Overlord The Trinity Supreme Beings

by damiantran280

What if there was another supreme being joining Ainz and Nazarick. What if two of the almighty Supreme ones had stayed. —Well this is their legend— Follow Karna, Jeanne D'arc and Ainz as they maintain their precious guild and NPC and dominate the New World — And the new world thought the OverLord of Death was bad enough, well what if we throw in The Son of Sun God and a Holy Saint.

9. Chapter 6 - part 1: True Vampire

CHAPTER 6

True Vampire

"What kind of food is this!?"

A shrill, nigh-hysterical voice cut through the air, and then the sound of crashing cutlery echoed through the dining room.

Several people turned to look at the girl who was kicking up a fuss.

The girl was so beautiful that using the word to describe her seemed inadequate. Her looks could rival those of the Kingdom's most beautiful woman — the one with the appellation of "Golden" — and her anger only added to her charm.

In addition, every move she made was elegant and refined, even while throwing a tantrum.

She must have been nobility in some country, the heiress to a highborn family. She flicked at her long French curls in annoyance, and glared at the food before her in dissatisfaction.

All manner of dishes packed the table before her.

There were freshly-baked loaves of bread, still steaming in their basket. The plates were laden with thick, rare cuts of juicy red meat, served with sweetcorn and buttered mashed potatoes. The sight of them stimulated the appetite. The fresh vegetables which made up the salad were still crisp and soft, and their fragrant dressing filled the room with a citrus scent.

The highest-class inn in E-Rantel — the Shining Golden Pavilion — used 「Preservation」 magic to keep their ingredients fresh. Naturally, only the finest of chefs were allowed to turn said ingredients into meals.

However, despite the best efforts of the most skilled chefs that used the finest ingredients to produce culinary works of art — which only nobility, royalty, or the wealthiest of merchants would be privileged enough to taste — the girl turned her nose up at the plates before her.

It was only natural to feel shocked by her complaint, but beyond that, the people who heard her also felt curiosity about what she normally ate.

"It tastes horrible!"

The words she uttered after that were singularly inappropriate for this place, and they left everyone in the room speechless.

However, the old butler behind the girl kept his expression neutral and did not change his stance Even when the girl turned and glared at him, he remained unmoved, as though he could not make any other facial expressions.

"Ahhhh, I can't bear to stay in this run-down city any further! We're setting out now!"

"But Young Mistress, it's already evening—"

"Silence! I said we're going, so we're going, do you understand me!?"

Only after hearing the girl's childish tantrum did the butler's posture change. He lowered his head and replied:

"Understood, Young Mistress. I shall begin travel preparations immediately."

"Hmph! If you understand, then hurry up and get ready, Sebas!"

The girl tossed away the fork she was holding and rose to her feet, before flouncing out of the dining room. She was still fuming as she did so.

After the storm had passed, a solemn, dignified voice lightened the heavy mood in the room:

"I apologize to everyone for the disturbance."

The butler picked up the chair which the girl had knocked over and replaced it, then bowed deeply to everyone in the dining room as a sign of contrition. Quite a few of them accepted the old man's immaculate apology with pitying eyes.

"—Innkeeper."

"Yes."

A man who had been waiting in the wings approached the butler.

"Once again, I apologize for startling everyone. Though I know it will not excuse this offense, I hope you will allow me to pay for the meals of everyone here."

Looks of delight bloomed on the faces of several of the diners as they heard those words. A meal in a first-rate inn like this would certainly not be cheap. If this old man was willing to pay for their food, that would be a good enough reason to forgive that girl.

On the other hand, the innkeeper's face remained impassive as he bowed politely in response to the butler's proposal. That natural reaction of his was proof that scenes like this had been seen many times, ever since this pair of master and servant had taken up lodgings at the Shining Golden Pavilion.

Sebas looked toward a corner of the dining hall, at a destitute-looking man shoveling food into his mouth. As the man noticed Sebas's eyes on him, he rose to his feet and quickly walked towards Sebas.

Compared to the other guests, the man seemed completely out of place. He lacked both style and class, and so he stood out from everyone around him.

Although his clothes were no shabbier than those of the people nearby, they did not go well on him. In fact, it was quite comical — like a clown in fancy dress.

"Master Sebas."

"What is it, Zack-san?"

The other guests frowned as they heard the smarmy tones in which Zack spoke. The way he wrung his hands went very well with the way he was toadying up to Sebas.

However, Sebas's expression remained unchanged.

"As a hired man, I have no room to propose an alternative… but would it not be better to reconsider the decision to set off immediately?"

"Are you saying you have difficulty driving a wagon at night?"

"That is one of the reasons, and… I have some… other business to take care of."

Zack scratched his head over and over again. Though his hair looked clean enough, the way he was scratching made it seem like he was going to start throwing off flakes of skin. Quite a few people's frowns deepened further. However, whether he had noticed or not, he ended up scratching even harder.

"However, the Young Mistress will most likely not accept that suggestion. Or rather, given the Young Mistress's personality, she will not change her earlier decision."

With a steely, unyielding look on his face, Sebas concluded:

"Therefore, we have no choice but to set out."

"But…"

Zack's eyes darted around, looking for some other excuse to give. However, he found none, and he grimaced.

"Of course, we will not be leaving right away. We will need some time to load the Young Mistress's luggage onto the wagon. During that time, please prepare for our departure."

Sebas noted the wily gleam in the eyes of the impoverished-looking man before him as he scrambled for something to say. However, Sebas did not show any signs that he cared.

This was all to cover up the fact that all was going as planned.

"Then, when will we be leaving?"

"How about two, maybe three hours later? If we leave later than that, the streets will be shrouded in darkness. That is probably the limit."

That disgusting, calculative look appeared in the man's eyes again. Sebas once again pretended that he had not noticed it. After licking his lips several times, Zack replied:

"Hehe, that should be fine."

"Excellent. Then, can I ask you to begin preparing right away?"

As he watched Zack's retreating figure, Sebas waved his hand, as though to clear the air around him. It seemed polluted somehow, and it clung to him.

Sebas — his face a mask of neutrality — fought the urge to sigh.

Frankly speaking, Sebas had no love for such despicable characters. Perhaps his colleagues Demiurge and Shalltear could derive some minor amusement from these people by treating them like toys, but Sebas did not want to let people like that near himself.

There were some shared opinions in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, such as, "Everything which does not belong to Nazarick is an inferior life form," and "Other than a rare few exceptions, humans and demihumans are weaklings that must be trampled." Sebas operated by his creator's credo that "those who do not save the weak cannot call themselves strong," and thus he had his doubts about those opinions. However, he began to feel that there might be some truth to them when he met wretched individuals like Zack.

"Good grief. Humans should be an outstanding species…"

After raising his hand to stroke his neatly-trimmed moustache, he turned his thoughts to what he should do next.

The plan was going quite well. However, he still needed to confirm the details with his observer.

Just as Sebas was thinking about the direction in which he would proceed, he noticed a man approaching him.

"It must be quite hard on you to have to set out at this time."

The person addressing him was a clean-shaven man in his late forties. His black hair was streaked with white, and due to age and heavy meals, his pot belly was soft and rounded.

He was tastefully-dressed, in clothes that both reflected his high station and his sense of style.

"Bardo-san, I presume?"

Sebas dipped his head in acknowledgement. The man (Bardo) extended a hand to stop him.

"Ah, no, no, there's no need for such formality."

The man called Bardo Lofley was a merchant, who controlled a large portion of the grain trade in this city. For some reason, he had come over and begun speaking to Sebas.

The Fortress City was a strategic location in war. Bardo was heavily involved in the food trade here, which made him quite a big figure among the city's many merchants.

Once one had a fighting force of over ten thousand men, feeding them became a task which consumed great amounts of time and manpower. Therefore, the Kingdom's policy on that matter was to march their troops to this city with minimum rations, whereupon they would resupply upon arrival. Therefore, merchants who dealt in food and weapons were quite influential in this place, unlike regular cities.

Anyone in E-Rantel with such power would never chat up someone else simply because they were eating at the same restaurant. Therefore, he must have had some motive for reaching out to Sebas.

Still, Sebas had been expecting this.

"Sebas-san, that person's not a good sort."

"Is he?"

Sebas's expression changed for the first time as he smiled while answering courteously. His response implied that he knew exactly who Bardo was referring to.

"He's not a trustworthy fellow. I have no idea why you would employ someone like him, Sebas-san."

Sebas thought quickly, looking for the answer which was most appropriate to the present circumstances.

He could not tell the other man the true reasons behind hiring Zack. However, if he said that he had hired Zack because he was a nobody, Sebas would look bad in the eyes of others and their opinions of him would suffer.

Although they had decided to leave this city, he wanted to avoid Bardo thinking poorly of him. In the future, they might need to make use of the man.

"That might be correct, but nobody has sold himself the way he does. Granted, his personality is flawed, but the Young Mistress appreciates his passion."

Bardo smiled uncomfortably, and his opinion of the young mistress in question fell by another notch.

She was there for precisely that purpose, so it could not be helped, but Sebas still found it difficult to have her take the blame for this.

"I fear I have gone too far. I hope you will remove those words from your memory; though I would still suggest that you try to persuade your mistress otherwise."

"There might be merit in your words. However, when I think of the Young Mistress's father; that is to say, the kindness that he showed me, I simply cannot…"

"Of course, loyalty is important…"

Bardo's voice trailed off, and the rest was unintelligible.

"In that case, would you like me to send a few reliable men along with you?"

"There is no need for you to go to such lengths for us."

Those words may have been spoken with kindness and warmth, but they were an ironclad denial. Perhaps Bardo sensed the firm determination hidden within that reply, which was why he decided to try a different angle of approach.

"Is that so? I personally feel it would be better to be escorted by competent bodyguards. The way to the Royal Capital is long, and unlike the Empire, the roads of the Kingdom are not very safe. I could recommend some reliable mercenaries."

The security of the roads in the Kingdom fell to the nobles who owned the land through which those roads passed. In turn, they would collect a toll from travellers. This was the privilege of the nobles, but in truth, it was little more than a means of collecting a road tax, and the security of the roads was riddled through with holes in many places. It was quite common for travellers to meet brigands or sellswords who had turned to banditry while on the road.

In an effort to solve this problem, the "Golden Princess" had worked hard to have the roads patrolled by guardsmen loyal to the Crown. However, there were far too few of these patrolmen for the plan to have any effect. In addition, the nobles were worried that their privileges will be infringed upon, and worked to get in the patrolmen's way.

In the end, the situation was one where the country could not ensure the safety of its own roads.

Therefore, travelling merchants typically hired adventurers or a band of trusted mercenaries to defend themselves. A powerful and prestigious person like Bardo would surely know of well-trained and reliable mercenaries. However, Sebas could not accept his offer.

"Indeed, you might be right to say so. However, the Young Mistress does not like having people by her side, and so I am bound to comply with her requests as much as possible."

"Is that so?"

Bardo was now frowning in an exaggerated manner, a troubled expression on his face. This was how an adult would react in the face of a child throwing a tantrum.

"I apologize for having to reject your kindness."

"Please don't say that. In truth, I wanted to do you a favor, with the hopes of building a stronger relationship with you."

Sebas and company had lodged in this inn under the backstory of being an heiress and her faithful butler who hailed from a city in some part of the Empire. They had then shown the ample purchasing power such a background would merit, in order to see how the people around them would react. The favor Bardo wanted to do was calculated to ingratiate himself with wealthy people.

Sebas smiled gently at the fish which had taken the bait:

"I will relay your kindness to the Young Mistress's father (my master), Bardo-san."

A faint gleam crept into Bardo's eyes, but he swiftly concealed it. Normal people would not have perceived that momentary glittering. However, that brief exposure was more than enough for Sebas to notice it.

"Then, though I apologize for my rudeness, I must make a move first, for the Young Mistress is waiting."

Sebas took the initiative before Bardo could speak.

Bardo — who had been seen through — blinked and studied Sebas's expression briefly, before sighing:

"—Hm, it can't be helped, then. Sebas-san, when you come to this city again, please look for me. I will welcome you warmly."

"Very well. When the time comes, we will be in your care."

As he watched Bardo leave, Sebas muttered to himself:

"Humans really are a varied bunch."

Sebas could sense that Bardo's actions were not purely motivated by personal gain. He was genuinely concerned for the girl and her butler.

It was because of people like these, who wanted to help those in need, that he could not bring himself to hate humanity.

An unforced smile bloomed on Sebas's face.

Sebas knocked several times, announced himself, and then entered the room.

"Forgive my unsightly conduct from earlier, lord Sebas."

As Sebas closed the door after himself, a bowing girl greeted him. Anyone who had witnessed the scene in the dining room from earlier would probably be stunned, because the girl who greeted him was the selfish, temperamental, tantrum-throwing heiress from just now.

She had a serious expression on her face, as though her hysterics from just now had been nothing more than an act.

Her attitude was one which a subordinate would use to greet a superior.

Her clothes and her face were the same, but it seemed as though she were a completely different person.

Another thing was that she had one eye — her left eye — closed. She had not closed that eye while she was in the dining hall.

"There is no need to apologize. You were simply doing your job."

Sebas looked around the luxurious suite. Of course, it was hardly impressive to Sebas, who was in charge of the Ninth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. His lack of surprise was simply because it was a poor choice for comparison.

From what he could see, there were stacks of luggage in the corner of the room. They were packed and ready for travel, and not by Sebas. The preparations had been completed by the only other person in the room.

"I'll tidy up the rest."

"What are you saying, lord Sebas? How could I possibly inconvenience you any further?"

The girl who raised her head to answer him was one of the battle maids of Pleiades — Solution Epsilon.

"Really now? But I am playing the role of your butler now, am I not?"

There was a mischievous grin on Sebas's wrinkled face.

After seeing Sebas's smile, Solution's face changed for the first time, to an uncomfortable smile.

"Indeed, you are my butler for now. However, I am also your subordinate, lord Sebas."

"...Well, that's true, then, as your superior, I shall issue an order to you: your tasks are complete, and it is my turn to work. Rest here until we set out."

"...Yes. Thank you."

"Then, I shall go meet lady Shalltear on the coach and inform her when we are leaving. She must be getting tired of waiting."

Sebas easily lifted up one of the biggest pieces of luggage before suddenly speaking, as though he had just thought of something.

"Speaking of which, is he moving as we expected?"

"Yes, all is proceeding as predicted."

Solution pressed the skin which covered her tightly-shut eye.

"That's good to hear. Then, what's his situation?"

"Yes — currently, he is meeting with a dishevelled-looking man. Do you wish to hear what they are saying?"

"There is no need for that. I'll be moving the luggage, so give me a summary report afterwards."

"Understood."

Solution's face suddenly twisted.

The corners of her eyes dropped while her mouth curved upwards. While it vaguely resembled a smile, the contortions required to produce such an expression would be impossible for a human being to achieve. Perhaps it would be better to describe it as a distorted face made of clay.

"—Ah, that's right. Lord Sebas, please permit me to change the topic."

"What is it, Solution?"

"...After all this is over, may I dispose of that man?"

Sebas freed up a hand to stroke his moustache and considered the matter.

"—Only with lady Shalltear's permission. However, if she allows it, you may do as you please."

Solution's forehead furrowed slightly, the disappointment on her face speaking for herself. As though to comfort her, Sebas continued speaking:

"It'll be fine. Giving you one human should not be a problem."

"Is that so? I understand. Then, please tell lady Shalltear that I would like that man, if possible."

Solution was all smiles. That sunny, cheerful expression would entrance anyone who saw it.

Sebas simultaneously pitied and wanted to know more about the man who could put a look like that on Solution's face. Therefore, he asked her:

"What did that man say?"

"Oh, something about 'I can't wait to have fun with her,' so since these chances are hard to come by, I intend to have fun with him as well."

Solution's smile beamed ever brighter.

That smile — as innocent as a child's — looked forward to what would come next.

A pitiful life.

As Zack moved with hurried steps, he thought about how pitiful his life had been.

He had been born to a farmer's family in a village of the Kingdom. It could not be considered a happy life by any stretch of the word.

The fruits of their hard labor were taken away by the lord of the land. If he took sixty percent of their harvest, it might still be bearable. They could still live on the remaining forty percent, albeit in poverty.

However, if he took eighty percent of their harvest, they would be in big trouble. It was hard enough to survive on forty percent of the crops. If they only had twenty percent left, their lives would be extremely difficult.

During that year when they had only been allowed to keep twenty percent of their harvest, Zack returned home, exhausted from a day of hard fieldwork, and found that his little sister was missing.

At that time, Zack was young and did not know what was going on. His beloved little sister had disappeared, yet his parents had not gone looking for her. Zack understood now that she had probably been sold off. Slavery was now outlawed through the efforts of the "Golden Princess," but at that time it had been quite widespread throughout the Kingdom.

Therefore, whenever Zack went whoring and passed a hooker, he could not help but look at the girl's face. Of course, he did not think he would actually be able to find his little sister, and even if he did find her, he did not know what he would say to her. Even so, he could not help but keep looking.

And amidst this miserable life of poverty, he had been conscripted.

The Kingdom periodically mobilized its armies against the Empire, and when it did so, the Kingdom would round up all the able-bodied men in the villages and send them to the battlefield. The absence of their strong young men for a month had dire consequences for the villages. However, some people were grateful for this conscription.

After all, the less mouths to feed, the less food the families would need. In addition, the young conscripts would be fed by the Kingdom. For some, it might be the first time they had ever eaten their fill.

Still, that was all the merit that situation held. No matter how hard a man fought, he would not be rewarded unless he had made outstanding accomplishments. No, sometimes these men would not be rewarded no matter what they did. Only the lucky would be rewarded. Then, when they returned to their villages, they still had to face the despondent reality that the harvest was poor, because there had been too few hands to take it in.

Zack had been conscripted twice, but his third tour of duty had seen his fortunes change.

That war had been the same as all the others, ending after a few minor skirmishes. Zack, who had held onto his life, was about to head home when he stopped. He looked at the weapon in his hand, and it was as though he had received a sign from the heavens.

Instead of returning to his village, would it not be better to choose a different way of life?

Still, Zack was a mere farmer with just a bit of basic training. He had little choice in what sort of new life he could lead.

He did not possess exceptional physical abilities, nor did he possess a talent, a special ability that was only possessed by a few special people. His learning was largely related to farming — when to sow which seeds and so on.

What Zack decided to do pertained to the sole trump card he possessed; in other words, running away with the weapon that the Kingdom had temporarily issued him. He had not considered the difficulties it would cause for his parents because they had sold off his little sister — even if it was to keep the rest of the family alive — and thus he did not love his parents.

But how could someone who did not know the land or have any backers desert so easily? In the end, he managed to find people to help him, which was fortunate, in a sense.

The people who aided him in deserting were a band of sellswords.

Of course, a farmer like Zack was hardly of any use to a mercenary band. However, the band had lost many of its members during the war, and their aim was to replenish their numbers as soon as possible.

This was the reason why the mercenary band let him join so easily. However, they were not a proper, law-abiding organization. While they fought as mercenaries in wartime, during peacetime they were essentially bandits.

After that, Zack led a life filled with unspeakable deeds.

Having was better than not having. Taking was better than being taken from. Making others weep was better than weeping himself

This was the life Zack lived.

He did not feel it was wrong, nor did he regret it.

His faith in that grew ever deeper every time he heard the wails of the oppressed.

Zack ran through the pauper's district. He ran toward a world that was a deeper red than the setting sun.

Having run continuously ever since leaving the inn, he was panting heavily and his forehead was covered in sweat. His building fatigue made him want to stop, and he wondered if he should take a break. However, time was tight, and so Zack spurred his tired body forward and continued running.

Just then, as Zack took a sharp turn—

"That was close~" mumbled the figure on the other side of the corner as it somersaulted away, accompanied by the clattering of metal.

A startled Zack looked at the black shape which had leapt clear.

She was a pretty girl. She wore a black cape which made her seem to blend into the shadows, but her shiny purple eyes, filled with curiosity, were looking straight at Zack.

Tired and out of patience, Zack yelled at her.

"That's my line! It's dangerous! Watch where you're going!"

The girl did not seem afraid of Zack's ranting. Instead, she smiled coldly.

That spine-chilling smile made Zack retreat instinctively, without the courage to so much as draw his weapon. It was like a lion glaring at a mouse.

Perhaps the sound of metal he heard when the girl had leapt back came from the armor she was wearing.

An armed and armored girl — perhaps she was an adventurer.

He had picked the wrong person to antagonize.

Danger sirens blared through Zack's head, and at the same time he thought of something.

He did not look down on her as weak because she was a woman. Zack knew that there was an adventurer team composed purely of strong women. The strongest man in the mercenary band he belonged to had brought it up once.

On the other hand, Zack might have been a mercenary, but he was one of the weakest members of their fighting men. This was why he had been given a job like this.

He was covered in sweat from running, and as Zack began regretting what he had done, it quickly became another type of sweat altogether.

Just as a look of fear completely covered Zack's face, the girl's smile lost its frightening quality.

"Hm~ Ah well, forget it. I don't have time for this. Still, if I run into you again, you're going to have a bad time~"

The girl went around him, leaving those words behind. Interested, Zack turned to watch as she left. He mused that the place in front of him was an uninhabited part of the pauper's district.

What was a beautiful woman doing out here so late? The thought piqued his curiosity, but he had something more important waiting for him, so he cut his introspection short and moved on.

Soon, he arrived in the pauper's district, at a corner which was filled with many run-down houses. He looked around to see if anyone was following him.

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, painting the world in shades of black, so Zack focused on whether anyone was hiding in dark corners. He had already checked several times before now, but just to be safe, he took one last look.

Zack nodded in satisfaction, and as he got his breathing under control, he knocked thrice on a door. After waiting five seconds, he knocked four more times.

After giving the prearranged signal, he received an immediate response. The creaking of wood came from the other side of the door, and the wooden shutter which blocked the peephole slid out of the way. Zack could see a man's eyes on the other side of the door, looking him up and down and verifying his identity.

