Lumiere looked at Lupusregina with sympathetic eyes.
“Nah, it’s nothing like that! Since Ainz-sama ordered it, it’s worth doing! …Although, I have to say, it’s kind of boring. How should I put this… it would be so much more fun to squish them beneath my feet.”
Sixth has no particular reaction to that statement. Humans and their villages and whatnot were unimportant to her. Whether they prospered or were destroyed, the only thing that mattered was if they were useful to Nazarick.
“Even if Ainz-sama says that village has value, I still can’t see it~”
“Did Ainz-sama say that out of compassion for those worthless people in the village?”
“No, no, isn’t Ainz-sama like a hurricane of death? I’m sure he’ll grind them into dust when he feels like it.”
“What are you saying? Don’t you know Ainz-sama is the living avatar of wisdom? Even that wouldn’t be enough to describe him. All this must be part of his plan.”
“Ara, I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that, surely Ainz-sama’s power must be the best part of him…”
The four beauties stared at each other.
“Ainz-sama is a beautiful, compassionate person.”
“Ainz-sama is the incarnation of death.”
“Ainz-sama is an extraordinary hero.”
“Oh, looks like everyone has a different impression of Ainz-sama. Then, let’s have a competition to see who picks out the most suitable title for Ainz-sama.”
In an instant, everyone went silent. Lupusregina was wearing her usual smile, but she was determined not to let the other maids pull ahead of her in terms of appreciating her liege’s qualities.
However, Sixth and her two friends felt the same way. Although the regular maids were weak beings, their love and passion for their master was no less than that of anyone else’s.
“Then, the three of you may begin.”
The first to speak was Lumiere.
“Then, as I said earlier, I wish to praise Ainz-sama’s beauty. So how about ‘A figure of beautiful porcelain, shining and flawless, the gentle lord of mercy.’”
Next was Foire.
“Well, if we’re going to praise Ainz-sama, then we should praise his awesome power right? What is more fitting than ‘Memento Mori’!”
The third was Sixth.
“Ainz-sama was the one who commanded the Supreme Beings, so his management skills would be excellent. So he is a ‘wise king’.”
Although everyone’s names fitted their master well, in the end they all thought that their own choices was the best.
Lupusregina coughed gently as Sixth, Foire and Lumiere looked at her. With a proud look on her face, she said,
“In the end, he is the absolutely strongest and most—”
“…There you are.”
The source of the calm voice was CZ. The penguin butler she had been holding under her arm had vanished to parts unknown.
“…Don’t use invisibility. So much.”
“Soz~ it’s a habit~”
“…And then. You had breakfast.”
A furious anger burned under CZ’s emotionless face. Sixth had a feeling that she shouldn’t be here any longer.
“…Ah, I-I have to go to Ainz-sama!”
“Then, I’ll go too.”
“I’ll send you along~”
Sixth and the others quietly vacated their seats, though they did feel a little bad ignoring Lupusregina’s pleading looks toward them. They only managed to go for one round of the buffet.
Pangs of regret stung their hearts as they slipped away, but now was the time for work. Sixth paid no heed to the tension that was rapidly filling the air behind them. Instead, she lightly slapped her cheeks to focus herself.
Her face had the stern, brave expression of a soldier heading off to a war, but her footsteps were light and fast.
♦ ♦ ♦
Nazarick Time 9:20
6th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The undead that roamed all over the tomb were nowhere to be seen here. Instead, Aura’s beasts and other monsters that did not automatically respawn defended the floor. This floor was the widest in the Great Tomb of Nazarick and most of the floor was densely forested. It was an area befitting the word ‘sea of trees’.
However, the former members of Ainz Ooal Gown hadn’t been satisfied, and didn’t stop after simply covering the floor with greenery.
A Colosseum, giant trees, overgrown ruins, a lake, poisonous pits, twisted trees, mangrove forest, bottomless swamps, and various types of woodland were added to the floor. They had even accepted new residents recently, so there was a small village as well.
Amidst all the sights in this verdant expanse, there was a huge lake at the middle of the floor —
though it was still smaller than the underground lake on the 4th floor— and it was surrounded by a plain rather than a forest. Compared to the entire 6th floor, the plain was as small as a cat’s brow, but for them, it was large enough.
The first one in the group was the guardian of the floor, Aura. The way she rode on top of her wolf with pitch black fur was gallant and could be described as nothing less than extremely skilful.
That was to be expected. To patrol a floor this large —though she possessed extraordinary physical abilities and just running around the entire floor was possible— she preferred riding on the back of the beasts that she had tamed.
There were two others with her.
One was the overseer of the guardians, Albedo. She didn’t wear her normal beautiful white dress, but was instead garbed in her black full plate armour used for combat. However, she did not carry any weapon or shield.
The other was Shalltear. There was nothing different about her from her normal attire. There was a slight glint in her eyes as if she was enjoying the situation.
“Then, I’ll start. Come, my steed.”
The skill Albedo activated was ‘Summon Mount’.
A monster with a coat coloured like silver armour appeared from nowhere.
With its silver mane and tail, it was a magical beast that resembled a horse. It wore a set of full plate barding, as well as a saddle and bridle. It was smaller than an average horse, but had an energetic aura about it. The final difference was the head, where two horns sprouted, pointing forward.
The first one to react was the one who was the most knowledgeable about magical beasts; Aura.
“Oh~ It’s different from a normal bicorn! The horns are amazing and its body is lean and muscled!”
Albedo smiled in satisfaction.
“Of course. This one is specially tailored to match my abilities. It’s something worthy of the name
‘War-Bicorn Lord’…. But it’s actually just a level 100 Bicorn.”
“Can it fly?”
“No, that’s too much. Its basic status is no different from a regular bicorn. It doesn’t have special abilities, only enhanced HP, strength and agility.”
“Ah, I guess if you don’t have ‘Rider’ class skills, it’s hard to evolve a mount. If it fights alongside us in battles between level hundreds, it could become a hindrance because of its lack of special abilities.”