Chapter 35: The Arrival of the Gothic Lolita
Twenty minutes earlier, in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, on the tenth underground floor, in the Throne Hall.
A petite girl in a black dress was kneeling slightly before Ainz, her tone sweet: "Lord Ainz, may I use the magical contact lenses to share my vision and go capture EeDeChi? This way, you'll be able to see that unidentified adventurer directly."
Standing next to Ainz was a beautiful woman in a white dress. She frowned and chided, "Shalltear, Lord Ainz doesn't want to see that adventurer woman; he just wants to know her combat strength."
The girl in the black dress looked up, her chest, which was out of proportion with her petite frame, heaving with her discontent. "Big-mouth gorilla, I'm talking to Lord Ainz, so keep your mouth shut. Don't worry, Lord Ainz definitely won't be interested in that woman."
The woman in the white dress was about to retort, but Ainz raised his hand, stopping their argument. "Alright, alright, enough. I'm just curious about the strength of that girl named EeDeChi. All the surveillance magic is malfunctioning, and Sebas hasn't sent much news. Shalltear, let's go with your suggestion."
Shalltear shot a triumphant glance at the white-dressed beauty, Albedo, as if she had won this inexplicable contest for attention. She then bowed and teleported away from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Albedo folded her arms, pouting in annoyance, while Ainz helplessly pressed his bony fingers to his skull.
He, a middle-aged virgin before crossing over, wasn't quite equipped to handle such a situation where two women were vying for his attention. Fortunately, Shalltear and Albedo were only in the playful stage and hadn't had any excessive quarrels due to jealousy.
They were both extremely loyal to Ainz and understood that the overall benefit of the Great Tomb of Nazarick outweighed their personal desires.
Soon, Shalltear sent a message, which Ainz accepted. A large magical screen appeared in front of his throne, displaying Shalltear's personal first-person view.
—
"It seems you're the one in charge?" EeDeChi looked at the petite girl in the black dress before her, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the main character finally appeared. A smile crept across her lips.
Earlier, the sudden appearance of a long spear from the sky had forced her to sheath her sword and defend herself, leading to the current standoff with this girl wielding the massive spear.
In the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz watched the magical screen before him. The girl in black on the screen gazed back at him with a calm demeanor, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
She gave Ainz the impression of Boogiepop from the anime "Boogiepop And Others." Like Boogiepop in "Boogiepop and Others," this adventurer was also dressed in a black robe with black hair, but no hats.
This adventurer seemed to exude a more righteous and steadfast aura. Her piercing, upright gaze seemed to pierce through the screen directly at Ainz.
Ainz's eyes glowed with a red light as he began to browse through a dossier on the local inhabitants, eager to uncover more about her.
EeDeChi assessed the black-dressed, silver-haired girl before her, frowning slightly as if appraising her in her mind.
The girl facing her was Shalltear, dressed in her usual black outfit. Her skirt, adorned with dark red rose patterns, was held open by a petticoat, and the hem was embroidered with white lace ribbons.
Her pale face was accentuated with dark eyeliner, and her bright red eyes were fixed on EeDeChi. Her white hair was styled in a neat bun, decorated with a large black and red bow.
Particularly striking was her chest, which seemed disproportionately large for her petite frame. She resembled an exquisitely crafted porcelain doll, delicate yet devoid of much vitality.
EeDeChi gave Shalltear's outfit a thorough once-over and nodded, "Oh, a Gothic Lolita, huh?"
Gothic Lolita. Ainz's heart skipped a beat as he realized that Shalltear, created by one of the Supreme Beings—Peroroncino, the butter enthusiast—was designed in a classic Gothic Lolita style.
But this is an isekai! How could someone from another world know what "Gothic" means? That implies she's also a player who crossed over! And, even more surprising, she's a female player!
Ainz pondered this privately, continuing to watch EeDeChi's live feed on the screen.
EeDeChi swung her giant sword, performing a flourish, and casually said, "Little Lolita, it's dangerous to carry such a weapon. Hand it over, and I'll adjust your Justice Value, turning you into a good little girl!"
She stood with her sword in one hand, legs apart, her previous cold and elegant demeanor completely gone.
Hmm, Ainz thought, it doesn't seem like she's a female player, but she is definitely a woman.
Could it be… Ainz speculated… a man cross-dressing as a woman?
Of course, besides a cross-dressing man, it's also possible that this person chose a female character during character creation and then ended up crossing over as a female.
