Harbingers of Change

Chapter 13

As the meetings usually went, this one wasn't out of the ordinary. The leaders of Tempest had gathered in the guest area of Momonga's quarters to discuss the future of Nazarick. If the fact that they could have immensely strong beings gathered in a modest-looking room wasn't already ludicrous, Momonga saw Veldora's occasional participation as something genuinely surreal.

After several demonstrations of their power, even the people living outside the monster nation now considered them as powerful as the infamous Demon Lords. Their opinions, influenced by the otherworldly individuals' awe and terror, led the same masses to imagine those people as all-knowing, all-powerful leaders capable of obliterating enemies with ease.

While there was some sense to their train of thought, they primarily relied on speculations made by bystanders who managed to witness the Tempest leaders' magnificent power. In addition, with foreign merchants becoming involved in propagating exaggerated rumors, it became widely known that Tempest held formidable powerhouses in nations immediately bordering them.

Whether on the political stage or the battlefield, the brain always trumps brawn, much to their benefit.

Momonga sat on the sofa, squeezed between his son and his head consort. His massive skeletal body did not help him fit, even with the largest sofa in the room supporting his frame.

Albedo, his right-hand woman and the prime minister of Tempest, was leaning against his side. Her left wing gently brushed against Momonga's back, and the undead began to think Albedo was intentionally doing this. Despite this breach of personal space, her demeanor was as businesslike as ever.

With the nation rapidly expanding, a cabinet was finally established to delegate duties more properly, and she was in charge of keeping it in tip-top shape.

Although Pero and Buku still outranked Albedo, her status as the head of the government was nonetheless an enormous responsibility and power to hold. Regardless, Albedo's unwavering loyalty and natural proficiency in administrative duties allowed her to run things as smoothly as possible.

To the siblings' credit, they knew how much Albedo had to bear on her shoulders. They did their best not to give her any particular trouble and helped out wherever they could by reducing the paperwork sent her way by their respective departments. Some of Pero's more capable wives were more than willing to assist in this endeavor, feeling the urge to work as Pero continued to pamper them beyond their wildest dreams.

Logically speaking, Albedo believed the Supreme Beings had the irrefutable privilege to boss around Nazarick's servants, including her. Having this role reversed was a scenario Albedo found akin to treasonous behavior, but still accepted due to all Supreme Beings going along the situation.

She was deeply grateful that Lord Pero and Lady Buku demonstrated a "hands-off" approach concerning her duty. Not only did they refuse to exercise their higher status in a way that would curb her efficiency, but they also treated her with the respect her position demanded.

In addition, her beloved Lord Momonga was the first to acknowledge and praise her long before Tempest's rise. This was actually made known throughout Nazarick during the handing of duties to the Floor Guardians. Soon enough, all three of her benevolent masters chose to let her run things as is and only report to the Head of State, Lord Momonga. Even among Floor Guardians, she was number one, second only to the Head Supreme Being.

Pandora, the newly appointed minister of Science and Development, was sitting uncomfortably close to his father with a thick folder in his hands, visibly shaking in excitement.

Until now, the Science Department was largely neglected and bound together with the Industrial Development Department, which was mainly concerned with the applications of metallurgy and agriculture. The rest of the fields would draw upon the ever-expanding public libraries of Tempest. For Momonga, who had personally witnessed people in power give unfair treatment in education, he was pleased to see the spreading of knowledge expand even further, but it was time for a change in the ministries.

Opposite the trio sat Pero and Buku, with Veldora between them. Not long after they sat down, the siblings verbally fought about a minor disagreement.

Such luck was not on their side this time, as the siblings mutually agreed on forcing the lately more agreeable Storm Dragon into the role of a buffer zone.

'Those two are like cats and dogs.' Momonga couldn't help but make the comparison.

Ever since Veldora became an official guild member, he had sought out ways to be useful and contribute to Nazarick and Tempest in general. His attempts weren't without any hiccups and distractions, but the fact remained that he was trying, and Momonga appreciated the Storm Dragon's efforts despite their surprises. Officially still the Sacred Guardian of Tempest, he didn't partake in any governmental role, preferring to take duties such as organizing content for Peroroncino or other miscellaneous duties around Nazarick.

The final person present was Demiurge, the Minister of Defense. It was an obvious choice to make him such in the eyes of Momonga and his friends. Even before the rise of Tempest, the Floor Guardian could devise well-thought-out strategies and easily outsmart his opponents, and those talents would only grow with time.

