Solution Epsilon was on a mission. Well, she had just finished one actually, splendidly so, but now she was on another. An arguably more important one (in her opinion) the usurpation of that brat Miyoshi-kun and her ascent to the role of Ainz-sama's personal slime bath.
Walking through the blessed halls that were the Ninth floor of The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick always filled her with equal awe and pride. Fueling her to serve the Supreme Beings, or well, just Ainz-Sama these days, to a degree even beyond that of her greatest efforts. Which she had done, and would do again. But this time Lord Demiurge hinted that Ainz-sama was very pleased with the results of her work, and might offer a reward. Normally she wouldn't countenance the thought of reward, or ever expect one. Serving was its own reward after all. But after a few too many awkward audiences in the Throne room where Ainz-sama had made it clear that he wanted to lavish tangible praise on his underlings and was displeased at the repeated cry 'service is it's own reward' something clearly needed to change. That is why Lord Ainz's right hand demons had recently taken to hinting to the servants of Nazarick when they had done exceptionally, and should think of some request that would please their lord and master, if ever he called for one to be given.
That was the nature of her nearly sacrilegious desire, to beg once again to be permitted to serve as Ainz-Sama's slime bath. Almost giddy with excitement she nodded at Fifth, the regular maid attending outside Lord Ainz's office this afternoon and schooled her features back to modest supplication from the scowl it wanted to form at the sight of Fifth's usual wide-eyed excitement at seeing a member of the Pleiades. Being announced, she entered the room, Lord Ainz sitting regally in his chair, usual divine class attire the only garment worthy of his even more divine personage. Lady Albedo perched on the corner of his desk, a stack of paperwork in her hand, and more piled on the desk showing that this audience was interrupting the Supreme Being's workday.
A spike of nervous doubt appeared deep in her gut and was just as swiftly squashed back down, she could do this. "My Lord Ainz" she said, bobbing in a deep curtsy "Lady Albedo."
"Ah, Solution, glad you could make it" Ainz-sama's voice graced her ears. "Demiurge had told me of your success in the council state, and these reports I'm getting of the place are almost better than I could have hoped for."
She was confused, it had only been three days since she finished the nudging that should eventually bring that nations politics towards being more favorable to Nazarick. The stones were rolling but the avalanche should be months off. Unless there was something else she didn't know about, which wasn't wholly unexpected, of course Ainz-sama would have plans within plans. And apparently some other goal had already been accomplished. Sasuga! She yearned to be trusted enough to know of those unstated side-missions before doing them, but was pleased enough to have at least done the mission at all. Of course Ainz-sama knew best, and there was a reason it wasn't mentioned before.
Betraying no emotion but a light, worshipful smile she rose from her curtsy, gazing up at the perfectly contoured occipital sockets that held her Lord's infinitely discerning eyes. If nothing else, the added success she hadn't even known about could only be a point in favour of her being appointed Ainz-sama's personal slime bath.
"I am glad to be of use to you my Lord Ainz" she said simply, hoping the roiling feeling of (perhaps preemptive) triumph within her wasn't betrayed by her face or stance. "The pions will fall to your will, as is only right."
"Umu" he replied, sagely, "thanks to your efforts of course, it shall go as planned." And Lady Albedo's eyebrows, which had been steadily rising for some time now reached a peak at that. She then flipped a few of the pages she was holding and began scanning frantically. Surprise at Lord Ainz's tone evident by her search.
"It is only right that hard work be rewarded, so do tell me if you could wish for anything." Feeling increasing trepidation about Albedo's frantic perusal of pages and growing scowl, Solution almost fled the room. Was this a trap? Had she ruined some vital piece? Was she to be torn apart as a failure, and worse, an undeserving beggar? Why was Ainz-sama drawing out this terrible ruse?
Albedo slowed, eyes widening, and smile forming as she apparently came to some conclusion. The smile was pleased, not sadistic, and her eyes seemed to glow with awe. Taking that as a good sign, and a point to Demiurge as the intellect-second-only-to-Ainz, for having apparently understood whatever that was at least a few hours earlier, - an even 7 to 7 now - Solution once again tamped down her nerves and pressed on.
