Chapter 16 - To Work and Rest.

Princess Renner slowly walks towards the throne room. King had called an emergency meeting right after the return from the battle for the capital. At least that's how nobles were already calling it, not that any of them had anything to do with the victory.

The newly formed empire of Nazarick and its leaders were the sole saviors of Re-Estize. Renner had received a full report of what transpired. She was responsible for railing up Barbo, who made a fool out of himself despite his intentions of looking heroic. But even Renner couldn't predict her moronic half-brother had the audacity to send assassins after the saviors of capital.

Even she couldn't plan such a useful outcome. It played as an additional bonus into her master's schemes and now she suspects what her father planned to announce.

Renner wore her usual golden princess mask and politely replied to greetings of guards and castle staff passing her.

She could already hear loud arguing in the throne room as she reaches it with her personal guard Climb in the tail. A butler opens the door and announces her, as Renner walks in and, with a curtsy and short greeting, sits on her small throne beside her brother Zanac.

One glance at her father told her how much recent events had aged him. King Ramposa III was barely sitting straight on his throne. His tired eyes scanning the rows of nobles bickering with each other.

Finally, he raises his hand to get attention and speaks in a tired voice.

"With recent events in mind, I have an announcement to make." Ramposa takes a deep breath, preparing himself for the incoming storm, and continues speaking.

"My eldest son, Barbo, will not inherit the throne. His actions during the crisis have shown that he is unfit to rule."

"Noble faction will stand against this decision!" Marquis Boullope shouts over him not a moment later. Deep inside, he agreed with the king. His son-in-law was not fit for the throne, but he was easy to control and would pave the way for his family line to be the royal family.

The throne room again broke into a cacophony of noise as the arguing parties tried to out-scream one another. Barbo just sat on his throne silently. He gave a short glare at his father and then stood up and joined Marquis Boullope's side. At this moment, civil war seemed inevitable.

For a moment, no one noticed that the king had slumped over in his throne. It was Gazef who first realized that something was wrong.

A priest was called immediately, but unfortunately, too late. All he could do was pronounce king Ramposa III dead. Not even a minute later, Barbo announced he was the next king. His father didn't manage to fully revoke his firstborn right to rule.

Renner sits in shock for a moment. This wasn't the plan. She barely puts on a mask of sorrow to not look suspicious.

King died before setting the right events in motion. This was the moment the civil war had to start. Renner's plan had failed. No doubt shadow demons already reported this to her masters. How much time did she have to come up with a solution, an hour, less?

Things were bad, very bad. She listened intently to every shout and announcement from nobles and Barbo. Zanac sits in silence as well.

Renner knows she has to work around this immediately and gives a small nod to Zanac, who comes over and says words of condolence to his younger sister.

Renner sheds fake tears and thanks him for support for everyone to hear and responds with similar words. Then says only to Zanac,

"Support that moron for now or he will kill you."

The second prince nods and walks over to Barbo, officially declaring that he supports his elder brother's claim.

Renner excuses herself from the throne room, stating her shock from the sudden death of her father, and walks out of the throne room. She did not need to be present there. Shadow demons would report everything to her. If she lives that long, that is.

Gazef follows her, and catches up in the long hall, saying,

"Princess Renner, my deepest condolences for your loss. My king, he wished for me to pledge service to you after his death."

"To me, not my eldest brother?"

Gazef says in a hushed tone,

"Yes, he believed you would be in danger after his death. His last wish was for you to be safe."

Renner nods, saying,

"Then I gracefully accept your service head warrior, Gazef Stronoff. For now, try avoiding our next king's ire."

Gazef walks off with a bow. Renner could hear her puppy run-up to her and take position behind her as a good guard should. She continues her walk back to her quarters, holding her head low. She had to play the role of a grieving princess even if the news wasn't spread through the palace.

Next came the dread-filled waiting time. Renner had sent Climb out to guard the door to her quarters, using the excuse of not feeling well after the tragic news.

