A/N) Heads up for muddled timeline. I'm not entirely sure about the space of time between events, so there might exist a few inconsistencies. My bad. Hope you can put that little detail aside for now. Some reviewers (thanks, by the way) pointed out a few errors in the previous chapters. I'll patch it up, uh, eventually.

This chapter is yet another I've decided to split. My bad! I spent a fair amount of time writing an intermission chapter before realizing it would be too long and contain a few too many relevant details, so it became a full chapter.

If this comes across as a bit "filler-y" then you'd be correct, since part of it would detail some unrelated activities. All in all, I'd say (at most) another chapter after this one before our lord and savior "Dark Hero Momon" makes a debut to the rest of the world.


Chapter 7 - A Little Restless

- Approximately 2 days after the Carne Village incident-

"... And that would be number... 53, was it?" A sharply dressed devil asked the odd Pulcinella, who resembled an overweight clown in an unsettling mask.

"Oh yes, oh yes Demiurge-sama! Oh joyous day, how nice it is to eventually bring the natives a little happiness, no?" The stumpy clown replied.

Demiurge chuckled in response and proceeded to straighten out his tie. His immaculate hygiene contrasting heavily with the run-down and hellish conditions any would-be prisoners will have to endure.

Within the confines of the 6th floor arena lies a gladiatorial pit, complete with cages and other implements of torture and captivity. The damp corridors of stone were like the bowels of a beast, twisting and turning. Each corridor adorned with half-rusted chains and shackles glimmering ominously under torchlight. All decorative when Yggdrasil was a game, although much more sinister now.

The Guardian of the 7th floor had arrived here to collect a few cages along with other pieces of equipment in preparation for the future. In a world so densely populated with humans, setting up a... Farm. May prove fruitful soon enough. Especially when their supply of non replenishable items- such a scrolls- starts to dwindle.

"Oh, how exciting it is, my lord...!" Pulcinella pranced over to a cart drawn by POP-monsters, loading a cramped iron cage onto it. "Eventually we will be able to spread our love so far and wide! By inflicting some suffering everybody else will seem so much happier, won't they?"

The Arch-Devil gave a slight chuckle at his subordinate's enthusiasm. "That may very well be the case, Pulcinella. Though it is vital that I receive permission from Momonga-sama first."

"Ohohoh~!" The clown gave a few high-pitch squeals. "Yes yes! Our lord is a very kind, generous and merciful sort...! I'm sure he will happily agree with allowing us such an honored job." Demiurge gave a wistful smile.

"Oh yes. Creating such a facility will most definitely take some preparation, and as our master said; should not be done while we know nothing about the outside world. ... Yet somehow I am unable to shake the feeling that Momonga-sama has planned for this 'Farm' idea already."

The cruel Floor Guardian adjusted his spectacles before turning to face the clown.

"I trust you can handle the resource allocation from here?" He asked, earning a few vigorous nods from Pulcinella, who quickly returned to staring at the designated clipboard. With yet another smile and a click of the heels, the devil turned and walked off. Now would be a prime time to speak to the Supreme Being and confirm a few things.

As it currently stood, the Tomb was still in lock down. The security was at its maximum, with the areas surrounding the Tomb being put under constant surveillance should anybody come close. Despite the camouflage and dummy hills created by Mare, they would still have to take care at least a little.

Of course, this cannot last. And eventually the Tomb will be forced to act in order to fulfil their master's desire to spread the name Ainz Ooal Gown far and wide. It's not long until then. A few days at most, a few hours at least. But when it does happen, it is best that it happens in accordance to the wishes of the Supreme One. Something Demiurge will personally ensure if need be.

'My lord... To compare the stars of the world to jewels, how fitting. Command me and I shall pluck them from their perch in the heavens to present them to you. It is only right for the divine leader of the 41 Supreme Beings to be adorned by gems of cut stars and cloth of woven constellations.

No doubts you have thought ahead already... To tolerate those wretched humans outside the Tomb and to grant them mercy, all for your cause. My esteemed creator Ulbert-sama lend me insight, for I cannot hope to see your full plan, Momonga-sama.'

...

... Soon enough, he had found himself on the 10th floor. When attempting to discuss schemes and ideas with the greatest mind in the Tomb, it would be wise to come prepared. That was why he had decided to meet up with the Guardian Overseer and face their master together.

