Chapter 51: Handling
Ainz's surroundings resolved after the teleportation.
Before him lay a gentle rise — terrain shaped by the magic of Mare, one of the Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, designed to conceal the stone wall surface of the tomb's buried uppermost section from outside view.
Ainz activated [Flight]. His body lifted effortlessly into the air and cleared the mound in moments.
At a certain point, the view around him shifted — as though he had passed through a thin, invisible film. The hills vanished, replaced by the unmistakably familiar sight of home. He had crossed through the illusion barrier.
He did not slow down, flying directly toward the great central mausoleum ahead — the only entrance into the Great Tomb of Nazarick itself.
As he neared the mausoleum steps, he noticed a considerable gathering of figures below. Ainz pressed down the faint restlessness rising in his chest and descended slowly to land before them.
"Ainz-sama, welcome home."
A soft feminine voice was first. Then greetings rose in succession all around him.
At the front of the assembled group, wearing a pure white ceremonial gown, was Albedo — the overseer of Nazarick's Guardians. She was the one among those present who understood the situation most clearly. Behind her stood four battle maid members, and further back, an eighty-level servant unit.
It had been no more than ten minutes since he had contacted both Albedo and Sebas via [Message] and then instructed Narberal to initiate the teleportation. In that time, a welcoming formation of this size had been assembled. Albedo's organizational ability spoke for itself.
Ainz noted it silently and raised a hand in acknowledgment.
"Albedo, about the matter I mentioned in [Message]—"
He wanted to ask whether Shalltear had truly betrayed them. The words formed and then stopped.
A strange reluctance rose in him — as though saying it aloud would make it irrevocably real. And discussing something of this kind in front of so many servants was, in any case, inappropriate.
"Of course. Shall we move somewhere else to speak?"
"You're right... the Throne Room."
"As you wish. Lady Yuri — please present the ring to Ainz-sama."
From the rear of the battle maid formation, a maid wearing glasses stepped forward quietly.
Her uniform was the same battle maid series as Narberal's, but the details differed markedly. Where Narberal's emphasized protection, this one prioritized ease of movement — the absence of a front metal plate was evidence enough. Her metal gauntlets bore raised spikes that became deadly weapons when she closed her fist. Across her neck hung a wide blue necklace set with semi-transparent gemstones, their interiors holding a light that moved — not a reflection of anything, but something that burned from within, like contained flame.
She wore her hair in a formal evening style. Her features were composed and cool, intelligent at a glance.
This was Yuri Alpha, vice-captain of the Pleiades battle maids. Sebas held the captain's position, so within the maid unit, Yuri served as the practical organizer of the group.
She held a tray in both hands. On the purple velvet, the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown lay quietly waiting.
Ainz picked it up and slid it onto his ring finger.
The ring allowed its wearer to teleport freely anywhere within the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He removed it and left it here every time he went outside, to prevent it from being taken from him. The familiar press of it against his finger bone returned, and he felt himself settle slightly.
"Then let us go, Albedo."
Since direct teleportation to the Throne Room was not possible, Ainz first used the ring to reach the adjacent chamber, then proceeded from there on foot.
He and Albedo walked toward the crystal throne at the far end of the room. Along the way, Ainz explained his new arrangements for Sebas.
He had actually wanted to ask Albedo whether those arrangements were appropriate — but something more pressing needed to be confirmed first.
He looked toward the throne and spoke the designated activation phrase.
"Activate main power."
A semi-transparent interface unfolded before him — resembling a console, but distinct from one. Organized by tabbed sections, the interior was densely filled with text.
This was the management system of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
It recorded the daily management costs, the types and numbers of active servants, the various magical traps currently in operation — the majority of the tomb's administrative functions could be managed here at a general level. In YGGDRASIL, this system could be accessed from anywhere at any time. Through experimentation after arriving in this world, Ainz had found it could only be operated from the Throne Room in the Heart Area.
