The Grand Library of Ashurbanipal
Titus Annaeus Secundas was rearranging some of the books on the shelf when his creator, Shijuuten Suzaku, ambled into the library. The undead librarian did a double take, not believing his eyes for a moment.
"Mine lord! Doth hath come to see thine servant! Verily, this is a joyous occasion!" Titus said, his voice more animated than it usually was.
His master looked up, apparently deep in thought. What little flesh he had left on his divine visage crinkled. "Ah, so thine creation, great Titus, named after the mighty emperor of Rome, hath come to greet thee. How fare our collection, oh librarian?"
"In optimal conditions, oh Lord of Frost. Thine worries need not be given breath. Myself and Lord Grievous Sin hath taken many measures to care to thine lords' collection.
The powerful undead giant let loose a sigh, a wave of ice blowing out and quickly dissipating. "Thy purpose is charged with phenomenal responsibility, so thine hands may be freed to pursue other avenues of thought."
"Oh grand creator, King of Ice, strongest of the jotuns, He-Who-Holds-Dominion-in-Jotunheim, thine words do this one the highest of honors. I shan't disappoint your godly goals."
Lord Shijuuten merely flashed him the same grin that all undead possessed, the only one their skulls could manage, even with scraps of flesh still hanging on.
Titus knew his master spoke differently with the other supreme beings, for their dialect and tongue was of a finer, more refined taste. His was but sandpaper compared to their linguistics, but it was a gift from his creator.
If only he could adopt such magnificent inflections! The undead librarian knew that if he could master it, he would be unrivaled amongst the trivial trash of the new realm his masters and him occupied.
A chime echoed in his inner ear, that of a message coming through only for him. He held up two fingers to answer it.
"It's time," was all a seductive but familiar feminine voice said, cutting off abruptly. His eyes flickered with surprise while he looked at the miniature clock that sat at his workspace.
How had time eluded him so easily? Perhaps the arrival of his creator elicited greater excitement than he thought, but with him here, he couldn't possibly leave Lord Shijuuten by his lonesome!
"Hath thee taken a respite at all, little Titus?" Lord Shijuuten asked of him, finding the tome he desired and sinking into a plush chair situated on a rug.
Titus inclined his head in reverence. "Nay, Lord Creator, this one hath serviced the great halls of thine knowledge with due haste! Rare is it that I shouldth draw away from thine endeavors."
"Rest, rest your weary skull upon laurel leaves then, oh great Titus! Let not thee old bag of bones weigh your conscience. Fly, fly away with thee!"
An attempt was made by Titus to object. He could not possibly forsake his duties just for his own pleasures, even if the other NPCS of Nazarick called out to him. He promptly stopped when his own creator gave him a side eye.
The librarian knew better than to argue. He quickly gathered up the scrolls and books he prepared for this day, making sure everything else was in working order.
While he did this, he realized that now might be an opportunity to gain some insight from his creator, for better or worse.
"Mine creator, what experience hath thee within yonder homeworld? I heard tale of extraordinary whispers from thine other creations, but none from thine self."
His sudden question caused Lord Shijuuten's head to raise momentarily from his book. Eyebrows of ice furrowed in thought.
"…Mayhaps I might grant thee some knowledge, but taketh heed, oh Titus, that not all is as it seems, and the one who gazeth into the abyss may not always come away unscathed."
Traces of ice formed over the carpet, tinkling and cracking with the undead jotun's considerable force. "Mine world was one of war, pestilence, conquest, and death! Nary a day passed that one did not fear for their life! Constant was the conflict, constant was the falsehood and betrayal, and constant was the destruction of all known and loved!"
Lord Shijuuten stood up from his chair, more ice spreading from the soles of his feet. "The horsemen cameth, spreading their vile influence, those four! Morality, traditions, and the family all split asunder! Minself desperately working to revert such tides, to aid the youth towards a better future."
At that point, Titus's creator looked over him, casting a dark and deep shadow that engulfed his form. The chill of frost settled deep within his bones, threatening to shatter him if not careful.
Titus did not believe he asserted anything that would offend his master, but the passion he put forth must've meant his question awakened something primal within the towering giant. Undead such as himself were not meant to feel fear, but the dread within his conscious mind could not be mistaken for anything else.
In the shadow of his creator, only his red eyes were visible, pitiful embers compared to the roaring inferno of Lord Shijuuten's skull. The undead giant paused, contemplating a new tangent it seemed.
"Apologies, mine creation. Too long have I seen thine people cower in the wake of tomorrow, and they inspire passions in me like none else. Fare thee well, oh Titus, may you find correspondence in your free time."
Nothing else was said, the grand librarian inching his way out of the darkness and out into the light of the hallways. All the while, his master settled back into his chair, staring into his back with a thoughtful expression and humming to himself.
Nazarick, Ninth Floor, in an undisclosed location
"Can you get me a citation for that quote, Cocytus?"
"Where in the codex did you find this?"
"I'm pretty sure if I recall the conversation from that day, it would be-"
"Come on! There's no way mom actually said that, Mare!"
"Demiurge, could you please tell Lupusregina that-"
Too many voices, too many opinions, but all valid and appealing, at least in Albedo's eyes. The chaos of their collective mission was welcome, embraced even, for the purpose was made all the more clear and tangible by it.
Ever since the great "Transfer", as some of the denizens of Nazarick put it, into the New World, the entire body of Created strove towards a singular goal: to understand the will of their masters.
All denizens of Nazarick who were directly created by the supreme beings and held some form of specialized title were invited to attend such an event. One of the spare storage rooms of Nazarick on the Ninth Floor was converted specifically into a shared space for them all.
Their ultimate mission was to interpret and find out the origins of some of their creators. It began with CZ Delta, who learned of a small snippet from Lord Ra Ra Rasputin of his time in his own home realm.
From there, a snowball effect commenced, slowly but surely dragging in all other of the NPCs into the project. A massive whiteboard had been set up, where magnets could be attached for easy addition of photos and documents.
The Floor Guardians, Area Guardians, Pleiades, and specifically crafted NPCs were all in attendance. Those rarely seen outside of their duties or assigned areas were able to make it, having gained permission from their creators to have some sort of free time.
Not that the supreme beings were directly informed of their affairs. Though the NPCs would never dare dream of deceiving their gods, but rather simply believed that they were already aware, such was the intellect of Ainz Ooal Gown.
