Collection of Ashurbanipal - Volume XLI: Tiamat: The Goddess of Dragons, A Myth -
Volume XLI, Chapter IX—Rebirth
She greedily gulped in the air around her. It felt as if she was a drowning person who was suddenly pulled over water.
The Dragon felt cold, naked; things that didn't help her first impression of the two strangers before her.
One was a skeleton that was wreathed in an overbearing aura of umbral might. The other looked far less intimidating—a humanoid in what appeared to be a paladin's armor—though this did nothing to ease her unrest.
She immediately jumped away as she warily hissed at the two strangers. It was then that she noticed an odd way in which she had jumped.
The Dragon looked down at her hands.
Hands?
She patted every single square inch of her body.
Where were the scales she had suffered so much for? Where were her teeth? Why did she have human hands and feet?
Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy?
This body could not be her own.
Before she could demand an explanation from the two strangers, the white paladin stepped forward—hands up in a non-threatening gesture—as he attempted to persuade the Dragon to rest easy.
This only served to set off the already nervous Dragon. The mighty beast in human form exhaled a great searing pillar of fire.
The white paladin was caught off guard as he skidded back, his skeletal friend quickly casting mythical wards that would guard against even the most infernal flames.
The storm of scorching dragonflame slammed into the ice-blue barrier, setting the entire cavern awash in blinding light.
At this, the God of Death was finally pushed to his breaking point. His friend had taken unnecessary risks for a stranger and now she had the nerve to burn his own home.
His obsidian presence seemingly filled the room with a suffocating pressure. At this, the Dragon finally halted her assault, backing away from the formidable being and his authoritative, regal voice.
After much unneeded conflict, they finally calmed down enough to talk civilly.
The white paladin explained how he had went on a quest to revive her after her unjust death. How he had transversed countless realms, looking for aid—even down to the God of the Dead—until he finally took the ultimate gamble with a dubious deity of Fortune.
Upon hearing all of this, the Dragon shed a tear, incredulous that someone would show her such compassion. To her, sacrificing one's self to save a friend was the greatest form of virtue—a belief that was only strengthened by her late friend's untimely death—and to think that a stranger she had only sparred with once would go so far to help her brought her to her knees in gratitude.
After frantic comforting from her two new friends, the Dragon sat down with the Overlord of Death and the Paladin of Pure Silver, the bizarre group that would one day become myths sharing stories of their lives.
Their gathering continued with great cheer until the Dragon shared the death of her friend. Outraged, the Overlord and the Paladin grimaced in anger, pledging their unconditional aid to the Dragon if she were to seek vengeance.
With a particularly wide smile, the Dragon formed her plot.
Chapter 27: Proposition
She wanted to cry.
Her heart wanted to crack into pieces, and she didn't even know why.
But as soon as the tears started welling up in her eyes, she angrily wiped them away along with the feeling of worthlessness that came with them.
With her head resting between her hands, all she could do was clutch her head and think things through.
'Is it because of Shalltear? Did I mess up that badly? Is this why he doesn't trust me anymore?'
Tiamat knew Ainz well enough at this point. She'd always had, even before they got transported into the New World. She had always been rash, impulsive, and ignorant, while Ainz was the complete opposite of her. He was calculating, careful, and always took everything into account, down to the most minute details.
Whenever she had made a careless mistake in the game, he wouldn't get angry. Instead, he would just laugh things off, and they would just start over from the beginning.
Tiamat had always helped him when he needed it; all he ever needed to do was ask, and she would be there as soon as she could. Even if they failed an important quest, he wouldn't get angry or upset over it.
She knew that he had a hard time with their guildmates leaving the game. Maintaining things to be the way they currently were was no easy task, especially if there were only at most five or six members active out of the forty one.
She also knew that Ainz had issues with his confidence. He never thought that he was good enough, a reason that he sincerely believed was the reason why they left the game.
But that was not the case.
Ainz was a great leader.
It's just that people were much more preoccupied with their life in the real world compared to the illusory fun they had in the virtual world.
And there was nothing she could do about that.
No matter how hard she pleaded or how hard she tried to convince them that all Ainz needed were a few words of farewell, not a single person responded to her pleads.
Even then, Ainz bore it all with a quiet patience. But his reaction a few minutes ago let her know that this time she had made a terrible, terrible mistake.
A familiar feeling once again began etching itself into her skin. It seemed that even after she had been transported to another world, she was still as disgusting on the inside.
Her brain felt sluggish, and her mind constantly drifted about like a mist of anxiety. It was as if she didn't have the energy to do anything.
She just wanted to disappear.
'What am I doing here, feeling all sorry for myself? He's always been like this. It would be ridiculous of me to expect to just suddenly change because I told him to.'
Tiamat took a deep breath. "I should probably do something other than moping around, haaaaaaah…"
Doing something time consuming would take her mind off of the stress and gloom that was plaguing her. It was a method that always worked.
Always.
Tiamat slapped both of her cheeks with the palms of her hands, bringing herself back to reality before she stood up and exited the room.
As her room was located on the second floor of the mansion, she decided to take her time to stroll over to the kitchen that Sebas had already introduced to her a few hours ago during the tour of the mansion.
It was a fairly spacious room—nowhere near as large as the kitchen in Nazarick of course—with grayish walls that bore signs of the wear of time. It was like an extremely toned down version of the kitchen in the Tomb that she had grown to love.
In fact, she was one of the few who had designed the grand kitchen of Nazarick. It could be said that it was her dream kitchen.
Sadly, she would have to settle for this disappointment of a cookery.
She wanted to avoid Ainz for a couple of days until she could get her thoughts sorted.
Tiamat looked around the mansion's dingy kitchen again; it seemed that the oven and stove were relatively old—a clay kiln in fact—and could prove to be problematic for an amateur chef because having an uncontrollable fire was definitely undesirable.
Thankfully, Tiamat was no amateur.
She strode over to the cupboard and opened the cabinet doors.
Empty.
She opened the next one.
Empty.
She opened the next one, and the next one after that, her movement becoming more erratic as she gradually realized that every single one of the cupboards were empty.
Using her keen sense of smell, Tiamat lifted up the hems of her dress and ran towards where Sebas was.
"Sebas!" Tiamat skidded to a stop when she nearly rushed passed the room where Sebas was working.
The steely butler was sitting on a chair, his gray eyes filled with a sharp intensity as he worked on a small stack of paperwork that was laid on top of his table with Solution and Yuri by his side.
"Lady Tiamat," Sebas stood up, greeting her. His action was quickly imitated by the two Pleiades maids, "Is there anything you need from me?"
Tiamat walked up to Sebas and put her hands on his shoulders from the other side of the table. With a sudden burst of strength, she pulled the butler towards her and looked at him with panic written across her features. The two Pleiades sisters looked at the Supreme Being with concern, but the perfectly stoic butler remained unperturbed.
"Sebas, the kitchen—" Tiamat almost yelled.
"Yes, what about the kitchen, My Lady?" Sebas replied in an almost casual manner, surprising her even more.
"It's empty!"
Sebas looked at the Dragoness with steadfast eyes.
"Yes," he confirmed her worst fears, "The kitchen is indeed empty."
"That's impossible!" Tiamat clutched her head, "I can't believe it, what kind of sorcery is this?"
Even the kitchen in Nazarick was always well stocked and filled to the brim thanks to Lupusregina's shopping trips to Carne Village almost every two weeks or so. Because of this, Tiamat never had any problems procuring ingredients she wanted to cook with, and with the addition of the Dryad that Suzu—Ainz had found, growing difficult vegetables had never been easier.
It baffled her that the mansion didn't have the same resources as Nazarick, even though it was bought using Nazarick's money.
"There are no sorcery or tricks to this, My Lady," Sebas reassured her.
"Then when have you guys been eating? What did you eat? Did you even eat at all?" her panicked voice grew higher and higher with each word. Just the thought that Sebas and Solution hadn't had a proper meal since they went on their mission hurt her heart.
"You don't have to worry, Lady Tiamat," this time Solution was the one who spoke out, "As a Soggoth, I didn't have to eat a lot, and Lord Ainz, in his infinite kindness, gave Sebas-sama a 『Ring of Sustenance』before we went on this mission."