"It's you. Ah, wait a minute."

Without waiting for Zack's reply, the man slid the peephole shut, and that sound was followed by that of a heavy lock disengaging. The door cracked open slightly.

"Come in."

There was a faint scent of rot coming from within the room, which was as far removed from the place Zack had been as the heavens were from the earth. Hoping that his nose could get used to the smell, Zack nimbly wriggled into the room.

Once the door shut, he saw that the interior was tiny and dark.

The door led directly to the kitchen and dining room, which was furnished with a table. There was a candle on the table, whose feeble light somewhat dispelled the darkness of the room.

A filthy man who looked like he dealt in violence for a living pulled up a nearby chair and took a seat. The chair creaked as he sat on it, as though moaning in pain. The man was heavily muscled and had a barrel chest, and the exposed parts of his arms and his face were lightly scarred. The chair looked like it was going to give way under his weight.

"Oh, Zack. What's wrong, what happened?"

"There's been a change in the situation… The prey is preparing to move."

"Ah — so we'll have to make our move as well."

Zack nodded silently. The man quietly grumbled, "Why now… can't they think of us a little?" as he reached up to scratch his messy hair.

"Can't you delay them somehow?"

"That'll be difficult, because it was that woman's request."

The man had already heard Zack talk about that woman several times, and he frowned deeply.

"That old man should use his brains a little and try to talk her down. The roads at night are nasty places to be, with scary bandits showing up and all. Give me a break… even an idiot knows about that sort of thing. Ah, how about sabotaging a coach wheel and dragging out the departure until tomorrow?"

"That won't work — he's already loading the luggage. It would be better to act quickly, right?"

"Mm, that's true…"

The man stared into the air as he thought.

"Then, when are they moving out?"

"In about two hours."

"That'll be cutting it really close. Ah — what should I do. I'll need to contact the others after this… with only two hours… it'll be hard, but they're prize catches…"

The man twiddled his thumbs as he considered how much time the entire process would take. Zack simply listened to his musings in silence, looking down at his hands.

"Rich people like that piss you off, right…"

Zack thought of the delicate, dainty hands of the girl who was addressed as the Young Mistress.

Nobody who worked on a farm would have hands as pretty as that. Their skin was split from icy water and thickened by swinging a hoe, and even their nails grew gnarled. A farmer's hands were like that.

He knew well that the world was unfair. However—

The corner of Zack's mouth twisted up in a lewd smile that bared his teeth.

"Can I have some fun with that woman?"

"You'll have to wait for us to finish first, and since we're going to ransom her off, you can't go too far! Don't hurt her too badly."

The man sneered in lasciviously. Perhaps it was because of his rising desire, but he suddenly got to his feet.

"All right, we'll do it. I'll contact the chief."

"Got it."

"We'll send about ten guys ahead to the usual place to ambush them. You should move too and get them there in about four hour's time. If you haven't arrived by then, we'll make the first move. So keep the prey obedient and lower their guard."

A stagecoach galloped away from the Fortress City.

It was a large vehicle that could comfortably seat six people, pulled by a quartet of horses.

The disc of the full moon shone in the night sky, illuminating the land with surprising brightness. That said, racing at full speed through the night was still a foolish course of action. The wisest course of action would have been to pitch tents, light lanterns, and post sentries while they spent the night here.

The world at night was not under mankind's control. No, that would not be entirely accurate — no place without light could be considered part of humanity's world. The night concealed all manner of animals, demihumans, and monsters. Many creatures possessed the gift of darkvision, and these creatures often attacked humanity.

Still, the passengers on the stagecoach barely felt their vehicle galloping through the perilous night.

This was not because of good shock absorbers or the like, but because the coach was travelling along a cobblestoned road.

The paving of roads had begun after the suggestion of the "Golden Princess," but the only places where it had been completed were in those demesnes held by the Crown and by Marquis Raeven, one of the Six Great Nobles. This was because the other nobles protested this gesture, feeling that such roads would only benefit the Empire when they attacked the Kingdom.

The maintenance costs for those roads had also sparked much debate. The reason why Princess Renner had reached out to traders to foot the bill was because the nobles in charge of the areas through which the roads passed were dragging their feet on the matter. Thus, the paving work was in this sad state of affairs.

Since this region was not too far from E-Rantel — which was administered by the Crown — the work here was of quite a high standard.

Still, it was not perfect. The wagon wobbled a little as it travelled along the street, and some faint vibrations made their way to the passengers.

These tremors terminated the conversation between the occupants of the vehicle.

Among these occupants were Sebas, with Solution by his side. Opposite him was Shalltear, flanked by two of the Vampire Brides who were her minions-concubines. Zack was obviously driving the wagon from the driver's seat.

A brief silence filled the air inside the wagon, and then at great length, Sebas spoke to break it:

"There is one thing I have been meaning to ask you for a while."

"Mm? What do you have in mind?"

"I noticed that you and lady Aura do not get along very well. Is there any particular reason for that?"

"...really, I thought that got along fine."

As Shalltear answered quietly, she stared at the nail of her pinky finger, as though bored.

The pearly-white fingernail was about two centimeters long. Although she had a file in hand, the nail looked quite neatly trimmed, so there was no need to work further on it. Shalltear also felt that further action was unnecessary, so she tossed the file to one of the Vampire Brides by her side.

"It does not seem that way," Sebas continued. Shalltear's face wrinkled up, like she had eaten something bitter, and then she replied:

"I… I think we do get along. I simply tease her a little because my creator, lord Peroroncino, designed me to feud with her. Still, there is no real enmity there. Perhaps lady Bukubukuchagama designed that girl to not get along with me as well."

Shalltear waved her hand, as though she were very bored, and then met Sebas's gaze for the first time.

"Speaking of which, my creator lord Peroroncino and that elf creator — lady Bukubukuchagama — were elder sister and younger brother. So in that sense, she and I are also sisters."

"A sibling relationship — I see!"

"In the past, lord Peroroncino discussed the matter with other Supreme Beings — lord Luci Fer and lord Nishiki Enrai — when they came to my domain."

A look of reverence crept into Shalltear's eyes as she recounted her memories of accompanying these exalted personages.

"Lord Peroroncino once mentioned that lady Bukubukuchagama had the profession of a seiyuu. So popular was she that she even lent her talents to things called 'aerogays,' so whenever he purchased a game he eagerly anticipated, he would end up thinking of his sister's face and he would lose his motivation."

Shalltear added that she did not know what he meant by that. A somewhat baffled Sebas tilted his head and said:

"A seiyuu… I remember that seems to be a line of work which involves the use of sound. It seems they are skilled in singing, so perhaps it should be similar to a bard."

After hearing Sebas's answer, Shalltear laughed, like the tinkling of silver bells, and replied in the negative:

"That is not the case."

"It is not? How so?"

"I once heard lady Bukubukuchagama say that being a seiyuu meant giving a soul through sound. In other words, a seiyuu is a job which creates life."

"Ohhh! I see. It seems I was laboring under a grave misconception. Thank you very much for your correction, lady Shalltear."

Sebas and all the others created by the Supreme Beings were infused with knowledge upon their creation, but that was all they had. Because they did not know real life, amusing mishaps sometimes occurred; like say, making a mistake about their revered masters' jobs.

Feeling terribly uncomfortable, Sebas muttered to himself, engraving the meaning of being a seiyuu into his heart so he would not make the same mistake again.

"There's no need to take it to heart… ah, right, Sebas, since we are fellow travellers, there's no need to be so formal."

"Is that so, lady Shalltear?"

"Don't address me as lady… we are all servants of the Supreme Beings. They may have handed down our positions and set some of us over others, but the truth is that we're all basically the same."

She had the right of it. Solution was only obeying Sebas because she had been ordered to do so. Originally, she and Sebas were of the same status.

"I understand, Shalltear. Then, I shall address you in this way from now on."

"That's good to hear. Come to think of it, you don't get along with Demiurge either, do you?"

Sebas remained silent. Shalltear narrowed her eyes, like a playful child, and continued asking:

"The Supreme Beings did not design you that way, so why is that?"

"...I wonder. The truth is, I don't know why that is the case as well. It must be some sort of instinct that makes me dislike him. However the same should apply to him as well."

"Hmm — it doesn't seem that way to me… still, it might be because the feelings of our creators, the Supreme Beings, were deeply engraved within our hearts."

"That is very likely to be the case."

Shalltear carefully studied Sebas, who nodded to her. Then, after considering his position, Shalltear felt that he would know the answer to the question which had long hidden in her heart:

"What kind of people are found in the Eighth Floor? I know about Victim, but who else is there besides him?"

Sebas frowned at the sudden query. He looked at Shalltear, a stern expression on his face, trying to discern what she was up to. From where she was seated to the side, Solution's expression changed as well, though it was subtle enough that the others did not notice.

"...In the past, there were fools who defied the Supreme Beings and invaded Nazarick, breaching the defenses of the Seventh Floor. However, they did not reach the Ninth Floor, where the Supreme Beings resided. That being the case, they must have been stopped at the Eighth Floor, right? Though I do not have any recollection of the event, the opposition must have brought fearsome fighting power with them to make it that far, so I believe they were halted with equally extraordinary might. However, I have no idea who intercepted the intruders. No, Albedo should know. After all, she is the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick. It would be strange if she did not know that."

As though ignoring the silent Sebas, Shalltear continued asking:

"...It's kind of annoying to hear she's one step ahead of me. What sort of mysterious beings are found on the Eighth Floor? Characters personally crafted by lord Ainz, perhaps?"

Sebas was made by Touch Me. Demiurge was made by Ulbert Alain Odle. Cocytus was made by Warrior Takemikazuchi. However, even Shalltear did not know what sort of NPC that Ainz — or Momonga, the highest-ranked of the Forty One Supreme Beings — had created.

Surely he had created somebody, right?

That being the case, it was reasonable to conclude that this mysterious character resided on the Eighth Floor, about which Shalltear had no knowledge.

"...No, that should not be the case. This is just a rumor, but I heard that the NPC lord Ainz created is called Pandora's Actor, and his strength is comparable to the rest of us Guardians. Apparently, he defends the depths of the Treasury."

"Does someone like that really exist?"

Unlike Albedo, Shalltear had not been infused with knowledge about everyone in Nazarick. Therefore, this name was new to her.

Granted, the Treasury was a place which one could only enter with the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, but it would be strange to leave it unguarded.

The depths of the Treasury.

All of the highest-end magic items that Ainz Ooal Gown had collected were stored in there. It was also said that it contained several World-Class Items. That being the case, it was the most suitable location for the NPC created by one of the greatest of the Forty One Supreme Beings, Ainz, to defend.

Shalltear's pride was somewhat bruised as she considered that she had not been chosen to guard such exalted ground, but she consoled herself with the thought that it was unavoidable. To Shalltear, keeping intruders from straying beyond the Third Floor was also a crucial task, every bit as important as protecting the Treasury.

And now, her masters had given her another vital task.

"Indeed, but I have not seen that person before. After all, one cannot travel to that place without a Ring."

"Oh…"

Shalltear's answer was devoid of energy, as though she had lost all interest in the whole thing. However, Sebas did not seem to mind.

"Still, the Eighth Floor is a mysterious place… it's kind of a shame."

"Indeed. After all, it is a place that even we cannot enter. There must be something inside."

"And what exactly is that something?"

"Could it be there's a trap in there which might even attack us?"

"Mm, that's not a bad idea, though if I had to guess… could it be a deathtrap that indiscriminately kills anyone who enters it?"

"The Great Tomb of Nazarick was hand-crafted by the Supreme Beings, and defended by us, who have pledged our lives in service. Anyone who could penetrate an impregnable fortress like that and breach the Seventh Floor would probably not be stopped by a trap like that…"

"Do you want to take a look?"

Shalltear had a smile on her face, like a child up to some mischief. Sebas's smile was the same as always, but there was a certain nuance to it now.

"Do you intend to defy the supreme ones order?"

"Just kidding, just kidding. It was just a joke, no need to look so scary."

"Shalltear… curiosity killed the cat. We should wait quietly until one of the supreme ones tells us otherwise."

"You've got a point there… then, has our prey taken the bait?"

Sebas did not ask about the sudden change in topic. Instead he directly replied:

"Yes, they've fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. All we need to do is reel them in."

Shalltear nodded slightly, and then she lightly licked her lips. Her crimson pupils blazed.

Sebas immediately realized what would put Shalltear in a mood like that. Sensing that this was the perfect time to do so, he decided to bring up Solution's request from earlier.

"I have a request to make concerning this matter, Shalltear."

"...What is it?"

The reply was one of annoyance, given that Sebas had jolted Shalltear out of her delight over what was soon to unfold. As though to comfort her, Sebas continued:

"Could you give the driver of our coach to this girl?"

"...Is he an underling?"

"Indeed. He seems to be a messenger of sorts."

Shalltear closed her eyes and pondered the request. After considering several possibilities, she seemed to have come to a conclusion, and she nodded.

"That should be fine. Besides, he doesn't look like he'd taste good if I fed on him."

"You have my sincerest thanks for your generosity, Shalltear."

"Thank you, lady Shalltear."

"Ah, you're welcome, think nothing of it."

Shalltear was quite surprised by how tenderly Solution smiled to her. She had not expected such a sincere expression. Then, Shalltear composed herself and turned to Sebas.

"Then, we're even for that little mistake of mine just now."

"I understand… In truth, I didn't expect you to do anything quite as foolish as that. It was merely a jest, was it not?"

"Indeed, you're right. If you had said such a thing, Sebas, I would have taken it as a joke as well. Then I would have my subordinates watch you in silence. At the first sight of any treachery on your part, I would remove your limbs and have your torso dragged in chains before the supreme beings."

"I'm hardly as ruthless as you are, Shalltear."

"No? Things like that only make me doubt your loyalty more, you would do that too, wouldn't you?"

Sebas and Shalltear locked eyes, and smiled from the bottoms of their hearts.

"Well, there might be a different sort of entertainment in giving him to Solution."

"—Then, how do you intend to capture them? Through 「Paralysis」 or 「Hold Person」?"

Before they had set out for E-Rantel, Karna had given Sebas an order: "I want to capture humans who know martial arts or magic. However, you will only go after criminals whose absence will go unnoticed."

Therefore, Solution and Sebas had played the role of a stuck-up, stubborn heiress and her easily-bamboozled butler, with the intention of hooking a fish like Zack.

Shalltear's mission, on the other hand, was to use a fish like that to net the entire school which followed him.

"Why would I go to such great lengths? Lord Karna did say that it was all right to drain them dry and turn them into slaves. The important thing was that I absolutely had to capture them. Still… investigating them all one by one would be a hassle, so I might as well just suck them dry."

Sebas did not speak the words in his heart — "I see," — but instead nodded. Still, he had to acknowledge that he was not entirely comfortable with Shalltear's interpretation of her orders. With that in mind, Sebas could not help but say:

"From that point of view, Demiurge would be the most suitable for that sort of work. After all, he can control his opponent's thoughts, much like Aura can with her breath."

Demiurge possessed a skill known as 「Command Mantra」. It was a powerful mind-affecting ability which would be invaluable during a capture operation like this.

"...Hah?" Shalltear exclaimed in an unbelievably low tone.

The mood within the coach turned grim immediately, as though a fog of bone-chilling cold hung in the air.

Even the horses pulling the coach seemed to have sensed this, because the vehicle suddenly lurched. The bloodless faces of the Vampire Brides flanking Shalltear turned even paler than usual, while Solution shuddered in her place beside Sebas. Even Sebas, whose might should have been on par with Shalltear, could feel goosebumps breaking out on him.

This was the murderous intent emitted by the strongest of Nazarick's Floor Guardians. The hostility which wreathed her made her previous spats with Aura seem like child's play. If the situation was mishandled, it might lead to a life-or-death melee.

As Shalltear chilled the air ever further, the color of her crimson pupils began to spill out into her sclera, dying her eyes red as though they were filling with blood.

"Sebas, could you say that again? Or are you saying that a Dragonoid like yourself, in that form, wants to —"

Her eyeballs — now completely red — twitched:

"—start a fight with me?"

"I misspoke, please forgive me. I was merely a little uneasy. It would be fine as long as your 「Blood Frenzy」 doesn't kick in."

Shalltear's response was silence.

Sebas could tell that the brief silence was a sign of her unease toward herself.

In YGGDRASIL, strong classes were typically balanced out with weaknesses and penalties. One of the penalties Shalltear suffered from was called「Blood Frenzy」. The more fresh blood that covered her body, the greater her urge to slaughter. While this made her stronger, in return she would no longer be able to control her actions.

The reason why Karna had made use of Shalltear for this mission — who might have ended up ignoring orders or even going berserk — was due to a process of elimination.

Albedo had to remain in the Great Tomb of Nazarick in the three supreme beings absence, and among the two remaining Guardians — Shalltear and Cocytus — Shalltear looked more like a human being from a distance.

After that, Shalltear took several deep breaths. She seemed to be trying to suck her anger back up, or perhaps she was trying to quell the uneasiness in her heart.

With her last breath, Shalltear resumed her normal expression — an attractive young girl with a seductive air about her — and her pupils returned to their original color.

"...For the most part, they'll become my slaves after I drain their blood, which should make things simple. Besides, we don't need to bring them back alive. Lord Karna brought it up before as well. Also, I will definitely keep my 「Blood Frenzy」 under control."

Vampires were a species which could drain a victim's blood and turn them into perfectly loyal minions. Most Vampires could only create unintelligent Lesser Vampires in this way, but the Vampires which Shalltear could make had nearly as much intelligence as a normal human.

As long as one did not care if the prey was alive or dead, Shalltear qualified as quite a good hunter, although the number of Vampires she could create was limited.

"That's right, so there's no need to say more. I will accomplish the mission the supreme ones gave me without fail, so they will praise me with 'Well done, Shalltear, you are our most important slave,' and then say, 'You are the one most worthy of standing by our side.'"

"Please forgive my shallow comments."

Sebas's apology was sincere and came from the heart. It was not just directed to Shalltear, but to someone else.

"I did not realize that my statements were a slight on lord Karna and lord Ainz, who chose you for this task, and I apologize for that as well. I hope you will forgive me for displeasing you."

Then, he bowed to Solution and the Vampire Brides in apology — just then, the coach shuddered, and they heard neighing from the horses which drew the vehicle.

"...It seems we have stopped."

"Indeed."

Shalltear — lost as she was in fantasies of the praise her master would lavish on her once she succeeded in her task — returned to her senses. She smiled, like a girl who had just thought up a wonderful prank to play. Sebas too was stroking his moustache as he smiled.

About ten strong men had emerged from the forest, forming a semicircle around the coach. None of these men were equipped in exactly the same way. Still, while they were not masterworks, their equipment was not of poor make. It was clear that they had hand-picked their weapons.

The casual way in which they were discussing how to deal with their target and the order in which they would go sounded like they already had their prey in the bag. Indeed, they had done this sort of thing countless times in the past. It would be strange if they had felt worried.

After Zack leapt off the driver's seat, he jogged over to the men who had appeared.

While dismounting from the driver's seat, he had cut the reins so the coach would not be able to drive off, and after monkeying with the coach doors, they would only open on the side facing the men.

The men brandished their weapons so their prey could see. This was a wordless warning: if they did not come out quickly, they would be in trouble.

In response, the coach doors slowly opened.

A beautiful woman revealed herself under the moonlight. The gathered sellswords and bandits laughed coarsely and looked at her with lustful eyes. It was clear from their expressions that they were delighted.

However, one person among them was taken aback. That person was Zack.

His surprise could be summarized in three words: "Who is this?" Zack had never seen this beauty before. However, the coach was very familiar to him, and the contrast between the two plunged Zack into confusion and left him speechless.

After that, another beautiful woman appeared, dressed much like the first. Doubt began blooming on the men's faces. Their targets should have been an heiress who did not know how the world worked, as well as an old butler.

And then, a girl who might have been considered "little" showed up, and their doubts vanished.

Her silvery hair gleamed in the moonlight, and her dewy, crimson eyes held a seductive radiance.

The bandits could only gasp at the sight of these beauties, unable to so much as muster up the words for praise. In this moment, even their bestial lust shrank away in the face of true beauty.

Shalltear smiled lewdly as she bathed in the enthralled gazes of the men. She advanced unguardedly before them and said:

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming all this way here for me. May I know who is your leader? May I negotiate with him?"

After seeing the bandits look toward the same person, Shalltear learned what she needed to know. That was to say, everyone else here was expendable.

"You… what do you want to talk about?"

The man who looked like their leader seemed to have come to his senses after his close encounter with these beautiful women. He strode forward.

"Ahh, please forgive the misunderstanding. What I meant by 'negotiations' was just a joke for me to learn what I needed to know. Sorry about that."

"Who are you people…"

Shalltear looked to Zack, who had asked that question.

"You must be that Zack fellow. I will give you to Solution as promised, so could you please step aside for a while?"

Some of the bandits sought an answer for their confusion in each other's faces. However, among them—

"Hmph, you've got a good body for a brat. I'll make you cry for me in a bit."

The bandit who happened to be standing in front of Shalltear reached out to grope that ample bust of hers, which did not match her age.

And then — the appendage tumbled to the ground.

"Could you not touch me with your filthy hand?"

The dumbfounded man looked at his now handless arm, and after a moment's delay, he wailed:

"Ahhhhhhhh! My, my haaaaaaaand—!"

"You're making so much noise over losing a single hand. Are you even a man?"

Shalltear casually flicked her hand as she muttered quietly, and the man's head fell to the earth as well.

How had she chopped his head off with her unarmed, dainty, and slender hands? The nightmare before them hardly seemed real. The bandits were terrified beyond all capacity for rational thought, unable to react in the wake of this tremendous shock. However, what they saw next snapped them back to their senses.

The fresh blood spurting from the severed portions of the body moved as though it had a will of its own, gathering above Shalltear's head and forming an orb of blood.