NPCs like Gore had to be made special accommodations, given his hulking size, but his analytical mind proved a useful boon indeed. Some others, like Area Guardian Grant and Titus, were still arriving.
Even Shalltear, who'd become something of a recluse but kept up her haughty demeanor as part of a facade, was able to make it. Yet, the true vampire stayed away from the others, twirling her umbrella absentmindedly while the others talked.
While Albedo did not believe them to be the closest of acquaintances, she did feel for her fellow guardian's plight. To hold such tremendous love within her heart but to have it seemingly rebuked, or deflected, was a punishment worse than death.
There was a somber mood that followed Shalltear these days, just as much as she followed her creator, Lord Peroroncino. Most of the NPCs were still figuring out what they meant to their own creators, but had good ideas of where they stood.
Shalltear had no such remedies. In quiet moments, when she thought no one was looking, Albedo chanced upon the tears she shed in the lonely hallways, or the rage-fueled passion sessions she held in her room, driving the maids stationed outside away with blushing storms.
The guardian overseer wasn't sure exactly how to approach her peer in that matter, given her own wistful troubles and longing looks.
It didn't matter, not at the moment, not when they made tremendous progress so far with research, as their creators deigned to share with them some of their grand designs.
Lord Bellriver had put forth the notion to take over the New World, as a continuation of his plans to conquer Midgard, though not all of the supreme beings agreed with this idea.
Lord Blue Planet, Lady Ankoro, and Lord Coup De Grace went to bestow their divine influence upon a lowly race of inferior life-forms like the Dryad-Born and Dryads, and to reveal their presence as the teachers of their own god, Grover Sprigganson.
Her father, Tabula Smaragdina, along with Lady Small Cuttlefish and Lady Tempest Aizawa, sought to impart their ageless teachings to a worthy worm, one whose use she foresaw as grand for the Supreme Beings of Ainz Ooal Gown.
And from the very beginning, her beloved Momonga, along with Lady Ariel and Lord Ra Ra Rasputin, served the wretched humans as adventurers, as if they deserved the graciousness and generosity of her gods!
It was not her place to make commentary on such actions, as each was an indecipherable and yet perfectly comprehensive step in the plans her creators had, once she perceived it. She gleaned as much as she could, while others like Demiurge and Pandora's Actor puzzled over what bits she did not.
Hence the reason for their meeting.
"To think that so many of us could be gathered this day, what an utterly glorious vision!" Pandora's Actor spoke in his usual flair and gusto, "All our great minds, combined to piece together the story of our creators, and their past!"
"I. Am. In. Agreement. With. You. Pandora. It. Is. Not. Everyday. I. Can. Read. Of. My. Creator's. Exploits. In. A. Human. Guise." Cocytus rumbled with a blast of frosty air.
The warrior clutched a book to his chest, not unlike a newborn child, gazing fondly at it with his bulbous eyes. The title of the book read Kami Codex - Classic Japanese Literature. Ever since Cocytus discovered it in the depths of Ashurbanipal, he refused to let the book go, guarding it jealously.
He read it day and night, pouring over its contents and absorbing the knowledge stored within. Given that it was written by human hands, Albedo initially dismissed it, but later came back with intrigue when she reminded herself there was a reason her masters would keep such a text, beyond Lord Grievous Sin's obsessive need to copy down literature.
As she suspected, there was a reason why the icy floor guardian was so possessive, for within those pages were the exploits of his own creator, Lord Warrior Takemikazuchi.
"That one such as Lord Warrior Takemikazuchi would grant onto the humans his divine essence, and for so long of their history!" Demiurge proclaimed. "I can only imagine the prosperity the people of Japan faced for generations afterwards!"
The demon prince turned back to the board they set up in the large room, filling it with more details on what he knew of the supreme beings.
Demiurge's intelligence rivaled, if not sometimes outright surpassed, Albedo's very own. Out of everyone in the massive congregation, only she entrusted him with writing down the tidbits of lore they could scrounge up.
"Lady Albedo, could you help me sort this out a moment," Called Lupusregina, the buxom redhead crossing her arms with a pout. "Can you please help me explain to Solution that the homeworld of Lord HeroHero is not just some mundane, boring salaryman's existence. It's on fire! And constantly at war!"
The absurdity of the Pleiades's statement made Albedo bark a harsh laugh. "I'm sorry, what? A salaryman? I thought Lord HeroHero dealt in technology and another magic called 'coding'. What's this about a salaryman?"
Solution stood behind her sister, patiently waiting for her turn to speak and laying her hands one over the other. "It's true. My beloved has confessed that he was never in any war for his homeworld. He lived a long and boring life working for a human mega corporation, constantly overworked and sleep deprived."
"Solution, you cannot possibly be serious," Narberal Gamma jumped in, overhearing their conversation. "There's no possible way he would live such a menial existence, much less allow himself to be so dominated by mere insects. He probably speaks in allegory, or in a way you'd understand."
"I know what he said! He got paid very little, despite the importance of his work in maintaining the biodomes that many humans lived in. He did not serve as a general in some army! Nor did he possess a grand palace. He was a simple being, living as a human where he would go home every day, crash, barely eat, and then start all over again the next day."
A borderline condescending chuckle overrode them all, Demiurge making his way in after hearing enough. "Solution, with all due respect, but he is a supreme being. One of great technical skill and knowledge, there's no possible way he would ever allow his talents to be wasted, and in such a way too."
"Really now? Are you saying you know my soon-to-be-husband better than I do? He told me the truth, and I believe him. I believe every word out of his mouth because he has no reason to lie to me," the slime pleiade said, her tone respectful but bordering on venomous.
"Solution, you're sleeping with him. You'd believe anything he tells you, not because you're enamored, which you are, but because he would say what needs to be said in order for you to be sated."
"And he cries in front of me when I call him a 'good boy' and stroke his back in our private moments. I've seen him at his weakest and most vulnerable, so what's your point?" She rebutted, crossing her arms.
Demiurge paused, clearly not expecting that, nor was anyone else for that matter. Pandora's Actor took that chance to step in front of Solution, using his doppelgänger abilities to take on the shape of HeroHero.
"Solution, babe," He said, in a voice that perfectly mimicked the elder black slime's, "You're telling them everything, right? I trust you to be able to state the truth and nothing but the truth, you're my representative for this meeting after all. You think maybe after this you could give me a little 'oral practice' and cuddles?"
