Chapter 24

Ainz and Buku moved through the narrow winding tunnels shrouded by [Perfect Unknowable, a ninth-tier spell that not only made them invisible to the naked eye but also masked sound, heat, and scent, making them virtually undetectable to almost any means. The narrow tunnels, roughly hewn from the bedrock, gave off a stale, musty scent of damp earth and old sweat. Faint sounds of pickaxes clinking against stone reverberated in the distance, as did the occasional grumbled curse from a tired miner. Shadows flowed around the walls, cast by flickering torches, forming an almost dreamlike world of sharp edges and encroaching blackness.

Though they could have simply killed their way through the Defias Brotherhood, leaving behind a field of corpses in their wake, the two took a more secret tack. Ainz was anticipating that the Brotherhood would soon be under control and thus it was best to maintain the potential workforce intact. In many respects, mindless slaughter wasted resources. There were better ways to get enough corpses than blindly culling the numbers of the crime cartel, independent thinking still had its place as long as it wouldn't point its gears against him.

The first part of their trek was an extensive network of winding mines; vast caverns with uneven floors and a network of interwoven tunnels. Hundreds of laborers, both free and enslaved, chipped away at the walls using basic tools, picks and crudely attached axes. Sweat poured from their brows, their frantic breaths filled the murky air. Many of them were thin, pale figures, bent and battered from years of constant hard labor and malnutrition. Shackles clinked on the stone surfaces as they dragged their feet, barely able to muster the strength to swing their pickaxes as they continued onwards. It was obvious to them, many of these individuals had been forced into this life; the chains around their ankles were enough to tell that tale.

Buku glanced at a shriveled old man chipping away at the hard stone with a dull pickaxe, his body withered by years of suffering. { What are we going to do about slavery? I don't really want our empire to be a shithole where only the elites have a decent life. }

{ Agreed. Slavery in any form is … distasteful, to say the least, } Ainz replied, his tone measured. { It's probably best if we outright outlaw it. Using criminals as a workforce is one thing but law-abiding citizens should have free and happy lives. I hope we never sink to the level of CEOs that ran Earth. }

He didn't feel particularly sorry for any individual they passed - his skeletal form had long since stripped him of such feelings like empathy - but at the same time, he firmly believed in trying to rule with justice and fairness in mind and making honest people slave away was not within those acceptable limits. He may no longer have the heart of a human, but the memories of his time on Earth remained vivid enough to guide his reasoning.

{ I don't think… } Buku's thoughts paused for a moment when they passed another worker, this time a young woman with raw and bleeding wrists from the chains. { Ainz, we need to keep each other in check. Our humanity has slipped away very fast. } Buku understood the dangers of becoming careless tyrants. Back when she was a human, the mere idea of torturing someone would have made her physically sick, but now she could do so with casual ease and had even enjoyed the process earlier.

Ainz halted for a moment, contemplating her words. He knew that she was right. Their power and physiology had distanced them from the human emotions they once held dear, leaving behind only their solid love for each other as the rest gradually faded by the day. { We will. It's important we don't become what we despise. Power is dangerous when unchecked. }

Their quiet moment of reflection was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of a hulking figure ahead of them, standing as a sentinel before a massive metal door embedded deeply into the stone wall. The massive humanoid creature was an ogre - a lumbering brute standing at nearly three meters tall, towering over the slaves around them. Its broad frame was both muscular and corpulent. The creature's singular horn jutted from the top of its head, and it wore nothing but a stained loincloth that hung loosely from its waist. Its dull, vacant eyes, lacking any signs of intelligence, stared straight ahead, its thick lips pulled into a dumb expression of confusion as if trying to remember what it was supposed to be doing.

Ainz and Buku stopped in their tracks, taking in the scene around them. Behind the ogre, shadows moved in the periphery of their vision - more guards, lurking in the darkness.

{ It seems like some sort of checkpoint. We'll have to wait to move further. } Ainz informed his wife.

Buku glanced at the ogre { Can't you try to use mind control on the big guy so he opens doors for us? } She asked in response.

The ogre let out a low, guttural grunt, scratching its belly absentmindedly, unaware that it was the subject of conversation for two beings far beyond its understanding contemplating its fate.

{ Not while [Perfect Unknowable] is active. We either blow our cover or wait. They're already on edge after what we pulled in Moonbrook. } Ainz explained.

