Author's Note: Strange, can't seem to get this story out of my head. And it's not just cause of Overlord, rather I just really am feeling for the writing setting of something similar to Warring States Japan.

Here's this chapter's Q&A, no spoilers:

Why or how did the Death Knight attack the coastal farming village? Was it just Ainz's luck?

To answer the latter, yes, Ainz just got lucky. But as described in the previous chapter, it was also a potential risk for the village. It is still unknown why [Death Knight] attacked the village.

What about the robotic puppeteer, Kokuyo? He was also in the anime filler episode of Nadeshiko.

Ainz's intervention has caused a major deviation in Nadeshiko's future, Kokuyo hadn't met Shizuka yet at this point in time and will no longer have any reason to pursue Shizuka even if he meets her now.

Why don't you use [Hanzo]?

I answered this in a prior chapter, but [Hanzo]'s are a mercenary summon. To summon a mercenary, you require both YGGDRASIL gold and the mercenary book for the entity; both are finite resources for Ainz, even more so without the bulk that is Nazarick's collection. For the sake of the story, I decided he would not have [Hanzo] mercenary books on hand, as it's unknown if he had any in his inventory in the Overlord side story.

Use magic to turn Nadeshiko's surroundings into farmland?

He doesn't have druid spells, and I can't picture him using Super Tier Magic for such a reason. Also, I already have a set plan to solve the food issue.

Can Ainz learn Taijutsu?

Yes, he can learn any Taijutsu not requiring the use of chakra. As for whether he will or not, that's to be decided.


The Overlord of Nadeshiko

Skewed Diplomacy Arc

Chapter 16

In the morning thereafter, Shizuka Gown had prepared her necessities for the trip to the Hidden Mist Village and also assigned a suitable team to deal with the menace behind the coastal village crisis, then finally set out with Ainz Ooal Gown. The length of travel time could vary greatly, but most of it would be over land rather than water. The tip of the peninsula and Kirigakure's islands was only separated by a strip of ocean, but that strip could be hazardous with terrifying storms. There was a reason the invitation was sent in the winter when the storms were relatively mild during the season.

Near the peninsula's tip was a town with a bustling shipyard, it served as the central point of trade between numerous points traveling to and from the Land of Water's islands. Shizuka had only been there three times in her entire life, once to travel to Kirigakure with her teacher, the previous Nadeshiko Leader, and two other times for missions.

Shizuka had traveled to the Village Hidden in the Mist only once. And that was when the Fourth Mizukage had been in power, and also before the Mist's civil war had occurred and turned its reputation into the Bloody Mist. She did not know why the Fourth Mizukage had decided to later follow such a cruel edict to eliminate users with bloodline limits, but at least Nadeshiko was spared from the conflict.

This would be her first trip outside Nadeshiko Village with her husband by her side. Normally, she would think that a married pair would be eager to spend time together alone, but their circumstances were just business. Shizuka couldn't imagine loving Ainz in the same way she'd seen civilians or read in books, and she imagined it was a similar case with many of Nadeshiko's kunoichi due to that cultural law.

Why should such a law chain down kunoichi from experiencing love? Not that there wasn't any love among those married through the law, she'd seen some examples, besides the ones the Elders tried to shove down her throat.

It had been two hours since Ainz and Shizuka left the safety of Nadeshiko's hills. A mostly quiet journey with the occasional small talk, but otherwise an atmosphere of awkwardness existed between them while alone and without the backdrop of responsibilities to the village.

Though, thinking back on the village did raise a few questions.

"Ainz," Shizuka addressed her husband, breaking through the silence between them. "What did you do to the rogue kunoichi while I was doing preparations this morning?"

His gauntlet rubbed the chin of his mask. "I placed several safety measures around her cell," He answered. "I was aware of her primarily earth element-based jutsu, so I made them with that in mind."

"Wouldn't that prevent Tokiwa from using her own jutsu within the confines of the cell?" She asked, curious as to how he created such measures but trusting his knowledge.

"Yes, but I took into account that the majority of Nadeshiko kunoichi have mainly the wind element as their focus," He said. "Tokiwa should have the combat experience to work around it."

