Invaders: Chapter 1

On the 10th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, in the innermost sanctum—

excitement was quietly overflowing the area in front of the throne, where forty

banners hung on two sides.

Without any words being spoken, the beings that gathered in the room neatly formed

up in a ceremonial fashion with one hand to their chest, knelt towards the throne with

their heads lowered, displaying their complete loyalty.

Not only were the floor guardians present, the other NPCs created by the forty-one

Supreme Beings, as well as their servants were also gathered. The total number

gathered easily surpassed 200. This was the second time the throne room was filled

with this many servants since the transfer.

However, different from before, the servants gathered this time were among the

strongest within Nazarick, with the average level being over eighty.

The subordinates that were accompanying Shalltear were all high-level undeads

instead of the typical vampire brides. In addition, Mare even brought along the two

level ninety dragons, both of which have never ventured outside before, to the throne

room. The two dragons were ultra-rare creatures that were obtained from the cash

shop Gachapon.

Among the carefully selected servants, some still managed to stand out. The most

obvious example was the group of one hundred level forty undeads. They were lined

up in a different block from the other two hundred servants.

Typically, lower leveled servants were placed near the rear end of the assembly

without exception, where the treatment they receive was proportional to their level.

However, this specific group of one hundred undead were personally created by the

supreme ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick— Ainz Ooal Gown. As such, their status

was different.

Even though every creature that was present in the room was one of Ainz's

subordinates and a loyal retainer of the guild "Ainz Ooal Gown", differences in status

still existed. Of course, the ones at the top were the NPCs created by the Supreme

Beings, with the NPCs that were appointed as Floor Guardians ranking above all

others.

Ranked below the NPCs were the POPs, in other words, monsters that are

automatically spawned by the Mercenary System from within YGGDRASIL—the

servants. The status of the servants was based on their level and job class, and not the

floor they had spawned from.

In that case, how should they rank the undead that were created by Ainz?

This was the question that bothered the Overseer of the Floor Guardians—Albedo—

the most. Should she treat them the same as other the NPCs?

When asked, Ainz had simply smiled softly and shrugged it off by saying he wouldn't

care even if Albedo placed them at the very back.

Although the number of undead Ainz could summon per day was limited, the spells

to create undead creatures did not require anything besides mana and a corpse.

Compared to the high level servants that require YGGDRASIL gold or real money in

order to spawn, it was obvious which were more valuable to Ainz, given that the only

requirement for creating undead were corpses.

However, this was only from Ainz's point of view, which was completely different from

what his subordinates thought. Moved by her master's generosity, Albedo responded

with an "understood". However, regardless of how much she tried, the resulting

formation was mismatched. Albedo started to become troubled.

After spending all her brain power, Albedo ended up placing the undead behind the

NPCs and in front of the POP spawned servants.

While all this was happening, Ainz silently observed the entire process from the

highest position within the room. With the posture of a mighty ruler, Ainz's presence

loomed over the throne room, filling his subjects with awe. To the people who were

present, Ainz's every decree carried the weight of a God.

"To begin, I would like to thank Sebas and Solution for the effort they put in for the

past month in intelligence gathering. You have done well."

Seeing the two bowing deeply, Ainz nodded his head in satisfaction. However, the real

problem for Ainz had just begun. It was extremely difficult for an average salary man

like Ainz to play the role of a ruler. Seeing the faces of countless subordinates radiating

with respect and love simply made the pressure even more overbearing.

Ainz felt as if his stomach was aching and his heart beating extremely fast, even

though these organs should not exist in an undead made of nothing but bones.

However, this feeling only lasted for a fraction of a moment. Even though just seconds

ago Ainz was filled with the feeling of wanting to immediately run away, the special

condition of being an undead forcefully compelled him to calm down again.

In the end, Ainz managed to continue putting on the airs of a respected ruler.

"The two of you, come before me."

Both Sebas and Solution stood up at the same time and walked towards the steps in

front of the throne as if they had practised it beforehand. Once they reached where

Albedo stood, the two of them got back on their knees and bowed once more.

"Raise your heads. For your outstanding performances, the two of you shall receive

my praise as well as reward."

Ainz then shifted his sight to Sebas and said.

