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This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

Despite assuring their hosts that they would allow themselves rest inside their rooms, Blue Rose nonetheless kept a silent vigil all through the night. They were concerned that Momon, for all his efforts, would be unable to completely contain the underground creatures' advance, which would subsequently endanger all the villagers who were living here. They took turns on the watch, exactly as if they were camping out on some dangerous ruins, ready to spring into action should the worst come. And it was a credit to their experience as adamantite-classes that none of them even looked fatigued as they did so.

When dawn came, there was a knock on the door. Those who were sleeping instantly sprang awake, and watched their surroundings with great intensity. It was Lakyus who went to the door, and answered, "Yes?"

The voice that answered from beyond belonged to that butler, Sebas. "Breakfast is served, my lady," came his rumbling voice. "If it pleases you, dear guests, would you like to join the Ladies Vanessa and Amelia, and sir Momon at the table?"

"We'll be there, thank you," Lakyus said without hesitation, already turning towards the bathroom to change out of her adventurer's armor. Evileye, who had been just about to say something concerning the lingering danger in the grounds below, closed her mouth with an audible clack before shaking her head. The rest of Blue Rose duly followed their leader down to the breakfast table.

"Good morning, Lakyus. And to everyone else in Blue Rose," came the cheerful greeting of Amelia. Lakyus stopped and stared, at the sight of the woman wearing muted, casual clothing. Well, she'd seen it before, but it had just been in private and not out here in the open… It took Gagaran prodding her from behind before she bowed to answer.

"Y-yes, a good morning to you as well," she said, after clearing her throat. "And to you as well, Lady Vanessa."

The aforementioned lady inclined her head in acknowledgement, then gestured towards the table. "I would be honored if you join us, adventurers of Blue Rose."

"Wait," Evileye said, as the rest went to their chairs. "Where's Momon?"

"Sir Momon, my dear brother, is currently outside surveying the village," Vanessa said, with a slight frown. "Did you need anything from him?"

"Yeah. Lakyus, everyone, enjoy the eating," Evileye said, turning around with a sweep of her red cloak to leave. The rest of them could only watch her leave. Blue Rose especially were collectively slack-jawed.

"I apologize for her," Lakyus said hastily. "She can be quite headstrong when she wants to be."

Vanessa nodded graciously. "I will tell Sebas to set aside some food for her."

"We thank you for your forbearance, Lady Vanessa," Lakyus said. She glanced at her fellows, who also looked slightly embarrassed at Evileye's abrupt and rude departure.

"I must also apologize for my behavior earlier," Vanessa continued, as Sebas went around the table serving the food to everyone. "It has been quite a stressful month for me, especially as the land which I had bought with my fortune in the Kingdom has turned out to be quite problematic! And then my brother had to come along—why thank you Sebas dear—" the lady sighed, perhaps a bit too dramatically. She closed her eyes, her brows furrowed. "You must forgive me, whenever I hear his name mentioned—"

"No, please, that is alright."

"Please allow me this chance for an apology. After all, I have been rude, especially to you," Vanessa offered a small smile. "After all, you are to be my brother's husband-to-be. Once the wedding's past, that will practically make us family. So again, do forgive me, Lady Lakyus."

"You are most kind, my lady," Lakyus said pleasantly. Her teammates could sense she was using every ounce of her noble background like a shield to smooth over the conversation as quickly as possible. She hesitated, a thought occurring to her. "And then… if it were possible, would you do us the honor of attending the wedding? You are of course, most graciously invited to come attend." At this Lakyus deftly produced the small letter from her clothes and passed it to Sebas, who went around to pass it to Vanessa.

The lady glanced at the flowing script written on the back in gold foil. There was a short pause, and to the extremely observant, like Albedo, it was clear that a shadow of an expression crossed the woman's face. What that expression actually was, only Albedo could say, but judging from the way she immediately cleared her throat, it was perhaps something that would have revealed the real Solution Epsilon to the humans.

"Ah… yes," Vanessa said slowly. Her eye twitched, though no one in Blue Rose thought that strange. "I should be honored to participate in my brother's ritual of holy matrimony." She glanced at Amelia, whose smile seemed to lengthen, as if she had said something wrong. Perhaps realizing it, Vanessa continued hastily, "—and it would be regretful to miss the chance to partake in the glorious ceremony." She glanced again, and seemed to pale, though the humans again didn't notice. "…To watch you and my brother be married."

The humans of Blue Rose didn't catch the silent exchange between Overseer and maid, nor of Albedo's imperceptible nod, which made Vanessa finally relax.

"I am glad. Thank you, my lady," Lakyus said.

"Now, let us eat! You must all be famished," Amelia said, clapping her hands lightly. "With your permission, of course, my lady."

"Yes, yes," Vanessa said faintly.

Breakfast passed with a flurry of silverware and delicious food, which Blue Rose noted to have excellent quality. They complimented Sebas Tian, who had cooked it (though really it had been hand-delivered the night before from Nazarick during the battle). They talked of this and that, and not a single one of them talked of the singular events that night. Lakyus exhibited a supreme mastery of her instinct, knowing it was better to discuss such things after digesting breakfast, and not during.

Still, after they excused themselves, Blue Rose followed their wayward member outside, and began the effort of observing their surroundings, while discussing among themselves. Amelia joined them, ostensibly to find Momon.

"It surely sucks to be the Lady, huh?" Gagaran said, echoing their thoughts from the vigil last night. "Only recently bought the land, and it turns out it's sitting on top of some real nasty monsters."

