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Chapter Text

Pandora's Actor was a grand creation of the great and powerful Lord Momonga. He was tall and thin in his natural form. His 4 fingers were spindly and his hands were larger than other parts of himself. His skin was smooth and pale. His eyes were black holes that absorbed as much light as possible which was hard to come by in the deepest and most remote secret part of the great tomb. It had abysmally poor lighting. In reality, this place was in another realm entirely and separate from the connected parts. The only way to truly enter was to pass the riddle to the door and to hold a guild ring but only briefly. The place was dark, but that was okay. He was built in a way that allowed him to see and do his work just fine. Pandora’s Actor had never truly spent much time in the other parts of the great structure. His master did not deem it of importance so the only rooms besides that of the many vaults and cases rooms full of items and treasure that he had seen were the throne room and a long hallway. Which he had seen on the way when he was created and then brought here.

The vaults twisted and turned in many darkened halls. The light comes from the few decorations and display boxes. One could easily get lost in the endless items that were on display. While there were no monsters that spawned on this floor that did not mean that it was defenseless. There were traps that could spring with one wrong step and one wrong word. He knew each stone, each item, and turn. His feet were always surefooted.

Pandora's Actor was a doppelganger and it was his job and his job alone to defend the greatest assortment of treasure that was ever compiled. He achieved it. He categorized it. He cleaned it. He made sure that nothing was ever out of place. This was mostly his purpose, his single reason for existing. He did it all with joy in his heart because he found the items to be extraordinarily beautiful, with rich history, and the source of endless questions. In his downtime, he intended to discover more about who made such nice jewels and how to replicate such things. He could probably make more if he had the tools to do so.

He could make such grand things!

He had made some things with materials that the greatest of beings had not wanted. There were a lot of things that were stacked into stack upon stack. On a few occasions, a few of the great beings had asked if they really needed 3,000 empty joke prize boxes. Yet they had remained and Pandora’s Actor had sorted them by season, year, and event. Though he did question what some of the events meant.

There were other things that ended up in a Junk room that were supposed to be thrown out after a certain amount of time, but only a Player could do such a thing. So they remained, unused and unwanted. He should have discarded them or found a way to as that was their wish, but he couldn’t, so he used them. If he could improve them as his programming encouraged him to do then there could be no harm in crafting a few smaller things and hoping to make something of value.

He could never make such great things as the World Class Items that sat in the grandest of lit glass boxes but he could make small things from the endless rooms of scraps. He would wiggle the small knife on the blocks of wood or metal and clean away the debris. He supposed it was in a doppelganger's nature to want to replicate and mimic things.

He had been given the greatest of honors to hold the forms of each of the most powerful beings to exist. His ability to turn into them, use the weapons stored, and mimic them was truly what would make him a deadly adversary to any intruders. But there had never been a single guest to the place that had not been invited and lately, there hadn't been anyone... nothing new to categorize or learn about. In the early years of his life, there had been many people coming in and out of the vaults bringing and checking things out. He felt like there was always something to do. The more work he had the more happy that he felt. Things were not what they used to be in the guild’s prime.

Now, he still kept everything in pristine condition, even himself. He made sure not even a thread was out of place on his beautiful uniform so that if there was a visitor that met the right requirements he could be of the utmost service. He could and would spring into action at any time he was needed. He did not tire, he did not eat, and he never had any unpleasantness associated with those things because he had a necklace that negated the effects.

Still, there was something missing... there was something emptying about being the only person permitted to be where he stood. He would polish things with just as much elbow power. He would practically skip to the next task, ready to be of more use. But one could only keep the place so clean until there was nothing to clean. One could only wonder the same things for so long before their mind ran out of things to ponder for there would never be any answers to his inquiries. At times Pandora’s Actor almost wished for an attack. He could then have talked with another person for a little bit before ultimately doing what was needed.

He wondered if he had been forgotten.

He wondered if something had gone wrong. Yet there had never been any word and it would be risky and unthinkable to leave his post to check; treasonous even. He would die before he went against Momonga’s orders.

Some days he would lean against the entranceway and listen with a borrowed book balancing on his lap wishing that someone would open it.

Yet no one ever came.

In short, it had become lonely. Pandora’s Actor knew better than to complain. He had a paradise to work in. He never was bothered by his work or distracted by meaningless conversations. He was well taken care of. He could cling to the words that had been shared with him before others stopped coming when he was in doubt.

"He's my creation. Isn't he so cool?" Momonga had a skull face but there was no denying that he was smiling as he was introducing him to the other great members. He kept asking him to salute and of course, Pandora was more than happy to spin around and do so. They would clap for it and he would bow.

He fixed his hat which was a bit crooked on his head. His wide black eyes looked into the case that showed his reflection.

Yes, those were the days…

He repeated that to himself. "I am cool."

He practiced his lines again. He danced and moved in the way that he knew was part of his character

He would whisper the lines in German to himself and marvel at the secret language he was taught by his creator. He knew his Master loved him and Pandora's Actor never doubted this fact. He would never doubt the greatness of the Supreme beings. He will continue to do his best. He would make them proud.

‘When Master comes by he will see how great I have done.’ He thought brightly. He hoped that the other would praise him. His heart beat faster and the thought and his face became a little red.

Things had changed. The world was different and Pandora’s Actor knew this even without the ability to see outside he knew deep down there was something new to the air; Something not quite right. It was a heaviness and he did not like it. He didn’t need the parchment in front of him to tell him he should be weary.

There had been a file left for him to debrief him about immediate threats to security. The world was not like it had been before, not even their location was the same. The main entrance was now in a field of all places! The main race seemed to be humans and there was already a force gathered to start investigating this change. While grateful finally to hear of some of the things happening beyond the vault doors he could not help but wonder why he had not been asked to help. Certainly, his abilities would have been useful to gather information.

Maybe things were too uncertain at the moment.

Maybe there was a larger risk he didn’t know about. It would make sense that he should be more on guard than he was before. The items stored here and the gold was nearly all of Nazarick’s resources. It would be catastrophic if anyone were to get their hands on such magical creations. He looked over the walls full of treasures that he had spent a painstaking amount of time keeping in fighting condition. He must be even more prepared than normal! There was no telling who might turn traitorous.

He sat in the small sitting room beside the main entrances to the vaults. This is where they would come through first. He put his head on his folded fingers and tilted it. He would make sure not to pull any punches. Whoever entered without permission would be dead long before they got to the sofas. His fingers tightened with anticipation.

Pandora felt the stones hit his back hard. His Master had returned. He was overjoyed just a moment ago but now he looked up into the skull face a little apprehensive. He had only been doing what was programmed into him... he didn't understand why he was suddenly being asked not to. His heart wilted a little at the tone that his Creator was using.

He had practiced and he had done everything "Cool" that he could think of. Was it not enough...? Was he only supposed to salute a max of 3 times in a conversation or was the limit 2? He didn’t want him to salute because it seemed excessive…?

Hmmm, Is that why it was weird…

He was just so excited to be asked to help with something, to be part of something. How could he not express excitement about the use of the items he took such good care of? How could he not do everything in his power to make his Master no God Happy? If had not been such a pressing situation he would have tried to show him some of his research notes on the items in his care.

His Master had to be stressed... that had to be it!

He would never have been so upset if he had not been in a rush to be the truly caring and benevolent being that he was.

Yes! He would limit it to 3 salutes in situations that needed to be quick.

WENN ES MEINES GOTTES WILLEN If his god willed it he would do it.

“Is that German? Don’t speak that either. No, you may use it if you please…just not in front of me all the time.”

“Y-yes…” His heart began to race again.

He could remember that. He would just have to be careful that he didn't slip. He wouldn't speak their language, the language that they shared, in front of the others because it must be for them alone to use and only sparingly?! It had been so long since he had talked with anyone that he must have seemed insensitive.

That wouldn't do!

He of course cared about what happened to anything that was created by those that were so important. Those that had left. He had seen some of them go, they left their most precious items and his Lord made sure that they rested on statues dedicated to them. His wonderful, benevolent Master was going to use a world item and he was going to save Shalltear. While they never had the opportunity to meet. He knew that she was important and guarded the first 3 floors. He knew her to be powerful and he was immediately concerned for Lord Ainz. However, no matter how the leader of the floor guardians begged it seemed that he was determined to be the one to save her.

He would have gladly gone in his Master's place. He would have gone against everyone in his Master's way, even other Supreme beings. He has a feeling that others would not agree with him. He had said as much. He proclaimed it when asked.

“Indubitably so, Ainz-sama! For as I was made by you, if you desire me to do battle with the other Supreme Beings, I shall charge into the fray without hesitation!”

He also knew that the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen (not that he had seen anything more than statutes and portraits) had expressed deep disappointment at the way that he had addressed her. As their master let them all do battle and prepare for his return.

She narrowed her eyes.

Do not dismiss me. She gave another warning.

She was a pretty Lady though! It wasn't like he was dismissing her ability to do her job! He could hardly contain himself.

“O-okay.” He shook his head. “I will need to prepare for Shalltear’s resurrection. I’ll take extra care and it will go swimmingly! ” He did not salute, his hand drifted, but he forced it still against his chest.

They left him there and he sighed in both relief and contentment. He was happy enough to get started. It would be his first time out of the vaults in a long time.

His first interaction had gone rather poorly, reflecting on it. However, he had managed to salvage it. He had been able to convince his Lord Ainz that he could be of some use with the new world around them being what it was. While he had not been granted permission yet to leave the compound he knew he could be an asset on the outside when the others asked it of him. He wondered if he would get to spy.

What form would he take?

He switched through several of them excitedly as he gathered everything that his Master would need for a resurrection. He knew that his Creator would return to him and when he did he would see that Pandora's Actor did everything right.

He smiled greatly.

His creator likes Albedo, no perhaps it was wrong to use the word like. He cared for her. He looked to her often and Pandora’s Actor had heard that she was the only one given the very special privilege of loving him. He had altered her settings to make it so.

His God favored her and he valued her input greatly. Nearly everything that she suggested he listened to. He gave her great praise and Pandora’s Actor did his best not to be jealous of this fact. Albedo spent the most amount of time in Lord Ainz's presence. She did her work with him in his office and got to make reasons for more meetings to see him. While he knew Albedo was doing her job, and knew that she was respectful enough not to take advantage, it didn't make him feel any less jealous. He wasn't the only one. The few encounters he has had with the other floor guardians had confirmed that they all wanted to spend more time with Aniz.

At the very least he had not messed up. He wasn't in the same position as Shalltear who had reason to repent. He was still doing everything that he should. He even made an effort to try not to salute more than 2-3 times in even the longest of conversations. He had not had a chance to demonstrate this fact to his Lord (but he would) or the chance to see any of the new outside world. He wasn't resentful of this. He had plenty of work to do... just the same amount of it. He wished for more. He knew that was very wrong of him. He should be grateful that he was given a ring to travel. Only 2 others had this honor. Albedo and Mare however were the first.

He could lovingly touch the gift whenever he had doubts about his own importance. Such a gift... It mattered greatly. Perhaps he could give his ideas as well. Maybe he should ask to be given permission to attend more of the meetings to know what was going on.

"N-No!" He said out loud and there was none to hear him. His voice echoes around the vault that is full of nothing but objects. He was the only living thing there. "That would be selfish."

He reprimands himself, slapping against his head, because there was no one there to do it. He could give his ideas only he was asked to share. His Lord would ask if he wanted his contribution. He must have accounted for everything and built fail-safes in the off chance it did not go well. Demiurge seems to think that was the case and he was one of the most brilliant minds the place had to offer. Pandora’s Actor would have loved to have an opportunity to pick his brain about this master plan. Alas, he had neither the time nor the opportunity. The few maids that he had encountered seemed to acknowledge the fact that Pandora at least held some skills. It was thanks to them and himself that everything had been prepared for the final spells and the like to bring Shalltear back.

Yet even with his hard work he had not been asked to do anything else nor had he been acknowledged. It was perhaps too simple of a task to be worth anything. The others had bigger roles to play than him when it came to finding their new footing in the new world. They truly were deserving of the praise and admiration of Lord Ainz.

The Lizard men were now ruled over by Cocytus and he was learning new Military tactics. He would bring this new culture and ideas back with him.

Albedo was in charge of nearly all of the organizing on top of her normal duties. She had to approve or disapprove of important new procedures and budgeting. Pandora’s Actor could only make adjustments to the financial end to make her requests possible.

Demiurge and a few others were gathering intel and doing experiments in order to make sure they could replace some of the materials that were needed in spell crafting and running the tomb.

Shalltear was back to guarding 3 of the floors and handling all the security of the portals in and out.

Even Mare and Aura had more to do than him when it came to ensuring a future with the seeds collected to grow crops and raising and moving monsters around.

He comforted himself with the fact that his Creator had said he was a trump card. He could patiently wait for a chance to prove himself worthy of more tasks. Still, the ache came with a ferocity each time the floor guardians were invited to a meeting and he was not invited. Yes, he was an area guardian, not a floor guardian, but he still would have liked to attend.

With being limited to the Throne room and the Treasury the ring that his creator had given him to move more freely never left his finger, but nearly never got to be used.

He spun it carefully. Albedo wore it on a finger of the most significance. She wore it like a wedding band. He had not put it on any finger of such significance because he didn’t think that his Lord would appreciate that. He had a gut feeling that his was only for work purposes and to interpret it as anything else would embarrass Momonga… Ainz

“Maybe he loves her…” Pandora’s Actor tilted his head it would explain why he seeks her out so often. He wouldn’t want it to be public knowledge. No, it might upset the others. He had heard whispers of a future heir and the rush to try and earn the privilege of producing one. Shalltear probably no longer held as much of a pull for such a thing.

He shakes his head to clear it. Lord Ainz seemed more concerned with what had happened to Shalltear to have time for love. He had been making them expand outward and had been traveling as an adventurer. Still, it could not be denied that Albedo really did love his Creator. She had been distraught at the thought of giving her ring over to him for just a few minutes. She never took it off since and she asked for Lord Ainz to return to her as soon as possible if he ever had reason to take it from her again. He had agreed for her sake.

“Maybe she could make him happy.” That was all that Pandora’s Actor wished. His God looked very uncomfortable the last time that he had glimpsed him. He was stressed the time before that. This new world and ruling without much help had placed him in a difficult situation. It would be nice if he could relax.

Pandora’s Actor would have gladly taken on more duties if that would help! He would share his concerns the next time that he had the opportunity to until then he would continue to do his best.

There finally came a use for him when the others suspected that there was a traitor among them. While listening to the case that Solution had brought forward Pandora doesn't think that it is an act of treason. His God certainly agrees. He does find it odd that Sebas has found use for a human however, and because of this oddity, he can not put aside his worry. He asks for Pandora to act like him, to ensure his loyalty, and put himself in harm's way if it was indeed true that Sebas has turned.

He is grateful to follow this command. He accepts it and just barely remembers not to salute. Which seems to please. The others are happy as well with this solution. It means that his Creator is listening to them. He worried them greatly when he fought Shalltear. This would not happen again. He had made them a promise to let them defend him. Pandora would kill himself without hesitation if it would spare Lord Ainz even one more second of undead life. He transforms with ease. Stepping into his master's skin so to speak.

It’s thrilling to be the other. He can feel the magic that this form has and quickly takes steps to ensure everyone’s safety. It would not do to harm anyone when he intended to protect. Lord Ainz touches him lightly feeling the transformation and looking it over. He does his best to stand still it would be unbecoming to share just how happy it made him. He could not embarrass the other. His goal was to perfectly imitate him. And so he mirrors the other. He tilts his head when Ainz does. He opens his mouth in the same manner.

“Impressive.” It is spoken softly as if it is just for him. His heart beats frantically, excitedly. He basks in the compliment and wants nothing more than to show how greatly it has affected him but he can not do that. He must hold onto that godlike image that his Creator inspires.

“Thank you Ainz-sama. It is my greatest desire to be of use to you.”

He hopes that the other can read his intentions earnestly without his face changing to reflect it.

“I-it’s a bit creepy,” Mare says softly from his left. “H-he sounds exactly like you.”

Pandora’s Actor does not take offense to this. He feels proud.

“This is much more convincing than when you turned into my Creator.” Albedo approves as well, however, there is a very deep frown on her face while observing him. Her gold eyes look almost through him. She moved closer to Ainz as if staking a claim. He didn’t want to put any wedges between them. He met that intense gaze with one of his own.

“I will establish if it is safe for you.” He bows slightly and follows the others through the portal to wait for Sebas.

It quickly becomes clear that Sebas has not betrayed them. No, he just liked the human that he had collected. Pandora's Actor doesn't have a great love for humans. Like the other inhabitants of Nazarick, he was born with a slight dislike of them. It made sense really because it was always humans that caused endless problems. They killed anything that was not like them and while Pandora in theory could look like one of them he knew that they wouldn't hesitate to try and kill him if they did see his original form. The emphasis was on try. He had not seen a powerful enough human or heard of one that could take on a level 100 of anything like himself. The humans that had led a siege never even made it to the deeper layers of Nazarick and they had been Players, so they were stronger. No, looking over the facts. Humans were not a danger on their own but a group of them was troublesome. Humans were relatively worthless in most regards; their value at the moment came in the form of information. Which this human did not carry. It was a waste of a few resources and energy if anything; having a pet human though didn't seem like an act of Sebas turning against them.

He was greatly relieved by this because Lord Ainz did not seem to want to hurt any one of his friend's creations. He handled the cleanup with a grace that Pandora wasn’t sure that he could quite replicate.

“Ainz-sama.” He waited patiently as the others dispersed. His god seemed to pause at his voice. He again fought the urge to salute the other as he felt those cold eyes roam over him. “If I could have a moment of your time.”

“Mmm.” His Creator hummed in acknowledgment.

“I was hoping you could critique my performance.” He bent low making sure that his long coat swept just right.

“Performance...” There was a slight tilt of his head.

“Did you notice any flaws in my performance? I tried to capture your stoney but wondrous face. I lowered my tone like you do when you are in thought. Did I overdo that?” The silence was making him a little uncomfortable. Perhaps he wanted to know where Pandora’s Actor felt he was lacking. Wasn’t that what he had done for Cocytus?

“You did fine, Pandora’s Actor.” There was a little inflection to his words as if he was choosing them carefully. “Now if you will excuse me. Narberel will need me to return and assist her.”

“Of course!” He had not realized that he was blocking the other’s way. “I have just one more question if there is time for that.”

His creator’s posture becomes a bit straighter. “Yes?”

“I am grateful for your time. I will not take much more of it. May I ask how long you are interested in playing the role of Momon personally. I do not wish to overstep my bounds. I know gathering information is in our best interests, but so is your safety…”

“I will retire from the role soon.” He cut him off. “But for now it serves its purpose.”

“I s-see.” He thought a moment longer. “If there comes a time that you want to hold onto its use a little longer and not play the role I would gladly take your place.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The red behind the sockets burned and Pandora’s Actor couldn’t look away. He was still blocking and it was obvious that he was pushing it. He just wanted a few seconds more, he just wanted his creator to acknowledge his existence a little longer. To praise him…a little more… but that didn’t seem to be possible at the moment. He would have to be satisfied with being trusted today with his task. He moved out of his way with another exaggerated bow. He looked back up to see if there was even a hint of a smile at the action. His creator however looked as impassive as ever and headed back towards his rooms.

It would not do to get discouraged. He shook himself. He would just have to try harder to make him happy.

“We are Nazericks greatest minds.” Albedo looked at him a moment longer than what he felt was appropriate. Lord Ainz-sama gave his word that humans would be safe. These humans have dared to defile it. We have been tasked with coming up with a way in which to save the woman.”

“I already have a plan,” Demiurge spoke. “It will require the help of the others…”

It wasn’t a bad plan. The words washed over Pandora’s Actor. His role would be relatively small but then again he didn’t expect to be part of the main show. It seemed that Lord Ainz was insistent on keeping him close to home. It was fine. He knew his primary function was to guard the vaults and it would not do for information of what he could do to slip out before they had truly established themselves.

So the plan was quickly discussed as well as possible jobs for each guardian when they were asked to join. Sebas was held back from hearing the total extent of the plan. Perhaps it was because Demiurge was still annoyed with the fact that Sebas cared for a human or put them into this predicament. It most likely, though, was because the Demon wanted to capture a bunch of humans to experiment on. Pandora’s Actor wasn’t moved by simple humans providing their lives for the betterment of Nazarick. As long as it wasn’t senseless and served a purpose he would push any unpleasantness out of his mind.

“Pandora’s Actor will be in charge of determining if the merchants have anything of use amongst the warehouses.” Demiurge was wrapping up his speech.

He nodded as it was expected and it was something that he could do. He would take the form of someone that had even greater appraisal skills than his normal form had and he would stay in that form to ensure that no information was leaked that shouldn’t be.

As expected the human world had nothing of real use besides maybe food stores. Pandora’s Actor could not help but feel disappointed. How could one expect nothing and still be disappointed? He looked at the bodies that were thrown around him with little remorse. They had been in his way and now their blood was lining some of the containers. He would need to clean his clothes after this. He wrinkled his new form’s nose.

Still, even if he couldn’t think of much use for the goods in the containers did not mean that something would not come up that would make them useful. If they needed to trade with other regions they might be able to pass off some of the “luxury” items as their own. He ensured that everything made it through the portals and went to the proper places for storage.

Perhaps the seeds would prove useful in some form of agricultural project? Demiurge had mentioned something about creating a farm. Even if some of the inhabitants would be human they would need food. He traced his fingers over the small seeds. He was reminded of the passage of life. One was born, they grew, and they changed. Yet he can’t remember ever being a child. He was created the way that he was and he didn’t think he was supposed to change. Every one of the inhabitants in Nazarick was static. Ainz had complained that he wanted to see them change, to grow past what was programmed. He wasn’t sure what that meant. He tossed the seeds back into the box. If they were created in their creator's envisioned image, was changing really alright to do?

When he transformed back in the safety of the great tomb’s walls he felt the immediate urge to cleanse himself from touching such worthless items. The second that he was in the room with the world items he felt himself able to breathe again. He could feel the magic seeping into him and it was refreshing. Working helped to clear his head a little, but it didn’t make the question go away.

What about me should I change? Besides the obvious, his God didn’t like over exaggeration any longer. What counted as too over the top?

He knew that it was to put them onto the map, but he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the thought of humans running around their halls and attempting to steal things that they could never hope to create. They just being there desecrated the well-decorated passageways and floors.

While covering for his Creator on the surface he can not help but wish death to befall every single one of them. They did this for money, no other grander more dignified purpose. They were talking about killing ‘monsters’ like himself as if it was enjoyable. Pandora’s Actor did not find killing enjoyable. It was a task that must at times be completed and when doing so it should be quick and efficient. Since he has been helping with security detail he supposes this would help to test some of the parameters that he helped to establish.

Still, them dying did not seem enough. Especially knowing how upset that his Creator had become with them for daring to bring up his friends that no longer were with him.

“He wishes for us to see if anyone else remains.” Albedo sat near him. Her yellow eyes glowed in the dim lighting of the treasury. “He doesn’t wish for the others to know of this. He thinks that it might cause issues in the ranks if he were to find them and they were not what we remember them to be like.”

“I can see where it would.” Pandora’s Actor took this moment to study her. She brought her nail up to her lips.

“You were not my first choice. Ainz-sama seemed to believe that you were loyal enough.”

He didn’t feel like he was anyone’s first choice, not even his Masters.

“I should take offense to you not thinking I am capable. Though it certainly fills me with greater joy to hear that my creator trusts in my pledge of loyalty!” He could not help the smile that spread across his face. He brought his hands to his chest to hug himself constantly. “I knew it was only a matter of time before I could lend my skills outside of our borders.”

He knows I am loyal. He knows he can trust me when he can’t trust others. The euphoria was making him buzz in his seat but the thought that he also trusted Albedo as greatly was a little sobering. He had reason to be a little jealous of her.

“Yes, yes.” She waved her hand to dismiss the thought. “This will be a secret operation that I expect we will have to make use of some of the items stored here and discreetly move other minions and the like around.” She said it as if he was not capable.

A frown set on his face. “Have I offended you somehow, Lady Albedo?” He tilted his head. “If it is about that time in the vaults I was not meaning to undermine your authority. I merely wanted to proclaim your beauty. Your creator Tabula Smaragdina did well and you bring grace to your work!”

Her smile remains on her face as Stoney as ever. He knows what lies beneath it. He had seen Shalltear and her go at it. Perhaps she dislikes him for another reason.

“You and I both want to please Ainz-sama. You can trust me not to make any errors. I would sooner die than bring shame to him.” He tries a different tactic.

She brought the teacup to her lips. “We will get along then.”

Frightening, he had little skin to make crawl but she had managed it. He thinks perhaps she really was the right match for his Master. She was capable and she was trying to ensure his safety.

A long time passes before he is asked to do anything else. Pandora’s Actor was the logical choice to play Momon; he had even at one point suggested such a thing. He adorned the armor and he did his best to act like a legendary hero. He moved with grace and purpose. He made his voice kind but firm. He is the force protecting them from his God. A supposed roadblock.

“The persona suits you.” His creator bid him into the room. It’s not as grand as the one back home. It is less spacious. There is nothing magical about the room. Pandora’s Actor much preferred the vaults where there was the scent of magic hanging off the walls.

“Thank you Ainz-sama! I have learned a lot by simply observing your greatness!”

“Mmm.” Lord Ainz clears his throat, an action that he seemed to do out of habit rather than actual need.

It was fascinating. He had always wondered if Ainz was born in the form that he was now or if he at one point had died. There were only 3 ways to become undead after all. Some of the habits Pandora’s Actor had observed were more in tune with someone that used to be alive. For instance, none of the newly created undead of various sorts cleared their throat or seemed to care about anything living. Many had made the comment that they lived only to serve Ainz and while they all did that, Pandora’s Actor was sure that they would have attacked the living inhabitants had it not been for the direct order not to. His Master also looked longingly at food as if he wanted to try it or missed the taste.

These long silences always get to him. He never knows if his Master wants him to talk more or if he should just let it be. In any other situation, Pandora’s Actor feels like he understands what others are thinking. His creator though, isn’t as understandable. He doesn’t have the same facial expressions, his body language is even harder to get a read on. Still, sometimes he feels like he can get glimpses of humanity and yearning. Sometimes it rolls off of him like he is lonely in the presence of many others.

“I want you to keep a close eye on the populace. They might seek vengeance on us and I must put down any rebellion before it takes root.”

It seemed that being quiet was the correct choice. His Master was always a bit over-prepared and paranoid from the old data clips he had sorted. Caution and paranoia had always served him well. It wouldn’t be careless when there was still so much unknown.

“I do not think they will rebel as of the moment. They are more concerned about what you are planning to do with them.” Pandora’s Actor takes the opportunity to give his opinion on the matter. He is so rarely called for an audience and even rarer is it without others present.

“Let me know if that changes.”

“Of course! I would never do anything without your permission.”

Maybe that is the wrong thing to say because his Creator asks him to leave shortly after.

The floor guardians did not seem to be too inclined to interact with him. He felt that it was partially because Ainz had chosen to stay behind with him and their creators could not be bothered to stay. It wasn’t something that they wanted to hear, but it was the truth. The other Supreme beings had abandoned them. His Creator was the only one of the Supreme Beings that stayed behind to enter the new world with them. He was their ruler long before it was just him. He was the one that guided the other Supreme Beings. The others were now forced to see his brilliance for what it was. He was a compassionate caring ruler that had promised them a future if they were but to take it with him. They had expanded, there was promise in this new world. There was greatness and loyalty was rewarded. The other guardians and the maids had been forced to recognize what Pandora’s Actor had already known; Ainz was a worthy god. The only worthy god.

Lord Ainz viewed him as someone that was important. He called on him more often now. He asked him for his opinions and for him to use his gifts. For so long he had been under the impression that he had somehow wronged his Lord as the other seemed to cut him off or ask for him to refrain from his settings. He thought certainly that there had to be a fault that he wasn’t seeing for his Creator to be as harsh as he was on him some days.

Now he knew. He knew that he was so critical because he wanted him to surpass him someday. He didn’t know how to do that but he would try.

Pandora’s Actor trembled with emotions. “He called me son.” He tested the words. His heart swelled with the knowledge. He traced the ring that once again adorned his finger. He could come and go as he pleased to work as efficiently as possible. There was nothing greater than this.

He knew the others would have choice words to say if they knew what… his father had said to him. His eyes burned with excitement, his heart beat a bit faster, and his stomach did something funny.

“Vater.” He felt heat and passion burning in him harsher than ever before. “I promise not to fail you. I will make your vision cross borders and your name remembered forever throughout history.”

“What do you think of this?” His father passes the papers over to him.

Albedo is leaning against his chair as she always does. She is happy to be there and Pandora can feel that ache that he knows he should not feel looking upon it. It is not something he has the luxury to make a big deal of. His father has asked him not to show his worth in the political sense. He can not be more than the other guardians. Albedo is the one chosen for that as a leader in her own right. He looked over the movement of troops and the finances that supplying this small war would cost them. Before leaning forward in his own seat that is lower than that of his father's.

