13 Lord "Dark Warrior"

Two days have gone by with Shuten Dōji standing guard on the surface of Nazarick, watching over the others Npc's and Minions, as they work tirelessly to cover up Nazarick.

Of course, they didn't just start working on it immediately, but first, they made plans and preparations for their work.

Not only how they would cover the walls, but also how to pile up hills in the surroundings and let greenery again cover the then piled-up dirt.

They needed to check what materials were necessary for their work, which Minions would be able to help in the work, and who among the Npc's besides the three already working on it, could be helpful.

In the end, it took them a long time to assemble everything they needed before they could finally start their work.

Meanwhile, Shuten Dōji had always stayed atop the central Mausoleum, Shiro had made it a regular habit of hers to bring him food at least once a day.

Shuten Dōji didn't really need the food, as he like most of the Npc's had an item granting him immunity to things like hunger or tiredness, but this didn't mean that he couldn't eat.

And so he enjoyed these occasions very much, especially since the food served to him was made by the head chef of Nazarick's kitchen, Shihotsu Tokitsu.

It was the best thing he had ever eaten, nothing in his previous life as a human could come even remotely close to his masterful cuisine.

The night had already fallen again over the surface of Nazarick, with Dōji watching the Night Sky in silence.

His focus, as soon as the night fell, always went to the moon, it would soothe and heal his heart and soul.

The wounds in his soul and heart, which he felt from being left behind by his Creators, even as he knew what they truly were and even as he knew what he was before becoming what he was today, still plagued him.

He remembered how the first of the three of his Creators, Lord Touch-me had visited him, to give him his mount, which lived in the skies of the 9th Floor, the dark Shenlong Purgatory Bane.

How he wanted to speak up, how he fought against his program, the very system of Yggdrasil in utter desperation only to finally fail miserably.

Then it repeated itself again when Ulbert Alain Odle came and gave him his sword, Purgatory's Wrath.

Both times he could do nothing to change it, his mind nearly broke in the time afterward as he spent his time in loneliness after Lord Momonga deactivated the Nightwalk.

"I have truly become an Npc... haven't I?"

He had once thought about people he wanted to save, but did this still matter to him? No not at all.

He didn't even remember one of the plans to save them, most of the people outside of Nazarick had become shadows at the back of his mind.

"Will I become a true Wild Beast? Like Lord Ulbert had called me?"

He asked himself while gazing at the moon, which seemed so close, yet so far away.

But as he gazed at it, he denied it, "No... I may become a monster for all beings Living on this planet... I may become a Demon in the hearts of Humans, Elves, and other races who wander this world... But at the end I will always be the Gloor Guardian of the 9th Floor of Nazarick, won't I?"

He knew his purpose, as he gazed at the moon, "My job as the strongest Guardian, is to destroy all who harm Nazarick, to annihilate its enemies, and to always stay loyal to the last remaining of my Creators..."

Just as he finished those words, he felt a new lifeform arriving inside the Mausoleum below him out of thin air.

There was only one being able to display such a feat in the whole of Nazarick and the response he got through his senses, confirmed his conjecture.

"Lord Momonga... oh right, such a thing happened..." Suddenly he remembered something from long ago and realized why he had come here.

A wry smile appeared on his face, "Lord Momonga... I hope you can find your resolve soon... it shouldn't be long anymore before you will change your name, right?"

He spoke to himself, then took a sip from his Guardbottle, standing up and stretching a little, he disappeared atop the Mausoleum.

The next moment he stood at the entrance of the Mausoleum, slowly walking inside, he found three creatures on the 7th Floor.

He knew them all, they were subordinates of Demiurge and regularly stationed as guards to his domicile.

Evil Lord Envy, a female-looking Demon, dressed in a tight-fitting bandage outfit and a crow head.

Evil Lord Greed, a monster whom some might mistake for a beautiful young man, dressed in a full-plate Armor with an open chest, proudly revealing his abdominal muscles.

The two Horns protruding from his forehead and the black wings on his back revealed his identity as a Demon.

The last was the Evil Lord Wrath, he had the appearance of a fearsome Demon, with fangs growing from his mouth and his body covered in scales.

He had stout arms with fierce claws, flaming wings on his back, and a snake-like tail.

'These three were here, which meant that Demiurge isn't far away either...' Dōji thought, and then his gaze landed on the last unknown person, who just come walking up the steps.

Wearing a pitch black full plate armor adorned with gold and purple markings was of course none other than the great Ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

The moment he caught a glimpse of Shuten Dōji, Momonga in his Dark Warrior outfit stopped in his tracks.

He had made Shuten Dōji together with Touch-me and Ulbert Alain Odle, so he knew pretty much everything about him.

