Main Chapter 2 - Catastrophic Negotiation
Notes:
By the time you are reading this, I've put about 3k words onto Climb's extra chapter. However, I must delay its release as I felt my passion eroding with each word I typed in the boy's extra chapter. It might be an excuse as I could not find a valid explanation for it.
Also, thank you for your kind words! Feel free to criticise me if you find something, not to your liking or perhaps incoherent.
As for the concern about when the first NPCs will be revived if you are considering it from Momonga's POV, not too long, but for us? It might be.
Making his way out of his room, Momonga noticed the lack of the earlier annoying skeleton's presence, and a man now replaced him at the counter. He recalled how in his real life, employees are usually overworked, but seeing that even an undead got a break time, a brief joyful feeling ignited in his mind before being suppressed.
The crowded scene from before was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps people enjoyed drinking outside more, or it could be that he had talked with Kelart for that long.
"Oh, greetings sir, were you there for the show?" the barkeeper asked. "Would you be interested in our room? It's only four copper."
"Four copper?"
"Not one silver?" said Momonga as he slowly approached. "I heard from someone else that it costs a silver."
"O-Oh is that so sir?" the man said as he scratched his head. "Because we are partially funded by our mayor, we haven't raised our price for years..."
"Your undead employee told me so. Perhaps he was thinking of pocketing the change?"
The barkeeper's face turned even more confused; he brought up a piece of parchment and a magnifying glass. "A-Apologies, sir... But unfortunately, we nor any other places have undead for reception jobs... N-not because we are against your kind or anything, good sir, but our...friends enjoy working in other areas."
"Why is he talking like that...? Is he that afraid of offending me?" Though the overlord himself was oblivious, the reason may just be his glaring, glowing red balls that acted as his eyes.
"Oh...that's right, sir... Because you are a visitor, you can enjoy a week of stay at no cost! Other inns also have this promotion... so you could stay freely for probably a month or two."
"I see... so this is one of the schemes they used to draw people in... But how do they keep track of people...?"
"If you are interested... just put your finger through this magic item... and you will be registered."
The magic item in question resembles a modern portable lamp in pure white colour. However, the entire cylinder was filled; instead of allowing the light bulb to be seen. There was a hole on top of it, though perhaps a little bit too small for a finger to fit. Strangely, Momonga could've sworn he'd seen it somewhere before.
"Here goes nothing," he thought as he stuck his index finger into it. Surprisingly, the small hole expanded to accommodate, and the texture was soft and firm, like a rubber. He noticed that even with the entire length of his finger, there was still a room, perhaps for those with longer ones?
"Ara~ Ara~ Momonga-kun~ To think seeing my brother's inexperienced friend putting in the wrong hole would be this cathartic~" a seductive feminine voice suddenly spoke from the 'lamp'.
Immediately every eye remaining in the bar glared at Momonga; some from the outside even came in, hoping to witness some kind of action. The overlord could not do anything but to gaped, allowing his blazing eyes to fade as memories flooded back to him;
Inside a room decorated with one round table and forty-one chairs, stood Momonga, the guild leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, along with his friends, Flatfoot the assassin and Nishikienrai, the ninja. Whilst their class may sound similar, their roles were quite different as the former had more points in reconnaissance and anti-stealth, while the latter focused more on pure DPS.
The three weren't using the room for any particular purpose as they were just chatting beside the table.
"I envy you Momonga..." Flatfoot said as he pressed a *sighing* emote. "I really think my PTSD triggers every time I see her..."
"Eh, dude is it that bad?" Nishikienrai said almost jokingly. "Buuuut who r u even talking about?"
"It's... Bukubukuchagama-san" said Momonga. "Apparently, she reminded Flatfoot-san of his department chief."
"Really? I always thought she had a cute voice."
"And that's what made her scary... Don't you find her abrupt emotional change to be disturbing...?" the assassin argued.
"I guess? Though I always find it funny when she went on full psycho mode when flaming her little bro."
