Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

I'm starving!

She hesitated for a moment. The purple-haired boy had nodded at her during the story, perhaps as a greeting. The blond boy, however, seemed not to have seen her at all and continued scribbling in his notebook. A few little brats who were listening to the story ran up to her feet, clamoring for candy—she chuckled and casually dismissed them, letting the annoying little rascals continue listening to that boring heroic tale.

—Let's deal with that guy who dared to ignore her first.

Her smile gradually became more familiar, and she walked past the group of kids to the blonde girl's side. After casually glancing at the contents of the notebook in the girl's hand, she became slightly interested.

"What are you doing, Miss Alice? You seem to be studying something interesting?"

Lupus Regina saw Miss Alice pause slightly with her pen, and then those sky-blue eyes glanced at her.

—She didn't seem angry that her ideas had been taken away.

“I’ve been thinking about a question, a question about God.” Alice pursed her lips and answered calmly, “I’ve hypothesized a God and his ideas, and I want to speculate on how he would view the world.”

Gods, gods are an interesting topic. In the wolf girl's mind, only her master, the ruler of death, Ainz Ooal Gown, can be called a god. And if he isn't, then his status should be even above that of all the gods.

"Gods like the 'Six Great Gods'?" the wolf girl asked with interest. The Six Great Gods she referred to were from another group of players who descended long ago. After leaving legends on the land, they were worshipped as deities—of course, she didn't know such secrets. She simply wanted to hear how the scholars of this world would view such great beings as her master.

However, Alice shook her head.

“Not the ‘Six Great Gods,’ but another kind of god, another kind of god I imagined,” Alice explained patiently. “Its main theme is change and development. Then I assumed it possessed an infinitely high perspective.”

"Let's just call it... 'The Sudden Change of Weather' for now."

"A sudden change in weather?" The wolf girl asked, somewhat puzzled. "And all you have is vision? Doesn't that make you incredibly weak?"

“Strength isn’t the important parameter; it’s mainly a matter of concept,” Alice shook her head and said. “I assume that this God of Change can see the past and the future, can see the origin of time and the end before that, can understand all changes in events and the flow of all fates and transcend them. Then this god…”

Will it be joyful? Will it be angry? Will it be enraged by the offense of a mere mortal, or will it be merciful to such a trivial matter?

“I think it will be furious.” The wolf girl subconsciously projected Alice’s description of the upheaval onto her own master. “How dare a mere ant offend divine might! If it isn’t punished sufficiently, where will the dignity and authority of the gods stand? This foolish creature that dared to blaspheme be cast into the deepest purgatory, to repent for its folly in eternal torment!”

"Even if she only thinks about it and doesn't actually do anything?" Alice glanced at her, her gaze slightly meaningful.

"That's blasphemy and must be severely punished!" The wolf girl's tone was resolute and unwavering.

Then she saw Alice laugh.

"Let's put aside the matter of severe punishment for now. I'm curious, why do you think that being tormented in purgatory is punishment?" Alice asked with a smile. "Suffering in hell is punishment, but what if this thing has always lived in the deepest part of hell, a hellish creature that enjoys suffering? What if it doesn't experience suffering at all, or even have any sense of pain?"

"Then send it to heaven!" The wolf girl hesitated for a moment, then added, "Send it to the place that makes it the most uncomfortable!"

What if the other person has no concept of feeling uncomfortable at all?

"Then... then let it experience the concept of discomfort." The wolf girl's voice was hesitant; she seemed to realize that something was amiss.

"So you're making decisions for God, Miss Lupus Lecchina? Do you think you can make decisions for God, or do you think you are God?"

The wolf girl was speechless. She felt as if she had fallen into some kind of trap, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was for the time being.

Alice shook her head.

"Let's assume you are that 'heavenly being'. If someone spits at you, would you consider that person offensive?"

“That’s offensive, of course!” the wolf girl replied without hesitation.

“Very well, but I’m telling you now, that person was born into a world called the Sand Dunes. The land there is extremely barren. There is no rainfall, water is scarce, and as far as the eye can see, there is only endless yellow sand. And in their customs, offering one’s own body water to another is the greatest sign of trust and recognition. And just now, a Sand Dune resident spat at you.”

"...Do you still feel offended by him now?"

