Overlord (WN)

Maruyama: In the Web Novel, the Black Scripture (教典) is the correct version, but for the novel, their names have all been unified and changed to Scripture (聖典). I seek your understanding.

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The Ball Part 4

Translator: Frostfire10

All the nobles who had waited expectantly for the Archduke\'s arrival all doubted their eyes. This was as the figures that appeared was not the mysterious noble, but six women.

What were they? The clothes they were wearing made the answer obvious.

They were maids.

The clothes they were wearing were extremely similar to those of maids. Nobles would never wear such things to social events. These women looked completely out of place here. However, no one present was able to speak out against them.

The rational part of their brain was screaming at them that this was impossible.

It was impossible for normal maids of common birth to show their faces at the top of these stairs. It was not permitted for them to ever look down upon their noble masters.

However— However.

They found themselves unable to speak.

Before their overwhelming beauty.

They were a group of women far more beautiful than any blue-blooded lady. And these beautiful princesses did not seem to be related but were in fact owners of various types of beauty. If they were so beautiful, would it not be fine for them to be treated as nobles? Some nobles even thought this way.

Men had seen beautiful women. And bedded them. Even for such men, they had never seen beauties of such level appear together.

Even women who had confidence in their looks could not bring themselves to feel jealous about their loss. It was similar to how they would feel nothing if they lost to a sculpture that a master artisan had crafted out of crystal. The very difference between their standards meant they had lost from the beginning.

All the nobles assembled lost their ability to speak as they silently burned the images of these six women in their heads.

If there were commoners present, they would probably not have such a reaction. However, the ones present here were nobles who were used to beautiful things and had developed discerning eyes for them. Thus, their shock was much more intense than mere commoners.

The orchestra had forgotten to even play, causing the hall to fall into silence as the maids slowly descended down the stairs in pairs. However, there was quite the gap between them.

Two of the maids arrived at the bottom of the stairs, another group stopped at the centre of the stairs and the remaining two remained fixed in their initial positions.

The bewilderment caused by the maids\' strange actions was dispelled by the crimson carpet each held in their hands.

As the carpet flew from their hands, it softly, slowly floated down on to the stairs.

And then in unison, they strengthened their backs and lowered their heads in a graceful position. They were maids, waiting for their master\'s arrival.

As the carpet covered their faces, the magic was interrupted, allowing a portion of the nobles to look away – although some still found themselves unable to tear themselves away from their beauty. Then, they noticed a couple at the top of the stairs.

One of them was a slim man wearing a beautiful pure white tuxedo.

It glistened under the lights as if it were made of platinum. The quality and material of the clothes made it something that even a great noble would have to spend a year\'s worth of income to wear even once.

His face was covered by a mask, but it was clear that this was the Archduke.

However, although he was supposed to be the main attraction of this ball, at this instant, he could only be thought of as a sideshow.

Next to him stood a silver-haired woman. No, she was too young to be called a woman; she seemed to have just come of age.

This was a queen, a young girl who had the air of a ruler about her.

Even though there was quite a distance between them, the nobles could feel the arrogance on her face and the mocking laughter hidden within her eyes. However, such a look went well with this girl.

"Oooh!"

Several nobles raised beast-like cries.

This was as the Queen who was looking down upon everything had turned to look at the Archduke, and her face turned into one of a girl in love.

It was a look that would make any man fume in envy. Even though they instinctively knew that this gaze would never turn to them and would only be granted to the Archduke, several men felt the flame of jealousy burn within them.

As the two exuded this confidence of rulers that made everyone want to bow to them (especially the girl), they slowly stepped onto the crimson carpet. The scene of the girl who lent her hand to the Archduke made everyone present feel that a queen was descending.

And as the two of them passed a group of maids, the maids raised their heads and quietly followed behind them.

A queen, a man, and six gorgeous maids descended down the stairs.

Normally in these social events, men often switched out their female partners and used them as status symbols. So it was obvious at a glance as to who was wearing the more expensive clothing. That was why men would never come to these events alone but always with a partner. Of course, there were exceptions.

However, the men would never be seen as below their female partners.

In these events, the women were viewed as the gems the men decorated themselves with. The more the women shone, the more they showed off their man\'s power. The beauty of a woman was nothing more than a man\'s proxy war.

This was why all the nobles understood.

The Archduke had countless such gems decorating him and had power far beyond that of any noble.

Several nobles felt that they had lost as men, and dropped their gazes.

As the Archduke\'s group approached, the nobles split to make a path. Jircniv slowly stood up and descended from the platform.

