Hello again, everyone.
Well, it seems this year began on a tough note around the world. I just hope that my work would provide enough entertainment for a moment of respite, no matter how small.
See you again in the afterword.
[X][X][X]
Whoosh!
As Xiera told me before, I flew straight to the north in my Dark Blast Loser form. While 400 kilometers was not a short distance, the flight speed of this form could cover that distance within a fairly short time. Thankfully, having eaten a good number of Darkers, the dead Apostolo Dragon had enough Darker Factor to fuel my Dark Blast for a good deal of time.
While I was still flying, I could hear some of my stowaways talking inside my head.
"Fufufu... Hahahaha...! The utter folly of those humans! I can't help laughing whenever I remember that"
"Leaves me wondering why she didn't even bother to clear things up"
"Hmm? Pfft... Hahahahaha...! So it turns out you're not so bright huh, Apprentice?"
"I am Margaretta. Don't call me with that name... Loser!"
"Very well, I shall do the honor of... explaining to you. Now, what good would have been accomplished by clearing things up? Very likely nothing, and in fact it would have made matters worse. She chose to leave their folly be, because it was more beneficial to keep it that way"
"Was it really a wise choice? No lie can be kept forever"
"I'm not one to judge our host's decision"
"Hey, it was your suggestion to transform in front of those people!"
"And it was her decision to follow my suggestion. What she does is none of my business, as long as my very existence is not threatened"
"Our existence!"
"Fuh, suit yourself"
While I had not thought about it as far as Luther, I somewhat agreed with him. By not clearing things up for now, I remained on a high standing among the higher ups of one country, and that would make several things less complicated in the future. Moreover, all those people back there were very distraught, so it would be a better decision to clear things up later when they would be calmer and more in control of their own emotions.
Beep! Beep!
Suddenly I heard a message notification. Thankfully I still could receive it despite being in this form.
"Guardian! Are you doing well?"
As I expected, it was Xiera who contacted me.
"Some things happened, but now I'm on my way to the direction you mentioned"
I didn't tell her about my encounter with the Apostolo Dragon because otherwise she would be so distracted and forget to deliver the message she wanted to tell me. With how communication was limited currently, it would be better to keep things short.
"Ah, regarding that, Guardian..."
"Has something happened?"
"Indeed, Guardian. The readings of those ARKS operatives acted... strange"
"Elaborate"
"Not long after I told you back then, the readings disappeared for a while, and then I got their readings again near the spot where I contacted you prior to that. And now the readings disappeared again"
"So, something is interfering their signal?"
"I do hope so, Guardian..."
Xiera sounded very worried over there. It was understandable because missing readings could either mean their signal was hindered in some way, or they were dead. The latter was less likely because normally their readings would become very faint for a while before disappearing completely, instead of quickly disappearing like how Xiera had just described.
"Okay, I will go to the place you last picked their readings up and investigate there. By the way, how's the repair going?"
"Ah, alright! The ship will be back in top shape in three days at best, five at worst. After that we can focus on calibrating around the planet's mutated photons"
"Good to hear. Now, since I'm still using Dark Blast, if you would redirect me..."
"Oh, right! Give me a second and keep your direction steady"
I slowed down my flight while keeping my movement straight ahead. Just a couple seconds later Xiera spoke to me again.
"Alright, Guardian. Turn left to your nine"
As instructed, I made a sharp left turn.
"A liiittle bit to the right... Alright, now you can go at full speed!"
Whooosh!
Being quite worried about those other ARKS operatives, I flew straight as fast as I could. Mel Rose might have been one of them, and I didn't want to lose her trail. Not again.
[X][X][X]
"H-Huh?"
Meru couldn't help being startled when she finally regained her consciousness. All she could recall in before she had lost consciousness, was the horror of Apostolo Dragon's mouth opening wide right in front of her eyes.
"Ah, thank goodness you're awake"
The first thing Meru heard was Rose speaking inside, and what she saw first upon waking up was the fact that she was on the bed of a luxurious bedroom, alone.
"What happened? Where am I?"