She usually enjoyed the silence, but now it unnerved her. Even shadow demons hid in shadows unmoving, giving the eery calm to the luxurious room.

Renner frantically draws up few suggestions on how to mitigate the unforeseen death of her father while awaiting the message from Demiurge.

She was interrupted by the now-familiar void appearing. Demiurge steps through first, followed by a pale creature with three dark holes in its head.

Without a word, the creature approaches the princess and touches her forehead with its long fingers morphing into her exact duplicate.

Demiurge motions for Renner to follow and steps through the void. Renner reluctantly follows, with a barely noticeable gulp. A hall, grand beyond her belief, comes into view. In any other situation, she would look around in amazement, but the feeling that this was a walk to the gallows didn't leave her. After all, her duplicate was already left behind. Was there even a reason for them to let her live?

Demiurge walked silently beside her with his usual subtle smirk.

"I already draw up some plans on how to fix this Lord Demiurge," Renner says with barely hidden unease.

"I'm sure Lord Ulbert will be pleased to hear it from you."

"W-we are going to Lord Ulbert?" A slight stutter escapes her lips. She had requested the talk with Lord Ulbert as a reward when they first recruited her. Now, in a strange irony, it may turn out to be her last wish.

They halted at a grand door guarded by two bug-like creatures. Demiurge knocks on the door and after the invitation opens the door and leads the princess in.

She knew Lord Ulbert wasn't human, even so, his true form gave her a pause. For a briefest of moments, she stared at the magnificent black goat in awe before kneeling without a word.

"You may rise, Renner." Ulbert's voice rang through his office.

Renner stands up, meeting his gaze. His face didn't show anger or disappointment, but Renner wasn't convinced that it wasn't just a mask to toy with her.

"Lord Ulbert, I can still fix it. My father's death wasn't my fault. There were no signs of him being so close to dying."

Ulbert stands up and walks closer to her, looking down at her with a curious expression.

"I didn't say it was your fault. Tell me, Renner, what do you think you are to me?"

"A tool."

"You think I would just throw out a tool just because events out of her control happened?"

The question stunned Renner. She never even considered that her master would have such an approach. That means as long as she has value, she is safe. To give a plan, a new better plan to get her kingdom in hands-on Nazarick. As if reading her every thought, Ulbert speaks.

"Overthinking sometimes is just as bad as not thinking at all, child. I didn't call you here to punish, but as a reward you requested. And you can switch to your natural expression. I know of your true nature all too well."

Renner lets out a relieved sigh. There was still a possibility of deceit from her master, but it didn't matter. Lord Ulbert, a god, read her like an open book. For a moment, she stood in silent amazement.

He had used the moment of great distress to call upon her and show who really was in control. She still held the belief that she could at least partly trick Demiurge, but there was no doubt in her mind that Lord Ulbert saw through her with no effort.

Renner reveled in the fact that she was a useful tool in hands of the God of Trickery. A creepy smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, Lord Ulbert. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to speak with you personally."

"You're welcome. Now then, princess, tell me what is that you truly want?" Ulbert asks.

"An eternal life for me and my dear Climb, my Lord."

Ulbert stretches out his palm. A small dark seed appears in it. He takes the seed with two fingers and says,

"This is a demon seed. Anyone who consumes it becomes a true demon, a being with an eternal life span. Serve me well and it will be yours. I will even make the second one for the boy."

"But wouldn't it change my appearance as well?"

"It might change you depending on your personality. You can get it at any point, but it is up to you to figure out how to make it presentable for your nation."

"Thank you, Lord Ulbert. I will put it in the altered plan."

"We will see, Demiurge, escort princess back please," Ulbert says.

"Of course, father."

'Father? All this time I was working directly with god's son.' Renner thinks as she bows deeply and walks out of Ulbert's office. She was more valuable than she imagined. Her future was assured, but she knew better to grow complacent.

