Breeding Issues

by The Ruff Pusher

Momon the Dark Hero encounters Zesshi Zetsumei. mature content/smut

33. Chapter 33

This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

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The Great Forest through which they were currently traveling were an extension of the forest where Nazarick was itself located. It was a vast, relatively uncharted area, sure to be hiding many secrets beneath the uncountable boughs of trees within its depths. Were one to scale one of these trees to see what yet lay beyond, they would undoubtedly see the canopy of green extend as far beyond as their eyes could see.

That was the way Aura had gotten her reports, whenever she'd volunteered to scale a tree and have a quick look around. She'd choose a particular tree, and then practically ran up its trunk before peering out of the very top like she was a lookout on top of a watchtower. She had then relayed what she had seen to them, describing to Ainz the sheer, unquestionable vastness of the forest.

And somewhere within this vastness awaited Ainz's current targets: the mysterious dark elves whom he had been seeking all this time. According to rumor gleaned by Nazarick over time, these people led an isolated life somewhere in this untamed forest. Yet none of those who had spouted these rumors could scarce describe what these dark elf fellows were actually like, only that they "might" indeed have existed, at one point of time or another.

Ainz misliked the general lack of information. He had no idea if there was a reason for these people's isolation, such that there were no proven sightings in any of the lands which Nazarick observed. If there had been some errant vagabond of their race, they would have long since known about it, and possibly even captured them. And yet, even among the demihumans the existence of these dark elves were as great as myth.

Was there a reason for their arrogance? Perhaps the dark elves were arrogant as a whole, who saw the rest of the world as unworthy of their attention? Or were they actually incurable savages, driven away in the past by those with wisdom? Were they an evil to be sealed away and forgotten, or were they a race tasked with a monumental burden that necessitated their silence? All of these were unknown variables.

If he was traveling alone, without needing to give a thought to managing an entire Tomb and its inhabitants, with all the other matters besides, he would have welcomed the mystery as an excellent opportunity for adventure. But he had people traveling with him, and he had even more waiting back home. Carelessness was not something that Ainz could afford to possess, especially now that was a fully-fledged father of three.

It had been roughly two days since they had departed the forward outpost, after coming there directly by Gate from Nazarick. The outpost represented Nazarick's furthest presence in the forest. No minion was posted here, and the only thing that marked it as Nazarick's were the standard divination wards that would inform them if anyone entered the perimeter. It had been a tempting thing to consider creating full-scale towns in secret within this forest, but he had other priorities to consider.

He had no clear estimate, but they had been traveling for many miles into the forest since that time, with no sign yet of any dark elves. At any time, he could return himself and everyone with him were directly to Nazarick via Gate, no matter where they were. But he nevertheless always tried to make sure to remember where exactly Nazarick was, should the unthinkable occur. As they traveled, he was ever conscious of the Tomb's direction, as the distance with it continued to widen.

Their pace had not been too quick, or too slow. He was aware that he could not just waste time going out here, for he and the rest had other duties that needed to be done. There was still the matter of the Slaine Theocracy, and their strange overtures to him.

On the other hand, if he really wanted to get things done fast, he would have sent his minions out to scour the forest for what he needed. But that would have taken away the feeling of adventure from the endeavor, and to Ainz that didn't sound at all fun. If at all possible, he wanted to experience things himself.

Their traveling methods made for an uneven pace, but they were making good time. Ainz had no patience for actually walking, as that would be too slow. So they utilized various forms of transport to carry them through the forest. Sometimes they rode on a flying carpet which Ainz had brought out from the Treasury. It was large enough to allow all four of them to sit, and was also a good place to eat while they traveled. The only caveat was that it was a bit slow in flying, so their traveling was cut in half.

On other times, Aura took Mare to ride on her pet Fenrir, who was able to lope easily through the trees, and with a certain speed. Ainz could also cast a permanent Fly enchantment on both himself and Zesshi, which allowed them to fly above the trees for a while, enjoying the earthy-smelling breeze that brushed past their bodies.

And other times Aura would point out a certain creature, like a stag or some other animal that Ainz couldn't recognize. Ainz would quickly ensnare it with a mind control spell, allowing him and Zesshi to ride them as mounts. If Aura liked them, he allowed her to dominate them once they were done; but if not he let them go, freeing their minds and allowing them to leave. Doing this made him feel like a "real" dark elf, being in tune with nature and whatnot.

Traveling this way actually seemed a lot more pleasant than he had expected. He half-regretted not bringing along the triplets, as it might have seemed fun to have them on this trip. Perhaps at a later time, when things were safer, and when there was no pressing need to fulfill a goal, he could bring along his entire selection of Mothers with him on a grand tour—along with their children. They would board a large caravan, perhaps something like a traveling house, floating or walking around and seeing everything this world could offer. There would be no more need to think of hard, troublesome things; just a stress-free, relaxing journey. A vacation in truth.

Then again, he wouldn't be going so far as to bring them to a place like this forest. It kind of seemed like a "high-level area". There seemed to be particular sections of the forest that seemed more dangerous than the rest.

As they went deeper inside, Ainz observed this fact as their surroundings changed in a subtle way. The forest seemed older, or "wilder" to describe it. The trees were larger in contrast: before, Ainz could hug and lock his hands around their trunks in his largest form. Now, they were tall enough that Aura needed a few more seconds to scale the trunk all the way to the top. They were also thick enough that it would have needed several of himself holding hands in a circle to fit its larger size. These large trees also felt more alive, as if they were all silently watching their party pass, and were merely content to slumber in their roots.

The air in here, too, seemed to have a more oppressive feeling to it, as if numerous unseen creatures watching their approach—though none dared to challenge them. If he had been but a normal human, he was sure he would have been overwhelmed by the sheer pressure; as if the trees could outright pull themselves free and strangle him with their branches, or some strange beast emerge from the dappled shadows to tear at his throat.

Aura was able to corroborate his feelings, as she claimed that the beasts she had encountered here were a lot higher level than before, according to her Beast Tamer skill. There also were a lot of them, apparently, skulking about outside their field of view, preferring to avoid them.

"Well, they're still small fry at the end of the day," she told him confidently. "And I can sense that smelling old Fenrir here has got them spooked. You think I should have him sent back to Nazarick, Ainz-sama?"

"Ahhh, no, not yet," he said. He wondered if the creatures would grow bolder without a visible deterrent. Truth be told, having to deal with "random encounters", like in old video games, would be annoying. He would indeed welcome the chance to encounter something new and exciting, but today he was on a job. So if Fenrir was actually being a good deterrent, then he would remain.

Mare then chipped in, confirming that the plant-life here was also a lot more "alive". They seemed suffused with a lot more energy, or with more magic perhaps. He claimed that he could work more powerful magic here if needed, and demonstrated by snapping his fingers and causing a wall of vines to spring out between the space of two tree trunks.

"That was a low-tier spell," he explained, a bit bashfully. "But it seems to have been enhanced.

"Fascinating," Ainz mused. He didn't have a panoply of nature-themed spells, so he would take Mare's word for it.

"Areas like these are good for training," Zesshi said, nodding to herself. "She might well have brought me here…"

Presently, they had stopped, as Ainz had known from the time-piece he had brought that the end of the day was approaching, and they would need to make camp before the sky truly started to turn. Aura had scaled a tree again as requested, to check and see if there was anything strange. In the meantime, Ainz was looking around him thoughtfully, looking for a good place to set up camp.

They had made camp a few times already in the past couple of days. Each had been a different structure, as Ainz tested out several of the spells in his repertoire. He had wanted to create a suitable camp for himself and the rest, and not just set up some tents and call it a day.

On the very first time, he had used a rare spell to summon an actual house, and set it in a large clearing. Inside the conjured house was everything they could possibly need from it, including several bedrooms with beds already prepared, a kitchen to cook meals in, and even a hearth that would grant heat from a burning fire. Zesshi had marveled at the spell, admiring its apparent use for any traveler.

"If we could just bring our houses on our backs, there'd be a lot more adventurers, me thinks," she mused.

On the other hand, Ainz was rather disappointed, as it didn't exactly feel like a "camp" set up in the wilderness. It was like they had just slipped inside a random house to rest. Perhaps it was an issue of the house still being a familiar shape.