“It all seems to be in order. I believe that you have thought everything out correctly.”

“Ah, it was Albedo that did most of the planning.” Ainz looks to Albedo favorably again. Her wings give a single flap of excitement. His boney hands scratch at his cheek as if he is thinking before saying something else. “I am going to need you to stay and run things here. I trust that you can play both roles.”

He bowed his head. “I am honored. May I ask where it is that you are going?”

“I am headed to the Holy Kingdom. They are in need of a savior at this point and I believe that my role will be to indebt them to us.”

He frowns.

“You do not approve.”

“No.” He answers honestly. “They hate undead and I feel it is better that they cease to exist. Going there might lack danger as we have seen their troops are nothing compared to the demon of wrath. As advantageous as it is to perhaps indebt them as you have put it would it not be better to just extend sanctuary to those that might flee?”

“We have already taken that into account.” Albedo ran her hand against the chair rest. “I have as our Lord has asked to prepare some suitable housing in the west wing of the city for them. They are human and should fit in well there.”

“They have a different culture than those that are already inhabiting it…” Pandora’s Actor trailed off.

“You do not think they will get along.” His creator takes the conversation before thankfully Albedo could show her lack of understanding when it came to people and those that she saw as less than them.

“No, I think even introducing them to our ways slowly will cause issues. Putting them all in one place would possibly lead to a large enough force to challenge the state of things or provide numbers for hostile interactions.”

“And we can not simply order them to stand down in this?” Albedo’s golden eyes shimmer with contempt as she doesn't understand that people did not simply bend to what was best for them simply because it was the better choice.

“The people will bend by force. I however would not rely so greatly on it. The reason that we have not had as many skirmishes has been because the heroes of this nation have been supportive. Part of that lies with my interactions with them. I have encouraged them to seek peaceful ways of voicing their grievances and have brought up the fact that so far the King has done the same. If you start forcing them to give up their religion to be safe we are going to have a revolt.”

Albedo then looked like she was going to swing the very weapon that would end the figurative rebellion before it ever happened. Her lips curled into that strained smile of hers. One that always made a chill go through Pandora’s Actor despite that she would never be able to harm him. Not when his father stood between them.

“A short-lived one to be sure.” He rushed to assure. “The Humans do not have the forces or the knowledge that we do. But it would give our enemies even more fuel. The neighboring kingdoms that have not joined alliances and those that we have not properly investigated would seek to turn on us for they would not see it as justified cruelty.”

“So what would you have me do?” Ainz-sama leans forward placing his head on one of his large boney hands.

“Disperse the refugees into the different human sectors. Have them be influenced by those that are already happy with our rule and that trust the undead to keep them safe. We have not intervened much with the temples and have accomplished a similar build of trust and understanding. Make them feel safe and supported where it counts, but alone in their beliefs that they have reason to be unsatisfied with the way things are run. They will either clear out on their own or they will adapt to our way of thinking.”

“And the extra housing that we have already produced?” Albedo can not be left out of the conversation. She can not let him have the last word. It felt much like their meetings for the secret mission that they had been working on. Pandora’s Actor bowed slightly under the gaze if only to compromise and appease her. He would not do that infront of his father.

“We have many other races that are joining our city. Perhaps we can offer them incentive to live there.”

“I agree with your assessment of the people’s situation.” His father spoke slowly. “I however will be traveling to the holy kingdom myself. I do intend to see the extent of the damage and to judge Demiurge's mission's success.”

Pandora wanted to protest again but he pushed his sharp teeth he hid in his mouth together. It was not his place to question any longer. He would only earn his father’s displeasure. Of all the things that Albedo said he did take her one lesson to heart. It was not a creation’s place to question what far smarter and capable beings had decided. They were stubborn and they always had their reasons for doing something even if they were unclear at the moment. It was important to trust and to have faith.

He had faith even though Ainz was the only god that he ever knew. He didn’t know if praying to him for such a thing would have the effects that he wanted. Perhaps all that he could do was hope.

When Albedo brings word that his father was dead. He had thought it to be a poorly timed joke. One where the punch line was that he was an undead and so he really was dead, but in the sense that he always was. He just about broke the table when she said she wasn’t joking. His form started for lack of a better word melting with agitation and need for something that he could not name. He had never been faced with the void that the others must have faced when they realized that their Creators were not coming back.

“We resurrect him.” He had said already moving to his feet. There was nothing else that would be suitable in this situation.

“We can not.” Albedo stated as if it were a fact. She was the one that his father loved and she would know if it were possible or not. He doubted that there was much that Ainz hid from her.

He felt his face starting to split with his teeth starting to poke out at funny angles. His eyes held tears that ran black. Most guardians had several forms and his final so to speak phase was not one that should be witnessed in the middle of a meeting room.

“Pandora’s Actor. Get a hold of yourself.” She had demanded.

He couldn’t. He knew he was not supposed to be one to lose it. No he was a brilliant doppelganger but he still had feelings like the rest of them. He could not remain calm when there wasn’t a single way to fix this… No, everything started to pour out of him. It did not matter if he could not usually express grief in a way that's fitting of the son his father wanted. Part of him thought to act as calmly as Albedo was, was uncalled for everything considering. Like she could not love him as much as Pandora did.

The horrible feeling wouldn’t dim no matter how much he willed it to. He did not have something to suppress an overload of emotions. If anything he had been created to express and feel more. Lord Ainz had given him a very unique personality. Which only made it hurt more. He probably would have destroyed a lot more than some of the flooring had she not given him a better explanation of what was going on.

“He wants us to act as if he were dead.” She clarified.

It was then that she further explained that Ainz-sama had chosen to act as if he were dead and had done so to see how best that they could run things without him. The information was not supposed to be known by all of Nazarick and she had been instructed to act as she had. Pandora had forced her to tip her hand or he quite possibly might have destroyed everything in his quest to avenge his father that currently wished to act like he did not exist.

It might have stopped him from melting and might have saved the rest of them from his ink filled tears. But the feeling had not left him completely even hours after the traumatic news. It did not matter that it was a fake death, nor that he had ever felt it possible for his father to be defeated, the thought of What if would not leave him. He grew angry and frightened at the thought of being alone. He knew that his Father cared for everyone that graced these halls. The treasury was a monument to how much he loved his friends and all that they had built. It was his father’s legacy and if anything Pandora’s Actor himself was something that would endure long after him if he ever was called to the higher plane that the other Supreme beings went. He would uphold it and he would make sure that none forgot him. He however would do anything to be the one to go first. The thought of Ainz ever suffering when there were others and himself willing to protect him used to be unthinkable. Now it is all that he can think about the real devastation that could befall them all if his creator was to die.

It was as if he was preparing them for that fact. This was a drill but it could have been a reality when he faced Shalltear. Pandora had always had faith in that regard but he now questioned it. He shouldn’t… he was not supposed to… He knew that well enough. He however had to wonder what lengths that his father would go through to protect them as he saw it as part of a ruler's job. A just, wondrous, gracious ruler that the Holy Kingdom had shunned. They were quite literally burning for it. It wasn’t enough. They should suffer more for what they had put his Father through. While he did not like Demiurge’s violence he could not doubt its efficacy in breaking the will of a rather spirited people that wouldn’t have turned from their religion or wanted peace between their nations. It was one of the only ways. He can see that now. He however did not have to like it. His Father was always several steps ahead of them, but even the best strategists could make mistakes. People that were incredibly incompetent could always screw things up in a way that was unfathomable. He had started to pick up on that when he had to play the role of hero. So by others incompetence his father could really get hurt or meet an unfortunate end by a player and this was unacceptable. It would not be allowed to happen.

Pandora’s Actor would not allow it!

He swore on everything that he would never let his Master be unguarded again. He would beg if he had to for the permission to go anywhere that might be dangerous in his stead. He could be resurrected but he didn’t know if Lord Ainz could. He would have to carefully look into it. While unlikely, they needed the assurance. Pandora would ensure that they had it.

Ainz comes back from his journey different. He holds himself more reserved and seems more tired than normal. Pandora waits for as long as he can to speak to him in private. He has done as much research as he can and has everything he needs to plead his case of being the other’s shield. The maids are outraged to be asked to leave even for a few minutes. It is shameful to them to be dismissed even for the smallest increment of time. Yet his father still does it for him and he has that wonderful burning warmth in his chest.

It goes beyond anything he can really name.

“Vader.” He said sitting closer to the other then perhaps he should. However his father had allowed him the last few times and being near him was confronting. He needed it for he still felt that there were cracks left by the news that the other had died. “If you wish, you could talk to me. I know things did not go pleasantly on your last mission, but if I can elevate any of the burden for you, would you allow me?”

Red eyes flash and Pandora wishes that the other would speak his mind. However the great leader is silent for a few long moments.

“While your wish to help is admirable, I don’t need anything from you other than what you have been doing at the moment. If anything I should be asking you if I can help you. With Albedo traveling to the Re-Estize Kingdom and my emergence with new refugees I suspect that things have been difficult to manage.”

Did he doubt Pandora’s ability to sort it all out? Or did Albedo draw a rift between them by suggesting that he had not taken well to the news of his creator’s fake demise? Perhaps his Father was just that kind and really did not have any other motive then to lighten any load that he could.

“I have it handled.” He said confidently. “The integrations have been going fabulously. I have been a bit buster as Momon. I introduced myself and offered my services to help with moving them in. I have earned a greater reputation for us through these basic and very simple acts of kindness. Nothing has been too overwhelming. I could easily do more.”

His Father tilted his head and Pandora had a bad feeling that he was once again looking through him. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Pandora would take on more responsibility if given the opportunity.

“I was just worried for you.” Pandora confessed. “I worried what would happen if the news had been true. What the plan would truly be if we could not locate you.”

“That was the point of this exercise.”

“What I would do.” Pandora’s Actor held onto his heart as he corrected himself. “I can not live without you and I don’t think that I am the only one that feels that way.”

The skeleton sits more rigidly and Pandora felt that faint trickle of fear he had felt when they had first interacted in the treasury all those months ago. Slowly as if questioning himself a hand comes to rest itself on his shoulder. “While I have the ability or choice I will never leave any of you. I can not know everything, I am not omniscient. It is why I wanted to see if we could be prepared for such a thing. I apologize if this has upset you.”

He leans into this touch as much as he can. It’s one of the only friendly touches that he has ever known. He feels overwhelmed with the need to express his love for the other. His wondrous, caring, father however would be put off by the display. It seemed to embarrass him.

“Let me be your shield so it does not happen.” His voice comes out much sturdier than he thought that it would. “I can be resurrected. I have looked into a way for you… I have not been successful. I believe it is something that only Players are able to understand and other Supreme Beings.”

“Albedo said something similar.” His Master mused. His fingers slipped from Pandora’s shoulder. “I did make a promise to let others protect me. It is just very difficult.”

“Are we not reliable enough?” He was desperate enough to prove the other wrong. He was ready to try and give them and should they not be reason enough before the other to tell him how to improve. It was his greatest wish to be of use. “Whatever I have done to displease you please tell me and I will rectify it. I would give you my life if you would have it. I wish only to make you proud!”

“It is not that.” The undead covered his eyes with his hand. “I am not sure how to put it without it possibly sounding insulting. However I suppose that I should not be anxious about how you would respond to it. You are different because I can almost always predict your responses.” Pandora blinked, unsure what to make of that statement... to be known was wonderful but also… distressing.

“I see children when I look at each of you. My friends’ children. You are my child…” He hesitated as he said it. ”But each and every one of the others are all that remains of my guild and those that I cared so deeply for. I do not wish for my friends’ children to die for me. Each of you is a gift and far more at times then I feel that I deserve. It matters not that I can bring those that die back. If I had the ability to dream I would no doubt revisit the second that I had to take Shalltear’s life. It is of great failure that I allowed for such a thing to happen. I had grown confident and reckless. I could have lost the very thing that I swore to protect.”

“I understand, but if you are lost we are all lost.” Pandora met the red that focused on him. “Each of us understands this.”

“I wish you did not need to.” His father’s eyes burned brighter. “I wish to teach you all to be more than what we originally gifted you with. If Nazarick is to rule this world, then I will have to ask more of you all.”

“Then ask it.” Was all that he could think to say. “Ask for anything and we shall give it to you.”

This decoration seems to sadden his father for some reason. Perhaps he feared that most. Pandora’s Actor stared at the king and wondered if the incompetence he so feared could kill him would come from themselves tripping over themselves to guess what the next moves should be.

“If you do not need anything else from me then I shall get some work done.” The large skeleton rose from his seat and when he saw his posture he knew like any father would. He raised his hand. “And then I shall rest. You are not the first to be concerned for me.”

“May I ask if the fact that we are children in your eyes is stopping you from acting on your feelings for Lady Albedo.” He quickly bowed deeply. “I don’t wish to insult you or her. I just know how much she loves you and her changed settings to allow for her to love you.”

There was some sort of dreadful feeling seeping into the room and as quickly as it had come it was gone. “That is not something that I wish to discuss.” With you was unsaid but Pandora felt it. He could see it in the way that the other looked at him. He flinched. “Albedo understands that while we are unsure of our position in this world, I would not act on any of the emotions that I might have for her.”

“I don’t understand.” Albedo bent over the desk that separated them. They had talked the last hour over finances.

“I will explain it to you.” He says patiently folding his leg over the other. “Which part do you have questions on?”

“Not this.” She hisses, running a hand through her hair. “I do not understand Ainz-sama.” She bit at her nail, seeming to think about it. “The numbers are off.”

“He is letting some of the people go.” Pandora Actor says plainly.

“I know… but why? Certainly they deserve death for what they have done!”

Pandora remained silent as she raged about humans and their insignificance. He can understand her perspective but he can also understand that an act of mercy to those that were just collateral also could be useful in establishing themselves as not completely barbaric. For insulting their kingdom, and his father, there could only be death. However the act of a few people did not speak for the hearts of all of them. His father had once said he only cared for results… This was as efficient as it needed to be really.

“We have to have faith.” He decides with. “Lord Ainz is truly brilliant, his plans surpass us. I wish one day to be at his level.” Her smile came a little less forced at that. He had given her words back to her. “Besides, if he were here what do you think he would say?”

“That I am far prettier when I smile and that I should not be concerned over such trivial things as a few survivors. Especially if he had reason to let them escape.”

Pandora nodded enthusiastically. “We have our own situation to deal with.”

“Yes.” She agreed. “Make sure that you do not embarrass Ainz-sama.”

His father’s skin so to speak sits well on him. His clothes feel soft to the touch. Pandora’s Actor is prepared as he thinks that he can be for this battle.

As the suit of armor’s weapons clash against him and the spells that he uses to keep his distance and for protection fail over and over again, Pandora knows something is wrong. The adversary that they had predicted to be a level 90 at best is carving his way through the well planned defenses. He knew his father’s move set and while he doesn’t have the full strength of him, he does do a lot of damage and knows how to effectively use his skills. He had watched his fathers recorded pvp matches for insight on how best to attack and he had coordinated with Albedo on how she would be of assistance.

This plan was not working. His mind reared and he had to force himself to be calm. Panic would do nothing. He had to hold himself as his Lord would. He can’t seem weak.

The barrier was keeping him in place. Stalling was only doing him so much good. Albedo was chasing their other target of interest. The weaker seeming one. She was, however, slower. It all would depend on how far she chased before returning to him. The other option was lowering the health of his opponent to the point where he would back off. Both were not good solutions.

He should have ordered her to stay close…

He would need to keep his distance and hope that enough summons and knock back would buy him that time that he needed. Yet he is becoming drained by each defensive play that he makes. He has taken some damage and if he took too much more the form might become unstable.

They could have misjudged the situation with Albedo’s opponent as well.

No worrying about her wouldn’t do anything. Albedo knew how to take care of herself. He cast another wall of bones and it stopped the thicker blade just inches from his chest.

He could not get a good read on the other when the armor was more interested in attacking him than speaking. He hoped that the few bits of information that he had been able to weed out would be enough for his father to have a good idea what they were up against. Another slam from the enemy hammer pushed him back into the barrier. It was impossible to break it. The magic that made it up was unique and unlike any of the objects he had access to in the vault. No, it was possibly the work of a world item and every hit with the club-like hammer increased its damage each time it hit him. He couldn't stall the fight when it did that. He hit the other with another bout of lightning and it bought him again a little bit of time and he slammed his own staff to knock the other back and away from him when the other lunged. The sword grazes him and he feels some of the bone chip.

He bids again for time as another hard hit hits him and he can feel blood in his ears. On his knees he begs the other to listen to what he is saying and for a moment the impossible force stalls.

“I don’t plan on fighting you seriously… what would you have done if the precious food from your country was stolen from you?”

“People in power should use their power carefully and take responsibility for their own actions…”

There was a sudden scream and Albedo came through the barrier. It took only a moment for her to also realize that something was off by the way that the weapons clacked against her own. Her armor dents as the largest of the blades circles back to the suit of armor and the club swings hard. She is slammed backwards with the force of it and since the barrier is gone she hits the ground and coasts to a roll.

[“It is increasing its damage each hit.”] Pandora’s Actor warns her through message as she gets herself back up.

[“It mitigated my defense stats.”] She hissed and he noticed there was a little bit of blood dripping from her mouth. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

The blades came circling back. “I gathered about as much intell that I wanted for this fight.” He informs her and hopes she takes it for the order to retreat that he meant it. They could possibly win, but he is uncertain what other tricks this stranger might have up their sleeves. “Let’s wrap up here.”

She hit the blade away from herself as it came again for her. The Armor was losing HP slowly and so they were perhaps at a stalemate. Riku had put distance between them both and did not seem to be interested in doing more than probing Albedo to see how strong she was. He almost let out a sigh of relief but the barrier reformed itself around them. The next set off attacks were harsher than before. It seemed that it was to be a determining battle.

Albedo blocks for him again and again and he covers her with his spells. The HP of the armor drops lower and lower, but he can see that despite her being a tank, the guardian’s leader is feeling the damage. The club is glowing more than before. He can sense the power radiating off of it.

“Albedo focuses on the barrier.” He ordered and she looked like she wanted to argue. She would if he had been the real Ainz. She would have gladly died for his father. He knows his father would not be pleased if she were to die. In fact he feels that most of Nazarick would be.

He cast another bone wall. Catching the spear in a wave of magic to redirect it. The club however slammed into him and he felt a great chunk of his HP drop.

“Are you using a world item?” He asked pleasantly. “That club if yours seems to be of better make than that of the others. They pale in comparison to most of my items.”

The armor tilted his head and Pandora’s Actor had a feeling that he had touched a nerve as the gauntlet tightened on the sword. Albedo slammed against the barrier and her item seemed to be cracking it slowly.

“It will not work.” Riku shook his head.

Still Albedo beat against it and it rippled.

“I don’t believe you.” Pandora’s Actor put his hand to his chin much like his master would. “I think it’s going to go into a cooldown soon. You can not possibly keep it up much longer.”

“The barrier matters not this fight is decided.”

The club was glowing more fiercely than before. It was headed for Albedo and Pandora cast, but it didn’t even stop it. Slammed into her and she screamed. Her wings spread to protect her as her weapon snapped. Pandora rushed forward and caught the backward swing shoving her out of the way. He hardly reacts to anything other than the pain. His health took a steep dive towards zero. The spear tore through what would be his father’s ribcage, for Pandora it hit things that would be vital. If everything had not already been crushed he was sure he would have been able to feel more than the skeletal jaw tearing loose.

He fell but held a ring of special make. It was given to him for safety reasons should anything go wrong. He could hardly grasp it, but he was able to activate it. He held as tightly as he was able to her and they were teleported with a strength that no matter what barrier was made of wouldn’t have been able to hold.

The tomb's floors were hard. He felt the remaining strength leaving him. His form melted and he could feel the bag that held his organs no matter the form he forced himself into rupture. He was going to die.

Funny, he didn’t think it would hurt so much. He looked at the beautiful and bloody face below him and smiled. His egg-like face splitting with the effort to show his monstrous teeth. He was glad to have saved her.

“You…” Albedo started to berate him for a hit that she might have been able to tank. He could hardly hear her words. He didn’t know much anymore. There was a slim chance that the second would have killed her, but it was one he didn’t want to take. Even if she survived those 2 hits there was a good chance then next would have killed her or she wouldn’t have been able to move. His retreat was well calculated. His father would be proud he had prioritized as was asked of him. He hoped that his father would smile when they next saw each other.

‘Take care of Vader.” He managed as the room fell into darkness that matched her beautiful silky hair.

Ainz had been watching the battle the best that he could from his viewing mirror. The fight had been incredibly one sided and while Pandora’s Actor had fought admirably he had been at a severe disadvantage. He was impressed nonetheless by the other’s bravery and tenacity. He had saved Albedo and shown them the probable person responsible for the brainwashing of Shalltear. It was an acceptable loss, but that did not alleviate the horrible feeling that stuck itself deep in his chest. Pandora’s Actor was not exactly his favorite NPC. It was no fault of his creation. It was made in the image that a younger, more foolish version of himself thought was cool at the time. It was equivalent to encountering an OC that he had made in junior high.

While possessing great intellect Pandora’s Actor had nothing but the cringiest of dialogue. When excited he would fluctuate between German and back to Japanese. His over the top acting could burrow under anyone’s skin and he did not have any. The sheer amount of suppression he had to endure to get through some of their conversations was mentally taxing. It wasn’t his fault, and Ainz did his absolute best not to let the other feel his extreme dislike over his antics.

He had taken to letting the other call him Father in private as it made the other far more inclined to do as he asked. Of the NPC’s Pandora’s Actor he felt saw through him a bit better than the others. Those large black pits always looked at him and mimicked him far greater than expected. He embodied a hero much better than Ainz ever could. He captivated the common man. His overzealousness seemed to endear him to many and while not all of his subjects were thrilled with his creation they seemed to see great wisdom in his design.

While Demiurge was convinced he was 1000 years ahead of them and far smarter than them; Pandora asked about the present. He did not question per say… but he also gave him much needed feedback. He asked harder questions and always relented when pressed, as he never seemed to want to over step imaginary boundaries. He honestly wished that he had taken Pandora’s Actors advice when it came to the Holy Kingdom. He shivered at the thought of the cult he had accidentally built around himself.

His creation was loyal to him more perhaps than those created by the others. And if he had started to think of the others as his children… it was fitting that his own creation would have been his child. So the hurt of loss lingered in his heart, just like when he had been forced to kill Shalltear. It was Ainz’s failure that allowed him to get hurt.

They would need to resurrect him soon so Ainz could apologize to him and thank him for his service. The overlord would much like to get his thoughts about the battle. Much like he had given the others great rewards for their accomplishments, one for his creation was well overdue. He wondered what the other would ask of him.

Pandora’s body wasn’t like Shalltears. While Ainz had not expected it to be in the shape that he had left his first floor guardian, he had not expected to see such damage. It made the suppression go off twice, once for the anger that overcame him for a moment and then for the guilt that followed.

“He fought well.” Albedo leaned into him. She had cleaned up since the battle, there wasn’t a sign that she had been hurt. The medical staff had seen to it. Pandora’s Actor though didn’t have that. He was dressed in Ainz’s black robes and the fine purple was stained so deeply that he doubted that it would ever come out. He had been cleaned up a bit, but there were still angry wounds.

“They have come for someone I care for yet again.” Ainz felt his fist tighten at his side. “I have no doubt that whoever this Riku is, he is behind taking Shalltear from us as well.”

“We will destroy him.” Albedo put her hand onto his arm and he let her hold onto him. In a rare moment he felt comforted in her blood lust. He wouldn’t consider himself on the other inhabitants of the tomb level most days… but he would be lying if the idea of the armor being crushed didn’t make his heart leap.

With slight anxiety Ainz watched the gold in the room melt. Albedo and the others had gathered to welcome his creation back to them. However there was no change in the status as the spell seemed to fail. It consumed but still left the broken body behind.

It wasn’t supposed to do that.

They had proven that Resurrection was possible multiple times. This was supposed to be a calculated loss. He stood there and felt that fire he had felt when others had dared to come into his home and insult his friends. His whole body trembled with rage, that the repression struggled to stiffen. He wouldn’t lose Pandora’s Actor. He was a member of this life, the people he had left. He was a symbol of old times and Ainz would not allow anyone to take from him what he had built and what he suffered for.

So Ainz forced it. He used a wish the second time around. A very slight change happened in the status information. He breathed in relief as the screen flickered to show that there was life once again in his creation. Yet the stats started to plummet. They scaled down from 100 and kept dropping until there was nearly nothing significant left stat wise. His eyes blazed red as he blinked in disbelief. Before him was just a bundle of robes. He made his way down the steps from his throne to find the mound giving one very small stir. Before him was the form of a very small child. Except this child had an egg shaped head. The smallest of arms drowning in the pool of black fabric reached up.

“Mein papa,” He said softly.

Chapter Text

The small figure reached up its arms and a smile split the egg-smooth skin. Large needle-like teeth bore the largest of grins. It was horrifying rather than cute, even if it was clear that there was no malice behind the crazed look. Pandora's Actor squirmed to get closer to him and his little hands reached and reached only to find nothing as Ainz had taken one step back in surprise. The small doppelganger fell face-first into the tile floor in a loud thud that echoed across the throne room. The silence of everything was momentarily broken before a very loud sob escaped the small creature. It was then that the spell on them all seemed to be lifted and everyone started talking at once. The confusion, the aggravation of a possible trick, and the overall absurdity of the situation, finally dawned on them and the result was chaos. Ainz to bring them back to order and to perhaps buy himself a moment or two to find clarity tapped the large and magnificent staff of his guild against the floor to bring order to the room. Everyone despite their opinions on the matter quieted. The only sound left was the child's loud distressed cries.

"Albedo." He ordered. "What is the status report saying?"

"Yes Ainz-sama." She jumped to the ordered task and it took her just a moment to look over the data. Her bright yellow calculating eyes narrowed. "Everything stat-wise is reduced by a great amount."

"So it is most likely that Pandora's Actor is not putting on a show for us," Demiurge responded and pushed up his glasses. "This could be the work of the object that killed him or perhaps the barrier had an altering status effect."

"My stats seemed to have been ignored when it came to the club-like weapon as we discussed previously. It is possible that when I shattered the barrier the first time I activated an effect." Albedo agreed and he trusted her assessment.

"We will need to look further into this matter." Ainz decided. "I wish all of Nazerick to proceed with great caution. Until we can find a way to reverse this. It is to be expected that we can not properly resurrect our members."

As the crying was becoming distracting and felt like an uncaring idiot just standing there. Ainz moved slowly forward to steady the small form that quickly clung to his leg and used it to pull himself up. The fabric of his robe was quickly gaining a black and unpleasant substance. The small hands were like little vices and the egg hid his face and nuzzled. He wasn’t taking any damage but he was sure that if Pandora’s Actor was to cling to his former human form he would have had pinpricks from his sharp fingertips. He slowly put his hand over the bald head and started to unconsciously rub it. It was warm and smooth. There were thin small hairs that coated the surface.

Fascinating.

The other seemed to have calmed a little and Ainz took a small unneeded breath of relief at that. The tactic he employed had worked the few times he observed it in his old reality. His friends had done it when they had met in person. A few of them had small children of their own and one of them had unfortunately started crying the moment that he had held them. The others had cried because they had fallen from the indoor swing.

Ainz had never been jealous of his friends when they all started families. He had been happy that they had found something besides the game they played to bring them joy in the disgusting world run by large corporations. While some of the guild members had thought it shameful to bring children into that world. Ainz had found it selfless. Anyone who had children would have to work nearly 3 times as hard to support them.

He had his job and the game. He had not had much time for much else. But on those very rare holidays, he had time to visit if the others were willing to let him stay for a little while he wasn't alone. Hero-Hero’s child had been only slightly larger than Pandora when they had met for the first time. He never was the only one there to take care of a child though and up until he had entered the new world he had never seen himself as the Father type. He had always been more the expecting to die alone if his friends couldn’t be their type.

He hadn’t even had a girlfriend before!

Children were not at all in his plan.

Yet, he had committed himself to watching over each of his friend's creations and by extension his own. They were his and they were all that he had left in this uncertain world they found themselves in. He slowly picked the child up and the cries stopped nearly instantly. The eyes returned to big black holes that held the faintest hint of red. The black ink was left in long trails of tears. Ainz absentmindedly whipped at them. The egg pressed a little too hard into his side for comfort. It sent something through him that he could not quite name so he settled for uncomfortable as most things in this new life and role made him uncomfortable.

Albedo held her smile when he turned. She might have been upset about the robe. The maids on the other hand were probably taking lots on who would attempt to clean them. He never had much for them to clean… he often felt like they might have been bored. Yet they insisted on taking care of every little thing. Some days even glancing at them was an encouragement to try and clean something he had only slightly touched or moved.

"Do you wish for us to call in some of our scouts?" Albedo asked, clearing her throat in a delicate manner.

They did have an invasion going on. He had to remember that, in the midst of everything that part couldn't be forgotten. They had made it so that there would be nothing left of the kingdom. Ainz had given his word that it would fall as his people had asked this of him. He had told the prince that he was doing this for their happiness so he would continue to press on. He could ignore the unpleasantness of some of it, if it reached this ultimate goal.