True, Tokiwa was a jonin, and while earth-style was her chakra nature that didn't mean her friend was unable to use ninjutsu of other elements. And as Ainz factly stated, Nadeshiko's kunoichi heavily sided with the wind chakra nature, followed by fire and water, but on the low count of earth and lightning.

It was a strange occurrence that it heavily favored wind, despite the vast majority of immigrants coming from either the Land of Water or Land of Fire.

"Alright, I agree with that," Shizuka replied. "Out of curiosity, what else did you do in the morning?"

"Let's see… I returned some library books, talked with the Elder of Foreign Affairs about Nadeshiko's contracts with Kirigakure, and paid Tanya's compensation with an item," Ainz recounted.

"Compensation- Wait, an item? You gave a graduated genin one of those strange items?" She asked. "Was it like what you gave me?" Shizuka inquired, brandishing the wedding ring on her finger while also revealing her awareness of its additional benefits beyond symbolic jewelry.

"Ah, no it isn't something with a passive effect like the ring," Ainz answered off-chantedly like it wasn't much or a deal. "It's a necklace that can replicate the [Fly] spell for the user without cost, she requested me to teach her but I compromised with that instead."

She remembered that Ainz had done it before in front of her when they first met, "That's a rare ability, and you had an item that replicated it? Your spell, or the jutsu?"

"The spell, I'm unfamiliar with its jutsu variant," He admitted.

"So you just handed over a clan item…?"

Ainz looked to her, "Well, I don't have a clan in the same sense that I know from the Five Great Ninja Nations. I had a guild, who had abilities like mine," His tone of voice changed a note, Shizuka could feel the affection he had for the guild.

She was curious about this guild; the wife of Ainz could barely recall its mention back at the village entrance a few days ago. "Tell me about it."

That tripped Ainz up a bit, his normally almost-regal walk staggered a bit. "Sorry?"

"Your guild," Shizuka said. "What kind of guild was it?"

"Ah; so that's what you meant," He said. "Umu, I'll happily speak about it," Ainz's tone shifted, sounding rather joyful in contrast to his deep voice. "It wasn't a typical kind of guild you would think about-"


To an average newly graduated genin, most would fervently argue their opinion that D-Ranked missions were boring and needless grunt work that should be left to civilians rather than trained kunoichi. After all, they had succeeded in joining their village's military and had expected it to be a glamorous adventure, though not unaware of the dangers they naively believed they were capable enough to be fine.

Tanya hadn't thought that way since the start, and her first live mission outside the village had been a disaster for a fresh genin to experience. Of course, Tanya had the advantage of maturity to discipline her mind and had not been fooled by the propaganda created for the standard academy student as to the kunoichi life.

She had little choice, a kunoichi was expected of her talents and the best career choice with her limited connections, coupled with what she learned of world history, it was more for her own well-being. Tanya had planned to quickly rise to the rank of chunin and choose an administrative position within Nadeshiko, away from the dangers outside the village while still in a position with decent pay.

That had all quickly flushed down the drain when she unwillingly became a Jinchuuriki.

The records Nadeshiko had on hand for a Jinchuuriki were incredibly sparse, but massive, powerful creatures such as Tailed Beasts did not exist without creating a notable mark on history. Though the origin of these kaiju was unclear, due likely in part to Nadeshiko's limited subject material, the village did have some information about such chakra beasts, but nothing useful that wasn't filled with superstition or biased stories.

After meeting with her assigned team members, they had started doing a few traditional D-Ranked missions. Normally, these would serve to build foundation skills for genin, but Tanya quickly wrapped them up with ingrained professionalism and little complaint about the missions. They were, in a way, like home chores for the village as a whole. While they could be accomplished by civilians, they would easily be finished by genin all the same at a quicker pace.

Her teamwork was deemed… Acceptable.

When in concern for the mission, Tanya had high marks.

But for team cohesion outside the job… Rather, 'friendship' as it were…

While Tanya had experience with dealing with other team members back on Earth, it had been a purely work environment. The team members presented to her here, except for their Jonin leader, wanted more to make friends than keep it a strictly business relationship. They still acted like genin despite their status as chunin, which Tanys believed was less the case of personality and more just general experience.

