- New Lords.

Nakai Shiori slowly opened her eyes. It was dark outside. Just how long did she sleep again? Twelve, fourteen hours? Days and nights have blended together into an incoherent mess. There wasn't anything to wake up for anymore. She closes her eyes once again and tries to sleep, but the body continues screaming for food.

It was the food that killed her last friend, Puding. It was the damn cheap food that rotted her friend's insides and the damn corporation that advertised it as healthy for pets. At least that is what the vet said when he put down her beloved cat. Why was everyone leaving her? Her pets, her parents, her brothers, the very few friends she once had.

Tears welled up again. The hit of losing her best friend, Akari, half a year ago was still a fresh and painful memory. Akari was found dead with her brother, both still connected to their dive VR gears with no apparent cause of death. Siblings just died without a reason, at least that's what police said, not that they bothered with an investigation in the first place.

The thoughts made her feel bad again, as they so often did. She tosses back and forth on the small bed. To quiet the constant intrusive thoughts, she needed her medication. To have medication, she needed to work, but to work she needed the intrusive thoughts to go away.

How long has it been since she last checked her e-mail, weeks at least? No doubt people would have given up on her doing the art commissions. Making 3D custom game characters once made decent money.

Finally, Shiori slowly gets out of bed and balances herself against the wall. Her dizziness was getting worse. She needed to eat at least something. Life went on, whether she wanted it or not.

With slow, careful steps, she walked towards the small kitchen area. Just one food packet left. Not even bothering to warm it up, Shiori opened the packet and sat down at the nearby table, poking it with a spoon. The last food she has in her tiny apartment.

She needed to eat to live. To live for what? The dark thoughts weighed on her mind more and more. Author preference. She still had some money, but no more food. Maybe if she just opened her e-mail and looked through requests. One quick job and… and then what?

'NO!' she screams internally and shoves a spoonful of the gelatinous mass in her mouth. Cold, it had almost no taste. With an effort, she swallows, fighting the desire to gag. She needed to eat and soldier on with her life.

But there was no point in anything. Why bother with food? Why bother with work? The last time she felt this bad was after the death of her dog, Akari was there for her. Calling daily, cheering her up, but now there wasn't anybody anymore.

Those few times when she had paid for online therapy, the advice always was to try talking with people, but what if they found her strange and creepy? What if they don't like her?

She needed to get out, do something. Tasteless or not, the food at least went down. But there was no more left. In a moment of decisiveness, Shiori puts on her protective suit and mask. She needed supplies and then to get her life back on track.

But what if she can't? She was weak. She relied on others. No! Dark thoughts needed to go away.

First destination - nearest mart to buy up food. No matter what, she had never given up. The first few work weeks will be terrible, but it must be done to get enough money for medication.

The streets at night were eerily silent. Footsteps! Someone was following her. She walked faster but someone still followed her. The mart was a few minute walks away, she would be safe there.

Whoever was behind her broke into a run. She follows suit. Running in a heavy suit and mask is hard. Her starved body tires out too fast. She slows down, then a sudden jolt of pain in her right side. Someone grabs her and stabs her again and again. She falls. Her mask is torn off violently. She tries to crawl away as air burns her lungs and eyes. Her vision dims just as pain is getting too intense.

That spark to live forced her to fight back but her body couldn't anymore. A mere moment was all it took for the world to become cold and dark.

Then there was darkness and a deep dark voice asked if she wanted to be with her friends, be powerful.

'Friends!' Could it be that someone was waiting for her? She calls back to the voice in a wordless expression.

"Yes, please." But was that voice? Maybe it just mocked her. Anxiety spikes and the dark void momentarily gets silent.

"You have agreed. Your rebirth as Ankoro Mocchi Mochi starts now!" The deep voice speaks again, then a blinding light hits.

Shiori slowly blinks as her eyes adjust. Trees! She looks around and sees bare trees. A grey sky above. Her body lets out a shudder, reacting to the cold air.

