That night as festivities came to a close Satoru received the letter of introduction from the Warrior Captain. That wasn't all. Soon after the Warrior Troop set up camp around Carne Village, Satoru and his companions slipped away into the Forest. Before anyone knew it, their saviors were gone. A [Gate] to a field near Nazarick and that was all it took.
"Uwaaah~ That was exhausting…"
Satoru stretched his arms over his head before folding them behind his neck.
"It is as you say, Satoru-saa-aaan." Nabe agreed with a huff and a heave.
'She was suffocating with all those humans in one spot. Though I can't help but notice she didn't call them some sort of insect… I wonder if she can continue with Lukrut flirting with her.'
Satoru grinned internally as he glanced at her before turning his attention to Sebastian. Though he held a stern exterior and a subservient demeanor, there was this sensation of self-satisfaction emanating off of him. Not only had he played the role of a Hero, like in the stories of Heroes his creator was so fond of, but he was recognized for his prowess. It was hidden well behind those layers of a professional Head Butler and disciplined Monk.
"Hm…"
It was a pain having to wait for his mana to regenerate, even though he had plenty left over. Considering he hadn't used any of his buffs during the little skirmishes, if they were even worthy of such a distinction, it made sense.
"Sebastian, what is your opinion of our current activities?"
Sebastian pitched his head forward as they walked beside one another through the wild fields.
"I believe your Adventurer alias, Satoru, will be spread across the Kingdom given the impression you made on the Warrior Captain. The Adventurer Guild might be more cooperative in believing your feats, even as you're holding back as a Supreme Being."
He nodded lightly in agreement with the head butler of the Pleiades. Though one thing made him curious. From his experience, he knew that Nabe enjoyed being at his side as much as the other NPCs. Heck, he was sure a number of them were jealous that she was always with him the last time around. Though he didn't notice until later on, which Albedo made dreadfully clear despite Nabe's support for her.
"Hrm. Nabe, would you be interested in continuing as an Adventurer and interacting with humans? Or would you prefer a different posting amongst your sisters?"
Nabe was visibly shaken by the question, a startled look on her face as if she had been hit by a rock. Within seconds she had dropped to one knee and kept her head down as she spoke in a panicked tone:
"A-am I not working satisfactorily, My Lord?"
"That is not what is being called into question here, Nabe. I just wanted to know your opinion."
She looked up to him with her pleading sharp eyes, her elegant expression coursing through him. Of course, because she was a creation of his friends, a denizen of Nazarick, it gave his proverbial heart an unruly pang of pain.
"Be at ease, Nabe. If you wish to continue to serve me in this capacity, stand."
In less than a second, she stood up so fast that her ponytail bounced behind her head.
"Very well, Nabe. I'd like you to give this to the Chief Blacksmith, have him melt down some of the YGGDRASIL currency into a reasonable number of native coins."
Satoru handed her a gold piece that he had obtained from the Village Chief during his four days of staying there. In a way, it was a loan that he wanted to pay back with interest, so this was the best way. Other than waiting to sell the serviceable metal and other items on the market.
"Understood."
He watched as she took the coin graciously from his hand before vanishing, using [Teleport] to arrive at Nazarick before him. That was when he turned his attention once more towards Sebastian who was still standing there absently.
"It is an honor to meet with my creator's dreams, Momonga-sama." Sebastian finally dropped the alias he had him use as he bowed before his Supreme Leader. "I believe I am unworthy of such a role."
"Nonsense, Sebastian."
Satoru sighed quietly as he was given his screen name yet again. He quite liked being called by the name his mother gave him. It was… reminiscent to say the least. His gaze shifted towards the direction of the construction grounds that could easily be seen from where they stood.
Everyone looked like dots, but the walls and even the buildings of the settlement were already under construction thanks to the use of golems. And for the most part, it seemed the twins were finished with their work, preparing the trenches and elevations.
"Just as I've said to my Guardians. You are the spark that remains of your creator, here, in this world." His arms remained crossed behind the back of his head as he peered back down to Sebastian.
"Ah.." Sebastian corrected his posture.
"Sebastian… What would you think if I fully adopted the name Satoru?"
"It is a magnificent name chosen by you, a Supreme Being of the Great Tomb. I believe it would be suitable for you to take it if it pleases you. I am sure the others, other than myself, would also agree."
'It was chosen by my mother though…' Satoru snorted internally.
"I suppose that would make me… The Adventurer King?" Satoru joked aloud to himself, letting his arms fall to his sides as he resumed course for home.
Sebastian nodded, following closely behind his master with a thoughtful pair of fingers caressing his beard. Satoru wasn't oblivious of this and immediately thought back to the time when Demiurge had taken an innocent joke a little bit too far. He had originally never planned on taking over the world. Though at the same time, he was never really against the very idea either. Nor of the way they went about it.
"The Adventurer King? Hm. There could be some merit in having only one name, Satoru-sama."
Being addressed in the western style once more by the head butler made him smile a bit, particularly when he called him by his given name. The honorific slowly faded from his mind, as it hardly mattered.
"Ah… You're not wrong, though explaining to the human population that I'm an undead–that may be a tricky move...Though I could play it off as a recent transition..."
Though he always had the option not to reveal such a secret, he knew that eventually everything could be uncovered no matter how deep the secret. His mind fell back to Bellriver, his dear friend who had been assassinated by the ruthless cutthroat corporations that ruled the world.
