[ 5:14 Nazarick Time ]
A droplet of water gathered at the end of the golden faucet, and it slowly swelled, until at last it was pulled down by gravity and splashed onto the floor of the bathroom.
There were several bathing facilities within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, and this was one of them.
Someone soaked within a stone bathtub that was large enough to accommodate several people at once.
Blue water dripped off a slippery white body. This blue color was not a literary allusion, but an actual blue color, as though it had been produced through a deliberate application of dye.
A blue-colored liquid licked at the porcelain-like body, starting from its feet. Its slippery body defied the force of gravity and crawled upwards, unlike the water which flowed in all directions.
"...Fuaahhhh..."
The bathroom was very echo-friendly, and the thus words which had unconsciously slipped out were unexpectedly loud within its confines
Perhaps it was ashamed by its own voice, but a slender hand suddenly emerged from the blue liquid. The expected sound of water droplets and ripples in the water's surface were nowhere to be found. That was because this liquid was abnormally viscous.
The upraised hand caressed a face which many had praised for its beauty.
"Haa~"
The person in question sighed softly, then let itself fall backwards into the liquid. However, that person's body did not sink into the water. Rather, the blue liquid slowly caught that person's slender frame. The softness resembled a waterbed.
The liquid was clearly sapient.
That point was promptly proven in the next moment.
The blue liquid began to writhe, extruding several tentacles that were the thickness of one or two fingers each. These tentacles began to move, as though to embrace that person. Naturally, the same thing was happening within the blue liquid as well.
It touched the face, the chest, the belly, the arms, the legs ─ as well as the loins.
After seizing its prey, the liquid began squirming, as though satisfied. In truth, it was a Sapphire Slime, a high-level slime variant.
The Sapphire Slime began moving the long, thin tentacles which wrapped the body.
The tentacles infiltrated the tiny crevices of the groin.
"─Ahhhhhh..."
The cry rang out once more. While it was louder than before, that person did not think about lowering their voice this time, simply focused on the sensations of the slime working around and writhing within their body.
The sound of someone talking to themselves echoed through the bathroom.
"─Ah, this feels great. It's too good for words."
***
The person within the bathtub ─ Ainz ─ muttered to himself as he took a slime bath.
He scooped up a handful of slime and poured it onto his head. The slime which had been hard at work cleaning out the crevices of his pelvis seemed to sense where its master wanted it to clean next. Ainz felt the slime crawling around on his head.
"Huu, this is paradise."
Ainz's undead body was composed entirely of bones.
He had no metabolism, so his body would not stink or become dirty from bodily wastes. However, this did not mean he did not need to bathe. After all, dust and soot still accumulated on him, and sometimes he would be splashed by his enemies' blood. In the end, he would still get dirty.
Besides, as a Japanese person, he felt very uncomfortable about not bathing.
"I could only take steam baths over there (in my original world). So once I knew I could bathe here, I wanted to soak my entire body into the tub... perhaps bathing is a deeply-ingrained practice for Japanese people."
He went through the motions of exhaling while he sank further into the slime. The slippery sensation received and accepted his body.
It would not feel strange if he treated it as a viscous liquid.
Normal bathing is very troublesome.
Ainz lowered his head to look at the most troublesome part of his body.
The rows of his ribs came into view.
Cleaning each rib one by one was very troublesome. Ainz recalled his struggle from when he had done it before, and sighed ─ despite the fact that he did not need to breathe.
That was not the only troublesome thing.
His spine was the same way. The protrusions snagged his towel, and he could not clean them off easily in one quick go. He had to slowly clean each individual vertebra.
At the beginning, Ainz had taken great care in bathing himself. However, Ainz soon began to find it tiresome, despite his supposed mental resilience. It took at least half an hour to bathe, and he could not help but think "Are you kidding me?"
After that, he decided to soak into soapy water and turn around inside it like a washing machine. That was a pretty good idea. The problem was that he did not feel clean. If he did not scrub himself, it did not feel like he had gotten all the dirt off him.
Following that, he used a handled brush to scrub himself. That was quite effective.
Granted, the soap and foam went everywhere, but it was not as though Ainz was the one cleaning it anyway. Cleaning was the maids' job, and they were delighted at the chance to show their stuff. It was truly a win-win situation.
However, even this good idea was flawed.
That flaw was not knowing if he had really scrubbed himself clean.
It was just like getting a cavity despite carefully brushing one's teeth; though he thought he had scrubbed himself from head to toe, he was still worried that he had missed scrubbing some part of himself.
In the end, Ainz hit on this solution, which was to let a slime engulf him.
"This technique... as I thought, it's truly revolutionary and unique, a perfect technique that can't be faulted," he muttered to himself as he looked at the blue slime crawling all over himself.
Ainz nodded happily, satisfied by the method he had invented for easy bathing. For all he knew, this might have been the best thing he had thought up since he came to this world.
"Well done, me!"
As Ainz praised himself once more, he looked to the slime which industriously oozed all over him.
How cute...
Monsters like these were extremely vicious; they could dissolve their enemies with acid and they were strong enough to bend iron bars with ease. Yet to Ainz, they were his bathhouse attendants, who helped get him clean. To some extent, they felt like pets.
Still, while slime baths are good... I'd like to take a regular bath sometime.
There were all sorts of facilities on the 9th Floor of Nazarick. One of them was a large bath. It was a complex of various bathing sub-facilities themed after a spa resort.
"Maybe I'll go bathe there and see what it's like..."
That said, bathing by himself was too boring. That being the case─
"Alright! I'll get the Guardians to go with me. It'd be good if there's a time when everyone's free."
Ainz smiled at his good idea.
-x-X-x-
[7:14 Nazarick Time]
There were two types of maids in Nazarick.
One group was the combat maids, as represented by Yuri Alpha, and the other was the regular maids who had no combat abilities. The latter were homunculi, with a combined racial and job level of 1, and they were responsible for various jobs in the 10th and 9th floor of Nazarick. In particular, cleaning the various Supreme Beings' rooms was a task of utmost importance to them.
One of these regular maids, known as Sixth, moved rapidly along the corridor, for she was in a rush. This was a simple maid technique ─ not a special skill or anything ─ and it carried her to the cafeteria.
There was only one reason to go to the cafeteria at this time.
When she arrived, almost all her colleagues had already gathered for breakfast and started eating.
The cafeteria was predominantly white in color, with sparse decoration. The echo of the girls' cheerful chatter echoed off the walls like ripples in water. It would not have been much of a problem if there was only one person, but since there were many people speaking, their voices blended into one incomprehensible noise. On top of that, the sound of clinking tableware added to the din.
The maids in the cafeteria could be separated into four main groups.
The first three groups were sorted according to their creators. There were 41 regular maids in total, but it was not because each Supreme Being had created their own maid. Rather, the regular maids were created by the trirumvirate of Whitebrim, Herohero, and Coup De Grâce.
Strictly speaking, the last group was not a proper group by itself. It was composed of those maids who had detached themselves from the first three groups in order to eat in silence, to eat while reading or to talk to maids who had been made by other Supreme Beings.
Sixth, who had arrived late at the cafeteria, belonged to the last group.
She waved to the maids made by the same Supreme Being as herself —they were her sisters, in a sense— and then headed to her usual place.
"Good morning... have you eaten?"
"Good morning. And yes, we've already eaten. Breakfast was so good~ so creamy and fluffy and tasty~"
The person delivering that deadpan reply was called Foire. She was bad at lying, but lied anyway. She had short hair and her maid skirt was similarly shortened to match her energetic appearance.
Contrasting her was Lumiere, who had a neat look about her. There was a mysterious gleam in her blonde hair, which sparkled like there were stars in it.
"Good morning. ─Foire, since you shouldn't need seconds, you can wait here for us. I haven't had breakfast yet, so I'm going to get some. Come, Sixth, let's go."