In the end, Demiurge had not only assumed the rank of army commander, but the director of the Intelligence Department as well. Since then, many of the newer people within Tempest's upper echelons became constantly impressed - or terrified - with how the demon went above and beyond his required duties, ensuring the complete purging of corruption still lingering in some corners of the nation.

There were more minister positions to be planned and implemented in the future, but the official government was still within its capacity to handle general affairs for the time being.

In some cases, Momonga was reluctant to assign official government positions to Aura and Mare, whom he felt still needed further mental development. Apart from their preexisting involvement in agricultural development and maintenance, they were also focusing on gaining more education in the schools Buku had made them attend. They were children, they would have time to work full-time as adults later.

Momonga and Buku felt it prudent not to sidestep their natural development and let them have a fun and carefree time. Considering that the programming instilled into them and other Nazarick denizens were changing into more genuine personalities, their more childlike natures could flourish, letting them mature normally.

The room continued to be filled with different chatters, but eventually, the talks died down, the gossip ended, and Momonga felt now was the time to open the meeting. He could view Albedo assuming a prim and proper stance at the corner of his eye. To his left, he saw that Pandora had hunched forward, impatiently tapping the ground with his boot as he ruffled through his papers.

"I see now everyone is present. If no one has any questions, I'll begin the meeting. Let's start with Buku. I know the people in your department have already sent reports regarding your important discoveries as of late, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Sure thing," Buku replied, followed by a long yawn. She groggily wiped her eyes before continuing, "I had a heart-to-heart with Chloe yesterday, and it appears she's a bit more of a lightweight than I thought. She became somewhat loose-lipped after a few glasses of wine, so I used the opportunity to get more information out of her."

"Smooth job, sis. I saw that same tactic being used by my concubines several times against foreign emissaries, but it never works out in the end," Pero remarked with a snort.

Buku rolled her eyes at her brother's words. She quickly stiffened her posture when she saw Momonga slowly leaning in, his bony hands now cupping his chin.

"You mean to say you took advantage of someone who still opts to remain in the form of a child most of the time?" Momonga asked curiously, his undertones implying otherwise.

Out of all his friends, Buku was the one who interacted the most with young children, so such actions felt a bit out of place for her.

As soon as Momonga said those words, Buku did her best not to hang her head in shame. She also found it uncanny for Momonga to sound painfully neutral in this situation, despite knowing it was his duty to do so and he had emotional suppression.

"I admit that was a shitty move on my part, Momo. But I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't get a bunch of juicy information we can use to prepare for the future," Buku continued, not sounding particularly proud of her accomplishment.

'I hope she won't be too mad today. I guess I'll have to make it up to her and assure Chloe that I'm not breaking her trust on the more sensitive topics we discussed.'

To Buku's relief, Momonga leaned back on the sofa. No one noticed that Albedo and Pandora kept swapping concerned glances at him, wondering how the undead would react to Buku's methods.

Buku, feeling that she needed to explain herself more, continued while scratching the back of her neck. "I won't be making a habit out of this if that's what you're wondering. I just thought it was a good opportunity at the time."

"I understand, Buku. There's no need to explain yourself further. Is there anything we should worry about immediately?" Momonga asked. Buku sheepishly smiled and answered immediately, eagerly wanting to shift the topic.

"I don't think so. The main thing Chloe revealed was that the other soul in the body of her other self is Hinata Sakaguchi from the previous timeline."

"I have heard of soul-transferring abilities, but not to such a degree," Albedo said, leaning forward with interest. "And certainly not one with such spatial or temporal prowess, at that."

"Yeah, it kinda boggles my mind when I think too much about it. Either way, she's pretty much the military leader of the Western Holy Church's forces. According to Chloe, the woman had fought her friend Rimuru and attacked Tempest in the previous timeline. She's also one of Shizue's former students, so I'm sure Yuuki has talked her ear full of hostility towards us."

"Hmm, I'm not sure about the implication of that. Did Chloe provide any details?" Momonga inquired. He almost cursed himself for not bringing out a notepad right after saying his question out loud and kickstarted Omniscience to memorize it all.

"Not that I know of, Momo."

"I see. I had felt we were going to cross paths with Hinata sooner or later. If we need to keep her alive for some timeline consistency, it might prove to be a problem," Momonga tapped his chin. "We may have to make some sort of preparations if we need to keep her contained for a long time."

