"President, is it not possible?"
Sig's voice wasn't aggressive; rather, it had a pleading tone. Picturing the expression beneath his helmet, Ainz felt completely unable to refuse him.
Forget it, it's just a dark past. Who hasn't made mistakes? The Guardians will understand.
Ainz, having steeled himself, prepared to stop avoiding it. "Hmm, alright. Time is short, let's head to the Treasury now."
Sig immediately changed his attire, switching to a more comfortable black suit. "Albedo and Shalltear, you may withdraw for now. Yuri too. The Treasury has a very high security rating, so no special guards are needed."
"Oh!"
Is he really going to do this? Ainz was pleasantly surprised.
Albedo, who had initially been smiling, pouted, twirling her long, dark hair with her fingers, looking utterly wronged. "Sig-san, why are you dismissing your subordinate? This is my responsibility as the Overseer of the Guardians."
Could it be that he disliked her?
A crystalline gleam suddenly flashed in Albedo's eyes, and a tear escaped.
Shalltear, standing nearby, revealed her small fangs in surprise, seemingly still processing what had happened, but she too adopted a pitiful expression.
Oh, this. Sig unconsciously took half a step back, cold sweat breaking out on his face.
Ainz's authoritative voice rang out, "Don't overthink things. Sig-san and I haven't had a chance to talk alone for a very long time, which is why I'm dismissing you. There's no other reason."
"It was Ainz-san's command, then. Your subordinate obeys." Albedo reverted to her dignified and gentle demeanor, bowing slightly and performing a perfect curtsy.
Did he just blurt out his true thoughts? Albedo really doesn't know how to hide things, Ainz thought, a little helpless.
But Sig-san, too, was truly thoughtful. He considered everything so thoroughly, even choosing not to be with beautiful women just to preserve his dignity. Sure enough, he had overthought it. He was truly sorry for having such a misunderstanding.
After everyone had left, Sig let out a long breath, looking as if he had faded. His usually spiky hair had gone limp.
At least it was finally quiet. He felt completely drained; he truly couldn't handle both of them at once.
"Ah, Sig-san, you should know the password to the Treasury, right? Otherwise, I'd have to ask Shizu for help."
Ainz slapped his forehead, feeling very annoyed. If so, everything he had done earlier would be for naught, and he had even triggered a forced calm.
Sig smiled. "I'm very familiar with the Treasury. In fact, I can use most of the weapons there."
"That's right, you have a class that enhances weapon usage, and a special skill called 'Armory'."
The 'Armory' skill, paired with the Weapon Master class, allows weapons to be stored within it for combat readiness, a pocket-like spatial skill.
Thanks to this skill, Sig can quickly swap to suitable weapons during battle, catching enemies off guard, which is quite a headache. Touch Me also complained that it was practically cheating.
However, in this world, there shouldn't be anyone who can make him fight with all his might. The only threatening Dragon Race can be dealt with using Gungnir. To minimize wear and tear, all the commonly used weapons have been placed in the Treasury.
Ainz asked curiously, "So, can Sig-san also use the weapons left by everyone else?"
Sig nodded. "Actually, I can use them, but they probably won't perform at their original effectiveness. Many pieces of equipment require specific classes to work properly."
However, Divine-class items were not very common in the game. Even level 100 players usually only possessed one. Being fully equipped with Divine-class items was quite intimidating.
"As expected, he's amazing," Ainz said sincerely. "I'm truly happy to see Cocytus's growth, but I'm also troubled about whether I'm a suitable ruler. I truly wish I could find someone to teach me about kingship."
"Lord of Terror knows a lot about kingship and is very polite when he speaks. You could ask him."
"Lord of Terror, huh? Let's not," Ainz replied. Although he wasn't afraid of cockroaches, such a large number of insects was still maddening and utterly unacceptable.
Sig considerately advised, "Remember the glasses I wear? They have a visual obstruction function. You'll just see a blur of pixels."
"Hearing you say that, it sounds like you've been there?"
To his shame, as the ruler of Nazarick, Ainz had never set foot in some places, including Lord of Terror's Black Coffin.
Sig's face darkened, as if recalling something unpleasant, but he still wore a smile. "Ah, yes, I've been there. A surprise from that guy Lucifer."
