Overlord Volume 3 Chapter 3 Part 2

Part 2

The Fifth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was an extremely cold region that had been modelled after a glacier.

A bluish-white iceberg stood in the middle of an endless expanse of white land, like a tombstone. It seemed to glow from within and confused the senses. Snow fell from the heavy, overcast sky above, whipped into a mad dance by the freezing wind which carried frozen vapors on its gusts. In the distance was a frozen forest covered in snow, which looked like giants clad in robes of purest white.

The bone-chilling wind ruffled Ainz's clothing, which fluttered in the wind. Albedo stood beside him, and as he eyed the way she was dressed, Ainz asked:

"Aren't you cold? If you need to, you can put on your armor. We should still have time for that."

Ainz was completely immune to all forms of cold-elemental attacks. He would not be chilled or frozen regardless of how low the temperature went. However, Albedo was a different matter. If she was in her full battle panoply, mere freezing gusts like this would not harm her, but she was currently wearing a white dress. He had asked her about this before teleporting, but he had come away with the feeling that she was just trying to put on a brave front.

However, Ainz simply smiled gently in response to Ainz's worries.

"Thank you for your concern, Ainz-sama, but it is not necessary. Mere cold like this is not a problem."

Ainz nodded and replied, "I see."

Normally, there would be an environmental effect here which applied cold damage and slowed movement. However, operating it required money, so it had been left deactivated. Perhaps she had simply been lucky that they had made that decision early on. Or was it because Albedo had some sort of magic item or skill that negated cold damage?

In truth, the NPCs were equipped by the guild members who designed them. There were only a few of them which Ainz could confidently say he understood thoroughly, apart from Pandora's Actor. That said, he had gone over all their data after coming to this new world.

Questions filled Ainz's mind as he looked at the majestic two-story mansion before him.

This building seemed strangely out of place in this frozen land. It was like a house from a storybook, and seemed to be surrounded by a fairytale atmosphere.

However, its surface was covered in a layer of ice, giving it an uncomfortably cold aura. In fact, the name of this building was about as far from a fairytale as one could get.

Its name was the Frozen Prison.

All of Nazarick's enemies were locked up here.

"Let's go."

With those simple words, Ainz pushed open the frozen main gate. Though it was covered in a thick layer of ice, the gate still opened easily, as though it were welcoming a visitor.

A wave of cold air washed over them in the instant the gate opened. This was because the interior of the Prison was colder than even the freezing environs outside.

It was only after the chilling wind swept over her that Albedo began shivering. As Ainz saw this, he reached into his pocket dimension and withdrew a crimson cape, whose hem was decorated with flame-like patterns.

"Wear this, Albedo. It is not highly enchanted, but it should be enough to ward off the cold."

"To think you would lavish such a gift upon me! My deepest thanks! I shall treasure it all my life."

Ainz had not said that he would give it to her, but after seeing Albedo's radiant smile, Ainz could not muster up any words, but instead looked to the other side of the opened gate.

A silent, dark passage extended within.

"Right, the surviving members of the Sunlight Scripture should be in here."

"Yes. Neuronist should be watching them closely. Ah, how warm, it feels like you're hugging me, Ainz-sama… kukuku."

"...Really now? That's wonderful."

I doubt being embraced by skinless and fleshless arms like mine would feel warm, but of course Ainz did not say that. At the very least, he knew that it would not be appropriate at the present moment.

As Albedo wriggled and twisted around in the cape, wrapping it around herself so tightly she almost vanished into its folds, Ainz strode forth.

"What are you doing, we're running out of time… under these circumstances."

"Ah, ah yes!"

Ainz's passive skill 「Undead Blessing」 allowed him to sense all the undead lurking within the compound. Since it was annoying, Ainz disabled the skill in order to ignore the presence of the undead as he walked down the freezing, blue-white passage. People without countermeasures against movement impairment might end up tripping and falling on the completely frozen-over corridor.

"...Ainz-sama, shall I summon Neuronist? It is unthinkable that she would not come to lead the way, thus forcing the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick to advance by himself…"

"It's fine. Though it's not a bad thing, she talks too much. There is a matter we need to settle as soon as possible and I would like to avoid wasting time."

"Understood. Then, after all this is over, I will lecture Neuronist and caution her not to babble too much."

"No, no, there's no need for that. It does not displease me."

"But…"

Ainz smiled bitterly as he watched Albedo furrow her brows from her place beside him. As her master, he appreciated the fact that she was thinking of him, but if she did that, his subordinates might not dare complain in future.