On the way back she finally had a chance to witness the magnitude of the place where the gods lived. One would think that a royalty like her would not be surprised by the luxury but even her home paled in comparison.

The first thing Renner does after returning to her quarters was to set up a small hidden shrine and recite a prayer to her god. A first and most devoted follower of the God of Trickery was thus converted.

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Within the capital of Baharuth Empire was a small inn, named Singing Apple. Anyone venturing inside would be met with an unusual sight. A large blonde man clad in plate armor unsuccessfully trying to wrestle away a bottle from a very slim half-elf woman.

The innkeeper, as usual, just left them alone.

Roberdyck, a gentle and kind cleric, was a personification of a good-natured priest. His short hair was neatly arranged, beard trimmed, and blue eyes almost shining. The heavy plate armor on him and a morning star hoisted on his waist clearly showed that he was also not above resorting to violence to sort things out.

Opposite to him sat the slim Imina, downing the fourth bottle of booze. One of the world's great mysteries was her ability to handle impossible amounts of alcohol. Although she had a beautiful face, long purple hair, and striking green eyes, because of her slim body and lack of curves, she was often mistaken for a man from a distance.

Both argued about Imina's drinking habits as usual.

"You could at least slow down until Hekkeran comes back with information about the next job," Roberdyck says while trying to take the bottle out of Imina's hand.

She nimbly avoids him taking a big gulp from it and retorts,

"I'm sober enough to vote, let me drink in peace."

Their noisy squabble didn't last for long as two people entered the inn. The remaining two members of the worker team, the Foresight, join them at the table.

A tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes sat next to Imina. A light sound of jingling chain-mail is heard as he sits down, flashing a smile.

"Fighting the futile battle, as usual, Roberdyck?" Hekkeran says while winking at Imina, who blushes a bit and hides behind her bottle.

Roberdyck just let out a tired sigh in response. Next to him sits down a short and slim blonde girl with large blue eyes. She has an elegant, almost doll-like face. Compared to others in her team, she seems to be the poorest of the bunch, dressed in patched-up clothing and holding a worn-out staff.

Arche, as the team's caster, didn't rely on her equipment as much as others, nevertheless, it was common even for casters to dress appropriately to their status. She was first to report,

"I asked around my old contacts in mage academy and looks like no one has the slightest clue what is going on inside this empire of Nazarick. There is only one human settlement, and that was given as the payment for stoping the archdemon in Re-Estize."

"An archdemon in Re-Estize?" Imina asks.

"Not a common news yet but recently a Slane Theocracy priest summoned an archdemon in the capital of Re-Estize. Not even the Blue Roses could stop it. So the king had asked for help from rulers of Nazarick called Lords of Ooal Gown. The Nazarick's emperor, together with few of these Lords, responded and, according to The Blue Roses, made the archdemon flee back to hell with a single hit." Arche quickly retells what she has found out.

"And our job would be to scout the forest of Tob, which belongs to this empire. A noble from Re-Estize is willing to pay insane amounts of money for information. Fifty gold for each member upfront and an additional fifty to one hundred for detailed mapping." Hekkeran says, adding.

"And we are not the only ones he is hiring. Every available worker's team is to be sent into that forest."

"Is this worth the risk? We are not spies." Roberdyck says.

Arche looks down saying,

"You don't have to take this for my sake. It sounds too risky to be worth it."

With her parents, whose nobility status was taken away by the Bloody Emperor, they still lived like ones, driving themselves and Arche deeper and deeper in debt day by day. Arche was desperate for any kind of money to pay off the shady people her irresponsible father was constantly borrowing money from.

She had already decided to take her two sisters and run from the home after one last job and relocate to one of the distant provinces of the Baharuth Empire, leaving her parents to fend for themselves.

"We are not doing it just for you Arche, we can't afford to pass that kind of money. I vote for taking the job." Imina says, looking at the blonde girl with a smile.