Lucifer always failed to understand boundaries in interactions, making inappropriate jokes, and getting such a result was well-deserved. Sig had even shown mercy out of consideration for their past camaraderie, only making him complete the 72 Pillars of Demons before letting him go.
Ainz changed the subject. "Lucifer-san was indeed out of line... I remember him specifically saying he'd leave a Divine-class item for you. Should we retrieve it this time?"
"Hmm? I almost forgot. It seems it might actually be useful this time."
Sig stroked his chin. Since they were going to put on a show, they might as well make it a grand one.
Passing through the room filled with the highly toxic blood of Jörmungandr, they arrived at the door. Ainz suddenly became interested. "I think I remember the opening passphrase. Let me try it."
Seeing his eagerness, and Sig not wanting to say such chuunibyou-like words in front of others, he agreed to watch from the side.
Most of the mechanisms were set by Emerald Tablet. He simply couldn't persuade him to change the password.
"Ainz Ooal Gown is full of glory!"
The dark gate reacted, and text began to appear on it.
"Thus, you alone monopolize the world's glory, and all darkness shall depart from your person?"
Ainz looked at Sig, and after receiving the correct answer, he happily clenched his fist.
Sig seriously suspected that he had influenced the Skeleton King. Why did he feel so different from his impression?
Butterfly wings were quietly fluttering.
"Welcome, my creator, Flying Squirrel-san!" Pandora clicked his heels together and saluted, then turned and performed the same action with an exaggerated tone. "Ah, and honored guest, Sigris-sama!"
"Pandora, it's been a long time." Sig nodded faintly, acknowledging his greeting. He seemed no different than usual.
This made Ainz even more uneasy, his inner self screaming, "Please don't cause any trouble!"
Pandora's Actor, a Doppelganger, had a bald head like an egg, with no facial features, only three holes that served as eyes and a mouth.
His military uniform could be called handsome, but it wasn't entirely a positive trait.
"What brings the two of you here, without any escorts?"
"Sig-san has something to discuss with you. I have now changed my name to Ainz Ooal Gown, and you don't need to call Sigris, just Sig."
Pandora showed an exaggerated expression, stood at attention, and saluted again. "Understood, Ainz-sama, Sig-sama!"
This egg... Pandora, Ainz sincerely hoped he would stop saluting!Chapter 55 Father and Son
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
"Then, Sig-san, why have you called your subordinate this time? Could it be that those items can finally be put to use? Your subordinate polishes them diligently every day!"
Pandora's exaggerated body movements seemed as if he was about to burst into song, every action a pretense, almost to the point of a kiss.
How lame!
Ainz once again triggered his forced calm. Even if Sig-san was laughing his head off, he found it completely normal, because this was truly a living black history!
He quickly pulled Pandora further away and whispered, "As your creator, don't embarrass me too much. That's my only request!"
"If my Lord wishes it so…"
"Is that German?! Don't talk like that!"
A startled Pandora obediently answered yes, for the first time not using that exaggerated tone.
"Sorry for interrupting, please continue." Ainz cleared his throat and gave Pandora several meaningful glances.
"It's not difficult for you. I hope you can pretend to be me and then fight against Ilay, whom I'll be playing. I'll be equipped with Lucifer's Divine Artifact, so you must take it seriously, too."
Sig-san said with a narrowed-eyed smile, his words serious yet relaxed, creating an atmosphere as if they were long-lost friends.
"Ah, so it is such an important matter. Your subordinate will do his utmost and absolutely live up to Sig-san's expectations!"
Pandora's boots made a crisp clinking sound, and then he saluted again, exuding a 'I'm the coolest' vibe. Sig-san's expression was actually one of gratification?
Ainz was utterly bewildered by this. Any companion would burst out laughing in this situation, and it wasn't that he was targeting anyone; Pandora was simply set up this way by him.
But this was also a good thing. Sig-san always considered his feelings, which was truly touching.
"Then let's go to the mausoleum to get the items, Sig-san." Ainz had a non-existent smile on his face.
"Yes, let's go." Sig-san took off his ring and handed it to Pandora.