The three eventually just press laughing emotes as per usual... The topic was just about to change but-
"Everyone, good evening~" a pink slime approached with her usual high-pitch cutesy tone. Bukubukuchagama was her name. Since her race doesn't possess an actual limb, part of her body formed a pseudo hand that held a strange, white cylindrical object.
"Chagama-san good evening!" replied Nishikienrai. "What is that you're holding?"
"I'm glad you ask!" she said as she handed the item over. "It's... my new item! Go on, Momonga-san, show the last one I made for you~"
Reluctantly, the guild master went through his inventory before pulling out what resembled a wristwatch. After seconds of fiddling, the item spoke in a tone of the pink slime; "Momonga-oniichan! I'm setting the time!".
"..."
"..."
"Please don't stay silent!" Momonga screamed internally as he could already sense the disapproving sentiment from Flatfoot in spite of his expressionless avatar. "S-So, how is this one used?"
"Well~ Just put your finger in it and you'll see~"
"Flatfoot-san, why don't u try?"
"Okay?" the assassin reluctantly replied. He followed the instruction and-
"This is your first time~"
"Interesting phrasing...?" Momonga mused in his head.
"Try it again!" Bukubukuchagama encoraged.
"This is your second time~" "This is your third time~" "This is your fourth time~" "This is your fifth time~" "This is your sixth time~" "This is your seventh time~" "This is your eight time~" "This is- HEY YOU SONOFABITCH WILL YOU SLOW DOWN?!"
"HOLY SHIT!" exclaimed Flatfoot as his avatar froze in place as if it was turned into a statue.
"Um... Flatfoot-san... are you okay? I didn't scare you did I?" the pink slime asked concernedly. However, her words would not reach the assassin.
Flatfoot has been disconnected. (Exit code: 416D697961)
"..."
"I'll email him don't worry. Goodbye for now, leader-san, voice actress-san."
Nishikienrai disconnected.
"...It's just the two of us again." the slime spoke. However, her tone was way lower; perhaps she was speaking in her 'true' voice? "I did prepare some easter eggs like my last one; you can check it out when Flatfoot-san comes back."
"I hope it's not something perverted like last time!" Momonga replied as he chuckled; however, his half-joking laugh would be joined by the slime.
"Pft... Like it wouldn't... Also, there's another functio-"
His recollection would end just there as a particular line of thought abruptly entered his mind, and did it turn his embarrassment into utter fear and later anger.
"Do you...know where you get this?"
"I-I'm so sorry sir!" the barkeeper shouted as he bowed, almost hitting his head at the counter. "It never did something like that before-"
"Enough! Just answer me where you get it!" a wave of hatred combined with his angered tone made nearby people move away, perishing another interpretation of what Momonga might mean.
"S-Sorry sir, I don't have a clue... our mayor gave it to me so-"
"Where can I find this mayor?!"
"Y-You would have to wait for tomorrow sir... but I believe they can make an exception if you are in a rush."
An emotional suppressor kicked in, calming the overlord just for now. "Damnit... now I'm acting like those" by those, Suzuki might be referring to those types of whiny customers demanding to meet the manager. "Apologies... I... was being rude." He apologised as he bowed deeply.
"P-Please raise your head sir... I can sympathise that travelling must be tiring, might I escort you to your room?"
"Thank you..."
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From the main reception hall, which has a bar, the two walked through a hallway connected on its right. Going past several rooms and upstairs, it seems the second floor was used as an inn. There were varied grades of room, judging from the condition of the door. Momonga was promised a double room. However, he would not be accompanied by anyone.
Eventually, he reached his room; it was at the end of the hall. The door wasn't too shabby and could probably withstand a kick or two. The area was illuminated by a single magical lamp, which was quite a distance away.
"Your key sir..."
"Thank you."
With that, the barkeeper left.
The interior of his room was poorly decorated, or rather, it wasn't decorated at all as it was furnished with only two beds, a small cabinet and two buckets. However, it looked perhaps as clean as a standard room in a modern hotel.
Practically sinking his face into one of the beds, Momonga realised that it wasn't quite soft, though it vaguely reminded him of a sofa he used to have.
