12

So Ainz eventually noticed Shalltear's mind control issue.

I only found out he knew when 'Maid Team Six' busts down my door and drags me back to Nazarick.

I had thought I that during the whole Shalltear thing I'd just be told to 'duck and cover' until the situation was over or just be told to continue my 'tasks' like with Sebas and Solution. But no, I get thrown into a literal bunker with nothing more said on the issue.

No what happens is that I get bagged and dragged back to Nazarick. Okay, that is an exaggeration. There was neither door busting, bagging, or dragging involved. In truth, what happened was three of the Pleiades just teleported into my home, curtsied, and said Ainz instructed them to bring me back to the Tomb while I was eating a late breakfast. All very calm and professional.

Though there was that one thing that might have caused an incident.

See, after fighting the Black Scripture I may have gone a bit gung-ho and made several more golems for my personal use. Only a dozen. A baker's dozen that is. But that's not the point! The issue was all these animated suits of armor see a bunch of people teleport directly into my dining room and try to spirit me away. I only had seconds to give them a hand gesture to back off before they tried to impale the Pleiades with their weapons. Doubtful they would have succeeded, but still it would have been an awkward conversation regardless.

And as the days passed, I was getting so antsy and bored here that I even tried reading some of the reports the homunculi alchemists sent from their field research. Packets upon packets of reports thick enough to stop a bullet stacked upon one another and alphabetized by subject. These things were utterly dry and filled with all manner of technical terminology and numbers that almost went over my head. I mean I understood what they meant and were implying, but it was just so damn boring. If I can't bring myself to care what the systemic differences between types of "Apples" are when why would I care about why properties "Dry Wood" has?

By the time I reached "H" for Horses I just told them they were doing a good job, tossed the pile to the side, and had the girls store it all somewhere.

In-between me getting antsy from boredom and concern that there was a way someone could look into my item box and see the World Item I have stashed in there, Ainz went out to defeat Shalltear and resurrected her. Not a lot of fanfare for the second thing. Shalltear was hardly the most popular person in the Tomb before all of this, now that she has the 'stain' of 'betrayal' she's even less well regarded. Or so I'm told by my homunculi.

Honestly, I find the whole situation eyerolling.

I'd like to think I have more grounds than most to dislike that sadistic bloodsucker, given all her unwarranted advances on me. By all accounts, I should be cheering on this hate spiral she's found herself in. I should be happy. Yet here I sit just annoyed by the whole situation. Shalltear's being put through the ringer for actions she in no way can be held accountable for. Everything leading up to her mind control, that's all on her. But her turning on Nazarick and attacking Ainz?

If these people are too stupid to understand the concepts of free will and agency, then what can I do? I actually had my free will taken away, so I think I have some genuine perspective on this line of thought.

Yet as I sit here wallowing in my own boredom, wondering when I can finally get back to Arwintar, I have to face my newest problem: actually working.

See, as Nazarck's 'greatest authority on magical phenomena' (citation needed!) I was tasked by Albedo to find out what caused Shalltear to turn traitor. You know at first I thought that she had somehow looked into my item box and saw Downfall of Castle and Country in there and this was a roundabout way for me to say I had the world item in question.

Then I realize my head would probably be on a pike by now if she even thought I had anything to do with that whole mess. Relative or not, I doubt she would give me any mercy if she had a whiff that I was treasonous or as I like to call it free thinking.

Still, this left me in a bit of a bind. Even with all the visual record of the event on hand, I knew factually what happened, but I could hardly say the truth. Imagine saying 'oh I know why Shalltear turned traitor! Yes, I learned about it from watching the anime this world is based off of before I was isekaied and trapped in this fucking Tomb for over a decade!' I'd look insane, assuming I live and wasn't killed by Skellyman in fit of paranoia.

So as the hour drew close for my 'presentation' I was left with a single question: how well can I bullshit this?

"-and given all that, I can make a general assumption on the series of events that led to Shalltear's incident," Citrinitas read off her report and cleared her throat. "Shalltear would have been utterly bored with the amount of resistance she was facing in her search for a Martial Arts user, and a bored Shalltear has a nasty tendency to play with her food. In whatever frenzy she was in, she either encountered, or sought out, a foe she thought would entertain her. In her state of bloodlust, or simple overconfidence, she underestimated her opponent and this was the unfortunate result."

