A round of hefty explanations were followed by introductions, ‘Lukrut is a perverted idiot. But not badly intentioned at least, despite his taunting.’ Ainz mused, though Lupusregina, far from being merely offended, seemed to enjoy the chance to knock him down a peg with her responses.

“Come away with me and I will love you for a night or a lifetime!” Lukrut spouted the cheesy line, only for Lupusregina to answer…

“That lie took longer to tell than you would last, I’m sure.” She flashed a winning smile at his sudden deflation, his arms drooping and shoulders slumped with exaggerated injury.

“You’re so cold to me, Lady Lupu!” Lukrut clutched at his heart as if wounded.

“It takes more than a twig to start a fire. It’s not my fault all your equipment is short on quality.” She chuckled, but the rest of his teammates roared with laughter as he was handily dispatched in the game of wits, it went on until a slender swordsman smacked the blonde adventurer in the back of the head.

His name was Peter, and Ainz noted that despite his youth, he seemed serious and in control, he wore banded armor over a leather shirt, brown trousers and short, dusty cream colored boots. He was blonde and blue eyed, making him look much like Lukrut, enough so that Ainz briefly wondered if they were brothers.

Thankfully the other team members of the Swords of Darkness were more like Peter and less like Lukrut. Ninya, a serious young man with a talent for magic, had short brown hair, and a somewhat nervous and humble demeanor. He looked down or away whenever Ainz caught his eyes.

It tickled at Ainz’s brain a bit. But he wasn’t sure just why yet.

Dyne, a somewhat heavyset, short druid with a thick light brown beard over the lower half of his face was polite and deferential. He seemed comfortable with Peter being in charge despite being several years older at least. Dyne was jolly and quick to laugh whenever Lupu shut down Lukrut’s fumbling attempts at flirtation.

“I suppose I should show my face if we’re going to work together.” Ainz finally said, and took off his helmet. He wiped his brow, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed the way Lupusregina stared at him with greater intensity than he thought the winsome and playfully sadistic maid was capable.

With tan features, ink dark hair and a squared, firmly defined jaw, by his own world’s standards he made a handsome if exotic looking figure. ‘But what about this world?’ Ainz wondered.

“Oh so you’re a foreigner. No wonder you didn’t know how things work here.” Brita chimed in, “I’ve seen features like yours on people from far to the south, I should have realized it sooner.”

“Yes, yes I’m a foreigner.” Ainz explained and put his helmet back on. Lupusregina’s long and lingering look didn’t disappear, but nobody else seemed to notice.

“So, who is our client?” Ainz asked, setting his arms on his thighs and quickly shifting the subject away from where he was from.

Peter reached out and took a mug of beer from a server that approached, and answered after a deep swig, “A herbalist here in town, Nfirea Bareare. He’s going out to the forest of Tobb to gather herbs for more potions, we’ll be his bodyguards. Then to Carne Village to buy up whatever they’ve gathered from the outskirts. Then back here again, all in all, it will only take a few days.”

“Alright, so when do we leave?” Ainz asked as the reality of his first real adventure set in, excitement began to build. ‘I’m truly outside! A real live adventure! I can hardly believe it!’ He did his best to disguise his zeal to get going, though he slid his foot a bit as if to stand up immediately.

“A few hours,” Peter answered, “he’ll be meeting us here, so if you want to settle into your room first, maybe catch some shut eye so you can be fresh for the journey, go ahead.” He waved a hand toward the stairs leading to the second floor, and Ainz took that offer up.

“That would be a good idea, we’ll come down in a few hours.” Ainz answered, “Lupu, come along.”

“Sure thing, Momon.” Lupu replied and followed him toward the stairs.

The stairs creaked under the heavy steps of her master, but despite her excellent hearing, Lupusregina noticed nothing about it, her eyes bored into his back, doubts swirled in her mind. Doubts that gnawed at her gut for their treason, doubts that made her hate herself for the treason of their very existence.

When the door closed behind them, Ainz drew out an eighth tier scroll and used it immediately. The cold blue flame devoured it in mid air, and they were now ‘completely’ alone in that they could not be overheard.

The beds were simple, cheap wooden frames with a cloth mattress stuffed with straw and with a soft black bear pelt laying over top of it. The same was true of Lupusregina’s, and the mattress gave under his weight when he sat down.

Lupusregina however, did not sit. She went to kneel at his feet and look up at him with wondering yellow eyes.

“Tell me something, Lupusregina, you said you don’t hate humans, but… what are they to you?” Ainz asked the question that had lingered too long at the back of his mind.

“Toys, I guess, my lord.” She answered reflexively, “My sister, Entoma I mean, is like that. She sees them as food, but doesn’t care about them one way or the other. I see them as toys, but otherwise don’t think much of ‘em either way.”

Ainz nodded, “That is pretty much what I thought.” He said, but then she kept staring at him.

“Is there something wrong, Lupusregina?” Ainz felt ice form in his stomach.

Unable to answer any way but truthfully, she gave a nod that stopped with her head hanging low.

“What is it?” Dread began to consume him, his breathing slowed, and fear began to follow.

