Finally, under Sebas's sharp, raptor-like gaze, Momonga figured out how to use the "Mirror of Remote Viewing."
This made him breathe a sigh of relief. The feeling reminded Momonga of his few student days, that sensation of being watched by a teacher while doing homework, like daggers in his back.
He never expected that after so many years, and even after becoming an Undead, he could still experience this feeling again.
"Clap, clap, clap."
At this, Sebas clapped his hands and, with a serious and solemn expression, complimented, "Congratulations, Lord Momonga."
"Thanks, Sebas." Momonga turned his head to look at Sebas, then added, "Sorry for troubling you to stay with me."
"What are you saying? To serve the Supreme One at all times and obey commands is the very meaning of a butler's existence. There is no need to apologize," Sebas replied.
Although Momonga hadn't asked Sebas to stay, he still apologized. After all, on the surface, it did appear that he had requested Sebas to be there. He simply couldn't refuse and was worried that refusing might cause Sebas to become displeased, a helpless move.
So, no matter what he thought internally, he had to maintain appearances. He needed to demonstrate his authority as the supreme ruler of Nazarick, yet not be too harsh on his subordinates, which might cause resentment.
This contradictory mindset was also a manifestation of Momonga's lack of confidence. After all, he was originally just a small-time individual at the bottom of society. It would be strange if he suddenly wielded great power one day and felt confident.
After mastering the use of the "Mirror of Remote Viewing," Momonga moved the images by waving his hand, a sensation similar to operating a touchscreen device in his original world.
He constantly changed the scenery in the mirror, hoping to see people—no, it didn't necessarily have to be humans, any intelligent creature would do. Of course, if possible, humans would be best.
But Momonga suddenly felt the atmosphere fall into another strange feeling. Even though he had figured out how to control the item, Sebas was still meticulously staring at him from behind.
Although he knew Sebas wasn't monitoring him, implying he should finish the task quickly, his many years of work experience caused him to involuntarily feel this way.
Momonga secretly glanced at Sebas.
"Is something wrong, Lord Momonga? Is there anything you need to command?" A slight smile appeared on Sebas's impeccable face. His grasp of Momonga's subtle changes was spot-on, a quality a qualified butler should possess.
"No, nothing, Sebas."
Momonga said, his tone steady, but he was grumbling internally. However, no matter how much he grumbled, he couldn't change the current situation. He could only continue to focus his energy on searching for intelligent creatures.
"Oh!"
He let out a sound of surprised joy, because Momonga finally saw a village-like scene in the mirror. His exclamation was not only because he had discovered traces of intelligent life, but also because it meant he had finally completed his work under Sebas's meticulous 'surveillance' and achieved mental relaxation.
"Congratulations, Lord Momonga. Sebas is truly impressed," Sebas praised sincerely.
However, Sebas's praise made Momonga uncomfortable; he would have gotten goosebumps if he still had them.
No matter how hard he worked in the past, he never received praise. He never expected to receive praise for completing such a small task now, which caused him to feel psychologically allergic.
However, the urgent matter now was to examine the newly discovered village. Momonga judged that the village was located approximately ten kilometers southwest of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, near a forest, with wheat fields surrounding the village.
"Hmm, the level of civilization shouldn't be high."
Momonga made this judgment because he didn't see any modern things like power lines. If this world had such things, even in the countryside, some clues would likely be visible. However, he would provisionally assume this for now; perhaps this area was simply very backward.
He then continued to manipulate the scenery in the mirror, observing for a moment before feeling a bit strange.
"...Is this village holding a festival?"
Momonga saw people constantly going in and out of the houses in the village, seeming very flustered.
"No, this is not a festival," Sebas suddenly interjected, his tone very certain, his eyes sharply fixed on the image in the mirror. From his tone, some disgust could also be heard.
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Momonga manipulated the mirror to zoom in on the image. Sure enough, he saw the true situation of the people who had previously looked like tiny grains of rice on the screen.
Soldiers clad in metal armor were using their swords to hack down crudely dressed villagers. The people going in and out were merely soldiers searching house by house.
With every swing of a soldier's sword, a villager would fall. The villagers were completely defenseless and could only flee in all directions, but some soldiers on horseback caught up to the faster-running villagers and cut off their heads with their swords.
Undoubtedly, this was a blatant massacre, a one-sided slaughter.
"Tsk!"
Momonga clicked his tongue. He had thought he could gain more information through this village, but now it seemed this village had no value whatsoever.
If he were to intervene and rescue them, it would inevitably lead to conflict with those soldiers. The situation of this world was currently unclear, and rashly offending a faction in this world would bring no benefit to Nazarick.
And those soldiers didn't seem like they would be easy to communicate with. It was possible that he would be silenced for being a witness to the village massacre.
Whether choosing to save the villagers or to converse with these soldiers, neither would benefit Nazarick.
Therefore, the correct course of action was—to stand by and do nothing.
Momonga, having made such a cold judgment, felt a slight unease about his own thoughts. He knew the massacre before him was an evil act, but for the sake of Nazarick's interests, he believed such a choice was excusable.
In the harsh environment of his original world, he wouldn't even be moved by the sight of a homeless child's corpse. Perhaps it was his indifferent personality that caused him to calmly decide to stand by and do nothing when witnessing such a massacre, or perhaps it was because his Undead body had eliminated these emotions that humans should possess.
Although the morality he had as a human once made him feel uneasy, Momonga felt that this way, he could at least avoid making decisions that would harm Nazarick's interests due to emotions.
Moreover, this was like the law of the jungle in the animal world; the weaker party had no right to complain even if they were eaten, and he himself was an outsider.
Right, he was now an Undead. These massacred villagers were clearly humans no matter how he looked at them. Was he, as an Undead, supposed to help humans of a different race?
It would be as ridiculous as a lion helping an injured gazelle.
Momonga desperately searched for excuses, trying to justify his inaction to alleviate his inner unease.