Disclaimer: This work is an original, parodic work. All rights to the original characters belong to others.
Sixty seconds passed after their glorious leader made his ceremonious exit, the Guardian's frozen in place on bended knee.
All except one.
Albedo, who would normally have been first to rise, was still on both knees. Her head bowed in supplication to the empty throne, she gave no sign of releasing the rest of the assembly from their postures of supplication.
Finally, Demiurge could bear it no more.
"Shalltear!" He called as he turned his head, still not rising from his kneel. "Write down every word of our Master's wisdom immediately! If you don't remember it verbatim, write down what you remember of it and underline the parts you're unsure of. We'll compare notes, make sure Ainz-sama's commands are immortalized down to the letter!"
Shalltear gave a squeak of surprise. "O- of course-arinsu!" She- like Demiurge- did not move from her posture, instead drawing a notebook from her inventory and setting it on the floor in front of her. She began filling out a fresh page with flowing cursive, only slightly irregular due to her awkward writing posture.
The guardians returned to waiting in silence, the only sound in the hall her pen racing over the page.
A page turned, Shalltear having run out of space, and her writing continued.
Another page.
More writing.
Another page.
More writing.
Another page.
"I- I think I've got it," the vampire's voice called forward hesitantly. "I… I wrote down the words, at least. I don't think I understa-"
"Give it to me."
At Albedo's strict command, every head popped up at once.
She had not turned, not risen from her place on the floor. Her hands were raised, arms outstretched as though begging for a gift from the place where her master had recently been.
Shalltear spared only a momentary glance to Demiurge, who nodded in approval. She rose, flying quickly over to place the open book in Albedo's hands.
Albedo's closed eyes opened as she lowered the text reverently, shifting her grip to run her fingers lightly over the ink of the final page-
-the page of Albedo's punishment and prophesy.
All the guardian's imagined what she must be thinking. Never before had their master made such a declaration before. A promise of the future to come. Had he foreseen this in some vision? Or had he crafted this future our of thousands? Millions? Billions?
The promise of Albedo's glorious reappointing- a place at their Master's side as the Kingdom knelt before him…
The book snapped shut, Albedo's damp eyes brimming with steel and fervor more potent than anyone had ever seen.
"Demiurge-" Her voice was commanding, without a hint of waver. "My study in one hour. Pandora's Actor, you as well."
With a mighty wave of her wings, Albedo launched backwards from her kneeling position to soar like a missile over the guardians' heads. She burst through the door with a mighty boom, but not before Aura in the back heard a quiet whisper.
"I will not fail you, Master."
The echoes of the bursting doors settled, and the rest of the Guardians rose from their kneeling postures.
"I. Do. Not. Envy. Albedo. Her Punishment-" Cocytus broke the silence, "But. For. The. Honor. Of. Subjugating. An. Entire. Kingdom…"
"I know," Aura cut into Cocytus' train of thought as she stretched her back. "Wish I had something that fun to do. For a minute there, I was hoping we'd get a chance to go to war… would've been exciting, at least."
"I. Agree." Cocytus responded. "It. Is. Good. We. Have. Ainz-sama. To. Watch. Out. For. Us. To. Think. That. Someone. Of. His. Supreme. Power. Also. Possesses. The. Wisdom. To. Avoid. The Curse. That. Comes. With. It."
Demiurge joined them, straightening his tie. He spoke in reverent tones, but couldn't contain his enthusiasm, which leaked into his emphasis'.
"Indeed. Our master is usually so reserved with his wisdom, to have poured so much forth today is truly a blessing unparalleled… I myself only understand perhaps the first two, maybe three layers of what he provided. I will need a lifetime to grasp its depths properly. And to think, I thought the Candy-and-Whip plan a failure, what a fool I was!"
That seemed to gather the rest of the guardians, except Pandora's Actor and Shalltear, who was furiously re-writing down Ainz's edicts from earlier – this time with the doppelganger's notes added as to their master's mannerisms and inflections.
Demiurge called out to the performer. "Pandora's Actor-dono, can I trouble you to revisit the moment our Lord and I discussed the failure of our initial plan?"
Pandora's Actor- still in Ainz's form- saluted, cast a summoning spell to create a black, throne-like chair, where he sat and adopted Ainz's regal posture.
Their master's voice boomed with authority.
"…. So that was why. But Demiurge, did the plans really fail this time?" He paused, eyes burning holes into whatever remained of Demiurge's twisted soul. "Are we really abandoning our plans? The Candy and Whip plan?"