“This…” The wolf girl frowned. She tried to put herself in her master’s shoes, and then she felt that… her master didn’t seem to punish those who were loyal to her despite their different customs.

"Perhaps it wasn't offensive, but he should be taught not to do it again..."

“It seems you are not suited to be a god. You are too weak, unable even to stand firm in your own beliefs… You can’t even have your own beliefs.” Alice shook her head slightly. “You don’t even know what is right and what is wrong. Because you are just repeating other people’s beliefs, and the object you are repeating is just another parrot.”

"You—!" The wolf girl's heart suddenly surged with rage. She could not tolerate, could she tolerate anyone daring to describe her master in such a way!

So she decided to end this boring conversation early, not caring about her image, and instead swung her claws directly at the blonde girl in front of her!

Chapter Nineteen: The Sky of Upheaval, Part Two

Lupus Lecchina Beta walked aimlessly along the forest path, her thoughts in disarray and her eyes darting around. Just minutes earlier, she had received a stern reprimand from the Great Tomb of Nazarick, ordering her to immediately return to the Throne Hall for her duties.

—She killed that woman.

Yes, that's right, it was effortless and incredibly smooth. The blood splattered on her clothes was still warm, and the screams of the little girl named Anli, filled with horror and a hint of fear, still echoed in her mind.

Anli? Why Anli?

Ah, yes. The woman named Alice didn't put up any resistance; she was easily killed. The woman traveling with her, named Patchouli, didn't react either. She simply vanished without a trace before she even realized what was happening.

They probably escaped in the chaos; after all, humans, being inferior creatures, have always been like this.

Since neither the person who was killed nor the person closest to the deceased reacted, wouldn't it be reasonable for only the acting village chief Anli to scream in the end?

I acted impulsively, ugh... I'm going to get reprimanded by Lord Ainz. But even so, I can't tolerate some lowly creature daring to insult Lord Ainz like that! Calling him a repeating machine or something...

She pursed her lips, and the forest path that should have been short to traverse suddenly felt as long as crossing several giant mountain ranges. She subconsciously quickened her pace, and for some reason, the last words the woman uttered before she died echoed in her ears.

"You are too weak; you can't even have your own ideas."

"You don't even know what is right and what is wrong, because you are just repeating other people's ideas, and the object you are repeating is just another repeating machine."

She instinctively covered her ears, but nearly stumbled and fell in the woods. She instinctively reached out and grabbed a nearby tree for support.

[Damn it! Get out of my head, get out!]

Then the sound abruptly faded away.

However, the next moment, another voice rang out.

"Will God be pleased? Will God be angry? Will He punish or show mercy for the offenses of mortals?"

"Are you making decisions for God? Do you think you can make decisions for God? Do you think you are God?"

"Shut up!"—she couldn't help but let out a howl like a wolf.

The next moment, a strong gust of wind swept in!

She instinctively made a standard defensive stance, but the overwhelming force that came at her head snapped both her arms in an instant. Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to retaliate, the sinister figure that came into view made her breath catch in her throat!

She was a beautiful woman with black wings and a white veil, as majestic as a sacred snow-capped mountain. The demon horns she possessed proved her race, and the ring on her finger further proclaimed her identity. That was—Albedo, the chief steward of the guardians, the pure white demon, who always served by Ainz Ooal Gown's side!

That gust of wind just now was precisely from this beauty's swift wing attack!

"Lady Albedo..." the werewolf murmured, opening her mouth to vomit a large amount of necrotic blood. The wing strike had not only broken both her arms but also damaged nearly half of her ribs and a small portion of her internal organs. Even for a werewolf, this attack was enough to bring her to the brink of death.

"Lupsrechina, because of your reckless actions, Lord Ainz's meticulous plans have been ruined." The demon's face held a smile, but her tone was as chilling as an extreme storm. "I originally intended to have the executioner bring your head before the throne to plead guilty, but our merciful master believes there might be some hidden story. Therefore, I am giving you a chance to return to the Great Tomb of Nazarick and explain yourself."

That voice suddenly rang in her heart again.

"Can God be merciful? Can God hate? Does God have the emotions of mortals?"

