Momonga was baffled by the view. In front of him, water extended as far as his empty eye sockets could see. He inhaled the pure air of the sea. Without thinking much, he accelerated with his mount to reach the beach faster and dismounted to go in the water. He regretted his undead body a little as he couldn't sense the water temperature. Albedo had joined him in the water. Her white dress was a magic item, so water didn't wet it but it was a different story for the uncovered parts of her body. Momonga felt he would have a nosebleed but nothing happened of course, except his emotional suppressing ability that activated. It's been a while. He remarked in his head.
"How is the water Albedo? Do you feel its temperature?"
"Huh? It's cold but I don't really feel bothered by it."
This is a rare moment I regret being in this body. Oh! Just then, he recalled something. He got out of the water and retrieved the Soul of the Dragon Emperor from his inventory. He had used it only to store the souls of monsters they killed during their trip.
He cast appraisal and remembered the spells the items could cast. Among them was {Change Form}. It permitted one to take on a different, more practical form for certain circumstances. That was all the information about that particular spell he got. It was rather vague. It didn't specify the kind of form one would take, if it was reversible or not, what were the penalties, etc… Yggdrasil had race changes items too. The race change required a specific item for each particular race and the completion of several conditions. Moreover, the change was permanent.
I'm not even sure it will work but looking at the sea, Momonga wanted to go dip in the water. It had been his sole thought since he saw the sea from afar. He had the mindset of a spoiled child. Should I take the risk? What if I get some weird side effects? He still couldn't make up his mind. He was about to give up on his childish desire and put the item back in storage when Albedo tenderly asked him:
"Is something troubling you Momonga?"
He told her about what he wanted to do and his hesitation to use an unknown spell with unknown effects.
"I don't think there will be any bad side effect or that it would be irreversible. After all, the one who could use the spell was the Dragon Emperor you defeated. He certainly used the spell to adopt temporary forms for practical reasons. Maybe take on a less massive size or get abilities of other races."
Oh! Yes, that would make sense. He wouldn't use something dangerous on himself.
"So would you like to try using it Momonga? I assure you that I will protect you if you find yourself under the effect of some kind of drawback."
"Alright, I'll try it. So, keep your guard up while I cast it." He said. But why do you seem like you are happy about it.
Momonga cast {Change Form} and dark fog enveloped him entirely, even his empty eyelids were filled by it. He was blinded for a few moments before the fog disappeared. He looked at his body and nothing had changed. Did it fail? Why? Still inspecting his body for any change, he spotted the red orb in his ribcage, the World Item he always carried. Oh! That may be why.
During their fight with the Dragon Emperor, some of its spells seemed to fail activating. It was certainly because they had World Items equipped. The abilities of Wild Magic spells being similar to World Items, they certainly couldn't affect those with a World Item.
He removed his orb and put it in his storage then recast the spell. This time, when the fog dispersed, the change had been effective. His formerly bony fingers were covered by flesh as was the rest of his body. Momonga retrieved an item from his storage: the Mirror of Remote View to look at his new appearance. His face was far more different from how it looked when he was Suzuki Satoru. His features weren't even Asian but western, European.
"Congratulations Momonga!" exclaimed Albedo.
"Thank you." He said while looking at the succubus for the first time. Ngh! He suppressed a cry of surprise and fear only to remember that his face could now express his emotions clearly. Shit!
The look on Albedo's flustered face was that of a predator looking at its prey. She was exhaling and inhaling noisily. What do I do? Hey, why are my emotions not suppressed anymore? Normally his emotional suppressing ability would have calmed him down by now but it wasn't working. I better take note of those side effects for later. Now what to do about her?
He looked at Albedo who was trembling for some reason. She seemed to be about ready to go berserk. Then he remember where he was and why he had used that spell in the first place.
"Albedo, would like to go dip in the water with me?"
"Immediately Momonga. What should I do with my clothes?" she answered enthusiastically. The predatory face she made a moment ago nowhere to be find.
"Ah yes. Usually you use a swimsuit or something like that but I suppose you don't have any." She shook her head "Then you can just go in your underwear."