Tiamat moved her eyes downward and saw the gleam of the golden band that was sparkling outside of Sebas's gloved finger, ostentatiously announcing its unwelcome presence.
At that moment, she had never despised the ring more.
'I swear, when I go back to Nazarick, everyone will be banned from using that ring.'
"How many times do I have to tell you? You need to be healthy. That means you have to eat well. Three meals a day is the minimum."
Sebas put his gloved hand over his heart and dipped into a deep bow, Yuri and Solution mirroring his actions.
"We apologize, Lady Tiamat. But the money Ainz-sama had given us for this mission isn't enough to cover food expenses along with our other operations. I've discussed this with Solution as well and we both agreed to forgo the food unless it's for the denizens of Nazarick," he said smoothly.
Sebas's words baffled Tiamat, "Not enough money?" she questioned, "How is that possible?"
Every division in Nazarick had funds budgeted for them, and so far, none of them had asked for additional funding. Tiamat had checked each and every budget request with Pandora's Actor, triple-checking to ensure that they were properly separating Nazarick's assets from their acquisitions in the New World.
It would be pathetic of them to charge their children money for services inside their own home.
With that thought in mind, Tiamat and Ainz had pored over documents for hours to make sure they weren't forcing the denizens of the Tomb to pay for a service that was already a part of Nazarick.
Even so, they should still have enough money to support all of Nazarick's operations. Was Sebas and Solution's work in the Kingdom that expensive?
'I wish Ainz would tell me more about this kind of stuff…' Tiamat's expression dropped a little before she shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face.
"Never mind, as long as everything else is okay, Ainz and I can handle the food problem."
'Thinking about that now won't do anyone any good.'
Sebas's eyes narrowed for a split second before he relaxed again. Surely he didn't see her lapse in concentration?
"We appreciate your concern My Lady, but there is no need for that. We won't be here too long and both of us would much rather eat in Nazarick, is that not right, Solution?"
"Indeed, Sebas-sama," Solution nodded in agreement before turning her head to the side and muttering, "Although there's not that much fresh food around…"
Tiamat's ears burned. She was sure she used the freshest ingredients in everything she made...or maybe she messed up in that too?
Sebas saw this and gave Solution a sharp look. The Slime Maid jolted and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what the Head Butler was implying.
"I-I am deeply sorry, My Lady! I meant no offense to your cooking!" Solution bent her body in a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"It's alright Solution," Tiamat walked over to the maid and gently lifted her head up, "I'm not perfect and neither is my cooking. If there's somewhere I can improve, then please tell me."
Solution's eyes shifted from side to side in agitation, "My Lady—"
"Forgive us for the lack of clarity, My Lady. Solution was merely referring to her more...particular tastes."
Tiamat blankly stared at the unbothered Butler and the fidgeting Slime Maid. "Particular?"
Sebas just looked at her with his typical iron-hard expression.
"Ohhhhhhhh! That kind of particular!" Tiamat's eyes finally lit up in realization. "Uh…so you mean a person right? Did you eat someone recently, Solution?"
Sebas quickly responded, "My Lady, before Shalltear-sama's mind control, there was a coach driver who tried to lure us into an ambush," Sebas's normally stoic eyes darkened for an instant, "However, we were able to defeat all of them, and Solution ate the offending excuse of a man."
"He was offensive to my taste buds too…" Solution grumpily muttered under her breath, jolting as Sebas shot a sharp look in her direction.
'Huh, I'm not as bothered by that as I thought I would. Well, if it's someone who dared to attack them for no good reason, then it should be fine right?' Tiamat internally mused.
"I'll talk to Ainz and see what I can do, Solution. Don't apologize for your eating necessities. We all have to eat to survive, right?" Tiamat tilted her head with a bright smile adorning her features.
"I do not deserve such kindness, My Lady," Solution, completely overwhelmed with emotion, knelt down before Tiamat—her Goddess—as she wept giant tears that returned to her body before they could touch the ground. Truly, for Lady Tiamat to care about something as unimportant as her eating necessities…
"A-Ah, it's not that big of a deal Solution, I can assure you that I am not offended, so please get up…" Tiamat wrung her hands as she helplessly watched the prone Maid. "Yuri…"
"Yes, My Lady," The Eldest Pleiades walked over and gently took Solution by the arm. "Solution, get up. You're one of the Pleiades Maids that serves the Supreme Being. Act in accordance to the title you've been gifted," Yuri sternly admonished her younger sister.
Solution slowly stood up—smoothing the creases of her dress that were a bit folded at the seams because of her sudden actions—as she turned back to the usual Solution Epsilon that Tiamat was familiar with.
However, Yuri was far from finished, "Moreover, Lady Tiamat never lies. If she said that she is not offended, then she isn't. Isn't that right My Lady?"
Tiamat huffed, "Of course! It will take a lot more than that to offend me!"
"Your kindness is very much appreciated, My Lady," Solution replied with a graceful bow.
'Speaking of which, what would actually trigger me…?'
Without thinking, she mumbled out loud the answer to her own question, "The empty kitchen though…that's an example of something that would offend me actually…"
"There's nothing we can do, Lady Tiamat," Sebas answered with his usual stoic face, "Tonight's dinner will have to be a simple sleep."
Then Yuri added, "I agree with you, Sebas-sama; it would indeed save some money for the more critical parts of the mission."
"No, wait! A dragon's gotta eat too you know!" Tiamat objected.
"There's nothing we can do at this point," Sebas replied with a hint of an apology in his voice, "Please hold on until tomorrow's breakfast, My Lady. I'll try contacting Sous-Chef tonight to send us some ingredients for the next morning."
"But… But…" Tiamat stuttered, "We haven't eaten dinner today."
"My Lady," Sebas remained steadfast, "We have no funds to spare for food right now. Ainz-sama himself was the one who set our budget to be as efficient as possible."
'Arrrrrgh, that cheapskate…'
Tiamat sighed as she tried to think of an argument against Sebas's cold hard logic. The stoic butler would not accept any suggestion that would deplete Nazarick's finances.
Oh, how she desperately wanted to curse Touch Me for making such an unagreeable butler.
"I guess there's nothing we can do, My Lady. Anyways, we'll be able to go back home soon," Yuri tried to cheer up the gluttonous goddess.
Tiamat quieted down, her eyes stuck to her feet. She was absolutely crestfallen at the thought of having no dinner before bed.
Both of the Pleiades sisters smiled at one another. Even Sebas nodded in agreement. It seemed that their Lady wouldn't throw a tantrum. For now at least.
Tiamat grumbled.
'What am I supposed to do without food? I can't sleep without dinner! Wait, there's that one thing I wanted to do to make money…'
Sebas and the two Pleiades sisters stared at the Dragoness as she paced back and forth around the room.
"My Lady, is there something wrong?" Solution worriedly took an uncertain step forward.
"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking of something," Tiamat blinked as she was broken out of her musings, "Speaking of which, Yuri, please call Pandora's Actor over here. There are some important things I want to discuss," conviction burned in Tiamat's eyes as she ordered the eldest of the Pleiades maids.
"May I ask what for, My Lady?"
With a smile on her face, she answered, "I'm going to make Nazarick rich again."
~('▽^人)
"Ach, nee?!" Pandora's Actor gripped his smooth face as his always open mouth grew even wider than usual.
[I don't quite understand what that means, but yes, Lady Tiamat needs you here to discuss something important.] The voice of Yuri Alpha filtered through『Message』and into the shapeshifter's mind.
"Ich glaub mich knutscht ein Elch! Lady Tiamat needs me to meet her outside of the Treasury?!" the egghead bent backward until his head nearly touched the ground.
Yuri sighed, [Yes, that's what I just said, Pandora's Actor. Please don't keep her waiting. If that's all, then come as soon as possible.]
"Warte! Should I notify Mein Vater?" Pandora's Actor hurriedly replied, sensing that the Dullahan maid was about to cut off the connection.
[Do you mean Ainz-sama? I don't believe that this situation is important enough to require Ainz-sama's attention.]
"Do not fret, Fraulein!" the image of a winged black-haired woman demanding him to hand over his clothes flitted through his head for a brief moment before he shook his head clear of the thought, "I will make my way there now!"
The egghead dramatically bowed in the empty Treasury.