Ainz sighed to himself as the homunculus basically summed up his thoughts on the issue. What a mess…

Citrinitas had been in his office for the last hour explaining in excruciating detail all the information Nazarick knew on the events prior to Shalltear's mind control. To be frank, he didn't think he even needed a after action report for this, but Albedo jumped the gun and ordered one before he could get a single word in. In truth, he was far less concerned about Shalltear's actions and conduct and more concerned with confirmation of World Items in this world beyond the one's in Nazarcik's treasury. Even the best case scenario, a single-use World Item, still shows that there are genuine threats in this world that he has few defense against. Other than arming the guardians with their own World Items to counter whatever force assaulted Shalltear he cant really do anything.

For the first time since arriving in the New World, he feel's genuinely threatened.

"And there is no evidence of who may have cast this?" Ainz questioned.

"None," she shook her head, "all I can say is that they are probably still alive since there were no corpses in the immediate area."

"Then our next course of action is obvious," Albedo spoke up. "We should hunt down and punish whoever sought to kill Lord Ainz."

Ainz was about to caution Albdeo's bloodlust but he noticed Citrinitas fidget in place, her expression twisting as if she had more to say. "Is there something you would like to add, Citrinitas?"

"Um…yes," she cleared her throat and flipped through several papers. "I would say- recommend that no retaliatory actions be taken at this time, even if we knew who did this."

"Forgive me, sister, but are you saying we should let this slight against the honor of our Lord go unpunished," Albedo pressed before Ainz could agree with the homunculus. While stern, Albedo's tone lacked the bite Ainz normally heard when she was defending his 'honor'. Maybe their familial relations in their Bios have them hold a bit more of a cordial relationship? He knows Aura may get annoyed by Mare, but she never uses the tone she argues with Shalltear with on her younger brother.

"No," she countered her elder sister, "I'm saying rushing in blindly could lead to a worse situation."

"How could the situation be any worse," the succubus questioned, "they mind controlled Shalltear to attack our Lord. In what world does this sort of thing go unanswered?"

"Not unanswered, delayed," Citrinitas emphasized before looked to Ainz. "Forgive me, but this requires a bit of a tangent."

"Please, speak your mind," Ainz gave her the affirmative to continue.

"Thank you," she nodded. "I was planning on informing you of this when I had a more complete understanding, but circumstances are forcing my hand. To begin with, when I arrived in Arwintar my first though was to examine this world as a whole. It's dawned on me in my travels on how unbelievable all this world as it is now. That is, that the New World is so familiar to Yggdrasil."

"In what sense?" he questioned, curious himself as to where this was going. A part of him wondered how the NPCs viewed the game as opposed to real life. They clearly had an understanding of the nine realms of Yggdrasil, but how far did that understanding go when they are free to think for themselves without the constraints of code and data.

"All of it," she motioned her arms. "Nothing in this world makes sense. Health potions are blue, fifth tier magic is considered beyond powerful, and for the most part the lifeforms here are brittle as glass to just name a few differences from Yggdrasil. Yet the underlying problem I had was the assumption that this world works just like the old one because some things line up; tier magic and the like. What I was trying to figure out was why? Why all these similarities from two entirely different...realities is the better word than worlds."

Ainz hadn't actually thought of it like that. When this all started, he was half tempted to believe he was going to be woken up in a hospital with a severe case of brain damage and end up on the street after failing to pay his medical bills. By the time he finally settled into the role of Nazarick's Overlord and got a handel of the situation, he was more concerned with seeing if any of his guildmates arrived here than worry about the causes of all similarities he has seen.

"And you've discovered…" Albedo urged her sister to continue.

"I have discovered that we are not the first from Yggdrasil to arrive in the New World, nor will we be the last," the world seemed to stop as Citrinitas finished her statement.

Ainz felt the emotion suppressor kick in as the first inklings of dread ran down his back and a thousand thoughts raced through his mind. "Oh? What has led you to that conclusion?"

"There is a pattern in this world's history," Citrinitas began. "Six hundred years ago, the Slane Theocracy's so called 'Six Gods' appeared. They taught tier magic to humans and helped establish the first human realms in this world. According to ancient texts, they were powerful beings with boundless knowledge, powerful artifacts, and enough power to lay waste to all before them."

"Please don't tell me you've taken the word of these lesser beings as fact sister?" Albedo challenged the homunculus's research, he could see her roll her eyes at her sister's findings. "They are hardly the best source for information. Afterall, if these so called Gods even existed, where are they now?"

"But that's my point they aren't gods," Citrinitas countered, "within a century, every one of these god's is reported to have died. Some from old age, of all things, while the rest were killed by beings this world refers to as the Eight Greed Kings. These beings were also noted to have god like powers, powerful artifacts, and did lay waste to all before them. Chroniclers explicitly say that the Kings slaughtered their way across the land, killing every non-humanoid they could get their hands on. A few go so far as to say that the Greed Kings genocide was the only reason humans emerged as the dominant race in this area."