"As far as I'm concerned, the Western Holy Church is filled with religious nutjobs, so you do have a point there," Pero remarked, garnering nods from others in the room. They had all read up on the church's teachings and were well aware of what institution Hinata represented - one of bigotry, willful ignorance, and racism.

"She didn't provide much detail, but apparently, it usually goes like this: Hinata dies just before Chloe is awakened, and then her younger self takes in the soul and travels to the past. If that doesn't happen in this timeline, we can break the cycle."

"Fascinating. I may have to re-work my theories on spatial disturbances if what you say is true, meine Dame." Pandora was furiously scribbling down notes, which Buku found outlandish and adorable as she continued.

"The thing is, I honestly don't know if we need her alive since I don't really understand all this time travel stuff. If you guys think keeping her alive is safer, then I'm all for it. But considering Shizue's influence, I shouldn't be the one making that sort of decision."

"If I may offer an opinion." Pandora raised his hand, having finished his note-taking. Momonga saw the ridiculously small scribbles on the stacks of paper and felt his eyes would bulge out if he had any.

"Go on." Momonga nodded, letting his son speak. "I assume you have something to say regarding the time-traveling aspect?"

"Indeed, Vater. Since any sort of practical data about time travel is only coming from Chloe Aubert's anecdotal testimony, there is no telling what can happen," Pandora dropped the folder he was holding on the table and stood up, raising his right arm and putting his left palm on his heart. "The whole spacetime continuum could be at stake. One mistake and everything goes BOOM!" he theatrically reenacted the explosion.

"Pandora…" Momonga clutched his face, groaning. Seeing his father's reaction, Pandora tactically coughed and hastily sat back down on the sofa, the other members chuckling at Momonga.

"You know, it doesn't hurt to remember that Chloe was a little tipsy during her story-telling," Buku said, unable to remove her smile after seeing Pandora's antics. "So take my words with a grain of salt until we get enough sufficient data."

"As I was saying, there might not even be any consequences whatsoever. If all that is required is to keep this Fräulein Hinata alive, why not do it and minimize the risk?"

"We'll have to see what she does then. If she is bound to attack at some point, we should try to establish an espionage network in Ruberious posthaste. If it is easily achievable, then we will capture her in case she attacks before the awakening of Chloe's other half. If not, we are not risking the lives of our people over her capture." Momonga stated, turning to Demiurge. "What is the current intel on Ruberious?"

"Unfortunately, direct espionage has proved to be difficult. The protective field employed by Ruberious is unlike anywhere else in the Western Nations. While specters could pass it with little difficulty, its defensive forces sensed that something was off and searched for our agents for hours. While we could still employ them in psychological warfare and keep the leaders of the nation on a constant edge, direct information gathering is likely to be unfruitful." The demon reported, noticeable frustration leaking into his voice.

"I see. Continue seeking ways to monitor them. Buku, was there anything else of note that Chloe revealed?" The overlord turned to his friend, whose machinations once again were rather fruitful. 'Buku's ability to work with people is frightening sometimes.'

"Not much. Chloe mentioned how the Empire had a lot of strong people, enough to crush the Western Nations, but I think the more concerning issue lies in their tech. Compared to other nations, the empire's technological progress far outmatches them and us. You know, guns, tanks, and airships. They could supposedly lay Dwargon to waste within days if they invaded." Buku replied nonchalantly.

Pandora immediately perked up at the mention of modern weapons of war.

"So what? Like a tank would do anything against us now?" Pero intervened before the Doppelganger got his word in.

"You dipshit, if every other schmuck has a gun, half of our forces would do jack shit, and we'd have to fight them personally! I'm not exaggerating when I say that tens of thousands would die in minutes if our current forces clashed with weaponry equivalent to Earth's!" Buku didn't hesitate to dig into her brother's flawed logic.

"And we are in full-cunt mode today. Just go get your damn coffee and call back Souei."

"Oh, like barging into my bedroom at fucking 5 AM to discuss pointless shit wasn't just to piss me off! I don't get why you have to go to me instead of your damn harem!" Buku reached around Veldora to grab her brother's shoulder, hands slightly melting into slime form.

"Keep your fucking hands off me!" Pero leaned away from her, talons extending.

"Ahem." Momonga interrupted their spat, a skeletal hand motioning Buku to return to her spot. She was already halfway across Veldora, seemingly ready to do more than throw slurs at her brother, who had already primed up.

"Like two children, right, Chief?" Veldora rolled his eyes as he pushed them away from each other by their foreheads with minimal effort. After seeing this happen several times, he was familiar with how their arguments could evolve, having stopped them multiple times. In the face of weak minds, brute strength won every time.

