Chapter 18: Reconciliation
The morning after Ainz had asked Tiamat to rest, he called for another meeting in the Throne Room.
His eyes zeroed in on Tiamat who was whimpering next to Albedo.
She remembered several instances where Ainz was furious at her for messing up quests in YGGDRASIL. What was about to come was definitely going to be pure torture.
"Albedo," his baritone voice could be heard to the ends of the room. Tiamat couldn't help but flinch at the loud sound.
"Yes," she bowed.
"For this incident, I am willing to let your error pass. From this moment on, anything that involves Tiamat must go through me for approval. Moreover, you will have to report everything to me, even if you consider it mundane. Every. Single. Thing."
She lowered her head, "As you wish, Ainz-sama."
"Tiamat!"
She was shocked at the sudden change of tone, "Y-Yes!"
"Did you remember what you said yesterday?" his red eyes looming over hers made her feel smaller and smaller
"Y-Yesterday…?"
"So you don't remember hm? Let me remind you," he pointed his staff at Tiamat. "You said not to blame Albedo for everything you did, and I must agree. As the mastermind, you will be severely punished."
Tiamat shakily nodded.
Ainz shot her a look, "You will help me with paperwork...forever."
For Ainz, the look on her face was priceless. Her face went from drooped in depression, to mouth gaping wide in shock, and finally her teeth grinded together in fury.
In her previous life, she was a baker. She did not do paperwork. She had next to no paperwork in her previous life, and now, this skeleton in front of her was telling her that she had to do his job.
Oh hell no.
She opened her mouth to rebut his decision, but Ainz was one step faster.
"Do you have a problem?" his eyes blazing with impatient annoyance.
"Eep!"
"HMM?"
"N-No, of course not!"
"Then, from this moment on, you will have someone follow you outside of Nazarick for safety measures against yourself. I assume you have no problem with that as well?"
She shook her head in complete submission.
"Good, then both of you are dismissed," Ainz regally stood from his throne and just as he was about to leave the room, he turned around. "I forgot. Starting from today, you are prohibited from going into the kitchen until I say so."
Then he left.
The Dragoness was left by herself between all the Floor Guardians who were present.
Aura came up and patted her Lady who was on her knees in disbelief. Considering how angry Ainz-sama was yesterday, this punishment meant nothing. But she still felt sorry for the Supreme Being in front of her.
"There, there…"
Tiamat shamelessly began to weep.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
"Are you done with the paperwork?" Ainz asked flicking through the papers on his table.
Beside him was another table, as per his order, that had been brought to his office. Tiamat who was sitting facing his left side, was slouching on the table. Her head rested against it, looking away from him.
"Hn."
"Did you give it to Albedo?"
"Hn."
"Have you checked it?"
"Hn."
"Albedo."
"Yes," Albedo immediately gave the paperwork Tiamat had done to Ainz.
"You made a mistake here."
"Hn."
"Here, here and here."
"Hn. Hn. Hn."
"Oi, take your job seriously."
Tiamat's head turned to look at Ainz but her position remains unchanged.
"And who was the one who put me here?"
"Who was the one who brought this upon herself?" He questioned back.
Tiamat banged her head on the table, "Me."
"Who was the one making stupid plans?"
"...me."
"That's right. This is your punishment. So do it properly."
"Hn…"
"Oi!"
"But Ainz, it's paperwork, paperwooooork!"
"From what Albedo had told me, you did a pretty decent job last time. Isn't that right Albedo?"
Albedo, who was standing at Ainz's side, was fighting to keep a smile off her face as she watched her Lady's antics.
It seemed that the Dragoness was the only one who could be so carefree with the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown himself.
"That's right, Ainz-sama," Albedo proudly declared. "Just after Lady Tiamat had created a fixed format and budgeting form to be used in Nazarick, productivity has increased by 200% and the amount of mistakes in documents have been reduced by 80%. Moreover, with Lady Tiamat's idea, I have made countless changes with how the documents should be reviewed, which decreases my workload significantly."
Tiamat whimpered at the praise.
It seemed that there was no way to escape.
When she landed her eyes on the Overlord, she eyed him warily. If he had an expression on his face, she was sure that a grin lit up his face at Albedo's words.
The Overlord was positively beaming.
It seemed that torturing Tiamat was in line with his -500 Karma Rating.
"I want to cook…" she muttered, burying her face in the table once more.
"Perish the thought."
"Cotton cady, smores, rice krispies, waffle stack, brownie, ice cream, creme brulee, cannoli, pudding, pecan pie, cinnamon rolls, apple caramel, muffin, beignets, chocolate cookies, glazed doughnuts, fruit tarts."
Ainz simply ignored her.
"Bon bon chocolate, swiss roll, gâteau au chocolat et cerises, gâteau roulé aux pêches, saint marc, tarte exotique, tarte aux fruits, tartelette chocolat et orange, gâteau roulé aux fraises, charlotte aux fraises, crémeux abricot, roule aux noisette et cannelle, gâteau de hojicha au lait."
He was starting to get annoyed.
"I want to bake cheesecake. Cheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakecheesecakegâteaugâteaugâteaucheesecake."
"Please stop."
But she kept going.
Ainz sighed.
"If you finish all of this week's paperwork today, I'll let you in the kitchen for two hours."
Tiamat's head immediately shot up from the desk, looking positively vibrant and awake.
"One week's worth of paperwork for three hours."
"Two."
"Two hours."
"Two."
"Two weeks. Two and a half?"
"Two."
"Fine."
"Deal."
They shook hands.
"You know you just agreed to do two weeks of paperwork for two hours in the kitchen, right?" his words dripping with condescension.
At the realization, she could only sob in defeat.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
She was stuck in Ainz's office for two weeks straight.
Since there was no need for the Overlord to sleep, she was forced to sleep in Ainz's room, only to wake up and do more work the next day.
Tiamat wasn't even allowed to eat.
Ainz had forced her to wear『Ring of Sustenance』so that there would be no time taken away from her work. At the very least, he let her take it off to sleep.
While she was doing his job, Ainz occasionally went out to build his reputation in the Adventurers Guild.
The only thing she could do was grumble at her desk while doodling on a piece of paper in an attempt to ease her boredom.
But today was different.
Today was the last day of her two week period, and after she was done with the paperwork for the day, she would finally be allowed in the kitchen for two hours.
Her mind wandered away at what would be quick to cook since she had to make lunch and dinner for the homunculi maids, as well as the floor guardians of Nazarick.
The mere thought of it brought her an immeasurable amount of joy. She hummed while sitting on her table, waiting for Albedo to come in with the day's work.
"My Lady," Albedo said entering the room, carrying a huge stack of papers with her. "These are the reports that need your approval for today."
"Yes, thank you Albedo. Please put them here!" she patted the table.
The paper stack was neatly placed on the table as usual.
"You seem very happy today, Lady Tiamat."
"Of course! This is the last day of the two week period! I wonder what I should cook after this…" Tiamat almost started drooling at the thought of finally eating food after two weeks.