"You fainted, and this is one of the rooms inside that skeleton's lair. We were all wiped out by that dragon"
"W-What? What about the others...?"
"I wouldn't know because you fainted. But as far as I could gather by hearing voices, nobody died. So rest assured on that"
"Oh, I'm glad..."
Meru let out a relieved sigh hearing Rose's words, but soon after that she hanged her head with depressed expression.
"I'm sorry..."
Unlike before, this time Meru spoke aloud instead of through her mind. There was nobody else in the room, so the difference wouldn't change anything. Rose still could hear her loud and clear, and she began feeling upset hearing Meru's apologizing again.
"Oh jeez, this again? Okay, I get it that you feel useless for fainting in battle, but the enemy was a freaking Apostolo Dragon! Nobody dying was already a miracle!"
"But..."
"Just quit being apologetic. We won't get anywhere otherwise"
Both Meru and Rose were silent for a brief moment before Rose began speaking again.
"Hey, switch with me"
"H-Huh?"
"Get some more rest inside. That 'bone-daddy' will probably question us soon, and I'm better at handling that"
"Yeah... Sorry..."
Within an instant, Meru's outfit changed into Rose's, signifying that they had just made the switch. After the switching happened, Rose immediately rolled her eyes and put her hand on her forehead.
"Hopelessly apologetic as always..."
"Sorry"
"Just... quit it"
There was no more response from Meru, so Rose hopped off from the bed and went straight to the door. She tried opening it, and it opened without resistance. However, before she could come out of the room...
"Ah, so you are awake! How may I assist you?"
Rose heard a female voice from the other side of the door. Immediately, someone with short blonde hair and wearing a maid uniform entered her line of sight from the side and bowed. Rose couldn't help being startled by the sudden event.
"Ah, I apologize for my lack of a proper explanation. I am one of the maids of Nazarick. I have been assigned to serve you for the time being"
"Oh, okay then. Would you bring me to where my friends are?"
"Unfortunately I don't know where your friends are resting, but we have been notified of your waking up and someone should come over soon. In the meantime, you may request meals or drinks or anything else within our capabilities"
The maid bowed again as she said that. Rose felt conflicted seeing this. She wanted to see the others as fast as possible, but she was not sure if going off to look for them herself would be the right choice. After all, right now she was once again within the domain of Ainz, and so far he had not shown any sign of hostility, so showing a sign of distrust would be pretty disrespectful. In fact, he had saved her and the others by evacuating them from the field, so giving him the benefit of the doubt might be the better option.
*Growwl...
Before Rose could think about the matter further, her stomach let out a loud and clear growling sound. A brief moment of awkward silence happened as Rose's face became flushed red.
"A-Alright. Bring me whatever food you recommend"
Rose said that with her eyes averted from the maid.
"Certainly, Mel Rose-dono"
The maid bowed and immediately walked away. Rose also walked away from the door back into the room, and she let herself fall onto the bed face up and arms stretched wide.
"That was... embarrassing"
Rose had no idea how long Meru had fainted because the mind space had been totally dark with the body losing consciousness, causing her to lose the sense of time. But now that she was in control of the body again, she opened her photon interface to check on the time.
It turned out that right now was still about noon on the same day, so the fainting had lasted for only one hour at most. Her hunger still made sense because she just remembered that she, and the others too, had not eaten lunch thanks to the sudden assignment.
Knock knock! Click.
Soon after, there was a gentle knock at the door, and it opened with a clicking sound. Rose stood up from the bed to see who was coming in, and it was the same maid from before, this time bringing food on a trolley. The food was still covered by a standard metal dome-shaped lid so Rose still couldn't see what the contents was yet.
"Where would you like to have your meal, Mel Rose-dono?"
"Ah, there. Just put it over there"
Rose hastily pointed at a square table near the bed. The table was large enough to house four people around, which was apparent from the four chairs placed around it. The maid immediately and skillfully arranged all the dishes on the table while Rose sat down on one of the chairs. In the end, the maid opened the metal lid, revealing the food within.