"I agree with Imina we can't pass that kind of money easily and it is more a scouting mission than spying. I too vote for taking the job." Hekkeran says.

"Looks like it is decided, then. Let God guide us to a safe path." Roberdyck says.

Imina orders a round of drinks for everyone right away with only Roberdyck drinking water as usual. Arche slowly takes a sip of mead, lost in thought and for the briefest of moments notices one of the shadows making a strange move.

'I need to get a rest, I'm seeing things already.'

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Three figures walk through the ninth floor of Nazarick. Peros proudly walking ahead, leading both Ainz and Ulbert to his latest project with great enthusiasm.

Neither Ainz nor Ulbert had the faintest idea what this was all about, only reports from various denizens that had crafted and created several items for Peros.

Finally, the trio stops at the door in a rather remote area of the ninth floor.

"This is for all of us," Peros says and pushes the door open.

A dimly lit area comes into view. The first thing that comes into view is a bar with not only rows of bottles but also few large barrels. A frost virgin dressed in a bartenders' outfit greets them with a bow the moment they come in.

Ainz had to wonder if Peros even told Cocytus about 'borrowing' one of his direct subordinates or why Peros chose a frost virgin for a bartender. With light blue skin and long snowy hair, she was attractive to be sure, but also had a tendency to freeze everything she touched.

Next to the bar on the right side was a large half circle couch with a table in front of it and a large screen tv at the wall.

On the opposite side of the room was a similar setup, only tv was replaced with a small platform with a metal pole in the middle.

"So this is the big project you have been working on lately?" Ainz asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, a lot of love and care went into this place. You have no idea how hard it was to recreate a TV, even with detailed descriptions given to the crafting department." Peros responds, beaming with pride.

Ainz silently stared at him with no idea what to even say. Peros takes it as a cue to go on and leads them to the couch with tv and shouts,

"Freez, bring us the house special."

The Frost virgin pours three mugs of liquid from one barrel and hurries over to the trio. She holds each mug in her hand for a moment, cooling the liquid inside, and then puts mugs on the table in form of each lord. It made instantly clear why Peros had chosen her.

Ainz looks carefully at the class mug filled with a golden colored liquid and asks,

"Is that a beer?"

"Yup, took three weeks to brew it. Go on, taste it." Peros says while grabbing his own mug.

Ainz slowly picks up the mug and brings it close to his skeletal face. Opens his mouth a bit and pours a small amount into seeming nothingness just in front of it.

Both Ulbert and Peros stare at him for a moment and then ask in unison,

"What was that?"

"I recently figured out how to manipulate energy and form a pure energy body around my skeletal form, eliminating the need to transform into other forms." Ainz calmly explains while taking another sip from the mug.

"So now you can bone Albedo without transforming. Nice." Peros says with a cheerful laugh, making Ainz choke on the beer.

While Ainz coughs, Ulbert asks Peros,

"What's with the tv, you planing movie night?"

"Yeah, I picked a few action flicks for us to watch. Too bad the Yggdrasil didn't allow any adult material, otherwise I would have stuffed library full with porn movies."

"You may be the main reason the whole industry had to enforce that rule," Ulbert says snickering.

"I take great pride in it." Peros shoots back.

For a while, all three just sat watching a silly action movie. It was a pleasant change of pace to just sit back and relax. They welcomed even a small escape from daily duties. After the movie, it just returned to the usual business, with Ulbert asking,

"Ainz, did you read the report of the scouting teams that the Emperor Jircniv is sending to our doorstep, in secret?"

"Yes, I have some tests in mind. And Buku wanted to take on the team Tenmu herself."

"I see she still has a soft spot for elves. Anything else?"

"Hmm, only one that caught my interest was the girl with a talent to see anyone's magical tier level. I don't see any value in the rest of them." Ainz says.

"She was from team Foresight, right?" Peros asks.

"Yes, you want to take that team?" Ulbert asks.

