Albedo and Shalltear looked down at the pathetic messes that were once the masters of the underworld. Zero was looking up at Albedo with puppy dog eyes filled with love in between moments of licking the top of her shoe.
Shalltear was enjoying her new toy 'Hilma' in much the same way. While the Guardian Overseer and one of her strongest subordinates did not always agree or get along, there were things with which they were in one accord, and ways in which their shared devotion let them work well together.
The matter at hand which set them on opposite sides of a table beneath which their new pets worshiped, was the sudden revelation about their lord's banquet.
"It's not that I don't think showing off the breaking of the human underworld is a bad idea. It's that I don't think it's wise to do it at a banquet where his principle goal seems to be to foster goodwill." Albedo pointed out, and Shalltear shoved the tip of her shoe into Hilma's mouth, causing the woman to gag. Though to Shalltear's satisfaction, it did not slow her attempt at worship even a little.
"But wouldn't it show his power as well? Half of all good will is love, but the other half is fear. That is what Lord Peroroncino said." Shalltear quoted her creator and felt a brief ache in her heart for the lost god of her world, and it did give Albedo pause.
"True, but which half to use varies as much as how to use them. Princess Renner will explain it quickly enough I'm sure. And when we offer the names, locations, and all the other information in their vast network, there can only be one end. Showing them so blatantly as you suggest, by having these animals serve them at the table would be too crude." Albedo countered, "Let them wonder, and then their gratitude will be mixed with terror and awe as a god deserves."
Shalltear looked down at the slurping Hilma and thought idly, 'She would look very nice with a tail.' Then focused on Albedo's suggestion, and found no words she could use to argue her point.
"Agreed." The vampire acknowledged. While she sometimes grated against the rule of one of the three geniuses of Nazarick, and would never admit it, there was a spark of approval in her heart for the Guardian Overseer who made a point of ensuring her subordinates understood her orders and the reasons behind them.
By the same token, while Albedo shared a competitive attitude with Shalltear over the affections of her master, the talent the monster disguised as a young girl had for fashion, style, things of beauty, was second to none, and taking her advice on all matters formal was a matter of course for the Guardian Overseer.
And with that matter settled, they got down to the nitty gritty, answering questions as the maids and butlers of Nazarick rushed to get their approval for one thing after another.
Changing out of his heels was the last thing Momonga wanted to do, he could at least keep his feminine clothing on under his robe, but the heels would be too much. Walking in high heels required a particular stride, one which, while it made him feel sexy, powerful, and confident, would raise questions he wasn't prepared to answer.
'Everything is happening so fast!' He thought with an almost frantic worry, his hand pressed to his temple, at least he could keep his face expressionless as a doppleganger, that in and of itself was something of a relief.
He needed a break, and there were few known options. 'What about unknown… even just for a few hours, that's all. They'll keep Draudillon and the others entertained until I come back.' That was all the permission he needed to give himself, he didn't care where he went, it just had to be somewhere else.
He cast the [Gate] spell in front of him and strode through without a second thought.
"You stupid, blind, insubordinate little piece of trash! Do you expect me to believe you 'couldn't catch them?!' I should have you drummed out of the paladin corps as an example to anyone else with sympathies!" It was a harpy shriek of utter disgust and hatred, if ever Momonga heard one.
The place he'd appeared was in the midst of a forest, or rather, at the edge of one. And in front of him on an open plain was a slew of tents bearing white and blue banners belonging to yet another unfamiliar domain.
The screeching reprimand was coming from the other side of a set of tents, and from there also came the voice of a young woman.
"With respect, Commander, I got rid of them. Most of them are dead, and nobody could have caught the rest of them. They simply had too much of a head start."
"Don't give me excuses! Find them!" The woman shrieked again.
"I can't chase two rabbits without losing them both, if you won't give me any help, I can maybe catch up to one before the others get over the border. And I can't even do that if you insist on yelling at me here." The reasonable voice came back, and it seemed only to enrage the other one more.
"Are you telling me I am to blame?!" The shrieker shrieked as only shriekers did.
