'How did I get here?'
It all started when I received an important report from Sebas about something unusual happening inside of Nazarick. I immediately teleported there upon hearing the explanation about the entity residing behind the black door.
All the Guardians of each floor were informed and ordered not to approach until further instructions were given.
As they gathered in front of the door, I noticed it had changed significantly from the simple black door described by Sebas.
It had transformed into a magnificent door with silver linings emanating from the symbol ∅ in the center, adorned with an unknown language.
Strangely, I should have considered it unknown, yet I understood the meaning of those words as if they had simply appeared in my mind.
Upon my arrival, all the guardians kneeled simultaneously. "We humbly greet Your Majesty," they uttered in unison.
"Umu, rise," I responded. As they stood, it was time to address the elephant in the room. Albedo broke the silence, asking, "What should we do, Ainz-sama?"
'Ehh... I don't know. I've never seen or heard of anything like this before. It's even more peculiar than any event from Yggdrasil.'
Now being the center of attention, the Guardians awaited my orders. This was undoubtedly a challenging situation.
Shalltear had been resurrected not too long ago, and suddenly, this mysterious door appeared in Nazarick.
According to Sebas's explanation, it was an unknown variable that had appeared coincidentally. However, my suspicion remained.
'My friends and I checked if Sebas was being mind-controlled like Shalltear, but fortunately, he wasn't.'
I couldn't let another one of my friends' minds be controlled like that ever again. This might be an elaborate trap set up by the players who controlled Shalltear.
'I've never heard of a World Item that resembled a door, though.' Well, there's no point dwelling on it.
"Sebas," I called. "Yes, Ainz-sama?" he responded.
"Do you trust the entity you spoke with?"
Albedo quickly interjected, "What does that mean, Ainz-sama?"
"I'm speaking to Sebas, Albedo," I replied firmly.
"My apologies," she said, feeling guilty for her interruption.
I understood her emotions, but the situation at hand didn't require unnecessary emotional responses.
"Based on this humble servant's observations, the owner of this place doesn't hold any hostility towards this servant," Sebas stated.
"I see," I responded, having made up my mind. Let's trust Sebas's judgment in this matter. Unlike the other monsters in Nazarick, Sebas is fair and unbiased, especially towards humans. Moreover, he possesses characteristics similar to Touch Me-san, which enhances his ability to discern whether someone is good or bad.
"Guide me and introduce me to this owner," I commanded Sebas. However, before proceeding, I made sure to prepare some emergency items.
According to the reports, Sebas couldn't use any of his abilities there, indicating that the other party possessed unique skills and items—possibly even World Items.
The reactions of each Guardian varied, but they all shared the same emotion: worry. It was the same feeling I experienced when facing Shalltear.
"Please reconsider this decision, Ainz-sama," Demiurge and Albedo immediately protested. Unfortunately, I had no other choice but to proceed.
"Then let's hear your opinion on how we should handle this," I challenged them.
'Because I can't think of any other way. This situation is different from Shalltear.'
None of my skills were able to detect anything about this thing. Shalltear had tried to break the door, but her weapon simply passed through it. Even Pandora's Actor was unable to transform when he touched it. Magic and physical attacks proved useless against the door—it was indestructible, or rather, non-existent.
'If Sebas's account is true, the entity behind this door is something akin to a god. Or perhaps even beyond that.'
I couldn't remain idle with such an existence residing in the heart of my beloved home.
"We...!" Albedo and Demiurge expressed their frustration.
How could they not? Despite their high intelligence, they couldn't think of a way to handle this. Their opponent was beyond comprehension—a being that defied logic. It wasn't merely a stronger entity; it was an entirely different kind of existence.
"Still, please think of another way—" Albedo began to plead, but I cut her off, saying, "Enough."
This should be enough to convince them. I would take a few escape items with me to test them once I was inside.
"Let's go, Sebas."
"Please wait, Your Majesty!" Albedo grabbed the hem of my robes, trembling as she held on. "Please let this servant come with you. At least I can hold them off for a few seconds." Albedo desperately clung to me, and refusing her request seemed like it might shatter her.
"Fine," I relented. Albedo donned her armor and equipped her axe, then took her place beside me as we slowly opened the door.
I waited a few seconds before entering to see if the time stop was related to the door opening, but time continued as usual.
Once inside, I recognized a few things from my former world—the world where a human named Suzuki Satoru once lived.
'A traditional café? TV? AC? They even have speakers?' The TV wasn't turned on, but the speakers played music I had never heard before.
'It almost has the same effect as the Emotion Suppressor.' Although slightly different, the music had a direct soothing effect on the mind, similar to the Emotion Suppressor.
A man stood up from a group of humans, matching Sebas's description of the owner. "Welcome to Void Café~ How may I serve you? Please take a seat," he warmly invited us, gesturing towards a table.
"Ohh~ Sebas! It's good to see you again! And the cool-looking skeleton must be Your Majesty Ainz, right? Haha! I'm delighted to meet you!" The owner's behavior was somewhat eccentric, displaying unexpected joy upon our arrival.
