That evening, as the Emmot family gathered around the dinner table, Enri's father set down his spoon with a heavy sigh.
"Enri," he began, his voice grave. "Your mother and I have noticed you've been… distracted lately."
Enri paused mid-bite. "Huh?"
Her mother gave her a knowing look. "You've been disappearing into the forest almost every day. And you always come back with this… smile on your face."
Enri's cheeks warmed. "I—I just like the fresh air!"
Then, like a traitor, Nemu—mouth full of stew—blurted out:
"She's been meeting a man in the woods!"
Her father, a sturdy man with calloused hands from years of farming, his expression cycled through shock, resignation, and finally, a deep, world-weary sigh.
"...I knew this day would come," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "My sweet little girl, growing up… meeting men in the woods…"
Enri groaned. "It's not like that—"
Her mother, hiding a smirk behind her hand, wisely stayed silent.
Her father exhaled heavily, then fixed Enri with a serious look. "So. Nfirea."
Enri blinked. "What about him?"
"The boy's in love with you."
"Wha—?!" Enri's voice cracked. "No, he's not! We're just friends!"
Her father gave her a flat stare. "Enri. He trips over his own feet when you smile at him. He stutters every time you ask him about potions. He once brought you three bouquets of flowers because he 'thought you might like them.'"
Enri opened her mouth, then closed it. Okay, maybe Nfirea was a little… obvious. But still!
"I don't see him that way," she insisted.
Her father sighed, rubbing his beard. "Fine. Then tell me this—is the man you've been meeting at least more masculine than Nfirea?"
Enri paused.
Her mind conjured up an image of Nfirea—scrawny, soft-spoken, sweet but perpetually nervous. Then, unbidden, another image replaced it: Ainz.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. That deep, resonant voice that carried effortless authority. The way he carried himself—like a king, even when he was just sitting under a tree, teasing her. And sure, he was a skeleton now, but…
He must have been really handsome when he was alive.
A traitorous warmth crept up her neck. She bit her lip without realizing it.
"Ahem."
Her mother's amused cough snapped her back to reality. Enri's face burned as she met her mom's knowing gaze.
"W-Well," Enri stammered, straightening, "he's, uh… definitely more… masculine than Nfirea."
Her father slumped in relief. "Thank the gods. I like the boy, but he's about as intimidating as a startled rabbit."
Enri rolled her eyes, but… she couldn't exactly disagree. Nfirea was kind. Gentle. A good friend. But Ainz? Ainz was something else entirely.
The peaceful dinner was shattered by screams.
Enri's father stood first, his chair scraping against the floor. "What in the—?"
Then came the sound of steel clashing, horses neighing, and the unmistakable wet thud of blades meeting flesh.
They rushed to the window—and froze.
Knights in unfamiliar armor rode through the village, cutting down anyone in their path. Men, women—it didn't matter. Blood splattered the dirt roads as villagers fled in terror.
"No…" Enri whispered.
Her mother acted first. "Back door. Now."
She grabbed Nemu's hand and yanked her toward the rear exit, Enri stumbling after them. But before they could slip out, the front door burst open.
Two knights stormed in, swords gleaming with fresh blood.
Enri's father didn't hesitate. He lunged, tackling one of them with all his strength. "RUN!" he roared.
Her mother shoved Enri toward the door. "Take Nemu and go!"
Nemu was sobbing, her tiny fingers clutching Enri's sleeve. Enri's own vision blurred with tears, but she hesitated. "But—!"
"We'll buy time!" her mother snapped. "GO!"
A knight raised his sword—
Enri grabbed Nemu's hand and ran.
The forest loomed ahead, but the knights were fast. Two of them broke off, chasing them. Enri's lungs burned, her legs threatening to give out. But she couldn't stop.
"Ainz..."
She veered toward their usual meeting spot, dragging Nemu behind her. But then—
"Ah!"
Nemu tripped, crashing into the dirt.
Enri whirled around just in time to see the knight raise his sword.
Without thinking, she threw herself over Nemu.
The blade came down.
White-hot pain seared across her back. She screamed, her arms tightening around Nemu as the knight reared back for another strike.
"AINZ!" Her voice tore through the forest, raw and desperate. The knight hesitated.
Then—
"Grasp Heart."
A phantom heart materialized in a skeletal hand—then crushed into nothing.
The knight who had cut Enri collapsed, lifeless. The second knight stumbled back, his sword lowering in shock.
Ainz Ooal Gown stood before them, his skeletal form radiating an aura of pure, suffocating malice.
"You can butcher women and children," Ainz mused, his voice colder than Enri had ever heard it, "but the moment something not human stands before you… you falter."
The knight dropped his sword and ran.
Ainz flicked a finger. "Dragon Lightning."
A bolt of crackling energy struck the fleeing man, reducing him to a charred husk in seconds.
"Pathetic," Ainz muttered. "A mere 7th-tier spell, and he couldn't even survive it."
Enri stared, wide-eyed. This wasn't the Ainz who teased her, who listened to Nemu's endless questions, who pretended to guard her bread like a treasure.
This was something else. Something terrifying.
Ainz turned his attention to the fallen knight's corpse. "Create Undead: Death Knight."
Black ooze enveloped the body, twisting and reshaping it. The armor warped, sprouting jagged spikes and demonic horns. A monstrous figure rose—two meters tall, its hollow eyes burning with crimson hatred.
"Kill every knight in the village," Ainz commanded. The Death Knight roared, a sound that shook the earth, then charged toward the slaughter.
Then, finally, Ainz turned to Enri. The fury in his eyes dimmed slightly as he knelt beside her, pulling a red potion from his inventory. "Drink this."
Enri didn't hesitate. She gulped it down, grimacing at the bitter taste. Instantly, the wound on her back knitted itself together under a green glow. The moment the pain faded, Nemu and Enri lunged at Ainz, clinging to his robes as sobs wracked their bodies.
Ainz stiffened. "Ah—uh—"
His hands hovered awkwardly before finally settling on their backs, patting them in stiff, uncertain motions. "...There, there," he muttered, as if reciting from a script.
Enri buried her face in his robe, her fingers trembling. She had never been more relieved—or more afraid—of him in her life.