Lumiere stood, trailed closely by Foire, who was frantically saying, "I was just kidding, really~"
After concluding their usual dialogue, the three of them went over to the self-service buffet counter. Naturally, they had the maid called Increment, who was quietly reading a book beside them, watch over their seats.
The first thing Sixth took at the buffet bar was a serving of crispy bacon. As a member of the faction which believed that "soft bacon is the devil", she always went for that first. Next, she helped herself to some soup. Of the three flavours today —soup of the day, corn and onion— she selected the last. After that were sausages, french fries and danishes. Her other plate was piled high with onion salad, almost to the point of spilling. Finally, Sixth placed an order with a masked manservant.
"Um, I'll have triple cheese, double onions, and extra mushrooms."
The manservant nodded, and began making the omelette.
Sixth returned to her seat to put down her dishes, and then poured herself a glass of milk before returning to where the manservant was waiting with her freshly-prepared omelette.
"Thank you very much."
The flawless omelette was perfectly prepared, without a single singe mark on it, and she returned to her place just as her friends did.
"Then, let's eat!"
"Let's eat~"
"Let's eat."
The three of them had their breakfast in silence. Slowly but steadily, they transferred the mountains of food — far in excess of what a normal girl would consume — from their plates into their bellies. It was because they all possessed increased appetites, as a racial penalty.
Because of that, even though they were among friends, they never talked while eating.
Foire chewed while her cheeks were bulging with food, Lumiere ate elegantly, but her fork moved at a ferocious speed, and Sixth ate at a rate in between the two.
Soon, their plates had emptied with startling swiftness, and the three of them downed their glasses after that.
"Huuu..."
The three of them exhaled, the scent of milk heavy on their breath, and then looked at each other.
"Seconds?"
"Sounds good, but let's take a break first."
"I approve~ Feeling kinda stuffed now, anyway. Say, Sixth, isn't it your turn to serve Ainz-sama today? You seem more determined than usual today."
Foire smiled mischievously, and so did Sixth.
"Lucky you, how much longer will it be until it's my turn?"
Lumiere counted off the days on her fingers.
***
The rooms of Nazarick's supreme rulers were massive in scale, so much so that one person would need half a day or more to clean one of them carefully. While the maids had the raw numbers to clean them all on a daily basis, even with Albedo's spare room factored in, that would require a lot of people to work all day without any rest.
However, this was not a problem to the maids. They had been created by the rulers of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the guild Ainz Ooal Gown; it was only fitting that they should work their fingers to the bone for them, because it was an act of venerating their gods.
And then, these fanatical workers had been told to stop by the god-like being, Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz knew the hardships of working under unethical companies, and he could not bear to let these girls, who were like his friends' daughters, suffer like that.
He had told them, "Don't clean the unused rooms so frequently", and then "You will work and rest ion shifts."
Thus, the regular maids of Nazarick were organized into two shifts; the day shift and the night shift. The former had 30 people and the latter had 10, while the one remaining person got the day off. After calculating the working days for the maids, the announcement that they would have a break every 41 days was met with complaints.
It was not that there were too few days off, but the opposite. They requested that the day off be cancelled.
Ultimately, working for the Supreme Beings was the reason for their existence. Telling them that they did not have to work damaged their sense of self-worth and made them feel like they were no longer needed.
As such, the maids decided to discuss the matter with Ainz. They said, "Please don't take our jobs", "We want to do it all day and night", and so on.
Ainz shot the suggestion down on the spot. The concept of fatigue existed in YGGDRASIL and while it could be easily remedied with magic, there was no guarantee that fatigue would be healed as easily in this world. Even with magic, he was worried that it would steadily degrade their ability to function, like a cogwheel losing its teeth.
Yet, the maids adamantly refused to back down. Faced with their tears, Ainz gave in and proposed a new type of work for them.
They would have to personally serve Ainz.
That task entailed staying by Ainz's side to attend to his every need and whim, and the maids would take turns filling that role.
This offer was as tempting as sugar sprinkled with honey to the maids, whose greatest joy in life was to serve the Supreme Beings. They accepted the suggestion without a second thought, along with the order that "you need to take care of yourselves and rest well the day before, so you can serve with all your strength when it's your turn."
***
"We need our nutrients so we can work hard, you know. Plus, depending on the circumstances, you might need to skip a meal too."
"Of course, when you serve Ainz-sama, your brain needs all the nutrients it can get."
"I want something sweet~"
The three girls nodded in unison. Incidentally, all the maids carried several meals' worth of candy and other such treats on them. They would snack on them whenever they had free time while serving Ainz. However, be it fortunate or not, they simply could not find that free time. As such, the morning meal was very important to them.
"Have you heard? They say they're going to cook using ingredients from the outside world and have a food tasting."
The other two gasped at Sixth's statement.
I expected as much, Sixth thought.
Few of the maids thought well of the outside world — the world that lay beyond Nazarick. Some of them felt that the outside world was inferior to Nazarick, but most of them were afraid of it, because the floor right above their home, the 8th floor, had once been invaded by people from the outside.
"Will all the maids be attending the tasting? Or will only a few of us be allowed to go?"
Just as Sixth was about to answer Foire's question, the atmosphere in the cafeteria changed. The air itself seemed to heat up.
As the newcomer came into the maids' sight, they squealed in delight.
"Shizu-chan!"
"It's Shizu-chan!"
The person who had just entered the cafeteria was one of the Pleiades, CZ.
The battle maids were like idols to the regular maids, and CZ was the most popular of them all. There were frequent struggles to sit next to her.
"Ah, the penguin's here too."
CZ held a penguin under her arm, and a worried-looking manservant was trailing behind her. It was the Assistant Butler, Eclair. He flapped his wings with all his strength, but there was no way he could escape with the strength of a level 1 Birdman. His desperate struggles quickly lost their vigor as the maids looked on.
In the end, the penguin ran out of strength and went limp, like a real stuffed doll.
""Shizu-chan! Over here, over here! Come eat with us!"
"No, come over here! Shizu-chaaaan~"
"Just throw that butler away! Over there would be fine!"
"Send that useless bird to the head chef, at least he'll contribute to Nazarick that way!"
There was a marked difference in the reception that the Assistant Butler and CZ received from the maids, but that could not be helped. He was disliked because he loudly proclaimed that he wanted to take over Nazarick, despite being a mere assistant butler. Even if he had been created that way by the Supreme Beings, his frequent announcements of those wild words made him quite unbearable.
CZ peered through the commotion around her, as though she was searching for someone. The adorable way in which she did so, like she were a child who did not know where to sit, made many of the maids' hearts beat faster.
"Even that bird looks cute when Shizu-chan holds him, how strange."
"I want a Shizu-chan hug pillow. Albedo-sama seems to know how to make those, I wonder if she'll teach me?"
"Albedo-sama is very kind, I'm sure she'll agree. Why don't you try asking her next time?"
The sound of a book closing with an audible thud came from the next table over, and when Sixth turned to look, her eyes met Increment's.
"This place is getting noisy, so I'm going back. Since you're attending to Ainz-sama today, you should probably finish breakfast quickly and head over to him. Any mistakes you make will reflect on all of us."
Having said her piece, Increment turned and left without waiting for a reply. As she watched her fellow maid leave, Sixth took out her pocket watch. Fortunately, she still had some time. After freshening up, she should be just in time.
"All right, I'll go grab some more stuff to eat while everyone's focused on Shizu-chan!"
Foire and Lumiere nodded at Sixth's idea.
"Oh~ that's a nice idea~su"
The sudden answer from the side made the three maids gasp.
"Lu-Lupusregina-san!"
With hands clasped over her lurching heart, Sixth turned to face the source of the voice. There had been nobody there just a moment ago, but Lupusregina had appeared out of nowhere while everyone was distracted by Shizu and looking away. She sat sideways on a chair with her legs up on the table and even had a share of her own food.