"My Lady, I'm sorry to say this, but Ainz-sama said that after your two hours are up, you are to be brought to the office once again."
Just like a bubble, all the happy thoughts immediately popped above Tiamat's head.
She hit her head on the table and groaned in pain.
"Please don't remind me, Albedo…" Tiamat almost cried just at the mere thought of it.
Albedo smiled at Lady Tiamat's grumbling.
"I have to say My Lady, as someone who hates doing paperwork, you know what you are doing, as expected of the Supreme Being of Nazarick. I'm starting to see why Ainz-sama wanted you to help."
"Not you too Albedo," Tiamat sighed. "It's not like I hate paperwork, it's that I'm so slow at it, while Ainz had finished two weeks of work in five days. The fact that you have to stand there and wait until I finish makes me feel so ashamed of myself."
"I don't think you're slow, My Lady. You are simply meticulous. After Ainz-sama points out a mistake, you never make the same error again. The fact that you adapt so easily to this makes me a bit jealous," Albedo smiled wryly.
"You're giving me too much credit here, I'm pretty sure the work that Ainz gave me wasn't important to Nazarick."
"On the contrary, My Lady," Albedo started to explain, "Ainz-sama gave you the most important papers to review."
Albedo had never seen Lady Tiamat turned her head so fast.
Tiamat's eyes jolted wide open in shock.
As soon as Albedo had said that, Tiamat immediately moved to check the stacks of paper in front of her.
She had never checked the titles of the papers that were stacked in front of her; she only made sure that the content were in line with one another, as well as making sure that Nazarick's resources were being used properly.
Things such as food, clothing, alcohol, magic scrolls, and many others.
Weekly Food Expenditure, she flipped to the next report on the pile.
Nazarick Total Income and Expenditure Report, she furiously grabbed the next paper in the stack.
POP Summon Count to Cost Sheet, she placed the reports back on top of the stack, eyebrows twitching.
'So he did give his work to me, that asshole!'
"Y-You did cross check what I did right?" Tiamat worriedly asked Albedo.
If something was wrong with one of the documents, she would have to redo everything to ensure that everything was perfectly in line. That was two weeks of work. Two weeks!
Thankfully, Albedo replied with an amused smile on her face.
"Yes, My Lady. Ainz-sama also rechecked your documents and he was the one who did the final approval for the documents. If one of your documents had a mistake, Ainz-sama simply ordered me to give it back to you."
Tiamat breathed a sigh of relief.
The only time a document had been returned to her was the very first time she did the paperwork together with Ainz. After that, she did not receive anything else to rectify.
Thank God for Albedo's administrative skills.
She picked up the next report on the pile.
Daily Report on Abelion Sheeps, and when she opened the documents she saw a relatively simple spreadsheet that contained columns regarding gender, age, and level of magic scrolls produced.
If she was not mistaken, Abelion Sheep was the farm Demiurge managed to set up to produce parchment for magic scrolls.
She turned the report to its last page.
About nine new sheep had entered Demiurge's farm yesterday, totaling in a large number of eighty-two Abelion Sheep.
'What kind of monster is an Abelion Sheep anyways?'
She had never heard of such a monster in YGGDRASIL before, and as far as she knew, even if the Adventurer Guild didn't have a codex entry; she had never seen any Abelion Sheep to subjugate at the quest board in the guild before.
'Perhaps some sort of satyr…?'
She slowly reread the report, but found that Demiurge had only written the entry date and what kind of materials the sheep produced for Nazarick, but nothing in the report said anything about their food expenditures or the cost to grow them.
'Weird.'
"Albedo, is this the only report on Abelion Sheep?" Tiamat asked.
"Yes. That is a new program created by Demiurge and was approved by Ainz-sama sometime this week. So currently this is the only report Demiurge is able to give us."
"Is this it?"
"Yes. Why? Is there something wrong?"
Tiamat looked at the report again, questioning its validity. This was the first report she had seen that had no expenditures written on it.
Since her job was to see whether Nazarick's resources were being used properly, it was difficult to judge the report because of its incompleteness.
Tiamat just hummed, thinking on what to do.
Since this was a report written by Demiurge, she could simply ask him later. There must be a reason why he didn't list any expenditures on it.
Besides, she trusted Demiurge.
Because of that she decided to put the report to the side for the time being.
Afterall, she had other reports to finish before lunch time.
"No," she said to Albedo, and proceed to work on the other reports.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
She hummed happily while chopping the ingredients for the day's lunch.
With the help of Sous Chef who had processed the meat for her, all she needed to do was to prepare the rest of it.
Today's meal was going to be curry!
First, she let the rice cook in a pot under a slow simmer, before cooking the meat with the remaining lard in the kitchen, seasoning it with salt and pepper.
When the beef was half done, she set it aside and used the residual oil from the beef to cook the rest of the vegetables.
Thanks to Ainz, she now knew where most of the vegetables were coming from.
It turned out that Ainz had asked Lupusregina to watch over that village she had saved a while ago, and so Lupusregina sometimes bought lots of vegetables grown from Carne Village itself, which boosted the tiny village's economic capabilities, even if only a little bit.
With the leftover oil, she sauteed the onions, ginger and apples that she had grated until they were translucent; then shifting the flour into the pot to stir it.
After the flour was mixed into a paste, she put the rest of the potatoes and carrots and spices to stir.
Then she added tomato paste and red wine before adding sugar and soy sauce with water, and poured the mixture with the rest of the ingredients in the pot.
She let the pot simmer on low heat and waited until it began boiling before she added the beef back to the pot. In half an hour, she would come back to take the cover off and let the curry simmer for half and hour..
For dessert she made multiple batches of tiramisu. A titanic tiramisu for the maids and personal pan sized tiramisu for each of the floor guardians.
Tiamat wiped the sweat from her forehead. The heat didn't bother her much, but the effort it took to prepare so much food in such a short time was truly taxing.
After putting away the massive pot of curry and batches of tiramisu she had made, she decided to begin preparing for dinner.
She took a look at the clock. Her mouth twitched in a depressed frown as she saw that she only had half an hour left in her free time.
In a brief moment of contemplation, she wondered if she would be able to cook enough food for dinner for the majority of Nazarick. Tiamat quickly shook her head clear of such fantastical thoughts. Even she, the cooking fanatic that she was, wasn't capable of making that much food.
'I still have half an hour left though…'
In the end, she just decided to prepare all the dinner ingredients for Sous Chef instead.
After she finished cleaning up the kitchen, she turned to Yuri.
"Hey Yuri, can you deliver all of this food to the Floor Guardians and your sisters? I'm really sorry about asking you to carry this much…"
"Yes My Lady, I'll do so immediately," Yuri bowed before taking the gigantic container from Tiamat's hands.
'This is really surreal…' Tiamat thought to herself, staring at the ordinary-looking maid carrying a massive steel box.
"Is everything alright My Lady?"
Tiamat snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Oh! It's nothing, just thinking about something."
"I see. In that case, I will now go to deliver the food to their recipients."
"Thank you Yuri."
"It's no trouble My Lady," Yuri turned around and left the kitchen, carefully balancing the container so nothing was spilt.
