Prologue

In the very heart of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, deep within the tenth floor, the Throne Room adorned with forty flags simmered with excitement.

Everyone there had formed ranks while silently bowing their heads toward the throne in a display of their loyalty.

Grotesques filled the rows. Needless to say, the floor guardians were also present. Other NPCs created by the Forty-One Supreme Beings and the minions who reported directly to the guardians were also in attendance. There were easily over two hundred total present at the first gathering this large since the day they had arrived in their current world.

One thing, however, was different from previous times. This wasn’t the usual lineup. The audience was packed to the brim with powerful beings—the average level in the room was over 80.

Shalltear, guardian of the first three floors of Nazarick, usually had her vampire brides at her side, but today she had summoned her most elite undead followers. Then there was Mare, one of the two guardians on the sixth floor, who was accompanied by a pair of dragons that had never left their posts until now. These dragons were almost level 90 and could only be obtained as a super-rare drop from loot boxes.

Even among the carefully selected minions, one group stood out.

In comparison to everyone else, this group of undead was more than slightly inferior. There were around a hundred of them, the highest level among them only 40, lined up alongside the other two hundred beings in the chamber.

The regular denizens formed rows facing the throne, but the out-of-place undead, which were the least impressive of those invited to this sacred place, were arranged in lines near the very front, right beside the guardians themselves. They stood shockingly close to the throne, indicating higher status.

It was unthinkably favorable treatment, but there was a good reason for this.

Those creatures had been created by the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown himself. It would be a mistake to neglect them.

All of those present were Ainz’s subordinates. They devoted themselves completely to the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, but at the same time, there was a clear hierarchy of superiors and inferiors. Naturally, NPCs personally created by the Forty-One Supreme Beings were at the very top. Among those, the guardians of each level stood highest.

After these NPCs, the next in rank were the auto-spawning monsters, plus those created by the Yggdrasil mercenary system—minions. To an extent, the standing of minions depended on their strength and their responsibilities, but the majority of them were lined up side by side with no differentiation.

So where did the undead created by Ainz fit in?

This question was a tricky one for Albedo, captain of the guardians. She wondered if they should be considered equal to the NPCs.

When she consulted Ainz, he broke into a smile and declared that the lowest position was fine.

Ainz’s undead creation ability could only be used a limited number of times per day, but it had no cost. The high-level minions that the guardians brought with them, however, had been created with gold coins or real cash through the game Yggdrasil’s mercenary system. If the undead minions died, they could be created for free, but if the high-level minions died, the money invested in them went up in smoke. In Ainz’s view, although they still required a corpse, the free monsters he created were clearly inferior to anything that cost money.

But his loyal subordinates did not share this view. Though moved to tears by their magnanimous master’s decision, Albedo was unable to accept it. In distress, she sidestepped the issue by making an exception and lining the minions up one behind the other.

Ainz looked down from the room’s highest point over the ranks that Albedo had racked her brains to organize and spoke quietly like an oracle. No, to all the beings under his influence, his words were nothing less than those of a god.

“First, I’d like to thank you for your extended service gathering intelligence, Sebas and Solution. Well done.” Ainz nodded in satisfaction when the pair below bowed deeply. But the hard part came next. Behaving like a king was too much for an ordinary person to handle; the pressure was staggering. Below him stood a sea of subordinates. Love and respect sparkled in their eyes.

The stomach Ainz didn’t even have began to ache while his equally nonexistent heart pounded.

But that only lasted a moment. The intense desire he felt to flee was forcibly dispelled by a particular characteristic of his undead body, which suppressed emotional fluctuations.

After finally concluding he could perform his role as ruler to satisfaction, Ainz started giving out orders.

“Both of you, come before me.”

The two who had been mentioned rose together. With such synchronized movements, anyone would think the event had been rehearsed. They climbed the stairs to the throne and halted before Albedo, who stood adjacent to Ainz.

They kneeled in unison.