"No, we will proceed as planned. The expendable summons however will do most of the front lining. I do not want anyone of Nazerick placing themselves in unnecessary risks. If there is a chance that anyone strong is present they are to cut losses."

“Understood.” Albedo nodded in agreement, her smile brighter as if yet again honored by him simply doing what he should as a ruler… as if caring about them made him extraordinary. While in reality, they could not afford to look weak even with this setback. It would be even more dangerous to let their enemy think that they had won or caused any lasting harm to them. It was better that they saw Ainz and his army finish the job that they had started. It would make it improbable that they would attack again until they thought their next move out very carefully. If it had been a world item that was used, there was the possibility that it was spent or that it would be used again when it was charged. They would need to know how to combat it.

He unconsciously started petting the small bald head again and Pandora's Actor settled. His face squished strangely as he nuzzled in. He would need clothes, he could hardly stay wrapped in robes far too big for him. The maids might be able to put something together or he could pay someone in the city state for some. When looking however at the shops he could not say that he was all that pleased with the craftsmanship; anything from Nazerick was far superior..

The Maids also picked things that weren’t to his liking some days because they were too extravagant. Perhaps he should just try for a miniature version of what he had originally created. He poked at the doppelganger's cheek and Pandora’s eyes shifted over a little. It reminded him almost of a slime in the way that it slid so easily. Was that even normal? He hadn’t encountered a doppelganger of so low level to have anything to compare it to. In the game, they were mid-ranking monsters and usually part of a one-off story rather than anything particularly interesting. The information on the class was also limited as most used it as a subclass then the main race class.

He had made Pandora’s Actor unique for this reason. He had put all the skill points he could into the categories to make him an ideal expert in the appraisal of artifacts and an effective guard. A guard that could change the outcome of a battle by picking the best transformation to suit it. At such a low level and without a way yet to gain levels to his knowledge he didn’t know what skills the other still possessed and if the other still had any memory at all. Doublegangers after all we’re created to be deceptive. They could read surface-level thoughts in order to help pick an appropriate appearance. It was possible that the other had picked up on some of the other's thoughts and was simply acting cute.

“Papa…”

“Hmm. I did tell you that you could call me that. Do you remember anything else, Pandora’s Actor?”

“Papa.” Pandora’s Actor repeated and Ainz sighed.

“I suppose that until we are able to restore you I will be hearing that phrase a lot.”

“Mmmm.” Pandora’s Actor mimicked perfectly his small hum.

He could see the slight shift in his friend's creations. He didn’t dare to ask them what they were thinking. His mind raced for a way to defend himself if he needed it. He hazarded a glance at Albedo, she however had that blank look on her face that made it so hard to tell what she was thinking. The demon next to her was just as blank and that smirk could have meant anything!

He hoped no one would start rambling on his grand plan. Though he could make the argument that Pandora had been key to many of his plans… Despite this imaginary plan he had been bumbling there were still things he would have to change. He needed to shift some of his more tangible ideas around. He didn’t have the luxury of having Pandora’s Actor act in his stead. Mormon would have to disappear for a while, but that needed to be a reasonable reason or he was going to have issues keeping the peace in his own city. And if he did return to that role it would no doubt be seen as strange when he stumbled through the new life Pandora had created around the character.

Political Unrest was the last thing that they needed. They had lost one of the best minds and someone that Ainz admittedly had dictated to do a few of the jobs that he was uncertain about. It was not going to be easy to compensate.

“Lord Ainz.” The deep voice drew him from his thoughts.

“I apologize. It seems my thoughts have run away from me.” He turned to face the demon that shifted his tail to the side. “This changes a great deal of my plans.”

“I am sure that one so wise such as yourself will have no problem adjusting.” Demiage boasted on his behalf.

He silently coughed to cover his uncomfortableness with the statement.

“Nonetheless, I will ponder this. I trust that everything will be carried out as planned until then.” If he could sweat he might have at that moment. He had no idea what to do about this little problem. All he knew was that he did in fact want to complete this killing of the Kingdom as quickly as possible. He had enemies that he wanted to destroy but not the means to seek them out quite yet.

“It will be done.” Albedo bowed and soon after it seemed everyone was again dipping far too low for his liking. They never grew tired of it. He wished they would. He nodded his acceptance to them and teleported out with the small child still in his arms.

“If you have any ideas on how to help you, now would be the time.” He didn’t know why he was bothering but being tiny and low in level wasn’t necessarily the same thing as being regressed in maturity. If there was a chance that the other waited to try and talk with him it wouldn’t be completely out of character. Maybe he was just hoping there was an easy solution.

He sat Pandora on the sofa and the egg flopped onto his side and looked at him with half his face squished by the sofa. If Ainz had truly thought himself a father-like figure this cemented it. There really was no going back when a toddler-like being was attached to you. It was his fault the other was in this state as well. He sat next to him and Pandora moved to lean into him.

The only question became how was he supposed to take care of such a being long term. He supposed like everything there had to be a way to research these things and be clever in the manner that he looked into them. But first, he informed the maid of his need for child-sized clothes. He requested to be left alone until then.

The Doppelganger in front of him had changed when the clothes were presented to him. They were a plain yellow pair of shorts and a shirt. Nothing extravagant and for that he was grateful. Pandora however squirmed and tried to escape the clothes being placed on him. More likely than not it was uncomfortable for him. By all accounts of his readings, doublegangers could gain clothes by simply shape-changing rather than putting on anything. It might have felt weird to not only be forced to wear something but to have it rubbing against his skin. Ainz’s robe had been acting more or less as a security blanket for the bare creature below it. He couldn’t stay under it forever hence the struggle to dress him.

To escape the shape changed, and instead of there being a smooth, bald, creature there was suddenly a skeleton with all the bones in their proper places. The red eye lights glowed a bit brighter with what might have been happiness when the maid let out a little gasp. He however was still small.

“Pandora’s Actor.” He chided. Grateful the other could change but not to full size. He could not imagine the secondhand embarrassment he would feel if the other impersonated him at the wrong moment in his current state.

The small skull turned to him and there was a click of the jaw bone setting itself back up against the skull. It was a bit unsettling to see a miniature version of himself with the most intense glare. He could feel the faint aura that he could give off when he was upset about something.

“Would it be better if I were to place them on you?”

The maid looked a bit upset with the prospect. “I can do this for you Ainz-sama…” She started concerned that a duty that she had been asked was not being fulfilled.

The small skeleton tilted its head and then stopped attempting to pull his thin arm away.

“Ja Vater.” The form resumed itself back to the original one. At least they were capable of understanding one another. He put a marker into his book and moved across the room.

“Children can be difficult.” He decided to inform the maid. “It is no fault to you that Pandora is acting the way he is.”

The boy did have the decency to look ashamed but Ainz could not decipher if that was because he actually was guilty feeling or if he was saying it to appease him as all the NPCs seemed to do.

“Sorry.” Was the response and the maid held her hand to her mouth as if deciding what to do with that apology.

“I wouldn’t worry.” Ainz finished pulling the small arm through the sleeve. “Just try and make it easier on her next time. I can’t be the one to dress you every day. You will have to let her do it or you have to do it yourself.”

The maid seemed excited at the prospect of being useful. Ainz did his best to ignore the ever-growing teary eyes. He had hoped that in the coming months, he could convince them all to take more than one day off a month. It had been his goal for a while to introduce paid vacation days and small holidays where everyone could celebrate and relax a little. So far none of his attempts had been successful and only served to make them all upset with him.

Pandora did not look pleased by that comment at all. He folded his arms tightly around himself.

“I have duties and while you are indisposed I will have to try and take over yours.”

The small hands grabbed at his knees and held them a little too tightly.

Was this how Herohero felt when he had to leave his children to work?

It was an uncomfortable feeling to be sure, yet that pressure lasted only a few moments before the emotion was crushed by the repressant.

He looked helplessly over to the maid and searched his own thoughts about children to try and come up with something. “Mmm, perhaps you could accompany me to finish up my paperwork for the day.”

It wasn’t like he was going to do anything but glance at them, pretend to read them and stamp them anyway. He could even just give Pandora the stamp and have him do it. It would be about the same anyway as they both wouldn’t have the slightest clue what was in the reports.

Albedo stood in the doorway before the office that she and her love shared. What she saw was making her heart flip flop. On one hand, it was adorable and mystifying to see how caring her Ainz-sama was to Pandora’s Actor. The small child-like being was sitting on their supreme overload and the other looked content to let him play with the various office supplies. It looked like the smallest of the two was trying to write his own report but ending with scribbles. The tender hand on the other holding him firmly on his lap was just too endearing!

It was making her face red and her heart speed. She could hardly get enough air in her lungs and she was losing a little of her composure.

Ainz would make a wonderful father of this she had always known. She desperately wanted to give him heirs so she could see that care directed towards her own child she would have with him.

On the other hand she can’t help but feel incredibly jealous. She wasn’t privy to sitting on her master's lap. She had never gotten as close as Pandora was right now. She longed for that type of soft touch too. And she had tried everything to get it. She did her job as flawlessly as possible. She knew that she could never truly comprehend the brilliance of his mind as everything that their master did had layers and multiple purposes. This cleansing of the kingdom was proof yet again of that. However, she did her best to seem worthy of the gift of love the other had granted her. She just needed the right chance to show her devotion.

“Get that out of your mouth.” Ainz’s voice interrupted her thoughts. He had pulled the small pen from his creation grip. The child did not understand this and squirmed, spilling ink in every direction. She braced herself for some sort of outburst. Yet, the only thing that came out of their supreme overlord’s mouth was a deep and steady sigh. He held up one of the floor guardians' reports and almost seemed to squint at it. There was ink dripping down onto the desk.

“Of course.” He said slowly.

The egg tilted his head and then placed his whole hand into the ink puddle and then slapped it down on the desk.

There was certainly going to be words for this part. Yet again her beloved glanced away from the mound of papers and to the smiling child.

“Splat,” Pandora said as he slapped it again, and then the laughter of the softest kind escaped the skeleton. She had never seen Ainz laugh like that before.

“Splat.” He echoed.

The child smiled and all the pointed teeth split the mask of a face.

“Perhaps a different place to make your artwork than my desk is in order.” He beckoned one of the maids forward. “I do apologize but can you clean this up?”

He gestured at the black mess and Pandora that was still spreading it around.

“A bath for him as well on second thought,” Ainz murmured. “I have a meeting with Albedo.”

“Yes!” The maid bows deeply; it shall all be done. She got to work straight away moving the stacks of papers. And she felt that now was as good a time to make herself known

“Good afternoon, my lord.” She greeted him with a bow.

“Ah, Albedo.” Ainz’s red eyes met her own. “We were just about wrapping up here.”

Pandora’s form changed into that of a smaller skeleton. It was a perfect mini replica of Ainz. Her eyes drifted to the way the ink was now getting placed in skeletal hand patterns on the newly formed purple robe. She felt her smile waver a little, it was such a mess. The maids should have already taken care of it. Long before the doppelganger made a move to grab hard onto their master.

“Pandora.”

“Papa.” The boy said in a voice that was very close to the real one. He was still calling him that. There however was no change in her beloved’s expression that would indicate any annoyance over the name. No, it looked soft as it had when she had been merely observing.

“You are going to have to follow Foth.”

“No.” The little skeleton folded his arms.

“No?” Ainz questioned, for her, as she was ready to tell Pandora child form or not that he must respect those of higher authority.

“No,” Pandora repeated.

“Hmmm.” Ainz rubbed at where the bridge of his nose would be. “I feel as though you are the first to use such a word to me. Brave of you, but you are still going to take a bath.” He poked lightly against the other's face.

“No,” Pandora repeated.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Ainz responded firmly. “Foth will take good care of you, and once you are clean we will have time to do something which you enjoy.”

The red in the smaller skull sparkled. “Okay.”

The supreme being lowered the other to the floor and passed him off to the maid. “Bring him back to me in a few hours.” He instructed. The maid nodded swiftly and took the child by the hand to leave into the hall. Another came to clean the rest of the mess that had been left in the wake.

“Albedo. Is everything in place?” Her master's words took her attention away from watching the other maids scurrying around them.

She composed herself quickly. “Yes, the girl did her job and the information that she gave us was sound.”

“Good.”

And so they went together Albedo as always at his side observing the way in which their Lord gave justice and quick ends to those that did not deserve such mercy or to look upon him. The Kingdom that once was prosperous lay in rubble at their feet a testament to never betraying the trust given by her master. He however did not look pleased.

Perhaps it was because of the unforeseen setback of his creation no longer being able to take his place in such situations.

Perhaps it was the uncertainty of who exactly their enemies were.

She wished to stop these fears of his. She slowly and very carefully offered her hand to him. He surprisingly took it and let it sit on his arm for a few fleeting moments. For him it most likely meant nothing, but to Albedo it meant everything and she would always remember this day when she had been able to be a small source of comfort.

Foth had been assigned a very important task. She was to watch the small son of their grand ruler. Such a thing could not be trusted by just anyone. No, she had seen the way that the other looked at his creation. It was too soft, too noble. To think that even after such tragedy their ruler wasted no time in trying to find a solution to the danger lurking at their borders. He cared so greatly for them all and it warmed her heart and nearly brought her to tears on how great he was to them all. Truly there was never a Supreme being as wonderful and merciful as theirs.

She had been in the room months ago when their god had addressed Pandora as his son so she felt no issue in calling him that in the safety of her own mind. She would never break her word and speak of the occurrence as her master had asked her not to. Now, it seemed that the secret was out, but she still wouldn’t be willing to tell how far back her master had started thinking of the other as a son. She would never speak about the desire for Pandora to run things as an heir. Such a thing would not go over well with her superiors. For the longest time, Lady Shalltear and Lady Albedo had been fighting over the coveted honor of producing an heir. To know that there was already a contingency plan… well it might ruffle some unneeded feathers.

She put a hand to her cheek. Being a maid gave her great insight into many of the inhabitants' lives. She knew about a pile of premade baby clothes in Albedo’s closet. She knew about the mound of random objects that Shalltear had collected and built a shrine around. She had dusted said shrine last week.

No, this new task was dictated to her, as she could be trusted to keep all sorts of secrets and never breathe a word of them to another living or undead soul. It showed her worth that she had been chosen! So she would have to do this correctly. All maids had been given standard training on how to deal with children even though there hadn’t been too many younger beings to take care of. There had always been a chance and so it would not do to be caught unable to attend. It would bring shame to them all!

She had thought that the first child that she might have the opportunity to serve would have come in the form of an heir produced by Lady Albedo or Lady Shalltear. She hadn’t thought that it would be a doubleganger either.

Pandora’s Actor was not someone that she often met. He was obscure and mysterious. He performed his duties with a shroud of secrecy that not many were privy to. The times that she had observed him he had sat close to their master and had been more than willing to put more work on to himself. It was admirable to wish to ease their god’s burdens. He could not have given more than his life for the other, truly one of the greatest things a servant could do. She admired him quite a bit.

The now small boy was gripping a little too tightly to her hand as she led him towards the bathhouse. It would be more comfortable perhaps there to do the bathing. She herself on her one day off a month would spend hours relaxing in the waters in order to rejuvenate herself for serving the best she could the next day.

“He will only be a little while.” She did her best to encourage. The child however did not seem to register this. The small jaw to the skull that the other still wore slammed into the upper one in a loud rattle. “I know it doesn’t seem that way but our Lord is really smart and if there was anyone that could figure out how to fix your current situation it would be him.”

Pandora’s Actor just looked at her and the red to the sockets did not change expression. He was a bit creepy… she couldn’t read him all that well and when he was still it did not help with more than trying to direct him where he needed to go. She had never been one for small talk as she found she had little time for it. Now she wished she had practiced a bit more in the art. A child would not find it all that interesting how exactly it was best to remove all the dust on the many large statues that they passed.

The small boy yawned and the skull clicked again. “After a bath, you can rest.”

The big eye sockets seemed to blink as the red went out and then returned. “I like these baths myself. I like to add lots of Bubbles. Do you like bubbles, Pandora?”

The skull mouth opened and then closed.

She had never seen the being so quiet. From what she understood the Actor had always something to say. He chatted and greeted them all. Of the entities, he was one of the most outgoing and outspoken. If he wasn’t working on something that needed his undivided attention that was. It was strange to see him silent.

They went to where the shallower pools were and she helped to undress the other. His form started to wilt a little and then returned to that of a doppelganger. The skin was all smooth and there were two large holes looking at her when she helped him step into the water. The long fingers fiddled with the towel that she handed him.

“It must all be so confusing right now.” She huffed fixing her skirt. “But don’t worry its easy.”

The child wilted. “Papa.”

“He’ll be sure to check in on you in a little bit. Let’s get you clean.” She held up a finger. “He is sure to be pleased if you do.”

She cupped the water and poured a little onto him to help get parts wet that weren’t and then ran the cloth she had dotted with soap over the skin. Pandora’s Actor tilted his head and then mimicked the motion and then was doing it himself. A bright child, though, she had no clue how old he actually was.

As time ticked on she did manage to start talking a little bit about the bath house and all the small bits that she could remember about its construction. She was sure that the others in his old state would have corrected her as he seemed to know everything there was to know about items and the floor construction. He was a historian as much as someone who appraised goods and artifacts. The child listened to her and would almost seem to blink every so often as if absorbing everything like a sponge.

What was initially creepy started to win her over. She could not help that the other was so oddly cute. He has started to relax a little and bubbles have been the right call.

The true trouble began when she attempted to take him back to rest. Pandora seemed to have memorized the halls or remembered the direct path they took to get from the baths to Lord Ainz’s office. And he wanted to go right there and wait.

She let him stand by the door for a little before she let him sit on the ground as he wouldn’t allow her to get a chair. His long fingers gripped onto hers again in a way that displayed a deep need not to be alone. She ended up sitting next to him in near silence as he wouldn’t say anything to her.

“Perhaps we could get some food and then come back.”

Pandora’s Actor shook his head. “Wait”

“I know but aren't you hungry? You don’t have the jewelry anymore to go without eating.”

“Waiting,” Pandora repeated with a bit harsher tone. And slid his feet forward. She watched as he fought to keep himself awake and slowly as the hours passed he lost that fight and she was able to take him to one of the guestrooms as she couldn’t enter the vaults and did not know what to intrude into a space that she would not be welcome in. She knew it was full of traps too. She shuddered.

She placed the blanket over the sleeping child and wondered if the effects would be permanent or if when the Actor returned to normal if he would even remember any of this.

The little floor guardian was missing. She did not take her eyes off of him for more than a few seconds when she had gone to inform another maid of the need for a change of clothes. That was all the time that he needed to slip off. She was sure to be scolded for failing in such an important task. She had the rest of the maids on the lookout, so it shouldn’t take too long for him to be found. Foth slapped her face in frustration and disappointment with herself.

It was another maid similarly named Fith was the one that found the little master. Whether because he was able to remember it or had memorized his way there, Pandora was in front of their Master’s office yet again. He had been patiently standing there when she had arrived on the scene.

“You need to take better care of him.” Fith scolded. “Why, he hasn’t eaten since yesterday, has he?”

Foth wasn’t even sure when the last time the actor had eaten was but she remained silent on that fact. “I was going to change him and then head to breakfast.” She pressed her lips into a pleasant smile. “Now that he is found we can do just that.”

“No.” Pandora grabbed at the double doors.

“He really wants in.” Fith shook her head. “He won’t listen to me that the Master is resting and doesn't want to be disturbed.”

“Well, if he doesn't want to be disturbed then it can’t be helped.” Foth sighed deeply. “I’ll just have to distract him till the master can make time to see him.”

“He has several meetings scheduled with Albedo to settle the newly acquired land. I heard. It could take a while.”

Foth felt her heart sink a little with the information. Pandora in this state wouldn’t understand. She bent down and held out her hand. “Let’s get some food and come back okay? Your father needs rest.”

Fith did not look like she liked the term that Foth had used for their master but since Pandora seemed to be weighing his options and no longer trying to break and enter it seemed that she would be dropping it for now. Slowly the small fingers took hers and her heart warmed a little.

The food areas of Nazarick were always busy as there were a lot of residents that lived there and kept it running. Pandora clung to her leg as they became the main thing to stare at. Foth wasn’t used to this kind of attention other than when she was watching over their great ruler for the day when everything that one did was under the most scrutiny.

“You found him then.” One of the other maids smiled a little thinly at her but widened it a little when she noticed that Pandora was staring at her with those blank-hole eyes.

“He wanted to see our great ruler.”

“Papa.” Pandora corrected.

“Yes.” She attempted to shush him a little on that part. She was a little nervous to see how the others would react to such phrasing. Her worries were not founded. It passed over them all as if it were perfectly normal. She let out a small breath of relief. Perhaps everyone had bore witness to how close Ainz-sama had held the child to him in the throne room…

“We are going to get some food.” She restated their purpose and they made their way over to the small open section where there was plenty of fresh fruit. Pandora tilted his head and picked up a single apple. The one he chose was one of the hybrids that were attempting to grow on the lower floors. The seeds of which had come from outside of Nazarick. The small eyes narrowed as if he knew that and then in one large jaw unhinging moment he opened the small hole that was his mouth wide and showed rows and rows of sharp teeth. He then bit hard into the apple and it split in two, the larger of the halves already disappearing into the endless black and razors. It took two bites for Pandora to eat one apple and then a mere second for him to reach for another and devour that one as well. He ate another and then another and didn’t even seem to take a breath between each.

She quickly moved to stop him from eating a 5th. He needed to eat something else and balance that out or perhaps let that amount of food settle. He was pretty tiny after all. She would hate for him to get sick! It would just add to the issue that she had misplaced him for a little bit there and that he was still in the previous day’s clothes.

“Perhaps we should attempt to teach him manners.” The other maid said once she had recovered.

It really wasn’t a bad idea…

After they had finished eating and Foth had managed to get the small child to eat something besides fruit in such a brutal fashion, they ended up in the baths again. She had done her best to stall for time by saying that his father wanted to see him only when he was presentable and being clean and in new clothes was part of that obligation. Pandora wore a white shirt that he insisted on buttoning himself, shorts, and long socks that he pulled up as high as they would go for some unknown reason. He had let her get his shoes and paid unnerving attention to the way that she tied them.

All attempts at conversation this morning had not proved to be successful. The child was going through the motions if anything waiting for her to take him back to his father’s office. Which she eventually did only again to be met with it closed tightly.

“Can an inquiry be made for when Lord Ainz-sama would like to see him?” She offered a solution because then with something concrete perhaps she could appease the silent child that stood next to her. He had refused her hand and was keeping his arms folded protectively around himself or in a pout. The lack of facial expressions made it difficult to tell. It was something that he had in common with his father.

“I do not wish to disturb his work.”

“He requested yesterday to see Pandora’s Actor.”

“Did he?” The maid tilted her head.

“Well, he implied it.” She amended.” He said that he would have time later and perhaps has become too engrossed in his work to remember.”

“I can inquire if that is the case.” The other maid stepped behind the doors and they clicked shut behind her.

The doors opened shortly after and the maid beckoned them forward.

Ainz found himself buried quite literally up to his elbows in paperwork. The sort that he really should not delegate to others as he would most likely be even more lost on what was happening between the floors. Pandora’s Actor usually handled all the finances and management of the Treasury. There were a lot of things in front of him and they looked like they would cost a lot of money. Money he had to make sure that they had, and were spending properly. He already knew of a few things that he could do to trim costs… not that he would do them because his city was running correctly and his investment into the dwarfs was too good for relationship building to squander. His reputation meant something after all, now more than ever, as they had put on such a display of might. It made the stress of quite simply not mucking this all up increase greatly.

Ainz while working at his company could always tell when the managers were going to try and invest in a fruitless endeavor but he never was in charge of moving those finances along. No, his desk job was a bit more simple than that. As long as he kept making them the correct amount of profits and completed the impossible workload for them by whatever ridiculous deadline they created he got to keep his job. This was well out of his wheelhouse. Yet at the moment he had no one that he trusted enough to handle it… well, that was not exactly true. However, they were already loaded with other work and he couldn’t just keep piling things onto Demiurge and Albedo.

He let out a deep sigh placing his head onto his folded fingers and did his best not to make eye contact with the maid that had taken her place nearest to him. Her back was far too rigid in her chair as it was. His morning meetings with the floor Guardians helped to clear up some of his worries as they had all thought some of his ill-thought-out solutions to a few of their financial issues to all be part of some great test of their resourcefulness.

He really wondered when the amount of bullshit he was able to sell them would run out. They had to notice eventually, but then again they were so heartwarmingly and worryingly enthralled in his infinite wisdom to ever question him. He had long ago accepted this… however with his last mistake and the threat to them out there and active. He wondered yet again if he was worthy of such love and devotion. It was partially the reason that he all but made Albedo leave him be. She loved him and he was under no illusions that it was also his fault. He had rewritten her programming.

Another failure, the betrayal of their trust and love that they gave so freely to him. She could not even understand perhaps how sickened he was some days for what he had done to her. She saw it as a blessing rather than something that bound her closer to him. He could forget sometimes, the suppressor did a good job some days to squish some of the guilt that he would feel over it. Yet, there were many times he would look at her and remember that her feelings, most of them were artificial.

No, perhaps that was unfair. Perhaps like how the others were evolving long past their programming she was as well. Maybe she really did love him more than the seed that he had planted in her mind. However even if that was the case it would have been unfair for him to indulge in anything, an abuse of power. For if Nazarick was a company he held the highest piston and he could not be in a relationship that held such a power imbalance. He was a god to them and so unless they ever let him retire or step down he would always hold too much sway.

She would never say no to him. She did everything that she did because of him, for him. She even didn’t question him on even the dumbest of his ideas, if she knew they came from him. He worried where her loyalty to him and her love blended. If he even was to indulge the idea… would she ever tell him if he went too far? If he did something that she did not like? And so even though he felt comforted in her presence more so as of late than ever before he could not progress it.

He had to deny her something that she so desperately wanted. All Ainz had wanted for his friends' children was for them to be happy. It was why he let Demiurge have his strange and dark farm though now he knew the sickening details of it. It was why he allowed for Shalltear to choose her lover with discrete and proper thought behind it. He couldn’t deny them what they desired if he wanted them to flourish and there was no harm in doing so. It built morale. It depicted him as far more caring than he was.

Albedo wanted from him what he did not think he was fully capable of. He could still feel her presence in the office though he had given her the rest of the day to herself to straighten whatever affairs that she needed to. There was a small handkerchief in his pocket that was a gift from her that smelt like her perfume. He had even now the urge to touch it as the embroidery was extraordinary and he liked unique things.

He pinched the bridge to his nose. Things were so complicated. He was not made to handle this. He could hardly handle the thought of talking to girls in the office. He never thought too much about how to respond to one that was actually interested in him. He couldn’t keep entertaining this… she was going to get hurt. Yet she would be more hurt if he rejected her.

What message would that send if he were to change her programming to love him and then not give her that? She would be crushed, heartbroken.

“Ainz-sama.” A maid suddenly appeared in front of him. He blinked his tired eyes and placed her. She was the one that was supposed to be outside the office taking messages. He wondered how long she had been standing there.

“My apologies, these papers are taking a great deal of thought.” He lied. He had hardly been able to make sense of it all while dealing with all his insides twisting themselves up until the suppressor would go off and he would work his way back to that point.

“No, don’t apologize!” The maid looked scandalized. “Your work is very important.”

And yet if anyone else was doing it, it would be done by now. He thought grimly. He was basically a glorified professional stamper at this point.

“Yes, now what is it that you need?” He made sure that he gave her his undivided attention.

“Pandora’s Actor was wondering when he could see you.”

If it had been a few weeks ago Ainz might have made an excuse as to why he could not meet with the other. While his creation did everything that was asked of him and could make a good devil's advocate to run plans by, there was always a part of him that had been embarrassed by the other. He spaced the time he spent with the other out as he had felt drained by the other’s enthusiasm to serve him. Well that and because he was so intelligent there was always part of him that wondered if Pandora couldn’t see through him some days.

“Please send him in.” And so she jumps to bring him and the other maid jumps to make food available for entertaining.

The small child comes into the room slowly. He stops in the middle of the room and holds onto himself a little nervously as if unsure… It was his fault that he was like that. Pandora’s Actor in his other form would have already strolled into the room and lit it up with his exaggerated movements.

“Come here.” He says and hopes that it doesn’t sound intimidating. He stands from his desk and opens up his arms in an improved move of trying to show the need for a hug. The small boy runs forward and nearly trips over a half-tied shoelace. He grabs too tightly onto him and he feels the thud against his ribcage. He looked down, a little concerned that the other might have hurt his egghead, but the small form had taken that of a skeleton and was already nuzzling harder into him. He slowly sighed and let out a metaphorical breath that he had been holding.

The small child happily mutters over and over his name. “Papa.”

“It is good to see you today.” He hears himself say and it sounds less like his Overlord persona is saying it and more like the human that is trapped inside. It isn’t a lie either. As great as his guilt is… there is a genuine love that he can feel from the other and not the artificially programmed sort. If he could be sure of anything at least he could be better than his own absent parents for as long as the other was like this. He could try to fit this somehow into "the grand plan" and maybe this child could help test out some of the NPC's abilities to gain new feelings. One could hope...