Tiamat watched as Yuri left, before she finally tapped the guild ring on her finger, teleporting herself to the Sixth Floor.
She blinked her eyes as she got reorientated to her surroundings, and noticed that only Mare was running towards her.
Tiamat waited for Mare to reach her before she finally curiously asked, "Where's your sister Mare?"
"O-Oh! Onee-san w-went to work on that decoy Ainz-sama a-assigned her," Mare reflexively leaned in as Tiamat rubbed his head.
Tiamat wondered what she would do with the extra portion, before remembering that she had made a promise with a certain Doppelganger.
"Then would you mind if we eat somewhere else?"
Mare beamed, "N-No. I-I won't mind..."
"In that case, since the Treasury's air is super poisonous, I'm going to have to give you an item before we go in."
"I-It's fine My Lady! I have a skill that can p-protect me from poison for a while!"
"Oh," Tiamat felt dumb for a moment. Of course a Druid would have a skill that could handle poison.
"『P-Poison Immunity』!"
After Mare finished applying the buff on himself, Tiamat opened the gates for the two to pass through.
Just like the first time she saw him, Pandora's Actor was sitting on the sofa with his back facing her, cleaning one of the numerous treasures meticulously.
Even from a distance, she could see it shining brightly.
She knocked on the wall to avoid surprising him, just like when she first visited him.
"Pandora's Actor, I brought lunch!"
Pandora's Actor jumped in surprise.
"Meine Dame! I thought you were still working in Ainz-sama's office…?" Pandora's Actor stared at the Dragoness with astonishment.
"Ainz has allowed me to take a break for two hours," she walked towards him with a grin on her face, and Mare followed behind her.
"T-Then what are you doing here Meine Dame?! This is supposed to be your break time," he still couldn't believe that Lady Tiamat had bothered to take some of her precious resting time to meet him in the Treasury.
Even Mare looked at the Dragoness in shock.
Even though Mare was present in the Throne Room when Ainz-sama gave Lady Tiamat her punishment, it never crossed his mind that his Lady had taken some of her time to meet him and Pandora's Actor.
Him and his sister had spent so many lunches with their Lady that it had become a common occurrence, so when Lady Tiamat came to visit his floor for lunch, he didn't even bother thinking about it.
He felt ashamed of himself.
"Well, I figured that I would spend the rest of my time with you guys," she said happily, as if her personal time meant nothing to her.
Her simple words—they knew to her those words were simple, but to them they meant the whole world—filled them with indescribable joy.
Their hearts warmed up and pumped out torrents of happiness. They could see the joy in Lady Tiamat's eyes at the idea of having lunch with them, and the fact that she spent some of her time to cook and visit them caused a grin to bud on their faces.
At that moment, Pandora's Actor thanked his creator for making his expression, well… expressionless. Because when he looked at the dark elf, he knew that the boy was as happy as him when the boy looked away with a blush on his face.
Wait? A blush?
Thank goodness he was not that oblivious.
"So, shall we?" Tiamat innocently asked, unaware of their reactions.
And so they ate, relaxing on the sofa as Pandora's Actor cleaned the treasures from the table. Mare swung his legs back and forth in absolute glee. Pandora's Actor, while she knew was certainly pleased, controlled himself better.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Lunch finished quickly because the two of them couldn't stay long in the Treasury.
Tiamat made a mental note to ask Ainz to allow Pandora's Actor to roam about. She felt that it wasn't fair that most of the Floor Guardians were allowed to walk freely even outside of Nazarick, but Pandora's Actor have to stay in the Treasury. Speaking of which, Aureole was stuck on the Eighth Floor too...
She understood their importance as the last lines of defence, but still, it wasn't fair.
Aureole, she could accept, since she at least had Victim and the rest of the Eighth Floor denizens to accompany her, in addition to her duty of managing Nazarick's teleportation channels. Pandora's Actor however, didn't really need to guard the Treasury twenty-four seven.
Her mind wandered. Perhaps she could create some sort of system that allowed important announcements to quickly travel to all the Floor Guardians so that they could effectively prepare for when crisis arises? She would have to talk with Albedo after this.
"L-Lunch was delicious My Lady," Mare said as they walked around the Ninth Floor, spending the rest of her break time digesting the curry.
Broken out from her stupor, she replied to Mare with a smile.
"Did you like it?"
"Yes!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Sorry I couldn't make your favorite dish today, Mare."
"T-That's alright My Lady, whatever you cook is delicious," Mare said, innocently beaming.
Tiamat whimpered at his reply.
'An Angel!'
She couldn't help but to pat his head as Mare leaned his head against the weight of her hand, happy with the simple act of affection.
"He he…" Mare giggled.
'Uwaa so cute!'
At this point, Tiamat thought to herself that no matter what the twins did, she would consider it cute.
While they were enjoying their walk, Tiamat saw Shalltear leaving the bar with a forlorn expression on her face.
She was clutching her head as if she was drunk.
It had been two weeks after Shalltear's resurrection and Tiamat had not seen her even once, so she was really happy that they crossed paths during her break time.
She decided to wave at Shalltear.
"Shalltear!" she said out loud, since Shalltear was across the corridor.
Shalltear turned around and raised her hand, but then she immediately put it down and ran away.
"E-Eh? S-Shalltear…?"
Shalltear did not turn back.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
By dinner time, she was free and she returned to the bar. The strong odor of the heavy beverage wafted to her nose, and she resisted the urge to grimace.
She hated alcohol.
But that doesn't stop her from inching forward to where Sous Chef was bartending.
"My Lady," his optic spores noticed his Lady walking slowly towards him, "Is there anything I can do for you?" the Myconid asked.
"Evening, Sous Chef," Tiamat greeted, "Say, I'm looking for Shalltear. Is she here?"
"Yes, she was here earlier before you came, but she immediately went out."
In that moment, Tiamat had a small suspicion regarding Shalltear's weird actions.
'Is she...avoiding me?'
Vampires had a great sense of smell, not as sharp as a Dragon, but Shalltear could definitely detect her approaching the bar and leave accordingly.
"Did she say anything about why she was leaving?"
"I can't say for sure, however, she had been drinking a lot in these past two weeks. She did say something along the lines of drowning her sorrows in drink," he explained.
A puzzled look crossed Tiamat's face. When she asked him why, he could only shake his head in response.
"I did ask, but she said she didn't want to talk about it," As if reminded of something, he exclaimed excitedly. "She did moan pledges of loyalty."
Tiamat's was confused.
"...What?"
Sous Chef could only shrug in response.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
It was well before dawn.
She had a long day ahead of her.
With a warm breakfast in her tummy, she concentrated on the work before her and was pleasantly surprised when she found out that she had finished just after breakfast hours.
Tiamat sat up on her chair in Ainz's office, and a little to the side, Albedo stood checking her work.
The Succubus glanced back at her Lady and awarded her with a thin smile.
"I'm happy to say that all the paperwork needed to be done for Nazarick is finished My Lady. New reports will come in later after lunch so you're free for today."