Normally Albedo would be standing adamantly by her master's side, though she had been sent away just yesterday. Something that the Arch-Devil heard no end of whenever they met since then.

When Ainz had asked the succubus to leave his office she had initially been devastated, considering the possibility that her master didn't think she was useful.

Of course, their lord had elaborated, explaining that he needed some time to settle in.

Both Albedo and Demiurge knew what he meant by that. He was making plans. Schemes and plots. And he was keeping it hidden from them, maybe so that he could reveal it dramatically at a later date? Either way, both Guardians had been put at ease.

Since the succubus wasn't going to be in the office currently, the most likely location to find her would be in the throne room. Or failing that, in Ainz's bedroom, as she had been briefly yesterday. To meander around the Supreme One's quarters and to sleep in his bed was terribly disrespectful, though Demiurge knew better than to speak up against his superior's understandable obsession.

... And sure enough, she seemed to be in an alcove a good few meters off the floor.

It was the place that Albedo called home. The Arch-Devil wouldn't even consider the idea of blaspheming and speaking against any of the Supreme Beings, but he truly didn't understand why the Guardian Overseer never received her own personal locales. Maybe it was a lesson about devotion, to make her private quarters the throne room where she toils for the Supreme Ones? The Guardian of the 7th floor couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

With a quick shrug, he sprouted demonic wings and took off. Demiruge wasn't quite ready to see Albedo tightly hugging their master in her 'quarters'.

'That's not-'

His face shifted upon realizing what he had just witnessed, morphing through several different degrees of bafflement before settling on 'moderate stupefaction'. His colleague was straddling a near perfect recreation of Ainz's visage on a body pillow.

As the succubus saw the Arch-Devil arrive, her face twisted into an undecipherable smile.

"Demiurge... To what do I owe the pleasure?" She spoke in the same sultry tone as always. Even to a demon it could be unnerving how well she hid her temperament and darker thoughts. The Guardian of the 7th floor simply narrowed his crystal eyes, looking towards the impeccable- if somewhat deflated- body pillow depicting their master.

"... Albedo... Could you explain what is happening here?" He assumed a gentle smile again, regaining his facade. She merely giggled in response.

"Isn't it obvious...? Worshipping our master's perfect form. What else?" The succubus said in a coy manner of speech, hugging the pillow closer to herself. The devil repressed a sigh and straightened out his suit for the umpteenth time to disperse his bewilderment.

"I meant the pillow." He clarified, despite knowing that she was mocking him. "I don't suppose you created it?" Her smile grew wider at the question.

"Why yes of course. ...When my love sent me away yesterday-" Albedo grimaced, as if the caused her physical pain to reflect on it. "- I had a lot of time to spare. It's not done quite yet, unfortunately." She gestured towards a corner of the pillow where there were no seams. In other words, there was still a hole that has yet to be sewn shut.

Demiurge was shocked that her eager caress (death grip) didn't knock the stuffing out of the body pillow. Why wasn't it finished yet? Sewing the last part should be quite easy. The pillow was somewhat flat... So maybe the stuffing was the problem? Shouldn't be difficult to get more of i-

The devil barely managed to stop his jaw from hanging agape. Another seductive laugh passed Albedo's lips.

"Well well. Looks like you figured out why this pillow is so... One of a kind." Her dainty fingers traced circles on the Pillow-Ainz's bare chest. The Guardian didn't want to consider how she managed to get a shockingly accurate depiction of the Supreme Being in risqué clothing, and in such a provocative pose no less. Just as quickly as the question had surfaced, he squashed it, assuming that he would be happier not knowing.

At the same time, a dark part of his mind presented the possibility that the other side of the pillow would be even more indecent.

"Well, Demiurge... You see, this pillow not only depicts the one above all, it is also stuffed with the most perfect, comfortable, smooth, silky... Feathers." She practically moaned the last word, not failing to make it sound suggestive due to the breathless way she spoke.

'Guardian Overseer Albedo... How did she get so many of Momonga-sama's feathers? Surely even she isn't audacious enough to ask outright.'

