Ainz stood before the full-length mirror he had pulled from his inventory, examining his skeletal reflection with an unreadable expression. His bony fingers flexed, then hovered over the [Ring of Shooting Star], its three daily charges of [Wish] still unused.
"If I were human…" The thought had plagued him more and more lately. With a slow exhale (a habit, despite lacking lungs), he focused his will and activated the ring. "I wish… to become mortal."
A surge of warmth flooded through him—unfamiliar, overwhelming. His bones tingled, then itched as flesh wove itself over them. Muscle, sinew, skin—pale as bleached parchment, stretched taut over his frame. His hands trembled as he turned them over, marveling at the softness of his palms.
The mirror reflected a man—tall, slender, his features sharp yet undeniably alive. His eyes remained unsettling—black sclera with crimson irises, the only remnant of his undead nature.
He swallowed.
"I have a throat now."
A pulse thrummed in his chest. A heartbeat.
"Shit."
Nemu was at a friend's house. But Enri was home.
"Enri?" he called, his voice—still deep, but now textured with breath and warmth—echoed through the small house.
"Yeah?" Her footsteps approached, then stopped dead in the doorway.
Ainz turned.
Enri's mouth fell open. Her eyes widened, tracing the contours of his face, his human form.
Silence stretched between them.
Ainz could feel his cheeks heating. His emotions—usually dulled by his undead nature—flooded him in a dizzying rush. Anxiety. Embarrassment. Longing. "…What do you think?" he asked, voice unsteady.
Enri stepped forward, her gaze intense. "You're…" She reached out, fingers brushing his cheek. "So pale."
Ainz huffed. "I was a skeleton five minutes ago."
Her thumb traced his jawline, her expression shifting into something between fascination and… jealousy?
"Why is your skin so soft?" she grumbled.
"I don't work in the fields like you do?" he muttered.
Her fingers lingered, her breath warm against his face.
'Was she always this beautiful? Damn it.'
His heart hammered so hard he feared it might burst. He should turn back—use another [Wish] to undo this. But the spell had a duration. And right now, with her this close…
'I don't want to.'
Enri kept talking, but Ainz wasn't listening. His back hit the couch—the plush one he'd conjured last week—as she stepped closer, her knees bracketing his thighs.
'Shit. Shit. I'm a virgin. I'm a thirty-year-old virgin skeleton who's now a human and—'
She sat on his lap. His hands flew to her waist on instinct, gripping tight. Enri's face burned crimson. "…This okay?"
Ainz's mouth was dry. "Y-Yeah."
Then she kissed him. It was clumsy. Their noses bumped. Teeth clacked. But the moment their lips met, something in Ainz's chest ignited. He almost pulled away—this is too much, too fast—but then her fingers tangled in his hair, and all coherent thought evaporated.
The second kiss was better.
The third was devouring.
Somehow, they ended up in the bedroom.
******
When Nemu returned home, Enri was at the stove, her hair disheveled, her face still flushed.
"You okay?" Nemu asked, tilting her head.
"Fine!" Enri squeaked, stirring the pot with unnecessary force.
Ainz sat at the table, back in his skeletal form, calmly reading a Japanese light novel from his inventory.
Nemu, blissfully innocent, plopped down beside him. "What're you reading?"
"Nothing important," Ainz said smoothly, turning a page.
Enri shot him a look.
His eye flames flickered with smug satisfaction. Nemu shrugged and dug into her meal, none the wiser.
Ainz exhaled (pointlessly, as always). '…Worth it.'
******
Enri woke to the weight of a skeletal arm draped over her waist. Ainz didn't sleep, but he'd taken to lying beside her at night, his bony fingers tracing idle patterns on her skin.
"You're staring," she murmured, blinking up at him.
"I don't have eyelids. I'm always staring."
She laughed, rolling over to press a kiss to his clavicle. "Creep."
His arms tightened around her.
******
After the attack, Nemu refused to sleep alone. Ainz, despite his terrifying appearance, became her preferred bedtime storyteller.
"And then the evil lich—"
"Ainz, no horror stories!" Enri called from the kitchen.
"Fine." He sighed. "Once upon a time, there was a very nice skeleton who didn't curse anyone… today."
Nemu giggled, snuggling under the covers. "You're bad at this."
"I'm undead. Not a bard."
******
"Okay, focus," Ainz intoned as Nemu squinted at a pebble. "Channel your—no, not like— [Telekinesis] is not a throwing motion—"
The pebble bonked him square in the forehead. Enri nearly choked laughing.