"Then, I'll be going Albedo," Tiamat stood up from her seat, her eyes narrowing.
She had someone to hunt today.
Tiamat messaged Aureole Omega.
Two beeps sounded, signalling that she had connected.
[I need your help.]
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Aureole quickly located Shalltear.
[She's at the Bar.]
"Shalltear!"
The Vampire escaped even before Tiamat went into the bar.
[She's on the Sixth Floor,] Aureole said with a wry grin on her face.
"Shalltear?"
Tiamat could barely catch a glimpse of the Vampire turning to mist before running away from the pond where she was standing with Albedo and Aura.
This time, Aureole had to restrain her giggling.
[She's in her room now...]
"Shalltear…?"
Tiamat knocked on her door, but she received no reply.
Aureole was on the ground now, her entire body shaking as she held her stomach. The image of the Supreme Being chasing Shalltear around Nazarick was just too much for her to bear.
[S-She's in the C-Catacombs!]
She opened the door, "Shall…" before she could even finish her name, the Vampire had already vanished.
Somewhere on the Eighth Floor, Aureole Omega broke out in laughter.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Tiamat tiredly walked into Ainz's office and sighed, slumping against the table.
She has spent hours chasing after Shalltear, but to no avail. The Vampire's agility was far greater than hers. Since the floor was huge, Shalltear easily escaped, and everytime Tiamat caught her scent, she had switched with one of her Vampire brides who had the same smell as her.
But from this she now knew for sure.
Shalltear was definitely avoiding her.
At that moment, Albedo decided to enter Ainz's office followed with a small stack of papers in her hand.
"Lady Tiamat," Albedo greeted her with a smile. She was happy that the Dragoness was helping with her work, afterall it was always easier to work with someone than working alone. But Tiamat couldn't bring herself to reply.
"Hn."
"My, are you really doing this again?" Albedo stood in front of her table and gently put down a stack of papers, exasperatingly looking at the Dragoness.
"I wasn't trying to do anything…" she answered lamely.
Albedo just smiled at the Dragoness.
Since Lady Tiamat had done such a wonderful job with her paperwork, Albedo decide not to nag her about her current behaviour.
But when she looked at her like this, her heart started to sink in her chest. She was supposed to be happy and full of life, not...this.
"What's wrong?" before Albedo realized, those insolent words escaped from her mouth.
Tiamat sighed, finally sitting straight to look at Albedo. Albedo stiffened, a small unwelcome part of her wondering if the Supreme Being would get angry.
"Did I do something wrong recently?" she bluntly asked her.
At her question, Albedo frowned in confusion. "Did you do something to make you think that way?"
"No."
"What did you do this time? You can honestly tell me."
"I didn't do anything, I swear!"
"The last time we were left alone, we plotted things behind Ainz-sama's back and you almost destroyed an entire country, My Lady" she said gravely.
"S-Sorry," Tiamat said feeling bad for Albedo, "I did promise Ainz I wouldn't do something that crazy again…"
If she were to put herself in the Succubus's shoes, she would also feel really fed-up.
She had heard that Ainz had threatened to remove Albedo from her position as the Overseer of Nazarick because of her.
She frowned. If it was her, she wouldn't easily trust herself. Ainz's faith in her was simply too large.
Everytime she looked at Albedo since the incident, she felt a twinge of shame in her gut.
Albedo looked at her Lady with worry, "If you didn't do anything, then why are you sad?"
"Well…" Tiamat didn't know where to begin.
Albedo patiently waited for her to explain.
The Dragoness shuffled in her seat, "I-I think Shalltear's avoiding me."
"Shalltear?" she inquired.
Tiamat nodded her head, "Yes," she said quietly.
"Are you sure?" Albedo intoned softly.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I did chase her around though, and everytime I come close, she always leaves."
Albedo sighed, "I am not even surprised at this point."
Tiamat eyes sparkled with hope, "Do you actually know why she's been avoiding me?"
"I have an idea, but I'm not sure..." Albedo pondered. Was it perhaps because of the fight?
Albedo took a specific report from the table and gave it to Tiamat.
"Please read this," she said, and Tiamat hesitantly complied.
The report had no title, but when she skimmed the entire report, she noticed that it was about her battle with Shalltear.
The damage the battle had caused, the range of the area that was affected, and the possible impact it might have had on the neighboring countries.
The aftermath of the fight has been reported in many neighboring countries. Currently the place has become some sort of a human tourist spot, although no one has dared to approach the lava pit. It read.
"What does this have to do with Shalltear avoiding me?" she asked.
But Albedo remained quiet.
In the end, Albedo teleported away only to return shortly with the『Crystal Monitor』. Albedo set the flawless monitor right in front of the Dragoness and she clicking the crystal clear mirror.
It was the recording of her fight with Shalltear.
From the moment she summoned the Seraph Empyreans, to when she buffed herself and used 『Dimensional Lock』so that it was impossible for Shalltear to teleport away.
Her amethyst eyes never left the crystal, and somehow it brought her back to the battlefield.
The smell of burned ashes and trees. The smell of fire and sulphur.
Tiamat watched the fight in an aerial view so she could see both hers and Shalltear's movement.
When she watched as the Lance pierced her, at the same time she could feel the ghost pain in her abdomen, even if she was fully healed.
But that was nothing.
She remembered the smell of burning flesh. The acrid metallic smell.
It was something she would never forget.
The consumed muscle tissue emitted a fragrance like a meat on a griddle, and the fat burning with the muscle bore a scent like a side of greasy pork on the flame broil. The iron-rich blood still inside gave the smell of copper.
But that was not all.
When the fire consumed the skin, she remembered the charcoal like smell that produced a sulfurous scent.
The aroma was disgusting and sweet, foul and steaky, something similar to a calfskin being tanned over a fire.
The haunting smell of Shalltear's body being burned to crisps.
She almost vomited. At the same time, a primordial hunger stirred in her pits.
'What the…?''
Tiamat angrily slapped herself out of her stupor. Her hands and cheeks burned from the sting, keeping her awake.
'What the hell are you thinking! That's Shalltear you were burning! Not a chunk of… of… meat.'
"Shalltear doesn't remember anything about the fight. That is why," Albedo's breath hitched when the screen showed the part where Tiamat was visibly struggling.
Just one more second and she could have been dead.
But then Pentakrisis swooped in.
"Demiurge had told Shalltear to watch this."
Tiamat gripped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Small tremors rocked her body every time she attacked Shalltear.
Her body quivered, and with great effort she forced herself to look away the moment where Shalltear was incinerated when she and Pentakrisis attacked her simultaneously.
When the recording ended, she couldn't help but want to weep.
The hot feeling in her eyes was threatening to explode, but she held herself back
Albedo wanted to comfort the Dragoness, but when she took a step forward, she saw the Dragoness's steely eyes.
It was at that moment where Tiamat came to a realization.
Shalltear was scared of her…
Tiamat raised both of her palms to her face and inhaled deeply.
'Don't break down now, don't break down now, don't break down now…'
But mere words could not eradicate the sorrow that splintered its way through her heart.