Judgement dripped from every word, and all the attendees present turned to Demiurge as he hung his head.
"I was such a fool… our master laid all the pieces before me, and I leapt to the wrong conclusion. I assumed Ainz-sama was turning his strategy on the Kingdom, but his plans were far subtler than I imagined. I never considered the candy and whip applying to us as guardians… much less Albedo."
Demiurge threw his arms wide, casting his gaze among the assembly.
"Of all of us, Albedo enjoys the greatest access to Ainz-sama. Her work does not carry her away for long, but requires her to submit before him reports of all that we do. And so- in example to us and to moderate her pride- he gives her the taste of the bitterest whip: separation from our Lord. And then a taste again of the sweetest candy… a place at his side upon the completion of a successful order."
He paused, reigning in overflowing emotion before continuing.
"The Guardian Overseer- the most exalted of us- is not above his reproach, not above his pruning. Like a master gardener, he cuts down a branch at the first sign of rot, so that the whole tree might flourish."
"You are not complete," Pandora-Ainz parroted back at Demiurge. "I am still making you."
That sent chills up and down the spines of everyone present, and they let the moment rest in solemnity as they reflected.
Ainz-sama. The one who stayed. The one who remains. The peerless intellect. The rightful overlord.
The true Maker.
Each of them knew their makers. The supreme beings divided the task of filling Nazarick with denizens amongst themselves, and each of their creations felt loyalty and pride towards their original creator.
But now they had something else, something greater.
Their original creators had left the work incomplete, but Ainz-sama remained to finish it. He'd taken on all of them as his adopted projects- or even children?
A shared creator, one who was still with them, actively guiding them with absolute authority as the Chief Creator.
Demiurge turned to Ainz's original creation.
"Actor-dono," he lowered his head in respect, "As the first-made of our Master, how much of this understanding had our master graced you with already, that I am just now learning?"
Doppel-Ainz tilted his head to the side in thought, before returning to his regal posture to speak.
"I want to see the parts of you that I did not make, as proof that you've grown."
Doppel-ainz reverted back to Pandora's Actor's form, standing as the chair disappeared.
"My fath- Ainz-sama said that to me some time ago," his hand clutched over his heart. "I am ashamed to say I did not realize the depths of its application. To apply to all the created ones, that our change might be a sign of his continued work in us… He is truly more than we deserve."
A chorus of agreements and nods filled the room.
"Very well then!" Demiurge clapped his hands and turned to gather the attention of all. "You all heard Ainz-sama! This is an opportunity to show him how we learn to deal with adversity, a sign of our growth to prove his work in us is not wasted! Let us begin preparations to support Albedo however we can!"
Demiurge turned to Sebas.
"Sebas, do you have any standing orders currently that require your presence either in Nazarick or in E-Rantel?"
The monk stroked his beard thoughtfully, but his response was immediate. "As a matter of fact, I do not," he considered. "Tsuare and Yuri have been overseeing the training of new maid and manservant staff for the nobility in E-Rantel, and Pestonia is capable of overseeing the maids in Nazarick, even remotely. Is there something you needed of me?"
"Possibly," Demiurge pushed up his glasses as he considered. "Please begin making preparations to travel back to the Kingdom's Capital under your identity as a wealthy merchant. I don't know what strategy Albedo will settle on, but it may be of service to have you available as needed."
Sebas nodded deeply in acknowledgement. "I see. This does seem a prudent preparation to make." He turned to Pandora's Actor.
"May I bother you to compose a list of low-value or extraneous resources from the treasury I may use to conduct business in the Kingdom? If I'm to reappear as a merchant, it wouldn't do for me to arrive empty-handed."
"Of course!" Pandora's Actor saluted. "It will be done. In fact, I know just where to begin. Low-tier runecrafting is still extraordinarily rare in this world, and can promote our Master's new industry! Additionally, there are a great many healing potions too weak to be of use to the Supreme Ones, but which would be extraordinarily valuable to citizens of the Kingdom!"
Demiurge cut in.
"Ah, Pandora's Actor, remember the Curse of Knowledge."
The doppelganger paused to consider.
"Ach du meine Gute!" he exclaimed. "Of course! The Kingdom does not know of our benevolence, they are a nation largely superstitious and fearful of the Sorcerous Kingdom! They will fear artifacts that are openly from our nation, and will then fear Sebas for bringing them!"
He bowed his white, hairless head to Sebas in apology.
