I hold my breath until Tobirama is far enough away.When he reaches the limits of my perception, I throw the mask to the ground and collapse, out of breath.
I press a hand against my forehead, breath short, trying to calm the turmoil in my head.
So this is the price when you try to be clever.
I had made a serious mistake.
I thought I had inherited all of Ainz's abilities.And, in a way, that was true.
But I had overlooked one detail: Ainz had no specific defense against mental effects.
Why would he? As a high-level undead, he was naturally immune.
Me, as a human, I wasn't.
And so I took the full impact of the mask's effects.
I realized it from the very first moments of the dance.But it was already too late: Tobirama was there, and I couldn't back down.
I've never been a good dancer.My first steps were hesitant. Too many mistakes.
And yet, as I sank under the enchantments, my movements became fluid. Perfect.As if they had been repeated hundreds of times.
The mistakes faded, replaced by reflexes.And memories surfaced.
Childhood. Ayaka. The parents. The role of priestess. And others still.
I let myself slide into that stream of memory.I was getting closer to Rei.
I was beginning to melt.
The experience itself wasn't unpleasant.And that's precisely what made it dangerous.
I had planned to reveal the mask later as the apparent source of my power.After all, the shinigami masks exist. So does the cult of Jashin.
I had designed the loss of identity effect as a trap: so that anyone who wore it would suffer a backlash.That way, I would become "the one chosen by the mask."
But I had miscalculated.
This little experiment reminded me how essential caution is.
I catch my breath, then straighten up.I pick up the mask where I had thrown it.
More than half of it has sunk into the ground from the force of my throw… and yet, it's intact.
I suppose an object created by a high-level spell isn't supposed to be fragile.
The mask works.Better than expected.
I've experienced it.
And even though I didn't have specialized defense against mental effects, I'm sure I have natural resistance.Someone else probably wouldn't have come out of it as well.
However, I can still add an improvement.
I focus on its magical structure, sensing the enchantments already in place,and prepare to engrave new ones.
I quickly search my mental catalogue, and find them easily:
— Sustainability IV: so the mask resists wear, fire, cold, time… and destruction attempts.— Reflection IV: so that any attempt to break it without sufficient power rebounds against the attacker.
Once the enchantments are stabilized, I go back to the bedroom and store the mask.Not hidden, not exposed.
Rei would have no reason to hide it.She would simply have been "chosen" as the heir to the secrets of Nazarick, disciple of the spirit of the mask.
Nothing too bad ~
It would probably be funny if, with a story like that, I met the real Ainz.Just to see what a NPC could come up with to explain that story.
Back in the courtyard, I observe the damage left by my little performance.
I focus for a moment, then cast Mana Essence.
The mana still floats around me, in light and elegant traces.It leaves patterns in the air. Lines, dots, waves.
Mana has a language.
Someone experienced enough could probably tell exactly what I did here.
I try to channel that residual energy and cast Rewind.
It was a failure.
The spell works, but draws from my own mana and not the one floating around.
The courtyard is restored. Everything returns to its place.
If only I had known magic earlier…
I go back inside the house. My stomach growls. The dull, inelegant kind of hunger.
I hadn't eaten much this morning.
I head toward the kitchen.
There's a bit of breakfast left, which I reheat and finish.
The kitchen has a fairly particular system, using wood as fuel for the house.
I wonder if Tobirama noticed I didn't need fire to cook this morning…
Digging around a bit, I see there's almost nothing left of what I had managed to save from Ayaka's chaos.Maybe it's time to face the outside and go shopping.
I go back to the bedroom. I open Rei's suitcases and retrieve some of the money carefully stored.
After taking what I need, I dress in a komon with a floral pattern.I tie my hair quickly, in a ponytail.
I check that the back garden door is properly closed. Then I go out.
The warm air hits me. It feels nice.Feels like the countryside… without the smell of manure.
It's refreshing.