Her face twitched, twirling her blond hairs. "I'm well aware of what I'm doing, Pandora. You don't need to use my beloved's shape just to try and force an honest answer out of me. I know what I'm doing."
Pandora quickly shifted out of the HeroHero guise, readjusting his hat. "Worry not, my dear comrade! What I did was merely to show the others that you would not crack under the pressure! Alas, I know Demiurge's mind as well, and he will not be so swift to deliver a verdict in favor of your statement!"
Said demon gave another smile. "Yes, and I have an explanation that I believe would be satisfactory for all parties involved, if I may?"
"Oh, now this is something I gotta see! What have you got for us, Demiurge sir?" Lupusregina asked.
"I'll gladly share. You see, I believe that HeroHero is completely truthful in what he said, Solution dear. However, I do not believe it is an encompassing of all the truth, or it is a version which is simplified so that you can comprehend the barest extents of the supreme beings' plans."
The demon prince went up to the whiteboard, furiously scribbling down his notes. "Lord HeroHero did live among humans. He wore a human disguise, worked a human job, earned human pay, but not because that was what he was truthfully, but because he was on a mission."
"You see, HeroHero was not present in the fighting the other supreme beings were in because that was not his true mission. No, he was there to assimilate and destroy the worthless human institutions from within."
He moved to another section of the board, pinning up pictures of various office buildings. "Human settlements like the biodomes were the only safe havens for the rebelling humans, but because of outside forces, likely those from the other realms of Yggdrasil themselves, an outright assault was impossible."
"I believe I follow, but how does this involve HeroHero? He's not specialized in espionage, though I have no doubt he would be perfect without trying if he set his mind to it," Solution said.
"Ah, but that's where the others come into play, we know that HeroHero can assume a human shape, given your previous statements from earlier meetings. We also know that Lord Variable Talisman can assume any inanimate object's form, for any length of time he chooses."
"Oh! Oh! I see where you're going with this! They both went undercover as humans or human objects, learning everything there was to know about them so they could do a final strike!" Aura excitedly said. Mare watched on with wonder, sticking close to his sister.
"Right you are, Aura. Lord Variable Talisman and Lord HeroHero both took on special operation missions for the supreme beings, undermining human forces, slowly earning their trust through whatever means necessary, all for a singular purpose."
Using some red string and magnets, Demiurge connected the various pictures to a phrase, circled several times in red. The word read "Project Genesis".
"Through their dedicated word, Lord HeroHero and Lord Variable Talisman would then gather samples of humans that fit their criteria, whatever that may be, passing them along to Lord Blue Planet for him and his followers to utilize, to create the ultimate army of super soldiers, ones who encompassed the best genes of all their flora and fauna. Mix that with human tenacity and cruelty, and you have an unstoppable force, born out of the humans who rebelled so fervently."
Shalltear, who stayed in the shadows for the most part up until that point, finally voiced a question. "Demiurge, are you saying that our creators willingly took on human lives…for a false flag operation?"
Demiurge nodded, satisfied. "Absolutely. The human experience was intrinsic for their plan to work, which it did flawlessly, and resulted in the very object which Lord Genjiro is so fond of: the bug queen egg."
Albedo strode up to the timeline, taking care not to brush the magnets that held up the separate sheets of paper with queries and notes. An image of the bug queen egg was tacked onto the timeline, closer to the end of the supreme beings' time in Ginnungagap.
To think that our adored creators have lived for so long and seen so much. If what the others say is true…then everything we know about their absence is so minor, so uneducated. We must work harder to understand their methods!
At the beginning of the timeline was simply titled "Ginnungagap", which she remembered as being the void that existed before all of creation. Next was written a passage beneath it, in expert calligraphy.
"Given that our creators are believed to have lived in Ginnungagap, they needed something powerful enough to survive the harsh conditions, one adaptable and malleable," Demiurge said, "According to my research, the humans who hailed from Scandinavia had the most accurate accounting of Ginnungagap, the void all realms are situated in."
He drew arrows to a set of images, and insectoid creature that stood upright and bore a vaguely human appearance. "However, since the the bug queen was a mixture of all their best samples of genetics, they needed a method to ensure that the queen herself wouldn't rebel, so they implanted a failsafe that would only allow her to give birth to offspring no higher than level thirty-five, unless they removed the failsafe or the right circumstances were met."
Another set of arrows, this time pointing to a trio of drawings that Albedo was all too familiar with. In her own studies, as well as the stories she learned from Lady Ankoro Mocchi Mochi herself, they painted a picture, one that she could not bear to keep in mind for too long.
"Unfortunately, through unknown means, we know that other forces may have followed the supreme beings back to their homeworld, those from the nine realms of Yggdrasil. Unlike other factors, we cannot say for certain that they were not an issue, especially considering the power they wielded and their history with Ainz Ooal Gown," Demiurge said, referring back to the previous images
One was of an image of a fearsome wolf, charcoal grey fur not dissimilar to Lady Ankoro's own pelt interplayed with various scars and the shafts of spears. Broken chains dragged along its ankles, with the ruined cords of a rope tied around the beast's snout.
The right eye was gouged out, and the other glowed a vicious yellow. Each tooth in its mouth was comparable to a divine tier sword, hacking life and limb for its amusement.
Another was of a massive serpent, gargantuan coils indistinguishable from the tsunamis that boiled around its body. The serpentine head was wide open, baring fangs that dripped steaming venom. Frills rimmed the outline of its jaw, and sailing fins traced the back all along the length of its body.
On the very tip of its mouth was, strangely, a beak. Smaller teeth filled the inside of that portion of its mouth, to supplement the fangs it possessed.
And the final image was one Albedo was very familiar with, given that her image was engraved onto the Amulets of Greater Hel her beloved Momonga wore. Split down the middle vertically, one half of her was a gorgeous woman, sporting a fair complexion and hair so dark it ate the ink used to draw it.
Her other half was zombified, pieces of rotting flesh clinging to festering bone that stuck out from skin drawn too tightly over her corpsified half. The dress she wore signified this split, with one being a vibrant hue of purple, and the other a ragged, dirty dress that never saw the light of day.
