Chapter 284: Albedo's Anomaly, Ren's Takeout Delivery
For Suzuki Satoru, Yggdrasil was his only real form of entertainment outside of Ren's shop; it was his primary tool for connecting with the outside world. And now, in just four days, that world was going to vanish forever.
The news was a heavy blow. The simple happiness he'd felt just moments ago evaporated, his mood plummeting to an abyssal low.
'Forget it… I'll just have to cherish the time that's left,'he thought, his shoulders slumping slightly.'I wonder if Ren will be able to log on one last time on the final day…'
After tapping out a message to Ren, Suzuki Satoru's fingers moved with practiced ease, launching the game client. He slipped into his avatar and began the familiar routine of daily quests and subjugations, a ritual he'd performed countless times.
Meanwhile, the world channel was ablaze with activity. Many former top-tier players had begun selling off their unique, world-class equipment—items they had once proudly flaunted for all to see. Now, they were being listed at low or average prices, all for real-world currency.
Some players simply wanted to experience the thrill of wielding these powerful artifacts before the servers went dark forever. Others were desperate to fulfill a long-held dream of owning a full set of divine gear, even if only for a few days. A few more hoped to boost their final ranking or simply see the spectacle of commanding god-tier subordinates.
Standing in the grand hall of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, Suzuki Satoru watched the endless scroll of buy-and-sell messages with a detached calm. To an outsider, he might have seemed completely indifferent.
But he knew the truth. He knew that every time a world-class item changed hands, it signified a player preparing to leave this world for good. They were waiting for the final shutdown, ready to depart with nothing, just as they had arrived.
Suzuki Satoru had no idea if Ren would see his message. His gaze drifted to the figure standing silently beside him—Albedo. He remained quiet for a long time before finally turning and leaving the guild hall to grind his quests.
He was certain Ren would log in, if for no other reason than to say a final goodbye to her. Albedo still wore that unique, expressionless face of an NPC, yet somehow, in the vast, empty hall, her stillness seemed to carry a deep trace of sorrow.
However, what no one, not even her creator, could have noticed was the fleeting moment that followed. As Albedo's gaze fell upon an empty throne in the hall, the corners of her lips twitched upward into a faint, strange smile. It vanished in an instant, so quickly that anyone who saw it would have doubted their own eyes.
"It's just so lovely!" Courage was still gushing about Kasugano Sora's room as she came down the stairs. Girls, by nature, paid close attention to their quality of life, and it was impossible for any of them to dislike a room so exquisitely and beautifully arranged.
Lucifer looked over at Courage, her head tilted in confusion. "Is there something special about Sora's room?"
"It's super pretty!" came a unified chorus from five different voices.
Lucifer blinked. Her own room was still in its original, undecorated state. It seemed she would have to find time to spruce it up. The problem was, everything she was actually interested in was back in Hell. If she went back to get it, she might not be able to return…
If it were just Pandemonica and the others, it would be fine. But if that chain-smoking, hard-drinking demon found out… The mere thought sent an involuntary shudder through Lucifer. If those two nasty individuals discovered her whereabouts, who knew what chaos would ensue.
The other girls watched, baffled, as Lucifer suddenly froze, a look of genuine terror on her face as she shook her head. Cerberus, however, was sprawled across the table, tapping away at her phone. She spoke without looking up. "Don't mind her. Lucifer's normally like this… Master… Ren says Lucifer is a tsundere."
Everyone nodded in understanding before their collective gaze shifted to Kasugano Sora. They all remembered Ren's introduction, one line of which was always, 'This kid is a tsundere, but she's quite cute.'
Feeling like she was being unfairly targeted, Sora snapped, her cheeks flushing with irritation. "I am not a tsundere!"
"Ohhh~" a chorus of six teasing voices replied, long and drawn out.
Sora's mouth twitched. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know they didn't believe her for a second. Their perfunctory, knowing tone was practically dripping with amusement. Saying nothing more, she let out an indignant huff and pulled out her own phone, pointedly ignoring them.
Sakura Hibiki leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "Eh? Cerberus, what are you playing? You look like you're having a lot of fun."
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just chatting."
Hearing this, Lucifer's interest was piqued. "Chatting? With who, Cerberus? Is it in the group? I haven't seen any new messages."
Cerberus scratched her head. "I don't know her name either, but I've been chatting with her the last few days. It's a lot of fun!"
"Eh? Who is it?" Lucifer pressed.
"Hmm… Esdeath!"
At the mention of that name, Lucifer seemed to recall something unpleasant. Her expression soured. "That Esdeath really has too much free time… But wait, you just said you didn't know her name."
"Because there's also someone called the Electronic Empress…"
Lucifer nodded slowly, then her eyes widened in realization. "Ah! Oh! Is that the one who does photo editing? She does seem pretty interesting. How did you two even start talking?"
"She asked me if I wanted her to edit my photos with you, Lucifer, and then we just started chatting. She's really good! And she's very funny!"
Lucifer nodded, satisfied with the explanation and said no more. Courage, however, looked completely lost. "Eh? What group? What Electronic Empress? What are you all talking about? Are they online friends?"
Cerberus was about to explain when Lucifer cut in, a resentful look on her face. "This is exactly why we call Ren a 'big pig's trotters'… It's for the 'Victims' Alliance,' isn't it?"
Courage's eyes lit up with understanding and a healthy dose of curiosity about who else might be in such a group. Sōryūin Akemi added casually, "My sister was so furious with Lucifer's messages in that chat that her hands were shaking… though I suspect Kirari-nee was the one pulling the strings."
"Eh? Your sister and Kirari are in it too?"
"Yep."
Just as Courage was about to probe for more details, Ren walked out from the kitchen holding a large, sealed meal box. "Courage, Lucifer, wait ten minutes, then turn the fire down to low."
Lucifer acknowledged the instruction, then asked, "What are you doing? Isn't it business hours?"
"It is," Ren said, heading for the door. "So I'm going to deliver some takeout."
The girls all exclaimed in surprise. "Ren, you can order takeout from here?!"
Ren nodded. "Of course. You all know Sora used to order my food all the time, right? It's just that most people choose to come here to eat in person. I'm leaving now; the food on the stove should be almost ready by the time I get back."
With that, Ren walked out. He had barely stepped onto the street before he popped his head back inside.
"If any customers come while I'm gone," he said to the room at large, "just ask them to wait a moment."
"Oh…"
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