"Please enjoy your meal. I will be right outside if you need more assistance"
Rose couldn't fully focus on the maid's words because the meal revealed in front of her eyes was, to put it simply, extravagant. Back in ARKS ship, this kind of meal would be among the most expensive in the best restaurant.
"R-Right... Thank you"
The maid bowed and left the room after hearing Rose's words. For a full minute, Rose just stared at the food arranged right in front of her, having a hard time believing that an undead skeleton could have provided such a luxurious meal course. Still not coming to a decision about what to do, she tried talking to Meru inside.
"Meru, are you there?"
"Yes, Rose"
"What do you think about this?"
"I.. don't know..."
"Me too. I don't even know if this is made from legit ingredients or some weird magic substance"
"...Want me to taste test them for you?"
"Eh? Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, Rose. If they taste good I will switch with you again and you can have them all"
"Well, if you say so..."
Rose once again switched with Meru, giving control of the body to the latter and changing her outfit accordingly within an instant. After hesitating for a few seconds, Meru took the provided knife and fork and began eating. After the first bite, her eyes went wide.
"How is it?"
"It's... really delicious!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Go ahead and have your meal, Rose"
Meru gave her consent for switching, and she expected to be switched back to the mind subspace soon. However, it didn't happen. She was still there in control of the body even after several seconds had passed.
"Rose?"
"Nope, I'm not switching"
"What...? Why?"
"Because I want you to have all the meal"
"Eh...?"
"Just... consider it my thanks"
"What...? But I-"
"You took care of everything when I was hiding here in fear for weeks. I have never had any chance to repay you for that until now, so there you go. Nope, not gonna hear any refusal from you"
"Rose..."
"Just enjoy your meal already"
"...Thanks..."
Meru still hesitated for a brief moment even after Rose's approval, but she then proceeded to eat the full meal course, cherishing every single bite of it. It didn't take more than ten minutes until every dishes on the table were wiped clean off the food.
"Thank you for the food"
Meru clasped her hands in front of her while saying that with closed eyes.
Click!
The door soon opened gently, and a familiar figure entered the room. It was Ainz himself, and he probably was going to ask a lot of questions regarding the recent event.
"Let's switch, Meru"
"A-Alright, Rose"
In response to the imminent questioning, Rose switched with Meru, taking control of the body. Her outfit changed accordingly, and Ainz definitely didn't fail to notice it.
"Did you find the food suitable for your palate?"
Ainz asked the question as he sat down on the chair across the table from the one Rose was sitting at. His face was as intimidating as ever, combined with the sinister-looking outfit he wore. But having met him several times, Rose was already used to his appearance.
"I had Meru eat all of them, but yes. She liked it very much. Thank you for the hospitality"
Ainz put his hand on his chin, seemingly thinking about something.
"What you just said made me curious. If Meru ate the food, do you still feel hungry?"
"No, this is still the same body, so I don't feel hungry anymore. I just let her enjoy the taste. But don't we have more important things to talk about? Where are the others, for starters?"
"Ah, you are right. I will answer that first"
Ainz leaned forward with his arms resting on the table. His skeletal face showed no distinct expression, but Rose somehow knew that he was about to speak even more seriously than before.
"Ryu, Hikaru, and Lily have been badly injured. I have had them healed from their physical wounds, but for now I am letting them rest in a different room. As for Alice..."
Ainz was silent for a brief moment before continuing his speech.
"She was uninjured like you, but the experience seemed to have traumatized her greatly"
"What? Let me see her!"
Rose quickly stood up from her seat, being surprised by the news. She had known Alice only for a short time, but she was a partner regardless. Someone had to support her in some way.
"No, you can't. She is also asleep like the others currently. In her case, I put her to sleep so that she could rest her mind. I assure you that she was never put in any kind of harm"
Rose didn't say anything in response, not fully sure whether Ainz's claim could be trusted or not.
"But first, we have an important matter to talk about as you said earlier. I will bring you to where the others are after we are done. Now, would you sit down again?"
Rose sat down back on her chair after a couple seconds of silence, thinking that complying would be the best course of action in the current situation.