Many more world enemies were pinned up on that whiteboard, but of them all, the three Albedo described were the ones that caught her eye the most. An involuntary shudder ran up her spine, imagining such horrors coexisting alongside the supreme beings.
"So far as we know, these world enemies did not appear in the New World with our masters. However, we can confirm the existence of other players, even if they are in small groups," Demiurge finished with his portion of the timeline, stepping back to allow someone else to take center stage.
CZ Delta walked up, taking the marker the demon prince offered her. She uncapped it, preparing for her section of the timeline.
"Some of the supreme beings may have allied with human nations, to subject them to their all-encompassing will or merely as a means to an end," the automaton said.
She pointed to a branching portion of the timeline. "Lord Ra Ra Rasputin participated in a catastrophic war, the Arcology War, that injured his vocal modulator and cognitive facilities. Such a scenario makes my cardiac respirator fluctuate. This means others of his caliber also participated in the fighting, leading human troops and fighting alongside them."
"We know that the realm of Ginnungagap was growing polluted through the negligence of the humans that live there, but through the efforts of Lord Blue Planet and his disciples, they were able to preserve some portions of the realm, which would have been important to Project Genesis."
"Among so many of their plans, scarcely understood! To be able to manipulate so many pawns on the board, a most momentous endeavor indeed!" Pandora's Actor interjected with more of his theatrics.
Before he could keep on, CZ Delta extended one of her robotic fingers, an impromptu pointer, and tapped him gently on the head, a clear message to stop. The NPC followed without question.
"We know that those like Lords HeroHero and Lord Variable Talisman went undercover in the human settlements, and those like Lord Ra Ra Rasputin, Lord Suratan, and Lady Dynamite were involved mainly in the frontline combat, flawlessly executing their wills."
"I. Can. Say. With. Certainty. That. My. Creator. Subjugated. The. Humans. Of. His. Chosen. Province. But. He. Also. Took. Other. Paths. In. The. Meantime," Cocytus interjected.
He rushed up to the whiteboard, grabbing the marker from Demiurge and beginning to add onto the board, his hands becoming tangled with string as he tried to connect his thoughts together.
"Lord. Warrior. Takemikazuchi. Knew. That. The. Bug. Queen. Plan. Would. Work. But. He. Is. A. God. Of. War. And. Thunder. He. Is. Unmatched. In. His. Battle. Counsel. He. Understood. Other. Armies. Were. Needed.
With the string he had, as well as a magnet, Cocytus went all the way to the other side of the timeline, pinning the magnet to just a little after the beginning, when the nine realms formed.
"He. Realized. The. Humans. Of. The. Current. World. Were. Too. Ingrained. In. Their. Ways. So. He. Traveled. Back. In. Time. Through. The. Magic. Of. The. Mages. Of. Ainz. Ooal. Gown. To. Feudal. Japan. When. Honor. Was. More. Prevalent."
The insectoid warrior drew simplistic stick figures to represent his line of thought, connecting them to the main magnet he already placed with more string.
"Through. His. Infinite. Wisdom. And. Divine. Strength. He. Wrestled. And. Subdued. The. Rival. Gods. Securing. His. Place. As. The. True. Supreme. Being. Among. Them. And. Through. Countless. Generations. He. Instilled. Ideals. And. Loyalty. Into. The. Japanese. Samurai. Even. Sharing. With. Them. His. Designs. For. Weapons. And. Armor."
Cocytus raised all four of his arms in triumph, his upper two raising the codex he guarded so preciously. "This. Book. Is. My. Proof. For. It. Entails. His. Conquests. And. Victories. He. Took. Many. Wives. As. Was. His. Right. But. Soon. He. Shall. Take. Another! This. Is. The. Way!"
He stepped forward, the strings that were entangled with his chitinous armor pulling away from the board and smudging his writing and pulling down the magnets he placed up. All of the pieces fell to the floor with a clatter.
"…It. Appears. I. Must. Be. More. Vigilant. When. Detailing. My. Findings." He said, staring at the mess he caused. Yuri Alpha came up then, patting him on the bicep and gently extricating him from his imprisonment.
Albedo lightly chuckled. "Would anyone else like to offer up what they discovered? I feel we've made excellent progress today, but I know we haven't heard from everyone. Anyone else have something to say?"
She scanned the room, the NPCs glancing back at her politely. None were forthcoming, not because they didn't have anything to say, but likely because they felt anything they did wouldn't match up to the explanations of Demiurge.
"Aura and Mare, what about you? I'm certain with how much time you spend with Lady Bukubukuchagama and Lord Peroroncino, you must have learned something of value."
The twins scratched their heads in thought, Aura speaking up first. "To be kinda honest, mom doesn't really talk a whole lot about what life was like for her back then. Even when we ask her, she just gives us weird looks and says that she was a nobody, same as Uncle Peroroncino."
"Y-yeah. She just likes to bake and read stories to us. W-whenever we asked about the war, or Ainz Ooal Gown, she'd just shush us and say it wasn't important," Mare added, clutching his staff.
"So we figured that if she didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't our business to pry into it. Uncle Peroroncino was more or less the same. Actually, he seemed even more tight-lipped about his life back then."
When Aura said that, Albedo noticed that Shalltear visibly twitched but maintained her composure. A path of sympathy rang in her heart, and the sense of professionalism melted away enough for her to give the vampire a counseling look.
The guardian overseer turned away. "We know that some of the supreme beings have already begun the next phase of their plans, given that so many of them have gone out into the New World at large. Lord Touch Me, in particular, began with a decisive show of power against human dissidents."
"And yet, it seems like we've begun to face some opposition from the natives, but none too dangerous or impervious to our creators. A 'green-eyed' individual, whoever they are, finds itself playing a dangerous game by opposing our advancements."
"Do we have any idea who it could be? Mom and dad weren't able to tell Mare and me anything when I asked them," Aura asked, placing a hand on her hip.
The guardian overseer shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Our greatest clues come from the battle Lord Blue Planet and those with him engaged in with the entity, but they are rooted deep within the legends of Yggdrasil, and subject to allegory."
She drew a pair of flaming eyes, traditional of those with an undead nature. "The green coloration is unlike anything I've ever seen, and it's ability to defile and possess the dead points too many fingers to other types of beings. Whoever or whatever it is, all we can be certain of is they have an agenda, and it involves Nazarick and its people."
