The sound of feet crunching over a dirt path echoed with the clanking of heavy armor in the early morning hours. A figure in full-plate assessed the road ahead before calling for his traveling companions to shift to a more sedate pace the closer they reached the Baharuth Empire.

After all, of the armored figure's current party members, one stood out far too much not only for her youthful beauty, but because of her status as a Vampire and her continued sobbing.

Now one would generally think that the distress of a party member should be consoled, especially if they were friends or comrades, but Ainz digressed while quietly leading from the front. His bulky suit of armor from Perfect Warrior and his large frame, could effectively conceal Shalltear from other passersby who they may encounter on the dirt road.

Nonetheless, it didn't mean that Ainz could conceal his other two party members, Narberal and Shirou with his body size alone.

Shirou for his part was the rugged pretty-boy type in leather hunting armor while Narberal was a quiet ice beauty.

Ainz was already having headaches trying to come up with counter measures to avoid the gazes of others if only due to Shalltear's current infamy and her continued lamenting.

"I…I do not deserve to live," Shalltear sobbed, hands cradling her head tucked between her shoulders and her body hunched low as she took step after step, lagging behind.

There she goes again with that.

Ainz had insisted that he wouldn't find fault with her due to the nature of the entire situation, but was that any real consolation for Shalltear or anyone from the Great Tomb for this matter?

Before Ainz could even obtain the opportunity to chastise Shalltear for her statement, he found someone else to get inwardly frustrated at.

"It seems your head is finally working right, lady Shalltear." Grudgingly, Narberal nodded in full agreement, much to Ainz's chagrin. If he had skin on his face, he'd be heavily wrinkling his brow, but what else could he do?

An attack against a Supreme One was the utmost offense in the eyes of his NPCs. He could only imagine the opinions of Albedo and the rest, and this gave him undue stress. No matter how he saw it, was it Shalltear's fault for succumbing to the effects of a World-Tier Class item?

Yes. Yes it was. How dare you raise your hand against the last Supreme One!

Ainz could guess for certain what the answer of the Great Tomb's residents and Floor Guardians would be.

Narberal's example of begrudgingly forgoing her relations with Shalltear in order to silently forward the death sentence out of loyalty went a long way to reflect the Great Tomb's sentiments.

It didn't help that Shalltear was of the same opinion and was entirely dispirited ever since she'd regained consciousness.

"This really seems to be getting to you, doesn't it?" Shirou consoled in earnest, walking by Ainz's left, he peered at Shalltear behind him. "If it means anything, your remorse at your actions shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, it's praiseworthy."

Ainz felt that there was so much wrong with that statement, but there was no way he'd speak up now. To begin with, Shalltear's distress wasn't for the people she'd killed in her mental state, but the fact that she'd dared to act against Ainz, the last of the Supreme Ones.

By this point, Shalltear didn't even care that she was receiving sympathy from a human and hardly reacted. She might have even felt she deserved such a derogatory and demeaning gesture in the first place.

Despite outwardly maintaining his composure, there was no way Ainz wasn't infuriated that someone had dared touch what was precious to him. This sentiment was made worse by the instability of Shalltear's mental health. He'd have to seriously consider brainstorming methods to cheer her up, lest she act on her words and offs herself for her disloyalty.

Ainz quickly focused his ire on the one who caused this to begin with. He cleared his throat. "Shalltear…can you recall who did this to you, about what had happened?"

There was a subtle and deep seated animosity laced in Ainz's tone that brooked no room for imagination about what he was planning.

Shirou glanced at 'Momon,' but couldn't really fault the man for being infuriated on Shalltear's behalf. If something like this happened to his Saber, even he held no promises of being able to restrain himself.

"Y-Yes," Shalltear stammered out, having been directly addressed by Ainz. "I remember raiding a bandit camp with weak humans scurrying away like ants."

"A bandit camp?" Ainz hummed.

"A den of human smugglers and thieves. Typical humans," Shalltear derided, not realizing that Ainz had asked this question not for himself, but Shirou who was listening in.

Justification was a powerful tool, and Shirou wouldn't fault Shalltear for attacking a criminal organization. Expectedly, his features eased despite raising a brow at the way Shalltear spoke of humans. It reminded him much of 'Nabe,' which was far from odd considering that the two were obviously acquainted. Perhaps 'Nabe' had obtained her speech impediment from long exposure to Shalltear?

