Hello again, all!

This chapter marks the end of this filler arc, so you can be at ease that there's no cliffhanger here.

See you again at the afterword.


[X][X][X]


Baharuth Empire, Imperial Palace, Near Midnight. Several Days Before Present Time.

*Yawn*

Inside a grand bedroom fitting for the Emperor of the Empire, Emperor Jircniv was still awake reading some official documents with magic illumination on his private study table. It was unusual for him to sleep this late, but he somehow couldn't shake a mysterious uneasy feeling which has been haunting him tonight. Rather than wasting time rolling around on the bed, he had decided to do something productive like re-checking his schedule for tomorrow or reviewing official reports to make sure he had not missed anything.

Still, even after distracting himself with the activity, Jircniv still felt mysteriously uneasy in the middle of his tiredness. He wanted to climb into his bed and sleep, but somehow his gut feelings told him not to.

WHOOSH!

THUMF!

All of a sudden, something Jircniv never could have imagined happened. He heard some strange noise from his bed, and when he turned to look, what he saw was a naked woman on his bed. He was very bewildered by the sudden event, but he also noticed that the woman seemed to be as confused as he was.

"W-Where am I? What just happened?"

The woman asked wildly, still not noticing Jircniv's presence. A quick thinking made him conclude that the woman had been teleported from somewhere, but he still had to remain cautious. For all he knew, the woman's confusion could be an act to make him let his guard down.

"Woman, you are now on my bed in my bedroom. You have twenty seconds to declare who you are and your purpose of being here. Any wrong move and I will call the guards"

The woman was surprised and she immediately turned her eyes on Jircniv while covering her naked body with what was supposed to be Jircniv's blanket sheet. Jircniv himself indeed only needed to yell for guards, and at least two specially-trained guards would storm into the room within seconds.

"Someone... teleported me away from my bedroom"

Jircniv was not satisfied with the answer. Anyone with half a functioning brain, of whom Jircniv was much more, would come up with that answer themselves upon seeing what had just happened.

"Who, how, why?"

Jircniv asked with an intimidating tone, as if he was interrogating a convict. He wanted to call the guards and be done with this matter, but he felt that he would miss out on something interesting if he did that. Moreover, he had just noticed something on the woman's body.

"It was... someone I had a deal with... He told me there were strong intruders so he teleported me away without telling me where I would end up"

"Hard to believe without proof, but in any case... You're Hilma Cygnaeus of Eight Fingers, aren't you?"

The woman was startled, but she was not really surprised. She was possibly aware that the snake-shaped tattoo on her right arm was quite a giveaway for anyone with enough knowledge. In Jircniv's case, he had an extensive archive from his spies about every important person within Re-Estize Kingdom, either from the official or underground organizations. Hilma was listed among those people, and the archive included a description of her looks, which included the snake tattoo.

"Y-Yes, that is correct. May I know where I am?"

Jircniv quickly thought about his possible courses of action. He then decided to just tell the truth and see how she would react.

"This here is Imperial Palace of Baharuth Empire, and you are sitting on the Emperor's private bed"

Hilma's eyes went wide with shock as she heard Jircniv's answer.

"S-So... You are..."

"Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix"

Hilma froze in shock after hearing Jircniv's reply. Jircniv, from his experience of reading other people, could conclude that Hilma's reaction was genuine. Someone with malicious intent wouldn't be able to react like that unless they had been trained specially, and someone like Hilma who was never supposed to do field works would never go through such thing.

Still, Jircniv had to be cautious since there was still a chance that her goal was to assassinate him and then whoever had teleported her here would take her back to wherever she had come from. But then again, how would a completely nude woman assassinate him?

Nevertheless, Jircniv spoke to Hilma again.

"What's wrong, woman? Goblin got your tongue?"


[X][X][X]


Hilma was panicked out of her wits.