Probably even better than the other two, as he made the final adjustments on him and the two could never get on the same line whenever they played together.

The two were like fire and water, while Momonga had felt very tired working with the two on Shuten Dōji, the result of their efforts spoke for itself.

He knew that Shuten Dōji, even in this armor could discover his identity without any problem at all, which meant that his disguise was worth nothing in front of this person.

'Ahh, what do I do now? I just want to get a pause... a little fresh air and have a look...'

At this moment of hesitation, another person came into his view, one he didn't expect to meet here at all.

'Why are these two here anyway?' He asked himself, as he realized that no matter what, he was already discovered.

The person appearing beside Shuten Dōji was of course Demiurge, he came over and originally wanted to greet Shuten Dōji, but upon feeling the presence of another being, he as well as Shuten Dōji beside him knelt on one knee on the ground, with one hand held to their chests.

The three Evil Lord's followed their actions and knelt down as well.

No one spoke and Momonga stood there without moving at all.

'Should I just pretend I didn't see them?' This thought came to his mind as he gazed at the people kneeling in front of him.

But he didn't have time to make a decision, as a voice called out to him.

"Lord Momonga, although I do not know why you are wearing this outfit, please permit me to ask where your honor guard is?"

The person addressing him even by name, was Shuten Dōji. Hearing his words, Momonga knew that he had no choice but to explain himself, thinking of a way to cover up his runaway accident, he finally spoke.

"Shuten Dōji, please address me as Dark Warrior."

"Then why have you come and why without your Guards, Lord Dark Warrior?" Shuten Dōji immediately got back to the topic, while still addressing him with Lord.

"I am here to inspect how the covering of Nazarick has progressed, as for why I wear this armor and why I left my Guards behind, you two should be able to figure it out yourself."

Demiurge and Shuten Doji looked at each other before shaking their head simultaneously, then they looked back at their liege-lord while remaining silent.

Lord Momonga decided to continue on, thinking that the two were lost in their thoughts.

But before he could take two steps, Shuten Dōji spoke again, "Lord Dark Warrior, please allow Demiurge to accompany you as Guard."

Demiurge even turned his head towards Shuten Dōji in disbelief.

"We simply can't allow you to go on without any Guards, we could never forgive ourselves if something happens to you. So please indulge your humble servant's foolish request." Shuten Dōji bowed his head even lower.

Before Momonga could answer, Demiurge spoke up, "Lord Dark Warrior, please allow this foolish servant to speak."

Momonga nodded at Demiurge, signaling for him to continue, "Lord Dark Warrior, if something happens to you, we, your servants, could never forgive ourselves. Shuten Dōji has been assigned the work to guard the surface and safety in case an ambush occurs while the people working outside have spent their Mana."

"So please allow this humble and foolish servant to accompany you. We simply can't risk anything happening to you." Demiurge also lowered his head further down, like Shuten Dōji was still doing.

'So this is the reason... a very good idea, Shuten Dōji would be able to feel an ambush happening the moment it started and with his abilities, healthpool, and resistances, there should be no problem with covering the retreat of the people and draw out a fight for a long time...'

He was really surprised by such a cautious but reasonable approach.

'They worry something might happen to me...' In the end, he was just indulging his own desires, while the Guardians were working hard for him and Nazarick.

It made him feel guilty, so in the end, he agreed, "Fine, but I will only allow Demiurge to follow me."

"Thank you, Lord Dark Warrior!" Shuten Dōji and Demiurge thanked Momonga at the same time.

The two then stood up and Demiurge went with Momonga to the outside, while Shuten Dōji was left behind.

"I would want to go as well, but I can't fly after all...", Dōji mumbled to himself.

Dōji was the strongest Guardian for a reason, not only because of his ridiculous stats but also because his whole build was made for combat.

He didn't even have a single base job class and all his high job classes were basically derived from his base Racial Class.

This in itself made him an insane melee fighter since most of them were focused on it.

But... he didn't have a single ability to grant him the ability to fly, which was why he recommended Demiurge, knowing full well what his Lord planned to see.

Just as he stood there still mumbling to himself, a set of soft footsteps started to reach his ears and his senses picked up a very familiar aura.

"Oh... shouldn't you be outside on Guard and watching over the workers and the Creations of the Supreme Beings?"

A soft and sweet voice reached his ears, one he was very familiar with. He turned around and nonchalantly greeted the person coming up the stairs before he explained himself.

"Yo Albedo, I was here to meet Lord Dark Warrior, together with Demiurge." there was a thick sly smirk on his face as he spoke.

Somehow Albedo had a feeling of being played with, she narrowed her eyes sharply, "I have never heard of any such vassal among the denizens of Nazarick. And who among the Denizens of Nazarick could make you, the strongest Floor Guardian, address them in such a respectful way? And also needs Demiurge to accompany him?"