So on the next time they made camp, he raised a large, block-shaped structure, which was supposed to be used as a sort of bunker against magical asasult. It was a marked contrast to the earlier house, for it had only one massive chamber within it, lacking any sort of comforts within that space. Ainz had to conjure up a fire and several tables for them to use. But the walls of the structure were reasonably tough, and even resisted Fenrir's bite when he ordered Aura to test it. Zesshi's low-level spell was also repelled by the structure, which proved its supposed effectiveness as a spell.

Yet again though, Ainz found himself disappointed, as the house did not look pleasing to look at, in his opinion. It may as well have been some random ruin they discovered inside this forest, even for all its supposed strength. It was, to be blunt, just a bit lacking still.

His third one was different. He no longer used one spell to conjure up a suitable structure. He requested Mare's aid, who had already built up several structures for Nazarick before. Ainz summoned walls of wood and earth, and Mare used his magic to bind and reinforce them. Mare also summoned up trees and walls made of vines to mark "rooms" inside the structure. And then, as a roof, Ainz used a fabric from inside his inventory, which was like a transparent veil, or a spider's web, and laid it over their heads. The fabric was tough and almost impervious to harm, even Fenrir's fangs. Because of its see-through nature, they could look up as they laid down at the stars above, and still be safe. It also allowed the smoke of their campfire to rise unimpeded, and not trapped inside with them. Overall, it looked like a large basket, though a bit shoddily made.

It wasn't the most well-crafted structures, and there were a lot of things he could criticize about it. But Ainz was satisfied with that one. It was the right balance between convenience and authenticity, and had the right amount of security, without needing to go overboard. And most importantly, it was something he had created together with the rest of them, and so Ainz felt the pride of one who has built a house all by his own two hands, however clumsy it really was.

And so today, on this fourth time they made camp, he decided that he would be building another type of house.

"I still don't see anything, my lord," Aura reported, after returning from her scouting climb. "It's still 'normal' as far as my eyes can see."

"Thank you for that, Aura," Ainz said. He looked around at them. "Well then, we should get on with building our new chambers."

"W-Will you be requiring my aid again, Ainz-sama?" Mare asked.

"Yes, that would be appreciated, Mare," Ainz said warmly. He looked up, and eyed the massive tree-trunks with a speculative grin. "Here's what we're going to do…"

A moment after they all heard Ainz's plan, Zesshi clapped. "Oh, what a marvelous idea, my lord! Can I do anything to help? I can chop down a tree maybe."

"No, there won't be a need," Ainz said, shaking his head. "Like before, we can just rely on Mare's skills, and my own. Well, you can also help by giving me ideas when I get to putting it together. Like if it looks bad, or it needs some change in its look… or something like that."

"A-Aura will do her best!" Aura said, her face looking at her brother in something like jealousy.

"Well, Aura, you can also help by having you and your beasts help with carrying the house. You can start by waiting up that tree over there." He pointed to a certain tree, which looked promising enough in his eyes.

"Understood, my lord! Come on you!" Aura all but scampered back up the tree he had indicated, while her beasts struggled to do the same.

Ainz quickly got to work. Like before, he raised up walls of wood and packed earth and stone, melding them together with Mare's help to create the bare skeleton of a domicile. Thanks to Zesshi's suggestions, it looked slightly different from before, with several adjustments to make the structure look like less of a blocky basket and more of a circular structure, like a squashed beehive. There were several openings all around the structure. Ainz used the same silky veil to cover these openings, turning them into windows and chimneys at the same time.

Then Mare did his work, and conjured up vines that attached themselves to the structure. The ends of these vines were then carried up by Ainz towards the top of the tree. Then they started pulling the structure upward, dragging it up and using the vines like a sort of rope. At the end of it, the house was now suspended high above the ground, held up by the vines which Mare had then secured to the tree itself. Their new home looked precarious as it hung in the air, propped up only by vines; but Mare's handiwork was sturdy, so there was no fear of it falling in their sleep.

As Ainz looked out through the window at the forest down below, he smiled and nodded to himself. Again, he was satisfied with what he had created, even if it seemed crude compared to what actual builders could achieve. It was a house only held together by his and Mare's enchantments, yet it was still something which filled him with pride. Even the minute swaying added to the authenticity, making it seem like they were sailing on water.

"You've done it again, my lord," Zesshi gushed, looking down through the window together with him. "A house built on top of a tree—I've heard the elves use something like this. How extraordinary!"

The twins clapped excitedly, like a pair of children that had seen something exciting.

"Certainly, as expected of you, Ainz-sama," Aura said, gushing, "You are a master in everything you do!"

"I am truly honored to have been allowed to participate in your glorious vision, Ainz-sama," Mare said next.

Ainz scratched his head. It was clear that they were praising the treehouse's construction itself, rather than being delighted at the sight. It was certainly different from how he had expected them to react. Now he wondered if they would be able to act normally with the dark elf children.

He put that idle thought to the side as they went about preparing their supper. For today Zesshi had volunteered to do the cooking. Apparently, she had been reading up a lot on "making a house" or whatever that meant—which involved activities such as cleaning and cooking in a household.

"It is a Mother's duty to be able to manage the house when the Master is away," she'd said. "And that includes being able to cook for myself, without needing to rely on others."

He had shrugged and allowed her to do as she pleased—this was something novel anyway, and Ainz wasn't going to turn down anything in this trip that seemed new and refreshing. That was part of the reason he had decided to make his own house, and had not simply conjured one as ever.

After supper was done, and everything had been cleaned up and packed away, everyone looked outside to see that night had fallen on the forest. Ainz himself walked out of the house to peer out at the darkening forest below with his own transformed eyes, watching for threats and admiring the surroundings.

For several minutes he savored the post-supper air, of satisfaction settling on his body. Standing here in front of the house he had made, surrounded by people he cared for, deep in a forest where there was no one else but the wildlife, and possibly some dark elves—he felt contentment and peace. The daytime sky above was giving way to the star-strewn firmament. For a moment he marveled at the sight, reminding him of the first time he had beheld this new world, with all its untouched splendor.

Between Ainz's detection and illusion wards, Mare's protective spells, and the collection of fierce, sleepless beasts that Aura controlled, there was no need for the party to stay awake in a rotating selection of "watches". No creature would dare breach the cordon and make an assault on their temporary home, especially if they could find it. And if they could find it, then they would still need to decide if they were actually worth attacking. And if they actually did attack, then the beasts on guard would tear them apart; and nature itself would seem to rise and brutalize them in any number of ways. By then, the wards would have alerted Ainz, and if he was awake then he could make a judgement on what to do.

The twins were the first to crawl into their makeshift beds and sleep. It really was just a collection of leaves summoned by Mare, but apparently it was as comfortable as any feather bed. He looked in on them for a bit, marveling at the way they seemed to just curl in among the many leaves strewn about. Then he left the house and stood on a sturdy-looking branch. He gazed down into the forest floor below, which had gone completely dark in the abyss of night. Not even the light from the stars above could pierce through to the depths below. If he were but a lesser man, he would have been frightened by the sea of absolute darkness.

He clenched his fist and examined the dark elf flesh that he had fashioned. He hoped it would pass muster, so their initial meeting with the native dark elves would go smoothly. If they were able to make a good first impression, then they would be able to buy these people's goodwill. And from there, it would no longer be a problem for Ainz to let Aura and Mare play with the children there.

Though he still harbored some misgivings about how they would be able to interact—they didn't quite have the mindset of adults, but it wasn't like they both acted like typical children either. He briefly worried whether or not they would be able to maintain the necessary façade for subtlety. Their long-standing orders had always been to keep their abilities and identities hidden, so as to bait in those who would do them harm. It would be problematic if, say, there was a comparable power among the dark elves, who would immediately retaliate if they discovered that the twins were not what they claimed. At that point, it would be regrettable, but he would have to intervene—and the whole trip may end up being moot.

He sighed. It was not a bridge he looked forward to crossing.

Ainz's thoughts then drifted towards the Theocracy, which was still fighting their war relatively close to this location. He wondered if the projections would end up being accurate—that the war would end before he could finish his business with the dark elves. Nazarick already had agents in place to ensure their plans there would proceed as normal, but he did want to personally get involved.

