Chapter 138: Albedo: The greatest enemy I've met in my life is a foxian!
〜Overlord World〜
"...An Impostor."
Ainz looked up at the fox-eared girl in the light screen and made his judgment.
The Tingyun in front of the light screen was undoubtedly a fake, but he could never guess when she had been replaced.
Ever since they entered Xianzhou, Tingyun had been with the Trailblazers. If someone wanted to pull a switcheroo right under Welt and Stelle's noses, that would be too ridiculous. Not to mention whether Stelle could detect it, just trying to fool Mr. Welt would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Onlookers see more than players... Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Mr. Welt hadn't become vigilant, right?
Ever since the battle with the Abundant Ebon Deer, Ainz had felt that there was something wrong with Miss Tingyun. As a "clerical officer who was afraid of Kafka suddenly hurting people," daring to venture near the Alchemy Commission was simply against common sense. With Tingyun's usual personality, she would probably wish to hide as far away as possible, right?
"Albedo, regarding the Tingyun in the light screen... have you noticed anything strange?"
Ainz's slightly muffled voice echoed in the room, pulling Albedo's thoughts back from her gnashing jealousy.
Jealousy.
That's right, it was jealousy.
Ever since she took Sebas's place to attend to her master that afternoon, Ainz-Sama's gaze had only casually lingered on her for about a minute. To leave a good impression on her beloved master, she had specially softened her hair with magic and meticulously arranged her appearance.
Her beauty was already impeccable, and now it should be even more perfect. But the truth was, her master hadn't even given her a second glance and hadn't even noticed her special grooming.
But that woman named Tingyun—
Ever since she appeared, her master's gaze hadn't left her. This damned woman had actually stolen her beloved master's attention, which was unforgivable. It seemed the women she needed to guard against were not just Shalltear.
Upon seeing this fox woman with a fluffy tail, Albedo's exquisite face became twisted and ferocious. The burning, boiling jealousy almost turned her into a fiend that crawled out of hell, emitting a suffocating aura around her.
"—Ainz-Sama."
Albedo's cold and serious voice echoed in the room,
"Indeed, as you said, Tingyun is very strange."
"Oh?"
Albedo's voice gradually began to tremble, accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound that made one's bones ache.
"Her skin must have used some secret art to keep it smooth, and the fur on her tail has also undergone special treatment, possibly even using magic to enhance her charm. This scheming b*tch, who goes to such lengths to gain others' favor, actually dares to steal Ainz-Sama's attention from me—"
"..."
"—Stop, stop! Albedo, that's not what I want to hear."
Ainz belatedly realized that the atmosphere around them was a bit off. A sour smell permeated the room.
"What I want to say is, can you discern the transformation magic used on Tingyun?"
"Magic?"
Albedo suddenly came to her senses. After retracting that intense jealousy, her face returned to its usual gentleness:
"Ainz-Sama, there are no traces of transformation magic on Tingyun."
"To achieve a perfect transformation, perfectly replicating every detail of the target, is not difficult. But if one wants to copy the opponent's memories and perfectly replace someone... Ainz-Sama, I don't believe that's possible."
"Even I, Albedo, who is proficient in mental magic, could never do it."
"Oh? Why?"
"...Because of habits."
Albedo took a deep breath,
"Memories can be copied, but habits are difficult to imitate. Tingyun has lived in Xianzhou since childhood and worked at the Sky-Faring Commission for many years. If it weren't Tingyun herself, I'm afraid Yukong and the others would quickly see through her, right?"
"Hmm, Albedo, you're right."
Although he praised her, Ainz inwardly gave a bitter smile. But as a skeleton, he couldn't show any expression.
...Even the Overseer of the Guardians believes that transformation magic is impossible?
It seems there's still a considerable gap in combat power between the two worlds...
—
「 After dealing with the Mara-Struck guarding the Alchemy Commission, Stelle quickly shut down the three small cauldrons.
As the smoke cleared, a distant, excited voice of Fu Xuan rang out: "Good... excellent! I will lead the army to rendezvous immediately."
Stelle walked up the steps to the largest cauldron, where her acquaintance, Dan Shu, was guarding. However, at this moment, she had shed her human form and completely embraced the Mara-Struck form.
"The cauldron... is extinguished." She looked up at the cauldron, murmuring sadly, "It doesn't matter; what was destined to come has finally arrived."
Fu Xuan slowly led her people to them. Seeing the leader, her voice showed little surprise: "It's you, Dan Shu..."
"I have met you before in my capacity as chief alchemist, master diviner... You don't seem surprised."
Fu Xuan crossed her arms, a confident smile on her face: "Hmm, indeed. The general and I knew that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus must be hiding in the Alchemy Commission. However, without evidence, we couldn't bring charges before the commissions. We had to wait for you to show yourselves..."
"...and now, your charges are many. Drawing Stellaron spirits into the Xianzhou, resurrecting the Ambrosial Arbor, striking down our people with mara... The Ten-Lords Commission will address these transgressions during your reckoning."
"Crimes?" Dan Shu didn't get angry; instead, she laughed, "If I am guilty, then all of our Xianzhou ancestors are also guilty! It was they who accepted the gift of 『 Abundance 』, transforming their descendants into long-life species..."
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are merely walking the path they once trod, seeking transcendence. How is it a crime to seek ascendance??"
"In days of old, the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor enveloped the Xianzhou Luofu like a living creature. We controlled the stellar seas, and none could stand in our way. Everyone could become a celestial and shift form at will. Divine miracles descended onto all nine Xianzhou ships. What a glorious time that was..."
Dan Shu's gaze swept around, looking at the fallen Mara-Struck, her tone regretful: "Now look, how far the Xianzhou has fallen! We consent to be commanded by the Devilish Archer, suffer continuously at the hands of the Denizens of Abundance, and the Ten-Lords Commission even forces us to give up our immortality... Alas, how pitiful! I do not blame you for your ignorance — we were not born in the era when the Ambrosial Arbor first descended, nor did we witness its miracles. But now we have an opportunity to restore the ancient laws..." 」
「 .....」
〜Dragon Raja World〜
"It seems learning history is really important."
In Shinjuku, Japan, Lu Mingfei and Erii, back in their love hotel, were sitting on the sofa, watching the light screen like a real couple.
The floor-to-ceiling windows had been drawn, and the light in the room was very dim. The scent of incense and the faint fragrance of the girl's hair permeated the air. Because they were very close, Lu Mingfei could also hear Erii's faint breathing.
It was like watching a movie in a private cinema.
Suddenly, Erii picked up a pen and paper, scribbled something in her notebook, then held it up to her chest, tilting her head with a puzzled expression: "Become immortal? What is becoming immortal?"
Lu Mingfei thought to himself, these are all the twisted heresies of the 『 Abundance 』 evil! Who knows what nonsense these people, who are full of ideas about restoring the old ways, would come up with?
But he still answered on the paper:
"It means you can live for a very long time."
"Then can we go play in other places?"
"Of course, as long as you live long enough, you can go wherever you want."
Lu Mingfei continued to add to the small notebook,
"What, Erii, do you have a place you want to go?"
Erii nodded obediently, then wrote:
"I want to go to the Tokyo Skytree."
—