“Raise your heads. In recognition of your excellent work, I’m going to reward you.” Ainz looked at Sebas. “Sebas, you begged for Tsuare’s life, but the reason I put her under my protection was to pay back a debt—it had nothing to do with your service. Therefore, I’ll grant you a wish. Now then, tell me what you’d like.”

Praising someone in public could rouse the onlookers to action. That was the general aim of giving the President’s Award out in front of the entire company. Subordinates motivated by rewards improved the overall efficiency of the organization. That was why Ainz had utilized his experience as a working adult and gathered so many of his people here—to create an opportunity to inspire that zeal.

But there was also an extremely dangerous side to this plan—because Ainz had to exude the charisma of a ruler in front of a massive amount of people. That was no easy feat for an ordinary person. Still, as the last player left in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it was a mission he needed to clear.

I have to live up to their devotion.

As Ainz steeled his will, Sebas’s mustache quivered.

“My wish is to devote myself completely to—”

These guys are insanely loyal. That’s why I’m under so much pressure…

“Good, but I’m rewarding you for a job well done. That’s something a ruler should do. Know that there are times when a follower’s lack of selfishness can displease their master.”

“My lord, I beg your pardon! In that case…” Sebas thought for several seconds and then spoke. “By way of your benevolence, I would like clothing and necessities for Tsuare, my ward.”

“…For clothes, I could take something out of my private collection, but…”

During his Yggdrasil days, since there wasn’t much chance of coming across limited edition items or player-made skins more than once, he always snapped up any appearance-related goods that caught his interest even a little bit with no hesitation. And it wasn’t just Ainz. All his friends tended to do the same. No, it was likely that any player would do the same thing.

Ainz’s guildmate, the man who created Shalltear—Peroroncino—called it The phenomenon of obtaining something even if you aren’t sure you’ll use it or not, just like you do with sexy pics. He continued, Well, most of the time you forget about it and it lies dormant in a folder somewhere, but…

And that was exactly what happened. Ainz had collected men’s and women’s gear alike, but most of it was in storage and had never been used. It was all going to waste fertilizing his wardrobe. Finding something to do with it would be much smarter.

Ainz considered all the garments he’d amassed. Clothes in Yggdrasil were often a bit gaudy, but he figured there had to be something perfect for Tsuare in there somewhere.

“No, you don’t have to do that. You’ve already been so kind to Tsuare. I think anything more would be too much.”

“I see… That’s fine, then. But clothes, huh…?”

For Ainz, who had never bought women’s clothing before, it was too difficult a job. What if I pick it and she thinks I have bad taste? His ratings among the female populace of Nazarick would probably plummet.

“Do you mind if I ask Narberal to do the shopping? It wouldn’t do to trouble the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.”

It wasn’t as if Sebas had read Ainz’s thoughts, but his offer came with perfect timing.

“Narberal, you don’t mind, do you?”

In response, one of the NPCs standing at attention below bowed deeply.

“That’s fine, then, Sebas. I’ll leave it up to Narberal. Or…” He grinned. His face didn’t move, of course, but he meant to be grinning. “You could accompany Tsuare as a date.”

He’d heard about the pair’s relationship from the head maid. Apparently, they hadn’t gotten physical yet, but Demiurge was also saying that it was only a matter of time.

Demiurge… Why was he mentioning it would be a good thing for Sebas and Tsuare to have sex? Well, he was probably just celebrating that his colleague got a girlfriend. In that sense, when you think about it, they’re getting along pretty well after all. Things were a bit tense in the kingdom, but maybe it was just due to the circumstances…? Well, I’m somewhat relieved. Their creators were always fighting, but I never got too involved…

The root of Touch Me and Ulbert’s quarrel lay outside Yggdrasil, which was to say in the real world: Ulbert was jealous.

The trouble started after that one fight… That must have triggered it all…

Realizing that now, Ainz felt like he was gazing out over a desert wasteland, but at the sound of Sebas’s somewhat surprised voice, he cleared those thoughts from his mind.

