The Dark Warrior Read online

  Prologue

  The office of the highest ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was a luxurious one. All the furnishings were elaborately ornate, giving the place an air of elegance and rarity. Soft, fluffy scarlet carpeting covered every inch of the floor and muffled any footsteps. Flags with various designs hung, crisscrossing over each other on the far back wall.

  The desk in the room was made of dignified ebony. And the room’s master sat in a black leather chair. This individual clad in a raven-black robe that seemed to suck light in could be described briefly as “the Dark Lord of Death.”

  His bare head had neither skin nor flesh—just bone. Red flames burned in his hollow eye sockets, with something black mixed in. He had once been called Momonga but now went by his guild’s name, Ainz Ooal Gown.

  Ainz folded his finger bones. His nine rings sparkled, reflecting the glow produced by the Continual Light spell. “Sheesh, what should I do now?”

  Eight days had passed since the day the Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing game Yggdrasil closed its servers and he was mysteriously transported—as his skeleton-like character—to another world. During that time he had checked the conditions of his castle, the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and his minions and learned that it wasn’t so different from in the game, so he decided to make his next move.

  “Everything will be as you wish, my lord.” The gorgeous woman standing quietly by responded to Ainz’s muttering. She was flawlessly, peerlessly beautiful, wearing a snow-white dress. Her smile was like that of a goddess. Her lustrous hair was a black the exact opposite of her dress and reached all the way to her waist. But she wasn’t human.

  She had golden irises with vertical slit pupils, and thick horns curled forward out of her temples like a ram’s. Furthermore, black wings sprouted out of her back near her hips, arching around her such that they concealed her feet.

  “Hmm. I’m glad to have your devotion, Albedo.”

  She was Albedo, captain of the Great Tomb of Nazarick’s floor guardians. There were seven floor guardians, and she was the NPC who oversaw them.

  Ainz and the other members of his guild had built the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Now the NPC servants they created had become self-aware and sworn allegiance to Ainz. He was pleased about that, but it was also a burden, since he used to be just an office worker. Acting like a master before his subordinates and making sure things were running smoothly—an absolute ruler had a lot of responsibilities.

  The biggest problem was that their guild lacked information about the world outside.

  “And the next report?”

  “Here it is, Lord Ainz.”

  Ainz accepted the sheaf of papers and ran his eyes over the characters written in bold fountain-pen lines. It was a report from the guardian of the sixth level, Aura Bella Fiora.

  Her report explained that so far they hadn’t encountered any other Yggdrasil players like Ainz, nor seen any sign of them. She said that their survey of the forest near the Tomb was proceeding on schedule and that they had reached the lake at the foot of the mountains on the other side.

  Ainz nodded. He was most concerned about running into other players, so he was relieved they hadn’t. “Got it. Please tell Aura to proceed under her current orders.”

  “Underst—” There came a succession of quiet knocks on the door. Albedo looked at Ainz, and then, with a bow, went to answer it. Once she’d seen who it was, she announced, “Shalltear would like to see you.”

  “Shalltear? Sure, let her in.”

  With Ainz’s permission, a girl of about fourteen wearing a raven-black ball gown with a full, wide skirt made a graceful entrance. She had almost waxy white skin, and “unparalleled” was the way to describe her shapely face. Her long silver hair bounced with every step she took, as did her chest, which was big for how old she looked. She was guardian of the first, second, and third levels, “True Vampire” Shalltear Bloodfallen.

  “I hope you are well, Lord Ainz.”

  “You, too, Shalltear. What brings you to my quarters today?”

  “I came to see your handsome face, of course.”

  Ainz’s skull didn’t change expressions, but instead the crimson flames deep in his orbits flickered. He was about to say, “Save the brownnosing,” but decided against it—because he saw the smile on Albedo’s face gradually change as she watched Shalltear’s crimson pupils cloud over with lust out of the corner of her eye. Her subtle expression remained, and her beauty was unspoiled, but the smile was no longer a smile. It was the grimace of a jealous demon. But Ainz felt all right—the glare was directed at Shalltear, not himself.