"One wonders why it's taken the creatures this long to awake," Lakyus said aloud. "Surely signs of them would have been reported to the adventurer's guild long ago."

"Well, there's a bunch of old lore that's disappeared, ain't that right?" Gagaran said. "Even Evileye's a testament to that. From how she says it, there used to be a whole lot more kingdoms around this place. Now they're all vanished, like a puff of smoke. It could be there're scores of their remnants buried underground, all with their hidden nasties ready to wake up." Gagaran glanced over at Amelia, who was listening in with a serene look on her face. "Is it the same deal where you're from?"

The woman blinked. "Yes, we have heard stories of the like. We've also had our own share of… ruins. But we've never given them serious thought."

"That is understandable," Lakyus said. "No one really expects something like… this."

They found Momon and Evileye together at the top of a small hill, which overlooked a series of farms in the distance.

"Sir Momon, the Lady Vanessa missed you at her table," Lakyus said by way of greeting.

"That is alright," came Momon's reply, his voice augmented by his thickly plated helm. "I had already expressed my apologies to her."

"You guys done eating?" Evileye remarked, turning to her teammates.

"Yeah, what the heck is up with you, just leaving the table like that? You've got better manners than that," Gagaran chastised.

"And I've got better matters on my mind," Evileye replied, in much the same manner. "This is not something we can easily overlook."

"And why's that?" Lakyus said.

Before Evileye could muster an answer, Momon said, "She has been telling me about the nature of this fell threat. How she has sensed something akin to it before. She has been asking me about my craft; and if I really know how to counter these invaders. I replied that I had no special knowledge of them, and that the mystical arts of my homeland looked too have been enough to ward them from my sister's lands." Evileye glared at him from under her mask, displeased at being interrupted like that.

"I find it curious that you're familiar with such… 'evil'," Amelia said.

"Unfortunately, I've been acquainted with vile things like that before. And let me tell you, they're no joke. What we've seen last night was but the tip of the spear, I believe," Evileye said.

The others from her group knew she was referring to her own storied past, from way before she had been recruited into Blue Rose. Lakyus was herself concerned that Eclipse Nebula would press Evileye into explaining more, which would only end up inflaming the masked blonde's spiny temper even further. Thankfully, neither one made an attempt, and instead moved on to talk about the present affair.

"What will you be doing, my lord?" Amelia said.

"I'm of a mind to stay and sweep the area," Momon said in his deep, authoritative voice. "There's no telling how deep this infestation has spread. For all we know there might be other entrances into that underground area we don't know about."

"That's a pretty large area," Lakyus observed. "Even limiting it to the Lady Vanessa's demesne—there're far too many hidden holes."

Ainz already had that fact well in hand. In fact, just before fucking Solution Epsilon to a puddle last night he had sent the Eight-Edge Assassins as well as the majority of Nazarick's stealthier minions to scout out the entire plot of land that had been given to Solution. They had immediately found suspicious passageways that were well-hidden to human eyes (and perhaps even to Ainz's eyes) which he had then verified for himself. He'd sealed them all up, using the same techniques that he'd used for the very first passageway-with the exception of one, which he saved for Blue Rose. Since then he had been trying to figure out a way to greatly enhance Solution's defenses in this land, without arousing the suspicion of the people in here.

Unfortunately, that also meant he could not just bring down the full force of Nazarick here, even if that was fundamentally a bad idea. He still had reservations about the presence of an actual Player here, even if all evidence pointed to something else.

"Then, allow us to volunteer our services," Lakyus said.

"Hm?" Momon cocked his head.

"Uhhh, Leader?" Gagaran said, with a loud, pointed cough.

Lakyus turned, brows raised. "What?"

"C'mere, we need to talk," Gagaran said, twitching her head to the side. The members of Blue Rose formed up in a huddle a short distance away.

"Did you forget we're here on a job for you?" Gagaran asked.

"Doing something more would go against the Guild rules," Tia remarked.

"This is an emergency," Evileye said, to counter them, which surprised them all. "These creatures cannot be left to run amok, even with them here. So to hell with the rules."

"Leaving that aside," Lakyus said, "I do agree that this time it would be in our best interests to investigate further. The Guild mandate specifically calls for independent action by all its members, in the event that such an emergency situation would constitute a threat to humanity at large—all within the individual's discretion. And it just so happens that I do judge this to be one such emergency."

The other three groaned, but didn't protest further. They were not opposed to the principle of the thing, but they were keenly aware of the fact that they wouldn't be paid for all the extra work. And even if Lakyus managed to convince the Guild back at the Capital that they should be rewarded, it was still quite a ways away.

"So it's been decided," Lakyus said, turning back to Eclipse Nebula. "We shall be aiding you in this little quest."

Amelia was uncharacteristically silent, as if she were thinking seriously. Then, Momon nodded. "We would be honored for your help."

"But wait, isn't this a bit too stacked, my lord?" Amelia said. "Two adamantite-levels in one small area?"

"It will be necessary," Momon and Evileye said at the same time. After a beat, they started and looked at each other, surprise hidden behind their respective masks. The silence that followed was only broken by Amelia's giggle.

"Very well, my lord. I am sure I would be pleased to spend more time with Blue Rose," Amelia said, looking pointedly at Lakyus, who averted her eyes. "I shall speak to your sister about the new arrangement."

"N-no, Amelia, I feel like I should be the one to talk—" Lakyus stuttered out.