It was a theory for another time.

Shalltear had continued at Ainz's prompting.

"I then chased after this amusing one who thought too full of himself. He realized his place after losing to my nail, but he's worth no mention compared to the sword idiots he bumped into while fleeing. One was an insect who boasts about killing mere swallows, and the other, a boorish wanderer lady who wouldn't stop pestering the other for a duel after hearing the man's name was Sasaki Kojiro."

Shirou stiffened at the description, nearly tripping over his feet when he missed a step. Assassin. He could guess who the swallow person was, but who was the woman pestering him? He had no recollection of her.

"And?" Ainz shook his head, insisting that Shalltear move on. No random swordsman should have been enough to impede Shalltear to begin with, let alone possess any effective mental attacks. Hence, the involvement of the swordsmen was removed from the bigger picture.

"Well, I ran into a group of armored knights led by an Old Lady in white robes while in pursuit."

"Oh?" Ainz balled his hands into fists, already getting an idea of what had transpired from there, and what World Item had been used.

"We fought, and that's all I remember." Here, Shalltear grew quiet, her weight shifting from foot to foot as her features grew depressed. She didn't say it, but she obviously felt as if she'd lost considering that the enemy had been able to hit her with mental magic to begin with.

Ainz digested this all, but in the end, all he could surmise was that an organization in this new world other than the Raid Bosses likely wandering it, could pose a threat to the Great Tomb. He'd have to be even more prudent from here on. His revenge would not be an impulsive one, but a thorough one. He'd learned this in his life as an office worker.

"What about the two swordsmen and the bandit who got away?" Shirou spoke up when it was clear that Shalltear had finished recounting her memories.

Admittedly, this wasn't the best instance to inquire as Shalltear's mental wounds were too fresh. The way she snapped at him was honestly expected.

She glared, ruby eyes growing venomous.

"Why should I answer to a blood bag like y-mphm!"

Shalltear found her mouth muffled, and her body forcibly repositioned before she could even finish her sentence; courtesy of Narberal who hoisted her up by the armpits, and carried her away before she said anything too consequential.

Obviously, this left Shirou staring dumbfoundedly at the hasty retreat, at a loss as the sudden turn of events. His mouth was still half-open, and he was unsure if he should have intervened to get his answer or not. In the end, Ainz was the one to provide an exit for Shirou to back out of the matter.

"Forgive her. Shalltear's impression of humans has deteriorated to the point of prejudice after years of being hunted by them." Ainz reasonably explained. It might have sounded like an excuse that was too far-fetched for anyone else to believe, but not Shirou.

"It's fine. It's not like I haven't seen such cases before," Shirou admitted. He knew the extent of how far humans could go for their desires.

Unfortunately, Ainz couldn't tell if Shirou was being serious, or just being considerate. For the sake of maintaining a good impression, Ainz could only resort to changing the subject despite the cost of doing so. Ainz fiddled with the small rucksack around his waist that he was using as temporary storage, and reluctantly pulled out Rule Breaker.

"This dagger, do you not want it back?"

Shirou raised a brow when Ainz offered Rule Breaker back to him.

Carefully, Shirou replied wryly. "Rather than want it back, you seem like you have another use for it?"

"Was it that easy to tell?" Ainz frowned, but Shirou just shrugged.

"I was surprised you even offered to give it back," Shirou admitted good-naturedly.

"And if I didn't?"

"See this weapon?" Shirou raised his palm up and Traced a nameless dagger. In the same motion, he dispelled it with a gesture of his hand.

The point was blatant. Ainz had no need to contest it. Stealing would not work here at all. Nonetheless, by Shirou's actions and words, Ainz could infer that Shirou was allowing him a chance to explain his troubles.

"So then, what else do you need it for? You should understand why I can't just let a dagger such as this end up in the wrong hands, nor why I shouldn't make them in bulk and distribute them."

Ainz understood that lying here would only be a mistake considering Shirou's character. Therefore, he delivered it as it was. "Shalltear isn't the only friend afflicted with magic conditions. There's another who's been cursed."

"And so you intend to use the dagger to help?" Shirou surmised.

Ainz nodded in earnest.