Shalltear and company knew this was the effect of the skill called 「Blood Pool」. However, the first thing these clueless bandits thought as they saw this inhuman ability was:

"She's a magic caster!"

Anyone who understood magic should have been able to give a more accurate warning. "Magic caster" is a very broad term which referred to many professions and jobs, and the means of dealing with them were just as varied. In particular, one might think of Shalltear — who only wore a dress — as an arcane magic caster, or perhaps a spiritual magic caster. However, none of them spoke a warning like that. One could thus conclude that none of them knew anything about magic. In other words, they thought of anything they could not understand as magic.

As Shalltear realised this, she looked disinterestedly at these panicking bandits, who desperately raised their swords against her.

"How boring. Clean this mess up. Also, leave this one and that one… understood?"

"Yes, lady Shalltear."

The Vampire Brides waiting behind Shalltear on either side stepped forward, and one of them punched the face of a bandit trying to attack Shalltear, sending him flying.

It looked as though someone had swung a metal pole into his face with all their strength.

The bandits arced through the air, accompanied by the sound of something like a filled balloon popping. All manners of bodily fluids — blood, brain matter, and more — burst forth from his skull. The gore gleamed under the moonlight, looking all the more beautiful for its horrific appearance.

More than half of the bandit's head went flying, and pinkish brains sprayed from the shattered cranium. Pulled by gravity, the bandit's corpse rolled to the ground with a great thud. That sound was a starting bell which filled the bandits with terror, and Shalltear with delight.

Zack smiled softly as he watched the scene in front of him.

It was a truly horrific sight.

He wanted to vomit as he smelled the blood which came from the carnage before him.

Men had their hands and feet torn off like scraps of paper, and skulls popped between paired hands like ripe pomegranates.

A breastplate was ripped off and a hand stabbed into the now-exposed belly. When it came back out, it took several meters of gleaming, slippery intestine with it. The fact that the victim was still alive after that spoke of the resilience of mankind.

A man was squirming on the ground, trying to flee even with both legs broken. White-colored objects — his broken bones — protrude through his skin and flesh. He was desperately trying to crawl away with his hands, struggling to get himself away from the source of this horror, wanting to stay alive for just one moment longer.

The beautiful girl looked at the man grovelling at her feet, and her shrill laugh grated at him.

How had things ended up like this...

Zack thought as hard as he could.

No matter how one tried to cloak it in politeness, the world still ran on the principle of the strong feeding on the weak. It was utterly natural for the strong to oppress the weak. After all, Zack had been doing so himself. However, was it right for the strong to go so far and do so much?

Of course not. He could not accept their cruel methods of killing. Then, what should he do? The enemy was simply choosing not to attack him, so if he tried to flee, they would probably do something to him to make him not dare to escape again. Something painful and nausea-inducing, for instance.

Zack felt for his hidden shortsword through his clothing.

Why was his sword so small? How could it possibly stand up to these monsters which could twist off men's arms so effortlessly?

What had he done to them? He had never thought of doing anything to those monsters.

Zack hugged himself, as though trying to conceal his presence. The rhythmic grinding of his teeth suddenly struck him as extremely grating — what would happen if those monsters heard it and went after him?

He tried to stop himself, but his teeth would not listen to him and continued grinding.

Speaking of which, what kind of people were they? Zack did not recognize them at all.

And just as he thought about that—

"Zack-san, come this way."

—A gentle, dulcet voice came from behind him, completely at odds with the cruel scenery in front of him.

Zack looked fearfully behind himself, and saw his employer standing before him.

Her expression did not match the haughty and argumentative heiress that he knew her for. If he had been calm enough, he might have felt suspicious about this, but Zack — who had been driven into confusion by this bizarre world and the stink of blood — had no energy left to suspect anything.

"What are those monsters!?" Zack wailed, his voice cracking, at Solution, the moneyed daughter of nobility who knew nothing of the world.

"Why didn't you tell me there were monsters like these around!?"

Indeed. If he had known about this beforehand, things would not have ended up like this. The bitch before him was responsible for the frightening scene before him.

"Don't keep quiet, speak up! Let's get this straight, this is all your fault!"

Anxiety and terror combined to impel him forward, and a furious Zack could no longer bear it. He reached out to grab Solution by the collar and roughly shook her.

"...I understand. Please follow me."

"You… are you going to save me!?"

"No, I simply wish to take this last chance to enjoy you."

An ivory-pale hand, cold as ice, gripped Zack's own, and then Solution stepped forward, pulling him away.

"Even though I already have permission, lord Sebas does not like this sort of thing, so I would rather do it at a distance."

He had no idea what she was talking about. However, Zack felt that if he alone was being led away, there might be a chance that he could survive.

Zack pretended not to hear the horrific screams from behind him.

That could not be helped. Zack was too weak. He could not possibly save those comrades of his which were supposed to be stronger than him.

"Please don't be too excited. If possible… I'd like you to be gentle with me. It would make me very happy."

Behind the coach, Solution spoke softly to Zack as she waved him over, then reached behind her back, as though to undo her dress. As Zack saw this, he stared with his mouth open; what was this woman up to? Zack looked at Solution like she was some sort of exotic creatures.

Solution's hands had not stopped at all during all this, and so thoroughly confused Zack asked:

"You… what are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

With that, Solution easily peeled off her figure-hugging bodice.

As though waiting for that moment, her tightly-bound breasts sprang forth. They were firm, springy globes, and her skin seemed vaguely translucent under the moonlight.

Zack gulped at the sight before him.

"Please."

Solution thrust her chest out, as though inviting him to fondle her.

"What do you want me to…"

Zack had forgotten himself as he fixated on the body before him.

She was beautiful. This was the most beautiful female body Zack had ever seen in his life.

Of all the girls Zack had partaken of, the most beautiful was one who belonged to a caravan which he had attacked. However, by the time it was Zack's turn, the girl was exhausted. She lay motionless, only spreading her legs like a frog. Still, it had not detracted from her beauty in the least.

However, the girl before him was even more beautiful, and she was not unresponsive like the other girl.

Desire lit the flames of Zack's lust, and the heat in his lower body began spreading out from his crotch. Panting like a dog, he reached out for Solution's body.

It felt like — like silk.

Zack could no longer hold himself back, and he seized the more shapely of Solution's breasts.

And then his entire hand sank into her.

Zack thought for a moment that her body was so soft that it felt as though his entire hand had gone into her. But as he looked at his hand, he realized that this was not the case.

Zack's hand had literally sunk into Solution's body.

"What… what the hell is this!?"

Zack screamed in surprise and tried to pull his hand back, but he could not budge it. Not only did it not move back, it was sucked further in. It seemed as though there were many writhing tentacles inside Solution which had latched onto Zack's hand and drew him in.

Solution's beautiful face did not change even under these strange circumstances. She simply watched Zack in silence. Her expression was that of a scientist watching as a lab animal was injected with some lethal chemical, blending a cold dispassion with curiosity and excitement.

"Oi, stop! Let go of me!"

Zack balled up his other hand into a fist and swung with all his strength at Solution's pretty face.

Once, twice, three times—

Zack swung at full force, punching heavily and not caring if his fist was injured. That beautiful face remained unmoved despite a grown man striking it with all his might. It did not seem to hurt her at all.

Instead, Zack was frightened by what he felt when he hit her.

That sensation was like punching a soft, filled waterskin. Under normal circumstances, there should have been some resistance to his punch, but he did not feel that he had struck bone at all. This was not how punching a human being should have felt.

The unreal scene of carnage behind him — forgotten due to his excitement — suddenly flashed through his mind.

Zack choked back the impulse to scream.

Eventually, it dawned upon him.

The woman baring her chest to him before his eyes was also a monster.

"Did you finally realize it? Then, let's begin the fun part, shall we?"

As she said that, a pain like the stabbing of hundreds of needles radiated from his stuck hand.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

"I am now dissolving your hand."

Zack could not understand these cold words through the agony which gripped him. This was no longer in the realm of his comprehension.

"The truth is, I deeply enjoy watching things dissolve. Therefore, I felt it was a happy coincidence that you wanted to be inside me, Zack-san."

"Giiiihh—! You damn monster, go to hell!"

Fighting back the pain, Zack drew his shortsword as he shouted at her. Then, he forcefully stabbed at Solution's pretty face, and her body quivered.

"Take that!"

However, Zack immediately realized that he had been far too hasty.

What good would stabbing the surface of a lake with a shortsword do? It would merely make more ripples, and that was what happened.

Solution turned to look at Zack, still with a short sword sticking out of her face, and then she gently said:

"I'm sorry, but I am resistant to physical attacks, so a blow like that cannot harm me. Then, I shall dissolve it."

An acrid stench seared his nose, and within seconds, the shortsword fell from Solution's face, its blade half-dissolved. Just as she had said, her beautiful, unmarred visage lay before his eyes.

"Who the hell are you!?"

The agony in his hand was slowly spreading up the rest of his arm, but the fear of impending death overrode his pain, and Zack asked his question even as tears brimming in his eyes.

However, the answer made him want to stuff his fingers in his ears to deny it.

"I am a predatory Slime. Since time is limited, I will need to swallow you up."

Zack's arms were pulled into Solution's body. So forceful was the suction that Zack could not resist it, even if he were capable of doing so.

"Stop stop stop stop stop! Spare me, spare me, spare me please!"

Zack cried and begged, but the force drawing him into Solution's body was still very strong, enough that a human being could not resist it. His arms, his shoulders, all of them were steadily devoured by her body.

"Lilia!"

With that last scream, Zack's face was sucked into Solution's body.

And so, Zack was swallowed whole, as though he were a python's prey.

After a few minutes had passed, there were no longer any survivors. The place was one which reeked of a foul stench.

No, one man still survived. He worked his tongue as he squatted near Shalltear's feet, licking her high-heeled shoes clean of the brain matter which had spattered them after she had playfully crushed a bandit's skull underfoot.

Shalltear looked on her now-cleaned heels in satisfaction.

"Well done. Then, in accordance with our agreement, I shall not take your life."

The man, his frightened features scrunched up into a ball, looked up at Shalltear with a grateful expression on his face and kowtowed repeatedly to her in thanks. Shalltear looked lovingly upon this puppy-like man, and then snapped her fingers.

"Drain him."

Once the two Vampire Brides came to his side, the man finally understood what those words meant.

"The undead are technically still alive, so I was not lying to you."

The Vampire Brides bit eagerly into him, and Shalltear looked out of the corner of her eye at the man as his life-force was drained away from him. She turned to Solution — who was rearranging her messed-up collar as she emerged from the direction of the coach — and said:

"Oh, is it over?"

"Yes, I was quite satisfied. I am profoundly grateful to you for this."

"No need to stand on ceremony. We're all servants of Nazarick, after all. Speaking of which, did that human have fun?"

"He is currently enjoying himself. Would you like to see?"

"Hm? May I? Then, let me have a quick look."

A man's arm suddenly erupted from Solution's face, accompanied by a vile stench that stung the nose. The source of the odour was that arm. Its muscles were badly dissolved after being exposed to powerful acid, and the reaction of the blood from within the muscles and the acid created gouts of thick fumes.

The arm thrashed about like it had emerged from the surface of a lake, desperately struggling to find a grip on something. Juices flowed from the exposed muscles with every twitch.

"My apologies, I did not know he was still so full of energy."

Solution was a bizarre sight as she bowed in apology, what with the arm sticking out of her face. She then shoved the arm back into her face, smiling after the flailing arm had been completely swallowed up once more.

"It's amazing how you can swallow a man whole and look as though nothing had happened."

"Thank you for your praise. It is not outwardly visible because the interior of my body was originally empty. In addition, I have always been a creature like this, so this must be the effect of some sort of specialized magic."

"Oh~ Hm, this might be a bit nosy of me, but when will he die?"

"I could secrete a stronger acid to kill him immediately if you wish, but since a human who wishes to enter me is a rare occasion, I would like to let him enjoy it for an entire day."

"I didn't hear any screams, did you corrode him with acid?"

"No, I did not. If I dissolved his throat with acid, he might suffocate due to being unable to breathe. Therefore, I inserted part of my body into him to suppress his voice, and it also has the effect of preventing bad smells."

"I'm quite impressed by your attitude of paying close attention to your toys and playing with them for as long as possible. Incidentally, can you corrode specific places with your acids? For instance, only corroding a certain place?"

"Indeed, that is an easy task to accomplish. The proof of that are the scrolls, potions, and other magic items within my body, and the fact that those items are intact. I could move freely even if I were to take your body within mine, lady Shalltear, though I would have to ask that you did not move too much."

"Predatory slimes sure are amazing… mm. Do you want to play together next time?"

"That will be fine. Although… where do you plan to get the toys from?"

Shalltear smiled happily when she found Solution looking at the Vampire Brides behind her.

"Those girls aren't half bad, but I want to wait until someone tries to invade us and then plead with one of the supreme ones to give them to us."

"Then, please do not forget about my share. I would like to swallow them up to the chest and expose the rest of them. That ought to be quite interesting as well."

"Not bad. Do you get along with that interrogator?"

"Neuronist? The Special Intelligence-Gathering Officer? Regretfully, I cannot understand that person's aesthetic sense."

Shalltear planned to continue, but she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Solution, I've finished up over here. We can move out any time," Sebas called out from the driver's seat, having replaced the reins.

"Understood, I'm coming. Then, lady Shalltear, though it pains my heart to leave, allow me to bid you farewell."

Shalltear looked to Solution as she hurried back into the coach, and then to Sebas, who was seated at the driver's place.

"Then, we shall part ways for the time being, Sebas."

"Is that so… does this mean you have already discovered the bandits' hideout?"

"Indeed. We shall invade them afterwards and look for any interesting people who might know something which would please lord Karna. Otherwise this would have all been a waste of time."

"I see. It was a pleasure travelling with you, lady Shalltear."

"Thank you for that. Till we meet again in the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

"Oh, we'll be off, then—"

A pair of human shapes sprinted through the forest. They were Vampire Brides, Shalltear's minions-concubines.

The two of them ran at breakneck speeds along the beast paths of the forest, as though they were trying to cut through the vegetation. The terrain was atrocious, with branches and twigs jutting out from all sides. However, their dresses were not damaged in the slightest, and the high heels they wore easily pushed them over the terrible footing as they forged ever onward.

The leading Vampire Bride carefully cradled Shalltear, while the one behind her dragged something which looked like a dried out log.

They were not far from the place where they had parted ways with Sebas. Since they had no maps or the like, they had no idea how far they were from their destination, save that they would probably have to run a long way. However, the clanging of hard metal rang through the air, and the lead Vampire Bride immediately ground to a halt.

As the beast path was narrow, once the person in front stops, the person behind had to do so as well.

"Why did you stop?"

Just as the Vampire Bride in front was about to answer the question that had come from behind, she shuddered as the Mistress she was holding fixed her with a cold glare.

Pearls of cold sweat bloomed on her back, because she was deeply aware that her Mistress was not a kind or merciful person.

Shalltear, who was lounging in the Vampire Bride's arms — in other words, in a princess carry position — stretched her legs in annoyance.

The Vampire Bride sensed what that meant and released her.

As though escaping from a cage, Shalltear somersaulted out.

With a dextrous leap, she leapt into the air, and her high-heeled feet trod the ground beneath her. The dress she wore cascaded down to cover her legs.

Once on the ground, Shalltear flipped her hair in irritation and cricked her neck.

The Vampire Brides could not help but gulp as they noticed the frigid look in Shalltear's eyes.

"What's going on here?"

The reason Shalltear was not running in the forest was because she felt it was a bother, and because she did not want to dirty her shoes. There was another reason for that, but nobody here would speak it, or even think of doing so. Even in Nazarick, only a few people would dare to bring it up to her face.

Since they were now transportation tools, the Vampire Brides could not stop without instructions from Shalltear. She had no use for legs which moved on their own.

Depending on the reason that they disobeyed her commands, they might end up suffering terribly.

That was the message which Shalltear's eyes carried. No, it would be a mercy if pain was all that awaited them. There was murderous intent in her previous question.

In the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the lives and deaths of everyone other than the NPCs created by the Forty One Supreme Beings were at the disposal of the relevant Floor and Area Guardians. If they continued annoying Shalltear, they might be executed on the spot.

Knowing this, the Vampire Bride — who had the feeling that this might be her last will and testament — nervously began to speak:

"Forgive me, but I stepped into a bear trap."

Shalltear looked down, and saw that the jaws of a crude metal trap had snapped shut around the Vampire Bride's slender leg.

This was not a trap designed to deal with human beings, but wild bears, which were mighty and tough creatures. It could easily shatter the ankles of any human — even one wearing greaves — who stepped into it.

Of course, Vampire Brides were very different from human beings.

Even when pierced by the bear trap spikes, which were used to hobble animals, the Vampire Bride did not feel any pain or suffer broken bones. She did not appear to have been hurt at all.

Vampire Brides could resist damage from just about any physical damage apart from that inflicted by weapons made of silver or certain other special materials, or magic weapons bearing specific enchantments. Fortified with this damage reduction, there was no way that a simple steel bear trap could possibly injure her.

Still, while she was immune to its damage, the beartrap had fulfilled its other purpose of impeding their movement.

Since the trap was not coated in poison, it was clear that it was not intended to kill its prey. Its purpose was to impede its targets, slowing the opposition down by forcing them to deal with a casualty (burden).

Shalltear remained silent, but shook her head as though to say, It can't be helped.

"Get out of it, then."

"Yes! At once!"

Upon hearing Shalltear's command, the Vampire Bride reached out with her slender hands and promptly pulled apart the jaws of the trap. Unable to resist a strength which exceeded that of a bear, the trap gave its prey up.

The sight of a beautiful girl prying open a bear trap seemed surreal but anyone who knew the strength of a Vampire Bride would not find it strange.

"Still, the fact that there's a trap here suggests we're close to our destination. I thought we were still quite far away."

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Following that, the Vampire Bride at the rear dumped the log-like object she was carrying on the ground.

It was a human corpse, desiccated and mummified. However, she had not been carrying an ordinary cadaver. It possessed a false life, which it showed as it stirred into stiff activity.

Its arms resembled withered branches sprouting sharp claws, and points of crimson light glowed in its empty eye sockets, like a Vampire's. Abnormally sharp canines gleamed within its half-open mouth.

This was a monster called a Lesser Vampire.

It was all that remained of the bandit who had been exsanguinated by the Vampire Brides.

"Tell me, are we close to your hideout?"

The Lesser Vampire nodded deeply to its mistress, making a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a moan.

"—He says so, lady Shalltear."

"Is that so? Then why are there no linked traps?"

This should not have been all. There ought to have been noisemakers and backup traps to go with them. However, they had not spotted any such traps.

Shalltear looked around, probably checking to see if anyone was hiding nearby. The Vampire Brides began a visual search as well, until their mistress shook their head to indicate that they should stop.

"...Well, forget it. It's not like you have any detection abilities anyway..."

As they heard those mumbled words, the Vampire Brides realised why they had been forgiven.

The Vampire Brides — their mistress included — did not possess any trapfinding skills, which was why they had been allowed to live after failing to detect the beartrap. Perhaps their mistress felt that it was illogical to mete out punishment for failing to do something they could not have succeeded at in the first place.

"If I'd known, I would have borrowed that girl for this."

Solution had levels in assassin-type classes, and with her thief skills she could have easily discovered those traps.

"Meh, there's no point griping about something you don't have. Then, let's hurry up to the bandits' lair."

Soon, they had reached the sellswords' hideout. Though they were still in the forest, the trees were growing thin, and beyond this place there were no more trees, only an overgrown field littered with rocks.

This terrain was known as a karst.

There was a large hole in the center of a bowl-like depression, from which faint rays of light streamed out. Judging by the angle of the light, there must be a sloping path leading downward.

There were two shapes near the cave entrance. It was evident at a glance that they had been deliberately positioned there.

They were round wooden barricades reaching up to the height of a man's belly, though they were otherwise unremarkable. They were little more than a pile of wooden logs, but there was a sentry on each side.

It would seem the intention was to use the logs as cover from ranged attacks, so they could protect themselves if the enemy fired on them with bows and get inside to warn their comrades.

Under normal circumstances, launching a frontal attack from this distance would allow the bandits to prepare their weapons and send reinforcements from the cave. Also, all the rocks which were big enough for intruders to hide behind had already been moved away, in order to prevent a stealth approach.

In addition, there were large bells on the sentries' shoulders. Even if they were somehow downed by a sneak attack, the sound of the bells would alert their friends to the presence of enemies.

One could say that it was quite well thought out.

This situation was insoluble by purely physical means, but there was a way past it.

That was by using magic.

After casting a 「Silence」 spell, the attackers could kill them all in one go. Alternatively, they could use 「Invisibility」 to hide their approach, or 「Charm Person」 to draw out the opposition. Destroying the bells was also an option.

As Shalltear pondered which of these methods would be the most entertaining, Shalltear realized that there was an important piece of information which she did not have.

"Is there only one entrance?"

The Lesser Vampire nodded stiffly in response to Shalltear's question.

Shalltear smiled. It would seem that there was no need to overthink this.

This sturdy defense could be used to ward off ambushing enemies or allow one man to hold off a horde. However, Shalltear and her followers were different.

Charging straight in would not pose a problem to people who were so unimaginably powerful that they could crush humans like bugs. The only relevant consideration was if there was an exit through which the opposition could flee.

"Is that so? Then, since we've arrived, there's no need to hide in the shadows. Honestly, I'm not used to that sort of skulking around anyway."

"After all, anywhere you go is sure to shine brightly, lady Shalltear."

"Stating the truth hardly qualifies as flattery. You'd best think harder if you want to try sucking up to me."

Ignoring the Vampire Bride begging forgiveness with a lowered head, Shalltear reached out and grabbed the body of the Lesser Vampire.

"I shall entrust the weighty duty of being the vanguard to you. Go, then."