"Sebas, although you previously pleaded for Tsuare's life, the reason that I decided to

protect her is because of a personal debt as a show of gratitude to someone else. It has

nothing to do with the accomplishment of your previous work, as such I will still

permit you to ask for a reward. Well then, let us hear your wish!"

By giving rewards to servants that had performed well in their assigned tasks, Ainz

hoped to provide an incentive to motivate others to perform better. As such, Ainz used

the experiences he gained in the human society to create the current scene for all to

witness. This was also part of the reason as to why he allowed so many subordinates

to enter the throne room.

However, the current situation also came with many risks. In front of his

subordinates, Ainz had to maintain the posture and attitude of a ruler who was

capable of leadership. For an average salaryman like Ainz, this was very difficult to

maintain. Even so, as the last remaining member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he

had to overcome this challenge.

I cannot betray the hopes and expectations of the NPCs who have displayed so much

loyalty to me.

Just as Ainz resolved his determination, Sebas' mustache quivered.

"Offering my complete devotion to Ainz-sama is the sole reason for my existence, I

have no need for—"

As I thought, these subordinates of mine possess way too much loyalty. This makes

the pressure all the more harder to bear.

"That is enough, I understand your feelings. However, good work still needs to be

rewarded. This is something that I as a master should do. Know that sometimes the

lack of ambition in the subordinates can make their master unhappy."

"Ah! Please accept my apologies, Ainz-sama. In that case..." After several seconds of

thinking, Sebas said, "I would like to ask for clothing and everyday living goods for

Tsuare, who was kindly placed under my care by Ainz-sama."

"...I can provide clothes from my personal collection. Will that be fine?"

In YGGDRASIL, the cosmetic skins released were only available in limited quantities.

If one missed out on them, it would be extremely difficult to acquire them. As such,

players tended to buy up any new cosmetic item that looked halfway decent. This was

the same for Ainz and his comrades. Because the guild had female members as well

as many female NPCs, Ainz would often purchase skins regardless of whether they

were meant for males or females, as long as they looked good. Sometimes he would

give them to members who missed out on the sale, but that rarely happened.

The guild member who created Shalltear, Peroronchino, also shared the same

inclination as Ainz, and had once said "Buying skins is like buying fap material.

Regardless of whether you'll use it or not, it's always better to have a copy stored

somewhere."

Because of this, Ainz ended up with wardrobe after wardrobe filled with untouched

clothes. Even if he turned them into crafting materials it would still be a waste. Might

as well try to make the best out of them by giving some to Tsuare. Now that Ainz

thought back on this, the clothing from YGGDRASIL were all rather excessive in

design, but there should at least be a few that were suitable for Tsuare to wear.

"No, that is too much. Tsuare has already received so much kindness from Ainz-sama,

giving her Ainz-sama's clothes would be too much to ask."

"Is that so? ...In that case, what should I do with the clothes..."

For Ainz, who had never purchased women's clothing before, this was troublesome.

What if he was misunderstood as having a lewd fetish? His reputation within the

female circles of the Great Tomb of Nazarick would definitely drop.

"How about we leave this matter to Narberal? A small problem like this should not

require the personal attention of Nazarick's supreme ruler Ainz-sama."

Sebas spoke as if sensing Ainz's discomfort.

"...Are you fine with this, Narberal?"

Reacting to the command, one of the motionless NPCs who stood in front of Ainz

nodded her head deeply.

"Very well. Sebas, this task has been given to Narberal. However..." Ainz grinned, "I

am also fine if you treat this as a date and take Tsuare to the capital to shop for

clothes."

Ainz had already heard of the relationship between Sebas and Tsuare. Although they

haven't reached a physical relationship yet, it would definitely happen soon. That was

what Ainz was told by Demiurge.

Demiurge, huh. Why did he suggest that forming a physical relationship between

Sebas and Tsuare is a good thing? Well, I guess he was congratulating his co-worker

on finding a girlfriend. Maybe they have a better relationship than I thought? Things

didn't seem so good between them in the Kingdom, but I guess it was understandable

considering the circumstances. It makes me relieved. Continually fighting like those

two isn't healthy at all."

The reason for the conflict between the guildmembers Touch Me and Ulbert was due

to something outside of YGGDRASIL. In other words, Ulbert's jealousy towards

Touch Me was due to real world reasons.

The relationship between the two became tense ever since the quarrel they had that

one time… Maybe that was the cause of everything.