/-/

Outside of hearing distance, Narberal and Shalltear had stopped by a hidden mangrove kept out of sight. Shalltear was still carried in Narberal's grasp, and she had more than enough strength to wrestle her way out, but she didn't. Her failure and blunder had made her lethargic and unmotivated.

Shalltear raised a listless brow at Narberal who stared at her in chastisement.

"What?" Shalltear eventually harped, still dangled in Narberal's grip. The answer was an unexpected one.

"You were rude."

"Excuse me?"

Narberal grimaced, reluctant to acknowledge the point, but still explaining it.

"That is the honorary human. Lord Ainz has instructed us to treat him as an important member of the Tomb."

It was ironic that it was Narberal who was standing up for Shirou in this instance, but by this point, she'd literally seen what her lord saw in the honorary human.

"But he's a human!" To which, Shalltear did not.

"An honorary human." At this point Narberal leaned closer to Shalltear's ear. "Though I have suspicion to believe he's not quite human either."

The sensation of steel that Narberal could feel as a Magic Caster continued to linger around Shirou even though his magic wasn't in an active state. This meant to say that it might be a racial thing.

For one reason or another, Narberal was all too hopeful about this. It was one thing to have to cozy up to a human, and another for a potential heteromorph.

"Hmmm?" Shalltear was not convinced, and it didn't help that Narberal was too cool headed to jump to conclusions.

"It's still under investigation," Narberal insisted.

Shalltear's lip twitched, but she didn't comment as she rebounded back to a seemingly perpetual state of self-loathing.

The matter with Shirou was the furthest thing from her mind.

Considering Shalltear's state as the Vampire set to be hunted in the mission task, it wasn't a sound idea to continue traveling with her back to Nero's manor. As such, the group had separated with her after Ainz specially instructed her to return to the Great Tomb to await further instruction.

Shalltear's dreary figure as she departed had made it seem as if she was walking to the gallows when Ainz intended for anything but.

In any case, Team Darkness eventually returned to Nero's manor with the completion of the mission stunning the legion that Jircniv had stationed under Nero. These were the very people who had encountered Shalltear and whose vanguard was utterly decimated. None of them had believed Team Darkness could achieve anything when they were barely even registered on the lower rungs of the Adventurer registry. Proof of the mission's completion was submitted through a lock of Shalltear's hair, and her entire head piece.

Thereafter, news of Team Darkness's return and successful subjugation of a True Vampire caused a stir in the manor, but only one seemed to think that it was only to be expected.

"Huhuhuhu Umu. You've done well! As expected of people that I approve of! Truly, my discerning eye for talent and art exceeds the bounds of mortal flesh and bone!" Nero puffed her chest out, hands held aloft with flair.

Arche and Imina, who were delegated with tossing rose petals over Nero for 'background effect,' were effectively flustered; Imina more so than Arche who felt compelled to follow her benefactor's favors so long as it wasn't too out of the question or outlandish. As for tossing rose petals? What was there to feel shame about when it was on behalf of the duchess who saved her younger siblings and freed her from the shackles of her indulgent parents?

Imina was different in that Hekkeran in a butler's attire was pointing a finger at her while laughing in the distant galley view. Her tomato red face contrasted strongly with her vibrant purple hair.

Nero didn't even seem to notice Imina's plight and continued on, attention focused on Team Darkness who was before her.

"Let us celebrate!" Nero clapped giddily, looking for any attendant to bring out the festivities, but deflating a second after. "We'd have a toast…that is if we had drinks other than cheap wine that still needs to be thrown out for the good stuff, but very well, you may bask in my presence instead!"

Nero placed her hands on her hips, leaned forward to give a view of her bust and grinned.

"How's this?"

She then leaned over one leg and craned her chin up to reveal a sleek neck free of blemishes.

"Or that?"

Nero hummed before leaning on her back foot and doing a slow motion curtsey.

"Perhaps even this?"

Narberal who stood nearest to Ainz's side, clicked her tongue in displeasure, no longer able to reel in her contempt. Nero was just like the last meeting. Who did this Nero think she was? She was still just a human entirely full of herself!

Obviously, Nero noticed the twitching of Narberal's features. Truly, her charm could move even the coldest beauties!

"Oh, is this not enough reward? Very well!"

Nero strutted between the falling petals and curtseyed.

"Well then, how about this?"

Nero then spun, her red flower-like dress twirling, her high heels clacking over the tiled floor.

"Hoo!"