'Wait a moment…' something clicked in Ainz's mind. The behavior Cirtinitas mentioned mirrored that of many humanoid Yggdrasil Players. Assuming his mindset has been changed after he became his character, could the opposite hold true for others? That is, a human from Earth being transferred into their human, or humanoid, character retaining their regular thought processes and emotions. If that was the case, what would they do if they saw humanity under threat and knew they had the power to save it?

Maybe a better question: would Suzuki Satoru have waited so long to intervene in the attack on Crane village or been so calm with killing another person to keep his connection with Shalltear a secret from the humans of E-Rathel? What would he have done differently?

As his emotional suppresser kick in once more, he had a sinking suspicious he knew where this line of conversation was going but a part of him hoped the homunculus was horribly wrong

"They got their title of 'Greed Kings' for eventually turning on one another after carving out a vast empire for themselves," the homunculus continued. "The only thing left of their legacy is their empire's capital. It's said to be a floating city in the middle of the desert that has a constant supply of fresh water pouring forth from it and an untold cache of powerful magical items held within."

That sounded an awful lot like a guild base. There was hardly a limitation where a base could be located. One base in Muspelheim was built into an always erupting volcano, while another in Alfheim was built within a literal tree. Even floating bases were hardly rare in Yggdrasil. The guild Seraphim for instance, was well known for their flying guild base whose gaudy aesthetics matched their guild's angelic theme.

"And the point of this history lesson is what sister?" Albedo gestured for her sister to get to the point of her tangent.

"The point," Citrinitas shot a look at her elder sister for the repeated interruptions, "is that there is a pattern in this world's history. A cycle of powerful, god like, to these people, beings who appear, do great deeds, then vanish either because they die out, disappear, or get killed by the next group that show up."

"Six hundred years ago the Theocracy's Gods appear. Five hundred years ago, the Eight Greed Kings appear. Three hundred years ago, a hero of unparallel strength just comes out of nowhere, performs great feats and deeds similar to what Lord Ainz is doing as Momon, then disappears as swiftly as he appeared," Citrinitas began to rattle off dates and events one after another. "Two hundred years ago, the thirteen heroes and evil deities appear, not to mention a vampire named Landfall also just appears and wipes out an entire nation in a single night. I don't know about you, but I'm certain we all know a certain vampire who is powerful enough to do that as well."

'Oh my God…' the information was all clicking into Ainz's mind and a sense of dread began to fill his form.

"It is my belief that people from Yggdrasil appear in this world every century or so," Citrinitas concluded.

"And so you're saying that you believe Shalltear encountered another Player?" Ainz felt his emotional suppressant properly kicking in as the implications of this raced through his mind and fear crept down his spine. It actually made a sort of sense. Given Shalltear's power, race, and extremely negative karma rating, it is only natural that a more good, or simply neutral, aligned Player would see her as a massive threat. By the same metric, if he encountered a Shalltear-like creature, even as he is now, Ainz would have endeavored to destroy it immediately. Yet the cold rationalizing of it all mixed with the fury that someone forced him to kill his friend's NPC.

"Or someone with items from Yggdrasil, and World Items at that," Citrinitas cautioned, shaking her head. "Any more than that, I can't really say. Hell I can't even say if the items even work the same way in the hands of these new worlders. "

The statement caused Ainz think back to the village girl Enri who he gave the pair of goblin horns to. They were a trash drop that summons monsters at such so low levels that he didn't think much of it when he handed them to her. When he saw the goblin troop for the first time with Darkness, they made him curious. Not their equipment, though well crafted by the village's standards was pitiful even to Players, but the goblins themselves. Monster summons in Yggdrasil only lasted one hour at most, yet from Lupusregina's reports these goblins have been a constant presence in Carne since they appeared. It's hardly the first difference in effects from Yggdrasil he's seen. For instance, while a summoned Death Knight will disappeared after an appropriate amount of time, they will remain indefinably should a corpse be used in their creation.

So, if something as trash like the Horn of the Goblin General what differing effects would World Items have? Was Shalltear's predicament caused by the unintended effects an item can have in this world?

"…and so we have all the more reason to-"

"Enough Albedo," Ainz interrupted the argument that had been rolling on while he was in his thoughts. "Your debate is going in circles. I agree with Citrinitas's points and so we shall exercise caution on this matter. I will not have another servant of mine rush off in to yet another incident."

"Yes, of course Lord Ainz. I apologize for my comments," Albedo gave him a curt bow. "I was too blinded by my desire for justice at indignity you suffered to think as clearly on the matter as you have."