And with a soft wide, he welcomed them with open arms.

"Thank you for coming, my friend. Ainz."

His tone was light, as if he was truly welcoming a friend. The Archduke replied.

"Thank you for inviting me. Jircniv."

The two hugged and patted each other on the back. This was not the conduct of nobles, but of two good friends.

All the nobles understood what Jircniv was showing them.

"Now, my most important friend has arrived, let the ball begin."

At Jircniv\'s voice, the orchestra awoke from their stupor and began playing, allowing the quiet noise to slowly return. However, most of the nobles could not tear their gazes away from the four sitting people and the six maids standing behind them.

■

"Gehk"

One of his faithful companions began taking heavy breaths. It was as if a drowning man had finally gotten his head above water.

The man with the powerful build, the 7th Seat of the Black Scripture [Huge Shield Myriad Barriers] Edgar Kukuf Beaumarchais patted his comrade on the back using his thick arms.

"Oi oi, are you alright? I don\'t want to do mouth to mouth here you know."

In contrast to the widely smiling Edgar, the man only put on a wry smile. Sensing the severity within the smile, Edgar too made a serious face.

"….And so how strong is the Archduke?"

There was only one reason why he had brought the lowest seat of the Black Scripture, the weakest, the 11th to such a dangerous place. It was because they had expectations of his ability.

"Before that…. Those six maids."

"Hohoo. Those beauties? What, are you in love? I certainly haven\'t seen such a level in our country…." As he was about to playfully smack his comrade\'s back, he saw his serious face and sensed that he was not joking. "….What about them?"

"They are stronger than us."

Edgar tried to speak but found himself swallowing down his words. After a few sets of this, he finally found his tongue.

"Oi oi…. Are you serious? Those ladies? ….No, you won\'t lie. It\'s your power after all, and you don\'t like jokes. But…. they… and all six of them? Or just one?"

Seeing his glimmer of hope flickering out, Edgar looked towards the sky.

The Black Scripture.

It was the name of the strongest special operations unit in the Slane Theocracy made of 11 people.

Most of those who knew of their existence believed them to be assassins, but this was not the case.

They were the strongest defenders of humanity. Of course, the ones they had to protect was humanity, the weakest race.

Six hundred years ago, there were gods that saved humanity when it was on the verge of becoming extinct due to a war of existence between powerful races. Those Six Great Gods had passed down the scripture their teachings, causing them to believe that they were the strongest of humanity, and even now they were still training to reach the peak.

For example, Gazef Stronoff. The reason why he was called the strongest was because the Black Scripture has never ever shown itself in public. If they did, the seat of the strongest would easily be stolen by them. This was the truth.

Although they did not have a magic caster that could rival Fluder, they did have priests that could also use the 6th Tier of magic.

Excluding special exceptions, there were no humans that could defeat them.

The shock of learning that there were several beings that could easily defeat them was humongous.

"And that girl."

"Hmm."

No matter what he says, I won\'t be shocked. Despite steeling himself with this thought, Edgar was still blown away by what he heard next.

"She\'s as strong as our captain."

"….What! That means…. Impossible…. I can\'t believe it…."

His reasoning was telling him that this was the truth, but his emotions vehemently refused this. Any of his colleagues would feel the same. The strongest person of the Black Scripture, the 1st Seat. Basically, he was the only being that had awakened to his God\'s Blood. He could fight equally with Dragon Kings.

And his equal was this beautiful lady.

Edgar suppressed his emotions. The important thing was to remain rational, and not to remain fixed into one mode of thinking. If he was restricted by his way of thinking, he would lose sight of his mission.

"….Could she also be a god?"

"I cannot say that it is impossible…. But she might be a True Dragon King."

"Are you saying that they broke the 500 year old World Pact? No, under these cases, the Pact has yet to be broken."

Edgar frowned. It was an alliance against the poison that stained the world. The strongest contract that protected the Slane Theocracy. It would not break even under the worst circumstances.

"Edgar. I want you to remember this, she and the Captain. I do not know who is stronger. I simply feel that they are far stronger than me…."

"Indeed…."

A person who had only used small change could only thing of values such as 9 billion and 10 billion to be large amounts of money. Understanding this nuance, Edgar nodded. However, it mattered not. That girl was a being who could easily destroy a country.

"And so is the Archduke as strong as the Captain?"

His friend\'s face winced, causing Edgar to become confused. Considering how his female partner was so strong, the Archduke should be of an equal power level. There was no need to feel lost.