"First of all, what did you face back there? At first I thought you were defeated by Elder, but Alice said something about a dragon before I put her to sleep"
"Yeah, it was a dragon we encountered by chance. Darker-eating dragon"
"Wait, it was something known by ARKS? How could it be here on this planet?"
"It can teleport"
Ainz didn't say anything for a couple seconds after hearing Rose's answer.
"Nevertheless, why did you fight against it? If it eats Darkers it should help us in exterminating them, shouldn't it?"
"It is also hostile against anything that moves. Left alone, it will break the ecosystem"
"I see... Hmm?"
Ainz suddenly seemed to be distracted. He then raised his hand near where his ear was supposed to be at. From the gesture, Rose could guess that he was receiving some kind of transmission.
"Nigredo? Did you see something? ...Uh-huh. What...?"
Ainz talked with whoever was behind the transmission for a minute, then his voice sounded surprised. He then glanced at Rose briefly before looking away again.
"Wait a moment, I'm going to confirm something"
Ainz then looked at Rose and immediately began asking a question.
"Rose, among the Dark Falz you know, is there any among them capable of impersonation?"
At first, Rose didn't remember any known Dark Falz being capable of such thing. However, she then remembered the conversation she had had earlier with Ryu this morning.
"Dark Falz Persona..."
"So there is one. Is this Dark Falz strong?"
"No, in fact he seems to be the least threatening of all known Dark Falz when it comes to combat power"
"...I see. I apologize for the interruption, but an urgent matter has come up. I will have someone take you to the others. Wait there until further notice"
"Oh, alright"
Rose had no idea what kind of urgent matter was happening, but as long as she could see the others soon she had no further business with Ainz's concerns. She just hoped that things would turn out alright.
[X][X][X]
Later, Ainz was back in his study, which now functioned as a sort of war room. Most of the Floor Guardians were already there, waiting for his command. Not every Floor Guardian was present, and Ainz didn't want them to leave their posts without definite need. For now, the ones present here would have to do, which consisted of Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, Aura, and Mare. Nigredo was also among them, silently waiting for Ainz to begin their conference. Seeing this, Ainz quickly took his seat and regally began speaking.
"Thank you for coming in short notice. I will get straight to point"
Ainz cleared his throat briefly before continuing.
"As you have recently learned, our ARKS allies have been practically wiped out at Abelion Hills. They have been evacuated safely, but there were no signs of the enemy so I had Nigredo continue monitoring the area. Just a few minutes ago, she spotted something coming to the area, and that was the angel we have been wary of"
The atmosphere became more tense after Ainz finished the sentence. It was natural, since they possibly were thinking that Ryu's team had been defeated by that angel. It had not been the case, so Ainz had to clear that up immediately.
"I briefly questioned Rose, and she told me that the team was defeated by a dragon. We will get into more details later, but the main point is that the angel was not the one that fought them, so it is likely that the angel is still in prime condition"
The tension in the air didn't lessen any as Ainz briefly paused.
"But then something happened. The angel transformed into one of our allies, according to Nigredo"
Everyone looked at Nigredo the moment Ainz finished speaking. Nigredo gently nodded and then spoke.
"There are some differences, but anyone unfamiliar with her would likely be caught unaware"
"I also have confirmed it with Rose. There is a Dark Falz capable of impersonation like that of a Doppelgänger called, Dark Falz Persona. So, unfortunately this world indeed now has another Dark Falz present... However!"
Ainz spoke with determination, preventing the others in the room from speaking.
"I have come to realize that we cannot always rely on ARKS whenever a Darker or Dark Falz related problem arises. The ones here exerted their best efforts, but in the end they were defeated by a powerful enemy. We cannot say that the same thing will not happen, even if their entire fleet is present. Therefore, even though we will still try to ally with them, we should also stand for ourselves with our own strength! Dark Falz or whatever it is, the power of Nazarick should be feared, and so it will!"
Ainz raised his clenched fist as he finished speaking. Everyone had their mouths agape, stunned by his passionate speech, and were about to give applause, when Ainz quickly continued.
