2 † Wacko Mode †

Standing in front of the throne, putting aside the endless discussion he'd just had with everyone about how he'd defeat the other Supreme Beings, Mornin looked at the guild's staff, which was still floating in the air, held up by magic.

Demiurge was adamant that his new Lord should take it, as he was the victor and thus the new guild leader from now on. Now, whether he really had what it takes to be a leadership figure was another matter altogether.

He wasn't one to pridefully think of himself when he had no clue what his own abilities were, but it seemed like he had no choice but to try.

"—Here I go."

As his gloved hand touched the staff, the seven gems at the top of it shone with a bright glow like he never saw them do before. It was most likely due to his own World Item and his [Blessed Touch], yet it reacted differently than it did in YGGDRASIL when he tried to use it after taking it from Momonga.

Shifting from its original state, the staff started "melting" as the seven serpents holding the gems crept along it, forming what appeared to be a handle. The golden material that made the staff agglomerated in a ball at the end of this same handle before flattening itself and taking on a hammer-like shape with the seven gems on the side of it—the Blacksmithing Hammer of Ains Ooal Gown.

—Amano would be the happiest man in the world if he saw this, but…

Whether he should be satisfied or frustrated, he couldn't say. Not that he didn't like blacksmithing, but rather that if his far-fetched idea of a parallel world turned out to be accurate, then smithing would likely be the least of his problems. Moreover, his blacksmithing skill was a mere [+5]; compared with Amano's [+15], it was almost laughable.

His World Item [God's Hands], a simple pair of white latex gloves, has a lot of utilities, but one of them is increasing his blacksmithing skill by [+10], and with his passive boosting it, from [+1] to [+5] depending on his what he is looking for, for a total of [+20] in forging skill, he was the best blacksmith of the guild, but even with that, he didn't really feel up to the task.

Compared to Luci★Fer, who was more of a craftsman, Mornin' was more of an enchanter. Enchanting weapons, imbuing them with arcane magic, holy magic, talisman magic, etc., while forging these same weapons with Amano with some goofy ah alloys, but he could try it.

—Gee, I wonder how destructive it might be if I put my whole self into it and slammed it into something… That could be fun… Hm…

Taking a good look at the entire room, he scanned the guards, empty-headed, lost in thought.

"Mornin-sama!" Yelped out the overseer with an excited smile but was having some trouble looking directly at her superior. "Mornin-sama, if you wish to show us your mighty strength to demonstrate to us all your all-powerful, I'm more than ready to be baptized!"

"Oh! So… I see, Albedo! You figured out the desires of our Lord faster than I did. It's a brilliant idea, Mornin-sama. Demonstrating your dominance to us subordinates also strikes me as a necessary preliminary step to keep Nazarick running optimally." Demiurge explained, a smile on his face as he rubbed his chin. "A ruler must first show the back of his hand before the palm. You are right."

"So that was it!"

"Impressive thinking. As excepted of our Master."

Mornin was stunned to realize that not only did everyone think it was a good idea but that, in silence, the vampire on her knees in front of the throne steps was flushing and sweating profusely as she stared at the floor.

—Is this a madhouse or what?

Turning back to Demiurge and Albedo, he scratched the back of his head, jaw clenched. He didn't have to do it, but given that he didn't know if the guardians and all the mobs within Nazarick would be loyal to him, it would allow him to perhaps at least buy some time by using, he hoped some fear. Still…

"Why are you three so eager about someone taking a beating from me…?" He asked, also pointing to Shalltear with his nose. "I don't wanna hurt any of you, y'know…"

"W-We know! It is just a matter of courtesy, Mornin-sama."

"Absolutely."

"What are you… No… Is courtesy getting flattened by a hammer?"

"With all due respect, Mornin-sama, I am quite proud of my defense and resistance, especially with my armor. I doubt a single hammer blow would hurt me, but I do believe it's something that has to be d-"

"Alright! Alright! I'll do it. I chose you, Albedo. Use your armor and your shield and take a stance; this is an order. All of you remember this cuz I won't do it again."

"Yes, my Lord.~"

—I swear…

Waiting for Albedo to wear her black armor and use her large shield, he focused his energy on his right arm and then on the hammer. It was strange doing that with a weapon since he was used to doing it with his fists and feet, and here, in this new world, it seemed like it worked differently altogether.