"What is it?"

"No…. I feel absolutely nothing from him."

Failing to understand, Edgar cocked his head.

"What do you mean?"

"The Archduke is a body double. The Archduke is somehow hiding his strength. The Archduke in actuality is not strong."

The man counted off the possibilities on his fingers.

"The last one is impossible, right? He killed over 100,000 soldiers right. In fact, the Windflower that infiltrated the knights had seen this right?"

"He might be using a magic item."

"Ah, yes. A ridiculous item. Is it something the gods left behind?"

Edgar nodded.

"Or maybe that girl is the real powerhouse?"

"Hmm. I don\'t know. That\'s the job of those with brains. Anyway, since our information is insufficient, we should not get close to the Archduke. Anyway, when I heard that girl is strong as Captain, my balls went right up into my body."

"Sorry about that."

Flashing a manly smile at his frowning compatriot, Edgar gazed at Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Now, I wonder what\'s under his mask."

■

Jircniv was a perfect host.

Or rather his conversations were so interesting.

While choosing interesting topics that were relevant to Ainz, he talked about exciting developments and painted vivid pictures of what was happening. Originally, Ainz could have carried on this conversation for hours, but the reason why he could not fully immerse himself in it was because of the thing waiting for him: the dance.

Just thinking about it made his stomach hurt.

Of course, Ainz did not have a stomach, and so it was simply in his head. His desire to retch was also not due to his nervousness but was also in his head.

This was a lie!

Ainz was attacked by a desire to scream. Even though his stomach ached and pain shot through his nerves, he could not say anything/

So this was what phantom limb pain felt like.

The remnants of his humanity was extremely nervous and was probably screaming at him.

Dancing in front of this many people was torture. Looking at the nobles from beneath his mask, it was clear that they had a interest in Ainz.

Under the watchful eye of Kyouhukou, he had memorised how to dance.

Undead like Ainz and Shalltear did not need to sleep or rest, and so the short amount of time they had was extremely packed. The few days of training they had was equivalent to several weeks of normal practice.

Since he had practised this much, the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" probably applies to him. That was how much confidence Ainz had at this point.

However, looking at all these nobles had caused unease to well up in Ainz.

Since he was undead, any large emotional response would be suppressed. However, when those waves continued to crash upon the shore, completely suppressing them was impossible.

Ainz took a glance at Shalltear. He hoped that seeing how she was doing would release some of the tension he had.

And what he saw at the end of his gaze made Ainz want to curl up into a ball.

Ainz\'s host was Jircniv, and Shalltear\'s host was the woman Jircniv brought, Roxy. She had attempted to talk to Shalltear several times, but she had simply put on a cold smile and let the conversation die.

I have no desire to interact with the likes of humans. Her attitude was as clear as day.

It might be the correct attitude for a creation of Ainz\'s friend Peroroncino, one of the Guardians of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Shalltear Bloodfallen. Ainz could say nothing about this.

However, as the dance partner of the Archduke of the Empire, Ainz Ooal Gown, this was nothing but rude.

Ainz tapped on the table.

Although his hand was covered in a glove, Ainz\'s bony fingers were harder than steel, causing the sound to be surprisingly loud.

That moment, the gazes of the maids and Shalltear fell on him. Telling the maid standing directly behind him, Yuri, to stand down, he turned to face Shalltear.

"Shalltear. Do not embarrass me."

Shalltear silently nodded her head and put on a bright smile. She was so beautiful, almost creating an illusion of a night rose blossoming.

Some of the nobles who had managed to catch a glimpse of her smile let out a disgusting cry of \'Fuwaaa\' while others grit their teeth and sent gazes filled with killing intent towards Ainz, which caused Jircniv to clutch his head in his arms, but Ainz would let them be in this case.

"My apologies. Roxy-sama. We had to wait a while before entering, causing me to sulk out of impatience. I did not act in a proper manner."

"No, no such thing, Shalltear-sama. I completely understand that feeling."

A pleasant conversation between a young girl who perked herself up, although an act, and an adult woman began.

And while listening to them—

Shalltear\'s amazing.

—Even though Ainz was thinking this, he did not let it show. Instead, he lightly sighed and put on a small smile – although the recesses of his eyes still contained disappointment – and talked to Jircniv.

"Shalltear was rude to your partner, Jircniv."

"No, pay it no heed. We certainly made you two wait. I shall make considerations for this in future."

"No no. This was simply one of her fits. There is no need to mind her."