"Now, back to the situation at hand. We have learned so far that Dark Falz are capable of teleporting at will and they are also functionally immortal. Therefore, I believe that our best option against one is to capture them alive and seal them in some way. Does any of you have a different opinion?"
Responding to Ainz's question, Demiurge raised his hand and began speaking after Ainz nodded as a sign of approval.
"I believe your way of thinking is correct, Ainz-sama. But there is one concern. Where should we keep the Dark Falz? Please accept my deepest apologies if Ainz-sama has already thought about this"
"Hmm, your concern is valid. While we have functional prison facilities in Nazarick, we still do not know if our restraining devices would be sufficient to contain a Dark Falz. At worst, they could break free and damage Nazarick from within. The risk involved would be too great for my liking"
"Ainz-sama~! I think I have an idea!"
Suddenly Aura raised her hand, which was quite a surprise for Ainz and perhaps everyone else in the room.
"Go ahead, Aura. Speak"
"How about, we seal the Dark Falz at Fake Nazarick? That way, if they break free, the location of Nazarick will still be hidden from them~!"
"Oh..."
Ainz had a fleeting moment of amazement upon hearing Aura's idea that he only uttered the single word. So many things had happened that he actually had mostly forgotten the existence of Fake Nazarick. It was indeed a solid idea for safety, keeping the threat outside and sufficiently far from Nazarick even in the worst case scenario.
"...Was it a bad idea, Ainz-sama?"
Aura looked worried as she asked the question. Ainz immediately realized that he had been staring into space for a little too long.
"No, your idea is not bad at all. Though by the way..."
Ainz looked at Nigredo before asking a question.
"Is the Dark Falz still there?"
Nigredo made a light nod as a response before speaking.
"Yes, Ainz-sama. It seems they are looking around and examining the area"
Ainz nodded hearing Nigredo's answer, and he then looked straight forward.
"Alright, we will use Aura's idea. Albedo, organize two teams. One team will transport feasible restraining devices from here to Fake Nazarick, while the other will engage the Dark Falz Persona. The main objective is to capture them alive, but if you judge that it is not possible, prioritize survival and retreat. Nigredo will accompany the transport team to help monitoring the other team so they can assist the other if necessary"
"As you command, Ainz-sama!"
"Oh, one last thing for the engaging team. Try communicating with them first and see how they would respond, use your own judgement on deciding the next course of action, but the main goal will remain unchanged"
Ainz was aware that this additional order brought some risks to the engaging team. However, from the fact that he had been able to reason with Elder to some extent back then in Re-Estize, he wanted to take a chance to gauge Persona's attitude compared to Elder.
"Understood, Ainz-sama!"
Within seconds, everybody other than Ainz left the room, eager to accomplish the mission Ainz had just entrusted them to. Once he was fully alone in the room, he stood up and walked towards the exit as well. By now, Rose should be already with the others, and he still had more questions to ask.
The members of Ryu's team other than Rose were put in a larger guest bedroom which had two king size beds. Ryu and Hikaru were put on one bed, while Lily and Alice were put on the other. Like Rose, one Homunculus Maid had been stationed right outside the room to serve them once they woke up.
Ainz felt that teleporting right there would be unnecessary since it was likely that none of the sleeping ones had woken up yet. In addition, after the tense strategic meeting he was already mentally exhausted, so walking at slow pace to the guest room would serve as a brief but appreciated moment of respite.
It was no less than ten minutes later when Ainz was finally just a few steps away from the guest room in question. He was about to open the door when he suddenly heard a familiar sound.
Beep! Beep!
Ainz immediately raised his hand to his ear and received the incoming [Message].
"Ainz-sama"
"Albedo? Has something happened out there?"
"We have caught the target"
Ainz needed a few seconds to let the news sink in. He had put his trust on the capabilities of his Floor Guardians, but he actually had never expected them to accomplish the mission so quickly, and he couldn't help getting impressed.
"That is excellent news. How was the battle? Is everybody in the team all right?"