Momonga turned around, distanced himself from Albedo and retrieved something that looked like a shorts. By the time he returned in his shorts, the succubus was ready too. She was wearing a strange panty that barely hid anything and a bra who had trouble keeping her assets in check. Momonga regretted yet again the loss of his undead body as he was starting to have a physical reaction he could no longer have since becoming undead. He hurried to get in the water. He could feel the coldness of the sea water and stayed in the water for hours. He was feeling alive experiencing phenomenon he hadn't for a long time: the cold, the caress of the wind, even the smell of the sea water seemed enhanced now. He couldn't swim but tried to go some distance in the sea. The succubus next to him seemed less interested in the water and more by him but he did his best to not look at her for long.
That night, in the fortress hall, Momonga retrieved food and drinks for himself and Albedo. He could eat without trouble. After he was done eating, he retrieved a notepad to write down what he knew about the effects of the transformation.
He had recovered flesh but it didn't look like typical human flesh. His skin was paler than that of the humans he saw in this world. His emotions were no longer suppressed and they reflected on his face. While in this form, he could not equip his world item the way he used to. His stats and abilities didn't seem to have changed, he had tested Negative Touch on Albedo a while ago. His Corpse Guardian summon was still around and he felt the connection with it and his numerous other undead creations.
He just had to wait and see how long the transformation lasted or if he would need to reverse it by casting the spell a second time.
Albedo was the happiest woman in the world. She didn't know how vast this world was yet by was ready to cut down any woman who dared declare herself happier than she was. She had been created to guard the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the home of the 41 Supreme Beings but she never had an opportunity to repel invaders and prove her worth. Then, the Supreme Beings departed one by one. Only one stayed behind. And this one, the leader of the other Supreme Beings, was the man she loved.
Since being transported in this strange world, she had been able to be useful to him. She acted as his shield against the Dragon Emperor. She protected him when he lost consciousness. She had even been granted the honor of referring to him without any honorific, as a wife could with her husband.
As further proof that her feelings were reaching her beloved, she was allowed to sleep with him every night. Then she heard about a certain spell that could help her get into a physical relationship with Momonga. She waited patiently for the day when she would convince him to use that spell and have her first time with him. As a succubus, sexual relationship was in her nature and although she had no experience yet, she was convinced she could satisfy Momonga and get even closer to him.
Finally, the time came. Her master used the spell and she had to control herself for hours until the night fell. She went ahead of him in the room they usually slept in to get ready for him. She had a lot of things to think of. Should she wait for him in the bed or rather wait by the bedside? Should she undress herself slowly as a show for him or should she let him undress her? Or keep on her clothes? What kind of underwear would he like? Her creator had given her a variety of underwear she had yet to use. Momonga had already seen her in one of those underwear and seemed to react favorably. Should she wear the same or go for something else?
She was ready to spend a memorable night with Momonga. She waited for him under the bed sheets. Once he was in the bed, she gently embraced him from behind, pressing her breast against his back and letting her hands gently caress his torso.
"Wha wha what are you doing Albedo?"
He sounded surprised as she had expected. Maybe too surprised in fact. Instead of an answer, she got on the other side and pressed her lips against his. She sensed his tense body relax and give way for her to kiss him. She didn't really understand why but it seemed he wanted her to take the lead. She placed her body on top of him kissing him while her hands were busy removing his clothes. She found magic items troublesome as it took some time before her master naked body appeared before her. From there, all sense of reason left her and her succubus nature took over. She and Momonga lost themselves to the pleasure for hours until they were exhausted and fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
The next morning, a brand new Albedo woke up to the world. She now felt the love she thought couldn't get any more intense had become even greater than it was. She looked at the resting figure of her beloved Momonga. His sleeping face was charming. His perfect traits were attracting her all over again. She was used to his bony face, being able to make out his emotions and expressions even though there was no flesh on it. But this face was new to her and she felt like contemplating it for eternity. She caressed his naked torso with her finger, letting her hands wander all over his body.
Momonga woke up from a strange dream only to be confronted with the realization that it actually happened. After he had made notes of the side effects of the wild magic spell, he went to his room. Despite the numerous other rooms in the fortress, he always stayed in the same one. He was eager to experience sleep for the first time since being transported to this world. His mind and body would rest for real for the first time. He was distracted by those thoughts when he got on bed to find a naked succubus waiting for him. From then, he remembered things in a haze.
When his eyes met the naked and smiling Albedo in the bed next to him, he felt relief. I don't seem to have disappointed her. He had been worried about how to deal with her since he implanted love for him in her settings but had gradually accepted that he could not do much about it but accept her feelings. How he should treat her and how he could satisfy her desires was another story entirely. She seemed content to sleep in the same room as him and he became more comfortable having her around. But how should he take their relationship to the next level was something he didn't know how to address. But now, that step was over.