The gems glowed slightly as his ki pilled up in his arm and weapon. In one swift strike, he threw his arm backward and forward to gain some inertia and slammed the hammer into Albedo's shield with a good deal of force.

For a split second, the impact caused a luminous flash that blinded all but Mornin before a blast knocked all the golden drapes to the ground. The shield shattered into a thousand pieces as the hammer continued on its way toward the armored succubus.

The second impact landed squarely on Albedo's shoulder, driving her a dozen centimeters into the ground. The throne room quaked as dust fell from the ceiling, and a tiny piece of marble fell on Mornin's head.

Where the shield used to be, a small ball of black material floated in the air that he took. It appeared to be of the same material that the shield was made of but with something extra.

"Mornin-sama! What a showdown!" Demiurge urged with a broad smile as he clapped his hand in unison with Cocytus. "Truly groundbreaking! To succeed in cracking the first layer of armor that Tabula-sama created!"

"Y-Yeah…"

While everyone was gawking at this tour de force, Albedo looked at her shoulder while touching it. The spirit she'd exuded just thirty seconds before had faded and been replaced by a hush.

"You're okay?" Mornin asked, coming closer to her after dropping the hammer. "Take off your armor, I wanna see if you're hurt."

Dropping to her knees, Albedo dematerialized her armor, falling to her knee with a revered bow of her head to show her absolute devotion with a shamed and distressed expression.

"I-I am heartily apologetic! I underestimated your true strength, given the gap between our defense and attack and the sheer power of the guild weapon, and now the shield you crafted is destroyed, and the armor of your friend, my creator, is damaged! I... I shall be punished for such foolishness!"

"...Are you retarded?"

"H-Huh? I-I am so-"

"I scorched your shoulder with holy magic, I should be the one apologizing. Quit whining and just come here so I can heal you."

"But about the shield… I…"

"I'll craft you a new one even better and repair your armor. Happy?"

"I-It would be an honor! But after all that, even damaging the throne room with my body, I can't accept your compassion… This, this burn shall heal alone…"

"—Whatever… You're quite the meathead, just like Tabubro." Finally grasping the extent of the situation, Mornin stepped back from Albedo after helping her to stand up before getting back to the throne as a guild leader should. "You can all raise your heads. Given our current whereabouts, I'm quite worried about something, so I'm asking you to cooperate."

"We will always cooperate with you, my Lord!"

"...That's good to hear. Still, I have some things to say to you all and certain missions to give to others. I trust you're all set."

"Of course!"

Having them all reply in unison was kind of amusing, but he put aside this feeling, focusing on the more important matter. He'd done enough blustering for now. Given how alien everything here seemed to him, especially regarding his own feelings, smell, touch, and even needs, such as not needing to breathe but deciding to do so anyway, he felt duty-bound to check out a few things, but he couldn't do it wholly on his own.

First off, was he in Helheim or not? If so, Nazarick's surroundings would be swamp-like, and a bit afar would stand the piercing crystal plains. If not, then it was really something to worry about.

"Narberal, your mission is to scoot Nazarick's surroundings, but don't explore too far; you need to remain close. Use your air magic to fly high in the sky to avoid being spotted, and if you're targeted by anything, come back at once."

"Yes, Mornin-sama." The black-haired maid said as she bowed her head, ready to depart. "Right away."

"Erh… Wait… CZ will accompany you."

"As you wish. Do you want me to carry her on my shoulder?"

"Um… No, she's gonna tail you with this from afar." He said, showing both maids the flight necklace he handed to the automaton maid, who approached after he indicated her to come. "You'll be able to fly with this. And well… From up there, if you see any exotic creature, shoot it with a tranquilizer round so Narberal can bring it back to Aura. Alright?"

"Crystal clear, my Lord. And… thank you for the necklace."

"Don't sweat it. I don't need that to fly anyway, so just bring it back to me once you're done."

"Roger."

Both maids bowed and moved on quickly to finally disappear on the other side of the double door. Seems like they were fully compliant with his orders and answered consciously like any other humans. If "human," they were.

His tactical spirit began to reignite now that he'd recovered his composure, but he remained dumbstruck nevertheless. If he'd simply let his laziness get the better of him, he wouldn't have joined Momonga and Herohero. So, right now, Momonga would be here instead of him. How would things have been if the skeletal mage was in his shoes?

Should he feel happy or distressed… He felt kind of enthusiastic.

