Ainz, who had only recently returned from the Dwarf Kingdom, was now sitting a little depressed in Nazarick.
On his own throne, he still couldn't figure out what Demiurge meant by the 'wedge' he mentioned in the Dwarf Kingdom.
When exactly did he do something so earth-shattering?
Uh... he needed to take some time to really think about what plans Demiurge had been arranging behind the scenes.
Although it would be difficult for his wisdom to guess the full scope of Demiurge's plan, at least... at least he should get a slight grasp of it, so that next time the topic came up, he could bluff his way through.
Uh?
He had a feeling... the problem he was currently thinking about was the exact opposite of how Demiurge and Albedo usually flattered him.
Hmm... he was truly a failure as a master.
"Ainz-sama, Yuri Alpha has an urgent matter to report to you, apparently regarding Little Ellie's affairs." At this moment, Albedo's message arrived.
At first, hearing Albedo's voice, Ainz felt a little guilty, as he had just been thinking about her. However, upon hearing news of Ellie, Ainz instantly became flustered.
It had been some time since he last saw his 'daughter', and to be honest, his feelings as a father towards his daughter were quite subtle.
On one hand, he was worried about her running off alone to gather intelligence for so long. Although he had been alone before coming to this world, with no family or anything.
Now, suddenly having a daughter didn't feel quite real, which was probably due to the influence of his Undead race. But regardless, Ellie was still his daughter, and a part of Nazarick, so he was indeed concerned about her safety.
Especially after learning that this child had even taken such dangerous actions to infiltrate the Slane Theocracy, he was naturally even more uneasy.
This was one aspect of his worry; the other was fear. After all, this child possessed the genes of Demiurge and Albedo, so in terms of intelligence and strategy, she was probably even more terrifying than Demiurge and Albedo.
Yet, he, as her father, had absolutely no accomplishments in this regard. If Ellie were to find out that her father was actually just a figurehead who understood nothing...
Wow... just imagining his daughter, who was far more capable than him, looking at him with eyes full of disdain and disappointment, made him feel so weak. That's why after returning from the Dwarf Kingdom, when he learned that Ellie hadn't finished her undercover mission, he actually felt a slight sense of relief.
After all, Demiurge had just given him a difficult problem. If Ellie had come back and reported her achievements, and then thrown a bunch of questions at him, he really wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Now that Demiurge was busy with the Holy Kingdom, he should rarely appear in Nazarick during this time. Albedo also had her own matters to attend to. Dealing with such a capable daughter all by himself, he, as her father, truly couldn't do it!
However, hearing Albedo's report now indicated that Ellie had not returned. But why was Yuri Alpha reporting the situation? And why was it an urgent matter?
Could it be that something had happened to Ellie again? Ainz immediately thought of the previous incident where Ellie was 'killed'. To be honest, he was truly furious back then.
"Have Yuri Alpha come to the Great Hall to see me. Also, Albedo, contact the Guardians who are currently in Nazarick and have them come see me as well." Ainz immediately responded via message.
Demiurge's absence could be considered a blessing, but Albedo would definitely come, so it was best to call the other available Guardians. If there was truly something going on, he might at least get some hints from the other Guardians' words and actions.
After receiving Albedo's reply, Ainz supported his skeletal face with his hand, thinking... what would Yuri Alpha report next? But basically, anything related to his daughter would definitely not be a simple matter.
Soon, Shalltear, Aura, Mare, and Sebas, who were on standby in Nazarick, arrived in the hall. Demiurge was currently in the Holy Kingdom, and Cocytus should still be in the Lizardmen village. Besides these two, only Gargantua and Victim were absent.
Indeed... his more capable daughter had once again brought him a'surprise'. Albedo and Yuri Alpha also arrived in the Great Hall, and they brought him a surprise.
No... it should be called a'shock', because he saw Yuri Alpha dragging a Dwarf along with her.
Upon seeing the Dwarf, Ainz was indeed startled. Although his trip to the Dwarf Kingdom was not a secret, basically everyone in Nazarick knew about it.
But wasn't Ellie in the Slane Theocracy? How did she get involved with a Dwarf? Or was he making assumptions, and this Dwarf had nothing to do with what Yuri Alpha was going to report, but was simply brought along because there were other things to report?
"Ah! Skel... no, Magic Cas... Magic Caster King!!!" As soon as the Dwarf saw Ainz on the throne, he immediately trembled with fear, wanting to turn and run away. Then Yuri Alpha grabbed him by the collar of his clothes, lifting the panicked Dwarf with one hand.
Ainz still found it strange. Judging by the Dwarf's reaction, it could be confirmed that this Dwarf had no relation to the Rune craftsmen he had brought back. After all, he had brought back quite a few Rune craftsmen, and Dwarves all looked similar in appearance, so he was a bit face-blind.
"Impudent!" Albedo, standing nearby, immediately glared at the Dwarf with murderous intent, scaring the Dwarf into submission.
"Hmm? Yuri, what's the deal with this Dwarf?" Ainz asked with feigned authority. After all, this was Nazarick's Great Hall, and he was sitting on the throne; the dignity of a king had to be fully maintained.
"To Ainz-sama, this Dwarf was brought back by Elizabeth. When Elizabeth returned, she had several companions and instructed me to bring this Dwarf to see you." Yuri Alpha quickly replied.
"Did Ellie not say anything else?" Ainz quickly continued to ask.
"No... nothing." Yuri replied with some difficulty.
Hmm... what is this for?
Daughter! Aren't you putting your dad in a difficult position?
What's the point of inexplicably presenting him with a Dwarf?
At this moment, he really wanted to clutch his stomach. Did his daughter really think of him as an immortal? She said nothing, just threw a Dwarf at him to see, and he was supposed to know her intentions?
He wasn't Demiurge or Albedo. However, as soon as this Dwarf saw him, he called him the Magic Caster King and was so scared, so he felt that this Dwarf shouldn't be an ordinary Dwarf.
At the very least, he was a Dwarf who had seen him and knew his title. But it could be confirmed that he was definitely not one of the Rune craftsmen he had brought back, as those craftsmen wouldn't try to run away when they saw him.
"Oh..." Ainz simply responded, then stared intently at the Dwarf. Dwarves were really hard to distinguish, they all looked the same, didn't they?
Who exactly was this Dwarf? Uh... a Dwarf who knew him, who had seen him... hmm... let him think carefully.
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