As he let his hand fall weakly to his side, as if she sensed something, Albedo turned and quietly stared at Ainz. It was impossible to discern the emotions hidden within him through his eyes. Just as he was about to ask her why she was staring at him despite this, his eyes went wide at the tender light that glinted from her pupils.
She was gently holding out her hand to him. After a brief hesitation, Ainz grabbed it and— joined the rest of the Guardians.
Albedo was the first one to open her mouth, soon followed by the others.
“Ainz-sama as well, please give Shalltear a firm scolding.”
“I agree! Please say something harsh to this idiot!”
“Indeed. I. believe. it. will. be. prudent. to. give. a. strong. word. of. warning.”
“It’s Ainz-sama’s precious words so make sure you listen closely.”
“B-but not too mean……. Uh, umm, I mean……”
“—— ha, hahaha.”
Despite the surprised eyes of the Guardians that fell on him, Ainz could not stop the laughter that burst from his lips, no, his heart.
Having laughed aplenty, Ainz quietly turned his eyes to Shalltear.
“Although I have said this to Albedo before, Shalltear is not to fault for this incident. All of the blame lies with me. My predictions could not reach this far despite all of the information that I managed to obtain. Shalltear, you are blameless. Remember these words.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I will leave the matter of finding out what happened to Shalltear to Demiurge. How about it?”
Demiurge bowed his head to express his reverence towards the command. Then, as if suddenly remembering, asked.
“Ainz-sama. About Sebas—.”
“He is bait.”
The Guardians all nodded their heads in subordination as Ainz calmly proclaimed that he would use one of their own as bait. It was obvious to them that the will of the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick took precedence over the safety of their comrade.
“I do not wish it, but there is no other choice. ……. Although I do not know why Shalltear was targeted, if the enemy were to make another move, there is a high chance that their next target will be the one who accompanied her. That is why I did not call him back to give him a World Class item. …… Albedo, select someone who will secretly observe Sebas’ surroundings. ……. Even if Sebas is to be bait, I have no intention of handing him over so readily. Tell the observer to engage the enemy if they approach him.”
Having given his order, Ainz narrowed his eyes. The intensity of the red flames dimmed slightly.
“I hear and obey. I will take their strength into consideration and send a dispatch as soon as possible.”
“I leave it to you. Although I have learned that resurrection is possible thanks to Shalltear, I do not wish to ever repeat having to kill what my comrades have created.”
Deeply moved, they bowed their heads. Even if the Guardians already knew that Ainz cherished them so, hearing it directly from his own mouth made it all the more effective.
As if she had just vaguely figured out what had happened to her, Shalltear’s face was appalled. Her expression struggled to hide her shame. Ainz gestured at her to perish the thought.
At that moment, someone beside him spoke.
“Uh, umm, Ainz-sama.”
“What is it, Mare?”
“Um, uh, well, the traces of that battle, should I cover it?”
“No need. Did you know? If you destroy a magic sealing crystal, a powerful blast will come forth and destroy the entire area.”
“Re-really?”
“……. Forgive me, I lied. It is like this. Sometimes, even a lie can turn into the truth. Magic sealing crystals are supposed to be valuable, so they will not be able to test it. Albedo, create a crack in Nigan’s crystal. Tell the head blacksmith to do the same on the armor I commissioned. It should seem like it went through a battle.”
“I will carry out your order.”
“Also, it appears I have been too naive. There is no doubt that there is an enemy near us who seeks to harm Nazarick. We must move onto the plan for strengthening Nazarick as soon as possible. For that reason, I will use my skill to create an undead army. I have said all this before….. ah, was it only Albedo who was present then? Regardless, this will be our utmost priority. I wish to establish a plan to collect the corpses from the Re-Lantier graveyard.”
“There is something I wish to say to you regarding that matter, Ainz-sama.”
“What is it, Albedo?”
“When Ainz-sama creates undead with his skill, it is to my knowledge that using human bodies as the catalyst will, at best, result in the weaker type of undead minions, even if they are of the intermediate rank.”
“Right. And what of it?”