She was stunned by what she saw on the recording. The woman on the screen was no longer Hannah, but Tiamat, the Goddess of Dragons.
She knew this from her head, but realizing it from her heart was on a whole other level.
She felt like a small child in comparison to the overwhelming power she waved around.
'Power of a god.'
She took a deep breath, clearing away her sadness. Knowing her power was vastly different than seeing it first hand and actually comprehending it. For several moments, she couldn't turn away from the monitor that held all her feelings and resentment.
The fact that this power that she currently wielded harmed a member of her family had hurt. If this power caused even her own family to fear her, then she would gladly cast it away without a second thought.
Her hands moved slightly down and slapped her cheeks which surprised both Albedo.
"My-My Lady?"
Her cheeks were marked red from the sudden attack, and her eyes were steeled with resolve.
'This is no place to be crying.'
Ainz was busy, and Albedo had waited for her for two weeks without any breaks. She would damn herself if she caused more trouble to the both of them.
The Succubus just stared at her in silence, until she replied. "I got it. Thank you for telling me."
"Shall we take a break, My Lady?"
"No. Let's continue on with our work. The faster we finish the better," And once again she concentrated fully on the stacks of reports in front of her.
"My Lady, I think we should take a break…" Albedo said, but sadly, her words fell on deaf ears. Albedo looked on helplessly as the Dragoness flipped past report after report. There was nothing she could do but let out a large sigh.
Even though Tiamat didn't say anything, she was far too easy for Albedo to read. It was clear from the Dragoness's expression that she was indeed sad about the whole incident.
Albedo looked at her Lady's focused form, and she finally came to a decision.
She would make things right.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
At this point, Tiamat already understood that there might be a chance that Shalltear hated her.
Who wouldn't after watching their own killer burn them to ashes?
She understood that emotional pain was far more difficult to handle as compared to any physical pain. Even though Shalltear might not have remembered what happened, it must have hurt to see that someone she trusted had actually killed her.
But she could not deny that it was depressing.
Tiamat felt somewhat disconnected to Shalltear, especially since they used to be so close; it was like someone had taken away a puzzle piece and threw it in a bottomless pit, making her feel incomplete.
Yet, there was nothing she could do but to respect Shalltear's decision.
That was why when Aureole Omega messaged her of Shalltear's location, she dismissed it completely, and thanked the Leader of the Pleiades before walking her way back to her room.
Tiamat walked down the corridor of the Ninth Floor, and once again she saw Shalltear exit the bar.
Out of habit, she opened her mouth to call her, but her name was suddenly stuck in her throat, and she decided to stay quiet.
Shalltear, who sensed the incoming Dragoness, ran away at the familiar soft scent of burning amber, but when she looked back to check whether Tiamat was following her, her eyes widened in shock.
With hurt clearly written on her expression, Tiamat took one final look at Shalltear before she tore her gaze away. She slowly walked in the opposite direction where Shalltear was running.
The Vampire was so used to having the Dragoness chase after her these past days, and unknowingly a void filled her heart when she saw the Supreme Being walk away.
But there was nothing she could do at this point.
Even so Shalltear stood her ground, actually waiting for the Dragoness to run towards her one more time.
She didn't.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Tiamat emptily stared at the batter she was mixing.
She stirred and stirred and stirred, but her eyes remained empty.
"My Lady, should I put the seasoning in next?" Yuri asked her.
"Yes…" she answered soullessly.
Yuri felt apprehensive at her Lady's behaviour. It had been a week since she fell into despondency, and she did not know why.
The oldest of the Pleiades Maids decided to test Lady Tiamat.
Usually after this step, she had to preheat the oven and butter the mold.
"I think the next step after this is to decorate the cake, isn't that right My Lady?"
"...yes."
"Raw batter can be eaten right?"
"...yes."
"Dragon meat is delicious. Should we cook one of your babies?"
"...yes."
"Nabe-chan is pregnant with a human man."
"...ye—WHAT?"
"I was joking My Lady," Yuri said with a poker face.
"You're scaring me, Yuri…" Tiamat shuddered at the image of the doppelganger maid changing so drastically and breathed a sigh of relief. For Narberal who thought that humans were lower than insects...
It was eerie to think about, like someone she knew was a different person altogether.
"Is there something wrong, My Lady?"
"N-Nothing," Tiamat gave Yuri a strained smile in response.
Yuri sighed. Lady Tiamat was too transparent with her emotions. Even someone as low leveled as Hamsuke could see that she was clearly distressed.
"You've been working at that batter for ten minutes My Lady. The cheesecake has lost all of its air…"
Tiamat looked down at the batter in her hand, "Ah, you're right...what a waste," she smiled at Yuri. She decided to continue cooking the failed cheesecake she made.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stop making other people worry about you!' she berated herself.
Tiamat knew that she was too expressive. She cared too much, and as a result her emotions were either too intense and she found herself shutting down completely, or being overwhelmingly, blatantly open.
"Did something happen My Lady? This is the third time you have done this today."
"Hm, there's nothing Yuri," Tiamat tried to smile from her eyes, putting on a confident mask. She knew this was what she was good at.
'Hidehidehide, don't let your ugliness show.'
But she knew from Yuri's eyes alone that she wasn't convinced. Yuri was giving her the look of her Therapist back on Earth who didn't believe a word of what she said.
'Smile, be more convincing.'
"I was thinking of a new recipe to cook," Tiamat lied to Yuri, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth as she unconsciously swallowed her saliva. "Sorry for making you worry Yuri. It won't happen again," she hummed a bit higher than usual and continued cooking.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Using『Fly』, Ainz landed on the grassy plains at the entrance of Nazarick.
The stars were already out in the pure night sky.
He hadn't expected that the Adamantite quest would take so long. He had sent Naberal back to the Shining Golden Pavilion as he returned first to Nazarick.
Once again, he looked up at the dark sky. Even wreathed in shadows, Nazarick was still an object of beauty. Rather, the darkness gave it a mystical appearance.
From above, he could see Albedo waiting for him patiently.
"Welcome back, Ainz-sama," Albedo greeted him when he landed.
Ainz could only nod in reply. Even though he wasn't physically tired, he was busy juggling with two jobs. One being an Adventurer and the other as the leader of Nazarick.
Ainz sighed as both of them teleported to his office on the Ninth Floor, and immediately sought comfort in the sofa, leaning against the plush pillows.
Thinking back, he should've gone to the adventurer's guild together with Tiamat. Right now her name was boosted to the skies because of all her accomplishments, thus Ainz needed to make his persona on par with hers.
'Didn't YGGDRASIL lore talk about dragons being lucky creatures? If only I got a bit of that my life would be much easier…'
Ainz looked towards Albedo. "I am sorry to ask you to work this late, Albedo. For doing working overtime, you will be paid extra."
"There's no need, Ainz-sama. It is after all, my obligation as the Overseer of Nazarick."
Even though she said that sincerely, Ainz didn't change his mind. He would make sure to include her overtime payment on her monthly salary.
"Then, please give me your report."