"As it stands, we must remain vigilant. We cannot allow another calamity like the Eight-Guild Invasion to happen again, or to have a world enemy like Typhon nearly raze Nazarick to the ground."
"Which is why thine NPCs of Nazarick shall labor to create luxurious plans and contingencies!"
A new voice from the entrance to the room caused all to turn, to see the new arrivals. Given that nearly all of Nazarick's NPCs were able to make it, save for certain groups like the maids, that meant only two others were still coming.
Titus Anneaus Secundus was the chief librarian of Ashurbanipal, charged with maintaining the precious library and all of its contents. Just as Lord Grievous Sun helped to compile the design of the library in the first place, Lord Shijuuten created Titus to manage it.
He was a fusion of animalistic and humanoid designs, but wholly undead. His lower half consisted of digitigrade legs ending in hooves, and his upper half humanesque with four fingered, bony hands.
A red gown covered most of his body, a silk covering his head but being pushed up slightly by the pair of devil's horns that poked out. A fine array of jewelry was present as well: rings for his fingers, a golden amulet hanging from his neck, a bracelet on his arm with seven glimmering jewels embedded into it.
Around his waist were more beads acting as a belt, and every single piece of jewelry was a powerful magic item, imbued with enchantments of many varieties. In his arms were books and scrolls, his own contribution to the research.
Next to him was Area Guardian Grant, a rarely seen but important member of Nazarick, since her domain spread over several floors.
She was an insectoid, in the same vein as Entoma and Cocytus, but rather than being solely an arachnid or a beetle, she took on an appearance more similar to a winged weaver ant and black widow hybrid.
Her carapace was a shining, polished black, the plates serrated and sharp at the junctions where they connected to each other. She stood upright on thin but well defined legs, a pair of pincers coming out of her segmented, narrow waist.
A pair of arms could be split in half, forming another pair for a total of four usable limbs. When combined, the hands had four fingers and two thumbs, with one thumb on either side of her hands. Each finger was tipped with a retractable talon.
In the crevices where her exoskeleton revealed soft flesh, a neon purple glow emanated outwards, the same color as her bulbous eyes. Twin antennae flickered, giving her feedback on her surroundings. Her thorax sported a blistering red hourglass on the underside of it.
The pair of wings that came out of her back were a smoky hue, blending in with the rest of her exoskeleton. Beyond a simple red cape that would make Kyouhukou proud, she wore no other clothes.
Grant gnashed her oral pinchers, strands of silk forming in her maw. "I hope we are not too late. Lord Genjiro had need of me, and Titussss required help carrying hissss materialssss."
Titus looked sheepish. "Verily, thine aid is most appreciated, madam."
"Don't worry about tardiness if a supreme being is involved. Their will takes precedence over everything, so enact it to the best of your ability, and then and only then should you come to us," Albedo commended.
Area guardian and chief librarian gave a half bow, integrating themselves into the group. Grant situated herself next to the Pleiades, Entoma specifically, to which the smaller insectoid plopped herself next to the taller guardian and gave her a side hug.
Titus stepped up to the whiteboard, setting down his books and scrolls next to him and then taking the marker Albedo held in her hands.
"Prithee, thine ears over here, as you allow me to regale you with more lore that thine Lord Shijuuten provided to thee."
That got the NPCs to cease their current conversations, listening attentively to whatever news the undead mage brought forth.
Satisfied he had their attention, Titus began in earnest. "Thine creator spoke to me, before I made thee way here to thine company. He spoke of a world ravaged by immorality and hopelessness, ruled over by horsemen of unimaginable horror."
He reached down to one of his books, propping it open on his hip while he wrote his notes down. "War, conquest, pestilence, and death! These four were the ones the humans of Ginnungagap worshipped, and those which thine creators fought so hard to stem the tide. Thine words were given to me by Lord Shijuuten, who took up scholarly pursuits, to save as many of the worthless humans as he could."
"So we have a name to put to some of the enemies that plagued the supreme beings," Demiurge said, taking a spot next to Titus. "I've heard these names before, in my own research. One who rides upon a white horse, one on a black horse, another on a red horse, and the final on a pale horse. It appears these beings are not mere allegory."
"Mayhaps. Thine creator was adamant to mention them as the woes of Ginnungagap's inhabitants. I do not believe them to be others like those of the Eight-Guild Invasion, but perhaps world enemies."
Some in the audience gasped, the earlier subject of their conversations being confirmed with Titus's declaration. It was a horrible way to do so, but better now then later, if they were to come face to face with such beings.
Many of the NPCs were familiar with the world rending power a world enemy had at their disposal. Even the supreme beings, functions of the world given flesh and blood, were not immune to the effects of such rivals.
Lord Bellriver, especially, must have fallen victim to their clutches, for what else could be powerful enough to slay a supreme being, and for such a momentous span of time? It was no wonder the other supreme beings left as they did, perhaps to avenge their fallen brother and comrade-in-arms
It was specifically because of Lord Bellriver that any misgivings about their creators leaving for so long from Nazarick were forgotten. Innumerable foes faced them each and every day, ready to strike them down and devour their material forms.
Lord Bellriver's revival in the New World was a miracle, perpetuated by the supreme being himself, for how else could he have arrived with the others otherwise. It was just as the NPCs theorized: their masters really were functions of the world given physical shape.
Death meant nothing to them, at least not unless Lord Momonga willed it, so they were not bound by such concepts.
"If that truly is the case, then I believe I might have an answer as to why our masters came to this place instead," Demiurge stated, going back up to the whiteboard.
Titus handed him the marker, and the demon prince promptly began writing.
"If there were truly world enemies like the four horsemen in their homeworld, then it might be that the Supreme Beings of Nazarick no longer found it worth their time to continue going back," he said.
"Ah, so our glorious creators chose to find a new world! One where their dominion and reach would be unimpeded by rival powers!" Pandora's Actor exclaimed.
"Precisely so. Although they are all knowing, they understood their efforts were wasted, and so they sought out another place separate from the nine realms of Yggdrasil and their homeworld to begin anew, away from the horrors they faced each and every day."
"Were it so that they abandon the stage of their plans, then where is the New World located, Demiurge?"
Demiurge smiled, his glasses flashing when he pushed them back up on the bridge of his nose. "It's quite simple really, as I foresee only two options. One is that the New World is so far removed from the world tree that the other realms cannot be reached through normal means, possibly outside Ginnungagap itself. One couldn't come here without taking the same pathway that our creators did."