Chapter Text

Pandora’s Actor sat on the large sofa in the meeting area of the office space. Ainz sat with him watching and slowly turning the pages of the latest book he was trying to read. The small child swung his little legs back and forward. The motion was shaking the furniture they both were resting on. Some tea was brought courtesy of the maid and Pandora would take the occasional poke at it. Every time that their eyes met Pandora would smile. His round eyes did a funny wrinkle that he must be mimicking from the one that he had requested to look after him. His thin mouth would part and there would be the sharp teeth on full display. He was moving closer and closer so that he was nearly on top of the book.

Children got bored, didn't they? It wasn’t like this office had anything all that interesting inside of it.

No, there was only one thing that the other seemed to be doing and that was staring. Ainz had not been particularly all that entertaining. These past few days he had just more or less been reading as much as he could about Doublegangers and their biology. He scoured the archives to see what would make the best diet to what to expect as they got older. He had hoped that perhaps they would have an accelerated growth but it seems that they grew at the rate of whatever species they were mimicking most… and Pandora seemed imprinted on him. Skeletons were not exactly known for growing. He then resigned to his fate and started reading parenting guides. There was a lot of conflicting information and he wasn’t even sure what age that his kid was!

One thing was certain, Pandora needed stimulation! He needed things to do and to play. He had been trying to get Mare and Fiore to do things that were suitable for their age and so far had hit a wall in that regard. It might be easier to try and encourage it with Pandora’s Actor. For now, though he should indulge the other. They had waited very patiently.

“What would you like to do? I think I have worked enough for today.”

Pandora tilted his head. He slowly stood up moved closer to him and sat down inches from him. His eyes sparkled a little. He pushed the book down climbed into his lap and pointed to the pictures. At first, Ainz thought that perhaps the other was trying to tell him something but the boy just started turning the pages and staring at the pictures.

“Would you like me to read to you?”

“Mmmm.” Pandora nodded his head turning to that of a skull and the rest followed suit. The small bony child wiggled excitedly.

“You are getting quite good at mimicking me.” Ainz praised the parenting book that he had looked into said to praise the good behaviors and small achievements.

“Papa.” The vibrations of excitement continued.

“Right, let me think.” He wasn’t sure what they had in the archive that would be age-appropriate. Perhaps he could just tell one that he had heard growing up? Maybe they had a collection of fairy tales and the like. He called it through the void and luckily a few books came forth. So he began with the story of the bamboo cutter and the moon child as it had a very large picture on the cover and the first page was bright with stars. A page that Pandora ran a bony handover and over as if seeing something new for the first time.

“Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo wood-cutter.” He shifted the book to have a better angle. “He was very poor and sad also, for no child had Heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart, there was no hope of rest from work till he died and was laid in the quiet grave. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky.”

He turned the page and there was an old man and his wife in the forest cutting down the bamboo.

One story became many and it felt strange but fun to make his voice change to match the characters. If he had vocal cords he was sure that they would be tired because he had never been this vocal. Not even when there was a lore update and he needed to inform as many of his friends as quickly as possible how this was going to change the builds they needed for competition. He didn’t fancy himself a great storyteller but Pandora was an attentive audience. There was a hunger there for knowledge and he was reminded so very much of the full-grown version and how he wanted to put on a play or production theater someday in one of the city centers they were making. He wanted to bring more art and cultures together. He hoped that it might spark something worth anything to them. Yet Ainz has to wonder if it was as simple as that. Perhaps it would bring people together like he said it would and perhaps there was more of Pandora’s investment involved, even a sense of his growth as a person outside of his original programming. He was an actor after all.

Ainz didn’t mind as the other started to drift off on him either, children needed rest after all. He felt nothing but strange looking at the sleeping form that clung to him. He felt oddly needed. He hadn’t felt that needed in his role as a ruler.

“How strange.” He muttered to himself.

Ainz carried Pandora around the 9th and 10th floors of the Great Tomb. The child was tired from running around the open space and having Foth chase him. Games. Ainz had thought that the halls would never again have the foolish and pleasing sounds of endless laughter. It was times like this he missed his friends greatly. They had played hide and seek amongst the halls and then would chase each other. They would disguise themselves as any object or blend in the best that they could with all sorts of spells to try and not be seen. He remembered being frozen by an ice spell or two to mark that he had to wait to be rescued. He remembered screaming and laughing as he was forced to start his hunt for his friends over again. They had been screwing around back then. Yes their guild held prestige and they had been fortifying their place in the online world, but there had always been time to mess around. Make more strange additions to their growing home away from home.

He missed it. He missed programming endless code to make things. They were never as good as his friends but he had always held some pride with it. He shifted the child closer to him. This and the vault were his legacy of this place. The things he made completely on his own. Pandora’s eyes were half-lidded and he didn’t know how he could tell that, maybe it was how the light reflected in them. Maybe it was like that with all parents. When his friend had twins she swore she could tell them apart even though there wasn’t even a defining hair that he could tell. The weird warmth was spreading and it wasn’t crushed by the sensor. He passed several maids who stopped in their duties and their conversations to bow to him.

He wasn’t a fan of the quietness that was now filling up the tomb. It had been alive a few minutes ago and Foth had not been trying so desperately to fix her hair. Maybe the halls needed more life… more children. He wondered if there were more people his own age and if Pandora would be happy to chase them around. If this was one way in which to alter the programming, for all that he could tell Pandora was a normal child. A happy and normal enough child who wanted to play games with his father.

He couldn’t just take any child… nor could he just introduce some orphans either. The inhabitants of the great tomb did not like outsiders and he knew well enough that they would not be as accepting of their latest addition if Sabas had not taken such a liking to her and if he had not commanded it. Children were perspective. He had read that in the many books he had read. He also knew from experience that his parents had been not only neglectful but often fought about the financial situation. They had tried to keep it from him, but he had always felt the unspoken and unheard words. He always had a sneaking suspicion that he had somehow ruined their marriage. He had been unplanned… He could never condemn another to that.

Maybe there were nobles and other high-ranking people that he could persuade into letting Pandora play with them. It could be seen as part of his ‘grand’ plan. The citizens of Nazarick could think he was using the play dates as a way to get information and in reality, he could use it to let Pandora gain experience with talking to those that were around his age. He was sure that they could make a 3rd reason for his logic but at the moment he couldn’t be bothered to try and think of another reason.

He had a story to read and then a less fun meeting to attend.

It was getting harder to force himself through the meetings. Not that he would pass off all of his duties to those that were below him, even if they might have been more capable, he just felt that he had to have some responsibility in this. Even when it seemed impossible to deal with the consequences of where his great plan had led them.

There were a lot of refugees that still needed sorting and there were things that needed to be built. There was so much pain in this world. A lot of it he had done in the name of creating a world that would never fall to the levels of greed as the one that he had once lived in. Humans, monsters, and Demihumans all were the same in the regard that they wanted power and it never ceased to amaze him how many of them would stoop to great levels to achieve it. He knows how they had brought the Holy Kingdom to its knees was evil. He has no illusion that the things that had been allowed due to his negligence had been mostly necessary. He knows this but there is still that feeling that if he had been mortal it would have done more than grant him the occasional discomfort. The human that he had been is lost in the apathy of the form that he has taken. There are few joys to be had and the shackle of duty keeps him from exploring the world to the amount that he would like. It was the price that he had to pay. Through this, Ainz tried to take the small wins. He took joy in the time that he spent with Pandora who had taken to asking about the ‘pretty’ woman who followed him around.

Ainz looked to Albedo, who stood smiling as gently as ever, and felt that strange feeling that lingered with Pandora in the way that she looked at him. He had that same worry of not being enough and that he would fail in new ways. Yet part of him wanted to try it. The part that felt that he had done everything and that if he was going to sacrifice himself for his people’s happiness he might as well give this too as part of him already was entertaining the idea of it. Albedo was the one and only option that he could see himself with. She was capable and she was determined to love him. While all the citizens of the tomb loved him and revered him. She was the one that he had the most connection with. It also helped that she did not look like a child… he was well aware that Shalltear wanted nothing more than to indulge with him in the sin that he found would damn him far greater than any of the more questionable things that he had done to ensure that eventually, this world would be a peace and far greater than the state that he had arrived to it in.

He looked at the papers in front of him, one was a marriage request from a far-off nation that he had not heard much of. The Dragon Kingdom. A marriage to their queen for soldiers and finances. He scowled at it. Marriage… while it would create the right alliances, and would give them good footing to destroy the nation that he so desperately wanted to wipe off the map, It made him vulnerable to their politics and someone seeing through the well-crafted guide that he had crafted. There were plenty of secrets that needed to stay buried for them to keep the peace they had made. Even though one could argue that should he marry he wouldn’t be interested in the romantic side of affairs and could keep them at a distance because of his form. Which was partially true. She still looked like a child regardless of age and that disgusted the lingering parts of his humanity.

He looked back at Albedo and he handed her the paper. “Look into another option for alliances. I have no wish to marry her.”

She smiled a bit and nodded her head in acceptance.

Foth smiled at the small figure that was drawing pictures on larger ledger paper. There was a skeleton coming along quite nicely. Pandora had included a nice crown on his head and lots of purple to indicate his favorite robes. There was a smaller figure next to it that had an egg-like shaped head and yellow clothes. There were a lot of random colors around the two figures. The inks were mixed to form blots of different hues. For however young he seemed to be, it was well drawn, it seemed that Doublgangers had a talent for wanting to make copies of things. He had drawn the same image a few times over with slightly better attempts each time.

“It looks very nice, Pandora.” She commented. The needle-like teeth split through the delicate face and his eyes squint themselves. It was still a little creepy but when he tried so very hard to please even someone of lower station than herself she couldn’t help but find it adorable.

Ainz himself had asked her to look after Pandora permanently as he seemed to like her best and she had full-heartily accepted the request. These days she had what many would kill for, a full-time job. She didn’t have to worry about resting or days off. Not when there was a little one to look over. Pandora was a full-time job. He was too curious for his good and very good at getting himself places that he shouldn’t be. He would be asleep one moment and then change shape in an attempt to slip out of bed unnoticed. He ate quickly and while taking her instructions on how to hold silver in stride he still preferred his fingers and making messes.

“More.” Pandora held up the completed artwork that Foth had taken to hanging around his new bedroom.

“I think we still have a little time before we are going to see your father.”

Pandora seemed delighted by that. Lord Ainz was making a lot of time to see the other. It was a blessing to see. She could tell that their ruler was happier than she had seen him in a long time. They played games and Ainz read to him in various voices. It was great for morale. A lot of the inhabitants had excitedly moved to make sure that the unofficial but certainly recognized heir. The artisans had crafted nice but functional clothing that was suitable for a child. Pandora favored deep reds, yellows, and the like. They made food that was the best that they could come up with that was suited to the healthy requirements that Lord Ainz had placed on them. The thought was since their great and glorious ruler could not eat that his son should have the finest of food to tell him about it. Foth had of course been rather spoiled with the food as of late. Though she did not need to eat with the jewelry that she had placed on herself, she often did if not to show Pandora how to eat it.

Her god had asked her if she could help with introducing Pandora to letters as it didn’t seem that there was a cure for what had happened to him. It didn’t mean that he had given up on the fact but it was simpler to proceed as if there was no alternative. She put her pen on the paper and practiced out a few sample letters for Pandora’s Actor to complete the initials to his name. The scribbles formed over the top were far from neat but it was the best that could be done with the large digits of his fingers and the thin tool between them.

As the next artwork was completed she had him help pick up the colors and sort them back into the art box. Pandora had his ideas about the way that things should be placed. His room had a strange sense of organization. He held the drying pieces of his work and tilted them up at the light as if appraising them.

“Do you want to take that one to your father?” She asked and watched as the little form held the image closer.

“Time to go?” Pandora asked as if he knew what the digits meant. He often asked if it was soon or if it wasn’t for a while. It helped to keep him calm and to know when he was going to be doing something.

“Yes.” She nodded.

He reached up his fingers to her and she took them and felt the strong tug behind them as they made their way to see his father.

Her love Ainz tapped at the throne that he currently sat in. The masses were certainly a bore. Albedo didn’t think that half of the problems that they had allowed him to hear were worth his time. Ainz however insisted on playing the part of an upstanding ruler and to him that meant a few times a week taking audience. They had used this ploy well enough when taking the Holy Kingdom. Still, the petty squabbles between villagers and the rising need for adventurers to have their idea of quests met by an outdated guild bored her as well. They were all so needy Yet their lord greeted each with a wave and had them speak to him as if they were old acquaintances. He let them question him! He even took his time to consider their words. Her love was a marvel and she often did her best to keep up with him. She felt honored to stand by his side in this. He had asked her if she would have a seat but that would have made them look like equals and she is well aware that she is not that.

“We do not need to see the next group if you do not wish to.” She reminded him.

She could see the way that he was becoming more rigid in his chair. There had been a shift in his mood over the course of the hour. He went from diligently and almost excitedly explaining runes to the new group of adventures to a wary look at the mention of his former alias Momon. Perhaps it was a horrible blow to his plans to lose the fake adventurer that he had made. She had considered the knight’s usefulness fulfilled when Pandora had taken up the mantle. It might not have been the case. She gripped a little at her dress to busy her fingers. The fact that she had no one to punish yet for taking someone who meant so much to her love was a slight on her and the rest of them. They had been ordered to move with caution, greater than before. She wanted nothing more than to crush the red-armored human that had dared to try and outfly her. If she had him, perhaps they might be able to pry more information out of him about the real threat.

“No, they made such a large deal of coming to ask something of me.” Ainz folded his fingers under his chin. “It would not look good for us to deny them an audience.”

The former Emperor who had given his kingdom up to be a vassal was particularly annoying as he seemed to be handing off far too many responsibilities to them. She didn’t care much for their politics. She however knew that her Master had plans for them so she wasn’t about to interfere with them. She smiled when the representatives came in and her face hurt and her eye twitched as they suggested that Ainz make an appearance at an annual celebration. Religion outside of worshiping the supreme beings seemed wrong to her. It was pointless as their gods held no power nor sway. The magic of this world was inferior in many ways to that of her master. Had he not proven that? Had her love not shown them how fickle the old ways were.

“We will be in attendance.” Ainz declared. “As a symbol of our nation's growing friendship.”

“Very… good.” The small man she had already forgotten the name forced a smile. “And how many should we expect?”

“6.” Ainz responded. “I do not wish for there to be a large welcome. I find that will defeat the reason that we are there to celebrate.”

The man trembled. “Of course… However, you would like.”

They should have sent someone with a bit more spine. The holy kingdom and those of the Re-Estize at least could sit at the same table as their master and look him in the face. Where did they find this noble? She thought that the blood emperor had executed those who were not of use. She tilted her head. In the entranceway, Pandora was there with the maid who had been assigned to take care of him. He was hiding behind her skirts and looking to the side of her leg. Strange how the Actor’s personality had changed so greatly. He used to elude nothing but confidence. Now he was hiding behind a maid that while capable of basic protection wasn’t all that strong. She watched the red eyer travel to their waiting guest.

“We have other matters to attend to. If you would like to rest there are places prepared for you.” Ainz had sat up better in his chair again. His red eyes glowed deeper. “Please ask for whatever it is that you need, I do request that you do not wander too far from the city center. There is a lot of reconstruction happening at the edge of the district.”

The man bows and does his group. No sooner are they out the door than Pandora rushing up towards him. The whole demeanor of her love softens and the ice to his gaze disappears. He was happy, dare she think it. She knows that Ainz had been balancing duties between researching a cure, spending time with his creation, and fulfilling his role as their leader. Demiurge was convinced that this was a good thing in the long run. She wasn’t fond of the sadness that she saw that accompanied the happy bouts.

“He cares more greatly about us than any of us ever imagined” The demon swishes his tail as he fixes his glasses. “We had reason to worry that if he ever was dissatisfied with us he would leave, but this is evidence that he will stay. He loves his creation and if he loves all of us even a fraction of that then there is no reason to be concerned.”

She tapped her lip.

“I know that you wanted to bear the child that he looks at like that.” Demiurge smiles and reveals his sharp teeth. “But this is an opportunity for you. Show him you care about his creation. It is unlikely that we can undo what a world item has done. Lord Ainz is convinced that the code is no longer viable or stable.”

“I worry.” She shook her head. “Not about my position but the disposition of our supreme being. He is riddled with guilt over this. And it is a sign of failure that we are unable yet to combat this weapon.”

“Then we shall have to aspire to ease his worries. I have made some progress in tracking the man that adorns the red armor. It should not be too hard to secure a method to bring him here quietly.” She could see the gleam in his eyes. He was excited at the prospect and she couldn’t blame him for wanting their god to praise him. She had missed her love’s compliments as of late.

“Papa!” The small skeletal form launches onto his leg.

“He has a gift for you my Lord.” Foth bows deeply and faithfully.

“Mmm, is that so?” The marvelous skull tilts to the side.

“Ja!” The boy shows a wrinkled abomination of paper that depicts their ruler and what appears to be a yellow blob. Lord Ainz takes a moment to study the work, even though there is not much to look at and the colors are all over the place. There is a little glitter that is falling from the corner and is getting on his robe.

“Good?” The boy shifts his feet anxiously.

“It is wonderful. I see that you wrote your name as well.”

“Ja! Vader Foth helped.” The boy’s eyes were sparkling as bright as the red glitter on the painting that he had made.

Ainz let out a very high laugh that as quickly as it came seemed to end. “I enjoy the resemblance. Do you not as well, Albedo?”

His eyes are soft when they look at her and Pandora looks at her expectantly. “I think the eyes are certainly captivating.”

“Mmmm. I would like it framed.” Another maid was itching to take it to get that job done. Fith, Albedo believed her name to be. “I’ll put it in the study.”

“Vader,” Pandora said excitedly.

“I will need to get you a tutor.” Aniz had said absentmindedly. “I think you should learn how to print and read our language as well as those outside of it. You have done such a wonderful job on this printing.”

The small boy shivered with pride. Albedo would have killed for such a compliment. The creeping feeling of jealousy crawled up her back. It was incredibly silly and a low blow to her pride to be envious of the doppelganger. She was the leader of the floor guardians. She was gifted with the ability to openly love their lord. What possibly else could she truly want? It should have been enough, yet it still sank into her that she did in fact want more.

“Would a translation spell not be as effective?” She changed the topic. None of them had to learn the language of the foreign nations as they could speak it with the help of magic. Reading it was a different matter entirely.

“I wish for Pandora not to be as limited as I am by item availability.” He put a skeletal hand onto the boy’s head and rubbed at it gently. “If I am never to get him back to the original form then I hope to give him greater intelligence than he originally possessed.”

Yes, that was what they were here for. They were there to serve and even in his current state and with the drawbacks her love was already planning for the future and ratifying the damage that had been done to his plan. Her eyes glistened at his brilliance.

“Do you have someone in mind?” She asked.

“No. I do think that simple combat training should start soon as well.”

“I can ask my fellow guardians to help in this matter. Cocytus should be able to help with his introduction to weapons training.” She remembered how the larger man had celebrated at the idea of being an uncle that would train Ainz’s offspring. It mattered little how this had come to be. He would be grateful for the honor.

“I had a similar thought about Cocytus. I still will need someone to help with his education. It should be started within the next few months.”

“I see you are planning on bringing him to the religious ceremony.” Albedo tried to follow along. “It would certainly make for a good countertrap. We have not heard through our spies anything about the suit of armor. Even if they do not attack it would be a good way to justify raising our banners. ” Ainz stopped rubbing against Pandora’s head. His hand shook a little and then stilled as he brought it back to his lap. “Not that we need more justification.” Albedo met the intense look in his red eyes.

“I do not wish for Pandora to be a target. My oversight has already cost me greatly.”

I do not wish for him to suffer again for my mistakes. She could read between the lines. It was not his fault but she didn’t know how to make the other see that. Supreme beings it seemed were very stuck in their ways. Albedo didn’t know how to respond and so she didn’t. She just waited.

“He begged me to take my place, you know.” Ainz pushed the boy closer to his chest and Pandora didn’t fight it. “I allowed it because I didn’t see a downside. We had discussed that there was no way to ensure that a Supreme being could be properly resurrected. He told me he was expendable. At the time perhaps I believed that. I did not value his life as greatly as I should have. I was too confident that I had all the information. I owe it to him not to play with his life again.”

“We provided you with that information.” Albedo countered. “It was us that failed you.”

“Do not take the blame for my failings.” Ainz’s eyes flashed. “It was not the first time that I sent my friend’s children and my own out without considering the consequences.”

Perhaps he did think of them as children. What were they in comparison to him? Her heart ached. Yet he was misguided in his thinking… not wrong. Never really… but this guilt needed to go somewhere. He had been troubled too long for it.

“You are not at fault for what happened with Shalltear.”

“Albedo.”

“It is not fair for you to place this blame on yourself.” Her wings flapped with her confession of her true feelings on the matter. She didn’t worry about her insolence in this case. She would take whatever the punishment was. She just wanted that look from his eyes to fade. “We were blind and we needed to start gathering information.”

“Remember what I told you. It is a master’s fault when his subordinates underperform. I am over all of you and so it is my responsibility. I sent Shalltear into a situation that could have caused her to lose sight of her mission. I should have chosen someone else.”

“Then when will it become our fault?” She put her hand to her chest. “I left Pandora’s side. It was I that allowed him to take the hit for me. Would it have been better for me to have taken it? Should you have died and left us? We already know that just the rumor was enough to cause our nation unfathomable pain.”

“Albedo.”

“We know the risks. We know that to rule, to have a place in this world, what we must do. I know you grieve but you can not change the way it happened.”

Her love froze and there was a nearly unending silence that filled the hall. She felt the upset nature of her outburst dwindling to a little bit of fear and regret. There was an aura around them now that was potent and sad. The lights in her love’s eyes had disappeared. Pandora looked like he was going to cry and Foth held the front of her uniform tightly as if that would make the horrible feeling stop. Ainz stood and Pandora was handed off to Foth without a word and the artwork was placed down on the throne.

“Come walk with me.”

“Papa…” Pandora whined a little.

“Bath him. I will be back to visit shortly.”

She bit her lip and Ainz beconded her to come with him. They exited out into the open air. People were moving around below them and they were of the lower form. They were human and they were lower monsters. They all looked up at them and some even dared to wave. Ainz is silent looking over them all and so she for lack of a better idea of what they were doing looked out at the world below them. There were shops that people were moving between. There was no hint that less than a year ago this place was a ruin. It gleamed and there were dragons that were flying overhead. There was the darkening of clouds that hinted at rain and the white to the dragon scales gleamed against the black. Smoke came from the forges and the blacksmiths that had taken the outer part of the city district to make their wares. It was busy. It was loud. It was pretty and dirty at the same time. Death knights moved in step with humans and undead carried large boxes for some of the citizens.

“What do you see, Albedo?”

“I see a city we are pouring our resources into to fix.” She also saw former annoyances like a naga from the mountains that thought to draw blades against them.

Ainz seemed to sigh. “Look deeper.”

“I see many Humans and Demihumans all in the same place, safe under your rule.”

“Yes.” Ainz nodded. “There has never been a place like this before. Not even in the days of YGGDRASIL. When I entered that world there wasn’t a safe place for those that were not human.” The skeleton's hands held against the railing. “I died many times. It was not fair and I had no power to change it.”

She tries to meet the red eyes so that she can understand him better, what he is feeling but he will not meet them. The silence drifts for a long moment between them. Ainz did not talk of the past, the others, and herself had fleeting memories of the time of Supreme beings. The idea that their ruler at one point was powerless was unthinkable.

“I thought of giving up until Touch Me found me and together we built a place where undead, monsters, and demihumans, no matter their race could exist together. Our guild was built on this. We did not take humans because they had plenty of refuge in other parts of the world. It was not that we hated them or found them inferior. They just could not understand us and there was no penalty that we did not give them for hunting us.” He held out his hand gesturing. “I always wished for there to be a place like this. Where those of any race could have a chance to grow, share ideas, and prosper. It might be selfish of me to impose my thoughts that all should be equal under the law onto others. Yet, this world seems just as unneededly cruel.”

His skull turns to her. “Do you see them as less, when we have claimed them as part of our Empire? Does that not mean that each part of them now belongs under us and therefore is our responsibility?” The darkening sky casts large shadows under his eyes.

“If you deem it so.” She chooses her words carefully. She had been asked something like this before when they first entered the new world.

“No, I do not deem it at the moment. I am simply just asking you.”

She doesn’t know how to respond. It is again that she feels inferior because of it. She has thousands of thoughts all circling in her head but not the right wording to express it. Nor does she know what he wants to hear. She despises humans. She thinks little of them. She despises the way that they look at her when there is only one person who should ever have that privilege.

“Perhaps it is easier to see it inside of our walls. Nazerick, what does it mean to you?”

“Home.” She immediately responds. It is all that she has ever known, everything that she has dedicated herself to.

“I think of it as that as well.” There is a wistful tone to his voice. One of longing. “The only home that I have ever known or loved.” He responds with certainty and honesty. “It is why I so desperately want to protect it and all that falls under it. I lost most of my humanity long ago. Yet the fondness for you and those that we created remains. I hold onto it in my moments of doubt.”

“Ainz-sama.”

“I have doubts as any ruler does. I have times where I am wrong. Even now you refuse to see it, however, it is the truth. I question my ability to keep you safe.” He has moved closer to her and though he is undead Albedo feels as if she is seeing his heart and true face for the first time even though it has not changed in any way. The eyes are still a blazing beautiful red. His robes are still fine fitting and the scent of magic is potent. “Everything that we have built means nothing if you and those that my friends made are not a part of it. You asked me if I would rather have it been you that took the blade for Pandora.”

She held her breath.

“It is selfish for me to weigh lives like that. However, I selfishly would have chosen you over Pandora. I think that he knew that. He asked me in a roundabout way to own up to what I have done to you. I changed your programming the night that I too was to leave.”

She can not breathe. She knows where her feelings came from. She knows where the stem of them originally bloomed from. It however is strange to hear it from a more vulnerable standpoint. She had always seen Ainz as the one who stayed that he had chosen them. She feels horrible fear to hear that at one point he had thought of leaving them. She wanted to bow, she wanted to beg him to stay with them. She feels the tears threatening to come forth. Yet she steels herself as this is important. This is probably one of the most important conversations that they have ever had and a defining one between them.

Her heart warned her that rejection might be coming. However, Ainz is very close to her, far closer than he let himself be as of late. It had to mean something.

“I did not want to leave YGGDRASIL but my hand had been forced. I felt abandoned and In the final moments, I wished to stay. I wished things would be different.”

So he might have wished them here? How powerful were Supreme beings? She had always wondered.

“Did you wish us here?” She asked softly not knowing how the words were able to come out when she was so unsure of anything other than the fact that she loved him more than she had before. She did not think that it was possible. She had loved Ainz always…or it felt like it had always been there. However, she had been in love with the idealized version that she had thought she knew him to be. He is still great. Far greater than anyone that she has ever known or could imagine. To raise himself from nothing to then have the power to move them to another world entirely on a wish and because he deemed it to be was unthinkable. He had built everything with only 40 others. They had created everything about them down to their hair and their eyes and she was in awe still of him. This Ainz-sama though was being honest with her, showed her the pain that she feared he carried, which only came out in extreme situations.

“I can not say. Nor do I think it matters.” He dismissed the idea. “I thought that I had done everything, seen everything, and there wasn’t much more I could do.”

She sucked in a deep breath.

“I do not feel that way any longer.” He said perhaps to calm her. “I was purposeless before you all, set adrift with the loss of my friends. I am not lonely or alone any longer. So, I can not bear to lose any of you. It matters not if you think of yourself as expendable. To me you are priceless and if you were to ask yourselves what would happen to me if there was no you, or any of the others, then I can answer that, I would not be here. It is meanness to me to be without those that I care for.”

His hands fidget at the railing. His hands grab a bit too hard. The stone crumbles a little under it. She was starting to understand rapidly what he was saying. Her master was very great indeed he would sacrifice everything even better well thought out plans because he cared for them. Everything that he had done, every selfless action, everything that could be seen as foolish, it turned. It was retextured and redefined. He gave them choices, he gave them free will, and the freedom to make mistakes because he cared for them. He wanted them to grow. She knew that… but the tests he gave them were out of love. Ainz-sama stood in front of her and she found that she had not scratched the surface of his wisdom or kindness.

“I gave you once an ultimatum that once we were secure and once we no longer had places left to conquer I would engage with you in this relationship. I however have come to realize that unless you are willing to see me as I am then anything between us, regardless of timing, would end in heartbreak for the both of us. I am not invincible and I am not unfailing. I am simply an undead with a lot of power and too many years of knowledge using it. I am not a god and I do not wish for the person I choose to be with to feel it is impossible to live up to me or my perceived expectations. If I am to love and I wish greatly to… then I wish for you to see as I do how valuable each of you is to me and to lose any of you would destroy me.”

