[EPILOGUE]
Albedo went back to her master's room, where she continued her duties. She had greeted him in the Freezing Prison upon his return from the Elf Country. With the Kingdom destroyed and a vast amount of territory under his control, her workload had significantly increased. Fortunately, her expertise in internal affairs gave her peace of mind. Complex matters, especially those related to occupation policies, were simplified by the destruction of numerous cities. Consequently, as Ainz assumed leadership over various nations in the future, she contemplated dedicating substantial mental effort to crafting manuals for each nation's occupation policies.
What was happening with E-Rantel's implementation might just find its way to a national level. But as the project's size expanded, it became clear that issues could pop up. To steer clear of future hiccups, a smart move would be to establish a clear division between city and state systems from the get-go, just as she had expected. Of course, she didn't believe it would work seamlessly in every case. There were notable cultural and other distinctions among the different groups. Nevertheless, the core framework was designed to have broader relevance.
(Before I send those final documents to Ainz-sama, I need to have Demiurge and Pandora's Actor take a look at them.)
In the hands of these two brilliant individuals, the template she created would become even more efficient.
(I'm curious if it's okay to use that girl...)
Having their very own genius by their side, someone who could see beyond the two of them and view things from the get-go, would definitely be a major time-saver. But it didn't sit right with the Guardian Overseer to propose such an evident fix. Just when she was about to stash the papers away, the thought crossed her mind—
【Albedo! Come to the Freezing Prison immediately.】
Albedo jumped at the very loud sound of the 〈Message〉. She felt intense anger at the thought of her master. After a certain threshold of level is reached, the ability to defend one's mind from being manipulated becomes of vital importance. Depending on the context, charm and dominance could be fatal in a single strike. It was unlikely that anyone high up in the hierarchy of the Guardians had failed to implement some sort of defense. Still, Albedo felt a twinge of fear, for as much as the mental manipulation could be neutralized, it could not erase the feelings that welled up inside her.
Albedo had taken care of some secret business for her master. What she saw as being revealed matched her suspicions. She believed this indicated that Demiurge, or someone similar, had detected a problem and informed her master. However, he hadn't departed from the experimental area yet. There hadn't been any major disturbances. Would he still react so harshly towards her? That's the only way she could envision him speaking to her with hostility.
She had no clue about it. In a flash, Albedo tapped into the ring's power and dashed toward the Freezing Prison. Albedo's master was striking a pose in front of a half-elf warship that he'd swiped from the Elf Country. The Area Guardian Neuronist, Aura, and Mare trailed closely behind. Her master's expression remained unchanged, but his frustration was quite evident. The moment he rose, Albedo promptly knelt down.
“I apologize!”
“Wha-What...?”
She immediately caught on that she'd totally misread what was ticking off her master as soon as she heard his puzzled tone. If that's what was bugging him, she probably shouldn't have gone all hands and knees. But even before she showed up, she'd already started cooking up some alibis. Even though he might be smarter than her, she could've whipped up something just as impressive if she'd put in the effort.
(I hope that is complete...)
“My lack of competence as the Guardian Overseer in Nazarick is the reason why Ainz-sama appears upset or angry with me. I'd also like to extend my apologies to Tabula Smaragdina-sama. Consequently, I believe it's fitting for me to lower my head and express my apologies in this manner.”
“No... you've got it all wrong, Albedo. Let me set the record straight on what you're not getting. This frustration isn't related to Nazarick in any way.”
Albedo's lips let out a sigh of relief. This was real, not something she'd acted out.
“So, what exactly happens in this case?”
“First of all, why don't you stand up or raise your head? Seeing a good woman like you on her knees is something I don't like.”
“Thank you so much, Ainz-sama.”
As she stood up, Albedo expressed her gratitude. The slight confusion on the faces of Aura and Mare was a cause for concern, but there was a more pressing matter at hand.
“Then, what were the details about the prisoner of war that displeased Ainz-sama?”
They were discussing how〈Control Amnesia〉could be used as a spying tool. Even her well-trained master told her that it would take at least weeks to make a cursory examination of memories from a long period of time, and probably years to develop an eye for important information. He put the time frame in decades, because if memory manipulation were to be a part of it, the time frame would be that long.
Although some might consider memory interrogation to be a form of torture, the information gleaned from it is only true in the eyes of the subject. Of course, there was always the possibility that he or she was being misled. He didn't have time to investigate other people's memories to confirm their reliability as a source of information. In the end, her master's decision was that it would be more practical to have a more straightforward method of information gathering.
One's memory can also be changed if one wishes. For example, imagine a master destroys a village, and the survivors, filled with vengeance and resentment, rise to such a position of power that they can seriously harm others. It would not have solved the problem or made the man available by removing the evidence that the master started the fire in the village.
TAs long as the people who lived there had a chance to get the means to take revenge, they would have told someone about their animosity toward their master. A major inconsistency would arise within that person if he did not erase to that extent. Even if the identity of the arsonist is forgotten, the memory of having once told the tale that “The village was burned by the undead named Ainz” at a drinking party would remain. He admitted, however, that he was going to try it, since it might be useful for getting into the POW's subconscious and getting information.
“—It’s Shalltear.”
In short, she had an idea of what was going on.
“Who does she belong to...?”
“Albedo...”
“Yes!”
Albedo got down to kneel.
“Everything but defending Nazarick can be stopped now. We are going to attack the Theocracy and destroy them very soon. They are the ones who started this war, and we have to pay them back. Don't you agree...?”
His voice radiated gentleness. However, the feeling behind it was completely different. When was the last time that he felt so angry?
“Yes, I am in agreement that you are correct. I will immediately order the Guards on all floors to be ready to fight.”
“Good. Now, Albedo, please, right away.”
Albedo bowed her head low and trembled at the sound of her master's soft voice.
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