Her slender arms blurred, and the Lesser Vampire tore through the air before striking one of the sentries. Due to the spin imparted during the throw, the Lesser Vampire spun end over end several dozen times before hitting the man.

The force of the impact beggared the imagination. Not just the sentry's head, but even his chest spurted blood in all directions.

The stench of fresh gore hung in the air, and the other man could not parse what had just happened before his eyes. All he could do was stare dumbly at his colleague's tragic fate.

Still, this was quite an amusing sight to the thrower.

"Strike~"

"Truly magnificent, lady Shalltear."

The Vampire Brides applauded Shalltear. Needless to say, the Lesser Vampire had been pulverized, but the three of them did not seem troubled by that at all. That creature had never been a part of Nazarick to begin with, and had only been made for amusement. They felt nothing about how it had just been destroyed.

In addition, it had originally been a human being. Shalltear did not recall what she had promised him before.

"Now, how about the other one..."

Shalltear looked between the two Vampire Brides. They got the message and hurriedly passed her a rock which was suitable for throwing.

As she heard the sound of a bell from the distance, Shalltear grabbed a rock which was slightly larger than her hand.

Her delicate hand moved with shocking speed. In the next moment, Shalltear observed the results in the distance and happily pronounced:

"Then… that would make two strikes, hm?"

Applause rang out once more.

Then, the sound of a sentry shouting about an enemy attack reached Shalltear's ears. It would seem that another sentry had heard the sound of the bell.

As she looked inside the cave, which seemed to be getting noisier and noisier, Shalltear smiled gently before ordering:

"Then, let's go. You, keep watch from on top of a nearby tree and make sure nobody escapes. You, take the role of the vanguard and clear a path for me. However, do tell me if you encounter anyone who's stronger than the rest. I want to play with them."

"Yes, lady Shalltear."

"Go."

Having received her orders, the Vampire Bride stepped forward, slowly approaching the cave entrance—

—And then she vanished.

The earth collapsed — no, the earth did not collapse. She had stepped into a pit trap.

Perhaps Shalltear might have been able to avoid the trap before falling into it, but the Vampire Bride's reactions were not enough for her to evade a trap where the earth vanished under her feet.

"Ehhhhh~"

Still, the Vampire Bride was a low level vassal who had no particular ability to detect traps, so there was nothing to blame her for. That was why she had been forgiven earlier. Still, even if she understood why it had happened, Shalltear still made a noise of annoyance. After that, she smiled sweetly. That was not a smile born of kindness, satisfaction, or even embarrassment.

Come to think of it, she should have anticipated that they would put a pit trap in front of the cave entrance. However, it angered her that she had not seen through it, had even fallen for it. It was with a heart boiling with such emotions that she had smiled.

Shalltear Bloodfallen was a Guardian of the glorious Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. The fact that a servant of such a mighty individual had fallen for a trap like that was utterly intolerable.

A voice filled with murderous intent leaked from between Shalltear's lips:

"Get out of there before I tear you to pieces."

With a great leap, the Vampire Bride vaulted out of the pit and landed beside it. Though her clothes were stained by mud, there was no sign she had been hurt.

"Don't disappoint me again."

"My deepest apologies—"

"Forget it, just get in there. Unless you want me to throw you in like that trash from just now?"

As Shalltear reached out with a grabbing gesture, the Vampire Bride wailed in acknowledgement and immediately rushed into the cave. Shalltear followed leisurely behind her, strolling slowly into the cave.

As the clamor from outside filtered into the private room, the hand working on a weapon paused, and a pair of ears pricked up.

There was the sound of fighting, people running, and some screams mixed in.

They had been attacked, but there was still no idea of the attackers' numbers and their abilities. This was in spite of being trained to loudly shout that information when an attack came.

He could still hear something. This might have been a private room, but it was within a cave and had only a curtain in place of a door. The only thing separating this place from the entrance was distance, and while the curtain was thick, sound could still get in.

There were close to seventy people in the mercenary band known as the Death-Spreading Brigade. They were not as strong as him, but they were still grizzled veterans.

A raid by a small number of men would not cause such chaos. With that in mind, it might be reasonable to deduce that a large force had descended upon them. However, that did not explain why there was no sound of a great host outside, and the enemy did not feel that numerous.

"Then… could they be adventurers?"

That might explain this strange feeling of attackers who were few in number and possessed great fighting power.

He slowly rose to his feet, hanging his weapon at his waist. He put on a chain shirt, which did not take much time to don. Then, he attached a leather pouch with several potion bottles to his belt and tied it in place. Since he was already wearing his enchanted necklace and rings, his preparations were now complete.

He flung aside the curtain before stepping onto a central path within the cave.

Countless lanterns hung at evenly spaced intervals on the walls, each glowing with a 「Continual Light」 spell. It was bright enough that one could scarcely believe they were in a cave.

The light illuminated his entire body.

He was tall, but not skinny. The body beneath his clothes was as solid as steel. He had not honed his physique through strength training, but through live battles.

His hair was sloppily cut and thus looked uneven. It looked quite messy. His brown eyes stared keenly forward, and the corner of his mouth was curled up in the beginning of a sneer. His chin was overgrown with stubble that looked like mildew.

Although he appeared quite slovenly, his movements were nimble and graceful, like those of a beast.

As this man arrived at the entrance which was under attack, another man burst in from the other direction. He seemed quite familiar — he was a sellsword from the Brigade. As the mercenary saw him, a look of triumph blossomed on his face.

"What happened?"

"The enemy's attacking, Brain-san!"

The bitterly smiling man — Brain — responded:

"I know the enemy is attacking. What I want to know is how many are there? Who are they?"

"Yes! There's two of them, both women."

"Women? Only two of them? Could it be… Blue Rose, hm."

Brain tilted his head in what seemed like puzzlement, and then he strode out toward the cave entrance, through which the clamor poured.

The strongest adventurer team in the Kingdom was called "Blue Rose," and it was composed of five women. One of them had been an old lady. She and Brain had exchanged blows, and both sides had come away covered in wounds. He had also heard that the strongest assassins in the Empire were apparently women.

Powerful women were not exactly a rarity. Although women had weaker bodies than men, magic could easily cover that gap.

And of course, if someone with powerful physical abilities was augmented with equally powerful magic, the result would be invincible.

Respect welled up in Brain for these opponents, who stood as few against the many. His blood boiled in his chest, a battle-lust which resembled a hunger to do battle with mighty opponents.

"Hm, there's no need for you to come over. Just make sure you guard the inside well."

After giving the sellsword his orders, Brain strode forth, toward an unknown yet powerful foe.

His full name was Brain Unglaus.

Originally, he had been nothing more than an unassuming farmer. However, he was possessed of a natural gift, which was a talent for swordsmanship. With the aid of this talent, he was practically invincible as long as he had a weapon in hand. On the battlefield, he had not taken any wounds more severe than a scratch, and he could be described as a fighting genius.

Having never known defeat in swordsmanship, he walked an eternal path of victory.

Nobody, not even himself, had doubted this. But the Kingdom's royal martial tournament had changed the course of his life.

At first, he had not joined to win. He had simply intended to let the entire Kingdom know of his prowess. His aim had been to leave everyone crushed at his feet. However, he could barely believe the result of that tournament.

Defeat—

For the first time since he had picked up a weapon — no, for the first time in his life, he had been defeated.

The man who defeated him was Gazef Stronoff. He was now the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, and the mightiest warrior in the surrounding nations.

Before they faced each other, the two of them had swiftly cut a swathe through their respective divisions. However, the intense battle between them used up all the time they had saved.

In the end, Gazef had seized victory with the move called the 「Fourfold Slash of Light」. The tale of that struggle was immortalized in song and story. In addition, the ascension of the lowborn Gazef to the position of the Warrior-Captain was proof of how spectacular that battle had been. Even the nobles who detested him could not dismiss him as a weakling.

Though the winner was covered in glory, Brain — the loser — felt as though all his efforts up to that point had gone up in smoke. However, Brain had also learned that the dream of becoming the strongest in the world was not one that only he possessed. It would seem his perspective had been too limited.

After retreating into himself for over a month, Brain broke through the despair that would drive anyone to drink, and pulled himself together.

He refused employment offers from several nobles, having decided for the first time in his life to strengthen himself.

He trained ceaselessly, honing both his skills and his body.

He learned about magic and furthered his knowledge.

The genius now applied himself like a scholar.

Defeat had only made Brain stronger.

He did not want to work for nobles because he did not want his talents to rot away. One needed sparring partners when practicing the martial arts. Mere discussions of theory were not enough. In addition, there were vocations that allowed him to fight often and earn a good wage.

He did not choose the profitable path of the adventurer because adventurers did not have many chances to kill people. Of course, they fought a lot of monsters, but Brain's ultimate goal was to defeat Gazef. With that in mind, he had to train himself by fighting other humans.

Within this limited range of options, Brain chose to join the Death-Spreading Brigade. Granted, they were only a band of sellswords, but any mercenary company would do.

He had only one aim in mind.

That was to wipe away his earlier shame and avenge his defeat with victory.

In order to achieve this aim, he needed greater skills. Brain was willing to sacrifice anything for a weapon that matched his skills.

Magical weapons were very expensive, but he did not seek something as simple as a magic weapon.

In the south, far from the Kingdom, there was a city in the desert. Stories of blades that carved steel like mud came from there, weapons which were far superior to weakly enchanted magic weapons even without any enchantments of their own. Such swords commanded staggering prices, enough to make one's eyeballs pop out when one heard of them. Those weapons were what Brain wanted.

And in the end, he finally obtained a 「Katana」.

Currently, Brain's abilities had reached their limit. He was quite confident that he could defeat anyone easily, even if his opponent was Gazef. Even so, he did not allow that to get to his head, but continued training himself without fail.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that scene again.

He saw that scene from the martial tournament, that beautiful battle with Gazef. He had evaded that strike of his which nobody had been able to avoid, and responded with four simultaneous slashes.

With no way to imagine himself in defeat, all he could see was the noble form of the man who had beaten him, branded into his mind.

Brain walked to the entrance of the cave, and the faint smell of blood greeted his nose. The screams had stopped. That meant that all his comrades near the entrance had been slaughtered. Only about two or three minutes had passed.

There should have been at least ten sellswords at the entrance. Their orders were to hold fast, to buy time for the others to gird themselves for war. But to think someone had killed all these mercenaries in so short a time—

"If there's only two intruders, that means their abilities must be around the same level as mine."

Brain smiled coldly.

As he walked easily forward, he downed a potion from the pouch on his waist. The incredibly bitter liquid flowed down his throat and into his belly. He quaffed another bottle, and—

A wave of heat expanded from his guts, flowing into every corner of his body. In response to that heat, he could hear his muscles bulging and tightening.

This rapid muscle augmentation was the result of the magic contained within the potion.

The first magic potion he had drunk contained had the effect of a 「Lesser Strength」 spell, followed by one which bestowed 「Lesser Dexterity」 upon him.

There was no need to ingest the potions. They would work as long as a certain amount of the liquid made contact with his body. However, Brain felt that they would be more effective when drunk, rather than applied. Of course, that might have just been a whim of his, but whims like that sometimes gave rise to surprising power.

After that, he anointed his katana with an oil. Said oil left a faint bluish-white glow on his blade, before vanishing as it was absorbed into the metal. That oil bestowed the effects of a 「Magic Weapon」 spell upon his weapon, temporarily enchanting his sword with magic and increasing its sharpness.

"Activate 1, Activate 2."

In response to those command words, a subtle wave of magical power spread out from Brain's necklace and ring to envelop his body.

The Necklace of Eye was a necklace which protected one's ability to see, granting blindness resistance, darkvision, flare compensation, and other effects. There was no point in a warrior having the best weapon if he could not hit with it, after all. A common adventurer tactic was to rob a foe of their vision and finish them off with ranged weapons from a distance. The fact was that Brain had suffered that sort of treatment at the hands of adventurers before obtaining this necklace.

After that, he activated an item which could both store and release low tier spells, the Ring of Magic Bind. The spell it released was one reduced energy damage, 「Lesser Protection Energy」.

If there were really only two attackers, then it was worth fully preparing himself to face them. It would be too late to regret not having made the proper preparations afterwards.

With that, he was ready.

He took several deep breaths, expelling the intense heat brewing within his body.

As he was now, Brain — his body enhanced by various effects — was a swordsman who stood at the peak of humanity. He was absolutely confident in his fighting ability, and a savage grin bloomed on his face.

Now that I've prepared myself, I hope you'll show me a good time.

The further he advanced, the stronger the scent of blood became—

Two shapes appeared before him.

"Oi oi, it looks like the two of you had a lot of fun."

"Hardly. I don't know if it's because these people are too weak, but they're not filling up the Blood Pool."

The response to Brain's unhurried entrance was that casual line. It might have been because the opposition knew Brain would come at them directly. On his part, Brain had no intention of hiding himself, so perhaps that reaction was only to be expected.

As he looked on the intruders before him, Brain slightly wrinkled his brow.

I was told there were two women, but one's little more than a little girl, and they're in dresses…?

Still, Brain cast aside those thoughts, because above the head of that unimaginably beautiful girl hovered an orb that seemed to be made of fresh blood.

"Don't think I've seen that spell before… are you two magic casters?"

Both of them wore dresses, garments that were unsuitable for combat. However, if they were magic casters, he could understand why they did not wear armor.

"I am a divine magic caster who venerates the First of the Blood, the Divine Ancestor Cainabel."

"The 'Shin-sow Kine-able?' Never heard of him before, is he some sort of evil deity?"

"That is correct, but he was defeated by the Supreme Beings. Apparently, he was just a 'weak event boss,' or something to the supreme one. One would expect nothing less of the Supreme Beings."

Brain looked away from the muttering girl and turned his eyes to the woman that looked like a follower. That woman was also a beauty, with full, upthrust breasts, wreathed in an erotic musk that titillated the senses.

Her white dress was flecked in crimson spots. That implied she was the vanguard.

Brain relaxed his shoulders, and then gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Forget it, I'm ready. I can wait for you if you're not, how about it?"

The girl looked at Brain in surprise. Then she covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

"How brave. Will you really be alright by yourself? I don't mind if you call all your friends over."

"There's no amount of small fry which can hurt you, right? Then I'll be plenty enough."

"It can't be helped if you don't know how high the stars are, right? Childish thoughts like being able to touch the stars by reaching out for them are best left for a girl with childish sentiments like Aura. They're disgusting when you hear them coming from an adult."

"And why can't such a person exist? What would a little girl like you know about a man's dreams?"

Brain raised his blade, levelling its tip at the two of them. As she saw this, the girl looked boredly at the ceiling, then forward, and then—

"Get him."

The girl raised her chin, and the woman charged.

Her movements were swift as the wind — however, even if she moved like the wind, Brain could still cut her easily.

Brain brought his katana down with a forceful swing. Filled with a power that could split an armored warrior bodily in two, it raced through the air like a hurricane.

"Kuh!"

"Hmph, that was too shallow, huh?"

Counter-attacked mid-charge, the woman leapt away as she pressed her hand against her chest. The cut started from her left shoulder and ran across her breasts.

Brain frowned as he stared at his foe.

Part of it was because he could not finish her off in a single strike, but there was something else Brain did not understand. That something was why the woman's shoulder was not bleeding. Her blood should have been spurting out, under normal circumstances.

Could it be magic?

As that thought ran through Brain's mind, he saw what was happening to the wound under the woman's hand, and he narrowed his eyes.

The shoulder wound was slowly healing up. He had heard of certain healing spells which worked quickly, but this did not feel like one of them. That being the case, there was only one answer.

His opponent was a monster with powers of regeneration. Her sharp canines were exposed and her red pupils were filled with hostility. She looked almost the same as a human being...

As he pondered these facts, Brain finally deduced the true identity of the monster.

"A vampire… no? Special abilities include… fast healing, mystic eyes of charming, life drain, creating spawn through blood drain, weapon damage resistance, cold resistance? There should also be… ah, forget it."

There was no need to bother with the rest. With that, he gripped his katana's hilt once more.

The woman's eyes went wide, and her red pupils seemed abnormally large.

In that moment, a fog suddenly clouded Brain's mind, and he felt favorably disposed toward the enemy before him. However, he dispersed the fog with a quick shake of his head.

"...Mystic eyes, huh? My will isn't weak enough to be affected by that sort of thing alone."

Having drawn his sword, Brain's heart was like a sword as well, cleaving effortlessly through regular mind control.

The Vampire Bride bared her fangs to frighten him, but that attempt at intimidation was tinged by her own fear. If she felt that she was stronger, then all she would need to do was charge him without bothering with the scare tactics. In other words, she felt that she needed to be wary of him after his counterattack, or perhaps it was because she felt he was a strong opponent.

"Pretty smart. Still, a beast making a decision like that is little more than instinct…"

Brain slowly advanced on the Vampire Bride, who steadily retreated in time with his movements.

Brain scoffed in boredom. The Vampire Bride seemed to think her opponent was taunting her and so she ceased her backwards motion, but instead stepped forward.

The two of them were roughly three meters apart; a distance the Vampire Bride could cover in a single bound. Even so, she did not pounce him, because she feared Brain's abilities. And then— the Vampire Bride smiled and extended a hand.

"「Shock Wave」."

A shockwave rippled through the air towards Brain. Given that this spell could easily dent a suit of full plate armor, it would severely injure Brain — who wore only a chain shirt — if it struck him. In addition, landing that single spell could change the course of this battle, given the difference in the fundamental physical attributes of both parties.

However — the Vampire Bride's eyes went wide in surprise.

"Smile after you hit, unless you want me to see through your attack."

—He was unharmed.

Brain's mocking laugh rang out after easily avoiding the invisible shockwave. The Vampire Bride panicked and stepped back. Originally, she had believed humans to be an inferior species and had looked down on him. However, the look of her face was now one of shock as her assumptions had been disproven.

Brain did not show it on his face, but he knew he had to change his tactics now, because he had not expected his enemy to use magic as well.

Brain's target was the man called Gazef. He desired to cross swords with him. Therefore, his knowledge of magic was not as great as his knowledge of blades. He did not know the mysteries of magic and had no idea what kind of tricks his opponent would pull next.

In the end, the two of them ended up staring at each other.

The girl standing at the sidelines was displeased by this deadlock, and could no longer hide her annoyance.

"Eh, tag out."

The girl snapped her finger, and the crisp, clear sound made the Vampire Bride's body shudder.

Brain remained still as he watched the Vampire Bride look away.

It was a perfect chance to attack, but Brain did not do so. He shifted his attention from the Vampire Bride facing him to the girl.

She was petite, though the fact that her breasts were full and bulbous seemed quite out of place on her skinny body. Her delicate arms looked fragile enough that Brain felt he could break them if he exerted his full strength.

There were many kinds of divine magic casters. Perhaps she was not a melee-oriented Cleric, but a spell-oriented Priestess, or perhaps she was a Bishop, who specialized in spellcasting.

However, she was asking to tag in so she could fight in person. That implied she was confident of victory even without her vanguard. What that means — as Brain thought about it, he smiled.

Doesn't look like a command to a summoned creature. That means she must be a Vampire as well.

In addition, given the girl's attitude, she must be a higher order of Vampire. Monster's appearances often did not match their actual abilities, so it would not be strange for that little girl's body to possess higher physical abilities than the Vampire from just now. In addition, she had observed Brain's formidable combat prowess and still chose to take the field.

In contrast, the Vampire Bride looked afraid.

A mistress who can frighten a Vampire… Looks like she'll be a tough foe. I'll need to be on my guard.

As he sized up the girl, Brain continued pondering her true identity.

Speaking of a Vampire's mistress, could she be one of those legendary Vampire Lords? I heard there was one of them who earned the title of "Landfall" for destroying a nation… however, the stories also say she was wiped out by the Thirteen Heroes.

If she had been beaten by heroes in the past, then his opponent was hardly invincible.

Brain tightened his grip on his katana's hilt, slowly shifting into an attack stance.

"I am Brain Unglaus."

After Brain identified himself to this mighty foe, the girl reacted in a surprising way; she quirked an eyebrow at him.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Brain asked the girl:

"...What is your name?"

"Ah! You wanted to know my name. Cocytus might have gotten it right away but I've never looked at people like that before, so it took me a while to get it. My apologies, but you should have just asked me directly."

The girl took up the hems of her skirt and curtseyed elegantly, like a dancer at a ball.

"My name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. And the pleasure will be all mine."

That elegant curtsy was directed to a man who stood before her with a drawn blade. He was unsure if she knew she would not be attacked, or if she was confident of dealing with any attack that did come. Judging by her expression, it would seem to be the latter case — "Someone like you is nothing to be afraid of."

—Let me break that self-assurance of yours.

Brain stared silently at Shalltear, his eyes keen razors that would terrify even a hardened veteran. Her calmness irritated him, but on the flip side, that expression of hers played right into Brain's hands.

It was the arrogance of the strong.

This arrogance was one of the weapons humanity could use to defeat monsters, whose power outstripped that of human beings. In fact, Brain had played on this sort of opportunity before to defeat several monsters who were mightier than himself.

The most important thing was — he could mock them after he defeated them. After he told them, "You can look down on some people, but not others."

"Are you not going to use martial arts?"

—Martial arts.

They were skills mastered during a warrior's quest for martial perfection. Some people called them ki or some kind of aura, but they defied easy description.

In the face of a massive, towering foe, a person who had learned 「Fortress」 could negate the mighty blows of his opponent and stand blade to blade with him.

Someone who had learned the ability to concentrate ki onto his blade and swing with 「Slash」 could slay even the most resilient of foes in one hit.

Against heavily armored foes, the bludgeoning martial art called 「Bash」 came into play.

Anyone who had learned to temporarily improve their physical parameters with 「Ability Boost」 could seize victory through their power of their augmented bodies.

A warrior needed to anticipate all sorts of circumstances, learn various martial arts, and incorporate them all into his own strength. This went double for adventurers, who were often plunged into bizarre battle conditions.

