Chapter 61: Kneel (Patreon)

"Mmm~~"

Humming a little tune to herself, Albedo threaded a needle through a loop of wool, pulling it tight. Using smooth, practiced motions, she repeatedly inserted and removed the needle, repeating the process several times until she successfully attached a black cloth to the spherical mass of black thread.

Gazing at the nearly finished, hand-knitted doll, she smiled softly. Her smile radiated such love and devotion that she seemed almost like a goddess in that moment.

"Okay! Aurelius-Sama's uniform is done! How is it, Adara? Your mother made this—pretty good, don't you think?"

"Uwu wuu!"

Satisfied, Albedo proudly held up the tiny doll uniform, showing it off to her daughter. The toddler looked at the doll her mother had crafted, giggling in delight.

"My sweet child, your mother made a little version of your father. It's not quite finished yet though."

Cradling Adara gently in her arms, she then reached for the next item she needed.

"Now, let's move on to creating his face."

With extreme care, Albedo set the miniature doll uniform in a corner of the desk, standing up to grab a bundle of white yarn for the doll's head.

This was her personal space. However, calling it "personal" might be stretching it.

The main reason? The wardrobe she was about to open.

Inside, Aurelius was everywhere.

Not the real Aurelius, of course. But various life-sized cushions of him, displayed in different positions, scattered throughout the room. It was a shrine, of sorts—a top-secret space that no maid or servant was ever allowed to enter.

"Kufufufu—Aurelius-sama!"

Albedo let out a strange, excited laugh as she lunged toward one of the life-sized cushions. She flapped her wings—sprouting from her waist—to slow her fall as she tackled the cushion, almost like a rugby player diving for a tackle.

Surrounded by various other Aurelius-themed plushies and dolls, she rolled on the floor with the cushion and Adara clutched in her arms, ensuring her safety no matter how wild her movements.

"Kyaaaa!!"

Albedo squealed in delight, and Adara, thinking her mother was playing with her, giggled.

“Haaaaa~ I want to see Aurelius-sama.”

She hugged the cushion tightly, venting her jealousy towards Luna, who was currently enjoying his company.

But it was at that moment that she heard a voice—

[Albedo.]

Her body quivered in fear.

She broke out in a cold sweat, and her face twitched as she looked around, until she was sure that the voice had been generated by magic.

[Aah, Aurelius-sama—do you have any orders for me?]

[I just received a message from Solution. Get ready. It’s time we pay Sebas a visit. I’ll take you out for a stroll, too, since you’ve been cooped up for a while. Let Luminous take care of Adara for now.]

The mention of Sebas instantly brought a murderous glint to Albedo’s eyes, recalling the "dog" who had dared to defy Aurelius's orders. But when she heard Aurelius’s plan to take her out, the previous thought vanished, replaced by uncontainable joy.

[I’ll be ready in no time, Aurelius-sama!]

[Good. I’ll be waiting.]

With that, the spell dissipated. Albedo, her smile wide and gleeful, rose slowly, carefully placing the cushion back in its proper spot.

But as she glanced toward a corner of the room, a strange light flickered in her eyes.

“...Still, I really don’t understand.”

None of the maids were allowed into this room. This was both because Albedo wanted to monopolize the dolls and also because of a particular corner of the room.

That corner contained the flag emblazoned with the symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown.

It should have been proudly displayed near the entrance, but it had instead been thrown into the corner where it was now gathering dust. There was no trace of respect or admiration for it, only disdain, anger, and scorn.

Albedo thought of the flag that had replaced the flag of Ainz Ooal Gown, the flag representing 'Aurelius Nova Lucifer,' and she couldn't help but murmur.

“This Great Tomb of Nazarick should be renamed 'Aurelius Nova Lucifer'…”

Over time, Albedo had grown to hate Ainz Ooal Gown. What once might have been admiration had turned into nothing but contempt, anger, and hostility. No trace of respect remained.

Her devotion, her loyalty, her love—all belonged to Aurelius Nova Lucifer alone.

“This Great Tomb of Nazarick belongs to you, and you alone, my love. I, Albedo, give my heart and loyalty only to you. Isn’t that right, Adara?”

“Taa…” Adara giggled softly, as if agreeing with her mother.

…..

Right after informing Albedo, Aurelius teleported to E-Rantel.

At present, he wasn't in his usual form as Aurelius but rather in the guise of the adventurer Lucifer. As he moved through the streets with Narberal at his side, he contemplated the events to come, heading toward the inn to prepare for the next part of the game.