'It seems what Sebas said was true—I cannot use any of my skills here.' Even my items seemed to lose their power upon stepping through the door.
'Not even the system was spared.'
"Back off!" Albedo suddenly exclaimed, pointing her axe at the owner, ready to defend against any potential threat.
"Oya? Calm down now. This is a café, not an arena. Please put down your weapon," the owner calmly responded, raising his hands. Although his tone didn't reflect fear, Albedo remained on guard.
The two children sitting at the table stood up, rushing to their father's defense, trying to protect him with their small bodies.
The atmosphere became tense, filled with anticipation of the next move.
"Okay, stop," the owner commanded, clapping his hands loudly. "Before this situation gets out of hand, let's sit and talk first, shall we?" He picked up his children and moved away, defusing the tension.
"U-umu, it seems my subordinate was rude to you. My apologies," I apologized, feeling the need to take responsibility for her actions.
"I'm sorry as well for intruding on your place inappropriately. I should be grateful you didn't immediately attack me." He added, Not minding Albedo's hostility one bit.
The owner appeared to be a level-headed man, for which I was grateful. If he had chosen to fight us, I doubted I could safely find a way out of there.
"Albedo, lower your axe," I commanded firmly. "But!" she protested.
"Albedo," I repeated, a note of warning in my voice. Reluctantly, she lowered her axe but remained vigilant, not letting her guard down.
Sighing inwardly, I attempted to sit on one of the chairs, but the owner stopped me. "Hehe, I have an idea. Would you mind sitting together with those two?" He pointed to a young teenage couple, presumably high school students, who were already seated, observing us with mixed emotions.
The boy trembled in fear, jumping every time I made a slight movement, while the girl looked at me with twinkling eyes, captivated by my actions.
'Hou... a horror-loving girlfriend and a scaredy-cat boyfriend?' This notion tickled my soul as an old man who died a virgin.
"Umu," I nodded, recognizing that this was an opportunity to gather information, nothing more.
Each step I took intensified their emotions. The boyfriend even hid behind his girlfriend.
"Hello," I greeted them cautiously.
"HIIIK!" The boy covered his face and closed his eyes in fear.
"Miyamura! You're being rude! Hello, nice to meet you. I apologize for my boyfriend's antics," the girl said, her eyes practically sparkling.
Sensing the danger brewing within Albedo, I quickly stood up and restrained her, preventing any potential disaster.
"Ainz-sama! Please don't hold me back! I can clearly sense this trash's intention! She's trying to steal you from me!"
'No, she already has a boyfriend. Can't you see?' Even in the face of danger, the human girl never flinched. She continued to look at us with curiosity, while Albedo swung her axe, Sebas and I holding her back.
"Are you both lovers?" the human girl asked.
Albedo's actions came to a halt, and her voice sounded flustered. "D- Does it look like that?" she asked.
"Yes!" the girl replied. Albedo wilted and obediently sat down. Then she continued speaking. "D- Do you really think I'm the perfect match for Ainz-sama?"
The human girl pondered for a moment, looking at the fully armored Albedo. "Truthfully speaking, I don't know," she replied. Albedo felt betrayed by those words.
"But one thing I know is that love can overcome anything! And I trust that you can too, especially with how intense it is! So don't give up!" the girl encouraged.
"Human..." Albedo was startled, but it seemed that things were going well. Albedo appeared quite satisfied, and the human girl seemed to have gained Albedo's recognition as well.
Our earlier commotion had caused the boy to open his eyes, and upon seeing me sitting in front of him, he let out a loud scream and fainted, foam forming at his mouth.
'What an amusing reaction.' Was this how workers at a haunted house felt? Although I understood the boy's fear, my two subordinates didn't take it kindly.
"Is this your lover, human? If so, you should break up with cowards like him," Albedo disdainfully remarked.
"Hmm, it seems the young man hasn't toughened his mind enough. Would you mind giving him to this servant?" Sebas's eyes gleamed as the servant of justice, feeling enraged at seeing a man hide behind a woman.
"Well, he's fine like this. Not all humans need to be perfect. You need to accept their flaws and weaknesses too," the young girl defended him.
"Despite being scared of scary things, the fact that he put up with it just to be with me really makes me feel cherished," the young girl said with a smile, her boyfriend still unconscious but holding onto her arm.
The young girl might not have realized it, but for the three of us who lacked much experience in love, she shone brightly.
'Hmm... He isn't that bad,' I admitted to myself. I had to acknowledge his courage; the fact that he didn't run away, leaving his girlfriend behind, was rather admirable.
'Well, hiding behind said girlfriend does contradict what I just said.'
"Hoou... what a tough girl. Then let me introduce myself since you've earned that right. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, the Master of Nazarick," I introduced myself.
"My name is Albedo, the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick. Make sure you remember it," Albedo added.
"And I am Sebas Tian, the leader of the Six Pleiades," Sebas introduced himself as well.