Sebastian eyed the Supreme Being from behind fondly, for his master trusted him to be where he stood. He took a moment before following him in silence, each step planned proportionately ahead.
As they reached the edge of a great dip, Satoru peered from left to right. Construction was well underway, The walls were being pieced together one part at a time with battlements well in mind. Wooden shells stood where the walls were going to stand in the coming weeks to pass. All at the same time, the construction of Castle Nazarick was going as planned as well. The elevated foundation covered the tomb almost perfectly from view.
A trench dug three feet deep into the ground, the form of a segment line, reached from the entryway of the tomb to the border of the outlined area. At a single glance, it looked like someone was trying to find the radius of a square. In truth, it was the planned central avenue to the very nexus of the settlement-to-be.
The last time he had seen the Tomb before the restart, it merely had hills around it.
In a way, it was rather disappointing to see that he never expanded around it. All he did was grow barley to see if the experiment to grind gold was worthwhile. City development wasn't his forte, nor was planning for a settlement. All he knew was squares, but he was sure Demiurge could follow a simple set of designs and improve them. He always saw plans where he had none.
"Things seem to be going well, construction seems to be on time."
"Momonga-sama~!"
"M-Momonga-sama!"
Hearing the name he once called himself, Satoru peered over to the two Elves on approach.
"Aura! Mare!" He raised a hand as to return their greetings–which only proved to hasten their descent upon his position. They were on him in seconds, standing before Satoru with their hands balled up in excitement.
"You've been gone for so long! Where did you go?" Aura was blunt and smiling widely.
"S-sis…" Mare of course remained as he always was, introverted and easily panicked.
"Mare-! Say hello to Momonga-sama!" She barked at her younger brother, nudging him with her elbow. Though she may have cross brows, that smile never left her lips
Placing his hands on the tops of their heads, he chuckled at their antics. He was in a good mood and it was as if they could sense that just by being in his presence. "I was visiting a human village nearby and saved them from other humans who had some interesting magic."
"Oh! You mean the people in the funny looking faces?" Aura blurted out as she scratched her chin with her leather-gloved fingers. This caused an awkward pause with the Supreme Leader before he began to nod his head slightly in affirmation of her claim.
"Yes, Aura, the ones with the funny faces."
He could only imagine their initial reaction to the terrified expressions of the deceased. Then again, he did have to remind them not to kill the three elves they spared during the invasion of the tomb. All the same, Satoru ruffled their little blonde heads as they basked in his attention. "You two have done well to continue the project, I am sure Chagama-san would be proud!"
"M-Momonga-sama…"
"We have hardly done enough to earn such praise!"
Their objections to his praise brought him back. He had to go through hoops to get his guardians to even accept a little bit of praise. Let alone get them to accept vacation time or take a break from official matters. A sigh escaped his lips, he had little choice.
"...Are you to deny my praise?"
Their ears drooped at his dejected tone, his guilt trip worked like a charm.
"We would never! R-right, Mare!" Aura nudged her brother into an agreement with her words.
"Right… S-sis…"
"–Good. Now, I've come back for a little bit before having to return to the village. I have an announcement to make. Can you two gather everyone in the Throne Chambers in a couple of hours?"
"Anything Momonga-sama~!" Aura gave a playful salute, hooking her brother's arm with hers before running off towards the Tomb. She was her jolly self even in the face of complete uncertainty.
Well, from where he stood there were still plenty of uncertainties and subtle differences to the world. The one thing he noticed though was that these Guardians of his hadn't changed at all in their fanatic belief that their Supreme One was all-knowing. Not that he remained around long enough, but just by watching from a distance… he could see it. They always seemed to deal with absolutes and made assumptions to bring a lawless plan into a sound and orderly one. Especially Demiurge who turns all of his simple plans into something far more complex yet less sophisticated.
Satoru couldn't help but wonder what Demiurge was going to turn his idea into. Surely he wasn't going to buy a simple coexistence with humans, was he? His brows furrowed. Was he?
As he passed over the construction site, he came to a stop just outside the grounds of the tomb. Looking up to the night sky that he had seen every day for two years, he held his hand up towards the moon. The white lifeless surface shone through his fingers as he appeared to smile. As he was lost in his thoughts, Sebastian stood behind him and watched. It was his duty as he waited for further instructions from his master. Even if he wanted just a small opinion, a little sense of direction, he was there.
"Would you be interested in finding a wife, Sebastian?"
"My Lord?"
Sebastian was confused, his eyes were centered on the back of Satoru's skull.
A faint chuckle arose from the Overlord as he turned his head. A glimmer of red shining through his mask, as if his true eyes were showing thanks to the skeletal mask he wore. All the same, he was smiling ever so faintly just barely showing his teeth as he did. While it was nice to not have a permanent grin across his face, smiling seemed the only natural thing to do. Was it because of the sudden transfer for a second time? The brief reintroduction of his humanity? Or was it because he did something different than before? It was a mystery for Satoru, as he found himself acting quite distinct from before.
"A woman who will love you for who you are–like your creator's."
Sebastian was taken back–he felt as if his Master was projecting Touch Me onto him. It was seen in his eyes even though he tried to hide his emotions behind a blank stern demeanor.
"There is always someone who needs you. Screams your name when they're in trouble. Believes that you will come, even if it is impossible to hear them..." Satoru didn't sound overly depressed, he didn't shed a tear. For the most part, he couldn't for obvious reasons.