He awkwardly coughed, "Verdammt… No one is even here…"
His cough reverberated in the vast vault, silence the only response to the Treasurer's shame.
"Ahem! I suppose I should get going then," Pandora's Actor dramatically tipped the visor of his cap forward before opening up a『Message』channel.
[Yes?] the clear voice of a young girl rang inside his head.
[Frau Aureole! I am in dire need of your assistance!] Pandora's Actor began to wildly gesticulate in the lonely confines of the Treasury.
[To open a portal? Alright, just stand there and wait a moment.]
And indeed, a moment later, a whorling rift ripped through the fabric of reality right before Pandora's Actor.
[Danke!] With that, the egghead closed the call and leapt through the portal.
On the other side of the portal, he saw a room that he had never seen before. Cream colored wallpapers, red carpet, and simple pieces of furniture; the room's quality was definitely leagues lower than Nazarick's. He assumed that he had been transported outside of Nazarick.
At the edge of the room, there were two sofas the color of the carpet, but more importantly, his eyes immediately shot to the familiar crimson hair flowing down one of the sofas.
It was someone he had not seen in a long time.
Due to the dimness of the room, he could only see her silhouette sitting down while holding what seemed to be the vague outline of what appeared to be a bunch of papers. Despite being unable to clearly view the Supreme Being, the doppelganger felt an intense feeling of relief fill him to the brim. He never realized how much her absence had affected him—not just him, but the other Floor Guardians as well—and how Nazarick was much less lively without her there.
But even if the Dragoness was not there, the memory of her remained, making the loneliness of the Treasury all the harder to bear. At the very least he had the books from the Library to accompany him in the moments where he felt the most alone. Even more important, he knew that she cared about them and would come running back if they ever needed her.
Now that the Supreme Being was in front of him, the feelings he had hidden deep inside him were brought back to the surface. When one of Kyouhukou's children told him that Lady Tiamat had been helping his Vater with important documents, Pandora's Actor knew that the person in front of him had truly become the Matriarch of Nazarick.
"Meine Dame," he softly said as he bowed.
He lifted his head as soon as Lady Tiamat's head whipped up and saw him standing there. He slowly broke out into a wide smile. Her smile was one of a deep-inborne happiness that lit up her eyes and spread its warmth into every part of him.
"Pandora's Actor!" she stood up, dropping all her papers to the floor. He raised his hand in a futile attempt to dissuade her from standing and dropping all of the papers to the floor. Despite his best efforts, the stacks of paper still flopped down on the floor unattended.
His eyes shifted back to the Supreme Being just in time to see the dragoness running towards him, her arms outstretched. She rammed into him as she gave him a huge hug, her arms wrapped around his back.
She was so warm and bright that the doppelganger couldn't help but to snuggle into her as he wrapped his arms around her to balance his footing when she jumped on him.
"I missed you so much!" her arms squeezed a fraction tighter, and Pandora's Actor breathed out in contentment.
"We've missed you too, Meine Dame…" Pandora's Actor admitted on behalf of the Floor Guardians, remembering what the dark haired Overseer had—in a rare moment of vulnerability—mentioned to him when she returned his clothing.
When the Supreme Being let go, a faint chill immediately tinged his body, as he reluctantly retracted his hands. He was starting to understand what young Mare had said before; her hugs could never be long enough.
Tiamat smiled at him, filled with wonder when she heard that the lonely Treasurer missed her too, "Something unexpected came up, but I'll return home after my business in the Kingdom is finished," she pulled on the doppelganger's long hand, "Come, come! We have so many things to talk about."
And so he obeyed, taking the seat opposite to her. Before the Dragoness sat down, she crouched down to pick the fallen papers off the carpeted floor and waved for Pandora's Actor to sit down as he stood up in an attempt to help.
"It's alright, I can do this on my own," Tiamat continued to motion for him to stay in his seat, picking up the pieces of paper and stacking them neatly into a pile before finally sitting on the sofa, "How are things in Nazarick?"
"As I said, everyone misses you, Mein Dame."
"Everyone?"
"Ja!" his smooth head vigorously shook up and down.
"I really want to go back home," Tiamat huffed, her chest letting out a massive heave, "I miss cooking for the Floor Guardians as well…"
"You can't cook here, Mein Dame?"
"Sadly," another sigh escaped her lungs as her soul reached another dimension of disappointment, "We don't have money to do any cooking here. The kitchen doesn't even have any utensils, for God's sake, and if we have to buy everything from the stove to the dishes, then we're going to have to spend a large sum of money from Nazarick. I don't want to do that, and that's why I called you here."
"Me?" he felt like smiling a little at the revelation.
Even though his mouth was stuck in a perpetually open "O", he felt like he could stretch his lips into a smile; an expression that would look absolutely comical if it were at all possible. For a few moments, he was almost sure that his expression mirrored that of young Mare.
"Yup! I need your help with something," Tiamat enthusiastically started, looking at the paper on top of the stack, "I think we need a source of constant cash that will allow income to flow into Nazarick without me and Ainz having to go out to work all the time. With that being said," she lifted her amethyst eyes to look at him, "How is Nazarick's financial situation right now?"
Pandora's Actor stood up—fist placed over his chest—as he saluted. A wave of excitement surged up with power almost equal to that of the Forty-One Supreme Beings as he was engulfed in a tsunami of enthusiasm and eagerness. Emotions that he did not try to hide.
"I see, Meiiiiiiiine Dame! I am bursting with energy every day, and I am very happy that you have asked me to come give you a short briefing! To think that one of the Supreme Beings themselves would personally ask me for my assistance!"
"Um…P-Pandora's—"
"Indeed it is so. For the deeds that the Supreme Beings have etched into history, so mighty and potent are they that surely the worlds would tremble at the mere mention of them! Supreme Beings that can make the impossible possible or even change the face of the entire world!"
"Thank you, Pandora's Actor!" Lady Tiamat lightly clapped at the egghead's impromptu speech.
"Of course, Mein Dame!" he sang in a shrill voice, "The wonder that is the organizational system of Nazarick has drastically improved, and as you have asked, I have divided our gold stocks into two separate piles, and now the mountain of gold from this world has been rising slowly but surely!"
"That's good, what else?"
"The denizens of Nazarick have begun purchasing products from the outside with the money that you and Ainz-sama have been graciously giving them, Meine Dame! In the acquisition of these foreign goods, Fraulein Lupusregina and Solution, as well as Head Butler Sebas have been doing Seh Gut!"
"That's also good," Tiamat nodded, "Then, Pandora's Actor please lend me some money."
"With the rise of the money—eh?"
"Can you lend me some money?"
Tiamat could not see the shock register on his face. However, it did remind her of a certain electric mouse…
'Meine Dame braucht Geld? Was für eine Krise könnte es sein?'
"For what, Mein Dame?" his tone instantaneously turned serious.
Cold sweat was starting to form on Tiamat's back, "I-Investment…?"
"How much would you need?" his voice dropped to a low baritone, and Tiamat felt as if she was in front of a panel of those serious bank employees who she had to coax a loan out of.
His weighty response only crispened up her resolve to convince him that she needed this loan. She looked at him straight in the eye, "I need three hundred gold coins."
"Three hundred?"
"Yes. According to the report Albedo had given me, three hundred gold coins wouldn't take too much out of Nazarick's financial reserve," Tiamat confidently stated.
"That may be so, Meine Dame, but Ainz-sama has made clear his desire to have a large source of gold to fall back on as security. Furthermore, Herr Sebas and Fraulein Solution have their own mission to carry out, and an expensive one at that, I might add," the grave Treasurer reminded her.
"Well…" Tiamat hummed, "We'll be able to make that money back though, right?"
"Can you guarantee that, Meine Dame? Will you be able to make a profit from whatever you're planning?" Pandora's Actor lowered his head dramatically as he tipped his visor downward.
"Of course, that's why I called you here to make sure whether the business is going to work or not," she smiled at him. He could see that her kind eyes were filled with warmth and—more importantly—trust.
Pandora's Actor was shocked. He didn't expect to hear that response from the Supreme Being at all.
He was ready to give her as much money as she needed. Afterall, Lady Tiamat was a Supreme Being. What a Supreme Being wanted, a Supreme Being got.