  “Then you’re satisfied now, right, Shalltear? Lord Ainz and I are presently discussing the future of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Could you not bother us? This is something important we need to do alone.”

  “It’s basic politeness to greet someone before stating your business. Don’t be so disagreeable, Ms. Over-the-Hill. What’s your hurry? Are you past your expiration date?”

  “Food so pumped full of preservatives it doesn’t have an expiration date is no different from poison! I think I’m still on the safe side.”

  “…I wouldn’t underestimate the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Some of them even cause contagious diseases.”

  “…Do you even have anything to eat over there? Your display is quite impressive, but when it comes to the goods…you know?”

  “……‘Display’?! I’m gonna kill you!”

  “……So who’s past her expiration date?”

  Before Ainz stood two women whose facial expressions were difficult to describe; those looks could put an end to a hundred million–year romance. He quelled the impulse to hold his head in his hands and spoke up before an appallingly ferocious battle could break out. “Cut out the kids’ stuff, you two.”

  They immediately answered in unison and beamed smiles at him. Instead of whatever horrors they had been moments before, two lovely, innocent maidens now stood there.

  Women are terrifying… Or maybe it’s just these two… Even Ainz, whose larger swings in emotion were suppressed since becoming undead, was a little freaked out when faced with such rapid adjustments of attitude.

  The reason for their conflict was that they were rivals in love. Both Albedo and Shalltear had fallen for Ainz—i.e., he was loved by two incomparable beauties. What guy wouldn’t be happy about that?

  But Ainz couldn’t just accept their feelings, especially when Shalltear the sticky-voiced necrophiliac came over to whisper, “You have great bone structure; it’s as if you were modeled by a god,” in his ear. Maybe to her they were words of love—or a compliment—but to Ainz, what had happened several days earlier would be remembered as a shock to his system: The first compliment ever paid to his appearance was as a skeleton.

  He cleared the trivial matter from his mind and repeated his question. “I’ll ask again: What is it, Shalltear?”

  “My lord, I am going to join Sebas as you ordered. It seems like I won’t be back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick for a while, so I came to say good-bye.”

  Ainz recalled the orders he had given her and nodded. “Got it. Stay sharp, do your job, and come home safe, Shalltear.”

  “My lord!” her dignified voice rang out.

  “You can go, Shalltear. Once you’ve left my quarters, tell either Narberal or Entoma to have Demiurge come see me. Tell him I need to discuss with him something about our next move.”

  “Yes, Lord Ainz.”

  Chapter 1 | Two Adventurers

  1

  Situated at a key location on the border between the Re-Estize Kingdom and its neighboring countries, the Baharuth Empire and the Slane Theocracy, E-Rantel looked the part of its title, the Fortress City, due to its three layer
s of walls. The townscapes within each layer had their own flavors.

  The outermost area was where the royal army was stationed, so that’s where the military facilities were. The innermost area was the city’s administrative core. The storehouses for military provisions were there, and the whole zone was always under tight security. The space between those two zones was where the townspeople lived. It was the goings-on in this zone that usually sprang to mind when one heard the city’s name.

  In the center square, the area’s largest, vendors at open-air stalls offered a wide range of goods, including everything from fresh vegetables to prepared foods. In the crowd of people, shopkeepers earnestly peppered passersby with lively sales pitches; elderly shoppers looking for the freshest produce haggled with merchants; lured by the grilling aromas, young men purchased kebabs dripping with meat juices.

  Bursting with midday liveliness, it seemed as though the din in the square would continue on into the evening, but when a certain pair emerged from an adjacent five-story building, the commotion met its end. No one in the square could keep their eyes off them, and everyone froze.