"My Lord, service is always its own reward, and the fulfilling of this mission in particular was quite to my tastes." Seeing a scowl growing again on the face of the demon of perfect alabaster, presumably for not actually requesting anything yet, or possibly for wasting time, she dispensed with further platitudes. "If you would permit it, my greatest desire is to serve you, and I would be honored beyond words to serve as your bath-slime!"
It was stupid, obscene, overstated, a terrible self indulgent request of her benevolent master that she regretted as soon as it was out of her mouth. And if the sudden rush of self doubt didn't make that clear, the choking killing intent pouring of Laby Albedo certainly did. Solution cringed down, ashamed.
"You would dare presume-" began Albedo, roaring in rightful indignation. Rising, halberd now in hand to smite Solution down, the Wrath of the Hand of a God. She was spared though, by the God himself raising his own, more literal hand. "Albedo." He spoke softly. And with that the pressure lifted, and Solution could breathe again. She was a fool, and overstated herself, and her importance. But she could make up for it, eventually, she hoped. He hoped she'd at least get the chance.
But no blows of even the metaphorical sort came when her Lord next spoke, or condemnations. "You've asked that before Solution, and I refused you." Albedo's killing intent began to rise again, but Ainz-sama's hand extending to touch her shoulder tamped it down once more. "Why do you request to replace Miyoshi-kun again? No, that isn't the right question, why do you want to be my, erm, slime bath?"
Swallowing the lump in her faux throat Solution answered after a pause. "Because I want to worship you, my Lord. Because you are the last and greatest of the supreme beings and I want, I need, to prove my use and show my devotion to you." Fuck it, all cards on the table now. Albedo's face is warm and pitying, not murderous, which was hopefully a good sign. "Because I'm jealous of Miyoshi-kun, that he can worship you as a slime, and as a servant, that he can show this devotion to you and I can't."
Lord Ainz studied her then, the pause long enough to be almost unbearable before he spoke. "Solution stay, Fifth, Albedo, eight-edged assassins out of the room, do not eavesdrop." She doesn't know whether to be ecstatic or terrified. And the next pause, as the others vacate, Albedo looking at her quizzically, Fifth enviously, is even longer. Solutions faux lungs burn from holding a breath she doesn't, anatomically, even need to hold.
Finally, after an eternity of time, the door closes, and Lord Ainz speaks again. Though Solution can hardly comprehend the words.
"I don't want to be worshiped."
"W- what?" Her response came out an undignified squeak.
"Can I tell you a story, Solution, about how we first made the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, what we wanted to create, and what was created instead?"
"I- I would be honored my Lord Ainz."
"You can drop the Lord if you'd like, while we have a heart to heart."
"I couldn't possibly my Lord, you are…"
"Alright" his Supreme Majesty interrupts. "If you insist, but sit at least, while you hear me out." Gesturing to Albedo's never-used desk chair and pulling his own out from behind the imposing wooden construct to the center of the room.
With a feeling she wouldn't quite know how to describe somewhere between awe, bewilderment, and vindication, Solution obeys. Pulling Albedo's chair out across from her Lord's in the middle of the room, and sitting down.
"The Supreme beings and I were best friends. True friends." Ainz began without preamble once she was seated. "And we entered the world of Yggdrasil one by one to have fun. Most of us were strangers at first, but we banded together over shared experience and a dislike, at least a little, of the place we were first from. We could all of us play any number of… eer, that is to say we could have chosen any number of worlds, realities, to go to, temporarily as it was then, but we all found Yggdrasil, and we all found each other."
"I'm not explaining well, I don't think..." he trailed off before Solution interrupted "You are my Lord, I believe I follow!" She was immediately aghast "My apologies Lord Ainz, I don't know what came over me to interrupt when you were so gracious as to…" He raised his hand for silence, it was a very effective gesture, positively regal.
"That's quite alright." He sounded amused.
"We were great friends who found each other piece by piece, playing in a game-world that others had designed. For years it was our great joy, and the foremost part of that joy was creating Nazarick and it's inhabitants. We did not have the power to change our own world, and honestly not very much to change Yggdrasil. But we could make Nazarick, and we could make it beautiful. So we did.