But Tanya kept her thoughts to herself. On the field, they might be more fitting to their rank, but within Nadeshiko, it was home territory. There wasn't any requirement to be professional while here, and D-Rank missions were accomplished in or surrounding Nadeshiko Village.

Her brief exposure to them at the lake did depict a change of attitude when the situation called for it. So Tanya couldn't complain.

However, like at the academy, Tanya had better relationships with adults. She struggled with those closest to her age, the curse of a reincarnated soul.

Such was the case here.

Nina, a young kunoichi with twin tails for a hairstyle, was an upbeat positive teenager, only a year older than her.

Also known as, the hardest person for twelve-year-old Tanya to deal with.

"Hey, Tanya! Tanya!" Nina repeated her name with a loud tone.

"What, Nina?" Tanya replied, refusing to so much as turn her head toward the girl and away from the book in her hands. A book a little too large for her small appendages to hold in only one.

"I saw Lord Ainz give you that necklace," She pointed enthusiastically to the necklace around Tanya's neck, a simple black string that held up an ornamental stone in the shape of a bird's wing. "What does it mean?"

"It's hazard pay," Tanya responded, it had been the result of a compromise from Lord Ainz. He couldn't teach her what she desired but settled for an item that replicated the effect. Tanya presumed it must be hollow, as she couldn't spot any recognizable sealing script on its exterior.

"Eh, you asked for a necklace for hazard pay?" Nina questioned, "That's adorable."

Tanya's eye twitched, "It has a function tied to it, not just a jewelry piece."

When she had equipped it a few hours later, Tanya just… Knew… How to operate it. It didn't require practice, it didn't require chakra, and it broke Tanya's understanding of this world's 'magic' system with terminology befitting actual magic.

3rd Tier Spell [Fly].

Those words were like an instruction manual shoved into her head but vanished as quickly as it arrived upon taking off the necklace.

Lord Ainz had mentioned that the item was found, not created, by him in an old ruin. But Tanya had her suspicions as to the deeper connection between it and the man, especially considering the incident at the lake. Still, Lord Ainz was her superior, and he had not shown any incompetence or ill-intent towards those under him.

But it also might be relevant to her newly found status as a Jinchuuriki, and Tanya felt that knowing about how exactly her seal functioned was crucial information.

However, Lord Ainz was with Lady Shizuka on a diplomatic mission to Kirigakure, Tanya will have to wait.

"It does something!?" Nina's voice shouted with excitement. "Hey, Aki! Tanya wants to show us something

"I did not say anything like that," Tanya voiced her complaint.

Aki walked up to them; they had already finished the D-Ranked mission assigned to them, so the team was basically on a lunch break. Compared to Nina, Aki was mature for her age and was far more tolerable an individual for Tanya to be around, to a point that Tanya didn't mind the girl's presence, even her clothing choice was more functional than fashionable, except for the sewn purple flower at the right chest.

But Tanya could recognize her mother's work, Aki had been a customer, and her wearing that in public was a free advertisement for Tanya's mother's embroidery.

"What are you going to show?" Aki asked.

Tanya sighed, but relented, she needed to try out the item regardless. "Just you two act like my second man-"

"I appreciate your feelings but I'm not going to marry you, no matter how cute you are," Nina interrupted.

"That's not what I meant, just watch me in case something goes wrong!" Tanya responded by correcting the misunderstanding quickly.

"Sure," Aki replied, short and concise, she was someone that didn't speak much unless conversed with directly… Or a subject that greatly interested her.

Tanya audibly sighed then simply activated the necklace with a thought, it required no use of an external trigger or spoken word. Upon use, the decorative stone glowed a dim sky blue hue, and her body was enveloped by a similar light before returning to normal; the stone remained glowing.

The reincarnated salaryman felt gravity's weight lift off her body- No, that wasn't accurate, gravity still had its effect on her. Rather, it was more similar to say that gravity didn't push her down further than the level she desired.