But I really need my bony face back ASAP. I can't even look at her without feeling embarrassed. What do you say to a girl after spending the night with her anyway?
He wished someone sold books on "How to handle your girlfriend".
"How was it Momonga?"
"Hm. Good. It was good."
"So. I was wondering. How long will the transformation effects last?"
"I don't know yet. There's no sign of it wavering. Maybe I'll need to cancel them myself by"
"Please wait a little longer before that. What about you stay like that for a year or five?"
He almost wondered what she had on her mind but one look at her face told him the answer. Now she's the living depiction of the concept of succubus. Hope I won't be dried up every night.
"Listen Albedo, about last night, we should not be unreasonable with that sort of thing."
"What do you mean? Did I not do something right? Should I let you take the lead?"
"No no no. that's fine." I'm not sure I could take the lead in that matter. "Not that. I mean, we should not be doing this on a daily basis. What about reserve it to when we've got free time?"
"But we are done exploring for now and..." she launched into a flurry of justifications.
"Hold on. We have reached the sea but we haven't explored other parts of this area yet, so we are not done. And what I meant is we should still stay on guard. Anyway, if this form still holds in 6 days, I'll undo the effects."
"Alright. So, Momonga we should use that time efficiently."
He didn't have time to enquire about what she meant by that as he was assaulted by a wild Albedo.
Momonga stayed in the fortress the following six days almost never leaving it. He only went outside to walk a little and take a dip in the water. Inside the fortress he only could get out of bed to make use of his new acquired sense of taste by eating. Finally, he undid the transformation. It went without a hitch and he was in his Overlord appearance again. Albedo didn't complain as she had used and even abused the 7 days' worth of his {Change Form}.
Their exploration resumed. They went west following the coast. At some point, the Overlord Wiseman contacted him and reported of their success. They had found an underground cavern large enough to position thousands of Death Knights and Death Warriors. Momonga ordered the Overlord to move the undead they left in the Blue Dragon Lord's forest and put them there.
Momonga's exploration ended with a few encounters with mermen, a mix of human and fish. They had human appearance but their bodies were adapted for living in the water. They weren't afraid of his appearance meaning they didn't encounter undead in the sea. Then Momonga contacted the Overlord Wiseman to open a [Gate] for him at his location.
On the other side of the [Gate], Momonga found himself in a huge open space. The ceiling was at only 5 to 7 meters above them consisting of hard rock. The ground was of the same rock. The place he was in seemed to extend for miles in every direction. The Overlord Wiseman and the Eternal Death were waiting near the [Gate].
"Impressive! Where are we?"
The Overlord gave him a rough indication of the location of the place they were in.
"Alright. Have you explored it entirely yet?"
"Not entirely. But about half is done. There are a lot of unintelligent monsters but all are low level, 25 at best. We only encountered 2 intelligent creatures so far but they haven't shown any hostilities so we left them be. Should we subjugated them?"
"Maybe. Are they rare varieties? I mean are they monsters you know of?"
"One is a cavern giant we encountered on the surface before going underground. He was hiding from us when we got near. The other is a kind of water slime. He is bluish and blend in the river he lives in. He didn't attack us when we passed by him either."
"I see. Leave them be for now. So where are the undead?"
"This way Lord Momonga."
He was led further in the cavern until the entrance of what seemed to be a fissure in the rock. It was still large enough for an imposing figure like the Corpse Guardian to pass but they had to form a single line. At the end of the passage, the space was as large as the rest of the cavern and Death Knights and Death Warriors were arrayed in lines. It was an impressive view. This location was perfect. There was even still space here for a thousand more soldiers not considering the rest of the cavern.
"Good work." Commented Momonga. "Now finish exploring the cavern. If you acquire monster corpses, prioritize creating middle-tier undead other than Death Knights, Death Warriors and Soul Eaters. And if you think the corpse's level is high enough, try creating high tier undead."
"Understood my Lord."
"One last thing. Corpse Guardian, assist the Overlord Wiseman and the Eternal Death."
The Corpse Guardian just placed himself on the same side as the two undead without replying. Momonga and Albedo left via teleportation for the subhumans territory .