"What about the other Players that probably are or were already here?" The homunculus questioned. "Or whatever those Slane guys have or that city those Greed Kings left behind."

Right. That…

"We continue as we were before, gathering information and learning about this world, but with greater caution," Ainz decided turning to Albedo. "I want you and Demiurge to create a series of contingences for encounters with other Players and distribute them to anyone working outside the Tomb.

"In what sense my Lord?"

"First Contact Protocols in a sense," Ainz explained. "A set of guidelines for how they should conduct themselves before another Player. What to do when they are amicable to further interaction, or what to do should said they be hostile to the Tomb. Those sorts of things."

"Of course, Lord Ainz, it shall be done," Albedo obeyed.

Ainz somewhat tuned out the rest of the meeting after that. He remembers Citrinitas leaving and Albedo talking about a possible new source of message scrolls, but beyond that he had more things to worry about than simple scrolls.

While he has a sense of renewed hope of finding some of his fellow guildmates, the reality of what Citrinitas has said implies that there may be many more people than just his friends in the New World. Possibly scared and alone, they might just lash out at anything that looked threatening which happen to include a sizable portion of Nazarick's populace. Ainz hardly wanted to just go around killing other Players for no good reason. The best-case scenario is that other Players would be amenable to cooperation and mutual assistance.

The worst case would be facing another person like himself: teleporting to this world with a guildbase filled to the brim with POPs and NPCs. It may not even be their own fault for aggression, maybe their NPCs drive them down a certain direction like his own have to him.

But he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

Leaving the meeting, still trying to figure out how the hell I managed to get out of it in one piece, I ran into a group of people I would have rather not interact with.

"Lady Citrinitas, is that you," it was a group of Shalltear's brides, all handled together by a doorway. Several pairs of blood red eyes landed on me as they noticed my presence.

Oh dear. "Look, I don't-" I hardly had time to bullshit an excuse away from them before they rushed before of me.

"Please Lady Citrinitas, help Mistress Shalltear," the knelt and bowed so low their heads touched the stone floor.

Oh fuck this nonsense.

"Look, I have to be….somewhere that's not here. Excuse-" as I try to walk pass the kowtowing vampires, a cold hand grabbed my ankle.

"Please your Ladyship," the bride grabbing me continued, her head still facing the floor even as she tightened her grip on me. "Mistress Shalltear is suffering from the acts she was forced to commit and we cannot do anything to raise her spirits."

"Have you tried having sex with her? That might cheer her up," I joked, still trying to get my leg free.

"It was our first course of action my Lady," another bride commented. "But nothing we did would rouse her from her sorrow. Worse, she didn't even strike us for our actions."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"It is," the bride replied. "Even following Lord Peroroncino's…departure from the Tomb, Mistress Shalltear was never so depressed or filled with sorrow as to ignore punishing us. Her current state is beyond anything we have seen before."

"But why is she so upset if Ainz has already forgiven her?" I massaged my temple as I felt a headache creep up on me. "Shouldn't that have convinced her to be normal again?"

"He has indeed forgiven her," the bride countered. "But Lady Shalltear believes that Lord Ainz, in his infinite kindness, only told her what she wanted to hear to comfort her. Deep down, she is still haunted by the actions she was forced to commit. Her fear and self doubt is further fed by every insult and jab the other Guardians give her, real or perceived."

"Of course it is…" I mumbled in exasperation.

" And as it stands now, our Mistress is unfit for her duties as Guardian of the first floors," the vampire continued, now arcing her head up to look at me. "But if you could intercede…" she let the question just run off. Her big red eyes were like some puppy begging for a treat. But in this case, it was to help the sadomasochist vampire who abuses them.

Oh for the love of…

"Where is she anyway?"

"Over there," the bride indicated towards the doorway they were huddled around prior. "Since her resurrection, she spends all her time in the Sous Chef's Bar in an attempt to drink her sorrow away."

True to their word, there was only a single patron slumped over at the bar surrounded by emptied glasses. A fungus like creature, the Sous Chef I guess, must have sensed my presence, and so looked up from the glass he was cleaning to see who was looking into his domain. For whatever reason, the moment his eyes met me mushroom head shot back down to the glass he was cleaning.

Weird.

I was about to tell the vampire brides to that I don't care what happens to Shalltear until something just clicked inside me. There was just something about seeing someone, even one like her, drown in a sea of sorrow over having their agency stolen by something that just…just…

…reminds me of myself…

….how I felt back then….