Nero raised a leg, her dress seamlessly rising up and revealed smooth thighs that had long since drawn Hekkeren's attention, much to Imina's indignance.

"Haa!"

Nero finished with a gesture of a hand, cleverly using magic energy to create an updraft to blow her bangs just right.

"Oh no, I even impress myself!"

A soft chuckle escaped Ainz's lips.

Narberal wasn't amused, instead doing her best impression of a fish's face on land.

What irked Narberal more than anything was that she could feel a sense of amusement and endearment in her Lord's gaze towards Nero. Perhaps to Ainz, Nero's posing could very well be considered a reward. Goodness knows how many Players in YGGDRASIL would kill for the chance to see their hopelessly flamboyant emperor in the flesh, and not just rendered in in-game pixels.

Finally, Narberal could no longer take this. Soon enough, this Nero would even delude herself into thinking Narberal thought good of her! "As if anything you're doing constit-"

"Narberal," Ainz chided, placing a hand over Narberal's shoulder, instantly causing Narberal's mood to sour and her features to pout.

Ainz then refocused his attention on Nero.

For his part, Ainz hardly noticed Narberal gnashing her teeth in favor of fondly recalling the memories of the Nine's Own Goal that Nero effectively evoked.

Back then, before the creation of Ainz Ooal Gown, the founding members of the guild including Ainz himself fought under the impartial Emperor's banner. It mattered not what race one chose in YGGDRASIL, Nero only ever focused on merits and the bonds built through faction quests. So long as you were part of her legion, she would retaliate with the entire army on your behalf if you ever requested aid, and this in itself had been her undoing.

For all the Players that joined Nero, a majority of Heteromorphic races favored her, leaving the balance somewhat skewed despite many Human Players allying to her faction. Due to the negative connotations of the Heteromorphic races, Nero found herself butting heads with too many people in the Warring Empire at once, but she'd never cared.

Her people were what comprised her Rome, and that was enough of a reason for Nero.

She was a Hero of the Heteromorphs.

The Nine's Own Goal was Nero's 12th Legion of the Warring Empire's expansion. Their standard carrying the symbol of their legion members was something that Ainz still kept in the Guild's storage while reminiscing of the past.

"Sir Momon?" Nero called out, having clearly noticed Ainz's pause.

"Ah, oh yes, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment," Ainz muttered, flustered, before he then composed himself. "Still, your gratitude is more than enough of a reward, Lady Nero." In fact, Shirou was the real reward that no gold or title would be able to acquire here, and that was what mattered to Ainz.

Nonetheless, Nero interpreted it differently.

"You…You're actually being honest aren't you?" Nero grinned from ear to ear at Ainz's words. She could tell the truth from a lie, and Ainz was being genuine with her.

She nodded again and again, growing more and vibrant with each nod.

"Umu. I've decided. A theater! This calls for the construction of a theater!" Nero bounced with energy, her shoulders vibrating. "Come back in a couple of days and I will reward you with a personal performance!"

Ugh.

Shirou took a step back, but Ainz didn't get the cue. .

"That sounds-" If Ainz found it odd that Shirou was sternly shaking his head at him, his biased views on Nero won out over brotherhood and camaraderie at this instance. "Grand."

Shirou slapped a palm over his face and slowly dragged it down while Narberal hastily excused herself for an emergency call to Albedo, even if it meant rebuke from her Lord. Albedo had instructed Narberal to contact her if anything untoward or concerning happened to Lord Ainz. Nothing had happened yet, but Narberal was now raising serious concerns about the integrity of mental resistance after Shalltear's incident.

Lord Ainz was showing signs of odd behavior, and this was precisely such a situation to be worried about!

In contrast to Shirou and Narberal, Nero was beaming in her own hype, not even minding that Narberal had chosen to excuse herself at her own accord. After all, it had been a long time since anyone seemed eager to hear her perform on stage.

Regardless, that was that matter, and this was this.

"Speaking of which, Sir Momon, you are a traveling Adventurer, yes?" Nero inquired, changing her pace as she coughed into her hand.

"That is so," Ainz answered gruffly, sliding into his persona as Momon.

"I'm considering sending Team Darkness to investigate something rather recent."

Ainz wasn't slow witted and understood what Nero intended. He was the leader of his own guild. It was easier for him to pick up on subtle nuances.

"Will it just be us?"