She raises her hand, and a claw-clad dark-furred, almost humanlike paw comes into view. She tries to scream, but a howl comes out. What was going on?

Another look at her hands confirms it. Both are dark-furred paws. With a tremble, she brings them to her face and feels the muzzle of a dog or a wolf. She was Ankoro, possessing the body of a game avatar she once played. The dark voice told her she would be reborn as Ankoro!

Looking down and inspecting her body confirmed it. Her slender werewolf form was just like she remembered it. But there was a glaring problem. There was nothing but skimpy underwear on her.

And where are her friends? Why was she alone in the woods? What would others say if they saw her like that? Was she in Yggdrasil? Panic rises. Ankoro lets out a whimper and then sits down on the cold grass.

Few moments later her ears pick up a noise. Someone was coming in her direction. They heard the howl. Maybe a rescue? Or another attacker? She died! But now she was almost naked and a werewolf. With the quick decision, Ankoro hides behind a tree and looks in the direction of the incoming sound.

Slowly and surely it was getting louder and she could see two figures coming in the distance between the trees.

Werewolves like her? Two figures looked like anthropomorphic wolves dressed in chain armor and thick cloaks. One had greying strains on fur, clearly the oldest of the two. He is the first to notice Ankoro behind the tree.

"You there! Why are you howling in the woods?"

"I… I…" Ankoro stammers, poking her head out from behind the tree.

"Speak!" The older wolf was getting angry.

"S-s-sorry I…"

"Wark, easy now. She looks scared." The younger wolf says, turning to the older one.

"So what? Come out from there and tell us why you were howling. Is there an enemy in the forest?"

"E-e-enemy… no… I… I…"

The elder wolfman growls and runs up to the tree, grabbing her by the hand. Ankoro yelps and swings her hand, sending the older wolfman flying against the nearest tree with a loud crack. He falls down and remains unmoving.

Younger wolfman stares at her with his mouth open for a moment and then runs up to his friend checking on him.

"S-s-sorry," Ankoro whimpered, "I… I didn't mean to…"

"Just what the hell are you? Wark is knocked out cold!" The younger wolf barks angrily with a shaky voice.

Ankoro could sense that the old wolfman she tossed was seriously wounded. She played a cleric/berserker building and had a passive ability that showed the HP of both friends and enemies. There was no time to wonder how it works.

The old wolf had many broken bones and inner bleeding. If she does nothing, a man could die. Do anthropomorphic wolves were considered people? She needed to help either way.

With quick decisions and a lot of willpower to overcome the anxiety and panic-inducing situation, she rushes to the old wolfman and casts a healing spell.

"A-are you a-all alright?" She quietly mumbles as the older wolf opens his eyes and blinks, surprised. There is a momentary anger and then the old wolf's face softens as he lets out a barking laugh.

"You strong, young one. If I already hadn't had a mate, I would ask you to become mine."

"M-m-mate!" Ankoro stammers, her cheeks flushing red.

Old wolf lets out a hearty laugh and says.

"Don't be so shy, young one. If I'm too old for your fancy, Barg here is still without a mate."

"Can you drop it!" The young wolf barks. "She almost killed you by accident."

He looks at the trembling, shivering figure, trying to figure out how this twitchy, scared female was so extremely strong and afraid at the same time. Then he quickly realises that she was also trembling from the cold.

With a swift motion, he takes off his cloak and puts it around the shoulders of Ankoro saying

"You look like one of those who gets cold without extra protection."

There was this predatory smirk on the old wolf's face as he nudged the younger one. Was the younger one, Barg, making a move on her?

"To which tribe do you belong? Why are you out here alone?" Barg asks.

What to tell them. She didn't even have time to think about what had really happened.

"I… I don't remember. I j-just w-woke up here."

"You are coming with us either way. Nazarick's chiefs don't like if our kind just wanders wherever they like." Wark says.

Ankoro's ears perk up. She remembers that name. Her friends were in this new place, after all. She silently follows the pair, listening to their banter. But there were so many questions in her head.