"So," my voice made the vampire jolt in her seat, "this is where you've been hiding?" I didn't even realize I was approaching the bar until I was halfway there. It looked like she wanted to get up, a glass tipped over as she straightened her back, but seemingly felt it was too much effort and slumped back down onto the cool bar surface.

Despite my mind screaming at me that this was not my problem, my damn bleeding-heart empathized way too much with her situation. I'll just say my piece and be done with this.

"Mmmmm….Citrinitas," she whined the name out. "Did Lord Ainz send you to dissect me to find out why I'm such a failure?"

"If he did, I would have come with some muscle. I'm far too squishy to deal with you myself," I settled down at the bar with an empty stool between us.

"I wouldn't resist," Shalltear turned her head, so she was looking towards the wall. "Maybe the only value I have left is what someone like you can find out to prevent others from being as pathetic as me…"

"Well, it's good that I am not here under any orders," given how depressed she is, might be better to just be straight and not make any more jokes. "I was also curious to find out what you were doing in this bar. Hardly the kind of place I would see you go. No offence, of course," I apologized to the fungus-man.

"None taken, Madam," the bartender coolly replied, though he still kept his head down polishing the same glass from when I walked in.

"Then maybe the dungeon is where I belong," Shalltear depreciated herself.

'I can see you liking a certain type of dungeon' is what I really wanted to quip back. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm just drinking my sorrow away," Shalltear bemoaned, lifting up an empty glass. "Maybe if I drink enough of this stuff I'll forget my failure…"

"Shalltear…you can't get drunk, your undead," I sigh at the vampire's line of logic. This might be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.

The sadist was quiet for a moment, then dropped the glass and whined, "I can't even be a failure right…."

As the barkeep reached over to pick up the glass, still refusing to look at us, an awkward silence took hold. Shalltear made no move to pick up the refilled glass placed beside her, her interest suitably taken by the wall. Thought it felt like she could feel my eyes on the back of her head, and I could almost hear sniffles coming from her in the silence.

"Shalltear, are you going to-"

"If one of my brides acted against me I would have killed her," she interrupted me. "I would kill her on the spot, tortured her even, to serve as a warning to the others. I not only acted against a Supreme Being, but I tried to kill him. By all rights, I should be dead."

"Shalltear I don't think-"

"He's just too kind and compassionate to do it!" I jumped a bit at her raised voice. "But everyone else… they know what I did and what I deserve. But Lord Ainz he just…I…He…" her words from that point onward descended into incoherent mumbles.

Silence fell between us as I tried to think of another way to get this across to her.

"You know I would only tell you the truth right?"

"Mmmm yeah…" she mumbled.

Probably not the best choice on your part.

"So listen to me when I say that all the steps leading to you being compromised were solely your fault," time for some tough love. "You're an overconfident sadomasochist who finds joy in torturing things that are weaker than you or abusing them to your hearts content. You're arrogant, selfish, quick to anger at the slightest unconvince, and easily sidetracked by your emotions." Perhaps unsurprisingly she didn't react to the accusations of enjoying torture or abuse the same way she did with being called arrogant, shivering at the word. "That being said, everything that happened after you got controlled was not your fault."

"What!" that got a reaction from Shalltear as she shot up and looked at me. "How can you say that! I raised my arms against a Supreme Being with the intent to kill him! There is no punishment severe or harsh enough for what I did!"

"Who already forgave you because he knew you weren't in control of yourself," I had no idea of that was what he said exactly, but I can assume Ainz would say something akin to that.

"Because he's pitying me," Shalltear countered. "Due his great compassion and mercy he is refraining for giving me a punishment I justly deserve."

Hmmmmm.

Perhaps I need a more practical example.

Conjuring my item box I quickly found what I was looking for. In a single swift motion, I placed a blade to Shalltear's throat. The Sous Chef stepped back as the situation seemingly escalated. Don't worry mushroom man, I have no intention of staring a fight here.

"Citrinitas…I…" She stared at me with wide eyes, yet did nothing to move the cold edge from her jugular.

"If I cut your throat right here who is at fault: me or the blade?" I propose the dilemma to her.

"I…I…don't.."

"What would be blamed for your death, the weapon that cut your throat or the hand that guided it?" I press the blade into her flesh, knowing full well it will not break the skin. the same question, just worded differently. "By your logic, my sword would hold all the blame for what I do. And if we take this train of thought to the logical next step…" I shove the handle of the blade into one of her hands. With my hand on hers, clasping her fingers around it, I move the blade to my throat.

"If you cut my throat, who would-"

"Stop it!" The visibly distressed Shalltear used her actual strength for the first time with me and unclenched her hand before moving it away from me. The problem though was that my hand was still holding her fingers even if she had released her grip. So when she retched her hand back, my arm went forward with it and pulled the rest of my body along for the ride.

