Ainz slowly looked away from the mirror as he sighed deeply; it left him thinking deeply, Maple's attitude was…. Too human, was that a natural reaction or was she acting? Maple always lacked anti-divination protections and she was probably the first to know about it. Did she somehow know that she was being watched and was acting? If it was an act Ainz had to be careful, Maple might be setting him up to get him out after hearing his name from Enri… However, Maple had no anti-divination protections and therefore couldn't even tell if someone was watching her, also if this was a trap to make her look like a human… Why kill so many people and then act like she regrets it?

Ainz tapped his bony finger against the chair in a nervous rhythm before sighing despite having no lungs.

Maple, that monster that ate people with an innocent smile on her face… Was she really an innocent girl? Something in his mind seemed not quite right. Was he really talking about Maple, the dark knight of obliteration? Ainz looked at the defeated face of the girl on the other side of the mirror; it was too human, too real.

But it was wrong.

Ainz's jaw clenched as he tighten up his fist in rage, Maple was his self-proclaimed archenemy, and the weirdest person he had ever met… She was also the only person to stay in Yggdrasil until the end, even though she had only been there two years before the game's shutdown, but her interactions reinvigorated the game enough to actually delay its shutdown for another year, although someone like Ainz wouldn't admit it he was actually happy for the challenge that the Maple monster was.

Ainz was no longer a human; he was an undead, an overlord to be more specific and he no longer felt anything when seeing humans being massacred… However there was something, something that burned slowly but deeply in his soul, a feeling that told him that this was wrong, that the monster capable of killing and eating so many humans shouldn't have a sad face, that Maple is not someone who repents and gets depressed.

No, his self-proclaimed archenemy was like her defense stat: unbeatable, unique, and immovable. Her beautiful smile, you couldn't take her smile off Maple's face, it was something unnatural, Maple shouldn't cry, Maple shouldn't stop smiling. Deep within Ainz, Maple shone as the idealized image of an impassive, unalterable and unmovable ideal, Ainz's mind REFUSED to accept that Maple could even express the slightest sign of weakness, Ainz's ideal was falling apart. His emotion suppression activated several times without fully being able to kill the fire within Ainz.

Before he knew it he was on his feet walking at a steady pace, Ainz wasn't sure where he was walking but it was definitely Maple's fault.

Ainz should applaud his archenemy, if what she wanted was to lure Ainz into a trap then she should be more than pleased to have achieved it, Ainz would return to Carne after preparing for whatever trap Maple set for him.

Inside a hut in Carne village.

This… Was it a dream? Gazef walked through a dense fog of darkness, slowly the dark fog began to writhe around him like snakes enveloping him, Gazef waved his arms in the air and unsheathed his sword finishing off the surrounding snakes until the sword that was in his hands it melted.

Gazef gritted his teeth.

The ground he was walking on became a swamp and his feet were trapped preventing him from walking.

Gazef gritted his teeth and tried to keep moving forward.

The air became heavy and filled Gazef's lungs making it difficult for him to breathe.

Gazef gritted his teeth and looked around him for something he couldn't find.

The air turned poison.

Gazef gritted his teeth, trying to move forward, he looked around him, white feathers stained with blood rained down from the sky. Gazef tried to scream as he raised his gaze to the sky.

Then Gazef woke up.

He surprisingly didn't feel any pain in his body, but that wasn't his immediate concern, sitting up in bed Gazef's gaze quickly found Maple in the room.

Maple slightly raised her head; their eyes met for a second, a sad smile appeared on Maple's face as tears began to run, she ran over and hugged Gazef as tears and snot ran down her face.

"I thought you wouldn't wake up!"

Gazef was a little surprised by this and stroked Maple's head trying to calm her down a bit, the words he wanted to say so much seemed not to come out now, Maple cried showing all the power of her lungs with +100K Vit, slowly the crying became something more silent while Maple calmed down; Gazef caressed the girl's hair, then Gazef realized something, Maple was chained, shackles on her hands, legs and neck all attached to a large metal ball, Gazef held the chain in confusion and pulled one of the chains cracking it calling the Maple's attention, who stood up and removed the chains from Gazef's hands with a complicated face and an unusually submissive attitude.

"What is this? Who did this to you?"

Maple took one of the chains with a lost expression on her face.

"The villagers didn't want me in the village, when I brought you and the others back, they… they have a reason to act like that, in the end I'm a monster right?"

Maple laughed with a bit of self-deprecation as a couple of lonely tears welled up in her eyes.

"They didn't want to let me see you unless I had… Some limitation at least, I think it makes them feel a little safer."