“Th-that’s all right with you, my lord? If so, then I’d like to take Tsuare shopping.”

I’m not the type to pick on a happy couple just because I’m single.

With the silly thought of putting on the jealousy mask and tailing them if they went on a date in E-Rantel, he said, “I don’t mind,” and gestured with his chin at the other person bowed before him. “Then, Solution, tell me your wish.”

“I would love a few humans—live ones, if it’s not too much trouble. Nothing would delight me more than if they were also pure.”

Ainz thought of the humans they had captured. Most of those still alive were members of the Eight Fingers—in other words, people who had caused him some displeasure. He’d received a report that the ones who seemed useful had been tortured until their spirits were broken. The only others were exceptions under the protection of a pair who were currently in disciplinary confinement.

I can’t use those. Pestonia and Nigredo went so far as to defy my word to protect them.

“Okay. I’ll give you a few live humans. Just not pure ones. Forgive me for being unable to fulfill all your requests.”

“Nonsense! It was not my place to request purity! I am overjoyed to receive live ones!”

In response to Solution’s deep bow, Ainz nodded in a manner he thought appropriate for a ruler.

“…I see. Then thank you. Very well, the two of you are dismissed. Entoma, come to me.”

Entoma traded places with the other two and kneeled.

“Now then, Entoma.”

“MY LORD.”

Her voice was difficult to understand and Ainz winced. “So your voice hasn’t returned to normal yet.”

The Lip Bug Entoma equipped wasn’t a monster that auto-spawned in Nazarick, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any. If she used one of the several in her room that had been summoned with Yggdrasil coins, she could go back to her base voice at any time. There was only one reason she wouldn’t—a grudge.

“IS IT GRATING TO YOUR EARS? I’LL GO PUT ON MY VOICE IMMEDIATELY.”

“No, not at all. I don’t have anything against this voice, you know.”

“THANK YOU!!”

“You worked hard enough to find yourself in this state but not quite enough to warrant a reward. I cannot grant you as much as I did the other two, but is there something you would like?”

Ainz felt that giving out rewards left and right indicated indiscretion, not generosity. A surplus of anything decreased its value.

In that sense, according to Ainz’s standards, Entoma’s efforts were insufficient for a bonus. Still, sending her away with nothing after she sustained such a serious injury would be unkind.

What’s that thing called? A Purple Heart? I don’t know much about army stuff. If he were here, he could tell me all about it…

Ainz recalled a guild member who was a military otaku.

“THEN…LORD AINZ, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO KILL THAT LITTLE GIRL. I WANT TO STEAL HER VOICE.”

Realizing she meant the mysterious girl with the mask, Evileye, Ainz granted his permission. “Very well. I’ll let you know. You’re dismissed, Entoma.” He watched her return to her previous position. “Okay, moving on…”

Naturally, there were no objections. But Ainz couldn’t necessarily be happy about that.

It was quiet because these were people who regarded him as an absolute, who believed that a single word from him could turn white into black. The silence in no way implied he was doing the right thing.

I should probably establish an inspection agency and a bunch of others…

First, he wanted to create a position that would be in charge of conferring honors. The problem was that the NPCs and minions thought devoting themselves to Ainz was only natural, and like Sebas, all of them considered uncompensated service the norm. Another issue was that since the standards of assessment were vague, Ainz was simply deciding performance based on his own values.

If we want to do these things on a bureaucratic level, they’ll need to clarified… I suppose this is what I get for heaping all the management of the organization onto Albedo and running away. But this is too much for one ordinary person to handle. I can barely use any of my life experience…

Satoru Suzuki, who had always been on the receiving end of work honors, felt like he could truly sympathize with the pain of people who had to hand them out, then frantically suppressed the thought. He could think over things when he was rolling around alone on the pleasant-smelling bed back in his room.

“We’re going to decide on a plan for Nazarick. Demiurge, to me.”

The wisest being in Nazarick ascended the stairs and stood across from Albedo.