But the fact that she had asked for his opinion before she proceeded with what she wanted to do caused his body to tremble; his featureless face on the brink of tears. He felt strange because he felt the vibe of inward weeping.
Just for a bit.
He had always been capable of expressing only the emotions he wanted others to see. It was his nature as a doppelganger afterall. Furthermore, his job as the exalted Treasurer of Nazarick required him to have the bearing of one with absolute confidence and control.
"I'm sure that whatever endeavor you have in mind will prosper, Meine Dame," he stated as he suddenly stood up while dramatically putting one hand over his chest and lifting the other high towards the ceiling, hiding the fact that he was a bit teary that the Supreme Being trusted him that much.
"Well, since you are the Treasurer of Nazarick, I'm sure you know more about this stuff than I do. Could you help me out with it?" Tiamat tilted her body forward a bit as her eyes twinkled in eagerness.
"Natürlich! Wait, what do you want me to help you with, Meine Dame?" Pandora's Actor sat down as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
'Du meine Güte, how could I act so outrageously when I don't even know what the Supreme Being wants…?'
"Oh! Can't believe I forgot to tell you about that… " Tiamat muttered as her hand disappeared under her robes as she dug around in her inventory. "Ah, here it is. Let's see…"
She pulled out a handful of crinkled papers and began smoothing them out, scanning the tattered notes as she did so.
'Meine Gott…' Pandora's Actor inwardly cringed at the sight of the unkempt papers before shaking his head. 'No, this must be how the Supreme Beings operate.'
"Here you go!" the Supreme Being's cheerful shout snapped him back to reality. "These papers here," she pointed at the first few pages in the small pile, "These are the things that needed to be done in order for the business to run properly."
'What business?!' the egghead's mind spun wildly in confusion.
Pandora's Actor grabbed a sheet of paper from the top of the pile, quickly analyzing it before setting it down and reaching for the next piece.
Tiamat peered at Pandora's Actor's vacant eyes. Since he had no pupils, it was very hard to see which part of the document he was scanning, but before she knew it, the doppelganger was already blitzing through the bottom of the stack.
'As expected of Ainz's creation, the Treasurer of Nazarick…'
Pandora's Actor afterall, was a very capable Floor Guardian. Aside from guarding the inner sanctums of the Treasury, he could even morph into any of their old guildmates.
Even though Tiamat was the one who formulated the idea of making a bank, the one who had actually implemented it was Pandora's Actor. Without him keeping track of every single coin from YGGDRASIL or the New World, Nazarick would've already been financially ruined.
Tiamat drank the last drops from her fifth cup of tea for the day. She carefully put the cup down on the saucer before pouring herself another cup filled to the brim with tea and infused with caffeine. Tiamat patiently waited for the doppelganger in front of her to finish his first cup while slowly appreciating the scent emanating from her own drink.
After some time, Pandora's Actor had finally finished deciphering all of the scribbles Tiamat had jotted down. The contents of the document ranged from ideas on the businesses she wanted to make, how she could achieve it, and how it could be profitable.
As they said, you needed to be able to make quick returns with the commodities that were available.
Once Pandora's Actor put the paper back down on the table, Tiamat leaned in excitedly, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.
"Well? How is it? Some of the ideas are a bit rough, but I'm sure we can figure it out!" the Dragoness's body tilting more and more forward with each word.
If she were to be honest with herself, she was dreading Pandora's Actor's input. Her legs jittered uncontrollably, her brain flooded with nervousness. She felt the undulating waves of panic shifting in anxiousness for the Treasurer's next words.
They would wane if he accepted the proposal.
They would wax if he didn't. She let her thoughts swirl into a vortex of stupidity, her thoughts eating their own tail.
"Meine Dame," Pandora's Actor began.
Hearing such a low and serious tone come from the normally light-hearted Treasurer made her unconsciously straighten her back. Tiamat immediately placed her cup down on the saucer that was resting on her other hand on top of her lap, "Y-Yes—!"
Her stomach shifted uneasily, and she noticed that her hand was trembling, the cup in her grip clattering a little bit against the saucer. Tiamat took a deep breath as she steadied her grasp on the cup properly.
"What do you think Pandora's Actor?" she asked in return, "Is it possible? Or should we just scrap the entire idea—"
"Meine Dame!" Pandora's Actor suddenly stood up from the sofa, putting one hand over his heart and lifting the other to the skies as if he was the lead singer in an opera, "Großartig! As expected of the Supreme Beings, Unglaublich! The fact that you are able to think of something that would be so profitable to Nazarick…" the Treasurer lowered his head, one arm crossed over his chest as the other tilted his visor-cap downwards, "Your servant is awed!"
Tiamat felt her cheeks burning like an open fire at the high praise Pandora's Actor had given her. His praises came forth without end, playing like a track set on repeat, looping back to what he said in the beginning with seamless ease.
Yet here she was, sitting down on the sofa with all her insecurities written across her face for all to see. Before she had called the Treasurer over, her anxiety had been running in a circle like a cat that drank from the wrong river. But apparently, Pandora's Actor liked her proposal.
She attempted to suppress a wide grin and miserably failed. Tiamat could tell that Pandora's Actor genuinely liked the ideas she had scribbled down. His reactions and praises were the same when he had first eaten the cheesecake she had baked for him.
"Your proposals are truly amazing Meine Dame! Ich bin super inspiriert! As I should have expected from Vater's Ehef—Freundin!" Pandora's Actor continued spouting praises.
Tiamat looked on at the doppelganger flailing around with his spindly arms as he paced back and forth in the small enclosed room, excited over the idea that she had presented. Without her realizing, a warm smile had crept up her face just as Pandora's Actor began skipping around the room.
'Oh Ainz…'
"Then shall we make it happen?" she asked softly, basking in the Treasurer's excitement.
"Wenn es meines Gottes Wille!"
~('▽^人)
Today was just like any other day.
It was a beautiful day outside. The seagulls were squawking, white puffy clouds drifting by, all under a bright blue sky.
On the other hand, Barbossa felt miserable.
He had been knocked out the other night. Barbossa stretched his arms out with a groan as he cursed himself for downing so much alcohol. The hot and heavy burn of the alcohol had wiped away the events that had transpired last night.
By the time he could finally open his encrusted eyes, all he could make out was his usual great cabin, a place where only the captain of the ship could occupy. His room spanned the width of the stern and had large windows. He usually loved the view the expanded glass panel afforded him, but now?
Now, all he wanted to do was to cover that annoying sunlight with a thick cloth.
The din of waves crashing against nearby rocks only added to his misery as his brain pounded in protest against his skull.
The scent of saltwater traveled up his nostrils—casting a spell-like hypnotic trance on him—giving him a slight reprieve from the agony and pain of his hangover.
Only the ocean could make him sigh in such a way.
With a grunt, Barbossa got off his bed and threw on a shirt that had been laying on the ground, but just as he was struggling with lining up the buttons of his shirt, he heard a piercing shriek outside of his ship accompanied by the sound of people screaming and running away from something.
As soon as he heard that, a pang of panic hit him and his bowels suddenly churned. An uncomfortable tightness in his chest urging him to run, to escape, to hide.
He had been working in this line of business for so long that his brain instinctively understood which scenarios were fightable and which he should run like hell from.
This was one of the run-like-hell scenarios.
The panic grew stronger as his mind gave in to the fear of the unknown.
He slapped himself, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek.
'Get a hold of yourself, man! You're the captain.'
Even still, his mind was filled with questions. What were those people shrieking to? What did they see? What happened? Why were they running?
Was it a sea monster that he had faced off before? Or was it a giant tsunami that was about to wash everyone away?
A loud high pitched scream broke him out of his thoughts.
Frantically, he twisted the knob to his cabin door and flung it open with a loud thud. He quickly jumped out of the room and onto the deck, shaking and terrified. His shirt was only half unbuttoned and half tucked in.
As soon as he went out onto the deck, he noticed that a large shadow was looming over him— completely blocking out the morning sun that would usually be peaking out from the east— accompanied by the deafening sound of wind.
Even before he could look behind him, he could see that the expressions of the people who were watching from the port were filled with fear and awe.
Slowly and cautiously, he turned around, his brain stuttering for a moment as it tried to comprehend with what his eyes were seeing. It was as if every part of him went on pause while his thoughts tried to catch up.