"Then we shall both go together," Amelia said, still smiling. She took the blonde by the shoulder and ushered her back towards the mansion. "If you'll excuse us, my lord? We must seek another audience with the Lady Vanessa."

"Go." Ainz suspected their actual audience with Solution would be rather short-and that the rest of their time would be devoted to getting frisky in a corner of the mansion. He wondered if that was good for long-term work—having dalliances with co-workers seemed to stifle efficiency, though currently Albedo continued to function well despite her rampant perversions. Lakyus was still human, though, with all the flaws that went with it.

He put aside the pondering for later. He turned to the rest of Blue Rose. "I shall be performing my checks with the western farms, going all the way to the border. What about you?"

It was quite advantageous for Ainz that Blue Rose would waste their time with areas that Nazarick had already searched and scouted out. He only then needed to put on a show of going around the farms, walking around, while he could focus his energies somewhere else.

In fact, it became a very interesting time for Ainz. While the areas within Solution's designated demesne had been thoroughly vetted by his minions, that same certainty did not extend to the areas beyond that predetermined border. And there, in the lands belonging to some other noble, did he find even more of these underground invaders, although in this instance, it was more like he was invading them.

During the nights when Blue Rose thought he had retired to his own room at Solution's manse, he led and directed the disposable legions of Nazarick in a massive campaign to investigate these newly discovered underground areas. In most cases he sent his minions to fight in his stead, reserving his own intervention for where there was something unusual about this or that area, or if there was a particularly strong fiend.

The creatures Nazarick encountered ran the gamut of strange to horrifying (to normal humans), almost as if they had been plucked from the minds of those who had constructed Nazarick itself. In fact, that spurred Ainz into keeping his suspicion of a Player's involvement firmly in his mind. There were fiends formed from living moss and fungi, dribbling fetid growths and spewing breaths so foul that Ainz could smell it in the air. Some even launched large spores that detonated with the force of a bomb, and spread ruinous growths over everything it touched. There were creatures knitted from discolored shadows, writhing and twisting like the disembodied limbs of undead octopi, their forms oozing with various disgusting pustules, each fighting with the brute strength of an ogre. And there were legions of large, rat-like creatures, snapping and gnashing with rabid, slavering jaws, eye-sockets filled with unholy strength, their minds enslaved by the twisted fungi that dug into their brains.

Ainz noted that these creatures had power that could far outmatch Blue Rose. He doubted those adventurers could have even survived in these tunnels if he hadn't come into the picture. Even Nazarick's own suffered a few casualties; luckily these were easily replaceable. It was a testament to the power that the united Forty-One had mustered for themselves that even the least of their number could withstand the onslaught of these strange creatures. It also helped that the undead skeletons and wraiths he had sent down to combat these new creatures were immune to the infectious pox they spewed.

Still, the sheer number of these creatures was a feature of concern. And of course, whenever Ainz ordered a passage to be sealed by a well-placed explosion, his scouts would find yet another passageway a few hundred feet away, leading him to suspect that the labyrinthine underground passages were far more extensive than suspected. What was the true nature of these things, and why had they only begun to act now? Surely there would have been record of these creatures wiping out previous nations if they were as widely spread as he'd discovered. Only Nazarick seemed to be immune—as any scouts sent to investigate its location had found nothing, which was a relief unto itself.

After a good long week, Ainz was ready to conclude his investigation for now, and decided to leave a token force to watch over the town and alert him of any new developments. It was then that he discarded the illusion from the passage he had deliberately left open, and predictably Blue Rose discovered it within only a few hours. They then invited Eclipse Nebula over to aid them, which Ainz did, as a way to once more observe how Blue Rose worked.

On his previous visit he'd had the Nazarick liches freeze a few of the creatures just in case. The scouts then reported that the creatures had abandoned this passageway for some reason, which meant that Blue Rose would not find anything but the ones Ainz had saved for them.

"So Evileye, are these really similar?" Gagaran asked, after successfully fending off a blow.

"I can't be sure," came Evileye's clipped reply. The woman didn't elaborate, which disappointed Ainz.

With the enemy featuring such small numbers, Blue Rose were able to exterminate them without breaking a sweat. They explored a few hundred meters deeper, and all came to the conclusion that delving in deeper was a bigger risk. Blue Rose therefore had to announce to the whole town that the entrance had to be sealed. This time, Ainz did not bother to volunteer himself or his services, instead leaving it to the villagers to quickly erect a wall made of cobblestone.

Albedo told him that Lakyus was writing it all down in her report that was to be submitted to the Guild, which worked out well enough. Ainz, for his part, revisited that same passageway later and performed his personal sealing some distance further inside the tunnels, completing the fortification of Solution's land.

With the whole domain scoured and the only remaining entrance sealed, the two groups were set to leave the mansion on the same day, and he had Solution invite them to a little feast before leaving.

During that event Ainz pressed Evileye on her knowledge, while in his turn divulging a few details of what he'd encountered beneath the mansion. To his disappointment, the woman was tight-lipped, and only referred to a vague "evil presence" that was said to resurface once in a blue moon.

"But their stink is unmistakable," she said firmly. "And it is all the more imperative that we stop them, for the sake of humanity."

It was a laudable sentiment, but one which was unnecessary in this case. Ainz briefly wondered if he should relate news of the expanded regions which were also just as infested by these creatures.