Maple dropped the chains to her side as she sighed slowly.

"Though these wouldn't stop me if I really tried, but... I deserve them, I did horrible things and this isn't even the least I deserve."

Before Maple could continue her dark spiral of self-loathing Gazef stood up in front of Maple giving her a sudden slap. Maple was surprised even though it didn't hurt in the slightest; she thought that she really deserved the scorn.

Gazef had a severe look on his face.

"You are neither a knight nor a soldier," Gazef stated with a dry tone. "You are an innocent girl, however you have an overwhelming power in your hands capable of destroying, but also capable of protecting, you killed many people, what are you going to do now to solve it?"

Maple suddenly looked at Gazef in confusion.

"How do you intend to redeem yourself 'Dark Knight of Absolute Obliteration'?"

Maple put a hand to her head.

"Redemption? I-I can be forgiven?"

Maple looked like she was about to cry again, Gazef put a hand on Maple's shoulder.

"You killed those who attacked the village as I asked you and although you warned us that your attacks could hurt us we still rode by your side, this is not your fault, but due to your carelessness several of my men died so take responsibility and keep going, not as an innocent girl but as someone who uses their powers with conscience, become someone who always remembers the people you kill with respect and as humans, become a true knight."

Tears fell down Maple's cheeks, but she wiped them away with her hand and looked up, she seemed to be somewhat better, but still not quite well, Gazef's tone became somewhat softer and warmer as he murmured and saw the chains of Maple.

"These are so poorly made, where did they get them to begin with? Did they melt armor to make them? Do they even have a blacksmith in the village?"

Touching the chains Gazef was somewhat resentful.

"You saved the villagers you don't deserve these chains of guilt."

Gazef was about to break the chains when Maple stopped him.

"It's okay Stronoff-san, these chains aren't really heavy."

Her eyes were still swollen from crying so hard recently, but the light had returned to them, for the first time her face did not express guilt or regret but decision.

"I think I'll stay with them for a while, at least until I become..."

Maple paused for a moment as she tried to put her thoughts into words before expressing her wishes with a mischievous smile that put a unique twist on her usual innocent smile.

"Until I become a knight in white armor as cool as you."

Gazef looked at Maple for a couple of seconds before dying of a heart attack and collapsing on the bed, his face satisfied as if he had seen the truth of this world.

"Waaa! Gazef-dono don't die."

Maple panicked and began to shake Gazef, at which point the door to the room opened and Syroup entered the room after escaping from the villagers who wanted to get him away from Maple.

Syroup jumped with tears in her eyes wanting to hug Maple.

"Waaa! Syroup I'm fine I'm fine, Wait don't get on me! Stop! that tickles!"

Gazef still dead laughed at Maple.

"Hey! You Evil demon you really scared me for a moment there!" after getting rid of Syroup for a moment Maple used [Loving sacrifice] and said.

"Taste my conscience use of my powers first handed"

To then took flight and threw herself like a WWE fighter on Gazef's belly knocking the air out of him with the impact and if she hadn't activate [Loving Sacrifice] before jumping probably breaking his back too, the bed screeched for a moment before breaking. Silence took over the room for a moment.

"I'll go on a diet I swear!"

Gazef laughed again, Syroup joined the party and Ainz or rather Momon the black watched with his mouth open at the recently destroyed door of the house

Some joy after the previous chapter, the truth is that I think this chapter could be better but I'm taking a vacation and I don't have much time to write.

And well, about the chains, the idea seemed so edgy to me that I couldn't just write it off "A materialization of the guilt" lol I love it.

Atte.

"Thinking about Maple X Gazef"

J-more.

B.P.S. (Before post script), I went a bit wild in this shit part here do you self a favor and skip it, just know I love u! (In a no gay way unless u want to, in that case...)

P.S. There are a couple of topics about the chapter that I would love to comment on here but I feel like doing so takes the charm away from them like talking about making Maple an ideal or about when Bofuri and Overlord's story merge in the fanfic, even about the smile from Maple.

P.P.S. I always forget about saying thanks to all of u, u really deserves a better but now I can´t really improve my grammatical failures cause… Well I could actually try it. For the moment endure my strange-looking writing!

P.P.P.S. Yeah I Love extending in the post scripts and putting post post scripts, I don't really care if it's wrong or not it's just funny, thanks again for your reviews a always get motivated (hell, I even thought about improving my grammar.)

P⁴.S. Can I justified the humor now? (Thought the last part of the chap kill a bit the mood I think it's more like Maple's actitud.)