Barbossa stood there motionless, his knees buckling as his legs lost all strength. He fell to his butt, the impact knocking every wisp of air from his lungs as he sat there on his deck struggling to inhale, to exhale, to comprehend.
A dragon was behind him,
A white dragon, the same size—or probably even bigger than his ship—was looming over him, it's titanic body blocking out the very sun itself.
But that wasn't even the most surprising part.
The woman he had met once in his life, that unforgettable woman was sitting on top of the dragon's head, waving at him.
"Captain Barbossa!" she shouted out excitedly over the ocean wind. That voice, that hair, those eyes, he knew it was her.
"Y-You...D-Dragon—"
"Remember me Captain?" she yelled once again.
He could only nod weakly.
"I have a proposal in mind, do you want to hear it?" she screamed out over the dragon's flapping once more.
~('▽^人)
Paolo's Emporium.
A small but elegant shop in the middle of E-Rantel, managed by the one and only—the fashionista and the master tailor—Paolo.
From the first stitches to the last button, Paolo was involved in every single dress and piece of clothing that the Emporium produced. It took decades of experience in tailoring to create custom clothes that fit every client.
Paolo was the only tailor in E-Rantel who could guarantee a truly unforgettable experience upon donning one of his creations.
He remembered what his master said: measure twice, cut once. Inspired by this philosophy of precision and economy, he took pride in offering his customers dresses and shirts of superior quality at unbeatable prices.
Everyone—and he meant everyone—who came into his emporium would come out satisfied.
Only two people throughout his entire career had refused his hand made dresses.
The very first person was the Saint of E-Rantel herself, Hannah Annafelowz.
After her heroic feat of saving the entirety of E-Rantel, Paolo offered to custom-tailor a dress to replace her tattered clothing stained with blood fresh from the battlefield. He was ready to spare no expense in creating a dress for the savior of his hometown. Even if she asked for something made out of spider silk, he would gladly comply. Afterall, she had saved him, his workers, and his family.
He could always make more dresses even if he went bankrupt. As long as he had his two hands, he knew for sure he wouldn't—couldn't—quit.
But instead of a dress for her, she asked for children sized clothing. A red dress and a green suit.
The second person to refuse one of his finely crafted ensembles, was the bespectacled beauty that was currently standing right in front of him.
"You don't want any of the dresses, Madame?" he asked with raised eyebrows, measuring tape hung around his neck as he fine-tuned one of the high profile client's dresses.
"No," the bespectacled beauty firmly refused. She had even confused his staff because she had urged them to get Paolo instead of browsing the store as most customers usually did.
"Then may Paolo ask why you are here?"
She fixed her glasses upwards. The glare from her glasses obscured her eyes, making it impossible for Paolo to gauge her mood. The eyes were the windows to the soul after all.
"I am here on behalf of my master, Hannah Annafelowz," the raven-haired maid confidently stated, her firm yet gentle eyes leaving no room for disagreement.
Paolo's breath caught in his throat.
He recalled what he had thought of previously and excitedly replied, eyes sparkling, "My goodness! Does she want a dress from me afterall?"
"No," the maid shook her head once more. Paolo sighed, his shoulders a bit lower than before.
"Then?"
The woman shifted, and Paolo saw that she was carrying a heavy narrow trunk that was equipped with an unnaturally smooth handle. A rigid compartment decorated with the finest brown leather he had ever seen: polished, and clean cut. A design he wasn't familiar with.
He noted the shape and size of the bag in earnest before the bespectacled beauty lifted it up and unlocked it.
Then, his eyes shifted to the contents of the elegant box.
His jaw dropped to the floor.
Inside of it were countless spools of reeled silk—lustrous silk that even he knew was first-class from just a glance—that shone like pale moonlight in the well-lit emporium.
"T-This… this is… spider silk?" Paolo asked in a small voice, his usually steady hands quivering as they hovered over the priceless material, not quite daring to touch the spools.
Spider silk was notoriously difficult to harvest, due to small spiders not being able to produce enough for a full-blown ensemble, and large spiders proving a large risk to one's well being.
"Indeed," the black-haired maid curtly replied before continuing, "La—Hannah-sama has a proposition for you. A very, very, advantageous proposition."
Paolo gulped.
"Then we will talk in my office. What's your name, Madame, if I might ask?"
Yuri smiled a gentle smile at the man. Before she had entered the store, she was determined that she would do whatever she could to fulfill the Supreme Being's wishes.
And if the Supreme Being wanted this man to be a part of her plans, then so be it.
~('▽^人)
It had been three days since Tiamat had arrived in the Capital City. At the moment, she was laying on the large bed that Sebas had provided for her in the master's bedroom, her lifeless eyes blankly staring at the slightly worn down white ceiling.
She hadn't returned to Nazarick yet. Even though she wanted to hug the twins, chat with Albedo, watch Shalltear mess with the twins, spar with Cocytus, maybe even have tea with Demiurge while nodding along to his new discoveries regarding interrogation methodology: all while playing with her baby dragons.
But she couldn't do any of that.
Firstly, she had matters that needed to be addressed in the Capital City. The new business that she had just been set afoot, and if everything went well, it could very well become a new stream of income for Nazarick.
A new business was especially fragile and required a lot of attention. Even though she had consulted with Pandora's Actor—the genius in Nazarick when it came to money—and even if he had told her that everything would go fine, she couldn't help but to feel worried.
'Fine...what a weird word,' she pondered, her eyes glazing over as she let out a sigh.
Tiamat focused on the copper chandelier hanging from the ceiling, her sharp eyes taking in its elegant form and dull shine. The cream colored plaster on the walls were like dunes of sand washed over with streaks of black, blemishes that emphasized the age of the building. If Sebas and Solution hadn't bought out the building, the chandelier would probably have eventually turned green and the paint worn out, but as now, she couldn't help but think that it was beautiful.
But even a worldly beauty such as the chateau couldn't steer her mind away from her stressful thoughts.
"Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. F.I.N.E," she spelled out loud, "Such a weird word."
Instantly, her mind wandered to a fairly popular saying back in the day. They used to say you're fine but you're not really fine. A statement that she felt held a bit of truth despite its overuse.
Her mind continuously wandered to her dear friend and guild leader who kept shutting her out of his problems.
'Ainz, you meanie… I'll get you back for this!'
Tiamat turned over on the bed, putting a pillow under her neck as she rolled onto her side.
'Still… I wish he didn't teleport away so suddenly like that,' she began biting her thumb as her stress levels mounted.
But soon enough, her stomach rumbled and she squirmed around on top of the old bed to silence the rumbling. She quickly glanced at the old grandfather clock in the room, noticing that it was only two more minutes until lunch.
'Hurry uuuuup…' Tiamat inwardly groaned as she flipped herself over to her other side.
Her eyes stared out the window, the verdant green of the courtyard reminding her of a vegetable sandwich. Without her realizing, she had already begun salivating at just the thought of even something as pitiful as a vegetable sandwich.
The clock ticked again, announcing the passing of yet another minute. Tiamat attentively stared as the second hand slowly completed its route around the circle, seemingly slowing down the closer it got to reaching the blessed '12'.
Her stomach growled noisily, and she had to swallow her pool of saliva.
Right as she did, Yuri knocked on the door, catching Tiamat off guard as the Dragoness choked on her own saliva. The Dragoness coughed as she blearily blinked her eyes, sleepy ears straining to catch Yuri's muffled voice behind the wooden door.
"My Lady, bla bla bla. Paolo bla bla bla. Bla bla bla. Lunch."
The last word seemed important so Tiamat raised her head.
"Lunch?"
"So you can clearly hear me, My Lady. I was worried that something had happened," Yuri opened the door and walked into the room before closing it again. Tiamat rubbed her eyes, slowly realizing that it was just a ruse to get her attention.
Lunch. Tiamat began to think about the idea a bit more.
She could make one super easily. The only issue that peeved her would be that she would have to cook something that required no chopping, peeling, or mixing and could completely fill her stomach to the brim. But Yuri was talking once again.
"Bla bla bla bla, bla bla bla. Bla bla negotiation, bla bla bla," the voice of the eldest Pleiades tapered off into a drone as the Dragoness dozed off again.