"Please don't scare us like that, honestly~"
Foire was still clinging tightly to Lumiere, her eyebrows pressed into a / shape.
"My heart almost jumped out of my mouth~"
Lumiere barely paid any attention to Foire, who was clinging to her. She spoke quietly, like she had been scared out of her wits.
The three of them directed reproachful voices at Lupusregina, yet they were actually just a little happy inside. That was because Lupusregina was the only one of the battle maids who treated them like friends, although her actions were hard to predict. She spent her time moving between the different maid groups, so being approached by her was a sign of good fortune. The best proof was how some of the others were looking at Sixth and her group with envious eyes.
"Nishishi, seems my experiments in the village didn't go to waste, you three gave me some pretty amusing reactions~"
The way Lupusregina supported her face with her arm on the table, while having an evil grin on her face, made her look a little like a cat out of the storybooks. Although her smile was nothing but mischievous, it was still surprisingly charming. Sixth watched the battle maid smile for a while, utterly fascinated by her.
The other two seemed to feel the same way, but the first to recover was Foire.
"The village?"
Foire tilted her head, which made her short bob hair brush against Lumiere's face.
Lumiere resisted the urge to sneeze and shoved Foire away, and then she rearranged herself so she was looking Lupusregina straight in the face.
"Lupusregina-san, you work outside, right?"
"Yup, in the human village ~su."
"Humans, huh... it must be tough."
Lumiere looked at Lupusregina with sympathetic eyes.
"Nah, it's nothing like that! Since Ainz-sama ordered it, it's worth doing! ...Although, I have to say, it's kind of boring. How should I put this... it would be so much more fun to squish them beneath my feet."
Sixth had no particular opinion about that statement. Humans and their villages and whatnot were unimportant to her. Whether they prospered or were destroyed, the only thing that mattered was if they were useful to Nazarick.
"Come to think of it, Ainz-sama said that village was very valuable, but I don't see it~su"
"Given Ainz-sama's personality, he must have said so because he pitied the miserable little humans there.."
"No, no, Ainz-sama's like a hurricane of death. I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment to kill them all, right?"
"What are you saying? Don't you know Ainz-sama is a genius? All this must be part of his plan."
"Ara, I can't pretend I didn't hear that. Isn't Ainz-sama's power the best part of him ~su?"
The four beautiful girls stared at each other, none of them willing to back down.
"Ainz-sama is a beautiful, compassionate person."
"Ainz-sama is Death, come for this world."
"Ainz-sama is an incomparable hero."
"Oh, looks like everyone has a different impression of Ainz-sama. Then, let's have a competition. We'll see who can pick out the most suitable title for Ainz-sama."
In an instant, everyone went silent. Lupusregina was wearing her usual smile, but she had a certain understanding of her liege's qualities and was unwilling to admit defeat. However, Sixth and her two friends felt the same way.
The regular maids were weak beings, but their respect and adoration of their master was no less than that of anyone else's.
"Then, the three of you may start off ~su."
"In that case... "
Lumiere was the first to speak.
"Then, as I said earlier, I wish to praise Ainz-sama's beauty. So how about 'A figure of beautiful porcelain, shining and flawless, the gentle lord of mercy.'"
Next was Foire.
"Well, if we're going to praise Ainz-sama, then we should praise his awesome power, right! As a ruler of death, what could be more fitting than 'Memento Mori'?"
The third was Sixth.
"Ainz-sama was the one who coordinated the Supreme Beings, so his management skills would be excellent. So he is a 'wise king'."
Although everyone's names fitted their master well, in the end they all thought that their own choices was the best.
Lupusregina coughed gently as Sixth, Foire and Lumiere looked at her. With a proud look on her face, she said,
"In the end, we shiuld call him the absolutely strongest and most—"
"...There you are."
The source of the calm voice was CZ. The assistant butler Eclair she had been holding under her arm had vanished to parts unknown.
"...Stop using invisibility all the time."
"Soz~ it's a habit ~su"
"...And you started eating."
A sun-hot anger burned under CZ's emotionless face. Sixth had the feeling that she should not be here any longer.
"...Ah, I-I have to go to Ainz-sama!"
"Then, I'll go too."
"I'll send you along~"
Sixth and the others quietly vacated their seats, though they did feel a little bad ignoring Lupusregina's pleading looks toward them.
In the end, they did not manage to get seconds. It was a bit of a shame, but she had to pull herself together now.
Sixth paid no heed to the danger in the air behind them. Instead, she lightly slapped her cheeks to focus herself. Her face had the stern, brave expression of a soldier heading off to a war, but her footsteps were light and fast.
***
[ 9:20 Nazarick Time ]
This was the 6th Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.
The undead which roamed the tomb were nowhere in sight, but magical beasts ─ such as the controlled by Aura ─ defended this location in place of POP monsters. This area ─ known as the most expansive in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick ─ was largely covered by dense forest, to the point where it could be described as a sea of trees.
That said, the past members of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown were very meticulous about details They certainly would not paint this area green and be done with it.
There was a Colosseum here, a giant tree, traces of a village which had been swallowed up by the jungle, a lake, a venomous cave, a twisted grove, a mangrove forest and a bottomless swamp, all of which added variety to the Sea of Trees. Recently, they had even built a small village to receive new residents.
In the center of this sea of trees was a big lake ─ that said, it was still smaller than the underground lake area on the 4th Floor ─ which was surrounded not by forest, but by grassland. While the grassland and lake were fairly small when compared to the entirety of the 6th Floor, it was still large enough for their purposes.
Their ─ the first of "them" was the Floor Guardian Aura. She rode easily atop a gigantic wolf with jet-black fur, and just a glance was enough to tell that she was an old hand at this.
However, that was only to be expected. After all, when she patrolled this large area, she preferred to do so while riding the magical beasts under her dominion, although running would have been easy enough, given her preternatural physical abilities.
There were two other people.
One of them was the Guardian Overseer, Albedo. She was not wearing her usual, beautiful white dress, but the black full plate armor which she donned for combat. However, she was not carrying her weapon or shield.
The other was Shalltear. She looked the same as always, and her eyes had a strange look which was less of interest than enjoyment.
***
"Then, let's begin ─ come, my mount."
The skill Albedo used was called [Summon Mount].
A magical beast slowly emerged out of nowhere, as black as the armor she wore.
This beast had a white mane and tail, and it resembled a horse. It was clad in a suit of full-plate barding, and it was fitted with reins and a saddle.
It was slightly smaller than a horse. However, its presence was far more oppressive than that of an ordinary horse. The most defining difference could be found on its head. There, one would find two horns that protruded straight outwards.
The first response to the magical beast which had suddenly appeared came from Aura, who knew the most about such creatures.
"Oh! It's not like an ordinary Bicorn! Its horns are strong and it looks really beefy too."
"Fufu," Albedo laughed. "That's right. This Bicorn has been strengthened by my abilities into a War Bicorn Lord... well, it's actually a level 100 Bicorn."
"Can it fly?"
"No, it can't. It's fundamentally the same as a regular Bicorn; it doesn't have any special abilities, just improved stamina, strength and dexterity."
"Looks like you can't really strengthen your mount without rider-type skills ─ in that case, since its special abilities are too weak, it might get in the way if it took part in our level 100 battles"
"Indeed. However, I can make up for that by using my skills to protect this boy, so it can fight for longer periods."
"But doesn't that mean you'll be wasting your resources on it? It'll be a big hassle in combat, right? Why not power it up by changing its gear? I hear mount-type monsters can be equipped with barding and horseshoes and so on."
"Indeed. You can change the equipment of mounts summoned through skills. It's related to the question asked just now, Aura; for instance, I could equip it with horseshoes that grant flight, and it would be able to fly. However, I've already given it magic items to boost its speed... it really is a tough decision."