"I must instead supply you with artifacts rare but mundane to this world, perhaps from the Empire or other lands, with a few from the Sorcerous Kingdom for comparison. We recently obtained a healthy supply of such generic items from the Holy Kingdom and Abelion Hills, will that suffice for your purposes?"
Sebas nodded in thoughtful appreciation. "Indeed, that does seem prudent. Thank you both for considering that point. Otherwise, I may have accidentally sabotaged our intention."
"Think nothing of it," Demiurge assured him. "Now that our eyes are open, we must reconsider many of our previous operating standards… hmm, I wonder what our confidante in the Kingdom will have to say about this."
He paused only a moment to consider, then seemed to realize the rest of the room were still standing around, listening.
"Ah, my apologies everyone, I'm used to Albedo doing the dismissing," Demiurge seemed to grin sardonically at his social faux pax, having kept everyone waiting as the next in line for giving instruction. "You are dismissed. Albedo, Pandora's Actor, or I will summon you for consultation as needed while she formulates her strategy for dealing with the Kingdom. Reflect deeply on our master's words today, and serve him well!"
Conversations broke out among those in the room as some turned to leave, others to conversation.
Surprisingly, Demiurge found himself called over to a separate section of the room, a surprising congregation gathered there.
"Demiurge." Cocytus greeted with a nod. His voice seemed… hesitant, like he was unsure of himself.
"Yes, my friend?" Demiurge took stock of those in attendance. Cocytus. Shalltear. Sebas. Lupusregina. The combination had a distinct pattern, and he could surmise what from the preceedings might have caused them to gather.
"We. All. Have. Failed. Ains-sama." Cocytus- as ever, did not mince words. "None. Of. Us. However…"
When he trailed off, Demiurge filled in the gaps.
"None of you were punished as Albedo has been, is that it?"
Embarrassed faces and glances spread around the tight circle, even Sebas turning his gaze down.
"And now you worry if it was some greater failing on your part that caused Ainz-sama to withhold his discipline?"
More embarrassed, confirming nods.
Demiurge released a sigh.
"If you had asked me this yesterday, I would have assumed that the answer lay in the magnitude of the failures in question," he began. "But Ainz-sama's charity to us makes much more sense now that he's revealed the idea of us being works in progress. It's possible he considered such failures as nothing more than 'growing pains' which he could mitigate himself."
The group paused to consider Demiurge's answer, and Shalltear opened her mouth to ask a follow-up question.
Demiurge cut her off.
"Now, there are many reasons Albedo may have gotten a more severe discipline- even after Hilma Cygnaceous was effectively granted a Pardon. One is that Albedo is simply held to a higher standard- as the Guardian Overseer, her mistakes could be interpreted as establishing a standard if they were left unchastised. Another reason could be that Ainz has grown impatient with our fumbling, and is using this as a signal that such mistakes will see harsher repurcussions in the future."
Lupusrugina and Shalltear swallowed visibly at the thought.
"There is one possibility, however, that stands unique to Albedo," Demiurge considered, glancing towards the double doors, confirming Albedo's continued absence.
"It is possible that our master is balancing the severity of the whip with the potential candy he offers each of us."
A puff of air crackled from Cocytus.
"You. Mean. That. Albedo's. Potential. Reward. Requires. She. Face. Harsher. Penalties. For. Failure?"
"Indeed, my friend," Demiurge nodded, checking on Shalltear's disposition.
"Ainz-sama knows of Albedo's ambitions, and this is her warning… she's playing a high-stakes game, and if she wants the glory she'll need to perform accordingly. This punishment is just a taste of what she can expect if she fails."
"I suspect she would sooner destroy the Kingdom herself than let that happen," Sebas murmured.
"Then for their sake," Demiurge grinned in earnest. "They should hope she doesn't."
_
A/N: That's all there is for this one! Sorry it's a short scene, the next is a doozy so I decided to split them up. As usual, let me know if you think the characterization is off anywhere, or want to make a guess as to where the story is going. I do respond to some comments, especially if you have feedback on how this relates to canon.
On an unrelated note: Albedo is hard to write. She doesn't really have a defining "voice" like some of the other Guardians, and this story puts her in unfamiliar territory, so I'm struggling to get her characterization right in future chapters. Demiurge, by comparison, is much easier for me.
Also: for everyone wanting frequent updates: I hate to disappoint you but that's unlikely. i've been able to write a lot lately because I've been on vacation, but I return to work monday and will have much less time to make progress. The good news is, I know more or less where the story and scenes are going so I shouldn't need much time for re-writes and edits. I'm hoping for weekly updates.