The Lady Vanessa had granted a handsome number of precious gems as their reward in return for their outstanding services to her demesne. The payment had been something that Ainz had to command Solution to give. The maid had been reluctant to grant any such boon, as Nazarick was already providing them with food and board. She had a point, but it would have been just as strange for a supposed noblewoman to not make a token attempt at gratitude. In this way, Blue Rose would also feel a bit more positively about the Lady Vanessa, who was expected to continue playing her role as Sir Momon's sister and eventually Lakyus' sister-in-law.

As for Lakyus, she was personally relieved that Lady Vanessa had given them this reward. This allowed her to be much less reluctant to accept it, considering her team-mates were literally staring daggers at her back during the audience. Their mood had improved after she had accepted the boon of gold and jewels, the latter of which were of such high quality that even the twins had remarked upon it.

"Haven't seen anything like this in a long while," Tina said.

"No doubt, she's loaded," Tia said in agreement.

Ainz offered them a ride back to the capital, which they agreed to, citing important affairs. He guessed that they were perhaps eager to report on their findings in this town to whatever superiors they had. Their ride was a large carriage that Ainz had bought a while back, which had then been touched up by the craftsmen of Nazarick. It was roomy enough to fit in Albedo and all of Blue Rose, as long as he was driving the reins. And there was one more feature to the ride that Ainz was eager to show off.

"Such fine-looking beasts," Lakyus remarked, patting her hands against the flank of one of the horses hitched to the carriage.

"Is that so?" Ainz said, with a tone that suggested a bit of mirth. "But Lakyus, things aren't as they seem with these things."

"Huh?"

He pointed to the four horses. "These belong to my sister. She let me borrow them. And these are not real horses. Through an aspect of our secret arts that even I do not possess—for they are only passed through the female line—she can bring these 'shikigami' to life. In reality these horses are just illustrations on a specially made piece of paper.

Lakyus' eyes widened. "How extraordinary. These are merely magical constructs?"

"And they work just as much as any true-bred horse. Perhaps even better."

"I see…"

Ainz laid a finger to his mouth in a shushing position. "Please don't spread this around too much. My sister desires her privacy, and it is not as if she could merely gift these things everywhere."

Lakyus nodded eagerly, her starstruck eyes still on the horses. "I understand. I shall keep my silence."

Ainz watched her for a bit more before rolling his eyes to himself. Mission accomplished, he thought silently.

Things weren't as they seemed. The horses were not real, but neither were they constructs made by Solution. They were only one of his more potent illusions, which affected the whole array of senses, from sight to sound to touch. The carriage, which had been enchanted by Nazarick, could move on its own. Ainz saw this as an opportunity to test his mettle once more against Blue Rose without them knowing, and found himself satisfied that he was better than the "pinnacle" that this Kingdom could produce. That was one experiment concluded.

"Farewell, brave adventurers!" Solution called from outside the front door of her manse. Sebas stood like a looming shadow behind her.

Amelia waved, and stepped up inside the carriage before closing the door. Ainz made the motions of attending to the horses, before urging the carriage forward while maintaining the spell that made the horses look like they were running. Now this was a test on how long he could keep it up.

Inside the carriage, Blue Rose's main subject of discussion were the underground creatures, which Evileye was all too eager to pursue. Albedo's current orders were to listen in using her capacity as Lakyus' confidante, but so far there had been nothing interesting.

Therefore she turned to the blonde and said, "How goes your planning?"

Lakyus cocked her head, confused. "Hm? Planning?"

She grinned. "The wedding, you silly girl."

"O-oh! Right! The wedding!" Her voice got all flustered, while a healthy flush crept into her cheeks. Her team-mates glanced sideways at their leader as she went on. "W-well the initial preparations have begun. M-my mother's taking care of the bulk o-of it."

"May I join you? It sounds fun."

Lakyus' eyes widened. "Really? But, what about—"

"If it is to aid you in this, then my lord has no qualms about it," Albedo assured her. "I'm sure there's something this humble self can add to your plans. It'll certainly take no small amount of time, but I'm sure it'll be time well spent. Together."

Lakyus nodded bashfully. "Yes. I'm sure I'd—Well certainly, Mother shan't object. I'd love to have you along—well, we'd love to have you along."

Gagaran suddenly whistled. "Well, good for you Lakyus. It looks like everything's really going smoothly for you, huh?"

Lakyus' expression cooled, as her attention turned to her team-mates. "Yes, certainly, you could say that… But then again, we have plenty of things to go over. Such as your dress, Gagaran. Can't have you attending my wedding in adventurer's slops now. We shall have to take your measurements."

"Wait, what? I ain't going in a dress!" Gagaran objected.

"No, I must certainly insist!"

Normally, any foray into the Katze Plains was never undertaken without a small army. And even then, said army must be prepared to deal with any sort of undead, which meant at the minimum the presence of magic-casters that could destroy the creatures, or priests blessed by the gods, or warriors clad in undead-hunting wargear. Anything less than an army would require exceptional skill, which was why the Messenger from the Guild was escorted by no less than a group of Gold-ranked adventurers. In addition, the crew was fully equipped with the standard array of equipment fully suited to the current mission, each of which was furnished directly by the Adventurer's Guild.

Yes, this was a mission personally backed by the Guild itself. Ainzach the guildmaster had sent out the details, and had commanded the Messenger to act as both intermediary and goodwill ambassador, with the fullest expectations of success. The only thing missing was the fact that Blue Rose was intended to be the escort, but as they and other groups were otherwise occupied, the task fell to these gold-rankers.