She felt the tears dripping out of her eyes and she could not stop the soft sob that escaped her. Ainz takes a slightly startled step back but slowly extends his arms to her and she finds that despite how high her stats are and the strength that she possesses she is small inside of them. She holds on tightly and her master, her love, Ainz… holds her back and it is confronting and all-consuming. She can’t stop herself from crying and she finds he does not tell her that she shouldn’t nor that she is prettier when she smiles. No, what he has told her he wants her to feel fully the weight of.

“Can you love me as I am?” He asks into her hair and she can feel the teeth of his skull against her horns. “I have rejected these strange feelings that I carry because I fear the power that I hold over you. Could you stand up to me again as you have done today in the throne room when I am wrong or you do not agree with me? Can you say no to me Albedo?”

She shields herself in his embrace. She knows now what he is asking of her. He has shifted the playing field and her status if he wants her to question him. If she wants to be the counterbalance to his ideas.

“If my love wishes it. I will try.”

He hummed and she felt it. It vibrated his entire form. “Then I will try to progress this relationship with you. I do however warn you that I have regrettably no experience in this and will need you to be honest with me if I am falling short of expectations.”

She had never been in a relationship either and it was new and exciting. She had dreamed of this… and never did she think it would come from an outburst. She wants to kiss him and so she takes the initiative to do so. She prays that she has the self-control to not give in to the part of her that desperately wants to take it to the bedroom.

Demiurge had diligently attended to his duties. His floor was perfect. His farm runs smoothly. His spies had given him another good bit of information to work with. He however finds himself face to face with Albedo. She looks a little disheveled.

“Lady Albedo, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence so late in the evening.”

“Ainz-Sama kept me very busy.” She smiled.

“Did he? With paperwork, I would imagine.” He laid a barb to annoy her and she did not buy into it. Instead, she looked smug.

“He asked me to enter a relationship with him.” She cut him off. “He rejected a marriage proposal earlier this week and it seems to have had an effect on him wanting to promote me to a more prominent position at his side.”

Demiurge was taken a little aback by this. He was unsure if his Master would ever pursue more with Albedo. It was very advantageous for him to keep stringing her along. Not that he wanted Albedo to suffer endlessly, but her loyalty was ensured by their place in the kingdom and the love that she carried in her. Their master did not need to do more than look at her and she would continue to hope for more and work to ensure it. Demiurge was much the same. He had only the greatest wish that Lord Ainz would be happy and recognize his brilliance. The demon found that Albedo would be a good candidate to ensure an heir should their master wish to give them another gift besides his presence.

“This is a little unexpected, nonetheless, congratulations are in order.”

She beamed. “Yes, and I carry news for you as well that you might find a reason to celebrate.”

“Oh and what shall I celebrate?” His tail twitched with anticipation.

“Lord Ainz-sama has officially named Pandora’s Actor as his successor. He requests that you bring his education up to standard. He trusts no one else with this important task.”

His tail wags a little and he does his best to school it back to place. He however is not able to contain his excitement completely.

“He will discuss it more with you in the morning.” She nodded her head. “It seems that I am to be his mother in some capacity, so I will ask that you take care of him. I will ask no less of our weapons master when I bring him this news as well.”

He nods to her and when she leaves he quickly starts gathering things that he might need. There was never much time for sleep or rest with the schedule that he had built himself around the work that his Master had given him but he can not help but find he is too excited to care about how he was going to need to shift things around.

Chapter Text

Foth stood next to the bedside of a small boy who refused to close his eyes. She had tried to offer a story she had tried nearly everything that she could think of. A drink of water, milk, a song or two, and nothing worked. She sat a little defeated in the chair by the bed. The small sound of a knock stirred her from her exhaustion.

“Pandora.” Ainz-sama stood in the small door frame a little too big to fit in without ducking his head. “ I got caught up with work.”

Pandora tilted his head and remained silent as the great and powerful overlord moved closer. He folded his arms around himself. Lord Ainz laughed softly at this. “I see that you are upset with me.” He held up one long thin finger. “To make it up to you I think it is only fair that I do not work tomorrow.”

Pandora nodded.

“ I think we'll start my time off with a story or two. Which one would you like to hear?” The black void called forth books and Foth nodded to the god as she rose from her spot and started to head towards the door.

“Golden.” He requested softly.

“Ah yes the golden boy Kintaro. I feel you have heard it over 16 times.”

Pandora frowned and his body hunched a little up into himself.

“Oh? Don’t make that face.” The large skeletal hand rubbed against the top of his bone head. Her master almost sounded fearful. Which was impossible… “I enjoy it as well. I think Foth can agree that it is a marvelous story.”

“I am fond of the talking animals.” She responded. It was always a treat to be in the room and listen to their lord switch his voice up to voice the very different stories and characters. She liked the soft soothing tone that he would use for the different animals even though they were very demanding. She also knew that apart from herself and his child there wouldn’t be another observer.

It seemed to almost Embarrass their lord to have it brought up. He would cough as if clearing his lungs. There wasn’t a single reason to be embarrassed but she supposed that for a great and truly fearsome being, the thought of him reading bedtime stories was a little ridiculous. She wondered what the populace would think if they could see just how benevolent their master was. They saw his great degrees and they felt the prosperity that he brought. they had also seen him bring kingdoms to ruin and they rightfully feared him. But they did not revere him. Would they be calmed to know that he held humanity in him? Would they see him for the caring god that he was?

“Foth.” Her master's words called her back from her thoughts. The child was asleep clutching a small pillow. “Pandora will be starting swordsmanship and his education sooner than I expected. How is he doing with the other skills that I asked you to observe?”

“He has great large motor skills. He can run and would climb nearly anything if I allowed him to your grace.”

“His fine motor?”

“He struggles to hold the brush and coloring supplies. It frustrates him.”

“It will come with practice and time.” Ainz-sama looked over the other, pulling the blankets up further after a second more deliberation. “He has been improving in shape-shifting. His smile is different.”

“Yes.” She nods. She had never seen anything in the other’s face change before. It had always been 3 perfect circles that never narrowed or moved, not even when he spoke.

“Does he show enthusiasm for anything besides seeing me?” The red eyes looked back at her.

“Art.” She smiles a little. “He really likes to make things.”

Ainz-sama seemed relieved by this. “I want him to be prepared for the worst that could happen, but I want him to be happy also.” His large fingers twitched as if he wanted to touch the dozing form.

“I think that is what all parents want.” Foth smiled and tried to reassure him. “He knows that you can’t always be with him and he loves the time that he does get to spend with you.”

The red seemed to spark brighter at this. Yet he says nothing else.

Cocytus breathed out a wave of cold air. Lord Ainz stood before him with the small boy that Pandora had become. The small boy clung to the skeleton’s leg. The chosen shape was that of a mini form of their master. Cocytus had been waiting for this day. When he would be asked to train the next generation, the great heir to their kingdom. He had been diligently training the Lizardmen up to a respectable form. He had been training the overgrown hamster as well. None of these was as important.

This was without a doubt the greatest of all honors given to him. The smaller skeleton poked his head out from behind the folds to his master’s robe.

“This is Cocytus.” Ainz-sama introduced. “He will be teaching you how to be a great warrior and to defend yourself.”

“Golden.” Pandora responded in the exact voice of their master just smaller and it made his hidden ears hum.

It. Was. Adorable.

“Yes, like Golden.” The Overlord slowly pushed the other forward, with a gentle guiding hand. “Pandora is very fond of a samurai story.”

“We. Can. Study. Those. Kinds. Of. Blades. Young. Master.” Cocytus agreed. “I. Have. A. Few. Training. Weapons. Chosen.”

The night before when Albedo had approached him and mentioned Pandora learning from him. He had taken to looking for suitable wooden training pieces that could be handled by a smaller form. He needed them to be as lightweight as possible but sturdy enough that it could be used to lightly hit things and practice footwork. He motioned the other to move with him. He handed the small boy his best choice as a starting weapon. The blade was more than half of the small figure. Pandora stumbled a little when it was handed off to him.

“Try. To. Grasp. It.” The large guardian helped the other to hold onto the handle of a wooden katana. “The. Left. Hand. Is. For. Power. The. Right. For. Direction.”

Pandora adjusted his hands and looked back to Ainz-sama who nodded and then the boy turned back to him.

“Good,” The large beetle, praised.

Ainz felt the thin hands of Albedo on his shoulder before he heard her. He had been distracted by the new information that had been placed in front of him. He turned the paper over and tried to make sense of what he had read. He made sure to read it through a second time before he remembered that she was probably waiting for him to respond to her touch. He slowly reached up his hand to feel at the fingers that held him with his own. He was touching her… green light repressed the nerves that he had. Ever since he had been honest with her about his hesitancy to be more they had been trailing on a strange sort of new foraged normal. She touched him more and he felt content to lean into her touch.

They talked more too. He indulged her questions and she answered his questions as well. They started small and had been working up to what he would consider pleasant conversations that consisted of more than the happiness of the other inhabitants of their tomb and the country. Albedo had a level of cynicism that made him laugh far more than he used to. Her wit was quick and sometimes unintentionally endearing. While they had crossed some sort of threshold. Ainz did not think of himself as a proper partner. No, they were more friends than anything at the moment and that felt a bit better than the situation he had found himself in originally. He needed friends. He needed to let a small part of himself relax if he was ever going to survive in this world.

This friendship could perhaps lead to more. The political move alone seemed to at least halt some of the unwanted advances. Albedo wasn’t someone who would allow another to encroach on what they were building and it relieved him that most of the others were respectful enough to not press the boundary when he made it clear he had only eyes for her. Sometimes that lie came easiest. He didn’t really have eyes for anything other than appreciating beauty. This body did not have the urges that a mortal one would have and even in his human life Ainz had not ever engaged in anything with another person. At a fleeting time in his teenage years, he thought about the possibility of pursuing a young woman. He however never had the nerve to and had been slightly repulsed by the idea of messing it up or embarrassing himself. In his adult years, he had been too busy and didn’t have the drive to seek any form of pleasure other than playing games. He was too exhausted and the idea of being more entertaining than he was during role-playing seemed like it would have been too difficult.

As the supreme overlord, there wasn’t anyone that he would rather be with. Albedo was independent enough and would understand his needs and boundaries. He would do only what she was comfortable with and he was sure the suppression would take care of anything that might be too uncomfortable for him under normal circumstances.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. He however did not wish for what was between them to only be a scheme or something to make him feel better about what he did to her programming. It had a hit of manipulation to it that left a horrid taste in his mouth. He perhaps one day could be more open with her. He could tell her more of his mortal life… Dreams that died long ago.

He had been open enough to tell her about his first world; how the humans had destroyed it with their greed. He expressed his wish to keep this world beautiful to her and she had given him a look that reminded him of Demiurge when he promised him all the stars in the sky. He didn’t know if she would ever understand.

He sighed into the hold that she offered him. He felt mentally he could close his eyes.

“Albedo.” He said her name for no other reason than to say it out loud and hear her hum in response. “I have not been neglecting you have I?”

He worried that he absorbed himself into too many projects that he might not be seen as Courting correctly. He didn’t want to rush things, but he didn’t want their only connections to be centered around work either.

“Not at all.” She moved forward to sit on his desk. Her golden eyes held softness and slight madness if he was to be honest with himself. “I enjoy just being close to you.”

“I am grateful. I am unable to do many of the things that would count as romantic.”

She looked offended on his behalf.

“I can not eat so if I were to take you to try something then I would only be able to watch. As much as seeing you enjoy something nice would please me.” He elaborated.

She smiled fondly at him for that. He felt her hand drift down the rest of his arm and he let it be. He wrapped his long fingers over the small ones. He liked how soft she was. He didn’t quite know how to articulate that correctly. Like the smell of tea was nice and the heat was nice even if he could not enjoy the other parts of it. He wanted to touch her hair. He wondered how it would feel between his fingers. He resisted the urge. Albedo told him how long it took her to do it and how annoying it was when it fell out of place.

“I have been craving music as of late.”

“Music?” She tilted her head.

When Ainz had been alive he had put as much music on as possible. It drowned out the long grinds for items and the monotony of building parts of Naxzerick. For as great as their stronghold was, someone had to go around and place everything that they acquired in the correct place. When his friends were not online he had the music cranked particularly loud. He even had it when he needed to do the mundane tasks of his job. He would put on a calming playlist and analyze all the numbers he needed to and put them all nearly into charts and reports. If he couldn’t sleep because of the sirens outside of his horrible apartment. Well… he had music for that too. Music had infected and influenced a great deal of his life. He knew a lot of niche genres and he was impartial on what he considered to be truly talented ensembles.

“I enjoy music. The concert halls have nice sounds.” He signed deeply thinking fondly of tunes that he could only remember half the lyrics to. There were no interments in this world that could make the synthetic sounds that had serenaded him on some of his worst days but the restrictive classical that was available was nice enough. Soothing in a different way. “I was thinking that perhaps… Ah, I would inevitably embarrass myself.”

He brought his other hand to his face. An outing to listen to music had been a good idea but then all he could think of was how Albedo would look should she twirl to it. There was an innocence to that, like a bloom of a flower, frighteningly, beautiful, and delicate. He longed for the simple joy of seeing her relax. She was never completely without rigidity and he found himself also suffering from when he wasn’t with Pandora. They had appearances to keep and there seemed to be a fine line of worry on how to move themselves out of that masked area they needed to uphold in front of others. Ainz had a particular fear that was deeper than he cared to admit when he thought about what would happen if they did see him for the pathetic human that he had been and not their benevolent ruler.

“I doubt that.” She fixed her dress by rubbing the wrinkle from the stainless, pure white, of her dress. She really was too pretty. He was caught just by her doing such a simple action. He was drawn to forget himself and part of him wanted so desperately to let go of his apprehension.

“I would like to dance with you.” He nearly blurted it. “I am unfortunately not musically inclined. I enjoy the sounds and rhythms, and it would be nice to move to them.”

Her eyes again glittered. “Do you not know how to dance, my love?”

He coughed. “I have not had the opportunity to learn. I hear a tune and I freeze like a deer. However, I saw the peasants moving about to a few instruments the other day and I thought of how they would pale to how you would move.”

“I am more accustomed to dancing with my weapons.”

“As am I.” Ainz agreed. “It could be fun though.”

“It could.” She seemed to consider the idea. “I can see if we can find a dancing instructor. It would perhaps be a good idea considering nobles seem to hold ideas on how it should be done. We do have a few events scheduled to attend.”

“I have little interest in how they would see it done. I wish to do it for fun, not an investment venture.” Ainz felt the hair that fell over her shoulder and spilled onto him as she leaned closer and it was as soft as he knew it would. be. She had a light scent to it that he could smell as he pressed his teeth to it. It was a mockery of a kiss but he was trying and he could see it pleased her as her wings moved. “If anyone were to think I did it incorrectly they would not dare to say it. Only you can complain if I were to do something like step on your foot.”

Albedo giggled and it sent another bit of warmth through him. He liked that sound. It was pleasant. “I shall endeavor to correct you then.”

They made plans for an evening in the near future and Ainz again felt some spark of life enter him that he never experienced before. This was certainly an escape and if he made a fool of himself dancing then prepahs Albedo would see that he wasn’t entirely unfailing and it would give her something to tease him over. It was bound to make them seem more equal.

The demon smiled down at the little boy who was kicking his legs. The round eye sockets looked up at him and there was that small spark of red that reminded him so much of his master. There was an eagerness to get started as he fidgeted in his chair touched the different utensils and looked over the printed letters and numbers that Demiurge had spent hours perfecting to have the correct lines and set up between symbols.

He might have spied a little on the neighboring schools in their nation to see how the education process that Ainz had ordered was taking off. While it was mostly dedicated towards trades. His Lord wanted most people to be able to at least read the laws they were expected to follow and be able to record their profits and marks. There were smaller schools for those that were a little older than Pandora seemed to be and adults were sitting towards the back trying to learn the bare necessities. Humans and the others of this world were certainly far beneath them. They could not fully appreciate the kindness it was to learn. The free countries to their north and upper borders were content to keep their populations ignorant. They worshiped blindly and perhaps that would have been favorable to imparting seeds that could lead to rebellion.

“We will teach them.” Ainz-sama shakes his head. “Our nation will be great with strong thinkers and those that can push the boundaries that we do not yet know of. We can not waste resources testing everything ourselves. That doesn't mean that we shall allow them to overstep themselves.”

A wise decision, not that Demiurge can see them overstepping any time soon. They were so concerned with petty little things that were not going to do anything for them in the long run. The temples were preaching after all to gods that were not responsive. He had proved that well enough with the Holy Kingdom. The humans would never be more than useful tools but their humans and other races would at least be more useful than those outside of their borders.

The small boy in front of him started to doodle in the margins. It was difficult to deduce if he was bored or did not understand the concept.

For someone with incredible intellect, the demon found himself slightly intimidated by the task of helping his Master’s child receive a proper education. It had to be a test of some sort. Everything his god did was trifold. He did not think himself worthy of such a task but if his master deemed him ready, then who was he to argue? He hadn’t done much teaching before. All the summons that he was able to create and call on already came with all the knowledge that they would ever need. That did not mean that he had not helped with the combative training of the twins or could not lead others to acquire new skills. He liked to think he taught life lessons pretty well on his farm.

Regardless this wondrous task was now his, this honor, and despite his lack of experience, he was more than ready to prove himself.

Still… How was one to simplify the great mass of knowledge and information that one possessed and pass it to the small and ready mind of a near infant?

What was appropriate to teach about?

What should he give the other?

What great skills did Pandora already possess as a shell of his former self?

It had been as exciting as it had been exhausting. He had shifted the main things that he wanted to impart into 3 different categories One was reading and writing, next was history, and lastly mathematics. He had gathered a great range of literature in the last few days and breezed through them on what to introduce and how.

Demiurge had started small. He had Pandora practice writing with a larger brush than one would typically do spell work with. It was not unlike things the other was already familiarizing himself with. However, the precision would be practiced and practiced until one letter at a time was mastered.

The young doppelganger showed signs of restlessness nearly an hour in. So Demiurge switched to flashcards. These did not have the desired effect as Pandora did not seem capable of speaking more than a few words. He glared at the cards as if they had something particularly horrible to him. His face became a little red and puffed. It would have been cute if it wasn’t worrying that the other might start crying. He did not want to be known as the only Guardian to reduce the child to tears.

The Demon wasn’t necessarily frustrated with the seeming lack of reading ability. He was used to problem-solving on the fly. Adjusting the steps that he thought he figured out for the more smart and timely ones of his Master. He however just didn’t know quite how to simplify it yet.

“If I may.” The maid moved a little forward. “Have him see if he recognizes it by pointing to the picture.”

She gathered the cards into her small hands. “Pandora, which one do you think is a fruit?” She held up the cards. The red lights in the boy’s sockets bounced back and forward. He reached out and pointed correctly to the images.

“Which has yellow?” She asked and switched up the pictures. Once again the small boy chose correctly.

It was effective. He nodded his approval and followed her lead.

Simple. Simple small steps. Whatever small steps he thought he needed to break those down further.

Maybe this was why Ainz-sama had given him this task. It was for patience and to look at problems from a different angle. Truly humbling… to have a maid give him perspective and tips.

He offered his own words of encouragement as the sorting of cards became faster and faster. Pandora was quite good when it didn’t involve talking.

“Say goodbye.” Foth helped clean up the workspace. “And thank your teacher.”

“Tschüss” Pandora waved. It wasn’t a thank you but the unknown words were something too well pronounced not to be an actual word.

“German.” Ainz-sama did not look up from his desk papers when Demiurge mentioned the unique speech pattern after his first meeting of the original form. “I programmed him to speak a language of my first world. I suppose that it is lost to this world and I regretfully have lost a lot of my fluency.”

Without Pandora’s original memories, that language was more than not lost. It was strange though that he retained so many words from it. Something to ponder perhaps…

“We shall have Lunch now.” The young woman moved with the boy now in stride.

“Ja.” Pandora agreed. “Papa?”

“Not till after suppertime.” She responded in kind.

Albedo held lightly onto Ainz-sama’s hand as the small boy ran up to him. Demiurge trailed behind followed by Foth. The maid carried a few papers in her hand. It was proof of the first week's lessons. Ainz-sama was excited about the results. Demiurge had not reported to her how it went so she had not been able to comment on it. She hated when she did not have enough to contribute to the conversations that she had with her love.

Ainz was a confusing conversationalist. With all his wisdom it must have been hard to articulate decades and centuries worth of different knowledge in an understandable format for everyone. She did her best to follow when he went on to explain strange things like other world’s ecosystems, programming, and music. She wished that he would stick to things that she could understand like food, places of Nazerick, and this world. She had not brought up the other Supreme beings as that usually saddened him. He had been far happier as of late and she did not want to give him a reason not to continue talking with her as freely as he was.

“Papa.”

“Pandora’s Actor.” Ainz-sama greeted by holding his other hand out in welcome. The boy stopped a little out of reach, his empty sockets looked towards Albedo. She did her best to look as welcoming as possible. She took a small breath in and out.

“Pandora it is good to see you.” She welcomed him as well.

She kept her wings folded neatly at her sides so as not to seem as large. She was aware that he seemed to find her intimidating. Anyone that he had not spent a lot of time with seemed to be skittish. Cocytus mentioned that it had taken 4 sessions before Pandora would train without his father present to oversee it.

The. Young. Master. Trusts. Me. Now. The large beetle excitedly commented. He was wrapping a small wooden sword at the meeting that she had called to check in on all the floors.

“I want to spend time with him.” Shalltear complained. “I haven’t been granted the opportunity yet.”

“Lord Ainz-sama is protective of the young Master.” Sebas shook his head. “He has limited the tombs' contact with him.”

“I still want to meet with him.” Shalltear folded her arms. “I will wait until our Lord deems it acceptable to do so of course, but I feel like everyone has had the opportunity but me.”

Albedo was somewhat pleased that she had been privileged to observe how Ainz acted with what she might as well as consider her child as well as his.

“The twins haven’t had any contact.” Sebas did his best to defuse the tension. “And the others have had duties to perform in regards to him.”

“Combat training and Educational Duties.” Albedo reminded her. “Ainz-sama has expressed his desire for Pandora to surpass his original programming.”

“Is-Is that possible.” Mare’s quiet voice entered the conversation.

“It remains to be seen.” Demiurge folded his hands and rested his chin on them. “I have yet to see anything extraordinary from him. He however does possess an ability to adapt and recall better than most children his age would. He shows normal childish behavior however as he likes to pull my tail.”

She had been surprised that Pandora let Demiurge teach him without supervision so quickly and that he was willing to touch the other. She would have thought that the demon was more frightening than she was. Even humans were not weary of her at first when they would no doubt be cautious if Demiurge was able to walk around in his other form. Humans though were foolish, often mistaking her beauty for weakness. Pandora as a magically inclined being might have been able to understand that she was capable of great harm.

Or worryingly, perhaps he possessed some memories of his old life and knew inherently that she had not favored him and that she had been the reason he had given up his life.

Nonetheless, she had been trying to get Pandora’s Actor to acknowledge her more than with a quick, hesitant, glance. It seemed this time with herself so close to her love that it might have worked. The child took a tentative step forward. He hugged into Ainz and then, noticing that the Overlord had not given up her hand the small child explored that hold up with his eyes to Albedo.

He slowly touched her feathers and she did her best to resist brushing his hands aside when he pulled a little against them.

“Be careful how you touch them.” She kept her voice soft despite the discomfort. The way that Ainz-sama was looking at her made her hyper-aware of the test before her. Pandora seemed to understand just fine and his grip loosened with his father’s guided hand.

“Pretty,” Pandora responded.

“She is, isn't she?” The skeleton’s eyes brightened.

The boy lifted his arms and the Overlord responded in kind, dropping her hand to pick him up. Pandora reached away and towards her.

“Horns.” Pandora commented trying to grab at them but lucky for her Ainz-sama did not let the other indulge in that particular request. She had just managed to get her hair styled in a way that was presentable enough after a long day of work. There was a nice pin in it as Ainz had made a point to get her one. It had a significance to it in his culture though he did not further explain. Other than that there were colors and flowers assigned for each month.

She frowned ever so slightly.

“Albedo wanted to join us for storytime. Is that alright with you?” The Overlord's voice lightened when he spoke. She had not known that she would be invited to such a thing but she was grateful to be included. Pandora looked at her again and tilted his head as if thinking hard about it.

“Ja.” He finally responded. “Foth?”

“I am sure that she will be there as well.” There was a quick glance to the maid who bowed in understanding. “I have to have a word with your teacher and then I will join you for bed.”

He set the boy down after tightening his hold all for a moment. He pushed a little on his back. “Go with Foth and Albedo.”

The child ran down the stairs to get back to the maid. Foth smiled down at him and waited to the side for Albedo to make her decent. She opened the door only when Albedo had caught up to them.

Once close enough, she held out her hand to the child, bending a little over to make herself as inviting as possible. She had not had the opportunity to hold onto him at all and she was eager to show that she was capable of caring for the other. The small head again tilted and she held her breath for one moment. The mouth formed a smile that was full of sharp needle-like teeth. Slowly the hand gripped her own. It was warm.

Foolishly enough she knew that… but it was so small.

It would be so easy to break it.

He was so fragile…

She hadn’t really thought too much about it. How the other could die again by nearly anything at this level? He had become this way for her. She in the past few months had started to question if the hit really would have killed her or not. She likes to think that she would have been fine. However, when she closes her eyes she can see the black leaking down from the deep cut and the way that his body was crushed.

Take care of Father. The voice is haunting her. Pandora knew how his Creator would suffer without him or any of them.

It wasn’t her fault but it wouldn’t happen again. She would ensure it. The small fingers squeezed at her a little harder. There was strength there. He was still there.

She was suddenly faced with a fear of something happening to him again. How it would devastate Ainz. It would destroy him. She can see him fretting as she looks back at the way that they have come. It was more real now, tangible. She felt her eyes well up with tears that she did not shed. She just smiled wider at him.

He died for her so that she could have this… this warmth and the love that her Ainz provided. It was his death that pushed them all forward. And he was reduced to this. A small boy that could easily be destroyed, lost, corrupted, by the cruel world outside of these walls. She would have to protect him. She would need to ensure that her love’s dreams came to fruition faster.

Holding her arms out for a small hug. The boy accepted and she picked him up and let him pull at her horns.

“Pretty.” He said again.

“Albedo.” She smiled slightly. “My name is Albedo.”

“Al.” Pandora chirped.

She hugged him close and he made another small trilling sound. Thank you. She can’t help but think.

Chapter Text

Ainz stood in the doorway. His talk with Demiurge had taken a bit longer than he had originally thought that it would. He would give the demon this… he was thorough. He had reports on reports that made his skull spin. Pandora was just supposed to be learning letters! He didn’t understand half of the things that the floor guardian had spoken to him about nor how he had come up with the metrics. He was tired mentally but he knew well enough that he had a story to read and he looked forward to it. It was normal and it was his routine. He stepped through the threshold and he could see Albedo perched on the bed. Pandora was at her side and he was pointing to the golden hero of his storybook.

“Golden,” Pandora explained. “Friends.” He pointed at the different animals.

Albedo nodded her head a little stiffly. She was trying it was obvious to follow what Pandora was excitedly explaining to her or rather humming and just pointing at. She tilted her head to the side and her raven locks followed. She looked so perfect there, like a painting. Her smile was a soft one and her eyes were almost sad. It was like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself or she was remembering how Pandora used to be. He never asked how close they were. He had placed them to work on a few projects together.

They had spoken about his guilt but he wondered then if she did not have her own… He selfishly had probably overlooked that. He fumbled with his robe trying to get the tension out of his body. Worry seemed like it was the only emotion besides sadness and loneliness that the suppression did not dampen as much as he wished it did.

Albedo seemed to sense him. She knew whenever he was upset as of late. She could just glance at him and she knew. She looked over at him and her smile twisted a little to be a bit bigger. Pandora hadn’t noticed that her attention had drifted; he just started pulling on the book to show Albedo the next page.

“Al.” He whined when she did not move her hand and the pages became stuck on them. Her golden eyes returned to the book.

“Perceed.” She released the hold on the book and it nearly fell onto the small child as he managed to turn the page.

“Am I interrupting?” He decided now was as good a time as any to announce that he was there.

“Papa. Golden! Golden!” Pandora slapped the book.

“Mmm.” He hummed. “Have you been telling my dearest Albedo about your favorite hero?”

“He has been.” Albedo sat up a little straighter. Her eyes looked even softer than before.

He can’t express the warmth seeping into him. He hates it when it is forcibly stopped and then started again. He wants to be happy. Why won’t he be at least granted that? He does his best not to let the way this troubles him enter his posture of his voice. “Do I still get to read tonight?”

“Ja.” Pandora moved over and held up the book.

When the small child was safely wrapped up in thick blankets. Ainz helped Albedo off of the bed. She was careful not to accidentally stir the sleeping form. He led her by the arm out of the room and down the hall towards the other wing of rooms. She hugged onto him and pressed into his side and he felt like she belonged there. Somehow the warmth had been missing and he wanted it to remain.

He walks her to her door and he kisses her hair lightly at the crown of her head between 2 long and pointed horns. They always looked like a helo over her head. It was probably how others could overlook some of the truly horrible things that she was capable of.

Albedo always though acted out of love.

