Two days had passed since Iri and You Li returned from their outing, and Iri had locked herself in her room, not coming out since.
This terrified Albedo and Shalltear, who were currently pressing against Iri's door, trying to eavesdrop on any movement inside.
After all, Ainz had previously given an order that no one was allowed to enter Iri's room or disturb her without her permission, so after calling out for a long time without a response, the two of them could only cling to the door like geckos, listening for any sounds inside.
However… they heard nothing; Iri's room was completely silent, without a single sound. It was then that the two of them realized something might have happened to Iri when she went out that day, so they quickly called You Li to inquire about the situation.
However, You Li remained tight-lipped, saying that Elizabeth had instructed her not to speak about what happened that day, and that it was related to Ainz's plan. This left Albedo and Shalltear feeling quite depressed.
Although Albedo could indeed use her authority as the Guardians' overseer to order You Li to speak, since it involved Ainz's plan, it was different. In that case, they would just go directly to Ainz and ask him for clarification!
So, the two of them rushed into Ainz's office, looking as if they'd been through a fire. Not only was Ainz there, but Demiurge was also present, seemingly discussing something important with Ainz.
"You two, is there something urgent?" Ainz saw Albedo and Shalltear, a rare sight, rushing into his office without even knocking. He pretty much knew why they had come.
"Ainz! This is bad! Little Yi! Little Yi, she...!" Albedo immediately rushed to Ainz, looking very anxious.
"What happened to Iri?" Ainz asked slowly and with full authority. See! For them to be this anxious, it must be about Iri.
"Ainz! Iri-chan hasn't left her room for two days! She hasn't responded when we called her! This... this..." Shalltear, like Albedo, stood on Ainz's other side. The two of them, one on each side, grasped Ainz's arms, speaking with worried expressions.
"Iri? Iri is not in Nazarick right now," Ainz replied.
"Huh? Iri isn't here? But... the servants said Iri hasn't gone out since she came back! Where did she go?" Albedo was confused. When did Iri go out? How did she not know?
"As for Iri's whereabouts..." To be honest, Ainz himself didn't know where Iri was at the moment. After all, Iri had indeed snuck out, and she had run into the returning Demiurge just as she was sneaking away.
And now... Demiurge had just arrived to report on Iri's matter and hadn't even finished speaking when Albedo and Shalltear burst in.
"Demiurge, continue! Let Albedo and Shalltear listen as well," Ainz ordered, turning to Demiurge.
"Yes, Ainz. When I returned, I encountered Elizabeth at the exit of Nazarick, and then I sent her off," Demiurge replied respectfully.
"Demiurge!!" Albedo immediately lost her composure. This fellow actually sent Iri out alone! How dangerous it was outside!
"Albedo, don't be anxious yet. Listen to Demiurge finish," Ainz interjected, stopping Albedo, who was about to get angry.
"Yes, Ainz!" Albedo immediately calmed down, and Ainz gestured for Demiurge to continue.
"At the time, I was also very curious as to why Elizabeth would run out alone, so I went up and spoke with her. I never expected Elizabeth to be so outstanding; she actually perceived Ainz's intentions beforehand, and... she even saw through my thoughts." Demiurge paused, looking at Ainz with an expression of admiration.
That look made Ainz feel very guilty. When Demiurge reported that Iri had run out alone, Ainz was indeed very worried.
But then he heard Demiurge say that Iri went out because she had insight into Ainz's great plan, which was why she traveled alone.
This left Ainz completely bewildered. When did he have another great plan? How did he not know?
Ainz also knew that Iri was indeed very intelligent; in previous instances, she had excellently displayed her wisdom, giving Ainz the impression of a miniature Demiurge.
After all, Demiurge had a hand in creating Iri, so it was quite normal for her to inherit Demiurge's intelligence.
"Demiurge! What do you mean by that? Iri saw through your thoughts?" Albedo asked, somewhat surprised after hearing this.
"Yes, I was still considering the feasibility of this method and intended to report to Ainz when the time was right. I never expected Elizabeth to perceive my intentions beforehand and even say that Ainz had already discerned my intentions. Elizabeth was merely acting according to Ainz's will! Truly worthy of being the king among the Supreme Beings! Ainz!" Demiurge once again looked at Ainz with an expression of profound admiration.
"Haha! Demiurge, compared to you, I'm still far behind," Ainz said, waving his hand.
"Ainz, you are being humble again. Compared to your wisdom, I, Demiurge, am truly far behind!" Demiurge replied.
"Ainz?" Albedo and Shalltear both looked at Ainz with expressions asking what was going on. Ainz was panicking, wishing he could ask what was going on too.
"Alright! In that case, Demiurge, you explain the situation!" Ainz said with full authority.
Fortunately, Demiurge was here. Let him explain to Albedo and Shalltear just how grand his plan was!
"As you command! In fact, Ainz's plan is the first step for Nazarick to emerge from underground..." A cold glint flashed across Demiurge's small glasses.
...
Uh... Although I made up an excuse that my sneaking out was Ainz's idea, and escaped from Xiao Di, wandering the streets of E-Rantel in this outfit isn't exactly ideal, is it?
Iri was currently walking down the streets of E-Rantel in a very ill-fitting maid outfit, borrowed from Qiya Lei, who took care of her.
After Qiya Lei came to Nazarick, she didn't have any casual clothes other than her maid outfit, and Iri couldn't wear her own clothes out. After all, all of her clothes were prepared by Albedo, and they were all glitzy and shiny, so she could only dress like this. At least it was better than dressing like a noble young lady!
However, it was fortunate that she ran into Xiao Di, from whom she managed to trick a few teleportation scrolls. Otherwise, she didn't know how long it would take to walk to E-Rantel.
Speaking of which, Xiao Di was quite generous. Iri only said that she wanted to complete Ainz's plan and go to the Royal Capital or the Empire first, and Xiao Di generously gave her teleportation scrolls and other auxiliary magic scrolls, even calling them 'trial products.' Iri used one, and it directly teleported her near E-Rantel. And this 'performance' was supposedly just a trial product!
However, after entering the city, the gazes of passersby still converged on Iri, and Iri knew why.
A loli-sized girl, wearing an overly loose maid outfit, and to conceal her face, she had directly covered the left half of her eye and face with bandages.
By the way, the bandages were also taken from Qiya Lei, who said they were prepared so that she could bandage Sebas anytime, anywhere if he got injured.
Although she was fed a mouthful of dog food, Iri couldn't help but inwardly complain at the time that these bandages would basically never have a chance to be used, Sister Qiya Lei.
A maid with a covered face and hands, in Iri's opinion, should be an inconspicuous presence in E-Rantel, where monsters and beasts frequently appeared, right?
However... Iri still had something very strange on her back: a hammer wrapped in a white bedsheet. It was the one Ainz gave Iri, which still had no name and was Warrior Takemikazuchi's unfinished work.
Why carry it like this? Although Iri could summon this item at any time, summoning a weapon out of thin air would make people suspicious of her, so Iri decided to carry it on her back.
For the same reason, Iri did not want to use the Champion Armor. Without the protection of the Champion Armor, Iri, who was only level one, was still a bit nervous, so she brought her weapon along.
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