Why was she so strong that she almost killed one of them by accident? What was this place? Why was she reborn in her game avatar's body? There was no doubt she died. What was that deep voice that asked her to make a choice?

If they were indeed taking her to someone from Nazarick, she could ask about her friends. If death was required to get here, then maybe Akari was here, too.

‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›

Iha Hisashi looked upon his joy and pride. Lately, the pain was so bad he could barely move. But he still did it for the small bonsai tree. His only son, together with his wife, Hisashi's daughter-in-law had offered more than once to help when seeing him wince in pain with the slightest of movement, but no matter the pain, the care for the small tree brought joy.

Today, however, the pain was so bad he couldn't get out of the chair anymore. Death was near but Hisashi had already come to terms with it. Just a few more hours. He didn't want to leave before saying goodbye.

Only his willpower kept him waiting. The clock ticked slowly. With a pained groan, he strains and says,

"Load, Rainforests of Amazon part two."

The voice-controlled system turns on the wide-screen tv at his side as a gentle soothing voice speaks about forests long gone. Maybe in the afterlife, if there was one, will fate let him experience something like that. A walk in a green lush forest felt like an impossible wish to ask.

Once in his younger days, he tried to save money for a nature reserve visitation, but then the love of his life came into the picture. Their son was born, and that goal faded. As a consolation, his late wife bought him this little tree in a pot.

The soothing voice let him forget the pain for a moment and close his eyes. The body was ready to give up. Just a few more hours, last goodbyes, and it will be time to go.

Closing of doors takes him out of the light nap as the worried voice of his son can be heard.

"Father, sorry for waking you up."

Hisashi turns his head to look at his son and his daughter-in-law. His last remaining family. The hardest part about dying was to leave family behind. But their life was their own and in some sense he was relieved they could now think about having children, as he will not burden them anymore.

"It's alright, I was waiting for you both. To have one last look at you both."

"Father…"

"I love you, son. Take care of your family, and if you can take care of our tree." Hisashi says, barely whispering the last words.

"I love you too" was the last words he heard as darkness came. No more pain, just a deep, soothing darkness. His momentary solace is interrupted by a sudden question.

A deep voice was asking him to make a choice. To be reborn in a world still not poisoned. A world where his friends waited for him. A simple choice, really.

Vision resumes. He stands in a greying field. Dying grass. But not poisoned. Just a natural cycle of seasons. It was strange how the cold, howling wind didn't affect him. Hisashi looks up. The sky was blue, clear without smog.

How long he just stared up, Hisashi couldn't tell. Finally he looks around once again taking in the simple brownish grey field.

'I wonder how this field will look in the summer.' comes a sudden yearning. The fresh air and blue sky were a miracle itself, but that wish of visiting green lush forest did not vanish with his passing.

His body felt solid, powerful, like a rock. Looking down already revealed a stone body, but then he notices a small pond nearby. He slowly walks towards it and looks at his reflection in the clear water. A bulky stone figure covered with moss and small interweaving wines. His old gaming avatar. An earth and nature elemental. He could feel his druidic abilities still within him.

But was this Yggdrasil he was reborn in? If that was the case, he could be in grave danger as a lone heteromorph. There was this instinctive feeling of his abilities, the same ones he had in the game. There was no reason to not test at least one of them, camouflage.

His greenery-covered stone form was already blending in with the environment, but extra caution didn't hurt.

Hisashi takes a long look around. Just plain fields with a forest line to the south. A thin line of smoke went up to the sky to the north of him. The first sign of civilization in this world. A smart move would be to avoid it for now, but curiosity got the better of him.

Curios or not, he was not about to just waltz in a settlement unprepared. The whispers of nature worked as a distance view ability that let him use nearby flora. To elemental's great surprise, instead of just showing him the distant area, plants communicated as conscious beings, and, with the winter, most responses were extremely grumpy.