His mind wandered past the simple question of 'Do undead need to sleep' and went through everything that happened.
"If Nazarick was transported here 20 years ago... then is it possible that something powerful killed all of the NPCs? That's very likely... It would explain why they can survive through the poison trap in the treasury... Could it be resistance? Or is this unknown enemy also an undead? But what about HeroHero-san...? Could he be transported here 20 years ago too? He's clearly alive so does that mean he escaped?"
Momonga tried to fire up [Message] once more. The spell worked without fail, yet there was still no reply from another side.
"I need more information... Maybe if I spread my name out far enough..."
The prospect of the unknown enemy finding him plagued Momonga's mind too, of course, but reuniting his friend far outweighed the fear. Perhaps with them reunite, they can plan and take revenge on this unknown enemy.
Momonga inspected his pocket dimension. He had around 10k YGGDRASIL coin, sufficient to revive several NPCs save for the guardians, whose revival cost had been greatly inflated. It may be his personal bias, but he wanted to save for Pandora's Actor, justifying in his mind that his creation can use the power of various classes.
"There's a lot of time until morning... Maybe I should sort my pocket dimension until then."
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When the sortings were finished, it was about the time of sunrise; Which spoke true just the sheer volume of unique items within the overlord's pocket dimension. He opened the curtains, allowing the impending ray of sun to flood in.
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Arriving downstairs, he noticed the lack of... well, anyone. The door that connected to the underground cold storage wasn't even locked. Naturally, the entrance door too wasn't locked. Thinking nothing of this, Momonga exited the building and immediately, what he saw was-
"Sir Momonga, good morning!" spoke the boy from yesterday with a warm smile. He wore a similar leather armour as yesterday.
"Ah good morning, master Climb; how long have you been standing there?"
"Only for a few minutes. I was quite afraid that I wouldn't make it in time, but my morning tasks were resolved quickly... Shall we go now?"
"Oh, that's right... I'm supposed to meet his mistress..."
Nodding in agreement, both began their walk.
Seeing Carne in the early morning was very different from the nighttime. Most of the shops were closed, probably because it was too early in the morning; ironically, it might be harder to see because all of the lamps were off, but in place of darkness was a hint of mist that shrouded the area.
"I'm curious... You mentioned to me yesterday that the Empire used to supply food. Is this 'village' still reliant on imports?" the emphasis on 'village' made Climb chuckle just a bit.
"I don't understand much myself... but apparently they made a farm underground... They have some form of magic item in place of the sun, as for tending, the necromancers handle it with the summoned skeletons."
"Interesting... Now that I think about it, despite this world's technology still being in the medieval age, thanks to the magic they have modern things like artificial lighting and undead for automation I guess?... I wonder what else there is out there..."
"Would you mind a question from me sir?"
"Ask away." Momonga dismissively replied, still stuck in his own thoughts.
"Your magic barrier from yesterday... What tier of magic was it? Granted I don't know much about magic..."
"Eh? Why is he asking that now?... This is bad... Since he thought liches to be powerful; should I answer based on that?"
"F-Fourth tier."
Climb's eyes widened as he stopped walking and looked at Momonga bewildered. "Amazing..." he whispeered
There would be no further conversation between the two until they reached their destination.
Most buildings in Carne were constructed with colourless stone bricks, however, the structure in question was built with mostly dark coloured wood which gave it a distinct tint.
Climb knocked on the door, upon hearing some form of reply from the other side, he stepped back signalling Momonga to enter with a warm smile.
Imaginations of what could be the other side momentarily flooded the overlord's head, could it be some sort of an old wise witch? Or maybe like his old boss? But what he saw was truly beyond his expectations.
The room connected to the floor resembled a reception area of a clinic. With chairs, light decorations and a working table. Sitting behind the said table was a cute girl, with long smooth blonde hair, and vibrant sapphires-like eyes who smiled welcomingly, an aura of kindness that radiated from her could almost be physically seen. But her princess-like appearance did not match well with the simple clothes she wore. "My name is Renner. I'm officially an assistant to Carne's mayor. You are master Momonga correct? Climb told me much about you!"