"Which would explain how Grover Sprigganson also arrived, given he is their disciple," Albedo said, "Only he and others like him would have access to that sort of knowledge."
"Of course, though it is possible the process could be replicated. The second option is that the New World is merely hidden deep within the branches, not outside of Ginnungagap, but nestled somewhere further away from the other realms and the void. A 'hidden in plain sight' plan if you will, for no others would think to come search here so close to home anyways."
The final portion of the timeline was drawn, showing off a comprehensive and complete version of the NPCs understanding of their creators' history and plans. Albedo thought it made perfect sense, even if the writing was tightly packed into every available crevice.
She sighed with contentment and gratitude, knowing that the greatest minds of Nazarick came together to put it together. She couldn't wait to present it to her beloved and see his reaction to all their hard work.
Suddenly, her heart clenched a bit when she thought of him. The week they spent together while trying to keep Lord Punitto Moe and Lord Ancient One's attention away from her father was simply bliss.
While she knew the circumstances of the awakening of her feelings was preordained, she couldn't help but feel like her darling Momonga was kept out of the loop. Perhaps it was a gift to him, from the other supreme beings?
Given he spent so many years alone, a thought that made her eyes well with tears, it might've been their way as an apology to him, their leader. If she was to be his gift, it was one she gladly and wholeheartedly took up as her own reward and responsibility.
That didn't mean it didn't hurt to have her future husband be so…distant with her. If she didn't know any better, she would assume he wanted nothing to do with her or her advances, given how up until the previous week he avoided her like the plague.
But that one week was all she needed to reconfirm to herself that no, what happened to her was not a mistake, and that yes, Lord Momonga did truly care for her, but that he was just shy was all.
She hoped he would make more time for her in her future, and soon. She couldn't bear being away from his gentle embrace for so long.
In her musings, she didn't realize that Shalltear was staring at her, a wistful look of her own contrasting her dark mood. Albedo snapped out of her daydreams once she felt the vampire's eyes bore deep enough into her.
"Did you need something, Shalltear?" Albedo asked in a neutral tone. Her brows furrowed at her peer.
To her shock, Shalltear actually fidgeted in place, eyes downcast as she replied. "I…wish I did not need to come to you as I do like this, but I require advice, from one floor guardian-no, from one woman to another."
The succubus was taken aback, her mouth parted slightly. She prepared to demand what it was that the vampire needed from her, but stopped herself. She recognized the look of a woman in desperation, because when she looked in the mirror she saw that very same look on her own face.
"Why don't we step out a moment and talk. This environment is ill suited to our needs," Albedo said, stepping away from the whiteboard and allowing the other floor guardians and NPCs to hash out the finer details of their theories.
She led them to the door leading into the room, being unintentionally barred by Gore's mass.
"APOLOGIES. I SHALL REMOVE MYSELF FROM THIS SPACE. TAKE CARE, LADY ALBEDO AND LADY SHALLTEAR," his legs moved him out of the way, blasts of steam jetting out from between his seams.
They gave a courteous half-bow, walking out of the room and leaving behind the others. Their voices steadily faded away while they walked down the hall.
"Albedo, if we could-" Shalltear began, only to step when a finger was gently pressed against her lips.
"Not here. Let's return back to my room, we won't be disturbed there, not for a while at least."
Soon enough, they stood before Albedo's quarters, the door swinging open automatically to let the two women inside. Once the door shut, they both sat on the bed, a comfortable and healthy distance between both of them.
For a few minutes, neither said anything, though on Albedo's part, she merely wished to give the smaller vampire time to collect her thoughts and speak her mind when she was ready.
She could probably guess with certainty what Shalltear wanted to talk about. Just as Albedo had her problems with getting Lord Momonga's attention, Shalltear was facing her own issues with Lord Peroroncino.
The details were not exactly clear, but what was obvious was that the divine avian was avoiding Shalltear for his own reasons. The guardian overseer may have had the benefit of being prepared for her eventual role as Lord Momonga's wife, but her fellow floor guardian held no such reassurances.
"Albedo…am I ugly?" Shalltear managed to get out, not bothering to lift her head up from where it had been previously. The question was so straightforward and honest that it took Albedo aback. She almost thought she misheard her.
"Absolutely not. You are a creation of the supreme beings, molded directly by their hands to be the image of perfection. Anyone within and without Nazarick could ascertain as much. Why do you ask?"
"If that was so, then why is it that Lord Peroroncino rebukes my affections? Have I wronged him somehow?"
She pondered a moment. "It's a possibility, but my instincts tell me that nothing obvious on your part occurred. Mayhaps his tastes are…different than before.
Shalltear snorted. "Hardly. I've seen what material he keeps within his room, when I am able to make my way into his bed with him for whatever activities he's desired. We've never been able to engage like I want, but I know for a fact he desires the touch of a woman, not a man."
"Then it is likely that it's not time yet for you to copulate. As the Supreme Being of Archery and Deviancy, he would know better than anyone else when and where such actions are to take place," Albedo said, a hard edge making its way into her voice.
Her words were enough to stop the vampire's next few questions, based on her thoughtful expression. She switched tactics, instead regaling her with an interesting fact.
"The last time I was in his room, we read together, and when he had to get up to go fetch some more titles from the library, I noticed a strange locket on his dresser, one that I never noticed before."
"Are you telling me you snooped through his things?!" The succubus asked with a scandalized tone. Her rage threatened to boil over, barely contained by her self-control.
"Yes, I did. I know it was wrong of me, but curiosity got the better of me. I knew he wouldn't be back for a little while, so I took a look. That's when I found something that both answered and raised even more questions for me."
Despite her better judgment, Albedo couldn't help but to ask. "What did you find?"
Shalltear didn't answer right away. She traced the inside of her right thigh with one of her talons. "It was a picture of him and I, or rather, his human guise and a human worm who looked like me."
"A human woman, and she looked just like you? Oh, Shalltear, is that all? I can assure you, if today's meeting is anything to go by, it's likely he modeled that human off of you, as a reminder of what he was fighting for."
Her logic was sound to her at least, but Shalltear didn't look convinced. "That's just it. If that's truly the case, then why keep a picture of her in such a personal place? Why bother keeping any momento of her at all when I'm right here? She's a human that looks like me, but she's not the real deal, so why?"