Love for her home.

Love for the other guardians.

Love for her creator and other supreme beings.

Love for him.

Love perhaps one day for the one he considered to be his son.

He was never so confident in his decision to do something. Progressing whatever it was to grow between them made him feel safe and yet vulnerable and exposed in a way that he had never been before in real life or in any game.

“Ainz-sama.” She breathed deeply.

“Albedo.” He pauses with his words. He can’t get them out correctly. He has no lips to bite, he has no way to show just how hard the words are. Not because he doesn’t want to say them. Because this was always the hard part. Where he could express himself, what was allowed, what his passives would grant him. “ When it is just us. Perhaps you could address me a little less formally.”

She blinked. Her mouth made a perfect little O. “Momonga?”

It was so sweet and her lips caressed the word with such devotion that he almost felt as if there was a status effect for the strange pang in his chest that it brought. He was tempted to tell her. His real name was on the tip of his metaphorical tongue but he bit it down. “My closest friend Touch-Me. Used to call me Momo. I would not be opposed to hearing it again. When and if you wish to shorten my name.”

“Momo.” She tested the words and her smile grew nearly ten-fold. He was nearly blind by it.

He felt the pressure he had felt a little bit ago looking at her saddened eyes and the worry of it melting again. He almost wants to thank her before she bids him goodnight for caring for someone that he cared for so greatly. Yet those words. They stay well lodged in his throat and he decides to leave before he does something incredibly foolish like ruin this moment and dredge up something that would make her eyes distant again.

Albedo sat for a moment at the edge of the bed. She spread herself out as she fell back onto it. She was trying her best not to freak out. Her breath hitched and she pressed her hands hard to her head and covered her eyes as she suppressed a scream. Her Ainz asked her to call him such an endearing nickname, one that he had only let Supreme beings refer to him as. She wrapped herself up in her blankets and just bit her lip as she found the nearest plush to scream into. The plush skeleton looked at her with dull red eyes and she started to lightly stroke its face.

“Momo.” She whispered to it and the darkness of her room as she wrapped herself tighter and far safer into its embrace. The words were as soft as the plush under her chin. It was almost forbidden, like a secret. Something that only they would ever know or understand. She hoped that none would ever be able to say it but her.

“Momo.” She said it again a little louder and she felt a heat below. She sighed deeply and breathed in the fabrics and her bedding to steady herself. She slowly rolled onto her back so that she could look up at the canopy of her bed. The black looked almost like the sky and there were pearls and other sequences that she had pain mistakenly sewed into it so that it would look like stars.

Ainz-sama liked the stars. The first thing that he did when he arrived was fly up into the night air and survey all that they would one day own and gift to him. Her love had, according to Demiurge, sounded hopeful. Yet she can not help but wonder knowing what she knows now if it was a relief. Momonga had told her that he thought he would have to leave. He thought that he was going to be forced to leave them. He felt that he had done everything and all of the other beings had gone…

She pulls another pillow closer to her. It must have been lonely. Lonely to watch each of the people that he cared for leave. She raised a hand to her head and felt the moisture that was starting to come to her eyes. She had not meant to shed tears. She had been so happy just one second ago. Now she can only think about how her Creator left her. Left her here and left Ainz. She doesn’t know the context of why he left. She probably could ask Momonga but he might not want to answer her. She doesn’t even know if she wants to know. Pandora had accused the other Supreme beings as not being as deserving of worship because they chose to leave.

She doesn’t know if he is right. It had seemed like a comment made of ignorance but Pandora had most dealings with all of the beings. He maintained their equipment and their items. He had said that Momanga would say goodbye to each of them personally and promised them always a place. They had always rebuffed him. They would not come back.

In the deepest part of her that she never wanted to admit out loud she had feared that Momonga would leave them too. Now she knows just how foolish that was. He looked at her… Pandora… everyone like they were his entire world.

If you ever wonder where I would be without you. The truth is I would rather cease to exist. She can still feel his boney hands on her when he practically begs her to understand him. As he wishes for love from her, that is not worship. She doesn’t understand him. Not completely. Her memories of the other beings are sparse but Momonga is a staple. He is always there and she lets that comfort her.

She didn’t think that she could ever possibly love him more, but the fact that he wanted to build a family that included her. She could not help but feel her heart run over.

Foth smiled as Pandora used a fork correctly. It feels like it has taken a very long time to get to this point.

“You are eating really nicely.” She commented.

Pandora raised his head from the mess and smiled as he nearly bit through the metal parts of the prongs. She took a deep breath as he released it and kept putting more into his mouth.

“You might have spoken too soon,” Fith says.

“He is doing a bit better.” Fiore disagrees. “It is much better than near choking by splitting apples in two.”

Pandora just turns his head.

“I heard that his Father has a date with Lady Albedo.” Fith lowers her voice. “Is this true, Foth.”

“Yes, they both have stepped out for the day.” Foth bobbed her head as she took a small bite of her own food.

“How romantic, what do you think that they are doing?” Fiore hugged herself and squealed enough to make a few others look their way and Pandora covered where his ears must have been on his bald little head.

“Shhh.” Fith shushed the other. “You're making the young master upset.”

“Sorry.” She lowered her voice and looked over at Pandora who had decided that he would shove the plate away from himself and play with the spoon instead.

“I shouldn’t say anything.” Foth folded her arms. “It would be unprofessional.”

“But they didn’t say that you couldn’t tell us?” Fiore almost pleaded.

“I heard about Dancing and that is all that I will say of it.” Foth huffed. “I have to get the little master to his studies.”

“Dancing.” Fith ran with it as the nanny took Pandora by the hand and helped him up.

Foth did not like leaving the main floors. She still remembers the raid on Nazerick. She knows full well the death toll and the damage that was done to her home. She always feels a little uneasy when she leaves the safety of the more protected and secure parts of the tomb. It doesn’t matter that she is headed to Demiurge’s space and that there are plenty of Demons and other summons that can handle nearly anything that this new world throws at them. She still can feel her heart quicken a little and her pace drop. She doesn’t have a spring in her step as she makes the turn that will take them to the 7th floor.

Pandora seems to sense her discomfort and rather than being scared himself he just holds onto her fingers a little tighter and smiles. She can’t help but recall his fascination with heroes. He did look like one at the moment, a little knight in his nice clothing, one that didn’t have to even try to make her feel a little better, a little safer. Not that Pandora could protect her. She was expendable in comparison to her Master’s most precious treasure. No, he made her feel safer because if a child wasn’t scared. If a child could be brave, certainly an adult like herself could be as well.

Chapter Text

Ainz found himself in a panic. The main reason was the woman who was holding onto his arm. She was softly pressing her breast against his bones and he had to keep his eyes from drifting where they might have been wanted but would have felt inappropriate. He had just started to feel that they had moved to the point where he was comfortable reaching out and touching parts of her that were not covered in cloth and were not scandalous to do so. Her hand he felt himself reaching for a lot more. He would touch her hair. He would take her arm and he would press his teeth to her lips in his own mockery of a real kiss. It feels as if he is an imposter and yet he has been closer to himself than he has been since coming to this world. There is a strange line in the ground that he has crossed over. His feelings swirling, muted, distorted. He still feels that strange disconnect to those that are around him and not those of Nazarick. His undead mind has walled off to those that he rules and doesn’t recognize truly as his. He has tried to bend this, but humans, demi-humans, everything blurs under the fog.

There is hardly anything on some days that feels real.

The woman next to him though is very real.

She is warm and he can feel the blood and magic that moves through her. Being undead he is very conscious of the fact that she is alive. He is aware that Pandora is alive as well each time that they take his hand, there is that feeling that sticks out from the waves of apathy that circles his mind. He feels like this is the best course that he can take. The one that is right, yet there are so many doubts that pledge his path.

How to date someone like Albedo?

How to be worthy of the love that she gives full-heartedly to him and readily when he is the one who messed with her settings?

Albedo’s hair is pulled back today so that the hairpin that he had given her is on full display. She wears a different white dress than the one that she typically wears when conducting meetings and audiences with those in the great tomb. There is nothing in this mortal world that can quite capture her ethereal beauty. He is rather lacking when it comes to the looks department… despite what the maids said about the glittering clothes that they try to place onto his shoulders. There is no wealth that can capture anything remotely beautiful about him. Yet, Albedo seems to think there is something there. He had heard their claims on what he exemplified when the guardians had first pledged their loyalty to him.

He can only be as dignified and just as a ruler. His red eyes glance over the space that has been cleared for them. The capital house has hosted a lot of guests and so it hosts their instructor. The dance instructor looked a little timid. He supposed that it was not every day that one had to help those of such high standing as himself and Albedo or would have the man that just decimated an old country for offending him ask for something as simple as dance lessons.

How embarrassing that he needed them…

Yet new.

He wanted to try as many new things as this body would allow him.

“My Lord… My King.” The woman bowed deeply. She was human and she had been an instructor for many lords and ladies of the previous kingdom. Ainz felt going out of Nazarick had been the most suited answer. He did not have to subject himself to his other subordinates trying to spy on the date then.

He had asked not to be given anything too formal. He stood by his desire for this not to be a restrictive environment. He wanted to learn and have a little fun with it. He tapped his chin with his finger. It would not do for this woman to be too scared. Scared enough not to go spreading things like the King of Darkness can’t dance but not so scared that she did not correct him. He knew full well that he was going to need to be able to dance at the party and celebrations in one month that his vessel empire was hosting. He could not afford to look too foolish even if he might be able to avoid any comments on his movements to his face.

There were very few he felt that ever would wish to encounter the wrath of his people after their display of stick and carrot. Besides, he was rather fond of his friend Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix and would have preferred not to embarrass him greatly in front of his people, and as an esteemed guest, he would assume that he owed that to the other at the very least.

“Please be at ease. My Lovely Albedo and I simply wish to learn the dances of this culture.”

The woman’s face turned a bright red color as she looked to his side. Albedo was a lovely shade of pink as well. She was even more beautiful with the dusting of her cheeks and then there was himself that was incredibly scary to any that bore witness to him. He feels again lacking in a way when compared to his companion.

“We would like to learn dances for couples.” Albedo took over.

“I did not… know that you were married.” She winced as Albedo’s displeasure at the word was enough to send her near scurrying. This was going to be a long afternoon.

“Mmmm.” Ainz hummed trying to get Albedo back to focusing on him. “I have not had a reason to boost our union for some time, but I suppose that we are as close as that.”

The angelic succubus was now beaming at him; her wings did a small flap of excitement and Ainz knew that if he had the capability to blush he would have been under the pure happiness and magnitude of her gaze. She made a very undignified noise and Ainz carefully pulled her leering face closer to his chest to shield the human from having to deal with it.

Albedo grabbed lightly at the sizable shoulders of her love. He was taller than her by quite a bit. She is over a foot shorter than him. She feels his fingers lightly on her waist. They are not warm but they are not cold. She has gotten used to the gentleness and the weight of them. She wouldn’t trade the hands that guide her through more than a dance but life as well.

How great was Ainz-sama?

How merciful.

How selfless was he to give everything that he had to try to appease her?

He kissed her when she asked.

He encouraged her to want to.

She does not always feel comfortable asking him for the things that she wishes to pass between them, but she is emboldened by his willingness to try new experiences with her. She feels honored to be the first one that Ainz openly loves in the romantic sense. She feels at place and at ease when he fondly tells her of his embarrassing fumbles with women in the past, though she can’t understand how any would ever reject him or overlook him.

She sways with the music finds her sense of being next to him and tries to mirror him in each move that she makes. While she still feels much more confident with her blades she can see the enjoyment in the simplicity of the movements they are making. She presses her body close to his and she can feel the magic that thrums in his being, the grand item that increases his magical ability. It’s comforting and protective.

For someone who claimed to have no rhythm, Ainz-sama does pretty well in directing her through the beginning steps that lead to the more complex ones. It is a little awkward because of their size difference but she hasn’t heard her love laugh as much as he did when he moved them. He made mistakes but she took them in stride and so he laughed at the clumsiness he had on a few of their movements. He had great strength; she knew that he often had to keep it in check, however, she was built to be a tank. Her weight was far greater than what it seemed and she knew that twirling her and pulling her back into his arms could not have been that easy of a feat. Still, she liked the rush of each time that he would release her and pull her close. It certainly made his small short bursts of laughs more endearing and made her reciprocate. He was always so stoic that she could not have pictured even a few months ago the expressiveness that she can see in the way that he tilts his head and the way in which his eyes glow. She had seen the sadness leave his shoulders, the seeming hesitance melt.

She would have killed to see this easy expression.

She still would.

They had located the red armored mech. From that dreadful day that Pandora died for her. She would soon have the vengeance and answers that her master, her love, needed.

She reached her hands up to his face from the place that they should have been at his shoulder. She could get used to this. She will make sure that they are the talk of this religious ceremony. She will dress to suit him as the proper wife and queen that he wishes her to be. He stops in his movements and stills under her touch.

She understands what novels speak of and of poems when they describe what men were like. She had not thought herself capable of holding all of his heart or attention. She did not dream it, dare to think it. Yet Aniz looks at her as if he is worried for her when all she is doing is looking at him the way that she catches him staring at him. She wants to give him more than her loyalty, more than her deepest devotion but lacks the words to give it. She lacks the finesse to express it with her body either and doubts that Ainz would appreciate that. He seems to freeze up even with the most simple of touch as if he is scared to crush her.

“Albedo.” He tilts his head. “Is everything alright?”

“I love you.” She says and there is so much to her 3 words but again they can’t show the depth of her feelings. She would burn without him. She would die if he took this from her if she ever did anything to lose this touch. “Momo.”

His eyes blaze. He says nothing, he fixes her hairpin and runs a large finger over her cheek.

“You are precious to me.” He finally says.

She would take it for what it was. She would earn him saying it back to her.

“Do you still wish to dance?” He drops his fingers back to her waist and the feathered touch now feels as if it has a heat to it burning something deep inside of her to make an even greater fire.

“Yes.” She smiles.

She does her best to ignore the looks of the instructor and the single musician. He was minding his instrument to make a repeated noise over and over that was supposed to be where their footsteps aligned. They fall back easily to the directions from the instructor. They were humans so their looks of awe or fear annoyed her more than anything. They didn’t understand. To them, they were just monsters. They were incapable according to the literature that she had read through of love or peacefulness. They were so closed-minded. She despised humans even if they were now a part of the kingdom that he envisioned.

“Don’t worry about what they are thinking.” Ainz seemed to follow her eyes that kept glancing behind her. “They don’t matter.”

“I despise them.” She tells him honestly.

“Humans can surprise you.” There is something in his gaze that she can't follow. “but the vast majority of them are foolish.”

Ainz-sama moved them through a once-crowded street. The people of theirs parted when they looked at them. She kept her hand on her Lord’s and loved one’s arm. He moved unfazed by their stares and so she gave them just as little as he did. A king who walked his Kingdom and inquired personally about business and living conditions only encouraged others to poke their heads out of their residences. The people were learning not to fear him. They bowed their heads and the children while held back from them by their mother’s arms waved and made excited expressions. The guards and the lower-ranking adventurers made a peek at her and she kept a firm and uncomfortable smile on her face. She knew how important public opinion was in resisting rebellion but she could not help but despise the smell. It was the kind of smell that no matter the great inventions that removed waste could fix. The streets were clean and far superior to those of the old kingdom that they had destroyed, but she despised them. She understood her love’s kindness and his dreams of acceptance and ensuring that the world stayed beautiful but she saw nothing pretty in the way that the common creatures looked at them. Ainz fixed things with a flick of his wrist. His hand never left hers and his humble way of speaking to the leader of the adventurer guild irked her. The man shouldn’t be asking for as much leniency as he was. The drink offered was poor in taste but she sipped it anyway to be polite. It was hours of more mapping and planning, she felt her eyelids droop though she did her best to stay upright in her chair.

She could not physically be tired because of the enchanted ring that she wore but that did not mean that she could not be emotionally drained.

“Lady Albedo.” The human worm addressed her. “Is there something that you need?”

She sat up a little straighter in her chair and stopped fiddling with her teacup. It was rather poor craftsmanship. “No. I am perfectly alright.” She blinked herself back into cognitive function.

“Perhaps the Lady is tired.” The other human that was with the guild master commented.

She was about to snip at him that she was completely fine but the look from Ainz stilled her. His red eyes dimmed. “It has been a long day. I think we should revisit these talks when there is more information available to us.”

“Of course my king.” The older of the men nodded his head. “I shall have the drafts sent to you as soon as possible.”

“Mmm, see that you do.” Ainz-sama gave his command. “Shall we.”

He held his hand out to her and she used it to stand and put herself closer to his side. The trip through the portal is short.

“I am sorry if the guild business bored you.” Ainz doesn’t scold her as she thought that she might have made the meeting draw short.

“It was not boring.” She lies.

He laughs. It is short. Only a small “Ha.”

His eyes gaze at their hands which are still joined, before they look back to her face. His eyes have mirth then.

“I find the process of planning to sometimes be boring as well. I am actually quite glad that you pulled us from what could have lasted a few more hours of no progress being made.”

“Humans are tedious.” She says running her free hand soothingly down her wing.

“They speak a lot about nothing.” Ainz-sama looks forward and he seems lost in his head again. She tightens her fingers ever so slightly against his. He comes back to her. “I suppose it doesn't matter, we no longer have to be subjected to it.”

She nodded. “Perhaps if you have a little more free time we could have tea. I would like to cleanse my palate from that horrible tea.”

“I do feel like lavender would have a nice smell.” Ainz-sama could not consume it but he did like the smell and the warmth that it allowed.

“Lavender sounds lovely.”

Chapter Text

The Red Drop’s leader had escaped and hid. Not even particularly well. He just had covered a great deal of distance. When one had the ability to fly though that was to be expected. Demiurge had expanded his range of spies and had them travel much farther than the usual range for this exact reason. He owed his Master only the best of results and he felt in this case that he had failed. The progress had been much too slow. Even with the threat of war over-hanging them should they take the man, the demon should have figured out a plan much quicker than this. The mission wasn’t exactly approved. However, Demiurge was only given the explicit instructions to find the people or person responsible to justice . He wasn’t told that he could not engage, though there had been a stressed need for caution, almost alarming levels of it. Ainz-sama could not take the loss of another. Albedo had stressed this to him.

Demiurge had noticed the shift in their leader too. There was still the lingering paranoia in his movements, the same tactical mind, but also a growing weakness, one that he understood to be the compassion that he held for each of them. Ainz-sama should not have had to worry about such things, as their god, they would have been happy to run themselves ragged and die for him. However with the skill to properly resurrect from a possible encounter with another player, there is a greater risk, and seeing that he would not allow them to die in his stead there was only one move left to them.

They must eliminate the threats accordingly and swiftly before their god knows to be worried. Not an easy feat considering that Ainz-sama seemed to know everything and be many steps ahead of them but worth the struggle and worth the risk and the need to plead for mercy. Demiurge would make his Lord's dreams come true. He would get him the vengeance that he so desired.

Hence why Demiurge was here. He had items at his disposal to escape at the smallest hint of danger. He had taken more precautions than he ever had when going to the holy kingdom. It felt almost a waste, but it would give his Lord peace of mind and that was reason enough.

Perhaps it was his pride, perhaps it was a demon’s nature but he has no fear as he sits and he waits. His prey was the sort of man who frequented establishments for a certain type of entertainment. Naturally, Demiurge had taken and replaced the staff for his little trap. Azuth Aindra, the man’s true name, an adamantite ranked adventurer that possessed nothing more than a fragile human form outside of the flying armor and he wouldn’t have it on or in reach when there were ‘temptations’ in the way.

The man blinks when their eyes meet.

He was middle-aged.

Past his prime.

He was slow.

Demiurge felt nothing but relief that the encounter was even easier than he had predicted.

It's crowded in the capital and stifling, even in disguise the roads feel too thin. Ainz had designed a few building projects and they have come to fruition so it is only fair that he is there in person for the grand opening of the revamped guild space. He gives the shortest speech possible highlighting the great mix of races and the prosperity that was to be found in the Kingdom of Darkness. He thanks everyone for their efforts and sends out another adventurer group to explore and extend friendly relations.

It is exhausting.

He is happy when he can step away and try and experience the festivities from a more neutral standpoint. One where no one knows who is walking amongst them. He is very tired of the usual result of his presence, better to be walking in disguise. There are festivities to be had and food and music. While he can not partake in the food, he is pleased with the music and small performers who are attempting to make their coins.

He wanders among the population nearly invisible, looking nothing more than another human one that with the effects of his items would cause people to pay him very little mind, unless he were to directly address them. His stealth skill was not great enough however to escape the eyes of the maid that had followed him through the crowd. She was enough protection or at least he has convinced the others of this. “Nabe” is well respected by the humans that interact with her. They see her as a hero and they inquire about Mammon as she is not with him. Naberal to her credit only gives them some of the most scornful comments he has ever heard.

He pokes between the booths; nothing is particularly that well made in comparison to the craftsmanship possible by the decisions of Nazarick. Still, it is interesting to see what the people of this world were capable of, where they were improving in their craftsmanship, and how the educational institutions they had made were helping the general populace.

He felt slightly like a teacher judging a science fair where a lot of the posters were high effort but incredibly unoriginal.

He still is drawn to some of the small toys that are laid out or in baskets of a small tent. There are many plush creatures and wooden carved pieces. He is reminded of Pandora and he would have liked this. He would have taken a liking to the performers or involved himself in some way with the acting demonstrations. Though he is a skeleton he can feel heat at his cheekbones at the mere thought of embarrassment. Yet there is that ache and that fondness that he feels for the other. Pandora in his current form liked to play with the many toys that Ainz had caught the other residents giving him. Maybe next year at this time it would be safe enough for him to see the world that he was attempting to build. Perhaps he could wander among them with his hand in Ainz’s.

His red eyes catch on a small animal buried under the rest. He picks up a small stuffed rabbit examining the harsh and crude stitch marks… He is hit with another wave of sadness and nostalgia that the suppressant is quick to attempt to silence.

It still has wormed its way into his skull though. He can feel the softness of the fabric, the puff of old fur. Satoru Suzuki was once human. He was once a small boy that was just like any other child. He was inquisitive and he was lonely. His grandfather had given him a stuffed rabbit, Rini, he had named it. Not particularly a creative name, just a small rabbit. But it had meant something to him. He carried it around the small apartment as his most loyal companions and his Rini stood guard in the night when there was a particularly bad nightmare or a storm that rolled through the smog and ruins of his world. He had taken it with him to adulthood even though he had no need for such things. It was just a display piece and not a very pretty one. Not that anyone ever came over to see his house.

“Such an ugly thing.” Naberial comments when she catches up with him.

He can't help but agree when he moved out of his parent's home his childhood friend was incredibly worse for wear. His own attempts at fixing and patching had left much to be desired. His attempts were oddly similar to what he held in his hand. It was why he was rather impressed with anyone who had the skills to make things outside of the game world.

“It reminds me of the past.” He says. Not really as an answer to her, but more for himself. It is not often that his mind drifts to the world that he left behind.

He feels a bit weak for it. The urge to burn the thing in his fingers rises but quickly dissipates as much as things do. He should be grateful for what he has now. There was no room for foolish trinkets of thoughts of a human-run world that was nothing but ruins.

“I apologize for my insolence.” She bows to him and that draws unwanted eyes his way.

He waves her off, the plush toy moving in his hand. He cups the face again and runs a finger over the large soft ears.

The man that was selling was older. He looked over his large pair of glasses at him as he had yet to release the toy.

Ainz poked at the beaded eye and the black, shining surface reflected the illusion of human flesh that he was wearing. Pandora did not have a rabbit.

“That one caught your eye, sir?”

“Yes, it reminds me of something I owned in the past.” He replies. “And now I wonder if my son would like something like it.”

“Your son you say?” The man put down his sewing, his eyes a little wide. “Would he not prefer a sword?”

One would think that, but Pandora favored a paintbrush more than his swordplay.

“He has many such things, but no. Even if he would not like it I think I would take it anyhow.”

The amount was on the tag but Ainz had no need for a coin and he was more than aware that one of his gold coins would ensure that this man was well off for a long time. He could continue crafting toys or he could retire.

“I… sir I can't possibly take this much I can't make change for it I…”

“Think nothing of it. Money means nothing to me.” He refuses to have it boxed, his one hand running fingers over the soft fabric and the pink to the stitching.

He carried his small trinket in his robe pocket for the remainder of his walk feeling quite silly when he brushed his hand over it.

There had been little that he missed from his time back in his own world. He had no family or friends outside of the online community so there had been little that he missed or thought that he would miss from those times. How silly that one of the few things that he would not be able to replace would be a childhood toy. Something that he had not thought of in years and yet was on a shelf in his room. He wondered for the first time what happened to his apartment and all of his things.

They were probably rotting like everything else in that world.

Satoru died long ago or at least a lot of him was gone; perhaps that was for the best. He can't say the human part would approve of half of his actions.

“I will not tell you anything Demon.” The man spits a trail of blood. Demiurge just tilted his head. The man was pretty resilient for a mere human. The skill pressing against his mind would more than likely scramble it before there was anything useful extracted. He had broken several bones and still nothing passed his lips that would help in identifying the one that his master sought.

Items would have to be used, it seemed, how unfortunate.

He supposed that he wouldn’t be the one to get the answers but rather the nutritionist.

His tail swished. “You will wish it was me who you told.” He wipes at his glasses as the other pulls enough to bleed on him.

Rather disgusting.

He would have to clean up before delivering the somewhat good news.

“What is that?” Albedo looked at the small bit of white coming from the robe he loved. They had just returned from their outing and Albedo had just successfully helped Foth get Pandora ready for his afternoon lessons. She rubbed her hand on her wing and tilted her head.

Ainz-sama reached into his robe and pulled out a rather ugly doll. It had long what appeared to be ears on its head. They were uneven and the black eyes were at different levels. Ainz held it in his palm and his hand was much larger than it. It was as if he was cradling the body of a small animal.

“Ah, this is a toy.” He seemed caught off guard by her inquiry.

“I see that, wherever did it come from?”

It was certainly not from Nazarick there would never be an artisan alive that would dare turn out something that hideous.

“I bought it from a vendor in the capital.” Her love said absent-mindedly as he touched the cloth ears.

He bought it… She could hardly believe her ears.

“Forgive me for asking but why?” She moved closer in case there was something that she was missing. It did though not seem to hold any significance that she could tell. No added magic, nothing. Her love never seemed to have this poor taste before…

“I'm sure Pandora had plenty of fine gifts.” She chose her words carefully. “This one does not appear to be well made.”

“Ah the initial thought was to give it to him but part of me wished to keep it for myself how selfish of me.” The skeleton says and he looks a little sheepish about the fact.

Albedo was at a loss for words.

“Perhaps we should have it checked for compulsions then.” She deadpanned.

“Nothing of the sort is affecting me," he assured her. “It just reminded me how important someone was and someone is no longer with me.”

Ah… so it had to do with the grief that he carried and the longing for the old days of the guild and his friends. She would do her best to understand then. It was not logic that moved him now, but emotions.

“Like another one of the supreme beings.” She couldn't help but ask.

His eyes lingered on her and she regretted ever bringing them up. She knows the sore spots but the guides that she has been reading to try and help him and Pandora’s growth spoke about airing out feelings being the best approach to healing from them.

“I suppose, though it was long before I met any of them. I was a child once.”

And she feels a part of her knows that.

Knew that there had to be a time when her love was younger, perhaps not a child of infancy but one of lower maturity, level, and understanding of the world. It probably was why he hesitated to give certain liberties and responsibilities to Mare and Aura. Why he wanted Pandora's Actor to play and enjoy some of it?

She wondered what his childhood was like.

How it shaped him.

How long does it last for someone like him? Part of her fears the way in which he had described being killed many times it wasn’t pleasant youth and that he had to grow up quickly. She had never had a childhood because she had been created older and with her purpose always in her mind and all the knowledge in which to do her assigned task. Ainz-sama of course wasn’t created and so it made sense that he would perhaps have had someone besides Touch Me who helped him and nurtured him.

She wants to know more.

“And as a child, you were given an ugly rabbit.”

“It was made from the heart.” Ainz disagreed. “My… well he helped me fix my Rini, I suppose, but he didn't make it. I don’t know where he bought it. One day it was simply there at my bedside.”

“Who gave it to you?”

“My caregiver before he died gave me a doll of similar make. I carried it with me until time pretty much disintegrated it. I considered him to be the only family to me. But that was before I found my friends and we started the guild.”

He tried to soothe her but she already had seen that look in his eyes. He wasn’t willingly going to leave them. That fear of hers has long since passed.

How lonely. She could make a doll of finer quality for him. She had the skills and so she held out her hand. “May I see it?”

“Mmm yes.” He handed it over to her with a softness that hinted at the greater meaning behind his purchase.

“It has brown in its ears.” She turned it over. Even if it was poorly made she would admit the cloth was high quality for something outside of Nazarick. The strange eyes looked up at her as she turned it in her palm.

“Mine had pink there.” Ainz pointed. “And it also had a bow that was blue around its neck. Thinking about it, that was the first bit of it to go.” She caught his eyes when he stood straight again. “This is all rather silly.” He sounded embarrassed now, “Not very becoming of a ruler of death.”