Hardly having to listen for it, was the tone of self-loathing–something Satoru was all too familiar with. He hated himself for letting his Guild leave him. For letting his friends drift apart. For letting reality separate him from the rest of the people he cared so dearly for. What kind of glory fades and leaves nothing behind in a mere twelve years? A mere decade and two years… Did it mean nothing?
Not long later, he found himself wandering the halls of the ninth floor, the corridor where the rooms of his dear friends remained. His gaze draped over each door as he silently walked along. Having sent Sebastian to assist the twins, he was left to his thoughts and the tapping of his heels. Though he could hear the few Eight-Edge Assassins scurrying about on the ceiling above him.
Pandora had begun subtly spreading additional security forces throughout the common areas of Nazarick, surveilling the other Guardians. Not because he suspected them of treason, but so he knew everything they were planning. No surprises. There could be none. Of course, even then, the Guardians knew the creatures were there–just not entirely privy to the reason.
Satoru peered over at the white metallic strip of material that rested across his wrist. As he did so, blue glowing orbs lifted from its surface and showed him the time. He had been gone from Carne for about an hour now. He lowered his head slightly, he was sure to have another hour before he had to meet with his Guardians. So as he continued his stride down the long winding hall of the residential area, he came to a stop in front of Punitto Moe's quarters.
A druid and commander, the prized strategist of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
A light sigh escaped him without his permission as he recalled the level of planning he had gone through to carry the Guild this far. Across the way was another room. His eyes rested on the frost that built up along the crevices of the door.
Touring the hall, he continued to look to each door without taking a step inside, letting himself bask in the memories he held. The amount he remembered was filling him with nostalgia, and it was strange... Normally he forgot things that he either didn't feel were important or had faded from his consciousness a long time ago… It was all there though, in his head.
The conversations he had. The mischievous pranks that Bukubukuchagama pulled, made him chuckle. Not only that, but the overly serious talks he had with their residential Fallen Angel who knew no bounds came to mind. He came to a stop in the center of the hall and pinched the bridge of his nose as he began to wonder.
'What would they have thought of me?'
He was placed as the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown because of his leadership and his ability to keep them together. The actions the Guild took were all voted in. Yet instead of leading, he let the Guardians misunderstand a simple joke. He let them step all over him and never once he had held a vote, not that it mattered. No matter what he favored, they followed.
Satoru clenched his jaw.
He wasn't angry at his Guardians, no. However, the disappointment of just about everything that could have happened differently began to annoy him. From the very beginning, Nazarick had three camps: The good, the neutral, and the evil. Each one had different priorities and disagreements with the other. While that reminded him of the good old days with all the bickering that brought nostalgia, it wasn't the same.
Shalltear and Aura bickered because they were programmed to, and they knew that without any misgivings towards their respective creators. Demiurge's schemes didn't follow Ulbert's morality as he enjoyed what he was doing, torture for torture's sake, evil for evil's sake. He took on the world so he didn't have to make himself look evil, and Demiurge as a romanticist enjoyed every bit of it. Ulbert on the other hand had a stance against the impossibility of rising in the established hierarchy.
Ulbert would never have slaughtered the innocent losers that were once like himself. The downtrodden, the enslaved. In some strange way, he could see his friend as a Hero to the people. Even if he pulled off his showy and evil deeds for the theatrics.
As he approached Ulbert's room and kicked the wall beside the door, his emotional regulation rearing its head. Satoru rested a hand against the same wall and stared at the door that didn't open. He wanted to hear his friends' voices–and so far the only ones he's found were Chagama's and Luci's. Demiurge's voice hardly even resembled that of Ulbert's. And while Cocytus acted very much like his creator, he didn't have Takemikazuchi's voice.
Again, Satoru kicked the wall… again and again.
No matter how much he told them they were the hearts of their creators, were they?
Aura and Mare represented Chagama's ideals.
Shalltear represented Perorocino's fetishes.
Tabula's creations reflected his twisted tastes in horror movies and contradictions.
Sebas Tian's very personality was based on his observation of his creator, Touch Me.
Yet that was all they shared. They weren't his friends. Those with an extremely evil karma rating were a liability to take out into public. Though they were able to listen to his commands, Shalltear could go into a bloodlust state and practically become a berserker. Solution wants to eat humans, innocent ones. Entoma has no qualm eating babies.
Through experiments of his own, he found that there was no afterlife. Souls lingered where they died. There was no heaven waiting for those who were killed and they just sat there and slowly devolved into negative energy. Then once they died out–that was it in this world.
He didn't feel bad about that, but it made the fear of death relatively real.
Part of him was glad he couldn't die of old age.
Another was grateful for his resurrection items, and the fact that his Guardians had refused to let him die. Even if he had removed the resurrection ring from his finger, Demiurge was to bring him back. That is… if he let him. If someone refused to be brought back, their body turned to ashes, and at that point, only True Resurrection was an option. Though it could still be rejected.
Satoru stepped into Ulbert's room after shambling through the doors like a lesser undead.
This place was dimly lit with dark crimson drapes along the walls and high ceiling. Slowly his gaze shifted over the flavor items that decorated the room of his friend. It looked like a stereotypical archvillain's lair here. Each day he knew that the Homunculus maids cleaned this place. So even as he ran his hand along with the furniture of the obscenely quiet room, his fingers didn't collect dust.