{ Fair enough, } Buku replied, circling around the ogre. She glanced at the huge Warhammer slung over the creature's back; it was nearly the size of a grown man, displaying the ogre's monstrous strength. {Look at the weapon, though. It seems suited to crushing boulders.}

Ainz nodded, his calculating gaze swept over the point of interest. {Most certainly, brutal force is used here. The other guards hiding in the shadows are just fodder, numbers for the sake of numbers. Still, caution is more ideal.}

Buku sighed, her impatience barely concealed. { Ok, let's wait about ten minutes. If those doors don't open, I say we nuke the place and move on. Worst-case scenario, it'll be assumed the ogre had a bad day and snapped, taking out the guards. } she suggested.

Ainz chuckled lightly { We are in no hurry. I doubt VanCleef will just disappear. }

{ Yeah, well, I'm not one for sitting around all day. } Buku walked around the ogre with slow, deliberate steps, studying the beast, already thinking of how easy it would be to cleave through its skull with one swing of her flamberge.

{ Sure, we can- } Ainz stopped mid-sentence, stepping aside with an effortless grace. A group of three Defias patrolmen came into view, their idle banter echoing through the narrow passage, warning of their approach. Among them, two were men clad in tight leather outfits and the last was a woman in loose robes carrying a staff with a fire enchant.

The guards strolled past, oblivious to the fact that two god-like individuals stood mere inches away. Their conversation was trivial, something about stolen goods and new slaves. The ogre grunted for them not to interrupt the work of the workers and let them pass after accepting a small note and shoving it into the belt holding his loincloth.

Unknowingly, the group of three had saved the rest of the room by opening the metal door, moving past the checkpoint as they disappeared down the corridor.

{ Well that was convenient, } Buku thought dryly, watching them go. The door slid shut with a dull clunk as they moved into the next area. They followed the trio, unseen and unheard.

The hallway stretched before them, lined with worn stone walls and the distant clanging of mining equipment. The faint groans of the enslaved miners continued, their sounds growing fainter as the pair moved deeper into the hideout. Ahead, another metal door stood only partly closed, hinting at a larger chamber beyond.

Ainz slowly pushed the door aside with minimal effort and let Buku pass first. As it creaked open, they were greeted by an odd aroma of wood shavings and freshly cut logs. What lay before them was an unusual contrast to the earlier mining operation: an open field-like area with stacks of neatly arranged logs and goblins scurrying about in the organized chaos.

One particular figure caught Ainz's eye more than anything else present. One goblin stood out from the rest, encased in what appeared to be a humanoid mecha suit with a huge buzzsaw for one hand, a metal claw for the other, and a heavy stream of blackish smoke escaping from exhaust pipes in its upper back as it shuffled in place. Its tiny goblin head poked out from a makeshift cockpit, goggles strapped haphazardly to its face as it barked commands at the others.

{ They have mecha. Just what is with this world? } Buku couldn't help but let out an internal snort of disbelief.

{ I don't know either. } Ainz replied and glanced at the goblin in the mech suit again, almost in disbelief himself. The creature moved awkwardly like it hadn't quite mastered its mechanical monstrosity, but it was still undeniably dangerous in comparison to the rest of the mines. The buzzsaw spun wildly, sending sparks flying each time it nicked a stray piece of timber, clearly showing that work safety didn't exist as a concept for them. { Let's just move on and worry about this another time. }

{ Agreed. } Buku responded, still eyeing the reckless goblins who scurried around the mecha with no regard for their own safety.

Ainz and Buku stepped into the next room, a blast of heat hitting them like a furnace. The metallic scent of molten iron and steel filled the air, mingled with the acrid stench of coal and oil the duo were only all-too-familiar-with from their past life. In the center of the room, a massive pot of molten metal hung precariously in chains, bubbling a vicious boil and glowing a fiery orange. A group of goblins, with their mismatched, grimy clothing, scurried about, hammering, molding, and shaping metal plates, nails, and other goods with a clumsy but determined efficiency from the liquid that flowed their way.

Buku commented, {I don't understand how they haven't melted their entire operation by now,} as she watched a goblin narrowly dodge being splattered by molten metal.

{ Perhaps they're just extraordinarily lucky… or exceptionally unlucky, depending on your point of view, } Ainz replied, shaking his head, taking in the inefficient logistics and areas of weakness. { Let's not linger. }

They moved past this area as fast as possible, soon emerging into an enormous cavern. The sheer scale of the space was awe-inspiring; the ceiling stretched high above them, and in the middle of the enormous chamber, dominating the scene, was a gigantic ship. This ship had a few dozen canons of varying sizes attached to it haphazardly, made of various materials.