"Let's return to the topic at hand. I'm sure you two can resolve your differences later." Momonga tactically tried to steer the meeting back on track.

"Sorry, Momo." The siblings replied in unison, glaring at the dragon who was sitting between them with a satisfied smirk. Even Momonga found it surprising that the dragon was the voice of reason, although he was pleased with the development.

"Okay, sure, tanks can cause problems to our standing armies at the moment, but we do have schematics to build something like that ourselves, right? We had more than one history and military buff in the guild." Pero returned to a more serious demeanor.

One glance at Pandora already told him that Momonga's son was eager to share just that. When tasked to gather ideas for what sort of technology could be developed, the Doppelganger plunged into this task with all his might.

"Looks like you have something for us, Pandora," Pero stated, unease creeping into his voice. He had a feeling his question might have led to opening Pandora's Box, quite literally.

True to his word, the Doppelganger jumped to his feet and made copies of the folder with his Creation skill, distributing them around the group.

"Ja, die Kanonen und Panzer, seht!"

"What is this? Why are there at least sixty pages of various gun models?" Albedo was the first to speak up moments later after rapidly flipping through the book.

"Handguns, automatic rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, and uuh miniguns," Pero, on the other hand, enthusiastically commented on each discovery.

"The first seventy pages are all possible gun options. Following that comes ninety-four pages of brand new types of tanks and planes!" Pandora boasted proudly.

"Is this a fucking nuke?! Pandora, why is there a schematic and the theory on how to make an atomic bomb!? Actually, now that I'm looking at it, half of this stuff is modern, too modern in fact. Just where the hell did we get these?!" Buku looked up and stared at the Doppelganger, eyes wide open.

Momonga sighed, hiding his face in the palms of his skeletal hands. He already knew the answer, yet the reminder of his inability to meet it head-on in the past did nothing but give him another guilt trip, which he quickly snuffed as he had to take control of his current situation. Self-therapy would have to wait for another time.

{ Erm, If I recall correctly, Bellriver most likely put them in there when no one was looking. He had a tendency to put his nose where it would get him in trouble, always skirting the law. Since Nazarick's library was so vast and internationally protected, he hid it in there, and I didn't bother to check the latest additions at the time. It seems Pandora did, however. }

"You mean to tell me the entire time Ainz Ooal Gown has existed, we've had classified military documents just hiding in our library?!" Buku shouted, though considering Yggdrasil was long gone, she wasn't too upset at the implication.

"The shitty devs liked to mess with a lot of things, but one thing they weren't good at was detecting someone bending the rules," Pero chuckled, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"The last thing I need to be reminded of is how you got around the rules to make a whole-ass section dedicated purely to eroge material." Buku clasped her face with one hand but managed to view Veldora tilting his head. "Don't ask. I had Titus remove them permanently from the Library of Ashurbanipal public section with Momo's permission not shortly after."

"Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if there are documents on some government brainwashing program or something like that. I can only imagine what else he's hidden in there. Plus, it seems like something he'd get into," Momonga muttered, plans flying through his head, sorted by Omniscience for future use.

"I would very much be interested in such documents if they exist. I will have to check out the library later to see if I can locate them," Demiurge interrupted, but not before tidying the disheveled papers on the desk in front of him. He tilted his head when he saw his three masters briefly widen their eyes.

{ Nope. Nope, nope, nope! Demiurge's words are a huge red flag! Very much interested, my ass; he's probably going to discover new experiments that'll make Unit 731 look like a friendship group activity! } Pero contacted both his friends with barely hidden concern.

{ Usually, I'm chill with what the Floor Guardians have to say, but when it comes to Demiurge…. It's Demiurge, out of all people. My brother's got a point, Momo. Pandora's a saint compared to the guy. We're just lucky that your son isn't planning to use weapons of mass destruction for malicious intent… as far as I know. } Buku's sweat dripped at the thought of Demiurge collaborating with Pandora on some top-secret military project, or perhaps ten knowing the scheming mind of the demon.

It was already frightening for Momonga and his friends when they knew of Demiurge's previous interest in biological warfare, given their knowledge of Earth's history. That idea had been tabled for another discussion, but in reality, the three unanimously agreed to postpone the idea indefinitely. They would then devise a plausible explanation that would shift the demon's malicious intent to a less unsavory field.