The inn was bustling with adventurers as usual. When the sound of adamantite plates clinked together, every pair of eyes in the room turned toward Aurelius and his companion.

For a moment, there was murmuring and gossip among the crowd.

But Aurelius ignored it all and made his way upstairs.

He activated a magic item that would block any sound from escaping the room.

“Narberal.”

“My Lord!”

Narberal responded immediately, adopting the respectful stance of a subordinate. At the end of the day, she was still his maid, despite having gotten pregnant by him.

“Do you know about Pandora’s Actor?”

“Pandora’s Actor? My apologies, Aurelius-Sama. I know nothing about Pandora’s Actor. I deserve punishment for my ignorance!”

“There’s no need for that. It's fine. I expected as much—he’s rarely ever seen by anyone.”

Narberal’s curiosity seemed piqued at the mention of Pandora’s Actor.

“Bonehead—no, that’s wrong. He is an NPC that Momonga created. He guards the treasury of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.”

“I see…”

“Pandora’s Actor is a high-level doppelganger, capable of taking on any form. So while I am away, you will accompany him to the royal capital in the guise of adventurers.”

“Understood!”

Aurelius glanced at Narberal before activating a communication spell. A voice echoed in his mind.

[Aah, Aurelius-Sama!]

[Pandora’s Actor, are you ready?]

[Muuuroooon is here! This Pandora’s Actor shall serve you with everything he has, Aurelius-Sama]

[Good. I trust you.]

Aurelius sighed as he cut off the communication spell.

What was that bonehead—Momonga—thinking when he created such a bizarre being?

Shaking his head inwardly, Aurelius gave Narberal a final instruction.

“Wait here. I’ve already marked the coordinates for Pandora’s Actor. He will arrive soon.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Then, with a faint smile, he disappeared into this air.

…..

Meanwhile, Sebas, who had been out on a stroll and was unaware of Tuare's kidnapping, returned to the house and quickly realized something was wrong—Tuare was nowhere to be found. A glance around revealed a note on parchment, left by the Eight Fingers.

They were blackmailing him, demanding that he come to their hideout at night if he wanted to see Tuare alive.

Still furious with himself and filled with regret for leaving Tuare alone, Sebas was lost in thought when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He spun around, heart pounding.

A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Standing there was Solution, who had been away on an errand under Demiurge’s orders. While her presence wasn’t unusual—she could have simply returned early—what sent a wave of unease through Sebas was the fact that she was dressed in her maid uniform.

Solution was supposed to be playing the role of a merchant heiress, so for her to appear in this uniform was alarming. Worse still, since he believed she didn't know about Tuare's kidnapping, it meant she didn’t care about being seen by Tuare in her maid attire.

A deep sense of foreboding gripped Sebas’ heart, and Solution’s next words only confirmed his dread.

“—Sebas-sama. Aurelius-sama is waiting for you inside the house.”

Sebas, who could remain calm even before mighty foes or beings on the level of Floor Guardians, felt his entire body tense at the mention of his master’s presence. The memory of his recent actions—the decision to save Tuare, her subsequent kidnapping—flooded his mind. It felt as if fate had conspired against him ever since that fateful day.

“Why... why is he here?” Sebas stammered, his voice faltering. However, Solution only looked at him in silence, and her expression was unreadable.

“Sebas-sama. Aurelius-sama is waiting for you."

There was nothing more he could say. He had no choice but to follow Solution into the house, his steps heavy and deliberate, as if he were a criminal walking to his execution.

The door to the guest room creaked open.

If the door had reflected Sebas’ true feelings, he would have preferred it remain closed, barring him from the reality waiting on the other side. But the door swung open, revealing the familiar interior of the room—yet, today, it was anything but ordinary.

Five heteromorphic beings were waiting inside: Cocytus, Demiurge, the fetal-shaped angel Victim, and the leader of the Floor Guardians, Albedo.

And finally—

The Supreme One, ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the mightiest of all the Supreme Beings—

—Aurelius Nova Lucifer.

“Please forgive my lateness. I deeply apologize for making you wait.”

Sebas spoke, his voice strained as he suppressed the tremor of fear. He bowed deeply, like a man before a god.

What he received in response, however, was not the warmth or understanding he had desperately hoped for. Only one cold, commanding word cut through the room like a blade.

"Kneel."

In an instant, it felt as though the weight of a thousand mountains had crushed down on Sebas' shoulders. His legs buckled and collapsed beneath him, slamming hard into the floor.

Bam!