"She's your sister," Ainz grumbled, rubbing his skull.
******
A passing adventurer flirted with Enri. That night, every piece of his equipment mysteriously turned pink.
"Was that necessary?" Enri asked, hiding a smile.
"Yes." Ainz sipped imaginary tea. "Science demanded it."
******
Ainz presented Nemu with a tiny, undead rabbit that followed her everywhere.
"It's adorable," Enri whispered.
"It can also disembowel intruders," he said proudly.
Nemu named it Mr. Flops.
******
"I can't give you children," Ainz said abruptly one night. "Or aging. Or—"
Enri silenced him with a kiss. "I didn't fall for you because I wanted normal."
His grip on her hand was answer enough.
******
"That skeleton's courting our Enri!" the elders whispered.
Ainz responded by carrying her bridal-style through the middle of the village.
"...Point taken," muttered the chief.
******
The wagon was packed full of Carne Village's finest produce—crates of fresh vegetables, jars of milk, baskets of eggs—all carefully secured for the two-day trip to E-Rantel. Enri adjusted the reins in her hands, glancing at the masked figure seated beside her.
Ainz had concealed his skeletal form beneath a heavy black robe, his face hidden behind a polished white mask, his hands gloved in dark gauntlets. To any passerby, he would look like nothing more than a tall, mysterious traveler.
"You really don't have to come," Enri said, though she couldn't hide the relief in her voice.
"I do," Ainz replied simply. "Bandits. Monsters. Or worse—bureaucrats."
She laughed, flicking the reins. The wagon rolled forward, pulled by two sturdy farm horses—Ainz had insisted on using living ones, since skeletal steeds might raise too many questions.
The road to E-Rantel was peaceful, if long. They passed fields of golden wheat, dense stretches of forest, and the occasional merchant caravan. Ainz remained alert, his crimson gaze scanning the horizon even through the mask.
As evening fell, Enri's head began to droop. "Sleep," Ainz murmured. "I'll keep watch."
She hesitated, but exhaustion won out. She shifted closer, resting her head against his shoulder. Within minutes, her breathing steadied into the slow rhythm of sleep.
Ainz carefully adjusted his grip on the reins, one arm wrapping around her to keep her steady. He didn't tire. He didn't need rest. So he rode through the night, the stars above their only witness.
The city's towering walls came into view by midday. The guards at the gate gave them only a cursory glance—just another pair of farmers bringing goods to sell.
The market was bustling. Enri haggled with merchants, her voice firm but cheerful, while Ainz lingered nearby, a silent sentinel. More than once, a would-be swindler took one look at the looming masked figure beside her and suddenly found their prices very negotiable.
By sunset, the wagon was empty, their coin pouch full.
"Success," Enri declared, grinning.
Ainz gave a small nod. "We should find an inn."
"No need," she said. "Let's head back. I'd rather sleep under the stars with you than in some stuffy city bed."
His grip on her hand tightened briefly. "...As you wish."
They set up camp a few hours outside the city, in a small clearing by a brook. Ainz could have conjured a lavish shelter with magic, but there was something… pleasant about the simplicity of it. The crackling fire. The scent of earth and woodsmoke. The way Enri's face glowed in the firelight as she ate.
After their meal, she leaned against him, her fingers tracing the edge of his mask.
"You don't have to hide right now," she whispered.
Ainz hesitated—then activated the [Ring of Shooting Star]. Flesh wove over bone. Warmth flooded his veins.
Enri's breath hitched as she cupped his now-human face in her hands. "Every time… you take my breath away."
He didn't trust his voice, so he answered with a kiss instead.
The fire burned low. The night deepened. And for a few precious hours, they were just two lovers beneath the stars.
By dawn, the spell had faded. But when Enri woke, still wrapped in his skeletal embrace, she found his cloak draped over her like a second blanket.
The village came into view by midday. Nemu came sprinting from the fields, Mr. Flops hopping after her.
"You're back!" she cheered, latching onto Enri's leg.
"Miss us?" Enri laughed, ruffling her hair.
Nemu turned to Ainz. "Did you bring me anything?"
Ainz reached into his robe and produced a small wooden knight figurine from E-Rantel's market. "For not burning down the village while we were gone."
Nemu beamed. "I almost did, though!"
Enri groaned. Ainz's eye lights flickered with amusement.
Life, as it turned out, was good.