Albedo lightly patted the flank of the magical beast. Perhaps she had used too much force, but the Bicorn shuddered.
There was no way a magical beast she had summoned would be thrown off balance by just that much. Just as Albedo frowned while wondering if it was making a fool of her, Aura asked a question.
"Say, does it have a name?"
"It's a Bicorn, right? Didn't you just say so yourself?"
"No, I don't mean the name of its species, I mean its name as an individual."
"Does it need one?"
She looked to Shalltear for her reaction. The Vampire said nothing, simply shrugged.
"Surely it needs one, right? Isn't it your pet, Albedo?"
"Well, it's not really a pet... besides, do I really summon the same one each time?"
As she heard Albedo's question, Shalltear came up with a great idea, which she decided to share.
"How about asking Kyouhukou? He excels at summoning his comrades, so he ought to know a lot about this sort of thing."
"...Give me a break. He's a fellow member of Nazarick, and I shouldn't hate him, but..."
"Ah ─ indeed. They don't mean ill, but they crawl into your clothes all the same. However, Entoma seems to visit him from time to time."
"That's gross~ stop talking about things that make me feel all itchy... that place really is a house of horrors. I might be in charge of that Floor, but I honestly do not wish to go in there."
"...Shalltear, did you know? Entoma calls that place the snack room."
"Ugeeeh─! Seriously? Seriously? Uwah ─ I don't want to go near Entoma ever again."
Albedo felt the same way. She did not wish to approach anyone who could call that sort of thing a snack. Just as the mood started to turn queer, Aura decided to raise her voice and clear the air:
"Anyway, why don't you name it?"
"Indeed. If you think naming it is better, then I shall."
Albedo muttered to herself as she fell into contemplation. Since she was going to name her mount, then obviously she had to give it a name that would not embarrass her. She thought of various words and phrases, and then a flash of inspiration struck her as a song played in her head.
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Ah, my apologies," Albedo said, as though she had just woken from a dream. "Well. If Ainz-sama permits, I would like to give it a name that represents how I feel; 'Top of the World'."
"Hmm ─ that's a good name. By Top of the World, you mean Ainz-sama, right?"
Albedo smiled, but did not answer.
Shalltear's eyebrows quirked up at a dangerous angle.
As the tension built in the air, it was Aura who had to break them up, as usual.
"Well, it's not like anything will happen. Anyway, since you've called out your Bicorn, let's perform the next experiment!"
"Mm, I understand."
Having been treated as a child throwing a tantrum, Shalltear narrowed her eyes and glared at Albedo as she turned to the bicorn and put a greaved foot on the stirrups. Albedo mounted up on it with a grace that did not seem like it had come from someone wearing armor. The moment she touched the saddle, she could feel the Bicorn's body quivering through the point of contact.
"What's wrong?!"
Albedo could not help exclaiming. She could not think of any reason why this level 100 Bicorn would be unsteady on its feet. Suddenly, she recalled what had happened when she had patted the Bicorn.Could it be that some problem had occurred then? If that were the case, then what was the cause?
"Aura! Shalltear! Something strange is going on with my Bicorn. Could you help me take a look?"
Just then, the Bicorn began to wobble. It looked like it could no longer stand up. The two of them looked at it and realized that there was something abnormal going on here.
"In... in any case, you should get off first, Albedo!"
"Al... alright."
After hearing Aura say so, Albedo finally responded by jumping off the creature.
The wobbling Bicorn promptly collapsed. It was panting heavily and its coat was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
"...Albedo, did you get fat?"
Shalltear was not saying that to make fun of her. Any observer would have thought the same thing.
"How rude! I'm always watching my weight because I've got more muscle than most!"
"Then, could it be that its muscles wasted away because you haven't been riding it regularly? By the way, I raise all my kids free-range, and I often take them patrolling around the 6th Floor."
"Eh? How could that be... speaking of which, [Summon Mount] ─ isn't it just like a normal summoned monster? There's no way it could get weaker."
"Would you like me to ride it?"
"I'm sorry, but it won't work. This is my mount, and nobody else can ride it. If anyone tries, it'll automatically unsummon itself."
"Then how about asking the mount itself? Hey, Bicorn, what's wrong?"
Aura asked it a question. It was not that Aura could speak with horses, but magical beasts like Bicorns ought to have pretty high intelligence, so Aura hoped that it would understand human speech. Of course, the Bicorn could not speak, so all it could do was neigh like a horse.
"It can't speak... don't tell me it can't write either?"
The Bicorn whinnied in the affirmative.
The three of them looked at each other.
"Aura, can you use your skills to do something amazing?"
"I can't. Besides, what do you mean by amazing? Didn't you ask me what abilities I had when we had our one-on-one chat a long time ago? Don't tell me you forgot that too, Guardian Overseer-dono!"
"Ara... how do you usually communicate with Fenrir, then?"
"I just tell him to do this and that."
"So you speak to him, right? So if you try, you should be able to communicate with this Bicorn, am I correct?"
"Just because I can communicate with the beasts I control doesn't mean I can speak to all beasts. And besides, I already tried. The Lizardmen have a pet called Rororo, right? I don't know why, but I just can't get through to him."
The three of them looked at each other once more.
"...If we're stuck, the only one we can turn to is Demiurge, after all."
"Unfortunately, Demiurge is now working abroad on Ainz-sama's orders. He hasn't spent much time in Nazarick recently. I can contact him, but frankly speaking, I don't really want to consult to him if it's not related to work."
A look of jealousy appeared in Shalltear and Aura's eyes. Demiurge ─ who ran around working for their master ─ was the object of the Guardians' envy.
"Ah~ I really do envy him. I know that the defense of Nazarick is an important job, but if nobody invades, then we won't have a chance to show our stuff, and it makes me wonder if I'm actually useful. I want to go outside and accomplish something so I can work hard for Ainz-sama."
"All I've done recently is make mistakes..."
"Don't worry, Shalltear. I think that you'll have the chance to work for Ainz-sama soon ─ no, I'm sure you'll have the chance to do so. But you need to be a bit smarter, otherwise that might be a bit tricky."
"Don't you think that's... a little harsh?"
"Ahhh, the fact is, you did mess up. You need to produce results worthy of a Guardian."
Shalltear grit her teeth, and then suddenly her face brightened up, as though a light bulb had just switched itself on above her head.
"Ku, ku, ku, now why are you all talking bad about me? What I wanted to say was that if Demiurge wasn't around and we couldn't ask him, then I would lend you a helping hand instead. Well, since it can't be helped, I'll look it up for you!"
Shalltear took out a book. It appeared thick and heavy, like it had a thousand pages at the very least. However, to Shalltear ─ who looked like a girl on the outside but who was anything but on the inside ─ its weight was nothing much.
"Ohhh─! Don't tell me, don't tell me that's...!"
"Hnnng, a treasure bestowed upon you by Ainz-sama!"
It was not just Aura; even Albedo looked upon Shalltear with jealousy in her eyes.
"Indeed! This is the Encyclopedia Peroroncino-sama! It's my reward for completing Ainz-sama's orders!"
While this was more of a consolation prize cum appreciation award, to Shalltear it was instead the best form of praise, and she smiled in satisfaction. No, that was only natural. An item from her creator was more valuable than any form of encouragement.
***
This book was called the Encyclopedia. It was an item every player received after starting the game, and it could not be stolen or lost unless its owner chose to dispose of it. In addition, it was unique.
YGGDRASIL was a game of enjoying the unknown, and this item could be said to be a physical expression of the developers' desire for players to transform the unknown into the known.
This was because the Encyclopedia recorded the visual data of all the monsters a player had ever encountered. However, it did not display statistics ─ the monsters' ability scores ─ but only its typical appearance and name. If it was a monster from mythology, it would also display the relevant contents from the myth in question and other relevant information.