The subhumans lived in tribes on the hills. Some tribes lived on the flat plains near the hills, but they were among the weakest. Throughout history, the subhumans tribes had been mostly at war even with tribes of the same species as themselves. They rarely cooperated. But that had changed twice now. The first time, they were all forced under the oppressing rule of a dragon. He had killed their most renowned warrior as a show of his might. The subhumans had no choice but submit. They valued strength above all and even if that strength was wielded by a tyrant, they had to submit. For years the subhumans served the dragon and cooperated to meet his demands for wealth. Then even their dragon oppressor submitted to stronger than himself. His new master was an undead looking like the skeletons they sometimes saw near human cemeteries. The undead was commanding others of his kind, all fearsome warriors.
The undead however was more kind than the dragon had been. He made no demands from them. He left the dragon to rule over the subhumans but instructed him to do so as he would have done himself. From then, the subhumans flourished. They were all united under the dragon ruling on behalf of the undead. They were given help in the form of skeletons that replaced them for manual labor. The tribes no longer had to worry about housing or agricultural production. The carnivorous species focused on hunting and they were assisted by the strong undead soldiers during their hunts. Before, their rate of survival was low and the results of hunting was never guaranteed. Now it was different. With the strong undead as security, their hunts were always fruitful.
The subhumans prospered more in the 9 years since they entered their undead lord's rule than in all of their entire history. So when news that their lord had returned spread among them, the subhumans gathered and sent representatives of each species to welcome and pay respects to their ruler. The subhumans were already making preparations for festivities.
Momonga teleported to the place he had met Osiliad for the first time. Upon teleporting, he noticed that the surrounding was different. From atop the mountain, he could see buildings that were not here previously. The subhumans mostly lived in natural occurring places like caverns, holes in mountains, etc… now he saw proper houses made by digging in the mountain, houses made of wood and so on. Moreover, the place where he stood had been cleaned. No trace of vegetation remained, the ground itself was paved with shining stones and there was an erected platform where stood a throne made of bones.
He considered that a place he could use to hold meetings and stood on the elevated platform. He took out the Throne of Kings and sat on it.
"Albedo, don't just stand here, have a sit. You can use the one they created if you are comfortable with it."
She shook her head. "I can't possibly do that. I'm fine standing by your right. Besides, it might displease those who made that throne for your use to see me using it."
"Yes you are right." It seems natural to her. Well she was placed near the Throne of Kings in the Throne Room of Nazarick all this time so it might be just me.
Momonga stayed there and contacted his nearby subordinates. The Grim Reaper Thanatos appeared first followed by a few of the Elder Liches. Then Osiliad Munspiet, the blue dragon in charge of ruling the area came to report to Momonga. Things had developed rapidly since he left.
In the 9 years since his departure, more and more inhabitants of the surrounding had migrated to the area controlled by Osiliad. The subhumans flourishing had attracted other subhumans who wanted to be under the dragon's protection. The few human cities had also developed and their population had increased. Humans living outside of the area had migrated to those new developed cities and a few cities outside the area had become part of it. The expansion of the dragon's area of dominion was still going on, meaning Momonga had more people under his rule. But that didn't stress him much. The dragon could still stay in charge and in practice, it was the Elder Liches that administered the large domain. They took care of the needs of each area and transmitted it to the dragon or the Grim Reaper. All was fine.
Momonga decided to stay in the area sometime. One day, he expressed his desire for a proper house for his use rather than use the [Create Fortress] spell. Well, he could use other spells to create accommodations but it felt the same. His wish for a proper home rapidly spiraled into a project to build a Palace. At that point, it was already out of control so he let Albedo and the others proceed.
He also had to deal with delegations of the different species living in the area the dragon controlled. Osiliad insisted that they meet with the one above him as he was only the temporary ruler and Momonga was the true Lord of those lands. For days, the delegations succeeded one another to introduce themselves and their species. They were mainly subhumans, 22 species of them:
Snakemen. A type of subhuman that had the head of a snake.
Armats. A race reminiscent of bipedal rats with fur like steel.
Caven. Like apes slightly larger than humans. Eyeless due to atrophy.
Zerun. A slimy race with upper bodies like eels that sprouted arms and lower bodies like indigo maggots. They seemed like a grotesque species rather than a subhuman one.
Bladers. An insect-like race with swordlike blades jutting out of the backs of their hands and covered in exoskeletons like armor. Similar to the zerun, they were classified as subhumans despite looking like grotesques.
Horrunners. Subhumans with horse legs who excelled at sprinting. They had astonishing endurance and hardly required any breaks while running.