'That must be the dreadnought.' Ainz mused. It seemed that at the very least the thug hadn't lied to them. They reached the ship without any difficulty and ascended through the ship's lower decks, easily avoiding the numerous sailors hard at work repairing the monstrosity made out of wood and metal. Though the ship looked formidable from a distance, up close it was clear that it was held together by little more than desperation and scrap metal, hanging for its life.

On the very top of the ship stood a wooden cabin with a door ajar and two men standing by the entrance, both clad in worn leather armor. The guards looked alert but were unaware of the invisible presence of the two beings who approached them.

Ainz and Buku slipped past with ease, entering the cabin. Inside, the atmosphere changed entirely from the chaos outside. The room was dimly lit, with candles casting flickering shadows across the wooden walls. At the center, behind a cluttered desk, sat a man frantically making calculations and scribbling notes across various papers. His fingers drummed a sporadic, almost erratic rhythm on the table, tapping alongside a curved sword that lay within easy reach.

The man, likely in his mid-to-late thirties, had a slim build, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that betrayed a calculating, experienced mind. His raven-black hair, tied back in a loose tail, was slightly disheveled, a few stray locks falling into his face. Every now and then, he impatiently brushed them aside, muttering under his breath as he worked.

Ainz noticed that his leather armor, while well-worn, was reinforced and of high quality, clearly a man who had seen his fair share of combat and knew how to maintain his equipment. His hands moved with precision, though the drumming of his fingers revealed an underlying anxiety.

In the shadows hid four masked men. Their eyes gleamed from behind the masks, watching every movement in the room with deadly intent. Each of them was armed with an assortment of blades, their postures tense and ready for combat at a moment's notice. But it was the young girl who caught Ainz's attention next. She, likely in her mid-teens, was dressed in a grey skirt and blouse, sitting casually on a crate in the corner. Her long black hair, Ainz noted its similarities to the man behind the desk - likely his daughter. She was toying lazily with a pair of long knives, twirling them between her fingers with surprising skill for her age as she yawned from boredom.

Ainz stepped forward, his dark robe billowing as he canceled the [Perfect Unknowable] spell. In an instant, the room was filled with his commanding presence, his skeletal frame looming over the desk with an aura of otherworldly superiority. The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown materialized in his hand, its seven orbs shimmering ominously in the candlelight. Beside him, Buku stood gracefully, her cold eyes making it clear that they were no typical intruders. "Edwin Vancleef, I presume?"

The four men hidden in the shadows immediately sprung into action, their instincts honed from countless skirmishes. Without hesitation, they lunged at Ainz and Buku with lethal precision, their blades aimed at various vital points. But the attacks were futile. Their precise strikes harmlessly bounced off both of them, sending them bouncing off.

Ainz's skeletal face didn't and couldn't flinch his expression … or rather, the lack of one, making it clear how little he regarded their attempts. The masked men paused, exchanging brief glances as if silently acknowledging that they were facing something far beyond their comprehension before entering a new formation.

Edwin VanCleef, the leader of the Defias Brotherhood, squinted, his sharp eyes narrowing as he gauged the situation. He raised a hand, a subtle motion; at once, the six attackers stepped back, assuming defensive positions. Edwin's hand lingered on the hilt of his curved sword, fingers twitching with suppressed energy. "Yes, so?" he finally asked, his voice laced with caution.

"We have a proposition in mind." Ainz's voice reverberated through the room, deep and chilling, as he tapped the deck with his staff.

Edwin's lips curled into a slight frown, but he remained composed, "I'm listening."

"You and your entire organization will serve us from now on, and in return, you will keep your lives and prosper under our care," Ainz stated with the authority and a degree of finality of a born King.

Edwin VanCleef was not a man to cower in the face of such an ultimatum, he had faced many before in his years of leadership. Slowly, he rose from his chair, his posture calm yet defiant, his hand still resting on his sword. "Even if you kill me, the brotherhood will not follow you. They will disappear in the shadows, only to emerge stronger." His voice was resolute, but Ainz and Buku could hear the slight waver beneath the bravado. The leader of the Defias was no fool. He understood the overwhelming power before him, but defiance was all he had left to cling to. If he died, he would at least go down fighting.