"It is fine. I love you all, regardless of your merits or flaws, because you were all made by my friends of the past. The fault is mine for being unhappy with such meticulously crafted people."

Indeed, if Shalltear had betrayed them because her backstory had been designed that way, then he had to forgive her for it. That was because she was simply obeying the will of her creator, Peroroncino. However, he did not seem like the type who would plant bad seeds in the guild. All this confused Ainz, because Peroroncino was a man who liked joking around and disliked ruining relationships between his friends.

If that's the case, then it should be an external reason after all, no? The way the text was displayed represents that she was mind controlled… although I can't rule out the fact that it might have been a part of her settings I wasn't sure about, or a change in her settings which happened after coming to this world. Besides, I didn't memorize the personality profiles of all the NPCs, and their personalities seem quite similar to those of their creators… I guess nobody could program them without personalities, so that might be why. If that's the case, then Shalltear… could it be that she had something like a time bomb built into her settings? Her creator liked H-Games, so maybe he programmed some kind of event into her which needed to be solved with a walkthrough… uwah, that sounds quite likely.

Ainz sighed weakly, and then he finally realised the oddity in the behavior of the woman next to him.

She was looking forward and walking, but unlike just now, she was not matching his stride. And while her eyes were facing forward, they were not focused on any particular place.

Ainz heard Albedo mumbling something, and he strained to listen.

"I love you… I love you… I love you…"

She was repeating those words over and over again, like a broken record.

"...Oi, Albedo. I said I loved you all. That refers to everyone, right?"

Albedo turned her head toward him in a strange manner.

"But, but that, that means, you love me too, right?"

"Er… erm… well, yes."

"Kufu!!"

Albedo squeezed her legs together and hopped up in an adorable manner — the motion sending her into the ceiling.

Such was the case when one possessed superhuman athletic ability.

Ping! Or rather, it was a boom. A startling crash came from the ceiling, so great was the force of the impact. As they heard what sounded like a bomb exploding, the translucent bodies of several incorporeal monsters poked themselves out of the ceiling.

These were the undead which were hiding within the Prison, which Ainz's skill had picked up.

"Ah, you lot can go back, it's nothing special."

Ainz looked at Albedo before him, so happy that she was humming to herself. Though she had crashed into the ceiling, her racial skills included a certain measure of damage reduction, so it had not hurt at all.

The various undead bowed reverently before vanishing, returning to where they stood ready to meet any intruders.

"...Albedo, we're almost at your big sister's room. Are you ready?"

Albedo's flighty and overjoyed expression turned serious in an instant.

"Understood. Then, I shall retrieve the doll."

"Umu. Give it to me."

Albedo reached a hand toward the wall, and a pale-white hand reached back out, depositing a doll to her hand. It was a baby doll, which was about the same size as an actual baby.

Ainz accepted the doll, and looked it over without averting his eyes.

"How revolting."

The doll was a caricature of a human infant, its distorted features resembling a Cupid doll. Its large, round eyes were particularly disgusting. Ainz furrowed his nonexistent brows and directed his gaze to the end of the corridor. There was a large fresco there, painted on a wall which contained a door.

He saw a mother and her baby. It was a painting of a mother gently cradling her child.

If that were all, it would have been a beautiful painting. However, the passage of time had worn away at the paint, turning it into a hideous sight. In particular, one could no longer see the shape of the baby itself. All that remained was something which looked like a corpse.

Ainz pushed open the door, which slid open with no sound or resistance — and he was greeted by the sound of crying babies.

It was not just the sound of one or two voices. Nor was it the result of an echo.

Tens, hundreds of crying voices fused into one and reached Ainz's ears. However, he could not see any babies in the room.

Still, although he could not see them, they were definitely there.

In this empty room, bare of all furniture, there was a cradle, and a woman gently rocked it.

Though Ainz had entered the room, the woman in the black mourning clothes remained silent, caring only for the cradle she was rocking. Her face could not be seen because her long black hair completely covered it up.

Normally, if an NPC saw a Supreme Being (Ainz) and paid him no heed, Albedo would loudly rebuke them. However, she remained silent. Ainz knew the reason for that, because Albedo's guarded stance told him everything.

"It's about time to begin, no?"

"It should be. Please be careful."

As though on cue, the woman's movements froze. Then, she reached her hands into the cradle, and gently retrieved the baby within. No, that was not a real baby, but a baby doll.

"It's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong."

She shook it forcefully and then cast it aside with all her strength. The doll shattered into pieces when it hit the wall.

"My baby, my baby, my baby, my babyyyyyyy—!"

