"Oh?"
A voice, tinged with confusion, gently echoed, reverberating in an eerily silent place.
Near the northern edge of the forest near E-Rantel, very close to the boundary of the forest itself, in the pitch-black environment swallowed by the night, where even the vast greenery of the forest couldn't be seen, there was an anomaly—an eye-catching color floating in the air.
It was a blinding crimson.
It was a bright, blood-red.
It was undeniably the color of blood flowing from living beings, still carrying a bit of warmth.
What was strange was that this blood didn't fall to the ground, nor did it stain the surroundings, but seemed to have a mind of its own, turning into streams of scarlet that gathered above a person's head, who seemed to be the cause, forming into a ball of blood.
Before long, the moon peeked out from behind dark clouds, casting its light down on the land and illuminating the person in full view.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an exceptionally beautiful girl.
Regardless, the exposed head showed not only incredibly well-defined features that could be described as perfect but also skin as white as wax, with her silver hair tied to one side and hanging down, accentuating her deep crimson eyes, which emitted a seductive, almost hypnotic gaze.
Despite her childish appearance, her aura and gaze were so enchanting that it was as if she embodied both cuteness and beauty, a perfect mix of being a beautiful girl thanks to her chest that was noticeably more developed than those of others her age.
If Riezel had been here, seeing her chest, he would have immediately thought of his little attendant, Lizbeth.
With a lot in common with Lizbeth—both youthful, petite, and beautiful with figures that didn't match their age—the difference was that one was innocent and naive, while the other exuded an aura of seductive elegance.
In this respect, they were completely opposite.
What was surprising, however, was that the girl stood amidst a sea of corpses.
Surrounding her were lifeless human bodies, each torn apart into fragments or dried up into mummified remains, their deaths gruesome and horrifying.
Amid this terrifying scene, the blood from the corpses flowed out, gathering above the girl's head to form a floating ball of blood.
"Was that just...?"
Muttering in wonder, the girl dropped a severed arm she had somehow been holding and looked in a certain direction, her face showing signs of deep thought.
In this eerily silent situation, a voice suddenly echoed beside her.
"What happened, Lady Shalltear?"
It was an elderly man dressed in a formal butler's outfit, asking the girl in the black evening dress named Shalltear, in a respectful tone.
He had white hair, a matching white beard, and deep wrinkles on his face, giving away his old age. Despite this, he stood as unmoved as the girl in the sea of corpses, his back straight like a steel sword, and his eyes sharp like those of an eagle.
Behind the elderly butler stood a beautiful woman with long golden hair and blue eyes, dressed in an orange-yellow dress, appearing like a refined, rich young lady. Strangely, despite her splendid appearance, she stood straight with a respectful attitude, akin to that of a servant.
Meanwhile, behind Shalltear stood two beautiful women in white bridal dresses, all standing tall in the middle of the sea of corpses, radiating an eerie and lifeless presence.
Evidently, they were Shalltear's vampire servants, known as the 'Vampire Brides'.
"Ahh, you've arrived, Sebas."
Shalltear smiled at the elderly butler.
"Did I make you wait too long? Sorry, these bandits suddenly started running away. It wasn't too much effort, but dealing with all of them took a little longer than planned."
She spoke with a refined and graceful voice as if the massacre she had committed was nothing more than a walk in the park.
"No, that's not a problem."
Sebas Tian, also known as Sebas, the elderly butler, maintained a perfectly straight posture, like a meticulous old general, speaking in a calm tone, completely different from Shalltear's graceful voice.
Despite the hellish scene around them, Shalltear and Sebas, along with the other women, remained remarkably calm, as if the people who had died here were not alive but just weeds by the roadside.
Maybe, to them, human lives and roadside weeds really didn't make much of a difference.
It was understandable.
They were, after all, not humans but terrifying heteromorphs from another world.
"Did something happen just now?" Sebas asked calmly.
"Hmm... looks like something did, actually..." Shalltear replied with an attitude that could've been either indifference or uncertainty. "Just now, the defensive magic I set up around me was triggered."
"Oh?" Sebas narrowed his sharp, eagle-like eyes. "Which defensive magic is it?"
"Magic that counters surveillance magic, I guess?" Shalltear double-checked her usual magic and special skills, then confirmed. "Although it's not as strong as Lord Ainz's magic, my anti-surveillance magic was activated. Someone must've used surveillance magic to try to spy on me, which triggered it."
"I see..." Sebas nodded in understanding. "Could it be the accomplice of these bandits?"
"I'm not sure..." Shalltear said with a faint smile, a hint of amusement in her voice. "If that's the case, I'd better act quickly to avoid scaring the prey away. If I mess up Lord Ainz's plan, I'll be in deep trouble."
As she spoke, she licked her blood-free nails—those neatly trimmed nails that, moments ago, had easily sliced through the bodies of these so-called bandits like the sharpest swords, leaving them in their current miserable state.
Needless to say, Shalltear was clearly enjoying herself.
Enjoying the taste of hunting humans.
Enjoying the act of killing them.
"In that case, I won't interrupt." Sebas placed his hand on his chest and bowed deeply. "We'll take our leave and carry out the other mission Lord Ainz assigned to us."
"Is that really alright? I mean, there are a lot of unexpected events happening tonight, right?"
Shalltear asked with a hesitant expression.
Indeed, there were a lot of unexpected events happening tonight.
Originally, their mission hadn't called for action so soon.