His brooding was abruptly broken when he felt a pair of fleshy bumps on his back, and two hands press themselves on his eyes.

"Guess who?" came a voice softly in his ear.

"Someone I cherish in this world," he replied. He deftly twisted to face Zesshi, whose face was flushed. He looped his own arm around her back and shared a quick, but deep kiss with her. He was filled with her entire scent, great and tantalizing.

"Puhaah… my lord…" she whispered, as she snuggled close to him, practically pushing her full weight on his body. Due to his current transformation, he was a little shorter than his usual, and was only a few inches taller than Zesshi. Their eyes were practically at the same level.

They stood there pressed together in the dark, silent but for the constant noise of nature around them, and the soft beating of their hearts.

"…You look worried, my lord," Zesshi remarked, after a while. "Your brows are furrowed, and I can feel the tensing in your body. It's almost like you're bracing against the cold, but I know this night chill is nothing for you."

Zesshi stared at him with her eyes bright and full of concern, their mismatched color portraying a sense of tenderness that he rarely saw in a person's face. Try as he might, even should he transform into a clone of Zesshi he would not be able to replicate that exact look.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," he admitted after exhaling a sigh. He looked aside from her.

"Perhaps you should relax, my love," she said. "I know you've already explored all the possibilities. So why not put the truth to this 'vacation' that you've dubbed our journey, and enjoy yourself a bit more?"

Ainz wanted to grumble back that this vacation wasn't really feeling like one, especially since a part of him did miss the triplets' presence. His children were like a part of him—irreplaceable treasures—and he felt antsy without their presence. But if he admitted it now, then he would have "lost" the disagreement he'd had with Zesshi, who had been the one advocating on bringing them along.

"Thank you for expressing your concern," he said instead. "I do appreciate it."

"… Though you haven't relaxed at all," she said, half serious and half in jest. She sighed. "Ah well, it is an endearing quirk of yours, my dear." After a pause, she rubbed his arms pointedly, causing him to look back at her. "But please allow me to share this burden with you. You know I am utterly devoted to you, Ainz-sama. You know much of me, and I of you. Allow me to share your burdens, even for just a little bit. Please."

He could tell that she was being completely earnest about this, and that she really was thinking of him. He scratched the side of his cheek. "Well, to tell you the truth, I find it all rather trivial, so it's not really a problem for me. As you said, everything has already been planned. So we shouldn't dwell on that." He smiled. "But you are right, in a way. This is supposed to be a vacation. Come, we've not been able to do this yet."

"?" She cocked her head. "What do you mean, my lord?"

Wordlessly, he cast the Fly spell on himself. Then he gave her an amulet from his internal inventory, which he had prepared beforehand. It possessed that same spell, permanently enchanted onto the item's data. It was a mere trinket for those who had other means to Fly in the game—or for whom flight was just painting an obvious target to shoot down.

"Let us fly," he said meaningfully, as she took the amulet. After she put it around her neck, he held out his hand for her to take. She smiled, and placed her hand almost shyly on his palm. Then Ainz rose into the air, a little slowly at first, to allow Zesshi to adjust to the way her body now seemed weightless, floating without gravity to weigh her down. Then with a little push, she was able to consciously fly on her own.

And with that, hand in hand, the two of them flew high above the trees, higher and higher still, until the trees down below lost their distinct shapes, and became just an endless carpet of green. Here, high in the clouds, they could see far into the horizon, towards mountains they could glimpse in the distance, plains and hills stretching far like the irregular folds of a mattress, and other, stranger lands besides.

The moon seemed so close, close enough to touch. They were both illuminated by its glow. When Ainz paused to look at Zesshi, he saw her beautiful face framed in that peaceful moonlight, her hair flitting wildly in the wind, her expression one of quiet, almost child-like joy.

He wove a spell around them, both to veil themselves from the sight of those who might be looking up at the night sky on that particular moment, while also dismissing the effects of the wind. A moment later, they were no longer being buffeted by the strong winds this high in the sky, as if they stood in a certain enclosed space, a bubble forbidding all.

With that done, he once again looked down on the land below, feeling much like some divine being beholding all of creation. He knew that if he but willed it, he could point at one corner of the world, and he could be there without any effort at all. A part of him longed to just that: to fly out and keep on flying, seeing many new things to enrich his senses.

And yet, that would just be abandoning his responsibilities. He could not just leave the work of watching and managing Nazarick to the others, even if they proudly told him that they indeed could. For even before he had vowed to protect his Mothers and the children that were to be born from him, he knew he had the responsibility of safeguarding his friends' memories—proof that they had lived and laughed, that they had really existed in Suzuki's life.

He wanted to laugh bitterly at himself. It was a certain type of laughable irony that in both his lives he still continued to work hard for the sake of others. Whether he was an insignificant underling or a powerful, godlike leader, there was no end to the troubles that required Ainz Ooal Gown to work and work until he was well and truly spent.

Ainz felt Zesshi's warm weight against his side. After a moment's thought, he raised his arm and draped them over the back of her shoulder. Even when there was no longer any cold coming at them, it still felt nice to be huddled so close to her body. He was even surprised at himself. Before, he would not have been able to resist the charms of a woman's body, especially when she was this close. But now something seemed different; she felt like a dear companion more than a lover. Lust was certainly present, but it was like a cat patiently waiting for its time to feed. And it actually didn't even feel wrong.

He glanced towards the side, his eyes narrowing as if he could see Nazarick in the distance. He always knew where it was, but from this great distance, it seemed impossible to see it even with his own eyes. He wondered how he and Zesshi's sons were doing: if they were missing their parents or if they were enjoying being showered with all sorts of attention by the others. They had already begun to respond to him and Zesshi entertaining them, smiling widely at his antics of changing his face. He wondered what those small, curious eyes thought of the world they were seeing, of the world he was building for their sakes.

Ainz then glanced to the side, and was surprised that in contrast to Nazarick, he could see the Elf Country's capital so clearly. Or rather—it was obvious where and what it was, judging from the pillar of smoke that could be seen rising far in the horizon. Though at this distance, it looked like a thin wisp of smoke emanating from a tiny candle. There appeared to be a great burning over there, but whether that was because of some sort of battle or something else entirely, he couldn't really tell.

He glanced down at Zesshi, and then did a double-take. She was wearing a most uncharacteristic frown on her face, an expression he had not seen from her in a good, long while.

It was easy to ascertain what had caused this sudden change of behavior, judging by the direction of her gaze. Her eyes were obviously pointed towards that which he had also seen; so it was easy to make a conclusion as to what had so suddenly disturbed her.

It was no secret to him that the Elf Country involved something that was connected to her intimately, perhaps more than anything in the Theocracy she had left behind. It had been about close to a year since he had claimed her in the vaults of the Theocracy after all, and they had shared many an intimate moment. He had become privy to several of her secrets, and the feelings enshrined therein—particularly of her lineage and the nature of her birth into this world.

"Zesshi?" he inquired. She said nothing; did nothing. It was as if she hadn't heard him. "Zesshi?" he repeated. "Zesshi," he tried again, now squeezing her shoulder for emphasis.

She still looked like she hadn't heard his voice at all. And it wasn't like it was some sort of childish rebellion or anything like that. She seemed to be genuinely lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to his words. It was as if something she had seen had hypnotized her with a powerful mind-affecting spell, keeping her in a mindless, mesmerized state.

He rubbed his chin and almost exhaled a sigh. He had an inkling on what exactly was going on in Zesshi's mind. But this wasn't really what he had in mind when he flew up here with her.

Ainz clucked his tongue. There was nothing for it; if this didn't work then he'd have to be more drastic. He cleared his throat and uttered the name of the woman next to him—a name she had revealed to him before.

"Antilen."

Zesshi's eyes blinked rapidly, before she gasped and turned to look at him. The spell she was under was seemingly broken.

"Um… sorry…" she said, though she still seemed distracted by whatever she was thinking. "… I wasn't paying attention, my lord… Did you say something?"

"You'd been staring," he said, without any judgment in his voice.

