I was once weak, now look at me

Chapter 21: Re-Estize in Pieces

New World, 10th floor of Nazarick, outside the throne doors

Jaune stormed through the hallways of Nazarick, and every maid who crossed his path promptly stepped aside, wary of the murderous glare etched on his face. He had just received news that left him fuming, and he was determined to uncover answers. Reaching the grand throne room, Jaune forcefully kicked the doors open, interrupting Ainz and his floor guardians in their meeting.

"What are you doing here!? I did not invite you to this meeting!" Albedo exclaimed, her voice dripping with disdain as she shot him a loathsome glare. Among all the guardians, she openly displayed her contempt for Jaune more than anyone else, and he met her gaze with equal intensity.

"I took the liberty of inviting myself since this directly concerns me as head of security! Now, Albedo, explain why I received a report stating that the convoys were without any security detail!?" Jaune roared, fury radiating from him. In conjunction with sending documents to Albedo, he had strategically deployed shadow demons to surveil her and the convoys, ensuring he received accurate information. When one of the shadow demons returned with the troubling report, his fury reached its peak.

"Albedo, what is he talking about?" Ainz asked, bewildered by the unfolding situation. The last he knew, Albedo was responsible for managing the convoys to the Holy Kingdom, while Jaune oversaw the security provisions for those very convoys. Albedo was about to respond but Jaune spoke up first.

"I entrusted the responsibility of securing the convoys to Albedo to streamline our roles, even providing her with detailed documents on how best to protect them. No one, and I mean no one, should have been able to attack even a single convoy and survive, given what I outlined. So, I demand answers on how a low-ranking noble with barely armed commoners managed to assault a convoy without ending up as corpses on the ground." Jaune declared, drawing the attention of Ainz and the floor guardians, whose gazes shifted to Albedo, who now appeared increasingly anxious.

"Is what he says true?" Ainz pressed, prompting Albedo's anxiety to deepen; this meeting had barely begun, and already it was spiraling out of control. First, that witless noble she had been manipulating had gone rogue and attacked the carriages, jeopardizing their plan to take over the Re-Estize Kingdom. Now, it was revealed that everything could have been averted if she had simply assigned protection to the convoy. For Albedo, the situation had deteriorated from bad to catastrophic.

The truth was that her inaction stemmed from a singular reason: her deep-seated hatred for Jaune. She resented him for being nothing more than a mere human, unworthy of the position he held. Her disdain was compounded by powerful feelings of jealousy, which surged as she watched Ainz bestow power and trust upon him, all the while showering Jaune with praise and enjoying their interactions. When she received the documents outlining security protocols, those emotions took over, driving her to burn them and avoid following through with any protective measures. If anything went awry, she could easily shift the blame onto Jaune for failing his duties and feign ignorance, a plan that was now unraveling before her beloved.

"Yes, it is true, every word of it." Albedo forced herself to admit. The weight of shame hung heavily on her, but it paled in comparison to the disgrace of lying to her lord when the truth was already laid bare.

"We will address this matter later; for now, please continue with what you were saying about this noble," Ainz commanded, visibly perturbed by the revelation he had just received. He gestured for Jaune to take his place at his left side as Albedo resumed her earlier account, revealing that the turmoil was instigated by this noble whom she had intended to manipulate to foment unrest within the Re-Estize kingdom. She then introduced the individual overseeing this noble, Hilma Cygnaeus.