The Red Moon had been a hot topic of discussion among the adventurer rank and file for the past few months. And how could it not be? A remarkably crafted inn, where food and board were granted at an absurdly low sum, where entertainment of various kinds were available, where the adventurer-class could find themselves pampered like royalty for days on end. The only caveat was the gauntlet one had to endure in coming here—for it was located in the Katze Plains, a place no adventurer went to unless it was absolutely necessary.

The location itself had been quite suspect at first, leading the Guild to assume there was something sinister and predatory at work. At worst it was some sort of intrigue by any one nation, who could easily subvert such a thing into their own ends. But the news had spread far and wide, all across the land, through all nations, with adventurers of various backgrounds and personalities vouching for the breathtaking wonders they had seen there, of the mind-blowing experiences they had gone through. In all the time since, no strange or ill-clad rumor had been produced by the inn.

And most of all, there was the alluring, mysterious personality of the so-called proprietor, the Lady Katarina, who lorded over the place with the same demeanor as a queen over her lands. Red-blooded men could only speak of her enthralling beauty, her cold, dominating presence, and of the meticulous way she managed every last detail of the inn's operations.

It was to this mysterious character that the Messenger was bidden to meet. Spies had long been sent to the miraculous inn, and they had found nothing out of the ordinary. The next step, then, was to find some sort of accord between the Guild and the inn, whereby both could profit peacefully from cooperation.

"What the hell are those things?" One of the adventurers said. The messenger looked, and saw that there were certain tall, thin structures, like flag-posts almost, that were placed all along their path towards the inn. Atop each one was a grotesque sculpture of a human skull, its sockets gleaming with a peculiar light. It blended in well amid the dense, omnipresent gloom of the Plains.

"The letter said to follow those…" the messenger said. On a second glance, it was clear to see that the posts formed a pathway of sorts, leading into the distance.

"Oi, oi, is it really that easy? I thought the inn wanted to test adventurers or something?" asked one of the group.

The messenger shook her head. "Apparently, this was prepared for my sake."

"Ah, then perhaps this helps combat the undead?" one of the clerics there observed.

The group as a whole shrugged. They followed the instructions and went along the illuminated path, ever onward towards the Red Moon. No enemies came to harass them on the path.

After a while they reached the end of the path at the bottom of a hill, where they could easily spy the inn that had been built on top. A woman stood there, bowing to them all as they arrived.

"We welcome you all, dear messengers from the Adventurer's Guild," came the woman's voice. The woman was pale and beautiful, causing many to marvel at her otherworldly-seeming appearance.

"Are you Lady Katarina?" asked one of them. The woman shook her head.

"No, merely one of her serv—employees. I was to keep watch here, then guide you inside to meet her."

"Understood," the messenger said. "Thank you."

"The main path, which features the gauntlet, has been deactivated for your convenience," the woman said. "Please follow me."

"Huh, and here I thought we'd have a chance to prove our mettle."

"Later, perhaps," the messenger groused; a bit annoyed. Her nerves were already jumpy after going through the Katze Plains like that, and there was a return trip to consider as well. "Remember, this is a mission of importance for the Guild."

The employee made no remark on the exchange and instead continued to lead them upward towards the inn.

"Well, I'll be," an adventurer said, once they'd stepped through the front doors.

"Welcome to the Red Moon," said the employee.

The messenger and her escort were amazed at what they saw there. It was cheery without being too gaudy, the atmosphere festive without being too raucous, the furnishings were elegant without being too pretentious. It struck a strange balance between a tavern during happy hours, and a high-class dinner ball at a noble's house.

The messenger tore her eyes away from the splendor just enough to ask, "Have the arrangements been made for them?"

The employee curtsied. "Yes. One night's worth of accommodations have been prepared. Would you all like to refresh yourselves?" she addressed the adventurers. The group replied in a loud, and cheerful affirmative.

"Remember it's only one night," the messenger reminded them, as another employee came up to guide the group to their places.

"The Lady Katarina expects you," the employee then said, turning to her. "Please come with me."

They went up a flight of stairs, to another floor which was no less splendid than the one below. They then went down into a side-corridor, which led to an impressive-looking door painted in ebony.

The employee knocked once. "Lady Katarina? The envoy from the Guild has come."

"Send her in," came the reply.

Tales of the proprietor's beauty were certainly not exaggerated. Her eyes were a brilliant sheen of scarlet, glowing like rubies. Her skin was pale like the moon's surface, her blonde ringlets lustrous and rich. She exuded a solemn majesty that seemed to suggest something even more mysterious beneath the surface. She sat behind a tall, mahogany table, and upon its surface was an accounting of her busywork.

"Greetings, Lady Katarina," the messenger said.

"My, my, aren't you a cute little thing," the Lady said, with a wide smile. "Are all elves this pretty?"

The messenger's eyes widened. How did she? She thought wildly before calming her expression. The small enchantment on her face, a glamour that hid parts of her appearance, faded to reveal the pointed ears of an elf-kind.

"I see. You are certainly formidable, my lady."

Katarina's smile only widened, before pointing lazily towards one of the chairs. She said her thanks and sat there.

She was one of the oldest members of the Guild, and had already lived a long life, like the rest of her race. In a way, she was a retired adventurer, and had chosen to retire to a cozy position as minor administrator in the Guild rather than ascend to a high position like Guildmaster. Ainzach was aware of her real nature, though, which was why this task was given to her. There was no one else he could trust with something so important. She would also be the highest-level member of the Guild that would observe and investigate the inn, when she could. She was no mere messenger, but an actual representative who had the clout to influence the Guild's decisions.