In order to make effective use of this book-shaped item, one would need to personally enter the information which one had gathered into the book. Such information included a monster's special abilities or its weaknesses and so on.
The Encyclopedia that Shalltear possessed had once belonged to the man called Peroroncino, and he was the one who entered the data within that book. Ainz remembered that he had left this item in the Treasury when he had quit the game, and so he handed it to Shalltear.
However, a lot of the content which Peroroncino added had been erased. It was as though Peroroncino were afraid of leaving it behind and deleted it.
As a result, the item was not very useful, but Shalltear did not mind. This was an item that her creator had once used. That was the important thing.
***
"B ─ Bi ─ Bicorn," Shalltear muttered as she flipped through the pages.
Aura and Albedo leaned in to take a look, but Shalltear used her body to cover up the book and then backed up, before fixing the two of them in place with a sharp glare.
"Hmph ─ that's fine. I too have a bracelet gifted to me by Ainz-sama."
Aura gently caressed her silver wristband. Similarly, Albedo stroked the ring on her left index finger. However, she had not been the only one to receive that ring.
I want a special reward for me and me alone. I want a special item from Ainz-sama─
Just as Albedo began caressing her abdomen, Shalltear exclaimed. It would seem she had found the page she was looking for.
"Bicorn! Got it, let me see..."
Shalltear suddenly froze and looked up in shock, then stared at Albedo.
"Wh-what is it? Is something wrong?"
Albedo nervously questioned Shalltear as she looked at the book again and read the entry.
"...a mutant species of Unicorn. Just as Unicorns are supposed to be associated with purity, Bicorns are associated with impurity. Unicorns will only allow pure maidens to ride them, but conversely, Bicorns will never allow pure maidenss to ride them... haaah?!"
As Shalltear read that part, Aura's eyes went so wide it seemed as though they would fall out of their sockets.
"No way... don't tell me Albedo's a...?"
"What do you mean 'no way'? What do you take me for?"
"Eh, but aren't you a Succubus, Albedo?"
"S ─ Su ─ Succ ─ Succubus..."
Shalltear seemed to be confused and she began searching for the Succubus entry.
"That's right, I'm a Succubus! But I don't have any experience with men, sorry about that! But what can I do about it? I'm the Guardian Overseer, so I'm always stuck in the Throne Room! I hardly ever get to meet anyone else! Besides, Ainz-sama has never called me to his bed... and I don't want to do anything like that with men who aren't Ainz-sama..."
Albedo hung her head, and then she suddenly jerked it up again.
"Since you put it that way..."
Albedo glanced at Aura, then shook her head. If Aura was not like that, there would be a huge problem.
"How about you, Shalltear?"
"...I don't have any experience with men. Now, women are a different matter..."
Aura did not understand for a moment and tilted her head. Then, she seemed to get it, because she wrinkled her brow and went "Uwah~" as her face seized up and wordlessly said "no, thank you".
"Ahhh! It's because there aren't any good men around! I like the dead, but rotting corpses are just... right? Right?"
"Don't look to me for approval, Shalltear. Your fetishes are just too weird and I can't understand them."
The three of them looked at each other, then simultaneously averted their eyes. They had silently agreed to end this topic here.
"...Alright, so at least we know why I can't ride a Bicorn now... I can't believe that was the reason."
Albedo's face twisted in unhappiness. The Bicorn thought it had been scolded and curled up into a ball.
"Hm ─ this is like sealing off part of Albedo's strength."
"Still, it's not like you're really good at mounted combat anyway. It's just one ability you can't use, right? If you can't ride your Bicorn, then how about one of Aura's beasts? Maybe a Unicorn might be good."
"Hm ─ I don't have a Unicorn. Though I want one."
"Isn't there a better way? It'll be fine if Ainz-sama helps me ride the Bicorn, right?"
Albedo's smile seemed to tell the other two that there was no better way than that.
"That's sly!"
"Hmph!" Albedo hmphed at Shalltear. "How rude, Shalltear. This is necessary in order for me to make full use of my powers as Guardian Overseer of Nazarick for Ainz-sama."
"Fufufu. Hmph! So you can't get Ainz-sama's love without using your official duties as an excuse... That's just too sad for a woman. It means you can't win it with your charm alone."
"Haaaah?" Both of them glared at each other. Aura could not bear them any more and said:
"I say, you two seem to have wandered off into a weird topic; would you mind leaving it at that? Stop talking about these pointless things. Besides, it's not like it's going to cause a problem right away. Can't you summon other mounts?"
"I have a magic item which can summon me a steed."
"Then isn't that enough? There's no problem at all."
"Using a magic item to summon a mount needs me to change my gear or take out the item, so it's more effort than just summoning a mount with a skill. And this Bicorn has much better fighting power..."
"Then have the Bicorn take your enemy's attacks and use the opening to summon a mount! That's a basic tactic for a beast tamer."
"It seems that's the only way it can be used."
"That would mean you've become weaker, Albedo."
"Could you not speak like you're laughing at others' misfortune?"
"Don't you delight in my suffering too, Albedo?"
"Do not." "Do too." Both sides went back and forth.
"Honestly, I've had it with the two of you... eh, stop glaring at each other already. How about going elsewhere? Ainz-sama granted us time off, after all."
"That's right." Albedo went with that, and Shalltear ─ who had been arguing with her ─ nodded as well. However ─
"...He asked us to take time off, but what should we do? We were made to protect the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick and work for the various Supreme Beings. Working is our life..."
"Even so, when Ainz-sama wants us to rest, we have to rest."
The three of them had gathered here because their master had told them, "You all work hard every day. Since free time like this is hard to come by, you female Guardians should arrange to go out and have fun together."
"We've had fun, so does this mean we're going to disperse? Does this really count as fun?"
"I have my doubts about that. Granted, we had some fun, but I still have my doubts. That's right, what do you usually do?"
"I patrol between the 1st to the 3rd Floor. Then I collect feedback from the Area Guardians, or I check on the readiness of the entire floor. If I have time, I take a bath, or get a facial...?"
"I'm surprised that you're so hardworking."
"What do you mean by surprised?"
"Bathing... how about you, Aura?"
"Hm~ When Mare stays in the Colosseum, I patrol the forest. A bunch of newcomers arrived recently, after all. Then I go home and sleep... that's all, I guess."
"That's it!"
Aura and Shalltear's faces were filled with surprise.
"That's it, that's it. The newcomers you mentioned ought to be the residents of the village which was just built on this Floor, right? I haven't been there yet. Let's go together."
"Eh? Really? Shalltear, you've been there before, right?"
"I have."
"Really?" As she saw the puzzled look on Albedo's face, Aura explained:
"Actually, the other guardians have all been here too. First was Cocytus, for the Lizardmen. Demiurge came round too, to check on the situation. The others also drop by from time to time. Hm ─ then let's go take a look. Besides, it's not all that far away.
***
[ 9:38 Nazarick Time ]
The village built in the 6th Floor of Nazarick was little more than a row of ten-odd log houses. It barely qualified as a settlement. There was a crop field on the right side of the village, and on the left was an orchard that was several times larger than the crop field.
Naturally, it was surrounded by forest, and when one looked down from above, it might resemble a hole in the forest; or a Green Hole. The trees here had been felled and then dug up by the roots, so by right the ground ought to have been uneven. However, the ground in the village was unnaturally level. That was the effect of Mare's magic.
Many people could be seen working hard in the orchard.
The first person they saw was a human-looking female, whose skin was as lustrous as tree bark. Beside her was a creature which could only be described as a walking tree.
The former was a Dryad, while the latter was a monster known as a Treant.
The Treant placed the Dryad on its branch-like hands and raised her to the upper reaches of a fruit tree.