"Their team composition is similar to the Swords of Darkness. Maybe we can get them to the arena and fight it out. If they are any good, I could even make a second team."

"Sounds interesting. However, you would still need to get their loyalty somehow." Ainz says.

"I will take care of that. Each of them has a weakness to exploit." Ulbert says with a smirk.

"Speaking of loyalty, Ainz, can you do me a solid and upgrade Clementine's race? She has been working extra hard lately and the little psycho is kinda growing on me."

"Sure, just bring her to me when you have time."

"Great, I will bring her to your office tomorrow morning then."

After that, conversations returned to more casual topics again while Peros starts the second movie. On earth, Ainz never had friends he communicated with outside the internet. Just sitting with friends while watching a movie and drinking beer was a fresh experience for him.

Time had flown by so fast that neither of them had noticed the passage of time. It was way past midnight when Ainz finally walked back to his quarters.

To his surprise, Albedo was still waiting for him, sitting on a chair dressed in a nightgown with a light smile on her face. For a moment, Ainz was unsure of what mood she was in.

"Did you enjoy the evening Peros had prepared?" Albedo asks.

"Yes, I did. But how did you know about it? I thought Peros made it in secret."

"As an overseer, I knew from the start what was going on. Peros even bought my silence."

"Oh?"

Albedo stands up walking up to Ainz, leans in, and says with a purr,

"We can get the entire room for ourselves whenever we want. I want to put on a show on that pole just for you."

Ainz had to admit 'Life was good.'

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Arche slowly walks towards her home in the noble district. For a moment, she stands at the entrance of the large mansion. If not for her two sisters, she would not come here again. Her family lost noble status during the purge, but her irresponsible parents, especially her father, still acted like they were nobles.

She opens the door with a sigh and goes inside. Once, the halls were bustling with life as servants hurried around. Now with very few servants remaining out of loyalty, empty halls and rooms just collected dust. Only light burning was in the living room.

Arche makes her way there to find her parents drinking wine. Her gaze drops to a colorful lamp right away.

"How much did it cost?" Arche asks grinding teeth.

"Just 15 gold, a steal, really." Sir Furt says, while sipping wine.

For a moment, Arche just considers whacking him with her staff. Instead, she just growls,

"We don't have that kind of money to spend. Get in your stupid head we are not nobles anymore."

"How dare you speak to your father in such a disrespectful way? We are nobles and we will get back what is ours once that piece of shit emperor dies!" Sir Furt shouts at Arche while jumping up from his seat.

"I am not giving you anymore, money. You want to spend it so casually you go earn it!" Arche yells back and rushes out of the room.

Sir Furt rushes after her, grabbing her shoulder to hit her. He didn't account for the fact that he wasn't hitting just his little daughter, but a seasoned worker. Arches small fist hits his nose before he can even react, making him fumble backward. He stares at Arche with a shocked face as she yells again,

"Don't you dare to touch me!"

As furious as he was, even he could realize that she will fight back and could kill him with little effort. He holds his broken nose and turns back on her. Arche walks off, determined to return only once to take her little sisters and leave her parents on their own.

In fear of retribution, Arche didn't sleep that night. She just sat on the windowsill for the entire night, watching her two young sisters sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.

"This is the last job, then I'm taking you both away from here." She says to herself while looking at the night sky through the window.

For far too long she had desperately tried to help her parents but now it was clear as long as she brings home money they will not change and just sink deeper in debts dragging her down with them. Getting away with her sisters was the only option left.

The next morning came with no more incidents. Family breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Even butler pretended not to notice Sir Furt's broken nose and overall tense atmosphere around the table. Arche couldn't help but notice a lot of unnecessary food on the table.

'They are wasteful, even on food. At least they feed my sisters,' Arche remarks to herself.

After the breakfast, she takes two sets of fresh clothing, hugs her sisters goodbye, and walks out of her home. A strange man in an orange suit with white stripes passes her on her way out and greets her with a polite bow as if knowing who she is.