"Ah… my bad, I'm really sorry," Zesshi said, dipping her head towards him. "It shan't happen again, I promise!"

He could only smile at her antics. The tone of her voice suggested that she was very sorry for what she had been doing. In response, he swept her into a deeper hug.

Antilen Helan Fuche. Zesshi had whispered that name to him, on one particular evening long ago. She had still been pregnant then, and it was one of those rare occasions where he hadn't been asleep swaddled in the embrace of his Mothers after an orgy. After their private lovemaking, he and Zesshi had come to talking, and it was then that she confessed that the name by which he had known her was but an appellation.

Antilen. That was her real name. And yet it was not a name to which she was attached. It was the name of a woman who had not yet known bliss, who had not yet met Ainz Ooal Gown, nor less bear his children. It was a woman who was stoic in her continued service to the Slaine Theocracy, to justify their investment into one with such power as she possessed. It was the name of the life she had discarded eagerly when she had given herself to the invader of the vaults one particular day, their connection sealed with their bodies.

The fact of her name was one of the secrets that they shared with each other. Just as Ainz told her of his past as Suzuki, so too did Zesshi eventually reciprocate by telling her of the "other" her, who possessed the name Antilen. And just like Ainz, she wasn't too keen on being called by that former self, as if she was content to bury it in her memories—a secret known only to her.

By sharing that secret with him, they had entered a mutual exchange of trust. It was an acknowledgment of the deep connection the two of them shared, one that not even the other Mothers ever suspected.

"So would you prefer to be called Zesshi, or Antilen?" he had asked.

"Zesshi," she had replied promptly. "Always Zesshi. I am Zesshi here in your arms, and Zesshi outside facing the world. I am, and shall always be Zesshi Zetsumei, my lord."

And so he had agreed, and then left it at that.

"It's okay. You know I understand," he now said, while floating high above the forest. "As I said before, you are now a precious thing to me, Zesshi Zetsumei. Whatever problems you may have, be assured that I shall be there with you. Always."

"Ainz-sama…" Her hands squeezed his clothes as she buried her face in her shoulder. He thought she was about to cry, but she just stayed there like that. With her voice still muffled, she spoke. "I just… it just hit me… seeing that place with my own eyes… I felt such a swell of hatred come from within me, and suddenly in my mind it's like I'm back in my uniform, on stand-by, eternally waiting for the order to finally mobilize and strike down my father. That was what I have been trained for, all my life, after all. That was all my life was ultimately worth, in their eyes. A most powerful Godkin, nothing but a weapon to strike down the Elf King in his ultimate arrogance, as payback for a wrong done before my birth."

He let her speak, let her pour out the words from her mouth in a constant torrent, unleashing her feelings without being interrupted. It wasn't the first time he had heard those words from Zesshi, for he had long learned from her the truth of what she had once been, as "Antilene".

It was a certain truth about Zesshi Zetsumei; a truth which in hindsight he would have preferred not to have learned at all. For it infuriated his soul like few else could.

During those intimate times, filled with her soft breathing and the warmth of her naked body pressed against his own, she wove him a story of her patrimony. Of the circumstances of her birth and the destiny to which she had been assigned. It was the bizarre tale of a girl born from hate, forged with hate and made to strike with an all-consuming hate—named Antilen Helan Fouche.

It was a story that many in the Theocracy knew. It began in a violent manner. An Elf, impudent and obstinate, stole into the depths of the Theocracy and stole away one of their own. A rescue was mounted, and succeeded gloriously. Yet the Elf had already gotten his fill, and had reached his goal besides. He would leave that former maiden with his seed, proof of his passing: in the form of a child now growing within her womb.

And so was born Antilene. Even from the start, they could sense great potential in the child, for the effect of her blood seemed far greater than any of the other Godkins. Thus, her destiny was decided for her even as she wailed, forgotten, in the nursery. It took a while to find a nursemaid who could be trusted to feed the young Godkin, as her mother absolutely refused to feed her from her teats.

This was to be the foundation of the relationship between mother and daughter. Perhaps the mother could not be wholly blamed for disregarding Antilene, for being the living reminder of her dishonor. Perhaps the kinder thing to do would have been to give her for another to care, and to completely disavow giving birth to her at all.

Instead, she had chosen to raise the child, to raise Antilen as a dagger against her ignoble sire.

She fostered the strength that was soon to bloom in her small body. All the arts of war and magic that could be bestowed upon a Godkin—and even more than that. Antilen would drink deep of the chalice of knowledge, so much that she might well have drowned in its depths. She had sought only to please her mother, a reasonable thing to expect of a child who did not yet know of the ways of the world.

She filled her mind with the poisonous truth of her tainted lineage, and of the cruel circumstances of her birth. She planted the seeds of hatred in Antilen, and nourished it with a few drops of kindness that she could allow as a mother. From the start she was made to understand that her birth was not something ordained by the gods, that her mother had been wronged by a vile being—and that she herself would be the arbiter of justice that would return all things to balance.

She forged her to be a weapon in mind, body and soul. She would be the perfect tool to inflict terrible vengeance against her sire. Titles like "beloved" or "daughter" were distractions from the true goal which her mother and the Theocracy had intended for her.

Faced with such terrible truths, Ainz could not quite muster a response. After all, he was himself a man who did not know much of father or mother. At the very least, he was more fortunate in that the circumstances of his former existence made it so he didn't need to care for either, as they had never been a factor of his life. He had felt pride in the fact that he had pulled himself through life all through his own hands, even when it was still ultimately shitty.

But he would have liked to have parents all the same. And the world had taught him enough to tell him that there were shitty things to do to people. And what Zesshi's father had done, and what her mother had also subsequently done to her, were shitty things. And so they were shitty "parents", in the sense of being the ones to give rise to her.

Months later he would have an answer to what a parent should be, when he beheld the triplets in their mothers' arms. In that moment he knew, and perhaps even vowed to himself subconsciously:

He would be there for his children. And he would never allow himself or their Mothers to become shitty parents.

Presently, he was still hugging Zesshi in midair, comforting her and waiting for her to say anything more.

"…. Sorry," she said after what seemed like a long time." She was sniffling, but not outright crying just yet. "I know we already talked about this before."

"No, my dear, you have nothing to apologize for," Ainz said.

"I know," she repeated. He could feel her clenching her hands, as if she was coming to some conclusion. "Just now, when I was looking at that place, I just felt… I don't know. I just felt like I wanted to be there, personally burning the whole place down. It's something I feel deep inside me, and yet I also know this rage is not completely mine. It's something she left me: a gift from a shitty mother."

Ainz had been quick to point out the flaws in Zesshi's thinking: that a mother was not supposed to be doing those things to their children. She had claimed that training her as a powerful warrior, and arming her with everything she knew was her own way of showing love. And yet when he pressed her for any other experience she had with her mother, Zesshi could not offer any sort of kind memory. She claimed she could not remember: but he guessed that there might be a better explanation. There was nothing to remember.

That was perhaps the first time he had ever scolded Zesshi. He had told her that no matter what, this was no way of showing one's love. She was only using Zesshi for her own ends, an entirely selfish act that did not consider her own feelings. And even if she had been able to fulfill her responsibilities of caring for her and ensuring she grew up, that was like caring for a good pet so they could more easily bite off the throats of their enemies. Where was the love in that?

Perhaps she really had possessed love for her daughter. In her own way, in private, and never shown to her. He could believe that. And if they had been able to meet, he would have liked to sit down and talk with her to set things straight.

But that was impossible. And he now had his own responsibility to care for his lover. Therefore, he knew it was now his obligation to rip out the thorns that gripped her heart, so that they wouldn't bother her any longer.

"It's like you said," Zesshi said next, turning to look back at the sight of the distant Elf capital, this time with a determined look. "I shall no longer define myself by who my parents are, or what they intended with me. My life is my own… and well, in a way, it is yours now, too, my lord." She glanced back at him, her face breaking out into a small smile. "In this, I am thankful for your greater wisdom, my lord. Without you, I would not have seen a most crucial perspective. Though bitter as I was at my fate, I knew of no other alternative. I am truly grateful that you entered my life."

Ainz squeezed her body and said nothing. He really couldn't say anything to that, as he was not gifted with the talent of making up a speech on the fly. He hoped that his feelings could still be conveyed to her through his body.