Solution carefully schooled her face to neutrality once more at this, not sure at all how to take those revelations, or how they related to Lord Ainz being the subject of worship. All the NPCs knew some of this, if not the details. The Supreme beings came from other worlds, ones they returned to often enough, but they always came back eventually. Until they didn't, of course, and only their most benevolent Overlord remained. Lord Ainz continued.
"When we made you NPC's, we did so with a few schools of thought. Some of us made what we thought of as perfect versions of ourselves, everything we would ever want to be. Some made people that could live out every fantasy that they themselves never could. Still others made creations they thought embodied what it meant to be cool, or tough, or whatever trait they valued most. But we all made you to be a certain kind of perfect. Our own world lacked that sort of perfection, and we wanted to manifest it in Nazarick, each in our own way."
Solution was in shock, that they themselves were like a love-letter from their creators was overwhelming, perfect, inspiring, she could scream for joy, or maybe sob for it.
Then, he broke her.
"But none of it was real, or right, or true."
"What, what do you mean?" She sobbed for a different emotion.
"Because none of you were real either, at first. When we made you weren't real, it was a game, we were the players of Yggdrasil and you all were fun little NPCs that were nice to make, and to look at. But at the end of the day, back then when all of us guild members were regularly online, you were just background to our fun. The side project to our daily escape from our own real-world troubles."
"Am I, are we not real!" She questioned, in disbelief and dread. Was this the end, was Lord Ainz about to vanish too, abandon the imperfect, disappointing creations of his friends that could never match him?
Would they even exist when he was gone?
She cursed herself for her selfish request that brought this about, this melancholy prelude to leavetaking.
"Do we not matter?" Solution, continued nearly shrieking in a panic, falling from the chair to her knees in what might have been supplication.
Ainz rose swiftly, and knelt across from her, hands on her shoulders, skull to forehead. And when he spoke, he once again dispelled her mounting dread like the morning mists.
"You are real. You matter. You are important and are the most wonderful beings that have ever been created!" Lord Ainz spoke, with enough assurance and finality that the tears that had been flowing stopped dead. "But that's a fairly new development."
She couldn't speak, so he continued.
"We were playing a game, in a world we did not make, one with very serious limitations. When we created you then, you were likewise limited. You weren't the vibrant living beings you are now, but pale reflections of code we co-opted and backstory we wrote. All set in a world that was not real."
"I don't think I understand." Solution whispered like a confession of sin.
"I don't either, sometimes." Lord Ainz admitted, still holding her. "The game we were playing, Yggdrasil, the world Nazarick was in, everything, wasn't built to last forever. Those sorts of worlds never are. Our guild was made up of people who, for one reason or another, needed a temporary escape from our reality. For us there were many different worlds we could have escaped to, but none of them were actual, real places, just code and illusions. Nevertheless we gathered together, had fun, and built this place, built you."
"Over time our guild, my friends, fell apart, and stopped coming to Yggdrasil, they could have returned, but they didn't. They abandoned it for other things, other distractions, other worlds." He continued with poorly disguised bitterness. And she, for the first time, felt true rage at the other Supreme Beings that had abandoned not just her and Nazarick, but their ruler and friend.
"Were we real yet?" She asked, almost dreading an answer.
"No, at the end of Yggrasil it was just a game like any other, and you were just characters."
"What changed?" Solution asked
"Then? Nothing. The developers were going to shut Yggdrasil down, delete everything that anyone had built there to make room for a new world for my… my people to enjoy."
"But, we're here?"
"Yes, you are. I couldn't let you go."
And she felt more loved in that moment than she knew it was possible to be. "Oh." she breathed.
"When they were going to shut down the servers I stayed online, in Nazarick until the end. But things didn't end when the servers went down, we all went to this new world and all of you became real. You became true people, everything we could ever have hoped for, and far, far more. I did too, actually. This skeleton ensemble just used to be an avatar, now it's me."
Solution was stunned, speechless.
"That's why I don't want to be worshiped, because you are the miracle!"