He idly pushed his glasses up a little, tail moving in slightly jerky motions as a result of his discomfort. To be so salacious with Momonga-sama... It would be heretical if she wasn't worshipping his perfection so fervently. Albedo was one of the beings that Demiurge had trouble reading, but she was a lot more predictable when happily fawning over their Supreme master. Something the demon was very thankful of.

"...I don't believe the feathers of a Supreme Being are so easily come by. How did you manage it?"

"Oh please, I'm not so inclined to share my methods with others." She stated simply, separating from the pillow with what looked to be a great deal of willpower and effort.

'I probably would not be wrong in assuming that she broke into Momonga-sama's personal quarters again, finding them there. Though her original intention was most likely to spend some time in his bed. Would I also be correct in assuming that "others" are referring to a certain vampiric coworker?'

The Arch-Demon would be largely correct in his musings, but didn't consider the idea of Albedo scouring the fields in which the Sunlight Scripture was captured in search of more stuffing. The fact that she did it in the middle of the night, in view of a few paranoid and sleep-deprived peasants ended up sparking an urban legend in the future. "The Ivory Maiden of Carne", as it were.

"Very well." He replied, probably sounding a little more shaken up than he had intended. "I wished to discuss Momonga-sama's plans with you." Demiurge changed the subject to something more relevant.

"Oh?" The succubus inquired in a faux-innocent tone of voice, all while tilting her head. She was the very picture of a pure maiden, however misleading that picture was. "What about our lord's plans?"

"There are many aspects to take into consideration. First off... This 'Gazef Stronoff' fellow. Our lord treated him well, likely due to his close ties to the king." Demiurge spat the last word with an extra helping of mockery and scorn. "From this there are a multitude of possible avenues. Which do you suppose Momonga-sama will take?"

Albedo gently shook her head, a glint akin to annoyance shining in her cat-like eyes. "To predict our master's plans- to gauge what he might do- is foolishness, Demiurge." The demoness adjusted her dress to look less more prim and proper after her snuggling session. She sighed in admiration of her master before collecting herself.

"There are many things that he knows that we do not. You and I do not possess his grand foresight, predicting or making plans would be careless and presumptuous." The succubus took a few steps forward, standing face to face with her coworker. The bodypillow now carefully stowed away in a corner of the alcove-room. "We are to act as his faithful instruments, though it is painful that our lord may have to shoulder such burdens on his own."

The Arch-Devil stirred, appearing to be in deep thought. "That may very well be the case... But it does not sit right with me. Unlike the other Guardians I am not created for combative purposes, to design grand plans and stratagems for our lord is my purpose." He shook his head in dismay. "To be denied that and be left in the dust by more capable compatriots...? Why, it is no better than to burden our magnanimous master."

The demoness' beautiful face twisted into a concerned frown at those words. One of the greatest fears of any servant of the Supreme Ones was to be deemed useless. It was a deep-seated fear that existed in all of them, though it was particularly apparent in Shalltear's case. Albedo had also experienced it just yesterday, when Ainz had gently- albeit firmly- asked her to leave his office while he worked.

Even if he had cleared things up a little, a great deal of uncertainty and fear still lingered within Albedo's heart. The idea that she would be cast aside by the man she loved more than anything else, the idea that she would be nothing more than dead weight pulling her master down. Demiurge and Albedo shared a collective shiver.

"... Then let us ask Momonga-sama. Request- plead and beg if we must- that we are given a glimpse of his divine machinations, or that we are granted the means to serve him to the best of our abilities." The succubus suggested.

Demiurge pondered the idea. It wasn't bad, purely by virtue of Ainz's kindness in the eyes of the Arch-Devil. When the Supreme Being had deigned to leave the Tomb and interact with the lower lifeforms, every capable member of Nazarick had done their best to get a better look at the situation. The only thing preventing them from joining him in person being the utter lack of subtlety in such an action, coupled with Ainz's orders (of course, Albedo had only been held back by the latter reason).

That being said, the Arch-Devil had been impressed and moved by what he saw. For a Supreme Being to bestow upon the lowly humans such gentle grace, and to personally assist them in their time of need... It spoke volumes of his benevolence and altruism. Sure enough, the Guardian had no love for humanity, but had nothing but respect and admiration for the patience and humbleness displayed by their ultimate master.