That being the case, what about Brain?

"Hmph, I won't need martial arts for a brat like you," Brain responded. It was a lie, of course. He was not stupid enough to announce his ace in the hole to his opponents.

Brain exhaled slowly and lowered his stance, returning his sword to its sheath.

He was preparing for a draw cut.

His breaths became long and shallow.

He focused his mind into a single point, and in the moment where it was fully concentrated, his awareness rebounded, expanding back outward. His perceptions were on a level where he was fully aware of everything around him; sounds, the air, and other sensory phenomena. This move was one of the original martial arts that he had created — 「Field」.

Its range was not great, only about three meters in radius, but the martial art allowed him to perceive everything within that radius. Perhaps it might be easier to explain it as boosting his accuracy and evasion while within that area.

Combined with Brain's honed body, this martial art possessed extraordinary power.

He was confident that he could emerge unscathed beneath a hail of arrows. In addition, his precision was such that he could cleave even a tiny grain of wheat in two.

In addition—

All living things died when weapons struck their vitals. Thus, all one needed to do was master techniques which could accurately strike said vitals.

Rather than learn a broad range of techniques, he had focused on one single goal. His goal was to strike faster than his opponent, to accurately deliver a single, fatal blow, and in the course of his studies he had innovated a second unique martial art — 「Instant Flash」.

That high-speed strike was swift enough to be undodgeable, but he had not stopped there.

His training after that was extraordinary, in pursuit of the peak of excellence. He must have practiced it hundreds of thousands, no, millions of times. His ceaseless use of the 「Instant Flash」 had caused calluses to grow on his palms, specializing them in performing the technique, and parts of his sword's hilt had been worn into the shape of his grips.

In his unending quest for perfection, he had once more birthed a new technique.

He could cut his foe so quickly that blood would not even stick to the blade. Feeling that he had reached the realm of the gods, he named that technique 「God Flash」.

With that move, his opponents would not even realise he had struck.

Once he combined these two martial arts, the 「Field」 which guaranteed a hit and the 「God Flash」 that struck at divine speed, there was no way anyone could avoid being slain in one blow.

His strikes were aimed at his opponents' vitals; specifically, their necks.

This was his secret move — the "Mogaribue."

It was named for the sound his opponent's blood made when it spurted from the stump of their severed necks.

Against Vampires, there would probably be no spray of blood, but being able to sever his foe's neck probably counted as a victory.

"Are you done preparing yet?"

As she looked at Brain, who stayed silent and did nothing but breathe, Shalltear shrugged in boredom.

"I'm ready to make my move, so if you have any last words, feel free to say them~"

Beat—

"—Then let the trampling begin."

Shalltear strode forward with that cheerful pronouncement.

Are you kidding me!? We'll see how calm you are after your head hits the ground.

Brain did not say that. He felt that doing so would break his concentration and waste his effort.

Shalltear's steps were unguarded, seemingly defenseless, as dainty and casual as if she were heading for a picnic.

This was not the way a warrior moved. Brain fought the urge to grin.

He felt she was foolish, but there was no way he would go easy on her.

Brain went on to use 「Ability Boost」. He was waiting for his opponent to enter his 「Field」, which was also his striking range, and once she did so he would attack. Arrogant monsters who thought themselves mightier than others were all like that. After all, humans were weak creatures with inferior physical abilities, and no special abilities of note.

However, I'll teach you how dangerous it is to look down on mankind.

Brain mused that martial arts were created to fight beings that were stronger than humans.

— I'll finish you off in one hit.

Haughty monsters would often struggle when pushed into dire straits. If he could not finish her off in one blow, she would probably instruct her Vampire to come help her. Then the battle would become two against one, and even Brain would be hard-pressed to hold them off.

Thus, he needed to kill her in one blow.

Brain's face was impassive, but he was laughing internally.

He laughed at his opponent's leisurely approach; perhaps she did not know that she was climbing the stairs to the chopping block.

Three more steps, two more steps.

...One more step.

And then—

—Your head is mine!

With that mental declaration, Brain struck with all his might.

"Hoo!"

He expelled a short, forceful breath.

His blade cleared his sheath, slicing through the air at Shalltear.

There was a single word to describe the speed of this movement — lightning. By the time one saw it, one's head would have fallen, so quickly did it take place. After practicing millions of times, it was truly a divine flash.

I win.

As Brain thought that—

—He stared in shock.

The blow had missed. The strike into which he had poured his entire being had been evaded.

If that had happened, he might have been able to admit that he had met an unimaginably powerful opponent.

However—

Shalltear had caught it with her fingertips.

She had caught Brain's lightning-fast strike.

In addition, she held his blade gently, like one would the wings of a butterfly.

Brain could not help but pant heavily, as he felt the air seem to freeze around him.

"...Im-Impossible..."

Those nearly-inaudible words accompanied each gasp he made.

Brain struggled desperately to rein in the tremors within him, as the scene before his eyes utterly defied his expectations. However, it was an undeniable fact that there were two of Shalltear's ivory fingers upon the body of his blade — her thumb and her forefinger.

More than that, she had not seized his blade from the front, but hooked her arm around the swing to catch it from behind. Without once entering the path of the strike, she had caught up with the speed of the katana — with the speed of his 「God Flash」.

Although she appeared to be gingerly grasping the blade, with hardly any effort at all, Brain could not budge his sword backward or forward, despite pouring the full strength of his body into his exertions. It was like yanking on a chain fastened to a stone several hundred times his own body weight.

And then, the force on his sword suddenly increased, almost throwing Brain off balance.

"Hmph, Cocytus has several of these too, but since there's an astronomical difference between the wielders, it's hardly worth being on guard for."

Shalltear pulled the grasped katana before her, studying it.

As Brain understood what she had said, the inside of his head turned white.

It was a sense of despair which denied his entire life.

Even so, he pulled himself together again. That was because he had been defeated once, and just as a broken bone would knit back thicker and stronger, he had developed a resistance to the condition of defeat.

It was impossible, but he had to believe it.

He had to believe the fact that her fingers could easily seize his divinely-fast strike.

His face nearly turned pale from the weight of that shock, and Shalltear wrinkled her brows in surprise at this development.

Then, he heard something like an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

"You understand, right? You can't beat me without using martial arts. If you understand, please don't hold back. Shouldn't you go all out now?"

As those cruel words reached his ears, Brain could not help but curse:

"You damn monster—!"

As she heard him, Shalltear smiled innocently, radiant as a blossoming flower.

"Is that so? Do you finally understand? I'm a cold, merciless, cruel — and lovable monster."

After letting go of the katana, Shalltear leapt back, to her original position, accurate to within the millimeter.

"Are you done preparing yet?"

Shalltear's delighted smile and those words combined to make Brain's blood boil. How much further are you going to scorn me? Instead, as Brain realised that his opponent was powerful enough that she could look down on someone like him who had reached the limits of human strength, he could not help but be afraid.

—Should I run?

Brain had always felt that living was the most important thing. If he was outmatched, he should run, and erase his shame at a later date. Brain felt that as long as he survived, he could claim the victory in the end, because he was sure he could get stronger in the meantime.

However, how could he flee someone whose physical abilities overwhelmed his own by such a large margin?

As though freshly awakened, Brain reconfirmed the location he was targeting.

He was aiming for her legs, to reduce his opponent's mobility before escaping at top speed.

He would avoid the radius in which his foe had seized the strike made with all his might, and instead attack something which was harder to defend.

With that in mind, Brain turned his attention to Shalltear's neck as he resheathed his katana. When 「Field」 activated, he could strike accurately even with his eyes closed, so it made sense to deceive his opponent with his eyes.

"—Let the trampling begin."

Shalltear stepped forward once more in an exaggerated fashion.

Although he had previously expected that she would step into his 「Field」, it was the opposite now — he hoped that she would not enter the 「Field」.

How pathetic is this, Brain mentally chastised himself. Still, even his desire to avenge himself could not ignite his fighting spirit. It was like a fire that had run out of fuel. He tsked, and used 「Field」 to monitor Shalltear's movements.

Three steps, two steps, one step—

—She was in range.

As Brain stared at Shalltear's neck, he noticed her mocking expression out of the corner of his eye.

—His target was the right ankle she was putting forward.

He swung down with his katana, using his body weight to further hasten his blow.

As he cast his stress aside, he was certain that this swing was faster than the previous one. Even he had no way of defending against a strike of that speed.

I can do it!

Just as he was about to slice off the girl's delicate ankle that revealed itself from beneath the hem of her skirt—

—The hilt of Brain's katana slid from his hands.

Brain's line of sight did not move, and he had no idea what had happened. However, the special sensory abilities granted to him by 「Field」 made him acutely aware that his beloved katana was now on the ground, trod under a high-heeled foot.

It was impossible. Yet, it was an undeniable reality.

The reason Brain's katana had slipped was because of the shock transmitted into his hands when that high-heeled shoe had stepped on it.

There was only one reason not to believe this.

That reason was: despite heightening his focus to its limit, he still had not sensed his opponent's movements. Yes, not even within the 「Field」 of which he was so proud.

She was close enough that if she reached her hand out, she could touch him. Shalltear's disdainful gaze landed on Brain from such a short distance. The startling pressure it generated threatened to crush the air along with Brain himself.

Brain's breathing grew chaotic.

His sweat flowed like rain, soaking his entire body. His field of vision trembled and an intense feeling of nausea came over him.

He had been through several risky encounters before, so desperate situations were a common sight for him. However, those encounters were little more than child's play compared to his present predicament.

The high-heeled shoe pulled off the blade, and Shalltear silently leapt away.

"—Are you done preparing yet?"

"!"

The third repetition of those words filled Brain with an incomparable sense of despair.

Next, she would say "Let the trampling begin." However, just as Brain thought that would happen, he heard something completely different.

"Could it be that… you can't use martial arts?"

That voice — filled with pity and surprise — made Brain draw a sudden breath.

He could give no reply. No, to be precise, he did not know what to say. Perhaps he could playfully reply like a clown: "Ah, I used them just now, but you defeated them easily."

Biting his lower lip, Brain retrieved his katana.

"...Could it be that you're not actually that strong? I thought you were stronger than those chaps at the entrance… Sorry about that, I measure strength in meters, so I can't discern differences of a millimeter or two."

He had worked so hard and so long.

During the showdown with Gazef, he was overly confident in his natural abilities, so he had not trained and lost to someone who had. As a result, his defeat had turned into his motivation.

The mindset he had developed, of standing up again from defeat — of earnestly honing his skills to produce results — were nothing but foolishness to the monster before him.

This can't be happening. All along, I've been slaying those monsters who scorned me and mocked me for being weaker than them—

As those thoughts rose through Brain's mind, he struggled to press them down, and in their place—

"Aaaaahhhhh—!"

With a great shout, he made his move on Shalltear. Brain swung at Shalltear — who had a puzzled look on her face as she watched him attack — with all the force his body could muster.

His blow, which marshalled all the muscles of his entire body, could easily cut an armored human being in half.

Shalltear had no intention of evading that stunning strike. The way she watched the gleaming arc of white light descending upon her made Brain think that he might be able to land a hit.

However, the scene from earlier denied those thoughts of his. Could he really strike her so easily?

In the next moment, those fears were confirmed.

As a crisp ringing filled the air, Brain once more saw an unbelievable sight.

Shalltear had swiftly flicked the nail of her left little finger — roughly two centimeters long — with blinding speed. In addition, Shalltear did not seem to be using any strength at all; the rest of her hand was balled up into a fist, leaving only the little finger sticking out; and it was slightly bent.

With that motion — which did not even qualify as toying with him — she had parried that blow which Brain had struck with all his might.

Parried that blow which could cleave full plate armor, shatter swords, and break shields—

Struggling desperately to pull together his shattered will to fight, he focused his strength into his hands which trembled from the impact of Shalltear's parry. He raised his katana high and brought it down, and then — Shalltear still casually deflected it.

"Huaaaah~"

Shalltear yawned in an exaggerated manner, even going so far as to pat her mouth with her right hand. She was intentionally staring at the ceiling now. It would seem she was no longer taking Brain seriously.

Even so.

Even so — Brain's katana had still been deflected.

By the little finger of her left hand—

"Uoooohhhh—!"

A roar issue from Brain's throat. No, it was not a roar, but a cry of despair.

Horizontal slash — parried.

Diagonal slash — parried.

Frontal slash — parried.

Diagonal cut — parried.

Vertical cut — parried.

Horizontal cut — parried.

No matter the angle, no matter the direction in which he made his attacks, all of them were deflected by a singal nail.

It felt as though his katana was being drawn to that nail, and in that moment Brain finally understood.

His opponent was truly powerful. Even his hard work and natural talents could not even bring him close to her feet, let alone onto her level.

"Ara~ tired already? Though come to think of it, this nail clipper's pretty dull."

Brain stopped swinging as he heard those surprising words.

Could one cut through a mountain with a sword? That was impossible; even a child knew that. Then, could he beat Shalltear? Any warrior who faced her would know that answer.

There was no way he could defeat her.

Human beings could not defeat entities who were beyond human imagination. If anyone was able to stand toe to toe with her, that someone must surely be a mighty individual who was beyond the realm of mankind. Regretfully, Brain was merely a warrior who stood at humanity's peak.

Indeed, no matter how hard he worked, as long as he was still a human being, he would be nothing more than an infant flailing around with a stick.

"...I… trained so hard…"

"Trained hard? What a pointless statement. I was created strong, so there was no need to train hard in order to become stronger."

Brain laughed as he heard this.

I tried so hard, and got so far. But in the end, it doesn't even matter. How self-centered was I, thinking I was a genius?

His legs felt heavy, like they had been squashed by huge boulders.

"...? Ahahahaha, what are you crying for? Did something sad happen?"

He understood what Shalltear was saying. However, her voice was muffled, as though it were coming from far away.

Even his determination to train himself, the determination that let him burst the blisters on his hands to continue swinging a heavy iron bar, was meaningless. Wearing heavy armor and running long distances was meaningless. Defeating monsters by himself was also meaningless.

It was all meaningless. Therefore, Brain's life was also meaningless.

In the face of a truly powerful being, Brain was no different from the powerless weaklings he used to mock.

"I'm an idiot…"

"...Are you done? Then it's about time to wrap this up, no?"

Shalltear giggled as she advanced on him, her little finger extended. Brain cried out; not a warrior's call to battle, but a child's weeping.

Brain ran wildly.

He faced his back to Shalltear.

Having experienced Shalltear's physical ability first-hand, he expected that she would catch up with him immediately.

Still, he paid that fact no heed. Or rather, Brain no longer had the energy to worry about that sort of thing. He simply revealed his defenseless back to her, scrunching his face up into a tear- and snot-filled mess as he desperately ran deeper into the cave.

Just then, an innocent girl's voice, laced with bloodlust, came from behind Brain.

"Are we playing tag then? You're going to play all sorts of games with me? Then I shall enjoy myself, ahahahaha~"

A cold wind blew through the main hall, slipping through the gaps in the barricade and washing over the surviving men of the Death-Spreading Brigade, all forty two of them.

The main hall was the most spacious part of the cave system, so it was commonly used as a dining area. However, it was now an emergency stronghold.

This series of caves — the sellswords' hideout — was centered around this long and narrow hall. Several smaller caves radiated off along its sides, and they were used as personal rooms, armories, and food storage. Therefore, if this place was taken, the other locations would also fall easily. When attacked, it thus made sense to designate this place as the linchpin of their final defensive line.

That said, it might have been called a stronghold, but it had not been built to the standards of one.

They had upended their crude tables and stacked up boxes to form a simple barricade. After that, they had strung up several chest-height ropes between the entrance to the main hall and the barricade, in order to ward off anyone who might try to charge the barricade. Once the enemy ran into the obstacles, the defenders could avoid being drawn into a melee.

Almost everyone was arrayed behind this defensive formation, holding their crossbows as they waited in the center, left and right wings.

Even if it came to a shooting match, the dimensions of the main hall and the size of the entrance gave an overwhelming advantage to the defenders in the hall. In addition, now that they had all spread out, the attackers would end up taking fire from all the defenders no matter where they decided to attack. Even area-effect attacks would have trouble taking them out because they were spread out. This troop arrangement was designed to provide covering fire, and it was called a crossfire.

It was a simple formation, but it could hold off an enemy force larger than itself.

And then, disquieted looks began appearing on the men's faces.

As the men trembled, their chain shirts quivered along with them, producing the rustle of links sliding over other links.

The interior of the cave was cool, and quite comfortable even on summer days. However, what they felt now was not exactly coldness.

Just now, peals of laughter had rung in from the outside. Due to the echoes within the cave, it was transformed into a shrill, sexless laughter, which was what had chilled them to their bones.

They believed that since the strongest man in the Death-Spreading Brigade — Brain Unglaus — had sortied, there was no need for them to build a barricade or the like.

That laughter had shattered their conviction.

Brain was unbeatable. That was what they believed.

Brain was far stronger than an ordinary man. Even Imperial knights could not possibly defeat him. Not even monsters could. He could slay an Ogre in one hit, charge into a Goblin horde by himself and mow them down like grass. If the entire Death-Spreading Brigade crossed blades with him, he might well end up taking all their heads. What else could they call him but their strongest man?

But if such a man had been defeated, what did that mean?

The fact that someone could fight Brain and still laugh like that could only mean one thing.

Everybody knew it, but nobody dared to say it.

All they could do was look silently at each other.

The eyes of everyone gathered here went wordlessly to the entrance of the hall — in the direction of the rest of the cave.

The tension in the air thickened, and then—

The sound of running came toward them, growing louder and louder.

Someone gulped loudly. The sounds of several crossbow strings being drawn back could be heard amidst the silence.

As the sellswords watched the hall's entrance, a man sprinted into view, panting heavily. It was a miracle that nobody had loosed their bolts at him.

"Brain!"

The man who shouted was the head of the mercenaries — the Brigade's leader. Soon, a great cheer exploded through the hall. Their jubilant cheers came from their belief that he had defeated the intruder.

There were sounds of voices congratulating Brain, as well as those of hands patting each other on the shoulder.

They chanted Brain's name over and over again. Amidst this praise, Brain stood at the entrance to the hall, holding his weapon in one powerless hand as he quietly surveyed the faces of the sellswords around him.

No, that was not right. His expression suggested that he was looking for something.

The cheering died down as though suppressed, as the sellswords picked up on Brain's strange mood.

Brain ran for the barricade.

"Oi! Wait up, we'll open up for you!"

Brain paid those words no heed as he squirmed into the barricade, forcing his way through without wasting a single moment before continuing his run.

He felt the sellswords stare dumbly at him as he opened a door. It led to a cave which was being used as a storeroom, and he rushed inside.

"What's wrong? Did he put something in there?"

"Who knows? It feels weird, though… was he crying? Nah, that couldn't be!"

They stuck their heads out to look at the closing door, but the mercenaries were thoroughly baffled by the strange event which had transpired before them.

Only one person here was frowning; the brigade's leader. This was because only he — no, Brain knew as well, so that made two — had an idea of what was going on. However, he did not have the time to verify his suspicions.

The sound of slow, graceful steps drew close, followed by the slow appearance of a stranger in the entrance.

None of them had any idea who that person was. Since nobody in the band knew this stranger, it was clear that it was the intruder who had sparked this disturbance, and the commotion vanished in an instant.

Impossible. If that were really the case, that would mean that the reason why Brain was here had now taken a one eighty degree turn. If the intruder was still alive, it meant that he had fled here.

In addition, there was only one intruder, its back hunched in a bizarre way.

It was not tall and looked like a girl. Her arms hung limply below her, as did her head. The strange thing was that given the position of her head and the bottom of her neck, it looked like the latter was three times longer than that of a regular human being.

She had a full head of lustrous silver hair which dragged along the ground as she slowly entered the hall. She wore an exquisitely-crafted dress, which seemed to be wreathed in darkness.

Nobody spoke.

A wave of heart-stopping cold accompanied this dreadful visage.

Her head slowly came up, her face obscured by the strands of silvery hair. Through them, they could see a pair of red lights, which slowly narrowed down to needle-sharpness.

Everyone knew what this meant — much to their misfortune.

She was laughing.

That frightening girl raised her head, revealing a beautiful face. However, nothing could be more revolting to the people who had just seen the state of her. Those elegant features looked like a mask sculpted by a top-rate artist.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. Is this the finishing point? Does this mean the game of tag is over?"

As she spouted those bewildering lines, the girl — Shalltear — looked around. However, that beautiful face of hers wrinkled, probably because she had not found the person she was looking for. In the unbroken silence, the girl's voice rang forth once more.

"Are we playing hide and seek noooooooow?"

She giggled merrily, seemingly amused by this. Shalltear lowered her head and laughed and laughed and laughed, her silver hair shrouding her face.

As the sellswords gasped at the sight before them, Shalltear's laughter grew ever louder.

"Ahahaaahahahahahaaaahahhahahahhh!"

Her full-bellied mirth echoed through the hall as the girl slowly raised her head again.

The face they saw made the sellswords feel like their hearts were being crushed in their chests, and that ice water was filling their veins.

That face was no longer beautiful. The color flowing out of her pupils had dyed her eyes completely red, and the two neat rows of white teeth in her mouth now resembled a set of delicate syringe needles, like a shark's gaping maw. A lewd pink glow leaked from her throat as transparent saliva drooled from her mouth.

"Ahahaaahahaahaahahaa!"

Shalltear bared her fangs and grinned, so wide that the corners of her mouth almost touched her ears. She laughed several dozen times, like the tolling of an off-key bell.

Whimpers of despair filled the air of the hall.

Though they were in a cavern, it seemed as though even the air could not bear it and joined in with the resounding echoes.

—A girl?

—A monster?

—A fiend?

It was none of them.

This was terror incarnate—

Despite the distance between them, they could scent blood on her breath. Due to the intensity of the stench, it seemed as though even the air was turning red.

"Uwaaaaaah—!"