Before Ainz could respond, Buku's voice cut through the air, "You seem to be under the impression that death is worse than what can happen to you." She took a step toward the corner, her armored boots clicking softly on the wooden floor. "Or to that young lady in the corner." VanCleef's mask of composure cracked ever so slightly. His eyes flickered to the girl in the corner - his daughter, as Ainz and Buku had deduced. The similarities between her and the leader of Defias were too obvious to ignore, both had raven-black hair and blue eyes. Buku spoke up as she made her way towards the girl without hurry, step by step.

Edwin's demeanor didn't change but his feelings were betrayed by his rapidly raising pulse. "Vannessa, don't-" he tried to warn her but was too late.

Vannessa sprang from her seat, her knives flashing like silver lightning as she dashed toward Buku. Her movements were fluid and fast, clearly trained for moments like these. She hurled a small pouch of powder toward Buku's face, aiming to blind her in a desperate effort. At the same time, her knife sought Buku's right eye, whistling with speed.

But, as with the previous attacks, the knife simply bounced off without reaching Buku's skin, the force dissipating harmlessly against her. The poisonous powder settled in the air but seemed to vanish as soon as it touched Buku, as if the very air around her was unwilling to allow anything harmful to remain in her presence. It had all been for naught.

Buku's melodic, almost amused laughter filled the room. "Poison? Really?" Her voice dripped with gleeful condescension as if she were watching a child playing with dulled, toy weapons.

"H-how? You are not human!" The girl exclaimed as she stumbled backward, her confidence shaken as she reached for another blade. Her wide blue eyes flickered with both confusion and anger.

Buku tilted her head, still smiling as if the answer were obvious. With a swift motion, she grabbed Vannessa's wrist, yanking the girl closer. Her strength was overwhelming, like iron shackles clamping down, and Vannessa's resistance was as feeble as a leaf caught in a storm, dropping her remaining poisons. "How perceptive," Buku purred, her voice low and dangerous. "You are right. I am not human. I am something far superior. You could try for centuries, and nothing you do will ever harm me or my husband."

The terror in Vannessa's eyes deepened as she struggled against Buku's grip, but it was useless. The girl's breath came in ragged gasps, the reality of her situation rapidly sinking in. "All you can do to be safe is to be useful to us. Now, tell me… Will you serve us with unmatched loyalty, or shall we find a... different use for you?" Buku continued, her voice dripping with honeyed menace, as she pulled the frightened girl closer, glancing at her husband.

At that moment, the six men who had guarded Edwin sprang into action, their movements fast and precise. They rushed toward Buku, weapons drawn, intent on freeing their leader's daughter. But before they could even reach her, Ainz appeared between the thugs and Buku. His mere touch sent the closest man crumpling to the ground, lifeless. Four out of six had their lives snuffed out in quick succession, their bodies collapsing like puppets with their strings cut, eyes glazed over in death with a flick of his hand. The remaining faltered, pale with fear, and made a desperate attempt to flee, their boots skidding on the wooden deck as they dashed toward the door. But Ainz was faster. With a mere flicker of his will, he appeared before them, his crimson eyes glowing with dark amusement. The two men shared the same grim fate as the monster before them delivered a swift death.

Ainz waved his hand and the six figures rose before the terrified duo, their movements jerked and unnatural. They had been resurrected, not as living men, but as undead thralls under Ainz's absolute control. "Serve us in life," Ainz declared, his voice cold and final, "or serve us in death. Choose."

Vannessa's knife finally clattered to the floor as she stared at the undead figures of her former guards, horror etched on her young face. She knew how powerful they were, the elites of the organization, and yet they had fallen within mere seconds. Her body trembled, but she forced herself to speak. "I—I will serve you without question."

Buku's smile widened as she pulled Vannessa even closer, her cold eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "A wise choice."

Edwin, standing across the room, his hand still on his sword, watched the entire scene unfold with grim determination. His gaze was hard, his face betraying little emotion, but the rapid rise and fall of his chest gave away the intense turmoil brewing beneath the surface. His grip on the hilt of his sword loosened, and with a weary sigh, he finally lowered his weapon.

"Fine," he stated, his voice flat but steady. "You win. But know this. Even if I bow, it doesn't mean the brotherhood will follow suit. They live in the shadows, and they do not trust outsiders. They might rebel."

"Those who don't serve in life will serve in their death. Make sure they know this. I found you, I can find them all, and those who run will pay for their defiance," Ainz's voice echoed through the cabin, cold and authoritative. His crimson orbs glowed with a quiet, chilling intensity. "It makes little difference to me what path you humans choose. The Defias brotherhood now belongs to us and no one else." The weight of his words settled like a heavy fog in the room, thick and suffocating with power and fear. Ainz, fully immersed in his overlord nature, finished. Demanding obedience came as naturally as breathing now and he wasn't about to falter in such a moment. He and Buku had chosen this path and now, all that remained was walking it with unyielding conviction.