Elder had teleported her from her bedroom all the way to the heart of Baharuth Empire, and right in the private bedroom of the Emperor while at it. This was exactly 'out of the pot, into the fire' phrase put into practice. She had escaped from the intruders, whoever they were, but now she was facing the certainty that she would be arrested for trespassing into the Emperor's bedroom, very likely to be executed later.

Come on, think! Is there some way I can get out of this?

Hilma knew that Elder would not pick her up again because right before getting teleported, she had heard him saying that they were now even, which certainly meant that Elder had cut his ties with her. This was actually what Hilma had been wanting, but definitely not this way. Now she essentially had nothing other than her naked body and the magic tattoo, and using it now would be the worst idea ever.

Therefore, Hilma decided to once again talk her way out, however slim the chance would be.

"Y-Your Highness, I can be of use to you!"

Emperor Jircniv didn't make any meaningful response. His face clearly showed that he was skeptical, which was well within Hilma's expectation.

"Oh, figures. What offer do you have in mind?"

"I-I can provide insider info of the kingdom"

"Heh, I already have an extensive archive on that matter. I doubt you can add anything valuable"

"I meant to say, latest important news still fresh within my memory. I believe Your Highness doesn't believe in Message spells, so someone who has just teleported here like me will have a lot of fresh information"

Emperor Jircniv seemed to be thinking for a bit.

"You have a point. I will ask you some questions and see if you really hold your worth"

Jircniv, while still keeping his distance from Hilma, proceeded to ask a number of questions regarding Re-Estize Kingdom. Hilma thankfully was able to answer them all since she had been plotting to increase her division's power among Eight Fingers, therefore she had been keeping a lot of information within her mind. She was not a genius who could memorize every detail, but she at least still remembered the important points. She didn't care anymore about leaking info of her own division. The fact that she had been teleported all the way here in the nude meant everything she had were pretty much lost anyway.

A few minutes later, Jircniv seemed to be thinking deeply. Hilma began to worry if her answers, despite being the truth as far as her knowledge allowed, had not been satisfactory.

"Hmm, assuming all you said were true, you indeed have given me some nice updated information"

Hilma could feel a ray of hope after hearing what Jircniv had said, and she was genuinely wishing he would keep her alive for any reason, even as a slave. She believed that as long as she was alive, opportunities would eventually present themselves.

"You are not here to assassinate me or such, aren't you?"

Hilma was shocked out of her wits by the sudden question.

"O-Of course not! There's no gain at all for me or my division to do such thing!"

Jircniv seemed to be thoroughly observing Hilma's face as she said her hasty reply. Hilma then realized that Jircniv was probably reading her reaction to determine whether she was honest or not. Right after realizing this, Hilma became worried if he had taken her reaction the wrong way. Jircniv just grinned at this moment.

"Let's put your skills to the test, shall we?"


***Flash Forward***


Present Time, Fourth Day, 09:07

And there she was, given a task to accompany Fluder Paradyne during an appointment he was attending. The official information was that Rossaur Ratenoir, a former noble turned rich merchant, had someone with great magic potential and he wanted Fluder to see if this person would make a great apprentice.

Jircniv thought that Rossaur was suspicious since in the past he had been an opposing noble and at the present time he should still bear resentment to The Empire since the purge had taken the life of his wife. This appointment might be some sort of trap, so Hilma was tasked to find out if there was something more than meets the eye.

So far, she has not seen anything significant which would need to be immediately addressed. The fact that Rossaur had hired some Mithril Rank adventurers to escort the group seemed weird, but still within range of reason.

Right now, Fluder and Hilma were sitting on the seats of the guest room of Rossaur's mansion, with warm tea served on the table in front of them and a butler standing by. The two young apprentices Fluder had brought were standing by near him, and the same applied to the three adventurers. They all seemed to be wary about their surroundings, though Hilma could notice their uneasiness. Perhaps because they had never expected someone like her to come along with Fluder.

