Obsession: Albedo’s Desire

The greatest speech in Nazarick's storied history had begun, and it was a runaway train from the start.

"I believe it is utterly foolish to say 'Lady Albedo is beautiful' in her presence," the man declared. "It's like pointing at the sun and saying, 'That's the sun.' It may be incomprehensible to you all, but in this land, 'beautiful' was a fleeting term until Lady Albedo descended upon us, giving it true meaning. Thus, saying 'Lady Albedo is beautiful' is as redundant as saying 'beauty is beauty' or 'Lady Albedo is Lady Albedo.' Oh, what a revelation! Books tell us that pursuing truth leads to tautology. Lady Albedo embodies truth itself in her very name!"

Full throttle from the get-go, no one could keep up. Only Albedo and the ancient librarians of Nazarick's library grasped "tautology"—a repetition of the same idea, like "blue is blue," "good is good," or "Lady Albedo is Lady Albedo."

Yet Nazarick's minions feared no enigma. The first spear of Nazarick boldly charged in.

"So, who's prettier, me or Albedo?" Shalltear asked.

"Just as the moon cannot become the sun, the sun cannot become the moon. Lady Shalltear, you shine as the silver moon in the night sky."

"Kufufu… You get it!" Shalltear giggled.

Her question was deflected without engagement. Many realized he'd subtly favored Albedo, but no one dared dampen Shalltear's delight.

The man's oration continued unabated.

"Do you understand? To call something beautiful is to say it's like Lady Albedo. Yet, to casually invoke her name is irreverent. Thus, the denizens of this land, knowing it's inferior, reluctantly use the word 'beautiful.'"

Albedo, perched above, gazed down with cool eyes, though her black wings flapped vigorously, annoying Shalltear, who stepped away.

"Some time ago," the man went on, "I awoke to find everything slightly brighter. What could this be? When I beheld Lady Albedo, I understood—she brought light to the world! Another time, I saw the floor sparkling with dots of light. I doubted my eyes, but Lady Albedo's footsteps were glowing!"

"That's gotta be a lie," Aura blurted.

His piercing glare made Aura brace herself. When Nazarick's minions praised Ainz and were interrupted, nine out of ten would slaughter the offender. Aura, in the milder tenth, might still punish such insolence. Interrupting Albedo's praise was equally unforgivable.

"You're Lady Aura, yes? I am me, you are you. We exist in the same physical world, but a bird's eyes, a dog's ears, and a cat's nose perceive things differently. As a skilled ranger, you see a world I cannot, and my world is hard for you to grasp. Claiming to know what you don't is dangerous. Even I, the lowliest in Nazarick, know how much Ainz-sama values information. You wouldn't report something as true without verifying it, would you?"

"Uh… yeah…" Aura mumbled.

"Such humility in admitting your mistake is why you're beloved and trusted by Ainz-sama," he said.

"…Thanks," Aura muttered, ducking behind Mare.

Even a level-100 Aura was outmatched in this battle of wits against a verbal juggernaut.

Only Demiurge, whom the man secretly revered, could match him—but he was away on business. Pandora's Actor, Ainz's creation with intellect rivaling Demiurge and Albedo, was also absent, doubling as Ainz's stand-in in E-Rantel (partly because Ainz found him embarrassing to show publicly).

As for Albedo, her wings had stilled, drooping to the floor. Her composed face tilted slightly downward, cheeks faintly flushed, occasionally shooting resentful glances at the man. Ainz, watching sidelong, was gleeful.

(Hahaha! How's that, Albedo? Being praised to death is rough, isn't it? Now you know how I've suffered!)

Ainz's karma value of -500 reveled in his minions' discomfort.

"Everyone knows Ainz-sama's greatness," the man continued. "But maintaining greatness is far harder than achieving it. Why does Ainz-sama accomplish this effortlessly? Because Lady Albedo supports him—her devotion is the key!"

Sprinkling in praise for Ainz kept the minions listening comfortably.

Ainz, initially amused, grew uneasy as the speech veered into absurdity.

"There's a saying, 'the finishing touch.' A sage painted a dragon on a wall, and upon adding the eyes, it became real and soared to the heavens. Nazarick is the same. It lacks that final touch. If we erect a statue of Lady Albedo, Nazarick will ascend to the skies, no longer an underground tomb but a celestial palace!"

Everyone thought, No way, but Nazarick's purest soul responded.

"That's… amazing… Will Nazarick really fly?" Mare asked.

Mare Bello Fiore, Aura's twin brother, dressed in feminine attire due to his creator's taste, was adorably earnest.

"You're Lord Mare, yes? Don't you want to see Nazarick as a celestial palace?" the man asked.

"Y-Yes, I do!" Mare replied.

"Isn't Lady Albedo beautiful?"

"Yes! Albedo-san is super pretty!"

"Exactly, exactly, exactly!" the man exclaimed.

As a Floor Guardian like Aura, Mare's status silenced lower minions. Aura's resolve crumbled, and Shalltear began thinking a statue wasn't a bad idea if Nazarick could become a sky palace. Ainz, planning to veto it, sensed the tide turning.

(This is bad. Sebas, go!)

(Understood.)

"A statue of Lady Albedo is a fine idea, but who'll make it?" Sebas asked.

"I will," the man replied.

"You? No offense, but do you have sculpting experience?"

"Not even a paintbrush. But any statue of Lady Albedo, no matter how crude, will be a masterpiece. If I create a failure, it'd be as if my eyes can't see her true form. I'd gouge them out and offer them to her."

"That's… what do you mean, offer?" Sebas asked.

"My flesh and blood belong to Lady Albedo. If I can't use them well, I must return them to her."

