The Invaders of the Great Tomb Read online

  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.”

  Chapter 1 | An Invitation to Death

  1

  Imperial capital Arwinthal was a ways to the west in the Baharuth Empire’s territory. At its center stood the imperial castle where Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix (also known as the Fresh Blood Emperor) resided, while important facilities of every sort—the graduate school, the empire’s magic academy, government agencies—radiated out from it. The city was truly the heart of the empire.

  Its population was smaller than the Re-Estize Kingdom’s capital, but the scale was much grander. Additionally, due to major reforms over the past several years, the city was in the middle of the greatest growth period in its history. The capital was constantly importing new things, creating an influx of materials and talent, while the old and stagnant parts were demolished. The hope for the future that the residents carried was evident in their cheerful and bright expressions.

  The city practically clamored with dizzying excitement as Ainz walked through it with Narberal.

  Usually people who had just arrived from the countryside would move slowly and take in their surroundings as they strolled, many of them struck by the many differences between the kingdom and the empire.

  But Ainz didn’t have that kind of time.

  His mental state was clearly reflected in his hurried gait.

  The emotion controlling him was displeasure.

  Demiurge’s plan was the reason for Ainz’s trip to the imperial capital, and every time it came to mind, the furrows in his brow grew deeper—though his face was only a magical illusion.

  Patience should have been unnecessary for the absolute ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown. Nor should there have been any need for him to suppress his irritation. For an overlord whose word was absolute—a being who could take something white, call it black, and have it be so—there shouldn’t have been a single thing that didn’t go his way.

  So why was he in this situation? Even though he wanted to veto Demiurge’s proposal, there was a reason he hadn’t been able to.

  In terms of putting the power of Nazarick on display, Demiurge’s plan was extremely straightforward and would yield immediate results. The reason Ainz didn’t like it despite that was because he felt it would bring dishonor on the creations of his friends.

  Rejecting a wonderful plan for personal reasons would be deplorable, and he certainly didn’t want anyone to think he lacked the broad-mindedness to consider it. Besides, he hadn’t been able to come up with a counterproposal.

  In the end, objecting without a counterproposal is just one form of whining. It was member of adult society Ainz, not supreme ruler Ainz, who shouted this in his head.

  Ainz repeated what he’d already told himself any number of times.

  Calm down. You need to chill. If you need to choose between logic and emotions, the correct choice for a boss is obviously logic. Guys who act based on emotions achieve amazing results if they’re lucky, but most of the time they come up with nothing worth mentioning. Besides—

  “The die is cast, I guess…” Ainz didn’t have any lungs, but he took a deep breath and exhaled.

  The citizens giving dubious looks to the warrior who suddenly started breathing heavily in the street didn’t bother him.

  His commanding appearance already attracted attention. Especially since he’d been celebrated as a hero, it was actually rarer for no one to be looking at all. For that reason, beyond special circumstances like when he had to put on an act or moments spent riding Hamusuke, the gazes of ordinary people didn’t faze him one bit.

  After a few more deep breaths, his creeping discomfort had abated somewhat, and he finally had the energy to pay some attention to Narberal behind him.

  “Sorry. Was I walking too fast?”

  Ainz was wearing armor, but there was still a big difference between his manly gait and Narberal’s feminine stride, even though she wore a robe. Considering her strength, it probably wasn’t an issue, but as a man, he still felt the need to apologize for pushing ahead without considering her.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Okay…”

  Did she only answer that way because she’s my servant? Or is it really not bothering her? Unsure, Ainz shortened his stride and tried to come up with a topic for conversation.

  Feeling a bit embarrassed about how on edge he’d been up until now, he racked his brains for something to talk about but couldn’t come up with anything suitable.

  Small talk among salesmen generally consisted of benign topics like the weather. Sports wasn’t bad, either, but that required knowing the other person’s favorite team ahead of time.

  Ainz was trying to think of something like that to bring up as he mentally cursed under his breath. Why should I have to tiptoe around Narberal? She’s my subordinate! This is a perfect chance to practice conversing with underlings while role-playing as a ruler. But I wonder what would be good for a ruler, or rather, I wonder what sorts of things absolute beings chat about…

  Ainz recalled the everyday conversations he used to have with his boss at the office and wondered if that would go over well or not. He was the elite ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, not a corporate executive. If anything, his position was more comparable to that of a company president.

  Nah, it’s not quite the same as a president… I wonder what kind of conversations the ruler of the kingdom has with Gazef Stronoff. I wish I could use that as a point of reference.

  It was a bit late in the game to be mulling over this type of thing. Walking in silence any longer would be awkward. Still unsure if it was a good topic, Ainz desperately broached one. “Hey, Nabe… What do you think of my voice?”

  Ainz poked at his vocal cords—or more accurately, the place where they would have been. He touched his gauntlets to the spot on his neck where he normally would have felt only metal, but there was something squishy inside, plus an out-of-place dampness inside his throat.

  “To be quite honest, I don’t much care for it. Not that it’s an odd voice, of course. I merely prefer Lor— Mr. Momon’s normal one. I understand the circumstances, but I do sometimes wish you would go back to your regular voice.”

  “I see… I think it’s pretty nice and elegant. Neuronist chose it from among the voices of fifty people, so it’s only natural that it would have a certain charm.”

  Ainz suddenly groaned after remembering a time he’d heard a recording of his own voice, but his psyche was immediately stabilized.

  “Is that so? I like your normal one better.”

  “Thanks, Nabe. Still, I didn’t even think I would be able to equip this thing…”

  Ainz poked his neck again, wondering if Narberal meant what she said or whether she was only flattering him. He felt the creature attached to his throat—a Lip Bug—move. If he were human, it probably would have tickled.

  Did I just not know? Or did it get changed in a patch? These kinds of gaps in knowledge could prove dangerous. What a pain that I have to verify my information of this world and what I learned in Yggdrasil.

  The creators of Yggdrasil wanted their players to enjoy the unknown.
Hoping to give people motivation to experiment, the developers revealed a vast amount of data alongside a system worth tinkering with.

  Thus, a true unknown spread out before the players.

  There was hardly any useful info available about the map, nor details about the various dungeons, how to mine ores, what was edible, what types of magic beasts could be kept, and so on. Everything was left completely unexplained. In the world of Yggdrasil, players had to discover all this information themselves. To put it plainly, they even had to use trial and error to figure out what they could and could not equip.

  Sure, there were walk-through sites and information pages, but most were nothing more than collections of widely known facts or contained tips of dubious veracity. Yggdrasil was a game of exploring the unexplored, and any intelligence acquired was a treasure. There was no benefit to making it freely available to strangers.

  The only intelligence that could be trusted came from the guild that a player belonged to or traded for with a dependable guild. The rest was generally considered to be worthless.

  There was even a period when completely suspicious posts, to the effect of “I left my guild, so I’m revealing all the info we were hoarding,” popped up.

  Well, there was some true stuff buried among the lies, but…

  There was one guild called The Flaming Third Eye.

  It was formed by someone who ran a members-only paid Yggdrasil wiki. They committed the atrocious deed of sending spies to infiltrate elite guilds and steal intelligence. Only the admins didn’t consider it reprehensible. They tacitly approved it as a valid way to acquire information, but that didn’t fly with those who had been robbed.

  When public fury reached its peak, the elite guilds formed an alliance and attacked The Flaming Third Eye. Players camped the spying guild’s respawn points, their guild base, and the shrine in town, PK-ing them over and over every time their victims came back to life. In the end, The Flaming Third Eye was destroyed, to the point where their members scattered to the four winds.

  Ainz fondly recalled how they opened up their wiki for free after that.