"There's also ten or so Lizardmen living here. Sometimes they go to the north ─ to the lake where we just visited ─ to have fun. It's not like they live in the water anyway. How strange."
"The village is bigger than the last time I came. There seem to be more residents too."
"That's right. That's because we found a few species who were allowed to enter Nazarick after we conquered the Great Forest of Tob."
"Species who were allowed to enter Nazarick... I recall the conditions were: they have to be heteromorphs, they must not need food, and they have to be good-natured, right?"
"Mm, that's what Ainz-sama told us. Although, the 'must not need food' condition is more of 'must be self-sufficient'... the Dryads and Treants absorb nutrients from the earth, so they don't need to eat in particular. Although, it'll be bad if the earth's nutrients run out, or if it doesn't rain."
"Ohh ─ does Mare make rain with magic? Or is it an item?"
"That's basically Mare's job. Same with restoring the earth's nutrients. Some spells allow for big harvests, and I heard those spells can fully restore the earth's nutrients. The Dryads and Treants all say it's so delicious that they'll get fat... but I don't know about the taste."
As Shalltear chatted with Aura, Albedo slowly surveyed the village with a cold, clinical gaze reserved for examining experimental test subjects. Then, a hint of emotion crept into her eyes for the first time.
"Ara? That ought to be Sous-Chef in the fields, right? What's he doing?"
They looked along her line of sight, and there, within a patch of fenced-off land ─ seemingly hiding behind a large stalk with red fruits growing all over it ─ was a mushroom-like monster squirming around. At a closer look, he was wearing clothes which he did not mind getting dirty as he picked the red fruits.
"It's just like what you saw. They sometimes come here to gather ingredients, and they grow their own plants. Let's go take a look."
Albedo and Shalltear looked at each other. After verifying that neither of them were against it, and that it would be fine as long as they did not interfere with their colleagues' work, they went over to take a look.
"Hi~ Working up a sweat as always, I see!"
As he heard Aura's cheerful voice, Sous-Chef raised its head to look at the three of them.
"Well, my body doesn't really sweat."
Sous-Chef grunted like an old man as he stood up and straightened his back. Although he was hunched over in a posture of working the fields, the fact that he had no waist ─ his body was the same thickness from top to bottom, so there was no part of him that was quickly identifiable as a waist ─ meant that they could not tell if his back really ached or if he had done so to change his mood.
After that, Sous-Chef rotated his neck, like someone with shoulder aches. His head was like a toadstool's cap, coated with some kind of purplish-red liquid which looked like it might drip off at any time, but the fact was that it was as solid and mysteriously stretchy as dried glue, so there was no way it would drip off or splash around.
"Say, are those tomatoes?"
Albedo seemed interested in what Sous-Chef was holding, and so she asked him. He brought the fruits before his eyes, then wiggled his head in bafflement.
"Indeed, they are tomatoes. They are tomatoes as everyone knows them. They are not the type which explode after absorbing sunlight, attack people, or radiate golden light when you cut them open; they are ordinary tomatoes."
"In other words, they're edible, commonly available and ordinary tomatoes, right?"
"Indeed. I do not have the special skills needed to grow vegetables that can produce special effects. Given your interest in these tomatoes, does that mean you are interested in tomato dishes? Unfortunately, I can only make drinks."
"No, I was simply asking out of curiosity. I believe Shalltear's the one who wants to eat tomato dishes."
"...Why does everyone think Vampires like tomato juice? Even if the undead eat something, they won't gain any buffs from it."
"A lot of people in Nazarick don't need to eat."
Thanks to certain items, most of the NPCs no longer needed to eat or drink.
"There's nothing to be done about it. Food and drink only add to the expenses of sustaining Nazarick. We'd have to spend a lot of money if everyone ate as much as your magical beasts."
"Ah, wouldn't it be better for me to go outside to make some money?"
"There's no need for that. That's because Ainz-sama and the other Supreme Beings made careful calculations when building this tomb in order to balance income and spending."
"Oh, so that's why he decreed that only self-sufficient species could enter here. That way, no matter how many came in, the income balance would remain intact."
"Indeed... eh, didn't you know about this?" Albedo looked to each of the three others present.
"How vexing. Not understanding the very place you were protect is a very big problem. I'll make some time in future and explain everything to you in detail."
Albedo sighed, then casually regarded the fields. It was then that she noticed that she had seen the leaves of a row of certain plants before.
"Those are carrots... no, are they magic carrots?"
"No, they are not. Have you not heard of them before, Overseer-dono?"
"What do you mean?"
Sous-Chef's eyes turned to Aura.
"Ah, she did not... I see, she did not tell you about them. Then, what shall we do, Aura-sama? Will you call them, Aura-sama? Surely you must have trained them by now?"
"I already filed a report on it─" Aura smiled wickedly. Then, she took a deep breath, then bellowed "─Long live Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Suddenly, the row of leaves reacted to her words and began moving. They wiggled vigorously from side to side, then pulled themselves out of the earth, and their carrot-like roots popped up onto the surface.
They resembled Asian ginsengs, but they were distinctly different from those. They had four discrete limbs, and they moved deliberately and not through reflex. The uppermost parts of the roots ─ near the stem ─ bore cavities and shadows which resembled eyes and mouths.
Shalltear's eyes went wide and she spoke the name of these monsters.
"Could those be Mandrakes? We shouldn't have anything like that in Nazarick..."
"Ah! That's it! I saw the report, but this is the first time I've personally seen one."
The Mandrakes chorused "Long live Ainz Ooal Gown", "Long Live Ainz Ooal Gown" as they formed up into ranks.
"They aren't too smart really. Their relatives such as the Galgenmännlein, Alrunas and Alraunes ought to be smarter... but I didn't find any of those when I did a quick search of that forest. However, the forest is big, so maybe I just haven't found them yet. Also, there's a huge underground cave that leads into the mountains. There seems to be a Myconid settlement there, but I haven't made a move on them yet."
"Still, teaching them to speak like that must have been difficult. I'm very impressed," Sous-Chef explained as he picked up one of the Mandrakes who were lined up in a row.
The Mandrake struggled; apparently having its stem grabbed was painful.
"Long live Ainz Ooal Gown!"
"Long live Ainz Ooal Gown!"
The Mandrakes broke their ranks to encircle Sous-Chef, as though to protest the mistreatment of their friend. During this time, they said the same thing as before.
"Forgive my rudeness. Aura-sama, can you ask them to return?"
"Okay~ Right! Go back!"
Sous-Chef gently placed the Mandrake back on the ground, and the others followed it as they crawled back into the holes they had occupied just now. In just a few seconds, the Mandrakes were back underground, as though they were hibernating for winter.
"I see, it's like an animal's call."
"You could say that. They simply cry it out like a parrot imitating speech; they don't really know what they're saying. Apparently, there's a minimum level of intelligence, below which you can't understand speech. However, that's still under investigation."
"Although, all that is from Demiurge-sama; I am simply repeating what I have heard," Sous-Chef said.
"Hm ─ that's right, Albedo, can I ask you a question? As the Guardian Overseer, isn't it bad that you don't know about the newcomers? What if a spy came in with them?"
Before Albedo could answer, somebody else voiced an objection.
"Ahahaha, that's funny, Shalltear. It's true that the 6th Floor is very large, so it's only natural that you might think that capturing and slaughtering intruders would be difficult. Certainly, it would be troublesome if they managed to escape from the Colosseum and ran around like little spiders."
Her laughter was hollow, and her eyes were as cold as ice.
"But don't you think you're looking down on me? This place is my hunting ground. Even if they dispersed, I could swiftly hunt down and kill every last one of them. Honestly, even if those people somehow managed to escape the 6th Floor and tried to harm Ainz-sama, they would have to pass through the blazing world of the 7th Floor, and then there's the inviolable 8th Floor to worry about. Even if they wanted to escape, they would have to pass through the frozen hell of the 5th Floor, the dark waters of the 4th Floor, and then your levels... do you think that's possible?"