A sound of grinding teeth came from the woman, and with that, the crying noises from the floor and ceiling grew louder. Soon, the source of the sound revealed itself, and lumps of flesh which resembled translucent babies emerged.

"To think Tabula Smaragdina-san put so many monsters in here… how much money did he spend on this?"

These squirming masses of flesh which resembled infants were close to level twenty, and they were called Carrion Babies.

In games like YGGDRASIL, one could place pop monsters within dungeons by paying the appropriate in-game or real-world currency. However, they would not come back to life after being destroyed, so they were more of a luxury to players. Those players that did not focus on roleplaying would not emplace such monsters.

The fact that he had put in so many Carrion Babies here, despite their low levels, was a testament to the meticulous nature of Tabula Smaragdina.

Just as Ainz was starting to be impressed, the woman produced a large pair of scissors from somewhere and gripped them tightly. A keen gaze looked out from her unkempt hair, directed at Ainz and Albedo.

"You, you, you, you, took, took, took, took, my baby, my baby, my baby, my babyyyyyyyyy—!"

"...She really is your sister. The resemblance is very strong."

"Eh!? Re-Really?"

The woman seemed to take the leisurely conversation as some sort of provocation and broke into a run, her killing intent driving her as swiftly as the wind. The woman in the black mourning clothes took unnaturally large strides as she charged, closing the distance to them in but a few steps.

The woman stabbed forcefully at Ainz with her scissors—

"Your child is here."

—And as Ainz presented the doll to the woman, her movements froze immediately, as though someone had pressed the stop button on her. She put her scissors away, and slowly accepted the doll.

"Ohhhhh~"

She cradled her beloved child with infinite compassion, as though she would never let it go. Then, she gingerly placed the baby back in the cradle, before turning her face, shrouded as it was by her long hair, to Ainz and Albedo.

"Momonga-sama, and my lovely little sister. I trust you have been well?"

"It's been a while, Nigredo. You seem… yes, I am glad you have not changed."

The reason why Ainz could calmly handle this chain of events was because he had witnessed this madness before, in the game.

Back then, I was so scared that I screamed.

His guildmate said he had made a new NPC, and asked the other guild members to come see it with him. In the end, everyone had shrieked together and unleashed their full power on Nigredo. It felt quite nostalgic now when he looked back on it.

"Nee-san, it's been a while."

Indeed, this Nigredo was Albedo's older sister. In other words, she was an NPC created by the player Tabula Smaragdina.

If one said that Albedo was the incarnation of his love for gap moe, then Nigredo would be the character that represented Tabula Smaragdina's love for horror movies.

Although he wasn't a bad person by any stretch of the word, he was clearly quite a character.

Under normal circumstances, he was a rational man, but the more he got into something, the more he began revealing his true nature. As he recalled that guild member from the past, Nigredo brushed away the long hair which covered her face, revealing her true visage.

Perhaps she felt that covering her face was being disrespectful to Ainz, but on the other hand, he would have preferred her to carry on as normal.

Her true face was creepy, to say the least. It had no skin, only exposed muscle.

Her mouth had no lips, yet held a beautiful set of teeth. Her eyes shone brightly in the absence of eyelids. An observer might think her beautiful if they looked solely at her eyes or teeth, but taken as a whole, her face inspired nothing but revulsion.

That frighteningly ugly face from the depths of a horror movie contorted. It was hard to tell because of the lack of skin, but she still had muscle tissue on her face, unlike Ainz, so one could eventually surmise that she should have been smiling.

"Then, Momonga-sama, how may I—"

"—Ah, my apologies. You were not in the Throne Room so you did not know, but my name is no longer Momonga. I am now Ainz Ooal Gown. Please address me as Ainz from now on."

There was a gasp of surprise, and then Nigredo slowly raised her head:

"I understand, Ainz-sama."

"Then, Nigredo, I came here to seek your help. Could I make use of your abilities?"

"My abilities? Is it alive? Or unliving?"

"...Probably counts as alive… should probably be living… I'll be frank with you. The target is Shalltear Bloodfallen."

"The Floor Guardian? ...Forgive my rudeness. If it your order, then I will carry it out at once, Ainz-sama."

Though her voice seemed doubtful, Nigredo immediately complied with the request.

"Please, Nee-san."

In response to Albedo's request, Nigredo raised her thumb playfully before casting a variety of spells. There was quite the variety of them, and Ainz mused that he had heard most of them not long before. They were the spells he had demonstrated to Narberal last night.

Nigredo was a magic caster, and she was one of the highest-level NPCs in Nazarick. Though one could not tell from looking at her, she had been designed to specialize in divination and information gathering. That was why Ainz had come here to ask for help with locating Shalltear.