  One of the pair was a woman. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties and had lovely almond eyes that flashed with an obsidian gleam. Her abundant hair, so black it looked wet, was pulled back in a ponytail. Her smooth, pale skin shone with the luster of a pearl in the sun. More captivating than anything else was her modest beauty, the air of exoticism that turned everyone’s head. When worn by her, a completely ordinary brown robe seemed to transform into a luxurious gown.

  Her companion’s sex was unclear, which is to say there were no distinguishing features visible.

  Someone in the square whispered, “The Dark Warrior…”

  Yes, the figure was enveloped in dazzling full plate armor that gleamed raven black and had purple-and-gold accents. It was impossible to make out the face behind the slit in the close helmet. Appropriate for such a robust physique, two great swords laid across the individual’s back, hilts jutting out from beneath a crimson cape.

  The two of them looked out over the square, and the one in full plate armor set off walking first. Witnesses followed the departing figures with their eyes, murmuring rumors among themselves. It wasn’t that they were frightened or put on guard by the weapons, but that they had seen a curious sight.

  The reason they weren’t more unnerved was because the building from which the pair had emerged was a place where people who specialized in monster extermination looked for work, the Adventurers Guild. It wasn’t at all rare to see armed people coming and going from there. In fact, after those two, a number of other people carrying weapons went in and out. Those with sharp eyes had been able to spot the copper plate around each of the pair’s necks. It was clear, then, that the only reason they were getting attention was the woman’s beauty and the magnificence of the other’s armor.

  The pair walked silently down the not very wide street. Puddles in wagon wheel ruts reflected the sunlight. It wasn’t a proper paved road but a mix of dirt and mud that made it hard to walk. One wrong step and there was nothing to do but trip, but perhaps due to their superior senses of balance, these two walked with the same gait they would have used on cobblestones.

  Moving with a light step, the woman checked to make sure no one was around and then spoke to the one in full plate armor. “Lord Ai—”

  “No. My name is Momon. And you’re not Narberal Gamma of the Pleiades, but Nabe, Momon’s adventurer friend.” It was the armed figure—Ainz—who’d interrupted the woman—Narberal.

  “Ah! Please excuse the error, Lord Momon!”

  “Leave off the ‘Lord.’ We’re just a couple of adventurers, and we’re friends. It’ll look suspicious if you call me Lord.”

  “B-but you’re a Supreme Being!”

  Ainz gestured for her to lower her voice and answered with hints of annoyance and resignation in his voice. “How many times do I have to explain this? In this land I am Momon the Dark… —I mean, Momon, and you’re my partner. So don’t call me Lord. That’s an order.”

  There was a momentary pause, and then Narberal reluctantly acquiesced. “Understood, Mr. Momooon.”

  “Well, that’s better, at least, but really, you don’t even need the Mister. I’m your partner, so if you call me Mister, it makes it seem like there’s kind of a gap between us.”

  “Is that…disrespectful or…?”

  Narberal trailed off, and Ainz shrugged at her. “No one can find out who we really are. You understand that, right?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “You don’t need the… Well, whatever. I’m just saying to be careful is all.”

  “Understood, Mr. Momooon! But are you sure I’m the right person for this? If you need a companion, wouldn’t someone graceful and beautiful like Albedo be more suitable?”

  “Albedo, huh…?” His voice contained a complex mixture of emotions. “I need her to manage Nazarick while I’m away.”

  “If I may be so bold, surely Cocytus could manage Nazarick. The guardians were all saying so, but…when it comes to your safety, my lord, wouldn’t having Nazarick’s best defender, Albedo, with you be most appropriate?”

  Ainz reacted to her question with distress.

  When he had announced he would go personally to E-Rantel, the guardian who had been most vehemently against it was Albedo, and her pushback started the moment she understood she wouldn’t be accompanying him.

  He still felt indebted to her for how, right after he had been transported to this world, she had covered for him when he’d been out walking on his own without telling anyone because he was loath to take an escort, so he didn’t react too harshly. But this was different; it was a carefully planned trip, not a whim, so he wasn’t going to back down.