Ainz remembered that many basement-dwelling gamers selected female characters, flaunted feminine IDs, and deceived other players to get special treatment. Could this person have inadvertently ended up becoming a real woman in this isekai? If so, their situation might be even more pitiful than his own.
Ainz himself had chosen an undead character, and despite crossing over into the isekai, he found himself in a skeletal body that couldn't eat or sleep with a girl.
Ainz couldn't help but think maliciously, but honestly, who would expect to suddenly cross over while gaming?
"I gotta ask," EeDeChi stared at Shalltear's excessively full chest, "Are those real? There's no way someone so young could develop like this."
In front of the screen, Albedo, who was watching the first-person live feed with Ainz, burst into a wide grin, showing her perfectly white teeth as she laughed, "Lord Ainz, even a blind person can see that Shalltear's chest is padded!"
It was the truth. Shalltear had always been unhappy with her figure and would stuff cotton or similar materials to make her otherwise flat chest appear more prominent.
"HOW DARE YOU!!" Shalltear was stung by the remark, her pale face flushing bright red. "It's not fake! I developed early, so what!"
Her face was filled with anger as she raised her giant spear and lunged at EeDeChi in a swift step. EeDeChi blocked the thrust with her sword. The two then engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, their weapons clashing as they tested each other's skills.
After stepping back and sheathing her sword, EeDeChi's expression grew serious. From the recent exchange, she could sense that this Gothic Lolita, Shalltear, had perfect strength and speed, making her the strongest opponent EeDeChi had faced since crossing into this isekai!
Neither side had used their full strength, and no special skills were employed; they had only engaged in a basic weapon clash. The outcome of a full-force battle remained unknown.
Despite the Gothic Lolita's Justice Value being -450, which greatly irritated EeDeChi, she hesitated to use her full power to defeat Shalltear.
Among the enemies faced today at the mansion, the first was an iron fist maid with peak strength among ordinary humans, followed by an Insect maid who was equally formidable. Now, there was this suddenly appearing Gothic Lolita with a spear.
EeDeChi wasn't sure what other formidable enemies might appear after this black-dressed girl, so she proceeded with caution, testing her attacks.
Unbeknownst to the adventurer team leader, Shalltear was equally stunned.
She hadn't encountered such a powerful enemy in a long time. Among the native residents of this world, this adventurer named EeDeChi was at peak strength. And it was clear that EeDeChi was handling their battle with ease, not using all of her power.
Of course, Shalltear hadn't gone all out either. She had come out with only a Spuit Lance, while the divine artifact crafted specifically for her by the Supreme Beings was still in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
If they were to fight with their full capabilities, the outcome was still uncertain.
The two circled each other, their weapons poised, each searching for an opening in the other's defense.
Outside the mansion, Sebas saw that Shalltear had rescued the Insect maid Entoma and had begun fighting EeDeChi. He quickly sent a message: "Yuri, don't get involved. Retreat immediately; this battle is beyond your scope!"
…
Barrett's Adamantitekite shield was now battered and dented, with a broken long sword stuck in the ground beside him. He gripped a one-handed broad sword in his hand.
He had expected to die here but was surprised to have withstood the iron fist maid's furious assault. Still, he didn't dare let his guard down and continued to adjust his breathing, preparing for the maid's next attack.
The iron fist maid's face remained composed, though a few strands of hair fell over her forehead from the intense battle, adding an unexpected allure to her elegant demeanor.
She smiled gently at Barrett, who was sweating heavily, lifted her tattered maid dress slightly, and took a step back, suddenly disappearing from in front of Barrett.
The surrounding swarm of insects also retreated, and the once chaotic mansion returned to calm. Barrett gripped his sword tightly, nervously glancing around, wondering if it was really over.
In the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz pondered for a moment, tapping his skeletal index finger on the table as he gave orders: "Return, Shalltear. EeDeChi is likely a player and might possess unknown high-tier items. We don't need to defeat her right now.
"We still don't know if her attitude toward us is hostile or friendly, or if there are other forces behind her. We need to gather more information before making further plans."
"Understood, Lord Ainz." Shalltear received the message and, under EeDeChi's watchful gaze, did a flip and leaped into the air. Her voluminous black dress billowed like waves as she jumped, a brief flash of white light, and then she disappeared before EeDeChi.
"Another high-tier teleportation spell?" EeDeChi watched the direction the Gothic Lolita had left, deep in thought.