CHAPTER 8:

ALBEDO'S DATE

Albedo peered at herself in the mirror. It was eerie, not seeing her slitted pupils, her horns, or her wings. But the ring Lord Harry had given her was still a marvel, and none of her beauty was truly taken away from her. She smirked in approval. Even as a human, she was far more beautiful than anyone else in this world.

"You're clearly enjoying yourself," Lord Harry said, amused, having changed his outfit for something a little more…elegant. More noble.

"And why wouldn't I? The ring is an excellent contrivance. And I still like the sight of myself as a human. Still, we shouldn't tarry, should we?"

"No. The place I have in mind doesn't normally need reservations for lunch, but even so, we'd better go now…"

Harry watched as Albedo looked around the streets of Arwintar. Even with the human disguise on with the ring (he had to persuade her that it wasn't an engagement or wedding ring), her golden eyes were exotic and beautiful. She was also trying to hide her disdain, but considering she seemed genuinely curious, that helped mask it.

"So where were Antilene and Rockbruise?" Albedo asked as they walked down the street.

"They were meeting with Foresight. I needed to meet with Momonga, so I had to politely refuse, and in any case, they wanted to discuss doing some jobs for Momonga. I trust Antilene and Leinas to do that on my behalf. In addition, I intend to adopt Arche and her sisters soon, to get her away from her parents."

"You are fond of these girls," Albedo noted. "I saw them in your memories. And the Arche girl has a most useful ability, as does Fluder Paradyne. These Workers could indeed prove useful."

"Yeah, and unlike most, Foresight are good people. Dragon Hunt's okay, the old man in charge of it isn't too bad. But Heavy Masher is greedy, and Tenmu…well, I'm just waiting for the day to kill that bastard leading it and freeing his slaves. Aura and Mare could do with some playmates."

"Playmates?" Albedo asked.

"I mean genuine playmates, not the euphemistic kind. The bastard in charge of Tenmu uses a trio of Elves as slaves to do his dirty work…and as bed warmers, whether they want to or not. He even mutilates them, cuts off their ears," Harry explained. "They deserve better, and as long as Aura and Mare treat them well, well…it's got to be better than what he put them through."

"And this man you speak of?"

"…I'd unhesitatingly hand him over to Demiurge or Neuronist. That's how strongly I feel about him," Harry said coldly. "Which reminds me, I'll have to speak to the Emperor about sending the worst of his convicts over to Nazarick for Demiurge to deal with. Knowing him and what Ulbert put into his backstory, he's probably itching for test subjects. And I'd rather he do it to the worst kind of criminals than to innocents."

"Why tell the Emperor about Nazarick, then?" Albedo asked.

"…Well, for one, I actually like Jircniv. Strip away his ruthlessness, and he's actually a decent guy. Albedo, I'm not really cut out for ruling. It was tricky persuading Jircniv that, even though he couldn't stop me from taking over if I wanted to. But, well, we became friends, oddly enough. He needs someone to vent to, and while I don't have his political power or want it, I'm powerful enough that it doesn't matter. He only has maybe one or two people he can confide to. Fluder's one of them, the old man's practically his grandfather, and he has a favourite concubine, Roxy, who's somewhat plain, but she's got the smarts and will happily speak with him about his issues in ruling while they're sleeping together. Anyway, I was kind of hoping that Nazarick would be the next lot of Players and NPCs to turn up, so I thought I'd let him know."

"You were cultivating him as an ally, then?"

"Pretty much. It's the best-case scenario all-round. Anyway, we're here, so let's save the talk for later…"

Albedo had to admit, although the meals were nothing compared to those served in Nazarick, they were still quite excellent. Then again, she had only had a couple of meals since they had arrived in this new world, and she had had the chains binding her broken. Still, she wasn't fond of the lustful gazes directed towards her. While her beauty was head-turning, she was Lord Harry's alone.

That being said, it was a most excellent date. The restaurant was certainly of a high standard, she had to concede that much. But as they drank their glasses of wine afterwards, Albedo remarked, confident in the Privacy Charm her love had erected, "Look at those fools, shamelessly leering at me."

"You're a very beautiful woman, Albedo. Tabula made you that way. Even without your inhuman features, you're beautiful."