He walked around revisiting memories, looking at trophies.
Human skulls with melted lit wax candles made the desk in the center of the room look like a satanic altar. Though there were plenty of other things, like the head of a dragon. Many prizes were indications of enemies he had defeated.
A faint smile rested on his lips as he came across a piece of old parchment, though the writing looked as if it had been printed yesterday. On it was a list of deeds, evil deeds Ulbert himself had done along with things he wanted to do. Satoru placed a hand on his throat, though unable to cry, it had this heavy feeling as sentiment took hold.
Over and over the emotional regulation towards his strong feelings flashed, but it did nothing.
Taking a few steps towards the bedroom of the suite, he came to a stop. On the wall was a picture of Touch Me with several darts sticking out of it. A soft snicker emitted from him as his eyes dropped at the sight of it.
These were all mementos of a past that were forever lost to him. Each of these rooms was filled with sentimental treasures that if they were lost, could ultimately destroy him. He was sure of it.
Walking into the bedroom, he came to a complete stop as his gaze rested on a single book. Bound in the skin of enemies, he could see the black threads that made up the words of the title.
'Memories, huh?'
Satoru walked over to the bed and sat at the end of it. Reaching over he opened the book and found secret screenshots of his friends. Particularly the time they tried to throw him a surprise party. Oddly enough, there were even some photos that were uploaded from the offline meeting they had. A solemn smile painted his face as he flipped from page to page. And then as he reached the end of the book, he paused.
On the back cover was another list. "What to gift Momonga-san?" Satoru snorted and looked at the contents with a glint of jovial excitement in his eyes.
"Wait…"
His eyes traced over the first line of the list of five different items.
"Sponsor a visit to a strip club… Momonga needs to stop being such a prude?"
Squinting his eyes as he read it over a few more times, he moved on from the list of defamatory gifts. There at the bottom of the page, he found there was also a small passage directly beneath it.
'Dear Momonga,
If you are reading this, you couldn't resist anymore and ventured forth into my forbidden territory on a whim, reminiscing. That can only mean you're the last one of us playing YGGDRASIL, the last skeleton standing as it were. So this is for when the time comes; When there is no one else to turn to.
Live Satoru. Live and find some new friends. Don't be alone all the time. It's unhealthy. You are not only our Guild Master but our friend. And even though I have left the game due to financial difficulties, I will miss you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there, at the end. I thank you for giving us your time, I will miss you–think of you always.
Your friend, Ulbert Alain Odle.'
Leaving Ulberts room he closed the door as quietly as he could before leaning against its hardwood surface. The words that Ninya had angered him with at the bonfire on their way to Carne shifted his perspective. Yes, he already wanted to explore the world. Yes, he wanted to make friends. But being able to visualize the voice of his friend saying the same, it rattled his mind.
Gradually, he pushed himself off the door and walked across the hall to another door. A 'faceless' mask was pinned on the door. Though he was pretty sure it was making an angry expression, there was no mouth–just a pair of brows and a pair of eyes on a white surface.
Kagutsuchi; the Radiant, Priest of Destruction. Out of all the members, he was probably just as fanatic towards him as the NPCs are now. He found it odd that before this point, he had forgotten about him. That was when he heard a light bump against the door and he cocked a brow.
"What the…"
Placing a hand on the doorknob, he opened the door, and yet he saw nothing.
A small guttural sound came from his feet.
Peering downward, Satoru narrowed his gaze on a wingless little brown bird. With a sigh, he spoke in a somewhat bitter tone as he looked over the modern armor the tiny creature wore. "...Friend Deployed."
Kiwi, the Deployable Friend. Kagutsuchi's tribute NPC to a lost friend, standing at level fifty.
If he recalled correctly, that level was enough to topple an entire city in this world.
"Definitely a creature far more worthy than the Hamsuke, Wise King of the Forest," A grin took hold of his lips as he knelt and offered it a hand. In a single instance, the bird stepped onto his hand and used his arm as a ramp. In seconds, the Kiwi sat on his shoulder.
Bratty guttural sounds left the bird as it nuzzled its face into the side of Satoru's.
"No… I'm not just making up names. Now, let us go see the Guardians..."
Not too much time went by after he reclaimed the Guild Weapon from his room. Fleeting moments had gone by until he found himself standing in the doorway of the Throne Room. Everyone was gathered together with Albedo standing beside the throne. His dark eyes rested on her beautiful white dress, her golden eyes. The passionate smile on her lips was far more attractive than when she lusted after him in the past. Lowering his eyes though, he was still guilty of modifying her program–even if it was for the best.
"Momonga-sama!"
The moment he was noticed in the archway of the chambers, all of them knelt before him. His eyes draped over every one of the guardians as all of them wore smiles brimming with confidence. How he got used to this subservience, he never really figured out. Acknowledging each of them, the Overlord ascended to the Throne of Kings. A world item his entire Guild earned by defeating the dungeon in the first attempt, even though it wasn't necessarily the hardest dungeon in the game. They transformed the Great Tomb of Nazarick into an impossible nest of demons.
Resting on the Throne, he peered over his Guardians once more, sternly delivering his command: "Rise your heads, my Guardians." His command was met with no hesitation. The Guardians raised their heads to rest their gazes upon their majestic leader.
"I have an announcement to make."