Her eyes narrowed further and further, she had already had a conversation with this person and four-eyes once and she felt after it that she didn't even realize how he had led her to simply only think about his speculation concerning their new given freedom.

She clearly had a strong desire to see if this guy was truly worthy of her beautiful little sister, but she couldn't gain a hand over him as he seemed to know exactly what made her release her guard in a conversation.

And the sly smirk he was currently giving her made her really irritated.

Raising his hands in a way of saying he was defeated as he let out a chuckle, Dōji explained himself, "Who else could I address as Lord, other than Lord Momonga?"

Albedo's wings fluttered a little behind her back and her eyes widened for a second as he continued.

"Though I do not know why he did so, Lord Momonga seemed to have chosen to inspect the work on covering Nazarick in a full-plate Armor and told us to address him as "Dark Warrior"."

There was a northern pause in his words, "He had left his guards behind for the inspection, so I and Demiurge asked for Demiurge to be allowed to follow him."

Albedo immediately understood the ins and outs, especially why Demiurge wasn't here.

"Oh so Lord Momonga is here! Ah, I need to take a bath fast, I can't let him see me in such a filthy state!" Albedo's whole air changed immediately, she was now full-on in the *I love Momonga* mode.

She calling herself filthy in itself was laughable, probably no matter what she wore, she would be beautiful and the only thing that was a bit dirty was her dress at the height of her knees.

Albedo started to mumble to herself, "Where is the closest bath? It should be in Shalltear's room. But I need to be careful so that she doesn't catch on to what's going on."

This woman was truly gone beyond reason.

Dōji shook his head, "Albedo, you shouldn't do that. I think it would be better to go as you are."

Albedo, who was just mumbling to herself immediately turned her head and glared at Dōji with a gaze that would kill people if it could.

"Are you asking me to present myself in front of Lord Momonga in such a filthy state?!"

Her voice was filled with hostility, clearly displaying her attitude to such an idea.

Dōji didn't mind much and continued, "Isn't it better to show him how hard you work for him? Also if you take too long, maybe he will already be back down in his chambers when you come back..."

Albedo stiffened, then she frowned, although she wanted to deny the words Dōji had spoken, she couldn't.

And it would be truly a shame if she missed this opportunity to meet with her Lord, 'It has been so long since I last saw him, 18 hours are simply too much...'

"Your words have some truth to them..." In the end, she accepted and just as she wanted to continue on, a voice came from someone running inside.

"Dear, why aren't you on the roof? I brought your food." The voice was seductive and lovely, this time it was Dōji who stiffened up.

Not because of the voice, but because the woman who was just about to leave him alone was now narrowing her eyes at him as if to ask, 'Is it true? Using an area Guardian as your food deliverer?'

Dōji didn't know what to say or do at all now, he hadn't used her as such at all but she did it on her own, but would this woman believe him? probably not...

The woman who had shouted from the entrance soon came into view, she wasn't wearing her Cheongasm anymore, but a black traditional Yukata.

It had silver ornaments and the snow-white sashi around her waist had white ornaments covering it.

Her 9 fluffy long white tails were dancing behind her, showing her cheerful mood, which was only enhanced by the beautiful smile she was showing.

In her hands, she held a plate that was wide enough to fit enough food for several households, though the food couldn't be seen as it was covered with a lid.

Dōji turned away from Albedo and turned to Shiro who came running at him, "Ah thank you, Shiro."

Shiro's smile brightened even more, that was until suddenly a surprised expression appeared on her face upon seeing the person behind Dōji.

"Ah?! Albedo?" she was a bit surprised, as she didn't expect to find the Guardian Overseer here.

Albedo's eyes narrowed before she gave a kind smile and asked with a voice that seemed friendly but was just a facade, "Oh, is this how you greet me?"

A shiver went through Shiro's body, "Ah no of course not! Greetings Lady Albedo." she nearly bowed her upper in a 90° manner after pressing the plate hurridl into Dōji's hands.

Albedo nodded in satisfaction, afterwards she narrowed her eyes at Dōji, "I think we should continue this conversation later on, I need to go now and meet Lord Momon... Ah no Lord Dark Warrior."

She then walked towards the exit and the three Evil Lord's who were still kneeling until now, followed after her.

They were just glad not to be targeted by the ire of either Dōji or Albedo.

Shaking his head a little, Dōji addressed the still-bowing Shiro, "You can straighten up, she is gone."

He then sat down at the side and placed the plate in front of him.

"Lady Albeo is so scary..." Shiro still shuddered a little after coming back to her senses, she sat herself beside Dōji and accompanied him, while he was feasting on the delicious cuisine of Nazarick.

.

.

.

