Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Throne Room.

The long wait did not bring the invaders we had imagined.

The Great Tomb's defensive traps operated relentlessly, the light of magic circles flickering on the walls, and mechanisms waiting futilely in untouched passages. The defenses, built of piled-up gold coins, silently drained the guild's reserves every second.

Ainz sat on his throne, looking at the semi-transparent management system interface before him. The number in the daily maintenance cost column was a full digit higher than usual.

A faint, dark red light flickered in his eye sockets.

"Demiurge, please explain the current situation to everyone."

"Yes, Lord Ainz."

Demiurge stepped forward, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed deeply. After straightening up, he turned to all the guardians present, and behind his round glasses, his jewel-like eyes gleamed with a certain certainty.

"First of all, the low-ranking servants and mercenaries sent out by Lord Ainz have not been attacked so far."

Demiurge spoke slowly, pronouncing each word clearly.

There was no attack.

These words echoed in the empty throne room, reaching the ears of every guardian.

Albedo's brow furrowed slightly, a thoughtful glint flashing in her golden, vertical pupils. Cocytus's six arms hung limply at his sides, his blade-like fingertips lightly tapping the outside of his thighs, producing a soft metallic sound.

Aura's ears twitched, her youthful face filled with confusion. Mare lowered his head, his fingers twisting his staff, but his eyelids lifted slightly, revealing his uneasy eyes.

"but."

Demiurge held up one finger.

"We found this far from the point of engagement."

He took out a palm-sized fragment from his pocket.

Under the illumination of the magical light source, the fragments gleamed with a dim luster, their surfaces displaying irregular textures, as if they had been scorched by high temperatures and then cooled and solidified. The edges were jagged, and several places still bore traces of fine cracks.

Demiurge raised the fragments higher so that everyone present could see them clearly.

"After Ainz's examination, this material was found to have fallen from a high-ranking dragon."

The throne room fell silent for a moment.

All eyes were focused on that inconspicuous fragment.

"In other words..."

Demiurge looked around, his voice carrying a hint of certainty.

"What Shalltear encountered was very likely a dragon, or something that could control dragons."

Cocytus leaned forward slightly and exhaled a breath of cold air.

"dragon?"

His voice was low and slow, as if he were savoring the weight of the word.

The guardians all turned their gazes to the two people standing in the back row.

Aura Bela Fiora.

Mare Bello Fiola.

The Dark Elf twins, the beings in Nazarick most closely associated with the word "dragon".

Mare took a few steps back, almost hiding behind Aura, under their gazes. He lowered his head, his fingers tightening around his staff until his knuckles turned slightly white.

"Hey, why is everyone staring at us?"

Aura's voice broke the silence, carrying the cheerfulness unique to young people. She put her hands on her hips, slightly raised her chin, and her heterochromatic eyes swept around from left to right.

"It wasn't us who did it."

Aura's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, but it was more of an instinctive rebuttal after being offended.

Aura, guardian of the sixth level of Nazarick. Created by "Bubble Teapot," her race is Dark Elf.

The class composition is: Advanced Beastmaster Lv10, Beastmaster Lv5, Guerrilla Lv5, Archer Lv5, Sniper Lv5, and others.

Overall strength level: Lv100.

His one-on-one combat ability is the worst among the guardians, but he can command hundreds of high-level magical beasts.

Mare is Aura's twin brother.

The job levels are Forest Priest Lv10, Senior Forest Priest Lv10, Nature Vanguard Lv10, Calamity Apostle Lv5, Forest Mage Lv10, and others.

It is also a being that has reached level 100.

Her overall combat strength is second only to Shalltear among the Guardians, making her the strongest area-of-effect mage in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Due to the "bubble teapot's" quirky humor, Mare was portrayed as a cross-dresser.

Demiurge pushed up his glasses.

"Of course I'm not doubting you."

His voice was calm, as if he were soothing a small, agitated animal.

"However, in Nazarick, no one knows dragons better than you."

Aura's ears twitched, but she didn't reply.

Demiurge withdrew his gaze and faced the crowd again.

"Although the enemy is very strong, but..."

He paused for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"We may have overestimated their strength before."

Cocytus spoke again, his voice tinged with confusion.

Why is that?

As he spoke, the cold air he exhaled condensed into white mist in the air and slowly dissipated.

Demiurge did not answer directly.

He turned around, faced the throne, and bowed deeply.

"Lord Ainz."

His voice carried an almost devout reverence.

"Please allow me to announce the results of your magnificent arrangements."

Ainz sat on the throne, watching Demiurge bow down.

A green light flashed across his body.

Force calm.

The icy sensation surged from the depths of my consciousness, suppressing that familiar feeling of guilt.

"Ah, no problem, Demiurge."

Ainz's voice was calm and steady, without any fluctuation of emotion.

"Explain this to Cocytus in detail."

Demiurge straightened up, a genuine smile appearing on his handsome face.

"You are so kind and generous."

He turned to Cocytus and pushed his glasses up again.

"The reason is simple."

"First, this piece of armor will appear."

Demiurge's voice was unhurried, as if he were unraveling a complex mathematical problem.

"This shows that the enemy was not unscathed in that battle. In a crushing victory, the enemy wouldn't have been shot to pieces."

The insect's head turned slightly, as if it were processing the information.

"second."

Demiurge's voice held a newfound composure.

"After the battle, the enemy did not clean up the scene. That piece of dragon armor was left here and was not retrieved by them."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each of the guardians present.

"There are only two possibilities. Either the enemy controlling Shalltear doesn't have the extra resources to recover it, or it's worried about reinforcements from the Great Tomb of Nazarick arriving and doesn't have time to do so."

Demiurge's lips curled up slightly.

"Whichever it is, it shows that the enemy's strength is not as great as we imagined."

A murmur of discussion arose in the throne room, but it quickly subsided.