"Is that so, I\'m grateful. And so I would like to invite you to begin the dance…. Originally we would dance together with you but…."

"Ah, I understand what you want to say. But this time, please allow us to dance alone."

Saying this, Ainz slowly stood up. Yuri standing behind him pulled his chair back.

"Shalltear."

"Yes. Ainz-sama."

Offering a hand to the blushing Shalltear, the pair stood up. As they walked into the centre of the ballroom, Ainz felt countless stares pierce his body.

Suddenly, the piece the orchestra was playing changed.

Their faces were ones of utmost concentration, as if they understood what would happen if they failed.

It was a quiet and relaxing piece.

Adopting a casual stance, Ainz confirmed that no one had any particularly strange reactions to this piece.

At first, the nobles tilted their heads while listening to the music. Most of the pieces played in the Empire were of a completely different style. Several did not like it, but this was nothing but personal preference.

If someone loved death metal, then it was likely that they did not listen to classical music.

Ainz suppressed his smile.

This was as no one in any world would dance to this piece.

The piece flowing within the hall was a BGM from Yggdrasil.

Yggdrasil\'s world was filled with sound, and each area had its own unique background music. However, since it was overlaid with the soft sounds such as the movements of monsters, there were many who loathed it since it became difficult to hear important yet minute sounds.

Therefore very few people listened to the music of Yggdrasil and was nothing more than a soundtrack one listened to in isolated borderlands. In fact, it was more common to purchase items with music data and listen to that instead.

Ainz pulled Shalltear into the centre of the room. And with the music, they began dancing.

The reason Kyouhukou chose this song was as any mistakes made would be obvious if they danced to a piece the nobles were familiar with. With a piece that they had never heard before, coupled with a dance they had never seen before, they could make it through so long as they did not spectacularly fail.

Whilst recalling the advice Kyouhukou gave him, Ainz moved.

The most important thing was the posture. The way in which they stretched their fingers and moved their face. These tiny details were extremely important. Grand movements would draw the eye, but it was fine as long as they were limited. In fact, the less one practised, the more these movements would look terrible.

Ainz and Shalltear, gracefully-although he was panicking under his mask- on the dancefloor.

With the movements, they had practised several-no, hundreds of times.

"I wonder where is that form of dance from? It seems that it has a fixed flow but…."

"Now…. Due to my shallow knowledge…. I have no heard of this piece."

"Perhaps it is from where the Archduke comes from?"

"Perhaps…. It would be rude…. To call it strange, but it is different."

"Is that so? I like this quiet and calm piece."

Several nobles spoke amongst themselves as they watched Ainz dance. They watched him like a hawk, in order to prevent a single detail from escaping their notice.

After some time, one of the nobles spoke.

"I see. So it seems the Archduke does understand noble etiquette."

It was a dance they had never seen before, but they could tell that it was well practiced. From Ainz\'s movements, they knew that dance was a skill he was well acquainted with.

Certainly, there were parts that could be improved upon. However, there was no need to be that critical. In fact, the nobles themselves were not confident that they could do better.

The most important thing here was education, basically whether or not he knew how to live in noble society.

Since the Archduke passed, the nobles began to think of their next move.

"Hmm. Then…. When I talk to the Archduke I must not slip up."

"Agreed. I believed that I could win in a battle of words if he knew nothing of noble etiquette…. But it seems I must find a different method."

"Having no gaps…. Shall I say to be expected of the Archduke?"

"It is just as you say. However…. How dangerous."

"What is?"

"Her. The Archduke\'s dance partner."

"….Her chest is quite large for her age. The dynamic motion of them when she moves. If she is wearing underwear, they might be fake—"

Leaving one of the nobles out of their field of view, the others began to talk quietly amongst each other.

"Being able to bring a woman of such caliber…. How troubling."

"Indeed. Having such a beauty serve him…. Somehow…. Even with the bias of a parent, my daughter cannot beat her. How about the Marquis\' daughter?"

"Please do not ask for the impossible. She cannot beat her."

"Not only that, the maids as well. It will be difficult to establish a marriage with the Archduke. Please look over there, at the hopeless faces of the girls."

"Well, this cannot be helped. If they ask to dance with the Archduke immediately after he danced with her, they will be compared with that beautiful princess. No woman could bear with jumping into defeat and afterwards turn into a laughing stock."

"However, is he even married to her? Does anyone know about her?"

All of them shook their heads.

"We should gather information."

"Yes. However…. There should be rumours of such a beautiful woman. Paired with this song, the Archduke indeed seems to have come from a distant country."