Overcome by panic, one of the sellswords screamed and depressed the lever on his crossbow.

The bolt tore through the air and embedded itself deep into Shalltear's chest. The impact made her waver slightly.

"—Loose!"

Upon hearing their leader's voice, the sellswords came to their senses, chased away their fear, and fired their crossbows as one.

The bolts which shot out roared like a downpour, riddling Shalltear's body with projectiles.

Thirty one of the forty bolts fired had hit, each piercing deeply into her body. At this range, the bolts could even go through metal armor, so this was the logical outcome.

In addition, the four which had entered her head would have been fatal for a human being.

Someone breathed, "We killed it…"

Those words were the hope which all of them were clinging to. Although their foe was still standing, so many bolts stuck out of it that it resembled a porcupine. By common sense, it should have been definitively dead.

Still, while that thought filled their minds, the smoking cinders of fear within their hearts could not be extinguished.

As though driven by some kind of sixth sense, the sellswords began reloading their crossbows.

And then — Shalltear moved.

Like a conductor preparing to direct a performance, she slowly spread her arms. The bolts which covered her body began working their way out and then fell to the ground. None of them had so much as a single drop of blood on them, nor were their heads dented. It was as though they had never been used at all.

Shalltear laughed, and a vile, predator's snarl appeared on her face.

Scattered cries of terror rose from the frightened sellswords. As though urged on by those cries, countless bolts ripped through the air toward Shalltear once more.

The numberless projectiles impaled her eyeballs, pierced her throat, penetrated her abdomen and sank into her shoulders. Yet the girl who had met such a grisly fate merely seemed annoyed, as though she had been caught in a drizzle.

"It's uselessssssss~ But you still try so haaaaaaarrrrrrd~"

She took a step forward, and then — she leapt.

The ceiling was about five meters above the cave floor. The girl jumped high enough to reach out and touch it easily. She sailed gracefully through the air and landed on the other side of the barricade. As her high heels clacked on the ground, all the bolts stuck in her fell off as well.

She turned to look at the soldiers behind her, who were reloading their crossbows.

She stepped forward — and punched.

She did not even put her back into it. It was a simple, casual punch. That said, it was possessed of extraordinary speed and its destructive power was out of this world.

Her hand pierced the body of the sellsword she had punched, sending him flying into the barricade. With a heaven-shaking crash, the wood of the barricade disintegrated, spraying splinters everywhere.

Only the silence of wood chips falling to the ground could be heard in the silence that filled the hall.

The stunned sellswords stopped reloading their crossbows, staring dumbly at Shalltear.

Shalltear stuck her index finger into the mass of blood floating above her and drew out a strand of blood, which turned into a character before her. It looked like a Sanskrit character or a similar symbol, and it was called a Magic Rune.

Shalltear possessed a class called Blood Drinker, and this was one of its skills: Blood Pool. This orb of enchanted blood could store the blood of victims for various purposes. It could also drain mana from the blood, so one could use skills that augmented spells without consuming extra MP.

"「Penetrate Magic - Implosion」."

After casting this tenth tier spell — which was of the highest tier of magic — the bodies of ten mercenaries began swelling up from inside.

There was no time for them to cry out. All they could do was watch their bodies expand inexorably, looks of ignorant terror on their faces. Then, in the next moment, their bodies burst, like balloons popping.

"Hahahahhhahahaahaha! Firewoooooorks! How prettyyyyyyyy~"

Shalltar pointed to the spraying blood, applauding and cackling as she did.

"Uooohhhhh!"

Following that cry, an estoc impaled Shalltear's chest from behind — piercing her heart. It sawed up and down, as though to widen the wound.

"Die, you monster!"

The broadsword swing after that nearly clove Shalltear's head in half, its point stopping after it pierced her left eye.

"You lot, hurry up and get stuck in!"

As wails and cries rose from them, three mercenaries hacked at Shalltear's body with the weapons they had at hand.

They swung over and over again, but Shalltear still stood firm, despite having a broadsword buried halfway into that face of hers. Said face bore a frightening smile, with no sign that she was in pain at all.

After they tired of attacking her, the sellswords cast down their swords and switched to punching and kicking her, the tears streaming down their faces. Though they were much larger than she was, Shalltear remained unmoved. It was as though the sellswords were assaulting a huge boulder.

Shalltear tilted her head to look at the mercenaries and began thinking. Then she clapped her hands together, having thought of some devilish scheme.

"Hahaha, hahaha, hahahahaha!"

She exhaled, as though expelling the heat from within her. The thick stench of gore made the people around her nauseous.

Shalltear carelessly wrenched out the broadsword stuck in her head. Once it was gone, there was no sign that she had ever been wounded in the first place.

Just as she was about to swing it, she halted halfway. Rust covered the broadsword, and it slowly crumbled away. In her blood-addled mind, she thought about a penalty from one of her job classes — Cursed Knight — and she tossed it away in a vaguely disappointed manner. Then, she casually flicked one of those delicate ivory hands of hers.

And thus, three skulls rolled to the ground.

"Run away! Run away! Run for your lives!"

"We can't beat a monster like that!"

The sellswords screamed and fled in all directions.

Having lost all will to fight, one of the running men was seized from behind by Shalltear, who grasped his head with both her hands and squeezed. His head popped open like a shellfish having its carapace cracked open, and his brains squirted out.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Whaaaaat's that look on your faces, are you scaaaaared~? Wait a minute, hahahahahaha! Hang on a bit, I'm iiiiiiiiitttt—! Hahaha, hahaha, hahahahaha!"

Their curiosity piqued by that sinister voice, the sellswords turned to see a stomach-churning sight. The blood-drunk queen of nightmares chased them down, not allowing a single mercenary to escape.

One of the fleeing men stumbled, rolling beneath Shalltear's feet.

"Spare me! Please! I won't do anything bad again!"

As she looked on the man, crying and whimpering for mercy as he grabbed her leg, Shalltear's face split into a predatory grin. The sellsword immediately understood what that smile meant and his face turned an ashen gray.

"—So hiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh uuuuuupppppp~"

"Noooo! Stop—!"

Still clutching her leg, the man was lifted bodily into the air. With one hand clutching his back, she threw him lightly at the ceiling.

Unable to resist her supernatural arm-strength, the mercenary finally let go and squeezed his eyes shut. After a brief period of weightlessness, he felt the pull of gravity dragging him down again; and then his hand struck the ground, sending a gout of pain through his body.

"Waaaaaah!"

Being able to feel pain was proof that he was still alive. The mercenary, grateful for being able to escape death, eased his eyes open ever-so-slightly, and then he realized that he had been celebrating too soon. This was because Shalltear's slender ivory-white hands had gently embraced him, not allowing him to fully touch the ground.

He had not escaped from the clutches of this terrifying monster.

No, not just that — a gaping maw opened before him, looking like a lump of clotted blood, radiating a stench he had never encountered before.

"Hahaha, hahaha, how fuuuuuuuuun~ Did you really think you could die so easilyyyyyyyyy~ Nooooooooooope~" she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Spare, spare me—"

"Noooooooooope— I haven't fed in soooooooooo looooooong~"

Her mouth opened until it was past her ears, until it was big enough to gulp an entire skull down.

Nobody here knew this.

Nobody here knew that the monsters called True Ancestors in the DMMO-RPG YGGDRASIL were physical incarnations of disaster.

The mouth that opened to the height of her ears was in a semicircular shape, and the two canines within it were long enough that they reached her chin. Her brilliant scarlet eyes were the color of blood, and the fingertips of her dried-wood arms sprouted claws that were about ten centimeters long. She looked like she was hunched over whenever she moved, and leapt at her prey in a flying charge.

That was the the posture she had.

Vampires were monsters which were crossbreeds of humans and bats, and the high tier Origin Vampires looked more monstrous than the others.

The only Vampire-type monsters which could be said to be beautiful were Shalltear's concubines, the Vampire Brides.

The only reason why Shalltear the True Vampire looked so beautiful was because her guild member who designed her was skilled at drawing and turning his art into reality.

Shalltear's current appearance was her original look as a True Vampire. In other words, her usual appearance was merely a sham.

Like a rubber toy, or a bloated, disgusting leech, Shalltear gnawed at the sellsword's throat.

It was not clear if the sellsword first felt dozens of needles pierce his throat, or if he heard the gross sound of his blood being drained away in an instant.

The man felt his very existence being siphoned away, and the chilling dread of that realization instilled a terror in him which he had never felt before.

However, even as he tried to struggle, his limbs grew heavy and his eyesight darkened.

After draining him dry, Shalltear tossed aside the dessicated corpse, licking off a stray drop of blood with a moist, gleaming tongue. Then, she smiled brightly at the other sellswords, who did not know if they should flee.

"Sooooooooo~ maaanyyyyy~ mooooooore~ snaaaaaacks~ for meeeeeeee~"

Countless screams of anger and cries of despair echoed through the great hall—

Shalltear grinned evilly as she stood within the silent hall which was now devoid of any movement. The orb of blood above her head had absorbed a lot of fresh gore, to the point where it was only a little smaller than her head.

"Thaaaaaaat waaaaas fuuuuuuuuuun~"

After hearing Shalltear's exclamation of delight, the Vampire Bride — who had been stationed at the hall's entrance to prevent anyone from escaping — lowered her head and added:

"I am glad that you enjoyed yourself, my noble master."

"Time for the maaaaaaiiiiiiin diiiiiishhhh~"

Shalltear wrenched open the door to the storeroom into which Brain had fled, bursting the lock off. The hinges still hung from the door in Shalltear's hand.

The storeroom was cramped, with several bags and boxes within.

It was here that Shalltear smelled something surprising — fresh air, scented with dust, the aroma of the wind from outdoors. At the same time, the spoor of a human grew fainter. Shalltear might have lost herself in her Blood Frenzy, but she still remembered the mission assigned to her.

"Kuwaaaaaaah—!"

With a furious roar, Shalltear shoved away the obstacles in her path, and advanced to the place from which the wind blew.

She found a hole behind the boxes, which had been blocked up by sandstone less than a meter ahead. The fresh air flowed in from a gap in the rock.

"An escaaaaaaaaape tunneeeeeellllll—!?"

The Lesser Vampire had not been lying — he did not know there was an escape passage here.

A problem one often ran into with the use of magical charms was that one could only learn what the subject already knew. The target could not give answers which they did not have, and if they believed a falsehood to be the truth, then the questioner would only learn the falsehood.

Unlike Mare, Shalltear did not have any magic to move the earth, If she tried to clear it with a shockwave, it might drop the entire ceiling on them.

He had escaped.

Those words floated to the fore within her bloodsoaked thoughts. To some extent, Shalltear understood that she had failed in her part of the mission.

Shalltear snarled in anger.

Why was this pitiful insect of a human being not moving in accordance to the wishes of Shalltear, a Guardian of Nazarick?

All I want is to turn your unnecessary lives into a feeble contribution to the glory of Nazarick; why don't you understand and rejoice in that fact?

Shalltear ground her teeth, and then the Vampire Bride who had been assigned to lookout duty called out from behind her.

"—lady Shalltear!"

The fact that one of her Vampire Brides had left her post incensed Shalltear, and her vision turned red as she briefly entertained the idea of killing her. In the end, she managed to bank the flames of her wrath with great effort. If she had left her position for an important matter, then she should be spared.

"Whaaaaaaat — is iiiiiiiiiiit?"

"Several people are headed this way."

"Hm~ Leftover survivoooooooors~? Theeeeeeen~ let's go out and meet theeeeeeeeeem—! Ahahaha, hahaha, hahahahaha!"

Shalltear leapt up and, like a little bird flitting through the night, she hopped over the log barricade at the cave entrance. The Vampire Brides which accompanied her slowly advanced forward.

Shalltear looked on her targets with a smile.

They were a disciplined, well-trained party.

The frontliners comprised three male warriors, each equipped with different gear, but all of them had on a hauberk of scale armor, with a weapon in hand and a large shield on their backs.

Behind them was a red-haired female warrior in banded armor.

There was a lightly-dressed man holding a staff in the rear. He was probably an arcane magic caster. Beside him was a divine magic caster who wore a cleric's robe over his armor and had a holy symbol shaped like a flame around his neck.

There were six of them in total, and although they were surprised at the sight of Shalltear as she emerged from the cave, they calmly went on alert, a movement born of accumulated experience.

"That's gooooooood~"

Although it was not bad to slaughter weak humans, who had the consistency of tofu, more resilient opponents like this were more interesting.

WIth a look of anticipation in her crimson eyes, Shalltear directed a predatory grin at the people before them.

"Speak!"

Shock appeared on the face of the arcane magic caster, but only for a moment, and then his expression hardened.

"Enemy: probable Vampire! Only silver or magic weapons effective! Unbeatable opponent! Fighting withdrawal! Don't look at her eyes!"

—A cry rang forth, easily audible by anyone in this depression.

The shouted commands had been pared down to the bare minimum, and everyone swiftly reacted to them. The warrior at the lead unlimbered his large shield and took a defensive stance. He averted his eyes, looking instead at Shalltear's chest and belly.

During this time, the female warrior behind them had taken up the weapon passed to her by the warrior in front and began applying something to it.

An unpleasant odor wafted into Shalltear's nose.

It was alchemical silver.

This was a sticky salve made by alchemists. The magical substance spread across the weapon when applied, coating it in a thin membrane and making it function as though it were made of silver.

Weapons made of silver were not only more expensive than regular weapons, but they were softer than steel and not suitable for long-term use. Therefore, many adventurers purchased salves like this and applied them to their weapons when the need arose, allowing them to temporarily take on the properties of silver.

Wielding weapons which now radiated a silver gleam, the group moved to corral their foe as they fell back.

Their fighting withdrawal was an impressive display. The party seemed to be like a single organism as they fell back in an orderly manner.

"My Lord, O God of Fire—"

"Enough with the useless stuff, hurry up and cast a defensive spell!"

The arcane magic caster restrained the cleric — who was planning to raise his holy symbol — and then began casting a spell on the frontliners. The cleric followed suit.

Although the exact composition varied between jobs, most clerics could use divine power to turn, rebuke or destroy creatures such as undead, demons, angels, and the like. However, these abilities only worked on monsters weaker than themselves. In other words, the arcane magic caster had seen the cleric preparing to turn undead with divine might, instantly divined the difference in strength between their foes and themselves, and then instructed him to do something else with his power.

As she watched this series of actions, Shalltear eyed the leader of the party, intending to capture him in accordance with her orders. However, the murderous impulse to spill more blood slowly dyed her heart a crimson red.

She wanted to slaughter them, pulverize them, dismember them, and bathe in their blood. Her breathing grew ragged and she began foaming at the mouth.

"「Anti-Evil Protection」."

"「Lesser Mind Protection」."

The two magic casters laid their spells upon the frontline warriors.

A vague hunt of respect bloomed in Shalltear's overexcited mind. Although these spells were of the lowest tier — the first tier, in fact — they were still the most suitable magic for the current situation. They were unlike the sellswords who had lashed out thoughtlessly, or that stupid warrior who had come out by himself without even knowing martial arts.

Still — no matter how hard they struggled, meaningless actions were still meaningless. Against a foe who was so overwhelmingly superior to them, nothing they did could possibly mean anything.

Their adorable show of resistance was the last straw that broke the back of Shalltear's wavering self-control.

"I can't… I can't take itttttttttt— I can't hold back any moooore~!"

With a cry like she had torn free of her bindings, Shalltear stepped forward.

Her steps were light and easy, like a dancer's. However, to the people before her, she moved faster than the wind.

She thrust out a spear hand.

It pierced her victim's shield, shattered his armor, ignored his magical protections, ripped straight through his skin, muscle, and bone, and closed around the heart which had been beating just a moment ago. And then — she tore it out. As she stood over the body of the collapsed warrior, Shalltear held up the reddish-black mass of tissue — deformed in her grip — before the others. The female warrior whimpered in fear, while the priest's face twisted in anger.

Shalltear had expected these reactions. Satisfaction filled her as she watched them, and with a revolting smile, she cast a spell.

"「Animate Dead」."

The warrior who had lost his heart slowly stood back up, now transformed into a Zombie, the lowest tier of undead. Yet, she was not finished.

Shalltear gulped down the heart she was holding, and then reached into the orb of blood floating above her. What she brought back down was a pulsing lump of gore — a caricature of a heart. She then tossed the lump into the Zombie.

The blood-lump writhed like a maggot, then distorted itself as it flowed into the Zombie's body. In an instant, the Zombie shuddered, its body spasming several times before its exterior slowly changed.

It seemed as though all the water had evaporated from its body, given how its skin had turned into something which resembled dried bark. It sprouted sharp claws and its canines jutted out. Before long, the undead creature before them could no longer be considered a Zombie.

As they watched the birth of a Lesser Vampire, the adventurers exclaimed in shock.

"Impossible! I've never heard of a Vampire which could use such high tier magic without cost!"

"You're looking at one right now, so don't panic! Calm down and think!"

"But…!"

"—Retreat's going to be hard! Attack!"

"Oh!"

The cleric panicked. Perhaps the others had been influenced by that, but one of the warriors swung at Shalltear. The other attacked his former comrade, who was now a Lesser Vampire.

"My Lord, O God of Fire, repel the unclean!"

The cleric held up his holy symbol, which emitted a burst of divine power. Of course, it had no effect on Shalltear.

"Ahhhhahahahahaahaha!"

The sword of one of the warriors bit into the body of the Lesser Vampire, which had been immobilized, possibly by the cleric's divine power. This was a half-baked Lesser Vampire which had been made from a Zombie, which was why the divine power was actually effective, but the knowledge that the Zombie she had made had lost to divine power displeased Shalltear.

She flicked her little finger, parrying the sword pointed at her, and then glared annoyedly at the cleric who stood in the back line.

"Geeeeet looooooosst—!"

She casually swiped her right hand, but this careless blow was enough to behead the sword-wielding warrior, sending him to the ground in a spray of blood.

"「Lesser Strength」."

That buff spell was cast on the final warrior, who was now fighting a slowed down Lesser Vampire with his own enhanced body. The warrior had the upper hand, and pressed his advantage.

Since they seemed to be having fun, Shalltear decided to leave them be. After all, there was still prey remaining. Her mind clouded with bloodlust, Shalltear turned to the cleric before her.

The female warrior stepped forward, putting herself into the line of fire, though she only wielded an ordinary steel weapon.

How adorable, she's still taking a stance with a sword despite her fear — though that was ultimately the pitiful resistance of a small animal. A wave of heat and delight grew in Shalltear's lower abdomen.

What sounds would she make when she chewed off her fingertips? Maybe she could cut off her ears and feed them to her. No, she should drink her blood first. After all, she was the first female prey she had encountered since she had come to the outside.

"You'll be my desseeeeeeeeerrrrrtttttt~" Shalltear bellowed from her gaping maw as she leapt over the woman.

Easily leaping over the female warrior, Shalltear landed before the arcane magic caster and the cleric.

Before the cleric could react, Shalltear already had the hand holding his holy symbol in her grasp, and she squeezed. The cleric's bones disintegrated under that irresistible force, and shreds of muscle and skin squirted from the gaps between Shalltear's fingers.

"Guwaaaaaargh—!"

After hearing the cleric's cries, Shalltear was quite pleased with herself, and decided to grant him mercy and end his torment.

With a wave of her hand, the blood spurting from the stump of the cleric's neck flowed into the orb of blood above Shalltear's head. She nodded in delight.

At this point, somebody thrust a sword into Shalltear's back with all their strength. However, attacks like that were completely ineffective against her. Shalltear stood firm like a great tree, though she found the swordpoint protruding from her chest a minor inconvenience.

"No way… it's not working!? Isn't this a silver weapon!?"

The sword had pierced her chest — and her heart, as it turned out — but Shalltear's nonchalance drew a garbled scream from the female warrior.

Since the female warrior did not have a silver weapon, she must have taken it from the body of the slain warrior.

The arcane magic caster was correct, but he was not entirely right. In order to harm Shalltear, one needed a weapon made of silver and possessing sufficient mana, or a weapon with a powerful elemental enchantment. Simply being made of silver was not enough.

Shalltear paid the female warrior behind her no heed, and looked at the shocked arcane magic caster.

"「Magic Arrow」!"

In desperation, the magic caster cast a spell, sending two arrows of light streaking at Shalltear. However, they were easily resisted.

This was the result of one of Shalltear's special abilities — spell resistance. It was not a perfect defense, and depended on the attacker's own strength. However, given the precipitous gap between their power levels, she could easily resist spells from him.

In other words, there was nothing the arcane magic caster could do to Shalltear.

"Sooooooo~ booooooooooor~ iiiiiiiiiiing~!"

With a casual wave of her hand, Shalltear relieved the person who no longer interested her of his head.

Looking back, she saw that the Lesser Vampire was still struggling with the other warrior.

Shalltear picked up the two fallen heads on the ground and tossed them at the two combatants. The heads — massing about six kilograms each — flew forth with supernatural speed. Then, as expected, both sides collapsed to the ground.

While Shalltear was not paying attention, the dessert (the female warrior) flailed wildly at Shalltear's body with her sword.

Still, what good did that do?

It did not hurt or even bother Shalltear, and it was a meaningless gesture. The only effect it had was opening up holes in her clothes, but as long as Shalltear herself was fine, the magic clothing would automatically restore itself.

"Now theeeeeen~ desseeeeeerrrrrtttttt~! Let's eeeeeeaaaaatttt~!"

Shalltear sounded like a child leaving their favorite food for the last — however, she had a nauseating, wicked smile on her face as she turned to face the female warrior who was hacking away at her back.

As the female warrior met Shalltear's crimson gaze, the female warrior realised that she was the sole survivor, and stumbled back, eyes glistening with tears. She scrabbled at her waist pouch, fishing around inside for something.

Shalltear leisurely savored the blood-dimmed world before her. She seemed curious about what the woman was doing.

Soon, the female warrior pulled out a bottle and threw it.