Soon enough, a quite old man entered the room, and he brought a little girl with him. Hilma assumed that the man was Rossaur, and the little girl was the potential apprentice.

"Welcome to my humble home, Master Fluder. Oh, may I know who this wonderful lady is?"

"She is Hilma, one of The Emperor's concubines. She was ordered to come along, watch, and learn how things like this work, so she won't talk much"

"I see"

Hilma kept her eyes on everything which transpired under her watch. Some simple greetings had been made, with Rossaur showing respect while Fluder was keeping a straight face in his response. On a first glance, the girl Rossaur brought with him seemed just like any normal girl who was shy in front of a bunch of people she didn't know. Fluder stood up and observed the girl for a few seconds from where he stood, and then he began to show displeasure.

"I sure hope you are not messing with me, Rossaur. This girl's magic potential is as low as any common people out there"

Rossaur seemed slightly surprised, but he was still as calm as before.

"Are you sure, Master Fluder?"

"I am as sure as I can be. In your defense, I compared her potential with common adult, so her power can still grow as she does. But this much is not worthy enough to be my apprentice"

Strangely, Rossaur seemed to be delighted hearing Fluder's reply. He tried to remain calm and hide it, but Hilma still could notice it for a moment.

"Emerile, you can go back to your room. Lavitz, take her there"

After bowing to Fluder without a word to say, Emerile left the room with the butler. What had just happened left quite a number of questions hanging, so it would be natural to assume that there were more things not revealed yet to them. Fluder was the first to inquire after Emerile and the butler disappeared from view behind the room's door.

"From your actions, I suppose there are things you haven't told us yet"

"Indeed. To tell you the truth, until last night, she could cast spells up to tier five"

Fluder's eyes went wide for a moment, but he didn't say anything, letting Rossaur to continue speaking.

"This is a long story, so let us sit down"

After both Fluder and Rossaur sat down, Rossaur began telling about how Emerile had come to be. The story of his wife being brought back as a newborn by a creature called Piethoms sounded unbelievable in Hilma's mind. However, no matter how hard Hilma tried to observe Rossaur, she couldn't find signs of lying or making things up. So, either Rossaur was telling the truth or exceptionally good at lying was the only conclusion which could be made. Fluder seemed to be quite interested in the story, so the chance of the story being true could be quite high.

"Piethoms..."

Fluder seemed to be thinking over the name of the creature.

"Rossaur, have you ever realized that you have made a pact with an Evil Deity?"

Everyone in the room were surprised hearing Fluder's words. It was common knowledge that Evil Deity was the title bestowed upon the figures of destruction which had destroyed countless civilizations two centuries ago before getting slain by Thirteen Heroes, resulting in very few countries in present time having more than two centuries worth of history.

"Piethoms is the Evil Deity of Pacts. He works by making tantalizing deals with humans who are in the brink of despair. What he asks for in exchange is never clear, but as far as history is concerned, anyone who makes a deal with him never gets to live longer than one year after the pact is made"

Rossaur looked confused hearing Fluder's words.

"But I'm still alive after all these years"

"Indeed that raises a question. But you still haven't told us what happened last night"

"Well, Piethoms became openly hostile, but he was slain by the adventurers I hired"

Everyone other than Rossaur and the adventurers were surprised hearing that. In the past, it took the strength of Thirteen Heroes to slay the Evil Deities one by one. It was logically impossible for Mithril Rank adventurers to slay an Evil Deity. They then looked at the three adventurers present in the room, and Fluder began to ask a question.

"How did you slay Piethoms? Even I would only have a merely fair chance of winning against an Evil Deity"

One of the adventurers, seemingly the leader, came forward and answered.

"Unfortunately, we can't answer the question because our members who have done the deed are now resting from the exhaustion of the battle"

"But you at least saw it, right?"

"No. All three of us got disabled by Piethoms' spell and couldn't see what has happened"

Hilma noticed something in the adventurer's answer, so she began speaking out before Fluder could respond.