"What if he raised her himself and prevented her from ever going outside."

"Raising a pearl to harvest it. Well, she is certainly worth the effort."

"…However, such a beautiful woman…. Just where does this Goddess of the Night come from. I would at least like to learn her name."

At the words of this passionate young noble, the older ones made wry smiles.

They understood the feelings he had for this girl who stole his heart. But having such emotions was bad.

Even if it was fine to extol the beauty that was the Archduke\'s partner, the Archduke still came first. Pining for her would most likely upset him. Despite this, the nobles made no moves to stop their compatriot. There were battles for authority within factions, and if someone messed up, others could use the opportunity as a stepping stone.

Since the loss of a young noble was not considered much, he would be a necessary yet suitable sacrifice.

Reading the thoughts buried in each other\'s eyes, they began to incite him further.

However, one noble instead turned his gaze towards Shalltear, and whispered.

"A devilish-beauty…. How terrifying…."

He suddenly felt a pair of crimson eyes pierce through his body, causing him to shiver. He chose to move into the crowd to disappear from her sight.

■

Without any mistakes, Ainz and Shalltear finally finished their dance. Bathed in the thunderous applause, Ainz felt perspiration trickle down his face but found himself unable to wipe it off. Of course, undead did not have any methods or even the need to regulate their temperature, but the feeling of stickiness failed to disappear. That was the level of pressure he was under.

Heaving sighs of relief, and returned to his prepared seat.

There, Jircniv and Rocky stood there applauding with smiles on their faces.

"A wonderful dance."

"Indeed, Ainz. It was a splendid dance. Compliments to the lady as well."

"Thank you very much."

Shalltear pinched the edges of her dress and curtseyed, all whilst flashing a mischievous childish smile. Ainz had thought this earlier, and this action further reinforced his impression. She\'s like another person.

As the two took their seats, Jircniv asked a question.

"Apologies about this, but I would like to introduce you to the nobles. Would you mind accompanying me? Many are eager to speak with you."

"Of course. It is important to meet the other nobles of this great country."

Ainz nodded immediately.

Ainz recalled what Kyouhukou and Arche had said about the foundations of events like this.

He would be doing face-to-face introductions.

Normally, the host of the party, Jircniv, would be extremely busy interacting with the nobles, but Ainz was being invited to accompany him. This deviated greatly from convention, but this was simply due to the level of importance Ainz was viewed with.

He might be serious about wanting to become my friend.

Ainz was pleased with the way Jircniv treated him. However-Ainz took a cursory glance at all of the nobles looking his way. How much time would it take? A single introduction would take at least several minutes of time. As an undead, he felt no fatigue, but the sheer number of them still made him frown.

Can I really remember all of their names without name cards?

Ainz already had an answer to that question. According to Arche, "Remembering names and faces is a basic skill that all nobles have". While Ainz was absorbed in his thoughts, Jircniv and Rocky began to stand up.

Since his face was covered with a mask, Ainz\'s face could not be read. However, Jircniv clearly sensed his discomfort and elaborated.

"There are women as well. It would be better for there to be other women besides us as well."

"….Is that so?"

"Yes. May I please ask what is your relationship with Lady Shalltear? If she is your fiance you two should come together, but if not, it would be best for her not to accompany us."

"Hmm…."

If that was the proper etiquette of noble society, Shalltear who was not even his fiancee should not follow.

Ainz and Shalltear exchanged gazes, and Ainz then nodded.

"I understand. I shall wait here."

"Sorry."

"No, not at all. Please enjoy yourself Ainz-sama."

Ainz waved at Shalltear, giving her a short farewell as he left with his two companions. The knights protected the podium then split up to follow them.

They were called the Four Knights, or something?

That thought appeared in the corner of his mind, but he immediately discarded it. What he had to consider now was more important. He could not lose focus here.

Being led by Jircniv, Ainz tried to commit everything to memory.

The most important thing was to not to make any promises.

Making such promises in front of this many people would result in a risky situation when the time came, and depending on what he promised, people would look down on him and his position.

Being overly revered gave Ainz stomach cramps.

Underneath his mask, Ainz glared at the nobles.

Starting now, Ainz would begin his disadvantageous battle.

Defeat was the same as dragging the name of Nazarick through the mud.

Ainz fastened the strap to his helmet that had loosened from his success in dancing.

■

Moving her head, Shalltear\'s eyes chased Ainz\'s back. He was currently talking with an aged man with silver hair who was introduced by Jircniv. Rather than having a conversation, they were testing each other\'s depths through their greetings.