In the skies far above the surface of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Momomga in his pitch-black armor floated.

He had cast his helmet aside, revealing his bare white Skull.

Behind him a couple of meters away, was Demiurge, who had changed rather massively. His face and head resembled that of a toad right now and behind his back were two tentacle-like black wings spread out.

Momomga was gazing at the endless night sky filled with countless stars and the world below, which seemed both so beautiful.

It was so different from the world he had lived in as a human, which was a basically destroyed world through human technology and war.

The night sky couldn't even be seen anymore, because of fog and people lived in domes, because of the hostile environment.

And now in this new world, there was neither of these problems.

Stretching his hand at the sky and making a fist as if to capture the stars inside of it, Momonga mused to himself.

"Such a beautiful box of jewels..."

"... maybe they exist to be captured for me..."

"... no..."

"... they should adorn my friends' memories..."

"...they should become the possession of Ainz Ooa Gown and I shall adorn my friends these beautiful jewels..."

"... World Domination..."

"...ruling the world, doesn't sound so bad..."

If he could see the expression the person behind him made while listening to his musings, which were never meant anywhere near serious, then he would have probably explained it to him...

...but he didn't.

Momonga took his focus away from the world and gazed at the ground below where he could see Mare working hard to complete the cover of Nazarick.

"Demiurge, what do you think would be a good reward for Mare, for his hard work?"

"Ah my Lord, I feel like talking with him would be a reward he would be most delighted about."

Suddenly gazing somewhere, Demiurge continued, "My Lord, may I..."

Before he could finish, Momonga waved his hand at him, "It's fine, go ahead."

Demiurge bowed before flying away, while Momonga started to descend, putting his helmet back on at the same time.

Slowly floating down towards the top of the walls surrounding Nazarick, he landed not far behind a small dark Elf boy who wore the clothes a girl should wear.

The boy realized that something landed behind him and turned around, different from what Momonga thought before, all Npc's and Minions could discern his identity.

This lay in a very simple function that probably came from the program of the Game Yggdrasil.

All Npc's and Minions used a certain automatic signal to discern the identity of the other Npc's and Minions.

They would give small signals as Minions and stronger signals if they were Npc's, as for the Supreme Beings like Momonga, they were like the bright sun in the perception.

In this way, Mare also knew his identity immediately, "Eh...Ah... L...Lord Momonga."

Momonga saw Mare who was as cowardly and nervous as always, but worked very hard to fulfill his orders, 'I need to reward him... but how?'

Just as Mare was about to kneel before him, Momonga interrupted him, grabbing his arm and holding him up.

"No need Mare, I am here to commend you for your hard work."

Mare was stunned for a moment, then he shook his head vigorously, "Th..there is no need Lord Momonga, w..we Guardians exist to serve the Supreme Beings."

Momonga shook his head, "Mare, you were all made by my precious friends. You are their creation. And your work right now is very important for Nazarick, so it is only natural for me to commend you."

Although Mare was very happy in his heart, he was also very frightened, in his opinion no matter what they existed only to serve the Supreme Beings, so it was only natural to work themselves to death and ground their bones to dust as they did so.

But Momonga's following words and actions were even more shocking to him.

"Let me reward you for your hard work." Momonga took something out of his inventory and held it towards Mare.

What Mare saw in Momonga's open hand was a silver wrought ring with an amethyst embedded in the center of it. The symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown was imprinted on the amethyst in black.

"Th...this is the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown!!!" Mare was shocked and wide-eyed.

He didn't dare to take it, but at Momonga's insistence, he in the end took it and wore it on his right ring finger.

"But Lord Momonga why are you here in such an outfit?" curiosity sounded in Mare's words.

Just as Momonga frantically thought, 'How do I get out of this? I can't simply tell I wanted to run away? This would shatter the whole image I am trying to keep up!' another voice sounded from behind him.

"This is of course so that he doesn't disturb the work of his servants. If he were to come in his regular appearance, all the servants would immediately throw away their work and prostrate themselves in front of him."

The voice was one Momonga knew very well and he internally gave Albedo a huge thumbs up, 'Thanks Albedo, you saved me there...' Though he couldn't say it aloud he was very thankful for this save.

"Ah is that so?" Mare asked innocently and Albedo nodded.

The woman's eyes landed on the ring which was proudly displayed on Mare's right Ring finger. Her eyes went so wide that they seemed to be about to pop out of her head, but immediately retracted themselves and she behaved like it had never happened.

Momonga thought he hadn't seen right for a moment, but then he saw the eager look in Albedo's eyes as she gazed at the ring on Mare's finger.

He understood immediately and spoke awkwardly, "Ah right Albedo, I will prepare a Ring for you as well, as the Guardian Overseer it should be very helpful..."