Arche returns the greeting politely just in case and walks towards the Singing Apple Inn to meet up with her team.

The rest of her team was already waiting for her as Imina and Hekkeran had a room at the inn and Roberdyck had a tendency to wake up before sunrise for his morning prayers. Noone looked too thrilled or excited about the new job. Arche guessed all of them shared the same unease about scouting the forest belonging to an unknown empire.

Morning is spent on usual preparations. Discussions about equipment and necessary rations for the mission. Hekkeran had already rented a cart to drive them to the border of the Baharuth empire, where they would meet up with other worker teams.

Arche was tasked with getting the necessary potions and few scrolls just in case. She, as a caster, had a better eye on all the magic-related inventory. Buying everything was a simple routine task and by noon, they were sitting in the cart, driven by an old chatty man.

His friendly demeanor slowly rubbed off on the team. Soon enough, Hekkeran was talking the old man's ear off, retelling all their adventures. At one point, the old man asked why they were taking such risky tasks. He smiled warmly as each stated their reason, feeling that they can trust him.

Roberdyck wanted to earn enough money to retire to a simple village and help those who needed it the most. Imina as half-elf didn't really have any other job opportunities that didn't involve selling herself cheap. Arche confessed the need for taking care of her family. And Hekkeran always wanted to be an adventurer but didn't like the many adventurer guilds restrictions.

Noone of them felt weird opening up to the man who they knew only for a few hours. He felt like part of the team already.

The journey took about two weeks to reach the border. Only one team was there before them. A man, aged around eighty, leads the Green Dragon. The team had gotten the name after slaying a green dragon with the leader now wearing armor made of its skin. The old man approached the Foresight, greeting them with a toothless smile.

"I see you are still alive and kicking, Parpatra," Hekkeran responds with a smile as well.

"Someone had to show you, youngsters, how things are done," Parpatra responds with a chuckle.

Next arrived the Heavy Masher. A large group with fourteen members lead by a short bulky man in plate armor with horns making him look like a beetle. He walks up to the rest of the team leaders, greeting them and joining in the polite banter while the last team arrives.

Finally, a man followed by three elves arrives. The man is dressed in a white dress shirt and trousers and a black plate with golden trims over it. Three Elven women are dressed in rags with bare feet. The most disturbing feature is their ears, which are cut short now resembling the human ones.

All three group leaders frown, seeing him as he approaches, but switch to neutral expressions to greet him. As hated the man is, he was also considered one of the best swordsmen in the empire.

Imina was showing barely contained rage, glaring at the man from a distance. His habits of mistreating his Elven slaves were a well-known fact.

Teams decide to move as one through of the undead filled Katze plains and then split up to scout the various parts of the empire of Nazarick. Even with a large and well-trained group of people, it was always a risk to encounter a particularly nasty undead.

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It was another busy day for Ainz. Daily piles of paperwork didn't grow any smaller. On top of that, letters from the Baharuth empire and the Dragon Kingdom arrived with official acknowledgments of the empire of Nazarick and offers to open diplomatic relations.

"We should send an official answer to the Dragon Kingdom. From what we know, they are fighting a losing war with beastmen and most likely will ask for help first chance they get." Ainz says to Albedo while looking through the letter.

"How are we responding to their request? I don't see a reason to save those pathetic humans."

"We have talked about this, even humans have value."

"I'm sorry Ainz, you are right of course," Albedo says with shame in her voice.

"I think we can invite their queen to a visit. She is supposed to be a direct descendant of a dragon, that alone is worth investigating."

"I will send a response letter with an invitation then," Albedo says and starts to write a letter.

Ainz returns to the vast pile of various documents he has to go through. A finance report about construction work in Carne. Various reports about goblin and orc tribes. A rather extensive amount of daily data about tomb's operations, the list goes on.