Spidan. Subhumans reminiscent of spiders with four long, thin arms and slender legs. They could make clothing out of the thread they spat up. The garments made with those threads were hard as steel.
Stone eaters. Possessed primitive weapons. Terrifyingly, they had the ability to spit rocks they ate. Those rocks could easily fly a hundred yards and had no trouble denting iron armor.
Kentauroses, with half horse beasts' bodies. Able to run fast.
Orthrouses. Like kentauroses, only half carnivorous beast instead of half horse. Stronger in combat than kentauroses but can't run as fast.
Magiroses.
Pteroposes. A race of cliff dwellers that excelled at gliding. They could also fly, but it took quite a bit of energy, so they could only do it for a certain amount of time per day. And after that, they wouldn't even be able to glide. As long as they didn't fly, they could whip out cutting gusts of wind that were difficult to protect against even in armor, so they were stronger when they weren't flying.
Then there were the bufolk Momonga first encountered. They were the most numerous of all the subhumans in those parts. With a population of at least 50.000 individuals.
Pri-um, a race similar to ogres that possess control over the earth and were considered by some to be a powerful species. Their special powers were deeply associated with dirt and soil.
Va-um, similar to pri-um but with water powers instead of earth.
Nagarajas. A race of people with scaly snake bodies equipped with arms.
Though their name was similar to naga, the two were actually completely different races and didn't get along. They sometimes used weapons and armor.
Spriggans. A race with the ability to change size at will.
Zooostias. With upper bodies of beastmen and lower bodies of carnivorous beasts, this was a race similar to kentauroses and orthrouses.
Goblins and hobgoblins.
Lizardmen that lived near a lake way past the initial territory of Osiliad but who were now part of his dominion.
Orcs, subhumans about as tall as humans with pig like faces.
Nagas. Grotesques with the body of a human from the chest up and the lower body of snakes.
There was also a few humans representing each city. Despite being among the weakest, if not the weak safe for goblins, humans were the most numerous. They had a population of more than 300.000 from what the Elder Liches estimated.
Among the cities representatives, Momonga saw a familiar face.
"It has been a while Sir Edelgard."
The kneeling man seemed surprised to hear his name. Maybe he doesn't remember me?
"I am honored you still remember my name my Lord."
"I do. You welcomed us in your city a while ago. How have you been since then?"
Custov accounted the events that led to Brisgard being part of Osiliad territory. Their city had spotted goblins in great number marching toward them. They sent people to ask for help in nearby cities. Those cities being under Osiliad's rule, a few Death Knights and Death Warriors stationed as guards were dispatched. By the time reinforcement reached Brisgard, the walls had been breached and many had already died. After they had repelled the goblins with the Death Knights and Death Warriors' help, the city asked to come under Osiliad's protection.
"I see. Glad things are better now. Under my protection, your city will flourish."
"Thank you my Lord. I already saw a glimpse of that bright future in other cities under your rule."
After concluding his last meeting, Momonga returned to the fortress he had created with Albedo. He was digesting all the information he got or rather, trying his best to not overlook something important. All the delegations had said were praise for his rule and reports of how well they fared now compared to before. Momonga was a little uncomfortable being on the receiving end of that praise when he hadn't done much personally. Osiliad has done a great job. Maybe he's got a talent in management. He couldn't help but praise the dragon's work. He had only left with a general direction and means to help him out. The rest was the results of his efforts and creativity. The dragon had really considered the issue of each species and addressed them in the best way possible. For instance, some species lived in holes on the ground, so he had to take care not to use their territory for construction. Others like humans wanted walled cities and he had taken measures to start construction projects.
With all the things going this well, Momonga could leave it all up to Osiliad and wander the world to his heart content. That was until he got a world shattering news.
They were back in the fortress and Momonga was sitting on a sofa in the hall. Albedo sat in front of him. That's weird. He thought. Albedo was always glued to him sitting next to him. That was a first. He even started to worry but her face wasn't sad. She started smiling before announcing: "I have a great news Momonga."
"Oh! What might that be?" he asked intrigued.
"I am currently carrying the fruit of our love." She said touching her belly.
Momonga blacked out for a moment, unable to process the information. When he finally realized what Albedo had just said, he just went: "Huh!" unable to voice the torrent of emotions going through him. Needless to say that his emotional suppressing ability activated for a long time maybe even longer than when he was experiencing the pain of new information being implanted in his brain after his fight with the Dragon Emperor. That was the extent of his shock.