{ So, in short, Demiurge would probably design a weapon that would annihilate the entire world with magical chlorine gas, or something else along those lines. The things he came up with already would turn the Geneva Conventions into the Geneva Suggestions. }

{ I get the picture, you guys. I'll see to it that Demiurge is restricted from pursuing certain research without any oversight. I don't think Demiurge would use any weapons of mass destruction without our permission, so some of his ideas could at least be glanced at. Just for the record, I may have written some things in Pandora's backstory that would…. Well, it's not hard to guess what I based him upon, } Momonga replied, dropping the documents and stifling a sigh.

"If the enemy can develop such technology, we should prepare it first and ensure our Supremacy! We need a Kaiserbombe!" Pandora continued with a high level of enthusiasm.

By now, the people in the room could only watch in passive interest as the Doppelganger broke into a long, passionate speech in German. Albedo scrunched her eyebrows but managed to understand perfectly, while Momonga, Pero, and Buku only caught certain terms that barely changed their pronunciation compared to their language.

In short, it was about the variation of weaponry capable of being used against threats. Each level of armament is matched accordingly with the amount of magicules an individual possesses, allowing them to perfectly cater their defenses against various threats, from D to Special A.

{ Just let him run out of steam. He deserves it this once. } Momonga messaged the rest and stared upward, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

{ It's kinda adorable how passionate he is about these things. } Buku giggled.

{ I need a Kaiserbombe and a tank, and there's a freaking mecha! Look, it even has detachable wings! } Veldora shouted in everyone's mind, salivating at what he was seeing as Pandora continued on.

{ Easy there, buddy. You're getting a little too hyped for this. } Pero patted his shoulder, though Veldora lightly shrugged his hand off. The birdman could no longer distinguish Pandora's speech from literal rambling, but it was entertaining enough that he preferred not interrupting the Doppelganger.

{ Of course I'm hyped! You were sitting on this goldmine of tech data all this time and didn't bother to tell me, too! } Veldora grew even more agitated.

{ It's not cheap or easy to develop it. Even now, I don't think Tempest's economy is strong enough to provide the means necessary for the research scale Pandora is planning. Both raw material and manpower would be expended at ludicrous speeds and amounts, something we cannot afford at the moment, } Momonga stated matter-of-factly.

On another note, the undead realized something about his surroundings was off. He felt like something was lightly prickling at his bones to no end.

When Momonga further scrutinized the changes, he realized his Ring of False Data could no longer perform with normalcy. Much to the disgruntlement of those within the room, Veldora's rampant energies were leaking out a torrent of magicules.

'This has happened many times, but seeing how much magicules can affect one's surroundings is still interesting.' Momonga mused to himself, not noticing Buku's frustrated face.

{ Veldora, calm the fuck down! Not everyone on the ninth floor can withstand your aura. } Buku harshly reprimanded him.

{ Baah. None of you understand! } Veldora sucked in the magicule cloud around him, pouting. He slumped back into the sofa, arms crossed.

{ We do. Trust me, buddy, we do. But we have to be careful about these things. } Pero patted the dragon's shoulder.

{ I should warn Pandora about going too far. If Lord Veldora's reaction were any indication, his excitement would only lead to repercussions in the future, which we may not be able to fully contain.} Albedo excluded only the two mentioned from the message.

{ Let him have his fun, Albedo. Like you said, Veldora is also eager to get in on this. We'll just have to ensure he gets something out of this without causing mayhem. With that, Veldora will remain under control for now, } Buku replied.

{ It's fascinating. I never knew Pandora's Actor had such a deep knowledge of the military and practical application of warfare. I will have to set aside time to have a prolonged discussion with him on the topic, } Demiurge commented.

'Maybe I'm overreacting. They're not cringing at him.' Momonga mused, finally gathering the courage to look back down.

"Abschließend müssen wir…" Pandora then glanced at his father and the soul-crushing stare he gave, prompting him to hastily end his speech. "In conclusion, I propose a three-level research plan."

"What do you mean three-level research?" Pero asked, erratically flipping through the pages to find even more information beyond the designs and theoretics.

"Level one is the joint research with Dwargon. We only do the bare basics, such as trying to develop a magicule engine and creating simple guns, low-level elemental automatons, and early tank models. I see no reason to fully rely on these designs and use something as ineffective as steam power if magicules can be gathered and utilized as a pollution-free, limitless resource. Details are on pages four hundred twenty-six to forty-one." Pandora claimed, waiting for everyone to flip through the page before continuing.