"You lied. No, to be exact, you didn't fully tell the truth"

The adventurer was surprised hearing Hilma's words, and Hilma herself could recognize the face expression as the one which most people would make if their lies got found out. Hilma saw this as an opportunity to prove her worth.

However...

"Hilma, that's enough"

Fluder spoke out to stop Hilma from digging further.

"I appreciate you pointing that out, but I believe I have figured out how and why they could slay Piethoms. One, Piethoms is less combat-oriented than most other Evil Deities so he is rather weaker to begin with. Two, Piethoms is believed to be already slain by Thirteen Heroes. I can assume that he barely survived and thus was in a severely weakened state, weak enough to be slain by Mithril Rank adventurers. Despite all that, the fact still remains that you have slain an Evil Deity, and that is admirable"

Everyone in the room nodded occasionally as Fluder spoke. While hearing his words, everything slowly began to make sense in their mind. But Hilma felt a little displeased by the outcome, since she had pretty much been denied from her chance to prove herself. Hilma could see the expression of the adventurers showing relief, a kind of expression which people would make when they were glad their lies didn't get found out. However, she couldn't insist because there was still a chance that their expression was like that because they were simply glad that Fluder had correctly guessed their circumstances. In that case, insisting would just make her look bad.

"Nevertheless, I am more intrigued in something else. Rossaur, could you call Emerile here again. After hearing your story I feel that I need to check on her once again"

Rossaur seemed to hesitate on Fluder's request.

"I assure you that she won't be harmed"

"...Alright"

Rossaur then left the room and returned with Emerile after a few minutes. Fluder stood up from his seat and kneeled in front of Emerile, who was naturally a lot shorter than him. He then raised his right hand and put it gently on Emerile's head. His hand let out a blue light for a few seconds.

"I see"

Fluder then nodded to Rossaur as a signal. Rossaur took the hint and spoke to Emerile.

"Thank you, Emerile. You can go back to your room again"

"But I want to know what this grandpa did to me..."

Emerile childishly rebelled against Rossaur's request. In response, Rossaur replied gently.

"I will tell you later, okay? Go back to your room"

Seeminly displeased, Emerile left the guest room. Both Fluder and Rossaur went back to their seats and sat down.

"So, Master Fluder. What did you find?"

"I will go straight to the point. Emerile is, in origin perspective, not a human being"

Rossaur's eyes went slightly wide, but he didn't seem to be that surprised. He then let out a small sigh before speaking in response.

"I already suspected that from a long time ago, but never figured out what she actually is. She eats as much as two adults, and she still looks like a five or six years old despite being nearly ten. Do you know what she actually is, Master Fluder?"

"She is a Homunculus. An artificial human created through alchemy"

Rossaur kept a straight face hearing Fluder's answer. But shortly after, seemingly having let it sink in, he looked down and his eyes were averted to his left.

"I see..."

"I apologize for this, but there is a bad news on this matter"

Rossaur immediately looked at Fluder with a worried expression.

"I also have appraised her alchemical structure when I found out that she is a homunculus. It is crudely made, quite brittle, and thus requires maintenance through periodical mana supply. She has lived this long probably because Piethoms has been supplying her. But now that Piethoms is no more..."

"W-Wha...?"

Fluder let out a sigh. From his expression, Hilma could tell that Fluder was not lying.

"Emerile only has another year at most..."

CRASH!

Suddenly, a noise of broken glass was heard right outside the door. Rossaur promptly stood up and opened the door, and right behind it was Lavitz carrying Emerile, with a broken porcelain kettle on the floor. It could be assumed that Lavitz lifted Emerile up to prevent her from getting injured by the shards.

"Lavitz, Emerile! Are you two all right?"

"M-My apologies for my carelessness, Master!"

Lavitz bowed while still holding Emerile, who showed an expression of sadness.