If it was the Ainz of now, perhaps he could have understood the reason for the quarrel

back then. While reminiscing the past, a sudden voice from Sebas startled Ainz and

he hastily came back from the reminiscent state.

"Is that pos-possible? If that is the case, I would like to take Tsuare along to the

capital."

It's not like I want to purposely sabotage their relationship just because I am single.

When the two of them arrive at Re-Estize for their date, should I follow along wearing

the Mask of Envy? It was just a childish thought.

"That is fine Sebas. Next, Solution, tell me the reward that you want."

"…I would be very happy if I could receive a few humans. If possible, I want them to

be alive. And I would be even happier if the humans I get are pure."

The faces of the human captives appeared briefly in Ainz's mind. The majority of the

captives that were alive were members of "Eight Fingers", the type of people that

disgusted Ainz the most. Among them, the useful ones had already been tortured, and

any useful information they had was already extracted. The remaining humans were

currently being protected by the ones under confinement.

I can't use them. Pestonya and Nigredo risked going against my orders in order to

save them.

"Very well. I shall reward you with a few live humans. However, they won't be pure.

Do forgive me for not being able to fulfill the complete requirements of your wish."

"Please do not apologize, Ainz-sama. I know that my achievements are still lacking,

so I am satisfied with what is given." Solution said with her head deeply bowing.

Ainz nodded with the bearing of a ruler to Solution.

"...Is that so? My thanks. The two of you may return to your positions. Next is Entoma.

Come before me."

Similar to Sebas and Solution, Entoma came in front of Ainz and knelt down.

"Well then, Entoma."

"YeS!"

Such a difficult to understand voice, Ainz smiled bitterly.

"Looks like your voice still hasn't recovered."

The insect that Entoma used as her voice box could not be spawned from POP.

However, it was possible to use items from YGGDRASIL to summon them. There were

still a few of these insects in Entoma's room, so she could get her voice back anytime

she liked. The reason why she had not done it yet was because of her personal grudge.

"Is mY vOicE tOo HoaRSe? If sO I wiLL iMmeDiAtEly go aNd FiX it."

"That is fine. I do not dislike your voice."

"ThAnK yOu vErY mUch!"

"For continuing the duty you were assigned despite your injuries, you've done well.

However, it is not enough to receive the same level of reward as the two from before.

Now, is there something you want?"

Rewards should not be so generously handed out. Otherwise it would lower the

importance of a reward and defeat the whole purpose.

Keeping this in mind, Ainz judged that Entoma's achievements were still lacking for

a proper reward. However, getting injured and not receiving anything at all would be

too pitiful.

Is this the so called Purple Heart? I'm not too familiar with military stuff. If that

person was here he would be able to explain it to me better.

Ainz suddenly thought about the guild member who was a military otaku.

"In tHAt cAse ...AInZ-sAma, iF tHe cHanCe to kiLL tHat bRaTty giRL sHows uP,

pLeASe leT me kNow. I wANt heR to alSo eXpeRIenCe tHe fEeLing of loSiNg heR

voICe."

Realizing that Entoma was referring to Evileye, the mage girl that wore a strange

mask, Ainz gave his consent.

"Understood. When the time comes, I will let you know. Return to your position,

Entoma."

Watching Entoma head back to her original spot, Ainz began speaking once more

"Now, let us move on to the next agenda."

No objection was raised. However, for Ainz, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

As the absolute ruler of Nazarick, even if Ainz said something that was white is black,

no one would object. The silence from before might mean that no one objected,

however, it did not mean that the actions Ainz took were necessarily correct.

Should I create separate divisions such as the Board of Audit?

The first thing he should do is create a department that assessed the contribution of

each individual in Nazarick and the appropriate rewards for them. But this would run

into the problem that Sebas showed earlier. Every NPC in Nazarick pledged their

loyalty to Ainz as a matter of fact and considered service without compensation to be

a natural thing. It would be difficult for them to determine what sort of incentive

would be appropriate, and ultimately the decision would go to Ainz.

As an organization, the overall course of action and goals need to be made clear ...In

the end, I left all the problems for Albedo to solve, and now everything is coming

back to bite me. This has already exceeded the limits of ordinary people. Haa, looks

like the experiences I gained in society after living for this long has no uses at all.