Whenever Ainz left and returned to Nazarick, he would ask Albedo to report Tiamat's actions as per his order in the Throne Room.
In the current situation, he looked forward to the reports more than anything.
He recently found out that he was anticipating about what sorts of interesting things Tiamat was up to.
Seeing a chance to redeem herself, Albedo straightened up. "In the time Ainz-sama has been absent, Lady Tiamat had grown distressed."
"Distressed?" he immediately responded.
"Yes, it seems that Shalltear is avoiding Lady Tiamat. She did ask Aureola Omega to help her track down Shalltear but she escaped every time."
Ainz patiently listened to Albedo's report.
But one question hung in the air, and that was 'Why?'
Why would Shalltear treat Tiamat so? Didn't they use to be close?
As if she was able to read the Overlord's mind, she responded, "Shalltear had recently visited the bar everyday, and though none of her work was affected, it seemed that she had received a lot of complaints from the frequent visitors of the bar, including Sous-Chef who was managing it. I presume that she was shocked about the fight with Lady Tiamat when Demiurge explained it to her."
"Regardless, I cannot allow this sort of behaviour."
"I agree. In a way, this also affects Lady Tiamat. Even though none of her work was affected, she was evidently slower and unfocused," Albedo hesitated for a moment. "Also…I'm worried about her."
Ainz thought about it briefly and finally came to a decision.
"I will be staying for a week to observe the situation."
"Understood, Ainz-sama. Thank you."
⊂((・▽・))⊃
The sun was just rising as Ainz entered his office only to find Tiamat already sitting there, waiting for both him and Albedo.
"Welcome back!" she smiled at Ainz.
Ainz carefully looked at her before nodding and taking a seat on his chair.
"I'm back Tia," he replied. "Did anything happen while I was away?"
"Nothing happened at all," she cheerfully replied, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.
Ainz silently looked at Tiamat.
The mask she had put on was indeed convincing. If he didn't receive the report from Albedo, there was no way he would've known.
"The twins are as cute as ever," she cooed. "Ah! I was also eating with Pandora's Actor in the Treasury, apparently he really likes cheesecake."
Tiamat was gleaming with life, like nothing was wrong.
But this was not what Ainz wanted to know.
"What about you? Did anything happen to you?"
Tiamat looked at Ainz, confused.
"To me?" she thought for a while, "Oh! I've been making a mess in the kitchen when you're not here, it seems that my two weeks of imprisonment had dulled my cooking abilities. But don't worry, I ate all of it!"
"...Right, that sounds interesting," Ainz replied. "But isn't there something else you'd like to tell me?"
"No...?"
Ainz wanted to hear what Albedo told him straight from Tiamat, but he guessed that wouldn't happen.
He sighed, "I received a report from Albedo, that you're facing some...troubles."
The sound of silence momentarily filled the entire room. If someone strained their ears, they would have heard the deafening sound of a pin dropping on the carpeted ground.
"Th-That's not true…" Tiamat looked away from his gaze, her cheerful expression faltering.
He knew though. No matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't a very good liar.
He hoped she would give up on her mask. He hoped that she would share her problems with him.
"Tia," he said tenderly, "As your friend and guildmaster, I feel the need to help you. So wouldn't it be fine for me to deal with all of this?"
He wanted to make all of her problems disappear. He wanted her to trust him more.
A surge of warmth flooded over her from the tips of her horns to the end of her tail. Even so, a sickening pit of guilt prevented her from being honest.
This was something she had to deal with on her own.
"Nope! There's no need for you to do anything," she smiled at him, a bit more brightly than before.
"Why not…?"
"Well, I'll be a lousy adult to rely on someone else to take care of my problems right?" she sheepishly said. "Th-therefore there is no need for you to comfort me."
Ainz's gaze remained fixed on her, but under the length of his robe, he clenched his fist.
It was bad enough that her voice was shaking, so why...
'Why won't you rely on me?'
"Tia, will you cease that already?" anger was bubbling up to his head.
Ainz's orbs seemed to burn.
"Regardless of how many times you say it, you're still putting on a mask. I know you," his voice steely with resolve.
"A-As I said, I'm a grown woman. I can handle my own problems."
Kind and gentle, but also hard-headed and stubborn.
Ainz thought that if he was the one who personally talked to her, she would at least inform him.
"Are you fine with continuing this? Things might escalate."
"That won't be a problem, I'm super strong after all!" she smiled, putting her hand on her bicep. "I don't need your help."
Those words smashed through his ribcage and pierced his absent heart. He had the urge to break the table in front of him to pieces.
"Fine. Have it your way then."
When Tiamat heard those words filled with pain, she called out to him.
"A-Ainz?"
"Please take a break, you deserve it. I need to focus and finish my work."
"Really?"
Ainz sighed, "Go. Before I changed my mind."
At the very thought of another break, Tiamat beamed, " I'll be going out then." she stood up from her chair and teleported to her room.
Albedo who was listening intently to their conversation finally spoke up, "Are you fine with that, Ainz-sama?"
Ainz covered his face with his hand, "What else can I do if she refuses my help? Holding out your hand to someone who refuses to take it is a waste of time," he said coldly. "There is no need to force someone to accept something they don't want."
But there was no way for Ainz to control this feeling of his.
He had plenty of people who refused his help both on Earth and in YGGDRASIL, and he had always just left it at that.
'But why...why does it bother me so much?'
Albedo wanted to sigh when she looked at her distressed Supreme Beings.
Why couldn't they just be honest with their feelings…
"Ainz-sama, I'm sorry for being impudent, but isn't Lady Tiamat special to you?"
Even though that question was came out of the blue, Ainz still answered Albedo's question earnestly.
"Well, she is the only guild member aside from me, so of course she is special."
"That was not what I meant…" Albedo drew in a deep breath.
She felt like she could lose her head talking back to the Supreme Being like this, especially when she was almost relieved from her position as the Overseer of Nazarick, but this was something that had to be said.
"I can see that Ainz-sama cherishes Lady Tiamat," she started softly. "I too, cherish her."
They loved her as much as she loved them.
Ainz stayed quiet, but acknowledged what Albedo had said.
"Then why did you ignore it all after she refused?"
Ainz couldn't help but to look away, gritting his teeth. "What else can I do? I had everything prepared to resolve the whole issue if she just asked, but she obstinately kept refusing."
Albedo could hear the veiled pain behind the annoyance in her Master's voice.
Bracing herself, she clenched her fist.
"I'm...I'm not like you, Ainz-sama," Albedo confessed. "For me, the very first time someone else is relying on me—as Albedo, not as the Overseer of Nazarick—is Lady Tiamat."
Albedo looked at Ainz's face, but it didn't show any sliver of expression whatsoever. However, from the flicker in his eyes, Albedo knew that he probably didn't expect her to spill her heart out to him.
She felt somewhat ashamed. Her behavior was unbefitting of the Overseer's position, but she carried on.
"She was concerned for me, and for all the Floor Guardians as individuals. She made me feel wanted, loved, and protected. I know that she cares. As hard as it is to have Lady Tiamat rely on me, I still feel happy."