“Captain of the guardians, Albedo. Most wise, Demiurge. I believe our original plans are mostly accomplished. I would like to hear your thoughts on what Nazarick’s course should be going forward. I also permit anyone else with suggestions to raise their hand.”

Ainz’s highest priority was the continued existence of Nazarick. No, in the worst case, it would be fine to lose the location as long as he could ensure the safety of his guildmates’ children—the NPCs. With their evacuation shelter set up and various other preparations, it would probably be okay.

His second-highest priority was to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown throughout the world. The reasoning was based on the optimistic idea that if any of his fellow guild members caught wind of it, they would come to him. He wondered if it would be all right to put this item farther down the list.

The third-highest priority was fortifying Nazarick. Ainz had a feeling that this one should actually be at the top.

It was true that based on his observations, he had gotten the sense that Ainz Ooal Gown was the most powerful organization in a world where the Great Tomb of Nazarick was a mighty, impregnable fortress. Still, the enemy who had mind controlled Shalltear was out there. Even if they were only able to accomplish that with a World Item, it was dangerous to get complacent. And if World Items existed, it wouldn’t be a bad move for Nazarick to conduct itself as if other guilds existed. That was precisely why he felt the distinct need to strengthen their home base.

At the moment, they were in the process of incorporating lizardmen into their organization, while Ainz was continuously creating more undead, but he also thought their efforts needed to be more earnest.

Priority number four was collecting information. It was previously seen as the most important but had been downgraded since they had accomplished it to some degree.

That was the order of operations Ainz had in mind, but in the end, it was an ordinary person’s take on things. His plan wasn’t based on properly analyzed data, so there could have been holes in it.

That was why Ainz wanted to borrow the wisdom of this pair of intelligent guardians. But if all he wanted was a consultation, he could have summoned just the two of them. Considering how dangerous it would be if they discovered how average Ainz truly was on the inside, it probably wasn’t ideal to have the discussion in the current setting.

But actually, that wasn’t true.

In fact, he needed to do things this way in order to fulfill his role of master in the manner that the NPCs imagined (although he felt their notions were already in the realm of fantasy). In other words, he needed to be an absolute, unimaginably powerful sage.

“Both of you, speak clearly so everyone can hear. Those present are elites you guardians personally selected. They should all listen to every word of our plan going forward with their own ears.”

Yes. This was Ainz’s desperate move—a larger scale version of his “explain it to all the guardians” tactic. It was his strategy to have everything spelled out for him while pretending he already understood under the pretense that someone else did not know yet or that he was requesting a simple explanation everyone could understand.

“Okay, Demiurge. Since some of those present are not aware of all the details, please give a simple rundown about the current situation and what we’ve done to the kingdom.”

“Understood.”

Demiurge addressed the NPCs at the bottom of the stairs.

I’ve been wanting to hear this. Of course, during the latest operation, Ainz had been convinced that the wise Demiurge couldn’t possibly be doing anything wrong, but when he really thought about it, he felt like things might be going further than was absolutely necessary.

“Firstly, the highest echelons of the kingdom’s underworld are now under our control, thanks to the efforts of Mare, Neuronist, and the Prince of Fear. If we continue to gradually infiltrate, we should be able to conquer it completely.”

“…Nn?” Ainz made a small noise. The question of why they were conquering the kingdom’s underworld had escaped his lips. He felt like the brief explanation he’d been given before differed somehow. I guess having a permanent source of cash or easier access to information would be valid reasons?

As he was thinking that, Demiurge, who had closed his mouth, whirled around to look right at him. Thankful his body couldn’t sweat, Ainz asked, “What is it, Demiurge?”

“Oh, I just thought I heard you say something, Lord Ainz.”

“Ah, sorry. I meant to murmur my agreement, but I guess it was unclear. Now, go on. Tell everyone the purpose of conquering the kingdom’s underworld.”

“Yes, sir. Well, everyone, ruling the kingdom’s underworld can be considered a foothold toward Lord Ainz’s primary goal of world domination. I assume no one here is so feebleminded that they fail to grasp this.”