"True. I suppose I should consider that a sign of my creator's success. But…it feels wrong, given that I love only you. I suppose I should content myself with knowing that they seethe with jealousy because you have me. Besides, how many of these fools are like the Furt family?"

Lord Harry looked around briefly, before shrugging. "More than a few, I'm sure. The Furts, Arche's parents, they piss money up the wall just to keep up appearances, to maintain the delusion that they actually matter. They remind me of some of the Purebloods back home."

"Yes, I see the resemblance from your memories," Albedo said after a quick look around. "Similar attitudes, of misbegotten superiority, not knowing that their betters walk amongst them, and only tolerate their existence for as long as it is necessary. But you have not taken Arche and her sisters from the Furts by force."

"I'm worried Arche will hate me for it if they die in the process. She hates her parents, yes, but not to the point of wanting them dead…though knowing how they act, if they ever sold her sisters into slavery, that would change, I think."

Albedo scoffed. "Vile, foolish creatures, who cannot see beyond today. At least the Arche girl has talent and determination for a weak human, from what I saw of your memories. And yet they spit on her potential. She is forced to work for Foresight for them, and they care little."

"The nobility has a lot of idiots, Albedo. At least here, the idiots are being weeded out. Though in Re-Estize…well, there's plenty of idiots who would think nothing of provoking Nazarick amongst the royalty and nobility…"

A number of said idiots suddenly sneezed, including the eldest prince of Re-Estize, and a certain young man called Philip Dayton L'Eyre Montserrat. Prince Barbro scowled, wondering if he should punish the maid for not dusting. Philip, on the other hand, wondered if hayfever was kicking in…

"…Still, there is one problem with the nobility in Re-Estize," Harry mused. "Keno believes that many of them have links to the Eight Fingers."

"Yes, this criminal syndicate you mentioned before, according to Lord Momonga," Albedo remarked. "When Sebas departs with Solution and Shalltear, Demiurge and I shall have them keep an eye out, just in case."

"Good. I'd love to take them down. They get involved in sex-slave trafficking, and they also have a monopoly on drugs. They particularly like to force farmers to grow Black Flour, really nasty shit that shrinks the brain. I've been helping Jircniv shut down any importation or growing here."

"Oh? And how do you do that?"

"Well, Keno is fond of using fire. She and the Blue Roses have recently been retained by Princess Renner of Re-Estize to covertly attack the Eight Fingers, and she recently burned down a Black Flour farm. Technically, they're not allowed to get involved in politics thanks to Adventurer Guild policy, but I reckon they're doing the right thing. But I went one better: I found a farm operating within Empire territory, set it on fire, and used enchanted fireworks to send a message to the spectators. It was admittedly pretty crude, but it got the message across."

"And that was…?"

"Eight Fingers, Six Arms, No Balls."

Albedo couldn't help herself. Even as crude as the joke was, she couldn't help but giggle. "My, that was crude. Then again, I suppose you shouldn't waste being polite on the likes of them. But what do you mean by 'Six Arms'?"

"The Six Arms are basically the Eight Fingers' elite enforcers. They're powerful by this world's standards, equivalent to an Adamantite-ranked Adventurer group, but nothing compared to the Pleiades, let alone the Floor Guardians. I don't know much about them, only that their leader is a brutal hand-to-hand combatant called 'Zero'. Oh, and they apparently have a Lich called Davernoch, who claims to be the Undead King."

"Oh? Even though Lord Momonga would have greater claim to such a title?" Albedo sneered.

"Hey, he's powerful by this world's standards, but honestly, I'm hoping we get to show him the error of his ways," Harry said.

"Oh, I look forward to it…"

They returned to the manor, only to find Leinas and Antilene had returned…and they had brought what had to be Foresight in tow. The quartet of Workers were waiting for them in the lounge. "Hey there, Harry. And who might this be?" asked the cocky-looking young blonde man that, according to Harry's memories, was Hekkeran Termite.

Albedo bristled at the man's casual attitude, but bit back a scathing remark. This was one of Harry's friends in this world. Instead, she bowed, removing the disguising ring afterwards. "Good afternoon. I am Albedo, Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. My love has already shown me his memories, so I am aware of whom you are. The Worker team, Foresight."