Whether Momonga had been genuine in his interactions with the deplorable, clingy village girl, Demiruge didn't know for certain- his master was unreadable, after all. But the devil was confident in the idea that Ainz had been completely heartfelt in comforting Sebas. Despite the foolish butler having allowed his personal values to push their master to act, Ainz had forgiven him in that same confident manner.

'Yes. Momonga-sama cares for us... For the Tomb. It was why he remained here even after all others had left. ... Then surely he will listen to our plea. With his compassionate nature, our perfect leader will most definitely allow us to serve him properly.'

"You are correct, Albedo. We should be asking our lord." The demonic Guardian spoke, now with a more confident posture and a gentle smile plastered on his face. The succubus in turn donned a smile of her own.

"Well well~." She nearly scoffed. "Shall we request and audience with Momonga-sama then? It is still early afternoon, he should still be in his office." The idea that she wasn't by Ainz's side while he toiled away nearly killed her good mood, but the idea of being united with the Supreme Being once more reignited the spark of joy. As fun as it was creating the pillow, Albedo would rather spend time with her master.

"No [Message] this time...?" Demiurge asked.

"Are you declining an opportunity to see the Supreme One in person?" The demoness teased, earning a sly grin from the Guardian.

"That is fair. Then meeting with our lord is precisely what we shall do."


x=x=X=x=x


Ainz Ooal Gown sat leaned forward in a comfortable office chair, torso nearly flat against his desk, eyes focused on a meticulously assembled house of (Tarot) cards. His arms were outstretched, holding a card in each hand.

'So close...'

The Supreme Being carefully placed another two arcana leaning against each other on top of the half-completed construct. His transition to this new body had resulted in far greater hand-eye coordination with little to no jitters, something he hadn't taken notice of it until now.

Initially the fallen angel had started out with a multitude of different things to do, whether it was paperwork, planning or catching up on some reading. But the more he thought about how to interact with the outside world the more his stomach seemed to tie itself into knots. Though the intimately familiar feeling of excitement was also present.

Ainz had tried to work while his attendant- Albedo- was in the room, but found himself unable to focus. Partly because the succubus sparked feelings of guilt whenever she undressed him with her eyes, and partly because he was afraid to be deemed incompetent. In an impulsive move Momonga had sent her away so that he could work at his own leisure, without a curious demoness peering over his shoulder and taking note of his every action.

This also allowed him to pursue other activities, even if that had spiralled out of control now. Though Ainz would insist that it wasn't entirely his fault, considering what his job entailed.

Reports and paperwork ranged from the mundane and predictable to what appeared to be a game of Mad Libs having undergone horrific mutation. The former were exactly what one would expect- funding, staff rotation... Etcetera. The most important thing he did there was issuing the order to cut down on the defences of the Tomb, since their money had become non-replenishable. For all of Yggdrasil's immersion, it never managed to capture the bureaucracy needed to run a fortress of this size.

But whenever Ainz was about to be put to sleep by more paperwork he didn't feel qualified to deal with, more bizarre reports came in, keeping him on his toes. The Supreme Being fetched another pair of Tarot cards, snickering at the memory of a certain report.

At first, the fallen angel had been nervous. The summary detailed general unrest among the homunculus maids, which he had deemed as a sign of a potential uprising. Though the maids were only level 1 it didn't exactly bode well if they of all people were willing to rebel. But the more the Supreme Being read, the more he was put at ease, seeing how the situation wasn't as volatile as he had thought.

While his anxiety was quelled, his incredulity began to grow as the absurdity of the report slowly dawned on him.

A fight had broken out among the maids as one of them- Cixous- had accused and threatened another- Fifth- of having stolen her assigned duty of cleaning "the Supreme One's" room. She cited the absence of his "divine feathers" as the primary motivation for the assault.

Apparently, the feathers of the lone Supreme Being was considered a prized collectors item among the cleaning staff. And when a maid had felt that one of her coworkers had stolen her job, it had warranted physical retaliation. Even now there was talk about a plot to capture a supposed "feather thief".

'Who collects feathers? Who on earth steals feathers?!'