“May I… may I see your face, my lord?” Lupusregina asked without looking up.

He answered by the slow movement of his hands again to his helmet and pulling it off.

What she did next was a complete surprise. She began to… sniff.

Starting from his feet, the sniff, sniff, sniff continued up his length until she was standing in front of him, inches from his face. Her bright yellow eyes inches from him, Ainz couldn’t help it.

His breath quickened, so close to someone so beautiful, so radiant, her fire red hair and the soft feminine scent that even to a normal human nose was noticeable in the subtle way every man who desired women was born to know.

“Forgive me, my lord.” She said when she realized what her instincts had driven her to do. Her already wide golden eyes seemed to redouble for a moment before she flung herself back and returned to kneeling at his feet.

“Your nose told you the truth, did it not?” Ainz asked with grim rhetoric.

She didn’t answer him, she didn’t need to, they both knew the truth.

“So, that leaves only one question then, doesn’t it?” Ainz pressed, “Are you loyal to Ainz Ooal Gown, no matter what he is, or aren’t you?”

Her answer was to remain on a bent knee with silent lips and downcast eyes.

“Lupusregina.” Ainz commanded, ice in his veins froze his heart, “If you cannot serve me as I am now, tell me.”

“I-I er, well, forgive me, my lord. This is just a lot to take in, if-if I were more clever, like Lady Albedo or Lord Demiurge, then I’m sure I’d know what to say.” She stammered out, clearly distressed and flummoxed.

“Just state your loyalty. Can you serve me, or not? I won’t hurt you, I promise. You’re the precious child of a dear friend. But if even my battlemaids aren’t with me, then nobody will be.” Ainz said it as steadily as he could, but a part of him wanted to cry out in anguish at the very thought.

The guardians, his maids and servants, the moment they’d come to life, bizarre as it was, it was as if he’d watched his own children being born into the world, and now here was the possibility that one, and if one, all… might reject him as their caregiver and provider.

“I am your servant. Now and forever. No matter what form you take, you are the Supreme Being.” Lupusregina at last pronounced with finality.

Relief flooded through him and he wiped the sweat from his brow for the third time that day. “Tell me then, will the others feel the same?”

The question was as much a demand as anything else, though she could hear the anxiety in her master’s voice, and it shook her to the core. Not least that he could ask it, but that she herself didn’t know.

“M-My lord, I feel Entoma, Pandora’s Actor, Yuri Alpha, CZ Delta, Sebas, and Lord Cocytus would do so without hesitation. Probably also Lord Mare and Lady Aura… but for the rest? I just don’t know… forgive me, but I just can’t say. You are the Supreme being, but most were created with a deep dislike, hunger, or hatred for humans. Even I can’t say what they will do. Forgive my inadequate answer, master.” Lupusregina answered as thoroughly as she could, which flooded Ainz with relief.

‘If she had answered with their certain loyalty, I wouldn’t have trusted her answer at all.’ He pondered and put a hand out to pat her head. “Your answer is more than adequate, but I should tell you what happened at least. However, you must understand that under no circumstances are you to reveal this to anyone.”

“No, of course not, this is for you to reveal, forgive my pretension my-” she said and he cut her off.

“Canine instincts and senses, yes. Of course you would recognize that this was not an illusion.” Ainz snorted and let out a grim chuckle. “I brought the best suited with me in terms of your likely loyalty, but also the one most likely to find out the truth.” Ainz rolled his eyes and went on to explain the morphomantic magic contained in the crystal.

“So, my lord, can you turn back?” Lupusregina asked, biting her lower lip when she asked, unsure if she even should have done so.

“Maybe. The spell typically expires on its own, most morphomantic magic is dependent on resistance and chance, and is not intended to be permanent. It may expire, it may not. If it doesn’t, then I need to either find a way to turn again, or create a way, if no item for that can be found.” Ainz admitted, then breathed a sigh of relief.

“The good news is, thanks to this, I now know that there are threats in this world that may harm us. Had I not learned this, I might have sent one of my precious children out without a world item or any kind of proper protection against high level magic or equipment. If anything happened to any of you…” Ainz trailed off and stared down at the faithful battlemaid who, had she been in a wolf form, surely would have been wagging her tail at the affection his words conveyed.

“If I have to, if it comes to it, if they won’t accept you… I’ll follow you anywhere.” She said with steady resolve that was almost like a different person from the winsome and playful one he recalled from earlier.

‘This is the loyalty I hoped for.’ He thought, but said out loud, “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”

“Agreed, my lord, hopefully it doesn’t. But if it does, I am with you, and I don’t believe I will be the only one.” Lupusregina replied, but then asked, “Does that mean my lord actually intends to sleep for a little while?”

“Yes, I won’t take chances out there, and should be at my best. Wake me when it is time to go, and until then… guard.” Ainz ordered, and the red haired battle maid gave a sharp and loyal nod.

“Yes, my lord!” She said with passionate loyalty, and Ainz sighed with relief when he stretched out on the bed to take a very brief, and much longed for nap, and not even dreams could touch him then.

roberthbutlerwriter

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