Edwin stood frozen for a moment, digesting the enormity of what had transpired. His mind raced trying to grapple with the reality of his helplessness. "Before I spread the word," Edwin began, his voice strained but steady, "what do you plan to do with us? And what even are you?"

These two beings were so powerful that highly trained assassins couldn't even scratch them. But that alone wasn't enough to scare him into submission. His eyes flickered over to his daughter, Vanessa, who had fallen silent after her failed attack, now standing rigid beside Buku. He couldn't afford to lose her, not to these beings whose motives were as alien as their power. The poison his daughter made was some of the most lethal toxins humanity had ever seen. What Vannesa threw into the woman's face should have killed her within seconds, yet it had been brushed off without as much as a cough. Edwin's sharp mind tried and failed to piece together the extent of their capabilities, but he knew one thing for certain: resistance was futile.

"You will serve as our eyes and ears and help us establish our empire. As long as you serve with loyalty, you will be treated well." His skeletal fingers drummed lightly on the staff he had materialized. "We are known as the Supreme Beings," Ainz continued, his voice as calm and measured as ever, the kind of calm that only absolute power could provide.

Buku, standing beside Vanessa with a serene smile, interjected smoothly. "If you don't do anything foolish, you will be in good care. We don't throw lives away needlessly, and we ensure that those under us don't lack what they need. But understand this." Her voice lowered slightly, making her next words feel like a direct, personal threat. "There is nothing you… or any other mortal… can do to even harm us."

Edwin's lips tightened as he mulled over their words. He had built the Defias Brotherhood from the ground up, uniting the disenfranchised and vengeful of the kingdom into a force capable of terrorizing an entire region and untouchable by royal or noble authority. Yet here he stood, at the mercy of two beings whose power dwarfed anything he had ever encountered. His gaze fell on Vanessa again, and this time, she broke the silence.

Edwin lowered his head slightly in a gesture of reluctant submission. "Very well. I will gather all the subleaders and Vanessa- "

"Daddy, I will be safe. I trust they won't harm me if I behave." Vanessa interrupted her father. Her voice was small, but it carried an undeniable weight. She had seen enough to know there was no point in pushing further. Her blue eyes locked with her father's, offering a resigned comfort at their new situation.

Edwin sighed deeply, his resolve clearly fraying. "It will take a few hours. I suggest you settle in. Should I send someone with food and drink?"

Buku's eyes sparkled with amusement and she let go of Vanessa's arm, settling into a chair behind the desk with the kind of nonchalance that bespoke her absolute confidence. She leaned back, slouching slightly, looking more like a queen bored of her court than a conqueror in the middle of a hostile takeover. "Looks like you are finally getting it. Yes, some refreshments would be nice," she added with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And don't worry about the girl, she's in good hands. We wouldn't harm her for no reason."

Edwin gave a short nod and turned, his footsteps almost eerily silent on the hard wooden planks as he hurried out of the cabin, half-sprinting.

As the door clicked shut, Ainz approached the table. With a silent cast of [Create Item, a chair materialized from thin air, elegant and dark, suited to his royal stature. He sat down beside Buku, his skeletal form exuding an air of complete and unshakable power.

The first step was done. Now the real work could begin. The Brotherhood would fall into line, one way or another, and once it was whipped into proper shape as a useful labor force, they could plan their next steps and set their eyes on more territory to call their own. The possibilities were endless. One option was to consolidate power in Westfall, declaring the entire region their own and establishing it as their personal stronghold. After all, the brotherhood already controlled much of it; turning that influence into outright control wouldn't be difficult.

With the quick movement of a wrist, he cast a multitude of spells in all directions, analyzing the entire complex. They would start here, from the highest authority to the lowest slaves, and utilize them to their bests.

But there were other options, too. To the south lay untamed jungle territories, unclaimed by any major powers. Ainz's mind drifted to the neutral goblin city at the very tip of the continent. The goblins were clever and pragmatic, and a neutral city could serve as a valuable trading hub under their influence. Beyond that, the scattered forest trolls were tribal and primitive, thus subjugating them would be child's play for beings like him and Buku.

Edited by NabeisWaifu and aidan_lo.

Proofreading by nate051499j6, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, Malguis, I AM THE STRING CUTTER, and aidan_lo.

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