Shalltear shook her head.
"Not at all."
"And that's how it is. Therefore, there's no need to worry no matter how many newcomers there are on this Floor."
"Aura took the words out of my mouth. Mm, in any case, there's a plan going on now to gather all kinds of creatures here."
"Huh? isn't it just plant-type monsters?"
As she heard Aura's surprised question, Albedo smiled and answered:
"That was the plan in the beginning, but after some observation, we found that no problems came up thanks to Aura and Mare's hard work, so the plan was amended and expanded. That said, this is only at a draft stage, and there's no guarantee that it'll be put into practice. Therefore, even a Floor Guardian like yourself has not been informed yet."
Albedo told them to keep it a secret, and then she described the plan:
"The name of the plan is 'Project Utopia'. It is a large-scale project beginning with the secret base that Aura built, and its end stage is to gather monsters who can get along with humanity and have them live here."
"Why is getting along with humanity in particular a condition?"
Albedo smiled, as though implying "I knew you'd say". That smile looked terribly evil.
"That is the key to the entire plan, the focus of Project Utopia."
"Permit me to be blunt, but I find it hard to understand. This Nazarick is a haven for the Supreme Beings, and we labor for its sake. Why has it been named that way?"
"This is in order to let the outside world believe that we can coexist with other races."
"I see... so that was the aim."
"No way, Shalltear actually understood it..."
Shalltear's face filled with an expression that could shatter a million year-old love, and she glared angrily at Aura.
"Do you take me for a retard?!"
"...Wait... hang on, Shalltear. Might I trouble you to reflect on what you usually say and do before asking me that? Please, just think about it for just a bit."
And indeed, for just a moment, Shalltear thought back on everything she had said and done until now, and her pupils widened like that of a dead creature. After that, her eyes roved all over, like they were being tossed in stormy waves.
After seeing her utterly pathetic state, Albedo graciously steered the conversation back on track.
"Er, in any case, Ainz-sama came up with this plan. When we discussed the 6th Floor, Ainz-sama once mentioned that he would like to collect various monsters. Surely someone with a limited understanding of the world would never have been able to come up with an idea like that. In the past, I discussed Ainz-sama's wisdom with Demiurge, and the conclusion we reached was that Ainz-sama is a true genius."
"Anyone would know that Ainz-sama is a genius, though I hear great men tend to speak little."
"Did Demiurge say that? Honestly... Ainz-sama never simply states his thoughts, and sometimes he does mysterious things. Still, as the saying goes, 'true courage seems cowardly, while great wisdom appears foolish'. That's the sort of person Ainz-sama is."
Albedo's eyes were moist, and she shook her head.
"I did not even expect Ainz-sama to create the persona of the adventurer Momon. Truly, he is an awesome man... I did not expect everything that took place until now to be in the palm of Ainz-sama's hand..."
"Momon is Ainz-sama posing as an adventurer, right? What's it for?"
"Soon you will understand... the Momon persona will become the bedrock of Ainz-sama's rule. Ainz-sama is far too amazing... perhaps it was his hidden hand at work behind Demiurge's suggestion─"
"What are you mumbling about over there? It's kind of scary."
Shalltear's voice called Albedo back to her senses, and after coughing lightly, she regarded the faces of the other three.
"Er, where was I? Right right right! Everything Ainz-sama says and does contains great meaning. Therefore, even if you can't reach his level, you need to try your best to Ainz-sama's true intentions from his words."
"That'll be hard. Ainz-sama's just too smart ─ ah, it's a Spear Needle."
Two balls of white fluff, each over two meters tall, appeared from inside the village and slowly made their way to Aura's side. They were magical beasts who looked like Angora rabbits.
"They're cute."
Shalltear stroked one of the furballs standing beside Aura.
"They're so soft, I want to raise one."
"They feel comfortable, don't they? However, when they encounter enemies, they become as sharp as needles, you know?"
Spear Needles were level 67 monsters.
Once they entered combat mode, they would become a ball of extremely dense spines. If the Spear Needles were killed in this state, their fur would not return to their original soft state. Therefore, when hunting them, one would have to take them unawares and instantly kill them. That was why the players who hunted them were often much higher level than they were.
"Ehh? Really? That's scary..."
Shalltear might have said that, but she was still caressing them nonstop.
"However, if I don't give the order, they won't go into a combat state. Now, if there were enemies nearby it would be a different matter, but no hostile invaders would be able to make it all the way in here. At the very least, the other Floors would send a report."
"That's true. It's only to be expected. The top three floors are filled with vassals that have excellent detection abilities. It would be very difficult for someone to sneak in here without being noticed by them."
Just then, Aura froze, and she turned to the Colosseum.
"What's wrong, Aura-san?"
"The teleport gate to the 7th Floor just activated."
"From below? Demiurge ought to be outside now, so... could it be one of your subordinates? Is it alright to not take a look?"
"Hm ─ Mare's around, so there's no need to worry. If anything happens, he'll contact me."
Aura tapped the earring around her neck.
"Besides, it's hardly a rare thing. You need to take teleport gates at specific locations and go up level by level if you want to go from a lower Floor to an upper Floor. Oh yeah, didn't somebody use magic because they didn't want to run─"
"Ahem! Nazarick is an impregnable fortress."
"Indeed. Not even that super-tier spell [Sword of Damocles] or my World-Class Item could destroy an entire Floor at once. That's why we must not let the Ring which allows for at-will teleportation to be taken."
All eyes went to the ring on Albedo's left ring finger.
"Mare apparently hands the ring to someone else for safekeeping when he heads out. From that, you can tell how important the rings are ─ ah, Mare contacted me."
Aura moved away from the others and grabbed at her earring, and then she began a conversation with the absent Mare. The three of them looked at Aura, whose face was slowly turning serious, and by the time they had finished talking, she looked very unhappy.
"I'm sorry. Mare apparently needs to head out for something, so just in case, I'll be going back."
"I see. Then... why don't we head back ourselves, Shalltear?"
"I don't mind."
"I'd like to do something in the fields first before I go. Also, I'd like to chat with the Dryads and the Treants."
"Then we'll each go our own ways. Thank you for coming, everyone. Thanks to you, I know how to spend my vacation time. If we're free some other day... yes, next time, we should all bathe together."
-x-X-x-
[ Part 2 ]
[ 9:28 Nazarick Time ]
Mare looked up from the book he was reading, slowly shifting his eyes to peek at the teleport gate which led to the 7th Floor.
Sensing a faint wave of power, he put his bookmark between the open pages and quietly laid it on the chair beside him. He then picked up the staff beside him, the divine-class item known as "Shadow of YGGDRASIL."
Mare brought his empty hand to the magical item dangling before his chest, but then it stopped halfway.
There was no need to contact his sister. He had not received any reports of an intrusion, so the person who came must have been a friend.
He moved his legs and jogged over to the teleport gate directly below him.
His big sister enjoyed jumping down directly from the spectator seats, but Mare did not like to do that. He felt that since there were stairs installed in the arena, he ought to take them on the way down. That was how one showed their faithfulness to the Supreme Beings. The stairs were meant to be used, after all.
But I don't dare tell onee-chan that... she'll look at me in a scary way...
Mare decided that at the very least, he would not waste the Supreme Beings' efforts, and so he ran down the steps, and then he ran past the resting area. It was then that he saw someone standing before a huge round mirror that flashed with all the colors of the rainbow.
"For... forgive me for keeping you waiting."
"Oh! If it isn't the Floor Guardian, Mare-sama! Thank you for coming all the way here. I am utterly delighted."
The clown before him was dressed in pure white and wore a mask that resembled a crow's beak. He bowed, and Mare nodded in response.
"Hello, Pulcinella. What happened today?"