"Miss Renner then-"
"Just Renner is fine." she sweetly assured. "Now, you are here for information yes? What would you like to know? Although... my sources tell me you already asked someone else." There was a split second where Momonga could feel a subtle feeling of distress, like a feeling one gets from getting their whole biography analysed.
"Was that my imagination...? It must be..." Gulping his non-existence saliva, he spoke, "There are still things I haven't asked yet."
"Well, I would be happy to tell you about anything... but could you answer some questions first? Namely... where exactly you are from?."
"I'm from a conti-" he was about to finish the same sentence he gave to Climb, but the former princess was having none of it.
"-a continent far away." she interjected with the ever sweet smile, but this time with an aggressive undertone. "I am more interested in the name of the nation if you would."
Upon hearing this, Momonga froze. He did not know if this continent had contact with another or if there even was another continent in this world. The uncomfortable feeling that welled up was about to explode as his mind raced for an answer that could not be found in the end.
"H-Honyonpenyoko!" he shouted. It was not the district he lived in. It was not the name of any YGGDRASIL worlds, It was not any location in his real life, It was not any destination in YGGDRASIL. And it was a name that he had never heard before. Where did it come from? Even he did not know.
"What the hell did I just say?" he screamed internally.
The former princess merely looked at him blankly before giggling cutely, "I see, what an interesting place name~."
"D...Did that really work? It's no use I can't read her!" Not that Suzuki was adept at reading people but to not even caught a glimpse of comprehension was something he had never witnessed before... "
"So... You are looking for a way home correct? But is that your only objective?... Are you by any chance, looking for something else?" she said as she crept ever so slightly closer.
"How did she know? Could she be a player? No... that's not possible. So must be a coincidence then... Maybe I should use this chance to ask her-"
"My friend also used the faulty teleporter..." observing Renner's face, there was a warm smile still plastered on it like that of a doll. And with no signs of disapproval, he continued. "I thought it to be prudent to check if he landed somewhere around here as well."
"Is your friend..." There was a thoughtful look on her face as if she was trying to find the right words. "...Also an undead?"
Momonga shook his head, "No, he's a...slime. Black in colour like a tar you can't miss him."
"Hm... You two used the teleportation device around the same time, yes? Then don't you think it's unlikely you ended up in a different spot? Given you conducted a proper preliminary searching, that is..."
"EXCUSE ME, MISS RENNER!" shouted a rather slim guard who had just barged in. Seeing Momonga's presence, he saluted before continuing, "MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES FOR INTERRUPTING YOUR MEETING. BUT THE MAYOR REQUEST THAT YOU JOIN HIM IN THE STRATEGY MEETING!"
"No need to shout~ I will be there~" Hearing that, the over-eager guard bowed deeply before leaving."
"My apologies, Master Momonga. It seems our dialogue has to be ended for now." said Renner as she made her way to the exit; however she then stopped and turned back. "Say... Would you be interested in joining the meeting? Your presence would be... a great help."
Not understanding her thoughts of inviting an outsider along, the over said; "I don't believe it's my place to-"
"I insist."
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Here Momonga was, practically dragged to a conference room by Renner.
The room itself wasn't large, just about the size of two trucks. There was a long table, with who looked to be Carne's mayor. On the other side sat three people, dressed in intricated uniforms, two of those donned a mask that resembles a bucket, with a single circular glass plane to allow its wearer to see. Judging from the way they hold themselves, they are subordinated to the unmasked one.
"Princess Renner... and an elder lich, what a pleasant surprise." the leader said.
He was a man probably in his thirties. He has blonde hair and black eyes and an aggressive look on his face, probably due to having two of his most hatred things entered. He had a scar on his face which gave him an aura of a seasoned veteran
Momonga used his ability to see a person's level, completely ignoring the title of Princess used on Renner as he thought it was some form of sarcasm. "He's the strongest person I've seen so far... Well... perhaps a little bit weaker than that helpful lady."