"Who else could I entrust but the newest cohort quickly growing on me?"

Shirou vehemently pretended not to see Nero winking at him from the corner of his gaze, while Ainz had emotional suppressants calm his emotions down when he thought Nero was putting more and more faith in him.

He, a core member of the Nine's Own Goal 12th Legion under Emperor Nero, was ready to deploy once more!

"We will accept."

Ainz had agreed without much thought, if only due to past sentiments and the pursuit of reaching a stable accord with Nero.

If Narberal were still around and saw how quickly Ainz had fallen into a yes-man out of fond memories of the Nine's Own Goal, rather than just Albedo, Narberal would have notified the entire tomb! This level of mental administration was beyond her capabilities to handle and safeguard her Lord from.

"Might we ask for the details?" Shirou interjected here.

Nero beamed and began recalling the important bits she'd heard from the Empire's capital. "Umu. Have you ever heard of a Demon named Jaldabaoth?" She ended up inquiring in the end.

Shirou obviously didn't know, as he hadn't been in the new world for long. This was why Nero had primarily directed this question on Ainz, giving him respect as the leader of Team Darkness while not putting Shirou in a tough spot.

Two birds with one stone. Nero hadn't been a ruler in life for nothing.

"No…Why?"

Ainz was getting a distinctly awful feeling about all this when he answered in the negative.

Nero rummaged for a small envelope which she passed over to Ainz with the emblem of a familiar demon on the red wax seal.

Ainz inwardly wailed, unable to understand what was going through his Floor Guardian's head.

"The demon left a calling card."

Demiuuuurge!

-Elsewhere

/-/

"I take it that you were successful?"

The gravelly voice of a bespectacled figure echoed in a dreary cave illuminated solely by glowing shards of red rubies. Within the chamber, Demiurge sat on a stone chair inlaid with skull-caps for armrests, and splattered blood that marred the sides.

This was one of Demiurge's many 'harvesting' facilities where he'd been tasked with recreating various items from YYGDRASIL using materials from the new world. Of particular note was the message scroll they were able to remanufacture by peeling the skin of humans and grafting spellwork in the flesh as a medium.

Demiurge glanced up from his gathered reports and looked to one of the lesser Demons of his Floor which he brought out from the tomb with him. He'd been having this demon run miscellaneous tasks that didn't require Demiurge's personal involvement.

"It is done," the lesser Demon replied respectfully. "I've distributed your letters across the capital Re-Estize and the upper echelon of the Empire."

"Were you careful not to raise suspicion?" Demiurge raised a brow.

"Yes. As instructed, we enticed human merchants to deliver the letters."

Demiurge hummed in approval. Things were going to plan. It was obviously nowhere near the meticulousness that he could only imagine Lord Ainz could devise, but surely he at least had a fraction of his Lord's intellect?

By this time, Lord Ainz must have already deduced his intentions and would act accordingly. To this end, Demiurge refused to leave a bad impression. Nothing short of perfection was expected of him and those coordinating with him.

Demiurge once more thought of the info book Ainz had given them regarding the different types of enemies to be cautioned against in any future encounter. The words of the last supreme one were not to be belittled. Demiurge wouldn't make such an error, and had adjusted his plans since then.

"To combat such formidable enemies, prudence, misinformation, and initiative is quite necessary," Demiurge muttered to himself while adjusting the circle wire-frame glasses over his face. He then glanced back towards the lesser demon. "Any word from Albedo's end?"

The lesser demon shook his head, and quickly activated one of the newly manufactured message scrolls without Demiurge's prompting. "I'll connect with her now-"

"That BITCH!"

An ear-piercing scream was the first sound that took both Demiurge and the lesser demon aback.

"How dare she! How dare she!"

Objects were flying, the air on the other end oppressive and vengeful, the sound of cracking glass echoing ceaselessly.

"Narberal Gamma, why am I only informed of this now!"

Albedo was obviously in the midst of viewing another message.

"Lady Albedo, you can't leave the tomb, no stop, wait! Grab her! Grab her hurry!"

"Let me go! I'm warning you, let me go! I-"

.

.

.

Demiurge had long since pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as the lesser demon hastily ended the message scroll before the scene got messy.

Silence permeated.

Demiurge did not want to ask.

Shalltear had already disappointed Lord Ainz.

He would not do the same.

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