In all her years, the messenger had not seen anything quite like the Lady Katarina. Instinct screamed at her that there was something off about everything, but her devotion to her duty kept her steady.

"I would offer you refreshments but something tells me you desperately want to continue the discussion first," Katarina said, shrugging. "Well, do go on. What does the great, inspiring Adventurer's Guild want with my humble business?"

She squared her shoulders, pursed her lips, and began the negotiations.

The goal here was to entice Katarina to make her inn an affiliate of the Guild. The main reasons for such a move, of course, was to keep an eye on an element that was very relevant to the interests of the Guild. This would prevent any untoward influences from spreading to any one country, which might destabilize the Guild's relations with the various nations. The Guild had done well so far generally keeping out of politics, and strictly punished those who put aside their adventuring mandate for the sake of this or that cause, no matter how just.

In order to sweeten the deal, the Guild would then agree to a monopoly on advertising the Red Moon in all corners of the known world, even to the Slaine Theocracy. That would result in great profits for the Lady and her little inn of wonders, if that was her inclination. And if not gold, then there was the notoriety and fame, as even now the minstrels were already singing of the inn. With this her name would definitely be immortalized.

"These things you offer are many, and to some they may even be tempting," Katarina said. She leaned back in her chair, and shook her head. "But unfortunately, I have no need of such things. The inn has all that it needs and can get whatever it needs without the aid of the Adventurer's Guild. It does not even need the aid of any one of the kingdoms. What should I call this… Ah, a philanthropist. I am merely a philanthropist, following the will of a higher power."

"A higher power?" Was it a cult? She thought.

"Not in the way you would ever understand," Katarina said. "Nevertheless, it would still be good to have in paper: the Red Moon, affiliate of the Guild. Only a title, and nothing more, of course. The Guild must have no say in the administration of this inn, nor can it transform it into anything else than what I want it to be. Yes, that compromise can work…"

"So you do accept?"

"Not yet. I'll have to think on it some more… And perhaps allow you to see the inner workings of my inn in more detail. I shall then meet you tomorrow. Will that be agreeable?"

"I…" Recognizing the clear sign of dismissal, the messenger fluttered her brows and nodded. She had not the power to push for more. She rose and bowed to Lady Katarina before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, the table and chairs disappeared, along with the rest of the furnishings. The room turned into a drab, dungeon-like room, with only one solitary grilled window, through which the arid air of the Plains wafted through.

The chair upon which Katarina sat morphed into a grey-like mass, before reforming into large, muscular body. Her clothes also dissipated away, revealing that she had been sitting naked all along. Between her thighs rose a tower of meat that stood in stark contrast against her pale skin, its length such that it could impale her handily on it.

"Ahn… Ainz-sama… That was just perfect…" Katarina—Shalltear—moaned. She was clad in the mature form that had been given her by this very being here. Over the past few minutes of the negotiation she had been rubbing her bare pussy against Ainz's rod that was hidden in plain sight to the messenger. She had tried desperately to keep a straight face during the negotiations, all while Ainz had pushed up and down, stimulating her nethers with his hot meat. His hands had also continued to fondle her nipples and stroke her sides, teasing her to the edge of arousal and orgasm. "Was that… alright, my lord?"

Ainz grunted. "That was passable. It is good to see you follow orders."

"Yaahnn…!" she squealed, as Ainz pinched her nipples both at once. "Anything for my lord… Please come… Claim me at last… Show me your favor!"

"I've some things for you," he said. "These are trinkets from Peroroncino. I should think he would have wanted you to have them, if he could but see you now."

"From Peroroncino-sama? Oh, I would be honored my lord…" Shalltear breathed.

The first was a mirror that had the capability to summon a mirror demon, a low-level creature that could haunt mirrors and other reflective surfaces. In Yggdrasil the item was good for confounding Players who were prevented from or did not possess Divination spells—any armor of theirs was considered a reflective surface that the demon would use to attack them. Thus the demon would torment them, preventing them from acting or casting spells and such. In this world, he found that the demon could be commanded to perform much delicate work, like spying, which would suit Shalltear's current orders nicely.

The second item was a shawl of protection. It was a fashion item given defensive properties, which Peroroncino had been reserving for his project of creating a "magical school" in Nazarick filled with cute girls. When that failed to materialize, the shawl had been given to Ainz, and now Ainz wrapped it around Shalltear, which lent a delightful contrast to her nakedness.

"Oh my, my eternal thanks, my lord!" Shalltear said. "I shall treasure these always!"

"I am glad," Ainz said. "That said, you've been looking for this for a long time, haven't you? Now to reward you."

"Yes!" Shalltear shouted joyfully.

They kissed deep, and sloppy and hard, their tongues darting into each other's mouth, dancing around each other, their saliva mixing freely. Shallter moaned directly into his mouth, every twist and furl of their intertwined tongues coaxing more and more from her throat. Ainz combed through her platinum blonde curls with one hand; while caressing her perky breasts with the other.

He nibbled away at her ears, licking down her neck and planting love-bites all over it, moving on to her collarbones, then down to her perky teats to bite and flick his tongue all over her nips. It seemed that Shalltear loved to be marked like so, loved all the little tender flourishes he added to their foreplay.