"Well then…" he said, speaking casually as if he was merely remarking on the weather. "Zesshi, I did promise that I wouldn't be going into the Elf Country while we still had the dark elves to go to, but on the off-chance that it does end up happening. Do you still think you would be able to confront the King?" If it really came to it, it seemed very fitting for Zesshi to be the one to confront her sire, even if it was in a way still fulfilling her destiny.

She stiffened, then looked up to stare at him for a few moments. Then she blinked and grinned. "Obviously. If there's one thing that shitty mother of mine was able to drill into my mind, it's that I won't be feeling any remorse about fighting that guy."

"Hmmm…" He stared off into the distance, deep in thought. "Should such a confrontation actually happen, are you still certain that you are indeed able to beat him?"

"Of course!" Zesshi all but exclaimed. She raised her brows and looked at him as if he had made a bad joke. "There's no question about it Ainz-sama. I mean, it's a given that the King might have some tricks up his sleeve, but I've been prepared for it ever since I could walk. If I were fully equipped with all my armaments, I would be using it to do an effective first strike. Aiming for a clean hit as much as possible."

Some of Zesshi's equipment was being used by the doppelganger who had been sent to replace her role in the Theocracy, in order to better reinforce the lie that she hadn't been spending months pregnant and in Nazarick. Said doppelganger was also a spy who routinely sent back various information relate to its meetings with the higher echelons of the Theocracy. This allowed them to know, for example, that the Theocracy had actively been looking to court Ainz, after he'd revealed himself during that Peace Summit.

Ainz presently nodded to himself as if satisfied with Zesshi's answer. "Yes… it is apparent that even without my help you would be able to triumph. Well, the truth is also that I am helping you, especially with the new equipment you're wearing." Such things were valuable equipment from the Treasury that he had generously gifted her. Bearing such powerful items, there was little chance of her finding herself wanting against the Elf King.

He glanced down at Zesshi. "He doesn't stand a chance," he said.

"He truly does not," she said in agreement. Her grin widened, tinged with a little bloodthirst.

He took one last look at the distant smoking city before shaking his head. "Come on then. Let us go back and rest."

As they descended back down towards the forest below, he heard Zesshi say, "Thank you, my love. You always know how to cheer me up."

He grinned down at her. "What sort of husband would I be if I could not brighten my wife's mood when she's down?"

For a moment she just stared up at him, eyes wide. Slowly, her face turned red, until the color completely overtook everything. Then she crinkled her eyes and nodded vigorously. "Yeah! It is as you say. Thank you… Suzuki."

It was his turn to look surprised at the way she had addressed him. Much like she had revealed that Antilen had been her name, but that she preferred to be called Zesshi; he too had told her of Suzuki's existence, and that he preferred to be Ainz Ooal Gown. Yet her name was taboo, and should never be invoked until it really was necessary, for she disliked it. On the other hand, his name was something intimate, as it was not like he hated Suzuki. So when she did call him Suzuki, it was meant to be as if she was calling him by his nickname, something only to be uttered when they were alone with each other.

Their descent continued, and now he could once again make out the individual leaves on each tree below them. As if to punctuate their arrival, his spell from earlier reached its end, and the breeze once more buffeted them, causing their hair to flap wildly behind their heads.

He heard Zesshi utter a word, something that sounded like, "ahead" or something, but he missed it in the sound of the roaring wind. Since she didn't elaborate, he let it be.

They alighted on the tree outside his manufactured tree-house and found things were exactly the same as when they had left. Zesshi walked a few steps, before turning around and grinning at him mischievously.

He cocked his head. "Hm? What's up?"

She reached out and caressed the front of his clothes with a finger. "Now that I've looked at you more, my lord, I should honestly tell you that I prefer your taller, more human form. And yet, it's not like this dark elf's bad in comparison." Her grin turned wicked, and he could see her tongue licking at the underside of her lip. "So why don't we test out this new body of yours, while we've got the chance? I would love to explore all its… quirks. We are two elves, after all, here in our element."

Ainz hummed to himself. He glanced towards the treehouse, wondering if the twins might wake up and start wondering where they were. It wasn't like he had given them instructions on what to do if he were absent.

Still, he hadn't had the chance to "try" this dark elf persona with anyone yet. It seemed, fitting, somehow, that his First as Ainz would become his First in this form too.

He pulled Zesshi close to him. He squeezed one of her buttocks. "Well then… now is as good a time as any to test this body of mine. Shall we?"

Zesshi's sultry laugh was all the answer he needed.

---

Aura suddenly opened her eyes, and rose from the bed of leaves on which she had been lying. She yawned and blinked several times, and stretched her arms above her head. She looked left and right. The sun's rays could be seen inching through the opening on the treehouse. On her left lay her brother Mare, who was still sleeping.

"This sleepyhead…" she muttered with a frown. Even back in Nazarick, he'd always been a bit too slow in waking up in the mornings. Though she couldn't really accuse her brother of being lazy, as he was just as much of a hard-worker as anyone in Nazarick should be. "Ah, but, wasn't there something…?"

Aura could not shake off the feeling that she had forgotten something mightily important. It was a strong nagging that tugged at her consciousness, like an itch that she could not scratch easily. She tilted her head to one side and then the other.

When the realization hit her, she immediately jumped to her feet. "Ainz-sama!" she exclaimed.

She had entirely forgotten to greet him a good night before sleeping!

It was such a stupidly big blunder to make. She wasn't even sure what she could blame this on. Was it the food that had caused her to feel sleepy? Was it Mare for falling asleep before her and making her sleepy too? Was it herself for forgetting to greet Ainz-sama before she did fall asleep?

She rushed outside, looking frantically around for any sign of Ainz-sama. The sun was already rising, so it was easier to see Ainz-sama by sight—though he wasn't there. Only her little pets were present, still guarding the tree silently as they had been assigned.

She went back inside the house, just to check if she had missed Ainz-sama.

"Not here…" And the other woman wasn't here too.

Ainz-sama had left, somehow. For a moment, she felt a mild panic, like a kid that has been abandoned in a store. But her good sense (and instinct) reasserted themselves in her mind, and she instead started thinking about what she should do in this situation. It was a given that Ainz-sama would return, but she really did need to apologize to him as soon as possible.

While Aura ruminated in this way, Mare stirred awake, quite uncharacteristically for the old sleepyhead.

"Sister, what's with all the running…?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I could feel your footsteps even in my sleep… Your voice too…"

"We forgot to say goodnight to Ainz-sama you idiot!" she all but shouted. She didn't know why she was berating her brother, but it felt right.

Mare froze, then launched to his feet with the same speed as Aura. He looked around frantically, his face a rictus of fear and trepidation.

"He's not here," Aura said, stopping him in his tracks as he strode towards the exit. "And he's not outside either."

Mare paused, before kneeling down and putting his hand on the floor. Aura recognized it as something her twin could do—which was somehow consulting with the tree itself, or probably nature (she wasn't really sure). Maybe he was asking where Ainz was?

"… You're right," Mare said, rising back to his feet. "He's not here. Neither of them are."

They looked at each other, and shared a brief exchange of understanding. Each twin recognized that they had in their own ways forgotten to give Ainz-sama his proper due. Therefore, this was not the time to tease or admonish the other one; this was the time to unite and hopefully accomplish their goals at the same time.

"I'll go ask Fenrir," Aura said, walking back outside. She wondered why she'd missed thinking about that before. Maybe the panic had made her blind to the possibility of demanding an answer from her pets, who would surely have known where Ainz had gotten to.

Fenrir was a loyal, eager sort, and was keen to tell her that Ainz-sama and that Zesshi had indeed left; but that was some hours ago now. They hadn't said anything to them, and so they just continued on with their duties to hold position and keep watch over the place. And it wasn't like they could really be blamed for anything. It was not like his master had been awake to say anything different.

Aura kicked the insolent hound in the shins for that little piece of cheek, then returned to Mare.

"… They left some hours ago. They were flying," Aura said aloud, informing her brother. They both looked up, as if expecting to see Ainz's shape somehow. But they could not see anything.