Ainz blushed something fiercely, hearing about such devoted subordinates fighting over something he threw away without a second thought. He also came to the realization that- much to his chagrin- such strange behaviour was a sign of devotion and loyalty. In other words, not something he should be complaining about. Distracted by his disconcerting thoughts, the Supreme Being clumsily elbowed his house of cards, knocking it down to 'rubble'.

The fallen angel sighed, haphazardly sweeping the pile of Tarot cards back into his inventory, not caring that they weren't properly stacked. Him playing around with Tarot had been a waste of time brought about by his incessant rummaging of his inventory in search of interesting items. Whereas the whole house-building debacle started due to his frustration of having pulled the [Fool] arcana three times in a row when playing with items from his inventory, causing him to use the deck for something else.

In spite of his annoyance, Ainz couldn't find it in himself to damage any of the cards. He had some good memories of them, of course. He had pulled his two decks from two loot bags and sold one to Tabula Smaragdina for a hefty sum of data crystals, only for the buyer to open a loot bag and get a deck after countless failed attempts. Needless to say, the Mind Flayer was somewhat distraught.

The Supreme Being chuckled. Despite being nothing more than an auxiliary item that served as little more than cosmetics, the Tarot had its sentimental worth.

'Huh. Since Yggdrasil is real now... Do these Tarot cards actually work?' He quickly discarded the idea. Although he knew nothing about reading Tarot (once again, that's most likely Tabula's expertise), the fallen angel held the notion that the [Fool] wasn't anything desirable.

'Should have used a normal deck of cards... But I don't think I have one.' He surmised, being correct in his assumption. 'Normal' decks of cards didn't exist in Yggdrasil proper, either being accessories or equipment, neither of which Ainz possessed.

...

'Right. Now what?' Ainz wondered as he balanced a pen between his nose and pouting mouth. He spun in his swivelling office chair a couple times, watching the ceiling of the room rotate around a singular point above him. To continue with the paperwork was one option, albeit not a very tempting one.

In one swift motion that his previous frail human body couldn't hope to match, the Supreme Being damn near leapt out of the office chair and started to pace around the moderately sized office. He had been bored at work before, sure. But it was different now.

It was a familiar lack of interest and motivation, yet the Supreme Being felt unable to simply grit his teeth and power through it. Whereas he had patience before, it felt as if it had waned. In the end he was fed up with both the paperwork and the reading.

Momonga had barrelled through 150 pages of a guidebook titled 'Employees and You', finding nothing more than rudimentary corporate drivel. It wasn't necessarily bad advice- respecting your subordinates was important- but it was such basic information dressed up and touted as something more complex.

'The Art of War' had proven more interesting, but Ainz felt that he had to put it down before he got a headache. Whether it was from his self-proclaimed walnut brain being unable to keep up with the influx of information, or simply due to him staring at books for the past hour, he didn't know. Either way an impatient and childish aspect of him demanded variety, evidently not content with reading due to its lack of stimulation.

It was the very same staggering urge that had tickled him when facing the scripture- an abnormal yearning to grind Nigun's skull into paste- now manifesting as a drive to toss aside any book he had picked up in favor of something more... Engaging.

The fallen angel groaned, sweeping his ashen hair back with both hands and stretching his overlarge wings, careful not to knock something over with that massive halo of his. It had been 6 days in total here, with a mere 2 and a half of them having been spent doing actual work. Either way he already needed a vacation or a getaway.

'Okay... A lot to do, but not a lot I want to do.' He impatiently walked around the room. Carne Village had proved quite fun, in the end. It was scary interacting with natives for the first time, and wholly irresponsible to rush in to face opponents whose strength you did not know- but it had been exhilarating. Ainz's neutral face involuntarily broke to show a genuine smile.

Carne Village had brought back pleasant memories of exploration and discovery that he hadn't felt since Yggdrasil's early days. That sensation had been amplified by the fact that this was genuinely happening. It wasn't DVR. It wasn't a game. He was alive.

To the explore the world and to see what existed in it didn't sound too bad.

'How do I make up a proper reason to leave...? I can't just ditch Nazarick, even if I'm stressed out by everything that happens around here. Well, if everybody was out doing missions, maybe I could do the same?' He surmised. 'But I'm not going to risk the well being of my subordinates. With enough knowledge of the world, however...'

