Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Sebastian's response was, as always, brief and respectful.

Ainz gave a few more instructions about the mission's progress before ending the communication.

He stood by the window, watching the city of Yelantil gradually awaken in the morning light.

The clouds on the horizon were tinged with a pale golden-red by the rising sun, as if someone had used an extremely fine brush to slowly draw along the horizon.

Ainz suddenly remembered something else.

I think I just received a message from Antema?

This shouldn't be as complicated as Sebastian's question; it's probably just a report on information regarding [Martial Arts].

A simple response will suffice.

[Message] After contacting Albedo, the first thing she said far exceeded my expectations.

"—Lord Ainz. Shalltear Bloodfallen has rebelled."

Unable to grasp the meaning of Albedo's words instantly, Ainz's reaction after finally getting them into his mind was incredibly foolish.

Ainz stood there, his mouth wide open. Without the restriction of his skin, his jaw opened much wider than usual.

That sentence was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples in his mind, but it took a long time to sink to the bottom.

"……what?"

When Ainz uttered that syllable, he himself didn't know why he made that sound.

Something was violently trembling in his mind.

Shalltear.

rebel?

These two words collided repeatedly in his mind, like two hard stones that could never be pieced together.

Ainz even wondered if Albedo had used some rhetorical device he had never heard of before, or if the "rebellion" in this world actually had another meaning.

But there was no hint of joking in Albedo's voice.

Sebastian had just ended his communication with Ainz and was about to turn his attention back when that voice rang in his mind again.

"Sebastian".

This time, Ainz's voice was completely different from before, carrying a hint of coldness.

"Shalltear Bradford has rebelled."

Sebastian hadn't fully grasped the meaning of that statement yet.

"Lord Ainz?"

"There are some parts of the instructions that just came out that need to be adjusted."

Ainz paused for a moment.

"Regarding that nobleman, once we confirm that he is trustworthy, we can deepen our cooperation."

Sebastian paused for a moment.

"Lord Ainz means..."

“It is now important to investigate the relevant intelligence about Shalltear’s rebellion. We can rely more on his intelligence sources.”

"Yes, I understand."

Even so, Sebastian was still a little confused, since this was exactly what he had just proposed.

Lord Ainz repeated it specifically, perhaps to remind him not to underestimate Mr. Rune's importance?

As expected of Lord Ainz.

Chapter 51 Processing

After the teleportation ended, Ainz found himself in front of a gently sloping hill.

This is the terrain created by Mare, one of the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, using magic. It's a rock wall used to conceal the surface portion of Nazarick buried underground.

Ainz activated the "Flight" spell, his body lightly rising into the air and instantly flying over the hill.

Upon reaching a certain location, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, as if passing through an invisible membrane. The hills vanished, replaced by the all-too-familiar landscape of their homeland. This signified that the illusionary barrier had been breached.

Ainz did not slow down, flying straight towards the most magnificent central shrine, which was the only entrance into the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the shrine's steps, he noticed a large crowd gathered below. Ainz suppressed the slight unease rising within him and slowly descended in front of the group.

"Lord Ainz, welcome home."

A soft female voice rang out first, followed by a chorus of greetings echoing around.

Standing at the very front of the procession, dressed in a pure white gown, was Albedo, the Grand Steward of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She was the one most aware of the situation at this moment. Behind her were four maids who were combat maids, and behind them was a team of level 80 servants.

Ainz had just contacted Albedo and Sebastian via [message], and then notified Narberal to teleport.

It had only been ten minutes since then, and such a large welcoming party had already gathered before her, demonstrating Albedo's remarkable management skills.

Ainz secretly praised them and waved his hand lightly in response to everyone's greetings.

"Albedo, about that matter mentioned in the [message]..."

He wanted to ask Shalltear if she had truly betrayed him, but the words caught in his throat.

A nameless fear welled up inside me, as if asking the question aloud would make it an unchangeable fact. Besides, discussing such matters in front of so many servants was ultimately inappropriate.

"Yes, would you like to discuss this further in another location?"

“That’s right… Let’s go to the throne room.”

“Yes, sir. Yuri, then present the ring to Lord Ainz.”

From the rear of the maid ranks, a bespectacled combat maid quietly stepped out.

