Momonga sat on a chair, looking into a mirror that functioned like a TV, showing him a distant grassland. With a few hand gestures, he could move the view around. The grass swayed in the wind, proving it wasn't just a still image. This mirror, like a telescope, let him see different locations, which was useful now.
He'd been watching for a while but hadn't found any signs of intelligent life—ideally, humans. As the scenery started to feel repetitive, Momonga turned his attention to the person behind him.
"Is there anything you need, Lord Momonga?" Sebastian, who stood by, asked politely.
"No, nothing, Sebas," he replied.
Sebastian smiled, and for some reason, Momonga was reminded of his friend, Touch Me. They were both designed similarly, down to the same fierce expression.
Momonga's view zoomed out to an area about ten kilometers southwest of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, near a forest. There, he spotted a village and zoomed in. What he saw was disturbing: a knight in full armor raising his sword against ordinary villagers. It was a one-sided massacre.
"Should we just let them die?" Momonga thought. "The village has no value to Nazarick, so saving them wouldn't mean much right now." He touched his skull, pondering. Since becoming undead, he had lost the emotional reactions he used to have to these scenes.
As he was thinking, Genji appeared beside him.
"Ah, welcome, Lord Genji," Sebastian greeted with a bow.
"What are you up to, Momonga?" Genji asked, noticing Momonga's thoughtful expression.
Momonga waved his hand, and the scene shifted to a villager being kicked by a knight, falling to the ground, blood spilling. The villager's eyes seemed to meet his through the mirror, almost as if pleading, "Save my daughter…"
Sebastian hesitated, seeming to understand the situation and waiting to speak. After a moment's thought, Momonga said calmly, "There's no real reason or benefit for me to save him."
Genji didn't seem surprised; as undead, they had long lost human feelings and compassion. However, Sebastian's expression shifted slightly.
"Haha, Momonga, if it were Touch Me here, he'd rush in without hesitation to save them, wouldn't he?"
Momonga recalled when he'd first played YGGDRASIL, a time when hunting other species was popular. Back then, he'd nearly quit the game until Touch Me, with his strong sense of justice, had helped him. That moment had changed things for Momonga.
"Yes, if it were Touch Me, he'd definitely save them without a second thought," Momonga sighed, looking at Sebastian, who had been created by Touch Me.
"Think of it as a way to gather information about this world," Genji suggested, giving him a reason to act.
Momonga agreed with the logic. "Genji, are you coming with us?" he asked.
Genji shrugged. "Sure, I've got nothing else to do."
Momonga was more certain now. "Sebas, raise Nazarick's alert level to the highest. Genji and I will head out. Tell Albedo to get the other guardians ready and on standby. Also, prepare backup forces. If something goes wrong and we can't retreat, send a few stealth experts to the village."
Sebastian's expression brightened as he respectfully bowed. "As you command, my Lord."
Looking at the mirror, Momonga took out the "Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown." In the image, a girl was trying to flee but was struck on the back. With time running out, he opened a portal with no chance of failure, ready to step in.