Today, however, Ainz had something else on his mind. He glances over at Albedo, who goes through her share of duties, humming happily. In his inventory is a ring, a special ring for her.

With empire becoming a thing and him being the emperor, Ainz had finally decided to propose to Albedo. He was sure that she would say yes, but still, he was nervous like never before.

He had discussed it with his friends looking for a bit of advice, but besides Tabula, who was only one married and gave his blessing right away, the rest of them had no experience with marriage either. Also, there was a question of Albedo's position after the marriage.

All five Lords agreed to give her the title of an empress and treat her as the sixth unofficial Lord.

Ainz finally takes out the small ring and fumbles it in his hand. Albedo, noticing Ainz's nervous demeanor, turns to him and asks.

"Is something wrong, my love?" She asks with concern.

"No, everything is fine. Albedo, I wanted to ask..."

Ainz pauses for a moment with Albedo looking at him with a bit of worry.

"I wanted to ask if you would marry me?" Ainz says, giving her the ring. Albedo's pupils dilate, resembling a cat just before its pounces on a prey.

Few hours and one broken bed later, Ainz lays in the remains of the bed with Albedo by his side happily squirming and looking at the ring on her finger. On her face is the widest smile possible as she hums.

"We are getting married, we are getting married."

Technically, as supreme leader, Ainz could just declare that Albedo is his wife to consider marriage official, but he planed at least some small formal ceremony with Pestonya acting as the priest blessing the union. Mostly because he knew far too well. There was no way he could talk Albedo out of the official wedding ceremony.

As he lays in the remains of a bed, Albedo already starts to plan every single detail of the ceremony. Seeing her ecstatic expression, Ainz just listens to her, agreeing with her ideas.

Bonus Story - To Get a New Race.

Clementine followed her god to receive the promised reward. She could finally grow beyond the limits of a mere human. To see the weaklings like the Swords of Darkness grow far beyond what they were, filled her with envy.

With nervous excitement, Clementine tiptoes behind Lord Peros, who walks toward Lord Ainz's office with a casual stride.

With a knock, both walk inside the office. Lord Ainz looks at them. Those dark flames in his eyes make Clementine shrink on the spot. No matter how many times she saw the God of Life and Death, getting used to seeing those dark flames was impossible. She drops on one knee and lowers her head.

"Hey Ainz, we are here for Clementine's race change as we talked before." Lord Peros says in a casual tone.

Lord Ainz gets up from his seat, walking up to Clementine.

"Raise your head. This will hurt a bit."

Clementine raises her head only to see the skeletal hand grabbing her head. For a moment, she is in agonizing pain, as if her entire body tries to twist itself inside out.

After the pain subsides, she looks at her hands. They are still human ones; she touches her face, but it still feels the same. Then Lord Peros says.

"Wery funny Ainz, out of all the races you had to give her that."

"What? You know it doesn't depend on me but on the one I'm changing."

"Still, why her out of all people?"

"I-is s-something wrong, my lord?" Clementine asks in a timid voice.

As an answer, Peros lets out a groan.

"So what that she is a werecat now?" asks Lord Ainz with a laugh.

"Damit you will force me to tell in front of her?"

Clementine was getting scared and pressed her big blonde cat ears to her head. Seeing her pitiful state, Lord Peros pats her head, making her let out an involuntarily catlike purr.

"And she purrs to, dammit, this is too much. You know what, fucking fine, I have a thing for cat-girls. Happy now." Peros says with an annoyed grunt.

"Thing for cat-girls?" Clementine asks.

Peros sighs and says,

"Let's go. Ainz has other things to do. I will explain everything outside."

The next day, Clementine was meeting up with the Swords of Darkness in the sixth-floor arena. Peter, seeing her wobbly walk and cat ears, asks,

"So finally got your wish, huh? What's with the strange walk?"

"Yes, I am werecat now. As for my strang walk, let's just say, Lord Peros has a thing for cat-girls."