"Papa..."

There was a silence for a few seconds which felt like forever after Emerile spoke out the one word.

"...Am I going to die...?"

Nobody spoke for another few seconds. It was clear to Hilma that Rossaur couldn't bring himself to speak the harsh truth. Emerile began to leak tears at this point.

"Papa... I'm really going to die... aren't I...?"

Rossaur, and everybody else, still remained speechless. Emerile then suddenly burst into tears and jumped from Lavitz into Rossaur, who still managed to catch her despite the surprise.

"E-Emerile! That was dangerous!"

"I don't want to die, Papa! I still want to play! I still want to go out! I still want to see things! I still want-"

Rossaur could only caress Emerile's head gently under his embrace as she vented all those out. It was difficult for anyone not to feel any sort of empathy towards Emerile at this point, not even Hilma who had seen countless things in the underground society. Nobody spoke any words of comfort, deciding that it was the best for her to let everything out without any interference.

Some time later, Emerile had fallen asleep from exhausting her tears. Rossaur walked to a nearby sofa as Lavitz was cleaning the floor from the shards, put her there covered in a thin blanket sheet, and sat next to her while caressing her head. His face expression clearly showed that he genuinely loved Emerile and he was devastated by the recent unfolding event.

"Master Fluder, is there anything you can do?"

"Unfortunately, no. A Homunculus is a rare existence, so research around them is scarce to begin with. Without proper knowledge, I cannot just pour my mana into her without risking harming her or outright killing her, which I believe you don't want to happen"

Hearing Fluder's answer, Rossaur let out a sigh.

"I see... It can't be helped after all..."

"However, I have a proposal for you"

"Huh?"

"If you agree to put Emerile under my care, I can conduct more research into this matter. We might still have a chance to find out more about her, and therefore I might get the proper knowledge and method to maintain her structure. If I manage to pull that off, she will live longer and enable me to research a way to fix her structure permanently"

Rossaur's face seemed hopeful as he heard Fluder's words. However, it was pretty clear that he had a moment of hesitation.

"But... won't this rob her of her freedom?"

"Indeed, but it is a worthy price to pay for a chance to live much longer than she is destined to. Don't you want her to take the chance, Rossaur? I assure you that once I successfully apply a permanent fix on her, she will be returned to you"

"I... I need some time to think about it"

"Be reminded, Rossaur. The longer you delay, the less chance for her to live"

"I will inform you within a week. In the end, this is a decision which needs her own consent"

Fluder closed his eyes and let out a very small sigh. Hilma assumed that Fluder was a little disappointed with Rossaur's answer.

"I respect your decision. Then, I believe we no longer have a business to be done here"

Fluder stood up from his seat and began walking to the door. Hilma followed him, and so did the apprentices and adventurers.

"Thank you for coming and the kind offer, Master Fluder"

"I expect good news from you in a week, Rossaur"


[X][X][X]


Fourth Day, 11:24

Everything has been settled. The guests had gone home, and that should meant that the job for Foresight team was complete. But Hekkeran still couldn't rest easy. With all the reveals which had happened, he was not even sure if the job would be closed on a good note.

Right now, all six of the team were gathered in the guest room. Rossaur was sitting on one seat while the others stood up straight in front of him. Emerile had been brought back to her room, or to be exact, a different bedroom usually reserved for important guests since her original bedroom had been destroyed in the battle against Piethoms last night. The three not present in the recent event had been briefed by Hekkeran, so they all now knew the gist of things which had happened in their absence.

"So, adventurers... or workers to be exact... Well done. You have exceeded my expectations"

Hekkeran, and probably the others as well, were quite surprised hearing Rossaur's words. But they kept themselves silent as Rossaur continued speaking.