Shalltear narrowed her eyes at the bottle tumbling through the air, and smiled coldly.

Although the female warrior had hurled it with all her strength, the speed at which the bottle travelled seemed almost unbearably slow to Shalltear. She could have easily dodged it, but her pride as one of the strong did not allow her to avoid it. In addition, she wanted to see the look on the woman's face when her final trump card crumbled before her eyes.

The urge to slaughter grew and grew.

However, Shalltear tamped it down. After all, the more she controlled herself, the sweeter her delight would be when she finally indulged herself.

Shalltear watched the bottle flying at herself, and idly contemplated it.

It was probably holy water, or some sort of firebomb. She refused to give up despite knowing her struggles did not matter, and continued her pitiful resistance. Perhaps she should start by making her suffer until she prayed for death before slowly tasting her blood. If she was a virgin, she would drain her dry, but if not there were all sorts of lovely games they could play together, as long as she minimized the amount of blood lost.

Having made her decision, Shalltear swatted aside the flying bottle. The force of swiping at the bottle caused the crimson fluid within it to spill from the bottle's mouth and splash on Shalltear's skin.

And then — there was a faint stinging pain.

The insides of Shalltear's mind went white for a moment, and her bloodlust was instantly extinguished.

She looked at the place from which the pain had come, which was the hand which had batted the bottle aside. An acrid odor and a wisp of smoke boiled up from the place where the liquid had touched her.

Shalltear turned to look at the fallen bottle. Its mouth was open, and a faint, sweet scent came from it. Shalltear was very familiar with that container.

It was a potion bottle of the kind commonly used in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

The liquid within should have been a low tier healing potion. Since healing items could damage the undead, it was probably why Shalltear's skin had been slightly dissolved.

"Impossible!"

Her roar shook the very air.

"Capture that woman unharmed!"

Upon hearing Shalltear's command, the Vampire Brides — who had only been watching from the sidelines up till now — sprang into action. In an instant, they had seized the arms of the female warrior while she attempted to flee during Shalltear's brief stupor.

The female warrior struggled valiantly, but the Vampire Brides' strength far outmatched hers, and they dragged her before Shalltear.

"Look into my eyes!"

Shalltear seized the female warrior's chin and forced her to look into her mystic eyes. Of course, she was very careful to control the amount of force that she used. It would be quite troublesome if she ended up wrenching the woman's jaw off because she used too much strength.

This was because Shalltear could not use regular healing spells, despite being a divine magic caster.

A thin film seemed to cover the eyes of the female warrior as she was forced to meet Shalltear's enchanted gaze. The look of fear and hostility on her face soon became one of friendliness. This was the charming effect of the 「Mystic Eyes of Charm」 skill, and Shalltear ordered the female warrior released once she felt it had taken full effect.

There were many questions she wanted to ask, However, one burned ahead of all the others.

Shalltear picked up the fallen bottle and held it before the female warrior's face.

"Tell me about this potion! Who did you get it from!?"

"A man in black armor gave it to me at the inn."

What about it? The female warrior's answer seemed to leave that unsaid, and Shalltear's body seemed to freeze over.

"...No way… no, this can't be… but… where… in which city is this inn?"

"It was an inn located in E-Rantel."

Shalltear gasped in shock as she felt the world spin. This was because she had a rough idea of who the black-armored man actually was.

If her guess was correct, that only raised more questions. Why did this woman have this potion? That person would not give out potions for no reason.

"Could it be…"

Had that person given the female warrior an order? Or perhaps he had given it to her in order to strengthen their good relations?

Shalltear recalled the dashing image of the supreme one, the absolute rulers of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The unease she felt at possibly having ruined one of her master's plans filled her with limitless frustration.

"Why did you come here? What was your objective?"

She was no longer in the mood to dance around the topic. She had to find out as much as possible, and so she stared at the female warrior with eyes that were now bloodshot for a completely different reason.

"Yes. Our job is to protect the city, so we came to investigate when we heard there was a bandits' nest nearby. In the end, we found something strange, so we split up our team. Our party was responsible for a reconnaissance in force, which brought us here."

"You split your team?"

"Yes. We didn't know how many bandits were present, so we decided to split up and draw the enemy into a trapped area the other party was setting up."

"So there's another team," Shalltear muttered. She clicked her tongue as she realised that this meant more trouble for her.

"Then, how many of you came here?"

"There were seven people including me, and then—"

"Hm? Wait, seven people? Not six?"

Shalltear counted the corpses around them. Three warriors, one mage, one cleric — and this woman. The numbers did not add up.

The female warrior's answer to Shalltear's doubt-filled gaze was direct and to the point:

"Yes, there was also a ranger. He said that he would hurry back to E-Rantel for help if an emergency occurred."

"Say what…?"

The arcane magic caster's voice had been very loud — loud enough that everyone in the depression could hear him.

"Kuh!"

Eyes wide open, Shalltear charged up the sides of the lowlands, faster than the wind. She leapt over the edge and looked around, but even her darkvision-capable eyes could not penetrate the depths of the forest, and though she listened carefully, she could only hear the wind blowing on the grass and trees.

Shalltear did not possess any detection abilities or divination magic. Under these circumstances, finding a single person in the entire forest would probably be impossible.

"Son of a bitch!" she cursed.

He had escaped; she had been too careless. Shalltear ground her teeth as she realized that she had let two of her prey slip away.

"Familiars!"

Several shadows wavered into existence near Shalltear's feet. The shapes of several wolves appeared, but unlike regular wolves, their fur was black as night, and their eyes radiated a malevolent crimson glow.

They were level seven monsters, Vampire Wolves.

One of the skills Shalltear possessed was called 「Household Summons」, which allowed her to call forth various monsters. However, these were the ones best suited to tracking and pursuit.

"Hunt down and kill everyone in the forest!"

Upon hearing the shouted order, the ten Vampire Wolves surged into the woods as one.

As she watched the Vampire Wolves leave, Shalltear felt that there was very little chance that they could eliminate the opposition. She thought of Aura, and mused that even if he was not as talented as her, the opponent was still a ranger, and ought to know how to evade pursuit.

In other words, he would probably escape. If that was the case, what should she do next? Shalltear hurriedly returned and seized the female warrior before asking:

"Did anyone else receive a potion or other items from the man in black armor?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Really now! Then, next question, will that ranger link up with the other party?"

"No. Our plan was that if either of the parties was in danger of being wiped out, he would abandon the other one and return to the city. That choice had the highest chance of keeping us alive."

They had made meticulous preparations in case they failed, and it was this careful planning which had left her powerless to respond. As Shalltear realized this, anger burned within her.

"How dare you miserable humans come up with so many tricky ideas — if I earn the right to rule you, I'll treat you like the worms that you are!"

Still, even venting her spleen would not change the present circumstances.

The opposition would bring news that there was a Vampire here back to the city.

Although Shalltear did not know if the opposition had clearly seen her face, human eyesight would probably not be able to discern the identity of Shalltear in the depression.

Even so—

"Shit!"

Shalltear cursed again, and then continued to think.

The orders Ainz had given her were—

Your prey this time are criminals and other undesirables whose absence will not be missed.

For instance, if you encounter anyone among the bandits who can use magic or martial arts, you are to capture them at all costs, even if you have to drain them dry and make them your slaves. You are also to capture anyone who knows about this world and who is skilled in combat. However, do not make waves; if people know Nazarick is making a move, it might cause a lot of trouble for us.

—And that was it.

That being the case, she had already violated many aspects of those orders.

Shalltear struggled to resist the impulse to scratch at her head.

"It's still okay, it's still okay, it's still okay."

She seemed to be trying to persuade herself.

Perhaps the other side would bring the news of a Vampire back, but her name and the involvement of Nazarick would not be exposed.

In other words, she had not left any clues which would link the Vampire attack here to Nazarick. If the people in the city thought about it, they would only conclude that the sellswords here had been slaughtered by a wild Vampire — if one existed in the area.

There were inconsistencies everywhere, but the opposition would not be able to find them without gathering more information.

Shalltear continued thinking.

The question now was what to do with this woman under the current conditions.

Though she was currently charmed, this woman had not completely lost her memory. The quickest way would be to kill her, but that posed problems of its own; namely, why Shalltear's master had given this woman that potion.

If her master had given her the potion for some reason or purpose, then killing this woman would obstruct her master's goals, which would be very bad.

If she let her go, her employers would definitely ask why she was the only one who had survived. In addition, she knew a lot — in particular, Shalltear's appearance. While that was not a problem now, nobody could tell how that situation might develop in the future.

The best way would be to contact her master, but Shalltear could not use the 「Message」 spell.

Then what should she do—

"Ahhhh— the Supreme ones will surely scold me…"

Shalltear muttered so softly that nobody could hear, grabbing her head in agonized thought.

"If only I didn't have this 「Blood Frenzy」... no, saying that would be disrespectful to my creator, lord Peroroncino. If only I could control this 「Blood Frenzy」…"

It was too late for any regrets, and no matter how she dealt with this woman, it seemed a scolding would be inevitable. The question now was how to minimize the damage which had been done.

"Worse" was still better than the "worst."

Shalltear thought and thought, until it seemed smoke would start to come out of her ears, before coming to a conclusion.

Rather than killing her, letting her live gave her more options. She could not take back the fact that she had killed her, but sparing her allowed room for the situation to play out.

That was what Shalltear had decided. Or rather, this was how desperately she was trying to delude herself.

"What is your name?"

"Britta."

Shalltear ordered the girl called Britta to stay where she was, then brought her two Vampire Bride servants some distance away:

"In any case, let's recover everything here and then retreat right away."

She had her doubts about whether there would be time for that. However, she still had to take a chance and hope that the opposition would think that wealth had been her objective. Though she had failed in her mission, she still had to make plans to spread false information.

"lady Shalltear, what should we do with the women?"

As she heard the question, Shalltear looked to Britta in the distance.

"Leave her be."

"No, I was referring to the other women."

"—What? What other women?"

"Yes, lady Shalltear. I searched the interior to root out any fish who slipped our net, and I found several women who seem to have been used to satisfy the men's lusts. What should we do with them?"

Shalltear's face froze.

What was this all about?

Shalltear turned back to look.

If her face had not been seen, she could leave them and be done with it. However, she did not know if that was the right choice. She should probably kill them all as well. No, if she did that, it would be quite unnatural for Britta to be the sole survivor.

Shalltear was frustrated that she could not come to a conclusion which benefited her.

"What should we do—"

"Hah!? I don't know!"

The look on Shalltear's face seemed to say, Why the hell are you lot telling me all of this? As long as I don't know, I can claim ignorance, but if I know and deliberately ignore it, I'll be betraying my master.

"Whatever! I don't know! Leave them be, dump them here! Throw Britta in with those women!"

"Will that be all right?"

"How the hell should I know, dammit, shut the hell up!"

"My apologies, lady Shalltear."

"We're leaving, get ready!"

The Vampire Brides bowed and began moving. Shalltear grabbed her head and slowly crouched down.

"...I'm going to be scolded for sure… what should I do… however… hm?"

Shalltear raised her head, looking toward the part of the forest where the Vampire Wolves had gone.

"...Did they find him?"

Shalltear sensed the disappearance of her familiars. It was not the disappearance of magical banishment, but the discorporation of being killed.

"Follow me after you take care of that woman! Get the marker ready!"

Having made a decision, Shalltear paused only to snap off a terse command before sprinting out at lightning speeds.

Although she was forced to slow down in the forest, as long as her targets were human beings, they could not escape from Shalltear's clutches, even when mounted.

She burst from the forest, to the last known position of her familiars.

There were twelve people before her.

Each person was attired in a full panoply of equipment which varied between each of them.

Their gear was not simple and functional, but as decorative and unique as Shalltear's own equipment. They looked quite potent at a glance. Of course, Shalltear did not have any skills to discern the power of magic items, so she had to go by her gut, but she felt that their magic items might be of legendary class or above.

Doubts appeared in Shalltear's head, given that she had no idea where these people hailed from. These twelve people seemed completely different from the others that Shalltear had seen in this world. It was the difference between a lion and a mouse.

Shalltear considered the twelve men and women, and her gaze finally rested on one of them, a man.

That man… is he strong?

Shalltear was surprised and had no levels in dedicated warrior classes, so her assessment of her opposition's strength told her that he was not only stronger than the Vampire Brides she had brought along, but stronger still than Solution, the Pleiades battle maid.

Shalltear took a closer look at the man.

The gear he wore seemed to have been designed for use by a man, which was why she had pegged him as a male, but he seemed quite androgynous in appearance.

She did not know if he was male or female, since he resembled both a man or a woman, yet did not look like either. He was not very tall, and seemed quite youthful. Perhaps he was still growing, which only made it harder to tell.

His hair was black and long, almost reaching the ground, while his keen eyes had red pupils which regarded Shalltear with caution. He carried a plain-looking spear which seemed incongruous with the rest of his equipment.

"—Use it."

The man issued a clear, crisp command — like the surface of a frozen lake — and panic broke out in the rest of the party. Shalltear had no idea what those words meant. However, she imagined that whatever was being used was powerful, possibly enough to rival Shalltear's sole divine class item.

The others sprang into action in response to the command, but Shalltear paid them no heed. There was only one person who stood out in her reckoning; the others did not seem like much of a threat.

The group's formation was centered around a woman in a strange dress.

It had a high-necked collar, with two long slits on either sides, so it was probably some sort of ladies' full length dress. It was silver in color, with a five-clawed dragon picked out in gold thread along its surface.

In the supreme beings world, this sort of dress would be called a qipao.

However, the woman wearing it was very old, her face was full of wrinkles, and her exposed legs looked like burdocks or dried potatoes. That dress was thoroughly unsuitable for her and frankly speaking, it made onlookers frown. Shalltear even went so far as to avert her eyes.

However, this was the last link in a long chain of accidents and coincidences.

If even a tiny little detail had occurred differently, things might have turned out some other way.

If the supreme ones had not captured Nigun, if they had not counterattacked the Theocracy's divination spells so fiercely, if the Theocracy had not mistaken this for the revival of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, if Shalltear had not been distracted — perhaps events would have unfolded differently. However, the sum of all these possibilities might have instead been phrased as an inevitability.

That qipao was called 「Downfall of Castle and Country」. This was a sacred treasure left behind by the gods who saved all humanity, and its power exceeded that of anything which Shalltear carried.

—Shalltear shivered.

This was the first time which Shalltear — as a Guardian, one of the highest-ranking entities in the Great Tomb of Nazarick — had ever shivered. It was a subtle observation, or one could call it a warning from a sixth sense.

Shalltear's eyes turned, intending to seize the old lady her instincts were warning her about.

That human had to die at all costs.

The spear-wielding man rushed at her just as she realized this and was about to make her move.

"Get lost!"

Shalltear batted him aside with all her might. However, when subjected to a strike that would pulverize a weak human being, the man was simply knocked back and did not perish on the spot. In addition, his will to fight was still intact despite being blown away.

Shalltear cast a spell, centered on the old lady.

"「Mass Hold Species」!"

She wanted to capture several people. This was because she had a premonition that capturing these people would not only make up for her previous errors, but earn her praise.

As she thought that, Shalltear's mind suddenly turned white.

It felt as though part of her thought processes were gone, because she could not comprehend what was happening. And then, when she realised what had happened, Shalltear was shaken to the core, fear filling her undead heart.

This was mind control.

As an undead being, she should have had complete immunity to mind-controlling items, yet her will was still being dominated. She desperately tried to engrave hatred and anger on her gradually-whitening consciousness, and as her mind pondered countless variations of the worst-case scenario—

"Giiiiiiiiih—!"

—She wailed, weeping tears of blood as she struggled to fight back against the dominating force which was corrupting her, a Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

However, despite Shalltear's frantic resistance, her will was steadily bleached away. Nor could she use teleportation magic. This was because her mind would be completely overshadowed if she allowed herself to be distracted by such matters.

Shalltear used a class skill to create a 「Purifying Javelin」. It was a gigantic lance of the holy element, and despite her own evil alignment, it could still cause massive damage to her foes. The most important thing was that she could spend MP to imbue it with perfect accuracy and tracking ability.

As she marshalled her utmost opposition, Shalltear glared at the user of the technique, the old lady who was planning to defile her. She did not take the man who held the large, mirror-like shield standing between her and the old lady into consideration.

And then — she threw it.

With the part of her mind that was still conscious and aware, she hurled the lance which she held.

As her mind went white, she used that skill of hers to the full extent of its power, striking an augmented blow.

The strike flashed by in a streak of light and struck the old lady after penetrating the body of the man in front of her and the shield he was holding.

The last thing Shalltear saw was the panicked group and the two of them coughing up blood in agony.

—-

This was the Royal Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

In its heart, surrounded by a keep made from over twenty vast circular towers joined by curtain walls was the Royal Castle Ro-Lente. Within its depths lay the Valencia Palace.

There was a room within the Palace that was more functional than decorative. Many nobles were gathered there.

The form of the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff, was visible in their midst. He was currently genuflecting before the master to whom he had sworn his life, the man who sat on the throne, King Ranpossa III.

He seems to have gotten older.

That was the impression the King gave him when he compared the man now to how he had been half a month ago, when he had set out.

His beloved liege's pale hair was a mess, his skinny body could not be described as healthy by any stretch of the word, and his complexion was similarly poor. The hand which grasped his scepter was as slender as a dried branch, and the crown he wore seemed to hang heavily on his head.

He had reigned for thirty nine years, and he was now sixty years old. He should have handed the throne to an appropriate successor, but the problem was that he had no such successor

It was not because there was a lack of princes to inherit the throne. On the contrary, there were two princes, but both of them were far from ideal. If he gave them the throne, they would become puppets dancing on the strings of the Great Nobles.

The old man spoke weakly:

"Warrior-Captain, I am glad that you have returned safely."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Those sympathetic words drew a deep bow from Gazef as he responded.

"Umu. I have received some reports, but I would like to hear what happened from your own mouth, Warrior-Captain."

"Understood."

Gazef described in detail the events of what had happened after he left the Royal Capital and reached Carne Village. He paid particular attention to the group of mysterious magic caster who are AinzOoal Gown, Sieg and Laeticia, but he did not mention his suspicions of the Slaine Theocracy's involvement. This was because Gazef felt it would be best if less people knew about the matter, and so it was inadvisable to speak about it in this place.

And so, Gazef talked and talked. He narrated a heroic tale of a man who stepped in to right a wrong in his way, who plunged fearlessly into danger to rescue the villagers, with no regard to the cost to himself.

"Is that so? That certainly is a glowing review of them. To think, people like them would go into danger to save the weak…"

Several nobles exchanged patronizing gossip about the three great magic casters as the King muttered those words of praise.

A problematic group.

A group of deviants people who did not dare reveal their faces to the world.

Magic casters with strange name.

In the end, they even brought up the idea that they might have staged the attack in order to advertise themselves.

Gazef strove to keep his anger from showing on his face. He felt profoundly useless for being unable to defend his saviors from their words.

There was a reason for that, of course. That was because the nobles mocking Ainz and his friends had one thing in common — they were from one of the big factions in the Kingdom; that of the Great Nobles.

Thirty percent of the Re-Estize Kingdom was directly ruled by the King, while the Great Nobles controlled another thirty percent. The remaining forty percent was a feudal domain which belonged to the other nobles. In addition, the Kingdom's leadership was divided into two factions, which struggled for power all day and night.

On one hand was the Royal faction, while on the other was the Noble faction, which was composed of more than half of the Kingdom's Six Great Nobles. Though they were currently before the King, this was merely an extension of the battlefield where both sides did battle.

Because of that, Gazef — being of the Royal faction, and thus the King's trusted servant — was unwilling to interject casually. He knew that his own clumsy phrasings could not possibly defeat those nobles, so he had to instead minimize his own chances of misspeaking.

...The Slaine Theocracy's secret forces knew how we were moving and showed up at the right time… that means there's a high chance of a spy within the Kingdom. That being the case, it might be one of the Noble faction's people...

Gazef's gaze turned to one of the nobles, who had an exceptionally cold look in his eyes.

His blond hair was tied back, and he had a pair of narrow, blue eyes.

His skin was the same wan color unique to those who avoided the sun. He projected the image of a venomous snake that was only reinforced by his slim build.

He should have been less than forty years old, but his unhealthy complexion made him seem older than that.

His name was Marquis Raeven, one of the Six Great Nobles. He flitted between both factions like a bat for his own gain, and he was one of those who backed the King's second son.

If there was a traitor to the King, it should be him, right?

Sensing Gazef's eyes upon him, Marquis Raeven quirked up the edge of his already-thin lips. Gazef stiffened up even further in response to this provocation.

"Then let us conclude your report here, Warrior-Captain. There are other important matters to decide."

Those tired words from the King briefly silenced the chatter from the clustered nobles. Gazef returned to the King's side and surveyed the nobles. As a man with the King's trust, he was already used to their displeased glares.

"Then, if tradition holds, we ought to be going to war with the Empire in several month's time. Let us discuss how we will address this matter. Marquis Raeven, explain to everyone."

"Understood, your Majesty."

The ghost-like man walked silently before them, and began speaking in a low voice.

Nobody interrupted him. Not only did he have influence in each faction, but he was also the most powerful of the Six Great Nobles. Nobody would dare make an enemy of him.

Marquis Raeven outlined his plans for the future, describing how many men under arms he would require of each noble, all without meeting any opposition. When he was finished, he smiled haughtily and bowed to the King:

"—And that is all."

"Thank you, Marquis Raeven. Does anyone have any objections?"

The court became a sea of commotion once more, with people talking over each other.

"It's our turn to take the offensive. Let's attack the Empire while we're at it."

"Exactly! I'm getting tired of just beating back the Empire."

"Precisely. Let us show those fools in the Empire how frightening we can be."

"Indeed, you have it at that, Count-sama."

The laughter of lavishly-dressed men echoed through the court.

Don't be stupid.

How refreshing it would be if Gazef could actually say that.

