Don't Disappoint Me, Demiurge

"Albedo, do you have anything to say?"

Momonga made one last attempt, hoping Albedo would offer some excuse so he could seize the opportunity to let her off with a lighter punishment on account of it being her first offense.

"I have no objections, and am willing to resign as Floor Guardian Overseer and go to the Frozen Prison." Albedo bowed her head as she spoke. She didn't care what punishment she received, but she was furious that Demiurge had shown no regard for Lord Ainz's dignity.

"Mm..." Momonga nodded, feeling a little despairing. She'd confessed just like that. Even if he wanted to make excuses for her, there was nothing he could do.

"I hope you understand one thing." Demiurge spread his hands and said to Albedo, "Until Lord Ainz dismisses you, you are still the Floor Guardian Overseer. You have no authority to resign from your position."

Then he turned to Momonga. "Please issue your orders, Lord Ainz."

"..." Momonga let out a silent sigh. The tide had turned, and he'd already done everything he could. "Effective immediately, Albedo is removed from her position as Floor Guardian Overseer and is to be confined in the Frozen Prison. The duration of her confinement will be decided later."

"Yes, Lord Ainz." Albedo lowered her head and accepted the order.

"Then I'll leave this to you, Cocytus. You oversee Nazarick's Fifth Floor, so take Albedo there and find a good spot to confine her." Momonga said. He was beginning to doubt his ability to communicate with his eyes, so he spelled it out, hoping Cocytus would find a comfortable place for Albedo to be held.

"Understood, Lord Ainz." Cocytus answered meticulously, already weighing in his mind which room in the Frozen Prison might qualify as the "good spot" Lord Ainz had mentioned. It absolutely couldn't be too comfortable.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Ainz." Demiurge suddenly interrupted.

"Mm? Is there anything else to add?" Momonga asked.

"Forgive my presumption, but may I ask whether Lord Ainz summoned the Guardians because of the lowly villains who attacked you?" Demiurge asked.

"That's right." Momonga nodded. He'd meant to bring this up earlier, but Demiurge's suggestion had delayed it until now.

"In that case, please postpone sending Albedo to the Frozen Prison. Although she was seriously derelict in her duties, we still need her to describe what happened at the time," Demiurge suggested.

"You're right. Although I've already heard what Albedo saw, one person's perspective is limited. Cocytus, wait for now. Have Albedo recount what happened." Momonga gave the order.

"Yes, Lord Ainz," Cocytus replied.

Albedo then recounted in exhaustive detail everything that had happened after she arrived at Carne Village. When she finished, the Guardians in the Throne Room fell silent.

"That's more or less what happened. You can all share your thoughts," Momonga said, breaking the silence.

He knew only that there had been two enemies working together. One was at least level 64 and was a Magic Caster. Since a new tier became available every seven levels, one had to be at least level 64 to learn the tenth-tier Time Stop spell.

But perhaps it was better to assume level 71. After level 70, one could learn a Super-Tier Magic spell with each additional level. If Magic Caster was one's primary class, it made more sense to learn Super-Tier Magic than to stop at the tenth tier.

As for the other enemy, Momonga recalled how he'd felt at the time. After the first punch landed, his whole body had stiffened, leaving him unable to move.

Judging from that effect and the fact that the enemy seemed to have used a fist, he suspected it was probably the Monk skill Stunning Blow.

Why "seemed"? Because he'd only turned half his face at the time and hadn't actually seen how the enemy attacked. But the enemy had definitely struck him with a blunt weapon, and judging by how the enemy had pinned him down, they were most likely a Monk.

Momonga felt a pang of dread. Monks were the class Magic Casters least wanted to face. They didn't have many flashy skills, but they were the most difficult opponents to deal with. A high-level Monk with a highly specialized build could easily deal true damage, and move at incredible speed.

Although Stunning Blow didn't deal much damage, if one's stats weren't high enough to resist it, it could leave them stunned for a very long time. A Magic Caster who wasn't fully prepared wouldn't fare well.

As for the Monk who had killed him, Momonga believed they must have been an extremely specialized Monk. It had taken only four punches to drain all his HP. He'd never encountered a Monk like that in YGGDRASIL. Perhaps only that former World Champion with the Monk class could manage it.

Wait—Momonga suddenly realized. Could the one who attacked him have been that World Champion with the Monk class?

YGGDRASIL had a pay-to-win class, one that grew stronger the more money you spent on it. A player with the Monk class had used a pay-to-win class to become a World Champion. His famous catchphrase was, "My Pay-to-Win Punch is ten times stronger!"

But...

Momonga wouldn't dare provoke someone like that under any circumstances. After obtaining the World Champion class, they would gain two immensely powerful skills. Add in their pay-to-win class, and someone that strong would be nothing but trouble to provoke.

Besides, he was certain none of the "Ainz Ooal Gown" members would pick a fight with someone like that. If they had no connection, there should be no reason for that person to hold a grudge against "Ainz Ooal Gown."

All at once, the identities of the two enemies became impossible to figure out. For now, he suspected the Monk who had killed him was the same World Champion from YGGDRASIL.

But that was only a preliminary guess. He couldn't even be sure they were players. Tier Magic existed in this world, so by the same logic, there should also be Warrior classes like those in YGGDRASIL.

Perhaps they were reinforcements for those soldiers.

Momonga thought of Nigun and the soldiers who used Tier Magic. He still knew far too little about this world. He'd been assuming the enemies were players, but they might just as well be people from this world.

Those soldiers...

Momonga suddenly remembered that his Aggressive Information Defense Barrier had been triggered while he was fighting those soldiers. That meant someone had been spying on them, even though he hadn't seen anything.

Perhaps that was why they had sent another wave of reinforcements.

So if he set aside the possibility that they were players, the most likely culprits were those soldiers from the Slane Theocracy.

Momonga was instantly gripped by a shuddering fear. If the Slane Theocracy had someone that powerful, what chance did a little guild like his stand? They might wipe him out with a snap of their fingers.

It really had been a mistake to get involved in what was happening at Carne Village. It seemed he'd accidentally been caught up in a conflict between great nations.

"Lord Ainz, what do you think of this plan?"

Demiurge's voice interrupted Momonga's thoughts.

"Huh? Mm..." Momonga came back to himself and realized Demiurge was watching him attentively. But he'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't paid the Guardians' discussion any attention at all.

However, he couldn't possibly admit that he hadn't heard a thing. Otherwise, his already precarious authority would take another hit.

Besides, he'd quite possibly provoked a great nation. For his own safety, he couldn't afford to do anything that would undermine his authority at a time like this.

"I think your idea is excellent. I'll leave everything to you, Demiurge. Don't disappoint me." Momonga replied gravely, pretending to have given it careful consideration.

Since he had no idea what Demiurge had said, leaving the whole matter to him was the perfect way to hide his lapse in attention.

"Understood, Lord Ainz."

Demiurge's lips curled into a cruel smile.