All the faces Ainz looked down upon shone with comprehension. It didn’t seem like there was a single person left in the dark.

Ainz was the only one who didn’t understand.

“World domination?”

What are you talking about? How long have you all been laboring under that assumption?…were all things he obviously couldn’t ask.

Ainz felt the gears of his brain spin faster than they ever had in his entire life as he considered various angles for a few moments.

This is utterly strange. I don’t get it. How did this happen? Originally, he had wanted to work quietly to build a reputation without going around making enemies and hopefully contact any of his guildmates who may or may not have been in this world. That was his small, precious wish.

But now—

World domination?! Where the hell did that come from?!

He wanted to deny it, but he didn’t have the courage to speak up.

Each and every minion, not to mention the NPCs, had a satisfied expression that seemed to say naturally, as if they were being told something they already knew. One glance was enough to tell that this was a fact that had long passed into common knowledge among everyone assembled. It was like a dry, lonely wind was whistling past the area around the throne.

Ainz Ooal Gown was the absolute ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and a Supreme Being. That’s how his image had been built up, so what would happen now if he destroyed it?

He would be like a pop star exposed by the paparazzi. A celebrity whose fans and profits dwindled would wind up in a sorry state, but he had the feeling his own fate would be far more tragic.

It seems like we’ve poured too many assets into this to pull back now…

Actually, when he took a moment to think about it, world domination didn’t sound so bad.

Of course, it wouldn’t be as simple as a video game, but because an ordinary person like Ainz found it so absurd, it likely wasn’t concrete enough for him to wrap his head around. But he did realize it would be the perfect way to reach his goal of gaining a reputation—even if it was a bad one.

The only problem would be the opinions of his guildmates if they found out. He would just have to apologize honestly for not being able to control Nazarick.

There’s that unknown enemy who brainwashed Shalltear. Maybe I can use that as an excuse… They would forgive me…right?

Having made up his mind, Ainz nodded benevolently at Demiurge, who looked like he was hoping for praise.

“Oh, you remembered?”

“Of course, Lord Ainz. I could never forget a single word you’ve said.”

“I see… So that conversation from back then…”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“…It was that conversation, right…?”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“So it was that time…… Well, I’m glad, Demiurge.”

“Thank you.”

“But you know, world domination is a difficult thing.”

“It certainly is.”

“So…how do you think we should go about it?”

Pretty impressive how my voice isn’t shaking, if I do say so myself.

“I suggest we set world domination as our guiding principle going forward. It is my belief that Nazarick should act openly. With the ones who mind controlled Shalltear currently operating in secret, it could be problematic for us to remain lurking in the shadows.”

“I see…”

Really? Lurking in the shadows seemed safer. Ainz had no clue how Demiurge had arrived at his conclusion.

“I agree, Lord Ainz. If we get the organization out in the open, then we can deal with issues openly as well. We wouldn’t be limited to dispatching handfuls of agents or needing to creep around for investigations anymore.”

Hearing Albedo’s explanation, Ainz finally understood. Oh, I see.

It was tempting to go from these painstaking operations to simply doing whatever they wanted.

“So we rule the kingdom from behind the scenes, forcing them to acknowledge Nazarick. But I won’t stand for this place you rule to be counted as part of the domain of some country, so…”

Demiurge shook his head in response to Albedo’s concern. “Of course you wouldn’t, Albedo. Neither would I. Besides, I have analyzed and considered the data we collected, and there is practically nothing appealing about the kingdom, with the exception of one person. It’s the same for the other countries. I think serving another state would be a foolish plan.”

“Why is that?”

“Serving another state would hold us back in some ways. If the ones who mind controlled Shalltear hailed from some organization while we had been serving some state, we might not have been able to act in time. Therefore, Lord Ainz…” Demiurge fixed his eyes on Ainz and solemnly made his suggestion. “…I propose we establish a country called the Great Tomb of Nazarick.”