Albedo was the first to deepen her bow, pitching her head downward. "We are ready to hear your words, our venerable Leader, Momonga-sama!" As she finished she raised her head once again to face him, her slitted pupils flexing like the eyes of a cat.
Rising from his seat, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown's pointed end sparked as he settled into poise.
"I have reclaimed my name of origin–I will now once again be called Satoru Suzuki…!"
'It only made sense that life came before death… right?' Mentally sweating, he eyed the gazes he was getting from his Floor Guardians. What were only seconds felt like hours to him as if time was standing still. His sights soon took in the various flags that represented the other members of the guild, their insignias.
"If you have any objections, stand and voice them now!" His eyes fell upon Albedo once more.
"We have heard your precious name–" she spoke with her head lowered and her eyes closed. Her voice was as sweet as it had been when she had said the same line once before. It put him at ease. "–We devote our absolute loyalty to you, Satoru Suzuki-sama!"
That was when she lifted her head–and the others followed. "Hail Satoru Suzuki-sama!"
"We shall devote ourselves entirely to the Supreme One!" Shalltear declared with a favorable expression. Her crimson red eyes glowing ever so faintly in the dimly lit chambers.
"–To the most powerful Supreme Overlord~!" Aura and Mare overlapped one another as they melodically gave their fealty. There was no question or indecision in their words–their smiles spoke legions.
"Everyone will soon learn of your greatness." Demiurge kept his hand over his heart as he was peering up at Satoru. Their eyes just briefly met for a few moments and the Arch-Devil's lips formed into a wide and proud grin.
"The one who rules over Nazarick," Cocytus let out a frosty hiss of air, "Our Master."
"Glory to the Overlord," Albedo declared in such glorious elegance, "The Ruler of Death!"
There was no reason to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. For two years he circulated the name across the region, and surely the name had carried itself across the continent. No one came. If only he had read Ulbert's letter–all of their letters–and gone through their things. None of his friends were in this world. They were gone. Their accounts, their avatars deleted, and their items were stored in the Mausoleum of the Treasury. None of the guild members were signed in other than him at the time…
Though he began to notice something here, at this moment. Their lines were similar to when he had taken the name of Ainz Ooal Gown in the last timeline. For now, Satoru saw nothing as it was just part of their personalities. All he could think about was the direction of his friend's letter.
"You may all call me Satoru."
'New friends, a new name, a new chapter.'
"For the time being, the fresh corpses I had transported to Nazarick… I believe we will be able to bolster our intelligence in a nearby troublesome country… All of you are dismissed."
Witnessing their silent bow, Satoru watched as the majority of the Floor Guardians had left the room. However, now standing before him was Demiurge who stood there with his finger pushing his bifocals to the bridge of his nose.
"Satoru-sama, If I may ask. Sebas Tian has made you speak of being an Adventurer King. What would your plans be on the matter?" Naturally inquisitive, the Arch Devil clasped his hands together behind his back. Curiosity emitted from him like a cat with a death wish, the intensity caused Satoru's lips to part slightly as he gave himself a great pause.
"...Oh?" Satoru kept his voice relaxed yet drawn out as his gaze remained at rest. "In this world, there is a group of humans called Adventurers…" He stopped himself for a moment, not wanting to go into his whole tangent of what they were. "They're popular, much more popular than the Nobility with the native human population of this region."
"Sasuga, Satoru-sama! To be expected of a supreme being to have such insight to use the native culture to earn their favor and herd them into your walls. A glorious stepping stone to building a Kingdom in such a spacious region." As usual, he was impressed, but there was no surprise there.
"In the meantime, I have an additional task for you… You are to tell no one of it for the time being. There is a particular person I'd like to get closer to, I need a gift. Nothing expensive. A comfortable vest for binding her chest should be fine."
Demiurge pushed his glasses to his face for a moment with two of his fingers as he scrutinized the verbal request. "Pardon, my Lord, but Chest bindings? I'm not questioning this request, but Is this female hiding what she is for any particulars?"
"...Her older sister was kidnapped by a noble and used as a plaything. When he was done, she was sold to a criminal syndicate that runs an underground brothel… She's hiding her gender to save herself from the same fate as she works as an adventurer as a means of getting her back."
"Subarashii! That is an honorable endeavor, Satoru-sama. To think a Supreme Being–"
"Ulbert-san would have done it."
Demiurge blinked at the sudden bluntness of the Overlord.
"Your creator resented the unfairness society presented and even more so hated those who abused the less privileged beneath them. Will you fight for my–no–Ulbert-san's Justice? And help me correct her misfortune?"
The Arch Devil immediately dropped to one knee with a hand over his chest. "Yes, Satoru-sama!"
"Will you adopt Ulbert's Justice and views as your own?"
"To the best of my ability, Satoru-sama!"
"Good…" Satoru reached into his item box and pulled out the letter Ulbert had left him in the back of the book. He then held it towards the Devil with a faint, sad, smile. "First, read this."
Demiurge rose to his feet and gently handled the letter–his lips parting as he noticed the name written at the very bottom of the letter. It was from his creator, for Momonga–now the Supreme Leader Satoru Suzuki. As he stood there reading the message left behind by his creator, his brows rising in sublime surprise.
"What is this…? They had to … pay to be with us, Satoru-sama?"
"They paid until they couldn't strain anymore. If they knew this was going to happen, they would've sacrificed everything to stay… Alas..."