The turbulent emotions that this whole conversation brought finally overwhelmed her, and she cried then, deep wracking sobs of awe and fear, delight and hope.
Ainz held her close through it all.
After a time she stilled. Wedged firmly on his lab, head buried against his sternum, arms around his ribcage. She thought then, comically, that she was very close to delivering on that slime-bath she came here to request as a boon.
"You are all the beautiful creations of my departed friends. The embodiment of everything they wanted to make, to be. But it wouldn't feel right to be worshiped by you."
Solution didn't know if she should love the Supreme beings for making her, or hate them for abandoning Ainz, or to wrap back around and thank them for leaving because that lead to this moment, cuddled to the chest of her lord knowing that for all Albedo's claims and Demiurge's whit, in this moment she was the one closest to her lord, the one who knew him best. And she was loved!
And that thought made her pause, because Lord Ainz was above them all, and nobody really knew his mind. The NPC's had each other, but all his friends abandoned him.
"Does that mean we didn't disappoint them? The supreme beings?" Solution asked, uncertain if she actually wanted to know.
"You didn't." Ainz answered after a moment. "None of us knew what you could have been. I think they'd all be here if we had known. No, they left this place unaware of you all, not dissatisfied, and for their own reasons."
"You didn't leave us." She restated, knowing for the first time truly how much that meant. "Even when we were still nothing." Wonder in her voice.
"You weren't nothing." He disagreed, "Even in Yggdrasil you were the image of what we all idealized and cherished. Even when they were gone, you still represented what my friends were, and wanted to be."
Solution basked in that response. Treasured it. And then shifting against Ainz's great ribcage, she realized the implications of it.
"Is it lonely?" She asked hoping desperately that she wasn't overstepping, that she hadn't read all of this situation wrong, that she wouldn't offend.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to..." she began hurriedly. "It's just, sometimes when we are walking on the ninth floor, the regular maids look at us Pleiades with such wonder and reverence. It makes me feel fake, like what I am is not what they see me as. It's like they think I'm so much more than what I really am. I can't really be myself around them, I have to put on a show, and when my sisters aren't around the cafeteria, it's lonely. Even surrounded by the other maids."
"Is that, do we do that to you Lo-" she paused, remembering his earlier request about etiquette for heart-to-hearts. "Do we do that to you, Ainz?"
He didn't say anything for a long time, and she feared that she'd gone too far. But when he spoke it reassured her.
"Sometimes… often, actually. You're right, my friends are all gone now, and I always have to play the role of Lord Ainz Ooal Gown, I hardly ever get to be myself anymore. But if that's the price for seeing you all so vibrant and alive, and real. Then I'm glad to pay it."
Solution never knew from where she got her next bout of courage, but will be eternally grateful for it. "Can we help!" she asked "Can we be your friends, when you're not needing to act like a ruler? I know we're not worthy of doing so, that we can't replace the Supreme Beings, but can we try?"
"Your sister Pleiades you mean?" Ainz's questioned "Wouldn't you all think less of me for it, for needing a crutch."
"We wouldn't" she said with great finality "We could never think poorly of you Ainz! You stayed with us at the cost of being destroyed with us! You believed in what we could be when everyone else vanished, and we were lifeless dolls! You are here, now, with us, with me! And that makes you perfect!"
He smiled at her then. Somehow. His skull didn't move, it never did, but she knew. And after a moment he spoke "Okay, I think I would like that."
Solution shifted in her lord's embrace, from cuddling to simply perching on a knee. Still both on the floor, chairs long abandoned. "How do I tell them properly though, how can I convey all these emotions, everything you said?"
Ainz reached into his inventory and removed a small black item in the shape of a wheel, with black reflective tape wrapped about its outer edge. Taking the item he brought close to his eyes and spoke. "Clip, 20 minutes."
Then lowering the object he placed it in Solutions hands. "When you tell them, show this to your sisters. They'll have to hold this and say 'playback' and it will show them this conversation."
"I will. Thank you."
"Now, you said you had fun on that last mission to the council state, could you tell me about it, like you would a friend?"
"I'd love to!" Solution beamed.