"God... Lord Ainz is incredibly merciful! You ignorant fool can't possibly understand Lord Ainz!" the wolf girl screamed inwardly. This twisted her blood-covered face in agony.

"So, you're making decisions for God, and you think you are God?"

"Gulp—I'm just, just following Lord Ainz's orders."

"So, perhaps all you need is a puppet that issues commands to you—would you wield a fatal sword against your god? Even with the god's command?"

"That kind of thing... is impossible! I will never betray Lord Ainz!"

"It seems your loyalty comes with conditions. More than obedience, you need your master to live, and you need a puppet to issue commands to you. You pathetic thing, you not only don't know what is right and wrong, but you also don't know what is true and false. You just foolishly obey your owner's orders, and you don't even know who gave you this order to 'obey your owner'."

[Shut up! Lord Ainz... Lord Ainz is our creator, the leader of the forty-one Supreme Beings who shaped the Great Tomb of Nazarick! The Supreme Beings created us from nothingness! And even for this debt of creation, I should do my utmost for the Supreme Beings!]

"Really? Then who told you this?"

"Who told you that you were shaped by it, and why do you so firmly believe in such a nonsensical theory?"

[Waaah—]

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up—!!!

A sudden, sharp pain shot through her arm. It turned out that while she was arguing with the voice in her head, Albedo, who had grown increasingly impatient, walked up to her and stomped on her left hand, breaking it!

"Gurgle—!" The stomp contained a thorny, magical power. Even the wolf girl, known for her recovery abilities and possessing a considerable amount of healing magic, couldn't help but let out a painful growl from her throat.

"I originally thought you had some hidden story. I never expected that what appeared before me was just a crazed she-wolf."

"I..." The wolf girl opened her mouth, but her words were ultimately stuck in her throat by frustration and the blood overflowing from her damaged organs.

She felt that she might really be going crazy.

—What's more terrifying than madness is that she was actually thinking about what the voice was saying.

Who shaped her? Who imprinted her loyalty? And who instilled the meaning of loyalty into her mind?

So she lowered her head. Her gaze dimmed.

Albedo's golden pupils then sharpened, and an ominous magical power gradually emanated from her fingertips—centered on her, grass and shrubs within a radius of hundreds of meters began to wither. The green leaves in the forest turned yellow and black at a visible speed, disintegrating into a cloud of dust before falling to the ground.

This is a sure-kill move; one strike could probably level the entire forest.

"You might as well die here, Lupusrechina Beta. Use your blood and life to wash away the sins you have committed," declared the Guardian's chief steward.

And then the gathered magic sphere fell down!

................................................

The wolf did not die.

At least he's not dead yet.

Because that ominous sphere hovered atop her forehead, just a hair's breadth away, a mere fraction of a second, even though the decaying phenomenon had already caused her red hair to fade to gray. Yet, it ultimately did not fall onto her skull.

"Lupsrechina Beta. You have passed the test of loyalty."

The wolf girl opened her eyes and saw that the sharp light in Albedo's golden eyes had softened—the killing intent just now was real, and the power and decisiveness of that attack were also real—but missing was missing, and the fact that she survived was undeniable.

"I...I'm not dead?" the wolf girl murmured.

"Be thankful, maid of the Pleiades, the Great Tomb of Nazarick... Our master, the one and only Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown, showed you mercy. [As long as she did not betray the Great Tomb of Nazarick, then let that village be destroyed]—this is the decree personally given by our master. And you, Lupusrechina Beta. You have just proven your loyalty."

The white demon with black wings raised its chin, declaring the fate of the heavily wounded man before it.

"You can continue to live, return to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and wash away this mistake with future achievements. This is Lord Ainz's mercy, and you must remember it. But before that, tell me, why did you commit murder in that village? Why did you disobey Lord Ainz's order to 'protect Carne Village'?"

"I..." The wolf girl opened her mouth, her regenerative abilities working to repair her tattered body. She was about to recount the strange things she had encountered, but a thought flashed through her mind before she could finish speaking.

[Compassion? If Lord Ainz is a god, would he show me compassion? Such a mortal, inferior being's emotion that even I would possess?]

Or perhaps... it's not a god, but simply a powerful life form?

Then... why should I be loyal to a being that is simply stronger than me? Why do I even know the concept of loyalty and practice it?