However, thanks to the prodding, they could not talk for long, and they began their farewells.

This was already the umpteenth time.

Slowly but surely, Ainz\'s mental stamina was being sapped. This was something she, only someone who was constantly observing and working with him, would notice.

"Ainz-sama seems to be tired. It might be better for him to come back soon."

Shalltear daintily placed a finger on her lips and spoke. But at that moment—

"Please excuse my presence."

A noble stepped forward before Shalltear.

His hair was blonde. His eyes blue. His clean and elegant face was paired with a set of fine clothes. He was naturally tall, but his height was accentuated by his ramrod-straight figure.

He gave an elegant bow. In response, Shalltear silently smiled.

She had no interest in him, but she had to follow her master\'s wishes and could not even yawn here.

Seeing her smile, the noble blushed as he asked her a question.

"May I please take your hand?"

He was inviting her to dance with him.

—This me?

Shalltear laughed in her heart.

—With human trash?

One of them wants to touch me?

"—Kii"

A strange sound unconsciously emanated from her mouth. For an instant, the noble made a confused face, and she had no intention to let it go.

—You idiot.

The only ones who can touch me are the Supreme Beings. Well, I\'ll permit my comrades from Nazarick and my subordinates. However, trash like you will not be forgiven.

Shall I kill you? I can end this with a wave of my right hand.

No, killing you here would make Ainz-sama unhappy. I must not do that.

Without moving her head, Shalltear scanned her surroundings.

Several people were looking at them. And they were unsure of how to deal with the situation.

The Emperor should be aware of what\'s happening here.

Despite this, why\'s the host not doing anything? Is there a reason for this? ….How annoying.

Normally she would kill any humans in her way. However she could not do that here.

However, was this really impossible? With her current position, was she truly not allowed to get away with killing one human?

Shalltear narrowed her eyes, but then Yuri Alpha stepped forward, standing between her and the noble. Not only that, the other maids began to step closer to Shalltear.

"Shalltear-sama would like to refuse. Please return."

"Lady Shalltear. What a beautiful name. Now, I believe she has not said anything. The one to return would be you I believe. You maid."

Unconsciously, Shalltear laughed.

Yuri Alpha was indeed a maid. However, she was created by the Supreme Beings. Then the difference in treatment between her and Shalltear Bloodfallen was a big problem. Even though both of them were created to fulfil their orders.

"Yuri, step back."

"Is that acceptable? Shalltear-sama?"

"Yes, I do not mind."

"Yes, please hurry up and leave."

Yuri took a step back, and the noble smiled, believing he had won. However, Shalltear opened her crimson lips and spoke.

"—Get lost, you piece of shit. Your stench nauseates me. Do not dirty the honourable name granted to me by the Supreme Beings."

Unable to understand her words, his eyes widened. With that, Shalltear\'s fake smile changed into a dark smirk, causing the retinue of people the noble brought with him to give him pitying gazes.

"Do you have some business with my partner? If you need to speak to her, tell me and I shall pass it on."

"Ainz-sama!"

Shivers ran down Shalltear\'s spine. For an instant, it felt like she had become Ainz\'s belonging.

No, she was indeed his belonging, but normally her master would treat them with respect and kindness. However, just for an instant, it felt like she belonged to him.

Her cold expression from earlier disappeared as lust filled her eyes. If Ainz desired it, she would offer him her everything right here. Such intense emotions were pouring out of her eyes.

Seeing this, the noble youth was at a loss for words. He understood that he was not even considered the Archduke\'s opponent, that what he was doing nothing but futile and useless.

He did not even have the strength to rebut.

The young noble mumbled out some apologies and then proceeded to disappear from Ainz and Shalltear\'s sights.

"Oh dear. Even though we are not so proficient in dance. Although, if I had interrupted the two of you I apologise."

"Ainz-sama."

Shalltear stood up from her chair and draped herself upon Ainz\'s arm. Ainz instinctively tried to pull his arm away, but it was held firmly in Shalltear\'s grasp.

Excited, Shalltear rubbed herself against him as she spoke in a spoiled manner.

"I was so scared, Ainz-sama. That man looked at me with such lecherous eyes…."

"Eh? Mm! I see, that is…. Shalltear forgive me. I allowed you to become frightened, forgive me."

"Absolutely not. I will not forgive you. So, please spend your whole day with me."

"….Ah, I understand, let us spend today together."

A nice and peaceful time was thus created in the ballroom.

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