  She had probably suppressed her own desires and obeyed him because guardians were happy to submit when given an order, but Ainz didn’t feel good about it. It bothered him to force things on the characters his guildmates had created.

  Ainz had tried persuasion, but Albedo was firmly against him. Their opinions were running along parallel lines destined to never meet, and it seemed like the issue would never get resolved, but after Demiurge whispered something in her ear, Albedo had abruptly withdrawn her complaints and the decision was made. She even said, “I understand everything,” and saw him off with a gentle smile.

  He still didn’t know what Demiurge had said to her; that paired with the dramatic change in her behavior made him a bit anxious.

  “The reason I didn’t bring Albedo is that there is no one I trust more than her. It’s precisely because she’s at Nazarick that I don’t have to worry about being away.”

  “I see. That’s what I thought! So you’re closest to Albedo, then, huh?”

  Saying Uh, yeah, I guess was impossible, so he just nodded. “And I know how dangerous this trip is.” Ainz raised his gauntleted right hand and wiggled his ring finger. “But it has to be me doing this. If I were to just command from within Nazarick, I’d end up missing something because this world is an unknown. I need to get out and see what it’s really like. …I’m sure there are many ways we could have gone about things, but when we’re dealing with so many unknowns, I wanted to do something that didn’t make me feel so uneasy.”

  Ainz watched Narberal through the slit in his helmet as she solemnly accepted his explanation, and then he asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice, “Just wondering, but do you consider humans lower life-forms?”

  “Indeed I do. Humans are worthless trash.”

  Hearing this reply with no sign of hesitation that clearly came from the bottom of her heart, he muttered, “So you think so, too…,” but it was too quiet to reach Narberal’s ears. He continued, complaining, “That’s why I can’t just send you to a human city. I really should have made learning the personalities of my subordinates my highest priority.”

  One of the reasons he hadn’t brought Albedo was because of how she had denounced humans as low
er life-forms. He couldn’t take her to a city where there were lots of people only to have her throw a mass murder party the moment he took his eyes off her. Plus, Albedo didn’t have any disguise magic, so there was no way to hide her horns or wings.

  And then there was the biggest reason—the one he couldn’t tell anyone: Ainz, who had been a normal office worker, wasn’t confident he could just sit at the top and manage everything with Nazarick’s future in mind based solely on secondhand information. That’s why he had decided to venture out, foisting operations onto Albedo, who had the skills to manage them. One should always delegate to a talented subordinate when possible. Nothing good came from a higher-up mucking around in an area outside his competence.

  Also, where Ainz was concerned, Albedo was bound by two chains: loyalty and love. Under the circumstances, he felt safe leaving the Great Tomb of Nazarick in her hands.

  Love… Whenever he saw Albedo, and whenever she said how much she admired him, he was reminded of his mistake in rewriting part of her backstory. Yes, right before the game’s servers were supposed to go down, he’d edited her bio to say that she was “in love with Momonga”—in other words, with Ainz. Of course, he had no way of knowing they would all go flying off to some new, other world. He’d just meant it as a little joke on the last day.

  Reflecting on it, though, Albedo herself didn’t seem to mind, but what would Ainz’s friend, her creator, Tabula Smaragdina, think if he found out? What if it were me? If my friend had warped an NPC I made… He also didn’t like that he was taking advantage of her condition and assuming she wouldn’t betray him.

  He shook his head to banish those dark thoughts. His undead body suppressed major emotional waves, but little ripples like this still affected him like they had when he was human. If I turn completely undead, will I stop feeling this guilt? Thinking absentmindedly on these things, he turned his close helmeted head to face Narberal. “Nabe, I’m not saying you have to discard that sentiment, but at least suppress it. This is a human city, and we don’t know how strong some of them might be, not to mention a lot of other things. Try not to do anything that could trigger hostility.”