"…I see," Sebas said, defeated.

This man was nothing like the knight apprentice from the capital. Hard to believe they were from the same kingdom.

(Damn it… Cocytus, go!)

(UNDERSTOOD.)

"IF THE STATUE IS COMPLETED AND NAZARICK DOESN'T FLY, WHAT THEN?" Cocytus demanded.

"You wield a sword, Lord Cocytus, so you must know many techniques. But sometimes, you become the blade, pouring your entire being into a single strike, yes?"

"HMM… THAT'S IRRELEVANT."

"It's very relevant. When you swing upward, the world begins; when downward, it ends. Do you think about missing or being blocked in that moment?"

"THAT IS THE PINNACLE OF SWORDPLAY."

"Creating Lady Albedo's statue is the same. Your question assumes failure, which I cannot entertain."

"HMM… YOU'RE RIGHT. I APOLOGIZE," Cocytus conceded.

Incredibly, all the Guardians fell.

"You all agree Ainz-sama shouldn't merely rule the earth. He's destined to dominate the heavens! Nazarick belongs in the sky!" the man proclaimed.

In Ainz's presence, no fool dared shout, but the minions' excitement reached him on the throne. All eyes turned to their great ruler with anticipation.

(What's with them? They were ready to tear him apart earlier. Is his charisma that strong? None of my guildmates were like this. Damn, I want that skill! If I were like him… No, stop!)

"Ainz-sama!" the man knelt, pleading. "Please grant permission to raise Nazarick to the heavens!"

The man froze mid-motion.

The Guardians and time-resistant minions realized Ainz had cast the tenth-tier spell Time Stop. Ainz's actions were infallible, so they watched in silence. Albedo's eyes sparkled like a maiden's, fixed on Ainz.

Ainz had called for a timeout.

The minions were hyped, and he considered approving the statue as a joke if Nazarick didn't fly. But the man's sudden address startled him, triggering his emotion suppression. Calmed, Ainz saw the trap.

The sky palace and Albedo statue were a ploy to declare Albedo the epitome of beauty. Approving the statue meant endorsing that claim. Ainz acknowledged Albedo's beauty but wasn't sure she was the ultimate. If he agreed, it could settle the rivalry between Albedo and Shalltear, leading to a marital commitment he wasn't ready for.

He wanted freedom and adventure, not marriage—not yet.

But how to derail this? The minions were all in. The Guardians, meant to protect him, had lost, leaving Ainz to face this forbidden battle.

As Time Stop ended, inspiration struck.

"You're right—Albedo is beautiful. So is Shalltear. Aura, Mare, Cocytus, Sebas—all of Nazarick's minions are beautiful, creations of my cherished comrades. A statue of Albedo would enhance Nazarick's beauty, but is that enough? Nazarick's current state makes everyone's beauty shine. It's not Nazarick that's beautiful—it's the beings within it! Your proposal is like gilding a picture frame. Nazarick is perfect as it is, filled with beautiful souls!"

The man, kneeling, stared wide-eyed at Ainz.

(Did I do it? I did it, right? Please, no comeback!)

After a moment, the man bowed deeply. "I'm in awe."

As he admitted defeat, the minions, despite losing their sky palace dream, erupted in thunderous applause, praising Ainz's glory. They wept, honored by their ruler's praise of their beauty.

To Ainz, it felt like they were cheering the man.

(Could he take over Nazarick if he wanted? If he teamed up with Demiurge… No, Demiurge wouldn't betray me!)

Overcautious, Ainz couldn't shake the thought of the man's danger. It was baseless—the man cared more about whether tonight's dinner included potato salad (and if it had apples) than world domination.

Ainz didn't know this. Mind control could confirm it, but not now. Later, what pretext could he use to summon him? He needed reassurance now. The man's devotion to Albedo suggested near-zero betrayal risk, but Ainz wanted absolute certainty. He needed to bind him to Nazarick's benefits.

"That was entertaining. I'll grant you a reward. What do you desire?"

The minions' cheers stopped, replaced by envious, near-hateful stares.

This eliminated killing the man discreetly. Before the speech, it might've been possible, but his loyalty to Albedo and Nazarick, plus Ainz's public reward offer, made it risky. Disposal would raise suspicions, especially from Demiurge, who'd assume it was due to the man's intellect. A lord who eliminated loyal, capable subjects would lose trust.

The minions, though dismissive of the frail human, felt outdone in loyalty. Some grudgingly admired him, especially since Demiurge, known for harsh critiques, had praised him.

Ainz realized his mistake the next day.

"I already receive more than enough salary. Anything more would be excessive," the man said.

That salary was entirely spent at brothels—his only expense, making him seem utterly deplorable on paper.

"That's payment for your work. I said reward. Would you shame me?" Ainz pressed.

A cunning tactic, forcing acceptance.

"Then, my desire is Lady Albedo's desire," the man said.

Typical of Nazarick's minions. Ainz glanced at Albedo, who nodded slightly.

"Speak your own desire, not something tied to me," Albedo said.

Though disappointed by the statue's rejection, Albedo felt oddly warm.

"Then…" the man began.

His ability to voice a personal desire set him apart from Nazarick's minions.

"I'd like to use the Great Library of Nazarick."

With restrictions, any minion with a library card could use it. Ainz, slightly let down, permitted it, noting some books were off-limits.

"Yahoo!" the man roared, fists raised in triumph. "I did it! …Oh, forgive my rudeness!"

"It's fine," Ainz said. "Your honest joy pleases me."

"Thank you!" the man replied.

Despite his intellect, his open emotions made betrayal seem unthinkable.

The man got the library access!