Ainz lifted her body up, so her pussy lips were level with his face. With his transformed body, it was simple to use his great, beefy arms to move her around. He spread her legs and pushed her nethers against his face. Her lower lips were full and puffy, with her clit now clearly erect, while clear fluid dripped from her pink orifice. He peeled her layers until he tasted her directly, she was so very wet and ready, and every push of his tongue into her folds squeezed a fresh batch of her juices out like a lemon.

"Ainz-sama..! There…! Right there…! Haahnn…! Aaahhnnn!" Her toes squirmed, her limbs flailing about as her hips desperately tried to escape his relentless licking, but he kept her firmly in place, locked her in this sweet hell of ever-growing pleasure. Her beautiful face was scrunched up, as if in pain, but of course it was all lip-biting pleasure as he continued to lick and suck and bite with ever-increasing rhythm and intensity.

"Mmmnnn…! Ahhhh! Cumming! Cumming…!" she screamed, her howls echoing in this small space. Her whole body quivered as her climax took her, her pale, lovely face completely overtaken in a shade of red.

Then Shalltear proceeded to lick his turgid cock up and down and all around, using her agile tongue to deftly flick all around and give his length a nice lathe of saliva. Her tongue technique was certainly novel, causing Ainz to grunt to manage the jolts of pleasure that her cocksucking enabled. Then she deepthroated him, pushing all ten inches right into her cute, tight throat. She sucked from base to tip, bobbing her head up and down, then cupped his balls with her hand. Then, with tears bubbling up in her eyes she screwed her lips tight over him and allowed him to plunge in and out of her throat, causing many rivulets of spit and tears to come streaming down her chin in. Her flexibility was amazing, and she hummed at the back of her throat, creating a slight vibration in her mouth that added to the pleasure. She gobbled and sucked on his length with such heated, adoring attention that it caused Ainz to rub her head like a cat—the cat then purred; her eyes scrunched up in pleasure.

Nevertheless, in this position, Ainz found it easy to grip the sides of her head firmly, then thrust up with his hips, forcing his cock into her throat with vigorous strokes. She moaned and whined, but did not protest. In fact, the constant licking of her tongue inside her burbling mouth continued, teasing out every last bit of pleasure for Ainz. He then rearranged her position, forcing her to the floor before facefucking her with every ounce of his muscled body. She howled in approval, though her voice remained muffled by ten inches of meat. He used this position to cum, forcing gallons of his cum to stream straight down her gullet, and land directly into her gut. Ainz felt the faint pinpricks of her fangs gripping him lightly, which only added to the thrill of the stimulation—though Shalltear never broke the skin. Her fangs felt like anchors that pinned his cock to her throat while he rode out the rest of his orgasm in a satisfied haze.

They needed no other foreplay. He plunged into her waiting, writhing, wet pussy without hesitation, and started to fuck her body at maximum power from the very start. She seemed to like it very much, judging by the way her pussy squeezed around his length, holding onto it tight and refusing to let it go.

So Ainz obliged her, pounding into her pussy with everything he got. Her sexy body, though so-called "mature" from the item's effects, was nevertheless still dainty and slender like some forest nymph, which aroused Ainz's passions to no end.

And of course, his old friend must have built her exactly for sex, as her body reciprocated every act so handily that it might have been frightening if he had not been more experienced in sex. Her body was lithe and sexy, her boobs were perfectly shaped orbs, her pussy lips hugged onto him like it had its own mind. When he slapped her on the ass, she squealed and her pussy gripped him tighter. When he gripped her neck and choked her lightly, her juices came dribbling down her thighs, coating their joined crotches liberally. When he bit her body, leaving marks all over her formerly unblemished skin, she hugged him tighter to herself, her body like a predatory cage that only existed to suck in prey.

"Bigger!" she exhaled, in-between her whining moans. He obliged, his cock lengthening, his girth widening, until he was like a drill caving through her tight recesses, widening her cunt until it gaped.

"Faster!" she exclaimed. He obliged once more, and plowed into her ass with the full force of a charging bull, and making clear dents and cracks on the floor. Her resilience as an NPC was the only thing saving her hips from being crushed into paste.

"Give it to me!" she howled, and he impaled into her as deep as he could and came, shooting out his jizz in large, mindblowing spurts until he gradually filled her up, enough to leave a visible bulge on her navel; which he then plugged up with his cock so none of it could leave. He carried her around in his way, hauling her up on her limbs like a piece of meat impaled on a stick, her belly distended like she was pregnant, her body slack and slick with juices.

Then an idea came to Ainz, a scheme so dastardly that he grinned. He recalled the earlier times when he'd fucked his NPCs, right there on the Adventurer's Guild. And now here was another opportunity. He procured some cuffs, then chained Shalltear's hands together above her head. Then he carried her out of the room, through the corridors, and all the way to the bustling main area of the Red Moon.

Neither adventurer nor Nazarick minion saw the way he'd walked, spider-like, up the ceiling until he found a piece of scaffolding from where he hung Shalltear's binds. There she was, suspended from the ceiling like a human chandelier, naked for all to see, her pussy dripping cum and juices in great amounts—not that they could see anything, and the drips were lost in the revelry below. Not that he cared if anything dropped into any drinks or food in the moment—and of course, Shalltear was only all the more turned on by the situation.

Then, by means of beastly transformations, he also clung to the ceiling, and spread Shalltear's legs before piercing her once more with his cock. He pounded into her as before, and Shalltear reciprocated by working her hips backward, as both lovers increased their rhythm to the point her pussy was positively gushing once again, dripping fresh hot juices onto the floor below. He caressed her clit, her hips, her teats, all to draw out her screams that went unheard.