"There was no battle, Ainz-sama. After we exchanged words, the target just... surrendered"
"...What?"
[X][X][X]
It wasn't hard for me to recognize the spot where I had been kidnapped from once I arrived. After all, the huge explosion that utterly devastated the land was my handiwork. To maintain a broad view from above, I didn't revert back to human form at first, instead hovering around the area to see if I could find something that might give me a hint.
I quickly realized that doing this would be just a waste of Dark Blast fuel, so I landed and reverted. Without delay, I opened my photon interface to perform a general scan on the area. The last time I had done this, it had not picked any relevant readings up, but perhaps this time would be different.
"Hmm?"
The scan picked up strange readings not far from this spot. I immediately went there to see it for myself, and what I found there when I arrived was multiple signs that a battle had recently happened there. From the traces of Darker Factor spread around, I could quickly identify that the Apostolo Dragon I had recently killed had come from here. From the fact that it had appeared in wounded state, I could conclude that those other ARKS operatives had been the ones who had injured the Apostolo Dragon.
Still, that didn't answer the question on where and how their readings had disappeared from Xiera's watch. In addition, she also had told me that their readings had disappeared once before reappearing here, far away from their previous location. The only explanation I could think of was that they somehow had obtained access to this planet's teleportation magic, and also some kind of enclosed shelter where not even an ARKS planetary scanning system could see through. I couldn't help getting impressed by what they had achieved, if my assumption was correct.
I was still unsure if I have obtained all the available information, so I proceeded to walk around and examine the surroundings, hoping that I would stumble upon additional clues left in the area.
Just slightly less than ten minutes later, suddenly...
THUD!
I heard a sound of impact nearby, as if something heavy had fallen from a high place. I immediately looked at the direction where the sound had come from, and I saw a standing human figure fully clad in dark, almost jet-black armor carrying a large halberd. From the leveled ground around them, it was safe to assume that they had fallen from the sky. Before I could assess further, they pointed their halberd straight at me.
"What is your objective for coming here, Dark Falz Persona?"
The voice coming out from the figure was clearly feminine, so the one inside the armor was certainly a woman. Regardless of that fact, I was surprised by the fact that whoever she was, she knew about Dark Falz Persona. Without thinking, the first thing that came to my mouth was...
"H-How did you know-"
...which I immediately realized to be a fatal mistake. What I had just uttered would definitely be taken as a confirmation to their misled accusation that I was Persona. At this point, there would probably be no use trying to deny.
"Impersonating one of our allies was your own undoing"
Wait, what? Did she just say 'allies'?
"If you wish to remain silent, then so be it. You will speak later, one way or another"
The woman spoke while putting herself into a battle stance. At the same time, I noticed at the corner of my eye that there was another warrior, clad in bright red armor and wielding a lance, ready for battle behind me. I had been effectively ambushed in a two-way pincer maneuver. If I failed to notice her arrival, who was to say that there weren't more lying in wait.
Judging from what the dark warrior said earlier, it seemed that their goal was to capture me alive. So, I quickly made a decision. It was a gamble, but I believed fighting here and now seemed to be the worse option as I held my arms up and spoke to them.
"I surrender"
"Hey what? What are you doing!?"
"Chump! Are you stupid or what?"
"Fufufu... interesting decision..."
I could hear Margaretta and Gettemhart complaining inside, but I had no time to explain to them. I just hoped that Luther understood my intention and would explain to those two.
Both the warriors in front and behind me seemed to be surprised as well, slightly lowering their stance.
"What are you saying? Are you giving up without a fight?"
"Yes..."
As I said that, I dropped down on my knees with my hands still up. The dark warrior then walked to me and stopped right in front of me with her halberd pointed right on my face. She seemed to be also gesturing the red warrior to do something, which I soon found out.
Within seconds the red warrior put shackles on my wrists behind my back, and my ankles soon received the same treatment. At this close distance I could notice that the red warrior was also a woman because the armor didn't cover her face, and unlike the dark warrior's, it was pretty easy to notice the feminine features of the red warrior's armor.
"Heave-ho!"