"Satoru-sama. Supreme Leader-sama. You have given me the life long mission sent to me by Ulbert-sama, my exalted creator, and your friend. And it is Glorious!" Wrapping the letter between his two fingers, Demiurge held it back towards the Supreme One. He couldn't stop smiling a brilliant twisted smile. There was no telling if he misunderstood. "Truly Enlightening."
Satoru blinked at his last words, before receiving the letter from Demiurge.
"What color shall I make the vest binder, Satoru-sama?"
"Black."
"Of course." With a simple bow of his head, Demiurge turned on his heel. He was gone in a blink of an eye. Using the ring that he had given him, the Devil teleported to the seventh floor to begin his craft.
An hour had gone by. Satoru stood in the middle of the catacombs with six Elder Liches standing around him. Each one dressed in robes fitting their current status. The only thing that made them different from one another was their pasty white faces somewhat hidden under their hoods.
"Nigun, step forward."
One of them stepped forward with great poise.
"As you command, Satoru-sama."
Even in death, he kept his memories and his authoritative voice. Though one could say his fanaticism towards his Gods had since changed. The Elder Lich had his impressive gaze upon Satoru.
"Tell me of all recent developments in the Slane Theocracy's Six Scriptures."
"For you may know that there are Six Scriptures, many of them are operating in secret. However, I, Nigun, have clearance to know of recent events in the Black Scripture… The one now known as Lady Clementine, the former ninth member of the Black Scripture has betrayed the Theocracy and stolen the Crown of Wisdom… She is a Godkin, descendant of the Six Great Gods."
Scrutinizing him as he called the girl a Godkin, he grinned. Descending from Godhood? He recalled experimenting when it came to the faiths and the existence of Gods in this realm. As long as one has a strong belief in their source, they can use divine magic. However, the existence of gods was inconclusive. From this, he began to believe these Gods were really strong people or players.
"Blonde hair, reddish-purple eyes, and attractive feline features?"
"Y-yes… You truly are all-knowing, Satoru-sama. Your greatness is impeccable. This Lady Clementine is currently being tracked by the Windflower Scripture."
"Anything else…?" Satoru grunted at the praise from the undead he created.
"The Black Scripture has been dispatched to protect the Downfall of Castle and Country and its wearer as they move to resurrect the Catastrophe Dragon Lord and place it under their control."
"...A world item?" Satoru clenched his jaw as he remembered Shalltear's involuntary rebellion.
So, in the last timeline, it was a good idea to equip his godchildren with World Items. A frown formed over his lips. And it seemed that their arrival in the area overlapped with his adventures with the Swords of Darkness.
Now at least, he knew he needed to plan for that eventuality–the elimination of the Black Scripture. "The Six Great Gods, did they have any other items as strong as Downfall?"
Nigun stood there for a moment as he processed the question before shaking his head. "Not as far as I've been enlightened by the Cardinals and current channels within the Theocracy, no."
That made him curious. Then he thought about another place, a legend even, that represented the presence of players. A place that he had yet to visit or scout in fear that it may incur the wrath of players. "How about information towards the Eight Greed Kings?"
"They are the ones who were well-known for spreading tier-magic to the masses, and they killed the last of the Six Great Gods." Nigun's jaw twitched slightly as hatred towards the Eight Greed Kings still resided greatly within him after his transformation into a Lich. "Their home is rumored to have a book that documents both old and new spells–updating itself periodically–but none can claim it."
'That is a very dangerous item…'
However, now that he had this information, he began to correlate the similarities. Each player group seemed to have had a world item of some sort in their possession. Could it be that each individual brought to this world had at least one on their person?
Satoru swallowed subtly.
'There are more World Items in this world. Although Nazarick is protected from them… They would be a threat to anyone who didn't have one.'
A sense of unease came about him, as he knew Nigun didn't have all the answers. All he had was scribbles of information that he had to piece together.
Could the reason why he was sent back in time be that someone used a World Item? There were two hundred of them and less than a hundred of them had been discovered. If a Kingdom used it to get rid of him… but that didn't make sense. How did it affect him? Users of World Items can only be affected by other World Items by choice–otherwise, it did nothing.
"Tell me about the Elven Country."
"If that is what you wish, Satoru-sama… The Elf Kingdom is currently at War with the Slane Theocracy after its Elf King, kidnapped, raped, and impregnated the former Extra-Seat of the Black Scripture. Her daughter now presides in the Extra-Seat… She is stronger than the King, but because of the Platinum Dragon Lord, the Scripture is unable to deploy her."
"That so…" Satoru grimaced as he thought about what could have happened should he have gone to the Elf Country with Aura and Mare. "Tell me more about this Elf King."
"Theocracy intelligence reports that he rapes his subjects, and female humans he comes across, to make an army of powerful offspring–the Extra-Seat is his only success. My Lord."
Satoru's gaze shifted towards Kiwi as he made little guttural sounds, then back towards Nigun. "Your unit is now the Educational Corps... Your job is to make sure the Great Tomb of Nazarick is Literate and to document all intelligence you know of the surrounding region. The one you report to will be Titus Annaeus Secundus, the Chief Librarian of the Great Library. Is that understood?"
"Your wish is our command, our Glorious Leader!" The former members of the Scripture bellowed, though there were only about twenty of them that he had turned into Liches. The other members were still just corpses as he had a limit of how many low, mid, and high-tier undead he could create.