Perhaps it was. Ainz was thousands of years beyond them, near timeless. And yet… It was only them. Certainly, it was not a weakness to be slightly softer when not in the public. It could not be all that horrible to collect things that remind someone of someone they loved.

She had so many small things that she made or trinkets that she had held onto because it was given to her by her lord or her creator. She even had a few smaller things commissioned to keep close to her that reminded her of why she was doing this and to the taste of what she hoped Ainz would like.

Certainly, they didn't have to pretend when it was only them.

No, this made Ainz again feel more complete like another piece of the puzzle had shifted into place. She ran a hand up his arm and he fell into letting her take the lead as if they were dancing. She guided him so that she could place a small kiss on his cheek.

“Not at all. You are entitled to things that interest you or are meaningful.” His eyes burn into hers. “Perhaps this one can stay at your bedside too. You might not use it, but none will see it.”

Momonga smiled, taking the bunny from her and opening a small portal to put it in. “I did think of you when I was out.”

“I hope that you did not buy any other strange dolls.” She smiled back. “Though if it did come from you I perhaps would like it even if it is ugly. I believe the term from one of the other Supreme Beings is that: It is so ugly it could be cute.”

She scratched a little at her cheek as she remembered, thinking it over. Perhaps this Rini toy was much the same.

Ainz laughed at this. “No, just simply that I would have liked to have walked the city with you. Even if it would have drawn attention.”

“Oh, so you missed me.” Her wings flapped despite her wanting to contain her excitement.

“Perhaps…” He put a skeleton hand to his jaw in thought. “I also missed Pandora then.”

“I made sure that he got his hours in for studying. Demiurge was unavailable at the moment because he was on a mission but he left Foth with plenty of materials.”

“I suppose it would be too soon to pull him from them then.”

“We should at least give him another hour.” Albedo acknowledged.

“We?” Ainz-sama tilted his head.

She flushed and lowered her head. “Was that a wrong assumption? I assumed that since we were getting closer I should act more as a mother.”

Ainz stood in that still position that he often got when he was getting lost in his own thoughts as if he never thought of it…

Maybe she hazarded he hadn’t.

No… that couldn’t be right. Momonga knew everything.

“Forgive me.” She started.

“Albedo.” Ainz tightened his hand on hers. “I might not have thought to put a label on it, but it warms my heart to hear that you care so much for Pandora.”

“How couldn’t I?” She feels that horrible burning in her chest. The guilt that she felt over it resurfaced. “He died to protect me.”

She doesn’t tell him his son’s last words to her.

“Protect Father for me.”

She had done her best in this request. She had taken his heart and she would make sure that she never damaged it. That he was happy. That his dreams were realized.

“I think I have thought of you as my companion for a while now.” Ainz reached up and he put his hand onto her head. She felt the weight of his fingers on her horns and the crown if it. “There wasn’t any else that I would want there.”

Her heart felt like it was going to burst. The more sinful parts of her being were activating and even though Ainz was not of the type of monster to feel the burning pull she hoped that he would at least help her to elevate some of the feeling.

“Ainz-sama.” She opened her mouth to make her request but there was the sound of tapping shoes and Momonga had pulled from her hold to turn towards the intruder to their personal conversation. A safe distance from them stood Demiurge. His tail twitched and swung back and forward as he bowed in acknowledgment of his entrance.

“My Lord.” The demon bowed even lower. “I bring you good news. I have captured the Leader of the Red Drop Adventures. He is the one that owns the red flying armor and delivered him discreetly to the nutritionist so this act can not be traced to you.”

Ainz-sama’s eyes dimmed and the darkness enveloped the room with a tangible feeling of rage, but not at them but the one that had hurt his creation.

“I thought to inform you of this before the Nutritionist started her work. In case there were special instructions you wanted to issue.”

The room lightened as her love set himself right, it was amazing how calm he could be even in moments like this. This man had led her from Pandora’s side. He had distracted them from the truth of what they were facing. An entity that very well could have killed her as well should the battle have been prolonged.

She wants to tear him limb from limb.

She wants to do more than kill him as death would be too kind for all the suffering that he had put Momo through, and all the pain that he had caused.

“He is not allowed to die.” Ainz-sama moved from her side and she immediately felt the absence. “Not until we know everything and then depending on his answers, not even after.”

The demon’s tail swished and Albedo could also feel this delight.

“Do you wish to pay a visit personally?” Demiurge rose from his place on the floor.

“Yes.” Ainz-sama nodded once. “You have done well Demiurge. Name a reward and it will be yours.”

“My only wish is to serve you.” The demon smiled.

“Even so, think about it.”

“I shall if that is what you desire.” Demiurge opened a gate for them and awaited their move.

Ainz reached for her and she took his arm. She could feel his magic pulse against her skin. Nothing that would hurt her. Her stats were far too high. He wanted comfort or he wanted her to still his hand from doing something that he might regret.

Chapter Text

The Red Drop leader was thrown into darkness. For a top-notch adventurer, he didn’t fear the dark. There were many places and the unknown that he had fought his way through. Darkness was typical. It was part of the job. Darkness was rarely this black though, there was always something moving in the dark. There was always some sound and some slight shift in the shades of blue, purple, or gray. Nothing is completely, solidly black, even the deepest parts of the ocean that could crack his enchanted armor were not completely black but with bioluminescence and the roar of pressure and water.

There is something different about this blackness.

It was thick, potent, and impenetrable.

It’s like screaming into nothing.

Like the recesses of space, he dreamed himself lost as a child.

It felt like an eternity and there were no sounds. His heartbeat and the way in which his fingers curl and move, feel as if they don’t feel like they are really touching anything. It’s as if he isn’t in his body, not really.

Places usually had sound.

The scurrying of some animal. The wind being forced through a gap of some sort. This however was silence. The kind that rang the ears and made it impossible to gauge his position or sense of time or place. The ground under him was the only thing that felt like… well… anything. It was hard, rough, and so the place had to be a secluded room somewhere no doubt in the bowels of the Kingdom of Darkness.

Fitting name really.

With limited senses and possibilities, Azuth’s mind went through several possibilities. None of them were good odds for his Survival. He had known from the moment that he had tried to fight the prime minister that there wasn't anything that he could do to her. She was stronger than anything that he had faced. The man that showed up to capture him or rather demon was just as strong if not stronger than Albedo. The monster, he had a strong feeling, was the rumored demon that helped destroy the first city in E-Rental and faced Momon. The same demon that was responsible for the fall of the Holy Kingdom. They were too similar in appearance and too striking.

It made severe horrific things true at once! The king had devised a plan to favor and destroy two of the largest kingdoms on the continent at once. Very soon after he had made the Empire bend the knee. He looked to be a god, a justified, and kind being to the holy kingdom that he saved from the actions of his own subordinates. Then the E-Rantel kingdom looked like scum for standing between a king and his pledged reconstruction efforts. This was deeper than he had already thought. The king was more depraved and conniving than anyone ever imagined. How far had he thought this out?

How deep did his plans and ambitions go?

How deep was the corruption in this world? How far did the king's undead sight reach?

It more than likely would not matter the answers to these questions for he would never be able to reveal it. As far as he could see, which wasn’t far, there was no way out of this one.

He smiled to himself half crazed by the lack of stimulation at the very least for now those that he cared about were safe because they didn't know he was taken or by who. With luck, they will not investigate it and keep themselves safe for now. But his dear niece is the sort… she will more than likely know who had a hand in his disappearance. The question would be how she chooses to act from their point. She was weaker than him. He did not see a situation in which she could come out on top if she was to try and avenge him. She already was determined to die for the citizens before. There was nothing that anyone could do… but hope that the platinum dragon did beat the undead Overlord.

The darkness parted with the flickering of torchlight. It was dramatic. He raised his head to see the outline of the large skeletal king. Not that Azuth would ever refer to him as such. The creature of death was accompanied by the prime minister, Lady Albedo. Her golden eyes looked into his and he felt a harsh wave of power run through him. The demon had been strong but there was almost another level of predatory nature that lingered in her stare. It wasn’t the sort of sexual aura that Succubus and other creatures normally gave off either, but the sort of malice that a cat would give to a mouse. The curiosity to play and tear something apart because it could.

Riku could have been right… Albedo might have been the player because from where he was chained into a kneeling position he can't see any injuries on the undead king and he knows what he saw. He knows that Riku ran him through and it had been no illusion the amount of blood and mana that had lined the ground. He had inspected the spot himself when the barrier fell and it was safe to do so. Ainz should have reached a second death and yet he stands there towering and seemingly in perfect health.

“Azuth Aindra.” The undead being addressed him and that frightening amount of power filled the air at his very word. His presence loomed closer. “Welcome to the great tomb of Nazarick, few have been granted the honor of being in its halls.”

“Ainz Ooal Gown.” He responded with confidence that he did not feel. “I would rise but that would be impossible at the moment.”

“Such, Insolence.” The demon that brought him here sneers. Despite its boasting, he never got a name from it. It was definitely on purpose.

“You should kneel before him.” Albedo spat. “You are not worthy to look upon him.”

Again he could not tell if it was an act she was placing on to the very end or if she really was a subordinate to the god of death.

Ainz steadied her with a look that could not be that of an ordinary undead… no it was too authoritative and knowing. A king that went above that of a simple litch. Perhaps Riku had it wrong. Perhaps the two beings that stood before him were both players. Or Albedo and her ilk were all great actors.

It would not matter whatever truths that he gathers, none would be shared with anyone else; there isn't a way that he will be allowed to share this information with another soul. He was dead from the moment that he had taken a stand against such monsters. Yet, it was strange that they still acted in front of him. Still put on masks that only confused him greatly.

Maybe he wasn’t worth breaking character?

“I would like to ask you a few questions and should you answer me truthfully then you may earn yourself a quick death.” The undead spoke in definitive, absolute, authority.

“A mercy to be sure,” Albedo spoke. Her head bowed a little and there was a small flush to her skin. It was the most that he had seen from her outside of anger. No, this was love, admiration.

“A mercy that he doesn't deserve.” The pointed-eared demon cuts in.

“I feel like the hospitality is lacking for a conversation,” Azuth responded. He looked into the burning pools of the magical eyes of the King.

“Do you know? We went out of our way to find you and to set up a meeting that could not be interrupted.”

There more than likely were thousands of enchantments to make sure that nothing could be listened in on. He smiled despite this. He smiles in the face of death because this undead seemed to have emotions and it wouldn’t be like him not to press a few buttons.

“I have already spoken to your pet demon. I do not have the answers that you seek and even if I did I would not tell you.”

“Brave even in the face of destruction. Admirable.” Ainz replies. “I expect nothing less of someone your level. I however do have to wonder if your bravery only extends when it is only yourself that will suffer.”

There was a chill to the air with his threat. He did his best to act unphased. It was always a possibility that the people he cared for could be used against him.

“Speak plainly.” he gazed further into the blazing eyes of a monster, it was like staring into the fires of hell. “Do you intend to torture me and the if that doesn't work torture some other random poor soul in front of me to see if that gets me to speak.”

“Oh, they would not be random. Speaking plainly are we?” Ainz’s voice took a slight edge that dripped with promises and venom. “The prince sat down with me and did something similar before his own countrymen tried to give me his head. No, I would return the favor to you for what your accomplice has done. An eye for an eye so to speak.”

“And what is it that you think my accomplice has done?”

“Your suit of armor killed my son.”

The sentence can’t even be properly understood. He can feel the Darkness it shifts, it's full of voices and faces and there is no way out of magic, might, and anger it’s all-encompassing. It makes Albedo even lean against the cell holding at her chest. She reaches out a hand to Ainz and he doesn’t pull back anything. It’s horrible, it's maddening, incomprehensible. He feels his mind wanting to snap. He bites hard enough at the inside of his mouth to try and keep sane, but he nearly chokes on his tongue. Every instinct in him wants to run but there is nowhere to go. There is nothing to escape with. He is utterly helpless and this is an impossible situation. He knew that. His mind though, was cutting through with nothing but disappear and fear.

“I will kill the equivalent to you and I will revive them and kill them again and again for all eternity if that is what it takes. You will break one way or another and you will give me the location of the one responsible.”

His mind reared. He closed his eyes a moment before opening them again into the infernal fires of hell. More harsh than before, blazing with loss, of love, and hate.

“It is a good thing then that I don't have any children.” He managed after several large and painful breaths.

“No, but you have a niece and other family that I can take from you. Then perhaps you can understand the levels of my grief.”

“You can bring people back from the dead. Can you not…”

Albedo is the one that slams her foot into his side and all the air leaves him.

He can’t. It was all but confirmed.

The dragon had taken someone powerful off the board and he wouldn’t even know it.

It was possible.

As he spit out a tooth and some blood he couldn’t help but keep his smile. It was possible to make monsters bleed. They could be killed in a way that they could not be brought back. He closed his eyes and took a wheezed breath in. “Killing them all wasn’t ever justified. You have received punishment for all the innocent lives you have taken.”

“Innocent?!.” Albedo moves again and Ainz pulls her back. “They stole from us.”

“Once I sought to live amongst humans.” Ainz’s voice broke through the silence that followed him pulling the woman back. “I am sure that you know how that played out. An Undead is an abomination to humans and they will kill without penalty or consideration of intelligent life. Let us not pretend, that E-Rental was rotten to the very core. The nobles sold their people into slavery, they traded nothing but drugs, and flesh. Perhaps at one time, it could have been saved, but some cancers run too deep. They must be cleansed to build something better.”

“So you think you freed them?” He sat up grabbing at his side. His ribs are broken and his mouth is blooded from the floor. He must swallow the blood to speak.

“I let some of them go, let them spread the word of my wrath, let others my mercy. I do not mean to convert you to my cause or have you understand my reasoning. I am immortal you see and so I have had a long time to see these things begin anew. Every city has burned, each civilization has fallen, and I have remained with the children of my friends. I intend to unite this world under my banner to create what this cruel world lacks. Stability.”

“You want to rule the world.”

Horrifying in words that he lacked.

“I didn’t set out to rule but one land. You humans have a greater capacity for evil than I. I take no pleasure in death, nor suffering. To your surprise, I enjoy creation. And one of the greatest things besides the great tomb that I created was my son. Perhaps you can understand this. The prince did, for he asked me what I do this for.”

The demon made a choked sound from the corner and Albedo held tightly more so to the undead arm that had been used to stop her.

“Your loved ones need not suffer for you, but they will if that is what it takes to avenge Pandora.”

“I can’t surrender the best chance the world has to stop you.”

“Truly disappointing but expected.” All anger and traces of emotion are no longer in the King’s voice.

Foth moved quickly to get the small sleeping form from the table. Pandora dozed over the top of his handwriting exercise. There were neat symbols that were now getting ruined by a little bit of drool. Perhaps she should have stopped him but the small boy looked so cute… and well tired. She looked up from the table and to the door when Lord Ainz entered and she stood quickly so that she could bow her greeting. Ainz hardly seemed to register her at first.

He seemed upset.

She, while not knowing all the inner workings of his mind, was able to tell his moods a little better having been around him a lot more than any of the other maids. She had been there for each small, tender movement that the other had made for Pandora’s Actor. She can’t understand what could have possibly happened to make her Lord look the way that he does. Pandora stirs as Ainz takes a seat at the desk to no doubt inspect the documentation of his son’s progress.

His skeleton hand brushes against the sleeping form and it is so large in comparison to the tiny frame that it only takes one hand to give gentle pats that cover the entirety of the child’s form. Pandora did not stir. He just kept breathing softly and Lord Ainz pulled the parchment lightly from under him. He would find that the work was only half finished.

Shame made her face color.

“I apologize to my Lord. I let him sleep because he was tired.” She bowed. “I perhaps should not have let him.”

The red eyes shift to her but they don’t hold any sign of being upset.

“Foth.” He seems to place her. It pulled him from whatever trance he was in. “I am not at all worried about that.”

He almost seemed to clear his throat. “Forgive me, today has been trying.”

“Is there anything that I can help with?” She offered immediately. It was unacceptable if their god was upset with them.

“It is nothing worth worrying yourself over.” He kindly responded. “I simply needed to see, my son.” He has referred to Pandora as such, but usually not in such a direct way. It's as if he is testing them out again, solidifying them. He moved to stand and slowly curled his fingers under the boy’s ribs. Picking him up with almost too much care, but then there was an incredible amount of strength in those hands. Her Lord had fought against trolls and other far greater creatures and won within seconds and without a weapon or magic. Narberal said that he crushed one human to death as punishment for killing another human he was using for a plan.

There is great dexterity in the way he maneuvers the small doppelganger into his arms. Pandora rubs sleep from his eyes.

“Papa.”

“Yes, why don’t we get something to eat before you go to bed.”

“Mmmm.” Pandora hummed in the tone of their god.

“Doesn’t that sound nice?” Lord Ainz asks.

“Story?” Pandora asked.

“But of course.”

“Pretty Lady?”

“Albedo might join us if you like.”

“Mmm. Like.” Pandora yawned and more than half his face split open to accommodate it.

“What would you like to eat?”

Foth stood to follow the father out. She dimmed the lights off and left the rest of the room as it was for another maid who nodded to her.

Chapter Text

Ainz-sama has moved full speed into his plan of discovering the true identity of Riku Aganeia. They had the key to the lock, they just needed a way in which to access the information. Azuth was doing an admirable job of keeping silent. No matter the number of bones broken or unique ways that the nutritionist came up with to cause pain, did anything significant cross his lips. It had been only a few days. These things took time, she was aware, but it was time that she did not like seeing pass. It was more time for her Ainz to worry about things. And she did not like to see him anxious. It felt like a failure on her part and she could not alleviate it. Not even Pandora’s rather cute attempts could quite bring him out of it. He obsesses over gaining this knowledge much like he did when Shalltear was first corrupted.

Albedo does her best to be at his side in this difficult time, especially because it seems that the Red Drop Leader wouldn’t crumble without involving other parts of his family.

So that left her with few options, and one of them was to push herself into finding the stem and root of the problem for him. Thus she was having the current conversation that she was now. The former human girl sits across from her having some of the finest tea that Albedo owned. It was a gift from Ainz and she did not take that lightly. She needed it however to navigate this, pleasantly. Kindness came a little easier to her when she thought of Momo and his goals. Of her duty to the tomb and all those that were created by gods that long left them. She did not have the same love to extend to those trespassing on or borrowing it.

Yes, she had rewarded this child for she was an asset when they were taking her Kingdom. But it would have fallen even without her interference. It had only been a matter of time as the place had rotted. It was disgraceful and their own nobles worked in tandem to destroy what little the crime syndicates had not taken a piece of. It was better the place was in ruins. It was better that they had taken what little good that it had with them, what little it had to offer. Its destruction would be a testament to others who dared to interfere with what was ultimately to their benefit.

Renner, the former golden princess, cared little for her people. In some ways, Albedo saw it as a strength to not care about what others thought to push forward and to seek power in a world that saw so little of women. Renner, like herself, had to wear a smile to hide the truly monstrous parts underneath, to get where and what they needed. They both would do nearly anything for the ones that they did care for. But that was about all that they had in common. The former princess did not have loyalty to her people and Albedo finds the flaw in this. It means that she is a betrayer to her kind. Even if it was good for a human to see that their Supreme Being was the answer, the winning side. If one would lie, scheme, for the destruction of nearly an entire nation once, and feel no regrets, they could do it again. It was why Ainz had told her to keep an eye on Climb, to ensure that they had Renner watched, and should she become a threat to take the one thing that mattered to her.

Renner had not given her any reason to worry about her loyalty as of yet. She took on her duty to help with city planning and dealing with the remaining survivors of her people rather easily. While the golden princess was dead and forgotten a new demon woman turned heads. She could inspire those around her rather well. Charisma that came naturally to her, a lie, of course for she cared nothing but to complete each task placed in front of her so that she may return to her precious little puppy. Climb had been confined to the rooms set aside for Renner. He was in poor health according to the girl from his resurrection. Albedo knew the truth to be that the boy’s mind had snapped but Renner was just delusional enough to believe that he would come around and that he would love her new form and the truer version of herself if just given the time to do so.

“I wish to talk to you about some former associates of yours.” She starts the conversation off pleasantly enough after their formal greeting and the overall pleasantries of asking about her well-being and progress in her tasks.

“Which one’s my Lady?” Renner’s blue eyes move from the pink tea that she has been sipping to hers. She was one of the few beings in this world outside of Nazarick that knew exactly what she was and met them. Monsters were meant to terrify, so were demons. Humans often could not look past her looks, but once they did they all died screaming in terror or begged for mercy.

“The Blue Roses.”

There is a subtle shift in the former Princess’s demeanor. She had liked this group of adventures. They were probably some of her most interesting toys or perhaps she thought of them as her only friends. Ones that she obviously deceived, but was smart enough to encourage them to leave the capital. It is fortunate in a way, that they had not stayed because they all more than likely would be dead and any leverage that she could have against Azuth would have died with them.

“I can answer your questions the best that I can. I have not seen them since they made an effort to flee the city.”

“You informed me that their leader originally did not wish to leave despite her uncle's warning.”

“They had a meeting just before the main evacuations started, correct? Azuth was quite insistent that it was a suicide mission, even with additional involvement from another group known as the Black Scripture. I believe that the unit was there to recruit them though they would not say.”

She had heard that name before, the Theocracy, of course, they were connected to this. “I would like a list of locations that you think they might have fled to.”

“Is there a reason that you are searching for them, My Lady?” Renner asks conversationally but she can tell that the other is digging. Information was power. Albedo likes to hold her cards close to her chest most times, but there are few worries about letting Renner know the exact reason. It builds false trust between them.

“Ainz-sama will need Lakyus. She is valuable in moving forward.”

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the rumor that has spread that members of High-ranking adventures are going missing.”

“It perhaps might, but I fail to see how that would be any of your concern,” Albedo says pleasantly.

“If I may…” Renner offers kindly, unwanted advice. “I think you shouldn’t take another public figure. Things are tense as they are with the new and old citizens. There has been little of Momon or Nabe in recent months and while the Kingdom of Darkness is thriving, there is growing resentment from the remaining neighbors.”

“It is not negotiable.” Albedo put her tea down. “You are aware of Pandora’s Actor.”

“Yes, my Lady. I am aware of his status as the heir to the Kingdom.”

While she is poking, she is not putting pressure on a wound that does not exist. Albedo is no longer concerned about having her own children with Momanga. She knows how impossible that it would be even with magic, but she holds onto hope that perhaps one day… it might be possible. But that would be to mix herself with a god and she isn’t sure what would be the result. She worries worse about what might come for her child as well… and should she be pregnant there were the great complications of running the tomb.

She takes a soft breath.

Renner was not privy to most gossip of the tomb, not permitted much traversing between the floors. It was intended to limit her flow of information, but there was no foreseeable way to conceal this indefinitely from her. Someone would say something too close to the earshot. It would come out. Not outside of Nazerick ever! But certainly to all corners and those that dwelled in it.

“The Pandora that you see is the attempt as a reincarnation. Ainz’s son was killed by a world item. He wishes to ensure he eliminates those responsible. Should you help in this endeavor I can see about moving you up or to a station that is more to your liking. Perhaps something that will not take you so long from your Puppy.”

“And the Blue Roses are connected to this world item?” She tilts her head. “This is the first I have heard of them having powerful friends that could have something like that.”

“No, but Lakyus is related to Azuth.”

“Azuth isn’t giving you answers.” Renner’s perfect face turns into a soft frown. “You intend to use her to make him see reason.”

“Indeed.” Albedo nodded.

“If you could tell me more about the opponent that killed Pandora’s Actor. I can probably offer more assistance besides giving you Lakyus. Perhaps you will not need her should I give you other insight.”

“A blue set of enchanted armor engaged me in battle, there was no occupant to the armor, it was being controlled by a 3rd party. They had a hammer weapon that is believed to be the world item. They called themselves Riku Aganeia, a false no doubt name and were directly working with Azuth. There is nothing else to go on.”

“I have heard of a blue enchanted suit of armor before.” Renner put her hand to her cheek. “It's in the old stories about Evil Deities and the Greed Kings. There was a group of humans that fought alongside other species of creatures to defeat them. But, it has been nearly a century. Perhaps someone passed it down. There are still a few of the 13 heroes alive that could also have insight, but they are deep in the Theocracy. Since they were the ones that more than likely tried to recruit the Blue Roses I would start looking for them there. ”

“It seems that I have gotten enough as of the moment to possibly save your friend from a terrible fate.” Albedo gestures. “Now enough politics, it is upsetting. Tell me about your wedding plans. You still intend to marry the child.”

Renner’s blank and somewhat scary face returned to that of a bright and disturbed smile as she started discussing her planned wedding on the generous amount of gold that she had kept from the kingdom’s ruination.

Divulging what she has learned isn’t exactly as easy as it could have been. Albedo is well aware that had she vetted Renner well enough after the Kingdom’s fall she might have already had some of the puzzle pieces in which to work with a lot sooner. She can blame trying to get closer to Momo and the feeling of Love for blinding her, but it doesn’t change the shame that she feels in revealing this information to Demiurge and her beloved. As the information passes her lips and the silence is left in the office. Ainz excuses Demiurge to go and make preparations to carefully look into the relevance and reliability of the information that Albedo has obtained.

Worried, Albedo waits for Ainz to punish or be upset with her. She holds onto her dress and she keeps her face calm and with a smile.

“Albedo, I didn’t ask you to stay back because I was upset with you.”

Ainz-sama looks tired. His bone head is held in his hands and the posture is more hunched over his desk than the usual dignified position that he takes. He lets her see him like this and he would never let Demiurge. He seemed to keep the Demon at a further distance from himself. Perhaps because he thought that Demiurge wouldn’t understand weaknesses, it was not exactly in a Demon’s nature to be accepting of flaws. However, there were none large enough to even be considered when it came to their sole remaining supreme being.

Certainly, he knew that. Right?

“I do admit that I was a tad worried.” She takes a few steps forward to close the gap between them.

“I prefer not having to hurt those that have no involvement in the wrongdoings and failures of others. If this can save several innocent adventures for the future betterment of this world, I am relieved to hear it.”

She nodded in acceptance. “I still apologize for my oversight.”

“Things were distressing at the time.” Ainz’s voice is low and unfluctuating. It sounds calm, but there are brewing feelings under the surface. “It is no one’s fault it was overlooked. It just makes me feel incredibly foolish, for not making the connection sooner. We had the tools but just failed to use them, chasing shadows for a long time when there has been a greater enemy at our borders. One, we knew them to be against us from the start when they sent knights to the village. Only now do we have probable cause to bring war upon them.”

He looked at her and held out his arm. She let him guide her closer to him and she let out a soft huff of air as he hugged her for support it seemed. His bones press into her side, his eyes only on her.

“I am very tired, Albedo, of wars.” He says. “I did mean it when I said I wanted to return to the quiet.”

She recalled he mentioned that to the Emperor when he dared to send a scouting party their way.

Yes, maybe after long glorious fights with his friends to defend what was theirs, what they had built, Ainz-sama wanted to step away from all that.

Perhaps he never wanted to have to fight to defend his home either but rather because he had to. Fighting in competitions between gods was fun as was pushing magic, but not when one’s life was really on the line, not when if he lost everything would be gone. It had to be so stressful to be the leader of the Supreme Beings at a time when there were a lot of just as strong enemies. This world so far in many ways might have been better, might have granted his wish to keep them safe and to stay with them, in a better way than staying in their original world might have allowed.

She would see to it that this world remained peaceful and that he did not have to fight in life-or-death situations again.

None of them would.

“It will not have to be this way much longer.” She assures. “Once all are under our rule there will be no need for strife and should a rebellion arise it will not be nearly as harsh in casualties as a battle.”

It soothes him she likes to think as she feels a lot more of him leaning on her.

“I sent Pandora to the 6th floor to spend the day with Mare and Aura.” A much more relaxed topic, one that she was happy to switch to, as it seemed to improve his mood, be it marginally.

“I am sure they will keep him safe.”

“I thought that he would enjoy the outdoors without leaving the tomb.” Ainz does not have breath to tickle her skin, but it still prickles anyway as he holds her. “I used to dream of a world clean, safe, enough to do just that.”

'So you have told me." She recalls.

Ainz hums. "Perhaps in a little while we should check on them."

"And what is it that you would like to do until then?" She asks, feeling a slight pick up in her own heart.

"For now, I just wish to sit in the quiet with you," Ainz responds.

Her heart flutters again.

Chapter Text

Aura looked over at her brother and shook her head. The small heir to their great ruler was staring blankly at him. Big black eyes that did not so much as blink. Pandora's Actor was a child. He had no idea what it was that Mare was trying to explain to him. He was more interested in playing with the dirt and pulling on the plant's leaves than he was in trying to understand the complexities of agriculture. Mare also wasn't exactly doing himself many favors as he was stuttering a little over himself as he was explaining the task that Ainz had entrusted him with.