Fenrir then growled something. She started. "Wait what? Explain you mutt." She waited a few, before glaring at the large hound. The latter quailed at her look, ducking its head in submission before her. "Well, you gotta clarify that first! Why you little…" She was just about to stomp over to Fenrir and give him yet another wallop when Mare's voice came.

"What's the matter, sister?"

"…Fenrir says Ainz-sama and the other did leave hours before that and flew. But that they did come back later and then jumped down below." Without further ado, Aura took a running leap off the top of the tree, and landed firmly on her two feet on the ground below. Behind her, Mare also appeared, having descended using a branch that had carried him down here.

"Let's see…" Aura mused, crouching down and focusing her senses. She could discern her own scent and that of her brother's, which along with Ainz were many hours old, matching the time they had arrived in this place. There were the fresher scents of other creatures who had managed to walk over this place, oblivious to their presence up above.

Then, close to that, was the smell she had been looking for. It was Ainz-sama's, and that woman's; and was leading further into the forest. Just as Fenrir claimed, it was only a few hours old. Aura immediately followed that trail, bounding off into the trees in great leaps while Mare scurried to keep pace. Soon enough the trail grew more distinct.

It was then that Aura's keen senses sniffed something strange that made her hesitate. At the same time, Mare said, "What's that sound?"

Annoyed that he had heard it before her, she flashed a glare at her brother before verifying that there was indeed a strange sound—something that was unusual for the forest. It was a loud, slapping, like flesh hitting each other.

*Plap!* *Plap!* *Plap!*

Her ears twitched, and the twins shared a confused look. Was this the appearance of an enemy?

They walked a few more steps, guided by Aura's senses. All the while it was clear that the trail was leading towards the same place where the noises seemed to be originating. As the trail grew stronger, the strange scent in her nose grew thick, like a particularly unpleasant-smelling flower, causing her face to twist. And not only that, the sounds also grew louder. They could also now hear a woman's voice. It took her a moment to determine that it was that woman's voice. It sounded like she was crying. Was Ainz-sama finally scolding the impudent outsider?

"What is it, sister?" Mare asked from behind her. "You stopped so suddenly, have you found Ainz-sama?"

Aura scrunched her face in thought. Was she really on the right track? It did feel like Ainz-sama was indeed here, but something in the air told her that she should turn back. And yet the instincts ingrained inside her informed her that her skills had not lied to her. Ainz-sama was indeed here.

There was nothing to it then. She called out, voice loud enough to echo into the forest. "Ainz-sama, is that you? Are you there?"

Suddenly, the mysterious noises in front of them ceased. The woman's crying also stopped, though she could still hear it somewhat, when she strained her ears to listen. For a good long moment, there was silence.

Then Ainz's voice came from the forest's depths, in answer to her query. It was the same deep, commanding voice as before, though in this situation it was as if the spirit of the forest itself had responded to her query.

"Ah, Aura, you're awake…? I thought you'd be sleeping in for a bit more."

"Well, the sun's already up, Ainz-sama," Aura said. She glanced at Mare. The two of them were internally relieved that Ainz-sama was here, and had not just "left"—always a concern when it came to the Supreme Beings—not that they didn't have any faith in Ainz-sama, though, no! "And, well, we had something to confess, for we did something wrong."

"Oh?"

Aura bowed, and Mare was quick to follow. "I'm sorry for not greeting you a good night before sleeping Ainz-sama!"

"I… I—I as well, Ainz-sama! Please forgive us for this lapse!" Mare cried behind her.

"… Mare's here too…? Hm…" Ainz didn't say anything to them for a few moments. "… W-well, it's fine isn't it. It is all in the past. You need not worry about such a thing. The important thing to remember is to not do it again in the future."

"Yes! Certainly!" Aura and Mare cried, as one.

"… So then please… ummmm… You can go back asleep if you want. There are just a few things I—"

"Ainz-sama, are you alright?" Aura said, taking a few steps forward. "Have you encountered an enemy?" Had he defeated it and was now interrogating it in private? "Do you require our help? I heard some woman crying earlier—was that Zesshi Zetsumei-sama or something else?"

"Wait, wait, wait, you two, don't come closer! Stay right where you are!" For some reason, Ainz's voice sounded panicked. But they were obedient and stayed put just as he wanted. They stood there waiting for a good, long while, basking in the sounds of the forest all around them, before there came a rustling from the undergrowth in front of Aura.

"Ainz-sama!"

It was indeed Ainz who emerged from those bushes, in the form of his dark elf disguise. He did some stretching things with his arms. Aura observed that his clothes looked messy for some reason, but that might just be from whatever he was doing in the forest.

Ainz coughed repeatedly. "Apologies about that, you two. I was just… um, helping Zesshi with something. It's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, may we assist?" Aura said.

Ainz stared at them blankly for a good long, moment before he frowned and rubbed his forehead. "N-no, it's—don't worry about, like I said. It's all been taken care of. Anyway, you're right to mention the sun is up. Let's not waste any more time—sorry, I mean… Let's go back and put everything away."

"Let's go then, Ainz-sama!" Aura said.

"Err… no, I have to—" Ainz scratched his cheek. He cleared his throat again. "Listen, I'd like you to start dismantling the magical wards, Mare. And Aura, watch over him."

"Ainz-sama, you don't want to turn this into an outpost?"

Ainz paused, as if he was thinking on something, then he shook his head. "… No, that's not… No, that's alright. Yeah, just go do what I said."

"Affirmative, Ainz-sama," Mare said, straightening in a salute.

"I shall do as you say, Ainz-sama," Aura said in her turn. Then with that, the twins turned and went back in the direction of the camp.

They did not notice Ainz slump his shoulders, nor hear his audible sigh of relief.

---

He was still, understandably, riding the high from "riding" Zesshi. He had been so into it that Aura's words had registered at first as a delusion in his mind. A delusion that he instantly questioned, as he was not wont to think of those two while he was having sex, nor less imagine their voices calling out to him.

One need not imagine his surprise then, when the delusion actually turned out to be true. The twins had gone looking for him, as he had feared, and they had instantly found out where he and Zesshi had gone. He instantly regretted a lot of things: such as not finding a more suitable place, not using more powerful spells to mask their presence, or even thinking about having sex while he was bringing the twins with him—a lot of self-recrimination while he was still doing it with Zesshi.

It took a lot of self-control to pull out from her, and not just continue giving into his urges to breed Zesshi. It was only the threat of having Aura and Mare actually go in and witness the deed personally that he had been frightened off. He was certainly not that kind of pervert, no!

Even now, after he had seen them off, he was still tempted to return to Zesshi and continue. But he knew that if he succumbed to that urge then he wouldn't be able to help himself from going on and on. And then Aura and Mare might just return once again, and this time they might just do something worse, like sneak up on him.

And personally, this kind of was wasting time a bit.

And so, with much regret, he went back to tell Zesshi that fun time was over. He gave her a few minutes of rest, as it seemed her mind was still rather out of it.

Much later, Ainz watched as his treehouse was carefully disassembled. Most of it was from Mare dispelling the nature spells that were binding it together, which meant that eventually the whole thing just fell apart into its constituent parts. The elements he had conjured also dissipated on his command, leaving only those that the magic had taken directly from the world itself. In other words, all that were left were several uneven slabs of wood and some rocks that had been left behind.

"Well then," Ainz said, looking around at their party. "Let's get moving."

Zesshi's face betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. And yet Ainz could see that her expression was "glowing" for lack of a better description. It usually happened whenever she had been seeded, a particular kink of hers that he was always glad to oblige. Now, whether or not their last rendezvous had ended up impregnating her successfully for her to start bearing a new child or children remained to be seen. It would have made for an interesting location for these possible children to have been conceived. Though Ainz and Zesshi were not entirely sure about it, they still believed that she had been impregnated with the triplets during their very first rendezvous together, deep in the vaults.

It had been somewhat annoying that their little session had been interrupted by the twins. He had been sure he had cast the appropriate protective spells. Then again, they were high-level Floor Guardians, so perhaps had been too weak against them. He hadn't really expected them to come search for them though, something which he would remember to address for any future instances. Yet it was still praiseworthy for them to have used their initiative to search for him.