Satoru remained there standing in the darkness as the Liches left through the magic circle.
"Nothing's wrong, Kiwi." He retorted as the small birdman on his shoulder went to open its beak.
Reaching up, the Overlord patted the small brown bird on his shoulder which then began imitating the sound of a purring cat. A soft scoff left his lips, but he didn't stop patting the brat. "What is with Kagu-san and his obsession with bratty things?"
Not getting an answer, Satoru shook his head and began heading towards the surface. Once he reached the stairs, he came to a stop as a grinning Shalltear was there to greet him.
"Shalltear Bloodfallen…"
"Satoru-sama~! Are you leaving already?" The look of adoration was still on her face. Was it because he was undead despite having a human appearance? He narrowed his gaze sternly on her.
"Yes. Before I do, however, I have an assignment for you."
"Anything-arinsu~!" She came closer, her hands clasped together. Her eyes were glowing with a lustful fever. As he saw her as nothing more than the child of one of his Guild Members, and now one of his wards, he gave no impression of giving into her otherwise cutely corrupted demeanor.
"I need you to gain intelligence on a group of Mercenaries known as Foresight. There is to be no confrontation, no killing, and you are not to be discovered. If you are discovered, you are to return to Nazarick immediately without engaging in needless combat. This is a test only you can take. Can you accept it?"
Her eyes were wide with enthusiasm. A task only she could do–it caught her attention like a ball of yarn for a cat. "Of course, Satoru-sama~ You can trust me with this mission above all else!"
"Good… Now get into a proper disguise and report to the Chief Blacksmith for your assigned coinage. If anyone asks who you are in the Baharuth Empire, you are a daughter of a wealthy trader and looking to purchase a luxury residence in the capital… Pandora's Actor will supply you with your papers, equipment, and translation glasses. Once your assignment is finished, you will report to the Great Library for New World literary lessons."
"All for you, Satoru-sama~!" Shalltear proclaimed in a bow before teleporting instantly with her divine class guild ring. She was far too excited to take her time, a chuckle left his lips.
"... I want to know why thieves would do what they did…"
Satoru had let one Worker go because he was there to supplement the needs of another. For thieves like Foresight to hand the young one known as Arche their money… No longer seething in anger that his friend's name was assaulted, he recognized that this was not greed. Also, he remembered one thing that he had forgotten in the past.
They had mentioned little sisters.
Could she have been there to supplement the needs of someone else? He needed to know more.
Satoru peered down at Ulbert's letter again and creased his brows.
"Make new friends… Huh…"
An Overlord lived forever. Was he going to watch as the friends he makes perish as time passes him by? He wasn't fond of the idea of constantly losing. Constantly having to start over. Was that the curse of immortality? Even then he hated the idea of ending everything, no longer living, it was still far too unknown.
Ascending the steps to the surface, Satoru's gaze was on the sky above. All he could do was think about his friends. How Blue Planet's love for nature suited this world, and how HeroHero's life might have become quite a bit more comfortable. All of them could've been comfortable here, even so. There was no way all of them could've come in the first place–they left-if only he had gone further back in time.
To persuade them to keep their accounts–to come on the last day–to stay.
All he could do was fantasize or move forward. Truthfully, there was only one choice.
As he reached the top of the stairs, construction had since resumed. Nabe and Sebastian were waiting along the new tiled road leading from the entrance of the tomb to the edge of the settlement. Folding his arms behind his back, grasping at his wrist, he walked along the new path toward his companions.
Teleporting with Nabe and Sebastian, the three of them emerged at the edge of Carne Village.
Silence overtook their ears. The sound of night animals in the trees, and the empty sky above, echoed behind them. Nabe seemed to enjoy the odd silence, and the absolute absence of humans roaming around.
"Satoru-saa-aan."
"Yes, Nabe?"
"Where are we going to be staying back here in the village?"
"We will rest in the dwarven dwelling until the break of dawn and accompany Gazef to E-Rantel… We'll ask the villagers early to have a wagon prepared so we can rest along the way."
"A sound plan indeed," Sebastian agreed with his assessed direction that he wanted to take. "I do have a question, but it isn't a concern. Will we require lodging in the City? Or will we be depending on Nazarick, Satoru?"
"We will be staying at a low-tier Inn for the first two weeks–then we'll purchase a residence. As Shalltear will be purchasing us one in the Empire. It'll make it easier for us to move around if we have a network of safe houses."
"I see… Will we be placing servants in these locations?"
"It would be unwise to put low-leveled homunculus in any of these locations… I have an idea, but it won't come into play until we acquire Elves from the Empire."
"Oh?"
"From my understanding, the Kingdom has outlawed slavery, but the Empire still practices it. Those who we take in will be schooled and placed to care for the safe houses as their own homes. Until then I am sure placing the human-like Pleiades in charge of each house should be sufficient. But first, we have to make it seem as if we are making legitimate coinage… Then when we have enough popularity, we submit a reform to the Adventurer's Guild to make additional accessible jobs."
"We will try our best to follow your plan, Satoru. Whatever it is you wish to accomplish, we–we will follow you till the end." Sebastian had paused as he stopped himself from nearly speaking as a loyal servant. He then gestured as to allow Nabe and his Master ahead of him as they walked.