Yuri sighed as she pushed up her glasses. The Dullahan maid stared at her red-haired Lady with a wry smile before loudly clapping her hands together.
"Wha—? Lunch time right?" Tiamat jolted upright from the sudden sound, wiping the drool from her chin as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.
The ever present hunger gnawed at her as she realized—later than she should have—that food was her constant obsession. Recently, she had been looking at animals and plants and wondering if they were edible.
There were no animals in that world, and the humans who had money coerced those who didn't to labor while hungry for even the smallest amount of shitty food. The number of babies and young children who went hungry and were malnourished was uncountable.
The rich wouldn't care if the poor starved or died from disease and war, since for them, it was simply a way to get rid of the unwanted population.
Living in a world where enough food was produced, preventing hunger, death, and disease felt like an unreal paradise to her.
Sadly, Yuri broke her out of her boredom induced gratitude.
"As Sebas-sama had previously stated, there is no food available because of monetary reasons."
Tiamat fell back onto her bed in despair.
"My Lady?"
"...gry."
"Excuse me My Lady, can you repeat that?"
"...ngry," the dragoness mumbled once again.
"Are you...angry?"
"Hungry…"
"Then please come back to Nazarick. My sisters miss your cooking as well, My Lady."
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"Busy."
Yuri's chest slightly heaved up in a sigh. "My Lady, I cannot help you if you refuse to tell me what's bothering you."
"Haveta start a business or something," Tiamat's muffled voice rose up from the pillow.
"The one you called Pandora's Actor-sama down here for?"
"Yeah," Tiamat put down the pillow she was hugging to her face, "That one."
"Well," Yuri glanced up at the ceiling. This worn out building was no place for a Supreme Being to reside. "You do not have to do it. Right, My Lady?"
"Yeeaaaaah, but then Nazarick wouldn't earn as much money…" the Dragoness let out a groan as she covered her face with the hand she wasn't lying down on.
"My Lady," Yuri let out a gentle, motherly smile, "If this business is going to make you unhappy—and I'm certain that I'm speaking on all of Nazarick's behalf when I say this—then don't do it. Your happiness is far more important than some measly gold coins."
Tiamat stared at the maid, 'She really is like Yamaiko-san…' a pang of angst hit her as old memories resurfaced.
"I see," Tiamat got up from her bed and pulled Yuri into a tight hug, "Thank you for feeling that way about me, Yuri."
"I-It's no problem at all, My Lady," Yuri patted the Supreme Being on the back, as her stiffness gradually melted away.
"Truly and honestly, thank you," Tiamat buried her face into Yuri's shoulder, "I really needed to hear that. T-Thank you, Yuri…"
Yuri pulled away in concern, holding the Supreme Being by her shoulders. "My Lady, is everything alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. There's just so much going on you know?" Tiamat sniffled and wiped her eyes with her palms. "But I just gotta believe that everything is going to be alright."
"Have hope, My Lady, you have all of Nazarick at your back," Yuri let go of the Supreme Being's shoulders and smiled. "Please tell us if you need any help. That is our greatest desire after all—to help you and Ainz-sama."
"I'll keep that in mind," Tiamat formed a watery smile, "But for now, I guess I should find something to do… "
Yuri crossed one arm over her chest and rested her other arm on it as she touched her cheek, "How about visiting other stores for reference, My Lady?"
"You mean like scouting?" Tiamat blinked the rest of her tears away, "I was planning on doing that actually."
"Maybe an outing would be a better term, My Lady. Afterall, it's been a while since you've left Sebas-sama and Solution's mansion."
Tiamat looked past the window, taking in the weather and foliage. It felt like she was living in an old painting sometimes, the subtlest shift in light creating a dynamic difference for her eyes. Each leaf had a glossy shine as pretty as any gem she had seen before, and before the warm shade of sunset, every color came into focus under the perfect orange sky.
The weather had been warm the past few days, the clouds a constant companion to the sun as they continued transversing on relaxing breezes. A perfect day to go out.
'That's right, I need to appreciate this world more…' Tiamat mused, her mind drifting to a distant scorching land filled with sand, where the sun had ideas of its own as it relished in the destruction of life. Where everything was too hot to touch, and everyone too dulled by reality to worry about the problems they had created.
"That's a great idea, Yuri," Tiamat smiled at the eldest of the Pleiades, whose shoulders relaxed in relief as she saw the cheer on her Lady's face, "Would you help me pick out something to walk around in?"
Yuri couldn't stop a wide smile from growing on her face as every fiber of her being vibrated with anticipation and excitement. 'What a joy to serve such a wonderful Supreme Being,' she thought with elation.
"It would be my pleasure, My Lady," Yuri bowed, "By the way My Lady, did you bring any clothing with you?"
Tiamat sheepishly scratched the back of her head
"Uhhhhhhh…"
~('▽^人)
In the end, it turned out that Paolo had gifted Yuri with some dresses as business gifts after they had concluded negotiations. This was a fortunate occurrence seeing as Tiamat had forgotten to bring any spare clothing of her own.
'Speaking of which…' Tiamat sniffed at her red Hanfu dress. 'How is this still clean?'
When she had purchased the cosmetic item—it could hardly be classified as equipment due to its prodigiously low data capacity—she wasn't aware that it had the capability to self-repair and self-clean. This universal aspect of cosmetic items was something she had learned soon after her first fight with it.
The already hated developers would have received much more hate if they made it so that cosmetic outfits had to be repaired. That was probably why they included the ability to self-repair. Not like it mattered much anyway; the outfits had no use in combat.
'Huh, didn't notice that particular part had transferred over too… Wasn't it perfectly okay after the fight with Shalltear too? Can't believe I didn't notice that… '
As Tiamat pondered the nature of her main, ubiquitous piece of clothing, Yuri shook a large, fluffy green dress before her.
"My Lady? Would this one be alright?" the orange light of dusk glinted off the maid's glasses as she held the dress up before her.
"Huh? Yeah, that one's fine," Tiamat absentmindedly replied, still contemplating the essence of her outfit.
'What if I found some guy with the ability to give my baby more stats? Then it would be so much more useful than just look pretty... Although there's nothing wrong with that of course… Wait! Would that mean I wouldn't be able to equip it anymore because of my racial restrictions? That would be pretty awful… I should definitely test it firs—'
"My Lady! We should get you dressed now, since this," Yuri laid the dress on the bed as she heaved the intricate trunk that she had brought into the room with her onto the bed. "Might take a little bit of time."
"Oh," Tiamat had a flashback to back when she was at the palace, her body unconsciously shivering at the memory. She knew she had to dress well to meet with the King, but honestly? She thought her adventurer clothing was good enough for that.
But nope.
The memories of the maids at the palace who had appeared before her and stripped her naked without a care in the world haunted her mind.
'Yeah, I'm not staying overnight at the palace again.'
At least she had a friend who had accompanied her there.
"Speaking of which, Yuri," Tiamat suddenly stood up as Yuri was preparing to help her dress. "Where is Shroud?" she asked.
"Shroud?" Yuri asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Her brain whirred as it frantically tried to remember any staff in Nazarick with that name and came up with nothing.
"The eight-edged assassin who accompanied me yesterday."
Yuri's glasses glinted, "I didn't know you named him, My Lady."
Tiamat flinched, "Is that a bad thing?"
Yuri smoothed out the green dress, and Tiamat's womanly side of her couldn't help being drawn to it. From the hue of the dress down to the pattern of the embroidery, everything made a statement. The dress was indeed woven together by a master who knew his craft.
Although the fabric could have been refined better, she knew this was far more than what she could afford on Earth. The soft golden embroidery shimmered among the forest green tone of the dress, creating a beautiful image of craftsmanship.
Sadly, she despised dresses like this one.
As Tiamat mulled over her hate for overly complicated dresses that included four or up to even five layers of clothing, Yuri spoke up again.
"On the contrary, My Lady, it is a great honor for someone as lowly as an Eight Edged Assassin to receive a name. It was very kind of you to do so," Yuri explained in what she hoped was a calm manner, trying to reassure her Supreme Being while not fangirling over her Lady..
"Really?" Tiamat beamed, and Yuri's heart was filled with relief. The oldest sister of the Pleiades watched as the Dragoness's enthusiasm sprung from deep inside her eyes and spread to every part of her. "That's great!"