Soon enough — as befitting a person with her skills — Nigredo swiftly announced the results.

"Found her."

"Put it on a 「Crystal Monitor」."

She cast another spell, and a 「Crystal Monitor」 appeared, displaying something which looked like a vast expanse of forest. Someone in armor was standing amidst the trees.

Ainz praised her:

"Amazing. You discerned the location of the target with pinpoint accuracy. I'd expect nothing less of a specialized magic cas—"

As the image in the monitor became clearer, the praise vanished.

The person depicted there was dressed in a suit of red-colored full plate armor which looked like it had been drenched in blood. It wore a swan-shaped helmet which left only the face exposed. Plumes of avian feathers sprouted from either side of the helmet, while the chest and shoulders of the armor had been styled into the shape of wings. Crimson skirt armor covered the lower body.

It held a huge, strange-looking lance in one hand, resembling a pipette one might use in a science class.

This was Shalltear Bloodfallen. She possessed levels in Valkyrie — a divine magic caster class which specialized in fighting power — and she was fully ready for battle.

"The Spuit Lance! That's the divine class item that Peroroncino-sama gave Shalltear!" Albedo exclaimed as she saw Shalltear's weapon.

Ainz had enough divine-class items that he could equip them to every slot on his body. However, this did not mean that they were easy to come by.

YGGDRASIL's magic items were made by embedding data crystals into items, but not all data crystals dropped by monsters were equal. If one wanted to make a divine class item, one would need several data crystals which were classified as "high-rare drops." In addition, one would need to make the container for those data crystals — a sword, for instance — out of extremely rare metals and the like.

As a result, it was fairly common for even level one hundred players to not own a single divine class item.

Even the members of Ainz Ooal Gown — a guild which had ranked among the top ten in the game — could not outfit their NPCs in nothing but divine class items. At the most, they could only give them one or two such articles.

The Spuit Lance which Shalltear Bloodfallen possessed was such an item.

Its name sounded silly, but its power was extremely insidious. When embedded in a weapon, some data crystals allowed their user to absorb a certain percentage of damage dealt and use it to replenish their health. The Spuit Lance was specialized in doing so.

"...Let's head out now."

"Eh? Ah, please wait! Since Shalltear is already fully equipped, it's possible that hostilities will begin on sight, so we need to select several guards to defend your person."

"We don't have time for that; if negotiations break down, we'll retreat immediately—"

"『Forgive the disturbance, Ainz-sama.』"

A female voice echoed through his mind. It belonged to Narberal, who had stayed in E-Rantel.

Anger blazed in Ainz at this untimely interruption.

"What is it, Narberal? I'm—"

I'm busy, he wanted to say, but Ainz cut himself off halfway.

This was because he recalled how he had interrupted Entoma's 「Message」 last night. At the time, he had felt that it could not be helped, but perhaps if he had taken action immediately, the present situation might be different. This was because he could have handed the task of saving Nfirea to Narberal.

This faint sense of regret allowed Ainz to regain his calm.

The NPCs treated Ainz as their Supreme Overlord. Even if he made the wrong decision, they would still treat Ainz's words as their top priority. Because of that, Ainz had to keep calm, act carefully, and avoid making mistakes.

That's a bit much to ask of an ordinary person like me...

As he inwardly laughed at his own flawed judgement, Ainz smiled bitterly as he concluded that it was most likely impossible for him. Then, he felt Narberal's subservient attitude through the 「Message」, waiting for her master's instructions, and his body trembled like he had been struck by lightning.

What am I thinking? I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the ruler of Nazarick, the man who took on the name of everyone else. Indeed, I am not Suzuki Satoru. Impossible? No, now that I've taken on this name, I have to turn the impossible into the possible.

"...No, it's fine. What is it? It must be important for you to contact me with 「Message」, right?"

"『Yes. Someone from the Adventurer's Guild is looking for you, Ainz-sama.』"

"...If it's about last night, tell them to wait… no, that's not right. There should be something else, am I correct?"

"『Yes! You are as perceptive as always, Ainz-sama.』"

Narberal was not being clear, so Ainz let his silence show his confusion. Soon, she seemed to have picked up on that and spoke again:

"『Actually, there is another problem besides that. It… concerns a certain Vampire.』"

"What? A Vampire, you say?"

Ainz turned to look at Shalltear, whose image stood ramrod straight on the monitor.

"Did they mention anything about that Vampire? Like say, silver hair, or crimson armor, or something?"