"From the beginning, I have expected the worst outcomes. I have mentally prepared to see Emerile getting killed by Fluder, or myself getting killed in the crossfire, or any other worse outcome. But you have averted them all. Piethoms is no more, I'm still alive and well, and Emerile is free from his grasp"

Despite the praises, Rossaur didn't seem too happy saying those. Hekkeran could guess why, though.

"Uhh... this is embarrassing, but despite what I said... I'm still not prepared to lose her again... and I never will..."

Rossaur leaned to the side and covered his eyes with one hand. What was happening was clear to everyone else present, and everyone understood to not question anything.

One minute later, Rossaur took a deep breath and regained his composure.

"Nevertheless, your job is now complete. Take this letter to the guildmaster and I guarantee you will be home free. And this one is for all of you from me personally"

Rossaur gave Hekkeran a sealed letter and a small wooden box. Hekkeran opened the small box to see the contents, and he was quite surprised that the box contained platinum coins. From a quick glance, Hekkeran could predict that there were around 40 or 50 coins in the box, quite near the total value they would receive upon complete success of the job.

"Don't let the guildmaster know about that, alright?"

Rossaur put his pointer finger in front of his mouth while making a little devious smile. Though his eyes still showed his grief.

"Uh, Sir Rossaur... Is there anything I can do to help...?"

It was Rose who suddenly spoke up, showing her concern.

"Thanks for your offer, but you no longer need to concern about this. This is a matter I want to face myself. Just go home proud of your well done work"

And so, Team Foresight had accomplished a job which had turned out completely different than they had expected. A supposed undercover investigation job had turned into an Evil Deity slaying job which they had somehow got out alive from. Hekkeran still had not asked all the questions he had about Rose and Sheep because he had decided that he would only ask after the job was over, and he intended to ask once they all arrived back in Singing Apple Pavilion. He just hoped there wouldn't be much backlash from them afterwards.


[X][X][X]


Imperial Palace, Fourth Day, 13:18

"And that concludes my report"

Hilma spoke while seated in front of Jircniv, who was sitting straight behind his work desk in his office room. There was nobody else in the room other than those two, and Jircniv listened closely to Hilma's verbal report with his arms folded on the table.

"Hahaha, so you didn't have a chance after all, eh?"

"Unfortunately, yes"

"Then you can try answering this question. What do you think about the offer from Gramps?"

Hilma took a few seconds to think, and then she began speaking.

"Master Fluder worded his offer in a very enticing way, giving a light of hope amidst Rossaur's despair. He also answered to Rossaur's hesitation with a convincing play of words. I predict that the chance of Rossaur taking the offer is very high despite my assumption that the Homunculus is already beyond saving and Master Fluder was only interested in studying the Homunculus"

"Hmm, you're correct to a certain extent. But I know Gramps will genuinely try to find a way to keep the Homunculus alive and well, since it is a new knowledge and Gramps just loves obtaining new knowledge. Same applies to the supposed permanent fix"

"Oh..."

"In any case... want to be my concubine for real?"

"P-Pardon me, Your Highness! It seems my ears have failed me for a moment"

Hilma was of course caught by surprise from the sudden offer. She couldn't believe it to be real because logically no person of high standing like Jircniv would make such offer on a whim just like that.

"I will say this upfront. You have some skills, so I'd like to keep you around. Better make the cover story real to make things easier"

"So... it is merely because I am useful?"

"Yes, you didn't think that I grew to have real feelings for you, did you?"

Hilma smiled in her mind. She had not taken what Jircniv had just said as an offense. In fact, she viewed it as a challenge she would gladly accept. Accepting the situation, Hilma then did a formal curtsy towards Jircniv and spoke.

"I would be honored to take the offer, Your Highness"

"Hmph, I can see that you took my recent words as a challenge. Try your best then"

Both Hilma and Jircniv laughed lightly. For both of them, the situation had just given them an excitement they had not felt for quite a long time.


[X][X][X]


Tomb of Nazarick, Conference Room, Unspecified Time.