Ainz, or rather, Suzuki Satoru, who was originally on the receiving side, ended up

having to deal with these problems and the pressure of being the one assigning the

rewards. It would have been better to think about these things in Ainz's own bed,

which for some reason smelled really good.

"I will now make it clear on the future directions that Nazarick will take. Demiurge,

come to my side."

The possessor of the highest intelligence in Nazarick walked towards the throne, and

stood on the opposite side of Albedo.

"The overseer of the floor guardians of Nazarick, Albedo, and the highest intellect in

Nazarick, Demiurge, I order the two of you to explain our plans. The plans that were

made in the beginning are halfway into fruition, and now is the time for everyone to

hear the overall directions that Nazarick will take. If anyone present have a different

opinion, raise your hand. I will grant you permission to speak."

The most important of Ainz' goal was to preserve the existence of Nazarick. No, in the

worst case scenario, even if he had to abandon Nazarick, Ainz would still be fine with

it as long as the NPCs created by his past comrades were safe.

The second most important goal was to make the name Ainz Ooal Gown known

throughout the world. This was in the slight hope that if any of Ainz's past comrades

were in this world, they would be able to reunite. However, the chance of this

becoming true was extremely low.

The third was to strengthen Nazarick. This goal should probably deserve more

importance than the previous one. It is true that after coming to this world, Ainz felt

that the Great Tomb of Nazarick would never fall and that "Ainz Ooal Gown" was the

strongest organization in existence. However, as long as the entity that tried to mind

control Shalltear still existed, partaking in too many public actions will be dangerous.

Especially when facing against an unknown number of World class items, the

possibility that an unknown guild is involved was quite high. That was why raising the

overall power of Nazarick was the correct action to take.

The current status was that after incorporating the lizardmen into Nazarick, Ainz has

been continuously creating undead in order to strengthen Nazarick's military power.

However, he needed do something more.

The fourth goal was to create an effective intelligence network but this had been

lowered in priority after the recent turn of events.

Ainz had thought about the priority of these goals and ordered them as such.

However, as an ordinary person, this was the best that he could do, and he could not

know if there were any flaws in his thinking.

This was why Ainz wanted to borrow the brainpower of Albedo and Demiurge, who

were very intelligent. If it concerned only ordinary things, Ainz was fine with

borrowing their wisdom. In such case, there was no need for Ainz to put himself on

stage and risk embarrassing himself in front of everybody.

However, that way of thinking was incorrect.

As the master, as the Ainz Ooal Gown the NPCs believed him to be, he needed this

kind of stage to show that he indeed was a Supreme Being; a truly wise sage that none

would even dare to predict.

"The two of you, speak loudly so everyone can hear. Everyone in this room are elites

that were selected by their Floor Guardians. It is necessary for them to understand

the plans we have made for the future. To the ones below, listen well."

That's right. This was the desperate measure that Ainz had chosen to take. The larger

scaled version of the "pretend I understand, but in case others didn't, Demiurge shall

once more explain it" plan. Just like before, Ainz only need to put up the pretense of

being fully aware and wait for an explanation.

"Demiurge, for those who are in the dark, explain the current situation to them. Make

sure to make it easy to understand. First begin with the explanation of the actions we

took against the Kingdom."

"Understood." Demiurge replied as he then turned towards the assembly to begin his

explanation.

That was what Ainz wanted to hear. For someone as intelligent as Demiurge, there

must have been a purpose for the events to have occurred in that particular manner.

However, after much thinking, the feeling that Ainz got was that somehow, they ended

up doing unnecessary things.

"First, in the Kingdom, I was able to successfully reduce the authority of those in

power with the help of Mare, Neuronist, and Kyouhukou. We can now begin to slowly

infiltrate their ranks until the Kingdom comes under our full control."

"...Eh?"

A small sound escaped from Ainz's mouth. Why do we need to take control of the

Kingdom? It seemed as if the explanation was different from what Ainz heard last

time. Wasn't it in order to secure a steady income or to better acquire intelligence?

While Ainz was deep in thought, Demiurge stopped speaking and turned his head

towards him. For once, Ainz was glad that his undead body would not let him sweat,

and turned to Demiurge.

"Is there a problem, Demiurge?"

"No, it was just that I had the feeling that Ainz-sama wished to say something."