"How impolite of me, even though you are an undead, as a member of the human race, I must extend my courtesy." the leader said as he stood up. "My name is Nigun Grid Luin, captain of the Sunlight Scripture, now acting as an ambassador to this...'village'."
"I am Momonga, pleased to meet you, master Luin." he said cordially.
Nigun gave Momonga a strange look before sitting down once more and whispering with his peers.
"It's uncommon for one to have a single name." Renner explained, silently enough not to reach other ears. "Usually, when one offers one name on an official meeting, it's an alias or a title. An alias they expected the other side to know... So they're probably discussing if any of them have heard the moniker before."
Momonga was truly grateful for the timely explanation. Perhaps this potentially scary little girl is nothing but a nice child... Yes, that must be it.
"My deepest apologies, mister elder lich. But it seems your preceded fame reached none of our ears."
"My my, what is this master Nigun?" Renner interjected, giving her usual smile to the man. "How can an ambassador address our guest in such a manner? Should you not offer apologies instead of covering your lack of knowledge with meaningless rhetorics?"
Nigun did not reply, he merely crossed his arms and stared daggers at Renner for a few seconds. "Let's continue now that your puppeteer has come then, mayor."
While everything was happening, the mayor, who was formerly chief of Carne village, did nothing but sweat profusely.
"Mayor, you can rest for now~ I'll handle the rest." Stated Renner before she sat on one of the chairs, followed shortly by Momonga. Seeing so, the mayor made his leave.
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Moments after the door closed, the temperature of the room seem to drop by a few degrees. The first person to speak was-
"What is your game, master Nigun? Did your nation not declare our existence to be mutually exclusive to yours? So why negotiate now after sending waves of men to die?"
The captain sighed as he glanced at Momonga. "I will not humour a sham meeting like this, Ian; take my place. Wil, come with me."
"As you wish sir!" the two masked figures replied simultaneously. One followed Nigun out, and the other took off his mask, revealing a rather handsome young man with platinum blonde hair. "Ian Als Heim, at your service," he said with a smile.
"Commander of the first division was it...? Then I ask you the same question; What is it that the Theocracy seeks?
"I believe the answer is known to you already... Princess Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, assistant mayor of Carne, third legitimate daughter of King Ramposa III."
"Wait... she really is a princess?!"
Renner looks away, "I appreciate your recitation of my title commander, but we both know it means nothing to me now."
"My deepest condolences on what happened in Re-Estize... If only I was-"
"Please stop!" Renner screamed; her eyes glistened as if she was about to cry. "Please...don't... Don't remind the past that haunts us both... You lost your whole team too, didn't you?"
Noticing cracks in the princess's voice and the look on Ian's face, Momonga's heart dropped as he truly felt pity for them both. Recalling Kelart's words from yesterday, some unspeakable things that transpired in Re-Estize(The city) could be related to this.
The room would be filled with a silent uncomfortableness as no one dared to look at each other's faces. Even the bystander, Momonga couldn't help but be absorbed in such a tense atmosphere.
After several minutes passed, it was Ian who spoke first, "Then...mind me going over the details of this meeting?"
"Certainly not."
"Now then-" the commander's face turned serious as he brought up a scroll and began reading from it. "Acknowledging that Carne's village prosperity could be credited to the enlistment of untiring workers, we would no longer try to preach the obvious blasphemy of such sinful acts. However, we believe that the skirmishes between us have gone for long enough. So we demand your immediately surrender else face the wrath of our army."
"Pft..." The princess would started to giggle, but it did not take long before it evolves into a psychotic laughter "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! What kind of ultimatum is that commander? Was it written by a person younger than myself?" Trying to contain herself, Renner pulled out a parchment of her own before laying it on the desk, on it depicts a map of the Slane Theocracy."