"World conquest, Demiurge?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Right now, all Floor Guardians without exception were gathered around a huge conference table. It was not as grand as the round table of the 41 Supreme Beings, but it was more than enough to house all the current important figures of Nazarick. After all the things happening back in Re-Estize Capital, Ainz felt the need to rearrange and confirm the long term objectives of Nazarick. His former priorities of gathering information, bolster the strength of Nazarick as a whole, and exact retribution on those who had brainwashed Shalltear had to be reconsidered thanks to the arrival of destructive creatures from outer space.

But right now Ainz felt utterly confused thanks to the topic Demiurge had just brought up. In the past, he would just act cool like how a Supreme Leader should be while facing this kind of situation, do some wordplay, and hope things would turn out all right. But with the confession he had just done recently, that was no longer the case.

"Explain to me the reason behind the objective"

"Certainly, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge then proceeded to explain the benefits of conquering the world. As he heard all the elaborate explanation, Ainz slowly became convinced that those benefits would be worth all the effort. In addition, he could help ARKS fleet spread the news of Darkers to the world before the fleet eventually arrive, thus preemptively gaining favor from a potential ally. Though since the arrival time of the fleet was totally unknown, this should be taken as a bonus objective which may or may not be possible to accomplish. After all, it would feel suck if resources and efforts have been spent to prepare for this objective, and then the fleet arrived right then and there, making those preparations moot.

"Alright, that sounds good, Demiurge. But..."

"Is there anything you are concerned about, Ainz-sama?"

Ainz's concern was the fact that he completely didn't remember telling anyone that he had world conquest as his objective. It was embarrassing to admit it openly, but now that he no longer had to maintain a supreme image, he did it anyway.

"Well, now you see how incapable I am. I don't remember telling any of you about this world conquest. So Demiurge, would you jog my memory and tell me when you heard me saying it?"

"Certainly, Ainz-sama. There is no shame in forgetting a trivial thing or two. I heard your words back then, the night when the two of us flew to the sky for the first time"

Demiurge's words made Ainz remember the moment. It had been during the first days of his arrival in this unknown world.

"Ah... so that's when it happened. Back then when I still bore the name Momonga"

As Ainz said his words, suddenly Albedo, who was sitting next to him, showed a reaction.

"Oh..."

"Is there something, Albedo?"

"Ah... It was nothing, A-Ainz-sama. My apologies for the disruption"

Despite the denial, Ainz couldn't help being concerned. He had been carrying a burden of guilt for tampering with Albedo's settings back then, so it couldn't be helped that he had been putting a little more attention to her.

What was I thinking back then? It might be just a single line, but jokingly replacing it with 'she is in love with Momonga' is just...

Ainz stopped his internal thinking because he noticed something. He then looked at Albedo, who looked back with a slightly confused expression.

She reacted when I mentioned my old name. Don't tell me...

Ainz then stood up from his seat.

"We will take a short break. Meeting will resume in an hour. Albedo, come with me for a minute"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then walked out from the conference room with Albedo following right behind him. He walked right towards his bedroom, and right in front of the door he stopped and looked upwards.

"I wish to have a private time with Albedo, so get yourselves clear from the room for the time being"

Obeying the command, all the Eight Edge Assassins and other stealth sentries left the vicinity as both Ainz and Albedo entered the bedroom. Ainz could feel an aura of nervousness around Albedo, and noticing it only served to made Ainz feel more guilty.

Ainz then sat down on his bed and looked at Albedo, who still stood straight at a distance after shutting the door.

"Sit down next to me, Albedo"

"Y-Yes, Ainz-sama"

Albedo anxiously sat down next to Ainz as instructed. Despite her expression remaining relatively calm, it was not difficult to notice her uneasy feelings.

"I want to ask some questions which might be difficult for you. I won't force you to answer if you cannot bring yourself to do it. But if you do, I want you to answer with your utmost honesty"

Ainz was silent for a brief moment after saying that. He then took a deep breath and let out a big sigh.