"Ah, is that so? You must have been mistaken. Continue. Let everyone know the

reason behind taking control of the Kingdom."

"Yes. Now then, everyone, I hope none of you here are foolish enough to not know

that by taking control of the Kingdom, we will be able to move closer towards the true

wish of Ainz-sama, which is world domination."

Ainz quickly studied the faces of everyone present in the room. From the looks of

things, it seemed like everyone knew about this.

Except for Ainz himself.

"...World domination?"

Just what is this?! When did it become like this? Of course Ainz couldn't say these

thoughts out loud.

Ainz once again tried to use as much of his brain power as possible to quickly make

sense of things. It was unbelievable, hard to accept. How did it become like this?

Originally they were supposed to be quietly taking actions in the background, avoid

making too many enemies, raise the fame of Ainz Ooal Gown and then reunite with

past comrades. It was supposed to be just to realize these cute little wishes.

However, now it ended up being—

Why is it world domination? Just how in the hell did this happen?

Although Ainz really wanted to deny the statement, he lacked the courage to do so.

Both the NPCs and the servants all displayed the expression which said "there was no

need to ask". It is as if everyone had already accepted that this was the final objective

of Ainz. Suddenly it seemed as if a lonely wind blew past the throne that Ainz sat on.

Ainz Ooal Gown was the absolute ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a peerless

existence. After spending so much effort to create this kind of image, if it was broken

here by Ainz himself, who knows what would happen. Would he end up becoming as

pitiful as an idol without a single paparazzi, who lost all of her fan base, and could not

sell her albums. The fate of Ainz would probably be even worse than that. Ainz had

already managed to imagine these things in his head.

We're too invested in this plan to stop now…

However, after carefully thinking things through, world domination didn't sound as

bad as it seemed.

It wouldn't be as easy as it was in games, and for an ordinary person like Ainz, the

path to world domination seemed like an impossible road to travel. However, fame

could be obtained—most likely infamy—and this seems like the perfect method to gain

it.

The problem would be, if Ainz's past comrades were to find out about it what would

their reaction be? If the time comes, I'll just have to honestly admit that I wasn't able

to successfully manage Nazarick and apologize, Ainz thought.

And there's also the unknown enemy that brainwashed Shalltear. I can always make

up some excuses... I'll be forgiven… Right?

After finding his resolve, Ainz turned towards Demiurge and said. "Oh, so you

remembered."

"Of course. If it is words spoken by Ainz-sama, this Demiurge will never forget. "

"Is that so… It was the conversation from that time right?"

"That is correct."

"...At that time?"

"That is correct."

"Ah, that time… I am pleased, Demiurge."

"Thank you very much."

"However, world domination is hard to achieve."

"It is as you say."

"In that case… How do you think we should proceed?"

Ainz felt like praising himself for managing to keep his voice steady throughout the

whole thing.

"What we have currently achieved will be the starting point for our future plans. I have

a proposal. I believe it is time for Nazarick to publicly come out onto the global stage.

If we keep things as it is, it will become more and more difficult for us to operate,

should the entities that brainwashed Shalltear continue to remain hidden in the dark."

"...It is as you say."

That can't be correct, right? Ainz had thought that by remaining hidden, it would be

safer. How did Demiurge arrive at his conclusion?

"I also agree, Ainz-sama. By becoming a known organization, there would be more

options available to us, for example through correspondences or negotiations. It won't

be like what we are doing right now, searching for clues in the dark. This is what I

think."

After hearing Albedo's opinion, Ainz was able to finally accept it in his heart, and

responded with "I see."

Compared with the things at the moment, it is indeed much more attractive to be able

to take part in larger, more public scaled operations.

"By controlling the Kingdom from behind the scene, we can avoid making Nazarick

stand out. However, I do not like the idea of making us a part of another country."

Demiurge shook his head at Albedo's question.

"Of course not, Albedo. I too do not wish for that. Also, from the reports that we have

gathered, the current Kingdom holds no charm, apart from a single person. It is the

same as other countries. I believe that to place our organization as part of a country is

foolish."

"And why is that?"

"If we belong to a country, our actions will become restricted. If the beings that

attacked Shalltear are an organization, we will most likely lose the initiative. As such…

Ainz-sama."

Demiurge looked towards Ainz as he made his proposal.

"I propose we form an independent nation called the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Chapter 1

Invitation to Death