Albedo couldn't help but to scoff. "Shalltear, dear, listen to me. There is absolutely no way that such a god like Lord Peroroncino would ever value a human over you. I couldn't even entertain the thought of her, somehow, being a template for your appearance. We are the finest that Nazarick has to offer, the absolute peak of the world. No mere human could replicate your beauty, nor could it translate into yours."
"And what if you're wrong? What if I'm just a copy of that human because something happened to her? If I'm right, how many of the other NPCs could also be like that? How many are just mere images of someone else who once existed?"
"Now you're beginning to overthink it. If it helps you at all, just remember that we serve the Supreme Beings of Nazarick. Anything they desire, they can have. If on the off chance that you are a copy, then Lord Peroroncino is entitled to as many wives as he wishes. I'd be more surprised if he only ever took on one for himself."
Shalltear pouted. "Are you really so alright with that line of thinking? What about Lord Momonga? What if he chose to take more than one wife beyond just you? What if he chose not to have you at all?"
That got Albedo to stop and truly think about it. She never gave it much thought, but now that it was brought to her attention, the immediate answer was "then so it shall be".
But was she really content with that? Her feelings, her looks of longing and desire towards the head ruler of Nazarick were not an accident, or some whim. She knew that she faced the possibility of not being Lord Momonga's only love, as much as it might hurt to not have all his attention.
Would I truly be happy, only being second place to someone else?
She settled on a compromise instead. "I would be amazed if he did not take on more than one wife. I could live with it, so long as he promised me that I would always be the head wife of his harem."
That seemed to satisfy the smaller vampire. "I would suggest you begin talking with Lady Bukubukuchagama about that then. If I were a betting woman, then I'd wager the two of them will end up together, and soon."
Albedo nearly choked on her own spit. "What?! Where did you get that idea from? Wait, what have you been able to understand that I haven't?"
"I see, so you haven't been listening to Aura and Mare as of late. They've begun calling Lord Momonga 'dad', Albedo. I don't know what they talk about in their private conversations with their mother, but evidently it has them excited."
The guardian overseer sat there in stunned silence, not really paying attention anymore. She wanted to move, speak, do something, even if it was just to express some form of happiness.
It was not unexpected that two supreme beings would get together. If they were entitled to their desires, then it made sense some of them might prefer partners of an equal footing. Some might share the same view the NPCs had of humans, or the inhabitants of the New World as a whole.
Something unpleasant bubbled up into the back of her throat, but she managed to maintain a calm image.
"Hmph. Seems I'm not alone in these feelings after all. We'll get through this, together if we have to," Shalltear said in a rare show of camaraderie, "I wonder if anyone else among our numbers has to deal with feelings like ours."
"I imagine not," Albedo admitted, "for as far as I know, none of the other NPCs were prepared for a higher purpose like us."
"A small consolation."
Afterwards, the two women found there was no more to talk about, Shalltear getting up from the bed and opening the door.
"I…appreciate your help for today, Albedo. I wish you all the best, just as I'm sure you would for me," she said, standing on the threshold of the open door. Once she said her piece, she quietly closed it behind her.
Albedo laid back on the comfy mattress, her mindset a whirling storm of emotions and thoughts, more tumultuous than she expected.
She only hoped that it wouldn't grow worse from here on out.
Later that same day.
Solution sighed as she made her way back to her quarters, the last of the meeting being wrapped up by Demiurge himself. Lady Albedo and Lady Shalltear disappeared sometime during the meeting and never came back, an indirect method of dismissing it without making a fuss.
Annoyance wormed its way into her heart the longer she walked, so she sped up her pace. She didn't expect anyone to believe what she said, that much she knew walking into today's meeting, but to be so blatantly disregarded and ignored seemed shameful, disrespectful even.
She was far from the brightest mind in Nazarick, that honor belonging to the supreme beings themselves, but she believed she was at least competent and socially smart.
It may not have been meant as so, but Demiurge's dismantling of her findings was a wound to her pride, one that would take time to heal and get over.
He does as his father created him to be. Only Lady Albedo and Pandora could rival him, and his insight into the plans of the supreme beings' plans is unmatched by even them.
Around a corner, she came face to face with the one she wanted to see most. HeroHero was humming a jaunty tune, slithering across the carpet in his gelatinous form.
"Ah, my love. It's good to see you, I figured you'd be back in the room already, practicing on maintaining a humanoid structure?" She asked, frowning somewhat.
HeroHero said nothing, only tilting his head in idle confusion. Solution's frown hardened when she realized what was going on.
"Really? This again? Why do you feel the need to assume his shape? Haven't you tested me enough already?"
"HeroHero" had the courtesy to look sheepish, his black sludge transitioning to a clay gray and reforming back into the familiar shape of Pandora's Actor.
"Apologies, madam Solution! I merely wished to try out his morph, for it was this day of all days that I realized I had never assumed it before, beyond my initial saving of his template!" The doppelgänger explained.
Solution's eye ticked. "Was there something you needed me for? I'll help you to the best of my abilities, but I don't think I can manage handling the treasury inventory as well as you."
"Nay! Madam, I am not here to request your aid, but rather, to inform you of something quite beyond what you might have expected today! One that I am sure you'll gladly appreciate."
Pandora's Actor leaned in close, so close it bordered on being uncomfortable with the invasion of space. Solution leaned back slightly to give herself ample room to look him in his empty sockets for eyes.
He lowered his voice, almost conspiratorial. "I believe you. Every word of what you said, I find truth, for I have experienced something quite similar as yourself!"
Just as quickly as he approached her, he stepped away, a considerable distance between the two of them. Solution took a moment to scoff disbelievingly once the weight of his words reached her.
"Excuse me? Is this some sort of joke you're playing? I don't need anyone else trying to pick apart what I said, because I know exactly what it means already."
"WE CAN ASSURE YOU, NO SUCH ATTEMPTS AT HUMOR ARE BEING PLAYED UPON. PANDORA'S ACTOR IS HONEST, AS ARE WE."
From behind her, the massive chassis of Gore crawled out. His intricate cogs and mechanical pieces made a symphony of noise that would make stealth near impossible, especially considering the consistent clicking of his spider-like legs.
How can such a loud machine be able to sneak up on me, or anything else, like that?!