She took in the other members of Foresight. The other man was a burly but good-natured man, a priest by the name of Roberdyck Goltron. The woman had purple hair, pointed ears, and, despite her admitted beauty, a chest as flat as Shalltear's, and this was the half-Elf Imina.

Her gaze then fell onto what had to be Arche, and softened a little. Petite, with blonde hair and blue eyes, her expression serious, though she was looking at Albedo warily, even shivering a little. She may never have the same strength as the denizens of Nazarick, but an innate talent such as her own was squandered thanks to her parents.

Ah, yes. Her talent, beyond a prodigious ability to use magic beyond her years, the ability to see the magic capacity and ability of those she saw. Albedo did not have a truly large pool of MP, as her abilities were mostly focused on the physical, for defending the Supreme Beings. But no doubt compared to the other beings in this world, she had a larger pool than the norm.

"You see my mana, do you not?" Albedo asked gently.

Arche nodded hastily. "I mean, you don't have as much as Harry or Antilene, but…it's still…inhuman."

"I am not human," Albedo said, matter-of-factly. "Still, being around my love would have gotten you used to such a thing. When you meet Lord Momonga, you will behold the supreme caster in this world. You should prepare yourself for that day."

"Yeah, about that…" Hekkeran said. "If we do jobs for Momonga, do you have any idea what would be expected of us?"

"Well, it won't be anything massively dangerous, Hekkeran," Harry said. "Momonga knows how much I care about you, and while danger is part of the job for Adventurers and Workers, he's not going to send you to be canaries in a coal mine, so to speak. Hell, he's even considering joining up as an Adventurer himself, albeit in Re-Estize. He'll probably have you and the Blue Roses act as Nazarick's eyes and ears elsewhere. Obviously, that doesn't apply to the Baharuth Empire in general, given my friendship with Jircniv, but if there's something about other Players or NPCs or World Items that our agents miss, for example, or something Jircniv's own spy network misses…"

Hekkeran nodded. "Yeah, Antilene and Leinas pretty much said the same thing. I just wanted to hear it from your lips."

"Actually, they also told me about you wiping out the Sunlight Scripture," Imina said. "Good. I can understand them going after belligerent Demihumans, but they've targeted too many peaceful people, and there's what they intended to do to Carne and Stronoff."

"Let's not forget the other villages in the region they massacred," Roberdyck said solemnly. "So much senseless slaughter, and all for the sake of killing one man, and destabilising Re-Estize."

"They angered the Supreme Beings, and for their insolence, they paid with their lives," Albedo said simply. "Still, I agree. To murder even such a renowned human, such a method seems inordinately wasteful and hypocritical for beings that proclaim themselves to be 'guardians of humanity'. But enough of those creatures. Lord Harry values you as your friends. Therefore, it behoves me to get to know you as well. In addition, my love intends to adopt you, Arche, along with your sisters. I should make an especial effort to get to know you, and with Antilene as well."

Arche looked to Lord Harry, who gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, it'll be okay, Arche. Albedo's actually quite affectionate, once you get to know her. Besides, she wants to be a mother. Why not have her start with adoptive daughters?"

Oh! He knew what to say! Albedo had to stop herself from squirming in place from sheer delight on her seat. A challenge! A learning experience! Training for when they finally had children of their own!

"Anyway, I'm glad you finally found your old friend again, Harry," Hekkeran said. "We haven't got any work for the next couple of weeks, so if Momonga wants to say hello, feel free to bring him to us, or vice versa. Hell, it'll be interesting to visit something like the Tomb of Nazarick as a guest rather than as an…well, intruder, really."

"I'll talk to Momonga about letting you visit. Just don't be too casual to him in front of the Floor Guardians," Harry said, indicating Albedo. "Otherwise, things might go wrong…"

It was not long afterwards, when Foresight and Albedo had headed back to their respective homes, that Harry realised he had forgotten to do something, since Momonga arrived. He winced, before activating Message, and using it to contact a certain person. Eventually, the voice of what sounded like a pre-teen girl, but with the tone and attitude of someone far older, spoke up. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Madam. This is Dave from Microsoft Tech Support, calling you about the viruses on your computer."