"Yes, it is indeed," Yuri nodded. "Now, let us prepare…"
~('▽^人)
Shallow breaths and pants filled the bedroom.
Yuri was standing behind Tiamat, fumbling with something as Tiamat felt it shift inside of her. Her cheeks flamed, and Yuri noticed. The maid held her arms out to her, as the Dragoness was waiting for her to just move.
Yuri moved a bit, and Tiamat flinched, "Ah! Yu-Yuri…"
"My Lady, put your hands up against the wall…"
With half lidded eyes, Tiamat put her sweaty hands on the wall, trying to grasp onto, hold onto something—anything. Her touch was light, dancing across Tiamat's skin, as she shivered when Yuri eased down to her back.
The Dullahan's breath whispered across her neck and Tiamat's spine tensed like a spring.
"Please relax a little, Lady Tiamat…" Yuri begged.
"Hn, n-no more! I can't take it anymore!"
"Now, now," Yuri murmured in her ear, "Don't squirm, it will just make this harder."
How could she do anything but obey?
"Perfect," Yuri commented on her handiwork, and Tiamat finally heard the rustling of dress fabric as Yuri moved away.
"No…" Tiamat begged, "Please, I can't take it anymore...it feels miserable…"
"Please bear with it for a little longer."
The Dullahan's hands moved to her sides, and Tiamat gasped everytime Yuri hit that spot that sent electricity shooting deep throughout her. Yuri heard the Supreme Being's breathing grows hoarse as she squirmed, clenching her legs together.
"Please," Tiamat begged, the words tumbling out.
Yuri took Tiamat by the hips, her lithe arms strong as she pushed the Dragoness closer to the wall. She whimpered a bit, but Yuri didn't give her time to recover.
Tiamat cried out and arched her back, all thoughts having already completely fled her mind, "Stawwwp, pwwwease," she rambled incoherently, over and over.
"I can't," Yuri firmly repeated, and Tiamat turned around, looking back at Yuri dumbly.
"B-But," Tiamat panted, her words stripped out of her by a gasp of pain, "I TOLD YOU MY ORGANS WILL COME OUT!"
"My Lady, there has yet to be a woman whose organs have come out because of a corset," Yuri replied matter-of-factly as she once again tightened the strings on her Lady's back.
"W-Wait, no more, I—ACK!"
Yuri rubbed the sides of her head, "The corset is done, now five more steps to go!" she exclaimed excitedly, picking up several layers of stiff fabric.
Tiamat could only open her mouth in disbelief, "F-Fi-Five," The warmth from her body abandoned her like a naked man on a glacier. "Yuri, I—"
"Yes, My Lady?" Yuri answered with such enthusiasm that Tiamat stopped in her tracks. The maid's usual blank face was replaced by nothing short of impish glee, and the big smile that shone on her face was something Tiamat had never seen before.
"Nothing, keep on torturing me then, Yuri," Tiamat moaned as Yuri hefted the first petticoat over her. Seeing Yuri happy made her happy too.
A little bit of organ shifting was tolerable if she could see that smile every day.
~('▽^人)
Sebas who had been waiting downstairs near the front door had looked up to the balcony of the second floor was surprised to see the Supreme Being emerges.
"My Lady?" he commented, his stoic face not budging an inch. His Lady was all decked out in fabric and lace as she clunkily tried to balance herself while being constrained by the large metal hoop that was supporting the skirt. "Where is your main set of equipment?"
"Lady Tiamat wants to go outside and scout our business competitors," Yuri responded.
"I see, then the disguise is necessary," Sebas noticed the ever-present horns sticking out from Tiamat's head. "Although I may suggest that your horns may draw unwanted attention, My Lady," he pointed out.
"Oh," Tiamat moved her hand to gingerly touch one of her horns, "I almost forgot about them."
She dug into her inventory and rummaged about until she pulled out a glimmering scale of many colors. Tiamat waved around her『Scale of Ragnarok』and her horns vanished into thin air, like dust being carried away by the wind.
"And your hair?" Sebas asked once again.
Her usual straight red hair had been held in place with a simple updo—courtesy of Yuri—which tied half of it in a knot while letting the rest flow loosely down her back.
"This is fine," Tiamat smiled back at Sebas.
'As expected of the butler of Nazarick, such attention to details.'
"They've seen me with white hair, but no one here has ever seen me with red hair."
"Understood. If it isn't too much trouble, I also need to buy some magic scrolls for Ainz-sama. So I will be coming along as well if that's alright with you, My Lady."
"Of course Sebas, I would love that!" Tiamat grinned at him.
'Maybe I could grab an interesting looking scroll and use it as a chance to talk with Ainz…'
"Then, shall we?" Sebas led her outside of the mansion and into the carriage.
Tiamat climbed up the steps of the carriage and sat on top of the padded seats. As soon as she was comfortably seated, Sebas followed her inside, sitting across from her as he closed the door latch. As soon as she heard the telltale click, the sound of the horse neighing filled the air as the carriage slowly rolled out of the mansion grounds.
The slight movement brought her head up and both of them shifted slightly.
"Where shall we be going, My Lady?" Sebas asked.
Tiamat's mind trundled through her thoughts like a train that has no intention of stopping. As the distance grew further away from the mansion and slowly easing into the streets, she thought of the places she needed to visit, her business competitors.
"First lets visit the most famous shop in the city, and we'll work our way down from there."
"Understood," Sebas leaned out the carriage and muttered a few words to the driver. "We'll be heading to where we picked up outfits for Solution then, My Lady."
"Oh neat!" Tiamat clapped her hands together, "So we have kind of a plan now."
"Indeed, My Lady," Sebas lowered his head in agreement, "Although I must warn you My Lady, the owner is… eccentric."
"Aw, it'll be alright Sebas, I'm sure she won't mind us looking around for a bit," Tiamat leaned her arm against the side of the carriage, watching the citizens in the streets going about their daily lives.
'The people here look a lot happier than the people back on Earth… Even though there's monsters and stuff everywhere.'
Sebas—who had been looking at the Supreme Being gazing outside with a happy yet wistful gaze—commented, "It is a beautiful day outside, Lady Tiamat."
"Yes," Tiamat raised her eyes to the sky and closed her eyes as she basked in the sunlight, "It's just that everytime I look outside, life feels less… stifling."
The dragonoid's eyes grew ever heavier, and he looked down on his gloved hands.
The raison d'être of the servants of Nazarick was to do their work to the best of their abilities without question. The Supreme Beings were so powerful and intimidating that the servants tended to freeze up in front of them. They could easily get rid of all the things that annoyed them, including the servants.
He remembered how Lady Tiamat had tensed up, how her eyes were full of fear when she had first stepped into his and Solution's base of operations. Even now, he was unable to determine the exact cause of the reaction.
Did that not make him a worthless servant? Even so, Lady Tiamat had brushed it off with a smile.
Sebas thought that even though Lady Tiamat was a Supreme Being, she was a bit different from the others, especially in how she carried herself.
Even though she bore herself with dignity and grace, even though she regularly helped out Ainz-sama with his immense workload, Sebas had overheard the homunculi maids talking about how she lowered herself to cook for the servants and even entertain them with the precious, limited free time that she had; like telling stories to Aura and Mare, accompanying Pandora's Actor in the Treasury's poisonous air, training with Cocytus, or even helping Albedo and Demiurge with their work sometimes.
When she talked she treated them as if they were her equal and on top of acting mature, she always felt comfortable being vulnerable and sharing her problems with them. When she was questioned about her openness, she only smiled with a confused expression and replied,
"I mean, of course I would trust you guys. You're all my family after all!"
But Sebas also heard that whenever she ate, her face would lighten up like a child's.
'Sadly I haven't had that privilege,' he thought to himself. Perhaps in the future.
He knew that the gradual parting of the Supreme Beings had been hard on both of his Masters, which was why Sebas had vowed to himself to serve them to the best of his capabilities, until the end of time.
The carriage jolted to a halt, bringing an end to Sebas's musing with it.
"It appears that we have arrived, My Lady," he notified the Dragoness.