"Yes, ma'am. I warned you that they would be trouble. I warned you we should be stealthy, but you insisted on a charge. They were ready and half of them were gone before you could hit their line. If we had done it my way, we could have gotten them all." The voice was more than reasonable, and there was the sound of a loud slap from beyond the obscured line of tents.
"Go out there and get them." The same shrieking voice turned to one of seething hatred.
"Go and die, then?" The reasonable voice answered.
"Those are my orders. Now get out of my sight." The voice of contempt snarled, and a moment later Momonga saw the source of the reasonable voice.
A young woman wearing a blue and white tabard and bearing a fairly utilitarian bow in her left hand. One look at her face and it showed two things that instantly had his attention.
She had the wooden, almost serene expression of someone who was used to being yelled at by idiots and abused by management. 'That one has a bad boss, I'm sure of it.' And his affection meter shot up at once for the memory of the life he formerly lived, filled with such abusive behavior in the workplace.
The other thing he noticed redoubled that meter, she had the perfect chunibyo face. With narrow eyes in a fixed position that seemed both intense and scary, framed with soft straw blonde hair that was short and loose, but set against her easy acceptance of the earlier verbal abuse and a literal order to go and die?
'A chunibyo and gap moe in the same person?!' His theatricality would not let this one go to her death. So he waited. He put on a Jojo hat from his inventory and leaned against the tree behind him with his arms crossed and one foot crossed and tilted up, 'cool guy stance number two' and watched her approach.
Thanks to his max level stats, which seemed radically overpowered relative to the strength of this world, even without any specs into stealth, his natural rating was so high she was almost on top of him before she even realized he was there.
"Hello." He said while leaning against a tree. He tilted his hat toward her as she jumped back, reached for her arrow and nocked it in her bow all in a fraction of a second.
One glance told him it wasn't a high enough level to hurt him.
"It seems your boss doesn't really care for you. I sympathize." He said, ignoring the leveled arrow trained on his heart. "My name is Momonga, what's yours?"
Again he wondered, 'Is being a doppleganger making me naturally more dramatic… or is having all this power making my inner chuni personality go wild?'
No answer was forthcoming, but being able to do what he was doing was so thoroughly enjoyable… he simply didn't care.
"Neia. Neia Baraja." She answered, and slowly lowered her bow. "You're not human… but if you meant me harm, I didn't even know you were there… you could have killed me. So I assume I can put away my arrow?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Yes, let's just say I have a… soft spot, for the abused employees who suffer under bad bosses." Momonga answered, "Why put up with that, why come out here to die like she says, why not quit?"
"And go where?" Neia asked as she looked the figure in front of her up and down. Even without dragon's blood in her she could tell this figure was a man of wealth and power, he had an aura about him that drew her like a moth to a flame… and more than that, he'd asked about her, even arguably expressed concern for her. 'No human has done that in forever…'
"Anywhere." He suggested. "From what I heard, you sound like you have a talent, maybe you make your boss feel insecure, so why not remove your talent from their service and go to another kingdom?"
Neia shook her head, for a moment she considered leaving, but there was no way to catch up to the orcs the way the idiot wanted, and if she did, they'd just overwhelm and kill her anyway. So she leaned against a tree opposite Momonga and said, "Anywhere I went, they'd just say I abandoned my duty, and nobody would ever accept me. Adventurers, workers, all knighthoods, there'd be nowhere that would take in a squire who abandoned their unit. I'd have to turn bandit to survive, and I won't do that. Besides, I do want to protect my country."
Momonga accepted her words with passive quiet, It was hard not to sympathize with her point of view, "What if you had a chance to protect your country, find reliable employment, and no longer had to work for an abusive boss?"
"That would be ideal." Neia answered.
"Then come with me. Help me to prepare to meet your Queen on friendly terms, and I will offer you a permanent place in my service, nobody will ever abuse you or send you to a pointless death again. After all, I heard for myself how you were treated, I won't blame you for leaving." Momonga vowed and held out his hand.
"Come with me, if you want a better job." He said, and blessed his level one hundred charisma rating as she approached, and held out her hand to take his own.
'I didn't plan on this, just a little walk somewhere unfamiliar to clear my head… but it seems that luck is with me…' Momonga thought, and cast his gate spell again.