"Oh yes, as you know, Mare-sama, I am currently working under Demiurge-sama, and today I have come as an envoy from Demiurge-sama. Please, take this."
The clown swiftly handed over the folder he was carrying.
"If Demiurge-san wants me to have this, does this mean it's a circular?"
"Precisely. Ah, I'm so glad it was you who came, Mare-sama. How fortunate. If Aura-sama had come, I would have to ask her to fetch you."
"Why? Is... is that so?"
The circular notice system had been invented by the ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown. While it was little more than writing down non-urgent news and other miscellaneous matters on a piece of paper and letting the various Floor Guardians circulate and read it among themselves, something like this had never been practically used before.
Therefore, Mare stared in bafflement at the folder he had just received, muttering "So this is..." to himself.
"H-huh? W-why can't you give it to onee-chan?"
Aura and Mare were both Floor Guardians, so there was no reason not to give it to her. In addition, she was actually quite careful about these things, and she would not simply toss the circular away.
"I am unclear about that myself. All I know is that Demiurge-sama instructed me to hand it directly to you, Mare-sama, and not to Aura-sama."
"Is that so... ah... then, how about Demiurge-san?"
It was a somewhat vague question, but Pulcinella seemed to understand what he was asking.
"...Well, I do not quite understand his intentions. But I feel the answer or reason may lie within that folder."
"I see... er, then, yes, that's right, Demiurge-san, what... what is he doing now?"
"Conducting breeding experiments. Humanoids can breed among themselves, but demihumans cannot breed with humanoids; what a tragic state of affairs. A loving couple is denied the chance to bear the fruition of their love just because of the differences in their race. Demiurge-sama is working hard in order to save these poor souls. He will create possibilities between humanoids and demihumans!"
The clown practically sang his reply, spreading his arms and looking up to the sky. Pulcinella's sudden change in mood made Mare roll his eyes.
"Ah, how rude of me. I could not help but be excited by Demiurge-sama's kindness as he works to make people smile. Please forgive me."
"Er, okay, I don't mind."
"Demiurge-sama has even said that he would allow himself and the others ─ the demons ─ to be sacrifices so as not to make others hate themselves. What a noble spirit of self-sacrifice! I, Pulcinella, am moved to tears by it."
Pulcinella rubbed at his eyes through its mask. Of course, he was not crying. Even his voice sounded the same as always. He did not sound sad at all.
"...Why do people hate him?"
"I do not understand either. Why would the kind Demiurge-sama incur the hatred of others? But Demiurge-sama said so himself. Yes, yes, please listen to this, of how kind Demiurge-sama really is. Last time, Demiurge-sama said that it would be a shame to let the livestock starve, and so he roasted up the children of both sides whole, and served them up to each other. Surely a cruel and merciless person would not have swapped them first, but served them up directly, no?"
"R-really?"
"But of course. And in order to allow the parents of both sides to bid their children farewell, Demiurge-sama even invited them to the dinner table... Demiurge-sama specially allowed them to say goodbye with a smile... I am sure that nobody other than the Supreme Beings could be as compassionate a person as he is."
As he watched Pulcinella prattle on, Mare went "oh" in an uninterested tone.
Those people were not entities of Nazarick, so it did not matter what happened to them. His feelings about Demiurge's livestock vanished from his heart after a couple of seconds.
"And when one is hungry, the gut may be unable to digest food even when the brain desires it. Demiurge-sama even considered that point as he warned them to eat well. His kindness is truly beyond compare~"
Mare felt that this was go on forever, and so he hurriedly cut in:
"─Ah, then, how... how about Guren-san? I thought he would be the one sending it, but what's he doing now?"
"...Is it him, or perhaps her? I believe Guren-sama has no gender, but when I saw him a couple of days ago, he was waiting in ambush near the 7th Floor's teleport gate while Demiurge-sama was gone."
"I... I see."
Mare thought of Guren's appearance.
Guren ─ an Area Guardian who hid his massive body within flowing lava and dragged careless foes into a battlefield where he had the advantage and fought them. Though he was only level 90, he was optimized for combat, and so by sheer fighting prowess alone, he was among the top few combatants of Nazarick, and could even hold his own against some of the Floor Guardians. Thus, there was no better guardian for the 7th Floor in Demiurge's absence.
"Ah, I seem to have spoken too much. Now that I have delivered the circular to your hands, Mare-sama, I must now go spread more smiles to others."
"Thank... thank you."
Mare bowed, and Pulcinella gently replied:
"There is no need for thanks. I am satisfied by being able to see your smile, Mare-sama."
The clown shrugged in a joking manner. "Well then, till we meet again." He waved, and then vanished into the teleport gate which led to the 7th Floor.
After Mare watched him leave, he opened the circular. The fact that it was meant for his eyes and not those of his sister filled him with a mix of emotions ─ superiority and guilt ─ and after he quickly scanned the contents, he blinked a few times.
This... isn't so much a circular as a message Ainz-sama wanted to send to the Guardians.
It read, "To all male Guardians" and contained appreciation and praise for their daily work. In summary, this was an invitation to "bathe together and relieve fatigue".
There was a list of participants, reading Ainz, Demiurge, Mare and Cocytus from top to bottom, each with a Going/Not Going option beside them. The top two entries already had "Going" circled. Sebas' name should have been in there too, but he was currently under orders to gather information with Solution in a human city.
Er, the date is...
The circular stated that the date was not fixed, and that it would be held when it was most convenient for the participants, which was why he could circle "Going" without any hesitation. While the circular stated that he could refuse, there was no way Mare could refuse the invitation of his generous and compassionate master. No, nobody in Nazarick would do so.
He picked up the pencil in the folder and circled the "Going" beside his name.
"...Ehehehe," he giggled as he looked at the circled "Going". However, before long, clouds shrouded his heart.
"Ah, but... how am I going to get this to Cocytus?"
The circular repeatedly emphasised not to inform the female Guardians about this, so it was clear that his master wanted to keep this a secret between men. In that case, the best way was to bring it over himself.
It's not good to keep things from onee-chan... right? Because while I'm receiving his... er, should I call it affection, I'll need onee-chan to guard the Floor by herself.
It was one thing to leave when under orders, but when they had to visit the other Guardians for fun or do other things, Mare and Aura would always tell each other where they were headed. That was because Aura and Mare were assigned to guard this Floor by order of the Supreme Beings, so doing that much was only to be expected.
Mare grabbed the magic item hanging around his neck.
"O-oneechan? Can you hear me?"
He received an immediate reply.
『I can hear you. What's up, Mare?』
"Ah, that's great. Er, um, it's like this. Ah, I need to visit Cocytus for a while. I'll be back soon."
『Visit Cocytus?』
"Mm, I need to get there in a hurry."
『What happened?』
Mare's shoulders quivered in fright. He almost squeaked instead of speaking, and he barely managed to squeeze out a normal voice.
"N-nothing? It's nothing, just... I feel I have to go there."
『Oh─...』
Aura clearly sounded suspicious, and Mare's palms grew clammy with sweat as he heard it.
But, um, it can't be helped. Ainz-sama ordered it.
Other than the words of Aura and Mare's creator Bukubukuchagama, Ainz's words were the most highly placed of all the Supreme Beings. It was only natural to place what he said as his topmost priority.
『Well, I guess that's fine. Go, then. However, the 5th Floor is very cold, so don't forget to protect yourself against the cold... oh yeah, you should be fine there, Mare.』
"Mm, um. I can handle it with magic. Don't worry. I'll go there and come right back."
If he continued talking, he might end up saying something strange. Therefore, Mare hurriedly released the magic item. It would seem his sister wanted to say something else right at the end, but whether it was good or ill fortune, he did not hear it.
"All... all right! I need to move quickly!"
Mare activated the power of the Ring which his master had given him.
***