Albedo took a deep breath.
"I apologize if I'm wrong, but…" Albedo looked the Supreme Being in the eye, suppressing the chill running down her spine, "Didn't you feel lonely when your precious person wouldn't rely on you?"
Ainz stopped moving.
'Lonely...me? Because Tia wouldn't rely on me?'
He doesn't know if could empathize with what Albedo said he felt towards Tiamat, but he knew the pain of having someone he cared about hurt and suddenly leaving him.
His mother on the ground, unresponsive. Her life finally grinded to nothing by the world.
His guildmates stopped logging on, one after another.
He didn't want that.
Tiamat turned her back towards Nazarick, ignoring his outstretched hand.
He didn't want to leave any more regrets in his life.
He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve.
If Tiamat didn't want his help, he would help her nonetheless. That was why there was only one thing to do.
"Albedo,"
"Yes!"
"Would you mind helping me in my personal plan?"
Albedo smiled from ear to ear, "Of course! You can count on me, Ainz-sama!"
⊂((・▽・))⊃
Glug glug glug, fuwaaah~
Judging by the sound, the customer in question had just finished a drink in one gup.
As Sous-Chef cleared the wineglass, he thought that the customer in front of him was indeed bothersome.
Why couldn't she go to the social bar or the club on the Ninth Floor?
With a thump, the glass was slammed down on the counter. The Sous-Chef struggled against the anger which threatened to twist his featureless head.
"Give me *hic* another!"
The Myconid obliged, filling the glass one more time.
She raised the glass and downed it in one gulp, like she was polishing off milk after a hot bath.
"Don't you think you've had enough?"
"...No. I want more," she raised her glass up and the Myconid filled it again.
"I see."
Sous-Chef's irritation slowly built up as the Vampire in front of him continued chugging the drink.
Ever since she had come into the bar a few days ago, he knew that the Vampire couldn't get drunk. Afterall, it was impossible for an Undead that was immune to poison to get intoxicated by something as simple as alcohol.
That was why this person who couldn't get drunk was only diminishing the stocks in Nazarick; especially after the new policy the Supreme Being had implemented to limit the consumption of alcohol per person.
Since the location of Nazarick had changed, Lady Tiamat and Lord Ainz actually implemented a simple economic system in Nazarick where anyone could buy miscellaneous goods within Nazarick as long as they paid for it. Basic necessities remained free of course.
Later, the profit would go to the workers and the expenditures would mostly be simple ingredients to make alcohol and food.
It was a good system because they could obtain items even from outside of Nazarick at the right price, and right now the system was slowly circulating throughout the whole Ninth Floor.
Not that anything could be better than what Nazarick produced anyways.
Just as Sous-Chef wondered about the alcohol consumption of Shalltear alone, another person had come into the bar.
"Welcome."
"Sous-Chef," the person greeted.
Demiurge, his regular customer had entered the bar.
Usually, he sat on his chair at the corner of the room, but he walked towards Shalltear who thought she was actually drunk.
Demiurge glanced at Shalltear whose head was lowered and seemingly muttering to herself.
"Shalltear," the demon casually greeted her.
Finally broken out of her fake stupor, the Vampire greeted him, "Ara, if it isn't Demiurge."
With a somewhat exaggerated motion, Demiurge raised his glasses.
"I came here to tell you that all the Floor Guardians have a meeting in the Throne Room in one hour."
"A meeting?"
"Yes, there is something we need to discuss for the future of Nazarick."
"I see," she nodded. "I got it, I'll be there."
Then he walked out of the bar.
Shalltear looked at him confusedly.
"Did he actually come here just to say that?"
In response to Shalltear's question, Sous-Chef just sighed.
⊂((・▽・))⊃
"I see that you're awake," Ainz gruffly called the Dragoness who was exiting his chamber.
She had slept in Ainz's room for two weeks now, so it wasn't unusual for him to see Tiamat every now and then.
Tiamat winced as she stretched her arms upwards.
As usual, she walked towards her chair, despite the fact that her body was heavily protesting against doing so.
"Yeah," she answered with a yawn. "Where's Albedo?"
Albedo who usually stood next to Ainz was nowhere to be seen.
"She had to attend a Floor Guardian meeting," he replied slowly. "There are some problems they need to discuss."
"Then shouldn't you attend too?" she asked curiously. Usually when the Floor Guardians were summoned to the Throne Room, it was because of Ainz's order or that he had something he needed to discuss with them.
She found it weird that the Floor Guardians suddenly decided to have a meeting by themselves.
"Actually, they were waiting for you," Ainz abruptly announced. "It seemed that the problem was related to the budgeting form you've created earlier. That was the form from your bakery right?"
"Y-Yes…" What in the world? When she reviewed the budgeting forms, everything seemed to be fine and Albedo didn't correct her either.
"I don't suppose you know how it could be linked to Nazarick's standards?" he asked dryly. "The Budgeting Form you made doesn't fit with the current Nazarick which causes a lot of confusion for each floor. That's why they're having a meeting right now."
Tiamat nodded in understanding, "You're probably right," she agreed.
The current Nazarick was about the size of a huge corporation. Since the budgeting form was made to handle the necessities of a small bakery, it probably wasn't enough to envelop all of Nazarick.
At that time she received two beeps of 『Message』.
[Yes?]
[Lady Tiamat, you're awake?]
[I am, Albedo. I heard that you guys are having problems with the budgeting form?]
[Yes, My Lady.]
[I'll be there.]
Another two beeps signaled that the『Message』had ended.
"It seems that I have to go to the Throne Room," Tiamat turned to look at Ainz. "I'll tell you about it as soon as I'm finished."
Ainz nodded.
With a simple tap on her ring, she watched as the surroundings blurred into the familiar dark room, only illuminated by the light of a single chandelier.
Tiamat expected the Floor Guardians to be there, but she was surprised when she only saw one person.
"L-Lady Tiamat…" the lone figure said in a familiar voice she finally heard after so long.
When Tiamat heard that voice, it was like a dam broke. She couldn't stop her heart from being torn apart. A trickle of blood ran down her lip as she bit it.
The more she wanted to avoid the thought of that person, the more thoughts of her popped into her mind. Sometimes she wanted to cry out loud and sometimes she felt like sitting quietly, recalling those carefree moments.
Even cooking didn't excite her anymore.
The feeling of loss expanded and expanded.
And she knew it was her own fault.
"Shalltear…"
As she predicted, Shalltear bolted to the double doors, and when she did so, Tiamat felt like hell had boiled over.
The soul wrenching moments always began as soon as Shalltear turned away from her. There was nothing Tiamat could do as a fog of depression blanketed her mind, dragging her into an empty void.
When Shalltear was about to rip the door open, she stumbled—even Tiamat was shocked—because the door wouldn't open.
They were trapped together inside one room.
Immediately, the Dragoness's thoughts went back to her previous conversation with Ainz.
'Ainz must have planned this…' Tiamat realized.