The red warrior easily lifted me up over her shoulders. It was uncomfortable and also embarrassing, having been taken prisoner again within such a short time. However, this was what I had expected, which would hopefully be my best chance to meet up with those other ARKS operatives.
"What should we do now?"
The red warrior asked a question to the dark warrior.
"We proceed as planned. I shall report this to Ainz-sama"
Because my face was on the red warrior's back, which surprisingly had white wings, I couldn't see anything happening. Despite going well so far, I couldn't help worrying that this gambit would be a failure.
[X][X][X]
"That was the gist of it"
"Hmm, that didn't sound like Persona. But I don't know much about him either"
Ryu didn't really know what to say after hearing Ainz's story. After all, he had just recently woken up from his unconsciousness. The Apostolo Dragon really had got him good.
As of right now, Ryu was sitting alongside Hikaru, Rose, and Ainz around a dining table in the bedroom he slept in. Alice, despite having already woken up, was still curling herself under the blanket on her bed, and Lily was sitting on the side of the bed, keeping watch on Alice with worried facial expression.
"I believe all ARKS can scan and identify a Dark Falz, right? I would like you to see if this impersonator was really Dark Falz Persona or something else"
"Certainly"
Ryu nodded as he spoke his approval. Rose and Hikaru also nodded. He then looked at the bed where Alice was still burying herself under the blanket.
"Liz, are you coming with us?"
"No"
Alice denied with her voice muffled by the blanket. Ryu couldn't help worrying about her, and he also felt guilty for failing her back then.
"Lily, please accompany her for now"
"Alright, Ryu-san"
After hearing Lily's reply, Ryu stood up from his seat and looked at Ainz after briefly glancing at Alice with worried face.
"We are ready, Ainz-dono"
"Alright. We shall depart immediately"
[Gate]
Ainz raised his hand pointing towards a spot in the room, and a familiar portal was conjured.
"See you soon, Liz, Lily"
After saying that, Ryu walked into the portal, followed by Hikaru, Rose, and finally Ainz. When he came out from the other side, he couldn't recognize where he was at first.
"Isn't this the wooden building where we met the first time?"
Rose's question immediately refreshed Ryu's memory. Indeed, this was the building where he had seen Rose and Meru for the first time back then. The interior of the building didn't change compared to the last time, and it brought back some memories.
"Yeah, and Lily slapped you"
"Oh, come on! Why you have to remember that of all things!?"
Rose was clearly upset, though her face was blushing. Hikaru just laughed slightly seeing the interaction between the two.
"This way"
Ainz, seemingly ignoring the moment, walked away from the room they were at. The three ARKS silently followed him through the corridor and finally to a room at the end of it.
"For security and our safety, the alleged Dark Falz is restrained and closely guarded by Shalltear and Albedo. But keep yourselves alert still"
After hearing Ainz's words, Ryu looked at Rose and Hikaru.
"You two, stay right outside"
"What? Why?"
"I don't doubt the strengths of Ainz and his subordinates, but in case the Dark Falz breaks free and attacks, you will have the element of surprise"
"Well, if you say so"
Rose shrugged as she said that, while Hikaru just nodded. Ryu then nodded to Ainz as a sign that he was ready. Ainz then opened the door, revealing the room behind it. Inside, he could notice Albedo wearing the same armor she had worn back then in Carne Village, Shalltear whom he had never seen wearing the bright red winged armor before, and the prisoner they were guarding.
The prisoner was bound by the wrists and ankles with metal manacles, which were parts of a restraint device shaped like the letter Y, effectively crucifying the prisoner and totally sealing their movements. The manacles seemed to have glowing purple runes, implying that they had magical properties. The prisoner was still fully conscious, and seemed to be slightly smiling in relief upon seeing Ryu.
Ryu was briefly distracted on the prisoner's looks, but he then quickly opened his photon interface and did a quick scan. What he found next was quite shocking and hard to believe.
"She's not Dark Falz Persona... She's a genuine ARKS"
Ainz was visibly startled upon hearing Ryu's words, and the same applied to both Albedo and Shalltear.