That meant…

Thud!

"Fuck!" I swore as my face slammed into the bar. Righting myself back up, I cradled my now bloodied nose while keenly aware my lip was also cut from the sharp edge.

"Citrintias! I- I – I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I was just trying to…oh, here I go again…" Shalltear shot out of her chair and babbled as she watched me. She looked like she was conflicted on whether to comfort me or keep her distance as she saw me reach once more into my item box.

I didn't say anything, knowing the pain would probably just make me swear at her or something that would render the whole little song and dance I just did with the sword pointless. It didn't take long for me to find a heath potion and to start pouring the sanguine stuff onto my head. As with my ribs before, I could feel my injures mend themselves together moments after the first drop touch my scalp. Unlike the last time, I didn't use the whole thing, just enough for my cuts and bruise to me healed.

"I'm fine," I told her, "You didn't do any permeant damage, it just startled me."

She didn't reply. Eyes cast downward, she turned to take her seat again. Before she sat down, I grabbed her shoulder.

"Wha-"

"Look, the point I was trying to make is that when you are not in control of yourself you are not accountable for said actions," I just get to the point this time rather than act smart with overly complicated symbolism. "Everything up to that moment is absolutely your fault. But you attacking Ainz? No. That is all on the people who attacked you. Or rather, who fought back when you attacked them. Maybe getting mind controlled was your fault, but everything done under its way was by there hands not yours."

Again, she did not respond but she also didn't try to get out of my hold. Perhaps afraid she'll hurt me again.

Maybe I need yet another strategy…

"I'm smarter than most people in this place and Ainz is" a salaryman "even smarter still," I try another line of discussion. "So if the two of us are saying you are not at fault, then you are not at fault."

"But everyone-"

"Oh for the love of….Who cares what they think," This was getting too frustrating. After dealing with her constant self-pity thing, I grabbed and made her look me in the eyes. "Listen to me: Who cares what others think? Albedo thinks any slight against Ainz, real or not, warrants a death sentence and Demiurge overthinks everything to the point of insanity! You didn't care about what they thought of you before, so why now? Ainz said it's over, I'm saying it's over, so it's over. If you want to blame someone, blame the ones who did that to you."

I think I was almost venting my own frustrations at this point.

"I'm just a screw up, what can I-"

"You can fight them!" I cut her off, my tone of voice seemingly taking her by surprise. There was just something about seeing her just roll over, throw up her hands, and accept what happened to her as her own fault that really rubbed me the wrong way. "Don't tell me you're just going to roll over and let them get away with what they did to you!"

"But-"

"No 'but's'" I have no idea where this is coming from. It's actually taking me by surprise. "They surprised you last time, next time you'll be ready for it."

"….." she didn't reply and tried to look away from me even as I held her head in place. She looked so defeated and broken. There was just something about how she broke down a wallowed in self-pity over actions against her will that infuriated me…

…. Isn't that you felt once…

…what would you do…

…

…what will you do…

"If it was me, I would sooner see this entire world burn to ash around me before I would just let them walk away without punishment," wow where was this venom coming from? It was certainly surprising Shalltear as much as me. Even as the words left my lips, and anger bubbled in my belly, I could barely contain myself. "There would be no force in the universe that would stop me before I mete out justice for every wrong they committed against me. Only after everything they built and cared for has been ripped from their hands and torn apart before their very eyes, when they finally realize the scale of their own decimation and understand a fraction of the hopelessness I felt, will my rage be sated."

Shalltear stared at me with eyes wide eyes. Where the hell did all that come from? Sure, I can relate to her loss of agency due to the whole being trapped for a decade thing but I have no idea where this bile was coming from. After all, its all in the past for me

"And you're you," getting a grip of myself, I bring the whole conversation back to Shalltear and her predicament. "You have both the means and ability to fight back. If you want to heap blame around, blame the gaggle of fools who tried to control you! Now get up, stop trying to get drunk, learn from your mistakes, and move on with your life already you stupid vampire!"

A deathly silence fell upon the bar like a crypt. The barkeep, the brides still huddled by the doorway, Shalltear, even myself. There was a feeling as if something was about to happen. A fear that Shalltear would snap? Me? I don't know.

But as quickly as it came, the silence was lifted by sniffles.

Then soft laughter.

Shalltear rubbed her face into her sleeve as she continued to giggle to herself. "I never knew you could be so forceful Citrinitas. If I had known…" She made a moaning sound under her breath rather than finish her sentence.