Their travel continued relatively normally for the rest of the day. Aura and Mare scouted ahead with Fenrir, while Ainz and Zesshi rested on the flying carpet.

After some time, Aura came running back, personally, dashing out from the trees to stop, breathless in front of them.

"Ainz-sama!" she cried. "Fenrir says he's found 'people'! I think this is it! The elves!"

Apparently, Fenrir had detected signs of civilization. In this case, it was a broken arrow shaft, lying on the ground. It might have been missed if Ainz had gone alone, as it was a small inconspicuous thing.

"Well done, Aura, and you too, Fenrir," he said, in congratulations. Aura and Fenrir looked proud at his praise, even as he examined the shaft. So far, his divinations had not shown him anything noteworthy about it. It was just an ordinary item, with no powerful data attached to it.

"We must be close, then," Zesshi observed. "We can guess these are close to their hunting grounds. Even if we assume they range for their food far enough away from their homes, it still means we are already in their vicinity."

"You're right," Ainz said, putting the broken arrow shaft away for reference. That meant they were close to their goal. Finally, they would be able to get their answers.

As they continued onward, Aura had somehow managed to snag a particularly large beast, which looked like a massive bear with a peculiar club-shaped tail. Even Zesshi had been taken aback by the sheer size and ferocity of the thing.

"Well, that thing looks like it could pack quite a punch!" she said, whistling.

And yet Aura was unperturbed by its size.

"Can I keep him, Ainz-sama?" she begged.

"So long as you can control him, then fine," he said, frowning at the beast. It was certainly an impressive-looking specimen to encounter this deep in the forest. Would that mean that this area, if taken in terms of the game, was one of those elite, high-level places, that no unprepared Player should enter? If so, then what did that mean for those dark elves who lived close to here? Was there a possibility that they might be elites as well?

"An interesting find in any case," he said in conclusion, watching the giant beast slink off in the direction of Aura's finger, like a dog that had been dismissed by its owner. "Will this vacation get a lot more interesting? I wonder."

"I certainly hope so, my lord!" Zesshi chirped.

---

More and more as the day of her delivery approached, Clementine felt as if her body was bloating up even more than usual. She felt "full" all over, as if not only her stomach had fed, but her mind and soul as well. It made it very difficult for her to want to exercise, nor less move, like her brain was telling her off for even entertaining the notion. She just wanted to lay back and caress her pregnant belly for hours on end, fantasizing about the day when she could start hugging her little brat like she did Zesshi's. A baby truly born from her own cunt and no one else's.

Thinking about that woman reminded Clementine of her and Ainz's little "trip". She didn't really care for the reasons that had been stated or their trip; only that Zesshi and Ainz would ostensibly be alone for much of it. Therefore, it stank so much like a honeymoon of sorts.

So it seemed reasonable to assume that Zesshi would be pregnant again after coming home from this trip.

No, it wasn't even an assumption—Clementine would bet big fat stacks of gold that it was going to be a foregone conclusion. A lot of things can happen when people get horny, and her lover was not one to discriminate on time or place when the mood hit him. That was what she liked about him in the first place.

She sighed. Well, compared to the other Mothers who fretted about Zesshi's special alone time with Ainz, she wouldn't worry about the possibility of her being impregnated or not. It was a waste of energy, when she could be thinking more about herself. Obviously, she would ask Ainz for a trip of her own, where she could have loads of baby-making sex with the father of her child. She would certainly be looking forward to it.

Clementine looked up as a maid approached. The maid was carrying a tray of food from the pantry, something a bit more personalized for her own needs than what was already prepared on the tables here in the Mother's Hall. She would have gotten it herself, but her current condition added a touch of sloth to her mind. And of course, she also knew that these maids were ready to fulfill almost any request that a Mother like her made, as commanded by Ainz. So why the heck shouldn't she do it?

Understandably, she wasn't to abuse this as these maids considered people like her an "outsider", which meant she couldn't just go around turning them into lackeys. Word would spread to the troublesome Mothers, whom she really didn't want to antagonize. She'd leave all that boring scheming to Zesshi and the rest.

"Here you are, my lady," the maid said, laying down the tray before her to eat. She rubbed her hands together as the spectacular aroma of several dishes wafted her way.

"Thank you, my dear, you've been most helpful."

"Please call on us anytime!" the blonde maid replied enthusiastically. She bowed and walked away, to take up her position and wait for further orders from her—or any other Mother, really.

Clementine paid her no more mind and turned to the food that had been brought for her. She licked her lips and dug in, without even bothering to use the silver that had been helpfully provided. Seated as she was in the depths of luxury and comfort, she was practically immune from the societal niceties demanded in the outside world. She cared not that she would be seen and judged for wolfing everything down like an uncultured peasant; there was only one person to whom she feared censure and disapproval. And he wasn't here, he was out there with another of his women.

Accordingly, her fingers shredded the meat mercilessly in order to shovel huge chunks of it in her mouth. They parted hot loaves of white bread, so soft and fluffy that they practically melted inside her throat. She drank deep and direct from bowls of steaming soup and from a pitcher of cold ambrosia, each gulp satisfying and refreshing. She glutted herself completely on the food, all for the sake of her child and for her own hunger.

Sometime later Clementine was sitting back and picking her teeth with the bone of the animal she had just devoured. She rather felt like a prize pig, being slowly fattened up. A part of her was more pleased that she had eaten a lot, knowing that most of it would be going to her brat, whom she wanted to be healthy and strong, like its papa.

It was then another person entered the Hall. A quick glance made her instantly crinkle her eyes in amusement.

It was the transformed Ueda, with the breasts that defied all reason. She was carrying a tray filled with her own food. As she was still at an early stage of pregnancy, it was reasonable to assume that she was more accustomed to getting her own food instead of making a maid do it.

"Clementine," the woman greeted, without breaking a stride. Her brows raised in the aristocratic manner, though she knew for a fact this bitch wasn't a noble in any stretch of the imagination.

"Yo," she said, unabashedly raising her greasy hand in salute. Clementine saw that she was packing on a lot of fruits on her tray.

To her surprise, Ueda did not take a seat far away from her and instead took one just a few strides across from where she was sitting. She narrowed he eyes. This usually meant that there was going to be a talk of sorts.

Ueda stared at her for a moment, and she stared back. Long gone were the days when she needed to bow to this waste of space. And yet, it wasn't like she couldn't just ignore her completely, now that she was a mother.

After another long moment of staring, Ueda stirred and took out her knife. "At least try to be a bit more modest, even when Ainz-sama's not around."

"Hm?" She'd have thought she'd comment on the greasy state of her face and her fingers. But apparently, she was focusing more on the fact that Clementine was hardly wearing anything at all, just a few strips to cover her lady parts and her nipples. She was practically sitting there naked; but that was what she preferred, so why give her grief over it?

Clementine grunted. "And you should try not scarfing down too much. Or that boob o' yours gonna end up being bigger than your head." She snickered. "Or were you intending to use those as stands… for food perhaps? I must admit, I like the convenience. You ever done that? Of course you did. If you haven't you should really try it. Why didn't I ever think of that…? Oh, but I might just end up spilling all over."

Ueda bit into a red fruit, likely an apple. She raised a brow at her. "You know the healers have already told me that fact. Because I'm carrying a lot, my breasts will get bigger than either of our heads. Perhaps enough to smack some sense in you, huh?"

Clementine guessed that her sheer size might be because she was carrying multiple—six she last heard. Perhaps there was really a connection between boob size and number of children expected; that whore attached to Sebas was also the same. "Two boobs that could feed all six…" she remarked, while still in thought. "… And yet still only two nipples. Ain't that a shame." She blinked and looked at Ueda, who was still chewing her food.

After swallowing, Ueda pointed a finger at her, like a judge extending a sentence. "Your barb's lost a bit of its bite. You're sure missing him a lot, huh?"

She allowed herself to laugh at that. "So you're reading my deepest thoughts now? Wow. Maybe an increase in those boobs is actually related to getting a big head. Maybe I should aspire to it. Wait, no, getting a head too big for my body's bound to be disastrous… ahhh…"

"Come now, Clementine," Ueda said, chuckling to herself as she sliced up another fruit with a knife to get at its edible innards. "This posturing is beyond you. I miss him too, I shall readily admit. We are all his women, and we always pine for his love and attention."