The three of them made their way towards the dwarven shop. As the door wasn't latched, Satoru pushed his way in through the door. Lo and behold, he could hear the use of tools and the scent of the hearth. In the far corner, the Dwarven craftsman was working on items without rest.
"Ahh… Welcome back, Satoru-sama. Me crafts need some time to finish and then me time is yers. Unless ya have an urgent task?"
"Course," Satoru snorted. "We're just here to rest."
Walking over to a wall beneath a window, Satoru sat and rested his back against the wall. His body wasn't tired, but his mind was from all the scheming and use of magic. Closing his eyes, he pressed the back of his head into the cold stone wall… It felt nice.
Nabe and Sebastian did the same, sitting at either side of him.
Even with his eyes closed and his body seemingly at rest. His mind was going off towards more schemes. Brita. He couldn't just toss a man towards her table anymore–he wasn't a warrior class–so it would look suspicious. Though there were ways to get around that.
Opening his eyes partially as he shifted through his thoughts, there was a plan. Bribery was suspicious, so he couldn't just pay her to bring the potion to Nfirea. As an adventurer, she might as well see something was up. Especially after she learns what the red potion is.
Once again he found himself remembering tidbits of information which were initially just noise. Brita had sacrificed meals and alcohol to afford just one blue healing potion. He could use that. Though in a way it was bribery, he could make it out to benefit himself at least on the surface.
'I've never asked a girl out before though... Would she say no? I'd just be a copper plate… Why am I worrying about that? I'll be endorsed by the Warrior Captain. Plus, she'll probably say yes for the food–and potion. Hmph.'
His gaze flickered over towards Sebastian who seemed to be meditating. As he turned his head to Nabe though, he nearly jumped out of his skin. She was looking at him with her dark, sharp, black eyes.
"–Eh? Nabe? You're not going to rest?"
"I am in no need of sleep, Satoru-saa-aan."
She displayed her ring of sustenance as the magic item dominated her left ring finger.
"Ah… I see."
Reaching into his item box, he took out a small plastic baggy of sweets. Opening it, he held out a few hard candies for her to take. "Want some?"
"Yes, thank you, Satoru-saa-aaan.." Nabe almost immediately tackled the pieces with her hand and popped them into her mouth. Satoru smirked–knowing that the Pleiades enjoyed their sweets. Including their high-quality tea and mini-cakes.
Taking a few into his hand, he popped them into his mouth as well and tasted their wild flavors.
Since his arrival, he still hadn't tried anything like Dragon Steak or anything solid. So far it had only been candy, hard candy that simply dissolved into the saliva in his mouth. It was fairly… convenient for a fully functional human disguise. Perhaps it had something to do with flavor text? He wasn't entirely sure.
Dawn broke sooner than expected, Satoru wasn't paying attention to the time. It passed by before he even noticed a thing. As the sun began to rise on the horizon, he stepped out of the dwelling. Imitating a morning stretch, folding an arm behind his head and holding the other erect. Satoru yawned obnoxiously as the village was already waking up.
"Satoru-dono!"
The deep commanding voice of Gazef allowed the Overlord to lower his arms with an expression of complete and utter ease. "Gazef-dono. It is a pleasure to see you up and about this morning."
"We'll be heading out soon, my men have already begun to pack their things. We've already thanked the Villagers for allowing us to say the night." Gazef held out a hand to shake his, a friendly and strong smile on his lips tugged to one side.
Satoru shook his friend's hand.
Upon hearing the guttural sound of a bird though, Gazef paused and stared at the Kiwi.
"Well then! I didn't know you had a pet with you."
"Ah… Yes. He seemed to have followed me from home. Kiwi has no wings, but he seems to get by pretty well." Satoru patted the little creature on the head as it made continuous guttural sounds.
It was challenging Gazef, but the man seemed to be completely ignorant that the creature was speaking. Not that Satoru cared much–but it was amusing.
"He can be somewhat of a brat though… Thanks to the influence of a friend."
"Hehe." Gazef nodded with a heartfelt chuckle, "If you're heading out with us to E-Rantel, we'll be staying the night there as well once we talk with the city mayor. If you'd allow me to treat you to a good meal as your visit to the guild…"
"I look forward to it," Satoru nodded. This gave him the chance to try the food of the new world, before trying the extreme flavors of Nazarick. Reaching up, he pulled his hood a bit over his forehead appearing to fidget. "Perhaps I'll be able to treat you when I visit the Royal Capital sometime."
"Now that will be something to eagerly wait for. I'll hold you to it." Gazef smirked–he had a habit of saving money so there was plenty to be used. Though he was the Warrior Captain, a servant to the King, it wasn't often that he was treated to a warm meal by a friend.
Walking towards the barricades which were gradually being removed from the village perimeter, Satoru saw Enri open her window to give a hearty wave. Acknowledging her, he pitched his head for a moment before continuing behind Gazef. As they reached the edge, standing in plain view was a wagon already waiting for them with four horses attached to it.
"It will take a better part of a day to reach the City, so be patient with me." Gazef chuckled.
Satoru bobbed his head as he climbed onto the wagon with Sebastian and Nabe. As they took their seats, Gazef climbed one of the few remaining unmanned horses. Thanks to Satoru, none of his men had to come home in caskets. Though there was a handful of wounded, there was no reason to give them red healing potions. None of them were in critical condition from as far as he could see.
With that they began their journey to the Fortress City of E-Rantel, being sure to take the shortest route along the edge of the Great Forest.