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."