After cumming once, he withdrew, then stuck his slick cock between her asscheeks, and sought refuge in her rear entrance. Ainz did not need to see the expression on her face, nor of the way she wiggled her butt enticingly, to know that she was more than ready, and he pushed into her ass, plowing into her anal walls in the same frenzied way he fucked her pussy.

Shalltear's asshole was as lovely as any part of her, and Ainz found himself cumming in no time, spreading the color of his seed into her convulsing intestines. After he was done, he very carefully pulled himself out from her bottom. He pried her ass-cheeks apart, and watched his cum slowly ooze out from her gaping anus. He swept off a portion on his finger and made her suck on it, which she lapped up eagerly like it was sweet pastry cream.

He wasn't done. He got several more chain-cuffs and then spread Shalltear's legs wide enough so her well-used holes were literally gasping down onto the hubbub below. He secured her ankles while she was stuck in this manner, causing her to look like some lewd caricature of spread-eagled woman carved on the ceiling of the inn. Fastened in this way, Shalltear could do nothing but scream, her body twisting this way and that as he manhandled her one more time. He fucked her hard enough her back formed a perfectly curved shape over the ceiling, her face slack and drooling from the constant, perverted pleasure he gave her. If not for his illusions, the whole damned place would but looked up to wonder about the noise and see with abject surprise the debauched scene occurring just above, of the Red Moon's sultry proprietor basking among the lights of her establishment in all her naked glory, being ravaged in all possible holes by the one she called Master. It was wholly breathtaking, filling him with a sense of superiority to all those below, that this perverted, twisted slut of a vampire shed all her inhibitions only for him. Shalltear, powerful Floor Guardian of Nazarick, spitted on his cock—repeatedly. After a long time, she had finally joined his stable of conquests, and she couldn't be happier.

After filling all her holes for one final time, Ainz decided to leave her trussed up in the ceiling, like a spider leaving its prey in the web for later. Shalltear, immobilized, spent almost the whole night under his glamour, her sweat and juices constantly leaking down and causing customers at times to look up and wonder if there was a leak in the roof. All the while, Ainz watched her while sampling the fine food served from the inn, enjoying the sight of her torment like a connoisseur of depravity. And judging by the joyous look on her face, she fully enjoyed every second of it.

"Mother…"

Lakyus' mother snapped her fingers. "No dear, enough! I shall not have it! I certainly do appreciate your friendship with my daughter, but on this I need to put my foot down!" She crossed her arms and planted herself right in front of Albedo. "My daughter shall have a dress of Rowan's for her wedding, and that's that!"

The tailor who'd been named stood off to the side, looking ill at ease, and looked unwilling to step into the row that had erupted in the Aindra household.

Albedo smiled. There were a lot of things she wanted to say—and do—to this yapping mortal, but she chose to be diplomatic above all. She raised her hands, palm out, in a soothing manner.

"Peace, madam. I only wished to express my gratitude to my dear friend by providing her something which is in my power to give. And it is entirely up to her if she wishes to keep it or not. By all means, let Lakyus get measured. But please allow me this small kindness, for I am only working for the ultimate happiness of my dear friend."

Her conciliatory, servile tone disgusted her and made her almost want to retch, but at least it somewhat mollified the mother. She huffed and tossed her head, and then said, "Very well. We shall at least grant you that much. Well, go on. Pray show us this 'dress' you have purchased for my baby. Though I rather doubt its efficacy…" she added in a low tone.

Smiling, Albedo ignored all that as she went to the other room and retrieved the wedding dress that Yuri Alpha had been preparing. The maid had attached it to a mannequin in secret to show off its qualities.

When she emerged from the door with the mannequin in toe, all jaws dropped—including the tailor's. The latter was perhaps amazed at the artistry and craftsmanship that was demonstrated by the white wedding dress that Albedo carried out. While Lakyus' and her mother's expressions were more surprise and disbelief that such a beautiful thing had crossed their gazes.

It was a long, one-piece ensemble with a flaring skirt shaped to fit and accentuate the mannequin's slender features, coupled with semi-transparent long-sleeves with beautiful and ornate lace designs. Its surface was decorated with gorgeous sequins and beads, which glinted like gemstones on the beach beneath the light and which formed a lovely but indiscernible pattern that was a feast for the eyes. And then beneath the skirt, barely revealed by the high leg slit that was present, were the boot-like pair of wedding footwear, with golden high heels.

Even Lakyus looked mesmerized, and she had little to no experience in wedding gowns. She remembered, at a certain point in her past, that she'd once fantasized about the perfect dress for her wedding, before the adventuring life took her. And now she didn't know if this was the perfect one, but it was perfect enough for her.

"Oh… My dear…" her mother gasped.

"It was made along the designs of my homeland," Albedo stated in a drawl. Well, it was from whatever homeland her love came from, as it had been something sealed within the Treasury by his "friends", the other Supreme Beings. She had to admit to some small jealousy that something like this was to be used by a mere mortal—were it not for the fact that there were even more beautiful things there, things which she would be using herself in the future.

The tailor broke down into tears for some reason. Ignoring that, She favored Lakyus with her bright smile. "Well then… shall it be this, Lakyus dear? What do you think?"

Yet another chapter commissioned by anonymous, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on AO3 under "RHoldhous".