The cold season was the natural sleep time and when you poke someone in sleep to ask, from their point of view, stupid questions, a certain level of rudeness was expected. Yet the answer came either way and the grass in a small settlement had seen violence between the walking ones, not bothering to explain what it means.

Some kind of conflict was happening there. Hisashi needed to know more. With the maximum level of camouflage applied, he slowly crept closer, step by step. A woman's hysterical screams. A child's wails. To go close was beyond stupid. In his previous life, such curiosity would just get you killed. But there were no police to call, even if they weren't corrupt and uninterested. Maybe he could do a sudden stun attack?

Finding courage, he moves on. The small settlement on a hillside had five houses. One was much larger and better kept than others. From what he knew of history, it looked like a home of a wealthy homeowner with servant houses around it.

Then he saw it. A man was whipping a child with a leather whip while two other men held a woman and forced her to watch. She was screaming for them to stop, begging to take the child's place. Hisashi could clearly see that the attackers were dressed much better than the two victims and only after a moment realized that both victims had long, pointed ears.

Whatever was the case, he needed to help. But for all he knew, three humans could easily kill him. Luckily, his druidic stun abilities were not gear dependent. A quick stun that will immobilize three men for a short while and do minor nature damage. Hopefully, it will be enough for the woman and child to escape.

Hisashi casts the choker vines. In an instant, thick, barbed wines spring out of the ground and tear all three men to shreds, showering both the child and woman with blood. Both scream hysterically again and the woman runs to the child, trying to get him up without success.

A horrifying realization that he just killed three humans comes instantly. How? That spell had almost no damage. To reflect on his actions can come later. Now was time to help.

The child has a visibly broken leg with a bone sticking out. He had some healing abilities. The gentle elemental wanted to help the pair. He takes off his camouflage and approaches. Woman, that, by the looks of it, is the child's mother sees him and then picks up the child in a panic to run.

"Wait!" Hisashi shouts and then realizes they may not even understand him. The woman gets maybe ten steps forward before collapsing. Crying, she covers the child's body with her own.

They feared him. It didn't matter. They can fear and hate him afterward. Now he just wanted to help. Surprised just how fast he could move Hisashi close distance and kneel beside them, putting his hands on the trembling pair.

"Nature's restoration." Hisashi casts a mid-tier healing spell in hopes it is enough. There still was a chance more attackers would come.

The woman slowly turns and looks up, shocked, surprised, uncertain. Elemental just stands up and takes a step back, twisting his stone face into a smile.

"T-thank you." She slowly mumbles.

"Can I ask what happened? Why did those men attack you?"

"My Colla fell and broke his leg, the owner got mad…"

"Owner?"

"There are no free elves in these lands."

Slavery. A despicable practice. Hisashi felt his anger rise. If before he felt at least small guilt for killing those men accidentally, then now the last remnants of it were gone. Maybe it was fate he arrived there. To help those who needed it.

"Do you know how to get to lands where elves are free?"

"No, but maybe others know."

"Others?"

"Other slaves."

What he saw inside confirmed he had done the right thing. Five elves were chained inside. Two more children, two men, and another woman. He quickly found out that they were two families. The list of atrocities was extensive. From starving and overworking them to inflict torture for smallest of mistakes and the owner, along with his two henchmen, had raped women in front of their husbands routinely for no other reason than a sick power play.

What made his stomach churn the most was that humans had justified it with their religion that put them above any other creature, and elves were nothing more than cattle to them.

One of the Elven men was more knowledgeable and revealed a lot of useful information. He was in the northern parts of the country called Slane Theocracy and to the north was the monster Empire of Nazarick.

The implication was clear, at least one of his friends was here. From what the elf had explained, a tier-three was already a powerful caster in his world so it was an easy guess a player even without a gear would be something godlike. That also explains why his stun spell tore three men to shreds. What was minor damage to his standards was a devastating attack on these much weaker residents of the world he was reborn in.

