"Ah, Albedo, welcome,"
The Fragment of Paradox welcomed the Guardian Overseer as she stepped into the Great Library of Abshurbanipal. The succubus gazed upon the numerous shelves and the rows upon rows of limitless knowledge deep within the halls of the library.
'The Nature of Gods', that is the knowledge promised to her by the Fragment of Paradox. A knowledge beyond anything and everything, she wondered if such books actually exists deep within this hall. If so, does Titus have any knowledge about it?
Then, Albedo turned to the Fragment of Paradox herself. Ainz already told her, although she seems alive, the Fragment of Paradox isn't alive. She is merely a vessel and a living weapon containing Ainz's memories and some of the Guardians. Still, she felt just a tinge of jealousy for the living weapon, knowing she can never be as close to Ainz as much as it.
"Fragment of Paradox," Albedo sat down on the seat next to the weapon. A book sat on the table in front of her. The title is called the Red Riding Hood, she recognized it as a story book, not some sort of a forbidden knowledge. "Well then, what is it you wish to tell me?"
"Literally the big boy question of the universe," the little girl put a hand on the storybook. "There's a reason why not many people knows about this, they either went crazy or simply refuse to believe in it," she gestured at the vial beside her. "If the former happens, you'll be drinking that memory potion,"
Albedo slowly nodded. She'll take any risks if it were meant she gets to know the truth. Why the forty abandoned them and why Ainz stays behind. More than anything, she wishes to be the one to share the burden, for Ainz to trust her with more than his life.
She wanted Ainz to trust her with his love.
"If the truth drove me into betraying Nazarick and the love of my love, you have my permision to slay me," Albedo said.
"Humu, then, let me show you something," the little girl opened the book. It's a story book, just like in the cover. It tells the story of a young human girl who went out at night to bring cookies to her grandmother. "Have you heard of this story before? Albedo?"
"Yes, the wolf eats the grandmother and pretends to be her," Albedo said. "Then once the girl was eaten, a carpenter cut the wolf's stomach open to save them."
The Fragment of Paradox opened the next page, revealing that to be empty. "Ah, the story is unfinished, actually, that carpenter part doesn't exist yet," she grinned a little. "Oh, I know, how about I put… Umm… Momon into the story."
Albedo watched as the girl rewrote the story. Turning the carpenter into Momon who defeated the wolf and saved the two. At the end of it, the little red riding hood thanked Momon and became one of his biggest fan.
"There, what do you think? Better than some nameless character, isn't it?"
"I suppose it is better," Albedo said, impressed. "Then, what does this have anything to do with the nature of god?"
"Momon is a god, regular god," Paradox gestured at the text where the Little Red Riding Hood described Momon as a god. "The true God, the big G God, is…" the girl gestured at herself with a smirk. "It's me, I am the god of this little world…"
It clicked to Albedo at that moment. She closed her eyes as the realization hit her at once. "So, the nature of reality is that…" she slowly opened her eyes. "We are all characters in a work of fiction?"
"Precisely," Paradox looked at Albedo. "You are a fictional character, your author is also a fictional character within another story, and the author beyond that and so on…"
Albedo slowly nodded. "Does that makes the Supreme Beings, the writer of Nazarick then?"
"That is correct,"
"Ainz sama is also an author?"
This time, Paradox looked down a little. "Well… He was, an author to your story… Just like the others…" she looked at the book in her hands. "To the forty, you are merely fictional characters in a book. They get bored of you and they left you behind… That is the bitter truth…"
Albedo's hand curled up in a fist. "I was afraid you'd say that…" she took a deep breath. "We blamed ourselves for what happened because… I…" she closed her eyes. "We all refuse to believe that."
The Fragment of Paradox said nothing, she simply sat there, looking at the succubus as she dealt with the truth. The truth of why the Forty abandoned them. It's not because they're disappointed in them, no… They're simply bored of them, the guardians, Nazarick, all of that are merely toys for them to play around with.
"Ainz sama was different though…" Paradox spoke. "He did not see you as mere characters… He did not see you as mere toys to play with… Despite being an Author of your entire existence, Ainz never once sees you as a character…"
A sudden pressure swelled up Albedo's throat, but she said nothing, she simply listened as the weapon told her the truth.
"Ainz sama love Nazarick and everything inside it. He did the unthinkable…" the little girl looked up and closed her eyes. "He sacrificed everything, he gave his entire life, his entire existence as a God, to be down here, as another character in a story…"
Tears began welling up on the succubus's eyes, but she kept silent. She simply listened to her as she thought about the love of her life.
"He loves all of you, more than everything he had… Albedo… Imagine you sacrifice everything you have here to be with a story character, it's just… It takes a special kind of bravery, stupidity, and the truest form of love to go that far…"
Albedo slowly closed her eyes, a trickle of tear ran down her face.
"Thank you, Fragment of Paradox," she spoke, her voice soft and barely audible. "Thank you for telling me this…"
"I suppose you understand what you need to stop doing?"
"I understand…" Albedo took a deep breath. "It will be… a waste of his sacrifice if he were to lose any of us, that's why…" she slowly shook her head. "I… I understand…"
"It's not your blind loyalty that Ainz sama wanted, Albedo," the little girl gently pat the woman's shoulder. "All he wanted is your happiness, that is all… So don't be afraid to be just a little bit selfish, don't put him on such a high pedestal… He isn't as perfect as you think, the same way I am no better than this Momon character I'm writing…"
The Fragment of Paradox closed the book and put it aside. "As for the secret… Well, that would be Ainz sama's identity as writer," she stretched her arms. "That one, is not my place to tell,"
"Momonga isn't his real name, isn't it?" Albedo asked suddenly.
"No, that's not the name that was given to him," she told her.
"I look forward to the day he will trust me with that name," Albedo put a hand over her chest. "My deepest gratitude, Fragment of Paradox, for giving me this chance,"
"You're welcome," the Fragment of Paradox stood. "Also, stop pouncing on him every one hour, yeah?"
Albedo chuckled a little. "What can I say? I find him simply irresistible…" she stood up and walked around the table. "If you need anything, be sure to let me know, farewell,"