"Please don't tell me you got off at me yelling at you," I groaned at the possibility. Though the fact she was making jokes at all meant my words did have some effect on her.

"If this were any other situation…" she said to herself, sighing she looked me in the eye. "I- Thank you. I understand what you're trying to tell me Citrinitas. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone other than Lord Ainz. Thank you."

"So…are you going to be okay then?" I asked wondering if my job was done. Though I was going to leave Nazarick regardless, it always feels off to leave a job 'half finished' as they say.

"What I…This is hardly something I can work through in a single conversation," Shalltear admitted with a sad smile. "But thanks. I think…I think I can work through this now."

"Well, that's better than earlier-" I was cut off by the vampire embracing me in a tight hug. Her momentum almost took me off my feet.

"Thank you," she whispered. Unlike the other times she got physical with me this was different. It was hard to put into words, but her body language screamed that she was looking for comfort rather than desire. Without realizing it, my arms had already wrapped around her to reciprocate her embrace.

This was a monster.

A cruel beast in the guise of a girl.

She's an unrepentant killer and sadist who plays with her victims in every conceivable way until they either break or she grows bored and grants them the release of death if she's feeling generous.

"Thank you," I heard her whisper again, her face snuggling into my shoulder as the embrace continued.

And yet all I can see right now is someone whose lonely and scared.

Right now, she's someone who just needs a hug.

"So how did the mission go?"

The question was the first thing the Captain heard after he left the Pontiff Maximus's solar. Beyond the initial report he gave to the cardinals, his Holiness requested to meet him in private to discuss certain events of the last mission in greater detail. Hardly unexpected given the absolute failure of the Scripture's last mission.

What was unexpected, was to see Zesshi Zetsumi waiting for him.

"Well?" Zesshi commented, her eyes never leaving the rubix cube in her hand. "How bad was it?"

"Don't you have the report?" As the Black Scripture's Extra Seat, she receives a copy of all the reports he hands into the Cardinals.

"I can't be bothered to read it," The Captain sighed at her response. "So?"

"The mission was an absolute failure," he grimaced at the words.

"More disaster than failure," she quipped back. "A quarter of the Scripture dying isn't anything noteworthy, but having some of their specialized gear taken, not to mention loss of Downfall of Castle and Country, is beyond simple failure. I can only imagine how incensed they must be right now." Despite her words, her tone was more akin to playful banter then any worry or concern.

"I thought you didn't read the report?" he questioned.

"I hardly need to read when I can hear priests whispering about it when they think no one is listening," she let out a happy hum as she successfully matched all the colored squares on one side of the cube. "I'm just curious about the stuff that isn't being gossiped about."

"We encountered a powerful vampire before being decimated by a warlock," The Captain sighed as he remembered the encounters. "The vampire, a creature called Shalltear, pushed me aside like I was a plaything and tore its way through the Eight and Ninth Seats to hit Lady Karie, all in a single strike. She had been in the process of bringing it under our thrall when the vampire's strike landed on her. While I am confident the process still affected it, we were unsuccessful in dominating its mind."

"So this vampire, was it strong?" Zesshi's interest was piqued at the mention of the creature.

"Unprecedentedly so," he grimaced at the memory of the encounter.

"Hmmmm," the Extra Seat hummed to herself as her smile turned predatory. "Then who do you think would win in a fight: me or the vampire?"

"You would, naturally," The Captain immediately replied, the answer was obvious. Powerful as it might be, nothing can stand before Certain Death herself and live. The vampire would be cut down in short order if the two fought. Though he will admit it would probably last longer than Zetsumi's prior targets.

"Oh," Zesshi sighed in disappointment. "What about the warlock then?"

"She is one of the most powerful magic casters I have ever encountered," he recalled the blonde woman he fought. "Disgustingly powerful and skilled in black magic, she brought an entire host of wraiths under her sway to attack us while we were weakened. She killed the Second and Tenth Seats outright, mortally wounded the Fourth Seat, before ripping Downfall of Castle and Country from Lady Karie's still warm body. I engaged her, we traded blows, but she managed to escape."

"So she actually managed to keep up with you?" her interest peaked again, though not to the same degree as before.

"She was sloppy, uncoordinated in melee, but yes she held her ground for a time. But magic is her true strength, and she wielded it with the skill I wield my polearm with," just the mention of her magic caused a phantom pain to pang in his chest from here her last curse washed over him.

"Not normal then," the woman commented. "Think she's like us?"