The rusted gears in the angel's head started to click away. His mind had already come up with a ton of things he wanted the Tomb to do, though he had no idea how it was going to tie into spreading the name 'Ainz Ooal Gown' far and wide.

Nazarick had a vast supply of resources and manpower, it would be wise to actually use it. True, it did go against Suzuki Satoru's sensibilities as a hoarder (just look at the veritable hodgepodge he calls an inventory), but taking into consideration the severity of the situation... It's better to splurge. With a nonchalant hand-motion the map received from Carne was brought forth. It was the original, though several copies were made and distributed by Nazarick's make-shift cartographers.

'Slane Theocracy... Re-Estize... Baharuth... Roble... Argland... Draconic...?' Cold eyes swept over the length of the map, lingering on the Slane Theocracy and Argland Council State. 'Those are the dangerous ones.'

Taking into consideration the Sunlight Scripture wielding Yggdrasil items, and with what the village elder had shared, those two nations were not to be trifled with. When first hearing about dragons, Ainz had thought about just laying low for a long long time. Dragons were often tough raid bosses, and many World Enemies also heavily resembled dragons.

If that were the case, then attracting the attention of a World Boss or pissing off an entire nation run by dragons (Argland) would be dangerous.

That notion had... Changed. The Six Great Gods seemed to be worshipped by all human nations in some capacity. They were supposedly Players, meaning that they could be considered gods in a world where dragons exist.

The fact that the Dominion Authority was considered an angel in the realm of gods was indication enough that no World Bosses or raid boss-level dragons had reared their heads in this neck of the woods, at least not for a long time. It was a world where Players could flourish.

It meant that getting involved with this world wasn't a death sentence. Ainz smirked, and if any onlookers were present they would see a dangerous glint in his eyes.

'Shadow Demons, Eight-Edge Assassins, Hanzos. Those are our infiltrators that are capable of stealth and invisibility. The best tool to keep an eye on the inner workings of a country- whether they are government officials, the military or the dark underbelly of a nation.

It might be risky... But Shadow Demons and Eight-Edge Assassins can be assigned to the other 'less dangerous' countries, as they aren't as high leveled as the Hanzos.

As for the Slane Theocracy and Argland... Hanzos will be good for espionage, and it could be worth sending doppelgangers, as they will have an easier time blending in should people with anti-invisibility exist.

... Am I underestimating or overlooking Baharuth? It could be worth taking into consideration. I've already seen Gazef, so I reckon I have a pretty good grasp of Re-Estize's prowess.'

Information is power. And by Ainz's estimates, this should be able to provide plenty. When enough had been amassed Nazarick would be free to act.

... There would be a lot to do.

'Oh jeez. How do other leaders to this stuff? Making choices when things can get genuinely messed up...!'

Ainz sighed, placing the map on the table before throwing himself into his office chair, making it slide backwards from the sudden weight being launched against it.

'Focus, Satoru. Focus. Ah... When we have information... Then... I want to know if Nazarick can learn Martial Arts. What would be the best way to do that? Find a willing teacher or just kidnapping someone? Maybe an outlaw...

What else?

... The village elder of Carne spoke of a certain legendary creature in the local woods. He's in the Forest of Tob, not far from here. It could be worth either subjugating it or taking it into our folds, depending on how willing it is to cooperate. Since the elder described it as "wise", it's worth putting it to the test.

Maybe Sebas can get close to the Warrior-Captain and get an audience with the king? Then I have to be there... Or maybe someone who could impersonate me. Do I really want to get involved with Re-Estize politics? Could be worth it to get a foot in the door with royalty...'

All in all, Ainz felt terribly out of his depth, even if the general outline of a plan now existed. He very nearly forgot why he had thought of all of this.

'And when everything is said and done, I can leave for a while as well. For... Uh... Information gathering...? Espionage? Will the NPCs buy that? Perhaps just saying that I want a nip of fresh air could be enough.

What would I do? Where would I go?'

The Supreme Being had subconsciously started to spin the chair again, twirling a pen with a free hand. He brainstormed. When he had experienced a rush in Carne, he had fought and killed. Aiding the villagers had been the primary motivation then. Momonga scoffed. Developing a savior complex was not on his agenda. But it did bring to mind something the village elder had made mention of.