She floated three meters off the ground, sticking to a vertical alignment to understand how it worked before attempting any sort of multi-directional movements. It was impressive, and the combat advantages that control over her elevation would give were incredible.

But it seems the practice was unneeded.

It was… Surprisingly simple to control, actually she could easily fly, it was the same as when Lord Ainz's applied effect on her a few days ago. Tanya had believed it would function differently, like operating an old appliance not quite as user-friendly as modern counterparts, but that wasn't the case.

"Wow! How high can you go!?" Nina asked excitedly.

"At least fifty meters, maybe more," Tanya recalled how high they were back at the lake. "I have yet to test out its maximum height."

"I don't believe we have the equipment for high attitudes," Aki pointed out. Although the ninja world lacked the technology for flight, that didn't mean they were unaware of its dangers, mountaineers climbed to the peaks, where the dangers of the elevation threatened even those using chakra.

"True," Tanya admitted, while Nadeshiko Village was surrounded by mountains, none of them reached such dangerous heights to pose serious problems. "But I remain doubtful of needing to be that high-"

The world stopped.

Tanya's eyes widened, she glanced around, everything had stilled, come to a complete halt. The breeze had stopped, Nina and Aki had frozen in place completely unaware of anything around them, even the leaves blown off the trees remained stuck in the air. No sound except for Tanya's own breath.

Unlike those around her, Tanya could still move in the world frozen in time. Her first action was to disrupt her chakra, to rid herself of a possible genjutsu, but that action did not work, which left either two possible scenarios, that the genjutsu was too powerful for her to dispel by herself or…

"This is no illusion."

"Oh? Well, if it isn't Being X?" Tanya spoke towards the direction of the voice, a bird of prey perched on a tree branch nearby.

"Indeed."

The entity who forcefully reincarnated Tanya into this world, the self-proclaimed god, but she knew his flaws from their first meeting.

"It's been twelve years of silence, are you disappointed?"

"Hardly, I am patient, and the trails have yet to come your way," He answered.

That implied that more troublesome situations like the lake could occur, "Well, while I appreciate the time to acclimate to this world, I still rather not talk to you."

"I was content in observing you, only applying a minimal touch to test your faith. But it seems something wishes to interfere."

"It seems not everyone agrees with your unhealthy obsession," Tanya said, taking note of Being X's words. If something or someone was interfering, then the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

"Then perhaps I should take a more active role, a gentle push, I see that you have been placed into the role of a Jinchuuriki. Next, we meet, I shall- Magic? I see… Another deity of some sort…?"

He sounded like he was speaking to something else, but Tanya made sure to keep it in mind for later.

Tanya managed to grasp a kunai from her weapon pouch, "I'll rather keep to my own decisions, my status is of my own choices. Whatever you offer will be rejected," She threw the tool, it flew unheeded by the time anomaly and struck the possessed avian.

Though its head had been severed, the lingering voice of Being X continued one last time, "In time, my faith will grace your lips. Can you continue as you were with such a role?" He questioned.

The world continued.

Everything moved, the breeze brushed along Tanya's body, the bird's body collapsed to the ground, and a variety of sounds graced her ears once more. Never before had Tanya felt relieved from a break of complete silence.

Aki's voice replied to Tanya's earlier words, "Maybe, most combat would be on the ground. It is rare for a jutsu to have long-range capabilities."

"Yes… You're right," Tanya said, lowering her body back to the ground. The necklace's illumination faded away as it deactivated, gravity taking full control once more.

She crossed her arms, deep in thought. Just what exactly, or who exactly, was helping her? It seemed that Being X did not know about her becoming a Jinchuuriki until now, and had mentioned magic.

There was only one individual that was with her at the time of that event, and coupled with his uses of terms that Tanya would note from a fantasy game…

Did Lord Ainz somehow hinder Being X?

The puzzle pieces were starting to align, but Lord Ainz wasn't someone easily approachable by a kunoichi of her rank. Unless in some way related to her Jinchuuriki status, she would have to wait before being able to inquire about things to her superior.

Still…

Tanya chuckled, another fault that Being X never admits, serves him right.