"Albedo, even though you once told me that you have no problems with it, I can't help feeling myself at fault for tampering with your feelings, an action which I can no longer undo. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"A-Ainz-sama. Please don't be concerned. There is nothing to be made up for. My, and anyone else's wish, is only for you to stay with us. Nothing more"

Ainz didn't feel any better hearing Albedo's answer. It felt just like a typical answer of a loyal-to-a-fault NPC, not something truly from the bottom of her heart.

"Albedo, I'm sure you know that I noticed your reaction during the meeting. You made that reaction when I mentioned my old name. Tell me, have you been suffering because I left that name?"

I changed that line into 'She is in love with Momonga', yet right now 'Momonga' is no longer here. Why didn't I notice this sooner?

Logically, even though a person changed his name, he would be still essentially the same person. Any other person who knew him would still recognize him and interact normally, although they would need a little bit of time to adjust to the new name. Being formerly human, Ainz had been thinking that such logic would simply apply the same way here. However, the residents in Nazarick other than him were formerly NPCs, a bunch of entities made of data and backstories written with mere imagination. It wouldn't be too far off to think that their logical thinking might not be as complex as a former genuine human like him.

"Ainz-sama, I know you have chosen to bear the name of the guild for the greater good. This is a price I am more than willing to pay for the glory of Nazarick, so please be at ease and vanquish the guilty feeling"

Ainz let out another sigh hearing the answer from Albedo.

"So... you admit that you have been suffering thanks to my actions"

Albedo's already pale face became even more pale as she heard Ainz's words. Within an instant, she dropped down to the floor and prostrated to Ainz's feet.

"Ainz-sama! I deeply apologize that my answer has put even more burden in your mind! Please give me the most terrible punishment for this act of disrespect!"

Ainz didn't say any word. He just stood up from the bed while Albedo kept herself prostrated.

"Stand up and look at me in the eyes, Albedo"

Albedo slowly stood up and looked at Ainz in the eyes as instructed. Ainz could notice the worry and guilty feelings written all over her face. She was ready to receive any punishment Ainz would enact upon her.

But what happened next was unthinkable for her.

Ainz put Albedo into his embrace, hugging her quite tightly.

"A-Ainz-sama. What are you-"

"I'm sorry for making you suffer all this time, Albedo"

"B-But Ainz-sama! I-"

"I have tampered with your mind into loving someone who has no ability to return that love back, and to further salt the wound I have made that someone no longer exists in name. There is no excuse, and no amount of apologies would ever make up for my mistake"

"Ainz-sama, please-"

"Unfortunately, I cannot return to my old name until a certain thing happens, which likely won't happen anytime soon. I know this is not even close, but if it will serve to ease your suffering just a little..."

Ainz went silent for a few seconds as both of them gazed at each other's face, which felt much longer than it actually was.

"You may call me with my old name whenever there's only two of us, like right now"

Albedo's eyes went wide in disbelief. She didn't say anything, being at loss for words.

"A-Ainz-sa-"

Ainz shook his head. Albedo gulped seeing the sign.

"M-Mo... Momonga-sama..."

Ainz gently nodded hearing her words. Albedo was still in disbelief at this point.

"Momonga-sama... Momonga-sama. Momonga-sama!"

Albedo burst into tears in Ainz's embrace. Those were tears of delight, as if a huge burden had been completely lifted off from her. Ainz, who had only ever seen this side of Albedo once, kept hugging her and caressing her back. He himself had finally felt a part of the emotional baggage in his mind taken off. Although just a little, he felt at peace that he had done the right thing.


[X][X][X]


Afterword:

And so the first filler arc starring Foresight Team and several others has come to an end, with a bonus scene featuring Nazarick. Next chapter will mark the beginning of the second filler arc to tie up some loose ends, and after that we will proceed to the equivalent of Volume 7.

See you again later.