"You and I both know, that what you've been sending to die here are nothing but death row prisoners, your mages just escape after a sufficient amount of inmates have died." she pointed at another entity on the map, possibly another nation. "Most of your army is at war with the elves, considering how they were totally unaffected by the Catastrophe, it's only a matter of time before your proud knights fall"
"Y-You aren't talking our scriptures into accoun-"
Renner's smile widen as her formerly lovely sapphire eyes now lost their glow. She brought up a 'Queen' chess piece "Black Scripture, your proudest unit now has to split to deal with all the cracks... And I heard they haven't been successful" Second piece she brought up would be the King piece. "And what of artefacts your rich history, the so-called legacies of the gods? Oh, that's right, they are inaccessible because nine cracks appeared at Kami Miyako, even all of your army combined wouldn't be able to retake it~ Even your administration fell with it."
Ian did not reply, nor did he show much anger as if expecting this outcome from the start.
"Continuing with the Bishop piece... care to name what it is?"
"Firestorm Scripture...?"
"Excellent! For the scripture specialised in shady business, is it not ironic that they are all showing themselves at the frontline...?" She placed two pieces at the same time, the Rook and the Knight. "Windflower scripture and Clearwater... how many people are left in there?" She paused, as if trying to provoke a reply, but there was absolutely nothing from the other side, which widened Renner's smile further. "Lastly..the pawn... what is it?"
"Us." Ian replied almost instantaneously.
"And why is that?" she asked as she slowly stood up.
"Bravo... Princess Renner... I've heard of your intelligence but to think you really knew everything." He said, stabbing a knife on the desk. "I was tasked to assassinate you while the captain and Wil poison this village's water supply... Please hurry, you can stop them-"
"Don't be alarmed, commander... I am certainly not an omnipotent being, so I ask you, how could I know such accurate information from just stitching rumours together...?"
Ian's eyes widened, "Was it Wil?"
"Correct~" said the princess, returning to her usual bubbly self. "Your captain should now be..subdued, return to your homeland with this" she handed a sealed scroll over.
Having received the scroll, he put it in his bag, "I will be sure to hand it to... the administration." he said as he made his way to leave, only to be stopped by Renner.
"One last question, commander."
"What is it, princess?"
"If you control your nation, then what would you do to solve the current situation?"
Ian paused for a brief moment, looking away. "If we back down, the people won't stand for this... We will have to continue the farce until we ended up annihilated by the elves..." He laughed ironically, "Years of preaching human supremacy... would come to bite us in the end."
"If my predictions are correct... Nigun expected your failure. As long as he can poison the water supply, his mission is accomplished. After all, is it not your goal to reignite the hatred for necromancers and the dead?" stated Renner.
"I... don't doubt that. My dwindling faith had been made more apparent day by day. I still believe in the gods of course... But... But.. rather than uniting against the common threat, we thought ourselves superior, stubbornly attempting to cling to the meaningless tapestry we called ideals... I would like to think that the plight we faced now is divine punishment." Ian turned his back towards the two. "Farewell, princess."
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"That went well, thank you for helping me, Master Momonga~"
Being left alone with a girl who showed her psychotic ability to the fullest, there was one thing and only one thing on Momonga's mind. "Why am I here?!"
"I didn't foresee that mister Ian would give up this easily... So I brought you along..." Renner then bowed, so deep that she was almost perpendicular to the ground. "Because I have such a great magic caster by my side, I can put on that performance... I truly am thankful.
That was a lie, of course, even Momonga could see the obvious deceit. However, humans aren't a creature to believe in the truth so apparent before them, but rather, they tend to choose to have faith in the truth that's convenient. So Suzuki, the mind behind the skeleton attached himself to the belief that he truly was helpful.
Author's Notes:
Moving very slowly, I will pick up the pace later I swear-
Q: Momonga acted out of character?
A: I would like to believe that without any NPCs and still suffering from witnessing the fact that everything he built with his friends was literally destroyed would be damaging. Even in the first chapters, he was determined to look for his friends even though there's almost non-existence change of them being transported.
Q: What exactly is Renner's view on Momonga.
A: I can't answer that. But what she knows is as follows: He's powerful yet lacks common wisdom as he got scammed by Kelart. And he's not good at lying. Though she couldn't tell if it was a deliberate act. She might also have some information that is not yet revealed.
Q: Why am I this cute?
A: Because you are my dearest reader, thank you for reading!
Also, you can read my upload order on my profile in case you didn't know.