Oh well, she stretched, some things could not be helped. At least they had the opportunity now to interact with him. Limited as interaction really was with such a small child. It was something that she could hold over Shalltear the next time that they had a floor guardian meeting. The Vampire had yet to have any conversations with the heir. Aura didn’t think it was because of anything that the other had done; precisely, it was just that Shalltear wasn’t exactly the most child-friendly member of the tomb. She had very particular hobbies. But then again, so did Demiurge. So maybe it had more to do with Albedo. She had taken on the role of Mother, and she was always a little protective over what she considered hers. Shalltear and her had many arguments on who would be Ainz’s bride… but when things were all said and done, Aura figured that there could only be Lady Albedo. Their Lord had given her permission to profess her love to him, long before they started properly courting. That whole thing was a bit gross to her. The romantic end of things. She’s happy, of course, for Lord Ainz, along with everyone else, well, maybe not everyone. Shalltear still has quite a lot of jealousy over it. Demiurge told them to take it as assurance that their master wasn’t planning to leave them. Even with a line of succession in place. Aura was admittedly worried about it in the very long nights. As they all did, because besides Ainz-sama, all the others had left.

Pandora fell on his backside after a rather bad attempt to follow Mare. The small root tangled on his boot’s shoestrings, and boom, he was down and letting a few tears roll down his egg face. Aura watched with a furrow in her brow as her brother quickly moved to help the other up and smooth out his clothes. This seemed to help with the black tears as the Doppelganger's soft cries turned to sniffles.

Pandora clung to Mare’s staff and his hand as he continued their little walk.

Honestly, it was kind of insane how small and fragile he was. Any one of the beasts on the floor easily could have hurt him, and so Aura made sure that they all were well away. She remembered well the capabilities of Ainz’s most prized creation, but it was just almost pathetic what he had been reduced to. Shalltear should count herself very lucky that her resurrection wasn’t botched. Though it did bring into question what Ainz would have done in that case.

She sighed deeply. There was work to do, but this had been an order to spend time with the other. Normally, Aura would have suspected that Ainz had a several-step plan in place for having suggested on a seeming whim that Pandora come visit them on their floor, but beyond encouraging them to get along, she really couldn't see it. The maid wasn't really a suspect either. She didn't seem to be inspecting anything. Foth just stood close enough to Pandora to be a comfort if needed and a reassurance.

"Plant," Pandora muttered to himself as he moved to the next plant of the same type. Mare followed after the staff clutched between his fingers, now that the other no longer needed his hand for comfort.

"Please do-don't pull so hard," Mare warned as the next plant bent a little by the pressure on its stem.

"Perhaps, you should play a game. Foth suggested. She bent down low to pick up Pandora before he could damage any of the other plants. The boy squirmed in her arms.

"What sort-t of game would you like to pl-play?" Mare asked.

Pandora smiled, which was Creepy new. His face split at the edges, opening to sharp teeth. Maybe a human would take extreme damage if he were to latch on.

Aura had never seen him smile before or really change his face at all. Pandora’s Actor had always reminded her of a bowling ball. Round and facially ambiguous. The other parts were easier. It wasn’t like his face ever had to change to see how it was that he was feeling. This version was a lot more expressive facially.

“Perhaps tag.” The maid continued, "Pandora likes to be chased. Lord Ainz often plays it with him.”

And more than likely took it very easy on him. Those short legs probably didn't go very fast. Oh well, what was the worst that could happen?

Pandora was quite small when compared to her larger beasts. Aura made sure that all of them knew that they were not to harm the egg as he pulled at their fur and giggled to himself about the softness. He had to be helped onto the back of one of her larger wolves. Even with the narrow, easy-to-sit-on sloped back, Pandora found a way to nearly fall off. He, of course, found this hilarious as he hung onto the larger tufts and slid sideways. It was quickly apparent that he couldn’t ride alone.

Aura ran a hand through her hair. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about him being hurt that way.

Pandora chose Mare to sit with, clinging tightly and excitedly, with the promise of a ride.

“Maybe we should start slowly.” Mare said.

But Aura wasn’t really the sort to go slow, and she started her wolf out with a run to make sure nothing was going to block their path.

Mare struggled to keep up, even though that hadn’t been the plan.

The game was going well, all things considered. The twins raced their smaller animals around, and Pandora got to ride with them in the game of high-speed tag. It was too fast at a few points for her heart, but that was probably because she was so attached to him. Foth is also responsible for him, and she knew well enough that no one would forgive her, not even herself, should anything happen to the little master.

Pandora, however, laughed, laughed, and laughed. He threw his bald head back and squealed and cackled. He excitedly mimicked their lord and his more boisterous laughs. He clicked his little feet together and clapped, nearly falling a few times for his effort. It was a good thing that Mare was able to keep him bound well enough in his grip.

“Foth. Foth.” Pandora called after the scarf that their beast had tied around its tail was pulled free again. They paused to dismount for a little bit, and that was an opportunity for the Doppelganger to demand her attention. “Watch.”

Foth was worried beyond words the second a pair of wings similar to Lady Albedo grew from the child's back. Because it meant that he was going to try and fly, and she was proven right seconds later when he did.

Up and up he went, surprisingly high for someone who had never flown before. He started to fall just as fast, got himself quite tangled up in the brush, and thankfully not so high that they could not reach him and get him down. Her heart nearly stopped regardless, as the branch he landed on wobbled under him. She held him tightly after that to keep the giggling mess of feathers from doing it again.

The black wings were soft and she had to pull the leaves from them. She desperately tried to make them somewhat manageable because Pandora refused to change back. So there was a small child who was bone and wing. If Ainz had another child, this time with Albedo, she wondered if this would be how it looked.

Lord Ainz came for his child a few hours later. He took one look at the Chimera of bone and wing and extended his hand lovingly and without any sign or judgement or disapproval. Aura had seen those eyes only on a few occasions, that compassionate hand extended to Shalltear when she had been reformed from the gold. She knew that Ainz was kind, but it was always interesting to see it extend beyond herself and her brother.

“Albedo, he has your wings.” He says softly. Picking him up.

“I see.” The demoness smiled presently.

Aura didn’t think that she had ever seen such a soft expression on either of their faces. It looked somehow wrong and right at the same time.

“Pretty lady,” Pandora said, reaching up to her. Albedo allowed the kid to hold on to her horns. Which Aura had never seen such patience extended to any other living being.

“When he needs to travel to the Empire, he's going to have to choose a form,” Ainz murmured. “His default is probably best, but I know when he gets nervous or wants to show off, he goes to the bones.”

He’s inspecting him again, and Aura knows that they didn’t hurt him, but she did have a small worry about what if somehow there was something wrong with him? He was so frail and small in level, what would happen?

How would Ainz respond…?

“There's never a need to be scared, Pandora!” Albedo gets upset on his behalf. She uses the same voice she used when declaring that nothing could ever stop the great Tomb. “Anything that scares you, I'll put down.”

That Aura could definitely believe.

Pandora tilted his head, eyes glowing a fiery red.

“Fear is normal," Ainz said instead, “but if you have fears, you should come to me so we can address them.”

Aura wondered if they had been reading the same parental guide as Cocytus, which sounded very familiar. Or perhaps when you were a parent, it was all similar. She wouldn’t know, the closest that she ever had to a parent was her creator, and it wasn’t like she had been babied by her. Lord Ainz seemed to care more about giving them less responsibility and time to ‘play’. Aura had always found it a little insulting, like perhaps her Master did not think that she was capable, but looking at him now, she wonders if he hadn’t been trying to parent them.

She tilted her head. She didn’t think that she needed a Parent, but Lord Ainz wouldn’t have been the worst sort.

“Vader, I’m Brave,” Pandora said. His voice sounded a lot stronger than the form that he held. It was very reminiscent of when he had been at max level. It was a flash there one second and then gone again, as the child had let go of Lady Albedo to play with a necklace that dangled off his father.

“He was rather brave,” Foth confirmed. “As soon as he got his wings, he tried to fly, my lord.”

“I will have to teach him,” Albedo said. “I can’t have our son crashing into the ground.”

Ainz didn’t even comment on her terminology. He only nodded. “I’m sure that you would like that, wouldn’t you? Pandora’s Actor.”

Wow! He really was going to tie himself to Albedo. If there was any doubt, that was long gone.

They stayed a little longer. Ainz asked them about their projects, but he also asked them how they were doing in other regards. Aura, now having recontextualized a little bit of how their Lord viewed them, understood it for what it was. Not some grand plan, but an actual desire to connect with them. He humored Mare and his endless stammering over the plants. He humored her by asking about the animals in her care and about her willingness to go with him on a trip one day to see the other elves. He had asked this before. She just didn’t know his motive for it yet. She agreed nonetheless. It was impossible to guess all of the supreme being’s ideas.

She knows by his desire to have them play again with Pandora that he wants them to grow closer.

Pandora seems pretty taken with Mare.

"Pretty." That is how Pandora had explained it.

Aura wondered if he would be disappointed to know that Mare was well... a guy? But then, Doublegangers were sexless beings, so perhaps it didn't matter? And then again, Pandora was a Child, so she was probably just overthinking all of this.

Far across from where the King of Darkness was raining, there was a worrying set of letters on an Emperor's desk. When he had invited Ainz Ooall Gown to his country's ceremony, it had only been out of courtesy. They were a vassal state, and so it would be expected that they would at least extend an invitation. He hadn’t expected the undead to actually accept it, or rather, he had expected that the creature would have sent an envoy on his behalf. A small celebration was hardly worth the other King’s attention. But then he supposed the other couldn’t help but take the opportunity to rub in his superiority or continue the political games that were started on his last visit to the capital. The thought alone made his stomach upset.

He had heard unsettling rumors of the King’s need for further bloodlust even after destroying a whole other Kingdom. He had been collecting adventurers and silencing those who opposed him. Or at least that was an assumption, as the Red Drop Leader had fallen off the grid and several of the higher rank adventurers had fled into the neighboring lands.

It’s very concerning because he can never be sure when that bloodlust might extend to his people. At the very least, he thinks they will be one of the last to receive the wrath of death.

All the monsters that came from that kingdom were terrifying in their own right, but there in front of him sat the official statement on who he could plan on coming. It would be the entire royal family and whoever it was that served them directly. He hadn’t thought that Ainz Ooal Gown had a family, being an eternal, near godlike being, what did the creature need a legacy for? Or were there others that were of his kind in relation to him?

Both were a terrifying prospect.

He had to prepare rooms for a being that had everything, and was well accustomed to what was well beyond his means to provide comfortably for. The only instruction of note was for royal offspring who were younger to be present. He doesn’t want to think about what the creature wanted to do to his bastard child or how he had found out about them, when he had been so careful to hide the one that he had sired. But it was there, written in all but a demand, and so he must comply.

So now he has to think about it.

Now he has to pull at his hair and worry about the forming bald spot.

Chapter Text

Ainz’s plan was a simple one; it was so simple in fact that it hardly could count as a plan at all. He found that some of his best moves were ones that weren't schemed ‘years’ in advance. He had plans to go to this religious ceremony. The Blood Emperor had invited him, and well, Ainz wasn’t one to turn down an offer from a friend or at least a person he held in high regard. Did he know everything there was custom-wise about the setting sun ceremony or their gods? No, not really, the reports were a bit vague, and he supposed that he was just going to do what he always did when he was uncertain of what to do. Wing it.

He had been doing a fantastic job so far in that regard, all things considered. He had appeased most of the NPCs. He had an heir, too. They had a well-established Kingdom that was sure to bully the other nations into seeing things their way. He had strong leads to getting revenge. It’s the only time that he had in this world actively sought it out. He knows now that this Riku Aganeia held the armor of one of the original adventuring groups, the thirteen heroes. He also knew what country to search for him in and how to pressure those who harbored him. Demiurge was going to take further care with that particular investigation while he was busy in the Baharuth Empire. He had planned to take Albedo to a large event and announce her outside of Nazarick as his queen consort. This invite just provided an excuse to make it public knowledge. It would help with some of the marriage requests that he is getting outside of his own kingdom and those that were in it. Somehow, some felt entitled enough to try and ask for Albedo's hand in marriage as well as his own.

He didn’t have to do more than shred them to appease some of Albedo’s bloodlust. But he knows that a few of the more scheming offerers were more than likely going to be removed by someone in Nazarick. He can’t see his friends' children allowing for such disrespect, even if he tried to play it off as they were making progress with human and demihuman relations, if there were those bold enough to ask him. He hadn’t considered any of it truthful until real earnest ones came from the Draconic Kingdom. He still has a hard time believing that any of them were sincere. He was an Overlord, an Undead. He still struggles with what is beyond power that they could ever find appealing, and if they were in it only for power, surely his many terrifying deeds would have put them off. But the requests kept coming, and they took all sorts of forms. Honestly, he had to take a few fewer audiences with some of his people. He must be losing some of his edge if they felt confident enough to point-blank ask him.

He drummed a skeletal hand on his desk.

Albedo had packed and organized most of what they were taking. He's sure that she did well. He feels comfortable with who she selected as protective detail as well. It was just…Pandora’s Actor had never been out of the tomb. He had faith that Foth, Solution, and Sebas would keep him safe. Ainz didn’t plan on letting the other get very far out of his sight either, but there was still that worry.

He had promised that the child would not be used for political purposes or gains. He promised Pandora would have a good and normal childhood. One that resided outside of being used as bait. This felt like he might be putting the other at unnecessary risk. Even if that risk was small.

He didn’t want Pandora to be shut up in the tomb forever… he would rather, in fact, show him off a little to encourage ‘play’ dates with residents outside of the tomb. There was a need for socialization! And from individuals who were on his social-emotional level.

Still…even with preparation, he was paranoid that something would happen. As good as he was at “winging” things, there were always ways in which the small things that he intended to do would spiral very quickly outside of his control.

The carriage was large, but at the same time felt a little small with everyone placed into the same place, and for traveling a little bit of distance. Usually, it would be best to just portal themselves over and right to the very front of wherever it was that they were going to be staying. But considering his last visit and how Jircniv Rune, Farlord El-Nix had reacted to the surprise of having them… Well, Ainz was trying to give them a little more time to prepare. If one really could prepare for the storm that was his family.

He didn’t want a loud welcome. He tried to make that apparent to the Emperor. But he knows well by now that most people do not share his definition of small. They did not seem to share what he thought moderate or simple meant either. There was no telling what he was going to see when they did get past the gate. A walk through streets with flowers would make him deeply uncomfortable, and the skeletal horses would more than likely set anything that was cloth-related or dried on fire if it were to be placed before them.

So when deciding their route for traveling, they made it a short carriage ride from several miles from the capital just to make sure that they properly were received at the gates as requested and not just show up immediately.

There were flags on the large outer walls; he was pleased to see both the Kingdom of Darkness and that of this land. They were still a distance away. So there was no point in peering out the window long, but there wasn't much else to do. He kept looking out, if only to keep anyone in the car from trying to “help” him.

Foth was across from him, looking out the other side's window. Pandora’s small form was curled in a sleeping position across his lap. Albedo has a book in her, leaning her entire weight onto him. She’s a lot heavier than she looks, but that's alright. He didn't take damage from it, nor did this form get stiff if he sat strangely to accommodate her.

It's oddly peaceful, and the close corridors are a little cozy. It doesn’t happen often that he can find himself almost at rest. He watches as the city walls get larger and larger. He leans his head on his hand and lets out a huff of air that he doesn't have to.

Albedo looks up from her book. “Is something wrong, Momo?” Her pretty golden eyes look up at him.

“Ah, no.” He finds that he likes to hear her say his name like that. Sends something weirdly warm through him that the emotional regulation sensor can’t seem to squish or interpret. “I am only thinking.”

“Mmmm.” She hums, putting her fingers between the pages and wedging a bookmark into place. “We are stronger than anything here.”

She tries to soothe, already picking up on the lingering paranoia that he had not left in their own capital city.

“The world items add an extra layer of protection that we did not have on the last battlefield.” He agrees.

“And this is not that type of battlefield. This, my love, is just politics.”

“One could argue that it is even more deadly.”

She laughed. “It can be when it is us that they are dealing with.”

He nods. “Your work in E-Rentel was excellent.”

She blushed deeply. “I seem to have overlooked key details though…”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Neither do you.”

He knows that she means what she is saying, but in comparison with her and the others, he feels that he is extremely lacking in the accomplishment department. Still it is evidence that they are improving in their relationship as conversation seems to flow between them easily now.

“I suppose if the political end of things does not go as planned, we could always use a show of strength.” Albedo puts a hand to her chin in thought.

“You have my permission to end anyone who touches you in a manner that you don’t deem appropriate. I know how that noble in E-rental deeply bothered you.”

Part of him can't forgive the thought of someone violating even something as simple as her personal space. He interprets this burning flash of hatred as an undead dislike for the living, disturbing what they considered to be theirs.

“He was a deviant.” Albedo’s lip curled a little. “I don’t think that anyone will be foolish enough to follow in his footsteps. I made quite the example out of him.”

He is aware of that, too. But he can’t bring himself to warn her not to make as big of an example of any potential allies here. He finds that part of him… the part that is indeed part of the Overlord class, does have some liking to violence. Especially when life was snuffed out. Undead did not feel much for the living, and in some ways, he defies the class's programming by being as attached as he was to the NPCs.

“That you did.”

“Lady Albedo,” Foth speaks for the first time on this carriage ride. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do to the filthy human that caused such disrespect to Nazarick?”

Albedo’s smile stretched a bit too far with that. Before she seemed to calm herself and cough. “Nothing that should be said in front of a child.”

Pandora's still fast asleep, drooling slightly on his robe.

“I understand.” Foth looked a little disappointed, but she more than likely knew of Pandora’s ability to just pick up on things. Children always had a way of overhearing things and then repeating them. He had heard Albedo call him Momo, and now he was trying to repeat it and now called him MooMoo. Horribly embarrassing, as they were not the same syllables and he had a feeling the other was doing it on purpose to cause mischief.

The larger black carriage approached at what felt like a crawl. A shadow that slowly seeped its way across the valley and field into the line of sight for his capital city. There were banners ready to welcome the other as well as decorations for their ceremony. The red suns were painted excellently onto large, fine cloths. Others were embroidered into fantastical moon shapes. Even with their best effort and what he would have considered grand craftsmanship, the carriage seemed to be far better built and pulled by an unrelenting, powerful beast. Because it was Ainz Ooal Gown, and he could not have normal horses. The large skeletons left a trail of fire behind them. Their controller looked to be an old man, human enough, and unassuming but he never could tell. The woman next to him seemed just as abnormally pretty as the maids he had seen on his first meeting with the great and terrible Overlord.

No, no one ever could tell with them. His guard looked worried for him, but he had already had a potion to try and settle his stomach. His child, his only one, stood behind him with the woman who had given birth to them. She was pretty, well-curved, and with the lightest violet hair. They all stood at attention, waiting to greet them and welcome them into the royal palace. The woman was nothing, he was sure, in comparison to who he assumed Gown considered his wife, Prime Minister Albedo. But he did have to wonder about the other occupants of the Carriage. There were supposed to be 6 in total. It took a lot of self-control not to chew on his nail. The welcome’s small, almost personal, as was asked. Ainz doesn’t want a large welcome, but at least he makes sure that all the posted guards are holding flags and the appropriate banners. He hopes that they look inviting.

The King of Darkness stepped first out after the servant opened the door for him. He had to duck in order to do so. He was dressed in fine black and purple. The color of royalty is broken up with the gold to his magnificent staff and trims. Albedo stepped out second. She took the hand of the skeleton and held her dress up so that it would not catch on the stairs. A human enough woman stepped out next in a maid uniform, and then a very small figure came with her, clutching at her hand. This creature looked to be about 3ft tall and wore a black traveling clock.

Ainz Ooal Gown seemed to float more than walk over to them.

“Greetings, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix.” The skeleton moves forward ahead of the party. He doesn’t move from his heightened stature. He only looks down on him.

In response, he bows slightly in his own greeting. “Good afternoon, King of Darkness, welcome to my home. I trust your journey was pleasant. “

The great monster nods. So he takes that as a signal to keep going. “My people have made rooms in the west wing for you and your belongings, and a meal shall be prepared shortly. The larger dinner feast will be in a few hours.”

The help bowed at each other, and already preparations were made unsaid to move the horses and whatever else from the carriage.

“Travel was well.” The air seems to change when he is close. It's a bit colder. He’s so incredibly large in comparison. One had to look up into the piercing gaze. The red fires of hell. “Pandora was able to rest. He’s quite young and in need of naps still.”

The skeleton gestures for his group to move forward for introductions.

“And Pandora?”

“Ah, my apologies. Introductions. My son. Pandora.” The great undead before him almost seems to smile; the flames in his eyes are more alive. Dare he think it? There seemed to be a little fondness there. He turned and gestured, and the small child came forward. He wasn't undead, but rather facially ambiguous with large black holes for eyes and a mouth. The eyes looked a lot like blank sockets.

“Pandora.” Lord Ainz says with what might have counted as a soft command. “Please introduce yourself.”

“Greetings!” The small boy bowed a little. He looked back up and his smile nearly split his face; there were thousands of little needle teeth. He quickly moves closer to his father, eyes and head only looking at him now. His father gestures as if to encourage him further to turn back around.

“I’m Pandora’s Act-Actor.” The hands move dramatically, the traveling cloak billows out away from him to show a little yellow suit. Pandora then brings his hands quickly back to his sides and back to his chest. The large needles fuse back, and flesh overgrows that space again.

He tries his best not to flinch at the horror of a mini-Overlord. The guards that were with him shifted in their armor, and he could hear the clank of it and the unease in the room. He was a creature that Jircniv had never seen. Bold, pale, and strange. He did not look like either Gown or Albedo. His long fingers reached up and grabbed onto his father’s robe. The undead let him as he seemed pleased enough with the interaction.

“I was hopeful that he could socialize with others.” Ainz Ooal Gown brings his scheme into play already. He is not all that attached to his own heir, as he hadn’t planned on her. He had wanted someone else, a boy, particularly, and one from a finalized marriage of political significance. He still has the sudden urge to reach for her. He doesn’t want to leave her alone with him. He can’t help but worry about the other higher-ranking children that he had been forced to invite as well.

“He hasn’t been out of the tomb before.” The King of Darkness continued. “I have kept him rather close after… well, that was what I did hope to speak with you about later. You are already familiar with my consort Albedo.”

Ainz continued to gesture the rest of his family forward, unbothered by how the others were looking at him and the awe and fear that were sweeping the room.

The woman moved gracefully to his side. She fit there like she was always meant to. White dress and dark angel wings.

“It is good to see you again.” She says, and she reaches down to hold her skirt in a slight bowed head of greeting, or her case, formal, frigid, politeness. She hardly seemed to want to lower herself in the other neighboring kingdom's capital. She viewed humans by his understanding as inferior.

But he wouldn’t take offense even if she didn’t try to be ‘respectful’. He could hardly forget her and the warnings that followed her all the way from E-rental. How she had delivered their death sentence and then helped to carry it out.

“Likewise, Lady Albedo.” He lies, but if she sees through it, her smile does not waver, nor do her demon eyes reveal anything.

“I am glad that you have rooms prepared. I will wish to change before evening dinner.”

“If her majesty would like, we could arrange for baths.”

Her smile does not change even a little from that offer.

“Very thoughtful.” She bends her head again in acceptance. She turns from him and gathers, coxes, that small child into her arms. He had almost been hiding in the fabric of his Father’s robe, but again was brought out into the spotlight. She lets him hold onto her. Albedo’s golden eyes were piercing. This was her child; there could be no mistake in the way that she held him and all but threatened annihilation with just a slow blink and slight slip to her smile. In a way, she looked like both a terrifying queen and a mother. Even with the boy clinging to the front of her dress. He must have been very young, in maturity, but in age…. Well, he wasn’t so sure.

He’s not sure how monsters age.

The room felt very cold and very small.

The boy in her arms… it turned skeletal, in what might have been a second. One moment he had flesh and then the next he did not. The small skeleton looked exactly like Ainz Ooal Gown down to the red highlights in the sockets and the sharp fangs.

“Ah, He does that,” Ainz says. “His magic is always fluctuating when he is nervous.”

Unstable magic, in a being that could probably beat his best sorcerers, and only a few years of age. Illusion or shape-changing magic was a high-tier spell, and the child had switched from it to his normal appearance seamlessly.

The blonde nods his head and keeps his smile firmly in place. It was his mask just as much as it was Albedo's.

“Perhaps he would like to rest with Lady Albedo.” He suggested, hoping that they all would give him a break before the meal was finished, to make sure that everything would be to the Overlords' liking.

“Would you be opposed?" The skeleton turned to his consort. Giving her the choice and final say.

“Not at all. Foth was under the impression that he would be unable to attend meetings with you.” Albedo smiled, a real one. “I will make sure that our room arrangements are suitable before bathing and resting for dinner later. I will require an escort.”

“Of course.” Jircniv nods, and one of his best people moves to lead her. He wisely does not make a move to touch her. The customs of other nations were not the same as their own, and no one would do anything to upset their guests.

“I will see you in a little while then. Sebas, please make sure that Albedo is comfortable.” Ainz dismisses her and the rest of the group. His expression seemed to dampen with her leaving out of his reach. His eyes trail after her for a good minute before they return to him. “I wish to discuss some business with you, if you are agreeable. I also have a few questions about the religious ceremony that I would like to ask.”

“We can take that discussion to the main parlor, or would you prefer my office?”

“The parlor will suffice."

They walked in near silence. Ainz looks over at all of the paintings and the architecture that they pass. If the situation had been different, Jircniv might have talked about the history of his accumulated objects or spoken of their makers. But the undead was clearly not one moved by objects. He owned things that were of such finery it must have looked humble or shabby to him.

They are seated, and Jircniv sets about asking for refreshments. Nearly everyone leaves on his request. The undead did say he wanted to talk business; fewer ears would be expected.

“It is kind of you to offer.” Gown takes up nearly an entire sofa. “I can’t consume as living things do, but I am rather fond of the smell of some teas.”

Jircniv files that information away for later. “Do you have a preference?”

“Albedo usually chooses for me,” Ainz mutters, seemingly more to himself than Jircniv. “Perhaps Lavender, if you have it or something with cinnamon. Pandora likes that.”

More information about his family was freely given to more than likely help the others who were preparing things in the West wing. He’s appreciative. “Very well.”

The silence stretches between them for a very long moment. It’s unnerving. Ainz seems to take mercy on him.

“For this ceremony, Albedo was under the impression that it held great religious significance. I do not wish to disrupt this, merely observe, "If there are special rights on how I should conduct myself, please inform me.”

“It isn’t particularly as religious as it once was, King Gown. It’s more of a celebration, the changing of the seasons, if you will.”

Ainz tilted his head.

And so Jircniv did elaborate for him. The tea arrived, and the undead brought it between his large hands. The cup looked far too small, and the emperor was reminded just how easily it would be for the other to crush someone. Yet the undead held it well between large fingers with all the grace and care of a true king.

“I thank you for humoring my curiosities." The overlord says. “Things have changed so greatly since I last was active.”

“It’s an honor to share customs with you,” Jircniv answered politely. “Perhaps you can exchange some of your people’s costumes with me.”

Ainz looks down at the liquid that he seems to be enjoying just holding. “Where I come from, there is a ceremony not dedicated to the Sun and the Moon, but the trees. They were our symbol of renewal and the changing of seasons. They bloomed in the springs, their petals were deep red-pink, and they rained petals with the slightest breeze. They were held in great respect for their beauty, which was quick and fleeting. One would travel far to simply enjoy the view and the smell of them. The women would dance under their branches, and the petals were collected and used in perfumes, medicines, and foods. Of course, none of these trees exists any longer; the last of them were dying when I was born. I stood before one of the last, several centuries ago.”

“Fascinating.” And it was, to hear what it must have looked like in the great forests thousands of years ago. Also, the note that Ainz said he had been born, perhaps at one time, he had not been the great undead in front of them, but a man of flesh and blood.

“I suppose that it was. The world was once so pure, natural.” Ainz places the tea down on the table. He sounds older than. “Things have changed greatly in the time that I have been asleep. Great civilizations have grown, and they don’t seem to care for simple things like the trees or the natural beauty of flowers.”

“Perhaps you would like to see our royal gardens.” He suggested, feeling something like magic leaking from the other, and it felt like sadness… deep sadness. He had felt anger before from the other, or what might have been despair, but this was new.

“Perhaps.” Gown’s red eyes look at him, and there’s a soft red there. “It must seem strange, but I rather like plants.”

And maybe it is that the large and scary creature before him could show such longing for flowering trees.

“Not at all. I like my gardens. I often walk in them when I need a break or to think.”

The undead laughs, and it's soft, almost human. “I often do the same; however, my people never let me do it alone, I fear. It takes a little bit of the serenity away when they feel the need to follow so closely.”

He can relate to that. “I think that is every servant's wish, to be of help, even if it is not needed or required.”

“I am very poor at denying them anything.” The undead go back to sitting up more. “When I went to war with E-Rental, I admitted as much to their prince. He asked why I would seek to destroy his people, and I responded that for my people’s happiness, there was very little I would not do.”

“A good ruler does their best to ensure their people’s happiness.” Jircniv agrees.

“Which is why I must speak with you about The Theocracy.”

Jircniv forces himself to remain calm.