"Are you certain, Ryu?"
Ainz asked the question while glancing at the prisoner. Ryu checked his interface again, read it several times over, and nodded his head.
"Yes. The readings say so. No doubt about that"
For Ryu, the fact that the girl was a genuine ARKS was not so surprising. The unbelievable part was that even though her hair was short and the outfit was completely different, she was a spitting image of Rose. Anybody would think of them as twins if they walked together.
Ainz waved his hand towards the girl. All the runes on the manacles extinguished, and they opened with clicking sounds. She stepped on the floor with her two feet and lightly massaged her wrists alternatingly.
"Whew, thank goodness I didn't have to suffer that for too long"
Ryu had a lot of questions about this girl, especially that now he had heard her voice, which was exactly the same as Rose's. But before he could even begin...
THUD!
"Rose!"
Ryu heard a sound from behind. He looked there and immediately saw that Rose had dropped down, and Hikaru was holding her body to prevent her from hitting the floor.
"What just happened?"
"I-I don't know! She just took a peek inside, then she swayed and fell!"
Seeing what was happening, Ainz immediately looked at Albedo and gave an order.
"Albedo, bring her to a room where she can rest!"
"As you wish, Ainz-sama"
Albedo then approached Hikaru and Rose, gently picked Rose up princess-carry style, and walked away from the place.
"Hikaru, follow Rose and keep her company"
"Oh, alright, oniichan"
Hikaru went away following Albedo, and then Ainz and Ryu looked at the new ARKS girl who was putting one hand behind her head, looking somewhat shameful as if she had just made a mistake.
"So she was here too, eh...? I believe you two have questions now"
Right after the girl said her words, Shalltear quickly raised her lance weapon pointing at the girl. She was gritting her teeth and sporting a death glare at the startled girl.
"H-How dare you treating Ainz-sama with such disrespect by addressing him with 'you two'! I-"
"Shalltear, enough!"
Ainz's voice echoed throughout the room. Everyone else there were surprised by the sudden loud shout. The room then went silent for a few seconds before Ainz let out a big sigh and spoke again.
"This is fine. Go and rest in another room. Also... I apologize for shouting at you just now"
"N-No, Ainz-sama! It was all my fault for-"
"I wish to talk with them alone, so leave the room promptly"
"A-As you wish, Ainz-sama"
Shalltear then left the room with her head hanged down in shame and perhaps guilt as well. Soon, there were only three of them in the room. Ainz then pulled a small round table and three chairs out of thin air and put them on the floor. Within less than ten seconds, all three in the room were seated around the table facing each other.
"Now, indeed the two of us have a lot of questions about you. For starters, how about telling us your name?"
"Indeed, I should begin with introduction. Everyone calls me Guardian, but my name is Melrose"
Naturally, both Ryu and Ainz were quite surprised by the similar name. Ryu was a little less surprised because he had seen the name during the quick scan, but now that the person herself had spoken, the information finally sunk in.
"Are you... her twin sister?"
"Hmm..."
Melrose folded her arms after hearing Ryu's question, seemingly thinking about what to say in response.
"It's complicated and will take too long to explain in detail. So to make it quick for now... she's a clone of me"
There was a silence in the room for a couple seconds because nobody else had any idea what to say in response to the dropped bombshell. Things might have gotten a lot more complicated from now on.
[X][X][X]
Afterword:
So... yeah. A bombshell has just been dropped with the reveal that Rose is a clone of Guardian. It will definitely raise a number of questions which would need prompt answers.
Now that how she looks has been revealed to the audience, I have added pictures of her into the spoiler section of the gallery. Check it out if you like, but I will still provide a description of her looks in the next chapter.
Q And A:
Q: Can the Pleiades defeat Apostolo Dragon?
A: Fair chance if Aureole Omega participates in the battle, but little to no chance otherwise. A direct hit from most of its attacks can oneshot any Pleiades other than Aureole and perhaps Solution, since she is very resistant to physical attacks and all of Apostolo's attacks are physical in nature.
See you again later.