With an obvious goal of reaching Nazarick, he asks adults to gather as much food and warm clothing as they can and prepare to go with him. He didn't need to wait for long as one of the men who acted as leader of the group approached him, now dressed in a thick coat, and bowed, saying,

"My lord, we have gathered resources as you asked. What should we do next?"

"No, please just call me Blue Planet."

"Yes, Lord Blue Planet."

He wanted to protest, but it was clear elves looked at him like some kind of savior figure. For now, he could tolerate being called lord, but maybe during travels, he may just become their friend and be considered an equal.

The goal was simple. Move north while rescuing as many slaves as possible and reach the Empire of Nazarick, hoping to get in contact with at least one of his old friends.

‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›

Ainz paces back and forth nervously. How could he not, with Albedo going into labor not long ago? Emotion suppression worked around the clock, calming him down every ten seconds.

With Pestonya as the main midwife and the entire team of healing-oriented assistants, nothing could go wrong. But every single assurance was small solace for the expectant father.

The luxurious waiting hall Ainz paced back and forth in was filled with Nazarick's denizens, wanting to be part of the historical event. The birth of a new supreme being.

"Ainz, everything will be fine. The soul of your daughter is already in the body. Nothing will go wrong." Tabula says in his usual calm tone.

Ainz turns to his friend and father-in-law with a nervous sigh.

"I know. I just…"

"Let the emperor worry in peace. It's only natural." Mariposa says to her husband and flashes a reassuring smile to Ainz.

Seven steps one direction, and seven back. As if to not step away from the door too far. The link between him and Albedo constantly drains his mana. Not too much, but it is noticeable. He could feel that both she and their daughter were fine and knew he shouldn't worry, but just couldn't help it.

Minutes ticked by painfully slow. The few dozen lucky chosen to be present, watch him pace with the same nervous anticipation. Buku sat with Aura and Mare in her lap with all three giving reassuring smiles. Pero sat beside them and to Ainz's momentary gaze responded with a thumbs up. The only one of his friends who wasn't present was Ulbert, who volunteered to be in control of Nazarick during the critical times and promised a smooth and uninterrupted event even if the entire outside world goes to hell during the birth.

His own creation, Pandora, sat in a corner just as nervous as Ainz in anticipation. The prospect of having a younger sister had filled him with such joy that he could barely contain himself.

A sudden surge of an energy drain to a level he had not felt before gives a minor panic attack. But it was not just him. He could see that everyone was affected.

{ Ainz, everything alright? } Ulbert messages him.

{ Y-yes I think. Did something happen? }

{ I felt the energy drain and it seems Demiurge felt it too, all the way from the beastmen Country. Shield the area you are in, just in case. }

Using the momentary peace provided by the emotion suppression, Ainz senses that the energy wasn't drained away from Nazarick but in the next room, and it was his daughter who was doing it.

{ It's my daughter! }

{ What? }

{ All the energy is going to her. }

{ Ok, I hope its nothing bad then. What is Tabula saying? }

"Tabula, what is going on?"

"I don't know, but I don't feel malice. She is taking what she needs, no more."

{ It's not dangerous. Could you reassure everyone? }

{ Yeah sure and congratulations beforehand. It will take a while to contact our entire administration. }

A loud yelp can be heard from the next room. Pestonya was either panicking or surprised by something. Ainz was ready to charge in when a tiny figure suddenly teleports in front of him, giving such a surprise that the overlord almost gets a heart attack even without having one.

"PAPA!" The small figure cheerfully shouts.

Ainz resisted the impulse to grab the spot where his heart should be and looked down. Big yellow eyes look up at him. His newborn daughter was almost exactly Albedo's copy. Same horn style, same eyes. Same dark hair. Hers was just shoulder length, but even that was a bit much for what should be a newborn.

His daughter looked like she was already two or even three years old. Dressed in a white onesie decorated with Nazarick's crest. The only difference from her mother was the long skeletal wings growing out of her lower back.

Ainz still stared at her in shock as the girl giggled and reached up to take his hand.

"Come, papa. Mama needs energy. You have a lot."