"Coming here every time is inconvenient — but having the ring for teleportation makes it manageable enough."
He brought up the NPC tab with practiced efficiency.
The page listed every NPC created by guild members.
He changed the default alphabetical sorting to level-descending order and began scrolling through the names from the top. His gaze stopped at one particular entry. He slowly looked up at Albedo.
"Yes. As you can see."
Among a column of white text, only the name of Shalltear Bloodfallen was displayed in black.
Ainz knew what that color change meant. If he had still possessed flesh, the expression on his face right now would have been one of undisguised shock.
"...Is it death?"
He asked anyway, unable to fully release the question. Some part of him still held out the possibility that something had changed in the system when they were transported to this world. But Albedo's next words dissolved that final trace of hope.
"If it were death, the name would disappear entirely. Temporarily turning black indicates betrayal."
"Yes... that's right."
Ainz answered quietly, and the image surfaced from his YGGDRASIL memory — that particular text change, in exactly those circumstances.
Albedo was calling it "betrayal," but the system's actual meaning was somewhat more specific. In the broad sense it was close enough — but technically, the name turned black specifically when someone was under third-party mental control and temporarily hostile.
Impossible. Ainz denied the thought to himself again.
Shalltear was undead, just as he was. They should have been completely immune to any form of mental influence.
How could such a being be mentally controlled? If she had betrayed of her own will — dissatisfied with her treatment, drawn away by some external offer of better terms — that was at least a scenario he could follow. It made a kind of sense.
If it was neither of those things, then something had happened during the passage to this world — something that exceeded the limits of what he understood.
Nfirea's face surfaced in his mind. Innate Abilities. The forces native to this world that had no equivalent in YGGDRASIL — perhaps they genuinely could affect even an undead's mental state.
"...Could this be the influence of some ability or phenomenon specific to this world?"
"That is not yet clear. But the fact of Shalltear's betrayal stands. I recommend forming a suppression force immediately."
Ainz considered it. Looking back — the greeting formation that had met him outside. The core purpose of assembling it had almost certainly been exactly this. Thinking over what he had seen, that group had contained an unusually high concentration of members possessing holy attribute attack capability. That was rare in Nazarick, and clearly selected to be effective against undead.
Albedo continued, her voice carrying the firmness of someone who had thought this through completely.
"I volunteer to serve as commander. With Ainz-sama's permission, I would ask that Cocytus be named vice-commander, and that Mare also be included in the party."
This was the optimal lineup for ensuring Shalltear's elimination. Albedo had come thoroughly prepared.
Among the Guardians, Shalltear Bloodfallen stood at the pinnacle of combat capability — surpassed only by Gargantua. To ensure a reliable outcome, the members Albedo had selected were precisely what the situation required.
"Your decision, Ainz-sama?"
"No. Let's not reach a conclusion just yet. First — find out why Shalltear betrayed."
"Ainz-sama's compassion is admirable. But regardless of the reason, for a Guardian to oppose a Supreme Being is not something that can be tolerated."
"That is not what I mean, Albedo. I am not going soft on Shalltear. I simply don't understand why she betrayed us."
If this could happen to her, it could happen to others. The reason had to be found.
If it was dissatisfaction with treatment, other NPCs might feel the same — that possibility had to be addressed before it became a problem. If it was some external ability forcing control, the mechanism had to be understood and a means of defense developed.
And — however remote the possibility — if Shalltear had truly been forced into this against her will, there had to be some way to bring her back.
A leader who stood by while subordinates were in difficulty, while maintaining a high and distant manner, had failed in the role.
A ruler's duty was to protect those beneath them.
"Then — where is Shalltear now? Has her location been determined?"
"I regret to say it has not. As a precaution against a potential attack on Nazarick, her direct subordinates have been confined. Servants have also been deployed to the first underground floor to reinforce the defenses there."
"I see... then let us go to your sister first. Finding Shalltear's location is the immediate priority."
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