Clementine snorted. "I most certainly don't pine, like some addled fool."

Ueda rolled her eyes. "Even I can tell you're being a little too bitchy this moment. What's the matter? Are you worried for the Master? And why should you be? He is a God, and it is only self-evident that nothing can stand in his way."

"I'm not worried about him, I know his damned strength myself, I did fight him," Clementine groused. She leaned back and frowned. "It's just… he brought her along."

Ueda nodded, while continuing to take bites. "Ah, I see. The First of our number, who has birthed such cute bundles of joy. You are worried Ainz-sama will somehow trip on a tree root, land face first on top of her, his cock slipping neatly inside her vagina to seed her anew."

"What a vivid imagination you have, Captain!" Clementine said, clapping her hands mockingly.

Ueda made a dismissive gesture. "As Mothers we must always be expected to be seeded by him to birth his children. It is not only a sacred duty; it is also our pleasure. Or do you disagree?"

"For someone who claims to have a brilliant mind, you can be incredibly obtuse," Clementine spat. "I'm not talking about Ainz possibly getting it on with her—that's already a given, and I'm fully expecting the healers to declare her pregnant when she comes back. No, what I was more thinking about is the fact that he brought her there. There. The Elf Country."

Ueda said nothing, and merely continued to chew on her food. "… I see now. You may have a point. But I don't think Zesshi's stupid enough to pursue a vendetta—not when Ainz-sama is there. And as far as I know, Ainz-sama still has no intention on intervening in that conflict. I wanted him to reveal himself to the Theocracy, but he would not, so we know he has no intention of aiding them; nor would he willingly side with those who gave insult to his first lover." She raised a finger. "And let us not forget that Zesshi is devoted to the Master. If he says no, then she won't do anything."

"Well, what if she wants it?" Clementine asked. "Really wanted to stick it to her esteemed pops?"

"Zesshi's no longer under the Theocracy's control," Ueda replied. "She has seen an enlightenment far greater than what she has been told. She has a place more exalted than any in this world. She may hate her sire, true, but enough to attempt to kill him, especially if Ainz-sama doesn't want to? I'm not so sure about that."

"Your point is that they may not get into that scuffle if Ainz-sama's not interested," Clementine said. "Well, how about this: what if he is interested?"

"Hm?" Ueda cocked her head. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that a fight between Ainz-sama and the Elf King's pretty much inevitable," Clementine said. "Knowing him like I do. Can you guess?"

Ueda scowled, before shaking her head. "… Maybe you have a point. The reports have always maintained that the Elf-King's got a good-sized collection of treasure in his vault." Clementine was well-aware of Ainz's predilection for things of value, especially if they were rare or interesting. He was much like a dragon or a magpie, hoarding such things and taking them here to Nazarick. The story of how he and Zesshi had met in the vaults of the Theocracy capital was known to all, and it didn't need a smart mind to look beneath the surface, to glimpse the personality of a man who would dare such a thing.

"It'd make sense for him to slip and try to take it all, especially in the middle of the siege. And maybe the Elf-King'll be there, protecting it. Zesshi might just get the fight she was destined for…" Clementine concluded.

"… The timing fits," Ueda said after a time. "I've been able to get reports from my doppelganger counterpart—it's all to square some things only I would know. But it did tell me that the Theocracy were about to commit to an all-out assault soon, unleashing everything they've got. And obviously that would involve her. She wouldn't be allowed to miss this opportunity to finally bring that bastard to rights."

"That place'll be annihilated," Clementine said in a deadpan. "But to get back to what I was saying—the timing fits. Ainz-sama just left, and the fight's about to heat up for the Elf-King. A good opportunity to get some raiding done."

Ueda clucked her tongue. "Such disrespect… Although, you do make some sense."

"And then there's those twins he brought with him," Clementine said. "Have you been wondering why he did that? Well, going with what we're talking about, you might have an idea why."

"It might ignite a conflict," Ueda mused.

"It might even be a test for them," Clementine said. Ueda frowned, no doubt thinking about how bad it would be to let children fight the King. But then again, as with everything from Nazarick, those weren't ordinary children. The dark elf twin's status was such that they were supposedly at a rank with Cocytus or Demiurge. So they possessed a lot of power in those small frames, enough that they could conquer a country by themselves.

"It'll only end up being a test for him," Ueda said, chuckling.

Clementine blinked, as an idea came to her on that very moment. She then smiled widely, something that made Ueda raise her brow.

"What is it?"

"Oh, you're right my dear," she said, still grinning. "It would be a test for the Elf King. A test to see if he's worthy—if she is worthy enough to become Ainz-sama's."

"What are you—no, are you suggesting…?" Ueda said with a gasp. Clementine only raised her brow pointedly at her—at her, a clear example of her point.

Surprisingly, Ueda launched to her feet, and all but shrieked in a vehement voice. "Ainz-sama wouldn't! He—he wouldn't want to—" she paused. "Zesshi wouldn't want it, in the first place! He knows how Zesshi feels… Do you think she should just allow something like that to happen? It would be outright blasphemous to think he would even spare a thought for trash like that!"

Clementine shook her head. "I can't believe I'm the smart one here, Captain. A few minutes ago you just accepted that Ainz was not one to overlook things of value. Consider that the Elf-King is a strong sort of existence; I know that, and you know that. Well, it would not be unusual if Ainz ends up bringing him back here in chains. He is sure to have some sort of strange power, or talent, that would make Ainz interested. You know that's how he works, look at yourself."

Ueda sat back. "I agree with your points, but that doesn't mean Ainz-sama would want to transform him to become like us. I go back to my point, that Zesshi wouldn't like that at all! Her own sire, becoming a Mother like us? Zesshi would be mad! And if Ainz-sama truly values us and our thoughts as he always says, then he will heed Zesshi's words."

Clementine had finally finished cleaning off her hands. "Alright, perhaps it is still up in the air. While I admit it would be hilarious seeing that vaunted Elf King reduced to being a cock-hungry bitch during an orgy, it would be bad if he goes against what Zesshi wants."

It was an implication that neither women wanted to consider; that much like Zesshi in this hypothetical situation, their thoughts and views would not be considered by Ainz. Even Clementine, who didn't really care for what Ainz did, found the concept of being ignored by Ainz a bad thing—strangely enough.

Then again, neither of them really knew what Zesshi thought. Perhaps things were different in that inscrutable mind of hers. On the other hand, maybe her desire for vengeance would ensure that the punishment for that fool Elf King was to become exactly the sort of sex sow that he had desired as a man. Come to think of it, that sort of revenge was also a possibility.

They sat and stewed in their own thoughts, neither of them speaking even once.

Ueda wondered if this might actually be a part of Ainz-sama's plan. He had stated he didn't want to get involved, but that might not be technically true. If he appeared right as the conflict ended, after securing the Elf-King and his treasures one way or another, he could announce himself to the Theocracy in a glorious manner. If that was really the case, then Ueda felt a little more excited at the prospect. After all, she could finally appear and present herself to the Cardinals as one whose loins had successfully been impregnated by a God.

She rubbed her belly, which only had a small bump; though she knew it would grow to a massive size once her children grew. She wondered how the Cardinals would react, if they would learn that six God-kin were growing inside her. She would be Most Exalted of all.

On the other hand, Clementine's thoughts were still entertaining the possibility that the Elf-King would also become a part of the Mothers, in a situation that would mirror Ueda's. If that was the case, then would she actually end up having the biggest damned rack out of everyone here? She had never seen the Elf-King herself, but she found it incredibly hilarious to imagine a poor elf-woman getting a large, hanging pair of breasts and an ass to accompany it.

Then she remembered Zesshi. That woman may end up becoming a more sadistic creature than Clementine if the Elf-King did end up transformed. That would mean she wanted her sire to suffer such great humiliation. But it was equally likely that Ainz would just capture the King as a specimen for his own nefarious ends. It was certainly less hilarious, but none could doubt the hold that Ainz's first bitch had on his heart—and his cock.

---

Chapter commissioned by UltraSpink of Da USA, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

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