The entire room watched in shocked silence as the tiny figure led Ainz into the labor room.

Albedo looked beyond exhausted. A group around her cast healing and re-energizing spells constantly. A warm smile decorates her passed-out face. Ainz approaches, led by her daughter, and touches his wife's hand, transferring the much-needed energy.

Albedo slowly opens her eyes and then looks around in panic.

"Mama, I'm here."

"Eeehh!"

Albedo looks at the side of the bed and shrieks in panic.

"You… you…"

"I wanted to be a big girl!" her daughter says with a giggle and stretches her hands towards her father to be picked up.

Nothing in the world would stop him from fulfilling his daughter's request as he gently takes her in his hands and lifts. Albedo stretches out her own hand as her daughter grabs her fingers gently and giggles again.

"Mama, papa what is my name?" She asks her still shocked parents.

"We.. We decided to go with the name your grandpa suggested. Splendora." Ainz says slowly.

"Splendora," the girl says, trying out her new name. "Splendora."

Ainz gently puts Splendora in Albedo's lap, feeling his wife wanted to hold their daughter as well.

Pestonya silently leaves with the rest of her team, giving young parents the needed moment for themselves.

Splendora nuzzles in Albedo's chest and lets out a sleepy yawn. The small show has taken a lot out of her too. All of them needed rest. There will be time for his daughter to be presented before Nazarick, but it can wait.

He silently sits with his wife and daughter until they both fall asleep and then walks outside to say a few words before the waiting crowd. He had no energy left to put up any kind of show and just wanted to reassure everyone.

"Splendora and Albedo are resting. As you all already saw, Splendora looks older than expected, and both she and Albedo are in good health."

Not waiting for any kind of response, Ainz goes back to his wife and daughter sitting down beside their bed. He did not know why his daughter aged herself and was capable of speech right away, but ultimately, it didn't matter. In rare occurrences, he changes his form to something requiring sleep and dozes off in a chair.

‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›

Even with Demiurge taking a large part of the workload, replacing Ainz and Albedo was a very time-consuming task. The envy towards the undead for not needing sleep rose rather quickly. Even the ring of sustenance provided a temporary aid as non stop working has started to tire him out. But as second in command, he was one to manage the empire if Ainz was not available.

Once again, getting more than enough proof that ruling was not as enjoyable as one would think. The constant tedious small decisions grated on him. Scheming from shadows was so much more interesting and satisfying.

But duties are duties, and for a few days, he could step up and take the reins. And while he was at the very top, there was one person he needed to question. There were some interesting hidden discoveries, and he needed to see the bigger picture before reporting to Ainz, as maybe it was part of his friend's plan and he was just paranoid.

While he signed another set of orders, Melibourius comes in with a knock, followed by Eleleth.

"Ah, just the angel I wanted to see," Ulbert says looking up.

Eleleth responds with a bow.

"You called for me, Lord Ulbert?"

"Yes, sit down. I have a question or two."

"Thank you, but I prefer to remain standing."

"Sit!"

Angel raises her eyebrow, but then silently sits down in a chair just in front of Ulbert's office table.

"As I said, I have a few questions."

"I am listening, my lord."

"Mind explaining the letter from Queen Calca?"

"There is nothing to explain."

"Let's not toy around! I may not have direct control over you, but Ainz might be very interested in hearing about your tampering!"

Eleleth smiles.

"My master needed an apostle, and I found a perfect candidate."

"You differ from other angels, you know that. I am curious why?"

"Has my lord interacted with other metatrons?"

Ulbert silently picks up a folder and tosses it to Eleleth, saying.

"This goes to Ainz. Don't think you can play games without my notice."

She catches the folder and opens it, skimming the document with her smile fading.

"This is pointless speculation, nothing more, and bad at that. I am loyal to my master and everything I do is for his benefit."

"Then how about you explain yourself and that report is tossed out if I find your answers satisfactory."

Eleleth's beautiful face twists into a snarl.