"Level two is the so-called secret Tempest program. Even a close ally would suspect private research on top of joint one, so we develop a little bit more advanced technology like modern tank models, advanced guns, and high-efficiency engines. Of course, we also develop planes and lay out plans for having ships when we reach the sea through natural expansion. Only rumors will flow about level two, giving the impression that Tempest is something Dwargon cannot technologically sabotage."

"But where are the bombs and mecha?" Veldora impatiently inquired.

"Patience, Lord Veldora. This is where level three, or the inner Nazarick research, comes in. Rocket science, advanced robotics, nanotechnology, and, of course, atomic and quantum theory applications are researched only inside Nazarick to ensure nothing leaks out, and we can have an enormous technological advantage over the rest of the world."

"I want to do that! Chief, I want to do the research!" Veldora turned to Momonga with a pleading look.

'Him and Pandora? It can't end well. But he has just the skill for that.'

{ What do you two think of it? Veldora has the skill, but you know him. } Momonga messaged only his two friends.

{ Do you think Pandora would be so irresponsible as to blow up Nazarick by accident? } Pero asked.

{ No, but together, they can start building ridiculous things. Science fiction stayed science fiction for a reason back on Earth, and we're about to allow them to turn them into science fact. }

{ Hey, as long as both are happy and don't do something damaging, why not let them? Plus, if they do design anything useful, we can build them in the short run. And if anything were to go off the rails, we could shut down Pandora fairly quickly and rope in Veldora afterward. } Buku threw in her two cents.

{ We can all keep an eye on them, right? I mean, Pandora would have to report what sort of research programs he's starting to get your approval and my resources. } Pero agreed with his sister.

"You both can start working on it, but remember, no leaking out the secrets. Also, what do you mean by the practical application of atomic and quantum theory?" Momonga addressed his son.

"The library holds enough information to form a strong theoretical base on the topic. My initial research indicates that magicules themselves are atomic in nature, so logically, they could be broken down into subatomic particles. This means, in theory, both magicule-based bombs and nuclear engines could be possible," Pandora enthusiastically explained. "Resulting in efficient utilization of the infinite power source magicules represent, having fueled Veldora for centuries and this environment even longer!"

"Before you start any sort of experimentation, be sure to exercise the utmost caution."

"Of course, father. I would not want to endanger Nazarick. Any sort of experimentation will be conducted in maximal required intensity with all possible precautions taken well in advance." Pandora saluted.

"Good. Don't forget to update me on your plans. Veldora, please follow Pandora's lead on the topic. Before you go off starting your own research, make sure you consult him if you find yourself confused in a certain field."

"Sure thing, Chief," Veldora jumped to his feet and grabbed Pandora by his shoulder. "Let's go! We have so much work to do!"

"Jawohl, Herr Drache!" The Doppelganger grabbed the dragon's shoulder as both skipped out of the meeting room, multiple maids practically flying after them to keep up.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Momonga shuddered.

"Looks like everything is set. I'm taking the relevant data along with a few of our personnel on our trip to Dwargon since it has to be jump-started somehow. Oh, and I'm taking Mare with me. We need to make a huge cave system under the Dwargon capital for research." Pero stood up as well.

"If something happens to him…"

"I will look after my nephew! Like I need to get murdered by you or his girlfriend!" Pero waved his sister off.

"I'm sure they will be fine." Momonga consoled her.

"I know…" Buku slumped back with a sigh. "But my boy is going on a trip without me."

"Lady Buku, I have full confidence that Mare can represent Nazarick without any difficulties. As his mother, you should be proud of how capable he is." Albedo also offered a word of consolation, collecting the many folders tossed aside earlier from the two research nuts' less-than-elegant escapade.

"Thanks, Albedo. I know he can do it. I just… You know what, never mind. I'll go say my goodbyes." Buku stopped her explanation mid-way, feeling that venting wouldn't improve her mood.

The remaining participants resumed talks for a few more minutes, discussing minor issues with their respective departments. It was nothing much compared to concerns about Hinata and Pandora's bombshell regarding his research, but still had to be ironed out to keep the government running. Once no one had anything substantial to say, Momonga signaled that the meeting had ended.

After everyone teleported away to resume their tasks, the maids who waited outside on standby rushed in to clean and tidy up the room, enjoying the comfortable silence and their duties to serve the Supreme Beings.

Edited by aidan_lo and Zirmeister.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).

Proofreading by aidan_lo, Visur Nyxan, Tophrel, Alassandro, Ethal07, FantasyTroll, Cakeeight, and SwissChocolatess.