"Damn it!" Shalltear unexpectedly screamed at the door, and as if a lightbulb went on in her head, the Vampire seethed in disdain. "Demiurge…"
Even after knowing the reality of what was happening, Shalltear didn't even turn her body to look at Tiamat.
'She must really hate me…'
Tiamat took a step forward.
She hesitated.
'If Shalltear doesn't want to talk, then I shouldn't force her to,' she argued to herself.
Shalltear stopped trying to open the door and turned around with a wary expression on her face.
It crushed Tiamat to see such an expression towards her on someone she considered her child.
'I have to at least try. Things will never get better if I don't do at least that,' she took a deep breath in and slowly walked up to Shalltear who quickly lowered her head.
Unable to continue holding in her feelings, the Dragoness began.
"Shalltear," she said softly. "I'm sorry…"
Tiamat couldn't see Shalltear's expression, but she could see that the Vampire flinched at those words.
"I'm sorry I hurt you. I-I'm sorry that you were hurt by my actions," her voice cracked. "I understand if you hate me for it."
The Vampire trembled.
"I don't expect you to forgive me," Tiamat continued, "and that's fine. After this, I'll keep my distance from you if that's what you want."
There was no response.
"Since this will be the last time, I just want you to know that whatever happens in the future, whatever you decide, my feelings won't change. I will always, always, love you and protect—" she stopped herself.
'Tiamat, you hypocrite,' she scolded herself. 'What a joke. Saying that you'll protect her when you killed her with your own hands. You have no right to say those words.'
"If you want, you can pierce me with your lance as an equal measure."
Shalltear immediately turned around.
"Lady Tiamat you are an idiot!" she screamed out.
Tiamat flinched at the sudden reply, but when she finally looked at Shalltear, her eyes widened in surprise.
Tears filled Shalltear's eyes as they fell down in fat droplets.
"S-Shal—"
"Do you think it's because I'm hurt that I want you to get hurt? Does it seem like I'm someone that heartless?!" Shalltear shouted out, "I don't want the people I care about to suffer like me!"
"Shalltear...I-I'm so—"
"Don't throw your pity at me!" Shalltear cut her off, "Why would you judge me like that!"
Tiamat stayed quiet, as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Yes, you're right, I'm angry. But not because I want to torture you, you stupid Dragon! I'm angry at myself!" she screamed out. "Idiot, idiot, you idiot!"
Tiamat immediately smothered Shalltear in a hug.
"I'm sorry, Shalltear. I-I'm very sorry..."
"Uu...Uwaaaaaaaa…" Shalltear who held herself back finally succumbed to the Dragoness and cried out loud. "I-I'm sorry for hurting you My Lady!"
"Me too, Shalltear. Me too…"
The other Floor Guardians who were listening outside the door smiled in relief.
Canon Omake: Behind the door
Outside the door to the Throne Room, Albedo, Demiurge, Cocytus, Aura, and Mare stood leaning their weight against the door.
When the maids walked past them, they wondered what they were doing.
The Homunculi Maids jumped in surprise when a large force on the other side of the door tried to push the door open, and they immediately fled the scene.
The Floor Guardians pushed on the door with all their might.
"『G-Greater Full Potential』, 『D-Draconic Power』, 『G-Greater Physical Boost』!" Mare casted his buffs on all of the Floor Guardians who were trying to keep Shalltear inside.
Green light enveloped them, and as the surge of power travelled throughout their whole bodies, they felt like they had more than enough strength to push back the door.
"Shalltear. Is. Strong." Cocytus huffed, all of his limbs were occupied as he tried to keep the door shut.
"Just a little bit more," Demiurge panted, his shoulder straining against the door, strands of hair sticking to his sweating forehead, ruining his perfectly styled hair, "I already casted 『Dimensional Lock』so it's impossible for her to teleport away from the Throne Room."
Another bang could be heard from behind the door.
"Let me out, let me out, let me out right now!"
Once Mare had finished casting his buffs, he immediately joined his sister, pushing the door with his whole back while Aura pushed the door with her hands.
"Just when will Lady Tiamat come anyway?!" Aura asked impatiently.
Albedo who also pushed the door with her whole body answered, "Any minute now! So don't you dare give up!"
Another bang opened the door by a sliver, but as soon as it opened, it slammed shut immediately.
"T-This is for the sake of our Supreme Being!" Albedo screamed out.
"Hai!" they shouted simultaneously.
Omake: Aftermath
When Shalltear returned back to her room, she immediately dropped to her knees in chagrin.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The Vampire Brides who were on standby immediately approached their Master, shocked by what they had just witnessed.
"Is there something wrong, Master?" one of them worriedly asked.
Shalltear covered her face with both of her hands, so they couldn't see her expression, but they could still see that her ears were burning red.
"I can't believe I was so casual to Lady Tiamat! I even called her stupid!" Shalltear confessed. "This is unacceptable for Floor Guardian. Idiot! I'm such an idiot!"
However, the Vampire Brides didn't understand a word she was saying. Therefore they remained quiet and stayed by her side instead.
"I'm sure Lady Tiamat won't mind," one of them said.
"Yes, Lady Tiamat is known to be kind and generous."
As soon as they said that, Shalltear wept even more.
"Exactly! The fact that Lady Tiamat was probably happy that I was dropping all honorifics is making me feel even more guilty!"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Shortstack, you there?"
"C-Chibi...?"
"I-It's good that they finally reconciled, i-isn't it onee-san?"
Aura sighed, "They should've done that from the beginning," putting both of her hands behind her head and waited for Shalltear to come out from her room.
Shalltear finally opened the door.
"What do you want, Chibi?" she scowled.
Aura grinned.
"Lady Tiamat you idiot! Uu, Uwaaaaaaaa~!" the older of the dark elf twins mocked.
Shalltear slammed the door in her face.
"D-Do you have to do that, o-onee-san?"
The sound of Shalltear wailing behind the door made Aura grin even harder.
"Worth it."
A/N: If any of you guys want to make curry, I included the recipe and steps in this chapter, so go wild. This is a very difficult part to write about. One of the hardest after the fight with Shalltear. HOLY SHIT 200 REVIEWS YO WE ARE ON A ROLL! Thank you everyone! Hugs and Kisses!
Discord: 'Tiamat: The Goddess of Dragons' Discord Link: Hector Tries To Pivot Stuff (colon) (slash) (slash) daddy is so craving orange refreshing drink . gg (slash) JUejk8J
Chapter 19 is already published on Discord v(≧∇≦v)三(v≧∇≦)v
Hackslashbash: Shalltear playing hide and go seek. Nice. ALL OMAKES ARE CANON UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE.
Reply to reviews
Reza0807: We have accepted your request. Please anticipate the upcoming chapters on that :)
Lion King (guest): Yes he did! LMFAO!
LilHam: We will not be going down the Gazef route, but we'll have him play a big role in later chapters. No, we're not going to kill him off. We'll also try to implement your omake idea in future chapters. Thank you for the tip on honorifics by the way, that was definitely a mess up on our parts. [ imaweeaboo: I can always make an omake about Gazef x Tiamat, but it won't be canon… Bone dada is our priority]