Because the mausoleum contained Nazarick's rarest items, and considering that enemies might invade wearing rings, a setting was implemented where anyone wearing an Anz Ul-Gown Ring would be attacked. Taking it off beforehand was clearly the best option.
Pandora held the ring, "This is the Anz Ul-Gown Ring, a precious item of Nazarick…"
Ainz suddenly spoke, "Pandora's Actor, you wait for us here. I'll send you a message once we come out. You should know that you can't leave here without the ring, right?"
Pandora nodded, still a little unsatisfied, and saluted again, "Farewell, Ainz-sama, Sig-sama."
Walking in the dim room, Sig-san slowly began, "Guildmaster, you shouldn't be so strict with Pandora. Although your own child won't resent you for it, it's not good in the long run."
Ainz had wanted to ask for a long time, and with only the two of them, he couldn't hold back, "Don't you want to laugh when you see Pandora? You seem very familiar with him."
"To be precise, I'm very familiar with the Treasury. Although Pandora didn't used to speak proactively, I have a deep impression of him because I often encountered him, and…"
Sig-san finally broke into a happy smile. He had held it in for quite a while, almost to the point of internal injury, and laughed while clutching his stomach, "Pfft! I can't mock you in front of him."
"Sig-san, you're really a terrible person. I thought…"
"Oh? Thought what?"
Sig-san's expression changed in an instant, and he looked seriously at the expressionless skull face, as if trying to discern his true thoughts.
"Nothing."
Ainz naturally refused to say it, and the two of them happened to reach the place where the armed statues were displayed, immediately changing the subject, "These are undead avatars made to simulate everyone's appearance. They don't look exactly like them, I wonder if you can recognize them."
"I can guess just by looking at the items. Don't ask such simple questions."
Sig-san glanced over, almost all familiar faces. Although they didn't look exactly alike, they truly captured the essence, "Then, is mine in that spot?"
He pointed to the empty spot in the corner, and Ainz nodded, enthusiastically stating, "Mine is next to it, and Herohero-san's is over there."
Following his gaze, there were indeed only four empty spots left.
Sig-san walked to Lucifer's statue and reached out to use Equipment Stripping. A full set of Divine Equipment appeared in his hand. One piece was a pure white robe with a golden cross pattern, and the other was a matching black ribbon with gold patterns that would naturally drape when equipped.
His choice to equip this Divine Artifact was not a sudden whim. A Fifth Tier Magic Caster not having flight magic was already a major weakness, and he had to find a way to compensate for it.
This set of equipment had a very inconspicuous skill that allowed the user to float freely in the air, could enhance magical abilities to some extent, and also had attributes for avoiding critical hits and enhancing instant death resistance. The basic attributes were also quite good.
Sig-san wasn't worried about Pandora being too heavy-handed; he was worried about outsiders stirring up trouble, specifically the Platinum Dragon Lord.
He didn't know the opponent's abilities yet. If they had a skill that completely sealed space, he might not be able to change equipment, and even in his dragon form, he might not win.
What he had to ensure was that the Platinum Dragon Lord would be captured as soon as he appeared, and absolutely not allowed to escape. If he didn't appear, they would just perform the normal act. Better safe than sorry, caution brings new dragon riders, and one cannot underestimate the opponent.
"Let's go, Guildmaster, we can't keep Pandora waiting too long."
Ainz didn't refute, sighing helplessly, "I never thought I'd see a companion's equipment used again. Perhaps this is the best ending."
After they left, the space where the statues were placed returned to its original tranquility. In the dim, quiet environment, it was like a resting place for souls.
Perhaps he should treat his companions as dead. Herohero's logout time was a bit early, and he might truly not have transmigrated. Having one person accompany him was enough; he shouldn't be so greedy.
Sig-san turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ainz slowly shook his head, "Nothing, let's go. This place doesn't feel very good; I suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable."
Sig-san's face showed contemplation, and a smile that could be described as sinister suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Your son guards this place all day long. Aren't you going to let him go outside? I think you can hand over some tasks to him to share the burden. The Guardians should also know about Pandora's existence."
Ainz's eyes flashed red, and he triggered his forced calm again, not knowing what he had thought of, "This… I originally had such a plan."
Some things, escaping from them is useless, and Pandora will prove with facts that he is worthy.