"Fine! I manipulated Neia's path so she would become the spearhead of the growing religion and the leader of all apostles. You already know how believers increase their god's power if one is a real God. So as the new faith will spread, so will my master's power and yours as well."

"Ok, that's all nice and fine, but why are you doing it? What are you getting out of all this? And don't start with servitude bullshit. I can see you are no regular angel and your agendas are your own."

"My agendas? My agenda is to increase my master's power and grow in his shadow with him."

Eveleth says as she looks at Ulbert, clearly seeing she is not convincing enough.

"You could have asked Lord Tabula about the motivations of angels and demons, but fine, I will spell it out for you!" Her tone all but divorced of any respect or submission.

"Angels and demons do not possess the primal spark of awareness that comes from the source, while many low-tier mortals do. No matter how many lives lived it takes, they just outgrow us striving for powers we cannot obtain. I can grow into godhood while serving my master and pushing him upwards. I can outgrow these binds put on me by my very existence and I will achieve my goals no matter what you report or whisper to my master. You will not tamper my path towards godhood."

"Was it that hard? So what are you really?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, I am just curious."

"What I was is not important anymore. I gave up that path for a current one. I am a metatron angel in service of the God of Life and Death."

"Secrets within secrets. A shame you are Ainz's servant, not mine. You don't happen to have a sister or two with a similar disposition for me to get into my service?" Ulbert asks with a chuckle.

Angel just stares silently for a moment, as if thinking deeply about what to say.

"Not like me."

"A shame. And from now on, if you scheme for the benefit of Ainz, report to me so we can coordinate our actions and we will have no problems in the future."

"Understood. I will do just that, Lord Ulbert," Eleleth says flatly, and stands up.

Melibourius let her out of Ulbert's office, visibly fuming. The moment he closes the door, a growl slips out,

"My lord, that lightbulb addressed you without proper respect. That is unforgivable."

"Calm down Mel. She is a curious one. I guess you can't sense beyond her facade, but that pretty little thing is an angel only on the outside."

Bonus Story - Lost.

"How in the bloody fucking hell did you manage to lose two of our friends who knows where?" Buku growls, clutching her face.

The momentary joy of knowing two more of their friends had arrived was replaced by a fit of justified anger. Tabula lost them the moment they were recreated as their former game avatars. The remaining three lords were just as frustrated with the outcome, but unlike her, didn't start blaming Tabula immediately.

"The ritual was not tested before. I didn't know the connection would be cut the moment recreation was complete."

"Let's not assign blame and think about how to find them," Ainz says, trying to defuse the conflict.

"We have eyes on most of the continent. The moment they come into contact with our agents, we can bring them to the great tomb and gear up." Ulbert says.

"Grrr… fine. Do we at least know who arrived?" Buku asks.

"Ankoro and Blue Planet."

"What!? Ankoro is out there ALONE!!!"

Buku was getting up to jump Tabula as Pero grabbed her and held her in her seat.

The atmosphere in the conference room got increasingly tense. Ainz, as usual, knew he needed to take control.

"Buku, sit down. A fight is the last thing we need. Tabula didn't know this would happen! For now, let's be happy that they are in this world and in one piece. Even alone and without gear, they are in mild danger at its very worst and likely are just confused."

"YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?! Fuck, fine… fine." Buku says pushing Pero off and remaining in her seat. "How did she die?"

"From what I gathered, Ankoro got stabbed to death while going for supplies."

"Poor Shiori…" Buku says solemnly, "What can we do to find them faster?"

"Not much besides putting our entire information network on high alert and look out for Ankoro and Planet," Ulbert says and then addresses Ainz. "I know you wanted to take time off and all, but can you work for a few hours a day and give me some leeway to ramp up search for them?"

"In this circumstance, I will have to. I will take a few hours during the night while Albedo and Splendora sleep."

"Excellent. Now let's hope we can find them fast and nothing bad happens, not that there are many threats that could kill them."

Edited by Edgy and Aterro.