Suzuki Satoru observed the setting sun dimming over the horizon of the vast ocean, tinted in the beautiful hues of an orange glaze. It was a breathtaking sight, the salty sea scent filled his sense of smell, enveloping him with a fresh sensation that tempted him to breathe in deep despite his lack of lungs. He wasn't even on the boat yet, just arriving at the docks after a long journey alongside Shizuka.

He dearly wished he could share this moment with his guildmates, it was truly a precious memory gem. The world he originated from had been a polluted mess from the greed of mega-corporations, like the toxic air, the ocean was a sludge pool of dark greenish colors with the smell of trash coating its surface.

In contrast, the ocean of this world was a heavenly jewel.

"Do you enjoy the ocean?" Shizuka's voice said from behind.

"I enjoy its sights and scent," Ainz replied. "Though I have never personally sailed over it before."

"Well, I hope you don't get sea-sick," Shizuka commented. "Nadeshiko is inland, though we have dealt with coastal regions, I don't have too much experience with the ocean."

"Worry not, I don't believe I will," He answered, such sensations would not apply to him as an undead. "Do we sail tonight?" He turned to her with the question.

She blinked, "I hadn't planned to sail in the night," Shizuka replied to his question. "The conference between the Land of Water's various villages occurs over the course of three days. Tomorrow will be the second, we're late due to our short notice."

"Then the invitation letter was held back?" Ainz asked, wondering why they would be on short notice if he replied immediately after receiving it.

"No, rather, I think it was just sent late," Shizuka answered. "Remember, Nadeshiko has had loose communication with Kirigakure since its civil war ended. We've refused nearly every invitation since its inner conflict, so perhaps the Mizukage hadn't expected an answer like previous times."

So the invitation letter was more of a formality at this point, but he still believes it would be wiser to go. Not only for his personal interests but without discussion the status quo and relationship between Nadeshiko and the Hidden Mist Village would be unchanged. Ainz didn't believe Shizuka was wrong for rejecting the previous invitations, it was different circumstances after all.

Still, arriving a whole day late didn't make for a good first impression.

"Let's sail now," He suggested. "If we're fortunate, we'll arrive before the night is over."

"While it's not dark yet, I'm sure anyone sailing to Kirigakure is not going to offer seats cheaply at this hour," Shizuka countered. "We don't have the Ryo to splurge."

"We're short on currency then," Ainz sighed, it always came back to money. He could try bartering with YGGDRASIL coins, but that wouldn't be such a wise idea, it would announce his identity as a Player, even with his earlier display of Super Tier Magic a few days ago, it was more concealed than physical objects. "Perhaps I can strike a deal with the captain for night passage?"

"If you wish to try, sure, just don't offer me," She said.

"No, never!" He answered quickly then took a second to regain his composure. "Umu, I'm not that kind of man."

"It was a joke," Shizuka reassured him. "I think I see a ship over there that is capable," She pointed towards a docked vessel as both she and Ainz walked towards it.

Although the ocean was an awe-inspiring sight, the human-made vessels that floated above its waves were… Quaint.

They weren't the steel titanic-sized vessels of Earth, rather old-fashioned constructs of wood pushed along by the power of the wind through their great sails, not by any technological means of electricity or fuel. Though quaint, Ainz found it a bit endearing to view and board such a ship, it was tiny compared to something like tankers but he grew fond of it.

However, it would surely be much slower through the waters than the engine-powered constructs.

He could possibly fix that…

"Hello, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and this is my wife, Shizuka," He greeted the middle-aged captain outside on the dock. "We're wishing for a night passage to Kirigakure."

"Night passage will cost you extra, storms tend to be more frequent and fiercer," The ship captain responded. "But I'm obligated to ferry you over if you pay, contract and all."

He must mean that he's contracted by either the Land of Water government or Kirigakure to act as a ferryman between the main islands and the peninsula.

"I'll like to make a wager," Ainz said.

The man looked to him, "A wager? Are you looking for a cheap ride or something?"

"If you forgo the extra cost, I can guarantee that there will be no storms on the trip. And, if you get us there before the following morning, I will give you a bonus," Suzuki Satoru started to speak business, the salaryman taking hold of the reins.