Her outfit, like Narberal's, belongs to the battle maid series, but there are obvious differences in the details. Narberal's clothing focuses on protection, while hers emphasizes ease of movement, as evidenced by the absence of a metal plate on the front of her skirt.

The metal handguards protrude with sharp spikes, transforming into deadly weapons when the fist is clenched. A wide blue necklace is inlaid with translucent gemstones, whose internal light and shadow flicker not so much as reflecting light, but rather as if burning flames.

She styled her hair in an evening updo, her face dignified and aloof, exuding an intellectual air.

This person is none other than Yuri Alpha, the vice-captain of the battle maids. Sebastian is the captain, so among the maids, Yuri effectively plays the role of the unifier.

She held the tray in both hands, on which lay a ring—the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown—quietly.

Ainz picked up the ring and put it on his ring finger.

This ring allowed the wearer to teleport freely within the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He would remove it and store it whenever he went out, to prevent it from being stolen. The familiar feeling of the ring fitting snugly against his finger bone returned, which pleased him greatly.

"Then, let's go, Albedo."

Unable to teleport directly to the Throne Room, Ainz activated the power of the ring to reach the previous room.

Pushing open the heavy door, he walked towards the crystal throne deep within, accompanied by Albedo. Along the way, Ainz explained his new arrangements for Sebastian.

Ainz really wanted to ask if there was anything wrong with his actions, but there were more important things to confirm at the moment.

He looked toward the throne and recited the prescribed activation code:

"Turn on the main power."

A semi-transparent interface unfolded before me, resembling a console but with some differences. The interface was divided into tabs, filled with dense text.

This is the management system of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

The system records the daily management costs, the types and numbers of current servants, and the various magical trap devices that are in operation. Most functions can be managed here.

In the YGGDRASIL era, this system could be accessed anytime, anywhere, but Ainz discovered through experiments that in this world, the system could only operate in the Throne Hall in the heart region.

"Although it's a bit troublesome to come here every time... but with the ring that can teleport, it's not too much of a problem."

Ainz skillfully brought up the NPC tab.

The page lists the names of all the NPCs created by the guild members.

He changed the default katakana sorting to a hierarchy order, then browsed through them one by one from top to bottom, his gaze suddenly stopping at one spot. He slowly raised his head to look at Albedo.

Yes, as you can see.

Among the string of white text, only Shalltear Bradford's name appeared in black.

Ainz knew what this color change meant; if he still had flesh and blood, his face would be filled with astonishment.

"...Is it death?"

He asked Albedo, still clinging to a sliver of hope that perhaps the system had changed during his transfer to this world. However, Albedo's next words shattered that last hope.

"If it's death, the name will disappear immediately. Only a temporary blank name represents betrayal."

"Yes...that's true."

Ainz responded, recalling the textual changes he had seen in YGGDRASIL.

Although Albedo is described as a "betrayal," the system's original meaning is slightly different. In a broader sense, it is indeed similar to betrayal, but in reality, the name changes color when one is temporarily hostile due to being mentally controlled by a third party.

"Impossible," Ainz thought to himself again.

Shalltear, like him, is an immortal and should be completely immune to any mental effects.

Why would someone like her be subject to mind control? It would be easier to accept that she betrayed Nazarick out of her own free will. For example, perhaps she was dissatisfied with her treatment, or someone offered her better conditions from outside, etc.

If not, then something beyond Ainz's comprehension must have happened during the process of being transported to this world.

Enfreya's face appeared in his mind. Indeed, the innate superpowers and other unknown forces of this world might truly affect the spirit of the undead.

"...Could it be the effect of a special ability or phenomenon in this world?"

"That's still unclear. But Shalltear's betrayal is a fact, and I suggest we immediately assemble a punitive expedition."

Ainz suddenly realized that the core mission of those servants who had just greeted him was probably to defeat Shalltear.

Looking back, the fact that many members with holy attack methods were deliberately selected for the queue is quite rare in Nazarick, clearly to effectively counter the undead.

Albedo continued firmly:

"I have volunteered to serve as commander. If Lord Ainz approves, I would also like to appoint Cocytus as vice commander, and Mare should also join the team."

This is an excellent lineup that can guarantee the elimination of Shalltear, which shows that Albedo has made sufficient preparations.