"『Regretfully, they did not. The person they sent for yourself was little more than a runner. They said that they would explain at the guild, and hoped that you would hurry over as soon as possible, Ainz-sama. I hear that several adventurer teams have already made their way there… the Guild's messenger is nearby; what should I tell him?』"

Ainz closed his eyes. Of course, he had no eyeballs, so it simply meant that the lights in his eye sockets vanished.

"What do you think of Narberal's 「Message」, Albedo?"

After finishing his explanation, Albedo lowered her eyes for a few moments, and then looked back at Ainz.

"Given that we lack information, there will be merits and demerits to either alternative. Thus, you should select according to your personal preference, Ainz-sama. If it were up to me, I would ignore these humans."

After thanking Albedo, Ainz fell into deep thought.

He considered the worst that could happen if he prioritized Shalltear.

He then considered how Shalltear's situation would change if he put the Guild first.

As he thought about the drawbacks of both, he began to feel that either option would lead to disaster.

If his friends were with him, he could probably use the majority vote to make a decision. But his friends were not with him. As the man who had taken charge of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, as the man who had taken its mighty name for his own, he had to make that choice himself.

After a brief period of hesitation, Ainz came to a conclusion.

"Albedo, send someone to keep an eye on Shalltear. I will go visit the Guild in E-Rantel. After that matter is concluded, take me to Shalltear."

"Understood."

"You heard that too, didn't you, Narberal?"

"『Understood. Then, I shall inform the messenger that you will be on your way.』"

"Ah, yes, tell him that. Then, Albedo, forgive me, but I shall be heading to the Guild now."

"I understand. I shall send several vassals out, in accordance with your instructions."

"Please do. Also, I will hand the ring over to Yuri. Take it from her afterwards."

In truth, there was something he wanted to hand to the Head Librarian, but Ainz felt that he no longer had that time, so he teleported himself with the power of the ring.

Now that only the two sisters were left in the room, the mood in the room lightened. As though waiting for this opportunity, Nigredo turned to Albedo, a curious look in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Has something happened to Shalltear?"

"Mm, it seems she has rebelled against us."

"...Unbelievable… How could that be… is it really true?"

"I find it hard to believe myself, but that seems to be the case."

"Then she should be eliminated without delay. But... it seems that is not what Ainz-sama wishes to do?"

"Indeed. Because of Ainz-sama's boundless mercy… no, he probably thinks that killing her without realising why she turned against us would be a big mistake. I'm sure that is what Ainz-sama has in mind."

"Hm~" Nigredo mused, in a tone that seemed somewhere between acceptance and denial.

"I understand. Before you send the vassals out to keep an eye on Shalltear, I will continue my magical surveillance from here."

"I'm grateful for that, Nee-san."

Thinking the conversation was over, Albedo was about to unleash the power of her Ring when she sensed that her older sister still had something to say. When Nigredo was in a rational state of mind, she was the sort of person who would speak frankly, so there was only one reason that Albedo's big sister would hesitate like this.

Although she did not want to inquire about it, when she considered that it might not be about the previous matter, she had to ask, however unwillingly.

"What's the matter, Nee-san?"

"...Since I am not permitted to leave this Frozen Prison, I am unsure about the situation outside. Is Spinel still well?"

...As I thought.

Albedo regretted asking as she thought that, but in an even voice, she replied:

"Nee-san, you call her that…"

"I hate that girl. Even if we were all characters made by Tabula Smaragdina-sama… no, Spinel was made in a completely different way from us. She is not the kind of person to whom people could open their hearts."

"That's not the case, Nee-san. She's adorable."

"All I can think is that you have been deceived by her. Spinel will definitely bring a great disaster to Nazarick someday. I'll wager on that."

"...We will never see eye to eye on that point. I believe that girl will not cause any trouble."

"Really now? Well, if you — if the Guardian Overseer feels that way, then there's nothing left for me to say. However, I hope that you will take my concerns into consideration, in your role as the Guardian Overseer."

"I understand. I will take your words to heart, Nee-san."

Resisting the urge to sigh, Albedo teleported elsewhere.

However, the matter which she could have laughed off usually now stuck in her heart like a thorn.

She felt that everyone created by the Supreme Beings was staunchly loyal to them. Yet, Shalltear had still rebelled against them. If that were the case, anyone else might be next.

For all she knew, her little sister might also betray—

She could not erase these thoughts entirely. Yet, to Albedo, this was not necessarily a bad thing.

Albedo had a baffled, confused look on her face as she reached her destination.

"Ainz-sama, my beloved, I am your loyal dog, your slave."

She declaimed her feelings to a man who was not there.

"Even if all of Nazarick turns against you, I will always stand by your side."