Ainz, their lord and ruler, had ordered them to capture people near E-Rantel who wouldn't attract much attention even if they disappeared, especially those who knew magic or Martial Arts, and send them back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
However, since he had also ordered them to avoid drawing too much attention while doing it, they had to come up with a plan that, for inhuman beings like them, was overly complicated and troublesome.
First, Solution Epsilon, the golden-haired woman in the orange-yellow dress, had to pretend to be a spoiled rich young lady, staying at E-Rantel's most luxurious inn, the Shining Golden Pavilion, with Sebas as her fake butler, making conspicuous moves to attract the attention of bandits targeting wealthy families.
Once the prey took the bait, Sebas and Solution would lure them out of E-Rantel, where Shalltear and her Vampire Brides would deal with them.
Shalltear, Sebas, and Solution were the ones executing the mission, with the others assisting from the sidelines before moving on to gather the necessary information for Ainz.
Unfortunately, since the Shining Golden Pavilion had an accident, Shalltear and Sebas had been forced to act earlier than planned.
"It can't be helped." Sebas shook his head, his tone as meticulous as ever. "Because the Shining Golden Pavilion almost got destroyed, it'll be closed for repairs for a while. If we don't act ahead of time, it's not just about whether the bandits who took the bait will get away, but we'd also delay Lord Ainz's other plans, which would be a big problem."
"Well, although things are moving a bit faster than expected, it's fine. As long as there are no problems on your end, we can act immediately, and there won't be any problems." Shalltear replied, smiling with understanding. "In that case, I wish you all a smooth journey."
Her words made Sebas's lips rise upward for a brief moment before he quickly returned to his usual, serious, and stoic demeanor.
"You too, Lady Shalltear." Sebas nodded gently. "We're both carrying out Lord Ainz's orders, so let's do our best."
"Of course." Shalltear smiled and replied without hesitation. "After all, this is all for the Supreme Being, for Nazarick."
"Indeed, for the Supreme Being, for Nazarick." Sebas nodded again.
At this moment, Solution finally chimed in.
"Well then, Lady Shalltear, we'll take our leave here since the next part is in your hands." Solution said with a bow.
"Don't worry." Shalltear replied kindly, sending Sebas and Solution off.
Sebas and Solution immediately left, making their way through the sea of corpses and blood toward the carriage waiting at the edge of the forest, pulled by four muscular horses.
It wasn't long before the carriage began to move, signaling that Sebas and Solution had finally departed, leaving only Shalltear and her two Vampire Brides behind.
"So, what should I do next?"
Shalltear mused, her smile turning more devilish as she released a dark and evil aura into the night, finally feeling as though she had shed all restraints.
"Lord Ainz said I could drain the prey dry and turn them into slaves as long as I bring them back, right?"
"By the way, since these bandits don't have anyone who can use magic or Martial Arts, do their accomplices have any?"
"Forget it. Let's just grab someone and make them a slave first. Once I get the information on their base, I can take my time and search later."
Muttering to herself, Shalltear suddenly wore an expression of sheer delight.
"Ahh~ Lord Ainz, my beautiful lord, my great lord~"
"I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, will definitely complete the mission you've given me~"
"I'm your greatest servant, the one most suited to stand by your side as your right hand~"
"Please—"
Just as Shalltear continued speaking in such a dreamy tone, one of the Vampire Brides suddenly interrupted her.
"Lady Shalltear, there is—"
As soon as the Vampire Bride opened her mouth to speak, however, she was cut off, unable to finish her sentence.
*BANG!*
With a heavy, muffled sound, she was sent flying by a terrifying punch, crashing into the nearby forest.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
She knocked down countless trees as she flew through the air, one after another falling and kicking up massive clouds of dust—a truly spectacular sight.
Meanwhile, Shalltear, after unleashing such a terrifying punch that sent the Vampire Bride flying, simply retracted her slender, seemingly casual hand, her face showing displeasure.
"Interrupting me while I'm thinking about Lord Ainz? Are you asking for death?"
Upon hearing this, the remaining Vampire Bride stood frozen in place, trembling in fear.
Meanwhile, the other Vampire Bride, covered in injuries from being punched, took a long time to return and kneeled in front of Shalltear with a terrified expression.
"P-Please forgive my mistake..."
"So? What was so important that you felt the need to interrupt me?" Shalltear asked coldly, her face full of irritation.
It was clear that if the Vampire Bride's reason wasn't of enough importance to justify such an interruption, then the next strike would definitely be worse than the previous one.
Fully aware of her master's cruelty and ruthlessness, the Vampire Bride immediately answered with a trembling voice.
"S-Someone is coming..."
Upon hearing this, Shalltear, who had been somewhat distracted and not paying much attention to her surroundings, furrowed her brows.
In the next moment, she quickly looked up at the sky.
Over there, a figure descended, landing right in front of her.
"You..."
Shalltear's face showed surprise.
Why?
Simple.
At this moment, the figure, a human who had descended in front of her—his face, his appearance—felt like something she had seen before.
And indeed, she had, just a few days ago.
However, it seemed she had forgotten his existence and what he looked like.
It was actually not without reason, as there were two factors contributing to this.
One was the ball of blood floating above her head.
It wasn't very big yet, but its side effect had slightly affected her state of mind.
As for the other, it was simpler.
She just didn't find the human worth remembering.
'A tiny human, no different than an insect' was her only impression of the human who had introduced himself as an information dealer and made a deal with her lord, which led her not to remember him much.
'Whoever he is, if he can use Fly, he is worth capturing, right?'
With such a thought, Shalltear's surprise turned into cruelty.
'Okay, time to feast~'