show their detestable faces anywhere near my beloved regrets their decision.
"Careful now, your disdain is showing."
It was a warning.
This took Albedo by surprise and sighing she responded.
"How can I not be, my beloved was so heartbroken, he vindicated all that they did and irreverent words and actions against him simply ... because! I refuse to let this go unpunished! It is just so, so unacceptable!"
To say he shared in her sentiment was not incorrect he simply did not share in her personal reasoning, so he held off on sharing his earlier deduction about this maybe being a test because he lacked sufficient information, he also needed time to reconsider all of the events of the past two years as well as –
"What is unacceptable?"
A new voice had entered the conversation.