"Shalltear, as the guardian of the 2nd floor, you'll tell Kyouhukou that I need him to send a good amount of his little friends to roam all around Nazarick as far as possible. If he ever finds something of interest thanks to them, he reports about it to you, and then you report back to either Albedo or Demiurge, whichever has time. Once you're done with that task, take some vampire brides with you and verify if the traps are set all around the first floor to see if they're still working. Our first line of defense is important."

"If that is what you desire, Mornin-sama, I would be delighted to do so."

"Off you go then."

"Very well, I'm departing to do just that. It was a pleasure seeing your stunning presence, Mornin-sama."

Waving a theatrical goodbye followed by a bow, Shalltear exited the throne like a shadow blending with the darkness of the corridor. Knowing she was a vampire, he knew she moved extremely fast and had immense stamina, but still, she had to traverse 9 floors of Nazarick to get to the desired location.

—Sound like a pain in the ass…

In the end, he gave a small task to everyone, even Victim, but he had no idea what to do with himself. He stood there almost alone in the throne room, lost in thought. However, now that he thought about it, someone was missing.

"Albedo, you know why Iris didn't come?"

"—!"

"You called in every floor guardian, right?"

"I… I am deeply sorry, but even with the help of Ginnungagap to shield me from her, I wasn't able to reach her. As she is right now, I suspect you would be the only one she would be able to recognize."

"I see…"

"If you'd like to meet her, it would be safer if I went with you."

"I don't think my creation would attack me out of nowhere for no reason. None of you did, so why would she?"

"O-Of course, if you want to go alone, Mornin-sama, I respect your choice."

"You really wanna follow me there, huh?"

"Nothing like that. I am just worried, that is all. Your safety is paramount."

"Nah, you're just a jealous wreck."

"B-But… M-Mornin-sama… I…" She was actually struggling to find her words as her eyes swelled up with tears she couldn't contain. "If I annoy you t-that much, then… I…"

"Are you really going to bawl your eyes out over this?"

"—Hk!" As she tried to turn away to hide what she thought was an ugly face, Mornin caught her by the arm. "Is, is there something that you need, Mornin-sama?"

"If… If you're like this, you won't be able to work properly, so come here." He invited her as he extended his arms. "You wanted a hug, right?"

Instantly, Albedo's tears vanished from her eyes, nearly frozen in time, but she didn't wait a second longer to leap into his arms and hug him tightly. She snuggled her head against his chest, trying to do whatever she could to stick her smell directly onto him; somehow, Mornin knew that instinctively.

Heaving a sigh, he took her in his arms for a second and used [Morpheus' Arms], an 8-tier healing spell able to cure any affliction, disease, or fatigue, heal all damage from any source to any person, ease mental pain and struggle while having a 95% chance to give [Focus Magic] and [Greater Regenerate] for 3 minutes, but also a 5% chance to give the [Sleepy] status effect for 1 minute.

The trigger is a hug, so back in YGGDRASIL, it was sometimes embarrassing to use it since he would have to embrace his buddies in the middle of a fight… It was even worse with Herohero or Bukubu… Hugging a slime isn't the best feeling.

"—Mornin-sama…?"

As the magic washed over Albedo, her burns healed in less than a second as an ample flow of mana and strength overcame her, for her to feel that despite having a derisory amount of mana compared to the other was something that proved the efficacy of such a spell, however from what she remembered from the data at her disposal, even if this spell was quite strong, it never was THAT potent.

"That should be enough." Morning uttered after pushing gently aside. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, yes! Mhm! Very much so!"

"Sometimes I'll say things that can be hurtful even though I don't want to. I have... I also have flaws that I need to work on."

"This is not a flaw at all, Mornin-sama!" She clamored, bending a knee and looking at the ground without showing her face. "If it can offer me the blessing of hugging you, then… then I'll accept it gladly… yes… yes…!"

"O-Okay… Well then, I'm joining Sebas at the entrance of the treasury. See you."

His remnant human instinct yelled to him to go out of this room as fast as possible. It was clear Albedo was a bit on the wacko side of the coin, and right now, he wasn't ready to deal with that. He had enough on his plate, and gladly enough, the overseer seemed to have at least some self-control.

Right before going out of the room and using his ring of Ainz Ooal Gown to teleport, Mornin couldn't help but think…

—Was writing she was "madly in love" with me really a good idea…

After his departure, an eerie silence filled the throne room while Albedo, still eyes locked on the floor as trembling, caressing the places where Mornin placed his hands.

"Hehe…!"