Ainz cleared his throat when Shalltear asked her question and chose to focus on the matter at hand, “One thing at a time.” He said as noncommittally as possible.

The last of the undead ran through the final gate before his eyes. It shut, and Ainz turned around to look over the field. The birds had yet to return, but more importantly to his mind, there was something else surprising. ‘So, some of the dead were fairly strong before they died.’ He mused as he looked over the chaotic and churned up earth.

Few. But some. The carpet of dead was gone and what remained was a patchwork of perhaps thirty men in armor whose bodies had been picked apart. Ainz approached the dead, they were scattered over a very small area, suggesting that they had been part of a single unit which had been decimated by the spell. Also noteworthy was that they had all died on their backs.

Ainz crouched down over a corpse, the faceplate had already been raised, likely by the man himself based on the broken teeth and shattered bones. ‘Trampled… while on his back…’ Ainz thought and went to the next body, another clearly run down by his own fellows, some bore grievous wounds, perhaps injured trying to fight the summoned angels and their reaping.

‘Very interesting.’ Ainz thought and looked up over his shoulder to Shalltear. “Did you expect to find anyone like this after I reanimated the dead?”

She shook her head in denial, “No, Master. I thought they were all weak enough that everyone would rise from your spell… should I punish their corpses for their temerity?!” Shalltear asked and raised her lance to strike at the corpse.

“No… they’re dead, they had no say one way or the other…” Ainz answered, Shalltear’s whole body was still tense, almost twitching, she had an almost undetectable twitch to her, a desperate look in her blood red eyes. ‘It really is getting to her.’

A swelling of pity came over Ainz, ‘The poor men… they came here for their emperor, faced the impossible, and died by the hands of their own people’s fears… that isn’t a fitting end for bravery… the rest is sad, but nothing as sad as people who kept doing their best to the end…’

“They should have a better end than what they got.” Ainz said and stood back up.

“Your generosity is truly awe inspiring, my Lord.” Shalltear said with a hopeful smile spread over her face.

[Create Death Knight]. Ainz cast the spell over the dead human, and then repeated the process five more times. “We’re returning to Nazarick for the night. Have the rest of the bodies taken back and preserved. We’ll eventually open more friendly relations with the Emperor and the return of either ‘the bodies of brave warriors’ or resurrecting the dead to return them home would both be powerful gestures.”

“And the death knights, Lord Ainz?” Shalltear asked while the last of them rose and looked down at them both. Their great tower shields and heavily armored bodies would have been a fearsome sight if she hadn’t known how weak they really were compared to herself.

“The lizardmen will dominate the lake, they need to be properly protected from outside threats. A few death knights in the border regions for a few years should be good enough for the average threat. And if something defeats the death knights set on patrol, I’ll know there’s something potentially dangerous entering my domain.” Ainz explained his thinking, and Shalltear nodded enthusiastically.

“That is an excellent way to keep the lizardmen prisoner, my Lord.” She said happily.

“I don’t plan on keeping them confined, only safe in their own lands for now.” Ainz countered, but she cocked her head up at him.

“I don’t understand the difference, my Lord.” She replied, and Ainz opened his mouth to answer.

The mask he still wore concealed the frozen moment in which he had opened his mouth to speak, and then couldn’t think of an answer. He cleared his throat, “Work it out for yourself, if I give you the answers all the time, how will you ever grow!”

“Ah, yes, of course, My Lord.” Shalltear said and looked down with pursed lips.

Guilt went through him as he wondered if he’d been too harsh with her while trying to preserve his image. In desperation he grabbed hold of her earlier question, “You asked about punishment, Shalltear.”

She nodded immediately. “Yes, my Lord!”

“When we have finished our work with the lizardmen, I will give you what you asked for, consider ‘waiting’ on it to be the first part.” He declared, then putting a hand beneath her chin, he held her face so that she was looking up at his mask, which he removed with his free hand to bare his face to her. “But know this, I am not angry with you. You’re the daughter of one of the best friends a man could have, I could never feel anything for you but affection. I am going to punish you for you… not for me. I have already forgiven you, I don’t even count temptation wrong… only actions. You are my precious Shalltear, and forgiveness is yours for the asking, punishment or not.”

What she did next, she seemed to do very slowly, and yet he knew she was moving faster than sound. It was a testament to the levels in warrior classes that he had added to his copious skillset. But what she did was so obviously not an attack that all he could do was open his arms to receive her. She dropped her lance into the ground where it pierced the earth to stand upright, and flung her hands around his body in a childlike embrace. The side of her face rubbed up and down against him with such vigor that he could only imagine she was at a loss for words and that was all she could offer.

His own arms moved slowly, reticent at least a little, he moved them to engulf her. She all but disappeared in the folds of his robe, and he held her that way for some time while the sun continued its slow descent on the horizon and left them engulfed in darkness.

He broke the embrace then, “Go, deliver the death knights, see to the last bodies, and then return to Nazarick, this body of mine… through magic I can go without rest, but I find that I like it, at least some. I will be in my room, you will continue to serve as my bodyguard, remain outside my door and allow no one to enter. I am counting on you.” Ainz said, and bending forward, he kissed her forehead.

Shalltear sniffled but could not muster words. She nodded up and down, over and over again, until two Gates opened and they parted ways on the Katze Plains.