The Captain nodded, "that is the leading theory." Though he had held the opinion when he clashed with her, the cardinals agreed with his assessment that the magic caster was most likely a godkin. The revelation caused a whole slew of new arguments to erupt in the chamber. Because somehow, someway, a godkin had slipped through the Theocracy's fingers. It's almost too ridiculous to believe.

The Theocracy keeps immaculate records of all known godkin lineages for this very kind of situation. Contrary to what some might assume, while all godkin can trace their linages back to one of the Six Great Gods, it is not an unbroken line. That is, not all children will manifest the full potential of their divine bloodline. While it is unheard of for these children to be normal, typically manifesting either strange talents or unique skills, few will ever manifest a fraction of a true godkin's power.

In short, a godkin could father dozens of children and none of them manifest his degree of powers. But that doesn't precluded their decedents from manifesting as godkin. While the bloodlines will thin out as generation pass, it is far from uncommon for a child to be born godkin yet the last godkin to be born of their line is their great-great-great grandparent.

Such as his family's case.

To the best of the Theocracy's knowledge, while there are forty-nine known linages whose bloodlines can potentially manifest godkin, there are only four godkin in the known world.

Zesshi.

Himself.

His Holiness the Pontiff Maximus.

And now the magic caster he recently fought.

How ironic that for all her bluster about the Gods, her own strength is a result of her own divine lineage.

Yet despite their divine ancestry, not all godkin are equally gifted with power. Ignoring the oddity that is Zesshi, most godkin vary in raw power. For example, His Holiness is only slightly stronger than a baseline human but is blessed with unparallel divine casting ability that easily reaches into the seventh tier. By contrast, the Captain he has greater strength and endurance than most humans will ever achieve but is comparatively middling in terms of magical prowess though he doubts any would call third tier magic middling. The only trait shared amongst godkin was longer lifespans and some exotic aesthetics.

"So, what's the plan regarding the woman?" Zesshi questioned.

The captain sighed, "capture at all costs. Lethal force is prohibited under any circumstances."

"Really? Even after everything she's done?"

"You know why," It was his shake his head at Zesshi. With a new godkin on the playing field, it opened new opportunities for the Theocracy. It was well recorded that the chance of a godkin is almost guaranteed should both the mother and father be godkins themselves and the bloodline is more powerful even for children who do not manifest fully. In essence, should she be captured she will most likely be held in confinement for the rest of her life to bare children in the hopes continuing her line.

"I know, I just think it's funny," Zesshi snickered. "A person who's committed so much heresy in their eyes yet they can't even kill her. The Gods sure love their jokes."

"It was ruled that the threat of her having a contingency in place to destroy her own body upon death was too great a risk," he wouldn't put it past someone like her to have some trick up her sleeve to keep herself from being revived.

"Talk about tying your hands," fiddled with another row of colored squares on her cube. "Still, she seems far less interesting than the vampire."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Beyond her being a woman, If someone like you could fight her to a standstill, then there's no point in me even challenging her," Zesshi sighed. Out of context, her words would easily come off as an attack on someone. But this was Certain Death. It was no more insulting then saying the Sun rises east to west or that fire burns wood. "Hey, think they'll make you breed her if she's captured?"

"I'd…rather not think about it," The Captain brushed off Zesshi's question.

"What? Is she not attractive enough? Is she horribly disfigured under her mask or is her shape simply not took your liking? Or has the Pontiff already laid his claim on her?"

"Looks are hardly a measure when it comes to these sorts of things," this conversation was taking a turn into uncomfortable territory for him, beyond the mention of his holiness in such a way. Still, he could not deny that the woman's looks far outshone the appearances of his wives. Like comparing coal to diamonds. Yet when he looked upon her, there was something about her that made his skin crawl. A cold darkness to her that poisoned all it touched.

"I suppose you're right," Zeeshi sighed and looked down from her cube to her belly. "When I find a man that can defeat me, it won't matter if he is the most disgusting, the most monstrous, or even the most inbred person in the world. I will gladly take his seed and sire his spawn. Just imagine how strong a child of our union would be…"

Seeing the Extra Seat's sinister smile as she imagines her ideal 'husband' always reminds him of an offhand comment he heard when he was younger. Back when he first saw the heterochromatic woman, he was stunned by her beauty. But seeing his infatuation, his instructor told him to forget about her. Going on to say that any man interested in Zesshi would experience something akin to walking into a beartrap.

At the time, he thought it was a comment about her declaration that only someone who could defeat her could marry her, and the 'beartrap' was the bloody results of all the failed suitors. Years later, after he assumed the role of Captain and got to know the woman firsthand, he learned the "beartrap" referred to something far cruder than it first seemed.

Not that he doubts Zesshi would strongly disagree with the sentiment.