The Kingdom and its neighbor, the Empire, faced off at the Katze Plains every year.

To date, neither side had sustained heavy casualties, but that was only because the Empire had not committed its forces to the battlefield. If they truly intended to conquer the Kingdom, there would be no need for them to form up at the Katze Plains and await the Kingdom's army.

Gazef and some of the nobles who could use their brains felt that the objective of these events was to deplete the strength of the Kingdom.

Take for instance the Kingdom with its peasant levies, compared to the Empire and its professional corps of knights.

It was immediately obvious whose troops were individually superior, which was why the Kingdom had to mobilize over twice as many troops as the Empire. As a result of fielding more men, they would need more rations for those men. Of course, there were some magic items which could produce food, but said food only qualified as such because of their nutritional value. Their taste was so revolting that even starving people would think twice about eating it. Thus, this magically created food could not substitute for proper rations.

In addition, the Empire chose the harvest season of the late-ripening wheat to invade, causing a lack of hands in the villages. This delayed the harvest of wheat and other grains.

In this way, the Kingdom would weaken without the need for a full-scale invasion, and this would weaken the power of the Crown.

Because of that, the Noble faction paid these consequences no heed. In fact, they were delighted by the Royal faction — their enemies — losing their power and influence.

Once the strength of the Kingdom fades, the Empire will invade in force. Do you think the enemy will truly be content with such small skirmishes? Why are you all so naive!?

The Noble faction believed that they would wield their absolute power forever. Gazef was particularly infuriated by these nobles.

"If that's the case, could it be that the suspicious magic caster who aided the Warrior-Captain is a man from the Empire? Perhaps he intends to infiltrate us as a spy."

"Ah, I see. You're right. They say the Empire has an academy which trains magic casters, so that's very likely."

"The people of the Slaine Theocracy have a given name, a baptismal name, and a surname. However, what if his name is an alias?"

"I feel uncomfortable about someone like that appearing in the Kingdom. Perhaps we should think of some way to deal with him?"

"Perhaps we could consider capturing him alive. Frankly speaking, the real problem is the Adventurer's Guild. They count several magic casters in their number and do as they please. We need to deal with them as soon as possible. Perhaps we could make them our vassals or something."

"Then, there are the fees the Guild collects. The adventurers within the Kingdom charge a ridiculous sum to eliminate monsters within our borders!"

"The best solution would be to bring him back here."

Gazef could no longer remain silent after hearing this. There was no way he could allow them to continue badmouthing the person who had saved himself, his subordinates, and the villagers.

"A moment, if you please. To begin with, that magic caster is well-disposed toward the Kingdom; it would not be a wise decision to try and capture someone like—"

Gazef had spoken in an attempt to redirect the increasingly biased talk within the court. Several nobles reacted with looks of disgust.

Gazef had reached his current position by the sole merit of his swordsmanship. He was little more than an upstart to these nobles with their long and distinguished histories.

Thus, Gazef was the subject of much derision. The fact that nobody could match his martial skills only deepened the nobles' resentment.

These highborn aristocrats could not bear to be outdone by someone of humbler origins than themselves.

Several nobles continued criticizing Ainz and his companion without waiting for Gazef to finish, and others joined in as well.

Upon his throne, the King spoke with a hoarse sigh:

"...That's enough. I feel that the Warrior-Captain's decision was not in error."

"Muu… well, if you say so, Your Majesty..."

The nobles did not retort, but instead temporarily concealed the mocking grins on their faces.

Gazef looked with gratitude at the liege who had selected him and to whom he had pledged his ultimate fealty.

The King saw the look in Gazef's eyes, and nodded.

Gazef was always tired after these meetings, filled as they were with power plays and flattery, but Gazef did not let his fatigue show on his face as he accompanied the King back to the Palace.

The King had injured his knee in a previous war, and he was unsteady on his feet even with a walking stick. Yet, Gazef did not extend a hand to support him, as a consideration for the King's dignity. In addition, if he had reached a state where he needed someone to support him in order to walk, the Noble faction's cries for him to abdicate would only grow louder, in order to secure a place for an easily-manipulated puppet prince on the throne.

Therefore, though Gazef regretted the necessity of such, he had to let the King walk on his own.

As they slowly walked down the corridor and neared his chambers, the King suddenly said:

"...We will still need the power of the nobles to halt the aggression of the Empire. If I denounced them on the spot, the Kingdom would tear itself apart without the need for an Imperial invasion."

Though it had come out abruptly, Gazef understood what the King wished to say, so he could only grit his teeth.

"How I envy the Empire."

Gazef could not find anything to say which could comfort the King and answer his mumblings.

The Empire had itself been a feudal kingdom three generations ago. However, the power of the nobles had been steadily eroded, and the current crop was now absolutely loyal to the reigning Emperor.

The reigning Emperor — Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix

His title of the Bloody Emperor had come from the river of blood that had flowed when he came to power. Gazef recalled the time when he had met the man himself on the battlefield; the Emperor who wanted to bring him into his service.

That Emperor was a born ruler.

"I apologize for not being able to protect you because of my lack of consideration. I could not even outfit you properly before giving you that dangerous command… Please forgive me for the lives of your men that were lost because of that… because of me."

"No, it's not like that…"

"Gazef, it's fine. And… while it cannot make up for their deaths, I would like to pay out some form of compensation to the families of the deceased. In addition, I would like to convey my gratitude to the people who'd saved you, and thank them for saving my closest confidante."

He should have been troubled by the idea that the King would actually thank a nameless commoner in person who had not personally aided him, but—

"If they are truly righteous people, then your words alone will be satisfaction enough."

"Is that so — hm?"

Two people came into view before the King's eyes. The one which caught his attention was the beautiful girl who walked in front. It was said that her loveliness was such that it could not be accurately reproduced in paintings; it was a truly indescribable beauty.

The King smiled. He had always favored his little princess over his other children.

Renner Theire Chardon Ryle Vaiself

As the third princess of the royal family, she had inherited her mother's blinding beauty, and she was renowned as the "Golden Princess."

Having reached the age of sixteen, it was about time for her to be married off. That too was a reason why the nobles were getting restless.

Her blonde hair was one of the reasons for her moniker. It flowed over her neck and down her back. Her smiling lips were a pale pink, yet she looked healthy and vital. Her sapphire-like eyes were a gentle and deep blue.

Her skillfully tailored white dress only added to the image of purity which she projected, while the golden necklace around her neck seemed to symbolize her noble spirit.

Behind her was a young man in his teenage years. Clad in a suit of pure white armor, he could be summarized in a single word — intense.

A pair of coarse, bushy brows sprouted above his impassive eyes.

His face had a firm, unyielding expression, as though forged from steel, and his skin was tanned dark by the sun. His blond hair was neatly trimmed for ease of movement and to avoid it getting tangled during combat.

This young man's name was Climb, and Gazef had no idea how to get along with him, it was not that he disliked the lad; on the contrary, he actually liked him.

However, Gazef could not bear the air of intensity which surrounded him. He appreciated serious people like him, but he hoped that the boy could at least lighten up a little.

Still, Gazef understood his feelings.

As someone who stood beside the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom, he was the target of much hatred and jealousy, without so much as a friend to call his own. In addition, he came from the same humble origins as Gazef — no, worse than Gazef. Thus, he could not show any weakness, could not allow anyone to criticize a single move he made.

"Father, Warrior-Captain-sama."

The King smiled to Renner as she jogged over, and nodded to Climb as he bowed deeply.

"Is the meeting's finally over?"

"Yes. There was much to discuss, after all."

"Is that so? I was thinking about something, so I decided to wait here so I could tell you about it."

"Really, really now? I apologize, then."

The things she pondered were hardly trivial matters.

The other reason why she was known as the Golden Princess was due to her adroit mind and admirable spirit. Not only were her policies revolutionary, but she had even proposed new laws, all of which were sound and sensible.

The policies she proposed seemed to be entirely centered around measures that aided the lower classes. However, these were not simple handouts, but a comprehensive system of relief policies designed to give those people who wanted to work a chance to feed themselves by their own power.

In addition, these policies would also improve the place of the common folk, heighten their loyalty to the Crown, improve productivity, and positively affect the Crown in general.

Although most of these initiatives had been dismantled by nobles — who opposed any improvement in the lot of the peasants — the wiser members of society and those people who had benefited from those policies strongly approved of her.

"Then, I'll listen to you when I return to my chambers."

"But Father, now is the time for me to go walking about. Please permit me to go on a stroll with Climb before returning."

Climb stiffened even further when he heard the Princess imply that her walks with him were more important than speaking to the King. Gazef felt a little sorry for him.

Still, Princess Renner has always been a free spirit. All he can do as her follower is go along for the ride.

"If that is the case, then go. When you return, come to my chambers and tell me about it."

"I understand. Then, let's go, Climb."

"Then, your humble servant shall take his leave."

Gazef made a suggestion to the bowing Climb, in his capacity as a warrior:

"Climb, you need to hone your swordsmanship, so you can defend Princess Renner under any circumstances."

"Yes, sir!"

Climb nodded vigorously, but Renner then replied in a disapproving tone.

"Climb's fine. He'll be able to protect me, no matter what happens."

There was no basis for her words. Still, after hearing the Princess speak, even he felt that Climb could do it.

"Then, let's go, Climb."

Renner's dainty fingers tugged on the corner of Climb's clothing. It was probably an unconscious gesture, but when Climb discovered the Princess was doing so, his face hardened up even further, until it seemed as unyielding as diamond.

"Yes, my Princess."

Though Climb's expression was seemingly neutral as Renner dragged him away, his eyes revealed his inner torment and how moved he was as he left with the Princess.

The two of them had forgotten their place as master and servant, but the King paid it no heed. He simply watched the two of them leave, as though they were beloved treasures which he had lost long ago.

"...I probably shouldn't be pitying him, given that I'm the King, don't you think?"

Climb's origins were unknown. He was a pauper's child that Renner had picked up during an excursion from the keep.

Then, he had been a skinny boy on the verge of starving to death. He had worked hard and trained ceaselessly to protect his savior. No, training and working hard were not enough to describe what he had done.

He lacked any talent for swordsmanship or magic, nor did he possess outstanding physical abilities.

However, he had been honing himself little by little, day by day. Of course, his skills were not on the level of Gazef, nor were they in the realm of heroes. Even so, the strength he gained from training himself put him at the pinnacle of all the warriors in the Kingdom. That said, there were some obstacles which he could not overcome.

Said obstacles were his status, his power, and his personal value.

A place close to Princess Renner was very valuable, and Climb was unworthy of it.

"Your servant understands."

"I know it's foolish, but at the very least, I'd like to let one of my daughters… be free. No, if I do that, my other daughters will scold me. How old and foolish I must be, to think of such things."

The King looked to the sky, as though he had seen someone there.

"For all I know, I might have to subject this daughter of mine to unhappiness as well."

If he had to marry off the princess now, she would probably be matched to someone from the Great Nobles.

That was what Gazef thought, but he did not say anything, because he did not know what to say. Only someone of similar status to the King could understand his troubles, and Gazef was not such a person.

Silence passed between the two of them, and then they stepped forward again, to clear it away.

—-

The first thing that three supreme rulers of the great underground tomb of Nazarick saw after teleporting was a wide and flat luscious plain. It spans for a total of 400 meter across in ever direction.

To onlookers, it would be just that a very large flat plain with luscious green grass.

However, this was not the case.

This landscape had been created by Mare and several other magic casters of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The entire Great Tomb of Nazarick was cancelled by high level illusions and invisibility spell.

The three supreme beings walk to the seemingly empty center of the plain. Karna extended his hand, it was met with a solid structure like that of a stone wall.

Once he did so, the scenery changed, and three felt as though they had pierced some sort of thin membrane. The flat plain vanished, and the familiar scenery of their home filled their eyes.

This was the sign that they had breached the protective layer of illusions.

Without slowing down their walking pace, the three continued toward their destination in silence, the largest mausoleum at the center was because it was the sole entrance to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

As they neared the bone-white steps of the mausoleum, they discovered countless forms beneath them. The three walk until they were directly in front of them.

"Welcome back, supreme ones," said a gentle female voice. It was soon followed by a chorus of other greetings and welcomes.

The woman in the pure white dress who stood before the three was none other than Albedo, the Guardian Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She was the one with the clearest picture of the current situation.

The people behind her were members of the Uchiha Brothers and the Trinity Sisters, they were neatly line up shoulder to shoulder with seriousness plastered on their faces. Behind them were the battle maids of the Pleiades.

After speaking to Albedo via a 「Message」 spell, Ainz had given Narberal her orders and then he and his friends immediately teleported back. The fact that Albedo could gather so many people to welcome the three in five minutes spoke volumes of Albedo's skill as an administrator.

Filled with respect for that fact, Ainz raised his hand and waved in response to the NPC greetings. Perhaps he should have said a couple of words in thanks, but that was not suitable given the circumstances.

"Albedo, about what you said through the 「Message」..."

"Had Shalltear really betrayed us?" Karna said with all seriousness.

Ainz slightly turned and looked at his friend. He wanted to ask that question but he feared that if he asked about her betrayal, he would find that it was true. Times like this is when Ainz felt kinda jealous towards his friend for his bold nature and his ability to lead.

"Yes, shall we discuss it elsewhere my lord?"

Jeanne look around and spoke "That's right… we should speak of it in the Throne Room"

"Indeed. Then — Yuri, present the supreme ones with their rings."

A bespectacled maid stepped forward from the maids lined up behind her.

Yuri wore the same basic combat-ready maid uniform that Narberal did, but there were some differences in her outfit.

Narberal's maid uniform was designed to protect its wearer, but Yuri's outfit prioritized ease of movement. The proof of that could be seen in the lack of metal parts on the front of her skirt.

Her metal gauntlets were covered in spikes, and all she had to do was clenched her fists to turn them into deadly weapons.

Her wide blue choker was decorated with a small, translucent gemstone. It radiated a light from within, which shimmered and flickered as though cast by a flame.

Her hair was done up in a bun behind her, and her prime features were cool and elegant, giving her an air of wisdom.

She was Yuri Alpha, assistant leader of the Pleiades Battle Maids. As the male butler Sebas was their leader, it would not be wrong to consider her the manager of the Pleiades.

She held a tray in both hands, which was draped with a purple satin cloth. The cloth itself bore three rings — the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Ainz and his friends picked up the ring, and placed it upon their ring finger.

This ring permitted its wearer to freely teleport throughout the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The agreed to remove it during any excursion to the outside world, because they feared that it might be stolen.

As he looked at the ring upon his skeletal finger, Ainz nodded, as though in approval. The discomfort of not wearing it for several days vanished, replaced by a supreme satisfaction.

"Then, let us go."

They could not directly teleport into the Throne Room, so they used the Ring's power to send them to the room (the Lemegeton) which directly adjoined the Throne Room.

After opening the massive doors, the three supreme beings entered in the company of Albedo, the Uchiha Brothers and the Trinity Sisters heading for the crystal throne. As they walked, Jeanne asked the question she had been pondering.

"Before we start, I have some questions for you. You told Ainz that Shalltear betrayed us right?, them when she betrayed us, how did Sebas — who was in the same place at her — react? Did he not betray us along with her?"

"Fortunately my lady there were no signs of his betrayal."

"Then, did you question Sebas about the matter?"

"I did, and he finished his report to me. According to Sebas, they encountered a group of bandits. After that, Shalltear headed toward the bandits' hideout in order to capture them. Nothing suspicious occurred during that time, and she vocally proclaimed her intent to render loyal service to you, my lady."

"I see. In other words, something happened after that which made her decide to betray us." Karna concluded.

"Yes… in addition, she brought two Vampire Brides with her. However, they seem to have been destroyed."

"...Is that so? that means something happened which destroyed them. Then, I'll summarize what happened on my end."

Ainz had almost finished his report by the time they reached the stairs to the throne. However, he had not gotten to the events of the tomb yet, so he continued speaking.

After it was all finished, everyone in the throne room — who had been listening attentively and silently — nodded in acknowledgement.

Ainz wanted to ask if he had handled the situation well, but there was something more important that he wished to know.

He looked to the throne and recited the designated password.

"Master Source — Open."

A translucent window appeared before his eyes. It looked like the console, but was completely different from window had multiple pages within it, each covered in densely-packed characters.

This was the administration system for the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

It recorded the daily maintenance costs, the numbers and types of vassals present, all sorts of magical traps, gimmicks and other such things. One could exert large-scale control over them all from here. While they had still been in YGGDRASIL, one could access this system from anywhere, but after some experimentation, Ainz found that in this world, the system could only be operated from the heart of the dungeon, the Throne Room.

Although it's troublesome to have to come here every time… at least I have the ring to teleport me… so it's not such a big deal.

With practiced movements, Ainz brought up and enlarged the NPC status page.

This page recorded the names of all the NPCs made by the guild members. After changing the sorting method from alphabetical order to level order, from highest to lowest, Ainz's eyes travelled down the list — and then all eyes halted on a single spot. Then, the three silently turned their gaze to Albedo's face.

"Yes, it has become like this."

Amidst a sea of names written in white, only Shalltear Bloodfallen's name was shown in red.

They knew what this change meant, but—

They looked over it twice, three times, and after realizing that their eyes had not been mistaken, Ainz screamed Impossible! within his heart. If his skeletal face could display an expression, it would be one of shock. Jeanne was better than Ainz as she tries to think of ways to deal with this situation. Karna remain calm but he gave out a silent apology to his friend Peroroncino as he ran all the possibility and strategy he could take over and over again.

After a small silent fell upon them Jeanne spoke "...Is she dead?"

Jeanne continued questioning Albedo. In her heart of hearts, she hoped that something had happened to the system when they had been brought to this world. However, the truth Albedo spoke was unbearably cruel.

"If she were dead, her name would have vanished and left a blank space. In all likelihood, this represents betrayal."

"Well... that's right."

As Ainz replied thusly to Albedo, he recalled the meaning of this change when he had last seen it in YGGDRASIL.

Albedo called it betrayal, but that was slightly different from what the system was displaying. Indeed, broadly speaking it was similar to betrayal, but this color change occurred when a third party used mind control to temporarily make an NPC take hostile actions.

Impossible.

Ainz voiced that denial in his heart once more. Shalltear and Ainz were both undead, which meant that they were of races that were immune to all sorts of mind-affecting effects. How had Shalltear been mind controlled, then?

It was easier to accept the fact that Shalltear had simply betrayed Nazarick. For example, she might have been unhappy with her treatment and someone on the outside might have offered her better terms, thus leading to her treachery.

If that was not the case, it meant that something had happened when they had come to this world which was outside the scope of Ainz's knowledge.

Ainz recalled Nfirea's face. Indeed, perhaps a talent-holder like himself with some unknown power could have affected an undead mind.

"...Could this be the effect of some being, phenomenon, or special effect that is unique to this world?" Karna suggested.

"That is unclear. However, Shalltear's betrayal is clear enough, so I propose that we assemble a strike force immediately."

At this moment Ainz suddenly realized something. Could it be that the vassals who had welcomed them back were intended to eliminate Shalltear? As he brought them back to mind, he noticed that there were many vassals among them who were a rare sight in Nazarick, the ones who possessed holy-elemental attacks which were effective against the undead.

Albedo continued in a voice that seemed to be made of steel.

"I wish to nominate myself as the commander of this expedition and, if you permit it, I would like to have Cocytus as my executive officer and include Mare in our forces."

"With all do respect Guardians Overseer Albedo, I believe we should handle this matter, we were created for this exact purpose, you guardians are here to protect Nazarick floors while we are created to hunt down and destroy the supreme ones enemy's " Astil said.

"I must disagree with your action Astil, I believe me and my brothers should handle this matter, you and sister are needed here, as the final defense of the eighth floor and guardians of the Babel Tower, you are indispensable" Obito said.

Each one of these choices were perfect for destroying Shalltear. It was clear that all of them were very serious about this.

Shalltear Bloodfallen was very strong. In fact, she was the strongest of the Guardians, barring Gargantua. Therefore, one would need the team members selected by one of these three (Albedo, Astil, Obito) to be absolutely certain of defeating her, or else one would have a very hard time.

"Do you approve my lord?" Obito, Astil and Albedo asked.

"No, it's too soon to come to that conclusion. Let us verify the reasons behind Shalltear's betrayal first." Jeanne quickly said as she fear this will escalate to an argument between the three.

"You are indeed compassionate, lady Jeanne. However, as long as anyone faces the Supreme Beings with hostility, there is no need to show them any mercy." Obito said.

"That's not correct, Obito. It is not that I am showing mercy to Shalltear, but I simply do not understand why she would betray us, if this is a matter that was outside of her control than..." Jeanne said.

If this sort of thing could happen to anyone other than Shalltear, she had to figure out a way to deal with it.

If she was unhappy with how she had been treated, then the same thing might happen to the other vassals. Thus, the three of them (Ainz, Karna, Jeanne) would have to take the appropriate measures to nip it in the bud.

If this were the result of some sort of domination ability from a talent, they would also need to figure out some way to counteract it.

When they heard from the 「Message」 that an NPC created by their friends had betrayed them, they felt as though they had been condemned by everyone (the other guild members). However, this was no longer a simple matter of being rebuked by others.

They had to solve this problem not as the last of the guild members, but in their capacity as the absolute ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. It was far too early to despair, and if — though it was impossible — Shalltear had actually been mind-controlled, then they needed to save her.

A superior who put on a high and mighty face but did not save his subordinates while they were in trouble was not fit to be a leader.

"Then, do you know where Shalltear is? Have you pinpointed her location?" Ainz asked.

"My sincerest apologies, but we have not confirmed that yet. I considered that Shalltear might attack Nazarick, so I had her direct subordinates placed under arrest, and dispatched other vassals to reinforce the First Floor, Obito send out a few Shinobi, however they returned with no result" Albedo said.

"Then the only thing we can do is to go visit your elder sister to see if we can discern Shalltear's current location."