Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

After the teleportation ended, Ainz found himself in front of a gently sloping hill.

This is the terrain created by Mare, one of the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, using magic. It's a rock wall used to conceal the surface portion of Nazarick buried underground.

Ainz activated the "Flight" spell, his body lightly rising into the air and instantly flying over the hill.

Upon reaching a certain location, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, as if passing through an invisible membrane. The hills disappeared, replaced by the familiar landscape of their homeland. This signified that the illusion barrier had been breached.

Ainz did not slow down, flying straight towards the most magnificent central shrine, which was the only entrance into the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the shrine's steps, he noticed a large crowd gathered below. Ainz suppressed the slight unease rising within him and slowly descended in front of the group.

"Lord Ainz, welcome home."

A soft female voice rang out first, followed by a chorus of greetings echoing around.

Standing at the very front of the line, dressed in a pure white gown, was Albedo, the Grand Steward of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She was the one who knew the situation best at this moment. Behind her were four maids who were combat maids, and behind them was a team of level 80 servants.

Ainz had just contacted Albedo and Sebastian via [message], and then notified Narberal to teleport.

It had only been ten minutes since then, and such a large welcoming party had already gathered before her, demonstrating Albedo's remarkable management skills.

Ainz secretly praised them and waved his hand lightly in response to everyone's greetings.

"Albedo, about that matter mentioned in the [message]..."

He wanted to ask Shalltear if she had truly betrayed him, but the words caught in his throat.

A nameless fear welled up inside me, as if asking the question aloud would make it an unchangeable fact. Besides, discussing such matters in front of so many servants was ultimately inappropriate.

"Yes, would you like to discuss this in more detail somewhere else?"

"That's right... Let's go to the throne room."

"Yes, sir. Yuri, then present the ring to Lord Ainz."

From the rear ranks of maids, a bespectacled combat maid quietly stepped out.

Her outfit, like Narberal's, belongs to the Battle Maid series, but there are obvious differences in the details. Narberal's clothing focuses on protection, while hers emphasizes agility, as evidenced by the absence of metal plates on the front of her skirt.

The metal handguards protrude with sharp spikes, transforming into deadly weapons when the fist is clenched. A wide blue necklace is inlaid with translucent gemstones, whose internal light and shadow flicker not so much as reflecting light, but rather as if burning flames.

She styled her hair in an evening updo, her face dignified and aloof, exuding an intellectual air.

This person is none other than Yuri Alpha, the vice-captain of the battle maids. Sebastian is the captain, so among the maids, Yuri actually plays the role of the unifier.

She held the tray in both hands, on which lay a ring—the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown—quietly.

Ainz picked up the ring and put it on his ring finger.

This ring allowed the wearer to teleport freely within the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He would remove it and store it whenever he went out, to prevent it from being stolen. The familiar feeling of the ring fitting snugly against his finger bone returned, which pleased him greatly.

"Then let's go, Albedo."

Unable to teleport directly to the Throne Room, Ainz activated the power of the ring to reach the previous room.

Pushing open the heavy door, he walked towards the crystal throne deep within, accompanied by Albedo. Along the way, Ainz explained his new arrangements for Sebastian.

Ainz really wanted to ask if there was anything wrong with his actions, but there were more important things to confirm at the moment.

He looked toward the throne and recited the prescribed activation code:

"Turn on the main power."

A semi-transparent interface unfolded before me, resembling a console but with some differences. The interface was divided into tabs, filled with dense text.

This is the management system of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

The system records the daily management costs, the types and numbers of current servants, and the various magical trap devices that are in operation. Most functions can be managed here.

In the YGGDRASIL era, this system could be accessed anytime, anywhere, but Ainz discovered through experiments that in this world, the system could only operate in the Throne Hall in the heart region.

"Although it's a bit troublesome to come here every time... we have a ring that can teleport us, so it's not too much of a problem."

Ainz skillfully brought up the NPC tab.

The page lists the names of all the NPCs created by the guild members.

He changed the default katakana sorting to a hierarchy order, then browsed through them one by one from top to bottom, his gaze suddenly stopping at one spot. He slowly raised his head to look at Albedo.

"Yes, as you can see."

Among the string of white text, only Shalltear Bradford's name was displayed in black.

Ainz knew what this color change meant; if he still had flesh and blood, his face would be filled with astonishment.

"...Is it death?"

He asked Albedo, still clinging to a sliver of hope that perhaps the system had changed during his transfer to this world. However, Albedo's next words shattered that last hope.

"If it's death, the name will disappear immediately. A temporary blank space represents betrayal."

"Yes...that's true."

Ainz responded, recalling the textual changes he had seen in YGGDRASIL.

Although Albedo is described as a "betrayal," the system's original meaning is slightly different. In a broad sense, it is indeed similar to betrayal, but in reality, the name changes color when one is temporarily hostile due to being mentally controlled by a third party.

"Impossible," Ainz thought to himself again.

Shalltear, like him, is an immortal and should be completely immune to any mental effects.

Why would someone like her be subject to mind control? It would be easier to accept that she betrayed Nazarick out of her own free will. For example, perhaps she was dissatisfied with her treatment, or someone offered her better conditions from outside, etc.

If not, then something beyond Ainz's comprehension must have happened during the process of being transported to this world.

Enfreya's face appeared in his mind. Indeed, the innate superpowers and other unknown forces of this world might truly affect the spirit of the undead.

"...Could this be due to some special ability or phenomenon in this world?"

"That's still unclear. But Shalltear's betrayal is a fact, and I suggest we immediately assemble a punitive expedition."

Ainz suddenly realized that the core mission of the servants who had greeted him was probably to defeat Shalltear.

Looking back, the fact that many members with holy attack methods were deliberately selected for the queue is quite rare in Nazarick, clearly to effectively counter the undead.

Albedo continued firmly:

"I have volunteered to serve as commander. If Lord Ainz approves, I would also like to appoint Cocytus as vice commander, and Mare should also join the team."

This is an excellent lineup that can ensure the elimination of Shalltear, which shows that Albedo has made sufficient preparations.

Shalltear Bloodfallen is extremely powerful. Among the Guardians alone, only Gauguin is comparable. To ensure victory, it is indeed necessary to send the members chosen by Albedo.

What do you think?

"No, there's no rush to conclusions. Let's find out the reason for Shalltear's betrayal first."

"Lord Ainz is indeed benevolent. But whatever the reason, daring to oppose the Supreme Being should not be tolerated."

"That's not it, Albedo. It's not that I'm soft-hearted towards Shalltear, I just don't understand why she would betray me."

If this could happen to others, then we must find a way to deal with it.

If dissatisfaction arises due to issues with treatment, other NPCs may share the same sentiments, so we must plan ahead. If innate supernatural abilities or other powers are forcibly controlled, we must also figure out the patterns and find ways to defend against them.

Assuming, though the probability is extremely low, that Shalltear is indeed being forcibly controlled, then we must find a way to save her.

As a leader, it is unqualified to stand idly by when subordinates are in trouble and then adopt a superior attitude.

The ruler's duty is to protect his subjects.

"So, where is Shalltear now? Do you have any information about her?"

"I'm very sorry, this has not yet been confirmed. Considering the possibility of her attacking Nazarick, her immediate subordinates have been detained, and servants have been dispatched to the underground level to strengthen defenses."

"Is that so... Then let's go to your sister's place first. The most important thing right now is to find out where Shalltear is."