After a pause, his caller said, "Ha ha. Even after you showed me what that is in your memories, I still don't find that joke funny, Harry. What's wrong?"

"Well, I've been meaning to tell you, Keno, but things kept distracting me. The latest Player and NPCs to come here have arrived. And it's the Tomb of Nazarick."

"…Wait, what? Ainz Ooal Gown is here? Momonga and the NPCs are here?" Keno Fasris Invern all but yelped over their connection.

"Yeah. It arrived a few days ago…"

Keno Fasris Invern, better known as 'Evileye' of the Blue Roses, digested what Harry told her, before saying, "Harry, I'm annoyed you didn't think to contact me sooner. Even if you were making sure the NPCs weren't going to rampage like they did during our time, you could've found a moment or two to Message me. I'm also annoyed that you had to cite me to Gazef Stronoff as a means of showing you can be trusted. Still, taking down the Sunlight Scripture is a good thing, even if that's going to get you and Momonga noticed."

"Hopefully not by the Platinum Dragon Lord, or by Rigrit," Harry said. "Speaking of that bitch, have you heard much from her lately?"

"No, not since she forced me to join the Blue Roses in her place. She's only gotten stronger since she sealed you away. Then again, I was holding back, because I thought she was a friend. And it's doubtful either would bat an eye at the loss of the Sunlight Scripture. As elite as they were, Nigun was a cocky bastard."

"And a whiny one. I saw the scar Lakyus gave him. Maybe I should show you the memory of my killing him. You'd probably like his rather girly screaming."

Keno chuckled darkly. "Yeah, we'd like that, actually. I remember you doing the same thing to that Theocracy idiot who pissed you off when he was mouthing off against the non-humans in our group. You dropped him from the stratosphere too. What was his name?"

"I don't remember. All he gave was some inane alias. Sir Steelheart or something like that. Claimed to be a Godkin, but I'd bet even anyone from the current Black Scripture would have kicked his arse, and most if not all are descendants of the Players. Oh, by the way, Keno, Momonga is looking to pose as an Adventurer with one of the Pleiades. I think he could do with some Adventurer 101. Are you willing to help?"

"Sure. I'll have to okay it with Lakyus, but Princess Renner doesn't have any more jobs for us, at least for now. We haven't had much luck lately with dealing with the Eight Fingers. Honestly, I welcome the diversion. Lakyus has been working us hard until now."

"She's a hard worker herself, Keno. Lakyus is one of the few nobles I can name in Re-Estize that I have any real respect for. Anyway, thanks for saying yes."

"…Look, Harry, we go back. Way back. You are literally my oldest friend, especially given what we learned about Rigrit. And your friends are my friends. Just give me a day or two."

"Fine. I wanted to go back and socialise with the Floor Guardians and the other denizens of Nazarick, anyway. I've been paying more attention to Momonga and Albedo than any of the others…"

CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:

A date for Albedo, Foresight have appeared, and Harry has had to have an awkward call with Evileye. Oh dear…

Review-answering time! Planar-Walking-Entertainment: It was tricky trying to pin down her psyche, as well as ensure she was still recognisably Albedo after her epiphany, but have her become…well, an anti-hero is not quite the right word. Anti-villain is closer to it. Albedo's still evil, though she will gradually become a more moral person than she is in canon. But she knows and respects Harry's viewpoint, and wants nothing more than to please him. And she can feel empathy, albeit for a select few.

AnimeGoji91: Oh, she's still a yandere. I generally don't like the archetype, but Albedo, for the most part, is a higher-functioning yandere than most examples. It helps that, unlike Momonga, Harry has a functioning and existing penis, and Harry suggested dates. For all that Albedo is a sexual being, I think she'd also love romantic gestures like dates as well. Honestly, I think that if Momonga took her out on a few dates in canon instead of keeping her at arm's length, we wouldn't have had that attempted rape scene. Seriously, she looks like a Fazbear Animatronic pouncing on Momonga. But I don't think he ever took her out on dates, unless it was in one of the sidestories they haven't released in English.

No numbered annotations this time.