"That was quick," Tiamat commented, stretching her arms out with a groan. Thankfully, the carriage was a lot more comfortable than what the Kingdom had provided her with, so she didn't feel trapped inside a small metal box.
Sebas opened the door of the carriage and went down first before offering the Supreme Being his hand for her to take.
"Then Sebas, shall we shop?"
Canon Omake: Torangealit (Part I)
If they had a larger mouth, they would have inhaled everything in one bite.
Tiamat watched blankly as the frosty blue-white Dragons in front of her each took a massive chomp out of their full-grown cows. The gluttons then crunched up each of their cows whole—bones and all—with their maws wide open, treating her to an unwanted view of the very dead livestock. They gulped it down without so much as pausing to breathe as the good-for-nothing dragons took another bite of their now deceased cows.
Such a stark difference from her babies…
Her babies—Red, Chili, Pepper—at least ate their dinner in tiny small bites, nibbling on it and pausing in between so as to not overstuff their mouths. So different compared to the Frost Dragons who ate as they haven't been fed for months.
Currently, it was feeding time, and when she had nothing better to do, she ate with them.
In her hand was a thick slice of warm bread garnished with a slab of melting golden butter topped with a thick, hearty slice of roasted pork. She felt no need for pretentious manners and ferociously took a bite, ripping a chunk off with her teeth.
Of course, she was unaware of her hypocrisy in judging the Frost Dragons for their table manners.
Turning her attention back to the Frost Dragons once again, she watched as they licked their bloody maws before digging in for another jawful of meat. Their claws were all bloody and disgusting, and she watched with disgust as they clenched the soaked red meat while tearing it open and stuffing the pieces of bovine into their mouths. The obnoxious sound of them licking their blood smeared paws, and the sound of bone crunching banged at her eardrums.
They ate so noisily, slurping like they were some kind of vacuum cleaner, and belched louder than even she would.
'Even then, I'm sure I only belch in private!' Tiamat thought vehemently to herself, smugly convincing herself that she was much more refined than the Frost Dragons before her, completely ignoring the bits of butter and pork that were stuck to her mouth.
Despite all of their poor manners, Tiamat was concerned they would choke. After all, they were taking some pretty big bites out of some pretty big cattle.
"You guys have been eating too much," she suddenly stated, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.
One Frost Dragon ate about three cows per meal at a minimum, and they were given meals twice a day, so that made for six cows. However, they sometimes fought over the food that had been given to them, so Tiamat ordered Aura to give them more.
Afterall, she could afford it.
At least, that's what she thought at first…
With Pentakrisis, who ate five cows a day, the babies who ate three cows between them per day, and then these three Frost Dragons who had been eating more than they should. Tiamat could even see a bit of plumpness coming out from their belly.
They were insatiable.
"My Lady!" the shout of a young dark elf gradually grew closer and closer, before suddenly popping into the clearing that Tiamat and the Frost Dragons were currently lazing around in.
"Lady Tiamat!" Aura greeted Tiamat as she ran to the center of the enclosure. Tiamat couldn't help but feel like the scene was something out of a bizarre fairytale, with the Dragons around her, and tall trees with a multitude of twisting branches covering up the magical sunlight above her, allowing only a few rays to touch the ground.
"Aura!" Tiamat eagerly beamed, arms outstretched for a hug.
"Ehehe," the boisterous Dark Elf gave the Dragoness a big grin as she sank into the Supreme Being's embrace—happy that she could take in the motherly warmth of the Dragoness—before she finally asked with big wide eyes, "Have you finished looking around, My Lady?"
"Yeah," Tiamat glared at one of the unaware Frost Dragons, the one who had been dominating the other two: controlling, selfish, and greedy. She pointed her finger at it, "That one, Aura."
"The big fat one? You got it, My Lady!" Aura excitedly exclaimed, confidently flicking her whip as she casually strolled towards the large Frost Dragon.
"Hey you!" Aura snapped her whip at the blue-white winged lizard, "What's your name?"
The Frost Dragon looked up, grumbling in annoyance before his reptilian features froze in primal terror when he saw who was standing before him. The two siblings he had been harassing inwardly smirked, not daring to overtly demonstrate such disrespect before their overseer.
All Tiamat saw was her cute, adorable Floor Guardian directing a big wide smile to the problematic winged lizard before her.
Torangealit, for that was the Frost Dragon's name, saw the wicked grin of a depraved demon.
"L-Lady Aura, I-I didn't see you there," he lowered his head in deference, "What may this humble one d-do for you?" Shame and wrath filled his soul as he felt the hot stares of his two siblings on his back.
"Your name, bud. What is it?" Aura tapped her foot as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Torangealit."
"Oi!" Aura lashed her whip against his foreleg, "Show some respect to Lady Tiamat, wouldja?"
Torangealit whimpered in pain from the fearsome blow as he turned to the dragon-looking red haired woman, "My name is Torangealit, L-Lady Tiamat…"
"If he gets too uppity, I can also tame him back into submission, Lady Tiamat," Aura offered as she proudly puffed her chest out towards the Supreme Being.
"Waa, good job Aura! But I think we'll be okay," Tiamat cooed and reassured the Dark Elf, omitting how she had cringed at how hard Aura had whipped the Frost Dragon. "In any case, I have some news for you…what was it again? Torangealit."
"So listen up!" Aura piped up, raising her whip again in a threatening manner.
Tiamat and Torangealit both flinched; one in surprise, the other in fear.
"Well, uhhh," Tiamat tried to recollect her thoughts; she never knew the small cute elf could get so intimidating, "I'll just get to the point then. Toran, I'm going to be giving you away."
"What?" the Frost Dragon could not believe his ears. At that moment, he had completely forgotten the terror he had felt before.
"You guys have been eating too much, and especially you," Tiamat pointed her finger at him, "Because of that, I'll be giving you away to someone who'll take care of you."
"Why?! Why me? Why not one of my weaker siblings?" Torangealit whined.
"Mind your manners, lizard boy!" Aura lashed him once again with her whip.
Tiamat looked at Torangealit with a bit of pity. He was still young, even if he was obviously a fully grown Dragon. And for a dragon to be called lizard boi was simply too tragic.
"Y-Yes, Lady Aura…" the lizard boy whimpered.
Tiamat decided to interject before Aura ended up maiming the Dragon. "I know this might come as a bit of a shock for you, and that you're reasonably distressed that you're going to be separated from your siblings," Tiamat swore she heard a snort come from the other Frost Dragons, "But I did promise someone that I would give them a Dragon. I'm sure that they'll take very good care of you though!"
Immediately, the Frost Dragon panicked. His heartbeat spiked, and his breath hitched to a stop. To be given as a pet to a human of all things… He had no doubt that his siblings were snickering at how lowly he had fallen.
"But…!" Panicking blue eyes met calm amethyst ones.
"Yes?"
He would never forget it; those steadfast eyes filled with so much confidence.
Torangealit cowed in a mixture of fear and awe, "I-I will do as you have asked then."
"Awesome!" Tiamat clapped her hands together as a swirling purple portal suddenly appeared behind her, "In that case, let's head out now!"
Bowing his head in despair, Torangealit followed the mighty red-haired woman.
"Are you sure you have nothing to say to your siblings?" she glanced back one last time before she stepped through the rift.
The Frost Dragon turned around to look at his siblings, their eyes haughty and filled with arrogance. Was that how he had looked like just a few moments ago?
"None. Let us leave," he lowered his head to the mighty Goddess. He had so many things he wanted to say. Curses, prayers, wishes for misfortune, but he would not utter those words.
He would not give them that satisfaction.
"I see. Well, you'll get to see them again, if that makes you any happier," the Goddess smiled apologetically. Torangealit tilted his head, curious as to what she meant. To his disappointment, she simply turned back to the swirling purple gap.
"We probably should get going then."
Torangealit nodded his head, following the monstrous lady as she took him to his new future.
A/N: The long awaited chapter 27 is here~ and Chapter 28 is out on Discord!
Hackslashbash: Omake will lead to interesting developments. ALL OMAKES ARE CANON UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE.
Join our Discord, its free!
Discord: 'Tiamat: The Goddess of Dragons' Discord Link: Helmeted Tyrant Trounces Peasant Sod (colon) (slash) (slash) devious inventor sparks creation onrejected devices . gg (slash) JUejk8J