An answer came in the form of Area Guardian Grant, her slender, insectoid form sliding down the plates of Gore's upper chest and his rib plates.
The moment the area guardian hopped off her larger peer, the mechanical noises she remembered came back, nearly deafening her. The timely resurgence of noise reminded her also of one of Grant's abilities.
The insectoid hybrid fancied herself as a hunter, given how powerful she was compared to other area guardians. Her creator imparted onto her a simple but versatile ability: to be able to muffle any noise that she or another could make.
It was situational, and it could be easily be worked around should a mage use a [Detect Life] spell, but for those who relied upon their hearing, that sense was rendered completely useless.
On her own, her exoskeleton coloration allowed Grant to blend in easily with the darkness, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. With a large group, if she planned a proper angle and strategy beforehand, then heavy hitting NPCs like Gore would be undetected until it was too late.
"Yesss, we came to you, for we believe your wordssss," Grant said, rolling her s's with her alien tongue. "We are in agreement, hearing from the supreme beingssss themselvessss of their life. It issss lesssss grandiose than the otherssss would have of it."
"LORD AMANOMAHITOTSU SHARES A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. HE PARTICIPATED IN NO WAR, NOR WAS HE A BLACKSMITH AMONG THE HUMANS. HE POSSESSED A SIMPLE BUT CONTENT EXISTENCE, WORKING AS A MECHANIC," Gore shared.
"Which is why, madam Solution, we came to find you! So that you may join our ranks as part of a higher truth! The true truth! We are privileged and blessed with it, and we find that we adore our creators all the better for it!" Pandora's Actor said with a twirl.
Solution was still tense, as she was technically surrounded on both sides in an ever growing cramped hallway. Yet when she heard their words, she began to relax somewhat.
"So, the other supreme beings, they worked menial jobs as well? They lived a day-to-day life, far away from any action or drama? I had my suspicions, but it's relieving to know that my beloved isn't the only one."
"Yesss, I have learned much listening to my creator, Lord Tigrissss Euphratessss. His jovial and patient wordssss brought me to my current understanding of the otherssss. They are grand, and they are magnificent, but their livessss were not all war."
As Grant said this, the trademark jittering and jerky movements of an insect began to bleed through, a sign of her excitement at a new prospect or opportunity. She got closer to the slime pleiade, both crawling on all her limbs and standing upright.
She moved so quickly that at times she was a blur, another symbol of the power she wielded. Despite being allied, instinctive revulsion gripped Solution for a brief second, and was stamped out.
"What did you learn from Lord Tigris Euphrates then, Grant?" She asked politely.
The area guardian tilted her head so far it was almost upside down. "He spent his dayssss experimenting with new food. He wassss not so fortunate to live within a human biodome, but hissss life wassss spent in a lessss ravaged portion of the world. The skiessss did not bleed acid there, nor the water poisoned and the animals suffocating."
"No, instead there wassss an abundance of life. He lived comfortably, his mortal guise paralyzed and used to slithering as a worm, like hissss true form. Synthetic, man-made morselssss were brought before him, but he enjoyed them nonetheless."
Despite herself, Solution chuckled at the mental image. "It's good to know Lord Tigris Euphrates is as jolly as ever then. To think that he spent it the way he wanted and as best he could, especially there, warms my heart."
"LORD AMANOMAHITOTSU PERFORMED OPTIMAL DUTIES SERVICING THE AUTOMATIC MACHINES THE HUMANS USED TO TRAVEL. HE FOUND A PURPOSE IN BEING ABLE TO AID THOSE HUMANS WHO PROVED WORTHY OF IT, BUT STILL MAINTAINED PEAK PERFORMANCE EVEN FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT," Gore added.
"So both Lords Tigris Euphrates and Amanomahitotsu did what they loved, rather than force themselves to subjugate the humans. Pandora's Actor, what about Lord Momonga, what did you learn from him to attain this 'higher truth' as you put it?"
Pandora's Actor did not respond immediately. Actually, he took his hat off in thought, an action that startled Solution. As expected, his head was smooth, not an ounce of hair, but she never expected to see it in her life.
The aura the doppelgänger emanated was worrying as well. Instead of his dramatic, over-the-top flair, it was deeply sorrowful, rolling off of him in waves.
"My father did what he could. He worked among the humans, as a 'salaryman' as you put it earlier. I only know this not because he directly told me, but because of the many years he spent alone, and the times he would come to visit me in the treasury."
"He visited you down there? What did he say?"
"…There were times he'd command me to assume the shapes of the other supreme beings. He would speak to me as if I was one of them, giving his heartfelt wishes to see them again. At times, he became furious, accusing them of betraying the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown and leaving him all alone. Each and every time, he would forgive them, and then put me away for another day."
The somber mood began to infect the others, even Gore, his radiant eye dimming in response to the emotional state of the treasurer. Pandora's Actor did not stop there.
"Always he would explain what he did that day, maintaining Nazarick and ensuring no others would come before us. Though he mentioned some would occasionally visit, it wasn't long until they stopped coming too. He feared what would happen to him should he be truly disconnected from his true self and left to rot in his homeworld. Sometimes, if his mood grew especially despondent, he would hug me, in the shape of whoever he was speaking to."
Pandora's Actor put his hat back on, and resumed his usual behavior. "Now, that is all in the past, and we are charged with great purpose! No one but us shall know this truth, nor shall they join our team, 'Hunt the Truth'! We alone shall carry this burden, and we alone shall hold the embers of what might've passed should my father not have called for the others at the last moment."
He turned away, and began to walk to whatever destination he had in mind. Gore and Grant took that as their cue to leave as well, gently making it past the slime pleiade to return to their duties.
Before they could get far, Solution mused on the meaning of the treasurer's words, and realized she did not fully understand everything.
"Wait, Pandora's Actor," Solution called out, "What do you mean by 'what might've passed'? Even if all the supreme beings did not have this glorious vision of domination, what would've happened otherwise?"
Her superior stopped and looked over his shoulder, his blank, doll-like face conveying nothing and everything at the same time.
"Madam Solution, it is paramount that you do not reveal this to the other NPCs whatsoever, for the truth would crush their very spirits! Had my father, Lord Momonga, Supreme Being of Death itself, not called the other supreme beings home, then it is to be known that they never had any intention of coming back to Nazarick at all."