The Captain crossed his arms, his expression skeptical, "I won't take that bet unless you provide proof of this bonus, and considering you want a cheaper ride, I doubt you mean Ryo."

"Of course, here's proof," He reached into his clothes, hiding the visible access of his Inventory. While it may be a bit stereotypical, he decided to perhaps try winning over the ship captain with an alcoholic beverage from YGGDRASIL. Unlike coins, it was a consumable item, and would eventually sooner or later be removed from the world.

[Sacred White Sake]

Since this world seemed to closely resemble old Japan, Ainz thought it fitting to choose this drink. There was barely any food and drink items within Ainz's inventory, what few he had were either recent loot he forgot to store in Nazarick before the game's end or objects he had some level of attachment to due to his friends or found their flavor text interesting.

In this case, Ainz had this sake due for mostly ceremonial purposes. As a heteromorphic undead Overlord, he couldn't consume such items, and even if he could consume this sake, it would actually damage him, whether or not his character had the correct karma rating.

In YGGDRASIL, when a neutral-good or higher karma Player consumed this drink, it would heal them and remove any poison or disease debuffs. As for those with negative karma, it would poison the drinker instead. It was easily avoidable since one could read the effects, but not so much here.

He pulled out a red gourd which served as the exterior design of the item, Ainz didn't know whether or not it would remain after drinking its content, as it normally would just vanish back in the game.

"This is a special type of sake, one of a kind," Ainz said. "It is said that only those good-hearted can safely drink its contents," He explained. "However, it can be a poison to those with evil. But rest assured, it's fine."

Even with the poison effect, this was an incredibly low-level item, even newbie players can use it without much trouble. After all, Players had received the item as a minor event gift. With his free hand, he also fetched a guinomi and poured a tiny portion of [Sacred White Sake] into it, then presented it to the ship captain.

The captain took it, eyeing the snow-white liquid, then downed it in a manner befitting a sailor. His eyes widened, looking bewildered, lips smacking as if trying to regain some past taste.

He sighed in content, "That was incredible sake, the best I ever had. It's so refreshing I feel five years younger."

"It has that sensation," Ainz commented, though personally unsure of it. "Do we have a deal?"

"Men! Prepare to sail!" The captain shouted, then gratefully handed back the guinomi. "The bargain is made, be prepared to hand over that sake because this will be the quickest ship you've ever experienced."

"Pleasure doing business," Ainz replied and put the gourd back into his Inventory for safekeeping. He turned to his companion, "Shizuka?"

"Do… Can I have some of that? My headache is pounding, where did you even hide that?" Shizuka clutched her forehead.

"Trade secret," Ainz said. "And no, as I mentioned to him, it's one of a kind." He actually had a few, but Ainz felt that giving Shizuka access to alcohol wouldn't be wise.

"… Please?" Shizuka pleaded.

"No, let's get on board. And apologies, but I don't have any way to heal a headache," He didn't know if healing potions could work on mental ailments.

"Just how much do you have…?"

Ainz chose not to answer and instead boarded the ship to Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist.


Elsewhere, at a coastal area bordering the Land of Water peninsula and the Land of Fire. A now-empty village, desolate of any living creature, had a large zombie-like knight trudging along its road on a constant, endless patrol to and from the village's eastern and western ends. Its steps were heavy, the battle damage from its first encounter when summoned hadn't been restored, yet the burnt bones only added to its menacing look.

It suddenly halted its movements, then turned sharply, brandishing its sword and tower shield towards a newly arrived opponent.

It was a young white-skinned man in a white long-sleeved shirt, a purple rope wrapped around his waist that secures a blue cloth covering dark blue pants. His shirt was open in the middle, revealing his bare chest, black spiky hair waved ever slightly on the breeze, a sheathed blade attached to the rope's back.

He unsheathed the sword.

The Death Knight charged recklessly towards its newfound opponent.

A pair of crimson red eyes with three tomoe surrounding a black pupil greeted in kind.

The sound of a thousand birds filled the air.