“…And there is one more possibility, a most disastrous possibility, one that frightens me and which I do not wish to say is the correct answer…”
Before Yuri could ask about that possibility, Sebas spoke again.
“In the past, Ainz-sama defeated the strongest of the Floor Guardians, Shalltear-sama. With his charm, he united the Supreme Beings. And his wisdom can even awe the twin intellectual pinnacles of Nazarick, Albedo-sama and Demiurge-sama. Thus, he has shown us the image of an absolute ruler who is fully furnished with the essential qualities of fighting power, charisma and intellect. That being the case, should we not follow in his footsteps?”
“I see…”
“Naturally, setting the unattainable peak that is Ainz-sama as our goal is not only disrespectful but foolish in the extreme. But even if it is just by one step, I feel we should strive to draw closer to Ainz-sama. While forcing her to do this might be a mistake, it is also necessary if she is to stand above others.”
Yuri sighed deeply. That was a perfect explanation.
That being the case, Yuri had nothing else to say.
“Still — is that really all?”
Sebas looked at Yuri as she said this, and then he spoke so quietly that even Yuri, who was standing beside him, could barely make out his voice.
“Ainz-sama said that we could welcome Tsuare as a guest of Nazarick, but Tsuare herself told Ainz-sama that she wished to work as a maid. Some people might think her words would be a sign of underestimating the work of a maid. Under these circumstances, if Tsuare makes any mistakes in carrying out the instructions given to her by Ainz-sama, his opinion of her will surely plummet. It is very difficult to restore a ruined reputation, and so I do not want her to even begin to stumble, regardless of the harshness of my methods.”
Yuri frowned in her heart.
That was because training Tsuare harshly for that reason was equivalent to saying that Nazarick was at fault.
While the Supreme One had decreed that Tsuare would be a fellow worker in Nazarick, Yuri had heard from Lupusregina that there was a subtle separation between her and the regular maids. The regular maids looked on Tsuare as an outsider who was stealing their precious job from them. While they would not treat her coldly or disdainfully thanks to orders, what they really thought sometimes shone through in the way they treated Tsuare. I noticed because it’s me, her little sister had said.
Perhaps Pestonya could have mediated matters between both sides, but she was under confinement and had missed the chance to meet Tsuare.
It was almost as though she had changed places with Pestonya. That might have been a source of the regular maids’ unhappiness.
Yuri had no words to answer Sebas, but she made a suggestion anyway.
“I understand. However, it might be best to give her a rest. ‘Too much cramming is unproductive’, Yamaiko-sama once said.”
“Did Yamaiko-sama say that?! Is that so… while we could eliminate fatigue with our abilities… if Yamaiko-sama said so… Very well. Then, Tsuare, take a break. Have a seat on that chair and rest.”
“—Yes.”
Yuri and Sebas watched Tsuare from behind as she walked to the chair.
“She moves much more beautifully now compared to before.”
“Thank you very much. It is all thanks to you, Yuri.”
“It was nothing of the sort. That was the fruit of her hard work. Speaking of which, what sort of training will she be doing next?”
Yuri had been asked to handle walking practice, and somebody else would handle other things.
“Cleaning and the like will be taught by Eclair.”
“Ahh, is he in charge of that?”
He was the perfect candidate to teach someone how to clean. Yuri felt that it was a bit of a shame.
Yuri enjoyed teaching other people. While that did not extend to taking the jobs of others, she would gladly accept any request to do so.
Yamaiko-sama probably expected that of me — that is to say, myself.
While she could not behold the revered visage of her creator now, she could feel a warmth in her heart when she did things which were related to the Supreme Being who had made her.
She observed Sebas — who was standing beside her — produce a pocket watch from his breast pocket.
“Yuri, we still have quite some time until we are due to meet Eclair…”
“I feel we should stop here for today. Forcing her to carry on while she is tired might lead to bad habits. If they end up being ingrained in her, all our efforts until now might be wasted.”
Yuri shrugged.
“…Bad habits are hard to break, are they not?”
“…It is as you say. Then, let us stop here for today. Thank you for coming here today for her.”
Sebas nodded to show his thanks. After that, Yuri heard Tsuare make to rise, so she held out a hand to stop her. Tsuare also nodded in thanks.
Yuri looked at the gloves Tsuare was wearing.
They looked like the same gloves Sebas was wearing. If they possessed the same abilities as well, they would be magic items which reduced elemental damage from fire, acid and the like. While they were only about as powerful as expendable items, the fact that Sebas had actually given her an item bestowed upon him by the Supreme Beings showed how much he thought of her.
No. Yuri immediately rejected her own thought.
Given the way he was worried about how the people around Tsuare looked at her, he had been thinking of her from the very start.
Was it because he had been ordered to by the Supreme One, or was it for some other reason?
When Yuri saw the white handkerchief peeking out of Tsuare’s maid uniform, the corner of her mouth settled down.
Asking would be terribly insensitive.
Part 2
Yuri returned to her room — or rather, she returned to one of the rooms assigned to the Battle Maids. This room was a suite which linked tp a bedroom, living room, bathroom, toilet and other such sub-facilities. It had been made in the image of a suite.
The bedroom did not feel cramped, even with three double-sized beds in it. The living room had a dining table and a sofa, as well as chairs — enough to seat six people in total.
There were three Battle Maids who lived in this expansive room.
They were Yuri Alpha, Lupusregina Beta and Narberal Gamma.
Adjacent to this room was another one of the same size, which was occupied by CZ2128 Delta, Solution Epsilon and Entoma Vasilisa Zeta. Incidentally, while Shizu and Entoma had other private rooms besides the 9th Floor, it was not uncommon for them to stay with Solution or Yuri because sleeping alone was boring.
Yuri leaned against the stylish sofa and consciously tried to avoid looking anxious — though because she was undead, her anxiety had never been that strong to begin with.
This is bad… there isn’t any more work… what should I do now…
Her sole task today was the education of Tsuare, which she had just completed.
She flipped through her planner, but there was nothing else scheduled for her. Naturally, she had not specially arranged things to be that way. In other words, what awaited her over the next few hours would be hellish boredom.
It was not that today’s schedule was particularly light, hence the free time. Rather, to Yuri Alpha the Battle Maid, she had always had long stretches when she had nothing to do.
No, saying that she had nothing to do would be wrong.
To the Battle Maids of the 9th Floor, who had been created to defend the 10th Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, patrolling and preparing to respond to intruders at any time was fulfilling the core purpose which their creators had intended for them.
However—
There was nobody in this world who could possibly reach this Floor.
Indeed, even when beings on par with the Supreme Beings had assailed this place in their hordes, they could not breach this holiest of holy sanctuaries. This invincible fortress of all invincible fortresses. Standing watch here was no different from doing nothing.