'... Adventurers. Do they explore uncharted lands like in Yggdrasil? Battle larger-than-life foes?' The fallen angel smirked. Now that actually sounded fun. He stopped spinning the chair, leaning forward over the map on the desk.

'But where? Not here, surely.' He inspected the map once more. 'Becoming an adventurer in E-Rantel? Maybe if I was looking for information, but that's something the legion of Shadow Demons could do better. It would be no better than exploring your own backyard. Something more exotic sounds... Riveting.'

Ainz's immaculate fingers carefully traced the weathered old map, with silky skin brushing against coarse and yellowed paper.

'The two troublesome countries are out of the equation already. Roble sounds like another nutty country like the Slane Theocracy. Baharuth came across as quite peaceful from the descriptions I've heard... Draconic Kingdom...?

Isn't it being eaten alive by beastmen? There's sure to be some action there.

It's also dangerous. To rush in and come face to face with a tough opponent is a possibility...

... But...

Do I really care...?'

It was reckless. Of course it was. It should be.

But the fallen angel couldn't quite help it. Just like he had carelessly rushed over to Carne Village, just like he had foolishly engaged the Sunlight Scripture without fully thinking things through. It could only be called an inexorable pull, whether it was some sort of madness or wanderlust was anybody's guess. A small yet incredibly vocal part of Momonga's mind complained that the freedom out there was something that the Tomb couldn't possibly grant. Not with the deluge of responsibility that came his way.

... Ainz sat in silent contemplation before a half-strangled giggle escaped him. It quickly grew into boisterous laughter that carried no mirth, a hollow proclamation of happiness echoing in an empty room.

'... Guess old habits die hard.'

The Supreme Being chuckled joylessly at the merciless irony that had been thrown at him. He was literal worlds apart from his old home. In a completely different body with energy and physical prowess his old self could only have dreamt of. Suzuki was now a powerful overlord rather than a wage slave toiling away for an ever ungrateful company.

In the end he had simply gone to working for his bosses to working for his servants. ...And friends. Who would totally be there with him if they had the chance, right?

And yet...!

'-Yet here I am.

Going through the same motions.'

The fallen angel's fingers tensed, causing the aged paper map to crinkle. Without realizing it, his jaw had been shut tightly, with his teeth grinding against each other.

'After. Every. Single. Change that has come to pass...

...

All of that. Nothing has changed. Not really.

I'm still stuck. Doing the same mundane thing that I've been doing for THE PAST TEN YEARS OF MY LIFE-!

Appeasing NPCs, ones and zeroes, instead of those worthless, insignificant, lesser SCUM, WHOSE MARROW I WILL SQUEEZE OUT OF THEIR FRAGILE BONES THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY I GE-'

Snap.

He had unwittingly crushed the pen he was holding with a tight grip, ink leaking from his clenched fist and dribbling over his immaculate robes. Ainz's divine appearance now stood in a stark contrast to the ungodly [Despair Aura] pouring out of his form.

The massive golden halo hummed and shook, creaking as if it was about to be folded in two. A slight breeze could be felt. It wasn't cold, like the winds of winter. It was icy. An ethereal form of chills that caressed the brain stem, threatening to yank it out.

Without any indication, the room fell silent again, the [Despair Aura] and droning sound of bending metal little more than a distant memory. A short while, an ominous and strangling stillness clung to the office like a wrapping of decaying sinew. The same type of eerie quiet that haunted devastated battlefields and aged memorials.

-Before it was broken by a sigh, resigned and carefree.

The fallen angel stood up, a languid and elegant motion brimming with confidence and poise. With a slight wave of his hands, the map was ushered back into his inventory, and the ink on his robes removed with [Clean].

Ainz strutted around the room in a dignified gait, picking up scattered reports and paper as he went before sitting down at the desk. With a hum, the Supreme Being fetched a report he had yet to review from the pile, pulling out a pen with his other hand.

'Haste makes waste. It's too dangerous to just leave. Asking Demiurge or Albedo would probably be the best choice.'

And so the room was filled with the sound of scribbling- the telltale din of pen against paper. The fallen angel sat in silence, reviewing more paperwork.

All was as it should be.


heads up, i'll be going away for a while, so there wont be a chapter until late August/early September

k thx bye